| Brandy Bates | |
| Fictional Character | |
| 1632 series POD: May, 1631 | |
| Appearance(s): | Grantville Gazette II Grantville Gazette IV Grantville Gazette XVII 1636: The Kremlin Games 1637: The Volga Rules |
| Type of Appearance: | Direct |
| Nationality: | United States of Europe (formerly United States) |
| Date of Birth: | 1980 |
| Occupation: | Waitress, later researcher |
| Parents: | Vernon Bates, Donna Bates (d. 1633) |
| Spouse: | Vladimir Gorchakov |
| Children: | Mikhail Gorchakov |
| Relatives: | Marlene Bates (cousin), Jabe McDougal (cousin), Wilda Bates (aunt) |
Brandy Bates was a citizen of Grantville, and like most of the town, was sent back to the year 1631.
She had dropped out of high school a few months before graduation. She had started hanging out with her less-than-successful cousin, Marlene, and started working at the 250 Club. When Bernie Zeppi turned to drink after the Ring of Fire, she was one of the few people he managed not to alienate.
Brandy's change in attitude concerned her childhood friend Blake Haggerty, who had become a Military Police officer after the Ring of Fire. When he attempted to steer her off her path in August of 1632, Brandy haughtily refused, but in truth, she'd grown to hate working at the 250 Club, and his words stuck with her.
That same day, during a shift at the 250 Club, Brandy was briefly sexually harassed by one of the patrons, Freddie Congden, and responded by dumping a mug of beer over his head. Her boss, Ken Beasley, was far more upset about her response than Congden's behavior, suggesting she treat Congden's actions as as a joke and reminding her that the the customers should be well-treated. When Beasley said that he ought to fire her, Brandy quit, after which Beasley taunted her by reminding her that there were few other positions available to a high school drop out. Defeated, Brandy returned home where she emotionally broke down at having a downside life.
In the aftermath of the previous night's events, Brandy's mother Donna encouraged her to apply for a GED. While Brandy initially failed to get her GED, she did show exceptional skill in the language arts portion of the test. Based on this, Jessica Whitney arranged for the Grantville Research Center to hire Brandy.
While working at the Research Center, she became acquainted with Vladimir Gorchakov, who she had briefly met when he delivered a letter his sister had written to her. He often hired her to do research for him, but their relationship quickly moved from professional to personal, and they started dating. They were married on July 17, 1634.