Jackie Roberts

Jacqueline "Jackie" Roberts is the owner/captain/pilot of the starship Sophie.

We first meet her (in The Chara Talisman flying a charter to the Epsilon Eridani system. From there she delivers a package to Sawyers World at Alpha Centauri (where she meets Quentin Ducayne), prior to having work done on the Sophie at the Kiahuna Shipyards orbiting Kakuloa (also in the Alpha Centauri system).

She knows Hannibal Carson from a prior expedition of his, where she was the Executive Officer of the ship he was on. There was some romantic involvement, alluded to in the above book, but the details have not appeared in print. It ended on something of a sour note, at least partially due to miscommunication.

Jackie Roberts appears on the cover of the first editions of The Chara Talisman and The Reticuli Deception. Described from Carson's point of view in the latter book, she "looked as good as ever, from her dark-green hair in its characteristic page-boy cut--short enough not to be troublesome in zero-gee--to her Chelsea-style ship boots, although her coveralls didn't compliment the figure Carson remembered."

She is named after the noted aviation pioneer, Jackie Cochran, quite probably the first woman pilot in the U.S. Air Force.

Biographic Notes

Details mentioned in various books:

Born aboard ship (but not in space) on the Eta Carinae expedition. It returned when she was four. More than likely went on other expeditions with her parents after that.

Mother's name is Renee.

She has read the O'Brian Aubrey-Maturin seafaring series, and owns a leather-bound edition given to her by her father (it was one of his favorites). She has also read Jules Verne (Journey to the Center of the Earth) and Twain (Tom Sawyer). Also Piper's "Omnilingual", perhaps as part of a sci-fi course for starship pilots to prepare them for the unknown (eg first contact).

As a teenager, worked as a "ramp rat" at an spaceport. Duties included marshalling aircraft/spacecraft in and out of their berths.

Worked for about a year as an officer aboard an emigration ship (like Mayflower or Speedwell, but probably not those exact ships), duties involved helping passengers in and out of hibernation pods. (This was probably before becoming XO on whatever ship she met Carson.)

Has studied mathematics, astronomy, quantum mechanics, chemistry, and likely other subjects of relevance to maintenance and operation of starships.