UNIT Christmas Parties: Ships That Pass (short story)

UNIT Christmas Parties: Ships that Pass was the twenty-fourth short story in the Short Trips anthology Short Trips: A Christmas Treasury. It was written by Karen Dunn. It featured the Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane Smith and Harry Sullivan.

Summary
During a battle, Brac's ship is about to crash onto a planet. He gives in to the urge to eject, only after noting his ship will destroy a nearby building.

The annual UNIT Christmas party is interrupted with news of a UFO. The Brigadier leaves, and several others follow. Before Harry can do so, an alien ship crashes into the building. Harry and Sarah are trapped under the rubble.

Several UNIT officers, including the Brigadier, are trapped under less rubble, and when they climb out they see a ship imbedded into the ruins of the building. The Doctor warns them to stand down, recognising the ship as a Voddod warrior ship. He notes that it is genetically coded to respond only to the pilot, who has ejected. He is probably the UFO that was reported earlier.

Meanwhile, Sarah and Harry swap "worst Christmas" stories. They have enough air to breathe, but they don't know if anyone else survived the crash. Harry tries to keep Sarah's spirits up.

In the woods, the Doctor and the UNIT troops encounter Brac. He doesn't care about the people trapped under his ship until he learns the Doctor is a Time Lord. The Doctor offers to take him back to the battle if he will disable his ship. He finally agrees.

Harry and Sarah are rescued. She is taken to an ambulance. Harry is given water, but when he sees Brac, he faints.

Characters

 * Fourth Doctor
 * Sarah Jane Smith
 * Harry Sullivan
 * John Benton
 * Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart
 * Brac
 * Leonard Young

Worldbuilding

 * At the party, the Doctor plays with cheese and pineapple squares.
 * Harry thinks about turkey and mince pies.
 * The Doctor mentions last year's pantomime to Sgt Benton.
 * The Doctor offers Brac a jelly baby.

Continuity

 * The Brigadier makes a comment about "not relying on an alien spaceship turning up at these bashes". (PROSE: UNIT Christmas Parties: First Christmas)