Rassilon has returned – summoned back from the dead, to lead his people through their greatest crisis.
But the Time Lords will reap what they have sown, and the consequences of this resurrection will determine Gallifrey’s fate.
And in among the schemes and strategies of war, Romana and Narvin are losing friends and allies, as they become ever more isolated…
10.1 Havoc by David Llewellyn
In the aftermath of Rassilon’s return, Romana finds herself at the heart of the War Council’s machinations, with the High Council, the CIA, and the Lord President’s new security force all vying for control.
But then, a mysterious stranger arrives in the Capitol itself. And they bring a terrible warning from the future…
10.2 Partisans by Una McCormack
When the world of Ysalus becomes a strategic target for the Time Lords and their opponents, Gallifrey takes an interest in the planet’s civil unrest.
But the CIA and the War Council each have their own strategy.
And, as good intentions only make things worse, the true horror of the Time War will be visited upon the people of Ysalus.
10.3 Collateral by Lisa McMullin
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…
10.4 Assassins by Matt Fitton
Pushed to the brink by Rassilon’s actions, Romana is thinking the unthinkable.
A new threat has breached Gallifrey’s defences. And its target is clear. A race of assassins has evolved at the heart of the Time War, dedicated to one purpose. The Sicari are coming for Rassilon…
GALLIFREY: TIME WAR, VOLUME 2
The first volume of Gallifrey stories set in the Time War featured four largely standalone stories, each involving a different character from the range. For the second volume, even though the four stories are all written separately, we are told one consistent story: the return to power of Rassilon and the fall of Gallifrey from democracy to dictatorship. Romana and Narvin are there to fight against it, but their efforts ultimately prove futile.
An oppressive atmosphere of paranoia quickly settles over the listener and does not disperse. Rassilon introduces the Internal Defense Unit (IDU) to serve as, essentially, his secret police, and over the course of the set brings all the various Time Lord agencies under the umbrella of the War Council. His only goal is to defeat the Daleks and win the Time War, and thus anything not directly related to fighting the war is irrelevant and unnecessary. It’s a bit different from real-world dictatorships in that the existential threat to society warned of by the leader is actually real, but the effects are the same: rights are progressively snuffed out as anything in defiance of the war effort is ultimately prohibited. The authors do a great job of compounding this sense of hopelessness as the stories proceed – and since we know that Rassilon “wins” in the end, there’s no light at the end of the tunnel.
The first story, “Havoc” by David Llewellyn, is a fairly straightforward tale of a Time Lord traveling back from the future to warn of the damage Rassilon will cause if allowed to proceed unrestrained. While the resolution of that plot is largely unmemorable – and the “it’s actually one of our own future selves!” revelation is highly predictable – this story serves more to set the table for future events. We see the formation of the IDU, we see Rassilon consolidating power into his War Council, we see the emergence of Cardinal Mantus (Samuel Clemens) as Rassilon’s top deputy. We also see how Livia (Pippa Bennett-Warner) has lost virtually all independence as Prime Minister. Lastly, we see that the CIA under Romana has become a forgotten agency, with its most important work usurped by the War Council or the IDU.
This leads us into “Partisans” by Una McCormack, which sets up the primary conflict of the set. The planet Ysalus is consumed by civil war, with two nations attempting to destroy one another with others caught in the middle. But what neither side knows is that their planet is rich in a rare mineral oil, one that serves as an essential component of Dalek technology. And if one side wins the war, the other will retaliate with apocalyptic technology that will destroy everyone, leaving the raw materials behind for the Daleks to collect. It’s a little unclear why the vastly more powerful Daleks haven’t moved in force on this planet in the first place, but the Time Lords must intervene to stop the Daleks from acquiring their prize. Romana devises a plan to intervene in typical Time Lord fashion: infiltrate the planet and shape history from within, guiding Ysalus toward the most favorable outcome. But the War Council differs: Rassilon aims to destroy the planet utterly, to send a message to friends and enemies alike that Gallifrey is not to be trifled with. So we follow Narvin and a War Council agent as they work toward these opposing goals. There’s nothing groundbreaking here but it’s a good political drama that really brings Romana and Narvin’s frustrations to the fore.
After the situation on Ysalus is resolved, the aftermath is dealt with in “Collateral” by Lisa McMullin, in which Rassilon escalates the situation by proposing Ysalus be wiped completely from history, and Romana and Narvin must work behind the scenes to stop him. There’s not much to add about the story, except that the ending is particularly bleak – as we know Rassilon eventually presides over the destruction of Gallifrey, we know that Romana and Narvin cannot defeat him here, and that knowledge playing out in real time is quite affecting.
Finally, we have “Assassins” by Matt Fitton, in which Romana, pushed beyond her limits by Rassilon’s utter lack of morals, decides to assassinate the Time Lord President Eternal. I won’t ruin the specific outcome of her plan – though we know definitionally that Rassilon doesn’t die – but this is exactly the sort of drama we should be seeing: characters pushed to their limits and forced to make impossible choices. Not every episode must be a life-or-death struggle, but character is built on conflict, and we learn more about Romana and Narvin (and, to a lesser extent, Livia) in this story than we have in a long time as a result. I also like Fitton’s central concept of a race of assassins whose entire existence is paradoxically due to the Time War itself, and their only purpose is ending it. Very entertaining stuff here, and seeing Rassilon’s true colors as a paranoid zealot with a messiah complex is actually quite frightening.
Overall, “Gallifrey: Time War, Volume 2” is a strong release that uses its setting to the full. Instead of endless battles or increasingly ridiculous time weapons, we watch as the politics of Gallifrey are permanently shifted in a direction that we know ultimately leads to disaster. I’m curious about where the next set is going to go as it appears to be leaving Gallifrey, but that’s for another time. For now, count this a success.
7/10