Tales of the Dark Times (comic story)

Tales of the Dark Times was Comic Creator's contribution to the multi-medium Time Lord Victorious storyline. It marked the debut of Brian as a major character after his first mention in The Guide to the Dark Times.

Synopsis
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Episode 1
Brian the Ood, a remorseless but persistent killer who hates his name, searches for his only thing he has close to a friend, the Tenth Doctor. He finds the Doctor in a desert, holding his sonic screwdriver and wearing sullied Time Lord robes. The Doctor informs Brian that he went to the desert because he "wanted to do something good", which he achieved by finding and saving the last survivors of an ancient species, who the Doctor sees as white orbs floating around him. He tells Brian that they are teaching him secrets from their ancient books. However, Brian cannot see the orbs; he tells the Doctor that he has been alone in the desert for days, being fed on by ghosts. He challenges the Doctor to name any of the ancient books, but the Doctor cannot, revealing that he has been duped. Brian zaps the ghosts with his translation sphere.

Episode 2
On the planet Velosia, the Velosians greatly fear an impending attack from the Kotturuh. Fearing that a Dalek flying saucer is a Kotturuh ship, the Velosians expect the worst, only for it to turn out that the Dalek Time Squad wish to help them fight off the Kotturuh. The leader of the Velosians wishes for them not to go to war, as they want to keep their planet peaceful. The Time Commander decrees that the Daleks will take only the best and brightest of Velosia to safety.

After talking it over, the leader of the Velosians decides that the greatest healers, artists, scientists, poets, and comedians will join the Daleks. The Daleks and the Velosians accepted this, and the chosen Velosians were taken aboard the flying saucer.

As the leader of the Velosians accepts his fate with the Kotturuh, the Dalek Time Squad prepares to harvest the Velosian refugees.

Episode 3
The Dalek Time Squad stumbles across an abandoned ship hanging in space. Ignoring the Eighth Doctor's advice of learning from the ship's art and history, the Daleks locate a source of Huon particles.

The Daleks absorb all of the Huon particles from the ship and are instantly in trouble. The Doctor explains that it's easy to convert any kind of matter into Huon particles but difficult to turn Huon particles back into other forms of matter or energy.

The Daleks once again thank the Doctor for being their saviour, which the Doctor uneasily accepts. He informs the Daleks that the ship used to belong to a race wiped out by the Kotturuh. The race had left behind databases of information, hoping for the right race to turn up.

Episode 4
The Ninth Doctor and Ikalla arrive on Parvanna, one of the least hospitable planets of the Dark Times. Ikalla remarks that she feels as though they are being hunted, much to the doubt of the Doctor. A huge howl makes them uneasy and the Doctor admits there may be something out there. Out of nowhere, a huge shadow stretches across the land, in their direction.

Using his screwdriver to analyse the Creature, the Doctor states that the planet is so cold, that the creature hasn't even bothered to evolve a physical form, but Ikalla is doubtful on his explanation. The Doctor addresses the creature but it lashes out. It becomes clear that the creature is only after Ikalla, and has no interest in the Doctor.

From out of his pocket, the Doctor reveals a sonic stake. Using his sonic screwdriver, he sets it alight. He correctly theorises that the creature can only survive in the cold, and the heat from the fire temporarily keeps the creature at bay. Ikalla is happy with this and, together, they wait for their ship to collect them.

Episode 5
The Eighth and Ninth Doctors have arrived on the Planet Hoolan, in search for the Time Lord Victorious, however he is nowhere to be seen. They notice, however, that the planet is full of artron energy. Just as the Ninth Doctor goes to leave, the Eighth Doctor points out a house, that is sitting in the middle of the barren landscape. After scanning with his sonic screwdriver, the Ninth Doctor reveals it to not be an illusion. Together, the two of them investigate.

Inside they find a clothed skeleton and a time machine. Before their eyes, they note that the skeleton is coming back to life, and before long, a woman is standing before them. She asks whether either of them is God. The Eighth Doctor realises that she was the person who built the time machine, and that her purpose was to visit the Big Bang. Together, both Doctors explain to her that the Dark Times are time locked, thus when she hit the temporal barrier, it caused to her get stranded upon Hoolan and age dramatically.

As the house is acting as a bridge between the Dark Times and the woman's present day, the Doctors know that they can fix her time machine and return her home. They must act fast as any creature from the Dark Times could use this bridge to escape the Dark Times and wreak havoc in the future. They say goodbye to the woman and she and her house both disappear through the Vortex. The Doctors continue their search for the Time Lord Victorious.

Episode 1

 * Tenth Doctor
 * Brian

Episode 2

 * Time Commander
 * Dalek Prime Strategist

Episode 3

 * Eighth Doctor
 * Time Commander
 * Dalek Prime Strategist
 * Scientist Dalek
 * Dalek Executioner

Episode 4

 * Ninth Doctor
 * Ikalla
 * Creature

Episode 5

 * Eighth Doctor
 * Ninth Doctor
 * Woman

Worldbuilding

 * The Tenth Doctor recognises Brian, but is surprised when he refers to him as a friend.
 * Parvanna is one of the least welcoming planets in the Dark Times.

Continuity

 * The Eighth Doctor is in an alliance with the Daleks. (AUDIO: The Enemy of My Enemy)
 * The Daleks thank the Doctor for helping them again. (COMIC: Defender of the Daleks)
 * By the time the Eighth and Ninth Doctors arrive on Hoolan, the Tenth Doctor has already become the Time Lord Victorious. Both the Eighth and Ninth Doctors have entered the Dark Times to hunt him down. (PROSE: The Knight, The Fool and The Dead)
 * On Hoolan, the Doctors note that, although nothing escapes a time lock, the house they find could act as a bridge between the Dark Times and the future, allowing things to travel through and cause chaos. This won't be the last time that something breaks a time lock. (TV: The Stolen Earth, The End of Time)