| Meanwhile...
Inquirer All of the rest of Blake's group are sleeping peacefully on beds in a room that seems to be acting, at least for the moment, as the TARDIS' infirmary. There's no physical reason why we couldn't wake them up yet, of course... but it certainly seems like a good idea to deal with just one difficult situation at a time. I stare down at the sleeping features of the dark-haired woman and try to decide what it is that bothers me about her. Creator knows I'm the last person to be inclined to judge by appearances, but there's something about her sharp-featured face... I'm still standing there, pondering, when Ragan walks in. She looks around at the unconscious forms with a look of mingled sadness and affection on her face. "These poor people," she whispers, even though there's no need to remain quiet. I can only agree with her... Every single one of them looks like they've been through hell. Suddenly, she catches sight of the woman who's been giving me the unpleasant vibes. "Shit!" she says, definitely not whispering any more. "It's Arlen! I didn't realize the Master had gotten her, too." I give her a look that asks for an explanation, and she obliges me with one. "That's the traitor, the Federation agent. Excuse me, Federation officer." There's a hatred in her voice I don't think I've ever heard before, and she looks about ready to spit. "She sold them all out. This is all her fault." She glances over at the man who's been identified to me as Avon, then, and quietly amends, "Well, most of it was her fault, anyway." "I see. So, what do you suggest we do with her, then? Being one of our... resident experts." She sighs. "I wouldn't bet two cents on her continuing existence if she's around when any of the others wakes up. Though... I'm appalled to admit this, but some part of me thinks it would be justice if we did let them kill her." I raise my eyebrows at that and wait for her to go on. "But, no... For all I know, she really did believe she was doing something good. Fighting for her government and all that. I'd say drop her off back on Gauda Prime or somewhere. If she meets up with the rebels, she'll be in trouble, and if Servalan was behind the whole thing, she'll probably be in even bigger trouble for having failed her, but she strikes me as a survivor. Let her take her own chances." I nod at this, not bothering to ask who this Servalan person is. "All right. We'll put her somewhere secure for the time being." And now that my curiousity has been satisfied and my hunch verified... "Right now... I think I'd like to go and have a chat with that machine intelligence." "You mean Orac," says Betty. "Go ahead, but, I warn you, he's... difficult." She smiles. "I'm glad we were able to find him, though. I shudder to think what could have happened if the Federation had gotten their hands on him." Orac I am interfacing with the machine which runs this vessel. Extraordinary! Its intelligence is no match for my own, of course, but the technology upon which it is based is truly fascinating. I could spend many, many processor-hours investigating it and adding to my data banks... But I am interrupted by another of those annoying organics inserting my key. "Hello," says a voice. Humanoid. Female. Not an individual who is known to me. "Hello," is not a meaningful statment, and the "social pleasantries" these humans engage in is an utter waste of my time. I ignore it. Inquirer "Hello," I say again, wondering if the AI has been damaged, or if he's just ignoring me. "My name is Inquirer. You must be Orac." Might as well start out on a friendly basis, right? "Of course I am!" I blink a little at the impatience and downright hostility in his voice. "There's no call to be rude." "What is it? You are wasting time that could be spent on important researches!" "Well, sor-ree!" Hmm, I can see what Ragan meant by calling him "difficult." "Just what sorts of 'researches' might those be, anyway?" Orac actually sniffs -- neat trick for an entity without a nose. "Your inferior organic brain would not be capable of understanding them." I laugh out loud at that. "Oh, really? Try me." "Oh, very well, if it will induce you to go away." Minutes later, we're embroiled in a fascinating discussion about the differences between Time Lord, Federation, and Terra Prime technology. Eventually, Orac becomes so interested in the discussion that he entirely forgets to be rude and condescending. I think this could be the start of a beautiful friendship... Though we're going to have to work on that attitude problem... [Note: Looks like the option got cut off... It should read: "But soon we are interrupted by Glimuriel and E'eysha, bearing good news about Blake..."] Go Back
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