Chapter Eleven- Overshadowed
The Doctor's head was pounding, and his mind was racing. To think that the problems he had dealt with this morning now seemed relatively small. It seemed like an eternity ago that he was in that final stand off with the Master and Rassilon. That was supposed to be it. He was supposed to just die and then get on with his life, dealing with regular level threats like the Cybermen and the odd temporal anomaly. He hadn't been expecting this.
Things kept piling up, one factor after another just coming at them left, right and centre. Rassilon, the Master, the girl, the genocide and now the Ambassador were playing tug-of-war with his attention, and he needed to sort them all out. He kept running through possible scenarios, trying to keep things organized and bring about an outcome that resulted in minimal casualties.
So far it was not looking good.
Fortunately, having the Shadow Proclamation at his disposal would help things along, though he suspected they would be none to happy with what he had to say.
"Well, he's a better driver than you!" the Master snapped at Leah.
Oh. Excellent. They were providing their trip with a commentary on the Doctor's driving ability.
The girl scoffed. "Hey, I'm a fantastic driver! I only violated... seven major traffic laws. That's pretty good. Besides, the car's got seatbelts. I'd like to know what would happen if this thing were to crash. I'd imagine some horrific time event thingy that would result in all of our repeated flaming deaths, and the erasing of the universe from existence. Or something."
Actually, she wasn't far off.
When they finally landed, the Ambassador walked purposefully to the door. "Let me go first. Give me a minute to smooth things over with everyone. I will inform them of the situation and just what you intend to do about it."
"Or," the Doctor cut in, "we could all just go out at once. You can have your reunion party and cake afterwards. I'd love to be there for that, but we're on something of a tight schedule you see. Bit of a rush. Don't worry, they know me here. I know my way around. Won't be a minute."
The Doctor breezed past the Ambassador, the Master following closely behind. Kriel shot the girl a look, but she didn't fully understand what the alien features were trying to convey. She just shrugged her shoulders in response and followed the boys out of the TARDIS.
"Oh no, you stay here," demanded the Doctor. He rounded on Leah, grabbed her shoulders and guided her back to the TARDIS. "I need you to stay put. The second you wander off, something bad will happen, because it always does, and then we'll never get you home. Soon as I can, I'll get someone here to escort you back to Earth. You don't need anymore trouble in this lifetime."
Leah opened her mouth to protest, but the Doctor cut her off. "Look, no buts. This is for me and the Master to handle, and having you around just complicates things."
She rolled her eyes. "Hey, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have even thought to come here. I'm the one who found alien boy over there. I also brought you the other alien boy."
"Yes, and I appreciate that very much," the Doctor said. "But as it stands right now, you are in too much danger to be allowed to continue on this little adventure with us. We're taking you home, and that's final."
With that, the Doctor turned on his heel before the girl could answer. Leah was left to stand in front of the TARDIS, mouth open as the beginning of a response started to form. Sighing and crossing her arms, she leaned against the big, blue, wooden box. She was being told to stay in the car while the big boys go play. It wasn't fair. She was starting to get into the adventure. Though she was exhausted and missed Jack and her mother, she wanted to make sure her contributions didn't go unnoticed. This whole endeavour seemed pretty urgent, so wouldn't more people helping be better? Probably, but whatever the case, none of those people seemed very likely to be her.
The Shadow Proclamation exists within Mutter's Spiral in order to maintain peace and uphold Galactic Law. Located about halfway between the galactic core and the northern outer arm of the spiral, it consists of three asteroids with different roles joined together for the universal purpose of order and safety. The central asteroid is home to the Shadow Architects, and is the hub for the creation of laws and the enactment of justice. The asteroid facing towards the galactic core is the barracks and dispatch centre. Any troops that need to head out into the field are based and dispatched from there. On the final asteroid sits the Embassy. The Ambassadors convene with other centres of enforcement to discuss new protocols. They also establish bases on developing planets within the galaxy to gather more information and deem when they are ready to be governed by the Galactic Law.
Kriel led the Doctor and the Master to the inner sanctum of the Embassy. They ultimately needed to deal with the Shadow Architects to get what they needed, but the Doctor wanted a few answers from the Ambassador first.
The whole place reeked of bureaucracy, which was not conducive to an inflexible schedule. The Doctor needed to get in and get out as fast as possible so they could stop Rassilon and carry on with more important matters, such as what to do with the Master. Unfortunately, bringing back an Ambassador thought to be dead by the rest of the organization made for a few delays. Kriel was facing stacks of paperwork and a multitude of questions about the incident. The Doctor understood that this stuff needed to be done, but did it have to be on his time?
"Oi, pipe down you lot!" the Master snapped at the third group of Ambassadors questioning Kriel. Pushing them all aside, he grabbed Kriel's wrist and steered him away from the crown. "This can all be dealt with later. Our thing can't. We win, now shove off."
The Doctor had to admit, he admired the Master's direct approach. It was certainly effective.
When they finally reached Kriel's office they had somewhere quiet to do business, and it was time to talk. The Ambassador sat behind his desk, the Doctor took a seat on the other side, and the Master took up his post leaning against the wall in a corner. Leaning seemed to be his go-to "casually sarcastic" stance.
"I don't know how I let you talk me into this," grumbled Kriel. "We're going to have to make this quick though. I've got a lot to deal with when this is over. Coming back from the dead just isn't that easy anymore."
"Yes, as quick an painless as possible is probably our best bet," agreed the Doctor.
"Well, what do you want to know first?"
"Tell me about the virus," said the Doctor. "How did it start? What did it to? Why weren't you affected? Most importantly, where were all the bodies?"
The Ambassador sighed. "It was awful. Ardat Seven was a Level Five planet, only slightly more technologically advanced than Earth. They didn't stand a chance. One day some Slorox start getting sick. It advanced slowly at first and didn't seem fatal, but it was still worrisome because a lot of them were catching it. The virus was nothing any of them had ever seen before. So I started investigating. I'm not supposed to interfere, merely to observe, but I began to get suspicious. See, the disease didn't match anything in any of the databases I have access to, and believe me, I have access to a lot of databases.
"Nobody's dying yet, but nobody's getting any better. Then one day this guy shows up – the guy you're looking for I imagine – and says that he can help. The Slorox haven't made any sort of contact yet, so naturally the government are feeling pretty xenophobic. The ones who are sick want to take his help, but the ones in charge refuse it. Then all Hell breaks loose.
"Everyone seemed to get sick overnight. The medical staff couldn't keep up and started getting sick themselves. It was airborne, and when people started dying... well, I have no idea how it's even possible, but this is the worst part. When the people died the bodies... decomposed in a way I'd never seen before. They just seemed to disintegrate completely with nothing left of them. When that happened, it released toxins into the air infecting everyone else. The planet was wiped clean."
In his corner, the Master kept a neutral expression and a neutral tone of voice, but he couldn't help but say "That's pretty gruesome."
"Gruesome doesn't even begin to describe it," said Kriel quietly.
Behind the Doctor's eyes, gears were turning. "The virus didn't affect you though?"
"No, it seemed to target the Slorox specifically," the Ambassador replied.
"What about that man?" asked the Master. "Did you talk to him at all?"
Kriel nodded. "He noticed I wasn't getting sick. Dunno where he was hiding that whole time, but he seemed to be able to tell that I was special somehow, that I didn't belong on that planet. So he confronted me about it. I finally admitted I was an Ambassador. This seemed to intrigue him, and he asked me to join him. Said nobody else had taken up his offer yet and I could be his right hand man. I politely declined and he... didn't take that very well. Destroyed nearly everything I had and left me with no way to escape."
"How long were you there before we showed up?" asked the Master. He was wondering what could possibly be going on in the Doctor's head for him to be distracted enough to leave him to conduct this interview. If he had chosen now to be craving Jelly Babies, the Master vowed to throw the Doctor out the airlock next chance he got.
"Only a few days. To be honest, I'm kind of glad you did because I'm not too sure how much longer I could have survived if you hadn't." The Ambassador paused before he said "You two better go. We've all got a lot we need to get done."
"Fair point," agreed the Doctor. "Thank you, Ambassador. You've been a tremendous help. Oh and Kriel?" He leaned forward and grabbed the Ambassador's hand. "I'm so, so sorry for what you've gone through. Good luck with the clean up."
"Thank you, Time Lord."
Leaping up out of his seat, the Doctor breezed out of the room, leaving the Master to quickly gather his wits and trail after him. "Slow up you spastic ninny! What's going on?"
The Doctor's face darkened but he didn't slow down. It was even more imperative now that he got what he needed from the Shadow Proclamation. "That virus? Not good. Sickness is never good but this one? Very not good. Tailored to target a single species. Developed during the war but never used. They never got the chance."
"The Time Lords were resorting to biological warfare?" marvelled the Master. "What the hell did I miss in that war?"
"Believe me, you're better off not knowing," the Doctor assured him. "But if this virus is any indication you're about to find out. There's no telling what else Rassilon's brought with him. That's why we need to find him and stop him now, before he turns the whole universe into the second Last Great Time War. And believe me, that will not be pretty."
Not just anyone can be an Ambassador. They are a specific species with excellent disguise features. They had once had a name of their own, but they have taken to calling themselves the Ambassadors. Very few beings know what they truly look like, because most of them pick a pet form and stick to it for the majority of their lives. They used to have their own planet, but most of them just live on the Embassy. Still, not all Ambassadors go on to work at the Embassy. Some move to other planets, but nobody would ever know because their disguise technique is so effective.
All those employed at the Embassy are registered and each have their own roles. There are those who head out into the field to gather information, and those who stay at the Embassy to sort and store the information. Because Ambassadors have such long lifespans, they were able to spend centuries on a planet awaiting the proper level of advancement to establish contact and welcome them under the umbrella of Galactic Law.
Kriel Rieg'Hadar had always been part of the reconnaissance team, working hard on a variety of planets to exhaust the information that could be gathered and finally make contact when appropriate. He had already brought in seven different planets under the rulings of Galactic Law, and Ardat Seven had been well on its way to being his eighth.
Unfortunately, he became rather shell-shocked after the events involving the virus. It was time for him to slow down a bit and take up a nice desk job. Sorting information could be fun too. Though he enjoyed the exotic locations he had visited over his lifetime, he decided that living vicariously through the other Ambassadors was just as good. He could live with a quiet life. It was certainly less painful this way.
The Lady Shadow Architect sat behind a giant stack of papers atop her desk, pen wielded in her left hand and a pair of spectacles perched on the end of her nose. Her job was less about the flashy aspects of law enforcement and more about the paperwork. Oh sure she took part in the occasional trial, but the bureaucracy aspect far outweighed that. Normally the Embassy was out of her jurisdiction, but with the return of an Ambassador thought to be dead with the planet of Ardat Seven, she would be signing papers for weeks.
She was still signing the papers regarding Selerias.
They were at a period of relative peace in the Galaxy, and for that she was grateful. There was the mysterious destruction of Selerias, but she had a team investigating. The most exciting thing happening these days was the return of that Ambassador, but that didn't require her to leave her office. Yes, it was looking to be a quiet few weeks spent in her office, signing and initialling stack after stack of paperwork.
If only she could be so lucky.
"Excuse me miss!" exclaimed one of the albino servants and she burst into the Architect's office. "There's a commotion outside that requires your attention."
"I'm a little bit busy right now, have the Judoon handle it."
"I'm sorry madam, but you're really going to want to see this," the servant girl assured her. "He's back – it's him. The Doctor is back!"
Removing her spectacles, the Shadow Architect stood abruptly. "Of course."
The scene in the lobby of the central asteroid of the Shadow Proclamation was one of chaos. The Doctor was positioned at one of their terminals, having easily hacked into their systems. The Judoon were attempting to wrangle a strange blond man who was shouting profanities at them in their own language. From down the hallway yet another stranger, this one a female, was being dragged in by a pair of Judoon. She was thrashing about, struggling against the tight grip they had on her upper arms, but when they threatened her with a nasty looking stun gun, she followed peacefully.
"Order!" barked the Architect. "I will have order." The room fell still. "Thank you. Now... Doctor, I was not expecting to see you back here so soon. How did you get in here without my knowledge?"
"Came in 'round the back," muttered the Doctor as he sifted through the files.
"They came in with the lost Ambassador, madam. They rescued him," explained the servant.
"All of the commotion was excellent cover," added the Master. His captors had eventually managed a work a pair of shackles onto his wrists, but they maintained a tight grip on his shoulders and stood over him menacingly.
Leah had been released by the Judoon and was standing in a corner. She rubbed her arms, which were a bit red, and she looked a bit dazed, but she was otherwise unharmed. "What happened to 'we'll get you home as soon as we can?'"
"I thought you didn't want to go home," said the Doctor.
"Well, it's preferable to all of... this," she replied, indicating the room around her. "At home I never got man-handled by space rhinos. Although the experience was oddly similar to making out with Danny Martin two years ago..."
"Enough," ordered the Architect. "Doctor, why are you here? Do you require something?"
"I've almost got what I need thanks," he replied distractedly. "Though a cup of tea would be lovely."
"I could go for some coffee, actually," added Leah.
The Shadow Architect sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "This is unacceptable. Doctor, I'm afraid I cannot allow you access to our files without the proper clearance. There isn't an emergency like the last time."
The Doctor looked up for the first time since taking his position at the terminal. The look in his eye was so dark and so intense that it actually caused the Architect to falter. "Oh, there's an emergency alright," he said. The tone in his voice was enough to silence the entire room. "Somebody's escaped the Time War, and he needs to be stopped. I'm assuming you've heard about Selerias? That was him. The most powerful Time Lord has been unleashed upon the universe and it's up to us to stop him. Now, you will allow us access to these files if you want any hope of maintaining peace in the Galaxy and the rest of the universe."
He stared at her, fixing his big brown eyes on her red ones, until she finally gave up. "Alright. Access whatever data you need."
In a flash, his dark expression was replaced with a cheery one. "Oh, thanks, we've got what we need! We'll just be off now and..." he trailed off as the Judoon aimed their weapons at him and his companions. "Oh. That's not a good idea. Preventing us from leaving now would be... unwise."
"We know who your partner is, Doctor," said the Architect. "Since they were returned, we've been keeping close tabs on the planets that were stolen by the Daleks. We know who this man is and we know what he is capable of. His actions on Earth must be punished. We cannot allow him to leave this place. You and the girl are free to go, but the other Time Lord must remain."