"Got it. What now?" He turned to look at the alien girl who was absorbed in the display in front of her. Jack was peering over her shoulder with interest as she poked at the keyboard in front of her.
"Now we see if it works," she said. She looked at a panel on the bulkhead and pressed a button. "I just turned on the distress signal. With some luck, we might hear from the bridge crew." She went back to the display and a moment later smiled. "There they are!" She exclaimed and pointed towards the screen with one finger. Jack nodded and patted her on the shoulder.
The speaker next to Ianto crackled to life. A musical voice said something, though the audio was crackling with static. Jaella reacted by spinning in her seat, her face illuminated with what must have been relief. She forced herself to move away from the safety of the console, and over between the bodies she had been avoiding. Keeping her gaze averted from either covered figure, she reached for a button and pressed it. She spoke in the same language, trilling back some information. Then she pressed the button again.
"It is the ship. I told them about what happened, and I hope they can help me." She took a deep breath and let is out slowly. Gwen had moved so that she was close by and could be of support if Jaella needed it. She jumped when the speaker crackled again and the voice said something else. Jaella turned towards Jack.
"They think they can retrieve the ship," she said. "They are going to try and come into the atmosphere, but they are concerned with startling the indigenous species. What should I tell them?"
"Tell them to come in, but please let them know we're here. I don't want them to get concerned that they have strangers on their shuttle. We don't mean them any harm, and want to help," Jack said. "And I'll deal with any of the locals if there is a problem. In fact, I'll call UNIT now and warn them off." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a mobile. "No reception, I'll have to get back outside. Please tell them to wait until I've reached the people I need to." Jaella nodded and Jack pulled himself out of the cabin and towards the back of the ship where the hatch was still open.
He was back a few moments later. "All set. I think we should probably wait outside," he suggested. The others nodded and they worked their way back out to the hatch and down the rope. Rhys and Ianto went first, followed by the girls, then Jack. They climbed their way out of the cave and up onto the grass.
"Is there a problem with the ship coming in that they had to ask permission?" Gwen asked. She watched Jack as he stared upwards, looking for whatever was coming in.
"Well, technically they aren't allowed to be here," he said. The others gathered around him so that they could hear him. "The Shadow Proclamation is an interstellar governance agency that was formed to protect lower tech and undeveloped worlds. They have a lot of laws about what more advanced races can and can't do. Earth comes under the proclamation jurisdiction as a Level 5 world, so by landing here the Yl'hani could be breaking the rules and be liable to censure. I gave them permission to land so they wouldn't be held accountable for breaking the rule."
"Strange to think that somewhere there's a government out there looking over us," Rhys said as he gazed up at the night sky.
"There are a lot of people looking out for you," Jack said with a smile. "At one time, there was a great race that did just that. They were known as the Time Lords of Gallifrey, and protected the younger races from abuse."
"What happened to them?" Gwen asked. She could hear the sorrow in Jack's voice as he spoke.
"They died protecting everyone else. They sacrificed themselves in the Time War against the Daleks. There is only one of them left now," Jack said. He turned towards a growing light. "We need to move back, that ship is bigger than I thought." He led the way up the hill.
Ianto thought about what Jack had said. Only one left. The Doctor. He tried to imagine a situation where a whole race could be wiped out of existence. Then he thought about being the only one left. What pain the Doctor must feel. He stared at Jack and another puzzle piece about the man fell into place for him.
Jack stared up at the sky and watched the ship come closer. It was huge, and they could feel the heat in the air as the ship came through the atmosphere. Jaella stood beside him, her eyes shining with excitement. He glanced down at her and smiled. He knew what it was like to be alone and was happy to know she was going to be able to get back to where she was going to be welcome and able to reach her home again at some point.