That was one slick story, with some tense action sequences and clever ways of tying everything together.

Author's Response:

Thanks! Glad you liked.

Things are getting rather weird: the Ohalavar movement, alternate universes, Founders searching for their OWN god... I'm starting to wonder what is real and what isn't it because it all seems very strange, a bit too strange.

I did enjoy this story though, however I get the feeling that the following stories require a rather good knowledge of the DS9R books...

Author's Response:

The beginning of the season was specifically designed to tie off loose ends and put everything back into place after the big mess it was in at the end of last season. As it goes on, the season gets slightly less dependent on what went before... and then more dependent again. But hopefully I'll have explained what you need to know when you need to know it.

I like all this Bajoran politics amongst the Vedek Assembly. Seems the two canditates are politically motivated (i.e. fundamentalist) then spiritually motivated.

Author's Response:

I've been subtly casting Solis as kind of my Obama figure - how the opposition will tie themselves into knots trying to find something to accuse him of, when what's underneath it all is just a bigoted dislike of who and what he is. It's not a big part of things, just background info.

Aw! Kira sounds a bit like Janeway with that family reference! I really getting into the script format; it's short, it flows and can be surprisingly descriptive at times.

I'm still reeling a bit mentally though because of the name of Sisko and Kasidy's child; Rebecca. I've never read any DS9R books so I had no idea whether Kasidy's unborn baby was a boy or girl. Being forced to improvise for one of my stories (which is part of a separate trek-verse after the Dominion war) I came up with the same name by sheer chance!

Egads! But I'm looking forward to this birthday party! Hopefully all four Siskos will be there...

Author's Response:

I haven't brought Joseph in if that's what you mean. He appeared in earlier DS9-R novels, but I didn't really have a role for him in my stories. As for Dax, I got it muddled before - she's only a Lieutenant at this point, but gets promoted to Lieutenant Commander in a later episode.

Erm, just what is Dax's rank? Lieutenant Commander or something? Another interesting thing is how you portray Batanides. In Star Trek Rogue (that TNG Section 31 book) she is all against Section 31, and yet in your story she acts in a very Section 31-like way (unless you have to be rather devious and secretive in SI). I have the feeling Batanides wants Dax to join her 'group' whatever that is. Thought-provoking stuff...

Author's Response:

Yes, I would say Dax is Lt Cmdr. As for Batanides, she's very much anti-Section 31. She and Vaughn are part of an even-more-secret-than-them anti-S31 group, and that's who both of them are looking for recruits for. In Rogue she's part of Starfleet Intelligence, but I shifted her to Human Resources for a very specific reason.

A nice little chapter introducing the status of DS9 and how the crew fit into it. No First Minister Shakaar? And what's up with Dax?

Author's Response:

I suppose you wouldn't know this if you hadn't read the previous novels, but Shakaar is dead at this point. He was killed during "season 8," and his former second minister, a woman named Asarem Wadeen, is now First Minister. She assigned her ex-husband, a familiar face named Krim Aldos (from The Circle trilogy) as Bajoran Councillor on the Federation Council once Bajor joined up at the end of season 8.

I like the script format. It conveys scenes, rooms and events quickly, precisely and smoothly. It also seems that your chapters (or episode length) is about the same size of an actual Star Trek script, so it's a quick read which I also like.

I'm completely unfamiliar with the characters (I have never read the DS9R books!) but hopefully your story will help me be introduced with these characters without feeling I'm missing out on too much previous information/stories.

"FLASHBACK – 9x21 “FEARFUL SYMMETRY”

Dukat advances on the memory-wiped Iliana, in her cell on Letau, he with a sadistic grin, her screaming in terror..."

Is this really Kira's memory? If so is she actually Iliana and the real Kira Nerys is dead?

Author's Response:

No no. I see where you're getting that from, maybe I wasn't clear enough. My bad.

lvsxy808...this was a blast to read. I really like the script format. Takes me back to when I had submitted a script (actually three) to Star Trek back in the day when they did that sort of thing. When done in script form, as this is, it really gives the reader a fresh way to take something in and I like it. One to part two...

Rob

Author's Response:

Glad you like it. Thanks for keeping on reading!

So, it got to Kira how much she misses Yoshi, now that he is on the station. I'm not surprised at all. He might not be genetically hers, but there's no doubt that her connection to him is strong. And Yoshi playing the the shuttle all the time is just cute!

Nog. I think he showed a lot of patience; I would have lost mine much earlier. O'Brien has good intentions, but criticising everything was not a good approach to offer his help. I'm glad that they clarified it in the end and no hard feelings hang over them.

As to Cardassia. The reason for their isolation is completely different, but I find it an interesting coincidence that we both decided to lock their borders and made them reject all help. I always felt they were proud people and endlessly taking stuff from others made them uncomfortable. The virus might be one of reasons why they want to be left alone and lick their wounds undisturbed.
I am concerned, though, that a former Obsidian Order agent is having such an important function. She should be held responsible for her past, just like Garak, not made a part of ruling people. That is the first step to turning back to an oppressive regime the Cardassians had before the Dominion War.

I wonder if Taran'atar is losing his mind. Dreams are one thing, hallucinations and talking to non-existing people another.

I've got to say it.  I normally hate screenplay-type episodes.  I cannot stand trying to tough through that kind of thing in written format.

But this was an exception to what is normally a hard-and-fast rule.

I will admit that the first reason I decided to actually try it was because one of my friends, Gul Re'jal read it.  She has very good taste, and I certainly was rewarded with a good story, and I really could see how it would appear on screen.

I think you did an excellent job tackling the issues that Vic's obvious sentience should've raised.  The attitudes we saw Matthias espousing really reminded me of Sisko's offensive rant in "Badda Bing, Badda Bang," where he thought it was OK, because he didn't like Vic's appearance, to kill a unique and alien life form that was not a 1960's human, just inspired by one.  Might as well off the Sigma Iotians if you don't like Chicago; that's how logical that was.

It got even more disturbing watching them talk about turning him off because of his privacy violation; it really, really sounded like the way one would talk about euthanizing a dog that bit someone.  Leaving the animal debate aside, to see Vic talked about as a mechanical animal was galling!

I liked seeing how Vic has internalized his 24th-century surroundings; we definitely saw evidence of that on the show, but it really seems that psychologically--given that I do think Vic is a fully sentient being--it would be painful to be confined.  Just as we saw the Doctor on VOY begin to expand beyond his programming, it seems Vic is clearly doing so.  For him to remain confined must be dangerous for him.

When he doesn't have the emitter (which was very nice of the Doctor to lend him), shouldn't Vic be given access to something special to keep his mind growing and keep him from being bored and lonely?  I hope your characters will begin to address that issue.

Good job!

Glad to see you here, lvsxy808.

Some unanswered questions we have after this episode; a bit like setting new problems, conflicts and subjects for the upcoming season. An episode-lenght teaser.

When I first started reading, the format bothered me a bit, but I quickly passed by that and got used to it, so after some time it stopped being an issue. Now the characters and events draw my attention, as it should be.

BTW, to reply to reviews, you might want to use "Respond" feature (you can find it under each posted review) instead of writing a response as another review. That way your reviewer would also be notified my email of your response.