CHAPTER 41
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THE RETURN OF THE THALS
The Time Lord delegation to Skaro looked around them nervously as the Daleks with them remained silent and just stared at them as if they were lab specimens. Both sides were very uncomfortable and awkward around one another as they waited for the Empress to appear.
"Are you sure that these Daleks are peaceful?" Karen Pond, current Lord President of the Time Lords, whispered to Rose.
Rose smiled as she said, "It's fine, Karen. They're just nervous like you are. They think that you're going to attack them just like you think that they're going to attack you. It's hard to let go of old suspicions and hatreds, isn't it?"
The High Council had asked, really insisted, that Rose come with them since they knew that the Daleks were terrified of her. They wanted to trust that Oswin had them under her complete control, but they didn't want to be caught there all alone without any protection either just in case.
Then the silence between the two sides was immediately broken as Oswin suddenly appeared out of nowhere and was quickly followed by a huge Cyberman who seemed dead set on killing her. Oswin fired back on the Cyberman with her gauntlets as the Time Lords looked on in shock and fear.
"Sorry for being late. I ran into a little bit of trouble along the way. Nothing I couldn't handle though," Oswin said as she continued to attack the Cyberman.
"Delete! Delete! We will delete the so-called Empress, and then Skaro will be ours. Our greatest rivals for control of this universe will finally be like us," the Cyberman said as he continued to attack Oswin.
"PROTECT THE EMPRESS! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!" all of the Daleks in the area said as they all opened fire on the giant Cyberman at once.
The Time Lords started to panic as old memories were dredged up and old fears were reawakened. Some of them reached for their stasers, and Rose shook her head.
"No! Don't! Everything's fine," Rose reassured them.
Karen smiled at how she was the President, and yet they all obeyed Rose without question and remained calm despite her having no power or official office. Rose always was a natural leader even if she had never been comfortable in that role.
"We will assimilate this world and annex it to the empire of the Cybermen. The so-called Dalek Empress must die!" the Cyberman said as a protective force field sprang up to protect it from the Daleks' attack.
It was soon joined by several more Cybermen as they appeared next to it. They began firing on the Daleks, and the Daleks returned fire as a full-scale battle broke out.
Epsilon immediately appeared and took charge as he said, "ALL TIME LORDS MUST MOVE OUT OF THE LINE OF FIRE FOR THEIR OWN SAFETY. GO!"
"Don't worry, Epsilon. I'm protecting them. I've had a force field around them since the giant Cyberman appeared. It was invisible up until now though because I didn't want them to get even more jumpy than they already are," Rose said as a shimmering golden force field suddenly became visible around them.
Oswin briefly wondered if Rose was trying to keep the Time Lords from making things worse more than she was trying to protect them. They had already nearly gone for their guns several times now.
"It figures that as soon as we show up to arrange a formal cease fire and peace treaty between Gallifrey and Skaro that this happens. We just can't catch a break," Karen said with a sigh.
"The Cybermen think that Skaro is weak now that I'm in complete charge of all of the Daleks. I'm about to prove them wrong," Oswin said.
"RELEASE THE HAND OF OSWIN," Epsilon said.
"The Hand of Oswin? Really? Is that what you're calling him?" Oswin asked amused.
"DALEKS HAVE A LIMITED IMAGINATION," Epsilon admitted.
"I've noticed," Oswin said with a good natured laugh.
"What's the Hand of Oswin or do I even want to know?" Rose asked.
"Watch," Oswin said with a mischievous grin.
A massive giant hand came falling down out of the sky and fell down on top of the Cybermen swatting them as if they were flies. It then proceeded to crush them all into dust.
Now only the large Cyberman that had first entered was left to see the owner of the hand come into full view. It was a massive Dalek the size of a mountain but with humanoid arms and legs.
"EXTERMINATE!" the Dalek said as a gun stick the size of a cannon appeared out of one of his arms and fired on the giant Cyberman.
The giant disintegrated into atoms as the weapon quickly finished it off. Then the huge Dalek stood at attention as it waited for further orders.
"Good job, Oz. Now go take the rest of the day off. Sit down, put your feet up, and watch some telly," Oswin said.
"TELLY?" the Hand of Oswin asked confused.
"I have a television set rigged up to watch any channel in the universe on it in my personal quarters. Ask Caan about it. Maybe he'll let you watch some with him. I have to warn you though. He likes the soap operas," Oswin said.
"You let them watch television?" Rose asked laughing.
"How else am I going to get them to accept other races as brothers? The more you see how other people are like you, the more that you stop hating them and grow to accept them as equals," Oswin said.
"You just wanted to keep up with your stories, didn't you?" Rose said.
"That's not true. I can go without watching my shows for a while," Oswin said.
"Really? Even Professor What?" Rose asked.
"Okay, okay. You've got me. I'm a total What fan. I'm only human, Rose," Oswin said sighing.
Rose laughed at her as the Time Lords exchanged looks with one another and wondered if they weren't both insane. Karen could only laugh at the whole thing. The Time Lords had no idea about the addictive power of television. Maybe she should change that. She could create a Gallifrey TV channel and hook the Time Tots on it while they were still young.
"I'm sorry about that, everyone. Let's go inside and sign the peace treaty," Oswin said to the Time Lords.
"Is this happening a lot lately?" Chancellor Flavia asked.
"Yes, I'm afraid so. Ever since I assumed complete control over the entire Dalek Empire, everyone's taking a shot at conquering Skaro since they think that it's wide open for a takeover now with a human in charge. They're wrong though. No one's ever taking this world away from my Daleks. No one," Oswin promised.
"Your Daleks?" Flavia asked surprised.
"They're my friends. No one's touching them. No one's ever going to turn them back into who they were anymore either. Not as long as I'm alive," Oswin said.
Flavia wondered from the protective fury in her voice though if the Daleks had become more than just Oswin's friends. Much more.
As the Time Lords and the Daleks prepared to sign the peace treaty, they were being observed from a cloaked ship orbiting above Skaro. It was a ship filled with yet another invasion force that was poised to strike at Skaro.
This invasion force was different from all of the others though. These weren't invaders from another world. They were all from Skaro as well. These were the Thals. They had been the other inhabitants of Skaro before they were driven off of it by the Daleks generations ago.
Now they had finally returned home at last.
"General Allodon, do we move now while they're distracted by this peace treaty?" one of the Thal soldiers asked their Supreme Commander.
"No. Not yet. I have a plan that may win us back Skaro without us even having to lift a finger to attack them. Sometimes stealth and trickery can win wars too," General Allodon said with a wicked smile.
He turned to speak to one of his lieutenants and ordered, "Wait here. I'm going down to speak with this Empress of the Daleks myself."
"What? You'll be all alone on a planet full of Daleks," Lieutenant Temmeron protested.
"Yes, so we'll both be on equal footing, won't we? If anyone else but me goes down there, they'll be outnumbered. We want them to feel at ease, don't we? For now anyway," Allodon said.
The other Thals shook their heads at him. His arrogance was legendary but not unwarranted. He was well-known for never having lost a battle before.
Just as the Time Lords signed the treaty and were preparing to leave, Allodon transmatted right into the middle of Oswin's quarters. The Daleks all aimed their gun sticks at him immediately as he held up his hands to show that he was unarmed.
"Who are you? Why are you here?" Oswin demanded.
"SPEAK! STATE YOUR BUSINESS HERE OR BE EXTERMINATED!" Dalek Omega said as he moved protectively in front of Oswin.
"I am General Allodon, the Supreme Commander of the Thals. I have come here to demand that the homeland of the Thals be given back to them and that we be allowed to peacefully come home," Allodon said.
"YOU DEMAND?! NO ONE DEMANDS ANYTHING FROM THE DALEKS! LEAVE NOW, THAL SCUM!" Dalek Epsilon said in anger.
Oswin looked at her friend in horror as he suddenly sounded like a stranger to her. Both he and Omega were acting completely out of character.
"What's wrong with you two?" Oswin asked in confusion.
"HE IS A THAL. THEY ARE THE ENEMIES OF THE DALEKS. ALL ENEMIES OF THE DALEKS MUST BE DESTROYED!" Epsilon said.
"They haven't changed at all. They're still just as dangerous as ever," Flavia said in shock.
"No, this isn't like them. Something's wrong," Oswin said defending them.
Then she saw the smile on Allodon's face and she knew. She knew that somehow he had done something to them.
"What have you done? What did you do to my Daleks?!" Oswin asked as she grabbed Allodon by the throat and lifted him off the ground with one hand completely surprising him.
She received her answer from Dalek Caan who suddenly appeared next to her as he said, "IT IS A WEAPON THAT THE THALS CAME UP WITH AT THE END OF THE TIME WAR. THEY HOPED THAT IT WOULD HELP THE TIME LORDS TO DESTROY US, BUT THE CULT OF SKARO DESTROYED IT BEFORE THEY COULD USE IT. OR SO WE THOUGHT."
"What weapon? I've never heard of a Thal weapon being given to the Time Lords," Flavia said.
"IT WASN'T OFFERED TO THE HIGH COUNCIL BUT TO THE CELESTIAL INTERVENTION AGENCY INSTEAD. IT WOULD HAVE HELPED THE THALS TO REGAIN SKARO AND THE C.I.A. TO TAKE OVER GALLIFREY. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A TWIN COUP D'ETAT ON TWO WORLDS. THE CULT OF SKARO PUT A STOP TO THIS PLAN HOWEVER BY FINDING AND DESTROYING THIS THAL SUPER WEAPON. IT WAS CALLED THE HATE PLAGUE," Dalek Caan said.
"The Hate Plague? So it's a disease?" Rose asked alarmed.
"It's an airborne virus actually. It was designed to turn all Daleks exposed to it into mindless engines of hate. Even more so than usual that is. It would make them not only hate all aliens but also even other Daleks. The virus would cause all of the Daleks to turn on and destroy each other. Then once every last Dalek was dead we would come back and take over Skaro without a shot having to be fired. The Cult of Skaro stopped us from using it once, but the secret of how to recreate it remained in our possession. Now it's time has finally come at last. I released it into the atmosphere as soon as I arrived here. Now every Dalek on this planet will become a homicidal killer within the hour. Skaro will become a graveyard, and then we will become its masters once more," Allodon said with a smirk on his face.
"Why aren't you affected, Caan?" Oswin asked.
"I WAS INOCULATED AGAINST ITS EFFECTS JUST LIKE THE REST OF THE CULT OF SKARO ONCE WE OBTAINED THE WEAPON. WE ANTICIPATED THAT THE THALS MIGHT KNOW HOW TO RECREATE IT SO WE PREPARED FOR ITS RETURN," Caan explained.
"YOU HAVE ATTEMPTED TO INVADE OUR WORLD. PREPARE TO DIE FOR THAT, THAL SCUM!" Epsilon shouted.
"It's totally worth it. Soon you will all be dead, and my people will finally be able to return home at last. My life is nothing compared to that," Allodon said smugly.
"EXTERMINATE HIM!" Epsilon commanded.
"No. Wait. You're just proving him right. You're not like this. Not anymore. You're my Daleks now. You will not give into hate. Stop this and control yourselves!" Oswin ordered as she stepped in front of the Thal.
"EMPRESS, BEWARE. THEY WILL EVEN TURN ON YOU NOW. NO ONE IS SAFE," Caan said in a worried voice.
"That's right, Empress. Fall while trying to protect me and prove to the world the truth about the Daleks at last. They're nothing but heartless soulless killers, and that's all that they will ever be. You can't change them. They can never be changed," Allodon said.
"If that's true, then I'd rather die," Oswin said.
"MOVE ASIDE," Epsilon said.
"No, I won't. If you want to do this, you'll have to kill me first. Do it, Epsilon. Just do it," Oswin said.
"No," Rose said as she started to move forward to protect her.
Caan moved in front of her as he said, "NO, ROSE. THIS MUST BE DONE BY THEM. IT IS THE ONLY WAY."
"Are you sure?" Rose asked.
"YES, IT IS THE ONLY SOLUTION. TRUST ME," Caan said.
"I do trust you," Rose said.
"Are you sure about this, Rose?" Karen asked uncertain.
"I trust Caan. It's going to be alright," Rose said.
The Daleks all stood hesitantly in front of Oswin as their gun sticks twitched with anger. The hatred in the air was palpable as everyone could tell that they wanted to wipe Allodon off of the face of Skaro forever.
"Do it! Prove who and what you are!" Allodon shouted.
The Daleks and Oswin stared at one another and then the Daleks' gun sticks went down, and they backed away from her. Epsilon then said, "I'M SORRY, EMPRESS. WE WOULD NEVER HARM YOU."
Oswin smiled as she said, "Now that's my boys. Welcome back, Eppy!"
"That's not possible. There was only one way to cure the virus. It was such a common cure though that it wouldn't have worked on any other planet but Skaro. That's why we all thought that it was the perfect plan to be used against the Daleks. We were certain that the Daleks would never be able to overcome it. It's just not possible. Daleks are incapable of feeling anything but hate," Allodon said in disbelief.
"Those were the old Daleks, Allodon. These are my Daleks, and they've changed. They're capable of so much more, and they just proved that here today," Oswin said with pride in her voice.
"It's not possible. It can't be. It should have been the perfect weapon. Its effects are made worse by anger and other negative emotions, and the only thing that can cure it is one emotion. The one emotion that no Dalek can feel: Love," Allodon said.
"Well, at least I finally know how you feel about me, Eppy," Oswin said as she wrapped her arms around Epsilon.
"It can't be," Allodon continued saying as he shook his head in disbelief.
Oswin turned to him and said, "It's over, Allodon. Go back to wherever you came from and never return. If you do, I won't be so forgiving next time."
"The Thals will have Skaro back again one day, Empress. You can be sure of that," Allodon said.
"You know the irony is that if you had just asked me about it like a normal person maybe we could have settled this peacefully. Now though that you've come here and attacked us there's no way that I'm giving you or your people anything. If the Thals prove to me that they're serious about coming back here to share the planet peacefully, then and only then I'll let you come back here to discuss their return. That's going to take a lot of proving though after today. If you ever come back and pull something like this again though, then I'll make you regret it. Do you understand me?" Oswin warned.
"You just gained a new enemy here today," Allodon said as he teleported back to the ship waiting above.
"It's ironic. The Thals were once peaceful, and the Daleks were the ones filled with hate. Now it's the other way around it seems," Rose noted.
"THEY CAN STILL CHANGE. WE DID. IF THE DALEKS CAN CHANGE, ANYONE CAN," Caan said.
"It seems that I was wrong. Maybe this is a new age of peace in the universe after all," Flavia said hesitantly.
"Stranger things have happened, Chancellor Flavia. Believe me. If an ordinary girl with an ordinary boring everyday life can meet a madman with a box and have her entire life turned upside down and wind up as the Empress of an entire planet full of talking pepper pots, then anything can happen. Positively anything," Oswin said smiling.
"It's an amazing universe out there, isn't it?" Rose said laughing.
"This is just the beginning of what the Daleks are going to do, Rose. I promise you that. From now on, there are going to be no limits on what the Daleks can do. From now on, we're going to make sure that the name Dalek stands for something positive. No one's going to tell us who and what we are anymore. We're going to decide that for ourselves. Aren't we, boys?" Oswin said.
"ALL HAIL THE EMPRESS. ALL HAIL THE EMPRESS," the Daleks shouted in unison.
"What do we do now, General?" Lieutenant Temmeron asked back on the Thal ship as it left orbit and headed out into deep space.
"Don't worry. We'll return, Lieutenant. When the time is right, we'll return, and then we will grind Oswin and her precious Daleks under our heels. We will retake Skaro, and then from there the universe. Everyone everywhere will bow down before the might of the Thals!" Allodon shouted.
Next: John Harkness and Oswin go out on their first date in a long time as he tries to decide whether to continue his relationship with her or not since he almost never gets to see her thanks to how busy that her life is. Oswin meanwhile is trying to convince him that she'll make more time for him from now on when of course an enemy of hers decides to pick that moment to attack. It seems that Oswin's never going to have a normal love life, huh?