CHAPTER 6

MORNING AT LAST

Marjora told Olyeon all that had happened. The Chief Elder was not pleased. He reprimanded the youths for ignoring Marjora's sound advice and bringing the Doctor to the village, thereby endangering them all. The humans were their enemies. Their tormentors. One less human was one less to run from, and so on.

Olyeon ranted for several minutes in this vein before finally demanding an explanation from Marjora as to why she would even try to save the dying human in the first place.

In a calm, steady voice, Marjora replied, "If I'd done nothing, and the human died, would I not be guilty of murder?"

There was an audible silence from the Chief Elder that gave her her reply. "You and I remember the time before the humans, Olyeon," she went on to say. "What would our fathers think if they saw what our children are becoming?"

"What children, Mother?" Laurel injected bitterly. "When was the last time a child was born alive? Six months? A year? Face it, Mother, most of our children are lost before they ever have a chance to be born, thanks to the humans."

"That doesn't mean that I must become the same evil, violent creatures they are," Marjora countered fiercely.

"I don't know if we can avoid it any longer," Olyeon said darkly. "By bringing this human here, the whole village is now endangered. They will know where we are—"

Marjora was appalled and broke in quickly, "But surely if we return him to the forest before his mind returns to him, no one will know."

"It may already be too late for that," the Chief Elder said gravely. "Dillon and Iris are still in the hands of the white-coats. They should've been released long before the sun fell." Shaking his head, he added somberly, "I fear for what may have befallen them because we have taken this man."

At that very moment a sentry entered, breathlessly announcing that Dillon and Iris had been released. Marjora looked hopefully over at Olyeon, her face falling when she was told of Dillon's extensive wounds.

"Now it's for the council to decide," Olyeon said firmly. "The human will remain our prisoner until then. We will convene in the morning, and then…" He left the sentence unfinished.

Marjora drew herself to her full height. "I will be at that meeting Olyeon," she said pointedly before going to tend to Dillon and Iris.

It had been a long and uncomfortable night. The Doctor had floated in and out of consciousness for a major portion of it, every breath having been a battle. The fact that he had also been tied down the whole time made it impossible for him to move freely and despite the fact that his coat and scarf had been removed in an apparent attempt to make him more comfortable, by dawn he was cramped, sore, hungry and irritable.

Marjora was the first to enter the room after the Doctor awoke and received the shock of her life when he suddenly spoke to her. "Excuse me, would it be possible for you to untie me?"

The Terrellian stopped dead in her tracks and stared at him.

"Was it too difficult a question?" the Time Lord said sarcastically. Realizing he was probably snapping at the very person who had saved his life, he said in an apologetic tone, "I'm sorry. But I've some very cramped muscles, you see..."

Marjora hesitated a moment before concluding that this was not an unreasonable request. She untied the Doctor's feet so he could flex his long legs. She then looked up at his hands that were still securely bound above his head.

Laurel entered at that moment and caught his breath when he saw what his mother was doing. He dashed over to her and pulled her away from the bedside.

"Is something wrong?" the Doctor asked, completely baffled by this strange pair. When Willa came to the door, he was even more confused. All he did was say hello and the child gasped, put her hands to her mouth and fell back against the doorframe.

"I don't look that bad, surely?" the Doctor remarked in bewilderment. Looking over at Marjora, he smiled broadly, "I'm the Doctor, by the way. Who might you be?"

Marjora's hand went to the number burned into her arm. The only name the humans ever used for her. 15F.

"Yo…you…speak to us," she stammered out at last.

"Shouldn't I?"

"You know that you humans never speak to us," Laurel said bitterly. "We're no better than dumb animals."

"Indeed. Well, you're very well spoken for dumb animals, I'll say that for you," the Doctor remarked. "I'm afraid I'm not abreast of all the local prejudices, you see. We've only just—" Interrupting himself, he asked, "Was I alone when you found me?"

Marjora gave him a puzzled look before telling him yes.

"Oh, dear. Then he's probably still looking for me."

"Who?"

"My traveling companion. He went down to the settlement for help." The Doctor pulled impatiently at his bonds. "Would you, please, untie me? I've got to go look for him. He's probably worried sick by now."

"Perhaps you don't fully understand your situation," Laurel began coldly. "You're not our guest. You're our prisoner. It's for the council to decide if you leave or not."

The Doctor was stunned, not sure what he should think.

"Be assured," Marjora told him, "no harm will come to you while you're in my home." She then shot a reproachful look at Laurel.

The Doctor expressed his gratitude, but had a sneaking suspicion he would not remain in her home for very long.

Jason had not spent a good night, either, his dreams having turned to nightmares. He saw the Doctor dying in the forest alone or being carried away by a number of horrible creatures. Then he saw Dillon, his dark green eyes glaring hatefully at him, only to soften and weep from his excruciating torment. By morning, the Alterran was ready to leave.

Jason enjoyed a pleasant breakfast with Gordon Taylor and the other colony leaders. They told him of the settlement's agricultural basis and of its rather idealistic intentions. Their plan was to live as one with the land, not destroy what was already there in order to make it better. Many of the colonists had sold everything they owned in order to settle on Delta Vega. For some, the overcrowding on Earth had become too much to deal with; while others were drawn by the thought of starting their lives afresh.

The group had employed Gordon Taylor to get the settlement on its feet. He saw himself in the same light as the Wagon masters of Earth's ancient west. He wasn't a part of the wagon train; he just led it to its destination. In fact, he didn't much care what a person's reasons for being on the planet might be. His job was to layout buildings, oversee construction, assign housing, and make sure everyone was trained to use the equipment properly. After his contract was fulfilled, which it would be very shortly, he planned to move on to something else.

Jason was intrigued by the Leader's lack of pioneer spirit. This was what usually held a group together during the difficult time of adjustment while the colony was being established. A good leader could inspire his people, and even give them the will to live when disaster struck. Jason then considered the Second-in-command, Graham Remington. He was brimming with enthusiasm, overjoyed at how well "his" colony was doing after only one year. The two were as different as night and day, and Jason reflected sadly on how the Doctor would have been fascinated by this odd pair, going on to wonder if he would ever see his friend again.

With a half-hearted smile, the Alterran bid his hosts good-bye, thanking them for their hospitality and support. Then he left, returning, or so he claimed, to the TARDIS.

Dr. Jordan was glad to see him go. The young physician had turned out to be much more intelligent than she expected. He had also been far too curious for his own good, having asked a lot of pointed questions about her research. She suddenly realized that any real investigation into her activities would be disastrous. She then wondered if Jason were more than just a traveler in trouble. Was it possibly he was an undercover investigator from the galactic authority?

Having seen Dr. Jordan watching his departure, Jason stayed in human form, walking back to the place where he had last seen the Doctor. He made a thorough search of the area, finding, to his puzzlement, the moss Marjora had used to treat the incapacitated Time Lord. He found nothing else. No blood. No torn clothing. No drag marks in the ground. Nothing. Not even a stray paw print.

Completely baffled, the youth sighed heavily. Surely the animals didn't come back and hide their footprints, he thought. Looking around, he decided to search through the forest. Perhaps he could find some trace, some clue, anything, that might give him an indication as to what had happened to his friend.

The Alterran transmuted into an eagle (for the eyesight, of course) and began his search.

Not long after Marjora left for the council meeting, the Doctor was released from the bed, only to have his hand tied in front of him. He was led into the living area by Laurel and given a simple breakfast of fruits, nuts and juice. With his hands being bound in front of him, he able him to feed himself, which he did while taking in his obviously apprehensive captors.

Laurel stood by the main doorway glaring hatefully at him while Willa cowered in the far corner. Two others had already been present, apparently to give Laurel and his sister moral support.

The Doctor found their hostility puzzling, since it was reasonable to assume that they had been the ones to save his life. He tried, unsuccessfully, to discover the reason for this paradox from Laurel but only managed to learn that the Terrellians were being terrorized by the human inhabitants of the planet. Apparently, they were considered a lower form of life.

Taking in his surroundings, the Doctor noticed that the room lacked the usual decorations of skins, leather and furs common to this primitive lifestyle. This in conjunction with the simple foods he'd been given, led him to conclude his "hosts" were herbivores, either unable or unwilling to kill. For his own sake, he hoped it was the latter.

Marjora returned from the council meeting just as the Doctor was being returned to the con fines of the bedroom. She informed him that the Chief Elder would be coming to advise him of the council's decision, since she had not been permitted to stay. She was also gracious enough to answer some of his questions. She told him that when the humans first arrived, some of her people had gone to greet them, but because they didn't speak the same language, they were thought to be wild animals. Some were captured and taken to the man in charge of the survey team, who looked on them as merely a curiosity. It wasn't until Dr. Jordan and her staff arrived that things changed.

While Dr. Jordan's Research Center was the only building on the planet, she took an active interest in the Terrellian population and began her work on them. She did a great deal more testing then than she did at present, which was fortunate. In the beginning, some who were worked on never returned, and some who did return did not survive long, their injuries being far too extensive for Marjora to handle.

The Doctor was horrified, a reaction Marjora noted with keen interest. She went on to explain that over the years, her people had learned the human's language, but no longer tried to commu nicate, as they were always ignored.

"Hang on a minute," the Doctor broke in. "You mean to say, you've tried to communicate with them?"

"A long time ago. But the white-coats tell each other that we're mimicking them and do not understand the meaning."

"That's so typically human," the Time Lord remarked darkly. "They can't see the forest for the trees."

"Now I truly do not understand," the bewildered Marjora said quietly. "The forest is the trees."

"My dear Marjora, that's the point," the Doctor replied. Then he saw something wonderful. The puzzled expression on her face changed as she seemed to grasp what he was trying to say.

"They don't think of us as being like them," Marjora said slowly, "because we're so different. But…we really aren't so different, are we, Doctor?"

"No, you're not." The Doctor broke into a broad smile. "I think you're catching on."

When the Chief Elder arrived he was shown in to the bedroom, finding the Doctor and Marjora still engaged in conversation. He was astonished, not to mention somewhat annoyed, to see Marjora sitting across from the captive Time Lord, completely at ease in his presence.

The Doctor looked up as Olyeon entered and immediately noticed his discomfort. He decided, therefore, to forgo the usual etiquette and remained seated so as not to frighten him further.

Uncertain as to how to handle the situation, Olyeon chose to speak to Marjora, informing her that, after much debate, an ultimatum would be presented to the human colonists stating that, if the abductions did not stop immediately, they would have no alternative but to retaliate.

"How?" the Doctor asked pointedly, startling the Chief Elder who hadn't expected him to speak.

"I…I don't know as yet," Olyeon replied haltingly. "But…I fear if your fellow humans refuse, the youth of the village will call for your death."

"Ye-es. I was afraid you were going to say something like that," the Doctor replied mildly.