| "First, to begin we must speak with that hunting party," I say simply.
"Then, when I get my hands on....."
Sigin That's just about the time we all hear the sounds coming the direction from what I remember the Sevateem hunters taking me the last time. BOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!! What in God's name is....? No, better find out instead of swearing.... They say that the Doctor usually has to improvise when he deals with an opponent. Well, I believe that I'll resort to a bad pun when I say I'll "wing it." Leela 2 "Great Xoaonon," I whisper in awe as I look up...and UP....at the creature that Sigin was now! My sister had told me....but words alone don't prepare me for....this! As I understand it, the dragon mage is suppressing something called "Dragon Fear" which would cause even the most hardened warrior not trained against it piss in their leather breaches. As it is, I find I have a....er....great respect for him right now. That and he is a rather....handsome dragon with those golden scales, really. "Get on!" he orders in a tone of voice that won't broach arguement. The others rush over to the golden scaled dragon and climb onto his broad back. I only hesitate a split second before climbing on! It's obvious what those wings are for and what Sigin is wanting to do, and how much time will be saved by going at it this way.... Moments later, I'm doing something I'd never dreamed I'd do! I'm....flying! Rather marvelous, really. But whatever thrill I had while on this mighty creature's back, flying through the skies is stolen by what I see below! There's a rather large smoking crater something like a hundred meters from the village! Whatever had made that thing also has blown down most of the hut dwellings as well! "Great Xoanon!" I murmur, stopping myself from completing the warding gesture I'd been making. I never believed in Xoanon. But from what I've been told he does exist, but not as a god! Whatever the case, useless warding gestures and mindless fears are not going to help here! Besides, I'm NOT going to be a simpering fool! "Look!" Ragan shouts, pointing to a gathering below. In it's center is Andor, who is....strangling Neeva? Some of those of my village who still have their wits about them notice Sign's rather large look up, and freeze in fear (Sigin is pouring it on in anticipation of further problems). Considering what's going on below, things could be just that way. More problems, that is. Just as Sigin lands and is about to cast a spell that will freeze this situation in it's tracks, somebody else NOT of his group beats him to the punch. A rather ticked off female elfin woman (the size of an adult human....of all things) comes storming out from the side and separate Neeva and Andor. A male elf (a bit smaller than a regular Terra Prime elf), is helping. "Well, we did kind of figure that Andor was going to do something like this after Neeva nearly blew up the village with that particle beam accelerator," the male elf says. The female elf says something in elfin that didn't translate, but sounded heated. "Did I or did I not tell you about what could happen if you kept waving it around like that?" she says to Neeva's face, "About there maybe being a charge in it? But noooo, you had to keep shouting and dancing around like fire ants were in those pants of yours....you....." Sigin "What are elves doing here?" the Doctor says in surprise as he and the rest climb off me. "I'd like to know myself," I agree. We all get closer and get the shock of discovering that these two elves are Champions themselves (which would kind of explain this mixing of milieus). Not only that, but from the feel that they get from them that they are Elder Champions! Note: A Champion has the innate ability to recognize other Champions just as those of the Seelie Court can recognize each other. Same for the Unseelie Court. That and all can recognize each other for what they are as well (i.e. Unseelie recognize Seelie, Seelie recognize Unseelie, Champions recognizing both, and vice versa). Not even the head of the various Offices can counterfeit such "signatures" that identify their "field agents". If something out there can do that, then it's beyond what the Rules and Agents can take on. Let alone their Champions!!) Thus we greet this rather unexpected encounter. After putting out those annoying hunters who've finally managed to run back to see what had happened, that is.... We learn that they are Rugen and Morgana Wordeni, the same two elves that made a close encounter with Star Fleet and suggested setting up the new United Federation of Planet's HQ on Romulus (being that it was the least damaged major capital planet of the various Alpha Quadrant powers). They said that in addition to it being a good idea (despite how crazy it sounded), but the cleanup effort that would be done over the next few years there would clear the path for somebody that they'd hope to meet "somebody" there relatively soon (i.e. in a few hours back from where they were from...what with different rates of time passage between universes and all that....very "Michelle Moorecockish" Rugen said). Being that we knew that we'd met the "sombody" in question already (the
Roland the Gunslinger had mentioned something about being on Romulus).....
We keep quiet and nod. We swore to not speak about that business of past
meeting future, so mums the word.
We then find out that these two had delayed their trip back (via the Doors of the Dark Tower) to aid us! They'd basically solved one stumbling block. We were able to get into the ship, bamboozle our way past these Tesh greeters in the same way we did before (believe that Leela 2 will have a lot of fun ribbing her sister for reacting before she did, despite being warned and all that). We then get Xoanon sane through means as seen on TV. We get the Doctor back to those elves who'd been "holding down the fort" back at the village, and Morganna performs this....magnificant healing spell that's got the Doctor up and going like nothing was the matter with him! Like he'd not gone through that mental struggle with Xoanon! Amazing!
Morgana and I get into a discussion about this and that. Learn a lot,
actually, about what it means to grow older and not age as a Champion!
Seems that the older one Champion gets the more intelligent they get (something
like what happens to elves from that one role playing game "Advanced Dungeons
and Dragons"...except without the down side of loss of vigor and strength).
Right now, Morganna and Rugan can hold their own and then some with the
Doctor in the intelligence arena! Scary!
While the Tesh and Sevateem leaders are arguing over who should leave
(soon after Andor exiled Neeva BTW), Leela 2 is looking for a way to get
out of here when they start speaking about making her leader!
We make our escape with her as we continue back to the TARDIS, with
Morgana and Rugen tagging along to wish us a fond farwell....and to ask
a small favor.
"Welcome to the club!" Leela 1 says to her sister.
"And this favor?" the Doctor asks, "What can we do for you?"
Rugen tells about how they needed to get back to greet that one "somebody"
and it being a bad idea to miss him, but explains that there's a problem
happening over in another reality which might strike their fancy. Betty's,
Ragan's, and Inquirer's in particular!
Gilmuriel
Rugen tells us who we need to help. A murder had happened and a certain detective duet had been interrupted with a side issue before the case could be solved. What was needed was to see what we could do in keeping him out of the wrong hands AND solving this murder case...amongst anything else us Champions feel must be done.... And there was enough magic present there for comfort... "Who's R. Daneel Olivaw?" I ask, curious. A bit later.....
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