You Must Give In Order To Receive
By Maggiethekitten
by Haiti
Chapter 5
Resistance Is Futile
His words were still in the air when the Tardis jolted. The Doctor looked down at the control panel and shook his head.
Rose whispered in Maggie’s ear, “We might be making a detour.”
The Doctor switched on the scanner to reveal stars against a black sky. To Rose or Maggie, the constellations were unknown, but it was obvious to them both that the Doctor was quite familiar with them.
“Oh no! Not here!” he said as he frantically began working the controls.
“Where are we, Doctor?” Rose asked as she joined him at the panel.
“Some place we shouldn’t be”.
“Why, Doctor? Are there Daleks here or Cybermen or one of those other mean and nasties?”
The Doctor continued working at a feverish pace, “Yes, I guess you could call the Beltarians mean and nasty.”
“Is this some of that danger you were mentioning, Doctor,” Maggie asked meekly.
The Doctor turned his attention from the controls momentarily, “Yes, I think you can say that with relative certainty.
“I’ve never heard you speak of these Beltarians, Doctor. Have you had a run in with them before?” Rose inquired.
The Doctor dropped on his knees, pulled the access panel off and began working on the interior. “You are right, Rose I have never spoken of them before, and no I haven’t had an encounter with them. Only one Time Lord has ever visited the Beltarians, and since then, no other has ever entered Beltarian space.”
“I take it that the first contact did not go well?” She said to the Doctor’s bum.
The Doctor pulled out from under, replaced the panel and began working switches again, “That is an understatement, Rose. The Beltarians are xenophobes.”
“They dislike any outside contact?” Maggie offered.
“Top of the class, Maggie! Well done. The Beltarians are the ultimate xenophobes. They will go to any lengths to maintain their privacy. They made that quite clear when they sent a very explicit message along with the gutted body of a Time Lord to Galafrey. From that time on, the High Council decreed Beltarian space off limits. In fact, all Tardises are equipped with a failsafe to prevent entering Beltarian space.”
“So what happened to the failsafe, Doctor?”
The Doctor looked at Rose and entered in his true matter of fact style, “Obviously, it failed”.
The Time Lord pushed a few more levers but the Tardis failed to engage.
“What happens now, Doctor?” Maggie asked timidly from behind Rose.
The Tardis jolted again as the engine engaged. The Doctor looked at the control panel and dropped his head, “Now, my dear Maggie, we meet the Beltarians.”
When the Tardis finally stopped, the Doctor opened the doors. Rose squeezed his arm. “Is it safe to go out there Doctor?”
“Of course not, but we haven’t much choice.”
Maggie reached for his other arm, “Do you think they’ll believe that we’ve come here by accident?”
“Possibly, but it may not be relevant to the Beltarians. We can only try and reason with them, and hope that if the Black Guardian has brought us here, the White Guardian will assist us in our escape.”
“Who are the Black and White Guardians?”
The ultimate good and bad guys, I think,” Rose answered for the Doctor.
With a companion on each arm, the Doctor smiled bravely, “Shall we, ladies?”
Maggie and Rose forced their own brave smile and accompanied the Doctor out of the Tardis.
They were greeted by total darkness. The Doctor immediately produced his sonic screw driver and used it as a torch, but its light revealed nothing but more darkness.
“Hello, anyone home?” shouted the Doctor. “I have a Chinese takeaway delivery for the Beltarians?” he quipped in his usual cheeky manner.
“Very well then, perhaps it’s for the house next door. Come along, girls, obviously we’ve got the wrong place.”
“We are the Beltarians!” boomed a deep voice.
“I think this is the right place, Doctor,” Rose whispered in his ear.
“I think it’s the wrong one.” Maggie shuddered as she whispered in the other ear.
The voice boomed again. “Step forward, intruders!”
The Doctor, flanked by his companions ,stepped forward. “I am the Doctor and this is Rose Tyler and Maggie O’Malley. We are travellers. We mean you no harm nor do we wish to disturb you.”
“You are in Beltarian space. Your very presence disturbs us, and poses a threat. You will be examined now.”
“What does he mean, Doctor?” Maggie cried as she squeezed his arm tightly.
Maggie soon got her answers as a circle of light appeared a few meters before them. “You, who call yourself the Doctor. Step forward and be examined!”
The Doctor released Maggie and Rose, telling them not to worry, wishing that was the truth. He stepped forward into the light And was immediately hit with a rainbow covering the full spectrum of colours. He braced himself for pain but none came.
“We know you,” came the faceless voice, “You are a Time Lord. Your home planet is Galafrey. Your species has been evaluated and poses no serious threat to us.”
“Well … we do our best to get along with others you know.”
“You may step back!”
The Doctor stepped back into the darkness.
“You who call yourself Rose Tyler. Step into the light!”
Rose looked to the Doctor, and getting an encouraging glance, stepped forward.
The same spectrum of colours that had enveloped the Doctor enveloped her as well.
“We do not know you. Secondary scan initiated.”
The light changed to a greenish hue and a small humming sound echoed in the darkness. Rose grimaced as she placed her hand to her forehead.
“What are you doing to her?” the Doctor demanded.
He received no answer and started toward Rose. A second beam of light, this one purple in hue, stopped him in his tracks. Try as he might, he was unable to move and could only watch helplessly as his companion writhed in pain.
Mercifully the green light changed to a golden glow. “Secondary scan complete. Your planet of origin is Earth. You are the female of the species.”
Rose rubbed her swollen temples, “Ohy … I could have told you that. You didn’t need to give me a bloody headache.”
The purple light that held the Doctor turned golden and released him. “We will tolerate no further interference.”
Rose went back to the Doctor’s side. “You, who call yourself Maggie O’Malley. Step into the light!”
“Here now … there is no call for any more of the light show. She’s from Earth as well. You’ve already got a profile from Rose. Another scan would only be redundant. We’re all perfectly harmless to you Beltarians.”
The boom voice repeated itself, only louder this time, “Step into the light!”
Maggie did as she was told, and was initially hit with the same green light and humming noise that Rose had been. Unfortunately, the intensity of the light and the humming increased as the scan progressed. Maggie placed both hands on her head and dropped to one knee. It was obvious the pain increased in proportion to the light and sound.
When the light finally changed to a golden glow, Maggie collapsed to the floor. The Doctor and Rose were immediately at her side.
“Your planet of origin is Earth. Your gender is … inconclusive.”
Rose whispered to the Doctor as they helped Maggie to her feet, “Inconclusive?”
“Maggie probably has some genetic abnormalities. Her chromosome pairing is possibly neither XX nor XY, which could explain her Gender Dysphoria. In essence, she’s throwing their scanner a googley.”
Maggie stood on wobbly legs. “I feel like I’ve been hit by a cricket bat.”
“Steady on, girl,” the Doctor directed with a smile.
“You have been assessed.” the voice drew their attention.
“We will need to do a full evaluation of one from the planet Earth. It has been our experience that females of the species are more compliant with our procedures. You who are Rose Tyler, you will step into the light and submit yourself!”
Rose started to step forward, but the Doctor grabbed her arm. “Wait … there’s no need for any further evaluation of this species. I’m an expert on them.”
“We are listening.”
“They are a very primitive species, only in the very early stages of development. Manned space travel has only extended as far as their moon. It will be centuries before they will master deep space travel. I assure you these insignificant micro brains pose no threat to you.”
“Micro brain!” Rose elbowed the Doctor obviously insulted.
The Doctor gave her a wink as he continued to pour it on thick. “I have them under my full control, and you have my word that neither they nor I will darken your doorstep again. In fact, we’ll leave straight away and not invade your privacy any further.”
The Doctor pulled Maggie and Rose toward the Tardis, “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all the Beltarians.”
He hoped his luck would carry them to the Tardis. He never made it past the first step. “Stop! We do not find this acceptable. We must have a full evaluation. Step forward, Rose Tyler!”
The Doctor held her steady. “This full evaluation of yours. Is that what killed the first Time Lord you encountered?”
“The evaluation did not kill him. His own weakness did.”
“Will Rose’s weaknesses kill her?”
“Unknown … but it is irrelevant to our purpose. We must have a full evaluation. Our privacy must be secure.”
“How could a race of such supreme power and intelligence have so little compassion?”
“We do not understand?”
Their fate was hanging on the Doctor’s words. “How can you have so little regard for life? Surely a supreme race like the Beltarians is above senseless slaughter.”
“We hear your words, Doctor, and they have meaning. You and the one called Maggie O’Malley may leave unharmed.”
“And what of Rose?”
“She must stay. We must have a full evaluation.”
“You will kill her!”
“She will most likely not survive, but the two of you will live. Is that not the compassion you speak of?”
The Doctor ran his fingers through his hair, “No … no … no … you don’t understand!”
“I’ll stay,” came a meek voice from behind the Doctor.
“Don’t interfere, Maggie,” the Doctor barked. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”
Maggie stepped into the light surrounding the Doctor. “I said I’ll stay. Let the Doctor and Rose go.”
“This is no time for foolish bravery,” scolded the Doctor, but Maggie wasn’t listening.
“We have chosen the female,” came the voice. “We have found them to be the superior gender in a multi-gender species. We must have the superior being of the planet.”
Any other time Rose would have made some quip about Woman Power, but this was no laughing matter. Her life, possibly all their lives, hung in the balance and she was powerless.
“I am clearly the superior species on my planet. I am a transgender, or “two hearts”. I have the spirits of both genders within me. This gives me great power and wisdom. My people revere me and honour me as a sacred being. The great leaders of my planet seek me out.”
Maggie pointed toward Rose, hoping she would forgive her for doing what she had to do to save her life, “This one you would choose is a single gender. Clearly she is inferior to me.”
The Doctor was touched by Maggie’s bravery and her quick thinking to use the Doctor’s story about transsexuals and the Native American’s to her advantage, but he could not allow such a sacrifice, no matter how noble, “Beltarians …this one knows not what she speaks. Her mind has been affected by illness.”
“I am not ill!” proclaimed Maggie. “The Doctor seeks to deceive you. He doesn’t want you to be protected. I am the superior form. I can prove this to you.”
We are listening.”
Your scans were unable to determine my true gender?”
“This is correct.”
“That is because as a Two Hearts I am able to block your scans and disguise myself. It is one of my great powers. Neither the Doctor nor Rose can do this. Is that not proof I am the superior specimen?”
“Please, Doctor,” Rose cried, “You can’t let them take her!”
“Beltarians hear me!”
“Silence!” came the booming voice. “We are conferring.”
“Maggie, stop this madness,” the Doctor said in a low voice, hopefully undetected by the Beltarians. “They’ll carve you up like Jack the Ripper. You’re committing suicide. Don’t you understand?”
Maggie’s blue eyes were almost black, “I understand Doctor. Believe me … I understand.”
“We have decided,” came the voice out of the darkness. “You who call yourself Maggie O’Malley, we find your arguments valid, and Doctor we find no evidence to support your claims that this being is incapacitated in anyway. Maggie O’Malley, you will step forward and submit yourself to a full evaluation. Beltarian space will be protected.”
Maggie stepped forward silently.
Rose, no longer able to stand by and watch her friend sacrifice her life, tried to run to her, but the same purple hue that had engulfed the Doctor earlier, captured her this time.
“Doctor, Rose Tyler … we will tolerate no further delays or disturbances. You will both leave now, or we will no longer offer you this compassion you so value.”
“Beltarians I respect your right to privacy … but I assure you, Earth poses no threat. There is no need …”
“Leave now or be destroyed!” The Doctor’s final plea was cut short.
When Rose was released from suspension she nearly collapsed in the Doctor’s arms. “C’mon Rose, we have to leave.”
Rose pushed the Doctor’s arm away. “We can’t leave! We can’t leave Maggie here to be … be dissected like some bloody frog.”
The Doctor reclaimed Rose’s arm firmly. His eyes and his voice all business. “Rose, we have to go. There is nothing more we can do now.”
The Doctor started pulling Rose toward the Tardis. She turned and looked back to see Maggie bathed in a golden light. She seemed stiff and rigid as if she was already dead.
“Don’t look back anymore, Rose,” the Doctor directed as he pushed her through the Tardis doors.
The Doctor was silent as he went to the control panel, threw several switches and then engaged the engine. Tears ran down Rose’s face as she braced herself against the railing that surrounded the control area.
“Doctor how could we leave her there?” she cried.
The Doctor dropped his head and sighed, “We had no choice.”
“Isn’t there something you can do Doctor? Can’t we sort of sneak back in and rescue her?”
The Doctor shook his head, “It’s impossible. The Beltarians defenses are very nearly impenetrable. I can’t just pop the Tardis down blindly. I’d never get past their shields. I would need an opening, only a tiny one, and only for a second, but it’s really irrelevant. The only way they would open again would be to scan another unknown intruder.
Rose wiped the tears from her eyes and glared at the screen that showed Beltarian space retreating behind them. “What we need are some photon torpedoes and phasers! Then we could blast our way in”
The Doctor, half lost in thought, barely heard Rose’s comment, “What did you say?”
“You know …like on all those Star Trek telly shows with those bad guys the Klingy things. Old Captain Kirk blasts them right out of orbit and then makes love to the princess. Yeah …that’s what we need alright: Star Trek.”
Suddenly the Doctor’s eyes lit up. He grabbed Rose and spun her around. “Oh my totally brilliantly beautiful Rose! Star Trek! Of course … it’s exactly what we need!”
“What? What is exactly what we need?”
The Doctor began working feverishly at the controls. “Star Trek, my little television junkie. Star Trek! It just might get us our way in.”
“A telly program?” Rose said in shocked surprise. “But … it’s not real. It’s just Hollywood make believe.
The screen showing the rear view from the Tardis suddenly clouded over.
The Doctor continued to twist dials, while Rose still had no idea how “Star Trek” could somehow get them in to save Maggie.
“Ahhh … yes! I think we’re getting something”.
First it was audio, “These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise,” and then the video started coming round. Rose shouted, pointing at the screen when she saw a familiar face. “That’s the guy with the pointed ears. Mr. Spock!”
The images and the sound faded out as quickly as it had faded in, and the Doctor went back to work.
“I am Locutus of Borg!” proclaimed the half alien image on the screen, “Resistance is futile!” This time both sound and image were crystal clear.
“I’ve got it, now if only they’ll buy it. They don’t even have to buy it for long. Just enough time for us to slip through their scanner window.”
Rose grabbed the Doctor’s hand, “Please, Doctor! What are you talking about?”
The Doctor continued to work as he explained, “Remember what I said? The only way to get the Beltarians to open a window would be for them to scan an unknown intruder. Well, courtesy of Gene Roddenberry and the wonderful gent who created television, I think we can trick the Beltarians in to believing they have an intruder. Of course I’ll have to bounce the signal off a few moons and an asteroid, but with a little luck I can give them sound and image.”
Rose shook her head in disbelief, “But it’s not real Doctor! It’s just a telly program.”
The Doctor winked and smiled, “Yes Rose it is just a telly program. You know that, and I know that, but I’m betting the Beltarians have never encountered anything like it before and they won’t know it’s a computer generated illusion or a space hologram. They’ll treat as if it’s a real threat.”
The penny finally dropped for Rose, “And they’ll send out a scanner beam.”
The Doctor finished the plan, “Which we can use to slip in, rescue Maggie, and be out again before they realize their intruder is nothing more than a relic from the Sci-Fi Channel.”
“But … what if they realize it and shut down the beam before we can get back out with Maggie?”
Doctor sighed, “Then, that will be our series finale, you might say.”
Rose had no comment. None was required. The Doctor worked in silence while Rose prayed that the plan would work and they would arrive in time to save Maggie.
“There … that should do it!” proclaimed the Doctor as he flipped a switch on the console. Several panels lit up and the image of Locutus filled the window screen once again. Only this time, he and his promise of assimilation were being broadcasted directly to the heart of Beltarian space.
Minutes passed, seeming like hours before the Beltarians took the bait. “Yes!” the Doctor pointed at a dial on the console. “That spike is their scanner beam. We’ve got a window!”
He quickly set the controls and engaged the Tardis. Rose’s hand found the Doctor’s free one as she said a silent prayer, hoping the Doctor’s plan would work.
To be continued ...
Editing by Holly Logan
