Alastar Virgil

Second Commander (science department head) of the UAV Stardancer, Alastar Virgil is a Karaka'An in Fleet known for her calm and meticulous nature.

Appearance and Personality

Grayish-brown with short black hair (with one long, thin side-braid, a 'Holly lock' adopted at the behest of a friend who passed away of one of the Exodus diseases). Blue-gray eyes. Average height for one of the Karaka'A.

She lost her left eye during the events at Birdsong, and had it replaced with a prosthetic.

History and Family

Born in 433 BA (which makes her one year older than Alysha, barely). Native of one of the rural, mountainous parts of Karaka'Ana (probably? Not sure it's mentioned in the canon). 'Star grew up with as close to a technology-free childhood as is possible in heart of the modern Alliance, as an only child, with parents who encouraged an experiential and empirical approach to life. Her father is a geologist and her mother a historian (which is what led to 'Star's interest in history, and later, historical weapons). There weren't a lot of people in her area, but she did grow up with a handful of friends who lived in the area, one of whom was responsible for her Holly lock.

Her father read to her nightly as a child (including a book about constellations from different planets).

Alastar's family's perennial vacation was to the shore, where she took particular pleasure in exploring the ecosystems between the ocean and the land.

Service History

• Ensign - UAV Solarblade
• Lieutenant - UAV Silverquiver
• Lt. Commander - UAV Silverquiver
• Second Commander - UAV Stardancer

At Fleet Academe

Alastar was an Academe cadet a year above Alysha Forrest, who became friends with Laelkii Takara Lifeweave; Laelkii later introduced her to Alysha. Laelkii described Alastar as "very calm and unruffled." Alastar specialized in science and computer studies, and was extremely perceptive as regards to both systems and people.

When Harroway Sloan attempted to frame and blackmail Matthew Brighthaven (and kill Alysha) to advance the goals of the Anti-Human League, Alastar was instrumental in finding evidence of his crime, which allowed Brighthaven to save Alysha from murder.

Encryption/decryption was her specialization in the Academe.

Interstitial Assignments

Spent at least some time on a ship doing long-range mapping expeditions during the timeframe of Who is Willing.

• had no run-ins with the Chatcaava during her assignments prior to the Stardancer

Stardancer Career (Second Commander)

On the UAV Stardancer, Alastar went by 'Star, "having unavoidably been so christened after her assignment to a ship with a name so similar to hers, and as with everything, she’d accepted it without fuss."

On Gledig

Alastar had been with the UAV Stardancer as second commander for six months at the time Alysha Forrest and Laelkii Takara Lifeweave came aboard (as captain and chief medical officer respectively), and thus had been there a year by the beginning of Sword of the Alliance. When Alysha pressed her for an opinion on her relationships with the crew, 'Star opined that the application of "discipline and praise in proper measure" would solve the problem.

During the investigation of Gledig by the UAV Stardancer, Alastar joined the advance party in investigating the planet. 'Star was the first to notice that the buildings in the residential area where they had set down were abandoned completely. After she was sent to investigate on her own, 'Star was asked by Alysha to investigate the local clinic, and found it full of bodies from Adderey. She was subsequently present in the Gledig governor's mansion during the bombing by Secessionist terrorists.

After the advance party was rescued by Svetlana Karishenikov in the wake of the bombing, Alastar spent the night with her compatriots at Svetlana's family's home, with the plan that she and she and Alysha would return to the Stardancer, and Taylitha Basil and Laelkii Takara Lifeweave would remain on Gledig.

On the Stardancer, 'Star assisted with figuring out the strange issues in Gledig's system, including the pirate activity and the curious nonresponse of the UAV Voidsong. She was the one to provide the evidence that enabled Alysha to confirm--though, true to form, she didn't herself spell it out--that Voidsong was more than simply incompetent or negigent, and to turn up the Voidsong's earlier court-martial.

'Star is the one to make the point that if the Stardancer rendezvous with the Voidsong, they'll need to leave the planet undefended and exacerbate the dispute on ground.

During the rendezvous, 'Star noted that the Voidsong and its captain Baerut Flait was either extremely incompetent ("incapable of executing the most basic tasks with proper discipline" or are insulting the Stardancer and its crew intentionally. She, along with Alysha, comes to the immediate conclusion that the Voidsong captain is lying about his work and the state of Gledig. Upon returning to Gledig, she analyzed the possible status and nature of the pirate ship (Scythe), and ultimately located right beneath Stardancer's belly, and used her analytical skills to determine that the enemy was using "hedgehog" missiles, and that a direct hit on the Scythe could cause them to explode in the hold, which in fact they did.

On Amity

The UAV Stardancer arrived at the planet orbiting Theth-129, which would later come to be called Amity, as their sixth stop on a mapping expedition. As second commander, Alastar was the one to report the "anomaly" of the planet: alien ruins, initially an obelisk and relief. She also oversaw the initial exploration of the obelisk site, during which she was the first member of the Stardancer to encounter the painted cave chamber. The unusual properties of the caves rendered her unconscious. Laelkii indicated that her condition was puzzling: she had no visible injury, but had metabolic symptoms similar to a drug overdose. Laelkii hypothesized that the neurotransmitter-like chemicals in the ocean water were causing 'Star to hallucinate.

Events of the Captain's Retreat

The stuff from Faith in the Service (Fiction).

Quotes

"Atrocities are only limited by people’s imaginations. And blackmail does not require a great deal of it."

Quotes and Observations by Others

“I think she forgets she has a body when we get on these mapping expeditions.”

—Alysha Forrest

Trivia

Body Language

Dylan Brushnie observed her as "The quieter second commander [who] offered the occasional comment and exuded an unobtrusive air that did not conceal how likely it was that she was recording every specific of the event."

Alysha Forrest notes that she can maintain a masklike affect, indicating what she really thinks to those who know her by such means as eye contact or a lifted brow. She also describes 'Star as "serene."

A running commentary in the series is that public displays of overt emotion (including sarcasm) are a sign that things have gone very wrong, as she is normally inherently phlegmatic; for instance, she calls her friends by terms like 'arii' in public rarely, and always with deliberate intention.

Skills and Abilities

• She can break a good deal of Fleet encryption, but not all of it.
• She is also fairly good at forensic accounting and legal stuff.
• "‘Star had an uncanny way with data, and no doubt one of the reasons she’d risen to the head of the science department was that knack for knowing what data was significant and what constituted a dead end."

Other

• Deeply interested in the workings of the universe, and very curious.
• Swears seldom, if in fact at all.
• Alastar is intrigued by ancient weapons.
• Her telegem is activated by flicking her ear in a particular pattern.
• She is rigorously conscientious, such that breaches of protocol on her part are not only notable but alarming.
• According to Alysha, she shares similar philosophies as the Phoenix.

Related Fiction

Alysha's Fall (Fiction)

Dark Lighthouse (Fiction)

In Good Company (Fiction)

Sword of the Alliance (Fiction)

Story Appearances

Alysha's Fall (Fiction)

Dark Lighthouse (Fiction)

In Good Company (Fiction)

Sword of the Alliance (Fiction)

Need to include the recent story. But I forgot the title.