Lieutenant Adventures Series 17, Chapter 2, 5 July, 2023. A Second Chance.
16th Lieutenant: Hello! Me again! I'm back! I hope you enjoyed seeing what my first version got up to last week and the sort of person I was back then!
We have another one this week. This week, let me introduce you to my second incarnation, my first male incarnation and, for a while, at the time, my only male incarnation. That's changed now, as you can see. If you thought my first incarnation was grumpy, you haven't met this incarnation, he was far, far grumpier than her.
This version of me did not last very long and it was a very dark period in my life. I started to think there was no end to the Time War, especially as I thought I would finish the war without regenerating. I started to think the war would outlive me!
I didn't really travel with anyone back then other than my father, the Magus. I used his TARDIS to get around the planet rather than the Universe, as I do now.
Anyway, enough of me talking, why don't you meet him yourself? Dive in and take a look at what life was like for my second version and those who knew me.
2nd Lieutenant: The Lieutenant sat in his room on the Magus' TARDIS in the dark. He sat in an armchair he had in the room. It was peaceful here. He liked it. He closed his eyes. The noises of the Time War didn't reach here. Now and then the room shuddered, as did the rest of the TARDIS, as something exploded nearby but that was OK, he could deal with that. He listened for a while, then he heard someone approaching and sighed long and hard.
The Magus opened the door, put the light on and jumped, seeing the Lieutenant and tripped backwards a couple of steps. 'You frightened me, I wondered where you were,' he said.
The Lieutenant ignored him but opened his eyes.
'What are you doing in here?' asked the Magus.
'Nothing,' muttered the Lieutenant.
'Why didn't you tell me you were coming in here?' asked the Magus.
The Lieutenant ignored him again, not looking impressed.
'What's wrong with you?' asked the Magus.
'NOTHING!' yelled the Lieutenant, launching himself to his feet, pushing his way past the Magus, almost knocking him down, and storming off to the console room and out of the TARDIS.
The Magus stood looking after the Lieutenant, scratching his head. 'What did I do this time?' he asked himself.
Outside the TARDIS, the Lieutenant looked around himself. His army were sitting around, relaxing.
One of the Lieutenant's soldiers spotted him. 'Everything OK, sir? Should we be busier than this?'
The Lieutenant looked at the soldier squarely, then softened, realising his problems are not their problems. 'No, all good, treasure every moment you have to rest because shortly we will not have time to,' he said, a glint in his eye, before making his way back to their base.
The Lieutenant and the Arcadian army were in a bunker just outside the Citadel and they had a hut which was base. He had been in the process of transferring base into the Magus' TARDIS but he was not about to go back in there now.
Once back at base, the Lieutenant made his way over to the desk and examined the live map. The live map was a digital map which showed up Time Lords and Gallifreyans in blue, Daleks in red and foreign species in green. He tapped in a search for blockades and a list of active blockades came up. 'OK,' muttered the Lieutenant, his eyes darting across the screen. 'They're not all under control yet but they will be shortly, they don't need us. What about supplies, can we help with those?' he asked himself, tapping again, his eyes darting across the screen. 'No, not needed there either,' he muttered.
Then a warning popped up on the map. The Lieutenant's eyes shot straight to it. The Regeneration Chamber was under attack. He stood staring at the map for a moment as memories of his first regeneration came flooding back. His first regeneration took place in that very Regeneration Chamber and the memory was not a good one. As much as he wanted to ignore the warning, he knew he as going to have to respond to it. He straightened up and strode out of base and over to his gang. 'Everybody up, arm yourselves, expect the worst, the Regeneration Chamber is under attack!' he yelled. He then strode back to the Magus' TARDIS and straight in.
The Magus didn't even look up.
'Come on, dad, quickly, arm yourself, expect the worst, the Regeneration Chamber is under attack!' he exclaimed, arming himself.
The Magus did look up then. 'You don't have a good history with that chamber,' he said.
'I know,' snapped the Lieutenant.
'OK, STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING RIGHT NOW, YOUNG MAN!' yelled the Magus angrily. 'LOOK AT ME!'
The Lieutenant was stunned. He looked at the Magus.
'You have been snapping at me all day, I am sick and tired of it. I am not going into any battle until you can learn a few manners, am I clear?' ranted the Magus.
'Yes, crystal, stay here then, I'll go by myself,' muttered the Lieutenant, sheepishly and going red.
'No, you missed the point. I am going, you don't deserve it but I am going but I won't be spoken to like that, whatever's on your chest, get it off your chest because it's making you out to be a right arsehole now,' he said, arming himself.
The Lieutenant stayed quiet and just armed himself and left the TARDIS. Once outside, he strode back across to base and took one last look through the map, identifying any threats stopping them from reaching the Regeneration Chamber and then strode back out to his team. 'Attention!' he yelled.
The Arcadian team stood to attention.
The Magus left the TARDIS and stood to attention, also.
The Lieutenant ignored the Magus. 'The Regeneration Chamber is under attack, that is all we know. As far as I can see, there is a tricky route we can take which is not yet blocked but we will manage it and once we get there, at all costs, do not let the Daleks into the Regeneration Chamber. You all know, as I know, many of us have a bad history where we have regenerated in that chamber, mostly to pay for war mistakes, but any of us who have regenerated in there are on file in there. Our existences are at risk if the Daleks get in there and destroy everything. Expect the worst. Let's move, come on, keep up!' exclaimed the Lieutenant, marching his team toward the Regeneration Chamber.
The way to the Citadel and to the Regeneration Chamber was a dark one. Not dark as in difficult to see but dark as in littered with death and regeneration. The army passed hundreds of thousands of regenerating Time Lords, both soldiers and civilians, and even more dead bodies, not all Time Lords but Gallifreyans, Shabogans, Daleks, Cybermen, lives shattered, loved ones lost, all around. It was a very bleak setting.
Upon reaching the Citadel, the army stopped.
'Attention!' called the Lieutenant once again.
The Arcadian army stood to attention once more.
The Lieutenant lowered his voice this time to try to avoid detection. 'OK, we are heading downwards in here now, the Regeneration Chamber is, as you know, underground. This makes our situation more deadly. If something goes wrong, there is no escape. Be vigilant, good luck. Let's go,' said the Lieutenant.
The Arcadian army entered the Citadel, descending towards the Regeneration Chamber. This journey was a step away from the one they had just experienced, significantly fewer people were down here and mostly all of them were alive but looked terrified.
The Lieutenant gestured to a few of them to keep low and quiet.
Upon reaching the Regeneration Chamber, the army stopped. There were about twenty Daleks in front of them, attempting to gain access to the Regeneration Chamber, the guards on standby in the chamber were yelling but it was not clear what they were yelling. The army looked to the Lieutenant.
The Lieutenant looked to the Magus.
The Magus looked back to the Lieutenant and nodded.
The Lieutenant pushed his way through the army to the front and strode up to the Daleks.
All the Daleks noticed the Lieutenant and turned to face him.
'I am the Lieutenant,' said the Lieutenant forcefully.
'We know who you are,' said a Dalek near the front.
The Lieutenant was slightly taken aback. He was surprised, he seemed to be making a name for himself. 'You will not gain entry to the Regeneration Chamber.'
'Try to stop us,' said the Dalek.
'Lieutenant, be careful!' exclaimed the Magus from behind.
The Lieutenant ignored the Magus for a second time. 'I'm going to do way more than stop you, I am going to throw you off my planet, once and for all, maybe not today, and maybe you will not live to see it happen, but I will succeed eventually,' he said.
'The Daleks will survive!' exclaimed the Dalek.
'That's inevitable, a few beings of every race survive somewhere, no-one is ever truly extinct, but the Daleks here today will not,' said the Lieutenant, sternly, looking the Dalek directly in the eye.
'Exterminate!' yelled the Dalek.
'I don't think so,' said the Lieutenant, reaching for a pistol.
The army whipped out their guns, ready to fire.
'No!' exclaimed the Magus, dashing forward, pushing his way through the rest of the army.
The Lieutenant, spun round, in the second before his extermination. 'Dad, what are you doing?!' he exclaimed.
'Saving your life, you ungrateful sod!' exclaimed the Magus, making it to the Lieutenant just in time and blocked the Dalek's extermination ray, taking the full blast himself.
'Dad!' exclaimed the Lieutenant.
The Magus slumped to the ground and did not move.
'Open fire!' yelled the Lieutenant, louder than anything he had before.
The Arcadian army responded immediately, beginning an almighty shooting match outside the Regeneration Chamber.
'Whoever is in the Regeneration Chamber, bolt the door shut, we will check you are alright shortly,' shouted the Lieutenant to them. Then he knelt beside his dying father.
The Magus pushed himself onto his back and looked up at the Lieutenant. 'You have been really pushing your luck lately,' he said.
'I know I have, I'm sorry,' said the Lieutenant.
'You went through a big change, I understand that, how does one react to a change of gender for the first time? I honestly do not know, I've never done it before,' said the Magus.
'That's no excuse,' said the Lieutenant. 'I am perfectly capable of being myself in whatever gender I become,' he said.
The Magus' hands began to glow golden.
The Lieutenant looked at them and shed a tear.
The Magus looked at his hands. 'Right, here we go, moment of truth,' he said.
The Lieutenant helped him to stand. 'Ceasefire!' yelled the Lieutenant.
The army stopped shooting but the Daleks didn't.
The Magus directed his head and hands at the Daleks and started an explosive regeneration.
'Get down!' yelled the Lieutenant, crouching.
The army also crouched.
The Lieutenant turned to face the army for a briefing. 'So, my dad is regenerating, as you can see, he'll probably be able to take out most of them but not all of them so we need to be ready for when he's finished regenerating. As he's on Gallifrey, there will be no confusion, he will stabilise straight away, but immediately after regenerating, he is likely to be slightly overwhelmed as he's just gone through a massive change. Be ready,' said the Lieutenant, turning back around to face the regenerating Magus, shielding his eyes.
The Magus directed his head and arms towards the Daleks in one final effort in this incarnation before screwing up his eyes and yelling in pain. A mixture of sounds came out as the Magus' new incarnation started to take shape and ended up in a higher-than-usual pitch.
Daleks flew into each other and blew all over the place, around twelve of them exploded, the force of which took out another three.
'Kill the Time Lord!' exclaimed one of the remaining Daleks and shot in the Magus direction but ended up exterminating two more Daleks who got in the way. Now, only three of them remained.
The Magus' head and hands slowly stopped glowing and she opened her eyes once again as the pain eased and stumbled.
The Lieutenant leapt forward and caught her and they just looked at each other for a moment. 'Mum?' asked the Lieutenant, surprised.
The Magus looked equally surprised. 'Honestly?' she asked.
'Dad, this is hardly the-or-mum, this is hardly the time for joking!' exclaimed the Lieutenant.
'I suppose that's a yes, then,' said the Magus, finding her feet again and standing independently.
The Lieutenant looked slightly sheepish but said what he was thinking anyway. 'Maybe now you will understand what I feel like,' he said. He turned back to the army. 'Attention, everyone except the Magus!' exclaimed the Lieutenant.
The Magus gave the Lieutenant the death stare.
'You have just gone through a big biological change, trust me, I do actually understand what that feels like, just take a minute,' said the Lieutenant, holding up a hand. 'The rest of you, three left, open fire!' yelled the Lieutenant, ducking out of the way and dragging the Magus to the floor.
'Sorry, I'm just a bit..' started the Magus.
'I know you are, been there, you do get over it, now, stay down, let the team save us,' said the Lieutenant, keeping the Magus down.
The Arcadian army took out the three remaining Daleks and stopped firing.
'Hold,' said the Lieutenant, getting up slowly and going to inspect the Daleks to ensure they were dead. 'Magus, take your time, I know you have stabilised but this change will take some getting used to, relax a moment,' he said, not looking back, keeping his eyes on the Daleks at all times. Finally, he relaxed and made his way into the Regeneration Chamber.
The Arcadian army stayed alert for a few minutes, just to be sure the Daleks were dead, and then they rushed to help and support the Magus.
Inside the Regeneration Chamber, the Lieutenant met Ekra and Cin, the two current executioners who ran the Regeneration Chamber. He knew them well, they had forced his first regeneration as a punishment for war crimes.
At first, there was an awkward silence, then the Lieutenant spoke. 'Are you both OK?' he asked.
'We're fine, thank you, Lieutenant, they never got in here,' said Ekra,
'That's good,' sighed the Lieutenant with relief. He had noticed, out of the corner of his eye, there was a third person in the chamber. He looked at them now and then back at Ekra and Cin. 'Is this the current victim?' he asked.
'They're not victims, Lieutenant, they're criminals,' said Ekra. 'You are a criminal.'
The Lieutenant's gaze narrowed. 'How can you call them that? This is a war! They're being executed for war crimes, without trial, I might add! There is no way to know if you are doing right or wrong in war, the whole legal system is a disgrace!' he snarled at the two executioners.
Ekra and Cin remained quiet.
The Lieutenant looked Ekra directly in the eyes. 'And this criminal has just decided to save your lives, your careers, the course of history on this planet and allow this poor victim's execution. Do you know how busy us armies are in this war? Do you actually understand how many places we are expected to be in at the same time? I could well have decided Arcadia were not going to respond to this one, someone else's problem. I did not, I responded because something inside me said the work that is done here must be allowed to continue and after all that, I am still a criminal? Thanks a lot for that, your legal system is a joke,' he sneered. He turned to face the victim. 'What's your name?' he asked gently, with a smile.
'Admin,' said Admin.
'Admin?' asked the Lieutenant, confused.
'Yes, short for Administrator,' said Admin.
'Oh! Like me! You have a title! Very good, how many regenerations have you left,' asked the Lieutenant.
'Twelve,' said Admin.
The Lieutenant looked back at Ekra. 'Disgraceful!' he hissed. He turned back to Admin. 'This is your first regeneration?' he asked.
'Yes,' said Admin, looking a bit nervous.
'Relax, it's all good, my first regeneration took place in here too, right where you are standing, and I am fine, I'm alive, I'm here, eleven regenerations left, the world is my oyster. It will be yours too. You're going to be very disorientated after your regeneration for a while but you will manage, I believe in you, I hope you do too,' said the Lieutenant with a warm smile. He turned to face Ekra and Cin. 'You've wasted my time today, I won't be responding to save you again. The reason people avoid responding to you is because you're a disgrace, the two of you,' snarled the Lieutenant, yanking the door open, walking through it and slamming it behind him.
The Magus stood outside, arms folded.
The Lieutenant grinned, seeing her. 'I think that went quite well,' he joked. 'Attention!' he yelled.
The Arcadian army stood to attention, including the Magus.
'If I ever respond to this chamber again, shoot me, that's an order,' said the Lieutenant, furiously. 'At ease.'
The army relaxed.
The Lieutenant looked to the Magus, at the dead Daleks and then back the way they came. 'Onwards and upwards, I suppose, quite literally.'
NEXT TIME
Well, in that last episode, you saw how unimpressed I can get with people and what that prompts me to do. Anyway, we're going to look, today, at the person I became after that egotistical young man, when I regenerated for the second time. I became an Earth country's President in this incarnation and I 'disappeared', presumed dead.
'The Daleks will pay hell for this,' she hissed, livid.
The Lieutenant
Liam Hickey
Forest Green
The Magus
Darwin Meads
Winter Rose
Daleks
Nicholas Briggs
Ekra
Judy Greer
Cin
Mahershala Ali
Admin
John Carroll Lynch
Director
Darwin Meads
Writer
Liam Hickey
Producer
Caitlin Parker
Executive Producers
Darwin Meads
Liam Hickey
M/S 2023