Date: 21 Apr 2010 18:33 Title: Chapter 51
As she did, Icheb noticed she kept one hand very close to her weapon.
The mission from the off had a lot going on for it - headed back to the Delta Quadrant and facing the real possibility of facing danger and opposition to Voyager's path through it. With this clear indication that indeed Voyager's actions have had severe ramifications among the Borg we are seeing in earnest just what a challenge lies ahead. But more than that, at a personal level, this tale threw a very humane and adept emotional navigator of people in Adele, a widow thanks to the Borg, to an ex-Borg drone with extreme difficulties navigation emotional issues and most of them his own interpersonal relationship with the Chief Engineer! So the two of these people would have to learn to work together and learn how to trust each other. At the opener here it seems Adele is wary still but by chapters end it is surprisingly all of the anguish and possible grief to her command that Icheb's and Maren's relationship potential held that helps to confirm Adele's assessment of the situation and to seemingly begin to trust Icheb. But boys at what a time!
With the dire pronouncement that the Borg are coming - not just for the Tesseract but the AQ as well. We're ending with the story coming full circle in terms of Adele and Icheb trying to trust each other and in terms of the events of Endgame and indeed Icheb's arrival on Voyager. There's a great - what is 'symmetry' the word? - synergy anyhoo - to it all.
The irony of their chosen designation was not lost on him, and with a cynical smirk, he thought to himself, I guess someone forgot to tell them that resistance is futile.
The Admiral is of course creepy as always. And though his motivations are still unclear - what we see here is that there are more players in this than we might believe and he remains a mysterious and potentially dangerous element. Regardless of that, his line and smirk is cold and chilling and so awesome.
Maren taking on the junior officer and then the surviving drone and showing it her face by pointing out Telek's neat trick of taking her out. But the chilling thought of whispering Dena. Very mysterious. What does it mean? Why is she rememberingher previous life. What lies behind that? Questions, questions and questions.
At least we see Maren and Icheb reunited together. A neat scene. A lot of emotional undercurrent but here and now wasn't the place to indulge in it. And after the news Icheb breaks - I'm not sure when the time will come. But deftly dealt with. This relationship, its ups and downs continue to fascinate and interest despite the greater story surrounding them. So a story dealing with characters and emotions still at its core despite the big ending we are getting here.
The Borg are coming. Resistance may be futile - and certainly when it comes to book two, trying to resist it will be futile! Terrific stuff!
Author's Response:
Resistance IS futile. Don't even think about trying to resist book two. ;-) (Please?)
I like how you saw symmetry/synergy in all the various plotlines. I've actually tried for that from the beginning -- I like symmetry and circles and completion and puzzle pieces fitting together. So if I've given that feeling here, that makes me really happy.
I also like your analysis of the Icheb/Maren situation and how, despite what a disaster it is for Adele on a professional level, it also helps her to relate to them and trust them (particularly Icheb). Because really, although the circumstances are very different, these feelings both the 'kids' have are painfully familiar to Adele. She's been young and in love, and she's had her heart broken by a loss beyond her control. So she identifies with these two more than she might like to admit even to herself. Glad you liked their reunion here. That was one of those scenes I rewrote in its entirety three times before feeling satisfied. Lots of emotion and no time to really speak ... plus all the people watching them ... I'm sure they'll face some of their issues head on in book two, but like you said, it'll be hard to find the right moment. Lots going on!
And then there's One of Fifteen. Why DID she whisper "Dena?" I guess that's one of those things you'll have to read book two to find out. (Or just say you want to be my beta, still, and then you'll find out before everyone else!)
Thanks for the comments and assistance on this chapter!
Date: 21 Apr 2010 01:14 Title: Chapter 52
Wowzers; the stakes just went up big time. The Borg are coming-and this time, they are coming for everyone, everything, and are playing for keeps. They've adapted, grown stronger...
And only the Tesseract can save us now.
Awesome! Looking forward to book II!
Author's Response:
Thanks for reading and commenting, trekfan! So glad you enjoyed!
Date: 21 Apr 2010 01:05 Title: Chapter 51
Oh boy-the Borg are coming. Four words that send shivers down anyone's spine. Heated chapter, with great interaction.
Date: 20 Apr 2010 21:03 Title: Chapter 50
Nice trick there by Adele, but now Icheb and his borg buddies are in a bad way; the previously busted up Borg are loose, Maren is in a whacked state of mind, and oh yes, Beckley is still up to his no good ways. Boy, has Adele got a busy day or what?
Date: 20 Apr 2010 20:56 Title: Chapter 49
I think bad things are about to go down. But man, that scene with John...can't help but cheer for the underdog, especially with Journey playing in my ears. A career is totally worth it John, pull through, go onward! Great chapter.
Date: 20 Apr 2010 20:48 Title: Chapter 48
All right Icheb! Taking a stand, tired of being a pawn. Fight the power man!
And Maren is pretty much right about the mind rapeing of the borg...but the practicality of the situtation may not allow anything else than returning them to the collective. Big old moral dillemma here, nice work.
Date: 20 Apr 2010 20:42 Title: Chapter 47
BOOM! It's game time. Tesseract heading into battle, guns ready to fire. Coolio!
Date: 20 Apr 2010 20:37 Title: Chapter 46
Beckley, you sly SOB. Still ever present. And Icheb seems to have struck up a deal with the good borg resistance, but what is really going on? Very cool stuff.
Date: 20 Apr 2010 20:30 Title: Chapter 45
Well, at least Adele feels bad for how hard she was on Maren-I'm glad about that. Though Julian does in fact need to worry about the dear admiral. But what's Icheb up to? Looking forward to seeing it. :)
Date: 20 Apr 2010 20:24 Title: Chapter 44
Oh boy...Johnny, Johnny, Johnny...you really have fudged this up. He revealed everything Adele was trying to keep covered up, and now Maren is in a far worse position with the advisory board. I feel, hard for these two.
Date: 20 Apr 2010 20:16 Title: Chapter 43
Damn Maren-she's in really, really, hot water now. And Adele, really taking a hardliner there...I know Hank, in her position, would have been on the other end of the spectrum for this one; He'd take a really hard line with the board (because he hates oversight) and be totally on Maren's side. Command personalities...ah, the beauty of it all. Great chapter.
Date: 20 Apr 2010 20:04 Title: Chapter 42
Dear me, seems Maren's ass is on the line; not to mention Adele having to deal with all the fallout from this mess. Jeez, never an easy day for a captain, is it?
Date: 20 Apr 2010 19:55 Title: Chapter 41
Oh boy-"Welcome to the war you started." WOW-great line there. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction...and it seems the Federation has proved that here.
Date: 20 Apr 2010 19:43 Title: Chapter 40
Beckley is not only a sly SOB, but also an oppurtunists; I don't know if leaving him alone with the Borg is a good plan.
And we continue to see Maren and John, slowly but surely moving towards one another...fascinating. ;)
Date: 20 Apr 2010 19:35 Title: Chapter 39
Beckley is a sly dog, he is. And poor Maren-beat up head injuries all around, but at least she's been drugged well. And of course, Icheb is in a bit of a situation. Seems the Borg Resistance is looking for a way to get rid of their Borg parts. Great couple o chapters, kes.
Date: 20 Apr 2010 19:28 Title: Chapter 38
Big Win for Telek, and Maren; but Icheb has gone by by, and Adele is now left with a very cooky situation.
Date: 20 Apr 2010 19:21 Title: Chapter 37
WHOA. It seems the shat has it the fan-Borg in engineering, maren on a sucicide mission, and Telek staying behind; Go Telek, save the day!
Date: 20 Apr 2010 19:16 Title: Chapter 36
Oh God-red alert indeed, on multiple fronts. What's in the schematics unlocked? And what is Maren going to do? She should have run by sickbay, I think Bashir would have talked her through a lot of stuff.
Author's Response:
Interesting that you think Bashir would talk her through things considering how relationally awkward he could be in his DS9 days. I think Bashir does have a lot to offer in terms of lessons learned, but he hasn't had the chance to do that yet. As for everything else ... well, that's why there are more chapters. :)
Date: 20 Apr 2010 19:09 Title: Chapter 35
Oh dear-so the Borg seem to be quite real, and poor Marcus got put on report-bummer man. Throwing a party and having a Vulcan there just don't mix. Well, let's hope Icheb passes his exam...
Author's Response:
Yes, sucks to be Marcus. We'll see what happens with Icheb ...
Date: 20 Apr 2010 19:02 Title: Chapter 34
Wow-John Q. You blew it there man...and the consquences are gonna be grave. Seen that happen at a couple of parties...and things get weird after. Oh boy, oh boy...
Author's Response:
They're Starfleet officers. Weird is part of the job. ;-)
All Voyager-referential joking aside, yes, that was a major oops and will undoubtedly have repercussions down the line.
Date: 20 Apr 2010 17:40 Title: Chapter 33
An end to the little get together with the firewater, and Adele seems to have brached out a bit. Good tidings for them there.
Author's Response:
Yeah, maybe this should have been a "deleted scene" but it somehow made the cut. Slow pacing, but Adele really needed to connect with a friend and I wanted to establish that connection in a natural way and not have it feel forced or rushed. Thanks for the comment!
Date: 20 Apr 2010 17:35 Title: Chapter 32
Well, well, hello John Q. Seems he has some buried/repressed feelings, and their going to a party? I see no hazards at all there ;)
Author's Response:
No. Nothing like that could possibly happen. And I'm not being at all sarcastic. ;-)
Date: 20 Apr 2010 00:03 Title: Chapter 31
Wow-well, seems Adele has an ally finally, but boy oh boy, I sense Beckley is up to no good. What could he possibly say to turn Maren against Adele? I hope he's not convincing.
And what's going on with the Borg? Good chapter.
Author's Response:
Thanks! Beckley is up to being Beckley. He doesn't want to turn anybody against anyone (yet). He just wants to establish a level of control.
Date: 10 Apr 2010 09:48 Title: Chapter 50
This tense confrontation went from zero to 100mph in a flash.
Icheb’s little trick helped give Tesseract a much-needed advantage during the encounter, though Adele using her empathic senses to trace the location of Icheb and his captors was pure genius. Her senior staff were clearly startled by her quick action and instincts, and unless I’m way off base, this instance of captain-level wizardry will grow larger with each re-telling by the officers and enlisted personnel of the ship.
I’m still wondering who incapacitated the security officer in the brig and killed the Borg drones prior to the prisoners’ arrival? My first guess would be Beckley, but hey… I’ve been wrong before.
Terrific characterizations and excellent pacing in this chapter!
Author's Response:
Thanks, Gibraltar! Yeah, stuff happened pretty quickly there, and while Icheb's trick gave them an edge, Adele surprised even herself with that little move. I can imagine the rumor mill will be working overtime ... at least it gives the crew something to talk about besides ill-advised romances or potential romances between various officers, hehe.
We'll see what happens with the situation in the brig ... it's a mystery and a mess and a lot of people will probably get the finger pointed at them before anyone has a clue who really did it.
Thanks for the review and the compliments ... more to come, hopefully very soon!
Date: 04 Apr 2010 13:20 Title: Chapter 50
Well you said this was the countdown to the end and from the very start the chapter ticked down the hour glass towards an exciting end. Icheb has been caught with hands apparently bloody. Talk about bad timing. He has faith though in his captain to sort it out. Considering her skills in locating Icheb I'd have faith in her too. A moment of win for Icheb there as he asserted a degree of control on the events surrounding him. Alas, it seems so fleeting with the mysterious events on the brig. Someone has killed the other drones and taken out the guard. Why? Who? What? It seems there is another layer of unknown events going on here. Malik also being so insistent upon sensors being shut down in order to protect the ship is also ominious and points to something in particular. But what does that mean for the overall scheme of things between this Borg faction and the other Borg? What does that mean for the crew who appear to be stuck in the middle of this? And again why does whoever want the Borg drones killed? Mystery aplenty still as we come to the closing stages. I wait with baited breath for what you are going to do next.
Author's Response:
Thanks for the review! I'd try not to think of this as the "closing stages" so much as a transition point. Part Two is already in the works. We've gotten to know the characters, we've had a whole lot of setup -- now, you can expect some "WTF" moments like these as we end the long introductory segment and head into the story arc to come. There are definitely more mysteries here, but we'll also be getting some answers very early in book two. So hang in there!