He remembers Gallifrey; he can still see it in his mind. Mostly he remembers running away. Running away from home to find freedom and excitement out amongst the stars, to all the corners of the multiverse. But now it has gone forever – the orange sky, the twin sunsets, the silver trees and the Crystal Mountains. Gone forever, burned in flame. The place he ran away from for centuries is the one place he longs to return to, even if just for a day.

 

But Gallifrey is gone, and so are his people. He is all that remains.

 

The Doctor looks down at the restraints that are holding him in place. An ornately robed man with an intense expression on his face sits opposite him, listening to the Doctor’s words. He says that he understands the Doctor’s loss, but the fact still remains that the Doctor is the person who ended the Time War, and he must answer for his crimes.

 

The genocide of the Time Lords and the Daleks.

 

 

One day earlier...

 

The Doctor is beaming at Martha. He has a secret – a great big shiny secret that he’s just bursting to tell her. But then, of course, it wouldn’t be a secret. He twirls some dials on the console, still beaming at Martha. Martha can’t help but smile back, as if the Doctor’s smile is infectious somehow. The Doctor says that they are going somewhere wonderful – somewhere she just won’t believe. Just the place to wind down after being trapped on a spaceship that was hurtling towards a star. Or after being possessed by the sun for that matter, but, he explains, she will love it.

 

The TARDIS motors grind as the time ship latches onto it’s destination outside of the time-space continuum and yanks it’s occupants towards it.

 

 

The TARDIS materialises inside the grounds of a huge, and very beautiful, stone temple that stretches high up into the crimson sky of Kersalla. Martha steps outside of the TARDIS and catches her breath as she sees the astonishing view. The Doctor steps out and smiles.

 

He recognises where he has landed, he’s been here before – the legendary Temple of Salid. Though not quite where he intended to be, but still...

 

The Doctor and Martha are approached by five robed men. They have summoned the Doctor...

 

In orbit above Kersalla, a huge spaceship hovers above a fleet of smaller warships.  It is the mothership of the powerful Kannar Empire.  The bridge is full of Kannar Warriors involved in preparing intelligence information about the planet below. Warlord Hasmak watches intensely as his generals present their information to him. He hears that so far the Kersallan Eldership, the committee of High Elders that represents each of the cities on Kersalla, has not formally agreed to their terms. Hasmak is furious – their planet is dying and who else is going to save them? They must accept – or die.

 

Hasmak asks to speak to Prime High Elder Sumroy and warns him that the Kannar Empire are not generally known for their patience and understanding. He warns Sumroy not to turn down his offer of help. They will be able to save the planet, but they insist on half ownership rights. Sumroy begs for time to speak to the Eldership, a request that Hasmak reluctantly grants – he has just one day.

 

 

The Doctor and Martha are introduced to Banul – one of the Elders of Salid. They have summoned the Doctor here for his help. He shows the Doctor a green gem that drew the TARDIS to the planet. The Doctor looks at it, asking where they got it from. Banul says that they got it from the Doctor himself – to use it to call for him if ever they needed his help. The Doctor explains to Martha that the Kersallans don’t have mobile phones to modify. Shame, thinks Martha as she smiles back - though she’d probably prefer a crystal to a phone...

 

 

The Doctor and Martha are taken into the vaults of the temple where they are invited to sit down and listen to the Elders. Banul thanks the Doctor and Martha for agreeing to listen to their request. Their scholars have discovered that the planet is dying, and the people of Kersalla have been blighted by a terrible curse that is spreading amongst them. They call it ‘the Maddening’.  He asks the Doctor and Martha to sit down as he explains...

 

Kersalla is an artificial world created aeons ago. No-one has ever discovered who created it, or how the Kersallans came to be here, but their scholars discovered its artificial nature three centuries ago. Recently, they have discovered an energy build up in it’s infrastructure that will rip the planet apart in just four days. All attempts by them to stop the energy build up have been unsuccessful.

 

Banul goes on to explain that the main Kersallan Eldership that he reports to, has been approached by an alien race – the Kannar Empire – offering their help in return for the ownership of half the planet. So far they have resisted allowing the Kannar to land on the planet, fearing that it will lead to a full invasion. The Doctor says that their fears are well grounded.

 

The Kannar Empire is renowned rampant aggressors who enslave worlds and bleed them dry, leaving devastated worlds and broken people. Martha asks Banul about the Maddening. Banul looks at her, his eyes tired and his expression haunted. He says that for the last year, every ten days almost to the minute, Kersallans are struck at random by the Maddening. People lose their minds, writhing about the floor and screaming of a burning world before losing consciousness.

 

‘Every ten days’ the Doctor echoes. Suddenly he springs to life and says that he must have a look at the information they have gathered on the energy build up. Martha grabs the Doctor and slows him down for a beat as she suggests to him that she has a look at the patients suffering from the Maddening. The Doctor smiles kindly to her, and says that that would be a brilliant idea!

 

 

Hasmak is looking at the viewscreen to see the sprawling planet below. An ornately robed figure approaches him. The newcomer is humanoid, with a closely cropped beard, and an angulated, stern face. He is Casoa, a representative of the Civilisation. Hasmak demands that the Civilisation provide them with the advanced weaponry required to force an occupation on the planet.

 

Casoa warns Hasmak that the Civilisation dictate the terms here, and that they will be rewarded handsomely for their cooperation. Casoa says that for the moment their priorities have changed. The Civilisation have detected a time-space incursion on the planet below, at the Temple of Salid. He shows Hasmak an image of the TARDIS and he ‘requests’ that Hasmak bring the machine, and it’s owner - the Doctor, to him.

 

 

Martha meets a healer, Umab, who shows her an area full of people who have been struck by the Maddening. They are being cared for by the Disciples of Salid. Martha sees that the patients are unconscious. She has a closer look at one of them. The patient is a young girl named Seir, and she looks peaceful. Her mother is standing over her. Martha notices her red eyes and tired face. She asks whether Martha is a healer. Martha replies that she’s ‘in training’.

 

Seir’s mother says that she has been here since her daughter became unwell 6 days ago, and hasn’t left her side. Her daughter is the only thing left in her life, though she says that if the scholars’ prediction is true, that the planet will die in 4 days, then they won’t have much time to care. Martha is struck by a thought for a second, but it is lost. She feels for a Seir's pulse.

 

Suddenly, Seir lurches forward and looks around. Though she is startled at first, she soon calms, and hugs Martha. She thanks her for helping her. Martha is unsure what has happened. Seir says she felt energy pass from Martha. Before, her mind was cloudy, but now it’s clear. Umab asks her what she remembers, but Seir has no memories of the planet’s destruction anymore. And Martha, it seems, has just performed a miracle.

 

 

The Doctor and Banul are inside the caverns underneath the temple, looking at the readings taken from the infrastructure. The Doctor fumbles in his pockets for his glasses and has a closer look at the computer screens. He rubs the screen to see the information more clearly, but Banul is unsure if it is just for effect. The Doctor looks up and says to Banul that he is so sorry. He knows what is affecting the planet and how they can stop it from happening. Banul asks him how he knows this.

 

The Doctor sighs, and then replies that the energy has come from a weapon fired in a Time War – a great war fought in the heavens a lifetime ago. But this weapon was fired by his own people. Banul looks at the Doctor, not sure what to think. He says the Doctor is a legend on this world, someone to turn to when disaster looms. Now he learns that the Doctor’s people have created this disaster.

 

Suddenly the computer explodes and the walls crack. The Doctor grabs Banul and drags him from the area. He says that the Kannar Empire must be attacking.

 

 

Martha touches more unconscious patients, and each meets with the same response – jumping up startled, calming down and losing their memories of the burning planet. Martha drops to the floor and Umab picks her up. She says that she feels weak. Umab carries her to a bed and lays her down. Martha recovers after a few moments. Sier’s mother asks what is unique about Martha – why she is able to save them. Martha says it is because she has travelled in time.

 

Every ten days, more and more people get memories of the planet exploding, with Seir falling to the Maddening six days ago, and the planet due to be consumed by the energy build up in four days. Martha says she’s figured it out. The planet is in a loop of being destroyed every ten days, and each time it resets, some people remember, and it drives them unconscious. She must somehow ‘reset’ them. Umab tries to quieten her. She says that there are thousands of people who suffer from the Maddening, and Martha has become weak at curing just four. She doesn’t want this getting out just yet as people will swarm here to be healed by Martha, and she’s not willing to put Martha at risk.

 

Huge landing craft penetrate the atmosphere and bombard the ground near the temple. The Doctor and Banul are running up a sloped corridor towards the surface. Banul asks what is happening. The Doctor says that the Kannar are firing weapons to try and demoralise the people on the planet. Typical conqueror’s tactic – break the opponent’s spirits before landing ground troops – even if they are civilians.

 

Umab helps Martha up to her feet, saying that they need to get out of here. The room shakes violently, with masonry working its way loose and falling. Martha helps evacuate to the surface.

 

 

The huge landing craft slam into the ground raising huge clouds of dust. Kannar troops pour out of the craft and march towards the temple. The Kannar quickly and brutally suppress any resistance to them from any brave Kersallans. Hasmat himself emerges from the troopers and sees the TARDIS. He orders that it be impounded and the temple placed on lockdown. He contacts Casoa and says that they have found the time-ship. They will now do an extensive search for this ‘Doctor’. Casoa responds that he doesn’t think that will be necessary.

 

The Doctor climbs up to the temple grounds and sees that the Kannar have indeed arrived. He storms up to Hasmak and demands that they leave the planet with immediate effect. He adds that he is here to save this planet – otherwise it will be destroyed in four days time, and he can’t do that with the Kannar troopers stomping about. Hasmat says that they are not here for the planet – not just yet anyway. He is here for the Doctor and the TARDIS. The Doctor is surrounded by Kannar troopers and held at gunpoint.

 

 

Umab asks Martha about the planet’s destruction – will they all just reset again? Martha says that they will be able to end it soon and save the planet. All she needs to do is tell the... Her voice trails off as she sees the Doctor being roughly escorted onto a landing craft, unable to move as several Kannar have him gripped tightly. Martha watches speechless as the landing craft all ascend into the sky. ‘Doctor’, cries Martha...

 

 

The Doctor wakes inside a darkened room. He can’t see much beyond a single bright light shining directly above him. His hands are tightly held by an energy beam, preventing him from moving much. A figure, barely lit, stands opposite him, in silence. It is Casoa, and he is watching the Doctor as a hunter eyes it’s prey. ‘Last of the Time Lords’, Casoa whispers.

 

He says he is from ‘The Civilisation’ and that they have been waiting for him for a while. They have assumed the power vacuum left behind by the Time Lords and the Daleks after they were destroyed – by the Doctor.

 

They are going to put him on trial for genocide, for which the punishment is death...