As the USS Aarushi moves forward, this newsletter will highlight some of the crew as well as tell the tale of the Rise of the Aarushi, a continuing saga written by the CO with contributions by the crew.

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USS Aarushi Charities

Operation PaperbackPink Slipper Project

Sub for Santa

N X - 1 6 4 2 , S T A R F L E E T, I N C . C O R R E S P O N D E N C E S H I P

FIRST RAY OF SUNNEWSLETTER OF THE USS AARUSHI

2 0 1 3 J U L Y E D I T I O N

the

MOTTO OF THE NX1642-USS AARUSHI

z Sarek:  The question you face is: which path will you choose?

Some Goings OnThanks, a huge thanks, goes out to Carnell from South Carolina, a member of STARFLEET,

who took my idea for a logo and ran with it. He created several versions of the logo for our

consideration and the version on the front page of this newsletter is the one voted on by the

crew at the Commissioning Lunch. Carnell said doing graphics for ships is a way that he can

payback to the Fleet for all that the Fleet has done for him. (Insert Applause.)

Why are we still running with an NX number? Our date of

commissioning was to be 4 July 2013, however, Joe Saer of Ops

damage resulting in flooding and loss of electricity as a result of the

weather in Michigan. All things will be taken care of soon so give him

some time to get dried out and caught up.

We are a ship of 13 members which

for a ship of Red Shirts is about the

right number. (Duck! Phaser blast!) It

would be pleasant to add to our

roster so keep checking out your pen

pals and see if anyone has $15. That’s

all it takes for an individual to join.

Right now. There are possibilities that

the rate structure will change so keep

an eye on our FaceBook site for info,

or check out the SFI.org web site.

The rate hasn’t changed in probably a

decade, I was an RC at the time, so it

isn’t a shock. Well, it was a shock that

I was ever an RC.

MONTHLY ACTIVITIES

4 July 2013Official

date of our commissioning

12 July Riding for a CauseSalem Ohio Elks Lodge, Steve and

Connie Smith participated

13 July Commissioning lunch at Golden Corral, Orem, UT

31 JulyDonation of 14 Pair crocheted slippers

to Pink Slipper Project

Mushrooms and Tree Bark, OhioBy Janice Roberts

Multnomah Falls, OregonBy Connie Smith

Tree BarkOrem, UTBy Keira Strong

Bridal Veil Falls, Provo Canyon, UT by Keira Strong

Photo Scavenger Hunt!

Found in my house, by Jeffery A. Beckstrom

Sunset, Lake Erie, OhioBy Janice Roberts

A shout out to Steve and Connie Smith for

their participation in the Salem Elks Lodge

12th annual poker run to benefit cerebral palsy.

They road their motorcycle all day. Whew.

If you have participated in any cause you would

like to mention please let me know. Photos

welcome!

Activity for next months photo scavenger

hunt.

Keep in mind this isn’t a contest to see

who gets done faster or who gets every

category. This is to see who is working

on artistically captured photos. So, do

your best and send them in.

Here’s what we’re looking for in August.

1. Campfire

2. Fern

3. River, lake or creek

4. Camping

5. Wildflower

6. Sunflower

7. Berries

8. Fish

9. Squirrel

10. A smooth rock

Kauai, Hawaii By Connie Smith

Let’s get to know the crew:

Rob Strong, yes, he looks serious here but he has a great smile. Rob joined STARFLEET, or was drafted, in 1992.

Although it is difficult for him to attend activities as he has MS, he attends when possible. He’s traveled

to a number of IC’s including NY, NC, CA, and TX. He is retired from Geneva Steel in UT.

Rob’s character if Trebor Gnorts, Engineering. At 6’ 5” he has to duck to avoid the GNDN piping in the bowls of the Aarushi. Go ahead, ask what GNDN means. Goes nowhere, does nothing.

Rise of the Aarushi(Robbie Lawrence will now be played by Quinton, a former Q.Robert Strong will now be played by Trebor Gnorts.Rear Admiral Janet Shepherd is played by Rear Admiral/Captain Tessa, Q in disguise.Stephanie Christensen is played by Zuthura.Julia Clawson is played by Kala CelesDoug Halladay is Halladay.Janice Roberts is played by Zipariah.Keira Strong is played by T’PeiraConnie and Steve Smith, Capt. Jeffery Beckstrom, Alyssa Clawson, play themselves.Vashi is a fictional character.

For the purposes of the story rank of the individuals is not to be confused with the rank they hold.

In the last edition the members of Fleet gathered on Vulcan to “borrow” a ship from Vashi.)

Captain's Log: Rear Adm. Tessa reporting. ! "Our borrowed ride, the Sakonna, has left Vulcan's orbit and is proceeding on course to the last known location of Adm. T'Peira provided by Fleet Capt. Jeff Spurgeon, last human to see T'Peira alive. As the mission that Spurgeon had assigned to T'Peira was no longer classified, do to the failure of T'Peira to complete her mission, Spurgeon was at liberty to provide the coordinates but no details of the mission. The crew has settled into their stations and appears to have both hope and trepidation."

! "Engineering to the Captain."! "Captain here, what's the condition of the engines?" Tess inquired.! "Engines are fine Captain; the Vulcan's really know how to keep 'em tidy," Capt. Jeff Beckstrom replied. "I wanted to inform you that we’re ready for warp when you are." The Sakonna was now clear of the solar system. "Warp two Mr. Celes."! "Aye Captain." And about time! We needed to get going. Celes kicked all five foot two inches into gear, sitting ramrod straight, tapped her controls, and the ship went into warp. Her chestnut hair was pulled back into a ponytail; her body toned to the point she could have been in security.

*********************

! As they were leaving the Vulcan home world, Vashi, at the science station, was monitoring an unusual phenomenon taking place in the Vulcan system. Worth noting in the science log, not worth mentioning. There was an uneasy silence on the bridge. ! "Not to put to fine a point on it, but as we are a few days out from our destination I would suggest those not needed on the bridge at this point retire to their quarters and get some rest. Consider that an order." Tess smiled, cocked her head to one side and waited for the crew to get moving.

***********************! Alyssa, Security and Tactical, flopped down on her bunk. Our Captain seems so calm and I just don't know how. Sleep eluded Alyssa so she rose and went to check the computer on any further details regarding Vashi and her family. Not much security work at present so Alyssa's ever curious mind felt a need to explore the team, and Vashi seemed as good a place to start as any.

Vashi, Science, was born on Hellguard along with T'Peira, Saavik, and many others, this the result of Romulan's hijacking several Vulcan science ships, using the Vulcan scientists both as experimental subjects as well as forced labor. And the Vulcan women were.... "It's nauseating when I see how the Romulans manage to justify their evil,” Alyssa spoke allowed. ! Vashi underwent DNA testing as did T'Peira and the rest, to find their Vulcan families.

Vashi was accepted by hers whereas T'Peira didn't make the attempt. T'Peira was approximately 5-10 years older than Vashi and had been the younger's protector on the planet of their birth until Spock and others rescued the children left behind on Hellguard, the name given the planet by the survivors. It was enough for her to know who her family was but didn't want to bring shame to their house as many Vulcans, not all, did believe having one of these children would bring shame to the house. Vashi was taken in by her family's house and raised in the Vulcan way; she was promised in her youth, married when the time came, and widowed shortly after. She had no children and no one that would object to her absence. She was the perfect fit for this mission. ! "Well, I don't find anything here to doubt her sincerity. She's the only total-total stranger but there's nothing here to cause me grief." She touched the screen to randomly pick another crew member. "Quinton, former 'Q', kicked out, now human. Blah, blah, blah. Serving in Security. Blah, blah. Come on, give me something."! Another random click and she was looking at the Captain’s records. "Rear Admiral Tessa, Command, probably shouldn't go there. Don't know her, never met her, she was a friend of T'Peira's so all should be good." She clicked on passed her Captain thinking it a wise move.! Captain Jeffery Beckstrom, Chief of Engineering and Security, served on the Devron, the Alioth, the Wind Spirit, transferred back to the Alioth. Transferred to move with Zuthura to Vulcan and checked in at the Vulcan Academy of Science. "May be restless but nothing jumps out. How 'bout his traveling companion."! Ensign Zuthura, Medical, from planet or planets unknown; ancestry, unknown; parentage, unknown. "There's enough red flags here to start a large bon fire." Alyssa continued but made note to interview her as Zuthura was a bit of an enigma. Seemingly a great woman, but still, worthy of an interview. Graduated very near the top of her class in Medical at the Academy."Dang, she's tall." Six foot eight inches tall and not one bit overweight.! Halladay; Operations Management. The majority of shipboard and starbase activity is reliant on the main computer system, and while the computing power they have is considerable, the need to keep a living being in the decision-making loop was met with the introduction of the Operations Manager: primary duties; that of controlling the various departmental functions running during a mission, and assigning the most efficient use of available resources. (1) ! Yep, that's Halladay to a 'T', Alyssa smiled after she closed the screen. He's a good guy from all reports. T'Peira always spoke highly of him so even on our first meeting I felt comfortable, she thought. Was that first meeting really just a few days ago? Time seems to be playing tricks with me; seems like forever ago. Maybe a small nap now.

*********************

! ! "I don't want to sit and twiddle my thumbs," Halladay talked to his computer. "Bring up the Sakonna, Vulcan Apollo ship, property of the family of Vashi." ! The computer obliged.! Not as old as I thought, much tougher than I thought. Actually, this is just about as perfect a ship for this mission as any of us could hope for; advanced shield technology as well as weapons. Well, we're set. ! Reading on he found the Sakonna was an Apollo class freighter/transport which had also been used by the Maquis for similar purposes, five decks and 148 meters (486 feet), about half the size of Jim Kirk's USS Enterprise. This ship bore the name of a Vulcan woman that served with the Maquis. The name Apollo was taken from the human's god Apollo as well as Earth's Apollo moon program. A tip of the hat to the humans. How nice. (2)! Halladay was a history buff of sorts, not just a numbers cruncher. As Ops Manager he was in control of allocating recourses; his logical mind was fine-tuned for this job. It crossed his mind more than once that he felt out of place on this mission but was hopeful that his talents, in whatever field, would come into play for the benefit of the crew and mission. The area of historical studies that were his expertise was that of the Archer era through the founding of the Federation and into the Romulan wars. ! Halladay continued to read until he tired and then took the Captain's advise and retired to his bunk. It

was, however, a fitful sleep.

*********************

! Ensign Zuthura, back in medical, found there was nothing left to inventory. She sighed a

heavy sigh and sat at her computer terminal, lifted the pink data pad off the desk and leaned back. She always traveled with her own pink data pad. Great private reading material. A special chair designed for her height and build was relaxing. She thought she should thank Vashi for thinking ahead to this. How did she do that; how did she know I was coming and have this waiting for me?! The long, lanky, legs of Zuthura wound around the leg of the desk as the chair tipped back. She read the crews medical reports and found some were much more fleshed out than others were. Normal. Some Doctors, try as they might, just cannot get a ranking officer into sickbay long enough to do everything the Doc wants to do, and this crew is top heavy with ranking officers. ! "This chair is just the best fit," she finally exalted. "Awesome!" The next thing she found herself doing was napping, in the chair, hoping she wouldn't drool.

*********************

! Capt. Beckstrom finished with the tinkering he was doing on the plasma converter and wiped his hands on the nearest towel. He didn't consider the order to rest as applying to him. His duties were necessary. Those Vulcans, thinking of Vashi, can go more than ten days without sleep. Ah, the thought of being able to work on my engines for ten straight days, what a dream come true. Ganorts will be taking the next shift; don't want to leave a mess. And with that he gathered his tools and rags.

*********************

! Trebor Gnorts was a more than capable ships engineer. Years of experience before joining STARFEET made Trebor a find to take on this journey. Trebor was in his quarters, a solitary man, and that fondness for being alone was a fine quality for working in engineering. He could work alone which was the way he liked it. He thumbed down the list of engineering articles on his data pad until he found what he was looking for, a periodical on the Sakoona, written in Vulcan. Alas, I can't read Vulcan. He switched on the translator and the periodical blinked into Federation Standard. He found the schematics, history, former missions. All interesting. It relaxed him and he found sleep. Nice to have an order to rest.

*********************

! ! Steve and Connie Smith were in their quarters having a cup of soothing tea to help them sleep. ! "I'm telling ya, it's been years since we've see her, and you know that she was always on the edge when it came to regulations. All we know is that she disappeared on a mission and that was over a year ago. That is ALL we know. What makes you think we can find her." Connie was at wits end.! Steve set his cup down, "Because it's T'Peira were talking about. That and no other reason. She's the luckiest Vulcan alive. I mean, have you ever, ever met any Vulcan that has gotten out of as many jams as her?"! "Luck always runs out. Let's call it a night and see if the Captain can pull a rabbit out of her hat and actually find T'Peira." "It would have been funnier if you had said ‘Tribblel’. What's the problem?" Steve stood and wrapped his arms around his wife. "She was like a sister to you." "I've already grieved, I don't want to go through that again. I don't want to loose her again." Tears were in her eyes as she turned to look up at Steve and she held him close as if fearing she would loose him too.

*********************

! Mmm, this will be a great journey. These mortals will take me on a quest and I'll willingly go. Tess sat quietly just thinking of the trek ahead. ! "Pardon me, just what do you plan for these specks of carbon?" Time froze for the mortals, but for the two Q on the bridge, conversation continued. ! "I needed some variety. What brings you here?" Tess recognized a fellow Q.! "The Continuum bores me of late. Quinton becoming human, your pretend search for T'Peira; I just thought I'd check in and see if there's anything interesting going on here."

! Tess swiveled the chair back and forth, "I doubt you would find this interesting."! "How would you know my mind? I'm not saying I want to join you, I just wanted to see if there was anything here that was remotely amusing." A pretend yawn and a stretch from the visiting Q. "Please, tell me this will be fun."! "These aren't my pets; they have minds, desires, and goals. I'm giving them a nudge and allowing them to grow." Tess sat in the captain’s chair giving it a slight swivel.! "Hmm, well, keep me in mind if they decide to do something entertaining." And the Q winked off the bridge.

! An almost imperceptible smile appeared on her face and Tess continued to sit, Vashi at Science, Celes at the helm, Beckstrom in engineering. She continued to down the roster, all knowing yet never knowing what the mortals may choose to do. A guess, yes, but to know, never.

(1) http://www.ufstarfleet.org/wiki/index.php?title=Operations_Manager:_Role_%26_Duties(2) http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Vulcan_transport

Captain Jeffery Beckstrom sends you TRIVIA!

1. Name the Captain that had his dog with him on his ship.2. What the breed of the dog? 3. What was the name of the dog?4. What movie did a similar dog make a cameo appearance?

Silly Facts

Fact 1: The Eiffel Tower grows during the summer! It’s true. Because the landmark is made of iron (which expands in the heat), the Eiffel Tower grows more than 6 inches during hot weather months.

Fact 2: Watermelon is actually a vegetable! Don’t tell the kids, but this summertime snack comes from the cucumber, squash and pumpkin family.

Fact 3: Mosquitoes can locate you from a distance. These irritating insects have visual sensors that can detect movement and identify color variations in warm-blooded creatures from up to 100 feet away.

Fact 4: Popsicles were created by accident in 1905 when an 11-year-old boy named Frank Epperson left a mixture of soda and water out over night. When he awoke the following morning, the stirring stick was frozen solid into the world’s first ice pop.

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2 0 0 9 S U M M E R E D I T I O N

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The content of this newsletter is the sole property of the editor. Any submissions reverts to the individual that submitted the photo or article, or to the owner of the materials or photos or artwork downloaded from the internet. The editor and the USS AARUSHI hold no claims to any trademarks, copyrights, or properties held by CBS Studios nor Paramount Pictures. All content from Star Trek including still images and character names are the property of Paramount Pictures Corporation and CBS Studios, Inc. and no infringement is intended. No portion of this document may be copied or republished in any way or form without the written consent of the editor. Keira Russell-Strong, Editor

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