Barnstorming

07
Oct
2016

Portrait of a Character – Daniya

Portrait of a Character – Daniya

Daniya is a pilot.

Origins

For Mack MacKenzie‘s pilot, I wanted a character who could not only strongly or subtly suggest emotions or maybe just sense them, I wanted that character to also be able to manipulate them. Enter Daniya, who is part-Orion and part-Betazoid.

Portrayal

Portrait of a Character – Daniya

Portrait of a Character – Daniya

Daniya is played by actress Diora Baird, who was briefly seen as an Orion in the 2009 JJ Abrams film.

I don’t see it as a big stretch to see her a hybrid, particularly with the curly red hair.

Personality

Outgoing and friendly, Daniya is a good pilot but also a bit of a flirt.

Relationships

Daniya is desired by many. The guy who sells the Cookie to Dana leers right at her, ignoring Dana and Crita. But I have not yet written any relationships for her.

Mirror Universe

There are no impediments to Daniya existing in the Mirror. The image is of course of the actress out of makeup, so the reader is encouraged to use some imagination.

Portrait of a Character – Daniya

MU Daniya

Like any halfway-decent-looking Mirror Universe female, Daniya would have to live and die by her looks.

Would she be a pilot? Possibly, as the MU Shelby Pike certainly is. But she might end up supplementing her income the same way Shelby does, by hooking.

Quote

“Pilot talk says it’s no good for maintaining your license. It’s too strange. Not like regular shuttle or freighter runs, where you stay in practice with standard Federation designs. But all the same, I like the idea of something different. Regular freighter runs can be pretty run of the mill. Don’t get me wrong; I like to make a few credits as much as anyone else. But the standard fare isn’t too challenging. That ship, though, I bet it would pose a challenge.”

Upshot

This character has potential, but I know I haven’t done enough with her. In particular, I don’t even have her show up in the alternate timeline, a sure sign that I am a bit stumped as to how to feature her properly.

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Posted by jespah in Barnstorming, Fan fiction, Portrait, 0 comments
03
Jun
2016

Portrait of a Character – B-4

Portrait of a Character – B-4

B-4 got a bum rap in canon.

Origins

The character is canon, from the film, Star Trek: Nemesis. The Barnstorming series takes place after the conclusion of that film. Hence B-4 is a logical addition to the Enterprise-E‘s crew.

Portrayal

Portrait of a Character – B-4

Brent Spiner as B-4 (image is for educational purposes only and is courtesy of Memory Alpha)

As in canon, B-4 is played by actor Brent Spiner.

Personality

A bit stiff, and also learning all the time, B-4 doesn’t understand that the crew is somewhat sad to see him. While they don’t blame him for Data’s demise, he is too much of a painful reminder for them. So they unwittingly shun him. Martin Madden is one of the few people who spends any significant time with him; Geordi LaForge also does.

Relationships

B-4 is an android, and at a somewhat lower functional level than Data. Hence B-4 is, as such, incapable of having what we would call a relationship.

Mirror Universe

B-4 and Data don’t have Mirror Universe counterparts. The closest is Lore, who is evil but who comes from our universe.

Quote

“Universe to universe crossovers can currently be divided into four types, with a fifth type being unknown. The first is ancient, and is accomplished only by Calafans. This species originates in the part of the Milky Way galaxy where the septum between two universes is at its thinnest. Amplifying dishes located on Lafa II, at a spot that the natives refer to as Point Abic, help to focus Calafan meditations and dream states. Dreaming and meditating Calafans are able to readily cross over, although only between the home universe, which vibrates on the twenty-one centimeter radiation band, and the mirror, which vibrates at twenty centimeters.

“Prior to 2157, the dishes prevented Calafan crossovers during their conscious, nonmeditative states. However, the mirror High Priestess, known as the teenager Yimar, commanded a change in the frequency emitted by the dishes in her universe, thereby permitting conscious, nonmeditative crossovers, but only by purebred Calafans in either universe.”

Upshot

This highly intelligent and highly functioning android is an integral part of the Barnstorming series. And, as such, will be back.

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Posted by jespah in Barnstorming, Fan fiction, Portrait, Times of the HG Wells series, 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
07
Jul
2015

Portrait of a Character – Misty (Mack, Mystic) Dana MacKenzie

Portrait of a Character – Misty (Mack, Mystic) Dana MacKenzie

Dana MacKenzie has more than I first thought she would.

Origins

While writing about Richard Daniels‘s conquests, one name that came up a few times was Dana MacKenzie. I liked the idea of a descendant for Aidan and Susan, who get together fairly late in life. As I started to write her, I also decided that she would be actually named Misty, thereby cementing another pair of her ancestors as being Doug and Melissa. Continuing along with this idea, I hit upon the notion of having her be related to canon character Martin Madden. When I started to put together the Barnstorming series, I decided to include her, and make her the star.

Portrayal

Mack is played by actress Catherine Bell.

Portrait of a Character – Misty (Mack, Mystic) Dana MacKenzie

Catherine Bell as Misty Dana (Mack) MacKenzie

I picture Mack as being pretty toughened by her life, but also feminine, which Bell can certainly pull off convincingly.

There are a lot of bikini images of Bell online, but the truth is, I don’t see Mack that way at all. Rather, she is someone damaged by her earlier life.

Personality

Mack’s background is in sports; she played second base and shortstop professionally for the perpetual cellar dwelling team, the Titan Bluebirds. But a visit to Keto-Enol results in Etrotherium being placed into her bag while the team is visiting an open-air market. She’s arrested and thrown into Canamar Prison. Someone has framed her for drug-running.

Her appeal takes nearly two decades, with her parents dying during the interim. The only person who sticks by her is Martin Madden.

Portrait of a Character – Misty (Mack, Mystic) Dana MacKenzie

Steven Culp as Martin Madden

They have cared for each other since childhood, referring to themselves as ‘The MDM Twins‘. But the law says that they cannot marry.

Relationships

Emmett Kent (Hobie) Hoberman

Mack and Hobie meet at the end of The All-Stars, and are actually coaches on opposing teams in ice hockey. The long distance relationship isn’t really what Mack needs, but they part amicably after Play when Hobie decides to try to reconcile with his ex-wife for the sake of their two young daughters.

Richard Daniels

At the end of Play, time is altered, and Rick is sent to investigate. In Time Out, they get together. I have an idea of the circumstances but have not written them yet.

Martin Madden

The sketchy idea is to finally get them together during the fourth, as yet unnamed, book in the series. They will have a descendant who will connect them even more intimately with the Times of the HG Wells, but I haven’t decided on that yet. It’s possible that that person would be Tom Grant.

Mirror Universe

Portrait of a Character – Misty (Mack, Mystic) Dana MacKenzie

Mirror Misty (maybe) (Catherine Bell)

I have not yet decided whether Mack exists in the Mirror Universe.

If she does, then I doubt she would call herself Mack. She might go by her first name. She might not have a sports background. I don’t honestly know, but I probably won’t explore this until I finish the series.

Quote

“I’m going to tell you who I am. And what I’m thinking of doing. … then you can decide if you want to work with me. And if you do, then I’m happy to have our friend below decks spill his guts in front of you. But if not, it stays a mystery to you. I gotta protect myself. Fair enough?”

Upshot

Because this series is on hold as I work on wholly original fiction, Mystic (only Marty calls her that) has had to take a back seat. A pity, as I like this character and her journey. I will get to her at some point!

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Posted by jespah in Barnstorming, Fan fiction, Portrait, 9 comments
10
Apr
2015

Review – Imprecision

Review – Imprecision

Imprecision addresses an imperfectly formed memory.

Background

So for a Star Trek fan fiction challenge about nightmares, I went with a dream that evoked a memory that was imperfectly realized.

Plot

Wesley Crusher has been, at the start of the story, spending time in the company of the The Traveler.

Barking Up the Muse Tree | jespah | Janet Gershen-Siegel | Imprecision

Wesley Crusher with the Traveler

And this is a canon situation. However, also in canon, Wesley eventually leaves The Traveler. Hence in order to dovetail with Crackerjack, this event precipitates Wesley taking his leave.

At the start of the story, Wes wakes up from a nightmare. He remembers his parents fighting, and his mother throwing something. It’s awful; he recalls being a small child at the time, making it even more heart-wrenching.  Speaking with The Traveler afterwards, together they decide that Wes actually wants to return to a regular life. This is a marker, an indicator that there is unfinished business out there for him. Furthermore, he wants to find out about that memory, which he realizes is something that he suppressed.

Returning to Regular Life

Wesley essentially gets a beam out to his mother’s quarters. And he has been gone longer than the regular passage of time would indicate. I had this idea because his time with The Traveler has to be odd and unique and special. So for Beverly Crusher, it feels like sort of a dream, and sort of not. She tells him that it’s a few hours before Will Riker and Deanna Troi’s wedding (another canon event).

Also, Wesley is hurriedly given a uniform, and it does not necessarily show his correct rank (that is canon, in the film, Nemesis). A little bored with the proceedings, his eyes alight on a young girl playing the French horn for the Starfleet Academy band, which is providing the music for the event. With some confidence mustered up, he talks to her, and realizes that this is why he left The Traveler. It is to meet Lakeisha Warren and begin a new phase of his life.

Story Postings

Rating

The story is rated K+.

Upshot

It was great fun to bring Wesley’s character in line and bring the canon of the Nemesis film together with fan fiction in the form of Crackerjack and the Barnstorming series.

Review – Imprecision

Horn (instrument) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Being able to write the first-ever meeting of Wes and Lakeisha was a treat, too.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, Review, 1 comment