The GateWorld Cantina Chronicles

[susanne]

The meeting had ended somewhat unusually. CJ seemed to have a big problem playing happy families. The crew werent too happy with the plan either. But now it no longer mattered, she'd shouted down the arguments. Even Elle's protests and warnings went unheeded. CJ had said they would prepare and wait for Mapp to wake again. Mapp...She couldnt leave him with CJ. She was convinced now the others were alright....but that woman was off the deep end and several miles out to sea.

She opened the door to her room to find a stealth suit waiting on the bed. Elle frowned and picked it up, it seemed to be a later day model. The Triangle had certainly upgraded their suits since CJ had aquired it and it just screamed rebel. This is ludicrous. Absurd! ...... Ive got to stop reading the theasaurus in my spare time....

She considered Bens idea of playing tourists. It could work. But not with the stealth suits. How long ago had it been since she'd been in a play? Acting? Not since the colony. Never again after it was destroyed. She spent a second reflecting how good that time had been, how childish she had been before it happened. How fast she had to grow up and roll with the punches. A sour feeling slipped down her throat and she flung the stealth suit across the room.

The rage rose in her but she tamed it. And made a vow.

"Whatever it takes....im getting Mapp away from that psycho."

[aretood2]

Spoiler:

CJ looked at Ben square in the eyes, her blue eyes turning to a stern silvery colour as midday sun shone through the windows. "I think that you'll come to know things here soon enough and how they work. I have knowledge far beyond yours. I've reached out into the depths of space and I saw what needs to be done... so I'll tell you this here and now. I am the captain, what I say goes.. no matter how outrageous and terrifying it sounds. Also all unscheduled air crafts that enter the airspace of Earth are shot down or brought in for questioning. Our best shot is to go for the Gate at night when they'll have the least guards. From there Elle will lead us to safety."

Elle smirked in victory.

CJ grinned, "As for Mapp... well we leave when he wakes up. Hopefully a journey back to Earth will jog his memory."

After CJ's announcement, Jacen found himself with her in the corridor leading to Mapp's room. What was he doing? he would think to himself. Ever since he heard of her plan, something in him snapped. A past self of adventure, or recklessness awakened. It was almost as if he were intrigued by the notion of going on a suicide mission. It reminded him of the past, a past not worth remembering.

"CJ," Jacen called out to her getting her attention, "You're plan." CJ did not allow him to finish and interrupted, " You won't be able to change my mind."

"It's not that," Jacen continued, "You are a capable fighter, but as been said, not everyone is a commando. But..." Tapping into his past that he has tried to forget was not as easy as he thought. "But what?" CJ questioned him, demanding him to finish saying whatever it is that he was saying.

"But I do have that experience, that training. I have done espionage, infiltration and sabotage in the past. I was a soldier CJ, a Warrior and a good one at that." Jacen now had CJ's attention. This was the first time Jacen ever shared anything about the past. She found him, his body on a barren world near some wreckage. At first he claimed to not remember anything, then little by little he changed. She knew that at some point Jacen regained all his past memories, but did not want them anymore.

"You were in the Rebellion?" She asked Jacen only for him to shake his head, he was not in the rebillion, "Then you fought for the triangle?" Her voice was slightly raised and she became alert, almost as if ready to fight. "Not that either." Jacen's answer puzzeld CJ.

"What? If you werent for the Rebels or the Triangle, then where did you get this training of yours?" CJ asked now wanting to know. She has allowed Jacen his secrets but now it was the end of that.

"I am not of this Galaxy, or the adjacent ones. My ship came from a distant galaxy through time. At first I did some recon, trying to see where we were."

"We?" CJ asked and Jacen replied, "My crew, the are all dead now." Jacen continued with solemn voice. "Where I came from there once was an Empire not that much different than the Triangle. It replaced a once free and peaceful nation after a bloody war. It became oppressive, secretive. Then a rebellion was formed. It grew and grew to the point where it was ready to defeat that empire. Thousands of worlds at that point were already under the government of freedom, but thousands more remained oppressed. During a decisive battle, I made a mistake. I lead my fleet away from our target, and lost the battle."

CJ continued to listen, not sure whether to believe Jacen or not. "I was sentenced as a punishment to a mining vessel and to live in this body." Jacen raised his hands, Human flesh covered the mechanical endoskeleton the lied underneath. "But when I awoke I found myself on a battle ship with my loyal officers, I was set up and they were determined to clear my name. We traveled above the Galaxy in the galactic void to land behind enemy lines and discover the truth. But instead of arriving there we found our selves here."

CJ tried her best to keep her composure, to not show her desbelief, "If this were true then why tell me now? Why not go home?"

Jacen stared at her and spoke, "We did try, but something went wrong and crashed where you found me."

CJ didn't know what to believe, after the the many things she saw throughout the many years anything was possible. Some part inside of her told her to believe him, that he was telling her the truth. "So who are you," She asked him. She never got to know Jacen and now he finally opened up to her, to anyone. She knew that he was from the past, but never knew the details, not like this.

"My Name is Jacen Antella Admiral of the Union of Free Republics. I trained as an infiltrator and managed to gain a command of my own. My loyalties are now to you and you alone CJ. As a Rebellion we had to execute all sorts of elaborate missions with the odds against us."

CJ looked at him, he did always seem 'human.' He wasn't like any droid that she has ever seen. The wreckage she found with him was made out of alloys that no one in the galaxies ever used. She even found an alien that she has never come across.

"Take me with you to Earth, I can be of service. You'll need an extra tactical mind with you," Jacen pushed on his request to join them on their up coming 'mission.'

((CJ))

[P-90_177]

Spoiler:

Dray nodded slowly, still staring at the image. P-90 sighed.

"Shall I use smaller words or do you not understand the concept?"

"Sorry," said Dray, wincing a little. " I do understand it! The second nucleus is what lets a Timelord remember even after they've regenerated, right?"

"Broadly, there's more to it but we'll go with that for now." He went to change the image.

"So when you made Mapp human," interrupted Dray, "you removed that part of his DNA as well. He won't ever remember who or what he was before."

"Weren't you listening at the time?"

"I wasn't really paying attention," she said quietly. "My mind was on other things."

P-90 looked at his erstwhile pupil. Lessons might take some time it seemed....

"Mapp was turned human by using Chameleon Arch technology.
Putting it simply what that means is that his entire DNA structure was overwritten with human DNA, and for the interest of saving his feeble human mind, his Timelord mind was stored within a fob watch. However the Timelord DNA is still there, it's just not the primary software. Think of it like overwriting data on a hard drive....the original data can still be restored if need be and if you know what you're doing......."

There was a slight pause as Dray mulled over the concept.

"Right.... guess that makes sense. So if the 'data' is still there does that mean he can still regenerate as a Human?"

"No no....The regeneration ability is extracted along with the memories. Regeneration is caused by a certain energy particle that is implanted in every timelord cell when they're first initiated at the age of eight into the academy. This particle has unique property in the fact that it is replicating. As in each time a particle is used then it replicates itself two fold."

"But that's impossible isn't it? I mean matter is converted into energy and vice versa....you can't have energy creating itself?"

"Yeeeah..........Timelords thought that too before we discovered it also effects cellular structure......really it's quite an amazing particle..........Of course the energy also builds and builds and builds which eventually leads to one unfortunate outcome........."

"What is that?"

"Self destruction. The energy builds and builds and builds, making each regeneration more violent until finally.............."

".......Yeah? Until what?"

"Erm........Boom........."

"Boom?"

"Yeah as in a massive explosion of Regeneration energy that rips the body apart."

"Ah............ouch"

P-90 nodded in agreement.

"Naturally the energy can be bled off so that more regenerations can be had. But Timelords see the value of having limited lifespans..........at least until recently......."

[Draygon]

Spoiler:

"Mapp was turned human by using Chameleon Arch technology.
Putting it simply what that means is that his entire DNA structure was overwritten with human DNA, and for the interest of saving his feeble human mind, his Timelord mind was stored within a fob watch. However the Timelord DNA is still there, it's just not the primary software. Think of it like overwriting data on a hard drive....the original data can still be restored if need be and if you know what you're doing......."

There was a slight pause as Dray mulled over the concept.

"Right.... guess that makes sense. So if the 'data' is still there does that mean he can still regenerate as a Human?"

"No no....The regeneration ability is extracted along with the memories. Regeneration is caused by a certain energy particle that is implanted in every timelord cell when they're first initiated at the age of eight into the academy. This particle has unique property in the fact that it is replicating. As in each time a particle is used then it replicates itself two fold."

"But that's impossible isn't it? I mean matter is converted into energy and vice versa....you can't have energy creating itself?"

"Yeeeah..........Timelords thought that too before we discovered it also effects cellular structure......really it's quite an amazing particle..........Of course the energy also builds and builds and builds which eventually leads to one unfortunate outcome........."

"What is that?"

"Self destruction. The energy builds and builds and builds, making each regeneration more violent until finally.............."

".......Yeah? Until what?"

"Erm........Boom........."

"Boom?"

"Yeah as in a massive explosion of Regeneration energy that rips the body apart."

"Ah............ouch"

P-90 nodded in agreement.

"Naturally the energy can be bled off so that more regenerations can be had. But Timelords see the value of having limited lifespans..........at least until recently......."

Dray wasn't sure she liked the implications of that last statement, though she still had the image of exploding Timelords in her head - she quite enjoyed seeing Greg explode for some reason.

"Did you understand any of that?" asked P-90.

"Most of it..."

P-90 offered her a rhy smiles. "Well maybe we should call it a day and you should go back to your chambers." He went over to one of the bookshelves and took out three volumes. "You can have a look at these while you're there."

"Not content with the confusing science, you're giving me homework now?" joked Dray.

"Be sure to read all of them, there may be a test later," replied P-90, handing her the books. "Just try and get your head around it. You never were good with understanding Timelord tech..."

Taking the books, Dray scowled at him before stalking out of the lab towards her chambers. P-90 smiled. Dray was so easy to manipulate. The merest hint that she was weak or not up to scratch and she would be more determined to prove you wrong. Now he could be confidant that Dray would have those books not only well read but probably memorized by the time he saw her again.

Now he had his own work to get on with.

-----
In her room, Dray put the books down on the bed and looked around. The room was still as bland and oppressive as ever.

"It disguises the internal structure and creates a tactile environment to go with it. It's the same thing as the inside of a TARDIS as well. But of course this isn't a TARDIS. We use this technology with all our rooms to allow them to be customised as a Timelord sees fit."

Smiling, Dray took out her sonic screwdriver from the recesses of her dress and held it aloft. It took a few attempts to hit the right frequency but eventually she managed to alter the lighting to something she found much more calming and homely than the stark lighting of before. I'll customize the rest later, she thought before settling back on the bed with her 'homework'. She'd show P-90 what she was like understanding Timelord technology. Let him mock her when she had all three books memorized!

Settling back, she studied the science of the Timelords.

[Admiral Mappalazarou]

As Dray started to grow lost in the forest of her studies, something grabbed her focus and guided her out of the technological history of Gallifrey. It was a soft and distant tapping, very faint, very remote, drumming up through the thin pipes of her room without rhythm or meaning. After a moment of enquiry she shrugged, and dropped herself back into the prehistoric pages...

***

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Her hesitant fingers stopped before the fourth beat. Her old eyes wet and wide composed in the red candlelight. Revelations, revelations...The Visionary’s head had always been a feral conduit for the blood of the universe, and time, and everything else in between. As a once so calm emissary for her people, ultimately the knowledge and chaos of existence had made her lose control of her thoughts and her words and her identity. She knew nothing about herself, but she knew everything there was to know about everyone else. That kind of knowledge usually carried a kind of agony that had immediately killed others before her and yet somehow, the answers and their questions sang down into her mind like child-like lullabies. Her thoughts had sank to less complex levels and danced to them. She remembered vaguely considering it to be a privilege as they bestowed the gift upon her as a child, and then she remembered not ever being able to consider anything again. She could remember how the mirror tribes of the Santiago asteroid hole fought and fought in a pointless hundred-year war over an ancient forgotten cache’ of treasure, but couldn’t remember how to form her own opinions.

She wasn’t a person. She was a conduit to the vortex. If closed off from it, her brain would just wither and die. It couldn’t sustain itself in any other way now. The people of Gallifrey always wrapped their gifts in their curses it seemed.

‘Beat.’ She said without thinking, like a mimicking child ‘I see you...Hiding. Don’t, don’t hide there. It’s hurting her. Don’t hurt her. She’s your sister. Come out, come out, little Time Lady, come out and smell the revelations. I see you...I see you...I see you...Her heart beats for two. Two hearts in one.’

She giggled then, just slightly with a fourth and final beat of the finger.

‘Time Lady, it’s time to wake up now.’

***

WP had slipped off into bed around the same time the sun had, but was struggling to keep up. Ever since Mapp had thrown her into the wall of the medbay she kept becoming overwhelmed by headaches, like her brain was pulsing under a sudden enormous pressure. She turned in her sheets, heard voices, and caught paranoia from the various passing footsteps outside until finally her eyes fell shut.

Then her mind shut down, defeated by the internal pressure of another mind which had been fighting against the nightmares of her psychosis for five long, brutal years. She turned onto her back and almost screamed out as the oxygen rushed in and out of her lungs. Instead she strained and gasped, and her eyelids slid open to reveal a pair of eyes sparkling like freshly uncovered emeralds in the darkness of this wooden cave. For minutes she remained still, resistant of the logic and the reason behind what was happening. It felt unreal, just like a dream, like she was watching herself in another body, watching herself unable to grasp the tension of this.

Am I possessed...? A lone thought worked its way in, where is everyone? Who turned out the lights? Where is my sis?

She felt her body sit up, even if she didn’t direct it to.

WP...?

The headaches retracted.

No...

The shine of her eyes were intense, fuelled by that of an ancient Gallifreyan consciousness. She could see the jade of them making the room weakly gleam. She wasn’t in pain but she was tired, as if she’d been up all day fighting a battle. In fact she felt like she had.

W-Where am I?

This place seemed both close and incredible distant at the same time, another issue amongst a list of other things that were limited in the sense-department.

This isn’t the Cantina...

[Vampyr]

“Well then, if you're really committed to a ground assault, I've got some prep work to do then.” Ben told the assembled group. “Don't take too long about it, I'll need to see what you've got in mind, incorporate it into the overall plan.” Ben bowed, and left the room, already whispering cryptic commands into his bracelet.

After a brief walk back to the Shadow, Ben opened up the port airlock and stepped inside the shuttle's spacious interior. “Okay, Shadow, I'm gonna need you to pull up the specs for Tengu assault armour. Gonna have to make some modifications.” With that, he sat down at the Shadow's pilot seat and called up the specs on a holographic display in front of him.

Like most Matar military technology, the Tengu armour was largely unused due to Matar's governing body's isolationist policies and the Matari's reputation as a system of cybernetic bogey-men who were simply laying in wait to wire up any unfortunate souls who happened upon their quiet dwarf star. That wasn't to say however, that their military hardware wasn't up to scratch, quite the opposite: they had continued their research and development on the latest in death-dealing armaments for both infantry, starships and everything in between. The Tengu though was admittedly not a current example of Matari tech, but it was a good starting-point for what Ben had in mind, since it was the biggest thing the Shadow's minifactories could fabricate in such a hurry.

Within the better part of an hour, Ben had stripped the Tengu down to its barest essentials: muscle enhancement servos, an old-school shield generator and the hallmark of Matari technology; an antimatter catalyzed fusion reactor. Once he was done designing the armour, Ben sat and thought for a good long minute, when the Shadow's controlling subpersona asked him what he wanted to name it. “Apocrypha.” Ben replied. Of doubtful origins indeed.

[Commander Jumper]

Darkness fell across the ice fields of Midna, the young moon persevering through the deep grey clouds, heavy with snow. CJ watched from the window of the Medlab as the snow began to drift across the window panes. Her hand was entwined with her Captain's. Her blue eyes were filled with sorrow, her only desire was to see him awaken once more. She sighed and wondered where WP was. It was about time she came and switched out Mapp's IV bag.

Reluctantly she let go, she knew that WP was probably sleeping, as were the rest of the crew. She picked up the new bag and quickly switched them. As if it were a force of habit she looked at the tray to needles that WP had been injecting routinely into the fluids. They were all antibiotics and other things she didn't mind much. She picked one up and injected it. She sat back down and grabbed his hand. "You're lucky you have me, otherwise you'd be lying dead face first in snow."

Slowly her eyes slid shut and she allowed herself a moment of peace. Her head lolled to the side and she fell against the bed, her head resting against the Captain's arm.

Pain, intense terrifying pain. 'What is this?' she cried out, blood around her chest seeping into her kimono, staining the black even darker. She grabbed at her heart, pain coursing through her veins. Her eyes flew around wildly as she lay in a puddle on the floor of the gate room. Guards piled beside her, all felled by her sword. Elle leaned over her.

Her voice came through muffled, as if all the blood was leaving her head in a rush. 'She's dying.'

She could faintly hear footsteps in the distance. Elle turned back and fired a few more shots behind her and turned back to CJ. She felt a pressure on her chest, choking her. 'Come on, you old woman.... don't tell me you've lived 800 years and a little old bullet is going to stop you. Now'

CJ turned her head lazily to see Ben firing his run wildly, round after round lodging into Gate staff.

Elle grabbed her face and turned it back to her. 'Look what you've done.... there is no way anyone is getting out of this alive, I hope you're happy.'

Elle stood and ran off, shots were fired and a scream echoed through the room. CJ's eyes fell and nothing but black remained.


CJ sat up, her hand being crushed by Mapps. His eyes swung about wildly in the sockets. He gripped her hand wildly as he attempted to speak. His words were raspy and weak, but his words were clear enough to send a chill down her spine. "Not...the gate."

He collapsed a moment later and returned to sleep, as if nothing had happened.

CJ stood shakily, her legs wavering as she tried to make her way out of the medlab. All she could think about was the all too real pain that death would bring. She stumbled through the halls like a drunkard, her mind intoxicated by her vivid dream. She gripped the walls sliding to the floor outside Elle's room. She pounded on the door, as hard as her weakened arms could pound.

The door swung open and Elle looked at CJ, lying on the floor, her eyes wide and terrorized. She gripped Elle's pant leg. "I'm sorry." She sobbed wildly, her mind loosing all grasp on reality. "You were right...."

Elle kneeled to CJ's level, a moment of concern taking over her rational mind. "What do you mean."

CJ breathed deep, trying to control her body. "We'll die if we go through the gate, they're expecting us.... we need...." CJ felt a dizzying sensation overcome her. She focused all her energy on her words. "We need to use a shuttle... there's still a chance we'll die entering the restricted airspace.... but we'll definitely die if we leave through the gate."

Elle smirked triumphantly as CJ passed out by her feet. "I'm always right."

Spoiler:

(sorry been away guys switched to some new meds... woo what a trip. It's like I'm narcoleptic now or something.)

[susanne]

Elle took a look up the corridor and down it, seeing no-one who could have heard CJ's impossibly loud apologies. The woman has no threshold for emotional pain. She mused as she grabbed the smaller woman under the armpits, hauling her into Elle's temporary room and slamming the door. It was a struggle to heave CJ into the bed.

She yelled it loud enough for anyone to hear. She was wrong. Elle was right. Ben was right. There was no way to get past the gate, all travel via that route would have been suspended. Anyone claiming to be tourists would be immediately routed out as liers and killed.

Maybe we could get in with a shuttle...traders? Perhaps. How else? Sneak aboard one of the humanitarian aid ships? How long would that last?

Elle turned to the whimpering girl and her eyes narrowed.

How innocent you look, CJ. How naive you are. I wonder what possible horrors you saw that would make you change your blonde little mind? The death of everyone by the hysterics you had.

She was startled by a loud knock on the door and opened it slowly to see Jacen and Ben both standing on the threshold looking worried.

"We heard CJ screaming."

"Is she alright?"

Elle opened the door fully to show them her sleeping form.

"Yeah. Princess had a scare and changed her mind about the plan. She came to me in hysterics and collpased from the stress."

"Did you get WP?"

"Uh....right im going to leave an unattended and unstable person to look for a doctor who could be on the other side of the compound for all i know."

The two men shared a look but they both nodded, Jacen moved into the room and Ben bolted down the corridor.

((CJ ar2 or Vamp ))

[aretood2]

Spoiler:

Elle took a look up the corridor and down it, seeing no-one who could have heard CJ's impossibly loud apologies. The woman has no threshold for emotional pain. She mused as she grabbed the smaller woman under the armpits, hauling her into Elle's temporary room and slamming the door. It was a struggle to heave CJ into the bed.

She yelled it loud enough for anyone to hear. She was wrong. Elle was right. Ben was right. There was no way to get past the gate, all travel via that route would have been suspended. Anyone claiming to be tourists would be immediately routed out as liers and killed.

Maybe we could get in with a shuttle...traders? Perhaps. How else? Sneak aboard one of the humanitarian aid ships? How long would that last?

Elle turned to the whimpering girl and her eyes narrowed.

How innocent you look, CJ. How naive you are. I wonder what possible horrors you saw that would make you change your blonde little mind? The death of everyone by the hysterics you had.

She was startled by a loud knock on the door and opened it slowly to see Jacen and Ben both standing on the threshold looking worried.

"We heard CJ screaming."

"Is she alright?"

Elle opened the door fully to show them her sleeping form.

"Yeah. Princess had a scare and changed her mind about the plan. She came to me in hysterics and collpased from the stress."

"Did you get WP?"

"Uh....right im going to leave an unattended and unstable person to look for a doctor who could be on the other side of the compound for all i know."

The two men shared a look but they both nodded, Jacen moved into the room and Ben bolted down the corridor.

((CJ ar2 or Vamp ))

Jacen moved over to the bed where CJ laid. Over the years he has never seen her this vulnerable, this unstable. He placed his hand on her forehead using his internal senors to check her vitals. With his eyes he saw the tears drying off her face. Her hair was undone and chaotic, her kamino wrinkled but she was still now. Jacen turned around and looked at Elle, the strange girl that he and WP picked up near the Stargate and asked, "What happened to her? What-" But before he could finish his second question Elle immediately interrupted him knowing where this was going.

"Oh no," She shook her head as she responded, "Now you think that I did something to her?" She began to pace around the room and continued speaking not allowing Jacen to respond, "Why does everyone here think that I am some how an evil mastermind out to kill off everyone? One moment I am minding my own business and the next I am here surrounded by a bunch of nut jobs who all seem to cater to the queen of the nut jobs!"

Jacen raised his hand before Elle could continue her rant, "We have all been through a lot. WP, CJ, everyone. You wouldn't be here if you didn't want to. This Mapp never forced you into coming, he never made you come. You came here of your own will, we all did. CJ owns this place, and she deserves our respect."

"Alright, sorry, look. She just came running to me and apologized and said that she was wrong about going through the gate then she collapsed and you two came." Elle managed to calm herself down, the truth is she did come here out of her own will, she could have left Mapp go off on his own. This was not her battle but she did it anyway. Why did she do it? Why is she attracted to this crowd? What is it that made her come?

Jacen returned his attention to CJ getting down on his knees and speaking softly into her ears, "You should know that nothing you do will make anyone of us think less of you. You always will have our respect, but you must learn patience. Rest now we'll take care of everything."


((Anyone?))

[lordofseas]

<mod snip> (ego talking)

Los watched as the civilians began to walk through the gate. The Senators had already been sent to convene and debate about how to solve the problems. Benson was there now. In a couple of hours, the first civilians would start whining and complaining. He was half tempted to declare marshal law. Nevertheless, Los looked on and smiled at the people who looked at him who came through. The people just suffered a terrorist attack the days before. They needed a source of strength. The streets were cleaned, and the buildings in the city were cleared for stability. It would take a while for the people to get comfortable here again. Los looked on for a few more minutes, then walked stately over to the Senate. It was 8 blocks away, but with the streets cleared, Los could make it to the Senate within a quarter of an hour.

At the Senate, Benson stood on the center podium, while the Senators of Altia and Sekaris IV, the leading members of the two parties, stood on the two podiums across from Benson, and each other. It seemed like a very heated argument. Benson offered words between their argument. Los raised his eyebrow, took a seat beside a very reserved Senator, of Ka'lika Prime, Los believed, and watched on. Benson took note of Los' arrival by the raising of an eyebrow in his direction, and a slight frown, probably coming from the fact he wasn't helping out at the gate. Los nodded to him. The argument went on, other Senators taking the two on the podium's places when they felt tired, or the need to. It was rather entertaining to watch, although absolutely fruitless. They were arguing about the morality of sterilization of the world that the Rebellion landed on, Marthentep, Iliria system. It was the farthest planet from New Gallifrey, within staying in the Triangle. A logical choice. Apparently, around 9 Billion people made it to the planet. Which would cause the debate for morality. Los sighed, then walked up to the podium. He talked to Benson quietly.

"How's the Gate going?" he asked.

"Fine, they're almost done by now," Los replied. "Do you mind if I speak?" he requested.

"Not at all. Good luck making them try and listen to you." he said, as he sat down on the chair a few steps away from the podium. By this time, the Senators had noticed Los and quieted, for the time being.

Los looked at the Senators in the eyes. "I have already dispatched a warship to the planet in question. It had aboard 12 nuclear devices, each able of producing, at best, 7 Gigatons of Nuclear Energy. It will sterilize the planet of all life, set the atmosphere aflame, and render it incapable of producing life again for another 5,000 years. It is going to be done."

A tumultuous roar came from the Senators. Los looked, and saw around half applauding, and cheering, while another half cursing and roaring and rage. Los felt a slight vibration from his satchel. It was his tablet, a communication message. Los pulled it out, and looked at it. A text message from the ship in question.

"Planet confirmed to be Rebellion Stronghold. Planet sterilized." the message said. Los whispered to Benson.

"It's been done." Los said, quietly. Benson looked sharply at him, eyebrows raised, then nodded. Los left the Senate.

As Los left the Senate, shockingly, he was approched by a single drone. This was the head drone, who was imprinted with an obedient AI system, which organized the cleanup done.

"Lord Los, I must speak to you in private." the drone said in a monotonous tone. Los pointed to a room down the corridor, the Senate High Council room, the room where the High Council convened. The High Councillors were out on an errand when the rebellion struck. They had not been seen since, and the Senate was still deliberating on who should be in it. Besides, the vote took around a week, due to some obscure law. The drone slid in on its' wheels, and slid to the desk.

"Tablet please." the drone said. Los took out his tablet, and with a cable the drone provided, connected it to the drone. Information began to upload onto the tablet. When it was completed, Los removed the plug and perused the information. 600,000 drones used, blah blah blah. On the third page, it stated all the things they had collected.

"Have everything you've collected placed into various datapads, and sent to me. I want them in the palace, in my rooms, by tomorrow."

"As you wish." the drone said evenly.

***

Los was ready to sleep when a knock came at the door. Los walked up, and opened the door. It was a soldier.

"With your permission, sir, the ship in orbit is ready to beam you up for priority transport." he said. Los frowned, but nodded. The soldier tapped his small watch-like device on his wrist, and they were both transported onto the ship. The captain stood at attention.

"Welcome to the Ka'vera, commander." the captain said.

"What is the meaning of this?" Los asked quietly. The captain motioned for him to follow, and began to walk at a leisurely pace.

"I'm here to report on the specifics to you in person, Sir."

"Go ahead."

"We arrived at the planet in question. We found a small rebellion force, and a group of around 20 million people. We obliterated the ships, and sterilized the planet like you ordered."

Los stopped, shocked. "WHAT?!"

The captain looked taken aback for a second, then began to repeat what he had said, more slowly this time. "We..."

"No no no," Los said. "How many ships and people?" he inquired.

"Around.....10 ships, and 20 million people." the Captain answered.

Los shook his head. "That wasn't the Rebellion. Or at least, not the entire Rebellion. When they left New Gallifrey, they had taken around 60 ships, and there are 9 billion people unaccounted for. The rebellion is still there."

The Captain was dumbstruck. "But..but.." he said.

"But nothing," Los said. "Beam me back to the planet, I have work to do."

"Orders, sir?" the Captain said slowly.

"Remain in orbit, to protect the planet. Space traffic is still halted. Any ship that attempts to enter or exit that has been already been hailed and refused to co-operate is to be shot down."



Los sat at his desk, sleep completely forgotten. He sat wondering what to do. On how to get help. Contact with Draygon had been lost...except for that message. Los tapped his nose. What to do, what to do....


In places everywhere throughout the New Triangle, government alerts were issued. Several prominent Senators stood in a arrowhead formation.

"Citizens everywhere. As you know, New Gallifrey has been recently wracked by Terrorism. These blatant and atrocious acts are absolutely without waver by us. This form of rebellion must be scourged from our midst. Look at the faces of these people, people like you, that have lost their families, their homes, their livelihood. We cannot support terrorism, or else we would be going against the true people, you. We need to unite against this terrible formation. Stay alert, and keep watch. Thank you."

(AR, continue as you see fit.)

[Commander Jumper]

The first moments of daylight began to pour into the small room. CJ slept soundly, her breathing even and her heart beat steady. Images flooded her mind, replaying the events in her head. The images of them dying, she had witnessed to much death in her lifetime, too much meaningless sacrifice and to what end?

She had fooled herself into believing she was just as smart and brave as the man she had devoted her life to protecting. She would never be as wise, but she would always be just as stubborn.

images of gore and bloodshed, of her fallen friends haunted her dreams. Horrific scenes of what was to come and what had already come to pass. Susie's smile passed through her mind, so very genuine and a little sarcastic. The empress haunted that face, brought a ghost back to life. Ruined Susie's humanity, wrecked her image, and ultimately saved everyone. P-90 and Dray filling the halls of the ship with laughter, both now gone to unknown reaches of the universe. Wolfax, piloting them through the stars, always some new fact he was willing to share. He was blinded by CJ, an idea that crushed her heart. Cowpants, lord knows where. Everyone she knew and loved were now gone, her happy family.

And now she had a new home, new friends. Most importantly she had Mapp back in her life.

She could see blood shed and hatred rage in the heart of the future, all of it converging upon them. The crew of the Cantina, no matter how far or wide they reached across the universe, death and destruction would find them. Even if they claimed that they no longer held ties with the rouge Captain of the Cantina, their lives too would be filled with the same horrors that the future was doomed to bring.

They would all suffer for the lives they saved, and the rules they shattered. Time and space had been their playground for years and now the universe was paying them back what they owed. Their lives for the millions they had changed. The lives that were never meant to be and the deaths that came too soon.

She could see it all burning in the centre of her mind. The pain was relentless and endless. She had seen something not meant for her eyes. And then in an instant, everything slipped away and only cold sweet relief remained.

Slowly her eyes fluttered open. Elle sat next to her, looking painfully bored and disinterested. CJ slowly sat up, causing everyone in the room to turn. "Who's with the Captain?"

Elle raised an eyebrow. "You run about ranting and then pass out and the first hing you do is ask about the guy who's been asleep pretty much this whole time."

CJ nodded, grabbing her he. A head ache running through her veins. "I'm sorry."

Elle looked at CJ again, more peculiar. "You already said that."

CJ turned to her, sincerity in her eyes, "I'm saying it again. I'm sorry. It's just that I want to be like him.. I want to be someone he'll be proud to know. I want to be the heroin and save the day. That clouds my judgment my desire to please him outweighs my rational thought." CJ looked on with complete honesty and vulnerability on her face. "because up until recently all I've done is contemplate how I feel, and in the end I want to be someone he can love...because I love him."

[susanne]

Spoiler:

The first moments of daylight began to pour into the small room. CJ slept soundly, her breathing even and her heart beat steady. Images flooded her mind, replaying the events in her head. The images of them dying, she had witnessed to much death in her lifetime, too much meaningless sacrifice and to what end?

She had fooled herself into believing she was just as smart and brave as the man she had devoted her life to protecting. She would never be as wise, but she would always be just as stubborn.

images of gore and bloodshed, of her fallen friends haunted her dreams. Horrific scenes of what was to come and what had already come to pass. Susie's smile passed through her mind, so very genuine and a little sarcastic. The empress haunted that face, brought a ghost back to life. Ruined Susie's humanity, wrecked her image, and ultimately saved everyone. P-90 and Dray filling the halls of the ship with laughter, both now gone to unknown reaches of the universe. Wolfax, piloting them through the stars, always some new fact he was willing to share. He was blinded by CJ, an idea that crushed her heart. Cowpants, lord knows where. Everyone she knew and loved were now gone, her happy family.

And now she had a new home, new friends. Most importantly she had Mapp back in her life.

She could see blood shed and hatred rage in the heart of the future, all of it converging upon them. The crew of the Cantina, no matter how far or wide they reached across the universe, death and destruction would find them. Even if they claimed that they no longer held ties with the rouge Captain of the Cantina, their lives too would be filled with the same horrors that the future was doomed to bring.

They would all suffer for the lives they saved, and the rules they shattered. Time and space had been their playground for years and now the universe was paying them back what they owed. Their lives for the millions they had changed. The lives that were never meant to be and the deaths that came too soon.

She could see it all burning in the centre of her mind. The pain was relentless and endless. She had seen something not meant for her eyes. And then in an instant, everything slipped away and only cold sweet relief remained.

Slowly her eyes fluttered open. Elle sat next to her, looking painfully bored and disinterested. CJ slowly sat up, causing everyone in the room to turn. "Who's with the Captain?"

Elle raised an eyebrow. "You run about ranting and then pass out and the first hing you do is ask about the guy who's been asleep pretty much this whole time."

CJ nodded, grabbing her he. A head ache running through her veins. "I'm sorry."

Elle looked at CJ again, more peculiar. "You already said that."

CJ turned to her, sincerity in her eyes, "I'm saying it again. I'm sorry. It's just that I want to be like him.. I want to be someone he'll be proud to know. I want to be the heroin and save the day. That clouds my judgment my desire to please him outweighs my rational thought." CJ looked on with complete honesty and vulnerability on her face. "because up until recently all I've done is contemplate how I feel, and in the end I want to be someone he can love...because I love him."

Elle snorted loudly as she talked about being a hero but sighed. I should have seen that. Strange things drive these people.....what drives me? To know the truth?

"Being the hero wont make him like you you know."

Perhaps it wasnt any of her business but this woman seemed so naive about these things.

"It'll only make him expect more of you. And one day the expectation will crush you."

She turned to Jacen, his head was nodding slightly. Dear god was this how they all felt? She then looked down at CJ.

"It'll get you killed. It almost did. Your smart enough to see sense."

Elle stood and stretched, allowing her muscles to tense and relax.

"Ill go and check on Mapp."

CJ sat up quickly in panic, about to beg her not to tell him, but they were interrupted by Ben and WP crashing into the room.

"Oh the cavilry has arrived."

Elle moved to the side, allowing them past before she turned to CJ.

"I wont say anything to him. It ain't my right. But frankly i'd get your head in order and tell him before you end up somewhere dead."

Elle stalked out of the room leaving a stunned silence.

[lordofseas]

Los tapped his fingers on the railing of the transporter as he watched the numbers report in on his data slate. Thirty nine thousand people had enlisted in the military in two days, while government buildings were being swamped with reports of people wanting to turn in their enemies in "suspect" of being criminals. Los rolled his eyes. The absolute idiocy of some people....The advertisement was designed by the Senate, to "promote intelligence" or some such. Los sniffed, then walked on. He had gathered the data-tablets with all the material, and sent them through to Adaris. He was also sending a ship to New Gallifrey for Los' transport. Of course, it wasn't his mothership. That was not done yet. It was a simple cruiser. Benson had practically everything under control here, and Los wanted a scene change from the constant whining. Los walked off the balcony of the transporter, and onto a small building off the side. It was a non-descript building, that was originally a warehouse for the government. Now, it was something more. There was no door to the building. Los pushed on the Tollan Phase Device on his wrist, and walked through. Inside, the Stargate lay. A device lay close to the Stargate, which opened a shield over the gate if there was an incoming wormhole. Los dialed Yurusha Primata, a distant commerce planet on the edge of the Milky Way.

The planet's smell caught Los offguard. It was an industrialized planet, with many factories and other industries here. Los tapped a button on his wrist, beside the Phase Device. Los was beamed up to the starship cloaked in orbit around the planet. A voice spoke out.

"Commands, My Lord?" the voice said.

"You are the new AI?" Los said.

"Yes, my Lord. I am Selene." the voice said.

"Adapt to your own personality as you please, and set a course for Gallifrey." Los commanded. "And prepare entertainment for me in my rooms."

"As you command, my Lord."

(Dray)

[Commander Jumper]

Spoiler:

Elle snorted loudly as she talked about being a hero but sighed. I should have seen that. Strange things drive these people.....what drives me? To know the truth?

"Being the hero wont make him like you you know."

Perhaps it wasnt any of her business but this woman seemed so naive about these things.

"It'll only make him expect more of you. And one day the expectation will crush you."

She turned to Jacen, his head was nodding slightly. Dear god was this how they all felt? She then looked down at CJ.

"It'll get you killed. It almost did. Your smart enough to see sense."

Elle stood and stretched, allowing her muscles to tense and relax.

"Ill go and check on Mapp."

CJ sat up quickly in panic, about to beg her not to tell him, but they were interrupted by Ben and WP crashing into the room.

"Oh the cavilry has arrived."

Elle moved to the side, allowing them past before she turned to CJ.

"I wont say anything to him. It ain't my right. But frankly i'd get your head in order and tell him before you end up somewhere dead."

Elle stalked out of the room leaving a stunned silence.

CJ stood quickly, all the blood rushing from her head to her legs. Grey over came her vision for a moment before regaining her balance. She quickly ran after Elle, her blue eyes turning silver in the haze of her pent up rage. She swung out and grabbed Elle's arm. Elle turned, her face high unamused.

CJ looked at her sternly. "I don' know who you think you are. But this is my home, my crew, and my life. I do not take kindly to those who treat me with such obvious disrespect. I know what you think of me, that I'm naive and foolish. But at least I act on how I feel. I've lived so many of your lifetimes, The sadness and crushing despair I've seen would crush you. But at least I get up every morning knowing that I'm doing my best to help those around me."

Elle pulled her arm from CJ's grasp and glared at her.

CJ sighed, her head falling. "You say that trying to be a hero will have me killed, I'm sure you're right. But I'd rather die a hero than live as a coward."

Elle shook her head, laughing. "You are so stubborn it amazes me, your stupidity it overwhelming really. A coward lives to fight another day."

CJ nodded, "While that is true.... but what is the cost of turning tail and running. If I ran every time I came close to death then so many lives would be lost. I know I was wrong about going through the gate but I always see my errs in judgment. So if you'll excuse me... I'll be on to see Mapp. I will not hear another word of this again. If I do I will toss you out into that snow and let you freeze to death. I am in no mood."

CJ stalked off towards the medlab while Elle rolled her eyes. She was growing awful tired of CJ's black and white way of thinking, her stubbornness, and her inability to let sleeping dogs lie. Elle sighed and walked back to her quarters, deep in the back of her mind she reasoned that she and CJ weren't that much different from one another. A thought that she would never care to admit to.

--

CJ checked Mapp's vitals, her mind reeling through what he had shown her of the future. There was no way in his current human state that he could know anything about the future. She mulled over what could have caused it, nothing making any sense in her mind. She sighed deeply before leaving the room. "Mapp please wake up soon."

Spoiler:

sooooorry for my failage... one newwwww drugs

[Myn McGeek, Third Sentinel]

Spoiler:

Elle snorted loudly as she talked about being a hero but sighed. I should have seen that. Strange things drive these people.....what drives me? To know the truth?

"Being the hero wont make him like you you know."

Perhaps it wasnt any of her business but this woman seemed so naive about these things.

"It'll only make him expect more of you. And one day the expectation will crush you."

She turned to Jacen, his head was nodding slightly. Dear god was this how they all felt? She then looked down at CJ.

"It'll get you killed. It almost did. Your smart enough to see sense."

Elle stood and stretched, allowing her muscles to tense and relax.

"Ill go and check on Mapp."

CJ sat up quickly in panic, about to beg her not to tell him, but they were interrupted by Ben and WP crashing into the room.

"Oh the cavilry has arrived."

Elle moved to the side, allowing them past before she turned to CJ.

"I wont say anything to him. It ain't my right. But frankly i'd get your head in order and tell him before you end up somewhere dead."

Elle stalked out of the room leaving a stunned silence.

Spoiler:

CJ stood quickly, all the blood rushing from her head to her legs. Grey over came her vision for a moment before regaining her balance. She quickly ran after Elle, her blue eyes turning silver in the haze of her pent up rage. She swung out and grabbed Elle's arm. Elle turned, her face high unamused.

CJ looked at her sternly. "I don' know who you think you are. But this is my home, my crew, and my life. I do not take kindly to those who treat me with such obvious disrespect. I know what you think of me, that I'm naive and foolish. But at least I act on how I feel. I've lived so many of your lifetimes, The sadness and crushing despair I've seen would crush you. But at least I get up every morning knowing that I'm doing my best to help those around me."

Elle pulled her arm from CJ's grasp and glared at her.

CJ sighed, her head falling. "You say that trying to be a hero will have me killed, I'm sure you're right. But I'd rather die a hero than live as a coward."

Elle shook her head, laughing. "You are so stubborn it amazes me, your stupidity it overwhelming really. A coward lives to fight another day."

CJ nodded, "While that is true.... but what is the cost of turning tail and running. If I ran every time I came close to death then so many lives would be lost. I know I was wrong about going through the gate but I always see my errs in judgment. So if you'll excuse me... I'll be on to see Mapp. I will not hear another word of this again. If I do I will toss you out into that snow and let you freeze to death. I am in no mood."

CJ stalked off towards the medlab while Elle rolled her eyes. She was growing awful tired of CJ's black and white way of thinking, her stubbornness, and her inability to let sleeping dogs lie. Elle sighed and walked back to her quarters, deep in the back of her mind she reasoned that she and CJ weren't that much different from one another. A thought that she would never care to admit to.

--

CJ checked Mapp's vitals, her mind reeling through what he had shown her of the future. There was no way in his current human state that he could know anything about the future. She mulled over what could have caused it, nothing making any sense in her mind. She sighed deeply before leaving the room. "Mapp please wake up soon."

...... I am so lost. She had considered stopping CJ as she left for the medbay, so she could ask what was going on. But knowing her friend, now was not the time. I guess I'll just wait until things cool down...

"WP, are you wearing makeup?"

She blinked and turned to see Ben looking at her. "Uh..." she replied, "no, I don't think so." Then after a pause, "Why?"
"Nevermind..." he frowned slightly, "I just thought your eyes looked different. Maybe you just look tired. You should get some rest."

.....

In WP's room, she stared into the small mirror on the dresser. The stranger was right, she did look different. It took a while to get over the fact she was in another body, but she also noticed an eerie greenness in the eyes she used to know so well. She frowned, frustrated, and went over to the bed. Sitting cross-legged, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly, closing her eyes...

The room around her slowly drifted out of her tired mind as she reached within, searching. She hadn't meditated before finding the Cantina, but soon after she had found her fob watch and realized who her people were and found their legacy within herself, she learned that quiet meditation can be invaluable to helping to calm the troubled soul of a Lord of Time. This time though, it was different. Instead of searching for answers about herself, this time she was searching for the soul of a loved one. Even when they were in their own bodies, they shared a slight telepathic link. So she was hopeful.

She had no idea how long it had been since WP had made the sacrifice to save them both on the Gauntlet, but her sister had done the unthinkable to save her. She had to find her. She must still be there. Everyone else seemed to think so, whether they knew there were two minds in the one body or not.

WP.... where are you? .... Please...... respond. I'm so confused............ I need you, sis.

But no matter how far she reached, Myn couldn't find her sister within. It seemed she was alone.

Spoiler:

(( Mapp? Unless anyone else wants to reply... ))