Lieutenant Adventures Series 17 Chapter 3, 12 July 2023. Third Time Lucky.
16th Lieutenant: Well, in that last episode, you saw how unimpressed I can get with people and what that prompts me to do. It really is not a good idea to unimpress me.
Anyway, we're going to look, today, at the person I became after that egotistical young man, when I regenerated for the second time.
This version of me kind of did leave the Time War in small ways, but I was not meant to. I became an Earth country's President in this incarnation and I 'disappeared', presumed dead. I also travelled with a future companion of mine during this incarnation, though, for me now, at this stage, she's definitely only a former companion. Kellie is her name, very pleasant, nice person.
I also experienced a huge loss in this incarnation, one that would completely change my life forever, a very sad but very significant loss. I am still not quite the same after it today. That's the adventure we will embark on today, you and I, the events of that sad, significant day...
3rd Lieutenant: The Lieutenant spun on the spot where she stood, looking around at the planet she had grown up on, taking in everything for the first time in her lief so far. Her first two incarnations had very much been swallowed up in the war but this one was just outside of that way of thinking. She lived a very sad, lonely existence, she thought to herself. She spun around to the TARDIS.
The Magus was relaxing a short distance away, watching the Lieutenant. A sad feeling came over her, knowing what the Lieutenant was going through. She saw her look at the TARDIS and thought to herself that the Lieutenant had better not do what she was thinking of.
The Lieutenant just stared at the TARDIS for a moment. It was like she was calling her, tempting her into escaping this war, getting far away from it all. She then took a step forward.
'Don't,' thought the Magus.
Just then, the Lieutenant ran forward, over to the TARDIS and straight into her.
The Magus leapt to her feet and chased the Lieutenant. 'No, Lieutenant, get back here!' she yelled.
The Lieutenant was caught up in her own world and did not even hear the Magus' protests. In the TARDIS, she jabbed the randomiser and yanked the Master Lever.
The TARDIS dematerialised.
The Magus did not reach the TARDIS on time and swore loudly.
The Lieutenant walked away from the console, up to the platform and slumped in a chair. She was well aware she was not supposed to be making this journey and was probably now in trouble. She was not sure what exactly was wrong with her, she was aware of the urgency she had had in previous incarnations but she was just struggling, this time around, to keep up the same motivation.
The Lieutenant wondered where she was going to. It briefly occurred to her to seek for new allies against the Daleks but she pushed that thought aside, she was running away to disassociate with the war, and anything violent, for that matter, not to recruit for it.
The TARDIS materialised.
The Lieutenant looked at the console and she felt an excitement she hadn't felt since her childhood. She heaved herself up, out of the armchair, and down from the platform to the console. Just then she was thrown against the console by a shattering bang and shaking from outside. Her heart sank and she looked at the TARDIS door with real dread. 'Please don't have brought me back, please don't! Please don't have brought me to any other conflict!' she pleaded with the TARDIS.
The TARDIS remained silent.
The Lieutenant pushed herself up and pulled the door lever to open the door and moved toward it slowly, peering out, looking for the source of the shaking she had just felt. She emerged from the TARDIS in a war, her worst fears confirmed.
The TARDIS closed the door behind her.
The Lieutenant looked at the TARDIS. That did not make her feel good. On further observation, the Lieutenant realised this was not a war, it was a revolution. She moved away from the TARDIS and into the shadows, out of sight. She was now intrigued. She wanted to know what they are fighting against.
A man had noticed the Lieutenant's entrance, though he did not understand how it had happened, and had seen her back into the shadows. He made his way into those same shadows. The Lieutenant had not noticed him. He moved right up until he was almost beside her and just stood there for a while to see if the Lieutenant had noticed him or sensed him.
The Lieutenant moved forward, to the edge of the shadows, looking all around. It looked like the revolution was against some sort of royal guard, they wore gold and red, looking very smart, against the ordinary, everyday people they were fighting against. Was this some sort of attempt to overthrow a government? An oppressive Monarchy, perhaps?
'When you hide in the shadows, people will think you're a spy,' said the man.
The Lieutenant jumped and looked around for the source of the voice. She saw an older man standing beside her, holding a machine gun, but not pointing it at her. 'I'm not a spy!' she exclaimed. 'I am interested, though, as to what is going on,' she said.
'I know you're not a spy,' said the man.
'Do you?' asked the Lieutenant.
'Spies don't arrive in a telephone box, out of thin air,' said the man, confidently.
'He saw me,' thought the Lieutenant. 'What else did you see?' asked the Lieutenant.
'I saw you emerge, looking completely clueless, and then you backed into the shadows,' said the man.
'I am glad you noticed that because that was exactly how I felt, clueless,' said the Lieutenant.
'I know when someone really is clueless and I know when they're bluffing. You're not bluffing,' said the man. 'I'm Albert Clearhill. Who are you?'
'I'm the Lieutenant,' said the Lieutenant. 'That's my name, not my rank,' she added quickly.
'That's a very odd name,' said Clearhill.
'I'm a very odd person,' said the Lieutenant.
'And that's fair enough,' said Clearhill.
'What is going on here?' asked the Lieutenant.
'We're attempting to overthrow the Monarchy and establish a Republic. We are fighting for independence and freedom,' said Clearhill.
'I can tell, I can sense your passion and courage,' said the Lieutenant. 'Why are you fighting against the Monarchy, what have they done?' she asked.
'The current Government run a cruel and oppressive regime that enslaves us and drains the country's resources. Enough is enough,' said Clearhill.
'I agree, enough is, indeed, enough,' said the Lieutenant.
'Do you know where you are?' asked Clearhill.
'No,' said the Lieutenant, honestly.
'You're in Qaweritoyu, the South Pacific,' said Clearhill.
'Earth, then, not too bad,' said the Lieutenant.
'Do you know anything about warfare?' asked Clearhill.
The Lieutenant's expression changed almost in an instant.
'Ooooh, did I hit a nerve there?' asked Clearhill. 'That's a yes, there is a lot of warfare experience there, isn't there?'
'Yes, loads,' said the Lieutenant, monotonously. 'However, I am very interested in your country and your cause, I am very happy to get involved and to help you to overthrow the Monarchy,' she said.
Joining Clearhill, the Lieutenant fought with the revolutionary group, fighting for independence in the country. One particular day, she joined the group on a daring raid on a mining facility where they freed hundreds of enslaved workers and destroyed the facility in the process.
The resistance to the Monarchy became heroes in the country and grew stronger and stronger with each passing day.
One day, as the Lieutenant joined the resistance, they advanced on and raided the Palace, they killed the Royal Family and freed all enslaved workers in the Palace. The country was plunged into chaos and Albert Clearhill declared independence and became the first President of Qaweritoyu.
For many years, with the Lieutenant as his Vice-President, Clearhill ruled the country as Head of State, President. Clearhill grew older and weaker in his position but his old friend, the Lieutenant, often rushed to support him and help him to continue in his role as President.
Eventually, after many years working together, Clearhill died in Office at the ripe old age of one hundred years old. The Lieutenant succeeded him as President and oversaw plans for a State Funeral and mourning period.
For many more years, the Lieutenant ruled as President of Qaweritoyu, upholding Clearhill's legacy, until one day he received a box, from Gallifrey during the Time War, a small, white box, summoning her back to Gallifrey. It was the Magus. Knowing her mother, she did not really leave it this long to summon her back home but it took this long to locate her. She staged her mysterious disappearance and after about fifty years inactive in the same spot, she located her old TARDIS. She re-entered the TARDIS, set the co-ordinates for Arcadia, Gallifrey, the Time War, for a few seconds after she had left and yanked the Master Lever.
The TARDIS dematerialised.
The Lieutenant scanned the controls, watching the TARDIS do her work. This time away from the Time War had done her the world of good, whatever it was about the time away, she felt ready to return to the Time War and resume her role. On that note, she re-programmed the co-ordinates for the War Chamber, she had a bone to pick with the War Council.
The TARDIS materialised.
The Lieutenant checked all controls on the console and checked that everything was in order as it had been a while since the TARDIS had travelled. When she finished her final checks, she pulled the door lever and strode to the door and out.
The War Council of the Time Lords did not even notice the Lieutenant. They were sitting around a table, dust all around, talking urgently about the progress of the war and what to do next.
The TARDIS door closed behind the Lieutenant.
The Lieutenant moved up to the table in the middle of the room and thumped it extremely loudly and angrily.
Most of the War Council jumped and looked at the Lieutenant, mostly asking her who she thought she was. Rassilon sat at the top of the table and he narrowed his eyes and looked directly at the Lieutenant, livid.
'I am the Lieutenant, the question is who do you all think you are?' sneered the Lieutenant.
Rassilon rose to his feet, leaning on the table. 'You will not command us! Do you hear me?' thundered Rassilon.
The Lieutenant imitated Rassilon and also leant on the table. 'I am here to do exactly that! I am fuming with the lot of you!' thundered the Lieutenant back at Rassilon. 'I have a voice, just like you, if you think you will yell at me like that, then you can get a mouthful of it back, I am not scared of you,' fumed the Lieutenant.
'All creatures fear me!' yelled Rassilon.
'I do not!' yelled the Lieutenant.
Rassilon briefly looked stunned. No-one had ever dared speak to him like this. Then there was a real fire burning in his eyes.
Flavia stood up. 'Pack it in, the two of you!' she yelled. 'Lieutenant, give it up. We all know what you are getting at and the Lord President knows too. Keep your domestics out of this. This is what this is about, he is your biological father-'
'He will never be a father to me, he's filth,' said the Lieutenant.
'Say that again and see if you survive,' hissed Rassilon.
'I said pack it in!' yelled Flavia, angrily. 'Lord President, deep breath, sit down, please. Lieutenant, you the same,' said Flavia.
Rassilon sighed long and hard and slowly lowered himself back into his chair.
The Lieutenant did likewise.
'Now, Lieutenant, we are very busy, as I hope you can imagine, just say what you're here for and leave, will you?' commanded Flavia.
'Yes, easily and with pleasure,' said the Lieutenant. 'I am here to tell you, firmly and bluntly, to stop trying me for war crimes, you are trying a ridiculous amount of us now, all of us with the interest of ending this war and restoring order in the cosmos and the way you repay us is essentially by wasting away our regenerations and killing us off, you do realise you are actually working against yourselves, don't you? It's like you want to lose the war. It's ridiculous! You are, actually, impeding my war effort more than any of the Daleks ever could,' she ranted.
There was an awkward silence. Then Flavia spoke. 'Are you finished?' she asked.
The Lieutenant sat in her seat, breathing heavily. 'Yes, I am now,' she said.
'Thank you, Lieutenant,' said Flavia. 'Now leave.'
'Pardon? You mean to tell me...?' gasped the Lieutenant.
'I said leave, get out!' yelled Flavia at the Lieutenant.
'You're pathetic, the lot of you,' hissed the Lieutenant, flying to her feet, knocking the chair over, striding away from the table and to the TARDIS, knocking down pens and papers all over the room. She entered the TARDIS and slammed the door behind her.
Inside the TARDIS, the Lieutenant punched in the co-ordinates for Arcadia and was about to pull the Master Lever when a screen on the console sprung to life.
'Miss?' asked a voice, one of the Arcadian soldiers.
The Lieutenant frowned and moved around to the screen, standing over it. 'Yes, this is miss, what's wrong?' she asked.
'In your absence, miss, the Magus led us into battle,' said the soldier.
'Oh, OK, how did it go?' asked the Lieutenant.
'Not well, miss, it's the Magus,' said the soldier.
'What about her, is she OK?' asked the Lieutenant, urgently.
'I'm so sorry, miss, the Magus is dead,' said the soldier.
The Lieutenant just stared at the console for a moment, lost for words. 'She can't be dead,' she said, almost whispering.
'I'm so sorry,' said the soldier.
'I'm coming back right now,' said the Lieutenant, yanking the Master Lever.
The TARDIS dematerialised.
The Lieutenant was in denial of her mother's death, she watched the controls, keeping her mind busy.
The TARDIS materialised.
The Lieutenant rushed to the door lever and yanked it.
The TARDIS door flew open.
The Lieutenant rushed out. She was back at Base. There was a crowd nearby and she could clearly see there was a body on the ground. 'Move! Out of my way!' she screeched as she got close. When she got to the front of the crowd, she saw it was, indeed, the Magus. She collapsed to the ground, in tears and hugged the Magus' dead body. Then she yelled out in anger. She straightened up and looked around at her army. 'The Daleks will pay hell for this,' she hissed, livid.
NEXT TIME
I hope you enjoyed learning about my third incarnation, as we went on a very sad journey with her. In this incarnation, I was also mostly confined to the Time War, but I had a hard task to complete. Today, you will see a period in my life when I was often surrounded by danger on all sides, it's a wonder how I survived at all.
With her quick thinking and resourcefulness, she was ready to outmaneuver her foes and stay one step ahead, no matter what dangers the canyons of Gallifrey had in store for them.
The Lieutenant
Liam Hickey
Millie Havisham
The Magus
Winter Rose
Rassilon
Damon Chance
Albert Clearhill
Denzel Washington
Flavia
Oprah Winfrey
Soldier
Jack O'Connell
Director
Darwin Meads
Writer
Liam Hickey
Producer
Caitlin Parker
Executives
Darwin Meads
Liam Hickey
M/S 2023