Light the Flame

Light the Flame is the first story of The War Doctor Begins Volume 1: Forged in Fire.

=Synopsis= The Sisterhood of Karn have a guest, recovering from his traumatic regeneration. To do what is asked of him, the Doctor has rejected his name and his code.

The Time Lords have plans for him and for Karn. Is he ready to light the flame of war?

=Plot= The Doctor was attempting to light a lighter when Lithea walked in with a cup of water. The Doctor in a fit of rage shattered the cup, telling her that there is no Doctor here. Ohila walked in and got Lithea to leave, asking if the Doctor would attend Cass's funeral. The Doctor refused, blaming himself for her death. Ohila consoled the Doctor and left. As she left, the Doctor exclaimed "Doctor no more".

At Cass's funeral, Ohila read a eulogy when the Doctor appeared. The Doctor asked to be left alone, and after Ohila left he apologized to Cass for failing to save her, and berated his previous incarnation for being foolish and naive. Meanwhile, Ohila communicated with Commodore Tamasan, who questioned Ohila on when the Doctor can join the Time Lords in their fight. Ohila replied that the Doctor required time to get used to his current situation. The conversation later devolved into insults, and Tamasan beckoned Ohila to calm down.

The Doctor scavenged through wrecked ships when Lithea appeared again. She wanted to help, and the Doctor lets her. She explained the histories of all the ships that have crashed, including a Shaylar troop carrier that had been caught in a Chronon mine, with the soldiers trapped in the moment of their death over and over again. Lithea conjured up a window to the Matrix, showing a vision of the future. The Doctor continued his search alone.

Tamasan sent Rasmus and Sanmar to help the Doctor, much to Ohila's chagrin. Ohila later returned and chatted with the Doctor. As the Time War approaches Karn, the Doctor takes up arms and heads off. Rasmus and Sanmar arrived on Karn and are greeted by the Sisterhood. They broke into the Doctor's TARDIS to begin conversion into a Battle TARDIS. Lithea informed the Doctor that the Time Lords have arrived and asked if she should send them to him. The Doctor told her no and asked her to show him more of the Time War.

Lithea showed the Doctor more of the Time War. The Doctor still has doubts if he could ever make a difference, and Lithea encouraged him to take up arms. Meanwhile, fed up with the TARDIS's uncooperativeness, Sanmar walked off in search of Ohila. She meets Ohila and Ohila granted permission for her to enter Karn's caverns, and sent Lithea to go along with her as her guide.

The Doctor arrived at his TARDIS to find Rasmus tinkering with it. The Doctor refused Rasmus's suggestion to modify his TARDIS. Meanwhile, Lithea guided Sanmar through the tunnels towards the source of the Sacred Flame. Back at the TARDIS, Ohila appeared and found the Doctor and Rasmus talking. Ohila informed the storm front of the Time War is closing in. The Doctor questioned Ohila on where Lithea is, and she replied that she's guiding Sanmar through the caverns. The Doctor was suspicious of Sanmar, and piloted the TARDIS towards her.

Sanmar arrived at the Heart of Karn, and began creating a device to extract it. Lithea saw what Sanmar was doing and tried to stop her by summoning the Elementals. Sanmar shot Lithea, killing her. The Doctor arrived at a cavern outside the Heart as Ohila sensed Lithea's death. The group found Lithea's body, and Commander Sanmar at a device. The Doctor identified it as a Dimensional Extraction Ring. They argued and Sanmar drew her Staser to keep the Doctor and Rasmus at bay. It is then the Elementals manifested yet again, forcing everyone to run. Sanmar voiced her worries that the Elementals could cause the equipment to explode and devastate the planet. After an argument, the Doctor demanded to speak with whoever gave Sanmar's orders. The Doctor spoke with Tamasan, and Tamasan denied the orders were given, making Sanmar a scapegoat. The Elementals closed in around Sanmar and killed her.

As the Time War approaches, the Doctor voiced his plan to destroy Karn, rationalising that it would be better to destroy the planet instead of letting it fall into enemy hands. As the Doctor threatened to detonate the machine, he argued for the War Council to provide an alternative. With little choice, Tamasan ordered Karn to be time-locked.

As Rasmus left in his TARDIS, the Doctor talked with Ohila. As they bid farewell, Ohila stated she was satisfied with whom the Doctor had become. The Doctor headed out to the Graveyard again and destroyed the Shaylar troop carrier to end their suffering. The Doctor left, bidding farewell to Cass and Lithea.

Meanwhile, Rasmus detected that Karn had vanished. The Doctor contacted Rasmus and the Doctor confirmed he is ready to fight in the Time War.

=Cast=
 * Jonathon Carley - War Doctor
 * Veronica Roberts - Ohila
 * Chris Jarman - Rasmus
 * Helen Goldwyn - Sanmar
 * Anna Andresen - Lithea/Elemental
 * Adèle Anderson - Tamasan

=Appearances=

=Notes=
 * This is the first post-Regeneration story by Big Finish Productions.
 * The title of this story references a quote from the War Doctor said during The Day of the Doctor:
 * War Doctor: "Great men are forged in fire, it is the privilege of lesser men to light the flame."
 * The credits were read by Louise Jameson.

Continuity

 * This story takes place immediately after The Night of the Doctor.
 * The Doctor had just regenerated.
 * The Sisterhood of Karn was holding a funeral for Cass Fermazzi.
 * Ohila claimed that Rassilon rewrote Gallifrey's history, bringing to mind how the secret of the Timeless Child and the origins of the Time Lords were hidden from Gallifrey's history.
 * Lithea mentioned the Doctor using the Hand of Omega against Davros in Remembrance of the Daleks.

=Links=
 * The War Doctor Begins - Forged in Fire
 * The War Doctor Begins - Light the Flame Excerpt