[Report This]Date: 27 Jul 2020 18:56 Title: 5 - Agamemnon, 2372
I was about to say it appears Maya is helming a menagerie worth of the name U.S.S. Ark. That was before I met the wildcat - Love it!
I can't help hearing some Kate Mulgrew in her dialogue and was wondering whom you would cast in the role.
Thanks!! rbs
Author's Response: I'm sure there is a bit of Janeway in Donners. After all, she was the first full-time female starship captain we got to see in Trek and I was always very fond of her. I don't generally cast my stories. I don't really prescribe to the notion of assigning known actors' faces and all that comes with that to my characters. Rather, I'd love to imagine completely fresh and unknown faces that could uniquely inhabit these characters.
[Report This]Date: 27 Jul 2020 18:14 Title: 4 - Agamemnon, 2372
Totally original series humor (except for the gagh) - a nice breather from the doom and gloom of the first few chapters. I always enjoy character development interludes like this - they tend to be the first thing dropped from movie and tv scripts and neglected by fanfic writers.
Glad you included this one.
Thanks!! rbs
Author's Response: I'm not going to lie, my writing focus tends to be the bigger story but I also love little character interludes and here it actually serves one of the minor plots running through this book. Glad you enjoyed it.
[Report This]Date: 24 Jul 2020 17:00 Title: 3 - The Beta Quadrant, One Hundred and Five Years Later
Ohh - one of those ultra-rare avians.. Actually, I've not encountered them anywhere in Star Trek except a reference to an extinct species of Xendi on Star Trek Enterprise. Good pick for a security chief.
And an andorian marine - another interesting choice. I appreciate your ability to tell us what Sh'Fane is thinking without telling us what she is thinking. One of the big challenges of character development and plot exposition is to minimize internal dialogue.
I'm interested in where she picked up her forest skills from. Hoping to see more of this character.
Thanks!! rbs
Author's Response: Meriab is actually an Aurelian who were seen in the Animated Series, but yeah, I don't think they have appeared anywhere else since.
[Report This]Date: 23 Jul 2020 15:51 Title: 2 - The Beta Quadrant, Three Years Later
Classic Trek. This could be a scene out of the original series complete with an obnoxious civilian scientist, mysterious shock wave, airborne crew members, exploding terminals and something murky in romulan space.
Very crisp visuals - Thanks!! rbs
Author's Response: Thanks. I really wanted to catch the TOS vibe as much as possible with this story.
[Report This]Date: 23 Jul 2020 14:22 Title: 1 - The Delta Quadrant, 2264 Old Earth Calendar
Religious insects!!! An apocalypic religion complete with skeptics and true believers! What's not to love?
This is a really creative open and a society with a sense of a deep background and history.
And it looks a lot like they just snuffed themselves out. Yeah - I think I'm going to like this one a lot...
Thanks!! rbs
Author's Response: First of all, really appreciate how you are making your way through my stories. That's really cool. This is certainly one of my favorites since I got a chance to play with a very different set of characters. I also wrote a ton of backstory to this which feeds into this prologue and the history of the Xenarth. A great deal of that backstory never even made it into the story.
Date: 30 Dec 2019 00:52 Title: 18 - Agamemnon, 2372
I dunno, I think I'm kinda relieved Maya went that route. I think that the original call to force a captain to say nothing at all to her crew was pretty awful, in terms of just what that would do to her AND them psychologically. I mean, it could still back fire, but I can sincerely hope that they won't.
I love the crew reactions to Omega. And the invocation of something much like the stalemate of the nuclear powers on this world. “Until your enemies get their hands on it,” said Sh’Fane who sat at the opposite side of the room, no doubt on purpose. “Then what you get is a war of attrition with collateral damage in epic proportions.” That and the next line. It creates a cold war. The thing is, though, that you always have to take into account the real extremists there.
Oof, to Daystrom trying to steamroll in there. I mean, I get why he is, but this is already messy enough as a situation.
Daystrom was clearly not satisfied with his response. “We can at least try,” he said. “If we all just give up before even attempting to change the wrongs of the galaxy then nothing will ever change.” He has a point. Things change when people rise up. Usually, it's not in socially acceptable ways; it's the Stonewall riots, it's NoDAPL, it's rioting and anger. The French Revolution. Sometimes it works, sometimes it's bloody and ends with power tightening its first, but it almost always is violence. I think he's a bit short sighted in terms of who organizes and institutes change. People in power never want to give up an inch of it.
Oh man, a red alert in this situation cannot be good.
Wow, poor Maya. This whole situation is absolutely awful. I have a feeling she'll find her way through it, but I sure do feel for her. Great work, CeJay! (And sorry for the slowness, holidays and distractions being what they are.)
Author's Response: Hey, no worries. I'm just really excited that you are sticking with this story and finding time to review it to boot.
Daystrom clearly is on a quest here. He might be a little overdramatic, it certainly doesn't quite compare IMO to some of causes you've listed, but it's clear that this hits very close to home to him and that's enough to convince him to make a stand.
Date: 16 Dec 2019 04:21 Title: 17 - Lexington, 2267
Ketteract is just so, so in need to ear-boxing. Just slap him around the Lexington's bridge two dozen times, teach him a damn lesson or two about not being such an overwhelming jerk. Oi. But man, Wesley was just awesome on this from front to back; yeah, he kinda stuck his foot in it -- which is endearingly human! -- but he also 'read the room' as it were and met Quelphi on her own terms? What with the being bullish back at her like that. That's super cool.
The not-a-bluff bluff was good, too. Nice pair of brass ones there! And also really appreciated the more discriminatory comments being called out and dealt with like that.
Author's Response: Yeah, this is a younger Federation and Starfleet, not as used to interacting with non-humanoids than those serving a hundred years later, so sometimes things slipped out that shouldn't. Wesley, of course, has no patience for that. Thanks for the continued reviews!
Date: 15 Dec 2019 04:01 Title: 16 - Khazara, 2372
Ohhhhhhh boy. Another player enters the field. O.O Can't say I blame Toreth for being anxious about that! This definitely ups the stakes, doesn't it? You have Maya, the Omega particle, the Xenarth, the past with the Lexington and now you've got the smeggin' Romulans. So many moving parts, it won't take much to gum up the works, will it?
Some had speculated that the Senate had felt that he could do less damage to the Empire as a flag officer on Romulus than in command of a warbird patrolling the Neutral Zone. HA! I admit it, I laughed. I probably shouldn't, but that is just the kind of backstabbing political shenanigans that remind me too much of our world.
And OMG, Klestra. And Toreth. This is so bad. I'm scared for Maya and her crew right now. Holy smokes. I'm not even sure what to say, because I'm still boggling about how this is all playing out!
Author's Response: Just to introduce a bit of a complication for our rookie starship captain. Not enough that she has to deal with the most powerful, most destructive force in the galaxy, now it's the Romulans as well. We'll see if she lives us to the challenge.
Date: 13 Dec 2019 22:20 Title: 15 - Agamemnon, 2372
Oh sheesh, this is all about conflict here. I like how Maya set Mer'iab and Sh'Fane up, though. Like damn, nailed them both to the wall and make them very aware she doesn't want to take any more crap from either of them. Some good captaining there. I can feel for her not wanting to use threats, but those two really are pushing the limits and there's only so far you can really bank on the newness of the situation making that more forgivable.
Texx is so cool. I just can't with him. I can understand where Tess is coming from, having once been young and gotten a bone in my teeth I didn't want to quit worrying at, but again, there needs to be some level of 'let it go already' with the crew. She seems obsessed with somehow making DeSoto pay for something that was just as much her fault. And Texx handles her well, here, I think. Though time will have to tell as to how well.
Author's Response: Yeah, enough is enough and Maya is ready to put down the law on these two. We have to remember that, although she has experience as a command officer, this is her first stint as a captain, and we'll have to see how successful her strategy is here.
Thank you for the ongoing reviews, really excited that you're enjoying this story and love reading your awesome feedback.
Date: 13 Dec 2019 22:14 Title: 14 - Agamemnon, 2372
Damn, Mer'aib, getting a move on there! LOL! I like Maya's answer there, what with being captain and knowing things that the crew does not. I don't blame him for not liking it himself, but it makes sense. And I also like that she commiserates with his position there, too; marks of a good captain, being able to empathize with her crew, especially when she secretly agrees.
And then oh, crud, Sh'Fane gets involved. -facepalms- Man, I don't blame Maya for being annoyed as hell, because that is some very unprofessional behavior there out of the two of them. I'm glad she swats them down and pushed them off to the side for the moment, especially as what's going to come cannot be anything easy to deal with.
Clever of her to have Chen involved, too. It would definitely put an insectoid at ease to see that the Federation has more like her there. The meeting between Chen and Ket is oddly sweet? And fascinating, too. I hope they do get a chance to meet again.
Ooh, boy, I'm looking forward to seeing what goes down with the Lexington, too. You're really awesome at plot-weaving, guy. I'm impressed by how you have these two concurrent arcs that take place so far apart chronologically, but parallel one another to some degree in the narrative. I'm kinda worried for Ket's species, at this point, 'cause it seems like they are doomed to repeat some mistakes themselves.
Oh Maya. I hope you're not setting yourself up for a bruising or worse here. Great chapter!
Author's Response: First Tess and Bobby and now these two. For now, I think, having your chief of security and the marines commander not on the same page is probably a bigger concern for Maya.
We'll definitely see more of Chen and Ket down the road. This was a very interesting dynamic to write since it involves two non-humanoids who may have much in common with each other, but less with other humanoids.
I'm really glad the the two story arcs here are working for you. Re-reading some of it now, years later, I do think some of it feels a little bit clunky. For example, we don't really get a sense here what it is that Amaya already knows about Ket's people, mostly because much of the actual first contact is being told in the Lexington plot line. Overall, though I'm still pleased how it all worked out in the end.
Date: 10 Dec 2019 17:27 Title: 13 - Lexington, 2267
Sheesh, this opens to a hell of a briefing. Love the reveal of the 'new' city on the surface, but not as much as I love the dialogue through here. There's enough bantering to keep it fun, but it also conveys all the information the reader needs in a very efficient and reader-friendly way, too. Ketteract remains a bit annoying, but G'arv is awesome. LOL! Love the mention of the replicators as future tech.
“I was getting rather bored of advanced and omnipotent beings.” I hear ya, pal!
And this exchange is golden: Vincent aimed a curious look at the first officer, the expression on his face seemingly asking: ‘Is this guy for real?’
‘Don’t even get me started,’ was the Russian’s non-verbal reply.
Wesley's command style continues to be a treat, too. I concur, definitely something to check out. It makes me wonder, almost, if this is somehow related to the Genesis project down the road?
Author's Response: I don't think there's anybody on that ship Ketteract hasn't managed to annoy yet. Before this I had never really written anything in the TOS era and I wanted to make the feel of the Lexington section very distinctly different to those taking place a century later.
Date: 08 Dec 2019 14:55 Title: 12 - Agamemnon, 2372
Oh man, guys, why are you still arguing even in Sickbay? I'm not surprised Bobby feels kinda guilty about it. I wish Tess would own some of her own responsibility in how she really was busy laying into him, though. I mean, yeah, the guy's acting like a jerk sometimes, but this was a pretty important bit of work they were doing and the continued grudge match wasn't exactly good for the operation.
Of course, then Bobby kinda refuses to let things go, too. -facepalms- Guys. Please. Enough.
Loving the descriptions of the bridge there from Maya's point of view. Very easy to visualize and makes plenty of tactical sense, too. "...and was lit by comfortable and glare-free white light." CeJay. CeJay. Did you just take a potshot at NuTrek? Because if you did, I need to buy you a drink should we ever meet up. XD
The light bantering there made me grin. Don't fly into it, indeed. AND THEN THAT HAIL AT THE END! OMG, I'm excited!
Author's Response: Bobby and Tess are a little bit like kids that need to be given a time-out, right? And as we'll find out soon, they're not the only ones not behaving at their best on this ship. Maya has a lot of work cut out for her. Not that she has time for these kind of shenanigans with what else is waiting in store.
Date: 06 Dec 2019 23:57 Title: 11 - Agamemnon, 2372
For once, it actually IS a drill! I like that, you don't get to see that very often. XD And Holly does indeed seem to be very on the ball, which is also delightful. And that interchange between Maya and Texx is, too. Very sweet and kind, and I hope it doesn't get tested in all the worst ways, though this is a very long story so I can't hope too hard. LOL!
Daystrom and his crew seem pretty amazing, if you ask me! Maya's right to praise them for the lateral thinking, too.
OH BOY, YOU GO MAYA. The fact Daystrom's already familiar with it. O.O I didn't expect that! I probably should have! I can understand his anger about it; like, I can see Starfleet's point, but they kinda remind me of the late Jedi Order in their stringency here. OTOH, I can also definitely see Daystrom's issue. I like that Maya listens and hears him out properly, and I also like the callback to the Eugencis Wars.
But I especially love that he agrees to support her. I hope he keeps doing. Great work!
Author's Response: See, Texx isn't just a frivolous womanizer after all.
And Daystrom has some major unresolved issues in his past. And I agree that they are not entirely his own fault. We'll have to see how true he can remain to his promise to his captain as this story unfolds.
Date: 06 Dec 2019 07:46 Title: 10 - Agamemnon, 2372
It's always a sticky situation when you've got telepaths. I mean, it's absolutely important they have that code of ethics in place, but you almost have to take their word on it every time. Then again, if you can't trust your comrades in arms, who can you trust? Even so, I know I'd probably be paranoid, but considering the surveillance of this world we're in, it's also probably more warranted than it would be by that time.
It wasn’t as subtle as Betazoid empathy and while not exactly painful either, it made it difficult for Ullians to read somebody’s mind secretly. Well, that's good to know! Whew!
The callback to the Lexington is definitely a sweet moment. I smiled, for sure. I hope she finds something there that helps her with this unfair burden that's been put on her shoulders.
And now, oh gosh, poor Allenby. And oh, man, this is not the time for these two to be bickering! Guys! You're Starfleet, this isn't Red Dwarf. You can't get away with that kinda thing. LOL!
Of course, then it leads to bad things happening. I mean, they should have seen that coming, honestly. -shakes head- Well, at least it wasn't a fatal mistake, though poor Tess probably feels pretty awful and I bet DeSoto does, too.
Author's Response: You have to think that it must be hard being a telepath sometime. Here you are, having these kind of abilities and probably a constant temptation to glimpse into other people's head, but to build trust, not to mention to be a decent being, you gotta restrain yourself. I imagine their training and disciple is not unlike those of Vulcans, and they spend a lifetime working on controlling their powers.
As for the DeSoto and Allenby saga, I mostly blame DeSoto who clearly lacks maturity. Allenby, perhaps, is trying a tad too hard to present herself as his exact opposite, making her an inviting target.
Date: 05 Dec 2019 21:25 Title: 9 - Lexington, 2267
Ketteract really is like a lamb to the slaughter sometimes, isn't he? LOL! And about to get a pissed off Russian bear on his ass. Thankfully Zha'Thara intercedes before that can happen. I appreciate her trying to urge him out of the seat, but I do like how she just slipped that knife -- “I am not a child anymore, Doctor, and I don’t share my toys.” -- right in. Made me laugh.
He kinda sticks his foot in it again telling her she wouldn't appreciate what he's found; she's definitely taking that better than I would!
Oh boy, I think we just stumbled across our lost civilization? Or-- displaced one, anyway? I'm reading on the edge of my seat again. XD I like that Wesley took the diplomacy route there; smart thinking, that. And then backed off to test the theory. This is some pretty fantastic stuff; it's like a great Trek mystery novel!
Author's Response: You can make the argument that Zha'thara shows remarkable restraint with Ketteract. I don't think she's telling him what she really things of him either. I'm a firm believer that a good Trek story needs a bit of mystery which is deepened here somewhat by the dual plot lines separated by a century. And yes, Wesley clearly is not Jim Kirk who regularly displayed a bravado which bordered on recklessness.
Date: 04 Dec 2019 07:39 Title: 8 - Agamemnon, 2372
I really like Texx's background. (And name!) And attitude! It's nice to see an XO who can be laid back and still competent. It can't all be balls-to-the-wall all the time, or you'll probably have a ship-- kinda like McGregor's, actually. LOL! Also, it's interesting to see Sh'Fane trying to figure out a place; their whole interchange about her using the tactical station maybe-without-permission is fun reading. I dunno if Texx is flirting or not, there!
At that she did look up. “Marines do not feud, sir.” Uh huh. Sure. Buyin' that!
Oh God, he IS flirting! Kind of a cad there, too. I don't blame her for locking his heels on the issue, though it does seem like he's relatively benevolent about it. I'd like to think by that century, sexual harassment is something long, long in the past.
Oh crap. Things just went cock-eyed before any more attempts at flirtation could come about. o.O Looks like a computer virus, initially. Which is kinda scary, when you have a whole, expensive, giant ship that's all networked together like that. --Wait, it's a directive?? The plot just thickened quite a bit, didn't it? It's kind of unnerving when a hidden command can take over your ship, though I can see the point of a failsafe like that. Still, poor Donners. That's quite a way to get woken up.
“The end of the universe as we know it?” she said with a smirk. I love her.
And geez, what a cruel trick to pull on her there, Glover. Like, obviously he's empathizing with her about it, but still. How the hell can she be expected to deal with this when she can't even tell the people she's dealing with it with? She's gonna seem like a mad captain, through no fault of her own.
Gripping stuff, CeJay.
Author's Response: Yeah, Texx is definitely skirting the line of appropriate behavior dealing with a subordinate. I like to think that although he is playful and definitely a flirt, he understands where the line is and wouldn't cross it. Even if Sh'fane probably feels like he already did.
You can't really blame Glover for the orders. He's following the Omega Directive which was first introduced in Voyager. It's a bit of questionable directive and we'll see how much it will get tested in the course of this story.
Thanks for the awesome review.
Date: 03 Dec 2019 19:29 Title: 7 - Agamemnon, 2372
I'm thoroughly amused and kind of touched that people still worry about dying their hair! And that it's a mark in Holly's favor that he doesn't, because he's not vain about things. Also love the mention of the Border Service, and his reply about what her father must have said. LOL! That definitely fits.
The discussion about respecting the NCOs is also excellent. Very parallel to how you'd want a semi-military organization to run, I think. "There’s nothing like a good challenge to get you out of bed in the morning." Indeed!
It's damn nice to see mental health get acknowledged and a counselor being treated as an asset. I think that it's probably easy, especially if you've had bad therapy experiences or heard tell of them, to broad-brush the entire profession. And there are bad counselors out there! But there are also people who are, indeed, invaluable. And mental health is super important; Trek never did a very good job with that in canon, honestly. So, it's nice seeing someone tackle it better.
“I’m the counselor here. Leave the psychological buzzwords to me. That’s what I get paid for.” HA! Excellent.
I like that they kinda hash that out a bit there. Responsibility and attachment. Good stuff!
Author's Response: I hear you on the bad rep counselors tend to get. Part of that may have been due to the overly sensitive nature of Troi on TNG, especially in the early days of the series. There can be a lot of humor in dismissing your counselor, but I tried to go into a different direction here on purpose and make him an integral part of Donners' command staff and an important and valuable asset which is particularly significant, I think, for a rookie starship captain.
Date: 02 Dec 2019 21:05 Title: 6 - Lexington, 2267
Ooof. I love the kinetic way you open this chapter. I could see Wesley poised, giving commands, and all but feel that shiver through the deckplates at deceleration. Excellent scene-setting there. AND SANDBANK! What a fantastic description! Because man, anyone who's ever been on a boat or even swimming knows exactly what that sudden drag feels like.
I also love that Wesley's intuition to slow down and raise deflectors was absolutely on the money, too. Like yes, man, listen to those instincts, the same kinds of which probably saved many a sailor back in the days of wood and canvas.
A tellerite as a Chief Engineer is inspired stuff, but I can also imagine that gets exhausting on occasion, too. XD And oh, man, the plot thickens. Loving this so far!
Author's Response: In the last chapter we saw a captain trying to get her bearings as a commander of a starship and in Wesley we really see the opposite, a man who is so completely in tune with his crew and his mission, he has developed instincts which border on the supernatural. Alas I cannot take credit for the ChEng or, in fact, any of the Lexington characters. They're creations of my talented fellow UT writer David Falkayn.
Date: 01 Dec 2019 04:51 Title: 5 - Agamemnon, 2372
Because, put simply, it was the greatest feeling in the world. I can hear that, Donners. LOL! This is a monster sized chapter, too! So, I'll do my best to hit all the high points and such. XD I also like that she's aware of the feelings of other commanding officers and is taking those into account in how she conducts herself, too. And MICHAEL! Nice seeing his name, gotta admit. XD
She was however, Maya had found, a little clueless when it came to social interactions with the crew. I can empathize with that! Nothing like culture shock. Still, Ssestar-Rass sounds pretty on the ball and I look forward to seeing her in action.
Once an engineer, always an engineer. How true is that! Also like the callback to warp travel possibly damaging subspace, too; fantastic little bit there. Also love the whole cultural dissonance going on there; how the non-humanoids have to band together in order to try to make sense of us. No small feat!
Ha! I love the rehash of the simulation from earlier, too. Sh'Fane is kind of sticking a foot in it, but it seems Mer'iab is holding his own there, too. Their arguments and counterarguments about what their duties are to be make for good reading, as well; they both make sense, which means it's time for someone else to break the stalemate. I think Donners did a fine job with that.
Daystrom kinda dodges her asking if he's all right. Like just blows right by it. I'm glad she kept pushing on him to open up a bit, because that kind of stoicism isn't actually good for the body. (And I write a lot of stoics and struggle with it myself, so I should know!) And she said the right things, too! Definitely good captain material! Not over yet, even with good words, but she's right: A good start.
And now back to deal with DeSoto. LOL! Somehow, I think he'd fit right in with Mistral's Shand and Torres, at least at this point. And OMG, a pet le-matya?? That's just too cool! Glad it got Allenby to quit pacing. XD And pfft! Soaked head to toe in hot water sounds perfectly good to me, excuse me! LOL!
Donners has most definitely earned her spiced Klingon coffee, yeah. Well done!
Author's Response: This one was a biggie as Donners makes her rounds to get to know her crew, or at least their myriad of issues. Since I spent most of my fan fiction "career" writing about an already well established set of characters as part of a crew, it was really interesting here to try and explore what it would look like if a newly-minted captain has to deal with one that is far rougher around the edges and which hasn't really learned to play nice with each other yet. It's an ongoing theme in this story for sure.
Date: 30 Nov 2019 16:52 Title: 4 - Agamemnon, 2372
Thoughts as I read:
“You need to lighten up, dude,” he said to the dark-skinned science officer with the serious expression on his face. I love him. First, because he full on admits that he's not all that and probably got some help along the way (nepotism much, Starfleet?) but also because he uses dude here. Also, DAYSTROM. That's a hell of a name to have in Starfleet or anywhere else. And Sses's guilelessness made me smile; our idioms can get pretty wild, when you're trying to understand them from an outside perspective.
Oh my God, DeSoto. Allenby's reaction was funny, but damn. Somehow, I don't see him getting transferred off there, but time will no doubt tell. And Sses owned with the stinger at the end, there.
I adore how all of you UT authors do the whole 'crew interaction' thing. Like-- everyone reads so real and vibrant, it's just inspiring. You lot could easily do this for pay.
Author's Response: Yeah, this is a ship of people with grand pedigrees. Daystrom, of course, and DeSoto is the son of a famous starship captain. Allenby doesn't have a famous lineage but she did serve on the Enterprise-D (she was practically a bridge extra on TNG).
Date: 30 Nov 2019 16:25 Title: 3 - The Beta Quadrant, One Hundred and Five Years Later
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.
Date: 30 Nov 2019 06:44 Title: 2 - The Beta Quadrant, Three Years Later
Thoughts as I read:
As long as he was on his ship surrounded by his crew, the universe could throw at him whatever it felt like. I really like that line. I like the way it's written, of course, but I also like the feeling of it, if that makes sense? Of course, the next line throws some shade, but I still like it. XD
What is it with outside scientists sticking their feet in their mouth? LOL! Ketteract seems to be taking notes from several of his predecessors, there. I wouldn't want to piss off the burly Russian either, though.
"...Are you really willing to go back to Starfleet and tell them that you were unable to find the source of these readings because you were too sacred of where it would lead you?” That is a monumentally stupid gauntlet to throw down, guy, just sayin'. Kuznetsov's answer is perfect.
I wonder if this shockwave is related to the one created by the Star Portal somehow? I mean, that's probably an idiot question to ask, but it's the first thing my mind went to. I got a bit of a kick out of Ketteract not knowing to secure himself. Sheesh. Like a lamb to the slaughter there.
Wesley is so cool. Like-- ice water in the man's veins kinda cool. Catching your helmsman mid-flight is an awesome maneuver.
I'm not shocked they have to investigate, even if it means potentially pissing off the Romulans, but I think it's likely to make for an awesome tale anyway. Nicely done!
Author's Response: I admit Ketteract is a bit of a stereotype in this story and if I had to do it all over again, perhaps I would give him a bit more depth. But then again, this is partly a TOS story, so perhaps the one-dimensional scientist fits right in here. It's certainly on brand, I guess.
[Report This]Date: 30 Nov 2019 05:51 Title: 1 - The Delta Quadrant, 2264 Old Earth Calendar
Picking up roughly where I left off. I think. >.> Forgive my long absences?
Anyway, you still know how to nail a line to a wall and make it scream. This one, right off the bat: Until the day they met the Borg. Like-- damn.
I really adore how you have Quelphi and Argia debating what is, essentially, religion. They say there's no atheists in fox-holes, but I tend to think that's where a whole lot of people start second-guessing things. And it's a damn good bit of dialogue, too, just from a writerly standpoint.
Teetering at the cusp of total annihilation, Xenarth Prime had been gripped by blissful euphoria.
::just-- shudders:: Nicely played.
And talk about a punch of an ending. Did they live? Did they all die? Only way to find out, I have a feeling, is to click the 'next' button. Geez, this is good stuff, CeJay. Top quality as always.
Author's Response: Better late than never. No, seriously, awesome that you are getting a chance to catch up on some of this and find time to leave reviews. That's much appreciated.
I'm a bit of a sucker for punchy prologues. Although I don't like comparing my novels to Trek TV episodes (a novel is far longer and more complex, after all), I do like the concept of a good teaser to open things up. There might not be a commercial break after this, but hopefully it'll still make you want to go on and read more.
Thanks for the nice words.
Date: 10 Feb 2013 07:03 Title: 31 - Cuffe, 2372
Wow, I actually winced when Kojo popped off to Glover in the turbolift. She should know better by now, but I guess in her case courage sometimes trumps good sense.
And here the mission is barely underway and already the plan is close to unraveling with the addition of the Romulans to this already delicate equation.
God Speed to Maya and her little army. Fates know they’ll need all the help they can get.
Author's Response: Kojo is a woman used to speak her mind. And apparently she gets away with it most of the time. And, yeah, for Maya this is truly going to be a trial by fire. Hey, it was her decision to lead this mission. Now let's hope she won't live to regret it. Well, let's hope she'll live for starters.
Date: 10 Feb 2013 06:58 Title: 30 - Agamemnon, 2372
Good Lord but Counselor Vej just laid the smack down on Mer’iab!
This is a tenuous mission, to say the least, and Maya getting personally involved in the assault is an unwarranted gamble. Adding such an unnecessary wrinkle to an already dicey operation is just begging for trouble.
Which, I suppose, was entirely Vej's point.
Damn fine character work in these last installments, CeJay! I can't wait to see what kind of sparks fly as this assault gets underway.
Author's Response: Hey, thanks for the feedback. Yeah, Donners call to lead the assault mission is probably not something 'recommended' in the Captain's Handbook. But she's clearly the hands-on type of commanding officer. Some admiral should probably have a word with her about this, if she survives what's coming.