Interphases series

02
Oct
2015

Review – Quartermaster

Review – Quartermaster

I enjoy quartermaster characters. They do things which we do now. We can relate to them easily.  As a result, it can feel like a job which an ordinary fan can do. This drabble was written in response to a prompt of the same name.

Background

Barking Up The Muse Tree | jespah | Janet Gershen-Siegel | Dev Patel as Sekar Khan (image is for educational purposes only)

Dev Patel as Sekar Khan (image is for educational purposes only)

Plot

During the E2 timeline, in canon, Hoshi Sato gets married, and has two children, Toru and Yoshiko. But that’s about all we know.

Review – Quartermaster

Hoshi Sato (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We learn that Jonathan Archer wed Esilia, Travis Mayweather wed Julie McKenzie, Phlox married Amanda Cole, Tripp Tucker married T’Pol, and Malcolm Reed never wed. Major Jay Hayes‘s love life is never mentioned in the episode.

So, Hoshi married someone. But who was he? And just as importantly, how did they get together?

I cover some of this in The Three of Us.  But the idea absolutely fell into my lap and I couldn’t shake it, that Sekar Khan, the Quartermaster, would play to his own strengths. Therefore, he would court Hoshi in his own special way.

Story Postings

Rating

The story has a K rating.

Upshot

The story dovetails with There’s Something About Hoshi, as she wears a similar dress in that one (and reminisces a bit about Sekar, although none too fondly). And that also, now, makes me wonder how things got so sour between them. But the prime timeline is different, and the dice roll another way.

I like this little drabble, and I think it conveys what I wanted well, with a good economy of words and with no loss of impact. Do you agree?

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, Interphases series, Review, 1 comment
15
Sep
2015

Recurrent Themes – Plant Lovers

Recurrent Themes – Plant Lovers

Plant lovers inform many of my stories.

Background

Botanists and plant lovers are canon. In the original Star Trek series, Sulu and Rand both attend to plants. Barking up the Muse Tree | Janet Gershen-Siegel | jespah | DNA | Plant Lovers In The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, Keiko Ishikawa O’Brien is a Botanist.

For an older ship like the NX-01, I felt like there absolutely had to be a Botanist.

Appearances

Naomi Curtis

Only seen during If You Can’t Stand the Heat, I’ve retconned her and now consider her to be the first Botanist on the NX-01 Enterprise. Much like Preston Jennings is shifted over to Navigation and Lili O’Day is hired for the Xindi War, Naomi is thrown over for the better skilled and more versatile Shelby. A pity for Chef Will Slocum, as she’s an early love interest for him. But they do get to fight off the Darvellians together.

Shelby Pike

Pike is the best-realized of my botany and plant-loving characters. Her talents range from growing food crops to keeping everyone sane with flowers, colorful fruits, and other pleasant reminders of home.

Eriecho

A true gardener and homebody at heart, Eriecho grows yellow peppers. It’s at her garden patch that she and Sollastek first scandalously hold hands.

Von

Recurrent Themes – Plant LoversA Ferengi engineer at the Temporal Integrity Commission, Von is also an amateur gardener, and gives Sheilagh Bernstein a yellow tulip while she’s deciding whether to join the commission.

Michael Nolan

Gina Nolan‘s late husband is in his Beijing lab, studying Bajoran dicotyledons, when he’s killed during the Breen attack on Earth.

Other Characters

The Hayes family and the Warren family farm during Concord, but that’s more a matter of survival and economics rather than study. Many of the Daranaean women also garden. And in particular they will grow Krivian weed, which is shaped into a type of boxwood-style hedge. But that’s not just for beauty’s sake. They can chew Krivian weed in order to determine the gender of a fetus a pregnant woman is carrying. In the E2 timeline, Esilia and the other Ikaaran women farm as a part of their obligation to their government.

Upshot

They may have their heads in the stars, but their feet are on the ground; they’re the gardeners, Botanists, farmers, and plant lovers of Star Trek.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, In Between Days series, Interphases series, Themes, 1 comment
04
Sep
2015

Portrait of a Character – Ingrid Nyqvist

Portrait of a Character – Ingrid Nyqvist

Ingrid Nyqvist is a spitfire.

Portrait of a Character – Ingrid Nyqvist

MyAnna Buring as Ingrid Nyqvist

I liked the idea of having another super light-colored woman on the NX-01, someone who would very superficially resemble Lili. Because Lili is selected by the Calafans in the Prime Timeline, there is some reason or another why Ingrid, who looks even more like I think Calafans should, is not selected.

The easiest explanations are either that she has left the ship after the return from the Delphic Expanse (which is what happens to Quartermaster Sekar Khan), or she has no psionic gifts and, therefore, is not suitable for the Calafans. I think I prefer the latter explanation although I haven’t had an occasion to test or explain either hypothesis in my Star Trek fan fiction.

Origins

Because Malcolm seems to prefer blondes, I hard-wire that as a preference for him, particularly for the stories based on the E2 episode. As he and Lili circle each other (and she also circles Jay), Malcolm does consider Ingrid as a possible mate, except he really doesn’t know her at all.

Portrayal

I liked the idea of a Scandinavian actress, so I selected MyAnna Buring, who has been on Doctor Who. She’s also been on Downton Abbey, and that was a great way to visualize original character Ceilidh O’Malley (for my original work, The Real Hub of the Universe).

Personality

Mainly withdrawn and private, Ingrid isn’t well-known. I don’t cover her life too closely, like I do with tertiary characters like Meredith Porter. Instead, Ingrid’s main event happens during The Three of Us.

Going after Lucas Donnelly initially, Ingrid is a bit disappointed to learn that he’s gay. However, in order to help out his roommate, Mark Reilly, Luke tells a fib, and claims that Mark is unusually well-endowed. The hype gets Ingrid interested, but also Sandra and other women like them, like Kate Shelton and Colleen Romanov. With sexual tension running high in the ship, the women physically attack each other, thereby starting a small riot in the Observation Lounge. Beyond the obvious disciplinary issue, this also gives the single men an opportunity to intervene. Sometimes this is to try to break things up, but it’s also an excuse to grope the women a bit.

Relationships

Mark Reilly

In the first kick back in time, after the riot, they end up together. Despite the fact that Mark cannot live up to the hype, she still selects him.

Robert Slater

In the second kick back in time, Ingrid and Victoria Dietrich switch, and she instead marries Robert. This is somewhat to her advantage, as Mark dies young in the second temporal displacement.

Mirror Universe

Portrait of a Character – Ingrid Nyqvist

Mirror Ingrid

There are no impediments to Ingrid existing in the Mirror.

I write Mirror Universe women as mainly being suppressed. So Ingrid probably would be, as well. A gentle discipline such as stellar cartography would only be useful in the context of preparations for conquest and war, but the Empress Hoshi Sato would likely not want such an attractive potential rival on board. But it’s unlikely that the ISS Defiant, the technologically advanced flagship of the Terran fleet, would be used for mapping missions. Hence perhaps Ingrid would be on a different ship. And she could be working the same job, but for the greater glory of the Empire.

Quote

“I saw him first!”

Upshot

The character is admittedly a bit of a cipher. The idea of a second Terran Empire ship, working as a means of clearing the way for the Empress, is a decent idea, and perhaps I will explore it in the future.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, Interphases series, Portrait, 0 comments
14
Aug
2015

Portrait of a Character – Lakeisha Warren Crusher

Portrait of a Character – Lakeisha Warren Crusher

Lakeisha Warren Crusher gives Wesley his soul.

Origins

When writing Crackerjack (spoiler alert!), I wanted very much for Wesley Crusher to end up wed to a woman of a different race. Enter Lakeisha.

Portrayal

Lakeisha is played by actress Viola Davis.

Personality

Friendly and personable, Lakeisha is also rather talented.

Portrait of a Character – Lakeisha Warren Crusher

Viola Davis as Lakeisha Warren

She plays the French horn in the Starfleet band. She and Wes meet because she’s playing at Will Riker and Deanna Troi’s wedding, which takes place during Imprecision.

During Overture, when Wes seeks her out and visits her at her dorm (she’s still at Starfleet Academy), she is in the midst of practicing a new song. She’s a little late starting.

Relationships

Wesley Crusher

Lakeisha’s only known relationship is with Wes. While the young lovers are kept apart for a while as he sows a few small wild oats to work for Mack MacKenzie, they stay together and remain true.

Theme Music

Lakeisha’s theme music is The Who’s Overture, from the rock opera Tommy.

Mirror Universe

Portrait of a Character – Lakeisha Warren Crusher

Viola Davis as Mirror Lakeisha

There are no impediments to Lakeisha existing in the Mirror.

She would have to be far tougher, as all women in that universe are. Given the time frame, she would likely be beheld to a man for her safety and basic necessities. Does a Mirror Wesley exist? I haven’t explored this yet, and the idea intrigues me.

Quote

“This flag officers’ concert, it’ll be done in a few days. We’ll post mortem it, but it’ll still be less than a week. After that, I’ve got classes and the usual, you know how it is. Confidentially, rumor has it that the whole thing is a front for them coming in and doing some recruiting for Section 31.”

Upshot

I adore Lakeisha and, as I continue to write the Barnstorming series, she’ll be seen more and more.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, Interphases series, Portrait, 1 comment
11
Aug
2015

Review – Theorizing

Review – Theorizing

Theorizing was an irresistible concept.

On October 12, 2153, Captain Jonathan Archer and Doctor Sam Beckett reciprocally leap in time, in this Quantum Leap crossover.

Background

Barking up the Muse Tree | Jespah | Janet Gershen-Siegel | Theorizing

Theorizing

Others have had the idea of crossing Dr. Sam Beckett and Captain Jonathan Archer. That much is for certain. I had wanted to do this for a while, and then the opportunity suddenly presented itself.

Plot

The story opens with Beckett materializing onto the NX-01, and meeting Jennifer Crossman.  The time period for Quantum Leap is after the end of the series, so Sam has been leaping about in time under all sorts of odd circumstances and those include going past the beginning and end of his natural life span. The show’s creators had said that, if the series had continued, the leaps would have gotten odder, and so going to ancient Rome or even to the taming of fire by primitives would certainly fit the bill there.

Review – Theorizing

Donna and Al

As Beckett meets Crossman, he seems (she still thinks he’s Captain Archer) a bit faint. She gets him to Sick Bay, where he yells in alarm when he sees Dr. Phlox.  It’s explained to him, eventually, that Archer was in the midst of early negotiations with the Xindi, Degra. Beckett, feeling this is his reason for being on board the Enterprise, asks to be debriefed and vows to attempt the mission.

Meanwhile, on Earth, and a good century previously, Admiral Al Calavicci is trying to work with a somewhat agitated Jonathan Archer. As Tina, Gooshie, Verbena Beeks, and Sammy Jo Fuller all help Jonathan figure out what he needs to do, Donna Eleese stays back.  Eventually, Jonathan realizes that the reciprocal leap is a lot less about Degra (although Sam does confront the Xindi) than it is about Donna.

For Jonathan to get back home, he has got to help Donna not exactly get over Sam. But he does need to help her to move on with her life.

Story Postings

Rating

So the story is Rated K.

Upshot

The title, of course, comes directly from the opening monologue for Quantum Leap. And I really loved putting together two of my all-time favorite shows, in an effort to make them both work together like a well-oiled machine. But did I pull it off? Let me know in the comments!

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, In Between Days series, Interphases series, Review, 3 comments
07
Aug
2015

Portrait of a Character – Christian Harris

Portrait of a Character – Christian Harris

Christian Harris is a hero.

Origins

In order to cover a fuller spectrum of sexuality, I decided to bring in someone who would be on the asexuality end of things. When I first wrote Doug, there was an early victim named Harris. Plus I needed an extra pilot for the E2 timeline, as Melissa isn’t a part of those stories. And so Chris was born.

Portrayal

Chris is played by actor Hunter Parrish. I really liked the idea of a good-looking guy who would have no interest in anyone.

Portrait of a Character – Christian Harris

Hunter Parrish as Christian Harris

I like that this is a young actor trying to take some risks with his career. Being a part of a show about dope dealing is sure to offend someone. But it does not seem to have made an affect on Parrish’s career or his appeal.

Personality

Portrait of a Character – Christian Harris

Hunter Parrish as Christian Harris

Pleasant but kind of aloof, Chris is more of a background player than almost anything else. He fills in when others, such as Travis Mayweather, are ill.

He is somewhat self-sacrificing, and is well-aware, particularly during the E2 timeline, that a guy like him is somewhat valuable. After all, as a guy not interested in any of the limited women on board, he’s not a threat. As a skilled pilot, he’s in some demand. When suicide missions are on the table (in both timelines), he’s selected to go. He doesn’t object to this.

Relationships

Chris has no known relationships, in any timeline or universe.

Mirror Universe

The Mirror version of Chris, also asexual, is Doug’s second victim, killed by an illegal below the belt hit during an impromptu boxing match.  I barely show him, and he does not speak.

Portrait of a Character – Christian Harris

Mirror Chris (Hunter Parrish)

Quote

“Next wannabe pilot!”

Upshot

I really never got a chance to give Chris a lot of depth, although I’d like to. He’s one of those characters that hides from the writer.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, Hall of Mirrors, In Between Days series, Interphases series, Portrait, 0 comments
24
Jul
2015

Portrait of a Character – Judy Kelly

Portrait of a Character – Judy Kelly

Origins

This character is canon, although she only has a first initial. She is seen during the Vox Sola episode. For the E2 timeline, I wanted her to be in the first and semi-unexpected relationship.

Portrayal

As in canon, Judy is played by actress Renee Goldsberry.

Portrait of a Character – Judy Kelly

Renee Goldsberry as Judy Kelly

In addition to Star Trek: Enterprise, she has also been on soaps. The Memory Alpha image in particular does not do her justice (the garage mechanic-style unis were not flattering to a lot of the actors). In Reflections Down a Corridor, I have Chang lump her with other women he considers to be ugly – Patti, Susie, and Lili. Hence it was a bit of an unexpected twist to put her into the first marriage on the ship after the first kick back in time.

Personality

Friendly and approachable, Judy is reliable but mainly stays out of the spotlight. I do not give her promotions, commendations, or any sort of authority. But not everyone becomes captain, or even ensign. There are those who quietly serve, and Judy is one of those people.

Relationships

Michael Rostov

In canon, they are friends. In the E2 timeline, I wanted them to be a lot more than that. In Reflections Down a Corridor, they are the first new couple to get together (technically, Tripp and T’Pol predate them).

Mirror Universe

Portrait of a Character – Judy Kelly

Renee Goldsberry as Mirror Judy

There are no impediments to Judy existing in the Mirror Universe. Empress Hoshi will only hold onto female crew members if they are very competent or are not serious sexual competition, preferably both. Judy fits the first criterion but not really the second.

But Goldsberry, for real, is a singer. In the Mirror Universe, singing would be a viable career even for the oppressed women of the other side of the pond. Because I write artistic Mirror Universe denizens as being elites, Judy could even be wealthy.

Quote

“I don’t need other prospects.”

Upshot

Minor characters, with nearly no screen time, can still have rather rich lives in fan fiction. Judy is one such character.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, Hall of Mirrors, In Between Days series, Interphases series, Portrait, 5 comments
17
Jul
2015

Recurrent Themes – Criminals and Prisoners

Recurrent Themes – Criminals and Prisoners

Background

Criminals and prisoners matter. They creep into all of my series, except for Mixing It Up (and D’Storlin is possibly telling his story from custody, anyway). Their fates have varied rather dramatically.
Barking up the Muse Tree | Janet Gershen-Siegel | jespah | DNA | Criminals and Prisoners

Appearances

Eriecho, Saddik, and H’Shema

In the Eriecho series,  as is explained in Release, she is born on a prison transport as Saddik and her parents (who are both killed on that transport) are framed for crimes they did not commit. In Double Helix, H’Shema’s mother, L’Culturra, reveals that her daughter was a drug addict and likely was in Canamar Prison for good reason.

Daniel Chang, Tristan Curtis, Neil Kemper, Victor Brown, Brooks Haynem, Gary Hodgkins, and Sandra Sloane

During the E2 timeline, all sorts of bad behavior occurs. During The Three of Us, the men are responsible for an attack on Patti Socorro as Sandra takes note of the law of supply and demand and rents herself out for cheap.

Polloria, Baden, and Chawev

In Reversal, the former two conspire to kill High Priestess Yipran. Chawev is the only one who hesitates, and Polloria chides him for being too squeamish.

Jeff Paxton

The real perpetrator is not revealed until just about the end of Shell Shock.

Marisol Castillo, Anthony Parker, Von, Helen Walker, and Milton Walker

Of the villains in The Times of the HG Wells series, only Anthony Parker is at all decent, and that’s only in an alternate timeline, when he has a chance to help Otra get out of Milton Walker’s prison. As for Marisol, she’s a psychopath, eager to kill whoever she can.

Arnis and Rechal

In Take Back the Night, Arnis blames Mistra for the death of the elder Inta. Rechal, a physician, takes a bribe and helps him frame her in exchange for research funding. In Flight of the Bluebird, because Rechal’s ideas have assisted Trinning and the other researchers find a cure for thylacine paramyxovirus, he is allowed out of jail and is released into Trinning’s observational custody. Arnis (who I wasn’t sure whether I wanted him to be alive or not) complains to his second son, Trinning, and is told that it’s a good thing he’s staying in prison as Daranaea is changing and he won’t fit in anymore.

Mack MacKenzie

Planted with Etrotherium against her will while on Keto-Enol, Mack is framed for the drug problem on that planet.

Upshot

Without villains and criminals, stories have few drivers and little to recommend them. Prisons provide great fodder for storytelling and drama. I know that I will go back to these themes again.

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Posted by jespah in Emergence series, Eriecho series, Fan fiction, Hall of Mirrors, In Between Days series, Interphases series, Themes, Times of the HG Wells series, 1 comment
23
Jun
2015

Portrait of a Character – Oscar (Osh) Tiburón

Portrait of a Character – Oscar (Osh) Tiburón

Osh had an unlikely origin.

Origins

In the E2 timeline, I wanted to show the first pregnancy as being utterly unplanned. I needed a heterosexual couple for this, so I created Trace and Osh.

Portrayal

Oscar is played by actor Javier Bardem (who I also have playing filmmaker Carlos Castillo).

Barking Up the Muse Tree | jespah | Janet Gershen-Siegel | Javier Bardem

Javier Bardem as Oscar (Osh) Tiburón (image is for educational purposes only)

As is the case with the Carlos Castillo character, I wanted a versatile actor of Latino descent.

Personality

Taciturn and maybe a little shy, Oscar is even more of a strong, silent type than Jay Hayes, his commanding officer. He is also a semi-lapsed Catholic, insisting on a full Catholic mass for his wedding on the one hand, but also engaging in premarital sex on the other. So he is a bit conflicted.

In Shell Shock, he is a part of the group that runs after, and eventually apprehends, the perpetrator. This act exonerates Malcolm.

Relationships

Tracey Carter

Tracey pursues Oscar rather aggressively, giggling like a schoolgirl over him when discussing his finer points with her roommate, Maryam Haroun. She is an Engineering crewman and so their schedules do not always mesh. Once their daughter, Amanda, is born, Oscar is a bit overwhelmed. Amanda is a rather loud crier and is not, at least at the start, the easiest child to raise.

Mirror Universe

Oscar could exist in the Mirror Universe; there are no impediments to him doing so.

Barking Up the Muse Tree | jespah | Janet Gershen-Siegel | MU Osh

Javier Bardem as MU Osh (image is for educational purposes only)

For a strong and fast MACO, there are opportunities on the other side of the pond. Some are regular work opportunities, but others exist in serving the Empress Hoshi Sato directly. I created the character after I had written the main In Between Days books, so Oscar does not appear there. But there is no reason why I can’t retcon him in.

Quote

“It would only be right if we were to marry.”

Upshot

Whenever I need a fast runner, Oscar will be there.
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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, Hall of Mirrors, In Between Days series, Interphases series, Portrait, 1 comment
05
May
2015

Portrait of a Character – Mara Brodsky

Portrait of a Character – Mara Brodsky

Mara Brodsky makes a point.

Origins

I wanted a character who would not fall into line, who would epitomize a lot of the less than savory activities going on during the E2 timeline. Enter Mara.

Portrayal

Mara is played by actress Maura Tierney.

Portrait of a Character – Mara Brodsky

Maura Tierney as Mara Brodsky

This actress has been in a number of different productions on television and seems to be rather versatile.

Personality

A bit of a cypher, Mara seems to be the kind of person who acts first and thinks later. Her husband’s own description of her is that she is in denial. She is an engineering crewman and is never promoted during the E2 timeline. I haven’t decided if she does any better during the prime timeline.

Relationships

Robert Slater

During Entanglements, they marry, but she strays. In The Three of Us, when she has what they both believe to be their child, the baby’s skin is darker than expected and so it is obvious that the child is not Robert’s.

Walter Woods

The man who Mara has been sleeping with is Walter. Because of the cuckolding, their child, Jeffrey Woods, has his blood tested in order to assure paternity with 100% accuracy. This leads Shelby to suggest that all of the children be tested, so that paternity can be perfectly known. Phlox agrees with her, as the gene pool is so small that the only way it can all work out genetically is if the parties who have children together are as distantly related as possible.

In Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, the relationship with and marriage to Robert are sidestepped, and Mara and Walter end up together from the beginning.

Mirror Universe

Portrait of a Character – Mara Brodsky

Mirror Mara

Mara exists in the Mirror Universe and, in fact, in Throwing Rocks at Looking Glass Houses, is credited with being one of the developers of the first agony booth.

Empress Hoshi would only keep women around if they were both very competent and not a sexual threat. Mara fits the first requirement and is likely old enough to fit the second as well.

Quote

“Walter, this is your son.”

Upshot

This is a character I don’t know too well (and I created her!). I might have occasion to expand on her some more if I return to the Mirror Universe, particularly earlier in Hoshi’s despotic reign.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, Interphases series, Portrait, 1 comment