The Federation Tribune - May 2003
Clare Bradley
chiefeditor@frontierfleet.com
Thu May 29 20:37:00 2003
==== The Federation Tribune ====
==== May 2003 ====
Got a question? Visit the Newspaper FAQ!
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USS Valkryie Status Report by Mark van der Laan
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USS VALKYRIE STATUS REPORT - 2391.01.24:
While en route to the New Amsterdam colony at the request of its
terran government to quell a conflict between bajoran villagers and
Cardassian refugees, the USS Valkyrie has picked up Admiral Barclay,
whose role in this mission will be an advisory only. Following the
Admiral's arrival, CO Kin'j alej'oh xi-zo qon'il and FO Dal have
brief the crew on the situation and are each leading an away team to
the planet surface.
Lo'ana's team has left for Vrijheid, the capitol city of New
Amsterdam to meet with colony officials and a Bajoran prisoner who's
being accused of the murder of a Cardassian. Meanwhile, Dal's team is
travelling towards the 'hot spot' to try and keep the peace, and
offer medical assistance where it is required.
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IRC Meetings by Bram Peeters
====================================================================
What is IRC?
IRC (Internet Relay Chat) provides a way of communicating in real
time
with people from all over the world. It consists of various separate
networks (or "nets") of IRC servers, machines that allow users to
connect to IRC. Some of the largest nets are EFnet, Undernet, and
DALnet, but ST Frontier Fleet uses a private network, called PBEMNET.
When and where are the STFF IRC meetings?
An IRC meeting is being held on PBEMNET in the channel #FF. Currently
the time of these meetings is Saturday night 1800 (GMT).
Chat transcripts are being created and send to the IRC Logs list
(http://lists.frontierfleet.com/listinfo/irc-logs)
It's of course possible that you join the chat at a time nobody is
there (LOGGER and ChanServ are not persons). If nobody is there
before
midnight (GMT) then there is a big chance more people will show up,
but most of STFF's European members might be sleeping if you join
later. If you're lucky, Virt might be there, Guido's "Artificial
Intelligence" bot, named after the famous AI on Pandora Station :-)
Virt only responds when you mention his name, and sometimes he seems
to make sense, but mostly he doesn't (so there is no real difference
with some of the real people who visit the chat) <G>
If you really want to know, Virt is really a renamed Benzo bot, 'a
pseudo-AI bot that uses a markov chain to generate funny text'
(http://benzo.sourceforge.net/)
In order to get to the chat, you need to know which IRC server to
use.
PBEMNET has three servers:
irc.frontierfleet.com (Port: 6667)
pbemnet.wafel.net (Port: 6667)
lin.frontierfleet.com (Port: 6667)
Note: The first two PBEMNET servers, and the Channel and Nickname
services, are only active at the time of the meeting (Saturday 1800
GMT - Sunday 0600 GMT), the third server should be active 24/7.
So how do you connect to any of these servers?
In most IRC clients you can add servers to the list of servers which
is provided with these programs. If you have mIRC, a tutorial can be
found at http://www.frontierfleet.com/database/index.php?page=272
If you don't use mIRC, and don't know where to add the server data in
your IRC program, you can always try this command:
/server server.address.here
This command connects to the server, but doesn't add it to the server
list.
If you don't have an IRC client yet, you can download:
mIRC - http://www.mirc.com/
Trillian - http://www.trillian.cc/
Pirch - http://www.pirch.com/
Tutorials for other IRC clients are still unavailable, if you want to
help writing them, contact any of the PBEMNET IRCops (Guido, Walter
or
Bram), or contact the Webmaster, which is also Guido ;-)
Once you are connected you can use the following IRC commands:
/join #FF
to join the ST Frontier Fleet chatroom
/nick <newnick>
to change your nickname
There are more commands of course, but these should be enough to get
you
started.
====================================================================
Project Star Gate --- Chapter X --- ' Prophecy, part 2'
by Mark van der Laan
====================================================================
Introduction
Space, the final frontier. Or is it? In a remote corner of the Alpha
Quadrant, a new and unique project has been started. Here, in the
distant Bel System we find a new type of star base, one unlike ever
seen before. This star base, wielding the codename 'Maelstrom',
utilizes the sun's power to create a rift in space, a vortex much
alike a wormhole, for a brief period of time, allowing whatever
passes through it to travel to any part of the galaxy, or even to
distant galaxies. However when something goes wrong, the station and
its crew accidentally get transported to a distant galaxy. These
stories follow the adventures of its crew as they travel towards new
destinations, meeting new friends and encountering new foes, hoping
that their next teleportation will lead them home. These are the
adventurers of the Star Gate.
Main Characters
David Rolans:
Commanding Officer of the Maelstrom. A young terran StarFleet
officer. Though still inexperienced at being in command, he is
anything but naive.
Captain Black:
Originally assigned to guide Commander Rolans to the Maelstrom, Black
turns out to be more than just an escort, always around to lend a
helping hand.
Jagh Ramen:
A trill with an almost impossible tranquillity; Jagh is assigned as
David's first officer and tries to perform that duty at his best
ability.
Argol Manck:
A tall Cardassian with a grumpy attitude; Why exactly he got assigned
to the Maelstorm is still a mystery, but he seems to do his job well
so nobody's really complaining. Argol is in charge of station
security.
Anya Maras:
A bajoran woman who mans the science station; her knowledge seems
varied, and her social skills well developed, even though she can't
stand Manck, for obvious reasons...
Daniel Jackson:
A human in his thirties in charge of engineering. His skills are
average, but his ability to improvise more than makes up for it, and
he's one of the people who helped constructing the Central Reactor
and one of the few who understands it fully.
Doctor Ragg:
A Ferengi as cowardly as they come, yet Ragg's medical skills and
techniques rank among the finest in medical circles.
Tal Rehu:
Romulan spy responsible for the accident on the Maelstrom's first
mission, causing it to get lost in space; was imprisoned in the brig
but has managed to escape captivity recently after an uncontrolled
'teleport'.
Previously:
David Rolans, a young StarFleet officer, has recently been promoted
to command the star base that goes by the codename of "Maelstrom", a
starbase that is equipped with a unique and experimental generator
capable of opening a stable wormhole.
The freshly appointed commander and his new staff are faced with
several problems shortly after Rolans' arrival, but all of these turn
out to be childsplay when the Maelstrom's first mission goes horribly
out of hand...
A Romulan intruder manages to sabotage the station, causing an
overload in the main reactor, resulting in the entire station being
transported to a new, unknown destination, in a completely different
galaxy.
Their unplanned jump has them wind up near a pre-warp M-class planet,
inhabited by a civilization roughly comparable to medieval earth. On
the same planet they also met a strange being from an advance
civilization, one that in appearance looks lot like The Devil.
After a short dialogue, two Extras getting disintegrated and the
crew's upsetting of an entire planet's destiny by blowing their god
to bits, the crew returns to the Maelstrom just in time to see the
devil-like creature's ship disappear completely...
With no way of getting home, the crew decides to take a risk - an
uncontrolled jump without knowing where they would appear, with the
possibility of materializing inside a planet or even a star.
Project Star Gate --- Chapter X --- ' Prophecy, part 2'
by Mark van der Laan
It was an old fashioned stand off. The elf, whose name Gary still did
not know, had his bow pointed at the throat of the strange newcomer
named Tal Rehu; in return, Tal Rehu in return held a weapon capable
of powerful magic, ready to unleash it against the mysterious elf.
"That's enough!" the mage, Gary Samdar, shouted, "We're obviously on
the same side, us against The Evil Ones. We have to travel to the
city of Grandahl and warn the king immediately!"
"He is on no side of mine," the elf retorted, not losing sight of the
Romulan, "He came from the Castle Doom, he's one of them. Allow me to
dispatch him first, then we'll travel towards your precious city."
"This is pointless," Tal Rehu hissed, "I am not your enemy, and
you'll never make it to your human city itself; within hours from
now, the Evil Ones will activate their... Ragg Device and eradicate
all life from this world. If you want to save your world, we must act
now!"
"Tal Rehu is right," Gary agreed, "We have to assume that the Elders
will know of the current events and do our best to delay the enemy."
"How?" the nameless elf interjected, "With your feeble magic? My bow?
His... ugly face?"
"Thank you," Rehu replied dryly, "But I have a better idea; Inside
this... Castle Doom, there is an enormous source of power. You," he
pointed at Gary, "can use your talents to tap into it, giving you a
power to rival the gods. Surely that will be enough to destroy this
evil."
"The legendary Shrine of Pantalon," the magic user gasped, "You don't
mean it's actually inside..?"
"Ehr, yes," Tal Rehu lied, "It's there; I saw it when I escaped. I
will lead us to it, then you can save your world, after using the,
ehr, Pantalon to send me home."
"That sounds like a fair deal," Gary agreed, "Are you with us as
well, oh mysterious elf? We could surely use your bow."
"I am with you, to protect you and keep an eye on this Tal Rehu," the
elf replied, "And my name is Gelogas."
And so the fellowship was joined. On their way back to the insidious
Castle Doom, they met with many interesting characters. They met with
a bold and stocky dwarf, whose axe could cleave even stone; they met
with a group of halfling creatures with furry feet any funny names;
they met with a mighty wizard dressed in grey; they even met a fierce
human warrior. Unfortunately, none of them showed any desire in
joining them, so by the time they arrived at the evil castle,
they were still only three.
"How do we get in?" Gelogas asked, "According to legend, it is
impossible to pass the Eye of Evil unnoticed."
"I agree," Gary whispered, "I was using powerful magic to hide
myself, and even I was discovered."
Tal Rehu said nothing for a moment, looking for the right words. "The
Eye can see everything, but it seeks out magic especially, that's why
you were seen. However before I fled, I blinded the Eye; We should
have no trouble entering, assuming we can bypass the guard at the
entrance."
The Romulan pointed to a small hatch on the side of the stranded
Starbase that the natives knew now as Castle Doom. A federation guard
was posted outside, holding a phaser riffle. Gelogas got the message
and pulled an arrow from his quiver. Without barely needing to aim,
he fired the arrow, striking the guard into the heart. The man gasped
and collapsed. "So much for Richard Extra," Tal Rehu said, smiling
with satisfaction.
They ignored the body and rushed for Castle Doom, opening the hatch
to get inside; Tal Rehu had been right, they hadn't been spotted and
had managed to get inside without trouble, all they needed to do now
was to find the Shrine of Pantalon.
"This way!" Tal Rehu shouted, taking the lead, "We have to reach the
Shrine quickly. The Evil Ones can't see outside their castle, but in
here they'll sense us soon..." at that point a very health looking
Argol Manck came walking around the corner, accompanied by two
security guards, all three of them carrying phasers. "...enough,"
Rehu finished.
"We've been tracking you ever since you escaped," the Cardassian said
smugly, "And we knew you'd return here eventually. And now, the
proverbial game is up."
It was at that point that Gary suddenly raised his staff, chanting a
word of power. The Cardassian and his assistants looked quite
surprised when their weapons where janked from their hands by an
invisible force, and even more surprised when that same force knocked
them off their feet. The Romulan immediately took advantage of the
situation, rushing past them: "Follow me! We have to act quickly
now!"
Tal Rehu lead them on through corridors and Jeffries Tubes, and then
more corridors, until they finally arrived in the large room that
housed the Central Reactor, or the Shrine of Pantalon as it was now
known to Rehu's companions. "I will activate the Reactor!" Rehu
shouted, then quickly corrected himself when he saw the elf's
confused look, "ehr, the Shrine. You hold the enemy at bay until I
need your magic here!"
Gary nodded and ran towards the entrance of the room, just as the
Cardassian Manck came running inside. "Stand aside," he warned,
"You're endangering your planet and aiding a criminal and a fugitive.
Stand aside now, or be tossed across the room."
"I won't let you pass, Evil One!" Gary shouted, "We will vanquish
your darkness like the prophecy predicts!"
"Keep him occupied," Tahu yelled, "I'm almost finished."
The Cardassian did another step towards Gary, and another one. "Try
and stop me, if you want to, but I'm taking him out, with or without
you standing between us."
The young magic user grasped his staff tightly in both hands, raising
it high:
"You...shall...not.... PASS!!" With that Gary brought down his staff
hard, slamming it against the floor with a thundering boom. It broke
into pieces on the hard floor.
Gary had no time to act surprised, because Argol Manck was already in
front of him, lifting him off the floor with just one hand alone. He
was about to fulfil his promise of tossing the young wizard across
the room when the sound of the station computer interrupted him.
"Warning, Central Core Reactor activated. Wormhole opening in ten
seconds."
"Darn it!" Tal Rehu shouted, barely audible over the sound of the
humming main reactor, "It wasn't supposed to get activated. Not yet!"
And then everything was covered in a bright white flash as the
Maelstrom translocated itself again.
...TO BE CONTINUED...
====================================================================
Top Ten Posters in April by Clare Bradley
====================================================================
#10. Cody Ferro, 15 posts.
(CAL: 15)
#9. Vincent Raposa, 17 posts.
(PS: 17)
#8. Bram Peeters, 19 posts.
(ODY: 8, PS: 11)
#7. David Susman, 21 posts.
(ODY: 11, PS: 10)
#6. Aaron DeLay, 21 posts.
(CAL: 21)
#5. Laura Elliott, 22 posts. (TIE)
(CAL:22)
#4. Werner Kay, 22 posts. (TIE)
(CAL: 22)
#3. Michael Smith, 23 posts.
(PS: 23)
#2. Kelley MacKinnon, 39 posts.
(CAL: 29, PS: 10)
.. AND THE NUMBER ONE POSTER FOR APRIL IS...
ADRIAN RODD, 48 POSTS!!
(CAL: 44, ODY: 2, PS: 1, VALK:1)
Top Three Posters of the USS Calhoun:
#3. Laura Elliott and Werner Kay, 22 posts each.
#2. Kelley MacKinnon, 29 posts.
#1. Adrian Rodd, 44 posts.
Top Three Posters of the USS Odyssey:
#3. Bram Peeters and Dennis Church, 8 posts each.
#2. David Susman, 11 posts.
#1. Guido Dorssers, 13 posts.
Top Three Posters of Pandora Station:
#3. Katy Crockett, 12 posts.
#2. Vincent Raposa, 17 posts.
#1. Michael Smith, 23 posts.
Top Three Posters of the USS Valkyrie:
#3. Clare Bradley, 7 posts.
#2. Jed Cohen, 9 posts.
#1. Martin Miller, 11 posts.
Duty Station Rankings:
USS Calhoun: 188 posts total.
Pandora Station: 102 posts total.
USS Odyssey: 64 posts total.
USS Valkyrie: 60 posts total.
Fleet Wide Rankings:
1. Adrian Rodd, 48. (CAL: 44, ODY: 2, PS: 1, VALK: 1)
2. Kelley MacKinnon, 39. (CAL: 29, PS: 10)
3. Michael Smith, 23. (PS: 23)
4. Werner Kay, 22. (CAL: 22)
5. Laura Elliott, 22. (CAL:22)
6. Aaron DeLay, 21. (CAL: 21)
7. David Susman, 21. (ODY: 11, PS: 10)
8. Bram Peeters, 19. (ODY: 8, PS: 11)
9. Vincent Raposa, 17. (PS: 17)
10. Cody Ferro, 15. (CAL: 15)
11. Sandy Alexander, 13. (CAL: 13)
12. Katy Crockett, 12. (PS: 12)
13. Guido Dorssers, 11. (ODY: 7, VALK: 4)
14. Tom Shilakes, 11. (ODY: 6, VALK: 5)
15. Martin Miller, 11. (VALK: 11)
16. Jed Cohen, 9. (VALK: 9)
17. Scott LeGros, 8. (CAL: 8)
18. Dennis Church, 8. (ODY: 8)
19. Chantal-Marie Sellers, 7. (ODY: 7)
20. Clare Bradley, 7. (VALK: 7)
21. Dreamer Jopnes, 6. (VALK: 6)
22. Jared Quigg, 6. (VALK: 6)
23. John Halligan, 5. (PS: 5)
24. Lauren Ragle, 5. (ODY: 5)
25. Mark van der Laan, 5. (VALK: 5)
26. Claire Walsh, 4. (CAL: 4)
27. Wes Buchanan, 4. (PS: 4)
28. Michelle Collette, 4. (TIE) (PS: 4)
29. Brandon Allard, 4. (VALK: 4)
30. Thomas Lees, 3. (ODY: 3)
31. Jonas Ljungberg, 3. (PS: 3)
32. Merijn Donders, 2. (PS: 2)
33. John Wenerowicz, 2. (VALK: 2)
34. Khairull'Anuar Jamlus, 1. (CAL: 1)
35. Henry Ward, 1. (ODY: 1)
====================================================================
Member News by Clare Bradley
====================================================================
Promotions:
>From Cadet to Ensign:
ACouns Anur Eynar, USS Calhoun, played by Khairull'Anuar Jamlus)
ACouns Syllvianna T'Parh, USS Calhoun, played by Sandy Alexandra
Upcoming Birthdays:
May 29 Matt Burton, Cadet Matrix, Starfleet Academy
May 30 Colm Meaney, Miles OBrien, Star Trek: TNG & DS9
June 1 Rene Auberjonois, Odo, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
June 2 - Anthony Montgomery, Travis Mayweather, Enterprise
June 2 Sally Kellerman, Dr Elizabeth Dehner, Star Trek
June 3 Cody Ferro, ACMO Tarvin, USS Calhoun
June 4 Brandon Allard, CSO Giellun Maiek, USS Valkyrie
June 5 David Susman, OPS Dacs Helfrump, USS Odyssey
June 8 James Derren, Vic Fontaine, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
June 12 Felicia Bell, Jennifer Sisko, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
June 13 Malcolm McDowell, Dr. Soran, Star Trek Generations
June 21 Mariette Hartley, Zarabeth, Star Trek
June 22 Tim Russ, Tuvok, Star Trek: Voyager
June 28 Bruce Davison, Menos, Enterprise
June 30 Carel Struycken, Mr. Homn, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Editor's note: If you would like to see your (or another player's)
birthday here, send a note to chiefeditor@frontierfleet.com and we
will add it to our list. Thanks to Mike Smith for providing some Star
Trek birthdays.
=====
clarerose@yahoo.com
ICQ# 58898832
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