The TARDIS landing platform overlooked a cityscape that was breathtaking. Tall golden spires towered over gleaming domes. Air cars floated along the metal canyons. Lights in the buildings seemed like fireflies gathered on huge trees. The sunset cast red and golden rays across the city, streaming into the thoroughfares and through the tall buildings of glass and crystal.
Romana beamed brightly as the members of Eden Advance came out onto the TARDIS platform and gazed at the marvelous city. Devon was the first to greet her.
"Hello, everyone," Romana said. "I'm very pleased to see you all again, even under these unpleasant circumstances."
The last one out of the TARDIS was Zero, servos whirring as he clunked his way onto the platform. He looked down and raised a hand. "Greetings, K9," Zero said.
"Greetings, friend Zero," K9 answered, wagging his little antenna tail briefly.
Parillon shut the TARDIS doors, turned to Romana, and bowed. "Madam President," he said respectfully.
"President?" Morgan asked.
"Yes," Romana said simply. Only then could Devon detect that Romana's smile lines were a little deeper. The Time Lady had aged. "In the time since we last met, a lot has happened. I left the Doctor to strike out on my own, then came back here to Gallifrey to become President of the High Council of Time Lords."
"That's a lot to do in ten minutes," Morgan said.
Romana replied, "I gather that you said farewell to myself and the Doctor on the beach at New Pacifica only a few minutes ago. As far as I'm concerned, that parting was about 300 years ago."
Morgan's head whirled. She said it so casually.
"Well..." Bess faltered. "I have to say, you're looking great!"
"Thank you!" Romana said with a smile. "Julia, isn't it?"
"Um...no." Bess smiled back. "I'm Bess. That's Julia."
"Hi." Julia gave a little wave.
"So sorry. I'll have to get reacquainted with all of you. If you will follow me, I'll give you a brief tour of the city, show you to your quarters and give you all the gossip."
"Will the President need me any more, milady?" Parillon asked.
"No, Parillon. And please speak to me as a normal person. You know I don't like the formalities of office."
"Yes...milady," Parillon said rather pointedly, scowling. He bowed and left.
"What's wrong with him?" Magus asked.
"I'm the first president in centuries who doesn't wear the ceremonial robe of office everywhere I go. Big, bulky, tacky thing. And I hate being bowed to. I like to come and go as I please. Parillon doesn't approve, he's one of the old school."
She led them across the platform to the edge, which apparently simply ended in a thousand-foot drop to the streets below.
There were huge, semi-circular indentations in the platform's edge. Snugly fitting into some of these were smaller platforms. On closer examination, Devon realized they were air cars that fitted into the slots, like small boats docked at a pier. Each one was circular, with one long seat around the edge, capable of holding about 20 people. Romana indicated one, inviting everyone to climb in.
Magus shook her head. "I'm not getting in that thing," she said, standing far back from the platform's edge.
"Nervous about heights?" Romana asked.
Magus nodded.
"So am I," Cameron spoke up.
"And so am I," Romana said with a smile. "So is the Doctor, and he would be the first to admit it. But don't worry – these air cars are equipped with force fields, as is the edge of this platform. You can't fall out."
"But I can't see the force fields," Magus said, nervously approaching the air car, trying to believe what her eyes weren't telling her.
Romana stepped in lightly and swung a small lever below the main controls. A banister slid up out of the air car's sides, providing something people could see and hold on to.
"Better?" she asked Magus, smiling.
"Come on, Magus," Alonzo took her hand. "You've space-walked before. I know you have! You can't get much higher than that."
"It's not the same thing." But Magus still allowed herself to be led onto the air car. She didn't look down as she stepped into it.
On the other side of the platform, where it met the main building, a door slid open and a striking, dark-haired woman appeared. She seemed very athletic, approaching them with strong, purposeful strides. She halted when she reached the group and addressed Romana. But unlike Parillon, she did not bow. Indeed, with her chin in the air, she struck a pose that almost seemed haughty, but wasn't. It was more like shining pride, as if the woman had just won some kind of contest.
"Lady Romana," the newcomer said, "I apologize for being late. I came here as quickly as I could."
Romana seemed very pleased. "That's all right. Everyone, this is Leela. Leela, this is the Eden Advance team." Romana spoke to them all. "Leela is the only human who lives on Gallifrey. I asked her to be your official escort and liaison during your stay. I couldn't think of anyone better suited."
Leela also stepped lightly into the air car, nodding her greetings to the others.
Zero clunked on, K9 rolling behind him. As they all sat down, except for Zero, Romana started the air car moving. With only the slightest sound of metal locks retracting, it slowly left the platform, and she eased it out into the clear air between buildings.
"Zero, sit down! I can't see through you!" Since True was in the back, she was trying to look ahead at where they were going, but Zero was standing in the middle of the air car. Obeying the order, Zero sat down next to Mazatl on the exquisite, plush bench. The robot looked so out of place. Baines tried to conceal a smile, but couldn't.
"Where is the Doctor?" Devon asked.
"He's being held in a prison cell," Romana answered. When Devon looked sick, she added, "Don't worry. Our prisons are comfortable. He's not being mistreated or anything, but he is in a great deal of torture, because for the Doctor, boredom is the worst punishment he can endure."
"Can we see him?"
"We'll all go see him later this evening. I need to get you settled and speak with you first."
Devon nodded, sensing Romana wanted to save the topic for later. "You have a beautiful city here," she said in awe, staring around her. The sunset gave everything around them a golden glow.
"Thank you," Romana replied.
"This opens up so much for me," Devon said. "I still remember the feeling I had when we reached G889 and I saw it for the first time from space. It took so long for it to sink in that I was actually looking at another planet, that I had traveled across space to someone else's home. It made me feel so...well, like a seasoned traveler. Like I was some galactic hotshot who knew it all about space travel. But now..." Devon motioned to the grand city around her. "I feel it all again. But I also feel really childish for thinking that my one tiny trip across 22 light years exposed me to everything that space had to offer."
"Don't," Romana said.
"Don't what?"
"Don't feel childish. From your time, the number of people who had ever set foot on a planet in another solar system was probably less than a thousand. You did something grand, Devon. Something powerful."
Romana lifted the car a little higher and activated the autopilot. She motioned to the sky, where the first few stars were becoming visible as the sun went down. "Do you know what space is, Devon?"
"Uh, well..." Devon faltered, surprised by the question. "I wasn't aware that it was anything at all."
"Yes and no," Romana replied. "Believe it or not, space is actually something real and tangible. It can bend, compact itself, and stretch. But at the same time, it isn't anything at all. It's never-ending blackness, stretching on to infinity. Blackness forever. That's something not even we Time Lords can measure.
"In this ocean of blackness there are things that float and move around. Occasionally, these things hit each other. Some of these things burst forth with their own energy, sending out heat and light, pushing back the darkness in a way that almost seems impossible. Around these energy-givers are smaller lumps of matter, which is where most of the universe's life forms are found. Life forms like you and me, Devon. You and I exist on tiny islands in the middle of an infinite ocean. Most of these islands never meet each other, never know of the others' existence."
Romana was suddenly intense, and she gave emphasis to her next words. "What you did, Devon, was ride a ship across an infinite ocean to reach another island. Don't ever think yourself childish for feeling proud of that. It's a grand and marvelous thing to do, a wonder very few people get to experience."
Devon was transfixed by her stare, once again feeling the powerful weight of her words. She tried to hold on to them, to seize whatever wisdom she could from this woman who had lived centuries.
Romana looked up at the stars, and Devon followed her gaze. "Each of those tiny points of light is actually a raging nuclear inferno over a million miles across, converting six to ten million tons of matter into energy every second. Most people know that, but few ever actually think about it. I've never met a single person – not the Doctor, myself, or anyone – who has ever actually understood how powerful this universe is, how big it is. For every planet you land on, there are over a trillion more. For every star you see, there's another lifetime's worth beyond it. And for every alien race you meet, somewhere, ten million more have evolved during the second in which you said, "Hello."
She faced Devon again. "So don't ever lose that feeling of specialness, Devon, for it is special, what you've done. For most of my race," she gestured to the city around her, "travel between the stars has become so commonplace that it's lost its magic. They don't think anything is special about it, any more."
"That's sad," Devon said.
"It is. But at least for humans, it's still a joy and a wonder. That's probably why the Doctor and I like you humans so much." She smiled. "The things you see and do still touch you."
Devon smiled sadly. "Not all of us."
"No, not all," Romana agreed. "But for the most part."
She took over the air car's controls again and continued on.
While Devon and Romana were talking, the others had also stared about them in awe, and various conversations around the air car had begun.
"So, how did you wind up on Gallifrey?" Bess asked Leela after a little while.
"I met the Doctor when he landed on my world," Leela said. "I traveled with him for several years, and we came back to Gallifrey when the Sontarans invaded this world. The Doctor stopped them. I decided to stay here and he returned to his star-wandering."
"I can see why you chose to stay," Bess said, looking around.
"Can you?" Leela asked. "I doubt that very much, because he's not with us."
"'He?'"
"Yes. I stayed because I fell in love with Andred, the captain of the Chancellery Guard. He is now the Castellan, and we are married."
"You're married to a Time Lord?" Bess asked incredulously.
"Yes. Does that offend you?"
"No!" she answered hurriedly. "I just would've thought it would be kind of difficult."
"I will die before he will. We both know that. Except for that, our union is no different than any other. Our love is very strong. Just yesterday, he gave me this bracelet, using beads I had once woven into a garment that is now too old." She smiled. "He did it by hand. He had to learn how, first."
Bess shook her head. Leela spoke in such a strong, aggressive manner, although she seemed nice enough. "You said, 'your world,'" Bess said. "Do you come from Earth?"
"No. I do not know the name of my world of birth, nor do I care to. I left it far behind."
"Why? Was it horrible?"
"I am a warrior of the tribe of the Sevateem," Leela said proudly. "My ancestors left Earth in a rocket and crash-landed on a nameless world. As they had children and more generations came along, they forgot where they came from. The name of my tribe – the Sevateem – originally came from the words, 'Survey Team.' The words had become distorted as they were passed down through generations. For the first 20 years of my life I lived with nothing but my knife and my crossbow to guide me, and the unity of our tribe. All I ever had to wear was animal skins. I never knew I was descended from Earthmen."
A brief memory of Mary flashed through Bess's mind.
"When I first met the Doctor, I knew nothing of science, or other worlds," Leela continued. "I only knew how to hunt and how to defeat my enemy with strength and cunning. But the Doctor educated me, and showed me many wonders. He taught me how to read, and he taught me about spaceships, and he taught me about computers. Now I know many things I was blinded to before. And I am glad."
"But you still consider yourself a warrior of the Sevateem," Bess said. It wasn't a question.
"That is true. The tribe taught me what I needed to know. It gave me strength and a foundation. Although I would never go back to where I came from, even if given a choice, that does not mean that I do not honor my past, or regret it. I just don't wish to repeat it. Such a thing would be foolhardy. The past just needs to be left behind, regardless of whether it was good or bad. That may be hard for someone to understand."
"No," Bess said very, very quietly, and she smiled a little in understanding. "It's not hard at all. In fact, I...I think we've got a lot in common."
They heard Danziger speak up over the sound of the wind. "Where are we going?" he asked Romana.
"I have arranged for quarters for everyone in the citadel, in the Presidential Palace," Romana replied. Even as she said this, the air car cleared a building's edge and a grand and beautiful palace emerged before them. A large garden with a central fountain lay in front.
Romana steered the air car into a docking platform in the center of the roof. Two of the palace guards, dressed in red uniforms with silver trim, saluted smartly by clicking their heels together. Romana nodded to them and led the way to a set of double-doors which slid open. Beyond the doors was a small anteroom, where Romana halted and waited for them all to catch up.
"Forgive me for asking this," Yale said, "but couldn't Parillon's TARDIS have simply materialized here at the palace?"
"Yes, it could have," Romana replied. "Our technology gives us almost absolute control over our environment. We can transmat from place to place all over the world instead of having to walk or ride anywhere. We control our weather. Our buildings are some of the most structurally sound in the universe, capable of withstanding extreme shocks and holding together under the most adverse conditions, and we have an almost impenetrable defense shield around the entire planet.
"But we haven't made advancements in technology alone. We have a great understanding of our own psyche, and that of our alien visitors – both psychologically and sociologically. Some things we do simply for the aesthetics. For example, we really don't need these doors here – we could have a permanent opening with a low-power force field to keep out dust and intruders. But we still have doors simply because we feel more comfortable with them. And I instructed Parillon to land at the platform because I wanted to show you some of the city once you arrived here, because it's a lovely evening."
Seeing that everyone had caught up, Romana said, "Presidential order: register 15 humans and one robot for Grade 1 access." Then she smiled. "The central computer is scanning your brain wave patterns for identification, and is taking a molecular structural reading of Zero. From this moment on, every one of you are authorized to come and go as you please around the citadel, excepting areas having to do with security."
"Authorization confirmed," a pleasant voice spoke from the wall. "Welcome back, President Romanadvoratrelundar." The double doors on the other side of the antechamber swished open and Romana breezily led the way in.
"We do not have very many other guests at the moment," Romana explained. "The entire east wing is vacant and at your disposal. Leela, will you please show them where it is? Every one of you can choose any room you like. Each room has a voice-activated computer which can communicate in English. It's what Earth people like to call 'user-friendly,' so it should be able to answer all your questions. It will transmat some fresh clothing to you if you wish to change. I'll give you about an hour or so to settle in and do whatever you need to do, and then I would appreciate it if you will all join me for a private dinner in my stateroom." Her voice grew serious. "We have much to discuss."
Leela nodded and led the others away as they still tried to take it all in.
"Criminy!" Denner exclaimed, walking into one of the suites. "I've never had anything so luxurious in my life!"
Each door opened into a full suite. The beds were huge, the rooms were huge, the carpets were plush and the view was spectacular.
"Sure beats a tent on a cold mountainside," Magus said, following her in and looking around. "Oh, look, this room has a neat little aquarium!" She bent down to look at the alien fish swimming through a viscous liquid that was a deep, dark blue, a blue that caught the light so evenly it looked like a liquid crystal in which her eyes could just float away. "I don't have this in my room. I've got some kind of crystal and glass sculpture thing hanging from the ceiling."
"There's a really neat color design on the walls in my room, made by lasers," Mazatl said, sticking his head in. "But I can't really tell where they're coming from. Oh, an aquarium!" He joined Magus in admiring the fish, which seemed to take equal joy in admiring them right back.
Danziger joined them. While still looking at the fish, he leaned close to Magus and Mazatl and said conspiratorially, "You know, it's really polite of our hosts not to mention that we haven't had a bath in a while."
Mazatl grinned and nodded in agreement.
"Tell me about it," Magus agreed. "They picked us up right after salvaging everything from the colony ship, and then relocating everyone. We haven't had a moment's rest!"
"Well, I'm going to have a rest tonight!" Denner exclaimed, falling back onto the luxurious bed, which immediately formed soft contours to accept her body. "Oh, this is heavenly!"
They all wandered in and out of the rooms, oohing and ahing over everything they saw. Leela joined in, since she had never had occasion to visit the guest rooms of the palace before. Julia asked the computer in her room to display various outfits at random for her to see, and it did so without hesitation. Devon soon joined her in that activity.
Noticing them, Danziger shook his head. "Will you look at that?" he asked Alonzo. "Two years since we've been in some kind of civilization and the first thing those two do is shop."
Alonzo grinned.
After all the sightseeing, and getting over the shock and excitement of being on yet another world, it was actually closer to an hour and a half before they joined Romana in her stateroom, washed and feeling more presentable. Romana didn't seem to mind the delay. Indeed, she barely had time to acknowledge their presence as they sat down around the table. She was busy speaking to a woman whose holographic image hung in the middle of the room.
"Serina, tell them to send another plea, I don't care how unpopular it is with the High Council. If the Zandorians put up a fuss, we may just have to get a little stern with them."
Devon divided her time between taking a last-minute look at her makeup with the hand-held mirror she'd gotten along with her outfit (with matching handbag, of course), trying to tell Ulysses to sit up straight and stop looking under the tablecloth, and finding a place for his little wooden staff, which he insisted on taking with him everywhere.
Serina replied, "But Lady President, your approval rating is already down after the fiasco with the Daleks-"
"It was not a fiasco, Serina. It is never a fiasco to reach out with the hand of friendship."
"No, but with monsters like the Daleks, it was foolish. I'm warning you, Lady President – I've been a political advisor for over a thousand years, I know what I'm talking about. If you keep charging your way through these things, the High Council may very well attempt to rewrite the constitution to limit your term of office. It's happened before."
"Change is always painful, Serina," Romana answered. "But my order still stands. I believe time will prove me right."
"Isn't that always the excuse?" Serina answered dryly, and her image faded away.
"Hold calls," Romana announced to the palace computer.
"What was that all about?" Ulysses asked.
"Uly! Don't pry," Devon admonished him, putting her mirror back in her handbag.
"No, it's all right, he can ask," Romana said. "In fact, it's probably already on the news reports. There is a star we've been monitoring that's about to go supernova. When it does, it's going to take the entire Zandorian people with it. We've contacted them and offered to help them move to another place, but they refuse. They say the sun is their God, and we are blasphemers for telling them it's about to blow up. They're all going to die unless we can convince them otherwise.
"It's all quite strange, really. Stars live such a long time that any life which forms around them must certainly learn interstellar travel on their own long before it gives out. This star seems to be going early and we don't know why."
"Didn't you tell me that the Time Lords didn't get involved with the affairs of others?" Devon asked.
"Yes, I did, but I'm trying to change that," Romana replied. "Also, it was an oversimplification on my part, I must admit, although it's basically still true. I had no idea that you would one day be caught up in our politics or I would have given you the full lecture.
"In fact," she looked around at all of them, "that's exactly what I'm going to do now. Before we go see the Doctor, I need to describe the situation here on Gallifrey because there's a lot more going on than the Doctor's trial."
She pressed a button on the side of her chair and food materialized in front of them, teleported from the kitchens. "But first, let's eat. I'm starving."
"Oh, my God!" Morgan was aghast.
"What's wrong, honey?" Bess asked him.
Morgan looked up at Romana, his face a work of amazement, joy and horror all at the same time. "This looks exactly like the feast in my VR program!" he said.
"Does it?" Romana inquired innocently, then smiled slyly as she sipped her wine.