CHAPTER 7
ARRIVAL
The Doctor fought to keep a serious expression on his face as he began the first extract of his testimony. The image was another view of Eldeberon from space. It quickly zoomed closer to the surface of the planet. This time the devastation was not from a natural disaster. War was raging on this part of the planet. This became even more apparent as the image moved closer. Smoke could be seen rising from several sections of a large city; great craters dotting the ground, damaged and ruined buildings everywhere. Then in the midst of the devastation and destruction an incongruous patch of green grass.
"This is Founder's Park in the city the Glyateven are using for their headquarters," Doctor said as he continued with his narrative. "As you can see, this playground has been a battleground. It was here that I arrived on Eldeberon."
On cue, the TARDIS materialized on screen.
"I'd been on the planet's larger moon for some weeks doing repairs to the TARDIS console. When everything was put back together, my instruments picked up the cloud of fuel in the upper atmosphere. Since there were no indications that the planet had developed to the point of space travel, I chose to investigate…"
"You suspected an alien presence on a planet you had never visited from the presence of a chemical cloud detected from high orbit?" Fitzhugh asked in a disbelieving tone. "A cloud that could've been there for decades."
"Actually, it hadn't been there when I shut down the TARDIS systems," the Doctor informed blandly. "The fact that it appeared in that short a time led me to believe whoever put it there was still on the planet. And as it happens, I was right."
"It wasn't simply an excuse for you to meddle, Doctor?"
"Meddle?" The Doctor spoke the word as if he'd never heard it before.
"Your propensity for involving yourself in the affairs of other planets is legendary," the prosecutor replied in a mockingly awestruck tone.
Eustis banged the gavel before this argument went any further. "The Doctor is not the focus of this trial, Fitzhugh," he scolded.
The Doctor glared at his opponent before going on. "My investigations eventually led me to a group led by a man named Telvec…"
oOo
Mission Day 46
The Doctor was following a young man of about twenty along a deserted city street. They had been traveling for some time and had to maneuver around the craters and debris littering the area. Their journey finally ended at a tunnel entrance on a closed street.
"Here?" the Doctor asked, giving the tunnel a dubious look. He felt it was more likely an automobile would appear at any moment and run them over.
"Yes. I told Telvec all about you, Doctor," the young man replied excitedly.
"That's what I'm afraid of," the Time Lord sighed. He held out a hand. "Alright. Lead on, Philip."
Philip flashed an excited grin and vanished into the gloom.
The Doctor took in the huddled families as he followed his guide. He could not help feeling sorry for them. Telvec, the leader of the small militia group, was halfway up the tunnel, pacing back and forth near a bonfire that threw spectral shadows in all directions. It was the only source of light and heat available as far as the Doctor could determine.
"So, Philip, this is your savior! The man who'll restore order and return unity to all," Telvec sneered. "Isn't he also the one who says Tri Global is using alien technology?" He looked the Time Lord up and down, taking in his brightly colored clothes. He stood out in stark contrast to the torn and dirty rags of the assembled survivors.
"Philip…exaggerates," the Doctor replied mildly. "I can help you fight alien technology," he stated flatly. "But it's up to you to restore order and unity. As I understand it, the people of this planet have been squabbling amongst themselves for decades. You set off this powder keg. Tri Global is just taking advantage of the situation."
"Listen to him!" Telvec said mockingly. "He thinks he's a Sage!"
"No, I'm the Doctor." The Time Lord turned a puzzled look in Philip's direction. "Sage?"
Since his arrival on Eldeberon, the boy had attached himself to him. Somehow he saw the Doctor as the ultimate savior and had cast himself in the role of manager, promoter and tour guide, much to the Doctor's annoyance. He was, however, an excellent source of information. "A Sage is an oracle, Doctor," the boy explained. "A very wise man."
"Ah, thank you, Philip," the Doctor replied as he turned back to Telvec. "Well, I may not be an oracle, but I have been called wise on more than one occasion."
The leader gave another laugh. "I'll bet you've never been called modest!" he cried. "So tell us, Sage Doctor, who are the aliens behind Tri Global's newest innovations?" He held out a hand, inviting his reluctant guest to take a seat on one of the numerous mismatched cushions near the fire. It was obvious he did not believe a word and was simply humoring Philip.
"I don't know as yet. I only know they left traces of their ship's fuel in your planet's upper atmosphere," the Doctor replied matter of factly as he took a seat.
Telvec stared at him with his mouth open, and then burst out laughing. "That's a good one, Doctor! Next you'll be telling us you're from the rings of Xaaxo!"
"No, actually, I'm from Gallifrey," the Time Lord corrected. "And that's beside the point. Just when did these innovative weapons start to appear?"
Telvec wasn't sure if the Doctor was actually serious or not. Everyone knew about Tri Global's newest weaponry. Unless he really was… The leader shook his head and decided not to think about that. "They started turning up about a month or so ago in my country. I've been fighting illegal weapons traffic for years. Now everything's upside down and Tri Global's selling the stuff on the open market!"
"The new weapons are incredible," Philip said in awe. "Laser sights, infrared imagery…"
"That's just technology," the Doctor replied. "And it isn't always the best thing to rely on."
"What about the dispersal disks?" Philip asked with a shudder.
The Doctor had forgotten about Tri Global's newest addition to its inventory. The disk caused a person's body to disintegrate completely; leaving no trace that they had ever existed. It was far less messy than bullets and explosives, but no less lethal.
The Doctor looked at Telvec. "And you don't think that's alien technology at work?" he asked sarcastically.
Telvec was finally forced to agree, going on to inform the Doctor that the group was planning a raid on the company's local headquarters later that night.
"To what end?" the Time Lord wanted to know.
"To find out about their distribution network, for a start," Telvec shot back defensively. "If I can knock that out, or learn who their suppliers are…"
"You can't just knock on the door and ask to look through their files," the Doctor objected practically.
"You don't have to come, Sage Doctor," Telvec said sarcastically.
"Telvec, you don't even know what you're looking for. How will you know if you find it?"
"I don't know!" Telvec snapped defensively. "Maybe I'll know it when I see it." He looked around, taking in the faces of the huddled figures in the tunnel. "I have to do something. In less than a month, Tri Global's gone from one little company to practically cornering the weapons market. Their business is war, and business is booming. And nobody seems to care anymore!" So saying, he turned, striding up the tunnel and out into the street, collecting the rest of his group as he went.
"You're going with him, aren't you, Doctor?" Philip asked helplessly, hopping from foot to foot. He could not seem to decide whether to stay with the Doctor or follow after Telvec.
The Doctor sighed heavily and led the way up the tunnel. "Yes. But I'm probably going to regret this."
oOo
The Doctor was referring to his notes as the extract ended. He was about to start the next section when Fitzhugh suddenly asked, "Did you regret it, Doctor?"
The Doctor looked up sharply. "Sorry?"
"Your statement to young Philip. Did you regret following Telvec?"
The Doctor blinked. He had never actually thought about it and had to consider the question carefully. "I don't know," he replied finally.
"Perhaps later." Fitzhugh gave a small smile. "I withdraw the question."
The Doctor began the next section and sat down, wondering what his adversary was trying to get him to say. He gave Jason a quick sideways glance, seeing a searching look in his eyes. He, too, wondered if the Doctor regretted what happened next.
oOo
