'Short Trips': 'The Quality of Leadership' edited by Keith R. A. DeCandido

King Loran of Zalezna is dead, the victim of an attempted coup. However, with the help of the Eighth Doctor, Loran’s son and heir, Mihal, is able to stop the rebels and claim the throne. Now Mihal faces the prospect of ruling before he’s ready. By way of helping Mihal prepare for his new role, the Doctor tells him of the many leaders he’s met over the course of his lives…

Join the Doctor as he regales Prince Mihal with stories from throughout time and space. There are tales of the Roman Empire, from Emperor Theodoric to rebels Spartacus and Calpurnia to Rome’s enemy Queen Boudica. There’s King Arthur and Plato as they’ve never been seen before, Martin Luther and King Henry VIII in the midst of rewriting Europe’s religious landscape and an unexpected side of William Wallace. The Doctor also travels to such exotic worlds as Rishik and Mitidiki, and arrives at a deceptively mundane department store.

Leadership comes in many forms. Some are unexpected, some are less pleasant than you’d think and some aren’t quite what history would later paint them to be.

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'From Little Acorns' by John S. Drew

As King Mihal lays on his deathbed, his brother, Lycon, tells a story to his own children, of how he and his brother faced the threat of death from their evil uncle, Kalem, who, having killed the then king of Zalezna, Loran, in a coup, wanted to seize the throne for himself. Fleeing into the woods from Kalem and his men, the young Lycon and Mihal were saved by a man known as the Doctor; after disarming the soldiers with the aid of a sonic device, the Doctor helped the two boys to defeat their uncle, allowing Mihal to take over as king. When Mihal became unsure that he was fit to rule, the Doctor told him some stories of other great leaders who overcame their doubt…

Notes:
*Featuring the Eighth Doctor

*Time-placing: the Eighth Doctor comments that he is quite new to this incarnation

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'One Fateful Knight' by Peter David

Arriving at a castle in the Middle Ages, the Doctor is called upon to help with the difficult birth of a baby; the Doctor is surprised to learn that the mother is Queen Ignerna, while the newborn child is none other than the legendary future-king, Arthur Pendragon. Realising he too has a destiny to fulfil, the Doctor starts calling himself ‘Merlin’ – only to learn that Arthur’s father, Uther, has recently made a deal with another man calling himself by that name. The Doctor soon discovers that the other Merlin is a renegade Time Lord, who plans to disrupt history by introducing high-tech Sontaran weaponry into the medieval society. The Doctor protests at this abuse of time, but when he recalls his encounter with highly-advanced knights at Lake Vortigern during his Seventh incarnation, he is forced to allow it to happen. The Doctor jumps forward several years, after Arthur has become king and become romantically involved with the evil alien sorceress, Morgaine; here he confronts Morgaine over her manipulation of the king, outwitting her and stranding her in the desert; however, the Doctor in turn is outwitted by Merlin, and trapped within a force-field. Using a device to take on the Doctor’s physical form, Merlin steals his foe’s TARDIS and then tricks Queen Guinevere into killing Arthur; but as Merlin leaves in triumph he is captured by the vengeful Morgaine, and imprisoned for all time. Freed from his own prison, the Doctor takes Arthur’s corpse in Morgaine’s spaceship to the bottom of the lake, leaving the messages that his past self is later destined to find…

Notes:
*Featuring the Eighth Doctor

*This story is a prequel to the Seventh Doctor story, 'Battlefield'

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'The Slave War' by Una McCormack

Arriving in Italy, the Doctor, Ben, Jamie and Polly discover the bloody aftermath of a battle between Roman soldiers and a band of rebelling slaves. The Doctor becomes the unwitting guest of the soldiers’ commander, the unscrupulous Marcinus Licinius Crassus, Proconsul of Rome, and is forced to pose as a slave trader named Faber; meanwhile, his companions encounter the rebels’ leaders: Calpurnia, and her husband, Spartacus. Over the next few months, the Doctor befriends Crassus’ slave, Denetrius, and attempts to obfuscate his master’s plans by convincing him of the merit of building a huge, fortified wall to keep out the rebels. Ben, Polly and Jamie become inspired by the charismatic leadership of Spartacus, and they help him in his campaign to overcome the Romans. The Doctor eventually manages to contact his companions, and tells them to warn Spartacus of the impending arrival of a mighty Roman legion. Forced to acknowledge that Spartacus and his followers are destined to die in the forthcoming battle, Ben, Polly and Jamie leave their brave comrades and rejoin the Doctor in the TARDIS, after ensuring that at least Denetrius, Calpurnia and her newborn baby are able to escape by boat…

Notes:
*Featuring the Second Doctor, Ben, Polly and Jamie

*Time-placing: this story occurs between 'The Macra Terror' and 'The Faceless Ones'

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'Goths and Robbers' by Diane Duane

Arriving in Ravenna in 493AD, the Doctor, Tegan and Nyssa encounter a party of Goths, who take them to meet their leader, Flavius Theodorus, ruler of Italy. Arriving at the royal palace, the time travellers are surprised when Theodorus recognises them, having met them years before in Constantinople. The Doctor and his friends enjoy Theodorus’ hospitality, but are shocked when he shows them the body of a rival king, whom he recently had murdered. Taking the TARDIS back in time, the Doctor and his companions meet a young boy named Rithros, who has been blamed by the Princess Ariadne for the disappearance of the Crown of the Byzantines. The Doctor, Tegan and Nyssa soon learn from Rithros that the real culprit is the mischievous bully, Prince Leo; using the TARDIS, they retrieve the coronet and return it to its rightful place. After the revelation that Rithros is in fact the young Theodorus, Doctor tells Nyssa and Tegan that the energies inside the TARDIS have affected the crown, and are the cause of its reputation for ‘strange behaviour’. Returning to the elder Theodorus’ time, the Doctor learns that the king’s reasons for murdering his rival were purely altruistic; satisfied that Theodorus will become a great and noble leader, the Doctor and his friends leave in the TARDIS…

Notes:
*Featuring the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan

*Time-placing: this story occurs between 'Arc of Infinity' and 'Snakedance'

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'Good Queen, Bad Queen, I Queen, You Queen' by Terri Osborne

Arriving in Roman-occupied Britain, the Doctor and Romana meet Queen Boudicca, whose husband Prasutagus lies dying from mortal wounds received in battle while defending the Druids; it seems that upon the king’s death, his tribe, the Iceni, will lose their kingdom to the Romans – a situation that the Roman prefect, Suetonius, will benefit greatly from. When Boudicca is badly beaten by Roman soldiers, the Doctor convinces Romana to dress up and pose as the queen, keeping the Iceni’s hopes up while the real Boudicca secretly heals inside the TARDIS’ Zero Room. By the time Boudicca recovers and takes back command, she is amazed to find that Romana has managed to unite all the tribes against the Romans. Boudicca leads these united forces in a campaign against Suetonius and his men at Londinuim; however, the rebels’ combined might is not enough, and the battle soon turns against them. Forced to leave history to take its course, the Doctor and Romana depart in the TARDIS – unaware that Boudicca is in fact a Time Lord named Fimmilena. Having disguised a corpse to look like her, to make it appear that she was killed by a poisoned spear, Boudicca returns to her TARDIS at Stonehenge and regenerates into a younger body…

Notes:
*Featuring the Fourth Doctor, the First Romana and K-9 MkII

*Time-placing: the Doctor has recently installed the Randomiser, while Romana is still in her original incarnation, placing this just after the completion of their quest for the Key to Time

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'The Price of Conviction' by Richard C. White

While visiting a marketplace in ‘Worms’, in Sixteenth-Century Germany, Susan overhears two assassins discussing the murder of the recently-excommunicated Martin Luther. Susan and the Doctor then encounter the chief magistrate, Rudolf von Slesinger, who questions them about the conversation before introducing them to two of his associates, Luther himself and his prosecutor, Johann Eck. Concerned that Luther has become a target, Rudolf proposes taking him to his trial at the Diet via an old escape tunnel under the city. However, the Doctor and Susan are suspicious, surmising that the recent events have been deliberately orchestrated in order to lead Luther into a trap. That night, Susan slips away and warns Eck of the plot. The following morning, Randolf leads Luther into the tunnels, accompanied by Doctor and Susan, only to be ambushed en route by the two assassins. Revealed to be the villain behind the plot, Rudolf and his assassins level their weapons, only to stopped by the timely arrival of Eck and his men. With the villains taken into custody, Luther continues on to his trial, while the Doctor and Susan decide to stay a while to enjoy the delights of the city.

Notes:
*Featuring the First Doctor and Susan

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'God Send Me Well To Keep' by Linnea Dodson

Arriving at Christmas in London, 1539, the Doctor and Nyssa gatecrash a party held by King Henry VIII. Here Nyssa catches the eye of the lascivious monarch, much to the annoyance of the manipulative Duke of Norfolk, who is busy trying to draw the king’s attentions to his niece, Katherine. Having detained the Doctor and his companion as his ‘houseguests’, Norfolk convinces the king to make Nyssa and Katherine his ladies-in-waiting; meanwhile, the Doctor receives a message from Oliver Cromwell, ordering him and Nyssa to leave London before the Feast of Steven, on pain of death. Using his wits the Doctor escapes from his room and, together with Nyssa, makes a hasty exit in the TARDIS. The two time travellers then jump forward six days, arriving at Rochester Abbey on New Years Day; posing as wandering entertainers, the Doctor and Nyssa manage to distract Queen Anne, allowing Henry the chance to flirt with Katherine, his next wife-to-be…

Notes:
*Featuring the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa

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'Peaceable Kingdom' by Steven Savile

Arriving on the desert world of Mitidiki, the Doctor discovers an Akthon Mark 2 space shuttle near the desiccated remains of several of the planet’s insectoid inhabitants. Blamed for the death of the creatures by their tribe, the Kotani, the Doctor is thrown into a pit and left to die under the hot sun. The Doctor soon learns that the real murderer is an alien missionary dubbed ‘the white preacher’ by the Kotani – a creature that is feeding on the primitive insects’ bodily fluids. Escaping from his prison, the Doctor sneaks aboard the hydrovore’s ship and finds equipment capable of transforming the planet into a world of water. Using one of the devices, the Doctor makes it rain; the resulting downpour quickly overwhelms the hydrovore, causing it to lose control of its form as it absorbs too much liquid. When the Doctor offers to help the hyrdovore reach the safety of its ship on the condition that it leave and never return, the alien is forced to accept; however, and as it flies away, the Doctor reflects that by saving the Kotani, he may have allowed a greater threat to the universe to survive…

Notes:
*Featuring the Seventh Doctor

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'Rock Star' by Robert T. Jeschonek

While enjoying the annual music festival Beatfest on the planet Rishik, the Doctor and Jo are caught up in a terrible earthquake. After saving several audience members from falling masonry, the Doctor and Jo join forces with the minister of music, Anderian Gosha, as he relocates the festival to an alternative site. Using the TARDIS, the Doctor traces the epicentre of the quakes to the estate of Genus Fry, the rock legend who is due to headline at Anderian’s concert. The Doctor, Jo and Anderian pay a visit to Fry’s home, and while the minister jams with his old friend, the two time travellers sneak off to investigate the premises; they soon come across an underground control centre occupied by two huge, stone creatures named Oke and Erm. The rock monsters capture Anderian and the Doctor, and then connect Fry to their equipment, allowing the musician to ‘play’ the planet’s fault lines and create another earthquake. Appalled at the death and destruction Fry is causing, the Doctor drops his sonic screwdriver into the machinery, reversing the quake and focusing it back on Fry. As the control room is hit by the earthquake, Fry explains his actions to the Doctor: having seen visions of a bleak, dark future, he has been working with Oke and Erm, the guardians of the planet, to destroy the nuclear weapons that the East and West powers have been secretly stockpiling. The Doctor and Jo join forces with Fry to direct the quakes at the nuclear arsenals; their efforts are successful and the weapons are destroyed, but the strain on Fry’s body proves too much for him to survive. However, Oke and Erm use their machines to allow Fry to be reborn in a stone body like theirs; realising that his visions referred to his new form, Fry is happy at his second change at life – as a real rock star…

Notes:
*Featuring the Third Doctor and Jo

*Time-placing: this story occurs between 'Carnival of Monsters' and 'Frontier in Space'

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'On a Pedestal' by Kathleen O. David

After Jamie and Victoria fall out over an argument concerning the legendary freedom-fighter, William Wallace, the TARDIS takes them to the Highlands of Scotland. Wandering off, Jamie immediately finds himself blamed for the theft of local land-owner Sir Douglas’ prize bull, and is sentenced to death by hanging; however, he is saved in the nick of time by the Doctor, Victoria and their new-found friend: a young William Wallace. When Sir Douglas arrives to investigate the commotion, the Doctor offers to find the real culprit; by examining footprints in the mud the Doctor quickly identifies the guilty party as William himself, who took the bull as a joke. That evening, the Doctor and his friends enjoy the hospitality of William and his father; however, their revelry soon draws the unwelcome attention of the villainous Captain Fitzroy and his soldiers, who object to the unlawful assembly. The following morning, the Doctor and his friends accompany William on a fishing trip, but their time together is spoilt once more by Fitzroy, who accuses them of poaching. When Fitzroy threatens Victoria, William intervenes and kills the captain; as the news of his actions rapidly spreads, William is forced to go on the run. Saddened by the knowledge of their friend’s fate, the Doctor, Jamie and Victoria leave in the TARDIS…

Notes:
*Featuring the Second Doctor, Jamie and Victoria

*Time-placing: this story occurs between 'The Ice Warriors' and 'The Enemy of the World'

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'Clean-up on Aisle Two' by James Swallow

While helping a pregnant alien with a difficult birth, the Doctor stops off at the Nev-R-Close mini mart on Earth to collect some candy wrappers, which the creature can use as a source of food. When two armed robbers burst in and demand the store’s takings, the manager, Randall, tries to deal with the situation; however, Randall is a poor leader, more used to treating his staff like pieces from the role-playing games he plays instead of as real people; consequently, when he tries to rally them against the raiders, he finds himself standing alone, and is forced to back down. After a passing motorcyclist is shot by the raiders, the Doctor intervenes, treating the injured man’s wounds and reminding Randall that the respect of his team must be earned. Having looted the safe the raiders then decide to take one of the staff, Lucy, with them for entertainment. To his own surprise, Randall stands up to the robbers to defend Lucy; although he gets a broken nose for his trouble, his actions earn the respect of his peers, and their united front sees off the raiders. Once the police have arrived on the scene, the Doctor bids Randall goodbye, knowing that the manager has a gained an important lesson in leadership.

Notes:
*Featuring the Seventh Doctor

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'The Spindle of Necessity' by Allyn Gibson

A formerly unknown work by Aristotle, ‘Endemus, or On the Soul’, recounts how the philosopher, Plato once met the Doctor: together with his fellow, Endemus, Plato sought the axis mundi, the axis of the world, so that he could scale it to the heavens, look upon the gods and ask them to release the soul of his late master, Socrates. A passing stranger named the Doctor objected to the folly of such a mad quest, but soon became intrigued and offered to accompany Plato on his voyage. Plato is intrigued by the Doctor, a man haunted by the torment of seeing his own future self, an evil man known as the Valyard. After a long and arduous voyage, the Doctor and Plato encounter the Fates, three spectral women named Clotho, Lachesis and Antropos, who reveal that a nearby mountain is in fact the Spindle of Necessity, the axis itself. To the Doctor’s disbelief, the Fates transport him and Plato first to the Moon, then onto Mars and finally Saturn, where they find Socrates’ soul. After Plato elects to stay with his master for a time, the fates show the Doctor the truth: the Earth has been enclosed in a huge sphere and moved beyond the edge of the universe, to protect it from the wrath of warring gods. Encouraged by the wonders of his experience, the Doctor decides to return to his travels amongst the stars.

Notes:
*Featuring the Sixth Doctor

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'Epilogue' by John S. Drew

The Doctor returns to Zalezna to pay his respects to the dying King Mihal. As the king’s life ebbs away, he is happy knowing that the Doctor’s wise tales of leadership have been passed to his children, and will continue to live on with each generation of the royal family…

Notes:
*Featuring the Eighth Doctor

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Notes:
*Published by Big Finish