Guardian to Gallifrey Chapter 2.
They walked through the gilded hallways to the council room; Galen walked with his hood up once more. There were guards on either side: Rose was reminded of the beefeaters in London. She looked to Galen; he was taut: on edge. She knew any show of force by guards of any sort put Galen on edge: understandable really, after what he had gone through on that mining planet.
Outside the people cheered, shouting for the Guardian; in here the atmosphere was mixed. She could see the faces of some of the councilors smiling, but others looked at Galen with anger. They came to a large chamber, around them the council members sat on large high back chairs.
"You are not needed here Doctor. Why not go and enjoy the return?" Galen looked over his shoulder at the Bursar. Trying to separate them was he?
"It's okay. We want to stay with Galen."
"But you are not needed here. It is only to question him about his activities."
"So there is no reason we cannot stay," the Doctor looked at the Bursar with squinted eyes but Galen decided not to draw the Doctor into his darkness; he had enough of his own.
"It's ok Doctor. You go: show Rose and Jack the sights. This will just be boring. You know it will, you've been through it enough times," he turned the Doctor towards the door.
"You sure?"
"Yes. Now off with the lot of you," he pushed the three of the out, but Jack turned back.
"Don't let them push you around."
"Wouldn't dream of it. Now stay out of trouble," with that Galen turned back towards the room and the guards closed the large stone doors.
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The Doctor took them from the Citadel; Jack seemed troubled.
"Come on Jack: I'm home. Let me show you my home."
"I know. I'm just worried about Galen. Reminds me of how the Time Agency handled things," Jack looked back at the building that held the Council chambers.
"He'll be fine, they're probably trying to find out if he knows the will of Rassilon. He'll join us in a little while. Come on!" He bounced in excitement, his coat tails flapping in the wind as he jumped.
Rose looped her arm through his, and pulled him back down, laughing.
"You going to show us round then?" She looped her other arm through Jack's, heeding Galen's warning to stay close, but she couldn't help but smile at the Doctor's face. He looked so happy, so alive. The darkness gone from his eyes.
"Yeah, come on," he pulled them forward down the streets, now massed with colour and people thanking the will of Rassilon. He took them through the markets, getting Rose trinkets and objects associated with his world. They stopped at a place to eat, the Doctor surprised that she knew how to eat fire fruit and laughing at Jack who bit through the gold flesh without peeling. The combination of the two parts together burning hotter than an Earth chili leaving Jack drinking the wine in one go, tears streaming down his face.
"You could have warned me Rose," he gasped.
"Sorry, didn't know. Galen pealed mine before I ate it in the TARDIS," she giggled.
"Ooh, alone time with Galen: Do tell," Jack wiggled his eyebrows.
"Jealous?" Rose purred back, leaning against the Doctor, his eyes joining in the teasing
"Always. So when can I join you two?" He leaned in closer to the Doctor. The Doctor pushed him back so he fell off the seat. "Hey, no need to be so pushy, that's my job."
"You haven't bought me a drink yet, so never," the Doctor replied.
"So you saying you two are a couple?"
"No, course not…I mean….nothing against Rose. I mean.." he was looking at Rose: expecting a slap but all he got was Rose and Jack laughing at him. "Right that's it. Humans must die!" Rose and Jack took off as the Doctor ran after them.
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The Doctor had run into an old friend and so was talking to him. Jack and Rose had got bored of all the technical jargon being thrown back and forth so they had gone to sit by a fountain. She laughed at the Doctor, his arms whipping round wildly as he reiterated something.
"I can't believe Rassilon let the Guardian survive. The Traitor!" Both her and Jacks attention turned to the conversation a little way from them between two official looking Time Lords.
"They should sentence him. How many of us died because they did not show?"
"Do you believe the sob story of him sacrificing his world?"
"No. They probably destroyed themselves and he's trying to get out of being sentenced," Rose grabbed Jack's arm, as he made a move to confront the two.
"Jack don't," She whispered to him, dragging him to a corner. So they missed the next bit the man replied to.
"Well the memory scan will show what he has been up to…."
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"Rose, why did you stop me?" Jack exclaimed at Rose, anger burning in his eyes for Galen's sake.
"Jack. It's something Galen said. Haven't you noticed the looks we keep getting? As if we were a dog or some kind of pet that shouldn't be here?" She asked, looking around. Jack scrunched his face as he thought.
"Now that you mention it. But…"
"Galen told me to make sure we stay close to the Doctor. That Humans are looked down on. And he said not to tell anyone about me having the Time-vortex inside me: said they wouldn't like it."
"Galen said that?"
"Yes, so please Jack. I don't want to spoil this for the Doctor," she begged.
"Oh Rosie, you've got it bad. So not worried that they make take you away to study you. More worried about him," he smiled.
"I don't know what you mean," she turned.
"Come on you two!" The Doctor called over.
"Yeah, yeah. Sure Rosie," Jack said sarcastically before telling her seriously: "You should tell the Doctor what Galen said."
"No Jack, don't you dare. Don't tarnish this for him."
"I don't know Rosie."
"Please Jack. Promise me."
"Ok Rosie: I Promise," it would be a promise he would regret.
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Galen stood before the assembled council, all around him he felt the eyes of the Time Lords bore into him. He had his hood up, his defense from them but it only did so much.
"You are brought before the Council to answer for your crimes committed against the seal."
"Crimes? What crimes?"
"What crimes? Your betrayal to the seal," replied the Bursar, seeming shocked that Galen would ask.
"I see no betrayal: I have restored you, my world is dead. What more do you want. My blood?"
"Silence, you will heed the council."
"I answer to Rassilon and the President alone. Not to a bunch of fancy dressed fops with delusions of grandeur," Galen growled low, he swore no allegiance to the council.
"Listen to his defiance madam President: we must know. We demand the mind scan!"
"No!" Galen snapped, he couldn't. If they saw the Vortex in Rose…
The council erupted in anger at his refusal. Each demanding the mind scan.
"Silence in the council," a man to the side shouted, pounding a gong for silence.
"Galen, we must. You have to submit to the mine scan," Romana stated.
"My lady, I do not wish to relieve my past," Galen beseeched. There was truth in that. The mind scan would make him relieve each moment but he did not want them to know of Rose.
"I am sorry Guardian: but we must know," Romana said sadly, unable to hide her own curiosity.
"Very well, my lady," he bowed, but all knew it was not a mark of respect this time. He was taken over to the device and he sat down. They pushed his hood down. Stepping back momentarily at the gaze he sent them: cold and full of malice. The eyes of the Sultarrvec
The diodes were pressed to his head, and he relived his past. Every detail.
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Romana walked out from the council chambers: shocked at what she had seen. What the Guardian had to go through, that he was now the last by his own hand and what a monster he could become. Their saviour could -with the help of the Time Vortex- become a greater killer than the Daleks. That made a number of the council members uneasy.
In her mind they owed Galen and the Doctor a lot, there had been some questions of the two humans that were now with the Doctor but she had diverted the council for now: letting the Doctor have his pets to feel superior to. Plus, having traveled with the Doctor, she knew humans were not as many of the Time Lords viewed them, she had made friends with a few in her time. She walked down the hallways, going to meet with the Doctor who had returned to the Citadel. She entered to see the Doctor and the two humans eating.
"Romana. Have you seen Galen?"
"Yes, he is resting after….the council had finished with what they wanted."
"What do you mean? Why would he need to rest after some questions?" Jack asked, he was wary and became more so when Romana sighed.
"I am sorry Doctor, but they wanted to know the reason to the betrayal….so he had to be subjected to the mind scan."
"What? What the Hell for? You made him relieve all that has past for him. Damn it, Romana: I thought you were better than this!"
"I know, but when the Daleks threatened, the council has more sway than it used to: we needed to know the truth. He is sleeping right now," Romana was truly remorseful.
"Can we see him?" Rose asked.
"It would be best to leave him to sleep. The mind scan is never pleasant," the Doctor replied. Jack, he could see was mad, anything to do with looking in the mind with a machine always set him off. And he seemed now to be overly protective of Galen, which made the Doctor smile.
They continued their meal and the Doctor caught up on the politics, still blinded somewhat by his happiness.
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Galen never made it to his quarters, the Bursa had other ideas.
"Guardian," Galen stopped, his hackles rising as he saw the guards.
"What do you want Bursa?"
"I want to know what you hid in the surface scan," Galen's blood chilled.
"I don't know what you mean," he took a step back, but was stopped, for the Bursa brought out something he thought he would never see again: the Orb of the Pythia.
"I don't think you are in a position to argue. Now follow," the Bursa had a smug smile on his face and Galen had no choice but to follow. The Orb of the Pythia was a control device to the Guardians. He would have to obey without question. He was led back to the mind scan and the setting was set to scan at a deeper level.
"Now what are you hiding?"
"I Am the Bad Wolf……..I bring life……."
KITG: Oh dear…..he knows.