The Federation Tribune - April 2005

[Rob Versteegt]

                  ==== The Federation Tribune ====
                          ==== April 2005 ====

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USS CALHOUN / DELTA ONE STATUS REPORT by Adrian Rodd
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STARDATE
2391.06.09 / 2391.06.10

LOCATION OF THE CALHOUN
Dark Sea, close to the Tal'miinian territory in the North continent,
Ah'tinni Second

STORY
On the planet of Ah'tinni Second, a small number of people in the northerly
city of Ett have begun to suspect something is amiss, and to piece together
fragments of a puzzle suggesting that they are, in fact, aliens abducted
from a space ship called the USS Calhoun.

Meanwhile, on Delta One, efforts are underway to try and locate and retrieve
the missing starship and crew. Commander Harris has enlisted the assistance
of the Cardassian vessel Covar, as well as that of shady Delta One
businessmen Stan and Dan.

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STATUS REPORT: USS Odyssey, by Dennis Church
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Location: Deep Space Nine
Stardate: 2391.05.10

The crew of the Odyssey was surprised to learn that their new mission
involved heading to a neutral planet - Dinwor 5, the home of the reclusive
Jerwasi -to represent Starfleet in a musical festival, of sorts. However,
while sorting out how the competition is going to work, Commander Denebris
is sent a personal transmission, with information from an outside force that
changes the nature of the mission entirely.

Apparently, a militant Bajoran group will attempt to assassinate the keynote
speaker at the festival - Jerul Revar, a Cardassian musical expert. The crew
of the Odyssey faces a conundrum; in order to protect Revar, they need to
perform well enough to get past the qualifying rounds of the festival...

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Status Report USS Valkyrie,  by Brandon Allard
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Stardate: 2391.05.01

Location: Alpha Quadrant, Northern rim of Betreka nebula. (relative to
Federation standard orientation)

FO's log: It would seem our shuttle crew may not be dead after all. Or if
they are, it wasn't from the explosion that we initially thought consumed
them. That's the good news. The bad news is that the Ferengi ship sitting
opposite us (which incidentally caused the explosion as it turns out) has
seen fit to 'rescue' our missing crew and keep them from us. Of course, we
aren't supposed to know that as they have also hidden their life signs from
our sensors. It was only by sheer luck on our part that our obsessive Ensign
McNamara happened to catch the briefest of readings on board the "Latinum
Mac" before they got a dampening field up. Additionally, this same obsessive
behaviour has resulted in Mr McNamara being relieved of duty on Counsellor
Lando's authority. Log ends.

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Pandora Station Status Report, by Rob Versteegt and Bram Peeters
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2391.05.27

Doctor Truesdale did not take the news of Flanigan, Zang and Vok's deaths
well. After she was told the news, the Doctor grabbed her lover's
commbadge -- the one thing that could be saved -- and ran away... trying to
outrun the sorrow. She couldn't.

2391.05.28

While a new day had arrived on Pandora Station, the emotions of the previous
days continued to make their presence known: several crewmembers could still
not believe that their colleagues were gone. But unfortunately, there was no
time to mourn. For at 0802 in the morning, the power suddenly went off. Just
for a second or so, before it came back online. The crew in Main Ops
immediately asked Virt for an explanation... but they quickly found out that
Virt was gone: he could not be activated. Furthermore, several key-systems
could not be accessed.

When the Pandora Crew started investigating what was going on, tragedy
struck again. On Deck 37 an explosion occurred. Two crewmembers died. Only
Engineer Janssens managed to get out alive, but his condition was still
critical. Immediately, Captain Kane ordered an investigation: Damage control
teams, one lead by Lieutenant Nel, were being put into action to find the
cause of this explosion...

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USS Atlantis Status Report March 2005, by Ben Versteegt
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Stardates:
- 2391.04.24
- 2391.04.26
- 2391.05.07
- 2391.05.11

Locations of the (crew of the) USS Atlantis:
- On Deep Space Nine
- Near the Wormhole
- Holding position near derelict ship

Summary:

2391.04.24:

On the Atlantis, the crew enjoyed shore leave and faced the repercussions of
their last mission.

2391.04.26:

On Deep Space Nine, the new crewmembers got to know each other a little
better.

2391.05.07:

After watching the Gamma Flyer depart, the crew of the Atlantis continued
their daily activities, while the absence of those who left was felt
throughout the ship.

2391.05.11:

Finally, new crew arrived in a slightly refitted Gamma Flyer. Among the new
officers was the new addition to the command team: the First Officer.

2391.05.28:

While cataloguing a nearby nebula, the USS Atlantis received an automated
distress call. However, the source of the distress call could not be spotted
on sensors. When the Atlantis finally entered visual range and dropped out
of warp, it was clear that no one could be alive on this derelict ship they
had encountered. And yet this was the source of the distress call. Captain
Torn ordered Commander Velden to investigate the derelict, while taking
extensive security measures -- hence the rich abundance in security officers
on the Away Team. Apparently, a nearby nebula made it impossible to get a
transporter lock on the derelict vessel, so it was decided to go by shuttle.
It remains to be seen whether or not the entire away team, environmental
suits included, will fit inside the shuttle.

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Pandora Station Status Report March 2005, by Rob Versteegt
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Alas! There are less signups than last month. And not enough good signups
too. What happened? Well, I'll get to that later. First the facts:

There were 20 signups... but only 6 of them were use-able. And I'm still
waiting for a few of them to reply to my original mail to them. But that's
the Acad's department, not PR. ;-) Also, there were a lot of double,
sometimes even tripple signups. In total, there were only 16 persons who
actually signed up. Here is where those persons found us:

1: Was a member of the group before.
2: Voting site
8: Browsing the web.
4: By a friend.
1: Search Engine.

Well... there aren't a lot of signups, and the reason for that is probably
this: People aren't really voting anymore. So please, go to
http://www.frontierfleet.net/comm/vote, and vote! ;-)

And that's about it for now. See you next month!

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SF Academy Status Report, March 2005, by Rob Versteegt
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==================
Instructors: (8)

Chief Instructor Sedaq, played by Adrien Rodd
Instructor Joran Moore, played by David Susman.
Instructor Vivienne Creenan, played by Rob Versteegt
Instructor Miranda Winter, played by Ben Versteegt
Instructor Sophie Jaune, played by Rob Verlinden
Instructor Liz Bronson, played by Laura Elliot
Instructor Hernan Ortiz, played by Aaron Langston
Instructor Abena Kwanu, played by Jeremy Beeler (Welcome Jeremy!)

==================
Instructors leaving: (1)

Instructor T'Pott, played by Bram Peeters. Bram, thanks for all the time you
put in being an instructor. We'll miss you.

==================
Cadets lost: (4)

Cadet John Shreriden, played by John Shreriden.
Cadet Andree Dothan, played by KC Martin
Cadet Toran Nakine, played by Richard Norton
Cadet Alyson Kazanjian, played by Kass Nessbit

==================
New Signups: 20 (14 useless, leaves 6 new cadets, some of which haven't
mailed me back after the first mail though.)

==================
Individual Cadets: (8)

Cadet Lichfield, played by Mike Hutton (Adrian)
Cadet Callum Armour, played by Callum Armour (Laura)
Cadet Adam Grey, played by James Clarke (Bobby)
Cadet John Harmondale, played by Jovan Gegov (David)
Cadet Dimitri Volkov, played by Dimitar Besovski (Aaron)
Cadet Ariennye Alexis Arie Nokomis, played by Tiffany Porter. (Adrian)
Cadet Mario Five, played by Marjan Petrovski (Ben)
Cadet Trenton A. Forrester, played by Adam Davis (Bobby)

==================
List Cadets: (6) (List instructors: Bobby, Aaron, John, Bram)

Cadet Alisa Alexander, played by Tiffany Boggs. (LOA)
Cadet Aleana Netal, played by Selin A.
Cadet Sumina Doe, played by Whitney Peters.
Cadet Job Lavigne, played by Joseph Wood.
Cadet Michael Webster, played by Phil Cooper.
Cadet Sobra Rena, played by Noel.

(]Mission Summary:[)

Stardate 2389.04.29

When the Cadets experienced a simulated crash, they had to survive under
harsh sercumstances. But they weren't alone: another team of Cadets,
accompanied by two instructors, was on the look-out for them. Unfortunately
they also had to make land on the planet surface, due to the interference of
a Breen ship.

==================
Graduates: (2)

Cadet Andre Thomas, played by Andre Thomas => Ensign ACMO Andre Thomas, USS
Atlantis.
Cadet Julian McDermot, played by Yugoslav Zingovski. => Ensign ACEO Julian
McDermot, USS Odyssey.
==================

And that's it again!

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Trivia Quiz #6, by Clare Bradley.
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Trivia Quiz #6:

Please avoid researching answers, so everyone has a fair shot. :>

1. Which of the following was NOT written by renowned 22nd century Bajoran
Poet Akorem Laan?
A. Kitara's Song
B. Gaudaal's Lament
C. Anslem
D. Call of the Prophets

2. What was the name of Trip's childhood pet dog?
A. Porthos
B. Butler
C. Bedford
D. Scruffers

3. On the ancient Vulcan artifact the Stone of Gol, which symbol separated
the symbols for war and death?
A. Love
B. Fear
C. Honor
D. Peace

4. Which Platonian did not have telekinetic powers?
A. Alexander
B. Dionyd
C. Parmen
D. Philana

5. Who flooded the Forest of Forever?
A. Naomi Wildman
B. Samantha Wildman
C. Neelix
D. Kathryn Janeway

6. Where did Miles O'Brien's father want him to go to school?
A. Starfleet Academy
B. Vulcan Science Academy
C. Aldebaran Music Academy
D. Trinity College

7. What is Dr. Lucas's first name?
A. John
B. Lucas
C. Jeremy
D. Martin

8. William Riker was once charged with the murder of what scientist?
A. Dr. Lewis Zimmerman
B. Dr. Reyga
C. Dr. Paul Manheim
D. Dr. Nel Apgar

9. Who said: "In this galaxy, there's a mathematical probability of three
million Earth-type planets. And in all of the universe, three million,
million galaxies like this. And in all of that-- and perhaps more-- only one
of each of us. Don't destroy the one named Kirk."?
A. Leonard McCoy
B. Spock
C. Scotty
D. Uhura

10. Where are the Axiana Lakes located?
A. Bajor
B. Earth
C. Betazed
D. Talax

11. While studying at Starfleet Medical, Julian Bashir fell in love with
Delon Palis. What was her profession?
A. Doctor
B. Ballet Dancer
C. Marine Biologist
D. Waitress

12. The Borderland is located between which two political groups?
A. The Klingon Empire and the Orion Syndicate
B. The Federation and the Orion Syndicate
C. The Klingon Empire and the Romulan Empire
D. The Romulan Empire and the Tholians

13. What was the name of Deanna Troi's sister?
A. Kamala
B. Kestra
C. Shannara
D. Hedril

14. What was Zefram Cochrane's favorite food?
A. Pizza
B. Steak
C. Cheese Pierogis
D. Kielbasa

15. Kor, Kang, Koloth, and Curzon Dax swore a blood oath of revenge against
the Albino. Who killed him?
A. Kor
B. Kang
C. Koloth
D. Jadzia Dax

Email your answers to clarerose at yahoo.com by 2005.05.10, with the word
'Trivia' in the subject line. Remember to check the Newspaper Forum for
bonus questions throughout the month!

Here are the answers to Trivia Quiz #5. The difficulty rating indicated the
number of responders that got the question incorrect.

1. Which warp-capable species did NOT visit the planet Valakis prior to
2151?
A. Andorians
B. M'klexa
C. Ferengi
D. Humans
Answer: A or D. I worded this question poorly, so I will accept D as well as
the intended answer, A. The Valakians had been in contact with the M'klexa
and the Ferengi prior to 2151. The Enterprise NX-01 visited them IN 2151,
and the Andorians had not yet met them. (difficulty: 50%)

2. What is the name of Captain Kirk's brother?
A. Stephen Gabriel Kirk
B. David Michael Kirk
C. John Augustus Kirk
D. George Samuel Kirk
Answer: D. George Samuel Kirk was the brother of James T. Kirk. Only Kirk
called him "Sam". (difficulty: 25%)

3. When was Mars colonized?
A. 2053
B. 2103
C. 2153
D. 2203
Answer: B. Mars was colonized in 2103. (difficulty: 37.5%)

4. The Ferengi stole a T-9 energy converter from a Federation outpost on
what planet?
A. Alpha Carinae II
B. Delta Rana IV
C. Gamma Tauri IV
D. Beta Antares IV
Answer: C. The Ferengi stole a T-9 energy converter from a Federation
outpost on Gamma Tauri IV, leading to first contact. Alpha Carinae II was
the planet used in the M-5 test, Delta Rana IV was the home of Kevin and
Rishon Uxbridge, and Beta Antares IV was the planet where Kirk claimed the
card game fizzbin was played. (difficulty: 62.5%)

5. Who was the first to call Benjamin Sisko the Emissary?
A. Kai Winn
B. Kai Opaka
C. Vedek Bareil
D. The Prophets
Answer: B. Kai Opaka was the first to refer to Sisko as the Emissary.
(difficulty: 37.5%)

6. In what year did Vulcan make first contact with Earth?
A. 2053
B. 2063
C. 2073
D. 2083
Answer: B. The Vulcans made first contact with Earth on April 5, 2063 in
Bozeman Montana. (difficulty: 12.5%)

7. What is the Stone of J'kah?
A. A gift given to visitors at P'Jem.
B. A telepathic weapon.
C. An ancient Bajoran artifact.
D. A Klingon ritual object.
Answer: A. The Stone of J'kah is given to those who visit the Vulcan retreat
P'Jem as a gesture of salutation. When the stone is given, the Vulcan elder
repeats a traditional litany passed down through the generations, "Ishtaya
kulah vestal ma etak J'kah." (difficulty: 62.5%)

8. What is the name of Trip's sister who was killed in the Xindi attack on
Earth?
A. Elizabeth
B. Eileen
C. Ruby
D. Rebecca
Answer: A. Trip's sister was named Elizabeth. (difficulty: 37.5%)

9. Captain Kathryn Janeway held the rank of Commander on what vessel?
A. U.S.S. Intrepid
B. U.S.S. Billings
C. U.S.S. Hood
D. U.S.S. Livingston
Answer: B. Commander Kathryn Janeway served on the U.S.S. Billings.
(difficulty: 37.5%)

10. Ruk was an android created by the inhabitants of what planet?
A. M-113
B. Ceti Alpha V
C. Delta Vega
D. Exo III
Answer: D. Ruk was created by the 'Old Ones' on the planet Exo III.
(difficulty: 84%)

11. Who was once compared to a two-headed Malgorian?
A. Spock
B. William Riker
C. Kira Nerys
D. Chakotay
Answer: C. Mullibok, a farmer on the moon Jerrado, once compared Kira Nerys
to a two-headed Malgorian because they can never figure out what they really
want to do. (difficulty: 62.5%)

12. What disease did Admiral Mark Jameson have prior to taking an illegal
rejuvenation treatment that made him young again?
A. Iverson's Disease
B. Clark's Disease
C. Sharat Syndrome
D. Pottrik Syndrome
Answer: A. Mark Jameson suffered from Iverson's Disease. (difficulty: 37.5%)

13. Captain Keogh commanded what vessel?
A. U.S.S. Odyssey
B. U.S.S. T'Kumbra
C. U.S.S. Bellerophon
D. U.S.S. Lakota
Answer: A. After the Jem'Hadar destroyed the New Bajor colony in the Gamma
Quadrant, the U.S.S. Odyssey was sent to assess the threat they posed. The
ship was destroyed in the process. (difficulty: 25%)

14. Christine Chapel gave up a career in what field to sign aboard the
Enterprise?
A. Xenobiology
B. Archaeological medicine
C. Dentistry
D. Bio-research
Answer: D. Christine Chapel gave up a career in bio-research to sign aboard
a starship. (difficulty: 50%)

15. Nikolai Rozhenko was a cultural observer on what planet?
A. Boraal II
B. Bolarus IX
C. Benzar
D. Bilana III
Answer: A. Nikolai was a cultural observer on Boraal II. (difficulty: 37.5%)

Bonus Question 1: What is the 'Window of Dreams'?
A. A nebula
B. A pulsar cluster
C. A wormhole
D. A galaxy
Answer: B. The Window of Dreams is a pulsar cluster in Lokirrim space. The
EM fields vibrate against the hull of a ship and make a sound identical to
the 8-chambered Ktarian heart, according to the Doctor. (difficulty: 50%)

Bonus Question 2: Which of the following planets is NOT a desert planet?
A. Ocampa
B. Betazed
C. Vulcan
D. Tyree
Answer: B. Betazed was seen to have lush vegetation in the TNG episode
"Ménage a Troi". In addition, the Imzadi novels describe Betazed as mostly
jungle. (difficulty: 0%)

Bonus Question 3: Why did Margaret Mullin turn down Jonathan Archer's
proposal of marriage?
A. It would have held her back in her career.
B. She didn't want to become a Starfleet widow.
C. She was in love with someone else.
D. She thought his actions were morally questionable.
Answer: B. Archer told T'Pol that the night before he graduated from flight
school, he asked Margaret to marry him outside her apartment on Westgate
Avenue. She turned him down. She said she didn't want to become a Starfleet
widow. (difficulty: 30%)

Bonus Question 4: Who said: "Worlds may change, galaxies disintegrate, but a
woman... always remains a woman."?
A. Julian Bashir
B. William Riker
C. James Kirk
D. Voyager's EMH
Answer: C. James Kirk said this in the episode "The Conscience of the King".
(difficulty: 30%)

Bonus Question 5: What Battle was depicted in an abstract painting by Data
for Worf's birthday?
A. The Battle of HarOs
B. The Battle of Maxia
C. The Battle of Klach D'Kel Brakt
D. The Battle of Cheron
Answer: A. Data painted a scene from the Battle of HarOs and gave it to Worf
as a birthday gift. (difficulty: 60%)

Bonus Question 6: Who was Kira Nerys NOT romantically involved with?
A. Julian Bashir
B. Odo
C. Vedek Bareil
D. Shakaar Edon
Answer: A. Although Alexander Siddig and Nana Vistor are romantically
involved in real life, their characters never were. (difficulty: 10%)

Scores:
Bram Peeters: 12 + 6 = 18 points
Merijn Donders: 11 + 6 = 17 points
Rob Versteegt: 11 + 3 = 14 points
Ben Versteegt: 10 + 3 = 13 points
Rob Verlinden: 9 + 4 = 13 points
Adrian Rodd: 8 + 4 = 12 points
Pat Buidin: 4 + 2 = 6 points
David Susman: 2 + 3 = 5 points

Cumulative Rankings:
1. Bram Peeters: 68 points (5 quizzes)
2. Rob Verlinden: 60 points (4 quizzes)
3. Rob Versteegt: 59 points (5 quizzes)
4. Merijn Donders: 48 points (3 quizzes)
5. Ben Versteegt: 39 points (3 quizzes)
6. Pat Buidin: 32 points (2 quizzes)
7. Sussie Anderson: 28 points (3 quizzes)
8. Adrian Rodd: 27 points (3 quizzes)
9. Rickardh Karlsson: 12 points (1 quiz)
10. Martin Miller: 10 points (1 quiz)
11. David Susman: 5 points (1 quiz)

Rankings based on average:
(only includes people who answered more than one quiz)
1. Merijn Donders: 16 point average
2. Pat Buidin: 16 point average
3. Rob Verlinden: 15 point average
4. Bram Peeters: 13.6 point average
5. Ben Versteegt: 13 point average
6. Rob Versteegt: 11.8 point average
7. Sussie Anderson: 9.3 point average
8. Adrian Rodd: 9 point average

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Promotions in March 2005, by Rob Versteegt
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Promotions in March 2005:

>From Cadet to Ensign:

Cadet Andre Thomas, played by Andre Thomas => Ensign ACMO Andre Thomas, USS
Atlantis.
Cadet Julian McDermot, played by Yugoslav Zingovski. => Ensign ACEO Julian
McDermot, USS Odyssey.

>From Ensign to Lt.jg:
ACONN Ensign Davis, played by Abby Leib d=> CONN Lieutenant jg. Alex Davis,
USS Odyssey.
ACSO Reyk, played by Sussie Andersson=> CSO Lieutenant jg. Tashina Reyk, USS
Odyssey.
AOPS Ensign Nerell, played by Rob Versteegt => AOPS Lieutenant jg. Alan
Nerell, USS Odyssey.
AOPS Ensign Elan, played by Ben Versteegt => AOPS Lieutenant jg. Tessa Elan,
USS Odyssey.

>From Lt.jg to Lt:

CMO Lieutenant jg O'Gallagher, played by Dawn Johnson => Lieutenant Rowan
O'Gallagher, USS Odyssey.

Other Promotions:

 CPO Chief Petty Officer Bane, played by David => Senior Chief Petty Officer
F. Lee Bane, USS Odyssey.
2O/CEO Commander Paul Velden, played by Ben Versteegt (USS Odyssey) => FO
Commander Paul Velden, USS Atlantis.

Congratulations to all of you!

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Posting Stats of March 2005, by Rob Versteegt
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Top 10 Posters of Frontier Fleet in March 2005:

10. Sussie Andersson: 25 (Ody 6, Panda 13, Atly 6) PC: 10

9. Gael Imaddedine: 28 (Valk 8, Panda 20) PC: 8

8. Adrian Rodd: 28 (Cal 16, Panda 12) PC: 15

7. Ruben Hilbers: 30 (Valk 30) PC: 18

6. Bram Peeters: 31 (Cal 1, Ody 6, Valk 3, Panda 13, atly 8) PC: 8

5. Richard Clogston: 34 (Valk 34) PC: 17

4. Matt Brown: 35 (Ody 12, Valk 23) PC: 13

3. David Susman: 37 (Ody 5, Valk 2, Panda 9, Atly 21) PC: 13

2. Kelley MacKinnon 46 (Cal 46) PC: 5

AND THE NR. 1 POSTER OF FRONTIER FLEET IN MARCH 2005 IS:

1. Rob Versteegt: 80 (Cal 5, Ody 9, Valk 18, Panda 30, Atly 18) PC: 11

Posting Stats:

1. Rob Versteegt: 80 (Cal 5, Ody 9, Valk 18, Panda 30, Atly 18) PC: 11
2. Kelley MacKinnon 46 (Cal 46) PC: 5
3. David Susman: 37 (Ody 5, Valk 2, Panda 9, Atly 21) PC: 13
4. Matt Brown: 35 (Ody 12, Valk 23) PC: 13
5. Richard Clogston: 34 (Valk 34) PC: 17
6. Bram Peeters: 31 (Cal 1, Ody 6, Valk 3, Panda 13, atly 8) PC: 8
7. Ruben Hilbers: 30 (Valk 30) PC: 18
8. Adrian Rodd: 28 (Cal 16, Panda 12) PC: 15
9. Gael Imaddedine: 28 (Valk 8, Panda 20) PC: 8
10. Sussie Andersson: 25 (Ody 6, Panda 13, Atly 6) PC: 10
11. Laura Elliot: 25 (Cal 25) PC: 9
12. Aaron DeLay: 18 (Cal 18) PC: 16
13. Dennis Church: 17 (Ody 13, Panda 4) PC: 11
14. Ben Versteegt: 17 (Ody 8, Panda 5, Atly 4) PC: 7
15. Martin Miller: 15 (Ody 14, Atly 1) PC: 10
16. Vincent Raposa: 15 (Cal 15) PC: 8
17. Jeremy Beeler: 14 (Cal 10, Atly 4) PC: 4
18. Abby Leib: 14 (Ody 14) PC: 14
19. Aaron Langston: 13 (Panda 13) PC: 13
20. Dawn Johnson: 12 (Ody 5, Panda 1, Atly 6) PC 5
21. Patrick Buidin: 11 (Cal 6, Atly 5) PC: 5
22. Daniel Balding: 10 (Ody 10) PC: 10
23. Mark O'Bannon: 7 (Cal 7) PC: 5
24. Hanna Brunefeldt: 6 (Atly 6) PC: 6
25. Angelic Noble: 6 (Cal 6) PC: 6
26. Alonzo Soban: 6 (Atly 6) PC: 6
27. Brandon Allard: 5 (Valk 5) PC: 5
28. Andre Thomas: 5 (Atly 5) PC: 5
29. Will Barrett: 4 (Panda 4) PC: 4
30. Guido Dorssers: 4 (Valk 4) PC: 4
31. Jake Hanlon: 4 (Cal 4) PC: 4
32. Jonathan Hardy: 4 (Ody 1, Valk 3) PC: 4
33. Rob Verlinden: 4 (Ody 4) PC: 4
34. Ann Montague: 4 (Valk 4) PC: 4
35. Chris J.: 4 (Valk 4) PC: 4
36. Yugoslav Zingovski: 3 (Ody 3) PC: 3
37. Clare Bradley: 2 (Valk 2) PC: 2
38. Cody Ferro: 2 (Cal 2) PC: 1
39. Matthew Cobble: 1 (Ody 1) PC: 1
40. Gabriel Pelletier: 1 (Panda 1) PC: 1
41. Mike Sheinin: 1 (Atly 1) PC: 1
42. Rickardh Karlsson: 1 (Atly 1) PC: 1

Top 3 Posters of the USS Calhoun:
3. Adrian Rodd: 16 Posts.
2. Laura Elliot: 25 Posts.
1. Kelley MacKinnon: 46 Posts.

Top 3 Posters of the USS Odyssey:
3. Matt Brown: 12 posts
2. Dennis Church: 13 posts
1. Martin Miller/Abby Leib: 14 posts.

Top 3 Posters of the USS Valkyrie:
3. Matt Brown: 24 Posts.
2. Ruben Hilbers: 30 Posts.
1. Richard Clogston: 34 Posts.

Top 3 Posters of Pandora Station:
3. Aaron Langston, Bram Peeters and Sussie Andersson: 13 Posts.
2. Gael Imaddedine: 20 Posts.
1. Rob Versteegt: 30 Posts.

Top 3 Posters of the USS Atlantis:
3. Bram Peeters: 8 Posts.
2. Rob Versteegt: 18 Posts.
1. David Susman: 21 Posts.

Total posts per dutystation:
USS Calhoun: 157 Posts.
USS Valkyrie: 140 Posts.
Pandora Station: 125 Posts.
USS Odyssey: 111 Posts.
USS Atlantis: 92 Posts.

Total of posts in Frontier Fleet in March 2005: 625 Posts!

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The Alpha Centauri Mystery, Part 21. By Ben Versteegt
--------------------------------------------------------------------

The Alpha Centauri Mystery - Part 21 - Deadlines

Summary: The flight to the Aquinas has been in vain. Despite their best
efforts, Ayer and his team have been unable to reach the Aquinas without
eluding Donovan. Having apparently repaired two of the three modules of his
Prometheus class vessel, the Captain of the Iapetus now holds Ayer's
shuttlecraft in a tractor beam. His target is clear: he wants the samples.

And now the continuation:

"I will die before allowing the crystals to fall into enemy hands!" Ayer
shouted at Donovan.

The grin on Donovan's face sent shiver's down Sandra's spine. From what she
had learnt while aboard the Iapetus, was that this Captain was hardly a
normal Starfleet Captain -- in fact, he seemed to take great pleasure in the
torture or killing of his enemies. "We have a full complement of weapons
aimed at your tiny shuttle, Captain Ayer," replied Donovan. "Don't make me
use them."

Ayer leaned in closer to the monitor. "If even a single spark of energy from
your phasers impact my shields, I will destroy this shuttle." Another shiver
crawled down Sandra's spine, but this time because she knew Ayer well enough
to see that he did indeed mean what he said. "If this shuttle explodes, then
so will the samples. I'm sure you don't want that to happen, do you?"

Donovan's grin disappeared. "You wouldn't have gone through all this trouble
to finally destroy the crystals, and you and your crew in the process, would
you?"

"I would," Ayer replied. "And I will, if you fire at me."

Donovan showed his teeth and stifled a growl. "You and I both know that the
samples are too important for the Federation to be lost," he said. "That is
precisely why *I* need to retrieve the samples. Don't you see, Captain?
We're on the same side here. The side of the Federation!"

"It doesn't look that way from where I'm standing," said Ayer, the look in
his eyes a cold and hard one. "You fired on my ship, you killed my crew! If
you were on the same side as I am, you would have escorted us to the
Starbase, instead of crippling my ship and beaming the samples away!"

Rolling his eyes, Donovan sighed. "Think, Captain," he said. "If I hadn't
stolen the samples, the Romulans would have. They are the ones who destroyed
the outpost in the Alpha Centauri system, not me." He, too, leaned forward.
"If it weren't for people like me, Captain Ayer, the Federation would have
already fallen victim to the Romulans, or any other major power in the
quadrant."

Ayer was furious at his nemesis. How dared he? How dared he claim he was
doing the Federation a favour by crippling one of its starships and by
killing its crew? "You don't protect the Federation," Ayer fumed. "It is
people like you who damage the Federation!"

"What I do is for the good of the Federation!" Donovan shouted back. "Do you
think the samples would be safe at a Starbase? Or at Starfleet Headquarters,
where they would be tested, prodded and poked for the entire universe to
see! Don't you see, Captain? Something as powerful as these crystals must be
kept secret. I provide that secrecy. The research of the crystals cannot be
handled through normal channels, surely you realise that. Now hand them
over!"

"You know I won't do that," Ayer replied. "I won't hand something that could
be used as a weapon over to an enemy, and you are a fool if you think I will
comply."

"I am no enemy!" Donovan shouted, pausing between each word to make
absolutely sure Ayer would get the message. "There are other forces at work
here, Captain. Forces that you do not understand. It is imperative for the
continuation of the Federation that you hand me the samples. They are not
safe with you, you must realise that by now."

"Oh, I realise that perfectly well, Captain Donovan." Ayer took a deep
breath, trying to suppress the doubts he was having. What if Donovan really
was telling the truth? What if by keeping the samples, Ayer would only
jeopardise the existence of the Federation? But no... He wouldn't believe
that. He couldn't. Donovan was a man willing to destroy ships and lives to
get what he wanted, and this was not what the Federation was about. If men
like Donovan represented the Federation, then that was a Federation which
Ayer wanted to be no part of. "But I believe the samples are safer with me
than they are with you."

Donovan was outraged. "We are both on the same side, Ayer!" He took a breath
to say something else, but stopped before he could speak. A faint hint of a
smile appeared on his face, as if he had just remembered something. "Captain
Ayer, I am ordering you to lower your shields and stand by to be boarded."

Ayer could barely contain his surprise, which turned into amusement after
only a moment. "You are *ordering* me? We have the same rank, Captain."

Captain Donovan smiled. "My ship has a lot more firepower than your shuttle.
Starfleet regulations are clear on the matter: the commander of the vessel
with tactical superiority has the overall command."

"In combat situations!" Ayer protested, correcting Donovan.

Donovan's smile turned into a wide grin. "This qualifies as a combat
situation, wouldn't you say? Especially since my ship just destroyed one of
your shuttles and is holding you in a tractor beam."

"You can't be serious..." Ayer gasped. "You can't just go shooting around
and killing people, and then say that you're in command because you have the
most powerful weapons!"

Ayer's opponent squinted his eyes at him. "I believe I just did."

Ayer looked at his crew, who seemed as perplexed at Donovan's strategy and
interpretation of the regulations as he was, and then back at Donovan again.
"This is ridiculous." He shook his head. "As far as I am concerned, you
stopped being a Starfleet officer and an ally as soon as you attacked my
ship, and you became an enemy. So let me make things clear for you, Donovan:
I do *not* accept orders from you."

Donovan grunted. "Have it your way, Ayer." He closed the communications
channel, and the screen went black. For less than a second, the compartment
was filled with nothing but silence, as everyone was wondering what Donovan
would do next. The answer came shortly after, with a tremor that could be
felt throughout the shuttle.

"They've increased power to the tractor beam," Zjavick reported. "They're
pulling us in."

"Can't we disrupt their tractor beam?" Zaag asked. "I mean, you Starfleet
people usually know how to do that, right?"

Zjavick shook his head. "Not this time. Normally, I would send back a power
surge along their tractor beam and overload their emitter, but we're not
really in any shape to put up a fight. We couldn't send a power surge back,
even if we tried."

"Power up the warp core," Sandra suddenly suggested. Everyone looked at her
as if she had just gone mad. "Create a warp field," she continued, not
bothering to explain.

"In case you hadn't noticed, Ensign," began Zjavick, "we barely managed to
avoid getting blown up last time we tried that. And we're in a tractor beam!
If we tried to warp out of here, we'd tear ourselves apart, if not by the
tractor beam, then by our unstable warp field."

"Exactly!" Sandra shouted enthusiastically. "Our warp field would be
terribly unstable. So unstable, even, that the gravitational forces around
the shuttle would vary unpredictably-"

"...interfering with the gravitational pull of the tractor beam!" finished
Zjavick. "Excellent idea, Ensign!" He looked at Ayer. "Captain?"

"Do it," replied Ayer, despite the risks he knew where involved. The
gravitational forces could just as well pull the shuttle apart, but that, he
told himself, was just a risk they had to take. And as risks went, this one
wasn't too terrible anyway.

Zjavick nodded solemnly. "Powering up warp reactor... Warp field is forming,
Captain." A few moments of tension followed, as Zjavick worked at his
console. The problem wasn't to make the warp field unstable enough, since it
already seemed to be unstable without any help at all. The problem was to
keep the warp field stable enough, otherwise it would fall apart too fast,
and the tractor beam would still be able to pull them in. Thanks to Zjavick,
however, the tractor beam failed to get a good grip on the shuttle. "It's
working," he reported. "They're having trouble breaking through the
interference. We're free from their tractor beam, Captain."

Ayer smiled. "Excellent work, Commander." The Captain pushed a few buttons
on his console, and activated the impulse engines. "I'm taking us towards
the Aquinas. We may not be as powerful as the Iapetus, but we're sure as
hell more manoeuvrable than that large ship. We may be able to hide behind
the Aquinas."

"Wouldn't be so sure of that, sir," Zjavick replied, as he struggled to keep
the warp field stable enough. "They'll have us surrounded in no time at
all."

"In that case, I'll need more power to the impulse engines," Ayer ordered
and sighed. "I suppose no one here has any brilliant ideas as to how we're
going to elude them?"

"Not at the moment, no," Sandra wryly replied, "although this unstable warp
field will make us more difficult to detect on sensors. They'll have to
target us manually, and they won't be able to lock on a tractor beam."

"Not until our warp field collapses, anyway," Zjavick muttered. "Which won't
be long now, not that anyone's listening, of course."

Ayer had heard. "I'm sorry, Commander, but I'm afraid I have to keep relying
on your miracles for just a little longer." There was a silent pause, in
which not a word was said. There was an eerie atmosphere inside the forward
compartment on the shuttle; all four occupants knew that the chances of them
getting out of this situation alive and with the samples, were close to
non-existent. A grim realisation settled over the three humans and the
Ferengi, but didn't make a dent in their equally grim determination to keep
going. They couldn't allow the samples to fall into the hands of people like
Donovan. If there was one certainty in the entire universe, it was that
fact.

"Iapetus, second module, dead ahead," Sandra broke the silence as she looked
at the ship that was visible through the front windows. She didn't have to
report that particular fact, since everyone saw it too: the second module of
the Prometheus class vessel was holding position in front of them, ready to
take out the shuttle before it could get away. Undoubtedly, the first module
of the Iapetus was located behind them, and with the wreckage of the Aquinas
located to their port, they had little directions left to go.

But Ayer wasn't willing to give up this easily. "Going up," he announced,
and tapped his console hard. Immediately, the shuttle changed course, its
nose facing upwards, but not for long. A bright phaser beam lit the cabin as
it streaked past the shuttle, missing it by only a few metres. Ayer had been
so smart to bring the shuttle down again, instead of up, dodging the fire
from both modules of the Iapetus. He had been right about this shuttle in
one aspect: it did seem more manoeuvrable than the Iapetus. Searing past
larger and smaller chunks of debris from the Aquinas, Ayer managed to dodge
quite a few phaser blasts.

"Way to go, Uncle Pete!" Sandra yelled, burning with enthusiasm. It was of
course, to put it mildly, extremely gratifying to see an unarmed,
defenceless shuttlecraft elude the weapons fire of one of the most advanced
starships the Federation had to offer, and then some. What made it even more
exciting, Sandra thought, was the realisation that Donovan would undoubtedly
be extremely frustrated by all of this.

"Don't cheer for me yet!" Ayer replied, his face tense with concentration.
"I'm not going to be able to dodge their weapons for more than a few
minutes... As my First Officer would say: random chance can only operate in
our favour for a short amount of time." Ah, Ayer's second in command. Always
the logical Vulcan. He missed her. It turned out she had been right with
that statement: their luck was now indeed running out.

"Warp field is collapsing!" Zjavick reported, signalling in the beginning of
their end. With the unstable warp field gone, the Iapetus would have no
trouble getting a weapons lock on the shuttle. Ayer and Zjavick exchanged
glances for a brief moment, and the engineer knew what his Captain was
asking of him. "I'm sorry, Captain. There's nothing I can do to stop it from
collapsing this time."

Ayer nodded sombrely. "Hold on," he said, and took the shuttle towards a
different heading. They had one more chance to escape and to get out of the
Iapetus' weapons range, before the warp field had completely broken down.

"Warp field has collapsed," announced Zjavick, and Ayer cursed silently.
They had lost their one advantage, and now they had to keep going, knowing
full well that the Iapetus could destroy them with one well-targeted
torpedo. "And we're not out of their weapons range yet."

"I hope you're not saying what I think you're saying," Zaag said with a
sigh. When another phaser beam passed them and dissipated harmlessly in
space, Zaag realised that it could just as easily have hit the shuttle,
probably ending their flight. "I'd say it looks like you're saying what I
think you're saying," he corrected himself.

Violently, the shuttlecraft lurched around them all of a sudden, and the
cause was no mystery to any of the occupants. "Direct hit, aft section!"
Zjavick yelled, and looked at Ayer. "Should I... activate the auto-destruct
sequence?" he asked, as Zaag and Sandra helped each other stand up again.
They fell down again when the shuttle got hit a second time. Ayer had no
time to answer Zjavick's question, for a conduit at the back of the
compartment breached, and hot smoke poured out of it. Explosions inside the
cabin sent consoles up into flames, and the alarming beeping tones coming
from various consoles was barely loud enough to be heard over the constant
hissing sound from the broken conduit.

"Hull breach, aft section!" Zjavick shouted his report at Ayer. "We've lost
all shields, impulse engines are fried, even manoeuvring thrusters have been
destroyed!" He slammed his fist into the barely working console. "The warp
core is going critical! We'll have a breach in about a minute, and core
ejection system is off li-"

He didn't get a chance to finish his report, because in front of his eyes,
Captain Ayer disappeared in the blue light of a Federation transporter. At
the same time, the crystal samples were beamed out as well. As the whine of
the transporter died out, Zjavick looked at Sandra and Zaag, realising that
there was nothing they could have done. Ayer and the samples were gone.

"This isn't happening," Zaag said "I'm dreaming, that must be it. I run a
bar on a peaceful planet; I'm no Starfleet officer! I'm not fit for space
battles... There is no way this can be happening to me!"

"Shut up, Zaag!" ordered Zjavick. He had other things on his mind -- like
preventing a warp core breach. "Sandra, take the helm. Zaag, I need you on
sensors. We need to know where the Iapetus is."

"Off our starboard bow," Zaag reported, "and are we going to die?"

Zjavick looked at the Ferengi, momentarily taken aback by the suddenness and
directness of the question. After a moment of looking the concerned Ferengi
in the eyes, he smiled faintly. "Not if I can help it, mister Zaag."

As Zjavick turned back to his console, Zaag turned back to his own, not
quite sure if he was able to take comfort in the Engineer's words. If the
warp core breach couldn't be stopped, then they would all die. It didn't
help to put Zaag's mind at ease, when after a few moments, Zjavick announced
exactly what he had been afraid of. "I can't stop the breach." He turned to
Sandra. "Ensign Burke, are we in transporter range of the Aquinas?"

Sandra nodded, and stood up. "We are. But the Aquinas doesn't have life
support anymore." Zjavick gave her an 'anything's better than this place'
look, and Sandra sighed. "How much time do we have left?"

Zjavick's grim look didn't tell her much good. "Thirty-five seconds." The
two of them shared a look, after which both glanced at the transporter pad.
They knew that the shuttle's transporters could only beam over two people at
a time, and with the shuttle breaking up around them, there might not be
enough time for the third one to beam over before the warp core exploded.

Zaag understood the looks on their faces, and he knew as well as anyone else
that there was no way that three people could be beamed over with this
particular transporter. "You go ahead," he said with a lump in his throat.
"I'll join you later."

Sandra looked at the Ferengi, the shock clearly visible in her eyes. "Zaag,
no! You... You may not be able to..."

But Zaag didn't change his mind. "You're Starfleet officers; you're more
important. Now go. I'll beam you over. Go, before I-" He didn't get any
further, because Sandra moved forward and hugged him tightly.

"You are braver than I thought, mister Zaag," Zjavick said as he stood up.
"But no. I can't let you stay behind." Before Zaag started to object,
Zjavick continued with a smile. "For one thing, I doubt you can operate a
transporter."

Zaag sighed. It was true -- he had no idea how to work such a piece of
equipment, but he had watched a Federation transporter chief operate the
device once. He shrugged. "How hard can it be?"

"I'm sorry, Zaag, but this job requires a professional." Zjavick motioned
for Zaag and Sandra to stand on the transporter platform. "Locking
co-ordinates," he said.

"Thank you," Sandra managed to say between sobs, as she tried to wipe the
endless flow of tears away. "I won't forget this."

"Good," Zjavick replied, "because I won't forget it either. Energising." He
punched in some controls, and watched as Sandra and Zaag disappeared, taken
apart molecule by molecule by the transporter system, only to be put
together again on the Aquinas. There was no life support left on the
Aquinas, Zjavick knew, but they would figure something out. At least Sandra
and Zaag would stay alive.

He wasn't so sure about himself, though. A bright explosion inside the
transporter pad proved that feeling right. "Damnit!" he shouted to no one in
particular. "Transporters are down!" He glanced at another console.
Seventeen seconds. Not nearly enough to get the transporter back online
again. Well, a miracle worker could do it... "I wish you were here to see
this, Ayer," he muttered to himself as he set to work, for all the good it
would do. "Turns out I was right..." He winced at the heat coming from the
damaged transporter. "I'm no miracle worker after all..."


Ayer got punched in the stomach once again by a rather fierce looking
security officer. He crashed to the floor, but managed to look up at the man
standing before him, next to the security officer. It was Donovan. The
Captain of the Iapetus grabbed Ayer by his hair and yanked him up, forcing
him to look at the viewscreen. On the screen, it was clear that the shuttle
was in serious trouble. Fire raged inside it, and scorch marks covered its
entire hull. The warp nacelles were venting plasma badly, and sparks of
electricity crawled over the nacelle housing.

"Beam them out," Ayer said, his voice reduced to a whisper. After the
beating he had received, he had lost the strength to speak aloud for a
moment. "My crew. Beam them out."

"Why should I?" Donovan responded with a smile. He was enjoying this moment
and Ayer knew it. "I already got what I wanted." He looked at the viewscreen
again. "Besides, from the looks of it, it's a little too late to beam them
out now."

Ayer followed Donovan's gaze, and watched as the shuttle's nacelles
exploded, sending the shuttle spinning around its axis -- but not for long.
A bright and fiery explosion erupted from inside the shuttle, destroyed the
aft section and made its way to the forward compartment. The shuttlecraft
exploded in a fiery display of light and fire, leaving behind nothing but
scattered debris. There was no way anyone could have survived this.

Ayer staggered to the ground, falling to his knees. The look on his face
betrayed the loss he felt, the hurt, and for a moment he couldn't breathe.
Zjavick, Zaag, Sandra... They were dead. "Take him away," he heard Donovan
say, but paid no attention to it. He couldn't stand up even if he tried, and
allowed the security officers to drag him away. He felt paralysed by the
shock, and didn't even try to resist. Zaag was gone. Zjavick was gone.
Sandra was gone. They were all gone -- he was the only one left. A lone
Captain, without his ship, without his crew.


Aboard the lifeless starship Aquinas, Sandra and Zaag had watched helplessly
as the shuttlecraft exploded. Unable to do anything but draw short and
shallow breaths in the practically non-existent atmosphere on the Bridge,
they sat down against a bulkhead, sharing their misery with each other.
"He's not coming, is he?" Sandra whispered to Zaag, seeking the comfort of
his shoulder.

Zaag put his arm around Sandra, and held her tight. "No," he said in an
equally soft voice. "He's not coming."

But the familiar whine of a transporter told them otherwise. Within seconds,
the badly burnt form of Lieutenant Commander Zjavick appeared right in front
of them. He was covered in burns, and didn't look like he could stand on his
own two feet for much longer. Sandra and Zaag, still clinging on to each
other, looked at him in amazement.

"Good God," Zjavick muttered, as he looked back at the two. "I can't leave
you two love birds alone for even a few seconds, now can I?" He managed a
smile and tried to take a step forward, but his leg couldn't hold his weight
anymore, and he fell down.

Sandra and Zaag stood up and quickly moved towards the wounded engineer.
"Commander, you're alive!" Sandra shouted, feeling much better thanks to
this good news. Despite the lack of breathable air, she took a deep breath.
"Good to have you back, sir."

Zjavick could barely keep his eyes open. "I guess... Captain Ayer was right
after all." With that, he closed his eyes and drifted into the dreamless
sleep of unconsciousness.

"How is he?" Zaag asked Sandra. "Is he going to make it?"

"I think so," replied Sandra, after examining Zjavick's burns. "I'm no
doctor, but I think he'll live. It looks like he beamed away while the warp
core was already exploding. He got lucky." She stood up and walked to a
deactivated console. "But he'll still die if we don't get life support on
line soon. We all will. I don't think we have any air left for more than
five minutes." She looked at Zaag. "How are you with repairing things?"

Zaag shrugged. "I fixed a replicator once."

This made Sandra smile. "Close enough. Come, help me try to bring life
support on line, one way or the other. We may be able to power the life
support system for the Bridge with some tricorders -- there ought to be some
around here somewhere."

Zaag nodded and went looking for tricorders. "A shame that Zjavick had to
pass out right now -- we could have used his miracles right about now."

A sigh escaped Sandra's lips. "I'm sure we could. Not much we can do about
it now, though." She tried to take a deep breath, but breathing became more
difficult every second. "Something tells me we have to hurry, Zaag." She
gasped, trying desperately to fill her lungs with the much needed air. "I'm
having trouble breathing."

Zaag was gasping as well. "Just ignore it," he said, trying to lighten the
mood with a joke. "Who needs air anyway." Despite his last comment, he tried
to work faster -- the little air they had wasn't going to last long. Ayer
was gone, Zjavick unconscious, and they, too, were about to pass out due to
lack of oxygen. Their day just couldn't get any better.


To be continued...

=====