Announce List/2013, Part 2
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May 4, 2013Weekly Newsletter 2390.15
Happy weekend, Fleetmates!
Publicity Team: http://go.starbase118.net/join-publicity Team Newsies: http://go.starbase118.net/join-newsies
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 1. May 2013's Featured Bio: Lieutenant Jorus Cogud, USS Discovery-C: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8609-may-2013%e2%80%b2s-featured-bio-lieutenant-jorus-cogud-uss-discovery-c/ 2. Poll Of The Week: On The Chopping Block: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8607-poll-of-the-week-on-the-chopping-block/ 3. Forums Roundup: May 2013: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8603-forums-roundup-%e2%80%93-may-2013/ 4. SciWorld Online Convention Starts Today: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8599-sciworld-online-convention-starts-todays/ 5. New Academy Graduates: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8596-new-academy-graduates/ 6. March For The USS Avandar: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8592-march-for-uss-avandar/ 7. We Need You: Into Darkness Recruitment Drive: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8588-we-need-you-into-darkness-recruitment-drive/ 8. SDC Spotlight: Zakdorn: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8584-sdc-spotlight-zakdorn/
Posted: Saturday, 4 May 2013 Lieutenant Jorus Cogud began his career as a helmsman after graduating from StarFleet Academy with a major in helm and navigation, a minor in security and tactical. He worked his way up to chief helmsman before moving into his current role as the chief tactical officer of the USS Discovery-C (http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=USS_Discovery-C ). The Trill was born on a Ferengi Smuggling vessel, which the family were in hiding on after getting revenge for the murder of his grandfather by Orions. Though Jorus never knew his grandfather the significant event had a profound effect on the family's attitude and feelings towards the race. Jorus was brought up to hate and despise the people because of what they'd done and will avoid them even to this day. The rest of his upbringing was just as interesting and he started training with Ferengi Energy Whips when he was just 7 years old. He continued to practice with them long after he left the vessel and has reached a professional level of competence with them. He keeps his skills sharp by practising whenever he has a spare moment. Jorus was given a Marauder Mo action figure as a gift by his godfather Zug, who in a typical Ferengi fashion recommended he keep the original packaging so it would be worth more. His godfather also taught him to play Dabo from the age of 12. Jorus keeps the action figures to remind him of his upbringing on the Ferengi Vessel. Lieutenant Jorus Cogud's Bio (http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Cogud,_Jorus ) will be displayed on the wiki's front page for the month of May. As always, you can find out more about the contest at its wiki page (http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Featured_Bio_Contest ) or in its forum (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/467-featured-bio-contest/ ). Round 12 is now open, so be sure to drop by and submit your own nominations!
Posted: Friday, 3 May 2013 Yes, it's that time of the week, the day that we introduce another fun poll for everyone's enjoyment so let's get on with it. Now I am sure almost everyone can relate to looking forward to watching a tv show week by week and all of a sudden one week you get the rude surprise that your favorite show has been cancelled. Or perhaps even more torturous is when you get to the end of a season with an epic cliffhanger and tonnes of plot potential only to once again find out that show has been given the axe. I personally can't count the times that has happened to me. No matter what the reason given by the companies behind these shows or perhaps the people that employ those companies, more often than not once a show has been cancelled we rarely see them again. Sure with the advent of the DVD we can now own those gems for our endless viewing pleasure but that just isn't the same as seeing a much needed continuation of a story line that was cut short before its time. Some shows like this are Firefly, Dark Angel, Stargate: Universe, Veronica Mars, Twin Peaks and Jericho. Trust me when I say the list goes on and on as I found out when I did a little digging into this one. With that said this poll isn't so much about dwelling on what we have lost but looking to what we would like to see more of (even if it is just a dream at this point in time). So this week we ask the question: Of all the shows that were tragically cut short, which would you like to see a reboot of? Now I am going to pass this one over to you. Remember commenting on the forums (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8605-on-the-chopping-block/ ) is what makes these polls fun so stop by when you get a chance.
Posted: Thursday, 2 May 2013 With summer upon us, temperatures are warming up and snow is disappearing. Are our brains thawing out as well? The world around us is coming to life, which may bring a new spark of creativity to our writing. Of course, this May also will bring a new Star Trek movie to us as well, making this summer one that we are all certain to remember. But while you're having a blast with warmer weather and all of the pre-movie excitement, don't forget about the many things going on around the Starbase 118 forums! Here's just a taste of the Forums happenings this month: Come welcome the newest graduates from the Starbase 118 Training Academy! Are you a recent (or not-so-recent) graduate? Keep in touch with the officers you went through training with here! http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/46-sub-space-link/ It's not always easy to play your duty post. Learn from others who have been simming in your post, or share your experience and join the conversation in our Duty Post threads! http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/52-duty-posts/ Join Commander Liam Frost in the Top Sims thread, where you can submit the best sims from your ship for a chance to compete for the year's Top Sim! http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/283-top-sims-contest/ Find out about special events happening online and offline, or join in one of our Fleet-wide gaming threads just to connect with other simmers from ships across the Fleet! http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/14-general-discussion/ Finally, if you have some extra time to share, and you want to give back to the Fleet, come help us in one of our teams or other Fleet-wide activities that need your help! http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum-105/announcement-29-fleet-activites-that-need-you/ And don't forget to come share with us what you think of the movie once you see it. Until next month, see you out there!
Posted: Wednesday, 1 May 2013 Today marks the beginning of the 11th annual SciWorld Online Convention! This event draws simmers and role-players from across the world to discuss their craft and participate in activities hosted by seven different groups from around the web, including UFOP: StarBase 118. Two 118 members will be leading discussions Ed, aka Captain Diego Herrera, will be hosting an event called "Acting Up: Successful roleplaying in 3 acts," which is scheduled for 5:00 PM EST tomorrow (Thursday, May 2nd) evening, and Aims, aka Lt. Cmdr. Greir Reinard, will lead a discussion called "Building a civilization: Adding depth to your alien worlds" directly afterward (6:00 PM EST). SciWorld's Opening Ceremony will begin this evening at 7:30 PM EST, and will continue until late Friday evening. For a full schedule, check the Simming League's information about the event (http://www.simmingleague.com/wiki/index.php?title=2013_SciWorld_Online_Convention ). See you there!
Posted: Tuesday, 30 April 2013 Please welcome our newest class of Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Kaitlyn Falcon, Mnheia Thieurrull-Orpheus Khellian, and Brian MacRae! (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8595-graduating-class-of-23900430/ )
Posted: Tuesday, 30 April 2013 Back out beyond the Romulan Empire once again, the USS Avandar soon found itself receiving an automated distress call from an unidentified ship. When they investigated, the crew found the source of the signal to be inside an asteroid field, a field who's chemical composition made attempts to scan less than effective. With caution, the Avandar began getting closer, and was eventually able to detect a pair of ships one little more than wreckage, whilst the other was very much active. Before much could be done to react to this discovery, the Avandar began suffering massive power drain, quickly identified as coming from something among the asteroids. To add to the trouble, the active one of the ships they'd found moved to attack. Within minutes, the Avandar's crew had some major problems on their hands not least of which was the fact that the power drain had effectively stripped the ship of it's shields and allowed boarders to infiltrate and begin grabbing anything they could. The intruders were repelled, but not without the loss of a fair amount of hardware, and their ship broke away. The Avandar is now left with deciding what to do about the attack, and also how best to deal with their first contact with a species that they had only ever really encountered in old second-hand Romulan reports. Follow the adventures of the Avandar here! (https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!forum/sb118-avandar )
Posted: Monday, 29 April 2013 The push is beginning! The doors to our fantastic roleplaying community are always open to new members, but we need you to help us knock down the front wall in order to accommodate a stampede of new members when Star Trek: Into Darkness hits our screens! Every available fleet member can easily spend a little under 10 minutes to help us to advertise our group and channel that stampede in the right direction! "So what do I need to do," I hear you ask? Simple! We're looking to increase our representation across active Star Trek forums with the group's best possible ambassadors you guys! All you need to do to start helping is to head here (http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Publicity_Projects#PRIORITY_TWO ) to find a list of active forums, make sure you're signed up, and start posting! There should already be a place to post personal logs for your character (look for SB118 in Roleplaying/SIMming/Gaming) but you don't have to restrict yourself to that! Join in with anything at all that's happening on the board, making sure you're always representing us well and painting us in a good light! So how does that get us new members? When you join the forum, make sure you have a great sig (you could use the one you already have for our own forums if it's compliant with forum rules!) and include a link to our main site (http://www.starbase118.net) in your signature text! The combination of an eye catching signature, a catchy slogan and that link should have members flocking to our gates! Remember you don't need to be a member of the Publicity Team to go forth and recruit! If you get a taste for it then please feel free to join us (http://www.starbase118.net/members/taskforces/teams/join-the-publicity-team/ )!
Posted: Sunday, 28 April 2013 The Zakdorn (http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Zakdorn )are a playable species, one with the unusual reputation of being the best strategists in the universe. As a result they have not been challenged by any other species for more than 9 millennia. Odd, really, when you consider that they do not present a very intimidating aspect in person. They tend to be slightly overweight and appear to be slow-witted. While it is true that they are not excellent athletes, they do have very intelligent and analytical minds. Unfortunately, they know it and are not afraid to show it. Many people go out of their way to challenge them, hoping to beat them. It is an extremely rare case when one of them is beaten at any kind of strategic game. They can be smug and overconfident, but with good reason. They know what they can do. For the most part they occupy positions that requires excellent analytical or organizational skills. They can be found scattered all over the Federation working for Federation interests or as independent contractors. As members of the Federation, their contribution has been lackluster, except for the fact that they tend to occupy jobs where their skills can best be utilized. They are probably one of the harder species to sim for. After all, they tend to be more academic than physically motivated. That, and their general attitude of superiority, can make them into unique characters with great potential for character development.
LtCmdr Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor May 7, 2013Website down
Hi everyone, We are aware that the website is currently down. Our web host "discovered" today (after we put in a support ticket about the problem) that thousands of spam emails were allegedly being sent from the web forms on our site. As a result, they've suspended our website until the problem can be resolved. I am actively working with them to fix the problem and I will report back here when the site has been restored, which should hopefully be very soon. Thank you to everyone who wrote in about this. There is no further need to notify the staff or contact your CO or OOC ship list about this. May 7, 2013Re: Website down
Folks, I am actively working with our web hosting provider on the issue with our website. My sincerest apologies for the delay, but it appears that the problem is deeper than it first appeared. I'll report back when I know more, but rest assured that my top priority is restoring access to the site. Thank you for your patience. My 8, 2013Re: Website down
Hey everyone, Just wanted to give you another updated about the status of our site, as it is still down. I am still in negotiations with our web host regarding how to solve the issue. In what feels like an overabundance of caution, they refuse to allow me access to begin fixing the problems on the site until a thorough plan is in place to do so, as any more website uptime without the problem being fixed greatly affects other users. Unfortunately, as anyone who has ever worked with a web hosting company before can attest, it tends to be a long support process that involves a "support ticket" approach -- I write a response, then wait for the email to be queued up and answered by a support tech. Imagine being at the grocery store and everyone only being able to pay for one thing at a time before they go to the back of the line to start again, and you have an idea of what it's like to deal with this type of system, and how frustratingly slow it can be. I'd like to assure everyone that, regardless of the malicious scripts on the site, we haven't actually lost any content or materials. Our host has provided us with a full backup copy of everything that was on our site at the time it was suspended. One avenue we are considering is hiring an outside firm to audit and repair the site to remove the malicious software that seems to be implanted quite deeply in our file structure. This would greatly speed-up the process, and take the burden off of me to be the last line of defense on this front, as my skills and knowledge are already at their bleeding edge with this situation. I am also considering the possibility of simply moving to a new web host where we can begin to solve the problems without all the planning and back-and-forth negotiation. I will take that step soon if it appears that the exhibited caution seems to be turning into foot-dragging. Either way, let me again reiterate that this is my top priority and I am working on this regularly throughout my work day and into the night to try and find a solution that will allow us to bring our site back online as quickly as possible. At this time, I expect that the earliest we could bring the site online is tomorrow evening (Thursday, May 9th in US time zones). But it's possible that this outage may stretch into the weekend if I have to relocate to a new web host. Even if it does, the Captains and Executive Councils are still in full contact via our dedicated Yahoo! Groups, and we continue to manage all aspects of the organization as usual. (For once, we can thank Yahoo! Groups for providing a separate channel of communication that, while a bit clunky at times, still operates pretty normally most days.) Your continued support, and patience, is greatly appreciated. I will check in again either when I have good news, or tomorrow evening -- whichever comes first. May 9, 2013Re: Website down
Just a quick note tonight to say that we've hired a freelance security expert to audit our website for malicious software and hopefully correct any vulnerabilities in the site. It's possible that the site may still not be online until mid-weekend, however, as I will need time to complete the audit with the freelancer and then re-upload. However, we're definitely on a path and closing in on a solution, which is a good thing :) May 11, 2013Update on the website - join our group commiseration chat
Hey folks, Another update on the website: While we hired an expert to fix the site, unfortunately we lost a whole day to issues with the backup copy of the site our host provided. The original file was corrupted, which required another version to be generated. Because we're working with files that are many gigabytes in size, it takes a while to download, diagnose, get a new version, download, try again, and so forth. I'm also investigating a number of avenues to secure our site against future attacks. I'll let you know more once I've decided on the best plan. While we're waiting on the site to return, join me in our regular chat room for some group commiseration about how modern technology is almost as unreliable as the Treknology of the future: http://iris.alphachat.net/?channels=starbase118 May 13, 2013Website close to returning
Friends, I've received an update from our contractor. The audit is done on the website -- the hackers scattered over 1,000 "backdoors" into our code. The ones that were added by the hackers have been removed, but there are still vulnerabilities in our site, especially the UPDS. The contractor is currently uploading the site to a new webhost that has better security and better logging features, which will hopefully help us keep closer track of problems when they happen. (As a side-note, our contractor states that he's dealt with our new host in situations like this, and they tend to be much more reasonable than our current/previous host.) When the site returns, the UPDS will remain offline for the time being. I am currently seeking a programmer who can basically rebuild the UPDS from the ground up using the actual database as a base, and then only creating the features we actually need, while ensuring that it is securely programmed. I will check the site tomorrow once the upload is complete, to ensure that everything has returned to normal, and I will be doing an audit of passwords across the board. Hopefully we can start welcoming you back to the site within the next 36 hours. Thank you again for your patience. May 16, 2013Forums back online
Hi folks, We're in the final stages of bringing the website back online. The forums are online: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/ The rest of the website and wiki will be online within the next 24 hours, and I will post here when they are. Thank you for your patience through this process. Looking forward to seeing you all on the forums! May 18, 2013Main website back online (and forum login fix)
Hi everyone, The main website appears to be back online and working properly: Also, if you were having problems logging in to the website, please try again now. Unfortunately, I've had to disable WindowsLive as a login option due to server limitations. If you have further problems or need assistance, please do not use the ShoutBox to post about it. Instead, email me directly at t.wolf@... -- that way I get a notification much faster, and can better track the problems we're having as the site comes back online. I'm working the wiki currently and hope that will return online very soon. My 18, 2013Fleetwide OOC chat tomorrow
Don't forget to stop by the chat room tomorrow (Sunday, May 19th) at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 5pm GMT (UK) / 4am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). (Always check your time zone for accuracy/DST if applicable!) Our chats normally occur on the second Sunday of every month, but this one, to avoid a conflict with late week's Mother's Day, is being held on the third Sunday. All chats are open to any member of the community. Come by and see, in real time, what other folks in the fleet have been up to! Chats take place in our on-site chat room: http://www.starbase118.net/chat/ if you have problems connecting, use the instructions listed below the chat box. I look forward to seeing you all there.
Fleet Captain Toni Turner May 19, 2013Wiki back online
Hi everyone, I have partially good news. The wiki is now accessible again at its normal location: http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/ However, some of our images are not loading. They aren't lost, but it is taking time to recover them. That said, the wiki is otherwise fully functioning and you're free to visit, edit pages, and upload files like normal. If you receive a "server busy" error, or the site seems down, please be patient and try again in a few minutes. My earlier message about the forum brought the site down temporarily because so many people tried to visit at once :) But the site is up and functioning, so just try again in a few minutes if you get an error. If you notice any OTHER problems -- like you clicked on a link and ended up somewhere you didn't expect, or the site seems totally broken, or you can't log in -- email me directly and I will help you! I'll update one last time on this issue once the images have been fully restored. May 20, 2013Wiki images restored
Hey folks, As far as I can tell, all the images on the wiki have been restored. If you're missing something, you can either upload a new version (click on the file's broken link on the page and then click "Upload a new version"), or email me directly and I should be able to find it and upload it for you. If you're having trouble getting the wiki to load properly, you may need to clear your cache. Use the following link for a quick and easy explanation of how to do that for your browser: http://www.refreshyourcache.com/en/chrome/ -- click your browser's name at the top of the page. As always, if you're having a problem with the site, please contact me directly at t.wolf@... Thanks again, everyone, for your patience through this ordeal! May 25, 2013Does our site seem slow? Here's how we're going to fix it.
Dear Friends, As you know, we've had a rough few weeks. Our site was maliciously hijacked and used to send out millions of spam emails, and over 1,000 "backdoor" files were inserted in our website to give hackers ways to take over our site. We managed to get things cleaned up and we moved the site to a new host, but we're learning a tough lesson now: We can't afford to skimp on our web services anymore. We've managed to get by with low-cost web hosting and a lack of strong security, but that's not an option anymore.
http://www.starbase118.net/members/donate/may-2013/ We're a growing community with a very sophisticated set of web tools that include a website, forums, and our wiki. All this takes some serious processing power, even when it's just our membership accessing it. And that doesn't even take into account that our site has become a magnet for spammers and hackers. Each part of our site plays a vital role in our community. Our wiki is the home to our shared history and character stories. Our forums are our fleet-wide meeting place brings us together. And our website helps recruit new members while providing a central place for news and information about what's going on around our fleet. We need to protect our community and promotional spaces to sustain our community, and grow it. But if we can't raise the funds that would allow us to do that, we'll be stuck where we're at now, with a site that can't grow without jeopardizing performance, and tools that don't work as well as they should.
http://www.starbase118.net/members/donate/may-2013/ So far this week, we've already had a couple generous donations to help get the ball rolling. And more people have contacted me while the site was down to ask how they could help. We can easily hit these goals and cover our site costs through the end of the year at the very least, and maybe even through next May. Even if you can only donate $5, that helps and is greatly appreciated. But if you can donate $5 or more per month, your contribution will have an even bigger impact, and now it's easy to do with our new donation page. Thank you for being a part of this community and helping to support our site so that it remains ad free and reliable. I look forward to providing a better experience on our site as a result of your donation. May 25, 2013Weekly Newsletter 2390.16
Happy weekend, Fleetmates!
Publicity Team: http://go.starbase118.net/join-publicity Team Newsies: http://go.starbase118.net/join-newsies
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 1. Poll Of The Week: Beat The Beat: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8641-poll-of-the-week-beat-that-beat/ 2. April For The Discovery: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8642-april-for-the-discovery/ 3. Featured Bio Contest Reminder: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8638-featured-bio-contest-reminder/ 4. New Academy Graduates: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8637-new-academy-graduates/ 5. Sinda Essen Wins April Writing Challenge: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8636-sinda-essen-wins-april-writing-challenge/ 6. April For Starbase 118 Ops & The Victory: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8627-april-for-starbase-118-ops-and-the-victory/ 7. Our History, Our Times: The Aftermath Of The Hobus Supernova, Part III: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8618-our-history-our-times-the-aftermath-of-the-hobus-supernova-part-iii/ 8. SDC Spotlight: Tellarites: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8614-sdc-spotlight-tellarites/
Posted: Friday, 24 May 2013 With the forums back online and glitch free that means that once again, Poll of the Week returns and with it yet another fun poll. Now despite a perfect poll appearing with the release of Star Trek: Into Darkness, in the form of what everyone thought of the movie I thought that I would do something a little different and instead focus on sounds (or more precisely music) that is often forgotten when we all talk about a movie. But in my experience without this music the movies we watch would hardly be worth watching in my opinion. I am sure that we can all agree that there are many things that contribute to make a movie what it is. Story, visual effects, acting, musical accompaniment and directing just to list a few of the bigger ones they can turn a pretty average story into an instant classic that will stand the test of time or will make viewers just walk away after seeing (or hearing) some pretty horrible scenes on screen. From epic science fiction adventures to psychological thrillers and onto romantic comedies, even if the script is up to par and everything looks spectacular it is often what we hear that fully immerses us into the world that we are watching. Whether understated or emphasized it¡¯s these classical musical moments and/or themes that this week¡¯s poll is all about. With that in mind the question is simple and probably not as elegant as the above introduction: which is your favorite? So dial up the volume on your speakers and have fun listening to some of these classics before you vote on the forums (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8640-beat-that-beat/). I am sure that you might hear something new and exciting, or relieve the old favorites if you are already familiar with them. Before I go I want to once again thank Wanda DyAmone of the USS Drake for this awesome poll idea. Remember that if you have any ideas that you would like to see in the weekly poll just leave a suggestion in the suggestions thread (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/3646-poll-suggestions/page-4). Whether it¡¯s something entirely new or an old classic, no idea is overlooked in the pursuit of bringing you exciting and engaging polls to have fun with. Stay tuned everyone and have fun.
Posted: Thursday, 23 May 2013 With the timeline reset, the Discovery is just leaving Earth after shore leave. While en route to the Avalon sector, they encounter a strange nebula which upon further investigation contains a life-sustaining planetoid deep within its core. The crew learns that the sentient humanoid population of the planetoid are just about to embark on their first warp flight and decide to observe this monumental step of theirs to becoming a space-faring race. Two away teams are dispatched to the planet to investigate the planetoid¡¯s energy source without the presence of a star; one team to observe the land-dwelling subspecies, the other the ocean-dwellers. But all is not rosy planetside. The two subspecies are in the midst of a bitter space race, with the ocean-dwellers planning to sabotage the maiden flight of the land-dwellers¡¯ space vessel H¡¯arvath via a mole planted within the crew of the H¡¯arvath. Will the land-dwellers succeed in their nefarious plan? Will the Discovery be forced to intervene in the Ikarians¡¯ internal dispute, hence violating the Prime Directive? Tune in to find out! Follow the adventures of the Discovery here! (http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/sb118-discovery/ )
Posted: Wednesday, 22 May 2013 Don¡¯t forget to nominate a bio for the Featured Bio Contest (http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Featured_Bio_Contest) before it closes on June 1st, 2013.We¡¯re looking for the highest quality bios in the fleet to not only help provide an example for our members on how to structure their bio, but also to show off how much our members put into the creation of realistic and emotional characters. Head to the Featured Bio Contest forum (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/467-featured-bio-contest/ ) to nominate a bio of your own, or someone else whose bio you admire.
Posted: Wednesday, 22 May 2013 Please welcome (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/46-sub-space-link/) our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Anita Deeva, Tan Gan-Dya, Cole Turner, William Greenwood, Kendall Washburn, Azriel Derrida, and John Rysegard!
Posted: Tuesday, 21 May 2013 Congratulations to Chris, the writer behind Sinda Essen and Jhen Thelev, whose short story ¡°Lex Talionis¡± (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8566-april-winner-lex-talionis/) has won the April 2013 Writing Challenge. This record-breaking win is the writer¡¯s fifth! This round asked participants to build their stories against the prompt ¡°Do Unto Others.¡± Chris¡¯s story explored the lex talionis, or retributive justice, concept via the Cardassians and Vorta. This story was one of the few unanimous declarations of winner in the history of the Writing Challenges. Congratulations, Sarah! Our next Writing Challenge is already open, and Chris has chosen the theme ¡°From The Past.¡± (http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/8604-may-june-2013-writing-challenge/). This is both timely and relevant as the Challenge will still be running during the release of Star Trek Into Darkness. The Challenge will be open until June 24th!
Posted: Thursday, 9 May 2013 The crew returned to Starbase 118 with a sense of relief. The physical and emotional stresses of the last mission had taken their toll, and the crew gladly accepted the announcement of leave. Commander Orman chose to use this time to leave for a fighting tournament, while the FO and others spent the first night relaxing at the pub. Of course, SB118 is never boring, even on leave. Immediately the following morning, the Captain and FO received orders that a new first officer was arriving within moments. Lt. Commander Matthews arrived to tension amongst command as they tried to work out the intricacies of the new situation. In happier news, Doctor Maclaren was asked ¡°the question¡± by Marine Captain Dubeau, a proposal happily accepted and announced at the meet and greet for the new FO, along with the promotions of Lt. Silveira and Lt. Livingston. The holodeck made for a great place to talk and enjoy the beach, but the newly repromoted Captain Walker spiced things up by creating a circus tent. And under the big top, the members of the starbase could see themselves taking on the roles of various circus performers! Not to be outdone, Lieutenant Silveira brought real steaks to be grilled, as well as a piano to support the songs to be sung. Through it all, Captain Nicholotti felt strongly the loss of stability in the past days, and that of Commander Cody, still in a coma. Follow the adventures of Starbase Ops and the Victory here! (http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/sb118-ops/ )
Posted: Monday, 6 May 2013 This is the third installment of ¡°Our History, Our Times¡±, a news series that examines Federation history and SB118¡äs place within that history. This historical news series will continue with the most recent history and make its way back to explore major events and notable SB118 fleet actions. This instalment focuses on the current year (2 years after the Hobus Supernova) and current struggles between the Romulan, Klingon, and Federation powers. The Klingon Invasion of Romulan Space: 2389 The Klingon Empire takes advantage of the confusion with lightning strikes into Romulan space. The empire takes control of the Tranome Sar and Nequencia systems in a matter of days, and is poised to strike deeper into Romulan territory. The Klingons temporarily halt their advance when Starfleet sends a fleet to protect the Romulan/Klingon border, but tensions remain high and there are reports of minor skirmishes between Federation and Klingon starships. ¡°We have no ¡®relations¡¯ with the Klingons. They see us as prey, now that tragedy has made us vulnerable. We see them as the brutish beasts they have shown themselves to be, time and again. We wonder how many more of us will die, and how many neutral planets will be attacked before you see that, too.¡± ¨C Senator Vreeya (http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Vreeya), Romulan Star Empire All diplomatic talks with the Klingons have failed. The Federation is told to ¡°stay out of Klingon internal affairs¡±. The Klingons continue their assault on Romulan held territories. With marginal approval, the Federation Council has authorized the use of military intervention. StarFleet Command has been directed to begin sending ships into Romulan space to aid with the wounded and protect civilian populations. On the Next ¡°Our History, Our Times¡±: The Aftermath of the Hobus Supernova Part IV ¨C The Klingon Invasion of Duronis II ¡°What I remember the most was the sheer overwhelming odds. We were vastly outnumbered and if it weren¡¯t for the creativity of the crew we wouldn¡¯t have made it.¡± - Lt Cmdr Alucard Vess (http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Vess,_Alucard)
Posted: Sunday, 5 May 2013 ¡°Tellarites do not argue for a reason, they simply argue.¡± (Sarek of Vulcan, 2268) Tellarites (http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Tellarite) have been a vital part of the history of Starfleet and of the Federation as one of the founding members ¡ª yet they remain a species that never seemed to get its time in the sun. That is, until now. Tellarites may have a reputation for being grumpy, argumentative, and just downright disagreeable. That is, however, part of their charm. Add to this the fact that they produce an alarming number of engineers and seem to excel at almost every type of engineering speciality and you can see why they have been a vital part of the Federation since its creation. It is this dual set of characteristics that make them stand out. After all, we are all familiar with the image of the tall, slim, athletic officer with the short hair and polite manners. Almost every species that is a part of the Federation could fit that image. Not the Tellarites. They blow it out of the water while still being interesting, impossible, infuriating and just different. That makes them one of the more challenging species to play. It also allows us to see a more realistic vision of Gene Roddenberry¡¯s dream. One where you have all kinds of people, even short, stout, hairy mouthpieces that can drive you up the wall at the same time as they make you smile and laugh.
LtCmdr Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor May 29, 2013Current status of the website move
Hi everyone, It's been an exciting week. On Saturday I asked for help funding the next year of our website. We already had about half the money needed to fulfill our goal at the time I sent that email, and within 24 hours, we had the other half -- and more. I increased our goal to see if we could recoup the cost of fixing the site from the hack we experienced so that we could again have an emergency fund, and even more people stepped up. We're now just $66 to recouping all the costs from the hacking, and funding the site through May of next year. If you want to help get us to the final goal, head to the website to donate: http://bit.ly/151KyEI So now what we're doing with that money: We've already purchased new hosting at WP Engine for the main part of the site, and I've literally been working every day since Saturday to execute the move. As expected, there's been rather frequent hiccups with the move -- as there always are -- but I believe we're now online at WP Engine. If you have trouble reaching the site at http://www.starbase118.net, please clear your cache (instructions for all browsers: http://sb118.net/13kxJ7u), then clear any cookies related to starbase118.net (instructions for all browsers: http://sb118.net/16rdRW9 ), then try reloading the page. If you still have problems, email me at this address. Let me know exactly what error you're receiving, if any. On the forum front, we've run into a pretty big issue with moving to Invision Hosting. In short, they have a very uncommon restriction which is not detailed in the pre-signup process: They don't allow subdomain addresses for their hosted forums. So we'd either have to have the address for our forums at something like "starbase118forums.com" (which means we have to buy another domain name) or we have to use their address -- starbase118.ipbhost.com. That seems rather silly to me, so I'm investigating some other options.
http://forums.starbase118.net -- please use the same procedure detailed above to clear your cache, cookies, and reload the page if you have problems, and contact me if you receive further errors. Thank you again for both your generosity and your patience through this process. In thanks, I hope to soon have for you a site that runs blazingly fast and is 100% reliable. Please know that I'm working on this on a daily basis and attempting to resolve our issues as quickly as possible. May 31, 2013Weekly Newsletter 2390.17
Happy weekend, Fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Featured Bio Contest
Top Sims Contest
Fleet Chat
Writing Challenge
Poll of the Week
All the instructions are available here: http://sb118.net/13scY9O To join the Publicity Team, head here: http://go.starbase118.net/join-publicity
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 1. Writer's Workshop: How To Think, And Write, Like An Alien: http://sb118.net/13qnazF 2. April For Duronis II Embassy & USS Tiger-A: http://sb118.net/1357ovf 3. 15 Things You Didn't Know About Star Trek: http://sb118.net/13sdlBq 4. April For The Apollo & Avandar: http://sb118.net/14h4j96 5. Bring A Friend, Share The Fun: http://sb118.net/ZkcoLU 6. April For The Mercury And Drake: http://sb118.net/17HzlhR 7. April Recruitment Stats: http://sb118.net/15nigoW
Posted: Friday, 31 May 2013 Odd title for an article, but not so strange if you are a writer of science fiction; whether it is for a movie or television show script, a book, or a role play game on a forum, thinking like an alien can sometimes be your ultimate goal. The first few items I mentioned are more likely for someone's occupation, the last item is for fun. In this particular dimension and time, we haven't had contact with alien cultures, that we know of. Any being from another world we write about for fiction is going to be based on a heavily modified Earth culture. Elements from those cultures would be downplayed, exaggerated, or conceptually "turned" ninety degrees. Some aliens in Star Trek have some recognizable elements in them, such as how the Klingon Code of honor mirrors some elements Japanese Bushido code. Even the warrior's armor has a faint Samuraiesque feel, but still is purported as alien as are many other races. To successfully write a character of one of these races, it is vital that you actually get into the mind of a being that is simply not human. But how do you do this? The steps below will help you to get into the skin of nearly any alien race. Questions to Ask Get a picture in your mind of what this being looks like physically. Then start asking questions. What planet do you come from? How tall, what is your body build, and are you biped or not? Put yourself, the writer, inside that body and figure out how you move. How does the world look through your eyes? Examine things with the five senses that you already have. Put some clothing on. What is the nature of the garments? Do you wear clothing at all? Are you scaled, furred, warm, or cold blooded? Deciding this now will determine how the alien will react on a starship run by mostly humans. Conceptualization We don't have a concept of what is truly alien. After all, all that we have is the Earth we live on and our imaginations. So, how does a human being like me or you "think" like an alien in order to write one? There is so much information on the internet related to various Star Trek aliens that each has an article of their own. And while this is a good place to start, it's never the full answer. No, the human imagination must also be brought into play as well. I will use an established Star Trek alien, the Vulcan, as an example of `getting into their skin". Lets say I was born on my world. Since it is much warmer than Earth, I would find the temperature on a starship chilly, or even downright cold during the "night" time hours if the ship adjusts its lighting and temperature to reflect that. My movement would be different because of lighter gravity on the ship compared to home. I would feel more energetic, and maybe much lighter. Since my kind would average two meters in height or taller, I would need to be diligent and duck my head from lower hanging piping, doorways, or even low-hanging lighting fixtures and shuttle pod doors. It would make for an unpleasant day if I were always banging my head on things. Standard Terran atmospheric pressure and humidity would feel very heavy and wet, and I would find it a little uncomfortable as if I was trying to breathe liquid. I probably wouldn't use a water bath, but different means to stay clean, such as a sonic shower, a sand `bath', or using oils. My biology is different; I don't have sweat glands for instance. I don't eat the same types of food as some species, being a vegetarian, so I wouldn't eat a huge porterhouse steak because my body's digestive system wouldn't have the enzymes needed to process meat properly. Although, using my imagination, I might be able to adapt with a small degree of discomfort until the enzymes built up. I also have a different circadian rhythm than a human. Since my world wasn't rich in resources, my ancestors adapted to survive on smaller amounts on food, water, and even sleep. I would be comfortable eating the same foods since there isn't much variety back home. Even though I'm stronger, faster, and can exist on very little food. I have trouble adapting to certain biospheres. Very cold, or wet places, will do me harm faster than a human or other species that was born and raised there. It would take me longer to adapt. My pain control was developed by mental training since childhood. Without that, I wouldn't handle pain well because my empathic ability amplifies my own pain. More Specialized Questions Am I a young Vulcan or a little older? As a younger one I would probably be more brash, possibly lacking wisdom to keep my foot out of my mouth. Do I have a roommate or two, and do I get along with him, her, or them? Are they the same species or alien. If they are Vulcan, it doesn't mean I would automatically get along with them. Even a logical species can have jerks, or very pleasant people. Am I a male or a female, married or not? Have I children or grandchildren? What are my family relations? Is my family trying to "set me up" with suitors? How does that effect my Career, if at all? Vulcans do feel emotions. The danger here is to make a single dimensional Vulcan who is mechanical rather than a living breathing person. Even being logical, I still have feelings. I may not like any of rise suitors my clan matriarch is showing me. Maybe my gut instinct is saying "No way!". All these items and more I would need to keep in mind simming a Vulcan. If done well, a very in depth character can be made that readers can relate to, like, or dislike. From Within Their Skin Perhaps the most important thing to remember, when writing an alien character, is the fact that each character is an individual even if they belong to a very well defined race. It's always alright to work with the boundaries and use your own creative license when writing an alien, but these tips can really help you work from inside their skin, rather than trying to write them from the outside.
Posted: Thursday, 30 May 2013 Duronis II Embassy After picking up the Akira Class, USS Thunder, NCC-70605-A, the crew began its long trek back home to Duronis II with high spirits about the new ship and getting back to normal. However, when newlyweds Ambassador Tallis Rhul and Fleet Captain Toni Turner were informed by Laudean Prime Minister Vail Daysa, that his people were protesting the replacement for the destroyed Cheyenne Class, and asked the the Ambassador would come in advance of the Thunder-A to help defuse the potential threat to the Federation Embassy, they could not deny him. Now as the Ambassador and Prime Minister travel through the Providences of Til'ahn, Captain Turner is making plans to help in other areas by empathizing the additional science labs, medical facilities, and diplomatic suites of the ship and downplaying the weaponry the ship makes available. Follow the adventures of the Embassy here! http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/sb118-embassy/ USS Tiger-A The USS Tiger-A was diverted to the Hermates Sector where a strange distress signal was received. After investigation it appeared to have originated from a Federation Shuttle, The Curie, a Zodiac Class Warp Shuttle that was last heard from in 2271 in the Alpha Quadrant near Vulcan. To make matters worse, the area that the Curie distress signal was received was under the influence of the FTU. Upon arrival to a small planet, the Captain and the First Officer beamed down with an away team to investigate. Their investigation was short lived as they soon came under fire from an unknown enemy. Upon returning to the ship, the Tiger came under attack from an FTU ship under the command of Shaelin Gar. To add one mystery upon another, the FTU vessel was destroyed by an unidentified ship moments after the attack on the Tiger ceased. Fifteen Grendellai, including Shaelin Gar, the leader of the FTU ship was beamed onboard the Tiger as it was breaking up. The crew of the Tiger are currently picking up the pieces of the confusing events that have unfolded. Follow the adventures of the Tiger here! http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/sb118-tiger/
Posted: Wednesday, 29 May 2013 From firsts to fans, there's plenty of things that you probably never knew about Star Trek. This helpful infographic makes it easy to learn some nifty facts about the franchise we love so much! http://visual.ly/15-things-you-didnt-know-about-star-trek
Posted: Tuesday, 28 May 2013 USS Apollo The crew of the USS Apollo, NCC-71669, are about to arrive at the planet Izar for shore leave. Many members of the crew have started planning their festivities. With so much to offer, some are planning a trip to the beach, or even up in the mountains. While en route to their vacation destination, a couple of strange occurrences have happened. The Chief of Security and a couple engineers are investigating an issue with the replicator system. It has obtained a virus and is replicating odd foods when something is ordered. At the same time, a disappearance has occurred on the ship. On the eve of their arrival, Fleet Captain Jaxx has put two teams on these cases. The hope is that answers will be found before they arrive for shore leave. The rest of the crew has been socializing in Complex 39, taking in some drinks and conversation. Others can be spotted finishing up some work before their leave begins. Follow the adventures of the Apollo here! http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/sb118-apollo/ USS Avandar The Avandar crew, with creative use of the asteroid field they were stuck in, managed to drive off the alien raiders that had boarded the ship, even managing to land significant, though not crippling, hits on the attacking vessel despite the ship's tactical systems being compromised by electronic attack. Fortunately, the fact they were fighting back, plus the arrival of two new ships in the area, drove the raiders to retreat. The newcomers introduced themselves as an independent military force, a form of freelance law enforcement. Their commander, a Xomite by the name of Challno, agreed to join efforts with the Avandar crew in the pursuit of the Alr'n raiders, who he had apparently been chasing for some time, after being `requested' to hunt them down by a number of worlds who accused the Alr'n of piracy and other similar activities. Meeting with LtCmdr Dickens and a number of other officers, Challno put forward a trio of possible locations the raiders could be trying to use to fence their stolen goods. Deciding to go along with the idea, despite some doubts about just how truthful Challno was being, the Avandar crew agreed to investigate one of the possibilities, the trading world of Shalin. Once main systems were fixed, the Avandar got underway with only a few minor issues still plaguing the ship, such as virus-infected replicators spewing large amounts of gagh into any number of places throughout the vessel, much to the annoyance of the crew. Follow the adventures of the Avandar here! https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!forum/sb118-avandar
Posted: Monday, 27 May 2013 Here at UFOP: Starbase 118 we all have the chance to share in an amazing hobby. We all draw huge amounts of reward from our continued adventures aboard our ships. Each of us has something in particular that we enjoy above all else that could be the chance to earn promotions and move up through the ranks, the sense of achievement we get from winning one of the group's myriad OOC competitions, or the joy of watching our characters evolve as their stories continue to be told! The Publicity Team brings you this mission as Star Trek: Into Darkness reignites the passion for Star Trek worldwide which of those rewards would appeal most to your Trek-fan friends? Which of them would appeal to those friends of yours who love roleplaying or sci-fi and would be willing to take part in a Star Trek-based RPG? Which element of the film did they enjoy the most, and how can we relate it to what we do here in the fleet? More to the point how cool would it be if you could share this amazing hobby with your real life friends? Imagine how easy it would be to cook up nefarious plots that could grace a ship during shore leave, or be written for the enjoyment of the fleet as a whole in the character café? Wouldn't it be cool to have the chance to share the SIMs you take so much time and care over writing with your friends and inspire them to reach the same levels of achievement? We need YOU to spread the word about the fleet to the people you know would enjoy it remember, you're the best person to sell it to them because you know what they like! As a special request this month we need extra help to bring in a flood of new members! Now we're ready and raring to go again, the academy holodecks are screaming to be filled with new cadets who've heard good things about our group! Click here (http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Publicity_Projects) to find out how you can help!
Posted: Sunday, 26 May 2013 USS Mercury The rescue of Eyas Wulfantine's mother was a success, but the senior staff of the Mercury was left with the not-so-minimal task of sneaking back to the Menthar Corridor. After this had been accomplished, the crew settled in around Deep Space 10 for some shore leave. DSX had come fully online while the senior staff was in absentia, and many of them used the opportunity to explore, meet the new residents, and acquaint themselves with the officers who had recently been assigned there. Events of note during shore leave included an experimental surgery upon Lieutenant Commander Roshanara Rahman and the reappearance of the Ring, last encountered by the USS Drake years before, around a planet in the Omicron Geminorum system. Meanwhile, some of the new junior lieutenants bonded; Captain Quinn Reynolds discovered an old friend; and Lieutenant Commander Isaac Bale and Major Jacen Fanel, the Mercury's two hardened warriors, discussed the noble art of fatherhood. Follow the adventures of the Mercury here! http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/sb118-mercury/ USS Drake The USS Drake NCC-1987 and its crew are stranded 2500 years in the past. Several people begin experiencing strange visions of doing activities they have no memory of carrying out. Others experience a connectedness with their alternate selves. Research concluded by LCMD Solok and Lt. Stennes determines that there are high fluctuations of phase variance and radiation along certain geological locations of the Ishkarian prime world. Comparing the shard worlds of the future Ishkarian system with the unbroken planet of the past, they determine that the locations of this power build up are at the precise points that the world shattered apart. Working off of Ishkarian broadcasts, they determine that the breaking of the shard worlds may have corresponded to a civil war. An away team is altered to appear Ishkarian by Dr. Dyamone and dispensed to a research facility planetside established to be one of the origin points of the Ishkarian disaster, as well as the Drakeâs temporal displacement. Meanwhile, Captain Rogers transports over with a second away team to the alternate USS Drake. Though they are met by a security team, they are quickly escorted to a conference room so the two Captain Rogers can meet face to face. Left in command of the Drake, Commander Danzia must now deal with a distress beacon from an Ishkarian ship they cannot help without risk of altering the timeline. Though the ship has deflected a Borg scout, the hostile ship is still in the area. Follow the adventures of the Drake here! http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/sb118-drake/
Posted: Saturday, 25 May 2013 Each month, the Publicity Team (http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Publicity_Team ) posts the number of applications our community received for the current year and how those applicants found our group. That summary will give you an idea of how we are reaching new applicants and how we can improve our efforts to reach new audiences. If you're interested in helping with our publicity efforts, click the link above to check out the Publicity Team's wiki area, and then the link to the Publicity Team's Yahoo! Group where you can sign up to be a part of the team. We also want to keep you apprised of the number of graduates from the StarBase 118 Academy. Unfortunately, not all applicants graduate from the Academy because they either do not respond to roll call or do not complete the Academy requirements. The Training Team makes every effort to involve all applicants and to encourage them to complete the training. http://www.starbase118.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/April-Applications.jpg http://www.starbase118.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/April-Graduates.jpg http://www.starbase118.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/April-Source.jpg
LtCmdr Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor Jun 4, 2013Important news about the forums and wiki
Hi everyone, First and foremost: If you have not done so already, please update your bookmarks for the forums to http://forums.starbase118.net -- that's the best way to reach the forums, and going to the old address may cause an error for you. Second, if you've tried to reach the forums and wiki in the past 12 hours or so, you've seen that they're currently in maintenance mode. (Wiki is locked to editing, but still viewable, while forums are not viewable.) This was done so that we could move them to a new server. We didn't want you to lose content in the process, so we locked the databases. However, we're waiting on our current web host to generate a full back-up of our account so it can be moved. This is a very strange situation since most hosts don't require that they have to do this kind of backup on their end. Our request for the backup has been sitting in a support queue for over 12 hours. Our main website remains online, and I'm happy to report that we received an application today -- hopefully the end of a short but painful dry spell due to the website hacking. I am closely monitoring the situation with the forums and wiki, and will be pushing our current host to finish our ticket. Once they do, our new host will pick up the backup and get everything installed on a new (faster?!) server. Hopefully once this move is complete no one will have the "Server busy" error at any time of the day anymore :) The only way this move to a new host is possible is with your generous contributions. A huge THANK YOU to everyone who contributed during the fundraising drive, which has ensured that our site is fully funded through May of 2014. If you want to keep a close eye on when the forums/wiki are back, follow our Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/ufopsb118 Thanks again for your patience, everyone. We're approaching the light at the end of the tunnel, and soon things will be 100% back to normal! Jun 4, 2013Forums and wiki are back online
Hi everyone, The forums and wiki have been brought back online and should be fully accessible: http://forums.starbase118.net/ http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page We are still working on some issues with the wiki slowness, but it is fully operational otherwise. As always, if you have any problems, please email me directly at t.wolf@... If you receive any errors on the site, or you believe something isn't functioning the way it should, email me! Thanks again for your patience. Jun 8, 2013Weekly Newsletter 2390.18
Happy weekend, Fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Fleetwide OOC Chat:
Featured Bio Contest
Writing Challenge
TEAM OF THE WEEK: PUBLICITY We're looking to increase our representation across active Star Trek forums with the group's best possible ambassadors you folks! This activity is simple, fast, and has a huge impact on recruitment. All the instructions are available here: http://sb118.net/13scY9O To join the Publicity Team, head here: http://go.starbase118.net/join-publicity
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 1. Forums Roundup: June 2013: http://bit.ly/10XEuxI 2. Poll Of The Week: Rehashing The Favs: http://bit.ly/ZAJnMb 3. May For Starbase 118 Ops: http://bit.ly/13sFY2A 4. June 2013's Featured Bio: Fleet Captain Sidney Riley: http://bit.ly/11MAU4U 5. Fleetwide OOC Chat This Sunday: http://bit.ly/199Tm07 6. May Plot Summary: USS Discovery: http://bit.ly/ZAKOdv 7. SDC Progress: http://bit.ly/15X8B91
Posted: Saturday, 8 June 2013 I never realized just how much I missed the forums until the website was attacked and, as a result, went down for more than just a little while. Now that it's back, I find myself slipping back into old routines and checking it often. What about you? Did you miss the forums while they were away? Are you back to checking them the way you used to? Whether you check them daily, or a little less frequently, there's always something going on around the Starbase 118 forums. Here's a taste of some things going now that we're back! Read a good sim lately? Why not share it with the fleet? Enter the best sims from your ship into the Top Sims contest and show the fleet the talent that you get to see every day: http://bit.ly/bhujgE Connect with others in your chosen duty post and learn how others sim their post and what they are working on currently. Join us in the Duty Post forums and put your perspective into the mix: http://bit.ly/11r5AK2 Consider joining one of our guilds and network with other officers across the fleet who all provide perspective and development for unique races and characters. Step outside the limits of social norms and join the conversation today: http://bit.ly/UdT9zU Meet others from around the fleet and play games or talk about anything that comes to mind. Get acquainted with officers, who are located all over the world, and have some fun in our general discussion threads: http://bit.ly/ZAJasj See something out of the ordinary on the site or forums or wiki? Report any errors or problems, now that the site is back up and functional, to our web admin, Admiral Wolf, here: http://bit.ly/13m335p And there's always something else happening at any given time! Be sure to come in and join any one of the many conversations today and become part of what makes us an amazing community!
Posted: Friday, 7 June 2013 Quite normally questions like "what is your favorite anything in this category?" is reserved as ice-breaker topics. Whether that be as a way for a pair of new room mates to bond or to start discussion on a web forum. So it should came as no surprise that these types of topics have been discussed once over the years then forgotten in a community like ours. I mean what is usually the point of talking about the same thing over and over again and I have absolutely no doubt that eventually people would start losing interest, I know I have been in that position. Even though these questions remain eternal the people discussing them do change bringing new opinions to the table and in turn bringing a fresh enjoyment to a question or topic that would appear to be as stale and dusty as something really old and forgotten. So we are going to kick this new series, depending on how you look at, off with a classical question and that would be: Which is your favorite Star Trek Next Generations movie? From Generations to Insurrection and Nemesis and who could forget First Contact which is argued to be one of the best Star Trek movies prior to the Abramsverse (which I am not going to comment on here). While fewer in titles then the earlier TOS era movies they are certainly all brilliant Star Trek movies but which is your favorite and why? No matter what you think, this is the time and place to share it in as a comment or just a vote but I certainly would encourage you all to share your thoughts (as much or as little as you feel comfortable with) on the forums because that's what makes these polls timeless and enjoyable to revisit. I hope. Have fun everyone.
Posted: Thursday, 6 June 2013 With all of the stress of the previous missions behind them, the crew of Starbase 118 was able to relax into their normal duties. That lasted for almost an hour, when the corps of reporters fell onto the station like a swarm of locusts. The official statements were not enough for several of the reporters, who began searching areas they weren't cleared for to find "the truth". A tooth from one of the dragon-like creatures the crew had encountered a day previously was discovered by Delia Ailed, a reporter who leveraged that to get more information from the Second officer and Chief engineer. Captan Nicholotti, working to keep the rumors from getting too out of hand, is scheduling a meeting with the reporters. Unfortunately, one story about the fang has already gotten out. At the same time, a freighter "Astrolabe" has docked and requested emergency repairs. They are carrying medicines that need to be delivered before they expire. Unfortunately, the ship itself was held together by luck and baling wire.. and the baling wire just snapped. There has been an explosion on the freighter, something that has raised the interest of engineering, tactical, and security. Also the wandering eye of another reporter. Now the crew scrambles to find the issue, get the medicine out in time, all while providing the right information to the reporters who are already underfoot. Perhaps it is a normal Starbase day after all. Follow the adventures of Starbase 118 Ops here: http://bit.ly/15X6GkX
Posted: Wednesday, 5 June 2013 Fleet Captain Sidney Riley is 7/8 Terran and 1/8 Deltan and while she does have Deltan pheromones in her system it's not enough to give her problems interacting with others or require her to take the Deltan Oath of celibacy. She was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 2350 and is ten minutes younger than her older, identical twin sister Shannon. Sidney's family has a complicated, troubled past and she grew up on star ships until the age of six. Disaster struck the family that summer when a shuttle carrying Sidney's father Ryan and twin Shannon encountered an unexplained anomaly. The ship disappeared and both of them were declared missing. Sidney was raised by step parents on Vulcan until the age of 15 and had a difficult time making the adjustments to life there, refusing to conform to their practices and beliefs. Events came to a head when she stole a shuttle and attempted to escape back to Earth. She was caught and taken before the council on Vulcan to answer for her actions. Her step parents did not support her during this time, but one of her father's best friends Doctor Michael Mitchell did. She was let off and was on her best behaviour for some months after the incident but trouble broke out again when she went on a hunger strike. The family finally relented and let her return to earth, there she finished high school and decided to go into medicine through the influence of Doctor Mitchell. She completed her medical degree before deciding to enter StarFleet Academy. Fleet Captain Sidney Riley has had a long and successful career with many personal and professional ups and downs. She has experienced love, heart break and the loss of an unborn child. She has provided medical aid and relief during times of conflict. She has fought and survived tough battles including the Gorn Conflict, the first and second battles of Eratis and Operation Bright Star to name a few. She has faced and conquered it all, risen through the ranks to become the inspirational leader she is today. Her career has spanned 9 years and seen her serving on three ships and a station during her time in the fleet the USS Wallace, the USS Independence, the USS Tiger and Starbase 118 Ops. Fleet Captain Sidney Riley's bio will be displayed on the wiki's front page for the month of June. As always, you can find out more about the contest at its wiki page or in its forum. Round 13 is now open, so be sure to drop by and submit your own nominations!
Posted: Tuesday, 4 June 2013 Don't forget to stop by the chat room this coming weekend! The next chat starts on Sunday, June 9th at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 5pm GMT (UK) / 4am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). (Always check your time zone for accuracy/DST if applicable!) All chats are open to any member of the community. Come by and see, in real time, what other folks in the fleet have been up to! Chats take place in our on-site chat room: http://bit.ly/12y8mn5 if you have problems connecting, use the instructions listed below the chat box.
Posted: Monday, 3 June 2013 The clandestine mission of both away teams to observe the natives on the planetoid turned out to be a failure. The Land Team barely escaped with their lives after being infected with the venom of swamp-bugs. Fortunately they were cured and cared for by a poor Ikarian family of farmers, from whom they learn that the Ikarian land-folk are about to go to war with the Va'ku sea-folk. The Sea Team on the other hand, while attending the royal wedding, was mistaken for enemies of the Crown and imprisoned. By sending a remote message through their shuttle's comms, they managed to reveal their exact location to the Discovery in orbit which beamed them, together with the newly wedded Va'ku Queen, back to safety on board the Discovery. Meanwhile on the warp-capable ship H'arvath, a bomb is detected and an away team is dispatched who successfully neutralizes it. While investigations are underway to determine the origins of the explosive and to scout for other such devices on the H'arvath, the Ikarian crew is transported to the Discovery as a safeguard. The saboteur on board the H'arvath is killed and the ship saved. The Va'ku queen and the Ikarian H'arvath first officer, secret lovers no one knew about, are reunited, and together with the full support of the Discovery, they avert a war and represent what could be the dawn of a new age of peace between the two warring subspecies. Follow the adventures of the Discovery here: http://bit.ly/17xylMv
Posted: Sunday, 2 June 2013 The SDC (Species Development Committee) has been hard at work slowly revitalizing the master ILI list on our very own wiki. The ILI is a list of all the species found in the Star Trek universe. This includes any and all original species created by members of the Starbase 118 community. As a result of this ongoing work the SDC is proud to report that all the species on the list in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants falling under the letters U, W, X, Y and Z have been completed. They are now on the new page layout that all the species will eventually be on and a complete list of all sources used has been included. The following letters on the list in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants have over half their entries already completed and all of them should be finished before the end of this year. These would be R, S, T, and V. As well as these over 50 other species scattered throughout the rest of the list have been completed or are currently under work. Interested in helping out? Talk to your Captain, or contact Commander Tal Tel-ar for more information about joining the Species Development Committee!
LtCmdr Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor Jun 9, 2013Today's fleetwide OOC Chat
The fleetwide OOC chat starts soon! Sunday, 9 June 2013 at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 5pm GMT (UK) / 4am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). Always check your time zone for accuracy/DST if applicable! http://bit.ly/fVGEmH Hope to see you there! Fleetwide chats are a space for all members of StarBase 118 to meet each other, learn about fleet events, and talk about Star Trek in real time! Chats are always held on the second Sunday of every month, but you can head into the chat room at any time to see who else is there. Fleet Captain Toni Turner Jun 11, 2013A new look for our website
i everyone, I'm very excited to bring you news of a complete face-lift for our main website. We've completely updated the main site with a new design AND a beautiful new logo. Our site menu and navigation remains exactly the same, which means all your links should still work just fine. Without further ado, please check out the new and improved look of our website: http://www.starbase118.net If you have any questions, have found any bugs, or just want to give feedback (please! we'd love to hear it!), head to the forum thread about the new design, found here: http://sb118.net/171ypot Jun 15, 2013Weekly Newsletter 2390.19
Happy weekend, Fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Top Sims Contest
Writing Challenge
Featured Bio Contest
Fleet Chat
Poll of the Week
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 1. Poll Of The Week: What's It Good For? http://bit.ly/17NJ0CX 2. A New Design For The Website: http://bit.ly/155WyU1 3. Top Sims Contest Run-Off Round 2: http://bit.ly/11CkX1k 4. May For The USS Avandar: http://bit.ly/1bGiNDu 5. May/June Writing Challenge Ends June 24th: http://bit.ly/19kIKvC 6. May Plot Summary: USS Vigilant: http://bit.ly/13RgCdx
Posted: Friday, 14 June 2013 This week we are going to take a look at what some might call a darker aspect of the characters we write. Despite the fact that Star Trek was first created with an utopian mindset it is clear as time has gone on, just like human societies today, that a certain amount of xenophobia or on the lesser end of the scale racial/species intolerance openly exists amongst many of the species we play. Klingons, Romulans, Cardassians and even Ferengi (just to name a few of the more known species) have displayed some of these traits to varying degrees and it does make some sense if mankind is anything to judge by. Now don't get me wrong, I'm in no way suggesting that xenophobia is alright. In fact it's anything but okay. While a healthy mistrust might help keep a young species alive after making first contact, by its very definition, the irrational tendencies portrayed by those xenophobes would just as easily start wars leading to the extinction of an entire species as seen in other science fiction stories. Admittedly this is a rather extreme reaction but as the old saying goes, words of violence often lead to acts of violence. One of the great things about simming is that we often get the chance to explore topics like this with our characters. With that in mind I pose this question; Is your character xenophobic of any particular species? And if so, in what way and how much does that show in your simming? What does it all mean to you? As always only share what you feel comfortable with. Although I hope that everyone will stop by the forums (http://bit.ly/11Gy02J ) and share a comment as well as vote and remember to have fun. Go for it everyone.
Posted: Thursday, 13 June 2013 I'm proud to announce that we've just launched a new look for our website, which completely overhauls our welcome page and brings a fresher, more modern appearance to the site. Since our website was hacked in May, I've been working to clean out the years of code detritus that's gathered, old experiments that have gone awry, and even shut down our much maligned UFOP Personnel Database System, built in 2001, which served as our primary member management tool. As part of cleaning out those cobwebs, I revived a project I had shelved just a few months ago to give our site a new look. And, over the course of the past two weeks, I worked with Captain Nicholotti of StarBase 118 Operations to choose a new look for the site, install it, and even give our logo a new look. What we ended up with is beyond my wildest expectations, and from the feedback on the forums, it sounds like our members are enjoying it, too. Past iterations This is now the fifth version of our website. Here's a quick review of our past designs: 1. Jeff Pelletier's design: This captain of the USS Freedom built our first website, which was a one-pager that looked a lot like most pages of the day a patterned star background with grainy animated gifs. 2. Shaun Marlin's design: Foundation-builder, Rear Admiral, and former Captain of the USS Isannah built our first functional website, complete with custom imagery. As a testament to his budding abilities, it would probably still be usable today, albeit a bit out of date. Some pages remained active on our server until just a few months ago, which I sometimes referenced for old versions of the Reporter. 3. Ian Laang's design: Up until a few weeks ago you could also still see the vestiges of this design, which were still in use on the UPDS. Using muddy greens, browns, and dull grays, this site was highly compact and suffered from difficult and hard to use menus, unfortunately, but was nonetheless our longest active version of the site. 4. Our first WordPress design: When WordPress had finally become a respected Content Management System, I made the decision to move the site onto the platform so that God forbid anything should ever happen to me our staff would have a much easier time of updating and managing it, and would not be required to code everything by hand in HTML. The look was a custom mish-mash of a few different WordPress themes from the vendor WooThemes. We launched this version in November of 2010. 5. Our current design: Still on WordPress, and now hosted on WP Engine a WordPress only host our new design uses much more white, tacking away from the trend of Star Trek RPGs to focus on dark and starry themes. I'm looking forward to this current design serving our site for many years to come.
More about FltAdmrl. Wolf here: http://bit.ly/ZRovAq
Posted: Thursday, 13 June 2013 The second Run-off Round of the Top Sims Contest is now open. This is an open poll, all members are eligible to vote, and your votes will determine which of the six sims will go on to the final round of the Top Sims Contest at the end of the year. So head over the Top Sims Contest (http://bit.ly/199DJDo ) and vote today. And while you're at it, be sure to congratulate the winners of the previous rounds: Round 9: LtCmdr Jalana Laxyn and Commander Tal Tel-ar (USS Apollo) Round 10: LtCmdr Ethan Brice (USS Apollo) Rounds 11 and 12: LtCmdr Katy Orman (Starbase 118 Ops)
Posted: Wednesday, 12 June 2013 Having managed to track at least some of their stolen equipment, the crew of the USS Avandar set about reclaiming it. The Away Team sent to try and achieve this quietly almost managed to do just that but almost was not quite good enough, and it took some fast talking and a timely beam out to avoid them being arrested for, of all things, theft. In the meantime, Captain Vetri's undesired conference trip to Deep Space 6 ended with the arrival of a number of new transfers to the ship's crew, giving her a great deal more company on the trip back home â" a trip that was to prove far more eventful than the last one . Safe and secure back on the ship, with part of the haul recovered, the crew set course for their next objective to finish the job. This time, things went more smoothly, with smaller teams spreading out to search and recover, and the thieves themselves were successfully tracked down. With the crew back together again â" after a rather hair-raising confrontation with the Romulans still living in their old D7 near the Rabbit Hole for the Captain and her companions â" the Avandar is now working with the local authorities to close the net on the raiders once and for all Follow the adventures of the Avandar here! http://bit.ly/16pZQV9
Posted: Tuesday, 11 June 2013 It may be appropriate that time is running out on the current Writing Challenge, seeing as its topic is "From the Past." How will you interpret this prompt? Well, a fine place to start might be with some inspiration from the recent Star Trek Into Darkness. Will your entry examine the past in an alternate universe like the one created in the recent movies? Will you look at the history of one of your characters? Will you have fun skipping rocks across the pond of time? Whatever you do, do it quickly time is running out on this temporal Challenge, and there will be no returning to this particular historical event! You can access the forum topic for the current Writing Challenge here (http://bit.ly/16q0qlH ). Have fun!
Posted: Monday, 10 June 2013 Fractured across multiple timelines, the crew of the USS Vigilant, NCC-75515, were running out of time to prevent themselves from being drawn into the anomaly that had already once led them to their untimely demise. As the pressures of a graviton shear began to crush the ship's hull like paper, the crew battled to co-ordinate attempts to re-route power and keep the Vigilant in one piece. Following theories developed by Lieutenant Dueld taJoot, the largest groups of crew, under the command of Captain Diego Herrera, Lieutenant Commander Greir Reinard and Lieutenant Commander Jen Malcolm, began to reconfigure the warp core to project a static warp field that could kill the anomaly at its source. With time running out and levels of chroniton radiation increasing, two fragments of the crew were able to complete their mission. However, with power levels failing and two crew already lost in a series of disastrous events, it looked as though Dr. Malcolm's group would be unable to finish the job. Thanks to some timely intervention by Ensign Kydy, a last ditch attempt saw the temporal anomaly begin to collapse returning the crew of the Vigilant to the point in time where they originally discovered it. In the face of what seemed to be a collapsing anomaly and a message from Starfleet Command assigning commendations from the department of temporal investigations, the crew continued about their usual business. Not a soul remembered what had happened or did they? Follow the adventures of the Vigilant here: http://bit.ly/17aMcZR ----------------------------------- LtCmdr Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor Jun 16, 2013Vote now: Top Sims Contest run-off round
Fleet, Six sims are vying to move on to the final round of the Top Sims Contest in December, and be crowned the Top Sim of 2013. You can have a hand in deciding who get to be a part of that final show-down. Head here to read the sims and vote on the best: http://sb118.net/19bTB8p Jun 22, 2013Weekly Newsletter 2390.20
Happy weekend, Fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Writing Challenge
Top Sims Contest
Featured Bio Contest
Fleet Chat
Poll of the Week
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 1. Poll Of The Week: Rehashing The Favs, Part 2: http://bit.ly/19prnY3 2. Featured Bio Contest Reminder: http://bit.ly/131fp8i 3. How You Can Help The Fleet!: http://bit.ly/11SlU5M 4. New Academy Graduates: http://bit.ly/11EL5Kf 5. May For The USS Drake: http://bit.ly/19pt7Ao 6. Congratulations Commander Raj Blueheart: http://bit.ly/109thcF 7. Marking The Anniversary Of The First Woman In Space: http://bit.ly/14oDbXs 8. Nineteen Years Of Roleplay: http://bit.ly/14PoXRo
Posted: Friday, 21 June 2013 We are back this week with another one of those ageless ice breakers, maybe a little more subtle then our last but certainly an important question among us Trekkies if it ever needs asking that is. This week the question is: which Trek series first introduced you to Star Trek? It has been said that each Trek series is more of a set of characters in the Trek universe then it is a set of tv shows. It is how those characters interact and approach the problems that they are faced that makes us want to watch them even more and even leads us to watch other Trek titles. If you really think about it, no matter if your watching a scene on one of the Enterprises or a bar fight in Quarks, Trek isn't so much about the environment as it is people in it as the go boldly etc etc in it. Although I am hardly qualified to say, I suppose that is one of the defining features of the thing we call Star Trek. And this week we want to know which set of characters got you hooked. So whether you grew up watching from the very first TOS episode or got hooked by the Abramsverse, we want to hear which it was that got you interested? As always please feel free to comment after you vote on the forums (http://bit.ly/16WMa4b ) because that is half the fun. Enjoy everyone.
Posted: Thursday, 20 June 2013 Please remember to nominate a character bio for round 12 of the Featured Bio Contest (http://bit.ly/17tD4Q6 ) before it closes on Monday July 1st, 2013. The bio can be your own character or for another as long as it's for a player character (PC) or secondary character (2PC). We're looking for the highest quality bios in the fleet to not only help provide an example for our members on how to structure their bio, but also to show off how much our members put into the creation of realistic and emotional characters. Head to the Featured Bio Contest forum (http://bit.ly/1a0PBuw ) to nominate a bio today.
Posted: Wednesday, 19 June 2013 Greetings to everyone from the Publicity Team! We're pleased to announce that we've gained some new members a huge thanks to Lieutenant (j.g.) Richard Matthews, Ensign James, Lieutenant Commander Hannibal Parker and Lieutenant Commander Eerie for joining our ranks! With their help we'll be continuing in our ongoing mission to spread the word about UFOP: Starbase 118 and keep bringing in the new recruits! Now that we're firing on all cylinders again after our short spell of website downtime, we're motoring ahead to pick up on the applications that we missed out on during that time! YOU can help in two ways this month, and here's how! The first is easy. Do you know anyone who'd enjoy SIMming with us? If you do, ask them! It really is that simple! Talk to them a bit about the group and see if they'd like to join! The second is to give us some links to your favourite Star Trek blogs! We're always looking for cool Trek related things to link on facebook and twitter, so if you're currently following anything that could help us then please contact Captain Diego Herrera (diegoherrera118@... ) with a URL. And if you don't, but have a spare 10 minutes to do some searching then that would also be much appreciated! As usual, don't forget to like/follow us on facebook and twitter! Just look for UFOP: Starbase 118!
Posted: Tuesday, 18 June 2013 Please welcome (http://bit.ly/14oCDkh )our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Kevin Marks and Mek!
Posted: Tuesday, 18 June 2013 As the away team investigates the Ishkarian beacon facility, the countdown begins to the planet's destruction. The Ishkarian's have mistaken the versions of the USS Drake 1987 from different time lines as Borg. A doomsday weapon is powered up in answer to the presence of the two versions of the Federation ship. Meanwhile, as the two Captain Rogers converse, the meeting of members of both crews has drastic consequences for some. The alternate Lt. Reed succumbs to a reaction to the temporal anomaly and dies. Alternate Cmdr Solok, in the advanced stages of the blood fever, desires Lt. Reed to take the deceased Reed's place as his wife and issues the Vulcan the mating challenge. Cmdr Solok is victorious. However, after sparing the life of his alternate self, he dies in the same manner as the alternate Reed, leaving Solok's alternate self to take his place. The battered alternate Drake undertakes a heroic but doomed mission to restore the timeline. As the cataclysm reaches its apex and the shockwave rushes towards the Drake, Lt. Pandora and Ensign James activate the time travel device and buffer the ship from further temporal radiation. The crew arrive home safely, armed with the information to free the Ishkarians from the distant past trapped in pockets of space/time. As the rescue ensues, the USS Drake docks at Starbase 118 and the crew are welcomed home as heroes. The addition of some crew and children from the alternate timeline remains to be resolved with the DTI. Follow the adventures of the Drake here: http://bit.ly/19pthYP
Posted: Monday, 17 June 2013 The Captains Council of UFOP: StarBase 118 is pleased to announce the promotion of Lieutenant Commander Raj Blueheart to the rank of commander. Commander Blueheart serves on the USS Discovery-C as the First Officer to Capt. Tyr Waltas. Commander Blueheart has been a long-time member of the Discovery, and was previously a counselor before being promoted to First Officer. He has recently distinguished himself in our training Academy, where he's been highly active and completed a number of successful training groups. Be sure to offer Commander Blueheart your congratulations (http://bit.ly/12gXOBE ), and we wish him the best of luck as he moves forward with his command career!
Posted: Sunday, 16 June 2013 While yesterday brought with it the achievement of 19 years as a fleet for UFOP: Starbase 118, it will have to share its day-after glory of another milestone. In the shadow of our own anniversary, let us celebrate another milestone; one that was met fifty years ago today. The successful launch of the first woman, and first civilian, into space, and safely bringing her home. Fifty years ago, Valentina Tereshkova rode Vostok 6 into orbit only two years after another Russian became the first man in space. Chosen from over four hundred potentials, Tereshkova presented a candidate that not only met the qualifications physically, such as being shorter than 170 cm, under 30 years of age, and having been a parachutist before applying, but she also was the daughter of a war hero. Ultimately, she used her newfound status when asked by government leaders how the Soviet Union could repay her service, she simply requested that the location where her father died in World War 2. The government agreed and Tereshkova built a monument to him there. In order to be allowed to join the cosmonaut corps, she was honorarily inducted into the Soviet Air Force. This allowed her the benefits of the military, which she contributed to and served until a presidential order retired her from both the Soviet Air Force, and the cosmonaut corps in 1997. At the time of her flight, the Soviet space program was growing and going through changes. Though she was originally supposed to fly Vostok 5 with another woman pilot in Vostok 6, but program retooling required the missions to be adjusted. In the shadow of the Voskhod program, which would be canceled shortly after it began and replaced with the Soyuz program, another male cosmonaut flew on Vostok 5, while Tereshkova took Vostok 6 towards the same objectives. Vostok 6 launched successfully and flawlessly on June 16th, 1963, and a short time later, Tereshkova became the first woman and first civilian in space. For 48 orbits, she traveled around the Earth conducting a range of experiments that included photographs later used to document and identify aerosol based layers of our own atmosphere. Though it seemed like a big step, one she was awarded numerous awards for, it would be a whole nineteen years before the Soviets would send another woman into space. The women chosen to be her backups never got the chance to fly and the entire women's cosmonaut group was eventually dissolved in 1969. Tereshkova, however, along with her 48 short orbits, have truly gone down in history. Even today, she is more than a household name in the old Soviet region; she is a national heroine and still a dreamer. When visiting the Prime Minister of Russian, Vladimir Putin, on her 70th birthday, she let it be known that she would gladly go to Mars, even if it was a one way trip. Maybe, that day will come soon. It's certainly closer to being within reach thanks to the advances and firsts of the Cold War, including the events of this day, fifty years ago, aboard a Vostok rocket in Baikonur.
Posted: Saturday, 15 June 2013 On or about June 15, 1994, an adventure would begin that no one could have ever foreseen would still be around 19 years later. Thereabouts the group known as the UFOP SIMming club was born. At the time the group was very different than it is today. Perhaps the only similarities were that the adventures took place in the post-TNG era of Star Trek (which had just ended its run) and that Fleet Admiral Wolf was in charge. As for Star Trek, Deep Space Nine was in its infancy, Star Trek: Generations had not yet been released, Voyager was on the drawing board and no one had ever heard of J.J. Abrams. Meanwhile, the UFOP SIMming club (Starbase 118 had not yet entered the picture) was based live AOL chat rooms. Play by Email would not become the group standard for a few more years. Amazingly, our community has grown and persisted. Since formation the group has had 75 players serving as commanding officers aboard 67 different simming sites. Fleet Admiral Wolf commanded the very first ship, the USS Phoenix-B, a Nebula Class starship. Over time the group would enlarge as additional ships and commanding officers would enter the fray. About a year after the group's formation, the original Starbase 118 began operations also under the command of Wolf. The following year, another mainstay of the group would begin: the UFOP Reporter. The Reporter acted as the group's official newsletter under the editorship of Elinor of Kanist. Over the next 15 years, there would be a total of 44 issues. As time would progress, the use of the group's website and eventual adoption of WordPress would make the Reporter obsolete as news would be published on a continuous basis. Evolution would continue within the group. About ten years after the group's formation, an official constitution would be ratified which became critical as the group became more difficult to manage without an official set of rules. The group's website would move a few times using a variety of free webservers until finally settling in using the starbase118.net domain name. Soon the UPDS would follow, which made keeping track of ship rosters more manageable. A sense of community would also develop over the forums, which have now been around for more than a decade. Part of the reason for the group's longevity has been its cadre of talented writers that have created a wide variety of adventures in an alternate Star Trek universe all on its own. Today, and for many years the group has used a play by email format via Yahoo! Groups. Because of this format, many of the sims written from more than a decade ago still live on the Internet. In general, most of the simming sites within the group have been starships, but there have been several non-starship settings as well. Besides the currently operating Starbase 118 Operations and the Duronis II Embassy, the group has had a presence at Deep Space 72 and the Daris Colony. Perhaps the most unique site that the group ever managed was the USS Panther, which was a captured Romulan Warbird that fought for Starfleet during one of the group's early blockbusters known as the Yolanda Wars. Next year will be the group's twentieth anniversary, an amazing achievement in a world where longevity is far from the norm. To paraphrase the President of the Federation from Star Trek IV, thanks to the dedication of Fleet Admiral Wolf and all of the players who participate in the group, "We are forever." ----------------------------------- Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor Jun 28, 2013Weekly Newsletter 2390.21
Happy weekend, Fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Top Sims Contest
Featured Bio Contest
Writing Challenge
Fleet Chat
Poll of the Week
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 1. Poll Of The Week: Don't Leave Me Hanging: http://bit.ly/15Pp2Bz 2. May For The USS Mercury: http://bit.ly/12sxN6W 3. May Recruitment Stats: http://bit.ly/11Tq2ng 4. A Reminder About Security And Privacy: http://bit.ly/113V3da 5. New Academy Graduates: http://bit.ly/18lNy3H 6. May For The Duronis II Embassy: http://bit.ly/13dg9am 7. FNN Update: Freighter Crisis on SB118: http://bit.ly/1anAiwb 8. May For The USS Tiger-A: http://bit.ly/1anANpS
Posted: Friday, 28 June 2013 This week we are back with a poll suggested to us by Lieutenant Jorus Cogud of the USS Discovery. Quite often when it comes to television series, besides from the number of viewers that a show has, the way a show ends for the season is a good indication of whether or not the show will get a consecutive season or if it will just end? For instance a season finale that ends with a cliffhanger usually indicates that a season to follow it up is sure to be made. Well usually. What you can be sure of though is that whether the finale is a multi-part episode or a standalone story not completely tied into the overarching season's story progression, a season finale is usually action/drama packed and great fun to watch. So what does this have to do with us and Trek, you might be asking. Well the answer to that is simple, as it usually is with me, this week's poll asks you which of Voyager's seven season finales did you like the best? Now even though five of Voyager's seven season finales are two part episodes this poll is specifically relating to the last episode in each season rather then judging those two part episodes as a whole. Whether you liked the simplicity or episodes like "Learning Curve" or "Hope and Fear" or prefer the explosive packed drama of stories like "Endgame", I am sure that there is a ton to be said about this poll. As always be sure to leave a comment after you vote on the forums (http://bit.ly/19J9eVp ) because that is where the fun really starts. Also if you have something particularly you would like to see in POTW be sure to leave a comment on the suggestions thread (http://bit.ly/18lM1dV ) and you will see it real soon. Have fun everyone.
Posted: Thursday, 27 June 2013 As the Mercury's shore leave at DSX came to a close, the crew was stunned when Captain Kells's accident of years prior aboard the Ring was repeated, and three different versions of Kells were combined in one, his sixty-year-old self. Though the crew, SFI, and Temporal Investigations wanted to investigate further, the matter was put aside in favor of a larger mission: An installation had been discovered on an uninhabited M-class planet in the Beta Scuti system, some three weeks into the Menthar Corridor at maximum warp, that long-range probes believe to be a library of some sort, and one that may hold ancient knowledge about the dominions of races that once called the Corridor home and, perhaps more relevantly, what happened to them. After their journey to the planet, second officer Isaac Bale took down an away team and discovered quickly that they weren't the only interested party . Aboard the Mercury, Lieutenants Richards and Mei'konda searched for patterns in the relics left behind by the Menthar and the other ancient races in the corridor. Meanwhile, on DSX, Commander Melitta Herodion investigated some strange (and perhaps related) comm traffic while Mercury CE Roshanara Rahman stayed behind by medical order and used the time to get the station's systems fully online. Follow the adventures of the Mercury here: http://bit.ly/14fNfmN
Posted: Wednesday, 26 June 2013 Each month, the Publicity Team (http://bit.ly/11Tqi5D ) posts the number of applications our community received for the current year and how those applicants found our group. That summary will give you an idea of how we are reaching new applicants and how we can improve our efforts to reach new audiences. If you're interested in helping with our publicity efforts, click the link above to check out the Publicity Team's wiki area, and then the link to the Publicity Team's Yahoo! Group where you can sign up to be a part of the team. We also want to keep you apprised of the number of graduates from the StarBase 118 Academy. Unfortunately, not all applicants graduate from the Academy because they either do not respond to roll call or do not complete the Academy requirements. The Training Team makes every effort to involve all applicants and to encourage them to complete the training.
Applications: http://bit.ly/125EJ5D Academy Graduates: http://bit.ly/14DFohP Annual Application Source: http://bit.ly/14fNLBd
Posted: Tuesday, 25 June 2013 Now that we've recovered from the epic hacking that hijacked our website for weeks and caused us to move servers and lock down our web presence like Ft. Knox, I feel that it's important that I review a few important things about security and privacy. First and foremost, UFOP: StarBase 118 does not sell your contact information to any third parties, and we never provide it voluntarily without your authorization. Your contact information may be used on third party websites, for example, Yahoo! Groups or other modes of communication with you, but we never give authorization to third parties to use your information for any purpose other than directly related to communicating with you about UFOP: StarBase 118 business. Second, it is absolutely critical that everyone uses best practices for their passwords in relation to our community. We recognize that our multiple websites (WordPress, Forums, Wiki) present a challenge because they each have different logins. However, all members should always use unique and complex passwords that do not match any passwords they use with other personal services. For example, the password to your personal email account should never match any passwords you use with our websites. For a simple and easy-to-read tutorial about making your password system more secure, please see this Google help article: http://bit.ly/ntEl0i Third, while we promote a community atmosphere and encourage members to build relationships with other members of the group, you should always use your best judgement about providing personal information other members. We do not recommend that you give out your phone number or address to anyone, and if you choose to meet other members of the group "In Real Life," we encourage you to tell others about where you're going and always meet the other member in a public space where many other people are around. Secure your online presence and stay safe offline, and you'll be simming with us for a long time! See also: How you can stay safe and secure online: http://bit.ly/qYu86B
Posted: Tuesday, 25 June 2013 Please welcome our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Alexander Williams, Gor ud Gutta, Jack Stavins, Enabren here: http://bit.ly/13dg1Yt
Posted: Monday, 24 June 2013 The situation on Duronis II had not improved since the crew of the USS Thunder NCC 70605-A had last been planet side. Fleet Captain Toni Turner and Commander Alucard Vess are attempting to calm and negotiate with the Prime Minister of Til'ahn by pointing out the benefits of the battle cruiser. They are hopeful the Laudeans with accept the technological advancements the ship offers, rather than focusing on the arms. While the negotiations continued, the Thunder had been left with orders to assist in cleaning the debris from the spatial sandbar surrounding the Duronis System. This had gone well even with the arrival of a Romulan Squadron saying they were there for the same reason. The shuttle teams were able to work well until the detonation of an debris warp core, damaging to the war-birds and rendering the Thunder unable to find one of her search shuttles. Now posed with finding her missing crew, the Thunder has begun a search pattern hoping to find them before the air of their shuttle runs out. Follow the adventures of the Embassy here: http://bit.ly/17r8O53
Posted: Sunday, 23 June 2013 On Federation Starbase 118, in the Trinity sector, at the crossroads of Klingon, Federation, and Romulan territories, a crisis has arisen that could cost thousands of lives. An independent freighter has docked with the base for emergency repairs. The freighter, laden with medical supplies for a needy colony, was unable to complete the journey, and the Starfleet crew was more than happy to help them get repaired and underway. A common enough situation for the 118 crew. But the situation has turned out to be far more complicated, and dangerous, than anyone could have predicted. After an explosion rocked the vessel, and Starfleet crew entered to provide emergency relief, it was discovered that the medical supplies on board were Vitlali 7, an unapproved medication which cannot be bought or sold within Federation territory due to the fact that the medicine degrades over time into a dangerous intoxicant. The crew of the freighter, a rough bunch, meanwhile have fallen into conflict bordering on mutiny. During the altercation, among accusations of theft and sabatoge, it was revealed that the medication is indeed beyond its expiry date. Meanwhile, a small fleet of warships has decloaked outside the base, demanding the freighter's cargo. We will have updates as events proceed. Contact: Reporter `Jiph' (Quadrant Press Associated) via SB118 Media Office, C/O Commander Alexander Jayson Cregg Press Secretary Starbase 118
Posted: Saturday, 22 June 2013 After having their mission cut short, the USS Tiger-A was immediately attacked by a group of unknown intruders. One of them was named Briyal who at one time knew Commander Wilde before arriving on the Tiger. After a tense situation where engineering was compromised by Briyal, the ship began to return to normal activities. During the excitement, Ensigns John Rysegard, Cole Turner, and Anita Deeva arrived and were assigned to their duty roles while operations continued around them. Once it was established that the ship was out of danger, Lieutenants Blair, Tagren, and Zerxes were promoted to the rank of full lieutenant. The ship is now enjoying a short shore leave before moving on to their next assignment. Follow the adventures of the Tiger here: http://bit.ly/19EVePC ----------------------------------- Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor Jul 5, 2013Weekly Newsletter 2390.22
Happy weekend, Fleetmates! Reminder from the Editor, FltAdml. Wolf: You can always set yourself to NOT receive these newsletters, and only receive the most important fleet news, by going to the following link and changing your "Message Delivery" setting to "Special Notices": http://sb118.net/18CuAG9 FLEET EVENTS Fleet Chat
Top Sims Contest
Featured Bio Contest
Writing Challenge
Poll of the Week
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 1. Poll Of The Week: Instability All Around: http://bit.ly/1aLtRTJ 2. June For The USS Discovery: http://bit.ly/16UD33q 3. New Academy Graduates: http://bit.ly/16dd3OH 4. July 2013's Featured Bio: LtCmdr Jalana Laxyn: http://bit.ly/12sfLOZ 5. Our History, Our Times: The Aftermath Of The Hobus Supernova, Part IV: http://bit.ly/1aLvZei 6. Donation Thanks To Three Members: http://bit.ly/10F1eSr 7. Coniferous Rainbow: http://bit.ly/12MuPps 8. Podcast 2390-3 Released!: http://bit.ly/14ZIYT7 9. Promotions For May: http://bit.ly/12MvjMt 10. May For The USS Apollo: http://bit.ly/1a8XC1x
Posted: Friday, 5 July 2013 It goes without saying that the political landscape is one that is constantly changing just as the dunes in a desert are rarely the same from day to day. Or at least that was what I was always told but I think that the point is pretty valid from current Earth politics to the major powers of 2390. Just as the Roman empire gave way to changing times in ancient Earth so it seems that many of the empires that we have enjoyed simming with over the years are moving from one from to another. Now that isn't to say that there are still countless simming adventures to be had, but rather we will be enjoying those adventures amongst the remnants rather then in the shadows of once great rivals (which can be just as much fun in the end of the day). The shape of our galaxy isn't what it once was considering that the Cardassians are still recovering from the Dominion war and the once mighty Romulan Star Empire is in ruin after the Hobus incident. And while the Klingons are still, well, the Klingons they too are very different from what they were when they fought with the Federation against the Dominion. So if your anything like me, I suppose you would all be asking the same question as me too. And it's that question that forms our poll for this week where we ask: Who do you think will be the Federation's next adversary? It goes without saying that the Klingons aren't the only ones that are capable of challenging the Federation as there is still the Tholians, Breen and even Borg out there still? And that doesn't even mention a couple of the more nasty Delta Quadrant species. Or perhaps the next chapter in Federation history will not feature an opponent that is so overtly obvious. In any case, no matter what you think let us know on the forums (http://bit.ly/18CmY6q ) in the form of a comment or vote. I for one don't particularly want to see another war anytime soon and that isn't what this poll is about, rather to have a little fun in speculating upon all the potential what-ifs out there. So have fun everyone.
Posted: Thursday, 4 July 2013 While en route back to DS285, the Discovery receives a distress signal from a group of stranded religious monks on a pilgrimage to the abandoned desert planet Aurix II where two sacred artifacts are alleged to be located. The crew agrees to offer them transport to the planet, not knowing that the monks are part of a powerful ancient cult that seeks to sacrifice the Discovery and her crew in order to obtain the mysterious artifacts, which would ultimately open and stabilize a wormhole, the cult's prophesied Gateway to a weapon of apocalyptic destruction. With telepathy and a hypnotizing chant, the monks seize control of the crew and ship, and transport the XO and a few other senior staff to the surface of the planet, forcing them to look for the artifacts, while holding the Captain and his three returning children hostage aboard the Discovery. Will the crew of the Discovery find the artifacts in time? Will they hand it over to the religious zealots to save their Captain, of risk opening an unstable wormhole that will annihilate the entire Avalon sector? Follow the adventure to find out! Follow the adventures of the Discovery here: http://bit.ly/128ya6V
Posted: Wednesday, 3 July 2013 Please welcome our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Evan Delano and Jacob Alexander (returning member) here: http://bit.ly/12sfo72
Posted: Wednesday, 3 July 2013 Lieutenant Commander Jalana Laxyn, a non-joined Trill is the Chief Medical Officer on the USS Apollo. Her dedication to her patients and their needs has seen her progress through the ranks and she has worked her way up to the position of Chief Medical Officer. She is one of few students to graduate the Academy without having first earned the title of Doctor, however she is working on that alongside her regular duties. She has a mentor, Cayden Adyr who is providing her with support as she goes through the training she'll receive on the Trill Symbiosis Program. It is her hope that one day she will become joined. In her free time she enjoys spending time with Major Viktor Lanius who she is in a relationship with. He taught her how to play poker and has been known to cook meals for them, which she particularly appreciates due to being hopeless at it herself. One of the things she can do though is play the Trillian flute, a wooden instrument she has been playing since childhood. Lieutenant Commander Jalana Laxyn's bio (http://bit.ly/14wFuZO ) will be displayed on the wiki's front page for the month of July. As always, you can find out more about the contest at its wiki page (http://bit.ly/12sg8cq ) or in its forum (http://bit.ly/10F0Sv8 ). Round 14 is now open, so be sure to drop by and submit your own nominations!
Posted: Tuesday, 2 July 2013 This is the fourth installment of "Our History, Our Times", a news series that examines Federation history and SB118′s place within that history. This historical news series will continue with the most recent history and make its way back to explore major events and notable SB118 fleet actions. This instalment focuses on the current year (2 years after the Hobus Supernova) and the recent invasion of Duronis II. Klingon Invasion of Duronis II: Klingon forces, allied with the Orion Syndicate and the Scarlet Brotherhood, attempted to invade and take control of Duronis II. The Klingons employed several ships, the Scarlet Brotherhood and Orion Syndicate also sent several ships including the Defiant Class vessel the Orion Syndicate and the Scarlet Brotherhood had managed to build from stolen Federation technical information. My role in the invasion was as part of the fleet that retook the system. I was actually off planet on my honeymoon when Starfleet figured out that something had gone wrong on Duronis II and assembled the fleet. I was put in charge of the USS Rodimus which was due to be decommissioned but was put back in duty for the mission. Lt Cmdr Alucard Vess Starfleet initially was unaware of the invasion due to jamming of all signals around Duronis II, leaving Starfleet with only one ship, the USS Thunder, and the complement of Starfleet and Marine personnel at the Duronis Embassy to fend off the attack. Once the jamming was neutralized, the USS Rodimus and Rodimus Prime were dispatched to assist. The Romulans also sent ships led by a Romulan Ambassador and likely Tai Shiar operative. What I remember the most was the sheer overwhelming odds. We were vastly outnumbered and if it weren't for the creativity of the crew we wouldn't have made it. Losing the Rodimus' stardrive section also stands out vividly in my memory. It was near the end of the second battle, the Romulans had just shown up and we got hit with a kamikaze attack from the Scarlett Brotherhood. Luckily we we able to separate the saucer section, but the explosion knocked out it's power systems. Lt Cmdr Alucard Vess In the end, Duronis II was successfully defended at high cots. The USS Thunder and USS Rodimus Prime were neutralized, the embassy was badly damaged, and many Starfleet personnel and marines lost their lives. I think we are going to have some strained relationships with the Klingons for a while. Even though it was a few rogue Klingons, we beat them, which no Klingon will like. They would likely see it as dishonouring their brothers in arms. As far as the Romulans, it's improved relations, although there is still a level of mistrust between the two Embassies on Duronis II. Without them, we wouldn't have beaten the Scarlett Brotherhood. Lt Cmdr Alucard Vess On the Next "Our History, Our Times": The Aftermath of the Hobus Supernova Part V The Kaleh Incident "This is where things got sticky, much of the crew were not ready to wipe out 200,000 innocent civilians to save the Federation." - Lt. Jorus Cogud
Posted: Monday, 1 July 2013 In addition to all the wonderful members who helped us hit the 2013 fundraising goal, we have three new donations from the past month: Bowrapiquis Jetseen (Tiger), Inarr "Steve" Rogg d'Squamos (Discovery), and Eskyys (Discovery). Many thanks to them for their generosity. Their donations have been put toward our 2014 fundraising drive, to raise funds that will keep our site online without ads in 2014. You can join them in donating on a one-time, or monthly basis using our donation form, here: http://bit.ly/14TpJer
Posted: Monday, 1 July 2013 Ever wonder what in the Federation that funny, white, brain looking thing in the market is? It comes in orange, white, green, yellow, and even purple or pink. It seems to be easily cross bred with others of it's brassica family of cabbages too. Is it edible? Is it alive? First time I saw it, it looked like an alien Captain Kirk and his crew met on Triskilian. It wasn't though, it's cauliflower, and some Terrans aren't to sure what to do with this oddball from the ground. The usual preparation I have encountered was boiling it, a method I wont try again. A friend and I solved our cauliflower conundrum with this little recipe. Use every color you can get your hands on for a beautiful dish, that is tasty too. Spicy Cauliflower Ingredients Garlic 2-4 cloves, minced) 1tsp Basil ( dried) 1tsp oregano (dried) 2tsp smoked paprika powder 2tsp your favorite curry powder Salt to taste Black pepper to taste Adjust spices to your comfort level and taste. Experimentation won't bite. Olive oil After washing the cauliflower, pull off the tough leaves at the base, and cut it into 1″ pieces. Place in a foil lined 9″x11″ baking pan. Drizzle olive oil on, add spices, and mix until covered. Preheat oven to 500°F broiler setting, or use your barbeque pit to grill it. Bake until they have a gentle browning, stirring a few times while cooking. Watch it carefully so it doesn't burn. The texture you want is similar to a steamed vegetable, where it has some crunch but isn't mush. If you are concerned it may burn before the center is cooked, start the oven at 450°F. Above all have fun with it and tailor it to your own unique taste. A variation: roast the garlic and cauliflower, mash up with fat free Greek yogurt, a little butter, salt, and pepper. Try this with the white cauliflower unless you don't mind a pile of purple or green, yellow or orange "what the heck is this?" On your plate.
Posted: Sunday, 30 June 2013 The new episode has been released! For those of you that want would like to listen online, check out our release on the StarBase 118 YouTube channel (http://bit.ly/10F1MrG )! Whilst we recognize that some members would love to listen to the podcast on the go, we have uploaded it to Archive.org (http://bit.ly/14ZJqRx ). You can download it from the menu on the left hand side! Keep your ears open for our next release due in April! Feel free to subscribe to our YouTube channel for automatic updates. To join the Podcast Team, visit the team's Yahoo Group (http://bit.ly/1aLxZ65 ) and apply for membership!
Posted: Sunday, 30 June 2013 The staff of UFOP: StarBase 118 would like to take a moment and recognize the officers promoted in the month of May. Please take a moment to congratulate them when you see them in the corridors of your vessel! USS Apollo Sundassa Faranster to Lieutenant Dade Triston to Lieutenant JG USS Tiger-A Alex Blair to Lieutenant Aribelle Tagren to Lieutenant A'ern Zerxes to Lieutenant
Posted: Saturday, 29 June 2013 The crew of the USS Apollo, NCC-71669, is enjoying shore leave on Izar, home to Starfleet's Tactical School. Each member of the crew has found something to interest them during the two day stay. With the Apollo picking up supplies from a nearby starbase, the crew is truly cut off from work, ready to relax. At the same time the crew is enjoying themselves, a small team of political freedom fighters from a close-by system. Hoping to cast a light on their situation, this team of people has the skills to make it a very bad day. They are gearing up for something, but what? Follow the adventures of the Apollo here: http://bit.ly/14Tr5pw Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor Jul 13, 2013Fleet Chat Tomorrow
Fleetmates, Don't forget to stop by the chat room tomorrow (Sunday, July 14th) at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 5pm GMT (UK) / 4am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). (Always check your time zone for accuracy/DST if applicable!) Our chats normally occur on the second Sunday of every month. All chats are open to any member of the community. Come by and see, in real time, what other folks in the fleet have been up to! Chats take place in our on-site chat room: http://www.starbase118.net/chat/ if you have problems connecting, use the instructions listed below the chat box. I look forward to seeing you all there. :) - Fleet Captain Toni Turner Jul 12, 2013Weekly Newsletter 2390.23
Happy weekend, Fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Top Sims Contest
Featured Bio Contest
Fleet Chat
Writing Challenge
Poll of the Week
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 1. Poll Of The Week: In Theory: http://bit.ly/16zuUiS 2. Writing Challenge Winner And Update: http://bit.ly/12ugDq4 3. June For The Duronis II Embassy: http://bit.ly/16zvJZ8 4. New Academy Graduates: http://bit.ly/13b6hXw 5. Forums Round-Up: July 2013: http://bit.ly/12Ktu3T 6. Promotions For June: http://bit.ly/13b7Q7R 7. Writer's Workshop: Adding Depth To Your Character: http://bit.ly/12uj7on 8. June For The USS Vigilant: http://bit.ly/13Gvh04
Posted: Friday, 12 July 2013 This week we are going to be polling something a little closer to home, and somewhat less political, but still in the same vein of the endless what if mysteries that exists in our world. If you found that to be a little vague, please let me clarify by saying that this week's polls is all about conspiracies and conspiracy theories. To be even more specific, whether or not we as individuals believe in them. All throughout our history just as it is with the constantly shifting world of politics (and in most cases also including in that domain) individuals and groups of people of plotted in the shadows seeking to do many different things. Be it a change in governmental leadership or to make some revolutionary change in the business world. And on the flip side of that there always tends to be people willing to debate or heated argue, as has been the case in some cases, whether or not some mysterious group was responsible for the unusual or unexplained. Conspiracies and subsequent conspiracy theories are both terrible in reality but also very exciting in fiction. So this week I pose the question; Do you believe in the legitimacy of any conspiracy theories? While finding theories on the internet or in books isn't too hard, finding actual proof is another thing completely but that doesn't mean that we can't wonder. Wonder about things like the Apollo 11 moon landing, the global warming conspiracy, Kennedy assassination or Area 51 even. The question really is, no matter your answer, what do you think? Is it all a bunch of garbage or do these theories actually hold some weight. No matter what you think be sure to tell us in a comment after you vote on the forums (http://bit.ly/13b4dPf ) because the debate is what makes these polls fun. I can promise that no shadowy group is trying to make you believe that one. Have fun everyone.
Posted: Thursday, 11 July 2013 Congratulations to Ed, the talented writer behind Captain Diego Herrera, who won the Writing Challenge for May and June with his short story "Not Until This World Burns." (http://bit.ly/12xEvV7 ) The story was written in response to the Challenge prompt "From the Past" and, in the words of Lyle, one of the Challenge judges and writer for Commander Melitta Herodion, "The topic could refer to any number of things from a single past experience to the impacts of culture or tradition and how a person deals with one of those things. `Not Until This World Burns' tackles all three (past experiences, ancient culture of a character's race, and tradition) and it does so beautifully " The second place story for this round was right behind the winner in the rankings, and in the words of Chris, another Challenge judge and writer for Commander Jhen Thelev and Lieutenant Sinda Essen, "Lessons from the Past," (http://bit.ly/12Ks9tG ) a story by Marissa (Captain Kalianna Nicholotti), "[Her] writing is beautifully poetic and create a story that is evocative and thoughtful, as much about the future as it is about the past." The runner-up chose not to present her story with any dialogue and impressed judges with this stylistic choice. Be sure to offer your congratulations (http://bit.ly/10SkFHF ) to these talented writers if you haven't done so yet. Our next Writing Challenge is already open, and Ed has chosen the theme "Under My Skin." (http://bit.ly/13b5bef ) Take a look at the Challenge prompt, but be sure to submit your story before August 27th!
Posted: Wednesday, 10 July 2013 When it came to the civil unrest on Duronis II, the situation for the crew of the USS Thunder NCC 70605-A had not improved. After the loss of Lt Cmdr Jaxon Mc Ghee and his team, the Thunder was able to re-locate them in an unusual place. They had successfully escaped their doomed shuttle by transporting on to one of the nearby Romulan warbirds. Though received with a surprised and suspicious crew, they were able to get to safe passage. With their crewmembers safe, Lt Cmdr Nugra faced with another problem. A Laudean ship had suffered catastrophic failure of her engine and was now plummeting toward Lokesh city with deadly speed. If not for the timely rescue of Lt Cmdr Alucard Vess and Major Hannibal Parker aboard the runabout, they would not have been able to deflect the doomed ship into the sea. Now with disaster averted and the crew coming home, they all might be able to get the much needed rest they have earned. Follow the adventures at the Embassy here: http://bit.ly/16zw9OW
Posted: Wednesday, 10 July 2013 Please welcome our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Ar'jin and Catrova Torv here: http://bit.ly/17arZPM
Posted: Tuesday, 9 July 2013 We're now halfway through 2013, though it seems almost as if it just started. Plenty of things have happened already this year, but there are plenty more still coming. Be sure to check out the forums to see the latest news, fun, and interesting facts about and around the fleet. Here are just a few! Stop in to congratulate the winners of the May/June Writing Challenge, and be on the lookout for the next round's topic: http://bit.ly/137f15j Head on over to the Featured Bio threads and see some of the best wiki pages, or nominate an officer you think should be in the running: http://bit.ly/17asBot There's a new Poll of the Week each and every week! Be sure to join the conversation and let your voice be heard! http://bit.ly/13Gutbu Read a great sim lately? Nominate it for the Top Sims contest and put it up against other great sims from across the fleet for a chance to win the Top Sim of the year! http://bit.ly/13GuufR Don't forget, there's a ton of fleetwide activities that could use your help! Even if you only have a little bit of time to spare, there's something you can do to help: http://bit.ly/18eVzbq And there's always games and updates on the forums from each of the ships. Come join the conversation and meet some officers from other ships and see what everyone is up to all in one place! Until next month, happy simming!
Posted: Monday, 8 July 2013 The staff of UFOP: StarBase 118 would like to take a moment and recognize the officers promoted in the month of June. Please be sure to congratulate these folks when you see them in the corridors of your vessel! USS Discovery-C Lieutenant Cmdr. Raj Blueheart to Commander USS Drake Lt Reed to Lieutenant Cmdr. Ensign Dyamone to Lieutenant JG Ensign James to Lieutenant JG Mercury Mei'konda to Lieutenant Tato Zeme (Charles Hawkeye) to Lieutenant
Posted: Sunday, 7 July 2013 Some writers find it challenging to know when and how to add depth to their characters. It can be easy to stay too focused on the present, acting and reacting to current events and dialogue, while neglecting to show WHY your character should feel or behave that way. When your audience has a better understanding of your character's background and belief system, it adds more power to almost any decision that character makes and allows for more impact and meaning in your writing. Everyone had a different technique, and like with most creative art there's really no wrong way to do this. Here are a few different methods you can use to add character depth, tailored specifically to the nature of SB118's simming format: 1. Back Story/Flashback Sims There may not be a more effective method than doing a good, ol' flashback sim. You can just step away from present events and take us back to a formative moment in your character's past. This requires a bit more narrative writing than the usual back-and-forth, tag-and-respond simming we do with our shipmates. You are entirely responsible for the cause and outcome of your sim, so you may need to put more forethought and even create an outline for how you want the sim to go before writing. You never have to have a specific impetus for doing a flashback sim. Anytime you just want to show a glimpse of your character's past, write away! Personally, I like to tie my in to something that's happening in the present. Maybe we're encountering a mission that reminds me of a past problem. Or perhaps we're in a particular physical setting that triggers a memory. It could even just be a piece of dialogue, something someone says that hits a tender place. 2. Dream Sims Your character's dreams can be a fascinating look into the depths of his/her psyche. You can go to extremes with perceptions of other people, places, or circumstances that general simming may not allow. It's an opportunity to explore the severity of fears, hopes, past trauma, future goals, and anything else that shapes who your character is. If you choose to portray your crewmates in a dream sim, make sure you're sensitive to their feelings. While your character's dreams are certainly boundless for creativity you can easily offend someone by how you depict them. You may want to explain your portrayal of someone's character in a private message ahead of time, letting them know what went into that creative choice. The key to any sim we write is promoting the enjoyment of the game for all involved, so don't lose sight of that when you're trying to be creative. 3. Descriptions and Thought Bubbles Never underestimate the use of descriptive text and "thought bubbles" to add some character depth. Your descriptive writing does not have to be just pure actions. You can address the mental state and thought processes that went into a decision, such as the weighing of options. Throwing in the little nuances of how your character does something, such as "slowly, begrudgingly, excitedly," makes it a little more distinctive and is an easy way to show your character's mood and attitude about the circumstances in front of him/her. Thought bubbles can be a fun way to interject some internal thoughts, from fear and insecurity to snarky sarcasm, into the story. They can allow for you to really show your character's personality in a quick, one or two-line shot of private and revealing thought. It's a great way to "say" what would otherwise go unsaid in the regular dialogue, clearly conveying what your character is truly thinking at a given moment. 4. Be a Real Person Your character's not always going to agree with the commander's ideas. He or she may, and probably should, be annoyed by at least one of their shipmates. You should find certain situation overwhelming or even intimidating. This is a major part of creating a substantive character; making him/her a believable person with likes and dislikes, weaknesses, fears and even the occasional failure. In fact, failure can offer some of the greatest opportunities to deepen and realize the full potential of our characters. Constant success and achievement are, frankly, a little boring. They also maintain a status quo that often doesn't allow characters to show a broad range. It's when our characters are dealing with loss, remorse, and other negative emotions that we often get to the deeper points of their psyche and emotional make-up. You'll have a more successful overall character if you occasionally embrace the realism of failure. - - These are just a few of many potential ways to create fuller, more complete characters. Our group is full of experienced and accomplished writers who would be happy to discuss their techniques with you. If you see someone whose work you admire, never hesitate to ask them for guidance. The better each character is, the more fun we all have writing and interacting together.
Posted: Saturday, 6 June 2013 The USS Vigilant has found an inhabited O class planet whilst exploring the Zeta Gelkis Region. Further investigation reveals that the native species live underwater in enormous biodomes and of the 7 detected only 5 are powered and populated. Ruins on the surface and on submerged land suggest that the planets water level used to be significantly lower. It seems that the native species, the Asavii lived on the surface before building the biodomes and moving underwater. During the course of their investigations the crew discover the Asavii are warp capable and detect a massive warp capable ship docked underwater near one of the biodomes. The decision was made to make first contact with the species and after initial talks the crew of the Vigilant were invited to join the Asavii in biodome 5. Chairman Volhv Oskendu, the leader of biodome 5 is in diplomatic talks with a team led by Lt Cmdr Reinard. The Chairman seemed keen to make a good impression and has put on two tours for the guests. One group is learning more about Asavii religion and culture with the sinister religious leader Honored Speaker Bram. He has shown them the shrine to the water god Zolrak that they worship. Another group has gone with Supervisor Geerf, the Asavii head of engineering to learn more about their technological and scientific achievements. Outside the dome one of the biggest predators in the sea has collided with the dome as Asavii hunting parties try to drive it off. Follow the adventures of the Vigilant here: http://bit.ly/17au91R ----------------------------------- Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor Jul 20, 2013Weekly Newsletter 2390.24
Happy weekend, Fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Top Sims Contest
Featured Bio Contest
Fleet Chat
Writing Challenge
Poll of the Week
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 1. June For The USS Tiger-A: http://bit.ly/18tUpZU 2. Top Sims Contest Update: http://bit.ly/1bPYMNQ 3. Featured Bio Contest Reminder: http://bit.ly/14pk03B 4. New Academy Graduates: http://bit.ly/12Ri8Pg 5. Publicity Team: Flying High: http://bit.ly/198ZI01 6. New Special Award: The Locutus Award: http://bit.ly/19904E2 7. June For Starbase 118 Ops: http://bit.ly/131Iuum
Posted: Friday, 19 July 2013 The USS Tiger-A is currently on course for the New France colony at warp 8. The ship has been requested by the Triceblessed to assist with an epidemic that is ranging out of control. While in route to New France, most of the crew assembled in the Tiger's Den for a short party before arriving at their destination. It was at this time, that the crew was joined by Ensigns Azin and Mek. If not at the party, many found recreation in the holodeck suite such as Lieutenant T'Mihn. A curious budding relationship appears to be developing between Lieutenants Zerxes and Tagren as well. As the ship continued toward its destination, it was struck by a gaseous anomaly that enveloped the ship. Primary energy systems were affected as the cloud seemed to be sucking the energy directly from the ship. Despite the drain, the ship was functional and appeared not to be in direct danger. The crew is currently investigating the strange hitchhiker while enroute. Follow the adventures of the Tiger here: http://bit.ly/16Q55Ly
Posted: Thursday, 18 July 2013 The Top Sims Contest continues to showcase some of the great sims written by our group. But your crewmates can't get the recognition they deserve without your help. They need you to nominate their sims for the contest. All it takes is a few easy steps: 1. Visit the Top Sims Contest page: http://bit.ly/1b0wG4v 2. Check the calendar to confirm the round: http://bit.ly/13Ukwr2 3. Copy and paste the sim into the message field and submit. And while you're out there, be sure to congratulate the winners of the previous rounds: Round 13: Captain Diego Herrera, "Super Brother" : http://bit.ly/1ayIkQs Round 14: LtCol Whale & LtCmdr Weston, "Namesake" : http://bit.ly/115AsCV Round 15: Captain Tyr Waltas, "Lost Time" : http://bit.ly/18tVbG9 These sims, and more, will all be going on to the third run-off round in August. So get out there and nominate today.
Posted: Wednesday, 17 July 2013 Please remember to nominate a character bio for round 14 of the Featured Bio Contest (http://bit.ly/155XtGB ) before it closes on Thursday August 1st, 2013. The bio can be your own character or for another as long as it's for a player character (PC) or secondary character (2PC). We're looking for the highest quality bios in the fleet to not only help provide an example for our members on how to structure their bio, but also to show off how much our members put into the creation of realistic and emotional characters. Head to the Featured Bio Contest forum to nominate a bio today: http://bit.ly/16Q64eT
Posted: Tuesday, 16 July 2013 Please welcome our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet, Alden Cuthbert and Anscom Folds here: http://bit.ly/14pkUNo
Posted: Tuesday, 16 July 2013 This month, the Publicity Team is flying high or, more specifically, flyering high! Do you have a local book, comic or tabletop gaming store near you? Well then you can help! This is a blanket call to all members of the fleet to join in with the publicity team's special project for the month. We need YOU to head to this link: http://bit.ly/115BkaJ and follow the instructions to receive a FREE Starbase 118 flyer. All you need to do then is ask for permission to show it off in pride of place in one of the types of store mentioned above. All you have to do is ask the store owners politely for permission they'll tell you where such things can be placed! Zap us a picture to show us that your town is now doing your publicity work for you every flyer we put up effectively counts as a rep from Starbase 118 standing in the store in which it has been deployed, spreading the word about the awesome experience that is lying in wait for our prospective members! If you're interested in helping us out in any other way, head here to find out how: http://bit.ly/1by8wxo
Posted: Monday, 15 July 2013 A new special award has been launched and is up for grabs later this year as part of the annual awards ceremonies! The Locutus Award (http://bit.ly/1990f21 ) will be presented to a member of the Publicity Team who has gone above and beyond their basic requirements for team participation in a similar way to the Training Team's Boothby Award! (http://bit.ly/18qmDB7 ) Members of the fleet will be able to place nominations for prospective recipients of this award as a part of the annual awards process that will start towards the end of the year. Whether you're a member of the publicity team or not, if you see someone kicking themselves into overdrive, showing real enthusiasm for putting the name UFOP: Starbase 118 out there for all to see and dreaming up new ways of enticing potential members to join our ranks then this award is definitely for them! Remember if you're interested in joining the Publicity Team (http://bit.ly/115BCOM ), all you need to do is head here and click join: http://bit.ly/125DcmG
Posted: Saturday, 13 July 2013 A Romulan fleet outside, reporters getting into everything, a freighter being repaired then exploding. Unfortunately, someone in the crew thought "At least it can't get worse". Some of the crew, investigating the Astrolabe to help survivors and determine the reason, were exposed to the expired drug. A drug that when expired acts like a recreational hallucinogenic in humans. Combined with multiple secondary explosions, sickbay was busy. At the same time, the Astrolabe's First Officer and crew met outside the ship to discuss mutiny. Ensign Mandany Rose, one of the station's counselors, tried to keep things calm. Unfortunately, things escalated when the freighter's Captain arrived. A fight broke out, ending when the freighter's captain threatened Ensign MGia to talk to Captain Nicholotti. They met, and MGia was injured as she knocked the freighter captain out. Returning to the Hub, Captain Nicholotti setup a meeting with one of the reporters on the station, who focused his conversation on Anya. Unwilling and unable to go beyond the statement that she was her sister, the reporter warned that the truth could only be kept away for so long. Sending the reporter on his way, the briefing began. The astrolabe was looked at as sabotage, potentially Romulan. While the question remains, why has the Romulan fleet remained, uncloaked, and unaggressive for the last several hours? And what do they really want?!? Follow the adventures of Starbase Ops here: http://bit.ly/13UmkQT
Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor Jul 27, 2013Weekly Newsletter 2390.25
FLEET EVENTS Top Sims Contest
rules to submit a nomination: http://sb118.net/10OSHt3
Sunday, 8 September 2013.
Brother� (http://bit.ly/1b8ytn5 ), Round 14 winners Lt Col Whale and Lt Cmdr Weston with "Namesake" (http://bit.ly/13GvVux ), and Round 15 winner Captain Tyr Waltas with �Lost Time� (http://bit.ly/18tVbG9 ) Featured Bio Contest
nominations here: http://bit.ly/11OCiZ5
Fleet Chat
1pm Eastern (US) / 5pm GMT (UK) / 4am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). Always check your time zone for accuracy/DST if applicable! http://bit.ly/fVGEmH
to meet each other, learn about fleet events, and talk about Star Trek.
head into the chat room at any time to see who else is there. Writing Challenge
deadline is Tuesday, 27 August 2013. Learn more about the theme, contest rules, and submit your story here: http://sb118.net/14h3vkB
Past", is Captain Diego Herrera with his sim �Not Until This World Burns�: http://bit.ly/16UJAeA . The runner-up is Captain Kalianna Nicholoti with her sim �Lessons From The Past�: http://bit.ly/1bdA1Lc Poll of the Week
To join the Publicity Team, head here: http://go.starbase118.net/join-publicity
every day and keep us informed about happenings in the Fleet. If you like what they are doing, show them appreciation by leaving comments on the articles. (newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 1. June For The USS Mercury: http://goo.gl/4xI6Ql 2. Poll Of The Week: Eggcellent: http://goo.gl/VsGOCA 3. June Recruitment Stats: http://goo.gl/BDbUbN 4. June For The USS Avandar: http://goo.gl/CnsQQI 5. Posts Total For June 2013: http://goo.gl/qpuwl5 6. June For The USS Apollo: http://goo.gl/QI0IZj 7. 2013 Blockbuster Preview: Through Open Gates: http://goo.gl/5Ms4pZ 8. Donation Thanks To Tr�Khellian: http://goo.gl/kYGiF1
Posted: Saturday, 27 July 2013 The Mercury�s mission to excavate and explore the ancient library at Beta Scuti proceeded smoothly right up until the away team discovered that they weren�t the only party interested in the information the library had to offer: an independent group of mercenaries had also taken an interest. Meanwhile, back on the Mercury, the crew discovered the independents� ship when both ships suffered catastrophic power losses and the other required the Mercury�s assistance to maintain her orbit. However, the Mercury crew�s efforts to save the other ship were in vain and, with the crew evacuated, the planet�s manufactured interference cut through, and the away team returned, the Mercury returned to Deep Space 10 with a lot of history of the region to sort through. The crew took some leave time upon their return to DSX, though upon that return, Mercury and DSX COs Aron Kells and Melitta Herodion discovered that they would soon be joined by Federation Ambassador Lily Ventu, who had recently left Starbase 118 to begin her campaign for a seat on the Federation Council � though why she chose to stop over at the small and removed DSX is, as yet, unknown. Follow the adventures of the Mercury here: http://goo.gl/rDAgk4
Posted: Friday, 26 July 2013 Now before you jump to any conclusions we are definitely not doing the whole chicken or the egg poll so you can rest easy. As we all know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It helps us get off to the right start, nutritionally speaking of course. And what else makes breakfast as fun and tasty then some eggs. Not to mention that they are quite healthy. So with all this in mind we are going to take a week off of some of the more serious polls out there, like the chicken and the egg, and have a little fun. As the title implies, it will be eggcellent as we dedicate this week�s poll to eggs. Namely we are focusing on how we prefer to cook them for breakfast. So when it comes to eggs for breakfast we typically have a few more choices then we do when using the humble egg in cooking other meals. A fun fact for you, did you know that there are hundreds of ways to cook eggs. Just don�t ask me to name them all but I think I got some of the bigger ones for this poll. Whether hard boiled, poached, scrambled, sunny side up, or even raw there sure is plenty of ways to spice up your breakfast with a single ingredient. The question is, of course, which is your favorite way? Remember to let share your thoughts in a comment or two, on the forums, after you vote because that is what makes these polls fun. Have an eggcellent time everyone.
Posted: Thursday, 25 July 2013 Each month, the Publicity Team posts the number of applications our community received for the current year and how those applicants found our group. That summary will give you an idea of how we are reaching new applicants and how we can improve our efforts to reach new audiences. If you�re interested in helping with our publicity efforts, click the link above to check out the Publicity Team�s wiki area, and then the link to the Publicity Team�s Yahoo! Group where you can sign up to be a part of the team. We also want to keep you apprised of the number of graduates from the StarBase 118 Academy. Unfortunately, not all applicants graduate from the Academy because they either do not respond to roll call or do not complete the Academy requirements. The Training Team makes every effort to involve all applicants and to encourage them to complete the training.
lower numbers. Applications: http://goo.gl/h2NVkP Academy Graduates: http://goo.gl/LKBHxt Annual Application Source: http://goo.gl/8iY6GT
Posted: Wednesday, 24 July 2013 The main concern of the USS Avandar�s crew was the continuing clean-up of the mess left in the wake of recent events. In some cases, this was quite literal, but mostly involved more technical areas that helped some of the newly-arrived crew members get to know a few of their colleagues a bit better � whilst making sure the ship didn�t implode. One area that definitely deserved attention was the Avandar�s tactical systems. With a potential virus-caused issue making itself known during the crew�s face-off with the Xomites, special efforts were made to ensure that everything was back on track with the Avandar�s ability to defend itself, a failure in that regard making most of the rest of the work being done somewhat irrelevant should it be needed� Not everyone was occupied with this kind of work, however, and the first steps were taken toward a more long-term diplomatic relationship with the trading world of Shalin (with all correspondence from them being tested for malicious code with an almost paranoid level of intensity). The Intelligence department were not idle either, and things have been set in motion to track the Alr�n ship that was the root cause of the Avandar�s recent troubles � and to see if some clue could be gained as to how they�d managed to acquire examples of *Gamma* Quadrant technology� Follow the adventures of the Avandar here: http://goo.gl/ZYgJQe
Posted: Tuesday, 23 July 2013 Returning this month after a long hiatus is our monthly statistics charts showing our post totals for each ship. This summary will give you an idea of how active the ship is on a month-to-month basis. This first chart shows the average number of sims across all ships in the fleet by month, so far this year. So, summing the total number of sims and dividing by the number of ships for each month. This month, we saw a small uptick in the average number of sims per vessel across the fleet, which is a promising sign going into summer. Average sims per month: http://goo.gl/KKUsSm Posts total, June 2013: http://goo.gl/soVfsj
Posted: Monday, 22 July 2013 The crew of the USS Apollo, NCC-71669, was on Izar, home the Starfleet Tactical School, enjoying shore leave. They split up and all had different activities they were doing, including cliff diving, beach time, and tours of the Tactical School. In the evening, many of the junior officers retreated to a local pizza shop for dinner. At the same time, Fleet Captain Andrus Jaxx and the senior officers were meeting for dinner in the hotel restaurant. During their meal, members of the Galaran Resistance Front executed a plan to take hostages in the restaurant. Their goal was to shed light on the atrocities happening on their home world. Until now, the Federation has elected not to interfere with the planet, as they are not Federation members. With desperation fueling them, the hostage takers are using this act as a last resort to get outside help for their people. With every officer ranked Lt. Commander and above being held hostage, it is up to the remaining officers of the Apollo to find a way to deal with the situation, without the help of the command staff. Negotiations are being led by Lieutenant Sundassa Faranster and her team, and only time will tell if they can save the lives of the civilians and their senior officers. Follow the adventures of the Apollo here: http://goo.gl/PzFy7T
Posted: Sunday, 21 July 2013 The Iconian Gateways. Artefacts of a civilisation that has long since passed into legend. Each one a door to any number of locations, some impossibly far away, some deep in the heart of enemy territory. They represent the pinnacle in scientific advancement for a long lost people, a wonder of the known universe� and a terrible threat to the security of the Federation. Over the last few months, more and more instances of Iconian Gateways have been reported to Starfleet Command, who have ordered each one of them so far to be destroyed. According to current intelligence, instances of new gates are being reported quicker than they can be closed. Just how far does this network spread? More to the point, who else knows that the gates exist? As the Starbase 118 fleet begins to mobilise, they gear themselves up to battle incredible odds and address the destablising effect that the gates are already having on Federation space. A species exploited through their inability to understand Iconian technology. The rapid spread of a virulent alien plague, compounded each time a new harbinger of pestilence arrives. An operation to recover an unwitting officer from behind enemy lines. An allied world in the grip of an infestation of terrifying parasites. The resolve and skills of officers throughout to the fleet will surely be put to the test: will worlds be saved and gateways closed, or has the ancient Iconian network already connected too many worlds, crushing the galaxy in its ever closing grasp? This summer, many of the ships in the fleet will be a part of our annual blockbuster: �Through Open Gates�. This is your chance to be forever remembered as a part of our universe�s canon and for the name to be forever engraved into the history books. One thing is for certain � with gates springing up all over the galaxy, each leading to any number of hostile or previously undiscovered worlds, you had better be prepared!
Posted: Sunday, 21 July 2013 Many thanks to tr�Khellian, of the Duronis II Embassy, who donated again recently. Donations like this help keep our website ad free and ensure that we�ll fulfill our yearly fundraising goals! Can you donate $10, $25, or $50 today to help sustain our community: http://goo.gl/l3dSSR ----------------------------------- Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor Aug 3, 2013Weekly Newsletter 2390.26
Happy weekend, Fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Top Sims Contest
Fleet Chat
Writing Challenge
Featured Bio Contest
Poll of the Week
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 1. Captains Nicholotti And Herrera Promoted: http://goo.gl/wcgGCq 2. Poll Of The Week: Rehashing The Favs 3: http://goo.gl/iwwbvg 3. Our History, Our Times: The Aftermath Of The Hobus Supernova, Part V: http://goo.gl/FXK3VU 4. New Academy Graduate: http://goo.gl/V7ieku 5. Writer's Workshop: The Tone In Your Writing: http://goo.gl/Td6yU1 6. June For The USS Drake: http://goo.gl/09JhwQ 7. Starfleet Introduces The Quantum Slipstream Drive: http://goo.gl/9KNUfw 8. SDC Spotlight: Tholians: http://goo.gl/6Dpyka
Posted: Friday, 2 August 2013 The Executive Council is happy to report that two Captains are receiving promotions, effective today, to the rank of Fleet Captain: Kali Nicholotti of StarBase 118 Ops, and Diego Herrera of the USS Vigilant. KALI NICHOLOTTI Captain Nicholotti joined us in 2009, and since then has distinguished herself repeatedly through both her hard work and her expressive and detailed writing. She was the first recipient of the Rising Star award, the 2012 Top Sims Contest winner, and holds two wins, and two titles as runner-up in the Writing Challenge Contest. In addition, she has also been a Featured Contest Bio winner. Since joining the USS Resolution upon graduating from the Academy, she has served on the Eagle, and the Victory before becoming the First Officer of, and then the captain of StarBase 118 Ops. There, she has been one of our most active Commanding Officers, simming on average nearly once a day. Out Of Character, she has held the position of Captains Council Magistrate, been an integral part of our Publicity Team, advised on the most recent overhaul of the website, and until recently was the facilitator of our Twitter feed. She launched The (Image) Collective, and has led the team in not only revamping our entire line of Awards images, but also managing our Community News imagery, facilitating the creation of the ship flags and badges, led the social media shareable images project, and has helped the fleet create signature files for almost every ship. And most recently she began facilitating the Newsies Team. She is highly trusted and respected among the membership and staff of the group, and we are eager to see what she does next on the way to the rank of Rear Admiral. DIEGO HERRERA Captain Herrera joined in 2010 and, like Captain Nicholotti, was assigned to the USS Eagle. Since then he has served on the Challenger, at Duronis II Embassy, and as the captain of the USS Ronin, the USS Mercury, and his present ship, the USS Vigilant. He is highly prolific, simming an average of 55 sims a month! As a new Captain, he received the James T. Kirk Cross, which is given to new Commanding Officers who show outstanding potential, which he has clearly lived up to. He also won the Featured Bio Contest, has multiple wins in the Writing Challenge Contest, and was even recognized with The Simming Prize by the Simming Encyclopedia. Known as a gentleman and a peacemaker, he is a tireless Out Of Character participant in the group. Recently, he was the driving force behind our recent Simming Improvement Month, and has taken on facilitating the Publicity Team, while also maintaining a membership on other teams. He is always one to volunteer where help is needed. After having taken a break from simming due to a real life job change, Capt. Herrera returned with renewed vigor, and earned himself the rank of Captain again as he was appointed to the Vigilant. We have no doubt that his determination to succeed and his love for simming will lead him to higher rank in the near future. Please offer your congratulations to both new Fleet Captains on our forums: http://goo.gl/kI1naI REMINDER Our group deviates from canon in that officers are not required to "take a desk job" upon receiving a flag rank.
Posted: Friday, 2 August 2013 Quite normally questions like "what is your favorite anything in this category?" is reserved as ice-breaker topics. Whether that be as a way for a pair of new room mates to bond or to start discussion on a web forum. So it should came as no surprise that these types of topics have been discussed once or twice over the years then forgotten in a community like ours. While there tends to be little point in having the same conversation over and over again I do like to mix things up on occasion so this week we are back with another classic Trek poll. So, long before we had The Next Generation and obviously before any thought of the Abramsverse occurred we had the The Original Series and it's movie franchise. While the TOS movies may have been a way to reboot the TOS series I am not sure what Trek would be without them. So this poll asks quite simply, which of the TOS movies is your favorite? Now as with the last one of these polls, the two Abramsverse movies are excluded from the list but that doesn't in any way limit your options. No matter what you think, this is the time and place to share it as a comment or just a vote, on the forums (http://goo.gl/BtS6n7 ), but I certainly would encourage you all to share your thoughts (as much or as little as you feel comfortable with) because that's what makes these polls timeless and enjoyable to revisit. Have fun everyone.
Posted: Thursday, 1 August 2013 This is the fifth installment of "Our History, Our Times", a news series that examines Federation history and SB118′s place within that history. This historical news series will continue with the most recent history and make its way back to explore major events and notable SB118 fleet actions. This instalment focuses on the current year (2 years after the Hobus Supernova) and what has become known as the `Kaleh Incident'. The Kaleh Incident: While Federation forces struggled desperately to keep the fragile peace between the Federation and Klingon Empire alive, a small but powerful faction of the Romulan government had their own ideas. Calling themselves the Kaleh (Romulan for "dagger"), this splinter faction believes that the only way to secure Romulan survival is to eradicate both the Federation and Klingon homeworlds. "The Discovery was ordered to investigate Gurab II, a planet run by a Romulan splinter faction called the "Kaleh", we were not told much about them other than the fact that they were a threat. Starfleet had told us they had Subspace torpedos and so we were to `disarm' them whatever the cost." Lt. Jorus Cogud The faction also includes a large chunk of the research and development wing of the Romulan military. Starfleet Command learned of the Kaleh and their secret weapon: A subspace quantum torpedo launcher that has the potential to destroy a planet. The USS Discovery is sent to destroy the weapon "at all costs". Since the exact location of the weapon on the planet is unknown and time is short, Starfleet authorizes the unthinkable-an orbital bombardment that will kill over 200,000 innocent civilians. "This is were things got sticky, much of the crew were not ready to wipe out 200,000 innocent civilians to save the Federation. I however agreed with the Captain in his decision to follow Starfleet's orders. Unfortunately the divided crew saw the Captain overthrown by Commander Blueheart." Lt. Jorus Cogud After scarcely defeating intercepting Kaleh forces, the Disovery reached the planet. However, the crew was split on whether or not to follow orders and eradicate the surface of the planet or not. The first officer and the ship's captain were on either sides. Although the chain of command broke down, the ship's science department developed a way to counter the weapon and eventually the weapon was located and destroyed. "The resolution really came when we reached earth for the trial. Although the Captain was the only one who was on trial, we all attended, all of us ready to take the blame for what had happened. The trial itself saw Captain Waltas to attempt to give in his resignation, to try and stop him Commander Blueheart attempted to hand in his resignation also. Fleet Captain Turner, who was presiding over the trial, rejected their resignation and told us that we completed our mission admirably, as we did stop the subspace torpedoes." Lt. Jorus Cogud On the Next "Our History, Our Times": The Aftermath of the Hobus Supernova Part VI The Battle of Gateway Station "Things looked grim until a second group of KDF vessels arrived on scene and engaged the attacking Klingon forces."
Posted: Wednesday, 31 July 2013 Please welcome our newest Academy graduate to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet, S'Kaa: http://goo.gl/LpCbEW
Posted: Wednesday, 31 July 2013 All you have to do is read a few different sims or a writing challenge entries from members of the Starbase 118 Fleet to see that each and every officer and member has their own style. That style can manifest in a variety of ways, but perhaps the most pertinent, and the one we see most often, is something we know as the tone of their writing. From dark, to comical, each writer here sees a scene from a perspective all their own. Using that perspective, they strive to convey things from the point of view of their own character. And over time, we come to know, and love (or hate) that persona. Without the tone that inevitably conveys a steady character, regardless of whether the character themselves is actually steady or not, characters never quite become real. It takes time to develop your tone too, which can be frustrating at times. Thankfully, there are plenty of writers out there who are willing to share their experience and knowledge. Take, for example, this article on Tone: http://goo.gl/KHFfJ2 . Not only does it explain more about what it means when someone talks about this seemingly ambiguous term, but it also offers some help on developing your own. Why is it important? One of the pinnacles of every character is the moment where the being we created on a piece of paper steps from the shadows to become something more than a two dimensional thing. Developing your style, and your very own tone, is perhaps one of the most important steps towards the goal of truly bringing your character to life. So take a moment and read, learn, and grow, using your own voice to nurture your characters until they too step off the page and into memories.
Posted: Tuesday, 30 July 2013 Arriving at sb118 the crew of the USS Drake NCC 1987 dock to a hero's welcome. Once news breaks of their actions in saving millions of Ishkarians from a temporal limbo and preserving the time line the crew are forced to endure cheering crowds and a gaggle of FNS reporters. During the promotions ceremony the spectre of the DTI is raised once more when they are awarded the Defense of the Temporal Flow Service Ribbon. The potential internal politics of the situation is not lost on the crew. In between the promotion ceremony and a celebratory dinner the crew were busy preparing for the DTI investigation. Ensign Washburn dusted off his Legal credentials in preparation to defend Captain Rogers while other members of the crew engaged in activities with varying degrees of legality. Ranging from losing computer records, creating false identities for the duplicate children saved from the alternate timeline and incapacitating then wiping the memory of overzealous reporters. The crew are fortunate that the Drake is receiving high level support from somewhere within StarFleet and a blind eye is being cast over such misdemeanors. However the lead DTI agent suspects that some form of preferential treatment is being applied to the Drake and begins to look for a way to place one of his own assets aboard the Drake. Captain Rogers is left with the uneasy thought that the return of his old helmsman Didrik Stennes as a civilian observer may be more than it appears. Follow the adventures of the Drake here: http://goo.gl/OUhCoh
Posted: Monday, 29 July 2013 Since the return of the USS Voyager from the Delta Quadrant, Starfleet has been studying the unique technologies they brought back with them. One of the most promising for full-scale Starfleet use was the Quantum Slipstream Drive, which had the capability of exceeding a starship's maximum warp factor by an unprecedented degree. After extensive development and refinement, Starfleet is now prepared to begin rolling out the slipstream drives to many ships in the fleet, including those who are assigned to StarBase 118. This will give many ships in the fleet the opportunity to explore further, while helping expand the boundaries of Federation space. While some ships will not be installed with the slipstream technology, due to limitations in their designs, most others will soon be refit at the earliest convenience of Starfleet Engineering and the ship's mission. Starfleet is collaborating with all of its captains to assemble a workable schedule of installation. There are still a number of technological hurdles to overcome as the technology is continually developed. As of now, Starfleet slipstream drives require a warm-up time of 40 minutes, a cool-down time of 36 hours, and most ships will need to return to a starbase approximately every two years for a minor refit and hull inspection. In addition, these drives can only operate for up to 12 hours in each cycle before auto-shutdown is initiated. Current StarBase 118 fleet ships that will have slipstream drive installed include the following: USS Apollo USS Discovery-C USS Excalibur-A USS Thunder-A (Duronis II Embassy) USS Tiger USS Vigilant More information about Starfleet slipstream drives are available on our wiki: http://goo.gl/E128K4
Posted: Sunday, 28 July 2013 The Tholians (http://goo.gl/Cnfnk3 ) have long been one of the most interesting of the original series alien species, one that over the years has been elaborated on and added to in both printed form and in the various TV series that followed the original. In that time they have grown and developed into a species with as rich a background as any of the more familiar alien races such as the Vulcans, Klingons, Romulans, and Cardassians. There is something about them that has always made them both interesting and menacing at the same time. A species that due to their very alien nature will always fail to understand us. One that can always be counted on to make a difficult situation even more difficult. Maybe that is why we love them so much, or maybe it is simply that they embody the most basic belief that aliens are very, very different from us. Regardless, they will continue to be a source of danger and mystery and one of the few constants in an every changing universe. ----------------------------------- Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor Aug 9, 2013Weekly Newsletter 2390.27
Happy weekend, Fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Fleet Chat
Top Sims Contest
Writing Challenge
Featured Bio Contest
Poll of the Week
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 1. Poll Of The Week: By Popular Request: http://goo.gl/LGWSdg 2. Congratulations Commander Marcus Dickens!: http://goo.gl/6qWx6Z 3. August 2013's Featured Bio: Major Leo Handley-Page: http://goo.gl/DxgXAk 4. New Academy Graduates: http://goo.gl/dTSNuq 5. Congratulations Commander Greir Reinard!: http://goo.gl/ryuS2n 6. Post Totals For July 2013: http://goo.gl/tY9uPT 7. August Fleet-wide Chat: http://goo.gl/RVFKuZ 8. Podcast 2390-4 Released!: http://goo.gl/N1wHNz 9. The USS Excalibur-A Launches Under Captain Kalianna Nicholotti: http://goo.gl/lDmqLw
Posted: Friday, 9 August 2013 Carrying on from last week's Trek poll regarding our favorite TOS movies we are back with another Trek inspired poll but as you all know, I don't like to make things simple so this week's poll relates to our IC selves. Yes I know I am being a little vague, maybe more then usual but everything should be clear soon. Now just like the intro to this poll another thing that tends to be vague is when your called to the Captain's ready room or perhaps your department head's office then upon arrival you are asked if you would like a drink of some sort or to sit even. Now by this point you know that something serious is about to follow maybe even that it will be time consuming but what do you do is the question of the week and for a change we have a double question; Do you accept the offer of refreshments or decide against it? And secondly, do you sit down or remain standing? While the combination of choices may not be infinite it does say something about the characters we write. Do you prefer to be more comfortable in such situations with a nice hot cup of coffee or perhaps to stay more defensive and closed off by remaining on your feet? Of course there is no right or wrong solution to this question so let your IC self shine through as you have fun with this poll on the forums: http://goo.gl/VqPkBD. So with things a little more clear, have at it.
Posted: Thursday, 8 August 2013 The UFOP: StarBase 118 Captains Council is delighted to announce the promotion of Lieutenant Commander Marcus Dickens to the rank of Commander. Currently, Commander Dickens serves as the First Officer aboard the USS Avadar, under Captain Della Vetri. Commander Dickens (http://goo.gl/RWucTN ) has been a member of the fleet for years, first serving on the USS Atlantis. Over the years he has served on countless vessels, such as the USS Columbia, StarBase 118 Ops, USS Independence-A, USS Tiger, USS Challenger-A, USS Aurora, and the USS Avandar. He is an active member in the Training and Podcast Teams working to increase our exposure and integrate new members into our community. Be sure to stop by and offer your congratulations to Commander Dickens here: http://goo.gl/yiAtK7 , as we wish him luck as he continues his career with UFOP: StarBase 118, and the USS Avandar.
Posted: Wednesday, 7 August 2013 Major Leo Handley-Page, a half-human/half-Byzallian, is the Strategic Operations Officer and Marine CO aboard the USS Vigilant. His colourful history with Starfleet has left him with the perfect mixture of skills for serving on the frontier. Aboard the Vigilant, Leo is known for his chirpy, gung-ho attitude and use of `Briticisms', although Leo's upbringing in Oxford, England came as a result of his rescue from a much less friendly world. Somewhat of a ladies' man, Leo has been linked with a number of officers on the ship's rumour mill. He can often be found in the ship's bar, the Watchpost, in female company, and his karaoke skills have gone down in Vigilant legend. His love-hate relationship with long standing colleague Eyas Wulfantine is a constant thorn in the side of the Pythron security officer. Leo also enjoys taking part in high-octane holonovels and is a follower of Parrises Squares, common ground that he shares with the Vigilant's commanding officer. Major Leo Handley-Page's bio (http://goo.gl/9GuEGw )will be displayed on the wiki's front page for the month of July. As always, you can find out more about the contest at its wiki page (http://goo.gl/8c9nyz ) or in its forum (http://goo.gl/1qbpJ7 ). Round 15 is now open, so be sure to drop by and submit your own nominations!
Posted: Tuesday, 6 August 2013 Please welcome our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Alora DeVeau, Gell Kimov! http://goo.gl/oBRknx
Posted: Tuesday, 6 August 2013 The Captains Council of UFOP: StarBase 118 is pleased to announce the promotion of Lieutenant Commander Greir Reinard to the rank of commander. Commander Reinard serves on the USS Vigilant as the First Officer to Capt. Diego Herrera. Commander Reinard (http://goo.gl/fQbp5X ) (female writer, male character) has been a member since 2011, and this is her third primary character. Previously, she has played a Counselor, Mission Specialist, and Science Officers. She has recently distinguished herself as the facilitator of the Featured Bio Team, where she's been active in leading the team on a monthly basis and helping reformat the rules to make them easier for members to participate. Be sure to offer Commander Reinard your congratulations: http://goo.gl/enfpba , and we wish her the best of luck as she moves forward with her command career!
Posted: Monday, 5 August 2013 Continuing the look at how the fleet as a whole is doing, here are the monthly figures for total posts for each ship. This summary will give you an idea of how active the ship is on a month-by-month basis. This first chart shows the average number of sims across all ships in the fleet by month, so far this year. So, summing the total number of sims in a month and dividing by the number of ships, we get the figures you'll see below. This month, we saw a definite increase in the average number of sims per vessel across the fleet, which is a promising sign as summer progresses. This second chart shows the number of sims from each ship for the month of July. Overall, most ships are either a little down or about where they usually are in terms of numbers, but an outstanding month for the Apollo definitely rises above the rest with 357 posts for July a definite help in bringing up our monthly average for the fleet as a whole. We asked FltCapt. Jaxx what happened in July that launched the Apollo's numbers into the stratosphere, so far above the rest of the fleet. Here's what he had to say: It was an unusual month for the Apollo. Whenever we start a new mission we see a surge in sims for that month, typically around 200. Our past mission has been the most interesting to date. A hostage situation developed, trapping the entire command staff. It left the junior officers to work on ending the conflict. There was so much going on, and so much creativity that every player simmed full time, with roughly 60% of the ship simming 20+ times. It was such an interesting plot that people could not wait to answer their tags. The crew did a phenomenal job, and I am looking forward to August!
Posted: Sunday, 4 August 2013 Don't forget to stop by the SB118 Forums Chat Room on Sunday, August 11, 2013 at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 5pm GMT (UK) / 4am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). (Always check your time zone for accuracy/DST if applicable!) Our chats normally occur on the second Sunday of every month. All chats are open to any member of the community and their friends. Come by and see, in real time, what other folks in the fleet have been up to! Chats take place in our on-site chat room: http://www.starbase118.net/chat/ if you have problems connecting, use the instructions listed below the chat box. We look forward to seeing you all there.
Posted: Saturday, 3 August 2013 The new episode has been released! For those of you that want would like to listen online, check out our release on the StarBase 118 YouTube channel: http://goo.gl/7xgZ9Z Whilst we recognize that some members would love to listen to the podcast on the go, we have uploaded it to Archive.org: http://goo.gl/ur2J1P . You can download it from the menu on the left hand side! Keep your ears open for our next release due in August/September! Feel free to subscribe to our YouTube channel for automatic updates. To join the Podcast Team, visit the team's Yahoo Group: http://goo.gl/JyKEiB and apply for membership!
Posted: Saturday, 3 August 2013 As time marches on, so too does the realm of technological advancement. New ships are developed, new technologies are implemented, and new doors of exploration are opened. The launch of the Vesta-class USS Excalibur-A is only the latest sign that this is true, following a long and distinguished line of Starbase 118 vessels that span both time and space. Becoming the newest playable ship in the Fleet, the Excalibur joins an amazing lineup. Developed as a test-bed ship, capable of testing and trying new technology, experiments, and serving as a mobile research platform, the Excalibur's first mission will put her strengths to use right away. While not outfitted with quite as many `teeth' as her sister ships, she is still more than capable to handle anything she might run into between the Trinity sector, Thracian space, and the frontier beyond the Romulan and Klingon Empires. Christened the `Excalibur' after the legendary sword once wielded by King Arthur on Earth, the ship sets out into the unknown with a goal of helping to usher in a new age of prosperity, and technological development throughout her area of operation. Outfitted with the brand new Quantum Slipstream drive as well, the ship is capable of providing support to strategic locations throughout Federation space in less time than ever before. With a world of trouble at their doorstep, the crew of Starbase 118 Ops will be reassigned as the crew of the newly commissioned USS Excalibur-A. Officially, the ship launches this weekend, as the crew steps into a mission that will prove to be anything but clear cut. Thousands of Thracians are dying, and soon it will be up to the new crew of this ship to save them, and potentially a large part of the remaining Romulan race. Want to learn more about the USS Excalibur-A? Visit the wiki page: http://goo.gl/E8BLjR , or stop by the forums to say hello today! ----------------------------------- Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor Aug 10, 2013August Fleet Chat Tomorrow!
Don't forget to stop by our community chat room tomorrow - Sunday, August 11 - at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 5pm GMT (UK) / 4am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). (Always check your time zone for accuracy/DST if applicable!) Our chats normally occur on the second Sunday of every month. All chats are open to any member of the community and their friends. Come by and see, in real time, what other folks in the fleet have been doing! Chats take place in our on-site chat room: http://www.starbase118.net/chat/ if you have problems connecting, use the instructions listed below the chat box. I look forward to seeing you all there.
Fleet Captain Toni Turner Fleet Chat Coordinator Deputy Commandant UFOP SB118 Academy Executive Council Member Aug 17, 2013Weekly Newsletter 2390.28
Happy weekend, Fleetmates! Cmdr. Blueheart is on vacation this week, so I'm filling in. :) FLEET EVENTS Top Sims Contest
Writing Challenge
Poll of the Week
Featured Bio Contest
Fleet Chat
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom)
POSTED: AUGUST 16, 2013 And I hope you are all ready for another epic poll because this one is a little more of a doozie but I will let you all be the judge of that. As we all know, Star Fleet isn't a small organization. And that just doesn't show in the number of people involved but also in the number of sub-organizational components or branches that make up Star Fleet. Star Fleet Corps of Engineers, Star Fleet Medical, Star Fleet Intelligence, the Academy and the list definitely goes on. In fact it is a safe bet that Star Fleet has more branches and divisions then it has letters in it's own name. When it's mission is to explore space and go beyond what is known you wouldn't expect the organization in question to be small. It is curious however that perhaps the most infamous component of Star Fleet goes without mention. And its history and purpose is hidden in the shadow of shadows. If you haven't put the clues together, I am talking about the elusive Section 31. All the lore says about Section 31, and that really is all that exists to the vast majority of the Federation, is that this self governed "section" of Star Fleet Intelligence operates to deal with threats that go unseen by the rest of the Federation or that other branches of Star Fleet are unwilling to touch. Known operatives have been known and sometimes even prided themselves for showing an "ends justify the means" attitude. It is easy to see why some call such an organization disgusting and detestable considering Star Fleet's peaceful purpose in the Federation. But the question becomes what do you think? Do you honestly agree that there is a need for a section like this or do you think that it has no place whatsoever in the galaxy? As always, please feel free to comment after you vote on the forums because that is what makes these polls fun. Over to you! http://sb118.net/15RghXk
POSTED: AUGUST 15, 2013 Ladies, Gentlemen and members of the myriad other genders that belong to the non-Terran species that populate the galaxy, welcome to this month's publicity team update! We're here to keep you in the loop on what's been happening over the course of the last month, as well as let you know how you can help over the course of the next few weeks! First of all, the publicity team would like to thank everyone who sent in an article after our cheeky plug during the fleet chat in July. Anyone who's able to help us in our efforts by sending in a 300 word article on a Star Trek, SIMming or writing related topic, please mail Fleet Captain Herrera directly with your article and he'll make sure it gets used! Quite often, we're able to establish links with other sites and blogs and it's great to have a stock of these articles so that we can strengthen our reputation with other roleplaying and writing communities around the net! Talking of which this month's mission possible for the fleet at large is to get in contact with Fleet Captain Herrera with a link to a Star Trek or online roleplaying blog! Having a bank of articles is a great thing. Having somewhere to send them is even better! The more friends we can make in the internet community, the more likely it is that they will refer people to us if they're look for a Star Trek PBEM game that translates directly into brand new crew members for the fleet! We've recently been lucky enough to add a couple more members to the publicity team but there's still plenty of room for you to join if you can spare just 15 minutes per week! Becoming a member of the team is simple: all you need to do is click this link and click join! http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/ufop-team-publicity/ We're always looking for new members who are interested in spreading the word about the group and, in return, service on the team will help you to fulfil your OOC promotion requirements! Thankyou all in advance for taking the time to help us out it's much appreciated. Until next time!
POSTED: AUGUST 14, 2013 As the crew of the USS Drake, NCC-1984, attempt to get some rest and relaxation after the stress of their temporal adventure, a freak accident aboard Starbase 118 leaves the Drake's Chief of Operations, Lieutenant Commander Solok, near death. His katra safely transferred into the mind of Captain William Rogers, Solok is rushed into surgery. Meanwhile, pirate attacks around the area known as the Vale of Saoirse have been increasing in both frequency and severity. Even more concerning is that Federation Security also known as FedSec has received intelligence that the pirates are planning a major, terrorist-like strike against a civilian target within Federation space. Lacking the resources to mount an operation on their own, FedSec enlists the crew of the Drake to go undercover with the crews of two known criminal vessels the Leviathan and the Calico Jack to find the pirates and prevent the impending attack. And they only have 72 hours
POSTED: AUGUST 14, 2013 Please welcome our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Tya Dirsye, Croton Skylar, and Vash Solinari! http://forums.starbase118.net/index.php?/topic/8926-graduating-class-of-23900813/
POSTED: AUGUST 13, 2013 "The blue-green grasses of the Irimari plains sighed in murmurs of a youth of too quick a passing. Laughter from a distant farmstead carried on the breeze in recognisable peals. Chen and Dar had been walking in silence for some time, the reason for their stroll along the plains driven between them like a wedge. " This particularly descriptive bit of tension comes to you courtesy of the winner of the May & June Writing Challenge, Ed, aka Fleet Captain Diego Herrera, in his story "Not Until This World Burns." With only about two weeks left until the August 27th deadline of the current Challenge, the Writing Challenge team encourages you to take a look back through the winning entries, perhaps by perusing the full list of winners, or by reading a bit from May & June's runner-up, "Lessons from the Past," from Marissa (Fleet Captain Kalianna Nicholotti): "This was life! Of all that existed and all that his mind and body would experience, it was the moments between the moments that mattered. Now, after half a life lived, after having spent most of it making beautiful music, he realized that the most beautiful song paled deeply in comparison to her face. It was the first hints of love, and something that he would pass on through the ages by way of the symbiont that rested deep down inside. " We look forward to seeing what you have to offer, so hurry on over to the Writing Challenge forum!
POSTED: AUGUST 12, 2013 As the situation evolved, the crew of Ops was able to discern the reasons behind the Astrolabe's "visit". The Captain of the Astrolabe had wished to harm both the Cardassians, and the Romulans who had "profitted" from the liberation of Benzar. The Romulans he'd pay back by providing outdated, and therefore ineffective medicine. Stealing their hope away at the most cruel of moments. This story was shared, not only with the Ops crew, but also with the reporters still on station. At the same time, Captain Nicholotti began working with Headquarters to provide medical assistance to the Romulans, something she was surprised to note her First Officer initially opposed. Captain Walker felt an almost immediate sense of karma as he was notified soon after of his romulan step-mother and step-sister's presence on one of the affected worlds. Realizing the closer connection to the crew, as well as the potential for the epidemic to jump species with a half-human romulan hybrid involved, the crew amped up their efforts to determine what could be done, and make themselves invaluable to any rescue efforts. Captain Nicholotti went so far as to have a private summit with the Romulan Commodore who'd parked her fleet outside the base. Their discussion determined that the plague was affecting multiple worlds. Realizing that the Federation ships would have to go deep into Romulan space, Ael'Riov Arrenhe i-Mnaeha t'Llweii volunteered to guard those ships with her fleet, even to the point of firing on other Romulan ships if necessary. Realizing the crew's Leave was more likely to be ended than simply delayed as initially believed, the crew was ordered to take the night off, before things escalated further.
POSTED: AUGUST 10, 2013 It seems like the year is just flying by, leaving us to hold on and hope we can keep everything in order. Sometimes it's exciting, but sometimes it can be just plain hectic. Hopefully you're having fun on the ride of life, both for yourself, and your characters. With the Summer Blockbuster upon us, there's plenty of fun things going on around the forums. This month, we'll share some of the special Blockbuster related events happening now. Get a good idea of the mission premise, regardless of which angle your own ship is taking for the Blockbuster. Read Fleet Captain Mar's intro sim and see what the foundation is that has been designed especially for this year's events: http://forums.starbase118.net/index.php?/topic/8825-introduction-and-information/ Chat with your friends both on your ship, and across the fleet as our crews traverse the unknown together. This OOC thread was created just for fun and to share whatever tidbits you'd like to share throughout the summer and into the fall: http://forums.starbase118.net/index.php?/topic/8824-behind-the-scenes-ooc/ There will probably be a lot going on aboard your ship during the Blockbuster mission, and some of it may affect the mission of another ship. Help bring all of the participating ships together by posting your official departmental reports and sharing updates with the Fleet. You never know who might incorporate these events into their own timelines! http://forums.starbase118.net/index.php?/topic/8822-official-reports/ Want to share information that isn't exactly fitting into your departmental reports? Create a personal log, or an official log entry and share it with the fleet via the Logbook: http://forums.starbase118.net/index.php?/topic/8823-the-logbook/ And don't forget, there are always other events going on around the forums too! Stop by the Top Sims contest, or enter one of the writing challenges. Join in our fun and games in the Games forum and have fun with your fleetmates. Finally, don't forget that your ship has their own forum as well! So don't be a stranger; join us today and enjoy all that this community has to offer! Aug 24, 2013Weekly Newsletter 2390.29
Happy weekend, Fleetmates! It's good to be back! :) FLEET EVENTS Top Sims Contest
Writing Challenge
Featured Bio Contest
Fleet Chat
Poll Of The Week
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 1. Poll Of The Week: The Real World, On Screen: http://goo.gl/LSpbOs 2. USS Avandar Plot Summary For July: http://goo.gl/sKHDDL 3. The Podcast Team Needs You: http://goo.gl/jc8I9o 4. Featured Bio Contest: http://goo.gl/l4Gt6i 5. Promotions For July: http://goo.gl/LZ8sT8 6. USS Apollo Plot Summary For July: http://goo.gl/wN0xPr 7. New Academy Graduate: http://goo.gl/9TmvuF 8. SDC Spotlight: Zaldan: http://goo.gl/NXhOjQ 9. USS Tiger Plot Summary For July: http://goo.gl/BRSaIQ
Posted: Friday, 23 August 2013 While television has been around in one form or another for the better part of a century, it has only been in the last two decades that we have been enlightened by "reality television". Reality TV by definition differs to regular television programming because it presents unscripted situations or actual events against the backdrop of everyday life or similar simulated environments. The fact is, if you have ever watched an episode of Big Brother or Survivor you have watched reality TV. And the different varieties of shows that are called reality TV don't end there. Hidden camera shows, talent-search shows, some game shows and even court shows can all be called reality TV. I suppose that after two decades, finding a fresh looking reality TV show is a big ask even considering that most shows fitting into the genre typically use previously unknown actors. But that isn't what this poll is all about, instead the question of the week is whether or not you watch reality TV? Do you have troubles getting enough of it or do you have troubles finding anything good to say about it? I would highly encourage you to share your thoughts on this very unscripted topic on the forums because that is what makes these polls fun: http://goo.gl/QqCNjG So over to you!!
Posted: Thursday, 22 August 2013 In the wake of the incident with the Alr'n raiders, and the Xomite "peacekeepers" that joined in on the action, the crew of the USS Avandar NCC-80203 headed off in search of whatever new discoveries await them in the L'heia sector. With a number of new officers joining the crew, an informal holodeck get-together was organised to that everyone could take the chance to get acquainted with their new shipmates, as well as take a little time to relax. The main talking-point of this event turned out to be totally unexpected, at least on the part of most present. A well-laid ambush by the ship's Helm and History & Archaeology officers left Captain Della Vetri faced with the need to give an answer in front of the assembled crew to her bond-mate's proposal of a traditional marriage. The happy glow was to be tarnished somewhat, however, the day after the gathering. Revelations of a science project being hidden from most of the senior staff forced something of a showdown between the First Officer and those involved. Given the nature of the item being studied, he did finally accept the need for secrecy but with the proviso that any further work be done with both his knowledge and full participation. What will come of this study of a seemingly-innocuous Iconian artefact remains a mystery, but there is little doubt that it could prove either nothing much at all or very significant indeed. Follow the adventures of the Avandar here: http://goo.gl/IT2JRy
Posted: Wednesday, 21 August 2013 Are you looking for a great place to stretch your OOC legs? The Podcast Team (http://goo.gl/vPXEkH ) is always accepting new members. You are free to develop your own segment and even volunteer to host. There are plenty of segment ideas available. If you would love to lend your voice to the StarBase 118 Podcast Team, we would love to have you! Visit the Podcast Yahoo Group (http://goo.gl/kAsgRj ) to apply for membership today, just include your character name. Or contact your CO, they will point you in the right direction. We `hear' from you soon!
Posted: Wednesday, 21 August 2013 Please remember to nominate a character bio for round 15 of the Featured Bio Contest (http://goo.gl/vBmWek ) before it closes on Sunday, 1 September 2013. The rules have been simplified so it's even easier than ever before to nominate a bio to the competition. Just check these three simple points: Nominated articles must be of a player character played by a CURRENT and ACTIVE member. Nominated articles must be either a PRIMARY or SECONDARY player character. PNPCs are ineligible. All information in the article must be CURRENT as of the submission date. We're looking for the highest quality bios in the fleet to not only help provide an example for our members on how to structure their bio, but also to show off how much our members put into the creation of realistic and emotional characters. Head to the Featured Bio Contest forum (http://goo.gl/e09WZB ) to nominate a bio today.
Posted: Tuesday, 20 August 2013 The staff of UFOP: StarBase 118 would like to take a moment and recognize the officers promoted in the month of July. Please be sure to congratulate these folks when you see them in the corridors of your vessel! Apollo Sundassa Faranster to Lieutenant Commander Avandar S'lone tr'Khellian to Lieutenant Duronis II Embassy Sk'ahh Rossh to Lieutenant Commander Paul Sharpe to Lieutenant Commander Ashley Yael to Lieutenant Commander Azriel Derrida to Lieutenant JG
Posted: Monday, 19 August 2013 While the crew of the USS Apollo, NCC-71669 was on shore leave on Izar, home of the Starfleet Tactical School, a small team from the Galaran Resistance Front took hostages in the hotel restaurant. The command staff was enjoying dinner in the restaurant when they were taken hostage. Negotiations on the outside were led by Sundassa Faranster, as they looked to defuse the situation. After one of the hostage takers detonated a bomb that killed 3 civilians and injured countless more, a rift began to form between the hostage takers. Using this to their advantage, as well as some other tactically minded ideas, the crew was able to neutralize the Galarans and take them into custody. With the Apollo arriving in orbit from a quick resupply, the crew has begun beaming up to the ship. The next stop for the Apollo is Utopia Planetia for an overhaul to accommodate the new fighter wing and installation of the Quantum Slipstream Drive. Follow the adventures of the Apollo here: http://goo.gl/xqKdVG
Posted: Sunday, 18 August 2013 Please welcome our newest Academy graduate to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet, Talia Kaji! http://goo.gl/Teb2vE
Posted: Sunday, 18 August 2013 The Zaldan are a playable species with a fairly high level of natural aggression. As such, it is surprising to many that they have never had any recorded instances of warfare among themselves. They control these aggressions by frequent strenuous physical activity. In fact over 90% of their population takes part in one sport or another and many of them are active in more than one sport. Another unusual aspect of their culture is their dislike of courtesy and preference for blunt, straight forward communication. The reason for this is that they view courtesy as a form of phony social behavior, designed to camouflage true feelings. This can and has resulted in misunderstandings between them and other species. For the most part they can be a friendly people, although they do have a very competitive nature. As a result they tend to show interest in any new physically demanding sport that they learn about. Always wanting to learn and try them out, they have adopted a number of alien sports that they found to be really enjoyable. They are now a member of the Federation and very active in Starfleet, the Marines, and to a lesser extent, the Federation as a whole. They can prove to be a demanding species to sim for but the challenges and possibilities also make them one of the more unusual.
Posted: Saturday, 17 August 2013 While en route to New France, the crew of the USS Tiger-A encountered an alien entity unlike anything known to them. Resembling a thick nebulous cloud, it covered the Tiger like a membrane injuring several crew member including Captain Riley in the process. Despite the queer circumstances, First Officer Darius Clack was ordered by the Captain to continue on its course toward New France without delay. It became apparent, after the ship began changing course at will, that the emotions and feelings of the crew inspired by the alien were affecting the events on the ship. First contact with the unknown alien entity became the goal of the senior officers as the Tiger came into orbit around an O class planet estimated at 8 million years old. Before a full understanding of the alien could be established, the Tiger was hurled toward the planet where it struck one of its largest oceans and immediately sank to the bottom. Currently the crew are assessing the situation and damage as the USS Tiger-A has now been transformed into a submarine resembling the ones used in the atomic age on Earth long ago. Follow the adventures of the Tiger here: http://goo.gl/L7Drom ----------------------------------- Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor Aug 31, 2013Weekly Newsletter 2390.30
Happy weekend, Fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Featured Bio Contest
Top Sims Contest
Fleet Chat
Writing Challenge
Poll Of The Week
(newest at the top, oldest at the bottom) 1. USS Discovery Plot Summary For July: http://goo.gl/ZBjyAS 2. Poll Of The Week: What To Wear?: http://goo.gl/0BNDEi 3. Duronis II Embassy Plot Summary For July: http://goo.gl/7ACpsk 4. July Recruitment Stats: http://goo.gl/LZsibp 5. USS Mercury Plot Summary For July: http://goo.gl/Ybqhxg 6. Top Sims Contest Third Round Run-off: http://goo.gl/NYs29O 7. Top Sims Contest Update: http://goo.gl/efaIGN 8. USS Vigilant Plot Summary For July: http://goo.gl/yz9h0Z
Posted: Saturday, 31 August 2013 After overpowering the fanatic monks of the Brotherhood of Mikaere hell-bent on hijacking the Discovery to enter an unstable wormhole, the intrepid crew wrest control of the ship and maroon the group of religious zealots on the desert planet Aurix II. However, in their effort to deny anyone else access to the wormhole, they had no choice but to enter it and close it from within, thus saving the Avalon sector from total annihilation. The ship is subsequently sucked into the vortex, sustaining heavy damage in the process. Once through the wormhole, the crew of the Discovery finds itself in an uncharted, unknown region of space where they discover an M-class planet with a yet-undiscovered starship in orbit. Crippled and lost, the crew head towards the planet for repairs and replenishment of supplies. Little do they realize that their harrowing journey through the wormhole was but only the precursor of deadlier things to come..
Posted: Friday, 30 August 2013 Over the course of the many years we have watched Star Trek, we have witnessed many different uniform variations, starting from the original pilot episode starring Jeffrey Hunter, to those worn in the latest incarnation of uniforms worn in the Abramsverse Trek movies. So this week’s poll is quite obvious. Which version are you most drawn to? Are you a fan of the old versions worn on TOS and more recent movie incarnations? The Next Geneation variants from the 80′s and early 90′s? Any of the movie versions pre JJ Abrams, or are you more into the variants portrayed in the video game STO? Seeing as we are all closet fashionistas, where do you think the future of StarFleet uniforms are heading? Will they resemble that potrayed in Voyager’s End Game and The Next Generation’s All Good Things, or will they look completely different? Please feel free to share your ideas and perhaps, concepts on the forums and let the voting commence: http://goo.gl/fQE9p9
Posted: Thursday, 29 August 2013 Peace has finally come to the crew of the USS Thunder NCC-70605-A. The Laudean unrest has begun to calm down, but not completely eradicated. What has captured the crews attention is the mysterious appearance of Captain Diego Hererra of the USS Vigilant NCC-75515 without his ship! Another strange occurrence is the surprising death of Duke Naran and with no leads, both Laudeans and Star Fleet are concerned that the murderers might have gotten away. With an explosion and assault outside the gates of the Federation embassy itself, the situation looked like the lull might not last long. With the mysterious aside, the crew has finally begun to enjoy their hard earned shore leave and help in the preparation for Major Hannibal Parker’s wedding.
Posted: Wednesday, 28 August 2013 Each month, the Publicity Team ( http://goo.gl/13p3ww ) posts the number of applications our community received for the current year and how those applicants found our group. That summary will give you an idea of how we are reaching new applicants and how we can improve our efforts to reach new audiences. If you’re interested in helping with our publicity efforts, click the link above to check out the Publicity Team’s wiki area, and then the link to the Publicity Team’s Yahoo! Group where you can sign up to be a part of the team. We also want to keep you apprised of the number of graduates from the StarBase 118 Academy. Unfortunately, not all applicants graduate from the Academy because they either do not respond to roll call or do not complete the Academy requirements. The Training Team makes every effort to involve all applicants and to encourage them to complete the training.
Applications: http://goo.gl/Pn0c94 Academy Graduates: http://goo.gl/SKD46H Annual Application Source: http://goo.gl/ASdif8
Posted: Tuesday, 27 August 2013 After extensive questioning by Mercury CO Aron Kells and DSX CO Melitta Herodion, Ambassador Lily Ventu admitted that she had been asked to venture out into the Menthar Corridor with the modified troopship to “assist” with the incipient eruption of a supervolcano on 48 Leonis II. The planet was home to an agrarian pre-warp civilization, and while it seemed clear to the crew of the Mercury to what use the troopship was to be put, Captain Kells made the decision that an evacuation of a portion of the population would not take place, as it would be a violation of the prime directive. However, two away teams were sent down to the planet. The first, led by (PNPC) Commander Harrison Ross, and including Herodion, Dr. Saveron, and Lieutenant Tato Zeme, was to examine the blind observation post of the Starfleet team that Ventu revealed had been assigned to the world, though Ross’s team found no sign of the team upon first inspection and added their potential disappearance to the list of mysteries. The second team, led by Captain Kells and including Lieutenant Commander Roshanara Rahman, Lieutenant Mei’konda, Lieutenant (JG) Trel’lis, and Ensign Kotir Arith, landed a shuttle within the volcano itself and beamed out to the planet’s surface to determine if any mitigation might make the eruption less severe.
Posted: Monday, 26 August 2013 The Top Sims Contest third round run-off is now open for voting. The winning sims from rounds 13 – 18, as selected by our panel of judges, are posted and ready to be voted on by our community. Your votes will determine which sim will go on to the final run-off round to determine the best sim of the year. So head over to the Top Sims Contest page and make you voice heard: http://goo.gl/paMhLD And while you’re there, be sure to congratulate the each round’s winner: Round 13: Diego Herrera, “Super Brother”: http://goo.gl/xxAtMo Round 14: David Whale & Oliver Weston, “Namesake”: http://goo.gl/McQm8A Round 15: Tyr Waltas, “Lost Time”: http://goo.gl/ebWuti Round 16: Javan Tark (Liam Frost), “Curtains Up”: http://goo.gl/Akp4az Round 17: Greir Reinard & PNPC Chen, “Come Hell And High Water”: http://goo.gl/zVsvRV Round 18: Rahman & Chaun, “Falling Away”: http://goo.gl/aqd9Pb Finally, don’t forget to nominate some of the great sims that our community is constantly producing. Round 19 is open for submission.
** Top Sims Contest Update ** Posted: Sunday, 25 August 2013 The Top Sims Contest is now accepting nominations for Round 18. Nominating a great sim is easy, and only takes a minute: 1. Visit the Top Sims Contest page: http://goo.gl/z01WhV 2. Check the calendar to see which round we’re on: http://goo.gl/Jr8GLK 3. Start a new topic and paste the sim into the text field. It’s just that easy to share a great sim with the entire fleet. The winning sim will go on to the third run-off round, which begins August 12th. So get out there, and give the writers in our community the recognition they deserve.
Posted: Saturday, 24 August 2013 The crew of the USS Vigilant, NCC-75515 continued their first contact mission on the Asavii homeworld. During a tour to a farm bubble, part of Asavii Biodome 5, Major Leo Handley-Page’s team witnessed a battle between a monstrous Ele-lacor, a type of sea serpent, and several Asavii subaquatic craft. Disaster struck when one of the craft veered out of control and impacted with the bubble wall, causing it to begin to ship sea water. Despite the team’s escape and rescue of the Asavii pilot, the crew found themselves facing danger as more Ele-lacor arrived, summoned by a mysterious carrier signal, and the dome’s internal support systems began to fail. Assisting in the evacuation, the crew did everything they could to support the launch of the generational ship, designed to bear the citizens of the biodome to a new home. Through a co-ordinated effort, they were able to stabilise the structure for long enough to allow the evacuation to take place, provide support to injured Asavii as they arrived on their new ship and evacuate the people’s leaders and some of their religious and cultural documents and artifacts. In the process, acting captain, Lieutenant Commander Greir Reinard, became trapped in a flooding maintenance conduit, having to resort to desperate measures to free a team-mate from the threat of a watery grave. Against the odds, the absolution was launched and all hands from the Vigilant made it back to the ship, although some of them were not quite in one piece… ----------------------------------- Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor |
