Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 7

Painting Chaos: Part 2

“…So we’re in the future, huh?” asked Iron Man. “Looks kinda sucky.”

“She also said we’re in Gotham, Tin Man,” replied Wolverine. “Remember how much of a hellhole it is?”

“You’re not questioning how you got here?” asked Tysar.

“Lady, this ain’t our first time travel rodeo,” retorted Wolverine.

“Well, the method might be new to you,” said the Doctor. “It was an energy wave called a chronal surge. That kind of energy wave takes random people and plops them into points of space and time that are foreign to them. Right now, there’s a series of chronal surges, creating an event known as the Grouping. Tysar and I have been tracking the chronal surges and followed you two and a third person from the future…a very ghastly future. …Unfortunately, my arrival point could have been chosen better as I landed in a warehouse held by Gotham’s greatest criminal, the Joker. My TARDIS had to choose a safer place to rest, so it vanished on me temporarily. I’m going to need your help, gentlemen, and the help of the person from the future and Batman in order to find the TARDIS. With it returned to me, I can get you all home.”

“…Fair deal to me,” remarked Iron Man.

“Same,” agreed Wolverine.

“Excellent!” cheered the Doctor. “Batman went that way towards the warehouse, so he’ll be busy with the Joker.”


The Doctor was right. Batman had already taken out the Joker’s thugs and was going after him, dodging or deflecting all the Joker’s tricks. Acid boutonniere, razor playing cards, giant hammer, gun, they paled in comparison to Batman’s bag of tricks. “Come on, Batsy!” taunted the Joker. “Do you really think you have time to stop me?! Don’t you have a gala to host at Wayne Manor?!”

“There’s always room in my schedule for stopping criminals,” replied Batman. As he prepared to throw a batarang at the Joker, a glowing, golden rope wrapped around the Joker’s wrist.

“Hey, who invited little miss bondage?!” cackled the Joker.

“Little?” asked Batman. Little was NOT a word Batman would use with the owner of the rope. The Joker was then launched through the roof of the warehouse as the rope untied itself from his wrist. Batman looked up through the hole. “…You know, Diana,” he remarked, “you didn’t give it that Joker shape. He would have-.” He stopped when he saw his friend. She…looked haggard, wore black and gray armor instead of her usual red, blue, and gold outfit, and carried a sword and shield. “…Wonder Woman?” asked Batman. “What happened to you?”

“What happened to me?” asked Wonder Woman. “Apparently I was sent back in time to when you were alive, Bruce.”

“…So you’re from the future,” remarked Batman. “A chronal surge?”

“I have no idea what that is, but an energy wave plucked me from 2167 and put me here. …When is this?”

“2029,” called the Doctor as she stepped into the warehouse. “And that energy wave is called a chronal surge.

“Doctor?” asked Batman. “So the Grouping’s still going on.”

“Sadly, yes,” said the Doctor. “And, in order to fix time, I have to send Iron Man, Wolverine, and Wonder Woman back to their proper times. …Therein lies the problem. Before you arrived, the Joker attacked in a way that made my TARDIS think the area wasn’t safe for it, so it moved itself, so I’ll need everyone’s help to find it so Iron Man and Wolverine can live to the end of their days and Wonder Woman can see the end of the Dalek Occupation in 2167.”

“The end? …Doctor, there IS no end to their occupation,” sighed Wonder Woman. Everyone could tell that her spirit was broken somehow and she was just focused on survival.

“…What happened?” asked Batman.

“Diana…does Themyscira-?” asked the Doctor.

“It’s all gone, Doctor,” replied Wonder Woman. “The island, my sisters, my mother, all of it! The Daleks just killed them all! And not just them! The Avengers, the Justice League, the X-men, the Teen Titans, for Hera’s sake! …They all died defending the planet. The Daleks succeeded where Darkseid failed. Even his Parademons couldn’t destroy them. They somehow even immunized themselves against his Omega Effect! I don’t even know what their mission is!”

“To mine Earth’s core and replace it with an interstellar engine,” said the Doctor. “The primary mineshaft is in England, Bedfordshire to be precise.”

“…How on Earth do you-?”

“Because the Daleks fail in that regard, thanks her first incarnation,” explained Tysar.

“…Don’t give me hope, child,” sighed Wonder Woman. “Hope died a long time ago.”

“That’s what the humans thought too, at least the general population,” said the Doctor. “But…there ARE resistance groups.”

“…You’re sure?” asked Wonder Woman.

“They helped me defeat the Daleks in that time,” confirmed the Doctor. “When I send you back, you must promise me you’ll find a resistance group. Give them the hope they need to fight back! You’ll see the end of the occupation! You’ll avenge the Amazons by defying the Daleks and saying to them ‘No! Earth will NOT be exterminated!’ …Now, I can’t say that the pain of being the last will go away. It never does. …But you CAN prevent others from suffering that fate!” Wonder Woman looked at the Doctor…and saw genuine understanding in her eyes. …The Amazon then clenched her fist.

“…You’re right, Doctor!” she said. “My friends would not give up…neither will I!” There was a ferocity in her voice, a ferocity she had forgotten so long ago.

“First things first, Wondy,” said Wolverine. “We gotta find her box.”

“It’s still in Gotham, probably near here,” explained the Doctor.

“…Hey, didn’t someone go through the roof?” asked Iron Man.

“…You’re right, the Joker should have come back by now.” A portal then appeared above their heads and the Joker fell out of it, landing face first on the ground. He picked himself up and snarled.

“…I HAVE BEEN FALLING…FOR THIRTY MINUTES!” he shouted.

“Whoever cast that portal must have slowed down time in that hole,” remarked the Doctor.

“I thought it would amuse me, Doctor,” replied a voice the Doctor hadn’t heard in a long time. Stepping into the warehouse with divine swagger reserved for those that were so sure of their power was a man with black hair in a green outfit with gold trim and a gold helmet with horns on it. He carried a spear with a green stone in it.

“…Loki Laufeyson,” greeted the Doctor.

“The Norse god of trickery and fire?” asked Wonder Woman.

“Hey, just a second!” protested the Joker. “I didn’t get my prize yet!” He pointed at the stone in the spear.

“Oh yes, the deal we made,” said Loki. “My apologies.”

“Loki, what are you talking about?” asked Iron Man. “And why do you have the Time Stone?”

“It’s my best weapon of keeping Omega at bay,” replied Loki. The Doctor flinched at that. “…Ah, you know of whom I speak, don’t you, Doctor?”

“…Doc, you wanna shed some light?” asked Wolverine.

“…Omega was one of the founders of Time Lord society,” explained the Doctor. “He was a brilliant stellar engineer and learned how to harness a singularity to become a rich source of power for my people. …But his experiments sent him to an anti-matter universe and he went mad with revenge against the universe for thinking the Time Lords had abandoned him in favor of Rassilon. This current Grouping crisis is the result of him trying to escape once again.”

“Trying to, Doctor?” chuckled Loki. “No. Omega IS free and walks our universe. He’s developed a full body for himself. With the Time Stone, I can track him down and slay him!”

“No, Loki, you can’t!” replied the Doctor. “His power is too much, even for you or Darkseid! Even all six Infinity Stones and the Omega Effect can’t stop him!”

“I’m willing to put that to the test,” dismissed Loki. “But first, a little test. Wonder Woman, you came from 2167, is that right?”

“That’s correct,” replied Wonder Woman.

“Then I think you know who I will summon.” The wicked grin revealed his intentions! Wonder Woman used her lasso to grab the spear and pull it towards her.

“Never!” she snarled with Amazonian zeal! “No one in this century will suffer those monsters!”

“Give that back, you primitive!” snarled Loki as he prepared his magic.

“I went to a lot of trouble getting that thing,” said the Joker as he aimed his gun, “and I intend to keep it!”

“I’m sorry, 2029 is closed to evil today!” retorted Iron Man as he fired a repulsor beam at the Joker. The clown was knocked back as Loki fired his own magic blast, but Wonder Woman deflected it with her shield. Batman then got up close and kneed Loki in the stomach, winding the Asgardian.

“Quick! Into the Batmobile!” called Batman. He led everyone to his car and they all jumped in. The Joker shot at the car and Loki fired magic blasts, but it sped away, taking its passengers to safety.

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 7

Painting Chaos: Part 1

Spinning through a dimension of swirling temporal energy, a blue box journeyed with purpose. Its lamp, flashing as it spun, was pointed forward like the prow of a ship. It looked like a London Police Box of the 1960’s but inside was a technological marvel of dimensional engineering! When one steps into the box, the first room they enter is the main control room, the first clue that the box is actually bigger on the inside! The control room, as it stood now, was a red room with gold trim. A hexagonal console with a cylinder going up and down as the machine went through the Time Vortex was placed in the center of the room. Underneath one of the panels, a woman with long, platinum blonde hair was fiddling with something and singing a tune in her native language. Oddly enough, this wasn’t the owner of the machine, but their current companion, Tysar, a Thal from New Davius. “…There we go!” she said. She then closed the panel. “That should do it!”

“Um, Tysar,” came another woman’s voice, “what are you doing?” A woman with African features and a burgundy skirt with roses hemming it and a gold headband with a large rose on its left side had entered the room. This was the owner of the machine.

“Running repairs,” replied Tysar. The owner of the machine, the Time Lord known as the Doctor, flinched at that.

“Erm, Tysar,” said the Doctor, “I don’t want you to take umbrage, but might I suggest that you leave repairs of the TARDIS console to me? I know you Thals are brilliant technicians-.”

“That’s very patronizing of you, Doctor!” protested Tysar.

“Well, the TARDIS is dimensionally temperamental, and temporal engineering isn’t exactly something Thals are studying in your native time zone, is it?”

“No, but-.”

“All right then. Well, I’m glad we got that settled.”

“There’s no need to panic!” chuckled Tysar. “I was only improving the efficiency of the components that are currently helping the TARDIS track chronal surges.”

“The wha-?” The Doctor arched an eyebrow. “Why?”

“So that we can get ahead of them and fix the problem as quickly as possible, given that the Grouping’s getting worse,” explained Tysar.

“…Ah, yes,” realized the Doctor. “Gallifrey DID say that, didn’t they? Erm, well done, Tysar.” Just then, the console beeped. “All right, yes, there’s no need to test those components.”

“I’m not,” replied Tysar. “The TARDIS has detected multiple chronal surges. And we have a reading on where their victims came from and where they’re going.”

“Excellent!” praised the Doctor. “Let’s see. …There’s three! Two of them are from 2027 and one’s from…well, how about that?”

“What?” asked Tysar.

“The last one’s from 2167,” explained the Doctor.

“2167?” asked Tysar. “Isn’t that when the Daleks were occupying Earth?”

“Yes, the last year of their occupation, and all three of our victims are from Earth,” replied the Doctor. “It looks like they’re heading to…2029, Earth, United States Eastern Seaboard…Gotham!”

“Oh no!” complained Tysar, remembering when a chronal surge plucked her from New Davius and plopped her into Gotham.

“Yes, well, you don’t have to step outside, you know,” remarked the Doctor.

“No, no,” dismissed Tysar. “We have a job to do. Let’s get to it.”

“Right!” declared the Doctor as she set the coordinates.


Gotham, a hellhole of a city in the USA, where criminals were as talked about as any public figure like an actor or a politician. Even politics weren’t safe from the crime bosses’ grasp. But the criminal underworld was NOT unopposed there. While there were police officers…there were also those of the vigilante persuasion. Right now, two criminals with clown makeup on them were outside a warehouse, guarding their boss’s newest acquisition. “…So, the boss’s partner,” said one, “you sure he’s a god?”

“I was there when the guy attacked New York,” replied the other. “He’s got the right stuff to be a god. Especially the Norse God he says he is. Although, I thought he was blonde…and supposed to still be bound with Jörmungandr’s fangs dripping venom into his eyes.”

“How do you know so much about gods?” asked the first.

“Dude, when I was a kid, it wasn’t just the Greek myths that were my hyperfixation,” answered the other. The first simply nodded, then looked around. “…What’s the matter with you?” asked the other.

“Dude, we’re guarding a rock!” protested the first. “No way will the Bat wanna waste time over a rock!”

“Yeah, but it’s the boss that has that rock,” said the other, “and ain’t no way the Bat’s gonna leave him alone. There’s too much history for that. So keep watch.”

“Yeah, well, my ma always said that idle hands were the devil’s workshop.”

“Hey, I resent that! We worked damn hard on this and so did the boss!”

“True, very true!” came a cackling voice, startling the two men. “But his mother is right in this particular instance. We’ve been idle for too long!” The speaker stepped out of the shadows to reveal a man with chalk-white skin, ruby lips, green hair, and a purple suit with coattails and a rose boutonniere. This was the Clown Prince of Crime himself, the Joker! “Pack up, boys! Our divine friend is coming to Miagani Island!”

“That ain’t far, Boss,” remarked the first as he and his friend started packing.

“Hey, Boss, do we want the Bat to know right now?” asked the other. “Because if not, we’re gonna have to take the long way.”

“So be it,” replied the Joker. “Besides, it’s good to build up anticipation!”

“…Fair enough,” agreed the other. Then…a noise filled the air. “…Hey, anyone-?”

“I hear it too,” remarked the first. “What is that? A new toy from the Bat?” The TARDIS then materialized. “…Never mind, too blue.” The other gasped.

“That’s the box those doctors appeared in during that mugging in 2027!” he explained. “They’re friends of the Bat! I say we ice them!”

“I’m not Mr. Freeze, but that sounds like a splendid idea!” agreed the Joker as he pulled out a pistol. The Doctor and Tysar then stepped out and everyone froze for a second.

“All right toots, where are them doctors?!” snarled the other.

“…Hang on, we met before,” remarked the Doctor. “I flipped you over after you wanted to have your way with that poor woman. That was before Batman knocked your leader out.”

“…Lady, you weren’t there!” snapped the other. “How could you-?”

“Maybe she’s heard about that from those other doctors,” said the first.

“No, I just changed my face,” replied the Doctor. “Now, Doctor in the house here, and-.”

“Doctor, it hurts when I do THIS!” The Joker leveled his gun at the Doctor and fired, but the Doctor twirled out of the way and poked the Joker in the eyes!

“Don’t do that,” she replied as the Joker rubbed his eyes. He recovered his vision.

“SHOOT HER! SHOOT HER!” he shouted.

“You have unbelievably thin skin, Joker,” chuckled the Doctor. She dashed to the other side of the warehouse and found a good stack of boxes. She then made it wobble.

“HEY! HEY! HEY!” protested the Joker. “BE CAREFUL WITH THAT!”

“Oh, I’m being very careful,” assured the Doctor. “See, I’m on this side and it’s all going to fall…THAT WAY!” The Doctor pushed the stack so it toppled towards the Joker and his goons. As the three criminals ran, the Doctor grabbed Tysar’s hand and fled the warehouse.

“Doctor, the TARDIS-!” argued Tysar. She then heard the TARDIS take off!

“And that’s the HADS kicking in,” said the Doctor.

“The wha-?”

“Hostile Action Displacement System,” explained the Doctor. “The TARDIS moves to a relatively safer location.”

“…And where is that?” asked Tysar.

“…Well, if I…um…” The Doctor’s eyes went wide. “…You know, there are moments where I loathe the HADS.”

“YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE THE TARDIS IS?!” yelped Tysar. Her berating was interrupted by a vehicle approaching. A streak of black with a bat motif zoomed by.

“…There we go!” said the Doctor. “Problem solved! He’s the world’s greatest detective, he can find the TARDIS!”

“Doctor, if the TARDIS vanished from this point in space-time-!”

“No, no, no, the HADS does not engage anything related to temporal navigation,” soothed the Doctor. “It only changes its point in space, not time. And even then, it’s a relatively short hop. It will still be in Gotham. And no one can get in without the key. So we’ll just wait for him to finish up his business with the Joker and-.”

“Doc?” asked a rough man’s voice. The Doctor could smell cigars and booze behind her and turned to see a short, muscular man with his hair and sideburns pulled into points.

“…Logan?!” she spluttered. “…I don’t think I was conscious after I regenerated in the school, how did you know-?”

“Apparently your scent’s still the same,” remarked Logan, the mutant known as Wolverine. “What’s going on here?”

“I’d like to know that myself,” said another voice. A metal suit then landed with gold and red colors and a blue light in its chest.

“Oh god, Stark,” groaned Wolverine.

“Hey there, Skunk Bear,” remarked the armored person, Tony Stark as Iron Man. He then saw the Doctor. “…William told me you changed into that, Doctor. Some natural cosmetic surgery?”

“Regeneration is NOT cosmetic surgery, Mr. Stark!” hissed the Doctor. “…All right, that’s two of you from 2027, now…”

“You know what’s going on?” asked Wolverine.

“You two are in Gotham of 2029,” explained Tysar. Iron Man stepped back in surprised and Wolverine looked…well, bemused.

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 6

The Sontaran Mystic: Part 3

“Doctor, it might help if we knew what you were doing!” hissed Tysar as she and Zelda were in the room Palpatine and the Doctor were. The Doctor busied herself with typing something in.

“A little crude, don’t you think?” asked Palpatine.

“Well, I’ll need your help in wording it,” replied the Doctor. She gave the Supreme Chancellor the keyboard she was using. “Edit that so it looks like an official order.”

“…Am I understanding correctly,” he said as he looked over the words the Doctor typed, “that you want someone from a…well, a primitive culture to give that order?”

“We’re ALL primitives to the Sontarans!” argued the Doctor. “And we’re all going to die unless Zelda has the proper authority needed to give that order to the Clones here!” Palpatine glared at the Doctor, but seeing no better alternative, he fixed the Doctor’s wording so that it was an official General Order.

“Done,” he said. “But I will need to inform all Clone Commanders that Zelda has temporary control of the GAR.”

“Got it,” agreed the Doctor.

“Doctor-!” insisted Zelda.

“Zelda, all you will need to do is inform the Clones,” said the Doctor, “that they must execute General Order 151. They’ll do the rest.”

“Doctor, what’s that circle around the city on that hologram?” asked Tysar.

“That’s what Zelda is waiting for,” replied the Doctor. “When that circle is big enough to surround all Sontaran ships, that’s when Zelda tells the Clones to execute General Order 151!” Palpatine then took up a communicator and set it so that all Clone Commanders would hear him.

“All Clone Commanders, this is the Supreme Chancellor!” he reported. “For the duration of this battle, you are to obey Princess Zelda of Hyrule! Repeat, Princess Zelda of Hyrule is in command!” All Clone Commanders, while confused, confirmed their orders. That was when Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan were practically thrown through the door! They picked themselves up as Stragg and Skarr arrived, their lightsabers bathing the room in blood-red light.

“Holing up somewhere while others fight your battles for you, Doctor?” cackled Stragg. “How very like you!”

“You don’t really know me at all, do you?” retorted the Doctor.

“Sir!” called Skarr as he saw the hologram. Stragg saw it and scoffed.

“What is that supposed to be?” he asked as he pointed at the circle. “A time bomb? An energy shield? What good will that do you? It would alter history, as you fear.” The circle then turned green.

“Now, Zelda!” called the Doctor. Zelda picked up the communicator.

“All Clones, this is Princess Zelda of Hyrule!” she said. “The time has come! Execute General Order 151!”

“It will be done, my Lady,” replied a Clone’s voice.

“Rex, what’s General Order 151?” asked Anakin over the comms.

“You’ll see in a minute, Sir!” replied Rex. “Frequency uploaded to all comms! Sir, cover your ears!”

“Frequency?” asked Stragg. “What-?” He then heard a loud shrieking noise erupting from Anakin’s comms. Skarr heard the same and both Sontarans doubled over in pain, clutching their heads and screaming in agony.

“Doctor, what’s going on?!” yelped Tysar.

“Something I accidentally discovered on Samur!” replied the Doctor. She then checked the security feeds and saw that the Sontarans were experiencing the same pain as their commanders with the Clones taking the Sontarans’ weapons from them.

“DOCTOR!” wailed Stragg in pain. “WHAT…HAVE YOU…DONE?!”

“YOU ARE…HURTING US!” howled Stragg.

“I think that’s enough, Zelda!” called the Doctor as she took the Sontaran Siths’ lightsabers and blasters.

“All Clones, order fulfilled! Cease now!” ordered Zelda. The noise stopped as the Clones obeyed. Stragg and Skarr groaned in pain as they recovered.

“Doctor, what did you do?!” asked Palpatine.

“I caused the Clones’ communicators to bounce a signal off the Sontarans’ mothership, keying it to the Sontarans’ consciousness,” explained the Doctor. “The resulting feedback reverberated right into the Sontarans’ mid-brain by way of the probic vents on the backs of their necks.”

“You…did that…deliberately!” panted Stragg.

“On Samur, it was an accident,” said the Doctor. “I had to recall what I did with Sontaran communicators very quickly. Let me tell you, the roar of battle almost made me forget all about it.”

“Raise your arm, my apprentice!” Stragg hissed to Skarr. “Let’s see how much lightning she can take!”

“With…pleasure, Sir!” replied Skarr as he raised his hand.

“I wouldn’t do that, Stragg,” warned Anakin. “Not while any of us could use the signal at any moment and plunge all the Sontarans into mental agony.”

“Of course,” remarked Palpatine with the usual disarming smile politicians are infamous for.

“…Hold your fire, Skarr,” growled Stragg, realizing that Anakin would probably be the first to use that signal if any of his troops or allies were attacked. “…What do you want, Doctor?”

“I want you to return to your original point in space-time!” demanded the Doctor. “You, your apprentice, your troops, your ships and technology, they all have to leave this galaxy in this time and never return until the end of this galaxy’s history!”

“…You won’t stop us from returning at a point in time when the Jedi and Sith fail?” asked Stragg.

“…No,” replied the Doctor. Stragg and Skarr grinned.

“…Very well,” said Stragg. “Let me call my troops.”


For his part, Stragg upheld his end of the bargain. When all the technology was returned to the Sontarans, they boarded their ships and left Kamino, then left the galaxy and time altogether. “Doctor, that was a brave thing you did,” said Palpatine.

“The Supreme Chancellor is right,” agreed Anakin. “You should help us. We’d win the war quicker with you.”

“Thank you, but I can’t,” replied the Doctor. “I’ve got to get Zelda back and my involvement in your war at this time is dangerous enough as it is.”

“Very well, we cannot stop you,” said Palpatine as the Doctor brought Tysar and Zelda back to the TARDIS. “Farewell.” The Doctor replied with a terse wave and she and her companions entered the TARDIS. The doors shut and the TARDIS took off.


The Doctor leaned against one of the console room’s walls and sighed in relief. “That…was too close!” she said.

“Doctor, what’s supposed to happen to all those Clones?” asked Tysar.

“…Tragedy for the entire galaxy,” replied the Doctor. “A year later, Palpatine seduces Anakin to the Dark Side, replacing Count Dooku as his apprentice. He then enacts General Order 66, the utter extermination of the Jedi Order. After which, Anakin and Obi-Wan duel and Obi-Wan wins but leaves Anakin on the choking lava world of Mustafar. Having lost so many limbs, been burned horribly, and his breathing permanently damaged, Palpatine, having restructured the Republic into the Galactic Empire and declared himself the Emperor, rescues Anakin, but traps him in a cybernetic suit, thus turning Anakin fully into his cyborg apprentice, Darth Vader. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan, the former Jedi Grandmaster, Yoda, and other stray survivors go into hiding. Ahsoka Tano and a few clones like Rex that did not obey Order 66 thanks to damage to their inhibitor chips hold out for a time. Ahsoka becomes a gray Jedi, one who can safely use both aspects of the Force without the dogma of either Jedi or Sith, and she attains the rank of master in her own way. Meanwhile, Anakin’s children are separated, his daughter being raised by the Organas of Alderaan while his son is raised by Owen and Beru Lars on Tatooine where Obi-Wan keeps watch as Ben Kenobi. Nineteen years later, Alderaan is destroyed by the Empire’s new super-weapon, galvanizing the Alliance to Restore the Republic into action as well as causing Anakin’s children, Luke and Leia, to meet. The Battle of Yavin results in the super-weapon being destroyed, the first event that leads to the Empire’s downfall at the Battle of Endor. But Imperial remnants flock together and become the First Order, causing terror in the galaxy and sparking another resistance. It’s discovered that Palpatine survived after Vader, returning to the Light Side thanks to Luke’s efforts, used his final moments to overthrow Palpatine. Palpatine’s secret granddaughter, Rey, overcame her grandfather at Exegol later in the galaxy’s history and, through destroying Palpatine and the Sith remnants there, practically reset the Force now that both Jedi and Sith are gone.” The Doctor panted after that history lesson.

“…So while turmoil still plagues the galaxy,” Zelda summed up, “peace DOES eventually come about.”

“Exactly.”

“…Well, Doctor,” said Zelda, “I believe I need to ensure the peace of Hyrule.” By then, the TARDIS beeped.

“Sounds like you’re about to get there soon!” chuckled Tysar. The Doctor keyed in a command on the console.

“There we are!” she said. “All right, Zelda, back to Hyrule!”

“Goodbye Doctor!” called Zelda. The Doctor pressed a button and Zelda faded.

“…I know this is a long shot, but is the Grouping over?” asked Tysar.

“I doubt it, but let’s check with Gallifrey,” replied the Doctor. She then made a call. “This is the Doctor, contacting Gallifrey. Gallifrey, come in please.”

“Gallifrey receiving, Grandfather,” replied a voice. Susan’s face then appeared. Tysar gasped.

“She’s still around?!” she gasped.

“Grandfather, is that the Thal I heard about behind you?” asked Susan.

“It sure is!” replied the Doctor. “She was a Grouping victim. Landed on Earth in the 21st century. She’s helping me with the Grouping right now.”

“Well, Grandfather,” said Susan, “I’m afraid things have gotten worse. Multiple chronal surges are centered around specific points in space and time. One point can have three chronal surges centered around it.”

“Drat. Sorry Tysar, but it looks like it’s getting worse.”

“Well, we’ll have to fix it,” sighed Tysar.

“Although, Grandfather,” said Susan, “we HAVE determined something.”

“Oh?” asked the Doctor.

“It looks like the surges are because of something trying to escape an anti-matter universe, that…Under-verse, I think it was called.” The Doctor’s eyes went wide.

“…He’s trying to break out!” she whispered.

“Doctor?” asked Tysar.

“Susan, I know what’s going on now!” said the Doctor. “I’ll send a hyper-cube about it as soon as I can!”

“Very well, Grandfather. Good luck,” bid Susan. The Doctor ended the call and worked the console feverishly.

“He’s coming back,” she muttered. “Drat it all! I knew it was too easy at the end of that Reality War!”

“Doctor, will you please explain what’s got you so worried?!” urged Tysar. “Are you telling me you know who’s behind the Grouping?”

“…A Time Lord. …One of the first. …An old friend of Rassilon’s. …Omega!”

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 6

The Sontaran Mystic: Part 2

“Gallifrey already determined,” said the Doctor, “that you lot aren’t behind the current Grouping Crisis.”

“No, but we CAN take advantage of the chronal surges!” replied the lead Sontaran.

“So can Cybermen, apparently. Someone stole a chronal net from them.”

“The Cybermen stole the idea of the chronal net from us!” The Doctor couldn’t help but laugh.

“So, the Cybermen did a bit of espionage on the mightiest army in the-!” Her laughter was cut short as she felt an invisible hand clenching its fingers around her throat, cutting off her air!

“It would be wise, Doctor, not to choke on your aspirations!” joked the lead Sontaran as he held his hand in a choking motion. He then flicked his wrist and the Doctor collapsed to the ground, her breathing returning to normal after a few coughs.

“…F-Force…sensitivity!” she gasped. “You…you can…use the Force!”

“Indeed, Doctor! Since I am feeling uncharacteristically charitable, I shall give you the privilege of knowing my name and the name of my apprentice! I am General Stragg of the 27th Sontaran Army! Stragg the Night-breaker! But you can simply call me Darth Noctis! Lieutenant! Give the Doctor your name!”

“I am Skarr, second-in-command of the 27th Sontaran Army,” introduced the second-in-command. “Skarr the Bone-cruncher. Best known as Darth Fractus!”

“Sontaran Sith!” hissed the Doctor.

“Precisely, Doctor. But what good are impressive powers if they can’t be shared?” asked Stragg.

“That’s not the modern Sith way,” remarked the Doctor. “Haven’t you heard of the Rule of Two? Skarr’s gonna have to kill you before he takes on an apprentice!”

“That ridiculous rule,” replied Skarr, “was only implemented because Darth Bane could not properly check the ambition of the Sith when they were equal in number to the Jedi, thus proving the original Sith’s weakness and predilection to infighting. Sontarans have no such weakness. We know when to check our ambition for the greater good.”

“Easy, my apprentice,” directed Stragg. “You must remember that, in this time, the Rule of Two was only to enact Bane’s plan of revenge. …A revenge that will fail in due course.”

“Stragg, there’s more to this than you wanting to swing a lightsaber and throw lightning,” said the Doctor. “You chose Kamino because of its cloning techniques. But why? Sontaran cloning techniques outpace the Kaminoans’.”

“Nothing wrong with wanting to learn how previous cloning geniuses did it in their heyday,” replied Stragg. “Besides, every Sontaran that has studied the Clone Wars has always wanted to test their might against the Grand Arm of the Republic! Their courage was told in song and legend, and I see now that they do not give the Clones enough credit! Also…I wanted to test myself against heroes like Skywalker and Kenobi before time blunted them!”

“Alternatively, you could just walk away and return to your time. Leave the sacking of Tipoca to someone else.”

“History was very vague on what causes the fall of Kamino,” remarked Stragg.

“…Not as vague as you think, Stragg. I’m sorry to say that its fall will come from one man. …Just not here and now. Stragg, help me to preserve history and leave this time!”

“Not a chance, Doctor! The Clone Wars offer too many opportunities to ignore outright! I won’t be so cowardly as to turn away from it!” Stragg reignited his lightsaber and raised it. “TO GLORIOUS BATTLE! CHARGE!” Skarr ignited his own lightsaber as the Sontarans charged. The Clones opened fire with Anakin and Obi-Wan deflecting Sontaran fire with their own blue lightsabers.


When the battle began, the Doctor and Tysar returned to speak with Zelda as she covered her ears over the noise! “What kind of weapons are they?!” asked the Hylian Princess.

“Weapons uglier than swords or crossbows, I can assure you,” replied the Doctor. “We have to drive the Sontarans off of Kamino!”

“Doctor, what were those swords of light?!” asked Tysar.

“Lightsabers,” replied the Doctor. “The signature weapons of the Jedi and their splinter Sith. The Jedi, those that study the light side of a mystic energy called the Force, are usually identified with blue or green lightsabers while the Sith use red or crimson lightsabers to represent their studies of the darker aspects of the Force. The Jedi preach restraint while the Sith preach unleashing their full potential, but dogmatism infects both sides, leading to their eventual fall, first the Jedi, then the Sith utterly, leading to a reset for the Force at the battle of Exegol.”

“When is that battle supposed to happen?” asked Zelda.

“55 years from now,” said the Doctor. “The Sontarans presence will alter history too drastically!”

“So how do we get rid of them?” asked Tysar. “Sontarans follow no commands but their own!”

“I need some place to think,” muttered the Doctor.


Back with Obi-Wan and Anakin, the two were dueling the two Force-sensitive Sontarans. While, as a rule, Sontaran muscles weren’t designed for agility like most humanoid races thanks to the immense gravity of their home planet of Sontar, Stragg and Skarr were proving to be just as acrobatic as any Jedi, locking Obi-Wan and Anakin in a stalemate. “I must admit, General,” Obi-Wan remarked to Stragg, “I’m not sure how you intend to share your power because Sith, in general, DON’T share power.”

“Neither do you Jedi,” remarked Stragg. “But imagine the midichlorians you tap into being cloned!”

“You can’t clone midichlorians!” protested Anakin.

“Who’s to say the attempt won’t be made in this galaxy?” asked Skarr.


The Doctor was in a protected room, thinking. “How could Sith powers propagate throughout the Sontaran Empire?” she pondered. …Then she remembered her first adventure in this galaxy, a bit further into its future. “…With their cloning techniques, the Sontarans would make Project Necromancer a success.”

“Project Necromancer?” asked Palpatine’s voice, startling the Doctor.

“Didn’t know you were there, your Excellency,” she said mockingly once she caught her breath. “…This room is shielded from all forms of communication? No sound can enter or exit this room?”

“Yes, of course,” replied Palpatine.

“Good. Then here’s a bit of advice. Hold off on Order 66 until you’ve got Anakin fully in your grasp.”

“I’m sure I don’t-.”

“Palpatine, I’m a time traveler. Your history is known to me, especially when you murdered Plagueis in his sleep.” Palpatine pinned the Doctor to the wall and ignited his lightsaber, holding the blade near her throat.

“Tell anyone-!” he snarled.

“It won’t do me any good, Sidious!” hissed the Doctor. “I try telling the Jedi that you’re the Sith Lord they’re looking for, and the history of this galaxy is undone!” Palpatine looked into the Doctor’s eyes, then chuckled.

“Your own laws prevent you from altering history,” he guessed. He switched off his lightsaber.

“Sadly, yes. Much as I want to prevent it, your empire needs to rise, and General Order 66 needs to be carried out. …But Anakin is not yet ready to replace Dooku. …Oh well, enough about events of your future, let’s focus on the present. The Sontarans’ cloning techniques are far superior to Kamino’s. I’ll bet you any credits that they’ll try and clone the midichlorians in their commanders and turn this world into their cloning factory dedicated to making Sontaran Sith.”

“Then we must prevent that, because, as of now, this is a Republic protected world.”

“Can’t the inhibitor chips in the Clones do something?” asked the Doctor.

“There was never a contingency based on this event,” replied Palpatine. The Doctor then snapped her fingers in a eureka moment!

“Can additions be made to the orders on the inhibitor chips?!” she asked.

“Temporary ones, yes,” replied Palpatine.

“Excellent! I need Zelda down here! She’s got the head for command!”


The Sontarans were slowly pushing the Clones back as Stragg and Skarr continued to duel Obi-Wan and Anakin. The two Jedi were tiring. “Anakin, I know this isn’t your favorite,” said Obi-Wan, “but-!”

“We can’t retreat!” argued Anakin. “The Sontarans will swarm the city!” His communicator went off.

“Master!” came Ahsoka’s voice.

“Little busy here, Snips!” retorted Anakin.

“Master, the Doctor’s found a place we can lead the Sontarans to!” explained Ahsoka.

“…That makes the situation different,” decided Anakin. “EVERYONE! FALL BACK!” He, Obi-Wan, and Rex covered the retreat.

“COWARDS!” bellowed Skarr.

“…No, this is a strategic withdrawal,” said Stragg. “They’re leading us somewhere. …And that thrice-damned Doctor is behind all this, I’m sure. …We shall pursue!”

“Sir?” asked Skarr.

“We shall spring the Doctor’s trap early, my apprentice,” explained Stragg. “Even when she was a man, she couldn’t think clearly when her plans were accelerated.” He turned to his men. “Pursue them! SONTAR HA!”

“SONTAR HA! SONTAR HA! SONTAR HA!” chanted the Sontarans as they marched into Tipoca City.

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 6

The Sontaran Mystic: Part 1

Lightning flashed as the rainstorms that were the central characteristic of this particular planet pounded the surface of the waters and the domed cities. At this moment, the long-necked inhabitants were being evacuated as their precious secrets of cloning and the cloning plants were being locked down. The younger Clones were being escorted away as the more adult and battle-ready clones in their white, Mandalorian-ish armor were readying weapons. Three beings, two human men and one orange-skinned young girl with white and blue head tails, were coordinating the defenses. “Master, there’s something I wanna know!” said the orange-skinned girl to one of the human men with a scar on his eye and a mechanical hand. “How did the Separatists get enough droids to launch a new invasion?!”

“Does it matter, Snips?” asked the man. “We’ll beat them back as usual!”

“General Skywalker!” called a Clone.

“Rex, what is it?” asked the man, Anakin Skywalker.

“The Chancellor’s escape ship was sabotaged!” replied the Clone, Rex. “He can’t get away!”

“What?!” protested Anakin.

“We’ll have to help him,” said the orange-skinned girl, Ahsoka Tano.

“I’ll get the Chancellor to safety,” said the other man, Obi-Wan Kenobi. “You focus on the defenses, Anakin. After all, the battlefield is your favorite place.”

“You know me too well, Master,” chuckled Anakin. Obi-Wan took some Clones and led the way.


In the depths of the city, Tipoca City, an old man in elaborate robes could hear the noise outside his quarters. He growled angrily. What was Dooku thinking? He ordered no attack on Tipoca City! Especially not while he’s here! He would be giving his apprentice a lesson in pain for this! …His grumbling stopped when he heard a noise. It sounded…like a strange whooshing noise, almost like…Vworp? He hadn’t heard that noise before. He looked outside his quarters to see a blue box! What in the name of the Force-?! His internal questions were halted as two women stepped out of the box. “You’re sure it’s here, Doctor?” asked one of the women, Tysar.

“It was centered around here,” replied the other woman, the Doctor. “Now, we’re somewhere during the Clone Wars, but whereabouts, I-.” The Doctor faltered when she saw the man. “…I…see we’re in the middle of an official visit,” remarked the Doctor. “Tysar, allow me to present Sheev Palpatine, the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic.” Palpatine sensed that the Doctor knew something else about him. How much, he couldn’t say right now, so he simply smiled his usual politician’s smile.

“You’ve both come to Tipoca City at a rather perilous time, dear Ladies,” he said.

“Tipoca City?” asked the Doctor. “The capital of Kamino? What are you doing here, Chancellor?”

“I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage, Miss…?”

“I’m usually known as the Doctor. And this is my assistant, Tysar.”

“A pleasure,” greeted Tysar. By then, Obi-Wan arrived with a few Clones.

“Chancellor!” he said. “Are you all right?”

“Quite well, Master Kenobi,” replied Palpatine. “The Doctor and her assistant, Tysar, had accidentally stumbled into Tipoca City.” Obi-Wan saw the two ladies.

“A pleasure to meet you, Doctor, Tysar,” he greeted. “I am-.”

“General Obi-Wan Kenobi!” whispered the Doctor. “Big fan of your work! Well, the peace-keeping side. I’m sure you understand why I’m a little hesitant to follow your battlefield reports.”

“It’s nice to be famous for something other than battles,” mused Obi-Wan. “Now, what ARE you doing here?”

“General Kenobi, this will sound like a threat in this period of war,” said the Doctor, “but has anyone noticed that someone’s gone missing? I mean, outside of the usual means of going missing during war.”

“No, we’re all still here, Doctor,” replied Obi-Wan.

“Might I ask why you want to know?” asked Palpatine.

“There’s an event called the Grouping going on,” explained the Doctor. “These energy waves called chronal surges are plucking people out of their native time zones and dumping them somewhere else in space and time.” Obi-Wan’s brow furrowed. He then pulled out his comms.

“Anakin, has anyone gone missing?” he asked.

“No, Master, why?” asked Anakin.

“A strange woman is saying that such an event might happen,” explained Obi-Wan. Another voice then chimed in.

“Masters, this is Ahsoka Tano! You’d better come here quickly!”

“On my way, Padawan!” replied Obi-Wan. He ended the call. “Chancellor, your ship was sabotaged. For your own safety, and yours too, Doctor and Tysar, come with me.”

“Very well,” sighed Palpatine. He’ll have to figure out who sabotaged his ship later.


Ahsoka was helping someone onto a stretcher by the time Obi-Wan, Anakin, and their groups arrived. Ahsoka saw the Doctor and Tysar. “Who are they?!” she yelped.

“I’d quite like to know that myself,” remarked Anakin.

“They’re not enemies, I assure you,” soothed Palpatine. “They answered a few of my questions and made no attempt against me.”

“They’re known as the Doctor and Tysar,” said Obi-Wan. “And they know about us.”

“Anakin Skywalker and Rex!” whispered the Doctor almost reverently. “And Ahsoka Tano as well!”

“You’re a medic, then?” asked Rex.

“Well, I have SOME medical knowledge, yes,” replied the Doctor.

“You should take a look,” said Ahsoka as she gestured to the person on the stretcher. The Doctor took a look and gasped. The person was a blonde woman in a blue dress with pointy ears.

“Zelda!” whispered the Doctor. “So that’s who got caught up in the Grouping! Link must be worried!” Zelda stirred and opened her eyes.

“Wh-where…?” she asked.

“You’re in a dangerous point in space-time,” replied the Doctor. Zelda looked at the Doctor, confused. “…You’re Zelda, princess of the kingdom of Hyrule,” said the Doctor. “When we met, you were also the sixth segment of the Key to Time, but the White Guardian restored you. You were quite surprised at my TARDIS and said that Amy Rose looked good in black.” Zelda’s eyes then widened.

“It cannot be!” she said. “…Doctor?!”

“Hello, Zelda,” replied the Doctor. Zelda sat up with a smile on her face.

“I don’t believe it! …But, why did you-?”

“Occupational hazard for a Time Lord,” replied the Doctor. “Now, this isn’t a safe place for you. You were taken by a chronal surge, an energy wave that plucks people out of their native time zone and into another. You’ve arrived to a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.”

“Well, I’m sure you can take me back,” chuckled Zelda. Just then, a Clone trooper arrived.

“Sirs!” he said. “The enemy is landing!”

“Battle positions!” ordered Anakin. “Doctor, you and your friends stay with us! Sorry to say, that goes for you too, Chancellor.”

“Very well,” agreed Palpatine.


Everyone had taken up positions to defend Tipoca City. Anakin had just received a call. “Sir, the enemy has punched through our fleet!” warned the Admiral coordinating the fleet. “They’re making planet-fall now!”

“Ready!” ordered Anakin. The Clones aimed their weapons at the skies. The ships broke through the clouds and made their way to the landing platforms. The Doctor and Tysar goggled in horror.

“They shouldn’t be here!” whispered the Doctor.

“Doctor, they can’t possibly have that level of time travel!” gulped Tysar.

“Don’t worry,” replied Rex. “We’ll take care of the Clankers!”

“Rex, you’re out of your depth here!” urged the Doctor. “These aren’t the battle droids of the Confederacy!” The enemy vessels opened and out stomped the soldiers of the enemy. The Clones were confused at seeing their domed helmets. They were as tightly coordinated as any Clone Battalion. The leader of the enemy soldiers took his helmet off as did his second-in-command. The Clones saw that they were organic and had heads shaped like potatoes…and had evidence of cloning like the Clone Army!

“Doctor, you know those creatures?” asked Obi-Wan.

“…The Sontarans!” replied the Doctor. “A clone army more dedicated to war than the GAR or the Battle Droids!”

“Breathe in the air, my soldiers!” said the lead Sontaran. “Their fear is rank in Tipoca City! Onwards! To domination!” He then pulled out a cylinder and pressed a button, creating a blade of red light! “SONTAR HA!”

“SONTAR HA! SONTAR HA! SONTAR HA!” chanted the Sontarans. All the while, the Doctor was stunned.

“That can’t be right! He must have stolen that lightsaber!” she shuddered.

“He’s picked the color of an easy target!” replied Anakin.

“General Skywalker, one single Sontaran is more clever than any battalion of Battle Droids!”

“Then we’re on equal footing,” replied Obi-Wan. “But let’s not go in lightsabers blazing.”

“Master, you can’t be serious!” protested Anakin.

“No, let’s let Obi-Wan and I talk to the Sontarans,” said the Doctor.

“You can’t-!” argued Ahsoka.

“Trust me, Ahsoka. I know the Sontarans of old.” The Doctor then strode forward. Obi-Wan followed her. The Sontaran leader’s second-in-command pointed the two out to him. The Sontaran leader then leveled his lightsaber at them. “I will be addressing the leader of the Sontarans!” called the Doctor.

“That would be me!” replied the Sontaran leader. “Your clothes do not match the time period of the Clone Wars!”

“Yeah, fashion evolves, even among us Time Lords.” The Sontaran leader goggled in surprise, then chuckled.

“I was wondering if you would be following the chronal surges plaguing the universe, Doctor!”

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 6

Mission to the Mind: Part 3

Raz, Wander, and Sylvia goggled. “I ain’t never been inside this thing before, Doctor!” yelped Wander.

“All this inside a tiny box?!” asked Raz.

“How’s it bigger on the inside?!” protested Sylvia.

“Time Lord headache physics,” replied Tysar.

“OI! It’s not THAT much of a headache!” argued the Doctor.

“To Time Lords, maybe,” countered Tysar. The Time Rotor then moved up and down.

“Doctor, the Mooplexian homeworld’s on the other side of the galaxy,” said Wander.

“A short hop,” replied the Doctor. The TARDIS then made its usual arrival noise and the Time Rotor stopped. “Now, let’s see if I got it right.” She switched the scanner on and it revealed what the outside looked like. There were creatures on stems with open mouths and eyeballs spilling out of their sockets, feet on their heads, and stringy hair. Raz was holding his head.

“Man, I’m getting a lot of psychic readings here!” he said.

“We made it!” said the Doctor. “Now, let’s plead our case to them.”

“…Doctor, are these REALLY powerful psychics?” asked Tysar.

“Take it from me, they’re the most powerful in this galaxy, on par with Psychonauts like Raz and the Time Lords. …And, sadly, they take a dim view on Time Lords. They’re sure to lash out if I step outside the TARDIS.”

“…Then maybe you should-.”

“I can’t stay in here. I must make the case in person. …Now come along.” The Doctor opened the doors and the group stepped outside to speak with the Mooplexians. “Great Mooplexians,” called the Doctor, “I am the Doctor. I speak with you on behalf of-.”

“TIME LORD!” boomed a voice. All of a sudden, the area around everyone changed.

“HEY! WHAT’S WITH THE PSYCHIC SHOW?!” yelped Raz. The Mooplexians’ heads then lifted away from their stems and turned into neon colors.

“You and your ilk are not welcome here!” boomed one of the Mooplexians.

“I understand our species’ contempt for one another,” replied the Doctor, “but Lord Hater-!”

“The sad man is unimportant!” replied the lead Mooplexian.

“With respect, Great Mooplexians, he is VERY important! He’s gotten ahold of a machine that can clone psychic powers and uses YOUR mental energy as a power source!”

“He will be dealt with in due course! You, on the other hand-!”

“Wander, you and your friends will wait!” boomed another Mooplexian.

“What are you gonna do?!” yelped Wander, terrified at the Mooplexians’ behavior.

“She will represent her species in the trial!” replied the Mooplexian second-in-command. A stone wall then appeared, separating them from the Doctor.

“HEY!” protested Raz. He then fired a psi-blast at the wall, but no dice.


On the other side of the wall, the Doctor was on a podium. “Time Lord, your species stands accused of generating enemies and generally picking on the little folk when we taught Rassilon, Omega, and Tecteun all those centuries ago that such actions made them pathetic!” boomed the head Mooplexian.

“I can assure you, those lessons HAVE been learned!” urged the Doctor.

“Not true!” replied another Mooplexian. “The Last Great Time War and the resulting corrupted Shadow Proclamation is proof that your species would rather die than learn those lessons! Need we name your personal enemies, Time Lord?! You had no one to call friends, just enemies!”

“Not true! For every enemy you name, I shall name all those I call my friends!”

“Impossible!” retorted the head Mooplexian. “The Daleks, the Toymaker, the Cybermen! You had no one!” Images of those enemies appeared. They were images of when the Doctor first met those enemies.

“Then you haven’t probed deep into my mind!” The Doctor conjured images of her first incarnation’s friends. “Ian Chesterton! Barbara Wright! My granddaughter, Susan Foreman! Vicki! Steven Taylor! Dodo Chaplet! Polly! Ben Jackson!” The images of her friends overpowered the images of her enemies.

“…These…these are lies!” protested a Mooplexian. “Time Lords cannot have friends! The Ice Warriors! The Great Intelligence!”

“Jamie McCrimmon! Victoria Waterfield! Zoe Heriot! Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart!” countered the Doctor. Once again, the images of her friends overpowered the images of her enemies.

“The Nestene Consciousness! The Silurians! The Sea Devils! The Master! Omega! The Sontarans!”

“Dr. Liz Shaw! Jo Grant! Sarah Jane Smith! John Benton! Mike Yates!”

“The Black Guardian! Sutekh! Davros! The Rutans!”

“Harry Sullivan! Leela! K9! Romana! Adric! Nyssa! Tegan Jovanka!”

“The Mara!”

“Vislor Turlough! Kamelion! Peri Brown!”

“The Valeyard!”

“Mel Bush!”

“Fenric!”

“Ace!”


Raz clutched his head as the trial went on. “Raz?” asked Tysar.

“The Doctor’s engaged in a psychic duel with the Mooplexians!” replied Raz.

“Is she nuts?!” protested Wander. “She won’t survive a duel with them!”

“You don’t know her mind like I do, Wander,” said Raz. “It’s full of twists and turns even I can’t navigate.”


“RGH! TECTEUN!” challenged the lead Mooplexian as it and its fellows were straining against the Doctor.

“RGHGF! DAN LEWIS!” countered the Doctor, the strain evident on her mind.

“THE NOT-THINGS!”

“RUBY SUNDAY! JOY ALMONDO! BELINDA CHANDRA!”

“RITA REPULSA! GURAST! DARTH VADER!”

“WILLIAM DAVIES! AMY ROSE! LURRA RUS!”

“POISON IVY! LEX LUTHOR! LOKI! DR. DOOM!”

“RAZPUTIN AQUATO! WANDER! SYLVIA! TYSAR!” By then, the Mooplexians screamed both in the mentalscape and the real world. The wall collapsed as an energy wave erupted from the Mooplexian homeworld.


The energy wave washed over the planet Lord Hater and his Watchdogs had conquered. It was pandemonium aboard the Skullship. Commander Peepers saw something on the screen. “SIR!” he warned. “That energy wave’s affected the mental cloning machine we picked up! Its abnormal energies have set it into overload!”

“Flabdrassit, give it to me straight, Peepers!” complained Hater.

“It’s gonna-!” The machine exploded, sending debris across the room. Lord Hater summoned an electric force field in time, not lowering it until the noise stopped.

“…Don’t ask me how,” snarled Hater, “but this has Wander written all over it!”

“For once, I agree, Sir,” replied Peepers. “Written in big, red letters.”


Back on the Mooplexian homeworld, the Mooplexians were catching their breath as the Doctor’s friends were attending to her. “How is that possible?!” asked Wander. “The Mooplexians are the most powerful psychics in the galaxy! You shouldn’t be alive, Doc!”

“I have my ways,” panted the Doctor.

“You…you have friends…” panted the lead Mooplexian. “…How? Time Lords cannot make friends! They’re too arrogant for that!”

“…Did…did that thing just talk?” asked Sylvia.

“We had transcended physical form, Sylvia,” replied another Mooplexian. “Never, in all our lives, have we encountered a psychic so powerful.”

“You want powerful psychics,” remarked the Doctor, “you should be glad you didn’t fight Raz here. But, as you can see, your accusations against my people of us making only enemies instead of friends only hold water on a case-by-case basis. Even Rassilon is learning that lesson. Now, about Lord Hater’s psychic cloning machine-.”

“Our duel has already destroyed it,” said the head Mooplexian. “Now, with all that said…leave. While you, Doctor, proved to be an exception, Time Lords are not welcome on our quiet world. Take Razputin Aquato home and dare not trespass on our home again.”

“…As you wish,” sighed the Doctor. “Come along, everyone.” She gathered everyone into the TARDIS and it took off while the Mooplexians assumed their natural state.


“So, how do we bring Raz back to his time?” asked Tysar. “I don’t think Lord Hater would want us back on that planet.”

“Oh, the TARDIS has other ways,” replied the Doctor as she fiddled with the controls. “Let’s see, chrono-navigation’s calculated and…bingo!”

“So, now what?” asked Raz.

“Now you get sent back,” answered the Doctor. “Good luck, Razputin Aquato!”

“Bye, Doctor! Hey, when you visit the Motherlobe again, give us some warning if you changed your face again, huh?”

“I make no promises on that,” chuckled the Doctor as she flicked a switch. Raz then faded away, waving goodbye. After a few seconds, the TARDIS landed. “There we are! For Wander and Sylvia, I’ve set us on Zorbula V!”

“Ooh! Never been there before!” said Wander, giddy with excitement.

“I have,” replied Sylvia. “You’ll enjoy it, Wander! A nice, peaceful little place!” She let Wander jump on her saddle and take the reins, then they left the TARDIS.

“Bye, Doc!” called Wander. “See you later!” The door then shut.

“…Well, that’s a nice turn of events,” sighed the Doctor happily. “No death and destruction and the Mooplexians learned something. It’s always nice to see higher beings learn something new. Heck, that’s why I left Gallifrey! Us Time Lords never bothered to learn something new! …Granted, I was exiled for a time because of it, but-!”

“Doctor, I hate to interrupt,” said Tysar, “but the TARDIS found a new chronal surge! …Although it seems to be centered around this galaxy early in its history.”

“Let me see.” The Doctor checked the readings and goggled. “…Well, isn’t THAT a surprise! This is before he became Emperor!”

“Doctor?” asked Tysar.

“Hold onto your hat, Tysar,” warned the Doctor. “We’re going to the Clone Wars, a conflict that plagued this galaxy long before Wander was born.”

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 6

Mission to the Mind: Part 2

“I, Lord Hater,” began the skeleton, “planetary conqueror and number one superstar, hereby claim this planet and its famous Time Orbble Lake as mine, proving that I am the GREATEST IN THE-!”

“HEY, HATEY!” called Wander.

“…Ignore him, Hater!” Lord Hater growled to himself. “If you ignore him, he’ll go away!”

“That’s a rather lame way to solve your problems, Lord Hater,” remarked the Doctor.

“ARE YOU QUESTIONING ME?!” shouted Lord Hater. “…Wait a minute, who ARE you anyways?!”

“Oh, we met before,” said the Doctor. “That whole business with the Daleks and Lord Dominator and her modifications to the Movellan Virus?” Lord Hater goggled.

“How do YOU know the specifics?!” he demanded. “…Unless…Peepers!”

“Yes, Sir!” replied his right-hand man, Commander Peepers. He then pulled out a scanner and waved it over the Doctor. His singular eye widened. “Time Lord genetics confirmed, Sir!” reported Commander Peepers.

“Sir, that blue box the Doctor has is over here!” called one of the eyeball creatures, the Watchdogs.

“DOCTOR?!” yelped Lord Hater. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! WITH WANDER AGAIN?!”

“Well, I’m trying to get this young man back to his proper point in space-time,” replied the Doctor as she indicated Raz. Commander Peepers checked his scanner again, then his eye widened in surprise.

“Sir, that kid’s psychic readings are off the charts!” he said.

“His psychic powers are not your concern!” urged the Doctor.

“…Oh, aren’t they?!” chuckled Lord Hater as a wicked grin crossed his face. By now, the Doctor and her friends closed ranks around Raz.

“You’re not touching him!” declared the Doctor.

“Watchdogs, EYES UP!” ordered Lord Hater. The Watchdogs leveled their weapons at the group. “I don’t NEED to touch him to get him to come aboard! Just to be on the safe side, you’d better join him and enjoy your five-star suite in the brig while I clone his mind powers!”

“Ha! You don’t have that kind of technology!” cackled the Doctor.


“…So, I HAVE been wrong before,” remarked the Doctor when she saw the machine in Lord Hater’s ship.

“That’s gonna clone my psychic abilities?” asked Raz. “…Looks an awful lot like the Brain Tumbler.”

“With this machine, puny creature,” Commander Peepers said with pride, “we shall clone all psychic abilities and implant them into our test subjects!”

“Psychic cloning is against galactic law,” remarked the Doctor.

“I’M the evil overlord here!” retorted Lord Hater. “I’M the one that decides what is or isn’t legal!”

“Other powers made that kind of thing illegal because of the untold damage it does to both the psychic having their powers cloned and the subject that’s having those powers forcibly implanted into their own mind! It will KILL them! BOTH of them!”

“My science team’s already taking the necessary precautions!” dismissed Hater. “Watchdogs, throw them in the brig! Make sure everything is ready for the kid!”

“Lord Hater, Raz is ten!” protested the Doctor.

“Eleven, actually,” interjected Raz.

“Not the point.” The Watchdogs were set on obeying their master as they leveled their guns at the Doctor and her group.


Everyone was thrown into separate cells in the brig block. “…Well, ain’t this cozy,” grumbled Sylvia.

“I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced,” Wander said to Raz. “Folks call me Wander.”

“Raz,” replied Raz. “Razputin Aquato. From Earth.”

“Never heard of it,” remarked Sylvia.

“It’s not a planet within this galaxy,” replied the Doctor as she fiddled with her cell’s force field. “Have to admit, Lord Hater’s a lot smarter than I gave him credit for.”

“What, for not only hiding the force field emitters,” said Tysar, “but taking your sonic screwdriver?”

“Yes, limiting my options,” remarked the Doctor. “Making me take longer to escape, that WILL put me in a panic…if the Skullship was running on top-of-the-line technology.”

“Yes, the power flow regulators aren’t very advanced,” remarked Tysar.

“Hater’s always focused on whether or not something is cool in his eyes,” said Sylvia. “So I’m not surprised to hear you say that.”

“Hm, primitive technology by anyone’s metrics,” said the Doctor, “but stubborn. …Actually, Raz, can you still use your powers? Simple telekinesis on the force field control panel should be sufficient.”

“Let’s see,” replied Raz. He held his hand to the side of his head, then concentrated. The control panel then sparked and the force fields vanished. The Doctor grinned.

“Rule one of containing a psychic!” she said.

“Always have something on hand to shut off their powers!” finished Raz.

“So what now?” asked Sylvia.

“Now I need to know what Hater’s plans are,” said the Doctor. “And, of course, get my screwdriver back.” She saw a console with a screen above it. “That might do it. Let’s see…password locked. Right then.” She tried the obvious password of “password” and all variations. “…No, looks like Hater’s not that stupid. …Wait, maybe something that strokes his ego.” She tried a variation of Lord Hater’s name and the fact that he considered himself the number one superstar. “…AHA!” she called. “Perfect!” She then called up the data of the mission to the planet. “…Hm…well, that WOULD be a prudent thing to do.”

“Doctor?” asked Wander.

“It seems Lord Hater, in a bout of paranoia, fears that Lord Dominator would use Time Orbble Lake to travel back to the past and undo her big defeat at his hands.”

“Well, you gotta admit,” remarked Sylvia, “losing to Hater would bruise anyone’s ego.”

“There’s something that just doesn’t add up, though,” remarked the Doctor. “Where does Raz fit into all this?” She triple-checked her research. “…Infernal cheek!” she muttered. “Raz was just a spur-of-the-moment plan!”

“Well, I guess I can be somewhat relieved,” remarked Raz.

“Doctor, what does it say about Hater’s machine?” asked Tysar.

“Haven’t found those files yet,” replied the Doctor. “Come on, come on! No, I don’t want to see tickets to Lord Hater and the Harbingers of Doom! No, the-! Aha! Here it is! …Huh. …It’s a Cluckon weapon.”

“Cluckon?” asked Sylvia. “Those chickens? Why would they want it?”

“It was intended to be a weapon to use the powers of the Mooplexians to psychically attack someone, but it looks like Lord Hater intended to use that power for his own purposes.”

“And Mooplexians are…?” asked Tysar.

“Well, they look like the dumbest creatures in the universe, but those are only shells of their real selves. Their actual intelligence is phenomenal, rivaling even the Time Lords. And using them as a power source for this psychic cloning machine WOULD give Hater a degree of control…right! We have to go to the Mooplexian Homeworld!”

“Doctor, we can’t just leave! The TARDIS is still by the lake!” protested Tysar.

“Lord Hater can guard that lake as much as he wants,” replied the Doctor, “but the weapon needs to be destroyed and the Mooplexians have that kind of reach.”

“Doctor, there’s sure to be Watchdogs…well, WATCHING the TARDIS!”

“Leave that to me and Wander!” replied Sylvia. Wander then took off his hat and rummaged around in it.

“Let’s see…aha!” He pulled out a Watchdog’s suit! “They’re about my height! I always wanted to see what being a Watchdog was like!”

“Perfect! Let’s go!” declared the Doctor.


The Doctor and her group arrived at the front of the Skullship where guards were placed for any attempted jailbreaks. Wander was dressed up in his Watchdog suit and had a super soaker in his hands. It looked like one of the Watchdogs’ usual laser rifles, so no one really blinked. “All right, as we planned,” the Doctor said to Wander.

“Right,” replied Wander. “And…sorry in advance.” He then “roughly” shoved the Doctor forward. “Come on, you!” he barked. “Get going! You too, Zbornak! And you apes!” Everyone marched towards the front.

“HALT!” called one of the guards. “What do you think you’re doing, Private? The prisoners are supposed to stay in their cells!”

“Lord Hater ordered me to give them some exercise as long as we’re on the planet!” replied Wander.

“It’s true,” replied Raz. “Go ahead and check with him.”

“Yes, he was quite insistent,” supplied the Doctor.

“Yeah, right!” scoffed the other guard. “Let me just check, huh?” He pulled out a walkie-talkie and called up Lord Hater.

“What is it, Bob?!” demanded Lord Hater. “I’m busy making my new torture room mixtape!”

“Lord Hater, one of the Privates said that he got direct orders from you to-.”

“ARE YOU MAKING ONE OF THE PRIVATES DISOBEY ME?!” shouted Hater.

“N-NO, SIR!” yelped the guard. “NOT AT ALL, SIR!”

“THEN LET HIM GET ON WITH IT! HATER, OUT!” Hater hung up.

“…W-Well, get on with it!” ordered the guard as he and his friend stepped aside.

“Thanks!” replied Wander. He then escorted everyone out. After a few seconds, one of the guards thought for a moment.

“…Hang on! Since when do we have orange beards?!” he asked his friend. The other guard goggled, then whirled around, blaster armed!

“HEY! GET BACK IN YOUR CELLS!” he shouted.

“RUN!” shouted the Doctor. The group rushed towards the TARDIS and made it inside as the Watchdogs fired!

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 6

Mission to the Mind: Part 1

On a distant planet, a blue dinosaur-like creature was carrying an orange furred creature on its back. They had arrived at what looked like a pool of bubble liquid. “There it is!” cheered the orange creature. “Time Orbble Lake! The place where Wilmur and Orbble found the secret to making Time Orbbles!”

“I still remember when we almost filled up on Time Orbble juice,” remarked the dinosaur-like creature as she shuddered. “That could have been a whole thing!” Just then, the lake started bubbling! “What the-?!”

“That’s never happened before!” yelped the orange creature. An energy wave then washed over them. The two stumbled a bit.

“Wander, are you okay?!” asked the dinosaur-like creature.

“I’m fine, Syl,” replied the orange creature, Wander. He then checked his hat. “…This thing’s okay. You?”

“Doing all right,” said the dinosaur-like creature, Sylvia. “What the heck happened?!”


Back in the TARDIS, the Doctor checked the instruments. She was still tracking chronal surges, then…the TARDIS rocked as if it hit turbulence! The Doctor worked feverishly to stabilize things. Tysar stumbled into the console room. “Doctor, what was that?!”

“A chronal surge!” replied the Doctor. “It passed us while we were in the Vortex!”

“Can you get anything from it?” asked Tysar.

“Checking now…huh. Haven’t been to that galaxy in a while.”

“Doctor?”

“We’re going to a galaxy an old friend of mine lives in right now,” said the Doctor. “That’s where the chronal surge is putting its victim. Setting coordinates now and…”


Wander and Sylvia were still trying to puzzle out that energy wave. …Well, Sylvia was. Wander was still distracted by the Time Orbble lake. “Wander, can you please pay attention?!” complained Sylvia.

“I am!” protested Wander. Sylvia pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Look, it’s pretty, but that lake’s not as important as-!” She stopped when she heard a noise. “…As that, apparently,” she finished. Wander heard the noise too.

“What the heck’s going on?” he asked as a wind picked up. Just then, the TARDIS materialized on the planet. Wander’s face lit up. “DOCTOR!” he said. Sylvia goggled.

“No way is that all a coincidence!” she said. The Doctor and Tysar then stepped out.

“Doctor, what IS this planet?” asked Tysar.

“It’s where two people were inspired to make a form of transportation,” replied the Doctor. “A sort of soap bubble that keeps you alive in space and lets you wander-.”

“That’s the name!” interjected Wander. The Doctor looked down and grinned when she saw Wander’s face.

“Wander!” she greeted. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“You changed your face again, huh Doctor?” asked Wander.

“Doctor?” asked Sylvia. “Wander, I think that energy wave messed with your head. That’s not the Doctor.”

“So you’re saying I never helped you two against Lord Dominator and the Daleks?” asked the Doctor. “I had to modify the Movellan Virus to take them both down.”

“Good grief, it IS you!” yelped Sylvia. “But how?!”

“Her ability to change her face is known among my people,” said Tysar.

“Wander, Sylvia, meet Tysar, my current companion,” introduced the Doctor.

“Nice to meet you!” greeted Wander as he shook Tysar’s hand. “Folks call me Wander and that there is Sylvia!”

“How’s it going?” asked Sylvia.

“Random question,” said the Doctor, “but have you lot felt any strange energy waves?”

“Yeah, why?” asked Sylvia. “You tracking it?”

“All right, slightly related question,” continued the Doctor, “are you familiar with the Grouping?” Wander goggled.

“…Doc, I was a victim of that thing!” he said. “It took the Monan Host to get me back to my proper time!”

“Well, it’s happening again, Wander,” sighed the Doctor. “That energy wave was a chronal surge.”

“Um, could someone fill me in?” asked Sylvia.

“Chronal surges take someone out of one point in space time and put them somewhere and somewhen else,” explained Tysar. “I went through that myself. Ended up seeing the homeworld of one of the heroes of my people.”

“There are multiple chronal surges happening throughout space and time,” continued the Doctor. “The blending of those points is called the Grouping.”

“Well, Syl and I are still here,” said Wander.

“Meaning we’ll need to check for-.” The Doctor was interrupted by a groan somewhere nearby. “…That sounds familiar,” she said. “Fan out. We need to find this person and-.”

“Doctor, over here!” called Tysar near the edge of the lake. “It’s some kid with flight goggles!”

“Flight goggles?” The Doctor, Wander, and Sylvia rushed up to Tysar to see the kid she was talking about. The kid was face down and groaning in dull pain. The Doctor turned him over to see his features and gasped. “RAZ!” she yelped. The kid, Raz, scrunched his face and slowly opened his eyes.

“No, Mom,” he groaned deliriously, “psychic bears are a bad idea.” He then saw everyone standing over him. “HOLY-!” He fired a blast of mental concussive energy and knocked the Doctor off her feet!

“STEADY ON!” protested the Doctor.

“WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?!” demanded Raz. “WHERE AM I?!”

“You’re in another time entirely, Razputin Aquato,” explained the Doctor. “As for who we are, well, you met ME before, but not in this body.”

“…Lady, I don’t know who you are,” said Raz.

“Then give me a mental checkup,” replied the Doctor. “You still have that Psycho-portal, yes?”

“…Okay, you obviously know about the Psychonauts,” said Raz. He then pulled out a little door. “So you consent to a mental checkup?”

“I do indeed,” confirmed the Doctor. Raz then put the door on the Doctor’s forehead. The Doctor shut her eyes. “Everyone, Raz is just entering my mind. There’s categorically no cause for alarm.” Raz then lowered his goggles over his eyes and projected his mind into the Doctor’s.


Raz found himself in a room with a hexagonal console in the center. “…That’s the mindscape of the Doctor!” he said.

“Yes, it is, isn’t it?” asked a voice. Raz turned to see a woman with long brown hair, a blue coat, a green pleated skirt, and a floppy hat.

“Doctor?!” he yelped.

“Yes, this is what I looked like when we first met, right Raz?” asked the woman, the Doctor’s previous incarnation.

“Wait, so that lady that looks like a supermodel is you?! You changed your face again?”

“An unfortunate hazard,” remarked the Doctor.

“So I’m gonna go through the door…and see her?”

“That’s the idea.”

“NO!” came a voice. A few short men in business suits with giant no symbol stamps arrived.

“Oh, lovely,” sighed the Doctor. “My Censors.”

“I’ll take care of them!” said Raz. He psi-blasted them as the Doctor practiced Venusian Aikido on them. She then opened the door for Raz.

“Through here,” she said.

“Thanks!” Raz entered the door and found himself in the current console room where the current Doctor was working on one of the console’s panels. “…Well, that just proves it,” he said.

“Hm?” The Doctor looked up from her work. “Ah, there you are! Didn’t meet all my previous incarnations?”

“I think I saw enough of them when I first met you,” remarked Raz. “Well, that’s all the proof I need.”

“Exit’s right behind you,” said the Doctor. Raz entered another door, then found himself lifting away from the console room.


Raz and the Doctor woke up as the psycho-portal fell off the Doctor’s head. “I’m convinced,” said Raz. “What made you change your body anyways, Doctor?”

“Occupational hazard,” replied the Doctor. “Now, I think I’d better fill you in on the current problem, hm?” The Doctor introduced Wander, Sylvia, and Tysar, then explained what happened to Raz.

“That explains why everything around me changed,” said Raz, taking it all in stride.

“We’ll get you back to your own time,” promised the Doctor.

“We’re at Time Orbble Lake,” said Wander, “maybe that can help him!”

“…No wonder that lake looks familiar!” chuckled the Doctor. “What a stroke of luck! Wander, do you have a clean Orbble Wand?”

“I should have one somewhere,” remarked Wander as he took his hat off and rummaged around in it. He then pulled out a warning beacon that was screaming!

“Okay, that’s a little worrying!” gulped Tysar.

“What’s that?” asked Raz.

“My Hatey Clock!” replied Wander. “It only goes off when Lord Hater’s coming!” A big smile crossed Wander’s face.

“Lord Hater’s coming?” asked the Doctor. She then face-palmed. “Of course the situation gets that complicated.”

“Is that as worrying as it sounds?” asked Tysar. Just then, a ship that looked like a skull with hot rod attachments arrived. It opened its mouth, unfurled its tongue like a carpet, and an army of small, diminutive creatures with giant eyes for heads wearing black suits marched out, chanting “HATE’S GREAT! BEST VILLAIN! HATE’S GREAT! BEST VILLAIN!” Their commander then arrived. He wore a helmet with a giant lightning bolt sticking out of it.

“By the authority vested in me by Lord Hater,” he called, “this planet now belongs to the greatest villain in the galaxy, Lord Hater!” That was when a skeleton with green eyes, black and red robes, and yellow gloves with tiny lightning bolt antennae on the hood arrived.

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 6

Planet of the Krynoids: Part 4

Everyone entered the main lab to see Tevik lying dead and a Krynoid in its transitionary period standing over him! This Krynoid was a healthy green! “Demna?!” yelped Tysar. The Krynoid turned to see the entire group. The Paradigm Drone Dalek entered the room and spotted the creature.

“EXTERMINATE!” it shouted and fired! The Krynoid was knocked back, then ran out of the hole it made in the wall.

“Oh, looky!” grunted the Doctor. “Another target Daleks can’t kill, a healthy Krynoid!”

“We have to get Demna-!” urged Tavis.

“Demna’s gone,” replied the Doctor. “The Krynoid’s consumed EVERYTHING about him. His flesh, his mind, his very SOUL!”

“Doctor, you said that Krynoids can control plants,” said Sailor Pluto.

“Alert! Alert! Vegetation ensnaring lab!” warned the Dalek as vines covered the hole the Krynoid made.

“…Your sense of timing is appalling, Setsuna!” hissed the Doctor.

“My crew!” gasped Tavis. “I have to contact my crew!” He pulled out his communicator. “Attention! Attention! This is Captain Tavis!”

Bettan, receiving you, Sir!” replied another voice.

“The situation’s bad!” reported Tavis. “Prepare for takeoff!”

“What about you?!”

“Never mind me!” urged Tavis. “Dr. Vrelan had created a Krynoid and has tested on Daleks! One Dalek survivor already shot him, the rest of the science team were fed to the Krynoid! Vrelan was a Reclamationist! Get out of there, NOW! The jungle will literally turn against you! Get back to New Davius! We’ll deal with the Krynoid here!”

“…Understood, Sir. Good luck.” The call ended.

“Doctor, the TARDIS!” warned Tysar.

“I’ll get you to the TARDIS when this is over, Doctor,” promised Sailor Pluto.

“You see? We have a route back,” the Doctor assured Tysar. “For now, we need to deal with the current crisis. …You, Red Dalek Ranger!”

“That is not my name!” barked the Dalek.

“We need to cut a way through to the Krynoid so we can deal with it. Can your weapon destroy plant matter?”

“Yes! My weapon can do the job, but my manipulator arm can also be replaced with a cutting torch!”

“Ooh! Two means of plant destruction! Good, good, good!” She plucked a communicator out of the lab’s storage unit. “Now, one, two, three, four, five. The Dalek and I are going alone, ask me why.”

“Why?!” yelped the Quantum Ranger.

“Because I’m dangerous when I don’t know what I’m doing. Right then! Ranger!” The Dalek twitched at being named. The panel on the back of its travel skirt then opened as its manipulator arm moved along a rail on its midsection, then tucked itself into the space the panel was concealing. A new arm then replaced it as the panel slid back into its usual place, then the new arm traveled along the rail and fitted itself into the manipulator arm socket. “Excellent! Let’s go!”

“Doctor-!” protested Tysar.

“Stay with the others, Tysar!” called the Doctor as she and the Dalek headed off.

“…Hey, if it gets too hairy,” said the Quantum Ranger, “I can get help.” He pulled out his Morpher. “This thing allows me to summon the Q-Rex Zord.”

“And I can augment its attacks with my own,” offered Sailor Pluto.

“…We wait until the Dalek does something stupid,” decided Tysar.


The Doctor and the Dalek cut their way through the jungle and entered a clearing. “Krynoid in vicinity!” warned the Dalek.

“Hold off on your weapons for a second,” said the Doctor. “I want to negotiate.”

“Negotiations with you animals,” replied a voice, “will not be possible, Doctor.” The Doctor and the Dalek whirled around to see the fully matured Krynoid and…

“GOOD NIGHT!” yelped the Doctor. “You’re as big as St. Paul’s Cathedral already!”

“Skaro’s sun has provided us the opportunity to grow to this size,” replied the Krynoid.

“Listen, if Demna’s in there, I need to speak with him!” urged the Doctor.

“The Thal host is gone. We shall go to New Davius.”

“You’re too big for the Bettan!”

“But our pods will survive. They need to adapt to space and the properties of New Davius. Once the Thals discover the pods, they shall germinate and we shall finish what the Daleks could not. Soon, Dalek and Thal alike will cease to exist. Skaro and New Davius belong to us.”

“I think I’ve heard enough!” declared the Doctor. “Dalek!”

“EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!” The Dalek fell onto basic Dalek instinct, but the gunstick and torch arm proved useless. The Krynoid grabbed the Dalek and crushed it like a tin can.

“…Well, that’s a distress signal sent out to the wrong crowd,” muttered the Doctor.

“The Daleks cannot stop us,” replied the Krynoid. “Skaro will be ours. We shall consume all animal life-.” Just then, something big and metal struck the Krynoid from behind. The Krynoid turned to see a metal T-rex robot staring it down.

“…Isn’t that the-?” The Doctor realized what was going on. “…Eric!” she grumbled.

“Doctor, before you get mad,” said Tysar as she and her group arrived, “Eric summoning his Q-Rex Zord was the best option we had for distracting the Krynoid!”

“And its stasis field attack can immobilize the Krynoid long enough to be destroyed!” urged Sailor Pluto.

“Speaking of which,” said the Quantum Ranger. He held his Morpher to where his mouth would be. “Q-Rex, MEGAZORD MODE!” The Q-Rex Zord then assumed a humanoid form with a missile launcher replacing the right forearm. “Now, MAX BLIZZARD!” The Q-Rex Megazord fired streams of stasis energy from its shoulder at the Krynoid. The Krynoid froze in time, then Sailor Pluto summoned her Garnet Rod, complete with the Garnet Orb on top, and twirled it to create a whirlwind.

“Dead Scream!” she announced as the wind entered the Garnet Orb, creating a glowing purple ball of energy. She spun once, holding the Garnet Rod before her, and then fired the light purple energy at the temporally frozen Krynoid, destroying it in an explosion.

“…Q-Rex, return,” the Quantum Ranger said into his Morpher. The Q-rex left the scene.

“Captain Tavis, this is the Bettan,” came a voice over Tavis’ comms.

“Go ahead,” ordered Tavis.

“We’re ready to pick you all up, but it’s going to have to be a quick one! That Dalek sent out a distress signal to the Dalek Fleet currently 500 parsecs from the Skaro System.”

“Come on!” called Tavis. Everyone rushed back to the Bettan and it took off, leaving Skaro’s atmosphere and entering hyperspace quickly. The new helmsman checked the readings.

“…We’re not being pursued,” he reported. “The Daleks are too busy with landing on the now…well, for them, safer Skaro.”

“Yeah, safe isn’t exactly a word I’d use for Skaro,” remarked the Doctor. “Now, with us being in a much safer position, we need to get Sailor Pluto and Eric back.”

“I’ll deal with that part, Doctor,” said Sailor Pluto. “Time is also my thing, not just the Time Lords. By the way, congratulations on Gallifrey’s second restoration.”

“Thank you!” replied the Doctor.

“Come along, Eric!” declared Sailor Pluto. “I know you’re a Time Force ranger, but this is a little too far into your future.”

“Right,” replied the Quantum Ranger. He then held up his Morpher. “Power Down!” he said. His suit then vanished and he returned to normal. “Later!” he called. Sailor Pluto then used her Garnet Rod to make herself and Eric vanish.

“Well, with all that…goodbye,” said the Doctor as she headed back to the TARDIS.


The Doctor arrived in Engineering and found the TARDIS where she parked it. “There we are, old girl,” she said to her ship. She then heard footsteps. She looked to see Tavis and Tysar. “…You know me,” the Doctor said. “No point in long goodbyes.”

“But our job isn’t done yet,” said Tysar.

“…Tysar, I brought you back to your people,” reminded the Doctor.

“She’s right,” remarked Tavis. “You don’t need to travel with her anymore.”

“Too many people are being taken out of their proper times,” insisted Tysar. “I NEED to help them! And so does the Doctor!”

“You don’t need to travel with her!” replied Tavis.

“I have a job to do! And now, so do you!”

“Tysar, you’re choosing to go with a person where death just follows her and you’re very likely going to be a casualty!” Tysar goggled at Tavis.

“…I beg your pardon?” asked the Doctor.

“A lot of good people died along with the wicked ones,” said Tavis, looking directly at the Doctor, “and that’s more death than I signed up for.”

“Tavis, do you really think I wanted today to unfold the way it did?”

“No, Doctor, but I don’t see how you can go on when I can barely stomach it. And Tysar, how can YOU stomach it?!”

“I’m in the same boat as the Doctor here!” argued Tysar. “I may not have liked Demna, but I wouldn’t wish his fate on anyone and I doubt-!”

“Tysar, please,” interrupted the Doctor. She looked at Tavis. “…You’d rather not come with us?”

“My people say that a hero can burn someone like fire if you get too close and, Doctor, I got too close to every Thal’s hero today! …Tysar, please, don’t get too close to the Doctor.”

“…That’s not an option!” hissed Tysar. “Not when the universe needs my help while I’m capable of doing something to help it!” She then rushed to the TARDIS doors.

“Tysar! No! NOT LIKE THIS!” argued Tavis despairingly.

“Doctor, come on! We have work to do!” called Tysar. She then shut the door, leaving the Doctor to consider what was said. …She then sighed and walked to the doors.

“Doctor, you can’t-!” protested Tavis.

“I’m sorry, but she’s made her choice, Tavis,” said the Doctor. “…But she’ll be back on New Davius when this is over, I promise.”

“…How can you promise something like that when it’s HER choice?” asked Tavis, the first Thal to ever look at the Doctor with bitterness. He stormed back to the bridge. The Doctor sighed, then entered the TARDIS. It dematerialized in its usual manner with an engineer looking at where it was, having heard the whole argument.

“…Good luck, Doctor, Tysar,” said the engineer as he resumed his work.

Categories
Doctor Who: Crossings Series 6

Planet of the Krynoids: Part 3

“OPEN UP IN THERE!” shouted Demna as he banged on the lab’s door. “I KNOW A PREFABRICATED LAB WHEN I SEE ONE!”

“He’s not listening,” muttered Sailor Pluto.

“Maybe I can get us in,” said Eric as he pulled out a red handheld device. “QUANTUM POWER!” he called. A red suit and full-face helmet then appeared over him as he assumed his identity as the Quantum Ranger.

“Eric, your Ranger form is overkill!” protested the Doctor. “No, this requires finesse.” She pulled out her sonic screwdriver.

“Well, good thing the door’s not wood,” chuckled Sailor Pluto. The Doctor switched the screwdriver on and aimed it at the door…but nothing happened.

“What?” muttered the Doctor. She buzzed the door again, but still nothing. She checked the readings. “…Drat! He’s deadlocked the door! All right, Eric, go ahead.”

“Quantum Defender it is!” said the Quantum Ranger. He pulled out a red and silver t-rex themed gun and fired at the door lock. The lock exploded and the door opened. The Quantum Ranger mimed blowing on the barrel.

“…You DO realize that’s a laser, right?” asked Tevik.

“Oh, bite me!” replied the Quantum Ranger. “It’s cool!” The group then entered the lab.

“It’s dark in here,” muttered the Doctor. “I really must start carrying a torch!”

“Found the lights,” replied Demna.

“Switch them on,” ordered Tavis. The lights switched on and everyone could see the tubes with what looked like mounds of over-cooked spinach in them…barring one.

“Now that IS peculiar,” muttered the Doctor. She then spotted a recording device. “I wonder.” She then played back what Vrelan had recorded earlier. “…Smaller subjects?” muttered the Doctor. “What-?”

“Doctor!” called Tysar, slightly panicked.

“What is-?” The Doctor gasped when she saw the final tube. Inside it wasn’t a vegetable mound…but a Dalek creature!

“Eugh!” gagged the Quantum Ranger. “What IS that?!”

“That’s what a Dalek really looks like inside its casing,” replied the Doctor.

“THAT’S a Dalek?!” protested the Quantum Ranger. “The most evil life-form in existence?!”

“Then the mounds are-?!” gulped Tysar.

“They USED to be Daleks like our friend here,” replied the Doctor. “But somehow, they came into contact with Krynoid DNA. Not exactly ideal for a Krynoid host.”

“Why would Vrelan want to do that?!” shuddered Tavis. “The Daleks are evil, but we can’t inflict suffering on them! Otherwise we’d be no better than the Daleks!”

“The same kind of thing I said to myself when I found myself at the Daleks’ Genesis,” said the Doctor, recalling the incubation room and the wires she held in her fourth incarnation’s hand and Sarah Jane and Harry trying to urge her, rather HIM, to complete his mission for the Time Lords.

“But why make green bombs, Doctor?” asked Sailor Pluto.

“Tavis, Tysar, are there any on New Davius that would see the Thals return to Skaro?” asked the Doctor.

“The Reclamationists,” replied Tysar. “They think we can somehow push the Daleks off Skaro and retake it, making it a planet for purely Thals to live on. Basically, we should do to the Daleks what they did to us, at least that’s what a Reclamationist would say.”

“Fan out and search,” ordered Tavis. “But be careful. His logs said that the control variable’s still alive.”

“Tysar, Sailor Pluto, Eric, you stick close to me,” directed the Doctor. As everyone left, the Dalek creature looked intently at their retreating forms. Then it focused on the glass imprisoning it and prepared to hurl itself against the glass!


Demna had his side arm in his hand, looking fierce. “No Reclamationist’s gonna make ME move here!” he growled. “I’ll-!”

“Excuse me, but what are you doing here?” asked Vrelan’s voice as he stepped out of the shadows.

“Dr. Vrelan, you’d better not be a Reclamationist!” warned Demna. “If I find out that this whole thing is supposed to ‘reclaim Skaro for the Thal Race’, I’ll-!” Vrelan kicked the gun out of Demna’s hand then stuck a syringe into his neck! Demna collapsed to the ground with Vrelan making it so the impact didn’t make so much noise.

“I’m sorry, Commander,” said Vrelan, “but I can’t let you stop me, not when we CAN reclaim Skaro and drive the Daleks away. …It seems the experiment must take a different course.”


Tysar was bouncing her knee up and down, looking around nervously. “Doctor, are we really safe?” asked Sailor Pluto, verbalizing Tysar’s question.

“Relatively, yes,” said the Doctor. “But this IS Skaro we’re talking about and-.” She was interrupted by a scream.

“That was Demna!” yelped Tysar.

“Come on!” called the Doctor. By now, everyone rushed to Demna’s position. He was convulsing bad. The Doctor knelt down and saw green hives on his hand!

“He’s been in contact with a Krynoid pod!” she warned. “Everyone, keep back!”

“Doctor, are we sure of that?” asked Tysar.

“It’s the only logical explanation!” replied the Doctor.

“Then…why is there a puncture mark on his neck?”

“What?!” The Doctor caught sight of the puncture mark! “…This isn’t because of a pod! The Krynoid DNA’s been administered via a syringe!”

“…Vrelan!” hissed Tavis. “That must be the deployment system he talked about in his logs!”

“We need to get him to sick bay!” urged Tevik.

“Agreed! Come on, Demna!” The Doctor and Tavis helped the infected Demna up.


Demna was tied down as the hives were turning into vines. “I’m going to try and save him, but I don’t have much hope,” said the Doctor.

“The sedatives won’t wear off for a while yet,” reported Tevik. “We need to find Vrelan and make him pay!”

“Doctor, we’ll stand guard here,” offered Tavis. “You just keep my sister and our friends safe as you look for him, all right?”

“Got it,” replied the Doctor. The group then left.

“Sir, do you think there’s any hope for Demna?” asked Tevik.

“I don’t know, Lieutenant,” sighed Tavis. “All we can do is hope the Doctor can prevent his death.”


The group arrived at a locked part of the lab. “Let’s see what’s behind door number one, shall we?” asked the Doctor. She buzzed the door and it opened with ease. They entered the room and took stock.

“Look at all this!” said the Quantum Ranger. “What’s it all for?!” The Doctor examined the notes.

“Militarized terraforming!” she growled. “That’s what this is all about! It’s not just to reclaim Skaro, it’s to weaponize the telepathic control Krynoids have over other plants!” The Doctor then heard the familiar rattling noise Krynoids make! She turned to see a Krynoid in its humanoid shape within arm’s reach of the Quantum Ranger and Sailor Pluto! “Eric! Setsuna! Get back!” The two turned around and jumped back.

“Is that a Krynoid?!” yelped Tysar. The Doctor noticed how brown it was.

“…Yes, but it’s malnourished,” she said.

“Is that…dried blood on its tendrils?” asked Sailor Pluto.

“…Yes. In fact, it’s dried Slyther blood, along with dried THAL blood!”

“Thal?! You mean Vrelan’s fed his team to this thing?!”

“Yes, but it looks like he’s really stretched out the time between meals, watering, and time in the sun for this poor thing.”

“A necessary sacrifice I was willing to make,” came Vrelan’s voice. Everyone turned to see Vrelan with a modified Dalek gun in his hand!

“Vrelan, this is obscene!” snarled the Doctor. “What you’re doing is wrong! You’ve killed your entire team and-!”

“My ENTIRE team, Doctor?” asked Vrelan. “I think you’ll find Varsa is very much alive.” He nodded to the sickly Krynoid. “Though she won’t be for long.”

“Varsa?!” yelped Tysar. “That’s my childhood friend!”

“Demna should serve to be a better candidate for what I have planned,” said Vrelan.

“What, weaponized terraforming?” asked the Doctor. “Careful, that’s a Dalek method.”

“No! It’s different!” insisted Vrelan.

“I see no difference! You tap into the Krynoid’s telepathic field and then what? Command it to kill the Daleks, bring any survivors to you so you can convert them into your green bombs and detonate them to make new jungles, is that it?!”

“The Daleks will finally create something worthwhile through their deaths! And I have the means to control the Krynoids! They’ll be cultivated into something better! All the worlds the Daleks brought under their control? We can restore them! The Daleks never cared about the natural world of each planet they control! Not even Skaro! Well, the Daleks will learn what happens when you anger Mother Nature and-!”

“This isn’t part of the natural world!” argued the Doctor. “Bending plants to someone’s will, especially a Krynoid, will get someone killed!” Then…they heard a crash, like glass shattering. “…Oh no!”

“…Demna?” asked Tysar.

“No! I haven’t fitted the control collar on him yet!” yelped Vrelan. The Doctor then spotted what she initially thought was a red boiler…but upon closer inspection, she saw a plunger, an elongated whisk, black hemispheres, a pair of dome lamps, and an eyestalk.

“…Those Daleks you used,” she said, “were they Paradigm ones?”

“Mere drones, why?” asked Vrelan. Just then, two people outside screamed!

“Tavis?!” yelped Tysar. Tavis stumbled in, trying to get something off of him! The Doctor realized that it was the sole uninfected Dalek!

“GET THAT THING OFF HIM!” she called. Everyone, sans Vrelan, rushed to get the Dalek off Tavis, then the Dalek leapt off and scurried towards the Paradigm Drone casing. It opened the top, then slithered into the casing and closed it! The eyestalk then switched on! It had a yellow light with a blue pupil shaped after a goat’s. The casing’s limbs and eyestalk then twitched and rose upwards until they were level with everything. The dome swiveled so the eyestalk could take everything in. It spotted the sickly Krynoid, then aimed its gunstick!

“EXTERMINATE!” it shouted. It then fired, killing the sickly Krynoid.

“NO! YOU FOOL!” shouted Vrelan. “YOU’RE RUINING THE-!” The Dalek fired its gunstick on Vrelan, exterminating him and taking its revenge. It then looked directly at the Doctor.

“YOU ARE THE DOCTOR!” it screamed. “YOU ARE THE ENEMY OF THE DALEKS! YOU WILL BE-!” Another scream then cut it off, then a crash!