Consider Rachel Gifford, One of My Original Characters
So, who is Rachel Gifford?
The exceptionally wealthy head of one of the biggest robotics companies in the Solar System, Rachel’s got … issues. For one, she’s horribly prejudiced against the relatively newcomer aliens in society, the Obolonks. But she is also running a company which she has no real business (heh) doing so. She’s not a leader. Yet she is thrust into a leadership role all the same.
Her own personal dissatisfaction stems from a number of things (see below), and a lot are of her own making. Yet, being the speciesist that she is, she pins a lot of her troubles on the orange folks who are not human.
You would think that her wealth would isolate her. But money can’t buy her solutions, not really—she wants action.
Where Did Rachel Gifford Come From?
In order to get anywhere, the antagonist had to have access to money. A lot of money, like ridiculous peak Michael Jackson or Tom Cruise or Oprah Winfrey wealth. Money where you can buy a private island or three, if you like.
I also needed a motive for them. Enter Rachel.
The Past is Prologue — Backstory for Rachel Gifford
Just before and during the events of the first Obolonk trilogy, Rachel’s mother, Camille Gifford, starts to exhibit the signs of Lewy Body dementia. I chose this diagnosis after Robin Williams’s suicide and the revelation that he had it. But it also serves a rather specific purpose.
Why? Because it’s a disease with delusions and paranoia, manifesting at the start of its progression. It’s also inheritable.
But back to Camille and Rachel. Rachel’s really just an engineer. But she gets thrust into Camille’s role—CEO—without enough preparation. And with very little desire to be in that role in the first place.
At the same time, she starts to become a victim of cyberbullying. Rachel puts all of this together and to her it spells an attack by Obolonks. With this kind of fuel for her prejudice—which isn’t exactly uncommon during this time period—she decides that the Obolonk people as a whole need to leave, and collectively pay the price for, well, being mean to her, more than anything else.
Do motives have to be highfaluting and complex? Do they need to be proportional to a villain’s reactions and plans?
Of course not.
Description
Mousy and slender, Rachel is a wealthy woman and an engineer/CEO. But she’s still not much for public speaking or the like. So, essentially, she’s the kind of woman in a twinset, sensible flats, and a gray tweed skirt who you might find at a meeting of the Junior League. She’s also someone who can quickly write a check if she decides to endow a hospital wing or college dormitory.
I don’t have an actress analog for her look. But I figure that’s all right. After all, even Nicole Kidman can get a mousy look with the right makeup, posture, lines, and gestures.
So can Jamie Lee Curtis.
Given that Rachel is in her fifties or early sixties, I would be looking for an actress more or less within their age range if I really wanted to discover an analog.
Purpose/Theme/Motivation
In The Obolonk Murders, anti-Obolonk prejudice is widespread enough that Rachel can find plenty of people who are simpatico with her. She is, in some ways, like the equally (if not more) prejudiced Robin McKenna of Time Addicts.
But one of the main differences is that Robin needs someone to bankroll her scheme—Corwin Zachary. But Rachel is wealthy enough that she can run that part of the show all by herself.
Quotes {Peri, Tommy, Lester Norris, and Luke Brody Question Rachel}
“Okay, we’re recording. State your full name for the record.”
“My name is Rachel Elizabeth Gifford.”
“What do you do for a living?”
“I’m the Chief Engineer at Polychron Enterprises. We make robots.”
“Tell us what happened from the beginning,” Norris said.
“A few years ago, every time I got on the grid, I was attacked in cyberspace. It was the worst sorts of flaming and trolling, insulting and cyber bullying.”
“Can you give us specifics?” asked Brody.
“I was called incompetent. They claimed I’d never had an original idea. The same old accusations of stealing technology and blueprints from Perfect Carol, Ltd. resurfaced. Only this time, with new twists.”
“Such as?” asked Tommy.
“They claimed to have intimate knowledge of my mother, Camille Gifford, CEO of the company.”
“What kind of knowledge?” the robot persisted.
“It was about what she was like in bed, if you must know.”
“Oh,” Tommy said softly.
“That was their first mistake. It’s how they made it clear they were orange freaks.”
“Got it,” Luke said. “So, it was about a supposed sexual relationship with an Obolonk?”
“Yes.” Gifford looked down. “My mother, until a few months ago, before she got really sick, was an avid hiker.”
“Sick?” asked Peri.
“Yes, Dorothy. You’ve been underground for a while. The Solar System keeps on spinning, even without you there to watch it,” Gifford cracked.
“Wait—why’d you call her Dorothy?” Luke asked.
Relationships
Rachel Gifford mainly keeps to herself, the poor little rich girl that she is. But she still has some relationships.
Rachel and Camille
Because I see Camille as being the kind of CEO who kept everything close to the vest and wrote nearly nothing down, I see Rachel as resenting this aspect of her mother’s pre-dementia personality. Rachel, understandably, is resentful of Camille’s utter lack of planning for a succession. Even without her diagnosis, Camille was not going to live forever.
But a lot of people do act that way, so I wanted Camille to be like that. And, as a result, Rachel is left holding the bag. And she doesn’t enjoy that one bit.
At the same time, though, Rachel makes no moves to assure her own succession, or to hire someone to help her or become the CEO instead of her. The truth is, a lot of Rachel’s issues are real and they would be problematic to just about anyone. But others are her own damned fault.
Rachel and Ted
Rachel’s not exactly looking for love, or at least some sort of a connection. And, with her wealth, she’d be cautious about a lot of people. But the Reverend Theodore Moore is basically the Jimmy Swaggart of the story. And so, with money coming out of his ears, Ted isn’t a threat to Rachel’s fortune.
It also helps that they bond over their mutual prejudice against Obolonks.
Conflict and Turning Point
Much like in the rest of the story, Rachel’s turning point comes during the characters’ time on Sedna. When her identity and scheme are discovered, she fights back. But Rachel fights dirty.
Continuity/Easter Eggs
She has no continuity with other stories and, if I recall correctly, I don’t mention her in the Time Addicts trilogy. In addition, she is not a part of the prequels to either the Obolonk trilogy or Time Addicts. So, no pun intended, she is a bit unmoored.
Future Plans
Since she did not show up during the Obolonk prequel, I am at a loss as to where I could put her again. And a character like her—resentful of having to be the adult in the room, spoiled, and with a superiority complex—would likely be a lot of fun to really get into writing. Imagine her point of view!
Rachel Gifford: Takeaways
So, what I truly love about this character is that she doesn’t look like she could do anything worse to anyone beyond blackballing them at the local country club. But underestimating Rachel is a very bad idea.
Rachel Gifford — because sometimes it really is the quiet ones.
Want More of Rachel Gifford and the Rest of the Obolonk Universe?
If the story of the Obolonks resonates with you, then check out my other articles about how our society turns tripartite, with humans, robots, and Obolonks.
Character Reviews: The Obolonk Murders
Humans
† Peri Martin
• Greg Shapiro
† Rachel Gifford
Robots
† Tommy 2000
• Selkhet 3000
Obolonks
† TSTITO
Character Reviews: Time Addicts
The Good Guys
• Josie James
† Carmen D’Angelo, MD
• Dalton Farouk
† Tad Lewis
• Cyndi Mendez
† Bobby Brodie
• Keisha Darnell
† Vera Travers
The Bad Guys
• Peter Ray
† Dae Ou Xiang
• Elston Young
† Corwin Zachary
The Obolonk Universe
Self-Reviews: Obolonk Trilogy
• The Obolonk Murders
† Self-Review: The Polymer Beat
• The Badge of Humanity
Self-Reviews: Time Addicts Trilogy
† No One is Safe
• Nothing is Permanent
† Everything is up for Grabs
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