LETTERS FROM THE TIME WAR (Part 1)

by Anna Brelin

Here you will read letters from the people who fought in the Time War, including the Doctor, as they talk about things they've done and encountered while during one of the longest wars in Gallifreyan history. Part 2 of these letters coming soon...

Letters From The Time War

Written by Anna Brelin

Intro:

These are letters that were written by various beings who were involved in The Time War in some way or another. However, these letters were not discovered until many years later, when a trawler ship sweeping up debris on the outer rim of the galaxy discovered a container filled with many thousands of letters recorded electronically on the device which had Gallifreyan circular writing on its surface. The container and its contents were brought to a group of historians on the planet Sto to be analyzed. Here are a few entries that were displayed in an exhibition about The Time War on the planet Aura Dorium sometime during the 37th century, estimated around the year 3723.

Note: All entries were written in the native language of each race mentioned. Therefore, they have been translated into English so that they can be read with ease.

Entry E572-N8673
Location: Hoag's Galaxy, Eastern Region
Time: (Unknown)
Writer: A male Chula soldier on a Chula warship (name unknown)

No word as of yet from my brethren upon the whereabouts of the fleet of Dalek Battleships which had come through the Eastern Region of the Hoag's Galaxy not too long ago, where myself and my ship are currently in orbit around an asteroid, surrounded by a field of asteroids.

It is relatively safe where I am at the moment since there have been rumors that Chula Snare Charges have been set up within this field of asteroids that I am currently stationed in. It is highly unlikely that the Daleks will want to come through this field on the assumption that they might get stuck in one of the charges, which I know to be highly accurate in disabling any ship that doesn't produce the right frequency to allow passage through the field. I was sent to the front lines of the Time War months ago but I have long since vanished off the radar, even from my own people.

Maybe they have forgotten me, I do not know. But what I do know is that the front lines of this horrible war are sitting at my doorstep so to speak and it would be highly dangerous to try and find a way out of this asteroid field whilst my ship's frequency modulator is on the fritz.

I've been keeping all the channels open, waiting to hear that the coast is clear. But so far, all sub-ether wavebands and alpha wavebands have been fairly quiet. Just yesterday I caught a glimpse of a Time Agency Scoutship running parallel to the asteroid field. I wanted to send a message over to it and ask if anyone knew the whereabouts of the Chula fleet. But then I remembered where I was and figured that it would be too dangerous for them to try and come inside the asteroid field with all the rumors of Chula Snare Charges being in it.

I am currently rationing my food and water supplies, as I am unsure if and when I will be able to leave the asteroid field. I am doing alright for the most part, tending to an injury that I had sustained during The Battle of Arcadia some weeks back.

It's been tough for everyone as of late, with the Daleks and their allies breathing down the back of our necks, just waiting to snuff us out at the very instant of weakness shown. But all I can do is wait, until I hear word of all clear in this section of the Hoag's Galaxy.

I'm not really complaining that much, since I am in such a position where I am able to see the whole face of the galaxy from off my starboard side. It is a beautiful and rare sight, a ring galaxy, where the ring is mostly made of hot blue stars and most of the old orange stars are at its heart. This galaxy isn't very far from the Paloon Galaxy, which is also a ring galaxy and contains some of the most beautiful water planets you could ever find in the known universe.

Beautiful, rich, warm, bright blue water planets covered entirely of water. Paradises of light in the vast emptiness of darkness. Hopefully, someday soon, I will find my way to one of these planets far away from the countless screams and bloodshed of The Time War and enjoy all the creature comforts it would likely offer.

As a fit and strong male of my race, I would have found the beauty of this galaxy to be quite attractive if it were a female of my race. It is no lie that I have been lonely out here and hopefully I will be able to find others of my kin or friends of another race soon.

Entry E573-N8674
Location: Hoag's Galaxy, Eastern Region
Time: (Unknown)
Writer: A male Chula soldier on a Chula warship (name unknown)

I'm in luck! I finally managed to fix the frequency modulator on my ship and am now heading out away from the asteroid field, going towards the heart of the Hoag's Galaxy, where I have heard in the past that a Chula colony was located. Hopefully I will find more of my kin soon and finish repairing my ship before heading to my next port of call. I just hope that the colony is still there when I get there.

However, I have yet to hear word on where my Chula fleet is or where even the Dalek fleet that came through here is. But hopefully I will find my place among friends sooner or later.

Entry E783-N9469
Location: Gallifrey
Time: Morning
Writer: A Gallifreyan soldier (name unknown)

I know I shouldn't complain, but we had been camped near Rassilon's Rampart ever since the battle with The Nightmare Child some months ago and frankly I am starting to get tired of seeing the same camp in the same location every time I step out of my tent each morning.

I am not one for growing roots and I think it has long since been time to move the camp to a different location. A location, in my personal opinion, should be much farther away from the front lines. Every day starts with the same dull, boring routine. I get up and stand in a line with other Gallifreyan soldiers. We get our briefings on what is happening at the front lines, do our emergency drills and are then made to keep up and maintain the campsite, or in Earth English terms, chores. "Nothing happens in this campsite!" I would complain silently to myself.

Just for once, I would like to be woken up by something other than the loud mating shrill of a Snag-Beaked Yvngoua Bird, which are pretty to look at, but not pretty to listen to. When I woke up and stepped out of my tent that morning, I noticed how dry and dusty my mouth was. Then I remembered that a small dust storm had swept through the campsite late last night and had taken most of the moisture out of the air with it. The flaps at the entrances to the tents are loosely held shut, so it was no surprise to me that a little bit of what had transpired in the dust storm had filtered into the tent. The only source of water for miles around the campsite is the Cadonflood River, which flows past Rassilon's Rampart and the campsite.

But the health and safety standards of the campsite require that the water be boiled first before being cooled and drank, even though the water of the river was some of the cleanest around.

But I could see why they were so concerned since the river had been running red not too long ago and I do not mean with red soil. This war has certainly brought us our fair share of horrors and then some. Horrors that frankly I would not ever want to see again. I wanted to get a drink of water, but I was too lazy this morning to go boil some river water on the camp fire at the center of the campsite, so I went looking for a different source of water.

The interesting thing about these tents is that they are made of an organic based photovoltaic material in cloth form that absorbs sunlight and then converts it into electricity which is then used by the occupants of each tent. Basically each tent creates its own source of power. Interesting isn't it? Anyway, I quickly got dressed in my military attire and began walking down the narrow dirt path which ran down the entire length of the 10 foot high wall of mud, tangled tree branches and large cobblestones that was running vertically along the edge of the Cadonflood River.

It had been built by hand by the first soldiers that had been camped here some months ago, acting as a temporary extension of the massive crumbling stone wall that was already there. As I walked down this path, I ran into a friend of mine and fellow soldier who told me that there was a Dewfruit Tree located in the opposite direction that I was walking, just past the permanent stone wall. And just like me, he had been too lazy to go boil some river water and thus we decided that if we were to ever to get any water without having to boil it, we would have to find a Dewfruit Tree nearby to get it from."...Oh good, water and a morning snack..." I said to him as I followed.

I knew that we were certainly going to need the energy and strength since we were set to head off to the front lines later that day. Minutes later, we found ourselves at the fork of the dirt path, which split off in two directions. One path led to the Spindlewell Valley, while the other led to a natural stone arch bridge, which jetted across to the other side of the river. "There it is..." my friend said as I looked up.

Just inside the entrance to the path that led to the Spindlewell Valley, there stood a very tall and massive beautiful tree with large bright blue-white leaves and a large solid black trunk. Upon seeing this tree, which looked like something between an Earth Banyan Tree and an Earth Oak Tree, I knew that we had discovered the location of a Dewfruit Tree.

Stepping over the tangled maze of large tree roots which came from this tree and lay over the path. We reached the trunk of the tree and quickly began picking off some of the edible leaves and fruit. I picked off one of these large water filled leaves, which was the size of a dinner plate and then proceeded to try and stuff the whole leaf in my mouth, with some success.

My friend then grabbed hold of a piece of ripe Dewfruit, which was the size of your head and began burying his face in it. We were too thirsty and hungry to worry about manners it seems, but it was oh so good and was such a welcomed snack. To a hungry Gallifreyan with a dry mouth, dewleaves and dewfruit are like, as humans would call it, manna from heaven.

Then my friend noticed my bulging cheeks, then pointed at me and started to laugh, "...you look like a Gallifreyan Deweater with its mouth stuffed with Dewleaves!"

I smiled a little, cheeks bulging. So what if I looked like a Dew-Eater with its mouth stuffed with Dewleaves? I was thirsty and hungry and I knew that it would be a while before we would see our campsite again so we had to make every quiet moment count as they came.

Entry E547-N8973
Location: Gallifrey
Time: Night
Writer: A Gallifreyan Fleet Commander (name unknown)

It seems that even during times of despair and sadness, there is still time for love and intimate moments between the soldiers and their mistresses. It is a fairly cool evening at the campsite, which has been set up within a large trench, reinforced with what in Earth terms would be called sandbags and thick metal plating tacked together, armed to the teeth.

There is a large emergency bunker and a bunker yard surrounding it that is sometimes used to process the overflow of sick and injured that come from the front lines.

On cool nights like this, the soldiers will take the time to spend it with their mistresses in any way they can, including cuddling, snogging and dare I say it, love making. I could hear the intimate cries of couples engaging in a bit of naughtiness hung in the air throughout the campsite and it's causing a lot of those currently without their mistresses to find ways of controlling their urges.

Normally, the mistresses of these soldiers are in charge of intending to the injuries of their mates, if they are minor. Worse injuries require a trip to the bunker yard. Those soldiers who loose limbs are often given a shot that will prompt the quick regrowing of the lost limb but those that are too badly injured to be saved are often given a shot that will prompt regeneration. I have seen many things since the beginning of this bloody war, some of which is too horrible to describe. Though it was annoying to listen to, I was at least glad that the sounds of love and intimacy were still present throughout this war. Though everyone knew that a moment like this would not last, so no one complained much.

Entry E424-N5495
Location: The planet Arcadia (near the front lines)
Time: Twilight
Writer: A female Arcadian soldier (name unknown)

For an entire day, I had been watching the progression of the front lines from the relative safety of an Arcadian Oak Tree, sitting among its long, thick branches, overlooking a scene of utter chaos and dread. I have not yet been given word as to when my fleet would be sent out to the front lines. So I waited, listening to the cries of my fallen kin. Hopefully, we will be allowed to move out soon and head to our fates, to war. Suddenly, I heard a commotion underneath me, I looked down, straining to see what was going on near the bottom of the tree. At the very last moment, I slipped off the branch and crashed down onto the ground below.

Fortunately, I was not hurt from this fall, but I worried that I had fallen on top of someone and was currently crushing them under my immense weight. My people, The Arcadians, are a big boned, heavily built race, built like tanks. We are strong and powerful with long thickly muscled limbs and large, heavy feet, similar to the feet you might find on an Earth elephant. Though we are thickly built, we are still quick, agile and nimble, able to run on all fours. So I feared what might have befallen whoever was speaking underneath me.

I quickly got up and looked around. Fortunately those who had been speaking, two male Time Lords, were unharmed by my fall from the tree and were no worse for wear. But the pair did give me looks of disappointment, which I would most certainly not forget.

As I stood there, staring at these two Time Lords, I couldn't help but notice how attractive one of the Time Lords was. He had fair skin, shoulder-length bedraggled brown hair, blue eyes and a handsome face. He wore strange clothes that I was not familiar with Time Lord's wearing. It looked like he was wearing Earth style English Victorian garments, which I had only seen once before in a book from Earth that I had gotten as a gift from my father years ago.

I stared in curiosity naturally, as I was wondering why and how the Time Lord could be wearing such strange attire. Though his clothing was dirty and tore in some places, he continued to carry himself with an air of power, dignity and grace. If he had been an Arcadian, I would have easily found him to be quite a catch worth pursuing.

The Time Lord then spoke, "You shouldn't be here young Arcadian. Find your fleet and stay close to them. The Daleks will be coming through here any minute."

I quickly left the area as he suggested, only to later finding out that my fleet had already left the area and where now fighting to the death at the front lines. I answered the call to arms as I was meant to and ran to the location where my fleet was bunkered down. They had been wondering what had become of me ever since they left the area, but thought that I had already perished with those of my kin already on the battlefield.

Entry E367-N4238
Location: Gallifrey (Hospital/Maternity Ward)
Time: (day and time unknown)
Writer: A Gallifreyan Doctor/Obstetrician/Gynecologist (name unknown)

It saddens me so sometimes, how my people have become. Though we have all banded together and have become a unified force with the coming of our resurrected Lord President Rassilon, most of my people have become filled with rage, hungry for power and revenge.

War had done this to us and I am not sure if will ever find peace and goodness within ourselves ever again. But know this well my friends; there was time when we were once innocent and good.

The fury of Time Lords, the rage that flows through our veins, it has both made us strong and fearless but it has also turned us sour and cruel. We are wise enough to be civilized to our own kind and to our own allies, but as far as others not allied to us or are not Time Lord, we care not of them. We live for the revenge, thinking only of ourselves and of the concerns of our allies. And if you stand in our way, you're likely not going to survive long. My people have gotten so feared by others in fact that many are too afraid to fight with us.

But the Daleks, they do not fear us much. In fact they often laugh at us, US! Gods over time and space. But this only makes us want even more revenge and blood and in turn bringing about even more bitterness and hunger for power. But amongst all the turmoil, bloodshed and chaos, I am glad that there is still some hope, some innocence and some goodness among my people.

What little that remains of these things must be saved and remembered by all. Today, a Gallifreyan and his mate came to the maternity ward, very pregnant and telling me of cramps. All the signs were there of course, he was not going to leave the maternity ward until the unborn within him was born. I lead him and his mate to a birthing room and left them there to go and tend to other wounded that had come in from the front lines, saying that I would return when I started hearing the birthing parent, when the pain of the labor became vocal. It doesn't hurt at first, labor, at least not for us Time Lords, starting only as a light, tolerable cramping and a vague discomfort.

Our bodies, when in labor, produce a special pain killer that controls the pain until the moment when the child begins to crown and emerge. Then the pain killer wears off and we begin to feel the pain of giving birth. Both the males and females of my species have the ability to conceive and give birth. Our evolutionary ancestors dictated this so. After about 15 minutes away from the couple, I began to hear the familiar cry of pain, a sound that had been my close companion ever since the beginning of this horrible war. I knew then that a new Time Lord was being born into the world, uncertain as it had become.

Entry E463-N5986
Location: Asgard (Asgardian Capital)
Time: Around Dusk
Writer: Asgardian Commander named Trivolis

My name is Trivolis, Commander of The Flying Asgardiars, 847th Division. I am writing to you now after coming back from lengthy service at the front lines on the planets Gisordia 7 and Mivelionalvo. I am finally glad to be back where everything makes sense and where everything, for the most part, still exists within relative peace, comfort and safety.

I am full Asgardian by birth, but I was raised by a Gallifreyan father and a Yulothian mother when my parents were killed when I was about 7 years old. Both Time Lords and Yulothians are humanoid in appearance, as are Asgardians, But their methods of reproduction are different from one another. Yulothians are closely related to The Silas (pronounced sill-las, not sci-las), where they conceive and give birth through the mouth. But like The Time Lords, both sexes of Yulothian can conceive and give birth, as can both sexes of Silas.

It is a bit difficult to explain in some terms, but with Silas, as with Yulothians, all the reproductive organs are situated up in the chest and neck area rather than down in the stomach and between the legs. There is a frog on Earth that hatches eggs in its mouth, where then the hatchlings, smaller versions of their parents, will than climb out of their parent's mouth after they reach a certain stage.

But what I speak of isn't anything like that. You could say it is like what happens down between the legs, but occurs through the mouth instead. Underneath the tongue of a Silas or a Yulothian, there are two openings, one where the male part extends outwards and then retracts back in, than the opening bellow that one where the female part is located and where the male part goes into while in sexual intercourse.

I would explain more about this, but I have to go back to guard duty soon. It is thus in the easiest terms possible, the male part goes into where the female part is and goes literally down the throat of the other. The 'uterus' as it were is located in the chest. The development period for a Silas or Yulothian offspring is 3 months.

They are small when they are born, about the size of a large Earth rat, but they are fully developed. It is an unusual way to be born. Anyway, since my adoptive parents could not conceive in the usual manner, they adopted me and raised me as their own. In truth the only real differences between Silas and Yulothians is the length of their necks. The Yulothians though have found ways to distinguish themselves from their cousin races, as have The Gallifreyans. I have to go now; it is time for my shift to start.

Entry E4634-N5997
Location: Asgard (Asgardian Capital)
Time: Twilight, Early Evening
Writer: Asgardian Tradesman (name unknown)

The planet Asgard, where almost every city floats in midair, quite literally. Asgard is a mountainous planet, with some lush green valleys, flowering fields, meadows and some patches of forest, and a couple oceans and a few seas. The planet Asgard is slightly farther away from its suns than where Earth is in its system. If Asgard was to be put in Earth's solar system, it would lie almost between Earth and Mars in the system. Unlike Earth's solar system, our system has the honor of having two separate habitable zones, like Gallifrey's system. And like in the case of Gallifrey's system, all the planets in the Asgardia System orbit both suns, alas the planets in the system are circumbinary.

On Asgard, our largest cities float in mid-air, moving about to one location to another in a circular pattern overlooking the land bellow. Like at noon, we would be overlooking The Agardian flower fields whereas at dusk, we would be overlooking the Asmilian Ocean, moving about on the same circuit all day every day. And whenever two large cities meet, visitors and natives alike can jump from one city to another via. Zeppelins and other air flotilla.

Even our mailmen, who bring us our mail every day, fly about on special gliders, dropping off and picking up mail and packages door to door, or in this case, window to window. Even the street vendors, who serve both those on the ground and in the air, float about above the 'ground', if you call where the people stand in the floating city 'ground'.

The street vendors are tethered in place by cables and ropes attached to hand-lit lamp posts powered by oil from animal fat. Being that its twilight and nearly evening, most of the street vendors normally come back down to the ground, tying themselves down to the ground again by the weights on the ground situated underneath them.

But there are some street vendors who won't come down till midnight. Each street vendor has its own lamp post it is tethered to, which makes the streets of Asgardian cities at night well lit along the edges of the main roads and walkways. The side streets and alleys are less so, but still fairly lit. During certain times of the day, the street vendors will be floating above the ground, serving those in the Zeppelins and on or in the air flotilla who are tethered at port. Whenever someone in the Zeppelins wishes something from a street vendor, the street vendor goes to them, floating up to them. One moment, I need to get a postcard from one of the street vendors, which is currently floating about 10 feet above me.

Entry E4634-N5998
Location: Asgard (Asgardian Capital)
Time: Twilight, Early Evening
Writer: Asgardian Tradesman (name unknown)

The street vendor was selling two postcards for the price of one. How I do like sales. I got a postcard of the Asgardian skyline showing the planet Asgardia Prime along with the two suns of the Asgardia System. Shame that a couple of Asgard's moons are missing from the picture, but they are currently just out of view range it seems. We do have 5 moons you know, here on Asgard, and a couple of them have bright white rings of ice around them. Imagine moons with rings around them, like the rings of Saturn in Earth's solar system, only bright white in color.

Anyway, I also got a postcard with a picture of one of Asgard's most famous landmarks, The Rainbow Forests of Asgard. You could see why they are called that just by looking at them and believe me when I say; our wildflowers and edible fruits are just a vibrant in color and brightness as the trees and the forests they make are.

Some astro-scientists on Earth have claimed that the plant life on a planet with two suns would be black in color and would be devoid of such brilliant color. But I am inclined to disagree. We Asgardians also have a love for entertainment, being of our own world or of other worlds beyond. We have our own music, radio stations and radio shows and we often get music and radio shows from other parts of the known universe. My favorite Asgard radio station is Electric Whiteout Radio. We also have Newsround Galactic Radio where we get the latest news from all over the native region as well as from other parts of the universe. The progression of The Time War is well kept track of by the various radio stations throughout the known universe.

We also have state of the art visuals and technology as well, holographic screens that show the news, portable display units as thin as paper that we can roll up when not in use and are held in capped charging tubes. Portable devices that are worn on the wrist like watches which display holographic projections of information. We even have a setting on our wrist band devices that if anything about one's person is stolen, may it be a portable device, a mode of transportation like a hoverbike, etc. by another can be re-called and transmated back to the owner, basically the objects disappearing from the hands of the thief or thieves and then reappearing back with the one the objects were stolen from. I would explain more about how that works but I have only a limited amount of time to write this letter. Also, our floating tower cities are massive and throughout the history of Asgard, we have gone through several industrial eras which have given us the wisdom, the ability and foresight on how to treat the natural world and co-exist with it peacefully with little or no effect to it what so ever, like on the planet Gallifrey for example.

Well, before The Time War that is, but they are pulling themselves together again...I hope. Anyway, our massive floating cities are made up of only towers you know. High, tall, glistening towers. Cities built on top of circular platforms that float and hover in midair, held up in the sky by massive balloons filled with gas and moved around by massive anti-gravity engines all underneath the platforms. I think later, when I remember where I put them, I will add some drawings of Asgard that my son made to my letters, so that those who have never seen Asgard in the flesh before can actually get an idea of how it looks like here at home. Better get back to work now running my street vendor. There is a Zepplin with a group of visitors on it wanting my undivided attention.

Entry E4675-N5694
Location: Gallifrey (Cadontilly)
Time: Twilight, Early Evening
Writer: A Gallifreyan Highbanker (name unknown)

War is such an expensive undertaking. This I should know being that I am one of the top Gallifreyan highbankers currently still alive on Gallifrey. Though I will have to move base soon since The Daleks have been getting closer and closer to Cadontilly, Banking Capital of Gallifrey. I know, Cadontilly is just a small trade village, but most of the outline banking is done here. Here in Cadontilly, we run a world class economy, not with money so much, but with trade goods. Gallifrey's economy you see doesn't run on any manner of coinage or paper money like on Earth as it were, but more rather in trading furs, medicinal herbs, gemstones, organic goods, machinery, beasts of burden and so forth.

And I suppose you're wondering how such an economy works. Well, I shall explain to you as best as I can. We do have some manner of currency that are called Gallios. They are spherical and marble-like and are of various colors and sizes and the larger they are the more valuable they are. All Gallios are made of natural gemstone, laser cut and laser shaped into a sphere, marbles as it were.

The largest of all the Gallios, the Diamond Gallio, is the size of your average Earth golf ball and is made of actual natural Diamond. The smallest of all the Gallios, The Sliver Gallio, is the size of an average Earth marble and is made of natural Sliver. However, uncut gemstones are more valuable, at least on Gallifrey. However, our most valuable gemstones are natural gemstones like Amber, Pearl or Coral, so much so that we don't make Gallios out of them. Anyway, whenever we trade something and it is not of equal value to the thing being traded for, we add Gallios to the trade so as to equal up the trade. Like for example, to put it in a sentence or two, "I will trade you 5 Scribbler pelts and 50 sliver Gallios for two of your Cat-Spider pelts..." or "I will trade you 1 Nivolvil Beast and 300 diamond Gallios for two of your Tree Boars..."

Quite interesting isn't it? But I know of many alien visitors who come and go from Gallifrey now a days who bring along their native currency and come to me to change it into Gallios. I suppose we don't use coinage or paper money like on Earth, but Gallios are in a way treated as such.

Like Asgardian money for example, called Runkins. There form of paper money are these flat, 6-inch long metal bars made of bronze, silver, gold, platinum and diamond and their form of coinage or change, which they call Neklings, appears in the form of these sparkling marble-sized metal spheres.

Then there is Ayphilium currency, which they call Shacklings, which also appears in marble form, but are made of seashell, natural pearl and mother of pearl. And the ever so annoying Nerble Beads, which are a universal currency, which come in necklaces or strings of 5 forms: wood beads (earth nerble), amber beads (fire nerble), stone beads (air nerble), shiny metal beads (metal nerble) and seashell or mother of pearl beads (water nerble).

Personally I never could fully understand the use of nerble beads and they are so hard to determine the value of. Then of course I figured out why they were of the 5 elements, but I will have to explain that some other time when I have more time to write. Luckily I have a TARDIS, so if anything happens to occur in Cadontilly or in the fields nearby, I can escape and park myself elsewhere. But hopefully I won't have to if the Chancellery guards keep it together.

...Part 2 Coming Soon...