Date: 13 Jun 2014 21:58 Title: Epilogue
That was absolutely heartbreaking. Our Maren has so much of her own emotional baggage to deal with, but to have this heaped on top of that just tears at one's gut. And to suffer in silence, not to let JQ in on that pain. It also makes one wonder, given the feelings our Maren felt it necessary to squelch while in the MU, if she will now view JQ through different eyes; if there might be some pining on both sides now, and where it will lead.
I would love to see some deeper exploration of just what went wrong for Mirror Icheb. I smell collab...if the two of you are up for it. ;-)
This was just an awesome, awesome tale that kept me on the edge of my seat and constantly guessing as to where it would go. And never once did it go where I thought it would, which made it all the more satisfying and refreshing to read. True epicness abounded with this tale - kudos Sarine, on all levels. :D
Date: 13 Jun 2014 21:42 Title: Chapter 5
Wow! Wondering how all this will turn out. Was Prime Maren's statement that the drones are innocent true? Without their King to direct them, will they become redeemable in this universe? Will the people here be willing to give them a chance now that they are free, or will they simply destroy them based on preconceived notions? Will our Maren step in on their behalf? She wasn't able to save Icheb in either universe, but this could be something she does to make his death worthwhile; as a way to pay homage to the man she loved. And true - will she be able to return to her own universe given that she has been 'assimilated' in this one. Will Mirror JQ let her?
I hope I'm wrong, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the epilogue may reveal all was not as it seemed...
Date: 13 Jun 2014 21:21 Title: Chapter 4
That. Was. Freaking. Epic! I imagined the two Marens would have differing views on how to handle the Borg, given their individual experiences but yikes, Mirror Maren is one bad-assed, determined bitch. And I wonder, was Prime Maren just plying JQ with platitudes about being the only one who could successfully unleash the virus, all the time intending to rescue her counterpart without implementing the destruction of these super-scary Mirror Borg? Does she really understand these counterparts? Methinks they're even more ruthless that the Prime Universe Borg. Seems like a decision she might not be qualified to make...
Date: 13 Jun 2014 20:58 Title: Chapter 3
Didn't see that coming at all. This just keeps getting darker and twistier. What's gonna happen when the two Marens meet? Will they meet, or is the Borg King now aware of this plan to annihilate his 'race.' Will he keep Prime Maren from executing her plan? And poor JQ - having to see them both be assimilated while he remains helplessly in the background. Something tells me this will get a lot worse before (or if) it gets better...
Date: 13 Jun 2014 20:44 Title: Chapter 2
Ooh, just had a nasty thought as to what might have become of the Mirror Maren as she attempted to confront and defeat the Borg King. I so hope I'm wrong - if for no other reason than what it would do to Mirror JQ - a likeable man in both universes.
Date: 13 Jun 2014 20:31 Title: Chapter 1
Holy crap! That was an intense beginning. I haven't read Tesseract yet, but know enough about these characters to know that you got them spot-on, and that this is going to be a nail-biting, show-stopping wild ride into the darker side of kes' creations. Can't wait to see how this Maren reacts to the Borg King, and what JQ will think of her relationship to him (or even his own) in our Maren's universe.
Date: 12 Jun 2014 07:10 Title: Epilogue
Damn man. That was emotionally exhausting. From the other Maren, to this...You did an incredible job, first off with the universe in general, and the characters. Second, with creating these new Borg; I'd shudder to think what would happen if they managed to creep into the prime universe. It was a very exciting, very well executed, and, like I said, very emotional story. Well done bud.
Date: 12 Jun 2014 06:52 Title: Chapter 4
Yikes...that would explain the Andorian's earlier remark about "vampires." That is just...freaky. What in the world WOULD force them to evolve into that? crazy stuff
Date: 11 Jun 2014 08:46 Title: Chapter 3
First...that was an absolutely terrifying vision of Unimatrix Zero.
Second...Maren (granted, Mirror Version, but whatever) fully assimilated...*shudder*. But, she's met Icheb now. Hooray? Ish? Ok, maybe not...
Third...crap. You're going to assimilate the second one. I can't imagine how badly this is tearing JQ apart.
Date: 11 Jun 2014 08:36 Title: Chapter 2
Wowwy...that is rough...I was wondering what had happened...I'm beginning to fear for an equally dark and depressing tale here.
Am I right in picturing this Tesseract as the Borg ship in "Descent?"
Date: 11 Jun 2014 08:21 Title: Chapter 1
Wow...I never considered the Mirror Borg being that...feral! Wonderful picture you've begun to paint here.
Date: 08 Jun 2014 19:25 Title: Epilogue
BOYS! What a ride.
A terrific end for this. A sad, tragic tale. Somehow, I actually think this has to create an AU Tesseract as I wonder at Prime Maren living with the memories of that Mirror and the fate of everyone crashing down around her. The scars she would wear would be more than the scars of the assimilation process itself. Damned neat story telling regardless. Rivetting.
Author's Response: I'll leave it up to Kes to decide whether she wants this to be an AU or a secret little corner of the Tesseract world. So glad you enjoyed this, as with trekfan, means a hell of a lot considering! Huge, big grins from me! :D
Date: 08 Jun 2014 19:20 Title: Chapter 5
Damn! Twisty twisted. whoah. So yeah, figured it right about Borg King being Icheb and then his playing to get to her but he played her wrong and it bit him in the ass - not literally but hey almost. Damn, MU-Maren rocked it there at the end. A great climax to things.
Of note is should be said how it is kinda adorale and kinda horrid that MU JQ was willing to skip the universe with his Maren and screw the MU over if it kept his Maren safe. How sweet: Fuck you Universe, I love Maren.
And I like that in this the Mirror Universe, you did in fact Mirror the heart of Tesseract being a love story pitted against a background of epic scale, a fight for the future of mankind and the nature of it verses the Borg Collective. Only the players got interchanged and swapped about. But it still ends up being Icheb that causes so much pain for Maren and poor JQ gets shafted to the sidelines.
Author's Response: Yeah, I did contemplate her biting him in the ass, but figured that might be stretching credulity a tad... :) Glad you liked the way things ended. Yeah, JQ definitely had only one thing in mind - save Maren and get the hell out. It was my way of differentiating the two JQs, I would like to think that OUR JQ wouldn't make this decision, though that is entirely up to the creator herself... :) Man, I had not thought of it the way you described this as a mirror of Tesseract with the love story et al but the result being the same, but I guess it is true. Would love to take conscious credit for it, but... I'll take unconscious credit instead! :) Thanks for the comment!
Date: 08 Jun 2014 19:09 Title: Chapter 4
Wow. A stellar chapter here Sarine. The tension and action got ramped up. As did the scary vibes of the Borg. Seems the vampire fangs of the nightmare are their actual way of assimilating people. Eebies. Jeebies. Anyway, so many similarities and so many differences all serving to create a fascinating Mirrorverse. The one thing I dislike about Mirror Universe stories is the complete Mirror of things - the same characters in the same roles on the same ships, etc. However, it is a story telling conceit and one we can overlook. Especially as we see a non-Assimilated Seven and a janeway channeling a 'Orange is the New Black' queen bitch vibe.
The ending was whoah, MU-Maren setting it down clear that she is different to PrimeMaren and is willing to comtemplate genocide. Love that you take the moment to have this argument between the Marens. It's a little confusing. Only a tad. Perhaps one differentiation method to conside is to have the MU-Maren called by her surname moreso than her first. One suggestion. Otherwise, onwards to the ending. Yipes.
Author's Response: Thank you! Really means a lot. The vampire Borg were totally NOT in the original version of this, they just kind of came about as a way of making the Borg even SCARIER than they are otherwise. I mean assimilation fangs? (shivers) :) As I said to FB, the Janeway queen bitch bit has a little hidden Easter egg to it - the Cardassian is actually supposed to be this universe's Seska. I so wish I had thought of differentiating the Marens by surname, especially since Maren is married and has a different surname to OUR Maren. Doh! May have to go back and edit this!
Date: 08 Jun 2014 18:52 Title: Chapter 3
PS this line:
"Maren, maybe in your universe I'm a quantum theorist who won a ton of prizes. But this John Quigley has absolutely no fucking clue what you're talking about."
Hee, hee. Loved it. Poor JQ
Author's Response: Yay, so glad you liked this line, I had so much fun writing it!! :)
Date: 08 Jun 2014 18:49 Title: Chapter 3
Eh? UGh. Curveball. What?
I mean. Like. Well. Hmm. So that means ... ok ... yeah ... let me think on that one a little.
Ok, so Icheb in the Unimatrix Zero, so that means he is part of the Collective. Does it mean he's not the Borg King? Or is this a ploy by the Borg King to get into the mind of the person who is trying to infiltrate and destroy the Borg? Or is he disconnected from himself in UZ. Welcome to UZ. We aren't in Kansas anymore. That's for sure. And that was creepy as heck too.
Meanwhile, Maren has an ingenious idea. Of course, par the course for these Tesseract guys, the ingenious idea is also batshit crazy and stupid. I mean, hello deliberate assimilation is never a good idea.
Author's Response: I love the way your comments read as stream of consciousness, really gives an insight into what is going on in your head while you read the story! :) As to the Icheb/Borg King question... The ending will reveal all! Glad the UZ came across as creepy, that was definitely the idea! As for Maren's idea... Hey, its Tesseract. What else was I supposed to do?! :p
Date: 08 Jun 2014 18:38 Title: Chapter 2
Creepy Adele. Yay! Really like the touch that she's a way darker personality here and uses the dark side of ther Betazed abilities. Something unexplored in canon and very little in any fanfiction I've come across. She obviously has personal stakes against the Borg (as one imagines as does everyone in this universe) and cold and calculating she clearly is in order to bring about their end as she simply see PrimeMaren as a tool - nay a weapon - to advance her cause.
For JQ, things are inherently much more complicated. He is seeking HIS Maren but he is also faced with this Maren and is undoubtedly conflicted. Much in the same way as is beginning to happen with PrimeMaren as her thoughts stray to JQ and to the fate of Icheb in this universe (little does she seem to realise where he is!). Meantime, the glimpse of the work of the other Maren indicates she is a killer engineering scientist whiz - emphasis on killer as she plans the annihilation of the Borg. Something PrimeMaren never quite considered. I guess a matter of perspective could change that with experience and the fact that MirrorMaren had no Icheb.
You weave a fantastic corrupted Mirror Universe of this stable of characters. Very well done and enthralling to read.
Author's Response: Thank you MF! I know how much you enjoy Tesseract, so means a lot to know that you liked what I have done with this! Since so far all we had seen was JQ, who wasn't particularly dark in this iteration, it needed a much darker version of one of the characters to mark that we are in the MU, and Adele seemed a good idea. Glad you liked my take on this dark Betazoid. As for JQ and Maren - yes, veeeeeeery complicated... :)
Date: 08 Jun 2014 11:06 Title: Epilogue
Nicely done, a fitting epilogue.
I think you've got Kes7 characters justice by showing there darker sides.
Author's Response: Thanks FB! Means a lot!
Date: 08 Jun 2014 11:03 Title: Chapter 5
Of course the Mirror Icheb would be playing Maren, glad she spot the answer in time.
I think the anti-Borg business is about to pick up.
Author's Response: Only just in time, though :) Thanks!
Date: 08 Jun 2014 10:59 Title: Chapter 4
Such harsh character cruelty but it does all add to the story and it was very nice to see some other familiar faces.
But Janeway keeping a Cardassian as her concubine? You’re letting her inner bad girl out there.
Interesting first face to face meeting of the two Marens.
Author's Response: The MU being the MU, harsh character cruelty is kind of par for the course! :) The Cardassian is actually supposed to Seska, but I couldn't think of a way of revealing it in story which would make sense.
Date: 08 Jun 2014 10:48 Title: Chapter 3
So Unimatrix Zero plays it part as always, and Mirror Maren meets Mirror Icheb, this is all getting complex.
Now normal Maren got to face her assimilation fears.
Can't the poor lady get a break.
Author's Response: Unfortunately no, Maren really can't catch a break, even in the MU. And yes, Unimatrix Zero seemed like a logical place to go next. Thanks for the comment :)
Date: 08 Jun 2014 10:43 Title: Chapter 2
Interesting alternate take on the Tesseract regulars and the plot thickens has Mirror Maren fallen for the Borg King?
Did love the two line of "Was feeling this much attraction towards another woman a betrayal when the other woman was a quantum twin of the woman you loved? He shook his head. Quantum mechanics and the married man." brought a smile to my face.
Author's Response: Glad you liked that line - brought a smile to my face as I wrote it so I'm glad that it did the same for those reading it!!! Hope you like where it goes next.
Date: 08 Jun 2014 10:33 Title: Chapter 1
Strong opening, the little details really hook the reader and show your level of though into mirroring Tesseract.
Author's Response: Thanks FB! Glad you liked it.
Date: 07 Jun 2014 17:35 Title: Epilogue
Oh, man. Poor Maren. You really put her through the wringer with this tale. It would be just like her not to tell JQ what happened, too. She wouldn't want him to have to carry that knowledge.
I loved this story from beginning to end. It was really cool to see you take these guys out for a spin and you did an absolutely terrific job.
As for the end notes -- wow. What a compliment. Thank you a billion times for that. Really. Thank you.
FIVE -- no, SIX STARS. ******
Author's Response: No, thank YOU! :) Thanks for creating such a rich story and characters and trusting me enough to take em for a spin. :D
Date: 07 Jun 2014 15:57 Title: Epilogue
Applause, applause, and I particularly liked how you stopped the Prime Universe Maren from tying it all up with an all-too neat bow. Well done!!
Author's Response: Thank you so much!! Yeah, a messy ending but I hope a realistic one.