E.S. Raye

Perhaps my favorite secondary character, like Delilah, isn’t really a character–although I would argue she’s more of a character than Delilah is:

Gus’s steadfast and loyal mount, Tilly.

Steeldust Class-A Transport 94517: Matilda

In the world of Gas Giant Gambit, there are no “ships,” no “ports,” no “forward/aft” or “starboard/port.”

Instead of the classic naval nomenclature science fiction loves to adopt for space-travel, I went with a strong western motif.

So, “ports” are “outposts.” “Rear” and “nose” instead of “forward” and “aft.” And “ships” become “mounts,” or “carriages,” or even “trains.”

Technically a “Steeldust Class-A Transport,” serial number 94517, Matilda, or Tilly for short, is a small “mount” vessel, build for one “rider”–and one passenger, in a pinch–and is Gus’s closest friend, oldest ally, and home as she drifts along the Arm.

Tilly is shaped like a big horseshoe, with the “saddleroom” (the “bridge”) at one end, rifle-turret control at the other, and her body wrapped around the three rotating rings of her faster-than-light engine gimbal. Along the arc of her body between the saddleroom and turret control is an engine room and Gus’s modest quarters, and at the rear, a small cargo area that may hold a few surprises of its own.

The saddleroom is the command center and from where Gus “rides.” There is a literal saddle on which Gus sits, as well as yoke-reins and yaw stirrups into which the boot spurs she wears click and lock.

But Tilly is still a “spaceship,” even if that word is never used, so there are also control and display panels surrounding the saddle for Gus to assess systems and other information.

(A couple of things for the fans of “Easter eggs” or just behind-the-scenes info:

• “Steel Dust” was a racehorse and stock horse in 1843 and is said to be one of the founding sires of the American Quarter Horse, the most popular and one of the most common horses found in the United States.
• Tilly’s serial number, 94517, is the zip code for Clayton, California, where I grew up.)

Tilly

But what makes Tilly special to me is her personality. She is something like a standard sci-fi AI, in that she has a personality and can communicate her wants and needs. But she’s not like most fictional AIs.

Tilly can’t talk like some ship-board AIs, nor can she even communicate directly with a rob like Moe, like the Millennium Falcon does with R2-D2 or C-3PO (“Sir, I don’t know where your ship learned to communicate, but it has the most peculiar dialect.”)

Instead, she makes her thoughts known through her control of mount systems, most commonly the air ventilation system.

She can (and does) exert control over other systems when necessary, but Tilly most frequently chuffs, sighs, whinnies, and neighs by pushing air through ducts and controlling its flow through vents.

Tilly is old, but still a powerful workhorse, thanks largely to Gus’s skill as a mechanic as well as all the “after-market” modifications Gus has made over the years. These include, among other things, a pair of escape pods she “bought on the cheap and had to modify extensively to fit Tilly.”

Before arriving on Las Ráfagas, Tilly was Gus’s only true friend, and as far as she was concerned, Tilly was all she needed. Her entire world was focused on keeping Tilly fed with a full fuel cell so the pair could stay free.

Gus and Tilly

Gus and Tilly’s relationship was inspired by several hero/horse relationships, including The Lone Ranger and Silver, Roy Rogers and Trigger, and with a dash of the sassiness from the horse that moves out of the way when a young boy scout Indiana Jones (played by River Phoenix) tries to jump down onto its back.

No iconic western-style hero should ever go without their horse companion!