Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own anything, nor do I get paid for it.
A/N Thank you for the lovely reviews on the last chapter. The Corsair was very well received.
So, this chapter is quite long and frankly I was hoping to move the story along further than it did but the characters demanded more attention than the action. I do hope you enjoy it just the same.
Link to Rose's dress is on my profile.
Happy Reading!
The Deadly Auction: Preparations
Previously
"So, what brings you to this corner of the multiverse?" asked the Doctor.
"Come inside," said the Corsair, nodding towards the door of her TARDIS. "This is going to take some explanation."
Rose was surprised to see the interior of the Corsair's TARDIS. Despite the flamboyant and majestic exterior shell, she had expected the inside of the ship to look like an actual TARDIS. But she was pleasantly surprised to find that it looked like a ship's navigation room with a control console and time rotor where the helm would usually be.
The Corsair led them to a small but lavishly decorated room next to it, and indicated for them to sit. The Doctor and Rose sat down on the brown leather couch and were immediately accosted by a Siamese cat who purred and crawled into the Doctor's lap.
Instead of sitting, the Corsair propped herself up on the arm of Fitz's chair. "I suppose I ought to start from the beginning," she said. "The Council summoned me a few hours ago."
The Doctor stiffened and his grip on Rose's hand tightened. "What did they want?" he asked through gritted teeth.
The Corsair observed his tense posture with interest. Brax had not been exaggerating about their relationship then. "They wanted me to locate an artefact that's in this universe," she said in a calm tone intended to make the Doctor realise that there was no immediate threat to him or Rose.
The Doctor did relax at her words, though she suspected it had a lot to do with the way Rose was stroking his hand. She filed it away too. "It is one of Omega's," she continued. "Called the Peylix."
At the mention of Omega, both the Doctor and Rose exchanged a slightly apprehensive look. The Corsair couldn't help but be intrigued.
"Hang on, who's Omega?" asked Fitz curiously.
"He's one of the Time Lords from our history," said the Doctor in a tense voice. "I have never heard of the Peylix. Apart from the fact that it was Omega's given name."
"It was?" asked the Corsair in surprise. "I didn't know that. Anyway, as for what the artefact does, that is a mystery."
"You don't know what it does?" asked Rose incredulously.
"Well, until a few hours ago it was thought to be a myth," said the Corsair. "Two Patrexes found it in the Matrix."
Rose and Fitz looked at the Doctor for an explanation. "Patrex is one of the Chapters of Time Lords. They are renowned for their artistry. But they are also said to possess the most foresight, and are often watching the Matrix for important events in the future."
"So they see the future?" asked Fitz.
"In a manner of speaking, yes. They see possible futures, and report them to the Council," said the Corsair. "Though it seems that both those Patrexes are actually on the Council now."
The Doctor's gaze snapped to the Corsair. "Two Patrexes on the Council?" he asked in surprise.
"I was surprised too," said the Corsair. "They generally steer clear of politics."
"What about the rest of them?" asked the Doctor sharply. "Who else is on the Council?"
"Romana's still President, of course. Your brother is the present Cardinal. Ortan is the Castellan on duty, Narvin's the Coordinator and Andred is still the Commander of the Chancellery Guard. Other than that it's Nosebung, Straxus and our two young Patrexes," said the Corsair, listing them off.
"Nosebung?" asked Rose.
"Vansell," the Doctor told her, his lips quirking a bit despite himself. "He did not appreciate the nickname I gave him back when we are at the Academy together."
Rose stiffened at the mention of Vansell and the Corsair watched as it was the Doctor's turn to soothe her. This was just getting curiouser and curiouser. She cleared her throat. "Anyway, the Peylix is supposedly at an auction on Platform Zephyr near Earth in the year 4 billion 57," she explained.
"And the Council approved of you contacting me?" asked the Doctor with a hint of disbelief in his voice.
"Not quite, but Brax was insistent," said the Corsair with a smile. "The Council is keeping an eye though, so he has warned us to be careful. That being said," she paused and glanced at Rose. "I would understand if you'd all rather not get involved."
The Doctor sighed at that and glanced at Rose and then Fitz. "Can I convince you both to stay behind in the TARDIS?" he asked in a tone that indicated that he already knew the answer.
"Nope," said Rose without any hesitation and the Doctor smiled ruefully at her.
"Fitz?" asked the Doctor.
Fitz would have loved to have a bit of a rest since they'd been practically travelling continuously for the past three months. But the Corsair was pretty and interesting as far as he could see. It would be stupid to let up the chance to get to know her a bit better. "I'm not staying behind," he said, sounding a lot more confident than he was feeling.
The Doctor looked at the Corsair who laughed. "Alright then," she said. "I'll say it again, Doctor, you pick them well."
"It is as much their choice as mine, Corsair," said the Doctor with a small incline of his head. "So, what do we know about this auction?"
"Mina? Mina! Where are you?" called Warren as he bustled through the foyer in search of his wife.
"What's wrong now, Warren?" asked Mina, ordering the wait staff to their positions and walking up to him.
"Marchioness Fleetwood's table is short one chair," he said.
Mina cursed under her breath before reaching for the communicator attached to her bracelet. "I'll take care of it. Is the security team done yet?"
"I'll check," said Warren as he jogged off to find the Head of Security.
Mina's call connected and she got hold of the decorator who promised to fix the Marchioness' seating arrangement. She'd throw a fit at the smallest thing, so it was important to deal with it as soon as possible. "Lady Hilbert!"
"Yes?" asked Mina as she turned around to see her assistant, Numi, almost out of breath as she ran to her.
"You are not going to believe this," said Numi, waving a piece of paper at her.
"What is it, Numi?" asked Mina in a long suffering tone.
"We are getting two more guests," said Numi excitedly.
"Oh no," groaned Mina. "Who are they? I swear, the venue is full and if the Duchess is trying to pull in another guest…"
"No, ma'am, not at all," said Numi, knowing that she'd be thrilled as soon as she knew. "They are representatives from Gallifrey. The Time Lords."
"So I took the liberty of sending the RSVP for two representatives of Gallifrey," explained the Corsair.
"Why only two?" asked Rose.
The Corsair grinned. "Because that's where you and the Doctor are going. You both will be the people on the inside. Fitz and I, on the other hand, will be the cat burglars who attack from the outside."
"Hang about, if they have an invitation and all why don't we just bid on the damn thing?" asked Fitz.
"Because the Council wants it kept quiet," said the Corsair.
"It's not just humans at this event," said the Doctor. "A lot of them would be very curious if a couple of Time Lords started bidding on a shiny bauble."
"So? Are Time Lords not allowed to like shiny things or something?" asked Fitz with a chuckle.
"No, they don't. These sorts of things are for appearance's sake only," explained the Doctor. "A way to let the rest of the rich and powerful people of the universe know that we are still around and keeping an eye on things."
"Which, despicable and self-centered as it is, is indeed necessary," said the Corsair diplomatically. "The two of you would have to be on your best High Council stick-up-the-arse behaviour," she added with a glance at the Doctor and Rose.
"But if they know about Time Lords and all, wouldn't they know that I am not one?" asked Rose.
The Corsair smiled a little. "Oh, you will be fine, trust me. Looking like you do, you should have no problem."
Rose's brow furrowed at that, somehow getting the impression that the Corsair was not talking about her physical appearance. She glanced at the Doctor, who looked very, very embarrassed for some reason. Rose raised her eyebrows at him, but before she could ask him what was wrong, the Corsair clapped her hands together.
"Right then, we should get changed," she said. "Fitz, with me. Doctor, you and Rose must have the appropriate clothes in your TARDIS, right?"
"Yes," said the Doctor, looking glad for the change of subject. "It shouldn't take us long, and the sooner we get this done, the better. No offence, my dear Corsair," he added slightly apologetically.
"None taken, believe me, Doctor," said the Corsair sincerely. "Thank you for doing this. And you as well, Rose, Fitz."
"No problem," shrugged Fitz with a wide smile. "Always happy to help."
"Right then, come along this way," said the Corsair, nodding towards a door that would take them deeper into her TARDIS. With a nod, the Doctor and Rose took their leave and went back to the Doctor's TARDIS.
Once inside, they went their separate ways with the Doctor going into the wardrobe room, while Rose knew that her clothes would be laid out by the TARDIS in their room. It was still quite funny to her how annoyed the Doctor got that the TARDIS laid her clothes out for her.
Sure enough, there was an exquisite dress laid out on the bed for her. It was a beautiful golden colour with delicate embroidery all over it. It was quite modest as far as clothes went but Rose had seen the way that people on Gallifrey dressed. With the exception of Leela, she hadn't seen anyone bare much skin. It only took her a few minutes to get into the dress, and she was surprised at how heavy it felt on her body.
She looked in the mirror and frowned a little. While the dress made her look far more regal, she still looked like herself; young and human. She looked at her long hair and tried to remember how the Time Ladies wore their hair. With a start, she remembered that she had never seen any of them with their hair down. They were always held up in intricate and elaborate styles, that looked incredibly complex. Leela wore her hair loose but Rose had only seen Romana twice with her hair down. Once, during the time when she had run into her past self with the Fourth Doctor, and the other during the Presidential Ceremony.
She was debating what to do when there came a knock at the door. Knowing it would be the Doctor, Rose called for him to come in. She caught a glimpse of him in the mirror as he entered and she gasped as she turned around. She had expected him to be in robes similar to other Time Lords on Gallifrey, but to her surprise, he was dressed much like he had when they had been trapped in India.
Neatly pressed black trousers, a crisp white shirt, silver waistcoat with a matching cravat, and a black coat that went to his knees completed his outfit. His usual dress shoes were replaced with long black boots that were laced all the way up his calves. His hair had been tamed and slicked back into a low ponytail, tied with a black ribbon. With a start, Rose realised that he looked more like Braxiatel than ever, especially with the way he seemed to be holding himself.
Though his posture did falter when his eyes found Rose. His gaze roved over her as if seeing her for the very first time, until Rose went pink at the scrutiny. "Sorry," he said, clearing his throat when he realised that he had made her self-conscious.
"Is this okay?" she asked, wanting him to be sure.
"Yes, yes it is," he said. "Your hair, though. It needs to be up."
"Yeah, I know," she said, turning back to the mirror. "I don't know how to do it though."
He walked towards her and touched her arm gently, almost shyly. "Sit," he said, nodding towards the seat in front of her vanity.
Rose looked at him in surprise but sat down. The Doctor picked up her hairbrush from the vanity and started brushing her hair with precise moments. It was completely silent in the room, as he braided parts of her hair intricately and pulled them back into a chignon. Rose realised with a sudden clarity that despite everything that they had done in this room, this had to be the most intimate thing they had done together.
She blushed deeply, but the Doctor did not falter as he used pins to keep her chignon holding. The few strands that were too short hung around her face. The Doctor looked into her eyes for permission, before looping those strands around his fingers and letting them go so that they curled lightly around her face and neck. When he was done, he tilted her chin up and kissed her slowly.
"Are you okay?" she asked him once they had pulled away.
He smiled gently at her and kissed her forehead. "You look beautiful," he said simply.
Rose smiled a little and got to her feet. "And…?"
"And, it reminded me of being a young Time Tot who read books of Gallifreyan mythology," he said with a soft look in his eyes.
"Do you miss it?" she asked. "I mean, I know we said that the new universe was exciting and all, but I am still on Earth. Apart from a few differences, it's just like home. But you don't have that here. You can't go to Gallifrey."
"Believe me, I have no desire to," he said. "I spent a big part of my younger life trying to change myself to fit into the mould of a proper Time Lord, and do you know what I have learned? The proper Time Lords are a corrupt, ruthless, selfish and power-hungry people. While I do love Gallifrey with all its beauty, you and I both know that it has always held dark secrets. So no, I don't miss Gallifrey, Rose, nor do I miss my people."
"But what about your friends? You missed the Corsair, I could tell. And what about Brax? He's your brother," said Rose.
He smiled sadly. "The Corsair is a very dear friend of mine and I have much love for my brother too, but my love for my friends and family does not negate the fact that they have been party to every sort of punishment and consequence that has been doled out to me. Do you know why I looked so surprised when I came in just now? Because seeing you in these clothes reminded me that despite how much it suits you, you could never be a Time Lady, Rose. And you have no idea how grateful I am for that fact."
Rose stared at him for a long moment. "Okay," she said. "Come on, let's get this thing over with. After that, this dress can go straight back to the bottom of the pile forever."
"Promise?" he asked.
"With all my heart," she said with a bright smile.
"So, what exactly did you call this thing?" asked Fitz, touching his fingers to his chest to feel the weird texture of the jumpsuit he was wearing.
"Vlakian silk," said the Corsair as she laced up her boots. "Indigenous to the Dirsch system in the Fox quadrant. Impervious to almost anything, and is undetectable through most heat and infrared scanners."
Fitz looked suitably impressed at that information. The black jumpsuit was clinging to his body like a second skin and was light as a feather.
"Oh, you'll need this," said the Corsair, tossing him a small jar.
Fitz caught it and examined it with a frown. "Hair gel?" he asked.
"Slick your hair back with that. It will hold for three days," said the Corsair, already having slicked her hair back into a bun.
"Is this really necessary?" asked Fitz, shuddering at the idea of having his hair frozen up for three days.
"Yes," said the Corsair simply.
Fitz shrugged and scooped out some of the bright orange gel from the jar. It was heavy but odourless. As he was slicking his hair back, he noticed the Corsair turning around to examine some of the gadgets on the table in front of her. His eyes were immediately drawn to the tattoo on the back of her neck. It was a snake biting its own tail. The Ouroboros.
"Nice tattoo," he said.
The Corsair turned around and smiled at him. "Get it in every body," she said. "Never quite feel like myself if I don't. In my third incarnation, I had it inked on my entire back complete with colours and all. Now, that body was impressive. Tall and broad-shouldered. I was told it made for a wonderful canvas."
"Is it weird for you?" asked Fitz, glad to be asking the question that was bugging him. "Changing into a woman from man and vice versa?"
"No," said the Corsair with a grin. "It's a different body regardless, so it doesn't make much of a change. I had a female form in my fifth incarnation too. I looked a bit like Rose, to be honest. Blonde, short, curvy. Only body that had any inkling of a sexual desire."
"Pardon?" asked Fitz, his eyes wide.
"My fifth body," she clarified. "Only time I had any sexual appetite. And even that lasted briefly."
"So, you're not…? I mean, you don't…?" asked Fitz, wondering how he could ask it nicely.
The Corsair laughed. "I have never seen the point of it, to be honest. Most Time Lords don't, and I am not the exception in this instance. I can understand the appeal of it on an intellectual level, but I am not particularly inclined to engage in it myself."
Fitz stared at her in surprise. Once upon a time, he would have considered the Corsair to be a prude but he had seen the way she flirted and talked about sex. She was not shy about it, she had even engaged in it briefly and then decided that it wasn't for her. He didn't know if it was the product of travelling with the Doctor, but he understood the Corsair's perspective perfectly. He'd been to Earth in the future and seen the relaxed attitude towards sex and intimacy and learned that the two were sometimes mutually exclusive.
The Corsair smiled a little at him, as if realising his way of thinking immediately. From what she knew of the Earth in the twentieth century, they were still quite sexually repressed. Fitz seemed to be an exception to that, and she found his effort to understand her perspective rather endearing. While she preferred feline company to any other, she was starting to see the appeal of having a human companion too.
"Come along," she said to him. "I think it's time we put our heist into operation."
A/N End of Part 2. Thank you for reading.
So, what did you think? Did you detect my rather passive aggressive attempt at describing the Doctor's thoughts about Gallifrey and vice versa? Guess what triggered that.
Anyway, I delayed posting this chapter because I was rather angry when I wrote that part but when I read it again, I think it conveyed it pretty well. What do you think?
I got a review saying that the Corsair was a lot like Jack, and I wanted to clarify the difference between them. The Corsair is canonically asexual, apart from her Fifth form. At least that's what I gleaned from Neil Gaiman's headcanons.
Part 3 will see the action advancing further. It will be up soon. See you then!
~ Phoenix