Collateral (audio story)

Collateral was the third audio story in Time War: Volume Two, the tenth series of Gallifrey.

Publisher's summary
As the scavenging Sythes descend on Ysalus, Narvin discovers how far his people will go to protect their interests.

The universe is discovering that no place is safe from the fury of battle.

Every victory in the Time War comes at a price, and too often it is the innocent who will pay...

Plot
Knyla Shen sends out a message from Ysalus which is picked up by Dalia of the War Council. Dalia informs Romana that the temporal freeze on Ysalus has been broken and that the civil war on the planet has become a war of attrition. The War Council has intercepted communications from the Sythes, a parasitic species who feed off of the wars of others and pass on knowledge from generation to generation using a collective consciousness. They are planning to invade Ysalus for the olirium, which Rassilon knows about.

At a War Council meeting earlier that day, Rassilon assumed that the Daleks are behind the Sythes and that Ysalus must be destroyed to deprive them of the olirium for their time machines.

Dalia is concerned about how many decisions seem to be made behind closed doors, hence why he has come to Romana and promises to tell him what is discussed at the next meeting. He tells her that Knyla somehow managed to hack the War Council comms, something impossible for those not intimately acquainted with the systems to do, and sent him a message.

Romana meets with Livia and expresses her frustrations with Rassilon and his rhetoric. Livia tells her that the plan is to fire a chronium blast through the core of Ysalus, reducing the gravitational field and hurling the Sythes into space.

Later, Romana discusses the matter with Narvin and Dalia, who tells Narvin that Knyla knew about the plan to destroy Ysalus and believed that she had been promised evacuation, having been warned by Eris five years previously and set up evacuation points in advance. Rassilon summons everybody to the Panopticon to make an announcement; Dalia goes first, thinking it best that he is not seen with the two of them.

Livia makes a speech about change before Rassilon arrives and declares that victory must be achieved by any means necessary. Romana believes that Rassilon knows about her conversation with Livia and that he is speaking to the Celestial Intervention Agency, but she intends to evacuate the people of Ysalus. Afterwards, Narvin meets with Livia and tells her that neglecting to evacuate the people would be a bad message to Gallifrey's allies.

Romana introduces Eris to Dalia and suggests that he be allowed to speak to Knyla. She informs her that a fleet of TARDISes is being sent to Ysalus and that she is sending Eris back in time five years to meet her. After the communication ends, Romana has the feeling that Knyla could be part of a trap.

Narvin sees Eris off at the TARDIS bay and wishes him luck. Eris arrives on Ysalus and meets Knyla in a warzone, saving her life and learning that she is not part of the Neo-Solitarians or the Ysalarians as all she wants is for the fighting to stop. He takes her to the TARDIS and tells her that he cannot take her away until she has saved the world.

Romana tells Dalia that the evacuation fleet is ready and learns that the War Council have picked up a transmission from Knyla calling for a resistance against the Time Lords and their megalomaniacal leader.

Rassilon makes another announcement in the Panopticon concerning unauthorised temporal activity around Ysalus and that the planet has become a substantial threat due to changes in the timeline since the temporal freeze was breached. As a result, Ysalus must be removed from actuality rather than simply destroyed, making it so that it never existed. Afterwards, Romana confronts Livia and says that the Time Lords do not have the right to remove a planet at its genesis. She says that Livia has Rassilon's ear, but Livia says to herself that he listens to nobody.

Romana informs Knyla that the TARDISes are on their way. Meanwhile, the Sicari prepare to travel to Gallifrey and await specific targets.

Eris tells Knyla about the Time War and how she has to prepare for the evacuation of Ysalus. He is contacted by Narvin and learns of the change of plan regarding the destruction of the planet, meaning that they do not have five years to prepare.

Livia confronts Narvin about the evacuation plans and tells him that she is going to recall all TARDISes from Ysalus and place a lockdown on all still on Gallifrey. Her reasoning is that saving some of the people would set an impractical precedent but says that it is not her decision.

The evacuation begins as the Sythes arrive. Dalia tells Knyla that she has only a short time as the universe readjusts to the destruction of Ysalus 45 million years ago.

Mantus lets slip to Romana that Rassilon ordered that the temporal freeze of Ysalus be broken purely so that the Time Lords could destroy it in a show of strength to the Daleks. Romana is disgusted and calls it a "genocide by superiority complex". In the Panopticon, Rassilon says that it is time to prove the supremacy of the Time Lords. Romana, who chose not to attend, is joined by Dalia and urges Knyla to hurry and leave and that she will meet her when she arrives. Eris returns and reveals that he helped Knyla set up the resistance against the Time Lords rather than just organise an evacuation.

The chronium blast takes effect and Knyla is unable to get to the TARDIS before it leaves due to the ground folding in on itself. Narvin tells Romana that the TARDISes have returned but they are empty.

Rassilon declares that nobody will challenge the Time Lords now.

Romana finds Eris at the TARDISes and tells him that, although Knyla never existed, her transmission continues to travel across the galaxy thanks to the use of a continuum beam. She tells him that Rassilon will be coming for him for helping start a resistance and that he should steal a TARDIS and leave Gallifrey. He obeys.

Narvin enters the War Council offices and is told by Mantus that there is nobody in the Capitol by the name of Dalia as he has been dealt with by the Interior Defence Unit. In future, all War Council sessions will have CIA representation to ensure that they are all working to one goal.

The Sicari have been called to arms by Knyla's transmission and are ready to stop the Time Lords and kill Rassilon.

Cast

 * Romana - Lalla Ward
 * Narvin - Seán Carlsen
 * Rassilon - Terrence Hardiman
 * Livia - Pippa Bennett-Warner
 * The Sicari - Silas Carson
 * Mantus - Samuel Clemens
 * Eris - Samuel Gosrani
 * Dalia - Nicholas Khan
 * Knyla - Carlyss Peer

Continuity

 * The time freeze around Ysalus has been breached. (AUDIO: Partisans)
 * Romana has seen before what Rassilon is capable of. (AUDIO: Zagreus)
 * Eris says he can't just steal a TARDIS and swan off into space. Romana says he wouldn't be the first. (TV: The Name of the Doctor, AUDIO: The Beginning)