Chapter 3: The Dark Energy Drive

"DO THEY KNOW EACH O-THER?" Telvar swung its eye-stalk around and stared at the couple.

"They will soon," said the Doctor, dryly. "Anyway, that ship is the prototype you mentioned?"

"YES. IT WILL RE-VO-LU-TION-ISE SPACE TRA-VEL."

"Indeed, it will. Your technology will be successful beyond your wildest dreams. Not only will it fuel long-range spacecraft, but it will also power whole civilisations and even entire planetary systems. Which is why you have to stop it."

There was a pause. "EX-PLAIN."

"The more dark energy you use, the more gets created, correct?"

"YES. IT IS AN IN-EX-HAU-STI-BLE POWER SUPPLY. THAT IS THE NA-TURE OF IT."

"As your technology catches on, the supply of dark energy will grow exponentially, sending galaxies, stars and planets careening away from one another, until the fabric of spacetime breaks down entirely."

"THE BIG RIP IS JUST A THE-O-RY--"

"It's going to happen. In a sense, it has already happened. Do you want to hear something odd? I was at the Restaurant at the End of the Multiverse the other day, and do you know what I saw there? Kaleds. Kaleds waiting tables. Don't you think that's just a little bit unusual? The universe's most gifted engineers waiting tables at a restaurant?"

Telvar's dome lights flickered. "I DO NOT...I DO NOT UN-DER-STAND..."

"Do you know what I think? I think they were refugees--the last sorry survivors of the Big Rip, now eking out a meager existence on the Restaurant. Is that really how you want your people to be remembered?"

The Kaled didn't reply.

The Doctor placed his hand on its dome. "Telvar, you must find another source of power. Dark energy is far too damaging to the universe."

"BUT THERE IS NO O-THER SUI-TA-BLE SOURCE!" Its voice rose in pitch, and sounded strained, agitated. "WE HAVE TRIED. E-VEN FU-SION IS TOO LI-MI-TED. WE ARE PRO-GRAMMED FOR SUR-VI-VAL. DARK EN-ER-GY IS OUR ON-LY OP-TION!"

"Surely not. What about…" The Doctor stopped. He knew he had to choose his words carefully. "Are you aware of how the…er….Time Lords power their civilisation?"

"YES. IT IS GRA-VI-TON-BASED. BUT OUR EF-FORTS TO DUP-LI-CATE IT HAVE FAILED."

"Nonsense!" cried the Doctor. "It's relatively simple, technologically. Infinitely less complicated than a dark energy drive."

"WE HAVE TRIED FOR CEN-TUR-IES. COULD YOU HELP US, DOC-TOR?"

"No," said the Doctor, glancing away quickly. "I can't."

Telvar didn't reply, but pointed its eye stalk at the Doctor and stared.

"But…perhaps if I knew why you'd failed, it might be helpful…" The Doctor swallowed hard. He was treading very dangerously.

"What would be helpful? Hey, if I can help you, say the word!" The man in the flight suit swaggered up to the Doctor and clapped a hand on his shoulder, looking him up and down. "Captain Jack Harkness, test pilot, space corps." He smiled brilliantly and stuck out his hand.

"How do you do, I'm the Doctor." They shook hands; the handshake lingered as Jack gazed into the Doctor's eyes.

"Great to meet you, Doctor. I see you've met Telvar." Finally releasing the Doctor's hand, Jack rubbed and patted the top of Telvar's dome, as if it were a pet.

"And I see you've met Rose," said the Doctor, raising an eyebrow as Jack snaked his arm about her waist.

"Yes, she's been telling me all about her parallel universe--and the parallel Jack." He winked at her and grinned. "So, is everybody ready? I know I am, can't wait to get out there and--"

"THE LAUNCH IS CAN-CELLED. THE DOC-TOR HAS CON-VINCED ME WE NEED TO DO MORE RE-SEARCH FIRST."

"More research?" cried Jack. "I can't believe it! You keep delaying this launch. You'll learn so much more about it once I actually fly the thing."

The Kaled didn't answer. It turned around and headed up the ramp. The Doctor followed. Jack called after them, "I know this technology is new, I know it's risky, but at some point, you've just got to take the plunge. If I'm willing to risk it, so should you!"

The Doctor stopped at the top of the ramp. "Are you coming, Rose?"

"Um...I'm good. Captain Jack and I are...he's gonna show me all these...er...spaceships." Rose blushed.

"I see. Right, see you later." He glanced over his shoulder at Rose and Jack one more time, and then caught up to the Kaled. "When did you start using human test pilots?"

"EARTH WANTS TO LIC-ENCE OUR TECH-NO-LO-GY."

"Earth?" said the Doctor, sounding alarmed. "Do you really think that's wise, at this stage in their development? They still have a certain penchant for blowing things up, and the amount of power dark energy liberates--"

"WE KNOW. ONCE THE DRIVE IS PER-FEC-TED, WE WILL PRO-TECT OUR TECH-NO-LO-GY SO THAT IT CAN-NOT BE DU-PLI-CA-TED OR WEA-PON-IZED."

"I certainly hope so," said the Doctor. "In any case, I imagine Earth won't be at all happy if you scuttle the project."

"THEY WILL NOT BE THE ON-LY UN-HAP-PY ONES." Telvar turned a corner and headed towards a large, dome-shaped room full of hundreds of Kaleds, each plugged into a floor socket via their plunger-like attachments. As Telvar and the Doctor entered, each Kaled turned to face them. There was a long silence as they proceeded down the central aisle.

Finally another silver-striped Kaled glided up to meet them. "WHY DID YOU DE-LAY THE LAUNCH?"

"THERE ARE PROB-LEMS. I WILL EX-PLAIN LA-TER." Telvar continued down the aisle.

"EARTH WANTS AN EX-PLAN-A-TION NOW."

Telvar's voice rose in pitch. "TELL THEM TO WAIT. I DO NOT TAKE OR-DERS FROM EARTH!"

Ignoring the other Kaleds, Telvar headed to the far end of the room, through the doors of an enclosed office. In the corner was an elaborate headset. "PUT IT ON," said Telvar, as it plugged its plunger into an adjacent socket.

The Doctor picked up the headset tentatively, turning it this way and that. Finally, he set it on his head in what seemed to be the correct orientation. Immediately, tiny electrodes snaked forwards and attached themselves to his scalp. He closed his eyes. He felt his body fade, as if he were in a transmat beam.

An instant later, he felt solid. He could feel something warming his skin. He opened his eyes to brilliant sunshine, although he didn't have to squint. A cool breeze lifted his hair. He took a breath; he could distinguish individual scents: grass, trees, flowers, perfume. It was as if the volume on every one of his senses had been dialed up a hundredfold. The intensity was nearly overwhelming. After a moment, that last scent started to intrigue him. Perfume? He turned around.

A woman was standing near him. She was tall, with long, silvery hair and opalescent skin that almost seemed to glow. For a moment, he wondered if she might be a Thal; but her diaphanous dress seemed hardly the sort of thing a primitive people could construct. "I'm the Doctor," he said to her, at last. "How do you do?"

She smiled at him, and took his hand. He gasped. The sensation was electrifying--and unreal.

"Your virtual reality is really fairly convincing," said the Doctor, when he had caught his breath. "You had me fooled for a minute or two. The sensory overload gave it away--"

She pulled him into an embrace. She wound her arms about him, and pressed her lips against his. He thought his head--no, his body--no, his entire existence was going to explode.

After an painfully wonderful eternity, she released him. "Hello, Doctor. We've met already. I'm Telvar."