The sun slipped behind the tall trees, painting the buildings shades of orange and yellow. The buildings were built integrated into the trees and vine curled around every available surface. It was a perfect evening for the harvest Kallifax thought, smirking triumphantly from his balcony down at the town square below.
“Sir.” A voice interjected from behind him but Kallifax didn’t look around just waved a single hand to indicate the voice could continue what they had to say.
“All the protocols are in place Sir. 547 session complete ready for total upload at 1800 hours.”
“Excellent, get to it!” He acknowledged and the person exited hurriedly out of the room.
“When will you learn to trust me, like really trust me?” Amara questioned Nemo as she pressed her head on the cool metal of her desk. She clenched her fists underneath the table her eyes shot up to glare at him.
“Oh I didn’t realize I should after you agreed to spy on me, pretend to be my friend and lie to me. You’re lucky I’m taking you back to Gallifrey and I’m not throwing you out of the airlock.” Nemo seethed back at him and Amara averted his gaze, she had a point, he wish he never agreed with the Citadel to spy on her but he did it to keep her safe. Amara’s feelings for Nemo were well known and although non-reciprocated from Nemo’s side she did still care for him which made the betrayal cut deeper.
“How long until we reach Gallifrey?” Amara asked and Nemo’s eyes scanned the ship’s computer.
“Within the next two hours. Hopefully there is no hold up at the transduction barrier this time.” She replied simply and that was their conversation quota done for the next hour Nemo summarized what more could she say to him? Suddenly the ship was plunged into darkness, Nemo’s hand reached for her stun gun on her belt and shouted out into the darkness.
“Amara I swear to Rassilon if you did this.”
Amara appeared by her side as confused as she was. “I didn’t touch anything Nemo. The ship just suddenly lost power!”
Nemo scowled looking beyond the ship’s large glass panes to the clusters of stars and planets surrounding them; someone or something managed to knock out their power. But why? The sudden jolt of movement from the ship told Nemo that she would find out very soon.
“Welcome to S7-LX Centuri and thank you for stopping by, all space crafts must first dock on Episilon Alpha Bay and present all valid immigration documents before you will be permitted to enter the Paradise Planets Complex.” A cheery robotic voice echoed through the dark ship.
“It’s a transmission from down there!” Juli announced looking up from his scanner. Nemo didn’t look over at him her focus was on the surface of a planet becoming closer and closer.
“We’re caught in a tractor beam. We must have set off some alarms and now I guess someone wants to say hello.”
“Did you know that back in the academy I had a bit of crush on you?”
Nemo gulped back her wine avoiding eye contact for a moment then screwed her nose slightly and smirked.
“I did, yeah.”
“You didn’t look at me twice did you?” He smiled knowingly looking down at the floor.
“Oh, I am pretty sure I looked at you plenty of times. But not like that no.”
“Yeah, I thought so.”
Nemo grabbed his arm making him look her in her eye.
“It doesn’t mean I don’t care Amara. I’m just not looking for anything like that. I don’t even know what love feels like to me. This ability doesn’t leave much room for clarity amongst the noise.”
Nemo meets a human from the 23rd century on her first adventures away from Gallifrey when she hitchhikes on board a StarCruizer: Exploration class ship. She eventually manages to obtain her own ship and invites him along taking him on her journeys through space. He is infuriated by her impulsive and reckless nature. He calls her space lady, frequently forgetting the name for Time Lady. Juli is nerdy and an engineer, he frequently makes references to old earth science fiction and other pop culture references.
As a young time lady Nemo is unaware of the dangers she is putting other people in by just diving head first into adventures and Juli often calls her out on her recklessness. They maintain a strange friendship although Nemo doesn’t tell him much about her past.
On one of their adventures Juli gets injured and Nemo discovers a fob watch - he was like her. All this time she had another Time Lord travelling with her. She opens the watch and he reveals that he is Amara Callistora; an old friend from the academy though a couple of hundred years her senior. Sent after Nemo when she ran away from Gallifrey in disguise as the council knew Nemo would never trust another Time Lord.
“You haven’t changed a bit Nemo.”
Nemo throws a fit and feels deceived figuring out the plan of the council to keep tabs on her.
“Tell me one good reason why I shouldn’t chuck you out of the air lock!”
“Those lot back home. Made a fatal error of underestimating you. I know I did. I’m sorry I deceived you.”
Nemo allows Amara to continue on the travelling with her she had grown used to his company after all. They never grow more than friends for Nemo holding him at arms length, although she cares deeply for him she doesn’t feel for him in that way. She also knows of his future being that he will some day soon end up stuck in his younger self’s timeline and will never be able to see each other again.
Nemo stood upon the hill that overlooked the great fortress – the whole building gave off the appearance of neglect with Ivy entangling itself around every pillar, but she knew in her hearts she was in the right place. The House of The Empaths. The ancient society of Empath’s housed some of the universe’s Empath’s from as her oldest brother would describe as lower species. Many were sent to the fortress in infancy to learn to control their abilities. Any answers she sought, she prayed she could find here.
She always felt alone in her struggle; Iota was the only person in her 250 years that even came close to understanding how she felt.
“If you aren’t ready, we can turn around and leave.” Her brother spoke from behind her, Nemo peered over her shoulder at him. He looked much younger than before – recently regenerated. It had been years since she saw him after his exile to Earth. The Doctor was not as far as she knew aware of what his fate could have been if Nemo hadn’t begged Braxiatel to see reason and not erase him and Susan from reality.
“No we can’t.” Nemo began. “I need answers.”
“You know I can’t go with you.” The Doctor replied gently placing a hand on her shoulder – her eyes narrowed in suspicion and confusion.
“Why not?” Nemo couldn’t believe this, after all this time he was just going to leave again.
“Only Empath’s can cross the Fortress Boundary. Its considered sacred ground.” He explained.
“Now? You tell me this now?” Nemo sighed, she was terrified of what she might learn, it felt better when she believed her brother would have been by her side. Now she had to face this alone.
“I’ve made it this far. I need to see it through.” She said in an attempt to convince herself returning her gaze down the hill.
Silence swirled around them like a cold winter’s breeze; Nemo shivered and finally turned to face her brother.
“I guess I will see you soon.” Nemo whispered finally breaking the silence.
“Indeed you will. I hope you find the answers you seek dear sister.” He gave a small smile and wrapped his arms around her in an embrace. Nemo’s mind burned with sorrow and love from her brother. With all the progress she made with her ability, big emotions that deserved exclamation points after them still packed a punch.
Nemo flinched and pulled away from the embrace and gave a solemn nod towards her brother. She needed to do this.
Nemo watched The Doctor disappeared into the TARDIS before she made her way down the hill to the gates of the fortress. She knocked and waited. Nothing. Again, nothing.
“Great!” She uttered under her breath, did The Doctor get the time/place wrong again – she waited a little bit longer before knocking again.
“Why do big mysterious structures never have a door bell!?” She grumbled. Nemo slid down the wooden gate and sat on the cobblestone path and placed her head in her hands. The very small amount of nerve Nemo had to do this was rapidly wearing out. What if whoever was in there confirmed all her deepest fears about what she truly was?
Nemo scolded herself, ignorance was not going to help her this time. She had centuries worth of questions back logged, she needed to finally get some clarity.
“Well I won’t be able to get any answers if this gate doesn’t blooming open!” She thought frustrated as she returned to her feet.
“Hello.” A voice spoke behind Nemo who in response jumped in fright.
“How did you do that?”
“Do what?” The woman asked with a gentle smile, their robes reminded Nemo strongly of the sisterhood of Karn and her own Gallifreyan robes but they were lighter and sheer in places. The woman had pushed back a long veil to reveal her aged lined face and her grey hair peeked out from under her hood.
“Open the gate so silently?” She replied curiously, that gate didn’t seem like it ever wanted to budge, it surely would have made a racket to open.
“I didn’t open it my dear, you did. It’s a-“
“The gate is psychic?!” Nemo exclaimed, of course! She felt really stupid.
Now the gate was open Nemo could feel the others inside the building there were at least six she could sense. Not as many as she thought there would be.
“You were out there for a long time Nemo.” The woman chuckled once they were behind the closed gates.
Nemo stopped to look at the woman. “How do you know my name? I was under the impression you couldn’t sense outside your species.”
The woman just gave a knowing smile to Nemo in response.
“We have been expecting you for a long time. Ever since you were chosen.”
Nemo shivered, Chosen? What did she mean? The thing that she saw when she was 8 years old that gave her this cursed ability chose her? But why?
“Don’t be afraid Nemo, we will tell you all that we know in time. But first come meet the others.”
The Others sat in a large drawing room with floor to ceiling bookcases, moth eaten tapestry rug covering the cold slate floor and a number of desks and chairs spread out haphazardly around the room.
“Allow me to introduce everyone. My name is Tereme. This is Essa, Naima, Cirene, Luna and Nyota.” Tereme gestured to each member, six members Nemo was right she thought as she took in the women in front of her from the corner of her eye she spied a seventh. A young girl emerged from under one of the desks.
“And who are you little one?” She asked and Essa who was nearest to the girl lifted her veil revealing bright blue eyes and raised ridges of skin just above her eyebrows.
“This is Emmaset, she’s our youngest.”
Nemo frowned. “Can she not speak for herself?”
Essa shrugged lightly. “You can try but she lives very much inside her own head.”
Nemo knelt down and smiled at the young girl. “Hi I’m Nemo. Nice to meet you Emmaset.” The young girl gave the faintest of a smile but did not speak.
“She was found abandoned on our door step, we don’t know where she is from or anything at all really. She is named Emmaset for the last day of summer on this planet.
Nemo’s eyes glinted with sadness, how desperate were the child’s parents? How worried were they of her safety to leave her with complete strangers, she couldn’t have been any older than 5 years old.
Tereme placed a hand on Nemo’s arm and guided her away. “Come Nemo, there is much I must tell you.”
