The Heart of the Battle (audio story)

 was the third audio story in the anthology Only the Monstrous. It featured John Hurt as the War Doctor and Jacqueline Pearce as Cardinal Ollistra.

Publisher's summary
Trapped in a citadel swarming with Daleks, the Time Lord rescue force must find a way to overcome insurmountable odds. With the Daleks apparently planning to rule the Null Zone, perhaps their thirst for universal conquest and victory has been quenched…

The War Doctor doesn’t believe so — but how can he prove it without destroying any chance of peace?

As the countdown to the destruction of Keska proceeds, a deadly choice must be made... A choice that will define this Doctor, and perhaps forever cast him in the role of ‘monster’.

Plot
to be added

Cast

 * The Doctor - John Hurt
 * Cardinal Ollistra - Jacqueline Pearce
 * The Nursemaid - Lucy Briggs-Owen
 * The Slave - Carolyn Seymour
 * Veklin - Beth Chalmers
 * Seratrix - Alex Wyndham
 * Bennus - Kieran Hodgson
 * Traanus - Mark McDonnell
 * Garv - John Banks
 * The Daleks - Nicholas Briggs

Continuity

 * This story follows on directly from the events of The Thousand Worlds.
 * Seratrix wonders if the Doctor wanted to survive the activation of the Time Destructor. (AUDIO: The Innocent)
 * Seratrix blames the Doctor for the start of the Time War. (TV: Genesis of the Daleks)
 * The device to create the null zone was taken from the Omega Arsenal. (TV: The Day of the Doctor)
 * The Daleks intend to collide several planets into Gallifrey. (AUDIO: The Apocalypse Element)
 * The Doctor calls himself a monster again. (AUDIO: The Innocent)
 * Seatrix asks the Doctor if he is a monster or a coward. (TV: The Parting of the Ways)
 * Rejoice questions if the Doctor is a good man. (TV: Deep Breath et al.)
 * The Doctor exploits the Dalek pathweb. (TV: Asylum of the Daleks)
 * Bennus mentions the sky trenches (TV: The Last Day) and the transduction barrier. (TV: The Invasion of Time et al.)
 * The plan of the Daleks is similar to the one they had in "The Dalek Invasion of Earth". (TV: The Dalek Invasion of Earth)