Date: 18 Mar 2014 02:24 Title: Day Two: The Getaway: I
Ok, so obviously, there's more going on here than we know at present. I'm already suspicious about the nature of the nebula and what secrets it may hold. There's a few details that are suspectible to interpretation or paranoid delusions. For example, what other manned craft attempted to enter the nebula? what is the nature of those strings of light and energy? etc.
Again, the set up is great here. Pieces are being moved about and are we about to see Deen and Xylion get tossed aside in some sort of accident or murderous attempt? We're waiting for the knife to fall presently so paranoid setting is in full mode.
Date: 18 Mar 2014 02:08 Title: Day One: Farewell, My Lovely: IV
Uh oh. Now there's a nice little teaser cliffhanger. What happened to Owens? And of course, no internal sensors to tell them either. How very conveinent. You've set the stage for a murder mystery all right CeJay. The bridge has been washed out and the guests are trapped for the night in the manor house. Next will come the discovery of the body.
Really liking the set up here for the murder mystery. However, none of that is to the cost of the characters and their unfolding story. Star and Owens trust issues are bound to become more prominent in the face of a murder mystery and suspicions flying around when the time comes. This going to prove very interesting. It would haave been interesting whatever the mission but in this set up it is only going to add fuel to the fire.
Date: 18 Mar 2014 01:41 Title: Day One: Farewell, My Lovely: III
Aw man, lots to love and reflect on in this chapter. I mean, to see Donners and Owens begin to get together is a great big Eagle moment. This set up was from way back in book one. It's been quite a journey since. I guess they are growing up and by dent of the war, by dent of their experiences captaining, they are maybe more in a position to make something of their relationship. Equally, both are as like to put their respective ship, crew, duty and career before their happiness - so either one of them has the great potential to scupper things before they even start. As it seemed almost for a moment that Owens had done.
As to Wenera, a lovely goodbye scene. I like the fact we have changes and a passing of the torch moment. All too often, these moments do not get to happen - in canon because of budgetry reasons and contracts ended, etc and in fanfiction, all too often the goodbye is a death knell. So it is charming to see a goodbye - and one that may be an au revoir. Albeit, Wenera is in for an interesting future.
Then there's her replacement. He's already a character. And apart from his own introduction, it is Donner's summation of the doc that is going to prove on the nose and very interesting I imagine. He's of the McCoy era and possibly of a McCoy cut. Just what Owens needs - a McCoy berating his war time decisions!
And then there's Donner's commentary on Star. How on the nose is that? Probably a fair and accurate enough assessment. However, she doesn't have Owens knowledge of how Star handled matters in the last mission - though perhaps not knowing some of the details helps. Regardless, Star has shown she has potential. However, she's got a lot of people who don't rate or trust her. In the end, Donners is right about Owens not trusting and yet needing to trust Star. After all, if something happened Owens, then it would be Star who has command of his crew and ship. If he can't trust her implicitly, then maybe she shouldn't be there.
Date: 17 Mar 2014 02:43 Title: Day One: Farewell, My Lovely: II
loving thd continuity and the fact we are getting to see the gap now that sees wenera have child in the futrure (and take o S31!!) very exciting
but it is also an emotional crux (or will be0 for mahy on the crew as they see the departure of wenera frm the eagle. after so many years, such consistency and such stalwart performance, it is going to be a hell of a hell of an adjeustment for crew 9and reade alike ) to get use to a new cmo.
Author's Response: Yeah, writing her character out of the series here was a bit tough on me as well. There is a lot of talk about change in this novel and in particular about saying goodbye to old faces and welcoming new ones. Oddly enough when I first started out I didn't envision all this. I was a big TNG fan and I kind of liked the consistency and friendships amongst the crew. On the other hand, changing things up from time to time can be a lot of fun to write.
Date: 17 Mar 2014 02:35 Title: Day One: Farewell, My Lovely: I
awww .. that means the doc is definitely headin her seperate way after the events of their last adventure. however, it is nice to see normal crew interactions adter everything that has happened to the eagel crew.
and it seems that there is hope that they may make a united crew yet with the interactions seen after the plat. but i doubt it will last this glimpse of peace and hopeful team work. instead, i am expecting trouble and strife.
and woah ... did hopkins go off and have a personal life there!?!?!?!?!!?? wow.
Author's Response: Great to see you back on board for a Star Eagle adventure. It's always good to hear from people who are familiar with the characters and their backgrounds. And I have you know, Louise Hopkins is no hermit. Well, at least not a total one. Hey, she's got at least one friend ... I know of.
Date: 16 Mar 2014 07:41 Title: Day One: Farewell, My Lovely: I
I really enjoyed this and can't wait to read the rest. I thought the lines in the play were particularly well written, very creative. I also enjoyed the banter between officers; it was smooth and very natural. I could easily picture them in my head.
Author's Response: Very glad to hear you are having the chance to check out this story. Admittedly it is not a quick read, shorter than my previous Star Eagle novel, it's still quite a hefty little tome (if one were foolish enough to sacrifice trees for it).
I'm certainly very curious to hear any thoughts and observations you might have. I wish I could take credit for the play but that belongs to a writer infinitely more talented.
Date: 16 Mar 2014 02:28 Title: Day Eleven: Exit Music: IV
Good for you, Star. You'll beat it. A fitting end for an officer who started off as an outcast and ended up as a member of the family. I hope she beats it and succeeds without her career going down the drain, but that's a story for anoter day, isn't it? A gripping, twisted, wonderful read from beginning to end and one I very much enjoyed. I look forward to more. :)
Author's Response: Thank you very much for all your reviews, I'm very glad that you enjoyed this ride. I had never tried my hand at a murder mystery before and I'm happy to hear that I seemed to have pulled it off for the most part. There are no immediate plans for another Star Eagle novel but if you want to read more about these characters, check out the previous novels at StarEagleAdventures.com as well as the two vignette series and the many short stories available.
Date: 16 Mar 2014 02:23 Title: Day Eleven: Exit Music: III
DAMN YOU ALEX! KISS THE GIRL!
*ahem*
Well, good for him being friends and all but still ... I refuse to give up the dream!
Sweet end for them. Not what I wanted, but good nonetheless.
Author's Response: Sorry to disappoint but a full blown romance for these two was just not in the cards. At least not yet. I think you are right and there is obvious chemistry between these two but Nora will need some time before she can trust herself with another relationship. The pain of losing the only man she has ever truly loved is still too fresh.
Date: 16 Mar 2014 02:20 Title: Day Eleven: Exit Music: II
Ah, the wrap up meeting. It felt very much like a good little bow on all this, clearing up any lasting questions. I'm glad to see Decaux is going to get the help she needs (poor girl) and that Owens isn't going to throw the book at anyone (thumbs up, sir!). Really pleased with the interactions here ... I'm hoping for a certain couple to get together at the end (*cough* Clancy/Nora *cough*).
Author's Response: It's mental health awareness day on Eagle.
Date: 16 Mar 2014 02:15 Title: Day Eleven: Exit Music: I
LOL, great landing! Deen might be the Troi of this ship. Every time she gets behind the controls of a shuttlecraft she ends up crashing it into something. A planet. A shuttle bay. A saucer section. Loved this.
Author's Response: I hadn't thought about that but you're right. She needs to be kept away from the piloting controls moving forward. Just to be safe, she probably shouldn't even be in a shuttle ever again.
Date: 13 Mar 2014 21:33 Title: Day Ten: Storm Warning: X
Action packed, brimming with tough decisions and near death. I thought Xy was gonna bite the bullet there.
What a rush.
Author's Response: Had to be done. Story needed a good ol'fashioned bang for an ending.
Date: 13 Mar 2014 21:23 Title: Day Ten: Storm Warning: IX
NORA!
Win. All of it.
Author's Response: Yay for Nora, saver of innocent lives.
Date: 13 Mar 2014 21:16 Title: Day Ten: Storm Warning: VIII
Wow. A lot to digest there and a lot to take in. The Dark is banished Light, the Dark is going to destroy things and the Light is going to destroy them first.
Rough family reunion. Xy's gotta hoof it to get to safety, the yacht has to hoof it to get to him and Decaux is crazy, but innocent. Wow. Well done weaving all this together, sir. Well done.
Author's Response: Thank you very much, I'm glad it worked out the way it did and managed to make sense at the same time.
Date: 13 Mar 2014 21:01 Title: Day Ten: Storm Warning: VII
WHOA. A+ for the nerve pinch manuever. Xy got a big clap and smile from me for that. But I JUST put together the nebula being alive in the Vulcans when he did the mind meld -- it all makes sense now. Majorly impressive and I hope Xy can figure a way out of here without dying.
Author's Response: That was a big risk though. Imagine she was just an innocent (albeit very excited) young woman. That would have been an awkward conversation later about his need to render her unconscious.
Date: 13 Mar 2014 20:57 Title: Day Ten: Storm Warning: VI
So, the Nebula is alive. Good. It's trying to kill them. Not good. I thought for sure Star was going to play hero here again, but instead she's letting Culsten take the role -- good. She needs to start dictating more and putting herself at risk less.
Admittedly, I'd have loved to see Owens play the role but he's the captain. Probably a good idea not to let a hostile lifeform have access to his body.
Author's Response: Yeah, Owens totally wanted to do it, seeing that he must be realizing by now that he has stood on the sidelines for far too long. And yet he ain't the right man for the job.
Date: 13 Mar 2014 20:50 Title: Day Ten: Storm Warning: V
Oh, man, these Vulcans are DESPERATE to make him one of their own. They want to marry him off and get him to procreate ... too fast, man, too fast. Xy is right to go off and meditate. Maybe find some weapons. A good lawyer. A ship would be nice. These people don't want his help, they want to indoctrine him.
I bet the nebula has something to do with that, too. Prolonged exposure over the years has warped their minds it seems.
Author's Response: A good lawyer? Excellent idea. LOL.
Date: 13 Mar 2014 20:46 Title: Day Ten: Storm Warning: IV
Oh, man, the nebula IS alive. Damn. It has to see the deployment of the array as some sort of attack or something and, like a body defending itself, is doing the same here ... man. It's gonna break the Eagle if things don't change. Heart racing chapter here, great action.
Author's Response: Good thing too, right? So far it's been mostly talking and speculating. Now something is actually happening for a change.
Date: 13 Mar 2014 20:40 Title: Day Ten: Storm Warning: III
Whoa, Xy, the girl is moving on you fast and shields are failing, sir. I like the way she goes for it here. That must have thrown him off (rightly so) but there is a definite attraction between them. I'm sure her motivations are not as pure as they appear, but it's not like he minds. He doesn't, really.
Still, these Vulcans are a strange sort and ones I wouldn't trust very far. I'm hoping Xy has a Plan B if things go sideways.
Author's Response: Me things she's moving at warp speed and even Xylion is only going at impulse. She wants it bad.
Date: 13 Mar 2014 20:35 Title: Day Ten: Storm Warning: II
A rescue! Oh, about time. Good on Deen for the message idea, well done. Looks like the Eagle is going to be put in some serious danger rescuing their people (I'm sure what happened with Xy is going to make waves), but Katanga is right: you have to save your people.
Author's Response: Leave no man behind, and all that.
Date: 13 Mar 2014 20:31 Title: Day Ten: Storm Warning: I
Well, they got off the planet. But Xy stayed behind. I'm with Leva, I think Xy stayed behind for the girl as much as anything else ... but that nebula is getting more and more interesting. Is it sentient? It seems to be actively working against the vessels in it.
Hmm.
Author's Response: Or perhaps there was something wrong with that module they got from the Vulcans. And Xylion, staying behind for a girl? Surely not.
Date: 11 Mar 2014 21:29 Title: Day Nine: Last Seen Wearing: VI
Stranger and stranger. I wonder what exactly is attacking the ship? Is it the nebula itself? Hmm.
Author's Response: It's definitely something and it's not being very nice.
Date: 11 Mar 2014 21:27 Title: Day Nine: Last Seen Wearing: V
Oh, Decaux! You were the unstable one, weren't you? Good grace you really put on a chase here, thrilling from beginning to end. Nora now has the killer in her sights but she has a more to deal with, I think, than just Decaux at the moment.
And Alex. Good job, dude. Keeping the dream alive!
Author's Response: This story was in need of a little bit of action. Too much sitting around and talking about things is not going to get the job done.
Date: 11 Mar 2014 20:43 Title: Day Nine: Last Seen Wearing: IV
Oh, man. I thought for sure we'd get Yunt on this but Decaux? She seems like such a nice (if not misguided) girl. The separate interrogations were fun and reminded me very much of an old-school Law and Order episode (Nora was clearly Ice-T). So, now the question becomes which one of them is really telling the truth?
And what the devil has caused the ship to lurch like that?
Author's Response: Yeah that's an old trick (new to Nora) and a great way to play others off against each other.
Date: 11 Mar 2014 20:36 Title: Day Nine: Last Seen Wearing: III
And so the first conspirator is brought in and with such a dramatic show, too! I like the way Nora confidently handles all this, she's really in her element here and seems to finally have a grasp on the entirety of the investigation. Alex was a laugh with the "I'm the good cop" line. Still shipping these two.
Author's Response: Okay, yeah, I admit, they are kinda cute together. No promises though if this means that they'll actually end up with each other.
Date: 11 Mar 2014 20:00 Title: Day Nine: Last Seen Wearing: II
Oh, Star. She survived and survived only because she was addicted to a substance that has some nasty effects (albeit some beneficial ones). The Doc knows this is going to end poorly but he's being a friend, which is exactly the play a friend would make.
So, I'm wondering now what this nebula is doing to folks ... nice job bringing it back around to Owens lost night. What's the connection?
Author's Response: What, indeed. We'll find out soon.