Lieutenant Adventures Series 17, Episode 6, 2 August 2023. Lost in Time: The Lieutenant's Journey of Self-Discovery.
16th Lieutenant: Hello again, welcome back! I hope the past week has treated you well.
I have a different me to introduce you to this week, a me you briefly met last week. This me was my first post-War incarnation, a concept I had never dreamt, I had always assumed I'd die in the Time War so I really didn't know what to do with myself when I found myself alive after the War. I often spent my days discovering the Universe anew, seeing things I never knew could exist.
This is the story of my sixth life.
6th Lieutenant: The Lieutenant sat in the door of the TARDIS, the door wide open, his legs dangling out the door. He had a flask of steamy soup and a sandwich he was enjoying as he watched a meteor shower outside his TARDIS. The lights from the shower lit up the TARDIS.
The Lieutenant sipped his soup and took a bite out of his sandwich and watched the ongoing shower. It was one of the most beautiful sights he had seen. He had never had time, before, to explore the Universe and see such things so he had not even known they existed.
When the Lieutenant finished his soup and sandwich, he laid the flask aside and sat gazing out into space. He had extended the oxygen bubble outside the TARDIS so he could survive with the door open. The meteor shower was ending and he cast his eye around the scene, hoping to catch a glimpse of something else beautiful. He breathed in and out happily before heaving himself up and, glancing around the scene one last time, he went back to the console and activated the door control to close the door.
'Where to next?' asked the Lieutenant, strolling around the console, examining the many instruments. The Lieutenant had seen and experienced so much in his travels through time and space. He had fought countless battles, saved civilizations from destruction. After so much excitement and adventure, the Lieutenant yearned for a life of peace and quiet.
The Lieutenant pulled the Master Lever.
The TARDIS dematerialised.
He traveled to planets he had never seen before, taking in the sights and sounds of the exotic landscapes. He watched meteor showers from the comfort of his TARDIS, marveling at the beauty of the glittering space debris as it streaked across the sky.
The Lieutenant set the randomiser and pulled the Master Lever.
The TARDIS materialised.
The Lieutenant activated the scanner. He had arrived on the planet Tuselia, home to the Vaux. He had never heard of them before, nor their planet. He checked that the outside atmosphere was safe, it was. There were more oxygen than on Earth, which was interesting. It was a bit chillier, though, he noted. He knocked off the scanner and left the TARDIS.
Outside the TARDIS, he was met by a stereotypically-futuristic landscape, there were large, shiny, tall buildings and skyscrapers all around, yet, the immediate environment was spacious. Vaux roamed everywhere. They were humanoid so he fitted in.
The Lieutenant strolled a bit away from the TARDIS, turning on the spot and looking up and all around himself, taking in the sights, something he'd never really had the time for before. He spotted a public park and mstrode over to it.
On entering the park, the Lieutenant slowed down, thrust his hands into his pockets and and breathed deeply. It was a nice day and the scent of the park was a mixture of sweet smells. It made him happy. He strolled for a while before finding a bench and sitting down. He people watched for a while. It was amazing how much you learnt about people when you sat and watched them.
The Lieutenant observed all sorts of wonderful people, still breathing deeply and smiling. He wondered at the context for a while, where and when were they coming from and going to? He wondered... After a long while, he got up and walked back the way he had just come, hands in pockets, out of the park, back over to the TARDIS and stood in the door briefly, looking out, before entering the TARDIS, activating the door control and pulling the Master Lever.
The TARDIS dematerialised.
The Lieutenant stood, looking down at the Navigation panel, trying to decide where to go next. He set co-ordinates for Gallifrey in the pocket universe and pulled the Master Lever.
The TARDIS materialised on Gallifrey.
The Lieutenant took a moment. This planet had caused him so much stress in previous incarnations but he knew that was all now, mostly, behind him. He had never set foot on this planet before seeking the beauty of the planet because he had assumed he would not survive the Time War. He had never looked at this planet like this before.
The Lieutenant pushed his past behind him and activated the scanner and looked out at his home planet. What he saw devastated him, this once great planet, reduced to ruins, though, the cleanup operation was truly started. He turned off the scanner and activated the door control.
The Lieutenant had stepped out of the TARDIS in a field quite some distance from the Capitol but it was visible in the distance. He had stepped out of the TARDIS just in time to catch the last light from the sunset, three suns descending behind the distant mountains. He was transfixed for a moment and could do nothing but marvel at the sight he was seeing.
After sunset, the Lieutenant looked downwards, took a few steps forward and flung himself back into the grass, so that he was looking up at the last light of the red sky of sunset. He lay there a long time, watching as the red light faded into the darkness of night but the show was not over then. He gazed at the stars, working out what he was looking at, the many galaxies he could see, stars, constellations. He thought he also saw the odd TARDIS here and there.
Then, the next stage in the show, the meteor shower. He was not sure if this was a regular occurrence here, he'd never visited the planet in this way before. It was beautiful, red, green, brilliant yellow, lighting up the night sky. As he lay there, watching the shower, he felt completely at peace, a feeling he had never known before.
After the shower, the Lieutenant lay a few more moments, gazing at the stars, before heaving himself up and glancing around his surroundings one last time. Smiling to himself, he returned to the TARDIS and closed the door behind him. He strolled up to the console and pulled the Master Lever. He caught sight of himself in the Time Rotor and smiled to himself. He was at peace now, this was his new life and he had finally come to accept the change and embrace it.
NEXT TIME
Ah, hello again! It's me again, as you can see! Today I introduce you to my seventh incarnation. The Clone, Amelia-Grace, Jessica and Ocean grinned and together they followed the Lieutenant back to the control room.
The Lieutenant
Liam Hickey
John Dwyer
Vaux
Elsie Fisher
RJ Cyler
Jessie Buckley
Director
Darwin Meads
Writer
Liam Hickey
Producer
Caitlin Parker
Executive Producers
Darwin Meads
Liam Hickey
M/S 2023