Rutan scout

Rutan scout
Main aliases:	Reuben Whormby, Alfred Scott, Jacob Travers, Rupert Slant, Ruby Slant
Species:	Rutan
Place of origin:	Ruta III
First appearance:	Horror of Fang Rock
Appearances:	PROSE: Doctor Who and the Horror of Fang Rock PROSE: Beast of Fang Rock PROSE: Moon Blink PROSE: The Stories We Tell PROSE: The Phantoms of Tusker Rock
Main actor:	Colin Douglas

A Rutan scout who later came to be known as Rupert Slant came to Fang Rock in 1969. Due to a malfunction with its Osmic projector, the Rutan travelled back in time and split in two. One of the Rutans arrived in 1902 and was defeated by the Fourth Doctor, while the other arrived in 1822 and lived on Earth for over a century.

History

Having studied all planets in the Sol system, Earth was chosen as the best to serve the Rutan Empire's plot to destroy the Sontarans. The scout was sent to Earth for reconnaissance in May 1969.

As it arrived on Fang Rock, the Rutan was caught in a paradoxical situation; Anne Travers' experiments with a version of the Rutan's osmic projector that had already travelled through time interfered with the Rutan's osmic projector and caused it to temporally malfunction and travel back in time. In a process similar to binary fission, the malfunction caused the Rutan to split into two identical Rutans which were both sent to different years in the past in damaged ships. (PROSE: Beast of Fang Rock)

Rutan sent to 1902

One of the Rutans arrived in 1902. Unaware that it had travelled through time, the Rutan followed standard procedure for a damaged ship and set out to establish a base with a power source and to create a beacon to bring the Rutan Battlefleet to Fang Rock. (PROSE: Beast of Fang Rock)

There it established the beacon and began to kill the lighthouse keepers and shipwreck survivors, one by one. Using recent Rutan technological developments, the Scout shape-shifted into the form of the lighthouse keeper Reuben Whormby. It electrocuted the others.

After a short talk with the Fourth Doctor, the Rutan attempted to take the lighthouse. Leela destroyed it with a makeshift mortar and gloated over the scout as it lay dying. (TV: Horror of Fang Rock)

Three regenerations later, the Doctor was forgiven by the Rutan Host for killing the scout. (PROSE: Shakedown)

Rutan sent to 1822

Jacob Travers transformed into a werewolf because of the Rutan scout's actions. (PROSE: Beast of Fang Rock)

The other Rutan arrived at Fang Rock in 1822, where it attempted to replace lighthouse keeper Jacob Travers. However, Travers' DNA contained a morphic gene which was activated during the copying process and he was transformed into a werewolf. The Rutan fled and hid in a cave. Months later, the Rutan was found by Alfred Scott, who the Rutan copied and killed.

The Rutan lived as Scott for some time, during which it grew an affinity for humanity. In 1823, Travers returned to Fang Rock after a year in Bethlem Royal Hospital and attempted to kill the Rutan. The Rutan was saved by Anne Travers, who came to Fang Rock from 1969 using the Rutan's osmic projector. Jacob Travers died in the skirmish and the Rutan took his place. The Rutan realised that in order to preserve time it needed to stay close to the Travers family and make sure that Anne experimented with the projector in 1969, causing it to be sent back in time in the first place.

In 1829, the Rutan stopped being Jacob Travers and took on the identity of "Rupert Slant". As Slant, the Rutan established Morecombe & Slant Solicitors (with friend John Morecombe) to protect the financial future of Anne Travers ancestors. (PROSE: Beast of Fang Rock)

In February 1969, Rupert was approached by a woman claiming to be Dame Anne Bishop, who had travelled back from 2011 and 'possessed' the body of Rachel Ashcroft. Once convinced, after hearing the story of their first meeting in 1823, Slant pretended to help Anne in her mission to save her father from the Great Intelligence. However, Slant never intended to help Anne and instead, disguised as a soldier, handed Anne over to the military to be evacuated from London, thus protecting the timeline. He hoped, when Anne returned to the future, that she would be able to forgive him. (PROSE: Fear of the Web)

On 2 May 1969, Slant contacted Anne Travers and gave her the osmic projector, propelling her on a path that would ensure she would travel back to 1823 and meet 'Rupert' for the first time. Upon Anne's return, they met briefly and discussed Slant's life since 1823. As he left, he shifted form and Anne lost him in the crowd. (PROSE: Beast of Fang Rock)

In July of the same year, Anne visited Slant, now presenting as feminine and using the name Ruby, to gain information about the Terrae. (PROSE: Moon Blink)

At some point in the intervening years, Ruby Slant underwent binary fission and 'birthed' two children. One went on to become Mr Slant, the headteacher of Lucy Wilson's school in Ogmore, Wales, from 2017. (PROSE: The Children of January), and the other became the watcher of the lighthouse of Fang Rock, at the request of Anne Travers. She took on a succession of guises, always using the surname Goff. (PROSE: The Keeper of Fang Rock)

By Tuesday 22 March 2022, Ruby Slant visited Anne Travers, now once again presenting as a man, now calling himself Rhodri Slant. (PROSE: The Stories We Tell)