Fic: Solid Skies, Chapter 2
Jun. 10th, 2009 07:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
veldeiaTitle: Solid Skies
Author: Veldeia
Series: Sequel to Hollow World
Fandom: Doctor Who
Warnings: WIP
Characters/Pairings: 10th Doctor, Martha Jones, OCs. Gen.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: If you've seen it on TV, it isn't mine.
Summary: After surviving one big cave, the Doctor, Martha and a caving team from the Sixties find themselves in even more trouble on a planet full of caves.
2. Amber Pass 8R
The old Khiandrian closed door behind them, and stood there, staring at them. "Jess, dear..." he muttered. "You... I didn't think I'd ever see you again, little Jez - the things they said about you... But your friends here, they're - you're - they - you..." His voice trailed away, and he blinked, and opened and closed his mouth, like a blind cave fish on sunny, dry ground.
"I think we'd better sit down and talk things through," Jess said. "Come on." She took T'ig's hand and lead him deeper into the house.
The Doctor and the others followed the two Khiandrians. T'ig's home seemed sparse in furniture, but rich in decorations. The walls were covered with art - modern-looking abstract 3D-pics, older paintings and drawings of buildings and people, and both 2D and 3D photos of caves, cave formations and prehistoric art. All the lights inside the house were the soft green typical to most places on Khiandria. There were small sculptures and frames with more pictures on every tabletop and other spare surface. The room down the hallway was a sitting room, with chairs that looked like rocks, with moss for cushions. On closer inspection, they were entirely artificial, of course.
T'ig sat down, still gaping at his unexpected visitors. Jess took a seat next to her uncle, placing a hand on his back. "It's all right, T'ig. I'm really here. I'm back."
"They said you'd run away - flown away with your mother's ship, no less - I told them you wouldn't do such a thing, you're independent and adventurous, sure, but a criminal - never!"
"Actually, it's true," Jess said sadly, looking down. "Every word of it. But now that I'm back, I'm going to take full responsibility for what I did."
"Jez, you must be joking! How can it be true? And these friends of yours! They're aliens!" T'ig blurted out.
"Yes, they are. T'ig, meet Brian, my mate, and my friends, Joseph, Grant, Martha and the Doctor," Jess said, pointing them out to her uncle.
"Your mate, you say! But, but - they're not even allowed outside Maze City, haven't been for two seasons - if the guards saw you wandering around with them... Unless you have official clearance?"
"Of course we do," the Doctor put in. He had his psychic paper, after all. Universal clearance.
Jess gave him a puzzled look, and crossed her arms. "If we hadn't, though, what would happen? And since when do tourists need a permission to visit the City of Lights?"
"Ever since they declared a planet-wide state of emergency, of course! Honestly, I have no idea what would happen. I don't think there's ever been an incident like that before, aliens just popping up here without clearance. Better hope they didn't see you, and that no one reported you. How did you even get here? I'd have thought you'd have no choice but to stay in Chute Town!"
"We didn't come through there," Jess said, starting to look uncomfortable. "We used a ship that's a little different. No need for a spaceport. But what do you mean, no choice? What's going on here? I've been gone for decades, T'ig. I don't understand. What's happened?"
"Decades? Has it truly been so long? You barely look any older. What's going on, what's happened, oh, where to begin? Politics, that's what it all comes down to, I guess. Almost everything. It's been going on for years, both Darks and Brights gaining in popularity, and then, half a year ago, the Plague came, and the situation just exploded. We've got all the emergency laws, the Darks are more popular than ever, and the ones who are still Brights are all the more fanatical, and -"
"Wait, wait, what?" Jess waved a hand to stop T'ig's flow of speech. "Plague? Are we safe? Is everyone all right?"
"We're not in any danger, the outbreak happened far from here. Your parents are fine as well, and your sister and her family, but your grandmother... I'm afraid she was stuck right in the middle of it. I'm sorry."
Jess stared at him, biting her lip, her face blank, as if she had trouble understanding what he'd said.
T'ig looked at her sadly. "It's been a very difficult year for all of us, and it's only getting worse. As if the Plague wasn't bad enough on its own, it's been turned to politics, too. The Darks think the current laws aren't strict enough, the Brights think they're way too strict, and they're both very active in promoting their views. With the elections coming up, it's chaos - I doubt the planet has seen this much violence since the early 4000's. And they're all talking about aliens, even though the truth is, we can cause more trouble on our own than aliens ever did."
"Does this all have something to do with those buttons everyone's wearing?" Martha put in. "Black, grey and white?"
"Dark, Dusk and Bright, yes, yes, well spotted," T'ig said, nodding. "People showing their allegiance. I'm really not into politics. I guess you could call me a Dusk. I really don't know much about it all."
"Well, we know even less," Martha said. "Please, sir, if you could try and explain?"
"I can try, but don't blame me if I get something wrong. So. There are the two extremes, Darks and Brights, and us Dusks in the middle. The current Chairperson is a Dusk, but I'm afraid that's going to change. The Darks have gained a lot of ground after the Plague. Officially, they're called the Preservationist Party, because they want to preserve all Khiandrian life, which means as little contact with aliens as possible. And the Brights, that's the nickname for the Diplomats. They'd welcome all aliens with open arms, no questions asked."
"That's not so complicated," the Doctor noted. "You have xenophobes, xenophiles, and neutrals."
"Oh, but then each party has dozens of different factions, from peaceful protesters to aggressive activists, there's environmentalists, technologists, anarchists, monarchists, who-knows-what-ists - I doubt anyone can keep count of them all! I can't, that's for sure."
"That's politics for you, all right. It's the same where we're from," Brian commented.
"It's the same everywhere in the universe," the Doctor said. "Even when you have a really simple system, like on Vyrondia, where the same emperor has been ruling for a thousand years - nice chap, rather reminds me of an opossum - there's still the endless bickering and plotting and scheming." He pulled a face. He'd rather avoid getting messed up in local politics, if he could.
He was about to ask T'ig about the Plague, when all of a sudden, the old Khiandrian leaped up from his chair. "Oh, no! They're here!"
The Doctor hadn't heard or noticed anything, but Jess stood up, too, gazing towards where the door was, tilting her head. "The guards," she said tonelessly.
A few seconds later, there was a loud thud at the door, and a strict alto called out, "Open! In the name of the State!"
"I have an emergency exit, through the roof," T'ig said in a voice so low the Doctor could barely hear it. "If you hurry up..."
Jess shook her head. "No. They've already heard we're here. Besides, I decided not to flee from what I've got coming. You don't need to stay, though," she told the others.
"I'm staying with you," Brian announced.
"If there's any trouble, we may be able to help," the Doctor said.
"Yeah," Martha agreed. "We're not going to abandon you."
Joseph and Grant exchanged a glance. "And we're on an alien world where we understand absolutely nothing about anything. What would we do on our own?" Grant said.
The knock and shout were repeated, and in silent agreement, the entire party walked over to the small hallway. T'ig opened the door. Behind it stood two Khiandrians in spacesuit-like protective clothing, a man and a woman, their faces visible beneath the clear face plates. A few steps behind them was another woman, tall and burly by Khiandrian standards, wearing a dark uniform.
"By Khar's Fall, it really is true! So many aliens!" the tall Khiandrian exclaimed, the startled expression looking out of place on her stony face. "I'm Getl, Head of Guard, Northwest District. Here to investigate your illegal invasion of our fair city. Go ahead, check them," she told the pair in protective suits.
"No, wait! We're not illegal aliens, we've already been checked and cleared," the Doctor said quickly, pushing the psychic paper at them.
"Oh, you have, have you?" Getl said sarcastically.
"Ambassadors from Gallifrey and Earth, under the special permission of Her Honour, the Chairperson," one of the hazard team read aloud.
"I don't know what you're playing at, but I'm not falling for it," Getl declared. "'We already checked, and there are no registered aliens who've been given permission to leave the capital. I don't know how you got here, but under the article a-N of the Emergency Law, you're going to go through a full bioscan, either with your co-operation, or without it."
"It's okay, I guess," Jess said in an undertone. "Just a scan."
"It's okay," T'ig agreed. "Let them enter."
The hazard team took over the living room, and sent everyone upstairs, where T'ig had his kitchen and bedroom, with orders to show up for the scan one at a time. The Doctor volunteered to go first, to make sure it was all right, which it was, mostly.
The man in hazard gear told the Doctor to stand still, and crouched to the ground, to start running a handheld scanner of some sort along his body, from the toes up. The tip of the device almost touched his clothes, and the man was moving it very slowly, peering closely at the small screen.
"What're you looking for?" the Doctor asked, curious. "That Plague of yours?"
"That, or any other potentially harmful alien pathogens."
"You won't find any, I can promise that. I've got the best immune system you're ever going to see."
"That's good for you," he said, like he wasn't really listening.
While the man went on with his scan, the woman took up asking the Doctor a set of basic questions. Of course, he had a hard time coming up with any answers that she'd accept.
"Name?"
"The Doctor."
"That's not a name."
"You can't believe how many times I've had people tell me that. All right. Doctor John Smith."
"John Smith. Homeworld?"
"Nowhere in particular."
"What's that supposed to mean? That card of yours said Earth and Gallifrey. Neither of those, then?"
"You won't find either in your database, so it doesn't really matter, does it?"
"Okay. Homeworld: unknown, then. Species?"
"Not in your database, either."
She sighed. "So, you're an alien of an unknown species, from an unknown planet. Lovely. Please list the planets you've visited during the previous year."
"A year in my personal timeline, or the planets'?"
"Oh, just answer the question!"
"But it makes all the difference! During the last year or so, I've visited... Let's see - do you count moons? Asteroids? Satellites? Independent space stations? What about planets that aren't inhabited at this time but will be? Or were, but aren't, anymore? It might be easier to list where I haven't been, actually."
At this point, the man with the scanner had reached the Doctor's hair, and stepped back, apparently satisfied. "All clear," he declared.
"I think I'm done here, too. You're free to go," the woman said, looking quite happy to get rid of him. "Send one of the others after you. You can tell the two locals we'll need to scan them as well, since they've spent time with the bunch of you."
Martha went next, and came back five minutes later, flexing her wrist. "They fixed the sprain, just like that. Just as a courtesy," she told them, looking baffled.
"Pretty advanced medicine, by the looks of it. Seeing how advanced your people are, if the Plague has made your government this paranoid, it must be really nasty," the Doctor said, addressing T'ig. "What's it like?"
"I only know what they've said on the news. It was brought here by an alien. The Crystal Plague, that's what they call it, or the Diamond Death. It first started spreading among the petromites around Nest Town, but it soon hopped species to us."
"And my grandmother lived there," Jess said softly.
T'ig nodded, looking every bit as miserable as his niece. "Before they managed to contain the Plague, it killed millions of petromites and hundreds of people. Nest Town is a ghost town now, and under quarantine until further notice."
"And Nest Town is a suburb of Maze City - that's the capital," Jess told the Doctor and the humans.
"We're very lucky they stopped it before it spread any further, but the threat is still there," T'ig said.
"What kind of a disease is it, then?" Martha asked. "What are the symptoms?"
"It turns you to crystal, somehow. It's absolutely lethal, and there's no cure," T'ig replied, his voice slightly shaky. "No one who gets it survives."
3. Northwest District
Author: Veldeia
Series: Sequel to Hollow World
Fandom: Doctor Who
Warnings: WIP
Characters/Pairings: 10th Doctor, Martha Jones, OCs. Gen.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: If you've seen it on TV, it isn't mine.
Summary: After surviving one big cave, the Doctor, Martha and a caving team from the Sixties find themselves in even more trouble on a planet full of caves.
2. Amber Pass 8R
The old Khiandrian closed door behind them, and stood there, staring at them. "Jess, dear..." he muttered. "You... I didn't think I'd ever see you again, little Jez - the things they said about you... But your friends here, they're - you're - they - you..." His voice trailed away, and he blinked, and opened and closed his mouth, like a blind cave fish on sunny, dry ground.
"I think we'd better sit down and talk things through," Jess said. "Come on." She took T'ig's hand and lead him deeper into the house.
The Doctor and the others followed the two Khiandrians. T'ig's home seemed sparse in furniture, but rich in decorations. The walls were covered with art - modern-looking abstract 3D-pics, older paintings and drawings of buildings and people, and both 2D and 3D photos of caves, cave formations and prehistoric art. All the lights inside the house were the soft green typical to most places on Khiandria. There were small sculptures and frames with more pictures on every tabletop and other spare surface. The room down the hallway was a sitting room, with chairs that looked like rocks, with moss for cushions. On closer inspection, they were entirely artificial, of course.
T'ig sat down, still gaping at his unexpected visitors. Jess took a seat next to her uncle, placing a hand on his back. "It's all right, T'ig. I'm really here. I'm back."
"They said you'd run away - flown away with your mother's ship, no less - I told them you wouldn't do such a thing, you're independent and adventurous, sure, but a criminal - never!"
"Actually, it's true," Jess said sadly, looking down. "Every word of it. But now that I'm back, I'm going to take full responsibility for what I did."
"Jez, you must be joking! How can it be true? And these friends of yours! They're aliens!" T'ig blurted out.
"Yes, they are. T'ig, meet Brian, my mate, and my friends, Joseph, Grant, Martha and the Doctor," Jess said, pointing them out to her uncle.
"Your mate, you say! But, but - they're not even allowed outside Maze City, haven't been for two seasons - if the guards saw you wandering around with them... Unless you have official clearance?"
"Of course we do," the Doctor put in. He had his psychic paper, after all. Universal clearance.
Jess gave him a puzzled look, and crossed her arms. "If we hadn't, though, what would happen? And since when do tourists need a permission to visit the City of Lights?"
"Ever since they declared a planet-wide state of emergency, of course! Honestly, I have no idea what would happen. I don't think there's ever been an incident like that before, aliens just popping up here without clearance. Better hope they didn't see you, and that no one reported you. How did you even get here? I'd have thought you'd have no choice but to stay in Chute Town!"
"We didn't come through there," Jess said, starting to look uncomfortable. "We used a ship that's a little different. No need for a spaceport. But what do you mean, no choice? What's going on here? I've been gone for decades, T'ig. I don't understand. What's happened?"
"Decades? Has it truly been so long? You barely look any older. What's going on, what's happened, oh, where to begin? Politics, that's what it all comes down to, I guess. Almost everything. It's been going on for years, both Darks and Brights gaining in popularity, and then, half a year ago, the Plague came, and the situation just exploded. We've got all the emergency laws, the Darks are more popular than ever, and the ones who are still Brights are all the more fanatical, and -"
"Wait, wait, what?" Jess waved a hand to stop T'ig's flow of speech. "Plague? Are we safe? Is everyone all right?"
"We're not in any danger, the outbreak happened far from here. Your parents are fine as well, and your sister and her family, but your grandmother... I'm afraid she was stuck right in the middle of it. I'm sorry."
Jess stared at him, biting her lip, her face blank, as if she had trouble understanding what he'd said.
T'ig looked at her sadly. "It's been a very difficult year for all of us, and it's only getting worse. As if the Plague wasn't bad enough on its own, it's been turned to politics, too. The Darks think the current laws aren't strict enough, the Brights think they're way too strict, and they're both very active in promoting their views. With the elections coming up, it's chaos - I doubt the planet has seen this much violence since the early 4000's. And they're all talking about aliens, even though the truth is, we can cause more trouble on our own than aliens ever did."
"Does this all have something to do with those buttons everyone's wearing?" Martha put in. "Black, grey and white?"
"Dark, Dusk and Bright, yes, yes, well spotted," T'ig said, nodding. "People showing their allegiance. I'm really not into politics. I guess you could call me a Dusk. I really don't know much about it all."
"Well, we know even less," Martha said. "Please, sir, if you could try and explain?"
"I can try, but don't blame me if I get something wrong. So. There are the two extremes, Darks and Brights, and us Dusks in the middle. The current Chairperson is a Dusk, but I'm afraid that's going to change. The Darks have gained a lot of ground after the Plague. Officially, they're called the Preservationist Party, because they want to preserve all Khiandrian life, which means as little contact with aliens as possible. And the Brights, that's the nickname for the Diplomats. They'd welcome all aliens with open arms, no questions asked."
"That's not so complicated," the Doctor noted. "You have xenophobes, xenophiles, and neutrals."
"Oh, but then each party has dozens of different factions, from peaceful protesters to aggressive activists, there's environmentalists, technologists, anarchists, monarchists, who-knows-what-ists - I doubt anyone can keep count of them all! I can't, that's for sure."
"That's politics for you, all right. It's the same where we're from," Brian commented.
"It's the same everywhere in the universe," the Doctor said. "Even when you have a really simple system, like on Vyrondia, where the same emperor has been ruling for a thousand years - nice chap, rather reminds me of an opossum - there's still the endless bickering and plotting and scheming." He pulled a face. He'd rather avoid getting messed up in local politics, if he could.
He was about to ask T'ig about the Plague, when all of a sudden, the old Khiandrian leaped up from his chair. "Oh, no! They're here!"
The Doctor hadn't heard or noticed anything, but Jess stood up, too, gazing towards where the door was, tilting her head. "The guards," she said tonelessly.
A few seconds later, there was a loud thud at the door, and a strict alto called out, "Open! In the name of the State!"
"I have an emergency exit, through the roof," T'ig said in a voice so low the Doctor could barely hear it. "If you hurry up..."
Jess shook her head. "No. They've already heard we're here. Besides, I decided not to flee from what I've got coming. You don't need to stay, though," she told the others.
"I'm staying with you," Brian announced.
"If there's any trouble, we may be able to help," the Doctor said.
"Yeah," Martha agreed. "We're not going to abandon you."
Joseph and Grant exchanged a glance. "And we're on an alien world where we understand absolutely nothing about anything. What would we do on our own?" Grant said.
The knock and shout were repeated, and in silent agreement, the entire party walked over to the small hallway. T'ig opened the door. Behind it stood two Khiandrians in spacesuit-like protective clothing, a man and a woman, their faces visible beneath the clear face plates. A few steps behind them was another woman, tall and burly by Khiandrian standards, wearing a dark uniform.
"By Khar's Fall, it really is true! So many aliens!" the tall Khiandrian exclaimed, the startled expression looking out of place on her stony face. "I'm Getl, Head of Guard, Northwest District. Here to investigate your illegal invasion of our fair city. Go ahead, check them," she told the pair in protective suits.
"No, wait! We're not illegal aliens, we've already been checked and cleared," the Doctor said quickly, pushing the psychic paper at them.
"Oh, you have, have you?" Getl said sarcastically.
"Ambassadors from Gallifrey and Earth, under the special permission of Her Honour, the Chairperson," one of the hazard team read aloud.
"I don't know what you're playing at, but I'm not falling for it," Getl declared. "'We already checked, and there are no registered aliens who've been given permission to leave the capital. I don't know how you got here, but under the article a-N of the Emergency Law, you're going to go through a full bioscan, either with your co-operation, or without it."
"It's okay, I guess," Jess said in an undertone. "Just a scan."
"It's okay," T'ig agreed. "Let them enter."
The hazard team took over the living room, and sent everyone upstairs, where T'ig had his kitchen and bedroom, with orders to show up for the scan one at a time. The Doctor volunteered to go first, to make sure it was all right, which it was, mostly.
The man in hazard gear told the Doctor to stand still, and crouched to the ground, to start running a handheld scanner of some sort along his body, from the toes up. The tip of the device almost touched his clothes, and the man was moving it very slowly, peering closely at the small screen.
"What're you looking for?" the Doctor asked, curious. "That Plague of yours?"
"That, or any other potentially harmful alien pathogens."
"You won't find any, I can promise that. I've got the best immune system you're ever going to see."
"That's good for you," he said, like he wasn't really listening.
While the man went on with his scan, the woman took up asking the Doctor a set of basic questions. Of course, he had a hard time coming up with any answers that she'd accept.
"Name?"
"The Doctor."
"That's not a name."
"You can't believe how many times I've had people tell me that. All right. Doctor John Smith."
"John Smith. Homeworld?"
"Nowhere in particular."
"What's that supposed to mean? That card of yours said Earth and Gallifrey. Neither of those, then?"
"You won't find either in your database, so it doesn't really matter, does it?"
"Okay. Homeworld: unknown, then. Species?"
"Not in your database, either."
She sighed. "So, you're an alien of an unknown species, from an unknown planet. Lovely. Please list the planets you've visited during the previous year."
"A year in my personal timeline, or the planets'?"
"Oh, just answer the question!"
"But it makes all the difference! During the last year or so, I've visited... Let's see - do you count moons? Asteroids? Satellites? Independent space stations? What about planets that aren't inhabited at this time but will be? Or were, but aren't, anymore? It might be easier to list where I haven't been, actually."
At this point, the man with the scanner had reached the Doctor's hair, and stepped back, apparently satisfied. "All clear," he declared.
"I think I'm done here, too. You're free to go," the woman said, looking quite happy to get rid of him. "Send one of the others after you. You can tell the two locals we'll need to scan them as well, since they've spent time with the bunch of you."
Martha went next, and came back five minutes later, flexing her wrist. "They fixed the sprain, just like that. Just as a courtesy," she told them, looking baffled.
"Pretty advanced medicine, by the looks of it. Seeing how advanced your people are, if the Plague has made your government this paranoid, it must be really nasty," the Doctor said, addressing T'ig. "What's it like?"
"I only know what they've said on the news. It was brought here by an alien. The Crystal Plague, that's what they call it, or the Diamond Death. It first started spreading among the petromites around Nest Town, but it soon hopped species to us."
"And my grandmother lived there," Jess said softly.
T'ig nodded, looking every bit as miserable as his niece. "Before they managed to contain the Plague, it killed millions of petromites and hundreds of people. Nest Town is a ghost town now, and under quarantine until further notice."
"And Nest Town is a suburb of Maze City - that's the capital," Jess told the Doctor and the humans.
"We're very lucky they stopped it before it spread any further, but the threat is still there," T'ig said.
"What kind of a disease is it, then?" Martha asked. "What are the symptoms?"
"It turns you to crystal, somehow. It's absolutely lethal, and there's no cure," T'ig replied, his voice slightly shaky. "No one who gets it survives."
3. Northwest District
