Doctor Who: Changes in Time and Space - Chapter 19 (Part 1)

Chapter 19: Who Are You?

Babylon 5

Lyta Alexander found the Doctor in the Fresh Air restaurant. “Doctor?” she asked.

The Doctor looked at her as he finished his meal. “Lyta Alexander is it?”

“Yes,” Lyta answered.

The Doctor stood up. “Let me guess, the Vorlon Ambassador wishes to see me?”

“Yes,” Lyta answered again. “How did you know?”

“No other reason why you would see me.”

Less than ten minutes later, they entered the Alien Sector, where the aliens that had special environmental requirements resided when they were on the Station. It was also where Ulkesh, who had taken over Kosh Narenek's role as Vorlon Ambassador, resided when he was on the station. The Doctor had gathered the information over the day since he and Felicia had arrived on the station. He knew it wasn't for public dissemination.

He also noticed quite a lot 'off' about Lyta. (And not just that she was a telepath. He had found out about the Psi Corps too..) “The Vorlons. They did something to you, didn't they?”

“What makes you think they did something to me?” Lyta asked.

“I can tell,” the Doctor said. “You are similar to other human telepaths I have met, but there is something within you that is broken. They have enhanced the abilities that you were born with and the Corps helped you to develop...”

Lyta interrupted the Doctor. “What do you know about the Corps?”

“You'd be surprised, there are other organisations that are very similar,” the Doctor said.

Lyta softened. “Including on your world?”

“Yes. The Time Lords took young children and raised them to be different from the ordinary Gallifreyians,” the Doctor answered. There was more similarity than he wanted to admit.

“Time Lords?” Lyta asked.

“The elite of Gallifreyian society, who developed time travel and wished to maintain their monopoly on it.”

“And they failed.”

The Doctor nodded. The less said about the Daleks, the better. He didn't want the Vorlons finding out about them!

Lyta turned back to him. “There is more isn't there?”

“How could you bypass my sheilds?” the Doctor asked in alarm.

“Part of what the Vorlons have done,” Lyta answered.

The Doctor was unsettled. “Let's see the Ambassador then,” he said, although given what just happened, he was sure that the ambassador could just take the information on the Daleks out of his mind if he wanted to.

“Yes,” Lyta said, discomforted.

Lyta lead the Doctor to the Ambassador's quarters. She wasn't sure what to make of this 'Time Lord'. The 'Gallifreyian elite' may be similar to the Corps in their superiority to their respective Mundanes, but she was sure that there was a lot that was different. She pressed the call button. The door opened. “The Ambassador will see you now.”

The Doctor entered the Ambassador's quarters first. “Ambassador Kosh,” he said, using his official title.

“Doctor!”

“Why do you want to see me?”

“Who are you?”

“You know who I am!”

“Who are you?”

“The Last of the Time Lords.”

“Who are you?”

“I have answered you. I'll ask you. Who are you? Who are the Vorlons? Who are you to think you can interfere in the development of the younger races?” the Doctor asked.

“I wouldn't ask that,” Lyta warned.

“You don't need to know,” the Ambassador said.

“Oh really?” the Doctor asked. “Since I have arrived here, I have looked into the situation, and I know what the Vorlons have been up to, including the development of Telepaths in many of the younger races.”

“You do not need to know. Who are you?”

“I have said all that I want to say,” the Doctor said.

“Your vessel is aboard this station.”

“Cracking the TARDIS? You won't succeed,” the Doctor said. After Lyta had met him in the Fresh Air, he had contacted Felicia and asked her to return to the TARDIS with Garibaldi. He input some instructions through the sonic screwdriver.

In the TARDIS, Garibaldi was still amazed at the interior dimensions. Felicia was using the scanner to find out what was happening in the Vorlon Ambassador's quarters.

“Amazing,” Garibaldi said. “He's standing his own against the Vorlon.”

“True,” Felicia said.

“Cracking the TARDIS? You won't succeed.”

“Uh oh!” Felicia said.

“That'll be right. I don't know what data the Doctor has that the Vorlon wants, but I don't think it would be a good idea for it to have it.”

The sequence from the sonic screwdriver came in. And a hologram of the Doctor appeared. “This is emergency program one. Felicia, Michael, help the TARDIS keep the Vorlon out!”

“Right,” Felicia said, as the hologram faded away.

“I'll figure it out,” Garibaldi said.

“Are you sure?” Felicia asked.

“I'm rather good with computers,” Garibaldi said.

“Cool,” Felicia said.

“Let's get into the system. Then we'll be able to tell if the Vorlon is trying to get into it,” Garibaldi suggested.

“Yes,” Felicia said.

The TARDIS beeped and two terminal windows came up on the screen, next to the image of the Vorlon's quarters.

“That helps,” Garibaldi said.

Felicia nodded.

The Vorlon remained silent after he told it that any attempt to crack the TARDIS wouldn't succeed. He considered asking the other question. The one that their opponents asked. 'Probably not yet,' he considered.

“I shall crack your vessel.”

“And as I said, earlier, you won't succeed!”

The Vorlon made a sound, then the suit interfaced with the Station's systems.

Back in the TARDIS, an alert popped up on the screen next to the Terminal windows.

“What?” Felicia asked.

“The Vorlon is interfacing with the Station's systems,” Michael explained. “I think he'll find that way a little more difficult than expected.”

“How?” Felicia wondered.

“After our break from Earth, I added some 'surprises; to the Station's systems,” Garibaldi answered. After Ambassador Mollari had gotten on the bad side of some Technomages the year before, he was very eagar to call in some favors to get rid of the 'spell' malware. “The Vorlon will find it difficult to get past them.”

BABSYS ---

-'Kosh' has gained access. End line.

-Countermeasure 'Spell' activated.

---BABSYS

“No!” the Vorlon said, more angry sounding than before.

“Oh, yes. You think the humans wouldn't use all the resources at their disposal? Even those derived from the technology of your enemies?” the Doctor asked.

“The software will be purged, after I have gained access to your vessel,” Ulkesh shot back.

“Really?” the Doctor asked. “I was under the impression that you need this station to organise the younger races against your enemies.”

“It shall continue to do so.”

'Of course he'd be precise,' the Doctor thought.