The USS Bismarck was sent to investigate a strange transmission from a fifty year old vessel known as the USS Bermuda, believed to have been lost some years ago. Upon arrival it was determined that the derelict vessel was vacant, orbiting a dead colony. What happened to the crew? The colonist? If they’re dead, where are the bodies?
In 2383, four starships found themselves in semi exile from the Federation. Tossed 50.000 light years from home, their only means of contact with the Federation is a partially collapsed wormhole. The year is now 2385. Commodore Christopher and his staff resigned to boldly go where Starfleet cannot follow — but determined civilians may succeed. The former Swiftsure CO, Commodore Paula Chapman Stark and her top crew are reassigned to the Sovereign class USS Poseidon NCC-89515. With the support Prometheus class starships USS Shran and USS Tethys, they now spearhead the Outer Perseus Operation as the Carrier Group One.
As the Outer Perseus Operation enters its third year, a lot has been accomplished but much more remains. For the outer Perseus arm of the galaxy is ripe with challenges… How safe is it to become a part of a future in the making, when the territory is still haunted by a 200.000 year old past?
The USS Poseidon is a PBM Star Trek RPG part of the Sixth Fleet. The former USS Swiftsure RPG, the Shran and Tethys are non played ships part of the gameverse shared with the SS Freedom. This is but a quick summary of our adventures in Outer Perseus. Find out more on our website and wiki!
Commodore Paula Chapman Stark
CO, USS Poseidon
http://poseidon.hyperjump.org/
If your interested, email the CO at podhigar@hyperjump.org
With a change in personel comes changes in the FNN. As of earlier this month, I, Marni Livni am the new Director of Fleet Public Relations and as such the new editor of the FNN. The FNN has and will remain the premier source for news in Sixth Fleet but the style of content that the FNN contains is changing format to a newer more improved style that will I hope be more interesting and thought provoking than the Sixth Fleet FNN has ever had before.
In the coming months as me and my editing staff start rolling out our new content such as interviews and actual news and articles, we invite you to join us and send in your own ideas. We will have open newsroom “meetings” every month from the third until the tenth of the month where we aim to discuss what we will each be writing for the month, regardless of if it’s something small like a POTS (People On The Street) for those of you who didn’t know that, or something large such as a multi-issue piece on advanced mission planning for experienced players (that is just an example POTS is not really small but it is a simple task if done properly and the advanced mission planning was just something I pulled out of my head).
We welcome all to join in making a positive change in the way the Sixth Fleet news is brought to you. As editor, my “door” is always open and you can all reach me at Marni.SG@sixth-fleet.co.uk I will respond as quickly as possible to you, and I hope you enjoy this edition of the FNN.
Greetings everybody.
I’m honoured that the FNN Editors have asked for my words for the inaugural edition of this Newsletter.
As many of you may have heard by now, myself and Dan have recently been re-elected to our positions as CinC and DCinC for another year. You’ll have to deal with us for a bit longer. MWAhahah… *cough*
The Senate is working on quite a few topics of relevance to the Fleet as a whole. These include possible starship upgrades and a few other things that you’ll hear about over the coming months. We’re all excited about these projects and can’t wait to unveil them to you.
There is an opening on the Staff I’d like to inform everyone about, and that is the position of Director of Fleet Resources (DFR). The DFR is, essentially, the fleet Webmaster. If you have the skill and interest for this position, please send me an email directly to: cinc@sixth-fleet.com
And finally, keep in mind that Sixth Fleet will be again participating in the inter-fleet betleH Tournament in February 2010. As with last year, the authorization to take part will be up to individual COs. Look for information to trickle down as the date approaches.
May the Force be… Wait, that’s not right…
Live long and prosper.
-Sam
CinC
Marni Livni and Richard Lott are sitting behind the Federation News Network news desk watching a video end of the news from the Sixth Fleet Commander-in-Chief. The two of them look at the teleprompter for several seconds and then back at each other. Richard is the first to respond, “That’s some good news that Admiral Jones gave us, don’t you think so Marni?”
Marni nods for several seconds and then looks at the main camera in front of her, “And now coming to us via satellite, we have Tammy Niles on the Dorvan V for an interview with Marine Captain Jessica Adams, Tammy.”
Tammy Niles looks at the monitor in front of her, and then to the Marine Captain standing to her right, “Thank you Marni. Right now I’m standing with Captain Adams, the senior Intelligence Officer for Dorvan V. Captain, thank you for your time.”
Jessica who was a bit taken back by the events, and a bit surprised that they choose her to do this interview smiled a looked over to Tammy, “The pleasure is mine, thank you for having me.”
Tammy looks at Jessica for several seconds and then begins her questions “Well Jessica, let’s start with a very simple question. Why did you join Starfleet?”
“Tradition, I come for a long line of military people both Marine and Navy so for me I saw nothing else but follow what they already started.” Jessica replied smiling.
Tammy thinks for a second, “There was never any thoughts of being the black sheep in the family and doing something else?
Laughing, “No my sister Sarah gave it a try. But something about this Adams’ blood changes your mind.” Jessica replied.
Tammy gives the viewers a few seconds for this to sink in before moving on, “So Captain Adams, if you could go back to Starfleet Academy, would you change what department your in and if so, what department would you want to be in?”
“Honestly I love being a Marine. It is the most exciting department in the fleet, so I don’t think I would change a thing.”
Tammy nods slowly, “So you’re happy with your choices. That’s always a good thing. Now what activities do you enjoy when your off duty?”
Smiling as she thought for a moment, “Well I would have to say shopping, it’s something me and my sisters share. This uniform gets old very quickly, so when I get the chance I try to get clothes that are more my style.”
Tammy thinks for a second, “I can understand that, after all having to wear the same things all the time - yuck, that would get boring quickly. Now, if you get told to send either your best friend on the ship your assigned to, your worst enemy, or yourself on a suicide mission, one which may lead to the person sent never returning, who would you send and why?”
Jessica’s face change for a moment, “I would send myself, my responsibility is to my friends and crew mates first, and having lost a best friend, I wouldn’t dare want to lose another. That being said sending my worse enemy would do nothing for me.” She said smiling as she added, “And I love those type of missions.”
Tammy giggles, “Yeah I sort of guessed that answer would come from a Marine who loves her job. On the same note, Hypothetically if you could take one thing with you that you can’t replicate on a mission that would strand you away from your ship for several months on a small runabout, what would it be?”
“A man!” Jessica said laughing a bit, “No seriously though if I can’t do that. I would have to say my family picture. Thinking about them is the only thing that keeps me sane sometimes.”
Tammy scratches her head, “Yes, families seem to do that, I don’t know exactly why, but then again I don’t know anybody who does. Now, if you were asked to be the guest speaker at a Starfleet Academy Graduation, what words of advice would you give the graduates?”
Thinking for a moment Jessica responded, “I will tell them to be patient and treat this not like a career but like a new life, you do more than just fly around the stars, you develop friendships, love lives, and extend your family through the people you serve with. Keeping that in mind will help you as you begin your first steps out into the great unknown.”
Tammy thinks for a second, “Yeah I would guess that is true. Now in closing is there anything else you want to tell your fellow Starfleet officers stationed throughout the Federation?”
Jessica smiled and batted her eyes, “Simply be safe and call home I’m sure someone out there misses you.”
Tammy looks at the camera, where the producer is telling her to wrap it up, “Well Captain Adams, thank you for taking the time out of your busy day for this interview.”
“Thank you for having me, this was a lot of fun.” She said smiling into the camera.
Welcome Charles Jenkinson. To start, what positions/characters do you portray in Sixth Fleet both in and out of character (IC and OOC) and how long have you been in Sixth Fleet?
I’ve been in Sixth Fleet for three years now, after seven years in Sector 174 (a now disbanded Fleet). I play Commander Jim Roys, whom I’ve portrayed since August 1997. I also occupy the position of Task Force Three Advisor, and instruct in the Sixth Fleet Academy.
How did you come to join Sixth Fleet?
After Sector 174 folded, I needed to find a new Fleet to continue PBEM. I enjoyed it too much to just let it go, so a quick google search found a group of people known as ‘Tango Fleet’. I joined just before the split, and remained with the USS Hyperion, where I still serve.
Where do you hope to see yourself in a year in Sixth Fleet?
I’m very satisfied with my position within the Fleet. I serve with a group of close friends, and I hope to see the Hyperion, and the rest of Sixth Fleet, go from strength to strength. If Sixth Fleet continues to grow and expand, I will feel very privileged indeed to have been a part of it.
How did you become involved in simming?
Since my early Primary School days, I’ve loved Star Trek. I’ve loved the stories, the passion, the message, and the spirit. In 1997, I surfed onto a quaint Star Trek fan website, with a clunky Flash movie that took forever to load on my old dial-up account. I signed up for this game, not even knowing how to post. I made a lot of mistakes, but even more friends. I gradually became a better player, a better writer, and eventually was made the XO of the Flagship of Sector 174 under the command of a very good friend. That was the start of a long association with PBEM.
What is is most about simming that you like?
The friends. Without a doubt, I have made some very close friends over the years, including one or two I have travelled across this small planet of ours to meet in person. Simming brings together a wonderful collection of minds, with a great array of talent. It’s wonderful to be a part of such a group.
If you could, what thing(s) would you bring about to change simming for the better?
At times, I’d remind people that we’re all friends, with a common interest. Simming is a hobby, not a power struggle, nor an ego trip. Every once in a while, I think we all sometimes forget these truths.
Who would you say has helped/influenced you most in simming?
So many of my friends; from Pat Bee, Athar Malik, David Coley, and James Joens from Sector 174, through to Craig Haywood, the current CO of the Hyperion, and a very close friend within the Fleet. These are all people whom I’ve immensely enjoyed writing with over the years, although every person I’ve come into contact with has influenced me in their own way. Everyone has their own style and uniqueness, and there’s just no accounting for that. Those who ignore the lessons others can teach do so at their own peril as a simmer, and more importantly, as a person.
Is there a piece of insight or hindsight that you’d like to pass onto “new” Sixth Fleet members that might help them become better players and more productive members of Sixth Fleet?
Enjoy your writing. Express yourself creatively, and use it to better yourself. Don’t lust for rank or promotion; these are merely tools in our game. Instead, aim to be a better writer, a better player, and a better person. Most importantly, fave fun, and welcome aboard!
Outside of simming, what is it that you do with your life?
I live in Perth, Western Australia, where I live with my partner, Clare, and our parakeet, affectionately named Mr. Neelix. In my professional life, I work as a Doctor at a large teaching hospital, and spend my weekends on DIY projects, exploring the Australian desert, and drinking good red wine with friends.
Do you see any of your own personality in the characters you create?
Very much so. There is a lot of me in Jim Roys, and equally, there is a lot of Jim Roys in me. He is a bit of an alter-ego, but shares my quirky sense of humour, and some of my more subtle ideosynchrasies. I’ve also played a character based on an ex-girlfriend, and even my grandfather in the past, which set things up for some very interesting character development indeed!
Finally, to show everyone that regardless of what position somebody has, there is always a wild side, what’s the most outrageous thing you have done in Sixth Fleet?
Too many to mention… An ongoing joke is that Commander Jim Roys has a habit of “borrowing” the Hyperion’s EMH to use as a babysitter. He also has a habit of shooting Tom Waterford, his CO and best friend, with a phaser on most missions. Twice he has shot him to save his life.
Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule for sitting down with the FNN, we thank you for your time and your insight and words.
Inbreeding: A dangerous state of affairs when a fleet comes to rely on the same old core of people to run and man its sims and activities.
Is simulation inbreeding a fact or a myth? Over the course of many years if a fleet does not increase the membership that it has, and in fact loses members for various reasons, several factors will start to appear in no set order. First will be that the fleet relies on the same people year after year to host sims or hold key positions in the fleet, meaning that the senior staff and command teams will consist of the same people over and over, to the point where players who are COs and XOs on one simulation will for the most part also be the people who are 2Os on other simulations, and fleet leadership will be able to, if in a fleet that elects the top positions democratically, run unopposed for additional terms in office.
That leads to factor number 2: When a fleet uses the same people over and over for the fleet resources that starts to be a problem, and when those core people in turn don’t do much if anything, they transform what was a small problem into a much bigger issue. The lack of opportunities could turn a new player off from the fleet almost as soon as he joined, thus undoing everything that the fleet’s recruiting person should be doing. Also without the leaders of these fleet departments around there is limited activity in their departments and that could cause an entire department to fall apart for the most part and as such not providing the players who are in that department the resources to make the game fun, that happening would discourage new members from joining that fleet.
Now is simulation inbreeding a myth, sadly it is not, it’s an issue which needs to be watched carefully because if it is not handled quickly and carefully when it starts showing up, it would lead to the destruction of the fleet that is showing it. Inbreeding is something that is deadly to fleets and often leads to the lose of players should the fleet splinter in reaction to the issue. It also causes a bad taste in the mouths of new players because they will feel that regardless of how hard they work on it, they will have no possible chance to take command or even move into a position where they could eventually take command.
Star Trek TOS #46 - “The Cry of the Onlies” by Judy Klass
(Synopsis)
Boaco Six — a once-tranquil Federation colony, now caught up in the throes
of revolution. The Enterprise’s mission: re-establish contact with the
planet, and determine whether or not formal ties between the Federation and
Boaco Six should be strengthened.
Negotiations between Captain Kirk and the planet’s ruling Council of
Youngers are proceeding smoothly, until the atmosphere of goodwill is
shattered by the sudden destruction of a Boacan — at the hands of an
experimental Starfleet vessel!
Now, in order to prevent full-scale war from breaking out, the Enterprise
must recapture the stolen Starfleet vessel and its abductors. A mission that
will require the aid of the galaxy’s most reclusive genius — and bring
Captain Kirk face-to-face with the long-buried secrets of his past…
(Review)
This book combines two TOS episodes in a new story which could have stood
on its own, albeit rather short tales. A diplomatic mission to Boaco Six
is disrupted by a stolen Starfleet prototype vessel - the ‘thieves’ turn
out to be a pair of ‘Onlies’ (from TOS: “Miri”). The Enterprise is sent to
pick up Flint (from TOS: “Requiem for Methusela”) who helped design a
prototype cloaking device that the vessel uses.
It’s all in all an excellent continuation of the past two episodes. Characterization
was very good for the most part, and Treknology is not over-used.
Four pips out of five!
Format is 10 questions going from easy to master.
1- What class was the Enterprise NCC-1701?
2- What was Dr. McCoy’s first name?
3- What planet did Deanna Troi come from?
4- What does EPS stand for?
5- What TOS actor got married in 2009?
6- Mark Leonard was the first actor to play 3 races, what were they?
7- Who created many of the displays/consoles in TNG (and later series)?
8- What TOS episode had two of William Shatner’s daughters as extras?
9- What class of vessel was the Botany Bay?
10- What was the name of the song played on the bus in ST: IV?
1-2 correct: Needs improvement Ensign
3-4 correct: Keep at it Lieutenant
5-6 correct: Not bad Lieutenant Commander
7-8 correct: Well done Commander
9-10 correct: Excellent job Captain!
=================
Answers:
1- Constitution
2- Leonard
3- Betazed
4- Electro Plasma System
5- George Takei
6- Romulan, Klingon, Vulcan
7- Michael Okuda
8- “Miri” (they were two of the ‘Onlies’)
9- DY-100
10- “I Hate You”
USS Poseidon & Carrier Group One: surprise discovery of a subspace tunnel
The Science Corps is playing with the idea of breathing new life into the semi-collapsed Ventresca wormhole to Outer Perseus. In theory, sending through a complex string of energy would restore the aging phenomena to its former glory. Is it doable? They say it is. Is it wise? Doctor Podkayne March, inventor of the Translift that safely carries personnel and goods through the narrow corridor, most definitely doesn’t think so.
In order to prove, or disprove her opposing theories, the USS Poseidon recently set out to examine an area of space where it is believed that a mouth of the wormhole once stood - and may still be reactive. The procedure entailed some tickling. Little did they expect a sneeze to send them tumbling through a subspace tunnel, 1.000 light years from their position. The impromptu journey delivered them within minutes into a region of Outer Perseus known as the Margosian Sea.
Not content with the discovery, the Poseidon crew set out to bring help to a civilization on the border of collapse. Once a space faring world, Daoudi Jaba has been for generations subjected to regular onslaught by creatures known as the Quzars. Breeding at the edge of the system, the formidable Swarm heads for the planet every 25 years and burrows deep to feed on its energy. By the time the Quzars return to space, they have transformed into energy creatures themselves.
With help from the USS Poseidon, the scope of the most recent attack was considerably lessened. Casualties were almost nil among the small Daoudian population, part of which has elected to settle the second planet in their solar system. Meanwhile, we are happy to report that the Sovereign class was able to make the return trip.
The concept of fast track space or subspace corridors is nothing new. They are however a rare occurrence that Federation technology so far is unable to emulate. Whether the tunnel is natural or artificial (or a bit of both), it is far from safe. “They were lucky to be able to make the journey in one piece. The passage collapsed entirely as they exited”, Admiral Kelly stated.
What about the Ventresca wormhole then? “The report put a damper on the project to rejuvenate the Ventresca. The general sentiment among the Science community seems to be that the whole story can’t be dismissed as a coincidence. A commission of experts will soon hear Lt March herself on the subject.” One thing is certain, Doctor Podkayne March has proven beyond a doubt that she is a force to be reckoned with.
Eilathan Ffinch reporting from the Outer Perseus Operation, Starbase Perseus, Beta Quadrant
