It was in a distant galaxy, far from the one containing the small but important planet called Earth, that a small, blue, four-sided object floated in the star-speckled blackness. Though from the exterior it appeared to be a police public telephone box of the type seen on British streets from the early to mid-twentieth century, closer examination would have shown it to be a highly advanced time/space machine called a TARDIS, built by the Time Lords of the planet Gallifrey. The reason it looked incongruously like a police box was because the ship's chameleonic circuit - which would normally have enabled it to change its' outward form to blend in perfectly with whatever environment it materialised in - was broken, and had been broken for a long time...or perhaps its' owner simply preferred it that way. Standing at the craft's open doors, protected from the freezing void of space by an artificially-generated atmospheric shell, stood its' sole Time Lord occupant, and one of her human companions. The Time Lord - or Time Lady, according to some - went by the name of the Doctor, and currently appeared as a young woman with blonde hair. Her companion, who was named Graham O'Brien, was a male, aged about fifty, with a lined face and gray, thinning hair. At this moment, they were both awestruck by what they witnessed outside the confines of the TARDIS. "Graham," the Doctor said softly, "you look upon intergalactic elegance."

Bathed in the violet light of a nearby nebula cloud, four star whales swam through space. Each was miles long, peaceful, glowing with wonderful colours, and simply wonderful to behold. "I once went on holiday to Scotland," Graham said. "While I was there, I went on a whale-watching tour. I remember, a full-grown humpback swam right by our boat and, a few minutes later, breached right in front of me...was so beautiful...not as beautiful as this though."

Graham then felt the Doctor's hand on his, and turned to look at her face. "I've watched all whales," she said to him, "on Earth, on Mars, on other planets, in interstellar space...They are all equally wonderful. I once saw a star whale that rescued the entire population of the UK...well, the starship UK." As the Doctor looked out at the gigantic leviathans, she looked momentarily sad. "When the very last of them dies, Graham, this universe will forever be more silent and lonely..."

A loud, incessant beeping suddenly began blasting out from behind. The Doctor pushed past Graham, and he hurried after her as she darted over to the round console in the middle of the spacious main control room of the TARDIS. "It's a distress call," the Doctor muttered as she examined the instrument panels. "From close by, too...in time and space. Holographic message...uploading now!"

A three-dimensional representation of a human figure suddenly appeared in front of the Doctor and Graham, and they both froze in shock and disbelief. The image spoke: "If anyone gets this, please come and help...I'm stranded here, wherever this is, and...I'm scared. Really scared. If I've done this right, you can track me to where I am with this message. Please...help!" The figure blurred, than vanished. But neither Graham nor the Doctor could have failed to recognise who it had been: The woman had worn black pants, a white, short-sleeved shirt unbuttoned slightly near the throat, with blonde hair and a sweet, beautiful face.

"Was that..." Graham stammered, "Was that...who I think it was?"

"We both saw who it looked like, " the Doctor responded, and then looked directly at him, her eyes wide. "We just got a call for help in an alien galaxy from Marilyn Monroe."