CHAPTER 23
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Oswin and her Daleks appeared on Peladon as they came straight from Trenzalore. They had lost many of their fellow Daleks in the attack on the Dalek Resistance base by Davros' Daleks. Now they had come here to make an important decision on what they would do next.
Oswin looked at the ruined base through tear filled eyes. She had grown to love all of the Daleks that had stayed there. She knew the ones who had died personally. She knew all of her Daleks as a matter of fact. She had given them all names, and they even seemed to have their own personalities if you looked hard enough for them. She missed all of the Daleks lost here today as if they were her own family because in a way they were.
Oswin ignored Davros who the Daleks guarded with ever watchful eyes. She blamed him for this, but she had promised his sister, Mira, that she wouldn't execute him. That promise was getting harder and harder to keep the more that she saw what had happened to a place that she had once considered a second home.
"I'm sorry," Mira said as she walked up to Oswin.
Her Daleks were allowing Mira to walk around freely even if she was Davros' sister. She was proud of them for that. Mira was a sweet soul who was the total opposite of her brother, and she didn't blame her for any of his actions.
"None of this is your fault. You don't have to apologize for anything," Oswin said.
"Davros wasn't always like this. He used to be a nice person. He was kind and caring once. The war with the Thals started to change him. It made him hard and cold. Then the accident that made him what you see now started to change him into the person that you know now. I think that losing me is what broke him completely. Maybe if I hadn't been so naïve as to meet with someone all alone that I didn't even know, none of this would be happening now," Mira said.
"Stop it. You're not to blame for any of this. He would have turned out this way anyway whether you had been around or not," Oswin said.
"Maybe and maybe not," Mira said unconvinced.
"I meant what I said. I won't kill him. I'm so tempted to but I won't," Oswin said.
Mira looked upset at Oswin's last words and she said, "I didn't mean to upset you, but that's how I feel. Look at what happened here. I knew all of them, Mira. They had names. I gave them names."
Oswin started to break down, and Mira embraced her as she cried on her shoulder. Oswin was so grateful in that moment for her being there. She truly was nothing like Davros at all.
Dalek Epsilon came slowly up to Oswin in the ruins of his old shell. He hadn't had time to get a new one yet so he was exposed to the elements. He was hesitant to approach Oswin in such a heartbreaking moment, but he wanted to comfort her in some way and show her that he cared. She was his friend and his Empress; and if it wasn't for her, he would be dead right now. He had to try to comfort her in some way.
"OSWIN, I'M SORRY," Epsilon said and made Mira jump in surprise.
"It's okay," Oswin assured her.
It was obvious that Mira was frightened of the Daleks. She was trying not to show it, but it came through in her every action that they made her extremely uncomfortable.
Oswin faced Epsilon with a smile as she tried to hide her sadness. She didn't want him to see her like this.
"Thank you, Eppy. I appreciate the sentiment, but I'm okay. I'll be alright," Oswin said.
Mira was surprised by Oswin's interaction with Epsilon. She was treating the Dalek like a person, and he seemed to be genuinely concerned for her. Maybe Oswin's Daleks weren't as bad as she thought.
"ARE YOU CERTAIN? I'M HERE FOR YOU TO TALK TO IF YOU NEED ME," Epsilon offered.
"I'm fine. I promise. What should we do now, Eppy? Should we rebuild here or go somewhere else?" Oswin asked as she tried to get his mind off of her.
"I THINK THAT WE SHOULD GO TO SKARO AND TAKE IT FOR OUR OWN. WE HAVE DAVROS NOW, AND THERE IS NO OTHER LEADER OF THE DALEKS AT THE MOMENT. YOU SHOULD STEP INTO THE POWER VACUUM NOW, EMPRESS," Epsilon said.
"Are you sure that they would even accept me? I highly doubt that they would want a human leading them. They're not like you and the others here. They're all full of contempt for anyone not a Dalek," Oswin said.
"YOU WERE ONE OF US ONCE," Epsilon pointed out.
"I don't think that matters to them," Oswin said.
"You were one of them?" Mira asked in shock.
"Yes, they changed me into a Dalek, but my friend, Rose, changed me back into a human once again," Oswin explained.
"It must have been horrifying," Mira said.
"It was at the time, but I know how they feel and how they think now because of that. I know what it's like to be one of them because I was one of them. It's made me the only non-Dalek who could possibly be a leader for them. It also made them accept me I think," Oswin admitted.
"I THINK THAT IT WILL MAKE THEM ACCEPT YOU NOW, EMPRESS. THEY ALL KNOW YOU OR HAVE HEARD OF YOU, AND I KNOW THAT THEY ARE TIRED OF DAVROS. THERE IS NO ONE ELSE TO TAKE HIS PLACE. BRING HIM BACK TO SKARO AS YOUR PRISONER AND MANY OF THEM WILL MAKE YOU THEIR LEADER. I'M SURE OF THAT. THERE WILL BE MANY WHO WILL OPPOSE YOU OF COURSE, BUT OTHERS WILL WELCOME YOU," Epsilon said.
"You want me to start a civil war between the Daleks," Oswin said.
"I WANT YOU TO CLAIM YOUR RIGHTFUL PLACE AS OUR EMPRESS. YOU DESERVE TO RULE. NO ONE HAS A BETTER RIGHT THAN YOU," Epsilon said.
Oswin thought it over for a while and then said, "Make contact with some of the Daleks in charge there and see what they say."
"NO, EMPRESS. THAT IS NOT THE WAY. YOU MUST TAKE THEM BY SURPRISE. DO NOT LET THEM KNOW THAT YOU ARE COMING UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE FOR THEM TO STOP YOU," Epsilon said.
Oswin looked surprised. It was the first time that Epsilon had ever told her no.
"I'M SORRY. I DIDN'T MEAN TO BE DISRESPECTFUL. I MERELY WISHED TO GIVE YOU MY BEST ADVICE ON THE SUBJECT. PLEASE FORGIVE ME, EMPRESS," Epsilon said in an ashamed tone of voice.
"There's nothing to forgive. It's about time that you told me no. I'm not always right, and I'm not infallible, Eppy. You should know that by now. I need you to be honest with me and not tell me what I want to hear," Oswin said with a smile.
"YES, EMPRESS. THIS SHOWS YET AGAIN WHY YOU ARE WORTHY TO LEAD US INTO THE FUTURE. YOU ARE HUMBLE AND WILLING TO ADMIT WHEN YOU NEED HELP," Epsilon said in a voice full of pride.
Oswin got the feeling that Epsilon was feeling like a proud father in that moment. She tried not to laugh at the analogy because she didn't want to make Epsilon think that she was laughing at him.
"We'll do like you say then. Let's go and take Skaro. Bring Davros with us," Oswin ordered.
"What about me?" Mira asked.
"IT WOULD BE VERY UNWISE FOR YOU TO GO. THE OTHER DALEKS WILL NOT BE AS TOLERANT OF HUMANS AS WE ARE EVEN IF YOU ARE THE CREATOR'S SISTER," Epsilon said.
"I don't care. I won't let him go there alone," Mira protested.
"I'll protect her," Oswin said.
"VERY WELL. THEN WE WILL PROCEED AS SOON AS WE CAN READY OUR SHIPS. SOME OF THE SHIPS MADE IT THROUGH THE ATTACK UNDAMAGED. WE JUST NEED TO REFUEL THEM AND MAKE THEM READY FOR THE VOYAGE. WE WILL TAKE SKARO AT LAST," Epsilon said happily.
He went to tell the other Daleks the news, and they all began to cheer. Oswin smiled as they said, "LONG LIVE THE EMPRESS!"
"Ha! You're all living in a fool's paradise. They will never accept her as their leader. You'll all be killed if you go back there. Don't take my sister back there, Oswin. She doesn't deserve what they'll do to her. Leave her here where she'll be safe," Davros begged her.
At that moment, Cassie appeared in a burst of energy as she said, "What did you decide to do with Davros?"
Cassie had gone with Oswin to Peladon at first, and then had decided to leave to tell Rose and Amy that she would be with Oswin for a while. She didn't want either of them to worry about her. Now she had returned to find out Davros' final fate.
"I'm taking him to Skaro, and then we'll decide what we'll do with him once we get there. Of course, we're going to be busy for a while at first," Oswin said with a grin.
"You're invading Skaro?" Cassie asked in complete shock.
"Yes. I'm taking over. Epsilon convinced me," Oswin said.
"You're crazy. You're going to get yourself and all of them killed," Cassie said.
"Maybe or maybe we'll change history," Oswin said.
"I'm going with you. You'll need my help," Cassie said.
"Good. The more the merrier," Oswin said.
"You really have lost it, haven't you?" Cassie asked.
"I have to make their deaths count for something, Cassie. It can't be for nothing," Oswin said with a serious face.
"What are we waiting for then? Let's go. It's Skaro or bust," Cassie said.
"Don't do this, Jacqueline. You'll get yourself and Mira killed. Take Mira and leave. Please!" Davros pleaded.
"This is the day it all changes, Davros. It has to. I need to help her change it," Cassie said as she gave Davros a tender kiss on the cheek.
"No, Jacqueline. If not for me, then do it for the man that you love. He doesn't even know about this. Don't get yourself killed. Think of him," Davros said.
"He would probably join me. He's kind of crazy like that sometimes. I think it's better that he's not here actually," Cassie said with a huge grin on her face as she thought of Anthony.
"You do love him," Davros said in disappointment.
"I'm sorry," Cassie said in a soft voice.
"Don't be. It's better this way. You deserve so much better than me," Davros said.
Mira smiled at that as she overheard. That was the Davros that she once knew shining through for a moment.
Their conversation was interrupted as a TARDIS suddenly materialized in front of everyone. Oswin smiled and shook her head. She should have known that her Big Sis would come sooner or later to check up on her. She swore sometimes that Marissa had radar.
Marissa looked very angry as she stepped out of her TARDIS, and several of the Daleks backed away from her in fear. She walked up to Oswin in a huff as she said, "What do you think you're doing?"
"What are you talking about?" Oswin asked.
"You know what. You're going to invade Skaro?! Are you nuts? I won't let you, do you hear me?" Marissa shouted.
"I hate to say this, but the Time Lord is right," Davros said.
"Shut up! No one asked for your opinion," Marissa said.
"Don't talk to him that way," Mira said.
"I'll say whatever I want. It's his fault that my best friend is trying to get herself killed. Who are you anyway?" Marissa asked.
"I'm Mira, his sister," Mira said.
"You have my condolences," Marissa said.
"How did you find out about this anyway? I only just now decided to do it," Oswin asked.
"Never mind how I found out. You're avoiding the issue. I said that you're not going," Marissa said.
"You bugged me! Didn't you? You had Koschei plant one of his little bugs on me!" Oswin realized with anger.
"I wanted to make sure that you would be okay when you were heading off to Trenzalore. I was worried about you," Marissa said in a much gentler voice.
"I know but that doesn't give you the right to spy on me. You're not my mother," Oswin said.
"No, but I am your best friend. I'm practically your sister, Oswin. I was wrong, okay? I'm glad that I did it though so that I could stop you. I don't want you to do this. Please don't. If anything happened to you, I don't think that I could take it," Marissa said in tears.
All of Oswin's anger melted away as she smiled at her. She knew that Marissa's hearts had been in the right place after all. She couldn't stay angry at her when she knew that she was so worried about her.
"I have to do what I have to do. I have to go there and try to change things. It may be my one and only chance, Mari. I can change things. I can make them better. Rose told me that I was an anomaly and that the normal rules of the universe didn't apply to me. She said that I could make great changes that no one else could because of that. Now's my chance to do just that, and I'm taking it. Why don't you come with me? You could make sure I don't die that way," Oswin said.
"Remind me to kill Rose later. As for you, I guess since you're determined to commit suicide that I'll have to go along and be there to bail you out when you find yourself hip deep in Daleks," Marissa said.
"Thanks, Mari," Oswin said.
"If you die, I'll have Rose bring you back to life just so that I can kill you both myself! Do you understand that?" Mari asked.
"Got it, Big Sis," Oswin said as she hugged her tightly.
"You're not going without me. If anyone's doing something incredibly stupid and suicidal, you just know that I've got to be there. That's got me written all over," Koschei said as he stepped out of Marissa's TARDIS.
"Like I said before, the more the merrier," Oswin said.
"You're all insane. You do know that right?" Marissa asked with a sigh.
"That's one of the reasons why you love us, isn't it?" Oswin asked with a mischievous grin.
"I do love you, little sister. That's why I'm going," Marissa said as she hugged Oswin tightly again.
"Let's go already. I'm eager for some good old fashioned chaos and destruction. I haven't done that in a long time. People probably think that I've gone soft. It's time for me to show them otherwise. I'm back!" Koschei said with a laugh.
"I'm coming too. I can't resist fighting alongside you for the first time. It's going to be so cool," Lissa said as she exited the TARDIS too along with Shehzadi.
"I'm going too if she is. I want to help. I'm not letting you do this alone, Mum," Shehzadi said to Marissa.
"Why is everyone so eager to dive into the fire feet first for?" Marissa asked in disbelief.
"We're just suckers for a good fight I guess or a good cause. Take your pick. Thank you, everyone! Thank you so much!" Oswin said.
Then they all loaded into the ships as they got ready to start the invasion. Soon either history would change, or they would all come crashing down in defeat. Oswin hoped that it was the former. She really wanted to make the Daleks a force for good throughout the universe. She hoped that today was the day that started all of that at last.
Lissa looked at Oswin with awe. Today was the day that it all started. She couldn't believe that she was going to be here to witness it at last. This was going to go down in the history books.
The invasion of Skaro had begun!
Next: Oswin and her friends invade Skaro! What else do you need to know?