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The planet was oval in shape, like a bean floating upright. Mountains of opalescent pinkish rock twinkled in the distant light of its sun. Perched in a carved out section of opal, rested a series of windowless grey buildings. Once considered lost in time, the mere mention of the planet’s name would strike terror into the hearts of most intelligent life forms:
Shada – the prison planet of the Time Lords.
It was a place that hung in the cobwebs and dust at back of every Time Lords’ mind. From the time they were children they were told of its existence and made to fear it. Be good or you’ll be sent to Shada…
In the dark times, Shada held prisoners of war along with home-grown criminals. But the recent centuries had seen it sink into disrepair. As Lord Presidents came and went, they opted to discontinue its use as they felt it represented a black spot on the reputation of Gallifrey and their noble civilization. So the planet and its facilities lay disused, tucked away inside a containment field, shielding it from detection. The previous Lord President, however, in her penultimate act of power, reopened the facility and had one cell and the security systems remodeled and brought back to proper working order. They only needed containment for one prisoner, and Shada was the only place that prisoner could be contained.
Tomek was a young Celestial Intervention Agency operative, fresh out of the Academy. An Arcalian, by rank and an artist by desire, he sat sketching the prisoner, looking rather nonplussed as he tried unsuccessfully to capture the arc of her back.
“If you keep that up, you’ll waste the rest of your ink supplies.” Barna, his partner in duty, warned nonchalantly. “You won’t be able to get more until you head back to headquarters next week.”
“Look,” Tomek explained, “is it my fault they have her blinking in and out of existence so frequently I can’t get it right?”
“Why do you even want to indulge in such a primitive, pointless activity?” Barna took his seat at the guard console next to Tomek, intentionally bumping the sketch pad as he passed. “A computer can draw a more accurate picture than you ever could.”
“But where’s the fun in that?” Tomek looked his colleague over. “Besides, there’s a reason why Patraxis aren’t known for their artistic abilities.”
Barna turned sharply. “Look, there’s no reason to get all huffy about it. I was only making a joke. I mean, we’re only watching over the most ruthless criminal Gallifrey has ever known while she’s being held in stasis at the point of dematerialization. I mean, you have to find something to laugh about.”
“I don’t know why they don’t execute her already?” Tomek asked, dropping his pen to the desktop. “I lost a lot of friends during her attempted coup. My cousin was on the Chancellory Guard assigned to protect Lord President Quelladvortrelundar and –“
“Former Lord President Quelladvortrelundar,” Barna corrected.
“Right,” he paused, “I’m still not used to saying that.”
“Do you think the new one will do any better?”
“I don’t think she did that poor of a job,” Tomek scratched at his temple, “Though I don’t understand why she stepped down like she did during the trial.”
“Some of the guys in the quarters said it was because she didn’t like the Inquisitor.” Barna laughed, “Fancied she could have done better herself, like she used to do.”
“Well, I don’t know about that.”
“What I do know,” Barna said as he rose from his seat and stretched, “is that if it wasn’t for that little protégée of hers getting herself into trouble, she would…” His voice trailed off, distracted as he glanced into the cell before him.
“Oh, leave her out of it too.”
“Tomek…”
“Look, I happen to think what she did was well-intentioned and rather sweet.”
“Tomek,” Barna attempted once again to get his daydreaming partner’s attention.
“Plus,” he continued, “There’s just something about her I find really attractive.”
Barna grabbed Tomek’s chair and swiveled it swiftly in his direction. “You can wax lyrical about your crush on Graekatziasa’asterus all you like later – look!” Barna pointed emphatically at the empty cell that stood before them. “Did you press something? Anything?”
“No! Why would I?” Tomek checked the control console. “I show the stasis field still holding steady – only central control at headquarters can order it broken, and there’s been no order sent!”
“Where did she go, then?”
“It doesn’t matter – sound the alarm.”
Barna slammed his palm down on the scanner and the communications channel opened. “We have an emergency situation, I repeat, an emergency situation! This is Shada Station 1, Barnasevemtalis reporting: the prisoner has vanished, I repeat, the prisoner has vanished!”
A rush of cold air filled the chamber and a figure materialized behind them. Tomek and Barna turned and came face to face with the woman who was formerly frozen behind the energy barrier they had been guarding for the past seventeen hours.
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