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Part 1
THEY, had settled into the enveloping darkness, resigned to the Tardis, not responding to anything the Doctor tried re asserting control? As though some force had taken over?
It had been difficult, to share his concerns with his companion Shan. Somewhat bewildered, by the failure of what he had called the ‘Tardis’,
Time and relative dimensions in space, let alone this ‘Doctor’ to get her safely home? She felt that her presence was more of a kidnapped ‘victim’ than a companion?
YET he had repeatedly told her, it was NOT what his ‘Tardis’ failed to do, more of the control of it, that lay at the behest of others.
WHO, was still unanswered BUT, he felt that would soon NOT be the case? True, it had to be an almighty, ah almighty powerful force, to do this.
Manipulation. Puppets to an unseen puppet master or was it mistress? Yet, the Tardis, was headed somewhere, amidst this chaos.
Ah yes, there’s a word. Chaos. What those, who were into astro physics, had long ago accepted, as they ventured deep into space.. forming new colonies, evolving; space?
Never ending.
Evolving? They had no choice. Different worlds, strange ecologically and of course terrain.
Vast expanses some volcanic others a would be paradise.
NOT so for those aboard the ‘Tardis’. Was their situation thanks to the Toymaker or the Rani?
Both were equally capable, of messing with their lives.
This ‘Timelord’ or its assistant / companion would prove amusing to either of them; HAD been, playthings to them.
The recent encounter, with that meddling time traveler, the one, who the Doctor, had encountered before, as a monk; the one who was here, on Ilisaro 4 attempting, to change history again?
Delighted, to see the ‘Doctor’ arrive, no doubt, to interfere in his ambitions, to spoil his pudding, the one he had given time to perfect. Those eating out of his hands, the factions lied to, deceived and tricked into ?
Fighting, amongst themselves, over mineral rights. Drex (Gold to us). Unknown to them, the truth was, there were NO mineral deposits, NO Drex. A con, perpetrated by that ‘meddler’. looking on and smiling?
THAT meddler, had left some deposits, of the minerals and Drex, on the surface, to be, randomly discovered, the aftermath of such, a discovery, leading to a ‘gold rush’ ,with all the insane fever, which went with it. Power, GREED; divesting them, of any sanity.
The mining, had gone deep, into the ground, below, where the original material had been found. NOT just one ‘drill site’ but at least four. Some irritation, at finding the ground, ‘santified’ had seen some of them terrified to continue.
Others ignored the warnings. The drill sites and excavations continued unopposed. Their bosses were delighted making promises to the workers they would be amply rewarded. A share in the riches, of course, the specified amounts, were not discussed.
The ones who had shied away from the digs? To them, they knew, this area, was holy ground; sacred to the Faeron.. What the hell were the Faeron?
Ancient beings, worshiped by the natives of this planet. Unknown even to the ‘time meddler’.
You never ever, went into a Faeron ring.. or circle, unless it was to offer up a gift.
Fail to do that and you would suffer misfortune,
Whereas those who honoured, the sacred ‘ring’ left gifts. In return the Faeron often granted good harvests, good fortune re health and well being.
Certan gifts AND ceremonies could see the Faeron create for them, a PROGESTOR, who would for a short time create LIFE, REGENESIS of their race. Thus they never sought to offend them!
An ‘extinction’ event was NOT something they would ever welcome.
When the ‘meddler’ had brought the Shill to take over, they, were delighted, to find the natives, at war with each other. Squabbling, fighting, insurrection, they could put the lot of them, in restraints,.
Servitude to their new masters, enslavement at its finest.
With no respect for, nor treated the natives, other than primitive savages. Simple folk.
The mining had raised their curiosity let alone their expectations. Fed the echo of the lies, the untruths perpetrated by the ‘medller’?
The enslaved, were forced, to use the mining equipment. Lack of any conerns re safety, protections in place, they worked them, to the point of collapse. For some, to desire death; whipped, threatened and beaten repeatedly.
What, one might ask, was the ‘Time meddler’ up to? Nothing to do, with the deceit, given to the invaders. The intimation, of riches, plundered resources; was too great for them, to ignore. Free slave labor?
The Doctor, the one, who had shrunk the interior of his Tardis and, who, had left him stranded, until, the arrival of a craft, with alien beings, who helped him, rebuild his ‘dimensional shift’ interface.
All the ‘time’, his rage growing, that seething, bubbling beneath the surface anger. With all of his knowledge his superiority constantly having to accept he was amongst a slow evolving race of primitives?
Delivering the one, who had resigned him, to that hell, to a hell of his choosing?
As the Tardis, landed some distance from the mining. The noises, of the crowd and, the clear abuse, of the natives, with the sound, of whips and curses? To the Shill, their arrival ,was of no importance.
The strangers were nothing new. Just travellers - traders. To the invaders. NOT natives and, the natives, were all they cared about, well not so much; ‘cared about’.
Realization to Shan was more evident than the Doctor. Some apathy on his part and yet she suspected he too was not liking the situation they had landed into. Shan might have been wondering HOW to best help the enslaved BUT? She was not alone. The Doctor too had been wondering..
Rumor was and, rumor was pretty dammed good, from some, who were voicing concerns, as to the actual truth re the earlier samples, finds one might say?
HOW do you rescue, the natives, from these killers? 
The doctor, was at odds to have answers, well easy ones.
A seismic investigation, of the area, might reveal some truths?
A seismic deep scan, of the area, had not, been carried out? The rush, from the forces engaged, in sealing off the area, had prevented, such from taking place.
The Houza were simple folk. Those, who had escaped, were located and, the Doctor with his companion, were sipping on some liquid refreshments, which they noted, the younger ones, were taking great delight in drinking?
Refreshingly cool and, fruity blends of local harvests. Produce from hard labor, seized, nay pillaged from the locals?
Some history lesson now unfolding. The Invaders were known as Shills. They wore protective heat sensitive suits. Liken to a form of armor?
They were also carnivorous. Fresh flesh, to them, was a treat and some of the locals, were now captured, rounded up and put into camps. For fattened up in settlements, where the Shill, would soon be harvesting them.
The ‘travellers’ were and could be succulent treats. BUT the Shills, were more invested in the primitives, NOT desiring to create trouble IF, they were to consume one of the strangers? That could bring in the Galacia Federa. A Galactic police force engaged in keeping law and order, settling disputes?
Communication, had of course been targeted by the Shills. The Houza had lost all contact with outside of their world. That also meant the ‘strangers’,, the outsiders; were restricted re their movements and monitored by them. 
The Strangers. Just the Doctor and his companion? NO! Which is where, some very interesting news, came to the Doctors ears.
FOUR yes FOUR strangers. ONE of them, the Houza had been sure was responsible, for the discovery of the minerals and Drex! Some determination to stir up its own, creating the sudden rush of would be prospectors.
The ‘meddler’ had informed the Shills, of the discoveries. Too good to miss out on and, an invasion by them, soon followed.
Recognised by them, the Shills, now knew, that he, was the one, who had revealed the finds, they formed a cohesive, relationahip with him.
That in turn, gave some surety to his safety.
He could have used his ‘Tardis’ to leave. No real threat from the Shills BUT he needed them so he could take his revenge.
Setting this Doctor up forcing them, to seize him and
imprison ? Lock up and throw away the key, to us, might have sprung to mind, but of course, getting eaten by them? If they liked HEART they would be in for a treat.. two of them!
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