Emancipation (Gallifrey audio story)

Emancipation (identified on the cover simply as Chapter Nineteen) was the first story of the fifth series of Big Finish's Gallifrey audio series. It was written by James Peaty and featured Lalla Ward as Romana II, Louise Jameson as Leela and Seán Carlsen as Narvin.

Publisher's summary
Supreme Leader of Gallifrey - the Lady President Romana - is making a series of decisions that are costing her allegiances within the Inner Council.

Lord High Chancellor Narvin is trying to protect the truth behind their presence there.

Emissary Leela is trying to secure basic rights for her allies, the Outsiders, now freed from generations of bondage to their masters, the Regenerators of Gallifrey.

But their enemies plan to expose the truth and let society rise or fall by the consequences of their political ambitions...

Plot
Nine months after the attempt on the Supreme Leader's life, Commentator Matthias reports on Gallifrey Vidcast News on how the Outsiders, the emancipated Gallifreyan slaves led by Leela, are seeking to set up a loose federation of communes in the wildlands. Whilst President Romana has said that the Outsiders could be vital to Gallifrey's future, she is encountering opposition. Additionally, the Inner Council have been in a state of unrest over Castellan Slyne's strong-armed tactics since the Chancellery Guard gained increased power and Romana is funding new temporal experiments.

Councillor Rahvon calls for order at a meeting of the Inner Council and allows Councillor Allora to ask Romana about the standoff between her allies at the Mining Guild and the Outsiders of Mancipia, a situation which has put a halt on the trading of Zeiton ore. She proposes that they send in the Chancellery Guard, but Romana refuses to do so and considers the Outsiders' claim on the mine to be greater than the Regenerators'. Afterwards, Slyne escorts Romana to meet with Chancellor Narvin and tells her that he has assigned Guard Commander Lukas to protect her from now on.

Narvin believes that allowing Leela and the Outsiders back into the Capitol so soon would be a bad idea and that they should send in the Chancellery Guard to deal with the access issues as the Zeiton ore could help them return to the Axis. He tells Romana that Allora suspects that she is not this world's President given the differences between her and her ruthless counterpart, but Romana says that he is paranoid.

Leela and the Outsiders are ordered to leave the area at gunpoint by Captain Jevon and the Chancellery Guard, who caught Jamalan damaging a Mining Guild power lead. Valyes tries to bring peace, knowing what will happen to them if they fight, and Leela agrees to leave so long as Jamalan is returned to them. Jevon hands him over and Leela has him taken for medical attention.

Slyne is trying to work out why Romana and Narvin are unable to gain access to the security system, unknowingly watched by Romana. She reveals herself and wants to know if the system can be rebooted and back online by the time of Leela's visit, but Slyne says that he does not have the resources or funding to ensure that that could be done. Slyne summons Minister Kavil, the Science Minister, who explains that he found irregularities in Romana and Narvin's biodata extracts whilst updating the records and says that it could be because they were both at the destruction of the Eye of Harmony. After Romana leaves, Slyne says that he does not like her and tells Kavil to report his findings to him as he wants to know who Romana and Narvin really are.

Valyes disapproves of Leela allowing Jamalan access to medical care given that he put negotiations with the Mining Guild in jeopardy with his attempted sabotage. Leela reminds him that they are no longer slaves and that, tomorrow, they will negotiate together on behalf of the Outsiders.

Romana visits Narvin and finds that he is in a meeting with Allora, who promptly leaves. After initially refusing, Narvin tells Romana that Allora is concerned about her personal safety during the negotiations given her status as a representative of the Mining Guild. Romana informs him that it looks like they might have found a cure for the Dogma Virus plaguing their Gallifrey; the Regenerators' DNA has not been exposed to the energy of the Time Vortex and could be used to rewrite the entries in the Biodata Archive on the Axis. To ensure that they can get home, Romana must remain President no matter what it takes.

Allora is contacted by an ally on the front line and expresses a liking for the name "President Allora". Thanks to a friend of this ally, all obstacles to Allora's goal have been removed.

Matthias reports on the arrival of the Outsider delegation to the Capitol and the controversy of Romana providing them with a full diplomatic welcome, something Allora, representing the Inner Council, is quoted as finding "surprising".

Narvin finds the welcome over the top and asks if Romana is deliberately trying to rile the Regenerators who believe that the Outsiders are lesser. Leela meets with Romana and Narvin, reminding them that they are not friends, and introduces them to Valyes. The Outsiders are to join the Inner Council at a banquet, one where Leela will be seated as far from Allora as possible, but in the meantime Lukas escorts them to their accommodation.

At the banquet, Allora remarks on the unusual searlac dish which Romana has had made for them. Romana's response that she ought to broaden her palate offends her, as her family have been amongst Gallifrey's foremost gourmands for five generations. Allora is suspicious of Romana and is disgusted when Leela lies that they have been eating a traditional Outsider dish. The two argue about the Outsiders' claim to the land and Allora says that Romana's presidency shames Gallifreyan tradition before leaving, Narvin following to try to salvage the situation. Valyes takes a bottle of wine and retires.

Romana and Leela have a conversation for the first time in months, Romana thanking her for lying about the searlac and asking how Leela really is. She says that negotiations will never succeed and that, unlike her, Romana has lost nothing. After Leela leaves, Romana says to herself that that is not true, as she has lost Leela.

Lukas escorts Leela back to her accommodation. Once he has gone, the voice of Allora's accomplice tells Leela to follow his voice to the communicator through which he is speaking. The communicator is next to a bomb from which Leela flees. After five seconds, it explodes.

Slyne informs Narvin of the bombing and that Romana wants to see him at the infirmary. There, Romana and Valyes talk about Leela's condition and their belief that Allora was behind the attempted assassination. Narvin defends his association with Allora, saying that it is his job to maintain dialogue with the Councillors, and Lukas arrives to tell them that a communicator has been found and sent to Kavil per Slyne's orders to identify the culprit. Romana and Narvin head to Kavil's labs.

Slyne summons Allora and tells her that he has assigned Lukas to guard Romana so that he can serve as a spy. He shows her a Science Ministry report on Romana and Narvin and suggests forming an alliance against them, the end goal being to become President Allora and Lord High Chancellor Slyne. Allora agrees to exchange information with him and that they will speak again.

Kavil is impressed by the communicator and finds that it has networked with two similar devices, one in Allora's office and the other in Narvin's quarters. Narvin insists that there is a mistake, but Kavil denies that this could be the case and retries. Romana has Lukas arrest Narvin and send guards to take Allora into custody as well.

Matthias reports on the arrests and how the explosives used were those used by the Mining Guild. Romana is continuing negotiations with the hope of reaching a swift resolution.

Accompanied by Lukas, Romana visits Narvin in his cell and expresses her suspicions about when he was alone with Allora after the banquet. He claims that he was attempting to find out her plans, but Romana says that she does not believe him and leaves. She then visits Allora, who denies her involvement in the attack on Leela and describes it as "trivial". Saying that they deserve one another, Romana has Lukas put Allora in Narvin's cell.

Matthias says that Narvin and Allora will be subject to the mind probe and that the Inner Council will be discussing industrialist Lord Zakar's offer of funding a science scholarship to tie in with Romana's temporal research.

Watching the news, Leela is in disbelief that Narvin could be involved in the attack. Valyes reminds her that the Surgeon-General has said that she can leave the infirmary and that this would be the perfect time for the Outsiders to strike back at the Mining Guild and gain the upper hand. Leela is unsettled by the attack and wonders why the voice told her about the bomb, allowing her to escape with only minor injuries.

Matthias reports on the upcoming negotiations and Romana's controversial decision to exclude alternative representation for the Mining Guild following Allora's arrest, alarming some members of the Inner Council.

At the chambers of the Supreme Leader, Romana welcomes Leela and Valyes, who gives her a bejewelled necklace given to him by an old friend.

Narvin and Allora dine in their cell and discuss the Zeiton ore and how both of them want it. Allora admits that she worked with an accomplice to implicate herself and frame Narvin in order to get them both in this position. She suggests an alliance, telling him that, because of the evidence against him, nobody will listen to him otherwise.

Leela refuses Romana's offer of a minority share in the mine for the Outsiders, but Valyes agrees that the Mining Guild will not accept a 50/50 share as Leela wants. As Romana tries to explain her reasoning to Leela, she begins to feel unwell and warns Leela of a traitor behind her as she passes out. Leela is not quick enough to stop Valyes from hitting her over the head, her reflexes dulled after the explosion. Valyes tells her that he has come to kill Romana and frame Leela, for which he Allora will allow him to return from his exile; he was the one who planted the bomb and caused Romana to pass out using a remote feed biosnare.

As the biosnare was set to the DNA of the Romana native to this world, Romana was unaffected and played along only to get Valyes to show his hand. She knocks him out with a vase and wonders about the identity of Allora and Valyes' accomplice, if indeed there is one; it seems that Slyne is not involved given that he would be aware that the DNA would not match. She tells Leela that she has imprisoned Narvin as a way of manipulating Allora and leaves her with the stirring Valyes.

Slyne releases Narvin on Romana's orders, to Allora's surprise, and receives from him Allora's taped confessions. Allora shouts after them in disbelief, asking what is happening. Narvin believes that Slyne made a deal with Allora, but that there will be no paper trail and that, in the end, Slyne chose the right side and made an enemy of her. When Leela brings Valyes down to the cells, Romana gives Slyne permission to interrogate him "off the record".

Matthias reports on the reaction to Allora's implication in the attempted assassination of Romana and her plot to become President and re-enslave the Outsiders. Senior figures have spoken out about this, likening her manipulation of the Mining Guild and the Outsiders to a game of chess, and Narvin and Slyne have denied that Allora had any accomplices. Today, Romana will be making her final ruling on the Mancipian Zeiton deposit.

Romana gives the Mining Guild and the Outsiders equal shares in the Zeiton ore and that the mine will be overseen by a management board representing both sides. The facility, she says, will be a symbol of cooperation and coordination and a microcosm of the New Gallifrey. Later, Leela thanks her and, before returning to her people, asks Romana why she is doing all that she is. Romana says that she is trying to make things right, be that by improving this world or by getting herself, Leela and Narvin back to their Gallifrey.

Narvin startles Kavil and confronts him with what he has learnt from Valyes: that he made an agreement to help Allora and Valyes assassinate Romana and Leela, supplying them with the biosnare and the comms unit, in return for increased funding and access to the Project: Rassilon files. With Valyes exiled once more and Allora unaware of Kavil's identity, Narvin and Slyne are the only ones in the Capitol who know of Kavil's involvement and, one day, he will call in his debt.

On Gallifrey Vidcast News, Matthias says that the question on everybody's lips is, "what is next for Gallifrey?"

Cast

 * Supreme Leader Romana - Lalla Ward
 * Outcast Leader Leela - Louise Jameson
 * High Chancellor Narvin - Seán Carlsen
 * Councillor Allora - Maggie Ollerenshaw
 * Councillor Rahvon - Marcus Harris
 * Castellan Slyne - Peter Sheward
 * Guard Commander Lukas - Scott Arthur
 * Envoy Valyes - Steven Wickham
 * Jamalan - Jack Baggs
 * Guard Jevon - Scott Handcock
 * Science Minister - Simon Fisher-Becker
 * Commentator Matthias - Stephen Perring

Worldbuilding

 * Nine months have passed since Romana and Narvin assumed the identities of their counterparts.

Continuity

 * Leela previously lived with the Outsiders on the Gallifrey of the proper timeline. (AUDIO: Weapon of Choice)
 * Councillor Allora is a part of a mining guild that wants to mine Zeiton-7 on Gallifrey. (TV: Vengeance on Varos)
 * Narvin reminds Romana of the necessity of returning to the Axis. (AUDIO: Forever)
 * Valyes is an outcast with Leela's freed slaves. He had previously been a low ranking member of the Chancellery Guard. (AUDIO: Forever)
 * Kavil refers to the closure of the Eye of Harmony and the consequent failure of Project: Rassilon. (AUDIO: Forever)
 * Kavil notices irregularities in Romana and Narvin's DNA, which could help them find a cure for the Dogma Virus. (AUDIO: Panacea)
 * Commentator Matthias refers to the mind probe (TV: The Five Doctors) and Lord Zakar (AUDIO: Evolution, Arbitration).
 * Leela refers to her significant increase in strength after drinking vampire blood on another alternative Gallifrey. (AUDIO: Annihilation)