This story acts as an epilogue to the BBC 8th Doctor novel
'The Ancestor Cell', and as such contains spoilers to the novel's ending.
Lady Romanadvoratrelundar, the President of the High Council of Gallifrey and celebrated War Queen, slumped against a wall in the control room of her TARDIS, which was hovering in the time vortex. She stared at the monitor screen with disbelieving eyes while her home planet silently exploded in rings of bright light.
At the console, Mali, the President's aide and last remaining member of the High Council, checked the readings.
"Madam President, right now, we're in temporal orbit around Gallifrey," Mali paused, the finality of the statement hitting her. The Councillor allowed herself a brief moment of silence before continuing. "Do you have a destination in mind?"
Romana ran a hand through her short black hair. She stared at the monitor in shock.
"Madam President," Mali said, gently, "Why don't you go to the Zero Room and take some time for yourself. We have hard work ahead of us."
The War Queen nodded in a way that defied acknowledgement.
Mali walked over to Romanadvoratrelundar, pulled her up on her feet and led her out of the control room. The pair walked down a long corridor, Mali holding the President by the elbow.
"Mali?" Her voice was soft, monotone.
"Yes, Madam President?"
"I should have listened to him," the President said.
"Who? The Doctor?" Mali said.
"I should have listened to him. He always knows what's right," the President mumbled.
"You just need some time in the Zero Room, Madam President."
The two made several turns in the corridors of the TARDIS, until they reached a set of ornate doors made of wood.
"Here we are, Madam President," Mali said calmly.
The President turned to the Councillor. "Mali, there's no more High Council to be president of."
"We have many years of work ahead of us," Mali replied, opening the doors to the Zero Room, "but one day the Time Lords will take their proper place as the guardians of the universe."
The Zero Room was a small chamber, coloured pink. There was a couch in the centre, but otherwise empty. Mali sat the President on the couch, then removed the ornate collar and head dress from her. The Councillor took the collar with her as she left the president to relax.
Romanadvoratrelundar slipped off her shoes and lay down on the couch. She closed her eyes tightly and relaxed every muscle in her body while letting her mind drift....
***
The Councillor's mind seethed with rage over the fate of Gallifrey. She blamed the Doctor for allowing Faction Paradox to invade the home world of the Time Lords. She blamed the Doctor for causing the destruction of Gallifrey. And, most of all, Mali blamed Romanadvoratrelundar for letting the renegade live for his crime of stealing the Type 102 TARDIS. The Councillor knew that the President had travelled with the renegade for a time. Mali knew she had to help rebuild the Time Lord Empire, and she knew she needed the President's help -- she was the last Gallifreyan who was one with the Matrix.
Mali formulated a plan; a way to punish Romanadvoratrelundar for her weak leadership and to still have access to her knowledge.
On her way back to the control room, Mali stepped into a room whose door was hidden behind a holographic wall. The room was a library with books stacked neatly on parallel rows of shelves reaching twenty feet high. Mali walked over to the shelf on the far left and found the book she was looking for in a matter of moments; a leather-bound tome with the words The Ancient Law of Gallifrey printed in hieroglyphics on the spine. Satisfied, Mali headed back to the control room to set a new course for the TARDIS.
***
Romana relaxed her body to the point where she was floating a few inches off the couch. Her breathing was slow and rhythmic.
"You did the right thing. You had to do what was best for Gallifrey," a female voice said.
The President opened her eyes and saw a young woman with dark wavy hair past the shoulders standing along one of the walls of the Zero Room.
"Your - our - destiny was to be the War Queen. And you fulfilled our destiny," the woman said, her voice formal and studious. "It's not our fault that the Doctor betrayed the Time Lords to serve his own selfish interests."
The President sat up, unnerved by the presence of her past self standing there.
"The destiny of Gallifrey was most important. The war-TARDISes needed to be created with the Looms. Too bad if the Doctor was too short-minded to acknowledge that," the woman said.
"For someone with so little experience, you sound very sure of yourself," said another female voice. A woman with long blonde hair and wearing an English schoolgirl uniform skipped into the room and took a seat on the floor. "Our rash actions had a hand in this mess as well. Our biggest mistake was assuming the office in the first place. Blaming the Doctor is just denying our part, and the Time Lord's part as well."
Romana One looked at the schoolgirl with annoyance. "I think you spent too much time with that vagabond," she snapped.
"Did you actually learn anything from travelling with him? He was our mentor. And somehow, the lesson was lost," Romana Two reported, pointing at the President.
"But it was you - I, I mean we - who returned home, and it was you who accepted a seat on the High Council," the President said, confused.
"Being on the High Council was one thing. Actually being the President was a whole different matter. That was your choice," Romana Two said pointing at the President. "I wouldn't have taken the job."
"It's what I was destined to be," Romana One said, interjecting herself.
The President got up and paced the room, watching her two past incarnations with growing angst. "What are the two of you doing here?" she shouted. "Is there any purpose to this discussion?"
"I'm here to help. That's all," Romana Two said.
"You need to rebuild the Empire of the Time Lords," Romana One declaimed. "The destruction of Gallifrey notwithstanding. You are the President, the legendary War Queen prophesied by Rassilon. A new homeworld must be built--"
"Hush!" Romana Two said with an icy edge in her voice. "I think what needs to be done is to re-educate ourselves. The lessons were lost along the way; the lessons the Doctor let us learn in our travels with him."
"What about the destiny of the Time Lords? Have you lost all sense of our people?" Romana One asked angrily.
"Well, it's very hard to be the guiding hand of the universe without knowing the people you're leading," Roman Two replied, a smile on her face. She picked herself off the ground and skipped out of the Zero Room through the wall.
Romana One stared at the wall where her future vanished into. "Think of the Time Lords. Their needs are more important than frivolous investigations of primitive cultures."
"But what if she - I - was right?" the President said in a harsh whisper.
Romana One looked at her future incarnation with sadness. "It is your decision to make," she said as her form faded away.
***
Romana's eyes snapped open as her body fell back onto the couch. Shaking her head, she felt sapped by indecision. The time spent in the Zero Room had not helped relax her frayed nerves. She sat up on the couch, going over the conversation she had with her past selves. Unlike the Doctor, Romana had never crossed streams with her previous lives. Though she had heard that past incarnations still exist in the mind after regeneration, and that they can come forward in times of crisis or profound decision. It was the first time she had "dipped into the past," as the Doctor called it. Romana shuddered and hoped it might be the last.
Romana heard a faint noise in the background, disrupting her thoughts. Straining, she heard the familiar sounds of TARDIS landing. She stood up on slightly unsteady legs and headed for the control room, leaving her shoes behind.
***
Mali pressed a button on the console. The scanner opened up, showing the main hall of the central complex of buildings on the infamous Time Lord Prison Planet called Shada. It was a typical Gallifreyan mix of ornate carvings and subdued colours. There was a series of computers and control panels along one wall, and a display screen monitoring the stasis boxes the prisoners were confined to. It was one of the reasons that no creature sent to Shada ever escaped, for they were in perpetual suspended animation.
Mali closed The Ancient Law of Gallifrey and opened the doors to the TARDIS. She walked out of the capsule, taking the relic with her. She needed only one item, of which there were plenty available.
***
Romana entered the control room, still thinking about the words from her past selves. She saw the opened doors and slowly walked to them. Her TARDIS had materialised in a hall that looked suspiciously familiar to her. The President walked back to the console and checked the co-ordinates.
We've landed on Shada, she thought. Why would Mali land here? Romana walked back to the open doors and called out to her aide.
"Yes, Madam President?" the voice echoed in the large hall.
"Where are you, Mali?" Romana asked, nervously.
"Getting some much needed supplies," her aide replied.
Romana gingerly stepped out of her TARDIS, unsure what was happening and still reeling from the double shocks of losing Gallifrey and meeting her past. She was chilled by the grey tile against her bare feet. Romana surveyed the hall, looking for signs of where Mali might be. The doors at one end of the hall were closed and covered with dust.
"Mali, where are you?" Romana asked again. Being on Shada, on top of what had recently happened unnerved her further.
Romana heard the sound of footsteps, accompanied by a steady electrical hum. She turned to the direction of the sound and saw Mali walking towards her. Floating next to her was a white horizontal box large enough for a humanoid -- the source of the electrical noise.
A stasis box.
"Madam President," Mali announced formally, "It is my sworn duty as a member of the High Council to inform you that because of your crimes against the Time Lords that led to the destruction of our home planet, I have no choice but to have you confined to Shada in stasis for the rest of your lives.
"We but administer. You are imprisoned by the power of the Law."
Romana stepped back, horrified by Mali's words -- the final proclamation made by all Inquisitors during sentencing. "Mali," she said, forcing herself to be calm, "What do you think you're doing? What crime have I committed?"
"Your actions, or shall I say the failure of your actions concerning the acquisition of the Type 102 TARDIS, led to the destruction of Gallifrey by Faction Paradox and their agent, the notorious renegade known as the Doctor. I have no choice but to remove you from office and sentence you to permanent incarceration on Shada. I have already thought about my course of action, Romanadvoratrelundar. I have thought about my decision from the moment we fled Gallifrey. My conscience is clear."
Mali pulled a staser out from underneath her tunic. "Do not force me to use this. Accept your punishment."
"Mali, this isn't the solution--"
"If you were the prophesied War Queen, you would have executed the renegade long ago, and Gallifrey would still exist. The war against the Enemy was all that mattered. To win the war, we needed the Type 102. You failed to capture the Type 102." Mali levelled the staser at Romana's chest. "Because of your incompetence, the Time Lords are no more."
"So why not execute me?" Romana asked, stalling the Councillor.
"I plan to drain all your knowledge you obtained from being one with the Matrix while you're in stasis on Shada. You would have never left Gallifrey alive. That is why I need you alive. The knowledge of the Matrix will be used to create a new Homeworld for the Time Lords. Your body has no need to be there."
"And you would assume the leadership of the new Time Lords? Perhaps proclaim yourself the new War Queen?" Romana said harshly.
"There is no need for a War Queen. And, after observing your role as it, I know you weren't the one chosen for that task. I have no desire for leadership. I am only fulfilling my destiny, and the destiny of the Time Lords."
"I wish to help in fulfilling that destiny," Romana said, "With my knowledge from the Matrix, we can complete this together. You're going to need all the help you can get."
"Romanadvoratrelundar, your knowledge is crucial, but your personality is a barrier. You've been tainted by the renegade," Mali said, her voice cold and remote. "I will not allow any more taints to corrupt the new race of Time Lords."
Romana stared at Mali. "You don't want to be the leader, but just make over the Time Lords in your own image." The President took a step back toward the TARDIS. "I think I would prefer death," she said with defiance.
"As you wish," Mali said, devoid of any feeling.
Romana took another step toward the presidential capsule. Mali, with great speed, cut off the path to the TARDIS. The Councillor grabbed Romana by the throat and pinned her to the capsule. Mali swung the pistol viciously, hitting Romana on the side of the head with the staser. A trickle of blood flowed from her temple. Romana fell back against the side of the TARDIS, sliding down to the ground in a crumpled heap. Mali checked to make sure the President was still alive and then walked over to the stasis box and pressed a series of buttons on the control panel. The lid of the stasis box opened. Holstering the staser, Mail walked over to the President.
"We but administer. You are imprisoned by the power of the Law," Mali recited again. She picked up Romana by the arms and dragged her towards the open stasis box.
Romana, groggy and desperately holding on to consciousness, summoned her last reserve of strength. With all her might, she grabbed Mali by the arm and used a judo toss to flip Mali into the stasis box. The Councillor's head smacked against the open lid, stunning her. The President moved to the small panel and pressed all the buttons. The lid closed in on the unconscious Mali.
The hum of the stasis box changed in pitch. An icy fog seeped out from the lid. The suspension process completed itself in a matter of seconds.
Romana fell back, landing on her backside. She lay down on the cold tile floor of the hall and let the blackness envelop her. Her body began to glow with a pale yellow light. Her hearts slowed to a crawl, and her breathing shallowed. Inside her body, certain chemicals were released. The wound on her temple closed, the blood disappearing. The glow circled the body, engulfing it. Finally the yellow light faded. The regenerative process had completed its course.
Romana sat up, feeling physically refreshed. She touched her temple and felt no blood. She stood up slowly, allowing her legs to adjust and stretch. She bent over to loosen up her back, and saw a mass of chestnut brown hair fall into her eyes. Romana straightened herself and scanned the room to regain her bearings. It only took a couple of minutes for her mind to clear.
"I'm on Shada," she said to herself.
Romana spotted the stasis box and walked over to examine it. On the lid was a window revealing the frozen features of Mali. She touched the window and recited an old Gallifreyan chant of sorrow, something an old friend had taught her.
Romana walked back to her TARDIS. She closed the doors and decided to find a mirror and take a look at her new self. It took her a few minutes to find her private chamber, a small room with a large bed and ornate wardrobe cabinet. She found a full sized mirror set into the wall and stood in front of it.
The skin had an understated copper tone to it. The eyes were oval shaped and hazel coloured. Her hair was chestnut (but under bright light turned to a deep red) and stopped at her waist. Overall, there was a natural maturity in her current body that had been missing in her previous incarnations. She studied the new body and knew instinctively that the Gallifreyan robes were most unsuitable for her.
"Time for a new look," she said. The voice was sweet, melodious. Romana liked it. The voice made her sound mature and nurturing. It matched her new body perfectly.
Romana opened the wardrobe and checked the clothing within. "More silly robes," she said with her new voice. "There has to be more choices than this." However, in the back of the wardrobe, Romana found what she was looking for: A brown silk blazer, a black t-shirt, and a pair of baggy black pants. She changed outfits and checked her reflection in the mirror. Happy with her new look, she walked back to the control room.
***
Romana stood in the open doors of her TARDIS. She retrieved The Ancient Law of Gallifrey from an empty stasis box Mali had placed it in. It was now back in the TARDIS Library. Once more, Romana stared at the stasis box containing Mali. Romana felt remorse over imprisoning one of the last Gallifreyans in existence.
"It didn't have to be that way," she said quietly.
She walked back to the console and closed the doors. With a few buttons pressed, her TARDIS dematerialised from Shada.
Romana re-materialised the TARDIS in the space where Gallifrey used to exist. She opened the scanner and stared into the void that had been her home planet.
"All this over a sentient TARDIS," Romana whispered. For the first time in ages, she opened up emotional areas of her mind buried by the burden of being War Queen and President of the High Council.
She regretted coming back to Gallifrey in the first place. Living in a small universe like E-Space, helping an ancient race reclaim their freedom was a noble calling. She didn't have to worry about the politics of her home planet. Nor did she have to worry about the Time Lords finding her and dragging her back. But after another encounter with the Vampires, she was offered a lift home by the little man with the Scottish burr in his voice -- a later incarnation of her mentor, the Doctor -- and decided to return to Gallifrey. It was there she got involved with politics, which would have pleased her first incarnation, but her second one found troubling. Romana rationalised it as a way to actually make real changes in Time Lord policy. Her next incarnation, the one with the short black hair, was made for politics, and managed to get the top prize, the presidency.
But with the power and responsibility came all the troubles and anguish.
She knew the Doctor had been Lord President at least once, but had never let the Presidency change his personality like other Time Lords and Ladies who had assumed the ultimate seat of power. His short terms in office made him more determined to avoid the office. For all of his ego, he never talked about being President. Romana wished she had gotten him to talk about it. However, in their travels, she never expected to come back home, let alone assume the presidency.
Romana should have realised how the Doctor would have reacted about Compassion. He fought for the individual over the group all throughout his lives, championed the underdog and the oppressed. It was the humanity within his soul that wouldn't have allowed Compassion to be forced into a role as a breeder. It was the humanity that he kept trying to impart onto her during their travels...
The humanity she somehow lost by assuming the Presidency.
"So many lives lost. An entire race nearly wiped out over a sentient TARDIS," Romana said. She watched the view from the scanner and let the tears flow freely. She mourned the death of Gallifrey, mourned the corruption of her self that led to this tragic demise.
"It's time to move on," she said to herself after the tears stopped flowing.
Romana walked over to the control panel and set new co-ordinates. 'If the Time Lords are to ever reclaim their roles as Guardians of the Universe, they'll need to know about their fellow citizens', she thought.
"And I know where to start," Romana said out loud.
She set the co-ordinates for Earth, her mentor's favourite planet.
Next: Disturbances
