Star Empire wrote:Great chapters!!
I especially liked Picard's death. Palpatine can chide him, but in the end, it is he who is far more a pawn in destiny's game than Picard (who is willing to accept, not demand his role).
For those that have read all six stories, I think it's easy to see why Picard laughs, that even though the man looks like a giant he is in truth very small in the grand scheme.
Star Empire wrote:
Who were the 5? I was assuming they are the 5 Q tested? Going by Sisko's comments in the last chapter, I'd guess Sisko was the one who created and Seven is the light. I'd guess Janway would be the dark. That would leave Picard and Data. Would Data be the one who destroyed and Picard the one who preserved?
They were the 5 Q tested, and this is pretty much it, yes. In mythology, the light and dark as enemies is obviously common; Seven is the light because she offered love to that which came through the wormhole, Janeway is the dark because she offered hate. The thing about the light and the dark is that it very easily can be either way; it was just as likely that Seven could have succumbed to darkness instead, but she didn't.
The concept of the three being creator, preserver, and destroyer is also a common one, such as in Hinduism. Sisko is obviously the creator, as he instigated the return of Mara and set things in motion, and took an active roll in pushing towards Unity, finally directly stepping in for the final moment. Data is the destroyer; he would either cause the end of the New Alliance, or the Empire, but it would all turn on his decisions. Picard is the preserver, who will be responsible for sharing his wisdom and insights when it is demanded.
Star Empire wrote:
I really did forget just how good these chapters were. Sisko taking over Palpatines body was a tremendously good idea. I know it was a ton of work, but thanks so much for the rewrites. I can't believe you rewrote all three of them, and I haven't sent a new chapter of mine in since December

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Thank you very much. This has been a very long and hard project, but it's been a lot of fun at the same time.
One week from today and the door closes on this for good, and as I finish these up I feel that this is something I can be proud of, that I saw it to fullest flower. Barring some ridiculous pipedream, I've taken it as far as I feel I can, and that's a very satisfying feeling. And it also has reminded me why I wanted to tell the stories of these characters so much, because of how much I liked them. As strange as it is, there's something satisfying in giving Luke and Seven the one universe where they were allowed to be together.
