The Final Darkness (short story)

The Final Darkness
Main character(s):	Sycorax
Key crew
Writer:	Stephen Cole
Release details
Printed in:	4: The Sycorax
Doctor Who Files
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The Final Darknesswas a story featured in Doctor Who Files 4: The Sycorax. It was written by Stephen Cole.

Summary

A translation is provided by UNIT Alien-English software of a Journal of the (Sycorax) Ship's Scribe (whose duty it is to record a journal of the ships events).

The journal recounts how the Sycorax were first made aware of the planet Earth through its probes that it sent out into "the darkness between the stars" (space). The Mars probe sent in 2006 intercepted by the Sycorax confirmed the presence of "soft, primitive, fleshy cattle" that could be sold for slaves and precious minerals within the planet that could be plundered – along with human blood samples which their shamen (who practised the forbidden arts of Astrophia) could use to exercise blood control over one third of the cattle, encouraging them into an easy surrender and submission – before being humiliated with the reveal that it was no more than a trick!

Bringing aboard the cattle's leader (a woman, Harriet Jones) to the Sycorax ship where, as a tribe, the Sycorax seek to scare the defiant cattle in the Hall of War Pacts into agreeing surrender the Sycorax smile.^{[statement unclear]} Until that is they detect foreign machinery on the planet which is quickly teleported on board. It is a wooden box, that also brings with it a yellow girl (Rose Tyler) who amuses the Sycorax with her "borrowed words", and a dark boy (the Doctor). The Sycorax stop laughing when the dark boy, whose rank is "Doctor", breaks their leader's Staff of Helkaac-ak-ac before freeing the cattle of the influence of the blood control.

It is a first for the Sycorax when this Doctor invokes the sanctified rules of combat and stands as the Champion of the Earth against their leader. "Oh the sport," thinks the Sycorax as they watch the fight, their leader forcing the Doctor backwards like a lowly dalskaak, backwards out onto the wing of the ship where with a masterful stroke the Sycorax slices the Doctor's hand off! And then there is the "stab of purest fear" that the scribe has not felt since he was "first torn as a pup from the belly of (his) father and thrown to the snake baths of Hennteck" as they witness the Doctor grow another hand – true witchcraft.

Renewed, the Doctor turns the fight and the Sycorak leader is forced to the edge, forced to promise to leave the Earth and never to return, until the Doctor's back is turned and the Sycorax tries another strike. Without even looking this Doctor triggered the kojux-flap in the wing of the ship and the leader plummets to the ground miles below…..

Bound by the ancient rites of combat, blood charms broken and leaderless, the Sycorax ship leaves the Earth to return to the Sycorax Armada but that is not all. These human cattle are treacherous; more foreign machinery is detected on the planet, Sycorax sensors detect a destructive energy beam heading towards them from which they cannot escape. Defiantly the Sycorax hope the armada will send their blood as they chant: "Sycorax strong! Sycorax mighty! Sycorax ..."

Characters

• Sycorax
• Tenth Doctor
• Rose Tyler
• Mickey Smith
• Harriet Jones

References

• Sycorax terminology;

Kiskfaa – unit of distance

Slinkjaak – one of the Sycorax trade rewards along with goods and money

Kojux-flap – name of the small panel on the ship's exterior

Notes

• The original short prose fiction featured in the Doctor Who Files series of hardbacks from BBC Children's Books was officially sanctioned by the Doctor Who production office.
• This story depicts the events of The Christmas Invasion from the Sycorax's viewpoint

Continuity

to be added