Martin (M. Reynolds the Third) Crane

Main Character: Martin (M. Reynolds the Third) Crane

Age: 18 years old at time of Alouette's Song, 33 at time of Alouette's Dream

Birthdate: unknown

Birthplace: Pinehurst, Idaho, USA

IQ: 125 (This score is deceptive: he's a profoundly gifted lateral thinker, a quality which cannot be measured on an IQ test).

Physical description (at start of story cycle): 6 foot 0 inches tall, Caucasian, curly butter-yellow hair, forest-green eyes, square face, hair to collar, average tan, medium build, weight proportional to height.

Orientation: bisexual male, chaste virgin

Celestial characterization: Uranus.

Religion: Liberal Methodist Christianity

Likes: Building apparatus, especially electrical or mechanical, doesn't like coding but recognizes the necessity of it and puts in the necessary work. Holds an amateur radio license. A lead counselor in Vacation Bible School every summer.

Special Talents: Due to church and family inflences is capable of pure and unconditional love.

Paranormal abilities: none

Relatives: Margaret (wife), Marvin (son), Alouette (daughter), Robert (father), Sylvia (mother)

Advisors: Shiro Higa

Friends: Almost everyone.

Enemies: Marc (the only exception to the "Friends" category)

Occupation: freshman engineering student

M. Reynolds Crane the Third, aka "Martin", is the designated heir to a fortune started generations ago by a brilliant engineer who grew up in the 1930's. His father, "Robert", is determined to provide him a normal childhood so he gets nearly no access to this money, in this manner he is encouraged to save and be thrifty and to not expect luxuries in his life. Robert means to instill further discipline into his son by having the family bodyguard, Shiro, train Martin in karate at least twice a week. Martin is a born builder and he has the basement all to himself for his activities. He is childhood friends with Margie from grade school, and earned her love the moment he defeated a school-yard bully who was just on the verge of molesting her. He goes to the high school prom with Margaret to satisfy what he believes are his parent's expectations of him, but then reveals to her he is homosexually oriented and begs her to keep the secret. She does, and while this cements their friendship it makes her love for him more hopeless than ever.

One day Margie notices something strange in a piece of antique equipment Martin is investigating, a laser designed decades before its time, only to discover the laser's crystal originated from a mine which had not been opened yet when the laser was built. She reasons either herself, Martin, or their descendants had to have created a stable time loop with said crystal. She concludes there is a 1/3 chance she and Martin had descendants, and confronts Martin with both the crystal and these facts.

Martin subconsciously understands he is actually bisexual, although he doesn't believe it at first, but the proof is there and he reacts in the manner Margie always hoped and dreamed for. After they award each other their virginities while making passionate love on the laboratory floor, she reveals her secret of autism, but he declares he loves her no less, dubbing her "Star Child" by way of recogizing her extraordinary insight. Margin and Margaret build a spaceship together, using her theory and his engineering talent, which they and their dearest friends (Rick and Dotty) name the Alouette. The pair marry days before a test cruise to Jupiter, the point where all the adventures begin.

Margie had been on a birth control shot anticipating one day Martin might be someday seducable, but during that trip her shot is compromised by alien fruit she finds irresistable and begins eating out of habit. She becomes pregnant, learning she is carrying twins. After returning to Earth the couple attends Rick and Dotty's wedding, then a few months later Martin gets to see his children born.