tromana

Title: Crime And Punishment
Author: tromana
Rating: T
Characters: Tenth Doctor, Martha, Another Character
Spoilers: General Series 3 and the Audiobook / Webcast ‘Shada’
Summary: On the way to celebratory meal on Barcelona, the TARDIS is pulled off-course to Shada. Surely the Time Lord’s prison planet should have died with them?
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. Still. I've got some DVDs though...
Notes: Final 2 parts are shorter than the other parts.
Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five

Part Six

“What’s happening out there?”

Martha crouched by the door, staring desperately through the keyhole, trying to spot the movements of the Krag outside. Sighing, Romana placed the book she had been reading carefully down on a precariously balanced pile and joined her.

“Well, if you want me to have a look, you’re going to have to move.”

“Oh,” Martha stammered. “Yes, sure.”

Shifting aside, Romana carefully looked out at the scene that had been previously played out before Martha.

“The Krag,” She stated, “By the looks of things, has cornered the Doctor.”
“What?” Martha gasped. “We’re going to have to help him.”
“He is old enough to get himself out of his own messes.” Martha gawped at her. “But, I suppose so.”
“Any ideas?”
“If I did, we wouldn’t currently be trapped in a defunct TARDIS.”

“Oh come on, Romana, you’ve met these… things before.”

“K9 could hold them back with his laser. Leela would have gone rushing in with her knife.”

“Romana.”
“Yes, Leela?”
“I am sorry.” Romana’s brow furrowed as Leela approached her carefully. “For what we are about to do.”

It was a moment of confusion, but even if she was prepared, Romana would not have been able to overpower Leela. The blind huntress was as accurate as ever and within a matter of seconds, had rendered her friend unconscious. It was for her own good. She knew, she felt, this was right. Romana would never run away and if only with Leela’s intervention was the way to guarantee her survival, then this was the right action. Romana would forgive her, eventually.

“I am sorry, Romana.”

Leela motioned to the door, to her accomplices, heavy of heart. The wheels were in motion.

“No,” Romana laughed a dry laugh. “Shouldn’t think about them.”

“Come on,” Martha practically begged. “We need to have something we can use against them.”
“All I can think of is the composite mind,” Romana shrugged. “I don’t see what use that is.”

By this point, Martha was wearing a look of steely determination and slipping her heels off, much to Romana’s bemusement. She smiled wryly at her companion, whilst muttering something under her breath, keeping everything crossed that it would work.

Five minutes later, the corridor was deserted and Romana slipped out of the defunct TARDIS unnoticed. She was torn, did she continue on the path she and Martha had been headed or go and sort out Martha and the Doctor with no plan whatsoever? Sighing, she wandered, heading in the direction she had been generally taking with Martha. This matter intrigued her. Had it happened before her Presidency, or after? And how did anyone else even know about Shada anyway?

“Martha, that was… brilliant,” The Doctor gasped, enveloping her in a hug.

“Yes, well, if it hadn’t been for Romana saying it had a composite mind I wouldn’t have tried confusing it in the first place.”

“Can you remember which way you were heading?”
“Of course.”

It didn’t take long for Martha and the Doctor to catch up with Romana. All the time, the Doctor insisted that he wasn’t really in trouble and he had the situation completely under control. Romana led them directly to a cabinet that she and the Doctor had been to before. Chamber T, Cabinet 9. Last time it had been empty, and they were standing staring at a proud Professor Chronotis admitting that he was Salyavin.

This time it was not, and it was Salyavin that inhabited it.

Part Seven