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Harlan of the Ghosts writes...

Would you be able and willing to post your script for the pilot of Roswell Conspiracies? Every now and then, I give the bible a read and marvel at what a great show we missed out on. I'd understand if not, but given the years that've passed and the fact the full bible's still on the site, it seemed worth asking about.

Greg responds...

Um... I'd have to think about it. I often use it as a writing sample, which is neither an argument for or against posting it.

We did it as a RadioPlay at one of the Gatherings once, which again isn't an argument pro or con.

In any case, I don't have it here at my Nickelodeon office. But I'll give it serious thought.

Response recorded on October 28, 2015

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gaiachild writes...

It isn't really much of a question, but all in all, I just wanted to say "Thank you". Thank you for all the high quality shows you produced that enriched my childhood and still give me intelligent and gripping entertainment in my favorite media, animated shows, as an adult.
Most off all, I also wanted to express my admiration for your resolve. While privately I may often joke bitterly about the "Weisman curse" whenever one of your shows gets unfairly canceled way too soon despite (arguably) having the best quality in the entire program. You will always have my gratitude for continuing to produce great shows despite all the stones placed in your way.

As for questions:
1. If you had the means to, would you do a Young Justice/Gargoyles Crossover?
2. Sorry to bring up this unfairly missed opportunity gain, but if you had remained on the staff for "The Roswell Conspiracies", do you think that show would at some point crossed over with Gargoyles?
3. In the spirit of question one, do you think Demona would make a good Red Lantern?

In any case, once again, thank you. Thank you for raising the quality and complexity of the already great W.I.T.C.H. cartoon, thank you for producing the best animated Spider-Man series to date, thank you for bringing Starshiptroopers to the screen in the way it should have been in the first place, thank you for doing such a great job with Max Steel, thank you for doing a huge part in keeping animated DC material extremely high quality, especially at the moment, and of course, thank you for Gargoyles, probably my favorite franchise ever, and I am rooting for you to one day get it back and do more wonders with it.

Greg responds...

1. I don't think so. Maybe as a radio play. But I don't see the two universes as being particularly compatible.

2. No. Two different companies.

3. See, this kinda thing doesn't interest me much. If you think so, great.

Thanks for all your kind words.

Response recorded on December 14, 2012

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Todd Jensen writes...

I was recently rereading your old series bible for "Roswell Conspiracies", and two of the names of the characters seemed familiar to me: Cedric Harris and Tri Chung. I pulled out my copy of "Clan-Building" and spotted them - yep, both were named as members of the Gargoyle Taskforce in #3. You really do take care never to waste anything.

Greg responds...

That's true. Also, Cedric and Tri were my freshman roommates in college. I first tried to use their names in the Black Canary mini-series I wrote for DC, but which never got published. Cedric, I believe was the Chief of Staff to the mayor of Star City. Tri was the Mayor's husband.

Response recorded on August 15, 2012

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Mostly Harmless writes...

After reading through the Roswell Conspiracy Bible, I have to ask, were the modern day political undertones in the story intentional? The Global Alliance for examples seems a lot like the US in its unilateral and heavy handed approach to dealing with the various alien groups.

Greg responds...

Well, keep in mind I wrote that a decade ago.

Response recorded on June 25, 2007

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Zarok writes...

Hey Greg
I've just finished reading your "Roswell Conspiracies" bible, there are some really great ideas in it. The ban on faster than light travel is somewhat revolutionary and unique in a show like this. It's a shame that it didn't work out but it did get me thinking about outer space and aliens in the Gargoyles universe so…

1) Do the "Greymen" exist in the Gargoyle universe?

2) Did the "roswell incident" or some version of it occur in the Gargoyle universe?

Greg responds...

All things are true. One way or another.

Response recorded on March 26, 2004

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Anonymous writes...

1. Why does Siobhan try to kill Markus and betray the Alliance?
2. How was the alliance to defeat the agenda and the uber-villains?
3. Why does Markus become the final night officer? What happens to Hawking? What about the alliance?

Greg responds...

Well, I remember more of this stuff, at least. But I'm still not going to answer. I may some day canabalize some of this stuff and use it.

And in any case, you're talking about material that would have covered episodes and episodes. This isn't the format for novel-length responses.

Response recorded on March 25, 2004

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Anonymous writes...

1) Have the Nosferatu discovered the secret of faster than light space travel? Is there an armada on the way?

Greg responds...

You get that they didn't end up using my development to make the show, right?

I had some notions, but I never got the opportunity to work them all out -- and clearly the notions I had haven't stuck in my memory, BECAUSE I never got the opportunity to work it all out.

Response recorded on March 25, 2004

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Anonymous writes...

1.Why is Apollo working for the Skray? Is Niko also working for them? If so why?
2.Who was going to be replaced with a Vampyr?
3.Who was going to betray all that the Alliance stands for?
4.Who was going to be revealed as a Lycanth?

Greg responds...

I'm not even sure all of the premises for your questions are correct. And I don't think I remember all the answers either.

Sorry.

Response recorded on March 25, 2004

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Anonymous writes...

Who exactly were the uber-villains going to be for Roswell Conspiracies?
Do the Greys actually exist?
What does Trish Ainsely know that the rest don't?

Greg responds...

I just don't have these answers fresh in my mind. Sorry.

Response recorded on March 16, 2004

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Anonymous writes...

Concerning the VAMPYRU why aren't they afraid of sunlight like traditional vampires?

Greg responds...

I don't remember, off the top of my head, either...
a) whether what you've stated is true or
b) if it is true, why.

Fact is, it's been a long time on a show I did NOT end up doing.

Sorry.

Response recorded on March 15, 2004

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Anonymous writes...

1.Are the NOSFERATU suppose to be the inspiration for the nagas of Indian and Japanese legends? If not what legends were they suppose to be the inspiration for?
2.And the skray are they suppose to be the inspiration for the mermaids of legend?
3.Concerning
3.

Greg responds...

1. Mostly certain vampires.
2. More Creature of the Black Lagoon, in my mind. But I wasn't on the show long enough to work on the designs at all.
3. Very.
3. Couldn't agree more.

Response recorded on March 12, 2004

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Todd Jensen writes...

I liked your latest instalment of the "Roswell Conspiracy" Bible, with the description of the various alien races. (I got a special chuckle out of the description of the Vinae. I might have known that you'd include something like that in there somewhere).

I also had fun identifying the various "mythical originals" of the alien races. (Most of them did make it into the cartoon that actually aired, based on what I saw of it, though I only saw a few episodes, and so can't be certain that they *all* made it in - the finished product included a few extra ones, such as a voodoo-mythology-related race, and I read that they also included an "Aesiri" race, numbering Odin and Loki among its members, and a "Minotaur" race with "Cerberus" hunting-dogs, though I never saw the episodes that they appeared in).

Greg responds...

I'm trying to remember why i called them Vinae. I know I had a reason, but it escapes me at the moment.

Response recorded on March 12, 2004

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Anonymous writes...

1.Is it a coincidence that the elder Samson disappeared in ireland in the same year that Siobhan was born?
2.Did Erich die in the same mission where the elder Samson disappeared?

Greg responds...

I'm afraid I don't recall. It's been six years on a project I didn't end up working on. It's possible, I never worked out all the details.

Response recorded on March 08, 2004

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Todd Jensen writes...

Another Roswell Conspiracies question. In your reprints of the series bible that you wrote for it, you described the alien "Yeti" race as being called the "Qua-Yeti". Does the "Qua" part of their name come from "Sasquatch"?

Greg responds...

I think so. It's hard to remember for sure now after six years.

Response recorded on March 05, 2004

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Todd Jensen writes...

Thanks for posting more excerpts from your "series bible" for "Roswell Conspiracy".

One question that I have about it: you mentioned in the third section (involving the World War II-era backstory) that the Cadre consisted of four of the alien races on Earth. Do you recall what those four alien races were (assuming that you'd gotten that far in your plans before you got dismissed)?

Greg responds...

I think that question was answered by later sections of the bible.

From memory, I beleive the answer was the Lycanth, the Nosferatu, the Chasta-Yeti and the Sidhe.

Response recorded on March 01, 2004

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Anonymous writes...

You mentioned that you made a family tree and timeline for Roswell Conspiracies so is this the same timeline of the Roswell incident that you posted on 5/6? What was the point of it if none of it was true in the Roswell Conspiracies Universe?

Greg responds...

There are two timelines, the true one and the false one. Both are very important to the characters in the Alliance (and any writer trying to keep it all straight).

The family tree and timeline were created to help me keep things straight. As addendums to the bible. One could argue that they were a waste of time -- especially as I didn't end up producing the series.

Response recorded on February 27, 2004

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Todd Jensen writes...

Thanks for posting portions from "Roswell Conspiracy"'s series bible. I only saw a few episodes of the finished version - which varied in quality; they included a rather funny Superman parody, and an episode that I particularly liked bringing in the downfall of Atlantis (using the Thira interpretation of it) combined with a few "Cyclops" robots (one of whom was identified as "Talos"; another was shown with a stick fragment in its "eye" - the real Polyphemus following his blinding by Odysseus?) - but it always rather interested me (especially the notion of the various alien races on earth being the origins of Earth's legendary creatures).

One particular feature of the excerpts that you posted so far: Siobhan's surname being "Barrow". Since, IIRC, Siobhan was actually a banshee - was the surname intended as a reference to the barrows found in the British Isles (which, given their Celtic origins, would certainly make them an appropriate inspiration for a banshee's surname)?

Greg responds...

Pretty much.

What's "IIRC" stand for?

Response recorded on February 27, 2004

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ROSWELL CONSPIRACIES Bible: 11th Chunk.

SERIES ARCS
We've got quite a few.
1) Markus is going to fast-track through the ranks. In episode #1, he's recruited. Starting with episode two, he'll spend about a third of the season (@ seven episodes) working in Inquiry as an Investigator. At some point he'll get in trouble. He'll get busted off Inquiry and will spend an episode as a lowly Prison Guard in Surplus. He'll foil a prison break and be rewarded by being put in Command of a Research Cell: the lone layman assigned to making sure the scientists stay focused. That'll last for two or three shows. Then he'll be drafted to join Delivery for another seven or so episodes, before he rebels against the Alliance for about three shows. Then in our 22nd episode, he'll rejoin the devastated Alliance, help them struggle out of the ashes in time to save the day. He'll end the season by being named the organization's third Night Officer.

2) Who is Siobhan Barrow? She's not your typical nineteen year old girl. We'll learn that in our pilot. She's an alien of the Sidhe race. Eventually we'll discover that she's not your typical nineteen year old Sidhe. She's the daughter of the Bhan Sidhe. We'll wonder where her loyalties lie. And just when we're sure we know, we'll turn the tables by having her kill Markus (or attempt to, anyway). And then when we're sure we know why she did that, we'll twist things 180° and make her even more sympathetic than she was before.

3) Markus and Siobhan are going to fall in love. They meet in our pilot as adversaries, but they quickly make a connection. It's a connection that both of them are going to deny for a time, but ultimately they'll admit their feelings for one another, just in time for Siobhan to betray the Alliance and attempt to kill Markus. Markus'll be hating Siobhan for a few episodes, until he learns why she did what she did. At that point, he'll join her against the Alliance, until the final episode, when they'll both be there -- a strong couple, the stronger for what they've been through both separately and together -- to pick up the pieces and rebuild a new and better Alliance.

4) The Agenda is picking up speed, and it's operating on multiple fronts. It's forming new partnerships. Startling partnerships. It's infiltrating the Alliance itself. One of our characters we'll be replaced by a Vampyr. One will turn out to be a Lycanth. One will betray everything the Alliance stands for. Etc. Early episodes that seem to be one-shots will be revealed in hindsight to have actually been part of the overall Agenda.

5) The Skray will be revealed slowly, and the Alliance will learn the startling truth that since the Skray control the oceans, they already control 3/4 of the planet. Eventually, the Skray will join the Agenda.

6) Have the Nosferatu discovered the secret of faster than light space travel? Is there an armada on the way?

7) We'll learn the answers behind some long-held Alliance mysteries. What happened to Joseph's father? What happened to Artie's uncle and brother? Who killed Alex's parents? What turned Will's wife against the Alliance?

8) We'll explore the dramatic ramifications of the Alliance's fascistic Mission Statement. When does an organization become too much of a good thing?

9) Over time, we'll probably get to know a surprising number of characters in depth. We'll watch them change. We'll see them reveal where they stand.

10) Ultimately, we're going to find out that the same individuals who are pulling the strings on the Agenda's string-pullers, are also the Puppet-Masters behind the Alliance itself. These uber-villains are the true menace that Markus and Siobhan will ultimately be fighting against.

11) And etc.

SOME SPRINGBOARDS
1. The Pilot - Skip Tracer Markus is sent after Bail Jumping Siobhan, who's being pursued by Sidhe Warriors and by the Alliance. Both Markus and Siobhan acquit themselves impressively and are recruited.

2. Markus is partnered with Tri and sent to Japan on his first Inquiry mission. People are vanishing amid reports of werewolves. The menace turns out to be a Lycanth Pack, abducting humans to work as slaves on other worlds. Delivery's called in to battle the Pack.

3. In Paris, Tri and Markus investigate reports that stone statues are coming to life. It's the noble Vinae, here to recover their honored dead. Can the misunderstanding be worked out before the populace learns these "monsters" exist?

4. In Venice, Markus and Tri are on the trail of a shape-shifter. Meanwhile, Alex and Clea go undercover inside a cult that claims to grant immortality to its members. The two cases converge, and the Alliance finds itself caught in the middle of a minor war between the Vampyru and the Nosferatu.

5. Closer to home, Markus investigates crop circles in Iowa. This leads him into an investigation of the original Roswell Incident. Through flashback, we get the whole story -- focusing on the tragic love story between Captain Will Hawking and reporter Trish Ainsley. The kicker to all this is that none of it's true. And Markus is finally introduced to Artie's boss: Night Officer William T. Hawking.

6. On a routine sea-monster mission in Sydney, Tri spots Artie's missing twin Apollo. The Skray are finally revealed, and it turns out Apollo's working with them. Delivery is sent underwater to take down the Skray. Ten-Samsons and company are able to deal with the immediate threat, but are overwhelmed when they attempt to delve further into the Skray's underwater territory. A strategic retreat is called, and Research is assigned the task of figuring out how to deal with the long-term threat posed by these amphibious aliens.

7. A Rogue Chasta-Yeti has been spotted in British Columbia. Convinced that this is the animal that killed both his parents, Alex drags his sister Gisela up to Canada to track the monster down. Complications ensue as the Chasta is under the protection of the local Sidhe Clan. In addition, Markus isn't sure that Alex has the correct Chasta in his sights. Clea, Tuk and Siobhan all get involved. Everyone's taking sides, but will mercy win out or will Alex start a full scale war?

8. Reports of Flying Saucers bring Tri and Markus to Berlin, where they're immediately ambushed and captured. This is our first solid Agenda episode, but it also serves to reveal (in flashback) the true history of the Cadre, the Alliance and the Roswell Conspiracies.

9. Markus is having a hard time recovering emotionally from his experience in the previous episode. He goes AWOL, obsessed with tracking down the one perp who ever skipped his trace when he was working for Dom. Using Alliance resources in a very public way, he comes very close to single-handedly revealing the Alliance to the world. Dom and Siobhan are able to talk him down off his emotional ledge. He returns to the Bunker, where he gets busted down out of Inquiry and into Surplus. He's a prison guard.

10. Research is conducting experiments on captured Skray inside the Surplus Prison. A dangerous and multi-racial group of inmates take advantage of the situation and attempt to bust out. The only guy who stands in their way is neophyte prison guard, Tony Markus. He succeeds. Patricia wants to promote him. Artie wants him back. But Hawking has finally taken notice of Markus. He assigns him... to Research?

11. Hawking isn't happy with how Research has been operating since Michael Tyler died. Tyler was a scientist, but he was also a pragmatist. Cabral and company seem to allow the pursuit of knowledge to get in the way of the Alliance's best interests. Markus is put in charge of Alpha Cell in order to make sure that the next time the brain-trust is sent into the field, they keep their eyes on the prize. This puts Markus in the unenviable position of being under the authority of Research Section Chief Cabral, while simultaneously being the good doctor's boss while on Alpha's next mission to prevent a radioactive Pharaoh from poisoning Peru.

12. And etc.

FORMAT / STYLE / TONE
We're writing hour-long teleplays here. Single cohesive stories -- that just happen to have a huge cliffhanger dead in the middle which allows the hour to be broken up into two tidy halves.

Tentatively, the plan is to open the first half hour with a teaser before the Main Titles. The Titles will be followed by three acts, each ending with a cliffhanger (the third one a doozy).

Part Two will open with a recap of Part One before the Main Titles. Then the Titles will be followed by Act Four, another cliff-hanger, Act Five, a last cliffhanger and then finally Act Six, which will include whatever Tag is required without an additional commercial break. All pretty straight forward.

The Point of View character is obviously Markus. He enters the Alliance knowing nothing about aliens or conspiracies. We'll learn the ropes with him. This is not to say that he has to appear in every scene, but Markus does define our basic angle on almost any given episode.

The structure of a typical Alliance mission begins with an Inquiry investigation. Research is brought in to solve some specific problem. And then as things inevitably hemorrhage out of control, Delivery is brought in for a big battle to clean up the mess.

Toward the beginning of the season, when Markus is still in Inquiry, we'll focus more on the mystery and investigation. What's going on? What is this creature? How do we stop it? Etc. We'll watch Delivery from a distance, or we'll see it through Siobhan.

Naturally, as more and more secrets get revealed, and as Markus moves up through the ranks, later episodes will spend less time on Inquiry and more time on the other sections, especially Delivery. Things'll be grimmer by that time, and the action will be more intense anyway.

This isn't a horror series. And we're not doing the ultra-violence thang. But it should be scary. We're going for suspense and intrigue: a what's-lurking-behind-that-door main course, with a side of who-can-you-trust.

Play the fear. But also play the romance between Markus and Siobhan. The real heart and caring between all our various characters. Many of them are related, which should provide great fodder. Many of them have tragic histories and/or things they need to overcome. Use Gisela's spirituality, Alex's smiling cynicism, etc. Use humor as counterpoint. Don't hunt down the joke, but don't shy away from it either. And do NOT be afraid of using SILENCE. It's a very powerful tool. (By the way, I apologize in advance if all this seems way too obvious. I figure it doesn't hurt to remind ourselves of the basics on occasion.)

Everyone should rent "THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE". That's the model for our series. We're gonna put it through our own sci-fi/monster/toy-company prism, but underneath it all is a tale of intrigue -- a long-simmering pot about to boil over in a devastating way. That's ROSWELL. That's our show.


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ROSWELL CONSPIRACIES Bible: 10th Chunk.

THE ENEMY

The Politics of Space Travel
1. The first thing you need to know is this: in our version of the universe, Warp Drive Doesn't Exist. No wormholes, no stargates, no faster than light travel at all. The Speed of Light seems to be a brick wall. Want to travel from Earth to Alpha Centauri (@ 4.3 light-years away)? The best you could possibly do is to borrow a Lycanth Huntership, the fastest fuel-recycler on this side of the galaxy. And, it'll still take you five years to get from here to there.

Communication is only slightly faster. There's no "sub-space". No short-cuts. Information can be transmitted at the Speed of Light, but no faster. So if all you want to do is send a message to Alpha Centauri, they'll receive the call a mere 4.3 years after you've placed it. Of course, they're response is gonna take another 4.3 years, but what can you do?

The Galaxy, of course, is vast. So if an extraterrestrial race wants to come to our world, it's gonna take them some time. Now some alien species have a relatively long life span. If necessary, these voyagers have the option of sitting through the long, long boring trip. Others are left with only two choices: Sleep-Ships and City-Ships (or a combination of both).

A Sleep-Ship puts its occupant in cryo-stasis for the bulk of the journey. Computers and automatons run the ship, waking the sleepers upon arrival or in case of emergency. Sleep-Ships are used when the individual traveler is important. Of course, Sleep-Ships have certain disadvantages. To begin with, you're counting on machines to make crucial and complex decisions while you sleep. Also, you never know what you're going to find when you arrive, let alone what the situation might be like when you get back. Say you want to visit a planet two hundred light years away. You board a Sleep-Ship and go into stasis. You wake up, refreshed, two hundred and twenty five years later. No problem. It only seems like a few minutes to you. You take a two week vacation on the alien world and then reboard your Sleep-Ship for the return voyage. Two hundred and twenty-five years later, you're back on the old homeworld. Problem is, a lot can change in 450 years. Everyone you knew is almost certainly dead. Potentially, the entire planet might be dead.

By contrast, a City-Ship creates an environment where a community can live, thrive and evolve during the long journey. Crew members will mate, procreate, age and eventually die. Their offspring will mate, procreate, age and eventually die. And so on. The idea isn't for any individual to arrive at the destination, but for an entire society to arrive. Adaptation is built into the process. Plus the culture is brought along for the ride. There's less of a need to return to the old world. City-Ships tend to be favored for colonization.

Often, City-Ships have cryo-stasis capabilities. Individuals are placed in cryo-stasis at the beginning of a voyage and awakened periodically to make sure that the City-Ship's society hasn't gotten too far off track. This also sounds like a better idea in theory then it winds up being in practice. Inevitably, there tends to be some conflict (sometimes violent conflict) between the sleeping population and the descendants of the original crew. Call it a generational gap.

2. The second thing you need to know about the universe is that habitable planets are not a dime a dozen. The reason Earth is a destination resort for all these alien species is because it's a relatively primitive, unspoiled and/or exploitable location that is capable of sustaining life as we know it. And because there aren't a lot of better alternatives out there.

ALIEN RACES
Again, the universe is vast. Our Milky Way Galaxy is pretty dang immense all by itself. Somewhere out there, there must be hundreds, perhaps thousands, of habitable planets each filled with one or more sentient alien species. But forget about that, because they're just too darn far away for us to worry about.

We're not going to meet 100 different alien species. In the 22 hours of programming we're planning, we won't even meet 22 separate species. That doesn't mean we won't be introducing a new species here and there. But when we do, it's a momentous event. In our first few episodes -- as we introduce all the various concepts -- it might seem like we're doing alien-of-the-week. But it'll soon be clear that's not the case. We're NOT doing alien-of-the-week.

Our series is basically a THRILLER. Sure we have scary monsters, great action, humor, romance and lots of neato gear. But the intrigue, the machinations, is going to be what sets us apart from our many competitors.

THE SIDHE
The Sidhe were the first extraterrestrials to arrive on our world and stay. They landed in a single City-Ship in the year 527 B.C. Sidhe have a life span of approximately two hundred years. Do the math, and you'll realize that there isn't a Sidhe living on the planet who wasn't born here. They believe that Earth is their home. They believe that certainly they have as much of a right to be here as native humans. Their homeworld, if it still exists at all, is a distant memory.

The Sidhe did not come here to conquer our planet, but to carve out a life for themselves on our frontier world. They were always happy to coexist with humans, in the same way they'd coexist with a bear, rabbit or honeybee. But times have changed.

The Sidhe are a race more of energy than of matter. Through concentration and training, they are capable of coalescing their energy into a more solid human form. They can pass as either Tall Women or Short Men. (Sidhe society is matriarchal. Women are Sidhe Warriors. Men, who are objectively the weaker sex physically, are not treated as equals.)

Today, the Sidhe live among humans (mostly in the British Isles, France and Canada), but secretly maintain their tight-knit clans. Each clan is ruled by a Matriarch known as the Barrow Sidhe, and each Barrow reports to the Bhan Sidhe. The current Bhan Sidhe is Siobhan's mother RAEBHAN, (pronounced rah-VAWN) daughter of Moerbhan, daughter of Obraebhan, daughter of Maebhan, etc.

The Sidhe currently have a treaty with the Alliance that places strict limits on their Expansion. Travel is restricted. New clans may not be initiated. Human forms must always be worn in public. Despite the harshness of the terms, today's Alliance generally considers the Sidhe to be a tough, but honorable race. Occasionally, an individual Warrior might create some problems, but in general the Sidhe keep to themselves and cause little trouble.

THE NOSFERATU
The Nosferatu departed NOSFERATCH, their over-populated home planet, in search of new worlds to conquer. They traveled in a Giant City-Ship called THE VAMPYRCH. A percentage of The Vampyrch's crew were put in cryo-stasis. The rest were left awake to handle whatever crisis might arise.

Nosferatu have a life span of approximately 100 years. But the Voyage of The Vampyrch was a long one. It seemed like there was always a new solar system just around the corner that was bound to have a promising planet or two. But no. Nothing. For centuries and centuries... Nothing. Aboard The Vampyrch, new Nosferatu were born and old ones died. Meanwhile the rest slept in stasis. The centuries slid by.... And nothing.

Then finally, they found Earth. The sleeping Nosferatu were brought out of stasis in the year 744 A.D. But they found that they no longer had much in common with their descendants aboard The Vampyrch.

Today's Nosferatu are the descendants of the Nosferatu brought out of stasis upon arrival on our world. They are tall creatures that move upright on snake-like tails instead of legs. They have long necks and long arms, with long tapered hands and long tapered fingers. They look like nothing so much as human cobras, complete with a cobra's hood. Passing for human is possible, but difficult. The tail must be hidden under robes or long capes. The hood must be decorated to look like a piece of clothing as opposed to an organic body part. And even then it had better be dark, if you don't want the average human to scream.

Of course, the average human would have reason to scream. Nosferatu feed on blood, and they are bent on the conquest of our world. Really, the only thing that has stopped them is their limited numbers. Nosferatu have a life span of approximately 100 years, and they are hardly a prolific race. Nosferatu are asexual and reproduce asexually in a process that has more in common with cloning then anything we would call conception.

In addition, the Nosferatu have no desire to repeat the mistakes of The Vampyrch. So even today, here on this world, they take turns going into and out of cryo-stasis, so that they never again lose track of their mission of conquest. It is therefore possible to have a seven hundred year old Nosferatu standing next to a seventy year old Nosferatu. In either case, guessing their ages would be extremely difficult, as Nosferatu shed their skin periodically, remaining perpetually youthful in appearance, no matter how old they are internally.

The Nosferatu are always led by the oldest Nosferat currently not in stasis. The leader of the moment is eighty-three year old SAVET, born a good couple thousand years ago on Nosferatch. His second-in-command is his twenty year old son SAVETRE, who looks almost exactly like his father.

The Alliance is aware of the Nosferatu, and consider them to be the greatest alien menace on the planet. At the first clue to Nosferatu whereabouts or activity, the Alliance will mobilize to crush their primary opponent. Most of the Nosferatu currently live in Eurasia, but they have secret embassies all over the world.

THE VAMPYRU
Over the centuries that The Vampyrch was traveling the galaxy, the inhabitants who were not in cryo-stasis adapted. They learned to control the shedding of their skin, in order to alter their appearance. By the time The Vampyrch landed on Earth, these new generation Nosferatu had little in common with the ancient cousins that were brought out of cryo-stasis. Conquest was no longer a priority. After centuries cooped up in a ship, the planet Earth seemed to offer a cornucopia of delights. The newly awakened old-style Nosferatu tried to get the new crowd back in line, but they refused. Taking the name Vampyru, this new race dedicated itself to it's own pursuit of choice: Pleasure.

The Vampyru are heavy-duty hedonists. They still drink blood to sustain their lives and because, hey, it's a laugh. But they've developed a palate for food and drink as well. They are a very sensuous and sensual race. They still reproduce asexually, but by shedding their skin, a Vampyr can easily blend into human society. It helps that the race has evolved a pair of legs, but any individual Vampyr can also be male or female, old or young, black or white -- and then start over again the next day. With a bit of study and practice, they can even pose as a specific human and attempt to take that person's place.

Vampyru and Nosferatu: there's no love lost between these cousins. The Nosferatu regard the Vampyru as frivolous traitors and have vowed to someday make them toe the line. For their part, the Vampyru like the status quo. Traditionally, they've maintained an active interest in thwarting the conquest schemes of the Nosferatu.

None of this means that the Alliance and the Vampyru are buddies.

The Vampyru think of Earth as their own personal playground. Naive humans peacefully go about their business in a blissful state of ignorance. The Vampyru can pick and choose their victims, practically on demand. Playground, nothing: it's a candy store.

The Alliance is NOT o.k. with that. The problem is that the very nature of the Vampyru make it nearly impossible to track them down. They have no leader. No society. They've simply scattered to the four corners of the world to follow their individual appetites.

Both the Nosferatu and the Vampyru secrete a drug in their saliva which can temporarily enslave a once-bitten human.

THE LYCANTH
Frankly, the Lycanth are just all over the place. They come; they go. They come back again; they go away again. The first Lycanth on Earth probably pre-date the Sidhe. But they didn't stay. Not as a group. Trouble with the Lycanth is that they have short life spans. They mature quickly; a four year old Lycanth is fully grown. But they're slowing down by age ten. A twenty year old Lycanth is a rarity. You can see their dilemma. It's hard to set long-term policy when one's life tends toward the short term.

Thus by definition, the Lycanth (males and females) live life in the fast lane. They build fast and efficient Sleep-Ships, and they travel a lot, usually in packs. They hunt. They breed -- prolifically. They fight among themselves for power. They make war against their enemies. They are a highly aggressive species. Life is short, so they make it one big adventure.

The Lycanth are DNA-adapters. When a compatible DNA sample is introduced into an individual Lycanth's system, he or she can incorporate the new structure into his or her own matrix, allowing the Lycanth to morph from one biological structure to another or even to create combination forms from whatever DNA he or she has had access to. In simple terms, a Lycanth can look human one minute and then transform into a bear. Or a wolf. Or a large bat. Or a Yeti. Or a wolf-bat. Or a wolf-man. Or a bear-Lycanth. Or a Yeti-rabbit. Etc. Gender remains the same. So does mass, though volume can change within reason. Because mass remains constant, and because the average Lycanth is actually 25% larger than the average human, a Lycanth posing as a human is going to be denser than a true human. On the other hand, a Lycanth posing as a Yeti is going to be considerably lighter than average. Lycanth seem to be able to DNA-adapt any mammalian species. That includes humans, Yeti, gorillas, dolphins, etc. But it doesn't include the reptilian Nosferatu and Vampyru, nor does it include the Sidhe, who may have once been mammals, but have evolved beyond that into a complex hybrid of matter and energy. Lycanth transformations require some effort and are painful. A Lycanth is vulnerable during his or her transformation, but recovery time is swift.

Among their other lovely traits, the Lycanth are slavers. To the Lycanth, Earthlings look like profitable slaves. So even at their least organized, the Lycanth are constantly showing up, abducting humans, sticking them in cryo-sleep and taking off again. At least that's what they would be doing if the Alliance wasn't around to stop them.

THE QUA-YETI
The Qua-Yeti are a powerful but peaceful people. Once upon a time, on their homeworld, the white-furred Qua lived out their primitive existence in the high mountains. Then the Lycanth arrived. They took one look at the Yeti and realized they had hit a slave trader's jackpot. The Yeti had no knowledge of technology. They possessed phenomenal physical strength and they could survive, even thrive, in temperatures and conditions that few other races (or even machines) could endure. The Lycanth enslaved hundreds of Yeti and took them to other worlds. But some of these slaves were quick studies. Yearning for their freedom, the Yeti learned how to use the Lycanth's technology. They bided their time. Unlike their short-lived masters, Yeti's have been known to live for 1000 years. When the time was right, they rebelled, escaping the Lycanth in stolen Sleep-Ships. Unfortunately, the Yeti were too large to fit inside Lycanth stasis chambers. So they had to endure decades of space travel in lonely cramped isolation. Returning to their homeworld would have been hopeless: the Lycanth had completely overrun the place. So they chose another destination where the Lycanth were not in full control. In the year 1780, a small group of about forty Qua-Yeti landed on Earth. They made their way to the Himalayan Mountains. They're still there, for the most part, about a hundred of them now. Males, females, children. The Qua-Yeti have a treaty with the Alliance. They remain in hiding in the Himalayas, and the Alliance leaves them alone.

THE CHASTA-YETI
The Chasta come from the same planet as the Qua. Where the white-furred Qua lived in the high mountains and polar regions, the brown-furred Chasta lived in the low hills, forests and plains. Long before the Lycanth discovered the Qua, they had enslaved nearly the entire Chasta population. When the Qua rebelled, the Chasta rebelled with them, but they had already endured ten times the hardship of the Qua. The Chasta may have been peaceful once upon a time, but now they are a belligerent, even paranoid race. The Chasta also arrived on Earth in 1780. They hid in deep forests, on mountains and in jungles that were once nearly devoid of human life. Now humanity encroaches. The Chasta-Yeti also have a treaty with the Alliance, but the Alliance knows that the Chasta are less content than their Qua cousins.

THE SKRAY
The Skray are an amphibious alien race that have been here for ninety years. The Alliance has no idea that the Skray even exist. No idea that our oceans are filling with Skray fortresses and little Skray hatchlings. Surprise!

THE PHARAOH
The Pharaoh are travelers, historians. A peaceful race. They are also radioactive. And vaguely cadaverous in appearance. To protect the native races they visit, they wear containment suits that once upon a time inspired the ancient Egyptians and Peruvians to try their hand at mummification. The Alliance believes that the benevolent Pharaoh haven't been on Earth for a few centuries.

THE VINAE
The Vinae are a silicon-based lifeform. They look vaguely demonic, with stony visages, large bat-shaped wings, horns and haunches. When a Vinae dies, its body hardens. It can be difficult to tell the difference between a Vinae corpse and a stone gargoyle. The Alliance is therefore unaware that the nomadic Vinae have periodically visited our world.

THE GRAYMEN
The Graymen are the fictional aliens created by the Alliance as part of the Roswell Conspiracy. Or so we've been led to believe....

THE CADRE
In 1942, while the human world was in the midst of its most horrible war, four alien races entered into a devil's agreement to form a Cadre. These races were the Nosferatu, the Lycanth, the Chasta-Yeti and the Sidhe. Their plan was to use the chaos of World War II to take the planet and divide it amongst themselves.

Perhaps the plan was doomed from the start. Each race had a very different reason for participating in the Cadre. The Nosferatu saw it as their big chance to finally conquer the world. The Sidhe, disgusted with humanity's petty but devastating wars, simply wanted to set Earth's affairs in order. The Chasta-Yeti felt that the humans were inadvertently leaving them with no other alternative. Already, the ancient forests were vanishing, leaving the Chasta with nowhere to go. The Lycanth were just greedy for spoils, and spoiling for a fight.

Once Burdette discovered the Cadre's existence, it was relatively easy to sew dissension within its ranks. How hard could it be to convince the Sidhe that the Nosferatu wouldn't want to share power, when in fact the Nosferatu didn't want to share power? How hard could it be to convince the Chasta that the Lycanth were simply exploiting them in a new and different way, when the Chasta had centuries of experience suffering under Lycanth exploitation? How hard could it be to trick the Vampyru into undercutting the Cadre's plans, when the Vampyru already hated the Nosferatu and were determined not to let them take the planet? How hard could it be to draft the Qua-Yeti to talk some sense into the Chasta when both races faced similar challenges, but both races would clearly gain few tangible benefits under Nosferatu or Lycanth domination? How hard could it be to convince the Sidhe that being a part of the Cadre was a dishonor to their proud warrior traditions, when the Sidhe basically knew that already? How hard could it be?

O.K., it was a little hard. But it could have been a lot worse. In September, 1945, the Sidhe pulled out of the Cadre and agreed to stay neutral. The Chasta-Yeti joined with the Qua-Yeti, luring the Lycanth and Nosferatu to the Himalayas and a joint Yeti/Alliance ambush. The Lycanth HunterPack was all but wiped out. The Nosferatu, whose forces had been infiltrated by Vampyru impostors, were also decimated. They scurried back under their rocks with their tails between their legs. (Well, they don't have legs, but you get the idea.)

To top it off, the Battle of the Himalayas was immediately followed by a mini-war between the Vampyru and the Nosferatu that further thinned out the ranks of both races.

All in all, it was a stunning victory for the Alliance and (an ignorant) humanity.

It would take decades for the Nosferatu, Lycanth and even the Vampyru to build up their numbers again, let alone form any significant opposition to the Alliance.

The Sidhe, the Chasta-Yeti and the Qua-Yeti were all more or less coerced into signing one-sided treaties.

And the Alliance was sitting pretty.

Since then, operatives of the Alliance have faced numerous aliens. Numerous individual aliens. The occasional Pack of Lycanth Hunters. Every so often, an embassy full of Nosferatu. A Vampyru couple, a rogue Sidhe or a Chasta gone berserk. Not to imply that all these aliens aren't extremely dangerous, but let's be honest... The Alliance has had it easy.

Since 1945, they've never faced any organized alien opposition. By the time the year 2000 hits, the Alliance is going to be looking back on the twentieth century as the good old days. Because things are about to change. Things are about to get nasty.

THE AGENDA
It's taken decades to recover from the Cadre debacle. Soon the time will come to strike. The same mistakes will not be made again. It doesn't take a World War and an alien coup to take over the planet. All it takes is an AGENDA and a little bit of patience.

There's still a need to gather allies, but it's going to be easier this time. And one big reason it's going to be easier is the Alliance itself. The Sidhe and the Chasta don't like their treaties. And nobody likes the Alliance's policy of Containment. The Alliance itself has inadvertently created the greatest threat to humanity's existence: a rallying point, a common enemy to every alien on Earth. It's the Agenda vs. the Alliance in a fight to the finish. I'll say it again. Things are about to get nasty.


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ROSWELL CONSPIRACIES BIBLE: 9th Chunk

THE MISSION
The Mission is pretty simple and based on this premise: Aliens are unwelcome trespassers on our planet, and 95% of them are up to no good.

The Alliance's Mission Statement reads as follows:

Contain any and all Extraterrestrial Expansion on our world.

DEFINITIONS
An "Extraterrestrial" is defined as any individual born of a non-terrestrial species. Individuals born on the planet Earth of one or more alien parents are still classified as Extraterrestrials.

"Expansion" can be defined as (a) new alien arrivals that expand the Extraterrestrial population on Earth; (b) covert alien activity that expands Extraterrestrial power or influence on Earth, or (c) overt alien activity that might reveal the true nature of the Extraterrestrial presence on Earth, thus inevitably increasing Extraterrestrial influence.

"Containment" is defined as (a) discouraging or preventing all alien arrivals; (b) encouraging alien departures; (c) monitoring all alien communication; (d) thwarting covert alien activity; (e) preventing the spread of Extraterrestrial power and influence; (f) crushing overt alien activity; (g) maintaining the secrecy of any true Extraterrestrial presence; (h) enforcing treaties with compliant Extraterrestrials; (i) forcing non-treaty aliens to leave our world, or (j) imprisoning any aliens who do not cooperate. Containment is to be carried out with extreme prejudice.

Surprisingly, there is very little conflict within the Alliance or TGA with regard to releasing the truth about aliens to the general public. There isn't really anyone who thinks that would be fun. Instead, the most controversial part of the Alliance's Mission Statement lies within the (a) definition of "Expansion". It is the single word "arrivals". Are there any circumstances under which a new alien -- or race of aliens -- could or should be welcomed to our world? And, more important, does the word "arrival" include only new-comers from other worlds... or does it also include new-born extraterrestrials born on this world? This one word represents the grey area of our series, and is particularly embodied by our alien leads, Siobhan, Tuk and (to a lesser extent) Aidan.

The Alliance has treaties with three alien races that have small populations on Earth: The Sidhe, the Qua-Yeti and the Chasta-Yeti. But these treaties are extremely one-sided -- in the Alliance's favor. The slightest breach on the part of any of our Extraterrestrial allies is an excuse for the Alliance to come down, and come down hard.

THE BUNKER
When you get to Roswell, head south past the river toward Mount Harvey. About ten miles before the mountain, you'll see a turn off for the Old Vasquez Ranch, currently owned by Sheriff Emeritus Jack McKay. Six miles further down the road is ThreeHawks Ranch, the property of retired Air Force Captain Will Hawking. McKay's is a cattle ranch. Hawking raises dairy goats, and does a good business in cheese. His place stretches from it's common border with the Vasquez Ranch, all the way to the northern slope of Mount Harvey. McKay's property is L-shaped and corners around 3Hawks to stop against the mountain's western slope.

Now go underground. Way underground. And welcome to the Bunker.

Fifty years ago, the entire Alliance fit under Vasquez. But times have changed. The Alliance and the Bunker have grown.

Acres. Vasquez and 3Hawks are both large spreads, and every inch of dirt now acts as cover to some portion of the Bunker. And Mount Harvey... well, it's hollow. Reinforced with steel. But hollow. Once again, welcome to the Bunker.

"Inquiry" is based under Vasquez. Take the TurboLift down from McKay's ranch house (or any of six other locations on Vasquez) and you'll find one hundred private quarters, forty offices and the "Assignment Desk". The Desk keeps track of every mysterious report, every flare up of alien activity and every Inquiry Agent. The desk is generally manned by Aidan Maguire, who considers it part of his job description. After all, how can he keep Hawking informed, if he doesn't know everything that's going on. Inquiry has its own "Motor Pool", plus SpeedRail Links to the other Sections and Centers.

"Management" and "Research" are both housed under 3Hawks. Again you have 100 living quarters, plus 100 small laboratories and five huge Research Chambers for the really dangerous experiments. There's one additional Research Chamber carved into the peak of Mount Harvey. This chamber includes a powerful radio telescope and super-computer, hooked to a network of orbiting satellites, designed to provide an early warning system for any new alien arrivals.

Beneath this Chamber, Harvey houses "Delivery". There are ten large apartments. An armory. An immense hangar. Training rooms. A Command Center and a War Room.

And finally, there's "Surplus". If any section of the Alliance has grown exponentially, it's the Alliance prison. Most of Mount Harvey is Surplus, and that includes Harvey's fifteen below ground stories. In addition, Surplus still maintains the Alliance's original Lock-Up on the lowest four levels of Vasquez. And it's still not enough. Surplus spills out into the sections of both Vasquez and 3Hawks that border Mt. Harvey. These newest sections are particularly problematic, because they were not originally designed to house prisoners. Lower security risks have been placed in these sections, but everyone knows it's a flaw in the system.

Locations within the Bunker are designated by first listing the Center, then the Level (in positive or negative numbers), followed by a slash mark, the pod letter and room number. For example, Markus' living quarters are Vasquez-6/C2. The office he shares with Tri is Vasquez-3/A7. Hawking lives in the ThreeHawks Ranch house, officially known as 3HawksØ. Siobhan's living quarters are at Harvey+8/A4. (Frankly, I don't know if this is going to matter, but I thought I'd stick it in anyway. Might help us to maintain consistency down the line.)

GEAR
The Alliance has recruited some of the most brilliant minds on the planet to join "Research". And guys like Tib are always coming up with new stuff. In addition, the Alliance isn't shy about confiscating and exploiting alien technology. All in all, the operatives have a lot at their disposal.

Only one problem. The Alliance is a secret. And so is its on-going effort to control the invading aliens. Most everything has to be able to pass for something else. Which gives us the opportunity for transforming vehicles, hidden weapons and more. Motorcycles that transform and fly. Trucks that become Tanks. Etc. "Delivery" does have a couple of heavily armored all-terrain monstrosities that cannot pass, but they are only used in cases of extreme emergency.

The most common weapon (standard issue for every Inquiry or Research Cell Agent) is "The Torch". The multi-purpose Torch appears to be an ordinary black metal flashlight. But with the flick of a hidden switch, it can telescope out into a (light but sturdy) metal short staff for hand-to-hand combat. One end of the staff holds an electrical charge that can be used as a taser. The other end, fires off a plasma burst that can blow a sizable hole through a brick wall. The Torch is also a communications device and has a built-in homing beacon for tracking wayward agents (or at least for tracking wayward Torches). It's also a working flashlight, and makes a passable doorstop.

Of course, Harris can't be bothered with anything quite so polite. He's into big guns. Magno-Axes. Pulse grenades that can take out a battalion of baddies. Demolition stuff. Scary looking ordinance. Since he's part of Delivery's crisis response team, he doesn't have to be as careful about laying low. If it weren't a last resort emergency, he wouldn't be there in the first place. Plus he doesn't have to clean up after himself, so he isn't shy about doing some real damage with some really impressive toys.


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ROSWELL CONSPIRACIES BIBLE: 8th Chunk

SUPPORTING CAST

THE QUICK
AIDAN MAGUIRE
Like Siobhan, Aidan is Sidhe. But that's where the resemblance ends. The Sidhe are a matriarchal race. And that's no accident. Females of the species are incredibly powerful. Males are not. Aidan is 4'11", which is average height for his race and gender. When Aidan takes his Sidhe form, there's no great release of energy. No Banshee wail or bolts of lightning. He can float and he can pass through solid objects, but that can be a handicap, as he can't physically touch or move anything.

Aidan was born in Scotland in 1930. When he was fourteen years old he met Warren Burdette and told him of the existence of the Cadre. When the Alliance was formed, the young Aidan became Burdette's aide-de-camp. He now performs the exact same function for Hawking. In theory, Aidan is 69 years old, but his race is extremely long-lived. Except for his white hair, he hardly looks a day over twenty.

JOHN GERALD MCKAY
Jack McKay is Hawking's peer and best friend. Like Hawking, he's a veteran of WWII and numerous alien conflicts. He's seventy-seven years old. A good old boy from Texas. Once upon a time, he was a star athlete at his high school, but these days he doesn't look much like an action hero. He's about 5'10", has quite a spread around his gut and a distinct lack of hair on top of his head. But he's still sharp as a tack. He's theoretically retired from the Alliance, but his "homespun advice" is usually dead on the money. Both Hawking and Artie Kateras count on him for strategy and feedback. Like Hawking, McKay is a consummate actor, though he only ever plays one part: the common sense Sheriff Emeritus. An Andy Taylor for the conspiracy set.

TRISH AINSLEY
Now 73 years old, Trish Ainsley was once a key operative of the Alliance. That changed when she got pregnant with Patricia and left the organization so that her daughter could have a normal life. She had originally hoped that Hawking would leave as well, and she was tremendously disappointed when he chose to stay in Roswell. Years later, she was equally devastated when her daughter enlisted too -- though it was Trish that presented Patricia with the choice in the first place. Trish loves her daughter. And deep-down, she still loves her husband as much as she ever did. But something else has changed. For reasons that aren't yet entirely clear, Trish seems to have soured on the Alliance completely. She knows something that we don't.

FRANK DOMINIC
Markus' cousin Dom is 42 years old. He's a big man -- bigger than Markus -- who's put on a bit of a spare tire, but still looks like he could hold his own in a brawl. These days Dom describes himself as a small businessman, who spends his days sitting behind the only desk at Dominic Bail Bonds in Los Angeles. But Dom was once the best skip tracer in the business, and he taught his younger cousin Tony everything he knows. When things at the Alliance get too weird, Dom is the guy Markus turns to for cool-headed advice. When nothing is as it seems, and nobody can be trusted, Dom is always gonna be Dom.

THE DEAD
WARREN BURDETTE
Died in his sleep in 1982 at the age of 83. Burdette founded the Alliance and was it's first Night Officer, a position he held until the day he died. He was a tough, smart man and a hero to Aidan Maguire, Will Hawking and many others. He's still missed.

SEGUNDO VASQUEZ
Dr. Vasquez was a brilliant theoretical physicist and one of the original agents of the Alliance. A chain-smoker, he died of lung cancer in 1961 at the age of 50.

MICHAEL TYLER
Another charter operative, Dr. Tyler was killed in early 1999 in the line of duty. He was 84 years old, had led Alpha Cell since 1945, and had run the entire "Research" Section since 1964. Despite Tyler's advanced age, Hawking felt that Alpha never worked better than when Michael was teamed with Miguel Cabral and Michel Thibideaux. "The Mikes" worked in perfect synch until the day Tyler was killed.

ERICH DIENER
Erich Diener of West Berlin was recruited to join the Alliance when West Germany joined TGA in 1955. At the time he was 25 years old. While an "Inquiry" agent, he met and fell in love with "Surplus" worker Maria Vasquez. They were married in 1970 and had two children, Alex and Gisela. Erich was killed on a mission in 1980. He was 50 years old. His daughter was only five.

MARIA VASQUEZ DIENER
Maria Vasquez was the daughter of Segundo Vasquez. She joined "Surplus" section in 1957 when she was 18 years old. Her father died when she was 22. She married Erich Diener in 1970. She was 31 years old. Alex was born in 1971, Gisela in 1975. Erich was killed in 1980. Maria was killed during a prison break in 1989. She was 50 years old, the same age her father and her husband were at the time of their deaths.

REIKO TAKASHI
Reiko Takashi of Nagasaki, Japan, joined "Inquiry" in 1996, when Hawking finally convinced TGA to allow him to recruit individuals into the Alliance without regard for their citizenship. For almost three years, Reiko was Tri Chung's partner. She was as open and warm as he was taciturn and closed off. They fell in love. Although the Alliance encourages "office romance," no one thought it would be a good idea for "Inquiry" partners to marry. Reiko applied for a transfer to "Delivery". But before her request could be acted on, she and Michael Tyler were killed during a mission. Tri was there, but couldn't save her. It was early in 1999. Reiko was 32 years old.

M.I.A.
JOSEPH TEN-SAMSONS SENIOR
Joseph Ten-Samsons Senior was one of the original operatives of the Alliance. He led "Delivery" for years, just as his son does now. In 1980, he disappeared while on a mission in Ireland. He was 55 years old. He hasn't been seen since, but if he's alive today he'd be 74 years old.

NIKO KATERAS
Artie's uncle Niko joined the Alliance in 1972 when he was 21 years old. He was an "Inquiry" Senior Agent for years. He and his nephew Apollo disappeared in 1997. They were not on duty at the time. Niko was 46 then, and he'd be 48 now.

APOLLO KATERAS
Artie's twin brother Apollo was recruited with her by their uncle Niko in 1983. They were 22. Both of them entered "Inquiry" together. Artemis excelled. Apollo did not. He transferred to "Surplus." Apollo and his uncle Niko disappeared without a trace in 1997. They were not on duty at the time. Apollo was 36 then, and he'd be 38 now.


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Roswell Conspiracies Bible: 7th Chunk

Here's the 7th Chunk from the darn long Roswell Conspiracies Bible:

THE ALLIANCE - TODAY.
[NOTE: This is a snapshot, taken (more or less) at the beginning of our second episode. What follows represents each character's job assignment at that time. Over the course of our series, we can expect a lot of shifting. Markus, in particular, will fast-track through the ranks, until in our final episode, he'll become the Alliance's third and final "Night Officer". For the purpose of our character's ages, I'm assuming that "today's date" is September, 1999. ]

"MANAGEMENT"
NIGHT OFFICER - WILLIAM T. HAWKING
Since the Alliance was formally inaugurated in February, 1945, it has only ever had two Night Officers. The first was the late "General" Warren Burdette. The second was and is Will Hawking, who's been with the Alliance from the beginning. Hawking is tall (over six feet), thin and fit. He's seventy-seven years old, way past the age of retirement. He claims he'd be happy to step down -- if anyone ever got up the nerve to suggest it out loud. He's British, but he's posed as an American for so long that he's no longer sure which of his accents is real, which affected. He's a veteran of World War II and an additional few hundred alien conflicts. Once upon a time, he was Burdette's right-hand man. There isn't any job in the Alliance (save for some of the hard science positions) that Hawking hasn't personally tackled and excelled at. Today, he cuts a lean, hard figure. With his gray crewcut, he resembles nothing so much as a steel beam -- in both appearance and temperament. He does, however, have a grim sense of humor, or at least an appreciation of irony. He's also a consummate actor. At the drop of a hat, he can appear to be a tired old man, a paranoid or an eccentric, a showman or a recluse... or all of the above at the exact same time.

The Alliance is a lean organization. Hawking has a small command staff working under him, but he largely counts on his four SECTION CHIEFS to keep "Management" informed and the Alliance running smoothly.

"INQUIRY"
SECTION CHIEF - ARTEMIS KATERAS
Artie Kateras is a thirty-eight year old woman with light brown hair. Born in Greece, she and her twin brother Apollo were recruited into the Alliance by their uncle Niko when they were in their early twenties. Artie is very down to Earth and had no trouble fitting into what was then the largely male world of the Alliance. She rose quickly through the ranks. When Jack McKay retired, he hand-picked Artie to take his place as Section Chief of "Inquiry". Today, it is very much HER section, remade in her image. "Inquiry" is an Alliance euphemism for the multiple investigative units that seek out any sign of alien activity throughout the world. Artie rarely goes out in the field herself, but she chooses and pairs her agents carefully. She knows how to listen to them, and she knows how to drive them to get the information the Alliance needs.

"Inquiry" is the largest of the Alliance's four Sections. Artie currently has thirty-five investigative units working under her command. That's seventy agents. (Don't panic. We'll focus on two units. Four agents.)

UNIT #7
SENIOR AGENT - TRI CHUNG
Tri is Chinese-Vietnamese. He was born in Vietnam but when Saigon fell, he had to flee by boat as a child. He wound up in San Francisco. The Alliance recruited him out of the F.B.I. when he was in his late twenties. Today, he's thirty-six years old. A suit and tie type. He's about 5'7" and in excellent physical condition. He's smart, fast and experienced. Like his new partner Markus, he's not too talkative, which is probably how both men manage to get along. Tri's former partner was REIKO TAKASHI. Tri was in love with her. She's dead now.

SECOND AGENT - TONY MARKUS
Markus is young, but hard. As taciturn as his partner. He's big on observation. Big on determination. He's also a fast study. He knows he can learn a lot from Chung, whom he quietly respects. Markus is 25 years old and approximately six feet tall. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California.

UNIT #27
SENIOR AGENT - ALEX DIENER
Alex is a third generation operative of the Alliance, joyously following in the footsteps of his grandfather, mother and father. Alex lived above the Bunker on the Vasquez Ranch until he was eighteen, when he was officially recruited into the family business. Alex is German on his father's side. Mexican-American on his mother's. At heart, he is a rogue and a pirate: life has to get pretty grim for Alex to take it seriously. He's very good-looking with brown skin, jet black hair and the devil's own smile. He's about 5'10". Because Alex's grandfather, father and mother each died at the age of 50, twenty-eight year old Alex is convinced that he's currently invulnerable. He's equally convinced that he's destined to die in 2021, the year he himself turns fifty.

SECOND AGENT - CLEA BALEWA
Clea is Nigerian. She's a pretty and petite 5'4" with very short hair. She dresses chic, though not sexy. She's warm, open, funny. Simply a joy to be around. She's also smart (heck, everyone in the Alliance is smart), highly-trained and dangerous when necessary. She's 23 years old and has been an operative of the Alliance (and Alex's partner) for a year.

"RESEARCH"
SECTION CHIEF - DR. MIGUEL CABRAL
Dr. Cabral is Portuguese. He's forty-two years old and specializes in theoretical physics. He's a bullish guy, short with very broad shoulders, dark hair and a mustache. He's the impatient type. Always scowling. And, of course, flat-out brilliant. He's been an operative of the Alliance for twelve years. He was a protégé of Dr. Michael Tyler's (the previous Section Chief) and considered the late scientist to be both his mentor and his best friend.

Cabral's "Research" Section -- a.k.a. the Alliance's scientific branch -- operates from a pool of some fifty experts, specialists and technicians all working in well-equipped labs inside the Bunker. A few of these scientists have received additional training so that they can function in the field as "Research Cells." There are four cells of three scientists each. Cabral gets antsy inside his lab, so when it's called for, he leads Alpha Cell himself.

ALPHA CELL
CELL LEADER/PHYSICS - DR. MIGUEL CABRAL
(See above.)

TECHNOLOGY - MICHEL THIBIDEAUX
Tib is French. Twenty-eight years old, from Paris. He's 5'9" with bleached-blond spiky hair. He's highly enthusiastic. And very good with his hands. Tib was personally recruited by Dr. Tyler in 1995 when France rejoined TGA. For four years, until Tyler was killed, Alpha Cell was known as "The Three Mikes" (Michael, Miguel and Michel). Despite their age differences, they were very tight.

BIOLOGY - DR. GISELA DIENER
Gisela is Alex Diener's younger sister. She's twenty-four years old. Blonde, tan, pretty. About 5'8". If Alex is the sinner, Gisela is the saint. Despite her medical and scientific background, Gisela has a distinct spiritual side. Alex can't understand it, but Gisela believes in little things like magic and mysticism, and big things like God and Destiny. Subsequently, she seems more fragile than she really is. Everyone's very protective of Gisela. Both of her parents were killed on Alliance missions. Her father Erich, when she was five years old; her mother Maria, when she was 14. She was basically adopted by the Alliance. They raised, trained and educated her. She joined "Research" after receiving her M.D. at age 19 and her Ph.D. at age 21. After three years in the "pool," Dr. Cabral chose her to replace Dr. Tyler as Alpha Cell's Biological expert.

"DELIVERY"
SECTION CHIEF - JOSEPH TEN-SAMSONS
Joe is another Alliance legacy. His father, Joseph Senior, worked in "Delivery" until the day he disappeared. Joe Jr. is a Navajo Indian, born fifty-two years ago in Roswell, New Mexico, exactly one month before the infamous "Roswell Crash." But don't let his age fool you, Joe is a very young 52. He's over six feet tall and solid as a New Mexico mountain. And there's very little erosion.

"Delivery" is the Alliance's combat unit. They're only sent out in case of an emergency -- to clean up a real mess. Anything short of a disaster can theoretically be handled by one of the other sections. Unfortunately, disasters aren't as uncommon as you might think. Joe always leads his team into battle himself. When that happens, he wears an exo-brace that enhances his natural movements. His strength, agility, etc. are all exponentially increased.

CODENAME: MILKMAN - YA-TUK
Ya-Tuk is an alien. A member of the peaceful, reclusive QUA-YETI race. Tuk wasn't born here, but he's lived on our world for over two hundred years. (That's almost half his life.) He sincerely wants to help preserve the planet Earth from all its various invaders and so joined the Alliance in August of 1945. He's extremely good-natured. Even a touch mischievous. He's also 8'7" and weighs 524 lbs. He's covered with snow white fur. Ya-Tuk cannot pass for human. So even when a disaster forces "Delivery" Section into the field, Joe still has to decide whether the disaster is big enough to warrant bringing the "Milkman" along. (Of course, it usually is.) Tuk possesses incredible strength, stamina and a complete imperviousness to the cold. He's also has an almost childlike fascination with technology, though his huge four-fingered hands don't exactly lend themselves to this pursuit. His quarters are highly air-conditioned. He's not at all fond of warm weather.

CODENAME: PAPER BOY - SIOBHAN BARROW
Siobhan (pronounced "sha-VAWN") is also an alien. She's a member of the SIDHE (pronounced "shee") race. In fact, her mother is the BHAN SIDHE (pronounced "bVawn SHEE"), Warrior Matriarch of the entire Earth Clan. Siobhan was born on Earth, (specifically in Ireland). Our planet is the only home she's ever known. She's nineteen years old, the youngest, least experienced operative in the entire Alliance. But what she lacks in experience, she makes up for in power. She can pass for human when she wants to: a pretty young woman, 5'10" tall with white-blonde hair and pale, pale blue eyes of (only) a slightly odd shape. But at anytime, she can transform, taking on her true Sidhe appearance with a devastating burst of energy that shreds her clothes and knocks out anyone standing within ten feet of her. When this happens, she becomes a creature less of matter than of energy. Her hair goes shock-white, with a slight blue tint. Her eyes crackle with power. An electric aura surrounds her body, allowing her to float a few feet off the ground or to fire off a bolt of lightning. She is ethereal, capable of passing through solid objects. And she can release the BANSHEE WAIL - a brief but violent burst of sonic energy that few can stand against. In fact, this is Siobhan's true form. Maintaining her human appearance requires some effort and discipline. When she loses consciousness (or even just her concentration), she always reverts to Sidhe.

And just to complicate things a bit more, Siobhan's loyalty isn't exactly at the 100% level. She's torn. Like Ya-Tuk, she wants to protect the planet Earth. But she's just not sure she wants to do that by betraying her own people. When you put all these things together, Siobhan is clearly the most dangerous creature our man Markus has ever encountered. Although the main reason for that is probably still related to the fact that he's falling in love with her.

CODENAME: POSTAL WORKER - CEDRIC HARRIS
Cedric is thirty-six years old. An African-American man from South Bend, Indiana. He's the WeaponsMaster of the group. You don't want to mess with Mr. Harris. He was recruited out of the Navy SEALs when he was only twenty, and he's a battle-hardened veteran of innumerable alien conflicts. He's also huge. Not Ya-Tuk huge, but the human equivalent. If Alex is a tight end, Markus a quarterback and Joe a fullback, then Harris is a linebacker (or two).

"SURPLUS"
SECTION CHIEF - PATRICIA AINSLEY-HAWKING
Patricia is twenty-seven years old. She's Hawking's daughter, but she was raised in England for most of her life by Hawking's estranged wife Trish Ainsley. Against her mother's wishes, Patricia joined the Alliance the moment she turned 21. She requested an assignment to "Surplus" -- considered the least appealing duty in the Bunker -- and quickly rose to the position of Section Chief. Still, her relationship with her father is uneasy at best. The Alliance has made nepotism into something akin to an art-form, but no one can complain about Patricia's performance as Section Chief. She's made sure of that. She believes that distancing herself from her father is a professional necessity, though deep down it's also a personal cop-out. Patricia is a tall red-head, but she's not exactly hot-blooded. She'd almost have to have ice in her veins to run "Surplus," the euphemism for the Alliance's alien prison. Patricia runs that prison with cold efficiency.


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ROSWELL CONSPIRACIES BIBLE: Chunks 5 & 6

Continuing the posting of pieces of the Bible for the version of THE ROSWELL CONSPIRACIES that I developed for BKN.

Here's the fifth chunk:

ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO - June 14, 1947.
Nothing happened. Nothing at all. Every witness on every side of every version of every event was already working for the Alliance. Oh, today, you might be able to find some old civilian who swears he or she saw the crash from a distance. But that's just a tip off that they're telling tales. Nothing happened.

Vasquez did call the Sheriff to report the crash. And Vasquez, McKay and Ten-Samsons did convene in the desert. And McKay did radio Walker Air Force Base.

Air Force Captain Will Hawking was dispatched to the site of the incident -- with a full platoon of men. Alliance men.

On June 15, the news services did report that a U.F.O. had crashed near Roswell. Captain Hawking did confirm the story later that day.

June 16. General Burdette explained about the weather balloon. And the Vasquez Ranch was declared off-limits to all non-Alliance personnel. Heavy machinery was brought in. Underneath the ranch, construction began on the Bunker to end all Bunkers.

By July 7, the Alliance was able to remove every sign that work was proceeding underground.

On July 8, Trish Ainsley filed her U.F.O. story. The Alliance made sure it never got on the wire. It also made sure that copies of the story were circulated privately, but widely.

July 9. Captain Hawking resigns his commission. He disappears to supervise the completion of the Bunker.

July 16. Ainsley contacted Vasquez, McKay and Ten-Samsons, laying the groundwork for decades of obfuscation.

May, 1948. The Bunker was completed. The Alliance was up and running.

In between investigative assignments for the Alliance, Trish Ainsley continued to "pursue the Roswell story." The plan was clearly working. Most people either believed in weather balloons or casually and unconcernedly assumed that the U.S. government was covering up the existence of aliens on our planet. The few who actively pursued the latter course, were led down a garden path of false witnesses and manufactured evidence designed to lull them into believing that aliens are little grey men in flying saucers. Recent arrivals. Largely harmless. And nothing like the truth.

1949. T.G.A., The Global Alliance admits ten more nations: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway & Portugal. The Alliance began drawing the best and the brightest from all of TGA's member nations.

1952. Greece and Turkey join TGA. West Germany will join three years later.

March, 1955 - The Alliance used Tyler and Ainsley to seed the story of recovered alien bodies.

November, 1960. Segundo Vasquez, a chain-smoker, was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Since he couldn't be cured, the Alliance decided to take advantage of this "unique opportunity" to add another layer to the lie.

January 4, 1961. With Alliance help, Joseph Ten-Samsons Senior faked his death. The story was spread that he died of cancer.

December 13, 1961, Segundo Vasquez did die of cancer.

1964. Dr. Tyler retired from the U.S. Army and then vanished off the face of the Earth. Actually, he became the Alliance's head scientist, and thus no longer had the time to lead a double life.

1965. France breaks with TGA for thirty years. They will rejoin the organization in 1995. Meanwhile, Spain will join in '82 and the newly reunited Germany will replace West Germany in 1990.

Meanwhile, back in July, 1971, after over two decades of being Burdette's right hand man, Hawking was ordered to resurface in order to rekindle the lie. Together, Hawking and Ainsley produced the Alliance-written fiction: THE ROSWELL CONSPIRACIES. They also fell in love and were secretly married.

February, 1972. Trish Ainsley discovered that she was pregnant. She chose to leave the Alliance in order to give her baby a normal life. Hawking elected not to join her.

May 1, 1972. The Alliance helped Trish Ainsley fake her death in a car accident. She returned to Great Britain to give birth and raise her child. Hawking went back underground as a full time Alliance operative.

June 14, 1972. On the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Roswell Crash, Alliance operatives McKay, Vasquez Diener and Kateras staged a press conference to keep the curious guessing.

August, 1980. Erich Diener -- an Alliance operative and the husband of Maria Vasquez Diener, a second generation Alliance operative --was killed in the line of duty. The story in above-ground Roswell was that he ran off and abandoned Maria and their two children.

June 1, 1982. 83 year old Warren Burdette passed away in his sleep. The story was put out that he died of cancer. Hawking was promoted to Night Officer.

June 14, 1982. Will Hawking resurfaced on the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Roswell crash. He and Jack McKay became very public spokesmen for both versions of the lie.

December 13, 1986. Hawking and the Alliance bought the ranch adjacent to the old Vasquez place in order to expand the Bunker even further.

March 18, 1989. Maria Vasquez Diener died in the line of duty. Again, cancer was blamed. Her son Alex, a third generation operative, was given his first taste of action and obfuscation.

In 1995, under Alliance supervision, the U.S. Air Force launched a new investigation into the Roswell Incident. The resulting report sounded so pat and phony that most people either believed it flat out or assumed that all the Roswell myths must be entirely true.

1996. Hawking convinces TGA to allow him to recruit individual operatives without regard to their citizenship or the membership status of their country of birth.

September, 1999. Roswell, New Mexico is both a serious tourist trap and a Mecca for true believers seeking (inaccurate) knowledge about extraterrestrials on this planet. Every Friday night, McKay and Hawking stage another debate about the Incident. They don't have to do it. They just enjoy it.

And now the 6th Chunk:

ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO - September, 1999.
Tony Markus -- I bet you thought I forgot about him -- comes to town a half-step behind Siobhan Barrow. At this point, the only thing that's clear to Markus is that he's never had a case like this before.

Siobhan seems to have some kind of super-natural power --impressive super-natural power -- though not quite as impressive as that of the Tall Women pursuing her.

Likewise, the "Honeymooning Couple", though clearly not what they pretend to be, are also not what they seem to be either. Markus had thought they were Feds, but they've got some mighty strange methods, some even stranger weapons and the strangest possible friends.

Eventually, all is revealed. Siobhan is a member of an alien race, the SIDHE. She's on the run from her own people (the Tall Women) and is simultaneously trying to avoid being captured by ALEX DIENER & CLEA BALEWA (agents of the Alliance), who want to give her a life sentence simply because she exists. Markus just wants to get her back to L.A. so that cousin Dom doesn't have to pick up a fifty grand tab on her bail. Despite her power, Markus manages to reel her in and convince her to head west again with him. Together, they manage to stay a step ahead of both the Sidhe Warriors and the Alliance Agents. But all the good luck and skill in the world can't last forever.

Markus and Siobhan are cornered in the GRAND CANYON. The Sidhe attack, and it's the Alliance that comes to the rescue. But not Alex and Clea. The cavalry consists of JOSEPH TEN-SAMSONS JR., CEDRIC HARRIS and the alien YA-TUK. After an impressive battle, the Sidhe Warriors are captured. And Markus' life has been changed forever. There are aliens -- dangerous aliens -- loose on our world. He feels like his eyes are open for the first time. But he's not the only one. The Alliance has been very impressed with both Markus and Siobhan. They offer them each a job.

Markus, with his skills and experience, will become an investigator like Alex and Clea. Siobhan, with her raw power, will join Ten-Samsons' combat unit. Neither are sure they want what's being offered. Ultimately, Siobhan doesn't have many sunnier choices: (a) Life on the Run from her fellow Sidhe; (b) Life in an Alliance Prison, or (c) Life as an Alliance Operative. She chooses option (c).

As for Markus, it comes down to accepting the challenge. Hunting aliens. The ultimate skip chase. How can he resist? Well, once he's made sure that Dom hasn't been left in the lurch, the answer is: he can't. Thus Tony Markus and Siobhan Barrow become the two newest operatives of the Alliance.


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ROSWELL CONSPIRACIES: 3rd & 4th Chunk

Here's a couple more chunks from the 1998 Roswell Conspiracies Bible...

3rd Chunk:

EURASIA - 1944
In the last year of World War II, a select group of Allied Intelligence operatives stumbled upon a threat to the planet Earth that would make the War seem like a church social.

Aliens -- extraterrestrials from half a dozen different planets --had invaded our world. Some of them had been here for centuries. Some could pose or pass as humans. Some had infiltrated our governments and institutions, insinuating themselves into positions of power throughout the world.

Leaders of four of the most prominent alien races had formed a CADRE. Using the chaos caused by the War, the Cadre was positioning itself to take our planet for themselves.

Fortunately, their plan was discovered by O.S.S. agent Warren Burdette. Burdette's only problem was that no one believed him. Still, he was determined to save humanity despite itself. He gathered evidence -- some of it living.

An earlier, more mundane intelligence operation had once resulted in Burdette saving the life of WINSTON CHURCHILL. Burdette called on Churchill again and presented his evidence. Churchill was convinced. He contacted FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT and "THE GLOBAL ALLIANCE" (T.G.A.) was officially chartered. At the time, it consisted of only two nations, the United States and Great Britain.

Burdette was named the Alliance's first NIGHT OFFICER, (a euphemism for Head Honcho). His team consisted of an elite group of spies, soldiers and scientists from both nations, as well as a few aliens with an interest in seeing the Cadre defeated. Early operatives included:
--Lieutenant William Hawking, British Intelligence;
--Doctor Michael Tyler, a British Biologist;
--Colonel Joseph Ten-Samsons, an American Fighter Pilot;
--Sergeant John Gerald McKay, an American Army Commando;
--Doctor Segundo Vasquez, an American Physicist;
--Aidan Maguire, an alien of the Sidhe race;
--Ya-Tuk, an alien of the Qua-Yeti race.

Burdette's first mission was to stop the Cadre. This was accomplished most elegantly by turning the four member races against each other. In September, 1945, after a final battle in the Himalayas, the Cadre was finally smashed.

But the Alliance's work had only just begun. Now that the Wars (both Wars) were over, the Alliance needed a permanent base to carry out their on-going mission: to protect Earth from both its alien inhabitants and any future invaders. All without panicking the human population of the planet.

1946 was spent preparing for this new scenario.

A site for the base was chosen in an intentionally unlikely location: Roswell, New Mexico -- the home town of Joseph Ten-Samsons.

Segundo Vasquez bought a ranch using Alliance money.

Jack McKay came to town from Texas. Word "somehow" got out that he was a war hero, and when he ran for Sheriff, he won handily. He hired Joseph Ten-Samsons as his deputy.

Will Hawking and Michael Tyler were carefully trained to speak "American." Tyler was given a new identity as a U.S. Army surgeon. Hawking was made a Captain in the U.S. Air Force. He was assigned to Walker Air Force Base.

Burdette became an instant Two-Star General.

British spy (and new recruit) Trish Ainsley became a wire service reporter.

By now, it was June, 1947. The stage was set.

4th Chunk:

THE BIG LIE
The Lie was designed to operate on four levels in order to achieve three objectives:

Level #1: An incident is created that presents a plausible scenario, including witnesses and some evidence, for the limited arrival of intelligent alien life on our planet.
Level #2: An equally plausible counter-scenario is offered, including witnesses and some evidence, detailing a mundane explanation for the same events.
Level #3: In order to explain discrepancies between the first two levels, Level #1 is embellished with supplementary testimony in order to suggest that a government cover-up and conspiracy exists designed to hide any evidence of alien contact.
Level #4: None of these scenarios are completely plausible. None are completely without the ring of truth. None of the pieces fit perfectly. No theory or explanation is beyond reproach. The evidence is limited, inaccessible and/or unreliable. Witnesses appear and disappear. They change their stories. Nothing is made 100% clear.

Objective A: People who are inclined to believe in an alien visitation are given a safe (and inaccurate) outlet for their curiosity. They can believe in aliens, be paranoid about conspiracies and investigate both to their hearts' content without ever getting close to the actual truth.
Objective B: People who are disinclined to believe in the paranormal are offered a suitable explanation and an excuse to regard anyone who does believe as a fanatic.
Objective C: In general, the sum total of all this is such a quagmire that most people -- even if they believe in the possibility of alien visitation and/or government conspiracy -- will quickly lose interest and simply go on with their daily lives.

To date, few government programs in history have been quite so successful at meeting all of their objectives as the Big Lie.
****************


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ROSWELL CONSPIRACIES BIBLE - 2nd Chunk

That first chunk was pretty short. Hardly enough to pique your interest. So here's another piece...

ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO - June 14, 1947.
Rancher SEGUNDO VASQUEZ is sitting on his porch admiring the quiet desert night. Something, something fast, streaks across his field of vision. A shooting star? He's not sure. He doesn't get a good look. He stands and scans the sky. Suddenly a fiery explosion lights up the night! Now Vasquez can see flaming debris crashing to the Earth a few miles away. Thinking an airplane has gone down, he makes a quick call to the Sheriff, then gets in his pick-up truck and heads out into the desert to see if he can find any survivors.

Roswell Sheriff JACK MCKAY and his Deputy JOSEPH TEN-SAMSONS arrive on the scene an hour after Vasquez. McKay immediately radios his dispatch and has them connect him to WALKER AIR FORCE BASE.

Air Force Captain WILL HAWKING is dispatched to the site of the crash, with a full platoon of men.

The next morning, June 15, the news services report that a U.F.O. has crash-landed on the Vasquez Ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. Captain Hawking is quoted, and he confirms the story later that day.

June 16. The Air Force releases a correction. Two-Star General WARREN BURDETTE explains that Captain Hawking was mistaken. What he took for a U.F.O. was actually a weather balloon. Hawking cannot be reached for comment. And the Vasquez Ranch is off-limits to all non-military personnel.

July 7. The U.S. Armed Forces finally pulls its last transport out of Roswell. On July 8, in a SANTA FE motel room, Captain Hawking speaks to wire service reporter TRISH AINSLEY. Hawking maintains his original story. He saw a "saucer-shaped" vehicle broken into two distinct pieces with assorted small debris. He saw one corpse and one badly injured survivor. But neither individual was human. Their skin was grey. Their heads were disproportionately large. So were their eyes. They had no ears or nose or teeth. They had two long fingers and a thumb on each hand. Neither was over five feet tall. There's no doubt in Hawking's mind that what he saw was extra-terrestrial. An ALIEN SPACECRAFT from another world that had crashed on our planet, killing one occupant and injuring the other. Hawking claims that the U.S. Military knows all of this and is covering it up. They have removed the bodies and every trace of debris from the Vasquez ranch. Ainsley tries to get Hawking to call the aliens "Martians". She tries to get him to speculate as to what the government has done with the craft and the bodies. Hawking refuses to take the bait. He saw what he saw. The rest is as much of a mystery to him as to anyone. That night, Ainsley turns in her story. But her employers -- calling it preposterous -- refuse to put it on the wire.

July 9. Seven hours after the story is rejected, Captain Hawking resigns his commission. He phones Ainsley and tells her the resignation was less than voluntary. Then, he disappears.

July 16. Ainsley contacts Segundo Vasquez. But he won't talk to her. Won't even let her on the property. She goes to the Sheriff's office and speaks to McKay. McKay confirms the official version. He had seen everything Hawking had seen. There were no bodies. And the shattered craft was a weather balloon. McKay's deputy sits silently and listens to his boss speak. When Ainsley turns to Ten-Samsons, he simply stares back at her. He won't confirm. He won't deny. He won't open his mouth at all. That night, she confronts him in a local bar. He's silent. She presses. Finally, he speaks: "Don't ask me to talk to you. I have a son that I love." He leaves the bar. Ainsley doesn't follow.

But Trish Ainsley continues to pursue the story, to the detriment of her legitimate career as a journalist. Years pass, but she tracks down every army grunt who had ever set foot in Roswell, New Mexico. Most won't talk to her, and the few who will won't say anything on the record. But she begins to piece it together.

March 10, 1955. Following up on an anonymous tip, Ainsley finds an Army Surgeon, MAJOR MICHAEL TYLER, who claims to have seen and worked on the two recovered aliens.

January 4, 1961. Joseph Ten-Samsons dies of cancer.

December 12, 1961, Segundo Vasquez is on his deathbed, another cancer victim. Trish Ainsley arrives and speaks to him before he passes away early in the morning of December 13.

1964. Dr. Tyler retires from the U.S. Army and then seems to vanish off the face of the Earth.

Then in July, 1971, Will Hawking resurfaces after over two decades in hiding. Together, Hawking and Ainsley write a book: THE ROSWELL CONSPIRACIES.

May 1, 1972. Two weeks before the book is scheduled to be published, Trish Ainsley dies in a car accident. Hawking disappears again.

May 18, 1972. Nevertheless, the book is published. It reiterates Hawking's original story and expands upon it, using material that Hawking gathered while underground, combined with interviews that Ainsley had conducted over the last twenty plus years. These interviews include a startling 1961 deathbed confession from Segundo Vasquez, confirming Hawking's version of events. Vasquez explained his previous silence by detailing numerous threats against and attempts upon his life. He also hinted that his cancer was the result of his exposure to the broken and glowing alien spaceship all those years ago. Finally, Ainsley also claimed that in his last moments, Segundo had given Ainsley a piece of twisted metal from that craft that was clearly extra-terrestrial in origin.

The book also included Dr. Tyler's description of the alien autopsy, as well as his attempts to resuscitate the second, injured, alien. When it seemed certain that those attempts were failing, Dr. Tyler had been instructed to place both the dead alien and his still-breathing companion in cryogenic stasis. As late as 1963 (the last time either Hawking or Ainsley had seen Tyler), both alien popsicles were still in the custody of the Joint Chiefs.

The Roswell Conspiracies causes a minor sensation. It is on the non-fiction best-seller list for four weeks, peeking at #7. Although few legitimate scientists take it seriously, the Air Force issues an immediate and all-encompassing denial on June 2.

June 14, 1972. On the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Roswell Crash, Sheriff McKay actually holds a (fairly well-attended) press conference to debunk the book's findings. He reiterates his own version of events: simply put, there was a fallen balloon and some high-tech military debris on the Vasquez Ranch. Although, McKay doesn't pretend he could identify every bit of it, there was certainly nothing alien in it's design. And he literally scoffs at the notion that there were any bodies (living, dead, alien or human). The idea that exposure to the downed craft was carcinogenic seems to be belied by his own robust good-health.

At the press conference, McKay is joined by MARIA VASQUEZ DIENER, Segundo's daughter. Maria confirms that Ainsley had spoken with her father the night before he died. But Maria claims that in his delirium, her father spoke only in Spanish. Ainsley had admitted at the time that her command of that language was limited at best, but she nevertheless insisted on speaking to Segundo alone. Thus no one else heard this so-called confession, and the book gives no indication as to what language Segundo was using when he spoke these "startling revelations".

Maria is questioned about the piece of "alien metal" that her father supposedly gave to Ainsley. She confirms that her father had kept a piece of wreckage from the crash as a souvenir. This was no secret to his friends or family. It had been sitting on his mantel for over a decade. The Air Force had allowed him to keep it, so it couldn't have been too startling in anyone's version of events. A few days after the funeral, Maria noticed that the relic was missing. She can now only assume that Ainsley stole it. McKay chimes in with an observation. He acknowledges that Ainsley's death is a tragedy, but since the chunk of metal was conveniently missing from her effects, legitimate science has been prevented from examining it to confirm (or dispute) her conclusions.

At this point, reporter NICK KATERAS asks McKay if the timing of Ainsley's death isn't extremely suspicious. McKay agrees that it is. He's checked into it. Ainsley's body was cremated within 48 hours of her death, and the only person who identified that body was the now missing Hawking. McKay can't help wondering if Ainsley is actually dead, of if the whole thing isn't a publicity stunt that doubles as a way for her to dodge some tough questions. After all, if there really was a conspiracy that wanted her dead, wouldn't she have been killed BEFORE she wrote the book, or at least before she had delivered the manuscript to her publisher?

June 16, 1972. Jack McKay issues an apology to Trish Ainsley's "friends and family." It was insensitive to imply even in jest that she could or would have faked her own death for the sake of book sales.

The book drops off the best seller list, though it remains in print. Royalties are held in trust for Hawking. Ainsley has no living relatives. She does not resurface.

August, 1980. Maria Vasquez Diener's husband ERICH DIENER abandons her and her two children. She struggles to maintain the ranch.

June 1, 1982. Retired Four-Star General Warren Burdette dies of cancer. He was 83 years old. To the end, he refuses to comment on Roswell.

June 14, 1982. Will Hawking resurfaces on the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Roswell crash. He collects a substantial royalty check from his publisher and makes the rounds of all the morning talk shows. Jack McKay is a surprise guest on one of these, and Hawking and McKay engage in an intense and bitter debate on the air. Hawking is goaded into producing the "Roswell Fragment," the twisted piece of chrome-like metal that Ainsley either stole or received from Vasquez. Hawking insists that a battery of tests have already proven that the fragment is of extraterrestrial origins. McKay suggests that Hawking turn it over for independent testing, but Hawking refuses to let the evidence out of his sight.

December 13, 1986. Hawking uses his military pension and book royalties to buy the ranch adjacent to the old Vasquez place.

December 31, 1986. Jack McKay retires as Sheriff after 40 years in office. He purchases the old Vasquez place from Maria Vasquez Diener.

March 18, 1989. Maria Vasquez Diener dies of cancer. Her teen-age son ALEX DIENER claims that she lied about Segundo's last meeting with Trish Ainsley, because she was afraid of Jack McKay and his "friends."

June 14, 1992 - On the 45th Anniversary of the Roswell Incident, Jack McKay and Will Hawking once again do their point/counterpoint routine on television talk shows. They display hostility laced with humor and are a genuine success. Together, they are booked on lecture tours.

In 1995, after an investigation into the Roswell Incident intended to end the various rumors, the Air Force now maintains that the debris was part of Project Mogul, a formerly top secret operation using acoustic equipment on high altitude balloons in an effort to detect foreign atomic tests. When one of the Mogul balloons was downed in '47, the Air Force moved in to retrieve it before security could be further compromised.

The USAF also says that it conducted a variety of experiments in the same general area involving test dummies dropped from balloons and aircraft in order to measure the effects of falls from various altitudes. The dummies match the descriptions of the "aliens" reported by witnesses. The Air Force feels that the connection between the dummies and the balloon has been exaggerated over the years.

June 14, 1997. The 50th anniversary. Jack McKay now admits to having seen the dummies at the site. He claims he was asked not to mention them by the U.S. government, and he complied like any good patriot would. Hawking, his regular sparring partner, wonders aloud what else this patriot has lied about over the years. The debate that follows is lively, but it's clear that over the years Hawking and McKay have developed a strange little friendship. They actually like each other.

September, 1999. Roswell, New Mexico is both a serious tourist trap and a Mecca for true believers seeking knowledge about extra-terrestrials on this planet. Every Friday night, McKay and Hawking stage another debate about the Incident. Admission is a modest four dollars.

And by the way, almost none of the above is true.


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ROSWELL CONSPIRACIES BIBLE: 1st Chunk

Hi. In 1998, I started developing a series for BKN called "The Roswell Conspiracies". This was not an idea I created. (The credit for that, I believe, goes to Kaaren Brown.) But I did do extensive work on the project. I tried to create a detailed universe, and wrote a detailed bible, a timeline and a one hour pilot script (which some of you who attended Gathering 1999 in Dallas may recall). I wound up not doing the project, and my work was redeveloped by others before the show went on the air. I never saw the finished project so I have no idea (and little interest) in how it turned out. But I was thinking about it the other day and reread the materials. I think it's kinda some cool stuff. So I thought you might be interested in seeing it. (I figure the show's come and gone. I'm no longer revealing any secrets.) I'll post a chunk at a time here, as I have the time.

THE ROSWELL CONSPIRACIES:

Aliens, Myths & Legends

(development bible)

written by

Greg Weisman

SE: GDW

June 5, 1998
Revised: June 12, 1998

THE ROSWELL CONSPIRACIES:
Aliens, Myths & Legends
(development bible)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - Present Day.
TONY MARKUS is an L.A.-based skip tracer, a bounty hunter employed by DOMINIC BAIL BONDS to track down deadbeats who skip out on their bail. Saying Markus is a loner doesn't quite do him justice. He's cynical, hard and generally uninterested in the human race. His cousin (and boss) FRANK DOMINIC is the only guy that Markus has any tolerance for, and that's only because Dom knows Tony well enough to leave him alone. None of this makes Markus a particularly pleasant dinner companion. But it's done wonders for his career. He's relentless. Unemotional. Unflinching. And he has a near-perfect track record. Only one guy ever successfully skipped on Markus, and that was a long time ago during his first month on the job, back when he was pretty darn green. But green or not, Markus didn't like failing. So he just doesn't fail anymore. When Dom gives Tony Markus a skip to trace, Dom knows his cousin is going to deliver.

Which brings us to Markus' current assignment: her name is SIOBHAN BARROW. She's skipped on a Felony Assault Charge, and Dom is potentially out fifty grand on her bail. The trail is three days cold by the time Markus is on the hunt. But that's not the problem. Barrow is fleeing across state lines, from CALIFORNIA to ARIZONA and finally into NEW MEXICO. But that's not the problem either. She's also tougher than she looks, leaving a fair number of additional assault victims in her wake. But even that's not the problem.

The problem is that Markus isn't the only guy hunting her down. Two FEDERALES are after her too. At least he thinks they're Feds. They act like Feds, pretending to be Honeymooning Tourists. And then there are the TALL WOMEN. Scary types, but bearing a certain family resemblance to his quarry. They could be trying to help Ms. Barrow get away. Except that Siobhan Barrow seems more afraid of them than anyone. Markus doesn't know why there's a crowd after Siobhan, he only knows that he's going to be the one to run her down first.

The chase leads all interested parties to ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO. And that's when things really start to cook.


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Anonymous writes...

What do you think of Simon Furman(Roswell Conspiracies, Transformers UK comic, Beast Wars and X-Men Evolution)?

Greg responds...

I'm unfamiliar with the name.

And aside from one episode of X-Men Evolution, I'm unfamiliar with all the properties you named.

Well, obviously, I have some familiarity with Roswell Conspiracies, but I've never seen the version that aired on television. Only the work I did.

Response recorded on September 11, 2001

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Anonymous writes...

What exactly is your version of Roswell Conspiracies about?

Greg responds...

A skip tracer tracking a bail jumper, who's also being pursued by other factions and is in pursuit of something herself. They wind up joining forces with each other and with one of the factions.

(At least that's the main story in my version of the pilot. For more details, ask someone who was at Gathering '99 in Dallas.)

Response recorded on September 11, 2001

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Denis writes...

hi, Greg!
Not really a question, just a reply to your call about the script of Rosswell Conspiracies.

As you've read from the technic question about script terminology, I'm the one who bough the script.
I had it for 30 dollars, but could have gone up to 80, which was all the money I had left for the weekend.

I loved your version soooo much more than the one that was aired! Darker, more realistic, and the character much deeper than in the actual animated version. I never really cared for Nick Logan, but Tony Markus, ah! that's another story! He has that Anti-Lee Majors quality around him, that humor. I was LOL with his line, responding to his cousin. "In fact, things got downright charred and rare." Oh gosh I just LOVE that line!
It's really too bad that 1. they didn't use your script as it was and 2. that you didn't got to write more. R.C. could have been the sci-fi pendant of Gargoyles.
ten stars out of five! *back to re-read it again*

Greg responds...

Wow, Denis, thanks. I'm glad someone bought it who appreciates it. It's very gratifying. I liked Tony a lot too. That script wrote very fast. Much easier than most everything I've ever written before or since. It kinda surprised me. And I was blown away when they didn't use it. But that's life...

Response recorded on July 20, 2001

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Denis writes...

Hello, Greg!

Sorry that I didn't got to attend the Closing Ceremonies, last monday, at the Gathering. Anyway, to the question.

During the Auction, I bought the script of the ROSWELL CONSPIRACIES' pilot, and frankly I loved it! WAAYYY better than the one that was aired!. My question is purely 'technical' and concern one of the terms used in the script:

when you write "OTS on <Character's Name>", what does mean the OTS? And how does it translate on screen?

Thank you for your time

sincerly,
Denis

Greg responds...

OTS stands for Over The Shoulder. It means the Camera is placed at an angle looking over the characters shoulder onto the subject of the shot. (It foregrounds said character and puts him or her in relation to the action or background).

And I'm glad you liked the Roswell script!

Great to see you at the Gathering again, by the way.

Response recorded on July 17, 2001

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Todd Jensen writes...

Sorry for asking another "Roswell Conspiracies"-related question, but:

You've indicated in past responses that your original plans for the series included its female lead being a banshee whom you were going to name Siobhan. When you came up with Siobhan, were you planning to use her as an at least partial "cannibalization" of the plans that you'd had for the Banshee/Molly in "Gargoyles"?

Greg responds...

No. I developed Roswell Conspiracies, but I didn't create it. The basic concept was handed to me.

The idea on that show, at least when I was working on it, was that all those magical creatures like Yeti and werewolves and vampires and Shee, etc. did exist. But that they were various alien races from other planets.

Siobhan was native to Earth, in the sense that she was born here. But she wasn't human.

By the way, I offered up a copy of my pilot script to Roswell at the G2001 charity auction. I'm curious who bought it, what they paid for it and what they think of it? Please post and let me know.

Response recorded on July 01, 2001