Nice work by Duane extrapolating from The Enterprise Incident where the commander whispers her name to Spock. Clearly names have significance, and Duane expands upon that. What an era this was, when so much was unknown about these characters. The galaxy was a blank canvas! #TrekBookClub

We could tell it was a struggle. It was interesting seeing him push his himself against the Romulan weapon. #TrekBookClub #StarTrekMyEnemyMyAlly

This was such a shock, I had to go back and check to see "isn't Tafv her son?" Family member as betrayer is one of my favorite tropes.

She never suspected her own son. She was confident that he & all the other officers shared her moral code. #TrekBookClub #StarTrekMyEnemyMyAlly

27. Spock’s mental faculties were being degraded by a Romulan weapon. How was Spock handling this the whole situation, including the Romulans directly threatening fellow Vulcans on the Intrepid?
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I think the Romulans wanted to get any advantage over their adversaries so they tried to obtain the Vulcans' abilities for themselves. Vulcans & Romulans sharing common ancestors in the distant past may have also caused Romulans to be jealous so they wanted to get those powers.
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This was an interesting bit of worldbuilding. A person's name represents them to others so it was very important to keep them in memory. This way, future generations will remember them. This aspect of Romulan culture will be referenced at the end of the book.
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The next instance of deception was during this space battle. By then, they developed a greater sense of trust in each other so they were able to plan together on what to do and execute their plan in order to deceive the other Romulans.
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It's always fun to see a good team-based deception sequence in the story (a la Mission: Impossible). This was a sign that the two teams support each other and can work together to achieve their common goal.
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I think she was surprised by the size of the ship as well as the variety of races who were serving onboard her (e.g. the Horta). I suspect she was also surprised how the crew interacted w/ Kirk. There was more of a collaborative work style rather than a directive style.
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Understandably, the other captains were wary of Ael's proposal. It could easily be a trap and a deception. Eventually, Kirk was able to convince them that it was more dangerous to not do anything.
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26. Some Romulans from the Bloodwing, led by Tafv, launched a surprise attack & managed to board the Enterprise. Should Ael have suspected something like this would occur? Was she too overconfident in assuming that all of her crew agree w/ her decision?
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Anyone else think of Kirk taking a punch from Kang in the opening scene of Day of the Dove, then returning the punch in the transporter room a few minutes later? #TrekBookClub

The biomatter that was harvested from Vulcans. This material would be then grafted to Romulan patients to allow them the mental telepathy and other mental powers of Vulcans to give Romulans a upper hand in their clandestine operations.
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Such a great passage. I love the bit about Romulans being xenophobic because they encountered no aliens for thousands of years. That rings true to our history. Our most xenophobic enclaves are usually isolated, interior areas. Exposure to diversity demystifies differences. #TrekBookClub

It was the theft of the Intrepid that swung everyone’s opinion.

Smart move by Duane, having everyone reject the plan as far-fetched before the Intrepid gets stolen. That addresses the reader’s own reaction and helps get us over our own skepticism. #TrekBookClub

I sure do love subterfuge when it is necessary. Thois had to take great planning for this mock battle to demonstrate that the Bloodwing and Aei were still on the Romulan side.
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They definitely crossed the line. I think when they learned about Vulcan touch telepathy, they saw an opportunity. It must have peeved many that this was a skill that their people must've had and lost. #TrekBookClub #StarTrekMyEnemyMyAlly

25. We get more details about the mission – what needs to be destroyed? Why do you think the Romulans were pursuing such a project using the Vulcans? Did the Romulans “cross the line”?
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The multiple names reminds me of the "naming of cats" in CATS. Names equal identity to Romulans that's why they are so important. I love how they have a public name and a personal name which is only known to their most intimate associates. #TrekBookClub #StarTrekMyEnemyMyAlly

They had to trust one another. It had to look believable but they were leaving themselves vulnerable to attack--Bloodwing by the Enterprise, or vice versa--if Kirk or Ael double-crossed one another. #TrekBookClub #StarTrekMyEnemyMyAlly