Brian the Ood

Brian was an Ood assassin and ally of the Tenth Doctor during his exploits in the Dark Times.

Early life
Born in the days of the Ood's enslavement, Brian retained individuality. However, he developed a split personality as his delusions imbued his translation sphere with all the malevolent aspects of his psyche under the name of "Mr Ball". (PROSE: The Knight, The Fool and The Dead, AUDIO: He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not)

Unlike the typical Ood, where the translation sphere was a direct replacement for the hindbrain, Brian's hindbrain was stored within his. (PROSE: The Knight, The Fool and The Dead)

Although Brian did not lose the inbuilt Ood instinct to be helpful and obey human commands, he became, in addition to this persona, a "ruthless" murderer. (PROSE: The Guide to the Dark Times)

Encounter with the Eighth Doctor
Brian was contracted to retrieve Felicity and kill her wife Sophie, by Felicity’s father. He pursued the couple to Atharna, shooting down their ship in the desert. Wounded from the crash, Felicity shot Brian whilst Sophie fled, leaving him and Felcity stuck in the desert. The Eighth Doctor arrived and agreed to help them reach the nearest town, Moslin, after they lied that they’d been victims of a bandit attack. (AUDIO: He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not) During their travels to Moslin, the trio rested in a cave. Whilst Felicity slept, the Doctor told Brian a story about a tailor's daughter and how she tried to cheat death. (PROSE: The Knight, The Fool and The Dead)

In Moslin, the Doctor arranged the town’s doctor to treat Brian and Felicity, where they kept the pretence of being together. The Doctor encountered Sophie, seeking shelter with the sheriff in the tavern, and learnt the truth. He devised a situation to trick Brian, managing to rescue Felicity. He reached an agreement with Brian to take him off-world in return for him abandoning his contract. However as they were boarding his TARDIS it was captured by the Daleks, with Brian being flung into the Time Vortex. (AUDIO: He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not) Brian ended up in the Dark Times. (PROSE: The Knight, The Fool and The Dead)

Association with the Tenth Doctor
Brian was hired by High Ambassador Chalskal to test the efficacy of the Lifeshroud technology. He travelled to Andalia where he encountered the Tenth Doctor, who did not recall the encounter they had shared in his eighth incarnation. After witnessing Estinee being kidnapped by the Kotturuh, Brian forms an alliance with the Doctor to find her. Together they travel to the planet Mordeela where they are attacked by revenants. Later, Brian mobilised a mercenary fleet, of which he made the Doctor the admiral. He was present when the Doctor's Eighth and Ninth incarnations arrived to stop their future self from changing history. (PROSE: The Knight, The Fool and The Dead)

Brian followed the Doctor to a desert planet, where he saved the Doctor from the parasitic ghosts of a long dead ancient species. He admitted that he thought of the Doctor as the closest person he had to a friend. (COMIC: Tales of the Dark Times)

Legacy
River Song included a brief article about Brian in The Dark Times Times, noting that she found him "interesting". (PROSE: The Guide to the Dark Times)

Personality
Brian had "something of a split personality" as River Song described it. Brian had the natural instinct of the Ood and could be very helpful. However, he could also be a "ruthless killer". (PROSE: The Guide to the Dark Times)

Appearance
Brian was an Ood with a translation sphere and wore a tuxedo. (PROSE: The Guide to the Dark Times, The Knight, The Fool and The Dead)