Supernova
Title: Supernova
Author: eriphi
Word Count: 347
Characters: 11th Doctor, Amy, Rory and unspoken Rose memories.
Summary: The universe is a beautiful, destructive thing. And just because you can't save it all doesn't mean that it's not right to try.
Author's note: Written for the who_contest drabble challenge "Burn".
---
"What's that?" Rory asked.
"It used to be a Supergiant star. Now it's the biggest supernova in a hundred thousand years."
"And why are we here?"
"Them." The Doctor waggled a lever and the display zoomed into the edge of the explosion. As his eyes adjusted, Rory could see dozens of lumpy 'things' floating in space. They seemed familiar. They looked like...
"Space manatees!" Amy said triumphantly.
"These are the Lorex, creatures that feed on exploding stars."
"How can they feed on that?" Rory asked.
"Do you have rechargeable batteries at home?"
"Yes."
"Well, nothing like that. You should watch and stop asking questions."
So they watched. The Lorex floated around the pillars of gas and fire. More arrived, until they were nudging against each other. Like dancers, they turned towards the centre of the supernova. They began to change. Lights flickered on their surface and the lumpy clumsiness began to shift into smooth shimmering shapes. They grew longer and thinner, until they were quite beautiful.
Quietly, the Doctor said, "The energy burns them as they swallow it. A trillion Lorex will come here to feed, and they will absorb enough energy from the supernova to save the stars and planets nearby." He pointed at the screen, "There are five billion human colonists here, another two million here and another million souls here and here. They will be saved because the Lorex absorb the energy of the explosion."
"But it changes them. They become... something else, and it kills them. The energy burns them from the inside. They save so many, but they die."
"That's horrible," Amy said.
"Yes. Horrible. And that's why we're here. Once, I took the energy from a friend to save her. To stop her burning after she saved everything. And it changed me."
He cranked a few levers.
"But not so changed that I don't think she would appreciate this."
They flew the TARDIS close to the Lorex. The TARDIS took their energy into the Time Vortex at her heart.
And some were saved.
The rest burned so bright that Amy cried.
End
Author: eriphi
Word Count: 347
Characters: 11th Doctor, Amy, Rory and unspoken Rose memories.
Summary: The universe is a beautiful, destructive thing. And just because you can't save it all doesn't mean that it's not right to try.
Author's note: Written for the who_contest drabble challenge "Burn".
---
"What's that?" Rory asked.
"It used to be a Supergiant star. Now it's the biggest supernova in a hundred thousand years."
"And why are we here?"
"Them." The Doctor waggled a lever and the display zoomed into the edge of the explosion. As his eyes adjusted, Rory could see dozens of lumpy 'things' floating in space. They seemed familiar. They looked like...
"Space manatees!" Amy said triumphantly.
"These are the Lorex, creatures that feed on exploding stars."
"How can they feed on that?" Rory asked.
"Do you have rechargeable batteries at home?"
"Yes."
"Well, nothing like that. You should watch and stop asking questions."
So they watched. The Lorex floated around the pillars of gas and fire. More arrived, until they were nudging against each other. Like dancers, they turned towards the centre of the supernova. They began to change. Lights flickered on their surface and the lumpy clumsiness began to shift into smooth shimmering shapes. They grew longer and thinner, until they were quite beautiful.
Quietly, the Doctor said, "The energy burns them as they swallow it. A trillion Lorex will come here to feed, and they will absorb enough energy from the supernova to save the stars and planets nearby." He pointed at the screen, "There are five billion human colonists here, another two million here and another million souls here and here. They will be saved because the Lorex absorb the energy of the explosion."
"But it changes them. They become... something else, and it kills them. The energy burns them from the inside. They save so many, but they die."
"That's horrible," Amy said.
"Yes. Horrible. And that's why we're here. Once, I took the energy from a friend to save her. To stop her burning after she saved everything. And it changed me."
He cranked a few levers.
"But not so changed that I don't think she would appreciate this."
They flew the TARDIS close to the Lorex. The TARDIS took their energy into the Time Vortex at her heart.
And some were saved.
The rest burned so bright that Amy cried.
End