Chapter 5: The Faces of Death:
Amilana dove out of the TARDIS door and rolled as she hit the ground. The momentum caused by throwing herself amazingly caught the guards by surprise and allowed her to miss the deadly barrage of staser bolts that the guards let fly. She took cover behind one of the many dilapidated TARDIS models and took careful stock of the situation. She was clearly outgunned ten to one but she had been prepared for that grim eventuality. Sneaking an extra contraband staser from beneath her robes, she set it to overload while the air around her crackled with staser energy from the onslaught of the guards' attack. Luckily for her, they could not hear the build up of energy over the din and she clutched the weapon to her as if her life depended on it, which in a way, it did. Sweat poured down her face as adrenaline flooded her body, readying her to make the haul to the compound control station. With a grunt born of fear, anger and determination, she hefted the weapon in the direction of the guards who had situated themselves near the TARDIS door. In all the action and the heat of the moment, the guards realized too little too late that there was a live time bomb in their midst and it was far too late do anything about it now. The weapon exploded with a loud report washing the entire compound in a burst of supernatural light and Amilana was forced to shield her eyes as the majority of the blast was absorbed by the TARDIS capsule in front of her. When the commotion had died down, she ventured out to examine the extent of the damage down. Not surprisingly, the guards had all been vaporized. Taking care not to be seen by other guards in the control station, she lurked in the shadows as the others came to see what had become of their fellow guards. She made her way to the controls...
* * * * *
Beverly was beginning to feel light headed and dizzy. The lack of oxygen to her brain was beginning to cause her lungs to burn and her heart to nearly pound out of her chest. Oddly, she seemed not to care. She knew that after her heart stopped, her brain would continue to live for six minutes and then she would be brain dead. She felt herself beginning to float and sensed that she was flying through the blue skies of Earth. She was tumbling, freewheeling, and nothing could contain her joyous spirit. She felt fear, though, and sadness at being alone. She continued to soar, though the tears began to fall and they kept coming and she hang her head with her eyes closed. Her heart was filled with grief. Lost in her despair, she failed to notice that her flight had ended and she was enveloped in a halo of golden light and she was convinced that she was clinically dead. Why else would Saint Peter be coming to usher me into the kingdom, she mused. She was caught off guard at the sight of Ingrid clad in a white flowing gown and hair that was shining with the light of day. The apparition of her dead lover spoke, although her mouth never moved. Beverly, she called out to the distraught woman, Beverly, listen to me.
"Oh my god, Ingrid," Beverly cried, choking back her tears, "I can't believe it's you. I-I--" Ingrid's spirit put a hand to Beverly's lips to quiet her as she continued on, Beverly my time has ended but yours is not yet come. You are needed.
"I can't go on. I don't want to face the universe without you. You're gone and I'm alone now. I've lost you forever." Ingrid's ghost continued, My dear, I will always remember our time and will always carry you in my heart, but there are others out there that have need of your talents. Don't waste the abilities you were blessed with by throwing them away needlessly. Whenever you feel alone, just think of me. Beverly was at a lost for words but her sorrow had been replaced by a growing sense of peace and joy and she had trouble finding words, "B-but," was all she could manage.
The Hesperus needs you Beverly and because of the situation with Aristolis you will meet others who will need you. You will do great things and I will be with you every step of the way. It is time for you to go now. Remember, I love you. And with that, Ingrid was gone and Beverly was suddenly spinning out of control away back to face reality.
With a gasp that rent the air of the quiet confines of Beverly's quarters, the doctor suddenly sat bolt upright taking in great gulps of air and nearly gagging. She sat shuddering for a moment and she recalled what she had heard. Had it really been Ingrid's spirit or had it been an illusion induced by a lack of oxygen; Beverly wasn't sure which. But she climbed out of the bath and toweled herself down with a hope in her heart and a new purpose in her life.
* * * * *
The guards in the compound control station were caught entirely unawares by the sight of a higher ranking official of the Time Lords and even more surprised by the fact that she was waving a staser in their position. Eyes locked in a deadly grimace at the two shocked guards, she growled at them in a guttural tone, "Release the force field that is holding the TARDIS captive, now!" The stunned guards couldn't speak and as she moved to release the controls, one of the guards reacted based entirely on instinct and went for his staser. Amilana reacted equally as fast and even though it had not been her intention to actually use the weapon, she had drawn the staser and shot the guard dead in a matter of seconds. Recovering form her shock, she moved the staser back to cover the remaining guard and said with a calm voice, "Now, let's see if you're smarter than your little friend there. I want the controls holding the TARDIS in the compound deactivated or they will be scraping your remains off the ceiling." The guard did as he was bidden and the controls operating the null time field were released and the TARDIS was, at last, able to leave. Not wanting to leave either Jester or herself open to the possibility of being dragged by the guards or the null time field, Amilana released a volley of shots that reduced the machonite console to a pool of molten lead. Deciding that it was far better to be safe than sorry, Amilana felled the last guard with a staser bolt set to stun. By the time they roused, she and Jester would have long since left Gallifrey. She surveyed the damage done and decided she could live with her conscience, and hurried back to the TARDIS.
* * * * *
The Hesperus Sickbay:
Lieutenant Commander Richard Carmichael knew only two things; the first of which was that he was flat on his back and up to ass in deep shit for some kind of commotion in the mess hall; and second his nose hurt like hell. White light lanced into his eyes mercilessly from the source above his di-bed. The nurse attending him had been, in his opinion, considerably less than gentle in her ministrations to his wounds. She had set his nose, but not before a series of applications by the "bone patcher", as it was known in the vernacular, had left him sounding like he had been into the helium supply tanks that made up part of the ship's stores. The nurse returned and immediately commanded him to turn and lie on his stomach. Suddenly there was Richard, bare buttocks to the sky as if silently wishing the whole of creation to kiss his ass. Needless to say, he failed to see the relevance of the procedure.
"All right, Rich, I need you to arch your back for me. Come, on, get on all fours." He did so and proceeded to brain himself on the overhead scanner that was part of the di-bed. The nurse allowed herself a sly grin as a few choice expletives flew through the air. Richard continued to pout like a spoiled brat, "I don't see the relevance of whatever in the hell it is you're doing. By the way, what the fuck exactly are you doing?"
"Well," she continued all sweetly, "You've suffered trauma to your groin," she said, while all the time thinking to herself, With a package that small, it's a wonder he felt anything, "I need to conduct this anal probe to check for any sign of contusion, hernia, hemorrhaging, and the usual pains in the ass, I, uh, I mean any other aches and pains." She brandished what appeared to be, from what Richard could see of it, a twelve inch long by three inch diameter silver tube that appeared to be making a ghastly noise. Richard felt the sweat popping up over his brow as the alien device dared to venture where no man had gone before.
"Lieutenant Commander," bellowed Admiral Michaels as he stormed into the sick bay, shocking the hell out of Richard who brained himself again on the bed's overhead scanner, "What is the meaning of this?" The Admiral brandished the report under the startled lieutenant commander's nose as he continued, "Disrupting the mess hall, creating a scene, attacking a fellow officer. What in HELL did you think you were doing?"
"But, sir, I..." He didn't finish, indeed; the admiral wouldn't let him and he bent down close so only Richard could hear, "The next time," the admiral growled threateningly, "You attack my daughter and I hear about it, I'll save you the worry of her hurting your family jewels. I personally will hunt you down like the paranoid little shit you are and rip your fucking balls off and send them on a one way trip around the twelve galaxies!! DO I make myself CLEAR??" Richard was thoroughly cowed as it all suddenly came back to him; all he said was, "Yes sir," in a meek tone.
"I CAN'T hear YOU, COMMANDER!!" the admiral bellowed.
"YES SIR!!" came the reply as the admiral's barked statement sent him head first into the scanner display a third time. He didn't have time to recover from his third braining as the nurse chose that instant to conduct the probe.
"YEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW!!!!!!" Richard let a blood curdling scream that pierced the sickbay. He whimpered miserably as the probe went to work, moving back and forth, working various angles while checking for damage. He sat there in utter embarrassment, his balls swaying in the breeze from his squirming about. He moaned, "What are you trying to do, skewer me!? I feel like I'm being roasted on a spit!" At that moment, another nurse entered quietly singing a tune that she was rehearsing for the ship's Christmas play, "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire..." She stopped and looked up, her cheeks red with embarrassment, "Umm, excuse me." She turned and left, passing an impatient Beverly, who wanted to get back to work as she strode in immediately after her. For Richard, being confronted by his attacker, by his commanding officer and being butt-fucked by an anal probe the size of a pepperoni sausage, it was too much. He gathered himself together and as best he could, beat a hasty retreat out of the sickbay. The nurse and the admiral stared, and Beverly, who could only begin to guess at what had occurred asked innocently, "Did I miss something? Why was Richard running out of here with a bovine inseminator in his rectum?" The admiral and the nurse burst out in hoots of laughter.
* * * * *
Amilana was almost back to the TARDIS when more of the Chancellery Guard burst onto the scene. Jester had peered out the door, having watched the events unfold on the ship's scanner. He was urging her on when one the guards who was closest stopped, aimed and fired. To Jester, it was as though he were in a dream. Amilana was bathed in an iridescent light and the force of the blast threw her the rest of the distance between the TARDIS and herself.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!" Jester bellowed in rage. The Guards were continuing to take pot shots at him and whether due to luck, fate, or whatever, they missed. He set the staser to wide beam and it's highest setting and vaporized the oncoming juggernaut. He just stared for a moment, his chest heaving as the realization of his actions sank in. Amilana's crumpled form lay at his feet and he bent down to see if he could get any reaction from her even though he knew, in both his hearts, that she was a goner. He took her in his arms and propped her up, being careful not to shake her fragile frame. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at the grief in his eyes, giving him a weak smile. She tried to speak and he had to struggle to understand the words.
"Did, did we get 'em," she asked.
"Yeah, we got them."
"Good," she coughed and shuddered violently in his arms, "Jester, get away. Leave me here, but go, get yourself and the TARDIS away from here."
"No, I won't leave you for those buzzards. Come with me." He heard his voice saying the words and to himself, he sounded like a petulant child asking what he knew could never be. She looked up at him and said through ragged breaths, "I'm dying, you fool," she grinned, "I can't go..but don't you be here when they send more guards. Now go, and let me go to my final rest." She patted his arm and closed her eyes as her head slumped back. He just stared at her like a lost little boy. Her body began to glow with a soft golden light and Jester was surprised. A staser bolt set to kill usually inhibited the biochemical processes of regeneration within a Time Lord's body while it destroyed his or her central nervous system. The golden glow seemed to be warring with another, colder, blue light that became a ballet of golden and sapphire swirls. It spun in the air briefly and flared like a star gone supernova and then she was gone. Jester no longer felt the weight of Amilana's body on his and after a moment he stood and went back into the TARDIS. Feeling disgusted at the turn of events, he set the controls for random coordinates, never caring to see home; to see Gallifrey again. The TARDIS trumpeted its departure from Gallifrey with a whisper-like wheezing and groaning sound.
* * * * *
At his insistence, Beverly had agreed to meet her father in the Hesperus briefing room. When she arrived, he was gazing out at the vast star field; holding a transcomp in one hand and lightly tapping it against the other. She cleared her throat to get his attention. He turned to face her and his eyes smiled at her even though his lips did not. He was still and silent for a few minutes until she had to prompt him for what was going on.
"Admiral," she began until he raised a hand to interrupt her whereby he said, "In here, Beverly, just call me dad." She continued, warily, "OK. Dad, what did you want to see me about?"
"I've just received this over the wire from the Fleet Command. We are hereby authorized and commanded to use the Supernova Device in the Aristolis system. I wanted to let you know that we'll be detonating once the Hesperus and the other ships have moved back to a safe range." Beverly felt a chill run down her spine and her blood turned to ice in her veins as fear gripped her heart.
"The Supernova Device? Dad, they can't be serious. We still have men and women down there on that planet. What about them?"
"Fleet Command feels they are expendable. I wish I could agree, but they feel that the little trap they had planned has worked. The lure for the SG's had drawn one of their major forces here. Their base of operations is, we believe, a hidden base or set of cruisers hiding on the far side of the system. We are to leave signals to implicate that we are actually retreating instead of laying a trap. At the predetermined time, we'll detonate, wiping out their forces in this sector." Beverly took all of this in and then her frown deepened as a thought suddenly struck her, "Dad, why are you telling me all of this?" He looked at her and she could have sworn that he had tears in his steel-blue eyes as he said, "Hon, a lot of those men down there I have gotten to know personally and I feel like a father to a lot of them, but until just a couple of days ago, we have always been able to recover our dead, except one." When he said "except one", Beverly felt a cold lump in her throat, for she knew exactly who he was referring to. When Ingrid had died, she had never stopped to question whether or not her remains had been recovered and now the horrible truth dawned on her with the intensity of being hit by a meteor. She was almost sobbing as she pleaded with him, "Daddy, please, we have to bring her home! We can't leave her down there! Oh god, please, let me go and bring her home!" By now she was sobbing into her father's chest and he just held her. She didn't look at him and he was glad of it because he didn't want her to see the tears he himself shed over her grief.
He whispered hoarsely to his daughter, "I know you loved her and that she loved you. To me, she was like a daughter and I grew to love her as well and remember, that as long as she lives in our memories, Ingrid Strondheim will never truly be gone." Beverly heard his words, but the tears kept flowing. He gently shushed her as her sobs began to subside and finally he bent down and kissed his little girl on the forehead. She looked up at him and wiped her eyes, feeling a little silly and allowed herself a slight grin when he said, "Don't worry, honey, we'll make those bastards pay." She didn't say so aloud but thought to herself, You're damn right we will.
A couple of hours later:
The Hesperus and the rest of the Fleet conducted a well versed retreat making the enemy believe they had won. Beverly's mind still reeled from when her father had revealed the fact that they would kill the system with the Supernova Device. The Galactic Federation had acquired the device from a war with the Movellans, the race of perfect androids who had invented it. It changed the molecular structure of a planet's atmosphere, literally making a planet into a small star in which the atmosphere was burnt away and the planet was left a lifeless cinder in space. The Federation had gotten their hands on one device, and after having played around with it and improving its destructive capabilities, had renamed it the Supernova Device instead of the Nova Device.
Beverly's heart lurched and she willed her soul back to Aristolis 3 to be with her lover's lifeless body. She felt a small part of her soul dying, felt herself as even less complete than ever before. She watched the spot where Aristolis should be on the main viewer of the bridge and imagined she could see the Shadow Ghost forces closing in as she heard the reports confirm this. After a while, the admiral called for an all stop and they waited as the countdown was commenced by the computer, which rendered an emotionless ticking away of the seconds. Just when Beverly though things couldn't possibly get any worse, she felt in her heart that Ingrid was dying again. In her heart, she saw Ingrid being blasted apart again. The countdown neared zero and during the countdown of the last fifteen seconds, Beverly could stand it no more. Struggling to keep her composure, she hastily left the bridge to be alone and nurse her tender feelings.
"Three...two...one," the computer counted down. The Supernova Device was detonated and on the Hesperus's main viewer, in the inky wastes of interstellar space, a new star that had once been the planet of Aristolis 3, was born.
