The Last Stand: A Desperate Gambit in the Ashes of Thal
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Bettan, hearing movement outside, silences Sevrin, and Sevrin reports the Daleks are destroying the Thal city and hunting down survivors.
Bettan and Sevrin acknowledge they are alone and proceed with the attack on the main entrance under the cover of darkness.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
A mix of despair and resignation, with flashes of defiant loyalty. The weight of the Thal city's destruction presses on him, but Bettan's resolve gives him something to anchor to. There's no hope in his eyes, only the grim understanding that this is their end—and that they will meet it together.
Sevrin stumbles into the trenches, out of breath and visibly shaken, his uniform smudged with ash and his eyes wide with the horror of what he's witnessed. He delivers his report in a low, urgent voice, the words tumbling out as he describes the Daleks' systematic destruction of the Thal city. When Bettan confirms their isolation, he hesitates only briefly before acknowledging her plan to attack the bunker, his exhaustion giving way to a grim acceptance. He doesn't argue—only nods, his silence speaking volumes about the futility and necessity of their mission.
- • To confirm the full extent of the Thal city's destruction and the lack of survivors.
- • To align with Bettan's plan, despite the hopelessness, out of loyalty and shared purpose.
- • The Daleks have left no one alive—the Thals are extinct.
- • Bettan's leadership is the only thing left to follow in this moment.
- • Their attack on the bunker is a futile but necessary act of defiance.
A steely determination masks the grief beneath—her people are gone, but her purpose remains. There's no room for hesitation, only the cold clarity of a soldier who has accepted that this is her final stand. The emotional weight is palpable, but she channels it into action, her voice firm and her gaze unwavering.
Bettan stands resolute in the trenches, her posture tense but controlled as Sevrin returns from reconnaissance. She listens intently to his grim report, her expression hardening with each word. When Sevrin confirms the Thal city's annihilation, she doesn't flinch—only nods, her jaw set. Her declaration to attack the Kaled bunker is delivered with quiet finality, her voice steady despite the weight of their solitude. She urges Sevrin to prepare, her resolve unshaken, embodying the last ember of Thal defiance in a world reduced to ashes.
- • To launch a final assault on the Kaled bunker under cover of darkness, regardless of the odds.
- • To rally Sevrin and ensure he is prepared for the mission, reinforcing their shared purpose.
- • Delaying the attack will only ensure their own deaths without achieving anything.
- • The cover of night is their only tactical advantage in a hopeless situation.
- • Even in annihilation, defiance is the last act of dignity.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The cover of darkness is not just a backdrop but a tactical advantage and a symbolic shield for Bettan and Sevrin. It obscures their movements from Dalek sensors and patrols, turning the night into their only ally in a mission that is doomed from the start. The darkness also amplifies the isolation of their final stand, wrapping them in a shroud that feels both protective and suffocating. It is the last refuge of the Thals, a fleeting advantage in a war they have already lost.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Kaled trenches, once a refuge for the Thal resistance, now serve as the launchpad for their final, desperate assault. The mud-slicked ditches and barbed wire snarls that once shielded them from Kaled attacks now frame their last stand. The trenches are a microcosm of their predicament: a place of survival that has become a place of death, where the only way out is forward into the jaws of the enemy. The acrid smoke and distant artillery thuds reinforce the urgency of their mission, while the isolation of the trenches underscores the finality of their choice.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The Daleks are the looming, unseen specter in this event, their presence felt in the burning ruins of the Thal city and the systematic extermination Sevrin describes. Though they do not appear on-screen, their influence is absolute—they have reduced the Thals to two survivors and driven Bettan and Sevrin to a final, desperate act. The Daleks' involvement is a reminder of their genocidal efficiency and the inevitability of their victory. Their power is not just military but existential, a force that has already won but continues to hunt down the last remnants of resistance.
The Thals, once a proud and resilient people, are now reduced to two isolated soldiers in the trenches. Their organization is functionally extinct, its members slaughtered by the Daleks, yet Bettan and Sevrin embody the last flicker of Thal defiance. Their decision to attack the Kaled bunker is not just a tactical choice but a final act of resistance in the name of their people. The Thals' involvement in this event is spectral—they are present in the memory of what was lost and the determination to avenge it, even if it means certain death.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Thals continue their military mission in secret."
Key Dialogue
"BETTAN: *(Sevrin enters, out of breath.)* Shush. There's something moving out there."
"SEVRIN: The whole of the Thal city is burning. The Daleks are moving through it, section by section, hunting down the survivors."
"BETTAN: Then there's no one left?"
"SEVRIN: No, I covered a fairly large area and found no one. No one living, that is."
"BETTAN: So we're on our own."
"SEVRIN: You're still going to attack the main entrance though, aren't you?"
"BETTAN: There's no point in delaying any longer. We'll move more safely under the cover of darkness. Come on, get ready, we're moving out."