What an epic marathon of a saga you've created here, Star Trek or otherwise. A really impressive accomplishments. I may have been prolific over my years of writing my own niche of fan fiction, but I'm not sure I have undertaken anything on this scale, of such a consistently high level of quality over such a relatively short period of time.

That's really what impressed me the most. There is, no doubt, a lot of great, high quality fan fiction out there I admire greatly, but much of it is limited and takes a long time to develop, then there is a lot of writing produced quickly with mediocre results.

Hunter is truly the best of both worlds. As with any Trek fan fic, I didn't alway agree with your choices of what is or isn't canon or your interpretation of the Trek universe, but I respected all of them because, at the end of the day, you really made them work for the story you wanted to tell.

For me, when I read fan fiction my two most important ingredients are usually story and characters, and Hunter delivers on both, and then some.

Congratulations on this outstanding accomplishment and as to the question more from you in the future, either Hunter or other Trek, the answer is a resounding, yes please!

Author's Response:

Thanks for the kind words!  It was (and unfortunatley remains) a bit of an obsession. 

Boles in the center seat? Yeah, I guess that makes sense.

Something I certainly wouldn't have said a half a den or so stories ago when we first met this brash half Bolian.

Great character development has been a hallmark of this saga.

Author's Response:

Thanks for the kind words - I definitely wanted each character to have a unique arc. People change. Change is the only constant.

Small chapter, big bombshells.

Not only is Dolphin moving on to bigger things, and possibly spelling the end of the Hunter series in its current format. But he's having offspring? With different people? That's gonna mean some possibly awkward family dynamics.

Author's Response:

It's enough to give a guy a nervous breakdown...  And George Dolphin will be older than his uncles - that's never not weird.

All of a sudden the seemingly mostly theoretical notion of people turning into Borg for 20 years has become very real and personal for Dolphin.

Great little scene here despite it very nearly turning into a beer commercial in the end.

Author's Response:

Star Trek Hunter is brought to you by:

It's good to have a plan.

Also, about time the Borg came up with a more efficient way to assimilate. shudder.

Also, also: Giant vacccum cleaner in space? I'm not even going to say what that reminds me of.

Author's Response:

Another reader told me this scene gave her nightmares about the borg. The Borg Queen was a bit of a drama queen - she relished the terror the borg created. She loved toying with Data and Janeway - which ended badly for her in both cases.

LOL.

I was thinking the Organians are at it again. But this feel more like something out of Hitchhiker's Guide.

Hysterical.

Author's Response:

Hang on to your hat...

This was pretty intense. Couldn't help but feel immensely sorry for poor Hopper. I mean, you just practically invented new types of pain this chapter. Hair pain? That's not even a thing.

I guess it might be if you're using a centuries old, poorly calibrated molecular transporter. I'm with Bones. I'll take a shuttle, thank you very much.

Author's Response:

She'll be telling her grandkids... Forget walking uphill barefoot in the snow to get to school...

Well, that deescalated quickly.

Bit of a tough read there at first, with things looking rather bleak, unti a rather unexpected and unconventional beheading.

Did not see that coming.

Author's Response:

Neither did Mor'rgoth. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy...

Gotta give the Klingon kudos for amending their battle strategy so quickly.

Although ultralight aircraft versus huge birds with fricken laser beams mounted to their beaks? Sounds like no contest to me.

Never count out Klingons though, I guess.

Where are those handy interceptors when you need'em?

Author's Response:

Using interceptors would be like hunting peregrin falcons with a Harrier... It might be possible, but it would get rather frustrating. Especially if the falcons were shooting back.

It's Star Trek but with Orcs.

Or maybe Lord of the Rings: Star Trek Edition. Complete with a last-minute save by the Eagles .... I mean the nikamsitiri.

And while I have to say, I appreciate a bit of drama, methinks Hokitha could've just come out and shared the most important part of the plan with the lowly humans.

Also, I'm still debating the wisdom of naming your combat unit after a race of creatues who usually get routed. Are we sure these marines have actually read Tolkien?

Author's Response:

Marines are more into badass World of Warcraft hero orcs than wimpy D&D orcs... I totally didn't get the connection of the nikimsitiri with the eagles - that's a complete forehead-slapper. I suppose I should have added a pack of feral klingon targs and it would have been the battle of 5 armies...

For a moment I thought that maybe the tide of war may be turning. That ominous final sentence made me reconsider.

I like the idea of a battle between Romulans and Klingons being an essential stalemate with no real fighting going on, since both sides wold constantly coak.

It also reminds me how unKlingon the whole clocking device thing seems for a race so obsessed with honor.

Author's Response:

I can't remember if it was Julian or Dax who made that observation in DS9, to which Worf responded, "There is no greater honor than victory.."

Is it plunder if it's one of your own?

Regardless, tense battle scene. Taking down the Klingon heavy was a good victory but it came at a high price. Not sure if that strategy is sustainable.

Liked the bit about the Orion vixen bewitching Alstars. There ought to be some regulations around that.

Author's Response:

I'm really gratified that the hopelessness of their victory comes through. 

If you can't count one one thing in Hunter, besides the top notch writing and unexpected narrative shifts, it's promotions.

Actually, I halfway expected this to be much more drastic after the way the commandant set up her little speech. Perhaps something along the lines of take no prisoners, fight to the last man, and a total war approach. Well, day's young.

Author's Response:

Fighting to the last man isn't really Old Possum-Chicken's style. But he is about to make his captains do something they really don't want to do... And infuriate just about everyone in the process.