Wil minced down the corridor looking decidedly glum. He should be feeling happy, after all he'd survived when so many had been destroyed by the effects of the black hole. Many things puzzled him as he walked. Why would some of the occupants of this bizarre station survive the spaghettification while others didn't?

 Wil sighed and collapsed against a wall and stared out of a port. Half the view was taken up by the constantly twisting fist of light that was the Arcis. It looked strangely beautiful, a hypnotic melee of churning realities. That was it really. He couldn't just see it, he could taste and feel the quantum effects it was having upon reality. Twisting not only matter, but the very fabric of time itself. It was dangerously sweet to watch. Forcing himself to look away from the pulsating mass he started to walk around a corner only to bump into three Rsand who levelled their weapons.

 This sort of thing would have to terrified him a while back, but now he was getting used to it. Wil grinned. "Hi there. You wouldn't happen to know the way to the WC?"

 The lead Rsand placed an armoured claw to it's chest and twisted a dial.

 "Yuuu Willl followww usssss hooomannnnn."

 Will made to comply and then stopped. "Hey, have any of you heard the one about the potato-bug, the Martian and the inflatable Spice-Girl?"

 The aliens looked at one another and made a desperate attempt to tune their translators in an attempt to get a logical translation.

 "I guess not." Wil deduced. If they were this easy to confuse this was going to be more fun than he'd expected. "Lead on Maestro!"

 No-one was trying to lock him up, threaten him with torture or anything. In fact the Rsand were behaving more like benevolent hosts than the ruthless aggressors they purported to be.

 Things weren't quite adding up.

 The room was fairly large, and constructed of the same dark purple mottled substance that most of the rest of the ship was. It consisted of a central raised dais around which were placed many ports and terminals at which the insectoids were working.

 The centre of the room was capped by a frighteningly accurate 3D sim of the Arcis as it twisted and looped around it's singularity.

 At present the fleet were just hovering, but this could change at any second. If it was one thing the Doctor had learnt it was not to judge any situation by its appearances.

 The Rsand Captain approached the Doctor with a look that could have been curiosity. Its head twitched back and forth in the muscle spasms that were common in most Mutt species.

 The Doctor pushed himself up. "K'Thixx what is this about? What could be worth all these deaths?"

 The insectoid looked surprised. It thought before replying. "Death is not a joyous occasion in your universe? For Rsand it is a time of great joy and celebrations. Millions of us used to die in the hives on Rsandrac every day." It twitched left then right.

 "But don't you see? People of our universe don't take such a light view of death. I've died many times, and speaking from personal experience I can't recommend it."

 The Doctor was trying to fathom out exactly what the Rsand meant. Some species looked forward to death, but he didn't get the impression that the Rsand was talking about quite the same thing. It was perplexing.

 Well if I'm not a prisoner, they can't mind me going for a little wander, he supposed to himself. Then he looked at K'Thixx again.

 While he wasn't exactly a prisoner he was probably less of a threat where they could see him. He'd never get to the door before he was shot down in fear.

 The Timelord toyed with a tin dog-whistle idly waiting for something to happen.

 Then something happened.

 How they'd managed to get to the station without bumping into more bugs was a minor miracle.

 In the immense area below them were crammed millions of Rsand. The bounty-hunter gazed at them through a pair of binoculars and gave a low whistle. "They're really turning out here. I wonder why? What could they want with an old tub like this station?"

 Angela yanked the binoculars from Jadi and took a look for herself. Jadi huffed and poked his tongue out at her.

 "They appear to be modifying the station for something." She swept her gaze towards a group who were busy tugging out circuits and replacing them with others. "I don't understand what they're doing. Those panels don't contain anything very vital to the station."

 Jadi grabbed the binoculars back.

 "Well that's a matter of opinion," he replied desperately hoping she wouldn't ask him to explain what he meant by that. He didn't even know himself.

 It's an odd thing about space-stations and starships, thought Wil, all the corridors look the same. Blank featureless metal bulkheads maybe with the occasional terminal or air vent.

 No imagination, just like the Rsand really. He'd tried many of his best routines out on them but they hadn't laughed once. No imagination, no sense of humour. Typical aliens.

 "So there I was," he continued, "Before my Lord and ventured to offer him this poor riddle. I inquired wherein lay the difference between his Lordship and the poor Wil Young? Whereupon he gave it up, sir. And thereupon I told him that whereas his Lordship was paid thousands of grotzis a year for being good, poor Wil Young was good - for nothing!"

 Whereupon I was whipped to within an inch of my life for being impudent, Wil neglected to add.

 The Rsand still remained silently herding him along the corridor.

 "You guys don't say much do you?" he sighed and as he turned he discovered why. They had frozen. It was as if time had stopped.

 Curiouser and curiouser, he thought gazing up at their immobile forms.

 Behind the unknowing Paracastrian something clear and gooey began to ooze from a vent.

 He hugged the bulk of his tachyon disruptor.

 One random element like that could disrupt his entire plan. Stealing the technology to un-hitch quantum singularities was one thing, but using that technology correctly was another.

 Using the techniques he was using was risky. Before starting out on this venture he had calculated the risks as being fifty-fifty. Now half of the mission was a success. The station was in another galaxy which was ripe for human plunder and the last survivors from the dying Rsandrac had assembled their refugee fleet. It was perfect.

 Making a final adjustment to his tiny control box he headed down towards the Rsand ship.

 It resembled a ribbed grey ovoid studded with huge needle-like arms splaying out in every direction. Every now and then there were nodules and ports in a crazy mish-mash of styles.

 Space shimmered as a Rsand ship bearing a symbol unlike any on the others decloaked.

 A beam of projected energy lashed towards the station, knocking it and the docked Rsand ship about, but not damaging either.

 The black-hole began to fluctuate in a manner wilder than before.

 Reality rippled as a rift opened, appearing to liquefy the darkness around it. From the churning epicentre of the black-hole shot a purple dart-shaped Rsand vessel.

 The ship spun through space, its gyros completely shot to hell.

 Inside was a mass of bodies and burning metal as all around the Rsand were cooked alive.

 The Captain fought desperately with the controls which were unresponsive. The ground loomed ever closer. The Rsand saw land masses screaming up towards him and what few crew remained dead.

 The insectoid stared life in the face and for an instant everything seemed to make sense.

 When the ground caught up with them they were all going to live. He wondered where you went when you lived.

 But K'Thaal didn't live, he died.

 The ship's spectacular entrance carved a huge crater into the ground doing no more damage to the surrounding area than reducing a large number of statues to piles of compacted rubble.

 The couple drew closer for a moment, still looking at each other... Jadi jumped up as an alarm klaxon began to chime, hit his head on a low panel and sank to the ground again with a loud exclamation of "Good cow!"

 A number of Rsand looked up and began to make their way up the emergency ladder towards the balcony.

 "I'll murder you Morok!" screamed Ferris.

 "Yes, but it'll have to be later. Come on!" He grabbed her arm and pulled her through the doorway.

 Seconds later the Rsand appeared on the balcony hot on their heels.

 He wandered over to the sim. The disappearance of the ship had caused quite a stir, but there was nothing anyone could do about it now.

 The Arcis however was behaving incredibly oddly. It was almost as if it were about to die. The time between fluctuations had grown shorter. Personally he didn't want to be around when the black hole gave birth.

 "K'Thixx, do you recognise that ship?" enquired the Doctor pointing at the ship that had them in it's gun sights.

 K'Thixx strode over to the Doctor. "Of course that is a defender ship. They guard the Rsand against those who would make us live."

 The Doctor chew a finger thoughtfully and muttered, "then what is it doing firing warning shots at the station?"

 His mouth fell open. It was a precise carbon-copy of himself which appeared to be sculpted from glass.

 The statue held up it's hands and said, "Not be afraid. Ramble not hurt human."

 Wil thought a moment. "Hello there. Did you do that?" He gestured over to the frozen Rsand.

 The Scrabethst which was holding the form of Wil nodded. "Part of time-dam holds Rsand for now, but won't last long. Escape?"

 "Well actually I was looking for a friend of mine. I don't suppose you've seen him around have you... Ramble?"

 It shook it's head. Every movement the transparent glass-creature made seemed bizarre. It didn't seem to move like other aliens. It flowed.

 "Ramble not seen. Ramble waiting for friend to turn up. Time-Lord friend."

 Wil looked bemused. "Do you mean *you* brought the Tardis here?"

 "Yes, Tardis." Ramble placed a hand to it's chin imitating Wil's thinking mannerisms. "Ramble has idea. Ramble and... erm?"

 "Wil, Wil Young."

 "Ramble and Wil-Wil-Young go to find the Doctor? Yes? Ramble has valuable information for Doctor concerning non-invasion."

 "I'd be Delighted."

 Ramble gestured to the Rsand. "Doctor probably prisoner. I hide on you, you get captured. Yes?" The Scrabethst melted into a small puddle which formed into the shape of a small glass ball.

 Will picked up the ball that the strange spy had become, pocketed it and waited for the Rsand to unfreeze.

 "...So I said to the Slagropod, I hope that's your hand I'm shaking!" He looked expectantly. "Your.. hand?" Wil sighed and rolled his eyes heavenwards.

 Something was different. It took Wil a second to work out exactly what it was.

 The air on the Rsand ship seemed to have a different taste. Instead of the scrubbed clean sterilised air of the station, it was fresh and green smelling - like a freshly cut lawn.

 Wil looked around and visibly brightened upon seeing the Doctor.

 "Hey Doc! What is it with these Rsand?" he whispered, "they're deader than driftwood. Don't insects have a sense of humour?"

 The Doctor smiled, his eyes shining. "Maybe they just don't have your sense of humour."

 "So, anything interesting happen while I was away?"

 "There is something. Something to do with these supposed invaders. So far they've shown me no hostility. Doesn't that strike you as a little odd?"

 The Timelord waved his hand about and plucked his tin dog-whistle from the air. "I want you to keep this. But don't use it unless your life is in immediate danger. I don't think the Rsand are the real enemy." He gazed at the strange Rsand ship on the sim.

 Wil had noticed it too. "Who's that?"

 "If we're lucky it's the Rsand equivalent of Mummy and Daddy." The Doctor looked deadly serious.

 Morok and Ferris ran down the station corridor.

 "Nice one Morok!" grumbled Angela breathlessly. "Why not just scream out and attract the attention of all those friendly bugs?!"

 The bounty hunter scowled. "Just shut up and run!"

 They rounded a corner and bumped into Costello who raised his tachyon disrupter.

 "I just killed a black hole with this," he said absent-mindedly, his glazing over. "I think we should join my friends on their ship, don't you?"

 As the Rsand surrounded the three humans, Costello raised his box and touched a button.

 "Bring these people to command centre." He pointed a finger at Angela and Jadi.

 The chittering insects obeyed like zombies.

 In the confusion Jadi completely failed to notice the organic Rsand weapon begin to bond with his hand...

 "Oh dear," the Doctor sighed. "That's torn it."

 "What's happened?"

 "The black hole has exhausted. It means that for now we're all stuck in this universe."

 Wil looked nervous. "But surely the Tardis..."

 The Doctor shook his head. "The Tardis isn't suited to pan dimensional travel. We need to find another exit gate from this universe."

 "Not that you'll ever find one Doctor." Costello strode into the room with Morok and Ferris and a squad of Rsand. "I see you've met my pets."

 The Doctor faced him angrily. "The Rsand aren't animals! They're peaceful colonists who just need to find a new home. What are you doing.."

 "He's flipped," added Wil.

 Costello stood in the centre of the huge room and creased his features into a manic grin.

 "It will be a new universe remade in one image!" he giggled, "but first..."

 The Chief Engineer touched a control on the box and pointed to the Doctor. "That man is a threat to us, he must live, do you understand? Live!!"

 A group of Rsand surrounded the Timelord and began clawing at him. As the Doctor disappeared beneath the throng of armoured Rsand, Costello's manic laughter echoed around the chamber.

 The last thing he heard was Krevell, and the words shook him to his very core.

 "Nothing in the universe can stop me now!!"