"Enterprise: The Romulan War"

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

Riker finished the glazed doughnut with a single bite, and reached into the box for the last of the jellied doughnuts--raspberry, he noted with satisfaction. He was about to bring it up to his open mouth, but the chime of the comm panel stayed his hand.
Annoyed, he brushed the sugar flakes from his beard and stabbed the transmit button. "Riker."
"Sir, this is Crewman Giles in Holo Maintenance. We have a bit of a problem."
"What do you mean? What problem?" A small drop of raspberry jelly oozed from the doughnut onto Riker's thumb. He licked it off while waiting for the crewman's response.
"Ahh, it's about the holoprogram you checked out yesterday. I was debugging the holomatrix, testing some new AI routines, and it seems the program I was using got accidentally written back to the 22nd History database. There are several, uh, significant modifications to the program you viewed. I've since replaced it with the original, if you're still interested."
While the crewman prattled on and on about databases and modifications, Riker attacked and defeated the doughnut. "Mm nob iberebbed emmmy more." Riker mumbled around the remains of the doughnut.
"I'm sorry sir, I didn't catch that..."
Riker swallowed hastily, "I said, I'm NOT interested any more."
"Oh. Very good, sir."
The connection light went dark, and Riker peered into the box for his next victim.

There. Abomination explained. (And my first--and last--Finale Fix!)

Riker and the Donuts! I love it!

[WarpGirl]

I like donuts too. Really are we all going to hate Riker just because of *the_abomination*? Back to the books, mama might lend me her library card. If I get the chance I might pick out a book. But really watching the discussions is probably more fun.

[Aquarius]

So I finally picked up this book but I can already tell ya it's going to be a slow read, between classes and my own writing and getting caught up with the fic here. Still, I am looking forward to it.

I also picked up "The Good that Men Do" while I was at it since I never got around to it before.

[honeybee]

Savor the books while you can, Aquarius. RW war ends with a big, fat cliffhanger and it's going to be awhile before a new one comes out.

[Aquarius]

Oh bloody hell!!!!

[honeybee]

But it's still worth reading. The scant TnT chapters are about as good as the plot will allow - the best you're going to get outside of fanfic.

[Aquarius]

Oh, I have no doubt about that. I mean, I was just giddy like a demented schoolgirl over page--318, I think it was?--in Kobayashi Maru. So yeah, I'm looking forward to similar nuggets of wholesome TnT shippy goodness.

I think I might start with The Good that Men Do and then reread Kobayashi so I get it all in order before moving on to the new one.

[Kotik]

Somehow I can't bring myself to get all them books as the big problem here is the awfully far fetched main story line. I mean this whole Trip as a spy thing is utterly useless.

1. Trip has a habit of getting himself maimed, abducted or impregnented as soon as he leaves the ship all through the TV series. Not really someone to peg for a spy.

2. He's impulsive and emotional. Not the best personality for a spy.

3. He never had any training

So the whole concept is utterly contrived. Also the fact to establish that he most of his life doesn't set foot on Earth again and the presumption that he'll be remaining a fake Vulcan for much of his life - WTF??? Isn't the big appeal in a TnT relationship the interspecies part? Why making one of them a fake version of the other - a concept I'm not buying. It's the very reason, why I prefer fanfiction. Trip is Trip and T'Pol is T'Pol. That's why I don't read stories in which T'Pol acts too human or Trip too Vulcan.

I think the whole plot of all the books together stinks.

[WarpGirl]

[Asso]

...I think the whole plot of all the books together stinks.

[Transwarp]

I think the whole plot of all the books together stinks.

Kotik, don't beat around the bush. Just come right out and say what you mean!

Seriously, I have to agree with your assessment. Although, once you get past the implausible plot and uncharacteristic behaviors, they're not bad reads. (Except for that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?)

[WarpGirl]

Honestly the only time I've ever suspended disbelief that Trip is a super-spy, is in Dragona's series, and that was because it was set so early in the series and I hadn't been watching the show at all. But that series was still amazing!

[honeybee]

Oh, I have no doubt about that. I mean, I was just giddy like a demented schoolgirl over page--318, I think it was?--in Kobayashi Maru. So yeah, I'm looking forward to similar nuggets of wholesome TnT shippy goodness.

If you liked that, wait until Chapter 71 of the Romulan War, it's enough to turn the most cynical TnT shipper into believing the books are canon. If Martin hadn't settled on TnT in Last Full Measure and The Good That Men Do, there's where the ship has certainly landed.

And I'm going to dissent and say that I like the way Martin/Mangels handle Trip's spying precisely because he's not a natural spy. Here's there because of his engineering skills - so there's a real tension and feeling that he's in over his head. He needs Malcolm and T'Pol to rescue him in KM. The whole plot may be a reaction to *the_abomination*, but I still think its the best thing in the books because Martin's got me guessing and wondering what's going to happen.

I think the spy plot works way better in the RW than the space battles, which I don't think are terribly compelling in prose.

[pdsldl]

I do agree that if they end up making Trip remain on Vulcan as a fake Vulcan I'll be unhappy. He's human and T'Pol fell in love with said human against all odds. We spent 4 seasons watching them angst their way through all their fears and doubts about being together only to have the thing that makes them special and interesting stripped away. The staying on Vulcan thing I can see for safety or whatever but only as a Vulcan and a human.

I want to see if they use the bond between TnT for more than a plot device. So far it's only served to let T'Pol know Trip was alive and it became strong/active enough to let her know he needed help and to locate him with Malcolm but other than that it seems to be useless. As mates you'd think they'd make better use of it and as a tool to assist Trip in his spying it would seem it could be very useful to have T'Pol's input.

[Silverbullet]

Kotik, you are right. Spies have to be careful about being too emotional but they have to act normal so a little emotion would be expected.

No James Bond spies out there. One in the 1800 was as close to James bond as you will ever get.

These days ordinatry loking types and ordinary actig types. So trip might do farily well as a Spy.