[Report This]Date: 15 Aug 2021 23:51 Title: Epilogue: Where Do the Children Play, Part 2
And the 9 have arrived.. I'm onboard with having a tactical team available. It would put a cork in a lot of the TV plots that centered around absurd risks by ship's captains... But that's part of the strength of your stories once the 9 are part of the team. Tough situations ring more true when they're faced by a team that's trained for it.
Several parts of this story are among my favorites - these stories have more of a personal flavor instead of high stakes action, which is a speed I enjoy in ST fanfic - a speed that a lot of authors never provide.
Definitely one of my favorites among your offerings.
Thanks!! rbs
Author's Response: Oh hey, thanks for the kind words. I somehow missed this review the first time around. And yes, one of the things that always irritated me about Trek was the fact that the senior crew did everything, including high-risk away missions. That, or, of course, the infamous redshirts with the shockingly poor training and judgment. SMTs are Sam Redfeather's invention, but a total no-brainer for a semi-military outfit like Starfleet and the constant dangers it faces. Although, I think Eagle might be the first ship to now have an SMT unit as part of the crew.
[Report This]Date: 12 Aug 2021 20:54 Title: Maximum Entropy (2/2)
Fro's ship reminds me of the timeship that Archer encountered (and found a fried man inside who was a hybrid of 17 different species starting with human.)
My first clue was Gene Edison... Then LaForge in the engine room.. Not Agamemnon prime.. Really nice fakeout and evidently the opening salvo for the divergence series.
So... Frobisher is the key to ending this thing? That's just so wrong on so many levels.. Looking forward to the next installment.
Thanks!! rbs
Author's Response: As you have been able to tell, I do enjoy a good misdirection or two. I'm no M. Night (which is probably a good thing) but I do like a story with a twist. It was also fun to bring Frobisher back for this one, not to mention write a story with a rather bleak ending. I may have been slightly inspired by the Voyager episode where the entire crew ended up being duplicates.
[Report This]Date: 10 Aug 2021 21:10 Title: Maximum Entropy (1/2)
Oh the Fro has returned! That guy is just one bad penny. Of course I should say: More wildcat, please... You could devote a chapter to an adventure with Maya and the wildcat - probably a book and it would be a delight.
So whenever Wes gets involved in anything, he just rips the galaxy a new one. Mad scientist on a bender. No doubt he's right about there being something at 423x112x51 - but it's very probably something of his doing...
Thanks!! rbs
Author's Response: The Adventures of Cosmo? I'll put that on my list of writing ideas. If this were a series on Paramount+, no doubt somebody would have already written an outline for an animated Trek kids show featuring Donners' pet.
[Report This]Date: 10 Aug 2021 21:05 Title: The Audacity of Youth (2/2)
Looks like the account timed out before I hit the button for this one..
Lots of fake-outs here... I was thinking - Star got to go scuba diving... but no - flashback. And another fake-out with the holodeck sequence.
Quite a fun recounting of their escapade. Yura II is a cautionary tale for technocracy/meritocracy - an experiment we've been running for the past several hundred years.
Thanks!! rbs
Author's Response: Yeah, misdirection abounds in this one. Glad you enjoyed this look at Katanga and Star's early misadventures and events that shaped the people they would later become.
[Report This]Date: 06 Aug 2021 14:38 Title: The Audacity of Youth (1/2)
More Katanga, please...
Easily my favorite among your characters. And we get too see him in his fallow, impressionable youth - getting into trouble and not feeling apologetic about it.
Looks like classic Katanga. He didn't get to be a crotchety, opinionated old cuss without decades of practice...
Looking forward to mainlining some more Katanga!
Thanks!! rbs
Author's Response: Agreed, Katanga is just a lot of fun, no matter his age.
[Report This]Date: 04 Aug 2021 09:20 Title: Awakening
There's just too much to love about this chapter to fit into a review - from PTSD - far too rarely handled well in fiction - to Laas reconnecting with her childhood in an oddly foriegn but familiar setting. A very good exploration of meditation (and gratifying that it wasn't going to work for her in that moment.) And Clancy's insight that this was a journey she would have to take alone.
And some well-referenced descriptions of Peru. I like the idea of a Bajoran temple in the Andes - that has a ring of verisimiltude. Just an excellent chapter - Thanks!! rbs
Author's Response: Thanks for the kind words. This was a fun little story to write and an important milestone in the character's development. We have seen her suffer quietly for quite some time in Star Eagle. Here, finally, she takes the first step to healing her psychological scars.
[Report This]Date: 02 Aug 2021 08:30 Title: Until She's Gone
Quite evidently not reading between the lines... Very dangerous to get into a relationhip with a direct subordinate. Strictly forbidden in USMC. The Star Fleet of STH allows it but like most businesses, it is discouraged.
He's probably a bit better off with a heartbroken subordinate than an amorous one - that was never likely to end well. I'm suspecting the issue with Laas has not cleared up.
I enjoy these color stories as much as the plot-driver stories - perhaps a bit more. I would call it a human story, but it didn't feature any.
Thanks!! rbs
Author's Response: There's definitely no rule against it in this Starfleet or the canon one that I can remember. But it can lead to serious complications, of course. This story also sets up the tension between Leva and Alendra in the alter stories.
[Report This]Date: 31 Jul 2021 10:31 Title: Legacy (2/2)
Oddly, Tazla's recounting of her solo escapades with the trawler may have done more for their relationship than a few hours of joint scuba diving.
Parts of the funeral scene and the convrersation with Jarik preceding it seem oddly familiar - as if they had been recapped in the later stories I have already read.
The setup definitely feels familiar. A nice sense of forboding... In some universe, Michael said yes to his father. That universe was probably the first one to go...
Thanks! rbs
Author's Response: You're right, False Vacuum definitely picks up on this again later one.
[Report This]Date: 29 Jul 2021 07:57 Title: Legacy (1/2)
Horrible time for that particular ruse to interrupt the first actual vacation Michael has had in ages - especially with the need to strengthen his relationship with Star.
At least I seem to recall it being a ruse. Interesting to meet Jarik for the first time, knowing what becomes of him later.
Definitely a lot of tension among these men - Jarik almost being family. Which makes his later betrayal worse.
Thanks!! rbs
Author's Response: Yeah, nothing worse than having to deal with stressful situations during your vacation. Even worse when it's family matters ... not to mention a potential funeral. Bummer.
[Report This]Date: 27 Jul 2021 19:15 Title: When I Was a Child
Nice to get a timeline of where we are in this history - just after the Dominion War. I'm enjoying the reverie about Star Fleet's mission vs. its recent activities. Brings to mind the old adage about swamps and aligators.
Actually, I'm kind of with Yeega on this one.. To quote the blind emperor, "I'm not concerned about the kind of people we are. I'm concerned about the kind of people we might be tempted to become." Of course that concern is probably not well balanced against the potential threats, particularly to his homeworld. But there might be a workable compromise.
Great little story wrap with Deen. I always like it when the last sentence carries the stinger. And the visuals of Paris are greatly appreciated. It has been too long since I was there.
Thanks!! rbs
Author's Response: Fundamental philosophical differences, I guess. And clearly, a lot of it has to do with your environment. If Deen had never left her world, if she had remained sheltered in that peaceful society and had never known war, no doubt she'd think just like her fellow people do. They are probably both right and wrong at the same time.
[Report This]Date: 25 Jul 2021 16:37 Title: Resurrection Squared (2/2)
It's green, a sight to be seen, half-man, half-machine... and...
IT'S ALIIIVEEE!!!
Should have given him neck studs...
Great sci-fi concept. Not dissimilar to the Asgard in Stargate SG-1, but with much more of an Asimov twist. And a little less clonely, more Frankensteinian...
The 15 billions years threw me for a second, considering our universe is only 13.78 billion years old and it took a billion years for the universe to cook up carbon.. Then I thought - their years, not our years.. Then I thought - wait - if he's transferring across vast stretches of space, he has to also transfer across gulfs of time and there's no good reason he isn't from some distant future as well as some distant galaxy... Which makes this a really fun concept to play around with.
Thanks!! rbs
Author's Response: Yeah, not sure where the 15 billion years came from. In hindsight that feels a bit off. Then again, maybe those scientists weren't very good at carbon dating.
[Report This]Date: 23 Jul 2021 09:45 Title: Resurrection Squared (1/2)
Typical vulcans... not the most adroit when it comes to relationships - even with other vulcans. Most illogical of them.
Nice backstory on Xylion/Bensu. And there can never be enough wildcat in these stories. It's always interesting to see the many different takes on the kahs-wan, its details and purposes.
Definitely looking forward to learning more about the creation of a separate Bensu.
Thanks!! rbs
Author's Response: Like Culsten's story, Xylion's history, particualrly with Bensu, has been a slow burn in Star Eagle Adventures. I've introduced the enigmatic Bensu way back when, in Eagle's 3rd novel "Cry Havoc" and offered some hints to his origin here or there. This is the first story I've written that addresses it in some detail.
[Report This]Date: 21 Jul 2021 08:59 Title: The Burden of Truth (2/2)
Relly nice world-building with the petrified city. Good decision to make this a Part 1, Part 2 story. Having read the later works, I was already familiar with the outlanders, but an interesting glimpse into a number of krellonians who want to change things - also good world-building.
And really nice character building with Lif - a very believable self-exile, particularly in his attitudes and experiences trying to change his society. This is what science-fiction is for. Really top notch.
Thanks!! rbs
Author's Response: Thanks for the kind words. I had alwasy wanted to explore Culsten's background a bit more, and this give me a great opportuntity to do so, tie it into a wider story arc for QD and explore some social justice themes that have always been a staple of Trek and feel more relevant as ever these days.
[Report This]Date: 19 Jul 2021 08:01 Title: The Burden of Truth (1/2)
Hopkins should have researched the secondary planet for Federation lore... Memory Beta... I'm a big fan of easter eggs - nice callout. My easter eggs are the names of various actors sneaked in throughout STH (like Commandant Barrett th'Zoarhi...)
I appreciate the soliloquay on the vastness of space - something that is dramatically under-appreciated.
Completely recognizable family spat - reminiscent of 18th Century British nobility. Quite a bit of fun seeing Hopkins being a stranger in an oddly familiar land. And a fun twist about the moment of culinary frustration.
Thanks!! rbs
Author's Response: Hey, thanks. It's not exaclty Jane Austen (probably a good thing) but yes, certainly inspired by artistocratic family troubles. And nothing gets you to try and leave home quicker than conflict with your family. Well, that, and living in a generally reactionary society.
[Report This]Date: 17 Jul 2021 13:17 Title: Prologue: Where Do the Children Play, Part 1
Thanks for pointing this story out to me. I thought I had looked at all of the stories you had lodged on AdA.
Interesting discussion about civilians - something that is not often addressed in fanfic. And the discussion about Eagle's wounds is reminiscent of the Enterprise homecoming scene in ST III.
Looking forward to the introduction of the niners - which this seems to be heralding...
Thanks!! rbs
Author's Response: I think the whole notion of civilians on Starfleet ships has been a rather unpopular theme with fans and at least one prominent starship captain. I always thought it made inherent sense if Starfleet considers itself primarily a science and exploratory service. Of course, if a ship gets into a life-or-death battle every other week, it doesn't seem like such a good idea anymore