EXETERRPG: (1, 13:40) CO, Captain Trip Williams/Tristan Steele Illuminar FO, Commander Sienna Williams-Verin/”Farfalina”

[Will Banowsky]

Mission: Lights, Camera….Action?

Day: 1

Stardate: 2446.01.01/2025.06.30

(Toronto, Canada - Pinewood Studios, Parking Lot- CO, Captain Trip
Williams/Tristan Steele Illuminar FO, Commander Sienna
Williams-Verin/”Farfalina”-13:40)

Trip returned to the studio after the visit with “Gail” left him dejected
and defeated. His true north, his constant, his north star, the star that
always guided him home, was gone. Whatever he saw in Gail’s eyes, there was
nothing of Ash in there. He felt alone. He hadn’t really seen anyone else
he knew, but the few he had, to them this world was real. To Ash, she was
Gail, and whatever love he had for Ash, she did not return. Exiting his
truck, he was hoping that The day wouldn’t get worse, and then he saw her,
saw his sister, at least...who I thought was her.


~Sy!, please be Sy!~ He thought to himself. He ran to her, hoping beyond
hope it was her and not….someone else.

“Hey, what’s up?” He said, hoping that if she knew him, knew he was Trip,
he was safe.

She turned towards him, and the look in her dark eyes just wasn’t one of
recognition. And the eyes were not quite right. Sienna’s eyes were a milky
dark Betazoids, Farfalina’s eyes were a dark brown but not quite black. The
hair wasn’t exactly right either - Sienna had dark hair, this woman’s hair
was a bit more auburn.

“Si?” She asked him in an arch voice, her eyes showing absolutely no
recognition for a long moment. “Ah, Ciao bello, You must be Tristan! I am
playing your Twin in this production.” She looked down at the information,
“Ah, Sienna! And you are Trip, yes?” She didn’t have Sienna’s vivid
personality.  This actress seemed a little burned out and a little tired,
as if the joys of performing had burned out the bright light of her. She
was jaded in a way that Sienna was not, even through hardship. “Huh. I
wonder why they didn’t cast me in the role 0f this  Bracken chick. Now she
sounds like she’d be fun to be with in  a bar. Not like this -Sienna- who
can’t even drink alcohol. Whose idea was it to make a character that can’t
drink alcohol? It’s space after all, someone should have come up with a fix
for that.”  Jaded and Vapid. That was this person who was representing
Sienna.

Trip looked at her oddly. This wasn’t her, this wasn’t his sister. There
was something missing. The twinkle of gentleness and kindness in the eyes,
they weren’t there.

“Well, umm I think we already filmed that.” Trip said awkwardly, playing
the part of Tristan as he gauged the echo, the doppelganger of his twin.

It seemed a little odd that she didn’t recognize him from the previous
season when they all had that blowout bash on DS9. Maybe it was the drugs
that she was said to do between productions.  She always tested clean
during the show but after… she never really seemed to remember from show to
show. And since the previous series she had done another streaming show.
Maybe her brain was still stuck at the character of Georgia Merin on The
Star Shall Guide You, a popular streaming romantic drama show. “Maybe, when
I go back to playing Georgia Merin, we can get you in as a romantic
interest?”

“Uh me? Romantic interest for whom?” he asked. It was a good question, if
whoever this Farfallina was said it was a romantic interest for her, it
meant that Trip’s fears would have been realized. This wasn’t Sy. He hoped
though, hoped, that it was just Sy, ever the scientist, doing the same
thing to him as he was to her, feeling the other out.

“On The Star Shall Guide You, the HOTTEST streaming drama currently on
devices.” It sounded like a memorized line, and if Trip had to lay down
latinum, he would bet that most of her stated lines were just that, lines
for publicity. “And for Georgia, who I play. Oh, Bracken has a girlfriend?
Wait, wasn’t Sienna supposed to be her girlfriend? Writers. Can’t leave
well enough alone. I wonder if they’ll want a leaked picture of our
characters kissing to build hype? Where IS our Producer?”

“Uh, I don’t….know….” Which was honest, Trip didn’t know. He knew that the
Showrunner of Star Trek Exeter was some guy named Will Banowsky, and he
remembered seeing an office with a sign that said Charles Gatling,
Showrunner Star Trek Illuminar. But those were all gibberish words to him.

“Computer, end the %$#@#$# program!” He yelled at the top of his lungs, a
bit of panic setting into the back of his mind.

She looked up at him curiously after being startled back by the yelling,
then clapped him on the back, “Excellent immersive technique but the
cameras aren’t rolling yet.”

Trip sighed. He hadn’t felt so alone, so outgunned, outnumbered. In many
ways he wondered if this was how Sy felt on the early days of the
Illuminar. First Ash wasn’t Ash. Now Sy wasn’t Sy. His heart ached. “So
ummm…..Farfallina huh, is that your ummm, real name?”

He was trying to keep her talking. He missed his empathic powers, but they
were gone. From what he could see in the mirror, he was full human and he
hated it. But maybe, if she kept talking, she’d reveal she was Sy. Maybe.
But he was afraid that maybe this was the real world, maybe Tristan did
have head trauma. Maybe Trip…,maybe he was just….imagination.

She looked at him quizically as if trying to place something that she
should know about, “Of course not, it’s the identity created for me when my
first teen idol group went viral. I don’t really have a real name anymore -
it was changed in court. I’m a construction made of cardboard and glitter,
dreams and wishes. But,” And she grabbed his arm in a hard grip, “Don’t
listen to the paparazzi. I don’t do drugs, I just like relaxing between
productions.”

There was one thing Trip knew about Tristan, they were both gym rats. Trip
because he loved it, Tristan because he was a professional wrestler. He
gently wrestled his arm free and then sat down on the curb. “You may be a
construction made of cardboard, glitter, dreams, and wishes. But I’m a man
on the edge of a nervous breakdown.”

She sat down next to him and watched him, “Are you having multiple
personalities? It’s something that happens to method actors who immerse
themselves too far into their role, they become it. I think that the set
has an emt on staff - usually he gives banana bags of fluids to hungover
actors, or treats food poisoning. But he also has VALIUM which is the best
thing for nerves like yours. Should we go find him? Or would you rather
have a kiss? Boys like kisses, don’t they?” She obviously did not have both
feet firmly planted on the earth.

“Please…..please don’t take this the wrong way, you’re beautiful, but
kissing you….is just not on the table.” He paused. “I only think of you as
a sister.”

She looked at him curiously, but patted his back awkwardly.

“Besides, I don’t need drugs or whatever, I need… I need to get back.”

“Back..where? We are about to start season 2, and you won’t have to deal
much with me. Have you read how this Trip guy treats his sister? I hope
they make up, she hasn’t been much fun to play the last season. All mopey
until she met that super hot … betazoid.. Guy. The ambassador? He fixed
her. For an ancient dude, he was smokin hot. I guess all Betazoids are
beautiful, as a species trait?”

“Look, whatever happened between me and Sy, I apologized for it. And yeah
it sucked. It’s hard to hurt the people we love, especially when we didn’t
mean it. But we’re better for it. We’re stronger for it. I talked to Sy
just yesterday, New Years eve, and she’s happy and healthy, and while our
bond will never be the same, we’re stronger for it. I would never in a
million years do anything to intentionally hurt her. She knows that. I
would give my life for her, if she asked, I’d give her a piece of me to
find happiness. She’s my sister, and its a privilege to play her, don’t you
forget that.”

She just looked at him as if he had grown horns, “You really think you are
Trip, don’t you?” Some wonder in her voice. “Hah. It must be nice. Sienna
is getting a love interest in season 2 you know. She just has to suffer
through pon farr to get it. I read all the scripts.”

Trip calmed down a bit. “I don’t…...I don’t know who I am.”

“Well, you are Tristan. There are rumors that you slept with your
character’s wife’s actress. Maybe that’s why you are so confused?”

“Yeah, apparently we dated, then broke up, and during break up sex, I or
Tristan knocked her up. And her fans call me the devil. But it's
worse….Yesterday, yesterday I could have sworn I was on Risa, then at the
Exeter’s New Year’s Eve party. I went to bed last night cuddled next to
Ash, and I woke up, here, well not here, in my home. Next to a beautiful
woman, who is not my wife, but I guess is Tristan’s girlfriend,
but….now….now I don’t know who I am, because so far everyone I’ve talked to
just….I’m the only one who remembers, everyone looks the same...but aren’t.
Now I wonder if I’m crazy. Maybe….maybe it's a concussion. But I’m losing
sight of who I am. And before you say anything, it's not drugs. I don’t do
drugs, hell I don’t even, I mean Tristan doesn’t even drink.”

She opened her phone and fiddled with it, turning it towards him, “If you
were in an accident or something, the paparazi would know and there would
be info on the net. So if our great Lord Banowsky isn’t upset with you,
then everything is fine. You aren’t due on set until later tonight, why
don’t you go in your trailer and grab a nap? And drink some water. Water
fixes Everything.”

“Maybe, I just, feel so alone.”

She shrugged and let out a shout of something beautiful and operatic in
Italian and was sung in a much higher key than Sienna could sing in. “Cheer
up Tristan.  A good sleep will set everything to rights.” She moved to pet
his hand, stroking and petting it in an inappropriate way.

Trip stood up and moved a bit away. “I appreciate the cheer up Farfalina,
but, I’m in a relationship.”

“Oh well this is show biz.  Relationships are fluid.” She leaned in to kiss
his cheek and even her smell was wrong from Siennas. “But drink some water
and get some sleep. It’ll make more sense in the morning.” She walked away
singing again in Italian.

Trip was crushed. Sy wasn’t Sy. Whoever that was, she wanted to take a bite
of him. It was odd and he made  a note to try and avoid her. If he could.
She seemed like the kind of person that made their presence known. Still,
he was comforted by seeing her face. He needed somewhere to hide, and he
didn’t want to go home. Apparently he had a trailer, so he figured he would
go there, if he could find it. Looking around, he just started walking,
hoping for the best.

(reply none)

(posted by Will and Mel)
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