Unity (audio story)

Unity was the fourth and final audio story in Time War: Volume Three, the eleventh series of Gallifrey.

Publisher's summary
On a dusty frontier world, destiny awaits Romana...

Betrayal, deception and death are the currency on Unity. And as the Daleks close in on their target, there will be a price to pay.

Plot
Romana and Narvin arrive on Unity, a planet orbiting a dying star on the fringes of a dying galaxy, and are shot at by an individual who removes her mask to reveal that she is Leela. She takes them to meet Veega and her son, Rayo, and learns from them about Rassilon's resurrection and the situation on Gallifrey. She has been on Unity since Rayo was a baby, protecting him and Veega, who is dying from dust flu, from the Nightraiders. Romana and Narvin ask her to rejoin them and face the end with them, but she declines as she knows that she is doing good here and does not wish to be a puppet of the Time Lords.

Romana and Narvin do not want to give up on Leela and can think of no other friends that would join them, the Doctor no doubt being far away from the Time War.

At dinner, Veega has a coughing fit and Romana goes to speak with her outside, telling her the war that she does not like Rayo talking about will doubtless reach Unity eventually. Veega knows this and tells her that her dust flu is incurable and that she does not like the idea of Rayo fighting in a war, her own father having been a soldier. They interrupt Leela's story at the dinner table about Narvin bursting a sewage pipe instead of an exhaust pipe as there are Nightraiders approaching.

Leela sends Veega and Rayo to the cellar for their safety and watches as many of the Nightraiders are killed by the mines she has laid in the field. A salvage vessel follows, taking the TARDIS; Leela tells Romana and Narvin that she will try to think of a way for them to recover it, but she refuses to leave Veega and Rayo and will keep watch in case the Nightraiders return.

Jarred McKenzie recognises the salvage as a TARDIS, which he says the clients will love.

Rayo is unable to sleep as he is worrying about his mother's condition. He asks Leela if they could go to the city together to find medicine, but she tells him that the city is dangerous and admits that she might be protective of him and Veega due to her having lost her son a long time ago.

McKenzie contacts the Daleks, suggesting that they come down to Unity's surface to discuss what the Raiders have found.

Leela tells Romana that they will go to the city to recover the TARDIS and get medicine for Veega. The city is run by the mining company, who captured and enslaved her when she first arrived on Unity. She tells Veega that she and Romana are leaving whilst Narvin will remain behind with her and Rayo. On the journey by hovercar, Romana tells Leela of General Trave's execution and asks her to reconsider joining her and Narvin; Leela says that it would be unthinkable as Veega and Rayo need her more.

Narvin helps Rayo feed the chickens and accidentally scares them off by shouting "here, chick-chick-chicky!" He tells Rayo about his career on Gallifrey and advises him to make sure he sees the universe.

In the city, Romana tells Leela that Veega's illness is incurable, but Leela initially believes that she is lying as she only wants to get the TARDIS. Leela realises that she is telling her the truth and says that they will go to the black market anyway, as it will be the best place to look for news on the TARDIS. They meet Sevshucka and ask about the salvage ship; she claims not to know anything about it until Leela points a blaster at her, admitting that she saw the ship and that the TARDIS was taken away by McKenzie, a mining boss.

McKenzie prepares for the arrival of the Daleks and, assuming that there are Time Lords on Unity, has his men set up a cloaking shield to keep the Daleks from being seen.

Romana, Leela and Sevshucka arrive at the warehouse and notice guidance beams being built on the roof. Leela tells Sevshucka to take them to the slave market so they will be able to get access. Later, Romana and Leela are handcuffed and transported to the warehouse as slaves; Leela attacks the guard and passes Romana the keys to their cuffs, allowing them to escape.

McKenzie hears of the riot and has the basement put on lockdown.

Romana deduces that McKenzie is selling the TARDIS to a buyer who will soon be here. She and Leela find the room where the TARDIS is likely being kept; whilst Romana suggests a distraction to lure the guards away, Leela instead uses violence. They open the doors and hide inside the TARDIS when they hear McKenzie and the Daleks approach. McKenzie tells the Daleks that he had somebody hack into the TARDIS and shows them footage of Romana and Narvin, whom they recognise. He offers them the coordinates of Veega's ranch in return for them exterminating his mining competitors. They agree.

Narvin calls Rayo away from Veega's bedside and asks him about lights in the distance which seem to indicate that Nightraiders are nearby. He asks him not to tell his mother.

The Daleks demand to see inside the TARDIS to confirm what it is and McKenzie is confused to find that the door is locked. As Romana programs the TARDIS, Leela finds a weapon. The Daleks detect life signs inside and prepare to open fire at the door, but it dematerialises. They are about to exterminate McKenzie when he says that they might have gone back to the ranch and offers to lead the way. He gives his Raiders orders to kill everybody at the ranch.

Romana and Leela find themselves stuck in the membrane of the Time Vortex due to McKenzie's tampering with the TARDIS. Romana works on repairing it to get them to the ranch.

McKenzie gives the Daleks the coordinates but assures them that the Nightraiders can deal with the problem themselves.

The Nightraiders approach the ranch and Narvin sends Rayo inside to protect Veega whilst he fires at them. Veega makes Rayo promise to leave Unity and dies. Rayo comes back outside with a weapon and wants his revenge, but the TARDIS materialises and Leela shoots the trespassers herself.

McKenzie's men having failed, the Daleks despatch a taskforce and exterminate McKenzie, taking over mining operations on Unity themselves. All local battleships are to advance on Unity to begin an invasion and the Dalek Emperor is to be updated.

Leela is upset about Veega's death but accepts that there is no time to bury her. Romana takes Narvin to one side and says that she plans to stay on Unity, not trusting herself to be able to keep the planet secret from Rassilon and knowing that he would destroy it if he learnt of the Daleks' mining activities. She says that she no longer wants to be a Time Lord, a feeling that Narvin had felt in the past as well.

Leela tells Rayo to leave with Romana and Narvin whilst she stays behind to fight. Although he does not want to leave her, he obeys when she tells him to pack as thousands of Daleks arrive. She informs Romana and learns of her intention to stay and use a Chameleon Arch to transform herself into a human; Leela is against the idea, but Narvin tells her that it is her choice and the right thing to do. Romana leaves to use the Arch in private, bidding Leela goodbye, but feels that she has not earnt this clean slate and considers it to be redemption by cheating.

Deciding that she cannot leave her friend here, Leela goes to stop Romana. However, she seems to be too late; Romana calls herself Veega and does not recognise her friends, insisting that they get off of her property. Leela leaves with Rayo and Narvin says goodbye to Romana, knowing that she has only pretended to use the Arch to get Leela to leave. Narvin sets a timer on the time grenades and hurries to the TARDIS with Leela and Rayo. The Daleks demand to know who Romana is and she surrenders, identifying herself as Unit 117 and refuses to tell them where her companions have gone. A Dalek shouts "exterminate" and fires.

Cast

 * Romana - Lalla Ward
 * Leela - Louise Jameson
 * Narvin - Seán Carlsen
 * Veega - Lorna Brown
 * Rayo - Omar Austin
 * Jarred McKenzie - Robert Jezek
 * Sevshucka - Lucy Reynolds
 * Nightraider - Will Kirk
 * Overseer - Wilf Scolding
 * The Daleks - Nicholas Briggs

Continuity

 * Leela mentions that Narvin resurrected the Master. (AUDIO: The Devil You Know)
 * Romana and Narvin tell Leela about Rassilon's return. (AUDIO: Desperate Measures)
 * Leela says that she was a mother once, long ago, in a time that didn't exist. (AUDIO: Mother Tongue)
 * Romana informs Leela that Trave was executed. (AUDIO: Havoc)
 * The Daleks report to the Emperor. (TV: The Parting of the Ways, AUDIO: Desperate Measures)
 * In their TARDIS, Narvin and Romana have time grenades, stasers, and a Chameleon Arch. (AUDIO: Hostiles)
 * Romana identifies herself to the Daleks as "Unit 117". (AUDIO: The Apocalypse Element, Extermination)