Bucky kept his eyes glued to all the navigation monitors on the bridge of the ship. The object that he had spotted earlier was still following them, and getting closer by the minute. The only sound that distracted him at this moment was that of footsteps of others coming to join him.

“Officer Blinky reporting back to duty, Captain.” The android spoke to him as he ambled back towards his post, with Deadeye right behind him.

“Blinky!” Bucky smiled as he turned his back to the monitors, finally taking a moment to forget about what had been happening. “Glad to see you’re back amongst the operational.”

“He’s back, and he’s sharper than ever, Bucko.” Deadeye patted the one-eyed droid on the back. “I made my own little special adjustments in addition to the patch job…I know we’re in a hurry, but you’ll thank me for it later.”

Bucky just smiled and nodded, as Blinky turned his gaze back to the captain. “So, what’s been going on in my absence, Captain?” He asked, naturally curious. “I haven’t seen pilot Jenny onboard since I returned to consciousness…did something happen to her?”

Bucky’s smile faded as he sighed a little, and nodded his head, his momentary happiness now gone. “Yes Blinky…I’m afraid our new enemies got her, not long after you were taken out.”

“Most unfortunate…” Blinky responded softly, slowly shaking his head. He then quickly changed the subject, so as not to give his commander any more reason to dwell on his loss. “What is our present course, and heading?”

Deadeye sat at one of the other consoles, taking a look at the monitor, as Bucky answered the android. “Well, we had been on a straightforward course back to Aldeberan, until I detected something unusual, that seems to be following us…and gaining ground.”

Blinky wordlessly walked up to the monitors as Bucky let him take a look. Deadeye’s expression immediately took one of surprise as he observed the blip on their radar as well.

“Geez…What do ya think it is, Cap?”

“I still don’t know…” He looked grimly into the screen. “But whatever it is, its got propulsion systems far more advanced than anything I’ve seen in the aniverse, for it be catching up so quickly.”

“Suggested course of action, Captain?” Blinky asked as he looked back from the screen.

“You and Deadeye, get all our weapons systems ready to go.” He answered with a sense of urgency in his voice. “We have to keep the High Artificer and the princess safe, and if these guys want a fight over them, they’re gonna get one.”

“Captain, we’ve got incoming!” Deadeye suddenly shouted, pointing to two blips of energy on the screen that appeared to be lasers fired from their pursuer.

“Raise shields!” Bucky shouted back, as Deadeye immediately ran to another console and pressed the buttons frantically.

The ship then rumbled and shook as the first shot hit them, just as Deadeye was raising the shields, damaging them, but only slightly. Deadeye was thrown to the ground as Bucky and Blinky each held onto their stations. He quickly got back up though, and rushed over to bring them up all the way, as the second shot came through, and was deflected.

“Damage report!” Bucky steadied himself as he yelled to Deadeye.

“Minor hull damage…” Deadeye answered as he examined a few of the other consoles. “Nothing to worry about at the moment.”

“Ok then…” Bucky nodded. “Get going on weapons prep…Blinky, plot out an intercept course, while I go to check on our guests. We’re gonna meet these guys head on, and hit them right back.”

“Bucko!” Deadeye shouted to him before he had a chance to leave the bridge. “They’re hailing us…”

Bucky turned around and looked ominously at the ship’s communication console, slowly walking back to it. He sighed gently and placed his hands at the sides of the device.

“All right…Patch ‘em through.”

He looked dead ahead at the screen, scowling a little as the image of a single Dalek appeared on the surface. The interior of the ship was visible as well, its color a dank, foreboding brownish-black color, with the glow of the saucer-shaped ship’s engines being the only illumination.

“ENEMY SPACECRAFT…MAKE NO FURTHER ATTEMPTS TO ESCAPE US.” The Dalek barked at the rabbit. “AS YOU HAVE OBSERVED, OUR PROPULSION AND WEAPONS SYTEMS FAR EXCEED THE CAPABILITIES OF YOUR INFERIOR EQUIPMENT.”

“That’s enough bragging, tin can…” Bucky growled a little, as he looked right at the enemy that had killed his first mate, or so he thought. “What do you want with me?”

“YOU ARE NOTHING MORE THAN AN INSIGNIFICANT PEST…” The Dalek’s headlamps lit up as it responded. “BUT YOUR SHIP CARRIES TWO PASSENGERS VITAL TO OUR OBJECTIVES…YOU WILL DELIVER THEM TO US.”

Bucky took a deep breath as he glowered at the Dalek…it was clear the Dalek was talking about Felicia, and the High Artificer.

“What if I say no…” He rapped his fingers on the console, already knowing how the creature would answer, but humoring it nonetheless.

“THEN WE SHALL REMOVE THEM BOTH BY FORCE, AND YOU SHALL BE EXTERMINATED.” The Dalek answered him fiercely.

Bucky just nodded as he thought this over…he knew that outrunning that these things was out of the question…and he wasn’t stupid enough to try and outgun a ship that could already outrun them…there was only one possible way out of this predicament.

“Ok then…” He sighed again as he nodded. “You win.”

“Bucko! What the hell?” Deadeye’s mouth was wide open as Bucky terminated the connection with the Dalek ship.

“Relax, Deadeye…” Bucky gave him a stern look. “We’re not surrendering…that’s just what I’m making it look like…”

“What do you have in mind then, captain?” Blinky asked as he stepped away from his console for a moment.

“Call our friends back…” Bucky responded as he started to leave the bridge once more. “Tell them we’re gonna dock on their ship, and make the delivery…I’m gonna give them what they want…” He grinned a little before continuing. “…along with a special surprise.”

Deadeye had to think about this for a moment, before he realized. He narrowed his eyes and grinned a little bit. “Aye, aye, captain…”

The Doctor rushed along the endless trees and bushes of the forest, almost tripping a few times. He still wasn’t quite used to running on his new feline feet, but he perservered, like he always had. Jenny followed close behind, checking the area around them with a ready blaster, like any good soldier would do.

“Is there some kind of spaceport they haven’t captured yet?” He stopped for a moment to ask Jenny as he turned to face her.

“I’ve never been to this planet before, Doctor…” She responded, half frustrated. “ I don’t know where anything is outside of the Capital district.”

The Doctor looked to his left and right, observing the endless horizon of green and brown around him and his new partner. “So, we’re both wandering aimlessly…brilliant.”

Jenny gave him a dirty look for just a second, as he stopped to catch his breath for a moment, sitting on a downed log. “Well, at least we’ve lost our pursuers for the time being.”

The Aldeberan cat’s expression softened a bit a minute later, as she then decided to sit and rest next to him. It had indeed been a wild afternoon so far, and she figured she might as well grasp the opportunity to catch her breath when she had it. She then thought of something, as she turned her head to face him, her long hair dangling down to her left as she did so.

“Something puzzles me…” she spoke softly, in case there were any Daleks around. “You said you’ve never been to the Aniverse before…yet that Dalek was able to identify you…why is that?”

The doctor just scratched his head as she asked him this, still looking straight ahead from where he sat. “That’s the question that’s been bugging me ever since we fled…”

He then furrowed his brow a bit, and finally turned his head so that he was facing Jenny. “But here’s something that’s puzzling me…Why are you trying to kill the Daleks with a blaster, when you’re clearly capable of obliterating them with your own mind?”

Jenny breathed in sharply as she crossed her arms in an uncomfortable fashion. “Well…you see, the females of my species are the ones who possess the psionic power…and we are instructed to keep this power a secret from all outsiders.”

“I see…” The doctor nodded his head as he listened, before he smiled a bit, trying to lighten things up. “So why did you reveal your powers to me, knowing I could have just regenerated again after being killed by that Dalek…do you fancy me?”

Jenny scoffed as she shook her head, still keeping her gaze fixed on his face. “I beg your pardon…are you that conceited? I just met you.”

The Doctor just laughed as he got back onto his feet. “Oh, come on…isn’t there such a thing as a sense of humor in this Aniverse of yours?”

Jenny just blinked for a second, before realizing that he was pulling her leg. She then giggled a bit and got up with him as a smile crept back over her face. “Of course there is…you’re just such a strange person, that I can’t tell when you’re joking.”

The two then walked a little further into the forest, when the Doctor suddenly cocked one of his feline ears. He stopped for a moment, and put his hand out in front of Jenny as she followed. She stopped in front of his arm, and readied her blaster once more, staying quiet for him.

The doctor looked South, towards what looked like a collection of swamplands that were very close to the forest. He had heard something…something high pitched, and very irritating…almost like a Dalek’s voice, but he wasn’t 100 percent sure about it being a Dalek…

Before Jenny could even ask him what it was that he had heard, the answer jumped right out in front of them. A nasty looking small creature, almost like a frog, emerged from the fog of the swamplands, shrieking as it latched its big slimy tongue onto Jenny’s wrist.

“Aaaaahhh!” she yelled as she dropped the gun and batted at the tenacious amphibian. “Get it off me! Get it off me!” She waved her arm around as the frog kept a hold with its nasty green tongue, its brown skin glistening as its black eyes remained wide open.

The Doctor quickly tried to grab the frog, as Jenny flailed about. “Hold still! Hold still, so I can yank the little bugger off you!” He finally saw the frog flying down towards him, as he grabbed it by the sides and attempted to pull…after about 3 pulls however, the frog then decided to defend itself, by spraying the Doctors face with a yucky, slimy green fluid directly from its hindquarters.

“Gaaaaahhhh!” The Doctor let go as he tried to brush the foul liquid from his eyes. “Lords of Gallifrey…” He whimpered, careful not to take out his eyes wit his new claws…at one point, he even licked his right paw, and instinctively tried to bathe his face with it.

Jenny just shook her head at the doctor for a moment, her face showing absolute disgust as she tried again to flick the frog off her, feeling its tongue tightly wrapped around her wrist. No matter what she did, the thing just wouldn’t come off.

Suddenly, she saw something flying in her direction, some other kind of liquid…whatever it was, it caught the frog’s attention immediately. As soon as the golden liquid splattered onto the ground, the slimy creature relinquished its grip on Jenny’s wrist, and hopped over to lick it all up.

“They’re annoying little things…” She heard a voice call out from behind her. “But if you’ve got a little zanzabub nectar on you, they’re easy to distract.”

The figure attached to the voice soon made its appearance to Jenny and the doctor…a male lizard, obviously a resident of Skaro, and dressed in what appeared to be a uniform of the High Council, the jacket partially unbuttoned currently.

Jenny took a moment to acknowledge the presence of the friendly Skaran, before turning her attention back to the Doctor…he was still moaning like a child, and licking at his paw, desperately washing the rest of the frog fluid off of him.

“My word…” he shook his head a little as he got back up from his squatting position. “I’d rather kiss the innards of a Dalek than be sprayed with that stuff again.”

“Oh yes…” The lizard nodded and smiled a little. “The shrieking frogs of the southern marshlands…they’ve been big pests around here as long as I can remember.” He then walked closer to Jenny and the Doctor. “But I have a feeling that none of us are here right now to study wildlife.”

“Indeed…” Jenny responded, politely introducing herself to the lizard. “I’m Jenny of Aldeberan, crewman of the Righteous Indignation…” She then nodded towards the cheetah in the professorial clothing. “…and this is The Doctor.”

“Pleasure to meet you both…” The lizard bowed his head politely. “I am Lord Milos, 3rd Pontiff of the Skaran High Council.”

“Well, it’s nice to finally meet another lucky escapee…” The Doctor smiled as he walked closer to the other two…he was still a little embarrassed from the scene he’d been making earlier, but he tried not to let it show.

“Yes…I was beginning to think I was the only one after a while…” Milos nodded as he grimly pondered the fates of his colleagues to himself. He then felt the need to ask, out of morbid curiosity. “What about the Grand Pontiff? Did he make it?”

Jenny lowered her gaze from Milos as she shook her head gently. “I don’t think so…”

“Ohhhh no…” Milos closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead, obviously distressed from this revelation. “Forgrum…” He spoke to himself, partially. “I’m so sorry, old friend…I should have stayed, and protected you…”

“Hey…” The Doctor patted him on the back, consolingly. “I’m sure he would have understood why your instincts kicked in…believe me, you’re not the only person who’s ever run from the Daleks.”

“Daleks?” Milos looked up at him and furrowed his brow, obviously not knowing that word, being from the Aniverse.

“The creatures that attacked us…that’s what they’re called.” Jenny spoke for the Doctor, clarifying things for Milos. “See, the Doctor…well, he’s from another reality, and apparently these Daleks existed there too…”

Milos’ eyes widened for a moment at this revelation…under normal circumstances, he would have thought these two were both insane, and merely brushed them off…but clearly, these were not normal circumstances anymore.

“I see…” He answered as he peered quizzically into the Doctor’s spotted face. “Would you be able to help us find a way to defeat these creatures, then?”

The Doctor nodded as he walked around both of them, thinking out loud now. “I believe so…but it would help me to know where exactly this batch of Daleks came from…have you detected any abnormal cosmic phenomena near this planet, recently?”

“No…” Milos just shook his head.

The doctor moved his feline lips in all sorts of odd directions as he thought to himself, before suddenly standing in front of Milos once again. “Do you think anyone might have been creating these things? Someplace out of sight?”

Milos took a little longer to think about recent activity on the planet…anything at all…then suddenly it hit him. He went stone dead in shock for a moment, as if some kind of grim realization had just swept through his mind. His facial expression immediately went sour.

“That bastard!” He suddenly shouted. “That scheming, traitorous bastard!”

“Who?” Jenny immediately asked him. “Who are you talking about?”

Before Milos could give his answer, however, The Doctor picked up the familiar noise of something metallic wheeling itself into the area.

“PONTIFF DETECTED!” The Dalek barked out, two other Daleks flanking its left and right sides.

Jenny quickly sprung into action, firing her blaster at the center Dalek. The blast narrowly missed its eye, as The Doctor quickly ran off with Milos. He was determined to get some more answers from the Pontiff, just as soon as the three of them got to safety.

Jenny fired a few more shots, now trying to distract the three Daleks. She then took off, running close behind the other two, as the Daleks followed.

“YOU CANNOT ESCAPE!” The left Dalek taunted them as it fired.

“LOCK WEAPONS ON ALL TARGETS! EXTERMINATE!” The Right Dalek shouted as it joined in the barrage. Jenny took advantage of the Pontiff’s back being turned, and placed her hand to her forehead once more, charging up more psionic energy…she then held out her hand, and fired, scoring a direct hit on the Center Dalek’s eye. It howled as its head exploded in a flash of light and blue goop, giving the trio a better chance of escaping as the same liquid squirted onto the other Daleks, impairing their vision temporarily.

“Nice shooting!” The Doctor smiled back to Jenny as he kept Milos close by. He hadn’t seen it, but he knew that she had used her powers again, as he fled to safety with both of his new allies…

Deep inside a dark and lonesome chamber, a solitary figure was patiently awaiting news from the Capital. He was a Skaran lizard himself, but deformed, and confined to a mobile device, like a wheelchair…only his legs were not visible in the ridged, metallic structure.

He then heard the sound of a single Dalek entering the room. He pressed a few buttons on a console near his right hand, turning to its direction. The blue orb embedded in his head shined a bit, along with the metal wires wrapped around parts of his head. A small microphone, like one found on a headset, was strategically positioned near his mouth.

“Report…” He simply instructed the Dalek, his own voice having around the same level of distortion, only not quite as shrill and loud.

“GRAND PONTIFF EXTERMINATED…” The Dalek responded. “5 OTHER HIGH COUNCIL MEMBERS EXTERMINATED IN FIRST ATTACK AS WELL.”

The lizard cocked an eye ridge as he heard the last part. “Only 5? What happened to the other 3?”

“THEY ESCAPED THE FIRST ATTACK…WE HAVE ASSEMBLED PARTIES TO TRACK DOWN AND EXTERMINATE THEM.” The Dalek spoke, unflinching despite the earlier failure.

“Taking some initiative, I see…” The lizard smiled a little. “Very good…and what of the Aldeberan mammals?”

The Dalek responded once again. “WE HAVE CORNERED THEIR TRANSPORT IN DEEP SPACE…THE CAPTAIN OF THE VESSEL WISELY AGREED TO SURRENDER THEM.”

“Good…Good…” The lizard mused, even more pleased now. Before he could give any more orders, another Dalek suddenly entered the room, interrupting things.

“Unit 5471…” The Lizard growled a bit as he piloted his chair to the Dalek. “You had better have a good explanation for abandoning your patrol duties.”

“I BRING EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION FROM GAMMA SQUADRON…” The Dalek answered.

“What is it?” He inquired.

“GAMMA SQUADRON RETRIEVED IDENTIFICATION SCAN FROM DETROYED UNIT 2238…IT IS THE DOCTOR.”

“Doctor…” The lizard’s eyes widened greatly as he turned his chair once again, showing the Daleks his back. He looked to his left, then to his right as he stroked his chin with his right hand…he wasn’t sure whether he should be thrilled by this news, or frightened.

“Leave me…” He finally spoke to the Daleks, his back turned to them still. “Let me know when the Aldeberans have been returned to this planet in our custody.”

“IT SHALL BE DONE…” One of the Daleks answered, as they both left. The lizard was all alone once again, smiling as he remembered everything he had learned.

“Doctor…” He spoke to himself softly, in a delighted tone of voice now. “At last, we shall finally meet…”