Fic for sanguinity: A Policeman's Lot Is Not A Happy One

[holmesticemods]

Title: A Policeman's Lot Is Not A Happy One
Recipient: sanguinity
Author: graycardinal
Verse: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Characters/Pairings: James Moriarty (hologram),
"Marguerite Adler", Dr. Katherine Pulaski
Rating: G

Warnings: None for triggers. This story takes place
several years after the Star Trek: TNG episode "Ship in a

Comments

[sanguinity]

*claps hands*

Hooray, Moriarty escaped the holodeck! And he got to do SCIENCE! (Science!!) And very interesting science, too!

(What is his approach to interstellar economics, I wonder? Is it an approach that helps him... fund... his science?)

(And of course I very want to see a copy of the "Heightened Cognitive Awareness" monograph. I find it unlikely that he chose to withdraw the monograph because it was incorrect: if that was indeed the case, he'd frame its existence entirely differently, if he claimed it at all. No, this smacks of an intrigue of some kind. But what kind??)

...yes, dear Author, you did a superb job of scattering tantalizing hints everywhere, leaving me wanting to know all the things. I would complain about you leaving so much deliciousness as an exercise for the reader, but I was a math student long before I was a fan-writer, and both categories of persons relish the opportunity to pull out a pencil and work the problem through ourselves.

But! Back to the central premise! It makes perfect sense that this

[graycardinal]

[beams]

I knew from the start that I wanted to work with the Kurland novels, but figuring out just what to do with the characters proved difficult until it occurred to me that obviously TNG's Moriarty had to have been modeled on Kurland's. Then it was just a question of how meta I was going to get....

As to the monographs, it is perhaps telling that the economics one was clearly written for a Ferengi readership (although I wouldn't put this Moriarty past a bit of stealth satire at Ferengi expense).

And I too goggled when I first encountered "Countess Bartholomew"; that came totally out of left field. And yet -- looking at that scene sideways is exactly what allowed me to twist the plot back on itself and justify Moriarty's escape...because if "the Countess" is functioning as misdirection, then the same may be true of almost everything else Moriarty says and does.

In short, there was a lot of evil glee going on as I was writing this, I regret nothing, and I am immensely pleased that you're pleased with the result.

[thesmallhobbit]

This was great fun. An explanation worthy of Moriarty himself.

[graycardinal]

Ah, but which Moriarty? [insert evil grin here]

I'm very glad people enjoyed this; writing it was almost more fun than one should be allowed to have in front of a keyboard.

[phoenixfalls]

Oh what fun this is! Poor Morwood, definitely not getting paid enough for this. Your Pulaski is wonderful, no-nonsense and forthright and eternally skeptical, and your Moriarty is an utter delight. I am so happy with his victory here, and am sure he went on to give a fascinating keynote address at the conference!

[graycardinal]

Very fortunately, I don't have to understand Moriarty's scientific genius to describe it (which I did as obliquely as I could possibly manage).

And no, Morwood definitely isn't getting paid enough to deal with Moriarty. :-)

Thank you!

[garonne]

Very clever, and enormous fun to read. I'm not familiar with the Kurland books, but that was no barrier to enjoying the story. Thanks for a great read, dear anon!

[graycardinal]

I'm glad the story is accessible to those not yet conversant with the Kurland series (which I definitely recommend, although their characterization of Holmes takes a bit of getting used to). "Fun" is definitely what I was going for here, and that seems to have gotten across nicely.

[scfrankles]

Must admit I am not familiar with the Next Generation episodes (though sanguinity did point me in the right direction to bring myself up to speed on the basics), or with the Kurland books but I found this so engaging. I really liked this version of Moriarty, which is not something I ever imagined myself saying, and I so enjoyed the plentiful wit and intelligence on display - including the author's.

[graycardinal]

Flattery, flattery. [fans self]

Fortunately for my canon-refreshing needs, BBC America runs ST:TNG on semi-permanent marathon (and my cable subscription includes that channel), so all I had to do was DVR the two relevant episodes and rewatch a couple of times apiece.

And yes, it is a little disconcerting to admit to liking Moriarty, but both the TNG iteration and Kurland's are worth the price of that admission.