Their Finest Hour (audio story): Difference between revisions

'''''{{StoryTitle}}''''' was the first story in the audio anthology ''[[Ravenous 1]]'', produced by [[Big Finish Productions]]. It was written by [[John Dorney]] and featured [[Paul McGann]] as the [[Eighth Doctor]] and [[Nicola Walker]] as [[Liv Chenka]].

The [[Royal Air Force]] continues to engage the [[Luftwaffe]] during the [[Battle of Britain]]. In [[August]], [[Pilot (Their Finest Hour)|one RAF pilot]] tries to investigate [[Heliyon ship|a strange rectangle]] in the [[sky]]. Despite warnings not to do so, his plane is destroyed. With such unexplained RAF casualties, [[Winston Churchill]] calls [[the Doctor]] for assistance.

He reaches the [[Eighth Doctor]] and [[Liv Chenka]] via the [[TARDIS telephone]] during their search for [[Helen Sinclair]]. They arrive on [[27 August]] [[1940]] and Churchill explains the situation. Without the necessary RAF units to spare to aid the Doctor in his investigation, the Doctor recruits two [[Invasion of Poland|exiled]] [[Poland|Polish]] [[pilot]]s trained by the [[Polish Air Force]], [[Pilot Officer]]s [[Jan Ostowicz]] and Wilhelm Rozycki. After equipping their [[plane]]s with protective [[force field]]s, they take to the skies to investigate. Wilhelm and Liv eventually locate the rectangle but find themselves abducted.

Jan and the Doctor return to Churchill to report the development. Though they are presumed [[Death|dead]], Liv and Wilhelm discover the [[Heliyon]] who are startled by their use of force fields and assume hostile intent. They reveal their own ship and move to attack the RAF base. The rest of the Polish pilots and deployed to fend them off, while Liv and Wilhelm escape the ship via a [[parachute]] jump.

The Poles fend the Heliyon off and the ship head towards [[London]]. Churchill orders RAF squadrons to join the fray, while he, Liv, the Doctor, Jan and Wilhelm all make their own way towards London. Liv and Churchill return to [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]]. Liv makes sure to keep Churchill outside. Inside, she contacts [[Heliyon Prime]] and asks why the Heliyon are attacking [[Earth]]. Heliyon Prime explains their rules of [[war]]: in order to preserve their own population, the two blocs chose another [[planet]] on which a war is already being fought and chose sides randomly. The winning side of that planet's war determines who wins the Heliyon war.

However, Heliyon Prime determines that fanatics have been interfering in [[World War II|Earth's war]] by preying on the RAF to influence the outcome in their favour, an illegal action which constitutes a [[war crime]]. As the British and Poles overpower the Heliyon ship, the crew attempts a kamikaze attack to wipe out London. Just in time, Heliyon Prime intervenes, freezing the ship in place and then taking it back to justly punish the crew.

The Doctor and Liv stay in [[England]] a while longer. Before returning to their search for Helen, they take the time to say goodbye to Jan and Wilhelm. They find Jan who informs them the British were impressed by the Poles' performance against the Heliyon and have allowed them to engage the Germans in aerial combat. He also delivers the sad news that Wilhelm was shot down by the Germans and killed on the night of [[28 August]]. After Jan departs, a shaken Liv laments how Wilhelm survived a frantic engagement with aggressive [[alien]]s, only to be killed the next day by another [[human]].