Fabula
S9E25 · The Time Monster Part 5

Doctor faces Krasis in Plaza showdown

The Doctor and Jo arrive in Atlantis Plaza to warn of the Master's threat, but Krasis immediately brands them enemies of the state. What begins as a diplomatic overture curdles into a rapid descent into hostility, exposing Krasis's alignment with the Master and the city's precarious political loyalties. Hippias's objection underscores the growing divide between factions, while the Doctor's defiant deflation of Krasis's divine claims sets the stage for a perilous game of survival against Atlantean authorities. key_dialogue: [ KRASIS: You are still alive?

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

5

Feigned holy righteousness masking cowering allegiance to an unseen master

Krasis confronts the Doctor and Jo with immediate hostility, invoking the Master’s false divinity to brand them public enemies. His command triggers instantaneous classification as threats by the plaza’s surveillance network, cementing his role as a tool of temporal tyranny.

Goals in this moment
  • Eliminate perceived enemies of the Master’s regime
  • Enforce immediate arrest without debate
Active beliefs
  • That the Master’s word is divine law in Atlantis
  • That dissenters must be silenced before their warnings reach the king
Character traits
Vengeful accusation Divine pretense Swift command authority
Follow Krasis's journey

Sarcastic exterior masking urgent intent to avert disaster

The Doctor emerges from the TARDIS with Jo, immediately assessing the plaza’s hostility. His tone drifts from sardonic greeting to deflection when branded an enemy, wielding wit to deflect premature judgment while positioning himself against immediate execution.

Goals in this moment
  • Prevent the Doctor and Jo’s immediate execution
  • Expose Krasis’s false authority and the Master’s influence
Active beliefs
  • That divine claims without evidence are dangerous tools of control
  • That truth spreads more effectively than force
Character traits
Sardonic calm Improvisational deflection Defiant witness to deception
Follow The Third …'s journey
Supporting 3

Quietly alarmed but controlling outward composure under threat of immediate detention

Jo steps out of the TARDIS alongside the Doctor and observes the plaza with cautious readiness as voices turn from curiosity to accusation. Her presence is eclipsed not by fear but by the swift realization that the Atlanteans will not listen.

Goals in this moment
  • Survive the arrest without escalating violence
  • Observe and gather context to find an advantage
Active beliefs
  • That truth alone may not prevent harm in a city where perception is weaponized
  • That the Doctor’s intervention is necessary despite personal danger
Character traits
Diplomatic restraint Tactical silence Understated resilience
Follow Jo Grant's journey

Frustrated resolve wavering under mounting threat

Hippias rushes between the Doctor’s entrance and Krasis’s arrest order, pleading for reconsideration despite the rising hostility. His intercession reveals a principled but cautious faction attempting—too late—to stem the tide of spiritualized tyranny.

Goals in this moment
  • Prevent unjust arrest of diplomatic visitors
  • Confront Krasis’s escalation with reasoned dissent
Active beliefs
  • That authority should not be weaponized through spectacle
  • That intervention before violent enforcement is still possible
Character traits
Urgent pleading Principled intervention Political caution
Follow Hippias (High …'s journey

Neutral institutional duty suppressing moral hesitation

The Royal Palace Sentry acts under Krasis’s immediate order, detaining the Doctor and Jo with disciplined force. Their functional neutrality belies their role as enforcers of a corrupt system, swearing allegiance to procedure over truth.

Goals in this moment
  • Carry out arrest order without delay
  • Maintain protocol compliance regardless of justice
Active beliefs
  • That following orders preserves order
  • That visible enforcement enhances state authority
Character traits
Immediate obedience Disciplined restraint Institutional compliance
Follow Peladonian Royal …'s journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

2
Master's TARDIS Control Console

The plaza surveillance computer processes biometric data in real time, instantly reclassifying the Doctor and Jo as hostile after Krasis’s declaration. Its automated chime signals the guards, triggering coordinated detention protocols that strip the visitors of any chance at appeal.

Before: Monitoring the plaza with neutral classification protocols, processing …
After: Reclassified and enforcing detention orders, its turquoise glyphs …
Before: Monitoring the plaza with neutral classification protocols, processing normal foot traffic
After: Reclassified and enforcing detention orders, its turquoise glyphs shifting to hostile red as it locks onto the Doctor and Jo
The Doctor’s TARDIS

The Master's TARDIS materializes adjacent to the Atlantean surveillance computer, its hexagonal structure and displaced geometry marking it as alien and untrusted. Its arrival disrupts the city’s equilibrium, immediately becoming the focal point of accusation when Krasis brands its occupants enemies of the state.

Before: Parked behind and adjacent to the Atlantean computer, …
After: Still grounded, now the center of hostile attention …
Before: Parked behind and adjacent to the Atlantean computer, silent but humming with temporal energy
After: Still grounded, now the center of hostile attention and classified as enemy property by the surveillance system

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
Atlantis Plaza

Atlantis Plaza transforms from a public courtyard into a stage for political violence the moment the Doctor and Jo cross its threshold. The dais, surveillance computer, and grand architecture accentuate the power imbalance, making any plea for justice seem absurd against the backdrop of institutionalized deception.

Atmosphere Tense with sudden hostility, where sunlight and marble contrast with rising shouts and the hum …
Function Courtyard becomes detention antechamber
Symbolism Represents the fragile boundary between public truth and institutional narrative control
Access Officially public but functionally restricted by surveillance classification and guard response
Marble dais raised above the plaza floor Central location of the Atlantean surveillance computer Sunlight fracturing across white and black surfaces

Organizations Involved

Institutional presence and influence

1
The Master

The Master’s organization operates through Krasis as a proxy, weaponizing spiritual language and surveillance systems to classify enemies without evidence. Their influence is invisible yet immediate, rewriting civic truth through a single branded claim.

Representation Through Krasis’s public branding and the surveillance computer’s automated enforcement
Power Dynamics Exerting coercive influence over institutional systems through proxy agents and automated systems
Impact Demonstrates how temporal insurgents infiltrate civic systems, turning institutional tools against their own society
Eliminate perceived threats to temporal conquest by branding them enemies of the state Use spiritual pretense to justify temporal interference and suppress dissent Public branding through trusted insiders (Krasis) Automated surveillance classification and detention enforcement

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What this causes 1
Causal medium

"The Doctor and Jo's apprehension by Atlantean guards on Krasis's orders (Beat e1fc...) triggers their subsequent discussion about the TARDIS's course and reliability (Beat 1d7...). Their capture forces them to reassess their situation in dialogue."

Doctor reassures Jo on time jump risks
S9E25 · The Time Monster Part 5

Themes This Exemplifies

Thematic resonance and meaning