Chapter 4

Ace was working under the console as Nita looked on. Ace picked up a tablet, which she read with consternation. "We've got dematerialization ability, but I've got to cut the connection to the Eye of Harmony while we recalibrate the time/space regulators."

"How long?"

"For just the time circuit, or for everything?"

"All of it."

"We're looking at twenty hours work."

"Ace, we don't know that we have twenty hours. The star could explode at any time…"

"I know. Okay, first we need to get the main computer working right…"

"No… fix the shields first."

"Nita, whatever The Ship hit us with, it fried circuits I thought were unfryable."

"It's not The Ship I'm worried about. It's more Sontarans showing up."

"Right. First priority, get the shields up. Only, let's not have any more surprises till I'm done."

"Don't ask me about surprises," Nita said bitterly. "Ask Timothy Elder."

A little later, Timothy Elder was sitting up on a bed in the sickbay as Nita scanned him. The Doctor was present.

"Brain activity suggests that you're coming out of a sort of fugue, or seizure… blood pressure and glucose indicative of general systemic stress…"

"But I'm gonna live?" Timothy asked lightly.

"No doubt about it," Nita replied dryly.

The Doctor, unamused, advanced on Timothy. "Good. I want to know exactly what you did. I want to know how closely you are in communication with the alien, and what you've learned about it. Now."

Timothy stepped off the bed and faced the Doctor. "I… just warned it, that's all. I've been in contact with it… sensing impressions from it… It calls itself Schirron Dream. It's old, Doctor. It's roamed the universe for many thousands of years."

"Where did it come from? How many…"

"Far away, I think. Maybe another dimension. Once there were millions of them."

"Once?"

"It hasn't seen another of its kind for millennia. It's alone. It may be the last of its species."

The Doctor was reflective, saddened by the thought. "Perhaps we can help it in some way. Can you ask it to return with us to Earth space? Or at least to remove itself from the vicinity of Beta Stromgren, before the star explodes?"

"Doctor, Schirron knows that the star will go nova soon. That's why it came here. It wants to die."

"Why?"

Timothy began very matter-of-fact, but became more and more distant as he relived what he read in The Ship's mind. "There was… an explosion, in space… radiation penetrated the outer layers. The crew… the crew died. Such loss… empty pain… Hollowness."

Ace lunged forward and gripped Timothy by both arms. "Stop this! Tim… Tim, you're losing yourself in this… this merging."

"I… I know." He sat up, and turned to the Doctor. "The Ship hurts… and wants to die. I can't do any more from here. If you want me to really reach The Ship, I've got to be in physical contact. I've got to go aboard."

"No. Absolutely out of the question."

"You don't trust me."

"No. I don't believe that I do. Timothy… when you reached out to the alien, to warn it… did you give any thought to this vessel? To the danger, however inadvertent, the creature might pose to our team? Or did you simply react out of instinct?"

"Professor…"

"Ace… he's right… I don't know what might happen…but if you don't let me go, we fail in our mission."

Timothy walked uncertainly to the doorway of the corridor… stopped and turned back to the Doctor. "Besides, at this point, you need all the help you can get… even The Ship's." He exited.

Ace resealed the hatch on a roundel, and handed a tool to Nita. "Nita, reactivate the sensor assemblies."

Ace and Nita moved to the console. Nita made adjustments to a panel. Nothing happened.

"Okay, let's do a program reload on the port array only."

Nita made more adjustments.

"Good. TARDIS, run a level two diagnostic."

Ace received an image of the port sensor array offline, in her mind.

"Damn."

Ace started pulling isolinear chips from an access panel on the underside of the console.

The Doctor appeared in the door-way. "How's it coming?"

Ace didn't even look up from her work. "Not great… I think all the control processors are shot. Maybe if I swap the chips from the secondary array, I can give you a minimum EM scan."

"Please do."

Ace motioned to Nita, who started pulling chips from another access panel, and handed them to Ace, who picked three of them and inserted them carefully into the first access panel.

"Nita, try restarting sensor element thirty-two only."

The display came alive to show a schematic of the Stromgren system. A moving blip representing an approaching ship appeared near the outer edges of the system.

"Well, the good news is that we have partial long range sensors. Professor?"

"Yes, Ace?"

The Doctor came over to the console.

"I'm picking up another echo on the long-range sensor display here. See?"

"Yes. The other Sontaran ship… on an intercept course." The Doctor felt very discouraged. "Ace, are we going to have shields anytime soon?"

"I'm doing the best I can… But shields won't help if that star explodes."

"Timothy Elder and I seem to have developed an affinity. Ace, you've known him for years. How far can he be trusted?"

"Professor, the issue isn't one of trust in Tim's intentions, but in his judgement. I would trust him to do what he believes is right."

"Yes, of course. But his judgement…"

"…Is precarious. The stress of exposure to so many minds on the ship has been bad enough. Now he's strongly drawn to this creature. I'm afraid for him."

"Afraid of what?'

"I think that the alien is somehow calling him. If we allow him to do as he insists, to be dropped there, I'm afraid that we'll lose him to it. That he will lose himself."

"I agree that Timothy's motives are trustworthy. I don't believe it's possible that he might act against us, or cause The Ship to act against us out of malice."

"If Tim breaks down over there, we'll be no closer to accomplishing our mission, Professor. It would be a grave mistake."

"Thank you."

"Doctor, the Sontaran has uncloaked."

The Doctor was puzzled. They had come so far. Should he allow Timothy to fulfil his mission? "Elder warned The Ship, and the first thing it did was to destroy a space vessel. But I think I understand. If the the risk is too great to send Timothy Elder, alone, I should go with him. Although Ace understands him better. But I distress him less. It is humanity he's fleeing. I can serve as an intermediary… a bridge back, and a reminder of his obligations… both to us and to The Ship."

The Sontaran battleship materialized near the TARDIS.

"Status Nita?"

"Shields at forty percent, Doctor. We can move in space."

"Well, let's hope they're in a mood to talk. Open hailing frequencies. Sontaran vessel, this is the Doctor, representing Earth."

On the viewer, the battleship was replace by the Sontaran commander. "Gallifreyan capsule, your presence here is a violation of Sontaran space. You will leave immediately."

"We are not familiar with the terms of your claim to this sector, Commander. We are here engaged in scientific research. Do you wish to participate…"

"We have monitored the destruction of our sister ship by the star creature. We claim right of vengeance. We will destroy the alien scum. If you interfere, we will destroy you as well."

The Doctor considered his limited options.