The Final Salute

Clara was getting a bit worried, though she knew that was probably silly. It had been a while since she had seen Zalatar, and she couldn't think of where else to look for her martian friend. She had expected to find him at the scrapyard, where he usually was, but he wasn't there. She got worried that maybe he had gone in search of some food. Had she let his vegetable supply get that low? She was pretty sure she'd restocked his supply for him, so he should be fine on that, but why else would he be apparently missing?

It occurred to her, like a nagging thought deep down in the back of her mind, that perhaps someone had wandered into the scrapyard, seen him, and injured him. But that didn't seem likely. The Ice Warrior was more likely to hurt the intruder. In that case, maybe he had ended up killing someone, and feared that she would be angry, and ran away? But she didn't think he would do that. She wanted to believe that he would deem it more honorable to stand and face her and tell her what had happened.

So, the question still remained, where was he? Clara paced around in her apartment for a while as she thought over the possibilities, then she grabbed her jacket as she decided to go and search the scrapyard again. Maybe she had missed something before. Or maybe he had returned. She hurried down the stairs and then walked briskly to the scrapyard, her jacket zipped up to keep out the cold. After letting herself in through the doors to the scrapyard, she took a brief glance around.

"Zalatar?" She called in a whisper, hoping he might be there this time.

Clara was puzzled as she came back to the base area, and found it still empty. Where had that martian got to? She sighed softly, then froze and listened. There was something there, in the scrapyard with her. She slowly turned around, trying to find the source of the noise.

From the other side of where Clara stood something came slowly stopping and fumbling towards her. Given how dark it was it was heard for her to see at first, not until it had fully stepped into the light of the moon.

Zalatar looked horrible. His armor was broken around the arms and chest plate, his helmet was cracked and he was holding his left side under an exposed area of the armor itself. His clawed hand that held it was covered in blood, matching with the same that was dripping from side of his mouth. Even one of the eye visors to his helmet was broken to reveal his natural red eye underneath.

He stumbled a little further until she saw Clara standing there, trying to stand up straight as he said "Re-porting in....Commander..."

After that he collapsed to his knees and tried to keep himself from completely falling to the ground, his free hand resting on the ground.

Clara was shocked at the sight of him. She let out a soft gasp and her eyes widened, taking in his injuries.

"Zalatar.. what happened?" She cried, rushing forward to meet him. She wasn't sure how badly he was hurt, or which of his injuries was worse, but she knew she couldn't take him to the hospital. She didn't know what to do."How.. how did this happen? Are you hurt very badly?" She asked hesitantly, worried for her friend.

"Apologies, Commander." he groaned as he tried to stay up. "I had left to settle....a sensitive matter. Repaying a debt to one who's life I owed."

He suddenly coughed and blood dripped more from his mouth. Instead of feinting or hindering at the sight he only took it as a sign of needing to try and fight the pain harder. He tried to stand again, only managing to get to one leg before collapsing on his back.

He'd fallen against a pile of garbage so he was sitting up a little, though that didn't help him any better as the armor constrained most of his body. He dropped his hand that covered the wound to reveal a number of stab marks where the exposure was. When he dropped down to the ground on his back, she quickly moved to kneel by his side. Looking down into the Martian's face, Clara tried her best to fight the tears at the sight of the stab wounds in his side.

"It would appear..." he began "...my enemy managed a few lucky hits. But I was still victorious in the end."

After that he held up one claw to reveal a cybernetic eye. It was red blue in color but looked like it had been ripped from the thing that once he'd it's skull.

"Don't.. please, just try to be still.." She said, afraid that his movements were going to cause him further injury. She didn't know what to do, but she thought that it would be best if he kept still and tried not to move too much.

"You'll be ok.." She told him. "Just hang on.." She took off her jacket and rolled it up before trying to use it to press to the wounds, hoping to stop the bleeding. She wasn't sure if it would work or not, but it was the only thing she could think of to try.

"You.. don't have to apologize." She whispered, a lump in her throat making it hard to speak. "You did honorably." She added, sniffling quietly as she realized that she wasn't sure if he was going to live or not.

The Martian had hissed when she tried to mend his wound, showing off his strength as a warrior as he tried not to fuss as much over it. His exposed eye looked up to Clara's as he could see hers were starting to show signs of tears. He said nothing as she had mentioned that he had done his duty with honor.

"I already know that...Commander." he said, breathing hard. "When I had managed to save the life.....of the one I was to protect....she'd said I had been granted my honor again. To hear that from her....and for all those things I have done....in service to you.....I know I have resorted what was lost." He then chuckled a little before adding "A shame it came....with such a price." He coughed a little more before saying "I have used the last power.....in my armor. The ships will come.....they will take me home....where I shall rest under the red sands of my home...."

Clara couldn't stop the first tear from rolling down her cheek. She looked down and tried to stifle a sob, trying to keep strong as she knew what was happening. She tried to wipe her eyes dry, and looked back at him, taking a shaky breath as she tried to think of something to say.

"No.. please don't go.." She begged quietly. She knew that probably sounded a bit selfish, and perhaps a little childish to say that, but she had come to like Zal and counted him one of her close friends. She couldn't believe this was happening.

After taking a couple of deep breaths, she attempted to calm down, but without much success.

"D-don't your people.. don't they have healers?" She asked hopefully, wiping her tears away as she looked up at him face. Maybe, just possibly, they could come in time to take him to a healer and save him. Maybe he wouldn't have to die. She hoped so, because she didn't want it to end like this.

She had figured that once he restored his honor and got his people to accept him back, that she probably wouldn't see him again, but at least that way, she would have known that he was alive and well, somewhere out there. But now, it seemed as if he was going to die, and she didn't want him to die. She had come to think of him as a close friend, and.. with a slight pang in her heart, she realized that the last person to die who had been close to her had been her mother. Tears began to stream down her cheeks as she didn't even try to stop them anymore.

Finally seeing her sob Zalatar chuckled a little before saying "Why do you cry for me....Commander? There is....nothing to be saddened for. I have my honor.....restored. My trial rewarded....and I have you to thank for that...." He coughed more before spitting blood to the side in order to speak more clear as he continued with "To think a human....such....such a soft species.....could offer me this...." More coughing before he took a deep breath and said "If these be the last.....things my eyes see.....then let them be my own."

He then lifted one hand up and pulled off his helmet to reveal his Martian face, this being the first and only time anyone would see him without his mask on. When he looked to Clara it was revealed there was a scar over his left eye, one that was old from age but looked fresh.

"Now you see your warrior.....for what he is..." he breathed. "Nothing...but a foolish boy.....who only now became...a man...." A small smile was on his toothy lips as he finished with "Never forget the things you learned from me.....for I shall....not forget what you have taught me......Clara.....brave....Commander.....Cl..."

He never finished what he meant to say to her. His eyes went wide and dark as his body became limp. With one final breath escaping his lungs, Zalatar the Martian exiled Ice Warrior had finally passed.

She bowed her head in grief and then let the tears flow, unhindered. She gave in and began to cry, letting out her grief in quiet sobs as she buried her face in her hands. She cried like that for what felt like a long time, until after a while she slowly lifted her head and took a few shaky breaths as she looked at the face of her friend. With a heavy heart, she sniffled and quietly reached out, gently closing his eyes, because it seemed like the proper thing to do.

She stared at him through bleary eyes for a moment, wondering if she ought to replace his helmet before his people arrived to retrieve his body. Would they look down on him for having it off? She bit her lip lightly as she considered it, before deciding that it would probably be best for him to be in full armor when his people arrived for him. Especially after remembering what he had told her about why he had been exhiled in the first place, for being out of his armor.

She gently eased the helmet back onto his head, and made sure it was fastened properly. Sniffling, she placed his hands over his chest in the way that humans usually did, and then she did her best to do the Martian salute that the Doctor had taught her to do when she had gone to speak with Grand Marshall Skaldak, so long ago.


"Rest in peace, Zalatar." She said quietly, followed by a sniffle. "I'm sure you fought valiantly, and you deserve so much honor among your people." She couldn't think of anything else to say, and she bowed her head once more in grief, giving herself a long moment of silence, broken only by the sound of her quiet sniffles.

As soon as Clara had finished her salute and final soliloquy to the fallen Zalatar a great light appeared above it. It was large enough that it reached both her and where Zalatar laid. It was coming from a Martian ship, the one he'd mentioned calling before.

Within a moment something was beamed down in front of where Clara stood. It was group of five ice warriors, each one heavily armored as the other. All of them hissed as they breathed while four stood behind their leader, who was indicated by the robes he wore over his armor and the more decorative design of his helmet.

"Who are you, human, to known the salute of our people?" he asked, his voice very low and gruff with age.

Clara was a little startled when the other Ice Warriors appeared, and she got to her feet, quickly trying to wipe her eyes. She looked around at the five martians, her eyes somewhat red and puffy from having been crying. She glanced quietly down at Zalatar before looking back up at them.

"I.. he was a friend." She said quietly, followed by a quiet sniffle. She straightened up slightly, trying to look confident as she spoke to them. "I'm Clara Oswald, friend and traveling companion to the Doctor. I met your Grand Marshall Skaldak once." She told them, hoping that would help something. "And, Zalatar was a good friend of mine." She added quietly, sad. "His.. his passing is.. very sorrowful to me."

Clara looked down and took a shaky breath before looking back up at the Ice Warrior, probably the commander. "He fought very bravely, and he has saved my life more than once. He saved the lives of many other people, and has done honorably while here on Earth." She told them, hoping to give him a good report even though he was gone.

"He gave his life in battle.." She went on quietly. "Although, I'm not sure what he was fighting." She pointed to the cybernetic eye he had shown her. "He was victorious against whatever he fought, but he was fatally wounded in the process." She said sadly.

"He defeated the dishonorable Zaul, who threatened to attack Earth, and stopped a group of creatures he called Toothsome, which were a threat to the people of Cardiff. He has done many things to bring honor to himself." She told them. She looked up and let her gaze meet that of the Ice Warrior Commander. "Please.. accept him back, and give him a proper burial of honor." She asked, her tone just shy of pleading.
As Clara had continued giving her arguments towards the Ice Commander he and the others merely stood and listened. The Commander, however, seemed to show a little more interest with what she was saying; despite his helmet shielding his eyes from view. None of them showed any signs though of being moved by her remarks, one after the other of Zalatar's deeds.

When she finished the commander said "We are familiar with you, Clara Oswald of Earth. The fallen warrior had mentioned you once when he reported to us after Zaul's death. We were not aware you were the same human Skaldak had met all those years ago. It seems you have a tendency of interfering in the affairs of the Martian people."

He stood silent for a while, looking back towards Zalatar's body. He looked at it for the longest time, the other warriors still staying in attention and awaiting their commander's word. A deep hiss came from the commander, one that sounded more like a sigh of regret.

He then gestured to his men who, right away, walked over and picked up Zalatar's body. They held it on their shoulders before being beamed back up into the ship via the teleportation. The Commander however had stayed and looked back to Clara.

"We will see his body and honor restored to where it belongs: with his people. I suppose his family owes you it's thanks, Clara Oswald."

Clara watched the Ice Warriors, feeling anxious about what they would do, but trying not to let it show on her face. She was a little surprised to hear that they had heard of her, and she also hadn't known that Zalatar had reported back home after they had defeated Zaul. She gave a small nod in reply to the Ice Warrior Commander when he mentioned having heard of her.

She watched quietly as the other Ice Warriors took Zalatar's body away, presumably to their ship, and then she turned to the Commander and listened as he assured her that they would give him a proper, honorable burial.

"Thank you. I know that would have meant a lot to him." She said quietly, still feeling sad about losing her friend.

The commander then, surprisingly, tore a piece of the the decorative cloak he was wearing from his uniform. It was a brighter darker orange color with yellow patterning. On the center of it was a symbol of a mountain in a circle.

Handing it to her he said "This is the symbol of clan Olymar. His house. Wear it for those of your people to now you are counted among the respected of the Martian people." With that he gave a low hiss of "Goodbye, Clara Oswald of Earth." before being beamed back into the waiting spaceship above.

"I will.. thank you." She replied, before watching the Martian return to his ship in a beam of light. Clara stood watching as their ship disappeared from sight, clutching the cloth with the symbol of Zalatar's family on it close to her chest. "Goodbye, Zal." She said softly, blinking back tears.

With their commander and the body of the fallen Zalatar now collected the ship with it's Martian crew flew off into the sky. Within a few minutes the lights had become so far away they looked like a blinking star.


"I will.. thank you." She replied, before watching the Martian return to his ship in a beam of light. Clara stood watching as their ship disappeared from sight, clutching the cloth with the symbol of Zalatar's family on it close to her chest. "Goodbye, Zal." She said softly, blinking back tears.

With that, she quietly walked home, deep in thought about what had happened, and smiled faintly as she thought of the times she'd had with her Martian friend. She remembered how she met him, and thought about the time she'd had to hide him from her family, and smiled as she entered her apartment building and saw the place where he had accidentally broken the door frame.

As she got to her apartment, Clara curled up in her favorite chair with a cup of tea, and studied the cloth thoughtfully. She would miss Zalatar very much, and she would never forget him. She would forever remember the Ice Warrior who had called her commander, her friend Zalatar.

(This was a collaborated story done by myself and Clara/Emma, showing the passing of Zalatar, Clara's Ice Warrior companion.)