In article <
4774a605-3566-4f6a...@googlegroups.com>,
>On Sunday, March 28, 2021 at 8:08:42 PM UTC+3, The True Doctor wrote:
>> Repost, celebrating 200 years since the Greek War of Independence began=
>=20
>> on March 25 1821, which led to the decisive sea battle of Navarino on 20=
>=20
>> October (O. S. 8 October) 1827 which is documented in this story, in=20
>> which the Great Powers, Britain, France, and Russia helped to defeat the=
>=20
>> Ottoman Fleet.=20
>>=20
>> =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
>=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=20
>> AGA S11E07 Float Like A Butterfly=20
>> =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
>=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=20
>>=20
>> Lara and Rani ask the Doctor to take them to see the historic Rumble in=
>=20
>> the Jungle where Muhammed Ali fought George Foreman (the Doctor says he=
>=20
>> was a Foreman once) in Zaire.=20
>>=20
>> The TARDIS lands and the Doctor projects a 3D image of the view outside=
>=20
>> in the control room.=20
>>=20
>> The occupants see people in the streets wearing what look like=20
>> traditional costumes and head coverings. Rani remarks that it's so=20
>> backward of the people of Zaire to cover their heads even if it was the=
>=20
>> 1970s.=20
>>=20
>> The Doctor mentions it might be a good idea to cover up and ushers them=
>=20
>> to the TARDIS wardrobe. The girls enter the wardrobe and put on similar=
>=20
>> looking costumes as those worn by the people in the street, but refuse=20
>> to cover their heads with a hijab.=20
>>=20
>> They all step out of the TARDIS and find themselves in some kind of=20
>> warehouse. They hear the crowds in the distance calling Ali, Ali. They=20
>> exit the warehouse and follow the voices and arrive at a huge parade=20
>> taking place through a broad avenue.=20
>>=20
>> An entourage bearing a litter passes through the street. The girls guess=
>=20
>> that this must be Muhammed Ali and move closer to the front of the crowd=
>=20
>> to get a better view, followed cautiously by the Doctor.=20
>>=20
>> Inside the litter they see a man covered in rich clothing. They can't=20
>> see much of his face since he's waving to the crowd in the other=20
>> direction. The Doctor asks someone in the crowd if this is Muhammed Ali=
>=20
>> and they say "yes, yes, this is indeed the great Muhammed Ali."=20
>>=20
>> Lara thinks it's some kind of publicity stunt put on for the media which=
>=20
>> is all part of the hype surrounding the fight and calls out to Ali to=20
>> turn round. The odd thing though is that they can see no sign of=20
>> photographers. Maybe they haven't got there yet. It's is the 70s after al=
>l.=20
>>=20
>> The girls are noticed by one of Ali's entourage who asks then if they=20
>> want to meet Ali and dance for him at a celebration. They accept.=20
>>=20
>> As they journey to Ali's residence the Doctor notices that there is=20
>> something strange about their surroundings. Nothing modern is visible,=20
>> no TV aerials, public telephones or cars on the roads, only horses and=20
>> carriages. The girls put it down to Zaire being backwards and the=20
>> streets being cleared for the publicity stunt. The Doctor thinks he's=20
>> been here before and very recently.=20
>>=20
>> They are all ushered into what looks like a palace. The women are=20
>> separated from the men. The Doctor follows his guide into a great hall=20
>> where rugs, cushions and small tables are strewn across the floor.=20
>> Everyone has to enter in bare feet after being washed and prayers are=20
>> chanted to Allah.=20
>>=20
>> The girls are taken to what looks like a harem and given skimpy=20
>> bejeweled costumes woven with golden thread to change into.=20
>>=20
>> When everyone is ready in the dining hall the feast begins. Sweets=20
>> resembling Turkish delight and baklava are handed out as appetizers.=20
>> Middle eastern music is heard being played by the musicians seated on=20
>> the floor.=20
>>=20
>> Dancing girls including Lara and Rani are ushered into the dining hall=20
>> with bells and tiny symbols tied around their fingers and ankles,=20
>> dancing to the music.=20
>>=20
>> They all enter and form a circle in the open space in the middle of the=
>=20
>> room lit by oil lamps. On one side is a huge dais with an ornate throne=
>=20
>> in the middle resembling a huge golden cushion. Slaves with fans are at=
>=20
>> each side. The music stops and a fanfare is played. A richly dressed man=
>=20
>> enters in procession with his attendants, wearing a fez. The Doctor=20
>> remarks fezzes are cool. The dancers separate to either side of the man=
>=20
>> in the fez and he climbs the dais, turns and sits on the cushion.=20
>>=20
>> He is announced as Muhammad Ali, but he has pale skin. Everyone bows=20
>> down to him as he sits.=20
>>=20
>> Another man enters the same way also wearing a fez, and sits on the=20
>> cushion next to Muhammad Ali.=20
>>=20
>> He is announced as Ibrahim Pasha son of Muhammad Ali Pasha, Khedive of=20
>> Egypt and Sudan.=20
>>=20
>> The Doctor and his companions now realize are not in Kinshasa, Zaire but=
>=20
>> still in Cairo, Egypt, and not in 1974!=20
>>=20
>> The meal is served and the girls are brought on to dance.=20
>>=20
>> Ibrahim notices Lara and Rani and asks them to sit by his side and share=
>=20
>> the meal.=20
>>=20
>> The Doctor given the way he is dressed and a dose of psychic paper is=20
>> mistaken for the British minister plenipotentiary to the Ottoman Empire,=
>=20
>> William Turner and is invited to sit at the side of Muhammad Ali to=20
>> discuss foreign policy.=20
>>=20
>> The Doctor says they have made a mistake and introduces himself to=20
>> Muhammad Ali as George Foreman, the ministerial aid to William Turner.=20
>>=20
>> Ali explains to him that he has been asked by Sultan Mahmud II to stop=20
>> the Greek's from rebelling by sending a navel force to attack the island=
>=20
>> of Hydra in return for control over the island of Crete. He wants to=20
>> know if the British will support him and both Ali and Ibrahim begin=20
>> offering huge bribes to the Doctor which he repeatedly turns down,=20
>> saying Britain is officially neutral.=20
>>=20
>> Ibrahim decides to retire and asks Ali if he can take the two girls with=
>=20
>> him. Ali agrees and the Ibrahim orders his bodyguards to take the two=20
>> girls with him to his room.=20
>>=20
>> In the hall the celebrations continue but the Doctor takes his leave of A=
>li.=20
>>=20
>> Inside Ibrahim's bedroom furs are strewn in the middle of the floor=20
>> covered with silks and cushions. Silks and tapestries cover the walls=20
>> with branched stands bearing oil lambs for illumination stood in the=20
>> corners and hanging from the ceiling.=20
>>=20
>> The girls are instructed to lie on the rugs and the sultan's bodyguards=
>=20
>> depart.=20
>>=20
>> Meanwhile after making inquiries as to where the girls might have been=20
>> taken the Doctor has left the great hall and is making his way through=20
>> corridors. Turning a corner he is confronted by a man wearing an ottoman=
>=20
>> uniform with a belt for his sword around his waist.=20
>>=20
>> He begins to draw the weapon as he challenges the Doctor, who are you=20
>> and what are you doing here? The Doctor explains that he is the British=
>=20
>> envoy to Constantinople and a guest of Muhammad Ali. The man lets him=20
>> pass but then turns around and draws his sword again. Before he can=20
>> fully take it out of its sheath the Doctor paralyses him with a Venusian=
>=20
>> nerve grip.=20
>>=20
>> Ibrahim begins to take his rich silks off and the girls know exactly=20
>> what he wants.=20
>>=20
>> Naughty Pasha says Lara as Ibrahim reaches out for her. We're not the=20
>> kind of girls you think we are says Rani shaking a finger at him. What=20
>> do you mean? says Ali's son.=20
>>=20
>> Rani kisses Lara on the lips.=20
>>=20
>> 'Tis an abomination against Allah, roars Ibrahim and backs off=20
>> astonished. Then he regains his temper. But Allah is all forgiving and=20
>> all merciful is he not? he whispers, and begins to approach the girls aga=
>in.=20
>>=20
>> The girls try to escape by running across the room trying to reach the=20
>> door. They are stopped by Ibrahim who blocks their way. They rush to the=
>=20
>> other side of the room and Ibrahim comes after them. Rani is trapped and=
>=20
>> grabs hold of one of the tapestries trying to climb out of reach. The=20
>> tapestry covered in butterfly patters collapses and behind it is=20
>> standing an Egyptian soldier with knife drawn. Rani backs away. Suddenly=
>=20
>> another tapestry begins to move and another soldier emerges from behind.=
>=20
>> There is something odd about him, as if he's wearing too many clothes on=
>=20
>> top of each other. It's the Doctor. He draws his sword and disarms the=20
>> first solder, leading Rani and Lara away from Ibrahim.=20
>>=20
>> Other solders emerge from the tapestries and draw their weapons. The=20
>> three companions back away towards where the Doctor first appeared as he=
>=20
>> holds the soldiers back.=20
>>=20
>> Another door is located behind the tapestries which the soldiers on=20
>> guard duty use to enter and leave the room, and they all back down it=20
>> fighting through the corridors of the palace, the girls picking up=20
>> missiles to throw at the soldiers.=20
>>=20
>> The Doctor having rescued the girls from the palace enters the outer=20
>> courtyard and they all exit and dash through the streets to where he=20
>> parked the TARDIS in the warehouse near the bank of the river Nile. It=20
>> is gone.=20
>>=20
>> They exist through the far door and in the distance the Doctor sees it=20
>> being loaded onto a ship headed for Alexandria.=20
>>=20
>> Suddenly swordsmen come rushing towards the Doctor and his companions=20
>> from all directions. They are trapped.=20
>>=20
>> Meanwhile, while this has all been transpiring, a plot is been hatched=20
>> by supporters of Greek independence to blow Ibrahim's fleet of ships up=
>=20
>> before it can sail for Greece. They plan on posing as Egyptian sailors=20
>> to get aboard the ships and ignite the gunpowder stores for the cannons=
>=20
>> in the hold.=20
>>=20
>> The Doctor and his companions run by the hashish den that the=20
>> conspirators have been meeting in and are beckoned inside by someone=20
>> from inside who has seen them running from the swordsmen and suspects=20
>> they are fellow freedom fighters.=20
>>=20
>> Inside the Doctor tosses off his uniform to reveal his normal clothes=20
>> and the girls are given hijabs to wear before the soldiers can reach the=
>=20
>> door and begin a search. Everyone merges in with the hash smokers.=20
>>=20
>> It is night when the heat is over the Doctor thanks the people who saved=
>=20
>> him and explains that Ibrahim tried to take advantage of the girls. The=
>=20
>> conspirators recognize him as being British and he tells them he was a=20
>> friend of Lord Byron and supports a free Greece recognizing the=20
>> conspirators as being Greek.=20
>>=20
>> After a long discussion the Doctor tells his new friends that Ibrahim's=
>=20
>> men took something that belongs to him, a tall blue box with a lamp on=20
>> top, with valuable items inside and put it on one of the ships anchored=
>=20
>> in the harbour. He asks if they can help him get on board the ship. They=
>=20
>> ask why they should help him. The Doctor tells them that the ship is=20
>> Ibrahim's flagship and that from a conversation he had with Muhammad Ali=
>=20
>> in the palace the ship will sail to Alexandria in the morning to join=20
>> the fleet that is being sent to assert control over Greece.=20
>>=20
>> Ibrahim will be on board the ship and if they can get on board with=20
>> enough men then they might be able to assassinate him. They mull over=20
>> the idea but how to get on board. The Doctor suggests they make pursuit=
>=20
>> by commandeering another ship, one of the support ships in the harbour=20
>> which no one will notice, and then boarding the flagship by night and=20
>> taking it by surprise. He tells them that he can navigate pilot it,=20
>> being an officer in the royal navy.=20
>>=20
>> They set off to enact their plan and take hold of the support ship.=20
>>=20
>> In the morning Ibrahim boards his flagship and it sets sail. The=20
>> conspirators follow at a distance.=20
>>=20
>> The ships approach Alexandria and a vast fleet can be seen assembled in=
>=20
>> the distance stretching in all directions.=20
>>=20
>> Night falls and while everyone else is sleeping the Doctor and his=20
>> companions get ready for the assault. But the conspirators have other=20
>> plans in mind. There will be no boarding planks. Instead they will blow=
>=20
>> Ibrahim's flagship up as soon as they get within cannon range. But the=20
>> Doctor tells them they have no gunpowder. It's doesn't get put on board=
>=20
>> until they get to Alexandria.=20
>>=20
>> It turns out that conspirators smuggled gunpowder aboard the ship when=20
>> it was in Cairo and they have enough for a broadside. If it succeeds in=
>=20
>> sinking the ship the TARDIS will be lost.=20
>>=20
>> The Doctor struggles to stop them but they hold him back at knife point=
>=20
>> along with the girls.=20
>>=20
>> ...to be continued.=20
>>=20
>> =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
>=3D=3D=3D=20
>> AGA S11E08 Sting Like A Bee=20
>> =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
>=3D=3D=3D=20
>>=20
>> The Greek resistance fighters try to broadside Ibrahim's flagship with=20
>> their cannons, and the TARDIS still inside it.=20
>>=20
>> The Doctor warns them that if they do this they will bring the entire=20
>> Egyptian navy upon them and they will all die. How are they going to=20
>> stop the Egyptian fleet then? The flagship can easily be replaced and=20
>> the Turks outnumber the Greek and allied ships combined. The navy will=20
>> continue to sail to Greece unimpeded.=20
>>=20
>> They ignore the Doctor's pleas and order the cannons to be fired. The=20
>> fuses are lit and they burn out. Then there is silence. The cannons have=
>=20
>> not fired.=20
>>=20
>> The Doctor now free goes over to a barrel of powder, picks some up on=20
>> the tip of his finger and tastes it. That's not gunpowder, he says out lo=
>ud.=20
>>=20
>> The leader of the conspirators mutters dishonest thieves the lot of=20
>> them. They never keep their word except to themselves.=20
>>=20
>> It turns out that the Greeks had been sold the gunpowder by an Arab=20
>> merchant who had duped them and substituted fake gunpowder in its place.=
>=20
>>=20
>> The Greeks decide to abandon their plan to blow the ship up, but it is=20
>> too late to board Ibrahim's ship to assassinate him. Due to the length=20
>> of time the Greeks took to load and aim the cannons they have now=20
>> reached the port of Alexandria and Ottoman vessels have arrived to guide=
>=20
>> all the ships in.=20
>>=20
>> The rebel ship backs off and waits for the other ships to sail past=20
>> before docking.=20
>>=20
>> The Doctor gets off with some of the rebels and sets off for the British=
>=20
>> mission in Alexandria. Along the way they go through the Greek quarter=20
>> and meet up with more rebels there and discuss their plans.=20
>>=20
>> Lara and Rani stay behind at the harbour to watch Ibrahim's flagship and=
>=20
>> see if the TARDIS is to be unloaded.=20
>>=20
>> Meanwhile the Doctor accompanied by an increased compliment of Greeks=20
>> arrives at the British consulate with the rebels and they go in with the=
>=20
>> Doctor producing his psychic paper.=20
>>=20
>> The rebels tell the British officers stationed there of their plans to=20
>> sink the fleet and ask for help but are dissuaded from doing so. The=20
>> British tell them that the French officers who have been training the=20
>> Ottoman soldiers have agreed to withdraw from the ships before they can=
>=20
>> do battle.=20
>>=20
>> The British also have a letter which is to be delivered to Ibrahim=20
>> ordering him not attempt to sail his fleet to Greece. The Doctor still=20
>> pretending to be George Foreman offers to deliver it to Ibrahim, and a=20
>> group of soldiers and officers is dispatched to escort him to Ibrahim's=
>=20
>> flagship.=20
>>=20
>> At the ship the Doctor asks to see Ibrahim and they exchange greetings.=
>=20
>> Ibrahim remembers who his is and asks him to explain himself. The Doctor=
>=20
>> tells Ibrahim that he tried to take advantage of his two female=20
>> companions against their wills and it was his duty to protect them.=20
>> Ibrahim explains that he thought they were courtesans and now realizing=
>=20
>> they were not pretends to apologize profusely. The Doctor then tells=20
>> Ibrahim that a tall blue box with a lamp of top belonging to him has=20
>> been put in his ship's hold by mistake. Ibrahim guides him around the=20
>> ship and they find the box. Ibrahim doesn't recognise it and orders it=20
>> to be transferred to dry land. Ibrahim then reads the letter ordering=20
>> him not to sail to Greece and tells the Doctor he will not obey the=20
>> British. The fleet will set off immediately. The Doctor and his escort=20
>> are dismissed.=20
>>=20
>> Meanwhile Lara and Rani with the rebels at their ship are spotted by=20
>> Egyptian soldiers who come to investigate why the ship is so far away=20
>> from the others. A fist fight breaks out between the rebels and the=20
>> soldiers in an attempt to stop the soldiers getting near the ship.=20
>>=20
>> Lara, Rani along with half the rebels are arrested and dragged to the=20
>> local jail.=20
>>=20
>> The remaining rebels flee and find the rest of their contingent with the=
>=20
>> Doctor who have now returned to the Greek quarter of the city and=20
>> explain what has happened.=20
>>=20
>> The TARDIS is now taken off Ibrahim's ship and taken into the possession=
>=20
>> of some British soldiers who load it onto a cart and drive it away.=20
>>=20
>> The Doctor with the Alexandrian resistance now plan to break Lara and=20
>> Rani along with the rebels out of prison.=20
>>=20
>> The create a distraction with an explosion near the prison to lure away=
>=20
>> some of the guards and then break in overpowering the remaining guards=20
>> and rescue their friends.=20
>>=20
>> While this is happening the TARDIS is being loaded onto a British=20
>> flagged ship.=20
>>=20
>> Just as it sets sail the Doctor, Lara and Rani arrive at the harbour.=20
>>=20
>> After going back to the British mission they find out that the ship is=20
>> on course for Nafplio the de-facto Greek capital after being donated by=
>=20
>> the British to the Greek resistance. The British assumed that the Doctor=
>=20
>> had donated the TARDIS and its contents to the resistance too, so put it=
>=20
>> on board the ship with everything else for the rebels in Greece.=20
>>=20
>> The rebels from Egypt now fully armed invite the Doctor and his=20
>> companions to join them back on the Egyptian ship which they have now=20
>> recaptured and they set sail for the island of Hydra under the=20
>> protection of a Russian flag to join with the Greek forces there to=20
>> fight the Ottomans. They will not sail for Nafplio because of internal=20
>> divisions between the rebel factions.=20
>>=20
>> At Hydra the rebels discuss their next moves and learn of the atrocities=
>=20
>> being carried out by the Turks in Morea against the civilian population.=
>=20
>> Greek villages are being burned to the ground. The people are taken to=20
>> be ransomed, tortured to death or sold into slavery. The girls will be=20
>> raped by their owners. The captured priests are to be executed.=20
>>=20
>> After fending off a Turkish attack on the island with their fireships=20
>> some of the rebels decide to fight on the mainland and are accompanied=20
>> by the Doctor, Lara and Rani who intend to head for Nafplio to recover=20
>> the TARDIS, but first the Doctor must help repair Greece's most modern=20
>> ship, the Karteria, the world's first ever steam powered warship, whose=
>=20
>> engines have sustained damage in the many battles it has fought.=20
>>=20
>> A gang of thugs has just burned down a mainland village and taken it's=20
>> boys and girls hostage and executed the priest. The inhabitants are=20
>> penniless and cannot afford to buy their children back.=20
>>=20
>> The rebels, the Doctor and his companions after meeting up with General=
>=20
>> Theodoros Kolokotronis stumble across the villagers and offer to help the=
>m.=20
>>=20
>> With Kolokotronis help they storm the Turkish stronghold and get back=20
>> the children and return them to their parents.=20
>>=20
>> Next they head to join the Greek naval vessel Karteria at the Gulf of=20
>> Corinth commended by Capt Frank Abney Hastings, and the Doctor helps to=
>=20
>> repair its engine. Sailing against the wind at Itea it sinks 9 Ottoman=20
>> ships.=20
>>=20
>> In the Karteria they receive orders from the British to desist their=20
>> attacks on the Turks but refuse and head for the entrance of the Gulf of=
>=20
>> Corinth where they join Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Codrington's fleet.=20
>>=20
>> The Doctor meets Codrington and agrees to make a final plea to Ibrahim=20
>> to stop his attacks on the Greeks in return for the Greeks stopping=20
>> theirs. He sails to Ibrahim's flagship and comes on board but fails to=20
>> persuade him to retreat. Ibrahim knows the Greeks will not keep their=20
>> side of the agreement. The Doctor returns and Codrington fires a series=
>=20
>> of warning broadsides at Ibrahim forcing him to turn back from entering=
>=20
>> the mouth of the gulf, but Ibrahim's scorched-earth policy continues=20
>> unabated on land. The fires of burning villages and fields are clearly=20
>> visible from Allied ships standing offshore.=20
>>=20
>> The Doctor now arrives at Navarino Bay which is being besieged by the=20
>> Great Powers, Britain, France and Russia when a British landing party=20
>> reports that the population of Messenia is close to mass starvation and=
>=20
>> persuades Codrington to take action.=20
>>=20
>> At the bay the Ottomans attempt to light a fireship to warn off the=20
>> British ships. The British try to stop it by sending a ship to it, but=20
>> the Ottomans fire on the British ship. The French flagship opens fire=20
>> with muskets to protect the British ship and the Ottomans retaliate with=
>=20
>> a corvette firing on the French ship. A chain reaction now breaks out=20
>> and there is all out warfare.=20
>>=20
>> Eventually the combined Ottoman-Egyptian fleet is sunk by the British,=20
>> French and Russians. With the Egyptians losing their entire fleet it is=
>=20
>> impossible for them to keep control of Greece. The Doctor remarks that=20
>> this was the last great naval battle ever to be fought with wooden=20
>> sailing ships.=20
>>=20
>> The Doctor and his companions now journey uneventfully to Nafplio.=20
>>=20
>> After arriving in Nafplio the Doctor finds the British ship anchored in=
>=20
>> the harbour and inquires the location of the TARDIS. Count Ioannis=20
>> Kapodistrias, then Governor of Greece, comes to greet them and thanks=20
>> them for their help. He then takes the Doctor aside and whips a sheet=20
>> off a tall rectangular object standing near by, saying, I believe this=20
>> is yours, showing him the TARDIS. The Doctor thanks him and they all set=
>=20
>> off for dinner.=20
>>=20
>> Dinner ends and the party begins with everyone dancing until night to=20
>> Greek traditional music.=20
>>=20
>> In the morning the Doctor, Lara and Rani after saying their goodbyes, go=
>=20
>> into the TARDIS and the Doctor sets the right coordinates for Kinshasa,=
>=20
>> Zaire and the Rumble in the Jungle.=20
>>=20
>> They arrive and Rani reminds Lara to take the George Foreman Grill with=
>=20
>> them for a BBQ in front of the stadium.=20
>>=20
>> George Foreman and his entourage pass by and George says, 'that's one=20
>> magnificent grill you've got there'. Ali is close behind and calls out,=
>=20
>> 'that George Foreman is incapable of going past eight rashers let alone=
>=20
>> eight rounds' and laughs. The Doctor offers George a larger grill, who=20
>> thanks him and hands it to one of his entourage saying he will make use=
>=20
>> of it later, and they all move on. Ali jogs past singing, 'Float like a=
>=20
>> butterfly sting like a bee =E2=80=93 his hands can=E2=80=99t hit what his=
> eyes can=E2=80=99t=20
>> see', amid loud cheers coming from everyone bunched around him including=
>=20
>> Lara and Rani who join them following the procession into the stadium.=20
>>=20
>>=20
>> <<<THE END>>>=20
>>=20
>> --=20
>> The True Doctor=20
>>=20
>> "To be woke is to be uninformed which is exactly the opposite of what it=
>=20
>> stands for." -William Shatner