It's been a long time since I've written a rant, due to various and sundry RL issues. Not that there hasn't been plenty to rant about. But I also think that there are plenty of angry bloggers on both side of the great partisan schism that has really paralyzed our country. I think I've got a good voice and a fairly balanced viewpoint, but I also have to question the value of any single angry rant. So I'll talk not specifically about the wrongs perpetrated by all of our politicians (because we all know about them anyway) from a partisan standpoint, but hopefully from a non-partisan point of view. I mean, as much as I think we were safer when George W Bush left office than when he came in, there is really no question that he was ineffectual domestically. There are others more responsible for our current economic mess than he, but he played a part.
I'd actually like to talk about the role that fear plays in how politicians manipulate us. Politicians have since the dawn of time used fear to control their subjects, and our government today is no change. The extreme right makes us fear things like gay marriage and alternate lifestyles, really things that we may think is wrong, but don't in fact threaten the country. I believe myself that marriage is between a man and a woman, but I don't feel threatened by people who feel otherwise, and I don't think that the government needs to weigh in on the subject. I also don't like the idea of abortion, unless in case of rape or if the life of the mother is threatened, and I don't want my tax dollars going to fund abortions. But I also don't care for the government weighing in on the matter with its clumsy hands. It's a complex issue, for sure, because there is no question that a fetus is alive. It has a heartbeat, it moves and it kicks. If that is the case, then abortion, killing it, is murder. So maybe the debate we need to have and resolve is not whether or not women should have the right to choose, but whether or not they should have the right to choose to murder the lifeform that they helped to create. Maybe the debate should be at what point the fetus is entitled to protection under the law. There are serious rights and wrongs there, and again, the issue is not simple. A person's right to choose is vital to a free nation, and any restriction of that right needs to be undertaken only after the most careful deliberation. On the other hand, at what point is abortion murder? It is a fiendishly complicated issue, but it is also a weapon used by extreme far right politicians to manipulate the public. We must fear, and therefore put a stop to these evil people who are destroying the moral fibre of the country.
The far right, however, is not alone in using fear to manipulate the public. I'll talk about that next time.
Repeating From Last Time:
The housing meltdown which is at the heart of our crisis started in earnest in 1992 when Mister Clinton had the great idea to sell houses to low-income voters who couldn't afford them. No question that both sides ignored the problem but got rich off the over-inflated bubble, but it started under Bill Clinton. The records are there. Here are a few links that show just what I'm talking about:
From The New York Times in 1999: Fannie Mae Eases Credit To Aid Mortgage Lending (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9c0DE7DB153EF933A0575AC0A96F958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all) "Fannie Mae, the nation's biggest underwriter of home mortgages, has been under increasing pressure from the Clinton Administration to expand mortgage loans among low and moderate income people..."
From the New York Post: Alarms and Denial (http://www.nypost.com/php/pfriendly/print.php?url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/09262008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/alarms__denial_130763.htm)
Bloomberg Financial News: "How the Democrats Created the Financial Crisis" (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aSKSoiNbnQY0)
YouTube: Democrats in their own words (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MGT_cSi7Rs)
YouTube: Burning Down the House (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RZVw3no2A4&feature=iv&annotation_id=event_597487)
YouTube: Obama Ranks Second In Freddie/Fannie Contributions (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-_HlpZ8azA&feature=related)
Now I'll repeat what I said last week. First and foremost, this economic crisis has roots in the Clinton administration. Clinton ordered that home loans be given to families that could not pay them. Granted, Bush should have seen the meltdown coming, but it's a time bomb that Bill Clinton planted under the house. It's up to President Obama to set the tone and the course to rebuild our house. We all share responsibility for doing the hard work, but the President is the boss. The buck stops in the Oval Office. And speaking of the Oval Office, I have to admit that I have liked a fair amount of what I've seen of our new President. Words are cheap, and politicians are good at saying things people want to hear. At the same time, we need this presidency to be successful, and he can't succeed without our support. So while I'll be quick to point out everything that I see him do wrong, I'll also try my hardest to point out everything that I see him do right. I saw him talking to Matt Lauer just before the Superbowl, and he looked, unlike candidate Obama, like a man with humor and compassion and an appreciation for the humanity of the people that make up this country. He was funny and self-deprecating and seemingly unscripted. That man will have my support for as long as he occupies the White House. When he stops being that man, I'll stop supporting him.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Fantasy Trek: Summary of Events Stardate 0509.07
Summary of Events Stardate 0509.07
(Moderator's Note: The three week gap in summaries perfectly illustrates the flexibility of Fantasy Trek. Moving, being sick, crazy work schedules threw a monkey wrench into things. But the game is still here, the story goes on, and it is a game, and not to be fretted over. And now, on with the show...)
Would you like to do more than just read? How about shaping the story? Start your career in the Center Seat. Get started right now with the Quick Start Guide:
To get started, answer the following questions:
Game Type:
Pure Combat
(Do you play for pure combat? You know that other events might decide the nature of that combat, but you just want to blow things up. And think about this: Do you like to micromanage combat, allocating power to personalize your attack/defence strategy, making combat a personal match of wits, or do you just like quick matches that can be over in minutes?)
Non-Combat
(You don't care about the combat. You like to write and you want to explore.)
Mix
(You appreciate both aspects of game play. You accept that the ship you love to write about may lose battles from time to time.)
Alignment:
Federatinn
Klingon
Romulan
Other (specify)
Ship name:
Command crew:
(You can stick to the TOS crew configuration of science officer, helm, navigator, communications officer, etc, or you can use the TNG idea of Operations Officer combining some duties.You can also customize your bridge crew configuration. You're the Captain)
Note: unless you have something else in mind, all players in this stage of the game get a Heavy Cruiser to start. The 'something else in mind' I mentioned is if you decide you want a mission-specific ship like a scout or police ship, which is likely to be a frigate or destroyer. Just remember that you might be limiting yourself in a case like that. And don't be intimidated by the need to create a command crew. If you're a story-teller, you're used to this, but it isn't necessary to start. And if you're in it for pure combat, the command crew is recommended but not necessary.
That is really all you need to start. I will happily walk any new players through the first few missions. If you are concerned that you don't have enough time to contribute, don't be. This game is as casual as you want. Exploring takes as much or as little time as you want. Write once a day or once a week. A hundred words or a thousand. The most intense level of this game, heavy combat takes a commitment of no more than one email a day. And even in that case, if you miss a day, it's forgivable. Even the moderator has a RL and the occasional computer issue. The game is turn-based. Combat results will be posted online daily. And if it still doesn't make sense, think of it like your favorite role-playing/writing group gathering for some table-top, Dungeons and Dragons-style game playing.
Summary of Events:
TNG Era:
There has been no further word from Ambassador Endara Khan or the crew of the USS Exeter in orbit of Oblissa III on its diplomatic mission with the Kazon. This is not seen as a cause of concern however, as such delays in complex diplomatic efforts are commonplace.
Detailed findings reported by the USS Guadalcanal's survey team on Oshionian VI have been transmitted to Starfleet Command. Experts are examining a possible link between two thousand year old human biomatter found in the Delta Quadrant and two thousand year old Vulcan hull fragments discovered by a Klingon taskforce in the recently charted wa'Hom system.
In the Coramonde system, the USS Lily Sloane has discovered a subspace rift after probing the area with a tunneling neutrino beam. The rift is projecting irregular waves of spatial and temporal displacement not unlike the dangerous effect surrounding the so-called Guardian Planet. The Lily Sloane has launched a probe through the rift.
Starships USS Archer and USS Arizona were forced to pull back from their patrol area in the Triangle Zone as Klingon and Romulan forces swept through the area in increasingly fierce combat encounters. The two heavy cruisers are under orders to monitor the situation closely and collect all relevant sensor data, but avoid entering combat at all cost.
TOS Era:
The Klingon diplomatic mission has closed its offices on Earth and recalled its ambassador in response to what it claims was an unprovoked and illegal ambush of a Klingon freighter well within the border of the Empire by a group of Federation starships. The Klingons have also ordered Federation diplomats removed from Qo'noS immediately.
The USS Magellan has begun its next mission following its unsuccessful search for the USS Coramonde.
ENT Era:
While there has been no direct communication from the Challenger NX-07 on its mission to circumnavigate Romulan space, Starfleet monitor stations have recorded signal traffic referring an Earth ship probing distant areas of the Romulan frontier.
Columbia NX-02 found traces of atomic weapons consistent with known Romulan weapons technology, as well as nearly dispersed ion trails similar to those used by Romulan craft. It is attempting to project a possible flight path from the data.
There has been no communications from the two Sloane Class light cruisers that were last reported following an ion exhaust that may be related to the disappearance of the EX-01 Roddenberry. The Roddenberry had been on a deep space probe towards the center of the galaxy.
Command College
"What Are Your Orders, Captain?"
(TNG Era) "Answers and New Questions" Resolution
After hours of waiting, the nanites signal that they have extracted and analyzed the alien biotech from Lt. Keller's pattern, and the Hazard team member is safely reenergized in the Agamemnon's transporter room. Then the science department begins to examine the findings of the biomechanical cirtcuitry that had attempted to infect Lt. Keller. They discovered trace DNA that was unmistakably human, but also unmistakably two thousand years old. This presents the first clue in the mystery, and links the one hundred year old USS Coramonde to findings of the USS Guadalcanal in the Delta Quadrant. But it also presents new questions. Who or what was integrating human DNA into biocircuitry two thousand years ago, and how is the Coramonde connected? And of course the original questions still remain. What brought down the Coramonde? Does the same threat apply to the Agamemnon?
Captain Decker determines that the answers can only be found within the protected memory core of the USS Coramonde. That is located near the center of the Coramonde's saucer section, far too deep to attempt to reach with the transporter. She also knows that a Hazard team would never be able to safely reach that deep within the ship on foot...
Captain Decker is unwilling to risk exposing her crew to infection from the aggressive biotech, but she is also determined to retrieve the Coramonde's protected memory core. In the end, she decides to launch a holo-presence probe to board the Coramonde. As an additional safety measure, the telemetry will be uploaded to an automated shuttle hovering over the area to keep the telemetry isolated from the Agamemnon's computer until it is deemed safe.
(TNG Era) "Too Much Information"
The shuttlecraft Apollo followed a holo-presence probe through the planet's atmosphere, and maintained an altitude of 100 meters above the site of the downed USS Coramonde. As soon as the probe reached the surface, it began to transmit telemetry to the hovering shuttle. In the Agamemnon, the crew is forced to wait, as any data transmitted from the probe to the shuttle could conceivably contain contaminated material. Finally, several hours later, the computer on board the Apollo reports that the protected memory from the Coramonde has been downloaded and scanned for any alien or malicious data. It reveals bio and metallurgical scans of the biotech as it was drawn down to the surface. Stress readings from the impulse deck and hull reveal that the ship was being drawn down to the surface, and Captain Edward Hubble ordered maximum reverse impulse and warp power diverted to shields and the structural integrity field in an attempt to keep the ship intact as it came down. The power that brought it down was not revealed. Captain's logs stated that the ship had been pulled forward in time as it traveled through the rift, which was bathed in neutrinos. Finally, the bioscans confirmed the presence of human DNA in the biotech, while metallurgical scans revealed traces of Vulcan hull material quantum dated at two thousand years old. None of this adds to their knowledge of the biotech, but it does answer the question of time travel, and it goes a long way toward explaining the fate of the Coramonde.
While the holo-presence probe was inside the Coramonde, it confirmed that there was no life left on the Coramonde except for the biotech, which seemed to have absorbed the crew, in much the same way that it attempted to absorb Lt. Keller. With the protected memory removed from the Coramonde, Captain Decker chooses to destroy the downed ship in order to prevent it from falling into unauthorized hands, and to remove the threat from the biotech infecting the ship. After confirming that there is no other life on the planet, Captain Decker orders the Coramonde targeted with photon torpedoes and destroyed.
The Agamemnon breaks orbit from the unnamed planet, and Captain Decker orders the ship to return to the rift in the hope that they can safely return home. Once they arrive, she is relieved to discover that the rift is stable, and probes sent through show that it is safe to return. As the Agamemnon passes through, its scanners are unexpectedly inundated with line after line of signal code, repeating a single, indecipherable word that appears to be Vulcan in nature. As the science department struggles to shunt the data to auxiliary drives to stop the code from overwhelming the computer core, Captain Decker starts to wonder if this happened to the Coramonde at some point, and if the data will reveal the connection between the two thousand year old Vulcan hull material, the two thousand year old human DNA, and the dangerous biotech. Does the time travel phenomenon stretch back two thousand years, or were ancient Vulcans interacting with ancient humans. She doesn't doubt that the Vulcans can translate the code, but she also wonders if they would be happy to see or share information about what they were doing with human DNA two thousand years ago. She knows that she might hold the key to solving a mystery that spreads from the Alpha Quadrant to the Delta Quadrant, if only she handles it correctly...
Choose what you think should be the next course of action, and write a brief summary. You can also feel free to join the investigation with your own ship.
There are no predetermined right or wrong answers. Feel free to discuss the challenge with other players. Every player who submits an entry receives a "Command College Point". Ten of those equal an experience point. The most popular choice will determine the next step taken.
Captain's Log
(From last week) "...before somebody gets hurt..."
Class E Geoplastic
Age: 0-2 billion years
Diameter: 10,000-15,000 km
Location: Ecosphere
Surface: Molten, high surface temperature
Atmosphere: Hydrogen compounds and reactive gases
Evolution: Cools to become Class F
Life forms: Carbon-cycle
Example: Excalbia
11) You meet a society that causes you to question whether or not to interfere with their development.
(ENT Era) Challenger NX-07 Captain Sam Carpenter
Our mission to circumnavigate Romulan space has been interrupted by the discovery of a unique civilization living on a Class E geoplastic planet. We were making a close pass by the lone planet in an uncharted solar system twelve lightyears outside of what we understand to be Romulan space. Our initial scans showed an unusual amount of background radiation that we determined was a result of increased solar flare activity interacting with the planet's electromagnetic field. While we were unable to scan the surface of the planet, we did pick up a regular spike in the background radiation emanating from the planet that aroused the curiosity of Science Officer Cholena Janeway. Unfortunately, the heavy radiatiation prevented us from scanning the surface, and transporting down was out of the question.
Cholena and I put on environmental suits, boarded a shuttlepod and dropped into the soupy atmosphere. We discovered what we expected to, namely an uninhabitable, molten surface. After searching for an hour we were ready to give up when we saw an object drifting towards the surface. As we closed on the object, we discovered that it was a small probe in an unpowered descent. At that point we were able to direct a concentrated scan a t it. We found that it contained dozens of DNA samples in a refrigeration unit. Without the time to carefully examine the situation from every angle, I decided to try to retrieve the object. As it it turned out, that was easy. As Cholena brought the shuttlepod underneath the probe, I opened the side hatch and pulled it in.
Once on board the ship, Doctor Casey found that the DNA samples represented a viable gene pool to propogate the species that samples represented. Since we are nowhere close to any scientific facility, and we don't know where the probe came from, I decided to keep them on board and under refrigeration. I might be wrong, but I have a feeling that the DNA samples represent the last hope for some civilization. Cholena has pointed out to me the dangers of interfering with cultures that we don't understand. Certainly, there may be a need to put down hard and fast rules to govern interference with unknown cultures before somebody gets hurt, or we end up accidentally starting a war. I can only hope that those rules will allow for instinct and intuition when the available facts don't provide all the answers.
(Expand the following into a log entry of at least 100 words. Members post answers to the yahoogroup or the 'comment' feature on the blogsite. Lurkers feel free to leave comments on the blogsite)
For Next Week: "...how this got started..."
Developer's Diary:
You'd think that in the nearly three weeks since last I posted a summary there would have been lots of development, but there hasn't. I have worked on a simple text-based, simple-combat sector assault game. Very simple, and it may change. All I did was make a table of six possible encounters, from defense satellite to a dreadnought and a repair shipyard that I randomly rolled for. I used a heavy cruiser that kept the damage that it sustained for three encounters, then repaired. If you survive you win. I did. Good for a quick run, but not a lot of stuffing to it. I'll see what comes to me. In this instance I finally used the simple combat advantage that my "Veteran" status gives me, that being 20 points of damage to take rather than 15.
Fleet Action. Head-To-Head Bare Knuckles Naval Combat. Boarding Party Action. Solid Interactive Storytelling Like No Commercial Game Can Offer. How Much Star Trek Can You Handle?
Fantasy Trek. Not Just a Game. It's a Star Trek Experience
http://fantasytrek.blogspot.com
The Only Rebel Underground Star Trek PBEMMMORPG
(Moderator's Note: The three week gap in summaries perfectly illustrates the flexibility of Fantasy Trek. Moving, being sick, crazy work schedules threw a monkey wrench into things. But the game is still here, the story goes on, and it is a game, and not to be fretted over. And now, on with the show...)
Would you like to do more than just read? How about shaping the story? Start your career in the Center Seat. Get started right now with the Quick Start Guide:
To get started, answer the following questions:
Game Type:
Pure Combat
(Do you play for pure combat? You know that other events might decide the nature of that combat, but you just want to blow things up. And think about this: Do you like to micromanage combat, allocating power to personalize your attack/defence strategy, making combat a personal match of wits, or do you just like quick matches that can be over in minutes?)
Non-Combat
(You don't care about the combat. You like to write and you want to explore.)
Mix
(You appreciate both aspects of game play. You accept that the ship you love to write about may lose battles from time to time.)
Alignment:
Federatinn
Klingon
Romulan
Other (specify)
Ship name:
Command crew:
(You can stick to the TOS crew configuration of science officer, helm, navigator, communications officer, etc, or you can use the TNG idea of Operations Officer combining some duties.You can also customize your bridge crew configuration. You're the Captain)
Note: unless you have something else in mind, all players in this stage of the game get a Heavy Cruiser to start. The 'something else in mind' I mentioned is if you decide you want a mission-specific ship like a scout or police ship, which is likely to be a frigate or destroyer. Just remember that you might be limiting yourself in a case like that. And don't be intimidated by the need to create a command crew. If you're a story-teller, you're used to this, but it isn't necessary to start. And if you're in it for pure combat, the command crew is recommended but not necessary.
That is really all you need to start. I will happily walk any new players through the first few missions. If you are concerned that you don't have enough time to contribute, don't be. This game is as casual as you want. Exploring takes as much or as little time as you want. Write once a day or once a week. A hundred words or a thousand. The most intense level of this game, heavy combat takes a commitment of no more than one email a day. And even in that case, if you miss a day, it's forgivable. Even the moderator has a RL and the occasional computer issue. The game is turn-based. Combat results will be posted online daily. And if it still doesn't make sense, think of it like your favorite role-playing/writing group gathering for some table-top, Dungeons and Dragons-style game playing.
Summary of Events:
TNG Era:
There has been no further word from Ambassador Endara Khan or the crew of the USS Exeter in orbit of Oblissa III on its diplomatic mission with the Kazon. This is not seen as a cause of concern however, as such delays in complex diplomatic efforts are commonplace.
Detailed findings reported by the USS Guadalcanal's survey team on Oshionian VI have been transmitted to Starfleet Command. Experts are examining a possible link between two thousand year old human biomatter found in the Delta Quadrant and two thousand year old Vulcan hull fragments discovered by a Klingon taskforce in the recently charted wa'Hom system.
In the Coramonde system, the USS Lily Sloane has discovered a subspace rift after probing the area with a tunneling neutrino beam. The rift is projecting irregular waves of spatial and temporal displacement not unlike the dangerous effect surrounding the so-called Guardian Planet. The Lily Sloane has launched a probe through the rift.
Starships USS Archer and USS Arizona were forced to pull back from their patrol area in the Triangle Zone as Klingon and Romulan forces swept through the area in increasingly fierce combat encounters. The two heavy cruisers are under orders to monitor the situation closely and collect all relevant sensor data, but avoid entering combat at all cost.
TOS Era:
The Klingon diplomatic mission has closed its offices on Earth and recalled its ambassador in response to what it claims was an unprovoked and illegal ambush of a Klingon freighter well within the border of the Empire by a group of Federation starships. The Klingons have also ordered Federation diplomats removed from Qo'noS immediately.
The USS Magellan has begun its next mission following its unsuccessful search for the USS Coramonde.
ENT Era:
While there has been no direct communication from the Challenger NX-07 on its mission to circumnavigate Romulan space, Starfleet monitor stations have recorded signal traffic referring an Earth ship probing distant areas of the Romulan frontier.
Columbia NX-02 found traces of atomic weapons consistent with known Romulan weapons technology, as well as nearly dispersed ion trails similar to those used by Romulan craft. It is attempting to project a possible flight path from the data.
There has been no communications from the two Sloane Class light cruisers that were last reported following an ion exhaust that may be related to the disappearance of the EX-01 Roddenberry. The Roddenberry had been on a deep space probe towards the center of the galaxy.
Command College
"What Are Your Orders, Captain?"
(TNG Era) "Answers and New Questions" Resolution
After hours of waiting, the nanites signal that they have extracted and analyzed the alien biotech from Lt. Keller's pattern, and the Hazard team member is safely reenergized in the Agamemnon's transporter room. Then the science department begins to examine the findings of the biomechanical cirtcuitry that had attempted to infect Lt. Keller. They discovered trace DNA that was unmistakably human, but also unmistakably two thousand years old. This presents the first clue in the mystery, and links the one hundred year old USS Coramonde to findings of the USS Guadalcanal in the Delta Quadrant. But it also presents new questions. Who or what was integrating human DNA into biocircuitry two thousand years ago, and how is the Coramonde connected? And of course the original questions still remain. What brought down the Coramonde? Does the same threat apply to the Agamemnon?
Captain Decker determines that the answers can only be found within the protected memory core of the USS Coramonde. That is located near the center of the Coramonde's saucer section, far too deep to attempt to reach with the transporter. She also knows that a Hazard team would never be able to safely reach that deep within the ship on foot...
Captain Decker is unwilling to risk exposing her crew to infection from the aggressive biotech, but she is also determined to retrieve the Coramonde's protected memory core. In the end, she decides to launch a holo-presence probe to board the Coramonde. As an additional safety measure, the telemetry will be uploaded to an automated shuttle hovering over the area to keep the telemetry isolated from the Agamemnon's computer until it is deemed safe.
(TNG Era) "Too Much Information"
The shuttlecraft Apollo followed a holo-presence probe through the planet's atmosphere, and maintained an altitude of 100 meters above the site of the downed USS Coramonde. As soon as the probe reached the surface, it began to transmit telemetry to the hovering shuttle. In the Agamemnon, the crew is forced to wait, as any data transmitted from the probe to the shuttle could conceivably contain contaminated material. Finally, several hours later, the computer on board the Apollo reports that the protected memory from the Coramonde has been downloaded and scanned for any alien or malicious data. It reveals bio and metallurgical scans of the biotech as it was drawn down to the surface. Stress readings from the impulse deck and hull reveal that the ship was being drawn down to the surface, and Captain Edward Hubble ordered maximum reverse impulse and warp power diverted to shields and the structural integrity field in an attempt to keep the ship intact as it came down. The power that brought it down was not revealed. Captain's logs stated that the ship had been pulled forward in time as it traveled through the rift, which was bathed in neutrinos. Finally, the bioscans confirmed the presence of human DNA in the biotech, while metallurgical scans revealed traces of Vulcan hull material quantum dated at two thousand years old. None of this adds to their knowledge of the biotech, but it does answer the question of time travel, and it goes a long way toward explaining the fate of the Coramonde.
While the holo-presence probe was inside the Coramonde, it confirmed that there was no life left on the Coramonde except for the biotech, which seemed to have absorbed the crew, in much the same way that it attempted to absorb Lt. Keller. With the protected memory removed from the Coramonde, Captain Decker chooses to destroy the downed ship in order to prevent it from falling into unauthorized hands, and to remove the threat from the biotech infecting the ship. After confirming that there is no other life on the planet, Captain Decker orders the Coramonde targeted with photon torpedoes and destroyed.
The Agamemnon breaks orbit from the unnamed planet, and Captain Decker orders the ship to return to the rift in the hope that they can safely return home. Once they arrive, she is relieved to discover that the rift is stable, and probes sent through show that it is safe to return. As the Agamemnon passes through, its scanners are unexpectedly inundated with line after line of signal code, repeating a single, indecipherable word that appears to be Vulcan in nature. As the science department struggles to shunt the data to auxiliary drives to stop the code from overwhelming the computer core, Captain Decker starts to wonder if this happened to the Coramonde at some point, and if the data will reveal the connection between the two thousand year old Vulcan hull material, the two thousand year old human DNA, and the dangerous biotech. Does the time travel phenomenon stretch back two thousand years, or were ancient Vulcans interacting with ancient humans. She doesn't doubt that the Vulcans can translate the code, but she also wonders if they would be happy to see or share information about what they were doing with human DNA two thousand years ago. She knows that she might hold the key to solving a mystery that spreads from the Alpha Quadrant to the Delta Quadrant, if only she handles it correctly...
Choose what you think should be the next course of action, and write a brief summary. You can also feel free to join the investigation with your own ship.
There are no predetermined right or wrong answers. Feel free to discuss the challenge with other players. Every player who submits an entry receives a "Command College Point". Ten of those equal an experience point. The most popular choice will determine the next step taken.
Captain's Log
(From last week) "...before somebody gets hurt..."
Class E Geoplastic
Age: 0-2 billion years
Diameter: 10,000-15,000 km
Location: Ecosphere
Surface: Molten, high surface temperature
Atmosphere: Hydrogen compounds and reactive gases
Evolution: Cools to become Class F
Life forms: Carbon-cycle
Example: Excalbia
11) You meet a society that causes you to question whether or not to interfere with their development.
(ENT Era) Challenger NX-07 Captain Sam Carpenter
Our mission to circumnavigate Romulan space has been interrupted by the discovery of a unique civilization living on a Class E geoplastic planet. We were making a close pass by the lone planet in an uncharted solar system twelve lightyears outside of what we understand to be Romulan space. Our initial scans showed an unusual amount of background radiation that we determined was a result of increased solar flare activity interacting with the planet's electromagnetic field. While we were unable to scan the surface of the planet, we did pick up a regular spike in the background radiation emanating from the planet that aroused the curiosity of Science Officer Cholena Janeway. Unfortunately, the heavy radiatiation prevented us from scanning the surface, and transporting down was out of the question.
Cholena and I put on environmental suits, boarded a shuttlepod and dropped into the soupy atmosphere. We discovered what we expected to, namely an uninhabitable, molten surface. After searching for an hour we were ready to give up when we saw an object drifting towards the surface. As we closed on the object, we discovered that it was a small probe in an unpowered descent. At that point we were able to direct a concentrated scan a t it. We found that it contained dozens of DNA samples in a refrigeration unit. Without the time to carefully examine the situation from every angle, I decided to try to retrieve the object. As it it turned out, that was easy. As Cholena brought the shuttlepod underneath the probe, I opened the side hatch and pulled it in.
Once on board the ship, Doctor Casey found that the DNA samples represented a viable gene pool to propogate the species that samples represented. Since we are nowhere close to any scientific facility, and we don't know where the probe came from, I decided to keep them on board and under refrigeration. I might be wrong, but I have a feeling that the DNA samples represent the last hope for some civilization. Cholena has pointed out to me the dangers of interfering with cultures that we don't understand. Certainly, there may be a need to put down hard and fast rules to govern interference with unknown cultures before somebody gets hurt, or we end up accidentally starting a war. I can only hope that those rules will allow for instinct and intuition when the available facts don't provide all the answers.
(Expand the following into a log entry of at least 100 words. Members post answers to the yahoogroup or the 'comment' feature on the blogsite. Lurkers feel free to leave comments on the blogsite)
For Next Week: "...how this got started..."
Developer's Diary:
You'd think that in the nearly three weeks since last I posted a summary there would have been lots of development, but there hasn't. I have worked on a simple text-based, simple-combat sector assault game. Very simple, and it may change. All I did was make a table of six possible encounters, from defense satellite to a dreadnought and a repair shipyard that I randomly rolled for. I used a heavy cruiser that kept the damage that it sustained for three encounters, then repaired. If you survive you win. I did. Good for a quick run, but not a lot of stuffing to it. I'll see what comes to me. In this instance I finally used the simple combat advantage that my "Veteran" status gives me, that being 20 points of damage to take rather than 15.
Fleet Action. Head-To-Head Bare Knuckles Naval Combat. Boarding Party Action. Solid Interactive Storytelling Like No Commercial Game Can Offer. How Much Star Trek Can You Handle?
Fantasy Trek. Not Just a Game. It's a Star Trek Experience
http://fantasytrek.blogspot.com
The Only Rebel Underground Star Trek PBEMMMORPG
Saturday, May 2, 2009
What's New Here?
You might notice the Twitter updat e on the sidebar. I decided I was curious enough to sign up. I'm also thinking about a good recession depression beater. Free, simple games. Mrs Kapact and I are making a basketball hoop out of an old coat hanger. We'll use the hook to hang it over the door. Not life-changing, but free and simple and fun. My Fantasy Trek game fits into the same category. :)
Kapact
Kapact
Monday, April 13, 2009
Fantasy Trek: Summary of Events Stardate 0409.13
Would you like to do more than just read? How about shaping the story? Start your career in the Center Seat. Get started right now with the Quick Start Guide:
To get started, answer the following questions:
Game Type:
Pure Combat
(Do you play for pure combat? You know that other events might decide the nature of that combat, but you just want to blow things up. And think about this: Do you like to micromanage combat, allocating power to personalize your attack/defence strategy, making combat a personal match of wits, or do you just like quick matches that can be over in minutes?)
Non-Combat
(You don't care about the combat. You like to write and you want to explore.)
Mix
(You appreciate both aspects of game play. You accept that the ship you love to write about may lose battles from time to time.)
Alignment:
Federatinn
Klingon
Romulan
Other (specify)
Ship name:
Command crew:
(You can stick to the TOS crew configuration of science officer, helm, navigator, communications officer, etc, or you can use the TNG idea of Operations Officer combining some duties.You can also customize your bridge crew configuration. You're the Captain)
Note: unless you have something else in mind, all players in this stage of the game get a Heavy Cruiser to start. The 'something else in mind' I mentioned is if you decide you want a mission-specific ship like a scout or police ship, which is likely to be a frigate or destroyer. Just remember that you might be limiting yourself in a case like that. And don't be intimidated by the need to create a command crew. If you're a story-teller, you're used to this, but it isn't necessary to start. And if you're in it for pure combat, the command crew is recommended but not necessary.
That is really all you need to start. I will happily walk any new players through the first few missions. If you are concerned that you don't have enough time to contribute, don't be. This game is as casual as you want. Exploring takes as much or as little time as you want. Write once a day or once a week. A hundred words or a thousand. The most intense level of this game, heavy combat takes a commitment of no more than one email a day. And even in that case, if you miss a day, it's forgivable. Even the moderator has a RL and the occasional computer issue. The game is turn-based. Combat results will be posted online daily. And if it still doesn't make sense, think of it like your favorite role-playing/writing group gathering for some table-top, Dungeons and Dragons-style game playing.
Summary of Events:
TNG Era:
Negotiations between Ambassador Endara Khan and the First Majes of the Kazon Ogla and Oglamar are proceeding well, according to Captain Reggie Farrell on the USS Exeter in orbit of Oblissa III. Captain Farrell was advised that the ambassador expects to issue a statement soon detailing agreements reached, as well as a proposal for future agreements between the Federation and the Kazon.
Captain Murphy of the USS Guadalcanal reports astonishing findings in his examination of the biomechanical DNA recovered from Romulan soldiers on Oshionian VI. Microcellular scans of the biomatter revealed uniquely human DNA deeply encoded in the cellular structure, and analysis of the decay in the DNA strands suggests that the biomatter is more than two thousand years old. Quantum dating of the biomatter confirmed that finding.
In the Coramonde system, the science ship USS Lily Sloane discovered a faint subspace disturbance consistent with the passage of one or two Federation starships passing through a wormhole or other phenomena. It is attempting to probe the disturbance using a tunneling neutrino beam.
The Triangle Zone continues to be a center for hostilities between forces of the Klingon and Romulan Empires. The USS Archer and USS Arizona report four squadrons of 'Etlh Class Battlecruisers engaging and destroying a Romulan Carrier Battle Group. The Federation starships transmitted all relevant sensor data to the nearby Starbase Lighthouse in the Durandal system.
TOS Era:
Starfleet Command is denying reports that a group of starships crossed into Klingon space and destroyed a Klingon freighter. It also denies further reports that the crossing is part of an illegal military move to reinforce the outpost at Archer IV. Captain Lionidas reports that Klingon forces are beginning to pull back from their move toward Romulan space.
The USS Magellan has abandoned its search for the USS Coramonde, which disappeared on a mission towards the center of the galaxy. There are no warp trails to indicate passage of a Federation starship through the region, nor was there any subspace displacement readings to indicate the passage of other ships in the area.
ENT Era:
There have been no further communications from, nor reports of the Challenger NX-07 on its mission to circumnavigate Romulan space.
Challenger NX-02 is sweeping the Denobulan system for traces of Romulan passage through the system
The two Sloane Class light cruisers pursuing an ion propulsion exhaust trail from the last known position of the EX-01 Roddenberry report that it is leading in a general direction along the course that the Roddenberry was first assigned to, towards the center of the galaxy. The ion exhaust is consistent with advanced long-distance sublight craft.
Command College
"What Are Your Orders, Captain?"
(TNG Era) "Contact" Resolution
The Away team proceeds safely through the dark and sharply tilted corridors of the USS Coramonde. Scans show no humanoid forms, but as they move further into the ship, they find small patches of the biocircuitry along the deckplates and bulkheads. More of the small patches move seemingly randomly until Hazard team member Lieutenant Keller accidentally steps on one. The patch reacts violently, trying repeatedly and frantically to break through the personal forcefield covering Keller. In minutes, there are dozens of patches converging on the team. Captain Decker calls for an emergency beam out, but the Agamemnon's scanners cannot penetrate far enough inside the Coramonde. The team will have to get back to hull breach they've created.
Moving quickly, the away team retreats to the hull breach as more of the patches begin to surround them. Soon they are all being attacked by the patches. As Lt. Keller's personal shield finally fails, the away team reaches the hull breach. Captain Decker must quickly decide how best to care for Lt. Keller, safeguard the ship and crew, and continue the investigation...
Captain Decker ordered Lt. Keller beamed up separately and suspended in transport while the rest of the team was transported to a Class Three quarantine field in the Agamemnon's sickbay. Then she ordered the science officer to program nanites to infiltrate Lt. Keller's pattern, stored within the transporter's transport pattern buffer, and extract the alien biotech. It represents radically experimental surgery, but the only way to extract the biocircuitry without allowing it to further infect Keller.
(TNG Era) "Answers and New Questions"
After hours of waiting, the nanites signal that they have extracted and analyzed the alien biotech from Lt. Keller's pattern, and the Hazard team member is safely reenergized in the Agamemnon's transporter room. Then the science department begins to examine the findings of the biomechanical cirtcuitry that had attempted to infect Lt. Keller. They discovered trace DNA that was unmistakably human, but also unmistakably two thousand years old. This presents the first clue in the mystery, and links the one hundred year old USS Coramonde to findings of the USS Guadalcanal in the Delta Quadrant. But it also presents new questions. Who or what was integrating human DNA into biocircuitry two thousand years ago, and how is the Coramonde connected? And of course the original questions still remain. What brought down the Coramonde? Does the same threat apply to the Agamemnon?
Captain Decker determines that the answers can only be found within the protected memory core of the USS Coramonde. That is located near the center of the Coramonde's saucer section, far too deep to attempt to reach with the transporter. She also knows that a Hazard team would never be able to safely reach that deep within the ship on foot...
Choose what you think should be the next course of action, and write a brief summary. You can also feel free to join the investigation with your own ship.
There are no predetermined right or wrong answers. Feel free to discuss the challenge with other players. Every player who submits an entry receives a "Command College Point". Ten of those equal an experience point. The most popular choice will determine the next step taken.
Captain's Log
(From last week) "...something we have in common..."
Class D Asteroid/Moon
Age: 2-10 billion years
Diameter: 100-1,000 km
Location: Hot Zone/Ecosphere/Cold zone. Found Primarily in orbit of larger planets or in asteroid fields
Surface: Barren and cratered
Atmosphere: None or very tenous
Life forms: None
Example: Moon (Sol IIIa), Lunar V (Bajor VIIe)
7) A member of the crew becomes trapped on the planet.
(ENT Era)
Captain Matthew Von
EX-02 Patterson
Roddenberry Class Science Ship
Something we have in common with most species is a natural desire to protect those that we care for. That turned out to be what saved my chief engineer from an unfortunate fate on the single moon of Triacus I. While the moon has no indigenous life, its proximity to the unusually active local sun makes it a natural stopping point for a space-borne species that feeds on solar radiation. The species, which we are calling 'Jellies', for lack of a better word, is gelatinous in nature, but completely sentient, and has a neurochemistry strangely similar to ours. So similar, in fact, that the universal translator had no difficulty in understanding its thoughts. That unexpected common factor was instrumental in saving the life of Chief Science Officer McClellan. The chief had beamed down to the moon during a brief window of solar 'shade' to take a core sample when a mile-wide colony of the Jellies dropped to the surface and accidentally landed on top of him. As that side of the moon was not exposed to the sun at the time, the Jellies were unable to move, and McClellan was trapped on the surface. Fortunately, our plea for help, expressing the danger to our shipmate was easily understood, and the Jellies somehow summoned the energy to disassociate, freeing the chief before he was caught unprotected from the deadly radiation. Fortunately for the Jellies' sake, the sun came back out soon, and they were able to renew their strength and resume their migratory habits.
(Expand the following into a log entry of at least 100 words. Members post answers to the yahoogroup or the 'comment' feature on the blogsite. Lurkers feel free to leave comments on the blogsite)
For Next Week: "...before somebody gets hurt..."
Developer's Diary:
The simple combat tourney is finished. As I reported a few days ago, I decided to complete the tourney with simple combat instead of heavy. As far as I know, nobody had any vested interest in the outcome, and I wasn't feeling up to a grueling knock down drag out between two battered ships. The USS Guadalcanal was fortunate to get a good roll against the RIS Romulus, and it won on the first volley of simple combat.
Nasty old Section 31 is rearing its sneaky head in the TOS era, in the form of five heavy cruisers pushing through Klingon space to reinforce the Archer IV outpost. In the first system, they encountered and easily destroyed a Klingon freighter. As I take those ships through Klingon space, I'll roll for an encounter, then roll to see what they encounter.
I'm redesigning the STD's to reflect things like warp nacelles, computer cores, and transporters. They'll specify which systems are required to control your ship, and which systems you can control the ship from. Here's an example:
Command and Control Systems (CCS): (Bridge, Aux Bridge)
Auxiliary/Tactical Control/Countermeasure (ATC): (Fire Control, Sensors, Tractors, Hanger Bay, Transporters, Computer Core)
Control Capable: CCS/ATC
Control Requisite: Sensors/Computer Core/Power or Aux Power(1 battery per turn)
Another changing aspect of the STD and heavy combat is that systems that you can target are located in specific facings. I'm also putting guidelines out for ship and hull classes that will allow customizing and lead to different STD's for different ships and ship types within the same class. Here's an example, the Fed Destroyer STD:
FEDERATION DD
Hull Rating 2
Shields: 108 available (6 Arcs)
Armor: 8 available (6 Arcs)
Hull: 10 available (6 Arcs)
Command and Control Systems (CCS): (Bridge, Aux Bridge) 1 each
Auxiliary/Tactical Control/Countermeasure (ATC): (Fire Control, Sensors, Tractors, Hanger Bay, Transporters, Computer Core) 7 total
Class A Weapons: (Defensive rated weapons) n/a
Class B Weapons: (Beam weapons) 1/2 total (B and C Class weapons are interchangeable.)
Class C Weapons: (Launched/Tracking weapons) 1/2 total (B and C Class weapons are interchangeable.)
Class D Weapons: (Super Heavy) n/a
Sublight Propulsion: (Impulse) 1 total
Power: (Warp) 3 total
Auxiliary Power: (Batteries) 3 total
SHIELD GENERATORS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (1 IN 10 NEEDED)
DORSAL SHIELDS: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
VENTRAL SHIELDS: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
PORT SHIELDS: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
STARBOARD SHIELDS: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
FORE SHIELDS: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
AFT SHIELDS: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Armor:
Fore 1 2
Aft 1 2
Port 1
Starboard 1
Dorsal 1
Ventral 1
Hull
Fore 1 2 3
Aft 1 2 3
Port 1 2
Starboard 1 2
Dorsal 1 2 3
Ventral 1 2 3
INTERNALS
Bridge (DORS)1
Aux Bridge (VENT)1
Fire Control (FWD, PORT, STBD)1 2 3
Computer Core (FWD)1
Photons (FWD) 1 (AFT) 1
Sensors (OMNI/FWD, AFT)1 2
Tractors (OMNI/VENT)1
Phasers (OMNI/FWD,AFT,DORS) 1 2 2
Impulse (DORS)1
Hanger Bay (AFT) 1
Transporters (DORS)1
Batteries (VENT)1 2 3 4
Warp (VENT)1 2 3 4
Warp Nacelles (Port) 1 2 (Starboard) 1 2
Control Capable: CCS/ATC
Control Requisite: Sensors/Computer Core/Power or Aux Power(1 battery per turn)
Note: Warp refers to warp power capacity and system redundancies..
It's still very much a work in progress. There'll have to be allowances for ships like the Achilles Class heavy cruiser that is loaded with photon launchers but will have to be balanced with some weakness. Maybe limited ECM capability. In the end, it'll be a nicely customized and customizable game. And by the way, in order to target systems located to Dorsal (on top), you'll actually need to get above the ship. That means heavy combat in a 3-D environment, which means a second tactical map to show relative elevation.
I still need to update the links on the website to reflect changes. In the meantime, if you're playing, either go with the rules you have or leave a comment so I can email you updated rules. Most things actually haven't changed. It's just the important stuff, like heavy combat rules and STD's. And if you joined late and don't know what I mean by "STD", its Starship Technical Database. All the pertinent data on your ship.
Fleet Action. Head-To-Head Bare Knuckles Naval Combat. Boarding Party Action. Solid Interactive Storytelling Like No Commercial Game Can Offer. How Much Star Trek Can You Handle?
Fantasy Trek. Not Just a Game. It's a Star Trek Experience
http://fantasytrek.blogspot.com
The Only Rebel Underground Star Trek PBEMMMORPG
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Kapact's Rant: O.B.A.M.A. (Oh Boy Another Mistake A$S&\#@)
I'm finding it harder and harder to support our President, and I'm really trying. Despite the good that George W Bush tried to do, nobody can really say that he left the country in better shape after eight years in office. Safer, yes, though it cost thousands of lives and billions of dollars. But he is no more a fiscal conservative than Hillary is. Just as you can't tax your way to prosperity, you also can't spend your way there. And Bush spent irresponsibly. Compassionate Conservativism, as Bush tried it, was just fiscal liberalism. Real conservativism, which is compassionate by definition, knows that the government that does least is the government that does best. Every time government tries to improve something by getting its big, clumsy, greedy hands into it, it just makes a mess. And yet, compared to Obama, George W was a dream. Obama embarrasses us at home and abroad in front of foreign leaders. (If you don't believe that, google Obama and Churchill bust, Obama and HMS Resolute, Obama and speaking Austrian, and Obama bowing to Saudi King). Not only that, but he has done wise things like refusing to let some banks pay back stimulus money. No kidding. He says he has no interest in the government running private businesses until a business tries to get out from under the Obama boot. Several banks have tried to pay money back to the government, but the government has refused. Kind of like when a mob 'invests' a little cash into a small mom and pop store as a way of taking it over. The main difference is that the mob isn't taxpayer funded and supposed to be representing mom and pop. And of course, the mob would be more honest. Mr. Obama talks a very good game when he has a teleprompter, but I'm predicting that he's nothing but Jimmy Carter with a socialist bent. I just hope that we're blessed with another Reagan to pick up the pieces in four years.
Repeating From Last Week:
The housing meltdown which is at the heart of our crisis started in earnest in 1992 when Mister Clinton had the great idea to sell houses to low-income voters who couldn't afford them. No question that both sides ignored the problem but got rich off the over-inflated bubble, but it started under Bill Clinton. The records are there. Here are a few links that show just what I'm talking about:
From The New York Times in 1999: Fannie Mae Eases Credit To Aid Mortgage Lending (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9c0DE7DB153EF933A0575AC0A96F958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all) "Fannie Mae, the nation's biggest underwriter of home mortgages, has been under increasing pressure from the Clinton Administration to expand mortgage loans among low and moderate income people..."
From the New York Post: Alarms and Denial (http://www.nypost.com/php/pfriendly/print.php?url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/09262008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/alarms__denial_130763.htm)
Bloomberg Financial News: "How the Democrats Created the Financial Crisis" (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aSKSoiNbnQY0)
YouTube: Democrats in their own words (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MGT_cSi7Rs)
YouTube: Burning Down the House (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RZVw3no2A4&feature=iv&annotation_id=event_597487)
YouTube: Obama Ranks Second In Freddie/Fannie Contributions (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-_HlpZ8azA&feature=related)
Now I'll repeat what I said last week. First and foremost, this economic crisis has roots in the Clinton administration. Clinton ordered that home loans be given to families that could not pay them. Granted, Bush should have seen the meltdown coming, but it's a time bomb that Bill Clinton planted under the house. It's up to President Obama to set the tone and the course to rebuild our house. We all share responsibility for doing the hard work, but the President is the boss. The buck stops in the Oval Office. And speaking of the Oval Office, I have to admit that I have liked a fair amount of what I've seen of our new President. Words are cheap, and politicians are good at saying things people want to hear. At the same time, we need this presidency to be successful, and he can't succeed without our support. So while I'll be quick to point out everything that I see him do wrong, I'll also try my hardest to point out everything that I see him do right. I saw him talking to Matt Lauer just before the Superbowl, and he looked, unlike candidate Obama, like a man with humor and compassion and an appreciation for the humanity of the people that make up this country. He was funny and self-deprecating and seemingly unscripted. That man will have my support for as long as he occupies the White House. When he stops being that man, I'll stop supporting him.
Fleet Action. Head-To-Head Bare Knuckles Naval Combat. Boarding Party Action. Solid Interactive Storytelling Like No Commercial Game Can Offer. How Much Star Trek Can You Handle?
Fantasy Trek. Not Just a Game. It's a Star Trek Experience
http://fantasytrek.blogspot.com
The Only Rebel Underground Star Trek PBEMMMORPG
Repeating From Last Week:
The housing meltdown which is at the heart of our crisis started in earnest in 1992 when Mister Clinton had the great idea to sell houses to low-income voters who couldn't afford them. No question that both sides ignored the problem but got rich off the over-inflated bubble, but it started under Bill Clinton. The records are there. Here are a few links that show just what I'm talking about:
From The New York Times in 1999: Fannie Mae Eases Credit To Aid Mortgage Lending (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9c0DE7DB153EF933A0575AC0A96F958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all) "Fannie Mae, the nation's biggest underwriter of home mortgages, has been under increasing pressure from the Clinton Administration to expand mortgage loans among low and moderate income people..."
From the New York Post: Alarms and Denial (http://www.nypost.com/php/pfriendly/print.php?url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/09262008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/alarms__denial_130763.htm)
Bloomberg Financial News: "How the Democrats Created the Financial Crisis" (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aSKSoiNbnQY0)
YouTube: Democrats in their own words (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MGT_cSi7Rs)
YouTube: Burning Down the House (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RZVw3no2A4&feature=iv&annotation_id=event_597487)
YouTube: Obama Ranks Second In Freddie/Fannie Contributions (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-_HlpZ8azA&feature=related)
Now I'll repeat what I said last week. First and foremost, this economic crisis has roots in the Clinton administration. Clinton ordered that home loans be given to families that could not pay them. Granted, Bush should have seen the meltdown coming, but it's a time bomb that Bill Clinton planted under the house. It's up to President Obama to set the tone and the course to rebuild our house. We all share responsibility for doing the hard work, but the President is the boss. The buck stops in the Oval Office. And speaking of the Oval Office, I have to admit that I have liked a fair amount of what I've seen of our new President. Words are cheap, and politicians are good at saying things people want to hear. At the same time, we need this presidency to be successful, and he can't succeed without our support. So while I'll be quick to point out everything that I see him do wrong, I'll also try my hardest to point out everything that I see him do right. I saw him talking to Matt Lauer just before the Superbowl, and he looked, unlike candidate Obama, like a man with humor and compassion and an appreciation for the humanity of the people that make up this country. He was funny and self-deprecating and seemingly unscripted. That man will have my support for as long as he occupies the White House. When he stops being that man, I'll stop supporting him.
Fleet Action. Head-To-Head Bare Knuckles Naval Combat. Boarding Party Action. Solid Interactive Storytelling Like No Commercial Game Can Offer. How Much Star Trek Can You Handle?
Fantasy Trek. Not Just a Game. It's a Star Trek Experience
http://fantasytrek.blogspot.com
The Only Rebel Underground Star Trek PBEMMMORPG
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Kapact's Rant: What Mr Obama's Gift Will Cost You
Like most people, I've found a little extra money in my paycheck this week, thanks to Mister Obama. Well, not really. See, the extra cash isn't there because the fat cats in DC decided that they didn't need to get rich for creating and then exploiting crises. And don't try to pretend that they don't exploit crises. Hillary herself said "Don't let a good crisis go to waste." No, this extra cash in my paycheck actually comes from..... me! And you. And every other taxpayer. The Federal government doesn't have any money that we don't give it. So before you fall down on your knees and thank Mister Obama for giving you money, stop. He just did what liberals have been telling us for years is a bad idea. He's letting us keep more of our money. But don't think that he's changed into a conservative. He's just taking money from one hand and putting it in another. He's spending your money to give it to you. By "taxing the rich" he is taking money from corporations, just like the one that issued the check that had the tax cut on it. The same one that will have to raise its prices and/or lay people off and/or cut hours to make up the difference. So when you pump your fist in the air and chant "OBAMA!" like a true believer, think about what that is going to cost you. And hope and pray that it doesn't push your groceries out of your price range, or cost you the hours you need to survive on, or even your job.
And don't cry about giving Obama a chance. The two years that Obama spent in Congress were used to help create this problem and to run for President. They were used to condone the disposal of 'failed abortions' (live babies thrown in the garbage in Chicago hospitals), and to take in more money from unions and lobbyists than most other legislators have in a lifetime of exploiting crises. He spent the time voting 'present' and deciding which issues were above his paygrade. He's had plenty of time to fix the problem.
Repeating From Last Week:
The housing meltdown which is at the heart of our crisis started in earnest in 1992 when Mister Clinton had the great idea to sell houses to low-income voters who couldn't afford them. No question that both sides ignored the problem but got rich off the over-inflated bubble, but it started under Bill Clinton. The records are there. Here are a few links that show just what I'm talking about:
From The New York Times in 1999: Fannie Mae Eases Credit To Aid Mortgage Lending (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9c0DE7DB153EF933A0575AC0A96F958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all) "Fannie Mae, the nation's biggest underwriter of home mortgages, has been under increasing pressure from the Clinton Administration to expand mortgage loans among low and moderate income people..."
From the New York Post: Alarms and Denial (http://www.nypost.com/php/pfriendly/print.php?url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/09262008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/alarms__denial_130763.htm)
Bloomberg Financial News: "How the Democrats Created the Financial Crisis" (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aSKSoiNbnQY0)
YouTube: Democrats in their own words (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MGT_cSi7Rs)
YouTube: Burning Down the House (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RZVw3no2A4&feature=iv&annotation_id=event_597487)
YouTube: Obama Ranks Second In Freddie/Fannie Contributions (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-_HlpZ8azA&feature=related)
Now I'll repeat what I said last week. First and foremost, this economic crisis has roots in the Clinton administration. Clinton ordered that home loans be given to families that could not pay them. Granted, Bush should have seen the meltdown coming, but it's a time bomb that Bill Clinton planted under the house. It's up to President Obama to set the tone and the course to rebuild our house. We all share responsibility for doing the hard work, but the President is the boss. The buck stops in the Oval Office. And speaking of the Oval Office, I have to admit that I have liked a fair amount of what I've seen of our new President. Words are cheap, and politicians are good at saying things people want to hear. At the same time, we need this presidency to be successful, and he can't succeed without our support. So while I'll be quick to point out everything that I see him do wrong, I'll also try my hardest to point out everything that I see him do right. I saw him talking to Matt Lauer just before the Superbowl, and he looked, unlike candidate Obama, like a man with humor and compassion and an appreciation for the humanity of the people that make up this country. He was funny and self-deprecating and seemingly unscripted. That man will have my support for as long as he occupies the White House. When he stops being that man, I'll stop supporting him.
Fleet Action. Head-To-Head Bare Knuckles Naval Combat. Boarding Party Action. Solid Interactive Storytelling Like No Commercial Game Can Offer. How Much Star Trek Can You Handle?
Fantasy Trek. Not Just a Game. It's a Star Trek Experience
http://fantasytrek.blogspot.com
The Only Rebel Underground Star Trek PBEMMMORPG
And don't cry about giving Obama a chance. The two years that Obama spent in Congress were used to help create this problem and to run for President. They were used to condone the disposal of 'failed abortions' (live babies thrown in the garbage in Chicago hospitals), and to take in more money from unions and lobbyists than most other legislators have in a lifetime of exploiting crises. He spent the time voting 'present' and deciding which issues were above his paygrade. He's had plenty of time to fix the problem.
Repeating From Last Week:
The housing meltdown which is at the heart of our crisis started in earnest in 1992 when Mister Clinton had the great idea to sell houses to low-income voters who couldn't afford them. No question that both sides ignored the problem but got rich off the over-inflated bubble, but it started under Bill Clinton. The records are there. Here are a few links that show just what I'm talking about:
From The New York Times in 1999: Fannie Mae Eases Credit To Aid Mortgage Lending (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9c0DE7DB153EF933A0575AC0A96F958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all) "Fannie Mae, the nation's biggest underwriter of home mortgages, has been under increasing pressure from the Clinton Administration to expand mortgage loans among low and moderate income people..."
From the New York Post: Alarms and Denial (http://www.nypost.com/php/pfriendly/print.php?url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/09262008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/alarms__denial_130763.htm)
Bloomberg Financial News: "How the Democrats Created the Financial Crisis" (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aSKSoiNbnQY0)
YouTube: Democrats in their own words (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MGT_cSi7Rs)
YouTube: Burning Down the House (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RZVw3no2A4&feature=iv&annotation_id=event_597487)
YouTube: Obama Ranks Second In Freddie/Fannie Contributions (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-_HlpZ8azA&feature=related)
Now I'll repeat what I said last week. First and foremost, this economic crisis has roots in the Clinton administration. Clinton ordered that home loans be given to families that could not pay them. Granted, Bush should have seen the meltdown coming, but it's a time bomb that Bill Clinton planted under the house. It's up to President Obama to set the tone and the course to rebuild our house. We all share responsibility for doing the hard work, but the President is the boss. The buck stops in the Oval Office. And speaking of the Oval Office, I have to admit that I have liked a fair amount of what I've seen of our new President. Words are cheap, and politicians are good at saying things people want to hear. At the same time, we need this presidency to be successful, and he can't succeed without our support. So while I'll be quick to point out everything that I see him do wrong, I'll also try my hardest to point out everything that I see him do right. I saw him talking to Matt Lauer just before the Superbowl, and he looked, unlike candidate Obama, like a man with humor and compassion and an appreciation for the humanity of the people that make up this country. He was funny and self-deprecating and seemingly unscripted. That man will have my support for as long as he occupies the White House. When he stops being that man, I'll stop supporting him.
Fleet Action. Head-To-Head Bare Knuckles Naval Combat. Boarding Party Action. Solid Interactive Storytelling Like No Commercial Game Can Offer. How Much Star Trek Can You Handle?
Fantasy Trek. Not Just a Game. It's a Star Trek Experience
http://fantasytrek.blogspot.com
The Only Rebel Underground Star Trek PBEMMMORPG
Fantasy Trek: Summary of Events Stardate 0409.05
Developer's Note: If you're reading this and wondering what it's all about, this is a generally weekly summary of events in the storyline in Fantasy Trek. It includes things done by players and NPC's (Non-Player Characters) over the last week in all three Trek Era's. What does that mean to you? If you have an interest in playing (which can be combat, writing, or both), click the 'comment' tab at the end of the post, and I'll happily get you started with a 'Quick Start Guide". You should also feel free to comment/question anything here, as well as participate in the Commannd College feature. Here's the Quick Start Guide:
To get started, answer the following questions:
Game Type:
Pure Combat
(Do you play for pure combat? You know that other events might decide the nature of that combat, but you just want to blow things up. And think about this: Do you like to micromanage combat, allocating power to personalize your attack/defence strategy, making combat a personal match of wits, or do you just like quick matches that can be over in minutes?)
Non-Combat
(You don't care about the combat. You like to write and you want to explore.)
Mix
(You appreciate both aspects of game play. You accept that the ship you love to write about may lose battles from time to time.)
Alignment:
Federation
Klingon
Romulan
Other (specify)
Ship name
Command crew
(You can stick to the TOS crew configuration of science officer, helm, navigator, communications officer, etc, or you can use the TNG idea of Operations Officer combining some duties.You can also customize your bridge crew configuration. You're the Captain)
Note: unless you have something else in mind, all players in this stage of the game get a Heavy Cruiser to start. The 'something else in mind' I mentioned is if you decide you want a mission-specific ship like a scout or police ship, which is likely to be a frigate or destroyer. Just remember that you might be limiting yourself in a case like that. And don't be intimidated by the need to create a command crew. If you're a story-teller, you're used to this, but it isn't necessary to start. And if you're in it for pure combat, the command crew is recommended but not necessary.
That is really all you need to start. I will happily walk any new players through the first few missions. If you are concerned that you don't have enough time to contribute, don't be. This game is as casual as you want. Exploring takes as much or as little time as you want. Write once a day or once a week. A hundred words or a thousand. The most intense level of this game, heavy combat takes a commitment of no more than one email a day. And even in that case, if you miss a day, it's forgivable. Even the moderator has a RL and the occasional computer issue. The game is turn-based. Combat results will be posted online daily. And if it still doesn't make sense, think of it like your favorite role-playing/writing group gathering for some table-top game playing.
Summary of Events:
TNG Era:
The Kazon-Oglamar Warship Olkunot entered orbit of Oblissa III on schedule and immediately established communication with Ambassador Endara Khan on the USS Exeter. Captain Farrell reports that the Ambassador and the two First Maje's have been in talks for more than twelve hours. There have been no signs of the disabled Romulan Warbird Decius.
The USS Guadalcanal was forced to withdraw from the area of Oshionian VI as an ion storm moved through the area. Survey teams removed all material from the surface as a precaution. The ion storm may be in the area for a week. In the meantime, the Guadalcanal's science department is continuing to study biomechanical DNA recovered from the bodies of Romulan soldiers found on the surface.
Romulan Captain T'Leena has retained command of the warbird RIS D'Shoanna after a court martial hearing in the Nequencia system. She has been assigned to unspecified maneuvers. The Romulan ambassador filed a formal complaint with the Federation Council to protest the actions of the USS Essex in the matter.
A complete sweep of the Coramonde system by the science ship USS Lily Sloane failed to reveal any explanation for the disappearance the USS Sternbach, or the USS Yorktown, which the Sternbach was sent to search for. The Lily Sloane is still studying the system.
USS Archer and USS Arizona report increased clashes between Klingon and Romulan forces in the Triangle Zone. They also report sighting a new Klingon Heavy Cruiser, tentatively identified as an 'Etlh' Class Battlecruiser.
TOS Era:
Starfleet Command reports no further progress in formulating a plan to get reinforcements to Archer IV. The Fast (Penetration) Cruiser USS Xerxes is currently the only Federation starship in the area. Captain Lionidas of the Xerxes reports no new sightings of Klingons in the area. Archer IV is in close proximity to Klingon space and largely isolated from the bulk of Federation space.
The USS Magellan failed to find signs of the USS Coramonde in the uncharted system where its transponder signal was monitored. It is continuing to sweep the system for clues.
ENT Era:
There have been no further communications from, nor reports of the Challenger NX-07 on its mission to circumnavigate Romulan space.
Columbia NX-02 reports finding debris in the Denobula system belonging to a missing Denobulan civilian transport. Spectrascopic analysis of the debris reveals traces of Romulan-style atomic weapons.
The two Sloane Class light cruisers found no further hull plating from the EX-01 Roddenberry, but did pick up traces of ion propulsion exhaust consistent with advanced long-distance sublight craft. They are in pursuit.
Command College
"What Are Your Orders, Captain?"
(TNG Era) "Biomechanical Threat" Resolution
The first step in Captain Decker's investigation is to conduct an intensive scan of the planet-bound starship to confirm the apparent lack of life signs and to search for evidence of weapons fire on the hull. After establishing a synchronous orbit over the Coramonde, intensive scans are directed at the ship. Readings show no discernible weapons fire, and no definitive life readings. There is, however, an unusual and unexplainable electromagnetic signature across the length and breadth of the ship that probes launched from orbit cannot penetrate. The next step is to send an away team. In light of the mystery surrounding the ship, Captain Decker chooses four Hazard team members and the chief science officer to join her. They were all outfitted with Hazard team personal force fields and vital sign monitors continuously transmitting to the ship.
They are transported to the surface, a few meters from the Coramonde. Intensive scans show biomechanical circuitry covering the hull that was not detected from orbit. The circuitry is similar to bio-neural gelpaks found in modern starships, as well as some Borg circuitry, but it lacks the familiar Borg 'footprint' found in every recorded encounter with them. According to scans, the circuitry is covering twenty percent of the hull and growing at a rate of one percent a day.
At this point, Captain Decker determines a potential threat to personnel if they come in physical contact with the ship. At the same time, she knows that they won't learn any more without getting inside the ship. The team does have limited protection thanks to their personal force fields, but they might not protect them from whatever power brought down the Coramonde. What should be her next step?
Captain Decker decides that they have no choice but to enter the downed Coramonde. Since the starboard side of the engineering hull is the furthest from any area covered by the biocircuitry, but also directly opposite of the away team's location, she request a site-to-site transport from the Agamemnon. Seconds later, they are standing next to the Coramonde's engineering hull.
After science officer Solok uses his tricorder to create a small gap in the electromagnetic field surrounding the ship, the Hazard team's leader, Lt Commander Muñoz adjusts his phaser to drill through the hull of the ship and fires his weapon. In seconds, there is a hole large enough for the team to step through. Scanning the interior of the ship, Commander Solok determines that the biocircuitry does not exist in the immediate area within the ship. Captain Decker orders the team to proceed into the ship.
(TNG Era) "Contact"
The Away team proceeds safely through the dark and sharply tilted corridors of the USS Coramonde. Scans show no humanoid forms, but as they move further into the ship, they find small patches of the biocircuitry along the deckplates and bulkheads. More of the small patches move seemingly randomly until Hazard team member Lieutenant Keller accidentally steps on one. The patch reacts violently, trying repeatedly and frantically to break through the personal forcefield covering Keller. In minutes, there are dozens of patches converging on the team. Captain Decker calls for an emergency beam out, but the Agamemnon's scanners cannot penetrate far enough inside the Coramonde. The team will have to get back to hull breach they've created.
Moving quickly, the away team retreats to the hull breach as more of the patches begin to surround them. Soon they are all being attacked by the patches. As Lt. Keller's personal shield finally fails, the away team reaches the hull breach. Captain Decker must quickly decide how best to care for Lt. Keller, safeguard the ship and crew, and continue the investigation...
Choose what you think should be the next course of action, and write a brief summary. You can also feel free to join the investigation with your own ship.
There are no predetermined right or wrong answers. Feel free to discuss the challenge with other players. Every player who submits an entry receives a "Command College Point". Ten of those equal an experience point. The most popular choice will determine the next step taken.
Captain's Log
(From last week) "...no obvious answer..."
Class M
Age: 3-10 billion years
Diameter: 10,000-15,000 km
Location: Ecosphere
Surface: Surface water abundant; if water covers more than 80%, planet is considered Class-O or Class-P
Atmosphere: Nitrogen, oxygen, trace elements
Life forms: Extensive vegetation, animal life, humanoids
Example: Earth, Vulcan, Cardassia Prime
15) The landing party finds itself back (seemingly) on it's homeworld. (Earth, Qo'noS, or whatever). But according to sensors on the ship, they're still where they were before.
(TNG Era) IKS NaQ'jej Vor'cha Class Heavy Cruiser
While surveying the gI'tlh system for signs of a viral outbreak threatening several frontier worlds, I led a landing party down to the third planet to discover that we were on an exact duplicate of Qo'noS. The First City had been perfectly duplicated, as well as such landmarks as the Kri'staK volcano and Lake Lursor. There was even what appreared to be fragments of Praxis in orbit. The only thing missing from this recreation was the population. The planet was completely uninhabited. Even with the recreated Klingon architecture and landmarks, we did not expect to find Klingons living here. This world is not a Klingon colony, nor has it ever been visted by the Empire.
While the humans believe in the possiblity of parallel development like this, I find the concept difficult accept. I do not believe in accidents or coincidences. And it makes even less sense considering the lack of a population, or any evidence that one ever existed. Klingons do not have an appreciation for subtlety or mysteries, and where we find no obvious answer we generally provide our own. In this case, the presence of the virus in every body of water on this planet answered every question that matters. From orbit, we bombarded the planet with delta radiation until every sign of life, including the virus, was obliterated.
(Expand the following into a log entry of at least 100 words. Members post answers to the yahoogroup or the 'comment' feature on the blogsite. Lurkers feel free to leave comments on the blogsite)
For Next Week: "...something we have in common..."
Developer's Diary:
The Simple Combat Tourney is almost over. The RIS Romulus will face off against the USS Guadalcanal in a heavy combat engagement... once I make sure the conditions are properly set. In the meantime, the TOS storyline is going to lead into a mini-campaign with possibilities of simple and heavy combat. And the result of that campaign will determine the fate of the USS Xerxes and the Archer IV outpost.
I am refining the Kri'staK Fleet patch. I just decided I wasn't happy with the finished product. I've also designed a new TNG Era Klingon Heavy Cruiser that has a definite 'wedge' shape to the engineering hull and internal warp nacelles, and I'm looking at designs for a heavier bird of prey. I'm also thinking about a TOS advanced Romulan Bird of Prey. Maybe a TMP Era. What this will lead to eventually is a completely original, non-canon library of ships which players are encouraged to use. Not required by any means, but encouraged. Why? One thing that I've always wanted for Fantasy Trek is for it to be imagination-based. DIY Trek. Most games (including notable upcoming pay-to-play games) allow you to customize your ship, and your character to an extent. Fantasy Trek encourages you to create your ship, your crew, your character, and your career. Something else. While certain notable upcoming games are introducing new ships that copy from the "Enterprise" series, or are kitbashes, Fantasy Trek is the place for new ideas. The Ab'Qaff Class Command Class is a new design, as is the 'Etlh Class Heavy Cruiser. And there are more on the way. And yeah, it's all free. Free to own and share, and, what a concept, free-to-play.
For the future of Fantasy Trek, the Klingons and the Federation are going to square off against a mutual opponent to gain control of an area of space consisting of at least, say, ten sectors. Just like the server 'campaigns' I sometimes take part in for "Starfleet Command: Orion Pirates", factions will have to run convoys to keep starbases and shipyards functioning, and borders will shift and sometimes be defined by line-of-site. It could last, like the original multilevel play, as long as a month. While it sometimes seems like I'll never 'finish' creating this game, I realized that there's a good side to that. How many times have you played through the single-player campaign and suddenly found yourself at the end? How many times have you wondered if that was all you paid fifty bucks for? I sure have. Well, that isn't a problem with Fantasy Trek. And of course, there isn't a monthly subscription. If one of the 15 people who have downloaded a version of "Fantasy Trek" from 4shared.com is reading this, let me know how you like it. Keep in mind that some of the rules and tools have changed. Changes are posted here, and I'll try to update the links on the blogsite soon.
Fleet Action. Head-To-Head Bare Knuckles Naval Combat. Boarding Party Action. Solid Interactive Storytelling Like No Commercial Game Can Offer. How Much Star Trek Can You Handle?
Fantasy Trek. Not Just a Game. It's a Star Trek Experience
http://fantasytrek.blogspot.com
The Only Rebel Underground Star Trek PBEMMMORPG
To get started, answer the following questions:
Game Type:
Pure Combat
(Do you play for pure combat? You know that other events might decide the nature of that combat, but you just want to blow things up. And think about this: Do you like to micromanage combat, allocating power to personalize your attack/defence strategy, making combat a personal match of wits, or do you just like quick matches that can be over in minutes?)
Non-Combat
(You don't care about the combat. You like to write and you want to explore.)
Mix
(You appreciate both aspects of game play. You accept that the ship you love to write about may lose battles from time to time.)
Alignment:
Federation
Klingon
Romulan
Other (specify)
Ship name
Command crew
(You can stick to the TOS crew configuration of science officer, helm, navigator, communications officer, etc, or you can use the TNG idea of Operations Officer combining some duties.You can also customize your bridge crew configuration. You're the Captain)
Note: unless you have something else in mind, all players in this stage of the game get a Heavy Cruiser to start. The 'something else in mind' I mentioned is if you decide you want a mission-specific ship like a scout or police ship, which is likely to be a frigate or destroyer. Just remember that you might be limiting yourself in a case like that. And don't be intimidated by the need to create a command crew. If you're a story-teller, you're used to this, but it isn't necessary to start. And if you're in it for pure combat, the command crew is recommended but not necessary.
That is really all you need to start. I will happily walk any new players through the first few missions. If you are concerned that you don't have enough time to contribute, don't be. This game is as casual as you want. Exploring takes as much or as little time as you want. Write once a day or once a week. A hundred words or a thousand. The most intense level of this game, heavy combat takes a commitment of no more than one email a day. And even in that case, if you miss a day, it's forgivable. Even the moderator has a RL and the occasional computer issue. The game is turn-based. Combat results will be posted online daily. And if it still doesn't make sense, think of it like your favorite role-playing/writing group gathering for some table-top game playing.
Summary of Events:
TNG Era:
The Kazon-Oglamar Warship Olkunot entered orbit of Oblissa III on schedule and immediately established communication with Ambassador Endara Khan on the USS Exeter. Captain Farrell reports that the Ambassador and the two First Maje's have been in talks for more than twelve hours. There have been no signs of the disabled Romulan Warbird Decius.
The USS Guadalcanal was forced to withdraw from the area of Oshionian VI as an ion storm moved through the area. Survey teams removed all material from the surface as a precaution. The ion storm may be in the area for a week. In the meantime, the Guadalcanal's science department is continuing to study biomechanical DNA recovered from the bodies of Romulan soldiers found on the surface.
Romulan Captain T'Leena has retained command of the warbird RIS D'Shoanna after a court martial hearing in the Nequencia system. She has been assigned to unspecified maneuvers. The Romulan ambassador filed a formal complaint with the Federation Council to protest the actions of the USS Essex in the matter.
A complete sweep of the Coramonde system by the science ship USS Lily Sloane failed to reveal any explanation for the disappearance the USS Sternbach, or the USS Yorktown, which the Sternbach was sent to search for. The Lily Sloane is still studying the system.
USS Archer and USS Arizona report increased clashes between Klingon and Romulan forces in the Triangle Zone. They also report sighting a new Klingon Heavy Cruiser, tentatively identified as an 'Etlh' Class Battlecruiser.
TOS Era:
Starfleet Command reports no further progress in formulating a plan to get reinforcements to Archer IV. The Fast (Penetration) Cruiser USS Xerxes is currently the only Federation starship in the area. Captain Lionidas of the Xerxes reports no new sightings of Klingons in the area. Archer IV is in close proximity to Klingon space and largely isolated from the bulk of Federation space.
The USS Magellan failed to find signs of the USS Coramonde in the uncharted system where its transponder signal was monitored. It is continuing to sweep the system for clues.
ENT Era:
There have been no further communications from, nor reports of the Challenger NX-07 on its mission to circumnavigate Romulan space.
Columbia NX-02 reports finding debris in the Denobula system belonging to a missing Denobulan civilian transport. Spectrascopic analysis of the debris reveals traces of Romulan-style atomic weapons.
The two Sloane Class light cruisers found no further hull plating from the EX-01 Roddenberry, but did pick up traces of ion propulsion exhaust consistent with advanced long-distance sublight craft. They are in pursuit.
Command College
"What Are Your Orders, Captain?"
(TNG Era) "Biomechanical Threat" Resolution
The first step in Captain Decker's investigation is to conduct an intensive scan of the planet-bound starship to confirm the apparent lack of life signs and to search for evidence of weapons fire on the hull. After establishing a synchronous orbit over the Coramonde, intensive scans are directed at the ship. Readings show no discernible weapons fire, and no definitive life readings. There is, however, an unusual and unexplainable electromagnetic signature across the length and breadth of the ship that probes launched from orbit cannot penetrate. The next step is to send an away team. In light of the mystery surrounding the ship, Captain Decker chooses four Hazard team members and the chief science officer to join her. They were all outfitted with Hazard team personal force fields and vital sign monitors continuously transmitting to the ship.
They are transported to the surface, a few meters from the Coramonde. Intensive scans show biomechanical circuitry covering the hull that was not detected from orbit. The circuitry is similar to bio-neural gelpaks found in modern starships, as well as some Borg circuitry, but it lacks the familiar Borg 'footprint' found in every recorded encounter with them. According to scans, the circuitry is covering twenty percent of the hull and growing at a rate of one percent a day.
At this point, Captain Decker determines a potential threat to personnel if they come in physical contact with the ship. At the same time, she knows that they won't learn any more without getting inside the ship. The team does have limited protection thanks to their personal force fields, but they might not protect them from whatever power brought down the Coramonde. What should be her next step?
Captain Decker decides that they have no choice but to enter the downed Coramonde. Since the starboard side of the engineering hull is the furthest from any area covered by the biocircuitry, but also directly opposite of the away team's location, she request a site-to-site transport from the Agamemnon. Seconds later, they are standing next to the Coramonde's engineering hull.
After science officer Solok uses his tricorder to create a small gap in the electromagnetic field surrounding the ship, the Hazard team's leader, Lt Commander Muñoz adjusts his phaser to drill through the hull of the ship and fires his weapon. In seconds, there is a hole large enough for the team to step through. Scanning the interior of the ship, Commander Solok determines that the biocircuitry does not exist in the immediate area within the ship. Captain Decker orders the team to proceed into the ship.
(TNG Era) "Contact"
The Away team proceeds safely through the dark and sharply tilted corridors of the USS Coramonde. Scans show no humanoid forms, but as they move further into the ship, they find small patches of the biocircuitry along the deckplates and bulkheads. More of the small patches move seemingly randomly until Hazard team member Lieutenant Keller accidentally steps on one. The patch reacts violently, trying repeatedly and frantically to break through the personal forcefield covering Keller. In minutes, there are dozens of patches converging on the team. Captain Decker calls for an emergency beam out, but the Agamemnon's scanners cannot penetrate far enough inside the Coramonde. The team will have to get back to hull breach they've created.
Moving quickly, the away team retreats to the hull breach as more of the patches begin to surround them. Soon they are all being attacked by the patches. As Lt. Keller's personal shield finally fails, the away team reaches the hull breach. Captain Decker must quickly decide how best to care for Lt. Keller, safeguard the ship and crew, and continue the investigation...
Choose what you think should be the next course of action, and write a brief summary. You can also feel free to join the investigation with your own ship.
There are no predetermined right or wrong answers. Feel free to discuss the challenge with other players. Every player who submits an entry receives a "Command College Point". Ten of those equal an experience point. The most popular choice will determine the next step taken.
Captain's Log
(From last week) "...no obvious answer..."
Class M
Age: 3-10 billion years
Diameter: 10,000-15,000 km
Location: Ecosphere
Surface: Surface water abundant; if water covers more than 80%, planet is considered Class-O or Class-P
Atmosphere: Nitrogen, oxygen, trace elements
Life forms: Extensive vegetation, animal life, humanoids
Example: Earth, Vulcan, Cardassia Prime
15) The landing party finds itself back (seemingly) on it's homeworld. (Earth, Qo'noS, or whatever). But according to sensors on the ship, they're still where they were before.
(TNG Era) IKS NaQ'jej Vor'cha Class Heavy Cruiser
While surveying the gI'tlh system for signs of a viral outbreak threatening several frontier worlds, I led a landing party down to the third planet to discover that we were on an exact duplicate of Qo'noS. The First City had been perfectly duplicated, as well as such landmarks as the Kri'staK volcano and Lake Lursor. There was even what appreared to be fragments of Praxis in orbit. The only thing missing from this recreation was the population. The planet was completely uninhabited. Even with the recreated Klingon architecture and landmarks, we did not expect to find Klingons living here. This world is not a Klingon colony, nor has it ever been visted by the Empire.
While the humans believe in the possiblity of parallel development like this, I find the concept difficult accept. I do not believe in accidents or coincidences. And it makes even less sense considering the lack of a population, or any evidence that one ever existed. Klingons do not have an appreciation for subtlety or mysteries, and where we find no obvious answer we generally provide our own. In this case, the presence of the virus in every body of water on this planet answered every question that matters. From orbit, we bombarded the planet with delta radiation until every sign of life, including the virus, was obliterated.
(Expand the following into a log entry of at least 100 words. Members post answers to the yahoogroup or the 'comment' feature on the blogsite. Lurkers feel free to leave comments on the blogsite)
For Next Week: "...something we have in common..."
Developer's Diary:
The Simple Combat Tourney is almost over. The RIS Romulus will face off against the USS Guadalcanal in a heavy combat engagement... once I make sure the conditions are properly set. In the meantime, the TOS storyline is going to lead into a mini-campaign with possibilities of simple and heavy combat. And the result of that campaign will determine the fate of the USS Xerxes and the Archer IV outpost.
I am refining the Kri'staK Fleet patch. I just decided I wasn't happy with the finished product. I've also designed a new TNG Era Klingon Heavy Cruiser that has a definite 'wedge' shape to the engineering hull and internal warp nacelles, and I'm looking at designs for a heavier bird of prey. I'm also thinking about a TOS advanced Romulan Bird of Prey. Maybe a TMP Era. What this will lead to eventually is a completely original, non-canon library of ships which players are encouraged to use. Not required by any means, but encouraged. Why? One thing that I've always wanted for Fantasy Trek is for it to be imagination-based. DIY Trek. Most games (including notable upcoming pay-to-play games) allow you to customize your ship, and your character to an extent. Fantasy Trek encourages you to create your ship, your crew, your character, and your career. Something else. While certain notable upcoming games are introducing new ships that copy from the "Enterprise" series, or are kitbashes, Fantasy Trek is the place for new ideas. The Ab'Qaff Class Command Class is a new design, as is the 'Etlh Class Heavy Cruiser. And there are more on the way. And yeah, it's all free. Free to own and share, and, what a concept, free-to-play.
For the future of Fantasy Trek, the Klingons and the Federation are going to square off against a mutual opponent to gain control of an area of space consisting of at least, say, ten sectors. Just like the server 'campaigns' I sometimes take part in for "Starfleet Command: Orion Pirates", factions will have to run convoys to keep starbases and shipyards functioning, and borders will shift and sometimes be defined by line-of-site. It could last, like the original multilevel play, as long as a month. While it sometimes seems like I'll never 'finish' creating this game, I realized that there's a good side to that. How many times have you played through the single-player campaign and suddenly found yourself at the end? How many times have you wondered if that was all you paid fifty bucks for? I sure have. Well, that isn't a problem with Fantasy Trek. And of course, there isn't a monthly subscription. If one of the 15 people who have downloaded a version of "Fantasy Trek" from 4shared.com is reading this, let me know how you like it. Keep in mind that some of the rules and tools have changed. Changes are posted here, and I'll try to update the links on the blogsite soon.
Fleet Action. Head-To-Head Bare Knuckles Naval Combat. Boarding Party Action. Solid Interactive Storytelling Like No Commercial Game Can Offer. How Much Star Trek Can You Handle?
Fantasy Trek. Not Just a Game. It's a Star Trek Experience
http://fantasytrek.blogspot.com
The Only Rebel Underground Star Trek PBEMMMORPG
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Fantasy Trek: Summary of Events Stardate 0309.29
TNG Era:
Captain Farrell reports a signal received from the Kazon-Oglamar warship approaching Oblissa Three, stating that First Maje Eeluk would agree to meet with them upon their arrival in system. Ambassador Khan has advised that Captain Farrell will maintain a defensive posture while not showing any overt aggression.
Captain Murphy reports some success in extracting alien biomechanical DNA from the bodies of Romulan soldiers on Oshionian Six. The soldiers had died when scientists on the RIS Decius attempted to graft biomechanical circuitry with their DNA in an attempt to construct cyborg soldiers. Survey teams from the Guadalcanal are still on the surface. Captain Murphy also reports that he has advised Captain Reggie Farrell that the disabled and released Decius has left Oshionian Six and proceeded, at warp one, in the general direction of Oblissa Three. The warbird was stripped of its weaponry and limited to warp one as an alternative to capturing or destroying it.
Following unconfirmed reports of an unprovoked attack on a Romulan warbird by a Federation starship in the triangle zone, the USS Entebbe reports detecting a Romulan warbird in the neutral zone. The RIS D'Shoanna was on a stealth mission when the starship attempted to warn it off. When the warbird failed to withdraw, Captain Shaw was forced to open fire. After fierce fighting, the Entebbe escorted the disabled D'Shoanna to a neutral starbase where the ship and crew were turned over to Romulan diplomats.
The USS Lily Sloane arrived in the Coramonde system to find no sign of the USS Sternbach or the Yorktown, which it had been sent to search for. It did find an unusual amount of neutrinos in the area. It is conducting an extensive sweep of the system.
USS Archer and USS Arizona report increased military activity in the Triangle Zone following clashes between Romulan forces and those of the Klingon Empire and the Federation.
TOS Era:
Starfleet monitor stations report the first signal in close to a month received from the USS Xerxes at Archer Four. Captain Lionidas reported that science teams from the outpost and the Xerxes had succeeded in disabling the jamming device set up in the vicinity that had cut off communications from the region. Starfleet Command is reportedly studying several options for getting a fleet of starships to the area without making a major move through Klingon space.
The USS Magellan has continued its search for the USS Coramonde, following reports that its transponder signal had been detected more than a hundred lightyears away from the site of its disappearance.
ENT Era:
There have been no further communications from, nor reports of the Challenger NX-07 on its mission to circumnavigate Romulan space.
Sources on Denobula report sightings of possible Romulan ships within their system. Columbia NX-02 has been dispatched to confirm.
Two Sloane Class light cruisers have arrived at the site where hull plating from the EX-01 Roddenberry science ship was discovered. The Roddenberry was lost on a mission towards the center of the galaxy.
Command College
"What Are Your Orders, Captain?"
(TNG Era) "Dangerous New Worlds" Resolution
The USS Agamemnon entered the Coramonde system, investigating the disappearance of the Science Ship USS Lily Sloane. It discovered an object similar to a wormhole that appeared to be in a state of constant flux. Scans are inconclusive, but a probe sent through the anomaly reveals a Federation warp trail on the other side. All indications show that the anomaly is stable and safe to pass through. Based on this, Captain Decker chooses to proceed.
An analysis of star positions fails to show any familiar stars, but the warp trail is now identifiable as belonging to a Constitution Class ship lost almost a hundred years ago in the same area. The USS Coramonde, for which the system was named, vanished without a trace while on a humanitarian mission. While a detailed analysis of the warp trail confirms that it came from a starship of that era, its state of decay is consistent with having been produced within the last month. After sending a communications probe through the anomaly to update Starfleet, Captain Decker orders the conn officer to follow the warp trail, which leads to a nearby star system
They arrive to discover that the Coramonde was pulled down, nearly intact, to the surface of a Class M planet. Life signs are inconclusive, and visual scans show that the ship is on the surface, partially buried in a large desert area.
Captain Decker has more than one mystery on her hands, and all of them could be critical to her crew and mission. Is the anomaly a temporal wormhole that brought the Coramonde ahead in time, or the Agamemnon back in time? What brought the Coramonde down to the planet yet kept it impossibly intact? While realizing that resources could be split, she also feels a sense of urgency and impending danger. Should she:
A) First try to determine if they've traveled back in time,
B) Concentrate first on finding out what happened to the Coramonde, or,
C) Attempt to divide her resources to answer both questions at the same time.
Captain Decker decided that determining what happened to the Coramonde was a more critical objective, and could answer the time travel question as well.
(TNG Era) "Biomechanical Threat"
The first step in Captain Decker's investigation is to conduct an intensive scan of the planet-bound starship to confirm the apparent lack of life signs and to search for evidence of weapons fire on the hull. After establishing a synchronous orbit over the Coramonde, intensive scans are directed at the ship. Readings show no discernible weapons fire, and no definitive life readings. There is, however, an unusual and unexplainable electromagnetic signature across the length and breadth of the ship that probes launched from orbit cannot penetrate. The next step is to send an away team. In light of the mystery surrounding the ship, Captain Decker chooses four Hazard team members and the chief science officer to join her. They were all outfitted with Hazard team personal force fields and vital sign monitors continuously transmitting to the ship.
They are transported to the surface, a few meters from the Coramonde. Intensive scans show biomechanical circuitry covering the hull that was not detected from orbit. The circuitry is similar to bio-neural gelpaks found in modern starships, as well as some Borg circuitry, but it lacks the familiar Borg 'footprint' found in every recorded encounter with them. According to scans, the circuitry is covering twenty percent of the hull and growing at a rate of one percent a day.
At this point, Captain Decker determines a potential threat to personnel if they come in physical contact with the ship. At the same time, she knows that they won't learn any more without getting inside the ship. The team does have limited protection thanks to their personal force fields, but they might not protect them from whatever power brought down the Coramonde. What should be her next step?
Choose what you think should be the next course of action, and write a brief summary. You can also feel free to join the investigation with your own ship.
(Moderator's Note: There are no predetermined right or wrong answers. Feel free to discuss the challenge with other players. Every player who submits an entry receives a "Command College Point". Ten of those equal an experience point. The most popular choice will determine the next step taken)
Captain's Log
(From last week) "...nothing like I remember it..."
Class J Gas Giant
Age: 2-10 billion years
Diameter: 50,000-140,000 km
Location: Cold Zone
Surface: Tenuous, comprised of gaseous hydrogen and hydrogen compounds; radiates some heat
Atmosphere: Zones vary in temperature, pressure and composition
Life forms: Hydrocarbon-based
Example: Jupiter, Saturn
13) Members of your crew decide they want to be left behind on the planet.
(TOS Era)
USS Kabul Constitution Class Heavy Cruiser
Captain Jim Lacy
We were ordered to investigate a reported sighting of an abandoned Suliban helix within a Class J planet in the Beta Orinoco system. The Suliban people have been scattered since their sun went nova in the year 2161. Since then Suliban refugees have found themselves forced to abandon their planets and helix, moving from star system to star system, unable to settle, even on uninhabited planets, because nearby inhabited systems wouldn't tolerate them. That stems from the part the Suliban played in a temporal cold war that stretched, or will stretch from the 29th century to the 22nd. They also interfered with the mission of the Enterprise NX-01 from its launch to its trip home to be decommissioned. It wasn't until the end of the Earth/Romulan war that the Suliban cabal broke with their temporal benefactors and attempted to form an alliance with Earth. While there was never any proof, it is generally accepted that the Suliban's masters punished the cabal by destroying their sun. Since then the Suliban have existed by moving from planet to planet, living like gypsies until they are pushed along. The ships they travel in vary from ancient cell ships to even more ancient DY-500 freighters. And, of course, the occasional Federation starship. In this case, a Suliban named Talac petitioned to Starfleet for an investigation of a helix sighting in the Beta Orinoco star system, located on the fringe of a stellar nursery more than a hundred lightyears from the nearest inhabited planet. Indeed, the system would be perfect for the Suliban except for the fact that there are no habitable planets there. It is sad but true that in a time that we consider to be tolerant and enlightened, there are still innocent populations condemned to live in places where nobody else wants to.
I was relieved, then, to discover the helix sitting, as promised, within the soupy, unpredictable atmosphere of one of six Class J gas giants in the Beta Orinoco system. I happily include these words from Salac, who asked to be left behind to explore and begin repairs to the helix. "I have been not been aboard a helix in many years, and that one was nearly destroyed by people who were terrified to have us living within a lightyear of them. This helix is small and remote and, like the last one, in need of repair. But in one respect, the experience of being here is nothing like I remember it on the last one. There, I lived as a refugee. Here I live as a settler. A pioneer for my people. I have come home."
For Next Week: "...no obvious answer..."
(Expand the following into a log entry of at least 100 words. Members post answers to the yahoogroup or the 'comment' feature on the blogsite. Lurkers feel free to leave comments on the blogsite)
Developer's Diary:
It hasn't been one of the most productive weeks on Fantasy Trek. RL continues to be a distraction (don't you hate that :)?), a
nd having the computer dump two weeks worth of work didn't help. But I've also continued to flesh out and streamline the heavy combat part of the game. I've created different heavy combat templates for the different races (so, for example, you don't have to add or take away plasmas as applicable), and I started to think about secondary systems like transporters that are not weapons, nor are they necessary to the basics of combat, but they are tools for advanced tactics. It also occurred to me that the idea that a ship is destroyed only when you take out all of the internals really isn't realistic. I mean, one surviving tractor emitter isn't going to save your crew if the rest of the ship is gone. So while that may not really alter the mechanics of heavy combat, it does change the context that results of the combat fit into the game. Maybe, if someone feels the need to physically destroy a ship and/or kill the crew, they would need to think about environmental systems for life-support or intruder defense systems, and then what it takes to literally destroy the underlying space frame. And if a ship has comm capability left, it can send a distress signal and hope that someone is close enough to help.
Readers of the storyline might notice an underlying theme of mysterious biotech spreading over everything. That will continue to build. And Enterprise era fans can look forward to news of the Romulan war starting to seep in. I've also included an experimental option for command college participants to add their ship to the ongoing storyline taking place in "What Are Your Orders, Captain?". I'll see how that works.
I've designed an emblem/mission patch for the Kri'staK Fleet. All I have to do now is scan and paintshop it for presentation. I'm also going to be designing a new Enterprise era ship, a Roddenberry Class Explorer. If my artistic skills are up to it.
Fleet Action. Head-To-Head Bare Knuckles Naval Combat. Boarding Party Action. Solid Interactive Storytelling Like No Commercial Game Can Offer. How Much Star Trek Can You Handle?
Fantasy Trek. Not Just a Game. It's a Star Trek Experience
http://fantasytrek.blogspot.com
The Only Rebel Underground Star Trek PBEMMMORPG
Captain Farrell reports a signal received from the Kazon-Oglamar warship approaching Oblissa Three, stating that First Maje Eeluk would agree to meet with them upon their arrival in system. Ambassador Khan has advised that Captain Farrell will maintain a defensive posture while not showing any overt aggression.
Captain Murphy reports some success in extracting alien biomechanical DNA from the bodies of Romulan soldiers on Oshionian Six. The soldiers had died when scientists on the RIS Decius attempted to graft biomechanical circuitry with their DNA in an attempt to construct cyborg soldiers. Survey teams from the Guadalcanal are still on the surface. Captain Murphy also reports that he has advised Captain Reggie Farrell that the disabled and released Decius has left Oshionian Six and proceeded, at warp one, in the general direction of Oblissa Three. The warbird was stripped of its weaponry and limited to warp one as an alternative to capturing or destroying it.
Following unconfirmed reports of an unprovoked attack on a Romulan warbird by a Federation starship in the triangle zone, the USS Entebbe reports detecting a Romulan warbird in the neutral zone. The RIS D'Shoanna was on a stealth mission when the starship attempted to warn it off. When the warbird failed to withdraw, Captain Shaw was forced to open fire. After fierce fighting, the Entebbe escorted the disabled D'Shoanna to a neutral starbase where the ship and crew were turned over to Romulan diplomats.
The USS Lily Sloane arrived in the Coramonde system to find no sign of the USS Sternbach or the Yorktown, which it had been sent to search for. It did find an unusual amount of neutrinos in the area. It is conducting an extensive sweep of the system.
USS Archer and USS Arizona report increased military activity in the Triangle Zone following clashes between Romulan forces and those of the Klingon Empire and the Federation.
TOS Era:
Starfleet monitor stations report the first signal in close to a month received from the USS Xerxes at Archer Four. Captain Lionidas reported that science teams from the outpost and the Xerxes had succeeded in disabling the jamming device set up in the vicinity that had cut off communications from the region. Starfleet Command is reportedly studying several options for getting a fleet of starships to the area without making a major move through Klingon space.
The USS Magellan has continued its search for the USS Coramonde, following reports that its transponder signal had been detected more than a hundred lightyears away from the site of its disappearance.
ENT Era:
There have been no further communications from, nor reports of the Challenger NX-07 on its mission to circumnavigate Romulan space.
Sources on Denobula report sightings of possible Romulan ships within their system. Columbia NX-02 has been dispatched to confirm.
Two Sloane Class light cruisers have arrived at the site where hull plating from the EX-01 Roddenberry science ship was discovered. The Roddenberry was lost on a mission towards the center of the galaxy.
Command College
"What Are Your Orders, Captain?"
(TNG Era) "Dangerous New Worlds" Resolution
The USS Agamemnon entered the Coramonde system, investigating the disappearance of the Science Ship USS Lily Sloane. It discovered an object similar to a wormhole that appeared to be in a state of constant flux. Scans are inconclusive, but a probe sent through the anomaly reveals a Federation warp trail on the other side. All indications show that the anomaly is stable and safe to pass through. Based on this, Captain Decker chooses to proceed.
An analysis of star positions fails to show any familiar stars, but the warp trail is now identifiable as belonging to a Constitution Class ship lost almost a hundred years ago in the same area. The USS Coramonde, for which the system was named, vanished without a trace while on a humanitarian mission. While a detailed analysis of the warp trail confirms that it came from a starship of that era, its state of decay is consistent with having been produced within the last month. After sending a communications probe through the anomaly to update Starfleet, Captain Decker orders the conn officer to follow the warp trail, which leads to a nearby star system
They arrive to discover that the Coramonde was pulled down, nearly intact, to the surface of a Class M planet. Life signs are inconclusive, and visual scans show that the ship is on the surface, partially buried in a large desert area.
Captain Decker has more than one mystery on her hands, and all of them could be critical to her crew and mission. Is the anomaly a temporal wormhole that brought the Coramonde ahead in time, or the Agamemnon back in time? What brought the Coramonde down to the planet yet kept it impossibly intact? While realizing that resources could be split, she also feels a sense of urgency and impending danger. Should she:
A) First try to determine if they've traveled back in time,
B) Concentrate first on finding out what happened to the Coramonde, or,
C) Attempt to divide her resources to answer both questions at the same time.
Captain Decker decided that determining what happened to the Coramonde was a more critical objective, and could answer the time travel question as well.
(TNG Era) "Biomechanical Threat"
The first step in Captain Decker's investigation is to conduct an intensive scan of the planet-bound starship to confirm the apparent lack of life signs and to search for evidence of weapons fire on the hull. After establishing a synchronous orbit over the Coramonde, intensive scans are directed at the ship. Readings show no discernible weapons fire, and no definitive life readings. There is, however, an unusual and unexplainable electromagnetic signature across the length and breadth of the ship that probes launched from orbit cannot penetrate. The next step is to send an away team. In light of the mystery surrounding the ship, Captain Decker chooses four Hazard team members and the chief science officer to join her. They were all outfitted with Hazard team personal force fields and vital sign monitors continuously transmitting to the ship.
They are transported to the surface, a few meters from the Coramonde. Intensive scans show biomechanical circuitry covering the hull that was not detected from orbit. The circuitry is similar to bio-neural gelpaks found in modern starships, as well as some Borg circuitry, but it lacks the familiar Borg 'footprint' found in every recorded encounter with them. According to scans, the circuitry is covering twenty percent of the hull and growing at a rate of one percent a day.
At this point, Captain Decker determines a potential threat to personnel if they come in physical contact with the ship. At the same time, she knows that they won't learn any more without getting inside the ship. The team does have limited protection thanks to their personal force fields, but they might not protect them from whatever power brought down the Coramonde. What should be her next step?
Choose what you think should be the next course of action, and write a brief summary. You can also feel free to join the investigation with your own ship.
(Moderator's Note: There are no predetermined right or wrong answers. Feel free to discuss the challenge with other players. Every player who submits an entry receives a "Command College Point". Ten of those equal an experience point. The most popular choice will determine the next step taken)
Captain's Log
(From last week) "...nothing like I remember it..."
Class J Gas Giant
Age: 2-10 billion years
Diameter: 50,000-140,000 km
Location: Cold Zone
Surface: Tenuous, comprised of gaseous hydrogen and hydrogen compounds; radiates some heat
Atmosphere: Zones vary in temperature, pressure and composition
Life forms: Hydrocarbon-based
Example: Jupiter, Saturn
13) Members of your crew decide they want to be left behind on the planet.
(TOS Era)
USS Kabul Constitution Class Heavy Cruiser
Captain Jim Lacy
We were ordered to investigate a reported sighting of an abandoned Suliban helix within a Class J planet in the Beta Orinoco system. The Suliban people have been scattered since their sun went nova in the year 2161. Since then Suliban refugees have found themselves forced to abandon their planets and helix, moving from star system to star system, unable to settle, even on uninhabited planets, because nearby inhabited systems wouldn't tolerate them. That stems from the part the Suliban played in a temporal cold war that stretched, or will stretch from the 29th century to the 22nd. They also interfered with the mission of the Enterprise NX-01 from its launch to its trip home to be decommissioned. It wasn't until the end of the Earth/Romulan war that the Suliban cabal broke with their temporal benefactors and attempted to form an alliance with Earth. While there was never any proof, it is generally accepted that the Suliban's masters punished the cabal by destroying their sun. Since then the Suliban have existed by moving from planet to planet, living like gypsies until they are pushed along. The ships they travel in vary from ancient cell ships to even more ancient DY-500 freighters. And, of course, the occasional Federation starship. In this case, a Suliban named Talac petitioned to Starfleet for an investigation of a helix sighting in the Beta Orinoco star system, located on the fringe of a stellar nursery more than a hundred lightyears from the nearest inhabited planet. Indeed, the system would be perfect for the Suliban except for the fact that there are no habitable planets there. It is sad but true that in a time that we consider to be tolerant and enlightened, there are still innocent populations condemned to live in places where nobody else wants to.
I was relieved, then, to discover the helix sitting, as promised, within the soupy, unpredictable atmosphere of one of six Class J gas giants in the Beta Orinoco system. I happily include these words from Salac, who asked to be left behind to explore and begin repairs to the helix. "I have been not been aboard a helix in many years, and that one was nearly destroyed by people who were terrified to have us living within a lightyear of them. This helix is small and remote and, like the last one, in need of repair. But in one respect, the experience of being here is nothing like I remember it on the last one. There, I lived as a refugee. Here I live as a settler. A pioneer for my people. I have come home."
For Next Week: "...no obvious answer..."
(Expand the following into a log entry of at least 100 words. Members post answers to the yahoogroup or the 'comment' feature on the blogsite. Lurkers feel free to leave comments on the blogsite)
Developer's Diary:
It hasn't been one of the most productive weeks on Fantasy Trek. RL continues to be a distraction (don't you hate that :)?), a
nd having the computer dump two weeks worth of work didn't help. But I've also continued to flesh out and streamline the heavy combat part of the game. I've created different heavy combat templates for the different races (so, for example, you don't have to add or take away plasmas as applicable), and I started to think about secondary systems like transporters that are not weapons, nor are they necessary to the basics of combat, but they are tools for advanced tactics. It also occurred to me that the idea that a ship is destroyed only when you take out all of the internals really isn't realistic. I mean, one surviving tractor emitter isn't going to save your crew if the rest of the ship is gone. So while that may not really alter the mechanics of heavy combat, it does change the context that results of the combat fit into the game. Maybe, if someone feels the need to physically destroy a ship and/or kill the crew, they would need to think about environmental systems for life-support or intruder defense systems, and then what it takes to literally destroy the underlying space frame. And if a ship has comm capability left, it can send a distress signal and hope that someone is close enough to help.
Readers of the storyline might notice an underlying theme of mysterious biotech spreading over everything. That will continue to build. And Enterprise era fans can look forward to news of the Romulan war starting to seep in. I've also included an experimental option for command college participants to add their ship to the ongoing storyline taking place in "What Are Your Orders, Captain?". I'll see how that works.
I've designed an emblem/mission patch for the Kri'staK Fleet. All I have to do now is scan and paintshop it for presentation. I'm also going to be designing a new Enterprise era ship, a Roddenberry Class Explorer. If my artistic skills are up to it.
Fleet Action. Head-To-Head Bare Knuckles Naval Combat. Boarding Party Action. Solid Interactive Storytelling Like No Commercial Game Can Offer. How Much Star Trek Can You Handle?
Fantasy Trek. Not Just a Game. It's a Star Trek Experience
http://fantasytrek.blogspot.com
The Only Rebel Underground Star Trek PBEMMMORPG
Friday, March 20, 2009
Kapact's Rant: Which Weekly "News" Magazine Wiped Israel Off The Map?
Here's another foodstamp horror story. Just a brief one really, that needs no explanation. Two girls, maybe twenty years old, picking out steak, soda, and potato chips to buy with their EBT foodstamp card while chatting on their I-Phone. As far as I know, the I-Phone costs about a hundred dollars a month to run. So please, sell your fancy phone and stop stealing my tax dollars.
Repeating From Last Week:
The housing meltdown which is at the heart of our crisis started in earnest in 1992 when Mister Clinton had the great idea to sell houses to low-income voters who couldn't afford them. No question that both sides ignored the problem but got rich off the over-inflated bubble, but it started under Bill Clinton. The records are there. Here are a few links that show just what I'm talking about:
From The New York Times in 1999: Fannie Mae Eases Credit To Aid Mortgage Lending (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9c0DE7DB153EF933A0575AC0A96F958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all) "Fannie Mae, the nation's biggest underwriter of home mortgages, has been under increasing pressure from the Clinton Administration to expand mortgage loans among low and moderate income people..."
From the New York Post: Alarms and Denial (http://www.nypost.com/php/pfriendly/print.php?url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/09262008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/alarms__denial_130763.htm)
Bloomberg Financial News: "How the Democrats Created the Financial Crisis" (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aSKSoiNbnQY0)
YouTube: Democrats in their own words (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MGT_cSi7Rs)
YouTube: Burning Down the House (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RZVw3no2A4&feature=iv&annotation_id=event_597487)
YouTube: Obama Ranks Second In Freddie/Fannie Contributions (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-_HlpZ8azA&feature=related)
Now I'll repeat what I said last week. First and foremost, this economic crisis has roots in the Clinton administration. Clinton ordered that home loans be given to families that could not pay them. Granted, Bush should have seen the meltdown coming, but it's a time bomb that Bill Clinton planted under the house. It's up to President Obama to set the tone and the course to rebuild our house. We all share responsibility for doing the hard work, but the President is the boss. The buck stops in the Oval Office. And speaking of the Oval Office, I have to admit that I have liked a fair amount of what I've seen of our new President. Words are cheap, and politicians are good at saying things people want to hear. At the same time, we need this presidency to be successful, and he can't succeed without our support. So while I'll be quick to point out everything that I see him do wrong, I'll also try my hardest to point out everything that I see him do right. I saw him talking to Matt Lauer just before the Superbowl, and he looked, unlike candidate Obama, like a man with humor and compassion and an appreciation for the humanity of the people that make up this country. He was funny and self-deprecating and seemingly unscripted. That man will have my support for as long as he occupies the White House. When he stops being that man, I'll stop supporting him.
Fleet Action. Head-To-Head Bare Knuckles Naval Combat. Boarding Party Action. Solid Interactive Storytelling Like No Commercial Game Can Offer. How Much Star Trek Can You Handle?
Fantasy Trek. Not Just a Game. It's a Star Trek Experience
http://fantasytrek.blogspot.com
The Only Rebel Underground Star Trek PBEMMMORPG
Fantasy Trek: Summary of Events Stardate 0309.20
Summary of Events
Stardate 0309.20
TNG Era:
Captain Farrell reports no communication from the Kazon-Oglamar warship approaching Oblissa Three. According to Kazan-Ogla First Maje Jabin, Kazon ships frequently maintain communications silence while approaching uncertain situations.
Captain Murphy reports that landing parties from the USS Guadalcanal are conducting a thorough survey of Oshionian Three in its investigation of Romulan activity in the Delta Quadrant. The Guadalcanal will also return to Jibalia Three to continue its investigation of that artificial planet.
The Romulan Ambassador issued a formal complaint to the Federation Council, stating that a D'deridex Class Warbird was attacked without provocation by a Federation Starbase in the Triangle Zone. There has been no comment by the Federation Council.
The USS Yorktown has been declared lost in Coramonde system following the unsuccessful search performed by the Galaxy Class USS Sternbach. The Sternbach will remain on station while the science ship USS Lily Sloane is enroute to conduct an investigation of the spike in neutrino emissions in the area.
USS Archer and USS Arizona have been dispatched to the Triangle Zone in response to heightened tensions with the Romulan Empire.
TOS Era:
Starfleet Intelligence report large movements of Klingon ships away from the area of the Archer system and towards Romulan Space. The USS Xerxes is still at Archer Four attempting to reinforce the outpost there.
The USS Magellan has abandoned its search for the USS Coramonde after the missing ship's transponder signal was reported to be in a system almost a hundred lightyears away. There is currently no explanation for this occurrence.
ENT Era:
There have been no further communications from, nor reports of the Challenger NX-07 on its mission to circumnavigate Romulan space.
Two Sloane Class light cruisers are due to arrive in less than a week at the site where a Tellarite long-range cargo hauler reported finding hull plating that apparently belonged to the EX-01 Roddenberry science ship, which disappeared on a mission towards the center of the galaxy.
Command College
"What Are Your Orders, Captain?"
(Ent Era) "The Fleeting Phenomenon" Resolution
On the way, however, Challenger's sensors pick up an energy source that Carpenter finds hard to ignore. Waves of subspace displacement are detected, coming from an unidentifiable spot more than a lightyear away. The ship's science officer, Commander Cholena Janeway informs him that despite the obvious power behind it (it is at least a hundred times more powerful than the Challenger's warp drive), the source of the waves are dying and may vanish before another ship can be dispatched. It would take approximately thirty minutes to divert to investigate, but several hours to thoroughly scan. If they do not investigate, the potential scientific loss would be indescribable. Carpenter is concerned, however, that endangering the Kzinti prisoner and corpses would endanger the chance of a peace with them. Should he:
A) Risk the ship and crew (and Kzinti on board) to investigate the fleeting phenomenon, or:
B) Hope that another ship will someday discover another such phenomenon.
Captain Carpenter chose a third course of action, diverting long enough to get a brief scan of the phenomenon without wasting too much time. He transmitted the sensor data to Starfleet Command for further analysis and transferred the Kzinti to authorities at nearby Earth Base Alpha.
(TNG Era) "Dangerous New Worlds"
The USS Agamemnon entered the Coramonde system, investigating the disappearance of the Science Ship USS Lily Sloane. It discovered an object similar to a wormhole that appeared to be in a state of constant flux. Scans are inconclusive, but a probe sent through the anomaly reveals a Federation warp trail on the other side. All indications show that the anomaly is stable and safe to pass through. Based on this, Captain Decker chooses to proceed.
An analysis of star positions fails to show any familiar stars, but the warp trail is now identifiable as belonging to a Constitution Class ship lost almost a hundred years ago in the same area. The USS Coramonde, for which the system was named, vanished without a trace while on a humanitarian mission. While a detailed analysis of the warp trail confirms that it came from a starship of that era, its state of decay is consistent with having been produced within the last month. After sending a communications probe through the anomaly to update Starfleet, Captain Decker orders the conn officer to follow the warp trail, which leads to a nearby star system
They arrive to discover that the Coramonde was pulled down, nearly intact, to the surface of a Class M planet. Life signs are inconclusive, and visual scans show that the ship is on the surface, partially buried in a large desert area.
Captain Decker has more than one mystery on her hands, and all of them could be critical to her crew and mission. Is the anomaly a temporal wormhole that brought the Coramonde ahead in time, or the Agamemnon back in time? What brought the Coramonde down to the planet yet kept it impossibly intact? While realizing that resources could be split, she also feels a sense of urgency and impending danger. Should she:
A) First try to determine if they've traveled back in time,
B) Concentrate first on finding out what happened to the Coramonde, or,
C) Attempt to divide her resources to answer both questions at the same time.
Choose A or B, or C, or a fourth course of action, and write a brief summary.
(Moderator's Note: There are no predetermined right or wrong answers. Feel free to discuss the challenge with other players. Every player who submits an entry receives a "Command College Point". Ten of those equal an experience point. The most popular choice will determine the next step taken)
Captain's Log
(From last week)
"...our orders are clear..."
5) A being, seemingly consisting of only energy communicates with the crew.
Class E Geoplastic
Age: 0-2 billion years
Diameter: 10,000-15,000 km
Location: Ecosphere
Surface: Molten, high surface temperature
Atmosphere: Hydrogen compounds and reactive gases
Evolution: Cools to become Class F
Life forms: Carbon-cycle
Example: Excalbia
(TNG Era)
USS Crazy Horse Galaxy Class Heavy Cruiser
The Beta Arrangulii Star system was home to nine planets and an advanced culture of nine billion lifeforms until five years ago. At that point, the star began to destabilize, throwing off chunks of solar debris that hit the three inner planets and caused tidal forces to go crazy on the next two. The inhabitants, most of whom were native to the fourth planet, petitioned for Federation membership twenty years ago and were quickly accepted. They were an optimistic, adventurous people who chose not to send candidates to Starfleet, but were scientists easily on a par with the Vulcans.
Unfortunately, the destruction of the two inner planets, as well as a lunar collision on the third wreaked havoc on the idyllic fourth planet, resulting in increased solar radiation and a distinct orbital 'wobble'. On the plus side, it was determined that the fourth planet would still sustain life for another five years. The Federation jumped into action, sending a steady stream of huge evacuation ships to the system. So what could have been a tragedy has turned out to be a very sad but survivable experience for the inhabitants of Beta Arrangulii Four. Six months from now, the planet will be wrecked, and the sun is showing signs of going nova, but the last shipful of refugees will soon arrive at their new home several sectors away. In the meantime, the Crazy Horse has been ordered to do a final survey of the system to triple check that no other planet has any indigenous life. We were surprised by the third planet.
It was Class E, with a molten, high surface temperature and an atmosphere consisting of hydrogen compounds and reactive gases. We didn't expect to find any life, but something hailed us from the surface, with a simple, plaintive message interpreted with difficulty by the universal translator. "Please don't leave me behind." Our sensors quickly traced the sender as a cloud of energetic plasma spread across a large portion of the planet's north pole. Detailed scans showed electrical impulses throughout the cloud that closely resembled the processes that occur in the humanoid brain. Further communication with the creature revealed that it was capable of condensing itself to a space that would fit, with difficulty, in our main cargo bay. We quickly dropped into a low orbit and beamed the creature into our cargo bay. Fortunately, there is a similar planet in the system chosen for the other refugees, and we can redeposit our energy-based friend in a place that will seem familiar to it.
This has been one of those times when our orders are clear and there is no moral conflict. It is not an easy thing to remove a people from their home. We're just lucky the people wanted to be moved
For Next Week:
(Expand the following into a log entry of at least 100 words. Members post answers to the yahoogroup or the 'comment' feature on the blogsite. Lurkers feel free to leave comments on the blogsite)
"...nothing like I remember it..."
Developer's Diary:
I finally combed through the blog archives and I'm working on completely documenting my service record. I had said at one point that I wasn't going to count things before I sent the Guadalcanal into the Delta Quad, but then decided that if I was going to document things I needed to document everything. And going through it all I also got a good look at all the work I'd done, so I figured why not. I'm still going through it all, but the forty-five simple combat engagements put me over the top for "Veteran" status. Once that's all done, I'll add a link for everyone's service record on the blog.
The battle between the D'Soanna and the Entebbe was turning out, after seven rounds, to be such an unbalanced rout that I've taken another look at the Romulan CA. The Romulan Warbird should be a formidable opponent, and now it is. I've added a second plasma torpedo bank, as well as fore and aft photons. I'll restart the match soon and see how it goes.
I've also set up a simple combat tourney between all three sides. Here is the set-up:
KLINGON EMPIRE:
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS Perseus
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS Stovokor
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS DuranQo
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS Temujin
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS qajunpaQ
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS tiQghoB
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS Hammer
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS Anvil
UNITED FEDERATION OF PLANETS:
Heavy cruiser FCA USS Guadalcanal
Heavy cruiser FCA USS Exeter
Heavy cruiser FCA USS Resolute
Heavy cruiser FCA USS Achilles
Heavy cruiser FCA USS Archer
Heavy cruiser FCA USS Arizona
Heavy cruiser FCA USS Crazy Horse
Heavy cruiser FCA USS Agamemnon
ROMULAN STAR EMPIRE:
Heavy cruiser RCA RIS D'deridex
Heavy cruiser RCA RIS Donatra
Heavy cruiser RCA RIS Shrike
Heavy cruiser RCA RIS Talon
Heavy cruiser RCA RIS Honor Blade
Heavy cruiser RCA RIS D'Shoanna
Heavy cruiser RCA RIS Romulus
Heavy cruiser RCA RIS Romii
Round One:
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS Perseus vs Heavy cruiser KCA IKS Stovokor
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS DuranQo vs Heavy cruiser KCA IKS Temujin
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS qajunpaQ vs Heavy cruiser KCA IKS tiQghoB
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS Hammer vs Heavy cruiser KCA IKS Anvil
Heavy cruiser FCA USS Guadalcanal vs Heavy cruiser FCA USS Exeter
Heavy cruiser FCA USS Resolute vs Heavy cruiser FCA USS Achilles
Heavy cruiser FCA USS Archer vs Heavy cruiser FCA USS Arizona
Heavy cruiser FCA USS Crazy Horse vs Heavy cruiser FCA USS Agamemnon
Heavy cruiser RCA RIS D'deridex vs Heavy cruiser RCA RIS Donatra
Heavy cruiser RCA RIS Shrike vs Heavy cruiser RCA RIS Talon
Heavy cruiser RCA RIS Honor Blade vs Heavy cruiser RCA RIS D'Shoanna
Heavy cruiser RCA RIS Romulus vs Heavy cruiser RCA RIS Romii
Round Two will take us down to two survivors per team. Round Three will leave one survivor per team. Of the remaining three, the most damaged will sit it out while the other two take each other on. Then it'll come down to the last two. I'm not really a basketball fan, but I have to admit that the big tourney kind of inspired me. And of course, since the big dance wouldn't be the big dance without a wee wager, here's what I've set up:
If your initial pick wins in the end, you win three experience points. If you pick the final winner at the second round, you win one experience point. (If three experience points doesn't sound like much, remember that to earn that in the game, you'd have to play thirty of these simple combat game, and in the whole time I've been playing this game I've only documented forty-five. This tourney just by itself will be twenty. So a long-shot pick like really gives you a good pay off.)
Here are the results of the first round:
Winners and losers:
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS Perseus
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS Stovokor*
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS DuranQo
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS Temujin*
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS qajunpaQ*
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS tiQghoB
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS Hammer
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS Anvil*
So, moving on to Round Two are the StoVoKor, the Temujin, the qajunpaQ, and the Anvil. The Feds go at it next.
I've also modified the Command College setup just a bit. Now, anyone who submits a solution for "What Are Your Orders, Captain?" gets a Command College Point.
Stardate 0309.20
TNG Era:
Captain Farrell reports no communication from the Kazon-Oglamar warship approaching Oblissa Three. According to Kazan-Ogla First Maje Jabin, Kazon ships frequently maintain communications silence while approaching uncertain situations.
Captain Murphy reports that landing parties from the USS Guadalcanal are conducting a thorough survey of Oshionian Three in its investigation of Romulan activity in the Delta Quadrant. The Guadalcanal will also return to Jibalia Three to continue its investigation of that artificial planet.
The Romulan Ambassador issued a formal complaint to the Federation Council, stating that a D'deridex Class Warbird was attacked without provocation by a Federation Starbase in the Triangle Zone. There has been no comment by the Federation Council.
The USS Yorktown has been declared lost in Coramonde system following the unsuccessful search performed by the Galaxy Class USS Sternbach. The Sternbach will remain on station while the science ship USS Lily Sloane is enroute to conduct an investigation of the spike in neutrino emissions in the area.
USS Archer and USS Arizona have been dispatched to the Triangle Zone in response to heightened tensions with the Romulan Empire.
TOS Era:
Starfleet Intelligence report large movements of Klingon ships away from the area of the Archer system and towards Romulan Space. The USS Xerxes is still at Archer Four attempting to reinforce the outpost there.
The USS Magellan has abandoned its search for the USS Coramonde after the missing ship's transponder signal was reported to be in a system almost a hundred lightyears away. There is currently no explanation for this occurrence.
ENT Era:
There have been no further communications from, nor reports of the Challenger NX-07 on its mission to circumnavigate Romulan space.
Two Sloane Class light cruisers are due to arrive in less than a week at the site where a Tellarite long-range cargo hauler reported finding hull plating that apparently belonged to the EX-01 Roddenberry science ship, which disappeared on a mission towards the center of the galaxy.
Command College
"What Are Your Orders, Captain?"
(Ent Era) "The Fleeting Phenomenon" Resolution
On the way, however, Challenger's sensors pick up an energy source that Carpenter finds hard to ignore. Waves of subspace displacement are detected, coming from an unidentifiable spot more than a lightyear away. The ship's science officer, Commander Cholena Janeway informs him that despite the obvious power behind it (it is at least a hundred times more powerful than the Challenger's warp drive), the source of the waves are dying and may vanish before another ship can be dispatched. It would take approximately thirty minutes to divert to investigate, but several hours to thoroughly scan. If they do not investigate, the potential scientific loss would be indescribable. Carpenter is concerned, however, that endangering the Kzinti prisoner and corpses would endanger the chance of a peace with them. Should he:
A) Risk the ship and crew (and Kzinti on board) to investigate the fleeting phenomenon, or:
B) Hope that another ship will someday discover another such phenomenon.
Captain Carpenter chose a third course of action, diverting long enough to get a brief scan of the phenomenon without wasting too much time. He transmitted the sensor data to Starfleet Command for further analysis and transferred the Kzinti to authorities at nearby Earth Base Alpha.
(TNG Era) "Dangerous New Worlds"
The USS Agamemnon entered the Coramonde system, investigating the disappearance of the Science Ship USS Lily Sloane. It discovered an object similar to a wormhole that appeared to be in a state of constant flux. Scans are inconclusive, but a probe sent through the anomaly reveals a Federation warp trail on the other side. All indications show that the anomaly is stable and safe to pass through. Based on this, Captain Decker chooses to proceed.
An analysis of star positions fails to show any familiar stars, but the warp trail is now identifiable as belonging to a Constitution Class ship lost almost a hundred years ago in the same area. The USS Coramonde, for which the system was named, vanished without a trace while on a humanitarian mission. While a detailed analysis of the warp trail confirms that it came from a starship of that era, its state of decay is consistent with having been produced within the last month. After sending a communications probe through the anomaly to update Starfleet, Captain Decker orders the conn officer to follow the warp trail, which leads to a nearby star system
They arrive to discover that the Coramonde was pulled down, nearly intact, to the surface of a Class M planet. Life signs are inconclusive, and visual scans show that the ship is on the surface, partially buried in a large desert area.
Captain Decker has more than one mystery on her hands, and all of them could be critical to her crew and mission. Is the anomaly a temporal wormhole that brought the Coramonde ahead in time, or the Agamemnon back in time? What brought the Coramonde down to the planet yet kept it impossibly intact? While realizing that resources could be split, she also feels a sense of urgency and impending danger. Should she:
A) First try to determine if they've traveled back in time,
B) Concentrate first on finding out what happened to the Coramonde, or,
C) Attempt to divide her resources to answer both questions at the same time.
Choose A or B, or C, or a fourth course of action, and write a brief summary.
(Moderator's Note: There are no predetermined right or wrong answers. Feel free to discuss the challenge with other players. Every player who submits an entry receives a "Command College Point". Ten of those equal an experience point. The most popular choice will determine the next step taken)
Captain's Log
(From last week)
"...our orders are clear..."
5) A being, seemingly consisting of only energy communicates with the crew.
Class E Geoplastic
Age: 0-2 billion years
Diameter: 10,000-15,000 km
Location: Ecosphere
Surface: Molten, high surface temperature
Atmosphere: Hydrogen compounds and reactive gases
Evolution: Cools to become Class F
Life forms: Carbon-cycle
Example: Excalbia
(TNG Era)
USS Crazy Horse Galaxy Class Heavy Cruiser
The Beta Arrangulii Star system was home to nine planets and an advanced culture of nine billion lifeforms until five years ago. At that point, the star began to destabilize, throwing off chunks of solar debris that hit the three inner planets and caused tidal forces to go crazy on the next two. The inhabitants, most of whom were native to the fourth planet, petitioned for Federation membership twenty years ago and were quickly accepted. They were an optimistic, adventurous people who chose not to send candidates to Starfleet, but were scientists easily on a par with the Vulcans.
Unfortunately, the destruction of the two inner planets, as well as a lunar collision on the third wreaked havoc on the idyllic fourth planet, resulting in increased solar radiation and a distinct orbital 'wobble'. On the plus side, it was determined that the fourth planet would still sustain life for another five years. The Federation jumped into action, sending a steady stream of huge evacuation ships to the system. So what could have been a tragedy has turned out to be a very sad but survivable experience for the inhabitants of Beta Arrangulii Four. Six months from now, the planet will be wrecked, and the sun is showing signs of going nova, but the last shipful of refugees will soon arrive at their new home several sectors away. In the meantime, the Crazy Horse has been ordered to do a final survey of the system to triple check that no other planet has any indigenous life. We were surprised by the third planet.
It was Class E, with a molten, high surface temperature and an atmosphere consisting of hydrogen compounds and reactive gases. We didn't expect to find any life, but something hailed us from the surface, with a simple, plaintive message interpreted with difficulty by the universal translator. "Please don't leave me behind." Our sensors quickly traced the sender as a cloud of energetic plasma spread across a large portion of the planet's north pole. Detailed scans showed electrical impulses throughout the cloud that closely resembled the processes that occur in the humanoid brain. Further communication with the creature revealed that it was capable of condensing itself to a space that would fit, with difficulty, in our main cargo bay. We quickly dropped into a low orbit and beamed the creature into our cargo bay. Fortunately, there is a similar planet in the system chosen for the other refugees, and we can redeposit our energy-based friend in a place that will seem familiar to it.
This has been one of those times when our orders are clear and there is no moral conflict. It is not an easy thing to remove a people from their home. We're just lucky the people wanted to be moved
For Next Week:
(Expand the following into a log entry of at least 100 words. Members post answers to the yahoogroup or the 'comment' feature on the blogsite. Lurkers feel free to leave comments on the blogsite)
"...nothing like I remember it..."
Developer's Diary:
I finally combed through the blog archives and I'm working on completely documenting my service record. I had said at one point that I wasn't going to count things before I sent the Guadalcanal into the Delta Quad, but then decided that if I was going to document things I needed to document everything. And going through it all I also got a good look at all the work I'd done, so I figured why not. I'm still going through it all, but the forty-five simple combat engagements put me over the top for "Veteran" status. Once that's all done, I'll add a link for everyone's service record on the blog.
The battle between the D'Soanna and the Entebbe was turning out, after seven rounds, to be such an unbalanced rout that I've taken another look at the Romulan CA. The Romulan Warbird should be a formidable opponent, and now it is. I've added a second plasma torpedo bank, as well as fore and aft photons. I'll restart the match soon and see how it goes.
I've also set up a simple combat tourney between all three sides. Here is the set-up:
KLINGON EMPIRE:
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS Perseus
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS Stovokor
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS DuranQo
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS Temujin
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS qajunpaQ
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS tiQghoB
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS Hammer
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS Anvil
UNITED FEDERATION OF PLANETS:
Heavy cruiser FCA USS Guadalcanal
Heavy cruiser FCA USS Exeter
Heavy cruiser FCA USS Resolute
Heavy cruiser FCA USS Achilles
Heavy cruiser FCA USS Archer
Heavy cruiser FCA USS Arizona
Heavy cruiser FCA USS Crazy Horse
Heavy cruiser FCA USS Agamemnon
ROMULAN STAR EMPIRE:
Heavy cruiser RCA RIS D'deridex
Heavy cruiser RCA RIS Donatra
Heavy cruiser RCA RIS Shrike
Heavy cruiser RCA RIS Talon
Heavy cruiser RCA RIS Honor Blade
Heavy cruiser RCA RIS D'Shoanna
Heavy cruiser RCA RIS Romulus
Heavy cruiser RCA RIS Romii
Round One:
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS Perseus vs Heavy cruiser KCA IKS Stovokor
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS DuranQo vs Heavy cruiser KCA IKS Temujin
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS qajunpaQ vs Heavy cruiser KCA IKS tiQghoB
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS Hammer vs Heavy cruiser KCA IKS Anvil
Heavy cruiser FCA USS Guadalcanal vs Heavy cruiser FCA USS Exeter
Heavy cruiser FCA USS Resolute vs Heavy cruiser FCA USS Achilles
Heavy cruiser FCA USS Archer vs Heavy cruiser FCA USS Arizona
Heavy cruiser FCA USS Crazy Horse vs Heavy cruiser FCA USS Agamemnon
Heavy cruiser RCA RIS D'deridex vs Heavy cruiser RCA RIS Donatra
Heavy cruiser RCA RIS Shrike vs Heavy cruiser RCA RIS Talon
Heavy cruiser RCA RIS Honor Blade vs Heavy cruiser RCA RIS D'Shoanna
Heavy cruiser RCA RIS Romulus vs Heavy cruiser RCA RIS Romii
Round Two will take us down to two survivors per team. Round Three will leave one survivor per team. Of the remaining three, the most damaged will sit it out while the other two take each other on. Then it'll come down to the last two. I'm not really a basketball fan, but I have to admit that the big tourney kind of inspired me. And of course, since the big dance wouldn't be the big dance without a wee wager, here's what I've set up:
If your initial pick wins in the end, you win three experience points. If you pick the final winner at the second round, you win one experience point. (If three experience points doesn't sound like much, remember that to earn that in the game, you'd have to play thirty of these simple combat game, and in the whole time I've been playing this game I've only documented forty-five. This tourney just by itself will be twenty. So a long-shot pick like really gives you a good pay off.)
Here are the results of the first round:
Winners and losers:
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS Stovokor*
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS Temujin*
Heavy cruiser KCA IKS qajunpaQ*
So, moving on to Round Two are the StoVoKor, the Temujin, the qajunpaQ, and the Anvil. The Feds go at it next.
I've also modified the Command College setup just a bit. Now, anyone who submits a solution for "What Are Your Orders, Captain?" gets a Command College Point.
Fleet Action. Head-To-Head Bare Knuckles Naval Combat. Boarding Party Action. Solid Interactive Storytelling Like No Commercial Game Can Offer. How Much Star Trek Can You Handle?
Fantasy Trek. Not Just a Game. It's a Star Trek Experience
http://fantasytrek.blogspot.com
The Only Rebel Underground Star Trek PBEMMMORPG
Fantasy Trek. Not Just a Game. It's a Star Trek Experience
http://fantasytrek.blogspot.com
The Only Rebel Underground Star Trek PBEMMMORPG
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