"Always the long face. Even now."

I recognized the voice, but I couldn't believe it. I turned to look, and sure enough, at the very threshold between the cockpit and the rest of the ship, was the blue box, with the Doctor hanging outside its open door.

"Doc?" I couldn't understand, "But... wasn't... how...?"

The Doctor snickered: "For once, you've run out of words to say."

Maen understood this as well as I did, namely not at all: "Wait a minute! Didn't we leave that blue box back on Coruscant?"

"Well, I did tell you it was a ship." the Doctor explained, "Do you believe me now?"

"Ho there!" I interrupted, "Wait a minute, Doc. I saw Vader's baseship blow up. How did you?"

"I saved myself." the Doctor answered, and continued as soon as he saw that look on my face, "You see, I was working on the broadcast, but then I was interrupted by my future self. He thought I could use some help, so he helped me out. As soon as that was done, we pulled the switch. I'm sure you've seen the result of that."

"Yeah." Maen replied, "It nearly cost our lives too."

"Well anyway..." the Doctor continued, "My future self transported me and Luke back to my Tardis, which I picked up, and then used it to visit my past self, and in so doing became my future self."

After I fully understood what he just told me, I asked: "Doc, I'm no expert, but... isn't there some danger to meeting your past self?"

"There is." he replied, dryly, "But considering the alternatives, I had very little choice, did I?"

"So where's my Uncle now?" Maen asked.

"He told me to take him back to Tatooine." he answered, "He'd been waiting for many years to return there."

"Pardon me." C3PO interjected, "But I fear we can't stay here much longer. So is it possible you could..."

"Come on in." the Doctor made room for us to enter.

"I wasn't even finished." C3PO sounded agitated.

"You didn't have to." I said, as I entered the Tardis, and Maen followed me.

"Oh, the nerve." I heard C3PO say.

Once we were inside the Tardis, Maen asked: "So... Doctor, how long will we be... hypnotized?"

"Depends entirely on you." the Doctor answered, "You have to have learned to use the Force but to certain limits. Once you've developed that patience, it will come back to you."

"Which I gather won't be any time soon?" I wondered.

"Why won't it be?" Maen looked as shocked as she sounded.

"Well, with that baseship gone, Vader doesn't control those droids anymore, so he poses no threat to the galaxy. Right?"

"That is correct." the Doctor replied.

"Oh, that's wonderful." C3PO said.

"But if there's no threat, then how could I learn anything?" Maen wondered.

"You could come with us." the Doctor suggested.

"Come with you?" Maen asked.

"Come with us?" I questioned.

"Is that a problem?" the Doctor seemed to genuinely not understand.

"I don't know." I replied, "I mean, I'm enough of a burden to you as it is. I don't think you need two."

"Hey!" Maen replied.

"Whatever you do. could you please leave me out of it?" C3PO pleaded.

Neither the Doctor nor Maen (or me for that matter), needed to think long about this. We dropped C3PO off on Tatooine, where he could inform Luke about Maen's whereabouts, while the three of us took off.

"So... are you taking me to where you guys are from?" Maen asked as we started our new voyage.

"Not where I'm from, no." the Doctor answered, "But where he's from."

The Doctor pointed at me as he said that.

"Er... is that even a good idea?" I asked.

"Sure, why not?" the Doctor replied, "Your planet knows some great people, like Newton, Einstein, Langdon, Jackson, Jones,..."

"Luther, Logan, Wankel, Big Brother, Bean,..." I countered, "Not a very good example."

"Who are those people?" Maen asked.

"Just wait until we arrive." the Doctor said, "But... I must warn you, you might want to be careful when you use your light-saber."

"Why?" she wondered.

That was a legitimate question. After all, on the one hand nobody has seen the technology before, while at the same time people have seen the Galaxy Wars movies, where the same sort of weapon is used. So she'll either be stormed by scientists asking all sorts of (to her) painfully obvious questions, or by fan boys. Best of luck to her.

THE END