The trip took only a few seconds, or an infinity of incomprehensible madness if you were somehow alongside the TARDIS as it skirted under the membrane of the universe (time doesn't really makes sense outside of the presence of space), and when the wondrous machine finally materialized at its destination The Doctor gave a little yelp of excitement.
"And here we are! Took a bit longer than I expected, I mean we were only going a couple centuries, not surfing around the Mandragora Helix, but still! Aren't you excited K-9?"
"I am all a-twitter, Master." K-9 replied.
"You better not be like this the whole trip, otherwise you're going to have to take yourself on walks from now on." The Doctor chided. "Now come along, just because I'm a lord of time doesn't mean I like to waste it."
Grabbing his overcoat, his walking stick and hat, a black Homburg that completed the Edwardian look that had caught his interest in recent times,and strolled out the door. K-9, the ever-dutiful dog, followed behind.
To the Time Lords, a race much more objective and isolationist than a member like The Doctor would imply, the most convenient feature in any TARDIS was something known as a chameleon circuit. An fascinatingly complex bit of Gallifreyan ingenuity, when activated the chameleon circuit orders the TARDIS to scan its surroundings and mold its outer appearance to that which will garner it the least amount of attention. If the TARDIS was in a forest for example, the chameleon circuit would make it look like a Douglas fir, and it would look and feel and taste just like any of the hundreds of other Douglas firs around it. Aside from the fact that a disguised TARDIS could still be entered and exited (which wasn't normally possible with Douglas firs without great difficulty) and could shrug off multiple hydrogen bombs without a scratch, it was a perfectly anonymous disguise. Perfect for the Time Lord who wished to observe and research in peace & quiet.
Convenient though it may be, the chameleon circuit is also incredibly delicate, and depending on the age of the TARDIS (The Doctor's TARDIS was indeed quite old) and how good the pilot was (The Doctor was not all that good), it is quite shorting the right circumstances. Which is exactly what happened when The Doctor (then with his granddaughter Susan, long and painful story) landed his newly commandeered time machine on the planet Earth, locking it in the form of a police box for a good couple centuries. A police box, to clarify, was the name for a particular model of public communications terminal used in the region known as the United Kingdom in the Earth's mid-20th century. A thing that, by design, was meant to be incredibly noticeable and thus completely unhelpful at leading one to peace & quiet. Whether this was an effect of the chameleon circuit malfunctioning or the pilot misunderstanding the definition of 'inconspicuous' had yet to be determined..
Over time The Doctor grew fond of the police box design, lacking the knowledge required to repair the circuit at the time he had little choice, and he soon began to use it as a identifying symbol. His own personal coat of arms, like the ones used by the Royal Houses of Gallifrey. Still, renegade though he was The Doctor was still a Time Lord, and even he sometimes desired the anonymity that the TARDIS could provide, so at some point (either in his past or his future, he couldn't remember) he decided to repair his chameleon circuit to achieve that. He still kept the police box disguise on default of course, especially if he were visiting Earth or another human dwelling, but when he just wanted to be out and about, the chameleon circuit was on.
This was a case of the latter, so when our alien hero and his trusty K-9 companion exited the TARDIS it looked for all the world like a top-of-the-line navy blue Zefram-class space cruiser, complete with dual fission reactors, a full complement of ion missiles and an onboard computer with the complete works of every Earth musician for the past two hundred years, which fit in perfectly with all the other large, expensive-looking spacecraft around it. In fact, if The Doctor and K-9 were hovering in the air, they would have noticed that this enormous gunmetal gray cavern they had materialized in housed hundreds of ships, all different makes and models, shapes and sizes stretching out as far as the eye could see. A grand canyon of steel & chrome.
"What do you have to say for yourself now, dog?" The Doctor asked, waving his arm about in a grand gesture. "Impressed yet?"
"You've taken us to...a giant parking lot?" K-9 replied.
"It's not a parking lot! Well, I mean, yes, this specific area was built for the purpose of parking, but I mean in general, this is it! Vil-duran, the Life Sanctuary! Crowning achievement of the Vilbrum Protectorate and the grandest nature preserve in the galaxy! Billions of different life-forms from a hundred different worlds, all living, all thriving, on an artificial moon bigger than a dozen Earths! From a race that hasn't even progressed beyond faster-than-light travel no less! Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!"
"You certainly do sell it well, Master."
"Just wait until we get inside proper. You won't believe your optic sensors." The Doctor said. "Now come on, we've got a ways to go to get to the lobby."
For those visiting Vil-duran that, for one reason of another, are unwilling or unable to walk several kilometers to reach the reception area or any of the conveniently-placed MTE pads, high-speed travelators are provided to transport guests quickly and safely to their destination. The Doctor considered these the most fun, so as the two zipped past the rows of vehicles, wind whipping through their hair (K-9 liked to imagine he had hair), the Time Lord decided to pass the time with conversation.
"Interesting people, the Vilbrumin. Started out a lot like humans, really. Holy wars, genocides, environmental disasters, all that terrible stuff. Before they ended up destroying themselves however, they developed something that humans never did quite as well: Empathy. They could feel literally the emotions of other lifeforms, touch their minds, all that stuff. Makes it a bit hard to kill your fellow man when you can feel their fear and pain blaring in your mind like a foghorn."
"Most assuredly, Master."
"So rather than destroying life, they became venerators of it. Ended all wars, reduced the progression of climate change, championed the arts and sciences, and so on. A complete and total cultural shift, Renaissance times a thousand, and what was once an average, seemingly unremarkable humanoid race became one of the most advanced and influential species in this sector of space. If you meet a diplomat, doctor, engineer or poet around here, chances are they're either a Vilbrumin or was taught by one."
"The year the Vilbrum Protectorate was founded, their leader, Emissary Sul'Surok, passed a motion for the construction of an enormous nature preserve, one able to suit the needs of any and all animal and plant life housed within it, so that no species need fade away to oblivion due to the actions of another. Since no naturally occurring celestial body has the degree of environmental diversity necessary to support that many exotic species, they decided to make their own, put it in an empty solar system nearby. A thousand years later and poof! Here it is, as big as life and free of charge. Just the thing for a couple of space hobos like us."
"It certainly sounds like an ambitious project Master." K-9 admitted. "How do they manage to maintain it?"
"Well they're a post-scarcity society, so most of the materials they need can be synthesized with little effort. Plus any donations from allies and member planets." The Doctor said, absentmindedly adjusting his hat. "Not to mention some good old fashioned man power and elbow grease. It's considered a great honor on Vilbrum to be chosen to work in the Life Sanctuary."
The pair lapsed into silence for the rest of the trip, which turned out to be not that long at all, as all the travelators seemed to lead to the same large crowd of people, who were all standing in front of something that looked like an equally large airplane terminal. The very thought of it sent a shiver down his spine, much the same way when he was facing down Daleks or similar horrors, but he had already made a grand case of it to K-9, and he hated to see the pup disappointed. So they had to wait.
Still it wasn't all bad. It did give him a chance to reacquaint himself with Vilbrumin, after all these years, as they made up the entirety of the service personnel and a decent number of the crowd. Generally speaking they didn't look all that much different than humans, probably the reason why they got along as well as they did, just a bit pointier. Pointed eyebrows, pointed ears, aquiline features, hair that looked like it was cut by a plasma saw. On paper those qualities might have suggested austerity, stoicity, but the Vilbrumin exuded such an aura of peace and warmth, and their clothes were so extravagantly colorful (the people of Vilbrum loved their primary colors) that any criticisms about their appearance quickly melted away. The Doctor found himself grinning just by watching them mill about, engaging in idle conversation, talking about the animals they were looking forward to seeing. Never on Gallifrey would you see such enthusiasm for existence, for gaining new knowledge and experiences. Such a marvelous little species, he really did need to visit them more often.
After a period of waiting that felt several times longer than it took to actually get there, The Doctor and K-9 finally reached the head of the queue. A male Vilbrumin stood behind the counter, dressed in a striking blue uniform. As the time traveler stepped up he seemed to have a hint of confusion on his face, but it was quickly replaced with a smile.
"Greetings, and welcome to Vil-duran." He said with a small bow. "My name is Len'Tetrel. How may I be of service?"
"Ah yes, we'd here to go on one of your safaris. Or wilderness excursions, whatever you care to call them." The Doctor replied. "Sleep on the artificial ground, breathe the artificial air, that sort of thing."
"We appreciate the sentiment sir, although we do try our best to keep things as natural as possible." Len'Tretrel said, typing some things onto a nearby computer. "May I ask how many members are in your party, and their names?"
"Two, I suppose. I'm The Doctor."
"Doctor-?"
"Yes, that's about right. And this fellow down here," The Doctor pointed down, "is K-9. I do hope you allow pets around here, you know in all the to-do I completely forgot to check."
"A recurring theme in your life, Master." K-9 said.
Len'Tetrel leaned forward to follow the Time Lord's finger, and when he leaned back that previous hint of confusion had compounded. "Well, normally pets are prohibited, due to their potentially adverse effect on the environment, but I think we can make an exception in this case."
"See K-9, you're exceptional!" The Doctor said.
"Affirmative."
"Alright, and where would you like to visit during your stay? I know the Odmali Tundra is very popular this time of year, what with the cavern wolves awakening from their hibernation. If you're a fan of marine biology the methane oceans of Rixx are also quite a sight."
"Hmm, it's all very interesting…" The Doctor mused. "Do you have anything Earth-related, by any chance?"
"Master!" K-9 interjected.
"What?"
"If you wanted to see Earth animals, why did we not simply visit Earth?"
"Because I already know how humans treat other animals on their planet," The Doctor countered, "so now I'd like to see how aliens do it. Maybe here they get a little bit of respect."
"We do have a a few Earth biomes" Len'Tetrel replied, as he read off a computerized list. "Pacific Ocean, Amazon rainforest, African savannah…"
"Oh, Africa! I haven't been there since I did some dream interpretation for a very repressed pharaoh. We'll take that one."
"Very good sir, a fine choice." The Vilbrumin replied, typing up the order at a speed that would make a stenographer jealous. "Unfortunately there's not that much demand for the Earth biomes, so the expedition party will be quite minimal. Is that okay?"
"Quite all right, I work better in small doses." He shot a glare at K-9. "Not one word."
"I would not dream of it." The robot dog innocently replied. Although everything he said sounded innocent.
"Alright, everyone is taken care of on this end. If you head down the door to the right," Len'Tetrel gestured, "and type the word 'AFRICA', all in capital letters, into the command console, the transportation chamber should let you out where you need to be. Thank you for patronage."
"Good, good, thank you." The Doctor said with a big grin. "Lovely people, you Vilbrumin, just lovely. Come along K-9."
Len'Tetrel watched as the strangely dressed man and his robot dog (did they even still make robot dogs anymore?He thought they had gone out of style almost immediately) walk off towards the transport chamber. Then he looked at the reservation order he just made. He only just now noticed that he had never gotten the doctor's full-name, never ever pressed him for it, and that he couldn't recall that ever happening before. All he had one was one word, Doctor, and a question mark.
He shrugged. Most Earthin he had met in his life trended toward the eccentric, and this doctor was very much the same. Nothing to worry about. He put his smile back on and went back to work.