The Doctor had just got stepped out of the TARDIS when it happened. At first everything looked okay, the edge of the field of beautiful wildflowers, in Ireland, he believed, when he heard the sound of engines, that he quickly discerned to be a small Third Class Carrier ship from Beta Seven. Figuring this could only mean trouble the Doctor rushed across the field in time to seem a wiry woman with a crown of flowers in her hair, running across the field carrying a little boy with dark brown hair in her arms get snatched up by a giant claw, rather like that from those machines, dropping her charge as it carried her up into the glass-topped ship. Instantly he leaped out and caught the youngster as he fell back to the ground. When the boy looked up at him he said, friendly as can be, "Hello little one."
The little boy didn't say anything, just cried. Not that the Doctor could blame him, the kid had just suffered a horrible trauma, in fact, his parents should probably start saving for the therapy bills that would come. "There, there," The Doctor said, setting the tyke down, crouching down beside him and wiping away the boy's tears with his sleeve, "It's alright, that thing's gone now, you're safe." The Doctor took up his jacket and draped it over the little boy's shoulders. "Now," He said gently, "I'm the Doctor. Can you tell me your name?"
"Charlie O'Connor," The little boy sniffled out in voice not lost on the Doctor.
"Hold on," The Doctor said, "That's an American accent, I thought we were in Ireland."
"We are," Charlie replied.
"The why-" The Doctor began, but quickly reprioritized, "Never mind, that now, Charlie the lady taken by that claw who was she?"
"My Aunt Fiona," Charlie answered.
"Right, and your Aunt Fiona, she's completely human right?" The Doctor asked.
"Hun?" Charlie asked.
"Right, small child, probably a bit over your head," The Doctor rambled, "Charlie, where are your parents?"
Michael had just checked finished the last load of new Oolong tea. He'd be the first to admit, assistant manager at the Campbell Brothers Tea Company wasn't the most exciting thing in the world, but he was getting use to it. Of course, he couldn't figure out how not to be really observant, which wasn't a problem. In fact, today it was still a good thing, which what he saw when got back to the front of the store.
A man in brown pinstriped pants, a light blue shirt and a dark blue tie with a purple design on it, carrying a little boy of about four years old wrapped up in jacket that matched the pants, just walked into the store. On closer examination Michael realized it was Charlie.
As Michael walked over to them, the man met him half way, shouting out in an English accent, "Excuse, me! Are you Michael O'Connor?"
"Yeah," Michael said slowly, "What are you doing with my nephew?"
"Yes, I was about to get to that," The Doctor began, as he handed Charlie off to Michael, "There's been an incident."
Now Michael was starting to get scared. "What sort of incident?"
"A giant claw took Aunt Fiona," Charlie said, looking up at Michael.
Michael was quiet for a second both shocked and confused, and looked up at the Doctor.
"Yeah, that pretty much sums up what happened," The Doctor said, "Michael, is there somewhere we can talk in private?"
After handing Charlie off to a clerk named Howard, Michael took the Doctor into his office where the Doctor explained everything he knew so far, which wasn't that much at the moment.
"So let me get this strait," Michael said, once he was finished, "My girlfriend was carried off by an giant extraterrestrial game claw?"
"Well, the resemblance to the crucial part of a children's game is pure coincidence," The Doctor replied, "But yes, that's basically what happened."
"Okay, I understand why Charlie makes up wild stories, he's four," Michael began, "But what's your excuse?"
"Look, I know how this must sound to you, but I can prove it," The Doctor insisted, "Do you have a car?"
Fifteen minutes later, Michael and the Doctor had arrived at the spot where he had parked the TARDIS. The Doctor jumped out the car and ran into his own vehicle, followed by Michael. "What does this -" His voice trailed off as he saw what he had just stepped into. "Wow," He said.
"Yeah, I know, but we got bigger problems right now," The Doctor said, as he began to run a trace at the console.
"Wait, so," Michael began, walking over to the Doctor, "That means you're an alien too."
"Yeah, is that gonna be a problem?" The Doctor asked.
"No, it's just-" Then the most important fact, "Hold on, that mean Fiona was taken by aliens! why would they want to do that? Where did they take her?"
"Keep calm," The Doctor said, "You don't have land carrier ships that small unless you plan to be on the ground for some period of time which means they're all probably still here. I'm running a trace right now." Just then there was a hurried beeping sound. "And it looks like I've got something!" The Doctor's face fell a little as he read his discovery. "Uh-oh," The Doctor said, "That's not good."
"What's not good?" Michael asked.
"Okay, the first bad news is she's been kidnapped by a war lord by the name of Roydon Cadmus also known as Roydon The Ruthless." The Doctor began, "Not a real nice guy, but the good news is he's not gonna kill her."
"That's something," Michael knowing there must be something else, "But why take her in the first place?"
"Well, that's a bit of more bad news," The Doctor said, "He apparently wants to marry her rather she likes it or not."
"What?!" Michael exclaimed.
Meanwhile, Roydon Camus had just landed back at the base. It was the end of what had been a rather uncomfortable ride for Fiona, being strapped into a flying vehicle with a guy with a scar across his angular face, and crooked smile with pointed teeth, who was declaring that they were to be wed, and t attempting to court her while she was attempting to get out without falling to her death. At least she had time to see that Charlie was alright, caught by someone who happened to wonder in the field at that time. When they landed half a dozen red-uniformed men rushed up to them and helped her "intended," out of the craft, who pushed a button releasing her from her bounds, then helped her out of the vehicle. "I hope the journey has not made you weary." Roydon said.
"Don't worry," Fiona said, "I think I'm little scraped up from the claw though."
"A thousand apologies my lady," Roydon said, laying it on thick as if impeccable manners would make up for kidnapping her, "I'll see that those are looks too right away." One of the men, looking very scared leaned over and whispered something in Roydon's ear. "Yes, yes," Roydon said, brushing him off, "In a minute." Then he turned his attention back to Fiona, "Excuse me, by beloved, I must go tend to the refueling of my ships. I fear will not be able to see you again until the wedding."
"And when with that be, by the way?" Fiona asked, trying her best to appear compliant. She didn't want to chance him going on Henry the 8th on her if she angered him.
"We will be married first thing on the morrow," Roydon informed her, "Then I'll have a ship take you back to our castle in Ontio. My campaign should be over shortly, then I'll join you there. Until then, I'll leave you in the care in two of my best guards. Pacifico, Marlind!"
Immediately, two men stepped forward.
"Escort my fiancé to her quarters," Roydon instructed, then took Fiona's hand and said, "Until tomorrow my love," and kissed it.
"Great, can't wait," Fiona said, not sounding at all enthusiastic.
Pacifico and Marlind must have sensed her reluctance, because each of them grabbed her forearm and lead her away to her quarters.
"From the looks of what I'm reading here," The Doctor said, back in the TARDIS, "Apparently he's sent for a Priest and plans to marry her tomorrow morning before the ships take off for their new campaign about a galaxy on the other side of this solar system, probably why they stopped to fuel here."
"And what, he saw some woman he wanted to marry and just took her with no care what she thought about that plan?" Michael asked.
"You don't get a nickname like Roydon the Ruthless by caring about other people's plan," The Doctor said, "I was able to get into one of the strategy vessels' computer. The entire army's not on the ground but the legion he has at his disposal here is two thousand strong, and this doesn't say where they're keeping Fiona. All right, this one might take me a minute to figure out what to do."
But idea was forming in Michael's mind. "So what you're saying is basically we need more people."
"Yeah, that'd be great, if you could find an army in equal size and strength to theirs, or at least something similar of one," The Doctor declared.
"I don't have that," Michael said, breaking out into a smile, "But I have the next best thing."
