Independence Fleet Newsletter
March 2003
--------------------------------------------------
March 2003 IDF Newsletter
- Opening
- News Briefs
- Feb Awards
- Mission Features
- Interview
- Closing
OPENING
Greetings from Independence Fleet! By now I'm sure
many of you are keeping a close eye to news, watching
the events unfold before you in the middle east.
24-hour news, the internet, and other media sources
have made this a public war -- something unprecedented
in history. We truly are witnessing history happen in
front of our very eyes.
Thankfully, the evil regime under Saddam Hussein will
soon come to an end in Iraq. Coalition forces
continue to march forward, meeting little resistance.
Cities and towns are welcoming the troops, tearing
down pictures of Saddam, and even cheering for Bush!
Many of the Iraq soldiers are surrendering without a
fight, choosing not to defend a tyrant. While it's
not certain that the war will continue with this ease,
we can be thankful to God and brilliant leadership for
its masterful start.
War is never a pretty thing, but in many situations it
is the only alternative. Independence Fleet supports
the troops fighting for freedom. We offer condolences
to the friends and families of those who have lost
loved ones. It is for a noble cause. Soon the Iraqi
people will be free and Saddam's ability to wage war
will be gone. The world will be a better place
because of their sacrifice.
Now... back to IDF. VAdm. Seldon (Jacob) has prepared
the newsletter this month and he has again, as always,
done an excellent job. I'm still enjoying
Independence Fleet as much as ever. It goes without
saying, but if you have any suggestions or ideas for
the fleet, feel free to contact us. We're constantly
looking for ways to improve IDF. Enjoy the
newsletter!
Adm. Charles Star (Alan)
Commander in Chief
Independence Fleet
NEWS BRIEFS
- 19 March was the USS Excalibur’s one year
anniversary. By nearly any measure, the Excalibur has
proven herself to be one of IDF’s strongest ships over
the past year.
- On 1 March of this month the Fleet’s newest sim,
Starbase 15, launched under the command of Cmdr.
Victoria Concord. SB15 is the 26th sim commissioned
by Independence Fleet. Be sure to see the Base’s
extended mission feature in this issue for more
information on this new and exciting group.
- The Fleet is planning to open an Academy sim. It
will be both for new members and those looking to
improve and help others improve their writing skills.
The Academy will include both in-story and
out-of-story instruction and mutual help. The group
may start sometime within the next month. A
commandant has not yet been announced.
- Capt Brittanicus of the Horatio Nelson has rescinded
his resignation and has happily decided to remain in
command of said ship for the foreseeable future.
FEBRUARY AWARDS
- Most Posts goes to Lt. Cmdr. Kiara Rodale of the USS
Conqueror. She posted 46 times throughout the short
month of February.
- Best Story Post goes to the CMO of the USS
Excalibur, Lt. Cmdr. Paula Fredricks, for her #2110.
This is her second Best Story Post Award.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/uss-excalibur/message/2583
- Best Character Post goes to Lt. Cmdr. Lewis Concorde
of the USS Patriot for his #1147.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/USS-Patriot/message/1607
- Funniest Post is awarded to Lt. J.G. Nniol T'Kon of
the Horatio Nelson, a ship on which, as Capt.
Britannicus informs us, “we don't hardly ever write
purposely funny posts,” for Post #644.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/horationelson/message/1162
- The Recruitment Award goes to Cmdr. Entera Danae of
the Minerva. She recruited three new people to her
ship, two of whom had never simmed before.
- Our Rookie of the Month is Lt. Dvael T'Krasha
Pouncequick of the USS Conqueror. She is wholly new
to simming but jumped right into things, posting 26
times during the month. Despite inexperience, her
posts were well-written and sophisticated, moving the
storyline along and developing her character.
- Most Improved goes to Lt. (jg) Nate Scroggins of the
USS Goliad. He improved both his posting quantity and
quality during the month, becoming more consistent in
both.
- The Fleet’s Most Valuable Player for the month is
Cmdr. Entera Danae, the Minerva’s executive officer.
She served as acting-CO from the middle of the month
onwards, started a successful mission, and recruited
three new people to the.
- The second ever Outstanding Simmer Award goes to
Cmdr. Ingoldo of the USS Excalibur. He kept the
storyline going on the ship with his 27 posts despite
reduced writing by other members of the crew. His
posts came consistently throughout the month and
contributed many new ideas to the storyline.
-- The Admiralty would like to thank Capt. Jasson
Asuka of the USS George W. Bush for assisting with
this month’s award selections.
MISSION FEATURES
- USS Horatio Nelson, submitted by Capt. James
Brittanicus:
First for the last half of the Month of February we
were caught in a bizarre twist of first contact,
Romulan intrique, Section 51 (author looks over
shoulder) and the time cops. It would seem that
someone for unknown reasons used the planet Bope for
the purpose of Biological testing. The Romulans sent
a probe and the Feds sent a team in to clean up.
Turns out it was a timeline issue and that was
rectified after the Horatio Nelson blew up several
times.
Next we moved on to a joint mission with the USS
George W. Bush. The Horatio Nelson was patrolling the
neutral zone between the Romulan Star Empire and the
United Federation Of Planets when we decided to detour
to investigate the birth of a micro wormhole several
light years from Bajor. We sent in a probe and the
sucker grabbed us. The ship lost all power and when
we came around we saw that we were on a planet
interacting with Bajorans that were relocated several
hundred years before. For some kind of lab rat
purpose.
- USS Sunfire, submitted by Capt. Audra Murchadh:
Only months following the arrival of the 2404 Sunfire
crew in the year 2380, being ordered to remain in the
24th century to "protect the timeline," the Sunfire
crew are confronted by unseen damage caused by their
temporal jump. After the discovery of a series of
startling, disturbing, and mysterious logs from a
conquered future Federation--and the subsequent
discovery of the Seraphin-Q's responsibility for the
temporal displacement of the logs--the Sunfire agrees,
with Admiral Star's approval, to help the Federation
timeship "fix" the timeline.
Supposedly, when the Sunfire had made the inadvertent
temporal jump, a temporal rift had been opened in the
space time continuum. The Seraphim-Q--dispatched as a
'guardian' of sorts to the Sunfire, to prevent the
2404 native crew members from contaminating the
timeline--sealed the rift. However, the rift seal
improperly and as a result a hostile faction called
the Bisra, of a race the Federation knows very little
of, used the rift to conquer the Federation in
November 2380.
A plan is designed for the rift to be reopened, and
then resealed from 'both sides' by the Sunfire and
Seraphim-Q. Unknown to both ships, the rift was not
only a temporal phenomena, but had somehow converged
with an uncharted wormhole, previously in the area.
While the rift was in the process of sealing, a Bisra
ship appeared--the first ship which was supposed to
cross into Federation space, and scout the Humans as a
possible replacement for their dying military forces
in a large, lengthy civil war. Seeing the
wormhole/rift suffering imminent destruction, which
would destroy their ship and a method of travel to our
galaxy, the Bisra counteracted the Sunfire's deflector
beam causing the ship to become trapped in the rift's
event horizon.
All contact with the universe beyond the event horizon
was lost, and the Sunfire survived though what might
be mere luck. An experimental singularity drive--an
add-on to the warp core created to produce the
necessary sealing beam--had caused a protective bubble
to form around the ship, saving the ship from the
forces of the event horizon that would have ripped her
to single atoms in less than a microsecond. But this
is only the beginning of the Sunfire's problems.
It is soon discovered that the Sunfire harbors a
murderer and saboteur, or a group of them, obviously
aiming to cause the destruction of the Sunfire. And
if the singularity drive should fail, not only would
the Sunfire be destroyed, but the universe as well...
- Starbase 15, submitted by Cmdr. Victoria Concord:
During all the hype and stress of starting a new
station in a new expansion territory, there is
thankfully one reprieve. Three people of an unknown
alien background - two of the most beautiful women
amongst any race, and a man equally attractive - open
a health spa,
which becomes an overnight sensation, literally! The
mud baths, the massages, the meditation classes, the
make-overs, the relaxation equipment from many
civilizations... Clearly these three know their craft
very well. Each client receives individual attention,
and always feels well rested and re-energized before
leaving.
It's now a few days later, and a disturbing trend is
emerging amongst the crew. Growing numbers of late
arrivals to work and people simply not showing at all.
Of those who do, even the best of officers can't seem
to keep their mind on their job, instead favoring an
almost obsessive need to work unceasingly on some
project or hobby. Some play instruments, composing
new music, or give performances, composing new
routines, or write new manuscripts. All with
incredible skill. Others craft works of art as if
having decades of experience behind their hands. A
few even begin making breakthroughs in the
technological and medical fields. All claim they had
inspiration strike them, and after a couple trials
they've finally hit upon *this* which is going to be
their masterpiece once finished! But it's becoming
clear to the unaffected medical staff that many of
these
people may not last long enough to finish their works,
as they are beginning to age rapidly. It seems they
are literally burning themselves out, and if the cause
can't be found soon and stopped, they will work
themselves into death by old age...
- USS Washington, submitted by VAdm Seldon:
In a humorous mission, the Washington brought back a
villain first encountered by the crew of the Sunfire
before the formation of Independence Fleet, Lord
Krackerjax, a renegade Klingon. Styling himself as
the “master of the totality of all space, time,
matter, and energy,” Krackerjax has plans to conquer
the universe. He has little chance of doing so but he
does have a fleet capable of causing a lot of trouble
if not opposed quickly. The crew of the Washington,
which is joined by Adm West and VAdm Seldon in guest
roles, must attempt to contact Starfleet to alert them
to the danger.
Ultimately defeated, Krackerjax is found to be
clinically insane and undergoes rehabilitation. The
mission’s last post peers two years into the future
when a fully normalized Krackerjax is accepted to
Starfleet Academy--another triumph of the Federation’s
idealism.
INTERVIEW
Interviewer: Today we are joined by Cmdr. Logan of the
USS Patriot. Thank you for taking time from your busy
schedule to speak with us today, Commander.
Cmdr. Logan: No problem, I aim to please.
Interviewer: How long have you been involved in
Independence Fleet and how did you come to join?
Cmdr. Logan: I came in in November of 2001 as a
computer specialist for the USS Washington. I was
later transferred to Ops and served there until
December of last year. That's when Whit (Adm
Dragonetti) asked me to fill in for her on the Patriot
while she went on vacation. I decided to stay on the
Patriot after Whit came back and have been there
since.
Interviewer: You also have characters on other ships,
do you not? What do you think about characters moving
from one ship to another?
Cmdr. Logan: Yes I do. Victor Davidson started his
career on the USS Goliad and has been aboard since its
launch. It's too bad he is fated to meet his doom in
the near future. But that is for a later time. I
find that the crew of a ship is a very dynamic thing,
always changing. Some people click together better
than others. I would say as long as everyone is still
having fun, if the need arises, changing ship might
actually be a good thing. I've made several new
friends on the Patriot that I would have never
contacted otherwise. And isn't that what it’s all
about?
Interviewer: What qualities do you think make a person
a superior simmer in terms of his or her contributions
to a ship?
Cmdr. Logan: tough one there: Caring. If you care
about what is going on and what you are adding to the
storyline, then you will always have good posts. I
think sometimes people go into posting with a
haphazard attitude and whereas they may write an
excellent post in and of itself, it doesn't fit into
the situation and just confuses everyone else. Not
saying that no one cares about the ship they are on,
however I think the degree to which they care varies
and it shows up in the posts.
Interviewer: In posting, how much should a member
emphasize his or her character and how much should
they concentrate on the mutual storyline, do you
think? Or does the balance vary from time to time
and/or ship to ship?
Cmdr. Logan: I think a person should involve his
character as much as is believably possible. I've had
posts that are all me and I've had post that don't
even mention my character at all. I think you should
always find a place for your own character to be a
part of your post, but it doesn't have to be the
biggest part. It's a situational thing; the key is to
make it believable. If your character is an
Astrometrics Officer, he isn't going to have a big
role in a battle against the Breen. That should keep
you from posting if you have something interesting in
your mind as to how the battle should go. By the way,
I am not politically correct.
Interviewer: What do you think about private
storylines or subplots which involve chiefly or
exclusively the member's character alone?
Cmdr. Logan: I'm for them, but if they get to be too
long, I think people become disinterested in them.
I've been in the situation where a subplot was so long
and drawn out that other people were complaining about
it. It's good CD to have subplots and private
storylines, so long as you don't bore your audience
with it.
Interviewer: Do you think that subplots can be
beneficial to the ship as a whole (and not just the
author)? And, if so, are they usually so?
Cmdr. Logan: They can be beneficial if they aren't
isolated to the one character. Ens Joe Smith
exploring his inner psyche might help to understand
his character somewhat, but Ens Varis working out a
personal conflict by going to her crewmates for advice
helps establish inter-crew relationships and will keep
everyone interested. My experience tells me subplots
involving multiple characters tend to benefit the ship
as a whole, even if it is only two or three characters
involved. The idea is that everyone is a part of a
team that has to work together on everything, no
matter what.
Interviewer: What is your favorite in-story part of
simming?
Cmdr. Logan: The way anything can happen. I can
remember a mission where the Washington was
transporting some cargo to a planet. We were attacked
by a telepathic assassin, flooded with particles that
give people telepathy, and when we thought everything
was over, someone hires a thief to steal our cargo.
Before we knew it, it was a battle between the
telepathic assassin, the master thief and the
Washington's CO. I had a lot of fun with that one.
Interviewer: At what point do you think story
flexibility can become detrimental, if it ever can?
Cmdr. Logan: I think story flexibility is what makes
the sim great. The only time its detrimental, is when
elements get added that make no sense to the previous
storyline. I prime example is when Cmdr Logan is on
the Bridge, in his Quarters, on Holodeck 3, in Ten
Forward and On the Planet's surface all at the same
time. Flexibility is good, confusion is not.
Interviewer: Beyond just simming more, what do you
think a crewmember can do to improve his or her
posting ability?
Cmdr. Logan: Talking to other people on your ship is
very helpful. I've gotten so many neat ideas from
talking to other people and using my imagination.
Also I think using word processors before sending a
post is extremely helpful. I write every post I send
out on Microsoft Word and then cut and paste it to the
compose window of my e-mail. I find it cuts down on
spelling and grammatical errors.
Interviewer: If you had to choose between having a
good writer or a good storyteller join your ship,
which would you choose and why?
Cmdr. Logan: A good storyteller. I have simmed with
people who were great writers, but they tended to
botch the storyline up and throw everybody for a loop.
A good storyteller will keep thing flowing well while
adding interesting plot twist that doesn't totally
destroy the previously laid out story.
Interviewer: Well, sadly, this appears to be all the
time allotted for this interview. Again, we
appreciate your accessibility.
Cmdr. Logan: I try
CLOSING
First, let me apologize for the tardiness of this
issue of the newsletter. Several of you have asked
about it’s delay and I am sorry for not having it out
closer to the 15th of the month.
I would like to, once again, thank Cmdr. Logan for
giving us his time for the interview this month. I
would also like you all to know how much Capt. Asuka
of the George W. Bush assisted the admiralty in
participating in the award selections for the month.
And, as always, thanks to all of you who enjoy being a
part of Independence fleet and your respective ships.
The fleet is right around (if not already past) her
15,000th post, so I can only conclude that there are a
good deal of people who are enjoying this thing we’ve
got going.
Also, let me thank Alan for his excellent opening
statement which he contributed to this issue. I am
certain that many of us are praying fervently for
Coalition forces in Iraq and for the quick liberation
of that oppressed nation.
Finally, I’ll add in just one comment of my own to
close. As some of you may know, I’m a Marylander.
But, in regards to the removal of Iraqi dictator and
thug Saddam Hussein, I think it is my Virginian
neighbors who deliver a most appropriate sentiment in
their state motto, which is in their state seal and
emblazoned on the flag of that great commonwealth: sic
semper tyrannis--thus always to tyrants.
VAdm Robert J. Seldon
Chief of Fleet Development
