"So, where to now?`"
Lights blinked, cogwheels whirred, plasma-thingummies sloshed invisibly in their mysterious containers. The Doctor flipped a few switches, stopped for a moment and then brought the hammer down on the control with forceful precision. While the engines of the Tardis quietened down to a content humming, the Doctor turned to Rose expectantly.
"Well, I don't know", answered Rose. "It is quite a difficult decision to make."
"Should we fix a few parameters?, queried the doctor eagerly.
"Would that make it any easier?", snorted Rose. "After all the planets we visited only in the last two weeks I don't even know if I could say it should be hot or cold. Or both at the same time like two days ago."
"Yes", conceded the Doctor. "That was a bit weird, wasn't it?"
"How is that even possible?"
"Oh, it is quite simple, really. The planet is placed right on top of a time distortion. But instead of being ripped apart by the time streams as they should have been, the planet and all its inhabitants have learned to live with a constant phase-shift. It shouldn't be too difficult to do, it's just like breathing in and out at the same time. Come to think of it, they would be amazing at playing the didgeridoo..."
"Doctor...?"
"What, what? I thought you were about to decide. I'm just making conversation until..."
"Doctor", Rose repeated, a little louder this time. "There is something coming out of the control-panel..."
The Doctor stared. Just between a row of rainbow coloured levers and something that looked like an ancient doorbell, there was something growing out of the surface. At first it looked like the upper half of a glittering tardis-blue ball the size of an orange. But as it rose, it flattened at the sides and turned out to be supported by a thick, rubbery stem. When it had reached the height of about four inches it popped a couple of light blue glowing spots on it's top, which began to spin around itself very slowly.
Rose and the Doctor advanced cautiously.
"It's a mushroom,", Rose finally whispered, apparently unwilling to believe she just said that. "a dancing mushroom."
The Doctor did not answer. He kept staring broodingly at the little object. Suddenly he slapped his forehead, smiled his disconcertingly happy smile and whirled Rose around.
"Of course!", he cried. " I completely forgot, I installed it myself. It's the silent anomaly-detector!"
Rose blinked. "The silent anomaly-detector?"
"Yes!"
"Growing out of your Tardis?"
"Ingenious, isn't it? It's always good to provide for further regenerations without taking up too much space."
"But what anomalies does it detect?"
The Doctor shrugged. He had already turned to his screen and was merrily typing away on his keyboard.
" Oh, you know, anomalies.", he told Rose. "The universe is infinite, so it would be stupid to look for known anomalies. This way is much better. It can detect everything and anything."
"But this way you don't even know what it is you have discovered."
"Yes!", beamed the Doctor. "Isn't it marvellous? Ah, here we are."
The Doctor led Rose to the screen.
"It's a planet", said Rose. After a while she felt compelled to add. "It looks normal enough. I mean except for all the other planets all around it."
"Yes", agreed the Doctor. "Seventeen moons for an inhabited planet this size is quite impressive. But this can't be the only weird thing about it."
Rose smiled. "Well, there is only one way to find out."
The doors of the Tardis creaked as the Doctor and Rose stepped out into an ocean of lush vegetation. All around them medium sized trees spread their branches, climbing plants wound their way to a better place in the sun and complicatedly shaped flowers spread their perfume. It was like standing in the rainforest, only that no plant was higher than two or three feet over their heads. Also there were neat footpaths crisscrossing around the landscape.
"Well, at least everything seems to be well organized around here." The Doctor inspected the ground around the plants. "Very well organized", he added. "The ground looks like it is kept by a gardener. No tiny weeds, no rotting leaves. It is like a giant hothouse. But outside. And gigantic.", he finished lamely.
Rose had left the Doctor to his, as he would probably call it, scientific research and had started to stroll around the footpaths. After a few bends she stopped and called out: "Doctor! I found something." When the Doctor ran to her side he saw it too.
Apparently they were standing on a sort of plateau overlooking a valley. There was a path leading into the valley beneath them, wide enough to be called a street. Following the street the vegetation grew smaller and even more orderly. And at the end of the street, in the middle of the valley, stood an enormous pyramid built of bright red stone.
"it looks Mayan", said Rose. "How can it look Mayan?"
"Everything is possible."
"How convenient"
"Well it is."
"For someone who thinks he is so smart and knows the way of the universes, you do sometimes make it a little too easy for yourself. You could at least try to explain it. You know. By talking a lot of scientific nonsense and confusing me even more."
"Well I think..." But what the Doctor thought remained a mystery, because at this very moment they both noticed a small figure running up the path into their direction. As the slim shape didn't appear to be threatening in any way, they waited until she reached their spot. It was indeed a she, a petite girl clad in what appeared to be several layers of multicoloured drapes. She panted for a little while, but seemed to recover quite quickly. After a short pause she smiled at them and said: "Welcome to Arikeeya. The Ta'ag awaits you."