Thoughts on the Fall of Empires by Gina the Dormouse (gen)

[hafren.livejournal.com]

Fandom: Blakes 7
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: pinkdormouse
Author Website: Pink Dormouse Productions
Why this must be read:

One of the favourite fic-writers' questions in B7 is "what was Blake doing between the end of season 2 and the end of season 4, and was he together with Jenna for any of that time?". His words to Tarrant in the final episode imply it, but since he's not necessarily telling the whole truth, we shall never know, which is how fic writers mostly like things anyway.

Jenna is a neglected character in fic. Canonically you can't deny that she fancies Blake like mad, and apparently without result, but a lot of writers can't see beyond that, to give this hard-bitten, ruthless ex-criminal a life and personality of her own. All the more interesting when someone does. Here's the start, with Jenna deciding the world owes her a bit of r & r:

She was going to miss the 'Liberator'. But then she had missed the 'Sappho' -- and the 'Behemoth', and the 'Libya' -- and every other ship she had ever stood at the controls of. This time, however she was walking away from something that by rights she should have held a one-third share in. Just when had Blake forgotten about that part of the deal?

It seemed a pity to destroy her teleport bracelet, but keeping it would only tempt her into thinking about going back. So she destroyed it along with her life capsule as soon as she was certain of the freighter captain's intentions towards her.

Morphenniel's main spaceport was overflowing with refugees. Most had lost everything in the war, and there were more beggars and itinerants than Jenna had ever seen in one place. Even after paying her fare she had more wealth on her person than any twenty of these people. But as yet she had no notion of how long her reserves had to last her, or if indeed the finance houses in which she had invested during her time on the Liberator, and before, were still operational. So she looked straight ahead, and strode quickly away from the poor and into the richer tourist district of the town.

There is always a Hilton.

This Jenna is a woman in her own right with her own story – even though her feelings for Blake play a crucial part in that story. Unusual, original fic with a lot of detail about what kind of world these people might atcually live in when not on a space-ship. This is also in print, in the fanzine Tales from Space City 7, ed. Helen Patrick


Thoughts on the Fall of Empires