Title: The Harper of Ellin
Author: Quietly Making Noise
Disclaimer: 9th Doctor, Rose, the TARDIS, et al canon characters/things are trademarks of the BBC and will be put back when I've finished playing with them. The Ellion and their planet are mine, mine I tell you!

AN: Any accessible articles on string theory, black holes, and the like welcomed with open arms.

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Chapter 1

'Nothing hit us; the entire universe vibrated.'

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The Harper's long blue coat touched either side of the passage as he ran along its length. A junior leapt aside out of his path, squeaking indignantly. The runner carried on, all the while ascending higher and higher, to the Lords and Ladies on the uppermost level of the temple. He heard not the sweet beguiling music that filled the air.

He broke the first code by neglecting to knock, the second by neglecting to bow and the third by bursting out 'You cannot do this!'

The assembled Lords and Ladies had flicked their heads up the second before he entered, having heard his thundering footsteps on the stairs. Identical frowns of disapproval glared at him; he noticed the space where he should have been sat conspicuously empty.

'I beg your pardon?' asked the highest Lady.

The Harper continued passionately, 'What you are planning will upset the entire balance of the universe!'

The Lady stood up elegantly, snapping her fingers. Two guards materialised from the drapes that covered the open window arches. Wind ran through the space like water, dragging her yellow robe sideways. The Harper tossed his head, clearing his vision of wild golden hair.

'What Canola is planning is the greatest thing the Ellion have ever achieved, and you want to stop her? We cannot allow that to happen.'

'But you'll destroy everything!' The Harper's eyes were wild with fear. 'I'll stop her myself if I have to!'

'Harper - Arolan, isn't it? You know the punishment for treason.'

'I do.' Arolan's voice dropped to a hiss as the guards circled the room and appeared by his sides. 'And I know what is right.'

He lunged forwards, throwing off the first guard's grip and darting past the Lady. She cried out, a command in Ancient, and the vines curling up the pillars sprang to life. They coiled snakelike around Arolan's heels as he reached the door to the antechamber, bringing him crashing onto the flags.

The Lady strode delicately to his side. 'I will not have you disturbing my daughter.'

Arolan struggled, but it was no use. The vines, at another command, wrapped him securely whilst the guards removed his harp from his back. His animal scream of fury was cut off as more plants filled his open mouth, making him gag. He snorted through his nose and glared at the Lady.

'Your harp will be held. Your life is your own.' His heart sank in disbelief as she quoted the lines. 'You are banished from here. Go forth - alone.'

The vines whipped away, scratching him cruelly, and he was heaved upright by the guards. Before he could curse her, he was thrown from the circular roof space into the forest canopy, his cry of betrayal following him down.

∞ ∞ ∞

The TARDIS lurched.

The Doctor erupted out from under the central controls, cracking his head but seeming not to notice. 'That's not right…'

Rose Tyler picked herself up from where she had been flung against the wall. 'State the obvious,' she grumbled, rubbing her elbow.

The human girl crossed to where the Time Lord was flicking switches like his life depended on it. 'Something of that force… Can't be a projectile… Something intangible…' His Mancunian accent was enough to remind her that he was alien.

'So what was it? Laser beam, phaser, what?'

'Didn't you feel it?' He turned to her, the alarm in his eyes making her forget all future jokes. 'Nothing hit us; the entire universe vibrated.'

'What, like an elastic band?'

'Yes, I s'pose, like…' His face changed as an idea revealed itself to him. 'Exactly like an elastic band. Like a String.'

Rose heard the capital letter. 'A… string?'

'How's your physics?'

'I scraped a C in science GCSE…'

'Any quantum mechanics? No? Never mind.' He flicked more dials and switches, making something spark. Rose recoiled instinctively. 'Whoops,' he grinned.

'Basically,' he lectured as he worked, circling the console, 'There are great big long Strings of energy running through the galaxy. They hold everything together. That vibration was caused by someone plucking one of them Strings.'

'And that's bad?' ventured Rose.

'I don't know. But I don't want to know either.'

'Neither do I then.'

'If someone's going to try and mess around with the Strings, we should at least let them know what they're up to. Ah! Got it.'

Rose peered at the screen; it displayed a very complicated chart: a complex arrangement of small dots and long elongated ovals with some strange text in the corner. The Doctor pointed. 'This is the galactic section 56.01.72.07, and this is where the vibration came from. Ellin.'

He indicated a small dot very close to a larger red one. 'So that's where we're going?' asked Rose, regarding him.

He looked at her. 'It'll be dangerous.'

She smiled, almost shyly, 'Yeah, I know.' The Doctor was struck by the possibility that he would never understand his young friend, not matter how many adventures they went on. 'Come on,' she said, still smiling. 'You take that side, I'll man this.'

'Right then.' He grinned back. 'Hope you're feeling stretchy. This is a space job.'

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Rose slid off the control panel as the TARDIS shuddered to a halt - touchdown, landing, whatever it did - and nursed her hands. Her fingers ached - the Doctor had made her hold down six switches with one hand!

Said Doctor strode around, a smile hovering on his face. 'Come on. Let's see if the old girl got it right for once.'

She took his extended hand and they cracked the door open together. 'Yes! She managed it!' The Doctor thumped the side of his beloved TARDIS fondly, and stepped out.

The first thing that struck Rose was the heat - as hot as an English heatwave, which if you're English is quite hot enough, thank you very much. Moisture seeped out of the air, soaking her skin and hair. Looking up, a huge red sun hung bloated in the sky, kept aloft seemingly by force of will.

Rose rolled up her sleeves and joined the Doctor. The police box was sitting in a small clearing in thick forest: trees that appeared very similar to Earth's towered up into the sky.

'It doesn't look much different to Earth, if you get past the sun- YAH!'

She was cut off as an enormous butterfly the size of her torso floated crazily across her path. The insect continued its trajectory and landed on the TARDIS' roof, its antennae twitching. It was dully coloured and seemed a little worse for wear.

Rose backed away to the stifled chuckles of the Doctor. 'You were saying?'

'Shut up.'

He put a hand on her shoulder and pointed at the insect. 'Insects of that size would be crushed by gravity, especially with a dying sun. Therefore that's not an insect.'

Rose twisted her face. 'It's not?'

He shook his head, smiling conspiratorially. 'Strings aren't just cosmic: there's one inside every atom. The frequency they vibrate at determines the shape of the being. You follow?'

Rose nodded slowly.

'That butterfly, Rose Tyler, is an Ellion. A Harper, to give it its title, and they aren't half fussy about titles.'

As he spoke, the butterfly lifted off and drifted to the floor. With a quantum twang, it shimmered and flickered, changing shape into the form of a tall humanoid.

The Doctor gently closed Rose's open mouth.

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