<Celestia Andromeda>
"Are you ready, my lady?" Mirah asked, facing away from the woman he swore to protect with his life. His partner and fellow guard, Alme, stood beside him, having just surveyed the perimeter of the room and checked for any danger that could threaten or harm his lady.
The lady in question blindly searched for the silky material of her blindfold, a task that would be done in seconds if it weren't for her eyes being closed. The search for the blindfold caused her to end up at her vanity as she continued to search as she listened to a recording of the list of guests that were attending the event before finally feeling the soft material. She rubbed the material on her fingers before tying it around her eyes, pulling her further into darkness.
"Yes, I am ready." She announced as she stood from her chair. Her guards turned around once everything was in the clear. "Let's not keep them waiting." She said, giving them a playful smile before passing them.
The halls echoed with the light tapping from heels and the stomps of her guards, all those who passed them couldn't help but shield their eyes from them until they walked by; only then would they allow to take a peek at the woman who had the stars in the palms of her hands.
<Doctor and Rose>
The Doctor and Rose were led into a large room, where they found a few other guests mingling with each other and staff members serving food and drinks to the guests. They decided to stand near a column as they waited for more guest to arrive, though the Doctor heard many of the different species' attending chatting about how excited they were about one particular person who was rumored to be attending, as they could not help but gossip and anxiously watch the door for said guest.
"Hurry, now, thank you. Quick as we can. Come along, come along. And now, might I introduce the next honored guest? Representing the Forest of Cheam, we have trees, namely, Jabe, Lute and Coffa." The Steward said as he welcomed in the following guest, a barked skin woman and her two guards.
The Doctor and Rose stood silently as they observed the guest. The Doctor was already used to other species but for Rose, it was different as it was her first trip. She couldn't believe that she was actually seeing and meeting actual aliens.
"There will be an exchange of gifts representing peace. If you could keep the room circulating, thank you." The Steward informed aloud as more and more guests arrived and waited to be announced. "Next, from the solicitors Jolco and Jolco, we have the Moxx of Balhoon. And next, from Financial Family Seven, we have the Adherents of the Repeated Meme. The inventors of Hypo-slip Travel Systems, the brothers Hop Pyleen. Thank you. Cal Spark Plug. Mister and Mrs Pacoo. The Ambassadors from the City State of Binding Light." The Steward introduced loudly.
The Doctor and Rose were then joined by the barked skin woman and her two guards. Rose noticed that their skin was also wood bark.
"The Gift of Peace. I bring you a cutting of my Grandfather." Jabe said as she gave the Doctor a rooted twig in a small pot.
"Thank you. Yes, gifts" The Doctor thanked as he patted himself down, not finding anything to give to the woman as a gift. After patting his pockets again, he came up with an idea." Er, I give you in return air from my lungs." He said before breathing gently on Jabe.
Jabe not expecting such gift, took it in joyously. "How intimate." She flirted.
"There's more where that came from." The Doctor said, matching her flirtatious energy though it was clear in his eyes that he did not actually mean it. Jabe was pretty but the Doctor was not ready to open his hearts up to anyone at the moment.
"I bet there is." Jabe purred before leaving.
"From the Silver Devastation, the sponsor of the main event, please welcome the Face of Boe." The Steward announced as a large glass case barely makes it through the doorway. It contained a giant humanoid head with straggly hair and squinting eyes. Rose and the Doctor failed to notice the glances they were receiving from the Face of Boe, who wanted greatly to greet his friends but couldn't.
"The Moxx of Balhoon." The Doctor said, greeting him as the alien levitated to them from his chair.
"My felicitations on this historical happenstance. I give you the gift of bodily salivas." Moxx squeaks before spitting on Rose, who quickly rushes to wipe the spit off her face.
"Thank you very much." The Doctor said as Moxx left them.
"Ah! The Adherents of the Repeated Meme. I bring you air from my lungs." He said before breathing on them. One of the members of the black robed group simply extended their metal hand, showing the duo a metal ball.
"A gift of peace in all good faith." They announced before continuing their journey around, handing out more and more of their metal balls.
"With great honor, may I introduce The Great Star, Celestia Andromeda representing the planet, Strallex." The Steward said with pride as a young woman walked into the room, Rose almost believed she was human if it weren't for the gold markings on her skin. The woman had long wavy light blonde hair and wore a blindfold that covered her eyes, yet the woman looked around the room as if she could see. She was dressed in a gold dress that made her look like a princess; she even had a crown to match.
She was followed by her two guards, who looked around the room stonily, ready to protect this person no matter the cost. The two guards were widely different from the woman they were guarding, unlike Celestia, her two guards looked nowhere near human. They had deep blue skin with yellow lines wrapping around their arms and legs. along with scarves wrapping around their necks. They were dressed in multiple fabrics yet that did not sooth the people around them, if anything, it scared people even more; making Rose wonder what was underneath their clothes that scared the other guests so much.
The room seemed to buzz as many guests looked at her in awe, yet the woman and her guards walked further into the room, paying no attention to the other guests. Rose could have swore she saw a gold light around the woman but when she tried getting a better look, the light seemed to disappear. She shook her head, believing that it must have been the lights or just her imagination.
"Why is everyone so shocked by her?" Rose whispered to the Doctor, who was paying close attention to the young woman, who was making conversation with Jabe and her guards. He noticed the woman making quick yet precise hand movements before revealing something that caused Jabe to gasp and beam at her. Jabe seemed to be entranced by this woman, which caused a spike of interest to form in the Doctor, he was very tempted to see what they were doing.
"She holds the title 'Great Star', one that does not easily come to somebody, especially at her age. In other words, with that title she's like a princess to everyone. Plus, based on the planet he said she was representing, she is very influential, which means she's very, very wealthy." The Doctor shortly explained as he watches Celestia Andromeda walk over to more guests, giving them her present and making short conversations. He noticed that she spent very limited time with each guest, as though she was simply saying a quick hello before bouncing off. At least when a guest when up to them, they would stay for a few minutes and chat, but Celestia Andromeda was barely staying a second between each guest.
"Why is she wearing a blindfold?" Rose asked as she took in the woman apparel. Celestia dress seemed to shimmer as she glided and avoided bumping into the other guests. Her guards seemed to make sure to create some distance between her and the other guest though the woman would wave them off.
"It comes with the title." He said bluntly, noticing where the woman was heading too next. He straightens his back as she gracefully moved towards them. She finally made it to the duo, causing Rose to snap her mouth shut, preventing herself from asking anymore questions in Celestia's presences.
"Hello," Celestia said in an airy tone. "It is very nice to make your acquaintance. Please accept my gift." She then proceeded to hold out her hand. She waited patiently as Rose gave the Doctor a look of uncertainty while the Doctor gave her a small smile and a nod to go ahead. Rose gently placed her hand on Celestia, causing a small smile to break out on her face.
"What would you like to know.... Rose?" Celestia asked as she closed her eyes behind the blindfold.
"How do you know my name?" Rose questioned; her emotions heightened. She wanted to pull her hand back, but Celestia held her grip tighter.
"Do not worry, it is all part of the process. Though the Steward did announce your name earlier." Celestia admitted calmly. "Now, what would you like to know?"
"Can you see behind your blindfold? How are you able to move and know who's in front of you?" Rose asked curiously, not being able to help herself. Celestia giggled at the girls' questions, not expecting such questions about herself from the young human.
"My blindfold is just to shield my eyes, blocking those unfit to see them. "Celestia said in a tone that Rose could not tell if the woman in front of her was lying or not. "I can still move around freely without bumping into anyone by sensing those around me. I also have my guards to help me just in case." Celestia explained. "Now how about a question this time concerning yourself?" Celestia asked politely.
Rose thought for a bit before taking a short, deep breath. "Will I make it back home safely?" Rose asked.
Celestia hummed as she searched through Rose's stars and gave the girl a comforting squeeze before pulling her hand back. She had no trouble looking at some of Rose's stars yet there was something blocking her, almost as though time and space itself wanted to hide the fate of the human from her. She managed to hide her confusion before clasping her hands together and pulling slowly them apart revealing a show of miniature lights. Rose thought they looked like a spinning top of gold while the Doctor drew a closer look at them, trying to understand their meaning.
"Don't worry young one." Celestia said with a warm smile. "You will always be safe, no matter how hopeless life may seem or how difficult the obstacles are, you will always be safe and cared for." she reassured her.
Rose gave her a big smile, glad that her message was a happy one. Even though Rose had no idea what anything the woman did meant; it did relieve her that the process wasn't painful and that nothing bad was going to happen to her.
Celestia placed her hand out again, waiting patiently. The Doctor stared at her, not knowing what she wanted but he did take the opportunity to look her over; he had to admit that she was very pretty.
Rose nudged the Doctor. "I think she's waiting for you."
"Oh!" The Doctor said, playfully shocked though his eyes showed how cautious and distrusting he really was. "I'm alright." He said, leaving his hands on his sides. He did not want someone to have leverage over him or to know about things concerning him and his future.
The guards behind her glared at his refusal and were about to step up to him but Celestia held her hand up, stopping them. "That's quite alright." Celestia said, giving the Doctor a polite smile.
"In return for your generosity and kindness, I gift you the air from my lungs." He announced before breathing gently on Celestia's face. Celestia bit her lip, trying hard not to giggle at his action, before composing herself.
"What a charmer." She murmured quietly, giving the Doctor a flirtatious smile. "You can get in trouble for that." she teased the man.
"Oh, what's wrong with a little bit of trouble?" he teased back, enjoying the moment with the woman. There was something about her that was tempting, that made him what to talk and be more open around her, yet he knew that he was underserving of it.
Celestia bit her lip slightly before leaning a bit closer to the Doctor, motioning him to bend down slightly. He hesitantly followed her request, though not before shrugging at Rose's questioning stare.
She leaned up, her lips grazing his ear as she said, "You're awfully confident for a man with no invitation. Don't worry though, your secret is safe with me." The Doctor eyes widen in shock but before he could say anything, Celestia moved away from him and closer to her guards, who were now glaring at the Doctor with hatred and anger. The Doctor almost flinched by the strength of their glares but chose to ignore them and focus on Celestia.
"Thank you for your gift." She gave the duo a small curtsy before leaving them. Rose and the Doctor watched on, seeing how much people were enjoying having Celestia at the event and how so many of them wished to talk to her yet she continued to glide through out the room, so close yet so far from their grasps.
<Celestia Andromeda>
"They were not on the list." Mirah stated as Alme and he trailed behind Celestia, who turned to give him a playful smirk.
"No, they were not yet they were meant to be here." Celestia said as she turned her head to where the steward was. "The stars never lie."
"You should be focusing on finding a partner, not having fun. We are not here to have fun." Alme spoke, causing Celestia to roll her eyes behind her blindfold. They were way too serious and seemed to enjoy sucking all of the fun she had from events like these.
Celestia stopped in her tracks, hearing a familiar old Earth song being projected into her mind. She giggled, earning curious looks from her guards; who could not hear her dear friend's "theme song". She smiled, knowing who it was that was telepathically reaching out for her. "Oh, is that the Face of Boe?" Celestia asked, already knowing the answer. Without hesitation, she left her guards behind as she glided over to the Face of Boe's tank.
"Glad that you can join me, Princess." Boe said telepathically.
"Oh, my Boe," Celestia sent out as she looked at the Steward, who was preparing for the guest of honor to arrive. "You know how much I cannot resist you."
Finally, the guest of honor had arrived, causing Celestia to huff aloud; already dreading to hear the grating voice of the 'Last Human'.
"Be nice Princess." Boe warned playfully.
"When am I ever nice?" Celestia shot back, enjoying how easily Boe could make her ease up and lose all tension from her mind and body. She was glad to have a friend like him, even in hard times.
"Maybe I should torture you and make you my partner." She thought as she leaned against his tank.
"As much as I would love that" he thought back to her in heavy sarcasm, "sadly I miss certain criteria that would make it impossible. How about that man you were talking to earlier?" he asked, though already knowing what is to come.
"The man without an invitation?" Celestia thought more about the man. Even though she could not visually see, that did not mean she was not picky when it came to picking someone. Sure, his voice sounded nice, and he had a powerful yet mysterious aura around him, but he did not give her the opportunity to check his stars, so she was unsure about him and how well she could fit into it. Plus, Mirah and Alme would probably ship her back home before letting her get closer to him.
Celestia was going to say (well project) more to her dear friend but was interrupted by the Steward.
"And last but not least, our very special guest. Ladies and gentlemen, and trees and multiforms, consider the Earth below. In memory of this dying world, we call forth the last Human. The Lady Cassandra O'Brien Dot Delta Seventeen." The Steward announced loudly, causing a round of applause from the guest. Celestia just rolled her eyes behind her blindfold but did do small, light claps to keep up her image.
A face in a piece of thin skin stretched in a rectangular frame is wheeled in by two men hidden in top-to-toe hospital whites.
"Oh, now, don't stare. I know, I know it's shocking, isn't it? I've had my chin completely taken away and look at the difference. Look how thin I am. Thin and dainty. I don't look a day over two thousand. Moisturize me. Moisturize me." Cassandra said before commanding her attendants. One of her attendants uses a pump spray on the skin to moisturize her.
"Thank the stars, I cannot see." Celestia sent it out to Boe, who chuckled at her comment. "I am going to walk over to Jabe; I can feel Alme's glare from here and I do not want another lecture coming my way. I'll see you soon my Boe." She projected as she patted Boe's tank.
"I'll see you soon, my princess." He sent out to her. Celestia smirked, knowing the meaning behind his words. Celestia couldn't see Boe's timeline since she could not physically touch him yet she knew that the head knew a lot about her and her future; it was how he introduced himself when she met him all those years ago.
Celestia walked over to Jabe, who quickly welcomed the woman to her side. Alme and Mirah took their places net to Jabe guards as Celestia stared boredly at where Cassandra and her goons were, though was nudged by Jabe, who directed her to where the trio actually was.
"Truly, I am the last Human. My father was a Texan, my mother was from the Arctic Desert. They were born on the Earth and were the last to be buried in its soil. I have come to honor them and say goodbye. Oh, no tears, no tears. I'm sorry. But behold, I bring gifts. From Earth itself, the last remaining ostrich egg. Legend says it had a wingspan of fifty feet and blew fire from its nostrils. Or was that my third husband? Oh, no. Oh, don't laugh. I'll get laughter lines. And here, another rarity." Cassandra says as she shows off.
Celestia sighs, hating how she cannot see the gifts that everyone around her is fascinated by though she knew that whatever the flap of plastic skin was saying was mostly false.
"According to the archives, this was called an iPod. It stores classical music from humanity's greatest composers. Play on!" Cassandra says as one of the little attendants presses a button. An old Earth song starts playing, causing Celestia to bop her head to the beat. The Doctor notices from where he stood and bopped along with her, also enjoying the music.
"Refreshments will now be served. Earth Death in thirty minutes." The Stewards announces, encouraging the guest to interact and enjoy themselves. Celestia was about to offer Jabe a walk around the platform but was stopped when Jabe grabbed her hand. Celestia looked at her confused but followed her as Jabe guided her.
"Doctor?" Jabe asked before letting go of Celestia's hand. Celestia hears a sudden flash and assumed that Jabe took a picture of the Doctor. She waited for the tree to return to her side and Jabe rushes back to her.
"What's wrong?" Celestia asked Jabe, who looked down in her camera in confusion.
"It won't identify his species nor his race. Did you see anything when you shook his hand?" Jabe asked her as she continued to work on her camera.
Celestia furrowed her eyebrows. "No, he rejected my hand." Celestia admitted. "Though I did touch his companions' hand." And with that, Celestia did a few hand movements, showing Jabe the same lights that she conjured when Rose touched her hands. Celestia frowned at the girl's stars, it was if they were fighting back, not wanting her to read them.
"Identify species. Please identify species. Now stop it. Identify his race. Where's he from? It's impossible." Jabe said as she read the results.
"This is not possible." Celestia muttered as she searched through Rose's information. There was still something blocking her, yet she could access enough to know who he is, as the man was a key star in the young girl's life. They were destined to meet and travel together, Celestia was 100% sure of it. A human and a Time Lord, destined companions.
"Are you getting the same results as me?" Jabe asked the blonde, who instead of answering; rushed out the room. Her guards being stopped as a sudden rush of guest block their way.
Celestia ran, barely managing to not run into walls before hearing the announcements about a blue box that was parked at the private gallery. She took an educated guess, figuring out that the uninvited guest must have parked their teleportation device there.
Celestia took a deep breath before adjusting herself, running a hand through her hair before walking into the gallery. She calls out a few times before sighing, she must have missed them, or they haven't arrived yet. She stumbled as she felt the station shake and decided to return back to the event hall.
A hand immediately grabbed her and dragged her away from the entrance. "Where were you?" Mirah asked as he guided her to a corner once she arrived.
"Looking for answers." She responded as she pulled away from him, already fed up with everything. Jabe quickly noticed her arrival and grabbed her, pulling her away from her guards; who wanted to protest but stayed quiet.
"Thank you for that." Celestia said as Jabe moved her closer to her.
"You looked like you were going to explode. I understand how bad it came be, all the responsibility that is placed upon us is maddening." Jabe said. "How's the search going?" she asked.
"So far, no one seems like the right fit. It seems as though my parents are going to be the ones to pick." Celestia admitted bitterly, wishing she had a drink in her hand. She should have known as the others had their partners chosen for them, but she wanted to be the one who managed to find her own person. She didn't want a random person or a loveless partnership, she wanted the experience and building a connection with someone she wanted, not a person her parents wanted.
Jabe was about to say something before noticing a certain someone coming in as the room shook once again.
"That wasn't a gravity pocket. I know gravity pockets and they don't feel like that. What do you think, Jabe? Celestia? Listened to the engines. They've pitched up about thirty Hertz. That dodgy or what?" The Doctor asked them. Celestia looked in his direction as she thought of what could be happening.
"It's the sound of metal. It doesn't make any sense to me." Jabe said as Celestia hummed in agreement. She was not trained in engineering, and she could not see, she had no clue how he believed she may know what was occurring.
"Are you forgetting I am unable to see?" she asked him. The Doctor looked away; a bit embarrassed that he did indeed forget that she was not able to see. He wondered what she would look like without the blindfold, what color her eyes would be. Would they be brown and warm like Rose's or like chocolate? Or blue like his magnificent ship? Perhaps a light blue like the morning sky? Maybe they were hazel or gray.
"Where's the engine room?" The Doctor asked them, remembering what was happening before his thoughts began to wonder.
"I don't know, but the maintenance duct is just behind our guest suite, I could show you and your wife." Jabe said.
"She's not my wife/ She is not his wife." The Doctor and Celestia said at the same time. The Doctor looked at her suspiciously before turning back to Jabe.
"Partner?" the tree woman asked him.
"No." He quickly denied.
"Concubine?" Jabe continue to question the man.
He shook his head. "Nope."
"Prostitute?" Jabe asked, causing Celestia eyes to widen in shock.
"Jabe!" Celestia screeched quietly. "Go find Rose and apologize!" she demanded.
"Whatever I am, it must be invisible." Rose interrupted, causing Celestia to jump. She did not sense the human and was surprised that she managed to walk up to them without her knowing.
'I am really out of it.' Celestia thought before a thought crossed her mind. 'Or maybe there is something else going on. A test from the stars perhaps?'
"Do you mind? Tell you what, you three go and pollinate. I'm going to catch up with family. Quick word with Michael Jackson." Rose said as she walked away.
"Don't start a fight." He calls out to his companion before offering both of his arms to the ladies in front of him. Celestia stands clueless before the Doctor takes her hand and puts it on his arm. Celestia smiled at his action, enjoying the feel of his leather jacket.
'I don't think he realized that he just gave me his hand.' Celestia thought. She was tempted to investigate his stars yet stopped herself. It was rude for a woman in her position if he didn't know plus with how blocked Rose's stars were, she knew that the man's stars were probably unenterable.
"I'm all yours." He tells them.
"Charmer." Celestia teased.
"And I want you home by midnight." She heard Rose shout as she watches the trio leave.
They made it to the maintenance duct, where Jabe had let go of the Doctor to look ahead. Celestia held tight to the Doctor, who made sure to walk at a quick pace that she could match.
"Who's in charge of Platform One? Is there a Captain or what?" The Doctor asked her.
"There's just the Steward and the staff. All the rest is controlled by the metal mind. You would know if you were actually invited." Celestia answered as she used her free hand to feel the pipes and walls around them. She could tell that things were about to get worse as she pulled her fingers away from a pipe that was way too hot.
"You mean the computer? But who controls that?" The Doctor asked her, ignoring her light sarcasm at the end. Celestia looked up at him as he took a second to stop to stare down at her. He glanced at her parting lips, waiting for her answer. He would have looked into her eyes, but with the blindfold obscuring his view of her he settled for her lips, that was the only reason.
"The Corporation. They move Platform One from one artistic event to another." She informed him.
The Doctor furrowed his brows. "But there's no one from the Corporation on board."
Celestia motioned them to keep on moving with a tilt of her head. "They're not needed. This facility is purely automatic. It's the height of the Alpha class. Apparently, nothing can go wrong."
"Unsinkable?" He voiced.
Celestia giggled at his word choice before nodding. "If you like. The nautical metaphor is appropriate since we are on a spaceship."
"you're telling me. I was on board another ship once. They said that was unsinkable. I ended up clinging to an iceberg. It wasn't half cold. So, what you're saying is, if we get in trouble there's no one to help us out?" The Doctor asked as he thought about all the people on the ship.
Celestia winced, knowing what he was thinking. "I'm afraid not."
"Fantastic." He muttered.
"Isn't it?" Celestia agreed with the man, matching his sarcastic attitude.
"For someone as royal as you, I was not expecting such sarcasm." He said as he watched Celestia wipe her forehead. Celestia was quickly growing tired, and her feet were killing her. She wished she could take off her shoes but that would not be proper nor safe.
"Well, take that as a notion that I like you." Celestia smirked, knowing she caught the man off guard. The Doctor gave her a small smile, one that lasted just for a moment before he turned away from the blonde.
The duo finally caught up to Jabe, who was smirking at them. She liked how obvious it was that the Doctor enjoyed Celestia being near him, and that the woman had made no motion to look into his stars nor pull away told Jabe a lot. The oblivious couple continued to walk at the same pace as Jabe walked a bit faster than them.
"So tell me, Jabe, what's a tree like you doing in a place like this?" The Doctor asked.
"Respect for the Earth." Jabe responded as Celestia rolled her eyes, knowing the real reason. Jabe really came because of her family to boost their image but Celestia kept her mouth shut, as it was not her place. Jabe did not judge her for her reason, so she was not judging her for hers, plus with Jabe's gift question, Celestia knew the young bark skinned woman meant well.
"Oh, come on. Everyone on this platform's worth zillions." The Doctor said as they walked deeper into the maintenance hall.
"Zillion and a half." Celestia lightly joked. She was technically royalty, meaning that she was worth a lot of money. Plus, her title was nothing to sneeze at, with it she could probably start her own business but that wasn't in the stars for her. Her parents had much bigger plans for her.
"Well, perhaps it's a case of having to be seen at the right occasions." Jabe said as Celestia was reminded that she had many more events to attend after this one.
"In case your share prices drop? I know you lot. You've got massive forests everywhere, roots everywhere, and there's always money in land." The Doctor snarked.
"All the same, we respect the Earth as family. So many species evolved from that planet. Mankind is only one. I'm another. My ancestors were transplanted from the planet down below, and I'm a direct descendant of the tropical rainforest." Jabe told them.
"What about you 'Great Star'? What is a human doing representing Strallex." The Doctor questioned her. Jabe looked at them in shock, not knowing that the woman that was so highly regarded was a human. There was the odd gossip here and there, but it was never believable nor long lived, how did a human woman get such a blessing?
"So, you noticed." Celestia mused as she tilted her head. "I am just saying goodbye to my origin planet before it disappears forever, nothing wrong with that. Strallex royal family is alright with that as long as I go back to them."
The Doctor looked at her, becoming even more curious about the woman next to him. The tone and wording she used made it sound as though she was simply an object and not an actual living person.
"Excuse me." The Doctor says as he pulls away from Celestia, who lightly frowns at the loss of contact. He scans the door panel, facing away from the women.
"And what about your ancestry, Doctor? Perhaps you could tell a story or two. Perhaps a man only enjoys trouble when there's nothing else left. I scanned you earlier." Jabe admitted, causing the Doctor to freeze.
"I looked at Rose's stars," Celestia admitted as well. "I couldn't believe my eyes." Celestia rolled her eyes at her words. How ironic.
"The metal machine had trouble identifying your species. It refused to admit your existence. And even when it named you, I wouldn't believe it. But it was right. I know where you're from. Forgive me for intruding, but it's remarkable that you even exist. I just wanted to say how sorry I am." Jabe said as Celestia and her moved closer to the Doctor. Celestia wrapped an arm around the man, who froze at the contact. He slowly wrapped an arm around her, accepting her embrace, as Jabe patted his back. Celestia could feel the tears dripping down his face as it landed on her though she made no attempt to move away, instead squeezing the man tighter. To let him know that it was alright.
After that moment, they all entered the room the Doctor scanned. The continued to walk till Celestia started hearing the sounds of heavy fans.
"Is it me, or is it a bit nippy? Fair do's, though, that's a great bit of air conditioning. Sort of nice and old-fashioned. Bet they call it retro." The Doctor said before scanning another panel.
"Gotcha." He says as Celestia curses the fact she cannot see what he found. She desperately needed to find a partner so that she could freely see. She deeply missed her younger years, being able to see all the colors and beauty of the world around her. She hated being in the dark but it was the price to pay for the stars.
"What the hell's that?" The Doctor questioned.
"No clue, can't see." Celestia muttered.
"Is it part of the retro?" Jabe asked, ignoring the blonde's words.
"I don't think so. Hold on." The Doctor says. Celestia feels a whoosh go by her.
"Hey, nice liana." The Doctor complimented Jabe.
"I wish I could see it." Celestia pouted.
"Thank you. We're not supposed to show them in public." Jabe announced shyly.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anybody, and she didn't even see it. Now then, who's been bringing their pets on board?" The Doctor questioned.
"What does it do?" Celestia asked.
"Sabotage." He said darkly.
"Earth Death in ten minutes." The computer robotic voice rang out.
"And the temperature's about to rocket. Come on." The Doctor told them before grabbing Celestia's hand and pulling her to the direction of the steward's office.
Celestia could smell the smoke from the room halls away, which caused her to increase her speed. She was pulled back when they finally arrived, almost bumping into some of the staff; smelling something deeper in the smoke, almost as though someone was burning meat.
"Hold on. Get back." The Doctor said as he scanned a small panel.
"Sun filter rising. Sun filter rising." The computer voice repeated.
"Is the Steward in there?!" Jabe asked, alarm.
"You can smell him." Celestia motioned around at the fumes that were leaking into the hall. "Charred meat." she muttered to herself.
"Hold on, there's another sun filter programmed to descend." The Doctor said before running away.
"We need to go back to the Observation gallery." Celestia told Jabe, who nodded before guiding the woman back. Celestia didn't need to see to know how worried the guests were becoming and she worried for those who could not handle the heat rising.
"The metal machine confirms. The spider devices have infiltrated the whole of Platform One." Jabe informed everyone.
"How's that possible? Our private rooms are protected by a code wall. Moisturise me, moisturise me." Cassandra demands.
"Summon the Steward." Moxx ordered.
"I'm afraid the Steward is dead." Celestia informed them.
"Who killed him?" Cassandra asked aloud. Before Celestia could say anything, Cassandra opened her mouth. "This whole event was sponsored by the Face of Boe. He invited us. Talk to the Face. Talk to the Face." she accused, causing Celestia to roll her eyes.
"Cassandra please, you sound better with your mouth closed." Celestia said, hoping for the skin to shut up. "Also, Boe would never do this, you though..."
"Easy way of finding out. Someone bought their little pet on board. Let's send him back to master." The Doctor said as he walked into the room. The Doctor puts down the spider that Jabe was scanning, and it scuttles off to Cassandra and scans her, then goes to the black gowned group.
"The Adherents of the Repeated Meme. J'accuse!" Cassandra called out.
"Did you not just accused the Face of Boe? You are quick to make such allegations." Celestia mused as she tilted her head. All the guests looked at Cassandra, who nervously looked around.
"Well, they went over to them!" Cassandra called out nervously.
"That's all very well, and really kind of obvious, but if you stop and think about it." The Doctor goes over to the Adherants. Their leader tries to hit him, so he pulls of its arm.
"A Repeated Meme is just an idea. And that's all they are, an idea." He informed them before he pulls one of the wires dangling from the arm, and the Adherants all collapse.
"Remote controlled Droids. Nice little cover for the real troublemaker. Go on, Jimbo. Go home." He said as he gives the spider a nudge, and it returns to Cassandra.
"I bet you were the school swot and never got kissed. At arms!" Cassandra demanded as her attendants raise their spray guns.
"What are you going to do, moisturize me?" The Doctor asked sarcastically.
"With acid. Oh, you're too late, anyway. My spiders have control of the mainframe. Oh, you all carried them as gifts, tax free, past every code wall. I'm not just as pretty face." Cassandra sneered proudly.
Celestia placed her hands on her hips. "Don't you mean you used to be a pretty face?" she asked Cassandra sarcastically before continuing, "You're just a flap of skin with a mouth and eyes. Do you honestly believe that you will make it out of here alive?" Before Cassandra could respond, Celestia audibly scoffed. "You are so infuriating, what a bitchy trampoline you are." she said, surprising Cassandra and the other guests with her language.
Celestia could feel her guards hover behind her, ready to pull her away and protect her but Celestia moved closer to the Doctor instead. She knew that she should be more professional but given then situation, all rules were out the door.
"Sabotaging a ship while you're still inside it? How stupid's that?" Jabe joined in.
"I'd hoped to manufacture a hostage situation with myself as one of the victims. The compensation would have been enormous." Cassandra said.
Celestia rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms. "Surprise, surprise." She mumbled to herself.
"Five billion years and it still comes down to money." The Doctor spat.
"Do you think it's cheap, looking like this? Flatness costs a fortune. I am the last human, Doctor. Me. Not that freaky little kid of yours." Cassandra said bitterly.
"Arrest her!" Celestia ordered her guards to come forward. Alme and Mirah stepped in front of Celestia, prepared to unwrap their scarves when Cassandra's attendants pointed their weapons at them, prepared to fire at command. They wouldn't have enough time to attack before being sprayed with acid and they couldn't just leave Celestia unprotected.
"Oh, shut it, you fake princess. I've still got my final option." Cassandra said.
"Earth Death in three minutes." The computer announced.
"And here it comes. You're just as useful dead, all of you. I have shares in your rival companies, and they'll triple in price as soon as you're dead. My spiders are primed and ready to destroy the safety systems. How did that old Earth song go? Burn, baby, burn." Cassandra revealed smugly.
"Then you'll burn with us." Jabe said, stepping forward.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I know the use of teleportation is strictly forbidden, but I'm such a naughty thing. Spiders, activate." Cassandra said as there is a series of explosions through the Platform." Forcefields gone with the planet about to explode. At least it'll be quick. Just like my fifth husband. Oh, shame on me."
"You are disgusting. You will never get away with this you bitch." Celestia yelled, taking a step forward towards Cassandra's voice but before her guards could stop her, the Doctor pulled her back to him.
"Bye, bye, darlings. Bye, bye, my darlings." Cassandra said as she and her attendants beam out.
"Heat levels rising." The computer informed them.
"Reset the computer." Moxx said from the worried and afraid crowed.
"Only the Steward would know how." Jabe informed them.
"No. We can do it by hand. There must be a system restore switch. Celestia, Jabe, come on. You lot, just chill." The Doctor said before racing out with the two in toe. Celestia began to fall back, which the Doctor quickly noticed. He grabbed a hold of one her hands and connected them, letting himself guide her through the halls. Celestia could feel her cheeks heat up, which she quickly excused it to be because of the temperature rising.
Alme and Mirah tried to follow them but were stopped by Jabe guards. The trio raced to the engine room, Celestia almost out of breath as she continued being dragged by the Doctor.
"Heat levels critical." The voice intercom repeated.
"Oh. And guess where the switch is." The Doctor muttered. The Doctor pulls a breaker lever and the fans slow a little, but it resets as soon as he lets go of it.
"External temperature five thousand degrees." The voice intercom informs them.
Jabe pulls the breaker and holds it down, struggling to maintain it as her hands began to heat up.
"You can't. The heat's going to vent through this place." The Doctor says but it doesn't stop her.
"I know." Jabe said as she continued to press down.
"Jabe, you're made of wood." The Doctor pleaded to her, wishing that she wouldn't sacrifice herself for him but he did need someone to hold down the lever.
"That is why she is going to go back, and I'll stay here." Celestia said as she removed Jabe hands from the lever and pulls it down herself.
"I can do it!" Jabe insisted though she knew that she would not last long.
"Jabe!" Celestia shouted, causing the barked skin girl to jump. "You have to go back. You have to tell them before it's too late." Celestia patted her dress down before finding her pocket, she handed the barked skin woman her communication device and urged the woman to leave. Jabe gave them one last look before leaving.
"You will get hurt." The Doctor said to the woman who smiled brightly at him.
"Oh definitely!" She said as her smile now seemed to become strained. "Now stop wasting time, Time Lord." She said with a smirk. The Doctor smiled at her before running to the button.
Celestia focused on the constant alarms of the computer, hoping that if she focused on that then she would be able to ignore the pain from her hands. Her idea was quickly proving to not work as the smell of burning flesh was making itself very known to her. She bit down her lip, hoping to hide her screams so that the Doctor could focus on the task at hand. The blindfold around her eyes loosened as she struggled not to pull away from the level before soon becoming undone.
"Planet explodes in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four." The computer says as Celestia opens her eyes, shocked to see the dark and barely lit room around her before looking around for her blindfold. She sees the back of the Doctor, standing before the last fan. She sees him walk past it and she took a breath of relief before quickly closing her eyes. Once she was done, she needed to get her blindfold back on.
"Raise shields!" The Doctor ordered as Celestia crouches down in pain, finally being able to let go of the lever.
"Exoglass repair." The computer says. Celestia feels the effect immediately as the room starts becoming cooler. The Doctor turns to smile and congratulate the girl but frowns when he notices the state she was in.
"Are you alright?" The Doctor asked, rushing over and crouching down next to the blonde.
"I am alright." Celestia said to him, though the Doctor could see that her calm tone was wavering from the pain. The Doctor glanced her over till he looked down to see Celestia hands were bright red and severely damaged.
The Doctor sighed at the poor girl, feeling bad at the damage done to her. "You're clearly not fine." He said as he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and gently grabbed her hand. He carefully scanned her hands, winching at how badly damaged they were.
Celestia, not expecting such action, instinctively turned to face him and opened her eyes at the pain from him touching her hand. The Doctor looked up and froze at the sight of her almost white eyes, though on closer examination, he found out that they were a very light, almost pale blue. Celestia quickly looked down, failing to register that she and the Doctor locked eyes for a split second and that they were still touching.
She was instead panicking as she looked down at her red blistering hands and constant thoughts of how angry her parents were going to be once they saw the state of her hands. No one seemed to notice how the golden lines on her body seemed to vanish, almost as though they had never been there in the first place. The only sign that they were once there was a gold hue that seemed to resonate within Celestia before returning her skin back to normal.
"They're gorgeous." He breathlessly said before looking down, focusing his attention back on her hands and trying to ignore the heat that was building up inside him, though his ears were now a bright red.
"What are?" she asked absentmindedly, looking down at her hands and trying to figure out what she could do to heal them. She was silently panicking as she looked over the damage. It was going to be hell trying to hide her injuries from her guards and her parents, she probably lost some value from this injury but at least she was alive, she was still useful. Maybe she could be the first ever Great Star to not use her hands, she thought to herself, desperately wishing that the stars could just take her now.
"Your eyes." Celestia froze at his words. She had failed to remember to keep her eyes closed when she was facing the Doctor. She cursed at herself before taking the opportunity to look at his face. She had to admit he was handsome, more than she previously guessed.
The Doctor, failing to notice her frozen state, used some of his regeneration energy on the girl, healing her hands and causing her heart to skip a beat as she felt the warmth of both his hands and energy come over her. She stared at the golden energy before realizing the state of her arms; no more golden lines, she was now partnered with the Doctor.
"There we go. All better now." He said, giving her a small smile before standing up. He saw the girls' blindfold on the floor and gave it to the girl, who silently accepted it yet did not put it on. Celestia wrapped the material around her wrist before noticing the Doctor's hand. She looked up, this time taking the time to look him over (as she failed not too earlier) and made a note of his fashion tastes. She gently accepted his hand and stood up.
"Thank you." She muttered shyly before walking out of the engine room. She had to tell her guards the news, yet she stopped once she saw the smoking remains that she knew belonged to Jabe. She bent down and got her communicative device from the pile and checked the messages. She saw that Jabe was not able to send her last message and pressed sent before putting the device in her pocket. The Doctor walked beside her and was about to ask her why she stopped before he too noticed. His expression darkened before he grabbed her hand, leading her back to the observation gallery. Once they arrived, Celestia ignored her guards (who looked at her in shock as they saw her sudden change in appearance) and walked over to Jabe guards.
"I'm sorry." She said to them. They didn't even have to ask; they knew what she had meant. She handed them her communication device and showed them Jabe's last message before leaving them to mourn.
Celestia then walked back to the Doctor side as Rose entered the gallery and looked around the room, noticing the damage that had occurred. Moxx had also passed away from the heat and light that shined through, another friend lost. Celestia walked over to his floating carrier, turning it off and gently setting it down. She pressed the buttons on the left side of the arm rest and sent out a message to his family, telling them the news before the press got a hold of it. She then walked back to the Doctors side, noticing a storm in his eyes.
Rose quickly took notice of Celestia eyes and looked down to see the blindfold on the woman's wrist, along with the missing golden lines that no longer wrapped around her body and skin. Rose sent Celestia a confused look as Celestia observed Rose. Celestia felt a sense of familiarity rush through her, for just a moment two words entered her minds before disappearing with a jolt of pain, but she ignored it as there was bigger things to worry about.
"You all right?" Rose asked, noticing the fury behind their eyes. The Doctor's eyes were of a blazing storm while Celestia eyes were more like a wild beast waiting to attack.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm full of ideas, I'm bristling with them. Idea number one, teleportation through five thousand degrees needs some kind of feed. Idea number two, this feed must be hidden nearby." The Doctor said angrily as he smashes open the alleged ostrich egg to reveal a small device.
"Idea number three, if you're as clever as me, then a teleportation feed can be reversed." He says as he reverses it.
"Oh, you should have seen their little alien faces." Cassandra says as she is beamed back. She lets out a tiny oh as she realizes that she had returned and the position she was now in.
Celestia waved with false enthusiasm at Cassandra. "Welcome back!" she said in a false, sugary tone before glaring harshly at her.
"The last human." The Doctor says bitterly.
"So, you passed my little test. Bravo. This makes you eligible to join, er, the Human Club." She says, her eyes shifting in worry.
"People have died, Cassandra. You murdered them." Celestia says, her eyes blazing with anger. She clenches her fists but stops once the Doctor interlocks their hands together, calming her down enough to straighten herself out.
Cassandra buts in. "It depends on your definition of people, and that's enough of a technicality to keep your lawyers dizzy for centuries. Take me to court, then, Doctor, and watch me smile and cry and flutter."
"And creak?" Celestia cuts in innocently, seeing how dry the talking skin was becoming.
"And what?" Cassandra says in confusion.
"Creak. You're creaking." The Doctor informed her.
"What? Ah! I'm drying out! Oh, sweet heavens. Moisturise me, moisturise me! Where are my surgeons? My lovely boys! It's too hot!" Cassandra begged.
"You raised the temperature sweetheart." Celestia taunted her.
"Have pity! Moisturize me! Oh, oh, Doctor. I'm sorry. I'll do anything." She begged.
"Help her." Rose asked them yet the Doctor and Celestia did not move.
"Everything has its time and everything dies." Celestia told her as she kept her eyes on Cassandra.
"I'm too young!" Cassandra shouted before dying, her flesh being pulled apart and flying everywhere.
Rose left to go to the gallery, leaving the Doctor to think about the events that had just occurred. Celestia was able to convince her guards to prepare her things for their departure as she took the opportunity to speak with the Doctor.
"I am sorry I couldn't be of much help." Celestia said as she stood beside the man. The Doctor turned his head to give her a look, his anger building.
"Why didn't you stop this? Moxx and Jabe died! You could have prevented this." He said angrily.
"I cannot prevent someone from dying once I see it in their stars." Celestia said as she tried to avoid the Time Lord's eyes.
"Stars? Stars! That is your excuse?!" He shouted.
"It is not an excuse!" Celestia shouted back. "The stars have seen the life and death of every person and species imaginable if I change that the whole galaxy could have ended. Their death was a fixed point once I looked at their stars, if I tried to save them while knowing their fate; we would have all died or worst." Celestia revealed as tears fell down.
The Doctor eyes widen before they soften, he didn't know.
"Do you know what Jabe asked me when I looked at her stars? She wanted to know if her parents were proud of her. She felt unfit stepping up and taking charge by attending this event and I told her that she didn't need to worry. I hope I gave her enough time to say a proper goodbye to them." Celestia said as she wiped away her tears. "I told her that her parents will talk proudly about their daughter. That she will be regarded highly, even when she is gone. Jabe knew what she was getting herself into."
"I'm sorry." He told her, grabbing her hands and rubbing them softly with his thumb.
"It's alright." Celestia muttered. "You didn't know."
"What are you going to do now?" The Doctor asked after a moment of silence.
"Well, I have many more events but due to what happened, I'll probably be forced into isolation till everything cools down." she says as she looked out the window of the observation deck. She enjoyed actually being able to see the stars and how brightly they shone yet she knew that she would have to pretend to be blind once she got back. There was no way that the Doctor would-
"You could come with me." He said before realizing how he sounded. He just wanted to bring her with him; he knew how harsh the Citizens of Strallex were and he did not want Celestia to suffer because of Cassandra's evil plan. Plus, he had to admit that she was smart, witty and beautiful; it wouldn't hurt bringing her along on his travels.
"I mean do you want to come with me and Rose?" The Doctor asked nonchalantly, as though it was a question he asked everyone, but his eyes gave away how nervous and hopeful he was for her answer.
"Are you serious?" Celestia turned to face him, a feeling of excitement surging through her.
The Doctor nodded. "If that's what you want. I wouldn't mind it and I know Rose wouldn't either."
Before Celestia could say anything, her guards arrived at the deck, beckoning her to follow them.
"This is me." Celestia muttered softly. She stepped up to the Doctor and placed a gently kiss on his cheek, caressing it as she pulled away. "I would have loved traveling with you." Celestia admitted as she stared deeply into his eyes.
Celestia stepped away from him and walked to her guards.
"We informed your parents about what had occurred, they will be waiting for us at gallery 13. They lifted the teleportation rule so that everyone could peacefully leave. No one wants to stay long because of what happened." Mirah informed her as they walked to the gallery.
Celestia paused. It felt as though the air had just left her body; she couldn't breathe yet she feared that this was it for her. There was no reason for her to continue now that all she was supposed to have had now slipped through her fingers. One last idea popped inside her head.
"Is there any possible way I can say one more final goodbye to Boe? He should still be in his room." Celestia lied as she stepped back from her guards. They shot her a look before going to follow her.
"No, no." She said, holding her arms out to stop them. "I can do it myself. It would only take a second." Before they could say anything, she raced to the gallery where the Doctor and Rose were at.
"Is it too late to say yes?" She asked out of breath. She quickly looked up, a bright smile on her face, and noticed no one was there, she had missed them. She quickly lost her smile and sat down on the steps near here.
'I should write a book, 'How to gain and lose a partner in one day'.' Celestia thought as she starred out the big window in front of her.
'I don't think it would sell well.' A familiar deep voice rang out in her head.
Celestia turned around to see the Face of Boe and one of his assistants rolling him into the gallery. Celestia gave him a small smile before walking over to them. Celestia eyes quickly scanned the woman, who was very pretty; her shoulder length brown hair matched nicely with her big brown eyes. The woman seemed a bit upset at Celestia clueless expression but quickly adjusted herself.
"What are you doing here, my dear Boe?" She asked aloud, glancing and nodding at the assistant beside Boe's tank, Celestia thought that she was very familiar yet could not place where she had seen this woman. She looked down to see the assistant holding a box and tilted her head, wondering what was inside.
'A nice little surprise for my princess.' Boe mentally said to her .
"You didn't have to do that." Celestia said as she held her hand out. The assistant gave her the box before stopping right in front of the door. The assistant glanced back and quietly whispered, "Run you fantastic girl and remember me." And with that, she was gone.
Celestia turned her head to the door, a confused look passing her by, before she looked back at the Face of Boe.
"You know this is the first time I can actually see what you look like." Celestia said as she peaked into the box. "You never told me that you were this handsome." she teased.
'Didn't I?' Boe said nonchalantly.
"I am offended. We could have been partners if you told me how handsome you were, I would have fought for it." She said before focusing back on what was in the box. She quickly looked back up in shock. "You did not!" She quickly put on the object that was in the box, it was a vortex manipulator.
'Surprise. I am guessing you like it?'
"Like it, I love it!" Celestia said as she awkwardly hugged the tank. She quickly separated before looking dejected. "The only problem is that I don't know where they are."
If Boe could have smacked her head, he would have. 'You still have time. Look at Rose's stars, find them. And hurry, your guards are already on their way. It only has enough power for one trip, just one.'
Celestia quickly looked through the blonde's stars and inputted the destination results.
"I just want to thank you. For everything." Celestia said, giving Boe a huge smile. "I'll try to visit you when I can."
'Do not worry.' Boe said calmly. 'We will see each other soon, now go my princess.'
Celestia gave Boe one last smile before leaving, the only thing being left behind was her blindfold. Boe let out a heavy sigh before telepathically moving his tank, not even needing the help of anyone to leave the gallery.