Collateral Victim (audio story)

Collateral Victim
Main character(s):	Leela, Rasmus, Veklin
Featuring:	Ollistra
Main setting:	Mellacron
Key crew
Publisher:	Big Finish Productions
Writer:	Alfie Shaw
Director:	Sam Clemens
Producer:	Heather Challands
Music:	Howard Carter
Sound:	Russell McGee
Release details
Number of parts:	1
Release number:	1.3
Part of:	Allegiance
Release date:	23 August 2022
Format:	1 CD Download 3rd of 4 stories
Production code:	BFPGALLCD24
ISBN:	ISBN 978-1-83868-835-6 (physical); ISBN 978-1-83868-836-3 (digital)
Gallifrey
← Previous	The Passenger
Next →	The First Days of Phaidon

Collateral Victim was the third audio story in the audio anthology Allegiance, the thirteenth series of Gallifrey. It was written by Alfie Shaw and featured Louise Jameson as Leela, Carolyn Pickles as Ollistra, Chris Jarman as Rasmus and Beth Chalmers as Veklin.

Publisher's summary

Rasmus, Leela and Veklin are despatched into dangerous territory: a place where time itself is in tatters. One TARDIS and its crew has already been lost - will the Norvis system claim another?

Plot

Ollistra summons Leela and Rasmus to the War Room and informs them of Bandar's disappearance during a successful mission to remove the Norvis galaxy from time to prevent the Daleks manufacturing temporal weapons there. Additionally, the planet Mellacron has somehow returned from the removed galaxy and Leela, Rasmus and Veklin are tasked with investigating it, but they are separated from their TARDIS as it pilots itself down to the planet from orbit and they are teleported to a library five centuries later than expected. From Ephra, a native soldier, they learn that Bandar has helped the development of Clarca, a country now at war with Daxland.

Ephra leaves the disturbed war correspondent Sorn behind to take Leela, Rasmus and Veklin to the battlefield where a TARDIS is constantly changing its shape in confusion and, when they return, the library is brand new and Sorn is well again. It soon becomes apparent that Sorn can move himself and the group through time and he admits that he is Bandar's TARDIS, having placed the Norvis galaxy inside himself to protect it from Bandar's Oubliette before taking over his next incarnation's body. He suggests that all TARDISes merge to form an Ark TARDIS in which to hide the universe away from the Daleks.

Veklin uses Ephra as a shield to protect herself from bullets to reach the TARDIS and pilot it to Leela and Rasmus. Although Veklin and Rasmus suddenly go from believing that Sorn's plan is impossible to supporting it, their minds change back and, when Leela gains knowledge of how to pilot the TARDIS, Rasmus realises that Sorn has been able to manipulate their minds as well as well as reality. He stuns Leela and sends Mellacron, which has become a temporal bomb, on a course for the Dalek Fleet. Sorn, who has been recounting this story to the deceased Ephra and writing reality with his memories, loses his mind.

Cast

• Leela - Louise Jameson
• Cardinal Rasmus - Chris Jarman
• Commander Veklin - Beth Chalmers
• Ephra - Zora Bishop
• Sorn - Peter Bankolé
• Bandar - Rish Shah
• Cardinal Ollistra - Carolyn Pickles

Worldbuilding

• The General has been called to the front.
• Ollistra claims the Daleks would have developed new Special Weapons Daleks in the Norvis galaxy.
• Captain Bandar's Battle TARDIS proposes he build an Ark TARDIS.

Notes

• Collateral Victim was originally going to be about time having grown sick of being rewritten by the Time War. However, the idea of sentient time was vetoed because of a similar idea being used in Once, Upon Time and The Vanquishers. (BFX: Collateral Victim)

Continuity

• Sorn mentions Time Lords' foundation of time. (TV: Once, Upon Time, PROSE: Christmas on a Rational Planet)
• Sorn recalls the Time Lords' attempt to meddle in the Daleks' creation, and their hasty choice of agent. (TV: Genesis of the Daleks)
• Rasmus mentions Leela's actions on Freme. (AUDIO: The Last Days of Freme)
• Leela recalls Rasmus claiming to be a friend of the Doctor. (AUDIO: The Passenger)

External links

• Official Collateral Victim page at bigfinish.com