Wallfish Crew
Falconi’s crew haled from different places, yet they were drawn together by a love of adventure, the desire for independence, and the need for credits. They were alert to profit-making possibilities, including the transport of contraband, refugees, and . . . newts. Despite their checkered history, their actions helped save humanity. See the Wallfish
Captain Salvo Falconi
Intrepid owner and captain of the Wallfish. Falconi had ice blue eyes, a muscular physique, and a deep spacers tan. His favorite weapon was a grenade launcher named Francesca.
“Here we go,” said Falconi, unshelving the largest gun of them all. Kira wasn’t even sure what it was: not a blaster, that much was for sure, but the barrel was nearly as wide as her fist. Far too large for a rifle.
“What the hell is that?” she said.
Falconi burst out with an evil laugh. “It’s a grenade launcher. What else? Bought her at a militia surplus sale a few years ago. Her name is Francesca.”
-To Sleep in a Sea of Stars
Runcible
A ship pig? Why not! Runcible loved to sit on Falconi’s lap and get scratched behind the ears.
Ship Mind Gregorovich
Once a base-normal human, Gregorovich chose to become a ship mind after his body was irreparably damaged in a near-fatal accident.
Song, Hwa-jung
Gene-hacking was common on Hwa-jung’s homeworld of Shin-Zar. She carried the extra muscle mass and large lungs its residents needed to live in the planet’s high gravity and low oxygen atmosphere. The Wallfish mechanic saved the crew on more than one occasion with her creative fixes.
“Hold still,” Hwa-jung growled, tugging again.
“Hold still, yourself,” muttered Sparrow, fighting to keep her balance.
Hwa-jung slapped Sparrow’s shoulder guard with the flat of her hand. “Aish! Punk. Be more respectful of your elder! Do you want to lose power in the middle of a fight? Really.”
-To Sleep in a Sea of Stars
Sparrow
Despite her pixie haircut and petite size, Sparrow—formerly of the Fourteenth Division, UMCM, Europa Command—was tough as titanium nails.
“What exactly is it you do on the ship?” Kira asked her.
Sparrow’s expression stayed flat, emotionless. “I pick up heavy things and put them down.”
-To Sleep in a Sea of Stars
Trig
Trig was the youngest member of the crew and full of youthful enthusiasm. He was often found with a ration bar in hand, entertaining the crew with eye-rolling puns. His bravery and loyalty to the Wallfish and her crew never wavered. Born and raised on Utgard Station (a mining outpost at 61 Cygni B), his real name, which he was loath to share, was Epiphany Jones.
“But why a ship pig?!”
“’Cause that way we can always bring home the bacon.” Trig cackled
-To Sleep in a Sea of Stars
Doctor Vishal
Kind-hearted to a fault, Vishal was always ready to aid his fellow crew members by cooking up a tasty meal or mending the wounds of war.
“Those are not the only kind,” said Vishal.
“Oh?”
“No one knows if they are the same species, a close relation, or something else entirely, but the Jellies come in different flavors.”
-To Sleep in a Sea of Stars
Mr. Fuzzypants
By tradition and for good luck, every spaceship carried a ship cat. In the case of the Wallfish, that meant the grouchy Siamese, Mr. Fuzzypants.
“That’s our ship cat, Mr. Fuzzypants,” said Trig.
The cat looked more like a murderous little demon than a Mr. Fuzzypants, but Kira took him at his word.
-To Sleep in a Sea of Stars
Other Wallfish Crewmembers
Nielsen, Audrey
Falconi brought this tall, straight-backed, no-nonsense woman on board to help organize things on the Wallfish. She left her home in a Venusian cloud city after she and her husband divorced because of Nielsen’s medical difficulties (caused by in utero gene-hacking). STEM shots slowed the appearance of aging, but she had three children and was a grandmother.