James Matthews Spoilers

Spoiler Alert!

This page contains many spoilers concerning James Matthews. Much of the information is revealed in the stories as you read through the Star Spawn Saga. No additional links are provided from this page, since they appear at the top of those pages referenced.

Notes

Enhancements

At some point in his life, Matt underwent a series of classified implants. These included a special star band security transceiver, memory (a note here - memory is stored at the molecular level, which means it is extremely dense), vision enhancements (including the ability to overlay star charts and manipulate them), and other items useful to his undercover work.

Rank

Matt's Admiral ranking is also classified. Even before he came on board the ADF Waken, he was the second-highest ranking officer in the Alliance. He reports only to the council president, Abrackas CoChinko.

Agents and Matthews

I need to mention an item or two about espionage. Most of you will be familiar with Ian Fleming's James Bond and the many motion pictures about his exploits. Within the scope of espionage, there are agents like Bond, whose specialty is to go after the bad guys. This is pretty standard cops and criminals activity.

Then there are secret agents, those individuals whose purpose is to infiltrate the enemy's organization. Bond does some of this but is generally too well known to keep the identity secret for long. Mission Impossible is a better venue for this kind of activity. James Matthews is this kind of an agent, but one who has been groomed for this purpose since his parents killed themselves.

Double Agents are those who actually work for the other side and have infiltrated our side. Matthews' contact, Dr. Lukens on the ADF Waken, is such an agent.

Double-double agents are those who have the other side think they are working for them as an agent for our side, but are really working for us. Confusing? That's the whole idea behind their personality. This is where Matt excels. He has Lukens convinced that he (Matt) is on the bad guys' side. As a result, his "timing" to be a sleaze comes out in a clutzy sort of way.

Love

One of Matt's weaknesses is also one of his great character strengths - he is a hopeless romantic (a little like me). While his sleaze role has stopped women from getting too close to him, being tossed into a situation like he was on Waken changed all that. Not only did a number of people on Waken (Stollack, M'Clenahan, and Howard) have a feeling that there was more to Matt than met the eye, working with Kristi Yates as a sleaze could last only so long. Not that Mary M'Clenahan didn't help matters, but she did have a shift to run, so her chewing out Yates over her behavior around Matthews was not only natural, but needed.

I have to wonder if Matt had known more about Yates, if he would have set up the situation the same way. Personally, I think his own lack of experience with women worked against him and while his interest in Yates did not develop as quickly as hers did in him, he still started caring for her.

Despite all this, his mission was paramount and so, in a very cold way, he disengaged his relationship when he was arrested, leaving Kristi very confused and hurt.

Over the course of the novels, their relationship grows in some strange ways, some of which are caused by Matt's own history. Eventually, they become soul mates in ways nothing can break and that's where my own incurable romanticism comes forth. Taken altogether, Matt's story is just as interesting (to me, anyway) as Julie's is to the saga.

Parental Influence and His Youth

Matt's background is tragic in multiple ways. He has denied himself an opportunity to come of age in any kind of natural way. One was because of his mission and his fierce loyalty toward it. The second was because of his parents.

Despite the Drac Society's laws about relationships, Matt's father violently raped his mother repeatedly, not only causing her to conceive Matt, but his father also did so in front of the infant and then child. This left Matt with a lasting impression that really haunts him the rest of his life and brings some real "humanity" to him for Kristi. She realizes that he is as vulnerable as any person alive because of what he saw and experienced as a child.

When the facts concerning his father's behavior became public, his father suicided. His mother loved his father, despite their violent relationship, and suicided because she could not live with the public knowing what happened.

Of course, society felt obligated toward the young boy and so it was natural that society should take him under their care. That society turned out to be the Allied Defense and Security division and Matt was groomed for his future.

His intelligence was unmistakable and his leadership skills unquestioned. The ADS secret nature really was better than anyone knew about, mostly because their records are not in the system. Like Matt's star band implant, there are some kinds of systems that are truly isolated. And only trusted individuals have access to those records on a need to know basis.

Matt rose quickly through the ranks and it is entirely possible that his tragic youth also influenced those involved into making him the head of the entire division. A number of individuals, including CoChinko, Admiral Scott, and certain Fleet officers at the top command level, along with internal ADS personnel, know who and what he is.

Uque Nan Sevrante

And Uque Non Sevrante - both of these phrases are classified, but every Drac alive has had them drilled into their consciousness since they were very, very small. It carries a dire threat of death if whatever is discussed under the phrase is revealed to others. In other words, it is a gag order - an order to shut up or die.

Even youth, who often take things that are very unique and make fun of them are severely punished if they misuse the two phrases.

Matt, in the course of his undercover work, is used to the phrases and uses the most powerful one (Uque Nan Sevrante) with Stollack in the first novel.

When I wrote that story, I wanted to start using some key words and phrases, but I had no inkling of where this one would go.

Novels

Waken

Occupation: Astophysicist, then ADF Tactician
Matthews is drafted when the ADF Waken is declared on Battle Dury.
ADF Rank: Lieutenant, Tactician II

The Stormy Island Incident

Matt is mentioned only in passing, but one has to wonder what Hosenstein knows about Matthews.

Rebirth I: Matthews

Rebirth II: Eclipse

Cleric's World

Visit to a Small Planet

Second Encounter

Return of the Sky People

Carrollton

Duke James Matthews. Star Elf King

Order of the Knife

End of the Matter

Uque Nan Sevrante
The background is given above, but it is in this novel that the origin of the phrase comes to light. Whether my subconscious had something to do with this or something else, I don't know, but when Matt used the shortened form in front of Urlick of Wind Home, his squire, who had revealed himself to be of the woodland or forest elves, Urlick completed the phrase. Kristi and Bill Stancer were also present and Urlick's knowledge of the phrase and its meaning quickly convinced all three that the Drac race was the Star Elf race. The meaning, according to Urlick, is to not reveal their background/heritage to anyone.

Page created April 24, 2007
Updated June 15, 2008