Martusan shows Tegan his vat of luv. Other stuff happens.
Lord Martusan claimed to be pleased to show Tegan, and Turlough, around the hydroponics installations deep under the Citadel. He didn't touch Tegan or speak to her other than politely. On the other hand, she was sure she wasn't merely imagining that his attention was mainly on her. He certainly noticed her sheer black stockings, which actually pleased her as acquiring them had taken a half hour struggle with her much put upon wardrobe. She needed them to go with her black and red plaid narrow skirt and bright cherry red raglan sweater. These were an excuse to wear the red ankle boots.
Turlough had been interested in visiting the hydroponics facility until he heard about its location in the cavernous chambers deep below the Citadel. Tegan had wanted to learn more about Gallifreyan food, and the Doctor had insisted that Turlough accompany her. Now that she was down in these windowless chambers, she was glad of his chaperonage.
Most of the units were enclosed in opaque white material that concentrated the light used to grow the plants. The effect was like walking among captive moons. The light was diffuse, and there were plenty of deep shadows. Not all the plants grew under full light, and there were open gardens of night blooming plants.
"All growth intended to serve as food is in sealed chambers," Martusan said at her ear. "These plants have been bred for ornamental placement, and are hypoallergenic."
"Do you work with the force-screened gardens?" Tegan asked, circling to the other side of the planter.
"Yes. The gardens at the base of the Citadel preserve old genetic lines of plants, as a base stock for our reference and for historical value. Some are full biospheres, maintaining animal life that would otherwise go extinct, having lost their natural habitat."
"What about that continent, the one that's gone back to nature?" Turlough asked.
"I would term it an uncontrolled ecological experiment. What's the point of letting depleted biodiversity run wild? Scientifically, it's completely invalid. Are you interested in visiting? It's not under my office: I work with the Citadel and the territory immediately surrounding it."
"What's that device over there? It looks like a huge retort."
"It's an evaporation distillery. There's a sample valve on the far side, if you wish to indulge your curiosity." Turlough surged ahead, and Martusan said to Tegan, "You may be interested in the contents of this vat. If you would put your hand in? It's nothing distasteful, I assure you."
Tegan slipped her hand under the lid into something sleek and velvety and warm. "It feels furry, but it can't be an animal, can it?" She wriggled her fingers; they felt like they were caressing a mink coat.
"It's artificial fur growth medium. The fibers are harvested and used in various textiles. It's popular for bedding and upholstery. I think your skin must feel that soft and warm."
Tegan pulled her hand free to find she'd let Martusan corner her. She couldn't leave without brushing up against him. But as he didn't come closer, she held still.
"Yes, listen to me for a moment. A Time Lord has keen senses, but we do not experience the input of our senses as viscerally as you. Can you imagine what that fur would feel like against your bare skin? I have a bed cover made of it. It's most relaxing."
"Good for you. I think I'll pass," Tegan said tightly, and radiated displeasure. She felt like a hedgehog, bristling with spikes.
Martusan smiled. "I've visited your planet. I have observed that humans don't merely value touch, they need it, and they crave it. Somehow, I don't think the Lord President has succeeded in turning you into a Gallifreyan. For one thing, I'm sure he does not want that."
He turned aside as Turlough came back. "It's still a bit raw at this stage, but the bouquet is delightful. The scent of the flowers is used for personal grooming." Martusan turned back and leaned into Tegan, briefly sniffing her hair. "I see you've tried it. It's popular with women."
Tegan glared at him. Martusan hadn't actually propositioned her, but she knew he was attempting a seduction. He smiled imperturbably and walked ahead to the next sight. Turlough whispered, "Did he try something?"
"No," she hissed at him. Turlough shrugged in response. Tegan decided she really hated men, and a convent wasn't what she needed, but a tribe of Amazon warriors. Her veins bubbled with frustration and she was in a foul mood for the rest of the trip. Turlough had to fill her sullen silences. Lord Martusan didn't seem to notice.
- o - O - o -
Tegan tried to calm herself. She was supposed to meet Leela, Andred, and the Doctor to attend a musical performance, and Leela for one wouldn't miss her agitation. She didn't want to feel how she felt, let alone explain this hypersensitivity to every fleeting touch.
A hand reached out and dragged her into a side passage. A voice said, "Shhh!" Tegan gasped, struggled, and found herself released and facing the Professor.
"You scared the crap out…" she lowered her voice at the frantic wave of his hands. "Me. Don't do that."
"I am sorry to be so abrupt, but I thought I should let you know that Keludar is up to something. He hasn't attended class since Otherstide, but I saw him deep in the library, practicing with a toog stick."
Tegan knew what those were. The Shobogans used them in martial arts practice. They were slightly pointed at one end and crooked at the other. "Maybe he's planning to go Outside? He said they'd never make him a Time Lord, because he's so closely related to the Master."
"Yes, Koschei, that proud, foolish boy. Keludar is like him in that. He wouldn't give me an answer, but laughed it off. You know his way. He said he expected to have to fight for what he wanted, but a toog stick won't get him the Rassilon Imprimatur, or… well, you."
"You got that right. I don't believe he'd threaten me with violence. He's too proud to stoop to that, or he'd… well, he wouldn't." An inner calm descended with that certainty. "I'd better go, Professor, I'm going to be late."
"I'm coming with you." He stood straight and squared his shoulders. The stern expression on Professor Omicron's face reminded Tegan that he was a ten thousand year old Time Lord and not to be talked out of his decisions by a human of but twenty-four.
"In public?"
"Everyone thinks I'm dead," he reminded her.
"Seeing is believing, Professor," she countered, but when he offered his arm she took it.
"I'm not letting you walk alone. It's not merely for your sake. I hate to see that boy ruin himself." Professor Omicron shook his head disapprovingly.
"Is he much like the Ma… like Koschei?"
"Koschei was more vain. Keludar's got a solid streak in him that has kept him grounded. He was one of the more promising students at the Academy, a protégé of the President. It only counts against him now."
"It's not fair," she said wistfully. Tegan understood anger, and bearing a grudge against fate.
"It takes a sentient mind to make justice and beauty and mercy out of the unfeeling Universe. That these ideas exist is a lasting wonder to me."
They encountered few people, but those that did stared. "Professor, if everyone thinks you're dead, how come they're staring like they recognize you?"
"Not me, but the stole. It's only worn by Time Lords who reach their tenth millennia."
"And how many of those are there?"
"Including me? Two. Lord Azhangrell hasn't come out of his room in three centuries. He can't get through the door. All he does is eat."
"For three centuries?" Tegan felt a little queasy.
"Unless he's faking it, like I am." He hmmed meditatively. "I don't think that's so. I really don't wish to go looking in on him, so who knows?"
The corridor opened up into one of the big public spaces. The performer was popular, and the crowd was to be expected. There were an unusual number of Time Lords present, and a dozen Capitol Guards. The President can go out in public, but not without his security forces.
"Keludar will have to deal with his lot in life as best he may. As must we all. There's your President. Go along now, my dear, enjoy yourself. No one will notice me with you wearing such a bright red."
As the Professor walked away, a Guard came up to her. "The President is waiting for you, my lady."
She noticed him watching the Professor, and tapped him on the arm. "Lead me over," Tegan commanded. He was obliged to escort her and by the time he was free the Professor would be long gone.
- o - O - o -
Tegan dropped into the seat by the Doctor and crossed her legs. "So did you see him?"
"As large as life and twice as old. What in Rassilon's name is going on?" the Doctor asked plaintively. "I'm the President. You're supposed to tell me."
"I'll explain later," said Tegan.
Leela was staring at her boots as if hypnotized. "They are very red. Do you wear black and red to bring you luck in the hunt? That is superstition."
"It's just that the red is redder against the black." Tegan extended her black-stockinged leg and made a circle with her toe in the crimson boot.
The music began without ceremony, as by custom the performer was held to be simply sitting down and casually playing music. If other people gathered to listen, that was their business. His instrument was a harp that had both physical strings and beams of light, like a theremin. The bright, unhurried notes formed patterns that were too complex for her to grasp, but the shape of the patterns pleased her ears.
The Doctor put his hand on hers and tapped to get Tegan's attention. She tilted her head to his and heard him whisper, "I asked him to play this next piece for you. It's an arrangement of the Spiral Symphony."
She nodded and gave the next piece her complete attention. The musician's hands seemed to hardly move at first. Single notes floated on the air like motes of dust in a sunbeam. The scale was slightly jarring to ears accustomed to human modes of music, but she found that the disharmonies resolved in sequential notes instead of chords. It was a game to follow them through the music, like trying to catch snowflakes on one's tongue.
In the last movement, he kept striking the deepest notes so powerfully that Tegan could taste the sound as it vibrated in the soft tissues of her throat. The conclusion of the music was met with soft Gallifreyan applause in a lasting susurrus. They applauded with one palm cupped against the other palm flat, with more of a puffing sound than a slap.
"The last part represents the collision of the Andromeda Galaxy with Mutter's Spiral," the Doctor told her.
"What, whole galaxies of stars? Crashing into each other?"
"Oh, yes. It's inevitable, but it won't happen for millions of years."
"I'll just enjoy the music, then, and not wait for the real thing," Tegan joked.
Once the concert was over, the performer started putting his instrument away. People drifted up to him, exchanged a few words, and then moved on in an elaborate dance of nonchalance. Tegan found it rather confusing that they should be so insistent on ceremony in some areas and determinedly unceremonious in others. Either way a strict standard of behavior was expected. The Lord President's group received no notable preference. The Doctor enjoyed it all immensely.
So did Tegan, until she spotted Keludar. He waited until their gazes met, tilted his head to once side, then lost himself in the crowd. She excused herself from the party and went in the direction indicated. He waited for her to catch sight of him again before ducking into a privacy cubicle, which in the social sense was effective invisibility. Tegan was not surprised when the door opened to her touch. She stepped in and let it close behind her.
"I am sorry," Keludar said without preamble. "And I am ashamed of having acted so oafishly." His lips curved into the smile that had drawn her from the start, the one that made his eyes sparkle with life. "I'm still not sorry I kissed you. I don't think I'm capable of regretting that."
Tegan stared at his arm. The sleeve of his robe was lumpy. "You've got a toog stick hidden up there, don't you? What the hell do you think you're going to do with it?"
"Fight for my life," he said simply.
"Talk sense, why don't you? Kel, maybe you can't force them to make you a Time Lord, but I don't believe for a minute that you can't make what you want of your life."
"Ah, Tegan. You never fail to astound me. Is that what friendship is, to speak to me like that even after I've wronged you?"
He had turned quiet and serious, with some odd edge to his presence Tegan didn't understand. "I guess it is, at that. I care about what happens to you."
"Thank you. I never guessed such selfless loyalty existed before I met you. You deserve as much in return. I hope you shall receive it."
"Back home we'd call it common decency, not that it's so common." Tegan put her hand on the door handle. "Go back to the Academy, Kel. Think about your options."
Keludar ran his hand through his hair, rumpling it. He was unlike his usual well-groomed self tonight in a generic Patrexean mauve robe. "There's one only you can help me with. I'd like to appeal to the President. Will you take me to him, now, while my nerve lasts? I don't wish you to plead for me, but only to be there."
Tegan stared at him. "Keludar," she said unhappily, "you're not planning anything rash, are you?"
He smiled at her. "Perhaps, but nor am I an assassin. Here, take this, if it will ease your mind. You can surrender it to the President in token of my honorable intentions." With a little twist of his arm, he made the toog stick pop out of his sleeve. It looked harmless, being not much longer than a man's forearm. The pointed end was hardly pointed at all.
"Very well," Tegan said, accepting the stick. "Let's go." She opened the door, ignoring the appalled expressions of the Gallifreyans who were seeing two people come out of the same privacy cubicle.
A guard waved a hand at her, but she couldn't hear him over the sudden rise of crowd noise. She waved back, assuming he was trying to tell her the President was looking for her. Here came the Doctor now, with Leela and Andred behind him.
"There you are, Tegan," the Doctor said, frowning slightly as he noticed Keludar behind her. "We're ready to go now, or did you want to stay?"
Tegan held out the toog stick to him. "Doctor," she began to say. Keludar interrupted her.
"Doctor, I challenge you! I call you to account for the wrongs you have done this alien woman. You have stolen her from her world and made her the object of scorn and ridicule for your own benefit. Relinquish Tegan Jovanka to her own place and time, or overcome my challenge and prove me wrong. Will you contest these truths here and now, before these witnesses?"
tbc