Chapter 7

Galifrey, Arcadia

Lilith pondered whether she would ever get used to such magnificence. And it seemed that they never would. Because now they floated along on a platform with what appeared to be a glass dome covering it. The platform had chairs so people could sit while the platform moved of its own volition toward their destination. She felt a gentle hum under her feet as she leaned against the glass, staring at all the amazing buildings. She was sure each one was bigger on the inside and full of wonders and purpose. The outsides shone with reflective surfaces, making them just as golden thanks to the sunlight. How it all made her head spin. The curator was talking but she could barely hear him as she eyed the buildings. Finally she heard something of interest, "Hmmm? Come again?" The Curator smiled and pointed, "See that one there? That building is the primary school. Our son will start attending once he is three. They will teach him how to read and write and as many languages as they can. They also teach basic mathematics, art, science, history. This is where he will attend until he is eight years old. Then I will enroll him in the Academy. That is where all Time Lords of high station attend. He will learn everything else there."

Lilith frowned, "It sounds like your society has a large difference between the classes."

The Curator raised an eyebrow at her, surprised that she would give such a clever statement. "Societies can be utopian without being absolutely perfect. But yes, you could say there is a large gap. How can you guess so well?"

Lilith shrugged and said, "It all starts with the education. If you have one school for the rich and one for the poor then clearly the society makes a massive distinction between the upper class, lower class, and middle class. And stop giving me that look; I am not some street urchin. While class distinction does exist in America, we are all entitled to a college education."

The Curator was staring at her with a new appreciation. Apparently she was a clever girl. That suited her just fine because she knew he wouldn't go around thinking he was the bigger contributor to their son's upbringing.

The conversation ended there because the platform had landed on a large platform. It was nicely decorated with a small well cultivated garden, but her eyes were on this building. It was the biggest building in the entire city. She was certain of that. She took her son from The Curator. "You guys certainly like your style."

Again the Curator gave her a raised eyebrow. She looked to him and decided to elaborate. "I mean you all got that tech that makes your buildings bigger on the inside. But you still choose to have massive buildings instead of stuffing the extra space into shacks." The Curator nodded, liking her more and more for her wit. They headed through lovely double doors that opened automatically. The inside had a lobby of sorts. With many people dressed for work. But judging by what the Curator wore in comparison to others, Lilith could guess the big collars and funny head caps meant he was a man of station. A lot of the people here wore very elaborate lovely robes but no caps or collars. She looked to the Curator and said, "What is up with the politicians wearing funny clothes while the normal people wear nicer stuff?" The Curator chuckled a bit and headed for an elevator. But a woman rushed over, "Hello. I am your host. I was ordered to bring you both up to the council." She gave a slight bow of the head. Then she joined them in the elevator.

"I am told to bring you miss to the waiting room while the Curator speaks to the council."

Lilith raised her head and said, "I will be staying with the Curator."

"But miss…"

"Nope, I'm not separating from the only man that is looking out for my well-being."

"But the law says-"

"I don't care. I'm sticking with him. I doubt there is any time lord law that bosses around humans since humans aren't even allowed here."

The Curator watched with glittering eyes. The woman turned to him, "Sir…"

The Curator shrugged and said, "Do you really want to see how she is like when she doesn't get what she wants?"

The woman looked deflated at that. They arrived on their floor and Lilith walked with the Curator.

Lilith had changed quite a bit since last the Curator met her. When he got her pregnant she had seemed flirty, busy, but this bossy attitude was new. At least it was new to him. It pleased him to know she would be looking out for herself as much as she could. "Time with that River Song woman really made an impact."

Lilith looked to him, "Actually it's something my mom said when I called her right before we came here. Most people don't understand what she means by what she said. Because when she says it to me, it has a whole other meaning. She said 'Run. Run you clever girl, and remember.' What that means is that I need to take charge of my life with my wit and to remember always why I am doing this. I am doing it for the baby. I'm not going to let time lords push me around. I'm stuck here and there is nothing I can do about that. But I'm not going to let others decide how my life will be run here."

Lilith looked to the Curator. But she could not read that look in his eyes. He was deep in thought on what she said, that was all she knew.

As they reached the doors to the council room, a man walked out. "Ah good, you are here. I am your lawyer, The Crusader."

Lilith blinked, "Crusader as in uh… what?"

He grinned at her, "The Crusader for justice. I handle the cases where the client might be completely overridden by the council. Mostly cases involving children. But you are a unique case as well Miss Lilith. Luckily this isn't the entire hundred-fifty members of the council. This is just the top brass. And this is your son?"

Lilith nodded and smiled to the man. She liked him.

"So I take it you didn't like the arrangements to wait in another room either? Good. The council has no right to force you to stay outside when they are deciding your future. All I ask is you remain quiet and only address me when you've got questions. Basically it's the same as any American courtroom." Lilith nodded, she could understand that. They all walked into the courtroom. It was a small room, somewhat cozy, with a row of seats where about twelve people already sat. Across from them was a table where the Crusader pulled out a seat for Lilith, and then sat in his own seat. The Curator walked over to a seat that was undoubtedly meant for a witness or the accused as was this case.

The council eyed Lilith before one said, "Lord Crusader we gave express instructions."

The Crusader stood and said, "Yes of course Lord President. But article seventeen section C gives her the right to sit here and be witness to proceedings involving her future. And being that we are going to judge her under Timelord law, we must respect her rights under the law as well." The council members nodded and the Lord President said, "Very well then."

A female on the council turned to The Curator. "Lord Curator, you are accused of direct interference with the human beings of the planet Sol 3, otherwise known as Earth, and the mixing of genetics to produce an inferior offspring. The decision to send the human back to Earth with her memories has already been decided. As for your punishment, you shall be stripped of your title and all your lands barring what small home you will need to survive."

The Crusader cleared his throat to cover the noise of protest that came from Lilith. The council looked to him, "Lord Crusader, you have something to add?"

The Crusader nodded, standing. "I have come across evidence that would dispute your ruling. Under article one thousand three hundred and ninety-seven of code billion to the third power, any evidence may be presented after a ruling but before sentencing has been finalized."

He turned, and a hologram came up. It showed what Lilith would guess was a Time Lord's DNA strand. It resembled one but was very different from a human's.

The Crusader then said, "This here is the DNA taken from the child of Lord Curator and Miss Lilith Ebony Kate Walker. As you can see her son is completely Time lord. He has gained certain traits from his mother but rather than having human DNA, his regeneration energy has integrated her traits into existing DNA. He is related to her but the baby is not human. This baby is a pure time lord." He waved a hand and the hologram changed to an image of the brain. "This is the baby's brain. The part of the brain that represents violence inside a human is not active. This child has no instinctual need to resort to violence. The child is also far more developed than any Time Lord brain ever seen at his specific age. This baby I would wager will be among the top geniuses of our planet when he finishes his time at the academy. In short, the child produced from this mix is going to be far more than any time lord could ever imagine." He changed to scans of the entire body. "Bone structure is completely healthy, the regeneration cycles are normal, his sense of smell, hearing, and taste is just as good as any time lord. His sense of eyesight-"

"Yes Lord Crusader. I believe you have made your point. With this new evidence the council must reconsider its verdict based on the genetics of the child as to his placement as being human or Time lord. But our ruling concerning the mother must stand."

The Crusader held up a hand and said, "I also have plenty of evidence to dispute this as well. Studies that will show proof of how important it is to have a mother present in a Time Lord's life. As it is mother and child have already bonded. To separate them after bonding would cause irreparable damage to both mother and child. Even erasing her memory would still leave this human with maternal instincts that would cause a spiraling depression. In short, to put her back on earth with no memory of her child would be direct interference with a human life. The council would be in violation with its own law."

The council woman eyed him, "Need we really worry about the life of a single human?"

"Must I remind you council woman, of the damage caused by one Adolph Hitler after he was abducted by the Chivaldi Rafrudux for study? His return to Earth with no memories of the incident meant the death of countless people. The Chivaldi Rafrudux did not suspect the damage they would cause with only a single human life. And need I remind us all of the laws of time? One human can make the biggest difference."

The council was quiet during this argument. They looked among each other. "The council must discuss the findings made here today. Lord Curator, you have not spoken."

The Lord Curator stiffened, "The mistake I made deserves punishment. I am not denying that fact. I broke several laws. However, I do not think that neither Lilith nor the baby should be punished for my actions. She broke no human laws and she cannot be held by Time lord law for her actions. She has already chosen to give up her life on Earth to raise a child that will in a matter of a few years be far beyond her intelligence. She has fought against many races who seek the secrets of Time Lords by trying to harm the baby. She has fought this far for the sake of our son. And I believe that she will be as good a mother to our child as any Time Lady. And better in comparison to many cases."

The council woman speaking eyed Lilith for a moment. She looked the woman directly in the eyes, wishing she could speak. She finally stood. "I mean no disrespect but may I speak for myself in this matter?"

The council woman then said, "You may. The floor recognizes the human being named Lilith of the planet Sol 3, also known as Earth."

Lilith held her baby as she looked to them. "In the past few months I have had my fair share of surprises. I met an alien that I didn't know was an alien. I became pregnant by that alien. Then I watched him vanish into thin air inside a time machine. In the short time from then to his birth, I have been fighting to stay alive for this baby. And now I fight for the right to be his mother. I can't pretend to understand all the intricate reasons why my presence here is not tolerated. All I can really do is beg you to let me stay. I am resigned to living on a planet that I never knew existed, and I know I will never see my home planet ever again. Please, do not make the decision for me. I love my baby with all my heart and wish to see him grow up into a fine young man who will impress you all with what he can do. Please, I'm sure that at least some of you have been mothers or fathers. I can see it in your eyes. Just, give me the chance to be happy with my baby. Give me the chance to prove you would not regret the decision to let me stay. Thank you for letting me speak."

Lilith sat back down. The Lord President was the one to speak. "I believe we have heard all we need to hear to make a decision. I move for a vote and judgment. I suggest both parents be grounded to Galifrey. This will be punishment for Lord Curator's actions, and as stipulation for the human Lilith remaining a parent to the child."

"All in favor for this judgment?"