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Chapter Two: Guardians of Koprulu
Imperial Palace, Korhal IV
Two Hours Prior
The quiet of the modest suite was shattered by the sound of a TARDIS materializing, the blue police box phasing into existence in the far side of the bedroom. The doors cautiously slid open, and a hand holding a sonic screwdriver poked out. The device pulsed several times before the owner stepped out of the box entirely, eyes taking stock of his surroundings. A desk piled high with intelligence reports, an unkempt bed, and a night table with the owner's few worldly possessions.
The Doctor wrinkled his nose in disgust as the smell of alcohol assaulted his senses. A partially-consumed bottle of whisky lay open on the night table, next to the badge of a Confederate Marshall and a framed picture of a beautiful redhead in military gear.
"Doctor?" Amy questioned as she and her husband cautiously stepped out of the TARDIS, "Where are we?"
The Doctor's eyes flitted between the badge and the picture, cold realization dawning upon him.
"Doctor?" Rory cautiously approached the Time Lord, eyebrows creased in concern.
"Amy. Rory," the Doctor slowly turned towards them, "Get back in the TARDIS and lock the door."
The couple immediately obeyed, whirling around just in time to see the TARDIS doors lock. They futilely jiggled the handles, banging on the door several times for good measure, before turning back towards the Doctor.
"Listen to me very carefully," the Doctor's voice dropped to a whisper, "There are forces here not even the Time Lords dared interfere with."
"Doctor?" Amy spoke with all the confidence she didn't feel, "What are you talking about? Where…when is 'here'?"
"We're on Korhal IV, year 2510. Center of the Terran Dominion, and two years after the races of this sector forged an alliance to slay a mad god. A new emperor on the throne, poised to lead humanity in this sector to a new age of peace and prosperity."
"So it sounds like everything worked out," Rory interjected uncertainly, "So why are we here?"
"During the Time War, an entire Dalek fleet invaded this sector. Even if the Koprulu sector hadn't spent the last decade in constant warfare, they couldn't have possibly stood a chance. And yet, the Daleks were annihilated in minutes. Right in orbit around this world, just a few hours from now."
Imperial Palace, Korhal IV
Present Time
"Well," the Doctor muted the television with a pulse of his sonic screwdriver before loudly clapping his hands together, "I believe some introductions are in order."
A telltale breeze in the doorway alerted the Doctor to another presence. He pretended not to notice.
"Amy, Rory, meet Valerian Mengsk, second Emperor of the Terran Dominion," the Doctor continued down the line, grabbing each person's hand and vigorously shaking it "Preserver Rohana, formerly a…keeper of memories is the short version, and now ambassador of the Unified Protoss. And this is Alexei Stukov, formerly an Admiral from Earth and now the representative of the Zerg Swarm to the Dominion."
The Doctor subtly turned his body to face the still-open door. Amy and Rory awkwardly waved at each introduction.
"And let's not forget Matthew Horner, Admiral of the Dominion Fleet, and Jim Raynor, General of the Dominion Special Forces," the Doctor's smile briefly fell as both men's expressions hardened.
The Doctor suddenly made a grabbing motion and seemingly wrestled with an unseen object. Even Amy and Rory feared their longtime friend was having a fit of some sort. The Time Lord's sanity was vindicated as a pair of silvery goggles suddenly materialized in his hands, followed by a woman with short blonde hair and a form-fitting suit. The Doctor paused, staring into the woman's eyes for several seconds.
"You've stopped mind-wiping them?" the Doctor turned towards Valerian.
"Reforming the Ghost Program was one of General Raynor's earliest initiatives," the Emperor recovered quickly from the interruption, though his hands still hovered over the pistol at his hip.
"Anyway," the Doctor took several steps towards the gathered dignitaries, pulsing his sonic screwdriver and forcing a Spectre out of cloak before continuing, "I'm here to help you with your Dalek problem."
Dalek Extermination Fleet Flagship
Approach to Korhal IV
The extermination fleet's first wave ignored what little resistance the Dominion could muster, the golden saucers screaming past the unwieldy battlecruisers to strike at the planet below. The cloud of Dalek warships split into squadrons of six, each assigned a sector of Korhal's surface to cleanse of life. Aerial Daleks swarmed the skies, ripping through any Terran aircraft sent to meet them. Several Gorgons broke off and attempted to intercept the extermination squadrons, which only left them flat-footed when the second wave slammed into the Dominion defenses.
"Squadrons commencing attack!" a Dalek officer grated out
"Extermination of all inferior life-forms estimated complete in thirty kilo-rels!" another screeched from across the bridge.
"Prepare the mining platforms," the Supreme Dalek boomed, "The humans' destruction will pave the way for our plundering of this world."
"Alert! Alert! Receiving incoming message!" another staccato voice reported, "It is the Doctor!"
"Hello," the Doctor waved, "Fancy seeing you lot here!"
"All squadrons, intensify bombardment of Korhal's capital district!" the Supreme ordered.
"Koprulu Sector," the Doctor deliberately rolled the 'r', "That's a fun name, now isn't it? So tell me, you come here hoping to wipe out the inhabitants, blast apart a few dozen worlds, and plunder the resources needed to keep fighting. Did you even think for a second that this sector was protected?"
"You have nothing, Doctor," countered the Supreme Dalek, "The fleets of this sector are annihilated, its armies broken."
"Ah, well, I don't get to say this often, so listen up," the Doctor kicked back in his chair, "I'm sitting this one out. This sector already has protectors, and I'm going to bet they'll be none too happy with you."
"A thin deception," retorted the Supreme, its voice somehow brimming with arrogance, "The Xel'naga thought themselves gods, yet were exterminated in the end."
"You see, you're going to feel something no Dalek has ever felt before in the next few minutes. You're going to wish that you were up against me," the Doctor charged ahead, "Because you see, I would have given you a chance to flee. You wouldn't have taken it, but I would have given you the option before blowing your fleet out of the sky. This time, though? I don't think you're getting that option."
With that statement, the viewscreen blinked off.
Emperor's Office
Imperial Palace, Korhal IV
"The Dalek fleet's intensified their firepower around the Palace!" Horner reported as another explosion shook the room.
"What were you hoping to accomplish besides making them angrier?" even the Doctor backed away from Raynor's anger.
"Doctor…" Rory nervously whispered, "Please tell me you didn't just make all of that up."
"Well…" the Doctor trailed off, "They may need a little convincing."
Without another word, the Time Lord and his human companions made a mad dash for the TARDIS.
"Doctor, where are we going?" Rory demanded, gasping for breath at the end of their sprint.
"The Void," the Doctor answered as he pushed the TARDIS door open.
