CHAPTER 57

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THE DALEKS, PROTECTORS OF THE UNIVERSE

Oswin looked out across Kaalann and smiled as she saw just how rapidly that the Daleks were rebuilding it. It wasn't just the capital either. Every Dalek city on Skaro was also on its way back to normal. Soon the entire planet would be completely restored once more in no time.

In the wake of the final battle with Nightshade and Missy, that was going to turn out to be a very fortunate thing for the rest of the universe. These days the universe was going to need all of the help that it could get.

This was because two terrible things had happened in the final battle with Nightshade and Missy that had left all of reality in an extremely vulnerable state. The first and to Oswin's mind the worst of these things was that the Doctor and Rose had been trapped in another unknown dimension by Nightshade. There would no longer be a Doctor to protect time and space anymore even though his daughter Cassiopeia was already attempting to try to take his place as best as she could.

As if this wasn't enough, Missy had actually altered the very laws of the universe so that the Vortex users could no longer access their powers. Unfortunately this had also affected anyone else with powers too making their abilities become extremely unreliable and unpredictable at best. That included Oswin who had only just gotten her powers only to find them almost impossible to use now.

Oswin had almost laughed when she had discovered that because that seemed to be just like her usual brand of luck.

Even now Oswin had the Daleks working on a way to return the universe to normal. So far they hadn't had any better luck than Oswin though. In the meantime, Oswin had started having the Daleks be on the lookout for any and all potential new threats to the universe that might decide to attack now when it was at its weakest point.

She was determined to have the Daleks make up for their past by becoming the protectors of the universe that they had once attempted to subjugate and destroy. In essence, the Daleks were going to become just like the Doctor.

Not that Oswin would ever phrase it like that to them of course.

The Daleks' new role in the universe wasn't the only way in which they were changing though. They had also to Oswin's complete surprise offered to allow the Thals to move into each of their cities and live alongside them if they wanted. She had been extremely proud of them when she had found that out.

So far none of the Thals had taken the Daleks up on their offer which was no surprise to anyone of course due to their past history with one another. At least the offer had been made though and Oswin knew that that was a very important step towards the complete reconciliation of both races.

She began to wonder if one day there might even be Daleks and Thals marrying one another. How weird would that be?

"EMPRESS, IT IS ESTIMATED THAT KAALANN WILL BE COMPLETELY REBUILT VERY SOON NOW. IT SHOULD TAKE NO LONGER THAN ONE OF YOUR EARTH WEEKS AT THE MOST," Epsilon said suddenly breaking into her thoughts.

"What? Oh, good! Good! I'm glad to hear it, Eppy. What about the state of the universe? Did you detect anything unusual?" Oswin asked in a slightly distracted voice.

"THERE IS CURRENTLY NOTHING TO REPORT, EMPRESS. THE ONLY MASSIVE DISTURBANCES OF NOTE THAT WE HAVE DETECTED LATELY ARE THE USUAL ONES SUCH AS THE PERPETUAL WAR BETWEEN THE SONTARANS AND THE RUTANS. ARE YOU SURE THAT YOU DON'T WANT US TO END THAT POINTLESS CONFLICT AND DEAL WITH BOTH SIDES? IT WOULD PERHAPS BE IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE UNIVERSE TO DO SO," Epsilon asked.

Oswin shook her head as she said, "No, stay out of it. I don't want the Daleks to impose their will on anyone. I want us to be protectors and peacekeepers and nothing more. We will fight to defend others that those two might involve in their stupid fight but otherwise we won't interfere. That goes for all wars everywhere. I know it's tempting to want to fix everything that's wrong with this universe, but that way leads to a slippery slope that I don't want the Daleks to ever go down again, Epsilon."

"YOU WANT US TO BE MORE REACTIVE THAN PROACTIVE THEN," Epsilon said.

"Yes. I don't ever want us to be the aggressors if we don't have to be," Oswin said.

"YOU FEAR THE RETURN OF THE OLD WAY OF THINGS, DON'T YOU?" Epsilon asked.

"Of course I do. You lot are hard wired to conquer and subvert other races. I don't want to reawaken any of those old feelings by having the Daleks impose their will on anyone. You understand don't you?" Oswin asked.

"OF COURSE I DO. IT WILL JUST BECOME HARD AT TIMES TO DECIDE WHEN WE SHOULD OR SHOULDN'T DO SOMETHING. I PREDICT THAT I WILL HAVE TO DEFER TO YOUR JUDGMENT QUITE A BIT ON THAT MATTER," Epsilon said.

"You do that, Eppy. Any time you even so much as think that something might be wrong don't do it. Just ask me first, alright?" Oswin said.

"I OBEY," Epsilon said.

Oswin frowned as she said, "You don't have to act so formal, Eppy. It's just you and me. You could just say 'Yep' or something you know? I won't mind. Honest."

"OLD HABITS DIE HARD, CLARA," Epsilon said.

"That's better," Oswin said as she smiled at his use of her original name which was very rare for him to do.

"Well as long as we're suddenly being all informal now, I have to ask you a question, Clara," Angela said as she joined them.

"Sure. Go ahead and ask then. Shoot," Oswin said.

"You'd better be glad that you didn't say that to Epsilon," John said with a chuckle.

"I WOULD NEVER HARM THE EMPRESS!" Epsilon said in an outraged voice.

Epsilon's eye stalk swiveled towards John as he quickly added, "YOU, HOWEVER, ARE A DIFFERENT STORY."

"Eppy, don't even go there," Oswin warned in an irritated tone.

Angela smiled as she said, "Those two never stop fighting do they?"

"He started it," Both John and Epsilon said at once.

"I swear it's just like two little kids going at it every time you two get together. Angela, what was it that you wanted to know?" Oswin asked with a sigh.

"I wanted to know where the Legna can live. They're already asking me what will happen to them next, and I don't really know the answer to that question. Should they do as the Thals are doing and live in their own separate cities?" Angela asked.

It was Epsilon who answered instead as he said, "OF COURSE NOT. YOU AND YOUR COPIES ARE AS WELCOME IN THE MAIN CITIES AS THE THALS. WE COULD USE YOUR HELP WITH OUR NEW ROLE IN THE UNIVERSE."

Oswin smiled with pride at her second-in-command as she said, "You heard him, Angie. Tell them all to move into the cities and start helping out right away. Eppy will give them all jobs to do I'm sure. He's very good at that sort of thing."

"I was hoping that you would say that. I'll go and tell them right away then. Thank you," Angela said.

"And thank you too," Angela said to Epsilon as she kissed the top of his casing.

"SUCH DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION ARE UNNECESSARY," Epsilon said.

Oswin could swear that he sounded almost embarrassed.

"They're very necessary to me though because I really appreciate what you just did, Eppy," Angela said as she waved to them while she left.

"So do I. Thank you for being so nice to your sister," Oswin said.

"SHE IS NOT MY SISTER. WE'RE NOT EVEN THE SAME SPECIES, EMPRESS. I APPRECIATE THE SENTIMENT HOWEVER AT ANY RATE," Epsilon said.

"Oh, come on, Eppy. You treat Angie like she's your little sister all the time just like you treat John like he's your annoying little brother. Don't even try to deny it," Oswin said.

"I CERTAINLY WON'T DENY THE SECOND STATEMENT. IT IS AN EXTREMELY ACCURATE ANALYSIS OF YOUR HUSBAND'S TYPICAL BEHAVIOR," Epsilon said.

"Hey!" John protested.

"Uh, hello?" A voice that sounded just like Oswin's suddenly said breaking up what Oswin knew probably would have been an extremely long and completely childish argument between John and Epsilon if their past history together was anything to go by.

Oswin turned to see one of the android Claras that Missy had created as bodies for Clara's dead echoes standing there with an uncertain look on her face. Oswin already knew what she was more than likely there about.

The androids had no idea what to do with themselves next in their new existance.

It was a question that Lily, who had recovered Missy's Matrix from her TARDIS, was currently having to deal with regarding the fates of the rest of the multiverse's dead that Missy had brought back. Most of them had wanted to go back into Missy's Matrix slice and live out eternity there because it was all that they had ever known since they had died. Lily was more than pleased to grant them their wish and had become the custodian of the Matrix in order to make sure that it would keep functioning properly. That seemed like a good idea to Oswin given the fact that Lily was immortal and could look after the Matrix forever.

Some of the dead however had kept their android bodies and tried to create a new place for themselves in their original universe even as they knew that they could never reclaim their old lives in most cases since many of them had been dead for a long time, and their universe had moved on without them.

Oswin now knew that the Claras were facing that same question for themselves. She wondered what they had chosen to do about it.

"Uh, I'm not sure if I should interrupt or not with this not being my planet and all. Is it okay for me to ask you something?" The other Clara asked in an uncertain voice.

"Of course it's okay. You're me, Clara. If you can't talk to yourself when you need to, then who can you talk to, yeah?" Oswin asked.

Then she frowned as she said, "That definitely sounded better in my head."

The other Clara started to laugh as she said, "You really are just like me aren't you?"

"I'm afraid so. So what did you need, Clara?" Oswin said with a warm smile.

The other Clara stopped laughing and became serious now as she said, "Well, the other Claras were all talking about what we were going to do next and we finally came to a decision."

"So what did you decide?" Oswin asked curiously.

"We heard that the Doctor vanished and that your Daleks are trying to pick up the slack in guarding the universe. We'd like to help if we could. It would give us a purpose in our new lives, and we'd feel like we were doing something good to make up for all of the rotten things that Missy made us do. That is if you want us around after what we helped to do to Skaro," The other Clara said in an uncertain tone.

"Of course I do. I could definitely use the help. It wasn't your fault, Clara. It wasn't anyone's fault but Missy's. You can tell the others that too," Oswin said.

"YOU CAN ALSO TELL THEM TO REPORT TO THE DALEKS FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS. THEY WILL BE USED TO PATROL THE REST OF THE UNIVERSE TO LOOK FOR SIGNS OF FUTURE TROUBLE," Epsilon said.

The other Clara smiled and said, "Will do, Dalek Boy. You can expect them within the hour."

"DALEK BOY?" Epsilon said in an indignant voice as soon as the other Clara left.

"That means that she's finally growing to feel comfortable around here, Eppy. She's calling you that because she likes you," Oswin said.

"Yeah, imagine what she would call you if she didn't like you. She might call you Chrome Dome or Mr. Loud Mouth instead," John said grinning evilly.

"ARE YOU SURE THAT YOU DON'T WANT HIM EXTERMINATED, EMPRESS?" Epsilon said.

"Yes, very sure, Eppy. Stop that, both of you!" Oswin said with a groan.

Suddenly Dalek Caan teleported beside her out of nowhere, and Oswin looked at him in absolute surprise. She hadn't seen him in ages since he had become Skaro's official ambassador to Gallifrey.

She wondered what could have brought him back here now of all times. She knew that whatever it was couldn't possibly be good.

"CLARA, THE TIME LORDS HAVE JUST FOUND THE PLANET SKARTERUS IV WITH ITS ENTIRE SURFACE COMPLETELY DECIMATED. IT HAS BEEN TURNED INTO NOTHING BUT ENDLESS FIELDS OF DUST," Caan said.

Oswin instantly became alarmed as she said, "What happened to the people who lived there? Were there any survivors?"

"NO, THERE WAS NO TRACE LEFT OF ANY OF THEM. THEY WERE ALL COMPLETELY WIPED OUT. A PLANET FILLED WITH LIFE AND CONTAINING BILLIONS OF INHABITANTS WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED," Caan said.

Oswin gasped as she said, "Do the Time Lords have any idea what happened or who did it?"

"NONE WHATSOEVER. THEY ONLY KNOW ONE THING. SKARTERUS IV WAS JUST FINE YESTERDAY," Caan said.

Oswin's jaw dropped as John said in horror, "It wiped them all out in a day?"

"A SINGLE DAY," Caan confirmed.

"So they sent you to warn us," Oswin said.

"YES AND THEY REQUESTED THAT YOU KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN FOR ANY SIGNS OF FURTHER ATTACKS. THEY DON'T WANT THIS TO HAPPEN AGAIN. IF THIS CONTINUES, THE WEB OF TIME COULD BECOME COMPLETELY DISRUPTED," Caan said.

"Hang the Web of Time. I'm more worried about the people who could die from whatever it is. Tell them that we'll be on the watch, okay?" Oswin said.

"I OBEY," Caan said as he started to teleport away.

Oswin instantly stopped him though as she grabbed his casing and asked, "Caan, you've worked for Rose a long time now helping her fix the timelines. Have you seen any trace of her or the Doctor anywhere? Do you know where they might be? Do you have any clues whatsoever?"

"I WISH I DID, CLARA. I REALLY WISH I DID," Caan said in what was undeniably a worried voice as he teleported back to Gallifrey.

"So do I because whatever's coming is definitely not going to stop until everything and everyone in this reality is dead," Marissa's voice suddenly said behind her.

Oswin turned to see her standing there with concern written all over her features.

"Mari, what's going on? What do you know?" Oswin asked.

Marissa hugged her tightly first as she said, "First, I just wanted to say that I'm glad that you're okay. I was starting to wonder about you for a while there."

Oswin smiled and returned her hug as she said, "You know me, Mari. I'm not that easy to get rid of and believe me plenty of people have tried too."

"Don't even joke about that, Clara. Not at a time like this. I happn to know more about this than even the Time Lords or Caan know, and it's even worse than they think that it is," Marissa said.

"HOW SO?" Epsilon asked in concern.

"I've been keeping a watch on things myself ever since Missy escaped from her Doctor because I didn't want her returning to attack my family anymore. I've even recalibrated my Time-Space Visualizer to allow me to watch what's going on in other dimensions for signs of her being up to something in them. When I found out about Skarterus IV, I used it to check the other dimensions for signs of similar things happening in them just on a hunch. My hunch paid off because I found several dimensions that were completely wiped clean of life just as Skarterus was. Each and every world in them looked just like it did. Whatever we're dealing with has already wiped out entire universes!" Marissa warned.

"Wonderful," Oswin said in disbelief.

"WE WILL BE ON THE ALERT FOR ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY AND WILL TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTIONS TO STOP THIS NEWEST THREAT BEFORE IT CAN DO THIS AGAIN TO ANY OTHER WORLD, EMPRESS," Epsilon promised.

"I'm just wondering if we'll even see what it is until it's too late. It seems to leave no traces of itself behind at all whatever it is," Oswin said.

Marissa shook her head as she said, "No, there was something left behind I'm afraid. I found traces of Dalek energy signatures on Skarterus."

"WE DID NOT DO THIS! DALEKS DO NOT ATTACK THAT WAY!" Epsilon immediately shouted.

"I know that, Eppy," Oswin said in a soothing voice.

"Maybe it's the Matriarch's Daleks. They're still out there somewhere after all, and we never did find them," John suggested.

Marissa shook her head as she said, "Epsilon didn't let me finish or I would have told you the rest of it. These Dalek energy signatures are different from any of the Dalek technology that I've run across in this universe."

"This universe? Mari, are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" Oswin asked.

Marissa nodded as she said, "I think that Daleks from another reality have entered our universe."

"Oh, that's just great! Now we're being attacked by Daleks from other universes. We didn't have enough problems after all," John said with a frown.

"THEY MAY NOT BE BEHIND THE ATTACKS. THEY COULD BE INVESTIGATING THEM JUST AS WE ARE," Epsilon said.

"Well, of course you'd stick up for them," John said.

"Epsilon could be right though, John. We can't assume anything. We definitely don't want to make a mistake and wind up getting in a fight with an unknown group of Daleks. Not unless we have to," Oswin said.

"Clara, they're Daleks. Of course they did it. Mindless destruction is what they do," John said.

"NOT ALL OF THEM. NOT ANYMORE," Epsilon said.

"Exactly, Eppy, and if one universe's Daleks can change then another's could too," Oswin said.

"Well said, Oswin Oswald. It seems that your group of Daleks is just as benevolent as we had heard," A soft echoing voice said that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere all at once.

"Who are you? Are you behind what's been happening?" Oswin asked as she searched in vain for the owner of the voice.

"No, you were right the first time, Empress. We are investigating these mysterious occurrences throughout time and space just as you are and that investigation has led some of my Daleks to your universe. We mean you no harm though I assure you. We only come seeking answers," The soft voice said as it seemed to float through the very air around them.

"I'd really like to believe that, whoever you are, but you're not exactly giving me a whole lot to go on as far as trust goes. I still don't even know your name yet and even where you are," Oswin said.

"I am called the Mentor, Empress, and I am speaking to you telepathically all the way from my home dimension. Like I said, my Daleks only came seeking answers nothing more. We do not condone mindless destruction any more than your group does. We stand for peaceful order instead," The soft voice said.

"You're speaking to me from another universe?" Oswin asked in disbelief.

"My reach is far and my grasp is wide. No one can elude me for long. Not even our mysterious universal assailant. We will find them whoever or whatever they are. Just keep out of our way until then. We wouldn't want any misunderstandings would we?" The Mentor said.

"That sounds like a threat to me," John said.

"More like a friendly warning. My Daleks don't usually attack others but they will defend themselves if they think that they're under attack. Just let us solve this situation for you and don't get involved, Empress. I'll contact you later when I find out anything more, and I will find out more I assure you," The Mentor said.

And then just like that Oswin could feel that the Mentor's mental presence was gone. Then again she could never be sure could she? Someone powerful enough to talk across universes might well be spying on her that very moment and she wouldn't even know it.

The very thought of it made her shudder even as John said, "Yeah, none of that made her sound suspicious at all."

"Well, I didn't think that it was even possible but it looks like things just got even worse didn't they?" Oswin said in disbelief.

"When it rains, it pours," John said.

"More like it comes a bloody monsoon you mean," Oswin said with a frown.

Next: We'll learn more about the mystery of the devastated worlds next time even as Oswin's Daleks finally come across the Mentor's Daleks at last. Are these new Daleks really as benevolent as the Mentor claims or does Oswin have a right to be worried about them? Plus what have the Daleks that the Matriarch created been up to lately? You can be sure that it's nothing good.