PHOENIX RISING

Chapter 8

Aboard the Lensiati warship Pasinia, warrior Seran thought deeply about all she had witnessed in the last few hours, events that were making her question everything she ever knew about her entire life. She of course had heard of the Doctor, the legendary enemy of the Lensiati. But she certainly never imagined that she would actually see him, even from a short distance.

As a child, she was told that if she didn't behave the Doctor, with his six inch metal death stick, would come and steal her soul and put it in a time loop so that he could torment her at his whim for the rest of eternity. As she grew, she realized that it was just a story used to frighten her into obedience, especially since her studies revealed the Doctor wasn't the horrible monster she imagined in her dreams but rather a dangerous being who dared to humiliate Emperor Ferusi, thus becoming an enemy of the Lensiati. Since that infamous day, all Lensiati warriors had been keeping their eyes open for the Doctor's blue box in the hopes that they would gain the glory which would come from capturing him.

When Grand Commandant Heton announced the capture of the Time Lord, Seran could hardly believe it. At last, after four centuries, the legendary enemy was in the hands of the Lensiati and would suffer for the crimes he had committed. Not that Seran was much interested in observing his torture and death. Unlike most of her fellow soldiers, she wasn't much into the spectator sports; they were far too mindlessly violent. She much preferred a real hunt like she had done in the countryside where she had grown up, picking off wild animals with skill and bringing them home for the whole family to clean and cook. When it came to entertainment, she favored listening to the great operas, performers singing proudly about Herostin, first Emperor of the Great Lensiati Empire. Not only was the music enjoyable to listen to but it also reminded her of where she began and where she was determined to get to, namely to eventually be one of the Emperor's Royal Guards, perhaps even Captain of the Guard.

Nevertheless, despite her own choices of entertainment, she knew that the Doctor deserved the fate he would endure. No one ever defied the Lensiati Empire without justifiable retribution. However, she would soon question just exactly what was considered justifiable.

The Doctor had strode onto the bridge as if walking into a pay-lodging and expecting a service boy to tend to his luggage. And yet, not once did he neglect the slave woman by his side, treating her as if she were an equal. It was an astonishing sight to Seran. Surely such a powerful being as the Time Lord knew that Teranovians were lesser creatures, incapable of anything but the most rudimentary of thoughts and easily frightened into subservience. They only cared about their own survival, often fighting for food amongst themselves and making sacrifices to their gods, sometimes of their own kind, to ensure good weather, happiness, or safety. It was truly barbaric.

Seran was even more stunned when Grand Commandant Heton ordered the planetary bombardment of Teranova in retaliation for the revolt that was happening on the surface of the planet. She'd heard rumors all her life about the Emperor authorizing such drastic actions to prevent a planet from falling from their hands but she never gave the rumors heed until hearing that order. The order saddened her, much like one might become saddened to hear that a farmer had to kill all his livestock to end a disease before it could spread, but she accepted the necessity of it.

And then Seran's universe had turned upside down and everything she ever believed came into question in an instant. She had been close enough to overhear the brief conversation between the Time Lord and the Teranovian, close enough to observe them without being observed herself.

"You don't have to watch," the Time Lord had said to the slave woman.

Seran had expected the woman to turn away from the sight, to heed the advice of the Doctor. Instead, the woman had remained resolute, stating, "Yes, I do." And the look on the woman's face, the sheer terror masked with the bravery of a warrior… This woman, this Teranovian, this creature of a supposedly lesser species… wasn't one at all. She knew what was happening to her planet, she was brave enough to watch it burn, and she cared for those who were dying on the surface. It was clear on her face that, if she had the choice, she would find a weapon and kill every person on the bridge for just a chance to save her people. It was a fact that completely contradicted everything Seran was ever told about the slave races. If this pregnant slave woman could have such suppressed determination, held back only with the realization that acting out would only cause the death of her child and her friend who watched with her, were there other slaves out there of different races that held the same determinations, who weren't the docile, selfish creatures the Lensiati people had always been led to believe? If that were so, then they didn't deserve to be used as slaves, Seran decided. If the slave races all had warrior hearts – even if it were just one of their species – they should be treated as warriors, not property.

At that moment, warrior Seran made a decision. She would research her theories and find the truth. And if her theories proved to be true, she would work her way through the system, use her newfound knowledge to gain followers, and slowly infiltrate the governments of all their worlds so that she could free all warrior-hearts from their undue imprisonment. And she would start with the Pasinia.

Her long journey towards her destiny began.

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Luke Smith woke abruptly, hearing singing coming from the living room. At least, he thought it was singing. He couldn't recognize any of the sounds as being actual words, though there was definitely structure in those sounds. His curiosity piqued, he slowly walked down the stairs and peered around the corner in search of the source of the beautiful sound, which seemed like a mixture of Gaelic, all the Romantic languages, and something that Lewis Carroll created. He smiled with wondrous delight when he realized that the sound was coming from the Doctor's lips as he paced the length of the living room, Phoenix's small form tucked against his chest.

"Come on in, Luke," the Time Lord invited without stopping his pacing, though the melody he'd been conveying was finished. "You won't disturb us."

Realizing that the Gallifreyan had sensed his presence, Luke moved into the room. "What was that?" he queried gently.

The Doctor frowned slightly. "Sorry?" he asked softly.

"You were singing," the teenager pointed out.

"Oh," the alien replied to the clarification. "It's an ancient Gallifreyan lullaby." He wrinkled his nose slightly. "Phoenix woke up a bit cranky."

"It's beautiful," Luke commented, his smile still firmly in place.

"Thanks," came the quiet response. He paused for a moment before finally looking up at the boy. "And thanks for letting us stay for the last few days."

Luke shrugged. "That was Mum's decision," he countered without malice.

"Ah, but your mum wouldn't be letting me hang out in her living room and putting up with my socks in her kitchen sink if she didn't think it was okay with you as well. And it's your house as much as hers, even if she does pay all the bills. And you have been helping take care of Phoenix this week while I made the TARDIS more child-friendly." He gave him a wide smile. "So, thank you."

"You're welcome," the teenager replied, his grin broadening. He moved closer so that he could look on the baby's face. The child snuffled slightly in his adopted father's arms before exhaling contentedly. "How long are you and Phoenix staying?" Luke finally asked, his eyes shifting from the baby to the Doctor.

"The TARDIS will be ready to go in the morning."

"So… you're leaving?" A frown graced the young man. "Does Mum know?"

"She will at breakfast."

There was a long silence between them before Luke spoke again. "I don't want you to go."

The Gallifreyan gave him a knowing look. "I can't stay, Luke. Phoenix may be of Human descent but he isn't really Human. He's Teranovian and he'd never fit in on Earth. It takes him longer to grow to maturity than the average Human. In ten years, he'd still be the size of a five-year-old. He'd feel like an outsider for his entire life. I can't do that to him." He took a breath. "Besides, there's a whole universe out there for him to see. And I do have a ship that travels through time and space so we can come visit at any time." He smiled at the teenager. "Have to make sure that he stays friends with his cousin Luke now, don't I?"

Luke laughed gently at his words.

The Doctor nodded towards the stairs. "You'd better get back to bed. You have school in the morning, don't you?"

The boy nodded. "Yes." He started towards the stairs but stopped at the foot to look back at the Time Lord. "You'll still be here in the morning, right?"

"Yeah," the Gallifreyan confirmed. "I'll still be here."

Luke smiled at the reassurance. "Good night, Doctor."

"Good night, Luke. Pleasant dreams." He watched the teenager go up the stairs, waiting until he heard the sound of his bedroom door closing. Then, turning to the baby in his arms, he whispered, "Way past time for bed for you too." Carrying Phoenix to the bassinette that was set up in the living room, he gently tucked the boy in before taking a seat close by. Before long, he found himself falling asleep in the chair, the soft sounds of Phoenix's breathing lulling him.

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The Doctor dreamt about fire. Nariam's funerary pyre. Teranova burning. The Great Fire of London. The islands of Japan on fire. The destruction of Mondas. The Master's funerary pyre. The Great Fire of Rome. The TARDIS on fire. The destruction of Skaro. Pompeii. The Dalek Crucible burning. Gallifrey…

His eyes snapped open, suddenly awake, his hearts beating fast from the nightmare. Swallowing tightly, he let out a slow breath as he took stock of his surroundings, reminding himself that he was staying at Sarah Jane's house until the TARDIS finished the necessary alterations for Phoenix traveling with them. The child, he found, was still in his bassinette, though it was obvious that the baby had a change of diaper and clothes since the night before. From the way the child was in a deep slumber, it was a good supposition that he had also been fed.

Groaning slightly at the stiffness in his muscles from sleeping in a chair, the Gallifreyan slowly stood up and stretched. As he did so, the scent of coffee and toast assailed him, helping him to finish waking. Checking on Phoenix to make sure that he was in good condition, the Doctor picked up the bassinette and carried it into the kitchen, placing the sleeping boy on the table.

"Good morning," Sarah Jane greeted without turning from the mug she was pouring. She added a measure of milk and three sugars before stirring it and handing it over to the Doctor. The Time Lord accepted the beverage with a "Thank you" and sipped at it. While he much preferred tea in this incarnation, he still enjoyed a cup of coffee every once in a while. He always knew that Sarah Jane preferred the hot liquid to get her day going. It didn't hurt that she was also very good at making coffee, an irony considering the circumstances in which they first met – she'd refused to be the one to make the coffee as she was the only female in the room.

"Luke told me that you're leaving today," she continued as she prepared her own mug and turned to look at him. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" he countered with his own question.

"You slept through Phoenix's crying when he was hungry and needed a change," she pointed out gently. "You looked like you were having bad dreams."

"The TARDIS will wake me if I need to be woken. You know that," he replied, taking another drink from his mug.

"I just think that he should have a stable home environment to grow up in," she persisted.

The Gallifreyan gave a weak laugh. "I seriously doubt that either of us are the prime example of providing stable home environments." He paused. "Are you sure you aren't protesting simply because you don't want us to leave just yet."

"I'd be lying if I said that wasn't part of the issue," she admitted. She gave him a concerned look. "But it's not the only one. I'm worried about you, Doctor."

"I'm all right," he told her softly.

"Now I know something's wrong," Sarah Jane huffed. Seeing the confused look on the Time Lord's face, she clarified, "I learned a long time ago that, for you, 'all right' is just code for not all right at all."

Seeing that she really was greatly concerned for his well-being, he put his mug down and walked over to her. Taking her own mug away, he put it on the counter behind her before taking her shoulders gently. "Sarah…" he said softly. A slow smile spread on his face. "My Sarah Jane. I'm fine. I promise. Besides, you know it's not in my nature to stay in one place for too long. I know you've grown fond of Phoenix since I entrusted him to your care. And I thank you for taking care of him. But if we stayed, Phoenix would have to remain isolated from the rest of humanity until he matures simply because he grows so much slower than a normal human child. Wouldn't it be so much better for him to be able to see the whole universe and meet all sorts of people?" He rubbed her arms reassuringly. "We'll be fine. And we'll come to visit. I promise."

For a moment, as she looked up on his kind face, Sarah Jane swore that she saw her second Doctor, all teeth and curls and an impossibly long multi-colored scarf. She found herself returning her own smile to match that of her friend's before wrapping her arms around him tightly. "You had better keep that promise too or I'll find you," she threatened.

"That I have no doubt," the Time Lord replied before slowly pulling away from her embrace. "Now, I hear Luke coming down the stairs so how about we finish our coffees and see him off to school before finishing loading the TARDIS."

The Doctor gave Luke a handshake and a hardy goodbye as the teenager left the house and met up with his friends for their walk to school. Then, with a little help from Sarah Jane, the last of the baby supplies were loaded into the TARDIS – specifically in the nursery that had been created for Phoenix.

The goodbyes between the old friends was short but heartfelt with the Time Lord once again thanking Sarah Jane for all that she had done to help him and his adopted son. A hug and a small wave later, the TARDIS slowly dematerialized from the yard of 13 Bannerman Road, leaving a smiling, reminiscing Sarah Jane Smith to return to the wondrous life she led.

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The Grand Emperor Perihn strode through the Royal Palace on Lensi with regal majesty, his long intricately braided hair almost brushing the floor behind him as he walked. Just behind him and on either side were two Royal guards. Their own intricate braids, shorter than the Emperor's by nearly a foot, hung in loops from the top of their heads as was traditional for their most important position. Two thin cylinders, approximately one foot in length each and projecting a hologram between them, floated in front of the group.

"General Jray, I was just informed that there is yet another slave revolt in progress. That's the fifth one reported in less than four hours! What the hell is going on with my empire?"

The Lensiati General seemed more than a little flustered by the monarch's ire. "My apologies, Your Greatness, but there seems to be no clear explanation. The slaves on all of our worlds are attacking our armies with incredible coordination. The revolts all started at the same time, stretching our forces to their limits. And it appears that even our own people are joining in the revolt."

"How is that possible?" Perihn demanded as he walked into the throne room.

A voice broke into the conversation. "I'd say that it's because the Lensiati public have discovered exactly how you retaliate against the slightest amount of opposition. And that their slaves are actually warrior-hearts, to use a phrase you would use."

Emperor Perihn stopped abruptly at the sight before him, pushing the holocomm to the side with a single hand. Anger filled his eyes as his guards drew their weapons from their belts, all glaring on the humanoid – one of the slave races from appearances – who dared to sit on his throne. The humanoid was holding a small male child in his arms, though it was obvious that his attention was on the entering royal entourage. The Royal Guards were about to shoot the invader dead, as well as the child he held, but were prevented from doing so with a quick gesture from the Emperor, who found himself suddenly fascinated by the creature. He took several steps forward, his guards moving to either side of the room to insure that they would come to their sovereign's aide at a second's notice.

"You're rather bold for a slave," Perihn commented after a moment.

The Doctor's eyes widened slightly. "You think I'm a slave?" He looked into the Emperor's eyes. "I'm no slave. And neither are your slaves, for that matter. Well… former slaves now."

"Who are you?" the Emperor demanded.

The Time Lord's eyes met his, dark and dangerous. "I'm the Doctor."

"Ah, our greatest enemy."

The Doctor continued as if he hadn't been interrupted by Perihn's query. "By now, those revolts on your various colonies have reached a peak and your satellite governments have fallen. There is also a revolt happening right now on Lensi but your military is completely outnumbered just as they were on the other worlds and they will be defeated just as they were on your colonies. Only General Jray is too frightened to tell you this because, well, if he told you the truth you'd just have him killed."

Perihn shifted his attention from the strange invader to the holocomm floating just to his right, glaring at the image of General Jray. "Is this true, General? Have the colonies fallen to… slaves?" He said the last word with distain. Not receiving an answer, though it was plain by the expression on the General's face what the answer was, he growled in fury. "Commandant Seran, shoot him."

Seran, who stood just behind Jray, straightened visibly at his order. "No, Your Greatness," she responded firmly.

"What?!" Perihn bellowed.

"Commandant Seran knows where her loyalties lie," the Doctor informed the Emperor. "And they aren't with you but rather the people of Lensi and her colonies."

Seran nodded to the Doctor's words. "I grew up on one of the outskirt colonies. My family never owned slaves. And I was honored with the chance to join your military. I was merely a new recruit assigned to the Pasinia when Grand Commandant Heton ordered the bombing of Teranova. I watched the planet burn for the acts of a small handful of slaves, a rebellion that could have been stopped without the genocide of an entire people. And when you actually commended Heton for his actions, I was sickened." She raised her head slightly. "I love our empire, Your Greatness. But I cannot condone such horrific acts. And I am not alone in my feelings on the matter. Half the crew of the Pasinia agreed with me. What we did to Teranova wasn't a hunt and the Teranovians weren't animals. None of our slaves are lesser beings and they all deserve to be free. The Doctor and his martyred Teranovian companion, mother to the child he holds, proved that to us."

Seeing the querulous expression on the monarch's face, the Gallifreyan clarified. "I introduced them to the Last of the Teranovians, my adopted son." He indicated the boy in his arms who appeared to be about two Teranovian years old. "I told anyone who wanted to listen about his mother, how intelligent and brilliant she was, and how she died saving her child. Seran, having been there, backed up the facts of my words and then encouraged the Lensiati people to pass along the story. I figured that since it worked once before on another world far from here, it should work here too. A revolution using words as often as possible. And I showed them how they could coordinate their efforts so that all your worlds acted at exactly the same moment, thus reducing the amount of casualties."

Seran continued her narrative, working off of the Doctor's words. "It took several long years but we have positioned ourselves in key posts on the colonies and there we slowly arranged the revolution, gaining strength with time. We spread the Doctor's story amongst the people and, once we had gained enough public support, we coordinated this final stage of our revolution using the techniques he taught us."

Perihn laughed slightly. "You really think that this… inconvenience will bring down my empire?" He turned to his guards. "Kill the Doctor and the child." He then shifted his attention back to the holocomm. "General Jray, hunt down those traitors and kill them. If they want to see genocide, let them be the first to taste it themselves."

No one moved to obey his orders.

"I said, kill them!" he bellowed furiously.

Again, there was no movement to comply.

The Time Lord took a breath. "I think, Your Greatness, that the General and your guards have come to realize that you aren't worth their lives to protect and obey anymore. As comparatively bloodless as this revolution is, which is quite remarkable considering your people's tendencies towards blood sport, they know that whoever sides with you is destined for execution or life in prison. Oh, I have no doubt that many people have died today – too many people – but revolution has never been pleasant. Yet, sometimes, it is necessary." He took a slow breath as a troupe of soldiers came into the throne room, their weapons aimed at the Emperor. "Don't let there be any more bloodshed, Your Majesty. There has already been too much. Surrender your throne and let your people start a new government, one in which their interests, their concerns are considered."

Perihn regarded the soldiers surrounding him, each with a fire in the eyes that told each was just waiting for him to act rashly and attack them. He watched on the holocomm as General Jray surrendered to Commandant Seran's people, allowing himself to be restrained and taken away. The Commandant was nowhere to be seen in the transmission.

The sovereign's eyes then switched to the Time Lord waiting patiently for his response.

Slowly and deliberately, the Emperor drew his long dagger, causing the soldiers to tense with anticipation. Ignoring their agitation, he reached behind his head and sliced off his braid, letting it fall to the floor behind him before going to his knees and tossing the weapon in the direction of the Gallifreyan.

"You win, Time Lord," he growled, his eyes focused on the calm face of his nemesis. "By the ancient laws of my people, pick up the weapon and begin your reign with my blood."

"I don't want your throne, Perihn," the Doctor told him as Commandant Seran entered the room, marching around the large group. "My only goal here was to insure that what happened to Teranova will never happen again."

"And it never will," Seran assured the Gallifreyan as she stood in front of her former monarch. "Perihn of Strakt Province, the Lensiati have found you to be a tyrant and have followed me into revolution. Do you have anything to say?"

Perihn looked up into Seran's eyes as a small humorless smile reached his mouth. "Only one thing, Seran of Ktanti Province." He paused for a moment before continuing, straightening noticeably. "Long live the Empress."

A second later, Seran swiftly drew her blade and thrust it into Perihn's throat, pulling it out to let him bleed out on the floor. The moment Perihn dropped to the floor, all the soldiers in the room dropped to their knees respectfully before Seran, who stood confidently in front of them.

Phoenix screamed in terror in his father's arms as the Doctor gripped him protectively, shock and anger plain on his face. "What have you done?!" he demanded, his voice rising with fury as he tucked the boy's face against his shoulder, shielding him from the gruesome sight.

Seran turned abruptly towards him. "My duty according to the ancient laws of our people."

"You didn't have to kill him! He surrendered!"

"I made this revolution as bloodless as possible, Doctor," Seran replied forcefully. "I ordered all of our troops to spare the enemy if they surrender, to capture them and imprison them. But this was always a part of it. Perihn knew what his fate would be when he surrendered. His death ends the revolution, legitimizes it with the people, and starts the new dynasty."

"You didn't have to kill him," the Gallifreyan insisted, rubbing Phoenix's back to calm him.

Seran looked up at him sadly. "I didn't have a choice, Time Lord. The ancient laws of the Lensiati are sacred to the majority of our people. In order to gain their support for this revolution, I had to promise to follow the ancient laws of succession. No one in our empire would have accepted this change in our government if he didn't die. Perihn would still be Emperor. If he had attacked us and we killed him, he would be a martyr. Even in death, the people would follow him as their Emperor and we'd be in the midst of a civil war which would last for generations. Millions would have died instead of the few that died today. By cutting off his braid and allowing me to assassinate him rather than imprison him, he validated the revolution with the people. His last act as Emperor was to stop a civil war before it could start and that in itself is an honorable death."

"And now you're Empress," the Doctor stated solemnly.

"It isn't a role I take on lightly, Doctor," she told him bluntly. "I did what I had to do to save my people. It gave me no joy to assassinate the Emperor but it was necessary according to our laws, laws which as Empress I will change." She turned around to face her people, still on their knees before her. "Captain," she called to the Captain of the Royal Guard. The Captain stood at her words and bowed. "Tend to Emperor Perihn's body with all due deference. He was our monarch and should be respected even in death despite his policies. And see to it that the floor of the throne room is given a protective coat so that the Emperor's blood may be preserved and seen. Let his blood spilt be a constant reminder of the great price we all paid for this new dynasty."

Walking towards the throne, she looked up at the Doctor. "You are no longer an enemy of the Lensiati, Time Lord, but rather an honored warrior. We can never repay you for the great service you have done. You and your adopted son will forever be welcome to Lensi and all her colonies. And I promise on my life and the lives of my descendants that the atrocities done by my predecessors will never be repeated."

The Gallifreyan looked into the Lensiati Empress' eyes and saw just how much her actions had affected her, the regret that she had to kill Perihn according to Lensiati law. He could also see the determination in those eyes to change Lensi for the better. He couldn't agree with the method but, understanding the Lensiati abided by their own laws, neither could he argue with it. As horrible as Perihn's death was in his eyes, he knew that Seran was correct in the application of Lensiati law.

Stepping down from the throne's platform, he took a deep breath. "I accept your word, Empress Seran. Just make sure that you do as you have promised. Change your laws. Make it so that this doesn't happen again either. No more bloodshed."

"No more bloodshed," Seran assured. "You have my word as Empress of the Lensiati."

The Time Lord gave her a brief nod before walking around the crowd and out of the room, leaving the former Commandant to rebuild her society.