Yes.

Behind the Scenes of
Not Just Another Fairy Tale
by Denise Felt 2011

Since I had readers foaming at the mouth over the way I ended my last story, I felt it was wise to proceed directly to my third fairy story – immediately!
 
Chapter 1 – We find Dr. Jackson preparing to receive his most important patient and learn that  over time he has found tricky ways to get the commander to allow himself to be examined.  And we see that he’s worried, because by rights the commander shouldn’t be walking around after a crash as bad as that one.

One of my favorite quirks when writing a story is to let the reader in on a secret that pertains to the scene taking place that the characters themselves aren’t privy to; such as, Jackson’s psychological underhandedness where the commander is concerned (which Straker doesn’t know about) and the fact that we know why Straker isn’t in bad shape (which the doctor doesn’t know about.)  Personally, stories that use this type of plot device are among my favorites.  So of course I use it in my stories too!

I have always felt that Straker and Jackson understand each other very well, even though they are seldom in agreement on anything.  They have much in common, although they tend to be diametrically opposed in their viewpoints.  Both are driven men, completely committed to keeping Earth safe from anything that would threaten it.  However, they don’t always agree on what constitutes a threat.  Both are clear-sighted men, seeing far beyond the moment to possible future results of present-day actions.  However, their viewpoints tend to be colored by their individual outlooks on life, which affects the way they interpret any possible future outcome.  This kind of dichotomy makes for such interesting conversations between them, and I thoroughly enjoy pitting them against each other. 

And we find that the commander’s risky plan in involving Jackson in what truly occurred to him during the alien attack doesn’t pan out as he would have preferred.  The doctor remains skeptical of his ‘fairy’ tale and presents a possible scenario of his own – one that lands the commander in quarantine!

Chapter 2 – This chapter begins with Alec’s comment on the good doctor’s conclusions.  But Straker remains somewhat philosophical.  He is certain that Jackson will come around once he comes up with no evidence to the contrary and doesn’t want Alec or his staff to take out their anger over Jackson’s ruling on the doctor.  Straker tells Alec that Jackson brought up the subject of Craig Collins, the astronaut who the aliens altered and sent back to SHADO to destroy Straker.  And we learn that Collins didn’t fool Freeman, which we never got to see in the show, because Alec wasn’t in that episode.  But Alec isn’t at all perturbed that Craig managed to fool the commander.  As he said, loyalty is an important element of friendship.  Without it, you’ve got nothing.

Straker asks him about his talk with Henderson, which Freeman had not told him about.  But the commander is quite aware of how the old man thinks and would know that he would come.  Here we learn how Alec handled the interview, and we get a glimpse into Henderson’s possible frustration level at the colonel’s refusal to accept that Straker was dead.  Poor Gen. Henderson! His intelligence network simply isn’t as complete as he thinks, is it?  His men know nothing about fairies.

Alec teases his boss about being ministered to by fairies and gets Straker’s standard answer to his ribbing: “Shut up, Alec.”  I have no idea how many times in my stories Straker says that line to his friend, but I’m sure some reader at some time or other will make a note of just how often it happens.  If you’ve ever dealt with a sarcastic person on a daily basis – one who likes to get a rise out of people – you’ll clearly understand why Straker says this to him.  I have a son who grew up hearing “Shut up, Jimmy!” several times a day.

But in spite of his teasing, Freeman makes sure his commander is aware that he’s not kidding about his security.  And Straker realizes that he can no longer fight the need for increased security.  Even so, he tries to dictate how it will be handled, but Alec pops his balloon by reminding him that his car is being serviced because of the crash.  I really like it when – every great once in a while – Alec gets the last word.

Chapter 3 – I have to say, Nyt gives me so many opportunities to have fun!  Unused to the day-to-day thinking of humans, since over the millennia she has only come into contact with them sporadically, Nyt simply doesn’t get some of the nuances of human interpersonal behavior.  And it’s a lot of fun to let her be her impulsive self and drive the commander crazy!  And Straker, who doesn’t possess his friend’s smooth way with women, makes a mess of things when he tries to explain why they shouldn’t do what they both want to do. 

Chapter 4 – Straker learns from the doctor just how far Nyt’s healing changed him from the way he was before.  In typical fashion, however, he doesn’t stress it, but simply asks the most important question: could the aliens have done it?  And of course the doctor has to admit that they couldn’t have.  I admire this ability of the commander’s to put aside his own feelings in order to analyze a situation.  We catch instances of it in the show, and it’s intriguing enough that I like to spotlight it in my stories.  He’s like Spock in the way he puts logic first, then emotion.  And I know it irritates his friend.

I thoroughly enjoyed bringing Sherlock Holmes into the story, since he’s another logical character and has that wonderful quote of his that is so often repeated.  And of course the fact that Doyle considered his inquiries into whether fairies were real or not of more importance than his little detective stories added a delightful touch!

Nyt returns, drawn to the commander’s kisses like a drug.  And he gets the chance to explain himself a little better.  But where Straker clearly sees a class distinction between them, Nyt refuses to do so.  And she tells him what the aliens did to get around the new upgrades.  They ripped a hole in the space-time continuum!  I hope it’s clear that Nyt knows what such a hole is – and the damage it can do.  Certainly Straker realizes how seriously Gaia is taking this latest stunt from the aliens.  And it worries him.

Chapter 5 – I really liked the way Paul acted in this story.  I know.  You say, but you wrote it!  However, I don’t dictate the way the characters behave.  Mostly, I just let them be the way they are.  And Paul shows in a very good light, both in this story and in the last one where he refuses to quit searching for the commander.  Foster is another one who understands loyalty.  It’s his greatest virtue and probably one of the main reasons Straker picked him for the command team. 

In this chapter, he lets Alec know that he’ll help out if Straker needs a hand escaping his quarantine.  I feel a bit sorry for Jackson here, since Paul can be quite fierce in a cause he believes in.  But Alec talks him down and gets rid of him quickly when Nyt shows up.

Alec is the type of human that Nyt understands.  He’s a simple man, driven by simple needs.  But he has a vast store of loyalty, a trait the keepers admire in humans.  Nyt is pleased that his loyalty is for his commander, because as she tells Straker, she cannot always be there to keep an eye on him herself.  And Alec is pleased that his commander is being watched over, and especially tickled that it’s a pretty fairy doing the watching.  So, these two were destined to like each other, even though he gives her a hard time.

And Nyt is left wondering why humans are so strange that they won’t say what they really think?  Good question, Nyt!

I love fabric.  Just so you know, I’m a designer and seamstress and make a lot of my clothes.  So every chance I get to talk about fabric and clothes is a delight to me.  I made Nyt’s dress something extra special, almost sentient in a way.  Certainly very unlike human fabric.  And of course, Straker’s analytical mind wonders what it’s made of.  I suppose if anyone dared ask him why he kept it in his pocket and ran it through his hands from time to time, he would simply say that he found its texture intriguing.  Hopefully, any reader hearing that would know better!

Ever since I wrote a story where Straker and Ginny were lovers, I’ve looked on her with a different eye.  It’s all Matt’s fault.  Blame him!  So in this story, she’s really rather cool.  Very much a woman who knows her strengths and plays to them.  One thing didn’t change, however.  She’s still brilliant.  So she considers what even Alec didn’t, and that’s that Jackson bugged the commander’s cell.  Straker tells her she’s probably right, then proceeds to tell her about the rip in time.  And although certain aspects of their conversation worry her, she’s sure enough by the end that he’s still the commander that she does his bidding in spite of her fear.

Chapter 6 – I was so tickled that Jackson felt concerned enough about the colonel that he tagged along when she went to the spot where Straker had been attacked!  He’s really a cold man; at least that’s the way he comes across in the show.  And I don’t see him too worried about anyone or anything beyond his own experiments and the commander’s safety.  So it says a lot about how flustered he is by evidence of all these invisible creatures that he invites himself along, thereby letting her know that yes, he was bugging the commander’s cell.

Ginny handles the situation out at the scene of the car crash with her usual efficiency, but is secretly dismayed by the extent of the damage from the invisible tear.  And later, the commander handles Jackson’s visit to his cell with his usual calm.  After all, he knows he’s right.  He’s finally able to get Jackson on his side by admitting part of the reason why he wants to help with the temporal tear.  He wants to know more about these space-time incursions in the hopes of being able to anticipate them in future and keep them from happening.  Relieved to know he’s not as gullible as he had seemed, Jackson lets him go.

Epilogue – Nyt finds him back in his office, reading reports as if he’d never been gone.  They discuss the tear, and Straker suggests a possible solution based on the kind of molecules needed to repair the damage.  Intrigued, Nyt promises to bring the idea before the Council. 

And Straker asks the question that should be burning in the reader’s mind by now: what would the keepers do if the tear couldn’t be contained?  My beta tester was so happy with this scene.  She said that it was about time I showed just how powerful these delicate fairies truly were!  Woo-hoo!

The story ends with a kiss, but everyone should be aware that it’s not over yet.  More adventure to come!  Stay tuned!