War Room: Manoeuvres: Transference

"All crimes have motive."

Writer: Fio Tretheway

Format: Audio

Released: September 2023

Series: Gallifrey 14.03

Featuring: Leela, Narvin

Synopsis

When a promising scientist is injured and his new technology stolen, Ollistra sets Leela on the trail. Her hunt takes her outside the Citadel to Lowtown, where a shock awaits. Narvin has returned to Gallifrey. But in trying to help his kin, he risks more than he knows.

Verdict

Transference was another great episode to continue my way through the Manoeuvres second instalment of the War Room for Gallifrey's fourteenth series! Wow, I'm nearing the end of the fourteenth series which is some going for an audio spinoff but it really does show no sign of letting up which is testament to the depth of storytelling and the characters created. As I mentioned in my blogging of Remnants yesterday, I expected this episode to be focused on the Resistance and that was certainly the case as Narvin and Leela returned to the forefront of events. I loved Leela's reaction to seeing that Narvin was back on Gallifrey and her shock showed just how dangerous his presence could be. His position in the Resistance now is huge and if he was caught the punishment would be catastrophic. It's one thing for them to be conversing but physically meeting like this was a nice little reunion. I loved that the pair are still set on freeing Romana from her pocket dimension detention but there's a long way to go to reach a point of being able to do so. The ruthless nature of Cardinal Ollistra was in full show here and it almost felt a completely different side to her. She was just outright mean and showed no compassion when it came to Helico and Lenaris. The latter being Narvin's cousin was a nice touch and I enjoyed Leela's reaction to finding out that he had a family. He never talked of them – as you might expect! – and that didn't please Lenaris all that well. Her brother being Helico was a fun revelation after the attempted assassination on his life when showcasing his new MT weapon to the War Room. Leela catching on that things were not right when she could see what turned out to be Lenaris approaching was excellent and sent her right back to her predatory instincts and savage ways. Even having her alluded to as a savage by Narvin when it came to their meeting in Lowtown was a reminder of just how far she has come since departing the Doctor. I really appreciated the references to The Invasion of Time in having Leela back outside of the walls of the Citadel and outside of the Capitol it almost feels wrong that Gallifrey has dwellers ruled over by criminals. It was interesting to explore more of that hidden side of the Time Lord planet. Where do they stand in the Time War? It didn't feel like they were granted much protection. The concept behind the MT and its connection to the Matrix was intriguing, although I feel like having that kind of direct connection would have been something the Time Lords would already have. It was dangerous though and Ollistra having no qualms in testing it on Lenaris was brutal. She was all for the war effort and cared little about anything else. She knew the connection with Helico would also see him affected and did it anyway because promises to what she deemed a traitor were not valid. It was horrifying villainy and put her on Rassilon's level in my opinion. She was that ruthless and callous. The reaction of Narvin when Lenaris was left as nothing was incredibly emotional and I felt so sorry for him. Leela keeping a level head and thinking of the bigger picture was brilliant as she rendered him unconscious to ensure he wouldn't give up his presence with the microspans of his TARDIS shielding counting down. I suspect big things are brewing ahead of the finale given Narvin's feelings increasing against Ollistra and the War Room, and I can't wait for it! Overall, another very strong listen.

Rating: 8/10