Chapter 1: Acts of War
"The premise of the Daleks possessing time technology to rival our own is ludicrous on its face," said Inquisitor Darkel, her cold expression almost betrayed by the beginnings of a smile "Ours is the first civilization. How could we of Gallifrey, who bent the very stars to our will when Skaro was still so much cosmic dust, be truly threatened by such creatures? The Daleks are beneath both our notice and contempt. The Lady President is, perhaps, prejudiced in this regard."
The subtle jab was lost on none of the High Councillors. It was no secret that Darkel felt Romana's close relationship to the Doctor was a liability, and she never missed an opportunity to turn that particular screw. This was borne not out of her rivalry with the Lady President, but a much more personal grudge.
"It is that very arrogance which has led us to the situation we find ourselves in. We are no longer the sole temporal power in the universe. Continuing to act as though we are is to our detriment. This is not a matter of pride, Inquisitor, but one of survival."
"So you say," said Darkel "Are we to go to war then over such paranoia? Shall we toss aside the wisdom of our ancestors and all we have built in order to placate the ego of a man whom I need not remind the Council is a wanted criminal?"
"The man whose name you so artfully avoid mentioning was once Lord President of this very council," Romana replied.
"Indeed. A position whose dignity has been eroded ever since," said Darkel.
The Inquisitor was clearly enjoying herself.
"That's enough Inquisitor," said Coordinator Narvin "You've made your point."
"Have I? Are we adjourned then?"
"Inquisitor," said Councillor Taskor "If you do not respect the woman at least respect the office."
"I have said my peace," said Darkel "By all means Lady President, conclude your fear mongering."
Romana chose to ignore the comment.
"It is too late to act as though this is still a decision to be debated. The die was cast when our predecessors sent the Doctor to destroy the Daleks at their genesis. Make no mistake, that was an act of temporal war. We can ignore the situation no longer."
"If the Doctor had done as he was told-" began Councillor Morin.
"Then we would not be in this situation," Romana finished for him "However, regardless of what others might have you believe, this is larger than the Doctor. Like it or not we are engaged in a time war. If we do not take steps to protect ourselves it could be a war which we lose."
"How far have we fallen already, that we would even entertain such lunacy? If you all have time to waste debating the merits of jumping at shadows that is your prerogative. I, on the other hand, am a busy woman. Good day to you all."
Inquisitor Darkel stood to leave. There was a flash of light and an ethereal hum. The other Councillors jumped up from their seats just as ten Daleks materialized in the High Council chambers.
"Impossible!" shouted Darkel "The time blocks-"
"EX-TER-MIN-ATE!"
Her entire body lit up like an X-Ray and she slumped down in her seat, still smoking. There could be no regeneration after being hit by a Dalek weapon.
The Councillors scattered as more shots were fired. The force of one bolt sent Taskor crashing into a book case. Another caught Narvin in the back just as he was reaching the door. Romana quickly surveyed the scene. Most of the Councillors were dead. The Daleks were firing indiscriminately. She only had one chance. Ducking down and using the large council table as cover Romana made a mad dash for the window. She crashed into it full force, shattering the glass and falling over a hundred stories straight down to the streets below. Lying in a pool of her own blood, Romana's body began to regenerate. She glowed with yellow light as every cell in her body began the process of renewal.
Dazed, she struggled to her feet. She could see Dalek saucers hanging in the air and firing shots at the buildings. Romana thought she heard the hum of more Dalek time machines materializing but soon realized it was a different, more familiar sound. It was the sound of an old Type 40 TARDIS, somehow still operational after all these years, struggling to materialize. The strange blue box with its human markings, the result of a broken chameleon circuit, was suddenly standing not ten feet away. The door was thrown open and the man whose shadow Romana thought she had finally escaped looked at her with genuine fear in his eyes.
"Run," said the Doctor.
Gallifrey was burning all around her. Her people were in danger, but what help could she offer them now? She needed time to think. The Gallifreyan equivalent of adrenalin was already pumping through her body, even as it was renewing itself. Panicking, she did the only thing she could think of under the circumstances: she put her trust in the Doctor.
Choking back pangs of guilt Romana rushed into the time machine and the door slammed shut behind her. As quickly as it had appeared the TARDIS slipped back into the time vortex.
*Opening Titles*
The Last Great Time War
By Charles Smith
"You could have warned us," said Romana, fuming.
"Would you have listened if I had?" the Doctor asked.
"What right had you to make that decision? Now Gallifrey is lost."
"Gallifrey was not lost today," said the Doctor "Only her soul. This was not the end Romana, it was the beginning. It had to be now. I had to come to you when you were still untouched by the time war, by its horrors. This is bigger than Gallifrey. The war changed us, all of us. It changed me. I'm not the man I was. I no longer have the right to make the decision that needs to be made, if I ever did."
"What are you talking about?" asked Romana.
"I have a plan to end the time war. It's the only way I can think of to save as much of the universe as possible. I just don't know if it's the right thing to do. That's why I needed you, the old you. If I take this too far, if I let my hatred cloud my judgement, I need you to stop me. If you ask me not to do this I promise I won't. This has to be your decision."
"Start from the beginning. What has to be my decision?" asked Romana. Her anger was starting to be replaced with concern for her old friend.
"I've stolen another TARDIS, which I have modified it so that it will drag itself into the Void when activated. I have also modified several TARDIS beacons to extend the TARDIS's relative dimension into this one. I'm going to place one at every major battle of the time war. I'm going to seal it away. Skaro, Gallifrey, everything. I'm going to send the whole of the time war into the Void."
"That's madness," said Romana.
"That reaction is precisely why this has to be your decision. I can't be trusted any longer. I've seen too many things in this war. You always thought you knew better than me, and maybe you always did. You're the only person in all of time and space who I trust to make this decision."
"If it's up to me, then I say 'no'," said Romana "I won't let you sacrifice Gallifrey. There must be another way."
"Don't decide yet. We still need to place the beacons. It will require visiting every major battle of the time war. Once you have seen all that has happened, when you have seen what war has done to our people, then you decide."
"I won't change my mind," replied Romana.
"I hope you don't. I really do," said the Doctor.