Wow!  That was a thought-provoking chapter.  It seems that throughout history military men have been faced with the dilemma of sacrificing some civilians to save countless others, both soldiers and civilians.  As unpleasant as it is - as Nellit, who serves as the moral compass in this vignette pointed out - sometimes that's the choice military leaders are faced with making.  A hard choice for Pava, and one it's easy for those removed from the situation to disagree with, but cut and dried for the subahdar, who feels his first responsibility is to the men under his immediate command, the 507th at large, and to the Hekosian Empire.  Doing evil to serve the greater good - it's an interesting concept...

This story continues to be be absolutely excellent.

And now we actually get a little bit of quiet time while everyone adjusts to recent changes.

Sandhurst picking Pava as his XO is a big gamble, for sure. Let's see how that plays out.

For some reason Lar'ragos steals every scene, even when he's dreaming, though I wonder if what he is dreaming bears any relation to this threat (in the real world) or the development of the story, or if it is a chance to throw in some character development?

Very well done guys. Loved this story, and it looks like I'll have to start reading galen4's stories once I finish with Gibraltar. Very sad about the losses; I loved Ramirez and Tark (Tark's death reminded me of a cutscene in Halo Reach...such a senseless, out-of-nowhere death...ugh), and I still say Sandhurst is an idiot for letting Pell go. Looking forward to the next one!

It has to be said. One of the most heinous and brutal attacks on a starship ever put to 'paper'. Difficult to read but without doubt, absolutely perfectly executed, it gave me chills.

And then there is Sandhurst's Story. The man is clearly changed from what he has once been, evidenced by his latest actions. The questions that remains: Changed for better or worse?

It always amazes me and...disturbs me, the ease with which you as an author snuff out thousands of lives. I think I got sick to my stomach reading that last paragraph of the superweapon attack. And go figure, The Rock had to drop out of warp right THEN.

I think Ashok knows more than he lets on. :P

Author's Response:

Uh... thank you, I think? ;-) This seems to be a time when Gibraltar's run of bad luck worked out in their favor. Knowing them, I wouldn't expect that to continue...

In Star Trek as well as in Gibraltar, death can never be taken for granted. Still, an amazingly unexpected twist to learn Ramirez has escaped her cruel fate.

A true blockbuster chapter filled with surprises.

Sub-commander Chalois is not nearly as naive and perhaps amenable as previously believed. Pava is after the temporary XO position, not trusting Pell to be able to press the button if it comes down to it. Donald just may decide to embrace his new 'destiny' and join the Amon. In the meantime the Baron is still after Sandhurst's blood and not above killing off scores of a peaceful alien race in the process, and the real kicker, Liana Ramirez is back among the living, in a twisted and corrupted mirror version-like incarnation of her former self. Let's hope that's what it is, as nobody wants to see this former Starfleet hero turned into an evil ally of the Baron. Of course crazier things have happened.

Can't wait for the next part.

Ramirez is back? How did you do that? Or is this really Ramirez?

Author's Response:

At that, sir, is the $64,000 question!!  ;-)

I'm enjoying the epic scope of this story! The Task Force Vanguard context is interesting on its own, but add in the wonderful character work and the multiple nightmare scenarios (The Baron, the Amon, T'Ser's promotion, Sandhurst's kidnapping, etc.) and you have a United Trek tale for the ages. My only regret is seeing the USS Gibraltar sail away and out of the story. I hope we see "The Rock" again, in some future story.

I've been a fan of the Gibraltar series from the very first chapter of 'Embers of the Fire' on.
There are many reasons why I kept coming back for more (which is a small miracle in itself, since I generally don't like Trek fanfiction (no disrespect for the work of all those other authors intended)).
I often thought: if Star Trek were real, it would be much like the Gibraltar series.
The way these characters interact with each other is realistic, intense and very well written. Conflict between the 'regulars', the senior staffmembers, was hardly ever touched by TOS and TNG and often not very well handled by ENT and VOY. And even in comparison with DS9, Gibraltar does not pale in that aspect.
Another thing I very much appreciated was the fact that this crew was clearly not the best of the best. This was reflected by their ship: an old, almost obsolete vessel.

Now, those things have changed much. In a realistic setting like the Gibraltar series things SHOULD change. Riker being a first officer for 15 years might be acceptable on TNG but not here - and that's a good thing.
On the other hand, I'm worried that things might have changed a bit too much.
The crew got itself a new status, that of a good and capabel crew, and a new, advanced ship that reflects that new reputation. That's only a logical step after the successes they've had. But I'm a bit worried that by improving the crew's performance you've been taking one of the most essential parts of Gibraltar away.
Also, much of the classic and dramatic interactions between the various staffmembers are gone.
T'Ser is an OK character but, as Sandhurst himself once noted, Ramirez always had this cloud of trouble in her wake. For a CO, I can understand a preference for T'Ser. But for us readers Ramirez was a bit more interesting - especially because she was more than 'just trouble'.
Juneau is becoming a much better officer - but again her being inept was more interesting.
When Verrik came aboard, it was apparent, to us and Sandhurst, that he was an adequate officer but he didn't add any creativity or imagination to the crew. That could've been a problem in a security or tactical crisis but nothing has been done with it. I understand that, from a writer's perspective, it's near impossible to replace someone like Lar'ragos with an equally appealing character. But from his first appearance on Verrik has just been bland. Then again, Pava Lar'ragos is not gone from these pages...
Ashok's greatest asset (as a character, that is)was always that he was NOT a miracle worker. He too has become much more proficient and even confident - thereby losing much of his uniqueness.
Taiee and Pell are still solid characters - although Pell's conflict with Sandhurst seems to be a non-issue now, although noting has been resolved.
Shanti and Lightner are still all right as minor support characters although nothing much was ever done with them.
Sandhurst himself is still terrific. He has so many facets.

I'm still eagerly awaiting every next chapter of Gibraltar. So although I have some doubts about the steps the series have taken lately, I'm sure as heck not giving up on it. There are still many things that make this series really very, very good.
What's the point of this piece of writing, then? I guess I'm only asking you to consider the points I've been trying to make (and I hope I was clear enough, because English is not my native language).

Like I said, I'll still be here, enthusiastically following the exploits of Sandhurst and friends. Write long and prosper!

Author's Response:

Coot, thank you for the in-depth critique, as well as for your continued readership of my series.

"Sandhurst did a full rotation in his chair to assess the condition of the bridge and crew"

For some reason this conjures up to me an image of a man spinning around in his chair and it's so funny! The man goes round, swivels round; I just think it would look so comical!

This plot gets stranger you know, some kind of trapped energy being, that man in the last scene. You definitely have a flair for the surreal, makes a nice change from the almost non-stop action scenes.

Author's Response:

The action in the story ebbs and flows, but I like to think that it's surreal throughout! Thanks for the commentary. :)

Sandhurst man, I still feeling he is tentatively learning how to be a captain. But a least he did the right thing letting Ramirez sort out Lar'ragos. Though I doubt she will get through to that grizzled, paranoid old wreck...

The parts involving the Temporal Investigations Agency were fun to read, somehow whether in film or book, temporal stuff (related or otherwise) always comes off as interesting to me. Nice little irony with that Past Prologue book; a book of the future about the past...

Author's Response:

Lar'ragos has lots of layers, as you'll soon discover... but grizzled, paranoid old wreck is not too far off the mark. ;)