Gazing Void (short story)
Gazing Void was the fifteenth short story in the Short Trips anthology Short Trips: A Universe of Terrors. It was written by Huw Wilkins. It featured the Eighth Doctor.
Summary
Four years after his involvement in the Hundred Day War, the Eighth Doctor returns to the city of Cherenkov, where he defeated the brutal dictator Jeremiah Maru-Stahl. By showing the medal he was awarded for his actions, he ensures that one of the offworld casualties is added to a memorial.
The Doctor visits Maru-Stahl. He was to be brought to trial for his crimes, but his failing mental health prevented this. The Doctor talks to Maru-Stahl inside his cell, who then lapses into insanity. Over the next few days, the Doctor attempts to coerce Maru-Stahl into revealing how he changed from a beloved revolutionary leader into a ruthless dictator. After many days, the prisoner finally tells him: to fight monsters, he became a monster. The Doctor realises there is nothing he can do for Maru-Stahl and leaves in the TARDIS.
Characters
References
- The Doctor mentions that he lost a companion during the Hundred Days War.
- The Doctor has a faint scar from the war that runs from his jaw to the bottom of his neck.
- The Doctor drinks whiskey with Elias.
Notes
- The planet on which the story is set remains unnamed throughout the story.
Continuity
to be added
