I tip my hat to you, sir! You are the undisputed master of writing battle sequences. Very taut and fluid with just the right amount of cutting-edge technology mixed with dizzying maneuvers and seat-of-the pants tactics. Sandhurst's meeting with Kincaid, while a key element to the story, seems almost like an aside to the battle-dance between the Maquis and Federation ships. Nice cliff-hanger, too, as more Maquis ships head inbound. I'm pleased that T'Ser isn't finding her new billet boring. ;-)

Author's Response:

Many thanks!  Yeah, Sandhurst may have bit off a bit more than he was prepared to chew, under the circumstances.  He wouldn't be the first person to underestimate the Maquis.  And as for T'Ser, she may rest assured that a posting aboard Gibraltar might be many things... but boring won't be one of them.  ;-)

About time this gets another chapter.

The battle is afoot and for a brief moment it looked as if Gibraltar & friends would have an easy victory for once. Then the universe remembered the absurdity of such an idea and promptly changed the odds.

And look at Sandhurst flexing his rarely used diplomatic muscles. To everyone's surprise, the sly fox has already hammered out half of a deal to ensure an independent Maquis state. Now the question is, will the Federation play ball, too.

And then there is Pava and the SMT's. They were a bit heavy on the catch phrases and pre-mission rituals here for my tastes but you can't argue with their effectiveness.

Outstanding, as always.

Author's Response:

Thanks for the review, CeJay!  Yeah, the SMT's are full of machismo swagger, but that comes with the territory in their line of work.  As for Sandhurst, he's playing things pretty close to the vest here, but given that this is him... things could conceivably unravel and go sideways any second.