Part 56 – Diplomacy

Our negotiations with New Babbage have finally concluded. Last evening, after approval by all other parties, I signed into law in a small ceremony the first treaty between New Gallifrey and a lower Zoned species. Below is the contents of this agreement.

Cultural Preservation Treaty Between New Gallifrey and New Babbage

The Parties to this Treaty,

Reaffirming their mutual good relations and commitment to respect the cultural traditions and individual aspirations of its citizens,

Desiring to maintain the rule of law both binding and cultural in both home States,

Agreeing that nothing in this agreement shall supersede existing laws in either New Babbage or New Gallifrey,

Have agreed as follows,

Article I

The Parties agree to settle any disputes as may arise that are not explicitly outlined in this document via their respective Plenipotentiaries, while emphasizing the importance of cultural preservation in the City-State of New Babbage, and preservation of cultural tradition in the State of New Gallifrey.

Article II

This Treaty grants authority to New Gallifrey to exercise enforcement of the First Law of Time on the sovereign soil of New Babbage, only insofar as it threatens the cultural and historical sovereignty of the City-State of New Babbage.

Article III

For the purpose of Article II, enforcement of the First Law of Time on New Babbage sovereign soil may only be carried out by the Celestial Intervention Agency (hereafter designated as the C.I.A.) under direct joint written authorization of the Director of the aforementioned C.I.A. and the New Babbage Plenipotentiary.

Article IV

For the purpose of Article III, in the event of a conflict of interest of the aforementioned parties, the Castellan of the Chancellory Guard of New Gallifrey (herein designated as the Castellan) and the New Gallifrey Plenipotentiary shall sign in stead of the C.I.A. Director.

Article V

Any violation on the sovereign soil of the City-State of New Babbage by a legal citizen(s) of New Gallifrey of the First Law of Time shall result in, pending authorization by aforementioned parties, immediate arrest by authorized members of the C.I.A.

((“Citizen” of New Gallifrey is defined as any SL Avatar who is a member of the New Gallifrey SL Group))

Article VI

Upon extradition, any and all citizens of New Gallifrey shall be immediately rendered by authorised C.I.A. personnel into the custody of the Castellan of New Gallifrey, so as to avoid further cultural contamination of the State of New Babbage.

Article VII

For the purposes of Articles I – VI, sentence for violation of the First Law of Time on the sovereign soil of the State of New Babbage be,

Subsection I

The aforementioned offending Citizen(s) of New Gallifrey, on their first violation, shall have their Capsule(s) recalled by the Castellan and be placed in said Capsule(s) for a period of no less than sixty days, and no more than one hundred and twenty days under house arrest.

((For the aforementioned time, the offending Citizen(s) of New Gallifrey shall be removed from the New Gallifrey group, banned from the New Gallifrey region(s) and the New Babbage region(s), and suspended from all Roleplay activities in both the New Gallifrey and New Babbage region(s)))

Subsection II

The aforementioned offending Citizen of New Gallifrey, on their second violation, shall have their Capsule recalled by the Castellan and be placed in said Capsule for a period of no less than one year, and no more than two years, beginning with the termination of the aforementioned citizen's current Incarnation.

((For the aforementioned time, the offending Citizen(s) of New Gallifrey shall be removed from the New Gallifrey group, banned from the New Gallifrey region(s) and the New Babbage region(s), and suspended from all Roleplay activities in both the New Gallifrey and New Babbage region(s)))

Subsection III

The aforementioned offending Citizen of New Gallifrey, on their third violation, shall have their Capsule recalled by the Castellan, wherein its mechanism will be destroyed, and the aforementioned citizen shall have all of their remaining Incarnations terminated and receive the sentence of Execution.

((The offending Citizen(s) of New Gallifrey shall be removed from the New Gallifrey group indefinitely, banned from the New Gallifrey region(s) and the New Babbage region(s) indefinitely, and suspended from all Roleplay activities in both the New Gallifrey and New Babbage region(s) indefinitely.))

Article VIII

The City-State of New Babbage agrees to not hold the State of New Gallifrey accountable to violations of the First Law of Time on their sovereign soil by any being(s) who do not hold legal citizenship in the State of New Gallifrey.

Article IX

For the purpose of Article VIII, the State of New Babbage reserves the right to request assistance from the State of New Gallifrey for the preservation of their culture, insofar as all legal and cultural violations of the State of New Gallifrey occur.

Article X

This Treaty shall remain in force indefinitely. Only by unanimous vote of the New Babbage Plenipotentiary and the present quorum of the New Gallifrey High Council may this Treaty be terminated.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned Plenipotentiaries have signed this Treaty.

Lord Victor Mornington (retired), Plenipotentiary for New Babbage

Lady Ambassador Bernicenastorabedulan, Plenipotentiary for New Gallifrey

DONE in on this 15th Day of July, the New Babbage year of 2015

Ratification advised by the High Council of New Gallifrey on the 19th Day of July, the New Babbage year of 2015

Ratified by the Lord President of the High Council of New Gallifrey on this 27th Day of July, the New Babbage year of 2015

Phaon, Lord President of the High Council of Timelords of New Gallifrey

Part 55 – The Will of Omega

We don't often get big names here in SL-Space. As a matter of fact, we never do. The Abbot chooses his selections carefully, as did the Timelords who exiled the first few here. Missing a big name from the timeline would cause people to look for them, find us, and ruin the entire plan.

Sure, we get “ghosts.” The Watcher type images shunted through reality when The Doctor helped to shove Zenobia Station here from N-Space. That station's telepathic circuits cast shadows of his personality and form from time to time. But this one was different. You see, we've actually had the Will of Omega with us for quite some time.

Lord Gears came here much like all the others. He had with him an ancient piece of Timelord Technology called “The Instance” that survived the transition into SL-Space. None of us knew of this tech at the time. As it turned out, The Instance was a snapshot of a mind. Evidently built before the APC Net, it stored the image of a mind, and could imprint itself onto another mind with just a touch.

So it was that Omega – or at least most of his memories and personality – were reborn here in SL-Space. For a time, he yelled and paraded around, assisting at times with his exceptional scientific knowledge, resisting authority and being trouble at other times.

There came a time, however, that only his unique knowledge could help us. I left out earlier that Omega came along with us on the journey back to the birth of SL-Space. Because of the nature of this space, ***REDACTED***, Rowan's ability to help navigate was in fact more limited than she cared to admit. Omega helped guide us when the Sisters could no longer see. Between the two of them, we arrived safely.

Why did I leave this next part out? Omega is such a polarizing figure in Timelord history. He is a hero to many, and the ultimate villain to just as many. Switching the poles on villains and martyrs can be a dangerous thing in a society, especially when the dominant political force in one of our Council seated Chapters is called the Cult of Omega.

However, I am committed to not repeating the mistakes that ultimately lead to the end of our N-Space brethren. So, transparency, much to Deimos' dismay.

Inside the Abbot's console room, Omega stepped in front of Sen as be began to discharge energy. His own body diverted energy to others in the room. Whether or not this was part of the plan on Sen's part, I suppose we'll never know. At the time, Omega just vanished – we thought him destroyed. Relegated to the pile of Agency Classified files.

As it turns out, he received a “gift” as well. Omega woke up in his console room back at the Citadel, in an actual body. A real, organic body, and not one that he was displaced from. Now still a brilliant mind, but one out of his time and universe, he must learn to live like the rest of us day to day.

Part 54 – A Renewal

New hands, new voice. Regeneration. The first time was when I entered SL-Space. I was unconscious before and after for some time. My second was initiated by Sen, and I got his body. This time it actually felt like a real regeneration. I'll fill you in, because the events surrounding are quite important to all of us.

Some time ago, the Council began constructing an orbital facility. In a time of crisis, this would serve as a backup Citadel. Our lead tech – a Mr. Schumann, was in charge of construction. I had been contacted by the Guardians and informed that we would be having a new addition. The first Titan born in SL-Space. The young soon-to-be TTC would need a Hyperloom to graft the TARDIS block transfer construct onto its form. We also decided to begin construction of our new Loom technology on board the orbital as well. With our dimensional technology, having the ability to shift our most valuable facilities out of normal space-time at a moment's notice was too secure to not take advantage of.

And then it happened. I was rearranging books in the library in the SASTAP, and I just collapsed in pain. I headed for the medical bay, and the readings said my body was flooded with artron radiation. The cells in my body had begun to break down, releasing artron energy that had apparently been there all along. This body clearly not been what it seemed. I sent out a telepathic distress call to the Council, and fell unconscious on the med table.

When I woke up, Kylie and Rowan were standing over me, a distinct look of mild panic on their faces. They had responded to my call, and when they stepped into the console room to find me unconscious, The SASTAP had automatically dematerialized and landed again somewhere unknown. I had not initiated the flight, evidently Sen had. I told the Sisters to go meet their idols, and speak with the Guardians.

I watched on the scanner screen as the Sisters listened to Sen and The Abbot explain the origin of Lady Ambassador Bernice and her Capsule. If you remember, this soon-to-be complete Capsule and the infant Lady Bernice will soon be grabbed by The Abbot and taken back in time to be trained and raised. I could hear Sen in my mind as he spoke to them, his voice thundering through the SASTAP's telepathic circuits as he spoke to them.

The Sisters came back inside. I was feeling somewhat better, and piloted the SASTAP myself to the orbital facility. I needed some help departing, and left the console room to find a panicked Mr. Schumann – the lead tech or the orbital facility, as apparently the infant Titan at the Hyperloom chamber was in considerable distress.

At the critical juncture where the new mechanical TARDIS components are to take over control of basic autonomic functions of the Titan, there was insufficient energy to complete the process. Normally, other Titans assist in this process, but there aren't enough here in SL-Space to accomplish this. Our first baby was dying.

Then it all made sense. As soon as I made the connection in my head, the regeneration began. Energy poured out of my body, rocketed out of the room, and straight for the baby Capsule. You could hear the shift in energy, as the infant felt its strength grow. Lights starting blinking wildly in the monitor room, warning sounds stopped. Mr. Schumann had a smile on his face – which I didn't believe was biologically possible for him. Then again, a technical engineer had just met the Pythia, the Chancellor, seen the President regenerate, and helped give birth to a universe's first new Time Travel Capsule.

Part 53 – Ambassador

In N-Space, we had assigned labels to various tiers of development with regards to lesser civilizations we encountered and observed. First zone are us – Timelords. Only a handful of races are in this category – Timelords and Daleks are the only native races to the meta-verse. These are races with mastery over temporal technology. Second zone races have very advanced technology, including some limited temporal abilities, and intergalactic travel. The Cybermen fit in this category, as do later humans. Non-intervention policies are often difficult to interpret with these races, and they are aware of our existence due to their level of technology.

Third zone species have interstellar travel, and no temporal technology whatsoever. Some of these races are aware of us, some are not. Interference is handled on a case by case basis here.

Fourth zone species are post-industrial revolution, pre-warp cultures. They are generally unaware of alien life whatsoever, and certainly have no knowledge of Timelords. Fifth zone species are pre-industrial revolution, and have little knowledge of anything. Involvement in any way other than observation is strictly forbidden with these races.

In SL-Space, the ground rules are different. Interstellar travel is much easier, so many lower zone species are not only capable of such travel, but became aware of First Zone technology well before they are culturally ready. We have been forced to take on a much more active role here, which brings about the need for something rather new to us – a diplomatic corp.

Lady Bernicenastorabedulan has just been assigned as Ambassador Plenipotentiary to the High Council of New Gallifrey. Her origin is rather interesting. Normally, The Abbot seeks our additions to New Gallifrey based on our needs, or a mounted rescue. In this case, Lady Bernice was indeed brought to us by The Abbot, but this time from our own future right here in SL-Space.

Various Chapter's research divisions have been working on recreating Loom technology here in SL-Space for some time. Many are close, but not quite there yet. At some point, all will likely succeed. Clearly at least one does, and the result will be Lady Bernice. After her birth, The Abbot took her and crossed her own time line to send the infant back with Deimos to the early days of the new Citadel, deep in the planet's past.

There Bernice was trained by the Agency. Now a young Timelady still in her first incarnation, she has already made quite an impression. Negotiations are currently underway with three governments in SL-Space. The first is one we are all quite familiar with.

Part 52 – A Gruesome End

It came as no surprise to any of us that Deimos was not only alive inside Implacable, but both his mechanical implants and his TTC got an upgrade out of the deal. Immediately upon his return to active duty, the Agency and Guard solidified our plans to wrap up and deal with Tethseram.

 

Between the undercover intel and Gothess, we knew who Tethseram was, what his motives were, and most of the details of his invasion plan. Deimos locked down the flow of information tight, and we began slowly leaking indications of just how desperate and in the dark we are. The joys of propaganda.

When the time and day came, we were ready. Here's how one of New Gallifrey's best days went.

We knew that the rift at the Eye of Orion would be the Chronarch's entry point. So Lord Rasa, an up and coming Arcalian scientist and Chapter Ordinal, went to investigate. Since we had the end game planned, Agency medic and research Dr. Markan went along. I just so happened to be on my semi-regular shift in Temporal Control that day. What a coincidence.

As planned, the Chronarchs came streaming through a portal that ripped open within the rift at Orion. They instantly shot Rasa, as planned. Markan was ready, and set off an emergency transport device that took him and Rasa directly into Rasa's console room and automatically initiated an emergency demat. As Rasa's capsule dematerialized, the final sensor readings registered another portal opening directly to the surface of New Gallifrey, as expected.

I gave the “go” order in Temporal Control, which set in motion a number of Executive and Inner Council orders to both the Castellan and Agency Coordinator. Number one authorized Rasa's Capsule to breach its own time stream and arrive on New Gallifrey with the injured Lord Rasa and Dr. Marken approximately twenty minutes before it left Orion.

Upon arrival, every available Arcalian, Chancellory Guard, and anyone else in the Citadel moved to intercept the Chronarch portal, which had been carefully and subtly diverted by Control to a pre-determined “last stand” location.

The next thing set in motion was the Incursion mission to Vanishing Point, Tethseram's HQ station located in a reality bubble between Madspace and SL-Space. A few seconds after my “go” command, I heard Deimos at the station next to me in Temporal Control lean into his own comm and whisper to code word to “go” for his team. Commander Dovgal, Agent ***REDACTED***, Agency mission specialist ***REDACTED***, and The Madman departed from the TTC bay, their arrival carefully timed with events on New Gallifrey.

Earlier in the week, Madman had been arrested by the Castellan and placed under house arrest inside his capsule – Bifrost. The key to that arrest was to secure a special weapon in Madman's possession in such a manner as to not arouse suspicion by Tethseram. The weapon was developed during Madman's time as House Castellan of the Jade Dreamers, and was the result of an open project from the days of raw hostility between the Sisterhood and the High Council back in N-Space. You'll see why this is relevant later.

As the Timelords and Guards gathered on the surface of New Gallifrey, the Sisterhood passed out carefully brewed elixirs to each of the Arcalians present. The rift opened, Chronarchs began streaming out, and a series of carefully orchestrated events took place.

One, Castellan Allen initiated a localized Transduction lock down around all the invading Chronarchs. Two, Rasa's delayed regeneration began. Three, all of the Arcalians mind linked with Rasa. Four, everyone present from the Citadel telepathically assisted in stabilizing the mental link between the Arcalians. Five, Rasa's regenerative energy poured forth, captured by the genetically similar House Arcalians, routed through their elixir enhanced bodies, and directed at the barrier surrounding the Chronarchs.

Here I need to stop and share some Arcalian history. One of the founders of the Arcal Chapter was Tepesh, a Great Vampire disguised as a Timelord. This is ancient history, and long since dealt with by the N-Space Council, but very relevant. Our intel revealed that Tepesh had not been killed all those eons ago, but escaped to Mad-Space. There his DNA was utilized by Dalek Drillon to build the Chronarchs.

This is relevant because this means the Chronarchs and the Aracalians share enough genetic material for Rasa's regenerative Imprimatur to latch onto them. With the exponentially magnified energy of the Arcalian Chapter and the temporal characteristics of the barrier surrounding them, it didn't just vaporize the Chronarchs on New Gallifrey. The energy tore through the rift straight through to Vanishing point, clearing the station of all Chronarch guards. Just in time for Commander Dovgal and her team to arrive…

The Incursion

Upon arriving on the Vanishing Point, Commander Dovgal and her team proceeded to sweep the station. Their mission was two fold. The primary objective was a carefully planned assault directly on Tethseram. The secondary objective of the mission was to find and rescue Dracony, the Patrexe abducted by Tethseram some time ago.

They found Dracony first. After sweeping through the station, thankfully void of Chronarchs as planned, they found Tethseram. Or rather, he found them.

Based on our intel, we knew that Tethseram was a future incarnation of the Madman. In order to exist off Vanishing Point and not be affected by the manipulation of his own past, Tethseram must have a Paradox Machine. One very close, likely worn. The only device known to us Timelords that can shield a paradox on that scale is a TTC itself. Tethseram's armor suit must be a TTC, or at least pieces of one. The sword back in Madman's possession that had been so carefully guarded was a weapon designed to cut through the outer skin of TTC's. The project was revived in order to penetrate the skin of a Dalek Capsule, if that need ever arose.

The team threw down covering fire while Madman sneaked in and sliced a gaping hole in Tethseram's plasmic shell exosuit with his sword. Commander Dovgal and Agent ***REDACTED*** reacted quickly, grabbed Tethseram and held him down while ***REDACTED*** stepped forward with a special weapon and stabbed Tethseram through both hearts. He began to regenerate. ***REDACTED*** stabbed him again. He regenerated again. And again. And again.

When the substantial energy field of the opened paradox machine and the multiple regenerations died down, what was left was the mangled and burned body(s) of the final three incarnations of Madman, a.k.a. Tethseram, fused together on the floor in a grotesque visual of Timelord biology at its most disturbing.

The body was brought back to the Panopticon. Unknown to us, Cardinal Maltheus had arranged with the Sisters for a special elixir to ensure that he would loose an incarnation instead of Rasa. His regeneration had happened during conclusion of the incursion, and seemed touch and go. But he was alive. New Gallifrey was saved, Tethseram was dead, what was left of the Chronarchs in Madspace stranded behind a sealed portal.

A gruesome end, but a good day.

Part 51 – Theta Protocol

Theta project was complete and ready to roll out, but we were interrupted. The Sisters had been having prophecies for some time about something profound entering our area of time and space. Finally, it seemed the time was at hand. Several Arcalian scientists were in pursuit of six unidentified… somethings... through the SL-Space Time and Space Vortex.

They couldn't keep up, so Deimos was summoned by Temporal Control to pursue in Implacable, the experimental Agency Capsule that already contained much of the technology incorporated into the Theta Protocol. The objects seemed to be in a spiraling orbit around Gallifrey, moving outwards at a rate unprecedented before in SL-Space. Temporal Control realized the objects were headed for an anomalous area of space that we had been scanning for some time, an area which appeared to have just ruptured into a Charged Vacuum Emboitment (CVE) into another universe.

While Implacable is fast, its standard issue plasmic shell can not withstand crossing out of SL-Space without unacceptable risk. We quickly concocted a plan where I would land the SASTAP aboard Implacable as it passed on the interior apex of its orbit around New Gallifrey, and Implacable would then slingshot the materialized SASTAP out of its interior as it passed close to the CVE. The plan worked. Rowan had been assisting with navigation and accompanied me. We landed close to the CVE and stepped into an oxygen shield generated by the SASTAP. We weren't sure what we were looking at, but we were close enough to place a navigational beacon that would assist science Capsules from the Arcalians in returning later.

The slingshot maneuver had seriously damaged the SASTAP, and we discovered a newly rebuilt console room upon reentering from the oxygen shield. A default type Theta desktop theme. Sen had apparently gotten the memo. Now that one established Capsule had the Theta, it could be communicated between all the Hearts automatically. While the look itself is, as always, superfluous, the enhancements to the mechanics are vital.

Evidently, the SASTAP had clipped the inner shell of Implacable on our slingshot out. We returned to the Citadel to evacuation alarms as Temporal Control was broadcasting that Implacable had materialized just below the Transduction Barriers and was screaming in like a missile towards the Citadel. Deimos is a better pilot than that though, and Implacable plunged itself into the hillside just outside the Silver Forest.

There sat Implacable smoldering in the hillside. It's door welded shut by the impact, and Deimos still inside. Alive, we hoped.

Part 50 – Theta Project

Before becoming a Guardian, Sen had long been working on solidifying the physics of Capsule technology in SL-Space. There were huge successes, but still gaps. Many capsules sent from N-Space were extremely difficult to refit, their existing mechanical components being all but impossible to make work here.

While we still hadn't figured out a way to grow new Titans here in SL-Space, two young new additions to our growing capital city named Zaros and Kea were finally successful in creating a uniform mechanical tech protocol that seemed effective for every old TTC that was brought to SL-Space by The Abbot. We called it the Type Theta. We blew through the first few Marks in testing and field trials, by the time I write this every TTC in SL-Space is now fitted with Type Theta, Mk VI mechanical components. In order for any of this to make sense, we need some TTC back story. I'll dig into Sen's ancient memories here, and do you up a nice lecture on Gallifreyan Time Travel Capsules.

A Time Travel Capsule is actually a careful melding of technology and a living being. Titans are extra-dimensional beings of supreme age and wisdom, who have been linked to Gallifrey in some unknown way since the dawn of the metaverse. Supremely powerful and wild, these beings are so much more advanced than us that even basic communication is beyond most Timelords.

The ancient Gallifreyans harnessed these Titans by “saddling” then with mechanical technology we know as a machine of Time And Relative Dimensions In Space. At this point, the saddled Titan was refereed to as the “Heart” of this constructed TARDIS.

The first full production run of TARDISes were referred to as Type 10's. After some refinements, the Type 11 was produced. Note that these are simply enhancements to the mechanical portions of the Capsule that are melded with the living Heart.

As Type 11's entered into service, Type 10's were returned for refit – their mechanical portions replaced and upgraded. These crafts were then referred to as Type 10, Mark I. This made them equal in specifications to the new Type 11's. This process continued. Type 12's were issued, meaning Type 11 Mk. 1's amd Type 10 Mk. II's still performed along side them.

At some point, the technology simply became too outdated, and the mechanical portions were scraped completely and replaced all new. This is when the Type designation increased to the next decade. The introduction of the Type 20 meant that all TTC's between Type 10 and Type 19 were decommissioned. The Heart stripped of all its mechanical components and completely refitted. Often, given the age of the Titan at that point, it was “retired” and return to the wild for breeding stock.

When I fled Gallifrey with Sen, the Type 65's had just been issued. Timelords who have come to SL-Space during or after the Time War speak of Type 90 War TARDISes, and extremely advanced Agency crafts in the Type 80 series. All of this is now ancient history. The mechanical portions of the Capsule are rendered as little more than pretty life-support chambers upon arriving to SL-Space, no longer able to connect and function with the Titan now injured and severed from its saddle.

Part 49 – Gothess

As far as villains go, Tethseram is pretty small fry. His ambitions are somewhat unclear, as his end came about...ok, I get ahead of myself. Tethersam's first official act in SL space went unknown to the Council for quite some time. After piecing together the puzzle, here's what we know happened.

Shortly after the destruction of the Panopticon, Madman was pulled to a space station located in what can only be described as a reality “bubble”. An area of nothing between two universes – in this case SL-Space and Madspace – the pocket universe contained in the Eye of Harmony of Madman's Capsule.

Madman was held there for over a century, all the time being brainwashed by Tethseram. The influence was subtle – Tethseram wasn't going for complete control. Just influence. Upon returning Madman to SL-Space and wiping his conscious memory of the incident, Tethseram began exerting his control over which voices in Madspace found their way to Madman's mind through his Capsule's telepathic circuits.

Madman slowly began to distrust authority in any form as his mind struggled with what had happened. When Tethseram's ego got the better of him and he began taunting New Gallifrey, Madman saw an opportunity, not realizing he was hunting his own oppressor.

He sent in Gothess as an agent undercover into Madspace, unaware that the Agency already had someone inside. Gothess largely succeeded in her mission. Unknown to anyone else at the time, another young Timelord named Dracony had grown suspicious of Gothess and followed her into Madspace. Eventually, both were discovered and captured.

Upon learning of their disappearance and being completely unaware of Gothess' mission, the Council ordered the Agency to activate the Recall on both Timelord's Capsules. However, instead of returning them to New Gallifrey, both Capsules were used as advanced sensor probes to map and record as much of Madspace for the Matrix as possible.

Between the Capsules' scans and Agent ***REDACTED*** undercover report, the Agency had enough intel to mount a rescue. The incursion was a partial success, with only Gothess being discovered and returned. She had been brainwashed by Tethseram and was going to be returned to SL-Space as a double agent.

After being interrogated by the Agency and her memories and mind restored by the Sisterhood, a chilling truth was revealed. Tethseram was in fact a future incarnation of the Madman himself.

Part 48 – Mad Space

The following is a redacted report by a Celestial Intervention Agent upon returning from an undercover mission to Madman's pocket universe, code named Madspace -

Official Report – Agent ***REDACTED***

re: Undercover incursion into Bifrost pocket universe

Physics -

The pocket universe is quite small, containing only one hypo-spiral galaxy with approximately 5000 star systems. Exactly 510 of these contain inhabited planets. Obviously, these numbers are not by random chance.

What appears to be the requisite singularity at the center of the spiral is, in fact, a “bridge” to SL-Space. For now, this bridge is only one way, as the gravitational forces to approach it are far too intense for any of the technology possessed by races inside the universe to navigate.

As physics in this universe appears identical to that of SL-Space, it is reasonable to assume that it is an alternate to SL-Space, and was engineered artificially and split off from us.

Local government structure and culture -

The ruler-apparent of this universe is, of course, the Great One. A Great Vampire brought from N-Space, he oversees around 500 of the 510 inhabited worlds. More later on the other 10. The worlds ruled by this creature all follow a very simple pattern that we have seen before.

Upon arrival to the pocket universe, I found myself on a small planet orbiting a blue-supergiant called Ansular. The people of Ansular are humanoid (their N or SL-Space planet of origin is unknown). Because of the unstable star Ansular orbits, seasons are brutal, extreme, and often fatal.

To add to the instability, once a year the planet passes within three light minutes of a brown dwarf star that used to be Ansular Major's twin. This dead star still gives off considerable heat and gravitational forces. As the dwarf star passes by the planet each year, the gravitational and heat stresses turn most of the equatorial region into a boiling mass of volcanic eruptions, hurricane force winds, and Earthquakes.

Most of the slave inhabitants of Ansular live close the poles, where the effects of this unique phenomena are more… manageable. At the exact equator and apex of the dwarf star's passage by the planet, is located the Capital Citadel. It is a relatively simplistic ship based on – you guessed it – a Timelord Bowship design, but appears to have been originally constructed in house. The ship hovers some 200 feet above ground level, with simplistic walkways connecting it to the ground. For about 11 months of the planet's 14 month year, the ground is passable for shipping and commerce, albeit extremely harsh and unforgiving conditions.

Inside the Capital, I ingratiated myself with the ruling Vampire (named Dantus) and ***REDACTED***. At first, I acted as his voice to the People, traveling from one village to another to force payment of “gratitude.” Of course, the entire planet is being strip mined by a culture of suppressed slave labor held in the Middle Ages culturally and technologically. All resources – including an annual culling of ten percent of the population for vampire food – are being ripped from the planet.

Once I became a trusted… friend... of Dantus, I began inquiring as to how the planet's resources are shipped offworld. During the annual passage of the dwarf star, various shipping vessels arrive to dock with the Capital ship and move cargo. Of course, they are using the cover of planetary upheaval (an event shrouded in religious ritual to the locals) to hide their arrival and departure from the local populace.

Commerce -

After spending three years as Dantus' ***REDACTED***, I was finally able to secure passage on one of the cargo vessels to oversee the arrival of slave-food offerings to the Great One. We headed to a small system called Turatta. Once we landed on Turatta, the image was of a very different culture. This planet was a thriving technological hub, with what appeared to be a very militaristic feel. Advanced cargo shipping tech, what appeared to be an extremely busy port, but without any culture. All business.

What was most disturbing was who was controlling security and the workforce. While the planet appeared to be typically run by two Vampires, the rest of the workers and security were Racnos. Huge shipping crates full of mined resources were being moved, along with thousands of humanoid slaves. Approximately one out of every ten slaves were sent to a separate building… I discovered later they were meant to head to the Great Vampire as food. The other nine stayed on the planet to become Racnos food.

Having abandoned Dantus' mission, I set out on Turatta to find a group of people I had heard whisperings about from slaves. They called themselves the Chronarchs, and believed them to be the salvation of their suffering. To the backwards and suppressed slaves, they were little more than legend, but I felt confident there was a basis in fact.

History -

Of course, all discussion, writings, and rituals surrounding history are forbidden on all 500 vampire controlled worlds. Upon arriving on Turatta, I was able – after a couple months of delicate searching and talks – to find a vampire named Beo. Beo claimed to be a Chronarch. I spent a great deal of time with Beo from there on out. First, his history of the universe proved to be extremely interesting.

He spoke of the universe being created by a great warrior from nothing. A being from another existence who brought the burden of a great War with him. After analyzing the language evolution of several ancient texts, I came to the conclusion that this being was none other than our own Dalek Drillon.

Beo said that Drillon came here to build a great army. He brought many of his enemies here, but used his great intellect to turn them into beings who would be forced to work for him, or instantly die. Here I presumed that Beo was referring to some sort of genetically imbedded “kill switch.”

The people of Pretium (the name given by the Chronarchs to the entire pocket universe) lived in a virtual paradise at this point in history. They had advanced technology and culture, and the democratic rulers traveled between planets to form a great Congress that served at the pleasure of Lord Drillon.

Nine of the remaining ten planets were set aside as research facilities, with each planet containing one particular race that Drillon was investigating as utilizing for a “final solution” to what could only be the N-Space Time War. Obviously, Racnos and Vampires were two of the races. ***REDACTED***. The other six – if they had yet to be implemented – remain a mystery to me.

Beo then spoke of the arrival of another “like our Creator and great Ruler.” He must have been referring to another Timelord. This being possessed great mental ability, and evidently took control of the Great Vampire being held on one of the research planets. He brought the Vampires and Racnos army down upon the final planet – the Great Capital of Pretium. Drillon was killed, the Great Vampire installed as supreme ruler, and the mystery Timelord was never seen again.

Drillon's research team, the surviving members of the Congress, and Drillon's closest advisers went underground. They continued their research, and set about forming a rebel army to – one day – take on the Great Vampire.

The Chronarchs -

The Chronarchs are basically biological Timelords created by Drillon. Their biological makeup relies much more heavily on Vampire genetic material than Rassilon's Timelord retro-virus, giving them a biology ***REDACTED***. They are capable of nearly infinite regeneration, considerable telepathic abilities, and very advanced healing and strength.

However, their bodies are deficient in several key enzymes, which they are forced to manufacture. Their retro-virus is also contagious, meaning blood-to-blood contact with a Chronarch would result in being “turned” into one of them. After thousands of years of exposure to the “thirst”, as it's called, the Chronarchs are also rather…. harsh.

They appear to have constructed very basic SIDRATS. As of yet, these are not capable of breaching the barriers to SL-Space in any sort of reliable or predictable way. But several attempts have left high-energy ruptures in the Vortex where our two universe's are close.

The goal of the Chronarchs is quite clear. They believe that the Timelord who killed Drillon and basically destroyed Pretium is indicative of the entire race. They mean to take the ***REDACTED*** – after killing the Great Vampire that now inhabits the city – sweep into SL-Space, kill all of us, and take our Eye of Harmony. Then they will breach into N-Space, and finish the job Drillon started.

Supposition -

Now, here's the bit that is perhaps the most… disturbing. Vampires are telepathic, more so than Timelords. At least with each other – they tend to hear each others thoughts at the surface much more randomly than Timelords. Timelords and the Chronarchs have a level of control that typical Vampires do not, but thoughts still tend to “leak.”

Throughout my time in Pretium, I could hear a profound voice. It seems to permeate nearly every consciousness to a certain extent. I am confident that my own abilities have shielded me from its gaze, but its reach is impressive.

At first, I thought it was the Great Vampire itself. But then I realized it could not be. No simple vampire could control the flow of thought coming from a Timelord, nor even a Chronarch (I am a Timelord of moderate ability, and I had little difficulty shielding myself). Clearly, this being is responsible for the “voices” that the Madman hears, controlling which voices his own telepathic centers pick up on from the pocket universe. If this being were a Vampire, the Madman would clearly hear the Chronarchs. Given his recent actions, it would seam he does not.

Which means the controlling voice has to be a Chronarch. And a powerful one. I would assume their leader, whom I have yet to meet. If that is indeed the case – and I realize there is a lot of supposition in my previous statements – then the leader of the Chronarch is also the leader of the Vampires. The same man who killed Drillon, setup the Madman, and brought this universe to its knees is also the one leading the rebellion to save it.

Playing both sides is a dangerous game, and one to which I do not see an end game. Perhaps you have learned something that could shed light on this from the SL-Space side.

At the time I received your recall signal, this is the information I have.

Part 47 – The Madman

I know that some Timelords feel that their Loom names are too pompous, to elitist. I have no Timelord name, as I hadn't been granted a TTC yet. I was still in my first regeneration when I fled Gallifrey in Sen, just having finished all my academic work at the Academic and awaiting graduation. Most people don't realize that all Gallifreyan's get a “normal” name upon birth.  For the Patrexe Chapter, the super-long Timelord name added on the end is actually the name of their Titan, the organic being under the mechanics of a TARDIS. It is granted to a Junior Timelord upon Academy graduation when they receive their TTC. Sen was never given a proper name for me to take, as he was never officially commissioned.

Back on topic… often Timelords will take a title to better illustrate their personality. The Madman chose well. Before I go into the events surrounding how he pretty much drove all of US mad, I should give you some background on him.

Madman is one of only a couple Timelords to not enter SL-Space per The Abbot's good graces. He basically broke in. He was shot in, really.

Madman's origins are somewhat fuzzy. It's presumed that he fought in the Time War and somehow escaped the Last Day, but not without loosing his memory of everything before. His first awareness was of being in a dying TTC with virtually no power, and Gallifrey was gone. In the shake up surrounding the last days of the War, the barriers between universes started to break down. Madman took advantage of this to create a somewhat unique power source.

His power source was actually the inspiration for Sen to create what would eventually become our own Eye of Harmony. Madman has a compressed pocket universe inside his TTC. Super-compressed in both time and space - it's virtually a restrained Big Bang. The energy flowing from it is intense, even by Timelord standards. But it's not the energy that is the issue. It's the fact that this universe is active. With life… entire civilizations actually. Billions of sentient lives. And they're all tied into the telepathic circuits of Madman's TTC – right into his head. He calls them the Narwhals. A Timelord going slowly more and more insane from the constant din of a universe's worth of minds.

This is a problem for him, but not really anyone else. Until someone decided to take control of those civilizations and invade the pocket universe. That someone was called Tethseram.

Part 46 - ***REDACTED***

Part 45 – Guardians

We arrived back in New Gallifrey with a special gift from Sen and The Abbot. The Eye of Harmony.

When Solis created the pocket universe to contain The Abbot, she rocketed it back in time – all the way back. This huge outpouring of energy created a massive explosion, the actual Big Bang of SL-Space. In order to prevent Solis' pocket universe from destroying this newly emerging universe, Sen and The Abbot contained it. This contained universe on the verge of collapse would form our new Eye of Harmony.

Evidently, this had been Sen's plan all along. Working with the visions from the Sisters, Sen was able to deduce that The Abbot was actually a good guy. Another experimental TARDIS able to cross the divide between N-Space and SL-Space easily. In order to separate Deimos from The Abbot, Sen needed to shed his organic body and help The Abbot's Heart. The Titan under the tech that was primed to consume Deimos' body.

With the last of his organic interaction with our dimension, Sen saved Solis and Deimos with regeneration. He also gave me his current incarnation, along with all his memories. With my mental abilities, it didn't drive me completely mad. But close. Regeneration is hard enough as it is, but this one was a whopper. I'm not Sen. But I'm not entirely Phaon anymore either. A new incarnation of Phaon, but one handed to me by Sen with all his memories. Organic memories, that is. I didn't get all the cool TTC computer stuff, unfortunately.

It appears that Sen and The Abbot have ascended. Now SL-Space's Yin and Yang.. The Abbot as the Guardian of Continuums, looking out for the majesty that is the Prime Timeline. Sen as the Guardian of Moments, making sure that the lives of the inhabitants of SL-Space are not be sacrificed on a whim to protect the Timeline.

Part 44 - Origins

There were still too many unanswered questions. How was The Abbot created? Was he just destroyed? Did Solis die, or take The Abbot somewhere else? These questions plagued my first months as President.

Then the visions started. First it was in the newly formed Panopticon. Then in the Citadel's Eye Chamber. Then in the SASTAP console room. Solis. But not. 

You see, the SASTAP is unique, in that it's Heart is tied to an extremely advanced Artificial Intelligence. This allows the forbidden – for the bonded Pilot to actually telepathically commune and even meld with the TARDIS Titan beneath the console. Rassilon's vision for a Super Soldier. Or perhaps a Master Race. Eventually, of course, this AI was placed in an organic body as part of an emergency procedure. This basically meant that anyone Sen loved and felt attachment too became the equivalent of a bonded pilot.

I was Sen's bonded pilot, but Solis had also become very close. Perhaps even a second pilot, something which the SASTAP's unique abilities likely allowed. What I saw was a Watcher. A temporal displacement of Solis' future incarnation routed through the SASTAP's telepathic circuits. They're not unheard of, but only occur in times of extreme distress for both pilot and Capsule. Solis was alive.

We suspected that Solis had formed a pocket universe and rocketed into the past with The Abbot. The distant past… all the way back. To the very origins of SL-Space. So we followed. A tricky journey, one that required Sen, myself, Oolon, David, and the Sisters to act as Pilots. 

We arrived, to discover we were correct. The Abbot and Solis locked in struggle at the beginning of time, her body twisted and depleted after multiple regenerations. Oolon made a move to attack The Abbot, but his weapon misfired, phasing him out of space-time.

At this point, Sen stepped in. He just… exploded. Ignited in a full fury of energy channeled from some unknown source. The Abbot was ripped apart in front of our eyes, as were all of us. Hovering encased in energy, Sen….. bequeathed, I suppose is the best word… his organic life cycle. Solis and Deimos, already on their last incarnations, regenerated. As did I. Dazed and in pain, we saw The Abbot transform, along with Sen. Black and White… opposite sides of the same coin. As if that is how it was always meant to be.

Part 43 – What Was Once Old is New Again

This is where I come in. Sen did his best in grief and pain to setup a base on Zenobia Time Station. The Station's Eye brought us limited TTC capability. We were surviving as refugees in orbit around a dying planet. But the Sisters had foreseen this. They had already constructed a crude base in the distant past, only a few months after SL-Space began to cool, on the first planet in the universe old enough to sustain life. Sen appointed me President of Time Past and sent be back to supervise the construction of a new Citadel.

At first, this was a completely secret plan. While Sen struggled to hold our society together in the present, Kharma, Rowan, and myself survived and eventually thrived in the primordial swelter of New Gallifrey's infancy.

Eventually, things simply couldn't be maintained - Zenobia just did not have the resources to house a Race. Ready or not, the Timelords and others began coming back to move to our new home. It wasn't really ready yet, and neither was I. But they came anyway. Angry, divided, and homeless. Of course, what I wasn't counting on was Sen NOT coming back. I was stuck as President.

Part 42 – Solis

I never really knew Solis. When we were attacked in N-Space, we were rescuing Solis from the dying remains of her TTC when we were attacked by the same entity. Evidently she arrived disparate in time in SL-Space as well, but in the past. She was able to wait until present day, and find Sen and Oolon shortly after they arrived. Together with Drillon, they formed New Gallifrey together. 

Because Solis was Castellan and I was an Agent, we deliberately never ran in the same circles. The Castellan must not know of the actions of the Agency – that's the entire point. We did what the Guard couldn't legally do… but what needed done. Sen rarely involved himself in Agency affairs, so it was don't ask don't tell in our relationship. The newly appointed Coordinator – Lord Abbot – was a busy man, and had several assignments for me.

The Abbot was a being of supreme power and unknown origin. He had attacked before, nearly killing David Abbot and taking his remaining incarnations. We knew that The Abbot was a combined TTC and organic being. What we suspected was that he was actually a future version of Lord Abbot's TTC, named Implacable. Somehow, it became combined with it's organic Timelord pilot, but only partially. Missing most of David's consciousness, it was insane – and supremely powerful.

We prepared for its return as best we could. There was a plan to capture it and get information about its origins. The plan was successful, but we had a traitor. Just as The Abbot was contained by the Sisters and examination by the Arcalians was beginning, Olyesti was attacked. Ar had somehow been alerted of our precarious situation, and took advantage. The amount of power needed to contain The Abbot weakened our Barriers, and the city fell quickly. 

Soon, our power grid began to fall, and we could no longer contain The Abbot. He escaped, and quickly finishing what Ar started. Bodies littered the ground, regeneration energy causing nearly as much damage as the attacks. But Solis committed the ultimate act of bravery… she collapsed the Eye of Harmony. By hand. The Abbot was a TTC, so still tied to its energy. He was sucked in, Solis established a pocket universe bubble around the Panopticon to protect us all, and then detonated the Eye. 

Presumed dead, along with countless others. Our entire planet in ruins. Our Capsules without power. New Gallifrey had fallen.

Part 41 – Build Up

“Bloody damned Prydonians! I'm going to execute the lot of them!!” and a few other choice words I won't put in writing. Sen's latest incarnation – and final we would soon learn – was fiery, emotional, and exceptionally authoritative. 

Let me go back. You last read from Sen that the Olyesti and New Gallifrey Council's were combining, but that the Prydonians were – big surprise – causing issues. Let me pick up the story there, as I know many of you got caught up in the events that followed and never really learned the details.

As we would later learn, the Prydonians of New Gallifrey had been experimenting with Seer abilities, and had formed a new sect of the Sisterhood of Karn. Their initial experiments had met with some success, and they had foreseen a distortion of the Prime Timeline that had disaster befalling New Gallifrey on an apocalyptic scale. Initially, they didn't trust these visions, so never brought the issue before the Council. However, they did make preparations, just in case they were correct.

To preserve this secret project, they refused to combine intelligence and resources with the Olyesti Prydonians, the only Chapter or House not yet fully integrated at this point. They split, and went into exile. In a fiery speech in Council, Sen called for their execution, only to be interrupted as a medium by the voices of the Children themselves, the TARDISes. This changed everything, and brought about the beginning of a huge shift in our society that we did not fully realize until much later.

In the end, the New Gallifrey Prydonians were left alone. They formed the Jade Dreamers Chapter, and maintained their Sisterhood on a remote, secret planet that was shielded against TTC entry.

Of course, what the rest of us didn't know is that this secret location was actually New Gallifrey, just billions of years in the past. The Dreamers were establishing the past and future home of the Capital City that would be our society's long term home. They cast themselves out to do it, but they knew what had to be done.

Then that day happened.

Part 40 – A New Start

Well, this is an interesting find. Sen's diary. Talk about reliving the old days.

I should explain. My name is Phaon Warf, and I am the President of the High Council of New Gallifrey. To anyone reading this, that may come as a bit of a shock… we have some catching up to do since Sen's last entry.

Sen started off his diary introducing himself. Ok, back then it was herself. I'll do the same. I fled Gallifrey in N-Space in the SASTAP. Sen and I went through an array of N-Space adventures before being ripped apart and sent here to SL-Space. We arrived at different times, so I was not initially a part of building New Gallifrey with Solis and Oolon.

 I eventually wandered into the early days of New Gallifrey, but never had much of an appetite for politics. Sen's early organic incarnations seemed to take to it naturally, and I was thrilled to help in any way I could from behind the scenes. On the old Gallifrey, I was nearing completion on my Academy dissertation, entitled The Revival of Ancient Telepathic and Telekenetic Enhancements in the Modern Imprematur Era. I had dedicated my Academy study to mental enhancement, and those abilities were proving quite useful in helping Sen to navigate through the maze of issues with becoming recently organic, and dealing with still being the SASTAP's main computer.

Eventually the High Council was formed, and The Abbot (we would later learn, of course) started sending us others. His contact in N-Space sent us one particularly ambitious one in **REDACTED** who decided to appoint ***self Director of the newly formed SL-Space Celestial Intervention Agency. For a time, I found a home there as an Agent, my telepathic abilities making me able to make a unique contribution.

But fate had other plans. Or perhaps it was the Guardians. Ok, I'm getting ahead of myself. Time to take a break… I need to compose myself before I tell you about the worst day in the history of New Gallifrey.