Star Trek

25
Nov
2014

Review – The Tribe

Review – The Tribe

What is your tribe?

Background

I wanted to cover a moment where unlikely allies would work together.

Barking up the Muse Tree | jespah | Janet Gershen-Siegel | Before Days | The Tribe

Before Days

The end of Mary Reed’s first day at work proved a great backdrop. I also had wanted to revisit her new job, and so this prompt  made for a great opportunity to do just that.

Mary would be needed – and that can sometimes be an issue for people with grown children. How do you find a new purpose so that you can feel needed again? For this little story, Mary was absolutely indispensable.

Plot

Review – The Tribe

As Mary takes the maglev train home to Kota Baru after a long day at work, the train suddenly stops. Briefly, the lights go out, which is a little scary but not a lot. This is her first day on the job, and she was asked to start on the day of her interview, so the whole thing has been even more unexpected. Nearly as importantly, her husband, Stuart, has not been fully supportive of her working outside the home, even as a part of the Earth-Romulan War effort. And now she is going to be late, and his supper will be delayed. It is hardly an auspicious beginning to her working career.

When the power comes back on, a heavily pregnant woman sitting across the aisle from her looks mighty uncomfortable.

Review – The Tribe

A young Tellarite male comments, and it becomes obvious very quickly that the pregnant woman’s water has broken. Except for the young Tellarite, all of the men in the train car leave.  Two Vulcans come over and begin timing the contractions. A few women donate sweaters or the like to create an impromptu pillow. Mary’s job is to talk to the woman, whose name is Penda (this is a reference to a possible canon name for Uhura).

When the train finally starts moving again, the people are not friends. But  they have shared something all the same. And Mary, like the pair of Vulcans and the young Tellarite and others, returns to her life.

Story Postings

Rating

The story is Rated K.

Upshot

I liked this little slice of her life, and how even in the future something like a birth could have the potential to truly go wrong, or at the very least get messy.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, In Between Days series, Review, 2 comments
21
Nov
2014

Portrait of a Character – Erika Hernandez

Portrait of a Character – Erika Hernandez

Origins

This canon character was a part of the fourth season of Enterprise.

Portrayal

As in canon, the character is played by actress Ada Maris.

Portrait of a Character – Erika Hernandez

Ada Maris as Captain Erika Hernandez

I am not the only person who enjoyed the portrayal of this tough, no-nonsense character.

Personality

Strong but fair, Erika was the perfect captain for Daranaean first contact in The Cure is Worse Than the Disease. The Daranaeans do not know what to make of a smart woman who is in charge of anything more daunting than a large household.

However, by the time of Take Back the Night, Erika has to go back to deal with those sentient marsupial canids again, and she is none too happy with having to do that.

Relationships

Jonathan Archer

So the only  relationship anyone knows is the canon one, with Jonathan Archer. The way I write it, Archer pursues her a bit in More, More, More! But otherwise they drop the relationship. Neither of them try very hard.

Mirror Universe

Portrait of a Character – Erika Hernandez

Ada Maris as the Mirror Erika Hernandez

The Mirror Universe version of Erika shows up in Dishing it Out, a crossover collaboration story written with FalseBill. We decided that she would be the only slightly competent chef for the Empress Hoshi Sato. By the time of Temper, Erika is long gone.

 

 

Quote

“The troubling thing about the Daranaeans is their treatment of their females. Casual sexism is tossed around just as readily as are vapid discussions about the weather. I was privy to two rituals engaged in by the females, which centered on pregnancy and birth. Within these rituals are subtle distinctions among the castes which serve to promote Prime Wives and denigrate the last caste women, while walking a thin line when it came to the secondaries. In addition, we learned that a last caste child of perhaps three or four years of age was not permitted to join in with the home schooling that the other children enjoyed. Whether this was by law or custom or both, I do not know. When asked, we were merely informed that that caste “did not believe” in education – a statement that I find difficult to believe.”

Upshot

Erika Hernandez always should have been more than she was in canon.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, Hall of Mirrors, In Between Days series, Portrait, 5 comments
18
Nov
2014

Review – Gainful

Review – Gainful

Gainful comes from a prompt about first jobs.

Background

I wanted to show someone who wasn’t so young entering the workforce for the same time.

Barking up the Muse Tree | jespah | Janet Gershen-Siegel | Before Days | Gainful

Before Days

I particularly wanted to pay tribute to my maternal grandmother. She had only worked outside of the home for a few years, and that was all during the Second World War, as a part of the war effort.

Yes, my grandmother was a kind of Rosie the Riveter type (she worked in the Brooklyn Navy Yard).

Enter Mary Reed.

Plot

Review – Gainful

We Can Do It poster for Westinghouse, closely associated with Rosie the Riveter, although not a depiction of the cultural icon itself. Pictured Geraldine Doyle (1924-2010), at age 17. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I figured Mary would be as driven to help out during the Earth-Romulan War as my own grandmother had been during World War II.

But Mary seemed to not be as strong as my part-Polish grandmother, so it would be more of an intellectual pursuit. Furthermore, this is the future of Star Trek, and so brute force or assembly lines would not be in the cards.

I recalled a character I had created while writing two pieces for Dispatches from the Romulan War – pop singer Kurt Fong. I hit upon the idea of Fong needing a new person to help open his mail and respond to it, and so I was able to attach Mary and her diplomatic skills to this project. It would be a fun job for her, but also a challenge. She would be reminded, as others wrote to Fong, that Malcolm could be injured or killed at any time, too. Her boss, Ehigha Ejiogu, would be a Nigerian man young enough to be her son. Her coworker, the Tellarite Cympia Triff, would have an impressive beard.

Sharp-eyed readers will recall that Ejiogu and Fong are, in the Mirror Universe, two of Doug‘s kills.

Story Postings

Rating

The story is Rated K.

Upshot

I really like how this one turned out, and was  pleased to write a sequel, The Tribe. As for whether I’ll revisit Mary at work, the question remains up in the air.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, In Between Days series, Review, 2 comments
11
Nov
2014

Portrait of a Character – Major Strong Bear Dawson

Portrait of a Character – Major Strong Bear Dawson

Origins

When I first wrote There’s Something About Hoshi, I needed to have a replacement for Major Jay Hayes, as he had died in canon. Enter Dawson, who was originally a WASP. But then I learned that there is a canon  Star Trek TAS character, Dawson Running Bear. Hence Dawson got his name and a bit of his origins.

Portrayal

Strong Bear (Bud) is played by actor David Midthunder.

Portrait of a Character – Major Strong Bear Dawson

David Midthunder as Strong Bear Dawson

As is often the case with ethnic characters, it was very important for me to ‘cast’ an actor who is of that ethnicity.

Dawson is proud and powerful, and Midthunder seems to be both of those things and also supremely confident. This makes for, I feel, a dynamite combination.

Personality

The strong and silent type, Bud is devoted to duty. However, in There’s Something About Hoshi, he is nearly as affected as the other straight men are.  In Shell Shock, he is initially one of the accused, and he and Malcolm meet during the experience. By the time of On the Radio, he is a valued member of the crew and even T’Pol can figuratively let her hair down a bit in front of him. But he’s still pretty far removed. That would be the case for nearly anyone, though, who comes into a work situation much later than the initial stage of building the team.

Mirror Universe

Portrait of a Character – Major Strong Bear Dawson

David Midthunder as Mirror Universe Strong Bear Dawson

There is no reason for Major Strong Bear Dawson to not exist in the Mirror Universe. However, I imagine him as  a person living off the grid and more or less thoroughly embracing his roots.

Also, I do not believe he would be anyone would call him Bud.

Quote

“HQ wanted more experience after the war. They would’ve assigned me earlier but I was getting off assignment with freighter defense and then the Rommie War broke out and they didn’t want to change horses in the middle of the stream. Helluva way for me to meet my new troops, eh?”

Upshot

I like this character well enough, and he is a kind of utility player. And I suspect I could place him into other scenarios and he would do fine. I will have to find places for him to shine.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, In Between Days series, Portrait, 2 comments
07
Nov
2014

Review – Shake Your Body

Review – Shake Your Body

Shake what?

Background

Before 9/11, for a lot of people, their “where were you when you heard?” moment occurred when the Challenger space shuttle exploded.

Barking Up the Must Tree | jespah | Janet Gershen-Siegel | Shake Your Body

Shake Your Body

So at the time, I was teaching as a part of getting credit toward my Juris Doctorate. So the incident was rattling not only because of the deaths, but also because of Christa McAuliffe‘s connections to New England and teaching. In addition, she and I were even born on the same day (albeit 14 years apart).

Plot

Review – Shake Your Body
As the Perfectionists, enemies of the Temporal Integrity Commission, work to assure that the Challenger does not explode, the Varg-i-yeh are coming to attack. Hence Helen Walker and her father escape to the Mirror Universe, where Richard Daniels is not allowed to pursue them. Also, on Lafa II, Malcolm Reed and his wife, Lili O’Day Beckett Reed, see a mysterious light in the sky, which turns out to be the Walkers, in a stolen time ship, opening up a passageway to the Mirror Universe.

By the time the book is finished, three members of the Temporal Integrity Commission are dead, and the alien enemy is practically on their doorstep.

Music

Story Postings

Rating

The story is Rated T.

Upshot

The story works pretty well although I will be the first to admit I was getting tired of writing this series.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, Review, Times of the HG Wells series, 7 comments
04
Nov
2014

Portrait of a Character – Helen Walker

Portrait of a Character – Helen Walker

Helen Walker comes from an older storyline.

Origins

For the HG Wells stories, there had to be a few central villains. And so Helen and Milton Walker were born. He’s her father.

In the older time travel series that I had created, Helen was actually Tom Grant‘s ex, and she was mighty bossy and ruthless there, eventually joining their enemies. Hence Helen remained an enemy but some of the details were changed.

Portrayal

Helen is portrayed by actress Katie Holmes.

Portrait of a Character – Helen Walker

I wanted someone who would be pretty but could, behind a lovely smile and a sweet visage, be ruthless.

Personality

Spoiled and amoral, Helen is the face that launched a thousand time ships. But she hardly deserves the attention or the accolades. Instead, she’s tasked with “putting right what once went wrong” in history, as a nod to the television series, Quantum Leap. But Helen doesn’t do it out of altruism or a desire to get home or anything of the sort. Instead, she’s a (fairly) obedient soldier of her father’s. His dream is to save people and to be the one who prevents wars and the like. But he can’t get anything done without destroying other details of history, much like a bull in a china shop. He’s often cleaning up after Helen’s messes, too.

But at least she’s not their assassin. That dubious honor goes to double agent Marisol Castillo.

Mirror Universe

Portrait of a Character – Helen Walker

There are no real impediments to Helen existing in the Mirror Universe, but deeper future characters have several more chances to not have a perfect duplicate on the other side of the proverbial pond.

I think she’d be more careful and sensitive. I write MU women as often being beholden to, and subservient to, men. In earlier times, that would make a Mirror Universe woman slavelike. But Helen belongs to a time period where it might snag her a better husband instead. She could potentially have a better future than a lot of other MU women.

Quote

“If they like time travel so much, I bet we could work a bit together. They do their conquering – whatever they like, actually. All we need to do is keep a step ahead, and go back, either to make changes for our own purposes or, if necessary, to undo whatever they may damage. And not only will the Temporal Integrity Commission have their hands full, but so will Section 31, and the Federation, and anyone else who might have any issues with all that we are attempting to accomplish.”

Upshot

Portrait of a Character – Helen Walker

When I created the character, I had no idea that there really had been a Helen Walker who was an actress.

At the end of the series, Helen is carted off to jail. I’m not sure how to bring her back, except in prequels or flashbacks.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, Portrait, Times of the HG Wells series, 11 comments
31
Oct
2014

Progress Report – October 2014

Progress Report – October 2014

October 2014 was full of work!

Posted Works

Barking up the Muse Tree | Janet Gershen-Siegel | jespah | Quill | October 2014I started the month finishing The Canadian Caper, the Postmodern Jukebox adventure which is highly likely to be the first popfic ever written about the band. On Wattpad, I finished Before Days by adding First Born. I also finished The Social Media Guide, and began to post Reversal. I submitted eight works to the #Wattys2014 (The 2014 Watty Awards):

On Fanfiction.net, I continued spinning out The Three of Us. And on Ad Astra, I added a response to a prompt about discoveries. Because it was the first of the month, I called it Linfep Linfep Linfep. I also responded to a prompt about embarrassment by posting a Melissa–Leonora story, Red. In addition, I posted Theorizing.

Finally, on the G & T Show forums, I finished spinning out Recessive and added Across the Universe.

Milestones

So with over 75 stories with at least 10 reviews and 1000 reads, I am beginning to see some real benefit from this kind of popularity. Hence at this point, the In Between Days collection is the third-most read story on Ad Astra. So it benefits from the Top Ten listing. Also, In Between Days is also the fourth-largest series on that site, and is the series with the most reviews. In addition, I am the third-most prolific author and may very well hit second place before the end of the calendar year. Finally, on Wattpad, I have more than 500 followers and am looking to get 1,000 as I believe I will get a lot more reads there once I do. That is because it seems to be an identifiable milestone that is respected there.

See the Stats page for individual read and review counts.

WIP Corner

I continued working on The Polymer Beat, the second book in the wholly original Obolonk series.

Prep Work

I entered the title of The Polymer Beat into the NaNoWriMo site. So I have entered as a so-called rebel, as I don’t have the time to start something new this year.

I created a Facebook Author page to promote my work.

This Month’s Productivity Killers

In preparation for beginning to take two courses at a time at Quinnipiac (to start in January of 2015 and go for all three semesters of that year), I continued working hard to get ahead on work such as keeping the Twitter stream filled, etc. I also worked on social media for the G & T Show.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, Progress, 2 comments
21
Oct
2014

Spotlight – Dark Matter/Energy Drive

Spotlight on Dark Matter/Energy Drive

The dark matter and energy drive works to advance canon.

Background

Spotlight – Dark Matter/Energy Drive

In order to hop between the two main universes, I needed a semi-mysterious means of getting around. Without having to be dependent upon a worm hole, or cranking the engines up to crazy numbers like Warp 50, I needed something else.

Thought Experiment

In order to fix this problem, and to add some drama and, admittedly, some technobabble to the HG Wells series, I hit upon the idea of a dark matter or dark energy drive. I have called it both, although I realize the terms, in truth, are not interchangeable.Spotlight – Dark Matter/Energy Drive Because dark matter and dark energy are a large percentage of our universe (our current understanding), fuel would be abundant. A time traveler would be able to gather it pretty much whenever and wherever he or she needed, so long as the collector was working properly.

I also gave it a bit of a fun spin, the sort of thing that engineer Kevin O’Connor in particular would love. I decided that the encroachment of dark energy was a byproduct of the aging of the universe (the graphs at right would seem to support that hypothesis), but that using the drive would, in a slight way, reverse it. And that would put off the eventual destruction of the universe by a few seconds or so.

How it Works (Kind of)

The concept is, essentially, that the time traveler creates a mini-worm hole at will. The ship then flies through it and enters the other universe. In Multiverse II, Levi Cavendish mentions to Maren O’Connor that it’s possible to travel to other universes by simply adjusting the radiation band being aimed at. This would include #49, the home of the best pumpkin pie in any universe.

Upshot

This bit of technology will be back. I guarantee it.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, Spotlight, 1 comment
14
Oct
2014

Portrait of a Character – Polloria

Portrait of a Character – Polloria

Polloria is a classic villainess.

Origins

For a villainess character in Reversal, I wanted someone who would be utterly ruthless, but who would also bide her time and be careful about how she’d do the deed. Enter Polloria.

Portrayal

TV Guide #1430 (flap open)

TV Guide #1430 (flap open) (Photo credit: trainman74)

Polloria is played by veteran soap actress Genie Francis. I like how this attractive actress has some versatility.

She’s also got a great Star Trek pedigree – she’s married to TNG actor Jonathan Frakes. I would have loved to have seen her somewhere on Star Trek, and she was evidently under consideration for a guest spot during the second season of TNG. But for whatever reason, that didn’t happen.

Personality

Ambitious and mean, Polloria is cutthroat. She will do anything to get what she wants, and that means authorizing Dr. Baden to begin injecting Yipran with potassium, which will cut off Yipran’s dreams. Once she is found out, she still doesn’t give up, and tries to become the Mirror Yimar’s regent, and even attempts to turn Doug through a shared dream.

Relationships

Chawev

In both universes, they carry on an affair, but it’s really just to get Polloria into position so that she can become the next Calafan High Priestess. She doesn’t care for Chawev at all, only for her naked ambitions.

I haven’t decided, yet, whether she got Baden to help her with any sort of sex or relationship, or whether it was just bribery. Baden’s dream woman is Miva, but there’s nothing yet on what his relationship with Polloria was, if anything, prior to Reversal.

Mirror Universe

Portrait of a Character – Polloria

Mirror Polloria

Unlike a lot of other characters, Polloria in the Mirror Universe isn’t much different from her Prime Universe counterpart. They’re both determined, driven, and utterly evil.

In both universes, Polloria receives a sentence of potassium injections, which leave her dreamless and comatose. But in the alternate timeline brought about in Temper, the Mirror Polloria is temporarily freed, as Empress Hoshi has essentially opened up the prisons.

Quote

“Everyone, remember, any words you say to her, she’ll pick up on. So choose carefully and don’t say much. In fact, just let your father and I do all the talking, all right?”

“This situation cannot be sustained. But dispatching this one in public is not gonna happen; there’s no time. It’ll have to be done today. Then you’ll bring Yimar in front of the people and we’ll, we’ll take her under our wing. Nurture and guide her and tell her what to do.”

Upshot

I liked creating this villain character, and even redeeming her a bit in Temper. Will she return? Possibly for a prequel story. I’m not sure.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, Hall of Mirrors, In Between Days series, Portrait, 0 comments
07
Oct
2014

Portrait of a Character – Kelsey Haber

Portrait of a Character – Kelsey Haber

Kelsey Haber is a tragic figure.

Origins

In response to a prompt about memory, I wrote a Star Trek fan fiction story about a crew member whose suicide sparks his fellow crew members to wonder if they ever knew him at all. Once again, I got some mileage out of being a bit of a contrarian. In Memory of Kelsey Haber put forth the premise that the only person who knew him at all, albeit just barely, was Deb Haddon.

Portrayal

Kelsey is played by Chris Hemsworth.

Barking Up the Must Tree | jespah | Janet Gershen-Siegel | Chris Hemsworth as Kelsey Haber (image is for educational purposes only)

Chris Hemsworth as Kelsey Haber (image is for educational purposes only)

I like this handsome actor. I particularly wanted a good-looking guy to be playing lonely Kelsey. After all, even handsome and pretty people can sometimes find themselves alone.

This actor also has Star Trek credentials, having played Kirk’ father, George, in the 2009 film.

Personality

A little quirky and very, very private, Kelsey’s got a secret. An IDIC-type secret. While he’s probably heterosexual (the truth is, I haven’t decided yet whether he’s actually bi), he is a cross-dresser.

Relationships

Lemnestra

This Ikaaran Science Officer is passed over by a lot of the men, during the events of Everybody Knows This is Nowhere, because she was a part of a plot to steal necessary medications. As the penultimate woman chosen, she and Kelsey are probably both settling, but the details are never provided. However, when that version of the NX-01 meets the people of the prime timeline, no children are mentioned, indicating that they likely never had any.

Mirror Universe

Portrait of a Character – Kelsey Haber There are no impediments to Kelsey existing in the Mirror Universe. However, a secret such a his would be less a topic for ridicule and, more likely, a bit of leverage for an ambitious blackmailer.

He might even behave ultra-macho, in order to counteract such an image-breaker. For him to fall in love with anyone, of either gender, it would be a major trust issue. Would he be able to? It’s hard to say. He might just end up as even more of a ruthless killer than Doug is in his early years, as a cover up for his inner life which, in the Mirror, would be a definite Sign of Weakness.

Quote

“This is the part where I’m supposed to say that I’m keeping this for a friend. Where there’s this beautiful girl who’s gonna be given this gift and I haven’t wrapped it yet so it’s in the back of my closet.”

Upshot

Just like the other characters, I barely know Kelsey. And maybe that’s how it should be.

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Posted by jespah in Fan fiction, Portrait, 1 comment