Fixing The Problems

Sword of Orion - Part Four

"If memory serves, androids and genetic constructs were outlawed, weren't they?" The Doctor asked.

"Memory? Everyone knows that." Ike said.

"Yes, yes, of course. Although I have to confess we've been a little out of circulation of late, haven't we, Celestia?" The Doctor asked the Time Lady.

"I suppose you could put it like that, yes. Yes." Celestia agreed.

"Something strange about you three, isn't there? Why are we talking about the Orion War anyway?" Ike said after he examined them.

"Bear with me, Ike, bear with me. So the androids were outlawed." The Doctor aaid, as he tried to remember.

"They outlawed themselves, if you ask me." Ike said, honestly.

"What do you mean?" Charley asked.

"Well, they started getting, well, uppity. Demanding rights. Said they were as good as people, real people." Ike explained.

"Heaven forfend." Celestia said, sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she put her head in The Doctor's shoulder again. The Doctor started playing with her hair absent-mindedly. Celestia hummed in reply and closed her eyes. Charley looked at them with a jealous look.

"Then they started forming their own tribunals, producing reports on maltreatment of non-human employees." Ike explained.

"And this led to a war?" Charley asked.

"Yeah. Earth authorities told them to pack it in or face the consequences. There were some ugly scenes. Demonstrations, riots. The trouble was, when it all kicked off the military had no way of telling the difference between people and androids. All sorts got killed." Ike continued to explain.

"No way of telling? Interesting." The Doctor said.

"Isn't that the point these androids were perhaps making?" Charley asked.

"Eh?" Ike asked, not getting what she says.

"Why is the war in the Orion system?" Celestia asked, not opening her eyes.

"Oh well, gave up trying to get their rights, so the lot of 'em upped and left and moved to Orion. That's where most of them were made anyway." Ike answered.

"Weren't there any humans in the Orion system?" Charley asked.

"Oh yeah, but the androids gave them an ultimatum. Stay and accept androids as equals or leave." Ike continued to explain. The stuff he was talking about interested her so Celestia opened her eyes to look at him. "Most left, some stayed. Course, this was against the Galactic Charter and that's how the war started. About eight years ago now. Nobody's winning. It's a nasty business." He finished explaining

"What's that?" Celestia asked as she saw something.

"Hey, what is it Celestia? What did you see?" The Doctor asked her as he stopped playing with her hair and looked down at her.

"I thought I saw something on the main view port." Celestia explained as she looked up at him. The Doctor looked around to try to see what she had seen.

"I can't see anything." Charley said as she did the same.

"No, there was something, in the distance. It's gone now." Celestia said as Ike tapped on keyboard to scan the area.

"If I had some decent power levels I could do a proper long range scan." Ike said.

"Theta, let's check this computer. I have a feeling that we can find useful information in there." Celestia told the Time Lord telepathically as she removed her head from his shoulder.