FNN Edition 11

Headlines

Federation Starship Faces Klingons Inside Border

MOLLIE MATTS
Managing Editor
Stardate 20303.09

STARBASE ALPHA – A Federation starship conducting routine repairs of a science facility near the Federation/Romulan/Klingon triangle confronted at least two Klingon vessels that had crossed into Federation space last week, sources reported to the Federation News Network.

No name for the starship or science station in question was given, nor were any specifics about why the Klingons had crossed the border and what happened after the ships confronted each other. Since the outbreak of war between the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire, the Klingon Defense Force had increased patrols along its side of the border, but they had never crossed into Federation space.

Some analysts are worried that the Klingons – who have becoming increasingly isolationist since Kalok’s rise to power four years ago – may use the current war between the Federation and the Romulans to expand their influence on fringe Federation sectors.

“They’ve had quite some time to rebuild their fleet,” noted retired Lieutenant Colonel Sam Johnson, formerly SFMC and now an FNN military analyst. “But it’s really hard to predict what they might do. Ever since Kalok rose to power, he has become increasingly erratic. I’m sure Star Fleet is keeping a close eye on the Klingons.”

Star Fleet Admiral Shot During Press Conference

MOLLIE MATTS
Managing Editor
Stardate 20903.04

LUNA – Rear Admiral Derrick Grant, Star Fleet Security Commander for the Sol Sector, was shot in the back with a high-powered sniper rifle as he was leaving a press conference in the Lunaria Auditorium. He was immediately transported away.

Grant, who formerly commanded the Federation starship Gettysburg before being promoted, had been addressing several recent incidents in the Sol System that has residents very fearful. Grant would not comment on the specifics, only to say that his office’s investigation was in the “final phases now.”

For now, Star Fleet is not commenting on Grant’s location or status. The sniper was not apprehended.

UPDATE – A medical officer involved with Grant’s treatment has confirmed that the admiral is still alive. The informant refused to specifically comment on his injuries or location.

A call to Star Fleet Command was not immediately returned.

Opinions

Time Off – Myth or Right?

VERNON IGNOFFO
Opinions Editor
Stardate 20903.01

If there is one thing I notice in the military ships, it is lack of time off. Most jobs, you work a certain number of hours, go home and have the rest of the day off. This isn’t the case with Star Fleet ships. I proposed Star Fleet Officers are overworked, underpaid and used similar to slave labor. One example of this is the inability to question orders. If your commanding officer orders you to crawl around in Jeffries Tubes for 3 days with no rest or sleep, you better jump to it! While I understand the need for people, it seems to me that they need to recruit more officers so the current ones do not burn out. Star Fleet Officers have rights. It is my suggestion that they start up a Star Fleet Officer Union.

Fleet Updates

MOLLIE MATTS
Managing Editor Stardate 20903.04

Below is a list of the current activities of all the PC ships/bases on Fed Space. NOTE: This is out-of-game information. Your character may not be aware of this information in game.

USS Enterprise, CV-07

The negotiations with the Klingons have hit a major snag. The Enterprise was forced to fire on several Klingon vessels that were in league with the Romulans. To make matters worse, the Romulans kidnapped Vice Admiral Thrawn. Will the brave Enterprise crew be able to rescue their captain and avert another interstellar war? You don’t want to miss this action!

USS Dauntless, BC-1553

A routine supply-run turned out to be anything but when the crew of the battlecruiser Dauntless discovered that a Federation science station at Adelphous IV was actually a secret communications array! Then, when a Romulan sabetour repositioned the array, the Klingons arrived and responded to what they considered an act of war. Thankfully, the valiant crew of the Dauntless managed to repel the Klingon attack and regain control of the station. They are now enjoying some well-deserved shoreleave. What adventures lie ahead for Admiral Wueste and the Dauntless crew? Stay tuned to find out…

USS Gettysburg, BC-1863

After another crazy mission from arguably the craziest crew on Fed Space, the crew of the Gettysburg is winding down for some relaxation. Or at least they are trying to… parties, assassination attempts, secret missions? What new mission will the Gettysburg take on this time? And will Admiral Grant ever don a command red uniform again?

USS Ticonderoga, CA-1471

When the Federation’s biggest supporter on the Mirak homeworld, Councilor Longclaw, was assassinated the Ticonderoga crew immediately suspected the Romulans. They would stop at nothing, after all, to prevent the Mirak from forming an alliance with the Federation. But when two Klingon vessels decloaked in orbit of the Mirak homeworld and started firing on the Ticonderoga, things went from weird to weirder. Were the Klingons responsible for Longclaw’s death? Can the Ticonderoga convince the Mirak to join the war before it’s too late?

USS Sheridan, DD-4086

After traveling to Rosox IV to investigate a strange signal coming from the planet, the Sheridan crew is quickly given a lesson in temporal mechanics. They discover the signal is coming from a time-traveler from the future who was stranded on the planet. Things only get stranger when another time traveler appears in a time-ship and attacks the Sheridan. Can the destroyer find someway to outsmart a person with knowledge of the future and superior technology?

Space Station Sierra-18

Things were not looking up for the crew of SS-18, one of Star Fleet’s most remote outposts. Some of the crew was forced to abandon the station and head to Risa after it was captured by the Romulans. Those who remained behind are now prisoners of war. Even a tropical paradise can’t wipe away the pain of losing one’s home. But Captain Valiant’s just received new orders for his crew – they’re all to report to Starbase Bravo immediately. Something BIG is in the works…

USS Drake, CL-2509

The flagship of the 3rd Exploration Group is once again headed for open space, but with the war on, will she actually get any exploring done? Or are those days over as the galaxy seemingly spirals down the path of interstellar conflict? Stay tuned.

USS Copernicus, GEC-9035

The Copernicus is on its way to Troligan Waystation along with the USS Drake. Will its joint mission with the 3EG flagship be a success? Will the two highly trained crews – Copernicus and Darwin – work as one cohesive unit? Make sure to read as the 3rd Exploration group begins a new mission cycle.

20 Questions

RAdm Daniel Wueste

VERNON IGNOFFO
Opinions Editor
Stardate 20903.01

This month we get to learn more about Dan Wueste, currently playing Rear Admiral Daniel Wueste on the USS Dauntless.

Age, Sex, Location?
24, Male, Virginia.

When did you start playing on FedSpace?
October 1st, 2000. That was way before the Academy (or even the Academy's precursor, the USS Educator), so I was promptly assigned to the USS Yoritomo as a Security Officer.

What brought you to FedSpace?
I was involved with a DS9 fan film project that was being created using a combination of Macromedia Flash and the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - "The Fallen" game engine. An offshoot of that project was an associated web forum and one of that forum's regular contributors was a member of Federation Space. He invited me to join and the rest, as they say, is history. Interestingly enough, I don't think the individual who introduced me to Fed Space remained with the site much beyond that.

Tell me a little about the process of developing your character.
I started my character in Security and worked him up through the rank of Lt. Commander before moving into Command. I started the character older than the normal Academy graduate (I worked that into his bio by saying he failed his first Academy entrance exam and worked in the "family business" as a shuttle pilot for a few years before applying again), but, even with that being said, he began on the Yori as someone whose naivety was perhaps eclipsed only by his enthusiasm. I did this intentionally because I thought it important for the character to develop organically over time, for that I needed to begin with a clear and firm foundation (intelligence, direction, etc.) and then allow events in game to shape him beyond that and build upon that foundation. Overall I'm pleased with how that has turned out, it has allowed me some flexibility in developing the character while, at the same time, not beginning with such a blank tablet that those developments would make the character unrecognizable.

What surprises have happened that caused your characters to develop differently then you had envisioned?
A number of things come to mind. Foremost among them was my character's relationship with the late Commander Samantha Aster. It developed early during my time on the Yoritomo and eventually led to the characters getting married (which was, at the time, a Fed Space first). Subsequent to that my character's time undercover in Cardassian Space led to their separation and eventual divorce and then, further compounding it, the character of Aster was killed off. He risked his life to save Aster, they were married, but they never got to experience any period of real prolonged happiness. Much of it was planned, but really most of it just happened and was developed as we posted (or even in some cases, while one or the other of us was on LOA). The above really shaped my character and much of who he is today and very little of it came together as planned or expected (in a good way).

Do you think it is easier or more difficult to play someone based on yourself?
Yes and that is part of why I moved away from doing that. In conjunction with what I said before about trying to start my character as close to zero as possible, I needed someone with which to start his personality with. I tried doing that by making him like me. It's a lot of work to try and keep a character that eventually develops a life of their own true to yourself and true to themselves at the same time. In many regards my character is still like me, but not in any way I actively try to implement.

What makes a good Ship/Station?
It's really very simple, it comes down to good people working together with the common goal of enjoying themselves, writing damn good fiction, and doing all that with no expectations for what is to come. I'm pleased to say the Dauntless crew, to me, epitomizes those values. We all work together just to have a good time. I know I can depend on all of them to come through and I hope they know they can depend on me to do the same. As a part of that having a good First Officer is probably the other most critical component. I'm lucky to have a spectacular FO and I think a great deal of Dauntless' success must be traced back to Mike Taylor and his hard work. All these things together really come down to team work, a good ship has a good team.

What do you see as some goals for the future of your character?
It's funny but when I think about it, nothing much comes to mind. This is not to say I am without goals for my character, but they're really rather general (e.g. just doing the best job he can with the jobs he has). My character has been married and I think he has reached the pinnacle of his career in terms of what I could imagine for him. Does that mean there's nothing new to come or no new opportunities down the road for my character? Of course not, but right now it seems less a matter of setting goals and more of just sitting back and letting things develop and fall where they may.

If you could choose, what Trek species would you be?
I'm not sure, I picked to play a human for much the same reason. They're all interesting in one way or another, but I'm not sure if there's any one species I'd rather be than what I am (I suppose it could be fun being a Q for a little while though).

So far, what is your favorite part about being a member of FedSpace?
The people, it's all about the people. It's what keeps bringing me back for more. Many have come and gone, but there are always plenty of just really good genuine individuals on this site and it is a pleasure for me to share some of my leisure time with them.

If you were President for a day, what would you change?
You know Jon and I have this unfortunate tendency of agreeing on most things, so it's hard to think of something I'd change, because really I've enjoyed all the directions Jon has already taken things. I suppose, if I have to pick something, I'd probably increase the focus on area's like Bajor and the Cardassian Union that haven't been heavily explored on site so far.

If you could name your own ship, what would you name it?
I already got the chance to pick my own ship and name her. I chose the USS Gettysburg. The reasoning behind that choice was really rather straightforward, I love history, I'm something of a Civil War buff, Gettysburg is among my favorite places to visit and I thought this site could use a ship named Gettysburg.

What was it about Star Trek that made you like it?
It's an optimistic vision of things to come with a good dose of drama and action, what's not to like?

Who is your favorite character?
Benjamin Sisko is probably my favorite character overall, though I really have to give a nod to the entire DS9 and TOS casts. I think those casts, and Sisko in particular, really epitomize people; good, hard working people that aren't perfect, but do their best to get the job done.

What piece of Star Trek technology would you most like to see today?
Well it could have something to do with the commute I have to do everyday, but I think having a Transporter around would really make all of our lives better (or, at least, easier).

What do you spend your time outside of FedSpace doing?
Well, work takes up a lot of my time. TV probably eats up a lot more time than it should (I watch a number of programs including Lost, Battlestar Galactica (the new one), Family Guy, The Office). I do play video games as well, though I don't have a lot of time for it (I'm still working my way through Metal Gear Solid 4). I keep pretty busy with friends and family too, so the real question is how do I have time for anything?

What person would you most like to meet in real life?
I've always thought it would be fun to meet Jon (President Beckett) in real life sometime. He and I have corresponded enough over the years in relation to Fed Space that it would be fun to put a face to it all.

What character would you most like to meet in real life?
I'd love to meet Rear Admiral Joe Daher, he and my character have been through quite a bit on site and I think it would be interesting to have a discussion with him.

Who was the most influential person in your life?
A lot of people have influenced my life, I suppose when you get down to it, a lot of who I am has been influenced by my father. He has always been a strong source of support.

If there was something you would want everyone to know about you, what would that be?
I'd just like to let everyone know how deeply honored and privileged I feel to play in this game along with so many dedicated and hard work individuals. This site has meant a lot to me over the years and I sincerely hope my continued involvement has only helped to make things better (I do my best to only make things worse from time to time).

Thanks to Dan for granting us the time for this interview. If you are interested in being interviewed, please send an email to Vernon Ignoffo at the.cute.birl@gmail.com.

LCdr Zor Kayzon

MOLLIE MATTS
Managing Editor Stardate 20903.04

Today, we’ll be talking with Jeff who plays LCdr Zor Kayzon of the Dauntless.

Age, Sex, Location?
Male, 37, St. Louis, MO, USA

When did you start playing on FedSpace?
Feb, 2007

What brought you to FedSpace?
A search on Google for RPG games. Once I found the site and started reading some of the posts on the various ships, I was hooked and had to join.

Tell me a little about the process of developing your character.
I take a snapshot of a character in my mind and run with it. There really is no planning involved. Since life is usually not planned, then my character shouldn’t be either.

What surprises have happened that caused your characters to develop differently then you had envisioned?
I had envisioned my main character, Zor Kayzon, as a tough security type. When I got a science assignment, it was a big change. I had to reinvent him in some ways. He couldn’t be Dirty Harry with a test tube. And now that he has moved to Engineering, I have found him taking yet another direction.

Do you think it is easier or more difficult to play someone who is based on yourself like your first character, or has a different gender like your current character?
I don’t have any female PCs or NPCs

Do you feel there is any disconnect between you and other players based on geographical location?
No. Between email and IM, I have gotten to know quite a few people.

What would you most like to do on the site?
I am doing everything I want to do right now on the site. Between my PC and NPCs, I am in a good spot right now. Maybe in a few years I will want to run a ship. But I want to enjoy where I am right now.

If you could choose, what Trek species would you be?
A human. Humans have all of the flaws and strengths that you find in the other species. They are a good blend.

So far, what is your favorite part about being a member of FedSpace?
The people. I enjoy playing the game because of the people that play along with me.

If you were President for a day, what would you change?
Nothing. It is a great site.

If you could name your own ship, what would you name it?
The USS Liberty.

What was it about Star Trek that made you like it?
I like the stories, premise, characters and just the whole scifi aspect in general.

Who is your favorite character?
Montgomery Scott

What piece of Star Trek Technology would you most like to see today?
Starships. I would love to see space.

What do you spend your time outside of FedSpace doing?
Working too much.

What person would you most like to meet in real life?
Thomas Jefferson.

What character would you most like to meet in real life?
Commander Data

If you could have any super power what would it be?
I would like to be able to fly.

If there was something you would want everyone to know about you, what would that be?
I have no idea. Maybe that I like the color blue.

Reviews

Star Trek Mosaic

Author: Jeri Taylor
Pages: 312
Series: VOY
Reviewer: Rachel Christie
Rating: 4/5

Description:
Mosaic tells the life story of Captain Janeway, a compelling tale of personal bravery, personal loyalty, tragedy and triumph. As told by Jeri Taylor, co-creator and executive producer of Star Trek: Voyager, this is an in-depth look into the mind and soul of Star Trek’s newest captain.

Deep in the unexplored reaches of the Delta Quadrant, a surprise attack by a fierce Kazon sect leave Captain Janeway fighting a desperate battle on two fronts: while she duels the Kazon warship in the gaseous mists of a murky nebula, an away team led by Lt. Tuvok is trapped on the surface of a wilderness planet – and stalked by superior Kazon ground forces. Forced to choose between the lives of the away team and the safety of her ship, Captain Janeway reviews the most important moments of her life, and the pivotal choices that made her the woman she is today.

From her childhood to her time at Star Fleet Academy, from her first love to her first command, she must once again face the challenges and conflicts that have brought her to the point where she must now risk everything to put one more piece in the mosaic that is Kathryn Janeway.

Review:
Well, to start with the book itself is far better than the description makes it out to be. At first this book was a bit slow. I had trouble getting into it, finding the way it jumps between the past and present really distracting.

About a quarter of the way it started to get quite good. Much the same we develop our FedSpace characters, a lot more of the background behind the Janeway character starts to emerge. During the series we see current experiences that shape characters, but its not too frequent that we get to see what shaped characters before a series – perhaps a mention or two of it in an episode. But the author manages to weave all these little pieces together to form one unified story.

One thing that I found a bit gimmicky is the way that series characters are worked into Janeway’s history. While the occurrence of Tom Paris makes sense considering the establishment during the series that Janeway had served with Admiral Paris on the Al-Batani, the addition of Data to part of her history is cheesy at best.

Despite that, once I got past the slow beginning I could hardly put the book down.

Quote

A Taste of Armageddon "Diplomats! The best diplomat I know is a fully activated phaser bank!"

• Scotty

From TOS, Season 1 Episode 23, A Taste of Armageddon

Trek Trivia

This Month

Question 10: Name this species.

1. What was James Kirk’s nickname for Leonard McCoy?
2. On what world were Worf’s biological parents killed?
3. The sentient life form inside Jadzia Dax is commonly known as:

• A) Parasite
• B) Symbiont
• C) Vermicel
• D) Slug

4. What is Harry Kim’s job aboard Voyager?
5. In The Motion Picture, which new Enterprise station was manned by Pavel Chekov?
6. Who did Gul Dukat blame for the death of his father?
7. In lieu of spacecraft landings, what do Star Fleet officers use to visit a planet after their ship enters orbit?
8. What board game did Spock often play aboard the Enterprise in TOS?
9. What is Malcolm Reed’s sister’s name?
10. Name the species pictures to the right.

Last Month's Answers

Question 9: Draconian

1. True or False: Spock served aboard the Enterprise longer than Kirk, McCoy, or Scotty.

• True, he served under its previous captain, Christopher Pike, for more than 11 years.

2. Name the colony where Data was created.

• Omicron Theta

3. Who was Quark’s most steady customer?

• Morn

4. Who was Harry Kim engaged to before Voyager was lost?

• Libby

5. In The Voyage Home, who was assigned to convert the cargo hold of a bird-of-prey into a whale tank?

• Scotty

6. True or False: Rom almost murdered Quark once.

• True, it happened in the episode “The Nagus”

7. An M-Class planet is one with:

• A) An oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere
• B) No oxygen in its atmosphere
• C) Predominantly nitrogen atmosphere
• D) No atmosphere

8. Who is Kirk’s son?

• David Marcus

9. Name the species pictured on the right.

• Draconian

10. Who says: “You will be absorbed. Your individuality will merge into the unity of good. And in your submergence into the common being of the Body, you will find contentment, fulfillment. You will experience the absolute good.”

• Landru

Last Month's Winners

1. Laura Macloed
2. Tara ch'Thane

All Around Champs

Rank	Player	Score
1.	Laura Macleod	17
2.	Rachel Christie	10
3.	Tara ch’Thane	8
4.	Joseph Daher	6

Joke of the Month

Reasons why Janeway is Better!

VERNON IGNOFFO
Opinions Editor
Stardate 20903.01

• One word: hair
• Drinks coffee, not that sissy "Earl Grey" stuff.
• Beams down to the planet like real Captains should.
• Mutes the doctor when the doctor gets annoying.
• Keeps her First Officer properly in the dark.
• Will give you two days off to ponder your lifeshattering experience.
• When Janeway lands her ship, it can take off again.
• Janeway says "I don't like you!" to her enemies instead of trying to convince them to behave better.
• Janeway has a First Officer with a tattoo.
• Picard likes to talk his way through. Janeway likes to punch her way through.
• She doesn't have any pesky Federation Admirals to get in her way.
• Compression Phaser Rifles.
• Acknowledges freely when she breaks the Prime Directive instead of trying to weasel her way out of it with philosophical ramblings.
• She doesn't need to straighten her uniform every time she stands.
• Janeway heard the words "boldly go where no man (er, woman) has gone before" and took them to the extreme.
• Picard tells alien cultures, "I hope our two cultures will one day come to a greater understanding." Janeway threatens them with "the deadliest of force."
• Janeway's holo-characters fall in love with her. Picard's holo-characters want to kill him.
• Janeway's Security Chief would never grow a ponytail.
• Janeway doesn't have to point which way to go when they set off.
• Doesn't need her first officer's permission to blow up her ship.
• Hugs her Vulcan from time to time.
• Her CONN officer actually went through the Academy and can use contractions.
• Her first officer has a hallucinogenic device.
• Hostile aliens surrounding her, half the crew are spies, the nearest help is 75 years away, and she's still kept the ship together.
• Q asked Janeway to run away with him and she refused. Q asked Picard's girlfriend to run away with him and she accepted.

Astro Picture of the Month

Orion Nebula: The Hubble View
Credit: NASA, ESA, M. Robberto (STScI/ESA) et al.

Astronomy

Help Name Part of the ISS

RACHEL CHRISTIE
Editor-in-Chief
Stardate 20903.03

Have you ever wanted to have a say in the future of space exploration? NASA is giving people the chance to have a say in the naming of the next node (Node 3) of the International Space Station. Until March 20th, people are able to vote on the Node 3’s name. Anyone is eligible to vote for the new name, and as of March 3rd almost 100,000 people have voted for the name of the new section. The only restrictions are that the name must be one that reflects the “spirit of exploration and cooperation embodied by the space station”, as well as one that follows the naming tradition set by the previous nodes Unity and Harmony.

Node 3 will give astronauts a panoramic view of Earth, in addition to being a control room for the ISS’ robotic arm, and housing environmental and life supports systems, which will be transferred from the Unity node.

If you’d like the chance to have your say, vote now.

Largest Gamma Ray Burst Detected

RACHEL CHRISTIE
Editor-in-Chief
Stardate 20903.03

Back in September, NASA’s Fermi telescope captured images of the largest gamma ray burst to date. The burst took place approximately 12.2 billion light years away, visible in the Carina constellation found in the southern sky. Scientists determined that the gamma-ray burst was stronger than 9000 supernovae, the gas jets that initially emitted the gamma rays travelled nearly the speed of light, and produced energies ranging from 3000 to more than five billions times that of visible light.

The Fermi telescope and the Swift satellite, also a NASA installation, typically detect approximately 100 gamma-ray bursts a year. Scientists are hoping that the observation of these bursts will help unravel more mysteries of space.

Read more.

This Month

First Liquid Fueled Rocket Launched

RACHEL CHRISTIE
Editor-in-Chief
Stardate 20903.03

On March 16th, 1926, the first liquid fueled rocket was launched in Auburn, Massachusetts. Rocket scientist Robert Goddard build the 4 foot high rocket, and launched it from his Aunt Effie’s farm. The rocket, nicknamed “Nell”, reached an altitude of 41 feet and had a speed of about 60 miles per hour. The flight lasted only 2.5 seconds, with the rocket landing in a nearby cabbage field. This important launch helped pave the way for the US Rocket Program by proving that liquid propellants were possible. The site of the launch is now a historic landmark, the Goddard Rocket Launching Site.