Gambit (US Blake's 7 anthology)/Issue 012

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Issue 12

Gambit 12 was published in November 1994 and contains 275 pages. It won a 1995 FanQ.

front cover of issue #12, Lucia Casarella Moore

back cover of issue #12, Whitby27

flyer for issue #12, plus back issues

The art is by Lucia Casarella Moore (front cover), Cheufell Doshier, Mary Gerstner, Jean B. Hubb, Denise Loague, S.R. Molnar, Leah Rosenthal, Jacqui Topp, and Whitby27.

From the editorial:

We have added as canner of our own to our desktop publishing system (we were borrowing the use of one before), so we can scan all typewritten manuscripts as well as those from incompatible computers. Our gratitude (and 2 liters of Pepsi!) to Jim and Debbie Keais for scanning much of this issue for us, and thanks a million for all the scan jobs and Mac conversions over the years, guys! Our carpal tunnel syndrome rests easier for your efforts.

Once again in this issue, we’ve included a few R-rated stories as well as one or two 4-letter words we might previously have censored. If anyone finds this offensive, please don’t hesitate to let us know. We’ve always been a "family zine," but by popular demand, we’ve printed the aforementioned R-rated material in the past few issues. If, however, a majority of our readers would really rather not have these stories (and words) included, we’ll go back to our previous editorial policy.

Let us hear from you.

• Editor's Bit by Jean Graham (5)
• Mirror of Gestures, fiction by Judith M. Seaman (Series A) (6)
• Plans for a Stormy Night, fiction by C.K. Smith (Series A) (21)
• Liberator, poem by Nancy Dziergowski (23)
• Wanted: An Enemy, fiction by Alan Moravian (Series A) (24)
• Heavy Petting, fiction by Lorna B. ("a sequel of sorts" to "Fool's Gambit Declind" in "Gambit" #8) (Series B) (26)
• The Mines of Wymar, fiction by Leslie Boucher (Series B) (44)
• A New-Spawned Earth, poem by Michael Williams (48)
• Transformations, puzzle by ORmAC (49)
• Liability for Harm, fiction by Judith M. Seaman (Series B) (50)
• One in Ten Thousand, filk by Judith Proctor (62)
• Parable, fiction by C.K. Smith (Series B) (63)
• My Bird, poem by Anonymous (66)
• Alien Philosophy, fiction by Patti E. McClellan (Series B) (67)
• What Rough Beast?, fiction by Pat Jacquerie ("Author's Note: Amazingly enough, I'd actually dated this manuscript, so I know I completed it in September 1994, after which it was published in Gambit 12. It's archived here with the editor's permission. I don't think this story is altogether bad, but the fact is that I got almost no comments on it when it was published…just one male Cally fan said he liked it. So I can't help but think it's missing something, and in retyping it for the archive it strikes me there is too much concept for such a relatively short story.. But I had fun with it and am using a variation on the genetic manipulation theme in another, adult story, involving Cally and Auron.") (Series C) (71)
• Riders on the Storm, fiction by Rebecca Ann Brothers (Series C) (78)
• Jenna's Lament, poem by Jacqui Topp (94)
• Who Said?, puzzle by Nancy Dziergowski (95)
• The Spirit of the Seven, filk by Judith Proctor (97)
• A Charitable Man, fiction by Jean B. Hubb (Series C) (98)
• The Last Auron, poem by Melissa Mastoris (110)
• The Night Hunter, fiction by Michelle R. Moyer (Series C) (111)
• Blake's World, puzzle by ORmAC (119)
• Picking Up the Pieces, fiction by Alice Aldridge (Series C) (120)
• After the First Death, fiction by Sondra Sweigman (Series D) (145)
• Intervention, fiction by Patricia Blasi (Series D) (159)
• Back Fire, fiction by CarolMel Ambassador (Series E, Post Gauda Prime) (164)
• A Torture of Vila, poem by Michael Williams (169)
• Flight Path, puzzle by ORmAC & Mark II (171)
• Exaggerated Rumors, fiction by Curtiss Hoffman (Series E, Post Gauda Prime) (172)
• Avon's Love Life, filk by Judith Proctor (174)
• Fearless Leader, filk by Judith Proctor (174)
• Cally's Thoughts on Avon, poem by Melissa Mastoris (175)
• Opposite Sides, poem by Melissa Mastoris (175)
• Day of the Bounty Hunter (Part 2), fiction by S.R. Mowatt (Series E, Post Gauda Prime) (176)
• Final Thoughts, filk by Judith Proctor (194)
• An Avon Lament, poem by Michael Williams (194)
• Justice, fiction by Judith Proctor (Series E, Post Gauda Prime) (195)
• Seeking Cygnus Alpha, filk by Judith Proctor (203)
• The Bitter Taste of Ashes, poem by Judith Proctor (203)
• What the Night Can Do, fiction by April Giordano-Gresalfi (Series E, Post Gauda Prime) (204)
• Experimental Data, fiction by Helen Parkinson (Series E, Post Gauda Prime) (214)
• The Wind Must Blow, fiction by Catherine Kendall (Series E, Post Gauda Prime) (225)
• A Damn Fool Way to Die, poem by Jacqui Topp (249)
• Strategies, poem by Jacqui Topp (249)
• Dissolution, fiction by Alicia Ann Fox (Series E, Post Gauda Prime) (250)
• Broken Ice, poem by Jacqui Topp (256)
• Vila's Tall Tale: The Vacation, fiction by Cheufell Doshier (257)

• Echo, poem by Melissa Mastoris (262)
• Vila's Tall Tale: The Pot Gets Even, fiction by Cheufell Doshier (263)
• The Dream Weaver Hold, poem by Michael Williams (269)
• The Great Illusion, poem by Melissa Mastoris (269)
• Letters of Comment (272)
• Puzzle Answers (270)
• Zine Ads (276)

• 

  from issue #12, Whitby27

• 

  from issue #12, Fliss Davies

• 

  from issue #12, Denise Loague

• 

  from issue #12, Jean B. Hubb

• 

  from issue #12, Fliss Davies

• 

  from issue #12, Leah Rosenthal

• 

  from issue #12, unknown

• 

  from issue #12, Mary Gerstner

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 12

I must start by applauding the respectable "Blake quotient" in this issue. The man appears in no less than 50% of all the stories, and since he also appeared in about 50% of the episodes, one couldn't really fairly ask for more. That's not to say I liked all the portrayals of Blake (or even most of them), but in a fandom where it's possible to publish whole zines without the aforementioned character appearing in any of the stories, I won't complain too loudly. (Except about Judith Seaman, who insists on continuing to pepper otherwise perfectly fine stories with unjustified jabs at Blake. "Mirror of Gestures," for example, is clever and absorbing, but was ultimately marred for me by Judith's explanation of Blake's ability to see through Zen's defense mechanism in Spacefall. Seems it was a mental defect that allowed him to save Avon and Jenna that way, a consequence of Federation-induced brain damage. And all this time I thought it was a mental strength...) One depiction of Blake that I did like was Rebecca Ann Brother's in "Riders on the Storm." As in "Promises Kept," to which this story is a sequel, Rebecca offers good writing, good plotting and easily the most authentic Blake-Avon interplay of any story in the zine.

Alas, none of the other 3 stories I liked best have Blake in them-though one, Jean Hubb's "A Charitable Man," has the Blake clone... I very much enjoyed "What the Night Can Do," April Giordano-Gresalfi's pgp examination of 4th season from the premise that Avon became a vampire at Terminal. (Not a mutoid, mind you, but the genuine article.) At first I feared the story would be very out-at-the-fringes, but the author manages to keep Avon's character recognizable throughout, while offering her ingenious alternative explanation of events. There's a neat little "bonus" at the end, too, which anyone who's perverse enough to peek ahead fully deserves to have ruined for them!... Last but not least on my "A" list for this issue is Patricia Blasi's exquisitely crafted "Intervention": Marve lous portrait of late 4th season Vila on a prolonged, destructive drinking binge while the rest of the crew tries to persuade Avon to have him committed to a psychiatric hospital. But needless to say, all is not as it seems, the ending's a shocker, and I hadn't a clue. (In retrospect I realize that there was a clue, but it's an exceedingly subtle one.)

Glad to see that CarolMel Ambassador pulled another one of her Trophy stories out of limbo for us, but let's face it: I won't really be satisfied on that score until she gives us the one all true Blake-Avon fans have been waiting for: Servalan's mutoid Blake turned loose on the man whose blood he's been programmed to crave. (Since the "programming" has already proved defective in other respects, it's not a foregone conclusion what will happen.) Also glad to see another installment of SR Mowatt's "Day of the Bounty Hunter." (I was right abut who "Ensor" was. Of course it could still turn out to be Blake who's pulling the strings~or should I say, inserting the activator key?) One follow-up story I found a little disappointing was Alice Aldridge's "Picking Up the Pieces." It's perfectly good writing, but I think she's already gotten all the mileage out of that Travis-Jenna saga that it was realistically possible to get, and she's now trying to push it past its natural conclusion. I'd love to see more Travis stories by Alice (she writes the only sympathetic ones I can believe!), but in a new vein (which will probably necessitate uncoupling him from Jenna). Of course Lucia Moore's artwork was lovely as always. (Since last time I've purchased several prints from her, including one of the piece that appeared on p.265 of GAMBIT 11. Apart from the cover art, the reproductions really don't do any of her work justice. No way they can, I suppose.) As for R-rated stories and occasional four-letter words: They don't bother me in the slightest. (To be honest, I'm not sure which stories in the last issue were "R-rated," and I don't remember any four-letter words. Couldn't have made much of an impression.)

On a lighter note: Any chance of reprinting that nifty Carnell cartoon from the December issue of "Revel Times" for the benefit of GAMBIT readers who might have missed it?

On GAMBIT 12: You mentioned R stories. I hope you continue to allow some. Perhaps you should label them, as I do assume some younger people read GAMBIT? Actual ly there was nothing R, IMHO, in the 2dne. Maybe PG- 13?? I adored, loved and laughed out loud through "Heavy Petting" by [Lorna B.] It's as funny as any of the best "Bizarro" stories. Really, really cute. (Perhaps since my two kids have a menagerie of pythons, snakes, rats, mice, rabbits and one cat, I could see some of the humor better???) I liked these stories: "Justice" by Judith Proctor; "Experimental Data" by Helen Parkinson; and "Riders on the Storm" by Rebecca Ann Brothers. (I hate serials -- or is it series? ~ I really do. "Jabberwocky" has been a horror story for me. I read it out of order and am still missing three parts. I have all of "Hellhound" except the pre-HH and the HH to come later. I refuse to even start it until I get the pre stuff.) Somewhere between liking and loving were these: "Back Fire" by CarolMel Ambassador (CarolMel, write the damn novel!!! and quit teasing us with bits and pieces. By the way, I liked "Back Fire" very much. I'll pay 20in 1996 for the TROPHY novel if you think you can get it done by then. I'd much rather do that than be tortured by this serial business which is actually a plague in B7. There are tons of them)

"Alien Philosophy by Patti McClellan; "Mirror of Gestures" by Judith Seaman; "Mines of Wyman" by Leslie Boucher; "After the First Death" by Sondra Sweigman. (Sondra's stories really aren't a serial in one way, but in another way they are. With just a few more parts, she'd have a novella. I haven't liked Brothers' serial too much, but this one was pretty good.

Though this cover is not my favorite (GAMBIT 8 still holds that spot), this one is strong, dark and brooding. I couldn't find its title in the credits, but if I had my way, I'd dub it "Betrayal." Mrs. Moore appears to have combined three strong B7 episodes. The hard, tired (sunken eyes, hollow cheeks) expression on Avon's face, and the coveralls surest "Warlord," while what appears to be unshed tears in Vila's eyes and the uncharacteristic (for Vila) stem facial expressions screams "Orbit." But Tarrant, the prominent point of the triangle, wears that 'smug' (yet not terribly happy) look he did in the episode "Blake," after telling Avon that Blake had sold them... "even you, Avon." Yes, all three wear the face of betrayal. Tarrant by Avon, who let Zeeona return to Xenon knowing that repairs couldn't be made wearing a protective suit; Vila by Avon, his trust shattered because he wasn't safe with Avon; and Avon... betrayed by life. Even his paranoid suspicions (which were geared for survival) turned against him in the end.

Stories: "Mirror of Gestures" by Judith Seaman: I've always felt that there was not enough made of the fact the Liberator was an alien ship. Coping with it should have taken up the whole first series! Two points, Judith: didn't all the rooms/ cabins on board Liberator have sliding or no doors at sdl? And I don't remember any stairways or elevators going from one deck level to another. And none of the doors had any handles (?), only wall-mounted computer locks.

"Wanted: an Enemy" by Alan Moravian: Most B7 fans have pondered, at one time or another, which incompetent in the Federation managed to put all the correct elements aboard the London for a successful escape and rebellion. Now I know! But didn't she realize? Rabbits (and rebels) multiply!

"Heavy Petting" by [Lorna B.]: Owning two Viridian Spotting Whoopers, I know the thrill of victory and the agony of the beak! B7 is such a dark and dramatic series that any kind of humor stands out like a match in a dark room. It flared, flamed and was gone. Lorna has written a solid, well-paced story. With her tongue planted firmly in cheek. Family publication or not, Loma, a few of us are familiar with British slang! But how did you manage not to refer to Avon-in-disguise as "the elephant man"?! The "black pudding with mold" had me rolling!

"A Charitable Man" by Jean Hubb: One question, Jean. Why didn't Avon ask Jenna to rejoin Liberator's crew? Because we know that she wouldn't? Not as a second pilot, not without Blake. Have i answered by own question? "The Night Hunter" by Michelle Moyers: This story had an excellent beginning. Michelle does a good job of building the tension. She led me to the edge of a cliff... then failed to push me off! Guess I read too much Steven King.

"Picking Up the Pieces" by Alice Aldridge: This one had a real gut punch. The surviving colonies of Met III (Travis' people) are shipped to Zircaster, the planet on which, years later, Travis commits... Nasty, very nasty!

"Intervention" by Patricia Blasi: Very, very nicely done. You completely faked me out, Patricia! But three questions; Does Tarrant's tone of concern towards the faking Vila mean that he cares about Avon, or the safety of the group? What was it that Avon objected to, but couldn't verbalize? And what if Avon escapes?

"Experimental Data" by Helen Parkinson: This one ran both hot and cold for me. It started off well, building nicely, especially in the scene where Avon awakes in a confused panic and tries to claw his way out of the room. But then to find out that it's all going to end under a vivisecting knife! The story had a good plot. It was well written and had an ending that would do the BBC proud! Two out of three, Helen.

"What the Night Can Do" by April Giordano-Gresalfi: Wonderful! Made me feel as if I were seated across from Avon, his eyes glowing as he relates his tale to me. Beautifully written. Makes you forget, as you read, just where and who you are. Next patient!

Back Cover by [Whitby27]: Don't walk into a semi-darkened room where the only light source falls across the eyes of this portrait. Very unnerving! I'm beginning to appreciate Val's companion pieces to the stories in GAMBIT more and more. The action is depicted (and matched up) just right.

Well, that's it for GAMBIT 12. Did you know, Jean, that you are providing a public service? Whenever I need to get away from the reality of the world, I pick up the latest issue of GAMBIT! It's cheaper than seeing a shrink!

GAMBIT just seems to get better with each new issue!

Judith Seaman's stories, "Mirror of Gestures" and "Liability for Harm" were both well done. I liked "Mirror" because it brought up the interesting problem of the crew's having to adapt to the alien technology of Liberator. The 'debate' between Avon and Zen was also quite interesting. In "Liability," the idea that the Federation was actually trying to do the right thing was a good angle. It shows that the entire Federation isn't completely monstrous. Leslie Boucher's "The Mines of Wymar" was a nice season 2 piece. The relationships between Blake, Avon and Vila were well done. Blake isn't a complete fanatic, Vila isn't written as a snivelling idiot. It's a shame that Avon has to be sick before he'll be pleasant, though. Patti McClellan's "Alien Philosophy" was also very well written. Avon's "those who are about to die" crack to Blake was so in character, as was his conversation with Vila afterwards. Michelle Moyer has the Avon/Vila relationship down well in her story, "Night Hunter." Also, Avon's determination to find out just exactly what is out there reminds me of his line about not liking an unsolved mystery. A special word of congratulations goes to Alice Aldridge for "Picking Up the Pieces." I never thought I could feel sorry for Travis. I hope this series continues. The last story I wish to comment on, though hardly the least, is SR Mowatt's "Day of the Bounty Hunter." Bravo! This is a nice series, and I can't wait for part 3. Nikki is an interesting character emd her personality is developing well. I can't wait to find out who is behind Orac.

As for puzzles, poems and filks, my favorites are: Melissa Mastoris' "Cally's Thoughts on Avon" and "Echo"; Judith Proctor's "One in Ten Thousand" and "Seeking Cygnus Alpha"; and Nancy Dziergowski's quote puzzle. I consider myself somewhat of a quote expert, but since I only got (some of these), it proves that she found some real obscure quotes. As for the artwork, I particularly enjoyed Fliss Davies' Vila (p. 113). I always love [Whitby27's] pieces about Avon and my favorites this issue are pages 47, 60, 160 and 210.

GAMBIT 12 has arrived safely and looks great. Thank you very much! I haven't had a chance to read the stories yet, although as a fan of Queen & Brian May, I couldn't help but notice and enjoy Catherine Kendall's little quote at the start of "The Wind Must Blow." Jacqui Topp's poetry is brilliant, especially "Strategies" and "Broken Ice," and Judith Proctor's "The Bitter Taste of Ashes" struck sad chords. Val's artwork looks great. And... the back cover - - a very worthy Avon. It's good to note in the LOCs that people appreciate the effort she goes to to do specific illustrations of scenes from stories.

The main thing this issue made me think about was the 5th series/alternate series phenomenon. After a certain point, and a certain minimum number of original characters, is it necessary to use B7 characters at all? Why not just write an original story? I suppose too much originality is a silly thing to complain about, but I confess I have, in general, less interest in stories that don't explore relationships among the 'core' characters. Other readers seem to enjoy series with a lot of original characters, however. Maybe I'm just too picky.

This issue was a good one for Cally stories, of which my favorite was "What Rough Beast" by Pat Nussman. Unlike Frank Herbert, it didn't take her about 10 pages to dig the backpack out of the sand... and finally, an acceptable, necessary-to-the-plot reason for using that ancient chestnut of a scene, Avon-finds-Cally's-body-on-Terminal. I almost always enjoy stories of early days on Liberator, because there's so much time to play with; nothing seemed as rushed as in second series. "Mirror of Gestures" (Judith M. Seaman) was a good example of this type of story, as was "Plans for a Stormy Night" (C.K.Smith). Other stories worthy of mention are "Intervention" (Patricia Blasi) and ""Experimental Data" (Helen Parkinson). I would put them into the Twilight Zone category.

Last, I loved ""Heavy Petting"" ([Lorna B.]), far and away my favorite of this issue. The Mountain Dew and moon pies scenes were masterpieces of realism, and the

scene in which Avon croons to his snake almost killed me.

One of the enjoyments of GAMBIT is the variety of stories, chuckles as well as sniffles. And it's a pleasure to have the authors of continuing stories sending their sequels to GAMBIT, to not have to search from zine to zine. S.R. Mowatt has created an interesting character in her bounty hunter, Nikki. I'm looking forward to more stories from her and the others. There are some very interesting ideas in this issue: Pat Nussman's version of Call/s death on Terminal, Judith Proctor's Justice, April Giordano- Gresalfi's Avon as vampire, Helen Parkinson's

Experimental Data.

...I enjoyed GAMBIT 12. I'm sorry that Jean Hubb misunderstood Cally's remarks at the end of "Queen's Gambit." I just wanted to convey that while Cally had her doubts about some of Blake's actions, particularly those involving life or death decisions affecting other people's lives, she still believed in the rightness of his cause, no matter what the cost. I'm sorry I made a muddle of it. But back to the smorgasbord of delights within GAMBIT 12. Rebecca Brothers' "Riders on the Storm" is filled with wonderful characterization, plots and counterplots, and intriguing conflicts within the rebel leadership itself. I'm looking forward to more stories in this series. SR Mowatt's "Day of the Bounty Hunter" was very gripping, too. Although most of its conflict was internal, on a psychic rather than physical battleground, the story was very concrete and down to earth, without the emotional fuzziness that plagues many telepathic deprogramming scenarios. Judith Seaman's "Liability for Harm" presented a cautionary tale of the humanitarian reason behind a supposedly tyrannical act by the Federation. A technically engrossing story with an even-handed portrayal of both sides of the argument. Jean Hubb's "A Charitable Man," a grim tale of divided loyalties and desperation in the aftermath of the harrowing effects of Star One's destruction on one world, was another story I enjoyed; even though it painted a rather harsh picture of Jenna. Sondra Sweigman's "After the First Death" continues its snowballing sense of karmic inevitability. I keep hoping she'll relent and offer some way to escape the predestined bloody showdown on Gauda Prime.

Though there wasn't as much humor as usual, Lorna's "Heavy Petting" was enough in itself to keep me chuckling for days at some of its more outrageous images; Avon at the mercy of the lockjawed Anna, a rapturous Vila amid the half-clad beauties in the House of DeVille, the sugar- buzzed Cally pleading with Jenna for another caffeine fix, and of course, Blake wandering in bemusement through the Mall-Mart. Though Alan Moravian's "Wanted: An Enemy" wasn't side-splittingly funny, its view of the twisted logic behind certain bureaucratic boondoggles definitely qualified as black humor.

Of course, you know my favorite illustration was Fliss Davies' broodingly introspective Travis on page 127. It showed a vulnerable side of a man usually driven by rage and obsession. And though I usually just skim through the poetry, I found Judith Proctor's "The Bitter Taste of Ashes" very thought-provoking. I'm relatively new to B7

fandom, but I've heard rumors of disputes and rancor between various factions, and this poem showed the particular tragedy of that kind of infighting.

I enjoyed Judith M. Seaman's well-considered "Liability for Harm" and the look it gave me at the consequences of what Blake's very existence, his legend, could lead some people to do. I've always enjoyed puzzling over Cally's bits of Auron wisdom, and Patti E. McClellan's "Alien Philosophy" gave me another, "When someone cares about you, you have an obligation to that person." Part of me says, "Right, I understand that" and the other part of me says, "Huh?," the same reaction I had to "He who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken."

Pat Nussman's "What Rough Beast?" was intriguing - is it "to be continued"? The trouble, of course, with an homage is that you sometimes find yourself tied to the original inspiration when you want to take it in another direction. If it is continued, I look forward to seeing Pat work with the idea of a "savior for Auron" that goes where she sees it going, and not necessarily where Frank Herbert (endlessly) took it. I had a lot of fun with Rebecca Ann Brothers' "Riders on the Storm," imagining the actors she'd "cast" playing the characters of her story. What I enjoyed most about the story, though, the best part to me, was the whole scene between Blake and Avalon. That rang so emotionally true, for them as well as for Avon and Cally; it was very powerful, and could have stood on its own.

I love Jean B. Hubb's thoughtful, closely-plotted stories, and "A Charitable Man" was no exception, showing a new side to Avon and Jenna and a look at the "Blake" who could have been, had circumstances been different. I so enjoyed Alice Aldridge's trilogy of stories about Jenna and Travis, and was prepared for another absorbing read with "Picking Up the Pieces' -but it was too short! (Is that a valid criticism?) I guess 1 had come to expect her multi-layered, time-crossing style of writing that pulls me thoroughly into a world by taking me into not just the thoughts but the psyches of several different characters, and this story was Travis's story, with Jenna and the others only sketchily realized in contrast to how she's handled characters before. So, Alice - more! And the same to S.R. Mowatt - more! I enjoyed "Day of the Bounty Hunter" part 2 very much, and look forward to part 3!

I appreciated the headnotes and endnotes to some of the stories: "The story so far" and "Part 1 can be found in" - I guess it's up to the author to provide that sort of information. Since I came in the middle of some of these stories, and others are bound to as well, I encourage all authors working on a series of stories to do some sort of capsule summary or point out where the reader can find the other stories in the series.

Thanks for the vast amounts of time and effort you put in to editing Gambit To me, it's well worth it, and Gambit is one of the most consistently delightful publications I read.