Meet the crew of the Sagittarius, who will be the stars of Book 1, Second Nature, due for publication in just three weeks on July 22, 2014!
Be warned, the following contains some SPOILERS for the Vanguard novels, especially REAP THE WHIRLWIND and STORMING HEAVEN.
Also note that these are the shorthand descriptions from the series bible, and some of these details will change as needed to make individual stories work. They are presented here to give you an idea of where we'll be starting from with regard to this merry band of misfits.
CAPTAIN CLARK TERRELL, commanding officer
Has the fists of a prizefighter and the mind of a scientist. Inherited command after his mentor, Captain Nassir, was killed in action. Has never met the infamous James T. Kirk. He shakes the bulkheads when he laughs and trembles the decks when he roars (which isn't often).
LT. COMMANDER VANESSA THERIAULT, first officer
Human from Mars. Kooky. Cruelly witty, droll, sarcastic. Courageous and irreverent. Knits to pass the time. Has a soft spot for "broken" people, pets, and things. Her shipmates say she could "charm the ridges off a Klingon" or "talk a dog off a meat wagon."
DOCTOR LISA BABITZ, M.D., chief surgeon
Neurotic. High energy. Nervous about anything and everything. Can be a bit of a nag. Obsessed with disinfecting the ship. Talks faster than anyone the rest of the crew has ever met. When she slows down for a minute, she's really a sweetheart. A phenomenal emergency surgeon and pathologist.
LIEUTENANT (j.g.) NGUYEN TAN BAO, R.N., nurse
Handles triage during medical emergencies, performs basic first aid, assists during surgery. Trained in wilderness survival, zero g ops, spelunking, mountaineering, diving. Can accompany field scouts on hazardous landing missions. Taught himself to play the harmonica. Popular with the ladies.
LIEUTENANT COMMANDER SORAK, second officer/tactical officer
Excels at stealthy observation. Wilderness survival expert. Trained in medicine, archaeology, xenobotany. Completed the Kolinahr on Vulcan. Born in 2148, joined Starfleet in 2210. Tri-level chess grand master. Best vegan cook on the ship. Married with four children. Rarely speaks. Has an unnerving stare. Holds an M.D. and two Ph.D.s.
MASTER CHIEF PETTY OFFICER MIKE "MAD MAN" ILUCCI, chief engineer
Strong believer in "percussive maintenance" (hit it until it works again). Knows how to curse in five non-human languages (Klingon, Romulan, Tellarite, Andorian, and Orion). Can start a bar fight even with people whose language he doesn't know. Has a rant about almost any topic one can think of. Call him "Master Chief." Or else. No, seriously.
ENSIGN NIZSK, helm officer/navigator
Kaferian drone (neuter). Prefers to use and be referred to by female pronouns. Native culture friendly to but not part of the Federation. Can spin silklike substance to build structures, fix hull breaches, restrain prisoners. Sleeps in a self-made cocoon. Looks scrawny but is very strong; carapace can deflect energy blasts below heavy stun.
LIEUTENANT (j.g.) SENGAR HESH, science officer
Arkenite male. Expert in geology, astronomy, physics. Limited psionic abilities (minor telekinesis, can resist being read by telepaths). His word is his bond. Misses his Sia Lenthar (group bond), adopts his shipmates as surrogates; takes great pride in their diversity and vast collective expertise. Solid green eyes with no pupils; bronze skin. Three-lobed brain.
PETTY OFFICER FIRST CLASS SALAGHO THREX, senior engineer's mate
Like most Denobulans, he doesn't sleep much. Works long shifts repairing and upgrading systems throughout the ship. Boasts he could take the ship apart in an afternoon and have it back together and flying that night. Big, beefy, and hairy, he's from a subculture with no nudity taboo—much to his crewmates' chagrin. Sings in his native language; his voice sounds beautiful, but the translated lyrics are crude and pornographic.
PETTY OFFICER SECOND CLASS KAREN CAHOW, engineer's mate
Know-it-all. Grew up on merchant ships. Has a knack for fixing things, but never the way the manuals suggest. Trained as a shuttle pilot, a medic, and a computer technician before becoming a starship mechanic. Specializes in transporter systems. Is an only child; hates sharing quarters, but has learned to cope. Has a phobia about being on planets; has spent most of her life in space. Has never fired a phaser in combat, only in basic training.
CREWMAN SPECIALIST TORVIN, engineer's mate
Superior hearing enables him to detect minuscule malfunctions in a variety of onboard systems, sometimes more quickly and with greater specificity than his colleagues using tricorders. Young, nerdy, enthusiastic, harboring a desperate and ultimately futile crush on Taryl. Commiserates during shore leaves with Chief Ilucci, whose own crush on Theriault is equally doomed.
SENIOR CHIEF PETTY OFFICER RAZKA, lead scout
Forty years old, young for a Saurian. He's been in Starfleet 23 years, and his courage, ingenuity, and leadership skills enabled him to rise quickly through the ranks of non-commissioned officers. Can see in the "normal" and infrared spectrums. Has gills and can breathe underwater. An expert marksman and martial-artist, he has medical training equivalent to a paramedic and a master's degree in physics.
LIEUTENANT FARO DASTIN, field scout
Male Trill, unjoined. Homosexual. Born practical joker. Good at sleight-of-hand, lousy at gambling. Digs music but can't dance. Never met a drink he didn't like. Won't throw a first punch, but has a knack for getting into fights. Loves to try new foods, activities. A bit too proud of his new beard.
ENSIGN TARYL, field scout
Female Orion. Spiky, pixie-cut black hair. Lacks the pheromone for seduction and control, so she left Orion to make a better life in a more egalitarian society. Prefers the outdoors; likes animals more than people. A good survivalist, medic, and mechanical engineer. Bisexual but trying celibacy for a while.
And that's our scout-ship crew! The key personnel of the Endeavour will follow in another post at a date TBD, probably a bit closer to the release of Book 2, Point of Divergence, by Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore.
