We found ourselves in the heart of a Dalek command ship. Scattered around us engaged in various duties were the classic bronze Daleks, with a number of unusual variants. Silver Daleks with light blue spheres and trim, which I took to be some kind of scientific caste. Directly in front of us was a slightly larger Dalek, black with red highlights and more decorated neck grilles. Obviously some sort of leader.
"Ah, and there we are." The Warrior was looking being proved right. "Who do I have the honour of addressing? The Dalek Time Strategist? Or maybe the Dalek Temporal Schemer? Possibly the Chronon Inspector?"
"THE TEMPORAL ARCHITECT, DOCTOR." responded the Dalek in it's electronic grating voice.
"My my, how very grand!" He replied, dripping in mock awe. "See Arven, I told you the Omni-Voyants were shams."
"THE ORACLES ARE GENUINE, DOCTOR. EXCEPT THEY ARE A DALEK CREATION, BRED AND ENGINEERED TO GAZE ACROSS THE TIMELINES, ENSURING A DALEK VICTORY."
I was having a hard time keeping up to be honest. This was all a Dalek plot as far as I could gather. The Omni-Voyants, or Oracles, were created by the Daleks to sense the outcomes of battle. So the Daleks had armed the Vakarians then, presumably as a weapons test. And if the ensuing chaos happened to distract any meddling Time Lords in the meantime, it was a bonus to them.
The Warrior was growing concerned.
"Dalek creations.... How exactly?" He turned to look at the Oracle behind us, now that it's perception filter was deactivated. I turned at the same time, to see a horrific sight. A humanoid figure stood before us, pulsing with an inner orange glow, though now details could be discerned in it's face. It was a male figure, who wore scarlet robes with gold trim, and a pained grimace on his face.
"Time Lords!" He roared. "You were experimenting on Time Lords?"
"PRISONERS OF WAR. THOSE WHO DO NOT POSSESS STRATEGIC INTELLIGENCE ARE MADE TO SERVE THE DALEK WAR EFFORT IN OTHER WAYS."
"But this is monstrous! What have you done to him? It looks like he's got artron energy coursing through his system, frozen mid regeneration." The Warrior was aghast, even for someone who had seen and done terrible things in this battle already, this was a disgusting perversion of nature. My stomach felt bottomless, like a void of despair while a cold dread permeated my torso. I fought the urge to vomit, to scream, to run in terror, but fear had rendered me immobile.
The Warrior stared at the corrupted Time Lord sadly.
"How could they... I will avenge you. You have my word. They will not get away with this travesty."
He turned away from the wretched figure, his face a mask once more. In a livelier tone, he addressed the Dalek leader once more.
"Well, I think I've seen more than enough for one lifetime. It's been as much a pleasure as always. Once again, your customary skills as a host are inimitable, but we really ought to be going. Arven, grab your coat and say goodbye to our captors."
"THERE IS NO ESCAPE DOCTOR, EXCEPT IN DEATH." warned the Architect.
The Warrior had slipped one hand into his jacket pocket. I heard the faintest buzz of his screwdriver, muffled by the leather of his coat.
One of the Science Daleks spoke in a high pitched alarmed voice.
"ALERT! ALERT! TEMPORAL ACTIVITY DETECTED!"
"EXPLAIN! EXPLAIN!" boomed the Architect.
"Sorry boys." smiled the Warrior. "Looks like my taxi has arrived. Now if you'll excuse me, the meter is running."
"TARDIS MATERIALIZING!" screamed the scientist Dalek.
"EXTERMINATE THEM!" Ordered the leader.
During the commotion, a breeze had begun to swirl around us in the Dalek bridge. While the Daleks screamed for our demise, their pronouncements were drowned out by an overpowered groan of the TARDIS' mighty engines. I've never heard a more beautiful sound than in that moment. It began to form around us. Being inside the TARDIS as it appeared was a most disconcerting experience. My view of the control centre faded as the coral junkyard of the Warrior's TARDIS phased in. The two locations seemed to battle for dominance, alternating between both realities periodically. Rather quickly, the TARDIS interior became mercifully solid. In my last glimpse of the Daleks however, I saw several flashes emerge from their arm cannons. I could only hope that we had formed in time, and that the stray blades would impact harmlessly on the exterior. I looked for the Warrior, already racing about the controls, removing us from the lion's den. The Omni-Voyant had been close enough to us to be taken too, but as I faced him, I realised we had not been so fortunate. He had collapsed to his knees, suffering from a direct hit by a Dalek death ray.
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