It took them a while, but eventually the Doctor and Aries reached the med bay of the TARDIS, the ship having moved a few corridors around to help their progress. Aries was feeling strong enough to walk on her own, but the Doctor continued to support her, not wanting to let her go, and Aries wasn't complaining.
He helped her over to a bed and smiled when a cup of tea appeared on the table beside it. "Here," he said softly, handing the tea to Aries while silently thanking his ship.
"Thank you," Aries murmured as she accepted the cup and took a sip, sighing as the familiar, warm liquid hit her stomach.
Nodding to her, the Doctor moved to sit beside her, knowing that something was bothering her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, once again ignoring her seemingly instinctive response to stiffen before relaxing, though he continued to file away that response for later speculation. "What's wrong?" he asked her quietly as she took another sip of tea.
Aries paused, her eyes flickering in the Doctor's direction before she sighed when he squeezed her shoulders. She knew that he wasn't going to push her, but also knew that he wasn't going to let the matter go, and a part of her felt relieved that he wouldn't. To have someone who she could talk with, knowing that they were only worried about her, it was not something that Aries wasn't really use to.
And so after a few seconds of silence, she spoke, her voice coming out barely above a whisper, "How can you be okay with this, with me?"
The Doctor looked to his Nesdra in confusion, a little unsure as to what she was saying. "What do you mean?" he asked, his voice coming out equally quiet.
Aries didn't say anything for a moment, just stared at the cup between her hands before she finally swallowed and looked to the Time Lord, her eyes brimming with tears. "Y-you died. I only wanted to save you. I...I couldn't los-lose you. Not after..." she looked away as the tears fell, unable to meet his eye, unable to tell him why she hadn't wanted to lose him. It was selfish and she knew it, but she had come to see him more than just a friend. Someone, who she had realised the moment the TARDIS had shown her what he had done, that she wouldn't, no, couldn't lose. Aries closed her eyes and shook her head, pushing the thought away. "You regenerated and it's my fault."
Holding her closer, the Doctor sighed. He had known that she blamed herself for what had happened. But, as much as it pained him, he had also wanted her to talk about it. He didn't blame her, not for a second, with what had happened, knowing that it had been his choice in the end. "It wasn't your fault, Aries," he placed a finger against her lips when she tried to cut in, stopping her, "I chose to take in the vortex. If I hadn't taken it from Rose, it would have killed her."
His words only had Aries frowning, though, and she looked away from the Doctor and back to her cup. She felt her heart fall at his words, confused and wondering if her feelings had been misplaced, misinterpreted. They had confused her for so long and it had taken her years...decades to understand what she was feeling towards the Doctor, and she couldn't help but feel disheartened that those feelings may not be returned. Her frown deepened as her confusion grew, having thought that she had finally understood how the Doctor had felt, had acted towards her, but wondered if she was looking too deeply in his actions. But then why has he always been so protective over me? she thought, her eyebrows furrowing, It doesn't make any sense, she continued to contemplate, growing even further confused when she remembered the words he had spoken to her, in her mind no less, right before he regenerated.
The Time Lord frowned, his eyebrows knitting together at his Nesdra's expression. They sat in an awkward silence for a moment as he tried to figure out why her expression had fallen further. He thought over his words, wondering if he had said something wrong, only for his hearts to skip a beat in realisation. Carefully, he moved his hand to lift her chin, causing Aries' gaze to shoot to him, her expression startled. "I couldn't let Rose die because she is my companion," he explained to her softly, "But I couldn't stand to see you hurt. I knew the moment I took in the vortex that I would regenerate, but I also knew that I didn't want to change without saying goodbye."
Looking at the Doctor, at his now amber eyes, Aries' eyebrows were knitted together once more in confusion. "I...I don't understand," she told him, trying to make sense of what he was telling her. Emotions were never her strong point and she was slowly growing frustrated at how much she found that she didn't understand them.
The Doctor smiled, which only succeeded in confusing Aries further as he stroked the back of his hand against her cheek. "Rose is my companion, Aries," he begun to explain as his fingers moved to brush some of her red hair behind her ear, "But you, you've always been more then that." He wanted to tell her just how much more, but he knew that it wasn't the time. Instead, he leant forwards and grazed his lips against her forehead, smiling when he heard her inhale a sharp breath of surprise. Pulling away, he looked at her, "You are more than just a companion to me, Aries," he continued. So much more, he added mentally, though made sure that that thought didn't accidently get through their mental link.
Aries expression was of complete surprise, her eyes wide as she stared at the Doctor. Whatever occlumency skills she possessed seemed to have left her as she swallowed, unable to say anything in reply to what the Doctor had just admitted. She felt her face warm and ducked her head, using her hair to try and hide just how much the Time Lord's words had affected her. Her blush only darkened when she heard the Time Lord chuckle softly at her reaction, however. But despite it all, she also knew that her heart felt lighter and a small smile was soon on her lips.
The Doctor shook his head at Aries, finding that his Nesdra was quite winsome, though also somewhat of an enigma. But he also knew that he would have her any other way. And with a grin, he gently grabbed the cup of tea from her. "Why don't you lie down and get some rest," he told her softly, unwrapping his arm from around her shoulders as he stood up and placed the cup back onto the table. "You need it," he added when he looked back to his Nesdra, finding her watching him in confusion, her cheeks still dusted pink. He couldn't help himself as he leant forwards and gently ran his thumb over her cheek, feeling the warmth beneath it. "I'll be here when you wake up," he promised, "And I can do the check up while your resting, okay."
Aries nodded slightly, thinking how this regeneration of the Doctor seemed much more affectionate then his last. Though as she laid down on the bed, getting herself comfortable, she watched him as he moved around the med bay and her mind wandered. She could help but see the way the Doctor had acted around her previously with a better understanding and felt like pinching her nose and groan at how stupid she had been. She should have seen it. The protectiveness, the way he had always been close, the hugs and; her face flushed red again at the memory of the times he had dropped a gentle kiss on her forehead or temple. Her eyes finally drifted closed as she thought that she had been an utter dunderhead to not have understood the signs.
The Doctor paused and turned back to his Nesdra when he felt her mind settle and couldn't help but smile softly at her slumbering form. It brightened when he noticed her own smile and he walked over to her, being careful not to wake her as he gently stroked her cheek. "Sleep well, my Aries. My Nesdra," he murmured.
It was just on daybreak when Vera found the Doctor frowning at a screen in the med bay as he looked over the results of the scans he had done on Aries. The brunette shook her head at the sight of him still dressed in the pyjamas and dressing gown, but knew that until he was a hundred and fifty percent certain that Aries was fine, he wouldn't leave her side.
Glancing to the bed that the red head was laying in, Vera smiled at the sight of Aries sleeping away. She looked back to the Doctor, who surprisingly enough still hadn't noticed her presence and couldn't help but grin. "What's up, Doc?" she asked.
The Time Lord in question jumped in surprise and spun to see Vera standing there, looking at him with a grin and raised eyebrow. "How did you get in here?" he asked, suddenly feeling unsure as what to make of the brunette, and he wasn't comfortable with her being there, knowing that she was from his future. He glanced at Aries, Their future, he corrected with a small smile.
Vera pulled out her TARDIS key and showed it to the Doctor, "I have a key," she said as she approached the screen he had been looking at. "Oh, is that...wow!" she exclaimed, her eyebrows shooting upwards in surprise at what she was reading and seeing.
The Doctor frowned at her before shaking his head, deciding not to question how she had ended up with a TARDIS key. He had better things to worry about. Focussing back onto the screen, he tried to work out how what he was seeing was possible. Having the TARDIS scan her had helped him get a better DNA scan than the one his sonic had taken during the Blitz, but it had only led to more questions than answers.
"Doc," Vera said, causing the Time Lord to scowl at her and she rolled her eyes. She had faced far worse things then a scowling Time Lord. "Fine then. Doctor," she corrected before pointing at something on the scan, "That shouldn't be doing that, should it?" she questioned.
Continuing to scowl at the brunette, the Doctor found himself not liking the familiarity the young woman seemed to have with him. It was bad enough that she would, at some point, learn his Academy name, but to shorten his chosen name? That grated on his nerves and irked him to no end. He wanted to demand her to tell him who she was; how she knew him, but refrained from doing so, knowing he couldn't. He shook his head and frowned as he looked to what she was pointing at and reluctantly agreed, "No, it shouldn't."
On the screen that Vera had pointed at was a strand of Aries' DNA. But it wasn't the strand itself that he was truly looking at. It was the red energy that seemed to be pulsing from within it, along with a secondary golden energy that was slowly intertwining; merging itself with the strand as well. The Time Lord couldn't help but compare the two energies to what he had seen the night before when Aries had stopped the cup of tea from falling, but wasn't too sure what to make of them.
He could haphazardly guess that the golden energy was new, having only seen it once and surmised that some of the Time Vortex had been absorbed into Aries. How that was possible and what it could mean for her however, was still to be seen. But it was the red energy that was baffling him, though. It seemed to be a part of her DNA; woven into the very fabric of Aries' being and reminded the Doctor of what he had seen during the Blitz when he had examined her scar.
It had pulsed with the same red energy.
"I'm having the TARDIS try and identify it," the Doctor muttered, almost to himself as his eyebrows furrowed, "But its not the only thing that shouldn't be there," he continued as he brought up another screen that was showing the TARDIS trying to identify the secondary DNA type that the ship had discovered. "I'm also having the TARDIS compare her DNA against the data bank to try and identify what she is, but from an earlier scan I did, it shouldn't be there."
Vera just raised an eyebrow at the Doctor, but didn't say anything. She turned and headed towards where Aries was resting, feeling the Time Lord's eyes on her as she did so, but ignored him. She sat down on the seat beside the bed that Aries was laying on and couldn't help but smile at how relaxed the red head looked.
The Doctor watched her like a hawk as she got comfortable in the chair, still having mixed feelings about the brunette. He frowned after a moment and spoke, "What did you mean you found Aries unconscious in the TARDIS?" he questioned, remembering she had mentioned that after giving him the tea.
The brunette glanced back at him and shrugged. "It was why I was sent here. I was told that she would need assistance getting to Jackie's flat," she told him before frowning as she glanced down at her manipulator, "Still don't know why I'm here still, though," she muttered.
"What do you mean?" the Doctor asked.
She was about to respond, but the sound of the computer beeping drew their attention. Vera stood up from the chair and went to go see what the TARDIS had found, only to stop short when she noticed a flash of yellow light on the table beside Aries' bed. She furrowed her brows when she recognised the necklace that had appeared and glanced at Aries in confusion as she picked it up, wondering why the red head wasn't wearing it.
Turning to the screen and missing what Vera had seen, the Doctor read the results from the DNA scan and stumbled backwards as if he had been physically hit, feeling the air leave his lungs as his eyes widened in shock. "Im-impossible," he muttered, feeling his hearts pounding in his chest, "That's not possible."
Vera looked up from the necklace she was holding at to the Time Lord, growing rather concerned by his expression. "Everything okay, Doc?" she asked carefully as she slowly approached him. She glanced at the screen as she got closer, wondering what had startled the man and her eyes widened. "Oh," she breathed when she saw the results before looking down to the necklace and blinked. "Oh, it was me," she murmured in surprise.
The Time Lord didn't even notice Vera's approach, his mind trying to comprehend what he had just read. "But that's impossible," he repeated, "She was human. The scan proved it. How could I have not realised?" he questioned no one as he glanced towards his Nesdra, "How didn't I sense her?" His mind was reeling at the reality that he hadn't been alone as he had once thought; though the fact that his Nesdra was part Time Lord answered some of the questions he had in regards to her.
Vera snapped from her thoughts as she looked to the Doctor, realising what she needed to do. "Maybe she's too human," she said, causing the Doctor to glare at her. She quickly raised her empty hand in placation, "I'm just saying it could be why you didn't know," she added, "Has there ever been a Human-Time Lord before?"
The Doctor frowned at the brunette, seeing that she had a very good point. The results were only showing that Aries was only part Time Lord. He furrowed his brows as he turned back to the screen. "Not many, no," he admitted after a moment, his frown reappearing, "It was almost considered forbidden to have a child with another species."
Nodding in understanding, Vera asked, "So, if there have been only a few, would you know who her parents could be?"
Glancing at Vera, the Time Lord's eyes narrowed. "I would have thought that you already knew all this," he asked rudely, trying to figure out what she was doing, "You somehow know me and Aries, so why don't you just tell me?!"
"I was just sent here to make sure Aries was okay," the brunette told him earnestly.
The Doctor took a slow step towards Vera, "And what of Ly?" he asked, "You knew him, spoke with him."
Vera shook her head, "Ly shouldn't have been there. I don't kno-"
"Don't lie to me," the Doctor cut her off, his voice cold and angry, "You said my name. No one alive knows that name, let alone anyone on this planet!"
"I...He shouldn't have been there!" Vera exclaimed, "I wasn't warned that he was going to show up. And I was only told you name in case of an emergency."
"You expect me to believe that I would tell you my name?" the Doctor questioned dangerously, "There is only one person who I would ever tell my name to, and she is currently asleep."
Vera shook her head quickly as she took a step back. "I-it wasn't you who told me your name," she explained, causing the Time Lord to pause.
"Who?" the Doctor all but growled out.
Raising both hands and forgetting that she was holding the necklace, Vera told him, "I can't tell you."
The Doctor's eyes narrowed further at the brunette before his eyes widened, the necklace catching his eye. With two strides, he closed the distance between them and snatched the necklace from her hand the moment he saw the writing on the back of the pendant. "Where did you get this?!" he demanded as he looked at the pendant, only to freeze in place as he read the name.
Vera watched him cautiously for a moment, having a fair idea as to what was going through his mind. She knew it would have been a shock for him to see the name written on the back of the pendant and was rather wary as to how he would react. "It belongs to Aries," she told him quietly after a moment, and seeing that he wasn't about to blow up on her, she continued, "I was told that it was the only thing she has left of her parents. She never takes it off, so I was rather surprised to see it on the table beside her bed."
Frowning, the Doctor ran his thumb over the writing inscribed on the back of the pendant. He looked up to Vera and the brunette let out a sigh of relief, seeing his earlier anger gone. "But, that's not possible," he stated, his voice barely above a whisper as he shook his head, not wanting to believe what he had seen, "The Alchemist wa-is just a story; a fairy-tale whispered throughout the universe. A Time Lady who travelled the stars before one day, she just vanished."
He shook his head again, his gaze dropping back down to the necklace, trying to wrap his mind around what he was holding in his hand. It can't be hers, he thought, his hand tightening ever so slightly around the pendant.
Vera took a tentative step towards the Doctor and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe she wasn't just a story," she said quietly as she glanced down at the necklace, not seeing the Doctor's eyes narrow. "And maybe she had a reason to disappear," she added as she looked over to Aries' slumbering form, "If it was forbidden to have children with another species, maybe the Alchemist vanished to protect someone dear to her."
The Doctor stared at his Nesdra, his brows furrowed as he tried to accept what he was hearing. Could it really be true? he asked himself, Could the Alchemist really have disappeared to protect her child? But his train of thought stopped abruptly when something else flashed across his mind and he frowned.
But she travelled alone...
The Doctor sighed and shifted in the chair beside Aries' bed, his thumb unconsciously tracing the name on the pendant. He was still trying to work out if it was possible that his Nesdra was the daughter of the Alchemist, as well as trying to remember everything he had heard about the Time Lady.
He had never heard of the Alchemist until he had left Gallifrey and begun travelling. They had been nothing but whispers and stories he had occasionally overheard and had first thought they had just been made up. But it wasn't until he had been Lord President did he realise that there could have been something behind those tales.
Quite by accident, the Doctor had stumbled across a hidden archive dated back to the Eternal War while searching for any record of a Time Lady known as the Alchemist. It had been secreted amongst so much trivial information and day-to-day reports of Rassilon's time after his rise to power, but it was there that Doctor had found record of a nameless Time Lady who had been exiled. He had been curious to see that her exiled was because of disobeying orders, but as he tried to look further into the unknown Time Lady, his search had come up with nothing.
But it planted the intriguing thought in his mind that there could have been a rogue Time Lady that had been left to travel the stars. And the more he heard, the more he wanted to find her. It was only after searching for possibly close to three decades, following the stories, the rumours throughout time and space, that the Doctor had reached another dead end.
Literally.
He should have known to leave his search for the Alchemist well enough alone. The deeper he went into looking for the renegade Time Lady had shown that she wasn't just rogue; but ruthless. He had visited planets where the mere mention of her name made civilisations tremble in fear. Species had cursed anything to do with her, while others had solemnly given him a list of her crimes, of their dead. And some planets had been left with nothing but ruins.
But the Doctor had been stubborn.
What he had found on Jon-Flor, however...
A shiver went down the Doctor's spine, remembering what he had seen that day, lifetimes ago. The planet had been blooming, on the onset of a technological advancement, not unlike the primitive humans. But instead of thriving, it now lay frozen...petrified in time. Nothing had survived; the trees, the animals, the people. Nothing but stone. It had almost been akin to walking through a grim, horrifying natural history exhibition, except on a planetary scale.
He had been told through whispered rumours, almost as if the people were afraid that the Alchemist would appear at the mention of her name, that what had happened on Jon-Flor had occurred overnight. How a Time Lady had rendered a planet to nothing but stone was beyond him, and the Doctor had not wanted to look any further. It was the one question he never pursued.
But as he looked down to the necklace, his thumb trailing over the name of a woman who he had once searched for, feared, and then given up finding, worry filled the Doctor.
What would happen to Aries, his Nesdra, if people found out who she was? He was certain that people would use her...harm her because of her mother's wrongdoings and he felt cold fists curl around his hearts; terror scorching through his veins at the thought that Aries could be harmed because of her lineage.
"Will you tell her?" a quiet voice caused the Doctor to jump, breaking from his wild thoughts and almost dropping the necklace.
His head turned quickly and only relaxed slightly at seeing Vera standing there, watching him in concern. He cleared his throat, his eyebrows furrowing. "You know of the Alchemist?"
"I've...heard the tales, yes," the brunette nodded slowly, a frown appearing on her face as she looked to Aries. "But I also know that Aries has one thing the Alchemist never had," she added, her gaze landing back on the Doctor.
"What?" the Time Lord asked curiously.
Vera smiled, "You."
Her answer made the Doctor blink in confusion. "What do you mean, me?"
"In all the stories, rumours you've heard, did you ever hear that she travelled with anyone?" Vera asked, but she continued before the Doctor could answer, "In all her travels, the Alchemist was always depicted as being alone. A renegade Time Lady doing what she liked. She never had a friend, a companion to turn to," her lips pursed, "And I'm not trying to make excuses for the atrocities she caused, but she had been exiled from her home planet; cut off from her own people and left alone to wander all of time and space for gods know how long. Could you imagine how lonely that would have been?"
The Doctor frowned as he glanced down at Aries' necklace. "I don't have to," he murmured, his mind going back to just after the Time War. The emptiness he felt, knowing that he was the last of his kind. The fact that it was his decision that had led to him travelling alone for all those years.
He started when he felt Vera place a comforting hand on his shoulder and looked to her, seeing her watching him with a look of sad understanding.
"It's up to you whether you tell her, Doctor; but know that one day, she's going to find out. Aries has always been a smart woman and it wouldn't take much for her to learn the truth herself."
Vera dropped her hand and stepped back, leaving whatever choice the Doctor would make solely on his shoulders. He swallowed as his gaze went to his Nesdra and stared at her slumbering form for a moment before standing. "She may know one day, but I can't put her in danger," he stated softly as he carefully placed the necklace back around Aries' neck, being mindful not to wake her as he did so.
He didn't see Vera breathe out a silent, worried breath as he brushed his thumb over Aries' cheek, but the brunette nodded absentmindedly before deciding to change the subject. "Has the TARDIS found what that energy was?" she questioned as she turned back to the computer screen.
The Doctor sighed as he straightened, running a hand through his hair as he tried to dispel his sombre thoughts. "No," he replied, "It's still coming up as inconclusive."
Vera's gasp had him turning to her quickly and approach the computer the moment he saw her standing before the screen, her eyes wide, hand covering her mouth. His own eyes widened in surprise when he saw what the TARDIS was showing them.
On the roofs around the Powell Estate were hundreds of people standing on the edge of the buildings, almost as it they were going to jump.
Before either could say anything, the screen changed again. Prime Minister, Harriet Jones, was sitting in a panelled room at a desk with a picture of Her Majesty on it. On either side of the Prime Minister were two Union flags.
"Ladies and gentlemen, if I may take a moment during this terrible time. It's hardly the Queen's speech. I'm afraid that's been cancelled," Harriet said before turning to an aide, "Did we ask about the royal family?" she questioned, "Oh. They're on the roof." She turned back to face the camera, "But, ladies and gentlemen, this crisis is unique, and I'm afraid to say, might get much worse. I would ask you to remain calm. But I have one request. Doctor, Aries, if you're out there, we need you. I'm issuing a State of Emergency. I don't know what to do. If you can hear me, Doctor, Aries. If anyone knows them, if anyone can find them, the situation has never been more desperate. Help us. Please, Doctor, Aries. Help us. God help us."
Vera and the Doctor glanced at each other, but before either could do anything, Mickey burst into the med bay.
"Doctor!" the young man shouted, "There's a spaceship!"
The Doctor and Vera ran towards the console room after Mickey, none of them noticing that they were being followed. When they entered, the Time Lord rushed straight passed Rose and threw the door of his ship open and looked outside, noticing immediately the massive spaceship over London. He would have kicked himself about forgetting the pilot fish and whatever was following them, but he knew that his Nesdra came first. That Aries would always be his first priority.
Now that she's fine and resting, however... the Doctor thought as he quickly closed the door and turned back towards the console, only to jump in surprise. "Aries, what are you doing?" he questioned, seeing his Nesdra was standing in front of the scanner. He quickly approached her, "You should be resting."
"I've done enough resting," the red head remarked, and the Doctor couldn't help but notice the change in her again. It brought forwards the memories of what he had seen during their time spent at Downing Street. "And beside," Aries continued, "There's a Sycorax ship that just passed through the Earth's atmosphere."
"How do you know it's a Sycorax ship?" the Doctor couldn't help but ask. Aries' lip twitched upwards as she swung the scanner around to him. "Oh, right then," he said as they watched a recording that had been broadcasted earlier that morning.
"...possess your land, your minerals, your precious stones. You will surrender or they will die. Sycorax strong, Sycorax mighty, Sycorax rock," the voice of the Sycorax leader said.
"Did he just say they rock?" Mickey asked, a little bemused.
Aries nodded, although she was frowning in concentration. "This isn't good," she muttered to herself as she checked her pockets, her frown deepening when she realised she wasn't wearing her jacket. "The device they're using, UNIT and any other force in the United Kingdom will instantly take it as the threat it is. And it really wouldn't surprise me if the other countries are already trying to intervene. I need to speak with-" she cut herself off, realising that everyone was watching her as she muttered away. Pursing her lips, Aries turned to Mickey and held out her hand, "Mouse, I need to use your phone. If this isn't contained, it will get messy, very quickly."
Without hesitation, Mickey handed over his mobile. The moment he did so, Aries glanced at the Doctor as she dialled a number she knew off by heart. "Before I make this call, Doctor," she begun, causing the Time Lord's expression to grow confused at her tone, "I want you to know that I wanted to tell you. There's so many rules and unless a State of Emergency is declared, you were never to know."
The Doctor blinked before taking a step towards her, "What are you talking about?" he questioned, concerned by what she was saying.
Aries swallowed as she looked down at the mobile in her hands, unable to hold his gaze. Her thumb hovered over the call button. "I'm not just a Scientific Advisor," she muttered before pressing the button and holding the phone against her ear, not giving the Doctor a chance to say anything more.
He watched his Nesdra as she stepped away from the group, rather flummoxed as to what she was talking about. Mickey stepped up beside him and tapped his arm, gaining his attention.
"I know she really wanted to tell you, Doctor," the young man explained quietly, "And she hated not being able to say anything. She even ended up in an argument with the Cabinet after they told her she couldn't reveal who she was to you."
Before the Time Lord could question the Mickey, Aries' voice cut in and he turned to listen.
"Prime Minister," the red head said and the Doctor's eyebrows raised.
"Oh, my God. Aries, where have you been?" Harriet breathed, sounding rather relieved to hear the red head's voice, "Is the Doctor with you?"
"He's here," she confirmed, glancing at the Doctor before averting her gaze, "But I need you to tell me what has happened. What are their demands and where are the negotiations taking place?"
"I-we're on the ship. We were teleported up here," Harriet quickly explained to Aries, her voice taking on a panicked and frantic tone as she continued, "They're saying that they're going to kill one third of the population unless we agree to surrender."
Mickey, Rose, Vera and the Doctor watched as Aries' eyebrows creased, her frown deepening before making her way back to the console.
"I need you to listen to me, Harriet Jones. Do not do or say anything that would lead to an agreement," she ordered as she ran her free hand over the console. I need to get to that ship, she whispered mentally to the TARDIS and her frown disappeared as her lip curled upwards into a small smile when she felt an answering hum in her mind. "I will be with you momentarily, Prime Minister," she added as the scanner changed, an odd pattern appearing on the screen.
"What did you do?" Rose asked as Aries hung up, her eyes going to the scanner as the pattern continued to repeat itself.
"It's a broadcast," Aries explained, "A small signal to notify the Sycorax that there is advanced technology on this planet." Her narrowed slightly, knowing that the TARDIS wasn't the only advanced piece of alien technology on Earth, but she shook her head, not wanting to distract herself.
"But, what will that do?" Mickey asked as he accepted his mobile back from his aunty.
Aries smiled, "It will get us aboard that ship," she stated.
Vera shook her head as she glanced down to her manipulator, the same moment as the Doctor stepped towards his Nesdra. "No, no, no!" he exclaimed, taking Aries' hand in his, knowing what she was doing, "You're not going anywhere near them," he told her. It was the last place he wanted her to be.
"It's too late, Doctor," Vera cut in, looking up from her wrist, "We've been teleported. We're already on board."
"And anyway," Aries added when he turned to the brunette with a glare, successfully drawing his attention back to her, "I need to be there."
"Why?" the Doctor questioned, "Why do you need to be there?"
"It's her job," Mickey spoke up, earning a glare from the Time Lord.
The Doctor turned back to Aries when she squeezed his hand. "I told you, Doctor. I'm not just a Scientific Advisor," she said softly, "When a State of Emergency is declared and there is an alien threat that puts the welfare of the United Kingdom at risk, I hold the position of Royal Commander to either negotiate or..." she let go of his hand as she turned to the TARDIS door, a frown marring her features, "Eliminate the threat."
The Doctor froze at her words, shocked and surprised, but the moment his Nesdra started heading towards the door, he was quick to stop her. "Don't," he told her, not wanting her anywhere near the aliens, "You know what they're like. The Sycorax are a warrior race, they can't be negotiated with."
"Even if they don't listen," Aries said as she grabbed his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, "I have to try. Everyone deserves a chance," she continued before once again letting his hand go and stepping through the door as it swung open.
The moment the door closed, the Doctor spun to face Mickey with a dark glare. "You knew!" he hissed at the young man, causing Mickey to take an alarmed step back away from him.
"Not the time, Doc," Vera cut in as she fiddled with the scanner to see what was happening outside.
The Doctor turned to her, his mouth open to say something, but the moment he heard Aries' voice, he shut it and quickly made his way to the scanner.
"Aries Prince, Royal Commander of the British Empire," the red head introduced herself to the Sycorax with a slightly stiff, but formal bow. She continued to speak as she straightened, looking at, who the small group could guess was the Sycorax leader. "And as of this moment, the only person you will be communicating with. So, by the Convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation, I hereby, politely request, to parley with you."
"What is she doing?" Rose asked, but was shushed by the Doctor as he continued to watch and listen.
The Sycorax leader opened his mouth to say something, but Aries cut him off.
"No!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the ship and causing the humans inside the TARDIS to jump in surprise at her sudden outburst. "You have already broken Galactic Law by killing not one, but two inhabitants of a Level Five planet," she gestured to something off screen, "And have also threatened to use banned technology in order to slaughter millions more," she stated furiously and the Doctor couldn't help the swell of pride he felt as he watched her, "It is also against Galactic Law to reap any part of an ecosystem of a Level Five planet, which we both know is you intention."
"How does she know that?" Rose cut in again, only for the Doctor to shoot her a look, though he was rather curious himself. Once again, the books that Aries had mentioned flashed across his mind, but he brushed the question aside as he continued to watch the scanner.
"I'm asking you to forget about this conquest of yours. I will not see this planet fall into ruin and slavery," Aries continued, "And if you think that we will just hand it over on a silver platter, let me tell you that you will be sorely mistaken. Let those people go and just leave."
There was a moment of silence before all the Sycorax burst out laughing, but Aries didn't move, react as the leader stepped closer to her. "You are very funny," the leader remarked as he started to circle her, "And now you're going to die."
"No!" Mickey breathed, his eyes shooting to the Doctor, only to find that the Time Lord was no longer there.
"Do you think it was clever to threaten us?" the Sycorax leader continued, still circling her, "We are the Sycorax, we stride in darkness," he hissed.
"I'd be rather careful on how you threaten her," the Doctor's cold voice cut in, just before he appeared on the screen.
"Oh, shit!" Vera breathed as she looked to the empty spot where the Doctor had been standing. The sound of the TARDIS door closing drew her attention and she quickly rushed towards them, Mickey and Rose following.