Akinola is typical captain (and stunt man, quarterback, etc.) walking back into battle wounded. 

Again, superb action sequence with consequences. Space is a rough business to be in. And apparently the Federation isn't entirely a wonderland of peace and prosperity..

Very enteraining read. Thanks!! rbs

And another cliff hanger!

Very entertaining space battle sequence. It's difficult to keep space battles interesting and any serious Trek story is probably going to have a few. Glad to see you rising to the challenge.

I'm assuming the Bluefin characters are the borrowed ones - nicely portrayed.

Thanks! rbs

Akinola is jumping off the page here. Always enjoyable to see a character pop. 

Warp 3? Looks like this ship has some serious problems.

A little additional comeuppance with Mahoney and keeping the Sacajawea sidelined both fun and handy for the storyline. 

Thanks!! rbs

Akinola and his crew pop right off the page in this scene, especially the interaction between Akinola and Gralt. Red-skinned orion? That's a new wrinkle...

So it appears Schwarzkopf is a little wet behind the ears as well. 

Good technobabble - and you don't have good Trek without good technobabble.

Thanks!! rbs

Do the ends justify the means... That is one of the best ethical questions to play out in Scifi and a perennial Trek meme. When the ends are personal ambition, it makes the entire question much darker. Which makes Star an increasingly interesting character. One playing out both the fall and redemption narratives in the current work. And what an interesting godfather Altee is...

And nicely played on Mahoney. I just don't feel sorry for him at all.

Thanks!! rbs

Well now - a Deltan Godfather.. That's an interesting antagonist. Nice to get some perspective on him as he is being featured in your current venture.

And maybe he wasn't kidding about the addiction. Again, an interesting backstory to be catching up with. 

Flawed characters are always the most interesting...

Thanks!! rbs

Star's level of animosity for a fellow starship captain is probably going to come back to bite her in some way... 

Nice character moment with Lt. Bane - and an interesting character both in him and his captain. Always interesting to see the relationships among the various service branches. 

Thanks!! rbs

Poor Taz! Newheiser looks almost loveable compared to Mahoney. She will have a rough time ahead her, but I guess what the doctor has promised her will be kept. It is understandable that she feels very embarrassed at her decisions but still they were the correct decisions. Not the right ones, but correct under the circumstances. She got entangled in a vicious cycle she could not break. In a way, this development, though harsh, gives her an opportunity to start again without being pressed by shady organizations inside or outside Starfleet.
It is a great story, with interesting and credible characters who have their ups and downs and fight their predicaments to the best of their ability. They have depth and background and the story breaks away from the Scotty-beam-me-up cliché where Starfleet is glorious, captains are wise and they generously heap humanity and proton torpedoes on nasty aliens who fall out of step. I have to admit that I got hooked on Taz so I am moving to “All the Sinners, Saints�.

Author's Response: Hey, thanks for reading and reviewing this story and I'm glad you enjoyed it and that you got hooked on Star. Admittedly this story didn't help to create many fans of hers. She still has a long way to go from here to become a balanced person again. One story I'd recommend you check out if you enjoy reading of Star is 'One Toke Over the Line' which is part of the Vignette Series 'Crossing Over' and available to download at StarEagleAdventures.com, along with 'All the Sinners, Saints'. The latter is a long read but naturally I'd love to hear your thoughts on it if you get a chance to finish it. In the meantime they'll also be a lot of Star in 'Semper Fidelis' as she will have to face some of the fallout from this very story. Thanks once more for your reviews. They are greatly appreciated.

This was a dramatic chapter loaded with action and losses. First, the battle in the dark, then the explosive decompression. Too bad that N’ek’too was killed. I refused to believe it was only loyalty. Loyalty is such a rare commodity that I see conspiracies everywhere. Still, Shuun knows better than being captured by an angry interstellar criminal who is likely to make an example of him. Star really had a tough choice – a former lover against a current dependence. She did her best given the circumstances. I hope her injured arm can be healed.
I respect her choices – whatever she did, she paid the price for it, in fact, she paid it twice. And it will be with her forever. It has never been about how good or how bad someone is – you either have the guts to do what has to be done and face the consequences or not. You are either a survivor or a victim. Everything else is a matter of vantage point. I really like the way you present her actions and decisions – she never gives up fighting no matter how slim her chances are.

Author's Response: It's a big turning point for Star, I think that much is clear. She made her choices here and now she will have to live with them. What that means for her future we'll find out in the following stories.

Now I feel like a kid in a candy store – baddies and anti-heroes all around. I just can’t make my mind who to relate to first. I like Shuun very much – a charming gangster and a former Starfleet officer who got tired of playing by the rules. N’ek’too is an enigma too. He disapproves of Star’s actions but keeps following her. The description of Eteron and its history is gripping – a real gangster paradise and no man’s land.

Author's Response: If you like your morally ambiguous characters, this is the place for you, no doubt.

Yes, this chapter answers my doubts expressed in the review of Chapter 7. Still, I think there is something more than loyalty, something ulterior and more tangible. N’ek’too can be very loyal and I want to believe that this is the case, but he can also have some scores to settle, a revenge to seek, or he might be a double agent working against Taz. His desperate determination to prove his loyalty flashes a red light.

Author's Response: Everyone on this ship seemed to have another agenda, it's not too difficult to believe that N'ek'too had one as well.

Taz is very cunning, but still I can’t figure out how she managed to secure the Ariolo’s unquestionable assistance in stealing and incapacitating Starfleet vessels and stunning a civilian crew. He is much more loyal and reliable than the rest of her crew but if they were captured, his “I was following my captain’s orders� would hardly suffice. Unless he knows about her dealings with the Starfleet Intelligence and considers it a legitimate covert operation.

Author's Response: How did she N'ek'to on her side? All will be revealed.