Date: 24 Aug 2013 00:50 Title: Reputations -- Enemies
There aren't many admiral who would ever win a popularity contest and even fewer Vulcan ones but Ston is really sitting at the top of the list of the most obtuse flag officers in the fleet. And his seemingly personal vendetta against Ryaenn is anything but logical.
Am already loving the idea that Ryaenn and the crew will have to face not one but multiple Cardassian liaison officers some of which will have their own, pervasive agendas. Let's see if they know what they're in for because the last thing a Cardassian would ever want to do is piss off the new captain of the AH.
Really enjoyed this story and looking forward to delving into the next one to see who will get booted out of an airlock first on this ship.
Date: 24 Aug 2013 00:45 Title: Reputations -- Meetings
As expected there won't be a Cyste Ryaenn fan club on board the AH for a quite some time. T'Vala bears watching though. Of all the crew, I can't totally figure her out yet. She and Cage obviously don't get along but I'm not sure yet if that makes her naturally appreciate Ryaenn or if she may have an agenda of her own as well.
Really like the Ryaenn and Ameren dynamic. On this ship it's a good thing the captain has one friendly face, a man who will have her back no matter what. Clearly the establishment does not appreciate this relationship and the fact that Ameren is just a lowly crewman makes this even more interesting.
Date: 24 Aug 2013 00:40 Title: Reputations -- Introductions
Enter Ryaenn.
And she is pretty much exactly what we came to expect, immediately ruffling feathers and putting her own personal stamp on matters. Maybe even the impression of her boot on certain backsides.
One thing is for sure, she ain't here to make friends but something tells me she's here to stay. You better watch out Gage and assorted cronies. There's a new sheriff in town and she's kicking butt and taking names.
Date: 24 Aug 2013 00:37 Title: Reputations -- Impressions
There is no place to have a frank discussion about your life in general than in a bar, we all know this.
And Ameren is one smart cookie, that's for sure, getting the lay of the land straight from the horses mouth. More so than learning what he and his captain are going to be in for, however, we get a great second-hand introduction to the hero of this tale. And there is no reason to doubt his words.
Ryaenn is an impressive character and we haven't even met her yet.
Date: 24 Aug 2013 00:34 Title: Reputations -- Dregs
Dysfunctional ships and crews are your speciality but this one is particularly interesting as this is no 'mere' border cutter but a ship of the line, even if so barely.
The crew seems to be a reflection of the poor state this vessel has been allowed to fall into.
They need somebody to shake them up a little and show them what's what. I'm having a feeling that this new captain is just what the doctor ordered. Well, maybe not Atlee. Or, of course, it's going to be a recipe for disaster.
Date: 18 Aug 2013 07:05 Title: Reputations -- Enemies
I didn't review every chapter, but I did read them all. I like the nod to Tabatha. Just to get that out of the way.
But I'm also struck by the style. It's absolutely the same as Kestrel, but as you said, it's more serious, more straight-forward. It makes for a really delightful blend of the dramatic and the interpersonal. You do both well, and you hit the tone here exceptionally well. Ryaenn comes across as exceptionally realistic in her damage and no-nonsense about the same; she doesn't hide it away in shame, she accepts it and lives with it and works to overcome it. The crew's response to this is likewise very realistic. The Harrier is a royal mess, but not because anyone's crawling the subsystems reprogramming shit (I'm looking at you, McGregor), but because you have too many cooks in the kitchen. Her XO is every born-XO ever -- competent in his realm, but likely never capable of ascending to a captaincy. It takes a particular bit of nerve to do that job, and he doesn't have it.
I like Joe. I like Willows. I like that Cyste has a friend there with her. I like a whole lot of things, and I also want to kick Ston's ass for trying to make her life harder than it need me. We don't know yet how she'll react under pressure whilst in command, but so far, she's making all of the right moves and despite being hurt, and still recovering from that hurt, she's not crazy, and she's not showing any signs of being a danger to herself or others.
I like it. I liked her when she was someone else, and I like her now apparently changed and come into her own. And I'm looking forward to seeing where you take this. I don't know that it'll displace the Kestrel's crew as my favorite ever, but certainly it's a worthy crew to love anyway. You're good at that; at the big ensemble pieces, that cover a lot of people to paint a large, nuanced picture. It's a talent I envy the Hell out of.
Author's Response:
McGregor whistles innocently.
Thank you for the kind words. I do love me an ensemble piece it has to be said. My favourite television shows do tend to be such, as do many of my fiction reads. I'm blown away by authors such as you who crawl inside a character's head and stay there. I'm a head hopper and I like getting glimpses of different characters and see what they bring to the table. It all makes for different ways to tell a story. My talent does not lie in the way you can tell your story in such a crafted beautiful form. Though I may try to do so - maybe even write one of these stories in that style or restricted to ne character's perspective.
I do try to weave a story with the dramatic and the interpersonal, and often the comic as well. I appreciate you saying you like the tone and style here and it works. Again, thank you for the words on that and for being so kind to read this when you've already done me a huge service with your love for Kestrel.
Date: 17 Aug 2013 23:32 Title: Reputations -- Enemies
Oh, a chilling ending here to part one. The captain's ability to piss off Ston was nice, I liked the way the two of them went at it but not in any overt way ... it was all subtle. Ryaeen really stood her ground and trounced him with her knowledge.
Joe's interaction with her were also fun and I hope to see more of that dynamic. Joe's got a tough job to do as the crew is very fractured on a lot of issues ... making sure Ryaeen is stable may be the least of his concerns.
Author's Response:
Next to the captian, Joe has the hardest job on the ship. And that's before the Cardassians arrive to take up a job onboard. There's a fair few issues on board the ship, though others that were more active in the war probably have it worse but the Harrier is not a happy ship for sure. Time will tell.
Glad you liked the Joe/Ryaenn interaction. Writing the Ryaenn and Joe dynamic will be admittedly one of the harder aspects to write I think. I'm dreading and looking forward to it.
As for Ston, Ryaenn is smart enough to not be overt as she knows the Admiral will only use it against her. But there's definitely no love lost and that's going to be trouble at some future point for sure.
Date: 17 Aug 2013 23:19 Title: Reputations -- Meetings
Well, there's some serious tension going on aboard this ship. The senior officers aren't particularly top of the line, their seems to be some unspoken feelings between the science officer and XO (hatred? Dislike?) and then Ryaenn herself has to figure out what to do about all this.
All while the possibility of her rank getting pulled looms over her. She could easily lose this command if enough things don't go right, let alone if they go wrong. But she's determined, she's forthright, and she's a take no prisoners type of lady ... I like that. I hope she's able to do as well as I think she will.
Author's Response:
I may in the future use this review as a summation or blurb for the story. It kinda encapsulates a lot of what is going on in the story of Ryaenn and the Aegolius Harrier. Thanking you for your insights trekfan. They're fantastic.
Date: 17 Aug 2013 22:57 Title: Reputations -- Introductions
Woooooooooooooo. Man, Ryaenn went at Horweg hard there and I can't say for an instant I blame her. As much as I like Saurians, they can sometimes be prideful as any human being. Ryaenn just waltzed up in there and kicked Horweg's tail right off the ship. Well done.
Loved the way she sat there and measured her officers as she was greeting them. Big up for the Andorian tactical officer, as he seems to be a friend Ryaenn can rely on in the future.
Author's Response:
Well he deserved kicking off, pompous git.
And Ryaenn has learned how to quickly measure people. As for her Andorina tactical officer Anjek. Watch this space ...
Date: 17 Aug 2013 22:21 Title: Reputations -- Impressions
Well, Counselor Joe has a family back on Betazed and is being assigned away from there. It's tough stuff, heading away from the people you know and love, but Joe takes it well. He's going to be keeping an eye on that new captain of his and he seems to be a level-headed fellow.
The big star of this chapter was Greg Willows. Really liked the way he came into play here and dished on all the stuff he knew about the crew. Also liked the way the Rylek sat there and just coaxed this from him, even without really trying. Greg needed to vent ... just happened to vent to the one guy who knew Cyste Ryaenn well.
And did I catch a Tabatha Chase reference in here? I don't know. But what a fun chapter.
Author's Response:
Why yes indeed, you caught a Tabatha Chase reference there. Well done trekfan. Ameren had the distinct pleasure of being Chase's hired muscle for a time. Let's just say, they had fun. And yes, I like Willows too. He's a good guy. A pity he spilled all to Ameren. That Rylek has a lot to account for. Of course, you'd wonder at the luck of talking to the one guy who would spill so much about Ryaenn's new command ...
As for Joe, yeah he's a nice guy. I'm feeling very wary writing him because being counsellor means he may not end up being in Ryaenn's favour. Time will tell. Thank you so much for reading this. I hope you like the rest and of course, I think you'll get a kick out of reading Ryaenn and the crew's reactions. Especially the second part Duels but hey I appreciate you reading and commenting on what you have to date.
I'm going to have to start Book 3 of Chronicles to repay you now.
Date: 17 Aug 2013 22:08 Title: Reputations -- Dregs
Well, quite a start to the story here. Questions abound about the new Andorian/Aenar captain, her history, her methods, and what exactly she's really doing there. From the admiralty all the way down to the lower decks, it seems like no one is really quite sure what to make of her. Is she a crazed fighter? A wounded soldier? Something else entirely?
Who knows? But the various theories and feelings playing out before is are just marvelous to read in text. I really enjoyed the way the various parts of the crew commented on this matter. How the first officer (Jethro, nice name) and the retained command staff approach this will be fascinating.
Date: 06 Feb 2012 23:43 Title: Reputations -- Enemies
And the plant is, er, planted.
Date: 06 Feb 2012 23:12 Title: Reputations -- Introductions
Oh, this is becoming a delicious character. I am seeing Bebe Neuwirth.
Author's Response:
I never said it before, but that's an inspired bit of casting. Maybe a little older than I've come to perceive Ryaenn but definitely the formidable force of a personality to carry it off.
Date: 06 Feb 2012 22:55 Title: Reputations -- Impressions
The plot thickens.
I was getting a little concerned at Greg's loose lips. Hmm.
Date: 06 Feb 2012 22:45 Title: Reputations -- Dregs
Man oh man they've already got her drawn and quartered. Something tells me the new Captain will not be so easy to pin down.