CHAPTER 45
SUMMIT
While the Doctor did not need much sleep himself, he knew that his fellow travelers did. In fact as far as he could see, except for K'ell'k, everyone was on the point of total exhaustion for one reason or another. After several hours he went to check on his various fellow travelers, finding them all sleeping soundly. Thus assured he would not be interrupted, he set to work on the console in order to determine exactly why the TARDIS had suddenly become susceptible to the affects of a temporal rift. He suspected the link Jason had used to home in on the manipulator might have worked both ways and wondered how or even if he could counteract it. He needed to return Grant to his proper place in time and Mel to hers; and he needed to do it before his companions' timelines were irreversibly altered.
The Doctor was still working at the console when Jason entered the control room. Like the Doctor, the Alterran usually did not require as much sleep as a human. He could not deny, however, that the extraordinary stresses of the past few days, even the last few hours, had left him both physically and emotionally drained and had slept longer than was normal for him.
Jason gave his friend a quiet greeting as he crossed to where his pile of belongings had once stood. Now only two objects remained. He picked up the smaller of the two, caressing its once ornate surface a moment before attempting to open it. Despite his best efforts, he could not pull it open without damaging it. He finally had to tear the cover completely off.
"I hope whatever's in there is worth all that," the Time Lord remarked as he took the cover from his friend's hand.
Jason held up the contents of the box; his jewel encrusted collar of rank, which had survived undamaged. He explained that, unlike the one he assumed for affect when he transmuted, this one had been crafted specifically for him to wear on official occasions. He put on the gleaming object, absently rubbing the medallion between his thumb and forefinger. "I suppose you might think this was worth saving, but that box was more of a treasure. It was an anniversary present—a first anniversary present. Shadra will kill me when I tell her what I did to it."
"I suspect she'd rather have you back in one piece to celebrate further anniversaries than vice versa," the Doctor said dryly, examining what was left of the box. "Not your usual jewelry box. Did you know this was reinforced with a titanium alloy?"
Jason met his questioning gaze with a dark look. "You're kidding, right?"
The Doctor was about to admit that it had slipped his mind that Jason had scanned the box after the initial bump against the temporal rift. Then it occurred to him that he mentioned comparing it to a previous scan. "Do you scan everything to lay your hands on?"
"I don't even think about it anymore. I just…do it."
"I'll remember that."
Jason gave him a puzzled look, uncertain how to take this remark. He went back to the other box and squatted down. "I only hope my summit documents are easier to…" His voice trailed off as he reached out to pick up the box. It was so light it fell over, revealing nothing inside.
"They're over there," the Doctor informed absently, pointing across the room to a small table with several folders neatly stacked upon it, an ornate paperweight on top.
The Alterran looked in the direction indicated and frowned. "I thought you weren't going to bother with them."
"I'm afraid, while you were all sleeping, my curiosity got the better of me," the Doctor confessed. "That's not a problem, is it?"
The thought flashed through Jason's mind that he would have appreciated being asked first. He was prevented from voicing this when Grant entered with l'X'el and Pr'Ce'el. Jason could tell from their expressions that his ornate collar had caught their attention, and he gave a broad smile. "Just getting ready for our arrival," he announced and immediately transmuted, changing his garments back into the elaborate ceremonial clothes he had donned in the tunnels. He smoothed down his vest, adjusting his cape, collar of rank and then the circlet on his brow. Drawing a deep breath, he looked up, holding out his arms. "Well? How do I look?"
"Wow!" l'X'el gasped.
"I take it you approve, Lix," the Alterran said amusedly, receiving an enthusiastic affirmative in reply.
"I hate to interrupt," the Doctor broke in in a mildly disapproving tone, "but we'll be landing soon." He threw a meaningful glance in Grant's direction.
The young man did not even have a chance to wonder what would happen to him as the TARDIS was already materializing. As before, it occurred without incident or exchange of companions and they all breathed a collective sigh of relief. The Doctor operated the scanner, the shutters opening to reveal the scene outside. The room beyond appeared to be a storeroom, only partially lit and filled with boxes and crates.
"This is Earth?" the puzzled l'X'el asked.
Jason was already laughing, much to Grant's amusement and the Doctor's annoyance. "Probably. But once again we've arrived at the service entrance."
The Doctor gave him a disapproving scowl before pulling the door lever and vanishing through the double doors. "Well, don't just stand there, come on," he called over his shoulder.
Jason glanced at his paperwork and decided to retrieve it later. "Wait here," he said to the Wieonol, who gave a disappointed moan in unison. "Don't worry I'll be back for you. I need to let the right people know we're here. Besides, someone has to stay with Kay."
"Oh, alright," l'X'el moaned, exchanging a disappointed look with Pr'Ce'el.
Jason grinned, leading the way out the door, Grant at his heels. They emerged to find the Doctor already on the far side of the room. He reached the door and opened it, looking up and down the empty hallway on the other side. "No one about," he observed as he turned back to the others. "I suppose we'd best find someone in authority."
"Other than me, you mean?" Jason replied devilishly. He started across the room only to stop dead in his tracks and stiffen visibly, a startled cry escaping him.
The Doctor was about to deliver a biting comeback only to stop when he saw the Alterran's expression. "Jason…? What is it?"
Jason held up a hand, his eyes lighting up and a smile coming to his face. When he finally looked over at the Doctor he was positively glowing.
"I know that look," the Time Lord observed. "Shadra's here, isn't she?"
"Yes. And she's not supposed to be, either."
"Who's Shadra?" Grant asked, suddenly feeling left out all over again.
"Jason's wife," the Doctor informed. "They're linked telepathically. But it only works at short distances." To Jason, he said, "She improved since I saw her last, if she can spot you the moment you arrive."
"We've been practicing," came a velvety female voice from behind him.
The Doctor turned to see Princess Shadra standing in the doorway, an enchanting smile on her face. "Thank you for bringing him back in one piece, Doctor."
The sudden appearance of the summit's leader caused quite a stir among the assembled delegates, all of whom believed him killed in the attack. Jason was stunned to learn that, as far as everyone was concerned, the attack on his escort had happened only two days earlier. For him, of course, it had been two weeks, a trip through a wormhole, a jarring crash, several broken bones, a faked death, a trip down a time aura, an encounter with two of the Doctor's previous companions and a short stint as a monster ago. He wasn't sure what surprised him the most; the time differential or the fact that the Doctor had actually managed to hit the right time zone on the first try.
Jason, now Ambassador Krystovan, called a meeting of the leaders of all the delegations and was more than a little intrigued to learn that the Gres-Fa-Raayn's delegation had yet to arrive. Before the meeting convened, he returned to the TARDIS for his documents and his Wieonol charges. He contacted the Emperor, as promised, and then Commander SorRell for a status report. He was pleased to learn the operation on Heladin Alpha had gone without a hitch. Before signing off, he commended SorRell for her assistance in implementing what was admittedly a unique operation.
With these official duties out of the way, Jason went to check on K'ell'k, finding that he was sufficiently recovered to leave the sickbay and attend the meeting. He was still too weak to walk under his own power and was taken to the meeting in a wheelchair.
Jason called the meeting to order and then introduced the Doctor, Grant, and the Wieonol youths who had accompanied them. "My fellow delegates," the Alterran began, "I've called you here to inform you of some very disturbing facts that have only just come to light. But first, I must ask that you reveal to no one what you are about to learn. And by that I mean no one outside this room."
As the group around the table took this in, Jason began presenting all the facts surrounding the attack on the SILVER TRIUMPH, beforeand after. He asked the Doctor for clarification on one point and before he realized, and much to his consternation, the Time Lord had taken over the presentation. By the time he finished his final impassioned speech, the assembled dignitaries were clamoring to eject the Gres-Fa-Raayn. There was even talk of charges being brought to the intergalactic courts.
The Doctor raised his hands to calm the group. "Please, Gentlemen, Ladies," he called over the din. "Unfortunately, we have no proof the Gres-Fa-Raayn used the Wieonol's star charts to locate the Heladin system. Despite what these young men say, the Gres-Fa-Raayn could just as easily say they stumbled across them."
The assembled diplomats fell into a stunned silence.
"Great," l'X'el said quietly to his brother. "We went through all that for nothing."
K'ell'k did not seem to hear him. He was still too amazed by the story he had just heard the Doctor and Jason tell, having missed everything that had happened since he was thrown to the floor in the manipulator room.
"There is a way of getting proof," Jason injected tantalizingly, attempting to reassert himself into his own meeting. "Which is where all of you come in…"
After the meeting, the Doctor left in the TARDIS to implement his portion of the plan. He left Grant behind along with the Wieonol youths, stating that what he had to do had to be done alone.
Jason turned his attention to his own preparations, wanting to be ready the moment the Doctor gave the signal. He had been delighted to learn that Grant was a computer operator and enlisted the young man's help in getting everything up and running on time. Grant suspected this was just to keep him occupied, to which he was extremely grateful.
The Wieonol youths, whom Jason had started calling "the trio" were taken under Shadra's wing. She was not supposed to be at the summit at all, her own official duties having been in conflict with the schedule. A last minute cancellation had freed her from that obligation and she had gone to Earth before her husband as a surprise. The horrifying news of the attack and disappearance of the SILVER TRIUMPH came the day after her arrival. This was followed the next day by a secure message from Emperor Quinton informing her that Jason was alive and well and would be returning to Earth in secret. She was to continue her pretense of mourning until he made his official appearance. Jason's private message followed, containing a short explanation of what had happened, an apology for any heartache it may have caused, and a promise to contact her wherever she might be as soon as he arrived on Earth.
Princess Shadra left her three charges happily consuming an enormous breakfast and went straight to the office that had been assigned to Jason and his entourage, which now consisted only of Grant, everyone else having been killed aboard his escort ships.
Shadra found Grant working diligently at a computer terminal and he looked up when she entered. "Jason isn't here, I'm afraid," he said distractedly
"I know," Shadra replied. "It's you I came to see."
Grant scowled. "Why?" he asked suspiciously, wondering if she was going to try and have a heart-to-heart talk with him now.
Shadra took a seat. "I believe you're already aware that Jason and I are telepathically linked."
"Yes, the Doctor told me. What does that have to do with me?"
"When Jason has his mind on several things at once he tends to let his guard down. I can see things he'd rather keep hidden. And ever since he arrived, he's been preoccupied with you."
Grant blinked. "Me?"
Shadra nodded. "I'm not sure why, but he's worried about you and someone I don't know. It's something to do with things being out of time, but with the Doctor around, that's not exactly unusual."
"It's a bit more complicated than that," Grant informed guiltily. "I'm not supposed to be here. My timeline is messed up, apparently, and even the Doctor doesn't know how to fix it."
"That's not entirely correct," came Jason's calm voice from the door.
Grant turned sharply to him. "You can't deny that my timeline is messed up," he pointed out in an almost accusing tone.
"No, but that's because the Doctor's timeline is messed up too. And even he doesn't know what caused the phenomenon that flipped you, Mel and the others around in it. He's working under the theory that it was the manipulator that did it and that you were stabilized in this time zone because of an infusion of chronons from me."
As Grant considered all this, he was suddenly struck by the demeanor of the man standing in the doorway. Jason positively radiated authority. In fact, he seemed even more self-assured since the Doctor's departure, having demonstrated that he was just as knowledgeable when it came to the manipulation of time, computer programs, and the technology that seemed to baffle even those individuals from his own time zone.
Grant suddenly found himself wondering if Jason knew more about the present situation than he was telling. "So what if it wasn't the manipulator that caused it?" he said at last.
"Then we have a very serious problem."