Jered Hofman is a forensic scientist with specialties in alien anatomy and violent crime, and a member of the investigation team sent to the backwater planet Amaranth to look into some mysterious deaths. Murder is easily solvable crime among Union planets because every citizen has mandatory access to the Weave, a futuristic, taken to the extreme wetware Internet that also tracks and records people’s movements and serves as a communication device, among other uses. As the story opens the team are within minutes of disembarking planet side and are given five minutes to contact and notify family of their mission before their Weave access is temporarily suspended in accordance with Union protocol regarding contact with societies with lesser tech development such as Amaranth’s. Jered contacts Michael and begs for another chance, but whatever Jered did is more than Michael is willing to forgive and firmly ends their relationship. According to writer David Hine, the implication is that Jered had sex with someone outside of their relationship.
Jered is a bit of a misfit in this society and certainly not due to his sexuality. The Union’s Code of Inter-Species Relations states that sexual relations between physically comparable consenting adults are protected. Rather it’s because Jered comes alive when he is confronted with something that underscores the fragile nature of humans, which stands in contrast to how the Weave effects people’s perceptions of and relation to knowledge, intellectual and philosophical curiosity, and socialization in addition to making life seem more calming.
Curiosity is what leads Jered to accept Doll’s offer of sex after she approaches him in the Snake Pit, an appropriately named dive bar. It’s the best sex he’s ever had and that makes knowing about Doll and her life an alluring temptation to which he gives in. This breach nearly ends the nascent relationship until Jered sincerely apologizes and earns her respect. He’s also very pleased that they have conversations about science and recent historical events.
As you might imagine, Jered is very focused on his work. Jered discovered a small strange object during the autopsies he performed on the deceased which is pivotal in discovering the circumstances and reasons behind the deaths.
Jered first appeared and is shown in a relationship with a man in Storm Dogs #1. Read Doll’s profile. Made you curious? You can purchase the Storm Dogs trade on Amazon!
Created by David Hine and Dougie Braithwaite. Art by Braithwaite and Ulises Arreola from Storm Dogs #2.
All rights reserved David Hine and Dougie Braithwaite.