The Bursar set into motion his plans, he had been a loyal follower of the council on the outside, but sought the seat of presidency for himself. He stood in his dark robes gilded in gold, the multicolored fabrics of the stalls in the center of the citadel blowing in the slight breeze. Let them have their celebration, soon they would be praising his name, as the wielder of the Vortex. He would become greater than Rassilon himself. It would go back to how it should be. The Pythia's had the right of it, rule by power and force. First order of business when he had the Vortex would be to destroy president Romana and the council. Then he would get rid of Gallifrey's champion. The Doctor, who they dubbed their champion of time, largely thanks to his 7th incarnation. He had become the self-proclaimed champion of time. Making sure time flowed how it should. Meddling fool more like, him and that stupid human girl that had been with him at the time. He had even changed a primitive human mother vehicle…a motorbike, he think they called them. To travel through time. Damn girl and her explosives. He had dealt with her, a little accident involving the wrong coordinates…the bike materializing right in the center of a Dalek force. She hadn't stood a chance….though to give her credit; with her explosive she had taken most of them out with her.
He wondered if the Doctor knew of this yet? He smiled in morbid amusement…perhaps he should tell him, would certainly distract the Doctor. Orlith had reported on the status of his friend Galen…he was being kept under, so he would be no threat. Actually it would be quite amusing to kill the Guardian with the very neural implant that the Doctor had placed inside Galen's brain. He would do it right in front of the Doctor…yes. Destroy the Doctors spirit; he was always weak when it came to his companions. Barbarosa had used that spectacularly when he reactivated the Dead Zone, such genius. Shame he hadn't read the small print when he went for the goal of immortality.
The Bursar walked from the citadel and into the streets, overhead a flock of Gallifreyian birds passed. Their deep blue a contrast to the red sky. They had long tail feathers, about a meter in length with scattered gold upon them as if someone had flick a paintbrush at them. The trees joined into the song of life as their silver leaves rustled in the breeze, joining the flap of fabric. The fire fruit tree wood stalls had taken over the city center, each selling either things to commemorate this day, food or just odds and ends. Not all Gallifreyian's were Time Lords. Only those of the pure bloodline got sent to the school of time. The Doctor had been an exception for his father had been a very powerful Time Lord. The Doctor was a thin blood; he had been born to a human mother. Under normal circumstances the child would have been destroyed in the womb. But his father had stopped this, the mother had returned to earth supposedly sick of the hate and loathing she had received from the other Time Lords.
Those that had opened the stalls were the common Gallifreyian; in the old time they would have been the slaves. As he walked he nodded at all the right times and smiled, while cringing at how beneath him this all was.
He saw Orlith standing off to one side, eyes locked onto the form of the Doctor. The girl was by his side, but the male was absent. He walked up to Orlith.
"Where is the male?"
"He is with the Guardian, seems infatuated with him." Orlith commented out the side of his mouth so they would not be heard.
"Is all ready?"
"Yes My Lord. But how will we distract the Doctor?" Orlith asked.
"I am about to impart so rather…sad news to him. When I take him off to one side, you get the girl"
"Yes my Lord" the Bursar moved off towards the Doctor, his plans about to reach fruition…
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Rose had been having a great day so far, the Doctor had bough her a necklace, upon it was the seal of Rassilon. On the back in Gallifreyian script was her name, the strange geometric shape a pure representation of the beauty of it. She had tried some pastry desserts that the Doctor had told her was his favorites; he also introduced her to the Time Lords version of champagne. She also now had 3D holographic pictures of the two of them standing in an orchard of fire fruit trees. He had told her of the times he had climbed these as a child. Of how he would come here to study, often with Galen.
The center was like the rest of the citadel, it reminded her of the white city out of the Lord of the Rings movie. It was like the whole thing had been carved out of a marble mountain. Here and there the seal of Rassilon was proudly displayed and the Doctor told her some history, she was glad Galen had not told it. He had been right it had not been his to tell. So she and the Doctor ate and talked.
They had even danced, reminiscent of an earth maypole dance….just without the maypole. This day would stay in her mind forever, for always. Even if he changed, even when she was old it would be something to hold and cherish.
"Doctor, if I might have a word with you in private" came a silky voice that instantly had the hairs on Rose's neck stand on end. There before them stood the Bursar.
"Of course. Rose go and treat yourself" he gave her some Gallifreyian coinage, the same geometric symbols proclaiming their worth.
"Okay" she watched as the Doctor followed the Bursar, and then turned to a stall but she never made it. She felt a small prick in her arm, looking down she saw a syringe. No matter what race, whatever it looked like there was always some underlying trait that screamed it's purpose. The silver device almost a clone of the sonic screwdriver but for the small needle sticking from the end where the blue light would normally be.
She no longer felt in control of her limbs, the doctor she had seen treating Galen guided her through the crowd, he money laying forgotten on the stone…
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The Doctor followed the Bursar to a quiet place wondering what the Time Lord wished to tell him.
"I am afraid Doctor I have some sad news to impart" the Bursar began, chilling the Doctors blood. "It is in regards to your young friend, Ace was it?" the Doctor nodded. "In the time when you were setting in motion the events that would lead to the super nova of our sun, your friend was killed by the Dalek's. We did not have time to tell you." He finished, passing the Doctor the charred remains of a black bomber jacket. The word 'ACE' still visible under the soot and blood. He looked at the jacket in his hands, shock flitting across his face to be quickly chased by sorrow.
"How?"
"Seems her time travel vehicle materialized in the middle of a Dalek task force. She took most of them with her, with that brand of unstable explosives she carried. I am sorry Doctor" he finished.
"Thank you for telling me. Now if you will excuse me" The Doctor's eyes had become dark, and he walked off. Also as expected, so lost in his grief he did not look for Rose Tyler……
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Jack sat beside Galen's bedside, listening to the Gallifreyian heart monitors showing his beating heart. Would he want to come back to this? Would a heart so heavy with the weight of all he had seen, all he had to do to keep his word to Rassilon, keep beating the rhythm of life? Jack didn't think he could do it.
"Come on big fella, you can't let go after all this" Jack's voice seeming pleading in the quiet room. Outside he could see the citadel center, the bright colors of the market clearly visible against the white stone. Life passed on as in here Galen and Jack stood still.
"You're getting soft Jack" He said softly to himself, "you've let this guy get too deep into you're skin." He talked about himself, speaking of Galen. Over the couple of weeks since he met the Guardian he had fallen hard. Harder than he ever had before. Yes he loved the Doctor, but he would never dream of coming between Rose and the Doctor. Seeing Rose as a little sister.
"Come on, people will think I'm going mad talking to myself" not even a flicker. He sighed. "Well big fella, I'm going to see where the Doctor and Rose have got to, and something to eat. Come on wake up Galen, I'll buy you a drink" he added slyly. But still nothing. He knew he could do no more to help Galen, and he was starving. He leaned over and gently kissed Galen on the forehead, then walked from the medical wing.
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Cold clinical room, sterile and imposing as her eyes opened. Here and there she could see the strange Gallifreyian text. The signs an posters proclaiming things she knew not. Turning her head more she could see an array of various tools, some looked familiar from the TARDIS med bay. She could see a dermal regenerator, a laser scalpel among others. But there was more there she didn't know but didn't like the look of.
Was she still upon Gallifrey? She must be with all the posters; the last thing she remembered was being in the market place. The Doctor had gone off with the Bursar and she had felt that prick in her arm. Turning to see the face of the medical doctor from the medical wing, Orlith she thought his name was.
"Oh dear, you should not be awake yet"
She looked down at the prick of pain to see Orlith injecting her. Where was the Doctor? Where was she?
"Doctor?" she called out but the man just looked on as if she was some sort of prize, something to study
"Oh don't concern yourself with him" Rose's vision blurred as he moved out of her view, to return with something she did not like the look of. As darkness descended and the fear increased she heard him speak again, voice so detached and cold.
"Now primitive ape. How is it you wielded the Time-Vortex? Lets us see what you are made of"………….
KITG: oh, this just keeps getting worse don't it? In a good kind of way that is. Hehehe