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Cardassian Mining Facility Terok Nor in orbit of the

planet Bajor from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Ikat'ika, the Jem'Hadar First of Dominion Internment

Camp 371

UFS News Network United Federation Starfleet Inc.

CAPT Ishan Broek

Mike Calhoun Ishan Broek Hidalgo Dorchester David7 Bravin Lynnywinny Resident MilesPrower Dagger Madadh Magic Graham Kitt Frostbite Pikajuna Kermie Mistwallow Vic Petlyakov Zania Turner Dolfke Barbosa

COVER PICTURE

CONTENTS PAGE IMAGE

PUBLISHER

EDITOR

CONTRIBUTORS

1. FRONT COVER

2. CONTENTS

3. EDITORS VIEW

4. FROM THE TOP – MIKE CALHOUN

8. A NEW IDENTITY

9. BOOK REVIEW

10. ADMIRAL’S BANQUET

14. COVER STORY – DS9 20

18. PROMOTIONS & AWARDS

20. CHIEF OF UF STARFLEET OPERATIONS

22. XENOBILOGY FILES – BYNARS

25. UFSA SUPERINTENDENT

28. BRANCH SPOTLIGHT – UFS OPERATIONS

30. TREK NEWSROUND

34. FANFICTION CONTEST WINNER

42. IN CONVERSATION – ANTHONY MONTGOMMERY

45. CHIEF OF STAFF

46. CHAPTER DIRECTORY

CAPT Ishan Broek GRAPHICS

What made DS9 so great was that it was a prototype for a better kind of science fiction storytelling. The powers that be had the critical acclaim and money to produce a new kind of science fiction show that they could experiment a little with. Watching DS9 from beginning to end allows you to see how they experimented and how their vision was so much more clearly refined by the time the show ended. My only complaint with DS9 was that it took them so long to find their way. Seasons 1 and 2 were almost a total waste, and the build up to the Dominion war was frustratingly slow. In retrospect, Seasons 1 and 2 (the exploration seasons) could have been compressed into a single season and seasons 3, 4, and 5 (the build up to the Dominion war) could have been compressed into two seasons, leaving us with three seasons for the war instead of two, and the final season being dedicated to its aftermath, instead of a single episode (the finale) being dedicated to its aftermath. Hindsight is always 20/20 of course, and despite some stumbling, DS9 managed to be vastly more profound than the other Star Treks. It was a darker Star Trek with a war story. It was a deeper Star Trek which dedicated strings of episodes to thoroughly exploring its plot threads. It was a fascinating Star Trek with riveting secondary characters like the mysterious and Machiavellian Garak, the hilariously evil yet poignant Weyoun, the insane Dukat, and the power hungry female shape shifter. It was a show that took veteran Star Trek characters like O'Brien and Worf and integrated them seamlessly with an entirely new cast, making you love every single one of them. It had great actors, top of the line special effects, and innovative writers. Of all the Star Treks, this is the one I recommend the most. It's both the most exciting and the most moving of them all...truly the high point for all of Star Trek, and sorely missed!

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Star Trek DS9 was a very controversial idea for a Star Trek show when it was created and did exceptionally poorly in the beginning. Indeed, the wormhole introduced in the show's pilot offered a new (and different from TNG) frontier for DS9 to explore, but they still wouldn't be doing it very boldly. Essentially, it would boil down to a few Runabouts going through the wormhole and a few aliens coming from the wormhole visiting DS9. As a result of this most people were still much more interested in the illustrious Enterprise-D cast, which manned the Federation's flagship rather than a newbie cast manning the unremarkable, almost penal assignment that was Deep Space Nine. But all good things must come to an end, and TNG came to an end. Voyager took its place as the "boldly going" show, but like DS9 lacked the glamour that TNG seemed to have. Voyager was boldly going home, with some exploration along the way. And as impressive as those Intrepid class ships are, they're not the Federation's flagships. At about this time, DS9's Dominion arc began to emerge; the writers began to realise that to rely on the wormhole as a plot device, the show would have to establish and develop significantly recurring villains, thus changing DS9 from a show of exploration into a show of galactic politics. So DS9 was gradually refined. The Defiant was introduced to the show to combat the Dominion threat in season 3 and Worf was added to the cast in season 4. The show slowly began to focus on the growing unstable political situation until finally at the end of season 5, all out war began when the Dominion conquered the station. The ensuing final two seasons of DS9 were easily the best storytelling ever to grace Star Trek. While there were a whole slew of memorable stand alone episode such as The Visitor, Trials and Tribble-ations, For the Uniform, Duet, or Field of Fire the best episodes of DS9 were tied heavily into the Dominion war story arc. Among the most memorable were Call to Arms, The Sacrifice of Angels, The Changing Face of Evil, What You Leave Behind, and my personal favourite Star Trek episode of all time In the Pale Moonlight.

Every year at this time UFS comes together to celebrate.

We don’t celebrate just our own individual achievements

by giving awards to all of you have helped to make this

group great, but also the important and historical events

that have brought us to where we are now.

This is the fourth year that we’ve done the Admiral’s

Banquet, and it’s grown to become bigger and better

every single time. This is a tremendous undertaking, and

serves as a shining example of just what UFS is capable of

when its members pull together!

As many of you know, last year saw many significant

changes including the re-building of our Academy, and the

upcoming re-launch of our Online Academy– a resource

that will allow members everywhere around the globe to

take courses at their time and availability

Our members could learn quite a few things from us, and

not just from the classes offered at our Academy. In my

own experience, I’ve learned a few things which I’d like to

share with all of you.

1) ALWAYS put the member before your own needs

2) ALWAYS care more about your crew’s awards and

promotions before your own

3) ALWAYS treat anyone with the same respect you want

to be treated

4) ALWAYS use common sense

5) ALWAYS remember that being a Starfleet officer isn’t

about wearing a nice uniform, but believing in a better

future for all mankind – a future that anyone can work on

today to create a better tomorrow

6) ALWAYS remember to be proud of the uniform you

wear, not because of the legacy that has brought us

together, but for what the uniform stands for like the

enormous amount of charity work that we – and others

like us – partake in around the world in keeping with the

ideals of that legacy to better society and mankind

7) ALWAYS be Proud, be Starfleet, be UFS!

These words of knowledge are something that I do hope that all of you take to heart. Although they can certainly apply to anyone who is in a leadership position or may soon find themselves in one, what I just shared with you can apply to everyone. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a brand new member, the head of a division or department, or even a branch or chapter. If your heart is in the right place and you use common sense, then you already have the potential to be successful, no matter what you decide to do within United Federation Starfleet. We push you all to be your best, to perform, because we have seen the drive and dedication within each and every single one of you. You are all unique, and you each have talents . . . talents that, when brought to the forefront and faced with an open mind, allow you to shine brightly and achieve considerable success. But, as amazing as the job can be, it is not without its challenges. The hardest challenges often come in the form of changes – changes to procedures, changes in policy, changes in position. We may sometimes see friends promoted or given a higher position before us, or we may receive a position that proves to be a challenge since it’s unlike anything we’ve ever done before and there’s a lot to learn in order to even just do the job. One thing about leadership that it is important to realize, and understand, is that changes happen. People join UFS every day, some of them become dear friends, and then may sometimes leave to seek out new adventures in other parts Star Trek Fandom. Some may return home to us, while others may choose to continue their adventures elsewhere . . . but for those who do return home to United Federation Starfleet, we will always welcome them back with open arms!

As individuals, we aren’t perfect by any means. Some of us may make mistakes, but it is truly human to forgive and give a person another chance, even if your initial reaction is that they don’t deserve it. Sometimes, with the right amount of positive reinforcement and encouragement, a person that may have been a bad influence in the past can truly turn over a new leaf and prove themselves worthy of wearing the Starfleet uniform again. It’s all about second chances, third chances, and more. Don’t hold things against an individual for what may have occurred in the past. Let go, forgive, and find a way to work together to help United Federation Starfleet achieve a much brighter future. Our future as a Star Trek Fan Organization is bright as we continue to expand beyond the confines of the Second Life. Our sim in 3rd Rock grid is a shining example of what we can do beyond the realm that most of us occupy. They have grown and thrived over the last several years, and only recently celebrated an important anniversary! And our growth doesn't have to stop there. We have all of UFS Grid to build as well as other grids like Inworldz and Avination. But of course I really hope that this year will show a significant growth outside the metaverses because with the recent changes that happened within Second Life and of course the involvement of CBS in the Second Life Trek experience it becomes urgent to make sure United Federation Starfleet can continue without Second Life. For a long time, we’ve been hearing the call to simplify things, reduce paperwork, and to increase the opportunities for being a Starfleet officer and also to simply have fun. That’s why we are working very hard on our database that will make Google documents and spreadsheets a thing of the past as every part of the UFS administration going from membership registration to promotions to change of command of a chapter and everything in between go through our database. As our organization becomes more corporate and professional, there are a ton of opportunities for those who are seeking a leadership positions within United Federation Starfleet. Our horizons are definitely broadening, and we are pushing the reaches of our exploration every single day. But, all of this expansion and changes doesn’t come without considerable risks and challenges. These challenges may sometimes raise doubts, and cause us to ask ourselves, “Am I up to it?” As long as you use that fire within you, as a UFS Member, you will be a magnificent light that will burn as brightly as the stars, lighting the way for others to follow. They will see that light, your accomplishments, and they will respect and admire you. Be a leader onto others, never fail them, and together you will all achieve success.

Each of us has willingly and voluntarily chosen to gain the honor of being Starfleet. It wasn’t given to us. We had to earn it, and on the day that we were bestowed with that honor it ignited an eternal flame of devotion and fierce pride that exists within our souls. As long as we keep this flame burning brightly, it will provide each of us with the strength that we need to continue in the darkest night, or when all hope might be lost. It will provide us with the strength we need to overcome the challenges that rest in our path. We are explorers on a new frontier, a frontier that brings a new light within Star Trek organized fandom, a frontier that combines both metaverse and non metaverse chapters. And this achievements will become forever engrained in the annals of Star Trek organized Fandom history. We have made efforts to recognize the leaders among you . . . those who have stood out, and earned a few coveted awards. Let the fire of devotion and pride, along with their leadership, inspire you all as we continue to forge our place in the pages of history. Raise a glass high to United Federation Starfleet, one of the best organizations around, and the bright future ahead of us. The awards given and their recipients are listed further on in this issue. The Banquet however wasn't just about awards. We also come together to recognize the efforts of our officers who have gone above and beyond, and earned the privileges of a higher rank. Those who received a promotion are also identified further on in this issue. Before I close, I would like to give a special thank you to several individuals who helped to make the Banquet possible. First, to Jaraziah Lowell, who used her incredible talents to make this a historic day allowing for the banquet to be held simultaneously on each of our established grids, and also in IRC as well. Second, a huge thanks to Osky Oldrich, who constructed the ceremony locations in UFS Grid and Astarios Colony. Third, to Ben Rascal, Graham Kitt, and Kermie Mistwallow for all of their help and support in order to make this day possible! For those of you who didn’t receive awards, or wish to be bestowed with specific ones in the future, let those who were given awards today be your inspiration. Follow their example and allow what they have done to strengthen your spirit, your resolve, dedication and determination to achieve success. We have often faced troubles and hardship in United Federation Starfleet. Every new day brings about new challenges to overcome, but as long as one has hope for the future, goals can be reached. Those who often have a vision and a passion for what they do, and that often allows them to achieve greatness, not only for themselves but for United Federation Starfleet as a whole.

The UFS logo has been the same since the first days of the organisation and it was decided that the old girl needed a new lease of life. So there was recently a competition to do just that - redesign the UFS corporate identity. Whilst the response wasn’t overwhelming, we did receive a good few entrants and some excellent designs. The winning design is exclusively presented here in the DC. The Designer however wishes to remain anonymous and we are respecting their wishes. However they did share some words about what they hoped to achieve with the design... “I wanted to give us an identity that was different to every other Trek group out there, but also retain some familiarity to the old logo. The main logo (top of page) is something new, something unique, but also something very Trek. The rest of the designs (two patches to the left and banner at the bottom) are variations on the main theme. With the patches, I have tried to give them a fresh look while retaining key features of the old logo such as the stars around the edge, components of the UFP logo like the starfield and wreath, and the red inner border. I hope people like them.”

Star Trek: Countdown to Darkness #1 (1 of 4) by Roberto Orci & Mike Johnson Massmarket Comic IDW Publishing – January 27th 2013 Story Months after the loss of Vulcan and his mother, Spock is still having difficulty. His grief keeps him awake and pushes Uhura away. Kirk is awake too, talking to the computer because he lacks companionship. Both arrive on the bridge ahead of schedule for a routine mission, scanning a pre-industrial society on Phaedus. A high frequency energy field from the planet’s surface disrupts communications and the transporter. Kirk, Spock, Sulu and Hendorff take a shuttle to investigate and are attacked with energy weapons. Sulu is seriously injured when the shuttle goes down. Armed with weapons they shouldn’t have and an older model Starfleet tricorder, the natives of Phaedus demand identification. Kirk, in turn, demands to know where they got their weapons. Robert April, a former captain of the Enterprise answers. Review I have to tip my hat to Roberto Orci and Mike Johnson. They effortlessly pick up threads woven in the first film and the ongoing comic series, then smack us upside the head with an unexpected character. Pairing up this surprising introduction with David Messina’s amazing sharp-edged inks makes the comic a treat. Messina always works with very capable colleagues. Marina Castelvetro and Claudia Scarletgothica are no exception. Chris Mowry handles the lettering for a lot of dialogue very capably. Kudos to everyone involved. Do I have any quibbles? Well, one, but it’s minor. There’s a whole lot of lens flare going on here. It doesn’t distract from the impact of the art. I guess it’s just become part of the nuTrek equation. There isn’t enough information in this comic to predict where the story is going or how it ties in to Star Trek Into Darkness. Nevertheless, with a former captain of the Enterprise as a potential adversary, I’d say we’re living in interesting times. It shouldn’t be difficult to find a copy of Countdown to Darkness #1, but it might be difficult to pick the one you want. As is IDW’s custom, we get a plethora of covers with this first issue. David Messina’s portrait of Kirk is the principal cover. Kirk will fit together with covers from the next three issues featuring Uhura, Spock and a Klingon, in the same style as posters for the first J.J. Abrams Star Trek film and Star Trek:

Countdown, the first movie prequel from IDW Publishing.

The B cover is a reproduction of a poster for Star Trek Into Darkness featuring John Harrison with his backside flapping in the winds of destruction. There are also two retailer exclusive covers. The Enterprise Edition, with art by Stephen Molnar, featuring the Enterprise and a grim-faced Kirk, is limited to 1701 copies. The Hastings Exclusive features Kirk, Spock and McCoy, armed and dangerous. This cover is drawn by Erfan Fajar. It’s a tough call, but I have to give the nod to Molnar’s Enterprise edition as the best cover. I have no idea if the details of Molnar’s Enterprise are accurate. Don’t care. It just looks cool.

Review courtesy of trekmovie.com

UFS Astraios celebrated its 2nd Anniversary over the weekend of Saturday and Sunday 12th & 13th January (Stardates 130112 & 130113). On the Saturday, celebrations commenced with dancing in the Garden Grounds outside the UFS Welcome Centre on Astraios Prime, with Cadet Mikey Macintyre acting as the DJ. This was followed with a live performance by Arimo Teixeira, a talented guitarist and singer. Celebrations continued with a timed footrace created by Cmdr Karl Quar, which was won by a speedy Lt Cmdr Breydon Lane (in 123 seconds) who was presented with a winner’s trophy. Meanwhile DJ Cadet Macintyre returned to play music for those who were less athletic and just wanted to sit and chat or dance. The celebrations on the Saturday were attended by a number of Starfleet officers from Pinastri as well as civilians and officers from Astraios. On the Sunday, a formal Ceremony was held in the Auditorium of the Spacestation, to both commemorate and celebrate the Anniversary. The Ceremony commenced with an inspection of Astraios officers by senior UFS officers from Pinastri. Astraios officers proudly wore for the first time, Dress Uniforms created by LT Saraleah Sands for the occasion. Following the inspection Captain Poison Toocool gave an emotional speech about UFS Astraios, paying tribute to Fleet Captain Osky Oldrich and his team of Engineers who built the infrastructure of the Astraios Colony and the Spacestation. She went on to praise those officers (some of whom have retired) who helped make and continue to make Astraios a success. Capt Toocool then presented a number of promotions and awards to Astraios officers. Commander Mac Gaelyth then took the podium and read out a speech from Commodore Kermie Mistwallow (who was unable to attend at the time) saying that Astraios really did met meet Starfleet’s goal of seeking out new life and new civilisations in the furthest reaches of the galaxy; adding that Astraios had truly risen to the challenge by giving two years exemplary service to UFS. Cmdr Gaelyth then presented Capt Toocool with the following: Commendation for Loyalty, Citation for Leadership and The

Benjamin Sisko Award (which had been instigated by Astraios senior officers). At the end of the Ceremony everyone beamed down to Astraios Prime for dancing and socialising in the Garden Grounds outside the UFS Welcome Centre. The festivities were abruptly interrupted, when Capt Toocool received a message from the Spacestation of increased solar activity and solar flares from the Astraios sun. This resulted in the all too familiar radiation protocols being implemented for both Starfleet and the Astraios Civilian Authority. The situation worsened with the Spacestation reporting that hostile vessels had been detected heading towards them. Capt Toocool called a Red Alert for all hands to take Battle Stations. Everyone was then invited to join in a role-play Mission aboard the Spacestation. Having celebrated its 2nd Anniversary, UFS Astraios looks forward to continuing its mission in the gamma quadrant, of exploring strange new worlds, seeking out new life and new civilisations – boldly going where no-one has gone before (and celebrating its 3rd Anniversary next year).

“In The Pale Moonlight” is often hailed as not only the best episode of Deep Space Nine, but one of the finest episodes of Star Trek ever produced. And in many ways, it’s easy to see why.... It’s a gripping, plausible personal character deconstruction amidst the backdrop of war. The story is filled with intrigue and deep moral conflicts. The performances are noteworthy. The final scenes of confession — of admitting then ignoring — the events of the story are revealing and, in many ways, shocking. This is an episode which changes the entire course of Deep Space Nine. And the grim story challenges the very preconceptions fans have about the Star Trek franchise. How much more could a fan possibly want from a single episode? In truth, viewers can legitimately want a few things (and I’ll get these minor criticisms out of the way in order to focus on the real strengths of the episode). For starters, the pacing is a bit unbalanced. There’s a great deal of build-up taking place. And while many of the scenes are individually interesting or thoughtful, the episode takes too long to get into the heart of its central conflicts. Stylistically, Sisko talking to the camera (as though he’s talking to his “Captain’s Log” recorder) is jarring enough to pull some viewers out of the story. And, finally, while Sisko’s performance is often riveting, he steps perilously close to melodrama. I suspect most fans of the episode will look past these criticisms, but they can pull viewers out of the story.

There is, of course, “the great Trek controversy” about just how dark the episode is, but we’ll get to that later.

CONTINUED OVER....

These points are exceedingly minor for an episode which gets so many things right. Sisko, tired of watching casualty reports pile up, realizes that something needs to be done to turn the tide of war against from the Dominion. He realizes that the Federation and the Klingons need the assistance of the Romulans, who up until now, have been quietly observing the war behind their non-aggression treaty with the Dominion. Considering how high the stakes are, Sisko is willing to go to great lengths to convince the Romulans that they *must* go to war against the Dominion. But Sisko has a problem. Why on Bajor would Romulus leave a non-aggression pact to ally themselves with the losing side of a war? Sisko needs evidence that the Dominion will simply turn on the Romulans once it wipes out the Federation and the Klingons. But how to get such evidence? How far is he willing to go to convince the Romulans that they must stand with the other Alpha Quadrant powers in defiance of the Dominion? Enter Garak. Sisko realizes, from very early on, that turning to Garak for help is a bit like making a deal with the devil (the title, in fact, references the Batman line, “Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?”). Garak (who wants the Dominion defeated as much as Sisko) pledges to help, but wants Sisko to understand that matters will become “messy” and “bloody” before their objective is achieved. Sisko, who knows how high the stakes are, makes the first of his moral concessions by accepting Garak’s less-than-noble methods. Their first plan is to try and smuggle secret war plans out of Cardassia that would prove that the Dominion was planning to invade Romulan space. But when all of Garak’s contacts end up dead, Garak offers another plan: simply forge the evidence. Sisko, again realizing the necessity of evidence, as well as the dangers of maintaining the status quo, makes another concession and agrees to this new plan.

And from here, the pattern is obvious. With each step along the plan, Sisko is forced to confront a new moral dilemma. Help a convict get out of a Klingon prison? Bribe Quark? Procure dangerous biological material? Manipulate a Romulan senator? All for what is, already, a falsehood? Sisko goes along with all of those. What makes the episode so damned good is how well it portrays Sisko’s “slippery slope.” As he says in the beginning, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Sisko certainly has the best of intentions: finding allies to help bring the war to a close in favor of his people — with as few casualties as possible. But the lengths he must go to achieve such a goal? It’s an episode which turns the axiom “The ends do not justify the means” on its head. By all accounts, Sisko is a good and decent person. But he has his flaws like the rest of us. And, like Quark says, “Every man has his price.” Sisko is willing to sell his soul D for the price of victory over the Dominion. Sisko’s conflicted emotions and thoughts are on full display here, thanks to his captain’s log recording. Despite the odd choice of having him talk directly to the camera, other shots (especially the ones in profile) do a fantastic job of conveying a man who thoroughly understood the implications of his choices, but was entirely unable to turn away from them. In the end, Sisko is able to convince a Romulan Senator, Vreenak, to visit DS9 to see this “evidence.” It sets up the episode’s best tension as Sisko nervously waits for Vreenak’s decision on the authenticity of a faked holographic meeting of Weyoun and Cardassian leaders. There’s even a fantastic scene in which Vreenak comments on the “imitation Romulan ale” that Sisko serves. The subtext, of course, is obvious: Sisko is serving an imitation as evidence. And, like the Romulan ale, Vreenak realizes it’s a fake and leaves DS9, intent on exposing Sisko’s duplicity. But he never gets the chance. On his way back to Romulus, Vreenak’s shuttle explodes — an event that looks suspiciously like Dominion sabotage.

Re-enter Garak. What’s remarkable is that Garak orchestrated the entire affair. He figured that Vreenak would see through the fake evidence. And realized that a Dominion attack on a Romulan Senator would be much more persuasive to the Romulans than the voice of just one man. Sisko, furious at Garak’s manipulations and murder, confronts him. But Garak pointedly says, “You may have just saved the Alpha Quadrant, and all it cost was the life of one Romulan Senator, one criminal D and the self respect of one Starfleet officer. I don’t know about you, but I’d call that a bargain.” Sisko is left to confront his actions — his own lies, rationalizations and moral missteps — with the knowledge that the Romulans have, after all, joined the war D against the Dominion. This then is the most powerful (and most controversial — for Trek fans) aspect of the show. Sisko, ostensibly the “hero” of the series, has just spent an entire episode using the ends to justify means that are categorically immoral. There’s no question that each of Sisko’s actions, taken on their own, are wrong. And yet Sisko got what he wanted. The Federation gets a new ally at a time when one was desperately needed.

It’s a dark, complex story which is a long, long way from near idyllic (by comparison) tone of TNG. It’s easy to see why, for some Trek fans, this is a step too far. Even so, this is a brilliant episode in terms of pure drama and character. And in that sense, it almost perfectly epitomizes what Deep Space Nine is all about. There are some minor flaws with the episode, but confronting a deeply complex and multifaceted story is not one of them. “In The Pale Moonlight” is, without question, a triumph of television storytelling. I’m not so sure I’d list it as my favourite episode of the series D but even so, I cannot deny just how powerful the story is. Like it or hate it, this is about as influential a DS9 episode as you’ll ever see.

Here we witness one of most celebrated and honored traditions, where we celebrate our own achievements, and honor those who have gone the extra mile and deserve that added recognition. This page lists promotions and awards for the month of December 2012 and also the annual awards and promotions given out at the Admiral’s Banquet. AWARDS – DECEMBER 2012 GOLDEN HEART Luke Spiritweaver Greywolf Kuhr MEDICAL CROSS Rhea Czavicevic SILVER SHIELD Xia Mirabeau THE BRIG AWARD Dolfke Barbosa WILLIAM ROSS AWARD Genny7 Markus EINSTEIN RIBBON David7 Bravin COMBAT SERVICE RIBBON Aragon Cahill Kristoff Jameson Maxx Oddson Penney Lancaster Sarandel Llewellyn COMMENDATION FOR CREATIVITY Breydon Lane GALAXY AWARD Nora Gerhadsen COMMENDATION FOR VALOR Jin Mapochi Kyle Asbrink Leia Rajal Chance Whitesong David Vincent Aragon Cahill Penney Lancaster TeaBar Resident COMMENDATION FOR LOYALTY Poison Toocool BENJAMIN SISKO AWARD Poison Toocool

PROMOTIONS – DECEMBER 2012 TO PRIVATE 1ST CLASS Chance Whitesong TeaBar Resident TO 1ST LIEUTENANT Mikedanko Resident TO MARINE CAPTAIN Jin Mapochi TO MAJOR Aragon Cahill TO CREWMAN APPRENTICE Mallory Miller TO LIEUTENANT JG Tenzin Xue Kristoff Jameson Nora Gerhadsen TO LIEUTENANT Luke Spiritweaver Sarahleah Sands Oaksi Resident TO COMMANDER Frostbite Pikajuna Scottybrit Resident Rhea Czavicevic Dolfke Barbosa Phoenix Finistair TO CAPTAIN Ishan Broek

ANNUAL AWARDS - 2012 COMBAT SERVICE AWARD Psybermind resident GrahamKitt Resident Fuzor2003 Resident Araulya Coronet Izzy Baum Akara Dover RAPID RESPONSE Demima Dyrssen OKUDA AWARD Karl Quar HARRY KIM AWARD GrahamKitt Resident CHRISTOPHER PIKE AWARD Kermie Mistwallow GRANKITE ORDER OF TACTICS Jamie Czavicevic Kinney Randt REDSHIRT AWARD Psybermind Resident SILVER SHIELD Kinney Randt GOLDEN HEART Demima Dyrssen BRONZE STAR Hermione Highwater Frostbite Pikajuna Aryela Dagger Vulpina Howley Leira Ingmann UFSA ACADEMIC DISTINCTION Mac Gaelyth Nabuleone Rhode Michel Rosenstrauch Piper John UFSA ACHIEVEMENT RIBBON Mac Gaelyth UFSA EXCELLENCE RIBBON Vic Petlyakov Dean Taselian Ishan Broek Poison Toocool UFSA SUPERINTENDENTS AWARD Nabu Rhode Ishan Broek Poison Toocool Piper John

PRESTIGIOUS SERVICE AWARD Demima Dyrssen Psybermind Resident Vic Petlyakov Cheryl Skinstad Peedy Thor Nabuleone Rhode Dean Taselian Ishan Broek Poison Toocool RIBBON OF VALOR Demima Dyrssen Fuzor2003 Resident Akara Dover RIBBON OF VALOR (CLUSTERS) Araulya Coronet Izzy Baum DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS Piper John Lan Nakajima Nabuleone Rhode LEGION OF MERIT Ishan Broek RISIN STAR Kermie Mistwallow Jonathan Wilson Osky Oldrich FEDERATION STAR Milesprower Dagger Rosine Heinkel Zania Turner FLAG PROMOTIONS These officers are individuals who have risen above the rest and given of themselves freely, beyond their chapters or duty assignments, in order to help United Federation Starfleet as a whole. Their hard work and dedication, their creativity and loyalty, have earned each of them the rare and distinct honor of a permanent flag promotion. TO CAPTAIN Poison Toocool Lan Nakajima TO FLEET CAPTAIN Rosine Heinkel Osky oldrich Piper John Nabuleone Rhode

Welcome all to 2388. The Year of Organization and Action. Before I begin on the plans or the new year from my office I would like to take the opportunity to introduce the current members of the Office of Chief of UF Starfleet Operations. Chief of UF Starfleet Operations Commodore Kermie Mistwallow Kermie Joined UFS back in November 2008 and has not looked back.....well maybe a few times. As Chief of UFS Operations there are a few areas of UFS that falls under my Pervue, that being Strategic Operations (delegated to Vice), UFS Roleplays (Main UFS story arcs) and Branch Heads. I will discuss each area in detail showing plans for the new year. Vice Chief of UF Starfleet Operations Commander Mac Gaelyth Mac has been in the Office of UFS Ops for over a year heading up Strategic Operations and has recently taken on the Vice Chief role. As Vice Chief Mac acts as Chief in the event the Chief is not available but is also still looking after Strat Ops and is looking for extra strategists to assist in co-ordination and communication with different sectors and grids. Yeoman to the Chief/Vice of UF Starfleet Operations Lieutenenat (JG) Taurik Xaris Taurik has been part of the office for a while now, however due to his sabbatical has not been active. Now he is back he is our general data gather and is assisting with ensuring the Wiki is up to date. Over the coming weeks this office will be doing some organizing, mainly in the support areas for the Fleet in all areas where roleplay is apparent. Branch Heads are being pulled back in to support the members and will have constant communications to not only my office but their own Branch members. =^= Strategic Operations =^= Strategic Operations, in Star Trek itself is the department that Worf was assigned to during his time aboard Deep Space Nine, particularly during the Dominion War. He was

Strategic Operations Officers are the direct link between

Commanding Officers and the Office of UF Starfleet Operations,.

They do not give orders, but act as a representative or voice if direct

communication can be a little spotty. They provide all sorts of

assistance to any officer in the UFS in trying to set up an RP, from

NPCs, Props, advice on where, when, who, enemies, anything in an

advice role that a Commanding Officer or anyone else needs, a

Strategic Operations officer can do their best to provide.

We're currently working on updating the Wiki as best we can for the

information that people might either need, or are interested in as per

their role or duty within the UFS. It will be a slow, but steady process,

so direct communication is always a good idea.

For this purpose we are hiring Strategic Operations officers for

Second Life, 3rd Rock Grid, and the UFS Grid, which numbers will

increase as the populations of those grids increase. Those will also

expand to having Stratops officers in each 'sector' in order for every

commanding officer on all sectors to have access to, rather than an

ever increasing number of people trying to grab one or two people

We're also in the process of researching, and plotting (from the lair

hidden under one of the many Pinastrian volcanoes) more RPs for

the very near future.

Remember....Be Strong, Be Proud, Be Starfleet.

Commodore Kermie Mistwallow Chief of UF Starfleet Operations

that particular Sector's Strategic Operations Officer. (It can be argued

that as the Starbase Commander, Sisko could be considered the

Sector Commander)

Its direct duties were to assign standing duties and roles to particular

Starships: The fleet level Strategic Operations Officers would worry

about the larger groupings of Ships, such as fleets, flotillas, and

expeditionary forces: on the Sector Level, the Stratops Officer's duty

was to coordinate all Starfleet Activity within the sector, and report to

both the Sector Commander and the relevant Strategist or Strategists

This remains more or less true of Stratops in the UFS, however our

responsibilities are the larger scale of Roleplay within the scope of

our regions. we provide Information and Assets relevant to a

Commanding Officers' ongoing missions, which in turn are generally

provided by other commanding officers, and also Starfleet

Intelligence.

Alongside Mission Command we will try our best to research, and

plan potential large-scale roleplay for use of 'Player character'

starships and stations in the UFS, which would be 'key events' of our

ongoing history; Events such as the Red Sun Rising Campaign, the

Recent El' Dorain Combine conflict, and future endeavors that will

affect the fabric of the UFS.

On top of this, the differing officers have their own roles.

The Fleet Strategist is our officer that advises on NPC Starships, can

create new ones for the purposes of providing assets to the UFS as a

whole.

The Tactical Strategist has a similar role as the Fleet Strategist,

however their specialization is involving overseeing responses to

hostile situations. Advising Starfleet if not the commanding officer of

any given Task Force or Flotilla on tactical resolutions in potential

conflict, in conjunction with information provided by UF Starfleet

Security, UFS Marine Corps, and Starfleet Intelligence.

The Planetary Strategist is responsible for the upkeep and updating

of records in regards to matters astronomical, working with Sciences

and Operations navigational specialists to log new phenomena,

planets, star systems. They also advise Command on planetary

phenomena.

Bynars are compact humanoid inhabitants of Bynaus, a planet in the Beta Magellan system. They have pale purple skin and pleasant but non-sexually specific facial features. They move aawkwardly and walk with an odd, stiff-legged gait. Though they are somewhat shorter than the human norm, their heads are proportionately larger, indicating well-developed brains. Each of the Bynars has a crease partway up the back of its skull, and the design of the brain’s lobes makes the skull appear to be streamlined. Ears lie flat against the head in a typically humanoid indentation. Some Bynar ears appear to be double, with one above the other on the same side of the head. Strange Species All Bynars seem to wear the same outfit – a tight black jumpsuit with a wide sparkling silver stripe at each side. Bynars are often employed by the Federation to work on computer systems, but they are not members of Starfleet. Bynars can communicate with other races, but when they speak to each other they burble quickly in their own strange language. Bynars travel in pairs who seem to mirror one another. This enables them to act together, in a highly efficient relationship. Members of Bynar pairs commonly finish each other’s sentences. Bynars seem social, willing and able to answer questions asked by outsiders. They also seem to have a highly developed moral and ethical sense. When upset or excited, they speak more quickly and their movements become agitated.

Computer-dependent Just as the binary language of computers is made up of two characters, ones and zeroes, Bynars always travel in pairs. Over time they have become so interconnected with the master computer on Bynaus that their language and thought patterns have become as near to binary as is possible for organic beings. They even see the world in terms of black and white, of yes and no. For the Bynars there are no grey areas. Both members of a Bynar unified pair wear boxes with blinking lights at the hip and smaller silver blinking boxes attached to their foreheads. The hip boxes are information buffers. Because they are humanoids and not actually computers themselves, these buffers allow the Bynars to take information in as quickly as possible and then store it until needed. The members of a single pair appear to be mirror images of each other – one member will have his blinking boxes on the left, the other on the right. Having such a close relationship with computers is a tremendous advantage to a society, however, even the Bynars admit that there are some disadvantages such as if the central computer goes down, so do the Bynars themselves. Serious Problem On stardate 41365.9 the Bynars stole the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D from Starbase 74. To empty the ship of all personnel, the Bynars produced a simulation convincing trained technical staff that the ship’s antimatter containment fields were failing. The Bynars took this drastic action to save their civilization. An electro-magnetic pulse caused by a nearby supernova threatened the master computer on Bynaus, and the Bynars wanted to store all the computer’s information in the main computer of the Enterprise until the pulse had passed. But two crewmen, Captain Picard, and Commander Riker, were trapped on board, and realised what was happening. When the computer on Bynaus failed they were able to reinitialise it, saving the Bynar’s lives.

The Bynars had been unwilling to simply as for help

Greetings fellow UFS members. We have begun a new year again and are looking back onto the old one with pride towards our achievements. There have been many hard times we had to overcome and more then one time were we asked if we are still going strong or if we have vanished. Let everyone rest assured we are still going strong and we are planing on doing so in the future. The Academy has made some staffing changes shortly before the old year ended and even though I already have done so on the forum at the time of their appointment I would very much like to say it again. The Academy proud to call now Fleet Captain Nabuleone Rhode the UFSA Commandant. Nabu has worked with and for the Academy for....well...I can't say as Long as I remember because he was already active in it before I even joined UFS. He has instantly begun to bring our files and billets up to date and works closely together with our CCO's, the UFSA Staff as well as all Branch Leader staff to ensure smooth and up-to-date training of our members. We are also happy to welcome Captain Ishan Broek into our ranks as the Director of the UFSA Heraldry Office. Ishan also works hard behind the curtain to keep UFSA working and going strong into a new year. There are many more friends and workers who have once again stepped up to work with the academy and for the UFS membership. Too many to name them all and please do not take it as a belittling o your work if I do not point you out by name today. Rest assured that your work is highly appreciated and needed to make the Academy as active and enjoyable as it once was. It is also with great pride and pleasure that I was allowed to award multiple awards for the hard work my co-workers did during the last year. Thank you Admiral Calhoun for presenting those awards for the Academy at the Admirals Banquet in January. And for the very first time is the Academy publishing the list of the "Order of Achievement" recipients. Those dedicated individuals who have taken and passed countless classes in the UFSA curriculum will be named in this edition of the DC with their name, rank and their level or Achievement. I thank each and every one of you hard working friends of the academy for your dedication and work you put into our shared dream. I hope to see you around in our countless locations throughout the universe of UFS and will always be available if you have a problem, a question or you simply want to talk a little bit. Proud to be in service of the UFSA

Commodore Hidalgo Dorchester UFSA Superintendent

DECEMBER 2012

ORDER OF CHAOS

2nd LT Garret Braveheart LTJG Ben Rascal

ORDER OF DEMETER LTJG Taurik Xaris ENS Bleeto Resident

JANUARY 2013

ORDER OF ATHENA

LTCDR Hermione Highwater

ORDER OF PONTUS LT Graham Kitt

DECEMBER 2012

ORDER OF CHAOS

2nd LT Garret Braveheart LTJG Ben Rascal

ORDER OF DEMETER LTJG Taurik Xaris ENS Bleeto Resident

JANUARY 2013

ORDER OF CHAOS

ENS Carmenklein1 Resident ENS Glenndaugion Decuir ENS Jeremiahc Resident

ORDER OF DEMETER LTJG Tenzin Xue CPT Hitman Jayaram ENS KarlFlo Resident

ORDER OF HERMES CMDR Pema Nakamura

ORDER OF ATHENA

LTCDR Hermione Highwater

ORDER OF PONTUS LT Graham Kitt

ORDER OF ATHENA

BGD Penney Lancaster LT Meynara Resident

ORDER OF PONTUS FCPT Madadh Magic CPT Ishan Broek

ORDER OF GAIA COMM Hidalgo Dorchester

First let me introduce myself, I am Fleet Captain Madadh Magic. I am the new Branch Commander for Operations. What do you see as the unifying factor of the Operations branch? While I am somewhat new to operations itself, having transferred from security, I will have to say an Operations Officer one of the most pivotal bridge officers on duty, because all other officers depend on the Operations Officer to manage their power and system resources. I believe that Operations branch itself drifted away from how Commodore Durant had it in her days, which is where I want to return. I believe in the unification of the branch as very important, mainly not just as officers who have the branch in common, but as others which is why I am looking to start throwing Branch parties, perhaps even Operations Officer of the month in hopes of unifying the branch a little more. What attracts cadets to Operations? Well, *laughs softly* I’m hoping the experience of being an officer is attractive, because Operation Officers are pretty much cross-trained in everything on that bridge. To speak again, "jack of all trades" isn't really an understatement. We can do helms from operations, we can do communications, science, and I believe even some engineering and tactical. As a ex-Captain of a starship myself, I wanted my Ops officers to know all of the other stations, you never know when something is going to happen. So I'm hoping cadets look at operations not just as a challenge, but a learning experience in all of the other branches, because face it...... WE are Starfleet.

What kinds of jobs are Operations Officers currently performing? Well as I said above, a lot of different jobs, from helm officer, to science, engineering, tactical, anything that needs doing. What kind of Academy training is useful for an Operations officer? Well I guess it really depends. If you're going to helms, you need to have Flight Controller Theory, Helmsman protocols and Ops Officer Protocols. Unfortunately at this time, a lot of these classes are pre-Reboot, but they are in the process of being updated. What changed in the Reboot that changed how Operations works as a branch? I think the main thing I hear is that every chapter has different requirements for Operation Officers, but in my eyes personally not a lot has changed, you just have to adapt because UFS changes everyday for the better. What changes were made in the Reboot that changed how Operations Officers do their jobs? Now we have two different types of chapters, metaverse chapters, which normally are roleplayers, and real life meeting chapters. So, while we pretty much know what the metaverse chapters do in regard to operations, developing what the real life chapter Operations Officers will do is a challenge for the near future.

JJ Abrams to Direct Star Wars VII. This joint statement from Disney and J.J. Abrams was released: After a bevy of emails and phone calls, the formalities have been wrapped up, and at long last everyone can exhale and properly share the word with an excited Internet. Yes, J.J. Abrams will direct Star Wars: Episode VII, the first of a new series of Star Wars films to come from Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy. Abrams will be directing and Academy Award-winning writer Michael Arndt will write the screenplay. ”It’s very exciting to have J.J. aboard leading the charge as we set off to make a new Star Wars movie,” said Kennedy. “J.J. is the perfect director to helm this. Beyond having such great instincts as a filmmaker, he has an intuitive understanding of this franchise. He understands the essence of the Star Wars experience, and will bring that talent to create an unforgettable motion picture.” George Lucas went on to say “I’ve consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller. He’s an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn’t be in better hands.” “To be a part of the next chapter of the Star Wars saga, to collaborate with Kathy Kennedy and this remarkable group of people, is an absolute honor,” J.J. Abrams said. “I may be even more grateful to George Lucas now than I was as a kid.” The LA Times has a new article up called “J.J. Abrams directing ‘Star Wars’: What happens to ‘Star Trek’?” According to Paramount Vice Chairman Rob Moore, Abrams — who directed both 2009′s “Star Trek” and the upcoming sequel “Star Trek Into Darkness” — will still be involved in some capacity with a possible third “Trek” movie, at the minimum as a producer, if not also directing the film. Moore also pointed out that Abrams will continue to play a role in another of the studio’s most valuable franchises, “Mission: Impossible.” “J.J. will continue to develop projects for us including a new ‘Mission: Impossible,’ and he is committed to produce another ‘Star Trek,’” Moore said Friday afternoon.

Academy Ring Coming In June QMx is finally ready to release an item they announced back in 2010. You will now be able to show your school spirit with a replica of the Starfleet Academy ring. According to QMx it is a 1:1 scale, screen-accurate replica of the actual prop worn in Star Trek (2009). The ring is made of a high-strength, scratch-resistant metal alloy that simulates the sheen and brilliance of polished sterling silver. This gleaming collectible comes in a custom metal case with a clear topside window and sits in a floating vacuform stand, ready for display. The prestige of Starfleet for just $19.95. The ring comes out in June and you can pre-

order one from Entertainment Earth. The ring is for the class of 2258, so it could be worn by James T. Kirk, Dr. McCoy or Uhura. While they are promoting it as a replica from 2009′s Star Trek, you can also seen characters in Star Trek 2009 with the ring, including the ‘father’ (played by Noel Clarke) and Scotty.

Star Trek Into Darkness App Released For fans waiting to download the new Star Trek into Darkness app, it has been released in the U.S. and Canada. The app will include missions with new missions becoming available weekly. Initially, the app will contain “between thirty to forty missions, with eight to ten available at any given point and the option to skip missions that don’t seem especially interesting.” Missions include tasks such as scavenger hunts, scanning Star Trek into Darkness posters, visiting an AMC theater or watching Trek content on TV. Rewards include exclusive content, which will become available with bonus content starting on Super Bowl Sunday, where a new Star Trek extended trailer will be aired during the second quarter of the game. “This app is like the Starfleet Academy,” said Mitch Lusas, who is the product development director. “You start off as a cadet, and you complete these missions. As you complete each mission, it will disappear and a new mission will come up. You’ll advance in your rank, you’ll unlock content and there will be some other exclusive things that will come up as well.

“The higher you get in your rank, the more content you will actually unlock; things like potentially extended versions of some videos we might be releasing. We’ll also have some information that’s exclusive coming to this app.” Lusas promises that fans will “find hints” using the app regarding the character played by Benedict Cumberbatch. The Star Trek into Darkness app is now available for iOS and Android at Apple’s App Store ad at Google’s Play Store.

Star Trek Online: Into Year 4

Star Trek Online is just completing its third year and Executive Producer Daniel Stahl updated fans on the game’s future. Expect more adventures, new enemies, new events and even more surprises, said Stahl. “Thanks to your support, the game continues to grow,” said Stahl. “You may have noticed that more than two million Captains are continuing their voyages in Star Trek Online. With sustained increases in daily participation, the game is richer and more alive than ever before. All of the development, advancement, and improvements over the last year are once again thanks to the feedback you provide and the tireless staff that pour their life into this work. What started as a labor of love with improbable deadlines grew into a passion that has yielded remarkable results.”

What can players expect in the fourth year of Star Trek Online? “In the coming months, we will begin to reveal our vision for the future,” said Stahl. “We’ll discuss and preview new adventures, new enemies, new events, and even more surprises that will define the roadmap for the years to come. We’ll answer some long standing questions about how we view existing and future factions in the game, and we’ll give details about how we plan to advance the overall storyline and resolve outstanding issues in the game.” Starting tomorrow, a new Feature Episode, Temporal Ambassador will be released, where players will encounter Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby). “All players who complete the new episode between Jan 31st and Feb 14th will receive a free Ambassador Class (Fed) or Kamarag Class (KDF) starship as a reward,” said Stahl. “You won’t want to miss out! This is going to be fun.”

Into Darkness: Expect to Cry.. Fans going to see Star Trek Into Darkness this May should bring along some Kleenex. The villain John Harrison “tears into the fabric of the world and the Enterprise family,” said Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays Harrison. “It leaves a trail of devastation.” “There is an insidiousness and ruthlessness and fierce intelligence to [Harrison] that almost undermines the interconnectivity of the crew,” said Zachary Quinto. “The stakes are much higher.” Quinto also warned fans that “there’s reason to worry” about favorite characters.

J.J. ABRAMS ZACHARY QUINTO BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH Kirk and Spock will have to work together in Star Trek into Darkness and put aside their differences. “The definition of who these two people are definitely comes to bear in this film,” said Chris Pine. “It’s central to what happens in the story. Spock is a logical man of cold reason who is run by laws, regulations and prescriptions. Kirk is a guttural, by-the-heart, instinctive and impulsive guy. Those two ways of looking at the world are central to these characters and their journey.” Expect tears, said J.J. Abrams. “The goal of this movie is to make you cry,” he said. “If the movie does its job, then by the end of the movie, you will have had a reaction involving the eyes. If the movie works, then there’s definitely an emotional component.”

For the past few months, the office of the Chief of Communications has been running a fanfiction contest. Whilst the number of entrants wasn’t overwhelming, the quality of entries was excellent. One entry however stood out from the others and was the unanimous choice as the winner. The author of that winning entry is none other than UFS’ favourite vixen...Frostbite Pikajuna! Vice Chief of Operations Graham Kitt caught up with Frostbite to give her the good news and ask her a few questions... So, my first question is a nice and simple one... What was it that brought about your love for the world of Star Trek? My father IRL was a big fan of the original star trek series. He had a whole collection of books, but I think my first interest was when he showed me a poster from his childhood depicting a 'city in space' and detailing the size and capabilities of the original Enterprise. From there, I started watching re-runs with him, and designing my own starships later on, which I used in RPG's in the 1990's. Most people base their fictions and novels on the continuation of the Federation - what made you take a completely opposite approach with the Federation being destroyed? It isn't a completely original design. Back in the early 2000's I joined a very large RPG group called 'Bravo Fleet' and their founder created an 'affiliate' called 'Futility's End', a forum-based Role-Playing Game. The reasoning behind the setting is to explore a darker version of Star Trek: Would the Federation hold onto their strong ideals in the worst possible situations? What would anyone do to survive when the promised utopia of the Federation is destroyed? I eventually joined up aboard a rebuilt New Orleans Class Frigate, the U.S.S. Phoenix, which was nicknamed 'Kittytown' with the number of Caitian expatriates serving in the crew. The group has been going strong for over 10 years now, although posting is irregular, they are still there showing how well their Moderators work with their players. Who did you use to base your main character on, Lieutenant Martin Addis? I must be honest, I threw him together based on what a child would be of two other characters from an unrelated RPG I've been running off and on again for 15 years. His father was a Prince, his mother a criminal who gave up a life of crime to do the right thing. I tried to see that the conflict there is presented in his character between missions.

Was there any specific reason why you decided to base this story around a military ground unit, rather than one of space exploration? Many have tried to do such things before, usually with a small unit based on a Defiant or other starship, I once even a saw a Section-31 based RPG. I decided to try my hand at it, but using a more conventional unit. In this instance a Recon Platoon attached to an Infantry unit to get more flexibility. I threw in experience from my own time in the military as well as asking military relatives of mine to try and show a realistic approach to how ground combat might work in the far future. Your story is clearly separated into defined sections, almost like a diary - was there any reason behind this? Heh... that would be because I originally wrote this for the aforementioned Futility's End. They have a section on their forums labeled 'Fanfiction' where any member could write stories of what happened during the War, and what is going on elsewhere in the shattered Galaxy. I was running two threads there for a time following a Colonel in a shock trooper regiment determined to fight the war to reclaim her ancestral homeland of Betazed, and then Martin. I stopped writing on the latter, and started to compile his experiences into a story. Overall, it is written as a sequence of events over the years after he left the Imperial homeworld to continue his family's military tradition. Were there any other non-Trek influences behind this story? The Empire, I created that back in the late '90's. I threw in a lot of influences based sometimes on how I was feeling at the time. I remember throwing in things from the Soviet Union, Warhammer: 40,000, and perhaps even Star Wars and Halo at one point. Mostly Warhammer in how the Empire's military is organized centered on 'Regiments' raised from Imperial provinces.

How many other fan fictions have you written? Quite a few, actually. Someday I'll get around to editing and finishing my Star Trek novel. Hehe! Can you tell us a bit about them? I wrote my own 'Captain's Table' set during the Dominion War telling how one of my oldest characters got started, my novel is set during the Lost Era that's been sitting in a box for 10 years now, and mostly fanfiction shorts here and there, nothing real serious as the first two. I did start writing other fanfiction from other genre but only one was posted on a website for Sabrinaverse, and I'm still working on the Chakat story. Do they follow the same kind of theme as this one? Not really. Out of all of them, I'd have to say this is my only strongly military-themed story. What was the thought process behind using Caitian's as the protectors of the Federation Survivors? It just came out that way since Martin's mother was Caitian. Most of the others in the unit are a mixture of feline aliens, and even some vulpinoids and canids. The Empire's goals are to unite all under a common banner for self-protection. Could you describe how the Assimilated Mutants look? Pretty much what you would think. Incomplete assimilation, Borg whose disconnection from the Collective left them without clear direction and struggling to try and regain that unity, and simply botched assimilation left them deformed and dangerous animals with built-in disruptors. They're as likely to kill you as make you one of them. Will the Ahalyian Empire ever regain the lost Federation Worlds? That I've never thought about since I've stopped writing in that area. In the setting the Federation is starting to stretch outward, but are encountering stiff resistance, even from the Vulcans. They might end up fighting, one might be absorbed into the other, the story is open-ended at this point. Something not about the story, but probably of interest to everyone... What is your favourite Star Trek "Borg" moment? Best of Both Worlds. Classic. And finally...will you be bringing out any more stories to follow one from this one in the future? Maybe. Someday. What follows now is an introduction by Frostbite followed by the opening few chapters of her winning story...

As you probably already know if you've read of my time on the Sheppard, that I do a lot of crossovers. Mostly unintentional, however, as I'm trying to show that not everything can be as it seems, especially with so much of the Galaxy unexplored. As Q once told Picard; “…you are about to move into areas of the galaxy filled with wonders you cannot possibly imagine. And terrors to freeze your soul! […] It‘s wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires, both subtle and gross. But it‘s not for the timid.” There is so much out there unknown that anything and everything, can... has… and will... happen. This is a story of an alternate future in which an Apocalyptic war with the Borg took place. Star Trek: Warhammer The Sol Sector - known on Federation Star Charts as Sector 001 - at one time the heart of the United Federation of Planets. Located here is the planet Terra, known to its inhabitants as Earth; the Cradle of Human Civilization. An alliance of hundreds of worlds the Federation stretched across nearly a quarter of the Galaxy, bringing peace and prosperity wherever they went. ...until the Borg came... Now limited to a dozen battered and overcrowded worlds, they are protected by a few squadrons of barely operational Starships and their select crews of frightened conscripts. Assailed from within by traitors and opportunists, and besieged by partially assimilated mutants and ambitious pirate raiders, the Federation Government on Terra clashes constantly with other surviving worlds for what precious few resources remain, locked in a bitter, never ending struggle for survival. In the grim, dark future of the 25th Century only few things remain certain. Among these are; resources are scarce… life is cheap… and there is only War... One of the new stellar empires to challenge the scattered survivors has its origins in a region of space once known as the Romulan Neutral Zone. The planet Ayenna is the second of seven worlds orbiting an average golden star. In the early stages of the Borg War in the 2380's, the Federation 18th Fleet made a stand at a Starbase orbiting the seventh planet protecting refugee ships fleeing to 'Failsafe Points.' This program was begun in response to the first encounter with the Borg in 2365 to provide safe havens the Borg would not be aware of as the coordinates were wiped from databases. Such worlds included Melkot, Organia... and Ayenna. There, a secret project to supply the primitive locals with technology was in response to the discovery of a lost Human colony on the southern continent. The Ahalyian Empire grew over the previous hundred years, limited by their treaty with the Federation. But with the Federation now gone, did the treaty remain in effect?

The Emperor said 'No' and dusted off an Intrepid Class Starship left behind along with the Federation Refugees. Boosted back into orbit with the assistance of solid rocket boosters, the ship discovered Starbase 506 mostly intact. The crew attached rocket motors and used the ship’s Tractor Beam to move it into orbit of Irredia - Ayenna's moon - and began the Ramillies Project. The dawn of the Third Age of Ayenna began the day Starbase Heritage was brought online. It was a dream given form... it's purpose was to create a staging ground for a massive Crusade to liberate the former Federation worlds from the Borg and whatever pirates and raiders remained in the aftermath of the apocalyptic struggle that consumed half the galaxy. Over the next fifteen years, each month a smaller warship or support ship was launched. As the small swarm gathered and patrolled the system, attached to the station the largest war machines Humanity had ever known were assembled. These massive ships were designed to carry entire armies to conquer worlds. It was all necessary work for with the Federation cowering in orbit of Earth, it is Humanity's last stand... ... and it is their last, best hope... for Victory... Prelude: The Commanding Officer of the Reconnaissance Platoon of the 21st Infantry Regiment of Harotian Militia, Lieutenant Martin Addis, is an enigma among his own people. A Caitian born to one of the few 'elite' families in Imperial society in the Harotian realm on Ayenna, other elite families seeking his family's favor made repeated offers to arrange a safe desk job at home during his conscript service. Instead, he volunteered for the Infantry. This earned many rude comments concerning his widowed mother and uncle whom had earned their vast fortunes legitimately as decorated War Heroes. His Mother is a Colonel-General currently in Command of the 1st Expeditionary Corps in the former Neutral Zone and his uncle retired a Field Marshal in the Home Guard to run the family's transport and investment businesses on Ayenna's far-eastern continent with his wife. Martin does not feel comfortable among the snobbish elites that slip past the Commissariat, and rightfully feels as his late father did that to be a proper leader you must earn the respect of your men. Most soldiers he has served and fought alongside were not aware of his high-born status until someone else informed them. It is for reasons such as this that his Regiment's Commissars feel he will become a great leader when his term of service is up... that is if he doesn't seek a career serving his people in the Emperor's Armed Forces. Thirty years after the fall of the Federation, he and his Recon Platoon have been assigned to the former Federation Starship U.S.S. Ticonderoga, now commissioned into service of the Imperial Navy as the Frigate Timelock, scouting for the Second Fleet making it‘s way into the Delta Triangle - the region of space where the Federation, Klingon, and Romulan Empires merged back during the 23rd Century.

Tel'Vos Air Force Base, Ayenna January 3rd, 2407 "So, you're headed out there, huh?" The Militia Lieutenant nodded, turning to regard the older feline standing by the jeep, two armed guards close at hand. "Yes, Sir." He snapped to Attention and saluted smartly, right hand raised so the fingertips touched the outer edge of his right eye. The other feline was dressed in a smart three-piece suit with a cane in hand, but he returned the salute anyway. "It's dangerous out there, boy." "They train us properly for such things, Sir." Lieutenant Martin Addis smiled to his mother's brother, the retired Field Marshall S'Jon Addis. "I believe I can handle it." The older feline chuckled. "There are some who might say the galaxy is no place for the likes of us, but it is not my place to contradict the wishes of the Emperor. And I must indeed agree... there are those out there who need help, and thanks to the Emperor we have the means to offer that help." Martin stood At Ease, glancing over the staging area where his unit was packing equipment for the ride up to their Starship to take them into space. "There are also those who say this isn't my place, with the grunts headed to some Gods-forsaken battlefield on some far away world." He glanced back. "Many of them were outright shocked and appalled when you and Mother supported my decision to join the Militia." "Unlike our extended family, my boy, me and your mother weren’t high born. After our own mother died, we were dirt poor, making our living as common thieves before fate stepped in and planted us on courses that led to us becoming some of the most rich and influential people in Harotia. Quite by accident, it was through our connections in the Armed Forces that helped. I volunteered with a newly raised Militia Regiment to work my way up the ranks, and your Mother was given a Battlefield Commission... on the Battlefield." He sighed, remembering those desperate days. "We had made a lot of bad mistakes in our lives, but me and your Mother got the chance to atone for those mistakes. Service is an honor... and those rich, pompous idiots back home wouldn't know the first thing about sacrifice if it was spelled out for them in solid gold lettering!" Martin chuckled. "Complete agreement there, Sir. Thanks to their daddies they spent their Conscription in some desk job with the clean uniforms." "But you and I know better..." The retired General smiled. "If you see your mother out there, give her my love." "We'll be in different Sectors... but I'll be sure to do that if I run into her." t when the Lieutenant returned to his Command Squad.

"You could say that. Retired General and War Hero." "Some offers have all the luck." Another Soldier smirked. "Back to work, Soldat!" Martin smiled back and swatted him on the back of the head. Illum IV June 16th, 2407 The former Intrepid-Class Federation Starship U.S.S. Ticonderoga, now in service as the Ahalyian Frigate Timelock, pulled into orbit and prepared to deploy the soldiers of the Reconnaissance Platoon, Headquarters Company, 21st Harotian Militia Regiment, Ahalyian Imperial People's Militia. Twenty-Five Soldiers in all, the Recon Platoon was a skeleton compared to a full-sized Infantry Platoon which could have upwards of 60 Imperial Soldiers. Made up of one 5-man Command Squad and two 10-man Rifle Squads the Command Squad included Lieutenant Addis, his Tech Specialist, a Medic, and a two-man Sniper Team. The two squads included an Assault Squad of ten rifleman, and a Heavy Weapons Squad with Machine Gun team and Rocket Launcher team. They all wore the best possible lightweight full-body armor available to sustain themselves in a firefight - which was the heart of their job. By engaging the enemy and reporting in, Addis could give a Commander the location of an enemy force as well as other important information such as size, capability, and equipment. It was a high risk job, but vital to any War effort. Without them and the knowledge they passed up the chain the Army was blind and venerable. Nearly 2,500 years ago on Terra, a famous military strategist named Sun Tzu wrote about them saying: "Thus, what enables the wise sovereign and the good general to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men, is foreknowledge." In addition to being small the platoon was also lightly equipped to enable them to harass, and if required, break contact to do so again and again at their whim. Known in the Textbook as "Aggressive Reconnaissance" or "Delaying Tactics" the Recon Platoon could keep an enemy occupied until other forces could be brought to bear. The downside to this is that it also means they naturally have a high casualty rate. The volunteers for the Imperial Recon Platoons know this from the moment they sign up and are a tough lot. The Lieutenant was reminded of this during the 'drop' onto the planet. As the veteran Flight Crew piloted the repurposed Type-8 Shuttlecraft toward the outskirts of what was supposed to be the Colony's Capitol, he looked over his men. Many were simply sitting there, going over who knew what in their minds. Some checked their equipment, one was even asleep! Yet as brave as these soldiers were, they weren’t completely fearless. You'd have to be crazy not to be scared of a

mission. One young Corporal had his eyes closed, his lips moving in silent prayer to whatever God he worshipped. The Lieutenant couldn't think of it off the top of his head. He reached over as far as his crash harness would allow and placed a hand on the thigh plate of the soldier's armor, and asked to be blessed as well. "Gesetzt in ein gutes Wort fur mich, Herr Corporal." "Ja mein Leutnant." The Soldier, perhaps a couple years older than his Commanding Officer, smiled and nodded in reply. The Shuttles continued downward, not encountering any resistance... which only made their occupants more cautious. ….. The call rang out from the Cockpit as the two craft switched to hover mode over the broken, cracked highway winding its way west from the capitol. The hatch in the aft ramp snapped open, and almost immediately the Platoon leapt free. The moment the co-pilot saw the last leave his shuttle, he signaled the pilot whom shot the shuttlecraft upwards toward safety. It wasn't long before the armored men and women found themselves alone on a barren planet. The place was dead. A dead tree sat nearby, on the verge of falling over the cracked and decayed road. To one side, on a rise, a roadside diner sat broken and abandoned. In the distance to the south and east, the crumpled spires of a Federation City and its suburbs could be seen. "Okay... let's get moving." Martin held up his right index finger, moving it in a horizontal circle beside his head. His Platoon emerged from cover at this signal, forming up into two long lines on either side of the road where they began their march southward, toward the closer of the two Bunkers located in a town to their south. ….. It was two hours before they entered a suburb southwest of the capitol on the west side of the river. Their goal was an underground bunker accessed by a nondescript building beside a school. What they didn't count on, however, was the extensive damage and devastation to the area. The Platoon's Medic let out a low whistle. "What the heck happened here?" "Orbital Bombardment, probably. Timelock Actual said they picked up some blast craters from orbit." Martin replied, eyeing the windows of the nearby buildings. "Hell of a way to go... can't assimilate 'em, so they blasted 'em..." A Sergeant from the Assault Squad muttered. The rest of Frostbite’s story can be read at this web address... http://tinyurl.com/b75b5x4

The advanced 25th-century shuttlecraft maintained the next logical step in Starfleet’s

design lineage. Its interior refined the layout and sophistication of earlier shuttle

controls, to provide the pilot with fast, precise systems access.

A continuous illuminated band runs

around the perimeter of the shuttlecraft’s

cockpit, providing low-level lighting for

the pilot.

A large storage area is located

at the rear of the cockpit. This

is separated from the forward

section by a dividing bulkhead.

Access to the interior of the

shuttlecraft is provided by a large

hatch located at the very rear of

the ship.

Control consoles are spread around

the interior of the shuttle, terminating

at the boundary between the fore and

aft sections of the cabin.

The large, forward

observation port is totally

obscured whenever the

pilot initiates the ablative

armor that protects the

shuttle during combat.

The consoles that are located at the front

of the cockpit take the form of gently-

curving panels that direct the controls

toward the pilot.

The pilot and co-pilot are provided with comfortable

heavily-padded command chairs. The shuttlecraft’s

controls are located directly in front of these seats.

Image courtesy of the Star Trek fact Files

January was a big month for Communications, especially with the annual Admiral’s

Banquet. This celebration follows the traditional banquets held by the United States Navy,

where there is not only speeches given, but also a lot of light hearted humor. It provides a

chance for military leadership to let their hair down, so to speak, and have a bit of fun

themselves while entertaining those that attend the banquet.

In UFS, we not only follow this tradition, but we utilize it as a way to celebrate all things UFS and bestow special awards upon several deserving individuals. But, there was something that made this banquet very special and historic this past year . . . It marked the first time that we held the banquet simultaneously on all three grids where UFS has a presence (Second Life, 3rd Rock Grid, UFS Grid), plus in IRC for those who are a part of real life chapters, STO, or who simply couldn’t make it into one of the grids for whatever reason. It was an amazing feat, and could not have been done without the scripting prowess of Jaraziah Lowell, as well as the hard work and dedication of Kermie Mistwallow, Osky Oldrich, Ben Rascal and Graham Kitt. In doing so, it opened the door to new horizons where events can take place that can be held across all colonies and sectors at the same time! We also saw the departure of Jade Christos as the head of Diplomacy, but the return of Ramius Easterwood to the position. Ramius has extensive experience beyond the metaverses with fan organizations and creating strong diplomatic ties, which makes him a very logical choice for this position. At the moment, he is assessing our current diplomatic status with our allies along with our own diplomats, but once that is sorted we will again be branching out to find new opportunities to create new relationships – especially within Star Trek Online and among organizations beyond the grids. We also saw the launch of the Honor Guard in UFS Grid under the guidance of veteran Honor Guard member Mystikal4Tunes Lorefield. This is a significant step for not only expanding the Honor Guard to all grids, but also creating the building blocks by which we can expand this program into real life as well. Among the first and most important duties that UFS Grid Honor Guard members will face, it will be seeking out and establishing greeters who will warmly welcome any and all guests to that colony. Our Events Management team is not only growing under the direction and vision of Ben Rascal, but guidelines and manuals are being developed to help those who seek to hold certain type of functions such as chapter commissioning ceremonies and much more! If you’re looking to do something beyond your chapter, so you can earn a higher rank – especially above the rank of Commander – this is definitely the best time to get involved! Change can be difficult. Trust me, I know because I just got let go of a job that I’ve held and loved for the past 15 years. But, changes can be positive too if you keep a good outlook as it can present brand new and exciting opportunities! Until next time... see you around the galaxy!

BY COMMODORE ZANIA TURNER

Richard "Rick" Michael Sternbach was the senior illustrator/ designer for

Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek: The Next Generation, the first two

seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager. He was

also the scenic artist for Star Trek Nemesis, providing designs for

everything from the Argo shuttle to a Romulan Valdore-type sculpture.

Manu Intiraymi is an actor best known for his role as Icheb on Star Trek:

Voyager. He played the Brunali adolescent male who was assimilated by

the Borg and then "adopted" by the U.S.S. Voyager after being abandoned

by the Collective. Manu is soon to reprise his character Icheb in the

forthcoming Star Trek: Renegades.

David Mack has co-written two episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

and several Star Trek novels and short stories. He co wrote the 1995 Deep

Space Nine episode "Starship Down" and the 1999 episode "It's Only a

Paper Moon". His contribution to the Star Trek litverse is immense, but he is

likely best known for his Destiny trilogy in which he told of the demise of the

Borg.

In this issue’s ‘In Conversation’, actor Anthony Montgomery talks about his tour of duty playing Ensign Travis Mayweather on Star Trek Enterprise. Four years ago, Anthony Montgomery became a part of TV history when he was hired to play Ensign Travis Mayweather on the fourth Star Trek spin-off, Star Trek Enterprise. Sadly, unlike most of its predecessors, this incarnation of Trekreceived a somewhat lukewarm response from both fans and critics. Also, with such a large ensemble cast, a few of the characters, including Mayweather, sometimes became lost in the shuffle. None of this, however, put a damper on Montgomery’s enthusiasm for and commitment to the series. “No matter what your job is, there’s always a danger of falling into the occasional rut,” says the actor. “Having said that, it’s my responsibility to show up on-set, read the script and do my best to bring whatever dialogue and scenes I’m given to life. If I allow things to become boring for me, then it’s going to be a bore for the audience, and that’s not good. “In every interview I did when I was on Enterprise, people would ask me, ‘Are you still excited about the job?’ I’d tell them, ‘Yes, of course, and I’ve gotten even more so as time has gone on.’ True, there was a downside to not having all that much written for Travis. I didn’t get to see my character develop as much as I’d have liked. On the positive side, though, there are millions of people out there who know I was on the show. They saw my face and watched me at work, both of which will count for something.

Believe me when I say I don’t feel at all like I’m going to be pigeonholed or stereotyped as ‘the guy from Star Trek.’” Seasons one and two of Enterprise were devoted mainly to standalone stories. By the end of the second year, Earth was the target of a devastating attack by an alien race called the Xindi. Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) and the crew of the Enterprise NX-01 were assigned to find these creatures and stop them from completely destroying Earth along with humankind. Their mission culminated at the end of the show’s third year and helped propel Enterprise into its fourth and, without question, best season. “I can understand what the concern was in our first two years about the show not being, perhaps, as action-packed as some of our viewers might have liked,” notes Montgomery. “The writers and producers then introduced the Xindi arc at the end of year two and we went that whole route for the entire third season which, I feel, raised the bar as far as storytelling. And that continued on from there. “Season four turned out to be so much fun for me and, I think, the rest of the cast as well. We got to take the series in so many different directions, and as far as Travis was concerned, I was able to explore some new facets of my character. With the various story arcs, be they two or three-parters, or even just an intense single story, we got back to telling true Trek adventures. So year four was definitely a winner for us, and that’s what most people told me would happen when I first began this job. They said the majority

of TV shows start to hit their stride in season three and by year four they’re on solid ground and know where they’re going. That’s what happened with Enterprise.” A fourth season episode that gave Montgomery some much-needed airtime was Observer Effect, in which the bodies of certain Enterprise crew members were taken over by non-corporeal entities. “This story was interesting to me because I was curious to see how we were all going to play First and Second, who were the aliens,” says Montgomery. “Because we didn’t have table-reads, we didn’t get together as a cast and tell each other, ‘OK, I’m going to play First with this type of intent,’ or, ‘In this scene, this is the tone I’m going for with Second.’ Everyone just did their own thing, and when it all came together it was still obvious who was First and who was Second based on what Dominic Keating [Lt. Malcolm Reed] and I established in the opening teaser.

“It was an incredible and fascinating creative process to go through because I had never done anything quite like that before. In fact, it was a treat to sit down and watch the actual episode because I stopped watching dailies during the first year as I was becoming much too critical of myself. My feeling was, ‘The producers will have to tell me if they want me to do something different. I have to stop trying to judge myself. Perhaps when I’m as seasoned an actor as Scott Bakula, I can look at dailies and be more objective, but I’ve a ways to go yet.’”

CONTINUED OVER.....

Having previously directed episodes of Enterprise, LeVar Burton (Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Lt. Commander Geordi LaForge) returned to the set in season four to direct The Augments as well as Demons. “LeVar is nothing short of a genius,” says Montgomery. “He’s a veteran and a true professional in this business, is incredibly well-read and gives all of himself and more to the job at hand, which on our show was directing. “One of the things I appreciated about LeVar’s style is that he and I didn’t talk too much about the scenes I was in before he filmed them. We sat down and he gave me one or two notes, but for the most part he allowed me to bring what I wanted to the table. If I ended up going little too far in one direction then, of course, LeVar would pull me back. However, he kept his guidance to a minimum and trusted me as an actor to use my own instincts.” One of Montgomery’s favourite season four stories is the two-part alternate universe saga In a Mirror, Darkly. “What a blast,” he enthuses. “Over the years I’ve read various interviews where actors have said it’s a hoot to play the bad guy. That’s what the mirror episode was for us. The Travis we know is fun-loving, adventurous and gets along with most everyone. You can’t say that about the mirror-image Travis. I liken him to Iago in Shakespeare’s Othello in that he was always in the know. The mirror Travis didn’t necessarily have to be manipulating a situation, but he was privy to what was happening behind-the-scenes. So whenever he was required to step up to the plate he was more than ready.” Despite the efforts of everyone involved in the production of Enterprise, the series came to an end in May 2005 after four seasons. “It was sad, but you know what, if we had to go out, at least we did so after one hell of a year,” says Montgomery. “I feel bad for all those people who had and will continue to have such respect and admiration for the Star Trek franchise. It’s something that has influenced and inspired not just one nation, but an entire planet. I don’t know of any other TV show that can boast such an accomplishment. We’ve become one big extended family, and there’s no reason why we have to let that go.”

Regular watchers of Enterprise will no doubt be familiar with the now-infamous series finale, These Are the Voyages…, which featured the return of two characters from Star Trek:

The Next Generation. Although it was meant to be a farewell to Captain Archer and his crew, many felt the story focused a bit too much on TNG. What are Montgomery’s thoughts on this? “First off, I don’t want anyone to think I’m speaking negatively about our franchise or Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, who wrote the finale,” explains the actor. “However, I feel there could have been a more effective way to wrap things up for our show as well as the franchise as a whole. It just seemed to take a little bit away from what the Enterprise cast and crew worked so diligently to achieve over the past four years, do you know what I mean? “As for Travis, his presence in the finale was minimal, which was OK by me. I wasn’t at all concerned about my character’s lack of involvement because I’d had some really wonderful scenes written for me in other episodes throughout the season. Funnily enough, I was used more in the last season than in the three years prior.” Montgomery has been anything but bored since the Enterprise NX-01 went into dry dock. Besides his acting, he’s been pursuing his musical interests as well as getting the ball rolling on feature film and TV ventures involving his production company, Naptonic. The actor is also spearheading a project that’s very close to his heart. “I’m starting the Montgomery Foundation this year,” he says. “I’ve never tried to do anything like this before, but I have a passion to help empower inner city kids. I’m an inner city person. I didn’t grow up in a ghetto but I was raised in the inner city of Indianapolis, so I feel like I can at least relate to them. My main purpose is to get them to understand that no matter what you want to be in life, just try to be the best you possibly can.” While his stint on Enterprise might not have turned out quite as he hoped, Montgomery would not trade his experience on the show for anything. “I feel truly blessed that Rick Berman and Brannon Braga [series creators/executive producers took a chance on me and allowed me to take part in the incredible journey that is Star Trek,” says the actor. Edited from an original interview by Steve Eramo of http://scifiandtvtalk.typepad.com

Greetings UF Starfleet, News from me isn’t going to be too much, a lot of projects are still in the ongoing phase but hopefully between now and the next Delta Communicator I will have more to say we have completed. Our first meeting chapters are on the verge of getting commissioned which will be a proud moment for our group, first we moved to other grids and now we are moving out of the metaverses. The Office of the UF Starfleet Chief of Staff continues to grow with Commander Teresa Firelight joining as the Director of Fleet Operations. She will be receiving and processing the MSRs from the Commissioned Chapters of UF Starfleet. Commander Nakajima and I have begun compiling data to create our own starship index for reference. I am working on the Chapter Registry for publication. Personnel is about to undertake the massive task of bringing the Database online, soon they will start calling out for members to register on the database and it will become our central system. Sorry I don’t have more for you but I plan to have more for you next time! In Service Brigadier General MilesPrower Dagger

UF Starfleet Chief of Staff

USS ValkyrieUSS ValkyrieUSS ValkyrieUSS Valkyrie Sector: 004 Location: Australia Type: Valkyrie-class starship CO: Scott Sawyer XO: Thomas Bainbridge

USS Rodger YoungUSS Rodger YoungUSS Rodger YoungUSS Rodger Young Sector: 013 Location: North Carolina, USA Type: Odyssey-class starship CO: Jonathan Wilson XO: Steven Rowley

USS AegisUSS AegisUSS AegisUSS Aegis Sector: 001 Location: UFS Grid Type: Valkyrie-class starship CO: Mystikal4Tunes Lorefield XO:

SS AlexandriaSS AlexandriaSS AlexandriaSS Alexandria Sector: 001 Location: Second Life Grid Type: Jupiter-class station CO: Morath Landfall XO: Michel Rosenstrauch

SS AstraiosSS AstraiosSS AstraiosSS Astraios Sector: 001 Location: 3rd Rock Grid Type: Helenic-class station CO: Poison Toocool XO: Genny7 Markus

USS BansheeUSS BansheeUSS BansheeUSS Banshee Sector: 001 Location: Second Life Grid Type: Akira-class starship CO: Jamie Czavicevic XO: Millenia Infinity

USS HyperionUSS HyperionUSS HyperionUSS Hyperion Sector: 001 Location: Second Life Grid Type: Luna-class starship CO: Lan Nakajima XO: MilesPrower Dagger

USS WildfireUSS WildfireUSS WildfireUSS Wildfire Sector: 001 Location: Second Life Grid Type: Archer-class starship CO: Nikond40 Resident XO: Jean Hema

USS MenelausUSS MenelausUSS MenelausUSS Menelaus Sector: 001 Location: Second Life Grid Type: Prometheus-class starship CO: Tedra Llewellyn XO: Tlhepa Gurbux

SS PathfinderSS PathfinderSS PathfinderSS Pathfinder Sector: 001 Location: Second Life Grid Type: Research Facility CO: AndromedaStJohn Aeon XO:

USS ProtectorUSS ProtectorUSS ProtectorUSS Protector Sector: 001 Location: Second Life Grid Type: Merced-class starship CO: Benjamin Balan XO: Miumiu Zepp

USS SunstriderUSS SunstriderUSS SunstriderUSS Sunstrider Sector: 001 Location: Second Life Grid Type: Ronin-class starship CO: Brandi Meredith XO: Madadh Magic

USS SheppardUSS SheppardUSS SheppardUSS Sheppard Sector: 001 Location: Second Life Grid Type: Intrepid-class starship CO: Hanna Kestrel XO:

USS ShogunUSS ShogunUSS ShogunUSS Shogun Sector: 001 Location: Second Life Grid Type: Sovereign-class starship CO: Mac Gaelyth XO: Kermie Mistwallow

USS TalismanUSS TalismanUSS TalismanUSS Talisman----AAAA Sector: 001 Location: Second Life Grid Type: Galaxy-class starship CO: Hitman Jayaram XO: Phoenix Finistair

USS Taylorholic DurantUSS Taylorholic DurantUSS Taylorholic DurantUSS Taylorholic Durant Sector: Location: In Transition Type: Luna-class starship CO: Mike Calhoun XO: Kimberly Hoffman

SS TranquilitySS TranquilitySS TranquilitySS Tranquility Sector: 001 Location: Second Life Grid Type: Ournal-class station CO: Thallanor Rasmussen XO:

USS VeracruzUSS VeracruzUSS VeracruzUSS Veracruz Sector: 001 Location: Second Life Grid Type: Allegiance-class starship CO: Kinney Randt XO: Aryela Dagger