(AN: Well well, I spent a lot of time in the first half of the story, and now the later half is going to be rather short. Well, that's the beauty of this story, I don't have to do the whole thing. Remember in The Doctor's Star Wars, they appeared after Luke had discovered the message in R2? A lot had already happened. But yay, we're coming to the end of this part of the story.)
(A few notes about this chapter, including my reasoning for my use of writer's prerogative. My brother [who is new to Who and likes Mary Sue Dalek, aka. Oswin Oswald] says that pretty much every episode of Doctor Who jibs the billions of races out in the universe, all of time and space, just to have episodes about the Daleks. Well, maybe that's true, but I like the Daleks. Nevertheless, I thought that including Daleks in this time would not really do much as far as propelling the story along, so there won't be any Daleks. Also, unfortunately, because Anakin isn't going into battle [seriously, what kind of person takes a kid into a battle?], there will be no Naboo starfighter battles. I liked those, especially since I had played Starfighter, with Rhys Dallows and Nym and all that, so it was tough to get rid of it. However, we're also not showing any of the Battle of the Grassy Plains [no Jar Jar, no need to extrapolate on that battle], although it does happen off-screen [or off-page]. And there's a twist at the end, hope you like it!)
(Oh, and while reviews are helpful, I just gotta say...were you not paying attention? Aside from the Doctor's rather Stalinist view of the universe [one death - ie. the Ponds - is a tragedy, but billions - the Timelords and the Daleks - are just a statistic], I have been pulling from Genesis of the Daleks for inspiration for the Doctor's motivation in this story. He's not an assassin, well Four isn't but Ten might be, and he knows that they can't just kill Anakin. With the TARDIS no longer present, that kind of alteration would unravel the history of this galaxy and HUGE consequences would occur. And they can't just leave, because River stole the TARDIS. I'm not going to make some cheap ending, like using the Eagles to fly the Ring into Mordor: I have too much respect for the story to do that.)
Confrontation
There was no stopping the Queen now. Whatever had happened, she was now determined to return to Naboo and do what the Republic could not. As for the Jedi, they had chosen to go with her, as ordered by the Council. Anakin would remain on Coruscant: while the issue of his training as a Jedi was still in debate, it had been agreed that he could not be sent back with the Jedi into a war-zone. So it was that the Jedi and the Timelords stood before the Queen, discussing what they would do once they returned.
"As soon as we land," Captain Panaka said. "The Trade Federation will capture you and force you to sign their treaty."
"I don't see what you intend to accomplish with this move, Your Highness," Qui-Gon stated.
"I will take back what is ours," she replied.
"There are too few of us, Your Highness," added Panaka. "We have no army!"
"And I can only protect you," Qui-Gon reminded the Queen. "I can't fight a war for you."
"Doctor," the Queen said.
"Doctor Who?" both Ten and Four asked.
"I need your help," she continued.
"I think she means me," Ten whispered to Four. "Yeah, well, I'll do whatever I can, of course."
"Your Highness, if I may interject," Qui-Gon spoke up. "I do not believe trusting the Timelords would be a prudent decision. They have their own agenda, one which, I fear, has no further use for us."
"Oh, you make it sound like we're so awful!" Ten replied, then turned back to the Queen. "Don't mind us, just a misunderstanding. Now, listen, there's something that has to happen." He looked over at the short handmaid standing next to Romana. "Come on out, Your Highness."
"Excuse me, Doctor," the one on the throne said. "I am Queen Amidala."
"Thought you fooled everyone, didn't you?" Ten smiled. "Not a very clever ruse, you know. I happen to know that one member of the Naberrie family was elected to a royal position in Theed just last year or so, and it wasn't as a handmaid." He looked back at Padme. "I'm sorry, but you can't do this."
"Do what, exactly?" Padme asked, throwing back her hood and stepping forward.
"Well, you were going to go traipsing up to the shores of Lake Paonga and beg the Gungans to help," Ten began. "But starting by sending a decoy, that's pretty dense, don't you think? I mean, they, the Gungans, believe you, the Naboo, have no respect for them: they say you think they're stupid! Why start trying to build bridges by pulling the wool over their eye-stalks, to borrow an old expression?"
"Then what do you propose?" Padme asked, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"Send me instead," Ten suggested. "I've arbitrated billions of negotiations in nine hundred years, there's nothing the Senate has over me. If anyone can get the Gungans to help your cause, Your Highness, it's me."
True to his word, the Doctor, all by himself, went and found the Gungans. They were quite surprised, however, when a person looking like one of the Naboo approached their sacred sanctuaries in the swamps. However, the Doctor's keen negotiating skills won the day and he appeared back at the landing site at the head of an army of Gungans.
He introduced the Gungan leader, Boss Nass, to Queen Amidala, the real Amidala who called herself Padme, and they began their plans for battle. With them was the droid R2-D2, who was presenting a holographic map of Theed for their use. Unfortunately, while the Doctor had been away, Captain Panaka had sought out the Naboo Resistance: they had bad news. The Trade Federation's droid army was much larger than they had thought and well equipped.
"Your Highness," Panaka said. "This is a battle I do not think that we can win."
"Nevertheless, I will take back what is ours," Padme said in response. She turned to the Jedi. "You two certainly got into Theed to rescue me, despite the occupying army."
"Well," Obi-wan spoke up. "It was only the four of us. Master Qui-Gon, myself and the Doctors."
"Nevertheless," Qui-Gon said. "We are heavily outnumbered."
"Maybe we should ask our Gungan friends what they think," Ten suggested.
"I have ten thousand warriors ready for battle," Boss Nass' deep, basso voice warbled frog-like. "We can meet the machine army on the plains, drawing them out of the city."
"For a long time, Your Honor," Padme said to the Gungan leader. "Our people have lived in distrust, now it seems that your army is what we need. But I can't ask you to do this: the droid army is many times your number, and if you choose to do this, many Gungans will die this day."
"This is our planet as well," Boss Nass replied proudly, beating his chest with his fist. "And my people are ready to do our part to defend it!"
"Your Highness," Panaka suggested. "The Resistance has a fair amount of pilots. Why don't we send a sortie into space to destroy the Droid Control Ships orbiting the planet?"
"There were hundreds of ships in the blockade," Four said. "Even destroying one would hardly do much in the way of stopping these armies."
"I agree," Padme said. "Our goal is the Viceroy, Nute Gunray. Where is he?"
"The Resistance said that he and his lackeys have taken the Palace," Panaka replied.
"Then that is our goal," Padme replied. "Capture the Viceroy, and we can force him to end this invasion. Without the Viceroy, there will be disorder and confusion."
"A worthy plan," Qui-Gon stated.
"However, there is one problem," Obi-wan interjected. "If the Viceroy escapes, he will certainly return with another army."
"Well, then, that is why we must not fail to get the Viceroy," Padme replied with a wiry smile. "Everything depends on it." She turned to the older Jedi. "Can I count on your support, Master Jedi?"
"It is our continued duty to protect you, Your Highness," Qui-Gon said. "We will go with you."
"I as well." Obi-wan added.
"And you, Doctor?" she asked.
"Yeah, we're coming." Ten said grimly. In his mind, he was going back once again into that atmosphere which he hated the most: the time when he had become a hideous thing, forced to sacrifice his principles and beliefs and kill and take lives.
In short, he was going into battle once again.
"Jelly baby?" Four offered his future incarnation. "Help ease the tension."
"Yeah, thanks." Ten said, accepting the offering.
The group had successfully sneaked into Theed, and were now making their way across the streets of the city, constantly on the lookout for any Federation battle droids still abroad. They were now in two companies, as a group of Resistance fighters led a Gian flash speeder at one end of the street which create a diversion while the main group went inside. For the purpose of the battle, the handmaid Sabe - she who had been the Queen's double - was with one group while Padme and the rest went with the other group, the one that would go directly towards the Palace.
The Doctors and the Jedi were in her group.
There was a heavy boom as the flash speeder blasted an AAT, sending the nearby droids into battle mode. Under their cover, the main group made their way into the palace's hangar. From here they could make their way to the Throne Room. However, once they entered the hangar, they were suddenly trapped. Not only were there battle droids, but the spider-like destroyer droids with their shields had pinned the group down.
"Damn!" exclaimed Four. "We're trapped."
"Doctor," a mechanical voice said.
Ten turned about, lightsabers in both hands, ready to activate them as he feared they had been discovered by a droid. Instead, he saw Romana with K9 at her side.
"Oh, it's you," Ten said.
"Screwdriver," K9 stated.
"Huh?" Ten queried. Then his face changed as the invisible light bulb went on. "Oh, that's brilliant! I could use the screwdriver to shut off their shields! Good boy, K9!"
"Affirmative," the robot dog said.
Ten took out his sonic screwdriver from out of his pocket and pointed it in the direction of the destroyer droids. There was the blue light and the tone, and then the shields faded. One by one they were taken down by the Queen's bodyguards. The rest of the droids were taken out relatively easy.
"Good work," Padme said, as they rose from cover. "Now all that's left is the Viceroy."
"Everybody, this way!" Panaka ordered as they made their way to the main door. One by one, the others fell in rank and made towards the heavy blast-doors. This was the only way to the Palace, save for the main route, but that was a kill-zone in which the other group was barely surviving. Going that way would destroy the purpose of using two groups, since all troops would be rerouted to the main entrance, making their mission just that harder.
The huge blast-doors opened and a figure, hooded and cloaked all in black stood in their path.
"We'll handle this," Qui-Gon said.
"Be careful," Padme said to Obi-wan. The younger Jedi smiled for a moment, then took his side at Qui-Gon's left. To their surprise, the two Doctors stepped up as well.
"This is our fight," Qui-Gon told them.
"I know," Ten replied grimly. "But we're here to help."
"Be careful," Four whispered to his older counterpart. "I've just dipped into the future. We should be prepared for anything."
The figure removed his hood and cloak, revealing a Zabrak with red-tattoos on his face. This was the very one that had attacked them on Tatooine. The two Jedi removed their robes and Four wrapped one of his scarves around his shoulders: they would be a tripping hazard in battle. The Zabrak removed a lightsaber from his belt and activated it: two, three meter long blades of crimson energy sprouted from either side. Qui-Gon and Obi-wan activated their blades, while Four pulled out his and activated it as well and Ten picked up both lightsabers from out of his pockets.
"Allons-y!" he shouted, activating them both at once.
Once the Doctors engaged the Zabrak, they soon learned that they were up against something that even they might not be able to defeat. Whereas Ten had had personal experience engaging a lightsaber-wielding opponent in Darth Vader, he was only half-human and mostly cybernetic. Even worse, this Zabrak was no fallen Jedi, but a Sith warrior. His skill with a lightsaber - to say nothing of a double-bladed saber-staff - was almost perfect. His movements were fast and controlled, not erratic as one might expect of an impassioned Sith warrior.
Nevertheless, the Sith warrior was slowly giving ground, leading them back into the hallway. Behind them, Padme and the Naboo were engaged with the security droids that had discovered their location. A fierce melee was now upon them, with the Naboo and the droids fighting a battle around the warriors in the center. At any moment, a blade would deflect a blow back at the droid or away from the Naboo, or one would reach out with the Force and throw a droid at their opponents. Any piece of the battle would soon erupt into flames and become part of the duel.
For one moment, the Naboo suddenly disappeared out one of the windows, leaving the Timelords and the Jedi free to continue their fight with reckless abandon. Marble columns were being sliced in half by deflected blows, or gripped with the Force and heaved at any given moment. The Doctors, meanwhile, were so absorbed with the battle that they couldn't do much besides fend off blows.
Slowly, however, they were making their way towards the Throne Room. On and on they went, until it seemed that this battle would go on for ages. At last, however, they came upon a heavy blast-door that was stuck fast. The Zabrak held out an open hand, pushing Obi-wan off his feet. Then with his double-bladed lightsaber, parried a combined blow from Qui-Gon and Four. Another blow that Ten had to fend off with both blades, then the Zabrak shifted control of his lightsaber to just one hand. The other one reached back with the Force, tore the blast-door off its hinges and threw it at the Jedi. The two Timelords and Qui-Gon hacked it to pieces with their lightsabers.
"Padme!" Obi-wan shouted.
Ten spared a brief moment to see what had happened. Just beyond the portal that had once been guarded by the blast-door was the Throne Room. Padme, Panaka and the guards had Viceroy Gunray at gunpoint when the door had been torn off. The distraction, however, had distracted the Naboo and Gunray fired on Padme with a hidden blaster.
"Obi-wan, no!" Qui-Gon ordered.
But the younger Jedi was up on his feet, lightsaber drawn and sprinting into the Throne Room to defend the Queen. The Zabrak, however, was continuing his fight against the Jedi. After Qui-Gon blocked a blow from the Sith's blade, the Zabrak struck the Jedi in the face with the hilt of his lightsaber, then in one swift motion, ran him through with one blade. At this, Four attacked, but he had miscalculated the Sith warrior. Though he had stricken down a Jedi with his fatal blow, he was now overconfident enough to let down his guard. The Zabrak made a single arc with his blade, which met Four's stomach.
"No!" Ten shouted.
At this, Obi-wan turned and saw that his master was stricken down. Blaster fire came pouring down at the Zabrak, who made a hasty retreat. When the fire ceased, however, the guards made their way to the doors to secure the Throne while a wounded Padme orchestrated the terms of withdrawal with Viceroy Gunray, who had been forced at gunpoint to relinquish his blaster.
For the Jedi and the Timelords, however, it was not a victory. Ten was now cradling Four in his arms, while Obi-wan did likewise with his own master in the Throne Room.
"This is it, then," Four said to his counterpart, almost a smile on his face. "The end."
"No, just regenerate," Ten retorted. "We can't have you die like this. Hmm? The timeline's already been under enough damage, your death will..."
"You might want to back up," Four muttered.
Ten nodded, then took a step back. Before his eyes, the face and hands of Four exploded in a flash of golden light. So this, he thought, was what it was like to regenerate. Though he had known Susan and Romana and possibly many other Timelords in his time, and though he had endured it now nine times, he had never seen a Timelord's regeneration from an observer's viewpoint. It seemed to go on for a while, and then slowly subsided.
He was now looking at a middle-aged man with golden hair rising up from the clothes of his previous counterpart's regeneration.
"Something's wrong," Ten said aloud, though to himself. "You just regenerated, and the timeline didn't fluctuate."
(AN: Yes, I did just go there!)
(Don't be afraid, though. We have two other Doctors here: rest assured, Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor will definitely be returning. Kelvington had Four regenerate, and I kept that because there has been damage to the timeline and that has to be addressed, especially concerning a certain character who will appear in the next chapter. Oh, and don't get all up in arms about my comment about Stalin. The Doctor did kill billions of people, and yet his Ninth incarnation was still saving the universe, business as usual. Amy and Rory get 'touched by an angel' and then Eleven gets all moody and depressed and says 'screw you, universe'. Selfish any?)
(On a side note concerning the alterations to the Star Wars story, that means that the next ten chapters, Attack of the Clones, are going to be different. You'll see just how different as we continue. No, there will be quick assassination of Anakin: without Anakin, there will be no Luke and Leia, and while you might think it would solve the problem of the Jedi Purge, that is not the case as you will see in the next ten chapters. While Darth Sidious may only have one 'official' Sith apprentice, he has dozens of Dark Jedi servants [in keeping with Zahn's depiction of the Clone Wars and the downfall of the Jedi], and, well, you'll see.)