Trigger Warning: Use of the word "ravage" to imply rape. The use of the word is only in a threat. There are no scenes with graphic depictions of rape. No characters will suffer through rape or the aftermath of rape. This story isn't gonna go that route.
Rose shifted in her chair. After sitting on it for the past half hour, the hard wood of the seat made it hard to concentrate. Her time with the humanoid interrogator felt dragged out, as if she'd been sitting for hours. Trained by her time with the Doctor and Torchwood to make the best out of these situations, she kept her eyes and ears locked on the man sitting before her.
"Now that you know about us and about that rocket we destroyed, we want to know about you." Her guard leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "Where did you come from? Do you work for anyone?"
"No, we don't work for anyone." She shook her head, thinking about what she should reveal and what she should hold back. "Though I used to work as a, well, as an operative for an organization called Torchwood. They work to defend our planet against hostile aliens."
Her guard raised an eyebrow. "Ever killed?"
She looked down at her hands and remembered dozens of faces wearing their last expressions. "Yeah, had to." She raised her chin, trying to conceal her heavy heart with a stoic face.
The doors behind the guard slid open. The Doctor rushed in, holding a large laser gun and wearing a look she recognized as the Oncoming Storm. For a moment she could have sworn she saw a flash of blue eyes and leather before her.
The guard turned in his seat to see who had entered. "What the-"
The Doctor didn't say anything, but pulled the trigger and shot the man. The guard fell to the floor in a heap and Rose immediately got down on her knees to check on him, feeling for a pulse. She sighed when she found it, beating slowly but steadily. The Doctor walked over to them, his red Chucks coming into view. Rose, angered and surprised by the Doctor's actions, looked up at him, hoping he saw the fury in her eyes.
"You shot him!"
"I'm rescuing you," said the Doctor.
"I didn't need rescuing!"
He held out his hand for her to take. "I don't know if you noticed, but we've been captured by pirates, brought aboard their ship, and separated. And if I remember correctly, you weren't so keen about them onboard the freighter," said the Doctor, sarcasm and exasperation clear in his voice.
Rose took his hand and he pulled her to her feet. Standing, she let go of his hand. "But you don't just go shooting people! They could help!"
"They destroyed that rocket! They killed those innocent people!" yelled the Doctor.
"Yeah, and some of those people were building death camps! They aren't just pirates, they're rebels, fighting against the Pyoo government. We can help them stop the Pyoos," said Rose, trying to remain calm.
"They're pirates, Rose! Pirates! They spread chaos and destruction and you want to join their merry band of killers to use them against the Pyoos? What makes you any better than them?!"
She glanced at his gun, then met his eyes, narrowing hers. "And what about you? You used a gun to rescue me, what's so different about using the pirates to stop the Pyoos?"
He stared at her. "What about Ulreigh?" asked the Doctor, some of his anger gone.
"What about him?"
"You noticed the blood on the trousers of Rob and Ricket, and how they talked about their old friend? I'll bet you anything they killed him."
Rose shut her eyes at his words, Ulreigh's face popping up in her mind. With her hands balled into fists, she opened her eyes and lowered her voice. "I'm not talking about joining them, just helping them with the Pyoos." She took a step closer to the Doctor. "It's not like I want this, but what other choice do we have? You saw that alert, no one is going to help us now." She took a breath. "We can work with them and then go home, without worrying about people chasing us."
"And just let the pirates take over the system? The means don't always justify the ends. I understand that more than anyone." A loud bang sounded down the hall and the Doctor looked back, over his shoulder. Then came another, louder, bang. The Doctor looked back at Rose. "We can discuss this later, after we've gotten somewhere safe."
"Fine," said Rose, shaking her head.
"Come on." The Doctor grabbed her hand.
Together they ran out of the detention area and down the corridor. She let go of his hand and sprinted faster, through the rusting metal halls of the pirate ship. The Doctor kept up and they ran side by side, turning corners and past doors. At a T intersection they took a right and found a group of pirates blocking the way. They all had laser guns pointed directly at Rose and the Doctor.
"Woah! Not that way," yelled the Doctor, skidding to a halt. He turned around, almost losing his balance, and ran, Rose following close behind him.
Back at the T intersection they continued straight, heading down the left pathway, past the corridor they entered from. Further down, the corridor swerved left. As they came around the bend, they were stopped by another group of pirates, all with laser guns pointed and ready to shoot.
"Not that way either," yelled Rose. They both stopped dead in their tracks.
They turned away from the pirates, running back the way they came. Rose breathed harder, exhaustion weighing her down. The short amount of rest she'd had over the last few weeks was catching up to her.
"Why aren't they shooting at us?" asked the Doctor breathlessly.
"Our luck?" quipped Rose. From speaking with the guard, she knew that the pirates wanted them for a reason. This time, Rose was sure it had nothing to do with their luck.
At the T intersection they turned down the corridor towards Rose's detention area. Rose looked behind her and saw the pirates chasing after them, but still not using their guns. Right as they came to the detention area, they were blocked yet again. This time a group of pirates led by a woman with a hand on her hip stood in their way.
Rose and the Doctor stopped a metre away from the woman. The pirates that had been giving chase blocked the path behind them. They were trapped.
Rose studied the woman leading the pirates in front of them. She wore mostly greys and blacks. The design of her armor and trousers was like that of the Pyoo Empress and the Pyoo soldiers. And she was tall, almost as tall as the Doctor.
"There's nowhere to go, you two. Drop the weapon," said the woman.
The Doctor dropped the laser gun. "Who're you?" asked the Doctor.
"I'm the Captain of this ship, but that's also my name." The Captain lifted her other hand and studied her nails, ignoring them for a second. She flicked her wrist dismissively and then looked back at Rose and the Doctor. "It's something we have in common, isn't that right, Doctor?"
"I have nothing in common with you," said the Doctor, his voice low and menacing.
"No, you're wrong. I know we have lots in common," said the Captain, with all the confidence in the universe that she was right.
A chill went up Rose's spine. Something about this woman seemed off. "What are you going to do with us?" asked Rose.
"I'm interested in a truce."
"Why? What for?" asked the Doctor.
The Captain tutted. "Stop being hostile. I don't have to be your enemy." She spoke as if they were children.
Rose's gut told her that they should play along for now. "Doctor, let's listen to her." She looked over to the Doctor and wished she could speak to him in private. The guard had treated her nicely when he questioned her. He'd offered her water and told her all about their goals as pirates. When she brought up the rocket, he had been quick to tell her why they destroyed it. Rose didn't like this Captain. Her flight or fight instincts flared whenever the Captain made eye contact. Rose was picking up two different signals from the group of spacefaring deviants. Something wasn't right.
The Doctor glanced at Rose. "Alright," he said after a few seconds. He then looked back at the Captain. "We agree to your truce." He raised his chin in defiance. "What do you want from us? Need new cooks and looking to recruit? I have to say I'm a horrible cook. And Rose here, well, she unfortunately inherited her mother's nut loaf. You're better off eating carbon fiber."
Rose rolled her eyes at the insult, knowing full well that the Doctor liked her cooking. And he was a fabulous cook.
The Captain stepped closer. "I've been watching the two of you ever since you were brought on board." She tilted her head back to look down her nose at them, smirking. "I saw that alert from Pyoo. It's a pack of lies, isn't it? I would know, since I'm a Seer myself, though I no longer work for The Imperial Confederacy of Magnus Pyoo."
Rose breathed in deep. That might be way she didn't trust the Captain. No one should have the ability to know the future and change it for their benefit. That had been one of her earliest lessons from traveling with the Doctor. It's best to leave the future be.
"So that's how you escape their detection," said the Doctor.
"Hmm. Yes." The Captain took another step closer, this time in Rose's direction. The Captain locked eyes with Rose. "As Rose here knows, I want to stop the Pyoo government. I also know you two could be the ones to finally stop them."
Rose returned her stare, stomping down her impulse to either run or sock the Captain in the eye. "Could be? I thought we are the ones who were gonna stop them, it's why they've been trying to kill us," said Rose.
The Captain frowned, raising her brows in pity. "That's the rub, unfortunately, and something only a Pyoo Seer would really know. Our predictions can be faulty, even downright wrong. Though normally they're only vague. It's the Empress who takes no chances, even with innocent people."
"And yet you do the same, abusing your power for your own gain," yelled the Doctor.
The Captain stepped away from Rose and stood in front of the Doctor. "Ultimately my, well," she opened her arms to gesture to her crew, "our goal is to destroy the Confederacy. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made."
"If I had a penny for every time I heard that, I'd be the richest man in the universe by now."
The Captain sighed and walked back to her pirates. She turned to look at Rose and the Doctor. "Have it your way then. You don't trust us and I don't trust you, either of you. Not yet anyway."
"Not yet?" asked Rose.
"Yes, not yet. I want to see if you two are really as dangerous as my premonitions tell me. If you do a small favor for me, a sign that I can trust you, I'll be willing to let you two help me defeat the Pyoo."
"And how are we to know if you're trustworthy?" asked the Doctor.
"I haven't ordered you shot yet." She put both hands on hips and grinned, tilting her back to look down at them. "I could, you know, order every single one of my men and women to ravage Rose while you watch. I've got, hmm, almost two hundred crew members? It would be fun for them, I know. I could even do the opposite, I could make Rose watch as my crew have their way with you. Or I could just do both, one after the other."
Rose moved forward, furrowing her brows in anger. "That's not a choice! You're threatening us to do whatever you want!"
The Captain shrugged. "It's more than I give to others."
"If you move even one finger to hurt Rose-"
The Captain held up a hand and the crew behind her pointed their weapons at Rose, silencing the Doctor. "Follow me to the bridge. You two can give me your answer there, after I show you what I want you to do."
The Captain turned on her heel. The pirates behind her parted, making way for her to walk towards her destination. The pirates behind the Doctor and Rose pushed them forward.
As they marched along the rusted corridor, the Doctor grabbed Rose's hand. Her shoulders sagged with relief from the contact. Their arguing forgotten, all Rose wanted was to be safe, with her Doctor beside her. Then a strange sensation tickled her mind, like a calming rush of adrenaline.
"Rose, I don't know if you can hear this. I've got no clue if this body is capable of telepathy, but I have to try. You won't be able to reply, so just listen." Rose glanced over at the Doctor, who was looking straight ahead. "Depending on what they want us to do, I may have to think fast. It could be dangerous or very dangerous or so dangerous that it won't matter what we do, we'll be dead anyway. I need you to be ready, even without a signal, to run to safety." She pursed her lips tight, anger coming back. She would not leave him, even if the price for that was death. "We'll leave together," the Doctor looked at her,"or not at all."
The anger disappeared as quickly as it came. Rose smiled and squeezed his hand twice. She hoped that showed she heard him and understood his request. The fact he added the last bit eased her in ways she doubted she could ever communicate to the Doctor. The sentiment that he wouldn't leave her this time went a long way in healing the broken part of her heart, the piece of her that had broken when the other Doctor left.
Rose hadn't had the chance to think about admitting her fears to this Doctor. She felt lighter now that she had told him. Yet she still needed time to process what had happened on that beach. She'd lost one Doctor but gained another. The Doctor both left her and stayed with her, only this one was mortal. There was so much to think about. But time wasn't something she currently had.
The Captain stepped onto a lift with a few pirates, one of whom Rose recognised as Rob. The pirates behind them pushed Rose into the lift next, followed by the Doctor. They rode the lift upwards, a heavy silence filling the small space. Rose kept hold of the Doctor's hand, determined not to let go.
The lift stopped and the doors slid open, revealing a command center, polished and new. It was round in shape with four consoles spread evenly throughout the room. They were manned by at least eight different people. There were two layers, the inner circle lower than the outer. Most of the walls were a smoky grey. They reflected the white lights of the computer screens that floated in the air. On the opposite end of the room was an enormous view screen. The Captain didn't miss a beat as she walked onto the bridge.
"Bilek, take us to the planet," commanded the Captain. She made her way to the captain's chair in the middle of the busy room. A small woman typed furiously at one of the consoles and the image on the view screen shifted. Stars began to streak by, blurring from view as the ship flew to the planet in question.
"What planet?" asked the Doctor, still following close behind the Captain.
"Solos," said the Captain. She stopped in front of her chair and sat down. Taking something from the arm compartment, the Captain looked at the Doctor.
"Solos?! Why Solos? There isn't anything there that could tempt you. They've got no technology, the Solonians are a race of warriors and farmers-"
The pirate ship came to a stop and a brownish-green planet came into view on the screen. An armada of impressive ships that shone like silver surrounded the planet. The sight caused the Doctor to stop speaking. He stood, his mouth hanging open slightly, staring at the view screen. Rose watched the Doctor, concerned about what this might mean for him.
"They were a race of warriors and farmers. You should really brush up on your history, Doctor," said the Captain, who sounded as if she were holding back a laugh.
Rose ignored her and kept her eyes on the man beside her. "What's wrong, Doctor?"
"Are those ships from Earth?" asked the Doctor, looking at the Captain.
"Earth ships? Of course not, the old Earth Empire left Solos billions of years ago."
The Doctor paled.
"Doctor?" asked Rose, her concern turning to worry.
"What about Earth?" he asked.
"You mean New Earth?" asked the Captain.
Rose looked back and forth between the Doctor and the Captain. "Doctor, if she's talking about New Earth, doesn't that mean…"
The Doctor turned to Rose, looking at her with furrowed brows, his eyes intense. She didn't know what to make of his expression.
"Oh, did the Pyoos take you two out of time as well? They've done that occasionally in the past, though not very often. They don't really know how to work the technology," said the Captain, sounding bored. "To save you from asking, the old Earth blew up with its sun about five hundred thousand years ago."
Memories of the Earth as it burned filled Rose's mind. It was her first adventure with the Doctor. He took her to the future, to the year five point five slash apple slash twenty six. Even if they found a quick way home, home wouldn't be there anymore.
Rose leaned closer to the Doctor, whispering. "It's okay, yeah? We still got the TARDIS coral." The intense expression didn't leave his face. "Doctor?"
"If they have time technology, the Pyoos are much stronger than I originally thought. Very few species have ever developed time technology, and even stolen, that kind of technology poses a risk to more than just a planet, or a solar system. They could devastate their entire galaxy and anything that surrounds it. It's like your nuclear weapons on Earth. Once shown how powerful it could be, most agreed to never develop or use it again. I don't think the Pyoos are rational enough to stop using their brand of justice." He lifted his eyebrows and a bit of humour appeared in his expression. "Why do you think I was so harsh with Jack about his Vortex Manipulator?"
"You two, pay attention, or I'll have you both shot," commanded the Captain.
Rose narrowed her eyes at the Captain but turned to face her. The Doctor did the same. They both stared daggers at the woman who commanded the pirates.
"That's better." She pointed the something she took from her chair at the view screen. The image changed to a close-up of the ships surrounding Solos. "As you can see, there is a fleet of ships between us and the planet. The ships attack anyone who gets too close." She clicked the remote in her hand and the view screen magnified the ships further. One large silver ship now took up the entire screen. "As for the ships themselves, they run on autopilot. Their crews are now crazed cannibals, eating anyone who happens to be caught by them."
"What, like zombies?" asked Rose.
The Captain frowned at Rose. "Here, see for yourself." She clicked the remote twice and the view changed again, this time to a video from a body camera.
Screams muffled the ripping and tearing of the clothes and flesh of the wearer. The cannibals themselves looked to be some combination of human and insect. They had green mutated hands that were now pinchers and most only had one human eye, the other a yellow insectoid. Their dirty clothes hung from their body, torn from their mutations.
Rose pressed closer to the Doctor. She wrapped her arm around his, folding into his side as best she could to shield herself as she watched the video.
"They aren't zombies, Rose," he said, his voice solemn.
"What are they then?" she asked, looking up at him.
"Solonians, trapped between stages of their evolution. Something is preventing them from evolving."
"That's what our scientists say," the Captain added, turning off the video with a click of her remote.
"How long have they been like this?" asked the Doctor.
"About fifty years, at least by what we know. They could have been like this for longer."
The number fifty had been popping up a lot lately for Rose. It was like before, with the words Bad Wolf. She wondered if the Doctor had experienced the same repetition with the number.
"It's no wonder they attack and eat anyone that boards their ships. They're hungry." The Doctor turned to Rose. "Imagine, just for a second, being in a highly aggressive state, but confined in a place with no naturally occurring food source. Eventually you'll have to start eating what you can just to survive."
"That's horrible," said Rose.
"Very observant Doctor. I would wager you're right. That still doesn't solve our problem," said the Captain, standing from her seat.
He looked back at the Captain. "And that is?" asked the Doctor, venom oozing from his words.
"Getting to the surface of the planet. From our scans, there is technology down there, and I want it."
"What for?" asked the Doctor.
Rose saw a twitch in the Captain's lips before she smirked at them. "Defeating the Pyoo." The Captain shook her head. "We've been talking about this since the beginning, keep up," she admonished him.
Rose glared at the Captain, every fiber of her body telling her that the Captain was lying. Rose suspected the Captain didn't want to defeat the Pyoos, or did, but not for the greater good. Unfortunately, Rose didn't know that for certain.
"If you want to defeat the Pyoos the best way to do so would be to help the Solonians," the Doctor pleaded. "The rotation of their planet around their sun takes two thousand years, with each season lasting five hundred years. Each season the Solonians evolve, to adapt to the surface of the planet changing. What season is it for Solos? Summer?"
"Yes, it's summer," said the Captain.
"That's what I thought." The Doctor moved closer to the Captain, taking Rose with him. "The Solonians during this season evolve into beings that exist on a higher plane, interacting with the lower one, the one we exist on, to escape from the frequent firestorms. They're extremely powerful, powerful enough to take down the great and mighty Imperial Confederacy of Magnus Pyoowith a snap of their fingers." The Doctor snapped his fingers in demonstration. "They can be reasoned with, if we help them evolve properly, we can ask them for help. That should be our main goal, not scraps of metal that you think will add to your power in this corner of the universe."
"I want the technology on the surface of the planet, not matter what you say," said the Captain. "But I'll keep your request in mind, and if you agree to work with us, maybe I'll do as you suggested."
The Doctor went rigid, his jaw clenching and shaking. "The fog on the surface of the planet makes it impossible for humans to breathe down there," said the Doctor. His tone was even, though there was a bite to his words.
"I have plenty of oxymasks." The Captain put her hands on her hips and stared at them, her chin raised. "One last time: Doctor, Rose, do you agree to help me get past these ships so I can make it to the surface? Or would you like me to do good on my threat? After my crew were done with you, I'd let the Pyoo government decide your fate. As you know, you two have a rather nice price tag over your heads."
Rose watched the Doctor, waiting for him to make his move or to talk to her again using his telepathy. She still believed that using the pirates to defeat the Pyoos was their best chance. But now she knew they would have to deal with the pirates too. Add the Solonians to the mix and it seemed to Rose that they were never getting home.
To Be Continued!
Beta'd by the lovely Sporehead!