They followed the Chakdaw as it led them through the snow, occasionally looking back at them with wide, frightened eyes. Molly couldn't help but wonder what could have it so scared. It couldn't be them; the Chakdaw was interacting with them willingly. So what was it?

The Chakdaw soon led them to what Molly presumed was the Chakdaw camp. The word "camp" had made her think something in terms of a small village, but this was altogether larger and grander. A towering structure, sculpted of crystalline ice and snow, loomed high overhead. It looked almost like a church with all the spires and arches. Sherlock's eyebrows raised slightly at the sight, and the Doctor let out a low whistle.

Surrounding it were several smaller, more ramshackle homes. They were still gorgeous to look at in their crystal colors and their smooth, snowy appearance, but they were definitely more humble than the grand structure behind them. There were no other Chakdaws in sight, but the Chakdaw leading them still seemed nervous, eyes darting around anxiously and ears perked. He lifted his nose to the air, taking a few hesitant sniffs, before cautiously continuing into the camp. Molly and the Doctor shared a baffled glance. What was going on?

The Doctor cleared his throat before remarking, "Bit quiet around here, isn't it?" The Chakdaw whirled to face him, eyes wide with terror, paws wildly gesturing in a silent attempt to tell the Doctor to stop talking. Looking a little offended, the Time Lord fell silent. The Chakdaw looked around wildly, but when it was clear no one had heard the Doctor's outburst, he relaxed slightly and continued on.

The Chakdaw cautiously led them towards one of the icy huts, head twitching this way and that on the lookout for his unnamed fear. Apparently satisfied the coast was clear, he ducked inside the opening of the hut, leaving the group to follow him in.

The interior of the hut was empty of any furniture besides a nest of what looked like wool. There were shelves dug into the icy walls of the hut, where food and clothing were stored, but other than that the place was empty. Molly opened her mouth to ask what they were doing there, but the Chakdaw waved his paws wildly, gesturing for her not to talk, so she reluctantly kept her mouth shut.

The creature paused for a moment, listening, before heading over to his woolen nest. With a bit of effort, he pulled the nest aside to reveal a hole below leading to some sort of tunnel. It stepped into the tunnel, beckoning for the group to follow. The travelers shared a quick glance, Donna confused and worried, Sherlock curious, and the Doctor excited. Molly felt the usual excitement of an adventure, but also unease. The Chakdaw's obvious terror and strange silence were rubbing her the wrong way. Something was deeply wrong here, and she had a feeling they were going to find themselves right in the middle of it, as usual.

One by one, the travelers followed the Chakdaw into the tunnel. They had to squeeze themselves through the Chakdaw-sized hole, but once they were through, the tunnel widened and became comfortably spacious. Molly could see the textured walls of the cave, how they'd clearly been carved from hundreds and hundreds of claws, chipping away at the ice little by little. She wondered with awe how long that must have taken, and how many Chakdaws had worked on it. It must have taken years to build.

She wasn't given long to stand in awe. The Chakdaw kept them moving, gaze darting nervously around the tunnel. There wasn't any source of light, so once they moved farther under the hut, they were walking in total darkness. Molly had to keep a hand on the wall to keep herself walking straight, and as they started taking side passages and twists and turns, even that didn't keep her from bumping into the walls. The Chakdaw seemed to be relying on practice, or perhaps his night vision allowed him to see. Either way, he led them through the dark without complaint.

They were only in the dark for a few minutes, though it seemed longer. Not long after, Molly was able to see light in the tunnel ahead. As they got closer, it got brighter, until the tunnel opened up into a wide cavern lined with lanterns. Other Chakdaws milled around, huddled together or sitting on their own, looking up at the travelers with wide eyes. Molly was briefly reminded of the refugees waiting for their ride to Utopia, but she forced the memories back. The poor people of Utopia, and her hand in what had happened to them, was the last thing she wanted to remember.

She could see that some of the Chakdaws were exchanging food, huddling together in tight groups. Those closest to the light appeared thin, their clothing loose and tattered. Molly drew in a sharp breath. Everyone in the room seemed so desperate and terrified. She turned to their Chakdaw, who looked back at her with sad eyes. "What happened here?" she asked quietly.

The Chakdaw just looked at her sadly. She frowned. The Doctor had said they had a language, hadn't he? Why weren't they saying anything?

Donna seemed to have remembered the same thing. "It's alright, you can tell us," she said gently. The normally brash woman crouched down to the Chakdaw's level, smiling encouragingly. "We can help you, I promise."

The Chakdaw shook his head, fear entering his eyes. Donna and Molly shared a worried look, both wondering why the creature was keeping silent. They were distracted by the sound of the Doctor's voice. "Donna's right." He was standing by the tunnel they'd just come from, where writing was etched onto the wall. Molly wasn't surprised to see English there, and Sherlock didn't react, but Donna's eyes widened, her brow crinkling with confusion. The Time Lord pointed to the scrawl by the tunnel, which read. "To: Korris's hut." "That's your name, isn't it? Korris?" The Chakdaw hesitated, then nodded. "So, Korris, you don't seem to be wanting to a lot of talking, so I'll do a bit of chatting instead. I've got a gob, me, so just stop me when I'm wrong."

He started towards Korris, hands clasped hehind his back, appearing like a professor about to launch into a lecture. "I've met Chakdaws before, and I know you've got your own language, so it's not that you can't speak, it's that you're choosing not to. So, best I can see, something's come in, taken over, and got you lot so scared you won't even say a peep when they're not looking. This," he gestured to the surrounding tunnel, "is probably left over from some old rituals and such that your captors don't even allow you to perform anymore. How am I doing so far?"

Korris sighed, nodding heavily. He shuffled slowly to a far wall where what appeared to be a crude map was etched into the wall. He gestured to one of the tunnels, which appeared to lead to outside. The Chakdaw looked from the map, to the travelers, and back. He held up a paw, gesturing to wait, then held up four fingers. He used his fingers to form the shape of a box, a rectangle like the TARDIS, then gestured to them. His meaning was clear – it wasn't safe to leave yet, but when it was, the Chakdaws would escort them back to the TARDIS.

The Doctor shook his head, that goofy, cocky smile of his in full force. "Yeah, dunno about that. This place was just starting to get interesting."

Molly nodded, grinning a bit. "Yeah, you know, we might like to stick around for a bit, see the sights."

Korris's eyes widened with terror, and he shook his head fiercely. The Doctor's expression grew serious. "Korris, we appreciate your help, really. But the four of us, this is what we do. Travel around, see stuff, meet people, you know. And your new bosses seem like very interesting people to meet."

Korris still seemed completely terrified at the idea. He shook his head again, but none of the travelers were deterred. Sherlock glared impatiently at the creature and said brusquely, "You're hiding us, which means whoever 's in control doesn't welcome strangers like us. You're not hiding from them, clearly, they've kept your huts up there and you've clearly been living in them. You're their servants, they'll obviously be expecting you to bring them any intruders. Just bring us to them, you won't be the ones in trouble, you'll have nothing to worry about, well, no more than the usual."

"Actually, just bring me and Sherlock," the Doctor corrected. "No need to get us all in trouble." Molly raised an eyebrow at that, but when the Time Lord threw her a quick, warning glance, she kept her mouth shut. Korris hesitated, fearful gaze darting from traveler to traveler, before sighing and dipping his head in acceptance.

As Korris gestured to two other Chakdaws, presumably telling them to lead the Doctor and Sherlock to their captors, the Time Lord pulled Molly aside. In a low voice he told her, "Try to get the Chakdaws to talk to you."

"You need information from them?" Molly asked.

The Time Lord shrugged. "Anything they've got would be nice, but right now they're terrified. Their captors have got them so scared they won't even speak. You're good with talking to people, helping them, and Donna seems to be too. Just try to get them to talk."

Molly nodded. "And you're taking Sherlock 'cause he'll just scare them more?" she predicted shrewdly.

The Doctor just grinned. The two Chakdaws approached the Time Lord, pulling at his coat as they started towards one of the tunnels. Giving Molly one last, reassuring glance, the Doctor let the Chakdaws lead him away, followed by Sherlock.

SCENEBREAK

The Doctor let the Chakdaws lead him through the icy, crystalline tunnels, Sherlock a few paces behind. Since they'd met Korris, he could tell something was very wrong on Paldoon. The last time he'd been there, the Chakdaws had all been so cheerful and welcoming. Of course, that had been a few decades ago by his count, but still, what could've gotten them so terrified that they wouldn't even speak? There were more than a few things he could name, but for now he'd wait and see.

The tunnel continued for some time, twisting and turning in the darkness, but the Chakdaws never wavered. Eventually, the tunnel arced upwards, steps carved into the walls to climb up. The Chakdaws reached the top first, scrambling up and turning to help the Doctor up, reaching down with furry paws. He popped his head above the tunnel, glancing around the area. They were in another of the huts, even less furnished than Korris's. The Chakdaws glanced around nervously, then covered the tunnel once more and led the travelers out of the hut.

Their guides began to lead them towards the largest, grandest building, farther behind the huts. The Doctor had figured that belonged to the big bosses – it hadn't been there when he'd last visited, though he'd been on a different part of the planet. Plus, Chakdaws didn't usually go for anything so big or flashy.

The interior proved to be as grand-looking as the outside. There was proper, wooden furniture inside, and wide hallways with decorative rugs laid out. Sherlock raised an eyebrow, gaze darting quickly around the room. The Doctor could tell he was deducing the room, drawing quick conclusions. He dropped back to walk beside the detective, asking in a low tone, "What have you got?" Anything he could see could help with theories.

"Building's new," Sherlock answered right away. "Probably completed around a year ago. The halls and doorways are built for large creatures, taller than wide, probably a good eight feet."

The Time Lord nodded distractedly. He'd already figured the building had to be new. Knowing the size was more helpful, though it still didn't tell him exactly what he was up against.

They were led into a vast throne room, with an ornate, lavish rug, and plush seat. On that seat a creature the Doctor hadn't seen in a long time. It was tall and thin, with a humanoid torso, but with four sets of arms, and a centipede-like lower body. It used all four arms as extra legs, resting on it's knuckles, as it peered at the newcomers. It had smooth gray scales that faded into a wrinkly gray hide, which covered the torso and arms. The head shape and eyes were humanoid, but with a lizard-like muzzle, and horns on the head and going down the back. It had golden eyes that narrowed dangerously as it noticed the Doctor and Sherlock.

In a ragged, hoarse voice, it barked, "Who are you?" The creature descended from the throne, skittering down the steps and coming to stand before the travelers. It rose up from the first two arms, gaining significant height over them, eyes glinting dangerously.

Sherlock looked more fascinated than scared, and the Doctor grinned eagerly at the creature. "Ah, a Werack!" The Werack blinked in surprise, letting out an untrusting hiss. The Time Lord just continued to beam at him, momentarily ignoring the impending danger in favor of excitement. "I haven't met any Weracks in ages! I went to your planet once, Dorann, might've gotten arrested, though I will say that it was hardly my fault."

The Werack lowered itself back onto it's knuckles, leaning in close to look at the Doctor. "Who are you, little man?" it rasped.

"Oh, just travelers, passing by," Sherlock said dismissively.

The Time Lord told the Werack, "I'm the Doctor, and that's Sherlock Holmes." He began to circle the Werack, arms tucked behind his back and leaning forward eagerly. "So, what's a Werack doing here then, eh? You lot have got your own planet, what're you doing here, storming in and starting a prison camp? This isn't your planet to take."

The Werack snorted. "What, you mean the Chakdaws?" He glanced dismissively at the two that had led the Doctor and Sherlock there. "They hardly put up a fight worth mentioning. Weak, pathetic, hardly good for anything beyond manual labor.

The Time Lord's brow furrowed. "Manual labor. Like what?"

The Werack smirked slightly. "This planet is rich in resources," he revealed with a cold chuckle. "Metals and minerals not found anywhere else, and these foolish creatures hardly put them to any use. They're only good for digging it from the ground."

The Time Lord tensed, suddenly understanding. He tilted his head up, looking calmly at the Werack, considering. "So that's what this is about," he said in a low voice. "I remember the state your economy was in last time I visited. So what, you bleed your planet dry and take someone else's?"

The Werack blinked at him, unconcerned. "Isn't that always the way? It's how your people work too, is it not? When you humans run out of room, you take it from lesser creatures. How is this any less acceptable?"

The Doctor smirked. "Yeah, see, here's the thing." He leaned in close to the Werack's face, expression smug. "I'm not human. And I'm really not a fan of people of the whole conquer and enslave routine." He turned serious as he added, "I'm going to stop you."

The Werack just chuckled. It rose up off all four sets of arms, growing taller and taller until it loomed far over the Time Lord's head. It's thin hands sported long, sharp claws that glinted ominously. as it growled, "And how exactly do you plan to stop us?";


Wow. Um. Right. I am so, *so* sorry about the wait. Wow, over two weeks? That's bloody insane. I'm really sorry. Wow.

I had some *major* writer's block for the last few weeks. I could not for the life of me translate my thoughts properly to paper. That' also why this chapter is less than quality. I'm sorry, I really hoped to make this a good chapter. But most of it was written at 1 AM any given night, or any other time I could force myself to write through my writer's block. Writing that's been forced through writer's block always turns out crappy, so again, I'm sorry for the quality.

I will try to pick up the slack with the posting.