The crew of the Impulsive meets Neptune
Oct 20, 2023 3:26 pm
TL:DR
- Behind the Scenes with Space Traipse 7
- Space Traipse 7 Scene
Hey, all! I am home for a couple of days after Rob and I attended his 35th Air Force Academy reunion. It was a terrific time. What impressed me most was how quickly everyone clicked. Life at "the zoo" already creates close bonds, even when you don't become close friends, but then the distance of time and experience takes away a lot of the stress and competitiveness between classmates. What was left was a shared history and a deep appreciation for who everyone is now.
We got home late Monday and Tuesday, I spent the entire day retiling the hole in our shower with my Dad. It would have been fast except the tile was dol, so we could not find enough to simply replace them and had to create a different design, and then the tiles we did have were not cut to the right size, so we spent a lot of time gently filing it to fit. Overall, though it looks pretty good. Thursday, morning, I'll grout it. Here's a photo of it without the shower handle or grout.
Thursday afternoon, I'm flying to Houston, TX, visiting my sister and helping her MIL move. Not a lot to report on my life, so let's talk about something more interesting--Space Traipse!
Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 7
“Put a Ring on It” (Parody of ST:TOS “Who Mourns for Adonais?”): The Impulsive is waylaid by the ancient god Neptune, who thinks they should worship him instead of saving a planet of merfolk. (Or not saving—it’s a Prime Directive thing).
Behind the Scenes from Space Traipse 7 "Who Mourns for Adonais?"
I don't have as much to say about this story. It was written for an anthology about Neptune--planet or God--and I thought he'd be a fun substitution in "Who Mourns for Adonais?" If you recall, this is where the Enterprise is caught by a giant hand and the god Apollo wants the Enterprise crew to worship him. They essentially laugh at him and he fades away discouraged, but not before impregnating a crewwoman.
I give it a happier ending, but I was also thinking about the Prime Directive and one of the TNG episodes where they were not going to save a race if it wasn't warp-capable because that would be interfering. So double happy endings for everyone!
Doc Sorcha gets to go on an away mission--and messes up, which is a big deal when you're a holographic lifeform with the calculating power of multiple geniuses. Jeb gets to call her on it, and she alters her programming, which goes to show even future AI lifeforms can learn.
Scene from Space Traipse 7 "They Grow So Fast"
I remember loving "Who Mourns for Adoinais?" when I saw it as a kid. As an adult--with a well-warped sense of humor--I saw things I didn't back then. So when I had the chance to write for Planetary Anthologies: Neptune, I decided to jump in the deep end. And who better to call things like they are than our own Doc Sorcha?
The whole thing took about three seconds. It was a lot of information to process, after all. Calculations complete, she returned her gaze to her commander. “Neptune is known for having a volatile temper. The fact that he did not simply kill one of you as an example to the others indicates resignation, perhaps even depression. While most art of the era depicts Neptune strong and virile, it also pictures him much older. But his hair is full and dark. He attempted to impose the authority of his past upon you males but was charming and flirtatious to us females.”
She caressed Incitatus’ cheek. “Then there are the horses. Neptune’s role as god of equines is more often a footnote in mythology and most often in reference to horse races or as used in battle. But here, they are tame and well-groomed. Horses, however, are a long-standing tool for romantic seduction.”
Jeb grunted, his mind turning to some of the more romantic riding dates of his youth. Then something clicked. “Hold on. Are you saying Neptune, god of the sea, is having a midlife crisis?”