Date: 21 Jun 2013 00:24 Title: Chapter 16
Damn! You've got it all dressed up, but we're not quite there yet.
YOU TEASE!
Date: 21 Jun 2013 00:13 Title: Chapter 15
It is like a cross between Terra Prime and the Augments, it seems - oh, Colin, this is not a good thing at all that you have done. Nope, not at all.
Date: 21 Jun 2013 00:04 Title: Chapter 14
You set up a number of loaded guns on the table as the chapters were posted. And now those guns are beginning to fire. Excellent build up of suspense.
Date: 20 Jun 2013 23:50 Title: Chapter 13
Good on Sarine for putting his own messy feelings aside for the good of that freighter - and the same can be said for Kalara, who is duty-bound and seems to be at least attempting to make good. What Benjamani wants is a whole other ball of wax, but at least there are two people (three, really, as Prin should be counted in this number) who are trying to do the right thing for the greater good, rather than satisfy their own petty personal agendas.
Date: 20 Jun 2013 23:40 Title: Chapter 12
Whatever it is, it has got to be ugly and, of course, not what their oh so carefully orchestrated maneuvers were supposed to be leading to.
Date: 20 Jun 2013 23:36 Title: Chapter 11
What I am thinking is - this is the calm before the storm.
The computer issue is a troubling one. Is it Zoraya? Keene? Kalara and Benjamani? Or is it someone else, tampering with such a large chunk of the ship's systems? This kind of diverted memory could really hurt them during a battle.
Who authorized something like that, which could potentially be so dangerous?
Date: 20 Jun 2013 23:27 Title: Chapter 10
The chickens are beginning to come home to roost!
For what are essentially rehabilitated (kind of) Borg, it works that someone would be, as Gotye sang, somebody that I used to know.
Hakim is all set to scratch Damien's back and vice versa. And then he (Hakim, that is) sees a ghost. Again, mystery heaped onto mystery as this onion shows its many layers.
Date: 20 Jun 2013 23:21 Title: Chapter 9
She knows.
She knows, and man oh man, this is not good.
But - she has her own secrets.
I love how mystery upon mystery, surprise upon surprise, is being heaped up here by you. Just when the reader thinks they understand something - a character, a motivation, whatever, something new pops up.
Date: 19 Jun 2013 22:27 Title: Chapter 7
Ah the pincers, while they are not yet closing in, are now fully formed.
Malok is starting to figure it out. And so is Kalara. Things are looking awfully bad for Keene, eh?
Sarine's charm and smooth moves are working well here, and the speculation that he and Turner might have something going on (or might be considering that sort of thing) is an astute observation. And for Zoraya, who needs to bring down the spy, this might just lead her to ... Turner?
Date: 19 Jun 2013 22:15 Title: Chapter 6
Oooh, trouble, trouble!
The political intrigue is extremely believable, as everyone swirls around, trying to figure out where they should stand which will make them look the best. There is very little integrity here - it's all about looking good in front of the boss.
And Colin! Casting the chapter from his perspective works very well. He is a believable character and, with very little for the reader to go on, you make him real and flesh and blood and nervous sweat - particularly at the end of the chapter.
Skillfully done!
Date: 19 Jun 2013 22:04 Title: Chapter 5
I have to point out that it is not likely that a bench conference would occur without Sarine's counsel being privy to it. At bare minimum, the JAG attorney should have asked to be present for the sidebar. Then he could be refused as, say, some matter of state security or other - there could be a pretext to not allow him to listen in. But any defense attorney would ask. Not asking would be ineffective assistance of counsel.
I like how Benjamani's motives are still murky. Is she doing this to get a treaty going, and fulfilling her Ambassador-style duties? Is she doing it to be vindictive, hoping and figuring Sarine will just die during maneuvers? Does she want Redemption to fail this spectacularly?
Date: 19 Jun 2013 21:52 Title: Chapter 4
My, my, my, now isn't this interesting?
It feels an awful lot like a deal with the Devil. And to read who is responsible for the proferred deal makes a great deal of sense. Kalara is tried when the first deal is offered. If she agrees to it, then the puppetmaseter pulling the strings withdraws and looks for some other means of getting what is desired. But if Kalara does as is hoped for (and most likely expected), then the puppetmaster knows to come in for the kill, with a second offer.
And we are off to the races.
Date: 18 Jun 2013 23:15 Title: Chapter 3
A Pandora' Box indeed.
This is a delightfully complex puzzle you're setting up. Who's good? Who's bad? But, like all of the best characters, motivations cannot be determined with a glance. The good guys do not necessarily wear white or announce and telegraph their intentions or wear their morality on their collective (ha) sleeves.
It's also thought-provoking in general. After all, let's look at the Borg themselves, and as the Collective as a kind of hive character. Is it purely evil? Or is it merely trying to survive? Or is it exploitative and imperialistic? If it is evil and criminal, can it not be rehabilitated? Or does the Federation just commit what is essentially genocide and says, to hell with it?
If there is to be a time after the Borg, then there needs to be a means of the Borg fitting in with the remainder of galactic society. Are they banished to the Delta Quadrant? That is an easier way out, and I admit I have done that in some instances. It is considerably more difficult to try to live with them. How they do, and what they do, could make for a fascinating series unto itself.
Date: 18 Jun 2013 23:02 Title: Chapter 2
I like how Zoraya is so deeply embedded that, despite how annoying her living situation is clearly going to be, she can't refuse it. That makes sense, though, and it perfectly covers her as it just makes her look like a hapless newbie. And that is a perfect cover.
Knowing how things turned out with Kalara, I am not going to get attached to anyone just yet.
Date: 13 Jun 2013 02:00 Title: Chapter 1
So - there are still consequences and hard feelings from Book I, and things are not fully resolved. Good, I say, as life doesn't work out nicely and neatly much of the time. It's hard work to work with people, and to build a crew and get out there and also to assuage hard feelings.
Date: 30 May 2013 01:59 Title: Prologue
I really love the language, the clearly non-humanoid species, and the interesting means of propulsion/transportation/etc. Do you know a short story called Specialist by Robert Sheckley (1953)? Amazon has the book I first read it in, if you want to have a look - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GK9IGG/ref=reg_hu-wl_item-added/002-8099333-5334406
The story is about an ordinary human guy who is grabbed by aliens to, by use of his body, power their ship. So your story felt, to me, a bit like that.
And the other touches - a wormhole (maybe). A Nero-style ST09 ship (maybe). A command structure that might be a bit totalitarian (maybe). Fascinating and truly immersive. Great beginning!
Date: 20 Apr 2011 03:29 Title: Chapter 16
BRILLIANT. I loved every minute of this...it was engrossing from beginning to end. I have quite a few theories on the various thread you have going on here...I'm really loving this. I couldn't stop from reading it all in one sitting-truly a testament to your writing.
Great work CaptainSarine!
Date: 09 Sep 2010 11:50 Title: Chapter 16
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And the plot thickens. Spies, secrets, Borg with hair wearing clothes, dangerous Haebron in Dax's head. Is it Ianto in the computer core, is it, is it? Sounded like him :)
I'm glad Book III is available, and even if it's still WIP, I can start reading without waiting. Every chapter is like a cliffhanger here.
I really enjoy reading this series. Good job!
Date: 20 Jul 2010 12:33 Title: Chapter 16
Ba'el's memories of the Founder homeworld were rivetting for the comparison between his dreams and the reality. Very good way to go at it adding so much more to the proceedings. And of course, it is ominious that he should have the dream on the day of the launch. Things are now in motion and you leave the identity of the agent a secret still to be worked out so that things can only continue to get more interesting as head into Book Three.
Loved Book 2 for the intrigue and complex weave of dense plots. All done with a fair hand and good judgement adding a lot of interpersonal dynamics and complications to everybody's motivations. Yipes.
Date: 20 Jul 2010 12:01 Title: Chapter 15
Oh my goodness. So now we have Eugenics taking a turn in all of these affairs. The Federation and the Klingons have been played and are at war. It is a dicey situation and as some plans forment and vear fruit others are going to ahve to readjust. Things are getting even more interesting and of course now there is a declaration of war things are going to get hairy indeed. Continuing to like the political aspect as it adds lots to the drama of the story and helps build layers and complications atop of everythign else. Terrific stuff.
Date: 20 Jul 2010 11:54 Title: Chapter 14
A fine start indeed. Again good action stuff but more so the shift in power plays and intrigues as Andrew Keene's decision to skip ship could almost ahve worked only for his new mission to be made very clear. Once again, Kalara is going to be the pawn / scapegoat for a devious game play. This should make things very interesting as we wait to see this play out and of course wait to see who the operative is. Not only that, we have the motivations of other parties tryign to bring about an earlier war between the Klingons and the Federation. What are their reasons? What reasoning do they have? Hmm ... again and again I keep repeating it - intriguing stuff.
Date: 20 Jul 2010 11:44 Title: Chapter 13
Oh a neat little action sequence and I liek too how we just leap into the action. You never know what the next page of Restoration is going to bring. Yay! Better than the action is the dynamics of what is happening on the bridge. Ba'el is called out by Prin to put his trust in the one person [other than Benjamini] to solve the problem. Kalara too has to be commended for her quick thinking and her nerve to make the suggestion. Prin too for making Ba'el see sense. Whatever influence she ahs over him - it is agood thing. Even if at this moment in time he doesn't want to see it. Especially given her suggestion to take Kalara on the boarding party. Oh fun, fun, fun.
Date: 20 Jul 2010 11:13 Title: Chapter 12
OH! Considering the cliffhangers you pull this is by far the most unusual fare but in the manner of West Wing [I love it too] this break in the proceedings is yipe moment. What's in the report? Have they been played? Are things more belly up than ever? [Oh and should poles not be polls?]
Date: 20 Jul 2010 11:07 Title: Chapter 11
So Bael feels content. Well that can only mean trouble on the way! Hee, hee. That said, with friends aboard and promoting those officers who supported him he has every cause to feel that he ought to be content. Little knowing that Jasto could be a long term liability and even Prin could be a complication too. Nice introduction to a new character. She seems to have a warm personality but I don't doubt that she'll prove formidable.
Wow. Loving the way the Borg integrate themselves into ship systems. Very efficient as to be expected but also alarming too. Not as much as the memory chunk of mysterious origins and purposes. Something to do with the mission perhaps to Onyx Station. Or more shifty spy intrigue stuff. Not good. And I worry too about a Borg member being constantly hooked up to monitor this memory chunk. I'm thinking some kind of zombie take over. I guess your story just encourages paranoia. Hee hee. Top notch.
Date: 20 Jul 2010 10:56 Title: Chapter 8
Oh my review on this chapter must have gones missing. Suffice to say, thoroughly, thoroughly enjoying the spy and intrigue plots within plots going on here. Everyone has an idea that something else is going on - but only the smallest scant notion or detail. It makes for an explosive combination of suspicion and circling sharks ready to betray one another - and probably for all of the wrong reasons. I don't know how you are keeping track of it all. Either you have the answers all worked out already - or you are making it up as you go along! Ha, ha! Whichever, it is compelling.