Date: 22 Feb 2010 22:34 Title: Those Who Remain
Thank you for introducing me to this story. My first fanfic about Cardassians. You obviously have a deep regard and understanding of the culture... much of which never came across in DS9 as far as I can recall. You certainly 'write' them very well. I definitely like all the detail. The realism of the battle comes across vividly...the Jem'Hadar fused into the deck plates is a very effective visual. Best of all, Rebek's character shines through.
Author's Response:
The Cardassians, equal to the Bajorans and second perhaps to the Klingons, were actually one of the best-developed cultures we saw in Star Trek for all time. I've had to extrapolate a good bit, of course, but the good thing was that there was a lot of source material to go from.
You are most welcome, and thank YOU for reading--I'm really glad you liked it!
Date: 13 Dec 2009 09:36 Title: Those Who Remain
Oh wow, this is heartbreaking in an elated sort of way. One can almost become high on the waves of patriotism and love of Rebek's last thoughts.
However gruesome the descriptions of the battle were, I was still inside her head, feeling that almost painful dedication to her family and her kind in general.
Wow. Just... wow.
Author's Response:
I'm very glad you liked it. :-)
It was a tough piece to write, because to my mind...well, the Klingons are nothing noble and honorable at all. Cardassians, at least, have flaws, but they're being forced to confront them and they have the chance to become something different. But what the Klingons did here..."massive overkill" is an understatement.
And you're right, Rebek is VERY dedicated. She also happens to be a religious dissident, so there's even more she's devoted to than *just* Cardassian-kind.
Date: 29 Sep 2009 21:20 Title: Those Who Remain
I'm use to expected powerful and thoughtful pieces from yourself, Nerys. But the voice here, in the first person, is crystal clear. I feel as though I'm inside Rebek's head, lying in rest, recupperating. Although, it seems clear that the recupperation is going to take some time and some degree of pay back for Rebek to fully come to terms with the cost of that day. Not that hatred seems to tear her up but certainly she's not afraid to lay down her life. Really good stuff and a terrific meet for the challenge. Rebek truly has risen from the loss and not faltered.
Author's Response:
Thank you so much for reading. :-)
You're definitely right about Rebek going for payback...that part where she really saw red on Lessek definitely the aftereffect of this episode.
I'm glad you liked it!
Date: 24 Sep 2009 03:37 Title: Those Who Remain
Rebek's voice and vision capture the moment with crystal, unsentimental clarity and yet are no less powerful in emotional effect because of it. I'd say I thoroughly enjoyed this, and from the writing standpoint I mean it. I just hate to see Cardassia taking such a beating. Well done.
Author's Response:
Thank you so much for reading--and indeed, it was a painful thing to write.
I can tell you that Rebek feels and grieves this very, very deeply--but she's leaving this log as clear as she can because she believes she may die in the rebellion (or if it fails, be executed afterwards) and she wants her chance to explain why.
[Report This]Date: 23 Sep 2009 08:58 Title: Those Who Remain
Very bitter yet hopeful in the end, with the flavor of a man who has walked in shadow and found a purer light than the everyday sun. And if my review waxes poetic it is only because of the effect of your lovely story.
Author's Response:
Thanks. :-)
Now it was my fault because I didn't specify within the story and you would've had to remember her from The Thirteenth Order, but Gul Rebek is a woman. ;-)
That said, I am very glad you liked the story--it sounds like it had exactly the effect I intended. :-)
Date: 19 Sep 2009 01:32 Title: Those Who Remain
Bad enough to have to face the full might of the Klingon Empire in battle. It is infinitely worse to do so knowing that your worlds and people are simply cannon fodder for your corrupt leadership and the foreign overlords they serve. To suffer all that and still stand and fight takes a particularly stiff backbone... the like of which Rebek, Berat, and Igrun obviously possess.
This is a wonderful precursor to the creation of the Thirteenth Order. Well done.
Author's Response:
Response from TrekBBS: Thanks for reading. One thing that the Cardassian government has often abused severely in its people is their sense of duty, that instinctive need they have for belonging to their "pack" and for obedience. And yet I think in this case, the decision to take a stand was because in the end, they decided that duty was not to the corrupt leadership, but to Cardassia in the abstract, and to the particular men and women who fought at their side--their band of brothers, so to speak. I don't know if you've ever read All Quiet on the Western Front, but that's kind of what I was going for as far as the feeling of it.