Oh hooray! I'm so glad the new setting is working for you — I always worry with my AUs that I'm throwing my poor readers into the deep end. I have done a good deal of research for this, right down to familiarising myself with a version of Titanic's deckplan to see how it's all laid out, but I'm trying to avoid the classic infodump (we'll see how we get on). The atmosphere is what I wanted to convey most; if anyone wants a good idea of what Dominion looks like there's an entire 2 hour film that's incredibly accurate so far as the ship is concerned* (not to mention A Night To Remember, although there's a few details there that they got wrong in terms of ship-look, and that's how you know you've done too much research.)

Bush as a noncompliant passenger! Without giving too much away, let's just say that he sometimes forgets he can't talk to officers as he may have once been able to, which is also why he sees through Hornblower's act of the Tough Officer. It was fun writing their awkward first meeting — about as awkward as the one in canon, I should think. Fortunately they're going to be thrown in each other's ways again soon, and then we'll see where they get to :-)

I'm so glad you like this. Thank you for such a lovely comment!