Indomitable

88

Fire burned across the universe. The darkest depths of reality glowed with the burning embers of conflict. Worlds screamed in the chaos, civilizations choked in the smoke.

"Astounding-" The blonde man said, staring at the screen. "Only a few centuries back, these beings would have been below our threshold of concern."

"That was always our greatest weakness." The other man said. His face scarred by war, gently wrapped in a stubbly white beard. His fingers confidently grasping controls and turning a knob.

"Yes, I suppose it was." the blonde man said. He narrowed his eyes. "A danger of being so far ahead of all others I guess."

"I saw them coming, I warned you, all of you." the bearded man said, glaring up at the other man. "For all of that you still-"

"It was a long time ago, Doc-" the blonde man started but the bearded man glared at him. "We took your information under advisement. We did what we could but the Daleks proved to be…quite…"

"Indomitable-" The bearded man said. He stopped fiddling with the TARDIS console and looked at the screen. He sighed and shook his head as he watched the Dalek fleets moving across the time vortex. "Daleks of Skaro, what a single-minded, incorruptible species. It's only been a few hundred thousand years since that madman cook them up in their test tubes and programmed them for murder. Puny, squiddy mutations; they survived radiation, landslide, and bombardment. They've survived attempts at deletion, and super nova, and now, here they are, out amongst the gods, ready to exterminate the Lords of Time and take control of the destiny of reality itself. They're indomitable, indomitable…."

"Such an impassioned speech." the blonde man said, looking at the old man. "One would almost think you admired them."

"Admiration, no, but one must respect them, their tenacity…" the old man said glaring at the screen. "No matter what happens, no matter how far we go, no matter how horrifically we massacre them they survive, worse yet, they thrive, they grow stronger."

"We must defeat them." the blonde said looking at the old man. "We must stop them."

"I am aware." the old man said as he turned the knob all the way. "Opening the dimensional fold. Now, I believe it is up to you…"

"Yes." The blonde nodded sharply and started tapping out onto the remnants of the console panel next to him. "Have you considered getting this repaired?"

"It would require letting Time Lord technicians into my TARDIS, last time that happened you removed the dematerialization circuits and I was trapped on Earth." the old man said narrowing his eyes. "No one touches this TARDIS but me, and I'll make my own parts."

Sparks exploded from the console as the blonde shot the old man a glare. The man then turned a dial. There was a horrible whistle that came up from behind the floor, light that burned all around them. The old man and his blonde assistant winced as the light got brighter.

The light faded, the two Time Lords looked to the monitor screen. The saucers were still there, still burning across the vortex. The old man looked to the blonde.

"Did it work?" The old man asked.

"The transmission completed, as far as I can tell it was received." the blonde man said, as he looked to the old man.

"Maybe they aren't real after all." The old man said, furrowing his bushy, white eyebrows.

"All records would suggest-" the blonde said, he stopped as the vortex flashed.

The saucers started to disappear. Each into a flash of oblivion. The old man gave the blonde a side-long glance. The TARDIS shook as the flashing got closer, the pulses striking the outer shell. The two Time Lords gripped the console as the vessel shook.

"The armada, it's completely gone!" the blonde man said as he stared at a read out.

"Both armadas are gone." the old man replied, "Daleks and Time Lords, the war saucers are gone but so are the WarTARDISes, the Bowships, the N-forms, the BattleTARDISes. This vessel is the only thing left in the vortex."

There was a fizzing snapping sound inside the console room. The two Time Lords turned to see an man shaped creature with gray skin, cloaked in dark robes standing in the shadows of the console room. The man looked solemnly up at the Time Lords.

"What is the meaning of this!?" shouted the blonde Time Lord. "We asked for your help! And you-"

"We have purged the vortex of your pestilent wrath." the man said. "Do not summon us again."

The shadows seemed to consume the man and he disappeared. The two Time Lords looked at each other.

"Well, that's that then…" The old man said as he leaned against the console. "So they do exist…"

"The Shakri-" the blonde said.

"Have only bought us time." The old man said, as he flipped dials. "We will have to reconnect with the Time Lord defense station. Daleks are continuing the pressure, spatially. Coordinates 0-00-012…"

"That's just outside the inner temporum!" The blonde said.

"There's only a few bowships that weren't in the vortex turning the obliteration-" the old man said. "The Time War goes on…" The old man pulled a lever and the TARDIS shuddered to life. He sighed as he braced himself, "-indomitable."

888

AN: Very short I know, and largely the whole point was to give that perverse rendition of The Ark in Space speech…