Chapter Two: Our Childhood, Our Home
My second life was much more like me now than my first life ever was. He was often referred to as the "Hobo Jedi," owing to his slightly more ragged cloak and robes. In that time, I was often found playing a small musical instrument and generally being silly. The Padawans loved it immensely. I'm fairly certain that you would have liked him Majei. The Masters often said they took my silliness in stride, probably due to the fact that my second life's silliness almost always carried some sort of intent, a plan to teach, as it were.
That being said, the Second Doctor, while acting like a bumbling fool, was still no less of a Doctor than any of the others. In fact, it was he who first visited my home planet of Gallifrey.
Actually, that's probably not true. My first life was obviously the first of my lives to set foot on Gallifrey. As I remember absolutely nothing from my infant years besides the Jedi Temple, I consider my second life to be the first Doctor to touch down on Gallifrey.
The Jedi Council was in session when we got the call from the Supreme Chancellor at the time, who was an Alderaanian named Ken Drick. He was a sympathetic leader, but he was not afraid to dish out tough love to planets who were out of line.
Anyway, the Council Chamber's transmissions beacon started beeping, and the hundred-year-old Grand Master Yvei, who had been voted to the position by her peers after the death of Grand Master Coven twenty years previously, answered it immediately.
"Good morning, Supreme Chancellor," she greeted Chancellor Drick warmly. "What can we do for you?"
"Good morning, Master Jedi," said Chancellor Drick. "I have a message that I have been directed to give to the Doctor. Is he present?"
I was a bit surprised when I heard that. Not too many people at the time asked specifically for me when they contacted the Council, especially Chancellor Drick. He normally spoke to the Council as a whole. This was definitely a first.
I was a bit surprised by this, to say the least. At this time, I was about one hundred and seventy years old, and, as of yet, not the Grand Master of the Order, which was probably a good thing, to be honest. I didn't really need to be in that position, as Grand Masters Yvei and Coven had done a fine job of it themselves, and I didn't really want the position, either. I didn't feel that I was ready for that kind of responsibility. Not yet, at least.
As I was not a particularly leading member of the Council, though still prominent, thank you very much, I was not often called upon directly in meetings. It was certainly an odd thing for Chancellor Drick to do. He usually spoke only with the Council as a whole, never individually speaking to any of us for very long, with the occasional exception of Grand Master Yvei.
"Right here, Supreme Chancellor," I said, raising my hand quickly, then lowering it just as quickly.
"Excellent!" said Chancellor Drick, his hologram turning to face me. "This message comes from your home planet of Gallifrey."
Chancellor Drick keyed a sequence on an unseen terminal, and his hologram was replaced by one of a man I had never seen before. He was a bald-headed man who seemed to do his absolute best to keep a stoic expression on his face at all times. He wore very regal Gallifreyan robes, the kind most officials of the Drolemit faction of Gallifrey wore. What color the robes were was obscured by the blueness of the hologram, though I later found out that the robes were red and orange in color. As I and the rest of the Council took in his appearance, the regal man began to speak.
"My name is the General," he said, keeping his composure calm and collected, though I could sense that there was something-there were a lot of things, actually-clouding his mind, making him fear an intense fear. What could be so bad that this seemingly calm and cool man felt such fear as this? I wasn't sure at the time, though I eventually did find out.
"I am the leader of the War Council of Drolemit Gallifrey," continued the General. "The war which has consumed Gallifrey for millennia has come to a head here and now. Skaroan Gallifreyans have launched a massive assault upon the Drolemit city of Arcadia, and it has fallen under their might. We must take it back. Our President and Council of Lords have seen it fit to use more...alternative methods to retake Arcadia." A wave of intense fear flickered on the General's face for a brief fraction of a second, but every single Jedi in the Council Chamber caught it. "I convinced them that it was not necessary; that we needed the help of the Galactic Republic in order to take back our city. I realize that we have not kept close contact with the Republic in these troubled times, but that was only so that the Time War will not reach your borders. I'm afraid that the Time War has indeed done just that, and we now beg you for assistance. We Drolemits ask only for one man: the Doctor, a Gallifreyan who is known to have joined the ranks of your Jedi Order. We are confident that the Doctor can help us in our time of great need. I thank you kindly."
The hologram of the General disappeared, replaced by the hologram of Chancellor Drick.
"It seems you are needed on Gallifrey, Doctor," said the Chancellor.
"It would seem so, yes," I said, thoroughly preoccupied with what had just happened. My first visit to Gallifrey would seem to be one of conflict. I was not much of a conflict man at the time, but I was still willing to fight and kill if necessary. And it seemed as though I didn't really have much of a choice. I know for a fact that I come from the Drolemit bloodline. I knew it then, too, which meant for me that I felt the need to help my fellow kin in their struggle in any way that I could. Which meant fighting in their battles.
"Doctor," called Grand Master Yvei, drawing my attention from Gallifrey and back to Coruscant. "What do you wish to do?"
I thought for a long moment, then reached my decision with a nod of my head.
"It seems that I must go and help them," I said.
"Then that is what you will do," said Grand Master Yvei with a warm smile.
I smiled back at her, grateful for this opportunity, which would end up teaching me more than I thought it would. In turn, it will teach you as well, New Jedi Order.
About a day went by before I was ready to leave for Gallifrey. I spent much of that time meditating in my quarters, playing my little musical instrument while doing so, and preparing my ship for the trip to Gallifrey. The planet was outside the reign of the Galactic Republic, so its spatial coordinates weren't listed in any Republic database. It's a good thing that the Jedi kept records of the infants they identified and conscripted into the Order. Otherwise, I would never have found Gallifrey.
On the morning that I was to leave, I quickly visited the Jedi Archives and pulled up the file concerning my own conscription. I skipped through most of the boring parts and got right down to the part where Gallifrey's location was stated. After I memorized the coordinates and closed down the terminal I was using, I briskly jogged to the docking area, where my ship and Grand Master Yvei were both waiting for me.
Grand Master Yvei greeted me warmly as I made my way to the small ship.
"May the Force be with you on your journey, Doctor," she said with a smile.
"I hope that it will be, Grand Master," I said. "I shall return once my people retake Arcadia."
"We await your return eagerly," said Grand Master Yvei, and I boarded the ship, setting off for Gallifrey.
I exited Coruscant's atmosphere, quickly making the calculations for the jump to hyperspace that would take me back to my home planet.
During my time spent in hyperspace, I put the ship on auto-pilot and sat down on the floor of the cockpit, playing my recorder and thinking. How would I be able to help the Drolemits retake Arcadia. In my second incarnation's usual fashion, I began constructing a plan, but I soon realized that it would be worthless without any actual knowledge of Gallifreyan cities. So, I scrapped any and all plans that may or may not have been floating around in my head, resigning myself to clearing my mind, mentally preparing myself for Gallifrey.
Looking back on it, remembering Gallifrey, its beauty, its wonder, I realize that nothing could have possibly prepared me for it. By that logic, you can imagine that I was simply astonished by the sight of the planet when I brought the ship out of hyperspace.
And astonished I was. I'll write down a lot of things, among them describing different places I've been, but I don't think I can put into words the majesty of Gallifrey. The planet was absolutely breathtaking. I can remember distinctly the rusty color of the outside of the planet, the grey clouds covering the brown lakes in an aura of warmth and comfort. I can also remember that my second incarnation had a hard time believing that there was a massive war going on down on the planet's surface.
I piloted the ship into Gallifrey's atmosphere, where I was guided by Drolemit security ships into what looked to be the Drolemit Capitol of Gallifrey. It was a magnificent city. Spires towered over the landscape, sheltering the Drolemits from the war, as well as giving them a superb view of the snow-capped mountains that surrounded the Capitol almost entirely.
I landed my ship, and the security ships landed right next to me, flanking me guardedly as I walked down the boarding ramp, an expression of awe and wonder no doubt playing out on my face as I took in the majesty of the Capitol.
I didn't have much time to soak it all in, as I was called back from my awed musings by the General, who greeted me with a flank of two Honor Guardsmen clad in brilliant red robes.
"You must be the Doctor," he said.
"I am, good sir," I said.
"I expected you would be taller," joked the General lightheartedly.
"I'm told that regeneration is something of a lottery," I joked back.
That's certainly the truth, isn't it? Stop laughing, Jennara! I know you are.
"Indeed," said the General with a small, almost strained smile. "We'd better get to work, then."
"I agree, General," I said with a nod, then the four of us-me, the General, and the two Honor Guardsmen-journeyed through the Capitol.
Along the way, the General and I made idle chatter while the Honor Guardsmen stayed silent, ever alert for threats to me and the General. Gradually, of course, it came back to the war.
"I have tried calling upon the assistance of the Jedi before," said the General.
"Is that so?" I asked.
"Yes, but the Council of Lords wouldn't have it, and neither would our President, not for a long time."
"You said in your message that he wanted to use more alternative methods."
I treaded carefully on this topic, and I soon wished that I had been more careful. The flicker of fear, the same one the General had gotten when he mentioned the alternative methods in the first place, was back. I can still remember it. It was only there for a fraction of a second, but it's still ingrained in my memory to this day. Let's move on, shall we?
"Yes," said the General. "They wanted to access the Omega Arsenal, a vault of forbidden weapons that we Drolemits dare not use in this War, no matter the cost."
"Forbidden how?" I asked, my youthful curiosity taking over.
"They are too powerful," the General said simply. "One in particular would not only destroy the planet in an instant, but it would also hold you in judgement of your actions. The artificial intelligence of that machine is so advanced that it developed a conscience. Anyone who used it would face the judgement of the weapon itself."
"Amazing," I said breathlessly. "Of course, no one should ever have to touch that weapon, obviously, but still, it is truly fascinating. Hopefully, the War can end before that weapon is all you have left."
"I hope so, too, Doctor," said the General. "The Council of Lords and the President thought that we could only end this War using the Omega Arsenal. I put my foot down at that, of course. I would not see my leaders corrupted by the seeming necessity of using those weapons of mass destruction."
"So, you asked me for help instead?" I asked.
"I believe that having the Force as our ally would tip the tide of the War in our favor," explained the General.
"Naturally," I said. "I can tell you that I will do what I can to help your cause."
"Thank you, Doctor," said the General gratefully. "Here we are."
We had reached a towering building, and I looked up to see a gleaming silver spire, looking out over what seemed like the entire Gallifreyan landscape. It was a magnificent building that seemed to go on vertically for miles, at least several dozen feet over the rest of the buildings in the Capitol.
"Might I ask where we are, exactly?" I asked.
"The War Tower, Doctor," said the General. "Where the Drolemits are planning their counterattack on Arcadia right now."
I nodded, and the General, the Honor Guardsmen, and I briskly walked through the main doors of the War Tower.
The inside of the building was just as magnificent as the outside. I could go on and on about the fountain in the center of the main lobby alone, with its white marble crafting and its beautiful orange streams flowing forth from various points in the structure. Let's just say it was beautiful and move on so I don't get distracted and forget what I was talking about.
Anyway, while walking through the main lobby on our way to wherever it was that we were going, I saw a prisoner being taken out of the building by a squad of six Honor Guardsmen surrounding the prisoner and one Honor Guard Captain at the front, leading the way. I stared at the prisoner, and he stared back at me, a malevolent glint in his eye, his teeth bared in a snarl. There's another facial expression I won't ever forget. That manic fury in his eyes and mouth told me that this was one man who was not to be trifled with.
"Who was that?" I asked the General curiously, still a bit shaken by the prisoner's appearance.
"His given name is Koschei," said the General. "But he prefers to be called the Master."
The Master. I gave the name a thought. Clearly, he was obsessed with power, trying perhaps to conquer the galaxy, maybe even the universe, at all costs. I don't know. I suppose I'll never know the true extent of the Master's plans. He would eventually die at the end of the Time War, on the last day of the fighting, when it all ended. I did encounter him a few times before that, though, when he tried to run away from the Time War. I'll get to that later, though, because we really need to get to the retaking of Arcadia.
After the unfortunate meeting of the Gallifreyan who would eventually become my occasional nemesis, the General and I, accompanied by the Honor Guardsmen, entered an elevator that shot us straight up the tower, right to the top. I gazed out and saw Gallifrey in all its splendor. It was amazing, looking out onto those massive mountains, the doorway to Gallifrey beyond. I'm sure even my first incarnation would have been impressed. My second incarnation certainly was.
The elevator door opened, and we briskly walked over to another room at the top of the tower. It was a large, dark room, with a holotable with schematics of a city that I assumed was probably Arcadia. This was the War Room, wherein a group of three Gallifreyans were discussing tactics for retaking the city. Well, it was more like arguing, really. For some reason, they just couldn't agree on how exactly to retake Arcadia from the Skaroans.
"We need to strike hard and fast, with everything we've got!" said one, a broad-shouldered, battle-hardened soldier with a missing eye and a scar across his left cheekbone.
"I really think we should be careful in our approach," suggested another whose outer coat was emblazoned on the shoulder with a Gallifreyan symbol that I would eventually come to understand as "medic."
"The Skaroans are merciless! While we wait here, arguing among ourselves, they are probably preparing another attack!" cried a third, who looked very young, but her eyes were very old with what she had seen. She reminded me of me a little back then, and she still does, even almost a century after the demise of Gallifrey.
"Please," the General called the three of them to order. They all looked at the General, then at me.
"This must be the Doctor," said the man with the missing eye.
"This is," said the General. "Doctor, I'd like you to meet the Commander-" he indicated the man with the missing eye. "-the Bishop-" he indicated the man with the medic symbol on his shoulder. "-and the Praetorian." The General indicated the young woman with the old eyes.
"How do you do?" I asked, doing my best to bumble a little in their presence so as to hide my true intellect from them.
"We don't need the assistance of the Jedi," the Commander argued to the General. "We can do just fine on our own."
"But on our own, we lost Arcadia," the Bishop said. "I, for one, welcome the Doctor."
"As do I," said the Praetorian. "The assistance of the Doctor and his Jedi companions could help us win this war."
"Now, he's only here to help us take back Arcadia," said the General, raising a hand to stop the three other Gallifreyans. "That's all I asked him for."
"What good's a Jedi going to do against the Skaroans?" asked the Commander derisively. "You gonna wave your little glowing stick at them?"
"For your information, my good man, it's called a lightsaber," I shot back, already annoyed with the Commander, but still willing to work with him. "And I don't believe that Skaroan weapons, no matter how powerful, can stand up to a lightsaber."
"The Doctor is one of the most powerful Jedi in his Order," said the General. "He's not some novice, Commander. He will do his job, and he will do it well, I'm sure."
"Very well," said the Commander with a sulky expression, and he stepped back, making sure to glare at me as he did so. "We'll let the Jedi in."
The General grimaced, and he and I moved to the holotable, the Honor Guardsmen accompanying us moving back to the entrance to the War Room to stand guard. Together, we five Gallifreyans-me, the General, the Commander, the Bishop, and the Praetorian-stood around the holotable, ready to plan our attack on Arcadia.
I'm going to be honest. It took a very long time to plan our attack, mainly because the Commander kept arguing with the rest of our ideas. He wanted a full-on attack of Arcadia, possibly causing it even more damage than was necessary. The Bishop wanted a small strike team to insert themselves into the city and take it from within. The Praetorian and the General agreed, neither really wanting to put even more lives at risk from an all-out attack. Meanwhile, I was casually playing my recorder, concentrating on the problem at hand, thinking of a possible plan. And then, just like that, I had one.
"Are you going to stop playing that thing?" asked the Commander irritably.
"Yes," I said, quickly standing up. "I've got a plan, you see, one that should incorporate both our ideas and yours, Commander."
"I'm listening," said the Commander irritably.
"It seems that, based on your information, Skaroan attack groups have a central commander to give them orders, right?" I asked.
"Right," said the General.
"Why don't we just send a small strike force to take out the central commander almost certainly overseeing Arcadia?" I then reasoned.
"Maybe you weren't paying attention while you were playing that stupid little instrument!" snarled the Commander.
"What he means is that Skaroan commanders are almost impossible to get to with a small strike force," clarified the Bishop. "They're guarded by the most zealous and bloodthirsty Skaroan troops, who will stop at nothing to ensure their commander is not killed by Drolemit forces. Only a full-on attack will dislodge the Skaroan commander."
"If we were to send a strike team," said the Praetorian, "we'd have to avoid the central commander until we're sure the city is under our control. But with you on our side, we might stand a chance."
"A small chance at best," said the Commander. "This is why we must send an invasion force to Arcadia. It's our only chance of taking back the city."
"That's why we have the Doctor," argued the Bishop. "With him, we stand a chance. Jedi are practically invincible."
Now, we all know that that's not quite true, but they didn't have to know that. I knew that I could survive a skirmish such as this, so why not entertain the notion that I was invincible? Couldn't hurt them, right?
"An invasion force isn't needed," I said. "Once the strike team takes out the commander, the Skaroans will be confused and leaderless. That's when we can send in an invasion force, take them out in their confusion."
To be honest, I thought it was a good plan, and the others did, too, even the Commander, who was pleased that his invasion could commence, even if he did have to wait for the strike team to finish off the Skaroan leader of operations at Arcadia.
It was decided that we five Drolemits-myself, the General, the Bishop, the Commander, and the Praetorian-would compose the strike team that would attack Arcadia from the inside. We prepped ourselves for the attack. I did it by meditation, if you're wondering. The other four did so by cleaning their weapons, readying them for the combat they would certainly see in Arcadia.
We left the War Tower for Arcadia the next day, the invasion force waiting for our command to move in. The five of us sneaked around stealthily toward Arcadia, slowing down only when we reached the city itself.
When I first laid eyes on Arcadia, I thought it could have been a magnificent city, just like the Capitol, were it not for the ruined state of the whole thing. Several buildings were heavily damaged or collapsed entirely, and Skaroan scout ships were roaming the sky above, looking for threats. They would certainly get them, I probably thought to myself as we moved forward.
"Scouts," said the Praetorian, pointing toward a group of Skaroans patrolling the outskirts of the city on foot. "If they spot us, we're dead."
"They won't," said the Commander, readying his long-range heavy blaster rifle, but I made to stop him with a hand, lowering the blaster.
"Some battles may be won through other means," I said wisely, and I extended my hand, concentrating on the scouts. I sent a burst of Force energy toward them, but not directly at them. Instead, I made sure I knocked some container of something over, causing the scouts to turn and look at it, readying their own weapons. The five of us, using the distraction, sprinted into the walls of Arcadia, safe, for the moment.
"Alright, team, let's start looking for that commander," said the General.
"Don't call us that," said the Commander irritably.
And we began our search for the Skaroan commander.
I'm not going to bore you all to tears with the details of our search because there aren't too many details at all, really. It was a boring search, and it took hours, and I'm getting bored just thinking about it, so I'm going to move on, if it's all the same to you.
So, after several hours of searching, we finally found the Skaroans' central commander. The Force tracking I had employed had finally yielded a result, and the strike team moved in. I activated my lightsaber to protect myself from the volleys of blaster bolts that were sure to greet us, while the rest of the team readied their weapons. I'd like to say that don't fight very often, but I will when absolutely necessary. This was one of those times.
The guards surrounding the Skaroan commander were tough to beat. Yowza, were they well-trained! They blocked off the commander in a tight formation, firing bolt after bolt at the strike team. I deflected the best I could, but I knew the five of us wouldn't hold out for much longer against the dozen or so guards furiously attacking us.
And then, the Praetorian went down, a bolt embedding itself in her stomach. When I saw her go down, time seemed to stop, just for a moment. I thought she might regenerate just as I had about ten years ago, but even still, I had grown to appreciate the Praetorian's company. I didn't want her to die on a mission that I incited. And just like that, a sort of righteous anger built up inside me. Time resumed, and I built up a wave of Force energy, hurling it at the Skaroans, blasting them away so that the only Skaroan in the general vicinity was the central commander, who was cowering at my wrath.
Now, for this next part, I don't want you judging me. I was a different man back then. A less restrained man. I did something there on Gallifrey that I'm not too proud of.
I approached the commander, fury coursing through my veins, and I deactivated my lightsaber. I looked at him, this coward, for a second, then used the Force to make him grab his own blaster and shoot himself in the head with it. He collapsed instantly, and just like that, the fury was gone, replaced only by guilt.
See what I mean about judging me? I would never have done that today, trust me.
"Doctor?" asked the General tentatively. "Are you okay?"
"Yes," I said slowly. "Yes, I'm fine."
As the General called in the invasion force, I sensed the concerned glances of the others, even the Commander. The Praetorian was being healed by the Bishop, and both of them looked at me in worry. The Commander looked fearful. He certainly hadn't expected that from a bumbling fool like me.
I made my decision then. I would not fight anymore in this Time War.
So, what's the lesson in this, you ask? It's that anyone, even the old Doctor, is susceptible to the lure of the Dark Side. That fury I felt is a fury that, had I stayed on Gallifrey even longer, would have consumed me in the Dark Side. I would have become something I eventually encountered on my quest to preserve my consciousness after my final death. The War Doctor. I would have become a monster, a shadow of the man I am today. But what do you do when you feel a fury akin to the one I felt that day on Gallifrey when the Praetorian was shot? You must learn from my mistakes. Center yourself in the Light Side, and you will defeat the influence that the Dark Side has over you. Don't give in to the hate. Only then will you be a master of the Light.
Wow. There is a lot of stuff in this chapter. It's definitely one of the longest in the series, rivaling some of the chapters in The Clone Wars. I felt that this chapter could have gone on for a long time, so I kind of almost cut it short. This is probably why I don't care for it as much as the others. I felt it was needlessly long. Ah well. What did you think? Leave your thoughts in a review.
I've checked out my schedule for my college classes, and it looks like I'll be able to post a new chapter every Friday, as per the intended schedule. Unfortunately, it doesn't look as though I'll be able to write anything as of right now. I don't know how my classes are going to go, whether or not they'll be difficult, what homework will be like. I just don't know. So, for now, I'm going to put everything I'm writing or planning in my head right now on hiatus, with the exception of my book. I'll work on that whenever I can, though I'll probably only get a few sentences done at a time, if that. We'll see.
So, yeah, that's my spiel on that.
I did receive a PM from user LegoGuineaPig saying that the Halo fanfiction was something he/she would like to see. Yay!
Next Friday: The Third Doctor goes on a mission against the Master.
And that's about it for this author's note. Until the next chapter, my friends!
