Backpost: An Interview For The Road

Posted on Wed Mar 19th, 2025 @ 1:31am by Lieutenant Alisha Reno & Lieutenant JG Jane Sinclair

3,197 words; about a 16 minute read

Mission: Indivisible
Location: Refueling Stop on way to Rheuys

It was again as it had been, the warm welcome from the staff of the studio, the obligatory (and refused) offer of wine, the offer (and accepted) of water and Alexis Silverstar was again getting ready for the cameras, but today she had secrets to tell. Or more the truth, to admit to. The reports from Gamma Zednor had gotten out and her name was plastered all over them. The Governor and some of his men were already spilling their guts with any information they thought that would buy them any sort of leniency.

She'd been out of sickbay for a while now, getting healthier so she could go back to duty, but there were other things that she needed badly to handle and now that she had that... confrontation with Captain Martine, it could do no harm. And so the elaborate outfit she wore today that itself had a secret of it's own, one to be revealed on-air.

"Yasmine." Alexis Silverstar smiled warmly at the reporter, who already knew her own secret and that was the whole point of this visit to the studio, to tell everyone the unvarnished truth of who she was. "Thank you for taking my request so quickly, Ah just really wanted to get ahead of the news cycle, at least, the official news cycle and the rumor mill. The Fleet has really clamped down on much of what happened on Gamma Zednor, aside from the basics, but the trials start soon and then... All hell will break loose."

Yasmine Jhaal of the Federation Entertainment Service was never one to turn down a scoop. The request from Silverstar/Reno had indeed come suddenly but she was not about to waste it. She quickly set up the most professional studio she could, dressed in her fashionable interview attire, and gladly greeted the star with the secret. A secret she had kept, for the good of this relationship.

“We seem to have a good arrangement by now, Alexis,” she said. “Care to tell me anything before the cameras roll? Even just to guide my first question?” She chuckled quietly. “’Alexis Silverstar, you look like you have something to say. Do you?’” A joke from the entertainment business going back centuries.

"Well, Ah'd say let's get to that after a few questions?" Alexis actually appeared nervous about things, "Ah know this is technically my 'coming-out' interview, but only because Ah want to control when the news comes out rather than let someone else spill the beans." She gave a tentative smile, then reached out with a memory crystal, "Besides, Ah've got this lovely movie trailer to give you to show the audience if you want. A new movie by the name of 'Allura', goin' to be the start of a new Voltron series. Ah can give you some real juicy news on that one, too." The familiar topic seemed to be calming.

Yasmine nodded. “That makes sense.”

"Perhaps after we go through that, Ah do like the way you phrased it. Ah'll be goin' through a wardrobe change on-screen, got it on underneath and this ain't my real hair either." She paused for a moment, "Thank you again for keeping my secret, Yasmine, I really can't tell you how much I appreciate it."

“I wouldn’t be a good journalist if I couldn’t keep a source secret,” she replied. Her work may be derided as entertainment drivel but she was a journalist and she would abide by the standards of a good one. “I’m sure you can relate to that.”

"Oh, I can do that for sure!" Alisha's 'normal' voice came through again, a clear indication that she was actually a bit nervous about things, "Of course, that's one of the surprises I've got to tell, too."

“Okay, let’s get everyone in position,” Yasmine called to the group of techs that were finishing with lights, holocameras, and microphones. She took her own seat, crossed her legs comfortably, and a makeup specialist touched her up for that camera-ready perfect look.

An off-screen assistant director counted down as everyone cleared the studio set. Lights came on to show that they were recording. “Good evening. This is Yasmine Jhaal, Federation Entertainment Service, reporting from a makeshift studio set up at Starfleet Refueling Station 327, of all places. I’m here today with award-winning actress Alexis Silverstar, we'll know why momentarily. Hi Alexis.”

"Good evenin' Yasmine, as always it's a pleasure to be here with you!" Her smile was that of someone who could control everything, "Especially on such short notice, but once again, right place and right time."

“Now, you took a break from the spotlight for a few years,” Yasmine observed, “but your name has been back in the news ever since your date with Jane Sinclair. First two questions: what’s been going on with you since we last spoke, and how are you and Jane doing?” It wouldn’t be entertainment journalism without the love life details.

"Jane and Ah are doin' perfectly fine, gettin' to see a fair bit of each other, especially as of late." Alexis's eyes glittered at the memories they'd made ever since that date and then especially after she'd woken up in sickbay. Rest, recovery and then a change in scenery, "Despite any rumors, there hasn't been any breakup between us, in fact the only reason there aren't weddin' bells in our immediate future is that she hasn't offered to make an honest woman outta me!"

"Well I hope after you tell your families, that I'll be among your first calls," Yasmine chimed in with a grin and a wink.

"As a matter of fact, Jane's affection for me has done somethin' to help with my career." Alexis smiled broadly, "As a matter of fact, as Ah was tellin' you right before this, there is new movie comin' out in a few weeks that Ah was able to be a part of. Anime fans and other historical buffs have all heard of the series known as Voltron, right? There have been a couplea remakes here and there, but Ah can have the pleasure of announcin' the release of a new remake, startin' with a prequel movie at least, called 'Allura'. Director Yamashita was amazin' and Ah must thank him and the Nakajima Corporation for bein' willin' to give me a chance to step back onto the screen with somethin' so bold and fantastical as this opportunity."

"We're glad to see you working on screen again," Yasmine said. She looked into Camera Two. "In fact we have the trailer, so we'll take a brief pause so you can watch at home."

The recording lights went off and Yasmine nodded to everyone. "Alright so here's where we'll splice in the trailer. Looks like a fun movie, by the way. How much of the stunt work did you do?"

"As much of it as Ah could." Alexis smiled broadly, "Which amounted to all but a couple of the really tricky scenes, but they had a double that had been practicin' those moves for a fair while. Let me tell you, it was absolutely amazing to be a part of, Ah really hope it takes off and they decide to do the rest." She took a breath and exhaled, "And then what?"

"When we come back on," Yasmine continued, "I'll ask about your decision to come back for it, and then ask about Gamma Zednor. I assume whatever you'll want to say comes from the incidents that happened there?"

Memories flashed back from her time on Gamma Zednor, the filming and then the night she'd been invited to the Governor's mansion and the following days. Sweat popped up on her forehead as she started to breath quicker, but she fought it off gamely, "It is... Bad memories, but the cat was out of the bag just from that and as Ah've always said, Ah'd rather be in charge of the news cycle whenever it did come out."

“I can absolutely respect that,” Yasmine replied. She waved an assistant to come and help Alexis, dabbing the few beads of sweat that were visible and touching up makeup. “Alright let’s resume.”

The assistant director counted down again and the recording light came on. “Looks like quite the action-packed thrill ride! After having taken such a long break from acting, what made you decide to come back for this title in particular?”

"Honestly Yasmine, actin' in somethin' as iconic as the Voltron epic has always been one of my life goals. Yes, back when Ah was still an active actress, bein' cast as a 'Bond Girl' in 'Death on the Riviera' was absolutely amazin', then being tapped as Commander Knight for the Stardust Saga was an absolute blast, until that unfortunate incident. Ah am absolutely grateful to the Nakajima Corporation and Director Yamashita in particular for their trust and faith in me to be the figurehead for this endeavour. In fact, Ah have been lucky enough to be a part of castin' decisions for the rest of the Voltron Force and you won't believe a couple of the names we've already got in the works."

"Ooh, any names you can share?" Yasmine asked.

"Now, now, Yasmine, how fair would it be to the fans and the sheer annoyance it will cause to be kept in the dark?" Alexis gave a chuckle, "But I can say one of them is being offered to an actress whose last name begins with a V and ends in 'ellour." Ironically, it had been Alisha herself who had suggested her former rival Tiana for the role, but she wasn't about to spill the other one.

"Well, now that's a puzzle we'll just never be able to solve!" Yasmine replied with a giggle.

"So, tell us about your experience on Gamma Zednor," the reporter continued, her hands, clasped together on her knee.

Gamma Zednor, now it was here. The thing she desperately didn't want to talk about; the think that she had come here specifically to talk about. "The planet was chosen because they have several large areas of wilderness that rather closely resemble what the natural flora was supposed to be like on Altea, especially an Altea that has been ruined for nearly ten thousand years and had that wilderness reclaim the world." Her hands clasped in her lap without thinking, "There had been rumors that Gamma Zednor's government had been enacting some anti-Japanese laws, known as Junichi Koyama laws, but they had still given us permission to film on-world so long as we had the minimal amount of contact within the cities aside from supply runs and for necessities. As such, since Ah am not Japanese, Ah was the primary contact between the company and the locals in order to reduce friction. That came with it's own problems, of course."

She paused to take a deep breath "As several news outlets have already been reporting on, the Governor of Gamma Zednor has been arrested on charges of treason and attempted genocide. His trial will begin within the next few weeks at which time he intends to be his own star witness, but only because he wants to spill the details of an allegedly corrupt Federation." There was another brief pause and Alexis seemed to be steeling herself, "While Ah was servin' as the intermediary between both sides, Ah was arrested and brought in for interrogation by the Governor because he believed me to be an undercover Intelligence officer. This wasn't precisely true, because Ah wasn't there as anythin' but a civilian in this case." Okay, it was a fib, but not a dramatic one.

"But one thing that the Governor is goin' to try to use to 'prove' that there was a conspiracy by the Federation is my presence and my true identity." Alexis stood up and reached for the neck of her dress, "If Ah may, Yasmine?" She received a nod from the reporter and with a practiced motion began to remove the rather concealing dress to reveal a Starfleet uniform, blue and black, "I would rather be the one to reveal to my fans and detractors both my real name and Starfleet position: I am Lieutenant Alisha Reno, Deputy Air Boss aboard the USS Myogi," She picked up the dress and folded it gently before placing it on the arm of the couch, "I used to be part of Starfleet Intelligence, but resigned from that after Gamma Zednor."

"As far as live reveals go, that's one of the more impressive ones," Yasmine said, impassively. It was her job to maintain composure. It helped that she knew the basics already, though she couldn't exactly give that away either.

"So you were Starfleet Intelligence, though off duty while on Gamma Zednor," Yasmine repeated. "You were arrested, and have since resigned. Can you tell us more?"

The case against the Governor was airtight, but the chill that ran down Alisha's spine made her decision to give more details into her experience fall by the wayside.

"As I'm sure you and your watchers are aware, this means I've been hiding under Jane Sinclair's covers under your very noses." Alisha winked as she sat back down on the couch, "It hasn't been easy hiding things when off the ship and I'm relieved that now I don't have to. I would like to ask the viewers that if you see myself and Jane out in uniform, it does mean that we're on the job and that it's very probable that we need to be focused on it. That's the nature of Starfleet, after all, but we've talked about possible scenarios and I believe that when we're out as Jane Sinclair, best shuttle racer in the galaxy and Alexis Silverstar, or even just plain ole' Alisha Reno, mediocre actress, that we will be who we have proven we are in the past. Neither of us have ever shied away from interacting with our fans out in public, nor do we plan on changing that."

Yasmine nodded. “That seems fair, and good advice overall. Starfleet Officers in uniform and on duty have important work to do, keeping us safe, so let’s not bother them. You were kind enough to send a couple of photos,” she added, displaying them on a screen that both of them could see and which would be visible to the audience. Both depicted Alisha and Jane, in uniform. The first had Jane standing behind Alisha, arms wrapped around Alisha’s waist and resting her chin on Alisha’s shoulder, both smiling happily. The other had them both holding hands and staring into each other’s eyes. Well made images of two Starfleet Officers in love. “You both look so happy,” she observed.

"We really are, Yasmine, I honestly don't know what I'd do without her in my life. She has literally saved my life and was there by my side after I was rescued." Alisha smiled especially at the first picture, that one had a special place on her bedside table and always gave her a warm feeling whenever she saw it, "When we get married, I'm not sure either of us will take the other's last name, but that's still up for discussion. One thing is for sure, it's a 'when' not an 'if', because I'll be damned if I let her escape!"

After sharing the warm smile and story of true love, Yasmine's face turned more serious. "Are you willing to tell us more about your time in captivity on Gamma Zednor? It seems serious if you're referring to being 'rescued'."

Even under the makeup, it was clear that Alisha had gone pale and she slowly shook her head, "Without going into detail, let me just say that I'm damned lucky to be here today. From what I remember of my time, I don't want.. I can't. It's hard enough remembering.."

Yasmine nodded soberly and did not press the matter. “So the key message is that Alexis Silverstar, award-winning actress and star of the upcoming Allura, is also Alisha Reno, formerly of Starfleet Intelligence. But why tell us this? What motivated you to come out to us like this? And why today?”

"Because one of the few pieces of leverage that Governor Hartley has is information and one of those pieces of information is my identity." Alisha said to Yasmine, but it was clearly meant for the camera, "He would love to use something like that to deflect attention away from his own trial. I didn't want to let someone else use my own secrets for that purpose and I'd sworn to myself that should I ever need to expose who I am to the galaxy, that it would be me to do it, not some random person. Also, now that I'm not longer in Intelligence, my identity being revealed no longer endangers myself nearly as much."

“Lieutenant Reno, thank you for your service, and thank you for your time today,” Yasmine said by way of conclusion. She looked into the camera. “So there you have it. The trial of former Governor Ambrose Hartley is set to begin next week. Whether in bravery, defiance, or maybe both, Lieutenant Alisha Reno, also known as Alexis Silverstar, has denied him the use of her identity in his defence. What will this mean? I can only speak for myself, but I for one hope that this will assist in bringing Hartley to justice for his crimes and give some amount of peace to his victims. For the Federation Entertainment Service, I’m Yasmine Jhaal.”

The lights changed their tone. The cameras and microphones were off. “I hope you don’t mind if I still think of you mostly as Alexis Silverstar,” she said with a smile as she stood.

"Yasmine, Ah'd be disappointed if you didn't, but you can call me whenever you want even under my my real name. I promise that you're still going to be my first go-to if ever I need any sort of public liason." Alisha smiled brightly as she stood herself, "Sorry I couldn't go into details on the interrogation.. It was a real professional job and I don't think you really wanted me talking about waterboarding and other... Physical encouragements to give information." A visible shudder caused her shoulder to twitch, "Being Alexis really is a comfort spot for me, so I'll happily be her."

"And so you should be," Yasmine asserted. The crew started packing up the set around them, and a PA led the reporter and actress/Starfleet Officer toward a door. "I need to oversee this. I'm so glad you reached out. Now remember: when Jane proposes, I'm among your first calls!"

"I'll have just one or two to make before that, but I'm sure you won't begrudge me telling my parents first?" Alisha grinned, "But then you, and you can even cover the wedding, call it an exclusive!"

“I’ll take you up on that,” Yasmine said, laughing. “Now hurry up. Your ship will be leaving any minute.”

END


Yasmine Jhaal
Federation Entertainment Service

Alexis Silverstar/Alisha Reno
Movie Star
Deputy Air Boss, USS Myogi

RSS Feed