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Cuttin' Edge answered automatically.
     
'Ahh,' said the Doctor, nodding slowly as realisation dawned. 'Let me guess: the Daleks are rampaging through the galaxy. The Earth Empire is resisting them in every way it can, but the battles rage on year after year across all the solar systems. Some humans have never known a time when they've not been at war with the Daleks.'
     
'Guess so.'
     
'The Dalek Generation. But you've reached the tipping point, haven't you? Two mighty galactic powers, facing off across the stars. Two giant superpowers vying for supremacy, slugging it out planet by planet. It could go either way.'
     
'That's about the size of it. We're doin' what we can out here on the edge, raiding Dalek space, messin' with their supply lines. Earning a living.'
     
'You've chosen a harsh life.'
     
'Never known any other kind. I was brought up on Gauda Prime and we're born fightin' there. Regular army couldn't stomach me – said I was too much of a loose cannon, an' I wouldn't let them recondition me.'
     
'Good for you. It's always best to just say no.'
     
'Ended up on the Wayfarer with Captain Bowman. There ain't nothin' he don't know about killin' Daleks.'
     
'Then we've more in common than I thought,' the Doctor commented drily.
     
'Hey, Bowman's all right. He's a soldier's soldier, if you know what I mean. They don't come any tougher than Jon Bowman. He was a trooper in Earth Force One, back in the day. A veteran of the Draconian Conflicts too. They say he was on the front line at Tartarus. He's an expert in weapons an' tactics and he was stickin' it to Skaro's finest before I was out of short pants.'
     
'I'm glad to hear it. Don't think he likes me much.'
     
Cuttin' Edge looked away. 'We all liked Stella. She was one of the good guys. Captain Bowman was like a father to her.'
     
'I'm sorry.'
     
The door hissed open and Scrum came in. He nodded at Cuttin' Edge but avoided looking at the Doctor. 'Skipper says we're going back to Auros.'
     
'Auros?' repeated the Doctor.
     
'Stella's planet,' explained Scrum bleakly. 'We're taking her home.'
     

FIVE
Auros was one of the colony worlds that formed the backbone of the Human Empire. Even at the Wayfarer 's top speed, it would take the best part of a day to get there. Bowman remained in his cabin, while Stella's body was stowed in the medical bay, cryogenically frozen in the same way as the Dalek. No one appreciated the irony, least of all the Doctor.
     
He paid his respects. She was lying peacefully on the narrow examination couch, arms folded across her chest, looking like a marble effigy on a tomb. Her skin was as white and perfect as alabaster, covered by a thin veil of freezing mist.
     
He wanted to say he was sorry, but what would be the point? She was gone. Whatever had made Stella unique was no longer here. Her body remained, but the person – the intelligence, the good humour, the courage that he had glimpsed so briefly – they were gone from the universe for ever. It was something the Doctor would never truly understand.
     
'You really liked her, didn't you?' Scrum asked from the passageway. There wasn't room for more than two people at a time in the medical cabin.
     
'Yes,' replied the Doctor. 'I did. She reminded me of someone... something... I miss.'
     
'She was good company.'
     
The Doctor bit his lip and nodded. 'Yeah, I bet she was.'
     
'Doesn't do to dwell,' Scrum said. 'She's going home, that's all we need to know.'
     
'Does she have any family?'
     
'No, I don't think so.'
     
'That's good.'
     
Scrum shrugged. 'Never really thought about it. So many people are orphans now.'
     
'Because of the Daleks?'
     
'Yes. They call it the Dalek Generation.'
     
'I know.'
     
Scrum cleared his throat, clearly wishing to change the subject.
     
The Doctor looked up and forced a smile. 'Has Cuttin' Edge managed to fix that airlock door yet?'
     
'He's working on it.'
     
'Not too hard I hope.'
     
'He'll have it fixed in time for us to land on