A Correspondence Through Time and Space

Chapter 3

Disclaimer:

Author's note: Nothing much this time round…let's get the ball rolling! The usual warning about interpretation of TSAB/Mid-Childa administrative attitudes applies.

One thing though…I have taken a slightly more liberal interpretation of Doctor Who canon. In this case, the travelling time between each episode is open to interpretation (unless it is a two part episode, or I skip in order to get the story moving).

I take no credit whatsoever for the term 'Acute Core Hemorrhage' and its associated symptoms; that goes to the author who originally came up with the idea.

Also, remember what I said about thought processes the previous chapter? Well, it goes both ways…

Long Arch, the former headquarters of riot Force 6, did not disappear completely with the disbanding of the 6th Mobile Division. Rather, some facilities were allowed to stay; especially the ones with high investments, simply because their use could be transferred to different sectors. Indeed, one may even argue that Riot Force 6 only disbanded as an official paper group; the legacy of their headquarters lives on till this day, albeit serving the Mid-Childa military in general instead.

One location that was kept untouched was the highly vested virtual training ground. The effectiveness of Riot Forces' training against Jail's gadget drone had finally won at least some degree of favour amongst the Mid-Childian hardliners regarding what to do with Long Arch facilities. As a result, many instructors from various branches find themselves using the same training ground, recreating battle situations where one would normally need to travel off world for specialist training.

Today, it is towards this training ground that a prominent instructor, The Ace of Aces, strides towards despite protests from her blonde haired partner, in the warm, yellow glow of a Carnagan sunset.

"You can't do this. Not after how you strained yourself in The Saint's Cradle." Fate urged.

"Yes, I can, and I have to." Nanoha replied, a hint of annoyance beginning to show.

"Look, Shamal and the other doctors all said you needed to rest-"

"It doesn't matter what they say!" Nanoha exploded, snapping at Fate, her tolerance for the day finally pushed beyond her limits. "The only way to make a difference is to sacrifice yourself for the difference you are making. Even if you slack for a single minute, there will come a time when you find yourself helpless to do anything. I know for sure that I have to make a difference the next time someone like Jail shows their face again!"

"You've already been through this if you remember. It you have already forgotten the time when you nearly-"

"Yes, but back then I did not recognise my limits. Now, I do." Nanoha said indignantly. "It is because I have been at the stage where I pushed myself too hard, now I know when to take note and stop!"

"But-"

"What matters with me anyways?" Nanoha continued, without pause, her voice rising in volume. "The only reason I am standing here now is because I had sworn myself to helping people! I knew that the moment I picked up Raising Heart, ten years ago! This was my choice, my path, and I acknowledged there are consequences! Every enemy directed at me is one less live at risk; every shot directed at me is one less potential loss. Now, if you will excuse me!"

"This is not what you taught your students!" Fate shouted at Nanoha.

"That's only because I did not want them to go through what I went through!" Nanoha shouted in return. "I know the consequences, and I know how to recognize them! My students would not know, so of course they should not-"

The same argument could have gone on forever, if Shamal was not also taking a walk at the moment. By then, the argument between Fate and Nanoha was so heated that anyone nearby cannot help but to overhear their heated conversation.

Summoning her courage, Shamal approached the pair.

"Good evening, Nanoha and Fate. What is the matter?"

"Shamal! Thank goodness you are here!" Fate exclaimed, exasperated. "I can't talk Nanoha out of doing training even after you have ordered her to rest!"

"Well, can you explain why you want to do training regardless?" Shamal asked Nanoha patiently.

"I realised," Nanoha swallowed hard before continuing, "I always have to be ready. I have already failed to protect Vivio once; I will not fail again." She said with a look of steel in her eyes. "It does not matter if she can handle herself several years down the line. I need to make a difference with my efforts in the long run, not just the short run. I must keep my promise to her!"

"You are already making an effort in the long-"

"It would be hypocritical to train other people for the long run when I am not prepared! Also…and…" Nanoha suddenly found she had no more excuses to skim around the real reason to she wanted to practice.

"It is something else, is it not?" Shamal asked quietly.

With a sigh, Nanoha gave Shamal the message The Doctor had sent her regarding the Racnoss. Shamal read it.

"So I see…"

Sometime later that night, Fate sat down and read The Doctor's letter to Nanoha. At the same time, she looked at the TSAB letter which stated that The Doctor had been cleared for all major charges.

She may not know The Doctor that well, and he may have been a suspected criminal, but if anything, his last letter convinced her that The Doctor is a good man. Albeit a good man that, for whatever reason, is nearing the breaking point.

Perhaps she needs to help The Doctor restore his faith in the people who are willing to reform when given the chance. People like her.

The Doctor woke up. The TARDIS was nearing the final stages of recharging when the proximity alarm rang.

"Talk of the devil," he mumbled. The TARDIS had detected actual Judoon ships headed for Earth.

Yet he was not ready to face the Judoon at all. If anything, he felt as though he should just run; away from the genocide, away from being the Last of the Time Lords, away from things he saw as his responsibility. He can only take so much, no matter how happy he pretends to be in front of everyone else. The Time War left a permanent mark on his psyche.

So before he pilots the TARDIS to depart from Earth's orbit, he decided to check his messages instead-the same messages that indirectly paved the path for him to meet Martha Jones.

Dear Doctor:

I am actually stumped by your letter; I hope you do not mind if I have given your message to some friends of mine.

Yours,
Nanoha
P.S: In the future, just refer to us via our first names.

Dear Doctor:

It really is by chance that I came across your letter. I find it fortunate that it is so; I may be able to help you with your dilemma.

Please let me introduce myself. My name is Shamal, and I am one of Nanoha's associates. I also happen to be a doctor myself; and to help you overcome your inner obstacles, I wish to relate a story regarding Nanoha (with her permission given, of course.) I feel as though the two of you share something in common deep down your hearts.

When she was still nine years old, Nanoha first came into contact with her magical device called 'Raising heart'. To cut a long story fairly short, that first encounter with magic also made her realise what she wanted deep inside her heart: to help people who are hurting. From the moment she met Fate, she knew the only thing she wanted, deep down her heart, is to make people happy and help those in need.

That does not stop her from using force; Mid-Childan Magic is not always lethal. Nanoha was quite willing to, literally, beat sense into her opponents as a last resort to make them listen. A friend of mine remembers her saying, distinctly, word for word, "Call me a devil... it just means I'll have to use my hellish powers to get you to listen!"

Here comes the important part. To fulfil her desire to aid people, Nanoha pushed herself ever so hard even as a nine year old child. She constantly trained herself wherever possible, whenever possible-dinner time, homework time, actual training time-she always had a fraction of her energy devoted to making herself stronger and better just so other people do not have to suffer.

Ultimately, she had to pay the price-she stretched herself far too hard. It all went wrong during a routine mission. By going over her limits, Nanoha suffered Acute Core Haemorrhage-a near complete shutdown of her body and mental capabilities due to over exhaustion when using her magic abilities.

It took up to a year for her to learn everything once again-and by everything, I mean everything. Any task that requires muscle co-ordination needs to be relearned. From the most basic of tasks like feeding herself, walking, using the toilet; there was even a time when we thought she could not perform magic again. Finally, a person who has suffered ACH once will have a higher probability of suffering from it again.

What I hope Nanoha's experience illustrates, Doctor, is that no matter how good your heart and intentions are there will always be limits to what you can do. In Nanoha's case, her limits were physical; and she paid for it with her physical health. In your case, I feel that flooding the Racnoss was the only option you had left-the limits you face were situational. It was not something you could control; you did what had to be done. More often than not, it is more than enough that each person has done all within their limits to make a good outcome; setting a bar too high would only lead to you hurting yourself, physically or emotionally.

Please, Doctor, do not give up on your morals no matter how hopeless your offers of redemption may seem. I tremble at what happens when a person goes through the moral equivalent of Acute Core Haemorrhage.

Yours,
Shamal

The Doctor gave Shamal's letter a moment of thought. She was right-there was nothing else he could have done. The Racnoss Empress would not have backed down-he already knew they were a stubborn race. Of course, he still does not forgive himself for having committed genocide; nothing ever justifies it. Yet, between rampant Racnoss and humans-

He would have chosen the humans, any day. Flooding was the only method available at that point in time; he had already done his best. He had been merciful and gave her one last chance at redemption, after all; as always, it was factors outside his control that dictated his course of actions.

Yet this does not help him see how his offers of redemption ever help anything.

Still bitter about the empty offers of redemption, The Doctor mentally prepared for another sparring letter as he opened Fate's message. Yet this time he found a surprise.

Dear Doctor:

This is Fate Testarossa Harlaown. I am now writing to you on personal terms now and I hope to restore your faith in offering redemption by giving you my personal experience.

Before I ever worked as an Enforcer, I am also a criminal.

I am not truly 'born' as such; I am a clone my mother, Precia, created as part of an ambition to bring back her real daughter, Alicia. In order to obtain the technology needed, my mother sought to reach a place that probably only exist in legends-a place called Al Hazard, which has the technology required for perfect resurrection or cloning. As a result, I was created to gather the Lost Logia called Jewel Seeds. These supposedly have the power to help her to break the space-time continuum.

Needless to say, both you and I know what would happen if the space-time continuum was ever breached and damaged beyond repair.

Imagine if you will, Doctor. Before I knew I was a clone, I genuinely wanted my mother to be happy; I was implanted with Alicia's memories. I actually sought the Jewel Seeds to bring to my mother, to bring her sweet self back. As a result, for a time I was identified as a criminal by the TSAB for attempting to collect and activate Lost Logia.

That was when I met Nanoha. At first I refused to let her near me, because I knew that I had to work for my mother, to bring my beloved mother back. So she would never have to be disappointed with me. So 'my' dreams of her as a sweet mother will be realised. I was willing to bear any pain my mother gave me whenever she thought I failed her.

So I pushed Nanoha away and I pushed the TSAB away. Over and over again, I refused to listen to her. Until my mother told me the truth, that I am nothing more than a clone implanted with Alicia's memories. That I was nothing but a tool to bring her real daughter back. Then and only then did I realise that I had pushed myself into a corner; that I have committed criminal acts for no excusable reason, and that I will be held to account.

Yet afterward, when I was near being absolutely alone, Nanoha started to treat me as a friend. It was as though she did not mind me pushing her away in the first place; then and only then did I realise that, no matter how much we had fought before, Nanoha was willing to place our old disagreements behind. Even my current adopted family members took part in making sure that I did not receive the full sentence.

In short, I was given a second chance at life when I thought I had locked myself into a prison of loneliness and regret forever.

I hope my story shows you should never give up on your offers of redemption. I owe my happiness and even my current life to people who believe in offering redemption and trust-people like Nanoha and you.

Yours,
Fate Testarossa Harlaown
P.S: I realise that our initial correspondence did not go off on good terms. I sincerely hope that this can change.
P.S.S: You may have noticed that my previous 'official' correspondence had some contradicting points. I suppose this is what happens when someone in the department really wants to discredit a former criminal by attempting to confuse them.

The Doctor sat at his chair, slightly stunned.

Fate had no reason to help him. Until his latest letter, he was only a suspected criminal. She had no reason to recount her life story just because he was losing faith. In fact, not even Nanoha's other friend-Shamaal-had any reason to comfort him.

Yet here they were, comforting him, just because he was upset. They did not condemn him for it as much as he condemns himself for it. In fact, it almost felt as though they were forgiving him; something he could never do for himself. Especially not after the Time War. Not after what he had done to his own race.

The there was the matter of redemption. Someone somewhere is actually thankful that redemption exists; his efforts, despite his run in with Cybermen and Daleks, are being appreciated by someone who only knows him because he was a criminal on some organisational list. Someone who probably comes from an entirely different alternate timeline; someone who he could never see face to face was telling him not to give up on redemption. The Doctor might even admit that Fate had redeemed him from his own nihilism about the lack of difference he was making.

For the first time since the Cybermen/Dalek invasion, The Doctor smiled. He felt as though a slight weight had been lifted off his heart. The scars of the Time War will remain there; but for now he had some powerful painkillers to keep himself going.

With that, off to Earth he went to meet Martha Jones. He did not read Vivio's reply until he had returned to the TARDIS with Martha.

Dear Doctor:

Please remember to keep your promise! I look forward to hearing from some of your friends as well.

Please do not give me too much credit for my last letter; Nanoha-mama and Fate-mama also helped me write some of it. I also study hard so as not to disappoint my mothers. Most important of all, however, was that Nanoha-mama taught me that to help other people; I have to be strong myself. The ability to help other must originate from your own strength.

Regarding magic, I think there is a misunderstanding. The word 'magic' here is not used to refer to superstition or silly tricks; rather, Mid Childan magic is based on very complex mathematic principles which one must have a complete understanding of in order to use it. It is also partly the reason why I study so hard; it is almost like a science into itself. Without the many theories of understanding how magic works, our entire civilisation would be going nowhere.

Well, I do hope that explains the differences of perception; I do know that many people regard magic and technology as something mutually exclusive when, in reality, Mid-Childa built its entire civilisation around a fusion of magic and technology.

Enough from me for now; I must return to my studies. How are you doing?

Yours,
Vivio

Just as the TARDIS is always bigger on the inside, so its inner complexity is more than what it initially appears to be. Although it looks as if the command console is everything inside the TARDIS, the reality is that even Time Lords understand that the six crew members would occasionally prefer their own private space.

As such, it came to no surprise that The Doctor is hiding in his room while the TARDIS is travelling. He did only intend to take Martha on a single trip, after all. If Martha had ever decided to listen very hard outside The Doctor's room, she would have heard him typing away…

Dear Vivio:

I am writing to teach you one thing: never tempt fate. (Well, although it applies equally to both your mother and the concept of fate, here I'm specifically referring to the second.)

You see, in one of my letters to your mother, I mentioned the possibility that the TSAB were nothing better than the Judoon-a group of aliens that take it upon themselves to 'uphold' the law; although in reality they are more like an organised group of bounty hunters whose loyalty is determined by the pay offered.

So, of course, as soon as I mentioned them in my letter, the next thing I know, I had to deal with the real article. Talk of the Devil and the Devil comes for tea. The Judoon had no jurisdiction over Earth (or, as I understand it, the Earth of my dimension at least). So when they think they have found the suspect in a hospital, they decided to teleport the entire hospital off to the Moon, because it is neutral territory.

Imagine if you will an entire hospital of humans trapped on the Moon with absolutely no idea what is going on. To make things worse, the Judoon were dealing with a Plasmavore; a creature that mimics the blood of another species by drinking it. Needless to say, I know at least one human was killed to provide cover for the Plasmavore. What with me being an alien, of course, the Judoon even thought I was the suspect they were after.

I had to take extreme measures at the end, really; I had to offer myself to the Plasmavore and make myself a victim so she would register as an alien. I must say I actually lost consciousness from that; it was only lucky that I managed to get back up somehow and disable overcharged MRI machinery (which would have fried half of the Earth's population's brains), thus persuading the Judoon to teleport the hospital back to Earth. The entire hospital was running low on oxygen, even; the Judoon were quite prepared to just ditch the people there.

There is this one person that has been helping me out, but I would not go as far as to call her a friend yet; I'm just taking her on one trip as a gesture of thanks.

Well, that is all from me for now. Good luck with your studies.

Yours,
The Doctor

Dear Nanoha, Fate and Shamal:

Words cannot describe how fantastic the three of you are.

Thank you for your replies. There are still things that haunt me, but for now it is enough comfort for me to carry on. On what those are, I refuse to say any more.

Yours,
The Doctor

Well, that's it for now. Sorry for the very, very late update. As always, reviews are welcome and needed.

Final announcement: I have decided to keep the Earth of the Doctor Who verse completely different from the Earth of Nanoha verse. For the reason why, go read my other fic 'The Oncoming Storm of The Aces.'

That's all for now.

Insane Inquisitor