Saga - OT Mercy Flight (OCs) --COMPLETE

A wonderfully satisfying ending. It's great to see Ambri fully recovered and being welcomed so cordially by new squadmates who are not only the finest of the fine but so friendly. "Frosty" is the perfect callsign for a pilot who has braved wintry ordeals on multiple planets. There's some bittersweetness in the way Ambri "woulda, coulda, shouldas" right up to the very end of the story, still laying a certain amount of blame on herself for what happened to Dzin and for the trials she went through on her mission. I love that her new squadmates, and especially Corven, all join together to encourage her and remind her that it's just a matter of learning from the situation and carrying on. (Indeed, as Corven points out, she does have areas in which she can improve, e.g., using a blaster—and I can imagine the other Signets might have found that footage of her at least a little amusing! ) In a way, though, Ambri's tendency toward self blame highlights some strengths of hers too: it is born of the fact that she has high standards for herself, that she doesn't just rest on her laurels and let her success go to her head. In the end, of course, it's all a matter of finding balance, of course—and the Signets (Cygnets?) look like a good place for our heroine to work on finding that balance. (And I am guessing this won't be the last story featuring her and them... riiiiight? )

Bravissima and congratulations on bringing this wonderful tale to such a satisfying conclusion, and as always keep up the fine work!

 

I know that I am going to be one of many voices saying how wonderful this story is, but I couldn't finish reading a gem like this without adding a comment of my own!

First off, I have to applaud your OC! Ambri is so well rounded and wonderfully fleshed out through your prose and the events in your plot. Her struggles, both against inward and outward elements, were wonderfully balanced and made for a rivetting read. I particularly enjoyed how her guilt and self-blame inspired her to do more - and that was mirrored on a much larger level by how her aiding this neutral planet inspired them, in turn, to move from a place of passive complacency to outrightly aiding the Rebellion - because, in the end, that's the right thing to do. It was a wonderful way to frame your narrative!

There were so many elements to this story that I enjoyed. To name a few:

Your battle scenes! I love reading a good action sequence, but they can oftentimes be hard to follow in a written format, even in the hands of pro writers. Your space battles were engaging and so easy to picture in my mind. I particular enjoyed the stress put on practical design - including the limitations of the various crafts. Having her work as a former test pilot added a layer of believability to the technical jargon. It all felt very organic, for still so clearly being science fiction!

I appreciate the medical advice you got to add to the story, too - I hardly know enough to tell which parts are fictional and which parts are based in reality, but that the entire scenario felt plausible in of itself - and sounds like just something the Empire would do . It made for another great layer to the story.

Your descriptions made for a rich read as well! I could feel Ambri struggling through the snow, and could perfectly see both the planet itself and the ravaging effects of the plague. Ambri's guilt over the socks - of all things, was probably my favorite part of the story. It gave her character such a depth, and really hammered home her reasons for rebelling. This whole thing had a delicate touch to comment on the nature of the battle between good and evil - and the more real, all too common sin of failing to fight the fights that need fighting that plagues our own world. It's easiest to do nothing, most of all. It's hard to stand up like Ambri does, and my, how she shines when she does so!

The rescue by the Swan at the end seriously had me whooping out loud - what a beautiful ship, and a great piece of Corellian headcanon!! Her callsign of Frosty and a new place to belong at the end of this put such a smile on my face. What a satisfying, perfect way to wrap up the tale.

This was a wholly engaging read, and I enjoyed every word of it! Thanks so much for sharing!