The Doctor grins at Duster's proclamation that he won't abandon the people on Crystallis, itself. "Quite right, too! No sense in doing a job unless you're going to do it all the way. Save everyone, you said?" He shoots that grin at Sparks as well. "Now...Energy source..." those words start to strike an idea in the Doctor, and he looks thoughtful for a moment.
"The crystal is sort of the problem, but, well, Owen described it as almost an autoimmune response. We had an idea, though." In brief, Jack explains what Palitutu and Jade spoke of about the Soul Divider, what their plan has turned into, and the idea of funneling the broken part of Crystallis, through the Rift, through the Soul Divider, to attempt to make the planet whole again. Throughout it all, the Doctor's face remains contemplative, and only once Jack falls silent does he straighten up.
"There's a way I could help. It would be better if I were there-"
Jack shakes his head. "When we go back...I'm pretty sure this is a one-way trip, Doctor. And this world needs you."
The Doctor breathes out a sigh and ruffles his own already messy hair. His eyes scan over the faces of everyone with Jack. "Then I can offer a piece of Time Lord knowledge. If they were still around, they'd be veeeeery cross that I was even making this offer. But the Time Lords knew how to safely tap into a void, time travel was created by feeding off a gap in time and space. If you want to feed energy from one of those through something designed to clean and purify energy, then this might help."
The Doctor's face grows grave. "I can leave one of you with the knowledge, telepathically implant it. But I can't give it to Jack. He's too...." The Doctor pauses at the look on Jack's face, and he knows that he needs to choose his next word carefully or he's about to get punched. "...antithetical to what the Time Lords are. The knowledge wouldn't take."
"So it's got to be one of you. And I'm really sorry about that."
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"The crystal is sort of the problem, but, well, Owen described it as almost an autoimmune response. We had an idea, though." In brief, Jack explains what Palitutu and Jade spoke of about the Soul Divider, what their plan has turned into, and the idea of funneling the broken part of Crystallis, through the Rift, through the Soul Divider, to attempt to make the planet whole again. Throughout it all, the Doctor's face remains contemplative, and only once Jack falls silent does he straighten up.
"There's a way I could help. It would be better if I were there-"
Jack shakes his head. "When we go back...I'm pretty sure this is a one-way trip, Doctor. And this world needs you."
The Doctor breathes out a sigh and ruffles his own already messy hair. His eyes scan over the faces of everyone with Jack. "Then I can offer a piece of Time Lord knowledge. If they were still around, they'd be veeeeery cross that I was even making this offer. But the Time Lords knew how to safely tap into a void, time travel was created by feeding off a gap in time and space. If you want to feed energy from one of those through something designed to clean and purify energy, then this might help."
The Doctor's face grows grave. "I can leave one of you with the knowledge, telepathically implant it. But I can't give it to Jack. He's too...." The Doctor pauses at the look on Jack's face, and he knows that he needs to choose his next word carefully or he's about to get punched. "...antithetical to what the Time Lords are. The knowledge wouldn't take."
"So it's got to be one of you. And I'm really sorry about that."