ladyofleithian | Chapter One: Call To Arms

In which Rose and Charley (in a sort of thing where she wasn't marooned in a parallel dimension) are called back to Gallifrey to defend it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Notes: Hope I got Charley down, at any rate.

Even walking away from the ruins of the aptly named Silver Devastation, Rose could not help but feel a twinge of guilt. The day had been
saved, at least from the monsters that plagued the land. But at the same time, there had been a great cost. Lives had been taken that day -- lives that she
still wished that she could have saved. She could still remember the boy that had fallen to one of the hands of the Cybermen. Charley, helping her bury him.

It was one of those moments where Rose was glad to have Charley with her. She had helped her so many times. Ever
since the Titanic sinking, and the incident with Zagreus. She had done so much for Rose -- it was good, at least,
to have Charley with her, in those times.

It was then that Rose heard it from the TARDIS cloister room. The cloister bell, ringing. She frowned, before running towards the cloister
room.

But then again, the cloister bell didn’t need to be rung, apparently, because there was the faint sound of static from the TARDIS’ recording systems.

“Professor, are you there? Professor, can you hear me?”

“Ace?” Rose pulled up a chair now, sat in front of the systems to look directly at Ace. “What is it?”

“Romana just wanted me to tell you...” Ace swallowed. “Gallifrey’s under attack.”

"What?" Rose couldn't believe it. "Gallifrey is under...what?"

But it couldn't be. The Daleks had attacked many places, really. The Daleks were dangerous -- she
knew that too well. Even with their inability to climb stairs and everything else,
they were still very much dangerous. Ruthless killing machines, willing to wipe
out everything that wasn't Dalek.

"It's under attack," Ace said. "Romana wanted me to call you back immediately, Professor."

"I'm on my way."

"Good luck out there, Professor. Ace out."

Once Ace's transmission ended, Rose turned to look at Charley. "We'd best be getting back."

"That goes without saying," Charley said.

Rose took a deep breath and punched in the TARDIS' coordinates for Gallifrey. She only hoped that they
could get back in time to repel the Dalek invasion. If she couldn't...well, how would she be able to forgive herself?