To Call Our Own (14/36)

[amberfocus]

Chapter Fourteen:  Old Friends, Old Memories

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in green before,” the Doctor said as Rose emerged from the bedroom in a diaphanous emerald green blouse that flowed about her slowly expanding mid-section. The tough trousers she wore were a paler green. “Except the bed on the TARDIS. The coverlet is green and it does look good against your skin.”

Rose chose to ignore his comment. “Now these are just genius,” she said pointing to the trousers. “This flap here folds over and fastens on the end and then as I get bigger I can fold it over less and less and fasten it closer. I should be able to use these right up until the birth, unless I get big as a house.”

“Oh, I doubt you’ll get big as a house,” the Doctor said absently. “Maybe a small garden shed, but not a house.” Rose grabbed a nearby dish cloth and snapped it at his backside. “Ouch!” he exclaimed, but he was laughing.

“I am not going to get big as a garden shed either, thank you very much,” she said trying to keep her expression firm.

“Now, if you were a Time Lady, you wouldn’t get big at all.”

“How’s that then?” Rose asked intrigued.

“The womb’s bigger on the inside than on the outside.” The Doctor’s face was completely serious.

“Oh, you’re full of it!” she said when his lips started to twitch.

“Sort of, yeah,” he admitted. “When my people would deign to procreate naturally, then yes, the women would go the normal route. Usually it wasn’t done that way. It was considered anachronistic. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. The changes make you more beautiful every day than the one before.” He pulled her into his arms and gave her a gentle kiss that more than made up for his teasing.

When he released her she smiled happily up at him. A melodic trill sounded behind them and the Doctor said, “Transport is here.” He turned to the table and scooped up a daypack. “Are you ready?” He held out his hand.

“Yeah.” She took it and followed him out to the glider. The glider was different from most of the transport she’d seen on the planet so far. Most of it was wheeled and was made for large numbers of people or single individuals only. The glider hovered above the ground and floated on an air cushion, much like a hovercraft back on Earth, only sleek and beautiful and designed for two people.

The Doctor slung his pack in the back and then handed her into the glider before running around to the far side and getting in. “It’s pre-programmed to take us to our destination so that we can admire the view without worrying about running into anything or anyone else.”

“How long will it take us to reach the plains?” Rose asked.

“Oh, maybe an hour. Shouldn’t be long. Once we’re out of the city the boosters will kick in and we’ll rise further above the ground. They’ll move us up to 300 kilometers an hour. You won’t feel it though. Something in the dampeners prevents the sensation of speed. In the early days people would get motion sickness if it went too quickly without them.

Rose leaned against the Doctor and enjoyed the scenery. They had veered in and away from the ocean and the mountains were off to the north somewhere. They travelled inland to the east. They flew along an amazing chasm that put her in mind of pictures she’d seen of the Grand Canyon in America. Except that instead of multi-colored layers of stone, the edges were lined with striated crystals the colors of amethyst, sapphire, rubies, and topaz. The sun sparkled off everything and little rainbows danced on their skin as reflections came through the glider’s dome.

“That’s the Ornatate Crevasse. A large portion of the planet’s wealth comes from the export of those gemstones,” the Doctor explained. “That’s how they can afford a double strength Tirawlian shield. That’s why they have it in the first place. Too many outlanders sneaking onto the planet and stealing its resources.”

“It’s gorgeous,” Rose breathed.

“If you want, we can get a tourist mining license and cut a few gemstones as souvenirs. There’s a place in the mountains where we’ll be going later on where they’re even more beautiful than here.”

“That would be lovely,” said Rose, “Though I can’t imagine anything more lovely than here.”

“There’s a larger choice of gemstones, more colors and forms. Besides these, there’s peridot, emerald, and garnets in many different shades. There are also seams of onyx, opal, turquoise, and jade. The mineral wealth here is extreme and the finest in the known universe.”

“Any of the metals?” Rose asked absently.

“Just iron, copper, aluminum and tin. No gold or silver or platinum or lead or mercury. Nothing of the like.”

They fell into silence as the crevasse raced past them and after awhile they emerged over a vast purple grassland. Rose leaned forward eagerly trying to spot the Tirawl herd. “Oh, there they are!” she cried out pointing to the large blue bodies with the yellow striped heads off in the distance.

The glider began to drop speed and descend. The vehicle came to a stop at a little travel office where they showed the permits that enabled them to walk amongst the herd. Security was tight on Sandoval but everything was in place and they were granted access to the field. They walked hand in hand towards the far end of the plain. The grass stirred up the smell of ripe late summer plums just ready to be plucked.

Rose dropped the Doctor’s hand and spun around under the azure sky, breathing deeply. “I think this very well may become my favorite planet,” she said when she came to a stop.

The Doctor grinned at her. “I knew you’d love it here.” He reached out and pulled her close to him kissing her softly. “Come on,” he said clasping her hand and they resumed their walk towards the Tirawls.

It took them twenty minutes to reach the herd and they were surprised when one of them detached himself from the main group and lowered his horns in their direction before raising his head and ambling their way. It stopped within a foot, its big orange eyes glowing at them.

Rose reached out, but stopped her hand just inches from his head. The Tirawl stepped forward eliminating the distance between them, the soft leathery hide like butter under her fingers. ‘Greetings, friends of our fathers.”

Rose gasped in surprise at the firmness of the mental contact so vivid in her mind. Her last experience 50,000 years in the herd’s past had only allowed vague, dreamlike images and thoughts. No language had formed in their communications. The Doctor placed his hand on the other side of the Tirawl’s head

“You know me?” Rose was shocked.

‘Of course we know you.’ The deep rumble in her head sounded amused. ‘You were there when we lifted. You offered your lives to protect ours.’

“Lifted?” asked Rose.

‘When we rose to achieve mass sentience. Learned to protect and defend.’ The Doctor nodded over at Rose.

“Ancestral memories, passed down intact from generation to generation,” the Doctor explained to Rose. “That’s how they remember us.”

‘Indeed.’ And again the deep rumble of the creature sounded highly amused. ‘I am Calu. I am herd leader. You are ever welcome here. Tonight, come and dream with us.’



There was a lovely sense of familiarity as they settled amongst the herd in the warmth of the evening. When the dream song started they were both startled by the intensity. Images of their past amongst the herd flowed through their brains and they saw Tessa and Vincent, the other scientists that had been left behind on Tir, and their children and the generations that followed. There was a thriving human underculture on Tir, an almost symbiotic relationship between the two species, and a marvel that from the people whose species had caused them the most damage had come ones that gave them their greatest joys.

Memories rushed on from there of the Tirawls spreading throughout the universe, becoming protectors of planets during many wars, erecting their barriers and simply removing all incoming threats. The species, once reduced to so few, had thrived beyond all of their hopes at the time.

The images moved forward, focused on Rose and the Doctor, focused on the life growing within Rose’s body. ‘The child of time has a great destiny. A great future. Do not hesitate to call on us. Any tribe, anywhere. We will come for you. We will protect.’

In the morning, they awoke alone and in each other’s arms. The herd had migrated to the far end of the field. They rose from the ground, stretching stiffened muscles and made their way in silence to their glider. Neither spoke on the return trip, Rose simply cuddled into the Doctor’s body, his arm around her. It was comforting to know that if they needed them, they would have reinforcements on Kranamar.

Ch. 15&16:  http://amberfocus.livejournal.com/71242.html

Comments

[kk-animation.livejournal.com]

I should be working on my final, but I find myself more happily distracted by reading this fic. Although I must admit I don't remember much of the Tirawls. I'll have to go back and re-read.

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Unless you've read Just Another Shop Girl you won't find anything about the Tirawls. I will be posting it here eventually or I can give you the link on Teaspoon if you want it.

[kk-animation.livejournal.com]

Well, at least that means I hadn't forgotten any thing. No worries, I'll be happy to search around on Teaspoon, gives me another thing to do to avoid my finals.