Lieutenant Adventures Series 17 Episode 4 19 July 2023. Behind Enemy Lines: The Race for Intelligence.
16th Lieutenant: I hope you enjoyed learning about my third incarnation, as we went on a very sad journey with her.
Today, I will be introducing you to my fourth incarnation. In this incarnation, I was also mostly confined to the Time War, but I had a hard task to complete. Quite often, I had to venture into Dalek-occupied places on Gallifrey in the Time War, extremely dangerous place to work in, and often I was trying to navigate complex webs of alliances and betrayals to secure vital pieces of intelligence.
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.
4th Lieutenant: The Lieutenant and her army were in a Dalek-occupied part of the Citadel, sneaking along as quietly as they could. They were all dead if were down a corridor somewhere up high, the sounds of Daleks whirring all around.
The Lieutenant caught a glimpse of the burning Gallifrey out of the window, straightened up and gazed for a moment, as did her army. She was speechless. She snapped out of her thoughts and continued on forward. She knew that danger lurked around every corner, and tensions between the Time Lords and the Daleks were at an all-time high.
The Arcadian army had been tasked with securing a vital piece of intelligence that could turn the tide of the Time War. It was a perilous mission, but the Lieutenant was confident in her abilities. She had been trained by the best and had faced countless challenges before.
The Lieutenant stopped dead and held up a hand for her army to stop too. She thought she had heard movement. She put her finger on her lips and mouthed, 'Not a word.' Something was moving towards them and it did not feel good.
'Intruders detected,' said the scratchy metallic voice of a Dalek. 'Investigate!' it yelled.
The Lieutenant spun round. 'Run!' she yelled. 'Head for the canyons!' She ran off the opposite way to the way they had just come, cape flapping behind her, followed by the Arcadian army.
A group of Daleks made it out to their corridor. 'It is part of the Gallifreyan resistance. It is the Lieutenant. Exterminate!' they yelled, firing a few shots at the Lieutenant and her army.
'Keep going, stop for nothing, go, go, go!' yelled the Lieutenant, ducking under bolts and rushing forward.
The Lieutenant and her army turned a corner and were briefly safe but they kept going, rushing down flights of stairs, trying to lose the Daleks at every bend. It was working but it was slow. When they eventually got outside, they ran straight for the canyons, stopping for nothing. When they reached the canyons, they slowed and stopped, breathing heavily.
The Lieutenant, once again, held up a hand for silence and she listened for any sounds, any stirring. She was aware they were still, very much, in Dalek-occupied territory. She lowered her hand, not hearing any movements. 'Right, we're at the canyons but, as we all know, we have gone the wrong way, we still need that intelligence, it is vital, and it's in that direction,' said the Lieutenant, jabbing a finger in the direction they had just come from.
The Lieutenant peered down into one of the canyons and did a double-take as she thought she aw a blue light in there. Even though she did not see it again, she realised they were not alone and held up a hand for silence, once again.
Dalek patrols were everywhere, and they were getting closer by the minute.
The Lieutenant knew that they needed to stay one step ahead, so she led her troops through a series of narrow canyons, using the terrain to their advantage.
In the canyons, the Lieutenant realised they were not the only soldiers down there, many other armies were here, attempting to respond to the same mission as them, each attempting to reach their own piece of intelligence in the collective hope that the tide of the Time War could be turned. 'At ease!' yelled the Lieutenant to her army.
The Lieutenant approached some of her counterparts, seeking to make alliances, believing that if they all worked together they could liberate this territory from the Daleks. Some alliances were willingly put together and some, she could tell, were very forced. She wasn't sure if she trusted the forced alliances. She also encountered factions and groups with their own agendas and loyalties amongst all factions, groups and armies shifted like the wind.
The Arcadian soldiers were battle-hardened warriors, but even they were challenged by the rugged terrain and the constant threat of Dalek attack. The Lieutenant's leadership and expertise gave them hope and motivation, and they pressed on through the canyons, determined to complete their mission.
As they drew closer to the location of the intelligence, danger loomed at every turn. The Daleks had stationed patrols throughout the canyons, and they were always on the lookout for any Time Lord activity.
The Lieutenant had a plan. She knew that the Daleks relied heavily on their advanced technology, and she had a trick up her sleeve. With the help of a few Arcadian soldiers, she had devised a plan to jam the Daleks' communication signals, effectively rendering them blind to their presence.
The plan worked perfectly. As they approached the location of the intelligence, the Lieutenant and her team were able to slip past the Dalek patrols undetected.
Once in the room of the intelligence, they closed the door and relaxed, the armies, factions and groups. They were in a room filled with digital screens and systems, each displaying something different.
The Lieutenant faced them all. 'So, we're all here to retrieve a different piece of intelligence but, no doubt, we are all here to piece our intelligence together,' she said. She turned back to face the room. 'We need to be quick. Help yourselves,' she said, heading off with her army to retrieve their piece of intelligence.
Just as they were making their way back through the canyons, the Daleks caught wind of their presence. A group of Dalek ships swooped down from above. 'Time Lords are detected!' yelled a Dalek. 'Exterminate the Time Lords!'
The Daleks fired their deadly energy weapons at the soldiers. A small number of the Lieutenant's counterparts from the accompanying armies, factions and groups, surrendered to the Daleks.
The Lieutenant was furious. 'Traitors!' she yelled at them as they surrendered. She knew that they were outnumbered and outgunned, but she refused to give up. She rallied her troops and led them in a daring counterattack, using the rugged terrain to their advantage and catching the Daleks off guard.
The battle was fierce, but the Lieutenant's quick thinking and resourcefulness allowed them to gain the upper hand. In the end, they emerged victorious, having secured the vital intelligence that would give the Time Lords a critical advantage in the ongoing Time War.
The Lieutenant straightened up. 'They could be bluffing, no-one move,' she said, investigating the Daleks that had attacked. 'At ease,' she said, after her inspection. She stood up and looked all around her. They had killed all Daleks around them but she knew there would be more on the way very soon. She thanked her counterparts and their armies, factions and groups for their alliances and help and departed with her army.
The Lieutenant knew that there would be many more challenges ahead, but she was confident that she and her team would be able to face them head-on. 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.
NEXT TIME
Well, we meet again. As it is, this year, we are not. I thought that was my sole purpose in life and that I would reach my end fighting it. 'I will continue to fight for justice and freedom, no matter the cost, for the Time Lords and for the Universe itself.'
The Lieutenant
Liam Hickey
Melody Droptone
John Dwyer
The Lieutenant's Counterparts
Benedict Cumberbatch
Tessa Thompson
Jenny Lynn Swift
Oscar Isaac
Zendaya
Riz Ahmed
Daleks
Nicholas Briggs
Director
Darwin Meads
Showrunner
Liam Hickey
Producer
Caitlin Parker
Executive Producers
Darwin Meads
Liam Hickey
M/S 2023