Ael is the last Romulan of the Old Order… #TrekBookClub

Ael is the last Romulan of the Old Order… #TrekBookClub
Yes, Ael revealing her names to Kirk was moving and terrific. It resonates with the ending of Enterprise Incident, somehow. Like Spock and the Romulan Commander, Kirk and Ael have their own secret. To Romulans, secrets seem integral to friendship, or even love. #TrekBookClub
It did make me more sympathetic towards the Romulans. People point out the difference between the Romulans from TOS to TNG so Ael was a nice bridge to that.. #TrekBookClub #StarTrekMyEnemyMyAlly
If I used a phaser for household tasks like softening fasteners I would undoubtedly disintegrate myself by accident. #TrekBookClub
I think she must have known more than we do about Tafv’s relationship to his cousin. It was obviously very intimate, for him to essentially attempt murder of his mother and hundreds of shipmates of long standing. #TrekBookClub
This was a nice coda to the whole story and connects the conversation Ael and Kirk had earlier about the importance of names with the scene just before when she told him her full name (as a sign of respect). He honored her by doing what he could so others will remember her.
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While she was sad (and upset) at Tafv's betrayal, I think she understood his reasons (to avenge what happened to his cousin, the Romulan Commander from "The Enterprise Incident"). Ael could have gone down that route if her moral/ethics compass was different.
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Ael is now a "person without a country". She can't go back home on Romulus. She will need to hide and watch her back, at least in the short term, since I think Romulan agents will be looking to arrest her. Her crew is also in the same situation. She is resourceful so she can survive
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This was most definitely a good send-off for her. He honored her bravery with this token here on Earth. The Romulans are quite noble yet also clandestine in their attitudes towards those outside their realm
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34. The book ends with Kirk beaming down to Sespe (near Los Angeles, California) while the Enterprise was undergoing repairs to perform one final task. How was he able to honor Ael? Did this novel make you more sympathetic toward the Romulans?
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Sad at his betrayal, but I also think she understands. I don't think she agrees with it, but she understands he was hurt enough to get vengeance when he could. I imagine it was hard for her, finding his writings, realizing how angry he was. #TrekBookClub #StarTrekMyEnemyMyAlly
She saw that what he did was for the Empire. She understood but still felt the pain.
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33. What were Ael’s thoughts when she saw a dying Tafv and discovered more details about his betrayal?
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She should go find her sister-daughter! #TrekBookClub
Duane does a nice job bringing back some earlier plot threads like the Sunseed effect and the other ships of the squadron. The story feels carefully plotted out, rather than rushed and slapdash as tie-ins sometimes do (usually b/c of deadlines.) #TrekBookClub
She started out as an outcast, now she's a fugitive; she & her crew must live in exile. Plus there's the emotional costs--firing on her own people in the Sunseed facility and, of course, Tavf's betrayal. But she knows she did the right thing; she'll adapt. #TrekBookClub #StarTrekMyEnemyMyAlly
She is the one that paid the most. Cast out of the Romulan empire. She was branded a traitor but a hero just the same to the Federation. I would like to know what became of her.
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I agree with both of Mary’s points, and I would add that there was almost too much time spent on the research station, it’s a lot of pages! But beaming over to Intrepid was a clever move. #TrekBookClub
32. The main part of the story concluded with a successful mission. What price did Ael pay for her decision to work with the Enterprise against her own government? What well do you think Ael will adjust to be a fugitive?
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Right, it usually doesn’t work. We bought the book to read characters we love, not your fan-fiction hero inserted into the Star Trek setting. (Lt. Piper from “Dreadnought” comes to mind.)
Really good writers can make it work, but it’s a dangerous approach. #TrekBookClub