Date: 31 May 2013 05:28 Title: 'Accommodating Commodore'
Well, McGregor did in fact let the commodore have it and there were a few characters in my head who were more than happy to see a higher ranked official get slapped down hard (most of them captains). No doubt Georgetown isn’t used to this being in charge thing because most admirals who would have been addressed like that would have stripped down the captain doing to a lowly ensign without a second thought. You don’t get away with that in the service often and McGregor did get away with it, simply because he’s an eccentric Ahole but a fun one.
Molly played her role well here as the “good cop” or “sane cop” in this scenario, being as diplomatic as possible while also getting what McGregor was aiming for: his ship to be bumped up to the top of the repairs list and them getting underway ASAP to hunt T’Hos down and gut him like the pig he is. I’m sure McGregor would like to father her children, but Molly is far too much a lady for that.
Georgetown is just a nice guy with no backbone and McGregor and Molly had their way with him. There needs to be more higher ranking officials like that so captains don’t have to be all frustrated with the higher ups all the time. ;)
Date: 31 May 2013 05:19 Title: 'A Let Down'
Oh, two things I really liked in this chapter.
A) The showdown between McGregor and Cutler … or lack of one. I expected McGregor to lay into the ensign again but not give the poor kid that much of a verbal beatdown. His little story about the balloons was humorous until he used it smack Noah around. Gardener’s thoughts afterwards were spot on: McGregor needs to lay off. He had to know Noah’s grandfather and has a grudge there or something … he’s picked on him since day one and it’s disappointing to seeing the kid get hung out to dry like that and McGregor not feel any remorse about it.
B) The way McGregor is gonna go and kick the living shit out of T’Hos for what he did to the man’s ship. I liked that McGregor went deadly serious here and just decided to lay it out there. T’Hos is a man who’s been moved to the top of McGregor’s priority list and I imagine, from this point on, McGregor is gonna make it his job in life to squeeze T’Hos at every turn until he gets his payback.
I can’t wait to see him lay into the commodore too. That will be entertaining but I suspect the commodore may put Molly in charge after these events. We’ll see.
Date: 31 May 2013 05:06 Title: 'Into the Maelstrom'
AH! McGregor, you sly dog, you pulled a massive overload discharge and fried your ship to kingdom come! But you saved the crew, you saved everyone, and you even managed to be a badass and save Harris (score!) but man, what a risk. McGregor’s play was a desperate one, a tough one, but one he had to make to get T’Hos off the ship and get Harris back. His rescue was top-notch, well paced and thought out. I loved that he’s still dishing out clever one liners even as things are looking bad around him. T’Hos almost managed to get away with this but, McGregor always had an ace up his sleeve.
Seeing Fang and Jex get him from space (almost immediately, well timed McGregor) was a major win moment. Blowing open the exit, taking your chances in the cold depths of space, seemed like an insane thing but this is McGregor, insanity work for him though I have no doubt Harris is going to make sure he knows how much she doesn’t appreciate being dragged into space.
Then McGregor has to deal with the messy, messy leftover effect of what happened to his ship. The fact he ruined her himself is a testament to his gall, but he did it for the greater good. But wow, what a close shave.
I wonder how mad the Commodore is gonna be.
Date: 31 May 2013 04:52 Title: 'Countdown to Oblivion'
Um.
Wait.
…
He blew up the ship! What! No, he couldn’t have, could he? It has to be some sort of ploy, doesn’t it? Yet, it seems that everyone is distinctly aware in their last moments that the ship is doomed. That McGregor has killed them all. I can scarcely believe it, I’m with Fang (who was a BADASS in that scene where he destroyed the Nausican, OMG) that McGregor would not destroy his own ship. Not like that. Not that way.
Yet, it looks increasingly like McGregor did do just that.
Whatever the case, the last scenes and moments here-at least the characters tend to think so-have come to pass. Stanley in engineering, desperately trying to find some way to minimize the damage the ship’s impending destruction will cause and failing. His last words and scenes were oh so very Stanley and couldn’t have happened in any other way really.
We have Becca in a death fight with Valdros, trying her best to survive while getting answers. She didn’t get any answers but Templar did save her bacon (before getting blinded by a phaser blast, which I thought was a very nice touch as too often phasers are fired so close to one’s head and yet no one seems to recoil from the light … but Sebastian did here, nicely done) and her interrogation of Valdros, short as it was, was pretty sweet (superhot phaser point pressed against neck: yes).
Then, finally, we have Jex and Gardener. Gardener is pretty sure McGregor is gonna get them all killed (love the grouch in him, even in desperate situations) so he rolls off and leaves Jex on her own (poor girl) and I totally loved the Jex/Fang interactions. Jex having a past life that was ended by a Kzinti is a nice touch and now it seems the ship has gone and died. Or … has it?
Date: 31 May 2013 04:35 Title: 'Controlled Chaos'
Whew, an action packed chapter here as McGregor faces down T’Hos, man to man. But dude, he really has some stones. It’s great though that you showed what was going on in the starbase because, frankly, I was beginning to wonder what the thought was happening. But McGregor triggering the self-destruct finally have the guys a clue that, hey, the ship is in trouble and in need of some major assistance. It’s about time for someone to start taking McGregor seriously and it’s good to see the starbase personnel doing that, despite Commodore Georgetown (who I imagine with a white goatee and a monacle) thinking it was all some sort of prank.
Back on the ship, McGregor’s ploy works in getting T’Hos off but instead of him going alone he takes Harris with him (given credence to the Orion girl thing) and when she goes, and he goes, McGregor dashes off. I thought he was heading for some sort of emergency override he built into the ship but instead he heads to an escape pod?
Oh man, it seems like the self-destruct is real but there’s no way McGregor blows up his own ship, right? Right? Right.
I’m almost certain of it.
In fact, pretty sure.
Maybe.
Possibly.
Date: 31 May 2013 04:05 Title: 'VIP - MIA'
And Molly Cartwright rides into action! Molly is an ace XO, despite not getting along with McGregor all the time (and really, that’s not her fault, he is an eccentric SOB) she knows her duty to her ship and captain and the two work well together. When he goes, she rallies the troops, figures out what’s going on, and gets a plan in action. You have to admire that in an XO, the ability to quickly size up a situation and get yourself moving.
But then McGregor, in all his wonder, activates the self-destruct which, from where she’s sitting, looks insane and completely anal, but he knows that T’Hos is gonna kill them all otherwise. McGregor is playing a dangerous game of chicken but maybe his crew knows this on some level and will work to get their jobs done faster. One would hope, anyway, that they’ll work faster because if they don’t this story becomes very short and very sad.
My favorite part of the chapter would have to be the end featuring Judith Monroe. I like her character, really enjoy her way of speaking and I was glad to see her jest the yeoman a bit while also prodding the young girl to get to her post. She needs to be there, help Fang, and help get the ship back … fear is understandable but not useful. The good doctor knows this.
Date: 31 May 2013 03:38 Title: 'Destructive Behaviour'
Oh man, this is shaping up to be a very bad situation indeed!
McGregor gets beamed onto the bridge per T’Hos revenge plan (ah, if he isn’t so cocksure in his plan) much to the chagrin of his comrade in evil. The way the two bicker back and forth aboard the Miranda class vessel reminds me, in a way, of Khan and his second who was like “Captain, we can’t go in there, shields would be useless” and Khan’s like “Damn you!”
But, T’Hos eventually wins out, gets McGregor there and then McGregor just goes laying into Noah. This seems quite mean spirited, given the situation, but I’m partly sure McGregor was using it as a distraction-like method in order to get T’Hos to not pay attention to him, but considering he activated the self-destruct later and then just sat there … well, laying into Noah doesn’t seem like it was meant for anything really other than McGregor getting his jollies from the poor ensigns shame.
And I do feel bad for Noah, his first shift on the bridge and the ship gets taken over on his watch. Admittedly, he was distracted by Yeoman sexy (her unofficial nickname in my head now) but honestly, he’s just a noob fresh out of the Academy. Cut him a break, McGregor.
Date: 31 May 2013 01:05 Title: 'A Hostile Environment'
Ah, Gardener. I love a good grouch and I love a good grouch who knows he’s a grouch. Gardener knows this and he’s absolutely gonna make sure everyone else knows it. The interactions with Jex and the way the two of them are honest with one another, going back and forth, are really nice. He’s not gonna baby her and she doesn’t want to hear any tirades. They came to an agreement.
But the ship is in peril and they notice this as they head to the docking port. Both their observation skills are hard at work and though Gardener does offer a bit of scolding on his part for her missing the scorched panel. But Jex steps up and saves his tail when weapons fire comes down. They’re gonna sit there and do what engineers do best: work to help the crew.
Becca and Berkley manage to get on the scene as the alert sounds and Becca’s superior security skills manage to sniff out Vardros … but man, he’s not gonna make it easy. He knocks Berkley out with a phaser and now it’s up to Becca to stop him. Is she up to the task?
This was a well portrayed and action-y chapter that was enjoyable from start to finish.
Date: 31 May 2013 00:24 Title: 'Party Crashers'
And we find ourselves back at the party, where Captain McGregor is being himself and offending all the lovely female yeomen in the room. Oh, McGregor, you are the life of the party and you do make me smile so. Molly and Judith are right to scold McGregor a bit here (at least Molly is) simply because he’s being a bit hard of Cutler. I’m hoping Cutler will be able to show how he’s a good officer and help get McGregor out of this mess, but now it seems the two of them are in the same place: on the bridge.
Meanwhile, back at the party, everyone has to be wondering what the devil is going on. McGregor being transported randomly out of the party and in the middle of a sentence among all things … well, it has to be setting off red alerts somewhere. Whatever the case may be, I’m hoping they get on the move on.
The highlight of this chapter had to be McGregor, who’s witty banter and playful manners continue to delight and amuse. His interactions with the crew are just ace and I hope, in the face of danger, he continues to grin and deliver those one liners.
Date: 31 May 2013 00:02 Title: 'Boarding Party'
Boy, the Fien are some bad, bad people. I feel sorry for Chan and his bud. What was starting off as a chapter exploring two good NCO buddies, ended with both guys dead in quite shocking and sad manners. The boarding party managed to secure things and this is definitely not a prank from McGregor, but it is about McGregor. The guys beaming on there have one objective and one objective alone and that’s to cause McGregor and his crew a lot of pain. A hell of a lot of pain.
Starfleet security has been befuddled by these villains, who have sneaked onto the ship in a rather nice ploy. Poor Noah and Harris though … they are in a world of trouble. Noah, the fresh faced ensign, now finds himself in a big time situation and he got slapped around like nothing else. The Orion is not a nice character and Harris’ past as a possible person with Orion blood might play here.
My concern is now about what’s going to happen to the rest of the crew. With this poison now in play, about to be used to fry the insides of the crew, I can’t help but imagine there’s going to be some serious havoc in store. Well done in changing the stakes and adding in a different kind of excitement to this story.
Date: 30 May 2013 23:36 Title: 'A Commanding Presence'
Ah, Molly and Judith. I like the chemistry between these two space veterans, the back and forth amusing. I really liked that Judith got stuck on bridge duty because she decided to go by the rules and introduce herself to the captain. Oh, the irony of getting disciplined BECAUSE you followed the rules and not the other way around. McGregor certainly runs a different kind of shape.
The little bit about examining the new security officer “thoroughly” made me laugh. Oh I like Judith and I hope to see her more as the story goes on.
We get back to the bridge where Noah is by his lonesome, seems to have the time he needs to get acquainted with things by himself, and then he discovers he’s not alone. In fact, he has some very nice looking company with Yeoman Harris. She has something about her that just magnetizes him … obviously she’s a very sexy lady (and dressed so nicely too, McGregor has to have something to do with that) but there’s something about personality that seems a bit off. I wonder what it is? What’s the thing that she’s hiding or keeping back?
The bridge tour was very in depth and descriptive. I’m a big fan of the connie refit bridge and I absolutely love that you used it here. It’s a great fit for the vessel and even has some things in it that I didn’t know about (transporters on the bridge! Why was this taken off future Starfleet ships?). Speaking of the transporters … what was beamed onto the ship? I don’t know but I get the feeling that it’s either a test from McGregor or one of the Fien pirate ships have gotten bold enough to attack the ship in dock. If they have, I hope those Fien get busted hard.
But I find that McGregor’s option is more likely.
Date: 30 May 2013 21:28 Title: 'A VIP Event'
Oh, man, what a party that was! So many things going on in this chapter, let me see what I can drum up here as far as which ones stood out to me: firstly, the interplay between Jex and Cutler. These two you can tell are friends and fast ones at that, with the back and forth good natured banter between them privately and in the company of superior officers.
Molly and Stan show up here and are an absolute blast as they sit there and exchange old tales with the new recruits. You can tell how friendly they are to the new crew and how they’re trying to be as welcoming as possible. The origins of Stan, the references to the mysterious “Event” where McGregor came from 60 years before (say what?!!) were well done. Stan is an enjoyable character, as always, asking the questions we of course want to know with as little tact as possible.
Then we have Becca and Sebastian, oh my the fireworks between these two are gonna be intense in the future. The showdown was well done between the, Sebastian getting the better of Becca (and what a mouth young sir) while Becca’s anger clearly got the better of her.
A rare moment of seriousness for McGregor (and that’s when you know things are serious) a stern talking to helped calm her tail down but I feel she’s gonna push the issue sooner rather than later.
A fun party and one I enjoyed reading about.
Date: 30 May 2013 21:06 Title: 'An Admiring Admiral'
Poor Sebastian. The guy’s stubborn mule tendencies and general unhappy posture is explained in depth here, where his past plays a huge role in his character, as it does in all the best characters. The lack of love from his father, the man’s death, his mother’s coping practice of throwing herself into work, and then trying to equally dish out love … man, he’s had a rough childhood. I admire the fact that he’s not blaming that exclusively, that he’s not relying on childhood problems to explain away his bad decisions before but they did play a role in what happened. I would like to see him come to that conclusion himself.
Man, whatever happened must have been bad to get him in this way. He always revealed it here in the convo with his uncle (tease, you are) but whatever it was his uncle is right: it’s in the past. You can’t keep carrying that around, it’s just gonna break you down in the end. Getting over past sins, getting past the guilt, getting to the point where you can move on is tough … I look forward to seeing how Sebastian manages to do that. Hopefully by finding some new friends, forging some new relationships, and doing the best he can here in this new assignment.
Date: 30 May 2013 20:36 Title: 'A Message Home'
Poor Noah Cutler. He’s worried. The disappointment and worry is clear in his voice and this is a chapter that reminded me a lot of that away from home experience, you know the kind where you’re nowhere near your relatives and all you have our messages to them? This reminds me of that. He’s trying to dissuade his mother’s worrying nature while trying to keep his own at bay, but already he’s feeling down and out about things. McGregor did rib him pretty hard on the tour but that’s McGregor, no offense was meant on any personal level and certainly he recognizes the Cutler name, so he knows Noah has lineage in the Border Patrol service.
All that said, Noah is taking it kinda hard. You can’t get the grand and glorious assignments straight out of the Academy … not many do, not unless you’re really gifted and in a Federation as big as that one, being really gifted means you have to be REALLY gifted. I mean, loads beyond loads of gifted … and Noah isn’t quite that. He is himself and he got assigned a low rung ship … most officers do. It’s not like the great ones all started out being great from the beginning, they had to work their way up.
I hope Noah realizes this and I hope he pulls himself up by the bootstraps and gets ready to go. Life is not gonna be easy in the Border Patrol service … he’s gonna need to toughen up sooner rather than later.
Date: 30 May 2013 20:14 Title: 'Bedding In'
Bedding in indeed! Ah, the many McGregor puns, phrases, and innuendoes here are priceless. He’s coming on strong to Jex which makes me want to ship them.
So I’m totally going to ship them, ranks be damned! Jex is a Trill anyway so it’s not so creepy as it would be if she were just some fresh faced thing straight out of the Academy. McGregor an Jex, FTW. Team M/J (not related to Michael Jackson) is now taking on passengers.
Cutler and Templar are both reacting to McGregor’s brand of insanity differently, but both reactions are expected in some form. Cutler seems a bit shaken by McGregor’s behavior, probably completely surprising him considering everything the Academy teaches. Templar is a stubborn type, unhappy with the flippancy and sure enough has himself a bit of a past as McGregor hints to Gordon.
Ah, Gordon. The ever trustworthy and reliable barkeep. The interplay between the two in the nearly empty bar was good, Gordon pretty much keeping McGregor in check. He seems to have a good head on his shoulders which is a good thing for the rest of his crew, as McGregor seems to need a bit guidance every now and then from outside sources. Oh, things are gonna get fun … and Dr. Healy getting sold to Orion pirates was LOL worthy.
Date: 30 May 2013 19:51 Title: Hanging About
Oh, McGregor! Ah, he’s such a breath of fresh air (unless someone passed wind) and is so good at being so absurd. I picked up where I left off, for some reason, all those years ago here in Ch. 5 and I see that the ensigns are still being thrown a bit off kilter by the eccentric (understatement) methods of their captain. The tour of the hanger bay was fantastic. You put a lot of love into the very descriptive details you threw out here, from the worker bees to the Wasps, and the history you give of the old Miranda class is also well done.
The interplay between the three ensigns and McGregor was grin worthy all about. He joked, they responded, but he seems to have a particular effect on young Jex. Being a female Trill and living as many lives as she has, I’m sure McGregor isn’t the first eccentric type she’s crossed by he seems to be making quite an impression on her. I wonder … nah. She’s just an ensign, right? Maybe? McGregor and Jex? Ah, who knows, he is McGregor.
Anyways, back to the tour of the hanger and we stumble across the venerable Galileo class, which is surprisingly still kicking (but is a kickass design). McGregor’s final orders to “suit up” should make the ensigns excited … or dread filled. Fun chapter with great description and interplay. Well done.
Date: 24 May 2013 14:34 Title: 'Problems in Engineering'
I do like the frontier feel of this story, but going back to McGregor and how he interacts with the crew I wonder if the crew serve him or serve Starfleet? I know every crew is devoted to a good captain, but they all know they are part of a bigger picture. With McGregor it seems to be his own little ship based around loyalties and little favours.
At any rate it is an interesting little command structure you have developed, but again too many characters involved! You throw at least a dozen of them in the first four chapters, and each with their own POV and it becomes a real hassle going back and forth between chapters working out who is who. Plus it becomes annoying when you want to focus on one or two characters you like, and then you have to wait for several chapters until they pop up again or a scene comes with their POV.
Annoying but I'm still continuing on with this story.
Date: 24 May 2013 10:59 Title: 'Welcome Aboard, My Young Kestrels'
Argh! Too many character introductions, too many shifting POVs and some of these characters feel like caricatures especially Captain McGregor. That's more than just intimidation or rousing words on his part, he is a nutjob though his little speech so reminded me of Judge Dredd. I can so hear McGregor saying 'I am the lawww'.
But man it was so hard reading this chapter what with all the changing POVs. I get the sense you're rushing with the introductions and you don't really have to, you Cartwright, McGregor, Jex and Cutler as your starting main characters. I presume you are going to focus on them and introduce the other main characters in a more orderly fashion.
And it seems like Gardner could be the insider who is working for T'Hos Likk. I sense some very blood between Gardner and McGregor, cue McGregor being shocked, shocked at Gardner's eventual betrayal?
Date: 24 May 2013 10:32 Title: 'But It's a Miranda Class!'
"My granddad told me that the Mirandas are the ford pick up of Starfleet."
Lol! Wow Cutler and Jex have so much life as characters than this Cartwright does, and that's not all attributable to Culter's and Jex's youth. I can also see where you are going with Jex, she's like Jadzia Dax but Jadzia during her first years in Starfleet.
Date: 24 May 2013 10:23 Title: 'He's an Hawsehole!'
Just starting on your story and one of the first things I noticed was how heavy this chapter was in dialogue and exposition, it kind of reminds me of some of my more heavy-handed moments with writing some of my stories. Right now for me though the only two hooks are commander Molly Cartwright and this T'Hos Likk fellow, so it's a small hook but a hook none the less.
Date: 03 Mar 2011 03:12 Title: 'He's an Hawsehole!'
What an adorable crew! The chief engineer that is all but a teddy bear, Cartwright that seems to be as unpleasant as she can in front of a superior officer without getting into trouble, not mentioning merely mentioned, and not her met 'eye to eye,' captain. I bet workiung under their command takes all joy from being a Starfleeter, especially one that makes mistakes sometimes...
Author's Response:
Aw thank you Gul Rejal! Firstly, for even starting to read the story and then for saying they are adorable. They aren't typically run of the mill and people's opinions of certain characters [usually McGregor] change as they continue the story. I wonder will it for you. Certainly, working under McGregor or Cartwright can be interesting, they both have exacting standards [exacting to their standards that is!]. Thank you again for reading. I hope you will like it and find it worth following, regardless, I appreciate you taking the time to try it out.
[Report This]Date: 28 Feb 2011 01:34 Title: Into The Dark
An important piece of T'Vel's story, skillfully and carefully revealed. A dark chapter for sure, but I think we all knew it had to be that way. And the horror of the moment when she realizes it is much, much more than rape of her body and mind which is happening to her ... chilling stuff.
On a lighter note, I especially loved the flashback to her grandmother's commentary on her running. That was a good insight into the habits of T'Vel, and where she's coming from, and why her current state is that much more damaging to her -- she ran from her emotions in an attempt to control them, and now they are out of her control. I feel for her. :(
Author's Response:
Thank you for reading kes. Yes, it is a chapter to make you feel for T'Vel. This was something horrible. I'm glad that despite the awful nature of the chapter that you thought it was revealed in a good way. Thank you again for reading.
Date: 06 Dec 2010 13:11 Title: Bodily Complications
Okay, first of all, the portrait of the slaves and their conditions that you painted ... wow. I think you pretty much nailed that, and it was VERY uncomfortable to read. Those poor people ... and I also felt for the crew of the Kestrel, having to see it. Their distress was palpable.
I have to say, I like that you aren't afraid to make Captain McGregor morally ambiguous while still generally being on the side of right. It is thoroughly creepy to me that he apparently found Yeoman Harris in circumstances such as these, played the savior, and now she is both his Yeoman and his lover. I mean, that's pretty messed up! But still, we see that he is passionate about making sure justice is done here. And we also get to see him play the hardass captain with his senior staff! That was quite the catfight between the officers, but all of them had valid points and complaints. I am struck by how consistent your characterization is even while in the middle of these very dynamic situations. (And as an aside, why do I think T'Vel is about to become a HUGE problem?)
Speaking of characterization, I like Submino. He has a potty mouth, but "fuck me to the power of ten" is an awesome line. It's so Submino and yet still such an engineer thing to say -- and a perfectly natural reaction to finding a BOMB on the main plasma conduit! Yikes, complications for sure! Great stuff, can't wait for more!
Date: 04 Dec 2010 01:49 Title: 'Hook, Line and Sinker'
If I were Molly Cartwright, I might have slapped McGregor across the face and not the arm, at that moment in time. Not only was he holding back about the true source of their information, but it was information about her own ex-husband! Yes, he has his reasons for keeping things to himself, given the apparent mole on board ... but that has to seriously rankle his XO.
Speaking of the XO, she seems to have taken quite an interest in young Noah Cutler's development as an officer. I'm glad he has someone looking out for him.
On a purely technical note, great transition from the bridge of the Kestrel to the Spittle using the grappling hooks as the common thread. Felt very natural and really rounded out that whole scene.
Last but not least, this made me laugh out loud: "Dashiel Cain however just pointed his carbine at the Reptilian and it succeeded in shutting him up."
I suppose it would, wouldn't it?
Great chapter. Want more.
Author's Response:
Yes it would succeed in shutting a person up! Hee hee. As for Molly, I think as much as she is rankled there's some sort of mixed relief there in terms of the information from Paul being of use to McGregor. I dunno, maybe it gives her hope about Paul and maybe it gives her hope to about McGregor that he isn't blithely walking into a trap set by T'Hos. But he DOES have cause to be concerned and ... well ... stay tuned for developments.
Thank you about the technical note. That's a great big winning smile on my face and a big boost to the confidence. My writing may not be Shakespeare but I hope the effect I aim for works at least some of the time.
On a teasing note, I will just say that I might get to explaining just why Molly is taking such an interest in Noah. But it all depends on how other things develop.
More? Why it is on its way. Another great big stomping chapter is in the works and about in the can. So I hope to get it up soon. Again, stay tuned. And thanks for reading and reviewing so , SO, so much!
[Report This]Date: 03 Dec 2010 19:02 Title: 'But It's a Miranda Class!'
Mister Cutler doesn’t seem all that excited about serving on one of the older classes of starship. Jex, meanwhile, doesn’t seem to be having a hard time lifting spirits. And boring him with the statistics ain’t helping either. She sure knows her stuff having lived in that earlier time period, which might prove to be of value. No, Cutler doesn't seem very excited about serving on an older class of starship nor for that matter particularly enthused about serving with the Border Dogs. He probably wished for something safe and comfy among the regular Fleet. Alas for poor Cutler that is not what life intended and in the great big Dog Lotto he got billeted for Border Patrol duty. Jex does have an advantage by dent of her lifetimes of experience and it will be of benefit to her. However, I hope to explore the double-edged sword such a long lifetime of experiences might have. As for lifting Noah's spirits, I think at this moment in time Jex is a little too caught up in her own reveries and excitement. Thank you so much for reading. I hope you continue to enjoy the tale. It gives such a thrill to have new readers on board. Thank you heaps and heaps.
Author's Response: