Date: 28 Aug 2011 04:29 Title: Hunt for a Cure
Possibly the most poignant and disturbing part to me was the absolute callousness of the mind of the Vorta here. I tried to remind myself that Vorta are not allowed the same free will that a normal being has, but it still made me feel like I needed to take a shower, being in that foul mind of his.
You make the FNS seem almost as callous, especially bringing them in right after portraying that Vorta. I don't know...I'm not sure I'm completely comfortable with the angle it takes there. Total lies aren't good. But I'm not sure I agree that total openness is the right solution, either.
And then...oh, boy, the horrors of hemorrhagic fever. You definitely got that from the playbook of Earth's worst diseases. Even the Black Plague is thought by some to have gone into a similar form when it hit Europe during the worst outbreaks. And of course anyone who has read The Hot Zone is going to go straight for Ebola, seeing that.
I am *also* chilled by the description of the Vulcans administering a Logic Test and pretty much putting a stamp on a person's forehead with that, to make them "failing people." I wonder if they have created a social underclass in this manner, with Vulcans who score low only able to perform menial labor? I wonder how many such people flee Vulcan? How many become v'tosh ka'tur out of disgust at being treated that way because of a legitimate difference in their nature?
Overall, I'd say callousness is the running theme here, in a lot of different ways.
There are a few areas I had a bit of trouble with. There are a few people whose species I did not quite identify, for some reason. Was Kalileia supposed to be Vulcan? Also, what about Rosarev? Was he human, Andorian, or a hybrid?
For some reason I can't quite put my finger on, the time jumps also did not work for me. Now that I read it again, I think it may be that your lead character is not showing a whole lot of psychological effects from the passage of time. I don't know if you've ever read Uhura's Song, one of the old Trek novels, but that's a book where even though you get only a few looks at the plague world, you can really see the progression despite the time jumps.
The final thing...I think the ending could perhaps have used a little more punch. I think you're dead-on accurate with the feeling that a doctor would have--which is indeed a feeling of inadequacy compared to the size of the crisis, and the tragedy of all the lives lost before the cure was found--but I think that maybe instead of going with the slightly cliched final line, you may have done better with either something different being said, or simply allowing the doctor's body language to convey the entire message.
I would certainly like to see T'Laina again, though. I wonder, after having been stigmatized as she has her entire life for being physically andmentally different, what she might do with her life after being the one to save the Vulcan race? Could she force Vulcans to re-evaluate the worth of people such as herself? Or might she begin a new life elsewhere? She is a character with a lot of questions and a lot of possibilities. :-)
Author's Response: Yeah, I'm definitely trying to make Cerrein my least likable Vorta, the one who believes every decision he makes is the right one for the greater glory of the Dominion. I would suggest you read my story "Extermination" for a bit more insight, but I should warn you that he takes his callousness up to eleven in that one. With the FNS, I tried to make it function as much as a news agency would in a time of war. I'm not sure if the New York Times reported on the sheer horror seen on Iwo Jima and Okinawa, just that our troops were winning. I agree that total lies are not good (such as seen in Axis propaganda), but yes, in war sometimes it's a necessary evil to slightly restrict information. You've read The Hot Zone too? That was one of the most chilling books I've read. As for the Vulcan Logic test, I drew some inspiration from how we have IQ tests and SAT scores to rate us. It wasn't entirely my intention to suggest that the Vulcans have an underclass for those who don't do well, but then again they refused to believe time travel is impossible just because the Science Directory said so. Plus, in the 2009 film, they were racist to Spock for being half-human. Interesting little race they are. Thanks for your feedback, Nerys. I have quite a bit to consider. :)
[Report This]Date: 23 Aug 2011 22:25 Title: Hunt for a Cure
I like how most of the story is a graphic portrayal of people suffering and dying on such a massive scale. The resolution needn't always involve some creative solution, but it still works.
[Report This]Date: 21 Aug 2011 17:23 Title: Hunt for a Cure
An interesting story, and one where the Jem’Hadar’s use of a bioweapon was very believable.
In the classic DS9 universe, Section 31 developed a morphogenic virus designed to kill the founders. For the rest of the series we are then asked to believe that the founders would not respond in kind, with bio-weapons of their own. I think it unlikely that they would not.
As heinous as the Jem’Hadar’s attack on the Vulcan colony was, it is the more likely kind of response we would expect to see from the Jem’Hadar, especially as their hold in the Alpha Quadrant became increasingly more tenuous.
Your story contained many tense moments, but was balanced with touching moments, too. I really felt for the dying Vulcan, who wanted no more than to say one last time that he loved his wife. In that moment, love triumphed over Vulcan logic.
Thank you for the enjoyable story, Jean-Luc.
Date: 21 Aug 2011 13:41 Title: Hunt for a Cure
Two particular aspects to this story that I liked are the hints of propaganda and censorship in the Federation, and the use of bio-weapons. The censorship/propaganda angle is interesting to use as all powers are inclined to use it to some degree as what they see a necessity to conducting war. Here we see that maybe the censorship/propaganda is not overly overt but by bit and bit it can be effective.
I also liked the use of the bio-weapon. The reason being that we know the Dominion used the likes before and of course had sophisticated knowledge of genetics. Given that DS9 made a point of making the Dominion a super bad with so many different angles that made them superior in strength to the Federation/Starfleet it was sad to see how badly they dropped the ball in making the Dominion a real threat in the Alpha Quadrant after hyping them up so much. The changelings hiding within Starfleet, the super weapons, the shrouding Jem'Hadar, their genetic bio-weapon war fare. So it remains for fanfics to pick up the ball dropped by the writers. Well done for exploring it and for showing that the cure came from a particular and unusual source.
[Report This]Date: 21 Aug 2011 00:03 Title: Hunt for a Cure
I like tha T'Laina is anything but a "perfect" Vulcan. She's emotional, she scores low on their test (a Vulcan quantifying how logical someone is ... how ... logical) and is an unexpected sight to both the doctor and the reader. Also nicely captured the sense of urgency - you better cure these people, 'cause this is a potential species killer.
Date: 20 Aug 2011 02:47 Title: Hunt for a Cure
Interesting piece, JLP. I particularly liked the references to 'propaganda' regarding the severity of the situation, and the fact that most of Erich's fottage would probably not be used.
Couldn't help but feel for the doctor at the end. It must always be difficult for a medical professional to face things when they aren't able to facilitate a treatment or cure as quickly or as effectively as they'd like.
Author's Response: I've always felt that with vast battles, the public can often be "eh, whatever", but when it gets to the local level, where you actually see the faces of people dying, then it becomes heart wrenching. Thank you so much for your feedback! :)
Date: 19 Aug 2011 05:48 Title: Hunt for a Cure
I can't help but wonder if her not fully logical and not fully Vulcan mind (I assume that the rating of 63 is not something one is proud of) was the reason why she was immune to the virus. Or perhaps both matters were connected and a result of some particular chemical (im)balance in her body.
A good story :)