IDChapter16
As Voyager came within range of the Shadow Proclamation's long-range sensors, Jon and Rose took pains to make the ship - and themselves - as innocuous as possible. The software and data they had procured from the space station was wiped from the ship's computer, the Krillitane oil and even Jon's sonic was stowed away in the escape capsule, which was impermeable to sensors. Jon also taught Rose and Arianna how to shield their thoughts. This was an important skill, as telepathy was one of many tools the Shadow Proclamation used to investigate its visitors and research their requests. While their authority was valid and their goals laudable, they were also capable of arrogance and avarice. Jon remembered all too well when the Shadow Proclamation in the other universe had tried to take his TARDIS and force him to lead them into battle.
"Right then, what's our story Rose?"
"We got trapped in this universe fighting the Daleks and Cybermen."
"Great! How do we explain you, Arianna?"
"I'm your daughter - that's all."
"Right! We're a perfectly normal Gallifreyan family, trapped in this universe, helping defend Earth. Once we've accomplished our goal with the Shadow Proclamation, what do we want to do?"
"Look for others like us." Rose and Arianna chimed together.
"Anything special about us?"
"Nope!" They grinned.
"Remember - nothing about Time Lords, nothing about time travel, nothing about regeneration, nothing about changing our DNA. We need to lock away those memories now, and not even think about them until we are well away from the Shadow Proclamation. Time Lords don't exist in this universe, never have."
"Right!" they promised.
"Alright then, lock away now."
All three closd their eyes and visualized the forbidden memories locked in an impenetrable vault, with distance from the Shadow Proclamation as the only key.
They each opened their eyes. "Right then, where were we?" Jon asked.
"I think we were getting ready to make our final approach to the Shadow Proclamation." Rose answered, a bit uncertainly.
"Allons-y!"
After they had been under way for a time, the ship's computer indicated that they had been scanned.
"That's them." Rose stated.
'Yep - p."
Jon noticed an odd bit of very low-level static blip on the radio wavelength monitor.
"They're shadowing us," he stated matter-of-factly, the pun not lost on Rose.
They heard nothing further until they were a few hours journey from their goal. They were hailed by an approaching patrol ship and Jon put it on-screen. The captain of the patrol ship was a Judoon.
"Earth vessel Voyager, you are approaching restricted space. You must change course immediately."
"Nice to meet you, too. I am Doctor Jonathan Noble-Storm, representing the planet Earth. On behalf of Earth, I ask parley with the Shadow Proclamation."
"One moment, please." The screen went blank for several moments, then flickered back to life. "Earth is a Level 5 planet, we have no jurisdiction there."
"Agreed," Jon said, "but they are developing star travel, and wish to petition to be considered as a Level 6 planet."
"One moment please." The screen again went dark, then came back. "You may make your petition. Please follow this vessel and do exactly as you are instructed." Before Jon could respond, the screen went blank again. The patrol ship slowly moved off, and Jon manuvered Voyager to follow, and was almost immediately flanked by two more patrol ships, who almost seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
"There's our shadows." Rose observed dryly.
"Yep - p. No turning back now. "
"I'm gonna call Mum."
"Good idea."
Rose and Jackie chatted quite awhile, Arianna also had to have a half-hour just to tell her GrandMama and Tony all about the planets and stars and such that they'd seen, up close and personal. Eventually, Jackie asked Arianna to give the phone back to Rose.
"I miss you all so much," Jackie said wistfully. "I'll bet Arianna has grown a lot since you left. I mean, the pictures you send are great and all, but I miss seeing my Grandbaby growing up. And I miss you. I even miss that bloke you're traveling with!" Rose could hear her Mum's grin, but also her tears.
"I know Mum, I miss you and Dad and Tony too, and Arianna really misses her Tony. Hopefully we'll find a home soon, and we'll be able to visit whenever we want to." Rose's mental block was working, she hadn't even thought to mention growing a TARDIS. Jackie knew they had to find a place to grow a TARDIS, so she didn't realise Rose hadn't actually mentioned it.
After Jon had had a chance to say hello and tease Jackie's tears away, they regretfully hung up.
A few hours later they approached a string of three asteroids connected by bridges. The Judoon Captain hailed them.
"Earth vessel Voyager, you have arrived at the Shadow Proclamation. The station will be taking over your approach and docking. Please lower your landing gear and disengage your engines now."
Jon quickly did as asked, and they felt a tractor beam lock onto Voyager and guide her into the port. They watched as the station grew closer, Rose and Arianna were in awe of the sheer size of the station, the beauty of its architecture, and the clever way the bridges linked the three individual asteroids. They didn't even notice that the three Judoon ships had left. A set of doors slid open in front of them, and a second beam latched onto them from inside a landing bay, guiding them gently to their destination. They we set down with a barely discernable bump.
Rose raised her eyebrows. "They're really good at that!"
Another Judoon voice came over to comm, "Your bay has been repressurized with an oxygen/nitrogen atmosphere, please disembark immediately."
"We're on!" Jon said, a bit apprehensively.
"Do you get the same bad feeling I do?" Rose asked nervously.
"The time lines seem to idicate that we have to be here. This event is a fixed point in time. We might as well get it over with. Don't worry," he assured her, "I've done this before."
"Yeah, and they wanted you to lead them to war."
"But they knew who I was in that universe. I'm not that man anymore. This should go better," he assured her. They walked over to the hatch, popped it, and Jon stuck his head out, sniffing the air. Satisfied after a moment, he hopped out first, helping Arianna, then Rose out onto the docking bay floor. They approached a door, which slid open into a narrow, somewhat cylindrical corridor. It had a smell to it.
"Decontamination chamber. This ought to be fun." They proceded in, and the door sealed shut behind them, and jets emerged from the walls and almost immediatelty doused them in a warm fluid with a mild antiseptic smell to it. The jets then retracted, and warm air whipped around them, drying them.
"Glad I didn't bother to do my hair!" Rose yelled above the tumult.
"Wish I could say the same!" Jon shouted, trying to spike his hair while the wind flattened it.
Arianna simply squealed in delight.
The wind died down, the opposite door slid open, and a Judoon guard waved them down the white block hall in the general direction of the Shadow Proclamation Forum. The little family held hands and walked down the hall three abreast, Jon and Rose on either side of their daughter. At the end of the hall was a wide arch leading into an airy room reminiscent of a school auditorium. There was what appeared to be a stage area with seats, they walked into a floor area below the stage (with what looked like a podium) that Rose couldn't help but think of as an orchestra pit, and surrounding these two areas were large white overstuffed seats, sloping upward to the back just like a theatre setting. But those seats certainly look a lot bigger and more comfortable, Rose thought to herself. As if hearing her mother's thoughts, Arianna broke loose and ran over to the closest one, plopping herself in it.
"What a lovely child!"
They looked up to the stage area where the voice was coming from, and saw what appeared to be a female humanoid dressed mostly in black robes, with pale, almost albino colouring and black nails. She was smiling down upon them.
"Doctor Jonathan Noble-Storm and family, I presume?" she inquired.
"Yes, and would you be the Shadow Architect? No, no, of course not, it's too soon to bring on the big guns, isn't it? So, you would be some sort of underling then, but still way above us, that's why you're up there looking imperious and benevolent instead of down here on our level, isn't that right? Well, we can fix that..." He sprinted around the pit to a half flight of stairs at its side, vaulted over the railing, bounded up the stairs, and raced to her side, stopping on a dime right in front of her, thrusting out his hand.
"Hello, I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm the Doctor."