Announce List/2013, Part 3

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Announce List Archive 2002 ▪ 2003 2004 ▪ 2005 2006 ▪ 2007 2008 ▪ 2009 2010 ▪ 2011 2012, Part 1 2012, Part 2 2012, Part 3 2013, Part 1 2013, Part 2 2013, Part 3 2014, Part 1 2014, Part 2 2014, Part 3 Edit this nav Sep 7, 2013 Weekly Newsletter 2390.31 Raj Blueheart Happy weekend, Fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Fleet Chat Our next chat is scheduled for TOMORROW, Sunday, 8 September 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 Our fleet chats are a space for all the members of the Starbase 118 group to meet each other, learn about fleet events, and talk about Star Trek. 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. Top Sims Contest Nominations for Round 20 will end TOMORROW, Sunday, 8 September 2013. Read the rules to submit a nomination: http://sb118.net/10OSHt3 The list of winners can be viewed here: http://goo.gl/P0TBa8 Featured Bio Contest Nominations for Round 16 end Tuesday, 1 October 2013. Submit your nominations here: http://goo.gl/jXepID Rules have been greatly simplified, so check them out. You'll find it much easier to submit a nomination! Congratulations to September 2013 Featured Bio winner, Lt JG Brayden Jorey: http://goo.gl/vMESdM Writing Challenge The September/October Challenge is now officially open with the theme “What Will Come”! The deadline for this challenge is Friday, 25 October 2013. Learn more about the theme, contest rules, and submit your story here: http://goo.gl/KKzCdJ The winner for the July/August Writing Challenge with the theme "Under My Skin", is the writer behind Ben Livingston, with his story "The Genetic Engineer's Manifesto": http://goo.gl/uzsLDh The runner-up is the writer behind Evan Delano, with his story "Resignation": http://goo.gl/ZaBvWF Poll Of The Week What To Wear?: http://goo.gl/0BNDEi PUBLICITY Get your FREE promotional flyer and post it in your community to help find new members! US: http://sb118.net/15Rg8D9 UK: http://sb118.net/16VBJyZ COMMUNITY NEWS Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read 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. Need An Idea Of What To Write? Use A Plot Bunny! : http://goo.gl/NMxY5u 2. USS Apollo Plot Summary For August: http://goo.gl/2pvhxE 3. September 2013’s Featured Bio: Lt JG Brayden Jorey : http://goo.gl/MifTw1 4. Forums Roundup: September 2013 : http://goo.gl/UZCHdL 5. Stardate Now! : Tato Zeme : http://goo.gl/tdRkdQ 6. September’s Fleet-wide Chat: http://goo.gl/0ZsqRu 7. New Academy Graduates: http://goo.gl/uUjbfv 8. Flashback Week Starts Today! : http://goo.gl/zFcYXo FULL TEXT ARTICLES ** Need An Idea Of What To Write? Use A Plot Bunny! ** Posted: Friday, 6 September 2013 There were plenty of ideas behind the episodes that made up the Next Generation series, and now, you can get a generic view of those ideas and put them to work for you. Whether you are looking for something cool to write about, or something that will help you get over your writer’s block, here are quite a few ideas that can help you get started! http://goo.gl/0yCNhL ** USS Apollo Plot Summary For August ** Posted: Thursday, 5 September 2013 The USS Apollo, NCC-71669 departed Utopia Planitia after receiving some upgrades. Along with the Quantum Slipstream Drive, the ship was modified to house a small fighter wing. With shore leave in the Sol System wrapped up the crew of the Apollo headed back to the Typhon Sector, testing out their new propulsion system. The drive performed as expected and in no time, the ship arrived at the far end of the sector. Upon exiting the slipstream, the Apollo picked up a unique energy signature originating from a nearby system. As the ship approached, the crew tried to determine what the strange signal was. Fleet Captain Andrus Jaxx dispatched an away team under the command of the newly minted First Officer, Lt. Commander Sundassa Faranster. After reaching the source of the signal, the team was surprised to encounter an Iconian Gateway. ** September 2013’s Featured Bio: Lt JG Brayden Jorey ** Posted: Wednesday, 4 September 2013 Lieutenant Junior Grade Brayden Jorey, a Betazoid is the Chief Helm Officer at the USS Tiger A. His skill and quick reactions at the helm has seen him rise to the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade and though his career is young he shows much promise. Even before Jorey graduated from StarFleet Academy he excelled academically, scoring in the top 5 of his class. Athletically he did very well and clearly loves to look after himself physically and mentally. Jorey was Captain of the Velocity team, leading them to victory in his last two years at the academy. He was also a top scoring striker in the Academy Soccer league. Another unique opportunity he has was to be able to participate in a Klingon Bat’leth competition on Forcas III. He had learned his skill with the weapon from Koroth who is an important figure in his life, and is one of few non-Klingons to be awarded Champion standing. Jorey’s first mission outside of the Academy saw him arriving at his assignment, the USS Tiger A only to be trapped with fellow crewmembers in a nightmarish world of their minds own making. The ship’s counsellor had to treat him later for a unique for of post-traumatic stress disorder. His next mission saw him on an unexplored planet in the Hermates Sector, helping with the recovery of a century old Federation shuttle which had begun to emit a signal from its distress beacon. Things soon got out of control when a FTU ship was discovered and then destroyed by another unknown ship. A StarFleet Officer along with individuals rescued from the FTU before its destruction caused Havok aboard the USS Tiger A before eventually making off with some of its technology. Lieutenant Junior Grade Brayden Jorey’s bio 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/qizRQt ) or in its forum (http://goo.gl/AGQ6xQ ). Round 14 is now open, so be sure to drop by and submit your own nominations! ** Forums Roundup: September 2013 ** Posted: Tuesday, 3 September 2013 It’s hard to believe that it’s already fall. Some of us are headed back to school, while others are watching their children return for another year. Still others are looking out the window at the changing seasons, wondering where the time ran off too. Just yesterday it seemed as if the year were just starting, but now we’re far past the midway point. But that only means that there are plenty of upcoming activities to get involved with on the forums! Here are just a few of the things that you might be interested in checking out this month: As the Summer Blockbuster continues, we are all watching the interactive Blockbuster threads for information and intrigue. Join in the fun, or just find out what the other ships are doing, right here: http://goo.gl/Y0Lrlm New members are the lifeblood of the fleet, so make sure to take a moment and stop by the welcome thread to say hello! http://goo.gl/t0gdik Head on over here to wish the newest couple brought together by the 118 fleet a happy future together! http://goo.gl/1T19SQ Stop by and read the last batch of Writing Challenge entries, or prepare for the next challenge and enter it yourself! http://goo.gl/cd7JHX Have a few extra minutes to help the fleet? There are tons of activities that you can help out with, no matter how much or how little time you have! http://goo.gl/h8QTSX And as always, there’s a ton more to see. So take a moment today and swing by the forums to see everything that’s going on! ** Stardate Now! : Tato Zeme ** Posted: Monday, 2 September 2013 ::Music plays and the dark screen brightens to review a well lit room decorated with orange and yellow furniture. A backdrop of stars and galaxies stretch across the wall behind the two people who sit in the two chairs – a female in the orange chair and a man in the yellow one. Both of them sit facing the screen. The woman, tall with dark hair cropped to her shoulders smiles, her lips painted red and and a wispy dress of blue covering her frame.:: DANICA: Good evening and welcome to “Stardate Now” – I’m your host, Danica Galaxie. For our guest today, we have Tato Zeme, Chief of Security and Tactical on the USS Mercury. ::She turns toward Tato, diagonal to the camera and Tato does likewise.:: DANICA: Hello Tato Zeme, and welcome. We’re glad to have you here. ZEME: Glad to be here, Ms Danica. Danica: Let’s start off with something simple. Where were you born? ZEME: A medical facility on Starbase 28. ::Danica nods then asks her second question.:: DANICA: Tell us something about your childhood. ZEME: There’s really not much to tell. I was born, grew up, had the usual plethora of issues one has along that route… my parents were part of a xenopsychological research team at the time, which kept us in motion from planet to planet. I got to see a lot of the galaxy, although the Dominion War did stifle that somewhat. DANICA: I see. Yes, war does have a tendency to ‘stifle’ certain activities. What was your favourite place that you got to visit? ZEME: I honestly don’t remember the name of the place — I was too young for something like that to matter, at the time, but there was a mountainous island we stayed at that had a three kilometer waterfall, and our rooms were halfway up the mountain, bathing us in a perpetual rainbow. I think I spent most of my stay there on the balcony looking out, or at least that’s all I can remember of it. DANICA: Lovely. Now, how old were you when you entered the academy and why did you desire to join Starfleet? ZEME: Nineteen. I’d finished the groundwork of my psychology degree and, at my mothers’ urging, applied to StarFleet’s counseling program. DANICA: Psychology? But you are Chief Officer of Security and Tactical! ZEME: That’s right. As you know, every discipline is required to know the basics of the other disciplines — everyone should know how to do basic field medicine, everyone should know how to do basic repairs, that sort of thing. Well, when it came to my tactical courses, I did well enough in them that my professor suggested the move to tactical. ::he shrugged.:: and I guess I was in the mood to rebel against my parents around then. DANICA: I see. Well, tell us, what is your fondest memory of academy? ZEME: Honestly, my fondest memories from the academy came during my teaching years. ::A corner of his mouth jagged upwards.:: And there’s a lot of them. But if I had to pick — the moment when a student got it, who hadn’t before. The epiphanies. They’re a lot of fun. DANICA: I can certainly understand how that would encourage a teacher. Now, what one thing do you wish you could have done differently? ZEME: It’s funny. There’s a lot of things that have been done to or around me that I’d like to change. Missions with high death counts, mistakes that I made, mistakes that others made — or decisions that seemed good until we had a bit more information. You can’t be an officer for long without a list of quiet regrets, even if you do nothing wrong, make no mistakes, there’s always a way things could have gone differently, or better. But when you ask that question, my mind immediately goes back to when I was seventeen, visiting my parents on a planet that we’d made first contact with just a few years earlier, and one of the people there gave me — well, gave me the local equivalent of her phone number. And I never called her. ::he shrugs.:: It’s tiny compared to other things, but it’s had a disproportionate weight on my psyche ever since. ::Danica can’t help but laugh. It’s not an impolite sort and she nods.:: Danica: I have to admit, I think most of us have regrets like that. So what made you decide to transfer to a ship? Why did you give up teaching? ZEME: Honestly? Because my career had progressed as far as it was going to, as a teacher. I needed to get some more field work under my belt. DANICA: Is there a special person in your life? ZEME: There are a lot of special people in my life. Danica: Come now. ::She winks.:: There must be _someone_ who catches your eye as something more than a friend or acquaintance. ZEME: If that’s a coy way of asking me on a date, I accept. But I’m afraid I’m too discrete to mention anyone else who might or might not have my eye, heart, or hand. ::Danica’s smile takes on a more mischievous tone.:: Danica: Ooo, we’ll definitely have a talk after the show! So, if you don’t have a significant other, what about pets? Do you have any, what are they, and their names. ZEME: I have a calico cat. I actually found her on a derelict space craft — the only living creature we found aboard it. She proved a hearty companion in a fight, so I decided to keep her after we were rescued. I’m not sure if she’s accepted it as her name, but I call her Miss Mangle. Danica: What about hobbies? Surely you don’t work _all_ the time. ZEME: Not all the time — I’m actually a… well, you could call me a bare-knuckle brawler. I fight. Danica: Oh really? How do you do when you fight? ZEME: Not very well, really. I don’t have the bulk to trade hits like some of the better fighters do, but I can generally hold my own. For a while. Danica: In your opinion, what is your greatest accomplishment? ZEME: Having a hand in the next generation of Star Fleet. Hopefully for the better. Danica: I suppose that might give us a hint to the answer on the next question – where do you see yourself oh, let’s say, twenty years in the future? ZEME: Twenty years — it’s honestly hard to say. Perhaps I’ll end up back at the academy, perhaps I’ll retire my commission and pick up my mothers’ work, perhaps I’ll manage captaincy of the Enterprise. I’m sure it’ll be available by then. Danica: Perhaps it will be. Well, I’m afraid that’s all we have time for today. ::Danica turns to face the camera, her smile returned to her lips.:: Danica: Join us next time on ‘Stardate Now’. ::Just before the camera turns off, she leans toward Tato and purrs.:: Danica: Now, how about that drink? – Want to learn more about Lieutenant Tato Zeme? Check out his wiki page (http://goo.gl/0AkN6X ), and stay tuned for more inside interviews with members throughout the 118 Fleet! **September’s Fleet-wide Chat ** Posted: Sunday, 1 September 2013 The next Fleet-wide Chat will be held on Sunday September 8, 2013 in the UFOP: Starbase 118 Chat Room 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 members of our community and their friends. Drop by to see, in real time, what other members of the fleet have been doing on their ships! Chats take place in our on-site chat room: http://goo.gl/86C16j — if you have problems connecting, use the instructions listed below the chat box. We look forward to seeing you all there. **New Academy Graduates ** Posted: Saturday, 31 August 2013 Please welcome our newest Academy graduate to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Pontus Alticpoco! http://goo.gl/dP9OQK **Flashback Week Starts Today! ** Posted: Saturday, 31 August 2013 If you’re looking for something fun to do, and a competition to enter outside of Starbase 118 (and a part of the larger, RPG community), then consider taking part in the Ongoing World’s Flashback Week competition. A yearly event hosted by Ongoing Worlds, Flashback Week (http://goo.gl/mRh6IZ ) encourages RPG writers to include a flashback, and look into the past of their character, in their writing for that week. Most of us include small flashbacks here and there, and even use them as a way to address tags at times, but this time, we’re asking you to create an entire story within your flashback. There aren’t many rules governing the competition: • The competition starts today and runs through September 7th. • The flashback you submit to Ongoing Worlds should not be more than 1500 words long. • The writing should be in English and should come from a character you already play, rather than a new character. • The writing should be your work (no plagiarizing). • Submitting your story to Ongoing Worlds means that they have the right to publish it and use it (though of course, they will label the author in the process). And like all good competitions, there will be a prize at the end of the judging! See the limited edition coffee mug on the entry page and read some examples of stories that have won other competitions previously. Of course, if you choose to enter, be sure to get your entry in before September 7th! http://goo.gl/jcNlA3 ----------------------------------- Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor Sep 8, 2013 Fleet Chat Today! Fleet Captain Toni Turner Our monthly Fleet chat is Today,, Sunday, 8 September at these times: 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 5pm GMT (UK) / 4am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). Always check your time zone for accuracy/DST if applicable! The chat room is located at http://bit.ly/fVGEmH Everyone is welcome to drop by, say hello and find out what's happening around the fleet. With the Blockbuster plots raging, there should be plenty to talk about. :) Fleet Captain Toni Turner Sep 8, 2013 How do you post your sims? FltAdml. Tristan Wolf Hey everybody, With Yahoo's long-awaited overhaul to their new site design, and the subsequent terrible delivery performance that's followed, we're investigating other options for our email lists. To be clear, things may get better after the Yahoo Groups redesign transition, and moving might not be necessary. But it could be that we need to move soon to provide better reliability for sim deliverability. Would you mind answering a quick, 2-minute poll to help us understand how you use Yahoo Groups, so we can figure out the best option for a new service if we decide to move? Here's the link: http://forums.starbase118.net/index.php?/topic/9000-how-do-you-post-your-sims/ Feel free to comment on the thread with any caveats or interesting insights that would be useful for us. (Or even vent about Yahoo!) Sep 11, 2013 Where can you pin this up? FltAdml. Tristan Wolf Friends, This has been a rough summer for our scrappy little community. Recruiting numbers are way down since the hacking in May that forced our site offline for more than a week. But even as we've launched a new website, with a new design, we haven't bounced back -- and lots of folks have been taking leave as school begins. We need to recruit new members if we want to avoid closing and merging any of our ships. But we have a super-simple way you can help. Our Image Collective team designed a beautiful flyer -- check it out here: http://sb118.net/161bzbn -- which can be posted in your local comic and game shop (there's a good chance there's one in your area!). And all you have to do to get your professionally-printed, glossy and beautiful flyer is request one at the links below: If you're in the United States: http://www.starbase118.net/members/personnel/forms/flier/ If you're in Britain: http://www.starbase118.net/members/personnel/forms/flier-uk/ We promise to keep your information strictly confidential, and use it only for the purpose of sending you this flier. We won't store your address after the flier is sent. To find your local game and comic shop, just search Google for "comic store [your city]". You can also try Yelp.com, or Google Maps. Pinning these flyers up at comic and game shops will reach exactly the people who want to be a part of our community. Your efforts will go a long way to stemming this summer slump, and get us back on the path to growing our group. Thanks! Sep 14, 2013 Weekly Newsletter 2390.32 Raj Blueheart Happy weekend, Fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Top Sims Contest Nominations for Round 21 will end Sunday, 22 September 2013. Read the rules to submit a nomination: http://sb118.net/10OSHt3 The list of winners can be viewed here: http://goo.gl/P0TBa8 Featured Bio Contest Nominations for Round 16 end Tuesday, 1 October 2013. Submit your nominations here: http://goo.gl/jXepID Rules have been greatly simplified, so check them out. You'll find it much easier to submit a nomination! Congratulations to September 2013 Featured Bio winner, Lt JG Brayden Jorey: http://goo.gl/vMESdM Fleet Chat Our next chat is scheduled for Sunday, 13 October 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 Our fleet chats are a space for all the members of the Starbase 118 group to meet each other, learn about fleet events, and talk about Star Trek. 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. Writing Challenge The September/October Challenge is now officially open with the theme “What Will Come”! The deadline for this challenge is Friday, 25 October 2013. Learn more about the theme, contest rules, and submit your story here: http://goo.gl/KKzCdJ The winner for the July/August Writing Challenge with the theme "Under My Skin", is the writer behind Ben Livingston, with his story "The Genetic Engineer's Manifesto": http://goo.gl/uzsLDh The runner-up is the writer behind Evan Delano, with his story "Resignation": http://goo.gl/ZaBvWF Poll Of The Week The Next Nemesis: http://goo.gl/nanqnf PUBLICITY Get your FREE promotional flyer and post it in your community to help find new members! US: http://sb118.net/15Rg8D9 UK: http://sb118.net/16VBJyZ COMMUNITY NEWS Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read 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. Poll Of The Week: The Next Nemesis: http://goo.gl/nanqnf 2. July & August Writing Challenge Results: http://goo.gl/oHJXK2 3. The Ongoing Voyages… Hand In Hand: http://goo.gl/IF0HxO 4. New Academy Graduate: http://goo.gl/AG4ZnE 5. USS Discovery Plot Summary For August: http://goo.gl/ElsZ8F 6. A New Direction For Trek: Renegades: http://goo.gl/R3oOrz 7. Last Week’s Poll: Should I Stay Or Should I Go: http://goo.gl/IpUxZY FULL TEXT ARTICLES ** Poll Of The Week: The Next Nemesis ** Posted: Friday, 13 September 2013 Last weekend I had the opportunity to go see the latest Star Trek incarnation at the theater, and after a few months release, I must say the crowds have thinned since I first saw the film opening weekend. As such, as I watched the film, I began to think about the next film in the franchise. Since in the new universe almost anything can happen, I wondered who would make a good nemesis for Captain Kirk and crew in the third instalment of the Abramsverse version of Star Trek. Giving it some thought, I came up with a few. But if you have your own thoughts on the matter, please share. Would you rather see an established nemesis or a brand new one? For the list, head to the forums (http://goo.gl/xLtHqV ) and vote for who you would like to see Captain Kirk and crew have to deal with in the next movie and by all means, tell us why. ** July & August Writing Challenge Results ** Posted: Thursday, 12 September 2013 Hearty congratulations to Will, the writer behind Lieutenant Ben Livingston of the USS Excalibur-A, who won the July & August Writing Challenge with his short story “The Genetic Engineer’s Manifesto.” (http://goo.gl/X1eWZN )The story, which was written in response to the Challenge topic “Under My Skin,” was, in the words of Ed, the writer behind Fleet Captain Diego Herrera and the winner of May & June’s Challenge, “a manifesto, and that makes it stand out from quite a few of the entries I’ve seen in this or previous competitions. … To some degree, [the speaker's points] are quite unsettling and I think that’s part of the key to this piece’s success. It makes an argument for something that’s considered taboo in the established canon of the Star Trek future as well as our present day lives and it justifies it quite well.” The runner-up spot went to a first time entrant, the writer behind Ensign Evan Delano of the USS Tiger-A. Of his entry, “Resignation,”( http://goo.gl/ZaBvWF ) I said: “ Using the resignation letter genre is a fascinating choice that pays off well in what [the story] is able to do: It’s not so much meant as a plot exposition as a declaration of character, and the tradeoff is a working one of philosophy rather than scenery.” It’s notable that in this round, both winner and runner-up chose unique structures for their entries — the aforementioned manifesto and a resignation letter from Starfleet, respectively — and the panel of judges found these choices to be most effective in crafting the best possible stories. The next Challenge is already open, and it begs you to consider “What Will Come.” (http://goo.gl/NOVw49 ) Take a look at the prompt and read through the past winner or the new entrants, but be sure to have your submission in on or before October 25th! ** The Ongoing Voyages… Hand In Hand ** Posted: Wednesday, 11 September 2013 Space may be the final frontier, but Major Leo Handley-Page and Lieutenant Commander Velana will not be exploring it alone. After meeting through Starbase 118 via their characters, the two soon became friends – and that friendship turned into romance! On August 24 of 2013, the happy couple finally, and tightly, tied the knot. Please congratulate them here if you have not already gotten a chance: http://goo.gl/P5i5tV These two aren’t the first couple to meet through Starbase 118 and later marry. At least two other couples, including Fleet Captains Jaxx and Nicholotti, have met through Starbase 118 and gone on to get married as well, only adding to the rich history of almost two decades that this Fleet has. There is definitely something special to be found for those who choose such a path, in the writing and interaction that this community offers. Whether you choose to take things into the real world, or if you simply count your Fleetmates as friends, Starbase 118 really is ‘out of this world’. And so, we now add these two to a growing list, and we wish them well as they continue their voyages – together! ** New Academy Graduate ** Posted: Wednesday, 11 September 2013 Please welcome our newest Academy graduate to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Elizabeth McColsen! http://goo.gl/ylsf8o ** USS Discovery Plot Summary For August ** Posted: Tuesday, 10 September 2013 On the other side of the wormhole, the crew of the heavily damaged Discovery learn that the derelict starship orbiting the M-class planet is actually the USS Columbia NX-02, declared lost almost two hundred years ago. On board the Columbia, they find that the ship logs have been inexplicably erased. They also find nine survivors of the original crew frozen in stasis pods, including one Commodore Vittorio Moretti, the commanding officer, and manage to revive them. The survivors are brought aboard the Discovery for acclimatization into the 24th century while an away team prepares to head to the surface of the planet where the descendants of some of the surviving crew of the Columbia may be sending out a distress signal via a mysterious trans-atmospheric, mono-filament antenna. But if the antenna was erected to send out a distress signal, why does it have weapons locked on the Discovery? Who built the strange antenna? And who erased the Columbia’s logs, and why? What dark secret is being covered, and at what cost? Follow the latest mission of the Discovery to find out! ** A New Direction For Trek: Renegades ** Posted: Monday, 9 September 2013 How often do you sit and wonder what it would be like to have a new Star Trek series to watch and enjoy? If you’re like most Trek fans, then you’ve been asking for one for a while now. Various fan-made series have come, and gone, mostly based on funding, but now there’s something new on the scene. A groups of ‘Renegades’ is planning something new in the realm of Television; a professional episode, filmed and edited as a presentation to CBS, the owners of the franchise, as a pitch for a new online or cable series. This isn’t your typical fan made series either! Consider the impact that some of the Star Trek heavies could have, if given the chance, to mold the future of Star Trek in general. Well, that’s exactly what the Renegades are planning; directed by Trek veteran Tim Russ, and staring familiar names like Walter Koenig, Robert Picardo, and Garrett Wang, fans can expect loyalty and dedication to all that has come before. This truly looks to be a real possibility for the next direction Trek takes on TV. But the success of Star Trek: Renegades depends on the fans like you. Head on over to their Indiegogo page to learn more about what they are raising money for, and what kind of rewards you can get for helping out: http://goo.gl/SArOaO ** Last Week’s Poll: Should I Stay Or Should I Go ** Posted: Saturday, 7 September 2013 Where I live, there are those who are looking forward to a local comic and science fiction convention that is coming up. As such, I have been considering attending. Even though one passes by every year, I have not attended a convention of this sort since the mid 2000′s when my then boyfriend dragged me to one. To say the least, I was intrigued. The sheer numbers of people who were present and who had shared hobbies and interests was a sight to behold. People were dressed as characters from various science fiction incarnations as well as comic book heroes. There were kiosks that sold everything from action figures to videos. At first it seemed like a lot as I was only involved in our writing community to that point. I was unaware there was such a large fan base for these genres of pop culture in my community until that day. However, I have not attended another since that day, although I have thought about it, for either school, work, or a lack of funds kept me away. This year, however, I have seriously put thought into attending. So this week’s Poll of the Week focuses on these types of conventions. Have you ever attended a Star Trek, science fiction or comic convention? If not, why not? If so, what stood out the most for you? Did you meet anyone famous? Did you buy any products? Have you had any experiences at a convention you would like to share? If so, head to the forums (http://goo.gl/Kaq8U2 ). We’d love to hear from you. ----------------------------------- Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor Sep 20, 2013 Last chance to vote for Top Sims Contest run-off FltAdml. Tristan Wolf Hey everyone, Just a quick reminder that voting for the Top Sims Contest, Run-off Round 3 closes on Sunday night. The winning sim from this run-off goes to the final round to be judged among just a couple other sims for the Top Sim of the year. Everyone is encouraged to vote now! http://forums.starbase118.net/index.php?/topic/8939-run-off-round-3-vote-here-vote-now/ Only 23 votes have been recorded in a fleet of over 100 people, so any sim could still win this run-off round. Head to the forums now and weigh in on which sim is the best written by voting for your favorite. There's just six sims to read (listed in the forum thread for easy access). Don't miss the deadline this Sunday night! Vote now: http://forums.starbase118.net/index.php?/topic/8939-run-off-round-3-vote-here-vote-now/ Thanks everyone :) Sep 20, 2013 Weekly Newsletter 2390.33 Raj Blueheart Happy weekend, Fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Top Sims Contest The contest run-off for Round 3 closes TOMORROW, Sunday, 22 September 2013. The winning sim from this run-off goes to the final round to be judged among just a couple of other sims for the Top Sim Of The Year! Vote here, vote now: http://goo.gl/GahFK9 Nominations for Round 21 will also end TOMORROW, Sunday, 22 September 2013. Read the rules to submit a nomination: http://sb118.net/10OSHt3 The list of winners can be viewed here: http://goo.gl/P0TBa8 Featured Bio Contest Nominations for Round 16 end Tuesday, 1 October 2013. Submit your nominations here: http://goo.gl/jXepID Rules have been greatly simplified, so check them out. You'll find it much easier to submit a nomination! Congratulations to September 2013 Featured Bio winner, Lt JG Brayden Jorey: http://goo.gl/vMESdM Fleet Chat Our next chat is scheduled for Sunday, 13 October 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 Our fleet chats are a space for all the members of the Starbase 118 group to meet each other, learn about fleet events, and talk about Star Trek. 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. Writing Challenge The September/October Challenge is now officially open with the theme “What Will Come”! The deadline for this challenge is Friday, 25 October 2013. Learn more about the theme, contest rules, and submit your story here: http://goo.gl/KKzCdJ The winner for the July/August Writing Challenge with the theme "Under My Skin", is the writer behind Ben Livingston, with his story "The Genetic Engineer's Manifesto": http://goo.gl/uzsLDh The runner-up is the writer behind Evan Delano, with his story "Resignation": http://goo.gl/ZaBvWF Poll Of The Week Crossing Over: http://goo.gl/6A4jpd PUBLICITY Get your FREE promotional flyer and post it in your community to help find new members! US: http://sb118.net/15Rg8D9 UK: http://sb118.net/16VBJyZ COMMUNITY NEWS Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read 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. Poll Of The Week: Crossing Over: http://goo.gl/6A4jpd 2. Going To The Chapel: http://goo.gl/raZdaX 3. USS Drake Plot Summary For August: http://goo.gl/aT91lS 4. Featured Bio Contest Reminder: http://goo.gl/XIekpZ 5. New Academy Graduates: http://goo.gl/yxY8rE 6. Post Totals For August 2013: http://goo.gl/B1ISdz 7. USS Mercury Plot Summary For August: http://goo.gl/eeGNWk 8. USS Avandar Plot Summary For August: http://goo.gl/YXoKMl 9. New Academy Leadership: http://goo.gl/yqwcJU 10. The Wonderful World Of Personal NPCs: http://goo.gl/Hwmp5K FULL TEXT ARTICLES ** Poll Of The Week: Crossing Over ** Posted: Friday, 20 September 2013 Over the course of the last weekend, I had the opportunity to attend the Comic and SciFi festival here in my home town. And yes, after being coerced to do so, went in a cosplay outfit. I must say I did have a good time. There was so much to see and do, and I really enjoyed being stopped by strangers to have my picture taken with them. Even though some thought that was ample excuse to get a wee bit too frisky for my liking. But as I walked through the maze of comics and artwork and SciFi memorabilia, I began to contemplate how this may all fit into the Star Trek universe we all know and love. As such, I’ve stumbled onto the idea of this week’s poll based upon all that I saw over the course of the last weekend. So this week’s poll has to deal with crossovers, and what crossover between Star Trek and other SciFi series’ or movies we have all watched, would you be most interested to see? Why would you want to see such a crossover? Would it be more of a versus type scenario or a team up? How would it happen? Would you even be interested or curious in a crossover? If no, why not? Are there any that are not on the list that you would rather see? Once again, I’m curious to know how the fleet thinks. If you are too, head over the the forums to find out: http://goo.gl/JmyFtQ ** Going To The Chapel ** Posted: Thursday, 19 September 2013 Star Trek is no foreigner when it comes to weddings. In the original series, Robert Tomlinson married Angela Martine – well, almost. In TNG, Picard officiated the union between O’Brien and Keiko Ishikawa. Deep Space nine boasted two weddings of major characters when Sisko married Kassidy Yates while Worf joined in matrimony with Jadzia Dax. Yet, despite the various characters that entered into matrimony, one of the most prominent figures never took vows. Jean-Luc Picard, one of the most beloved captains of the various shows, remained unchained throughout the series (save for one alternate timeline). That’s not to say Picard lived a life devoid of romance. On the contrary, several women came into his life at various times during the series. Though a certain attraction existed between Picard and Doctor Beverly Crusher, the two never took the step beyond that of close friendship. Other women in his life included a short, if counterfeit, relationship with Lwaxana Troi, the opportunistic Vash, and Lieutenant Commander Nella Daren, among others. In the real world, however, marriage has not eluded Patrick Stewart. Recently, Stewart exchanged vows with Jazz artist Sunny Ozell near Lake Tahoe where the musician was born – and the two got rather ballsy about their wedding. On September 8th of 2013, Patrick Steward confirmed on his Twitter account that he married his girlfriend of five years in a small ceremony near Lake Tahoe, officiated by none other than former co-star Ian McKellen. Among the guests – the entire cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The couple’s first official picture as a married couple includes a photograph of the two buried in indoor playground balls with only their brilliant faces peeking out from among the rainbow of colours. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Stewart! May you both live long and prosper! ** USS Drake Plot Summary For August ** Posted: Thursday, 19 September 2013 Separated into three different teams, the crew are tested like never before, forced to trust criminals with their very lives. After a successful cat and mouse setup, the Leviathan crew, led by Lt. Colonel Whale, baits a combatant ship into the deadly Thunderhead Reach. Taking a shuttle, the crew attaches to the bulkhead of the ship and cut their way inside. A grenade attack severely injures Dr. Vex, but Lt. James manages to download blueprints of a dilithium facility that looks like the likely target of the planned attack on the Federation. In Port Royale, Captain Rogers team is further split apart. A fight ensues when guards attempt to arrest one team, and Captain Rogers escapes with the Gorn, Krogg. Solok is captured and imprisoned below the bustling port city. LCMD Reed’s team ends up in a slight scrape when their ship captain, Juhani, is corralled by Port Royale security. They escape and regroup with Captain Rogers and Krogg, and Pandora decrypts data describing a deadly weapon of mass destruction. As more guards arrive, the crew have no choice but to head down into the sewers while Krogg creates a diversion. Realizing the sewer is a prison, they must fight their way past prison guards to rescue Commander Solok. Commander Weston leads a small crew on the cloaked ship, the SS Belle, following the Leviathan into the Reach. Coordinating intel and communications between all groups, Weston and Didrik Stennes must expose themselves to deadly radiation to aid their friends. ** Featured Bio Contest Reminder ** Posted: Wednesday, 18 September 2013 Please remember to nominate a character bio for round 16 of the Featured Bio Contest (http://goo.gl/SxoGXs ) before it closes on Tuesday October 1st, 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/EcbBrc ) to nominate a bio today. ** New Academy Graduates ** Posted: Wednesday, 18 September 2013 Please welcome our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Granimore Grimring, Vanessa Driscoll, and Tajor Curen: http://goo.gl/5NonB0 ** Post Totals For August 2013 ** Posted: Tuesday, 17 September 2013 As part of the ongoing overview of the fleet as a whole, 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 continued increase in the average number of sims per vessel across the fleet, setting a new high for the year to date. A good sign as both summer and the Fleetwide Plot Arc (http://goo.gl/pc4Hxk ) continue, even in the face of some of the technical hurdles thrown in our path during August, and a trend we hope to see continue for a long time to come! ** USS Mercury Plot Summary For August ** Posted: Tuesday, 17 September 2013 The crew failed. The supervolcano on 83 Leonis II erupted ahead of its predicted time. Away teams from the Mercury determined, before this eruption, that Starfleet’s presence on the world had not been limited to secret observation but had instead been much more involved: Captain Kells’s team discovered evidence of biotampering, while Commander Ross’s found a remaining researcher who admitted that the rest of his team had geoengineered the eruption, apparently to eradicate the pre-warp population. Captain Kells determined that this degree of tampering nullified the Prime Directive’s order of non-involvement, and the crew of the Mercury and the Aquitania began beaming up refugees. However, the civilian Dr. Saveron also beamed down without authorization, ostensibly to expedite the evacuation, but the distress call he sent from the surface attracted the attention of a Cardassian warship, which arrived and chased away the two Starfleet vessels despite their pleas of humanitarian assistance. As the ships left, the Mercury crew gathered on the bridge to pay respect and tribute to the unknown race that was likely to perish thanks to the eruption and the climactic changes it would cause. But life went on. The Aquitania, with Ambassador Ventu and all the alien refugees, departed Deep Space 10 after it and the Mercury had returned, and the Mercury crew turned its attention to recreation and the remaining problems of the previous mission: Dr. Saveron was arrested for his unauthorized beam-down, Ensign Alora DeVeau continued to search for the DNA fingerprints of the missing researchers, and Captain Reynolds and Dr. Hawkeye revealed that the last researcher had been intentionally poisoned — and genetically manipulated. Though the mission had ended, the repercussions for the Mercury crew will continue to accrue…. ** USS Avandar Plot Summary For August ** Posted: Monday, 16 September 2013 Another day, another unusual sensor reading – this time relayed to the USS Avandar, NCC-80203, by one of the long-range probes that have been launched to roam the Sector. At first glance the readings appeared to be some sort of energy fluctuation, but as the Avandar closed in on the area to investigate it became clear there was more to it than that. The source of the readings was traced to beneath the surface of a planetoid that appeared to once have been a significant part of a moon. Also present on the surface, was a seemingly abandoned small craft broadcasting a radio signal who’s translation proved proved very hard indeed. Something about the composition of the rock made scans largely ineffective, but the energy readings that could be analysed showed significant similarities to the signature given off by Iconian technology. With no intention of leaving something like that laying about, an Away Team was deployed by shuttle to the surface, but almost immediately trouble began. Communications began to fail very quickly, and a storm began moving in on them seemingly from nowhere, and bearing all the signs of being artificially generated. As the Away Team moved to find shelter, the Avandar searched for some way to both disrupt the storm and regain contact with the team. Unfortunately, the best solution for both of those seemed to be to break up the storm directly – and hope that the crew on the planetoid were not caught in the backlash… ** New Academy Leadership ** Posted: Sunday, 15 September 2013 I’d like to announce a change of leadership in our Academy: FltCapt. Sidney Riley is stepping down as Commandant, and FltCapt. Andrus Jaxx will be taking her place. Riley took a leadership role in the Academy in September, 2006. At the time, Rear Admiral Jessa Anassasi had recently stepped-back from training, and I was reorganizing the program. I tapped Riley as a Deputy Commandants and she quickly earned the respect of the Training Team. I have no ideas what took me so long, but I finally named her the Academy Commandant in late 2008, where she has been a constant force since then, helping to guide and shape the team. In the seven years since she was appointed Deputy Commandant, she has overseen the graduation of no less than 500 cadets into the fleet. That’s an incredible legacy of leadership. The change is only precipitated by good fortune in real life, where her career has soared to new heights, requiring a greater amount of her time. Many, many thanks to her for all those years of dedication to the Training Team. And now, as I mentioned above, FltCapt. Jaxx will be stepping in to the role of Commandant at the Academy. Jaxx has made an indelible mark on our group in the past few years with his thoughtful participation throughout the fleet, and in training. I expect that he’ll achieve some great things with his new role, and I’d like to thank him for a willingness to take on this task. Training is our premier team, and without a doubt the most important non-simming activity that drives our group’s success. ** The Wonderful World Of Personal NPCs ** Posted: Saturday, 14 September 2013 We asked the leaders of our Fleet to share some insight into what and how they write. This Writer’s Workshop is part of this special subseries – designed to help everyone from fledgling officers, to those with lots of experience, enjoy all that Starbase 118 has to offer. A special thanks to Fleet Captain Toni Turner for sharing her thoughts on Personal NPC’s. As a prolific writer, I found waiting 36 to 48 hours for others to respond to my Primary Character, sometimes boring, so I often used a name from my ship’s NPC list as a supplement, giving them a personality to my liking. There’s nothing wrong with doing that, but I found that another writer would come behind me, changing my quirky version of the character into something tame. It was then I found the wonderful world of Personal NPCs, which meant that I no longer had to worry about someone changing its personality, because I was the only one allowed to write for the character. Playing a PNPC is a great way to explore additional avenues of writing, and write more often without overwhelming other members of your crew, but there are right ways, and wrong ways, to delve into them. Ultimately, you will find that there are generally two steps to success. Step One: Select a species, rank (usually one rank lower than your PC), a suitable name, and personality for your character, and then ask yourself, “Can I effectively make the character believable?” If yes, continue to the next step. Step Two: Before introducing your PNPC into the sim, it’s important to introduce it to your Captain. Captains can help to choose a department that has need of another character to round out a department that is lacking enough personnel. Some captains even have “rules” governing their use, such as your PNPC cannot be in the same department with your PC. This prevents one person from dominating an entire department. Once having gained approval for your character, you’re free to make the character’s debut. “Break a leg!” ----------------------------------- Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor Sep 23, 2013 After 15+ years on Yahoo Groups, we're headed to Google FltAdml. Tristan Wolf Hi everyone, I hope this will come as good news: We're switching to Google Groups. As most of you know, the last few weeks have been very trying as Yahoo launches a new design for their Groups pages. Unfortunately, this launch has been less than graceful on their part, and has been fraught with troublesome deliverability problems. Many of you have said that emails are showing up hours or days late, if at all. And it also seems to have made the product more difficult to work with. As a result, I know some of you have lowered your simming volume out of concern for whether your sims have arrived in a timely fashion, while others have been frustrated by sims coming out of order, causing plot problems. While it's possible that Yahoo could sort all this out in the next few weeks, the fact is that we have experienced these problems in a more limited way for years now -- this is just the culmination of a long history of bad times with Yahoo. For the record, although it's been hard some times, Yahoo was a pioneer in this space and gave us the power to communicate effectively for many years. If you can believe it, our first ships that simmed via email (before that we simmed live in AOL chat rooms) simply had everyone's email address in the "TO:" field of the emails -- can you imagine how often that got messed up? Then along came eGroups -- the precursor to Yahoo Groups -- which was the first hosted email list solution on the web, and changed forever the way our simming happened. The primary reason we have stayed for so long with Yahoo is that we have a significant, embedded history of sims on its site. And because it do not allow posts to be exported, we've effectively been locked in. But that's a problem we've just solved. A few years ago, member Kevin Breeman began a project to help us collect all of the sims going back to the first that were posted on eGroups. We used a non-sanctioned "scraping" script, which looked at each post on Yahoo, grabbed the content, and added it to a database. And since then, we've established a new way of archiving sims, so that new sims are added to our database automatically. Just this weekend, member Nemitor Atimen completed an amazing and simple user interface for the database that Breeman started. This new interface integrates directly with our website, and allows you to see sims from every ship that's ever played in our fleet. More importantly, it archives our new sims on a live basis -- every few minutes. This sim archive is important because we're leaving Yahoo Groups for Google Groups, a much more sophisticated and reliable product which has been actively developed for years now, while Yahoo stagnated. Now that we have a central archive of our sims, we're no longer locked in to Yahoo Groups -- if you're looking for a sim after your ship has moved to Google Groups, simply head to the archive and search, instead of trying to figure out whether the sim is on Yahoo or Google. Please check out the archive at your earliest convenience: http://sims.starbase118.net Since the USS Avandar launched, it has been simming on Google Groups, giving our staff a good understanding of how the service works. And in all cases, the crew has found it more reliable than Yahoo. As of yesterday, we've started moving lists to Google Groups. The Apollo was first up, and Vigilant is happening today. The rest of the ships will move on a daily basis this week. Team lists will move over the course of the next month. There's a few important differences you should be aware of when your ship moves to Google Groups: 1. On your sims lists, do not push "Reply" to post a sim. Always open a NEW email and put the sim list's address into your "To:" field -- otherwise, your email will be grouped together with the previous email in the Google Groups archive, making it hard to find there. 2. On your OOC lists, you can DEFINITELY "reply"/"reply to all" to threads, so that they will be grouped together in the archive. 3. On your OOC lists, pushing "Reply" or "Reply to All" will respond to EVERYONE. Don't worry about the sender receiving a duplicate, though -- you can keep both the sender and list in your To: field. 4. Unlike Yahoo Groups, you will NOT receive a copy of your own sims/emails back to you from Google Groups. This is a feature, not a bug. The good news is that Google Groups is far more reliable than Yahoo, and you can rest assured that your sim was received by others on the list. Of course, you can also check the list's page itself -- which your CO will send to you once the transition begins -- if you want reassurance. Just like with Yahoo, you do NOT have to have a Gmail address to use Google Groups. You can still use your current email address, whatever service that may be with. Our goal is to make this transition as simple and clean for everyone as possible. And we hope that, after it's over, you'll be less stressed by deliverability issues and Yahoo frustration. As always, everyone is welcome to email me directly at this email address with questions and feedback -- I welcome it. Thank you for your continued participation in our community. I look forward to 15 years of simming on our new home at Google Groups :) Sep 29, 2013 Weekly Newsletter 2390.34 Raj Blueheart Happy weekend, Fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Featured Bio Contest Nominations for Round 16 end Tuesday, 1 October 2013. Submit your nominations here: http://goo.gl/jXepID Rules have been greatly simplified, so check them out. You'll find it much easier to submit a nomination! Congratulations to September 2013 Featured Bio winner, Lt JG Brayden Jorey: http://goo.gl/vMESdM Top Sims Contest Nominations for Round 22 will end Sunday, 6 October 2013. Read the rules to submit a nomination: http://sb118.net/10OSHt3 The list of winners can be viewed here: http://goo.gl/P0TBa8 Fleet Chat Our next chat is scheduled for Sunday, 13 October 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 Our fleet chats are a space for all the members of the Starbase 118 group to meet each other, learn about fleet events, and talk about Star Trek. 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. Writing Challenge The September/October Challenge is now officially open with the theme “What Will Come”! The deadline for this challenge is Friday, 25 October 2013. Learn more about the theme, contest rules, and submit your story here: http://goo.gl/KKzCdJ The winner for the July/August Writing Challenge with the theme "Under My Skin", is the writer behind Ben Livingston, with his story "The Genetic Engineer's Manifesto": http://goo.gl/uzsLDh The runner-up is the writer behind Evan Delano, with his story "Resignation": http://goo.gl/ZaBvWF Poll Of The Week Have You Seen ‘Em All?: http://goo.gl/S7U4lc PUBLICITY Get your FREE promotional flyer and post it in your community to help find new members! US: http://sb118.net/15Rg8D9 UK: http://sb118.net/16VBJyZ COMMUNITY NEWS Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read 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. Donation Thanks To Samal Frazier: http://goo.gl/YgGf5W 2. Poll Of The Week: Have You Seen ‘Em All?: http://goo.gl/S7U4lc 3. USS Excalibur Plot Summary For August: http://goo.gl/7Vp2BY 4. We’re Moving To Google Groups: http://goo.gl/Bgc34n 5. Duronis II Embassy Plot Summary For August: http://goo.gl/HJ0uK4 6. New Academy Graduates: http://goo.gl/38cHCC 7. These Are The Voyages Of Voyager 1: http://goo.gl/hYVAXP 8. USS Tiger Plot Summary For August: http://goo.gl/549Ra7 9. We Have A Winner!: http://goo.gl/iK9ahT 10. Flying The Flag For UFOP: Starbase 118: http://goo.gl/6sFNYd FULL TEXT ARTICLES ** Donation Thanks To Samal Frazier ** Posted: Friday, 27 September 2013 Many thanks to Samal Frazier, former Captain of the Challenger, 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? Head here: http://goo.gl/yd712d ** Have You Seen ‘Em All? ** Posted: Friday, 27 September 2013 I have had a busy week. Between family issues and work related issues, my free time is almost non-existent. Just coming home every day and sitting would lead quickly to slumber-land. But on Monday was a little different. I came home late, kicked off my shoes and plopped into my sofa and turned on the TV. And as I flipped through the channels, I caught an episode of Star Trek Voyager. But not just any episode of Star Trek Voyager. One I had never seen before. Now, until Monday night, I was certain I had seen all the episodes of each incarnation of Star Trek, including all the films. But it appears that I was wrong. That or early onset of dementia from working too hard. Either way, it was a real thrill for me to see an episode brand new to me. So where is the forgetful old lady going with this, you may ask? Well it brings us to our weekly poll question. Have you seen every episode of Star Trek ever? Have you seen all the movies? If no, which have you seen? Which have you not? Are you in the process of watching a particular series? Are there any episodes or movies you are looking forward to seeing in which you have not yet seen? And so, in order to help the Neilson ratings people, head to the forums to let us know what your Star Trek viewing habits are: http://goo.gl/rXMa8e ** USS Excalibur Plot Summary For August ** Posted: Thursday, 26 September 2013 The crew of Starbase 118 had been dealing with the concerns about the Romulan plague, and wondering what ships or fleet would be sufficient to get them safely in and out, or who else would be sent. The answer was more surprising than anyone would have expected. The USS Excalibur-A, a top of the line ship with the new slipstream drive, was “delivered” to Captain Nicholotti along with a promotion to Fleet Captain! Though testing out the new drive would need to wait as the fleet going with them didn’t have access. Mostly because it was the Romulan fleet that had been previously threatening the base. The final surprise came that the planet they would head to wasn’t where they had initially thought the plague to be, but Agurtha. A planet that was host to a large concentration of Tal’Shiar. The crew prepared as best they were able, as each took into account the new ship’s capabilities. Security working to prepare their people on the use of hazmat suits while providing security for the medical personnel, and others working to ferret out the secrets that had lead to this point. On arrival, Fleet Captain Nicholotti informed the FO and SO that she would be going down to the planet with the medical staff. Both to support the medical needs, but also as the political and diplomatic statement it was. Uncharacteristically, her FO said nothing of the dangers but kept his mouth and manner quiet. The away team was met by the acting director of finance of Agurtha, and his “aide”. They were walked around on the planet, only slowly making their way to the hospital…and not moving at all toward the cause of the plague. Those remaining on the ship used passive scans to determine likely points of concern, and found a mysterious structure that needed more active scans. Strangely enough, the First officer contacted the Tal’Shiar directly and requested their assistance in cutting through the “red tape” around the situation. Even more strange.. they agreed. ** We’re Moving To Google Groups ** Posted: Wednesday, 25 September 2013 As a Play-By-Email role playing game, our email lists are a critical part of our game. For more than 15 years, we’ve been using Yahoo Groups, but now the time has come to move our community to Google Groups. As most of you know, the last few weeks have been very trying as Yahoo launches a new design for their Groups pages. Unfortunately, this launch has been less than graceful on their part, and has been fraught with troublesome deliverability problems. Many of you have said that emails are showing up hours or days late, if at all. And it also seems to have made the product more difficult to work with. As a result, simming volume has fallen due to concern about whether sims are being delivered in a timely fashion, or delivered out of order. While it’s possible that Yahoo could sort all this out in the next few weeks, the fact is that we have experienced these problems in a more limited way for years now — this is just the culmination of a long history of bad times with Yahoo. For the record, although it’s been hard some times, Yahoo was a pioneer in this space and gave us the power to communicate effectively for many years. If you can believe it, our first ships that simmed via email (before that we simmed live in AOL chat rooms) simply had everyone’s email address in the “TO:” field of the emails — can you imagine how often that got messed up? Then along came eGroups — the precursor to Yahoo Groups — which was the first hosted email list solution on the web, and changed forever the way our simming happened. The primary reason we have stayed for so long with Yahoo is that we have a significant, embedded history of sims on its site. And because it do not allow posts to be exported, we’ve effectively been locked in. But that’s a problem we’ve just solved. Just this weekend, member Nemitor Atimen completed user interface for a database of our sims, going all the way back to the first sims on Yahoo Groups. The interface integrates directly with our website, and updates with new sims every few minutes. Now that we have a central archive of our sims, we’re no longer locked in to Yahoo Groups — if you’re looking for a sim after your ship has moved to Google Groups, simply head to the archive and search, instead of trying to figure out whether the sim is on Yahoo or Google. Please check out the archive at your earliest convenience: http://sims.starbase118.net Since the USS Avandar launched, it has been simming on Google Groups, giving our staff a good understanding of how the service works. And in all cases, the crew has found it more reliable than Yahoo. As of yesterday, we’ve started moving lists to Google Groups. The Apollo was first up, and Vigilant is happening today. The rest of the ships will move on a daily basis this week. Team lists will move over the course of the next month. There’s a few important differences you should be aware of when your ship moves to Google Groups: 1. On your sims lists, do not push “Reply” to post a sim. Always open a NEW email and put the sim list’s address into your “To:” field — otherwise, your email will be grouped together with the previous email in the Google Groups archive, making it hard to find there. 2. On your OOC lists, you can DEFINITELY “reply”/”reply to all” to threads, so that they will be grouped together in the archive. 3. On your OOC lists, pushing “Reply” or “Reply to All” will respond to EVERYONE. Don’t worry about the sender receiving a duplicate, though — you can keep both the sender and list in your To: field. 4. Unlike Yahoo Groups, you will NOT receive a copy of your own sims/emails back to you from Google Groups. This is a feature, not a bug. The good news is that Google Groups is far more reliable than Yahoo, and you can rest assured that your sim was received by others on the list. Of course, you can also check the list’s page itself — which your CO will send to you once the transition begins — if you want reassurance. Just like with Yahoo, you do NOT have to have a Gmail address to use Google Groups. You can still use your current email address, whatever service that may be with. Our goal is to make this transition as simple and clean for everyone as possible. And we hope that, after it’s over, you’ll be less stressed by deliverability issues and Yahoo frustration. Thank you for your continued participation in our community. I look forward to 15 years of simming on our new home at Google Groups! ** Duronis II Embassy Plot Summary For August ** Posted: Tuesday, 24 September 2013 The truth about the unrest on Til’ahn has finally been revealed for the crew of the USS Thunder NCC-70605-A. A infamous parasite long kept secret from everybody, but those in the upper echelon of the Federation has surfaced again moving quickly to infest the inhabitants of Duronis II With the assistance of the USS Vigilant NCC-75515 and her crew, a mission has been constructed to eradicate the parasite. With the crew of both ships broken up into groups, they began their mission. Commander Alucard Vess’ team were tasked to investigate a potential site for a bluegill hive and working together, have come up with a plan to use insect venom to incapacitate a Laudean host taken over by the creature. Major Hannibal Parker with Lieutenant Commander Erie’s team were given the assignment to defend the embassy in case the bluegills attempted to breach the perimeter and stop them. Fleet Captain Toni Turner and Fleet Captain Diego Herrera have remained behind at the embassy to set up a command center to coordinate between the teams. Their medical teams were on standby to examine a host once either Commander Vess or Lieutenant Commander Nugra’s teams were able to capture one. Nugra’s team was the first to get a host, but sadly it was a member of their own team that had to be turned over for examination. ** New Academy Graduates ** Posted: Monday, 23 September 2013 Please welcome our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Sylaa, and returning members Jansen Orrey and Ian Lane West: http://goo.gl/FB7upD ** These Are The Voyages Of Voyager 1 ** Posted: Monday, 23 September 2013 Space, the final frontier. These are the words that have opened up most of the episodes of the various Star Trek incarnations as well as the movies. These words have meaning not only within the Star Trek Universe itself, but also within our own reality. Say ‘hello’ to Voyager 1. Actually, you might want to say ‘goodbye’ instead. Why do you ask? Because according to NASA, the satellite Voyager 1 – a spacecraft that was sent out into the wild unknown on September 5, 1977 – has passed the heliosphere. What is the heliosphere you ask? The heliosphere is considered the edge of our solar system, where solar winds still have influence. It marks the boundary of where our solar system begins – or ends in this case. In other words, Voyager is no longer within our home solar system, and has become the first manmade object to go beyond the bounds of our tiny corner of space. So what does this mean for man-kind? Only time will tell. Read more about the Voyager 1 and its historic journey here: http://goo.gl/y9W7OC ** USS Tiger Plot Summary For August ** Posted: Sunday, 22 September 2013 After a bad encounter with a mysterious entity that had the ability to grant wishes, the USS Tiger NCC 52199-A landed uncontrolled on the ocean floor of an uncharted planet. With the ship badly damaged and without power, and the crew suffering many casualties, the Senior Staff wasted no time getting to work. Under the guidance of Fleet Captain Sidney Riley, the crew was split into three teams; one team to work with Engineering to effect repairs and restore power, one team to set up triage centers to treat the injured, and the final team to perform search and rescue operations throughout the ship. As the hours passed, the crew proved themselves to be resolute and progress began to show as the injured were found and treated and the ship’s systems and power grid were repaired and brought back online. While the Engineering team was in the process of restoring the structural integrity field, a strange old man dressed in robes appeared in Main Engineering. This strange old man introduced himself as the Guardian and said that the Tiger was trespassing on land controlled by the Iconians and that if they did not leave he would destroy the planet and everything on it. After a discussion with the Command Staff, this Guardian decided not to destroy the planet and revealed the presence of a nearby Iconian Gateway shortly before he vanished. With the news of a nearby Iconian Gateway, the crew found themselves posed to launch a full scale investigation. ** We Have A Winner! ** Posted: Saturday, 21 September 2013 The history of the world, though short in comparison to the history of the universe itself, is rife with love and romance, wars and battles. Kingdoms have been formed and have fallen. Men and women alike have made their mark, their names passed down from generation to generation, never to be forgotten for either their deeds or misdeeds. Star Trek, too, has its own history. From its humble beginnings as a mere thought in the mind of Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek expanded to encompass five live action series, one animated series, twelve motion pictures, as well as a myriad of books, comics and games. Starbase 118 is one of these games. For almost twenty years, it has provided a haven for those who wish to explore this unique and complex universe. Among those at Starbase 118, certain names seem to pop up time after time due to their involvement and dedication to the game. One such name is that of Ed Brown, mastermind behind Fleet Captain Diego Herrera. His involvement is not, however, limited to just within the Starbase. Recently, he submitted a story to Flashback Week as hosted by Ongoing Worlds. Not only did he submit it, but Ed’s story was chosen as the winner for this year. Ed has a lovely style that brings out the color and personality not only of the characters he writes for, but also of the world in which we play. It is easy to visualize the people and Ed makes sure that we have insight into their emotions and motivations. It’s easy to see why his story was chosen as the winner of Ongoing World’s Flashback Week. Please take a moment to congratulate Ed on his accomplishment – and make sure you take the time to read “Indelible Memories”: http://goo.gl/08OPch ** Flying The Flag For UFOP: Starbase 118 ** Posted: Saturday, 21 September 2013 Friends, Romulans, Undiscovered Countrymen! Lend me your ears and approximately two minutes of your time to find out how you can help us spread the word about UFOP: Starbase 118 reliably, quickly, easily and for FREE! The wizards from the image team have rustled us up a top dollar poster that can be displayed in comic book, sci-fi memorabilia and board game stores and we need you to help us by taking one to a place in your city where you can get it some face time! We cover the costs of mailing to you – all you have to do is walk in, ask nicely if you can take up some of their board or window space and then the magic begins. From that point forward, we effectively have an extra person doing publicity work for us as passers by will have their eyes drawn to the poster and be unable to resist joining! All you need to do to get your hands on one of these beauties is hit one of the following links – we’ll mail to any English-speaking country! US: http://goo.gl/GYDAKG UK/Canada/Aus/NZ/Other: http://goo.gl/hVw7z8 Thanks for reading – now hit one of those links, and we’ll get one of our promotional posters headed your way! ----------------------------------- Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor Oct 4, 2013 Weekly Newsletter 2390.35 Raj Blueheart Happy weekend, Fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Top Sims Contest Nominations for Round 22 will end TOMORROW, Sunday, 6 October 2013. Read the rules to submit a nomination: http://sb118.net/10OSHt3 The list of winners can be viewed here: http://goo.gl/P0TBa8 Fleet Chat Our next chat is scheduled for NEXT Sunday, 13 October 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 Our fleet chats are a space for all the members of the Starbase 118 group to meet each other, learn about fleet events, and talk about Star Trek. 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. Writing Challenge The September/October Challenge is now officially open with the theme “What Will Come”! The deadline for this challenge is Friday, 25 October 2013. Learn more about the theme, contest rules, and submit your story here: http://goo.gl/KKzCdJ The winner for the July/August Writing Challenge with the theme "Under My Skin", is the writer behind Ben Livingston, with his story "The Genetic Engineer's Manifesto": http://goo.gl/uzsLDh The runner-up is the writer behind Evan Delano, with his story "Resignation": http://goo.gl/ZaBvWF Featured Bio Contest Nominations for Round 17 end Friday, 1 November 2013. Submit your nominations here: http://goo.gl/jXepID Rules have been greatly simplified, so check them out. You'll find it much easier to submit a nomination! Congratulations to October 2013 Featured Bio winner, Ensign Alora DeVeau: http://goo.gl/T23IVC Poll Of The Week Music To Your Ears: http://goo.gl/dCBPpX PUBLICITY Get your FREE promotional flyer and post it in your community to help find new members! US: http://sb118.net/15Rg8D9 UK: http://sb118.net/16VBJyZ COMMUNITY NEWS Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read 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. Poll Of The Week: Music To Your Ears: http://goo.gl/dCBPpX 2. Forums Round-Up: October 2013: http://goo.gl/a9nNW1 3. Our History, Our Times: The Aftermath Of The Hobus Supernova, Part VI: http://goo.gl/1rBhT5 4. Blood, Fire & Wine: The DNA Of A Klingon: http://goo.gl/CM19YL 5. The Truth Is Out There: The Search For Extra-Terrestrial Life: http://goo.gl/mX8fWL 6. New Academy Graduate: http://goo.gl/Qv0bTd 7. USS Vigilant Plot Summary For August: http://goo.gl/THCG7Y 8. August Recruitment Stats: http://goo.gl/wLgMYk FULL TEXT ARTICLES ** Poll Of The Week: Music To Your Ears ** Posted: Friday, 4 October 2013 As I grew up, I remember the television being on and as the clock would hit the bottom or the top of the hour, the sounds from the television would dictate what show would be playing based upon the iconic tunes of whatever theme would play. One never had to actually see the television to know what show was coming up, for the theme gave that information away from rooms away. Themes for television shows date back the the days of radio, where themes would play before news programs as well as radio soap operas and any other show. That concept slid easily into television and is one feature that dates back long before television was even around and has been a part of pop culture from before the days your grandparents were born. As such, its probably something you don’t even think about much. However, those who put together television shows place a large emphasis on this component. Can you imagine a news show with the Seinfeld theme? Or Friends with a classical ensemble theme? So that brings us to this week’s Poll of the Week. Of the Star Trek incarnations with live action, which theme do you prefer the most? Head on down to the forums to check it out: http://goo.gl/bKOIQu ** Forums Round-Up: October 2013 ** Posted: Thursday, 3 October 2013 It’s that time of year again – when some locations around the world are experiencing cooler temperatures and the excitement of the Fall, while others prepare for costumes and the great Hallows Eve. Whatever you are looking forward to in the latter part of this year, or what kinds of things you’re getting involved with, be sure that you take time to stop by the forums and see what’s going on with the 118 Fleet! Remember, as we wrap up our Summer Blockbuster missions, that the forums are still available to all members of the fleet. Join in the conversation, leave a log entry, or just see what’s going on aboard other ships on the special Summer Blockbuster Threads: http://goo.gl/fhsqkv The Sept/Oct writing challenge is open, with the theme ‘What Will Come’. It’s a good time to get started on your entry so that it can be in by the Oct 25th deadline. Learn more on the Writing Challenge forums: http://goo.gl/Q5xv8S We have a number of guilds and groups to join, depending on your interest. Connect with members of the Fleet on other ships through similar interests and help develop aspects of our Fleet collaboratively. Check out the current list of active Guilds here: http://goo.gl/dfn15w For some of you, this Blockbuster was the first you’ve participated in. For others, it will be your third or forth. Regardless of how many you’ve been a part of, share some insights from your point of view and help us make them better in the future: http://goo.gl/x8CIbo Want to have some fun? Join members of the Fleet from all ships in our Games forum and just kick back while connecting with others in the 118 family: http://goo.gl/wHP1YU Enjoy your fall festivities and don’t forget to join us at the Simming League Fall Festival this year, hosted by Starbase 118. Stay tuned for more details to come! ** Our History, Our Times: The Aftermath Of The Hobus Supernova, Part VI ** Posted: Wednesday, 2 October 2013 This is the sixth 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 Battle at Gateway Station. Battle of Gateway Station: The USS Drake came under Klingon attack while assisting with repairs on Gateway Station. The USS Avandar, receiving the emergency distress call, arrived and the Klingon ship withdrew. However, it left a series of gravametric mines behind that targeted both fleet ships and the station. The Klingons eventually returned with reinforcements. The Avandar focused on stopping the swarm of gravametric mines while the Drake focused on the Klingon ships. Things looked grim until a second group of KDF vessels arrived on scene and engaged the attacking Klingon forces. The Avandar and Drake evacuated the station population and withdrew to safety. “The tension level was high. The size of the Klingon fleet was unknown, we had no idea how many ships were out there. The Klingon’s battle tactics were very unusual, they seemed content to sit and stare at us rather then engage in fighting, and when they did decide to act it was so surprising, the hit and run maneuver, that we all seemed rather confused.” – 1st Lt. Joseph Dubeau Though the reasons for the Klingon attack on Gateway station remain relatively unclear, valuable intelligence data on a potential new threat was obtained – cloaked boarding pods. Steps were also taken to develop a new sensor network that would be able to provide high definition observation of the border area and the conflict was prevented from spreading any further into Federation space. On the Next “Our History, Our Times”: The Aftermath of the Hobus Supernova Part VII –The Klingon Invasion of Thracian Space “The fact that the Klingons don’t recognize the Thracian Alliance, and consider them Romulans as well, only helped to catch the fledgling Alliance in the middle of an already nasty situation.” – Captain Kalianna Nicholotti ** Blood, Fire & Wine: The DNA Of A Klingon ** Posted: Tuesday, 1 October 2013 This month’s article of “How To Think Like An Alien” focuses on Klingons. As the reader will notice, many of the steps in playing an alien race are going to be nearly the same from one species to the next, at least when we consider carbon based humanoids like ourselves. But once we cross into non-carbon based life forms, it starts becoming difficult, since in reality, we can’t relate to such a being. There are well known beloved beings in the “Trek Verse” that fall into this category. They regularly showed up on screen to be a thorn in Captain Kirk’s side. They were as much a mystery to the viewers as the Vulcans, though often times, had a far less developed backstory. It is only recently that we saw more depth added to their culture through television episodes, movies, and book mediums. Of the many species involved in the Trek world, this is very true of the notable Klingons. How to Get into the Skin of a Klingon, or How to Think Like One: One thing you must keep in mind when you decide to play a Klingon is that these people are not brutish violent automatons, but honorable beings with a rich culture. Playing one should reflect that depth. A typical Klingon’s life is centered around excelling in life, and the struggle to be better than one is now; whether that life involves farming or being a solder. Their lives are also centered around struggle, the struggle within, and with out. If you understand the Klingon home world, you understand its people. Their world Qo’noS is a harsh world that breeds strong hardy people. In various parts of the planet, the weather is hot and windy, suffering from many earthquakes as this world is still geologically active. Meager resources, make quick easy fodder for squabbles and eventually full scale battles and wars to control a well, or prime arable land to grow food. The result is a culture that thrives on the glory of battle. Klingons view life with a zeal and zest generally unmatched by the typical species in the Federation. They “Work hard and play hard”, to use a Terran expression. They are known to not mince words but will be brutally honest with a being. To be known as a liar or a deceiver is not only distasteful but dishonorable. Spies and assassins were generally seen as dishonorable people, so few, if any, exist within their ranks. To kill an opponent with poisons or covertly was seen as cowardice. Instead, they prefer to see the attacker in front of them. A child of Qo’noS is bold, proud, and loud about their culture. They are willing to share it with those they deem trustworthy. An Ithigan Hol is one thing they may call you if they choose you as friend. In this case, they would be a friend that would follow you to Sto’Vo’Kor and back and sing a song of the tale. Such a friendship results in a friend for life and for your House, or family line, when you are dead and gone. Honor is a deeply rooted concept in the life of a Klingon. It has two, possibly three parts that are interconnected. Honor of one’s World, Honor of one’s family, (Your House name can bear honor or not), and personal honor. Sometimes succeeding in a great deed which incurs great personal risk can restore the damaged honor of oneself or House, should it be tarnished along the way. When a child is quite young they are taught by their parents and family about honor. When they can hold a weapon in a hand, they are considered a “man”/”woman”. They are taught to be self sufficient, to trust their own instincts, to use their minds to think, and to hone their bodies for battle. Not just the external battles, but internal ones as well. Surprisingly, Klingon parents encourage the children to have great discipline and patience. While their culture focuses on battle, it is not arbitrary battle that they seek. For your Klingon, consider their background first. Do they belong to a large or small House, and is it a well known prominent one, or more obscure? Do you have a blood feud with a rival House over the loss of a member or something else? Does your character live on Qo’noS or a colony, or in the Federation instead? How tied are they into the Empire’s political mechanisms? Is the person in Starfleet? How does their family react to this? Is it even known by them? What is he or she’s health status? Are they a hybrid of another species? Are they accepted, or rejected by peers, family, or outsiders? Do they have anything to prove? What is he or she’s disposition? Not every Klingon is a seething fireball of anger. Not all are solders. Some are priests, or monks, or merchants that choose to go a different route in life. Maybe they were bored or ‘called’ by their blood to it. Or maybe, the person is running from some personal representation of Fek’lar, a demonic being thought to devour the souls of dishonorable dead. Use flashbacks in writing to show glimpses into the being’s life. Do they have a personal item they see as sacred or important? Is it tucked away in a box or on their person. What is the story behind it? Use these things to build a good hook into the background. You want the Klingon to leap off the monitor, being almost bigger than life itself. Remember, every line adds to the realism behind the character you are creating. Craft your Klingon using these tips, and use your story as the song of their life, and I will raise a cup of Bloodwine to toast it. Qapla! ** The Truth Is Out There: The Search For Extra-Terrestrial Life ** Posted: Monday, 30 September 2013 It is a question that has been asked for centuries since telescopes looked at Mars in the 1800s and men believed that they were seeing canals of water running along the surface. Men have tried to imagine what life would look like from H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds to C.S. Lewis Silent Planet Trilogy. Are there other life in our vast universe or are we the only ones here? It is hard to say where exactly the search for alien life had begun. People have always looked to the sky and wondered what was up there. The thought was not fully brought forward until The Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik on October 14, 1957. Barring the political ramifications of the launch, Sputnik and the resulting space race got the attention of the world. The first dedicated search for alien life was the SETI Project established in November of 1984. Its goal was to find intelligence in the universe by using a set of satellite dishes around the world. The first thing to come out of the SETI project was the Drake Equation. It was a probabilistic argument present at the first SETI meeting to estimate the number of communicative alien civilizations that could exist the galaxy. Though met with some complaints about its usefulness, especially when it came to creating an explicit value, it is used today to ask the question “if they are out there, why aren’t they talking to us?” The search for life inside and outside our solar system will continue for many years to come and only time will tell if we are truly alone. Man will continue to dream and to build so one day those questions will be answered when our probes and our satellites reach the edges of other star systems and galaxies. ** New Academy Graduate ** Posted: Monday, 30 September 2013 Please welcome our newest Academy graduate to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet, Kieran Louis Waddell: http://goo.gl/XBw9Yp ** USS Vigilant Plot Summary For August ** Posted: Sunday, 29 September 2013 The USS Vigilant NCC-75515 is in orbit of a stricken Duronis II. Reports rolling in from the surface are characteristic of a planet that has been hit by a furious and relentless attack by a large colony of bluegills. Infected Laudeans have stormed the Embassy and Vigilant personnel have been deployed to support their defense effort. Meanwhile, a team from the Vigilant has been deployed under the leadership of Lieutenant Commander Nugra from the embassy and the Vigilant’s own Major Leo Handley-Page in an attempt to destroy a concentration of bluegill queens discovered in Govinda province. With two members of the team already infected by bluegills and a third dead at the hands of an infected colleague, the away team were last reported as fighting for their lives in the middle of a bluegill spawning pit. Meanwhile, on the embassy grounds, events have turned from bad to worse. Increasingly restless on the sidelines, a key civilian VIP took the decision to join the battle for the embassy, leaving Commander Greir Reinard to assemble a team to back him up. Events spiraled out of control, resulting in Fleet Captain Diego Herrera and new arrival Lieutenant Commander Velana in a desperate struggle to save Commander Reinard’s life in the embassy’s trauma room, with possible lasting consequences. Meanwhile, Fleet Captain Toni Turner left the safety of the CIC to join the fray in search of her husband, only to find out for herself the terrible truth. Ambassador Tallis Rhul is dead. ** August Recruitment Stats** Posted: Saturday, 28 September 2013 Each month, the Publicity Team (http://goo.gl/ySVahx ) 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. **Note: The site was down for the biggest part of May, resulting in the lower numbers. Applications: http://goo.gl/cgjLXy Academy Graduates: http://goo.gl/Ac2Ong Annual Application Source: http://goo.gl/7qqprR ----------------------------------- Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor Oct 7, 2013 STOP PRESS: Fall Fest this Friday! Ed Brown Hi everyone, It's now just four days until the curtains open on Fall Fest, Ongoing Worlds' annual SIMming convention that links a huge number of writers and roleplayers from a range of SIM groups around the internet! This year we're the hosts - UFOP: Starbase 118 have been granted the privilege of running the event and showing the internet roleplaying community why we're right up there among the best names in Play By Email Roleplaying groups on the web! We have SIM discussions ready, lined up and set. We have trivia questions literally poised and ready to fire in your direction. There's an opportunity for you to come and SIM LIVE in the SB118 chat room. We have all of theses cool events lined up but there is one thing missing:- YOU! An event is nothing without an audience and it would be great to have you along. Not only do you get the chance to pick up tips to improve your SIMming and join in with some hilariously awesome games, you also have the chance to meet and greet SIMmers from a wide range of other groups. Plus, we're proud of you so we really want to show you off! The more members we have present, the higher our profile gets raised and the more likely it is that we'll be able to attract in new cadets to be placed on our ships! Where does that lead? To a bigger and more stable fleet with wide open spaces for brand spanking new captains, commanders, lieutenant commanders... you name it! The fun all begins at 1:45EST, which is 6:45BST on Friday, 11th October, 2013. Our current schedule is below! Looking forward to seeing you all there! Fleet Captain Diego Herrera CO, USS Vigilant: UFOP: SB118 Chairman: Ongoing Worlds Fall Fest 2013 Oct 10, 2013 FALL FEST 2013: Don't Miss Out! Ed Brown Hi guys, Fleet Captain Diego Herrera here with a quick message to remind you that Ongoing Worlds' Fall Fest is TOMORROW (Friday, October 11th) starting at 1:45EST/6:45BST. We have a schedule crammed with awesome SIM discussions, games and live SIMs so there is tonnes of stuff that will benefit your writing and keep you entertained! We have a huge contingent from UFOP: SB118 (half of the events are being run by familiar faces!) and we have several contributors from other SIM groups around the internet so it's well worth coming along for as long as you can! As the hosts, it'd be great if we could turn out a fantastic showing - the rest of the SIMming community will have eyes on us and it would be great for them to see how awesome a group we are! It would be great for you to show your support to those running events, too - either from UFOP: SB118 or further afield as we've really pulled out the stops this year to make sure that you're going to have the best possible time. There's even a DJ! So we'll see you tomorrow, 1:45EST/6:45BST - the opening ceremony and discussion chats happen here: http://www.starbase118.net/chat/fall-festival-chat/ and the trivia and live SIMs happen here: http://www.starbase118.net/chat/ Thanks! Fleet Captain Diego Herrera Commanding Officer USS Vigilant NCC-75515 Deputy Commandant: UFOP: SB118 Academy Oct 11, 2013 Weekly Newsletter 2390.36 Raj Blueheart Happy weekend, Fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Fleet Chat Our next chat is scheduled for TOMORROW, Sunday, 13 October 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 Our fleet chats are a space for all the members of the Starbase 118 group to meet each other, learn about fleet events, and talk about Star Trek. 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. Top Sims Contest Nominations for Round 23 will end NEXT Sunday, 20 October 2013. Read the rules to submit a nomination: http://sb118.net/10OSHt3 The list of winners can be viewed here: http://goo.gl/P0TBa8 Writing Challenge The September/October Challenge is now officially open with the theme “What Will Come”! The deadline for this challenge is Friday, 25 October 2013. Learn more about the theme, contest rules, and submit your story here: http://goo.gl/KKzCdJ The winner for the July/August Writing Challenge with the theme "Under My Skin", is the writer behind Ben Livingston, with his story "The Genetic Engineer's Manifesto": http://goo.gl/uzsLDh The runner-up is the writer behind Evan Delano, with his story "Resignation": http://goo.gl/ZaBvWF Featured Bio Contest Nominations for Round 17 end Friday, 1 November 2013. Submit your nominations here: http://goo.gl/jXepID Rules have been greatly simplified, so check them out. You'll find it much easier to submit a nomination! Congratulations to October 2013 Featured Bio winner, Ensign Alora DeVeau: http://goo.gl/T23IVC Poll Of The Week An Unwinnable Scenario: http://goo.gl/7HGgTb PUBLICITY Get your FREE promotional flyer and post it in your community to help find new members! US: http://sb118.net/15Rg8D9 UK: http://sb118.net/16VBJyZ COMMUNITY NEWS Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read 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. Poll Of The Week: An Unwinnable Scenario: http://goo.gl/7HGgTb 2. September Plot Summary For The USS Avandar: http://goo.gl/j2NmBn 3. M.I.A.Y.R.W.M.O. – “Why You’d Be Mad To Miss Ongoing Worlds: Fall Fest 2013”: http://goo.gl/4qmj5g 4. Donations Thanks To Dueld taJoot: http://goo.gl/1vJWE9 5. October 2013’s Featured Bio: Ensign Alora DeVeau: http://goo.gl/OYxVhD 6. Stardate Now! – Diego Herrera: http://goo.gl/4sht09 7. New Academy Graduates: http://goo.gl/XTi26M 8. September Plot Summary For The USS Vigilant: http://goo.gl/wbJG2P 9. Podcast 2390-5 Released!: http://goo.gl/vfVAMn 10. Next Fleetwide OOC Chat: http://goo.gl/mXJTty 11. Donation Thanks To Eerie: http://goo.gl/ugmKxS 12. September Plot Summary For The USS Discovery: http://goo.gl/UGgJaP FULL TEXT ARTICLES ** Poll Of The Week: An Unwinnable Scenario ** Posted: Friday, 11 October 2013 One thing that remains constant in both the original Star Trek as well as the JJ universe of Star Trek is the use of the Kobyashi Maru test. Last year, I wrote a SIM how my character dealt with that test in a flashback. In the Abramsverse, it is shown that James Kirk cheated his way through, while in the Wrath of Khan, Kirk found a “unique solution”, according the Spock. A solution we are not sure of. The Kobyashi Maru test, in case you are unaware, is a test that deals with an unwinnable scenario. And therefore, this weeks poll deals with this scenario. Whether your character did take the test or not, how do you think your character(s) would have dealt with such a scenario? Would they have cheated? If so how? Or would they have actually tried to beat the scenario without cheating? And again, if so, how? Or, would your character have not bothered trying as he or she knew it was unwinnable, so therefore, why bother. So head on down to the forums and cast your vote: http://goo.gl/Id7wzr Like Starfleet, if they think it’s important to know how individuals deal with this scenario, then so do we. ** September Plot Summary For The USS Avandar ** Posted: Thursday, 10 October 2013 The Away Team from the USS Avandar, NCC 80203 – having narrowly avoided the accidental destruction of the area they had been in by the ship – found themselves in a far different place to the one they had occupied before. The gateway that had sucked them in deposited them in what at first appeared a reasonably pleasant temperate environment. It was only when they began exploring their new surroundings that they discovered that it was nothing more than a simulation intended for training those who had set it up – the Breen. As the Away Team scrambled to evade capture, the crew of the Avandar set about trying to find out just what had happen to them, and where they had gone. LtCmdr T’Lea, in direct violation of orders, beamed herself down to the team’s last known location and began investigating in person. With the aid of a remote-piloted Workbee, sent to both back her up and drag her back if need be, she managed to salvage the damaged gateway. Work soon began aboard the Avandar not not only track where the team had gone, but also set up a means to get them back. The Iconian artefact salvaged from Poseidon proved to be the key. Responsible for the random power outages that had begun plaguing the ship, it turned out to be a power source that would reactivate the hastily-repaired gateway and give the Avandar crew a chance of recovering their stray colleagues. ** M.I.A.Y.R.W.M.O. – “Why You’d Be Mad To Miss Ongoing Worlds: Fall Fest 2013” ** Posted: Wednesday, 9 October 2013 It’s easy for the host of an event to turn around and brandish clichéd slogans about their events. “Miss it, miss out” is a great example of that – a stopgap phrase that works wonders for fluffing out a generic advert that doesn’t seem too exciting. That’s why in this case we need extra letters – miss it and you really will miss out - and I’m even prepared to go the extra mile and tell you why! This year’s fall fest is crammed to the gunnels with SIMming discussions that will help you bone up on your RPG know how no matter which group you belong to, science fiction trivia and live SIMs and our very own Fall Fest DJ, all hosted by UFOP: Starbase 118. Sound like a blast yet? Read on. Right from the off, things will get deep as UFOP: SB118’s Velana examines some of the best known relationships from the Star Trek television series, leading a discussion on how they can influence your SIMming. Ever wondered what the secret behind a successful mission or episode is? Greir Reinard will be sharing his insights and tips, followed by Jhen Thelev, who will be completing a 118 trifecta with a discussion on world building. Hot on their heels, Silent Hunter of Phoenix Roleplaying will be running a discussion based around the Doctor Who anniversary and our discussions will be rounded up by Jazza from UCIP, who will be discussing the way in which immersive games have influenced roleplaying. In other words, the discussion room this year is primed and ready to tool you up for the coming year on creating the setting and story for your SIM group, populating it with characters and using a range of sources to add realism and excitement – talk about a shot of enthusiasm and excitement! Meanwhile, in a parallel dimension (otherwise known as room 2!) there will be more Star Trek and sci-fi trivia than you can shake a stick at, as well as a live SIM that will take the form of a good old fashioned monster mystery. No, that’s not a typo – I said monster mystery! Can you get to the bottom of it before your missing crew members are lost forever? With our line-up already wall to wall with one-off interactive events that are guaranteed to keep you informed, enlightened and entertained, you’ll definitely want the chance to be there to take part, meet writers from other groups and compare notes about your SIMming experiences – there will even be a couple more events revealed as the week rolls on towards the most fantastic event on your SIMming calendars so stay tuned, watch this space and keep October 11th free – UFOP: SB118’s doors are wide open, the Ongoing Worlds banners are already flying and we are all looking forward to seeing you there! M.I.A.Y.R.W.M.O.!!!! ** Donations Thanks To Dueld taJoot ** Posted: Wednesday, 9 October 2013 Many thanks to Dueld taJoot of the USS Vigilant, who made his first — very generous! — donation. 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/Hb4aWP ** October 2013’s Featured Bio: Ensign Alora DeVeau ** Posted: Wednesday, 9 October 2013 Ensign Alora Deveau (http://goo.gl/yIMFza ), a human is the science officer aboard the USS Mercury, which is her first assignment after graduating from the Academy. She is recognisable by her striking green eyes and her brown hair has red highlights to it. She has learned several languages including English, French, Japanese, Vulcan, Betazoid, Klingon and Cardassian. Since joining the crew she has been kept busy. Among some of the duties she has been given, she has worked with one of the medical officers, Kotir Arith to work out what or rather who a DNA sample they were working on is from. She later visited Saveron in the ship’s brig for some insights into the DNA sample’s origins. Alora comes from a large family and has four older brothers. Her whole family was talented in some way musically but she had a particular talent for it and performed as one of the daughters in the opera “Werther” when she was just five years old. Other related interests included singing, dancing, piano and guitar lessons. When she was older and her family had moved to Japan she discovered a new hobby – Aikido and eventually became a third degree blackbelt. Whilst she doesn’t consider herself particularly brave she won’t abandon her post. She usually tries to find the best in people and has a down to earth nature. She is usually quite informal unless the situation calls for it and although she has a temper she usually tries to keep it under control. It is these traits and the focus she displays in the search for answers that makes her an excellent officer. Ensign Alora DeVeau’s bio (http://goo.gl/yIMFza ) 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/vg62SE ) or in its forum (http://goo.gl/UCI6Qi ). Round 17 is now open, so be sure to drop by and submit your own nominations! ** Stardate Now! – Diego Herrera ** Posted: Tuesday, 8 October 2013 ::The music begins and the blackness fades into colour. A galaxy splashes across behind the two people seated in chairs. The colours have changed, one red, the other blue with Danice seated in the crimson chair. Her eyes stay forward as the scene comes into full focus and her chin lifts just before she speaks.:: DANICA: Good evening and welcome to Stardate Now! – I’m your host, Danica Galaxie. ::The camera angle changes and Danica has to turn a little so that her gaze remains dead set upon it.:: DANICA: Tonight our special guest is the recipient of numerous awards and has served on no less than seven postings. He’s young and hot – in more ways than one – please welcome Captain Diego Herrera. ::She turns toward her guest who is now shown upon the screen.:: Good evening, Captain. ::The young CO nodded, a little more comfortable in his chair than he probably should have been either for a captain or an interviewee.:: HERRERA: Good evening, Danica. DANICA: Like most in Starfleet, you began your career as a fresh faced cadet right out of the Academy. Tell us, what motivated you to join Starfleet? ::He’d expected that kind of question as an icebreaker; the path that led each officer to Starfleet was unique and it was always interesting to hear what had motivated someone to put on their uniform.:: HERRERA: Good question. Back when I was at academy age, I felt a really strong pull towards studying medicine and I felt like Starfleet gave me the best opportunity to do that and then put my skills to good use every day. So far it seems I’ve been right, so I’m glad I made that choice to join. DANICA: Why Medical and Counseling? ::That seemed a relatively easy question to answer. Diego shuffled in his seat, making himself even more comfortable and slumping backwards as he explained the reasons behind his choice.:: HERRERA: Well, the medical side of things came from a childhood hero. My sister got hurt when I was a kid and everyone was panicking about it, especially me. The paramedics came to take care of it and there was one of them in particular who was really great with me. He made me feel confident that they would be able to help her and in the end they did. Since that day I knew I wanted to be a doctor. ::That wasn’t quite the full story, but Diego wasn’t completely comfortable with going into too much more detail on such a public broadcast. He hoped it was enough to answer that half of the question.:: HERRERA: As for counselling, I was looking at specialising in neurology. I figured that being as I was studying the way the brain worked on a biological level, it would make sense to get an understanding of how it ran day-to-day as well, so I took a dual major. It was a lot of work, but ultimately worth it. I’ve been called on for both specialisms a good number of times during my career and I’m glad I’ve been able to use them to help people out so much. DANICA: You started your post on the USS Eagle, then moved to the Challenger – A. Why the change in posting? ::The Spaniard smiled at the question.:: HERRERA: Well, it was kind of Starfleet’s decision more than mine. I got orders through to transfer, so I packed my bags. They switched me from a medical role to a counseling position, although after I’d been on the Challenger for a while I ended up filling in for their CMO after he got injured. DANICA: What about further changes? What were the reasons behind those? ::Following his posting to the Challenger, he’d been reassigned to Starfleet medical. He’d left Earth to take up a relatively short posting to the Duronis II Embassy before heading back to Earth again, which had led him to his current command.:: HERRERA: Some of them were mandatory reassignments. You know how it can be with Starfleet. If they need someone then they need someone and they send them out to do whatever job needs doing. Someone recommended me for my post on Til’ahn and when my work there was done I got the chance to go back to Starfleet Medical and work in experimental neuroscience. That was a really interesting time and I was lucky enough to get the chance to work on a project that could help victims of brain damage, including my sister, which was important to me. DANICA: Tell us more about your sister and her accident. ::The seat felt a whole lot less comfortable as the question was asked. He sat up straight and tugged at the front of his uniform to straighten it as he answered.:: HERRERA: Uh, well… I pretty much said everything that you need to know. Her brain was damaged in a Parrises Squares accident when I was a kid and the paramedics saved her life. DANICA: And you were able to develop technology to help her? Tell us about that. ::He leaned back, his guard lowering a little as they moved back into more comfortable territory.:: HERRERA: Yeah, it’s something called a positronic inducer. It’s designed to bypass damaged neural pathways and effectively act as replacements. It was kinda inspired by the work Dr. Julian Bashir did a couple of decades ago to help prolong the peace talks between Bajor and Cardassia. Reading the medical report he’d filed helped give me the idea. Once you get your inducer set up, you can clip it to your head, a bit like a neural stimulator. So far it can only be used to mitigate relatively simple symptoms, but they’re still researching and developing it back at Starfleet Medical so who knows what they might be able to do with it in the future. DANICA: Despite what happened to your sister, you still play the game? Isn’t it dangerous? After all, Adana was seriously injured. ::Diego sighed and folded his arms. He didn’t know how many people were watching the show but he refused to be judged by a reporter or a faceless crowd. He didn’t know whether or not she was trying to make him look foolish, selfish or both, but he wasn’t about to be painted as either.:: HERRERA: It’s no more dangerous than serving in Starfleet. It makes my sister happy because she still loves the sport and can’t play it herself. That’s all you need to know. DANICA: Recently you’ve been promoted to Captain of the USS Vigilant. Tell us what led up to that. ::Pleased that conversation about Squares had not continued any further, Diego recounted the sequence of events that had led him to put on a red collar and find his first captain’s chair.:: HERRERA: I’d reached the rank of captain while I was leading up the experimental neuroscience project at Starfleet Medical. It was my family that persuaded me to take the bridge officer’s training. My mother was a driving force behind that. She said that she thought I’d make a good leader and that I should take a chance. I think what sold it to me the most was the idea of being out there and in the driver’s seat with a crew of my own, making a difference out in Federation territory and hopefully the quadrant at large. I’m glad we had that conversation because without it I don’t know if I’d have ended up where I am now. DANICA: So your mother was supportive? What about your father? Have there been others besides them and the paramedic that have played important roles in the choices you made for your life? ::Diego thought about his dad’s involvement in his career choices. He’d always been there to support him, right alongside his mother. She was usually the more vocal of the two, although he knew he could always count on his dad if ever he needed him.:: HERRERA: Yeah, Papa was right up for it as well. I’m lucky because they’ve both always believed in me, which is a great thing. I’ve met people in my career who have also helped me to do well. My commanding officers, particularly Commander Tel-ar and Fleet Captain Turner, have been a good source of inspiration. It’s been good knowing I have the support of Lieutenant Commander Ashley Yael, who is a good friend and my current first officer, Commander Greir Reinard, has been an inspiration. We’re able to lean on each other for support whenever we need it, which has to be a good thing. DANICA: What sort of challenges have you faced in this new position that you didn’t expect? HERRERA: Hmmm… ::He was starting to relax again a little bit as he cast his mind back over the adventures that he’d had with the Vigilant crew.:: HERRERA: Well, it’s tough to keep my nose out of sickbay for one thing. We’ve had some very capable medics on the Vigilant but there’s always the temptation to drop in and lend a hand. They’ve all been good about it so far, though. Other than that, I guess it’s just the responsibility, which is the same as leading a medical team but… different. You have to know who to assign where and when. That’s not always easy. DANICA: What are some of the goals you have now that you are in command of your own starship? ::That was the toughest question yet and something that Diego guessed he really needed to lend some thought to in the future. In some ways, he’d met his initial goals and it was now time to set some longer term ones.:: HERRERA: I always want to make a difference. There are a lot of things o keep an eye on in the Zeta Gelis region. The Zalkonians are a mystery to us right now, so I’m hoping to find out more about them and expand our knowledge of space beyond the edge of the Federation border. Starfleet assigned the Vigilant to that region to lend it a little stability. I feel like we have a foot in the door but it’s still going to take work to make sure that happens. I guess that’s my main goal. DANICA: Thank you for your time. That concludes this episode of Stardate now. We’ll see you next time. ** New Academy Graduates ** Posted: Tuesday, 8 October 2013 Please welcome our newest Academy graduate to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: William Robichaud, Reni Svalasdottir and Avrim van der Weghe: http://goo.gl/VsgIX0 ** September Plot Summary For The USS Vigilant ** Posted: Monday, 7 October 2013 The last mission for the USS Vigilant, NCC-75515, saw the crew come face to face with Bluegill parasites, fierce insectoids with extremely strong pincers that allow them to enter a host through their mouth, latch onto their spinal chord and control them completely. Major Leo Handley-Page led a team through underground tunnels, battling parasites in a spawning pit as they fought to kill one of the queens. Meanwhile, the Embassy of Duronis II was attacked by both Bluegill parasites and infected hosts. While Lieutenant Commander Eerie led a team in defence of the embassy grounds in an intense fight, Lieutenants Chen and Zerxes worked from the Vigilant’s bridge to assist Lieutenant Zehn in providing everyone with as much information and support as possible. Fleet Captain Diego Herrera and Doctor Velana came under attack by a parasite whilst trying to save the life of Commander Greir Reinard, who was fighting for his life after an EPS conduit exploded in his face as he attempted to chase down the bluegill-infected Ambassador Tallis Rhul. Following a period of rest and relaxation on Duronis II following this tense joint mission, the crew have been faced with the unenviable task of picking themselves back up, mourning the officers they have lost and coming to terms with the things they saw and were forced to do to save Duronis II and its embassy from the Bluegill invasion. ** Podcast 2390-5 Released! ** Posted: Sunday, 6 October 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/WGd8O8 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/c3FT6m . You can download it from the menu on the left hand side! Keep your ears open for our next release due in November! Feel free to subscribe to our YouTube channel for automatic updates. To join the Podcast Team, visit the team’s Yahoo Group and apply for membership: http://goo.gl/vWKqym ** Next Fleetwide OOC Chat ** Posted: Sunday, 6 October 2013 Mark your calendars for the next fleetwide chat, coming up on Sunday, October 13 at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 5pm GMT (UK) / 4am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). Always check your time zone for accuracy/DST if applicable! To participate, simply head to our online chat room, at: http://www.starbase118.net/chat (http://goo.gl/3pfwGE ) — if you have problems connecting, use the instructions listed below the chat box. Our fleetwide chats are a space for all the members of the StarBase 118 group to get together and talk in real time about everything that’s happening within the group. Come by and see what goings-on are happening off your ship! 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. ** Donation Thanks To Eerie ** Posted: Sunday, 6 October 2013 Many thanks to Eerie of the USS Vigilant, who donated again. 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/Hb4aWP ** September Plot Summary For The USS Discovery ** Posted: Saturday, 5 October 2013 An away team including Captain Waltas and Commander Blueheart heads to the surface of the planet, Kjenta II but the highly ionized atmosphere of the planet renders all electronics nonfunctional and the Captain’€™s yacht USS Cook carrying the away team crashes. On the high-G planet surface, the team encounters some of the surviving crew of the Columbia (still alive due to the restorative properties of the planet) who have been sending out a distress signal via the trans-atmospheric, monofilament antenna, led by Dr Treng, Columbia’s former first officer. A confrontation between the Discovery away team and Dr Treng’s henchmen results in the death of Commodore Moretti and a pursuit into Treng’s heavily guarded underground command center. Aided by one of her former loyalists, Irina Pavlova, the team makes their way into the compound via an underground tunnel, where they are ambushed. Meanwhile on board the Discovery, with no means of establishing communications with the away team, Lt Jorus Cogud, left in command, is conflicted between abandoning the team and leaving the planet to focus their attention on finding their way back to the Avalon sector, and staying behind to mount a rescue of the away team. For every moment they spend in this uncharted region of space, the higher the likelihood of encountering a hostile enemy. This leads to a heated debate amongst the crew with a potential mutiny brewing on the horizon. ----------------------------------- Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor Oct 13, 2013 Fleet Chat Today! Fleet Captain Toni Turner Hi All, The UFOP: Starbase 118 monthly Fleet chat will be held Sunday, October 13, 2013 at these times: 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 5pm GMT (UK) / 4am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). Always check your time zone for accuracy/DST if applicable! Our chat room is located at http://www.starbase118.net/chat/ Everyone is welcome to drop by, say hello and find out what's happening around the fleet. With the end of the year coming up so quickly, it's time to start thinking about our year end activities. :) ) Fleet Captain Toni Turner Oct 17, 2013 Writing Challenge Ends in One Week! Tony Colella Greetings, everyone! It's that time again: The September/October Writing Challenge ends in about one week (Friday, October 25th), which means there's still time to get your entry in! This time, our topic is "What Will Come," and we'll have a stellar panel of judges for you in this round, including both our winner and our runner-up from July/August. Hurry and get your story in before the deadline! Head over to the Writing Challenge forum for more! http://forums.starbase118.net/index.php?/forum/137-writing-challenges/ --T Capt. Kells Writing Challenge Facilitator -- Tell them stories. Oct 18, 2013 Weekly Newsletter 2390.37 Raj Blueheart Happy weekend, Fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Top Sims Contest Nominations for Round 23 will end TOMORROW, Sunday, 20 October 2013. Read the rules to submit a nomination: http://sb118.net/10OSHt3 The list of winners can be viewed here: http://goo.gl/P0TBa8 Writing Challenge The September/October Challenge is now officially open with the theme “What Will Come”! The deadline for this challenge is NEXT Friday, 25 October 2013. Learn more about the theme, contest rules, and submit your story here: http://goo.gl/KKzCdJ The winner for the July/August Writing Challenge with the theme "Under My Skin", is the writer behind Ben Livingston, with his story "The Genetic Engineer's Manifesto": http://goo.gl/uzsLDh The runner-up is the writer behind Evan Delano, with his story "Resignation": http://goo.gl/ZaBvWF Featured Bio Contest Nominations for Round 17 end Friday, 1 November 2013. Submit your nominations here: http://goo.gl/jXepID Rules have been greatly simplified, so check them out. You'll find it much easier to submit a nomination! Congratulations to October 2013 Featured Bio winner, Ensign Alora DeVeau: http://goo.gl/T23IVC Fleet Chat Our next chat is scheduled for Sunday, 10 November 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 Our fleet chats are a space for all the members of the Starbase 118 group to meet each other, learn about fleet events, and talk about Star Trek. 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. Poll Of The Week A Matter Of Faith: http://goo.gl/UvNAJT PUBLICITY Get your FREE promotional flyer and post it in your community to help find new members! US: http://sb118.net/15Rg8D9 UK: http://sb118.net/16VBJyZ COMMUNITY NEWS Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read 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. Trekkie Service: http://goo.gl/iTE02t 2. Poll Of The Week: A Matter Of Faith: http://goo.gl/UvNAJT 3. New Academy Graduate: http://goo.gl/5BEly4 4. September Plot Summary For The Duronis II Embassy: http://goo.gl/i0xtFA 5. Weightless Creativity: http://goo.gl/eEUA13 6. September Plot Summary For The USS Tiger: http://goo.gl/HM2G6d 7. Just Under Two Weeks Until Writing Challenge Ends: http://goo.gl/51lHqV 8. September Plot Summary For The USS Drake: http://goo.gl/AHYQET FULL TEXT ARTICLES ** Trekkie Service ** Posted: Friday, 18 October 2013 As we all know, Starfleet isn’t just about exploration, but it’s about establishing new trades as well as creating new alliances. Of course, it also doubles as a military establishment. As such, officers in Starfleet hold rank. Ensigns, Lieutenants, Captains all make up the various levels in Starfleet. Of course, most of us don’t hold any sort of military rank in real life. Nope, that’s one of the things we only hold in our game – or if you work for Netflix. Well, all right, maybe you don’t really gain rank and a new title when you work for Netflix, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun. Of course, it’s even more fun when it’s Star Trek, right? That’s what Michael, a representative of Netflix, and Norm, a customer with a problem, thought when Norm initiated contact with customer service via online chat. Norm had been watching Parks and Rec when his Netflix service suddenly went haywire and began to repeat the same three seconds over and over and over again, a situation reminiscent of “Groundhog Day”. Of course, Norm isn’t going to stand by and just watch the same clip multiple times for the rest of his life. Norm contact Netflix and Mike answered his cry for help with “Captain Mike of the good ship Netflix”. Norm, who must be a Trek fan himself, jumped in with both feet. Save for two lines in the very beginning, neither broke character as they worked together to solve the problem. Of course, Netflix is pretty cool by the mere fact you can access episodes of Star Trek via its service. However, I have to say, Mike just made the streaming video giant even more awesome. Head on over to read the transcript in its entirety: http://goo.gl/i42URQ ** Poll Of The Week: A Matter Of Faith ** Posted: Friday, 18 October 2013 As I have watched the episodes of Star Trek through the years, as with almost all Sci Fi shows, books and movies, there is a deeply ingrained secular, humanistic approach to them. Never having the chance to meet the man, I would probably assume Gene Roddenberry himself shared this same philosophy. Nevertheless, throughout the series’ runs there was always that underlying sense of almost pity towards those who followed any type of religion. In fact, at times it went so far where conspicuous religious symbols were ordered to be removed from officers, so long as they did not conform to StarFleet’s uniform code. (TNG – Ensign Ro) And this despite the fact Worf stood on the bridge wearing a Klingon sash. So, in Star Trek, is there a difference between religious symbols in Ro Laren’s case, and value symbols, as in Worf’s case? Where I am living, this concept of core values and a strong push towards secularism has become a focal-point of our local media and a heated topic of debate. Otherwise known as the Charter of Quebec Values, this Charter would inevitably deny the right to work those who choose to wear any conspicuous religious symbol in public arenas, such as hospitals, daycare centers, schools, and any other public institutions. However, religious symbols deemed part of the Quebec value system would remain untouched, such as the cross in our National Assembly and the large lit cross on top of Mount Royal in Montreal. Now, personally I’ve never been religious, but have participated in quite a few religious ceremonies from different religions. By participating, my core values were never changed, but I did learn something from each one that I attended. With many religions having been around for millenia, I find it difficult to believe that 400 years fom now all religion would be wiped out on earth. Changed, perhaps. Wiped out, no. So this week’s question deals with religion in Star Trek and on earth in particular. Is religion being suppressed in the Star Trek universe or are those who are religious just not allowed to hold high positions in public institutions, such as the military (StarFleet)? Has the secular way of life in Star Trek just so overpowering that those who still practice religion are shunned and perhaps forced to practice underground? Or do you believe that religion is still very strong in the Star Trek universe, but we just don’t see it on screen? Or is there something else going on in the Star Trek universe that we are just not aware of? So head on down to the forums: http://goo.gl/iXw9Vd We’d love to hear from you! ** New Academy Graduate ** Posted: Friday, 18 October 2013 Please welcome our newest Academy graduate to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet, Michael Green: http://goo.gl/pgJ4Yo ** September Plot Summary For The Duronis II Embassy ** Posted: Thursday, 17 October 2013 Survival was the highest priority on everybody€™s mind as the quiet war between the Bluegills and the USS Thunder NCC 70605-A turned into a loud and bloody fight to live. With the embassy being overrun by infested Laudeans and the teams of the Thunder and the USS Vigilant NCC 75515 facing deadly opposition of their own, the fate of the Embassy has become murky. With Team Scalpel and Team Saber melding into Team Spawn, Major Leo Handley-Page took the team into the heart of a Bluegill Queen’€™s nest to kill her. The crew of the Thunder also had to face the death of one of their own when Ambassador Tallis Rhul was taken by a Bluegill and Major Handley-Page was forced to kill him. Commander Alucard Vess’€™ team, meanwhile, had discovered an ancient Iconian outpost deep in the northern mountains of Duronis II. Inside, they discovered an active Iconian Portal through which the Bluegills were bringing reinforcements as well as the terrifying sight of a Bluegill Spawnmother, the very source of the planetary infestation. With concentrated fire the Spawnmother and the Portal were destroyed, ending the infestation and removing the threat of another. In the final fight Lieutenant S’Lone tr’Khellian was badly injured and was immediately evacuated to the Embassy where his wounds, including the loss of both eyes, were treated by Ensign Talia Kaji. Duronis II was now safe, but at a heavy cost. ** Weightless Creativity ** Posted: Wednesday, 16 October 2013 Animals are no strangers to space. Before man orbited the earth or set foot on the moon, those of the four legged variety have braved the new frontier. Scientists were concerned about the effects of macro and micro gravity on biological functions so used animals to ‘test the waters’, so to speak, before daring to send up a homo sapien. You won’t see animals making the trek up to space so much any longer – or will you? Truthfully, the sort of animal that manages to get past Earth’s atmosphere is usually not alive. The presence of a stuffed animal – while not always in the cockpit, it’s very common. Such a toy is placed as a zero-g indicator. When the toy floats, they’ve hit orbit! Recently, however, one astronaut did something that no one had ever done before. Karen Nyberg, a NASA astronaut who is currently an Expedition 37 crew member at the international space station, recently added a pictureto her Pinterest board. It was the image of a stuffed dinosaur she had made for her son. While Nyberg had procured sewing supplies to carry with her into space, the tiny tyrannosaurus was tenderly tailored for Nyberg’s son who is currently with his father back here on Earth. The materials? Nyberg states, “It is made out of velcro-like fabric that lines the Russian food containers found here on the International Space Station. It is lightly stuffed with scraps from a used t-shirt.”. Karen Nyberg – boldly creating where no one has created before: http://goo.gl/bmGiz9 ** September Plot Summary For The USS Tiger ** Posted: Tuesday, 15 October 2013 With the news of a nearby Iconian Gateway, the crew of the USS Tiger-A found themselves posed to launch a full scale investigation. A mission briefing was held and an away team was assigned to investigate the Gateway. The away team found the Gateway deserted and encountered volcanic activity which threatened the mission, as well as very strange power readings which emanated from the Gateway. The team continues to investigate the Gateway to determine its main purpose. Meanwhile the remaining crew on the ship worked feverishly to raise the Tiger from its watery grave on the ocean floor. Repairs to the ship were slow going and the process was arduous. The chief engineer, Lieutenant Commander Alex Blair, somehow managed to keep the ship together as it was slowly raised to the surface. Once the ship was raised additional damage was found to the hull of the Tiger. The crew is currently effecting repairs so the ship can exit the atmosphere and return to space. ** Just Under Two Weeks Until Writing Challenge Ends ** Posted: Monday, 14 October 2013 The price of ignorance is extinction. When a person grasps that truth –not comprehends it but truly appreciates its intricacies and its final implications – when a person realizes that, there’s nothing else to do. Knowledge must be sought wholeheartedly and without reservation, shedding the blanket of ignorance that, though warm and comfortable, offers no true shelter. …but hopefully this particular bit of artistic truth, brought to you by “The Genetic Engineer’s Manifesto,” (http://goo.gl/I6DmMB )the winning story of July & August’s Writing Challenge, will inspire you to write and create in full knowledge of what you’re doing! You’ll have until next Friday — October 27th — to submit something for the current Challenge (http://goo.gl/r4zNpj ), so be sure to visit the forums and get creative! For a little more inspiration, take a look at this passage from July & August’s runner-up, “Resignation“ (http://goo.gl/s28YjM ) Captain, I know you’ve never thought highly of me or my research into the people of Bernard IV. From your perspective, it will appear that I’ve simply lost perspective and allowed these people to get under my skin. At best, I’ll be seen as a misguided academic. That doesn’t matter. I need to document the decisions that led me to this point, at least as much as I can in this letter. I don’t expect you or anyone else to agree with my decision, but my story should be written somewhere. It’s unlikely I’ll have another chance. The judges eagerly await the masterful stories you’re about to spin! ** September Plot Summary For The USS Drake ** Posted: Saturday, 12 October 2013 Regrouping the crew of the USS Drake 1987 balance hard data and educated guesses with gut feeling to come to the conclusion that the Pirates target is the Elkoss Combine Dilithuim refinery. Arriving in the nick of time the crew fight off the Pirates. One group lead by Lt Col Whale evacuates the refinery while a second group lead by Captain Rogers beams aboard the Rapier, Tomic’s command ship, and manage to disable the guidance system of a second ship containing the weapon. The third group is an individual effort with CMO Vex beaming over to the yacht and sacrificing his life in an attempt to disable the weapon. He is followed by the Drake’s CEO who in display of android efficiency jettisons the yachts warp core, sets the ship to overload and captures a clone assassin before being beamed to safety. The fourth group lead by the Drake’s helm officer Ensign Washburn launches a wave of Peregrine fighters against the Pirate ships and their attendant fighter wing. The Peregrine’s are instrumental in destroying the enemy fighters and punching through the Rapier’s shields. In the final show down on the Bridge of the Rapier Captain Rogers defeats Tomic in a duel via the less than sporting means of firing before the specified ten paces had been reached. Tomic is rescued by his crew and disappears. The crew of the Drake return to sb118 to take up command of the Star Base and inform the family of Doctor Vex that he is dead. ----------------------------------- Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor Oct 26, 2013 Weekly Newsletter 2390.38 Raj Blueheart Happy weekend, Fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Featured Bio Contest Nominations for Round 17 end NEXT Friday, 1 November 2013. Submit your nominations here: http://goo.gl/jXepID Rules have been greatly simplified, so check them out. You'll find it much easier to submit a nomination! Congratulations to October 2013 Featured Bio winner, Ensign Alora DeVeau: http://goo.gl/T23IVC Top Sims Contest Nominations for Round 24 will end Sunday, 3 November 2013. Read the rules to submit a nomination: http://sb118.net/10OSHt3 The list of winners can be viewed here: http://goo.gl/P0TBa8 Fleet Chat Our next chat is scheduled for Sunday, 10 November 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 Our fleet chats are a space for all the members of the Starbase 118 group to meet each other, learn about fleet events, and talk about Star Trek. 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. Writing Challenge The September/October Challenge is now officially over! The judges will now deliberate and announce a winner by 1 November 2013. In the meantime, learn more about the theme, contest rules, and submit your story here: http://goo.gl/KKzCdJ The winner for the July/August Writing Challenge with the theme "Under My Skin", is the writer behind Ben Livingston, with his story "The Genetic Engineer's Manifesto": http://goo.gl/uzsLDh The runner-up is the writer behind Evan Delano, with his story "Resignation": http://goo.gl/ZaBvWF Poll Of The Week Time Well Spent! : http://goo.gl/IBfeuo PUBLICITY Get your FREE promotional flyer and post it in your community to help find new members! US: http://sb118.net/15Rg8D9 UK: http://sb118.net/16VBJyZ COMMUNITY NEWS Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read 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. Poll Of The Week: Time Well Spent! : http://goo.gl/IBfeuo 2. Top Sims Contest Update: http://goo.gl/jIHdVm 3. Featured Bio Contest Reminder: http://goo.gl/TSt1xT 4. September Plot Summary For The USS Mercury: http://goo.gl/behbgI 5. Captain Tenure Stats In UFOP: SB118 : http://goo.gl/wbNkXh 6. Post Totals For September 2013: http://goo.gl/A79I2X 7. September Plot Summary For The USS Excalibur: http://goo.gl/ho0qyS FULL TEXT ARTICLES ** Poll Of The Week: Time Well Spent! ** Posted: Friday, 25 October 2013 Well I’m back! Back from the crazy last few months which had kept me from SIMming regularly. Crossing my fingers, I am hoping things are much more settled and that I can continue in this fashion for the foreseeable future. With more free time on my hands, I have updated and fixed up my character page on the wiki (http://goo.gl/IumO2O ), which is still a work in progress, and have a few other plans I am working on. With this in mind, I have allotted a few hours a week to basically catch up. So, as so many episodes of Star Trek have dealt with, this week’s Poll of the Week deals with time. Time spent on Star Trek related activity in general, and not just in this group. Do you just dabble in Star Trek, or does it consume most of your free time? Do you think about Star Trek all the time or are they just passing thoughts? How much time do you spend watching, reading and writing Trek on average per week? Want to let us know? Then head on down to the forums and make it so: http://goo.gl/XeU7a9 ** Top Sims Contest Update ** Posted: Thursday, 24 October 2013 The Top Sims Contest is now accepting nominations for Round 23. There are some great sims being produced by our members every day. Making sure they get the recognition they deserve is easy, and only takes a minute. Visit the Top Sims Contest page: http://goo.gl/gYZx2t Check the calendar to see which round we’re on: http://goo.gl/NzPZmZ 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 fourth run-off round. So get out there, and nominate today. And while you’re out and about, be sure to congratulate the winners of the previous rounds as well: Round 19: Cmdr Tal Tel-ar & LtCmdr Jalana Laxyn (as Sherana) – I Will Remember You Round 20: Doctor Saveron – The Quick and the Dead ** Featured Bio Contest Reminder ** Posted: Wednesday, 23 October 2013 Please remember to nominate a character bio for round 17 of the Featured Bio Contest (http://goo.gl/oNGIQH ) before it closes on Friday November 1st, 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 to nominate a bio today: http://goo.gl/sloaAT ** September Plot Summary For The USS Mercury ** Posted: Tuesday, 22 October 2013 The Mercury’s part in the Gateway Crisis of 2390 keeps them within the Menthar Corridor, though it sends them from their usual haven at DSX to the thoroughly unreputable Menthar Anchorage. Tol, the Ferengi owner of the Anchorage, has invited all manner of bidders and potential buyers to an auction he’s intending to hold for an Iconian gateway. How much honesty is there in this auction? The crew of the Mercury intends to find out, and a team (Cmdr. Melitta Herodion, Dr. Saveron, Lt. Jacen Fanel, and Lt.(JG) Trel’lis, with [PNPC] Cmdr. Ari Capronne) head to the Menthar Anchorage to take part in the auction. On the ship, other teams attempt to discover where the gateway might be, and indeed if Tol possesses knowledge of a gateway at all. Ensign Alora DeVeau places a call to her father, a galactic shipping magnate, and discovers that while theirs might not be, the Gateway Crisis itself is very real, and there are certainly more to the proceedings than meets the eye. Meanwhile, the crew of the Mercury have been operating without their normal CO, as Cmdr. Harry Ross as taken over and promoted Lt. Cmdr. Roshanara Rahman to XO. Captain Kells is back on DSX after being arrested during shore leave for his responsibility for the actions at 83 Leonis II and the potential violation of Starfleet General Order One. Though he is prepared for a regular martial hearing, he is not prepared for the criminal trial that follows…. ** Captain Tenure Stats In UFOP: SB118 ** Posted: Monday, 21 October 2013 Former captain Mal Avatar has been spearheading a great deal of historical cataloging, and recently he put together some very interesting stats on commanding officers, which we wanted to share with you. Check out these great insights below: The average commanding officer is in command for 1.92 years, with the median just 1.32 years. Of course, there are some outliers. The record for length-of-time in the captain’s chair belongs to the following captains: 1. Hollis Calley who commanded the Kodiak-A, Kodiak-B, and Ursa Major for 7.98 years 2. Tyr Waltas who commanded Starbase 118 Operations, Discovery-B, and Discovery-C for 7.52 years (still active) 3. Jessa Anassasi who commanded USS Constitution-B, USS Phoenix-C, USS Independence, USS Independence-A for 6.63 years 4. Rocar Drawoh who commanded Duronis II Embassy, USS Constitution-B, Starbase 118 Operations, USS Eagle, USS Victory for 6.59 years 5. Sidney Riley who commanded USS Tiger, Starbase 118 Operations, USS Independence-A, USS Tiger-A who 5.39 years (still active) Set your calendar, Captain Waltas! You’ll break Hollis’ record on March 8, 2391. On average, it takes 3.24 years to get the captain’s chair with a median of 2.90 years. Our quickest trip the captain’s chair (excluding community founders, acquisitions, and special situations): 1. Leigha Jacobs at just .53 years. 2. Hollis Calley at .91 years (plus he went directly from second officer to CO) 3. Jessa Anassasi at 1.06 years 4. Allen O’Malley at 1.18 years 5. Ka’el Laang at 1.25 years Of the current COs: 1. Tallis Rhul/Diego Herrera had the fastest trip at 2.08 years 2. Della Vetri at 2.61 years 3. Kalianna Nicholotti at 2.70 years 4. Andrus Jaxx at 2.98 years 5. Tyr Waltas at 3.48 years Then there are others who have taken their time to get to the big chair: 1. David Cody waited 14.50 years to take command (however, his tenure with the fleet was not contiguous) 2. Samuel Perkins waited 7.30 years to take command (contiguous tenure) 3. Samal Frazier waited 5.85 years, 4. Cura Assanti waited 4.94 years. 5. Francis deMarc waited 4.81 years. 2390 is an unprecedented year of captaincy retention. Not to jinx it, but we are almost 3/4 of the way through the year and no captain has resigned. That has NEVER happened in a calendar year. It has now been over 500 days since the last commanding officer stepped aside (Commander Unum) and that is a record. 2389 had three resignations, the aforementioned Unum, Tallis, and Kare’en. Tallis later returned as Herrera so that is a wash and Kare’en was a planned temporary transition. By the way, the worst year for CO resignations was 2376 when 12 COs stepped down: • Elinor of Kanist (Continued on as other characters and in other roles) • Jeffrey Pelletier • Reginald LeCrisp • Jasen Rendary • Shaun Marlin (Continued in other capacities) • Maela Jolon • Sandolphan Aquiss • Curtis Arvanon • Colin McHendry • Leigha Jacobs • Alexander VonGrippen • Tristan Wolf (stepped down as CO of Daris Colony) Also, it has been suggested that the commanding officer position of Starbase 118 Operations is a “command killer.” The data does not support that. The average commanding officer of anyone who has commanded the base has an average of 3.08 years as a CO, which is nearly a year longer than the average of 1.92 years. Our current crop of COs has been in command for 3.12 years which is slightly longer than the average. The current COs by time in the chair: 1. Tyr Waltas: 7.52 years 2. Sidney Riley: 5.38 years 3. Toni Turner: 3.57 years (combines time spent as CO of Resolution, Ronin, and Embassy) 4. Andrus Jaxx: 2.97 years 5. Della Vetri: 2.61 years 6. William Rogers: 1.66 years 7. Kalianna Nicholotti: 1.63 years 8. Tallis Rhul/Diego Herrera: 1.45 years (combines time as both characters) 9. Lilly Ventu/Aron Kells: 1.25 years Many thanks to Captain Avatar for putting this data together. For more of his interesting work, check out the UFOP Fleet Timeline: http://goo.gl/1RWHVf ** Post Totals For September 2013 ** Posted: Sunday, 20 October 2013 As part of the ongoing overview of the fleet as a whole, 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 (http://goo.gl/mNmHhX )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 drop in the average number of sims per vessel across the fleet, which may be due to the technical difficulties which continued to cause problems for almost all ships. Our next chart (http://goo.gl/phTE7a )shows the number of sims from each ship for the month of September. Overall, most ships are about where they usually are in terms of numbers, or down somewhat from their typical level. Since no vessel is showing markedly higher than normal levels of simming as in the last couple of months, the Fleetwide average has not been pulled up by those figures. Hopefully, with the changeover in the mailing lists we are using, those technical problems that have been such a curse of us recently will no longer be a concern, and we’ll be seeing a rise in simming totals as we get settled into our new home on Google Groups. ** September Plot Summary For The USS Excalibur ** Posted: Saturday, 19 October 2013 Despite getting “assistance” from the Tal’Shiar, the work on Agurtha was not going quickly or easily. The areas that the crew were most interested in were listed as off limits to active scans and on the ground the “safety” of the officers was used to limit their movements. With the obstacles still being lessened, the crew on the Excalibur were able to determine that the irregularities in carbon decay corresponded to areas that had high concentrations of the plague. More interesting was the amount of objects with those irregularities seemed focused around bodies of water, corresponding to water based trading routes. A bright light was found when two Romulan hybrids were found that had been exposed to the plague but were not suffering from it. One of whom was the First Officer’s sister Luna Walker, who had been reported to be on another planet. At this point, things went downhill. A massive wave of energy spread from what was determined to be an Iconian gateway, acting like a supercharged EMP. With the interference, the crew was only able to communicate with the away team via text and moved to the magnetic north pole to minimize the impact. Meanwhile, on the ground, Ensign Cuthbert had a blade slip into his back and through his suit from a Tal’Shiar agent, who slipped away as Cuthbert and Dr. Folds transported back to the ship. Fleet Captain Nicholotti lead most of the away team toward the gateway, only to be stopped by the Tal’Shiar agent that had injured the ensign. Commander Orman, back at the planet’s primary hospital, discovered that the sealed room Cuthbert had been injured over had held the infected, who were burned alive. Another pulse interrupted Captain Nicholotti’s arrest of the agent, as up in low orbit, the Excalibur was hit by a pulse strong enough to have people seeing images of phantom creatures flying through the ship. The crew now looks to find why this is happening, and if there are perhaps two gates, not one. ----------------------------------- Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor Nov 2, 2013 Weekly Newsletter 2390.39 Raj Blueheart Happy weekend, Fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Top Sims Contest Nominations for Round 24 will end TOMORROW, Sunday, 3 November 2013. Read the rules to submit a nomination: http://sb118.net/10OSHt3 The list of winners can be viewed here: http://goo.gl/P0TBa8 Fleet Chat Our next chat is scheduled for Sunday, 10 November 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 This upcoming Fleet Chat is a special one because the first hour will be “A look back at the history of Ops”. Everyone is invited, especially the former captains of Ops who would like to share with their special memories while being the Station's Commanding Officer. Our fleet chats are a space for all the members of the Starbase 118 group to meet each other, learn about fleet events, and talk about Star Trek. 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. Featured Bio Contest Congratulations to November 2013 Featured Bio winner, Lieutenant Commander Kaedyn Zehn: http://goo.gl/77mJm9 Nominations for Round 1 end Sunday, 1 December 2013. Submit your nominations here: http://goo.gl/jXepID Rules have been greatly simplified, so check them out. You'll find it much easier to submit a nomination! Writing Challenge The September/October Challenge is now officially over! Congratulations to Chris, the writer behind Sinda Essen and Jhen Thelev with her winning entry “Yesterday's Tomorrow”: http://goo.gl/yGEWQx as well as the Challenge's runner-up winner, Sarah, the writer behind Saveron, with her entry “Diplomatic Impunity” (or ‘The Tribble with Troubles’): http://goo.gl/DvfKLT Read all the judges’ individual feedback and feel free to offer your congratulations to the winning writers here: http://goo.gl/7vX0yr In the meantime, learn more about the theme, contest rules, and submit your story here: http://goo.gl/KKzCdJ Poll Of The Week A Time Of Myth And A Land Of Magic: http://goo.gl/SSxkrm PUBLICITY Get your FREE promotional flyer and post it in your community to help find new members! US: http://sb118.net/15Rg8D9 UK: http://sb118.net/16VBJyZ COMMUNITY NEWS Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read 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. Poll Of The Week: A Time Of Myth And A Land Of Magic: http://goo.gl/SSxkrm 2. In Pursuit, Warp 9: http://goo.gl/W1VbIe 3. New Academy Graduate: http://goo.gl/N28lPd 4. More Power To You! : http://goo.gl/l6hvw8 5. Dance, Takei, Dance! : http://goo.gl/dOwb2h 6. Top Picks: Baby, Baby! : http://goo.gl/U0XovB 7. Donation Thanks To Kael Thomas: http://goo.gl/Y6H3oi 8. Starbase 118 Interview - Tracey Townson: http://goo.gl/orRg5d 9. September Recruitment Stats: http://goo.gl/sQ5mSO 10. September Plot Summary For The USS Apollo: http://goo.gl/s6KJE2 11. SDC Spotlight: Xindi: http://goo.gl/eyLcp0 FULL TEXT ARTICLES ** Poll Of The Week: A Time Of Myth And A Land Of Magic ** Posted: Friday, 1 November 2013 This week, due to the pagan ritual where little children take over the streets and demand goodies from strangers while dressed as ghosts, goblins and superheroes, we will be thinking about dress-up! Last year, while serving on the USS Tiger-A (http://goo.gl/EPXsxG ), we had the opportunity to SIM on the holodeck the King Arthur lore. As such, my character was handed the role of Morgause, whom I endeavored to portray in the way the character was meant to be, by being taken over by an alien being who thought that what was happening in the holodeck to be real. As such, my character ultimately became Morgause and used the magics at her disposal and was conniving and underhanded. To me, I found this to be a lot of fun to write as I was able to portray my character in a unique way. And so, with the new ship in the fleet, the USS Excalibur (http://goo.gl/hMRha3 ), my thoughts have once again turned towards the “time of myth and a land of magic”. The Kingdom of Camelot is the focal-point for this halloween’s Poll of the Week. What character do you think your character(s) may best portray in this scenario? Would your character(s) be best suited to play King Arthur or one of the knights? What about King Arthur’s wife Guinevere? How about his father or mother Uther and Igraine? Merlin or the sorceresses who made appearances such as Morgana, Morgause and Nimue? Also, why? Why do you think this character would be best suited for your character(s) to play? Inquiring minds want to know. So head on down to the forums (http://goo.gl/cEW9pu ) let us know, for the future of a Kingdom may very well rest upon your shoulders. ** In Pursuit, Warp 9 ** Posted: Thursday, 31 October 2013 Star Trek wouldn’t be the same without the ability to warp. With a galaxy as vast as the Milky Way, it’s the only thing that would grant humans (and aliens) the ability to travel such long distances without taking decades or longer to reach far off places in the galaxy. Since Star Trek is merely a fictional series, it stands to reason that warp capabilities are also fictional – except, not quite. Einstein was a genius, and it’s likely very few will argue with that assessment. He was the one who came up with the Theory of Relativity. Within this theory is a loophole that might mean warp speed is actually possible. However, rather than the ship moving, it’s the space around it that moves! In the Star Trek universe, the opposite is true. Ships are powered with matter-antimatter engines that allow them to traverse the galaxy at phenomenal speeds. It was in this manner that Roddenberry used a work around to allow objects in space (the ships) to travel faster than light. When the matter and antimatter butted heads, so to speak, they created kinetic energy that propelled ships forward. Star Trek isn’t really the place to go if you want to get knee deep in real physics, but Physicist Miguel Alcubierre, who just so happens to be an avid Star Trek fan, theorizes that warp speed may be attainable after all: http://goo.gl/7YBlKI Rather than the physical ship moving, he questions what would happen if the space around the ship moved instead. Space move? Space doesn’t specifically have mass, yet it’s there and it’s flexible. After all, scientists believe that space is still expanding, so it can obviously move. Alcubierre speculates that by bending space around a vessel, having it contract in front while expanding in the back, the ship would be surrounded by a bubble. Within this bubble, the ship would never move, but the bubble would! Alcubierre has even gone so far as to form theories on warp drives. While all this scientific theorizing might sound crazy, it’s believable enough that even NASA has decided to look into it, although cautiously: http://goo.gl/fwhLkV Already Dr. Harold G. White has begun to put on various experiments to see if such theories can be proven. Richard Obousy, a supportor of White’s work, feels that more money should be spent on such experiments. Obousy is actually president of an organization that currently works on faster than light travel – Icarus Interstellar. It’s possible, they speculate, but NASA isn’t the only one who is cautious, so is Alcubierre. He warns that the bubble would protect the ship, but also gather particles. Once the ship stops, those particles would be released at high velocity and destroy anything in their path: http://goo.gl/aUOE2Z Yet that hasn’t deterred determined and daring doyens to take a crack at it. So what does this all mean? In a nutshell, warp capabilities may be less fictional and more possible than we ever imagined. ** New Academy Graduate ** Posted: Wednesday, 30 October 2013 Please welcome our newest Academy graduate to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet, Aidoann Laveaux: http://goo.gl/pU9FPw ** More Power To You! ** Posted: Wednesday, 30 October 2013 Fuels have taken various forms over the centuries. Wood and coal were used to fuel fires for warmth. Eventually coal created fuel for steam engines. Water has been used to turn wheels to grind grains. Cars run on gasoline or diesel. Some actually run on bio-diesel made from vegetable or animal fats. In recent years, sunlight has been harvested to provide energy. In the Star Trek Universe, however, other forms of fuel exist to propel the the starships through space. At first they were a fairly rare resource that de-crystalized with use, which meant they could only be used once. That is, until Scotty and Spock managed to figure out a way to re-crystalize them after a trek back in time all the way 1986. Now while we don’t have dilithium crystals in the real world, there is an energy source available that can produce long lasting and powerful energy – plutonium. While trace amounts of plutonium can be found in nature, it’s generally a byproduct of nuclear reactions and is used to make nuclear weapons. Yep, that means it’s radio-active, so best not to handle it. One type of plutonium was also used, by NASA of all people. That’s the energy source that Voyager 1 used, and still uses, to keep hurtling itself onward and outward. There’s just one problem – they’re running out. NASA reports that it currently has enough plutonium to last until the end of the decade. So why not make more? Arguing and political ignorance are the two main factors. What does this mean for NASA and the space program? Exploration of space may have to be put on hold, indefinitely. Learn more and offer your opinions on the article itself: http://goo.gl/3OqBJC Don’t forget that you have a say in space exploration policy! See things happen by educating yourself, contacting your government representatives, spreading the word via social media, or getting involved in groups offline. ** Dance, Takei, Dance! ** Posted: Tuesday, 29 October 2013 Every fan of Star Trek is familiar with Hikaru Sulu – George Takei in real life. The American actor (born of Japanese parents) has reprised the beloved character in every single Star Trek movie that featured characters from the original series. He has even guest starred in an episode of Voyager. Outside of film and television, Sulu is known for his philanthropic works, particularly with human rights and Japanese-American relations. He even has an Asteroid named after him. What many may not know, is that Takei is also an accomplished dancer. The world over sat in astonishment and delight as Takei filmed and shared is magnificently expressive ‘Happy Dance’: http://goo.gl/1r9pwn That isn’t the last of public dances, thankfully. Takei made an appearance at the Cincinnati Oktoberfest where he joined others on the stage and helped lead the chicken dance: http://goo.gl/TYTeui Fortunately, the act was caught on camera and now the world and future generations can watch the exquisitely executed dance over and over again. ** Top Picks: Baby, Baby! ** Posted: Tuesday, 29 October 2013 Fans of Star Trek have never had any qualms of showing their love for the series and its subsequent movies. We, as members of Starbase 118, show our love for the genre by roleplaying in the world created by Gene Roddenberry. Of course, our children will also grow up with the love for Star Trek, right? Of course they will! And every Trekkie is going to peruse and at the very least drool over the various offerings one can find on the Internet. There are more than you might think! Below are my ten favourite baby items for those of us with little bundles of joy. 10. USS Starship Enterprise Nursery Ceiling Mobile – Rainbow Colors: http://goo.gl/kdIVLS I’ve honestly never been a fan of mobiles. We co-slept with all three of my children (and still co-sleep with my one year old), so our crib didn’t get used much. Our first slept in hers for about six months and was too old for a mobile by the time we finally moved her to the crib. Our second went straight from our bed to a big boy bed with a railing – and it’s likely our third will do the same. This little decorative mobile however almost makes me want to put the crib up just so I can have it hanging above. Heck, who needs a crib? I might just get one anyway. 9. Star Trek Diaper Bag: http://goo.gl/TrvTdr If you’re going to have a baby, you’re definitely going to need a diaper bag. The truth of the matter is, you’re going to have to schlep about ten times the amount you currently do once that wee one enters the world. What better way to carry all that stuff than in a trendy Star Trek Diaper bag? Best of all, you get to show the world how cool of a parent you are. 8. Spock Hat: http://goo.gl/oRVjVN Babies need to stay warm, and it’s a fact that you lose a lot of heat through your head. Since many babies are bald (or nearly so) when born, it is especially important those wee heads are covered. This way, however, not only does your baby’s head stay warm, you can turn him or her into one of Star Trek’s most recognisable alien races – a Vulcan! It’s all about the pointy ears, man. 7. Wooden Ta’al Teether: http://goo.gl/aNkOKa Who doesn’t want to live long and prosper? Now you can bless your child every time they feel the need to gnaw on something – and save your knuckles in the process. Yes, that WILL be his/her favourite teether, until you get this one! 6. Star Trek Alphabet: http://goo.gl/GDGRs5 I’m probably one of the weirdest moms to have ever existed. I’m not really into mobiles and don’t make much use of cribs. I also never decorated a nursery because my room was the nursery. That being said, certain items have made me wish I were more of the traditional sort, and this is no exception. Star Trek inspired letters are a great addition to any Trekkie nursery. You can help teach your child to read from an early age – and to love Star Trek at the same time! 5. Star Trek Baby Shoes: http://goo.gl/qNA7lh I find it difficult to resist a baby’s feet. They are just so tiny and adorable. How can you not just want to kiss and tickle them? At the same time, like a baby’s head, they need to stay warm and these sweet Star Trek themed baby shoes will do the trick. Your baby can take his or her first steps toward the final frontier in Trekkie style! 4. Star Trek Cloth Diaper: http://goo.gl/kWLn2I Okay, so maybe you’re going to think I’m a hippie, but one of the things I try to do is use cloth diapers. Of course, just because it’s cloth doesn’t mean it can’t be cute! Add a couple of these diapers and you’ll want your baby to go without pants just to show them off. Unfortunately, she’s sold out right now, but I’m going to keep an eye on this one for sure! 3. Star Trek Light Up Feeding System: http://goo.gl/reMqe7 Think Geek has always been one of my favourite places to go for all things geeky. It has yet failed to amuse me, and this is no exception. Babies are going to eventually get past the whole ‘insert milk only’ stage and move on to solids. Well, Think Geek has just the thing for you – a bib and matching spoon of the Enterprise. Even better, they light up. Seriously, can it get any better than this? 2. Little Red Trekkie Uniform: http://goo.gl/HhQfKy Why yes. Yes it can. The Light up feeding system is really cool – and who can deny that the very fact it blinks makes it even more awesome. Still, at the same time, there’s something to be said for an item that can be worn on those cute little torsos. Now if you search the internet, or even just Etsy, there will be no shortage of Trekkie clothing for little ones. This particularly onesie, however, is just completely stylin’. I adore the way this one is designed and I’ve even emailed the person to see if they’ll make any in a size my infant son can wear (shhhh, don’t tell my hubby). 1. Star Trek Baby Carrier: http://goo.gl/g8ldXD For many, this may not be number one on their list, but it certainly is on mine. I’m a big proponent of babywearing. Not only do you get to keep the little bumpkin close, which the babies love, but you can also get something done. Besides, as parents, aren’t we captains of our own miniature crew? I wonder if I can convince my husband to let me get just one more carrier. So that’s Alora’s top ten list of Trekkie paraphanalia for babies. Next time, we’ll look at items geared toward our older children. Until then, DeVeau out! ** Donation Thanks To Kael Thomas ** Posted: Monday, 28 October 2013 Many thanks to Kael Thomas of the USS Vigilant, 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/cNvYGR ** Starbase 118 Interview - Tracey Townson ** Posted: Monday, 28 October 2013 Starbase 118 has been fortunate with the plethora of involvement from various people over the years. It is only through the time and effort of members that Starbase 118 has remained active and alive (and completely awesome in this newbie’s humble opinion) for almost two decades. One of the many people who contribute is none other than Tracey Townson who recently has taken the reigns to the weekly poll. Today, we have the distinct pleasure of learning a little more about her. How long have you been in SB118? Since 2000 or 2001, I can’t even recall anymore :O I was trained by Captain Y’Shirad and did my first tour of duty on-board the Hammond when Lt. Commander Brynn Wellesley was doing her Commander practical under Captain Allen O’Malley. The following mission, just after my arrival, we began a joint mission with the original Ranger under Commodore Kelly, and in those days, I had the chance to SIM with some amazing SIMmers who have left their mark on this group. What drew you to join? I have no idea. It was so long ago. All I could say is that I wasn’t much of a writer in those days. I was still in high school and tying to find my way in life. I loved to read and was introduced to Star Trek and became quite a fan. As such, I chose to to write as I figured that would be the closest I could get to creating a character in a universe I had learned about through both TV and books. Once in, I got hooked and tried to create a character that was believable and well-rounded. A character whom people could relate to, and whom had all the imperfections that a human would have. And a character who never stopped learning about herself, and especially now, the environment around her. How many characters have you had over the years? I actually have had two, or three if you count the new Tracey after her transporter accident upon arriving to the Resolution commanded by the then Commander Toni Turner. The original Tracey was by no means a prodigy. She barely made it through the Academy and that was only due to her piloting skills while at the Academy. As such, all her promotions thereafter came as a surprise to her, for she figured she would remain an Ensign through her career. Once being given the Phoenix-C to command, the old Tracey didn’t even trust her own judgment and silently wished a seasoned Commanding officer would take her place. The second character I created was a Psychiatrist who hated space flight and who would rather “take the train” to wherever she went. She was a quick-witted woman who only signed up for Starfleet due to a personal reason. She was assigned to the Duronis II embassy to her thanks. And for those of you who are aware, the present day Tracey. A character derived from a universe at war where she had been trained to fight since she was 15. She entered her version of the Academy only to save her own life for 4 years. In her universe, the Romulans were an ally, and she had spent time on Romulus and thus learned their language. She was a soldier, trained to kill Dominion forces, but upon arriving to this universe, the snapping of her link with her other-verse husband Commander Andrus Jaxx, all the different technologies and above all, peace, Tracey found it too much and spent two years at the Starfleet medical Psychological ward to just begin to realize she was here for good, and may never return, and try to come to terms with that. As such Tracey had begun to try to integrate into this universe’s Starfleet, for Starfleet was all she ever knew. And it is an ongoing process. Who was your favourite character you no longer play? My Psychiatrist Dr. Sylvie Larocque. I have tried to reintegrate her into SIMs now and again, but as sometimes characters take on a life of their own, I believe she is happy on the solid ground at Starfleet Medical on Earth. What’s your favourite thing about playing in the Star Trek Universe? Where you can take it. In my years of writing, I have found there are just so many directions one can go into and it will almost always be believable. Especially in the writing formats that we have. It is open to so many ideas and allows people to get their creativity going. I thank this group everyday, for I may not have been able to have the job I have today if not for what I learned to love to do from this group. Now writing has become a career for me. You’ve recently taken over the poll of the week – what made you decide to take this position? Polls…oh let me count the ways how I hate those things, for one aspect of my job is to go over these things and give overviews to people who only think that….well I’m not going to go any further. The Poll of the Week was not really my first choice, but when an opening happened I jumped at the chance. Not because I really liked it, but because it was a challenge. I wanted to make the Poll of the Week unique and different by not just creating random polls, but with something related to real life that can be placed in the Star Trek universe. Just as Gene Roddenberry had done, by sliding in real life present day situations into the Star Trek universe and creating a reasoning behind the questions. I am still leaning, but hopefully, in time, it will become easier. What aspirations do you have for your future in SB118? Perhaps one day make Captain. I came close to full Commander on a couple of occasions, but did not quite get through. However I would very much like to see Tracey make it to that pinnacle and then be able to mentor future Captains in this group. I love to teach, and believe I missed my calling in life in that regard. Nevertheless, whenever I run training classes in this group either as a CO, FO or in any other capacity, I always have a great time. So long as this group exists, I have this feeling I’ll be around in some way or another, for even after all these years, I am still intrigued by the community that has developed here. ** September Recruitment Stats ** Posted: Sunday, 27 October 2013 Each month, the Publicity Team (http://goo.gl/zzfjMn ) 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. **Note: The site was down for the biggest part of May, resulting in the lower numbers. Applications: http://goo.gl/sNnJt5 Academy Graduates: http://goo.gl/0xMyl9 Annual Application Source: http://goo.gl/m8cIUo **September Plot Summary For The USS Apollo ** Posted: Saturday, 26 October 2013 The crew of the USS Apollo, NCC-71669 managed to stumble across an Iconian Gateway on an empty planet. The senior staff took the opportunity to explore the other side of the gate before following the mandate to shut it down. As they emerged on the other side, it was not clear where the planet was located. But the inhabitants of the planet believe the crew of the Apollo to be their gods coming to collect their offering. Splitting up, the crew noticed that the level of technology the people of the planet Eridea should have, and what they did have were vastly different. They had advanced technology to help in growing crops, and quite a bit of mining technology. With the various teams looking at different aspects of life, it was discovered that the mines housed a natural occurrence of latinum and they were forced to mine it. Those some mines were filled with radiation and it was slowly killing off those that worked in the mine. The crew put a plan in place to cure the people of Eridea and shut down the mines once and for all. The only problem was that the gods were due to return before the crew could be complete in righting the atrocities on the planet. ** SDC Spotlight: Xindi ** Posted: Saturday, 26 October 2013 After a few long weeks, the SDC was finally able to compile all of the current information available about the Xindi. In the process, 6 complete and totally different species pages were created on our wiki for each of the 6 different sub-species of Xindi. There was a lot of data involved and it all had to be divided up and separated into 6 different collections of information. After all, this is the first and only known instance of 6 distinct species developing on a single planet in the Star Trek universe. In the process of working on this, a number of very interesting interviews and articles were discovered. These reflected the ideas and thoughts behind the creation of the Xindi. It was truly interesting to read how each species was developed and the changes that took place during their creation, from the original concept sketches to the final finished product. Now it is with pride that the SDC can announce that all 6 of the Xindi species wiki pages have been completed and approved. Also based on the historical fact (Enterprise TV show) that sometime in the future the Xindi will be members of the Federation and serve in Starfleet all 6 are considered permitted for player use. ----------------------------------- Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor Nov 9, 2013 Weekly Newsletter 2390.40 Raj Blueheart Happy weekend, Fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Fleet Chat Our next chat is scheduled for TOMORROW, Sunday, 10 November 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 This upcoming Fleet Chat is a special one because the first hour will be “A look back at the history of Ops”. Everyone is invited, especially the former captains of Ops who would like to share with their special memories while being the Station's Commanding Officer. Our fleet chats are a space for all the members of the Starbase 118 group to meet each other, learn about fleet events, and talk about Star Trek. 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. Top Sims Contest Nominations for Round 1 of Set 1 of 2014’s Top Sims Contest ends NEXT Sunday, 17 November 2013. Read the rules to submit a nomination: http://sb118.net/10OSHt3 The list of winners can be viewed here: http://goo.gl/V5Xw0i Featured Bio Contest Congratulations to November 2013 Featured Bio winner, Lieutenant Commander Kaedyn Zehn: http://goo.gl/77mJm9 Nominations for Round 1 end Sunday, 1 December 2013. Submit your nominations here: http://goo.gl/jXepID Rules have been greatly simplified, so check them out. You'll find it much easier to submit a nomination! Writing Challenge The September/October Challenge is now officially over! Congratulations to Chris, the writer behind Sinda Essen and Jhen Thelev with her winning entry “Yesterday's Tomorrow”: http://goo.gl/yGEWQx as well as the Challenge's runner-up winner, Sarah, the writer behind Saveron, with her entry “Diplomatic Impunity” (or ‘The Tribble with Troubles’): http://goo.gl/DvfKLT Read all the judges’ individual feedback and feel free to offer your congratulations to the winning writers here: http://goo.gl/ifwMz5 In the meantime, submit your story for the last challenge of 2013 with the theme “Treason & Plot” by 27 December 2013, here: http://goo.gl/2G2qF2 And now you can add the PDF version of those stories to your computer or mobile device and read them at your leisure! Our first compilation is available right here: http://goo.gl/BzJLgS Poll Of The Week The Baddest Of The Bad: http://goo.gl/iHx0v6 PUBLICITY Get your FREE promotional flyer and post it in your community to help find new members! US: http://sb118.net/15Rg8D9 UK: http://sb118.net/16VBJyZ COMMUNITY NEWS Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read 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. Poll Of The Week: The Baddest Of The Bad: http://goo.gl/iHx0v6 2. September & October Writing Challenge Results: http://goo.gl/Y9HfiJ 3. Forums Roundup: November 2013: http://goo.gl/Ck20QI 4. November 2013’s Featured Bio: Lt Cmdr Kaedyn Zehn: http://goo.gl/07rqWk 5. Our History, Our Times: The Aftermath Of The Hobus Supernova, Part VII: http://goo.gl/qJlUbo 6. Third Annual Halloween Avatar Contest Winners: http://goo.gl/83tDU9 7. New Academy Graduate: http://goo.gl/rRqTt1 8. November Fleetwide OOC Chat: http://goo.gl/bZDZBA 9. Forum Fanatics Required! : http://goo.gl/DqXAmk FULL TEXT ARTICLES ** Poll Of The Week: The Baddest Of The Bad ** Posted: Friday, 8 November 2013 Get out your party hats, or should I say protective helmets, because this week we will be looking at those characters who have played havoc on the various crews of Star Trek. No hero comes without a foe, and the various incarnations of Star Trek have had their fair share of foes. But this week we leave it up to you to decide who was the baddest of the bad. Who made the largest impact on both you as a watcher and to those who had faced either him or her? Who made you think to yourself, while watching, “wow, that’s some baddy”? As always, learning is fun. Especially when it comes to what makes for the most evil of the evils encountered in the galaxy. So head on down to the forums (http://goo.gl/3nMMMw ), and let us know who made you shake in your shoes when you first saw the evil (fill in the blank) and of course, why? ** September & October Writing Challenge Results ** Posted: Friday, 8 November 2013 Hearty congratulations to Chris, the writer behind Sinda Essen: He’s just won his sixth Writing Challenge! This unprecedented achievement spans several years, including two wins in 2013 alone. His story for this September & October round, “Yesterday’s Tomorrow,” (http://goo.gl/xWLPVd ) answered the Challenge’s theme of “What Will Come” with some clever twists and an alternate history that considered post-WWII Britain with 24th-century Federation technology. “Simply put, the InstaReplimaker is capable of producing anything you wish for, instantly!” Charles held up his hands to bring quiet to the sudden eruption of excited voices. “Now, I know that sounds far-fetched, but didn’t people say the same about the Teleconferencer? Or the Translator-tron? And look at them now! Haven’t we always excelled at providing tomorrow’s technology today?” Meanwhile, Sarah, the writer behind Saveron, achieved the runner-up position for this contest with her story “Diplomatic Impunity, or ‘The Tribble with Troubles.’” (http://goo.gl/v3rXry ) This cleverly-titled story takes a xenosociologist with a compulsion for fancy, purebred tribble to a new level, one that you’ll have to read for yourself to discover fully! Be sure to offer both writers your congratulations in the responses thread: http://goo.gl/ifwMz5 The next Challenge, the last of 2013, is already open: http://goo.gl/2G2qF2 In it, Chris asks you to consider “Treason & Plot” for this decidedly unorthodox holiday theme. But, hey, shouldn’t Guy Fawkes Day get its due, too? ** Forums Roundup: November 2013 ** Posted: Thursday, 7 November 2013 With October behind us, we’re steadily closing in on the end of the year. But just because the year is coming to a close doesn’t mean that there aren’t plenty of things to do and be involved with throughout the Starbase 118 Fleet. On the contrary, as the holidays and the end of the year approaches, there will be even more to get into, so be sure to head over to the forums and see what the latest happenings are today. Here are a few things to look forward to! How did your ship do in the Halloween Avatar Costume Contest? See the winners and say congrats in this thread: http://goo.gl/JoxQmF Don’t forget to vote in the final runoff round of the Top Sims contest this year. The voting ends December 3rd, so make your voice heard and help select the top sim of the year. All submissions from this day forward will count for the 2014 contest: http://goo.gl/cs5pdm Have questions about your duty post? Want to share your take on how to play your posting? Share information with officers from across the fleet in our special duty post forums: http://goo.gl/5gS97z And don’t forget your ships! There are always conversations going on about plots, relationships, or other news, as well as some forums based games that can help you get to know your crew even better: http://goo.gl/mJ4zNN Finally, if you have a few minutes to spare, there are tons of fleetwide activities that could use you today! Head on over here and see if there is something you might be interested in. With much to do, and most of it only taking a few minutes to accomplish, there is a way you can have a big impact on our fleet: http://goo.gl/dpYPY8 Remember, there’s plenty more where that came from. We’ll be seeing awards nominations and more soon, so keep your eyes on the forums and our news feed for more. Until next time, see you around the galaxy! ** November 2013’s Featured Bio: Lt Cmdr Kaedyn Zehn ** Posted: Wednesday, 6 November 2013 The eighth host of the Zehn symbiont, Kaedyn Zehn was born Kaedyn Tann on Trill to a Federation diplomatic attache and a Starfleet nursing officer. It was his mother Audzin, now captain of Starbase 235, who had the most influence on young Kaedyn, who followed in her footsteps to begin a career in nursing. Originally a shy introvert, Kaedyn’s life changed when as a lieutenant JG, he was called to serve as the next host for the Zehn symbiont after a runabout accident killed its previous host Jilenna, a Starfleet Marine. Unlike most Trill hosts who undergo a rigorous selection process and training program by the Symbiosis Commission, Kaedyn quickly had to adapt to his new joined life. With seven previous lifetimes of experiences, Kaedyn has since adopted some of the personality quirks and mannerisms of his predecessors, such as clasping his hands together at the fingertips as Dr. Calla Zehn, a clinical psychologist, once did. Kaedyn has also become more outgoing and confident, and his circle of friends expanded to many of his colleagues aboard the Resolution, StarBase 118, and now the Vigilant. Kaedyn had originally planned a career as a research nurse, but those plans changed after the joining gave him new ambitions. While stationed on StarBase 118, he shifted in assignment from nursing to intelligence due in part to the expertise of his previous hosts. He served with distinction, fighting against corruption within Black Tower and weeding out Klingon and Romulan spies aboard the starbase. His current assignment aboard the Vigilant has been no less eventful. Whether it’s been exposing the development of biological weapons or fighting against the threat of the Bluegill, Kaedyn has continued his dedication to saving lives, albeit with a new set of tools and skills beyond those of sickbay. Lt Cmdr Kaedyn Zehn’s Bio (http://goo.gl/7n5PYI ) 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/fQG3GQ ) or in its forum (http://goo.gl/OF1NFZ ). Round 1 is now open, so be sure to drop by and submit your own nominations! ** Our History, Our Times: The Aftermath Of The Hobus Supernova, Part VII ** Posted: Tuesday, 5 November 2013 This is the seventh 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 Klingon Invasion of Thracian Space. The Klingon Invasion of Thracian Space: General Ma’Tag, operating outside of the Klingon High Command, organized a fleet to invade and occupy the Thracian System. The USS Victory, USS Achilles, the USS Apollo, and the Thracian Irregular Fleet engaged with the Klingon fleet. Neither side would directly fire at each other. In the end, the Klingons blinked and set off an explosion outside of their warp bubble, creating a massive shockwave. “Far be it for me to judge the entirety of a race, but we’ve seen it before in Earth history and in the history of a hundred different worlds. There is always someone ready and willing to step in where a vacuum exists. In this case, the aftermath of the Hobus supernova presented a prime target to one who might take advantage of a bad situation. The fact that the Klingons don’t recognize the Thracian Alliance, and consider them Romulans as well, only helped to catch the fledgling Alliance in the middle of an already nasty situation.” – Captain Kalianna Nicholotti A new Federation protectorate is spread throughout the sector. Though the Klingons are not happy with the new protectorate, and still refuse to recognize the neutral zone alliance, they avoid further attacks in the area in order to maintain whatever strained relations they have with the Federation. “As for the Federation and our relations with the invaders, I personally am wary. For now, there exists a fragile peace, but with little word coming from either Romulan or Klingon space, I am concerned that by the time we hear of what is to happen next, it will be far more problematic than we’d imagine.” – Captain Kalianna Nicholotti On the Next “Our History, Our Times”: The Aftermath of the Hobus Supernova Part VIII – Prologue “Being in the middle of where all three powers meet, Romulan, Klingon, and Federation, it’s not hard to see the kind of dramatic impact the invasion had on everyone.” – Captain Kalianna Nicholotti ** Third Annual Halloween Avatar Contest Winners ** Posted: Monday, 4 November 2013 The results are in and the judges have spoken in the Third Annual Halloween Avatar Contest on the StarBase118 forums! More than half of our ships participated in the contest and averaged higher percent participation of their crews across the board over last year. Many thanks to FltCapt. Mar, who facilitated this year’s competition, and Chas Hammer of the Simming Encyclopedia (http://goo.gl/2bKF4X ) alongside Alex Solvay of Blue Dwarf (http://goo.gl/RhEilZ ) who both judged this year’s competition. There are two main components of the scoring: theme originality and image quality. Crew participation then factors in proportionally on the score. For theme originality, the USS Mercury came in first with the monstrous “Mercury Street,” followed by the Knights of the USS Excalibur. For image quality, the USS Excalibur took top billing, followed by the USS Apollo’s Nintendo characters. And now for our final scores. In second place, the USS Mercury with a score of 47.84/60! And our winner … simulated drum-roll, please … The crew of the USS Excalibur, with a score of 55/60! Many thanks to all that participated! The winning and second place crews will receive a forum badge in the coming days. ** New Academy Graduate ** Posted: Sunday, 3 November 2013 Please welcome our newest Academy graduate to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet, Jackson Kent: http://goo.gl/dars2V ** November Fleetwide OOC Chat ** Posted: Sunday, 3 November 2013 Mark your calendars for the next fleetwide chat, coming up on Sunday, November 10th at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 6pm GMT (UK) / 5am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). Always check your time zone for accuracy/DST if applicable! To participate, simply head to our online chat room, at: http://goo.gl/bE4f5O — if you have problems connecting, use the instructions listed below the chat box. Our fleetwide chats are a space for all the members of the StarBase 118 group to get together and talk in real time about everything that’s happening within the group. Come by and see what goings-on are happening off your ship! 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. ** Forum Fanatics Required! ** Posted: Saturday, 2 November 2013 Greetings to all of your fast-fingered forum fanatics! It’s time for you to heed the call to arms as UFOP: SB118 extends its reach to two of the most high profile active Star Trek forums on the internet – Star Trek and Star Trek Online! To keep our name where people can see it, we need to post material that will keep our threads near the top of the list. Doing that is an art, because we also don’t want to annoy people by spamming irrelevant things, or with the ever dreaded *bump*. Fortunately, every single one of us has the best possible resource: our characters! So how can you help? Well, it’s a lot easier than you may think. Once a week, you can head to our threads below and post your character’s “personal log” for the week. Not only will this keep our thread somewhere where it’s likely to be read, it will also allow people from the Star Trek and STO communities to see what it’s like to write with the UFOP: SB118 fleet – and quite frankly, how could they resist? You can find our Star Trek.com thread here http://goo.gl/5xccYa and our Star Trek Online thread here http://goo.gl/wjb1DN It’s also possible that we might get questions from forum users – if you see one that hasn’t been answered yet then feel free to answer if you’re able! Of course, if you’re interested in joining the publicity team to help promote the group in other ways as well then please mail Fleet Captain Diego Herrera and you’ll be added to the team quick as a flash! Thanks everyone – let’s get those personal logs pouring in! ----------------------------------- Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor Nov 10, 2013 Special fleet chat starts soon! ?A look back at the history of Ops? Ann Our next chat is scheduled for TODAY (Sunday, 10 November) at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 5pm GMT (UK) / 5am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). Always check your time zone for accuracy/DST if applicable! Join the chat here: http://www.starbase118.net/chat This Fleet Chat is special because the first hour will be “A look back at the history of Ops”. Everyone is invited, especially the former captains of Ops who would like to share their special memories while being the Station's Commanding Officer. ~Toni Fleet Captain Toni Turner Commanding Officer Embassy Duronis II - USS Thunder NCC - 70605-A Deputy Commandant UFOP SB118 Academy - Executive Council Member Nov 15, 2013 Weekly Newsletter 2390.41 Raj Blueheart Happy weekend, Fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Top Sims Contest Nominations for Round 1 of Set 1 of 2014’s Top Sims Contest end TOMORROW Sunday, 17 November 2013. Read the rules to submit a nomination: http://sb118.net/10OSHt3 The list of winners can be viewed here: http://goo.gl/V5Xw0i Featured Bio Contest Congratulations to November 2013 Featured Bio winner, Lieutenant Commander Kaedyn Zehn: http://goo.gl/77mJm9 Nominations for Round 1 end Sunday, 1 December 2013. Submit your nominations here: http://goo.gl/jXepID Rules have been greatly simplified, so check them out. You'll find it much easier to submit a nomination! Fleet Chat Our next chat is scheduled for Sunday, 8 December 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 Our fleet chats are a space for all the members of the Starbase 118 group to meet each other, learn about fleet events, and talk about Star Trek. 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. Writing Challenge The September/October Challenge is now officially over! Congratulations to Chris, the writer behind Sinda Essen and Jhen Thelev with her winning entry “Yesterday's Tomorrow”: http://goo.gl/yGEWQx as well as the Challenge's runner-up winner, Sarah, the writer behind Saveron, with her entry “Diplomatic Impunity” (or ‘The Tribble with Troubles’): http://goo.gl/DvfKLT Read all the judges’ individual feedback and feel free to offer your congratulations to the winning writers here: http://goo.gl/ifwMz5 In the meantime, submit your story for the last challenge of 2013 with the theme “Treason & Plot” by 27 December 2013, here: http://goo.gl/2G2qF2 And now you can add the PDF version of those stories to your computer or mobile device and read them at your leisure! Our first compilation is available right here: http://goo.gl/BzJLgS Poll Of The Week How Would They React? : http://goo.gl/Kvxglh PUBLICITY Get your FREE promotional flyer and post it in your community to help find new members! US: http://sb118.net/15Rg8D9 UK: http://sb118.net/16VBJyZ COMMUNITY NEWS Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read 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. Poll Of The Week: How Would They React? : http://goo.gl/Kvxglh 2. Post Totals For October 2013: http://goo.gl/ZYIXhR 3. October Plot Summary For The USS Discovery: http://goo.gl/7pNqhz 4. Tweets In Spaaaaaace…. : http://goo.gl/TFPTFU 5. New Academy Graduates: http://goo.gl/awcO6y 6. October Plot Summary For The USS Excalibur: http://goo.gl/ttiGyV 7. Stardate Now! – Kali Nicholotti: http://goo.gl/u5R07S FULL TEXT ARTICLES ** Poll Of The Week: How Would They React? ** Posted: Friday, 15 November 2013 Almost every week, our group receives an influx of new recruits onto our team of SIMmers. New SIMmers become new characters for which to interact with on various ships. These new characters that are developed from these new recruits, often have an idea what their character will look like. These portrayals often take the form of an actress, actor or model we all recognize. As such, many times, our writers request images of all sorts for their choices of actors, actresses and models to be placed into a StarFleet uniform through those who are savy with image manipulation at the image collective (http://goo.gl/Jm8ucY ) and their band of wonderful volunteers. Seeing as a lot of the characters portrayed in our group are those who fall under the actress, actor or model type, and have been a long standing tradition in order to portray those characters, this week’s Poll of the Week deals with this aspect. If you have chosen an actress, actor or model to portray your character, how do you think that model, actor or actress would react should they learn they were portrayed in such a way? Do you think they would be angry or upset? Happy or flattered? Has anyone ever received feedback from someone who has been chosen to portray your character? Seeing as there are no wrong answers to this question, head on to the forums and let us know what you think: http://goo.gl/mT51NS ** Post Totals For October 2013 ** Posted: Thursday, 14 November 2013 As part of the ongoing overview of the fleet as a whole, 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. The first of the charts 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. As the fleet settles into it’s new simming home on Google Groups, we can see an increase in the average for the month of October as people get properly acquainted with how things work on the new system. Average sims per month 2013: http://goo.gl/GWYhhC Post totals, October 2013: http://goo.gl/N3LySG ** October Plot Summary For The USS Discovery ** Posted: Wednesday, 13 November 2013 The away team encounters the formidable Dr Treng in her underground lair. An all-out battle between the away team and the former long-lost Starfleet officers erupts. In the thick of the confrontation, Counselor Rogg viciously attacks and kills Dr Treng with his bare hands, something the gentle and mild-mannered Dachlyd had never done before. When an opportune window in the atmospheric ionic interference emerges, the away team and the remaining crew of the Columbia are beamed back on board, just in the nick of time before Discovery declares the away team dead and leaves the Kjenta II system. With LtCmdr Eskyys as ACO of the Columbia, both ships begin their long journey home towards DS-285. But meanwhile on the starbase, CO of DS-285 Captain Victoria Samuelson has officially declared the Discovery and her crew missing in action. A memorial service is planned for them, to be led by Commander Rode Mitchell. Ensign Reni Svalasdottir, fresh out of the Academy but who unfortunately received her posting to the Discovery four weeks too late, is to assist Cmdr Mitchell. Intel officer Ensign Svalasdottir will also work with the commander as well as civilian Jenyys, LtCmdr Eskyys’ wife, in figuring out just what kind of technology the monks used to cause Discovery to vanish in that system. Tune in to find out what happens when Discovery shows up at her own funeral! ** Tweets In Spaaaaaace…. ** Posted: Tuesday, 12 November 2013 The furlough that occurred in October affected hundreds of thousands of employees. Some were directly employed by the federal government while others (including my husband) were contractors who also found themselves out of work for two weeks. However, while the world below bickered and bantered and dealt with a government shutdown, certain government employees were barely affected, including those who orbit above the earth. Mike Hopkins and Karen L. Nyberg (of stuffed dinosaur fame) had no choice but to continue in their orbit above our planet. Ensconsed as they were in the international Space Station, the two astronauts kept busy by taking photographs of Earth. Each photograph was tweeted along with a comment in regards to what it was they were photographing. Some beautiful and extraordinary pictures were captured in the process. While I doubt I’ll ever make it out to space, I have to admire the magnificence of our planet and am grateful to those who pass beyond the atmosphere and brave the unknown to capture such beauty. Head over to the Washington Post and admire the pictures for yourself: http://goo.gl/HkPXzP Perhaps it will help give perspective for your character and his or her experiences in the sim! ** New Academy Graduates ** Posted: Monday, 11 November 2013 Please welcome our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet – Jesse Wyatt, Hail Samford, Ta’lis Merek and Timmons West: http://goo.gl/U9Oy96 ** October Plot Summary For The USS Excalibur ** Posted: Monday, 11 November 2013 The situation looked dire, and extremely complex on Agurtha. The ship was forced to enter the upper atmosphere and shift to a polar orbit to avoid the impact of the energy waves coming from the gateway. . On the planet, the away team reached the gateway in time to see a massive pulse finally open the apparently damaged gate. Making things worse, a Tal’Shiar engineered explosion triggered at the Agurtha hospital wounded many. Needing to make sure everyone was safe, the Captain and FO pulled the crew off of Agurtha working to save the lives of those injured and take the ship far enough away to avoid more pulses. Moving out of orbit, the FO was called down to sickbay where his sister was lying unconscious, though unaffected by the plague. The doctors determined that the plague only affected Romulans, and that the hybrid nature of Luna Walker was sufficient to create a cure. At the same time, the FO realized that the Tal’Shiar had attacked his sister while following the letter of their agreement. Coming to a hard decision, he left sickbay only to encounter another surprise. The combination of the pulses from the gateway and the active transporters had pulled the sentient creature asleep in his head out into a real body. “Scott” was restrained and left as a distraction for the ships Intelligence and security to deal with. Commander Orman, after only a few minutes, realized the intent of Captain Walker’s actions, but didn’t realize he had modified ship’s sensors to hide his actions. As he left, a pre-created message spawned in the Captain’s ready room, sharing that Captain Walker’s family had been targeted by the Tal’Shiar for years, and by surrendering his commission, he would be able to protect them on Agurtha. The crew took the news badly, feeling betrayed by the news when Captain Nicholotti shared it. With the cure being distributed, and a new government being created due to their influence, the crew is ready to leave orbit. ** Stardate Now! – Kali Nicholotti ** Posted: Saturday, 9 November 2013 ::Stardate Now!’s music plays and the scene brightens to reveal not a man and a woman, but two women this time. The chairs have changed colour – one is now purple, the other green. Danica alights in the purple one while another woman in Starfleet uniform occupies the other.:: DANICA: Good evening, and welcome to Stardate Now! I’m your host Danica Galaxie. ::Lips painted neon pink stretch into a smile:: DANICA: To some it can seem like a man’s world, but for women like Kali Nicholotti, that’s never been able to stop her. ::She turns to her guest.:: Good evening and welcome to Stardate Now! NICHOLOTTI: ::Smiling and nodding.:: Thank you for having me. DANICA: It’s often the first question I ask my guests, but I find it an important and usually a very interesting one. What drew you to join Starfleet? NICHOLOTTI: Both my father and my grandfather were Starfleet Marines. I simply wanted to follow in their footsteps, though, ::Grinning slightly.:: they were less than happy with that decision. DANICA: Really? Now why is that? NICHOLOTTI: ::Shrugging.:: They didn’t want their little girl running around with the likes of them I suppose. DANICA: Immediately after your graduation, you were posted to the USS Resolution, but things didn’t go quite as planned. Can you tell us a little about what happened? NICHOLOTTI: ::Grin fading.:: On my first mission, we were tasked with helping a new warp capable civilization with a medical crisis. While on the planet, we ran into a Hirogen hunter who had targeted our First Officer. I was leading his Marine escort when the attack came, which resulted in a wound that took my heart. It was replaced with a mechanical one by our CMO, with help from the Captain at the time. DANICA: Despite all the trauma you experienced, you took the opportunity to better yourself. Would you please share with us that path you took and how you helped yourself heal? NICHOLOTTI: ::Eyes awash with memories.:: Though I tried, at first, to continue as if nothing had happened, eventually it all caught up with me. I then requested leave, returned to Earth, and went back to the Academy to become a doctor. The idea was that I might be able to help others when I did return to active duty. DANICA: You went from the Resolution, to the Eagle, to the Victory, to Starbase 118, and now to the USS Excalibur A. What prompted these various postings? NICHOLOTTI: ::Chuckling.:: Usually, Starfleet reassignments. Obviously, I left the Resolution when she was decommissioned and was reassigned to the Eagle. From there, I took my leave and returned to Earth. After I became a Doctor, I found out that a close friend would be taking the Victory out on a quick mission to rescue a flag officer, so I signed on to help. That mission turned into the commissioning of the Victory, which eventually was assigned to Starbase 118 Ops as the support vessel. Just recently, I’ve been assigned as the Commanding Officer to the brand new Excalibur, after serving Ops for almost two years. DANICA: Congratulations on your promotion! How has this new title changed your outlook? NICHOLOTTI: Every day changes my outlook. I’ve been in Starfleet for a long time, and I can say with some certainty that what you think you know is always subject to change based on what the Universe throws at you. DANICA: Do you have any regrets or things that you would have done differently? NICHOLOTTI: ::Shaking her head.:: Everything we do, everything we experience, and every choice we make comes together to make us who we are today. Sure, there are always some things we would have wanted to do differently, but then we would be different people. DANICA: What do you see in the future for the USS Excalibur? NICHOLOTTI: We’ve just embarked on what promises to be a long and fruitful adventure. With the new Quantum Slipstream Drive, we can go further and faster than we could before. It is my hope that we are able to reach out peacefully and make contact with new races and cultures, and build bridges along the way. DANICA: What about the future for Kali Nicholotti? NICHOLOTTI: ::Smiling.:: Ah, as for me, I will serve my crew to the best of my ability and enjoy the wild ride. DANICA: Thank you captain. Well, that’s all we have time for this evening. Please join us next time on Stardate Now! ----------------------------------- Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor Nov 18, 2013 2013 Awards nomination period now open FltAdml. Tristan Wolf Fellow Community Members, Each year, we hold an annual celebration of our simming accomplishments over the past year. This tradition goes back to the earliest days of our group, and is one that we've kept up faithfully. This year, our awards process begins today. Each of you now has the opportunity to nominate others -- members of your crew, your CO and FO, and other members from around the fleet that you've simmed with -- to receive an award. Award ceremonies will begin in mid-December for each ship, and our fleet ceremony will occur near the end of December. Head to the award nomination panel now to begin nominating: http://go.starbase118.net/awards-form **Nominations close promptly at 11:59pm Pacific Time on Sunday, December 8th.** Over the coming weeks, we will compile the nominations. Some will be reviewed by your Captains, others will be reviewed by a committee from around the fleet, and some will be reviewed by the Executive Council. The best nominations will be approved, and the nominated members will receive an award. Remember, these awards come from you! This is your chance to show your individual crewmates and friends that you value specific aspects of their contributions. If a ship has no (or few) award recipients, it's an indication that the crew didn't participate in the nomination process, so be sure to nominate at least one other member of your crew. You can find images and descriptions of each award on our wiki, at the following URL: http://go.starbase118.net/awards A few notes you'll want to know as you're submitting nominations: Duty Post, Special, and Staff awards are fleet-wide and only given out once per ceremony. For General awards, only one person per crew receives each. The awards area on the wiki also has a list of past award recipients, so you can see if someone has won an award previously. Keep in mind that a number of awards were created for the 2011 ceremony, so some awards will not have any past recipients at all. Finally, please keep in mind that your Commanding Officers do a lot of hard work in the background to help keep our community running. Although members of our Staff, they are not paid for their efforts and the vast amounts of time they devote to the group and your enjoyment. So, as you nominate your crewmates do also spare a thought to nominating your Captain for one of the Staff Awards! If you have questions about the awards, you're welcome to ask your CO or FO for help. Happy nominating! Nov 22, 2013 Vote now: Top Sims Contest run-off round FltAdml. Tristan Wolf It's the last run-off round of the year in the Top Sims Contest before our FINAL vote where we pick the Top Sim of the Year! Head to the forums now to read the six sims in this round, and then vote for the one that you believe represents our community's best writing: http://forums.starbase118.net/index.php?/topic/9306-run-off-round-4-vote-here-vote-now/ Polling closes at 11:59pm Eastern on Sunday, December 1st, so don't delay! Nov 22, 2013 Weekly Newsletter 2390.42 Raj Blueheart Happy weekend, Fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Top Sims Contest Runoff Round 4, the final runoff round for the year is now open for voting! Polling closes at 11:59pm Eastern NEXT Sunday, 1 December 2013. So, vote here and vote now! http://goo.gl/1x8wcv Meanwhile, nominations for Round 2 of Set 1 of 2014’s Top Sims Contest also end NEXT Sunday, 1 December 2013. Read the rules to submit a nomination: http://sb118.net/10OSHt3 The list of winners can be viewed here: http://goo.gl/V5Xw0i Featured Bio Contest Congratulations to November 2013 Featured Bio winner, Lieutenant Commander Kaedyn Zehn: http://goo.gl/77mJm9 Nominations for Round 1 end NEXT Sunday, 1 December 2013. Submit your nominations here: http://goo.gl/jXepID Rules have been greatly simplified, so check them out. You'll find it much easier to submit a nomination! Fleet Chat Our next chat is scheduled for Sunday, 8 December 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 This time around our chat will shine the spotlight on Holiday stories, wish lists circa 2390, and other things holiday related, like favorite meals/recipes, from the chatters – so don’t miss this special holiday-themed edition of the Fleetwide Chat! Our fleet chats are a space for all the members of the Starbase 118 group to meet each other, learn about fleet events, and talk about Star Trek. 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. Writing Challenge Congratulations to Chris, the writer behind Sinda Essen and Jhen Thelev with her winning entry “Yesterday's Tomorrow”: http://goo.gl/yGEWQx as well as the runner-up, Sarah, the writer behind Saveron, with her entry “Diplomatic Impunity” (or ‘The Tribble with Troubles’): http://goo.gl/DvfKLT , both winners of the September/October Writing Challenge. Read all the judges’ individual feedback and feel free to offer your congratulations to the winning writers here: http://goo.gl/ifwMz5 In the meantime, submit your story for the last challenge of 2013 with the theme “Treason & Plot” by 27 December 2013, here: http://goo.gl/2G2qF2 And now you can add the PDF version of those stories to your computer or mobile device and read them at your leisure! Our first compilation is available right here: http://goo.gl/BzJLgS Poll Of The Week Once A Year: http://goo.gl/vlQvui PUBLICITY Get your FREE promotional flyer and post it in your community to help find new members! US: http://sb118.net/15Rg8D9 UK: http://sb118.net/16VBJyZ COMMUNITY NEWS Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read 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. Poll Of The Week: Once A Year: http://goo.gl/vlQvui 2. October Plot Summary For The USS Avandar: http://goo.gl/2tnLQJ 3. Psst, Have You Heard? : http://goo.gl/xKsKgj 4. Featured Bio Contest Reminder: http://goo.gl/YISOGG 5. Stunning Spacey Saintpaulia: http://goo.gl/R22xuL 6. Promotions For October: http://goo.gl/a5wRUQ 7. October Plot Summary For The USS Mercury: http://goo.gl/CzXeA2 8. A New Way To Read: http://goo.gl/UqLvK2 9. October plot Summary For The USS Vigilant: http://goo.gl/PlxUDr FULL TEXT ARTICLES ** Poll Of The Week: Once A Year ** Posted: Friday, 22 November 2013 For me, this week is a special week. My birthday is coming up, and yes, I plan to celebrate. Each year all of us share this one special day annually, and so do the characters we have created. Many moons ago, when I first created my character, I had to choose a birth-date. Not being too inventive at the time, I wound up choosing the same birth-date as I, except for of course, the year. So this week’s poll of the week will be a simple yes/no poll. Does your character share the same birthday as you, the writer? If you have chosen a birthday for your character other than your own, is it representative of someone you know, or knew, or was it just random? Or was there another particular reason you you decided upon the date chosen as the birthday for your character? So head on down to the forums (http://goo.gl/gj5OH3 ), because as always, inquiring minds want to know. ** October Plot Summary For The USS Avandar ** Posted: Thursday, 21 November 2013 With a combination of luck, skill, and stubborn refusal to fail, the crew of the USS Avandar, NCC 80203, managed to successfully rig the Iconian components they had salvaged into something that worked – worked so well, in fact, that it hijacked the vessel’s main deflector to project a portal into space. Too big for the ship to pass through itself, not to mention the political consequences of a Starfleet ship popping out of nowhere over the Breen home-world, there was plenty of room for a team to take the Avandar’s Waverider shuttle through to snatch their stray colleagues home. Trading a possible diplomatic incident for the chance of armed conflict, Captain Vetri ordered the shuttle fitted with the Klingon cloaking device that had been tucked securely away on board since an earlier mission, a decision that proved it’s worth when the shuttle was able to retrieve the stranded Away Team from the Breen planet without – as far as anyone can tell so far – being positively identified as a Federation craft. With the team safely home and being cared for after their more eventful than planned deployment, the Gateway itself dismantled by ejection into space and a torpedo strike to prevent any possible misuse, the USS Avandar, retreated a short distance to make sure there are no residual effects of the portal’s creation before moving on. ** Psst, Have You Heard? ** Posted: Wednesday, 20 November 2013 Gossip is as old as human language. Wherever you have people gathered together and living in a confined space, whether it be as small as a tiny town or as large as a sprawling city, gossip is alive and well. Generally kept to smaller communities, the advent of the Internet and, along with it, social media, has given new venues for gossip to spread. It’s been used to document and reveal rumours about unknowns such as that new freshman in third period English, or to spread falsehoods about how Barack Obama is not really an American citizen. The origins of the word might surprise you. It actually finds its roots in the old English word ‘godsibb’, which meant ‘godparent’. In the mid 14th century, this meaning came to encompass any familiar acquaintance. That came about because during that time, when a woman was in labour, female friends would be invited. This turned a natural course of life into a social event for the women who were present. And when women are present, talk will ensue. By the mid sixteenth century, the word came to mean ‘engaging in in familiar or idle talk’ then transformed to mean ‘idle talk or rumour’. Generally when we think of gossip, we do think of rumours, bits of information, true or false, circling around about someone, something, or a group of people. Despite all the advances in societal positions of various racial and social groups in the Star Trek universe, it would be folly to think that gossip would be non-existent. With people group together in close quarters (some closer than others), inevitably stories about people and events circulate among the masses. Surely there are characters who would enjoy spreading tidbits about their coworkers, friends, and enemies. Even if you don’t have a character who enjoys that sort of past time, perhaps you think it would be fun for such information to spread around about your character, or even someone else’s. Well, thanks to Saveron’s player, we now have place to do just that. Whether it’s from your character’s point of view or you just want to throw up some fun little bites for others to run away with, head on over to the new IC News and Gossip Forum: http://goo.gl/X1Kizk It’s a great way to spread truths, lies, and have fun! ** Featured Bio Contest Reminder ** Posted: Wednesday, 20 November 2013 Please remember to nominate a character bio for round 1 of the Featured Bio Contest (http://goo.gl/k0M6NZ ) before it closes on Sunday, December 1, 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/eo50na ) to nominate a bio today. Stunning Spacey Saintpaulia ** Posted: Tuesday, 19 November 2013 Scientists have done various studies since the very beginning of the Space Program. Experiments that have dealt with everything from fundamental physics to climate have been conducted. Because the normal rules just don’t apply in space, results from these numerous studies can come out radically different than if they were performed on Earth. Some of these studies have involved plants. It was noted that when a particularly aromatic miniature rose was sent into space (http://goo.gl/SQ20lV ), it produced a lovely scent that was quite different from what it would have had it been on Earth. Roses are not the only plant to have visited the great beyond. My particular favourite species, the Saintpaulia (commonly known as the African Violet), has also made a trip. Optimara, a company that specialises in African Violet growth and hybridization, sent seeds out into Space in 1984 (http://goo.gl/0r1MHS ). The plan was to test the long-term effect that cosmic radiation and lack of gravity had on the seeds. Originally, the seeds were meant to stay in Space for a year. Unfortunately, a year turned into six as various delays disrupted plans. The seeds were finally retrieved in 1990 by the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia. So what happened? When the seeds were allowed to germinate, several characteristics that had not been previously seen in any violet varieties emerged. Leaves had more ruffled, scalloped, or curled edges and it wasn’t uncommon to find more than one flower per stem as opposed to the usual single bloom. The plants themselves grew thirty to fifty percent larger than traditional violet varieties and were found to be hardier and more durable as well. Perhaps the best thing about this experiment is that Optimara developed a line of Violets that were bred from these seeds. As families of varities are often given similar names, these plants can be found under the ‘Everfloris’ nomen. Often referred to as “Space Violets”, these varieties are available for purchase by any plant lover and come in a variety of hues. Various nurseries carry them, but they’re also available for purchase straight from Optimara. So if you want a piece of space, so to speak, head on over: http://goo.gl/94wJCl – and if you want to order one for me too, I’ll not complain! ** Promotions For October ** Posted: Tuesday, 19 November 2013 The staff of UFOP: StarBase 118 would like to take a moment and recognize the officers promoted in the month of October. Please be sure to congratulate these folks when you see them in the corridors of your vessel! Vigilant: • Kaedyn Zehn to Lieutenant Commander Mercury: • Alora DeVeau to Lieutenant, JG • Kotir Arith to Lieutenant, JG ** October Plot Summary For The USS Mercury ** Posted: Monday, 18 November 2013 Following the recall of Cmdr. Melitta Herodion, Dr. Saveron, with the assistance of Lt.(JG) Trel’lis and [PNPC] Cmdr. Ari Capronne turned from attending the auction announcement from Tol, the Ferengi owner of the Menthar Anchorage, to the monumental task of obtaining enough latinum to make a serious wager on the coordinates of the alleged Iconian gateway; and though an offer came by way of one Trayden Jora, the team was extremely apprehensive about taking the offer, as it came with a corollary: A message, from Jora, delivered to Lt. Cmdr. Isaac Bale. Meanwhile, on the Mercury, Lt. Cmdr. Bale was himself overseeing methods for searching for the gateway under acting-XO Lt. Cmdr. Roshanara Rahman. Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Breeman, recently arrived R&D specialist from the USS Excalibur, assisted in the modification of several probes to search, while Ensigns Alora DeVeau and Kotir Arith attempted to trace the ship that had discovered the gateway in the first place. On Deep Space 10, Captain Aron Kells attended his hearing into potential General Order 1 violations that occurred at 83 Leonis II. Examinations were limited to only a few individuals, including Kells’s XO and the Mercury’s acting CO, Cmdr. Harrison Ross, who appeared via hologram. At the same time that Ross, back aboard the Mercury, ordered the auction team to return when it became clear they would not raise the necessary funds, [PNPC] Lt. Cmdr. Damos, Starfleet’s JAG prosecutor, abruptly dropped the charges against Captain Kells moments before Shyn, the presiding judge, offered her verdict. Kells was left to return to his ship, now seeking the gateway, as he attempted to seek his own answers. ** A New Way To Read ** Posted: Sunday, 17 November 2013 Have you checked out the Writing Challenge forums lately: http://goo.gl/FnxcxS If so, you might have seen a new discussion (http://goo.gl/2TTLEH ) regarding downloadable compilations of each Writing Challenge. Beginning with the Challenge from September & October, all the Writing Challenge entries from a round will be made available for download in a PDF. The winner will receive a special write-up at the beginning of the document, and in subsequent rounds this will involve a quick interview regarding their thoughts and ideas when creating the story as an extra perk for winning the Challenge. Take a look at the first available compilation here: http://goo.gl/ophW7C … and once you have, be sure to let us know what you think in the forums: http://goo.gl/QiPlB4 ** October plot Summary For The USS Vigilant ** Posted: Saturday, 16 November 2013 At Starbase Deep Space Six, preparations had been underway for some time to install the USS Vigilant, NCC-75515 with a quantum slipstream drive as soon as she returned from her joint mission on Duronis II. The crew enjoyed time to recuperate aboard the station after their last gruelling mission while the last few kinks with the device were ironed out before it was delivered to the Vigilant’s slipstream control room. However, before the drive could leave its storage bay, a human terrorist force struck, staging a coup that resulted in the seizure of the slipstream drive, the execution of Deep Space Six’s senior staff and hostages being taken on the promenade, including Fleet Captain Diego Herrera and Commander Greir Reinard. With Lieutenant (j.g.) Richard Matthews being held by the terrorists’ leader at gunpoint, tense moments ensued as marine and security forces began to deploy to take control of the situation. Early attempts to act resulted in a broken arm for Matthews and a phaser wound for Marine Captain Irina Pavlova. Fleet Captain Herrera was shot in the guts before the terrorists were driven away. As the pieces of the puzzle unraveled, it became clear that things ran deeper. An attempt to gain control of station’s systems by Lieutenant Commander Kaedyn Zehn and his team turned up suspicion of Zalkonian involvement. As others reached the same conclusion, a wing of Zalkonian interceptors arrived ready and waiting to take the Vigilant’s slipstream drive for reverse engineering and integration into the Zalkonian fleet! ----------------------------------- Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor Nov 29, 2013 Weekly Newsletter 2390.43 Raj Blueheart Happy weekend, Fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Top Sims Contest Runoff Round 4, the final runoff round for the year is now open for voting! Polling closes at 11:59pm Eastern TOMORROW, Sunday, 1 December 2013. So, vote here and vote now! http://goo.gl/1x8wcv Meanwhile, nominations for Round 2 of Set 1 of 2014’s Top Sims Contest also end TOMORROW, Sunday, 1 December 2013! Read the rules to submit a nomination: http://sb118.net/10OSHt3 The list of winners can be viewed here: http://goo.gl/V5Xw0i Featured Bio Contest Congratulations to November 2013 Featured Bio winner, Lieutenant Commander Kaedyn Zehn: http://goo.gl/77mJm9 Nominations for Round 1 end TOMORROW, Sunday, 1 December 2013. Submit your nominations here: http://goo.gl/jXepID Rules have been greatly simplified, so check them out. You'll find it much easier to submit a nomination! Fleet Chat Our next chat is scheduled for NEXT Sunday, 8 December 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 This time around our chat will shine the spotlight on Holiday stories, wish lists circa 2390, and other things holiday related, like favorite meals/recipes, from the chatters – so don’t miss this special holiday-themed edition of the Fleetwide Chat! Our fleet chats are a space for all the members of the Starbase 118 group to meet each other, learn about fleet events, and talk about Star Trek. 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. Writing Challenge Congratulations to Chris, the writer behind Sinda Essen and Jhen Thelev with her winning entry “Yesterday's Tomorrow”: http://goo.gl/yGEWQx as well as the runner-up, Sarah, the writer behind Saveron, with her entry “Diplomatic Impunity” (or ‘The Tribble with Troubles’): http://goo.gl/DvfKLT , both winners of the September/October Writing Challenge. Read all the judges’ individual feedback and feel free to offer your congratulations to the winning writers here: http://goo.gl/ifwMz5 In the meantime, submit your story for the last challenge of 2013 with the theme “Treason & Plot” by 27 December 2013, here: http://goo.gl/2G2qF2 And now you can add the PDF version of those stories to your computer or mobile device and read them at your leisure! Our first compilation is available right here: http://goo.gl/BzJLgS Poll Of The Week Replicate This! : http://goo.gl/CYyIjg PUBLICITY Get your FREE promotional flyer and post it in your community to help find new members! US: http://sb118.net/15Rg8D9 UK: http://sb118.net/16VBJyZ COMMUNITY NEWS Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read 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. Poll Of The Week: Replicate This! : http://goo.gl/CYyIjg 2. A Glaring Movie: http://goo.gl/dvgoIF 3. October Plot Summary For Starbase 118 Ops: http://goo.gl/udMkjh 4. A Moment With Lt Commander Ben Livingston: http://goo.gl/aE3T8h 5. October Plot Summary For The Duronis II Embassy: http://goo.gl/j75jbD 6. Publicity Team Update! How Can You Help? : http://goo.gl/2E9oms 7. October Plot Summary For The USS Tiger: http://goo.gl/S7vvcw FULL TEXT ARTICLES ** Poll Of The Week: Replicate This! ** Posted: Friday, 29 November 2013 A few weeks ago, while surfing the internet, I came across an amazing invention. The invention I have come across is a 3D printer (http://goo.gl/QLkGed ). For those who are unaware of this, please click the link for more information. Why am I so excited about this device, you may ask? Well for me the reason is simple, as that it is one step closer to the probability of the invention of the replicator, one of the greatest Star Trek concepts ever to be conceived, despite its many in-episode drawbacks. So with the holiday season fast approaching, this week’s Poll of the Week deals with the hypothetical. Suppose a replicator was invented now, and you could purchase one at your local electronics retailer, putting aside that some elements are troublesome, or unable to be replicated, how much would you pay for such a device in your home? Would you even bother buying one? If you had a replicator at your disposal now, what would be the first thing you would replicate, and why? So head on down to the forums (http://goo.gl/zy3Pb0 ) and let us know what you would do if you had access to a replicator today, and how much you think such a machine would be worth to you. ** A Glaring Movie ** Posted: Thursday, 28 November 2013 Ah, the wonders of Photoshop. It and other programs like it (thank goodness for GIMP!) have heralded an age where the average layperson can do everything from turning a colour photograph to black and white to editing out unwanted captures (what is that dog doing with the fire hydrant in the background?) in an otherwise ‘perfect’ shot. Of course, additions, subtractions, and other special effects aren’t just limited to pictures. Hollywood has always made use of special effects, everything from time stop photography to computer programs – like Photoshop! The use of such additions has helped to wow audiences since its inception way back in 1856. That’s right, that was when Oscar Rejlander create the world’s first ‘trick photograph’. He achieved the effect by combining thirty sections of negatives into one. Special effects have come a long way since then, as evidenced by a simple screening of videos over the past thirty years – or even just the past ten. Star Trek, of course, always made use of special effects. After all, how else were they going to depict everything from explosions to an enormous ship exploring through space? Despite that, one of the latest Star Trek films included an abundance of a particular special effect known as the ‘lens flare’. JJ Abrams, who directed the first two ‘reboot’ movies, was obsessed with the use of this effect – to the point that it’s become a running joke and has spawned a drinking game. Abram’s use of the lens flare was so overwhelming that he issued an apology for the overuse of the effect: http://goo.gl/V5b32S I’m sure many fans appreciate the apology, but would prefer to have an apology for “Into Darkness” as a whole. ** October Plot Summary For Starbase 118 Ops ** Posted: Wednesday, 27 November 2013 Before the crew have even settled into their new roles on Starbase 118 Ops, a chilling new development threatens the base and the lives of everyone on board and within the vicinity. It begins with a not so delicate plumbing problem in Flight Control and leads into what seem to be simple temperature fluctuations, leaving some areas with sweltering heat and nearly smiling Vulcans ; while frigid temps in other sections of the base send Captain Rogers, Acting First Officer LCMD Atimen, and the rest of the crew scampering to replicate hot drinks and don winter parkas. Lieutenant Richards, sb118 Ops new ACSO, reveals the difficulties to be triggered by four ion storms, one from each quadrant of the galaxy. They are traveling at transwarp speed and heading straight for the starbase, targeting four fusion reactors. The storms also affect warp fields, preventing area ships from escaping. With energy from the storms already hitting the base and little more than an hour in which to prepare themselves, the base is set to yellow alert and emergency preparations begin. Destruction escalates on the station with gale force winds and an earthquake that rips apart parts of the promenade. Residents are evacuated to the interior of the base while the crew puts a plan in motion to rotate the base to absorb the storms’ force via maximum utilization of internal and external shielding. As the crew waits for word from ships closer to the storm front, the wary officers brace for impact. ** A Moment With Lt Commander Ben Livingston ** Posted: Tuesday, 26 November 2013 As the new First Officer aboard the USS Excalibur-A, Lt Commander Benjamin Livingston stands poised for a commanding role. But what brought him this far? What drives him? Learn that, and more, from the following interview by Newsies Reporter T’Mihn Ah’mihghan. T’MIHN:: Firstly I wish to congratulate you on your promotion as Excalibur’s Executive Officer. Just in case new members missed previous interviews with you, can you share how you came across Starbase 118? BEN: I happened upon Starbase 118 while trying to learn more about the StarTrek universe. I’d been aware of Star Trek ever since catching the final scenes of The Wrath of Khan on television as a child, but I never took the time to watch it until I was an adult. When I rediscovered the original series, I wanted to learn more about Star Trek, and I stumbled across Starbase 118 doing some google searches. I’d never encountered a simming community before, but once I learned what it was, it didn’t take much to convince me to sign up. (My thanks go out to the publicity team!) T’MIHN: That is true. Publicity Team snagged a great writer. What inspirations do you use to breathe life into your primary, secondary and other characters that new or experienced SIMmers can take home with them? Any particular books, or real life people? BEN: Much of Ben Livingston comes from my own experiences. For instance, Ben’s love of tea (and unwavering drive to design the perfect mug) is something we share. His background as a design engineer at a corporation is based on my own experiences. Even so, the source of much of my writing is external. When I catch something of interest in the news, I use my writing here as a way of dissecting the issue. The same goes for personal interactions. I love the idea of writing as a sounding board – or a thought experiment – by which we can better understand our own world. I owe a lot to books, as well. At the moment, I seem to draw on them mostly for style. I’m always interested in an author’s use of pacing, sentence structure, and voice to tell a story effectively. In writing conversation, what do authors choose to include, what do they omit, and what do they indirectly describe? When writing for side characters, I usually use them to serve either the plot or the character development of Ben or his shipmates. The occasional exception comes when I want to write something, but it doesn’t fit for Ben. T’MIHN: Those are excellent questions as oneself in relation to characters. Just a little bit of a sidestep into non Star Trek items. How do you juggle real life and the demands being an XO with its various in character and out of character responsibilities? BEN: Although I’m still getting situated as XO, I think that for me, work-sim-life balance starts with my wife. She’s not a simmer or a Trek fan, but open dialogue about what it is and why I enjoy it makes this a hobby that we both respect and that I can make the time for. It probably helps that she’s an English teacher, so she spends her days trying to get teenagers to write! The other thing is making this a commitment to myself. With a hobby, it’s easy to drop it in the face of a filling schedule, but I recognize that there are people on the other side waiting for responses. That’s a big motivation. T’MIHN: Balance at times can be difficult, but rewarding. How did you get to this point, from Ensign to XO? BEN: Ben started as an ensign in the Science department aboard Starbase 118. A role in Science didn’t fit perfectly with the character concept I had in mind, but it turned out to provide some good conflict and room for growth. Talking to my Commanding Officer facilitated a move to Engineering, which allowed me to develop Ben as an engineer. His specialty differed from the Chief Engineer’s, which made it easier to maintain a more realistic domain of knowledge and kept us from stepping on one another’s toes. I always tried to give a fair representation of what keeping a ship running might be like. By the time I was a Lieutenant, though, I was putting more time into exploring personal interactions and getting to know fellow officers IC than into sims about the actual engineering. I still love a good technical sim, though, and I hope to write one again before too long. I’ve also been able to participate in some of the other activities throughout the fleet. I strongly recommend trying the writing challenge, and I’ve also enjoyed helping out with the Academy. It’s a great way to help the fleet while getting the chance to hone my writing skills and the way I interact with other writers. T’MIHN: What makes Excalibur unique in your opinion? BEN: The personalities aboard Excalibur are what make it stand out to me. Every character (and I mean “character”!) – primary or otherwise – has a distinct personality. And while you can often predict a character’s general response, there are always little quirks you didn’t expect, just like in real life. The writers of Excalibur are all skilled in breathing life into their characters. The other part of Excalibur that I think is very special is that we all take time to develop our characters personal lives. Whether it’s shore leave or down time during a mission, the sims that show the personal time of characters is where I think our writing really shines. Those everyday moments can really give insight into who the character is and what makes them tick. T’MIHN: She is a very newly commissioned ship. Is it easier or harder to command a new ship verses an older one? BEN: As an engineer, I found old ships interesting – they’ve had the chance to acquire quirks, develop faulty subsystems, and generally need repair. However, I have found that being aboard a new ship is a wonderful opportunity to get creative. What new technology has Starfleet incorporated? How are the interfaces different? What bugs were missed during testing? Surprises still pop up, they’re just different than aboard an older ship. Both old and new have their perks – and I really enjoy being aboard Excalibur! T’MIHN: That is most important-enjoying yourself. What goals short or long range have you for Excalibur and her crew? BEN: In the short term, I think the most important thing is to keep putting out the high-quality sims that keep us all engaged. For myself, I’d like to get to know each of the writers (and characters) even better. For the longer term, I am developing some ideas, but the important thing is that Fleet Captain Nicholotti and I be working in the same direction and with the same expectations. So that discussion has to come first. T’MIHN: To top it off, have you any advice for new and veteran simmers? BEN: Something I’d like to take on as a challenge for myself – and encourage everyone to do, as well – is to step outside of the types of sims to which we are accustomed. Explore a new space. For instance, I’ve never written a sim from the perspective of minor PNPCs observing the events around them. I’ve seen this done very effectively, and I’d love to give it a try. Identifying something that we haven’t tried before can one of the most difficult parts, but I think it encourages continued growth as a writer. T’MIHN: That is the challenge of the hobby itself, challenging each other and yourself. Thank you Ben for your interview and the advice that I’m sure new and old simmers can utilize. I know I have learned something new this day. ** October Plot Summary For The Duronis II Embassy ** Posted: Monday, 25 November 2013 Time moves on for the crew of the USS Thunder NCC 70605-A. The mourning of Ambassador Tallis Rhul and the victory over the bluegills made it bittersweet. With approval of the construction of a new space dock in orbit of Til’ahn and the arrival of the Virtruvius’ mobile dockyard, the crew found themselves facing a brand new environment. The Vitruvius’ mission was to install a brand new slipstream drive to the USS Thunder-A giving her the chance to sail farther than she had ever gone before. Installation went according to plan with a quick work and prep for a shakedown cruise. It would not remain peaceful though for the drive malfunctioned and hurled the USS Thunder-A 30,000 light years at the edge of the Delta Quadrant. With the drive down, the mission to find a way home has begun. ** Publicity Team Update! How Can You Help? ** Posted: Sunday, 24 November 2013 Queues of eager cadets banging on access hatchways and docking ports and attempting to hijack transporter consoles to get themselves posted onto our group’s fleet of top quality ships… that’s the dream of the publicity team and we’re definitely attracting some attention from various different corners of the internet and real world as our ongoing campaigns continue to generate interest in the group. However – the golden rule with a publicity campaign is that you can never be enough in the public eye! We’ve recently expanded our regular monthly efforts to include the Star Trek.com and Star Trek Online forums, encouraging trek fans to come and join us by tempting them with mouth watering insights into the plots of our ships – which means that your character’s actions themselves could have a direct impact on hooking in a brand new cadet! Wouldn’t it be great if there was another way for you to help us raise our numbers and, in turn, create the opportunity to launch brand new ships, create promotion opportunities and help us build in popularity? Well… there is! For this month’s mission possible, the Publicity Team is asking you for a very simple task that should take you no more than 15 minutes to complete. All you need to do is put together a 300 word (min.) article on a subject relating to ANY of the following tasks: Star Trek, Sci-Fi, Science, Roleplaying, Writing. Pick something that you find interesting, such as how to write for your favourite duty post or alien species, a recent scientific development or a cool way you’ve discovered to help describe your character’s surroundings from their own perspective. You name it – as long as it relates to one of those topics, it’s fair game! Once you’re done, just email it to diegoherrera118@... and your job is done! As part of our network there are a few other Star Trek and roleplaying blogs that are always looking for short articles to post up, so if we have a bank of them then that helps us to create stronger links with those groups while also getting our name out there to advertise! If you’d like to join our team of intrepid volunteers then you can also mail the email address above – remember, we need you to keep making the magic happen! ** October Plot Summary For The USS Tiger ** Posted: Saturday, 23 November 2013 While Lieutenant Commander Wilde led an away team on an investigation of the nearby Iconian Gateway, the crew aboard the USS Tiger NCC 52199-A found themselves to be very busy. With the ship recently afloat from the bottom of the ocean, a mysterious computer virus began affecting various systems throughout the ship jeopardizing the ship’s stability. While the Engineering department began combating the virus, a rescue mission led by Lieutenant West set out to retrieve the away team. After an incident involving the Gateway, the away team found themselves in an alternate reality that resembled a wasteland version of Earth. After some investigating, the away team began to realize that their reality was askew and began an attempt to escape. Meanwhile, the rescue team discovered the away team and wasted no time in beaming them aboard the shuttlecraft. Once the away team was safely aboard the Tiger, Fleet Captain Sidney Riley ordered the Gateway and its surrounding complex to be destroyed. With the Gateway destroyed the crew of the USS Tiger NCC 52199-A set course for Deep Space 17 for refit and shore leave. While en route, a mysterious alien intruder was found in the Captain’s quarters, and the still unchecked computer virus continues to cause problems throughout the ship. ----------------------------------- Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor Nov 30, 2013 Top Sims Contest Run-off Round 4 closes TOMORROW FltAdml. Tristan Wolf Hey folks, With only 20 votes so far out of over 110 available, this is still anybody's round to win. If you haven't already done-so, head to the Top Sims Contest forum, check out the sims in contention, and vote by tomorrow (11:59pm Eastern on Sunday, December 1st) when the vote will close automatically. Here's the URL: http://forums.starbase118.net/index.php?/topic/9306-run-off-round-4-vote-here-vote-now/ Dec 2, 2013 2013 Awards and the Russ Bar FltAdml. Tristan Wolf Hi everyone, Thanks to the folks on the Vigilant who noticed that the Russ Bar was missing from the list of awards on the nomination form. This has been rectified, so if you were wanting to nominate someone for this award, you should proceed to the form and do so now. Just a reminder that nominations close promptly at 11:59pm Pacific Time on THIS Sunday, December 8th, so time is running out for nominations! Head to the award nomination panel now to nominate your fellow crew and ship command staff: http://go.starbase118.net/awards-form As always, feel free to email me at t.wolf@... if you have any questions or notice anything missing. Dec 7, 2013 Award Nominations Close Tomorrow -- Sunday, December 8 FltAdml. Tristan Wolf Final reminder: Nominations close promptly at 11:59pm Pacific Time TOMORROW (Sunday, December 8th). Head to the award nomination panel now to nominate your fellow crew and ship command staff: http://go.starbase118.net/awards-form As always, feel free to email me at t.wolf@... if you have any questions or notice anything missing. Dec 6, 2013 Weekly Newsletter 2390.44 Raj Blueheart Happy weekend, Fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Fleet Chat Our next chat is scheduled for TOMORROW, Sunday, 8 December 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 This time around our chat will shine the spotlight on Holiday stories, wish lists circa 2390, and other things holiday related, like favorite meals/recipes, from the chatters – so don’t miss this special holiday-themed edition of the Fleetwide Chat! Our fleet chats are a space for all the members of the Starbase 118 group to meet each other, learn about fleet events, and talk about Star Trek. 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. Top Sims Contest Nominations for Round 3 of Set 1 of 2014’s Top Sims Contest end Sunday, 15 December 2013. Read the rules to submit a nomination: http://sb118.net/10OSHt3 Meanwhile, don’t forget to vote for the Top Sim of 2013! Read all the sims before voting here: http://goo.gl/mEml3q Voting closes automatically at 23:59 Eastern Time on Sunday, December 29, 2013. The list of winners can be viewed here: http://goo.gl/V5Xw0i Writing Challenge Congratulations to Chris, the writer behind Sinda Essen and Jhen Thelev with her winning entry “Yesterday's Tomorrow”: http://goo.gl/yGEWQx as well as the runner-up, Sarah, the writer behind Saveron, with her entry “Diplomatic Impunity” (or ‘The Tribble with Troubles’): http://goo.gl/DvfKLT , both winners of the September/October Writing Challenge. Read all the judges’ individual feedback and feel free to offer your congratulations to the winning writers here: http://goo.gl/ifwMz5 In the meantime, submit your story for the last challenge of 2013 with the theme “Treason & Plot” by 27 December 2013, here: http://goo.gl/2G2qF2 And now you can add the PDF version of those stories to your computer or mobile device and read them at your leisure! Our first compilation is available right here: http://goo.gl/BzJLgS Featured Bio Contest Congratulations to December 2013 Featured Bio winner, Lieutenant James! http://goo.gl/r73C1Y Nominations for Round 2 end Wednesday, 1 January 2014. Submit your nominations here: http://goo.gl/jXepID Rules have been greatly simplified, so check them out. You'll find it much easier to submit a nomination! Poll Of The Week Would You… ? : http://goo.gl/Pw9ImK PUBLICITY Get your FREE promotional flyer and post it in your community to help find new members! US: http://sb118.net/15Rg8D9 UK: http://sb118.net/16VBJyZ COMMUNITY NEWS Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read 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. Poll Of The Week: Would You… ? : http://goo.gl/Pw9ImK 2. See No… Nudity? : http://goo.gl/OBthm5 3. December’s Featured Bio Winner! : http://goo.gl/SNEHyu 4. New Academy Graduates: http://goo.gl/X84pjF 5. Forums Roundup: December 2013: http://goo.gl/tWb1jA 6. November Plot Summary For The USS Discovery: http://goo.gl/b8jb3M 7. December Fleetwide OOC Chat: http://goo.gl/xfYiKr 8. October Plot Summary For The USS Apollo: http://goo.gl/YkUkiv FULL TEXT ARTICLES ** Poll Of The Week: Would You… ? ** Posted: Friday, 6 December 2013 I must say this week has not been the most exciting for me. Perhaps its the onset of winter’s full-blast where I live, or I’ve sub-consciously given my liver a rest from being out too many nights to visit my local watering-hole over the last few weeks. Whatever the case is, I’ve hermitized myself, except for of course, making a living by going to that always enjoyable place called work. As some of you may know, I work for the public sector, and have recently begun to work in front of the camera once in awhile. Before doing so, I am forced to look my camera best, and so, therefore a special type of makeup is applied before going on air, and this is applied after they wash off the regular makeup I wear to work on a daily basis. Not being the most outgoing girl in the world, I cringe inside when it is applied, for it makes me look odd in the real world. No matter where I go, while TV makeup is on my face, I get stares and strange comments anyplace away from the camera, such as the local coffeshop, or the restaurant where I have lunch with my friends from work. At the start, this was nerve racking, but with great support from my friends at work and special training, I am beginning to become more and more comfortable with it. Each time I go on the air, despite the nervous tension and butterflies in my stomach, I feel as if I am growing into this new role well and am beginning to come to enjoy it and have learned a great deal from the experience. As such, a couple of weeks ago, I was being prepared to give an interview, when the person applying my make-up gave me some pointers how to bring out different features of my face using different colors, in my daily routine. Since this group is mainly composed of men, I am certain most of you could care less about the story regarding mascara and/or blush application and color palettes, so therefore I’ll get to the point. I was informed that the choices I was making did not work well with my eye color. Until working with professionals I never considered my eye color to be a factor in make-up, but after doing some research on the subject, I learned it is very important and have begun to make minor changes to bring out my eyes more in my regular routine. While doing the research on eyes and make-up, I found it odd that I came across a Star Trek related website related to early special effects of TOS, and the episode “Where No Man Has Gone Before” in particular. At the time, the special effects were state of the art for a television show, but without today’s CGI, the actors and actresses had to, apparently, suffer discomfort. To make Gary Lockwood’s and Sally Kellerman’s eyes glow, they actually had to have them wear a special type of contact lens. According to Kirk1980 over at trekbbs.com (http://goo.gl/gCt8TE ), “they were scleral lenses which allowed the effects department to get a thin sheet of foil between the layers of the lens. A pinhole was poked in them to allow the actors to see. This had the knockon effect that Lockwood had to tilt his head up in order to see properly, giving him that sorta arrogant look. He wasn’t being dramatic, he just couldn’t see otherwise! They were also HIGHLY uncomfortable. Heat built up behind them, driving Lockwood crazy. Kellerman, though, never showed discomfort. Then again, she didn’t wear them as much, so who knows.” Whether the statement is true or not, I am quite certain changing eye color in those days for film was not as simple as it is today, and if the actors and actresses had to wear makeshift early 60′s contacts, it could not be an easy gig. So that brings us to this week’s Poll of the Week question. If you were a well-known actor like Gary Lockwood or Sally Kellerman at the time, would you have placed your eyes into potential danger for such a guest role? Especially if it was for a pilot of a television show that was not picked up by the networks the first time around? Why or why not? Head on down to the forums (http://goo.gl/0LOFH8 ) and let us know. We voyeurs wanna know the inner workings of your psyche. ** See No… Nudity? ** Posted: Thursday, 5 December 2013 Nudity is no stranger on the set of television and film. The first non-pornographic nude scene with a leading actor to ever take place in an American film is documented to have occurred in a film entitled ‘Inspiration’, which was released way back in 1915. The Hays Code, rules that limited nudity in films, was in place by this point but wasn’t enforced until about 1934, largely in part of complaints. It remained enforced – so strict that even cleavage was considered unacceptable – until the early sixties. Since that time, nudity in film and even television has become more and more commonplace. Even Star Trek, a largely benign series when it comes to flashing body parts, has had its share of nudity. Granted, such nudity has always been tastefully presented. Flashes of hips and cleavage with the occasional glimpse of ‘cheeks’ have been the extent bodily revelation – and most of that has been present in the newer versions of the show. Still, with all the exposure to nudity and partial nudity the average person has today, it is perhaps odd to hear complaints about a body being exposed. Except that’s exactly what has happened. In the newest Star Trek film – Star Trek: Into Darkness – Alice Eve, who portrays Dr. Carol Marcus, strips down to her underwear. Now such a scene might not cause a stir for most, it seems to have struck an unfavorable chord among critics. Eve herself goes on to say that it really wasn’t a big deal. She also goes on to explain her view as to why people had a problem with it – and why she actually thought it had an important role to play in regards to her character. Head on over to the short interview with Alice Eve: http://goo.gl/LRqNbZ ** December’s Featured Bio Winner! ** Posted: Wednesday, 4 December 2013 Lieutenant James is the assistant chief engineering officer on Starbase 118. His career started quite differently with him leaving the Academy with a major in engineering and a minor in communications and operations. He was disappointed that he was first posted to the USS Discovery C as a communications and ops officer when engineering is his main passion. During his time there he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade. He later transferred to the USS Drake to work as an engineering officer. After working there for a number of months and gaining experience he once again transferred to Starbase 118 to take up the position of assistant chief of engineering. Outside of work James is interested in reading and Terran history, particularly from the 20th century. He also likes computers and one of his hobbies is using and maintaining old computers. Somewhat of a night owl, James prefers to work on the Beta shift and his daily routine allows for several hours of watching TV shows, reading or conducting research before he goes to sleep, but not before he’s spent a few hours at his own personal workbench. He has a strong love of tea, usually drinking over 10 cups per day! Lieutenant James’s Bio (http://goo.gl/r73C1Y ) will be displayed on the wiki’s front page for the month of December. As always, you can find out more about the contest at its wiki page (http://goo.gl/jkSWhL ) or in its forum (http://goo.gl/3kD1Mo ) Round 2 is now open, so be sure to drop by and submit your own nominations! ** New Academy Graduates ** Posted: Tuesday, 3 December 2013 Please welcome our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Rocko Stevens, Suvi Ila, and Sch’n R’Var Sahriv! : http://goo.gl/9GPILX ** Forums Roundup: December 2013 ** Posted: Tuesday, 25 December 2013 Can you believe it’s already the end of the year? It seems to have flown by quite quickly, and we now find ourselves in the midst of holiday chaos once again. Of course, that means that there will be plenty going on here on the Starbase 118 Forums as well. From awards to runoff voting, and even a writing challenge, there’s a ton to get into in December! Here’s just a taste: Keep an eye on the Top Sims forum for the final runoff round poll of the year. The winner of this final poll will be our Top Sim of the year, winning a place in the Fleetwide awards ceremony as well as a new Forums Badge: http://goo.gl/2sWWAm The November/December writing challenge ends on December 27th! Get your entries in before that to be considered. Learn more here: http://goo.gl/1SvnLS With all ships who participated reporting their Summer Blockbuster missions complete, we want your feedback. What did you like about this year’s blockbuster and how it was set up? What can we do to improve it next year? Let us know, here: http://goo.gl/yLExM7 Don’t forget to visit your ship’s forum thread and visit with your crewmates from around the world. This is a great chance to learn something you might not have known about those you write with daily! : http://goo.gl/XQo2II And of course there will be more! Keep your eyes on the forums and feel free to jump in when you can. Beyond that, have a happy and safe holiday season, no matter where you are or what you celebrate! See you in 2014! ** November Plot Summary For The USS Discovery ** Posted: Monday, 2 December 2013 In the midst of the memorial service for the lost ship and crew, a battle-scarred Discovery and NX-class Columbia drop out of warp at DS-285, astonishing the gathered crowd of family and friends. The solemn ceremony turns into one of celebration as both the living and the deceased are honored. The crew look forward to shore leave and to spend time with their families, but unfortunately there will be no rest for them. Admiral Samuelson has reassigned the senior staff of the Discovery to the USS Odyssey, a massive futuristic prototype, to hunt down the USS Constitution which has been stolen by none other than Fleet Captain Hebron and Captain Nekkar, the former COs of Captain Waltas! To complicate matters, the Constitution was in the deadly Galaxy Dreadnought configuration when she was stolen, effectively making her a highly formidable warship. The crew ponder the reason behind the high-profile theft as they clandestinely board the Odyssey to begin their most harrowing mission yet! ** December Fleetwide OOC Chat ** Posted: Sunday, 1 December 2013 Mark your calendars for the next fleetwide chat, coming up on Sunday, December 8th at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern (US) / 6pm GMT (UK) / 5am Monday UTC+11 (AUS). Always check your time zone for accuracy/DST if applicable! To participate, simply head to our online chat room, at: http://bit.ly/fVGEmH — if you have problems connecting, use the instructions listed below the chat box. This time around our chat will shine the spotlight on Holiday stories, wish lists circa 2390, and other things holiday related, like favorite meals/recipes, from the chatters – so don’t miss this special holiday-themed edition of the Fleetwide Chat! Our fleetwide chats are a space for all the members of the StarBase 118 group to get together and talk in real time about everything that’s happening within the group. Come by and see what goings-on are happening off your ship! 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. ** October Plot Summary For The USS Apollo ** Posted: Saturday, 30 November 2013 The crew of the Apollo, having gotten to planet Eridea through the Iconian Gateway, decided to relieve the people of the responsibilities of the false gods before shutting down the gate, in a way that would leave the Eridean’s beliefs intact. A group of officers went to see the Mayor, to tell her that her people would only have to take care of themselves. Lieutenant Commander Laxyn went to the healer to teach her how to heal without the advanced tech they had been given by the fake gods. A group went to the mines to blow up the entry and prevent access to the radiated mines, but their errand ended up getting Lieutenant Commander T’Mar stuck in a cave in, buried under rubble. While that was happening, a fourth group went to talk to the Priest to explain that the offerings were going to cease so they his people could thrive. This caused the priest to become violent, attacking Lieutenant Pierce, and stealing his phaser. The cave-in provided the perfect place for the priest to stage a further attack on the Apollo crew, before he was subdued. ----------------------------------- Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor Dec 13, 2013 Weekly Newsletter 2390.45 Raj Blueheart Happy weekend, Fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Top Sims Contest Nominations for Round 3 of Set 1 of 2014’s Top Sims Contest end TOMORROW, Sunday, 15 December 2013. Read the rules to submit a nomination: http://sb118.net/10OSHt3 Meanwhile, don’t forget to vote for the Top Sim of 2013! Read all the sims before voting here: http://goo.gl/mEml3q Voting closes automatically at 23:59 Eastern Time on Sunday, December 29, 2013. The list of winners can be viewed here: http://goo.gl/V5Xw0i Writing Challenge Submit your story for the last challenge of 2013 with the theme “Treason & Plot” by 27 December 2013, here: http://goo.gl/2G2qF2 And now you can add the PDF version of those stories to your computer or mobile device and read them at your leisure! Our first compilation is available right here: http://goo.gl/BzJLgS Featured Bio Contest Congratulations to December 2013 Featured Bio winner, Lieutenant James! http://goo.gl/r73C1Y Nominations for Round 2 end Wednesday, 1 January 2014. Submit your nominations here: http://goo.gl/jXepID Rules have been greatly simplified, so check them out. You'll find it much easier to submit a nomination! Fleet Chat Our next chat is scheduled for Sunday, 12 January 2014 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 Our fleet chats are a space for all the members of the Starbase 118 group to meet each other, learn about fleet events, and talk about Star Trek. 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. Watch this space for another THEMED chat session announcement soon! Poll Of The Week He’s Dead Jim! : http://goo.gl/I4MXZM PUBLICITY Get your FREE promotional flyer and post it in your community to help find new members! US: http://sb118.net/15Rg8D9 UK: http://sb118.net/16VBJyZ COMMUNITY NEWS Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read 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. New Academy Graduates: http://goo.gl/psZJws 2. Poll Of The Week: He’s Dead Jim! : http://goo.gl/I4MXZM 3. November For The USS Apollo: http://goo.gl/HKLNGr 4. Episode 2390-6 Released! : http://goo.gl/R4mzSe 5. Say Goodbye To ISON: http://goo.gl/QwtVM2 6. New Academy Graduates: http://goo.gl/zxil3E 7. November For The USS Vigilant: http://goo.gl/8TNNxj 8. A Matter Of ‘Gravity’ – Movie Preview: http://goo.gl/5bpkYP 9. November For The USS Excalibur: http://goo.gl/CLoe1u FULL TEXT ARTICLES ** New Academy Graduates ** Posted: Friday, 13 December 2013 Please welcome our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: 14 Theron, Kyle Dracht, and Frank Logan! http://goo.gl/wuLE7M ** Poll Of The Week: He’s Dead Jim! ** Posted: Friday, 13 December 2013 All of us have had to go through academy training the become officers in our group. Whether it is a Fleet Captain down to the newly enlisted Ensign, we all went through the same process at one time or another. Once graduated from training, we were then posted to a ship based upon the answers provided to the Fleet Placement Questionnaire. This week we will pretend something a little different. What if you were to be posted aboard a Starship or installation from the cannon universe? Where do you think would be the most dangerous place to serve as a newly promoted Ensign? Basically, under whose command do you think you would have the highest chance of mortality? Who would be the Captain you would have the largest fear of dying while serving under? Once again, let us know what you think by heading on down to the forums: http://goo.gl/k2dnx1 ** November For The USS Apollo ** Posted: Thursday, 12 December 2013 The crew of the USS Apollo, NCC 71669, were on day 3 of their mission when the real ‘fake’ gods arrived. The “gods”, upset that there was lack of fanfare, and noticing that Starfleet was on the planet they setup as a cash cow, set a plan in action. Part one sent the mayor up to the camp with a highly dangerous touch based poison, without her knowledge. Part two set the village on fire. They planned on escaping during the chaos, however Fleet Captain Andrus Jaxx, and Lieutenant Marcus Raiden cornered them, forcing them to give up the antidote for their freedom. Lieutenant Commander T’Mar led a team to put out the fires, while Lieutenant Commander Jalana Laxyn started treating the mayor for the poison, and ended up infected. During this time, two others ended up infected as well, and forced Lieutenant Commander Sundassa Faranster to return to her role as doctor, briefly. After Jaxx let the “gods” go, Raiden went after them anyway, disobeying direct ordered, which resulted in his death by poison. The crew decided their help didn’t outweigh the harm they were doing, and packed up to go home. On the way back to the gate they were notified by a search team of the untimely death of their colleague. ** Episode 2390-6 Released! ** Posted: Wednesday, 11 December 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/9nXpx1 ) 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/FI9DBb ). You can download it from the menu on the left hand side! Keep your ears open for our next release! Feel free to subscribe to our YouTube channel for automatic updates. To join the Podcast Team, head to their Google Group page (http://goo.gl/OAzrw6 ) and apply for membership! ** Say Goodbye To ISON ** Posted: Wednesday, 11 December 2013 Have you heard of ISON? If you haven’t, perhaps you haven’t been keeping your eyes upon the stars. ISON is the name given to the comet to have most recently entered our inner solar system. It hails from our solar system’s Oort cloud, a vast mass of bodies that have come together to form…well, basically a big cloud at the edge of our solar system. It’s so far away (4.6 trillion miles, give or take), that passing stars can actually change the orbits of the objects within the cloud. ISON was one of these objects. ISON was discovered back in September of 2012 by the International Scientific Optical Network – hence the comets nickname, ‘ISON’ – a Russian observatory. While it’s discovery was fairly recent, it’s journey toward the sun has already lasted a million years or so according to scientists. But why get so worked up about a comet that’s actually smaller than most we come across? Well first of all, it’s orbit is almost a perfect parabola. What’s that? Basically, it’s almost a perfect U shape – which means that it’s most likely the first time it has ever come into the inner solar system. Not only does it have a near perfect parabolic orbit, it’s a sun-grazer. That means it is headed to the sun and is going to get less than 1.2 million km away as it passes by. While that looks like a big number, it’s really very close and means that the comet is exposed temperatures up to 2,700 degrees celsius – hotter than Vulcan! While I’ve been using present tense in reference to the comet, it’s possible that past tense may be more appropriate. Scientists aren’t sure if it has survived its close encounter with the sun. In fact, most thought it had disintegrated – until a smaller, dimmer object appeared on the other side of our bright star. Was it ISON? Did the comet survive? Even now, experts aren’t sure, though NASA has given up hope. Regardless, the comet captured the attention of astronomers around the globe. Unfortunately, while it had originally been speculated that ISON could be visible to the naked eye after it passed the sun, it seems that we will not have the opportunity. Don’t despair, however. Another comet, nicknamed Sliding Spring, is headed our way – and may possibly even toss some cookies over at our neighbor, Mars: http://goo.gl/G9r6Eu Keep your eyes to the skies! ** New Academy Graduates ** Posted: Wednesday, 11 December 2013 Please welcome our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Kyla Kirosa, Samuel Braddock, and Daniel Obrin! http://goo.gl/xq7RSR ** November For The USS Vigilant ** Posted: Tuesday, 10 December 2013 The Zalkonian attempt to commandeer Deep Space Six and steal the slipstream drive intended for the USS Vigilant, NCC-75515, lost momentum through a series of errors in planning and lack of contingency. The Zalkonians underestimated Starfleet’s resourcefulness and the crew of the USS Vigilant, regained control of the facility and prevented an attempt to flood areas of the station with a lethal biotoxin. In the aftermath of the attack, Fleet Captain Diego Herrera maintained regular contact with Starfleet Command in order to gauge the reaction of the Federation Council to what could be construed as a clear act of war. With the Zalkonian government denying all responsibility and placing the blame on what they introduced as a radical terrorist faction, suspicions about the reclusive power continues to mount. Following a period of extended rest and relaxation, the Vigilant set off to once again explore the Zeta Gelis region, engaging its quantum slipstream drive… Things in Ravensville are grim and bleak. Dr. Diego Herrera, Chief of Medicine, struggles to keep the hospital and mental health care centre, otherwise known as the asylum, afloat. Leo Handley-Page and his staff at the Plaza Caglia struggle to come to terms with the loss of Officer Eyas Wulfantine and members of the Ravensville PD have been involved in a high speed car chase as one of the townsfolk made a break for freedom at all costs. Meanwhile, Dr. Greir Reinard faces off with a mysterious patient who seems to be obsessed with a haunting melody… ** A Matter Of ‘Gravity’ – Movie Preview ** Posted: Monday, 9 December 2013 There is no shortage of movies centered around a plot that involves that final frontier. From fictional movies, such as Star Trek and Star Wars, to those inspired by real events, such as Apollo 13, Space has captured and encouraged the imagination. The opportunities presented by the wonders of space offer a whole realm of possibilities, endless amounts of which have yet to be explored. Gravity offers viewers an answer to one such possibility. The cast consists of only seven members with four of those merely providing voices while one of the three left is present in only a small part toward the beginning. Despite it’s lack of actors, however, ‘Gravity’ does not lack in entertainment. Viewers are originally greeted with an exquisite view of the Earth as one might see it if in orbit around the planet. At first, all is silent, but slowly voices cut through the stillness and gradually increase in volume. The audience discovers that a small team of astronauts are attempting to perform a specific mission involving technology developed by Dr. Ryan Stone. She’s trained as a mission specialist and it’s her first time in space – a fact augmented by the green around the gills reactions to certain movements as a result of the lack of gravity. She is accompanied by two other astronauts, one of whom is Matt Kowalski, commander of the mission – the final one of his career. During the installation process, the Russians decide to get rid of a defunct satellite by firing a missile at it. Unfortunately, doing so causes debris to launch into orbit around the Earth – and head right for the astronauts. The debris collides with the Explorer and Stone is flung out into space. Kowalski races after and retrieves her. With the rest of the crew dead and the Explorer rendered useless, the two have to trek across miles of space to the International Space Station – their only hope to return to Earth. They must do this while avoiding the debris which is moving so quickly that it orbits the earth every 90 minutes. The rest of the film documents their struggles, particularly that of Dr. Stone. We find out she had a daughter who died as a result of a head injury sustained after a fall. In a sense, it is this that drives most of the plot. Stone reveals that she was driving when she was told of her daughter’s death. In some ways, she hasn’t stopped driving since. She’s always moving, always on the go – as if trying to run away from the past, or perhaps somehow find it again, the way it was when things were still good. Two ‘big names’ of the film industry shine on the screen. George Clooney is amusing as a charismatic Matt Kowalski while Sandra Bullock’s Ryan Stone is superbly depicted as a woman still in mourning and unable to let go. Both actors have been applauded for their talent and they do not pull punches. Kowalski’s charm causes one to chuckle, while Stone’s pain is enough to bring tears to one’s eye. There are some issues with the film that some may find difficult to ignore. A trek from the position of the shuttle to the International Space Station would be nigh impossible in real life. At one point, when Ryan slips out of her space suit, she’s clad in only underwear and an undershirt. Astronauts will be quick to tell that thermals are worn, not underwear (though some also admitted they didn’t really mind). The International Space Station, Chinese Station, and Hubble Telescope would not be in sight of each other in reality. In addition, the debris orbited East to West, though most satellites orbit West to East. Despite these inaccuracies, however, Gravity is realistic enough to set one’s heart racing as the astronauts face incredible difficulties and have to make heart wrenching decisions. The special effects, while not perfect (Bullock’s hair doesn’t quite float in zero gravity as it would if in reality), are extremely well done. The sequence where Stone finds herself spinning head over heels is stomach turning at best, but allows the audience to get a realistic sense of what is happening. With its well executed special effects and exceptional acting, Gravity is a film that shouldn’t be missed and deserves to be recognised come award time. ** November For The USS Excalibur ** Posted: Saturday, 7 December 2013 Having accomplished their mission on Agurtha and provided a cure to be distributed by the Romulans, the crew of USS Excalibur left orbit and returned without incident to Starbase 118. As they left, the Romulans continued their work to rebuild the war torn and desperate planet. Gestures of good faith connected the civilian government, Romulan fleet, and Agurthan Tal’Shiar in the effort. Enroute, the crew became more familiar with “Scott”, the entity formerly residing within Benjamin Walker. Having decided that he does not pose a threat, the crew has begun to assist him in understanding his new environment. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Luna Walker awoke after being rescued from Agurtha; the medical staff has begun her rehabilitation. During their short leave aboard Starbase 118, the crew spent time on personal errands and recreation. Additionally, they organized an elaborate staff dinner to celebrate their successful return. With the preparations complete, the crew is ready to enjoy an evening of revelry before leaving on their next mission. ----------------------------------- Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor Dec 20, 2013 Weekly Newsletter 2390.46 Raj Blueheart Happy weekend, Fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Writing Challenge Submit your story for the last challenge of 2013 with the theme “Treason & Plot” by 27 December 2013, here: http://goo.gl/2G2qF2 And now you can add the PDF version of those stories to your computer or mobile device and read them at your leisure! Our first compilation is available right here: http://goo.gl/BzJLgS Top Sims Contest Nominations for Round 4 of Set 1 of 2014’s Top Sims Contest end NEXT Sunday, 29 December 2013. Read the rules to submit a nomination: http://sb118.net/10OSHt3 Meanwhile, don’t forget to vote for the Top Sim of 2013! Read all the sims before voting here: http://goo.gl/mEml3q Voting closes automatically at 23:59 Eastern Time NEXT Sunday, December 29, 2013. The list of winners can be viewed here: http://goo.gl/V5Xw0i Featured Bio Contest Nominations for Round 2 end Wednesday, 1 January 2014. Submit your nominations here: http://goo.gl/jXepID Rules have been greatly simplified, so check them out. You'll find it much easier to submit a nomination! Congratulations to December 2013 Featured Bio winner, Lieutenant James! http://goo.gl/r73C1Y Fleet Chat Our next chat is scheduled for Sunday, 12 January 2014 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 Our fleet chats are a space for all the members of the Starbase 118 group to meet each other, learn about fleet events, and talk about Star Trek. 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. Watch this space for another THEMED chat session announcement soon! Poll Of The Week Free Gadget For Everyone! http://goo.gl/IepxEC PUBLICITY Get your FREE promotional flyer and post it in your community to help find new members! US: http://sb118.net/15Rg8D9 UK: http://sb118.net/16VBJyZ COMMUNITY NEWS Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read 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. Poll Of The Week: Free Gadget For Everyone! http://goo.gl/IepxEC 2. Lower Decks: Lieutenant Commander Brek http://goo.gl/zlosC5 3. Featured Bio Contest Reminder http://goo.gl/qL5JyD 4. Stardate Now! – Lieutenant Dueld taJoot http://goo.gl/Y0Lcee 5. November For The USS Avandar http://goo.gl/K8rVHs 6. USS Vigilant Wins The 2013 Tournament Of Simulations http://goo.gl/pUVNcR 7. “Treason & Plot” Writing Challenge Nears Conclusion http://goo.gl/9qSc5O 8. November For The Duronis II Embassy http://goo.gl/QKLzMV FULL TEXT ARTICLES ** Poll Of The Week: Free Gadget For Everyone! ** Posted: Friday, 20 December 2013 It’s holiday season people. So that means shopping…shopping and more shopping. Now me, I love to shop. But not so much when the rest of the world has the same idea. What normally starts out as fun, this time of year quickly disintegrates into a stressful experience. As such, some of us will be getting gifts this time of year. And even if you do not celebrate the holidays, or if you are just not into the whole giving spirit, that’s cool too. Just try to pretend for this week’s Poll of the Week. Once again we will be looking at the hypothetical. This year I am in the giving mood and this year you can choose one gadget from the Star Trek universe to have as yours today. And only one. Which would you choose? Why? How would you use it? Is there another gadget from the Star Trek universe you would rather have that is not on this list? So head on down to the forums and choose your new free toy, for this offer comes to an end in 10…9…8…7..6…5 seconds. Hurry up! http://goo.gl/EVFRZq ** Lower Decks: Lieutenant Commander Brek ** Posted: Thursday, 19 December 2013 :: A deep pulse of bass music opens up with a graphic of turbolift flashes over the screen before the screen lights raise up to focus in on a Vulcan man seated in a chair with a pair of ceramic coffee mugs on a small table between his chair and the as of yet off screen occupied one. :: Sopek: Hello and Greetings. My name is Sopek and it is time to once more leave behind the center chair and big office and journey down the turbolift to The Lower Decks. Where we speak with the crew of the vessels and bases in Starfleet. ::He shifts slightly to meet the changing camera and waves a hand to the other chair.:: Tonight’s guest is Lieutenant Commander Brek. Commander Brek is the diplomatic officer for the USS Excalibur-A. Good Evening Commander. ::Brek, who until now had been sat on his chair with the flexibility of a statue, forced himself to put a crooked smile on his face. Why had he accepted to be interviewed? He had no idea. Probably a vague sense of duty. After all, Starfleet Academy was good at instilling that sort of sentiments to its recruits.:: Brek: Good evening Mister Sopek. It is a pleasure to be with you tonight. ::During his posting on Starbase 118, Brek had seen all sorts of journalists, but he had never met a Vulcan one. Perhaps this was the true reason why he had accepted to face the camera. The opportunity to speak to someone who wasn’t hewmon was bound to be refreshing.:: Sopek: So Commander, the logical place to start is with the beginning. What brought you to Starfleet? ::Brek looked at the camera as if to say ‘free meals, if I’m honest.’:: Brek: Well, like most Ferengis, I’m not really taken by the sense of adventure that Starfleet offers. What I saw in the Fleet was the opportunity to reconstruct my life. I had reached a point where none of my attempts to become successful had worked, so I needed to take a different, more drastic, approach to prosperity. Sopek: Most interesting Commander. And your choice to take the path of diplomacy? Brek: Well… I started out as a science cadet, but soon discovered that long hours spent in labs weren’t for me. I felt I’d fare better in a different department. One where I’d have the opportunity to meet a lot of people. That’s how I tried my hand at diplomacy. That’s also how I discovered that I have a genuine cultural interest for all the species that live in our galaxy. Sopek: How have you fared working on the Excalibur? Brek: The ship’s been launched recently, and has only gone through one mission, in Romulan space. It’s a radical change from the functions I used to have on Starbase 118, which was my previous posting. So, in a way I’m still adjusting myself to a life in space. It’s challenging, but rewarding too, and, Ferengi or not, that’s what counts. Sopek: It must give you some excitement to work in such a diplomatically active region. Brek: ::Smiling.:: The best part of being on the Excalibur is its Quantum Slipstream Drive. We are now able to travel so fast, that I truly have no idea where our next missions are going to take us. So far I’ve mainly specialized in Romulan politics, and I’d welcome the opportunity of meeting new species. It might seems strange to say so, but except for my handling of a few commercial contracts, I haven’t had too many encounters with species who live on far away planets. Sopek: And what of your family? Are they back on Ferenginar? Brek: As far as I know most of my relatives live on Ferenginar, yes. It’s difficult to tell, as I’m not close to them, but there is nothing strange in that. Ferengi families will sometimes part company, as every individual travels the galaxy to make their fortune. Sopek: And they are supportive of your choice? Brek: I don’t suppose they do. But I’d say that if we all only did what our relatives permitted, we would lead sheltered lives. I feel better with myself having followed my calling. Sopek: And it seems to be favoring you well being promoted to Lieutenant Commander. Brek: Those three pips… they are nice aren’t they? I owe them to the generosity of Starfleet, and my Captain, of course: Fleet Captain Nicholotti, that is. The thing is, and I’m saying this in case there are some Ferengi younglings listening to this interview: if you work hard enough, the Fleet will always rewards you. Sopek: What do you do in your free time? Brek: ::Smiling.:: I’m tempted to ask ‘what free time?’, but it wouldn’t give a just picture of what my life is like. I’m a bit of an art collector, so I buy and sell a lot of valuable items. I guess it’s not that I enjoy art for itself that much, but this activity keeps my Ferengi instincts alert, in a harmless way. Sopek: Do you have a favorite piece? Brek: Hmm… I never keep what I buy for long periods, since my aim is to turn a profit. But I tend to stick to Terran or Romulan art, especially old paintings or leather bound books. Ambassador Ventu possesses an amazing collection of those fascinating books. I guess that’s how I developed such a liking for them. Sopek: You seem to be doing[a] well in your chosen career path. Do you have any long term goals? Brek: Beyond having a long career within the Fleet, I would like see to Romulan Empire reinstated to its former glory. Diplomacy is making progress in that direction, but it’s a slow, arduous process. Sopek: Is it in your opinion then that a return to an established Romulan Empire will help stabilize the region? Brek: :With a little smile.:: This is a tricky question, one which has the potential to bring new enemies to my door. So I’d just say that, to me, the whole galaxy is the poorer without the Romulans to play their rightful part in it. Sopek: A most interesting thought Commander. Unfortunately our time is drawing to a close. Your mention of books earlier prompts me to ask, is there a quote from your favorite book you’d like to leave us with? Brek: Well, I’d lie if I said I’m that well-read. But as it happen, I do like to collect quotes. With them being free, it’s not a demanding occupation. So, let me see… I think I’ll conclude with wisdom of William Shakespeare: ‘Better three hours too soon than a minute too late’. Which pretty much sums up how diplomacy works.[b] Sopek: A most fitting quote. Thank you for your time Commander. ::Sopek shifts in his chair to face the recorder.:: Thank all of you as well. I am Sopek and this has been The Lower Decks. To Lieutenant Commander Brek and everyone watching might I say. ::He raised his hand in the traditional Vulcan salute.:: Long Life and Prosperity. ………………………… Brek is played by a French woman with an obsession not for Ferengis, but for the English language, which she will butcher happily in her posts. She likes all things British (well, not so much the food) and when rl gives her a bit of time, she can be found chasing insects (with a camera, and in summer), reading sf short stories, or books about writing, (which is quite an interesting way not to write). ** Featured Bio Contest Reminder ** Posted: Wednesday, 18 December 2013 Please remember to nominate a character bio for round 2 of the Featured Bio Contest (http://goo.gl/4S2c9H ) before it closes on Wednesday, January 1, 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 to nominate a bio today. http://goo.gl/pLLdhy ** Stardate Now! – Lieutenant Dueld taJoot ** Posted: Tuesday, 17 December 2013 ::Stardate Now!’s music is familiar as it plays just before the darkness fades. Colour splashes across the background and a pair of chairs – one purple, one red – add to the rainbow. Danica has taken up the violet while her outfit of neon green contrasts sharply with the furniture. A smile is plastered over her brilliant pink lips and her mouth parts as she speaks with her eyes pointed at the camera while eases in for a close up.:: DANICA: Good evening and welcome to Stardate Now! I’m your host, Danica Galaxie. This evening we have with us Lieutenant Dueld taJoot of the USS Vigilant. ::That is the cue for her to turn. The camera sharply changes angle so that both host and guest are seen. That broad smile remains fixed upon her expression and Danica folds her hands then leans forward upon the arm of her chair.:: DANICA: Good evening and welcome to Stardate Now!, Lieutenant. ::Dueld’s dark uniform, yellow collar, warm peach skin and bright silvery-lilac hair make him look custom-made to match the show’s vivid decor. He nods at Danica; a wary fraction of a smile lifts one corner of his mouth.:: DUELD: Ms. Galaxie. DANICA: Let’s start at the beginning, shall we? Tell us a little about your childhood. DUELD: ::blinking a little:: Really? Don’t you guys normally cover that stuff in, like, intro montages? Okay, well, hmm. My dad’s a hydroengineer, and there’s a lot of water on Cendo Prae– er, Catulla, the Federation calls it Catulla– that needs engineering. So we moved around a lot. My mom’s a jekker commentator– that’s a sport on Catulla. You can put a FedNet link about jekker in at this point, right? Anyway, my mom used to be a champion, so she’s kinda famous back home. She’d take us along sometimes when she was recording on site; I used to hang out with her techies. ::scrunches face in contemplation:: What else? I started surfing because it made things easier when we moved. You could look like you were hanging out with the beach crowd, but you didn’t really have to talk to anyone. My sister was a pain, my brother was a goof– can I say that? Actually, she’s still a pain, and he’s still a goof, but she rocks her job so I respect her, and… he might grow out of it, I guess? ::faint, doubtful frown:: DANICA: I see. I noted in your file that school didn’t always come easy to you. Is it true you failed the interview in order to gain a visa to Vulcan? Tell us about that. DUELD: ::sitting up a little straighter:: What? Seriously? Where does it say that? Who did you pay? ::slumping back slightly:: Ugh. Okay, so, languages: they’re vague and dumb, admit it. And don’t get me started on history. Seriously, you do not teach someone how to do something, like, say, living, by making them memorize all the ways everyone else has failed at it. ::waving the very concept of sentient studies away, and glancing up at the ceiling off-camera:: As for the Vulcan thing, my tech marks were good enough but ::pointing at his face and looking back down at Danica:: I kind of talk a lot, by Vulcan standards. Can you see this at the Science Academy? No? That’s what the visa admin said too. ::sighing:: I was super crushed. I had gotten all revved up to go somewhere, and now I wasn’t. School was done, so I just… took off. ::shrugs at Danica:: ::Eyebrows arch upward as Danica placidly regards the lieutenant, but she refrains from making any opinionated comments on his past. Instead, she forges onward.:: DANICA: Where were some of the places you visited and what are some of the jobs you did afterward? DUELD: ::laughing a little:: Oof. ::scratches nose:: Let’s see. I waited tables at a seafood shack in Kussitser, I taught windsurfing near Ostleuvsjil ::trace of pride::, I did municipal net maintenance in Lidlo… I ended up working in a furniture studio in Utyoyomsaeg. Historic motifs in neelkoms wood. I can still smell it. ::breathes deep in remembrance:: That’s how I got the job on the Joyous Hope. We had been working for months on some special commissioned pieces for the captain’s lounge. My boss, who was– is!– a totally cool person in every way– knew I was still moping about not getting off the planet, so when the purser’s assistant from the Hope came by to, like, approve the completed furniture, my boss totally talked me up to him as some kind of undiscovered genius. ::shaking his head at the memory:: ::spreading hands:: Two months later, I was heading out on a year-long cruise from Catulla all the way to Bajor. Okay, I was doing gamma shift as a replicator tech, but still, you know, I was on my way. ::pointing at Danica, as if she’s about to say something:: And I gotta say– the regular passengers on that ship disproved everything you have ever heard about tourists. They were so nice! Half of them would get up at, like, oh-five-hundred to do spirit katas– “working your soul back out into your fingertips”, one of them called it– and then they’d meditate on these little white mats. Like, an entire gymnasium of little white mats in concentric ovals. A lot of the guests were headed to this Federation-wide spiritual conference scheduled on Bajor around the time the ship would arrive. It was kind of a big deal, I guess, if you were into that. DANICA: That sounds like it was a very positive experience. Yet, your time on Bajor also inspired you. Could you give us some insight? ::Dueld’s eyes brighten.:: DUELD: Oh, loeg, Bajor is so cool. Like, Catulla is fantastic, but face it: until recently, the ocean pretty much washed away a quarter of our civilization every couple of centuries. On Bajor, they had literally thousands of years of this bedrock certainty that the Prophets were really out there, guiding them. And that shows in so many little ways, in every wrinkle of their culture. ::spreading his hands again, palms out, as if to fend off criticism:: Like, they weren’t perfect– d’jarra, Bajoran for snob ::rolling his eyes::– and it definitely hasn’t always been easy for them. But I still kind of envy them that belief. There’s so much they have to share about science and art and, just, like, living– and… And I guess that’s why I got into Starfleet, you know? I was wandering around, helping with the reconstruction they’re still doing in some places, and seeing what had been lost and what had survived, and… it just seemed like the only thing that could protect that legacy was Starfleet. DANICA: You didn’t do too badly at the Academy, am I right? DUELD: ::snorting a little:: I tested right out of the replicator and transporter course, I can tell you that. Just don’t ask me to tell you in Bajoran. DANICA: Actually, that was my next question. DUELD: ::earnestly:: No, seriously, don’t ask me. I am not allowed to speak Bajoran anywhere, I had to promise my instructor, he was this close to tears. ::holding up thumb and forefinger pinched together:: They sent me a notice afterward, it’s signed by a vedek and everything! DANICA: ::laughing:: Tell us about some of the missions you’ve participated with on the Vigilant? DUELD: ::blowing out his cheeks:: My very very very first day as a Starfleet officer, I am not kidding, Lt. Commander Leo Handley-Page had me running through a historic marketplace on Zakdorn, trying to dodge disruptor fire from Klingon agents. In the past year we have also, according to the Department of Temporal Investigations, I think, saved the galaxy from a chronospatial rift? But thanks to temporal mechanics none of us remember it. We made first contact with a species that was stuck in dome cities underwater (and kind of hating it, as far as I could tell.) Other stuff. It’s been kind of crazy. ::leaning in a little, toward Danica:: They always warn you, in the academy, that deep space exploration is like being trapped in a small house, for months at a time, with roommates you didn’t pick, and nothing to do but watch the emptiness outside go by. ::poking at his own chest, disgruntled:: I like that part. Can we have more of that part? We deserve a chance to get bored like the rest of Starfleet, that’s what I say. DANICA: I understand you’ve modified your PADD into something a little different. Tell us about that, how you came up with the idea and why you decided to implement it. DUELD: ::brightening:: Oh! Okay, seriously, I cannot be the only person who’s done this, because tricorders are actually designed for Borg, as far as I can tell– for users who get their data beamed directly into their head. There are ten square centimeters of display space on an average tricorder. Ten! What century is this? How are you supposed to get any reasonable grasp of your situation from that? “Sir, I’m reading a blotch, another blotch, and two squiggles.” ::lifting his hands in incredulity:: I mean, right? So I’ve been working for a while now on combining a PADD and a tricorder into a, well, a triPADD is what I’m calling it. Do you want to go to some holofootage here? I sent you some shots of my latest prototype, but I’m not a holographer so maybe they weren’t good enough, I dunno. Anyway, I moved most of the tricorder sensors out into a set of three detachable clips, which means I have either standard wide scan mode or I can take them off and set them around a specific location, for triangulation and precision scanning. The main unit holds a 30 cm display with flat and holo projection modes, the power unit, and the network slash satellite comm link, good to low atmospheric range, unboosted. ::a little shyly:: I’ve been working on a graphic interface, too, instead of the standard Fleet text labelling, using some traditional Catullan designs– thanks Zerry!– but that’s just for me. The main thing is that, so far, the science people I’ve been working with ::smile falling away to a sober expression:: have verified that this version meets or exceeds the precision and range of existing tricorders in laboratory use, at least. Field data is promising, but not yet conclusive, so I haven’t, like, submitted it for consideration to StarFleet as a whole. ::As Dueld speaks, pictures of the prototype in question flash on the screen and allow viewers some insight to the device beyond the oral description. The pictures snap back to the man and woman and Danicacontinues her interview.:: DANICA: Despite that earlier failure, it’s obvious that you’re a very intelligent and creative young man. Do you have any other ideas rumbling around just waiting to become reality? DUELD: ::scrubbing at the back of his neck with one hand, then lowering that hand hastily at a signal from someone off-screen:: Well, uh, I guess. Most engineers tinker, right? I mean, I’m in Ops, now, but I still work on stuff in my spare time. I have a small holotainment center in my quarters, sound and visuals only; I use it as a design studio. I ::blushing:: have some ship designs in progress, I’ve had them in mind for a while now, since I first heard about slipstream tech, actually. Um, and sometimes I daydream about what I’d change on Deep Space Six, if I had the time and the authority. There are a couple of sketches for some civic structures I’d like to see built back home someday…::shrugging at Danica:: Different things. DANICA: What do you most hope to accomplish as a member of Starfleet? DUELD: ::looking down at his feet and swallowing, then speaking more slowly:: It is my goal to expand my knowledge of ship systems and Federation socio-ergonomics, in order to see one of my ship designs commissioned and brought into service. Something the size of a Galaxy-class, or a Vesta, but more than just a, a structure, or a shell. I want foliage, and water, and light, and wide open spaces. And I want them for everyone, all the time, not just for however long their holodeck timeslots are. I think slipstream is really going to change how far we go and where our horizons are set, and we’ll need a new paradigm for that kind of life: not only a planet, not only a space station, not only a ship, but something new, something that has elements of all three, you know? ::passionately:: We’ve already done so much to make our ships into healthy living spaces, but I think we’ve barely scratched the surface. We can make our ships into places you come from, not just vessels to which you’re assigned, anthills you cram yourself into because that’s the price of seeing the galaxy. I want people to say they live on the Excalibur the way you might say you live in Paris, or you came from ShiKahr, or you’re going to retire to Jalanda City. Only I want Jalanda City to have been able to discover the wormhole, and go to the Gamma Quadrant to explore it, and fly back to compare notes with Paris about, I dunno, the Typhon expanse or something. And when something gets outmoded, we replace it! Cities don’t get decommissioned, they build and change and grow! ::coming to a halt, blinking:: Uh, okay, wow, that was a lot of words. Apparently I want to found a colony? Only I want the colony to be able to get up and move around. I guess when your first major space travel experience is aboard a giant luxury cruise ship, that makes an impact. Yoyodyne Propulsion, I salute your designers. And Joyous Hope, wherever you are, I miss you. Tell Jabelsy he still owes me tickets for the lightsail finals. ::Danica chuckles softly and nods.:: DANICA: It sounds like dreams worth pursuing. I look forward to seeing what you accomplish in the future. ::She turns away from her guest and back to the audience, her smile still plastered across her painted features.:: DANICA: And that’s all we have time for tonight. Keep an eye on this one, he’s going places. Until next time, I’m Danica Galaxie and you’ve been watching Stardate Now! ** November For The USS Avandar ** Posted: Monday, 16 December 2013 All crewmembers home safely, and the threat of an uncontrolled Iconian Gateway thoroughly neutralised, the USS Avandar NCC 80203 set a course for somewhere a little less unknown for a chance to take a breath and attend to a few matters that have arisen due to recent events. Whilst (temporarily) Lieutenant T’Lea is faced with the consequences of her actions concerning the Gateway, Doctor Malon has to do the same – though whilst T’Lea’s demotion has an end in sight, things are far less clear as to whether Malon’s telepathic abilities will recover at all from her efforts to control the Inconian technology. In the meantime, the newer members of the crew take the chance to begin settling in under more peaceful circumstances – a situation that does not, regrettably, prove long lasting. En route to it’s destination, the USS Avandar encounters something very much out of the ordinary, though investigating quite what it might be initially takes a back seat to the crew having to dealing with the ship being dumped violently out of warp with no warning. The culprit is soon identified as a biological space-dwelling entity of some kind that attaches itself to the warp core, drawing energy from it and leaving the ship’ systems unbalanced as a result. Quite what it is, what it’s doing, and what it’s reaction will be when something is done about it, are all questions the crew will have to face in the very near future… ** USS Vigilant Wins The 2013 Tournament Of Simulations ** Posted: Sunday, 15 December 2013 Every year, the folks over at Ongoing Worlds host a contest that calls on all online sims and RPGs to submit themselves to extensive judging in order to find the best games of the year. Each year, the awards can vary based on the chair, but one thing remains constant; the prestige that comes with winning one of these awards is no small thing. The simple fact is, players these days have a variety of options and choices when it comes to choosing the game they will join. The best games, inevitably, end up with the most players, and a reputation that lives on in the history of online gaming. This year, the USS Vigilant joins the ranks of those who can call themselves the best of the best. Winners of the Tournament of Simulation’s (http://goo.gl/RC0IZR ) ‘Best Star Trek Sim’ (having tied with the USS Victory of Independence Fleet), the Vigilant was deemed by the judges of the competition to embody the heart and soul of Trek while maintaining a high level of quality and creativity along the way. We all know and love the stories this member vessel of the Starbase 118 Fleet adds to our group’s history, but now they have a new, and bigger claim to fame that will forever show what an amazing group this really is. The Vigilant’s win marks the third year in a row that a ship of the 118 Fleet has brought home a Tournament win. The run began in 2011, when the Duronis II Embassy won ‘Most Creative Sim’, and continued in 2012 when Starbase 118 ops was awarded ‘Excellence in Prolificness’. With the Vigilant winning ‘Best Star Trek Sim’, we congratulate the crew and staff of our newest winner and look forward to bringing home another title in 2014. Congrats to everyone aboard the Vigilant for a job well done! ** “Treason & Plot” Writing Challenge Nears Conclusion ** Posted: Saturday, 14 December 2013 Did you know that the first UFOP:SB118 Writing Challenge took place over ten years ago? That’s right, the Writing Challenges are over a decade old! Though the regular contests didn’t occur regularly until 2005, the September/October 2003 contest was still unprecedented in the group’s history and went on to establish a long legacy. That first Challenge, with the apparently simple theme “Death,” was won by Idril Mar — then a lieutenant, now a fleet captain and a senior member of the Executive Council! — with her story “In the Service of the Emperor.” http://goo.gl/96s772 It’s appropriate that we turn to the past for a moment, as the current Challenge (the last of 2013!) asks you to consider “Treason & Plot” (http://goo.gl/psAOdY )as a theme, as inspired by Guy Fawkes Day and our last Challenge winner’s unique take on a holiday theme. Unfortunately, as of right now, there are no entries in the current Challenge! Can you help us turn that around? You’ll certainly have a better chance of winning with less competition, and remember, too, that the Writing Challenge is now being published to the site as a downloadable PDF document, and that the winner will get a special writeup and have his or her story featured first in that document! Please visit the Writing Challenge forum for more, and we look forward to seeing your entries! http://goo.gl/2Y5nYD ** November For The Duronis II Embassy ** Posted: Saturday, 14 December 2013 With Fleet Captain Toni Turner on self-imposed medical leave, she left Commander Alucard Vess and Lt. Commander Nugra in charge of taking the command chairs of the USS Thunder NCC-70605-A on a shake down cruise to test the newly installed Quantum Slipstream Drive. However, everything that could go wrong, did, and they over shot their destination leaving them stranded in an unknown part of space and the drive offline. Commander Vess decided that the best course of action would be to send a team over to the nearby Torus shaped space station. He also put together a second team to investigate a strange Klingon derelict ship found floating out by the station. With Major Hannibal Parker in charge of the derelict ship investigation and Lieutenant Commander Nugra handling first contact with the station’s inhabitants, everything seemed to be going according to plan. Instead of finding themselves in a simple situation, Nugra became entangled in a social upheaval and his team being split up by an unknown energy force, but Parker’s team found themselves stranded when the Klingon ship cloaked and vanished from sensors. Nothing ever goes according to plan. ----------------------------------- Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor Dec 22, 2013 Voting for the Top Sim of 2013 closes soon FltAdml. Tristan Wolf Just a reminder that voting for the Top Sim of 2013 closes at 11:59pm Eastern Time on Sunday, December 29. Vote here: http://go.starbase118.net/topsims2013 Only 26% of the fleet has voted so far, so the voting is still wide open – anyone could still win! There are just five sims to read and vote on, so be sure to take a few minutes this week to check out the sims in contention for our most prestigious simming prize, and then vote on your favorite at the link below: http://go.starbase118.net/topsims2013 Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that this year's winner will receive a prize, too :) Dec 26, 2013 Join the USS Darwin, our newest ship FltAdml. Tristan Wolf The USS Darwin is opening this week and is seeking crew members. Under the command of new commanding officer Commander Greir Reinard of the USS Vigilant, this Horizon-class ship is a completely new design never before played in our fleet, and will be running a variety of missions ranging from explorative, scientific, and cultural research projects in deep space or border territories to hazardous material transport. Act quickly to submit your transfer request if you’re wanting to join the new ship — we set positions on a first-come, first-served basis. Usually, the roster begins to fill up within 48 hours of our first announcement. To learn more about the Darwin check out the Darwin's new wiki page: http://go.starbase118.net/darwin Commander Reinard is also taking questions in the USS Darwin forum: http://forums.starbase118.net/index.php?/forum/485-uss-darwin-ncc-99312-a/ Ready to sign up? Your captain has already been brief about the Darwin, and all staff are in agreement that members of our fleet are welcomed and encouraged to request a transfer if they’d like a spot on the new ship. Use the link below to sign up now: http://www.starbase118.net/members/personnel/forms/join-the-uss-darwin/ Dec 27, 2013 Sneak peek at the Special and Duty Post award winners FltAdml. Tristan Wolf Friends, We hope you've had a wonderful holiday season. Hopefully the announcement of some General Awards on your ship have also brightened the end of the year for you! We plan to announce the Special, Duty Post, and Staff awards to the fleet next week, alongside the winner of the Top Sims contest. But you can get a special SNEAK PEEK of the winners to the Special and Duty Post awards by listening now to our newest podcast: Download - https://archive.org/details/UFOPStarBase118HolidayPodcastAndAward Listen - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF10vH1xSYw The Podcast Team releases a new podcast about once every month or so. You can always find the newest podcast link at the bottom of every page on our website at http://www.starbase118.net Dec 28, 2013 Weekly Newsletter 2390.47 Raj Blueheart Happy weekend and Happy Holidays, Fleetmates! FLEET EVENTS Top Sims Contest Nominations for Round 4 of Set 1 of 2014’s Top Sims Contest end TOMORROW, Sunday, 29 December 2013. Read the rules to submit a nomination: http://sb118.net/10OSHt3 Meanwhile, don’t forget to vote for the Top Sim of 2013! Read all the sims before voting here: http://goo.gl/mEml3q Voting closes automatically at 23:59 Eastern Time also TOMORROW, Sunday, December 29, 2013. The list of winners can be viewed here: http://goo.gl/V5Xw0i Featured Bio Contest Nominations for Round 2 end Wednesday, 1 January 2014. Submit your nominations here: http://goo.gl/jXepID Rules have been greatly simplified, so check them out. You'll find it much easier to submit a nomination! Congratulations to December 2013 Featured Bio winner, Lieutenant James! http://goo.gl/r73C1Y Fleet Chat Our next chat is scheduled for Sunday, 12 January 2014 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 Our fleet chats are a space for all the members of the Starbase 118 group to meet each other, learn about fleet events, and talk about Star Trek. 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. Watch this space for another THEMED chat session announcement soon! Writing Challenge The final challenge of the year has now officially closed and the judges have convened. The Writing Challenge team wishes to thank everyone who entered the contest! They hope to have a winner announced by New Year's Eve! Watch this space, folks! And now you can add the PDF version of those winning stories to your computer or mobile device and read them at your leisure! Our first compilation is available right here: http://goo.gl/BzJLgS Poll Of The Week Auld Lang Syne http://goo.gl/XcCq3F PUBLICITY Get your FREE promotional flyer and post it in your community to help find new members! US: http://sb118.net/15Rg8D9 UK: http://sb118.net/16VBJyZ COMMUNITY NEWS Community News team is working hard to bring us something new to read 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. Holiday Podcast & Awards Preview! http://goo.gl/lWBdQR 2. Post Totals For November 2013 http://goo.gl/FOPPYl 3. Auld Lang Syne http://goo.gl/ZGWnou 4. Join The USS Darwin http://goo.gl/vUNASb 5. New Academy Graduates http://goo.gl/9Tle6S 6. November For The USS Mercury http://goo.gl/aicbhH 7. Welcome To Ravensville http://goo.gl/60vMm1 8. November For Starbase 118 Ops http://goo.gl/nGkCnx 9. New Academy Graduate http://goo.gl/tXKp14 10. Voting For The Top Sim Of 2013 Closes Soon http://goo.gl/1M5K7M 11. Top Picks: Child’s Play http://goo.gl/D52ick 12. November For The USS Tiger http://goo.gl/dKAfVW FULL TEXT ARTICLES ** Holiday Podcast & Awards Preview! ** Posted: Friday, 27 December 2013 The Podcast Team has thrown together a holiday special! This awesome new addition includes 2 separate recording teams for a total of 10 hosts. This episode is full of reviews of the last year in our fleet, as well as Star Trek as a whole. They were also given permission to give a sneak peek at the Duty Post and Special Awards! To find them, you will have to listen to the entire podcast. When you have time, you can visit our YouTube channel (http://goo.gl/kXckaY ), or if you are on the go, you can download the podcast from Archive.org (http://goo.gl/aSfThS ). As always, the Podcast Team enjoyed bringing this special year-end edition to you. To lend your voice to the team, visit the Podcast Team area of the wiki! ** Post Totals For November 2013 ** Posted: Friday, 27 December 2013 As part of the ongoing overview of the fleet as a whole, 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. The first of the charts 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. Unfortunately a number of ships reported real-world issues that have afflicted their crews this month, taking quite a large toll on the number of sims produced by the fleet as a whole. Whilst sims were still flowing, they were doing so at a much lower than normal rate, as reflected by November’s fleet-wide average. ** Auld Lang Syne ** Posted: Friday, 27 December 2013 Each year we look to the next as hopefully being better and brighter than the last. We learn from our experiences as the years slip away and as as we learn, we grow and become more mature, more adept and hopefully, more wiser. In my personal life, I see the changing of the years to be a bridge to new experiences, hopes, fears, losses and loves. And as with all experiences, whether they be good or bad, each can be taken as a new form of growth. When I write for my character, I try to envision the same type of growth in her. Whether she’ll achieve her ultimate goals or not, is not so much the ideal when I write for her. Its how she deals with the situations she encounters in her missions that she participates in is what I strive to portray. I consider each one to be in fact a new learning experience for her, whether the outcome is good, or bad. And it is something I try to write into her story arc on a regular basis. As the year draws to a close, this week’s Poll of the Week will look both to the past and to the future, with an emphasis on your character or characters. As for the past, did you achieve all you planned to achieve with your character over the past year, or was there something that did not quite turn out? As for 2391, what are your plans for your character? Do you hope for that promotion, that award, or move into command? Do you plan to take up a new OOC activity, or just become more involved in the group in general? Or are you happy where you are and what you are doing and just wish to continue SIMming and enjoying your time with the group? For this poll I will allow multiple responses, so head over to the polls and click away at your answers and, please, add your own input. http://goo.gl/XcCq3F ** Join The USS Darwin ** Posted: Thursday, 26 December 2013 The USS Darwin is opening this week and is seeking crew members. Under the command of new commanding officer Commander Greir Reinard of the USS Vigilant, this Horizon-class ship is a completely new design never before played in our fleet, and will be running a variety of missions ranging from explorative, scientific, and cultural research projects in deep space or border territories to hazardous material transport. Act quickly to submit your transfer request if you’re wanting to join the new ship — we set positions on a first-come, first-served basis. Usually, the roster begins to fill up within 48 hours of our first announcement. To learn more about the Darwin, check out the Darwin‘s new wiki page: http://goo.gl/QNZnPB Commander Reinard is also taking questions in the USS Darwin forum: http://goo.gl/f9yCbs Ready to sign up? Your captain has already been brief about the Darwin, and all staff are in agreement that members of our fleet are welcomed and encouraged to request a transfer if they’d like a spot on the new ship. Click here to use the transfer form just for this vessel: http://goo.gl/buJyRW ** New Academy Graduates ** Posted: Thursday, 26 December 2013 Please welcome our newest Academy graduates to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Jack Corbin and Makoto Yamada! http://goo.gl/18DK7i ** November For The USS Mercury ** Posted: Wednesday, 25 December 2013 Following their efforts at the Menthar Anchorage, the Mercury’s crew relaxed in a holodeck scenario designed by acting CO Harrison Ross. However, they did not count on the return of Captain Kells, very recently returned from his trial on Deep Space 10. Kells called out Commander Ross and Lieutenant Commanders Rahman and Saveron and dressed them down for holding a celebration without finishing their mission and this — along with the the captain’s meetings with several others — sparked and then fueled rampant rumors of what may have happened during his trial. Meanwhile, Ross, Rahman, and Saveron were tasked with preparing the ship to follow up on the most promising lead they’d discovered at the Anchorage: the independent trader Treasure Sprite, which was thought to have information about the supposed Iconian gateway. And though the Mercury found the Treasure Sprite quickly, the away team led over by Ross found little information and only corpses; assistant CMO Kotir Arith removed one of these to the Mercury’s morgue for further study. However, under the leadership of Lt. Cmdr. Rahman, the ship’s historians, [PNPCs] Kvitova and Gupta determined a useful search criterion for the gateway; the crew soon tracked it to the second planet of the Nygel system. Once there, Commander Ross set out again with an away team — but this time, the Mercury has company: A Keldon-class Cardassian warship equipped with an experimental cloaking device. With one shot, the Cardassian ship disabled the Mercury and thereafter tractored it, threatening the crew with death if they didn’t provide details on the gateway…. ** Welcome To Ravensville ** Posted: Tuesday, 24 December 2013 In the shadow of the asylum, the grey, drab town of Ravensville languishes, its population of 4,000 living from day to day in a world bereft of colour and warmth. Those lucky enough to be working in the asylum rather than being confined to its cells struggle daily to balance the bills and workload of both its hospital and psychiatric wings. The run down ambulance has fallen once again into disrepair, but then given the crumbling paint, graffiti on the interior walls and general sorry state of the facility, that has become run of the mill. The moribund corridors are haunted by a melancholy tune played in a near constant loop by one of the most dangerous inmates, Joran Kellan. Increasingly, he has withdrawn from the outside world and communicates only by playing the ramshackle piano in the Festinger ward’s music therapy room… Those in pursuit of a shred of hope will likely find there is none; neither on the weed-choked forecourt of Kael’s Garage nor within the Plaza Caglia, the local excuse for a restaurant and bar. Rumour has it that the recent renovation of the local social hotspot (as the only establishment in the town that opens later than 6pm has come to be known) involved nothing more than the installation of several stolen televisions and a lick of cheap paint. Meanwhile, the police department has met with a rare thrill – a high speed chase between two of its officers and a town resident seemingly desperate to make it to the freeway. When it becomes glaringly apparent that the asylum is to be her next destination, the question must be asked: will this be the fate of all who dwell in Ravensville? Thrust into a brand new reality with parallel histories, no aliens and set in 2013, will the crew of the USS Vigilant unravel the mystery of Ravensville, or will this be the only future they will ever know… ** November For Starbase 118 Ops ** Posted: Monday, 23 December 2013 When the storms impact it proves impossible to prevent them penetrating and attaching to the fusion reactors that supply power to the bases systems. During the impact to everyone’s horror a column of flame penetrates Strategic Operations apparently incinerating Lt Sinda. This is only the beginning of a series of calamities and it soon becomes apparent that four elemental forces; Air, Water, Earth and Fire have taken up residence and chosen Avatars that are rapidly recruiting minions for a four way battle. Chan the elemental of Air has a penchant for animating corpses and raises a force of zombies. She is blasted out into space while recruiting in the morgue and subsequently engaged by a fighter wing lead by Lt Washburn. Cinder the Fire elemental delights in setting things alight and moves around the station in Lt Sinda’s body causing mischief. Shale the Earth elemental takes possession of a marine and is involved in an ongoing battle with 2nd Lt Merek , Cmdr Weston and the remainder of the marine squad. Brine the Water elemental encounters Cmdr’s Aitmen and Pandora and surprisingly agrees to assist with taking down Chan. Lt Richards , James and Ensign M’wash create a plan to sever the connection between the fusion generators and the avatars , thus reducing their power while herding them together at a location of the Captain’s choosing. Meanwhile Cmdr Daznia unwittingly comes into possession of an amulet which contains a fifth element and the key to controlling the other four elementals. ** New Academy Graduate ** Posted: Sunday, 22 December 2013 Please welcome our newest Academy graduate to the UFOP: StarBase 118 fleet: Udas! http://goo.gl/nP38mf ** Voting For The Top Sim Of 2013 Closes Soon ** Posted: Sunday, 22 December 2013 Just a reminder that voting for the Top Sim of 2013 closes at 11:59pm Eastern Time on Sunday, December 29. Vote here: http://goo.gl/B6NKH6 Only 26% of the fleet has voted so far, so the voting is still wide open – anyone could still win! There are just five sims to read and vote on, so be sure to take a few minutes this week to check out the sims in contention for our most prestigious simming prize, and then vote on your favorite at this link: http://goo.gl/B6NKH6 This year’s winner will receive a prize, too! ** Top Picks: Child’s Play ** Posted: Sunday, 22 December 2013 When last we left our Top Picks, we had explored my favourite choices for our Trekkie babies. Babies, however, get older and outgrow all those neat outfits, gadgets, and doodads. There’s a lot out there though for our older children, and many of the items are probably expected by fans of the franchise. However, while I have included a couple of more common items, I managed to find some neat ones that most might not realise exist. So, without further ado, Alora’s top picks for Trekkie items for kids. 10. Star Trek Watch: http://goo.gl/Th7rv1 It’s important to tell the time and with the digital age, face and hand clocks are not as common as they once were. Now you can not only encourage your child to impress your friends because they know how to read a face and hand clock, but you can give them this to practise. Even better, it’s Trekkie! The batteries are a bit of a pain to change, but it’s worth it to have the Enterprise constantly on your little one’s wrist! 9. Star Trek XBOX 360 Charge Dock: http://goo.gl/MO526y I’m sure most of us must realise that there are Star Trek video games, especially based on the newer movies. Now your kids’ controllers can charge thanks to the Star Trek XBOX 30 Charge Dock. I wonder if using this might give a boost in the game. Hmmm. 8. Star Trek Cookie Cutters: http://goo.gl/bzUeak Ah, Think Geek. If I ever need something geeky, this is one of the first places I check. It never fails to please! In this case, they have a neat set of cookie cutters just perfect for making sweet snacks to gnosh on – and what child can resist cookies? 7. Star Trek Bath Set: http://goo.gl/YgTLQx I had difficulty with this one. This is one of those items that can transcend age. However, I think kids would find this particularly cool – and if you have a child who doesn’t like to bathe, this might help him change his mind! 6. Star Trek Communicator: http://goo.gl/aH3VnL These little devices are imperative to any Star Trek crew. In the original series, the ship couldn’t locate and beam up anyone without one. These little babies were also important to keep in touch with the ship and other crew members when on an away mission. Now your child can have his or her own and run around yelling, ‘Beam me up Scotty’ to their heart’s content! 5. Enterprise Lego Set: http://goo.gl/js7sQG Legos have been around for years and they just keep getting more and more intricate. Now you can build your own Enterprise using legos! Who needs dilithium crystals when you have plastic? Note: That seller, they also have a Klignon Bird of Prey lego set. Score! 4. Star Trek Wall Decals: http://goo.gl/rc8RVd Now while I’ve never been one to get into decorating a baby nursery, I have to admit I’m more inclined to decorate my chidlren’s rooms. I’ve had plans in my brain for a while, but wall decals like this are pretty cool – and a lot less work than paint! 3. Star Trek Lunch Box: http://goo.gl/7QamoA While I homeschool, many children go to school outside the home. Even homeschoolers, though, need to take their lunch on the go from time to time. What better way to do this than with a Star Trek lunch box? Tin lunch boxes were all the rage back in the day and they’re still pretty darn cool. This is definitely the best way to go retro. 2. Star Trek Amigurumi: http://goo.gl/HE9nA5 Another place I often check for geeky goodness is Etsy. That’s where I found these little beauties. While Spock plushies is the one I linked to, you can find other characters as well. Amigurumi is a Japanese word that describes the type of creations made when knitting or crocheting. Usually these creations are of animals or other cute stuffed anthropomorphic creatures (and sometimes plants and things!). In this case, they just happen to be of some beloved Star Trek characters! 1. Star Trek Interactive Tribbles: http://goo.gl/vk1j5A Even those who aren’t Trekkies but have some passing knowledge of Star Trek have heard of tribbles. They’re probably one of the most beloved alien species next to Vulcans – and certainly the most popular alien pet. Now your child can have his or her own tribble, complete with tribbly sounds. What better way to curl up for the night than with a tribble? So that’s it for this edition of Top Picks. Tune in next time when we explore Alora’s top picks for Him. ** November For The USS Tiger ** Posted: Saturday, 21 December 2013 The crew of the USS Tiger-A has been enjoying leave on the ship during their return journey to Deep Space 17. Crew members have been exploring the ship and getting to know each other during the long trip. A holodeck program about the Three Musketeers has been a crew favorite while the engineers have been hard at work trying to repair the ship. The crew also gathered for a formal promotion and service ribbon ceremony on the Holodeck. Brayden Jorey was promoted to full Lieutenant and Ian West was restored to his rank of Lieutenant Commander. Lieutenant T’Mihn and Lieutenant Commander Alex Blair received commendations for the actions in helping the Tiger escape the ocean on the Iconian Gateway planet. Much to the crew’s surprise, duty posts were reassigned with crew members taking on new roles. Well folks, that our final newsletter for the year! Hope you have all enjoyed reading the weekly editions as much as I have editing and putting it all together. Happy New Year Fleetmates! See you all in 2391! ----------------------------------- Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer USS Discovery-C Newsletter Editor