Collaborators (audio story)

Collaborators was the first audio story in the audio anthology Manoeuvres, the fourteenth series of Gallifrey. It was written by Katharine Armitage and featured Louise Jameson as Leela, Seán Carlsen as Narvin, Carolyn Pickles as Ollistra, Ken Bones as the the General, Chris Jarman as Rasmus and Beth Chalmers as Veklin.

Publisher's summary
Gallifrey and the Resistance are in a race to secure a vital alliance. But playing politics means secrets, lies and betrayal...and Leela, caught in the middle, must try to rescue honour from chaos.

Plot
With Clemantia's help, Leela enters a slice of the Matrix to meet with Narvin and recounts how she overheard Rasmus discussing the weaponisation of the boltaric acid (or "Bolt") on Orrison, a planet to which the General subsequently chooses her to accompany him on a mission of diplomacy to acquire said weapon. Narvin, having entered the Matrix slice a week earlier than Leela, makes use of this information and travels to Orrison with Eris to befriend Prince Ferdi and form an alliance to keep his people neutral in the Time War. Ferdi is offended by Eris's impatience, however, and has him and Narvin moved to other rooms when Leela and the General arrive from Gallifrey.

Leela warns Ferdi that the Time Lords will take the Bolt by force if he does not form an alliance with them and, after he agrees, she learns from Narvin that he has attempted to form an alliance with both Gallifrey and the Resistance. The General attempts to call off a contingency plan he ordered Veklin to activate when Ferdi seemed resistant, but Ollistra and Rasmus intend to go through with an attack to acquire the entirety of the Bolt rather than the 50% that Ferdi has agreed to. Meanwhile, Eris reveals to Narvin that he has set charges which will destroy the entire network of Bolt and disarms them when Narvin convinces him that to do otherwise would be "Gallifreyan".

Leela finds Ferdi in a hidden room before the Time Lords arrive in their Battle TARDISes and urges him to do what is best for his people. She is made to help Veklin by taking her to the rivers of Bolt, but Ferdi disables the barrier protecting Orrison from the time winds above and forces the Time Lords to evacuate, with Leela and the General leaving with Veklin. The General speaks in Leela's defence before Ollistra and Rasmus and privately admonishes her for her disregard for Gallifreyan lives, for which she is confined to the Capitol. On Orrison, Ferdi decides to make an alliance with a force in opposition to Gallifrey.

Cast

 * Leela - Louise Jameson
 * Narvin - Seán Carlsen
 * The General - Ken Bones
 * Eris - Mark Hawkins
 * Ferdi - James Corrigan
 * Veklin - Beth Chalmers
 * Cardinal Rasmus - Chris Jarman
 * Cardinal Ollistra - Carolyn Pickles
 * Cresta - Faith Omole
 * Clemantia - Janet Amsden
 * Servant / Priest - Becky Wright

Worldbuilding

 * Narvin knows Clemantia from his time at the Academy.
 * Rassilon is keeping his distance and busy with his own plans.
 * Boltaric acid was once used in TARDIS stabilisers.
 * Eris has recently regenerated.
 * Orrison is protected by Time Winds.
 * Time Lord soldiers test new staser cannons enhanced by Orrison's bolt.

Continuity

 * Narvin and Leela discuss Romana's imprisonment in a pocket dimension. (AUDIO: Homecoming)