p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-GB"It was evident as they entered that the council had been bickering although they quickly became silent and respectfully stood up in the President's presence./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-GB"The Doctor sat at the head of the table and the council once more took their seats. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal""Could someone please find a chair for my young friend? Don't mind him he's just sitting in for some work experience."/p
p class="MsoNormal"There was some, very quiet, discontented grumbling from a few of the members, who were slightly emboldened by the fact that they weren't immediately shouted at for their lack of obeisance. Meetings such as this were usually private and to invite a emstudent/em of all people not even a graduate… well it just went against all protocol./p
p class="MsoNormal"The Doctor just looked round the table picking out the likely most vocal dissenters to his new plans for Gallifrey. Thankfully there were fewer than he had feared but there were enough that he would have to use all his powers of persuasion if he was to win them round and he had no idea how many more moderates would still object to his more radical suggestions./p
p class="MsoNormal"He waited for silence again before drawing a deep breath and making a start./p
p class="MsoNormal""I am not going to allow you to reform the High Council." There was a kind of low key uproar at this; did he mean to become a dictator, possibly no better than Rassilon? But the Doctor just sat calmly in his chair until the clamour died down. When he did speak he didn't raise his voice but spoke clearly and firmly in a manner which captured the attention of all in the room, and in a tone that compelled them to listen./p
p class="MsoNormal""I have observed Gallifreyan politics from both inside and outside the system on many an occasion and it hasn't changed for millennia, it has kept the same flaws despite periodic upheavals. A tendency towards corruption and manipulation, a fatal level of indecisiveness when action actually needs to be taken and a stultifying snobbishness and traditionalism that prevents new ideas from emerging to improve our peoples' lives./p
p class="MsoNormal"If we are to go back to living in the universe rather than just hiding away here at the end of it we must change. I propose that we do away with the Houses and their meaningless aristocratic trappings and develop a whole new way to govern our planet./p
p class="MsoNormal"I have witnessed many forms of governance in my many years of travel and I propose a decentralised system./p
p class="MsoNormal"Let all the departments organise themselves and have them appoint a spokesman to air and discuss the views of the group, including opposing views. I also suggest that regular symposia and conferences be held so that different departments can share ideas and synthesise new solutions they may not have thought of by themselves."/p
p class="MsoNormal"An elderly councillor at the other end of the table tentatively raised his hand; their most recent experience with visionary Presidents hadn't gone too well and he couldn't help but feel slightly nervous at such radical talk. But much to his surprise the Doctor merely acknowledged him and bade him speak./p
p class="MsoNormal""Uh, my Lord, I have made history my field of study all my life and I just feel it relevant to point out that what you are suggesting is how the Houses and the High Council were formed in the first place."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-GB" /spanspan lang="EN-GB"The Doctor took another deep breath as he marshalled his arguments. "Maybe so, and I have no doubt that there was a time when they served our people well but they have long since become nepotistic and corrupt; simply one generation handing down power and positions to the next, looking down their noses at any from outside who had the aptitude to succeed even in a system stacked against them and outright hostility to any idea of reform." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"He was aware that he was becoming more animated than he intended and stopped abruptly, looking down at the table struggling to contain his personal grievances. He had fought hard against this silly system in one way or another all his life but to be so blatantly confronted with it was proving more difficult than he had anticipated./p
p class="MsoNormal""My first, alright technically third," he amended as he remembered his banishment of Rassilon and the previous High Council, "Presidential order is to reopen attendance to the Academy of Gallifrey to all, including non Gallifreyans."/p
p class="MsoNormal"As he'd expected there was not a little consternation at this idea. The Doctor had tried to implement it before and there had even been some graduates but that was before Rassilon returned to power and put a stop to it, something the rather more conservative Time Lords were quite relieved about./p
p class="MsoNormal"He allowed them to bicker for a bit before taking charge again, rising from his chair and leaning on the table./p
p class="MsoNormal""Look, you think it demeaning or dangerous to share our vast stores of knowledge and technology with other races? But what have emwe/em done with it? Kept it locked away, inaccessible even to our own people, the privilege for a select few to use, and what good has it done us?/p
p class="MsoNormal"Out there in the universe, where we are not actively hated we are pitied, victims of our own hubris and pride. We have tried aloof detachment, it simply made us complacent and vulnerable to attack, we tried being warlike and we nearly wiped out the entire universe under the leadership of a power mad dictator with a god complex," he sighed and shook his head with a genuinely sorrowful look in his eye. "No, if we are to have any future at all we are going to have to finally accept that we aren't nearly as all powerful or all-knowing as we think we are and learn humility at last."/p
p class="MsoNormal"He sat back down heavily, almost unaware of the stunned and slightly awed reaction to his speech. The past few days had taken their toll and what he would really like was to spend some time alone strolling through the slowly re-growing wilderness outside the city trying to recall childhood days of peaceful play among the red grass./p
p class="MsoNormal"Rowan saw the faraway look in the Lord President's eye and tentatively put his hand on his arm, "My Lord?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Wearily the Doctor dragged a hand over his eyes and rose again, walking over to the large picture window gazing at a sight he had thought for so many years he would never see again./p
p class="MsoNormal""Do you know something," he said quietly with his back to them, "for a long time I believed that I had destroyed Gallifrey. That I had used The Moment and killed every man, woman and child on the planet and even after decades to think about what I had done, after counting all the children and forgetting them and disowning the me that did it, ultimately I still believed I'd done the only thing I could have not just to stop the Daleks but Rassilon as well and was fully prepared to help that incarnation go through with it./p
p class="MsoNormal"Do you know who it was that stopped me? Clara stopped me. An ordinary human. It was she who saved you not me; she made me come up with a better solution because she was better at being me than I was… and it got her killed."/p
p class="MsoNormal"At last he turned around and even those who would have done all they could to fight tooth and nail against his reforms couldn't help but be taken aback by the change in his manner./p
p class="MsoNormal"There was something about him that they'd never noticed before; rather than the eccentric and frequently dangerous renegade they had pegged him as, the man who stood before them looked practically statesman-like./p
p class="MsoNormal"He somehow appeared to have aged centuries in mere moments. His face held an expression of painful wisdom accrued over many lifetimes of glorious victories but also terribly bitter defeats. He was almost certainly the most experienced Time Lord who had ever lived; perhaps it was long past time to actually listen to what he had to say./p
p class="MsoNormal""I still have a duty of care," he continued, "but if you'll let me I will give it to you in her name. I won't pretend it will be easy and things will not be as they were before but I promise to do everything in my power to bring you out of these shadows and back into the light."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The history books told how the Lord Borusa had made such speeches when he had returned after a long and unexplained absence to take charge after a previous political crisis. He had succeeded in his goals maybe the Doctor could do the same./p
p class="MsoNormal"There was some conferring around the table before the General stood up as a sort of self-appointed spokesperson./p
p class="MsoNormal""We will follow your leadership my Lord and do our best to carry out your wishes."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-GB" /spanspan lang="EN-GB"The Doctor gave a sigh and smiled, "Thank you." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-GB"He moved back to the table and sat down once more./span/p
p class="MsoNormal""The first thing I'll need…"/p
p class="MsoNormal"And so the hard work of reconstruction began as he slowly detailed his plans for tentative diplomatic missions out into the universe, an Academy that would teach all who wanted to learn including encouraging arts and literature as well as technical skills and an eventual abolition of the non-intervention clause./p
p class="MsoNormal"It was late into the afternoon when the meeting finally broke up and the Doctor felt drained but at least he could take pride in the fact that the wheels had been firmly put in motion and even now further smaller meetings were being called all over the Citadel, communiqués were being drawn up and debates organized. For the first time there seemed to be an actual appetite for change and the Doctor was quietly hopeful that this time it would stick./p
p class="MsoNormal"As he left the Chamber he noticed that Rowan was still following him, the poor boy, he'd forgotten all about him./p
p class="MsoNormal""I'm so sorry Rowan that must have been awfully boring for you, I wouldn't have made you sit through it if I'd known it'd take that long, but you know how it is one thing leads to another… I've always hated such meetings myself."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Rowan just looked up at him in wonder; he'd learnt more from the last few hours than in all of his classes put together. He'd generally found his lessons to be horribly dry things full of dull dates and abstract facts. What he had just witnessed seemed a lot more interesting, he may not have understood all that was said but he got the impression that he was living through times of great progress and may even have been chosen to participate in them./p
p class="MsoNormal""What would you have me do, my Lord?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"The Doctor looked down at his earnest, eager face and felt a twinge of disquiet; this was the power he had wasn't it? The power to make people emwant/em to follow him, to fulfil his visions, to make him proud./p
p class="MsoNormal"'It's a good job I resisted Missy's offer, isn't it?' he mused to himself, 'I do enough damage commanding people.'/p
p class="MsoNormal"But that was what was required; a commander, a leader, someone who could give orders to people who wanted to obey them. But he wouldn't just give orders he would listen to those who carried them out and amend them as and when the situation required it./p
p class="MsoNormal"Much as he was loath to admit it maybe it was finally time to accept Danny Pink's assessment of him. He emwas/em an officer and it was in that capacity that he was needed right now./p
p class="MsoNormal"'There is more than one type of officer though,' he thought, still trying to square his prejudices against authority figures with what he was now being asked to do. 'I've always led from the front, I've never asked any of my friends to do something I wouldn't.'/p
p class="MsoNormal"There was a tiny, traitorous voice that whispered in his ear, 'No, you never emasked/em them but you did oftentimes count on their natures to get the job done anyway.' He had no answer to this accusation since it was nothing but the truth./p
p class="MsoNormal"He realized that Rowan was still looking up at him expectantly, his eyes full of youth and hope and boundless optimism. Surely it wasn't fair to use him as so many pawns./p
p class="MsoNormal"Another voice came to his rescue, 'there are more pieces than Pawns in a game of chess, how about a Knight or a Rook?' A right-hand man./p
p class="MsoNormal"The younger generation would already be more accommodating to changes to the status quo but he needed to know what changes they actually wanted. He had always championed the less fortunate across the universe and at home, usually being on the side of the Shobogans when disputes had broken out before, with Rowan's help maybe he could make a real and enduring difference./p
p class="MsoNormal""You really want to help me?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"The young man nodded emphatically. "Oh yes, my Lord, if I can."/p
p class="MsoNormal"He bowed to the inevitable./p
p class="MsoNormal""Ok then, for a start it's 'Doctor' not 'my Lord'."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Of course, my… sorry, Doctor."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Right, I need you to spread the word among your friends and classmates about what you've seen and heard today; get the young people talking, find out what they think could be improved. Try and get them to organise themselves into a union or a committee of sorts and I will arrange a meeting with them and listen to their grievances and suggestions. If anyone tries to oppose what you're doing tell them it's on orders of the President himself and they are welcome to take it up with me."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Even this sounded radical to Rowan's ears; students were supposed to simply show deference to their elders and betters, not to have ideas of their own and certainly not to have those ideas taken seriously. He might have a job convincing his peers he wasn't completely crazy./p
p class="MsoNormal"The Doctor watched the boy hurry away, keen to begin his task, and felt the years pressing heavily on his shoulders. Oh to be young again. Not just to be gifted a young body as he had last time but to be truly young with the universe as your oyster and nary a care in the world./p
p class="MsoNormal"But looking back that had never really been him even in his youth. He had enjoyed the world beyond the Citadel; the deep red fields, the silver leaves, those glorious sunsets and sunrises./p
p class="MsoNormal"He'd even had a few friends, but the bullies had been more numerous; the kids who taunted him and called him names, the adults who were always telling him he'd never amount to anything, the teachers frequently giving him punishments simply for asking questions./p
p class="MsoNormal"He had indeed fled his home out of fear but it had had nothing to do with the Hybrid. He had been frightened of what would have become of him if he stayed. Maybe he would have knuckled under in the end just to stop the opprobrium of his fellow Time Lords. Perhaps he would have followed his mentor, the only one who had ever really understood him, and lived a hermit's life out in the wilderness of Gallifrey. Even back then though he had realized that if he wanted to be truly free he would just emhave/em to get away./p
p class="MsoNormal"There was no taunting now though, in fact there were many on Gallifrey, commoners and Time Lords alike, who would lay down their lives for him./p
p class="MsoNormal"Nevertheless there was a part of him that suspected that some of those in that meeting had only shown him such respect because they knew he wasn't intending to go gallivanting off again and they could claim that he had been drawn back into the fold and tamed in the end. Well he could make peace with that; let them think what they liked of him./p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-GB"The Doctor sat at the head of the table and the council once more took their seats. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal""Could someone please find a chair for my young friend? Don't mind him he's just sitting in for some work experience."/p
p class="MsoNormal"There was some, very quiet, discontented grumbling from a few of the members, who were slightly emboldened by the fact that they weren't immediately shouted at for their lack of obeisance. Meetings such as this were usually private and to invite a emstudent/em of all people not even a graduate… well it just went against all protocol./p
p class="MsoNormal"The Doctor just looked round the table picking out the likely most vocal dissenters to his new plans for Gallifrey. Thankfully there were fewer than he had feared but there were enough that he would have to use all his powers of persuasion if he was to win them round and he had no idea how many more moderates would still object to his more radical suggestions./p
p class="MsoNormal"He waited for silence again before drawing a deep breath and making a start./p
p class="MsoNormal""I am not going to allow you to reform the High Council." There was a kind of low key uproar at this; did he mean to become a dictator, possibly no better than Rassilon? But the Doctor just sat calmly in his chair until the clamour died down. When he did speak he didn't raise his voice but spoke clearly and firmly in a manner which captured the attention of all in the room, and in a tone that compelled them to listen./p
p class="MsoNormal""I have observed Gallifreyan politics from both inside and outside the system on many an occasion and it hasn't changed for millennia, it has kept the same flaws despite periodic upheavals. A tendency towards corruption and manipulation, a fatal level of indecisiveness when action actually needs to be taken and a stultifying snobbishness and traditionalism that prevents new ideas from emerging to improve our peoples' lives./p
p class="MsoNormal"If we are to go back to living in the universe rather than just hiding away here at the end of it we must change. I propose that we do away with the Houses and their meaningless aristocratic trappings and develop a whole new way to govern our planet./p
p class="MsoNormal"I have witnessed many forms of governance in my many years of travel and I propose a decentralised system./p
p class="MsoNormal"Let all the departments organise themselves and have them appoint a spokesman to air and discuss the views of the group, including opposing views. I also suggest that regular symposia and conferences be held so that different departments can share ideas and synthesise new solutions they may not have thought of by themselves."/p
p class="MsoNormal"An elderly councillor at the other end of the table tentatively raised his hand; their most recent experience with visionary Presidents hadn't gone too well and he couldn't help but feel slightly nervous at such radical talk. But much to his surprise the Doctor merely acknowledged him and bade him speak./p
p class="MsoNormal""Uh, my Lord, I have made history my field of study all my life and I just feel it relevant to point out that what you are suggesting is how the Houses and the High Council were formed in the first place."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-GB" /spanspan lang="EN-GB"The Doctor took another deep breath as he marshalled his arguments. "Maybe so, and I have no doubt that there was a time when they served our people well but they have long since become nepotistic and corrupt; simply one generation handing down power and positions to the next, looking down their noses at any from outside who had the aptitude to succeed even in a system stacked against them and outright hostility to any idea of reform." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"He was aware that he was becoming more animated than he intended and stopped abruptly, looking down at the table struggling to contain his personal grievances. He had fought hard against this silly system in one way or another all his life but to be so blatantly confronted with it was proving more difficult than he had anticipated./p
p class="MsoNormal""My first, alright technically third," he amended as he remembered his banishment of Rassilon and the previous High Council, "Presidential order is to reopen attendance to the Academy of Gallifrey to all, including non Gallifreyans."/p
p class="MsoNormal"As he'd expected there was not a little consternation at this idea. The Doctor had tried to implement it before and there had even been some graduates but that was before Rassilon returned to power and put a stop to it, something the rather more conservative Time Lords were quite relieved about./p
p class="MsoNormal"He allowed them to bicker for a bit before taking charge again, rising from his chair and leaning on the table./p
p class="MsoNormal""Look, you think it demeaning or dangerous to share our vast stores of knowledge and technology with other races? But what have emwe/em done with it? Kept it locked away, inaccessible even to our own people, the privilege for a select few to use, and what good has it done us?/p
p class="MsoNormal"Out there in the universe, where we are not actively hated we are pitied, victims of our own hubris and pride. We have tried aloof detachment, it simply made us complacent and vulnerable to attack, we tried being warlike and we nearly wiped out the entire universe under the leadership of a power mad dictator with a god complex," he sighed and shook his head with a genuinely sorrowful look in his eye. "No, if we are to have any future at all we are going to have to finally accept that we aren't nearly as all powerful or all-knowing as we think we are and learn humility at last."/p
p class="MsoNormal"He sat back down heavily, almost unaware of the stunned and slightly awed reaction to his speech. The past few days had taken their toll and what he would really like was to spend some time alone strolling through the slowly re-growing wilderness outside the city trying to recall childhood days of peaceful play among the red grass./p
p class="MsoNormal"Rowan saw the faraway look in the Lord President's eye and tentatively put his hand on his arm, "My Lord?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Wearily the Doctor dragged a hand over his eyes and rose again, walking over to the large picture window gazing at a sight he had thought for so many years he would never see again./p
p class="MsoNormal""Do you know something," he said quietly with his back to them, "for a long time I believed that I had destroyed Gallifrey. That I had used The Moment and killed every man, woman and child on the planet and even after decades to think about what I had done, after counting all the children and forgetting them and disowning the me that did it, ultimately I still believed I'd done the only thing I could have not just to stop the Daleks but Rassilon as well and was fully prepared to help that incarnation go through with it./p
p class="MsoNormal"Do you know who it was that stopped me? Clara stopped me. An ordinary human. It was she who saved you not me; she made me come up with a better solution because she was better at being me than I was… and it got her killed."/p
p class="MsoNormal"At last he turned around and even those who would have done all they could to fight tooth and nail against his reforms couldn't help but be taken aback by the change in his manner./p
p class="MsoNormal"There was something about him that they'd never noticed before; rather than the eccentric and frequently dangerous renegade they had pegged him as, the man who stood before them looked practically statesman-like./p
p class="MsoNormal"He somehow appeared to have aged centuries in mere moments. His face held an expression of painful wisdom accrued over many lifetimes of glorious victories but also terribly bitter defeats. He was almost certainly the most experienced Time Lord who had ever lived; perhaps it was long past time to actually listen to what he had to say./p
p class="MsoNormal""I still have a duty of care," he continued, "but if you'll let me I will give it to you in her name. I won't pretend it will be easy and things will not be as they were before but I promise to do everything in my power to bring you out of these shadows and back into the light."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The history books told how the Lord Borusa had made such speeches when he had returned after a long and unexplained absence to take charge after a previous political crisis. He had succeeded in his goals maybe the Doctor could do the same./p
p class="MsoNormal"There was some conferring around the table before the General stood up as a sort of self-appointed spokesperson./p
p class="MsoNormal""We will follow your leadership my Lord and do our best to carry out your wishes."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-GB" /spanspan lang="EN-GB"The Doctor gave a sigh and smiled, "Thank you." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-GB"He moved back to the table and sat down once more./span/p
p class="MsoNormal""The first thing I'll need…"/p
p class="MsoNormal"And so the hard work of reconstruction began as he slowly detailed his plans for tentative diplomatic missions out into the universe, an Academy that would teach all who wanted to learn including encouraging arts and literature as well as technical skills and an eventual abolition of the non-intervention clause./p
p class="MsoNormal"It was late into the afternoon when the meeting finally broke up and the Doctor felt drained but at least he could take pride in the fact that the wheels had been firmly put in motion and even now further smaller meetings were being called all over the Citadel, communiqués were being drawn up and debates organized. For the first time there seemed to be an actual appetite for change and the Doctor was quietly hopeful that this time it would stick./p
p class="MsoNormal"As he left the Chamber he noticed that Rowan was still following him, the poor boy, he'd forgotten all about him./p
p class="MsoNormal""I'm so sorry Rowan that must have been awfully boring for you, I wouldn't have made you sit through it if I'd known it'd take that long, but you know how it is one thing leads to another… I've always hated such meetings myself."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Rowan just looked up at him in wonder; he'd learnt more from the last few hours than in all of his classes put together. He'd generally found his lessons to be horribly dry things full of dull dates and abstract facts. What he had just witnessed seemed a lot more interesting, he may not have understood all that was said but he got the impression that he was living through times of great progress and may even have been chosen to participate in them./p
p class="MsoNormal""What would you have me do, my Lord?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"The Doctor looked down at his earnest, eager face and felt a twinge of disquiet; this was the power he had wasn't it? The power to make people emwant/em to follow him, to fulfil his visions, to make him proud./p
p class="MsoNormal"'It's a good job I resisted Missy's offer, isn't it?' he mused to himself, 'I do enough damage commanding people.'/p
p class="MsoNormal"But that was what was required; a commander, a leader, someone who could give orders to people who wanted to obey them. But he wouldn't just give orders he would listen to those who carried them out and amend them as and when the situation required it./p
p class="MsoNormal"Much as he was loath to admit it maybe it was finally time to accept Danny Pink's assessment of him. He emwas/em an officer and it was in that capacity that he was needed right now./p
p class="MsoNormal"'There is more than one type of officer though,' he thought, still trying to square his prejudices against authority figures with what he was now being asked to do. 'I've always led from the front, I've never asked any of my friends to do something I wouldn't.'/p
p class="MsoNormal"There was a tiny, traitorous voice that whispered in his ear, 'No, you never emasked/em them but you did oftentimes count on their natures to get the job done anyway.' He had no answer to this accusation since it was nothing but the truth./p
p class="MsoNormal"He realized that Rowan was still looking up at him expectantly, his eyes full of youth and hope and boundless optimism. Surely it wasn't fair to use him as so many pawns./p
p class="MsoNormal"Another voice came to his rescue, 'there are more pieces than Pawns in a game of chess, how about a Knight or a Rook?' A right-hand man./p
p class="MsoNormal"The younger generation would already be more accommodating to changes to the status quo but he needed to know what changes they actually wanted. He had always championed the less fortunate across the universe and at home, usually being on the side of the Shobogans when disputes had broken out before, with Rowan's help maybe he could make a real and enduring difference./p
p class="MsoNormal""You really want to help me?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"The young man nodded emphatically. "Oh yes, my Lord, if I can."/p
p class="MsoNormal"He bowed to the inevitable./p
p class="MsoNormal""Ok then, for a start it's 'Doctor' not 'my Lord'."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Of course, my… sorry, Doctor."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Right, I need you to spread the word among your friends and classmates about what you've seen and heard today; get the young people talking, find out what they think could be improved. Try and get them to organise themselves into a union or a committee of sorts and I will arrange a meeting with them and listen to their grievances and suggestions. If anyone tries to oppose what you're doing tell them it's on orders of the President himself and they are welcome to take it up with me."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Even this sounded radical to Rowan's ears; students were supposed to simply show deference to their elders and betters, not to have ideas of their own and certainly not to have those ideas taken seriously. He might have a job convincing his peers he wasn't completely crazy./p
p class="MsoNormal"The Doctor watched the boy hurry away, keen to begin his task, and felt the years pressing heavily on his shoulders. Oh to be young again. Not just to be gifted a young body as he had last time but to be truly young with the universe as your oyster and nary a care in the world./p
p class="MsoNormal"But looking back that had never really been him even in his youth. He had enjoyed the world beyond the Citadel; the deep red fields, the silver leaves, those glorious sunsets and sunrises./p
p class="MsoNormal"He'd even had a few friends, but the bullies had been more numerous; the kids who taunted him and called him names, the adults who were always telling him he'd never amount to anything, the teachers frequently giving him punishments simply for asking questions./p
p class="MsoNormal"He had indeed fled his home out of fear but it had had nothing to do with the Hybrid. He had been frightened of what would have become of him if he stayed. Maybe he would have knuckled under in the end just to stop the opprobrium of his fellow Time Lords. Perhaps he would have followed his mentor, the only one who had ever really understood him, and lived a hermit's life out in the wilderness of Gallifrey. Even back then though he had realized that if he wanted to be truly free he would just emhave/em to get away./p
p class="MsoNormal"There was no taunting now though, in fact there were many on Gallifrey, commoners and Time Lords alike, who would lay down their lives for him./p
p class="MsoNormal"Nevertheless there was a part of him that suspected that some of those in that meeting had only shown him such respect because they knew he wasn't intending to go gallivanting off again and they could claim that he had been drawn back into the fold and tamed in the end. Well he could make peace with that; let them think what they liked of him./p
