CHAPTER 20

INFORMATION EXCHANGE

Lieutenant Benton was more than happy to arrange transportation to the nearest town for the Doctor and his companions. He ordered a car and then went to the little group, giving Jason a searching look. "The Doctor told me, um…" he began hesitantly.

"Yes, it's me, John," Jason confirmed amusedly. "A lot older but not necessarily a lot wiser."

The Lieutenant nodded toward the Doctor. "And you didn't come with the Doc?"

Shaking his head, the Alterran replied, "Mel tells me I came down with a very loud bang along the side of the road." With a grin, he confirmed, "I really am—or was—your Visitor. But I wouldn't suggest you go telling everyone that I walked out of the morgue under my own power."

"Having replaced your missing appendage to enable you to do so," the Doctor injected.

"I wouldn't know how to put it in a report," the officer replied. "In fact, I don't know how to put any of this in a report."

The Doctor gave his friend a sympathetic look. "Might I suggest that you report the Visitor simply disintegrated."

Benton brightened. "The way all the other stuff did?" he replied excitedly, a smile coming to his face.

"I did leave all those metal bits and pieces behind," Jason informed helpfully. "I don't exactly need all those foreign objects in my system."

The car arrived at that moment and three travelers bid the very relieved Lieutenant good-bye. An hour later they were away from all military influences and in a rented car heading south. Mel could not help reflecting on the fact that she was very close to the point where the entire, bizarre adventure began. Now it seemed she would make it to the Kennedy Space Center after all, although she doubted she would get anywhere near a scheduled tour.

The Doctor was behind the wheel and driving much too fast for Mel's liking. Apparently oblivious to the speed at which they were traveling, Jason was in the back seat absently fiddling with the pin on the lapel of the Doctor's coat that was neatly folded beside him. Mel found Jason's nonchalance startling and had to remind herself that this alien individual had already demonstrated that he knew the Doctor far better than she did herself. She could not help but wonder at the adventures they had shared in the two centuries they had known each other.

"Alright, Jason," the Doctor said suddenly, startling his companions out of their thoughts, "now that we're not likely to be interrupted or overheard, would you mind telling me what you were doing on that ship in the first place? Mel tells me you were on a diplomatic mission to Earth. But that ship wasn't Alterran in design."

Jason looked up in surprise and sat back. "You've seen it already?"

"Yes. I arrived by way of Cape Canaveral and had a quick peek before being flown up to the Base we've just left. And if you hadn't pulled your vanishing act so early this morning, I'd've been able to tell you all about it before now."

The Alterran flashed a smile. "Point taken." Becoming serious, he drew a deep breath before explaining that he had been selected to head up a multi-galactic delegation that was holding a summit meeting on Earth. A controversy had arisen as to what system could lay claim to four planets in the Heladin system, which was on the fringes of the Alterran Empire. The Gres-Fa-Raayn, a militaristic race, had appeared out of nowhere and claimed sovereignty. The general consensus was that they were only interested in exploiting the planets' minerals and enslaving the population. Until the question of sovereignty was resolved, the Alterran Emperor had taken the bold step of placing the planets under his system's protection, going so far as to send a garrison of Imperial troops to each of the planets as a deterrent against outside aggression. Earth had been selected as neutral ground for the summit, as it had no stake in the disagreement one way or the other. The Earth government had also supplied the delegates' transport ships to keep any posturing, or a show of force, to a minimum.

"I've been in meetings with most of the other delegations for the better part of three weeks," Jason said wearily. "Once the summit is over, the final findings are going to be turned over to an Adjudicatorial tribunal for final disposition."

"A tribunal?" the Doctor said with raised eyebrows. "This is serious."

Jason merely sighed, recalling all the work he had put into the arrangements and official documentation, the latter of which were very likely strewn across half the Florida countryside. "My Uncle and I believe the El'Li'Ono have the legitimate claim, but so many others have—"

"Of course!" the Doctor blurted out, almost losing control of the car at the same time. "The El'Li'Ono accord! That was just after—" He broke off as several other historical facts surrounding the agreement suddenly crashed into one other as they entered his mind. He pointedly closed his mouth, throwing a quick glance into the rearview mirror.

"You wouldn't happen to know if I get back in time to see this obviously historic event unfold, do you?" Jason asked dryly. "After all, I am only the summit leader."

The Time Lord cleared his throat, clearly embarrassed. "Sorry, speaking out of turn."

"Just a tad," the Alterran chided, holding up a hand, the thumb and forefinger barely separated. "My personal view is the Gres-Fa-Raayn shouldn't even be considered, let alone be in that system. How those barbarians even found the planets is a mystery I'd like solved. All their other activities have been confined to the other side of the quadrant."

Mel turned in her seat, noticing the Alterran was now fiddling with the energy tube as if uncertain whether to continue to use it or put it away for a while. "I take it you don't like them," she observed.

Jason gave a snort. "The Gres-Fa-Raayn are militaristic, xenophobic, racial purists," he said derisively.

"They sound like the Nazis."

The Doctor laughed at this remark, nodding in agreement.

"They would've considered Nazi Germany a holiday camp," Jason replied. "If you're not Gres-Fa-Raayn, you're scum."

"That's not a very diplomatic view, Mr. Ambassador," the Doctor chided playfully.

Jason gave him a mildly disapproving look. "So sue me."

"Am I to start calling you Mr. Ambassador, then?" Mel asked jokingly. "Or is it your Excellency?"

"Oh, don't get Jason started on titles, Mel," the Doctor injected quickly. "He has a serious aversion to them."

"Not another phobia?" she moaned playfully.

"No, I think serious aversion sums it up nicely," Jason replied airily. "People hear a title and make all kinds of assumptions about you and what you're supposed be like."

"Such as assuming you'll be diplomatic because you're an Ambassador?"

"Something like that."

"This will probably sound tactless, but does this aversion stem from your having or not having a title to call your own?" Mel inquired.

The Doctor laughed out loud, looking into the rearview mirror again, his eyes sparkling.

Jason responded with an annoyed look before turning back to Mel. He gave a self-conscious smile, his face flushing slightly. "Having. As it happens, I was born with a boatload of titles. The reason I was chosen to head up this summit is because the Emperor is also my Uncle and has this misguided notion that I'm really good at diplomacy."

Mel's eyebrows went up, and she was uncertain how to respond to this unexpected admission.

"I'm sure being Crown Prince of your home planet has opened a few doors as well," the Doctor injected.

"One or two." Jason admitted. To Mel, he said, "I really am a doctor, by the way. But it's Healer Jason, not Doctor Krystovan. I won't even begin to go into the eccentric reasons why it's forenames and not surnames."

The Doctor glanced in his companion's direction and could not help laughing at the look on her face. "Didn't I tell you he was full of surprises, Mel?"

"Are there any more?" she wanted to know.

"Now if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?" the Alterran jested before becoming serious again, returning to his story. "Now where was I? Oh, yes. As to how I got here. My ship was two hours from Earth when it was attacked. The Captain thought it was Sharks—"

"Sharks?" Mel echoed.

"Later, Mel," the Doctor said sharply. "By your tone I assume you disagree."

"Well…." Jason said thoughtfully. "They usually only attack small groups, four at most, and never anything as heavily armed as my escort. There were twelve ships in my little armada by the time we reached the point where we were attacked, and those ships literally swarmed down on us with military precision. I counted more than two dozen in the initial attack alone. And I don't know what kind of weapons they were using, but somehow they opened a wormhole. Only it was like no other wormhole I've ever been through."

"That's because it wasn't a wormhole," the Doctor informed matter of factly. "You had the dubious honor of being sucked through a temporal distortion, which explains how you landed on Earth more than six hundred years in the past."

"The Doctor's blaming the time corridor for these coincidences," K'ell'k observed with a moan. "He'll never come now."

l'X'el sat back in his chair and sighed. "Give him time. He's only just started to put the pieces together. He'll find the trail of breadcrumbs—given time."

"But we don't have any time!"

"Kay, they're six hundred years in the past. Time is meaningless." Realizing what his brother meant, he tapped a few keys. "Meaningless for them, that is. Let me scan ahead a bit."