30 Worlds: Royal Megaforce Gaiden: "Na'La'For (The Captain's Table)"

S-L-CHAPTER FOUR

I stood and watched as a sleek fighter-size craft landed on an empty landing pad. Even after four years, I recognized it as Gavan's Glory, the starfighter that Prince William had flown during the battle to deploy the Drakh plague cure.

The embarkation hatch slid open, revealing Prince William, Princess Sofia and a brown-haired young human girl I recognized from my visit to the Enterprise, yet I did not know her name. William walked up to me.

"Prince William, Princess Sofia, welcome to Minbar," I said. "It's nice to know you kept your promise." William, then Sofia, shook my outstretched hand.

"I always try to do so," William said. "This is Riley Matthews, another member of my crew." Riley simply nodded her greetings to me. "Nice to meet you, Riley," I said.

I heard soft footfalls behind me. I turned and saw Delenn and David—or, I should say, Lennier. "William, Sofia, it is good to see you both again," Delenn said. "Same here, Delenn," William said. "And this must be Lennier."

Lennier nodded, then held out his hand in a typical Minbari greeting. "Prince William, Princess Sofia, I am prepared to serve you to the best of my ability," he said.

"I welcome you, Lennier, and accept your vow of service," William said, returning the greeting. "I am quite sure that your parents will be proud of you for helping us." Lennier turned to us, an expectant look on his face.

"We will be, my son. Just listen to Prince William and Princess Sofia as you would us," Delenn said. "Yes, Mother," Lennier said.

Lennier then turned back to face William, Sofia and Riley. "Prince William, all of my possessions are in the satchel on my shoulder. I am ready to depart as soon as you are," Lennier said, indicating the knapsack slung over his right shoulder.

"Very well, Mr. Lennier," Sofia said. "We shall leave at once." Lennier looked at us one last time before joining William, Sofia and Riley aboard Gavan's Glory.

Back in the Captain's Table, Cap smiled. "How has Lennier been?" he asked Sheridan. "Well," Sheridan said. "I have been receiving reports from Lennier about his life on the Ambassador, Prince William's new ship."

"What happened to the Enterprise?" Cap asked. "Find out for yourself," Sheridan said, holding up a Minbari data crystal.

Cap slid the crystal into a data reader. A small hologram of Lennier appeared on the counter-top between Sheridan and Cap.

"Hello, Father," Lennier said. "This is my first...and as it will turn out, my only report of my life aboard the DDV Enterprise."

Shortly after my leaving with Prince William, Princess Sofia and Riley Matthews on Gavan's Glory, they showed me around the ship. However, the tour was soon interrupted by a voice which I would come to recognize as that of E.R.I.N., the Enterprise's artificial intelligence system.

"Intruder Alert! An unknown craft has appeared in Landing Bay 2," E.R.I.N. said. "All Gold Squadron pilots in the vicinity of Landing Bay 2, report there immediately. Weapons to high-level stun," William said. "Sofia, Lennier, with me."

We quickly got back in the central access turbolift and sped to Deck 5, where the Enterprise's landing bay was.

We were greeted by a purple monkey wearing a military uniform of some sort. The monkey, named Lieutenant Barb, saluted William. "According to E.R.I.N.'s cultural database, the object appears upon visual inspection to be a police telephone box from the United Kingdom, circa the 1950s," she said. "However, upon further scans, we have determined a very disturbing fact."

"What is it, Lieutenant?" William said. "The craft, in terms of technological sophistication, is like the Enterprise," Barb said.

The doors of the mysterious craft creaked open, revealing a gray-haired man and an auburn-haired woman who closely resembled Princess Sofia. A group of small white aliens standing in front of the craft had their weapons drawn and pointed at the two intruders.

"Stand where you are," William said with arms folded across his chest. "I am Prince William of Cinnabar, and this is Princess Sofia of Enchancia." The female reacted with shock to William's introduction.

"Identify yourselves," Sofia said. The man gestured first to the woman, then to himself. "My companion's name is Clara Oswald. My name is The Doctor," the man said.

"How did you arrive here?" William said. "Our TARDIS-" presumably referring to the mysterious craft- "must have intercepted the locator beacon of this craft and automatically formed here," The Doctor said. "It was not our intention to be here."

William turned to me. "What do you think, Lennier?" Prince William said. I closed my eyes and nodded, deep in thought. I then opened my eyes and said, "He speaks true, William." William looked up at Clara and the Doctor.

"Doctor, Ms. Oswald, you both have my most sincere apologies," William said with a bow. "Under the circumstances surrounding our mission, we cannot take any chances when someone or something appears from out of thin air like that."

"Apology accepted," The Doctor said. "Believe me, Prince William, when I say that if our positions were reversed, I'd have been doing what you have." "But, if you have a TARDIS, doesn't that make you a..." Clara started to say.

"Let me answer," a voice called out. We had to shield our eyes from an enormous flash of light that covered the entire landing bay. It resolved into a white-bearded man clad in a red robe and a tall blue cap covered in stars and crescent moons. "Master, what a surprise," William said. "What brings you here?"

"A revelation," the bearded man, Yen Sid—William's master, said. He then turned and saw The Doctor. "Uggh. Never liked that face. Wanted to get rid of that one as soon as possible," he said.

The Doctor cocked an eyebrow as the bearded man's words resonated in him. "You're me," he said. "At least, a future version of me."

"Yes, I am," Yen Sid said. "And you, William, are a Time Lord as well...or at least, descended from one."

"Excuse me?" both William and The Doctor said at once. "Remember the time when your tenth incarnation's severed hand combined with excess regeneration energy and the DNA of Donna Noble?" Yen Sid said to The Doctor.

"Oh, my goodness," The Doctor said. "Him." "Him indeed," Yen Sid said. "We left him and the Time Lord Donna—after her memories were erased, of course—in the World of Sofia the First and they founded the civilization of Cinnabar."

"So both Scarlett and I are descendants of this hybrid?" William said. "Yes," a voice from behind everyone said. William, Sofia, Yen Sid, The Doctor and Clara turned around and saw a cloud of red mist resolve into William's aunt, Princess Scarlett.

"That also explains the Cinnabar royal family's 'semi-immortality,'" Scarlett said. "It is a version of the Gallifreyian ability to regenerate." "In fact," The Doctor said, "the word 'Cinnabar' is Old High Gallifreyian for 'place of refuge while in exile.'"

"I see," William said. "The timing of your arrival on the Enterprise is impeccable, Doctor," Yen Sid said. "Why?" The Doctor said.

"An old enemy of ours is in the employ of the Army of Inter-Universal Chaos and is currently active in the next world the Enterprise must visit," Yen Sid answered.

William turned to the nearest audio pickup. "E.R.I.N., summon all senior staff to the Briefing Room," he said. "Acknowledged, William," E.R.I.N. said. William gestured for Yen Sid, The Doctor and Clara to follow him into a waiting turbolift.

::TBC::