Now Voyager The Official Newsletter of the Kate Mulgrew Appreciation Society Volume III Number 6 Editorial Buzz (Note: much of this column is plagiarized from an article by Pam Buickel in the most recent Flight Log, the newsletter of Robert Duncan McNeill's fan club RanDoM Flight, which is run by Pam.) People seem to be under the impression that running a fan club is a glamorous job. After all, we get fabulous perks, right? We get inside gossip before anyone else does, we get to have intimate meetings with the stars and power lunches with the producers, we can call celebrities up at home whenever we want, we have collections of rare items that we got for free, we attend cons without paying and get set tours and publicists call us constantly to keep us updated on what the stars are doing, plus we get to make friends all over the world... Actually, none of the above is true except the part about making friends. And on bad days, we even doubt whether any of those friendships would last if our honoree disappeared. Sorry to disillusion anyone, but running a fan club consists mostly of paperwork, going to the bank, calling convention organizers to find out if they actually have actors booked for various cons they're advertising them for. We don't get any more "insider gossip" than people who read spoiler folders online. We turn over any memorabilia we get for club auctions and things like that. Many of us have never been to the studio; we certainly haven't met with the producers. The degree of actual contact with the honoree of a fan club varies, but I don't know anyone who runs a fan club who has late-night intimate phone conversations with a celebrity, and I'd seriously worry about a fan club president who was doing the job in hopes of getting candlelight dinners out of it. We do this because we get to meet fascinating people from all walks of life, and the Trek community is a lot of fun. Sometimes we're subjected to nasty comments and petty jealousies from people who have no idea how much work actually goes into running a fan club, and sometimes we merely get criticized for not doing enough--not getting news out fast enough, not having information people want, not catching every typo or grammatical error in our newsletters. Believe me, the amount of work we put in doesn't come close to the so-called perks. I don't mean to complain: I really love Now Voyager, and the people here. We've accomplished terrific stuff: we've raised several thousand dollars for very worthy charities, we've consistently put out a newsletter that's emulated by other clubs and has earned accolades from people who've been in fandom for decades. We've held two private meetings with Kate and gotten her to answer questions in the newsletter several times, which doesn't always happen even with actors who work a lot fewer hours than she does. Some of this is a tribute to Kate and how gracious she's been to give time to her fans, but some of it is a tribute to everyone who works in this club and on this newsletter--the names in the masthead at left, and all the rest. I've heard a teensy bit of griping of late that I'm the one who always gets to have contact Kate. First of all, this is a misconception: the vast majority of my contact is with Kate's assistant and Kate's publicist. I've talked to Kate maybe five times since I started this club three years ago. But even for those rare occasions, there are a couple of reasons why I'm the one who's been the major club contact with our honoree. The biggest one is the need to protect her privacy. Another is the fact that she trusts me to accurately transcribe what she says when we're trying to get members' questions answered. But the simple truth is that not even this perk is a good enough reason for running a fan club. In the past year, I've been on the receiving end of mail threats intended for Kate. I've been asked by Kate's publicist NOT to make public her appearance at certain events, because of security concerns...and I've been snapped at by members of this fan club because I didn't tell them about said events. I've spent countless hours doing administrative drudge work. I've spent countless hours writing articles, editing, doing layout, things which I enjoy but for which I could get paid elsewhere. I'm not saying that I don't have a great time meeting people, and that I haven't occasionally been introduced to a Trek star or had someone mail me a magazine for free. I'm just trying to point out that running a fan club is not something anyone in her right mind would do for the limited perks. We do it for love of fans and fandom. We do it for the good that can be accomplished. Of course we like the show, and we admire the performers, but that's almost a secondary concern. That's the glamorous life of a fan club president. Anyone else really have time for the job? The Funny Pages After Ethan Phillips revealed at Shore Leave that he always tries to play Neelix as if Neelix has a crush on the Captain, someone put out an online call for stories with that theme. Here are two of the finest. MORALE OFFICER'S PERSONAL LOG Translated from the original Talaxian by Siobhan Wolf You know, I'm not sure when I first became aware of it, but today something has changed. Maybe I am finally accepting Kes' leaving, hard though that is for me. I miss her so. But I'm not sure that's it. When I think about it, it seems to go back as far as I can remember, since I first stepped foot on Voyager. I wouldn't say I was oblivious to it all that time; it has been a long time, you know. I guess I just had other things on my mind that kept me occupied, kept me from really thinking about it, noticing it. Not that that was a bad thing. No, it wasn't. It's just, now, that I have finally realized it, it brings me a kind of joy that I thought was gone from my life with Kes. It's hard to explain, really, but for posterity's sake, I will try. I know that before coming aboard Voyager I had never seen such a creature. There is beauty and wonder on Talax, to be sure. And my dear, sweeting, Kes. Oh! But, still, I had never seen such dignity and grace all wrapped together like that. Of course, my first impression was that here was a delicate creature, much in need of my protection. Ha ha. How wrong I was there. Certainly I learned that soon enough. But the wonders that were yet to be shown. Those I had no way of being prepared for. The strength and tenderness, the caring guidance, the true loyalty to the ship and crew. Well, frankly, I'd never seen such a combination inside a female form. Stunning. That's it. The combination was stunning. Now, I know that she thinks me a bit of the clown. And it is true that Talaxians tend toward a sense of the flamboyant, the dramatic. But this is the one way that I can be sure that she notices me. I know that she would never, not under any other circumstances. So, with a flourish I will approach her station on the bridge with a scrumptuous luncheon display. She never takes the time she should to come down to the mess hall for a proper meal break in the middle of the day. I have taken it as my personal duty to see that my delicate flower not wilt from overwork and exhaustion, from lack of sunlight and water. Of course, she has no idea. I would blush to the tips of my spots if she did. Such behavior is so unfitting an officer serving under her command. Still, it gives me those moments that I cherish, when her beautiful eyes meet mine and the tired lines on her face relax, just a little, in a smile, a laugh. She does not know that this is truly her gift to me. It is her birthday in just a few weeks, and I have already begun the preparations for her party. Of course, I had to include Commander Chakotay in my plans to assure that he not prepare another, more inviting, option for her that evening. He gave me the list of all her favorite things! Imagine. Every morsel of her heart's desire, every sweet kiss of her favorite desserts, every color, every smell — and all prepared by me, and me alone! I can hardly keep the secret to myself. Secrets are not big on Talax, you'll recall. But for her, it is worth the tender pain it causes me having to keep these preparations to myself. When she enters the mess hall in full display for her special day, after the surprise has washed from her face and she looks to the Commander, he will turn to me and with a sweep of his arm inform her that this spread, in her honor, was lovingly prepared for her by Neelix. I won't be able to look her in the eye just then. I know it. But maybe, just maybe, she will approach me, take my hand gently in hers, and squeeze it in thanks. And I will cherish that touch forever. BREAKFAST by Lori Summers He has always felt that kitchen sounds, especially those of one that services 150 people, are second only to ocean waves for numbing the sensibilities. The hiss and sizzle of cooking, the muted clatter and scrape of silverware and of course the constant ebb and flow of murmured breakfast conversation. Buoyed on this cushion of white noise, he falls into a familiar rhythm: smile, listen, cook, serve. Next crewmember. Smile, listen, cook, serve. Sometimes he feels the sounds of the mess hall are almost musical, this morning for instance. Ensign Rosenberg is in to help and has been set to slicing vegetables for the lunchtime stew, his knife tapping steadily as a metronome. The rise and fall of the crew's voices follows its own patterns...random, yet structured. The routine normally has a calming effect on him. A chance to interact with his crewmates, or perhaps more a daily affirmation of his important, if auxiliary, contribution to Voyager's smooth operations. Each day he looks forward to his duties, to the familiar settings and the chance to practice his culinary skills. As he prepares for each mealtime he firmly sets his mind upon the task at hand, resolved that this time it will be different. It never is. Most of the time, each of the three meals served each day aboard Voyager are an exercise in stomach-twisting anxiety and heartwrenching agony. Lieutenant Gomez, he thinks as the dark-haired man steps up to the counter. It's a habit to catalog each crewmember as he or she passes by. Just concentrate on Gomez's eggs, nothing else. Lovely eggs, not too soft, not too done...no, don't look over there! And yet his eyes glance over to where she sits, then return just as quickly to the frying pan. He determinedly begins humming an old Talaxian drinking song under his breath. It is no more effective than it ever is. His traitorious gaze again strays to the corner table. Her back to the wall, her profile against the backdrop of stars...how appropriate for her face to be there against the stars whose light seems to shine from it when she smiles. Think about EGGS, you nitwit. Eggs eggs eggs eggs. Big eggs, small eggs, strange blue and purple spotted eggs. Ensign Smythe now...eggs for her too. Eggs for everyone. Keep your eyes forward...but that's so much harder than it would seem to be. As usual, she is sitting with HIM. Holding a PADD, their heads together in conversation. She lays a hand casually on his arm... Eggs, dammit! Ensign Smythe appears a bit startled at the vehemence with which he slides her breakfast onto her plate. She hurriedly vacates the area. Ah, here's Tom. "Morning!" he smiles cheerfully. He smiles back. It's impossible not to return a Tom smile. "And to you, Mr. Paris." It's as if his eyes are physically being PULLED to the corner table. As always, he is powerless to resist. Talaxians have little malevolence in their hearts, filled as they are with goodwill and buoyant bouncy joyfulness...but something not quite so benign, something green and ugly, tugs at his heart as he sees them laugh together. She looks so comfortable and easy with him. She does not look this way. Nothing in the world but eggs. Eggs enough for the entire crew, eggs enough for the entire quadrant, eggs enough to fill the vacuous ache that flows through him at the knowledge that it is HIM she shares her joy with and HIM she shares her sadness with and probably HIM she thinks of as she tries to go to sleep at night. Tom smiles again over his plate of eggs and goes to sit down with Harry. Another one moves into his place...there is always another one. They keep coming and coming and Rosenberg's blasted knife-tapping never stops and please don't let us run out of eggs. They are getting up now, dropping their dishes into the cleaning unit. Giving in completely, he stares after them as they leave the dining hall, each glance and each casual touch like a plasma burst through his heart. He sighs and returns to his cooking, the torture over...at least until lunch. Kathryn Janeway, Feminist Heroine The captain plays a range, from command to compassion. And Kate is very much that way on the set. She is in charge. She takes charge. And she drives. She moves and drives. That's what the captain will do in her position, and Kate does the same thing. But she's also a hopeless romantic. The woman is a hopeless romantic. And that's all in one person. The captain is exactly the same way. --Tim Russ in TV Guide Online FRIENDSHIP, LOVE, AND SEX ON THE HOLODECK By Kathy A. Altom The holodeck is the most fascinating technology introduced on TNG. In Star Trek's utopian future, the holodeck is portrayed in mostly positive ways, but it could be imagined as the ultimate advancement in dehumanizing fantasy. The Trek writers not only present pros and cons of the technology, but also use it as a literary device for exploring characterization in ways that would otherwise be difficult for characters living on a starship. These holodeck scenarios are some of the most criticized aspects of modern Trek. Holodeck technology offers the promise of wonderful educational opportunities. Infinitely patient holoteachers can provide hands-on instruction. Students can experiment with many fields to find out what they prefer. Everyone can dabble in art, music, and many other hobbies without finding a real live teacher and feeling like a foolish beginner in front of other real people. Everyone's favorite sport is always available to make a workout more fun. Holonovels provide the ultimate role-playing games. Such games can immerse their players in historically and culturally accurate environments that educate as well as entertain. Psychologists report that even today's virtual environments are useful in treating phobias. Starfleet uses the holodeck heavily for simulation exercises that help select the best suited people for starship duty. The holodeck is perfect for Starfleet martial arts training. Sparring with holocharacters, players need not pull their punches or worry about injuring their opponents. Still, holodeck technology holds the threat of misuse. Will holoviolence desensitize people to the horrors of real violence? Will holonovels provide escapist, fantasy worlds that isolate individuals from society? Will players lose themselves, their sense of reality, in the holodeck's fantasy world and prefer fantasies to real life? Will players fall in love with holocharacters? Will holosex be so good that it replaces relationships? Often, stories that answer these sorts of questions affirmatively paint dreary, dangerous futures where technology is used to enslave the masses. In a world without hope, fantasies are particularly enticing. In contrast, the utopian Trek future is based on an underlying assumption of the fundamental goodness of humans. Human love, compassion, and empathy combined with economic prosperity allow people to respect each other and live together in peace. On Earth in the 24th century, there is no hunger; no one has to resort to dehumanizing or criminal activity in order to survive. While there are other humanoids in the galaxy who still use technology to dominate others, humans use technology to enhance life. Trek holoprograms can be grouped into three basic categories. Holonovels provide role-playing situations. Holoenvironments provide diverse settings for socializing with other people as well as opportunities to receive personal services from holocharacters. Holotraining programs include exercise and sports opportunities as well as interactive technical manuals and simulations, not to mention tests. All of these are reasonable, positive uses for holotechnology. The problems arise in the choices of scenarios that often present the most blatantly sexist scenes in modern Trek. In the future the shows present, self-aware machines long to become human. Data and the Holodoc use the holodeck to study human emotions and social relationships. Data's programs are my favorite TNG holoprograms. Although Doc's family started out as a shock, "Real Life" grew on me. Of course he would start out by programming a family that revolved around him perfectly. Torres changes the program to give him a serious lesson in the difficulties of human life and negotiating compromises among people. The ending is certainly a tear-jerker, but it is appropriate. Facing mortality is an essential part of being human. For a doctor, the untimely death of his child whom his medicine cannot save is the ultimate personal tragedy. Trek holonovels are usually role-playing versions of popular fiction or myth. Worf is into Klingon mythology. Kim is into Beowulf. Picard is into the mid-twentieth-century pulp, private-eye genre. Bashir is into the super-spy genre. Janeway is into gothic romance. These stories mostly present a familiar sort of cheap, gender-typed, lust-invoking, formulaic entertainment. There are reasonable technical advantages in choosing such stories for holonovels. They are formulaic enough to make it much easier to imagine programming them than something more realistic. They are formulaic enough that no one is likely to confuse the fantasy with reality. There is often some aspect of a mystery to be solved in these holonovels, but with the exception of Janeway's gothic romance, these holonovels are mainly the providence of men who use them to exercise their machismo. When Dax invites Kira to join her for a massage in a holoenvironment, the costumes and cinematography suggest the scene is meant more to display them as sex objects to male viewers than to present a positive female version of holodeck relaxation. Sandrine's pub and the Talaxian resort illustrate the use of the holodeck to promote socializing among the crew in a relaxed atmosphere. Both emphasize female holocharacters as sex objects. Holonovels and especially holoenvironments usually do not appear socially isolating because they are often shared. Data and La Forge play Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Bashir and O'Brien play Battle of Britain pilots. Couples go on dates in the galaxy's most romantic locales. Picard has looked annoyed about having others horn in on his Dixon Hill holonovel, but other officers are there with him frequently. However, healthy Starfleet officers have been shown to fall in love with holocharacters. Riker falls in love with a holocharacter, Minuet, but she is not a human creation. The Binars, who are extremely competent programmers because their species is computer interlinked, created Minuet specifically to distract him. She appears much more human than other holocharacters except for Moriarty and Voyager's Holodoc. While using an interactive, holographic technical manual, LaForge falls in love with a hologram of a real person, Leah Brahms. Instead of wanting to live in a fantasy world with the holocharacter, he hopes to create a relationship with the real Leah Brahms. The problem is that his experience with the hologram allowed him to develop unrealistic expectations of the real person. Kim falls in love with an alien pretending to be a holocharacter. Because Kim assumes that he has fallen for a mere holocharacter, he seeks help rather than preferring to live in a fantasy world. Humans are social beings who need contact with other humans to remain healthy. Orphaned infants actually die if they do not receive enough touching. Unless their only contact with others feels demeaning, humans are going to seek out human contract. However, an unhealthy person might prefer a fantasy over which he has complete control. In TNG's "Hollow Pursuits," Trek explores such a case. Barclay deals with his feelings of inferiority by creating a fantasy world in which he controls and ridicules holograms of the Enterprise's command staff. The holodeck provides an avenue for Barclay to express his psychological problems by externalizing his fantasies. The holodeck does not cause Barclay's problems. TNG is careful to avoid dealing with holosex in spite of the fact that we should expect it to be a very popular holodeck pursuit. On screen, Picard maintains his practiced professional distance with the holodames in his Dixon Hill holonovel. Since it is a period piece from a time when sex was still avoided in pulp novels, the genre does not really imply that Picard is fooling around off camera. In contrast, Bashir's super-spy holonovel and Janeway's gothic romance holonovel imply by their genres that they will be. Quark clearly offers holographic sexual partners to his holosuite patrons. Being Ferengi, Quark does not share Federation values; still, holographic sexual partners are less offensive to me than prostitution because holocharacters can offer sexual services without dehumanizing humanoids by inflicting such roles on them. Clients could fantasize about oppressing the holocharacters, but they would only be hurting themselves by playing out unhealthy roles. Normal, nonsentient holocharacters as sexual partners are really just sophisticated sex toys. If there is only one conscious person involved, holosex is just masturbation. While a relationship is a lot more than sex, sex is also more than a relationship. There is a powerful genetically programmed urge for sex. We need the physical release. Denying love hurts us, but so does just plain denying sex. Enforced celibacy is never healthy. Celibacy is only healthy if the need for sex has been transcended, e.g., by spiritual advancement. Given that Janeway loves Mark but may not see him again for a long time, it is reasonable and healthy for her to turn to holograms for sexual release. Since masturbation is not equivalent to infidelity, sex with a holocharacter should not be considered being unfaithful. Why does she feel guilty about it when confronted by an image of Mark? Janeway could have programmed an image of Mark for sex, but that would be less healthy than a holonovel. Programming an image of a real lover invites one to confuse the fantasy with real life, like LaForge's problem with Leah Brahms. We create enough problems in our relationships by trying to hold our lovers to our images of them, without spending time interacting with images that do not change and grow like a real person. It is nice that Janeway chooses a holonovel in which she interacts with children who are not her own, that she is not playing out a perfect family fantasy. But, her turning to a sexist period piece that sets the expectation of her employer becoming her sexual partner is highly offensive. When she has the choice of any imaginable holocharacter, she should turn to a social equal for sex. However, Janeway's seeking out a figure with power over her to interact with in other ways on the holodeck is a sign of mental health. On Voyager, she wields absolute authority. For balance, she needs to interact with someone who holds power over her, and the holodeck offers her that possibility. DaVinci holds promise for such a role, although a woman would have been nice--say, Georgia O'Keeffe. Such a holocharacter cannot replace human companionship. Janeway still needs to socialize with her senior officers. TOS gave us a captain who could handle juggling friendship and command. TNG gave us a captain who stayed horribly aloof, yet in the end finally joined his senior staff for poker. Voyager began with a wonderful Captain who could switch appropriately back and forth between professional distance and friendly concern. I adored that Janeway who managed to be both commanding and sexy. I wanted to be just like her. She is a powerful woman who wields her power carefully and righteously. She is a powerful woman who thinks clearly and feels deeply. She is a woman who is successful without having traded the love of life for the will to succeed. She is a commander who understands that her isolated crew members are going to start developing relationships. In the Delta Quadrant, surrounded only by people she commands, it is reasonable that Janeway is shutting down her emotions. It is a realistic response. It is a reasonable sacrifice. But, I do not want to identify with her any more. Now she reminds me too much of my priggish, Protestant mother, frowning at the least implication of sexuality. I wonder if TBTP have done this to Janeway not because it is realistic, but because the vaunted young male audience may find Janeway easier to accept as a captain if she is sexless. Prudish Janeway bothers me more than just my loss of a role model. I see that Janeway's situation in the Delta Quadrant is not especially analogous to that of everyday women professionals today. That Janeway suppresses her sexuality does not mean that we have to suppress ours to succeed. But, I fear that young woman may not realize that, may watch Voyager and heed a subtle push in the wrong direction. To provide a good role model, Janeway needs both good friends among her senior staff and some hint of sexuality. Janeway should not retreat from human companionship into holodeck fantasies. However, I think that the holodeck could be used wisely to let us see her occasionally playing among holocharacters in a way that gives her an opportunity to act sexy and full of life with the kind of casual disregard that she cannot show in front of her crew. Perhaps she could flirt with holocharacters who do not represent sexist stereotypes while solving a murder mystery. It could be done ambiguously enough that those who are offended by holosex need not necessarily interpret it as leading there. THE AWFUL TRUTH: PEOPLE OVER 40 HAVE SEX! by CK Should they, would they...will they, won't they...do they, don't they? I am amazed at the angst that these questions have produced since the introduction of Captain Kathryn Janeway and Commander Chakotay into the annals of Star Trek lore in January 1995. I am relatively new to the Internet, the World Wide Web, and cyberspace in general, and I have never been involved in any type of fan club in my life. But I have been watching Star Trek since its inception (I grew up in Montreal, after all, I had a vested interest in William Shatner!) And when my daughter introduced me to the sport of web surfing, I dove right in, And was amazed by what I found. I can read the Los Angeles Times and the Jerusalem Post. I can get stock quotes and theatre reviews. I can watch live Pathfinder transmissions from Mars, and talk to my family who are spread all over Canada and the United States. And I can find anything and everything I ever wanted to know about Star Trek! It's quite a phenomenon. I watched the first episode of Voyager when it premiered, and was impressed, particularly with Captain Janeway. Women have come a long way since the 1960's even on Trek, where it was always wonderful to see women on the bridge, even if only for decoration. At least we had made it that far! But Kathryn Janeway. A woman, with a capital W. Who was in charge. Who had a life. Who was a scientist and a leader of men and women...and various and sundry other species! Someone who could negotiate with the best of them, but was not afraid to "punch her way through." Aha! A woman of the 90's--or at least of the 24th century. She would have it all. And she was not blonde and 23 years old! And then we met Commander Chakotay and the sparks flew. Another character with potential. Principles, commitment, sensitivity, spirituality... The Delta Quadrant is filled with all the prerequisites for an ideal Star Trek world. But I also looked for character development, and it was there. Friendships were forming. Animosity was waxing... and waning. Human (and non-human) nature was in evidence. Decisions were being made, and they weren't necessarily the right ones or the easy ones! This is good Star Trek. Since I surfed into the Now Voyager site, I have been fascinated by the Janeway /Chakotay dilemma. It seems to have engendered the most passionate discourse amongst this group. (I have also been impressed with the caliber of writing, reviewing, reporting and debate that goes on here.) I even started to read fan fiction, something entirely new to me. I read with great interest and delight Kate Mulgrew's opinions on the subject. And, on the whole, I agree with her. I like the relationship that is slowly developing between the characters. It is a true, deep friendship between two complicated human beings. It is almost an ideal picture of a marriage. However, there is one issue here that no one has addressed, and one that I would like to see on episodic television. A woman, over 40 or even 45 (some of us have actually made it that far!) can enjoy a satisfying physical relationship. It does happen. But I can't think of any examples of this on regular television. I guess this is what I would like to see happen between the Captain and the Commander. Two mature people enjoying a total partnership, physical as well as spiritual, with all the inherent dangers involved...dramatic possibilities abound! To me this would be an interesting and realistic (Star Trek realism!?) area to explore... So...should they? I think so. Would they? After much discussion, they might. Will they? I hope so--for their own sakes. And for the sake of my demographic. We too have lives! Katewatch FIRST NVO MEETING by Anneke Apperloo In case you're wondering, 'NVO' is an abbreviation for 'Now Voyager Overseas'--and it does have a ring to it, doesn't it, as Vicky put it at our first international, intercultural meeting. Two Germans (Marco and Wilfried), a Danish/Canadian woman living in Belgium (Vicky), and a Dutchman and woman (Marcel and myself) gathered on July 5, 1997 in Utrecht, the Netherlands, all because of Kate. How to start... Well, Marco and Wilfried certainly saw a lot of Utrecht! Suddenly we saw two people walk past Marcel's house--and back, so it took a quick sprint from me to convince them they finally were at the right place. Vicky, Marcel and I had started to lunch already, because we weren't sure whether I just had given them lousy directions or...whatever. After finishing our lunch, we started our video session. We mutually agreed that "The Caretaker" would be a good start. Wilfried hadn't seen it yet--at least not in English--so we had a 'panel discussion' first, about dubbing (done in Germany) versus subtitling (done in the Netherlands and Belgium). The final conclusion was that both are very annoying, but when subtitles are used, one at least gets the opportunity to hear the voices belonging to the actors...and improve one's English language skills. Back to "The Caretaker"--it was a good start indeed! I almost forgot how great Chak looks in "civvies," since I haven't been watching my usual bedtime story, "Resolutions," for a while; I'm completely hooked on "The Q and the Grey" at the moment (and doesn't he look great in that blue uniform as well?) I do think Chakotay instead of Kim should have rescued Janeway: wouldn't that have made a wonderful 'wallpaper' picture. But I'm digressing further! More about "The Q and the Grey" later--back again to "The Caretaker." Not for the first time, it struck me how much Janeway has changed during the past few years. And I don't mean just the ha*rdo (I wouldn't dare!); in my opinion, she transformed from a somewhat formal and distant Starfleet Captain into a confident, caring community leader...although I think one of the final scenes of "The Caretaker," the one with Tuvok and the remains of the Caretaker ("We never asked to be involved, Tuvok, but we are...") already shows what she's really like "inside." Of course "The Caretaker" wouldn't have been Voyager if it wouldn't have contained some extremely funny scenes as well, next to the extremely serious ones, the secret behind the power of Voyager. The meeting with Neelix, for instance--I found it really hilarious: "Whoever you are, I found this waste zone first!" We said it all together, out loud, which happened a lot during the watching. And the bathroom scene ("Mr Vulcan, come in, come in, I can hardly see you!")...Marco told us that in the audio version of the book is stated that Tuvok "saw more of the little alien's anatomy than he would ever have wanted to see" when Neelix asked him to hand him the towel! After a little break we watched "The Q and the Grey." Vicky hadn't seen it yet, so Marco already told her she was in for a surprise--and she was! For me, even after having seen it so many times and thoroughly knowing it (from beginning to end...and back...), it's still such a great episode to watch! I'm only sorry we as the audience don't get to see Q serenading Janeway in her bath (which also would have made a great 'wallpaper' picture, in my opinion). Watching the episode this time, however, I suddenly realized what a wimp Q is in fact! ("Aaah!!! I'm hit!!! I'm going to die!!!" "Q, they're not firing at us..." "They aren't?!" Absolutely priceless.) And I really hope to see the female Q again some time. She's "got such...spunk!" Before dinner we watched a great music video Vicky brought. The video clips were composed of all kinds of Trek scenes. Wonder Woman was dedicated to Janeway. Then we had dinner. Marcel and I convinced our poor guests to try the famous "patatje pangang" (French fries with babi pangang) from "the cafetaria on the corner," which is run by a Chinese family. It's our usual healthy, nutritious and balanced Sunday evening dinner, watching Voyager. Unfortunately we didn't have time anymore to watch Throw Momma from the Train, the only Kate movie I can get my hands on over here. It's a movie from 1987 in which Kate plays a woman quite opposite to Janeway. "She had a little trouble walking, but that was because of the gardener." Just imagine Janeway...no, no, wait, Kate said "no dropping the knickers," didn't she?! Maybe next time--because we unanimously agreed there will be a next time!!! The People Page THE CADET JANEWAY AUTHORS by Mary Taylor Recently I had the privilege of interviewing Diana G. Gallagher, co-author with Martin R. Burke of The Chance Factor, and Patricia Barnes-Svarney, author of Quarantine. The Chance Factor and Quarantine are the second and third of the Cadet Janeway Starfleet Academy books published by Minstrel, the Pocket Books division for the intermediate age group between children's and young adult books. (Lifeline, the first Cadet Janeway book, and The Chance Factor are already in stores; Quarantine will be out in September.) I spoke with Diana by telephone and to Patricia by email, and both were cooperative and interesting interview subjects and very patient as I picked their brains on everything I could think of. NOW VOYAGER: First, thank you for agreeing to talk to Now Voyager. I'll jump right in and ask: how did you become a writer? PATRICIA BARNES-SVARNEY: I really, really want to say I was born with a silver pen in my mouth (word processors weren't around then). In reality, I started READING early, and that started me on my way to writing. I never thought of being "a writer"; writing was just something I always did. I wrote articles and did illustrations for my school newspapers a gazillion years ago; and when in college, I kept on writing (science fiction and mystery short stories; poems; essays, etc.), but never published except for the college magazine. And although people kept saying to "get published," I didn't get the bug until a science journal published my Master's thesis study (I'm a geologist by training)! Then I was hooked. DIANA G. GALLAGHER: When I was twelve, I would hole up in my bedroom with my father's typewriter furiously typing horse stories. I still have those short stories. I always wanted to be a writer, but it took me quite a while to actually accomplish the fact. I still am writing horse stories, and if I ever get a break, I would like to do some original kid's horse stories. NV: Are you writing predominantly children's books or are you writing books for adults as well? DG: Well, my first science fiction novel, The Alien Dark, which came out in December 1990 from TSR, was an adult science fiction novel. Since then, I've been writing strictly for children, actually intermediate readers, and now with Sabrina: The Teenage Witch, the young adult books. I have another completed novel, which my agent and I decided that now would be a good time for it, with all the hoopla with Mars and Roswell. Unfortunately, it's mainstream fiction with a science fiction element that is too heavy for mainstream but not heavy enough for science fiction. It's actually like a psychological thriller with a science fiction element in it. The story involves a probe, a device to accelerate the time it usually takes a person to work through programming from childhood, etc. The probe kind of became a character in his own right and stole the end of the book. So, I'm really hoping we can sell it now, considering that I actually did something that nobody else has ever done with an alien artifact and how public awareness is now with life on other planets. So we'll see. NV: When did you first become interested in Star Trek, and how did that interest culminate in a desire to write Star Trek stories? PB-S: Oh, my. I've been in love with Star Trek forever. (Do you get the idea I've been around for centuries? ) Many women I knew (and still know) who became scientists (especially in astronomy and geology), liked the idea that there was a woman communications engineer on the Bridge; that many other women on TOS were scientists; and that the future looked bright for anyone who was interested in the "final frontier." I liked it, too. I even tried out for the space program; no such luck, so now I WRITE about the space program. As for writing the Star Trek stories, how many of us have NOT thought, "Hey, you know what would be a great story...?" DG: That is actually kind of interesting because I didn't start watching Star Trek until it went into reruns back in the 1970s, and I liked it at the time, but it never occurred to me to write science fiction. I got interested in science fiction and the realities of space because of Star Wars. After Star Wars, I started watching Star Trek again. I happened to move to California ten years later, and through a series of fortuitous events, I sent a spec script to Melinda Snodgrass that got lost until after she left the show. Between the third and second season, there were spec scripts lying around the office. Someone must have gone through them, because Michael Piller's office called me in to pitch to TNG on the basis of this teleplay. This was prior to them opening the doors to SFWA [Science Fiction Writers of America] members. So that was kind of cool. I never actually managed to sell to the show, although I went in and pitched a couple of times. I have thought of calling Jeri Taylor's office. I have a great "B" plot. Sometimes they have "story by" credit but their people are actually writing the scripts. I do have an idea for DS9, so I would like to be able to pitch again. Because I had put time and effort into the pitch process, a friend of mine talked me into trying for the Star Trek novels. I was not successful there. Not too long after that, they decided to do the intermediate reader books. Lisa Clancy [Pocket books editor for the Minstrel books] had told my agent that she would be willing to talk to any of her clients who had an idea, so that they would not have to spend time writing up outlines on things she could not use. So I called her with an idea I had. Actually, my A plot was too similar to something Lisa had already taken, but she liked the B side of it. I took the B side, which was an educational helmet device, and came up with the alien game device in The Arcade. Lisa Clancy, bless her heart, is absolutely a doll as an editor. It was a lot of fun, and it was my first introduction to writing for children, period. NV: Patricia, how did you find yourself writing for the Minstrel line, and do you have any interest in writing for the Pocket adult Star Trek line? PB-S: When I picked up the first book of the series (Peter David's Worf's First Adventure), I thought writing about ST:TNG people in Starfleet Academy was the neatest idea. I had written some short stories for obscure places, took classes on writing fiction for kids, and I had been writing non-fiction for kids and adults for about 9 years. Not only that, I'm always intrigued by "throw away" lines--for example, in my Beverly Crusher book (ST: TNG: Starfleet Academy: Loyalties), I mention what happened to Beverly and her grandmother on Arvada III (it's a throw away line in The Arsenal between Beverly and Picard). As for writing for the main line of books--yes, I am interested! I've put in one proposal, and I'm working on another one right now. As for having a foot in the door with the young adult books, I truly believe it's the good stories that get published, so I have just as much of a chance as everyone else. NV: How does writing for children differ from writing for adults? What kinds of changes in your writing style do you make when you write for children? PB-S: The young adult books center more on action and include "problems" that young adults often struggle with at that age; the adult books also have action, but there is much more detail in between. Otherwise, I just try to center on characterization, a good story, and getting all the details right! DG: When it comes to my intermediate books, I don't really change my style. The stories are more straightforward than adult books, but they still have A and B plots. The plots would perhaps have fewer twists and turns, but not necessarily. Language would be the only consideration. Of course, the publisher has language people who determine what language level a book is. I wrote Honor Bound, which is the kids' entry for the Day of Honor series coming up. I had wanted to do something with Alexander, so the Day of Honor book was perfect for me. The language level came out at the eighth grade level, and I figured that it was because of the Klingon stuff. Most of the Star Trek books are roughly sixth grade, and this was the high end of the intermediate range. NV: How do they determine the language level of a book? DG: You know, I don't know. I think it's basically particular words. I had to go through and take "blood lust" out. What they determined was that it was a question of describing Klingon ferocity. In the story, Worf goes to Earth because Alexander has become totally unruly again, but it turns out that Alexander can't help it. What is going on is Alexander in adolescence dealing with surges of Klingon hormones, except that I never say "hormones." I really am so pleased with that book because it works well with the episode where K'mtar comes back, and he was really the future Alexander ["Firstborn"]. I was three-quarters of the way through the book before I remembered that episode and then I went looking for it. As it turns out, what I had already done, which was have Worf be very understanding, worked in perfectly with what they had done in that episode. I kept trying to figure out what episodes Alexander was in and which were important. NV: How did you deal with Alexander not being on the station with his father? DG: I say that because the Enterprise crashed on Veridian III, Alexander had to stay with his grandparents while Worf went to the monastery. Then Worf went to DS9 instead of visiting Alexander, and again, he was supposed to go visit Alexander and instead went on vacation to Risa with Dax ["Let He Who Is Without Sin"]. I think that there was actually a reference in the episode to Worf having planned to visit Alexander, so I brought that in. At the beginning, Alexander is feeling resentful because his dad is only coming to see him because he's in trouble. In the original outline, I had Alexander go to DS9, but Paramount didn't want to do that because they wanted to bring Alexander to DS9 first. NV: Did you get any hints that they were planning to bring Alexander to DS9, or just that they wanted to leave their options open? DG: They have to leave their options open. When you're writing the book, it's a very fine line. I remember John [Ordover] telling me that one of the best outlines he'd received from absolutely one of their best writers was almost identical to one of the episodes Paramount already had in the can. NV: Regarding the Captain Janeway book, what have been your experiences with Paramount's publication and approval process? PB-S: The process is similar to most books (fiction and non-fiction): You first send for their writer's guidelines, read the books that are already out there, send in your proposal to the correct editor (detailed outline and sample chapters); if they approve of the idea, then you're on your way. It sounds easy, but remember, you have to come up with a great idea, write the best proposal, and wait--the hard part. As with Pocket, Minstrel (the YA division under Pocket) asks that you have an agent. DG: My experiences have been excellent. According to Lisa Clancy, the Minstrel editor, The Arcade outline was approved with no revisions, which was highly unusual. NV: Is Pocket stricter with the young adult and intermediate books or with the adult books? DG: I have no idea. Anyway, what happened with The Arcade was unusual; the manuscript came back with only four line revisions. This is what put me at the top of the list when The Secret World of Alex Mack came along, the books for the Alex Mack Nickelodeon series. I had wanted to do a Beverly goes to Starfleet Academy book, but Lisa wanted me doing Alex Mack, so that sort of got tabled. When the Voyager young adult books came along, she just asked me to do one of the Janeway books if I wanted it. So what was I going to say, no? NV: Writing for Captain Janeway strikes me as unique because, unlike with any of the other Star Trek characters, the life of Kathryn Janeway in her formative years has been set out in a fair amount of detail in Mosaic by Jeri Taylor. Can you describe how Mosaic affected your storytelling, if at all? PB-S: Yes, I was given Mosaic to read before I wrote the story. It gave me an idea of what Janeway was like before she went to Starfleet Academy (who her friends were, how she responded to certain events, what she liked to do as a child, etc.), her family background (we're all still somewhat attached to our family when we're at college--no matter what we say!), and who affected her the most (her father, her own driven personality, etc.). Then I interspersed some of those elements into the story. I also like to think I had a "head start" on writing this book--I remember what it was like to be a science major while in college, although Starfleet Academy looks much different than my college! DG: They supplied me, and I'm sure they supplied the other writers, with the manuscript, actually the galley, so that we could know what was going on. Of course, Jeri Taylor was able to look at all of our outlines and, I assume, say OK. NV: Did you have the opportunity to talk with Jeri Taylor about Mosaic or any details that you might have needed in Janeway's backstory? PB-S: No. I talked with my editor (Lisa Clancy) when I had a question. DG: No, and oddly enough, it was Jeri Taylor that I had pitched to when I pitched for TNG. NV: Were there any special directives from Pocket or Paramount that you had to follow? PB-S: That's a tough one. Mosaic was the foundation for Janeway; then Paramount checked the proposal and the resulting manuscript, giving suggestions at both stages in the process. DG: Not really. I referenced the manuscript for the parts about Janeway and her dad. I really liked the way they brought that out on the show in "Coda." Basically, I referenced the part about when she goes to Starfleet Academy and is talking to her friend about her uncertainty. As far as Mosaic is concerned, that is the part that would have been critical to anything we did in the Academy, her feelings right before she went. NV: Did you feel constrained in having to fit your story within the bounds of Mosaic? DG: No, because when you're writing for kids that age, for intermediate readers (8-11, and with Star Trek, adults are reading them), you need a relatively straightforward story, with a goal. I will not write anything that does not have a positive ending, that does not have something positive to say. The Chance Factor is written from Janeway's viewpoint, so consequently, her feelings about her dad, about being a perfectionist and screwing up, which is what I have her do, make her question whether she belongs in Starfleet. NV: The young adult and intermediate novels have a moral, a lesson that the young people featured in the story learn by the end of the book. This moral lesson often seems to involve who she is and what she wants out of life. What moral lesson does Cadet Janeway learn from her experiences in your story? PB-S: In Quarantine, Cadet Janeway--along with several other cadets--is on her first real off-world mission on the Tsiolkovsky, a science vessel delivering medical supplies to Chatoob, a planet dotted with domes that protect its people, two groups, the Chats and the Obers, from atmospheric pollution. While on the planet, Janeway and the other cadets are contaminated with a deadly disease and thrown into quarantine with dozens of sick Obers. They find out there is more to this quarantine than meets the eye -- the Obers say it's a plot. It's up to Janeway to figure out how to get the cadets out of there, and to help the Obers. Without giving the plot away, she learns that maybe she IS a leader. Always the scientist, she never sees herself as a leader. But when push comes to shove, she uses her scientist-mind to figure out a way to lead others and finds it's not as uncomfortable as she thought. DG: It's called The Chance Factor. The idea is brought up by one of the teachers in class that there are things that you cannot anticipate, and what Janeway has to learn is that she can't control everything. At the beginning of the book, you find out that there is a man who has a project which is low on Starfleet's priority list to use non-tech means for going into planets where either technology won't work, or where because of the prime directive, they have to sneak in and sneak out, whether it is a rescue mission or the like. So I use five kids, including Janeway, a Klingon, Endar from "Suddenly Human," who is about the same age as Janeway (the same Endar who was Jono's adoptive father in "Suddenly Human" and who was so missed by Jono), a young Betazoid, and a young Vulcan. They go into the mission with ten different animals, all of which, with one exception, have been mentioned or depicted in one series or another. I got them out of the Star Trek Encyclopedia. I use everything from the sandbats of Manark Four, which Spock mentioned in "The Empath," to an American Quarterhorse. The American Quarterhorse and Star Trek; I may send them a copy. So basically, we have the young people on a mission to prove the feasibility of this man's study. Janeway learns not only that is there a chance factor that she can't control, but also the importance of the team effort and that everyone has something they can contribute. We all have faults and we all have strengths, and you have to play to people's strengths. Of course, she's not on a command track at the time, she's on a science track, but her decisions all kind of create a foundation for what will come to pass in the future. NV: Do you set these decisions up to tie in with later events in Mosaic? DG: No, not really. It's just that later, with all that went on, she realizes that you just never know what is going to happen. NV: Diana, what can you tell us about the collaborative process between you and Martin Burke for The Chance Factor? DG: It's hard to define in this particular instance. When it comes to Star Trek books, sometimes you have a collaboration where the other person's input is in a more general scope of human insight, which is what Marty's input was for The Chance Factor. It was a 50-50 effort. There's an interesting story that goes with this book, where Marty is very instrumental regarding the Star Trek stuff. What happens was I decided to use an Aldebaran serpent, which has three heads. The way it was depicted in that Q episode, it had three heads but you didn't see the rest of it. Well, we w ere told that we couldn't use an Aldebaran serpent because it didn't have a body. So Marty came up with using a dinosaur. It works for me, and kids would love it. So we came up with a dinosaur that has no Star Trek reference whatsoever. They had said that we might as well use a one-headed creature. So we said fine, it will make life a lot easier for us. Well, no one told the cover artist what we did. This really was a no fault situation. Lisa's assistant had left and had not been replaced yet. Consequently, the artist was working with the outline and didn't know that we weren't using a three-headed Aldebaran serpent. So we ended up with cover art that has a three-headed creature and a manuscript that has a one-headed dinosaur. We had to correct it in the story because it was too late to correct the cover art. The interior illustrations also had to be corrected. This is where the science fiction mind--and I said to Marty, we have to think science fiction--came in. Originally with the creature having three heads, we could have had three different personalities. Because we made the creature a one-headed dinosaur, it had only one personality. In trying to fix the manuscript, it would have been a horror to add two personalities when we had had one that worked just fine. So what we came up with is a three-headed creature where the heads operate independently as hands do, but there is only one brain, in a cavity at the base of the neck that controls it all. Three heads, one brain. So we went through and had sentences where one head is getting scratched under the chin, and one head is looking for grasshoppers in the grass, and the other head is playing lookout. It was actually an easy fix and everyone heaved a sigh of relief. It was the kind of story that you would love telling at a science fiction convention because it was nobody's fault. It just happened. The cover art passed, and the manuscript passed, and no one noticed. NV: How would you describe Cadet Janeway as she is in your book and how she is similar to and different from the Captain Janeway that we see every week? PB-S: She loves science, she's trying to help others (especially her fellow cadets), and she's very headstrong (didn't you love it when she stood her ground in the last episode of the season? THAT'S the Janeway she's starting to become in Quarantine). DG: As a cadet, based on her schooling and her father and everything, she was seeking perfection, and she was an overachiever. Only perfection would do. Anything less than perfection was a failure. No gray area. That's how I perceive it. Consequently, at the beginning of the book, we set up a simulation, and everybody on the ship dies because of mistakes that the team made, Janeway included. The professor points out that there were points all along the way that a person could have made a decision that could have affected the outcome. It's at that point that she realizes that, in a life or death situation, does she want to rely on other people that may not be competent? She also starts questioning her own competence. When she goes on this mission with several aliens, not all of whom are from races friendly to the Federation, everyone's faults are what get noticed first. As the mission progresses, the strengths come out. As it turns out, it was everybody working together that got them through the mission. From Janeway's standpoint, it was accepting the concept that there are things beyond our control and all we can do is punt and do the best we can. NV: Do you see the present day Janeway as someone who has learned those lessons? DG: Yeah, I do. I just love the cliffhanger this season, where she says, "OK, here we are, there's the Borg, I'm going over there." NV: How did you feel about the conflict between her and Chakotay in the decision to deal with the Borg in finding a solution to the Species 8472 threat? Did you have any reaction to Chakotay going nose to nose with her and disagreeing with her? DG: No, because I think that we have to have a devil's advocate because there are things you don't think of. If you don't have someone who is in opposition pointing them out, you're not going to think of them. NV: Online, there has been a lot of discussion about demographics and the gender of the actual and targeted audiences for Voyager and DS9. I've also read that "girl books" and "boy books" differ in terms of characterization and action. Was this a factor in writing The Chance Factor? Or Quarantine? PB-S: No, I just wanted to tell an exciting story. I've been writing for kids for some time now, and I've noticed there are "boy" and "girl" books, but that line is slowly diminishing. I think boys and girls like excitement and adventure, and that's what the Starfleet Academy books offer. DG: Not at all. Not at all. I think that I can tell you from Alex Mack, the fan mail I get is 50-50 boy and girl, and Alex, who is the star, is a girl. NV: In addition to the Star Trek Minstrel books or other books we have already talked about, what other books are you working on or have you written? PB-S: Do you really want the list? I've written 14 books and more than 300 magazine articles. In fiction, I've written two of the Star Trek Starfleet Academy books (on Beverly Crusher and Janeway); and I've also written several The Secret World Of Alex Mack books. In non-fiction, I write science (Asteroid: Earth Destroyer Or New Frontier?; The New York Public Library Science Desk Reference; Traveler's Guide To The Solar System; etc.); I'm currently under contract for two more science books, and several proposals are being considered (keep your fingers crossed!) DG: The Alex Mack books, of course. I have one out in the Are You Afraid of the Dark series. I just finished another one that is pure science fiction. It was quite a deviation for them, but they really liked the idea. It's a sort of "the grass is always greener on the other side" idea and involves a multiverse machine. It was really fun and definitely science fiction. I also have one of the first The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo, which is just out, and Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, which is just pure fun. Marty and I wrote an X Files adult book. NV: It sounds like you're keeping very busy. How many of these books can you expect to write in a year? DG: Well, this is July, I'm about to start another Alex book, which I ought to have started two weeks ago. I have written six books since Thanksgiving. If the schedule keeps up the way it looks like it is going, I would have written nine to ten books by the end of the year, which is really pushing it. Sabrina's a lot of fun, and I suspect that it's doing very well. They are definitely going to do more Sabrina books. My local Barnes & Noble says that they are selling phenomenally. I'm surprised at the number of kids I run into, six year olds, who just love the show. I think that Sabrina is going to be good. I like the fact that if Sabrina uses her magic for any kind of gain, there is always a repercussion. Of course, I like to write books with a lot of chaos, and Sabrina is just prime for a lot of chaos. I think that the limitations that they put on certain things really work because we all have limitations in real life. NV: Some of our members would be interested in what you think of Voyager. What are your favorite episodes? PB-S: Oh, my. That's a trick question, I can tell. All right. I'll bite: All of them! DG: I really liked the one where Neelix and Tuvok got combined ["Tuvix"]. I liked the one where the doctor got a family ["Real Life"]. A lot of the stuff they have done with the doctor has been really good, but that one really struck me. What really got to me was when the doctor wanted to quit and Tom Paris talked him into going back and finishing, when Tom said that in order to understand, you have to go back and finish. That showed a lot of human grit. It really did. In Tuvix, it was the moral dilemma that was so great. Those two episodes stand out. There were a couple of other episodes that I really liked, but those two in particular because theydeal with the human condition. Talking about favorite episodes, I think that my favorite DS9 episode is the one where Nog talks Sisko into sponsoring him for the Academy. I thought that was absolutely great. What he had to say about his father in the end was wonderful. I love what they have done with Rom. That particular show shows a progression of characterization that Voyager is developing but they haven't been on long enough to show that yet. I think that Voyager has gotten to that point quicker than earlier Star Treks. NV: When Voyager started, there was an endless amount of talk online about the direction the show should take. What direction do you think that the show should take? PB-S: I really don't have a preference--I just know that this season's Star Trek: Voyager sounds promising already! Most people I talk with would like to see Voyager pull away from the polish of Starfleet and become more rough-cut: More trading with other ships and planets, and joining up with other groups to make it through bad spots in the quadrant (sounds like what they may do with the Borg?) DG: I really haven't thought about it. If you're trying to write something, to come up with a book idea, you have to have a standalone idea. They're out there, they're stuck, and the idea can't be one that will alter their circumstances. I'm perfectly willing to watch the show and see what's going to happen next. It's one of the high points in my life. I do have to tape them and watch them at my leisure, at 11:00 at night. But I do that religiously. But sometimes I will have three weeks worth and sit down and go on a binge. I'm curious about what is going to happen to Worf and Dax; I'm glad that O'Brien and Keiko got married. I'm glad that Kasidy came back. It puts it all into the realm of human reality, and I'm curious there. But as far as trying to predict what either show will do, I'd like to be surprised. NV: What do you read in your spare time, if you have any spare time. What are your favorite books? PB-S: ACK! Another list! Fiction: Star Trek books, of course; Sherlock Holmes; Mark Twain; Ray Bradbury; Edgar Allen Poe; I'm really all over the board between science fiction, classics, and mysteries. Non-fiction: Isaac Asimov; Carl Sagan; Stephen Hawking; John McPhee; in other words, anything to do with the sciences, especially the physical sciences. My favorite book? Charlotte's Web. DG: Of late, I have read almost nothing but Star Trek because I think that is because you can go into a Star Trek book, and you can get lost in Star Trek. Personally, I think that Gene Roddenberry has created the blueprint for the future, or at least, I hope so. I adore Babylon 5, but I would rather live in the Star Trek universe. All this Roswell business, and my feeling is that don't these aliens have something better to do? If you can accomplish interstellar travel, why would you abduct individual humans? It doesn't make sense to me. Now, the Vulcans observing makes sense to me. Prior to that, I would read everything from Dickens' Tale of Two Cities to Dean Koontz to anything I can lay my hands on. My favorite science fiction writer would be Jim Hogan. I don't read voraciously because reading is something I tend to do before I go to sleep, so I read whatever I can get through before I start nodding off. NV: Of the Star Trek books you've read, what are your current favorites? DG: Put me on the spot here. The original series book, The Prime Directive, was that the one where everybody was in trouble? Loved that. I loved Q Squared, but I love Peter David's stuff anyway. I went to Barnes and Noble trying to find the New Frontier books but I couldn't. They told me at the bookstore that they had 200 cases of books in the back but I said, "a lot of good that's going to do me." A friend of mine who is an avid Star Trek reader has said that they are really good so I decided that I would get them. So I'll have to look a little more. NV: What are your objectives and goals for the future? PB-S: That's a good one!! What's that joke? "Want to make God laugh? Make plans..." DG: The immediate goal as far as writing is concerned is to hope that Lisa keeps sending the books my way. As far as adult books, I would love to write an adult Star Trek novel. It's one of those things that you decide you want to do something, and you're not going to rest until you do it. Lisa keeps me so busy though, which makes it difficult. My ideas come from the strangest places. You know, the shower is a great place to get ideas. I came up with a whole Alex Mack book during the course of one shower. I knew I wanted to do a book about dogs. So I went into the shower and the whole thing popped into my head. Who knows? Sometimes I'll be watching an episode and there will be a line that is an aside and I think that it would be interesting to take that somewhere, or it would be interesting if and so forth. NV: Did that happen with your Cadet Janeway story? DG: My stories tend to be very personality and biologically oriented as opposed to technically oriented. I think I'm pretty good with aliens, but that's again, a thinking kind of thing, a non-technical kind of thing. I just decided that I wanted to do something with the horses, and the whole thing just came from that, wanting to do all these different kinds of animals that have been mentioned and that we've seen. NV: Do you have any suggestions for aspiring writers and Trek novelists? PB-S: The dreaded "P" words: Practice, patience, and persistence! Practice your craft by writing and reading -- and remember the word "rewrite" -- the first words out of your head are usually just for fun; have the patience to take advice from editors (if you are lucky enough to get feedback -- most editors do the work of twenty people), and wait for replies; and finally, be persistent, which means if something comes back with a no, work hard to make the text better, and if you can't make the text better, start over -- then send it out again. DG: Persistence pays off. I started writing seriously twelve years before my first book was published, and I was absolutely determined in spite of what everyone told me I shouldn't be doing. George Burns gave the same advice. And pay attention; your words aren't written in stone and you can't be married to them. It's a team effort, especially with Star Trek. It's Paramount's baby, and what they say goes. Books And Collectibles HAMLET ON THE HOLODECK: THE FUTURE OF NARRATIVE IN CYBERSPACE by Janet H. Murray (Free Press, 1997) Since Hamlet on the Holodeck is about the effect computers have on storytelling, I'm going to tell a story about it. Now Voyager member Diane Nichols, who works in a New York state library, sent me e-mail last month about this new book she'd discovered. Diane liked the Hamlet-Trek connection--she's one of a surprising number of fans who trekked to L.A. to see Robert Beltran in the title role of that play. But she figured I'd be interested because the book sounded like it paralleled my academic interests from before I became a professional Trekkie--Shakespeare and the Internet. When I picked up Hamlet on the Holodeck, I wasn't sure what to expect--commentary on Star Trek's classically trained actors? Analyses of Data's assorted Shakespearean holoprograms? When I picked up the book, I shrieked to discover that the very first chapter is called "Lord Burleigh's Kiss"! The chapter is about cyber-relationships, interactive media, and how new technology affects morality, but Janeway and the holodeck are the vehicle for analysis. "Persistence of Vision" as Hamlet for futurists...who'd ever have thought it? Much of the book is about the way readers and viewers (fans, by extension) obliterate the outside world from their awareness when they're lost in a really good text--holographic or otherwise. The author of Hamlet on the Holodeck, Dr. Janet Murray, is a senior research scientist at M.I.T. with a doctorate in English literature. Since cyberspace is a small world, especially among Trekkers and academics, I figured that Janet must know M.I.T. professor Henry Jenkins--head of the Academic Study of Fandomlist, and the most prominent expert on fandom in the country. When I e-mailed Henry begging for information about how to contact Janet, he told me he and Janet are working together on an article about Star Trek CD-ROM games. And when I wrote to Janet, I learned that a friend of a former college professor of mine had already given my e-mail address to Janet and suggested that she contact me. I tell this story because it illustrates Janet's celebration of electronic technologies and the new relationships open to us because of them. Without the Internet, what are the odds that three different connections would have led me to her? If we want to talk about Star Trek having a legacy that affects social trends in a larger sense than "just television," here it is, in the real technologies which are increasingly at our disposal. Kirkus Reviews described Hamlet on the Holodeck as "a provocative yet cautious meditation on the possibilities and ramifications of encounters between traditional literature, characterized by the Melancholy Dane, and emerging technologies, represented by the holodeck, a form of virtual reality enjoyed by characters on Star Trek." I asked Janet to summarize Hamlet on the Holodeck in layman's terms for Now Voyager. She wrote, "Basically, I am assuming that this moment is analogous to the invention of the movie camera 100 years ago, and asking if the digital environment (multimedia, networked, desktop, VR, arcade, etc.) is the 'camera,' then what will be the equivalent of the 'movie'? The holodeck provides one provocative model. I was particularly intrigued by the episodes [of Voyager] that use the repetition feature of the holonovel, allowing people to enter the same story and play out different versions of it. I think that Star Trek and Neil Stephenson's Diamond Age are the most thoughtful images so far of what digital narrative forms might look like." I told Janet of my own negative response to Lord Burleigh and Janeway's use of the holonovel, shared by many in this fan club. The concerns have less to do with holo-technology as such than with the frustration of seeing that technology used as a gimmick for gratuitous sex and violence, at the expense of relationships and problem-solving. Libidinous holo-programs are often damaging to images of women--Janeway getting smooched by her lord and master, Paris programming a girlfriend who waits on him like a puppy, Harry cavorting with bimbos in bikinis, Vorick using a holographic woman as a sex toy to assuage pon farr. Even on DS9, when the holosuites aren't getting used for Quark's "Vulcan Love Slave Part II" programs, we see them serving bat'leth competitors and weapons dealers--violence without consequence. It's rare for the holodecks to be programmed for ideological or scientific inquiries, like the TNG Moriarty episodes or Voyager's "Distant Origin," though they seem ideally suited for such purposes. Janet did not find the Trek writers' use of Janeway's holonovel particularly disturbing: "I liked their framing the problem of how she would keep distance from the crew, and of how she would consider the issue of fidelity to her conveniently absent lover. I think the holodeck is well used to engage those issues. I also think it is well used to consider plot points that were undeveloped (like the mutiny in "Worst Case Scenario") and the crew members' fantasies of one another." Yet Janet also understood my concerns about the way such experiences are presented on the show. "The narrative imagination is a very powerful part of our survival equipment," she wrote to me. "In earlier ages, it took the form of myth and magic; we thought the things we invented were externally true. Nowadays we are more sophisticated in our understanding of cause and effect, but we are still subject to the overwhelming power of imaginative experience. It thrills us and scares us. We fear the participatory narrative world because we don't know how to indicate what is real and what is make-believe, what is romantic and what is pornographic, what is fantasy and what is anti-social behavior. The holodeck stories frame these anxieties in fascinating ways--your own responses to 'Persistence of Vision' make clear how complex that model is, even for those whom one might expect to embrace it. I think the real problem is finding appropriate 'boundaries.'" On the whole, Janet admitted, "I think B'Elanna and Kes are more successful female characters than Janeway has been. I think they are still struggling with the issue of a woman captain." To this, I can only say, bingo. My complaints about Voyager stem from the discrepancies between the 24th-century setting and the 20th-century prejudices projected into that future. I'm not disturbed by the concept of a holodeck any more than I am by the existence of video games, IRC, or other electronic leisure tools, but I am troubled by the social milieu in which sex and violence are increasingly large components of these interactive entertainments. The problems are not caused by the technologies, merely reflected by them. I wonder whether Trek's writers stop to consider the variance between current and future social systems and how they might make different use of interactive technologies, just as I wonder whether the writers take into account four hundred years of human and alien cultural evolution when characterizing attitudes toward gender and command. It's interesting that on TNG, Barclay's desire to interact on his own terms with the other characters--his desire, in effect, to write holographic fan fiction about the crew of the Enterprise--got him ridiculed, psychoanalyzed, and "cured," though the same production team which wrote TNG thinks that Janeway having similar fantasies about fictional Victorian characters is perfectly appropriate. There are interesting parallels between Barclay's unauthorized and chastized use of his superiors in a holo-fantasy, and Tuvok's duty-driven use of his own colleagues in a security training program. Though Tuvok complained that Janeway executing the Maquis rebels in one version of the scenario would be out of character for her, nobody seems to have complained that mutiny would have been out of character for Chakotay in the first place, and that Tuvok, the chief security officer, might have compromised the first officer's image among trainees who had access to the renegade holographic version. I never had a problem with the holodeck when used for entertainment like Picard's Dixon Hill scenarios, which Picard never took overly seriously, but I have a big problem when Janeway prefers the advice of a fictional representation of Leonardo Da Vinci to that of her first officer. If I thought Voyager was attempting to make substantive commentary about the values and hazards of the technology, rather than just using it as a convenient plot device, I'd feel much better about it. We are consumers of an entertainment culture in which we are becoming increasingly powerless. While we now have authorized means to participate in the Trek universe--the interactive VCR Next Generation board game, the various CD-ROMs--we are also witnessing a crackdown by Viacom on unauthorized participation in a narrative culture to which they own the rights. Even as a participatory Trek experience is being readied for opening in Las Vegas, and while an official fan-written anthology, Strange New Worlds, is being prepared by Pocket Books, Viacom is shutting down fan-run web sites and hounding zine dealers into stopping circulation of the unauthorized fan fiction that has been around for decades. I asked Janet who she thought would own interactive narratives of the future, in which writers and artists would create the backgrounds and studios or publishers would market them, but the participants would do the actual scripting of the scenarios. She said, "The question you raise about who owns the story is central to the future of digital narrative, and Star Trek is the clear battleground for these issues right now. The recent closing of fan web sites over copyright issues was quite shocking, considering the long history of fan participation and the role of the fans in making the series successful. The same issues come up in MUDs [multi-user domains] and in live action role playing games (LARPs) between game masters and players. The more these participatory story worlds develop, the more tension there is going to be. The media industry is trying to figure out more and more ways to profit from participation, and the fans want more and more control over how the story turns out." "It will be fascinating to see how these tensions play out," Janet added. "In chapter 9 of Hamlet on the Holodeck I imagine how a world that was partially authored and partially invented by interactors might operate. I believe the solution will come with the invention of clear conventions of participation (like the "fourth wall" in a theater) that give interactors control over some parts of the story but not others in a predictable way. In such a world, a fan could choose to be a member of the Voyager crew, but would have to take some global events as givens (like an encounter with the Borg) while being able to influence others (like enacting laws over holodeck use)." Janet is interested in the boundary between the audience and the narrative. Movies like Purple Rose of Cairo and The Last Action Hero, where viewers end up becoming participants in the story, "raise the same question that fan participation does. Who owns the characters? Who determines what happens to them? If our feelings for the characters seem as powerful as those for our actual intimates, then will our imaginary actions change our actual lives? What is the difference between what I would call 'progressive' fantasy, a form of make-believe experience that help us move forward in our emotional development, and 'static' fantasy that just distracts us from daily tensions? I am less afraid of make-believe experiences in general because I think that story-making moves us toward health, toward greater inclusion of the real world. The fan discussions you've been telling me about are evidence of that. People attach very strong personal fantasies to these characters, and then notice the inconsistencies between what they want them to do and what they actually do. I think this kind of activity helps us to know ourselves, and to understand our collective fantasies better." It strikes me as ironic that Trek's producers, who have been known to tell fans to butt out of their narrative and get a life, are the very people giving Janeway and the Doc a life only in narrative on the holodeck. Meanwhile we, the fan community of principal consumers of Paramount's officially licensed interactive Trek games, are resistant to having limits placed on our use of the narratives. Janet sounded bemused by the fact that both Jeri Taylor and Kate Mulgrew have been known to claim, "I am Kathryn Janeway," as if Janeway is a private alter ego, when both women are aware that Kathryn Janeway is the property of Viacom, Inc., and controlled by Paramount Pictures, which can demand her rescripting or execution at the whim of a few executives. Janet does not even swallow Viacom's claims of ownership. "Janeway is a joint projection in the shared space between all these different communities, a consensual hallucination we can all share," she claimed. This statement makes me absurdly optimistic. Janeway may be a fiction, but she's a communal fiction. Our fantasies about her don't isolate us like someone on a holodeck, relating to a fictional character--they bring us together, the same way a convergence of cyber-relationships brought me into contact with Janet. The issues we have engaged in this fan club, which have been political and social, charity-oriented and educational, go well beyond the narrow scripts of Star Trek: Voyager. And the narratives we have shared have been transformational for many of us. The New York Times, which gave Hamlet on the Holodeck a mostly positive review, was concerned that Murray failed to note that cyberspace "is a form of escapism, escapism that can foster a retreat from the problems and pleasures of the real world." Well, I have news for the Times: cyberspace is the real world. Like that old saying goes, reality is sometimes a crutch for people who can't handle science fiction. --Michelle Erica Green STAR TREK VOYAGER: STARFLEET ACADEMY #1: LIFELINE by Bobbi JG Weiss & David Cody Weiss A Minstrel Book published by Pocket Books, 1997) This book has a few things going for it: decent writing and real nice artwork. For a young adult novel, it's not far below the reading level in Jeri Taylor's Mosaic. This first novel covers Kathryn Janeway's first two weeks at Starfleet Academy. Unfortunately, it is marred by Mosaic's canon, which force-fits 20th century precepts into a 24th century timeline. That didn't work in Mosaic, and it doesn't work here. Plus we get a brief mention of Cheb Packer (gag) and a glimpse of Will Riker. If anyone remembers Janeway's botched attempt at dating Riker, then they'll take this as a bad omen for upcoming novels. Young Kathryn seems to live for the day when she sees dear Daddy and has his shining beam of approval. She is driven, humorless and downright unfriendly to her fellow cadets. Blinded by her overly competitive nature, she turns her back on her roommates and the young man who continuously tries to befriend her. For some reason, she's put herself in an Atlas-like position, and young Chakotay isn't around to ease her burden. Instead of fostering friendships, she spends time on the holodeck with Amelia Earhart. This book bludgeons home its point: make friends and work as a team because it might save your life someday! (The adult Kathryn obviously forgot this advice, didn't she--in "Scorpion," she seeks the counsel of a holodeck character, not her old friend Tuvok.) From a writing and editing standpoint, this book is a lot better than most of the Voyager novels, but it's not enough to make me swallow Taylor's narrow vision of Janeway that these writers are forced to use in their work. Despite these objections, it's not a bad piece of fiction. --Elizabeth Klisiewicz I passed a dealers' table at Shore Leave, and saw the cover of this book. Janeway! I figured $3.75, even though I haven't bought a Trek book in I don't know how long, I could swing. The drawings inside are kind of cool. The quality varies, as does the liknesses. But overall, thumbs up on the art. The story, on the other hand... Well, in its favor, it is short. It has a moral (the advantage of teamwork and friends). But Kathryn is still lonely, still isolated, and pretty much clueless about how to interact with people. This book was written with Jeri Taylor in mind. Anyone remember Mosiac? Well this Kathryn Janeway got started on her holodeck avoidance of reality problem early. I read aloud the part where Kathryn turns to the holodeck counselor--she has monkeyed around with the programming, turning it into, taa daa, Amelia Earhart, because Amelia is her only true friend, the only one she can talk to, and the only one who understands her--and I had people falling off beds, covering their ears, screaming, "Oh no, don't tell me...the horror!" Oh, yeah, and Janeway is still trying to avoid Riker, because Cheb dumped her when she got accepted to the Academy. After reading this, I am absolutely amazed that with the slew of psychological problems this woman has had in her life, she is entrusted with a starship, several hundred lives, and live weapons. You know how, on the show, Kate Mulgrew makes Janeway look so put together, with only a couple personal problems? Holodeck counselor Amelia gave some pretty good advice: make some friends, live in the real world. What is Kathryn still doing with Leonardo Da Vinci, two decades later? After reading this book, I have to say that one other thing really bothers me. (On top of all the rest of the plot holes, that is.) Kathryn in the book, and Kathryn in Mosiac, had an admiral for a father, and so essentially was a Tom Paris who didn't screw up. High expectations, people in high places willing to help out, etc. I think I would have been more interested if I had learned that Kathryn Janeway wasn't a "princess" of Starfleet, but a woman who had found a career that she loved, and worked her ass off to accomplish, without all the extra helping hands. Don't get me wrong--I firmly believe in helping hands, but nepotism is something else entirely. At the end of Lifeline, Kathryn dashes off to class with Admiral Daddy looking after her, the future so bright, and his friend her teacher, also looking after her, both with grins on their faces. I nearly choked. All throughout the book, Kathryn misses her father, is mad at him for not seeing her off to the academy, wants to please him. Plus points: moral, short, good artwork. Would I buy it again? No. --Rachael Quereau UPCOMING TREK POCKET BOOKS Star Trek Voyager: Starfleet Academy #2: The Chance Factor . By Diana G. Gallagher and Martin R. Burke. September 1997, Minstrel paperback. Star Trek: Voyager: Day of Honor #3: Her Klingon Soul. By Michael Jan Friedman. September 1997, Pocket paperback. Star Trek: Voyager: Day of Honor: The Television Episode. By Michael Jan Friedman. October 1997, Pocket paperback. Star Trek Voyager: Starfleet Academy #3: Quarantine. By Patricia Barnes-Svarney. October 1997, Minstrel paperback. Star Trek: Voyager #14: Marooned. By Christie Golden. November 1997, Pocket paperback. Star Trek: Voyager #15: Echoes. By Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathyrn Rusch and Nina Kiriki Hoffman. December 1997, Pocket paperback. Star Trek: The Captain's Chair: The Official Starfleet Virtual Tour of Five Federation Starships. October 1997. Simon & Schuster Interactive CD-ROM. Reviewzzzzzzzz * * * * * * * * As everyone has surely noticed, there have been no new episodes of Voyager to review. If you've been depressed about that, think about how Classic Trek fans felt in 1969, when the show was cancelled and there were no prospects for any more Trek, ever! Fortunately, those fans had fanzines. These collections of amateur stories, poetry, and artwork sustained Trek for more than a decade while Paramount devised ways to turn the syndicated success of Trek into a new source of revenue. Recently, the net has cut into zine production--free stories can't be beat, even if they're rarely illustrated like zines. While Viacom's crackdown on fan activities has scared off even some long-time distributors, there are still terrific zines around. Here are reviews of some of the more prominent Voyager amateur publications, focusing on the ones with strong Janeway stories. When possible, we have included excerpts. Artwork quality varies wildly. Now Voyager's reproduction of the graphics is poorer than average. Prices will rise for shipping to Canada, Latin America, Europe, Australia, and Asia, so please send IRC coupons to the dealers if you are interested in purchasing a zine and you live outside the U.S. * * * * * * * * ASSIMILATION An Orion Press Zine by BEKi 300 pages. $25, postpaid. When it comes to the question of assimilation, the Borg will tell you, "Resistance is futile." When it came to the question of whether or not to buy the fanzine Assimilation, I didn't even try. Of course, when the Borg get you that way, you generally don't like it...insofar as you feel anything at all, that is. But when the zine got me that way, I liked it a lot. Assimilation, a Voyager "novella" (at 292 pages, the length is that of a novel) written and illustrated by BEKi, is a sequel to the episode "Unity." Through his link with Riley's group, Chakotay received the assimilation memories of a number of former Borg--knowledge which is desperately needed by another group, whose race will eventually have to face and fight the Borg Collective. Working from a distance, these people force Chakotay to relive the memories in all their shattering detail, so that they can tap his knowledge. The process causes him not only emotional distress but neurological damage. Unaware of the aliens' role in his traumatic nightmares and (eventually) waking delusions, Janeway and the crew struggle to find a way to save Chakotay from a terrifying death. When they think they've found it, the aliens themselves arrive, and demand Chakotay as the price of Voyager's safety. That summary just skims the surface of this powerful story, which deals in issues of life, death, loyalty. What a man will do to retain his identity. What those who care for him will do to protect him, sometimes even over his own objections. What a people will do to survive. Assimilation grabs the reader with a stunning beginning scene and doesn't let go until a satisfying epilogue. Despite the story's length, few scenes are wasted. As in many of BEKi's better stories, Assimilation is rife with plot and subplot, undercurrent and counter-current. Events unfold reasonably (for the characters and the situation, that is) and intelligently. Tactics make sense. And the technobabble babbles smoothly along, even to the creation of a truly alien, and logically consistent, technology for Chakotay's assailants. But for all that, the story is more character-driven than it is plot-driven. Events in Assimilation don't just happen: they happen to people we care about, and because these people we care about are doing things we can believe these people would do. Even BEKi's created characters are people who act for their own reasons and motives--not a "spear carrier" or plot device in the lot. Perhaps the best of all her characterizations, BEKi's Chakotay is strong and memorable. If there's a flaw in her treatment, it's a worthy one: that, in this third-season novel, this is definitely a first- or second-season Chakotay. Far from the softer, more passive version often presented in the past year (ironically, particularly including the episode on which this novel is based), Chakotay here is seen as proud and passionate, wry, intelligent, and profoundly spiritual. This is the Chakotay that most of us who love the character fell in love with, and it's easy to believe he's the kind of officer, the kind of person, who inspires the kind of loyalty BEKi claims he does. BEKi's portrayal of Janeway also incorporates many elements of the character we fell in love with. Her Kathryn is definitely a commanding presence: strong, self-assured, and not afraid of unconventional solutions; yet she's also capable of tremendous empathy and understanding. Her relationship with Tuvok is so dead on target that it's almost impossible not to hear Kate and Tim reading the lines, and her scenes with Chakotay show a level of warmth and closeness that completely justifies his emotional dependence on her. (They seem somewhat closer here than they've seemed, this past year, on the series--but I like that sort of treatment too much to quarrel with it.) There are, however, a few jarring notes in the characterization. For one: I find it impossible to believe that, after two years, there's anybody on Voyager Janeway wouldn't know, at least by name, face, and job title. She's far too conscientious for that--and there are only 148 of them! Tuvok is mostly well-presented. Logical, ethical, and reserved, when the Vulcan decides to help Chakotay, he does it more for the sake of duty, and possibly that of his friendship for Janeway, than from friendship or affection for Chakotay himself. His relationship with Chakotay, guardedly but decidedly antagonistic, rings so true one can almost see the sparks flying. Though there are a few dubious suggestions that Tuvok feels personal loyalty to the other man, and one regrettable, almost "cute" scene at the end that tries to reconcile the two of them, by and large their interactions are spot-on. B'Elanna gets to show her stuff as Chief Engineer and ex-Maquis and hoverball player and friend of Chakotay, and she looks great doing all that, but there's a recurring bit about her replicated cookies I could have done without. Paris is decent in a minor role that allows him to be alternately clever, petulant, flirtatious, and heroic. BEKi even manages to touch on the infamous Paris/Torres "relationship" in terms that aren't nauseating or obvious--a trick the series has yet to manage! One of BEKi's strengths as a writer is in creating memorable new characters, and that strength is much in evidence here. The new crop, this story, are mostly Maquis, and they're a lively bunch, from fiercely loyal Aaron Moseby, to unrepentant Bajoran terrorist Pong Raya, to diffident ex-Fleeter Carla Bevington, to surly Two Bears. Most interesting of all, they're Maquis; even those thoroughly integrated into the crew have different attitudes and sensibilities from their Starfleet counterparts--as they should. I don't sense nearly as much potential for division in the ranks, these days, as BEKi does, but it's a concept that she justifies in context. Another of BEKi's strengths is the artist's sensitivity that flavors her scenes and colors her descriptions. Her phraseology is crisp and vivid. To cite an example: "Torres watched as the wave of pain hit. She watched him ride it, watched him breathe through it in specific cadence as it washed across his mind and spent itself on the beaches of his eroding endurance." Beautiful. Speaking of artist's sensitivity: BEKi's cover, a colored-pencil drawing of Chakotay with a Borg face-piece, is ample testimony as to why she's one of the more highly-regarded portrait artists in Trek fandom. The interior art is also lovely. Assimilation was put together in a very short time--something like two months from concept to completion, which blows my mind for an original project of this length--and I understand that the editor had almost no time to proof and edit the work before it was published. I wish there'd been a little more time, though: I wouldn't call the level of typos and misspellings high compared to some zines I've seen, but it's high enough to distract. All in all, though, this is an impressive work, and I'd have no hesitation recommending it to a fanzine buyer. If you like solid fanfic, give it a try. After all, you know what they say about resistance. --Brenda Shaffer-Shiring From Assimilation by BEKi: Janeway sighed. She turned, leaning against the edge of the biobed and crossing both arms across her chest. For the first time since he'd re-awakened, she was no longer touching him. Chakotay's eyes opened in a gesture that might have resembled muted panic had she been watching him to see it. "I'm sorry this is happening to you, Chakotay," she announced, her voice weary with the weight of the past several days, her eyes without focus on the bulkhead in front of her. "I wish there was something I could do." "You're doing everything you can," he said. "I know that." "I wish it was more," she allowed. Her hip was within reach of his hand. His fingers moved, as if to touch her, but he didn't. "You can only do what you can do," he said finally. Janeway nodded, still staring at the bulkhead. "I suppose you're right." She turned then, her expression structured to a false serenity. "Get some rest, Commander," she instructed, smiling. "And get well. We miss you on the bridge." Her expression flickered. She touched him, her hand once again seeking solace against the acceptability of his forearm. "I miss you on the bridge," she revised quietly. And then she left him, walking away like a captain leaving behind nothing more than a wounded member of her bridge crew. He let her go before challenging the pretense. "Kathryn." She turned. Her smile was a warmth he deflected with opaque eyes. "Do me a favor," he said, his voice calm. "Anything," she agreed. "Don't come here again," he said. Her expression barely flickered. "Anything except that," she revised. "I don't want to hurt you." "You haven't hurt me, Chakotay." "I will." She returned to his side, defiant of the cold-eyed gaze meant to warn her off. She touched him immediately this time, lifting his hand off the biobed and weaving her fingers through his. He refused the intimacy of the gesture, his hand lax and unresponsive. "I will," he repeated. Her fingers tightened. She leaned closer, breaking his gaze to speak softly to the distance that remained between them: "There's a legend among my people," she murmured near his ear. "It's about a woman warrior and the angry man who stands at her side." Chakotay closed his eyes. He turned his face away, deflecting her. "They stand together because they choose to stand together," she went on, holding tighter to his hand. "Neither of them steps away because neither of them chooses to step away." He listened to the silence for almost a minute, barely breathing, barely thinking. The pressure of her hand in his grew familiar. "Don't let me hurt you, Kathryn," he said, his eyes still closed to protect himself from her response. "I couldn't live with that." "Neither of them steps away," she repeated, her voice a tangibility against his skin. "Because neither of them chooses to step away." He forced his eyes open then, forced them to meet hers, forced them to face what she was saying. He nodded tightly, as grateful for her tenacity as he was for her compassion. Janeway smiled. She held his hand a moment longer, then replaced it on the biobed. "Get some rest, Commander," she said. "I'll visit again soon." He watched in silence as she turned and walked away. DELTA QUADRANT 5 An Orion Press Zine 176 pages. $15, postpaid. DQ4 202 pgs. $17.25, postpaid. DQ3 136 pgs. $14.50, postpaid. DQ2 240 pgs. $19.50, postpaid. DQ1 158 pgs. $15, postpaid. Orion Press puts out really nice-looking publications, and DQV is no exception. It's perfect bound and has a decent illustration of Tom Paris on the cover. I'd like to say the copy editing and artwork inside are as stunning, but that is not the case, though I have come to expect high-quality work from this fan-run press. They don't have the time pressures of the big publishing houses--their schedule is their own, so they should go that extra mile to do it right and produce a clean, attractive zine with clear illustrations. In "Masks," Valerie DeVries explores Tom Paris and how other people, especially Chakotay, perceive him. Valerie turns back the Federation clock to Season One, and provides the reader with an interesting story. She knows these characters and has their voices down cold. "One Wish," by Ulrike Schaefer, is a gentle and sweet tale where Janeway is given the chance to go home and say good-bye to Mark. One of Jeri Taylor's promises for season three is that Janeway would do just that, but she broke her word, so I was happy to see someone fill this void. I didn't care as much for Miranda Mumford's "Unshed Tears." She's fallen into the overused story trap where the Voyager crew is searching for food supplies, meet up with seemingly friendly aliens (the Tariman), and discover that things aren't what they seem. How many times have we seen these in the official novels? Paris, Torres and Kim go on an away mission and are attacked by thugs, who turn out to be hostile aliens called the Chaar (enemies of the Tariman). Torres is thrown into prison and Harry and Tom meet up with a Tariman female named Shalees, who is beautiful (of course) and falls for our favorite flyboy, Tom Paris. Kim is sucked into a quicksand puddle, and later turns up in the same prison as B'Elanna. It's up to Tom and Shalees to save the day! Mumford is a good writer, and her story has some depth, but there are no new concepts here. BEKi's "A Delicate Matter" is a brief sketch about the Chakotay/Torres friendship. From a chronological standpoint, it takes place right after that dreadful episode, "Persistence of Vision." Torres reveals her feelings, and Chakotay takes it in stride by offering friendship and trust. During their conversation, B'Elanna questions his feelings for the captain. I love BEKi's work. She is always very subtle and presents the reader with story threads the producers dropped like a hot potato. Nice, very nice. In Brenda Shaffer-Shiring's "Lack of Resolution," Chakotay is engaged in carnal maneuvers with Riley, but he uses the time to think about Janeway. The author pulls a neat trick by flashing back to all the Janeway/Chakotay moments during Season Three. She adds a few fillips of her own, and it managed to keep me engaged for the entire story. In "Defining Parameters," Jordan Trevor delves into an alternate timeline. What would happen if J/C stayed on New Earth, got involved, and were later picked up? It's a nice, romantic story that should please the JetSki contingent, but not much more than that. All in all, a decent zine, but like their real world writing counterparts, Orion Press may need some new faces. --Elizabeth Klisiewicz From "Lack of Resolution" by Brenda Shaffer-Shiring: He confronted Janeway in her ready room. "Captain," he said shortly, "I've just learned something disturbing from the doctor." She stiffened in her chair, with what looked, even to his willingness to trust her, like defensiveness. "Really, Commander? And what is that?" "He tells me you were in danger of brain damage during your mind meld with Tuvok." He kept his voice level because he knew he had to, but the very thought unnerved Chakotay on some level too profound to comprehend: that Voyager--that he--could have seen this proud woman reduced to helpless dependence. "That you could have died." That, too, was nearly unthinkable. "Yes." Her face gave him acknowledgement, no more. Chakotay pressed on. "And he tells me you knew that." "I did." Her voice was flat, as if she wanted the discussion to end. No chance of that. He speared her gaze with his own, letting his rising anger heat his eyes and edge his words. "You knew that, and you didn't tell me." "Obviously." She was still expressionless. At his sides, his hands clenched as he tried to keep hold of his temper. "And why not?" "You would have tried to talk me out of it." No use denying it. "I might have, yes." "It was too important. I couldn't risk losing Tuvok." "Oh." Tuvok, always Tuvok! a part of him railed, resenting the easy way she could admit her concern for the emotionless Vulcan when she could barely bring herself to acknowledge the existence of the human man who loved her. "But you could risk losing your mind." She snorted, her eyes openly scorning that idea. "Tuvok would rather die than hurt me." So would I, dammit! Stop evading me! "I thought the whole point was that Tuvok wasn't in control," he snapped. Her own anger flared up, taking the form of a withering glare. "If you want me to acknowledge that I knew there was a chance I could get hurt in the meld," she said sharply, "then yes, you're right, I did. But Tuvok would have died without it. It was a risk worth taking. And it was my decision to make, Commander." He matched her glare for glare and sharpness for sharpness. "Nobody's arguing that, Captain. Although I think I should point out, once again, that you're less replaceable than Tuvok is." "To you personally, Commander?" she asked bluntly. "Is that what this is really about?" The pointed accusation almost knocked the breath from him, and he struggled for a few moments to find air, and words. "Is that what you think?" he asked, in disbelief. "I think it's possible, yes." She clipped the edges off the words. "You don't think your first officer has a legitimate interest in your safety." She shook her head. "I'm sure he does. But Commander, I'd point out to you that I'm fine. And are you telling me that's all your interest in this? As my first officer?" He shook his own head, restlessly. "No, dammit," he admitted at last. "You know better than that. But that doesn't mean--" "You're right," she cut him off, "I do know better than that, and it's that that bothers me. I can't let your personal fears for me dictate my command decisions, Chakotay." Putting both hands down on the desk, she pushed herself up to a standing position, and looked at him levelly. "This discussion is over." He stared at her. "What?" It was the last thing he'd expected. He hadn't said half of what he'd come to say: that a first officer, personally attached to the captain or not, had the right to discuss risks to her safety, had the right at the very least to know-- "This discussion is over." "Permission to speak candidly--" "Denied. I think you've spoken candidly enough." Her eyes flicked toward the doorway, a clear directive. "I gave you the bridge when I came in here, Commander. I think you'd better reclaim it. Dismissed." "Captain--" he protested. "I said, dismissed." AND NOT FADE AWAY An Orion Press Zine by Morgan Stuart 98 pages. $10.75, postpaid. It all starts with a shuttle crash. Chakotay, Paris and Harry are captured by pre-warp aliens who live in a fiefdom. Although their lord and master appears to be reasonable, he turns his prisoners over to a cruel overseer who makes their life a living hell. Paris, who has grown good at playing hero, sees that Chakotay is threatened and throws himself in the path of the oncoming alien who plans on hurting the senior officer. The helmsman is thrown into solitary confinement, brutally tortured and injected with a virus that eats away at his lung tissue. On Voyager, Kes is able to sense what Tom is going through. A rescue attempt is thwarted, and Janeway decided to remain behind until they can recover the three men. This decision proves to be unpopular, and she faces a lot of hostility from the crew. Janeway was well written in this story, and I really appreciated her strength, humanity and compassion for her crew. On the planet, Paris is returned to his friends. He is critically ill, and Chakotay and Kim must take turns watching over him. Their situation becomes intolerable, and they manage to escape into the mountains. It's a real treat to watch these characters grow as they overcome their differences and work together to create a home for themselves. Tom's illness continues and puts a strain on his two companions. Paris feels useless; to fill his days, he is given the task of keeping a journal. Chakotay acts as the hunter, and often goes off for long periods to meditate and bring home the beef. On one of his excursions, his mount falls on him. He is finally rescued, and goes through an agonizing ordeal when Tom sets his leg. Back on Voyager, Kes continues to monitor the three officers, and their thoughts and emotions become intertwined with her own. At some point, it seems like her own identity is gone, but she becomes stronger at the end when the lost crewmembers are rescued. When they disembark, it is hard to recognize any of them because they have changed so dramatically. This novella was a joy to read. Stuart has managed to craft a believable and moving story about isolation, transformation, and survival. All the characters were right on the money, and the story flowed without a hitch. In fact, this novella was so epic that I could imagine it on the big screen. While not always an easy read, it is well worth the effort in the end. --Elizabeth Klisiewicz From And Not Fade Awayby Morgan Stuart: All she could do was wait. Torres and her team needed time and peace to process the data from the shuttle. Then they could talk about options. How a rescue team could get to the planet. How they could find the missing men. How they could return. But waiting never came easily to Kathryn Janeway. She was grateful for her reserve of replicator rations, saved for just such a situation. The espresso burned her throat and she arched her neck appreciatively. The ready room swam with the aroma, bitterness so biting it tasted on the tongue. To others it signaled jittered, frenetic activity, but to her it was a comforting comrade-in-arms. The night would be long and she was far from sleep. She tucked her legs beneath her on the couch. Her quarters would not do. The stiff bonnet and heavy cloak would haunt her, reminding her of the holosuite hours she had enjoyed while her navigation officer had suffered torture on the planet below. Intellectually, she knew that she could not have known of Paris' plight. But guilt was seldom rational. Besides, the bonnet and cape represented waste. Think how many cups of coffee I could've replicated with those credits-- She chuckled bitterly to herself and took another deep swallow. There were many things she wanted right now. To see a dark, broad presence, hands clasped behind him, nodding gravely to her as she commented on his first officer's report. So sober, so serious. If she were lucky, she might make him smile once, a concession to their steadily-growing familiarity and rapport. Or vulnerable blue eyes, carrying her on a breathtaking ride through despair to invincibility to cynicism, and perhaps even hope, all in one look. What had Chakotay called him? Her "personal reclamation project"? Of all of them on board, he was the most fragile... The cup was empty. She sighed. Why do you do this to yourself? She rolled her neck, stretching. It was a familiar question. You know why. You never want to forget what's at stake. You can't make people into numbers, and determine their fate by some equation. Compassion and care are Human strengths, not weaknesses. She played idly with the dry mug, still warm from its former contents. Don't be afraid to feel for them, Kath. Rubbing the leg that threatened to go to sleep, she shifted slightly on the couch. That's easy to say now. A time will come when you'll have to make hard choices. Pleasant platitudes will be just so many words then. She twisted again, failing to burrow into a comfortable spot on the couch. It would be a long night, indeed. CODE OF HONOR An Orion Press Zine by BEKi 180 pages. $15.25, postpaid. Code of Honor, originally a short story in Delta Quadrant Two, makes better use of the Voyager characters in a hundred or so pages than the show has in three seasons. The dialogue crackles with the energy of standup comedy, the relationships have complexity and depth. This is a Janeway/Chakotay novel in the best sense--it's about the working relationship between two people with dramatically different ideological committments, who are pledged to working together for a common cause, and who care deeply about one another. Janeway perhaps spends too much time dwelling on procedure and too little taking action, but she's multidimensional, warm and passionate without losing an iota of her intelligence or force in command. The story concerns a group of xenophobic aliens, the Goshin, offered assistance by Voyager and rescued from their failing ship. During the rescue, Chakotay discovers Desh, an alien of a different ethnicity who has been tortured horribly by the racist Goshin. Desh's experiences remind Chakotay of the reasons he joined the Maquis and shunned Starfleet. He becomes committed to protecting Desh, a suspected terrorist, from the possibility of being returned to Goshin custody, which Janeway--citing the Prime Directive a little too thoughtlessly--feels Voyager may have to do. This is a terrific setup, though the entire crew is a little too obsessed with Chakotay's obsession--Janeway dreams about him, Paris frets about their history together, Tuvok doubts him and later admires him. Chakotay is given a compelling, moving backstory, in which he had political as well as personal reasons for shunning Starfleet and joining the Maquis. His wry sense of humor and loyalty to his beliefs are a welcome change from the muddled character he's become on the series. The Doc is BEKi's great comic achievement: I loved his revelation that he has been programmed with the Hallmark database of platitudes and condolences. I also liked Janeway and Tuvok for most of the story, though they're a tad too paranoid about the Maquis and too rigid as Starfleet officers. The weak link is B'Elanna Torres. In the shorter story in Delta Quadrant, she was in fewer scenes, yet came across as a much stronger character--Chakotay's equal and confidante. Here, she's not only his lover, she seems to exist to serve as his personal support system. She gives him backrubs, she gives him pep talks; her contributions have little to do with her knowledge and skills as a scientist, and, since she's much more Klingon here than she's been in the series, it's hard to understand why she identifies with the Maquis beyond her devotion to her former captain. It gets tiring, especially since every other character in Code of Honor--Tuvok, Paris, and, most disappointingly, Janeway--come around to believe in Chakotay's righteous self-absorption, to accept that he's a prince in wolf's clothing. When Janeway and Tuvok tacitly approve mass murder of aliens as "the Maquis way" of responding to the killing of a crewmember, the story and the characters become caricatures of their television counterparts. While Chakotay and Janeway are balancing one another, representing opposing approaches to the same basic values, this novel succeeds admirably. The Starfleet-bashing, perhaps justified due to the heavy-handed praise of conflicting Federation values on the television series, ultimately weakens this story. That said, this zine is still vastly better than any of the Pocket Books Voyager novels, in terms of both the characterization and the issues brought up by the plot. It costs more than a mass market paperback but I think it's well worth it. --Leah Abramowitz From Code of Honorby BEKi: "Did he do what they accuse him of, Chakotay?" she pressed. I don't know," he allowed. "Ask him," Janeway said, leaning forward. "If he's willing to pass up a get-out-of-jail-free card for your sake, then I have to believe he wouldn't lie to you. If he tells you he didn't do it, I'll take him at his word." "I can't ask him," Chakotay whispered. He turned then, his features thrown in shadow by the strength of the glittering starlight that backed him. "If I ask him, he'll answer." Surprise flickered through Janeway's features. "You think Desh is guilty?" she asked. "I don't know," Chakotay returned dully. "But I'm afraid that if I ask him, his answer will place me between the two of you. I've been there before, Captain: between duty and honor. But this time it isn't Starfleet I'll have to stand against. This time it's you." "What are you saying, Chakotay?" Janeway asked after a beat. "I'm saying you will destroy me, Captain," Chakotay answered. "If you make me choose between you and what I believe, you will destroy me." Janeway stood. She stared into the eyes of her first officer, barely able to discern them from the deep shadows in which his face was painted. "I wasn't aware there was a choice to be made," she said finally. "If I allow you to return him to the Goshin," he said. "Everything I left Starfleet for is laid waste. If I stand by and do nothing, I can no longer justify the things I sacrificed in the name of right and wrong." "Are you saying you'll stand against me?" she asked. His eyes glimmered in the darkness. "I'm saying I can't stand against you," he answered. "And I can't live with myself if I don't." For a long time, Kathryn Janeway said nothing at all. "That's a great deal of trust to place on me all at one time, Commander," she murmured finally. UNTO US A SON IS GIVEN A Unicorn Press Zine Send S.A.S.E for availability. What if Chakotay had been the father of Seska's baby, and that child had remained on Voyager following the events of "Basics Part II"? That's the question at the center of this zine, illustrated by R.R.Schmitt and Madalena Mumford, which features four different stories about how Chakotay might have dealt with his son. The stories feature Janeway heavily, often as Chakotay's lover, sometimes acting as a co-parent of sorts to the child. Some readers may not be fond of Janeway's domestic angst--she's barely recognizable in the story where Voyager returns to the Alpha Quadrant and she hides from him for more than a year before their predictably drippy reunion. Yet she comes across sympathetically, and reasonably intelligently, in most cases. As in many other Voyager zines, the writers go overboard in their interests in the domestic lives of the characters at the expense of action, science, and politics. I also get a little sick of Chakotay, Chakotay, Chakotay, and his personal problems and concerns. But since the show gives us so little continuous character development and squanders opportunities stemming from plot threads like this one, it's refreshing to see fans taking the raw materials of Voyager and creating entirely new, interesting scenarios. --Sara Unger From "For a Son" by Brenda Shaffer-Shiring: Somehow, most of the senior officers had, in the space of a few moments, managed to cluster around Kathryn and himself. They were looking at the captain now, waiting for her word; Tuvok with calm certainty, Harry with beaming happiness, B'Elanna with fierce joy. Neelix grinned hard enough to hurt his face, arm around a serenely smiling Kes. Finally, Kathryn looked back, her steady eyes taking in all of them as the tiniest quirk of a smile graced her lips. "Gentlemen," she said softly, "let's go home." She turned to walk down the path, and the crew let her through so that she could take the lead. Chakotay trailed behind her, the smile that threatened to take form on his own face tempered only by a single, solemn question: If Voyager's people had been granted this one beneficence, the safe return of their vessel, was it too much to ask of the gods that there should have been a second blessing as well? Was it too much to hope for, that Chakotay's son should be aboard the ship? The thought beat in his mind like a chant, like a prayer, on the long walk back to the ship. Despite the distance, despite how tired many of the crew were from their earlier exertions, somehow the trip was made without a single audible complaint. By the time they reached the valley, Kathryn and Chakotay's group had caught up with those who'd started walking sooner, and those groups too had allowed their senior officers to take the lead. Janeway's smile blossomed as they crossed the field, the comprehensive happiness of the expression transfiguring her smudged, weary face. Her jaw was firm, her deep blue eyes glowing, with triumph. Voyager's hatch opened, and a tall slim figure, clad in black and burgundy and topped with a thatch of bright blond hair, stood framed in the entranceway. A few more steps and figure and face took on definition, became Tom Paris. A few more, and Chakotay stumbled, almost going to his knees, as he discerned the shape of the black-wrapped bundle that Paris held in his arms. Oh spirits, please... Trailed by an entourage of smiling Talaxians, the sober-faced pilot began walking down the ramp to meet Kathryn and Chakotay. They came together at its foot. Drawing himself up to a near-military posture, the lieutenant looked Janeway in the eye and said solemnly, "Captain, the ship is yours." Drawing herself up to a matching posture, Janeway nodded and answered him, just as formally. "Thank you, Lieutenant." Chakotay's eyes fastened on the bundle in Paris's arms, the bundle that had picked that precise moment to wiggle. Oh spirits... He wanted to stammer questions, to look more closely, to take the bundle in his own arms and hold it tightly, protect it from any further danger with his life, if necessary--but shock held him motionless. Paris grinned at him, shifting his hands under the object he carried so that he could offer that object to Chakotay. "And this belongs to you, Commander." Chakotay simply stared, as the blankets shifted to reveal a glimpse of a small tan face with a tiny forehead ridge and dark, dark eyes. "Take him, Chakotay." Paris's voice was gentle, encouraging. "I think he's missed you." And though Chakotay's mouth was dry, his eyes were not, as he extended his own hands to claim and hold his firstborn son. FOREVER A Unicorn Press Zine by Kathleen Speck 92 pages. $13, postpaid. In this alternate timeline Voyager novel, an older Tom Paris finds himself in love with the daughter of Harry Kim and B'Elanna Torres. More an interesting "what-if" speculation than a believable character scenario, there are nonetheless some amusing moments between Tom and Harry, a sort of reversal of their relationship in "Before and After" when Harry married Tom's daughter. This story is almost entirely domestic in nature, PG-rated, and rather sweet if you can stomach B'Elanna and Kathryn as matriarchs who talk about clothes with their teenagers--Janeway and Chakotay are married, too, and have a daughter. It's sort of the opposite extreme from what we get on the show: this is an entirely character-oriented Voyager, where 20th century family values appear to be alive and well. Girls dress in white and stay virgins till their wedding night, friends and family are the most important things in the universe. It's a sad commentary on the television series' lack of heart that I found this anachronistically appealing. --Sara Unger From Foreverby Kathleen Speck: "She doesn't have to start thinking about getting married at all, yet." "But I'm not surprised she did." Kathryn took Chakotay's hand and led him to the couch. She picked up her glass and took a long drink. "This is something I've actually been thinking about for a long time." He looked surprised, but didn't say anything. "The children have grown up on this ship, with no permanent attachments to anyone but the people on board Voyager. We might stop at this planet or that for supplies, but the children only get to go down to the surface on uninhabited planets after all the adults have checked them out. Which is only reasonable. "But they haven't met anyone besides the people on board. I'm sure they've had no thought about other possibilities." Chakotay thought about this for a moment. He truly hadn't given any thought to possible marriage partners for his children. He had thought he would have several years before the need arose. "Why doesn't it surprise you that she's getting married so young?" "It follows. Their choices are going to be limited to the people on the ship or the very slim chance that they might meet someone on a planet when they're old enough to meet them on an away mission. The second alternative means that they would either have to convince the other person to leave everything behind and join us, or that they would have to leave everything behind to join the ones they love on an alien world. "So I believe that choice isn't going to be made too often. That leaves marrying someone on the ship. Since that choice is limited, they will have looked over and discarded many of the possibilities early on. The smaller the field, the less time it takes to decide. And once that choice is made, why wait? "I can see our children's generation marrying very young. They'll be stepping into full adult roles very young as far as their professional lives go. We're getting older, love, and will eventually need replacements. They have to explore the options available to them, and find their niche." WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE PARIS A Unicorn Press Zine #1--92 pages. $13, postpaid. #2--114 pages. $17, postpaid. This zine features stories, poetry, and artwork by fans associated with RanDom Flight, Robert Duncan McNeill's fan club; as one might expect, Paris is featured heavily in the stories. Each volume runs about a hundred pages with cover art by Madalena Mumford. Contributors include Richel Darrah, Brenda Shaffer-Shiring, and our own Jennifer (Siubhan) Pelland. If you don't adore Paris, you might find these stories limited, but the energy and passion make this zine a great deal of fun. Particularly impressive are "The Long Road Home," narrated by Harry Kim, in which Voyager comes through a wormhole to an Alpha Quadrant where the Maquis were pardoned but Paris's Starfleet crimes stand, and "Someone To Watch Over Me," about Tom's unhappy benefactress. --Sara Unger From "The Long Road Home" by Ruth Ann Jones: "Let's sit down," the captain said, indicating the conference table, and we grouped ourselves around one of its corners. She got right down to business, as usual. "Mr. Paris, have you had a chance to get caught up on political developments in this quadrant during our absence?" she asked. Another tiny quirk of a smile. "I had some time to read on the way here. I have to admit, I never dreamed that if we got back, I'd be the only member of the crew in trouble with the Federation." The captain nodded ruefully. "Neither did I, frankly. All these years I've been rehearsing my arguments on behalf of the Maquis crewmembers!" She shook her head. "However, Starfleet does have the authority to require the Federation penal system to release you for service, if it chooses. Since I've already granted you a field commission, that should have happened automatically. But Starfleet's Personnel Affairs Division has delayed on confirmingyour field commission." Tom looked worried. "I thought my service record on Voyager was okay." She patted his hand reassuringly. "It was more than okay, Tom. Your service record on Voyager was exemplary. Any captain in the fleet would be glad to have an officer as competent and reliable as you. The problem is that the PAD is questioning my decision to give you a field commission in the first place. They're arguing that due to our extraordinary circumstances, I was forced to commission you even though you didn't meet the usual criteria." I raised my eyebrows at that. No one forced Kathryn Janeway to do anything. If she had thought Tom deserved to spend a 70-year journey in the brig, that's exactly where he'd have been when Voyager pulled into Earth orbit. She continued. "I have an appointment with Admiral Hobbes at the PAD in three days. If I can convince him to confirm your field commission, you'll be released immediately and your sentence reduced to time served." "And if you can't?" Tom asked steadily. The captain met his gaze with a serious expression. "Then you'll be remanded to the Federation Penal Colony in New Zealand to finish your sentence. We'll have to pursue a parole through the civil courts." Tom frowned, staring down at the table for a long moment. We waited quietly while he gathered his thoughts. Finally he looked back up at us. The anxiety in his face was unmistakable. "Captain," he began carefully. "I won't pretend I'm not desperate to get out of here. I don't want to spend the next eighteen years in prison. But I understand there's a lot more going on here than whether I was a good pilot on Voyager. Plenty of people still hate the Maquis. Starfleet has no reason to confirm my field commission just to keep me out of prison." "Perhaps not," the captain agreed. "But they might be persuaded to do it to keep me from raising hell." From anyone else, it might have been arrogance. From Captain Janeway it was calm certainty. She was, after all, the captain who brought Voyager home from the Delta Quadrant. A celebrated hero, hounded by journalists, handled with kid gloves by Starfleet brass ever since we got back. If that celebrity was worth anything, maybe it could get Tom released. Tom smiled in spite of himself; if anyone could appreciate a show of confidence it was Tom Paris. Then his expression grew serious again. "I know you'll do your best, Captain. I guess what I'm trying to say is--if it doesn't work, don't blame yourself." He glanced at me for a moment, then back to the captain, and I saw a hint of resignation in his eyes. "I made a big mistake, joining the Maquis. I didn't realize how high the price would be, but that doesn't mean I don't have to pay for it." The captain stood and paced a few steps before turning back to Tom, her arms crossed over her chest. "If I didn't know you better, Mr. Paris, I might think you were giving up," she said crisply. "The only reason you're here is that the Federation and the Maquis still resent each other, despite the alliance. They haven't been forced to give up old prejudices, as we were on Voyager." She fixed him with a steely look. "Imprisonment is supposed to be for rehabilitation, not punishment. You don't need to be rehabilitated! You've already done it yourself." Tom stared back at her, stricken. The captain's face softened and she sat back down next to him. "I know the prospect of eighteen years in prison is overwhelming, Tom. And you've gotten past the time in your life when you were angry at everyone and everything. But you have to be angry about this. If you start to believe that you deserve to be in prison, you'll be giving up everything you worked for on Voyager--earning my respect, and your own." Tom sat silent a moment, struggling for control. "That's just about all I have left," he said finally. I ached at the pain in his voice. "I'll...stay angry, Captain. For as long as it takes. I promise." She took his hands in both of hers and squeezed. The pride in her face was unmistakable. "I know you will." TO THE FARTHEST REACHES OF SPACE A Unicorn Press Zine #1--60 pages. $11, postpaid. #2--76 pages. $13, postpaid. #3--$11, postpaid. These multi-generation Trek collections feature the crews of all four Trek series in crossover situations. In the three volumes so far, Voyager joins forces with the Enterprise and Enterprise D to stop the destruction of all, and have a rousing adventure with the Kazon. Crossover zines often do more to rationalize the inconsistencies and continuity errors of the multiple series than Paramount bothers with, so they can be great fun for readers familiar with the Trek universe. * * * * * * * * NC-17 * * * * * * * * STAR-CROSSED VOYAGERS A Unicorn Press Zine #1--58 pages. $9, postpaid. #2--80 pages. $9, postpaid #3--77 pages. $11, postpaid. #4--66 pages. $11, postpaid. #5--send S.A.S.E. Special Edition--72 pages. $12, postpaid. Star-Crossed Voyagers was the first print Voyager romance I encountered, so I was glad to find it, though it can't beat the quality of similar material on the net. The entire first issue and most of the subsequent stories and poems are about Janeway and Chakotay, though the editor clearly has a penchant for the first officer and has featured him paired with virtually every woman in the Voyager universe. There are five volumes at present, plus a special issue about naughty Seska and nice Kathryn during the events surrounding the episode "Maneuvers." Illustrations are minimal. The stories are erotic, yet they come across as innocent, even naïve. This is romance novel sex--hardly pornographic, rarely realistic. Everyone talks huskily, everything is by turns firm and melting, nobody ever has to take a bathroom break...well, that's standard for Star Trek. I'm sure that people of the future will have better stamina than we do, yet the number of times the lovers simultaneously explode in a shower of sparks is truly incredible. The language of love is full of mixed metaphors, clichés, and occasional naughtiness--reader beware, if you can't deal with hearing about Kathryn's pleasure button and Chakotay's impressive maleness, or if you can't stomach Captain Janeway screaming the "f" word in the throes of passion. The best parts are not the sex, but the exposition. Chakotay's been given substantive backstory, and Janeway does a better job coping with her conflicting career interests and her feelings for Mark than she ever did on the series. I like seeing her passionate and powerful all at once; even in the most treacly stories, where she calls Chakotay "dearest" and says she loves him three times on one page, there's no contradiction between captain and woman as there is on the show. It's not easy for me to picture Janeway in seafoam-green panties, nor to imagine Chakotay weeping at the scent of her orange-blossom shampoo, but maybe I'm just unromantic. The zines are almost as cheap as Trek books, better edited, and frequently more interesting...so, despite their shortcomings as erotica, I'm inclined to recommend them, if you go for this sort of thing. --Sara Unger From Star-Crossed Voyagers I: "Crossroads," by Karen Morrison Chakotay sipped his coffee, and let himself feel the full pleasure of the moment: on his tongue the familiar bitter flavor of the Terran drink, in his ears the lilting alien melody, in his eyes the well known but always fascinating visage of Kathryn Janeway. They had come a long, long way indeed, since that moment when he'd first seen this woman's image on a viewscreen. Then, recognizing the allegiance implied by Janeway's ship and her uniform, Chakotay had stiffened in alarm, thinking that he and the Maquis crew he commanded had been yanked across a galaxy only to be confronted by one of the very opponents they'd fought or fled at home. Not much later, he'd found himself serving second-in-command for the same ship that had worried him, wearing a uniform identical to the one that had risen his hackles. Despite his previous experience with Starfleet, it had been a while until anything about the arrangement felt natural or comfortable to Chakotay--or, he suspected, to Janeway. For most of the first several months, their relationship had been formal on its best days, strained on its worst. Then, he would never have thought to invite this Starfleet captain to share dinner in his cabin, much less to persuade her to linger afterward. Had she answered his invitation at all, he would not have greeted her in casual garments, black fitted slacks and a soft gray shirt embroidered at neck, wrists and hem with colorful symbols common to his Native American tribe. Nor would she have arrived bereft of the armor of her own duty uniform, clad in smart civilian clothes that (though not especially revealing) allowed him to think of her as a person, a woman, and not only his superior officer. Chakotay smiled as he regarded the woman across from him, appreciating the subtle way the soft, flowing lines of her satiny teal blouse hinted at the contours of the lithe body beneath it, even as its color emphasized the fair skin. Janeway, caught up in the music, did not seem to notice his gaze. One hand moved to the back of her neck and began rubbing lightly. Yes, we have come a long, long way... Now, it seemed the most normal thing in the galaxy that Chakotay should open up his private sanctuary to Kathryn Janeway, and seek her company even where and when duty did not mandate it. It seemed the destined order of things that, even on days when (unlike today) he'd spent most of his shift working with Kathryn, he should want additional time with her, to exchange stories, gossip, philosophies, or whatever else felt like the best choice on a particular day. It seemed almost predictable that he should have come to appreciate her husky laugh, her perceptive eyes, her crystal-cut features and perfect figure. It seemed so completely reasonable, rational, inevitable that he should love her, that Chakotay forgot how long ago he'd realized that was the case. DELTA QUADRANT OF VENUS A Unicorn Press Zine by Em Wycedee 158 pages. $15, postpaid. There are many reasons for writing and reading fan fiction. When the original series ended, it was the only way to get new stories about people we had grown to love. During the run of Next Generation, it was a way to expand on the stories told and to learn more about the minor characters who had tugged at our imaginations, but who would not be returning to the show. Voyager fan fiction has a different sensibility. The overwhelming theme of Voyager stories seems to be the need to take the main characters where we feel they should go--to break the barriers that TPTB seem unwilling to tackle. Ergo, most Voyager stories are about the loving, sexual relationships that would come about on a ship that is marooned for 70+ years. Delta Quadrant of Venus centers on the relationship that for many fans seems inevitable, that of Janeway and Chakotay. Illustrated by one of the finest fan artists currently working--though she wishes to remain anonymous, readers of this newsletter will recognize her work--the zine is gorgeous. The drawings are beautiful studies of the human forms...not for the kiddies, but art in the truest sense. The artist has captured the essence of these characters in the sketches, and in the same fashion, the writer has captured their emotional essence in 23 well-crafted and very different stories. The zine contains a variety of styles. As the title would indicate, the sex is graphic, but unlike Anaïs Nin's famous erotica, the characters are not merely props for different sex acts. Rather, they are fully defined and believable characters who have a loving and sexual relationship. In the longer stories, the characters are fully drawn and multi-dimensional. Some stories instead take a facet of the characters as portrayed on the show, and then show how that character trait might determine actions and reactions. A couple of these pieces are frolics which are not meant to be taken seriously--I'll never believe Janeway taking a few minutes for a quickie in the ready room, but in the context of "Prick of the Needle," I'll enjoy it with her. "More Myself Than I Am" is a delight...the sense of humor that leaks out occasionally on the show is given full reign, as Janeway and Chakotay play out the doomed romance from Wuthering Heights on the holodeck. "Drowning," my own personal favorite, is a dark tale, yet the one where the characters are most fully themselves. Chakotay saves Janeway's life and this proves to be the catalyst for their relationship. Hurt/comfort is a genre I usually despise, yet this story manages to rise above the cliché and give us a portrait of two people who have to be brought to the brink before taking the risk of loving each other. Each character has at least one story that takes him or her to the boundaries of their worst characteristics. In "Leavetaking," Chakotay is so paralyzed after Kathryn's death that he creates a holo-image of her which sustains him for the decades it takes them to get back to Earth. His tendency to be dependent on a strong woman is taken to the extreme, and the only way he is able to command Voyager is to use an image of one as the receptacle for the strength he cannot find in himself. Pitiful--yet one logical evolution of the character as described by TPTB. In "Reunification", Janeway is the Ice Queen, unable to acknowledge her own pain when Chakotay confesses his involvement with Riley. Chakotay doesn't read true in this story (he spends a lot of time whining), but in the end his reason for being there is to show us how Janeway could evolve into a woman who, while refusing to allow him to love her, is unwilling to share him with anyone else. The story has a happier ending than is believable given the wretched way the characters behave; I wouldn't have wanted anything to do with either of them. Similarly, in "A Consummation Devoutly To Be Wished," which takes place on New Earth, Janeway and Chakotay spend their nights alone, thinking of each other rather than exploring the possibilities of a relationship together. The worst aspect of these stories is that I can see how these characterizations were derived from what we've seen on the series; I shudder to think that characters with so much potential could end up like this. I'd love to send copies of these stories to TPTB, but I'm afraid they'd miss the author's intended meaning, and use them for plot ideas. There are other stories worth a mention. "Killing Time" is a J/C story starring Chakotay and Tom Paris (you have to read it, though slash-phobics might react badly). "Dress Code", which has Janeway and Chakotay enjoying their time together on New Earth, makes an interesting contrast with the more canonical "Resolutions" tales. "Pleasure" is a sappy but satisfying shore leave story. Most of the stories center on Janeway, but Torres is featured prominently and strongly in several as well. If you're over 18, the drawings alone are worth the purchase price, and the zine will be a great addition to your collection.Many of the stories can be found at http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Zone/8402/. --Joan Testin From "More Myself Than I Am" by Em Wycedee: As they stepped into the turbolift, Chakotay leaned over with a smirk and murmured, "The holodeck is up and running again, Captain." Janeway rolled her eyes, but recovered long enough to say "Thank you, Commander," making a mental note to cast him as the villain in her next program: it would serve him right. She hurried to her quarters, changed her clothes, then paused on her way out the door. "Computer, locate Commander Chakotay." "Commander Chakotay is in his quarters," came the reply. Good, she thought, smiling to herself as she walked to the holodeck. She had decided on something classic; somehow that seemed more dignified. Arriving at the closed door, she tapped the computer access panel and said, "Computer, activate program Janeway, Wuthering Heights." After a brief pause the computer informed her that the program was loaded, and she entered. Janeway stood in a doorway staring out as fog swirled in the darkness, rolling over the windswept hills. From a distance came the sound of approaching footsteps. A tall, pale man suddenly stepped out of themists and spoke with intensity."Catherine..." "Computer, freeze program." The slender figure remained motionless, trapped in mid-sentence. "This isn't right. Computer, delete image." She paced back into the ornate room, pulling at the long skirts she wore as she considered changing the program. Remembering her earlier threat, she smiled devilishly. "Computer, replace image with that of Commander Chakotay, same clothing. Resume program from time frame two-oh-two-two." "Working," the computer paused. ...a tall, dark man suddenly stepped out of the mists and spoke with intensity. "Kathryn..." She had to stop the program again just to inspect her first officer's form in the period costume. Of course he was too old to be Heathcliff, but she was too old to be Catherine--she didn't even want to think about by how many years. "Computer, delete the tattoo." Intruguing as the mark on his forehead was, it was also anachronistic; she would never think of him as Heathcliff if she allowed it to remain. With the new clothes and forehead, the man before her looked different enough to be believable within the story--and still very attractive. "Resume program," she ordered, resisting the red alerts that went off in her mind. On another deck, Chakotay tossed down the padd he had been reading in annoyance. "Computer, locate Captain Janeway," he demanded plaintively. "Captain Janeway is on holodeck two." Grinning, the commander glanced back down the padd, then strode out of his quarters. Outside the holodeck, Chakotay paused. She might be furious if he barged in. Well, nothing ventured... "Computer, access holodeck." "Access denied, security protocol in effect." "Computer, command-level override Chakotay One." "Override denied. Audio contact only." "Computer, what program is currently being used?" Surely that wasn't confidential. "Program in use is Janeway, Wuthering Heights." The computer library contained a copy of an ancient earth novel called Wuthering Heights, but Chakotay could barely stay awake through the first five pages; the pompous descriptions and language bored him. He wasn't going to be able to tease Janeway about it if he couldn't get through the florid tome. It took a couple of hours of scrutiny and a few questions to Torres and Carey, but Chakotay finally was able to gain access to the program through a little-known engineering sequence. "Computer, activate program Janeway, Wuthering Heights, override two four seven one." "Override initiated, enter when ready," the computer reported smoothly, and the first officer strode onto the holodeck. By the time he left, his life seemed as unreal as the program. BEYOND THE FINAL FRONTIER A Unicorn Press Zine #1--74 pages. $11, postpaid. #2--62 pages. $11, postpaid. This slash zine features some heavy Chakotay/Paris bonding and some really hysterical entertainment, with a great many stories by our own Siubhan, whose version in #2 of the Voyager crew performing The Rocky Horror Picture Show is screamingly funny even if you're not a slash fan. The stories feature same-sex couples in sexual situations and not a lot of Janeway or heavy-duty science fiction, just so you know what to expect. * * * * * * * * There are a handful of zines which I was uncomfortable asking anyone to review, since the writers are all well-known contributors to this newsletter. Rather than deprive Now Voyager readers of the knowledge of their existence, I asked the writers to summarize their work and provide excerpts. * * * * * * * * THE LEFT HAND OF MADNESS A Unicorn Press Zine by Jennifer Pelland (Siubhan) 200 pages. $12, postpaid. The Left Hand of Madness begins between seasons one and two of Voyager--diverging from the show's timeline completely right before Seska's attempt to impregnate herself with Chakotay's DNA--and ends over ninety years later in the Alpha Quadrant. In the first part of the story, Chakotay and Paris are stranded together on a very hospitable planet while Voyager attempts unsuccessfully to rescue them. Due to a transporter malfunction, Tom finds himself slowly changing his physical and biological sex, and in the process discovers how strong a person he really is. As the two of them work together to ensure their continued survival and comfort on the planet, they find themselves drifting into a relationship, a relationship that survives their rescue and Tom's change back to his own body. Parts two through four chart the continuance of their relationship, a shorter piece between parts three and four chronicles Neelix and Kes's struggle to have a child, and the epilogue takes place about eighty years after the end of part four and is told in the voice of Chakotay and Tom's adopted daughter. This story is rated NC-17, and will not be sold to anyone under 18. The story can be found electronically at http://world.std.com/~layla. From The Left Hand of Madness by Jennifer Pelland: We'd beamed down on another food gathering mission. Neelix had never been to this planet before, but our scans had shown it to be Class M, with no large animal or insect life. Chances were good that the food would be edible, but only the Doctor would know for sure. I didn't want to beam down, but the captain had insisted. "Tom, there's no reason for you to stay on the ship. We need as many hands down there as we can get." "But Captain, don't you need someone to stay behind to pilot the ship?" "Don't flatter yourself, Mr. Paris. We're in orbit around a planet. The ship can fly itself." "But what if..." "Lieutenant, get down there and dig up vegetables! That's an order." So there I was on a warm, damp planet picking vegetables instead of staying behind the conn on the cool confines of the ship. What I always failed to understand was why they made us wear such heavy uniforms when we were on away missions to hot places. Within five minutes, I was a sweaty mess. "Chakotay to Paris." I painfully straightened up and wiped the hair from my forehead before answering, "Yes?" "Mr. Kim says that there's a major storm coming our way. Collect your team and prepare to beam out." "Aye aye, sir. Paris out." Well, at least we were leaving. I called everyone and assembled them and the vegetables for a beam out, then noticed a funny smell in the air. "Go ahead and beam out. I'll join you later," I told them as I pulled out my tricorder and started taking readings. Something just didn't look right. I wandered over to Chakotay's group and cornered him. "Commander, look at these readings." He held up a finger to me and turned to his group. "Ready to beam out? All right, you go ahead. I'll be right there." They beamed away and he turned to me and asked, "What is it?" I handed him the tricorder and said, "This doesn't look right, but I'm not sure why." He peered at it, obviously puzzled. "It's probably just the storm." "I dunno. It's too big to be a storm. I mean, look at these readings. They're all over the scale!" "Janeway to away team." "Chakotay here." "We're reading a massive spatial disturbance directly in the path of the planet. We're breaking orbit, and we need to get you out of..." And as the wind picked up, her voice was completely cut off. The last thing I remember was being blown off my feet and crashing into something. Then it all went black. "Mr. Kim, report!" Janeway barked. "I...I don't know what happened. The planet just disappeared!" "That's not good enough, Ensign!" "I know, but I can't figure it out. I've never seen anything like it. I'm running a search through our database now." Janeway paced the bridge angrily. "How can a planet just disappear like that?" Tuvok calmly intervened. "Captain, may I suggest that Ensign Kim and Lieutenant Torres work together on this problem? It appears to be too complicated for a quick solution." "I'm well aware of the complexity of this problem, but I've got two crewmen down there who might need rescuing soon and I'm not going to let them down!" Harry looked up and said, "Captain, the computer found no matches." Janeway took a deep breath to calm herself and said, "Very well. You and Lieutenant Torres should start working on this problem. It's your number one priority." "Aye aye, Captain," Harry said as he marched off the bridge. "Tom. Tom, wake up." "Wha...huh?" I tried opening my eyes, but everything was spinning too fast. I groaned and put my hands on my aching head, desperately trying to contain the pain. I felt two strong hands pull my hands away. "No Tom, don't touch your head. I've bandaged it with some leaves, but it's not a very sturdy dressing." "Okay," I moaned. "Tom, do you know who I am?" "Chakotay, right?" "And what's your full name?" "Thomas Eugene Paris...why are you asking this stuff?" "I'm trying to see if you have a concussion. I'd ask you what your birthday is, but I don't know the answer. Can you open your eyes?" I tried again, and the spinning wasn't so bad this time. I tried to focus on Chakotay's face, but it only sent another sharp pain through my head and I think I cried out. Chakotay held my hands down again. "Okay, just keep your eyes closed. I'll keep trying to contact Voyager." "We're still on the planet?" "Yes. I don't know what happened, but Voyager isn't answering my hails. I think my commbadge is working, but I can't tell." I tried to move my right arm, and Chakotay let go. I reached up for my own commbadge, but it was gone. "Where's my badge?" "It's gone. It got blown off in the storm. Both of our tricorders are gone too, but we still have one phaser. If the storm goes on any longer, I'll use it to heat up a rock to keep us warm. There's no way I'll find dry wood with all this rain." "Rain? But I'm dry." "We're in a cave. Why don't you try to rest?" "Can't. My head hurts too much." I tried opening my eyes again, and this time nothing was spinning. We were in a small cave, just tall enough to stand up in and just deep enough to keep out the rain. I could just barely see Chakotay's face in the dim light. Chakotay noticed that I was looking around and noted, "Hey, you managed to open your eyes. How are you feeling?" "Still hurts, but at least I can see straight now." "Do you want to sleep?" "Yeah." "Hold still. Let me see if I still remember how to do this." He leaned over and started pinching my shoulder. "What are you trying to do?" I asked. "Vulcan nerve pinch. I used to know how to do this, but that was a long time ago. I had a Vulcan roommate my first year at the Academy and he showed me a few tricks. Still awake? Damn, I've lost my touch. Okay, how about over here..." The remaining senior officers strode into the conference room. "I assume you've come up with something?" Janeway asked brusquely. "Yes we have," Harry replied, walking over to the computer screen. B'Elanna followed close behind. He activated the screen and said, "This is a schematic of what seems to have happened." B'Elanna stepped forward and said, "When we were searching through the computer, we found a reference to a planet in the Gamma Quadrant that phased in and out of our plane of existence. But upon closer inspection, we found the similarity to be only superficial. This was obviously a similar situation working on entirely different scientific principles." Harry continued, "What served as our breakthrough was an analysis of the star of the system. On first glance, it seems like a normal star. However, when we had stellar cartography run what they consider a complete scan on it, we were able to see that it has strange subatomic phase variances. These phase signatures exactly matched the disturbance that swallowed the planet, and they bear a striking resemblance to the phase signature of a chronoton particle." "So what does that mean?" Janeway asked. Torres and Kim looked at each other, and Kim said, "It means that this star exists in two places at once, in two parallel time streams. And all the planets in this system spend some time in this time stream and some time in another." "Which means, Captain, that the planet will re-enter our time stream in 219 days," Torres concluded. Janeway shook her head incredulously. "A separate time stream? That's unbelievable." "The evidence would seem to be conclusive," Tuvok said as he neatly steepled his hands. "Would there be any way to enter the alternate time stream to recover Lieutenant Paris and Commander Chakotay?" "I don't believe so, sir," Harry said with a sad slump to his shoulders. "The forces involved in a phenomenon this big would rip the ship apart." Torres nodded. "I agree. The best option we were able to come up with was to wait the 219 days for the planet to re-appear." "219 days? But that's over seven months!" Janeway shook her head and continued, "I'm sure you did your work thoroughly and completely, but I'd like the both of you to continue searching for ways of getting through to them before the planet reappears. Understood?" "Understood," they both replied. "Dismissed." Everyone filed out of the room, leaving Janeway alone at the head of the table. Seven months. Would they even survive seven months on that planet? The food supplies were plentiful, and there were no large animals to contend with, but if anything went wrong... There had to be a way to get them home quicker, and she was going to make sure they found it. THE CARDASSIAN MASK A Zine Written and Illustrated by L.R. Bowen At a point in the timeline immediately after "Learning Curve" (the end of the first season), Voyager visits a beautiful, fertile garden to gather food, but far more grows there than fruit trees...Seska may be gone, but she's not finished with Voyager. Captain and first officer make an intimate misstep after Chakotay returns to the ship with a holorecording of the garden. He discovers a trace image of his fugitive ex-lover in the background of the scene, and Voyager returns to capture her. Tuvok speculates uneasily about the result of a reunion, and Torres vows to get even with her former friend. Janeway must balance her obligations against very personal loyalties. Seska's got her wits about her, however, and she knows far too much about Chakotay and all the crew of Voyager. And those nasty Kazon are bound to show up any minute, whether she wants them to or not... Suspicion, longing, peril, anguish, joy, and Neelix's cooking ensue. Written very much for Janeway/Chakotay aficionadoes, there is still plenty to enjoy for all Voyager readers. This is an adult novel, and contains several explicitly written sexual situations, including some not-fully-consensual sex. There is potential for offense to tender sensibilities. This zine will not be sold to anyone under 18. Editor's note: the artwork in this zine, and the layout and production, are exceptional. Available from CM Orders, 215 Bret Harte Court, Santa Clara, CA 95050, or contact Lrbowen@aol.com. This story can be found electronically at http://members.aol.com/lrbowen/lrbowen.htm. From The Cardassian Mask by L.R. Bowen: "I can't give her even a single particle of dust from this ship." Janeway felt the warmth drain from her face as she pronounced the words that might spell the death warrant of the three hostages. Kim, that innocent boy on his first mission. Rutskoi, a good solid crewmember who didn't deserve such a reward for years of meritorious service. Chakotay... He was her first officer. A valuable member of the team. A man utterly worthy of trust, into whose charge her ship and crew would fall if anything were to happen to her. She knew he would take good care of them--if he ever got the chance. And no other reason that you want him to return to you can have any influence on your decision... "Captain, you have to get them back. It doesn't matter what she's demanding. Give her anything, and we'll get it back later," pleaded B'Elanna Torres, leaning over the conference table. "I know her, Captain. She will kill them if we don't cooperate. She was one of the most ruthless fighters in our Maquis cell. She doesn't stop at anything to achieve her goals." "Did she even kill Cardassians?" asked Janeway softly. "She once slit the throat of an Obsidian Order operative we caught before Chakotay could stop her," said Torres. "I only realized why a little while ago--she must have been afraid he might blow her cover." Tuvok quirked an eyebrow upwards. "I must concur with Lieutenant Torres. I did not witness the incident in question, but it is consistent with the psychological profile I compiled while observing the cell's operations." "Observing, huh?" muttered Torres. She darted a glance at the Vulcan. "Do you compare my actions within your group with those of Ensign Seska, Lieutenant?" "There's some basis for comparison there," she replied, reluctantly but with a growl that made Janeway glance sharply at her. Tuvok said nothing. "Gentlemen," said Janeway into the crystallizing tension. "We are not here to debate the relative morality of undercover operations. I called this conference to find a solution to the immediate problem: how to get our people back without compromising the Prime Directive and putting powerful weapons technology into the hands of the Kazon-Nistrim." "Can't we attack her?" suggested Tom Paris. "If we put together a small group and transported on board--" "Too risky," said Janeway with a wave of the hand. "We'd have to deactivate their shields first, and that would give them plenty of time to kill the hostages. You saw Seska with that phaser against Chakotay's head." "Yeah, but...would she really do that? I thought she was one of the Big C's old girlfriends." "You should know better than to ask a question like that, Paris," sneered Torres. "Old girlfriends are the worst kind." "None of mine ever wanted to kill me," he snapped back. "Don't be so sure about that," she said. "Gentlemen," said Janeway, with an edge in her voice. Paris gulped and nodded. "I'm sorry, Captain," said Torres after a moment."It's just...Chakotay...and Harry..." Her voice trailed off. "I know, B'Elanna. We're all...concerned about their welfare. Suggestions?" Torres bowed her head, and Paris cracked his knuckles, jumping at the sudden sound into the silence. Tuvok cleared his throat. "Ensign Seska has not yet specified the arrangements she wishes to make for the delivery of the ransom. She is due to contact us for our decision in thirty-six minutes. If we simply refuse to pay, she may kill a hostage to convince us to reconsider. An outright refusal would therefore be unwise." "Yes, Tuvok. My thoughts exactly. We have to play along with her until our people are out of danger. B'Elanna--get together all the items Seska mentioned, and put them in carrying cases." "Aye, Captain--but--" "Yes?" "That anti-transport field she used during the fight on the surface--it was a pretty sophisticated one, but I think I know how to counter it in case she uses it again. If I could take some people--" "As many as you need," Janeway nodded. "Get on it right away." When Torres had left, she turned to Tuvok. "What do you think? Is Seska playing straight herself? Do you think she'll just hand over her captives and fly away?" "To bring so many valuable technologies to the Kazon might give her some prestige in their society. She went to them with nothing but her knowledge of Alpha Quadrant inventions and her engineering skills, which, if truth be told, are significantly inferior to those of Lieutenant Torres. These attributes would be of some use to the Kazon, but she may feel that her position is precarious. I believe she will logically be seeking some way to consolidate her power, to place herself above threat and the favor of one Maje or another." "Yes, Tuvok, that makes a lot of sense. But what could she do to consolidate power?" "She may have no intention of handing over her acquisitions, but instead to use them to seize control of a group of Kazon and act as Maje or warlord." "But she'd need a bigger ship--" "Maybe First Maje Culluh is going to get a little surprise when his Cardassian friend gets back," grinned Paris. Janeway returned the smile, grimly. Seska and Culluh, a match made in a diseased imagination. What a pair those two devious vipers must make. "Security to Lieutenant Tuvok," buzzed Tuvok's comm badge. "Excuse me, Captain," he said, and tapped it. "Proceed." "Sir--this is Peters. I'm in Sickbay. The Kazon prisoners...the doctor just pronounced them dead." "Indeed," said Tuvok. "May I presume they committed suicide?" "That's right. We searched them, but we'd have had to shave them to get through their hair. One of them had a poisoned needle. I'm sorry, Lieutenant." "There is no need for apology, Crewman." Tuvok looked at Janeway, and she lowered her head to her hand and took a deep breath. "It's all right, Peters," she replied. "It's not your fault. What did they fear more than death...?" She shook her head in disbelief. "At least we weren't counting on them as a way to get our own back, the poor devils. Have the doctor put the bodies in stasis. Perhaps we can return them to their people eventually." "Aye, Captain." The silence in the briefing room hurt Janeway's ears, and when she spoke, her voice seemed harsh to her. "Well, until we get a communication from Seska, all we can do is find ways to counter the devices we know she has. Let's get back to work." "Wait a minute--how is she going to call us if she's on the other side of the planet where we can't observe her?" asked Paris. "She has placed a communications relay buoy between us," replied Tuvok. "Hey...maybe we could use that to tap into her systems--" "I already thought of that," said Janeway."It's not activated at the moment; she'll notice if I try to turn it on. And after that threat, I don't want to do anything to make her think we're sneaking up on her. The ball's in her court. Gentlemen--dismissed." COYOTE A Unicorn Press Zine by Elizabeth Klisiewicz 186 pages. $17, postpaid. Voyager unexpectedly discovers a way to get home, and Janeway must deal with the many issues involved with their return to Federation space, including her relationship with her first officer. Chakotay, on the other hand, is forced to choose between the woman he loves and his heritage. As he tours the ruins of Cardassian-occupied Dorvan V, he unexpectedly meets up with his half sister, a slippery and wily Starfleet officer. The story also touches on the personal stories of Tom Paris, B'Elanna Torres, Alynna Nechayev and a pivotal character named Jana Hunter. When Tom returns home, he is confronted by his father, who delivers the news that his mother is dead. A grieving Tom gets into a spot of trouble and after Admiral Paris bails him out, is forced to examine and possibly resolve his feelings for the old man. B'Elanna is caught in the crossfire between the Federation and the Maquis, and temporarily reverts to the woman we saw in the early days of Voyager's journey. Nechayev, the ultimate Starfleet officer, makes a series of tactical errors that throw her career into jeopardy and cause her to question her precious Starfleet principles. Janeway is swept up in the maelstrom of all these events, and does everything in her power to help the former Maquis from her crew. Hunter is a mysterious woman whose past is linked with Chakotay's sister and a Bajoran named Tor Beral. Her friendship with Chakotay widens the gulf between Janeway and Chakotay, whose relationship is already marred by distrust and broken promises. This novella spans the Trek universe from Voyager to DS9 and back to TNG. Ro Laren is dusted off and pressed into service, and Admiral Nechayev has more depth than the pinched little woman we loved to hate in her faceoffs with Picard. Coyote is a sprawling tale filled with spies, gray characters with unknown agendas, and a close examination of trust and friendship. This story can be found electronically at http://www.tiac.net/users/rain/fanfic.html. From Coyote by Elizabeth Klisiewicz: The bridge crew watched as the Klingon ship decloaked on the view screen. It was one thing to have long range sensor readings telling you that a ship from home was appearing in the Delta Quadrant, but it was quite another to have it confirmed with your own eyes. Excitement sizzled through the air. "Someone seems pretty confident that no one is around," Janeway remarked wryly. She turned to Harry and asked, "Are you detecting any life signs?" "Negative, Captain. But it's possible my sensor readings are being affected by the nebula." "Well, that's a chance we'll have to take. Tuvok, can you tell us anything about this ship that we don't already know?" "It's a bird of prey of a type built within the last ten years. The Klingons would be quite capable of running such a ship by remote control." "How fast have they been moving through the gate, Tuvok?" Janeway asked, recalling B'Elanna's words of warning. "During their last test, they were moving at Warp 2." "Then we'll have to match that speed when the time comes," Janeway said quietly. Tuvok nodded, understanding the risks involved. She had passed on the disturbing information to him about the cloaking device. "Is the temporal rift still present?" Chakotay asked, noting that the small vessel was hanging motionless in space. "No, it closed immediately after the ship decloaked. However, I was able to scan the area immediately before the rift disappeared, and my findings seem to support Lt. Torres' gateway theory," Tuvok reported. "What would the Klingons be doing with Iconian technology?" Chakotay mused as if to himself. "A very good question, Commander, but one which I don't have an answer to at the moment," Tuvok replied reluctantly. There was a slight hesitation in his voice, which Janeway picked up. "Tuvok? Is there more?" "Yes, Captain. I cannot be sure of this, but for the brief instant the gateway was open, I was able to make some quick scans." He looked around and motioned for her and Chakotay to move closer. "What is it, Tuvok?" Chakotay asked quietly. "The data seems to indicate the presence of a trinary star system called Idran. It is very close to the DS9 wormhole, Captain. If we are able to make the transition through the gate, we could be home in a matter of days," Tuvok replied. Her eyes sparkled as she savored the delicious thought of home. "Very good. Let's observe our friend for one more pass through. I'm wondering why they closed the rift so quickly." "Maybe they're having difficulty sustaining the gateway, Captain," Harry suggested. "That's possible, and it would certainly explain why they've been making so many trial runs." Janeway looked thoughtful and took a sip of her ever present cup of coffee. A moment later, she said, "See if they manage to keep the gate open longer this time. If they do, we'll follow them next time." Harry interjected, "Captain, please excuse me for asking, but what if there is no next time?" Janeway caught the troubled note in Harry's voice, and she wanted to reassure him, but she couldn't. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kim, but I'd rather err on the side of caution." "There's something else we ought to consider," Chakotay said. At her nod, he continued, "Whoever is running these experiments is probably waiting on the other side. I doubt they will appreciate us riding on their coattails." "That's why we have our cloaking device, Commander." Janeway faced him with her hands on her hips and a raised eyebrow. She was happy that Chakotay challenged her regularly. It kept the job interesting. "You said you wanted to err on the side of caution, Captain. If we rely on a device that hasn't been physically tested on this ship, we are taking a chance with the lives of this crew." "You're right, Chakotay. But I trust B'Elanna's judgment in this matter. Do you?" He lowered his voice. "Of course I do. I just want you to consider all the angles, Captain." "Don't worry, I have." Her gaze encompassed the rest of the bridge crew as they started their vigil. * * * * * * * * Filks! * * * * * * * * IF I HAD A FILKSONG and I FEEL A FILK COMING ON A Unicorn Press Zine 62 pages. $11 and $12, postpaid, respectively. Trekkin' Around The Christmas Tree $5, postpaid with any order. This collection, along with the sequel I Feel A Filk Coming On, contributes to the popular genre of "filks" wherein writers take a popular tune or showtune and rewrite it with fan-appropriate lyrics. These volumes contain versions of "Gilligan's Island," "The Beverly Hillbillies," and skewer Rod Stewart, Michael Bolton, Meatloaf, and Mister Rogers. Make sure to inqure about the small supplement Trekkin' Around The Christmas Tree. TAKE ME HOME, VOYAGER A Collection by Charles H. Shiring and Brenda Shaffer-Shiring 32 pages. $3.50, postpaid. All-Voyager material ranging from the serious title song based on John Denver to the silly "Insurrection," based on "The Locomotion." Digest-sized, available from Charles H. Shiring, 419 Violet Drive, Lower Burrell, PA 15068. * * * * * * * * Where To Find Fan Fiction * * * * * * * * ZINE DEALERS (SEND S.A.S.E. FOR INFORMATION) Orion Press 3211 Saddleleaf Avenue Albany, GA 31707 rlanders@isoa.net Unicorn Press P.O. Box 3177 Greensburg, PA 15601 unicrnprs@aol.com BEST OF THE NET This is by no means a comprehensive list! These are just good starting points for people looking for fanfic on the World Wide Web. http://aviary.share.net/~alara/ The Index of the alt.startrek.creative Story Archive A comprehensive listing of the fan fiction which has appeared in a.s.c.. Indexed and linked by series, there are also readers' awards. http://www.erols.com/imppub/fanfic.htm The Definitive Guide to Trek Fanfic on the Web Lots and lots of links, indexed by show and by author. http://www.geocities.com/Area51/4418/jetcindx.htm The Janeway/Chakotay Fan Fiction Index Even if you're not a J/Cer, the JetC archive contains hundreds of superb Janeway stories with more comprehensive summaries than those on a.s.c. The index makes this site easy to use. http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bentley/ Betsy Vera's Fanfic Resource Page A great place to start looking for fan fiction, Trek and non-Trek alike. http://members.aol.com/RaptorJC/tbmain.html Trek Bytes Originally an AOL mailing list for fans of romantic fan fiction, Trek Bytes is now a treasure trove of short stories by writers who avoid the spam in newsgroups. http://www.geocities.com/televisioncity/set/2246/ The Slash Archive K/S, C/P, P/K, Garak/Bashir, even Tom/Will Riker--from serious epics to sexy nonsense. NC-17. http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Hills/4534/pandt.html Paris/Torres Stories and Links Nowhere near as impressive as the J/C archive, this site may still be of interest to J/Cers, since Janeway and Chakotay seem to wind up together in 90% of Paris/Torres stories. http://members.aol.com/spocksarah/index.html New Trek Stories Janeway/Torres fans, this is your site. NC-17. http://www.lymax.com/kaeori/j&c/WebRing/ The Janeway/Chakotay Web Ring Site The homepage for a web ring linking dozens of J/C sites. http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/8435/ts-c.html The Talking Stick-Circle Page A complete alternate Voyager universe, with a Janeway and Chakotay who, while they often do not resemble the versions on the show, are complex and well-engaged with the intricate societies they encounter. http://www.voicenet.com/~dravyk/mjaneway/ The Secret Logs of Mistress Janeway A highly NC-17 site! Voyager meets Exit To Eden. All About Now Voyager Greetings from the Kate Mulgrew Appreciation Society. KMAS Inc., a Maryland non-profit corporation, is Kate Mulgrew's official fan club. You can reach us at P.O. Box 34745, Bethesda, MD 20827-4745, or online at tigger@cais.cais.com. Current yearly dues are $25 U.S., $32/Canada-Mexico, $40/Overseas (U.S. bank funds only). Send Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope for information, or $5 for a sample issue of Now Voyager, or e-mail for the electronic edition of this bimonthly newsletter. If you would like a copy of our submission guidelines or our bylaws, send a S.A.S.E. Now Voyager is on the World Wide Web at http://members.aol.com/nowvoy/. For print back issue requests, send a S.A.S.E. to Anne Davenport, 6211 E. Azalea Ave. B, Panama City Beach, FL 32408. This is a not-for-profit, amateur publication and is not intended to infringe upon the copyrights of any media corporation. All material is copyrighted by the authors except for the trademarks and patents of Viacom, Inc. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced or forwarded without permission, in print or electronically. The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the editors, KMAS Inc., Kate Mulgrew, or Paramount Pictures. Photo and Art Credits 1--Illustration © Chris King, 1997. 4-5--Photos © ABC-TV, 1988. 6-10--Illustrations © Michael Herring for Pocket Books, 1997. 11-12--Photos © Free Press, 1997. 13--Illustration © Jason Palmer for Pocket Books, 1997. 16--Illustration © BEKi, 1997. 19--Illustration © Zaquia Tarhuntassa, 1996. 20, 28--Illustrations © Madalena Mumford, 1996 and 1997. 24--Illustration © YCD's Slave, 1997. 26--Illustration © L.R. Bowen, 1996. 31--Illustration © Deborah Rush, 1997. ____________________________________________________ Kmas Inc. Board Of Directors Michelle Erica Green, president. Joan Testin, vice president. Lauren Baum, treasurer. Anne Davenport, membership secretary. Mary Taylor, business secretary. Paul Anderson, assistant secretary. Jeanne Donnelly, charity coordinator. Peter Castillo, legal advisor. Now Voyager Staff Cheryl Zenor, web page designer. Donna Christenberry, assistant editor. Anna Shuford, membership director. Beth Schuman & Nancy Molik, convention coordinators. Member of National Association of Fan Clubs ____________________________________________________ VOYAGER FAN CLUBS NOW VOYAGER Official Kate Mulgrew Fan Club P.O. Box 34745 Bethesda, MD 20827-4745 tigger@cais.cais.com THE COMMANDER Official Robert Beltran Fan Club 330 Greenwich Street Reading, PA 19601-2821 B3 PRIME Official Roxann Dawson Fan Club 1630 Ft. Campbell Blvd., Suite 143 Clarksville, TN 37042 blilsism@aol.com RANDOM FLIGHT Official Robert Duncan McNeill Fan Club 850 Mellowood Avenue Orlando, FL 32825-8085 ricknpam@iag.net EPIC Official Ethan Phillips Fan Club P.O. Box 4818 Waterbury, CT 06704 randeg@aol.com CARPE Official Robert Picardo Fan Club Box 373, 1277 Linda Mar Shopping Center Pacifica, CA 94044 traceldel1@aol.com VULCAN INSIDERS Official Tim Russ Fan Club P.O. 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