9

On the other side of the gate, they almost had to lead Mary by the hand to keep her walking.

"Land of the young," she whispered in Gaelic.

"Something like that." the Doctor replied. Soon they were standing on the hill overlooking the battle field. Behind her, Jenny heard Mary gasp.

"But this is the field of Moytura!" the girl said, staring at the scene in shock. "That's miles an' miles away! An' we only walked the short bit of a way!"

"I thought the spatial component was a little compressed." the Doctor said musingly. "I expect a lot of the physical laws are a little more malleable here. Easier energy absorption, the lighting, all the trimmings. Makes it easier for folks who aren't used to following physical laws. Explains why they get such a shock when they interact with the real world too."

"I thought you couldn't break the physical laws." Jenny commented as they walked down onto the plain.

"Sort of. You can't bypass the laws of physics. But you can slip by them a bit and tweak them just so, if you're good. And they are very good."

Jenny nodded. She had to agree with that.

The camp was becoming a proper staging ground, with simple canvas tents set up in rows. Here and there a more distinctive tent would show up; one of fine opaque polyfilm, and another that looked like animal hide thrown over poles.

"She's got this many people," Jenny noted, "and the first day isn't even over. I'd estimate that she's got over five thousand, give or take a hundred."

"Of course they're not much use if she can't get them organized." the Doctor commented airily. "Might want to mention that to her."

Soon they were near the center of the camp, and the Doctor turned, putting a hand on Mary's shoulder. "Why don't we see if we can find William and the other young bucks from your village. Then I'll take you home." he smiled slightly at his daughter. "You might want to wander over and pay the Lady your respects. Good form and all that."

"Thought you didn't want me alone with the Eternals."

"Yes, well," the Doctor said, tucking his hands in his suit pockets, "I'm sure she'll keep an eye on you." With a last, mischievous smile, he turned and led the young Irish girl away.

Jenny couldn't help smiling, shaking her head. "Clever clogs." she murmured. "Had it all planned out."

Then she turned, and squared her shoulders.

The Lady was standing over her charts again, her eyes closed. She glanced up momentarily, smiled, and then returned to her reverie. Jenny studied the charts while she waited. An aerial view of the long plain was spread out, showing one encampment at either end. But aside from the topography, that didn't tell her much of anything. And the topography wasn't bad for a battle. Some long, flat places where a large running force could get up speed, but good shelter and concealment opportunities as well. Strategic maneuvers ticked through Jenny's head. She'd need to know a lot more than this though, before she chose a strategy.

Of course, she reminded herself, this wasn't her battle. If she was lucky she might be allowed to fight in it.

Then the Lady sighed, shook her head, and opened her eyes. Her smile seemed sad, almost bitter. "Welcome, Jenny."

"Looks like a good field." Jenny said in reply. "Lots of maneuverability."

"You know of battle?"

"I was created to be a soldier, ma'am. I've got a lot of military knowledge and strategy programmed into me."

The Lady nodded thoughtfully. "And you have wit, as well. That was very wise of you, to answer Maeve as you did. And to hide your name so well."

"I haven't got anything to hide." Jenny answered. "I wasn't given a proper name when I was born."

The serene face smiled. "Oh child. Names are not only given by those who shared your making. All that Is named you." The Lady smiled at Jenny's bewildered face. "Look back. Think of the day when you learned the fabric of the four planes. The All that Is gave you your name, if you can find it. Do you remember now?"

Jenny looked down, thinking. She must be talking about the day she had looked into the Schisim. Then Jenny's eyes widened. There had been that moment…the memory played behind her eyes. She saw the Universe, all of it, all things in all times, all things as they were meant to be. And the Universe saw her; recognized her, and, in some way, she felt it acknowledged her, like that perfect light had reached out and touched her, marked her, knew her.

The Lady's smile was soft and proud. "Your name." she said, looking down into the wide blue eyes. "Do you see it?"

Jenny shook her head. "Sorry. No."

"You can find it within that moment. Remember this."

Jenny nodded. Uncomfortable, she turned her eyes back to the charts. "You shouldn't have much of a problem here. Is there a predetermined battlefield?

The Lady nodded, pointing to an open part of the plain bordered by a high ridge on one side. Jenny nodded. "Not half bad. If you go toe-to-toe with equal forces—"

"Which we will not." The Lady said. Jenny looked up sharply.

"Why not?"

The Lady shook her head. "Maeve's army is already twice the size of mine, and the first day is not yet over. We must muster more men, but it is difficult finding those who will do battle. I will lose this first challenge, and I fear defeat in the second. But I have made my vow and challenge. It will be held to."

"Do you know exact numbers at all?"

"Six thousand of mine. Ten thousand of hers. Soon she will rest, comforted in the knowledge that I cannot hope to raise as many as she."

"Good." Jenny said. The Lady turned inquiring eyes on her. "Why?"

"Because she's going to sit on her ass while you get ready. A smaller, well-trained group can easily outmaneuver and defeat a larger group. She's going for size, right? Then you go for skill and ability."

"And this succeeds?"

Jenny nodded enthusiastically. "Throughout history. David can beat Goliath by substituting effort for strength. It's like humans hunting a bear. The bear can kill a human easy, but the humans win because they use their heads. All you've got to do is train up the troops."

"And how long do you think such training would require?" the Lady asked. Jenny's face lost much of its animation. "Usually, about nine months. In a pinch you can manage three months. I'm sorry. We've only got three days, don't we?"

The Lady smiled. "Three days can be longer than you think. One day can last a great while. If you can teach my men, I can give you time in which to accomplish the task."

Jenny's eyes lit up."You'd let me help?"

"I request your assistance in the training and the battle." The Lady said. "Your father is our judge, but you are free to do as you will. Will you aid us?"

Jenny nodded."I'm going to need to know what groups we've got, what culture and time period they're from. Then give me a couple of hours to read up on all of them, and I'll be ready to get started. By the way, what are you doing about food? Humans can't absorb environmental energy."

The Lady's eyes widened. "I had forgotten that. I will see to it."

"Good. With your permission, I'll go through camp and gather the strategic information I need."

The Lady nodded. Jenny gave a small bow, and marched out. She had work to do.

…..

Finally, she'd gotten all their leaders together. There were thirty Eternal-trained Chosen ones, men and women. Apparently the plan had been for them to act as captains and take control of the situation. At that they were worse than useless. They'd called for order, but nobody in the whole group listened to them. There were five leaders of sixth-century Irish tribes. A group from the tenth century led by a man called Brian Boru. Apparently he was a king in his own time, she remembered from her reading. A bunch of men from the third to the fourteenth century who all used the same general name for themselves, Fian, which didn't translate right. She remembered something about that. Roving bands of warriors who spent their summers in the wilderness, right? They were mostly tough young men. They looked good for a fight. In fact, if she didn't do something they'd probably start a fight right now. Then there were the guys who said they were leading 'fenians', from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. A guy in the dress of the 20th century, first world war, who said he was a captain of the Irish volunteers, and two guys from the second world war who had 'one of the green regiments under us'. A woman in 16th century man's dress who said her name was Gráinne Ní Mháille, and that she was the Queen of the North Sea. Some guy saying he was a leader of the Irish Republican lads, and demanding to know what the hell was going on. Another guy said he led the men of the UVF, and was glaring at the Irish Republican guy. They both looked like they were from the 1920's. There was one Spanish guy, who was, if she remembered right, from the 1580's. There was a captain of a 26th century Peace Keeper troop, a 30th century Planetary Defense lieutenant who led a contingent, Eirann division, a 61st century commander of one of the Tracker Scouts Brigades, an 83rd century woman who led a group called the Valera Fighters; she guessed that was a mercenary scout group based on the way the woman was dressed. And a tough-looking 82nd century man who said he led the Green Gremlins. Jenny just hoped that wasn't a sporting team. Mixed in were a bunch of regular guys from all periods, who seemed to be representing either themselves or the people who'd been picked up from one area or another. She was grateful for whatever translation mechanism the Eternals had set up. It allowed them to talk easily. Unfortunately, it also allowed them to argue. And shout at one another. Put a bunch of nervous humans together, Jenny thought, and what do they do? Fight.

"Oi, we've got a blacky here!"

"What'd you just call me?" the dark skinned 83rd century woman demanded, turning on the WWI soldier.

Jenny shook her head. They were a bloody brawl waiting to happen. She got really and truly sick of watching humans fight their own kind. It happened all too bloody often.

"Still like to know what the hell is going on here." The Irish republican growled.

"Stop your moaning." The UVF leader said sharply, "You sound like a child."

The Irish Republican man retorted in Gaelic. Unfortunately, it translated.

"They truly are as savages." The Spaniard said, watching the fight dispassionately.

"And who are you to talk like that?" the 16th century woman spat. "We're all unnerved. Just let them have their scrap and be done with it."

The Spaniard drew himself up. "Woman, I am a commander of the Great and Most Fortunate Navy. Speak to me like that and—"

"Woman? I am a queen, you foreign whoreson, and you'll address me as one, or—"

"Shut up!" Jenny marched between the protestors, shoving them apart "Protestant against Catholic, English against Irish, English against French, Sunni against Shiite, black against white, pure human against neohomonid; don't you people ever learn? Lay off!"

The group fell silent.

"Better." She said. "Now look. You all know why you're here, right?"

There were murmurs. "For Erin." One man said.

"Planetary invasion, right?" one of the young 61st century men said.

Jenny crossed her arms over her chest. "You're here because there's going to be a battle, right? A battle against an enemy hostile to planet Earth. To this world. It's also a kind of contest. We win, they leave. We lose, this world gets wiped out of existence. So, we're not going to lose. I don't care where you're from, or what you're fighting for, or what you think of the bloke next to you. Right now, you're fighting for your entire planet, okay? For your home planet, your existence and your future. You and your men are going to train as an army. And when I'm done with you, you're going to fight like an army too."

"And who are you, girl?" one of Brian Boru's men sneered. "You do not speak over our king."

Jenny stepped forward. "I speak over everybody here. I'm Jenny Good. I've got eighty thousand two hundred seventy eight years of military specialization and strategy in my head. I'm a Time Lord. I've traveled through time and been to every one of your periods and I know how all of you fight. And better yet, I know how your enemy fights. And I know how you're going to win. If you want to die, ignore me. If you want to win, then you'll listen to me."

"You?" the Spaniard said, "A girl?"

Jenny stepped over. "A girl who can break your arm in three places with not much effort. A girl who was meant to be a soldier from the moment she was born. A girl who's seen millions of years of battlefields. A girl who the Eternals themselves asked to train you. Me. Deal with it."

She turned to the rest of the crowd. "Do you want to win?"

Heads nodded. Then the Fian broke into a cheer. Jenny grinned fiercely."Good. Training program starts now."

In the slow, endless day, Jenny assigned the Chosen ones to battalions of a hundred and seventy a piece. Using the tactic of complementary abilities, she put less experienced fighters with men who could teach them and watch their backs. She put a battalion together out of Fian and mercenary scouts, both trained in swift attack and good at keeping a low profile. She paired Grainne's men, Brian Boru's men and the Spanish off into several battalions, so that the people best at fighting all out toe-to-toe battles would be together, and instructed them to train with the aerial support battalion. Six Eternals were assigned to every battalion from the ones who wanted to experience warfare, and several of the younger Eternals who said that they were skilled healers were assigned to find and set up medical accommodations. Though the rules of battle stated that they couldn't use abilities beyond those a human had access to, they were good warriors even hampered, partly because it was difficult to wound somebody who could just reorganize his molecules so that every wound he got healed instantly. There were scuffles, especially when she explained that every battalion would have to camp together, which would separate some people from their friends and their own period.

"You have to tell them that they don't get to question it." She told one Chosen man who came to her, "You're their commander. They don't question you. You're leading men. You're not in charge just because you say that you're supposed to be. You're in charge when you make them believe that you're supposed to be in charge. I want them to camp together because it'll make them get to know their bunkmates, and it'll make them closer as comrades. Now go back and get them moving."

Regular meetings of the leaders were set up in what she calculated to be about weekly intervals. There the Eternals did come in convenient, calling everyone at exactly the same moment telepathically. Getting them together was easy enough, it was just talking to them that was tough. Food was the first priority for most of them. At their first meeting, Jenny explained.

"Right, what you do is go to one of the standing stones designated here on the map, and picture really clearly in your mind what you want."

"We imagine food, and it appears?" the Spaniard scoffed.

"Yep." Jenny said, "Got a problem with that?"

Aside from the fact that a live deer, pigs and cows appeared whenever the one of the Fian bands asked for meat, that solved the food problem. It also fixed requisition, as the men discovered that they could ask for anything from horses to hovercrafts to battle gear and haft-blasters in the same way. Now they just had to learn to use them.

By the end of the first long day, which Jenny reckoned had taken two weeks from noon to sunset, she had a working army infrastructure going. The rest was just training. Weapons training, tactical training, discipline. Turning this mishmash of history into a working army.

Yeah. She'd need the time.

….

"The sun's not going to set for the next month," Jenny said at the early morning meeting that followed a night that, only twelve hours long, had felt unnaturally short. "So I want you all to make sure that you get your sleep. Eight hours to every twelve you're awake. I don't want to see any more of you bleary eyed because you're not sleeping. If your men are having trouble sleeping tell them to cover their eyes with a cloth when they lay down, and if that doesn't work get a melatonin injection or one of the Eternal's tricks from the med staff."

"This out of you." Grianne said with a laugh in her voice. "When have I ever seen you take your rest in these past weeks?"

"Different kind of girl, different sleep requirements." She replied. "I'm getting my rest. You worry about your men getting theirs. And if anyone is the least bit sick in your troops, remember, send them to the medics. And guys, these medics—doctors, healers, whatever you call them—they're really good. Don't treat wounds yourselves if you don't have the tech to do it, okay? So, that's it for the day. Let's get to the training fields. I want to see bullseyes with the blasters out of your men today, Finn. And Mag Rui, a javelin's great, but your men suck on the hand held energy weapons. Work on it."

"My men prefer the ash spear." The sandy-haired bear of a man said. "It is what the Darinii have always used."

Jenny shrugged. "Sorry" she said sweetly, "but gun beats spear, every time. You go up against an energy weapon and you'll end up a black smudge on the field. So, get them on the guns, okay?" She stood. "Okay, like I said. Training field."

She strode down the trail with her men to where lines of targets had been set up. Men were firing blasters, plasma pistols, haft guns and arrows. Some practiced covering a comrade with heavy fire, while others worked on their aim. Further along, wooden dummies were used for sword and spear practice. Jenny nodded to herself. The late-period men were teaching the early-period ones a lot about weapons and tactics, and the early period ones were teaching them to fight with their bodies and their instincts, not just their heads. She swept her eyes over the field. If they kept up this regimen, they'd be in good shape come showtime.

Tactics and maneuvers was where they really needed to drill now. She had started running every battalion through drills in tactical maneuvers, but it was going to take time before they were good at them. And they had to be good. In Jenny's mind every battalion had a specific purpose, from Leaf's aerial battalion to Kelwyth's heavy infantry, to Madwyn and Rabbit's clever guerillia battalions who could worry the enemy's flanks. And then there were the fleet battalions, and the foot battalions.

She still needed to work on her full strategy. It wasn't quite ready. But she knew they'd be hitting hard and very, very fast. Stun the larger opponent, then knock them out. Hit so hard and so unexpectedly that they'd never get a chance to put her smaller force on the defensive.

She noticed Ramble and her sister practicing with javelins. They were laughing, the Walker pointing at a target with a javelin sticking out of it. Jenny smiled. They were together a lot these days, Ramble scouting and the Walker researching his findings, staying remotely connected to her TARDIS through a reading pad. They'd brought in a lot of useful reconnaissance. And it looked like the Walker was having fun.

"Looking good, Soldier."

Jenny turned, her eyes bright. Her father was strolling down the path, hands in the pockets of his blue suit.

"Father!" She ran up the path, catching him in a hug. "Where have you been? Haven't seen you in three weeks!"

"Whoa, there." The Doctor said laughingly, "Three weeks? I only went back to the TARDIS for…" then he snapped his fingers. "She's must have a regional time-dilation going. Must have exceptions in it for all animate life forms and anything with their DNA imprint on it; anything that's been touched. Gives her time to train the troops right?"

Jenny nodded. "Gives me time to train them actually. She asked me to do the training!"

"Brilliant. How's it coming?"

"We've got a lot to do, but the troops are becoming more and more proficient."

"I bet they are, with you training them."

Jenny grinned. "Finally found a use for all the neural programming in my head, hunh?"

Her father nodded, smiling. "Yup. Knew it'd come in handy eventually. And it looks like…" he trailed off, catching sight of the Walker casting a javelin. "Blimey. She's not going to fight, is she?"

Jenny shook her head."Nah. I think she's just hanging out with Ramble."

"And how much 'hanging out' have they been doing?" the Doctor asked, annoyed. Jenny looked up at him."She's safe with him, Father. And I think she likes hanging out with him."

"I noticed." The Doctor said quietly. "Of course the last time she liked a boy, she married him."

Jenny didn't know what that was about, and she figured it probably wasn't the time to ask. She turned."Come on. I want to show you the rest of the camp."

….

"Missed again, Walker." the young Eternal said. The Walker groaned theatrically. "Oh, to have visible timelines again. How am I supposed to aim when I can't see where the spear might go?"

"You must learn to trust your arm, not your eye." He said amusedly.

"My accuracy wouldn't be nearly so poor if I could see properly." the Walker groused. "You're not just teleporting your spears to the target, are you?"
"I am not." Ramble laughed, brushing a few dark curls out of his eyes. "Though I shall remember to do so should any weapon come near you. I fear you have no skill in defense."

"Oh," the Walker said coyly, "you'd be surprised." she handed him his javelin. "Poke it at me."

Ramble looked at her dubiously. "Why?"

"I want to show you something. You're the one who said you loved to learn new things. Go on. You won't hurt me."

Slowly, Ramble moved the practice spear towards her. Carefully, she let time dilate around her. The spear slowed to a standstill, and she neatly stepped sideways, letting time snap back into place. Ramble blinked. "Time twisting." He said. "You do it simply, but quite nicely."

"Well, you've damned me with faint praise." She said teasingly."If I was working at it I'd bet that you wouldn't find it so simple."

Ramble grinned, his green amber eyes alight. "There's a wager in that. You run then, and I shall try to catch you."

The Walker grinned. "Fine." And she took off, zigzagging across the field. She could hear Ramble's feet behind her. With a grin she let time dilate around her, feinting left. She jumped spears and ducked arrows frozen in space, then let herself faze into realtime and back out of it. She was pretty sure of her lead now, and fazed back in. And there was Ramble right in front of her, arms wide open, grinning. She was moving too fast to do anything but bowl into him, knocking him over.

For a long moment, they just lay there, catching their breath, almost laughing. Ramble grinned at her. "My thanks for the practice, Walker."

"Don't mention it."

His eyes were bright. She found herself staring into them. Behind them she could see that swirling of iridescent and complex patterns, so familiar and yet so strange.

And then he laid his lips on hers. Warm and sweet, almost a delicate brushing of his lips on hers, at first. And it grew sweeter.

This time, she didn't draw away from the kiss.

…..

Compared to the impossibly long day, the second night blinked by. The Doctor sat on the brow of the ridge, looking out over the camp. Things looked so peaceful from up here.

"Lovely." Said the Lady's voice. Fabric rustled as she took a seat beside him. The Doctor nodded.

For a long moment, they sat in companionable silence.

"What say you, Time Lord?" her voice was quiet in the silence. "Shall we succeed?"

The Doctor snorted. "You're the all-knowing Eternal. You tell me."

There was another long moment of silence.

"I did know all, once. In my true self I share memory with every other member of my kind. But not now. Skills and memories are scattered among my children. Bits of remembered knowledge. But none of us can remember the whole and still hold this form. So, I ask."

The Doctor turned, his brown eyes old, and met eyes so much older. "Honestly? I don't know. I'm a Time Lord. Pretty useless when I can't view Time. And you've gotten rid of everything but personal causality in this place. But at a guess…I'd say you'll win. I hope you'll win. But I can't be sure."

"We are matched in that then." The Lady said softly. The Doctor nodded.

Their comfortable silence was broken by the sound of feet hurrying on the coarse hillside grass. The Doctor turned, getting to his feet."Mary. What're you doing here?"

"Doctor…" Mary gulped a deep breath of air, pushing her wild hair out of her face. Her shawl was missing, and the Doctor noted that her shoes weren't completely buttoned. "The landlord, he's called in a British regiment. They say they're headed off to fight brigands on the road, but they're going to Rath Dubh, and" she drew a breath, but before another word was spoken she had disappeared.

The Doctor spun around. "What did you do that for?"

The Lady shook her head, eyes wide. She blinked. "She is back in her own place, but the gate is closed to her."

The Doctor frowned. Turning, he called out. "Maeve! I want a word. Now!"

There was a deep sigh to his left. "What is it now, little time-lordling?"

The Doctor turned to glare at the woman. "Why did you exile the human who was just here?"

Maeve shrugged nonchalantly. "One of mine decided she talked too much to this one." She said, pointing at the Lady. "So he removed her. Be grateful she lives."

"You have no right to interfere with people under the Lady's command." The Doctor said, keeping a tight rein on his temper. "Or to refuse them entry. Otherwise the same rules will apply to you."

Maeve stared at him, her expression something like exasperation."So many rules, little man. At every turn. Why are you always thwarting me?"

"Because I'm the Doctor," he said levelly, looking her in the eye, "and as long as you fight the way you do, for the goals you've named, I'll do my best to stop you."

The woman drew herself up. "Then you are no impartial witness, and so no judge." She spat viciously. "Go, and fight for this one. Or leave. But if you fight, know that I will have your name and much torment from you ere you cease to exist. Fool."

And she was gone.