The blue police box materialized on a frozen waste of rock and ice. A polar wind shook the TARDIS as it whipped around its corners and speeded on its way across the barren land. The binary star hovered just over the horizon. The primary star Surya and orbiting companion Sakhi did not climb the sky, but briefly peeked over the icy landscape, then disappeared again for another forty-eight hours.
The Doctor, Toshi, and Ajit stood at the door wrapped in thick, white long winter jackets with ruffs on the hoods, and slitted black googles. The Doctor insisted on the googles.
"The Inuits in North America came up with these, used to make them out of baleen." the Doctor laughed. "Brillant invention."
"Kind of hard to see," complained Toshi as she pulled the hood up.
"You only need them until the wind dies down," the Doctor cautioned. "But keep them on, this is more than frozen water. There's a bit of acid in this. Don't want that melting in your eye."
"Who would want to come here to live?" Toshi asked as she surveyed the landscape.
"I think that was the point of the settlement," the Doctor said. "No visitors. Brilliant! The Adyans want a closed planet." He looked at Toshi and Ajit. "Up for a bit of adventure?"
Toshi beamed, but Ajit looked nervous.
"Good, because that's the Adyans coming over the rise in the south."
The welcoming party was composed of five tall hooded figures dressed in white robes made of heavy blue quilt and silver thread forming spiral designs, sparkling in the light as they moved. Silver masks of fine mesh covered their faces, reminding Ajit of the sport of fencing. They appeared to be unarmed. The leader silently gestured to the travelers to join them, placing the three in the middle of their small caravan.
After hiking into the entrance of a large cave, they soon found themselves descending into a limestone cavern with a winding stairs carved into the rock. The fire of the torches notched into the walls cast a flicking light that sparkled the stalactite formations on the ceilings like a thousand candles. The stalagmites piercing the space from the floor seemed to be reach for their shimmering sisters on the ceiling.
"This is beautiful!" Toshi stopped to admire the scene. The leader turned and pointed to the path that lay ahead, and she reluctantly followed. As they descended, she noticed that the character of the stone had changed from the light colored limestone to a darker igneous rock lining smoother lava tubes.
"How far down do you think we are?" whispered Toshi to her grandfather. "The air is still fresh, but a bit brisk."
"About 3,000 feet," answered the Doctor. The deepest natural caves are over 7,000 feet so we may have more to go."
As they continued to descend, the air grew warmer. Finally they came to a large cavern carved out of black igneous rock. It housed a small hive of a city with dwellings carved into the surrounded cliffs. Narrow paths spiraled down from the homes chiseled into the walls. On the floor of the cavern were more official looking public buildings stood with stately pillars and a strange flowing script carved into the rock. Ajit looked up at the light fixtures in the ceiling, trying to determine their origin.
His Adyan companion noticed his questioning look, pointed to the ceiling and said, "We collect the light outside during the summer season and store it for winter use." He pointed to a series of domed sections on the wall of the cave where Ajit could see vegetables and fruits being grown. "This is also how we feed our people."
Ajit was startled at his response, and whispered to Toshi. "I didn't ask him anything!"
Toshi nudged him, "They are telepathic, remember?"
The Adyans along their path stopped what they were doing and watched the visitors pass. They were a tall race, pale skinned with large almond eyes of various shades of blue and green. Their children hid behind the robes of the adults, watching the strangers with curiosity. They were polite, but silent as they passed, and then quickly returning to the task at hand.
As they came to a market place, Toshi marveled at the variety of colors of cloth sold in the stalls and asked questions as they passed through. She discovered men were dressed in a long knee length jacket called a sherwani, and pants, both made out of quilted material. Several barber stalls were busy so she assumed the custom was for men to be clean shaven with short hair. The women wore a gracefully draped long length of cloth called a sari. Their long dark hair was braided in various styles. She wanted to talk to a dressmaker as the old woman embroidered the border of a sari with a floral pattern, but then thought better of it. They were not here as tourists.
Finally they arrived at a formal meeting area, led to a seating area, and were asked to wait. A tall gray haired man entered and set a silver tray before them. It held three crystal glasses of a honeyed liquid for refreshment and a small basket of native fruits.
"The Doyenne will be with you shortly." He bowed slightly and joined the escorts.
The Doctor thanked their escorts for their hospitality and settled in to wait.
The Doctor turned to Ajit and asked gently, "Are you nervous, son?"
Ajit looked away.
"These are not the same ones who harmed your parents."
He nodded again, but did not look convinced that this was true.
The Doctor sat across from the teenagers and looking directly at Toshi. "There is something I need to tell you. Our people have some responsibility for this mess. When I was young, like you, I knew a Gallifreyan girl by the name of Rani. She was a good scientist, but as she took a wrong turn, became ruthless in her experiments."
"What did she do?"
"She violated a Time Lord mandate. She interfered. The Adyans were a peaceful race, a matriarch society with strong telepathic and empathic powers. At that time they were known across their star system as healers."
He stopped for a moment, looking off into the distance. "She used her power to conduct a genetic experiment blending shape shifter with Adyan genetic material, then injected into developing fetuses. It seemed successful at first. The ability to change their limbs into surgical instruments or manufacture medicinal compounds in their body was helpful in emergency situations."
He stood up and went to a window overlooking the plaza. "However, when they began to serve as medics on the battlefield, the more violent tendencies of shape shifters emerged in some them. The Adyans voluntarily withdrew to this planet to protect themselves and others."
Toshi was silent. She finally said, "Gray…Dad…all the others? Because of us?"
There was a stirring at the end of the building. A stately older woman dressed in a midnight blue sari embroidered with stars entered accompanied by two other women. Her long gray hair was braided into a coil punctuated by small pins topped with diamonds, accentuating her dark blue eyes. She approached the Doctor with open arms. Toshi and Agit rose with the Doctor, standing in respect.
"Doctor, how good to see you again."
He received her embrace and kissed her lightly, once on one cheek and then the other.
"Doyenne Agrata, I want to introduce my granddaughter Toshi and her friend Ajit."
Agrata took Toshi and Ajit by the hand. "The Doctor has informed me of the situation before your visit. My sincere apology for what my people have done to your families. There is little I can do to bring the dead back, but we hope we can make amends. But first, I have something to show you. " She turned and began her way to a side door leading into the central plaza. "Please follow me."
Toshi looked quizzically at her grandfather. The Doctor shrugged slightly, and followed her with Ajit and Toshi trailing behind.
The Doyenne glanced back at the two teenagers. "I assume the Doctor has told you about my people's history with Time Lords."
"A bit," said Toshi glancing at her grandfather.
They turned a corner in the plaza and enter the steps of what looked like a hospital. It was a light and pleasant building with flower boxes and plants decorating the halls and desks. Adyan physicians and nurses attended to their patients, while family members gathered in their rooms.
"What is happening over there?" Toshi pointed two physicians and a small family of Silurians were talking. "They don't look Adyan."
"We do work with some off-worlders," she said. "Mostly treatment of blood chemistry imbalances, and trauma." The Doyenne continued to lead the visitors to the back hospital. Finally she stopped at the door of a locked ward.
Agit looked at the door with alarm, stepping back.
Toshi looked at her companion with annoyance, then remembered. Mara had told them when Ajit was found as an orphan, he was placed in a locked ward.
The Doyenne glanced at Toshi and turned to Ajit.
"Do not be afraid, the doors are locked for their protection, so that the therapy can continue uninterrupted," she said to the young man. "However, if you are uncomfortable, you may stay here with my attendant until we return."
Ajit paused, and then shook his head. "I will come."
The Doyenne nodded, and then opened the door inviting them to enter.
They began to walk down a large corridor lined by closed doors. As they passed the viewing windows, they could see small groups of three to eight Ayans in each room in a circle. Some looked like a classrooms with an older teacher instructing several children. Others were groups of adults in conversation. Still more were engaged in artistic pursuits: painting, sculpting and dance.
"What is this place?" asked the Doctor as he craned his head to get a better look at a group of children tossing a ball around a circle.
"When the Gallifreyan you call the Rani did genetic experiments on my people, blending our genetic material with shape shifters," she said gravely, "the expectation was that the good traits would dominate for a stronger Adyan." She turned towards Toshi and Ajit. "My people come from ancient lines of physical and psychological healers. We normally use a variety of instruments and potions to do our work. She thought if we could create the chemicals within our own bodies, and transform our limbs into surgical instruments, we would be more effective."
She paused and looked solemnly at the Doctor. "Unfortunately, the genetic material from the shapeshifters was unstable. Most Adyans can control this instability, but not all. Those who were born emotionally prone to aggression and violence are given the therapy you have seen in these rooms. When the doctors deem them stable, they are allowed to live among our people, but are always monitored for relapse."
They had reached the last door at the end of the hall. The door was solid without a viewing panel. She pointed to a small empty waiting room on the right. Chairs lined up in front of a large window. They sat down as she triggered a sliding panel. Inside the room were a young woman and an elder therapist. Two other assistants waited near the corners of the room.
"Don't worry, we aren't disturbing them," She said quietly. "They can't see us."
There was no sound, but the girl looked angry. She seemed to be arguing with the elder, flinging her hands in sharp, agitated motions. Suddenly she picked up a book from a table and hurled it at the older woman. The therapist ducked, but the girl advanced morphing her hand into a knife. The two attendants quickly subdued her while the older woman placed her hands on the temples of the girl. This seemed to have a calming effect, and the girl quieted down.
The Doyenne triggered the panel to close, then shook her head sadly. "For some, there is no cure." She stood in front of the Doctor. "There is another ward…"
"They don't need to see that," the Doctor said grimly.
"No," the Doyenne said, "but the truth of it exists. You educate your granddaughter, yes?" She turned to Toshi. "A few infants are born with no control over the morphing of their limbs. These innocents are cared for as best we can, but most die within a few months." The old women looked solemnly at the Doctor and his granddaughter. "The interference of a Gallifreyan had unforeseen and terrible consequences on our people. It is a cautionary tale."
The Doyenne stood quietly for a time, and then spoke. "The Council has agreed to help the Conservancy, but we have conditions."
"What are the conditions?" asked the Doctor.
"We want the rebels back. Most of the clans on Adya have family on that ship. This group broke away twelve years ago with the desire to explore not pillage, but this sickness that is within us turned some of them to mutiny." She drew closer to the Doctor peering deeply into his eyes.. "Some are as captive as the Captain. We wish to heal them of this sickness here, on Adya."
The Doctor frowned, "I'm not sure the Conservancy will agree to this. The rebels have committed heinous crimes. They will expect to try them in the Interstellar Court and punish them."
The Doyenne stood patiently. "I understand. However, these are our terms."