Churl

Commander Churl was a Sontaran who hunted down Rutans from a scientific scoutship when it crashed on Earth.

Having destroyed three of four Rutan craft encountered in the Sol system, Commander Churl pursued the fourth, damaged craft to Earth, accompanied by Lieutenant Stavv. The Rutan craft crashed on a remote farmhouse, killing a woman when the roof collapsed and leaving a male dead from a surviving Rutan's attack.

Leaving Stavv to retrieve information from the Rutan science ship, Churl pursued his prey. He encountered a blind girl. At first, he dismissed her. The girl directed him to a barn which turned out to be empty. In a moment, Churl lost the girl and returned to the Rutan craft. Stavv was not there. The terminal he was using displayed files for the Metamorphosis Technique, a new, flawed technology to enable a Rutan to assume a body copy from a tissue sample. It usually created a flaw, a disability distinct from the original copy, nor could the shape be held if the Rutan killed its prey with its "electric" sting. Returning to the farmhouse, Churl met Stavv, who was dragging a wounded leg. Stavv declined Churl's offer to use the tissue rectifier, preferring to carry the scars as a badge of honour and bravery and a reminder of being beaten.

With Churl in the middle, the Sontarans faced the blind girl at the farmhouse. She has armed herself with a gun. Stavv realised he must decide quickly which was the Rutan copy. He fired the tissue rectifier at the girl, which restored her eyesight. She pointed her gun at the Sontarans and saw "Stavv" revert to his Rutan form. Churl moved aside; the girl fired and killed the Rutan responsible for her father's death. Churl explained a real Sontaran would only carry wounds as a mark of victory in battle. Other wounds would be healed in preparation for the next battle. Churl commended the girl for avenging her family with honour and asked her to bury the body of his lieutenant with due ceremony when he had gone. With the girl watching, Churl left in his scoutship to rejoin the war. (PROSE: Blind Terror)