Entering the Sontaran ship proved difficult, but doable, all four entered the ship without anyone raising alarm, with Mantanga's help, they're capable of getting around the ship without struggling.
It's a large ship, on the low-end, Mantanga said they didn't get much choice what ship they used for their scientific inquiries, they're fortunate they even found a ship for their uses.
Their government would never give them the chance of obtaining anything better than it, would've told them that it's for warriors, not scientists.
It's smaller in the sense that it didn't have weapon cargo holds, armory, anything that a normal Sontaran ship had, it's impressive the Sontaran government even allowed it's departure, but still sizable enough that without Mantanga's help, they wouldn't find their way around it.
When asked how long they've been here, Mantanga said they arrived days ago, they only started their studies when they acclimated to the environment, Earth's far different than their home world, that it felt like their lungs ballooned trying to breathe in the change.
Mantanga stayed behind for the most part, running studies on the soil they dug around near the warehouses, but things started changing rapidly, with Masa's men bringing back Shale and Melia. Masa didn't tell them anything about bringing back testing subjects, he just ordered them to stay at their stations, and stop asking questions.
Why Masa wanted Shale and Melia, Mantanga didn't know, he couldn't begin fathoming what his superior wanted with them. His superior never told him, either, said it wasn't his business, and since he had no clout to speak of, he did as he's ordered.
When the node went off, it was his duty retrieving it, probably punishment for questioning Masa's authority, Mantanga didn't know, but he knows that his fellow scientists' innocent in this debacle.
They only came here to study, they didn't want trouble, they're ill equipped defending themselves, their government won't even spare them a rickety stun gun.
It made Theodore curious why Masa ordered Shale and Melia captured, how it tied into the supposed message that Masa's supposed to give.
None of this made any sense, but he believed Mantanga. The Sontaran didn't even have a self-detonating bomb implanted into his suit, his scanner harmless that it'll pick up even the slightest microwave frequency, hardly the soldier with a complex.
Speaking of the scanner Theodore picked up from the ground, he decided to make use of it, rewiring it, allowing Al finding them without issue, since the ship didn't have any trackers or anything usable.
"Yeesh, they really didn't get much help from their government," Al commented that he didn't find anything he could've used helping them find the ship much less broach it by using a faulty security.
He's fortunate that he gotten into an email.
It's like comparing a 1986 Corvette to a 2006 Corvette.
Without his eyes and only the scanner his guidance, Al says he can't help much on finding the missing Shale and Melia.
"All's fine, you know where we are, that's good enough. I need you at the ready in case anything happens," Theodore tells Al and the TARDIS responded that it's his job. If anything happens to Theodore, well, he'd fail his one job, and he can't have that. He promised.
"No security systems at all, most peculiar," Liliana's perturbed that there's nothing on the ship suggesting it has anything as simple as a scanner indicting whether or not the habitants were Sontaran.
Mantanga responded that his team risked everything getting something simple as a ship, they couldn't be choosy about what ship they received. Their fortunate they even have one, at all, their government would've found it much for their like.
"Good to know nothing's changed since I ate one," Dom mentioned that he's pleased that his knowledge of the Sontaran remained usable, it appeared even when they fought him, they weren't fond of their own becoming scientists.
"I'm still questioning why you risked everything becoming one, you must know you'll never receive valor," Liliana noted that Mantanga risked everything becoming a scientist. He'll never receive valor from his government if he finds something useful, at most, they'll annex his successes, and leave him without anything.
They're not good at compensating for discoveries, they haven't learnt that trait, yet.
His massive head hung low, Mantanga admitted that he couldn't be a soldier if he tried, he's not capable. He's tried everything becoming useful to his government, but all failed. So, he turned to science, it's the only thing he's good at, he's aware his government won't respect him, but it's all he has left.
Without his work as a scientist, he doesn't have anything.
"If we don't have anything to our name, we're useless," Mantanga summed his struggles finding his place among his society.
Without it, he risks his people turning on him, finding him useless, and among his people, anyone found useless' marked for death.
A layover from times before when resources scarce and the fittest survived, anyone who didn't have their place, removed for the betterment of their people.
It once used to be an honour for his people sacrificing themselves if they found they're not contributing enough, now, his people use it as an insult.
A mark of shame.
With their bounties and their place in the world, through hardships, Mantanga's people found their places. What used to be common for dozens of Sontaran removing themselves from society, now they're working together in union, no longer struck by famine that made them desperate.
A change in culture caused the rift between soldiers and scientists, at one point, scientists were seen as noble, giving up their earthly freedoms working tirelessly for the good of their people.
Unfortunately, bad luck after another, with things out of scientists' control, ended up souring this, and soldiers became prominent in the culture.
Everything they have now, a product of a soldier taking it from their kills, never from a Sontaran scientist, unless annexed and worked over by their government.
… Hearing this, no wonder Patata defected from his government, the penalties for simply having bad luck's too much for him to bear, and the fact it's bad enough that he willingly went with a member of the race his people hated said it all.
"Geez, I didn't know it was that bad, even my people weren't that harsh. Sure, we'll head butt a few idiots here and there, but we stuck together, differences aside, we didn't have the luxury of turning each other away," Dom voiced his disproval with the Sontaran government's world views.
His people weren't perfect, but they couldn't turn everyone away because of one bad luck, they'd have no one else in their ranks. Tribalism aside, when it came down to it, his people worked together, because there were bigger things that'll make quick work of them with the given opportunity.
His home world teamed with even bigger things that'll eat Ko'gan if they're not careful. Having his people divided like Mantanga's people would've killed them sooner than the war that led to the destruction of their planet.
One Ko'gan's isn't enough to kill something that made home in the mountains, two's a good fight, three you have a plan, four, you're efficiently making work of the carcass.
"My people couldn't afford letting differences divide them. We settled our differences in open court. Grumble as we must, we're better off together," Liliana recalled how her people practiced during her time on her home world.
Technically superior than the Ko'gan, they weren't free from the divided opinions among themselves. Though, they didn't live on a hostile planet like Dom's people, there's more dangerous things than those that came out of the jungles.
Dom's quick pointing out that Liliana's wasn't with her people and Liliana stated that she left on her own terms, her displeasure's with the government, not her people.
"Here," Mantanga halted as he pointed towards one of the locked rooms leading into a holding cell Masa converted for Shale and Melia.
Smelling the air heavily, Dom smelt his daughter, he knew the scent the moment she hatched from the egg, and his instincts took over as he went towards the door, prepared for tearing it off the hinges, until Theodore managed to calm him down, reminding him that they didn't want their presence known.
Even without security, hearing the door ripped off its hinge's enough for them to realize there's intruders and Theodore didn't want the scientists hurt in the cross fire.
Growling, Dom let Theodore move ahead as he used his Sonic Screwdriver, allowing them inside the holding cell.
Immediately as he came through the door way, Dom's golden eyes scoured the covered holding cells that lined the room like a prison block, until he smelled his daughter.
Instincts took over and he gone straight to the cell he smelt the scent strongest.
His golden eyes saw the invisible force field as he let out a deep growl and he sees through the opaque force field.
Sitting on the ground with her arms crossed and her sapphire eyes filled with seething rage, Shale, without her disguise. Her head significantly smaller than her father's, but still like a horned lizard.
When her sapphire eyes crossed her father's and she smelt him, she animated as she stood up quickly, going towards him.
"Shale!" Dom's couldn't withhold his excitement as he sees his daughter alive, the happiness resonating in his deep voice.
Shale looked up at him and smiled, saying that he didn't have to come find her, she's a big girl, now.
Snorting loudly, Dom said, "Hah! You're my daughter, all right."
Moving around the room, Liliana searched until she finds another occupied cell, inside, Melia's resting on the ground, a bedeviled look on her face.
She heard the ruckus from Dom and turned her head towards the front of the prison cell, her eyes widening as she sees Liliana standing in front of her.
"Lily!" Melia squealed with joy as she jumped up from the ground, pulling on her crumpled pink sundress as she attempted to run towards Liliana, but stopped as she's told. Liliana warned her that the force field would've repelled her into the wall behind her if she came into contact with it.
"Are you hurt?" Theodore asked the two and they responded that they weren't. Took blood samples, but that's about it.
"What are we waiting for, let's get 'em out!" Dom's eager freeing his daughter and about to use his claws against the cells hadn't Mantanga warned him that he's unsure what Masa did with the prison cells, he could've booby trapped them.
With his Sonic Screwdriver, Theodore weeded out the traps, Mantanga wasn't wrong, Masa trapped them with every inch, if something so much goes out of whack, the whole thing imploded, killing the occupants.
He attempted at circumventing them with the Sonic Screwdriver, but it seems Masa made sure no one's capable of disarming them, not without causing more issues.
"How are we supposed to free them, then?" Dom inquired what they're supposed to do and Theodore says that the only thing came to mind's finding Masa and forcing him to disarm the traps.
Dom growled as he said that he'll force Masa, even if he has to rip his arms off, Sontaran's arms continue moving, even after they've been violently removed for a least couple of minutes before going limp, he ought to know.
"And where may we find him?" Liliana turned her attention to the meek Sontaran hiding behind Theodore, afraid of the two as they're desperate releasing their loved ones from the confines of the prison cells.
As he slowly moved from behind Theodore, Mantanga says that Masa tended to stick by the master controls in the command centre. He never leaves unless he's checking the other scientists and usually his men stayed with him.
"Then that's where we'll go," Dom popped his neck as he prepared storming the command centre and forcibly drag Masa kicking and screaming back to the prison cells.
Fear on his face, Mantanga turns towards Theodore as he asks if he can ensure his fellow scientists won't end up hurt in the ensuring fight saving Shale and Melia.
Pondering, Theodore looked down to the scanner, and says he's got a plan, but Mantanga needed to work fast.
Handing the scanner off to him, Theodore ordered him to collect the scientists, and head off the ship.
Just in case, Masa has a trick or two up his coiled sleeves, and Mantanga thanked Theodore for his mercy, only for the aloof giant reminding him of the promise.
Seeing Mantanga hurrying off with the scanner, looking for his fellow scientists, Dom asks Theodore if they can trust Mantanga.
"I believe him," Theodore affirmed that he believed Mantanga.
The Sontaran's lucky he's got a suit that regulates his body temperature and oxygen levels, even worse-off soldiers get better suits than that, and that's saying something.
A low growl emits from Dom as he tells Theodore, "I trust you."
Dom initially didn't trust Theodore's father, being it was a difficult time, but came to respect the man at the end of it. In return, he trusted Theodore's judgement.
Trust from a Ko'gan's rare and never taken lightly, as they're not easily trusting of other species.
"Yes, I trust you, too," Liliana voices her trust in Theodore, having contacted multiple Doctors over the course of the years, she knows instinctively that he's the Doctor and that means that they're in good hands.
With them trusting him, Theodore hoped he's able to trust himself with this bold plan, as he leads them out of the prison cells, having cautioned Shale and Melia that they'll return, and looked for the command centre.
It didn't take long, having passed the scientists hurrying with Mantanga leading them to safety off the ship, and getting directions from Mantanga.
Going through the ship, they located the command centre's doors, closed as they approached with caution, knowing that behind the doors armed Sontaran, made Dom giddy with delight, as he said he hadn't fought in a long time.
Exhaling sharply as he pulled on his scarf, Theodore stood in front of the closed doors, as he's prepared swinging them open, hadn't Dom yanked him behind.
"Trust me kid, I know how squishy you can be," Dom tells him that he's better off behind Dom, since Dom's thick scales prevented most weapons from working on him, and that he couldn't risk Theodore getting hurt.
Wouldn't want the son of the man who gave him and his daughter a new life getting hurt on Dom's account.
"I don't like this," Liliana voiced concerns that something's wrong, that it was too easy. Sontaran worth half their weight wouldn't haphazardly keep the ship unguarded, especially with prisoners.
Seeing her point, Theodore cautions them as he gave Dom the command and the mighty Ko'gan ripped the doors out of the doorway, carrying them inside, immediately they're besieged by gunfire from the armed Sontaran, that Dom made quick work, throwing heavy doors at them.
The velocity pinned the armed Sontaran to the walls as they're knocked unconscious from the force and Dom snarled as his golden eyes scanned the command centre, looking for Masa.
They stopped short of a taller Sontaran standing by the controls, wielding his own weapon.
He's unusually calm about a Ko'gan breaking through the locked doors and flinging them at the armed Sontaran guards.
Theodore calls him out on this and the tall Sontaran says that he knows why they came.
"I want my daughter," Dom demanded Masa free his daughter and Liliana voiced her desire for Melia's freedom.
Stepping forward, Theodore asks Masa why he kidnapped Shale and Melia, knowing that their loved ones would've come for them, and the dangers of an angry Ko'gan coming after him.
The calm Sontaran responded that he kidnapped the two because he knew that it'd draw the Doctor (Theodore) out into the open.
"Bold plan, Masa, you could've risked our friend here tearing you apart before that happened," Theodore pointed out the issues in Masa's plan.
If Dom tracked them down himself and found the ship, he'd kill everyone aboard, including Masa, Theodore couldn't stop him from doing it, as he wouldn't know.
"Perhaps, but I know you. You'd never let it happen," Masa responded that he's aware of the risks doing this, but he knew that Theodore wouldn't overlook it, if it happened.
Liliana demanded answers on Masa's plan and the Sontaran stated that he didn't have interest in taking her armory or weapons. Plenty of Sontaran killed Silurian and stolen their caches, there's nothing to gain from doing the same from Liliana.
However, Melia's merely a fluke in the grand scheme of things, his guards took her because it showed on their scanners Silurian DNA, and he supposed they thought she might've been a hybrid, until they tested her blood.
"Why go through the efforts doing this, couldn't you just contact me directly?" Theodore called into question Masa's plan and the Sontaran stated that he knows the Doctor (Theodore) enough that he couldn't risk Theodore disbelieving him.
No Sontaran willingly contacted the Doctor.
If he'd contacted Theodore, he wouldn't believe a word that came through his mouth.
"Enough talk! I want my daughter!" Dom, getting antsy, demanded his daughter's release and the Sontaran threw him a keycard that'd undo the traps he set and release both Shale and Melia.
With the keycard in his claws, Dom's about to return to his daughter, but for a brief moment, he wanted to stay with Theodore.
"It's okay, Dom, I can handle myself," Theodore assures the Ko'gan he's capable handling himself, but the old Ko'gan remarked that Theodore's still young.
Dom's old and he worries.
With prodding, Theodore convinced Dom to leave with Liliana and collect their respected loved ones from the prison, leaving Theodore and Masa alone.
"Well, I'm here, why did you want to contact me?" Theodore demanded answers from Masa about the ludicrous plan.
Moving towards the controls, using his three fingers as they glided over the keyboard while he typed, Masa says that he received an order from someone above him, wanting him to put together a team.
It was a short notice, that they didn't have the proper time preparing, but Masa pulled together a team of scientists and for-hire soldiers.
He did he's as ordered and followed the coordinates.
Something about the coordinates bothered him and he couldn't disobey the direct order, so he went ahead with it.
"What was odd about the coordinates?" Theodore asked him.
As his face stiffly animated, Masa stated that the coordinates weren't in the format recognized by the Sontaran. He had to translate the coordinates to something their people used.
It made Theodore curious and he prodded Masa about the coordinates, leading Masa telling him that even under emergencies his people never used the format.
He would've disregarded the whole thing, but the order came from the general, one of the higher ranked members of the government, he couldn't possibly ignore it much less contest the coordinates.
"What was the format?" Theodore asks him and the Sontaran responded that he doesn't know the format, only that he had trouble translating it.
It took brute forcing for him, but he managed, and they arrived on Earth as commanded.
"Why here?" Theodore wanted more answers to his questions, which the Sontaran stated that his general commanded him to bring something to Earth.
Raising his brow at this, Theodore inquired if it's a message, only for the Sontaran telling him that the message's part of it.
He didn't tell Theodore much about the other half, but said that he's given a message by his general for the Doctor.
Only to be said to him and no one else.
"Well, what's the message?" Theodore grew annoyed that Masa did all this just to send him a message and the Sontaran gave the message.
His voice stilted as he began giving the message.
"Prepare… for… unforeseen… consequences," Masa's stilted voice echoed as he's speaking unusually.
Even before Theodore's able to ask him what he meant by the message, he's forced to watch as Masa pulled his weapon close to his domed head, and pulled the trigger.
He fell with a loud thud, dead, and Theodore rushed to his side, unable to react as he watched the Sontaran commit suicide before his very eyes.
As he's panicking, Theodore's icy blue eyes noticed that the screen above's flickering, words deleting from the screen, in seconds, the whole console became inoperable for reading Masa's messages.
Looking over the dead Sontaran, Theodore's aghast as he's unable to think.
"What… what did you bring here?" Theodore looked down to the body.
Chewing on his inner lip, Theodore ran to the console, attempting at forcing the answer, looking through the logs of what the Sontaran brought with them.
He's searching and found there's an unmarked cargo somewhere on the ship, sending him through the opened doorway as he ran down the winding halls, looking for the unmarked cargo.
Turned around some parts, but Theodore found the only cargo hold on the entire ship and he searched for the unmarked cargo
He expected it large, long, something distinct.
Everything found's just something needed for studying.
About to give up, Theodore's turning around to leave, when he noticed one small black box hidden in the corner. He didn't see before and he went over to look at it. It's light when he picked it up and he found the way inside it, but when he opened it, there's nothing but something black and sticky inside.
"What?" Theodore's baffled as he looked inside the empty box with only the black and sticky substance stuck to the bottom.
The box's made of a material that Theodore's unfamiliar and it looked like the substance stuck to the bottom's been there for a while.
Without Masa, Theodore hadn't an idea what was in the box, and he's forced to set it back down on the ground.
He remembered Al translating the message, maybe he'll get an answer from him, for now, he left looking for the scientists.
Finding his way off the hidden ship, Theodore found Shale and Melia with their respected loved ones, and the scientists nearby.
Tracking Mantanga down, Theodore asks him if Masa ever mentioned bringing something with them specifically for Earth that wasn't scientific instruments.
Scratching his domed head, Mantanga responded that Masa never told him anything about bringing something with them to Earth.
"Was he meeting with someone, perhaps?" Theodore prodded, but Mantanga informed him he hadn't any idea what Masa planned.
Frowning, Theodore opted to inform Mantanga that his superior committed suicide and his guards unconscious, but alive.
It frightened Mantanga as he said Masa's their only superior, they didn't have anyone else, but Theodore talked him into taking up the role.
Mantanga's sheepish about the idea, but Theodore reminded him that he wanted a place in his society, becoming a superior when his old superior committed suicide's a good place to start as any, barring the circumstances.
Cogs started turning in Mantanga's head as he agreed with Theodore's thoughts before he accepted the idea.
Theodore further reminded what he expected from the remaining Sontaran and Mantanga took no time collecting his fellow Sontaran before turning to the safety of their ship.
Within moments the ship disappeared and Theodore spoke with Dom and Liliana, both relieved that their loved ones weren't harmed, and Theodore's glad.
"Seems off that they'd do all this just to get your attention," Shale noted that kidnapping her and Melia didn't make sense if they weren't strapped to a table with 'Y' carved into their chests.
Theodore replied that he doesn't know himself, but he'll never get the answers, now, seeing how Masa killed himself, and Dom's baffled.
Scratching the side of his rough face, Dom didn't understand why Masa killed himself, in proper Sontaran fashion, he would've challenged Theodore to combat.
Dying in combat's preferable to suicide, more memorable.
"I don't know, none of this makes any sense, but I'm happy that it's resolved and your daughter and Melia's fine," Theodore concluded that he won't know the truth, but at least there's a happy ending.
Both are safe, no worse for wear, and that's all that mattered. The Sontaran left and Al made sure the tracker that Mantanga took sent them on their merry way back to their home world without anyone knowing how they gotten here in the first place.
Dom thanked him for his help and Theodore modestly told him that it's his job, but the old Ko'gan snorted before he shook Theodore's hand, nearly sent the aloof giant tumbling.
Everything for the most part resolved, Theodore went home, returned to his lazy clothes, and sat on his chair.
"Al," Theodore called out to him.
He appeared the side of the chair as he responded with, "What's up?"
Theodore inquired, "What was in the message?"
Al replied that it's a standard message that someone Masa knew wanted him to visit Earth and Theodore inquired if it said anything about bringing something with them.
"Like a weapon?" Al's initially confused.
Theodore shrugs as he gestures that if it's something of interest.
Al briefly looked away before responding, "Um, none of this' made sense."
Curious, Theodore asks what he means, and the avatar moved around the flat before he stopped as he says, "I translated the message… it just says… 'Bring the head to Earth' and that's it."
The roughness of the written language didn't help, but Al swore that's what he gotten from his time wracking his components translating.
"A-a head?" Theodore's baffled as he looked at Al with confusion. "They went through this trouble bringing a head?"
Of all things he's ever witnessed, a convoluted plan just to bring a head and a message, never crossed his mind.
Al nodded.
"W-what head? Who's it going to? Why are they bringing it here?" Theodore looked at Al with confusion.
Shrugging his bright yellow puffy shoulders, Al responded with, "I don't know."
When asked about the message that supposedly went to Theodore, Al, with a look on his face, responded with, "I don't know."
THE END