I was at a loss for words, before the Doctor spoke up, "We must read your history books", the Doctor suggested, gaining their attention.
"You will be welcome to do so, it will necessary for me to instruct you all in computer languages", Enlightenment told us, and we were all unsure what to make of that.
"You should be thrilled, to be teached by the Minister of Enlightenment", Persuasion said as he walked up next to Enlightenment.
"Yes, of course and you must be the Minister of Persuasion", the Doctor replied, "May one asked the purpose of your journey to planet Earth?"
"Resettlement", Persuasion answered, and I looked at the man in confusion.
"Our planet, Urbanka, no longer exists. Inokshi, our sun, was an irregular variable. It collapsed a thousand years ago", Enlightenment explained.
"We left before the end", Persuasion said, "In time of the black hole", Enlightenment added.
"Many of you", the Doctor asked, "Three billion", Enlightenment replied, and my eyebrows raised in surprise at that.
"Three billion", Adric exclaimed, "How many ships", he asked, "One", Enlightenment replied, "One", Adric asked, "This one", she told him.
We all looked in confusion and a slight bit alarmed at the pair as the monopician nearby made that strange sound, which caused the pair to stop talking. All of us continued to eat and drink, and when we were done Enlightenment approached us.
"Now that you are refreshed, you must be seen to your quarters. Bigon will show you, he was the last to use them", Enlightenment told us and I lifted a brow at that.
"I see, so we've accepted your initiation", the Doctor asked sarcastically, "Graciously", said Persuasion, "Of course", the Doctor said and then sighed.
"This way please", Bigon said and then we followed him as he led us through the door and down the hallway. We followed the man until we stopped at a door, which then opened as he approached it.
We entered the dimly lit room, which got brighter the further we went in, "Here you will be comfortable, I was", he told us.
"Yikes", I heard Nyssa comment quietly as the room was completely empty apart from the beds and ourselves.
"Where are the others", Adric asked Bigon, "My boy", the man asked, "The rest of the three billion", Adric clarified.
"I'm sure that Monarch or one of his Ministers will wish to satisfy your curiosity", Bigon said thoughtfully.
"I hope we're not putting you out", the Doctor asked, "No, I have no need of this accommodation now", Bigon told us.
I narrowed my eyes at that, "What do you mean", I asked, "I cannot say", Bigon told me, "Of course", I said respectively, while also being a bit annoyed.
"You're with your family", the Doctor asked him, "I have no family, not since I was rescued from Earth a hundred generations ago", Bigon told him.
We were all surprised and shocked upon hearing this, "I must go now", Bigon said and then left the room, with door closing behind him.
Teagan was quick to run to the door, but not quick enough since it was already shut when she got there. Then she tried to open it, and after a few tries of trying to pull on it, we all knew we were locked in.
"A hundred generations", Adric asked the Doctor and I, after a while of waiting in the room.
"Seems young for his age, don't you think", the Doctor asked, "Humans can't live that long…especially not in the period where he was pulled from", I stated.
"No, they could not", the Doctor agreed as he was thinking, and then sighed as he brushed his hair back stressfully.
"And three billion people, how big can this ship be", Adric asked, "It's impossible", Nyssa added.
"On the face of it", the Doctor told them, "Could be one of those "bigger on the inside" situations", I said half joking, "Could be", the Doctor agreed unsure.
"Oh, I want to get of this ship. I don't want to be rescued", Teagan told the Doctor.
"Make up your mind", Adric told her, "Well, can you get us out of here? Can you get us back to the Tardis", Teagan asked us.
"Oh, I don't anticipate a great deal of difficulty", the Doctor said as he was fixing his hat.
"Good, then I want to go now", Teagan told the Doctor.
"I knew a sailor once, friend of mine", the Doctor said, "Chap named Drake."
"What's that got to do with it", Teagan asked, as we all looked at the Doctor confused.
"He said something like: "There's time enough to get to Terminal three and beat the Armadas too. Now could there only be one of these", the Doctor asked as he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and slowly backed up to the monopician, while taking off his hat.
Then he quickly turned around and placed his hat over the face of the monopician, then used his sonic screwdriver to deactivate sphere. When it was down, the Doctor turned around and smiled while using the same screwdriver to make a high pitch buzzing sound. I guessed it was used to block out the frequencies so that the Monarch, Enlightenment, and Persuasion couldn't hear us.
"Must you make that awful noise", Teagan complained as she sat down on a bed nearby.
"They won't be able to hear us", I told her, "Yes and keep our conversation private as long as I hold down this button", the Doctor said as he showed her the button he was pressing on the screwdriver.
"They must be lying or mad, three billion people on one ship…it'll never get off the ground", Adric commented.
"Of course, they're mad, a hundred generations on this thing, they've got to be mad", Teagan agreed.
"She didn't talk of people, she talked of population", the Doctor said as he was thinking, I glanced at him and then the walls as an idea popped into my head.
"Comes to the same thing", Adric said, "Sloppy thinking Adric, do you know there are at least three billion bacteria in this chamber alone? And if a frog with a funny face head who can turn itself into a semblance of a human being in a matter of minutes, there isn't much of a limit to what it can't do", the Doctor told us.
"Which is amazing and scary at the same time", I commented, "Yes", the Doctor agreed.
"All that's not so difficult", Nyssa said, "Not difficult", Adric exclaimed, "These Urbankans are terribly advanced", Nyssa said.
Terribly is too right", Teagan commented as she agreed to what Nyssa was saying.
"I understand bio-engineering, but I'm also an expert in cybernetics", Nyssa told her.
"What's cybernetics", Teagan asked, "A science concerned with the control mechanisms of machines", Nyssa answered.
"What machines? I've seen large frogs and four very peculiar human beings", Teagan told Nyssa.
"Teagan look around you, we're literally surrounded by a machine", I said as I gestured around the place.
"Exactly and you've seen more than that, you saw two sketches you made come to life", Nyssa told her, "Don't remind me", Teagan said upset.
"I'm sure machines did that", Nyssa told her, "We're talking about flesh and blood", Teagan told her as she was getting more upset.
"Yeah about that…" I commented as the Doctor continued, "We're beginning to wonder…I mean, here we are, four days from Earth on a spaceship with three billion and three frogs, and four Earthlings", the Doctor told us.
"Must you call them that", I asked, "What", the Doctor asked, "Frogs", I answered, then he hesitated for a moment before finally nodding.
"How long is a hundred generations", the Doctor asked Adric, "What's a generation in years", Adric asked, "Call it twenty five", the Doctor replied.
Twenty-five thousand years", Adric answered easily, "Right, right", the Doctor said as I narrowed my brows at him.
"So, it's at least twenty-five thousand years since our hosts last visited Earth, when they "rescued" Bigon. Now, if the return to Urbanka takes the same time as the journey to Earth…how's your history, Teagan", the Doctor asked her.
"How I feel, awful", Teagan replied, "Not to worry, mine is pretty good. Now, the Futu Dynasty in China, I would put it four thousand years ago, the Mayans in South America flourished eight thousand years ago, and Kurkutji the Aborigine says it's been so long since he was last taken he can't remember. How about twelve thousand years", the Doctor said.
"But that's…fifty-three thousand years…there and back", I said with knitted brows, "Exactly, so why do it", the Doctor asked me.
"Are you saying the Aborigine was taken twelve thousand years ago", Teagan asked, "Maybe, it wouldn't be the first time that whole generations have known no other life than a spaceship", the Doctor told her. I thought about the multiple video games, tv shows, and movies that had exactly that premise.
"How many times have they visited Earth Doctor", I asked, "The Urbankans have visited Earth four times…and taken at least one cultural representative. However, this time they're coming for good", the Doctor said to all of us, before he started pacing about.
"Well, when I say good…three billion Earthlings plus three billion Urnakans…I really don't think so…I really don't think so at all", the Doctor said as he stopped to face us.
"We may need to explore the ship then", I commented, "Ah…yes indeed we do", the Doctor agreed, then we all grabbed our helmets as we followed the Doctor out the door. Which was easily opened as he used his sonic screwdriver.
We walked down the long hallway, walked through another door, which then closed behind us. Upon looking behind me, I realized we had gotten separated from Nyssa and Adric.
"Doctor? Nyssa and Adric are gone", I told him, "We've lost them", Teagan exclaimed as the Doctor walked back up the stairs and tried to use is sonic screwdriver to try and open the door again, to no prevail.
"I get the feeling we were meant to lose them", the Doctor said, then walked back down the stairs and continued forward.
"But your sonic screwdriver worked before", I told the Doctor as Teagan and I followed him, "Yes it did…come on", the Doctor said.
"But we can't just leave them", Teagan exclaimed, "Well, what do you suggest? Come on and try to keep calm, we'll get now where if you lose your head", the Doctor told Teagan as we followed him through another doorway.
We walked into a room where some sort of dance was being performed by the Mayans, we watched from the balcony. Walking on, we noticed more people from different points of Earth's history within the room.
Then Persuasion walked up behind us, "Welcome to our recreational", he said, "Thank you", the Doctor replied and smiled politely.
"Where are your junior companions", Persuasion asked, "I'm afraid they've got lost, you know how children are", the Doctor told him.
"You don't happen to know where they are", I asked Persuasion, "No, I don't as it happens, but they won't get far. Please", Persuasion told me and then gestured for us to sit down, which we did.
"We have these little soirees from time to time, it is a recreation from work and study and representative of the different cultures", Persuasion told us.
"How is Urbanka represented", the Doctor asked curiously, "We have no comparable culture concepts are for the primitive", Persuasion told us, when we looked back at him, he turned and walked away.
When the performance was over there was an applause then another group from a different point in Earth's history started to perform.
"Shouldn't we go look for the others", Teagan asked, "No, no", "Soon", the Doctor and I answered her question at the same time.
"As Persy over there said, they can't be far", the Doctor said, gesturing over to Persuasion.
"What if they harm them", Teagan asked, "Why should they", the Doctor asked, "I don't know why, but I think they will", Teagan replied.
"Nonsense, wouldn't make any sense", the Doctor told her, "It doesn't have to", she told him.
"Maybe we should go look to see if they're alright", I told the Doctor, "Try to look happy", the Doctor told me, and I was slightly taken aback.
"We're worried", I told him firmly, "This place is mad, and I think your mad too", Teagan told him.
"Well, take advise from a mad man and try to look happy. Look as if you are enjoying yourself, in these situations it's the best form of defense and it'll give me time to think", the Doctor told us and then waved at "Persy."
The next performance was over, then there was another applause, before another group from a different point in history performed.
Bigon then walked up behind us, "I want you to look as if I'm explaining the contest", he told the Doctor, as he kneeled beside the him. "I must see you in private as soon as possible", Bigon told the Doctor.
"I fancy I've made our quarters private enough", the Doctor told him, "Good, could you divert the attention for a moment", Bigon asked him.
"I'll do my best", the Doctor replied, "In ten seconds, please", Bigon said, before he walked away.
"Act after me", the Doctor told Teagan I, before he stood up and pretended to faint, "Doctor", Teagan and I exclaimed as I quickly grabbed his arm, then knelt beside him to see if he was alrigtht.
This action seemed to get Persy's and the monopician's attention as both came over to us as I helped the Doctor get back on his feet as Persy asked, "Are you not well, Doctor?"
"Quite all right, thank you, just a dizzy spell. It must be the altitude", the Doctor replied as he rubbed his temples. When Persy saw that the Doctor was alright, he and the Monopician went away as the three of us returned to our seats.
"What was all that about", Teagan asked, "A little diversion, I think we're on to something; Bigon wants to talk to me", the Doctor replied.
Before the performance or fight was finished, the Athenian stabbed the other with the sword and the other fell to the floor. There was an applause as Teagan ran out and I was shocked at what had seen, I didn't expect them to actually kill each other.
The man was then dragged out as the Doctor and I chased after Teagan, we ran all the way into the resting area or our bedroom, where we found Teagan crying.
The door closed behind us and the Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver, then pressed the button as it made a high-pitched buzzing sound.
"I can't say we share your taste in entertainment", the Doctor told Bigon, as he held down the button on his sonic screwdriver.
Bigon looked confused and then looked at Teagan in concern as he went over to comfort her, "It is not as it seems", he told her, "It was a ruse, he isn't really hurt. The man's going to be fine."
Then Bigon explained how all of them were taken from Earth to live on the ship, just as the Doctor explained before. After a while of explaining, I was a bit speechless, "Looks like you were right", I told the Doctor.
"Yes…so there were four visits, four thousand years or so", the Doctor asked Bigon, "No the first visit was over thirty-five years ago, when Kurkutji was taken. It took twenty thousand years for Urbanka to reach Earth. Monarch has doubled the speed of the ship on every subsequent visit", Bigon told us.
"So, you last left Urbanka one thousand two hundred and fifty years ago", Teagan asked.
"How can organic life endure that long", the Doctor asked, "Yeah, you'd have to be some sort of robot or something", I joked.
"You wouldn't be too far off", Bigon told me, "What", I asked, "The only organic life aboard is in the flora chamber", Bigon told me as he stood.
"This compound is not me", he said, then removed his shirt and then removed a flap of skin to reveal cybernetics underneath. Then he did the same thing with his face and showed the cybernetics underneath before putting it back. He then pulled out a chip out of his chest that was connect to him by a cord as he showed it to us.
"This is me", Bigon told us and then pointed to a lower part of the chip, "This is my memory of two thousand five hundred and fifty-five years, linked to that which is my reason and my intelligence, and linked to that which is my motor power", Bigon told us.
"Incredible engineering", the Doctor commented, "What is the compound made of, if not organic? If you don't mind me asking", I asked curiously.
"Not at all, this compound is a polymer, stretched over a non-corrosive steel frame", Bigon told me, "It's wicked, evil", Teagan told him, "Not in of itself, as with all technology, it is the use to which it is put", Bigon told her.
"Exactly, just three silicon chips", the Doctor said impressed, "He still seems like himself, so it can't be all bad", I joked.
"Yes, and my reasoning chip contains more circuits than there are synopses in your brain Doctor. Each linked by lines one hundred nanometers thick", Bigon told the Doctor, who just nodded.
"What's a nanometer", Teagan asked, "Oh, a thousand millionth of a meter", the Doctor told her, "No, I'm sorry I can't believe that", Teagan said.
"What's so hard to believe? He's standing there right in front of you", I told her, "Yes and like it or not, Teagan, you're looking at a fact. If not a fact of life, this ship contains the entire population of Urbanka, nine billion silicon chips", Doctor added.
"No, not so many, some are slaves…robots. They have but one chip, the motor circuit. Those are they that wear the disks", Bigon said, as he pointed to his hand.
"So, the Aborigine, the Chinese man, and the Mayan are…", the Doctor said then trailed off, "All are as I, yes", Bigon told him, "The leaders of four ethnic groups."
"So, the Urbankans chose a leader from different points in history and from all over the world. Why and what for", the Doctor asked, "My guess is that they'll be easily accepted, but are you happy", I asked.
"We have been made immortal, why wouldn't we I be", he told me, "That's not really an answer", I told Bigon.
"So, it would seem…so long as you have spare parts, you can go on forever. All you need is raw materials", the Doctor told him.
"The reason for Monarch's invasion Of Earth, the visits established its suitability", Bigon told him, "Of course, that's it! He's after the silicon", the Doctor exclaimed.
"What", Teagan asked, "One of the biggest components of the Earth's crust is silicon", the Doctor told her, and my eyes widened in realization, "And all the chips he wants", I said in horror.
"And the fossilization", Bigon added, "Oh, yes…Carbon too", the Doctor said.
"First, he intends to replace the population of Earth with his own", Bigon told the Doctor, "With three billion people", Teagan asked.
"He can do it, the landing will be peaceful, he has prepared a message of peace and will offer them the help of his advanced alien intelligence. Therefore, he will want your help", Bigon told us.
"Why", I asked, "To convince the people of Earth that he means them no harm", Bigon told me, "He'll get no help from me", Teagan told him.
"Don't be too sure, in the mobiliary there is a deadly poison; the deadliest in the known universe. The Urbankans secreted it in a gland, it causes organic matter to shrink in on itself. One-trillionth of a gram would reduce you to the size of a grain of salt. With this he will conquer Earth", Bigon told us. I had a feeling there was something more to this, however if their plan was to destroy Earth by draining it's materials, they needed to be stopped.