Who am I? I'm an engineer by day and a writer/radio show host by night. I tend to divide my time between writing fanfic and writing original science-fiction stories.
What am I working on (as of 8/25/2010)?
Beta Reading: I will happily beta-read, but I'm incredibly harsh on grammar and plot. So, if you have a fragile ego... might want to look somewhere else, because I offer nothing short of complete brutality. You have been warned.
bfh00 [AT] hotmail [DOT] com
Part One of the Star Trek: Gibraltar series
From STFSA.net:
Star Trek: Gibraltar, written by Sam Redfeather, is set in the post-Dominion War era of the Trek timeline. The story follows Captain Donald Sandhurst as he assumes command of the aged Constitution-class refit USS Gibraltar in a resource-limited postwar Starfleet. A former chief engineering officer with a well-earned reputation, Sandhurst's first command in Embers of the Fire comes with a mission to a planet within the former Cardassian Union known as Lakesh. Already a Federation starship has been badly damaged with a majority of her crew killed due to mine activity in orbit; Gibraltar, along with the Nebula-class heavy cruiser USS Phoenix investigate the incident closely.
There's no honeymoon for Captain Sandhurst as he is tried against working with a crew mostly unknown to him while at the same time getting to know how to handle his new command. Only six chapters in, and I'm already enraptured by the action between security chief Lieutenant Lar'ragos and executive officer Lieutenant Commander Ramirez on the ground and Sandhurst up above. Redfeather's prowess as a storyteller is clear as he opens the novel with engaging characters and a plot that grips you tightly from the very first chapter. He does not ignore character development and embraces a clear line of exposition through dialogue and action against an enemy with as-yet-unknown aims.
I highly recommend this series to anyone looking to jump in with both feet into a new Expanded Universe series, and while I may be biased (being a fellow UT author), I think that Sam's Gibralter is a rock-steady series you can count on for quality adventures.
I'm a huge fan of using NCOs more prominently in Trek. One thing I really disliked about the on-screen portrayal of this organizaiton is that they would have you believe that officers roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty when nothing could be further from the truth. I'm guessing it was simplified for the purposes of storytelling.
Anyway, I like the character interaction you have here so far, even though it might be considered a little too casual (even for enlisted folk), but it's got a good atmosphere to it where it doesn't bother me at all. I'd like to see more.
I thought the dialogue was rather crisp, and I don't really like Voyager. I felt like this could have made a decent episode with some tweaking, but this is a decent premise that has merit. I have to agree with Mistral's comments regarding the depth of Janeway's response did feel somewhat thin, and I thought perhaps that there might be more to her in this story.
I felt like your prose was quite excellent. Keep up the good work.
Headlines ChallengeSpeaking as a former pro-journalist, I thought this had the real feel of a well-written news story. Very well done, and an excellent submission for this challenge!
What if an unforeseen incident forced Jim Kirk to remain on the family farm in Iowa, never to become Starfleet's most celebrated captain? Response to Gibraltar's Alternate Reality challenge. This isn't my usual fare - it's dark, and gritty, and it hurts right up to the end...
Very well written story, and I can't help but think that this would've made a much better version of events than what transpired in the Star Trek movie that came out recently. A pity they couldn't have consulted you before making that travesty of a film. :)
I'm guessing I've already lost this challenge ;)
Flatterer! But seriously, thanks for the kind words. I didn't intentionally set out to write an alternate version of Trek: 2009, but when I was done I couldn't help thinking along the same lines. ;-) Sam Kirk was a character that unfortunately was not given his due in TOS. I have tried to remedy that in several pieces I've written. I just hope I did him, and Jim, justice in this one.
And don't count yourself out!
Beautifully written. Whenever you write about Scotty, I always get this sense that you're wrapping yourself up in a very comfortable blanket and I think that contentedness flows through your words.
I found that without compromising the core values of Beth Riker from the 'primary' Hertiage thread, you managed to spin this character into a different direction that made her seem just as real, if not more. The very short distance between her center and the reaction made me feel like she could move mountains with her rage on a level more powerful than before. I really gravitated toward this story and I can only hope that you'd consider to pick up this thread again and show us a little more of this alternate universe when you have some time to.
I think this is our winner, hands down.
Very well done!
