Lady Justice: A Time Lady Reborn

"Daniel, good to see you again, love." Justice greeted him with a kiss.

"You too, Justice." He embraced Alanah and gave her a kiss as well. "I'm so happy to see you both. Well, this is everybody, I think." Daniel turned to Groon. "Alright, lead them in."

The giant man stared at him quizzically. "In where? You promised them a ship."

Daniel smiled. "It's finally time to start trusting me, Groon. Melissa, Dana, go ahead. The two women pensively walked toward the tiny escape pod, and disappeared into its vastness.

Groon curiously peeked inside, before he made a startled retreat. "No fucking way!"

Daniel laughed and slapped him on the back. "Everybody! Come on!"

Daniel entered the TARDIS, and witnessed a thousand slaves passing through the entrance with marveled expressions on their face. The ship had enough room for a thousand times more. The once lonely confines of Justice's ship echoed with the voices and clamoring of an entire community.

***

***

***

Chapter Eighteen

***

It took several hours to get all of the slaves stowed. The TARDIS was equipped with several large dormitories. Daniel knew little of Lady Justice's people, but she had talked about their destruction briefly. Daniel suspected a ship this powerful would have been designed with warfare in mind. There was ample space to support an army, but Daniel hoped that they could avoid a fight.

Daniel had explained his ruse with the orbiting starships to Justice. She had been delighted with his ingenuity.

"Daniel. I am incredibly proud of you. You have done more today than I could have done in a lifetime. These people will remember this moment forever. Their grandchildren will know your name. I love you so much." Justice gave him a long, awkward kiss as Alanah watched. She answered with a loving kiss of her own. Daniel was blushing from all the admiration.

Daniel's captains had remained in the control room, and he ushered Alanah and Justice over to meet them. Groon, Dana, and Melissa, along with several of Groon's men all greeted them warmly.

"Incredible! A Cheetaron! Daniel, how on Earth did you manage to find one? These creatures are nearly extinct!" Justice exclaimed, as she marveled at the furry orange woman standing next to Daniel.

"Justice, this is Dana. She is a very good friend of mine. She and a dozen of her kind were being held in the dungeons of the Academy."

Dana sniffed Justice suspiciously. Her head suddenly jerked upward with recognition, as she stared with terrified reverence at the Time Lady. She dropped to her knees in submission.

"Yes dear, you remember, don't you." Justice reached down to pet the animal's head, which set it purring. "The Cheetaron and Time Lords have an ancient history. You could sense it, couldn't you, darling. You may rise. The old customs are dead. We are both the last of our kinds, I'm afraid."

Dana rose gracefully, but kept her head bowed. "Mistress, I am honored to serve the Time Lords once again."

"You will serve no more, Dana, Lady of the Cheetaron." Justice gave the cat-woman a tender kiss on the lips before moving to Daniel's next companion.

"This is Melissa Trapp, client liaison. She helped coordinate the efforts to recall the slaves from off world. I believe she has information for you regarding their clients," Daniel explained.

"A pleasure, Ms. Trapp. I commend you on your dedication."

"That's just it. I don't remember doing anything. How is this possible?" Melissa asked anxiously.

"Oh dear, Daniel. I think you may have gotten a little carried away with this one."

"Melissa, I'm sorry. There wasn't any other way," Daniel apologized.

"What did you do to me?" she asked.

"I have psychic abilities. I used you. I'm sorry. I needed those ships, and you were the only way-."

Melissa slapped him across the face. His cheek became instantly enflamed. "How dare you! You force me against my will to fuck you, and then you put my life in danger!"

"Whoa! What?" Alanah interjected.

"It's not like that!" Daniel protested. "That was different!"

Trapp stormed off in a fury, leaving a rift between the remaining crew.

"Alanah, I'm sorry. I didn't do what she said," Daniel explained.

"You didn't rape her? Or you didn't fuck her?"

"I didn't- Alright, I did. I mean, we did. Nothing was against anyone's will, alright?" Daniel stopped his protest. "Except for the escape, and recalling the slaves, and Groon. Sorry Groon, I manipulated you, too."

Groon stared at him. "It's alright. You're lucky it worked. Otherwise, I would be scraping you off the sole of my boot." Groon gave him a hard slap on the shoulder and walked away. He gave Alanah's ass a squeeze as he walked by.

"I know I have a lot to explain. Things got pretty desperate back there. You will understand, I promise," Daniel urged Alanah.

Only Dana remained of Daniel's new friends. She spoke to him at last. "I forgive you master. I saw into your mind when you entered me in the prison cell. You paid me a kindness, and saved the lives of my people. I am in your debt, as well as the Time Lady." She bowed gracefully, before leaving to reunite with her people.

Alanah stared Daniel furiously.

"Alright, that one I can explain!"

Alanah slapped him hard across the face where Melissa had already marked his skin, and walked off crying.

Justice stayed with Daniel as he tried to sort things out. "I'm sorry, Daniel. I knew that things may change after this, but I had hoped your bond with Alanah would endure."

"It will be fine. I appreciate it, Justice. Thank you for keeping her safe while I was gone, and thanks for coming back for me."

Justice gave him another warm kiss on his lips before she left to take control of the TARDIS. Once they were in orbit around the planet, Justice used an electromagnetic grapple to board each of the orbiting spaceships. She personally led the boarding of each ship, along with several of Groon's soldiers and dozens of slaves. The grapple disabled the engines and communications of the ships. Most of them were not armed or staffed with security. One by one, Justice took command, and filled the cruisers with newly freed slaves. Once they were all fully loaded and ready to depart, she scrambled their tracking equipment and allowed the ships to leave the system.

Groon had accompanied her to assure his men followed instructions. They discussed several rendezvous locations across the galaxy to plan their next move. Before taking command of the final ship, Groon met with Daniel.

"I want to thank you for everything, human. You've given me a second chance. I never would have expected it from you, after everything I put you through," the brute admitted.

"It's alright. I know things looked desperate for a while. All I ask is that you look out for these people now. You're in command, soldier." He gave Groon a noble salute. Groon returned it in kind, and led the last group through the TARDIS door.

Among them was Melissa Trapp. She approached Daniel with her hands up in submission. "I'm not going to hit you, I just wanted to talk."

"Listen, Melissa, I'm sorry for everything. I just want you to know-."

Melissa cut him off with a wave. "It's alright. It's done now. I don't know if you manipulated me into caring about you, or fucking you, or not. In the end, it was all for the best. I was able to help with all of this, even if I didn't know it. Thank you for that, at least." She smiled and turned to leave.

Alanah was watching quietly from the back of the control room. Daniel hadn't seen her since returning. He walked over slowly. "Hey," he said.

She stood silent.

"I'm sorry about everything. I promise I wasn't-."

"I don't care," Alanah answered coldly.

"Will everyone stop cutting me off? I'm trying to explain! You don't know what it was like down there!" Daniel exclaimed.

"Really?" Alanah exploded "I clearly remember seeing you piled up with a hundred women all getting fucked at the same time. It didn't really look like you were suffering too badly then!"

Daniel froze with guilt and regret. He had definitely been taking advantage of the situation. It looked really bad. He silently admitted to himself that he had taken advantage of Melissa Trapp, even if it wasn't mind control. Manipulating people was the same thing. Much of the rest of it was a blur. He had stopped trying to control himself. His power had begun to get away from him, and he had liked it.

"You're right, Alanah. I've done a bad thing. I used those people. They were slaves, and I used them. I told myself it was in order to free them, to help them. But in reality, it was just as bad as what Westminster was doing to them."

Alanah looked at him with pity. She had not thought of it that way. The ability to turn a thousand minds onto one cause was terrifying; but what scared her the most was what his abilities were doing to her. Justice had warned her, but she had not listened. Now that his power had grown; could she ever trust him again?

***

Justice returned shortly to an empty control room. The only remaining crew aboard were Daniel and Alanah, and the group of Cheetaron from the dungeons. Justice had a special gift in mind for Dana and her people. She set the controls for a remote moon several systems away. Dana's homeworld had been destroyed centuries ago, but this location would serve as a new home for her species to flourish. Justice dreamed longingly at the thought of a second Time Lord planet amongst the stars, where her people would survive and grow for thousands of generations. Then, bitter reality struck her as the memory faded. She could help the Cheetaron by proxy. They were a noble and ancient species. Most of the ones rescued from the Academy had never had a home of their own. They had been imprisoned and bred as trophies for wealthy aristocrats. She hoped that Dana's species could overcome a generation of servitude to reclaim the nobility of her people. It was a sentiment she hoped for herself as well.

Justice guided Dana and her cat-people out into a lush wilderness. Daniel and Alanah joined them at Justice's behest. The creatures began sniffing and pawing around, exploring their new surroundings. They cautiously delved deeper into the jungle, until only Dana remained.

"My mistress, Lady Justice. I cannot thank you enough." Dana knelt before Justice and held her hands tightly.

"Nonsense, Dana. Your people would have done the same for mine, if it were possible. Please, take care, my love." She lifted Dana up and kissed her lovingly on the lips.

Dana moved over to Daniel to give him a final farewell. "You have done great things, Daniel. Sometimes we must make sacrifices for what we know is right. The greater the action, the greater the sacrifice. I wish you well. Thank you." She gave him a tender kiss before bowing her head. She quickly scampered off into the jungle to join her people.

The three companions finally boarded the TARDIS. Justice used the computer to scan for lifeforms. It displayed identification of two humans and a Time Lady in the control room. They were alone at last.

"Well, I must say, I never thought we'd actually pull this off," Justice admitted. "Well, we're all finally back together. Where do you want to go?" she asked excitedly.

"Home," Daniel said after a moment of silence.

"Oh," Justice answered with disappointment. She looked at her two human companions, and for the first time saw the cleft that had formed between them. This particular adventure had taken its toll. She looked at Alanah and saw her reddened, tear-stained face. She quietly walked to the controls of the TARDIS, and set them for a return trip to Earth.

After a moment, the engines cooled and quieted, and the vast silence of the ship surrounded them. Seeing her friends slipping away, caused Justice to tremble with fear of her abandonment.

"Listen, I know things have been hard. I don't want anyone doing anything rash. Why don't we take a little trip to clear our heads? Alright?" Justice waited for an answer, before pleading, "please don't leave."

"It's alright, I just need some time to myself. It's been too much to deal with lately. I need to think. Alanah, you can stay if you want."

Suddenly the gravity of the situation hit Alanah. "Are you breaking up with me?" she exclaimed.

"No. No. I just don't want to hurt you anymore. These things I can do are putting you in danger. From me. I think we need some space. We need to figure out the truth," Daniel explained.

"If that's what you want," Alanah answered flatly.

Justice sat quietly, waiting for him to change his mind.

Instead, Daniel walked over and gave the Time Lady a hug. "Please watch out for her," he asked. Justice nodded silently. He then walked over to Alanah and gave her a long, strained embrace. "I'm sorry," he apologized. Daniel quietly made his way to the exit.

"Daniel," Justice called. "If you need anything, or if you change your mind, you can contact the TARDIS, just like we practiced. It's tuned to your psychic abilities. It will bring us right back. Please, don't take too long. We need you."

"I appreciate it, Justice. I'll see you both soon. I love you." Daniel walked out of the ship's exit and into his apartment through the bathroom door.

Justice walked to Alanah and held her tightly as the human girl exploded with emotion. She had known that human relationships were unstable, but had hoped that the bond they had all shared would have taken them through the challenges they had faced.

***

The cowering naked man tried to bury himself beneath his desk. A ghostly white figure stood over him.

Lord Westminster had fled the compound before the flood of freed slaves had breached the exit. However, despite Lady Justice's instructions to escape amongst them, he had returned to his office to try and save his reputation. He had attempted contact with several of his clients in order to explain the circumstances of the revolt, and the loss of nearly one hundred thousand slaves; some right from their homes. It had not gone as well as he had hoped. At that moment, his faithful clients were seeking retribution through his competitors. Soon, the entire city would be in flames, and his fortune and privilege turned to ashes. He had been so intent on saving himself, that he had forgotten the true terror that was awaiting him.

Madame Aryess, along with a hundred trained guards of the Tarot had descended on his Academy before he was even aware of their presence. Westminster was now at her mercy in the confines of his office.

"What woman? Who was she?" Aryess asked politely. Knowing that at any second she could wrench the image from his feeble mind, before crushing it violently.

"I've never seen her before. Please! She said she would spare me if I told her where to find you, but I didn't! I would never!"

Tired of his pleading, Aryess drove her mind deep into Westminster's brain. Suddenly, she relented, seeing a ghostly white form with flaming red hair.

"The Arbiter?" Aryess exploded.

"Yes! That's her! She told me her name. Please don't kill me! I know how to find her!"

"Explain! Or I will twist your mind into madness," Aryess threatened.

"My computer! She took my computer. Probably hoping there was information on there. There's nothing on it, I swear. But we can track it! It will lead us right to her."

"Doubtful. She is much too clever for that-." Aryess stopped, and smiled. Indeed. Quite clever. "Guards, take this man to the ship, and begin tracking the computer. Be aware, the Time Lady will be waiting for us."

Aryess hoped she was right. Justice would never allow Aryess to escape again. She guessed that the Arbiter was hoping they would trace the computer, and fall into the Time Lady's trap. This time they would be ready.

***

It had been several bleak days on the TARDIS. Alanah had spent most of her time since Daniel's departure alone in her bedroom, contemplating her future. She had wrestled with it long enough. She was deeply in love with him. She thought about the effects his abilities could have had on her, but it was too late to care. If she had discovered true love and happiness, even if she had been manipulated, could she really turn away?

Alanah now worried about him. She had seen the lengths Daniel was willing to go to save those people, and the respect it had earned for him. Now he was alone, and wrestling with the guilt of actions he had performed under dire circumstances. She hoped that he would call them soon. She desperately wanted to see him again; if only to apologize for her reaction.

Justice came to check on her. Alanah was always happy to see Justice. She had a confidence and resolve that she admired. Justice had likely been through bigger disappointments and tragedies than this, but appeared as though nothing affected her.

"How is my beautiful assistant holding up? Can I get you anything?"

"Nothing. Thanks." Alanah smiled.

Justice crawled into bed with her and the two women embraced. Justice rubbed her head lovingly, as Alanah rested it atop Justice's exaggerated breasts.

"I'm not one to give much advice about relationships. I just hope that you appreciate how hard this is for Daniel. I tried to warn him. His powers are probably too much for anyone to handle appropriately. Think of all the damage they could cause. He is only doing what he thinks is best to protect you," Justice advised.

"I know," Alanah agreed.

"I do hope he comes to his senses, though. How could he let a magnificent creature like you out of his grasp?"

"Please, Justice. You don't have to try and make me feel better. I'm alright now. It's just-." Alanah was interrupted by a deafening alarm from the control room.

Justice leapt up and ran through the door, her thick boots booming louder than the alarm. She flew to the controls and began scanning.

"Computer, tell me what's going on. Are we crashing into something? I left you alone for two minutes!" Suddenly, Lady Justice saw the danger her ship was warning her about. They were being hailed by a passing cruiser. "Alanah, get dressed. We have company."

The large ship had begun pulling the TARDIS in with an electromagnetic grapple, similar to the one she had used in orbit around Scallion XIV. Her engines were locked, and her communications were down, but the TARDIS computer was still working. Alanah had finally made her way to the control room.

"What is going on?" Alanah asked, covering her ears to block out the pounding alarm.

"It's a ship. They're taking us in," Justice explained.

"What? How?"

"I don't know. We should have been able to avoid them, but whoever it is has knowledge of Time Lord technology." Lady Justice's fingers flew across the dials and switches of the TARDIS controls. The alarm shut off abruptly, and Justice stepped back from the dash, shaking.

Alanah watched her nervously, and suddenly came to the realization that Justice had been struggling to stifle. "It's Aryess."

"I'm afraid so, my love. She's found us, somehow. Whatever happens, please know that I love you." She held Alanah close and kissed her one final time. A loud thump indicated that they were onboard the Tarot ship. Justice turned to her and smiled. "Goodbye, Alanah."

Justice ran with terrifying speed through the exit door to the ship, slamming it closed behind her. The engines of the TARDIS fired up before Alanah could even call out her name. Alanah ran to the door after her, but when it opened, she was greeted with the endless blackness of space.

***

A dozen Tarot guards seized Lady Justice, as the TARDIS began to disappear behind her. She smiled wickedly at Aryess, who stood triumphantly before her.

"Sorry about the ship," Justice mocked. "I never remember the parking brake."

"It's no matter. I have what I want," Aryess responded. "Welcome, Arbiter. I'm sorry your human pets couldn't be here."