Behind the Scenes of
Gar Barusch
by Denise Felt 2011
I think this is the first story I’ve written for UFO where the commander wasn’t caught up in an instant attraction with the female lead. Not that she wasn’t an attractive woman, but it was secondary and unimportant. It wouldn’t have mattered if she was plain. He falls in love with her over the course of their sessions as he experiences her kindness and compassionate nature, which is not at all what he’s used to back on Earth. She, on the other hand, is caught from the very beginning, as we see in the first line.
Chapter 1 – It’s fairly easy to figure out where the title comes in, because when we begin the story, he is called Gar. So we know what they’re calling him. But anyone who has read my work before should recognize the commander, even though he isn’t known as Straker in this world. This is another mystery story, one where we learn bit by bit where he is and why he is there. And even those things are subject to change at any given moment. This story was also the first time my beta tester refused to critique each chapter as I wrote it. Her only comment was: Yes, it’s good. Write more!
Chapter 2 – We find out a great deal in this chapter. First, that he missed a session. Then we learn why. Unlike a lot of UFO fanfic writers, I’ve never killed off Alec before. It was surprisingly difficult. And in the end, I never do say definitively that he is dead. But since Straker is irrevocably separated from his best friend (even though the reader may not know that yet), it didn’t seem to matter much that I keep Freeman alive. And the fact that he might be dead is what spurs the commander on to search for his homeworld. That search is the heart of the story.
I’ve written a lot of amnesia stories over the years. It’s a fascination of mine really, and one that I haven’t fully explored even now. So, beware. There may be more amnesia stories in the future! But this is the first time Straker is the one with amnesia. And that makes this time extra special – for me and (hopefully) for the reader as well.
Chapter 3 – In this chapter, we meet another player in the game: the Director of Interplanetary Affairs. And we learn a bit more about our commander. His presence here has serious implications for the planet. Well, what else is new? Straker always makes waves wherever he goes! *grin* I never fully explain what these concerns are, but I hope the reader gets the overall gist of it by the end of the story, once the full truth is revealed.
I got several comments about the technology shown in this chapter, especially the doctor’s unit in her office (the one that gives a whole new meaning to the term ‘desktop computer.’) I’m just as excited about it as my readers (and Straker) were and wish I had one in my office too!
Just a note: I thoroughly enjoyed his ‘needle in a haystack’ comment and her subsequent confusion. It was priceless! One of those times where the perfect phrase just came to me as I was writing. I can hardly take credit for those instances, since they’re as much a surprise to me as they are to everyone else!
Chapter 4 – In this chapter we learn just how serious his injuries were. We already know that his spine was broken. Now we find out that he was also badly burned and had extensive brain damage. Not a pretty picture. And we can understand his gratitude to the people who cared enough about a stranger to put him back together. The sunset scene is one of my favorites in the story as we see him accepting this new world for the first time. It’s a paradise, after all. Why shouldn’t he enjoy it?
He plays Xardoni with Daja and likes it even more than chess. And we find out what Gar Barusch really means. It’s a character from a folktale and is a different form of ‘Mr. Nobody.’ Sort of the 26th century’s equivalent to John Doe – just a bit more exotic.
Chapter 5 – His past comes back in a rush in nightmare form, overwhelming him, but of course he assures the orderlies that he’s fine. That’s Straker all over! We finally get to meet Dr. Ramov, who up to this point has just been a name spoken in passing. But although he’s a caring doctor, he’s no match for Straker, and so Daja has to come to the rescue. She finds Gar in despair, his memories so vivid and terrible that he can’t handle them. Alec’s dead, and Earth is doomed. Why keep trying to get back?
But she gives him hope, reminding him that his people are not the passive type to lay down and die when confronted with invaders. They discuss the situation further and figure out that the aliens’ time freeze device must have been the culprit that brought him so far away from home. She tells him about the alien that survived, and he realizes how much she has cared about him from the very beginning – back when he was a wreck of a man. He kisses her, and then in his own sarcastic way refuses to apologize for it. I have to say, when Straker is sarcastic is when I love him the most! So I know just how Daja feels here. *grin* She finds out his real name, and the scene – so fraught with trauma and pain – ends quietly as they both head back to sleep.
Chapter 6 – When Straker makes another archaic comment, I hope the reader is expecting Daja to react the same way she did with the ‘haystack’ comment. But she’s a psychiatrist, and so Rorschach tests are known to her, no matter how ancient the term. How? Because Coriandus is Earth – just Earth far into the future. I loved writing the hillside scene where he finds the constellations! I didn’t cry, but I definitely teared up when I wrote it! It’s just such a powerful moment.
I also greatly enjoyed bringing in Temporal Security. They were so hilarious in the Trek series that I felt they needed reviving. And Daja welcomes him home. This was the second time my eyes teared up in this scene. It’s just such a sweet thing for her to say. And his reaction was all that it should have been! *sigh*
I suppose it was obvious in the next scene why I called the colonel Bishop. Just a small tribute to the man who made the commander such a legendary character.
Epilogue – Straker gets to meet the Director finally, but somehow that is eclipsed by the second man present at this meeting: Ford. I love Ford’s character, although I don’t always show it in my stories. But to me, he’s one of the unsung heroes in the war against the aliens. So it was fitting that his progeny gets to be in command in the future Earth – and even to look a lot like him.
We finally learn exactly what happened when the commander crashed here, and it was a much bigger deal than either he or Daja thought. Somehow he brought the entire alien armada with him when he came through time. Their foolproof plan to take out the heads of SHADO and take over the planet all in one fell swoop was foiled by the suicidal act of the commander, who was trying to thwart them any way he could before he died. And Earth in the future was quite capable of stopping their attack. *grin* I do love it when the good guys win!
Another joyful moment for me was when we find out what SHADO stands for now. Again, this version of its acronym just came to me in a flash, so I ran with it. But it made me smile when I wrote it – and it affects me the same way every time I reread it! I hope my readers feel the same. It was necessary to know that SHADO continued into the future of the planet – that the loss of their beloved commander and his second-in-command were not enough to destroy the organization.
And Daja gets a job offer she won’t refuse! Not when it means that she can continue to work with her dear Edward. I really enjoyed Daja as a counterpoint to Straker. In fact, I almost want to write a sequel to this story, just so that I can peek into their lives six months down the road and see how they’re doing. And I may have to someday, simply to have the pleasure of working with her again.
Several readers have commented on how much they enjoyed reading about a kinder, gentler Earth in the future. Like Roddenberry, I don’t believe it’s a given that the future will be dark and grim. Mankind has the capacity to be noble and heroic as well as self-destructive. There’s no guarantee that just because we’re on a certain course now that our path won’t ever change. I prefer to think positively. And if I would rather write about the greatness man can achieve rather than the destruction, who does it hurt?