It's me! I'm back! Sorry for the long delay. The good news is that I got a job and am doing well in it. Also, I can sneak in a little writing while I'm on my breaks. Doing it the old-fashioned way – writing it and then typing it later. Haven't worked that way for YEARS! Sort of makes me nostalgic.

So as an apology for the long delay, you're getting not one, but TWO chapters!

Chapter 12

Alex and Rega said very little to each other as they made their way out of Chervud Perpalot and towards the city of Arcadia. They both knew that they had a limited amount to time and it was better to save their energy for the journey than to engage in socialization. They stopped regularly for rest and rehydration, using the local streams to refill their water sacks when necessary. After a while, however, the lack of communication drove Alex to start talking about his relationship with Rose, giving Rega details about how he met her, the many adventures that they had together, him becoming a Nere'i, how they arrived in Pete's World, his own growth into the person he was now, and their arrival on Gallifrey. Alex's openness about his life with Rose encouraged Rega to open up about his own life.

"I was born in a noble house," the Time Lord told him. "My father was… well, let's just say that he was very close to the Emperor. Best of friends even. As a result, I practically grew up in and around the Imperial palace. I was very close to the royal family and so I lived the life of a privileged Time Lord child. Enrolled in the Imperial Academy at a young age, graduated with top honors. Being from a family of such high standing in the Empire, my whole life was pretty much set out for me. And it was a good life. I had everything. Power, money, respect… a sizeable staff of Nere'ii and human slaves. I even had my own Dragon."

"Dragon as in an inhabitant of Lastiarus?" Alex questioned.

Rega exhaled in self-recrimination. "I'm afraid so. One of the few that hadn't had their wings deliberately clipped to prevent them from flying. I humiliated Qurzse terribly, making him take me from one city to another for my diplomatic excursions. The only reason he didn't slice my throat was because the Emperor had his family clipped and imprisoned in one of the many alien camps. Qurzse had to obey me or risk his family being killed."

The half-Gallifreyan pondered on his confession before speaking again. "So, what changed your mind?"

"The Emperor never had children. He can't. An accident in his youth took that particular ability away. As a result, his younger brother became heir to the throne. When the Emperor's brother died, his son the Crown Prince inherited that right. He also inherited a sizeable estate which included many slaves. One of them was a human female. Karolanna. She was smart, kindhearted, generous to a fault… She never once complained about being a slave, even though I could see in her eyes that she yearned to be free. In her own gentle way, she slowly opened my eyes to realize that everything that I'd been taught about Time Lord superiority was wrong. Time Lords may be more physically capable of almost everything in the whole universe but they lack the most important thing: compassion. She stopped me from ever watching the Games again and encouraged me to find ways to change our society. She taught me compassion for those we enslaved and I fell in love with her."

From the tones in the Time Lord's voice and the sadness that exuded from him, Alex knew the answer to the question even before he asked it. "What happened?"

"The Emperor found out about our affair. Having a liaison with a human female was one thing. Being in love with a human, especially when you are from a noble family, is an entirely different matter. If that ever found its way to the general populace, the scandal would have been enormous. So, the Emperor decided to end the relationship immediately by confiscating Karolanna and throwing her into the Zone. The whole Empire watched with great amusement as my beloved died a slow death. I was completely powerless to stop her death but I became all the more determined to make her dream a reality. I staged a coup. I had resources and I knew nobles and gentry who had sympathies that favored a more egalitarian society. We all decided that, since he too had egalitarian viewpoints, the Crown Prince should become Emperor. I don't think what the Emperor did to Karolanna hurt the Crown Prince's decision to agree."

"You tried to assassinate the Emperor and it failed," Alex stated, remembering how Rega described his exile into the Death Zone.

"It was a disaster. The Keeper, whom we thought had the same interests as us, warned the Emperor of our plans and arranged an ambush. When we went to overthrow His Imperial Majesty, his personal guards overwhelmed us and arrested us. The gentry were executed, the Time Lords were exiled to the Zone, and the Crown Prince… vanished. Meanwhile, the Emperor rewarded the Keeper by giving him whatever position he wanted in the Imperial government, save being eligible to inherit the Crown. Having a bit of a sadistic streak in him, he chose Chief Inquisitor and Master of the Games. It gives him a lot of power over the lives of those he kidnaps. And he isn't in the least bit afraid to use his power. I suggest you stay clear of him. It's unlikely that you'll meet but, if you do, there's a slim chance that he might recognize you from when he kidnapped you and Rose."

"I'll keep that in mind," the hybrid assured. "How would I be able to identify him?"

"Simple. He'd be the Time Lord other Time Lords fear, with the exception of the Emperor. Speaking of which, another person for you to avoid is the Keeper's human servant Jakobb. He's a very dangerous individual."

"You know him?"

"I know of him," Rega corrected. "About three years ago, he was a prisoner in the Zone. I know very little of how he came to be in the Zone but, from what I heard, he wasn't kidnapped from other human worlds. Very likely, Jakobb was convicted of some crime and sentenced to live there. I don't know how long he'd been in the Zone before I found out about him and had him investigated. I discovered that he's extremely ruthless, though some of the Zone's inhabitants indicated to me that he wasn't always that way. He apparently had originally bartered for provisions but turned to killing people and stealing after his first encounter with winter in the Zone. L'trief and I tried to stop him. We set up an ambush and L'trief volunteered to be the bait. Jakobb attacked L'trief, stabbed him in the back of his neck enough to temporarily paralyze him. By the time I was able to get close enough to help, Jakobb was swept up by a teleport. We made the supposition that the Keeper had taken him. I found out a few months later that our supposition was correct. One of my recruits had been sentenced to exile in the Zone after being interrogated by Jakobb upon the Keeper's orders. Jakobb has become the Keeper's most trusted servant. He even has been given the right to own slaves, just as long as they are human like him."

"And how will I be able to identify him if I encounter him?" Alex questioned.

"It's been a while but, from what I recall, he was what humans would call handsome. Tall, dark hair, rugged jawline… He'll be the Human all other Humans are afraid of."

"Well, that's descriptive," came the sarcastic response.

The Shobogan gave him a slight smile. "I'm afraid I've never been very good with giving descriptions of people except by how they act. But I have a very good memory for faces and would be able to point him out to you if we were to encounter him together. Again, it's unlikely that you'll meet him but it's a good idea to keep clear of him if you happen to see him. Your contact in the Citadel will very likely be more informative." He continued by giving Alex more information about his contact, where to find him, and how to identify him.

After three days journey, the pair finally reached the outskirts of Arcadia. The Doctor looked on the great city with a slight shudder, memories flitting through his mind. His actions didn't go unnoticed by Rega.

"What's wrong?"

The half-Gallifreyan took a deep breath. "Nothing. Just… bad memories. The last time I was here, in my universe that is, I was fighting a war and I made a decision that changed the universe forever." He exhaled loudly, letting the past slide away as he did so.

Rega considered him for a long moment, wondering what decision was made that made him so apprehensive of this moment. He figured it was another one of Alex's "long stories" that would one day come to light when and if the Nere'i decided to talk about it.

"This is as far as I dare go," he finally said, ensuring that the hood on his tunic covered his features. "Are you clear on where you need to go from here?"

Alex nodded. "I know where to go. I'll contact you with an update as soon as I established myself in a household."

"Remember to remain as inconspicuous as possible. The less you make yourself noticeable, the better. Submissive and quiet will keep you safe and unnoticed."

The hybrid was already reaching into his satchel to locate the papers that Rega had forged for him. "I know what needs to be done. I'll be fine," he assured. "You just get back to the camp and keep Rose safe."

"I will," the Time Lord assured. He turned to walk back the direction they came before stopping and facing Alex once again. "Good luck… Will," he said, a small confident smile on his features.

"Thanks… Robin," Alex replied, returning the smile before heading towards the city gate.

When Alex reached the city gates, he presented the forged documents that Rega had provided. Although Rega had assured him that the documents would get him into the city, he was nonetheless anxious in case the Shobogan was wrong. Fortunately, the documents, though considered a bit outdated, were accepted, allowing Alex to enter into the city. From there, he made his way through the metropolis to the transportation portal. He then arranged to be on the next shuttle to the Citadel, his papers once again providing the access that he needed.

It was several hours before the shuttle for the Citadel accepted passengers and Alex boarded with the others, insuring that he followed the protocols necessary for a person of his mixed heritage and assumed position of a traveling merchant. Going to the lower level of the transport, he found a seat on a hard bench. He forced himself to ignore the door at the back of the shuttle, knowing that behind the door were humans and Nere'ii in chains, the slaves of the Time Lords sitting in luxury above them. He continued to tell himself that freeing those slaves wouldn't stop the oppression in the Empire and would, in fact, lead to the escaped slaves' deaths as well as his own. He needed to focus on his mission. Saving the Empire from tyranny would have to come later.

It didn't take long for Alex to go through the checkpoint upon arrival at the Citadel, though he was warned to get his papers updated as soon as possible… if he could find a master to authorize updated papers. As it was, the guard allowed the papers, having noting that the authorization for transport was from a rural province known for outdated forms. Still, Alex was glad he'd passed the obstacle. Now he needed to located Rega's contact in the Citadel.

The instructions he'd been given to find the contact led him to the lower levels of the great metropolis. The buildings showed signs of age, though they were clearly sturdy enough to support the infrastructures that were above them. Amongst the necessary stores for food and clothing was a small selection of pubs and brothels, the latter displaying an array of prostitutes wearing collars that indicated that they were the property of the proprietors of the establishments. Alex swallowed down the anger he felt creeping up his throat as he noted the signs of physical abuse the sex slaves had on them.

The neighborhood itself was fairly clean, though not in the least bit lavish. This was an area that appealed to the working class, where a person might live if he or she was just barely getting by with whatever little they earned and might indulge in a glass… or in a night with a prostitute. Alex's empathic abilities told him that he was walking amongst a variety of species, including Nere'ii and Humans. Gallifreyans and Time Lords, however, were obviously not welcome, based on the graffiti that adorned the building walls.

His destination turned out to be a pub. As he entered the establishment, he looked around, noting the variety of species there. To avoid gaining too much attention, he didn't let his perusal linger but instead headed to the bar and took a seat. He waited patiently for the barkeep to come up and then ordered whatever was available on tap. He didn't have any intention of finishing the alcoholic beverage put in front of him but it would have look extremely suspicious if he didn't at least order something and take a small drink from the glass.

Tossing a couple of coins on the bar, he stopped the barkeep from collecting his due by grabbing his wrist firmly enough to focus the man's attention on him.

"I'm looking for Ranetl," he informed the barkeep in a firm but low tone. "I was told that I could find him here." He slipped an additional coin into the barkeep's hand as he spoke. "You wouldn't happen to know if he's around, would you?"

The barkeep looked at the coins that he'd been given for a moment before again gazing on Alex, regarding him studiously. "He's in the far back corner. If you're going to make trouble with him, I suggest you take it elsewhere. The last thing I need is the Imperial Chancellery Guard coming in here, shutting me down because a couple of idiots decided to cause trouble in my bar."

Alex didn't respond to the barkeep's words but rather collected his drink and carried it to the table indicated. Without saying a word, he put the drink on the table and sat down, gaining Ranetl's attention immediately. The two examined each other, Alex using his empathic sense to gain a better understanding of the man in front of him. Ranetl was a Nere'i like him, at least biologically. He was shorter in stature in comparison to Alex, almost stocky. His dirty strawberry blond hair complemented his bright green eyes, making him almost look like a leprechaun if it weren't for the ruggedness of his features. Alex felt a sense of determination coming from him that showed the latter was a man who used what knowledge and resources he had to make the best of his situation. Alex got a distinct feeling that Ranetl wasn't afraid to bend the law as long as he got what he wanted, preferably at the unknown expense of the Time Lord Empire.

"I drink alone," Ranetl finally spoke up, emphasizing his words by taking a gulp of his alcoholic beverage.

"Even while sitting with a friend?" Alex replied.

"Depends on the friend. Give me a name and I might reconsider."

"Will Scarlet. We have a mutual friend. Robin Hood."

Ranetl gave a slight smile. "I'll always drink with a friend of Robin Hood." He raised his glass to Alex. "Bressin basa."

Alex returned the gesture. "Ue hasedor'ii basa."

Together they took drinks from their beverages before placing them on the table before them.

"I'm surprised you know the traditional toast," Ranetl commented. "Considering where you just came from, I would've thought you were a transplant."

"Transplant?"

"One not born on Gallifrey."

"My father taught me a few of the old customs," Alex replied. "He was exiled from Gallifrey long ago. But we did not meet to discuss my heritage."

"Indeed, we haven't. I suggest that we depart for a more secluded setting where we can discuss business without the risk of prying ears and eyes."

Alex readily agreed, allowing Ranetl to guide him out of the pub.

Bressin basa – Good health

Ue hasedor'ii basa – And good (brother-like) friends