CHAPTER 33

SET UP

The TARDIS had materialized just outside the Imperial Guard's main command post on Heladin Alpha. The Doctor emerged first, Jason close on his heels. The bewildered Grant had been given a brief summary of the situation before being left in the console room with the equally bewildered l'X'el.

Jason threw a glance back at the time machine as he followed after the Doctor. He had waited until they were outside the TARDIS before changing into something that more impressively reflected his Imperial standing. He knew seeing him transmute would not only unsettle their newest arrival further but also generate numerous, time-consuming questions.

Within minutes the pair were in Commander SorRell's office and meeting with her senior staff. As the Emperor's representative, Jason passed on Quinton's instructions and authorization concerning the Doctor's plan, which the Time Lord then explained at length. At meeting's end, SorRell's second-in-command, Lieutenant Torr, took the Doctor and the other staff members to the situation room to begin coordinating the ground operations. The Commander went to the communications room to make contact with the security forces on the other planets and apprise them of the situation. She then set about arranging Jason's transportation to Earth.

Jason suddenly found himself alone in the Commander's office with nothing to do. He wandered over to a large window that dominated the wall behind her desk and took the extraordinary landscape. He noticed a large building in the distance that looked as if it were growing out of the side of a mountain.

SorRell returned to her office after several minutes to find him still gazing out the window.

"Commander, what's that building over there?" he asked, pointing in its general direction.

SorRell crossed to him. "Which one, your highness?"

Jason actually jumped. It had been so long since he had been addressed as Crown Prince that it actually startled him. It was very odd to hear again. "The one with the stacks. It looks like an old style nuclear reactor." This time he pointed directly at the structure.

"It is, sir. They were shutdown years ago and practically all of them were dismantled by the time we got here. Things were put on hold when the crisis started."

"Would anyone mind if I had a look inside?"

The Commander gave him a baffled look, wondering if this were a part of the Doctor's plan that she had missed. "It's just an empty building, sir."

The Prince gave her his most winning smile. Protocol dictated that, as the Emperor's designated representative, he was technically in command of the operation and was to be included in every aspect. But Jason knew that, as Commander of the entire security fleet in the system, SorRell was more than capable of coordinating her troops and those of the others garrisons without any help from him, especially since she was the one with military training. "Commander, I'm trying to politely get out of your hair," he said mildly. "I'm sure you can get this job done a lot faster without me looking over your shoulder. And this way you'll know where I am when my transport arrives."

Like the Captain of the SILVER TRIUMPH, the Commander's admiration for the aristocrat clicked up several notches. She had never met a member of the nobility who had not jumped at the chance to be in charge of so important an operation. "Well, since you put it that way, sir," she replied with a barely suppressed grin. "I was going to have a uniform issued—"

Jason waved a hand in the air. "No need for all that nonsense, Commander. I'm not what you'd call a stickler for the rules."

This time SorRell did smile. "I'll have someone shuttle you over, then. Distances are deceiving on this planet. Believe it or not, that's over thirty kilometres away." She reached for her communicator and a sudden thought struck her. "Can I persuade you to at least take one of these? I'd hate to be the one to lose you again after you've so recently risen from the dead."

The Doctor was heading back to the TARDIS when he bumped, literally, into the brooding Jason as he was coming around the corner. As they made their way through the building, the Time Lord explained the basics of what he had worked out with the Imperial Guard. SorRell's intelligence network had narrowed down the possible locations for the hostages to a handful, most of which were isolated communities scattered around the planet. Torr had asked for any medical information on Wieonol physiology that could be used for comparison against the indigenous population. Armed with this, the Doctor was to rendezvous with some of the ground troops in a tunnel system that was top of the list of hiding places.

"I can get you a complete bio-scan when I check on Kay," Jason informed. He stopped just as they were about to leave the building, nodding toward the TARDIS that stood a few short metres beyond the doors. "Doctor, what are you going to do about Grant?"

"Not much I can do is there?"

Jason gave him a disapproving look. "You know what I mean. You have to move the TARDIS to get into the tunnels. You've already swapped Grant for Frobisher. Who are you going to end up with if the TARDIS hiccups again? I mean…what if it's me?"

"I don't know," the Time Lord replied firmly. "But this is not the time to get into all that, now is it? Until the temporal manipulator is repaired, the TARDIS will very likely keep 'hiccupping,' as you put it. The lives of everyone on these four planets as well as Enol are at stake here. And as much as it pains me to say it, Mel isn't—"

"Don't," Jason said firmly, taking him by the arm. "Just…don't. I'm the one who overloaded the manipulator. I'm the last one who should be making judgments because of what I forced you into." So saying, he pushed open the door and headed toward the TARDIS.

After checking on K'ell'k's condition, Jason instructed his brother again about what he needed to do to look after him properly. The youth gave a long-suffering sigh. "I know, I know. Let him rest and keep him calm. You already told me a hundred—"

"Lix, I can't stress this enough," Jason cut in sharply. "Your brother suffered a very serious head injury. Until he's stronger, I won't know how his brain or even the rest of his body's been affected. You must keep him quiet and follow the instructions I left to the letter. And whatever you do, don't tell him about the problems we're having. If he's awake during one of the temporal shifts, just tell him it's the TARDIS acting up. She does that every now and again." With a reassuring smile, he added, "I'll check his progress again when you get to Earth."

l'X'el's eyes widened. "We're going to Earth with you?" he gasped.

The Alterran shook his head. "No, not with me. You're staying in the TARDIS where it's safe. Once everything's ready here, the Doctor is meeting me on Earth to coordinate things there. You're going with him." Waving a hand in the air, he added, "And whoever the companion of the day is."

The young man nodded. "Ambassador, I'm sorry," he blurted out suddenly.

"What?"

"I'm…sorry," l'X'el repeated. "You were right. I should've just asked for the Doctor's help instead of…" His voice trailed off, and he lowered his eyes guiltily. "Now…Kay could die, Mel is missing and it's all my fault."

Jason's businesslike expression softened and he gave a small smile. "l'X'el, I know I was angry with you before, but I can't deny the fact that your interference saved my life. And for that I cannot thank you enough," he said gratefully. "Now, if you look after your brother as I asked, he won't die. I'll see you on Earth." So saying he turned and left the stunned l'X'el staring after him.