A Meeting of Minds
Jamie found it just as hard to explain the Time Pirate to Nyssa as the Master had, she kept pointing out that he had only seen him once and refused to believe in his so-called strength. Her kindness just made Jamie want to bundle her in his arms and keep her from harm, her light perfume drifted over making him more determined, suddenly, to give it one last try to teach her.
“Aye, Nyssa, it may only have been just once bu’ I’m tellin’ ye, that once was enough.”
“I know he made you, walk the plank, is it?” Jamie nodded, “and he had a hankering for young women and drink but humans can do those things too!”
“Yes,” Jamie consented, “that is true bu’ - well,” she leaned forward eager for his words, those wide trusting eyes, “jus’ be careful, lassie, please!”
“Why do people think I cannot handle myself in front of this Pirate? Neither Dorothy nor Leela has met him before!”
With a sigh Jamie squeezed her arm and smiled: “I will warn them too, if it pleases you, my lady?”
Nyssa smiled back and followed him out of the room but she went to the Library - there she found Dorothy reading up on Pirates - the folklore surrounding them and note taking: “Seems like some of these people were considered heroes!” she said without looking up, “I bet teenage girls had their wanted posters in their bedroom walls!”
“What are wanted posters?” Nyssa asked sitting opposite her.
“In a certain period of history, when Earth had managed to get printing right and managed to copy likenesses of people and the people were cutthroats, thieves, scumbags and murderers - they made posters and plastered them all over the country with varying degrees of payment to the person who was brave enough to bring them to the sheriff or town Leader!”
“Oh,” Nyssa said, “so they were meant to bring justice?”
Dorothy snorted: “Yeah, or to settle grudges.”
“So, do they still exist?”
“Yeah but only hung up in Police Stations,” Dorothy said, “I’d like to work wiv them - I may hate authority but to be a bomb disposals expert sounds pretty cool!”
“Why do you hate your Elders?” Nyssa asked, “many of them only want your best interests at heart.”
Dorothy put the pen down and looked at the girl across her table: “There must have been people in your town you distrusted?”
“No, there was only one and he was just a Guard,” Nyssa sighed, “I could use my father as an excuse with him any time I wanted.”
“Was he scared of your dad?” Dorothy smiled.
“My father was the gentlest of men but he had Authority - he used his for the good though, would you have hated a man who doubled the portion for the poor?”
“No!” Dorothy said stoutly, “but they aren’t like that on Earth!”
“There must be some who are, you just have not come across them yet,” Nyssa leaned over and touched Dorothy’s hand, “or why do you not become Authority and use it for the good?”
Dorothy’s eyes lit up: “Kind of like the enemy within?”
“Yes!” Nyssa sighed, “my father hated his privileged position but he used it for the good.”
“You’re pretty cool, Nyssa,” Dorothy said, “I like that idea!”
“When you get back to your Doctor, let him show you your better self. That is what he is best at,” Nyssa got up. “I need some fresh air,” she said.
“I’ll come wiv you!” Dorothy immediately stood up.
“I promise to stay around the TARDIS area,” Nyssa said, “I am going to get showered and changed - you continue note taking.”
Once Nyssa left the library Ace glanced at the books, at her notes and something struck her as she picked out a particular picture. It made her shiver looking in those eyes, it may have looked like four cups of tea had been spilt on the paper and dried on a radiator but those eyes - they seemed to look right into her heart - pinpointing her desires, just by the picture alone Ace felt isolated. Suddenly, she found it difficult to move, not even being able to twitch her fingers. Come on, Ace! she thought, What would the Doctor do? Mind distraction, she scrunched up her face and decided to recite the 9x tables in her head and get as far as she could. Sweat was pouring down her face. Her cheeks and lips were turning blue. If the Master had not come in to see how she was getting on, Ace would have fallen on the floor and cracked her head open on a shelf. Quickly, the Master rushed to her and managed to catch her swooning body in his arms just in time. He carried her over to a nearby leather couch and laid her down for her to recover. Tutting, he walked over to where she was note taking and looked at the picture.
The Time Pirate! he growled before taking the paper and tearing it apart. Dorothy mumbled: “9 X 10 is 90!” the Master smiled, she was doing the right thing. “9 x 11 is 99” the youth Jamie walked in the Library, “9 x 12 is 108!”
“Wha’ happened to her?” he asked.
“She found a picture of the Time Pirate!”
“A picture?”
“A picture is worth a thousand words, Mr McCrimmon, and a likeness of the Time Pirate is all you need!”
“How are we suppose’ ter fight him if a wee portrait can do tha’ to her?”
“9 X 14 is 126!” Ace was gaining movement. Immediately the Master walked to the water cooler and put some in silver cup and brought it over to the distraught girl. “9 x 17 is 153!” her eyelids fluttered and she woke up, Jamie helped her sit up and sat one side of her whilst the Master the other side. Ace took the water and drank it greedily, water spurted out of her mouth and dribbled down her chin. “9 X 18 is 162! 9 x 19 is 171 and 9 x 20 is 180!” she was now back to herself.
“The Doctor teach you that?”
“Yeah, and I like Maths!”
“Not another one,” the Master muttered.
“All I can say is, it’s a good job Nyssa walked out of the room before I saw that picture!”
“Where is Nyssa?” the Master asked.
“Havin’ a shower, getting properly dressed, and she says she wants some fresh air!”
“How long ago was this?” the Master questioned.
“About ten minutes,” Ace said.
Thank goodness! the Master sighed. “I will protect her. Mr McCrimmon,” Jamie looked up, “you and Miss Leela are to walk out of the TARDIS in precisely ten minutes time and make sure you can see us at all times!”
“What about me?” Ace asked.
“You rest for awhile,” the Master said rubbing her back. “You need time to recover, wait about 15 minutes after Mr McCrimmon and Miss Leela have left then you arm yourself with anything you can find and wait amongst the flora where it meets the sand.”
“Right!”
“Are we in battle then?” Jamie asked.
“No, just a skirmish - I will keep Nyssa away from him!”
“You’ll need to!” Ace said. “I don’t want her going through that!”
Jamie helped Ace up and walked her chivalrously to her room. Ace thanked him with a kiss on the cheek: “Oh, nae need for tha’!” he sighed.
“I bet you would not have said that to Nyssa,” Ace sighed. She walked in her room and Jamie shook his head. The Master walked by and nodded at the young man.
“Where is Leela’s room?”
“Three doors down that way!” the Master said indicating a curve. “Mr McCrimmon,” he said, “how come you did not freeze in his presence?”
“Was I supposed to?”
“Let us just say that Ace’s reaction is more the norm!”
“He did take over my mind!”
“Yes, but you recovered pretty quickly.”
“Aye, well landing on top of a pretty young lassie like Miss Nyssa O’Traken is enough to snap any man out of a state of paralysis!”
A little smirk appeared on the Master’s face: “You like Nyssa, do you not?”
“How can any man no’?” Jamie replied.
The Master tilted his head to one side and looked at him, unfortunately he answered Nyssa’s description, though he was not exactly scientific, but then coming from his time in the Scottish Highlands he would not have even come across electricity yet! The industrial revolution was in its infancy. Everything else; though, was almost as Nyssa had set out. Also, he had youth on his side. Suddenly, the Master was more jealous than he cared to admit. That impromptu kiss he had shared with Nyssa stirred an emotion he had long since buried, he never thought he would feel the soft flesh of a woman again. Her perfume kept on intoxicating him.
Shaking his head the Master nodded to Jamie: “You have strategies to plan with your fellow warrior!”
“I do!” Jamie exclaimed giving the Master a funny look.
He walked past the Master and glanced him up and down. The Master grimaced then walked around the smooth curves of this hallway to Nyssa’s room. He heard her singing an ancient Traken rhyme. Her voice stilled his hearts as he remembered another beautiful maid singing that song - with a younger Tremas by her side as he rubbed her belly. He heard Nyssa sigh with sadness through the door. He wished he could see through her doorway.
The Master was relieved he did not have to wait for long as Nyssa appeared moments after he arrived.
“What are you wearing?” he asked her.
“It is rather hot out there!” she said.
“But - but - but!” the Master spluttered.
“I have rendered you speechless?” she said artlessly.
“Yes … no … sort of, what is wrong with your ordinary clothing?”
“I like this!” Nyssa said. “What is wrong with this attire, is it evil?”
The Master scrunched his eyes before pinching at the bridge of his nose: “No, Nyssa, the problem is not with the outfit it is what …”
“Is what?” Nyssa glanced down at what she was wearing with perplexity she interrupted. “It suits the temperature.”
Giving up the Master decided to actually look at what she was wearing. A red silk scarf wrapped around her head tied and clipped into the back of her hair, tassels hung down like a fringe on her forehead, a see-through white blouse with a drawstring corded tie, kept almost modest by an overbust red corset with black ribbon at the back and faux bronze front fastenings, her legs were covered by multi-layered white petticoat like skirts with red strappy quarter inch heeled sandals. The Master noticed she had even put makeup on, not that she had not worn make up before - the Master could not forget that ghastly blue eyeshadow she was forced to wear on her father’s wedding day. He was pleased this time she chose better colours.
Dark brown deepened the crease, with the lid covered in a rose gold shimmer with black eyeliner around the rims of her eyes and mascara. She had even put on a lipstick. Nice rose-red shade to match the corset. A light foundation covered her face and she highlighted her strong cheekbones with a peach coloured blush.
“Why the red, may I ask?” the Master sighed.
“It just seemed right,” Nyssa shrugged her shoulders, “I do not normally wear makeup, except possibly a bit of powder, and lipgloss - but I thought I would try it. Thankfully, Tegan wears it frequently, she is always touching up, so I copied her movements, I hope it looks fine?”
“For your third attempt, it is perfect!” the Master said, “what is your perfume may I ask?”
“One provided for me by the TARDIS - well, I guess it’s provided by the Time Lords,” Nyssa said, “it is more of a fragranced oil. It smells citric and fresh!” she held out her wrist and the Master took her hand and brought her wrist to his nose and inhaled it: “spring like!”
“A Gallifreyan Spring,” the Master smiled, “orange grasses waving amongst the dark wooded silver leafed trees!”
“Sounds beautiful,” Nyssa said. “Well, I am off to get some fresh air. Did you want anything in particular?”
“I am going to keep an eye on you!” the Master exclaimed. “The beam that sent the pup here would have had a tracking signal and the Time Pirate would know exactly what to do with that!”
“So, you think he is on his way?”
“Yes!”
Nyssa smiled: “I suppose we are getting along now.”
They had walked out of the TARDIS and the Master took her hand and decided that if they had physical contact she might be safe. They walked amongst the bracken and Nyssa found it hard to walk in the shoes she had chosen: “Perhaps the lace up booties would have been a better choice!” she muttered, “I just loved the white too much and did not wish to spoil it with…” she looked at the Master’s clothing.
“I’ve always worn black,” the Master said with a sardonic twist to the lips: “the look does suit you, by the way!” he said.
“You know, you’re much nicer without your TCE,” Nyssa said, as he was standing one side of a fallen Palm Tree, he helped her step on the trunk and put his hands on her waist helping her down, “without the Doctor to fight!”
“All this is just an act, Nyssa, you know that once the Time Lords stop using me to catch the criminal it would all go back to normal!”
They came across a mountain surrounded by dark green growth and crystal clear water shimmering blackly in the little sunlight that had reached there highlighting the perfect circular lake. “It is so calm here,” she sighed, “I could live here!”
“Nyssa,” the Master hitched up his trousers and sat on a damp, moss covered rock, “you do understand that when we bring the Time Pirate to justice it will all get back to normal!”
Nyssa sighed: “I do,” she answered, “but why?”
“What do you mean, why?”
“Why does that have to be normal?”
“I don’t get you?”
“You have shown compassion, kindness, you have shown that caring does not kill you with a deadly poison, so why does it have to go back? Why can you and the Doctor just grow up, shake hands, say sorry and be friends?”
“Would you accept my apology?” the Master asked.
“Yes!” Nyssa said truthfully.
She meant it, the Master sighed. How can anyone be so kind as her? “So, if I said, ‘I am sorry for destroying everything you have ever loved and owned!’ you would shake my hand and become my friend?”
“If I did not I would be representing my father poorly!”
Give me strength! the Master gritted his teeth, if she was this full of love and humanity with a broken heart … and her heart was still ripped to shreds … he just imagined what her love and humanity would have been like on Traken. She would probably have become the overall ruler and the people would have done anything to keep her alive to make sure they never had a change of ruler. In hindsight he should have got rid of Kassia in the silent of the night before she married Tremas and began to influence Nyssa instead!
It was calm here. Quiet, private and serene. Serenity bothered the Master. The privacy did not!
The Master walked up to where Nyssa was perched admiring the view on an obliging branch of a different type of tree, probably indigenous to the Planet. Tenderly he placed a hand on the small of her back: “I kissed you, you do understand that?”
“I was there,” she sighed gazing up at him, the sound of the waterfall was overtaking their senses. It was making them both feel giddy.
“Why did you not…”
“Complain?” the Master nodded, “I was surprised but I was swept up in the moment too, I suppose.”
“Was I your first?”
“No, a boy kissed me when I was 13 - it was sloppy and a bit sickening.”
“What did your father do when he found out?”
“Had a word with his parents and he was promptly told not to do that again until we were all much older.”
“Did you like the boy?” somehow, during their chat their faces had come closer, their voices hushed, Nyssa felt a strange tingle on her lips and in her belly.
“No!” she whispered.
The Master’s lips were not even a finger’s width from hers when there was a rumbling through the foliage. The Master immediately took Nyssa’s hand and they dashed through the jungle and, when the Master knew they would not reach the TARDIS in time, he pushed her down on the floor and told her to stay put. Nyssa nodded and covered her ears to the ear choking sounds crackling around her. Moments later she saw Jamie and Leela join the Master’s side: “Where’s Warrior Nyssa?” Leela asked.
“Safe!” was all the Master replied.
“Where’s the other one, Dorothy?” Jamie asked.
“I sent her to the beach with instructions to be armed and to distract any newcomers!” the Master said.
The breeze whipped up around them and all stared up into the sky as a Pirate Ship began to materialise right in front of them.
“What’s that?” Leela yelled trying to keep her hair out of her face.
“His TARDIS!” The Master shouted above the wind and the noise.
“What does it mean?”
“His TARDIS takes the model of an Earth Folkloric Pirate Ship!” The Master yelled back.
Nyssa, he thought. He felt something wrap around his leg, he looked down and, he bent down and turned his head and saw Nyssa’s eyes widen in fear of how black it looked in the bows, the figurehead twisted and gnarly like a Mermaid who had grown too old and thought too many evil things in her time. The sails billowed. The ship landed right in the middle of the jungle.
Jamie shielded his eyes and told Leela to do the same. He hugged her and they buried their faces within each other’s necks. The Master told Nyssa to wrap the scarf she was wearing around her own eyes: “Just remember what I did to Kassia,” he said as quietly as he could.
Nodding Nyssa wrapped the scarf tight over her eyes. Smiling a little the Master covered her with scattered leaves. He stood up and noticed a man stand on the top deck, silhouetted by the Sun. Hair flowing in the wind, hand to the hilt of his sonic sword, his other held onto the rail of the steps that led down to the middle deck.
Once it had finished materialising he took a rope and swung down and double somersaulted in the air and landed, like a cat - on his feet. The Master stepped forward.
“So, the Time Lords have sent you to trap me?” the Time Pirate grinned. His glance rested on Jamie, “and you were an Agent of Influence,” he tilted his head, the lyrical quality of his dark voice almost made Leela’s heart skip a beat but she was stronger than that. “I believe I have something of yours!” the Time Pirate clicked his fingers and Glax showed up with a struggling very red faced and angry teenager. Glax pushed her hard on the floor and put a stinking foot on her back.
“What do you want?” the Master asked. “What have I possibly got to give you?”
“Oh you know I don’t work like that!” the beard was what got the Master. Heart shaped.
“Scumbags!” Ace said spitting mud out of her mouth.
“That’s enough out of you!” Glax growled pointing a knife at Ace’s neck. Seeing this Leela quickly threw a stone in a sling and deflected the knife out of the alien’s grip! “Oh, looky wooky, a girly wirly wants a fighty wighty does she?” he grinned, “oh sister dear!” here Firsha stepped out from behind Leela and wrapped her arm around the warrior’s throat. Jamie did not know which one to protect.
“That is cheating!” the Master snarled.
“The charlatan accuses me of being a mounteback!” the Time Pirate sniggered a little. “Let’s see, an Earth Teenager with temper issues, a Warrior descended from the Human race, a boy in a skirt! Not like you to keep this sort of company, a shyster like you prefers to operate al…” he stopped in his tracks, the Master gulped as he caught a whiff of it too, the perfume. He should have told her to clean it off! “... one?” the bandit finished, “hmm,” he thought aloud walking to Ace, “no, she stinks of trashy teen body spray!” he sauntered up to a fierce and snarling Leela, “this one smells of earth and wood - almost likable but I fear you would eat me, wouldn’t you!”
Jamie shuffled to where the Master stood before. He had observed what was really going on: “Tha’s it!” he exclaimed. “Tha’s all on us!”
Rolling his stark blue eyes the Time Pirate shoved Jamie aside: “Creag an tuire!” he cried pushing out a knife but the Time Pirate used his telekinesis and turned the knife the other way making Jamie dodge it as the point landed in the trunk.
“Stay back!” the Master exclaimed rushing to the spot.
“What now?”
“Don’t you get it, I planted a bomb there. Move one step forward and you will be toast!”
“So why warn me?”
“Because it is not meant for you!” the Master said stepping around him to try and look him in the eyes.
“Then who is it meant for?” the Time Pirate asked.
“A Time Lady of my age who calls herself the RANI,” The Master said, “She’s as vicious as she is callous!”
“From what I heard of the RANI, it would take more than a bomb to blow her up!”
“Please, I beg of you, do not step on it. You see, it was made by my friend there whom you currently have underneath that repugnant creature’s foot, it is very temperamental!”
The Time Pirate gazed at the teenager still spitting out dirt and caught a whiff of perfume again. “I guess I will have to take the risk!” the Time Pirate grinned.
“No!” the Master exclaimed. “No. Please … “
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