The side-doors to the courtroom opened and a small elderly-looking Time Lord dressed in imposing-looking heliotrope robes strode into the large chamber, before stopping before the Inquisitor, who was still seated by her desk.
"I came as soon as I could, my lady," he said with a courteous bow.
"Thank you, Keeper," acknowledged the Inquisitor, before she swivelled her chair to face the Doctor, who was still standing in the dock placed next to the double doors of the main entrance, which was still being guarded by two members of Chancellery Guards.
"Doctor, do you have any further evidence in your defence?" asked the Inquisitor.
The Valeyard abruptly stood up from his own desk, as sinister-looking in his black-robes as he had been since the trial had begun. "My lady, with all due respect, have we not seen enough?" he argued. "Are you not forgetting Article Seven and the irrefutable charge which faces the Doctor, that of genocide?"
Annoyed by this interruption, the Inquisitor glared at the Valeyard. "I shall deal with that charge in due course, Valeyard. Now kindly don't interrupt me again."
A little chastened, the Valeyard got back into his seat as the Inquisitor turned again to face the Doctor.
"Doctor, do you have any further evidence in your defence?"
"No, my lady," said the Doctor crisply, flamboyant as ever in his coat of many colours, "but I would point out that much of the Railyard's so-called evidence was a farrago of distortion which would have had Ananias, Baron Munchhausen and every other famous liar blushing down to their very toenails. Much of the evidence was not as I remembered."
"Do you still maintain that the Matrix has been tampered with?" asked the Inquisitor.
"Yes, madam, I do. All I do not yet understand is who did it and why."
"Your accusation would be laughable if it were not so outrageous," said the Inquisitor cooly, evidently not convinced by the Doctor's statements. "However, as you see, I have summoned the Keeper of the Matrix."
She turned to face the old Time Lord who had just arrived. "Keeper?"
"My lady," said the Keeper as he stood to attention before the Inquisitor.
"You have heard the Doctor's allegations. Is it at all possible for the data stored within the Matrix to be tampered with in any way?"
"Quite impossible, my lady," said the Keeper firmly as he proudly gestured to a large old-fashioned-looking key attached to the collar of office that hung about his shoulders. "No one may enter without the Key of Rassilon."
"And by whom may the key be used?" asked the Doctor.
"Qualified people, for inspection once in a millennium, perhaps. To replace a transductor," replied the Keeper.
"But keys can be copied, you'll agree?" prompted the Doctor.
The Keeper looked outraged by this very suggestion. "The Key of Rassilon never leaves my possession," he said crossly.
"Except when it's in the hands of those qualified people," concluded the Doctor.
"This is a ridiculous allegation, my lady," scoffed the Valeyard as he rose from his seat again. "The Doctor is challenging the evidence of the Matrix on the grounds that it has been tampered with, a charge he is totally unable to substantiate."
"That is accepted," agreed the Inquisitor, before turning to address the Doctor. "Doctor, wild accusations of malfeasance do not constitute a defence."
"The Matrix can be physically penetrated!" insisted the Doctor, refusing to back down with his life on the line. "The Keeper has admitted as much. Now, much of the evidence you saw was totally at variance with my own memory. Therefore, it has been deliberately distorted."
"And who would do such a thing, even if it were possible?" inquired the Inquisitor, clearly running out of patience.
"Somebody who wants my head, such as... the Valeyard!" proclaimed the Doctor as he pointed an accusing finger at his prosecutor who simply laughed at this accusation.
The Inquisitor regarded the Doctor icily. "Doctor, if you were not already facing the most serious charges, such an accusation levelled at a senior prosecutor would bring you into contempt!"
No one in the courtroom had any way of knowing it at the time, but at that precise moment the Doctor was about to get some surprising evidence to support his claim from the most unlikeliest of sources. Outside in the vastness of space, the Time Lord's Trial space station drifted silently through the darkness, when all of a sudden, the station's tractor beam, the same one that had previously attracted the Doctor's TARDIS, activated again, seemingly all by itself, its vast beam of blue-white light shooting through the porthole and out into space. Down this beam of light, three coffin-shaped containers tumbled down through the porthole and into the station. Seconds later, the containers had all materialised on their sides in a small alcove adjacent to the reception area where the TARDIS had landed.
For a moment all was still. Then the sound of banging began to be heard from inside the containers and the first one opened up to reveal a rather scruffy bearded man, dressed in breeches, boots and a ragtag-looking jerkin with a large stylised epaulette on his right shoulder. This was none other than Sabalom Glitz, intergalactic thief, planetary swindler and general troublemaker. He was just getting his bearings when he got distracted by a voice shouting angrily from the container directly next to his.
"Hey, what's the big idea? Get me out of this thing!"
"Uh-oh, I know that voice," said Glitz thoughtfully as he pulled the lid of the container open. From inside, a young woman in her early twenties clambered out, dressed in a sleeveless pink wrap top, pale blue culottes, white stiletto shoes and a loose-fitting kimono-style pink trimmed jacket with a stylish pattern of various shades of pink, blue and white. But the most noticeable thing about the girl was the fact that her head was completely bald, with not even a trace of stubble remaining. However, despite the lack of hair, Glitz recognised the girl at once.
"Well well, if it isn't the lovely Miss Peri Brown," said Glitz pleasantly. "What brings you here to this satellite in space?"
Peri glowered at the troublesome crook. "Sabalom Glitz? Oh great, just when I thought my day couldn't possibly get any worse."
Glitz gave a faux hurt look. "Charming as ever, eh? Though you look a little different since we met on Ravalox."
"Oh, don't remind me," sighed the young American botany student as she ran a hand over her smooth scalp in regret. "I didn't exactly ask for this haircut, if you must know."
Before she could elaborate, a shrill voice suddenly came from the third of the containers that had brought them here. "What's going on? Let me out of here!"
"Hey, who's that?" said Peri as she ran over to the container and worked to get it open.
"Probably Dibber," said Glitz, assuming that his partner in crime had come along for the unwilling ride too. "Though I wonder what's happened to the lad's voice?"
"I'm not Dibber," retorted the red-headed girl who Peri helped get out of the now-open container. "Neither am I a lad. And what's more, there's nothing wrong with my voice!"
"Oh pay no attention to him, he's not exactly the best guy at manners," said Peri as she smiled at the perplexed look on Glitz's face, before she held out a hand to the girl. "Hi, I'm Peri."
"Melanie, known as Mel," the young woman introduced herself with a friendly smile as she accepted the handshake. She was an attractive girl with a mass of curly red-hair and was dressed in a blue-coloured outfit, consisting of a plain top, trousers, boots and a loose cardigan.
"You're American, aren't you? From Earth? I don't suppose you've got any idea of what we're all doing here, do you?" Mel asked.
"Not a clue," said Peri. "A few minutes ago, I was on a refugee ship heading for Thoros-Alpha, helping some freed slaves get back home, when this way weird beam of light appeared and I found myself in that clammy box."
"Sounds similar to what happened to me. There I was, having a nice stroll along the beaches of Florana, when all of a sudden..." Mel's words suddenly trailed off as she realised something. "Hang on a minute. You said your name's Peri? As in the Doctor's friend, Peri Brown?"
"What?! You know the Doctor?" said Peri excitedly. "Is he here?"
"Well, he better be," said Glitz. "I've a message to deliver to him as a point of fact."
"Oh really?" said Mel as she eyed Glitz suspiciously. "As a matter of total disinterest, who are you?"
"Oh, Sabalom Glitz," said Glitz with a small bow. "Are they all like you here?"
"I don't know. Shall we go and find out?" suggested Mel. With that, the three of them walked out through a doorway into the reception area. There, a familiar sight greeted the two girls.
"The TARDIS!" exclaimed Peri. "That settles it! The Doctor's got to be here!"
"Well let's go and find him then," said Mel. "Maybe he can tell us what on earth is going on."