The Doctor and the newly-reformed the Eleven arrive on the desert planet of Parrak, where the mad Time Lord plans to live out his life as a hermit.
Unfortunately for the Doctor, another Time Lord has already set up shop there: The Master, now nearing the final end of his prolonged and rotting thirteenth life, searching for a way to keep himself alive a little longer. And the Eleven isn't being entirely truthful to the Doctor...
Tropes:
- The Bad Guy Wins: The Eleven manages to sic the Ravenous on the Master and get away with it.
- Call-Back: Hearing a vortex manipulator going off, Helen assumes it's River Song popping in for a visit. The following audio story shows it is definitely not River.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: The Burned Master doesn't get that the Doctor might actually be trying to pull a heroic sacrifice to save him.
- Hoist by Their Own Petard: The Burned Master's various attempts at keeping himself alive mean he's a walking smorgasbord for hungry, hungry Ravenous.
- Horrible Judge of Character: The Doctor assumes the Eleven is genuine when he wants to reform, as does Helen. Liv is the only one who suspects a rat.
- Killed Off for Real: After many, many, many, many near-misses, the Burned Master dies for reals when the Ravenous eat him. Well, sort of...
- Macguffin: The Master is combing Parrak for the Tomb of Artron, which he believes will allow him to gain a new lease of life.
- My God, What Have I Done?: The Eight says this when the Eleven escapes.
- Never Speak Ill of the Dead: The Doctor chides Liv for speaking ill of the Master, one of the most sadistic and bloodthirsty people he's ever met, who once blew up a good chunk of the universe by mistake.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: As the Ravenous consume him, instead of pleading with the Doctor to save him, the Master commands him to save himself and avenge his death. It's a nice nod to their long ago friendship that he can put aside all the centuries of hatred and fighting when he knows he can't survive, and make sure the Doctor carries on instead.
- The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Invoked when the Master tells the Doctor to leave as the Ravenous consume him, the Master proclaiming that if he can't be the one to kill the Doctor then he won't let these things do it instead.
- Your Days Are Numbered: At the beginning of the story, the Master is actually facing the genuine end of his life, as his body begins to wear completely thin. He even notes that the constant pain he's felt is beginning to die down... because the parts that feel pain are shutting down bit by bit.
- Your Princess Is in Another Castle!: Villainous version. The Eleven reveals the brain-scan of Artron isn't in his tomb. It's all just a trap so the Ravenous can dine on the Master.
