Travel Companions

Written by More Or Les
Leslie Seaforth (SOCAN)

I've Been
traveling with the Doc, but only just for a minute,
when we arrived on a spot and quickly became the victims of a
mental assault. Strange aliens attacking his
brain. To make it stop, he asked me to keep him chatting. It

gave him a focus, so he could start to battle them. He
he started babbling 'bout all the people he met traveling.
I didn't know so many more came before me,
and in his rough state, he began to tell their stories.

First: his granddaughter Susan. Loved what he was doin',
even when the Time Lords refused him,
even when he stole a capsule to get in some travel.
She went with him. That old man would need some humanoid

companionship. And the git got more than he
bargained when he parked in a junkyard on Earth.
Susan got followed. Her teachers wanted to
speak ta’ her guardian, but then it only got worse

for Chatterton and Barbara. Now on a
journey through Time and Space. Hated them at the start, but
Earthlings grew on him. He knew Sue was in
love with one, so he left her behind. Who wouldn't want the

best for their granddaughter? That was a trend starter:
meet folks, lose folks, rescue them from slaughter
like Vicky, or Stevan Taylor – stowaway on the
TARDIS. Conflicts with aliens will get some of

them in real danger. Sara Kingdom aged ta’ an
early death. Was I next? Katarina kidnapped and
blown out an airlock. How long have I got? Shook my
head and ignored the thought. Meeting people didn't stop

anyway. Dodo sneezed (and) nearly killed the human race.
Ben and Polly saw him regenerate to a newer face
Victoria saved from Daleks. An unlikely pair, you could say
of Astrophysicist genius and the warrior that came from

Scotland circa Seventeen-Forty-Six – that was
Zoe and Jamie – forced to forget their trips after
Doc got caught by his people again. That was a
trend. Forced regeneration and left to fend for himself

on Earth, he just went to work
for UNIT – a Task Force (and) overqualified to do it.
In charge was the Brigadier Lethbridge Stuart, (and) Liz
Shaw on the Science. Jo Grant got into it thanks to

Daddy pulling strings, but proved herself when things got hellish
won't regret it, cause the planet got defended
on a weekly basis. Enter: Sarah Jane Smith,
a brave investigative journalist – one of his favourites.

Harry Sullivan came a few times, but faced it:
he wasn't really up for the unpredictable changes
in Life, and Sarah Jane was forbidden to go with him to his
home. Wasn't for long that he travelled alone. He met the

Sevateem Tribe warrior named Leela,
put a knife to your neck if you ever displease her.
But she just stayed behind wit K-9
on Gallifrey, and she was safe, so that's fine –

he made the Mark Two. Then forced to talk to
the White Guardian and get a new partner too
Romanadvoratrelundar: a sub par Time
Lady at the start, but proved to have the smarts to

find the Key to Time. In time, she had the heart for
adventure. That led them to E-Space where she stayed
aground. They found a boy named Adric: a stowaway –
continued with him, met Nyssa and Tegan to know the weight

of loss: to lose an aunt, a father, entire home
planet, and Adric on a ship that crashed in-
to Earth in the past. This act wiped out the dinosaurs. (You)
can't cross your timeline to save people you might've lost.

That would rip a whole in the Space-Time Continuum
"brave heart, Tegan." They all got on, and continued with
adventures. The venture became too much eventually.
Nyssa left to heal the sick; Tegan, to save her sanity.

But not before Turlough arrived alien
working for the Black Guardian as a spy. This
seemed to be a theme: Kamelion, an android,
taken over by the Master for evil schemes.

Turlough repented, went back to his people.
Kamelion accepted that he'd never be free so, he
asked to be dropped. Got stopped from kidnapping
a young botany student wit a very odd accent

by the name of Peri, wearing very low scoop tops.
Melanie was almost the opposite, ‘cause she knew lots,
always had a sunny disposition and a photographic memory.
If you ever need something blown to smithereens,

best call an Ace. But don't ever call her Dorothy,
called him the Professor, while Grace called him abnormal. She
had no idea when she was operating on him, he had
two hearts. Nearly stopped his regeneration, but played a

huge part in stopping Armageddon. But he couldn't stop forgetting
what he did for what seemed like a lotta years; maybe
nine. Then he said the name "Rose," when I tried,
to find out more about her, he just said "another time,

another place." Adam Mitchell was a waste.
Better off with Captain Jack, despite his flirting ways
set to "maximum". Mickey finally came, ‘cause he was jealous of the
action when Rose was away. But he lost all of them – an

accident – too much to explain. Martha Jones first got
trapped in a Hospital on the moon. But pretty soon she was
traveling with the Doc. He told me of an alt’
timeline when the Master had nearly killed them all but she

acted with the utmost of courage, just to save him, her
fam’ and the whole planet. She stayed; He left to hang with
a temp from Chiswick who was more than she insisted she
was, because, simply she was to become the most important

person in the universe. Stopped the Daleks, but at a price:
forget it or lose the rest of her Life.
Her mind would burn, so the Doc had to block the trauma.
She'd never know that aliens would be singing 'bout Donna.

This drama proved to be too much. He needed a break,
despite meeting Astrid, or Wilfred or Jackson Lake,
or meeting Lady Christina DeSouza or Adelaide on Mars.
Had a little problem there playing God. New start:

Met Amy Pond, “the girl who waited too long.” Nearly
lost her husband to the past and her daughter to the
future. Then there was Doctor River Song; had
Romance in reverse – knew all about him while he grew ta’

fall in love. Sadly that’s not enough. Angels would
stop the run of good luck with Amy and Rory. Sent back to the
past. This changes the story of their whole life. They were
Trapped, but together, so they made it through alright.

But “wrong” for the Doc, who was lost and distraught,
‘til he came across a girl of impossibilities,
burnt chocolate soufflé, and stories carried in a leaf.
And then a little later, he met me.

© Leslie Seaforth 2013.