Scribbling Saturday: Joseph Martin, Captain of the Kestrel

If you met Joseph Martin, you would not think him remarkable. You would probably pass him by in the street. British, with brown hair and eyes, average height and build, if you didn't see his kerchief colour, you would think that his First Officer, who is the tall, handsome one, was the captain. Which he has sometimes used to great advantage.

Martin is in his forties, and married to the job. And he does the job well. His First Officer, Mike Holland, has served with him for 5 years, and when he is promoted, Martin's old friend Nathaniel Parks steps in temporarily. They are both delighted when he is able to stay on.

He has very strong ethics – fair play, honesty, duty & loyalty - to PACT and to his crew. He is level-headed and responsible, he knows right and wrong, and there is no question what he will do. But in the second novel, some of his standards are challenged. Some of the situations the Kestrel crew have got into could have been pretty nasty if he hadn't been so quick-witted and inventive. So far all his risks have paid off.

He has had few dealings with first contact, until ‘Intruders’, the first story. He has a keen interest in current affairs, especially on other worlds. He is the one who puts together the separate incidents which point to the Intruders, after investigating the quartz disappearance & mining accident.

Despite his appearance, he is strong in command. Understanding, but doesn't stand for any nonsense. When the Kestrel plays host to representatives from six different alien races, in adition to the crew, in a space designed for 11 crew, it is Martin who keeps it all together, aided by his old friend Parks.