Reporter Issue 38
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Editorial Communique
by Rear Admiral Ciara Randor
Well, for the second issue, I'd like to comment on the idiosyncrocies of what has aptly been called 'psuedo-time'. One of those weird occurances of the SIM world that really can create awkward situations and shake the fabric of a plot. While it can be unnoticable, or just plain ignored sometimes, there are others where the time passage is actually a necessary thing. And that is where the plot can get weird.
For example, in the current plot on my own ship, my own character has passed several days, and two noted nights while the majority of the crew are still on the same day that the ship started out. While it doesn't really matter for this particular plot, except for the fact that the nights were necessary to define some plot elements, it can be rather silly.
While our ships are fast, they aren't fast enough to get us to most places in the galaxy in less than a day, then leave us the time to actually complete the mission, or adventure that awaits. And yet, you know, somewhere along the line, these people have to sleep, and the mission more often than not needs to take more than a 24 hour time span.
On the other end of the scale, you sometimes get months slipping by when it really has been no more than a couple of days SIM time...and yet suddenly your character has passed months into the future while you weren't looking.
So, the question is, where does all this missing time go? Is there a way to even it out to a more realistic pace?
It would be interesting to see.
Fleet Report
by Rear Admiral Shaun Marlin
The main focus this month for the majority of the UFOP Fleet was the huge joint sim which involved the Hammond, Indria (basically just RAdm. Marlin), Kodiak, Magellan, Nemesis and Phoenix. I believe that a plot summary for the 'Mega-Sim' (as it became known) is being/has been created, so I will not repeat that here. I was personally very impressed that such a huge joint sim ran so smoothly and would like to congratulate all of the staff involved for making the sim such a success. The result of that sim is that several officers have been arrested and now await Court Martial trials. If you would like to observe the Court Martial trials then contact your captain for more information on how to do so.
Applications to the group this month have reached a record high and our training department has been bulging at the seams trying to get through the huge influx of new cadets. This is wonderful news of course, for without such applications any RPG group will grow stagnant.
I am also very pleased to announce the return to active service of Commodore Brian Kelly and the USS Ranger-A. The Ranger has just launched with a new crew and is carrying out its maiden voyage since the Ranger underwent a huge refit.
And that is basically all of the major fleet news for this month. I am glad to be able to only report good news this time around.
Safe journies to you all
Promotions
| Old Rank | Name | New Rank | Ship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lt.j.g. | John Graves | Lieutenant | Kodiak |
| Ensign | N'val | Lieutenant j.g. | Kodiak |
| Lt.j.g. | Tobias Rehn | Lieutenant | Hammond |
| Lt | Pyne | Lt Commander | Magellan |
| Lt.j.g. | Shannon | Lieutenant | Magellan |
| Ensign | Brooksby | Lieutenant j.g. | Magellan |
| Lt | Taryx | Lt Commander | Ronin |
| Lt.j.g. | Kitiara Pern (RIP) | Lieutenent | Ronin |
| Lt.j.g. | Sotek | Lieutenant j.g. | Ronin |
| Ensign | Becka Fire-Claw | Lieutenant | Nemesis |
| Ensign | Jade Aurora Xavier | Lieutenant | Nemesis |
| Ensign | Ricardo Longhorn | Lieutenant | Nemesis |
| Ensign | MacKenzie Barton | Lieutenant j.g. | Nemesis |
| Ensign | Viccel Belen | Lieutenant j.g. | Nemesis |
Training Report
from Captain Yshirad
Howdy all again!!
Well, as most of you know, training is busy as can be at work. I'd like to say thanks to Marlin, Servik, Laang, and Valarious for their help.
People are being added into the fleet at such a rate that I hope all of you Captains out there can find a place for them.
I'd also like everyone to say hi to my new XO, Commander Servik. He's been a great help to me and to training. He comes to me from the Star Base 118 crew.
In the month of August I'll be updating the UFOP Training Manual and will then proceed to send each Captain a copy of this. This is to help you understand what goes on in Training, and what is expected from cadets when they go on your ship. It's also my secret way of training you each so that if I need some help, I know I can ask you.
Please also Captains remeber to keep you crew lists on the UFOP personnel page updated for my benefit.
That's all for Training!!
Summaries
USS Hammond
Captain Allen O'Malley
Hammond Site
During the situation on Alpha Base 45, the away teams from both the Nemesis and the Hammond discovered a male survivor, barely alive but the only one who managed to live through the destruction. He was then taken immediately by Lt. Commander Valeris to the Hammond for medical treatment.
Upon her arrival, the Hammond's chief engineering officer advised Lt. Commander Wellesley that they withdraw from Alpha Base 45 and return to the Daris II colony to harbor the survivor in one of the underground shelters on the abandoned colony. The executive officer, who was in command of the ship at that moment, readily agreed on her plan. The Hammond then bound for Daris II without its chief tactical officer, Lt. Commander Adorakon and without its captain.
There were mixed feelings about Lt. Commander Wellesley's unexpected decision among the rest of the Hammond crew, yet surprisingly, the senior officers gave her their full support. However, their sentiments were not shared by everyone aboard as a mutiny was attempted among the lower ranks. Lt. Larinson handled the rising up right away and quelled it.
Though before the Hammond arrived on Daris II, the survivor's condition worsened and Lt. Mason Riegel passed away before he could reveal anything of significance. However, according to his personnel files, it would have been impossible for him to be on Alpha Base 45 during its destruction. With this disappointing information, the Hammond reversed course and returned to the base upon Captain O'Malley's request.
Along with other ships in the fleet, he Hammond is now en route to SB 118, its crew without any trace of having contracted the "AB45 virus."
USS Isannah
Commander Alucard
The USS Prophecy, a prototype with a so called Enigma drive that should replace the Warp drive in the future, vanished on her test flight. The Enigma reactors make the Prophecy one of the most powerful vessels of Starfleet. The USS Isannah is supposed to search for the Prophecy and get it back if possible. If the Prophecy can not be regained for Starfleet the Isannah is authorized to destroy the ship before it could fall into the hands of an enemy even if this means the loss of the Prophecy's crew. At the moment the Isannah has reached the original starting point for the Prophecy's test flight. The Isannah will do a test flight with Enigma drives by herself.
USS Kodiak
Commander Hollis
Kodiak Site
The Kodiak was recently en route on a supply mission to Atoleen IV. One moment the ship was moving along, and the next it was caught in some type of anti space paradigm. Through the efforts of the crew, they discovered that a Callimarri, a plasma being, was using the ship to get back to it's own world.
The crew quickly discerned what they needed to do to get back to regular space. They used advice they received from the different telepaths on board via the aliens, and eventually came face to face with a dark entity. After defeating the dark entity, the ship then made it's trip into Federation space where the crew discovered a plot by high ranking officials in the Federation.
The Kodiak joined with other ships to help arrest a captain that had gone against his orders. But on the way there, the first officer, Lt. Commander Mattew Lee, betrayed the ship for his own interests. Now the crew of the Kodiak is trying to debug the ship from any attempts on Lt.Cmd. Lee's part to sabotage it further, and help arrest a captain gone bad.
USS Magellan
Captain Kael Laang
Currently no mission to report.
USS Nemesis
Captain Torack Demma
And the Fire Burns….
Upon arriving at Daris II we found no signs of life. However we did pick up an ion trial and set course to see where it led. On our way Captain Demma was contacted by Admiral Wolf and ordered to cease and desist an investigation into the ion trail. Captain Demma refused to back down, quoting that Star Fleet's standing orders state that any distress call must be investigated. Since doing so we found that no one was there, we have to investigate the reason no one was there and follow up on any possible clues. Admiral Wolf was not pleased with this answer, restated his order for us to cease and return to our previous course to Starbase 251. We did not.
Captain Demma then contacted Captain O’Malley of the USS Hammond to inform him not only of the situation, but also to ask him to stand as his legal representation if the need should arise. The Hammond decided to follow the Nemesis to determine the situation. The ion trail led us to Alpha Base 45 where we found a once populated science base destroyed. Both the Nemesis and the Hammond sent away teams to the surface. The Shiloniy warrior, Trarii Culaerha accompanied the Nemesis away team at the request of Conicen S. Brynn. There they found little left of the 1000 plus population. One thing they did determine for certain was that the base had been destroyed by a Federation weapon.
Later one survivor was found and taken aboard the Hammond. In the meantime Admiral Wolf sent The Phoenix under the command of Captain Lysander, to apprehend Captain Demma. As backup he also sends the Kodiak , the Magellan and the 58th Recon SFMC vessel Wake Island.
Captain O’Malley, Lt. Adorakon and Kiah Amiran transport to the Nemesis to meet with Captain Demma and discuss the situation. While aboard, the Hammond strands them disappearing with the lone survivor who died en route to Daris II, where they had planned to secret him with a medical team until they knew if he was in danger or not. He was unable to provide any insight to the Alpha Base 45 matter.
Captain Lysander arrives and a stand-off begins as he demands Captain Demma’s surrender and Captain O’Malley refuses stating that Demma will only give himself up to Admiral Marlin or Admiral Randor. As the other ships arrive the stand-off grows intensity. Captain O’Malley calls in an old ‘friend’ for support, Jeb’gar Kriil and his ship the HFA Agamemnon.
Without warning the three first officers of the Phoenix, Kodiak and Magellan all desert theirs posts and show upon the Nemesis in a show of support somewhat for Demma, but mostly for the injustice of the Alpha Base 45 tragedy.
Lysander, knowing he cannot forcible take Demma from the Nemesis as long as the Shiloniy are aboard, asks them to stand down and allow him to proceed, offering more compensation that Demma had promised for their aid with the Breen. The Shiloniy refuse, but do accept an invitation to the dinner meeting Lysander has asked all Commanding Officer’s to attend. Although only Conicen S. Brynn attends, leaving Trarii Culaerha on the Nemesis. At the dinner he reveals his version of the truth about the Alpha Base 45 incident. Telling everyone present that the Alpha-Base 45 colony was an experiment in death. Approximately 1000 scientists, engineers, doctors, and other gifted civilians were brought together to create the ultimate weapon, which would turn the tide in the Dominion war. The plan was for the weapon to be small enough to be carried by a shuttle craft, powerful enough, to destroy a good portion of a planet's population, and easily built. The project was run by Admiral Wolf, and two other Admirals, names unknown. During a command training Lysander was involved in, which Wolf headed, Lysander was charged with commanding a crew of fellow captains to the Alpha-Base 45 planet to deliver a number of medical supplies.
Once they arrived at the colony, they found things in chaos. A small chemical leak had occurred and dozens of doctors and engineers had been infected. The base was now short handed with medical officers, and numerous quarantines had been erected. The project had taken a turn towards biological weapons. The scientists had engineered a weapon that had a twenty-four hour, highly contagious, incubation period. Thus, spreading itself very quickly among people without them even knowing it.
After infection, there was little hope for survival. The colony had caught this outbreak just hours after it had started, and already about 7% of the base population was infected. When they left the planet, things were beginning to come to order again. A number of the infected people had died, and the quarantines had worked perfectly, thanks to superb planning.
Months later, on the Daris Colony mission Lysander received a message from Admiral Wolf requesting that he go immediately to the Base 45 location to end the project. Once there Lysander found the base was not even functional anymore. By the time of the Phoenix's arrival, 98% of the base inhabitants had been infected, and the remaining people were quarantined, with more discovering they were ill each day.
About 600 were already dead. The virus had changed significantly since the outbreak during the command training, and this new illness had a longer incubation period, but moved quicker after that than previously. Mass insanity is the best way to describe the scene on the planet. The dead were lying in the streets, and the ill were hobbling around them. The domesticated animals at the colony had either become ill with some variant of the virus, or simply gone mad from lack of nourishment, and had begun attacking the infected.
Plumbing, and electricity was non-existent, from lack of competent officers to help keep systems in order. Sewage was overflowing the streets and living quarters. The Dominion war just ended, and Star Fleet had high hopes that it wouldn't need such a weapon anymore, anyway. And with diplomatic relations being established with some of our more unstable neighbors, news of the Alpha Base, if it leaked out, could have been very detrimental. So Lysander ordered the base destroyed immediately.
This news was greeted with mixed emotions and reactions. Sgt. Major Rachel Daninburg, in command of the marines, disagrees with what has and is taking place, states it, forcibly, at the dinner and then returns to her ship.
Admiral Marlin, aboard the Indria, on his way to deliver some medial supplies, was re-directed to address the stand-off situation, keep it from escalating and accept the surrender of Captain’s Demma and O’Malley.
Captain Demma contacts his friend, Lt. Cmdr. David Jerrin, and informs him of the situation and then asks him, with the help of the Shiloniy, to kidnap Admiral Wolf and bring him to Alpha Base 45. The Shiloniy ask for compensation in the form of I-14. Demma refuses and the plans fall through, However, unbeknownst to anyone, Jerrin has decided to take on the task alone, and not only manages to kidnap Wolf, but also plants a bomb in a restaurant populated by Breen to create a distraction.
Captain Laang, of the USS Magellan, upon hearing that fellow Breen were killed in the explosion, leaves the scene of the Nemesis stand-off to return to Starbase 118.
Captain Demma and the three first officers are arrested on board the Nemesis in preparation for the arrival of Admiral Marlin. While the XO’s are taken to the brig, Demma is placed in his quarter’s until his transfer to the Indria. Commander Lee, of the Kodiak, being a telepath, is noticed by Counselor Xavier when she senses some distress from him.
Counselor Xavier contacts the Shiloniy, asking Conicen S. Brynn what, if anything, he had found out about Alpha Base 45 from Captain Lysander. He relayed what Lysander had told them. The Shiloniy depart, not wanting to get into any diplomatic entanglements but stating they would be available if needed. She copies the communication from Conicen Brynn and immediately told both Falcon and Adorakon. She also suggested they make sure both away teams were checked out for signs of infection. Fortunately everyone was fine with no sign of illness.
Admiral Wolf, with some help from a mysterious lady named Gentarra, escapes Jerrin and is returned, relatively unharmed and very angry to Starbase 118. Gentarra releases Jerrin only because he had some vital information for her. He is still on the loose and now considered a criminal of the Federation.
She then visits Cmdr. Lee in the brig to find he has some files that may help the situation, but will not give them up unless he is releases. She refuses and asks Commander Falcon to intervene. He does and meets with the same resistance. However, he manages to get enough information to figure out the shuttle Longhorn’s security people are guarding in the Nemesis shuttle bay is ‘not’ the one Lee arrived on. Falcon figures out a way to get the files and hands them over to Counselor Xavier.
The Indria arrived, and all prisoners were transported to their brig. Captain Demma asked Counselor Xavier to look after his son until this was sorted out. She agreed. Captain O’Malley went to the Indria as well, taking Kiah Amiran with him and leaving Adorakon aboard the Nemesis.
Xavier finds the files Lee had show that Alpha Base 45 may not have had to have been destroyed, as the scientists had been working on an antidote to the viral weapon they had created. Also a report had been filed which stated that a Romulan vessel in the vicinity of Alpha Base 45 just days prior to the incident that caused the base to fall. Was there any connection?
Falcon and Adorakon enter her office and requested she join them on the Indria to speak with Admiral Marlin about the files as all ships head back to Starbase 118 for the court martial trials.
And so the story goes.
USS Ranger
Commodore Brian Kelly
After an extensive refit at the Flamberge Shipyards, Terra, the USS Ranger-A is once more ready to return to active duty. The new Ranger crew have been making their way to the vessel and overseeing the final preperations for launch.
The Ranger's first mission will involve investigating a huge, anomalous object which is moving into Federation territory from uncharted regions. Though the speed of the object is low enough to indicate an asteroid or 'space-junk' the uncharted nature of the object's origin has concerned Starfleet enough to send the Ranger to investigate.
USS Ronin
Captain Adler
The USS Ronin, after temporarily disabling the Section 31 ship USS Dulles, had sent a team to the planet Kandor IV to try to discover the reason for the reality rips in space. An unsuccessful attempt by a Ronin crew member to infiltrate the Dulles had led to his near death and had caused the captain on the Dulles, Captain Ryan, to unleash his hidden weapon, a weapon similar to the used by Soran the El-Aurian to destroy entire worlds. As the blast wave took out the system and edged closer to the planet, we were able to beam our team up as they were in the midst of a pitched battle with some of the followers of a dimensional demon, one who was trying to gain access to our reality. The Dulles fled the system and the Ronin prepared to, leaving the many ships in the graveyard to be destroyed.
As the crew arrived back on the Ronin and were met by the temporary commander of the ship, Lt Cmdr James, the demon gained access to our reality and abducted James back into it's hellish world. Commander Maka beamed a team to the Klingon warship, the IKC Gorkon, and prepared to follow James into the demon's reality in an attempt to recover him, unknown to them that he was already under the spell of Ogdru Jahad and was preparing a means to destroy our galaxy....
Ronin has been unable to keep in contact with The Dagger, but knowing Captain Wong-Aquiss, she and her away team are doing fine!
StarBase 118
Captain Malcolm Lysander
Starbase 118 Site
During a mission to Daris Colony 2, the StarBase 118's crew was aboard the USS Phoenix - C. Only minutes after an away team had left the ship for Daris 2's surface in a shuttle craft, the USS Phoenix - C warped away. Captain Lysander, having received direct, priority 1 orders from Admiral Tristan Wolf, was commanding the ship to Alpha-Base 45, a remote, highly classified planet-based colony.
On arrival, the USS Phoenix - C fired all weapons and destroyed the colony, then left orbit immediately to return to Daris 2.
While the Phoenix - C was gone, the away team sent a general distress call to any ships who were in the vicinity. The USS Nemesis, hearing the distress call, immediately changed course to investigate. Upon arrival at Daris 2, they found the situation resolved. However, two Federation warp signatures remained in the area, one leading towards StarBase 118, and one leading in another direction altogether. The Nemesis, continuing it's investigation, followed the warp signature NOT heading in the direction of StarBase 118, and soon found themselves at the Alpha-Base 45 site. Admiral Wolf, learning of the Nemesis' course change and subsequent investigation, ordered the Nemesis to return to it's scheduled mission at StarBase 251. Captain Demma refused, quoting general orders. Admiral Wolf immediately sent the USS Phoenix - C, Captain Malcolm Lysander at the helm, to intercept the Nemesis and arrest Captain Demma for failure to follow orders.
The Phoenix's arrival at the Alpha-Base site found the USS Nemesis already on location, with the USS Hammond, commanded by Captain Allen O'Malley. Due to StarFleet regulations regarding foreign dignitaries, Captain Lysander could not board the Nemesis, as Shiloniy diplomats were on the ship. Over the next two days, the USS Kodiak and USS Magellan arrived on orders from Admiral Wolf to back the Phoenix. The USS Wake Island, a marine detachment, also arrived as back up for the Phoenix. The standoff continued as first officers LtCmdr Matthew Lee, Cmdr Servik, and LtCmdr Kai'lun Khanar defected to the USS Nemesis. The USS Hammond, it's crew protecting a survivor that had been found on the surface of the planet below, warped away from the scene, leaving their captain behind.
By the end of the third day, the captains of the Kodiak, Magellan, Wake Island, and Phoenix, as well a one of the Shiloniy dignitaries, met aboard the Phoenix for a dinner. At that time, Captain Lysander told the entire story of the Alpha-Base 45, including the reasons for it's destruction. As Lysander told, the base's mission was to create the perfect weapon, to be used as a last ditch effort if the Dominion conflict should ever escalate to catastrophic proportions. Biological contaminants that had been part of the prototype weapon leaked into the base, and by the time the Phoenix arrived on location, 98% of the crewmembers who had manned the base were infected with the painful and deadly disease.
With the truth out, the Shiloniy warriors withdrew from the Nemesis, leaving Captain Demma now open for arrest. He, however, had set the term that he would not surrender to anyone other than Rear Admirals Sierra Randor or Shaun Marlin. Rear Admiral Marlin, was dispatched on the USS Indria - A, by Admiral Wolf, to Alpha-Base 45. On arrival, he placed the numerous officers who had disobeyed orders under arrest, and soon headed back to StarBase 118, for court-martial of the officers.
USS Starwind
Rear Admiral Ciara Randor
StarWind Site
The crew of the StarWind returned to StarBase 251 to pick up some new recruits. Before arriving however, the crew was treated to "a night out under the stars" by the Chief Engineering Officer. The party was held in the holodeck and was quite the spectacle to all in attendance. During the party, the StarWind crew held their awards ceremony and several promotions were awarded.
In addition to the new recruits, the StarWind also recieved her new orders, to deliver a cargo of medical and food supplies to the Oranis Colony near Outpost 21. These new orders seemed to discourage most of the crew, feeling more like a courier than a starship.
Once underway, they recieved their a new mission that was classified for some unknown reason. Even Admiral Randor was left in the dark on this one. The USS Shadow escourted the StarWind from StarBase 251 to a rift in space. The rift had been recently discovered by the crew of the Shadow and was known to be some sort of portal into another region of space. The Shadow hadn't explored the rift but they witnessed 4 alien ships attempting to open the rift so that they could return to their space. The StarWinds new objective was to enter the rift, make contact with the "Driam Alliance," and to do some exploring.
The StarWind entered the rift and made an initial contact with the Sorn, members of the Driam Alliance. The Sorn granted the StarWind passage into their space as explorers and showed an intrest in cultural exchange. The StarWind was given the coordinates of their home system and the crew set off into new territory. While on route, the StarWind encountered an alien shuttle with three long dead alien crew members. The shuttle was brought aboard and investigated. During the investigation, the Chief Engineer was exposed to one of the alien bodies and has now slowly metamorphisized into one of the aliens.
Unknown to the crew of the StarWind, Slane has repaired the shuttle and made plans to escape the clutches of his former crew. Meanwhile, the StarWind enters orbit around a planet to begin a mapping survey, and is caught in a tractor beam from an orbital platform. While the crew is attempting to break free of the tractor beam, the Chief Engineer makes his escape. He fires the shuttles weapons, destroying most of the landing bay. Slane then pilots the shuttle through the gaping hole thinking that he is finally free, but he soon realizes that he is also caught in the tractor beam and is forced to set the shuttle down on the planets surface. The StarWind, crippled from the massive damage in her landing bays, can not break free from the tractor beam and is also forced to make an emergency landing on the planet's surface.
Thanks to some excellent piloting skills and quick thinking of the crew, the StarWind manages to evade immeadiate destruction and "soft land" by gliding into a huge river. Injuries are high, but the fatalities are low as the StarWind slowly acesses the damage and makes repairs.
Throughout it all, Admiral Randor is plagued by a spy/assassin from her past. Only a few of the crew members know of it and are currently attempting to catch the villian before he can complete his mission.
USS Wallace
Captain V. McGregor
Well I am happy to say Wallace has been safetly launched and is at present doing a walk about. We will be seeing exactly how she handles. As we are presently trying to get all the kinks out of Wallace our current plot is slowly forming.By the next reporter I will be able to actually send a report.
Interview
"Face of change"
::As Captain Alder Wong-Aquiss approached the newly appointed USS Wallace, she spotted a proud looking Captain Valarious T'Eft McGregor stood along side. The females greeted each other as close friends always do before McGregor showed Wong-Aquiss around her pride and joy, the tour starting in engineering and ending in the ready room::
Wong-Aquiss: Val, a pleasure to interview you.
McGregor: Thank you Alder. Please, take a seat.
::The females took a seat, Wong-Aquiss getting out and adjusting a recording device, McGregor looked on rather worried, she hated talking, let alone being recorded as well::
Wong-Aquiss: What made you change ships from Indria to Wallace?
McGregor:: The Indria was and always will be Admiral Marlins baby, ma crew and I needed our own ship.
Wong-Aquiss: What made you choose a Steamrunner?
McGregor:: I wanted a ship that would be small but fast. I have never liked the big hauling tubs that require so fasta crew. I much prefer a smaller craft. The Steamrunner fit that bill.
Wong-Aquiss: What do you miss, if anything, about the Indria?
McGregor:: The Indria provided ma crew and me a safe haven after the disaster wi the Caledonia, Admiral marlin and her crew made us welcome, so I would have ta say we miss the crew of the Indria more than the ship. Mind you Indria did have a bigger ten forward than Wallace has.
::Both females laughed, remembering their last visit to ten-forward together::
Wong-Aquiss: Indeed!!
McGregor:: Mind you Alder, I was able to save the holoprogram from Indria and it has been reinstated on ma wee Wallace.
Wong-Aquiss: What happened to the Indria?
McGregor:: sighs:: we had to initiate self destruct in order to prevent her being taken by the borg, but as usually happens with anything my crew does, the fail safe wasn't. She was severely damaged but not destroyed.
Wong-Aquiss: Did the picture survive the destruction?
McGregor: ::a grin spreading across her face:: The wee Tribble picture? Aye, it did ::Pointing at the picture:: and now it's in it's rightful place over ma desk in my office. There for all to see and admire.
Wong-Aquiss: ::Smiles:: Leader bless all Tribbles.
McGregor:; Aye lassie may we never be without them.
Wong-Aquiss: ::Change of expression:: Did the change effect your crew at all??
McGregor:: looks at the floor:: Aye, we all have been through rough times, and we have lost some close friends, but the crew will recover and we'll carry on
Wong-Aquiss: Would you say that taking your crew from a larger ship into a smaller one has made for a better community atmosphere?
McGregor:: I hope it will da just that. The crew needs a chance to be able to -what's the old word-Bond? A smaller ship will gi us a chance to get to know each other better, form a crew that knows how to work together and ta be one. More of an extended family.
::Wong-Aquiss nods, understanding her words to be true::
Wong-Aquiss: And Speaking about change, how has becoming a Captain changed you and your approach to duties??
McGregor:: ta be honest, it's wreaked havoc wi my drinking, I have ta try and set an example- ::leans forward:: do ya realize I havena had a bender for nearly three weeks? See how it affects me? Now I have ta stay sober, and worry not only about ma crew but a ship. But I have no problem daing that. I take my Captaincy seriously, I mean-how much did the Wallace cost ta launch? On ma pay I couldnae pay to replace her could I? :: she grinned::
Wong-Aquiss: And one final question, what piece of advice would you give to a new ensign joining Wallace??
McGregor:: just to remember two things. One-you are a member of a team-and act accordingly. Two- remember that Wallace is a federation ship, and as a member of her crew you owe both her Captain and her crew your loyalty, and that the same will be accorded to you.
Wong-Aquiss: ::Joking:: But surely you are missing a third point??
McGregor: ::Grins:: Aye lassie!!
Wong-Aquiss: The brand of your favourite Whiskey!!!!
McGregor: Ayyeeee!!! N`ver forgeet that! Always have a wee dram of Glenfiddich for ya Captain!!
Wong-Aquiss: ::Laughs:: Thank you Captain McGregor.
McGregor:: The pleasure is mine, Captain.
::Wong-Aquiss stood up, McGregor did likewise and they shook hands::
McGregor:: Alder will ya no join me for a drink?
Wong-Aquiss: Sure!!! ::Stops recording:: I believe I owe you a few from last time....
McGregor:; Aye ya da and we Scot's always collect our dues
::Together, the woman left the room, laughing and catching up with current events before hitting "Jacks"::
Engineer's View
A Brief outline of the InterPhase Drive
By Slane Mortalis, Chief Engineering Officer, USS StarWind
Simply put, the interphase drive is a means of altering the phase variance of a vessel, or object, such that it no longer completely exists within this universe. Such a state, while having some drawbacks, also has considerable tactical benefits, which will be explored later in this report. However, perhaps a little history might be order.
On Stardate 237705.14, the StarWind was on assignment, charting and exploring the Tiokai sector, when she was apparently struck by a probe. The situation being what it was at the time, the shields had been up, and operating normally, and yet the probe, though alien in design, wasn't unlike our own Class-V Reconnaissance, and certainly didn't have the power to punch through the shields of a starship of StarWind's caliber. Additionally, it was ascertained, that, though several interior decks and bulkheads suffered damage from the impact, the actual outer hull was completely unmarked, leaving no discernible point of entry.
Study of the probe, revealed the presence of an efficient, though advanced, interphase generator, which could alter the phase of the probe, and allow it to observe us in complete anonymity, unseen, and undetectable. Only its passage through the shield barrier, which apparently overloaded the phase system, allowed it to return to normal space, moments after it had already passed through our outer hull.
The discovery of the capabilities of the probe were staggering, and more than a little frightening. If another phased probe, or worse yet, a phased torpedo, drifted in through our hull, positioned itself beside, or within our main reactor core, or antimatter containment pod, and returned to normal space, the results could have been catastrophic. This of course, hastened us to develop any sort of countermeasure. Unfortunately, the nature of the problem omitted the possibility of conventional weapons or measures, which led us in the logical direction of fighting fire, with fire. Or in this case, phase with phase.
Since building an entire Interphase Drive from scratch, capable of phasing a vessel the size of the StarWind, would take more time, effort, and resources than we could afford, it was decided to adapt an existing system to perform the function instead. A hard look was taken at the shield grid, and the navigational deflector, but neither were suitable for the task at hand. The warp engines, however, were almost ideal, as they were already designed to generate a subspace field that enveloped the entire vessel, and so only moderate modification was necessary. The situation being what it was, however, the work that might otherwise have taken several weeks, with testing throughout, was compressed into fourteen hours, with only minimal computer simulation.
Now, to be perfectly honest, while the simulations and the theory surrounding the warp engine conversion to an interphase drive look very promising, the InterPhase Drive has not actually been tested on a starship. However, the principle was successfully adapted to a number of probes and torpedoes aboard the StarWind, as possible countermeasures to any number of phased vessels. The probes were successfully launched, phased, and detonated, within the hull of an enemy vessel, proving the tactical worth of the concept.
The design and concept were remanded to Starfleet R&D apon completion of our mission, and remain under constant study and heavy security. As a humble engineer myself, I can only speculate on whether the design, if refined and proven safe, will be included within future starship projects, or just as a mission-specific type of component.
May 2000 Awards
Due to some small oversight a few people were missed in last month's award listings. So, at their request, here are the missing people:
STARBASE 118
- Cmdr. Servik - Barclay Bead
- Lt. Valleri Jones - Preantares Ribbon
- Ensign Toullis - TOSMA II
SIMming Tips
HOW TO DEVELOP YOUR CHARACTER
written and submitted by Lt. Commander Justyn Morgan, USS StarWind
Something that is very common to be heard while SIMming is people commenting that they have many good ideas for their character(s). But it is also just as common to see those people leave SIMming a short while later due to the fact that they are frustrated with their character, or the fact that they are unable to do anything. But there are steps to take to keep you and your character interested in SIMming.
1. If you have an idea for your character, implement it. It is your character and no one else is going to write it for you. Even if they did know what you had in mind. Which more often than not...they don't.
2. Talk with other players. Develop friendships, romances, or enemies among your fellow crew. These will help add dimension to your character, and give you elements to work with during your SIMs.
3. Do not be afraid to injure your character. They are not super-heroes, and can be injured. You can even kill them for the sake of the plot. They can always be written back later.
4. Focus on your character's weaknesses. Do they have a temper? Are they afraid of something? Do they dislike taking orders, or are they afraid to make their own decisions? Do they get space sick, are they afraid of the transporters? Are they over-confidant, or not confidant enough? These weaknesses, both physical and mental help bring your character alive and allow people to identify with them more. Aliens or no, they are not perfect. At the same time, they do have to have the skills to have made it through the Academy, so don't go overboard in that direction either.
5. If you are finding that you cannot connect with your character, and are always coming up dry when you try to write for them, you may create another character that you can identify with more and request a character switch. It can sometimes be arranged for you to switch your old character for the new one without losing your rank or position.
Captain's Logs
by Commodore Brian Kelly
From The Author: This is the first in a series of installments taken from the logs of Commodore Brian Kelly. The Commodore has always been a fan of military history and military tactics and has agreed to convey sections of his personal logs and journals as they relate to these topics. Most are portions of other works, and where appropriate, Kelly comments and credits the source. We're told at the Reporter that the areas covered will include critical periods in Federation history, technology, weapons, tactics, starship design, etc. Kelly apologizes for the scholarly flavor of certain entries, but then no one ever said he was exciting.
INSTALLMENT ONE
Shortly after receiving my captain's pips, but before RANGER's keel was completed, I found I had some time on my hands. One of those days was spent addressing middle school students on 40 Eridanni 6 on their career day. One of the students asked me a question which having answered then I now realize is also largely a mystery to most Federation members not in the service. The question concerned how StarFleet organized her ships and how she maneuvered them around Federation territory given the distances involved.
The adult version of this series of questions tends to focus on the seemingly impossible fact that many service members and high ranking officers seem to know one another rather well, and seem to get around quite regularly. This seems unlikely because at warp 9, it would take ten years to cross Federation space at it's widest point from one end to the other.
Although as fleet officers reading this journal we all know the answers to these questions, I thought it advisable to provide a means for answering friends and family which includes all the accurate information.
FEDERATION SPACE
The Milky Way's ellipse makes it necessary to travel significant distances between stars; although we have no direct evidence of positioning for planetary formations in cluster or nebulae galaxies, we suspect that travel times may be much shorter in tight stellar clusters. As things stand here, however, there's a great deal of empty space.
Which is something it appears most civilians don't know. They seem to think the Federation is a large pie slice or some similar shape, and that everything within it is "ours' or at least "friendly" or "known." This is not the case.
In fact, Federation space is irregularly shaped, and of the several thousand sectors within it, only about half have been mapped, and only about a third explored even cursorily. The fact that the "unknown" areas remain partially or completely enclosed within patrolled space does not change the fact that they are not patrolled themselves.
It is also advisable to point out that Sector 001 is not one of the two aforementioned "furthest points" along the Federation "long axis" and that the trip at warp 9 from Sol sector to the furthest point in explored federation space is only about 6,000 light years.
What many civilians do not realize, however, is that those "furthest" points are usually not controlled by member states, when they are inhabited at all. They are only part of the border of claimed Federation space. When an area is not yet explored and mapped, or no member or treaty race occupies it, or it is not part of an established trade route, it is not patrolled.
So it is perhaps now a bit easier to understand how our ships move about so quickly; they're really not going "all over" the federation. If one ship were to be assigned the task of going from the "furthest occupied and patrolled point" to the corresponding point in the fastest course, it would likely represent a trip of only about 3700 light years or so, which is about 4 years at high warp; still too long, especially when one considers the return trip. Which is why Starfleet is not one fleet, but many.
On Earth, in the latter half of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, naval units were usually assigned certain bodies of water in which to base and patrol. There are historical references to the "Pacific Fleet" and the "Indian Ocean" Battle Group. The same pattern, not surprisingly, was repeated on other worlds in similar fashion. While the distances concerned then were expressed in miles rather than light years, the reason was as credible then as it is now.
When a group of ships bases in an area and stays there barring the most extraordinary situations, they get to know the territory. But even more important is that their deployments become manageably short, with corresponding time for crew lives to be led, repairs and refits, crew rotation, etc. Which is why service people are, when possible, selected for fleet postings with a mind for their home colonies or member worlds.
Starfleet is organized this way now. Sector 001 forms the hub of a large wheel with both longitudinal rings and radial spokes, breaking the whole circle into a grid. The grids, of course, are sectors, and Starfleet has organized herself to patrol them in a way which adheres to the approach described above, proven by time to be the most effective.
There are actually 15 "Fleets" within Starfleet, each with a numerical designation, and each further broken into "task forces" which change in size and composition over time and with military or political needs dominating such change. The fleet territories overlap. Not all fleets are the same size, nor are they uniformly composed. What they all have in common, however, is the fact that excepting extraordinary circumstances, they don't need to spend more than 3 months at the most getting anywhere within their assigned space.
When one considers how much smaller claimed Federation space was 130 years ago and how most of that space was unexplored, it becomes clear how ENTERPRISE was able to perform deep space exploration and at the same time get back to Earth on occasion; they did most of their time spiralling out from Earth, not heading directly away from it in a straight line. Thus, when the time came to return at speed, they could do so quickly, in a straight course.
Although the Federation is much larger today, the same holds generally true. If a vessel is required in one of the fleets furthest from Earth, it is made there in a local shipyard on a member world or colony, not in sector 001. When personnel are required, they are schooled at one of the academy satellite campuses, of which there are 10, scattered throughout Federation Space. Though this is not generally known, since the "San Francisco" campus is the largest and oldest, the sense of it is of course obvious; it hardly makes sense for students to travel several years to go to school for the same period.
The fleet from which the ENTERPRISE comes, as well as those ships attached to SB118 and SB251, the fleets which for the most part fought the Dominion War and which fought the Borg, come from the 9th, 39th and 61st Fleets, stationed throughout an elliptical area of Federation Space only about 1500 light years across; the largest of the "slices" and thus bearing the largest fleets.
Although the war dragged on long enough for other fleets to make their way to the battle area by war's end, as desperate as the Federation needs were, there were fleets which couldn't have arrived in time even if they left when the first shot was fired.
It's my hope that this aids the civilian in understanding how the Federation patrols, defends and explores the vast areas entrusted to it.
Reader's Corner
Feeling ready to participate? Well, here's where you can do it. Contests here will be free for all personnel, (although some things may be blocked from certain ranks) and winners will be printed in the next month's edition of the Reporter. Please be sure to fill in your answers as completely as possible. ((Offline Readers will have to email your answers directly to the Editor))
LAST MONTH'S WINNERS:
From: Lt.jg Johnathan Graves of the USS Kodiak
Favorite Serioes: DS-9 (dominion entry)
Favorite Character Lt. Commander Worf
Favorite Situation: Worf and Jadzia on the Cardassian moon. Jadzia is injured and Warf is running through the jungle hearing the sound of his heart beating louder as he returns for her and allows the Cardassian defector to be captured and executed.
Joint Plot You Would Like To See: Gathering to investigate a crime in which a Starfleet officer is accused. Trying to defend him/her and prove their innocence. I would like to also see the squelching of a coup destined to overthrow Starfleet from the role of protectors of the Federation.
What You Wish To See Your Captain Do: I would like to see captain Hollis get involved in the next shipwide holodeck simulation I have planned. (Professional Wrestling)
Holiday You Would Like To See: "Klingon Blood Rights"- Gathering of Klingons to celebrate the marriage of Kahles. In recreation, they would participate in the killing of the numerous warriors who sought to kill him and his wife during the ceremony.
One Liner: After the Kodiak became lost in Hollow Space. Graves on the bridge. "Alright, who let the ensign drive?"
Weirdest Plot: A rather large spider was loosed on the ship and bred quite rapidly. This coincided with all kinds of equipment problems which desparately needed repair. The spiders ended up getting all of the blame.
Captain's Reaction if You Took the Ship for A Joyride? Commander Hollis is an intelligent man, but on the Kodiak, we are very accurate in our holoprograms. He would never need to know. Lest you would need a new crew for the Kodiak and a new commander until the counts of mass murder were to drop from his record.
---
Extras:
Holiday: The Great Snow Dance of the Ferengi (from Captain O'Malley)
THIS MONTH'S CONTEST:
NAME
SHIP
WHICH REPORTER FORMAT ARE YOU FINDING MOST USEFUL?
Star Trek General:
Who Was It That Said...?
"We're StarFleet Officers; Weird Is Part Of The Job."
"Time Is ACompanion That Goes With Us On A Journey, reminds us To Cherish Every Moment Because They Will Never Come Again. What We Leave Behind Is Not As Important As How We Have Lived.
"The Truth Is Usually Just An Excuse For A Lack Of Imagination."
"Cardassian Rule May Have Been Oppressive, But At Least It Was Simple."
"A Dream That Became Reality And Spread Tthroughout The Stars"
UFOP Ships:
How Well Do You Know You're Ship?
In Ship Time, About How Many Days Does Your Average Plot Take?
What Sort Of Missions Is Your Ship Best Suited To?
Without Checking Bios, Who Would You Say Is The Tallest Person On Your Ship?
Monthly Short Story
Due to lack of of submissions, and the editor's lack of time to do it herself, this feature has been cut.
Classifieds
Wanted - Artist with a sense of humour for regular Reporter job. Please Contact Editor for details.
Wanted - Reporter Submissions of all types. Please contact Editor with ideas.
Have an ad for this section? In Character or OOC, let us see it.
OOC
Chats
Are you aware that UFOP has its own IRC chatroom? It's on irc.starchat.net:6667, in #Starbase_118. This chatroom is open 24/7, so if you ever feel like dropping by feel free to do so. We can't guarantee that there'll be any people there, but if you're willing to sit and watch and wait, it could be a good way of meeting some people from other ships. There are also two organized OOC chats, which are moderated and more likely to have people in attendance.
Holodeck 7: Saturday -- 7pm PST, 8pm MST, 9pm Central, 10pm EST No moderator at present. (Volunteers?)
(For veterans of the Saturday chat, please note that we have LEFT talkcity and moved to starchat for both chats, after talkcity had a change in policy.)
The Euro-Chat -- Sunday -- 11am PST, 12pm MST, 1pm Central, 2pm EST, 3pm Atlantic, 7pm British Time, 8pm Central European Time Moderator: Captain Adler NOTE: As from the 16th of July, Eurochat starts one hour later due to Summer work commitments of Adler, moderator of the chat.
Knowledge of IRC is not required for attending these chats, if you would like to attend but don't know how to, feel free to contact any of the moderators or any other member of UFOP Command, who will be more than happy to help. More information about IRC and connecting to it is contained in our IRC Info section.
We recommend using either pIRCh or mIRC as your Windows IRC client, or IRCle as your Macintosh compatible client.
Message Boards
UFOP has two message boards, and an OOC mailing list.
OOC Message board
http://www.InsideTheWeb.com/mbs.cgi/mb328008
The UFOP OOC message board is a means for members of the UFOP fleet to have OOC discussion with any other member of the fleet. This board is for OOC messages or discussion. Feel free to leave messages to other members of the fleet, introduce new ideas that interest you, or just talk about UFOP in general! This is also the first place where requests for help are posted, so keep an eye out on it.
IC Message board
http://www.InsideTheWeb.com/mbs.cgi/mb945656
This message board exists for the use of UFOP officers and crew. It is an In Character message board. Feel free to leave news of your UFOP ship or installation. This is a good way to get a glance on what is going on on other ships -- and to let other ships know what is going on on yours. Feel free to post IC, or drop in a mission summary sometime.
OOC Mailing List
ufop-ooc@egroups.com http://www.egroups.com/group/ufop-ooc
This mailing list serves the same purpose as the message board, but in an easier-to-access, in-your-mailbox manner. Feel free to post on both, and ask whatever questions interest you. It hasn't been that busy lately, but I'm sure you can think of something to say... to join, send a blank e-mail to ufop-ooc-subscribe@egroups.com
Got a comment or a complaint?
UFOP still has -- and will likely have for a long while -- a feedback form, to hear what you have to say. Ideas, comments, complaints -- if you have something you'd like to say, but don't know where to say it; this is the place for it.
http://www.starbase118.netfeedback.shtml
This goes straight to the UEC, at the top of the group, and can be completely anonymous if you prefer.
While we welcome constructive criticism -- even desire it -- we can guarantee that a carefully worded complaint will receive a much better response than an irate rant. Be civil with us, and we shall be civil with you.
Interested in helping?
UFOP is a fairly busy group, with plenty going on behind the surface. If you've been around for a while, and feel like helping out, drop us a note and let us know.
Some sample areas: Assisting training, Reporter submissions, Personnel liaison (Keeping the Webteam up-to-date on your ships roster). Graphic designers, HTML coders...
If you're willing to do work OOC, please, let us know... if we don't have anything for you at the moment, we'll let you know and keep your name in mind, if we need someone later.
Keeping The Fleet Together
In the interests of making UFOP less a group of individual ships, and more a community, we are starting a new project. Those of you on different ships might have noticed that happenings on other ships don't usually affect the group as a whole... in that vein, we would like to devote a section of the IC message board for updates to the political happenings; what races each ship is interacting with, and how and what they're doing.
Example: (Purely hypothetical) One ship posts: We're dealing with Klingons right now; the relationship between them and the Federation seems to be a little strained right now, but not yet hostile.
Next ship takes a look at that, and they know that the Klingons are in bad moods; they can use that, and add that the Cardassians and the Klingons have had a few flare ups, but no official war...
You see how it would work? Each ship adds their own perspective on the race; each CO and crew can check to see what each race they might deal with is acting like... There will, of course, be splinter group behaving differently, but the goal is to have as much solidarity as possible, between the different races.
Fantasy Branch
There's a great deal of variety amongst the ships of UFOP, but the FSS Charybdis is quite different from the rest of them. It stands apart from all the others. How so?
It's made out of wood.
A year and three quarters ago, UFOP extended alliance to a a Fantasy SIM: Faerin, run by our own Admiral Randor and ex-Command Liaison Tekra. It takes place on a nearly desolate world, with unpredicatable magic and strange creatures. If you enjoy Fantasy as well as StarTrek, sail over to their website at www.bigfoot.com/~Faerin .
End Notes
- Please write and tell me what you like or don't like about the Reporter. I would also appreciate suggestions regarding what you would like to see in this newsletter.
- Submissions are welcome from all UFOP members.
- Have an idea for one of our regular sections?
Contacts
- To Contact the Editor with submissions, suggestions, complaints or critiques, please e-mail Admiral Randor at randor@celticwarrior.com
UFOP UEC:
ufopec@egroups.com
Individual Admirals:
- Fleet Admiral Tristan Wolf wolf530@bigfoot.com
- Rear Admiral Ciara Randor randor@celticwarrior.com
- Rear Admiral Shaun Marlin marlin@mersinet.co.uk