The Doctor was working the controls with First Forward Hoxasi's help. He was understanding the state of the ship and ceasing the energy the Maraxi had taken from Kessas Aen and returned it. He also gave them a boost of energy to make up for lost time of tectonic shift. Throughout the ship they could hear and feel the cracking and rolling of plates. Small tremors ran resulted and the humans tried to remain cool while the Doctor laughed.

'Enjoying a less bumpy ride for once?' teased Rory.

The Doctor lifted his hand to make a point, but another tremor reverberated through the ship, and he fell. Rory and Amy laughed.

They were joined by a suited Maraxi called Various Hadji. His speaker was set so sonorous and quiet that they had to strain to hear him. He had offered them water and consumable produce, and as the hub heated up advised them to stand near the coolant

'So how did you end up on a trial run for a time-ship?' asked Amy.

'Too many sci-fi movies?' asked Rory, sympathetically.

'For the human saying I have the long tooth. I did my duty for the Confederacy. This is an easy job, care taking. Hoxasi doesn't mind I am slow, just as long as I do clean up.'

'I'm sorry you ended up here,' said Rory.

'How long have you been here? Since you arrived?' asked Amy.

'A month.'

'Did you go exploring?' she asked.

'Too many trees,' said Various Hadji.

'Too many trees?' asked Rory after Amy didn't, he expected she knew what that meant. She did.

'Yes. They are dangerous to us. Even in these compression suits—the ghost stories of them being torn on hungry prickles.'

Amy nodded and Rory grimaced.

Back by the controls First Forward Hoxasi and the Doctor were being joined by Engineer Nono. They were discussing the possible ways to get the ship air borne. The Doctor was violently opposed to using a volcanic eruption as a booster.

The Doctor felt, in that way you feel yourself being watched, how that action would disrupt the timelines. The issue was not getting the crew home, the Doctor was happy to use the TARDIS and take them where they had to go but leaving this ship behind was not an option.

Second Forward Dosa returned and requested a progress update, it was given. In return she explained how difficult Ortax was finding it. He was young after all, with a family back home.

Second Forward Dosa left with Engineer Nono to check the engines.

'Your time machine, Doctor,' began First Forward Hoxasi, 'are we trapped in time or free?'

The Doctor stopped his working on the control, his face was glowing red from the lava. His movements were jittering, anxious and uncertain to speech, but knowing it had to be said. 'I don't know. Now that I'm here I'm part of events. I can't change what I've begun.'

'I know. I am not asking you to return us before we left.'

The Doctor gave a curt, appreciative nod. First Forward Hoxasi couldn't see how much this meant to him for someone to understand. Even if they didn't like it.

'But I can see how it has to happen, it's not clear, it's like walking in a fog. You know where you have to go, but you have to tread carefully in case of straying.'

'Thank you, Doctor.'

The Doctor slowly began to work at the console, aware of the quiet now between himself and First Forward Hoxasi. He enjoyed the ambience of the lava flow. He took occasional glances at Amy and Rory. They were talking to Various Hadji.

'They keep you on the path?' asked Hoxasi, after noticing the Doctor glancing a few times.

'Yes. In ways. Yes.'

As mutinies go it took its time. The Maraxi had evolved into creatures with great lifespans. Once they were microbes (as most life starts anyway), then grew and gained lifespans with size. So, their decisions take time, their politics are comparatively slow. The Doctor has/will/does tell a story of saving a John Ronald Reuel Tolkien from a distressed Morax trapped in the remains of a tree in the trenches and this is somewhat inspired the Ents.

The Doctor says this. He also said he was half-human on his mother's side just to pickpocket a key card. Iris Wildthyme has said one of her bearded incarnations inspired the dwarves. So, who knows?

The mutiny. Second Forward Dosa had spoken to Engineer Nono and Tem, finding they were a little more hopeful for surviving on the planet, but more despairing at being lost in time forever. They knew their temporal engineering and Nono's experience with the Doctor was that he was brilliant, but a liar.

Ortax talked his problems over with the other two officers of similar rank: Various Toxas and Isas. Toxas was not so despairing, too focused on survival and wound in their scheduled duties. Isas thought it was all talk, but when Ortax explained it wasn't all talk—Engineers Nono and Tem were onside—Isas understood and agreed.

There was no chance to ask Hadji, but he was old and wanted to survive.

The mutiny began as the Doctor sat down to tea and biscuits (scanned by the Maraxi machinery which claimed this was his sufficient for daily nutrient in-take. On hearing this Rory looked to Amy who didn't blink. Again, he was reminded why he loved her: The coolness to adapt, even in the fairy tale of The Raggedy Doctor). He was surrounded by Amy and Rory, First Forward Hoxasi, and Various Hadji. The Maraxi were in their latex suits and had fashioned human-sized seats for their guests. The Doctor was on his second biscuit when the crew entered, carrying serious weapons. The liquid nitrogen crackled inside the polymer casing.

Second Forward Dosa raised her blaster. Various Hadji fired their own blaster. Condensed liquid nitrogen pellets bursts on impact of the latex skin. It was frozen solid and ripped open. Dosa's body spilled out, pouring over the metal walkway and touching against the lava. She recoiled and tried to return to the latex suit, but the nitrogen was still crackling away, and it hurt, so she spilled herself entirely out.

Hadji fired twice more, at the feet of the other mutineers.

Only two of the mutineers fired, despite being all armed. Their pellets burned into the console and tore through First Forward Hoxasi's compression suit. She didn't spill out but had to limp away from the cooling liquid. The cold burned her skin, the thick fluidity solidified paralysing her leg.

'Stand down, children. We're close to getting home. Don't ruin it now,' Hadji warned. If they had a face, they'd be glaring like an old gunslinger.

'You clod!' Ortax aimed his blaster at Various Hadji.

'Civilian, what are you doing?' asked Hoxasi.

'Looks like a mutiny,' said the Doctor, affecting a bored demeanour.

'Or really intense panto,' said Amy, smirking. She leaned back and crossed her arms.

First Forward Hoxasi held her arms out, standing in front of the humans. 'Everyone put down your guns. They don't have a stun setting. It's permanent.' No one put down their guns.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and used it. It glowed green and whirred. The nitro-glycerine blasters rattled in their owners' hands. 'Put down your weapons, or they'll explode in your hands.' No one put down their guns. The Doctor looked to Various Hadji. 'Please.'

Various Hadji lowered their gun.

Eventually the mutineers dropped their weapons.

'If this is a mutiny, what are your demands?' asked First Forward Hoxasi.

'We want the Doctor to take us home. Home proper. Not right now. The past. Back to just after we left,' said Ortax.

The Doctor drained his mug and stood up. 'I'll see what I can do.'

Tem aimed at the Doctor. 'No sonic probe.'

The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and set it on a table. He clapped his hands. 'Anything else?' he asked, calmly.

It was clear in the body movement one of the mutineers were about to speak, when Second Forward Dosa, enveloping her body suit to use the translator, said, 'The humans. You leave the humans here, while Tem and me go to your ship.'

The Doctor turned to look at his new friends, scanned their body language, both were afraid, but Amy less so. Rory was ready like the trained professional he was, but Amy was happy to watch, safe knowing that her Raggedy Doctor could fix it. He smiled a knowing smile at them then turned to the mutineers, 'But I need my humans to fly my ship.'

'Then both Tem and Isas will go. They're temporal engineers. Show of good faith, Doctor. You don't hurt our people, we won't hurt yours,' said Dosa.

The Doctor wobbled. 'Fine. Amy, Rory, stay.'

The Doctor stepped forward to the mutineers. 'Allons-y.'