Thoughts as I read:

Man, you don't play around when it comes to crossing vast spaces of time. XD Time and space! Sh'Fane's sneakup on the other marines was hella; for a second there, this seemed like a training exercise, but then that gets turned on its ear right off the bat, but then later it gets UNTURNED on its ear and that whole sequence is just terrific. Wonderful use of the holodeck. And as always, you do a great job with ratcheting up the tension and making me read on the edge of my seat. LOL! Like, I was planning on going line by line and pointing out bits I loved and ended up reading in a gulp.

“I recommend you watch your place, Lieutenant. I am chief of security of this vessel and you and your Marines are merely guests here. I’ve given you a chance to prove to me that you have what it takes to take on more responsibilities and so far you have failed to impress me.” Preach! Also, I love people with wings, you can't go wrong there. Mer’iab takes poor Sh'Fane to the woodshed, but it doesn't feel cruel, just very blunt and matter of fact. It doesn't come across as arrogance so much as earned confidence.

Author's Response: Glad you enjoyed this chapter. Holodecks have, of course, become rather cliched in Trek fiction (and canon) but I think it works since the holodeck aspect isn't the key part to the story being told here which is basically a rivalry between two equally competent individuals.