Date: 06 Jan 2014 20:02 Title: The Ups and Downs of a Getaway
You sure know how to write a chase scene. And a Chase scene. See what I did there? Get it? ::coughs, looks around innocently::
That was an adrenaline-fueled thrill ride of an escape. Dale went right into the fire on his first trip! It was bound to happen with Tabatha in charge, I suppose.
I finally read the last chapter of this after just reading Bounty Hunter, which had a similar adventurous, gritty feel but was much, much darker. I have to say the fun loving Tabatha and her banter with her crew was a nice relief after watching Beks's crew be slaughtered.
Date: 28 Jun 2013 01:32 Title: Uninvited Guests
Uh oh, Dale!
"That's the thing with Vulcans you only ever want to speak dirty every seven years."
This cracked me up. And good on her for being perceptive. I love all the interactions here between Tabatha and Ajshae. Two strong women already at odds, and yet useful to one another.
This is good stuff. Onward!
Date: 11 Jun 2013 06:31 Title: The Ups and Downs of a Getaway
I love this story! Tabatha is a real character!
Date: 02 Jun 2013 11:26 Title: A Preposterous Prospector
Oh Dale Garrow, you fool, why do I have a feeling you will come to regret signing up with this crew?
Well, one thing is for sure, this won't be anything like serving on a Starfleet ship, Captain Chase will make sure of that.
If she commands this ship the way she carries out her business activities, there's bound to be trouble. And likely, not a boring minute.
Loved her introduction, by the way. Puts ol' Lawxana Troi to shame.
Date: 02 Jun 2013 03:21 Title: A Preposterous Prospector
Auspicious and action-packed! It was reminiscent of a lot of Indiana Jones, and I thought of Tabitha as Karen Allen, cigar-chomping all the way.
Marvelous and fun; another story on my - get back to this as I can - list.
Date: 29 May 2013 00:29 Title: The Ups and Downs of a Getaway
And so concludes the first adventure of the Rhapsody Rabbit Gavilan and what a first adventure it was! This chapter was action at its finest, not a moment really to catch my breath, which I much enjoyed. First, WOW, what a rescue. Heart pounding, mind tingling it was and it was full of ups and downs (literally) poor Dale seemed to be overwhelmed for most of it but he managed to make it in the end, limping his way across the finish line and just avoiding death, not once but a few times! Tabatha did tell him it was an adventure and what and adventure it was.
Bora came through in the clutch here, showing some steadfastness in a battle situation. I didn’t know what to make of the who “fishing” thing but it was meant quite literally by Tabatha and was understandable a frightening experience for Dale. The scientists proved themselves way more capable than I would have given them credit for in the beginning and those pesky Klingons did in fact try to knock the ship and crew down, but we deftly avoided.
With the heart pounding escape and the jump out into space, now the old girl is out among the stars. I wish for the next installment now. Like, right now. Well done, MF, and a joy this was to read.
Date: 28 May 2013 21:28 Title: Uninvited Guests
Oh snap! The cargo arrived in a tense standoff between Tabatha and its handler (who was all too smug and got rightly put in his place by Tabatha). Everyone seemed ready to shoot at one another but luckily cooler heads prevailed. Nes is indeed a grouch but he’s lovable, much like the rest of this crew. The real shining character reveal here was Hex.
I thought he was just kinda comic relief but the guy is clearly suffering and has Tabatha’s genuine sympathies, even if he’s still damned good at his job. It was that exchange between Hex, Dale, and Tabatha in the engineering section that the highlight for me in this chapter. I really liked that quieter moment between the three. Tabatha’s jubilant, chatty self went away for that briefest of times so we could get a glimpse at her true feelings before she resumed her usually MO.
Things got sketchy when those guests showed up. A Vulcan and Cardassian heading into space with them? Hmmm. Seems like they’ve arrived at a very opportune time and I’m with Bora here, it seems the latinum is blinding Tabatha to their potential trouble.
And that trouble came a knocking in the form of a tank. A very big tank. What’s going to happen to Dale, who’s fallen into the sandstorm below? How did the guest know his name? What’s the tank really shooting for?
I shall read further to find out.
Date: 28 May 2013 20:45 Title: Welcome Aboard the Rhapsody Rabbit Gavilán
Ah, we meet the ship here in stupendous fashion. Here we have the beat up, old, rustbucket of a vessel on the verge of collapse it seems and Dale gets an up close and personal tour of it. Tabatha again comes across as incredibly engaging and her description of the various parts and operation of the ship is grin worthy all around. I loved how, in a paragraph of non-stop amusement, she just basically told Garrow he was the bottom of the pile. There are no ranks but you are dead, dead, dead last on this ship.
Even the crazy Trill outranks you. Ah, Hex, what a likable absent-minded professor type. I adore him already. He has a way with engines and pretty much only engines. You have to admire Tabatha for keeping him around as he seems a couple of screws short. We have Meetra, the sexy Caitian (hey, mine says hello. Love Caitians), whom Dale seems to has eyes for but I suspect it was only because of looks alone. I’m still shipping him with Tabatha. They are my new team.
Bora is right to make sure weapons are working as Klomp and his fellow Klingons are sure to make things tough. You’ve constructed and entertaining crew here with a cast of loveable characters. Looking forward to more.
Date: 28 May 2013 20:15 Title: A Preposterous Prospector
Well, where to begin.
I suppose at the beginning. Dale Garrow. I like this guy already. He’s been thrown out of Starfleet. Seems like a nice fellow but has fallen on hard times. He’s stuck out there, in the middle of nowhere and is down to the last credit he has to his name. You’ve painted his desperate situation pretty well and how crappy everything is around him because, man, it looks pretty crappy this planet. Even the name sounds crappy.
No wonder the Dominion and the other powers left this place alone. The bar scene was just full of atmosphere, the dialogue fast and crisp, and then we meet Tabatha. Oh, Tabatha. Do I have a character who would like to have a verbal joust with you (Danny Scott says hi). Boy, she has quite an introduction, is amazingly cool and coy under pressure, and fights tough. I like Tabatha and I like Dale trying to play the knight in shining armor. He failed. But he tried.
He’s got it bad for her. Attraction at first sight, he admits it himself, and I’m sure he’s not the first male to be sucked into her clutches by that outlandish personality. He’s got to be one of many (she may have an entire collection of them somewhere aboard) but she’s fun, and Bora is her necessary counterbalance. He makes sure she doesn’t get herself killed.
The rest of the crew has yet to be met, but by and large I feel they’ll be just as memorable as the characters we’ve been introduced to here. And, oh my, look out for Klomp. He’s got his sights set on making Tabatha pay and I have no doubt he will try. She took his blade after all (major dishonor) and bested him in a fight (double major dishonor). I expect fireworks for him.
A rip roaring start to this adventure.
Date: 27 May 2013 04:03 Title: The Ups and Downs of a Getaway
OMFG.
That may have been the most intense rescue scene ever. It was INSANITY, man. Genius, and insanity. I was reading leaning forward with wide eyes. Holy shit. I love that Tabatha wouldn't leave Dale there. I love that he's flipping out as he follows, but he does it anyway. The rescue was... was...
Holy shit, that was awesome, Kev. So awesome. Bora catching him. The Rabbit's insane, awesome maneuvers. The dance with the Bird of Prey. This is like, brilliance. When will you write the next?! We still need to know why Ajshae knows his name! And how this cargo mission goes!
Date: 27 May 2013 03:46 Title: Uninvited Guests
So ends Dale's employment?!
This chapter is all about the fascinating twists; first, the completely awesome scene of the Rhapsody Rabbit's crew preparing for what will hopefully not be battle, after a warm and looks to be friendly meal. But then the sudden passengers? Is it me, or did Ajshae and Tabatha have some... sparks flying? And not just the angry kind?
I can only imagine their inclusion on this ship will lead to trouble. It almost HAS to, because nothing ever goes simple in the universe. I do wonder how Ajshae knew Dale's last name, too, but I'm sure it'll come out somewhere.
A ton of fun, this story. Your characters and settings are still leaping off the page in vivid technicolor. I loves it.
Date: 26 May 2013 07:06 Title: Welcome Aboard the Rhapsody Rabbit Gavilán
I pretty much adore this crew already. Hex was blink-worthy. Meetra's adorable, and I can picture the whole thing so clearly. Again with the superb scenery painting, Kev -- it drew out a little long, but it was so easily pictured that it was a treat. I liked Tabatha's safety lessons, too. Wise girl.
The little details made it -- the rec room, the ropes. Closing the bulkhead access points. The lack of fancy stuff. All of it makes perfect sense for a non-Starfleet vessel, and you've drawn it out beautifully here.
I still like Dale and want him to live. But I have the feeling Tabatha's cabin is no more impressive than the crew's. She strikes me as having a quality that would have made her an amazing, Kirk-like rogue figure in Starfleet.
I'm also wondering still why Dale left. And if he hooks up with Meetra. XD
Date: 26 May 2013 07:00 Title: A Preposterous Prospector
Hm. First things first: I love your scenery painting. And the utter dry wit with which me meet our not-quite-hero Dale. Tabatha has a great name, too. The heat and reddish dust was practically tangible, and I had absolutely no trouble picturing every scene exactly as it played out.
I also laughed at the Star Wars references scattered throughout. I also felt like a bit of Firefly in there, too. I love how Tabatha deals with Klomp, and... well, klomps him. Then the 'hiring' of Dale, and I really like Bora. A sane voice in a roughshod world, I think.
I got a giggle out of Tabatha poking fun at Starfleet's fighting techniques, because dude, she's so right. I wonder, why did Dale leave the service? I imagine the answer might come somewhere down the line.
The mission she got off of Klomp sounds like an inevitable doozy, especially post Dominion War. I can only imagine those phaser turrets might just come in handy there.
The ending is really good, of this chapter; it gives us a hint of what's going on behind Dale's decision to leave. I can only hope he'll be safe and you won't pull a Liseth on him. ;)
Date: 10 Jul 2012 06:46 Title: Welcome Aboard the Rhapsody Rabbit Gavilán
Yay for adventure! Looking forward to seeing what kind of trouble they get up to, since, as Bora pointed out, trouble tends to find Tabatha.
Hex is an interesting character. I hope we get to see more of him. A slightly batty Trill engineer? Fun! I'm also wondering if Dale is the pine-from-afar type or the go-getter type when it comes to women (or lady felinoids). I guess we'll see! Good stuff. :)
Date: 10 Jul 2012 06:19 Title: A Preposterous Prospector
Quite the exciting turn of events for our man Dale. Tabby Kat (sorry Tabatha, I had to) reminds me of an unholy combination of Mal Reynolds, Jayne Cobb, Neelix, and Lwaxana Troi. I like her. ;-)
I also wanted to say that this bit of description: "He slapped into the wall and seemed to stick to it for a fraction of a second before gravity paid him a reminder of more laws of physics and pulled him to the floor in a resounding smack." was just great.
Onward!
[Report This]Date: 09 Sep 2011 04:08 Title: A Preposterous Prospector
Very nice description of the bar and planet at the beginning; I could feel the dust, the lawlessness, and the sense that it was an out-of-the-way location within the Federation, important only to those who had occasion to be there. It very effectively set the tone for what was to follow.
Reading the ensuing fight scene in the bar, which introduced the reader to Tabatha – quite an interesting character; can’t wait to learn more about her – it seemed like a scene right out of ‘Firefly.’ I get the impression that the crew of the Rhapsody Rabbit will be much like that of Serenity – willing to risk getting into scrapes and tight spots if the money’s good enough. ;-)
The comments about Dale’s ‘fleet fighting style made me laugh out loud, and brought images of one James Kirk – minus the screaming, of course, ;-) – instantly to mind.
So, Dale’s been commandeered as ‘grunt’ to serve under Captain Tabatha Katherine Chase; can’t wait to see where this goes next. :D