h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Reunions.
The Doctor stumbled around inside the Tardis searching through the odd cupboard and storage container. Ace looked on a little puzzled as to what on Earth he was doing.
"Um...Professor-" she began.
"Not now!" he snapped.
He drew out a small piece of machinery from one of the cupboards. "Ah hah!" he exclaimed.
Ace watched him walk into the console room and followed him out.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"I," he said fitting the small piece of machinery to the console. "Am," he drew a hammer from under the console and hit the small piece of machinery with it. "Fitting an intergalactic message system!" he announced.
"What will that do?" Ace asked.
The Doctor pressed a button on the console control panel and the machine lit up.
"It will upgrade the intergalactic message system to allow us to receive messages from all over the galaxy!" he said throwing his arms up in the air in excitement.
Ace gave him an odd look. "Just who will send you a message, the last time that thing sent us to the psychic circus!" she said a little frustrated that she had been anticipating this all day and finally it had proved to be such an enormous disappointment.
The Doctor frowned at her. "Various people..." he trailed off.
"Such as?" Ace said with a smile.
"Um...The Daleks?" he said futile.
Ace laughed at him. The Doctor frowned at her but his bad mood was immediately made better by the message system giving off a loud bleeping sound.
"Ah hah a message!" the Doctor exclaimed.
"Junk mail!" Ace snorted.
The Doctor pressed another button on the console and a data card shot out of the console message port. The Doctor could barely contain his excitement as the he inserted the data card into another port in the console. The scanner flickered to life, showing a long message.
"You see!" the Doctor gloated.
Ace walked to the scanner with the Doctor and read the message.
It read "Dear Doctor, as a sign of the peace that will be taking place on the worlds of Atrios and Zios Princess Astra has requested your presence to witness her wedding to the honourable Merak. We hope you shall be able to attend."
With that the message ended.
"Atrios?" Ace said puzzled.
"I went their once when I was in my fourth regeneration, to recover the sixth segment of the key to time, they were having a war then and must be celebrating that it ended." The Doctor explained.
"Are we going?" asked his companion.
"Why not, we need a rest." The Doctor said and he set the Tardis for Atrios.
* * * * *
The structure of the Atrios palace was a marvellous sight, four separate towers on each of its corners, the planet had undergone a huge re modelling after the end of the war, now it was a flourish floral world.
Inside the palace Princess Astra sat on a large golden throne wearing her exquisite purple gown a yellow cloak. Before her stood The Marshall of Atrios and his right hand man Shapp.
"All of the invitations sent out have been accepted." Shapp reported.
The Marshall dressed in his decorated military uniform stepped forward. "Your highness, I realise that this is your marriage but are you sure you want to invite so many Zion’s, their is still some hostile feeling among them towards us." he said.
"Marshall, I understand your concerns but we must reach out to the Zion’s, we must show them that we trust them." The Princess said solemnly.
The Marshall nodded submissively. "Very well, but I don’t see why we had to invite that delegate from Skellia." The Marshall continued with his line of complaints.
"Yes, I saw him yesterday." Shapp said and he shuddered. "He sends a chill down your spine."
"As I have said, we need to reach out to people, and Skellia is a very isolated planet, besides he isn’t all that bad."
Shapp gave her a strange look.
* * * * *
The Tardis dematerialised outside the Atrios palace. The Doctor and Ace stepped out and took in their surroundings.
"Nice place." Ace said impressed.
"Wasn't the last time I came." The Doctor said under his breath.
"Lots of guests I see!" The Doctor said pointing his umbrella over to a full spaceport.
"Shall we?" said the Doctor and he followed Ace inside.
The Doctor and Ace walked down a long corridor decorated with portraits and ornaments through Atrios' history. Finally they reached a point where the guests were being sent into the throne room. The Doctor walked up behind the line of guests.
"Cant you just say your more important than the rest of them?" Ace nudged the Doctor in the arm.
"Certainly not!" the Doctor snapped. "It would be rude."
Ace shrugged and after a while they were at the front of the queue.
Shapp turned around after directing the last delegate in and turned to face the Doctor.
"And you are?" he said.
The Doctor smiled at him, recognising the face.
"Its me the Doctor!"
Shapp gave him a weird look of confusion.
"Listen you don’t joke with me, besides your far too small!" Shapp said.
"I am the Doctor, I've regenerated you fool!" the Doctor snapped.
"Oh yes! yes of course, your a time lord aren’t you, how foolish of me."
"Nice to see you again Doctor, do go in." Shapp directed the Doctor inside the throne room.
"Thank you Shapp, nice to see you again." The Doctor said as he and Ace entered the throne room.
"Lot of people here." said a surprised Doctor as he made his way to the front of the crowd dragging Ace along with him.
They finally reached the front after annoying many people. Princess Astra and her husband to be Merak stood on the steps of the throne, to one side of them stood the proud looking Marshall and Shapp.
"We are glad you could all come." The Princess announced. "For many years our planet has been at war with Zios but now we are at peace, and it seems only fitting that we should celebrate this event, and what better to celebrate it with than a wedding."
The crowd applauded.
The Marshall whispered to Shapp with a smile.
"I recommended a military salute, but still."
Shapp stifled a giggle.
Some time later after all of the delegates and guests had left the Doctor and Ace approached the Princess.
"Princess!" The Doctor called as she was about to turn away.
"Oh Doctor, a pleasure to see you again, Shapp informed me of your regeneration." she smiled.
"I am glad to be here, this is Ace." said the Doctor pointing to his young companion.
Ace smiled an bowed. Astra smiled.
Another figure entered the throne room, a black skeleton wearing a black robe and a purple cloak, on the figures shoulder sat a small winged creature with sharp claws and a spiked tail.
"Oh, here is the delegate from Skellia." The Princess said.
The Doctor and Ace twisted around and were at a loss for words as they came face to face with a familiar adversary.
"Rasputaltron..." the Doctor murmured.
"And Barok." Ace added.
Rasputaltron lifted his head to face the Doctor and smiled an evil smile.
"Hello Doctor!" he hissed.
"Oh I'm sorry have you already met?" asked Astra,
"Unfortunately" the Doctor and Rasputaltron replied in unison,
"Then perhaps you'd like to catch up." the Princess was smiling and trying her best to calm the hostility. "I shall get Shapp to seat you next to each other at the reception."
"That won't be necessary." the Doctor insisted.
"Oh come now Doctor." Rasputaltron's energy had coursed across his face and formed itself into a smirk. "There's no need for such hostility!"