STSF Seiben

Looks like a pretty awesome ship! :P The Memory Alpha link is broken though. :) Sovereign Class

Happy New Years! Hope your 2011 is better than your 2010.

You bet, eh! :D

Whoo! Can't wait to see our new ride! :D

Happy Birthday A9 :D

You could send a PM to Atragon 9 and he can change your username for you

It's a shame hearing about Leslie Neilsen's passing. :D I remember him from Airplane and the Naken Gun movies. He was a funny man and a great Canadian.

“Change of Venues” 11011.21 For such a small ship, his guest quarters were relatively large. When notice came that Seiben’s trial would be reconvened back at Starbase 14, the only ship available to take him there was a small science vessel which was going there anyway to pick up additional supplies before moving onto its mission of cataloguing gaseous anomalies in a nearby sector of space. The journey back wasn’t as quick as his journey to Earth. Unlike his ship, the USS Challenger, or the USS Kentucky that brought him to Earth in the first place, the Oberth Class USS Copernicus (NCC-623) wasn’t designed for speed with a max speed of about warp 8 (TOS Scale) or so. But as the Copernicus was nearing 30 years of service at the time, her crew usually didn’t push past warp 6. The hardy little Oberth classes were the unsung workhorses of the ‘Fleet. They could be made in a matter of weeks (as opposed to several months with larger starships) with little resources in mass-assembly plants almost anywhere were mainly relegated to scientific or exploration duties as bigger ships, such as the Miranda, Constellation and Excelsior took on the missions were brute strength, speed and diplomacy were required. Of course, ‘relatively large’ was a vague term. Seiben’s quarters were relatively large for the ship, but were probably around the size of a junior officer’s quarters on the Challenger. Even the captain’s quarters on Copernicus would be dwarfed by a Lieutenant’s quarters back on Challenger. Seiben didn’t let this bother him though. For the first few days, he kept mostly to himself. But the tediousness of the long slow journey eventually made Seiben venture out of his quarters and explore some of the ship. On the USS Kentucky, Seiben was close friends with its Commanding Officer, Captain Johannes. But he wasn’t familiar with the command staff of the Copernicus. Her captain was a tall Vulcan named Sivok. He proved to be aloof at first, as was the case with most Vulcans Seiben had encountered, but after awhile, the two started to form a friendship. As luck would have it, Captain Sivok briefly served with Seiben’s brother Hans on the USS Hood as an Assistant Engineering Officer. “Your brother struck me as rather a peculiar man” Sivok said one time over tea in Copernicus’ small mess hall. “But then, all of the Hood crew struck me as peculiar” Seiben sipped his tea and nodded in agreement. “Like your brother, I didn’t stay in engineering long and transferred to science on my next assignment” replied Sivok. Sivok offered a tour of the ship. It didn’t take long for the two captains to complete their tour. They met with Copernicus’ crew of 82 and exchanged stories of past missions on their respective ships. Over the course of thirty years, The Copernicus made initial contact with dozens of species. Like most Oberth classes though, Copernicus had very limited diplomatic capabilities and thus rarely made actual first contact with any of those worlds. They would make the initial contact of newly discovered species making technical and social assessments and determined if they were eligible for consideration into the Federation. A larger starship would then arrive and initiate actual first contact. Of the alien species that Copernicus discovered and made initial contact with over her 25 years of service, 8 later joined the Federation as full members and 22 are currently up for consideration. 3 were made provisional members, including the Arcadians – a semi-aquatic alien species with dolphin-like heads. It seemed to the perfect gig for Sivok. He was as Vulcan as it got, by the book with logic dictating the next course in action. The scientific exploratory missions were just fine with the stoic and calm Vulcan who did not care for much action. He had a few opportunities for command in bigger ships, but he seemed content in staying behind the scenes with Copernicus. A few days later, the Copernicus was finally nearing her destination. Seiben’s court trial would resume in two days. The ship broke out of warp when it was within sensor range of Starbase 14. The massive mushroom shaped space station soon came into view. Sivok invited Seiben up to the bridge when they broke from warp. Seiben stood on the bridge beside the captain’s chair occupied by the Vulcan. “Ms. Witherspoon, initiate contact with SB 14 and request docking clearance” Sivok ordered, swiveling his chair slightly to the young, blonde communications officer behind him. “Yes, sir” she said simply as she placed her earpiece in place and opened a channel with the space station. A few seconds later, clearance was granted. “Welcome Copernicus. We’ve been expecting you. Sit back and enjoy the ride” was the reply of the Station Operations Officer. A tractor beam locked onto the Copernicus and began to reel her into the station. Through the viewscreen, there was the usually flurry of activities with shuttle pods and work bees zipping back and forth. There were a few ships of different classes moored at the rear in various stages of construction. Bathed in spotlights, Seiben could see the Challenger, now looking as good as new. Her smart white paint glistened under the lights. It was a drastic change from the last time he saw Challenger, a complete mess with gaping holes and cracks visible in the hull. There was no evidence Challenger ever sustained any of its damage those weeks prior. Seiben smiled when he saw the ship, but was still concerned with his crew who were still on the Columbia. The Copernicus slid into an empty dock beside the Challenger. Seiben could see the immense difference in size of the two vessels – the Copernicus was completely dwarfed by the much larger Excelsior class. With a soft thud, the Copernicus docked into place. Umbilicals and gangways extended into place, connecting the ship with the rest of the station. Sivok got up from his seat and informed Witherspoon to announce free liberty for the crew for the few days the ship would remain on the station picking up her supplies. Before he could say anything else, Sivok was interrupted by a communication from SB14’s Commanding Officer. Seiben was to be escorted to the station where he was to meet with the Starfleet JAG team. Sivok acknowledged and said he would escort Seiben himself. Seiben followed Sivok into the turbolift for the short ride to the airlock. “I guess this is it, Captain, thank you for the ride and the company, Captain Sivok” Sivok nodded and steepled his hands together. “Indeed Captain. I am hopeful the outcome of your impending trial is favourable. Live long and prosper” Sivok responded with his hand extended up in a Vulcan salute which Seiben returned. At the airlock, they were met by two of SB14’s Security staff. Sivok signed off and returned to the ship without a word. Seiben reflected back on his time on the Copernicus. Like Sivok, Seiben was of course hopeful of a favourable outcome as well. After being processed by Security, Seiben would once again meet with his defense team and assess a strategy plan for the new round of trials. His defense team was able to secure some key witnesses and with his crew due to return within the next day, he felt that his chances were finally looking upwards. But he wasn’t sure with Starfleet Command. To most, Seiben had violated a major unwritten rule. He could feel that they were just itching to make an example out of him. To be continued…

The USS Challenger will run as scheduled on 28 November, 2010. We will run our plot as usual if there is enough people on hand, or run an off-sim or character development sim if not. Happy Thanksgiving, Americans!

Biography has been updated with more recent information and awards given.

Time Marches On 11011.17 Starfleet HQ – San Francisco A weary Seiben listened on as the prosecuting attorney pitched his case to the tribunal. Dozens of members of the various Federation worlds listened on intently. It was hard to tell at this point what they were thinking. It was time like these that Seiben almost wished he were a Vulcan or some sort of other telepath. The trial had been ongoing for a few weeks now and it seemed as if all the energy had been sucked right out of him like a vacuum in that time. Both sides fought hard, valiantly pitching their sides and views to the judge and the tribunal. Judge S'Ress, the bright orange Caitian officiating the trial stroked her orange chin again in contemplation. At this point, the trial was a stalemate. Prime Directive Law, as she knew, was very vague on matters such as these. S'Ress certainly did not want to make the wrong judgement, especially since she was up for re-election next year. Having 15 years of experience as a Judge under her belt, she was in the prime of her legal career and didn't want anything to tarnish her upstanding reputation. S'Ress was known for taking her time in deciding big cases, but more often than not, her judgements were just and fair, which won her the respect of the legal community as well as the general public as a whole. Folding her large furry paws into her arm, she listened half-intently as the persecuting attorney, a large balding man, by the name of Robert Flack pointing at a view screen of Federation laws with a large pointy stick. He blathered on incessantly about Federation laws and Starfleet Procedures, but did not produce enough evidence to prove Seiben's guilt or innocence. The trial was going nowhere, and everyone with half a brain seemed to know this. Eventually tiring of the incessant babbling, S'Ress called an end to the day's deliberations and adjourned the trial for the day, where she would slink off and drink whatever kind of booze she had stocked in her office until she forgot what it was she was drinking to forget. Back in the courtroom, Captain Seiben and his court appointed attorney Mr. Locke were gathering their belongings. Seiben let out a stifled yawn as he reached behind his chair to pick up his coat. “I know” said Mr. Locke knowingly, “it's been a long day for all of us”. Putting his coat back on and straightening his uniform, the Captain shrugged. “Why don't you go home and get some rest” * * * Though he was tired, Seiben could not get any sleep. For the duration of the trial, Seiben was placed in a hotel with armed guards restricting access of who can get in and out. Two guards were stationed outside his room to prevent any late night sneak outs. He started to miss home. They could have at least let him stay at one his residences nearby. He missed his house, his friends and his new wife Julia. Though they had only been married a short while and hardly knew each other much longer before that, he still felt that the two of them were starting to click a little bit. She seemed impressed with the family's 19th century castle in Switzerland, overlooking Lake Geneva. After an hour or two, Seiben gave up and went to his terminal to see what he could find about his crew's mission. From what he heard last, the Challenger crew on the USS Columbia were about to explore a potential base of operations of Orion Pirates in a cold, desolate ice planet; hardly a place for Orions to set up camp. The information that trickled back was sparse, but it seemed that they had indeed found the pirate base, abandoned rather quickly judging by all the loot they had left behind. The Columbia was now due to return to Starbase 14. The Challenger by now should be nearing completion of its repair/refit cycle by the station workers. Of course Seiben had been in contact with Commander Ba'alyo who stayed behind to monitor the operation in his absence and was kept informed of the repair progress. It was nice to see that his ship was back in one piece again, as good as or better than new. It was just too bad, he was stuck here and probably won't get to go with it. Eventually, fatigue mixed with sleeping medications kicked it which brought Seiben mercifully to sleep. *** Restless from a dreamless sleep, his desktop console beeped into life, jarring him awake. Seiben looked at the chronometer. 0630. He had only been asleep a little less than four hours. Still groggy from his sleep medication, Seiben slumped over to the console and turned it on. “Yes?” The face of his attorney, Mr. Locke appeared on the other end. “Hey Rolf. Sorry to wake you, but our request has just gone through. Judge S'Ress has granted a change of venue of the trial. It'll be held back at Starbase 14” said Locke. Despite his state, Seiben smiled. Looks like he may get a change to see Challenger and his crew afterall. “We've manage to get some more witnesses for the trial and now that the Columbia is returning from its mission, it may give your crew opportunity to provide testimony on your behalf” Seiben nodded and smiled. “That's great to hear. Could be just the break we need” he said, certainly not wanting to visit the Federation Prison Colony in New Zealand anytime soon. “The court is adjourned until next week, so get back to sleep and get some rest. You look like a hobo” with that, the screen went blank. Seiben chuckled and smiled. For the first time in a while, it looked like he had something to smile about.

We have a winner! :(

Well said. It is Remeberance Day here in Canada and the British Commonwealth as well.

Nice! An Enterprise duel is pretty epic. My Enterprise manual came in the mail. As I expected, it doesn't contain any new information from the Enterprise of the new Star Trek movie, or any other non-Enterprise ship for that matter. (Voyager, Reliant, DS9, etc). Still, I could have definitely have used it back in Challenger's original format, (and may prove useful with the Enterprise B section) and is worth the $25 I paid for it. :(

Happy Birthday, chaps! :(

But it could in Canada! :( Seriously though, Congrats Republic! I love every minute on that ship, and am looking forward to the big 20th Anniversary party next year!

And that's a bad thing? Lol, we'll see when it arrives at my doorstep in a few days time. (Yes, I bought it. Why wouldn't I? :P ) Seriously though, it does look pretty good. There's the info for it, and it only costed $25 CAN. :)

Beechcraft's new Submersible airplane division didn't go as well as they'd hoped.

There's a Haynes Manual out for the USS Enterprise! Now I'll know what to do the next time the dilithium crystal chamber breaks. :P

Just a general reminder: Due to Halloween and some members in the West Coast trick-or-treating and/or attending Halloween Parties, attendance for the USS Challenger sim will not be counted. Since most members stated they will be present, we will continue our plot as usual. If we get a significantly lower number of attendees, we will do either a character development sim, or an off-sim game. We would like to wish all members a happy and safe Halloween! Don't eat too much candies at once. - Captain Seiben

... If you can even call Bud Light beer :P

STARFLEET HEADQUARTERS: SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA -- 1530 hrs Captain Rolf Seiben sat at the witness box. "I don't think what I did violates the Prime Directive, and how I conduct my personal life has no merit in judging my conduct as an officer" he said. After several grilling questions, he was feeling tired and a bit agitated by some of the questions the prosecuting counsel fired at him. "On the contrary, Captain" blurted out the persecuting lawyer, a rotund balding man with a bad combover. "Captain Seiben's decision to marry a member of a non-Federation world -- especially a high ranking one, is the very definition of a gross violation of the Prime Directive; one that could hold negative connotations of the relationship between the UFP and Magna Romanus" The balding lawyer with the bad combover paced the courtroom. "Your honour, Captain Seiben should have known better. The Prime Directive is a little vague on situations like these because situations like these don't normally happen! And how you conduct yourself in personal matters has just as much merit as when conducted on-duty, especially regarding matters like these. Not even Captain Kirk married any of his alien lovers! Because it violates Starfleet and Federation laws" The Caitian judge stroked her bright orange chin in contemplation as the balding lawyer with the bad combover rattled on quoting several Federation laws and Prime Directive statutes. Captain Seiben slunk in his seat at the lawyer babbled on. It didn't look good as Seiben thought to himself. The trial has been going on for several days now and no one could yet tell the outcome of the trial. Both prosecuting and defence counsels had pitched compelling evidence and testimonies to sway the verdict in their favour. Out of the window, Seiben caught a glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge over the Pacific. He gazed up at the sky and wished he could have been with his crew. From what he understood, the Challenger crew were serving on the Columbia with his friend Captain Saylek investigating a planet near Orion space and that an away team comprising of some of the Challenger crew was commanded by a Rigellian Chellon named Ja'Lale. Seiben didn't know this individual personally, or even seen a Rigellian Chellon now that he thought of it, and wished they were in good hands. The night before, Seiben sent a message wishing them luck. He hoped to see them again when the Challenger was fully repaired, but at this point in the trial, he wasn't sure if he could follow through with that wish. He questioned the timing of that assignment with prevented the crew offering testimony in his trial. "Captain, I must ask you: What is your reasoning in marrying Julia Quintis? Surely, you would know what kind of repercussions such an action would be?" asked the balding lawyer with the bad combover. Seiben sighed. "Well, when two people are in love they decide to get married. Plus, symbollically marrying the Roman Counsel's sister greatly improved relations between the two worlds and symbolizes the union we share" The balding lawyer with the bad combover cocked his head at Seiben. "Seiben, don't patronize me" replied the balding lawyer. "But, you say you fell in love with Ms. Quintus when you only met her for the first time shortly before you married. How does one fall in love with someone sight unseen?" "Objection, your honour!" cried out Locke. "Captain Seiben's personal love life should not be considered anyone's business" The Caitian judge nodded at Locke. The balding lawyer shrugged. "Hmm, perhaps it is too personal, but it is food for thought. The state rests." Seiben left the witness box after that and sat back down at the defendant's table next to Locke. He rubbed his head and took a drink of water. The trial looked like a stale mate and buckled down for another long day. To be Continued....

Heh. Not really, though I guess they might in Quebec. We had the traditional turkey, stuffing, gravy, roast beef, mashed potatoes, etc that you all know and love.. we even had apple pie for dessert. We're more American than you think, lol!

Hope my fellow Canucks had a good Thanksgiving. I did. Happy Thanksgiving and may your turkey dinner never be dry. :P