The Search For Kathea, A Leap Into Telios Past

 The Search For Kathea, A Leap Into Telios Past

     In the morning light, everything looks so different from what she remembered of this place. Now it is alive, the sky, the ground, the waters, everything teeming with life. What happened to change this from what she knew, where it was a fight and a struggle to live each and every day. No way to know unless she makes the trek and sees what is there for her to see, just as when she came here into the Custodian's memories. But as she has experienced more than once, for her the line between memory and reality can become quite blurred, even to the point they seem to merge into one, with each affecting the other.

     She shakes the cobwebs out of her head and walks out into the morning sun, turns opposite, and begins to walk. She keeps picking distant landmarks to keep herself pointed correctly and follows the directions given. It takes a few days with stopping at sundown to wait for the morning light to resume. She comes upon an open meadow surrounded by forest, she takes a moment to let her senses sweep to see why no trees here. Then she feels the bedrock down underneath, no, not bedrock but the top of a rock formation that runs deep. the ground is too shallow to support the roots of the trees and so none grow here. Or rather the Forestal guides them around and keeps any from trying to grow here.

     As the sun peeks over the treetops, it illuminates something she did not see before, and that interests her. What could be here that I missed until now? There it is over just to the north of the middle. From where she stands it is composed of threads so fine it takes the sunlight to bring them out. If any fall into shadow, they disappear completely. She slowly makes her way closer, stretching out her senses, but unable to detect any sign it exists. She sees it, sees it move in the breeze along with the tree leaves, but to her senses, it might as well not be there.

     She watches as small rodents scamper up to it, and move through the threads with no ill effects. She moves closer, and asks her ancestral memories if they know of what this could be?

She feels them talking back and forth, bouncing ideas and possibilities. Then one memory speaks forth about what they agree on.

     'We have no certain conclusion, but what we do agree on is that this is extradimensional. Exactly what dimension and how far removed, we have no way to tell at the moment. Why it is here, again we have no way to tell. At least it does not seem in any way to be what caused the future conditions you experienced in this world. Still, we advise caution, but we know you will press ahead to find answers.'

     Iriisii chuckles, 'you know me well, but you also know I am not going to place us under dire threat unless there is no other way', we will see what it does as I gradually get closer, if you come up with anything more, do not hesitate to inform me. 

     Closer she circles around, trying to find anything she can recognize, yet, whatever it is, seems to have no interest in her. At least that seems to be a positive development since it does not seem to be the cause of what happened to the Willow. 'May we make a suggestion?'

     'Go ahead, I am game for anything within reason right now.'

     'We suggest since this is of extradimensional origin, you may contact the 'Doctor' for assistance. We know you cannot bring him here, but you may be able to establish a line of communication with him and share enough information that he can attempt to analyze.'

     'That does sound like a good idea, he may have had more experience in this than I have.'

     She forms within her mind, a picture of him as she saw him in the 'Hall of Remembrance' as well as what his Tardis looked like and sends the 'seeker' out into 'existence' to find him. It takes a little time, which to Iriisii means he is quite a distance away.

     "Goddess Iriisii Dovahkiin?"

     "Yes, Doctor. I have something you may be of help with if I can impose upon you?"

     "Of course, you may, any help I can give you. Do you wish for me to come to you?"

     "I am afraid that is quite impossible even for your Tardis. So I would ask if I can give you a channel to see what I am seeing, and maybe find a way for you to use your instrumentation to make more direct observations using a link to my senses?"

     "What is your situation that my Tardis cannot get to, this is something I have rarely encountered?"

     "I am within the memory of an 'AI' that has existed since before this Creation began. He had a blocked memory of an event that occurred in the world of Telios in its past that caused it to undergo radical changes that have a strong bearing on the issue I am dealing with in that world in my present time. I am looking at a construct of some kind right now, my ancestral memories feel it is of extradimensional origin and suggested I contact you for help."

     "What makes them feel that?"

     "I can see it only in direct sunlight, there is no interaction with local wildlife, and it does not register on any of my senses. It is like it does not exist, yet I see it, as does the local wildlife. They are curious but not hostile."

     "Fascinating! Can you send me what data you have?"

     "Sending now." Iriisii sends everything she has on it and waits for the Doctor's response. After a few minutes. 

     "This does bear further inquiry. If you are sure you cannot bring me to you, then can you open a link for my systems to act through you?"

     "Yes, I would like to allow my ancestral memories to access the data as well and see what they may be able to add." So she sets up a separate, virtual, isolated link. She does trust him, but there are some things she prefers to keep private.

     She feels his systems accessing the link and watches while her body executes the virtual diagnostic commands. Providing everything it needs to affect the investigation of the anomaly. And all the while, her own ancestral memories are adding that data to their own discussions of just what that anomaly is. Then once everything has been concluded, her ancestral memories ask to consult with the Doctors' Tardis systems to compare 'notes'. She sets up the request and what follows is what eventually gets the anomaly's attention.

     It is the action of the data being parsed into so many different levels of analysis, all at the same time, effectively emulating its own thought processes. It had thought that here was a being that might be able to understand why it was here, and maybe even help it to carry out its mission. Once it makes its decision, the thread-like outer covering opens up like the lower ends of a curtain being pulled apart. Iriisii sees this and let's all know that there is an action occurring at last.

     She turns and walks to the anomaly, stands in front of the open area, and looks inside. The sight is perhaps the first truly inconceivable thing she has ever seen. The Doctor looks through her and says that his systems say that this anomaly is a three-dimensional representation of an eleventh-dimensional entity. And with this declaration, a signal is sent from the Tardis back through a hyperconduit to the time in Gallifrey's past when Rassillon ruled with an iron fist.

     As he is playing his harp, working on his newest composition, an alarm indicator begins flashing. Soon enough it attracts his attention such that he rises up and walks over to the console to see what has been detected. As he scans the report that is being transmitted to him, he thinks out loud, "ah, Doctor. I see it may be that we should meet again. This is most interesting, indeed, an eleventh-dimensional entity, here in our dimension. Whatever could it want? And this individual you are working with is extraordinary indeed. 

     Someone able to process and feed data at a speed that a Type 1 Tardis can just barely handle? Just what have you gone and found? Something I think I definitely need to look into if it could be a threat, but perhaps an ally, if I am feeling generous, ha ha ha." He looks over to his work console across the room, specifically at the plaques placed across the front, with faces carved into reliefs showing various expressions. He looks at the latest one, waves a hand at it, and instructs, "wake up". The face comes alive as Rasalon orders, "tell me all that you know of this particular incarnation of the 'Doctor'."

     Iriisii makes a hard decision and steps inside the entity. She reasons with herself that if it offered this, after ignoring all of the local wildlife, it probably did not require that kind of sustenance. So taking up the offer and putting herself inside may be the only way to establish communications. So as she steps inside, so far so good. The curtain closes behind her and her ancestral memories report that they feel threads of information feeding into them. Iriisii thinks for a moment and instructs them to parse what they are being fed, then to extrapolate and give it to her as is. She would build it together and see what it becomes.

     A picture builds itself within her mind, the imagery is beyond anything she can make sense of so she doesn't try. She simply allows it to be and concentrates on the vocal signaling. At first, it sounds like a cacophony, then as her mind sorts the individual threads deal with them as listening to a large group of musicians, hearing each instrument separately, but still also hearing the gestalt. It falls into place quickly as she understands how to process the voice information.

     "Who are you who can think as I think?"

     "I am one sent to discover what happened here."

     "As am I, but you do not come from as far as I."

     "In some respects you are correct, in others you are wrong."

     "Explain, please. Have I erred in bringing you into safety?"

     "Nearby there is a Fortress, inhabited only by its custodian, an artificial intelligence. It witnessed the progression of events that began here and culminated in the time point where I came from. I came here by way of its memories of this place and time, entering here through them and then bridging into reality. As to your safety, I mean you no harm. I am curious as to your presence here."

     "What relationship do you have with the Fortress and its intelligence?"

     "It is mine in the future time from which I came. Why is what happened here of interest to you?"

     "We have felt huge upheavals within the greater void between dimensions. We traced these upheavals to this dimension and the beginning of this world and time. I was sent to see what occurred here and then to see how did this progress far enough to cause the upheavals." 

     "I as well seek the beginning to find the event that caused this world to become so broken in the time point in which I visited it. As well I have not fully addressed all that is wrong at that point in time. If I can understand the beginning, it will help me deal with the problems that exist in my present."

     "You would simply not stop the initial cause from happening?"

     "That would cause a temporal paradox great enough to be a bigger threat than allowing the events here to run their course. This is not the first time I have avoided such a paradox and likely will not be the last."

     "What is this that you call a 'temporal paradox'?"

     "The only reason I can think of that you would not know of it is that time does not flow in your dimension as it does here."

     "I have no knowledge of what you call 'time', in our dimension, we exist, that is all that matters to us."

     "A dimension where time does not exist? A very different structure indeed. In this dimension, small temporal paradoxes will eventually fade as they move onward, if there are no further greater events that collapse and add power to the paradox. In a greater or crux paradox, there are events of such significance that when they collapse, their released power is absorbed by the paradox. This allows it to keep going, growing ever larger and more powerful. If it is not stopped it can cause the destruction of entire timelines, this, in turn, will cascade until the entire Creation is destroyed. It is possible for this to cause instability within the dimension itself, threatening its existence as well."

     "That is likely why I was sent, as a dimension failing can spread to others in a chain reaction. Our Elders must fear something like that happening."

     "Why would they not tell you what you could be facing?"

     "That could cause too much bias in the making of my decision of action. And thus bring about the very event I am trying to circumvent."

     "That I can understand, having faced such decisions myself. It is good that we have met, as I have too much involved to let such a thing proceed. It is my intention to bring 'balance' into this Creation, stabilizing it for all who live within. Now with what you have told me, it is even more important that I do this to stop the trouble from spreading beyond this dimension into others. The path to this outcome is not clear and so we must move carefully. I have allies that I can call upon to assist, but first, we need to see what happened here to start this trouble and determine who is involved and why. Then we can see what needs to be done and when will be the best point in time to do it at."

     Soon a visible wavering haze forms over near the center of the meadow. Four forms materialize out of it. Among them, is a metal cylinder about a couple of feet in diameter and about five feet in length. There is some kind of verbal communication, sometimes seeming heated going on. Iriisii asks the ancestral memories if any of them can translate. Soon she can understand what is being said.

     She notes these entities are not like any she has previously seen, one is composed of crystal embedded in some kind of leathery flesh, a second is of avian ancestry with fully formed wings, and its body is also feathered yet it has six appendages that seem to double as legs or arms as needed. The third is enclosed in some kind of environmental suit, inside the viewing plate she sees small lightning bolts crackling. The fourth is a mass of flesh literally writhing with all different sizes and lengths of tentacles, no sign of oracular organs but a few of the tentacles spaced about in a ring around the top of the flesh mound have even more defined tentacles as fine as a hair.

     "Are we agreed then on using this?"

     "Are you certain it will work as we have been informed it will?"

     "My source has never given me defective product and I do not anticipate him doing so now. He is well aware of the cost of my displeasure as his predecessor found out."

     "Just how long will it take for this to work?"

     "It will take time to seep into the water systems and spread outward. It will infest the local animals first, then go quiescent until higher order beings come here and settle. Then it will gradually infest them, changing them biologically until they can fully manifest. The process will take a century or so once it begins. Then continue for a few millennia until the populace is fully saturated. At that time the first true results can be measured as the aggressive behavior modifications will come to the surface. By the time we need them, they will be very well along the curve."

     "Will they be strong enough to withstand the forces they will be thrown against?"

     "They are shock fodder, they are not supposed to survive the full sequence of battle. Instead, their purpose is to provide distraction until our forces are positioned to take advantage of it. We are taking the long view as it provides us the greatest chance of success. Once the 'Armies of the Balance' are fully engaged, these will be unleashed. Then once overwhelmed we come in and finish the job, making the claim that they were a failed experiment of the 'balance' forces that got loose. We will then claim victory and control over this Creation for no one will be left who could stand against us."

     "What of the populace?"

     "They will not know anything until it is too late for them to do anything but capitulate."

     "But what of this 'Mother of all Dragons' who is heading up the 'Armies of Balance', they say she is not so easily dealt with, having a string of high-level victories under her belt already."

     "Our benefactor has that taken care of already. He only needs the correct time and place to spring his trap. But I must reiterate, that he wants her alive and unharmed. I have no idea why, but those were his orders, and believe me, you do not want to disappoint him."

     "I do not see why we needed to accept help from him, he is just using us to get to 'her'. Once he has her, we are at best, of no consequence, at worst, loose ends to get rid of!"

     "Look, there are too many things that could happen for us to keep track of in too many places for us to reach. He has the resources to do both and can track them in 'time' as well.

His 'time viewing' is not as efficient as he would like but it is good enough for our purposes."

     "I still do not like this one bit. We will be used as bait for this 'Mother of all Dragons'. She will tear us to pieces and only then will he 'trap' her, leaving our corpses to rot in her wake. She does not take prisoners if you stand against her. You saw what she did to the Demogorgon, she is no lightweight wannabe, she is the real thing. I mean she really turned into a massive fucking dragon in front of the entirety of Creation!"

     "And she was not the only one, she had three others with her as well!"

     "Then when she called out for 'Kali-mah', you know who she was and what her reputation was. That combination is not going to be easy even for 'him', I do not care if he was a 'Founder' or not."

     "Shut up about that or you will find out just what he can do firsthand! And I guarantee you will not like it for a very long time."

     "Yshhlppr! Have you ever taken the time to go look at the 'Hall of Remembrance' that I told you that you needed to see when we found out about 'her' being the target? Don't answer, because I know you have not! If you had you would know just what we are all up against and how badly we are going to get chewed up and spit out! I know you think it is just a rumor, but I am telling you it is fact, she met 'the Other' while she was walking through the 'Hall' the first time. She does not know him by that name, but regardless you know what that means, who he really is. This pile of excrement is getting deeper by the second. And that is not all either, I know what your 'benefactor' has up his sleeve and,"

     "Shut your tentacled face or I will have to shave them all off, now shut it! You say one more word and you will not be leaving here, alive or dead. You can doubt me at your peril, and do not look to these other two, they are not going to come to your rescue. They know what would happen if they did!"

     Iriisii is stunned by what she is hearing, especially as it concerns her. But then she feels an ice-cold shiver run up her spine as her erstwhile companion whispers, 'Daleks'. She whispers back, 'what did you just say?'

     'The one who was 'cut off' was thinking about 'Daleks'. Do you know what they are?'

     'No, but I think I know someone who does.'

     "Come on, let us get this thing deployed and get out of here."

     The hazy shimmering starts up again and the four, as well as the cylinder, fades from view. Iriisii reconnects to the Doctor.

     "Back again?"

     "Yes", as she passes what she has learned and heard to him, "do you know who they could be talking about, the one setting all of this up ostensibly to get to me?"

     "I can think of a few who have the capabilities to do something like this, but on this scale!"

     "There is more", as she finishes telling the rest, he goes still and as quiet as the grave. Then in a quiet voice, he asks, "they mentioned that you had met, the 'Other'? They used that specific word?"

     "Yes, and when the one speaking was told to shut up, my companion said he was thinking the word 'Daleks', do you know what he meant by that?"

     The Doctor closes his eyes for a second before banging a closed fist on the main control panel of the Tardis. "Daleks! I thought they were all gone, destroyed, I should have known!"

     "Should have known what, Doctor?"

     "That a few would find some way to survive. From a few, they can make millions more and they are relentless, emotionless, made to destroy, and nothing else! ALL GODS DAMN DAVROS for making them!!" as he sinks to his knees.

     Quietly, Iriisii asks, "why, Doctor? What happened to make you react like this? This is personal to you, I know well the signs of grief and remorse."

     "Do you, do you really?"

     "Yes, I do. I held my brother, a former Horseman of the Apocalypse, holder of the Mantle of War before me, I held him in my arms as I drove a Daedric dagger into his heart, killing him and the Wamphyri leech infecting him. I did it at his request, to save his immortal soul from eternal damnation. I have lost others I had come to love, none deserved what happened to them. Now I remember them as I fight, to forever remember why I fight, to keep it from happening even one more time."

     "Then you do know. I instigated the last great war of the Gallifrey Empire against the Daleks. I thought I was the last survivor of it, and when I was finally gone there would be no more. No more Daleks, no more Time Lords, no more, I guess I was wrong."

     "Wrong about what, Doctor?"

     "It seems that the Daleks survived, and there is only one I can think of with the ability to plan and execute what you are talking about, with the conscience, or lack of reality, to bring back the Daleks."

     "Tell me his name, Doctor, tell me who my enemy is!?"

     "Rassillon, one of the Founders of the 'Time Lords', and one of the most despicable scourges my race has ever produced."

     "You know him well then."

     "You could say that."

     Suddenly the wavering shimmer returns, but this time there are only three. The tentacled mass of flesh is not with them.

     "Did you know that was down there!!?"

     "What! You think I planned that?"

     "Well, it did cross my mind while I was running for my hide!"

     "It was the release that woke it up. It was nearly comatose, and then when you opened the cylinder all 'hell' broke loose."

     "Well whatever it is, it got a face full of whatever was in that cylinder. So just what is that stuff going to do to it? We cannot be lucky enough that it will curl up and die?"

     "No, we are not that lucky, but we will be when we leave here with our skins intact."

     The shimmer begins once more and the three survivors fade once more, where or when they are heading to she is not sure even they truly know. She turns her attention to the Doctor, once more.

     "Doctor, I am going to follow this trail a bit further, when you can meet me at my Fortress, we have much to discuss concerning this matter."

     "I understand."

     "My friend, I must leave you now, can you find your way from here?"

     "If I may follow you, it seems you are much more successful finding the answers I need to know than I have been so far."

     "Very well, I am going to be moving forward in time to see where this trail takes me, it would be good for me not to be alone."