The Hero Factor (short story)

Summary
The Doctor and Rose are enjoying the pleasures of Askenflatt Minor (the Warp Hotel – best tea in the known universe!) when they are interrupted by a group of strange creatures with microphones and cameras who start asking Rose what its like to travel with the future Champion of Askenflatt – the man who will lie his life down to defend the people against Hasval the Destroyer!

Before he knows what's happening the Doctor finds himself as a guest on the The Solar News Show being interviewed by Jazami Paxxo.

As Jazami tries to work out the Doctors strengths and weaknesses it seems the Doctor isn't really qualified to be the planets great defender. At 900 he is getting on a bit, doesn't charge for his services, doesn't have any weapons, none that he would use anyway apart from some fruit maybe from his pockets, in fact he's a bit of a buffoon.

But this is all a hologram-generated reality. The studio audience, cameras and crews vanish and the interviewer is none other than Hasval the Destroyer himself testing out whether the Doctor, the Lord of Time, survivor of a thousand wars and of who even the Daleks are scared is a threat to his imminent invasion. Hasval was ready to strike but when he heard the Doctor and his companion were about he panicked when he heard Rose suggest they could "stay here for ever".

Rose is revealed in a cage behind bars, but when the Doctor tosses Rose a half eaten banana to finish Hasval manages to slip over with a shove by the Doctor and kick away his hologram generator. The Doctor is able to duck as the canons surrounding him fire, accidently hitting the bars of Rose's cage and allowing her to escape.

Hasval recovers but as he moves in on the Doctor such a “pathetic little creature” he is horrified to find not one Doctor but two, six, twenty …hundreds – all smiling, wide eyed and dangerous. The Doctors all warns Hasval to leave and renounce war- or else! Fearful of the stories he has heard, Hasval orders a hasty retreat and leaves.

With the threat to Askenflatt Minor gone, the hologram generated projections of the Doctor are switched off and the using the teleporter the Doctor and Rose return to their loungers with Rose offering to buy a fresh pot of tea for her hero!

Characters

 * The Doctor
 * Rose Tyler
 * Hasval the Destroyer

Continuity

 * The Doctor demonstrates fondness for drinking tea. Tea previously helped the Tenth Doctor recover from his ninth regeneration.