Tautology (short story)

Tautology was a Brief Encounter short story published in Doctor Who Magazine 194.
== Summary ==
Professor Marius writes in his computer diary that he has been posted to a station close to the space lanes and believes he will be bored there. He acquires an old computer from his niece's fiancé. Strangely, although it is from the 20th century, its technology is far in advance of that time. However, due to shuttle weight restrictions he is forced to not only have it scrapped, but also to leave behind his dog Toby. He keeps the computer's motherboard and Toby's dog tag as mementos. At the station, he befriends an electronic specialist who helps him construct a new computer based on the motherboard and sketches Marius drew. The professor plans to name it after the old computer: K9.
== Characters ==
* Frederick Marius
* K9 Mark I
* K9 Mark III
* Gloria
* Frank
* Moore
* Toby
== Worldbuilding ==
* Frank is a descendant of Sarah Jane Smith.
* Marius uses a couple of tautologies in his diary, for which he chides himself.
* Frank inherited K9 from his mother.
== Notes ==
* "Momento" is not a misspelling, but an alternate spelling for "memento" frequently used in Australia, where the author is from.
* This story reveals that K9's existence is the result of an ontological paradox, as Marius gets the inspiration to construct K9 Mark I from his examination of K9 Mark IV, who was himself constructed by the Doctor after meeting K9 Mark I.
* Marius' dog and the creation of K9 were given a different background in the short story One Man and His Dog.
== Continuity ==
The television story School Reunion sees K9 Mark III destroyed and replaced by a fourth model. Although technically Tautology does not mention which model was passed down to Frank, making it possible to retcon it being the later version, since this short story was written years before the television story, it is clear which model is intended.
== External links ==
Category:BE stories
Category:Brief Encounter stories
Category:1992 short stories
Category:K9 short stories
Category:Stories set in 4997
Category:Short stories set on Earth
Category:Doctor Who short stories