Chapter Text
University was everything that Rose had dreamt it would be. Being from an estate, she’d never had the chance to throw herself into learning and have others support her so genuinely. Hell, she’d never had access to so many books (except on the TARDIS). She excelled in her classes and her professors didn’t seem to care one bit about her background or that she was a touch older than the typical first-year undergraduate. The curriculum was fascinating, and Rose was genuinely happy to spend hours in study groups she’d joined or tucked away in the library, reading about ancient people and the origins of society.
She still thought about the Doctor often, wondering what he would think about a theory in her textbook or if he had ever visited a certain ancient civilization. She just knew that he would say something hilarious about Homo Sapiens Neanderthalensis or how similar modern humans are to apes.
Living in her own space was an amazing breath of fresh air, giving Rose a level of independence that she hadn’t experienced before. She came and went when she pleased, no one telling her what to do or when to do it. When she wasn’t working or studying, she got to know the other students who lived at Ramsay Hall and enjoyed making friends with all sorts of people.
Her work at UNIT was mostly mind-numbingly boring but had moments of exhilaration sprinkled in.
She spent the vast majority of her time translating written and audio records alongside Mr. Beck, whom she'd become quite friendly with. The man was in his late 40s and was thrilled with her ability to interpret information he had been working at for years. He had a fantastic sense of humor and treated Rose like a daughter after only a month of working together. He had been divorced for years and Rose was considering setting him up on a date with Jackie. She thought he’d make an excellent stepfather.
Sometimes, though, Rose was taken into the field with various UNIT squads. It wasn’t very often in the beginning, but it happened enough that Rose became comfortable running towards the sounds of gunfire again and checking around corners before entering a hostile area.
The first emergency she had been called in on was while Rose was in the middle of class during her first month at UCL. When her UNIT mobile went off, she'd rushed out of class with the excuse of needing the loo. On the other end of the call, Acheson explained that there had been an incident in Bristol- a ship had crashed, and its crew had taken two hostages in a local shop. He said they were sending a helicopter to transport her to the crash site and he ordered her to come prepared. She’d had to awkwardly explain that she didn’t have a uniform with her and asked that he send it with the pilot. Later, after helping to negotiate the release of the hostages and help clear up the situation, she went to see Captain Matthews, asking for another set of gear. The older woman had easily agreed and approved of her dedication to being better prepared in the future. Kate had also been pleased by her contribution to a situation that could have easily ended with casualties.
After that first incident, Rose made sure that her uniform was always ready. Future incidents showed that aliens weren’t thoughtful enough to only invade on evenings and weekends.
Despite her busy schedule, she made sure to visit her mum every weekend and use a portion of her wages to buy groceries for the flat. She also made a habit of quietly leaving small rolls of banknotes around the flat for Jackie to find. Since she lived in student housing and her meals were mostly at the dining hall or UNITs canteen, Rose could continue helping support Jackie.
Her mother hadn’t shown any suspicions about her job and hadn’t come to the Tower, asking to see her daughter. Rose didn’t like lying to her mum, so she made sure to initially describe her inventory work in extremely boring detail. After a couple of long-winded explanations of the records and items, Jackie never asked again. However, this didn’t stop her from bragging to all her friends on the estate about how successful Rose was becoming. She also never mentioned the unexplained money she found around the flat.
Before Rose knew it, her first year at UCL had ended. She’d done brilliantly on exams, impressing her professors greatly, and even earned a faculty medal. However, she was exhausted by the end of the term, so she decided against taking any summer courses, choosing to focus on work and spending time with her loved ones.
In June, Rose packed up her room and victoriously returned to the flat, an event that Jackie celebrated with a raucous party. All her friends came, even some of her UNIT coworkers (Mr. Beck included, who got along famously with a suddenly charming and easygoing Jackie Tyler).
The younger adults eventually decided to go out to the pub, leaving Jackie and the ‘grownups’ at the flat. Rose had left the flat with a wink towards her mother, jerking her head at Mr. Beck. When she woke up the next morning, hungover, Rose was pleased to see her mum and Mr. Beck sitting at the table, drinking tea, and throwing not-very-subtle smiles at one another.
For the next several months, Rose was so happy seeing her mother in a happy and healthy relationship. Joshua Beck clearly adored Jackie and didn’t seem to display any of the red flags that had been present in her previous disastrous relationships. He took her on dates, was respectful towards her friends, and continued treating Rose like the daughter he never had.
Seeing Jackie so happy left a bittersweet taste in Rose’s mouth, however. Seeing them fall in love made her dwell on her own failed love story. Her traitorous heart still ached when she thought of the alien whom she had left two years earlier.
She knew it wasn’t logical and it wasn’t healthy. She had now been apart from him longer than they had spent together, but she couldn’t help but look at the photos she’d kept up in her bedroom and regret how their story had ended.
Still, she didn’t feel like her heart was bleeding anymore. She could bear talking about him with Sarah Jane and mentions of him at UNIT didn’t make her flinch. She thought about him every time she was in the field and encountered an alien, wondering how he would handle the situation or if he would be proud of how she did.
Rose even told Jackie the truth about her final day with the Doctor. Her mum had predictably yelled and maligned the Time Lord, finally declaring that she was better off without him if all it took was a bit of French skirt to turn his head. Privately, Jackie was absolutely certain that he was regretting his actions but was thankful that he’d kept away, giving Rose a chance at a normal life.
That first summer was spent working diligently on translations and becoming more comfortable at UNIT. She found herself spending more time training with the field teams, eagerly trying to be more useful since she craved the adventure that participation offered. After her time with the Doctor, she didn’t hesitate to join in operations that gave her the same adrenaline rush. Rose was always kept safely towards the rear, on Kate's orders, but she still delighted in being part of the excitement.
Kate Lethbridge-Stewart was glad to see Rose becoming a more active member of the team and didn’t hesitate to approve her inclusion in operations that didn’t necessarily need a translator on hand. She could see how much the young woman enjoyed being helpful, which she turned out to be often. Rose seemed to have a knack for field work and an intuition for situations that were about to go sideways. She empathized with the aliens they encountered but was also understanding when difficult decisions had to be made.
Kate never asked and never found out why Rose had returned to linear time, but she was truly astonished that the Doctor had let such a useful person go. She had already decided to offer Rose a longer contract when her current one ended. Rose Tyler was an asset, even beyond her translating ability.
Major Callum Acheson was equally happy to have had Rose join the field teams, though for less professional reasons. He was very attracted to the spitfire woman but wasn’t entirely sure how to go about making her notice. Almost everyone at the Tower saw Acheson's regard for the woman, except for the translator herself. The Major’s crush was the worst-kept secret at UNIT and his dopey smiles were frequently giggled about by the secretaries.
Rose’s life and routine at UNIT went on normally until an incident during her second year at UCL changed everything.
She was called during the middle of the night and ordered to join a field team heading to Wales. Rose was picked up within ten minutes at her dorm by a dark-tinted SUV and was briefed by Major General Stephens on their way to a helicopter. Rose didn't know the man, except by reputation, but did know one of the other soldiers in the vehicle, who was kind enough to shove a travel cup of coffee into her hands once she had climbed in.
“A large fleet has been identified in orbit and one has landed on the coast of Wales, species and origin unknown. We have received one single, brief communication from them, but their language doesn’t match anything in the database. The transmission showed that they are armed and hostile. Watch this video and tell me what it says.”
The Major General shoved a tablet into Rose’s hands, and then stoicly waited for her translation.
Rose was horrified once the video began. It showed an alien figure with a weapon held to a civilian woman’s head and her hair twisted in its hands. The woman was crying and visibly shaking. The alien was humanoid, but had dark orange skin, four eyes, and was very large. Rose watched the video, pausing to share what she was hearing and allowing a sergeant to transcribe it into a laptop.
“I address the people of this primitive world. We are now in control of this pathetic planet, and it now belongs to us. Our fleet stands ready to destroy your miserable lives unless our demands are met. Your government will surrender immediately and acknowledge the superiority of the Vocin. All military will stand down. Our weapons are prepared to fire on the cities of Earth should any action be taken against us. Await further orders or suffer the consequences.” Rose relayed this to them, then gasped at the end of the video when the alien fired the weapon and killed the woman in cold blood.
Stephen’s face was grim as he provided further information.
“That transmission was received fifty minutes ago, and we have been ordered to travel to Swansea to try and negotiate with them. Scans show that there are eight ships in low-Earth orbit, although their weapon capabilities are unclear. All UNIT squads are being dispatched and governments across the world are being briefed as we speak. Our teams’ orders are to fly to Morriston where a negotiator will meet us, then approach the ship that landed. While we buy time, Kate is meeting with the U.N. and discussing military options with the PM. You will approach the ship with the negotiator and myself. We will attempt to find a peaceable solution while the U.N. meets and decides how to proceed should we fail. Do you have any questions?”
Rose quickly took a drink of the scalding coffee, barely noticing the pain in her mouth. This was, without a doubt, the most dangerous incident she had been involved in since she joined UNIT two years ago. Up until now, most of the alien encounters had been on a much smaller scale and it was not the whole planet at risk.
“Not really at the moment. Who is the negotiator?”
“We have been assigned a U.N. negotiator named Baek Eun-ji. She volunteered when the United Nations was briefed at an emergency meeting. I don’t know much about her, but I have to admire her bravery.” Stephens shared, pulling up a photo of her on the tablet. Rose examined the stern-looking Korean woman, who she absently noted was gorgeous. She was older, with silver hair but very few wrinkles to show for it.
When they arrived in Morriston, Rose quickly changed into her uniform and accepted the service pistol that was offered by the sergeant from earlier. After inspecting it, she considered putting it in her standard holster but figured it wouldn’t be smart to display a weapon during negotiations. Instead, she tucked it into the pocket of her jacket, hoping the bulge wasn’t obvious.
Oh, if the Doctor could see me now, he would be spitting mad.
They were met by Mrs. Baek and her team when they landed. The negotiator greeted Rose brusquely and then began to give instructions on how she planned to handle negotiations once they approached Swansea. They would drive almost the entire way but would approach the ship on foot, without weapons or guards. Rose was instructed to stand on her left and translate whatever was said on either side. Once they reached the clearing where the ship had landed, Rose shakily accepted a megaphone and prayed to whatever god there was that her TARDIS gift wouldn’t fail her now.
Negotiations with the Vocin quickly proved to be completely useless. The aliens weren’t interested in any outcome except total enslavement of the human race and merciless exploitation of Earth’s natural resources. The Major General had told Rose that if negotiations failed, then their purpose was to give the U.N. as much time as possible to come up with a plan. A couple of minutes away, outside of Swansea, several UNIT squads were on standby, ready to approach at a moment’s notice if the situation became hostile.
Rose could tell that Eun-ji was doing her best to use delaying tactics at this point. Rose tried to stay focused on the task at hand but couldn’t help but think about what the Doctor would do in this situation. No doubt he would come up with some masterfully clever idea that would instantly go up in flames. Then he would improvise an incredibly clever plan that inevitably saved the day. Then he would hug her, take her hand, and drag her off to the TARDIS for another adventure.
Frankly, Rose was terrified as she translated back and forth. There was no clever plan here, no plan at all. Just keep the aliens boasting and threatening Earth and wait for people far away to decide something, which may or may not include saving the lives of the people in Swansea. For all she knew, the next moment could be her last and if she died here, her mum would never know why. The Doctor would never know.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Stephens look at a message he received on his tablet. She couldn’t make out the words, but she saw his shoulders tense marginally and he began typing something in response. The Vocin didn’t seem to notice or care, carrying on about the strength of their people and the might of their ships.
That’s probably not a good sign. Something very bad is about to happen.
Within moments of Stephens finishing typing, the sky was lit up as multiple explosions occurred almost simultaneously.
The situation on land quickly devolved into chaos. The Vocin immediately began firing toward the Major General, Eun-ji, and Rose who had been standing in a mostly open area away from the tree line. Once Stephens yelled ‘Take cover!’, the trio quickly retreated into the trees, trying to protect their bodies from the incoming lasers as much as possible.
As soon as they reached the tree line, Stephens was on his phone, calling for backup. Whatever heard on the other end of the line caused him to curse. The Vocin were starting to advance towards their cover, so they pushed deeper into the trees.
As they ran, Rose shouted to him “Are they coming? How far away are they?”
“Another ship landed while we were talking- they were re-tasked to that location. We’re on our own for at least another ten minutes.”
Eun-ji scoffed heavily and pulled a small pistol from the back of her skirt. “I’ve got five shots in this thing. How about you?”
Stephens grimaced and pulled a similar gun from a holster around his ankle. “Ten. Tyler?”
“Just the standard seventeen. I doubt it will have much effect on these blokes.”
Stephens held out his hand to Rose, indicating she should give him the pistol. “New plan: you two push ahead and find a place to hide. I will hold them off until Robertson's squad arrives.”
“Absolutely not, Sir. I’m not leaving you here on your own.” Rose told him stubbornly, glancing over her shoulder towards the aliens. The Vocin had temporarily stopped moving forward and began shooting again, so all three humans ducked behind trees again.
“Agreed Major General. I don’t answer to you.” Eun-ji chimed in, glaring at the military man.
Instead of arguing, Stephens just nodded and flinched when a laser shot glanced off the tree behind him. Rather than waste more breath, he waited until the shots paused, then he leaned around the tree and fired his pistol twice toward the enemies. They heard a distant scream and then the lasers resumed.
The three of them stayed at the location for several minutes, occasionally taking shots at the Vocin whenever they tried to advance. The firefight had turned into a stalemate and there was still no sign of Robertsons' squad.
“Ladies, I suggest that-” Stephenson began, but his voice cut off abruptly as a laser glanced the side of his head and he slumped to the ground. Rose quickly dashed to him, stripped off her jacket, and began applying pressure to the wound.
“Eun-ji, get his phone and dial the last number he called. Try to get an ETA on backup! Tell them he’s been shot.”
The other woman was quick to do so, fumbling her way into his pocket to retrieve the standard-issue UNIT mobile. She had barely flipped open the phone when they both heard an odd whistling sound from above their heads. Rose had never heard anything quite like it and looked up into the darkness trying to figure out what it could be. In the distance, they heard a large explosion and the woods lit up from the direction of the Vocin ship. Eun-ji, however, had a look of hope cross her face.
“That was a missile. I recognize it from Iraq. It’s what an airstrike sounds like.”
They didn’t have a chance to discuss it further, as the Vocin began pushing forward and firing more rapidly. Rose asked the other woman to keep applying pressure, then began firing into the woods again, much like Stephens had been. She might not like the gun in her hands, but two people’s lives were depending on her, so she did what she had too.
However, within a minute, she was thrown backward and knew no more.