The Secret History ( audio story ) Publisher ' s summary . The TARDIS brings the Doctor , Steven and Vicki to the Italian city of Ravenna in the year 540 – besieged by the army of the celebrated Byzantine general Belisarius . Caught up in the fighting , Steven ends up on a boat bound for Constantinople , the heart of the Roman Empire . Rescuing Steven , however , is the least of the Doctor ' s problems – because he shouldn ' t be mixed up in this particular adventure at all . Someone has sabotaged his own personal timeline , putting him in the place of his First incarnation . . . but who , and why ? The truth is about to be revealed – but at what cost to all of the Doctors , and to the whole future history of the planet Earth ? Plot . The Gothic War ( 1 ) . Vicki Pallister and Steven Taylor are running from the Antoene , who are shooting at them . They reach the TARDIS , where the Doctor is waiting for them . Inside , however , they find a stranger instead of the Doctor . The stranger greets them by name , expressing how good it is to see them again . To their shock , he reveals himself to be the Doctor . Steven and Vicki don ' t believe him , as he looks nothing like the First Doctor . The aliens start banging on the doors . The Fifth Doctor asks what ' s banging on the doors . Steven and Vicki tell him , prompting him to move to the control panel and dematerialise the TARDIS , to the surprise of Steven , as only the Doctor knows how to use the TARDIS . The two are now considering that the Fifth Doctor might be telling the truth . He explains that he has somehow switched places with the First Doctor . The duo mistakenly assume the Fifth Doctor is an earlier version of the First Doctor , but quickly realise that ' s incorrect , as he knows who they are . The Doctor then references past adventures , fully convincing the two that he is the Doctor . He also realises where in his past he is , based on what has just happened . Vicki asks him why he is here , instead of the First Doctor , but the Fifth Doctor has no idea . He explains he was just in his own TARDIS , then appeared in this one . The TARDIS lands , and the Doctor already knows where they are : Ravenna , Italy , 540 . The Doctor says they should go outside , but is hesitant . He explains that he remembers how this adventure turns out , but as soon as he leaves the TARDIS , the timeline will change to one in which he didn ' t experience these events in his first incarnation , and thus he ' ll forget everything that ' s about to happen . It ' s crucial that he does things as the First Doctor would do them , otherwise he ' ll have interfered with his own timeline , which could have severe consequences . As they go through this adventure , the Fifth Doctor will do everything he can to figure out what caused him to switch places with the First Doctor , and how to reverse the switch . They step outside and the Doctor gives some historical background about Ravenna and the split of the Roman Empire . The city is about to be sieged by the Romans , as the trio have arrived during the Gothic War . Procopius , advisor of Flavius Belisarius is against the idea of Belisarius going into the city . Belisarius reminds him that he needs to go in to fool the people into thinking that the Romans are willing to end things peacefully . He tells Procopius that he will be going into the city with him . Procopius convinces Belisarius to bring Quintis with them . The Doctor watches Belisarius enter the city and head to the palace . He and his companions follow the crowds there . While this is happening , Procopius notices that Quintis has gone missing . Quintis joins Sophia in her room and they go onto the balcony . Quintis gives her a crossbow , and tells her to protect the Doctor , Vicki and Steven . Belisarius enters the palace and claims the city . Procopius goes outside and informs the crowd about what has happened , and that if they cooperate , they will be left alone . The people take up a cry of " No surrender ! " and the Doctor and his companions move back towards the TARDIS . Quintis and Sophia watch this from the balcony . Quintis leaves , after telling Sophia that it ' s vital that the Doctor isn ' t killed , as he ' s not supposed to die here . Steven gets separated from the Doctor and Vicki , as they try to get through the crowd . The Doctor is confused , as the people are supposed to be surrendering . A man confronts the Doctor , and is about to attack him as a traitor to Ravenna when he is shot by Sophia ' s crossbow . Meanwhile , Steven accidentally offends another man , who knocks him out . Vicki and the Doctor get to the TARDIS , and find Procopius hiding behind it . The Doctor goes back into the crowd to look for Steven , and Procopius recounts the story of the capture of Carthage to Vicki . Steven is woken up by a physician , who is confused by Steven ' s requests for the Doctor . The Doctor returns to Vicki and Procopius , unsuccessful . Procopius suggests that Steven might have been mistaken for a Goth , prompting the Doctor to ask for an audience with Belisarius . Procopius takes him for said audience , while Vicki continues the search in the crowd . Steven asks where he ' s being taken , but the physician assures him that he ' ll take care of him . The Doctor is granted an audience with Belisarius , who tells the Doctor that all Goths were put on a boat to Constantinople . The boat can ' t be brought back without a messenger being sent out , which will take time , and no one is allowed to enter or leave the city until Belisarius says otherwise . Vicki finds a woman who has seen Steven been put on a boat for Constantinople with the other injured . As a cover , Vicki says she and Steven have eloped , and the woman , Sophia , is going to Constantinople soon . She ' s from Greece , and she left there with a stranger who understood her . Steven wakes up again , and the physician who rescued him identifies himself as Quintis . They ' re on a ship to Constantinople , and when they get there Quintis will explain to the captain that Steven isn ' t a Goth , so he will be free , but still stranded . A message arrives for Belisarius from Emperor Justinian . The emperor wants him to end the siege and return because Constantinople is under threat from the Persians . Belisarius refuses , but the Doctor convinces him otherwise . Procopius agrees to let the Doctor and Vicki travel with them . At the port , Belisarius refuses to bring the TARDIS on board . The Doctor explains to Vicki he only changed Belisarius ' s mind about staying in Ravenna , because he knew it was supposed to happen that way . Vicki spots Sophia in the port . Steven is amazed by Constantinople . Quintis asks him what he plans to do . Steven intends to secure passage back to Ravenna , but he has no money . Quintis tells him he can find employment at the chariot races , with his friend Yazid . The Doctor and Vicki arrive in the city . As they leave the ship , Imperial guards identify the Doctor by name and arrest him . Quintis meets with Justinian . He has told the emperor that the Doctor is a Persian spy , and Justinian will have him put to death , to the delight of Quintis . The Last Roman ( 2 ) . " to be added " The Catastrophe Cure ( 3 ) . " to be added " The Twist of Fate ( 4 ) . " to be added "