I have a story called "A God To Dance With", which concerns immortal archaeologist Scott Madigan as he investigates the burial site of Querahl-tan, the "Sleeping God" of the planet Stelvra. Along the way, Scott's lover, Zoe Baird, is killed and her body is possessed by the being known by the Stelvrans as Querahl-tan, who's really an energy being known as a Dolwa. It's one of my favorites, though I've had trouble convincing editors of its worth.
As part of a rejection letter, one editor commented that "A God To Dance With" seemed like the first chapter of a longer story. I hadn't been thinking that way when I wrote the story, but after reading that comment, I started thinking about what else Scott and the Dolwa (who used Zoe's name as well as her form). I had come up with about a dozen stories that were planned to be combined into an anthology titled A Bright Symmetry.
I completed one other story, had two others about 90% finished...and put the project aside to work on other things. Over time, I forgot about them.
Yes, you read that right. I forgot about a completed story.
And I thought Sam Beckett had holes in his memory.*
So I'm going to tackle the project again, still under the collective title of A Bright Symmetry. I'm going to complete the two incomplete stories, write a short prologue piece that'll come before "A God To Dance With" and make that an epublishing project.
By the way, the answer's yes. The character of Scott Madigan here is the same Scott Madigan from the vampire novel, nearly twenty-five hundred years later. Georges and Brynna make a cameo appearance in here, too.
*That's a Quantum Leap reference, for those who don't know. Go to Wikipedia and look it up.
So here's three of the characters, Scott, Zoe and Arcadia Ryan...
Scott
Madigan
Name: Scott Madigan
Race: Human (Immortal)
Age: 41 (given)/2797 (actual, as of 4498)
Date of
Birth: 4457 (given)/1701 (actual)
Place of
Birth: Unnamed North American city
(given)/Dublin, Ireland (actual)
Citizenship: Scott is a citizen of the Federation
Legal
Status: No criminal record
Relatives: Ian Madigan (father, deceased), Jennifer
Madigan (mother, deceased)
Height: 175.26 cm (5’9”)
Weight: 75.57k (160 lbs)
Eye
Color: Blue
Hair
Color: Blonde
Religion: Catholic
Intelligence: Above average
Strength: Normal
Stamina: Normal
Durability: Normal
Agility: Normal
Reflexes: Normal
Profession/Rank
(Current): Freelance mission
coordinator, archaeologist, adventurer
Profession/Rank
(Former): Soldier, government security
agent, numerous others
Current
Alias: None
Former
Alias: None
Personal
Weaponry: Ariflex Mark II Pulser
Special
Weaponry: Various, as needed
Other
Weaponry: Various, as needed
Transportation: Various, as needed
Usual Base
of Operations: Kevelan
Friends/Allies/Confidants: Brynna Alexander, Colin Alexander, Jess
Alexander, Zoe Baird, Lauren Chedraki, Nathan Chedraki, Anastasia Krestyanova,
Lily McConnell, Arcadia Ryan, Georges Severin, Lisa Stennis, Trebinocosalliche
Enemies: Jha’na, Telen’na
Skills: Archaeology, martial arts, computers, flying,
security specialist
Special
Abilities: Scott is immortal; he was
born in the year 1701 and hasn’t aged since the year 1742. Because of this, minor injuries heal
extremely quickly. Short of total
disintegration, his body will repair any damage done to it.
Source of
Special Abilities: Unknown
Interests/Hobbies:
Attitude: Being immortal has begun to weigh heavily on
Scott Madigan. He is at times sullen and
reserved, observing situations for a long time before acting. Even when the life of a friend or a loved one
is at stake, Madigan won’t take any rash action. This has sometimes backfired on him, as he has
at times waited too long, resulting in loss of life. He is a loyal friend who will speak his mind
if he has something to say. Madigan has
known some of the most famous names in history:
Caralynn Adrasteia, Lin Sillo, Tamara Bauren among others.
Zoe
Baird
Name: Zoe Baird/Quérahl-tan
Race: Human/Dolwa
Age: 34/~600,000 years
Date of
Birth: 4464/Unknown
Place of
Birth: Kevelan/P’Thresen Sector (The Arc
of Heaven)
Citizenship: Zoe is a citizen of the Federation
Legal
Status: No criminal record
Relatives: Jonas Baird (father, deceased), Kamila Baird
(mother, deceased)
Height: 167.64 cm (5’6”)
Weight: 60.33 k (133 lbs)
Eye
Color: Blue/Mahogany
Hair
Color: Red
Religion: Fundamentalist/Atheist
Intelligence: Above average/Genius
Strength: Normal
Speed: Normal
Stamina: Normal
Durability: Normal
Agility: Normal
Reflexes: Normal
Profession/Rank
(Current): Freelance mission specialist,
archaeologist, adventurer
Profession/Rank
(Former): Observer, savior of the
Stelvran race, “Sleeping God”
Current
Alias: None
Former
Alias: None
Personal
Weaponry: Ariflex Mark II Pulser/None
Special
Weaponry: Various, as needed/None
Other
Weaponry: Various, as needed/None
Transportation: Various, as needed/Self-transportation
Usual Base
of Operation: Kevelan
Friends/Allies/Confidants: Brynna Alexander, Colin Alexander, Jess
Alexander, Lauren Chedraki, Nathan Chedraki, Scott Madigan, Arcadia Ryan,
Georges Severin, Trebinocosalliche
Enemies: Jha’na, Telen’na
Skills: Archaeology, martial arts, computers, flying,
dancing
Special
Abilities: In her original human form,
Zoe possessed no special abilities other than an empathic sense that helped her
understand Scott Madigan. After her
death and merging with the Dolwa known as Quérahl-tan, she possessed the
attributes of the Dolwa: Telepathy,
telekinesis, energy manipulation, unassisted transportation and unassisted time
travel. She also has the ability to
rearrange matter on a sub-atomic level and can “freeze” people in time.
Source of
Special Abilities: These are the natural
abilities of the Dolwa and were attained by fusing with Quérahl-tan.
Interests/Hobbies:
Attitude:
Arcadia
Ryan
Name: Arcadia Ryan
Race: Human (Immortal)
Age: 33 (given)/2535 (actual)
Date of
Birth: 4465 (given)/1963 (actual)
Place of
Birth: Unnamed North American City
(given)/New York City, New York (actual)
Citizenship: Arcadia is a citizen of the Federation
Legal
Status: No criminal record
Relatives: Unnamed parents (deceased), Amy Ryan (adopted
daughter)
Height: 170.18 cm (5’7”)
Weight: 60.33 k (130 lbs)
Eye
Color: Blue
Hair
Color: Blonde
Religion: Atheist
Intelligence: Above average
Strength: Normal
Speed: Normal
Stamina: Normal
Durability: Normal
Agility: Normal
Reflexes: Normal
Profession/Rank
(Current): Master of the freighter Sentinel; freelance spacer
Profession/Rank
(Former): Adventurer, soldier, pilot,
numerous others
Current
Alias: None
Former
Alias: None
Personal
Weaponry: Ariflex Mark II Pulser
Special
Weaponry: Various, as needed
Other
Weaponry: Various, as needed
Transportation: Freighter Sentinel,
various support craft, as needed
Usual Base
of Operations: Mobile
Friends/Allies/Confidantes: Brynna Alexander, Zoe Baird, Lauren Chedraki,
Nathan Chedraki, Anastasia Krestyanova, Lily McConnell, Georges Severin, Lisa
Stennis
Enemies: MilSci
Skills: Marital arts, computers, flying, strategy and
tactics
Special
Abilities: Arcadia is immortal; she was
born in the year 1963 and hasn’t aged since the year 1997. Because of this, minor injuries heal
extremely quickly. Short of total disintegration,
her body will repair any amount of damage done to it.
Source of
Special Abilities: Unknown
Interests/Abilities:
Attitude:
