I take it you liked? :)

She is quite an attractive character.

A very interesting chapter, indeed! I'm glad you suggested reading Relativity first as it helped set the stage for this one, and made the events that much more interesting. I have to say I find this Caspian person both fascinating and rather creepy. He doesn't seem like he's the sort of person to trust for an instant, and you really have to wonder how much of what he says even to his allies is even true. It'll be really interesting to see how things play out, and to learn what his ultimate goal might be.

I really liked what you've done with my characters. Bleu has just the right level of confidence and swagger, and I loved what you did with Megan in the beginning. I liked how authoritative Fiachra was, which ties in nicely with both her role as queen and her tendency to play big sister to everyone. And I thought that the interaction between Ciara, Niamh and Brigit was really cute, at least before everything went to hell. They all seemed really sweet, and I particularly liked the conversation between Ciara and Brigit. You can certainly tell that, even with the age difference between them, sisters are always sisters. Captain Ivers and General Nessa were really nicely handled, too, and I really liked how even in the face of such overwhelming odds they maintained a very clear level of professionalism and concern for Ciara.

The other new characters are quite interesting, too. Sean and his allies are actually quite interesting, for all that they seem to be pretty unpleasant people, and I'm definitely curious to see if they can actually manage to hold things together without trying to stab each other in the back. Something tells me that Caspian might not have to do anything more with them but let them betray each other. Siobhan seem like a really nice girl, too, and I have no doubt she'll make a fine soldier, once she learns a thing or two and maybe learns when to loosen up a little. And I'm really interested to see what Bennett is going to do with what he's been told.

Needless to say, I've been really looking forward to seeing what you'd do with this, and so far it looks great!

Yes. ;) While not a sequel to Relativity, Blue Symphony taking place roughly six months later or more, it really does help knowing about Caspian's behind the scenes involvement as well as a formal introduction to Leaven both of whom you'll understand a lot more in the two that you'll get a sneak peek at later when they're finished. :) Caspian's backstory will be told in one of the 'holdover' stories for later, at which point the audience, though not the cast will learn his reasons and ultimate plan. ;)

As you can probably imagine, with such a large cast it required quite a lot of setup, since you can't just throw them all together. Not to mention I needed to set up the plot arc that will carry it through the other three parts. ;) As such, I introduced each group of characters separately before they combine in part 2, when you're going to see much more cross pollination so to speak. I'm glad you're pleased with their handling, as I did my best to try and glean what I thought they would be like from both our conversations and the few images I've found of some. In the case of General Nessa and Captain Ivers, I had to wing it, but I'm glad it worked out for you. :) I'm particularly fond of the moment when Niamh ordered Ciara to eat. :) Hehe. As for Megan, it just made so much sense when I wrote the teaser that she would serve perfectly for the framing device given her job.

Sean, Ellis, and Tess were all created more or less as I was writing that first scene in the warehouse. Their personalities, looks, and skills just came together as I was writing it. At first I'd had Tess in there first, but I thought the scene worked better with Sean in there first, introducing Tess second and Ellis as the scene unwrapped.

This story, I'll tell you right now, is critical to my own plot because it factors in two major plot points that affect my own storyline, and I think you'll probably be able to tell which two they are. Actually, come to think of it, three major plot points come out in this. :)

You've got three parts left to go, but I won't be able to start on part 2 until after MWFF, but when I finish my current projects I'll probably kick into part 2 ;)

Fascinating. So the bear is both a fanatic and far more knowledgeable than the 'modern' folk. And I was right - he has control over time. Prolly used that to jump forward until he reached an era that had what he needed.

Love where this is going. Wheels within wheels within wheels...

Caspian's backstory will be delved into at some point, though it'll be saved for later but I may see if I can't get some test readers for it. :) Regardless, he does know quite a bit of knowledge that has been lost to modern folks, and he's willing to manipulate empires in order to make it happen.

The limits of his abilities are a closely kept secret as knowledge is power, and Caspian knows that. :)

I'm glad. ;) The next couple of stories I'm working on are both 'standalone', I'm covering Topaz's activities during the war, and a Kathris story I've been waiting to write for some months now. ;) After that, we'll see. ;)