IDChapter37
The trip back to Karn was uneventful, as soon as Jack and Jon disembarked and greeted Rose and the others, Jon called a meeting.
"First of all, I apologize for running off again so quickly. I invite you all to please remain afterwards and ask me any questions you have, I'm sure you have many.
"Koschei has been dealt with. He was found guilty and is being punished, I doubt any of us will ever see him again. Isana stayed behind to get some rest, she will be returning in about a week, and with her will be our benefactor, the Krillitane Esteemed Father. He is bringing us an incredible gift - about 100 Gallis who have been mine slaves on planet Hell. I don't know what shape they were in when he rescued them, but I imagine at the very least they'll need time to acclimate to being free again. Meanwhile, we'll have to build more living quarters and medical facilities to accomodate them all." He grinned as he said the last, he could see the ripple of excitement the news had sent through the small group, and knew the work would be done quickly and joyously.
"Also, with me on this trip are agents who are going to work on purchasing the land here for us. Rose and I came into a lot of money as a reward for defeating those renegade Krills and we're going to use that to create our own country on this planet. However, it isn't a limitless fortune, so we also need to start earning our keep, as it were. I need you all to start thinking about starting your own businesses. This land we are on is rich in minerals, and we will develop an interplanetary market for them, and the profits will be shared among all citizens, but we still need to create other personal revenues so that we can maintain our independence. We need to grow our own food, for instance, and textiles, and medicines ... the list will go on and on." Here he paused and sighed profoundly for effect, and was pleased to see appreciative nods going all around as the Gallis realised the enormity of what they were undertaking. One by one huge grins split their faces as the excitement of the new adventure set in amongst them.
Monna stepped forward. "We'll need some form of government," she said practically. "What was the government like on your home world?"
Jon frowned for a moment, then answered, "It was a bit of a theocracy, a bit of an oligarchy, and a bit of a republic. There were classes of citizens, and you had to be a Time Lord to participate in the Council. I realise you'll all want to think about what form our new government should take, but I do want to advise against a theocracy - the Time Lords got arrogant and imperious on my world, and while there are no guarantees that we won't as well, no matter what form of government we choose, I think we should avoid that particular form."
"A democracy, then?" Dorvack suggested.
"It's a good idea, but impractical. We'll definitely want elements of democracy, but we can't vote individually on everything, else we'd never get anything done. Plus, at times the majority can be tyrannical. Individuals need protection from the majority. It will have to be a representative form of government, eventually, anyway." He grinned. "But right now all we need to do is think about it. Even with the new arrivals, we won't need more than an informal council. Lots of time for planning."
"What about you?" Willem asked.
Jon shrugged. "What about me?"
"Well, the way I see it, right now you pretty much own everything, right?"
Jon tilted his head and stuck his lip out, considering. "Well... yes, as a matter of fact, I pretty much do at the moment, but that's not permanent. I have the resources, that's all. At some point it's all going to be turned over to you lot."
"All of it? Are you sure?" Willem persisted.
"Well... mostly, yeah. I mean, Rose and I do plan on having our own home, as I'm sure you all want for yourselves, you and your future families. Is that what you mean?"
"Not really. What I mean is, it sure seems to me like you're being alittle - well, a lot too generous. What are you really getting out of all of this? The Esteemed Father cutting you a sweet deal on taking over the planet or something? I mean, you really believe that we'd believe that you're going to let all of this go? I'm not buying it!" Willem stood defiantly with his hands on his hips.
Jon paused for a moment, letting the accusation sink in. It simply had never occurred to him that his generosity would be interpreted in this way.
"I can't speak for the Doctor, but you should know something about him." Jack's voice cut in as he strode over, standing nose to nose with Willem, staring him in the eye, flushed with anger. "The Doctor is probably the least selfish person I have ever met, and I've lived even longer now than he has. He's spent hundreds of years saving people, planets, even universes. What if he does take a little slice of heaven here? What of it? The universes owe him so much more than they can ever give back. I suggest that if you don't like him, or you don't like it here, you can leave. Don't let the doorknob hit ya on the way out!"
Willem looked gobsmacked, whether at Jack's eruption or just the colloquialism it's hard to say. He backpedaled, "I didn't mean anything by it, it's just folks got a right to know when they're trusting their lives to someone, yeah?" He looked around for support but everyone dropped their eyes. "That's all I meant," he insisted, then slunk back behind the group.
"It's s legitimate question." Jon announced, to everyone's surprise. "You're just going to have to take my word for it, though. I can't prove who I am, where I came from, or demonstrate my loss to you, other than to remind you that you've lost a home world and pretty much your whole lives to running from slavery. Just bear with me, and see where it goes. If you decide that my vision isn't one you want to share, you are free to go with our blessings, we'll even try to find a nice place for you to escape to. That's all I can give you, my word. That's all I really have."
"And my word." Rose spoke up.
"And my word," added Jack.
Monna stepped forward. "Your words are good enough for me!" Dorvack joined her. "And me!" Soon most of the small group stepped forward and there were hugs and handshakes all around. Willem and a couple of younger males stalked away.
That night as Rose and Jon lay entwined on their little ledge in the coral cavern, Rose broached the subject of adopting Alia. Jon grinned and snogged her thoroughly. Pulling her even closer to him, he told her, "I was thinking along the same lines. It's a brilliant idea! Have you asked Arianna what she thinks?"
"She thinks it's a brilliant idea, too." Rose smiled.
"Well then, that settles it. Why don't we ask her all together as a family, in the morning?"
Rose settled her head on Jon's chest, tears of happiness welling in her eyes. "Perfect," was all she said.
When they did ask Alia, her response was startling. She stared at them all for a few moments in disbelief, then turned and ran, crying. Jon and Rose looked at each other, aghast, and Arianna ran after her, calling to them over her shoulder, "Let me talk to her."
Alia ran down the hill from the caves and into the grove where Voyager sat, perception filter off now that they had the Krillitanes guarding the area. Alia crept under a thorny berry bush and refused to come out.
"Alia, what's wrong, please tell me!" Arianna insisted. Alia would just shake her head, her face buried in her arms. Finally Arianna lay face down in the grass and began crying, too. Finally Alia could stand it no more.
"Arianna, why are you crying?"
"Because I thought you loved me and would want to be my sister. I thought you'd be happy."
Alia crawled out from under the bush and over to Arianna. "I do love you. I don't want you to leave me like they did."
Arianna looked up at her. "You mean like Daneth and Sabilla did? But they're not like us, Alia. We're your own people. Daneth and Sabilla were just looking to support Koschei, they didn't really care about anyone. We love you!"
The girls hugged and cried some more, mostly out of relief, and the two eventually got up and walked back up the hill to where Jon and Rose were watching and waiting. Arianna explained why Alia had run, and Jon and Rose sat down and took turns hugging Alia and reassuring her, and thanking Arianna for being such a good older sister.
"So," Jon asked Alia after he had wiped the tears from her face with a soft handkerchief, "Is it official then? Would you like to be our daughter, and Arianna's sister?"
"YES!" Alia answered emphatically.
"Then consider it done. You are officially our daughter. Go give your Mum a hug."
Back on the Krillitane homeworld, the refugees from the Usurian mine on the planet Hell were getting some much-needed medical attention. The Esteemed father had instructed that they get the very best of care, and they were positively pampered. While they were being examined and treated, tissue samples were taken and put in storage for the Esteemed Father's private research, next to the DNA samples he had collected from Jon's dinnerware after he and Jack had dined with him, and the DNA samples he had collected from Jack when he had first been convicted and sent to his laboratory. The Esteemed father stayed up late into the night studying the strands of DNA and now he compared Jon's to the Galli refugees, carefully noting where the strands were similar and where they were not. Being able to regenerate was quite an ability, and it was an ability he was determined to have for himself. Of course, he didn't realise that Jon was not completely Gallifreyan. He didn't know that Jon had held back in developing the strands that gave him the ability to re-write his own DNA and become another person. Still, Jon could regenerate, and that was all the Esteemed father was really after at the moment. He had previously aquired Jack's ability to exude pheromones, which was why most people found him so strangely attractive. He never did figure out how Jack came back from being dead. However he did it, it apparently had nothing to do with his DNA.
How fortunate for him that Karnians were closely related to Gallifreyans, and that he just happened to have one to experiment on before applying the changes to himself. How every fortunate for him, and how very unfortunate for Koschei.
And then, of course, there was Isana...