"Now don't worry, this won't hurt a bit," the technician said.

"I'm not worried," Uly said with a shrug. "In the last two years, Julia's taken enough bits of me already to make a duplicate of me. She sticks me with sharp stuff all the time. She tortures me! But I'm used to it."

Julia turned to Devon. "Is your son turning into a stand-up comedian?"

"I hope not," she said.

The technician took the cell sample from Ulysses. "That's it!" he said.

"So simple," the Doctor said. "The secret of our salvation obtained in a painless, one-second procedure."

"It was the events leading up to the procedure that were difficult," Romana said.

The five of them left the genetic laboratory and joined True, who had waited outside. "So did they make you the Time Lord King?" she asked Uly.

"Uh huh," he said. "Romana turned over supreme command of all the Time Lords to me. I take over tomorrow morning."

"Definitely becoming a comedian," Julia muttered to Devon.

"You're welcome to the job, Ulysses," Romana said. "I could use a break."

"So what happened, for real?" True persisted.

"Oh, you know," Uly said. "I turned out to be the most important person on the planet, bringing hope for the future to an alien race. The usual."

"Does this mean you're going to be an even bigger brat than you already are?"

"Uh huh."

 

Later that day, Danziger pushed the call button by the door to Devon's suite. "Come in!" he heard.

She was sitting at her computer terminal, studying the screen intently. In the two days since the Master had been defeated, her wounds had been cured completely. Her burns were gone and her arm looked as good as new. Danziger hadn't bothered her much during that time, allowing her to rest as the cell rejuvenation had taken effect.

"Hey, you're looking good," he said, sitting next to her. She flashed him a smile. "I heard you were finally up and about this morning."

She nodded. "I took Uly down to the genetic research lab so the Time Lords could take a sample from him."

"How'd it go?"

"Fine," she said. "Romana put her best genetic engineers onto it. She says it will take them a while to analyze his DNA and discover how it can help them evolve."

"So it'll be a really long process for them, won't it?"

"Yes," she said. "Julia says DNA isn't something you can just snap into place like toys. They'll need to mix and match different pieces to find out what parts can help them and what can't, and then they have to introduce the new gene to their entire race. If that's really the way they want to go." She changed the subject. "Did you bring me any news?"

"Yep," he said with a smile. "It's confirmed: no more Daleks, anywhere. All areas of the city are clear, and no Dalek ships are anywhere near Gallifrey."

"Good," she said quietly, giving him a relieved smile.

He noticed the image on the computer screen. It was a photograph of a blue, green and white world as seen from space. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Well, I've been thinking," she said. "You know Yale has asked everyone to start calling him 'Braydon.' It got me thinking about how we still use the old names, and the old way of looking at things, from back on the stations."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Devon sighed. "Danziger, I'd never thought about it before, but some of the things Andred said in the courtroom were right."

"They were?" he asked, a disbelieving look on his face.

"About us being rebels," she said. "Technically, we are still citizens of Earth, and in a way, Reilly is our governor. Or he was."

Danziger scoffed. "He lost his right to rule a long time ago."

"Right," Devon said. "And overthrowing people who have lost the right to rule is what being a rebel is all about, isn't it?"

Danziger rubbed his chin as he thought about that.

"We've basically overthrown Reilly," Devon said. "Who do we answer to, now? The Council? Earth? I know Romana has offered to take anyone who wants to return to the stations back to Earth, but most of us are staying on G889, and Earth abandoned us the moment they placed a bomb on our ship. We rule ourselves, now. I believe we always have."

"So what are you suggesting?" he asked.

She took a deep breath. "It might be a good idea if we drafted a formal document and declared ourselves independent from Earth."

He shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

"And because of that, I don't want to call our planet 'G889' any more."

"But that's its name."

"It's the name the Council gave it," Devon said. "But I never liked it. I mean, just think about it. 'G889.' It's a boring, technical name out of someone's scientific catalog. There's nothing romantic or beautiful about it. And Ya- Braydon changing his name has inspired me, and I'd like a new name for our world, as well."

"What did you have in mind?" he asked.

Devon thought for a second, then made a decision. She tapped a key on the keyboard and a new image appeared on the screen, superimposed over the photo of the planet hanging in space.

Danziger thrust out his chin and tilted his head around for a few seconds, then said, "Okay. Works for me."

 

"Earth 2?" Bess asked, looking at the shiny new photo in her hands. "Are you sure?"

"No, I'm not sure," Devon said, handing copies of the photo to everyone else. Eden Advance was once again gathered together, this time in the observation lounge of the palace. She had asked them there to present her latest idea and to call for a vote on it.

Danziger silently observed Devon as she handed out copies of the new image. He thought about the old Devon, how she would have gone ahead and renamed the planet on her own, without consulting anyone else. Now she asked other people's opinion and called for a vote without even thinking about it. He thought about all the ways he'd seen her change and grow over the past two years, and he knew he wanted to stay with her. He knew it with a certainty he rarely had.

The others looked over the image Devon had made. A close-up of the planet took up one-third of the right side, the sun just edging over the horizon. The word "EARTH" was spelled out across the image, just above center, in large, blue, curving letters. A large red "2" was tacked on, just beneath and to one side of the "H." Below and to each side of the words streamed a cascade of blue glitter, expanding outwards.

"Is this our new logo and flag?" Walman asked.

"It could be," Devon answered.

"Earth 2," Alonzo said. "Sounds like a sequel."

"In a way, that's what it is," Devon said. "A sequel to the way humanity treated its first world."

"Why not 'New Earth?'" Cameron asked.

"We could do that, if you wanted," Devon said. "That's what this vote is for. Do we want to declare our independence from Earth? Do we want to change the name of the world we live on? And if so, what do we change it to?"

"Morganworld!" Morgan whispered.

Everyone picked up a cushion and threw it at him.

 

The Doctor and Andred briskly walked through the upper atrium of the palace and onto the roof. "What about the Dalek fleet?" the Doctor asked.

"The Matrix finished analyzing the battle this morning," Andred replied. "Interference from the fleet's destruction was very high, but there is a possibility that one ship got away. It began moving long before the others, but there's no way of determining if it escaped."

"And Reilly?"

"Still no sign of him."

The Doctor grimaced. "If only I'd told the others in my TARDIS to hold him as we went after the Master, he wouldn't have run off."

"Don't let it worry you," Andred said. "Reilly can't do any harm, and he'll turn up soon enough."

Around them, they could see the city of Gallifrey being repaired. The sun was high in the sky and a pleasant breeze was blowing. The air smelled fresh and new. The Doctor smiled as he saw the rebuilding. This is something to remember, he thought.

Ahead, they saw Julia and Alonzo strolling hand in hand. The breeze ruffled their clothes as they took in the grand vista all around them, smiling and pointing things out to each other. The Doctor and Andred slowed as they neared them.

"I take it your group is all right, now?" the Doctor asked.

"We're all fine," Julia said. "Physically, we were all healed as of this morning."

"Physically," the Doctor said. "But otherwise?"

Julia shrugged. "We've got each other, Doctor. We'll be all right. How's Leela?"

"She's all right, for now," Andred replied. "The polymorphic network prevents any completely safe removal of the nanites. Our team of specialists tried everything they could think of."

"Did they give you any options?" Julia asked.

"Several," Andred answered. "They tell me the best they can do would be to send in a second team of nanites which would attach itself to the first set, one at a time, without damaging them. Then, when they were all attached, they would be given a signal to neutralize the first set. They give Leela a one-in-three chance of survival if they try." He shrugged. "But I don't want to risk it. I don't think Leela does, either."

"I don't blame you," Julia said. "Especially since the nanites are harmless until activated."

"We don't know that for sure," Andred said. "For all we know, they're programmed to attack at a preset time, no matter what happens. It would be just like the Master for him to do that."

"Oh," Julia said, her face falling. "Well, if I can help, let me know."

"You might be able to," the Doctor said. "We're going into the Master's TARDIS to see if we can find the program that built the nanites, or is running them. Perhaps we can disable them properly from this end."

"Sounds like a plan," Alonzo said.

The four of them started walking to the Master's TARDIS, and the Doctor said, "If everyone's all healed properly, I suppose we'd best be getting your group back to G889."

"Thanks, but pretty soon, we don't think it will be called that any more," Julia said.

"What do you mean?" the Doctor asked.

Alonzo said, "When we get back, we're going to suggest to the rest of the colonists that we declare independence from Earth and rename our world, 'Earth 2.'"

"We almost voted to do it ourselves this morning," Julia said. "But then Morgan reminded us that we need to take into account the wishes of everyone else who now lives in New Pacifica. We've become so accustomed to just doing things with the 15 of us that we almost forgot about them."

"But we're pretty confident that after the way we've all been treated, the other colonists will agree," Alonzo said.

"Good luck to you," the Doctor said. They reached the Master's TARDIS and stepped inside, then stopped short when they saw that someone was already there. He was desperately rummaging through the cabinets and small storage spaces beneath the console.

Hearing them enter, Reilly turned around.

"What are you doing here?" Andred asked angrily, drawing his staser.

Reilly's eyes were wide and his breathing was ragged. He was a far cry from the controlled, suave Councilman whom Julia had known. "Just...searching," he said. He stumbled forward, then to one side.

"Are you drunk?" Andred asked.

"He can't be," Alonzo answered. "We humans act kind of like this when we're drunk, but not really. This looks like it's something else."

"I'll tell you what it is," Julia said, slowly approaching Reilly. "He's been taking concentrated doses of Terrian DNA. That's why he's been sick the last few days."

"Of course," the Doctor said, speaking to Reilly. "I wondered how you could have built a transceiver which was phased into the vortex just from a scan of my TARDIS. But taking the Terrian DNA would have heightened the activity of your cerebrum, wouldn't it? Giving you insights and leaps of logic you wouldn't otherwise have had."

"Making him partially time-sensitive," Andred said.

"The Master said he had more of it," Reilly said. "Somewhere. I...I need it."

Julia just shook her head. "How long have you been taking it?"

Reilly made a face and ran his hand over his head, thinking. "Weeks," he said. "Several weeks. Maybe over a month. Perhaps two."

"Oh, dear God," Julia whispered. "What's it done to you?"

"What it would have done to you, Julia, if you had continued taking it," the Doctor said. "He's become addicted to it. Being time-aware, having an increased sensitivity to his surroundings, gives him such a rush of power that returning to normal when the dose wears off must be like going blind."

"If you take me back, I can make more," Reilly said, giving them a weak smile. "The Master said he has some here, somewhere, but I can make more back on my station. Please...I have so much work to do, so many things left to discover."

Andred grimaced, sickened. He activated his wrist monitor and said, "Captain Harrigan, come to the Master's TARDIS. We've found Reilly."

 

As Captain Harrigan and two of the Citadel Guard hauled Reilly away, the Doctor said, "I wonder how much of what he said on the witness stand was the truth, as far as he knew it?"

"What do you mean?" Alonzo asked.

"A common side-effect of improper DNA alteration is memory loss," the Doctor said, and turned to Julia. "Did you find that to be the case?"

"Yes," she said. "My memory returned whenever I took another dose. Between doses, though, everything was a blank."

"So when Reilly made all his denials on the witness stand, perhaps he thought he was telling the truth," the Doctor said. "Perhaps his memory has been affected to such a degree that he genuinely thinks he didn't do the things you say he did."

Julia shook her head. "Even if prolonged usage destroys long-term memory, Reilly was still lying. You can't fail to notice a memory loss. I noted it after taking the formula the very first time. To be honest on the witness stand, he would have had to concede the possibility that we were right. His flat denials were still lies."

The Doctor nodded. "I suppose so." He turned to the console and clapped his hands. "Now, where's that program?" He wiggled his fingers expectantly over the controls for a bit, then his shoulders slumped. "I'll need K9," he said.

 

"I told the others about your offer," Devon said. She, Braydon, Romana and K9 Mark II strolled through the rubble-strewn streets, watching the vast array of people and machines putting everything back together. "It's very kind of you to offer us passage back to Earth, but no one seemed interested in returning to the stations."

"I can't say I blame you," Romana said. "But be careful about declaring independence. It's a way of drawing attention to yourself. If you keep your heads low and just keep on doing what you're doing, Earth may not notice you. Declaring independence is a sure way of asking for trouble."

"You don't think we should do it?" Braydon asked.

"I can't say one way or the other," Romana said. "But Earth has over four billion people, G889 has about a thousand. If you decide to slap Earth in the face, be absolutely sure you can take the return slap, because there will be one. And I doubt the Terrians would help you, nor would it be fair for you to bring a battle to their doorstep. Remember, your actions will affect them, and they have more of a right to G889 than you do."

Devon nodded. "You're right, of course. We'll have to weigh all the options."

"Sorry for putting a damper on your plans, but I'm afraid I have more bad news," Romana said. "We can remove your group's brain implants, but at a very high risk. The implants were constructed with a special type of bio-sensitive material. Over the past two years they have grown attached to the surrounding brain tissue, and your brains now believe them to be a part of you. Some of your brain activity and thought processes actually pass through the implants, now. To remove them would almost certainly cause brain damage. I'm sorry."

Devon nodded. "That's all right. Thank you, though, for trying."

Romana then leaned close to Braydon and whispered, "You, however, we can help." They smiled at each other.

Up the street, someone suddenly yelled, "Back! Stay back!"

They ran to see what the trouble was and were greeted with the sight of Ferain, CIA Director of Allegiance, standing with a gun in his hand. His eyes were wide with shock and his body was covered with dust, cuts and bruises.

"What's going on?" Romana asked.

The man in charge of construction saw Romana and saluted. "Lady President, I don't know. My men were clearing away the rubble and this man just jumped up from nowhwere. I'd guess he's been hiding here since the Daleks attacked."

"Warning," K9 said. "The weapon Ferain is holding is active and registers at full power."

"You!" Ferain said, stumbling madly towards Romana. "This is all your fault! I'll see you strung up for this, you-" He pointed the gun at Romana and K9 shot him. Ferain whirled and fell.

"Stun level, K9?" Romana asked.

"Affirmative, mistress," K9 answered, then added a little smugly, "That was...most satisfactory!"

 

Andred, the Doctor and K9 Mark I worked together at the console of the Master's TARDIS. The Doctor said, "He's got more traps and trip-wires in this than...than..."

"Than what?" Andred asked.

"I don't know," the Doctor replied. "I can't think of anything clever. I'm too tired. Next level, K9?"

"Affirmative," K9 answered. "All systems check normal. Ready to commence."

Alonzo and Julia returned bearing mugs of tea. "Sorry, couldn't find any sugar," Alonzo said. The Doctor just waved it aside and picked up his mug.

"What's happening now?" Julia asked.

"We've found the program which controls the nanites," the Doctor said.

"It only took us five cycles," Andred growled.

"But it has several layers of security, designed to send the signal when it detects any tampering," the Doctor continued. "We've dismantled this TARDIS's transceiver unit, and K9 has locked off a section of his own processors, isolating them. He'll run the program through that portion of himself to determine whether or not we can send our own signal without damaging anything. If the program releases any viruses into K9, they'll be quarantined."

They stood in silence for several moments, watching K9. Finally the Doctor asked, "Anything?"

"I am still waiting for the instruction to proceed," K9 said. "I said I was ready."

The Doctor sighed. "Proceed, K9."

K9's ears waggled around. "Loading. Commencing. Virus isolated. Neutralizing. Reloading. Recommencing. Second virus isolated. Neutralizing. Reloading. Recommencing. Security protocols encountered. Decrypting. Decrypting. Decrypting. Decryption successful. Subroutines engaged. Code translated successfully. I have now isolated the command which will render the nanites in the Mistress Leela's body harmless."

"Do it, K9," Andred said.

"Please reconnect the vortex transceiver of this vessel," K9 asked.

They did so and K9 sent the signal. Andred flicked a switch and spoke into the control panel. "This is Castellan Andred calling Omega's Heir, authorization four-one-nine-sigma-rho-two. Commence removal. I repeat, commence removal."

 

The next morning, Eden Advance began their last day on Gallifrey in the courtroom. It had been repaired and was once again full of people. Both the judge, who had escaped unharmed when the Daleks had attacked, and Romana sat before the assembly. Morgan once again sat with the Doctor. Andred and Leela sat together, across the aisle. Reilly was also present, with a guard on either side.

A deep bong rolled around the courtroom and Romana stood. "We have come here today to provide closure for all that has happened recently," she said. "First, there is the matter of the Doctor's trial. It was interrupted in the most tragic of circumstances, and it needs to be completed." She nodded to Andred, who arose.

"Doctor, I fully recognize the debt Gallifrey owes to you for your help in the war with the Daleks," he said. "And I bear you no animosity. However, in my professional capacity as the Castellan of the Time Lords, I still believe that a violation of the First Law of Time is something which needs to be pursued. To that end, I would like this matter cleared up in a legal, professional manner."

The Doctor, Romana, Leela and the members of Eden Advance were the only ones who knew the real reason Andred wasn't dropping charges. His aid to the Master, given because of the threat to his wife and child, were to remain a secret for all time, to protect him.

The Doctor and Romana had thought it would arouse public suspicion if Andred did a complete about-face after displaying his earlier venom against the Doctor on the witness stand. They had decided that it would be better if Andred appeared to be an embarrassed politician who was attempting to save face. So instead of the 180-degree turn, he was going forward with the trial in a polite, reserved way, knowing full well that the judge wasn't going to sentence the Doctor after he'd just saved them all from the Daleks.

The judge nodded to both Morgan and Andred. "This trial was interrupted at a point during which a witness, known as the Terrian race – or the planet of G889, if you will – was still on the stand. This witness had been called by the defense. The witness is no longer present and I suspect there will be no need to recall it just for the sake of formality. Mr. Martin, did you have any more questions for the witness?"

"No, your honor," he said.

"Did the prosecution wish to cross-examine the witness?"

"No, your honor," Andred said.

"In that case, I would excuse the witness if it were still here. It is already absent, and I hereby use my judicial powers to overlook the discrepancy. Does the prosecution have anything more to add?"

"No, your honor," Andred replied.

"Does the defense have anything more to add?"

"No, your honor," Morgan said.

"Then I declare stage one of this trial closed." Her gavel swung down and echoed throughout the chamber. "I shall now pronounce sentence. Doctor, you had 14 people – I am aware that Mrs. Martin did not testify – who vouched for your character under oath. These 14 people, along with Mrs. Martin and the robot known as Zero, were of service to Gallifrey in the recent crisis. They acted with courage and valor, and several of them, most notably Mr. Braydon Croy, Ms. Rowenda Denner and Mr. Morgan Martin, saved the lives of many Gallifreyans. Additionally, you, yourself, played a great role in repelling the invaders. Also, the lone witness for the prosecution has been exposed as a man who lied to this court, even while under oath.

"Therefore, I pronounce you guilty as charged for violating Section A of the First Law of Time, but I waive the sentence entirely." Then she smiled mischievously. "For a time, I toyed with the idea of exiling you to G889, to return to that planet with the colonists, and removing the secret of the TARDIS from your mind."

The Doctor's face grew white with terror.

"But I decided you've brought enough trouble to the members of Eden Advance, so you're free to go. I declare this trial closed." She brought down the gavel one last time.

Morgan smiled and shook the Doctor's hand.

Romana stood again. "There are several other matters to attend to. As the judge has stated, the humans from planet G889, as well as Zero, aided us during the recent war with the Daleks. As the President of Gallifrey, and as their friend, I would like to formally recognize them and extend to them all our gratitude. In particular, the High Council has voted unanimously to award Braydon Croy, Rowenda Denner and Morgan Martin each the Rassilon Medal of Valor and Service. This is the highest honor Gallifrey can bestow. If the three of you will please come forward?"

Braydon, Denner and Morgan stood and faced the crowd. Romana pinned an elaborate medal, made of gold and platinum, onto each of their shirts and the assembly gave them a standing ovation. The three medal recipients bowed to Romana and returned to their seats.

"Another matter I would like to cover is the subject of diplomatic relations," Romana said. "It is customary for Gallifrey to establish diplomatic ties, or even ambassadorial ties, with other time-sensitive races. It has been proven that G889 hosts one such race. However, due to the unusual nature of the Terrian people and their symbiosis with the planet on which they live, the chances of establishing any ties with them would be meaningless. As a race, they operate on a completely different mode of thought and frame of mind as we do.

"However, with the inclusion of humans into the life force of G889, we can also extend this invitation for diplomatic relations to them. I propose that Morgan Martin, already holding a dual citizenship of both G889 and Gallifrey, be made the official liaison between our two peoples."

Morgan's jaw dropped, then he stood. "I would be honored to," he said. "I've been a liaison before. I can be one again."

"Very well," Romana said with a smile, and he sat down.

"The final matter concerns Mr. Joseph Reilly. He is a proven criminal of both Gallifrey and of G889. But as difficult as it may be to believe, Mr. Reilly did not cause most of our recent troubles. Even if he had never met the Master, even if the Doctor's trial had never taken place, the invasion of Gallifrey would have still happened. The Master would simply have found another way to engineer my absence from Central Control at the time of attack." Her voice was full of sorrow.

"As it stands, Mr. Reilly is charged with committing perjury, aiding a murderer and assisting in a conspiracy to commit treason. The human colonists may have other charges against him as well, though they may be harder to prove, as obtaining evidence would be difficult. But conviction of the Gallifreyan crimes alone is enough to ensure that Reilly will remain in captivity for the rest of his natural life. Gallifreyan sentences were designed for people with long life spans, and no leniency is allowed for people from other species."

She faced him. "Mr. Reilly, do you have anything to say? You are free to ask for a trial, although what purpose it would serve is beyond me."

Reilly stood. He was once again calm, although he had lost all trace of his cool arrogance. "President Romana, members of Eden Advance, Doctor, Castellan, distinguished Lords of Time. Although you may not believe it, and I would not blame you for doing so, I am deeply sorry for all the trouble you have gone through. I am fully aware of my involvement with the Master. I make no excuses. I can only say that I thought I was doing the right thing for the continued existence of the human race. I craved the secrets of G889 so much that I was willing to do whatever it took to get them, and the Master promised to help me in return for helping him. That is all I can say. I do ask that if I am to be kept here as a prisoner, I be allowed to communicate with the Council back on Earth so that I may tell them where I am."

To everyone's surprise, he then said, "I also propose an alternative. I know that the members of Eden Advance want their brain implants removed. Although I cannot do that, I can return to the space station on which I live and dismantle the monitoring device which keeps tabs on them." He looked at the Edenites. "That way, there will never be any chance of them being monitored, nor will they ever again be harmed as a result of computer failure on board my station."

Romana stared at him. "If we let you go free," she said.

Reilly turned to face her. "Yes," he said. "If you let me go free, I will do as I have just said."

Everyone gasped at the audacity of this suggestion.

"What's to keep us from going to the station and dismantling the machine, anyway?" the Doctor asked.

"Nothing," Reilly answered. "But you'll find it extremely difficult. There are ZEDs on board my station. You would literally have to fight another battle."

"We'd win," Andred said coldly.

"Then there's the matter of the machine itself," Reilly said. "If not dismantled properly, tampering with it would kill everyone who has a brain implant. Only I can dismantle it in the correct procedure."

"Not to sound immodest, but I could probably figure out your systems," the Doctor said.

"Probably, but not certainly," Reilly answered. "And if you got it wrong, a thousand people would die."

The courtroom was hushed as everyone thought about this. Devon stood up. "President Romana, as you have just established diplomatic ties between our two worlds, I feel qualified to ask to speak in this matter."

Romana nodded. Devon said, "I propose a counter offer. Mr. Reilly, I believe I speak for everyone when I say that letting you go free is not an option, and at the moment, our brain implants are not causing us any trouble."

Devon took a deep breath. "As much as I hate to admit it, you did save my son's life. Once when the Daleks first attacked, and again on board the Master's TARDIS. Each time, you put yourself at great risk. You told us that you care about the human race's wellbeing more than anything, and I actually believe that. I believe you are a man who would sacrifice his own life to achieve a greater goal. It's your methods of ruthlessness which I quarrel with. Whether or not you had any direct hand in our troubles, you are at least associated with an organization – the Council – which conspired to commit mass murder, and which has caused us much grief and heartache. The Council shares your ruthlessness. To what degree, I don't know. But their ruthlessness resulted in the crash of our advance ship, the subsequent deaths of everyone in one of our evacuation pods, the death of Eben Singh, the death of Franklin Bennett and his team, and the deaths of several people on board our colony ship.

"Also, the goal which you have been working for is a noble one – the salvation of the human race by living on G889, or any other world, instead of an artificial environment. But once again, I quarrel with your methods. You seek to eradicate the Terrian people." Reilly began to interrupt but Devon said, "No! Let's not mince words! You want to take G889 from the Terrians, completely and totally. You don't want to share. You don't want to live in peace with them. You just want to take. And that's wrong.

"So I propose, if it is acceptable with the government of Gallifrey, that you return with us to G889. We will hold you there, as our rightful prisoner, for as long we deem it necessary. You can even help us research ways that we can better live on the planet, but only under our supervision, and only using our methods of peace and cooperation. Additionally, you will dismantle the machinery on board your station which monitors our life signs, deactivate all the ZEDs under your control, and release all the Terrians you have in captivity.

"If both you and the High Council of Gallifrey agree to these terms, we will consider your release after a period of time, if we judge that you are willing to live your life without thinking that you have the power to decide the fate of others. If either you or the High Council does not agree to these terms, you can rot here on Gallifrey for the rest of your life, and I will never spare you a second thought." She sat down.

Reilly looked at her appraisingly, then at Romana, who said, "Well, Mr. Reilly? I believe you've just been offered a better deal than I feel you deserve. But I trust the members of Eden Advance to keep their word. I will remand you to their custody if you agree to the terms Ms. Adair just laid before you."

Reilly nodded once. "I accept," he said, and sat down.

Romana took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Very well," she said. "I have nothing further. If no one else does, either, let this be the end of it. Thank you for attending. We've still got a lot of rebuilding to do, everyone. And a lot of our dead to be remembered."

 

The members of Eden Advance began to head for Danziger's suite. The TARDIS was still parked inside, as the Doctor had been too afraid to move it. "It sometimes doesn't do short hops very well," he'd said.

"Thank you for all your help, Bess," Leela said as they walked down the corridor.

"No problem," Bess replied. "Good luck with your child. I'd really like to have one of my own, soon."

"Where is Reilly?" Leela asked. "Is he not here?"

"I'll be taking Reilly to his space station separately," Andred said. "We felt it was better that way. The others want to go home as soon as possible, and they wanted to go as a group, without Reilly along. They just want to be done with this matter."

"Absolutely!" Bess declared. "No more adventures for me."

"You won't have to worry about that," Andred added. "I'll make sure Reilly fulfills his promises, then take him down to G889 to begin his sentence." They reached Danziger's suite and followed the others through the door.

Inside the suite, the Doctor quickly drew Devon and Danziger to one side. "Uh, look," he whispered, somewhat awkwardly, "I don't often do this, but I wanted you to have this." He took out a black cylinder about six inches long with a button on the end and handed it to Devon.

"What is it?" Danziger asked.

"It's a homing beacon," the Doctor said. "You've come into contact with the Time Lords, and with the Master, and you're now involved with a time-sensitive race. My instinct tells me that you might need this. If you ever need help with anything time-related, something you feel you can't handle alone, press the button. I'll be there."

"Thank you," Devon said. "We'll keep it safe."

"And we won't abuse it," Danziger said, understanding why the Doctor was hesitant to give it to them.

"I'd be grateful," he said. Then he bounded back to the TARDIS. "All aboard who's coming aboard," he shouted cheerfully, unlocking the door and ushering everyone inside. "Next stop: G889, soon to be called 'Earth 2.'"

Morgan paused on the threshhold. "Doctor, next time you have a trial, just plea bargain, okay?"

The Doctor smiled. "Absolutely not!"

Morgan stepped inside and so did everyone else. The Doctor turned to Romana. "Coming?"

"No," she said. "And I take it you're not coming back?"

"Actually, I am," he said. "K9 Mark II wants to visit G889 again briefly. I'll be returning him before heading on my way, but I won't stay long."

"You never do," she said, and they embraced for a moment. The Doctor said farewell to Leela, Andred, Nesbin and Rodan, who had also come to see him off, then stepped inside the TARDIS and shut the door.

"Why's it so gloomy in here?" Bess asked as he joined them by the console. "You could use some more light."

"As well as a new navigational guidance system, a new chameleon circuit, and a good cleaning," the Doctor said. "But the chances I'll get them are all equally slim."

Ulysses and True had found a box full of toys and action figures from old Earth, some still in the packaging. "Look, dad!" True exclaimed, pulling some of them out. "This is what kids used to play with before VR!"

"Is any of this stuff valuable?" Uly asked. He was proudly wearing the "Hard Rock Cafe Gallifrey" T-shirt which he'd found in the TARDIS wardrobe.

"Depends on what you want to do with it," the Doctor said. "If you want to sell them on Earth in the 22nd century, they'd be worth several thousand credits. But if you want to play with them," the Doctor grinned, "well, that's priceless."

True held up one of the action figures. The packaging said it was a character from an old movie called Starship Troopers. "Hey, dad, this one looks like you," she said.

Danziger took it and looked at it briefly. "I don't see it," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

The Doctor put some music on while he was busy setting coordinates and checking over all the systems which he'd spent the past few days rebuilding. A slow, soft orchestral piece filled the air.

"That's beautiful," Braydon whispered. "Who is the composer? Bach? Brahms? Beethoven?"

"Bergeaud," the Doctor said. "Lovely, isn't it?"

They all listened to the swelling of violins. "Devon, if our new world ever needs an anthem, surely this is it," Braydon said.

"I'll leave that to you, Braydon," she said.

"Doctor," Julia said. "Remember what you told us once, about how your ship sometimes doesn't go where you want it to? And you just said you needed new navigational equipment?"

"What about it?" the Doctor asked.

"Well...are you sure you can get us back to G889?"

"Of course I can!" the Doctor exclaimed and flicked a switch. "Well," he added, "perhaps with one or two detours along the way..."

The TARDIS dematerialized, taking them home.