This story was originally called "Duty and Honour" a title which seemed to make sense at the time, but when I came to look at it again it seemed to have lost its point. In any case, most people I talked to about it called it 'The Rescue one'. So simply 'The Rescue' a title that also pays homage to the Hartnell Doctor Who era seemed to fit better.

This story is told from Sammie’s point of view at the beginning. He is the one left behind to rescue the others from the kidnappers who snatched them in the dawn of the morning after the Carnival of Light. Much of the early part of the story involves him using his skills as an SAS man in hostile territory. Stealing motor bikes is not, of course, something SAS people do when NOT in hostile territory. But in these circumstances he used the resources available.

I have never ridden a motorbike, let alone stolen one. I am reliably informed that breaking the steering lock is how to steal one. If that’s not true, I really DON’T want to hear from anyone about how it’s REALLY done.

The observation techniques of special operatives in the British Army are not as close a secret as they might be. The sort of thing Sammie did in the woods can be found on plenty of websites. No great surprises there.

And who is behind the kidnapping? Of course, it’s Epsilon again. Thwarted in his gun-running attempts he vowed to get his own back on his cousin. This was his plan. Kidnapping, and the torture and murder of his friends before he, himself would be killed. At the time, some readers thought that it was TOO nasty, but that was before the double episode in the 2007 episode, Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords which saw The Master, Epsilon’s adult incarnation, as a very nasty piece of work for whom torture is a daily entertainment.

Sammie having done his job, it was next Humphrey’s turn to be a hero, defending them all until Chrístõ was ready to take on Epsilon. The Oldblood Challenge is a piece of Time Lord culture I introduced, meaning to use it again. So far I haven’t done so, but it might come in again. It might even come in against Epsilon. This time he surrendered without trying because he had no choice. And Chrístõ found a better way to neutralise him this time.

The idea of Chrístõ taking the dimension circuit out of Epsilon’s TARDIS is, of course, not original. It was done in 1966 in The Time Meddler, when the First Doctor scuppered the Monk’s TARDIS that way. Since Chrístõ is meant to be that First Doctor in youth, this, of course, would be the FIRST time he has done this trick.  But that’s the joy of retro!

As for Li Tuo, his secrets WILL come out little by little. But for now we learn only a little about him. Enough to keep the interest alive, hopefully. Just like Epsilon, he WILL be back. Li Tuo has become a bigger character than I ever intended. He was meant to die quite early in the storylines, but I decided he would hang in there a bit longer.

http://www.rdwf.org.uk/doctors/D1/s2/09timemeddler.htm