Really like this story. I enjoy the added details and extra scenes with minor characters, such as T'Les and Koss.

I second Sensara's delight in your background of V'Las.

I really liked this, the last lines about the second names reminded me of catholic confirmation names :)

And we come full circle, to the very beginning of it all.

I believe I have thoroughly expressed how much I enjoyed reading your work. As I have said (twice now, I think), you are an artist: the setting your canvas, the words your paint. I have feasted my eyes on something exquisite, and I have no qualms about recognizing you as the master that you are.

Please, for the sake of this site, and for all Star Trek fans out there, continue to grace the world with your gift. Keep on writing, my friend.

So...did my favorite villain die by Talok's hand? Or did he simply fall into permanent insanity? What happened to V'Las?

Despite all the crap he pulled, this chapter actually makes me feel sorry for V'Las. You almost paint him as a character out of a tragedy, so inundated by his own faulty logic that he cannot see his end until it is upon him. I see a man who rose from the bottom of the barrel, seizing power and turning Vulcan into the place that would accept him, only to have power snatched away from him, his sanity in shambles, his logic in tatters.

Crazed zealot for his cause! Strange how I grieve for him. You truly are a master of your art, painting us an exquisite picture to feast our eyes and imaginations on.

So here we go, on our true path with Vulcan at our side. Well written...I'm running out of ways to say that this is awesome.

When I watched the episodes that featured the full High Command council of five, I was struck by the strange lack of women on the council. It was nice of you to include one. V'Las has truly lost his mind and so goes his career, burning away in ashes.

Captain Hernandez was spectacular in her refusal to back down from V'Las, and of course it was satisfying to see that the High Command had regained some rationality regarding the Andorian invasion.

Yes, V'Las and his ilk will fall, finally. Adding Captain Hernandez was a twist I was unprepared for, and I loved your take on Soval's torture. There are so many things that are wonderful about this story, but I'm too tired at the moment to list them all. Maybe at some later time I can come back and write a coherent narrative about how much I love this story.

Another wonderful chapter. I especially liked how you made the journey to find the Kir'Shara much harder than in the episode. It's like Archer and friends go down to the tunnels, and after five minutes of searching, it's like "here it is, found it!" I like how in your version they have to actually make a journey, and in traveling they find truth and meaning, which is sort of what the Kir"Shara is all about.

All around brilliant chapter as always.

First of all, I forgot to mention in my last review that I loved the way you worded the dreams with Surak. I loved the poetic nature of your writing in that section.

As far as this chapter is concerned, I particularly enjoyed yet another wonderful window into V'Las' head, and finally someone has tried to explain the man's motives. He always struck me as far too emotive for a true Vulcan, and seeing this scene gives him much-needed background. Have I mentioned how fantastic you are at crafting this character?

And of course, this entire chapter was brilliance upon brilliance, intricacies weaving together in a colorful tapestry. The talent you possess is truly inspiring.

Yes, Soketh is definitely Kuvak. The one voice of reason on the High Command, and V'Las' foil. He also stood out to me when I watched these episodes.

Again, bravo on the political intrigue. V'Las, despite his ultimate lack of authority when it comes to the master plan in which he is involved, still wields an aura of power to those around him that cannot be denied. I like how you showed the tiny cracks in the system, Soketh's questioning, V'Las' utter refusal to stand for dissent of any kind...Vulcan is slowly descending into an authoritarian dictatorship, with V'Las as Head Puppetmaster, and yet he himself is only a puppet in the end.

Yet again, I must profess my admiration of your astounding talent.

I'm sure you've noticed by now that the majority of my comments are thanking you for writing so much about V'Las. I think you're brilliant in your analysis of every character, but it's just I've seen so many stories recounting how T'Pol and Trip felt, or what Archer was thinking, or even what Soval was thinking, that it's rare to see such a brilliant analysis as yours over a minor character.

I like the way you write political intrigue, even when we know what the endgame is. It's like you've read everyone's mind and have lived in everyone's skin, and spin this amazing, intricate web of dialogue and introspection (and I'm sure you can appreciate how beautiful spiderwebs are-please forgive the metaphor). I also loved the simplicity of the mind-meld; the stripped-down facts lent themselves to the alien nature of such an encounter.

I stand in awe of this work.

V'Las is a dirty SOB (and I kind of love him for it), but I think you did a brilliant job here of stripping him of authority and power, and showing him for what he really is: a pawn in a larger plan, dispensable, ultimately under the thumb of a liaison. It's brilliant moments like these that I love in this story, moments we didn't get to see in the episode that give insight into the situation or a particular character, in this case, V'Las.

In any case, yet another rich, fulfilling chapter. Reading this story is like eating chocolate cake. How many more ways can I say that you're superb?

I'm reluctant to bring up any discrepancies within this exquisitely crafted work, but Soketh's name in the episode is Kuvak. If you intended to change his name, then I stand corrected and will get back to giving you the praise you deserve.

This story has the slightest twists and turns, breathing fresh air into episodes I've watched ten thousand times. How many more ways can I praise you? Let me find my thesaurus...

I forgot to mention in my last review that your extra lines add a richness and fullness to one of my favorite multi-parter episodes in Star Trek. I thank you for that.

Once again, your take on V'Las is stunning and wonderful, and your interpretation of Stel (a third-wheel character at best and probably hard to flesh out) was also quite intriguing.

It's amazing how you craft your moments, like sculpting clay or composing music: it's the little things, the selective word choice, the creative syntax, that makes this story so engrossing.

Why does this story not have more reviews?

Firstly, the scene with V'Las made this little bubble of happiness rise in my chest. I think he's such a delicious villian, and I liked that you showed us the inner workings of the Chief Administrator's mind.

Secondly, the description about the embassy bombing left me with horror in my stomach. Just that one part about how the second blast was designed to kill as many people as possible, including the rescuers, is very potent.