Following Jack's wrist computer, they ran upstairs into the temple building. They found the TARDIS in the sanctum, a group of priestesses around it. A small machine hummed near the TARDIS, which seemed to be covered with a field of some kind that crackled and drew something out of the TARDIS.
The priestesses prostrated themselves when Rose entered. Taking the opportunity, Rose told them all to get up.
"Tell everyone to get out and as far from the temple as possible!" she ordered, "Get everyone out!"
They stared at her in shock. Annoyed, she clapped her hands once.
"Oi! Pay attention!" She snapped, "Get going!"
They dispersed untidily, almost tripping over in their haste.
The Doctor was already looking at the small machine, frowning.
"What is it?" Rose came up to him, and clasped his hand. A few minutes ago, she thought she would never get to do that again.
"A null field generator," he replied, "They set it up to drain the TARDIS so that they can get in."
"So turn it off."
"Can't," the Doctor shook his head, "The feedback'll fry the TARDIS' circuits. We'd be stuck here."
Jack and the Doctor knelt by the machine, carefully removing its casing. They looked at the innards for a moment, conferring softly. As the Doctor started doing something with his sonic screwdriver, Aranea scouted outside the room. A few of the guards were coming up; she quickly ducked back into the sanctum and closed the large doors. She passed her hand over the two doors in a zig-zag pattern, leaving behind a trail of crystal that helped seal the doors shut. The doors shook as the guards tried to break it down.
"We don't have much time," Aranea reminded the two men, kneeling down to look at what they were doing.
The Doctor was trying to slowly reverse the null field, at least enough that negating it would not make the energy it was draining flow back fast enough to damage the TARDIS.
"Done!" He said triumphantly, and stood up.
The null field wavered for a moment, and the energy flow seemed to weaken. With a flourish, Jack used the empty blaster to hit the generator. The field disappeared, and they rushed into the TARDIS.
"Hang on!" the Doctor said, pulling a few levers. They fell to the floor as the TARDIS lurched and tossed. Finally it stopped and they picked themselves up.
"Where are we?"
"Back on the hill. I want to see this," the Doctor said, opening the TARDIS door.
It was not much of an explosion, truth be told. There was a muffled boom, then the hill began to collapse on itself, the temple cracking apart and toppling. They could see that the natives were clear of the hill, and were also watching the destruction of the temple.
"That's the end of the slave trade," the Doctor remarked with satisfaction.
They began walking back to the TARDIS, but Aranea lagged behind. As they reached the door, she stopped. Jack turned around, concerned.
"You all right, Nya?" he asked.
"I…" she hesitated, "I want to stay here."
00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0oo0o0o000ooo0
There were arguments and exasperation on both sides. Jack seemed most worked up, almost pleading for Aranea to come with them. She could not; having absorbed the memories of the puppet, she could see that the planet was very much off-course.
"If Sigius Severn is to be born, the planet has to accelerate," she said, "They'll have to re-learn so many things; industrialisation, data storage, space flight. I'll have to stay here and make sure no more aliens come along and interrupt them."
Finally, they made an appointment. The TARDIS, drained of power, would have to be re-charged. They would come back in five hundred years' time, and pick Aranea up again.
Jack hung back as goodbyes were said; when Rose and the Doctor went into the TARDIS, he came forward and pulled Aranea into an embrace.
"I don't know why, but I can't bear to leave you," he whispered.
"You'll get over it," she half-joked, smiling into his shoulder.
Jack laughed a little, stroking Aranea's long black hair.
"Why don't I-" he started, but Aranea stepped away from him abruptly.
"Don't say it," she said, "Don't offer to stay. You belong with the TARDIS. With them."
"But-"
"No, Jack," she said, even more gently, "Why grow old and die here, on this one planet? Don't say it, please. I won't be able to say no if you do."
His smile was both rueful and a little self-satisfied.
"Glad to know the charm's still there," he said, "And here I was thinking you were unassailable."
He pulled her close again.
"You take care of yourself, you hear?" he whispered, "I definitely want to see you again."
She nodded.
Aranea watched the TARDIS wail into nothingness, then turned and descended the hill. There was a lot of work to do here. Her puppet, unable to see the options, assassinated rulers who kept back progress or oppressed the people too much. There had to be a better way to do this.
Five hundred years would pass in a flash, she was sure. Aranea smiled. She'd see them again.
0o0o0o0o0ooo0000ooo0o0o0o0o0o0
"Where are we going to re-fuel?" Jack asked.
"Cardiff," the Doctor replied, "There's a sealed rift there. We can use the energy that the scar emits."
"You'd better make it as close to 2006 as possible," Rose said, "We're almost out of food, we're definitely out of milk, and I want Mickey to get some stuff for me from home."
"Old Ricky boy?" the Doctor said in distaste, "What'd you need him for?"
"After all that, I think I'll feel safer with a passport," Rose replied, "At least next time I get mistaken for a goddess, I can always whip it out and prove that I'm merely mortal."
"You don't need a passport, you've got me!" the Doctor said indignantly, then quickly added, "And the TARDIS."
Jack chuckled at the Doctor's slip. They had to be talking about Mickey Smith, which the psychic paper revealed to him as Rose's boyfriend when they first met. Still, he couldn't be much a boyfriend, for Rose to think of herself as "very available".
His thoughts turned back to Aranea again. Maybe a gift…?
"Hey, Doctor?" he called out.
"Wha'?" the Doctor said, distracted by the screen display.
"Can we make a detour after re-fuelling?" Jack asked, hesitantly, "There's something I want to pick up."
"You too?" the Doctor looked at him in mild disapproval.
"It's a present!" he said defensively, "There's this really great tailor, right at the beginning of the Ashikaga Shogunate, who can do beautiful kimonos. I think Aranea might like one."
The Doctor gave Jack a long gaze. Then he smiled. For the first time, Jack felt that the smile had some genuine affection behind it.
"Why not?" he said, "Japan in 1336, very exciting times."
"But first," the Doctor started pulling levers and pressing buttons, "Onwards to Cardiff!"
0o0o0o0ooo0o000o0oo0o0
AN: Phew! Finally got over this section! There are probably a couple of intermissions coming up, to move the story along, since it'll be the episodes coming up after this, namely the last three.