Chapter 1

It rested silently on an alien world, a light brown column, over two meters tall, with ornate geometric markings bordered by alien script. It had been there for some time. Upon first glance, it looked like an unusual, yet ordinary pillar, perhaps placed there by the some long forgotten civilization. However, within laid a macro-universe of infinite proportions, and exotic technology far advanced beyond any civilization, except one, Gallifrey's.
It was a special quasi-sentient construct, once composed of Transdimensional Engineering; it was re-engineered and upgraded heavily with Quantum Mnemonics and the latest in Gallifreyan Technological Advancement. It, or rather 'she' was the crowning achievement of her pilot, who had taken him over a century to implement the actions, and proud to call her his inseparable companion beyond all meaning. The TARSIS's feelings were mutual.

The day began as normal as any other did, if that was truly the word to describe it. However, when one is a Time Lord, the term, day, takes on a different meaning. For the wanderers of the fourth dimension, it is merely a state of subjection wrought by exposure places, peoples, and times. Within this one, stood a young male, Gallifreyan in origin, setting spacio/temporal coordinates for an endeared system of his. The Galactic coordinates to the system were already programmed into the computer banks. However, it was the temporal part of it that proved tricky. Travel very far backward, and you risk the trouble of possibly being offered up to some local deity, or perhaps worse could befoul you. Travel too far into the future, and you end up meeting suspicious mined settlers, or even. a spider or two.
He was youthful in appearance, if such could be said for a member of his race, yet his eyes spoke of worlds yet unseen, of times visited by imagination and of peoples all colors of the rainbow. His clothing had a slightly Gallifreyan gothic undertone, of colors ranging towards the darkest side of the spectrum. In black slacks, he wore a long sleeved, dark- blue shirt, overlaid with thin, dark gray and black stripes of blue. All of this was held to his lean, frame by a black belt. If one were to raise his shirt up on the right side, they would see a faint, but clear impression of the Seal of Rassilon. It was a chromo-morphic tattoo designed change colors for each regeneration he underwent.
The humanoids male in question lightly rubbed his finger through his short brown hair and sighed. Dark-hazel green eyes remained locked on the console screen while he drummed his finger in thought. Danger was not a problem. There was always a risk of that when travelling anywhere. It was the occasion at hand that made it so tricky.
He sighed, and took a break from his current thoughts, as other flooded his mind to replace the former. A smile creased across his face forming a look of satisfaction, that his time ship was now running at maximum efficiency, since the recent upgrades to the Navigational Mainframe were made. The young Gallifreyan male looked up a moment at the scene around him, and continued with his task.

Unlike the usual white, roundelled walls, and stagnant atmosphere that most TARDISes had, Auden instituted massive changes through the Architectural Configuration System. He found the simple laboratory look too dreary for his taste.
The Console room was restructured into a large, spacious hexagonal room, with mahogany floors, stone-like walls, and a deep burgundy ceiling whose appearance made it seem to stretch forever. This particular feature was used to bring up Galactic charts, maps, and phenomena ranging from a quark to as large as three fourths of the Universe, in relation to the current space/time proximity of the TARDIS.
The Console itself was centered within the room, and positioned within a sunk-in area, encircled by two steps leading down to a sub-floor, with abundant space to maneuver in case of an emergency. The console panels themselves were touch sensitive, with perhaps one or two switched and buttons, and a small lever for the Dematerialization switch that Auden considered replacing very soon.
Instead of the usual bright and periodically blinding lights typical of many TARDISes, the Time Lord created ten special, high-tech lamps, placed in even correlation around the room. They lit up the room with a soft glow, providing more than enough light without excess to drown the room.
The main door, leading to the Real-World Interface had two gray- granite pillars on each side, with an arch three meters above supporting an ornate carving of the Omniscate, otherwise known as the Seal of Rassilon.
The monitor, slightly smaller than theater screen, was a recent addition to the TARDIS from Centauri VII, located to the left of the console from the Main Door. Augmenting the monitor, it was easily placed into the console room. Massive upgrades were preformed to the resolution and imaging systems, reengineered to identify every color and wavelength that encompassed the entirety of the multiverse.
As Auden continued to finalize the coordinates, two figures walked into the room, and noticing the busy Gallifreyan, began to approach with an inquisitive expression. The nearer of the two approached, eying the smaller monitor on the console. Her bright-blue eyes read the details, as she curled a strand of her strawberry-blonde hair with a finger.
"Auden, where are we going to this time?"
"Hmm?" He mumbled, to intent on finishing his task to hear her question in its entirety.
"Most likely somewhere special Julie," The other figure interjected, placing great emphasis on the word with an ironic smile. "You know, like Event One, The Hynapturan Empire, the Voreneidian Confederation."
Though she graduated from Prydon, Lyssa was not directly from Gallifrey. She was born on one of the few hidden colony worlds Gallifrey had, Ceris III. Situated in the Dromies Cluster of Mutters Spiral, it was the tenth world in a trinary family of two yellow and a red dwarf variable. It orbited comfortably away from the trio, with yearlong tropical weather patterns, making the world a welcoming paradise. After several letters to the Prydon Chapter's Cardinal, she was allowed to take courses at the Academy like all other students. Though she did pass her Temporal Engineering courses with a double beta, she had no desire to become a Time Lord.
"It's a surprise Julie and Lyssa," He began, lifting his head away from the scanner screen. "We're off to the most beautiful world. one of the great jewels of the Galaxy, with blue moons. everything blue." He trailed off in mid-sentence as a melancholy expression lit up his face like a Quasar.
"Located in the Acteon sector of Stellion Mutter's Spiral?"
"Yes." He frowned at the fair-complected Time Lady. At times, he speculated, that Juliegliocarmenistera's real degree was in Advanced Psionics, not Temporal Mechanics.
The two humanoid females glanced at one another and in unison replied. "Metebenus III."
This was followed up with a serious lecture from the Time Lady their last trip, involving the Daleks on Skaro. She continued with Metebenus III, and its involvement with a certain blue crystal and a certain renegade Time Lord known as the Doctor.
As her civilized rant proceeded, the young Gallifreyan male sighed and removed an ornate watch from his pocket and gave a quick glance at the time. Composed of siligtone-enforced platinum, its' cover was ornately etched in the familiar circular, swirling pattern, the Omniscate. Within it lay the latest in Gallifreyan chronometric technology. Set to Gallifreyan default time, the face had the ability to shift, giving the correct time, no matter what planet they landed on, within a quintillionth of a picosecond of accuracy. He glanced back at the dignified Time Lady who had stopped; (obviously) noticing him looking at his watch, smiled with relief, and began to speak.
"Our destination will be into the planet's future." He announced with a grin as his fingers glided over the panel, and displayed the spacio/temporal coordinates on the smaller monitor. "The year is twenty- nine-sixty-three. A team of Galactic Archeologists has uncovered the remains of ancient city near the foot of Mount Rekayel."
The Time Lord brought up a map of the system upon the massive main monitor. Data poured from the sensory network and into the Console's Poly- Dimensional Imaging System. The monitor itself slowly flashed to life and revealed a series of seven worlds orbiting a B7V blue dwarf just 40,000 light years from their current position on Merelus. Massive amounts of data spilled onto the screen in an orderly fashion in Gallifreyan script. The data included everything from information on the star itself, to every physical body orbiting said star.
Lowering the small lever, the sound of Gallifreyan warping, quite distinctive, could be heard throughout the entire time ship, and upon the planet Merelus.
While Auden went back to his tinkering, Julie paused a moment, glancing at the screen with a nagging curiosity. She slowly approached, as though instinctually feeling the world calling to her like a beacon in the void of night. Her telepathic senses flared to life as she closed her eyes, and hoped it was but her vivid imagination. Lyssa, sensing her friend's reaction did the same thing, and linked with her mind The first image that slowly came into their minds was the planet of their destination. It was unmistakable. Though the image was slightly clouded, the sapphire world gleamed before them like the jewels for which it became famous. As it grew increasingly vivid, a bluish-white glow sparked into existence above the Northern Hemisphere. Before the scan was terminated, a wave of energy flashed into their minds, using them as a conduit as it flowed into the room. They could do little to resist.
The Time Lord lifted up his head as the psychic energy wave hit him. In response, his telepathic shields flexed their figurative muscles, and provided a near impenetrable deterrent against the brunt of the impact. Unfortunately, not all of the energy could be stopped, and what was felt sent a cold shiver into the utter recesses of his soul.

Within Stellion Mutters Spiral, affectionately known as the Milky Way to future explorers, particularly the Tellurians of Sol 3, lies the ancient planet of Gallifrey. Over three and a half billion years in Earth's past, it positioned near the center of the Galaxy, and home to the oldest humanoid and most technologically advanced race in the cosmos. Separated into its own continuity and Micro-Universe outside of time by the Transduction Barriers, and protected by the Quantum Forcefield, it sits in welcome solitude from the rest of the Universe.
On the surface, within the citadel, Chancellor Theora and Castellan Spandrel were in a meeting with the Lady President of Gallifrey, Romanadvoratrelundar, as she preferred it, Romana. Their discussion centered on reports involving a psychic energy disturbance located within their Galaxy.
"What are the spacio/temporal coordinates?" The Lady President asked.
"The Constellation of Acteon," The Chancellor began. A Gallifreyan constellation referred to elements of time/relativity/ and location. "In the first half of the Humanian Era, in the year twenty-nine- sixty-three. With your permission." She motioned to a pocket within her robes.
"Proceed."
The Chancellor removed a small, transparent blue cube and placed in into a device in the table's center. Coming to life, a bluish-looking, 3- dimensional imaged world materialized in front of them. As the image continued to its display, the psychic disturbance appeared above the holographic planet.
"It's stationary at about eighty thousand miles above the planet's surface, situated directly above the planet's North Magnetic pole." Her expression grimed. "It has showed signs of strengthening."
"How many ships are on route to Metebenus III?"
"Two have been detected." The Castellan began. "One is a Terran star cruiser, and the other is currently located within the Vortex." He said, referring to the Transdimensional Spiral that encompassed all points in space and time his people engineered over two million years ago from Gallifrey's present. "The Time signature indicates it to be a type ninety- three TTC belonging to Professor Auden Lorizhon of the House of Blyledge."
The Chancellor shifted somewhat uncomfortably in her seat. Blyledge was one of the prestigious Senior Houses of Gallifrey of the Prydon Chapter, and from it, many fine Time Lords filled the History Books of Gallifrey. The House itself was said to be older than the hill it sat on. "Auden?" Her eyes narrowed in thought, trying to recall the name. She had seen a list of Time Lords placed under 'Renegade Status' with his name. "Oh yes, Professor Lorizhon, a recent addition to the list of Renegade Time Lords, and form what I recall, one our more 'benevolent' Renegades." "Uh. yes ma'am." Castellan Spandrel frowned slightly. He wasn't too keen about of them, least of all the Master and the Rani. At least those like the Doctor and Auden actually did some good, even if they did break Gallifrey's policy of non-intervention. "Chancellor Theora," she began without a twinge of hesitation. "Contact Professor Lorizhon and relay to him the information. Castellan Spandrel, I want up to date reports about this situation as the events unfold." "Yes Lord President."
As if on cue, Andred, Captain of the Chancellery guard entered the room with a report to the Castellan. As he glanced over it, a severe frown enveloped his face and handed it to Romana. Her eyes glanced at the numbers 463.6 and Bantalla Psycho Scale, and subsequently widened.
"Thank you everyone. You are all dismissed."
As they all left, the Time Lady leaned back on the chair, and mused over a much-needed vacation. perhaps somewhere on the Eye of Orion.

It was the height of the Great Terran Empire. Its enormous borders encompassed many systems, and bordering, if not rivaling the mighty Draconian Empire. One of its most recent additions was an area on the outskirts of the empire known as the Acteon Star Sector. Once a site for a Tellurian colony, the colony mysteriously vanished under mysterious circumstances. Recently the Government strictly enforced the rule that this system would not be re-colonized, nor exploited for industrial purposes, for reasons deemed classified.
A Terran cruiser exited Hyperspace and switched to impulse engines as it entered the Acteon Group, and proceeded under full impulse to the Metebenusian Star System. The crew compliment consisted of twelve officers, two Doctors, and three exo-planetologists, sent to study the blue-planets' unique geo-chemistry.
"Ensign Caskey, ETA to Metebenus III?"
"Twelve minutes, eighteen seconds." Came the young Ensign's reply.
"According to the reports from astrophysics," Began the Commander. "All seven planets will be in perfect alignment." His face crinkled into a small, thoughtful frown. "They've calculated that this alignment only takes place every ten million years."
"Thank you Commander." Captain Fall remarked. "This will give us ample opportunity to see the rest of the system without traveling to the planets themselves."
Upon that unsaid command, the ship was adjusted accordingly, and the sensors were activated to maximum power.
Slowly entering the outer system, they had their first glimpse of the system's multi-colored super giant rotating swiftly in space as it made its' course around the parent star. On the view screen, one could see the massive storms in eerie shades of purple and orange screaming their way across the planet's liquid hydrogen surface. They continued onward to the sixth world, a meager dwarf compared to its' brother, but still a gas giant within its' own right. They took in an eyeful as the enormous blue rings; dwarfing those that encompassed the mighty Saturn, reflected their light it received in an array of azure hues. The planet itself was violet blue in color, and seemed rather tranquil, until they read the sensor readouts, and found that it to be tremendously active, with vast planetary storms churning upon its' liquid rhitanium surface. The shields and deflectors were raised to maximum as the energy the planet generated spiraled throughout the magnetic field. The last world, a mere kitten compared to its' lion and tiger siblings was an average gas giant. with golden clouds and eighteen satellites, ranging in color from silver to metallic blue.
Entering the Inner system, they had their first glimpse of Metebenus IV. From their position, the planet looked like a blue-green globe, similar to pre-industrial Earth. Large oceans encircled continents of greens and browns and other rich shades and colors. Large polar icecaps covered the whole of the north and south poles and near the equator; the sensors indicated a hurricane about to strike the southern continent. Then, they arrived at their destination, and their faces were filled with looks of awe.
The planet was a beautiful as the poets of the day had described it. A Sapphire world of unparalleled brilliance, it reflected the entirety of its' azure beauty into the depths of space and into the minds of the stunned crew. To add to its beauty its' four satellites, their surface metallic-blue, reflected and amplified its' exceptional beauty of the Homeworld they encircled It hung in the utter depths of space, near the out regions of the Galaxy, hidden away by its sibling worlds.
"Ensign Bowen." Captain Fall began, regaining his thoughts. "Slow us to one-quarter impulse power, and put us into geo-stationary orbit around the planet."
"Yes sir, standing by."
"Lieutenant Frisbee, make a thorough sensor sweep for any ships, anomalies, or non-interstellar objects. Anything even remotely out of the ordinary report it to me posthaste. Then afterward, make a sensor sweep of the site. Commander Post, you have the bridge. I'll be in my office."

Night slowly washed upon the empty shores of the alien world, drenching the landscape in midnight blue and brilliant flecks sparkled within its' dark waters. Down below diurnal creatures had retired for the night, and nocturnal had awakened to a brilliant ocean filled with numerous points of multicolored light. High on a mountain, keen eyes, the color of ice looked upon a brilliant ocean filled with ornaments of light, and scanned the sky, searching for the promise that would spell the her return.
'He will pay or his transgressions' A dark mind thought hidden by a peaceful demeanor. 'With all that is within me, I will make sure that he will suffer!'
A frown began to form on his ageless features. He could see nothing in the infrared, visible, or ultraviolet spectrums, except for the ship that has just entered orbit. With a fierce aura of determination, the color in his eyes seemed to fade as he stretched forth his mind toward the heavens. The result brought a demonic expression of delight as his laugher echoed across the valley in chilling waves and into the darkness of night.