The latest gathering in the Citadel began with an unsettling revelation from Lord President Chronotis, who shared reports of a mysterious figure appearing in forgotten corners of Gallifrey. With an air of growing concern, he turned the proceedings over to Lord Conundrum, whose recent investigations had uncovered a strange chest hidden within one of the secondary laboratories connected to Project Harmonia.
As the chest was opened, the assembled Time Lords found themselves piecing together a mystery that only deepened with every discovery. Among the first items were ancient star maps, which Professor Maltheus quickly identified as a tracking log of the rogue Type 40 TARDIS they had been pursuing. The maps appeared to document countless near encounters between the vessel and an unknown pursuer. While Lady Rowan carefully considered the implications, Lady Chronotis voiced a troubling possibility: if the pilot and TARDIS had truly become bonded, prolonged separation could drive both toward madness. Lord Serpentine, revealed that he and Professor Maltheus had encountered an unfamiliar Time Lord lurking near the chest earlier, raising suspicions that someone was already watching their investigation.
The chest continued to surrender its secrets. A damaged data crystal examined by Lady Rowan revealed fragments of Project Harmonia’s dark history. Despite mounting concerns from staff, experimentation had continued under Veyron’s direction. The findings painted a disturbing picture of ambition overriding caution. While the group reflected on Gallifrey’s habit of repeating its mistakes, Lord Winters managed to provide a moment of levity with his observation that failing geography would simply leave one lost in Birmingham.
A weathered sonic device emerged next. Lord Serpentine eagerly inspected it and concluded that it had likely been used to track the unique artron emissions of the missing Type 40. His theory fit neatly with the evidence already uncovered, and Professor Maltheus suggested the device might even aid their own search. As speculation grew, Lady Rowan questioned why such valuable equipment had been abandoned in the first place, proposing that time itself might be complicating matters.
The most startling clue arrived in the form of a message cube. When Lord President Chronotis activated it, a simple but chilling message echoed through the chamber: “I am not your enemy. I am looking for someone. She belongs with me.” While Lord Serpentine suggested the “she” might refer to the TARDIS itself, Lady Chronotis remained uneasy about the possessive tone. The pieces increasingly pointed toward a desperate individual searching for a lost companion.
Then the mystery abruptly stopped being theoretical.
As Lord Winters examined a functioning tracer device linked to the missing capsule, Lady Chronotis was suddenly overcome by a powerful sensation unlike anything she had experienced before. Realizing it was not her pregnancy causing the distress, she warned the group that something was coming. Moments later, the rogue TARDIS materialized directly before them.
The arrival stunned everyone. Professor Maltheus barely had time to react before the vessel appeared, deposited a single item outside its doors, and vanished again with remarkable speed. The object proved to be an identification badge belonging to “Subject Alpha.” As the group examined the evidence, Lady Chronotis revealed the emotional connection she continued to feel from the TARDIS itself. Far from hostile, the vessel seemed frightened, lonely, and deeply distressed. Lord Winters suggested the ship had effectively imprinted upon Lady Chronotis, recognizing her compassion and trustworthiness.
The discussion soon shifted toward Subject Alpha. Was the pilot truly dangerous, or merely another victim of Project Harmonia? Lady Chronotis recalled an earlier message from the TARDIS, one that suggested the pilot had once left their world and that safety had briefly returned afterward. This revelation strengthened fears that Subject Alpha may have been transformed into something dangerous through years of experimentation and abuse.
Lord President Chronotis theorized that the TARDIS may have been drawn to Lady Chronotis precisely because of her empathy and partially human perspective, qualities far removed from those responsible for Harmonia’s horrors. Lord Conundrum agreed to investigate the recovered identification card further, hoping it might contain hidden information that could finally reveal Subject Alpha’s true identity.
By the end of the evening, the investigators finally had something they had lacked for weeks: a plan. Professor Maltheus proposed using another TARDIS to recreate the rogue vessel’s artron signature, effectively creating bait to lure Subject Alpha into a controlled environment. Lord President Chronotis, Lady Chronotis, Lord Winters, Lord Conundrum, Lady Rowan, and Lord Serpentine all contributed ideas as the strategy took shape. While concerns remained about just how desperate and dangerous Subject Alpha might be, the group agreed that finding answers would require drawing him out rather than chasing shadows across time and space.
As the meeting concluded, the mood was cautiously optimistic. Professor Maltheus retired for a much-needed rest cycle, Lord Conundrum arranged for the recovered artifacts to be secured, and Lord President Chronotis escorted Lady Chronotis home after her exhausting psychic encounter. Between rogue TARDISes, cryptic messages, abandoned technology, and increasingly alarming revelations about Project Harmonia, the mystery has only grown deeper. Yet for the first time, Gallifrey’s defenders possess both a trail to follow and a plan to act upon. Somewhere out there, Subject Alpha is searching for his lost TARDIS. The question is whether the reunion he seeks will save them both… or unleash something Gallifrey is not prepared to face.