The Doctor was ready to apologize to Chiaki, when Sparks speaks up, and then K'pandolu, and Lydia, and Duster. Jack smiles in that way as if he already knew what was going to happen. The Doctor's gaze sweeps over all of them, proud, impressed with what he's seeing. He breathes out. "Blimey. Awfully good team you've got yourself here, Jack."
The lights in the console room dim, as if the TARDIS herself is trying to help. "All of you, join hands," the Doctor indicates they should form a circle around him. "Breathe deep and relax. If you have any sort of psychic training or shielding please do what you can to open your mind. And close your eyes."
Instead of taking the hands of the two people on the ends, the Doctor lightly touches each person on the temple (Chiaki and Duster, by chance.) Strung across so many minds, the process is not painful at all, the burden is not so heavy. A slight rhythm passes through each of them, tap-tap, tap-tap, charging each of them to the others presence, tuning them all in the mentally to the same wavelength.
'Omega.'
The word- no, the name hums along that frequency, resonating within each of them, as a trigger to unlock the knowledge that the Doctor seeks. For suddenly, they all know that this is the name of the Time Lord who was able to unlock the secrets of the Untempered Schism, a gap in the fabric of time and space that lay next to the planet Gallifrey.
The knowledge they receive gets framed by everyone's individual perspectives. Was it the greatest scientific acheivement of all time? Was it a trick of magic? Was Omega truly a God like the stories say? But they each learn how it was done, harnessing an energy that is too big and vast for anyone to even contemplate, taming it and granting the people of Gallifrey mastery of time: truly letting them become Time Lords. But it was achieved by taking that energy and funneling it through something native to the planet. Without that- thing from Gallifrey (an accompanying word does not translate, but everyone receives a very odd image of growing coral), this knowledge can't be used to achieve time travel. Not on Crystallis. But the principle might just work for the Soul Divider.
Alongside all of this knowledge comes memories, feelings, and a warning. For Omega, himself, after he had granted such an incredible gift to his people, sought an even higher power. His greed and his ambition eventually destroyed him. And all throughout, all of this knowledge comes with a feeling of the deepest loneliness. It is never said in words, but they can all feel the truth that the Doctor is the last man who would be able to pass this knowledge on: it is the final gift of a lost civilization.
And now they are the last who would be able to take this knowledge to Crystallis.
no subject
The lights in the console room dim, as if the TARDIS herself is trying to help. "All of you, join hands," the Doctor indicates they should form a circle around him. "Breathe deep and relax. If you have any sort of psychic training or shielding please do what you can to open your mind. And close your eyes."
Instead of taking the hands of the two people on the ends, the Doctor lightly touches each person on the temple (Chiaki and Duster, by chance.) Strung across so many minds, the process is not painful at all, the burden is not so heavy. A slight rhythm passes through each of them, tap-tap, tap-tap, charging each of them to the others presence, tuning them all in the mentally to the same wavelength.
'Omega.'
The word- no, the name hums along that frequency, resonating within each of them, as a trigger to unlock the knowledge that the Doctor seeks. For suddenly, they all know that this is the name of the Time Lord who was able to unlock the secrets of the Untempered Schism, a gap in the fabric of time and space that lay next to the planet Gallifrey.
The knowledge they receive gets framed by everyone's individual perspectives. Was it the greatest scientific acheivement of all time? Was it a trick of magic? Was Omega truly a God like the stories say? But they each learn how it was done, harnessing an energy that is too big and vast for anyone to even contemplate, taming it and granting the people of Gallifrey mastery of time: truly letting them become Time Lords. But it was achieved by taking that energy and funneling it through something native to the planet. Without that- thing from Gallifrey (an accompanying word does not translate, but everyone receives a very odd image of growing coral), this knowledge can't be used to achieve time travel. Not on Crystallis. But the principle might just work for the Soul Divider.
Alongside all of this knowledge comes memories, feelings, and a warning. For Omega, himself, after he had granted such an incredible gift to his people, sought an even higher power. His greed and his ambition eventually destroyed him. And all throughout, all of this knowledge comes with a feeling of the deepest loneliness. It is never said in words, but they can all feel the truth that the Doctor is the last man who would be able to pass this knowledge on: it is the final gift of a lost civilization.
And now they are the last who would be able to take this knowledge to Crystallis.