Cdr Zareh

Mission Brief: Hood's command staff and several other crewman have been captured by Orion Slavers. Oh my!

012709.txt

January 27, 2009

 

Aboard the slave ship, Huff awakens to find Root gone and T'Mir recovering from being maltreated, ditto Ensign .t, who T'Mir treats for a minor wound from being shot by the burly guards. Little do they know that they've already been transported to the surface of Starbucka. Meanwhile, back on the Hood, Commander Zareh begins formulating his rescue mission and gets clearance from the Barista, leader of Starbucka, to effect a rescue mission. Medical works on a 'bomb' and Doctor Llewellyn is mistaken by engineer Karl for a possible pirate when the former went to engineering to find timers. Zareh has instructed security to beef up patrols so that non-security personnel aren't so jumpy and asked science to help medical finish the bomb.

January 20, 2009

 

Hood was taken off guard by Orion pirates. The Pirates were able to disable our shields and capture several members of the command staff, security and medical before warping out of the system. Zareh was left in command and began setting in motions plans to mount a rescue mission. Science felt that there was only one system within range that they could drop off the crew at a slave market, so we're headed there at warp.

MISSION BRIEF: The Orion's have locked a transporters on certain bridge personnel. We pick up there.

012008.txt

Mission Brief: Hood heads towards Orion space.

011309.txt

Sim Guidelines and Policy Packet

Current: June 7, 2010

Version 1.01

 

 

Welcome to the world of advanced simming! You may have demonstrated to the Academy staff that you can sim at or beyond the basic level, but there are some things you need to know to continue at the advanced level. You probably know the core differences already (you create a character, the missions continue from week to week with the same crew, etc), but there are some things you may not know. The following are five items of which you'll need to be aware. These items apply specifically to the Hood sim; other advanced sims may follow different guidelines. These guidelines supplement the STSF rules, so make sure you are familiar with those as well.

 

The Hood is STSF's Original Series sim. Set in the 23rd century during the time of The Original Series five-year mission, we explore strange new worlds of the uncharted frontier in a beautiful Constitution Class starship that boasts the title of Sister Flagship of the Fleet.

 

In this classic pioneering era, our diverse crew of Federation races works side by side to confront what the Universe throws at us. Like the velour of our uniforms, we are strong, complex, and resistant to fading. Join us in a time when the colors are bold, the objectives are clear, and the crew lives with passion.

 

 

Attendance

 

You weren't required to attend every Academy of a certain timeslot; you could attend whichever ones you liked as frequently as you liked. On Hood, this is not the case. You now have a crew that you're going to be working with on a permanent basis. They're going to be relying on your presence every week, and if you fail to attend without notice you may end up disrupting their plans.

 

Real life happens. No one can be expected to attend 52 sims a year. All your fellow crewmates ask is that you send an e-mail out if you know you aren't going to be able to attend an upcoming sim. This way, any plans that involve you and your character can be postponed or changed. If you are, for whatever reason, incapable of sending out advance notice, don't sweat it; send an e-mail afterwards explaining your absence so we know that you didn't simply miss the sim because of lack of interest. Absences should not be frequent. If you find that you're missing many sims because of real-life distractions, you may want to question whether you are able to commit to the sim; even with plenty of advance notice, inconsistency on a player's part can be detrimental to the game. If you're not interested enough in the game to attend, either start attending to allow it to grow on you (it eventually will) or leave--a player with no desire to sim is simply taking up roster space.

 

If you have to take some time away from the sim, you can request a Leave of Absence. Generally, a LOA should not last longer than three months. Beyond that time, the command team reserves the right to relinquish your position to another play, reduce your rank, or remove you from the roster entirely. Note that attending, for example, only three sims over a three month period could be treated as a three month LOA. If you miss four sims in a row, you are automatically placed on LOA or removed from the simulation.

 

ALL ATTENDANCE matters shall be the purview of the First Officer. The XO is the assistant simulation host and is to be accorded all due privileges.

 

As such, the following measures are included in this policy. Please be aware of them.

 

--A player absent for 3 consecutive weeks without notification to the Commanding or Executive Officer will receive a 1-week warning.

--If notification is not made, that player shall be placed on leave of absence after the 4th week and that member's data will be forwarded to the host string to notify future hosts.

--After an additional two week period, if the host team has not been contacted by the player, a second e-mail will be sent by either the Commanding or Executive officer, if no reply is received within five days, the player will be removed from the roster and any future assignments to the Hood simulation will require approval from the Command team.

--Vacations, emergency leaves are always available. Please notify the Commanding and the Executive Officer as soon as possible as a courtesy to the crew and for the continuation of a smooth story line.

 

Rank and Promotions

 

All STSF Academy graduates shall assume their positions at the rank of Ensign; higher rank may be given to experienced players who are receiving an additional posting at the discretion of the command team. Promotions to the next available rank will be assigned as the Commanding and Executive Officers warrant. Sim attendance, involvement, and logs are all points considered when deciding promotion.

 

The rank structure allows us to maintain a clear chain of command. Players who demonstrate a solid command of the Problem Solving guidelines below make more effective senior officers, while junior officers are expected to input more of the ideas that the senior officers work with. In addition to this, solid attendance, consistent log writing, and good sim etiquette are all considered before a player is promoted.

 

ALL PERSONNEL matters shall be forwarded to the ship's XO for resolution (CC all ship's business to the CO), pending the Commanding Officer's final approval. This includes division and ship-to-ship transfers. A roster shall be posted to all crew members and the director of STSF personnel and periodically updated.

 

Exceptions: On accepted transfer, and with the Commanding Officer's consent, a new member may be allowed to retain his/her former rank. The same may be accorded to any veteran STSF officer depending on the circumstance. Simply because a member creates a screen name with a specific rank DOES NOT imply that this rank shall be accepted on assignment to a simulation.

 

On many ships there is often a member who serves in a different rank or capacity on a different ship/sim. That rank is NOT carried over to the Hood except when specified as above. Therefore, the Captain on another sim may not necessarily be allowed that rank or those privileges on a second simulation. On Hood we are fortunate to have several seasoned veterans who participate in other capacities because they enjoy this venue of entertainment

 

Logs

 

It's easy to assume that any given Advanced sim, just like any given Academy, is a 1 hour per week activity. This is not the case. The advanced sims introduce logs, and both writing logs and reading logs written by others could make a sim a 5 hour per week activity. You should allot enough of your free time every week to read your crewmates' logs and write one or two of your own. You could just ignore the log-writing aspect of the sim altogether, but this would hurt your ability to both understand and enjoy the sims. Why are logs so important? There are a number of reasons.

 

The most basic log is the duty log. Despite its simplicity, it's also the most important type. The shortest duty log (a single paragraph) can be nothing more than a summary of the last sim from your character's point of view. A more complex log could include analysis of events that occurred, speculation as to why they occurred, suggestions as to how the crew could react to them, and plans for the next sim. Such a log accomplishes quite a bit. By reading it, your crewmates can enjoy an extensive recap of everything that happened during the last sim, especially events that they weren't paying direct attention to. In a busy sim, there can be over five separate events occurring around the ship and possibly off of it, all at the same time, from the integral events that drive the mission to the subplots that occupy the departments; even an experienced player can have difficulty keeping track of all those plot threads. Without duty logs, the only recap available is the recording of the chat session, but reading this is boring and still requires separation of the plot threads, though many players find reading the chatlog (which is posted weekly) helpful. A duty log also sets the stage for the next sim. By recapping a previous sim and indicating what your plans are for the next sim, you won't be lost when the sim starts. Additionally, your crewmates will be aware what you plan to do and make their own plans accordingly. Keep your eyes open for the mission briefing, usually written by the CO; while other logs may set the stage for various plot threads, the briefing sets the stage for the central plot thread.

 

You were encouraged to make a "stock" character in the Academy--less personality, more attention to duty. In the Advanced sim, where you're simming with the same group every week, creating and developing a unique character and his/her relationships makes for a much more vibrant game. To start, you should write a character bio. Your bio can be as simple as a short list of attributes (name, age, gender, etc) or it can include more detailed background information--childhood history, education, personality, medical records, or anything else you can think of. It doesn't need to be this detailed at first since your bio can be updated as you sim. Whichever your preference, your character can be developed further in the sims and through use of personal logs.

 

You are asked to create a biography within a month of being posted to the simulation. All Biographies should be sent to the CO and the XO for approval before being posted into the Bio's folder on the Hood boards. The host team reserves the right to modify all biographies to fit the simulation regulations, and will be subject to the "magic bullet" rule. Also, species availability is limited to those whom Starfleet would have encountered in the era. For example, you cannot be a Bajoran because that planet and species have not been discovered yet, likewise you cannot be a Klingon because the Federation and Klingon Empire remain on tenuous terms.

 

Personal logs usually have very little to do with the mission, instead focusing on your character. You can define your character's feelings for another player's character, detail an important lesson your character recently learned, recount moments from the character's past, describe strange hobbies, habbits, personality quirks, emotional struggles, mood swings, or anything else you can think of to give your character extra dimensions. But be careful--don't get so wrapped up in your personal logs that you disconnect your character from ship business. If you plan to write a lot of personal logs, mix in enough duty logs to create a healthy balance.

 

Sometimes, logs are made for two... or three, or four, or five, etc.. This is where joint logs come in. Joint logs are a collaborative effort by one more than one log writer. They can be duty logs featuring several officers discussing and brainstorming a plot thread (same as a standard duty log, only with several people offering input). Or they can be personal logs, recounting an off-duty hangout such as a poker game, movie night, a friendly stroll through the arboretum, or even something a bit more intimate. If you have an idea for a log, and you think it would involve some of your crewmates, send them a PM or E-mail to arrange a joint log. Joint logs are usually simmed out in a PM or chat room and converted to a more log friendly format afterwards, but a few are exchanged by e-mail with each writer contributing a piece in turn.

 

Check out the Advanced sim forums on the STSF message board to get ideas of what sorts of logs are written and how they are written.

 

Logs also let the command staff know you're following along with the storyline and enjoying it. It also helps you focus on the events of the last sim and how to prepare for the next one. It doesn't need to be a novel, just however much you want to put down to express your thoughts at the moment.

 

All logs should be sent to the entire crew as E-Mail and posted to the Hood boards. This ensures that everyone aboard receives the mail and allows everyone in STSF the ability to see what is happening aboard our vessel. This is often helpful for newly assigned crew members who can read the boards to get up to speed on the current mission.

 

One more reminder on logs: Please, make your logs readable. In other words, try and use standard grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. Read a few of the other crewmember's logs. You'll get the idea.

 

DO NOT SEND MAIL WHICH WILL AFFECT THE SHIP WITHOUT THE CO OR AND XO'S APPROVAL. DO NOT SEND MAIL WHICH WILL AFFECT ANOTHER CREW MEMBER WITHOUT THEIR PERMISSION.

 

Etiquette

 

For most people, this is not a major issue. We can all respect each other as gamers and enjoy the sims together. But a reminder of the various points here can be helpful in avoiding problems between players. These are simply basic rules of conduct. You'll see the term PM (Private Message) used a lot. PM's are the "magic lamp" of player etiquette, useful for both resolving disputes and for getting to know your fellow players better.

 

Don't take your rank too seriously. Rank is only a convenience that allows for a more smoothly run sim. A Lieutenant does not have a right to "talk down" to an Ensign, unless they've both agreed by PM that it's appropriate (see OOC and IC below), and junior officers are just as important to a sim as senior officers. Our characters may outrank one another, but as players we're all on a level playing field and we can all at least role-play seniority in a respectful manner.

 

Keep in mind that a fine line exists between what goes on out of character (OOC) and what goes on in character (IC), and that that line can sometimes become blurred, leading to confusion and conflicts. Sometimes a character can be *very* different from the player behind it--rude, bitter, and ill-tempered, for instance, whereas the player is far more amiable. And sometimes arguments and fights can take place between characters whose players are actually very good friends OOC. If you see something like this in a sim, assume that it's exactly what it is... a staged performance by online actors. If you think you'd like to sim a little tension or even hostility between your character and another player's character, first be sure to let that player know what you want to do and make sure it's alright. Any physical violence between characters, no matter the circumstances, should be cleared by PM.

 

PM's are useful for many other reasons. Sometimes, a character speaks to another character in sim but isn't answered. Don't assume you're being ignored if this happens. Sims can be busy, and chat lines can be missed. Simply send a PM to the player pointing out that you're trying to get his/her attention. If you're confused about something (you've lost track of a plot thread, you're not sure why someone's doing something, you've forgotten how a certain technology works) PMing the appropriate person can help. PM's are exchanged regularly during a sim to ensure that everyone is on the same page. Avoid clogging the chat room with excessive << OOC statements like this >>. A few such statements are ok, but back and forth discussions should be moved to PM.

 

If you write a log that involves another player's character extensively, send the log to the player for approval first. No one wants a character misrepresented in someone else's log. If you're planning a log that involves another player's character extensively, you may want to consider contacting the player for a joint log.

 

Finally, if you have a dispute with another player, take a simple two-step approach. Politely contact the player by PM and try to resolve the dispute yourselves; if this doesn't help the situation, notify the command staff. The best way to avoid disputes is to get to know your crewmates. How can you do this? Simple... send them PM's.

 

But please, please be aware that each of us has "feelings." Out-of-character attacks upon another crew member will not be tolerated. There is absolutely nothing wrong with two "characters" arguing, but make sure that each person understands it is a "character" interaction. If the hosts feel the interaction is disrupting the simulation, we will warn you via IM or email. Continued disruption will be dealt with under the Terms of Service.

 

In addition to your play on Hood, we expect you to maintain your behavior across the board at STSF. This includes any other games you may participate on, Academies and the general boards. If you are reprimanded by another GM, or caught behaving poorly, this is not only a reflection of yourself, but also the entire Hood simulation and the GM-team. Any incidents reported to the command team will be dealt with under the terms of service and may result in the player(s) being demoted, held back from promotion, removal of the game or any other methods deemed appropriate by the command team. Hood's command team takes great pride in the simulation and we would ask that you would show this same pride by abiding by standard behavioral conventions.

 

Problem Solving and Game Play

 

In the Academy, you weren't expected to do much--follow the chain of command, watch out for and react to ACTIONs, don't lose focus of the mission, keep busy, and interact with others. You graduated past all of that. In the Advanced sims, with missions continuing from week to week, problems will tend to be a bit more complex, but this will offer you the opportunity to be more creative. You're now expected (rather than encouraged) to chip in with observations and ideas about a mission. But you also have to be mindful of the limitations...

 

Hood's missions are generally series of problems to be solved. You have the one central problem (first contact with a new species, exploring a new system, investigating an anomaly, etc) that must be ultimately solved, and several smaller problems that crop up along the way (not all of them related to the central problem). A common misconception by an inexperienced simmer is that the goal of simming is to solve these problems. Actually, the goal is to have fun role-playing the effort to solve the problems... possibly failing miserably along the way. In fact, not all missions end with a positive result, but as long as the players had fun, the game was a success.

 

Sometimes a player will try to be a superhero, coming up with and executing the one action that quickly solves everything (usually involving the character performing a feat well beyond his/her capability or the use of some technobabbical innovation that no one understands). The problem with such a solution (aside from possibly not making sense) is that it will cut any given mission down to one or two sims, which means no one will have any opportunity to enjoy pitching in. You want to contribute ideas, but how can you do it without going overboard? Here are some suggestions:

 

-Practical solutions - If you go before your chief or the CO suggesting that we escape the nebula with a baryon/tetryon deflector pulse combined with a phaser beam modulated to an alpha wave frequency, you're going to get some glazed expressions... at best. At worst, your idea will actually be used, the problem will be solved, and there will be no room to come up with anything more creative. Use of technobabble is appropriate to fit the Trek setting, but it should not be the sole solution to any problem. Rather, it should be used to embellish a more practical solution to a problem. Ask yourself... what, exactly, does the baryon/tetryon pulse do? Or the modulated phaser beam? Would they push the ship, create a protective bubble around the ship, open a rift that the ship could use as an anchor? Outline what they do, and your superior officers will be able to figure out what sorts of consequences would arise (more of those "smaller problems") and how those consequences could be addressed. If you're not sure yourself what they would do... you might not have the best solution. It's often best to start by putting the problem in practical terms. If the ship is trapped in a nebula... what exactly does this mean? What smaller problems are posed? Can you draw analogies between the problem and real-life scenarios (maybe a car being stuck in mud during a hurricane)? When you have the problem in practical terms, come up with practical solutions, then put the solutions into a Trek context.

 

- Imperfect solutions - Should your solution be the immediate answer to everything? Of course not. If it is, you have something to learn about teamwork. Simming is a team game, and the best players are the ones who find ways to involve others. When coming up with a solution, don't say "I think it will work." Instead, say "it could work, but there are a lot of elements that need to be addressed." Maybe the baryon/tetryon pulse would create radiation harmful to the crew. Maybe the phaser modulations would require direct modification of the phaser arrays. Maybe the nebula would have to be monitored for dangerous particle concentrations. Make your solution full of even more smaller problems, and the rest of the crew will have ways to become involved. If another player is presenting a solution that isn't full of holes, put some holes in it yourself (especially if you're a department head). The solution wasn't your idea, but your character is an expert in areas that the other player's character is not, so you might know more about some of the problems that would be posed. On the other hand, don't simply say "no, that won't work." That's just negativity. Indicate that the solution could work but that there are a lot of gaps to fill first.

 

- Believable solutions - Obvious enough and something that any Academy graduate should understand. You're not going to move the comet off its collision course by detonating the system's star, and you're not going to send a command that makes the consoles in Engineering come alive and fight off the intruders as if Hood has become Fantasia. Some solutions are not quite that exaggerated but are still outside the realm of possibility. On Hood, using forcefields to seal off the ship would be a perfect example... forcefields aren't in use on starships yet. But don't even respond to a solution like this with "no, that won't work." Take the solution presented, acknowledge that the idea has merit even if the method does not, and offer alternatives. You're not going to blow up the star... but maybe you can create a smaller shockwave significant enough to push the comet. You can't make the Engineering consoles pop up and fight... but you might find a way to surround them with electricity fields. And there are always practical alternatives to using forcefields.

 

Remember because this is a game set in the original series, there are some niceties that we simply do not have. Holodecks are something in the far-off future, personal communicators are the size of your average cell-phone, turbo-lifts have pull handles and we have buttons and knobs.

 

- One tree, many branches - If a solution to a problem is being worked on, do you... a) lend a hand and/or your brain to help develop the solution or come up with a completely different solution? Saying "I've got a better idea" is a signal that you're ignoring your teammates and trying to become the focus of attention. Contribute to solutions that have already been presented. If you're a department head, develop the solution by presenting problems that need to be addressed (as indicated above). If you're an assistant, and you're not sure how you could pitch in to the problem solving effort, ask your superior officer what you can do to help. Don't scrap your "better idea" entirely--maybe it can somehow be integrated into the solution already being developed, or maybe it can be saved for a similar problem further down the road.

 

- Imperfect characters - You're sitting in the holding cell in the middle of the mysterious alien lab... but you're not about to stand for this! You bust open a wall panel with your bare hands and disconnect the circuits inside, shutting down the force field. Out of your cell, you overpower the four guards, managing to dodge all of their pulse rifle blasts. You move over to the nearby computer terminal and start accessing all of the lab's systems, even though this terminal is only meant to access the brig. You seal off all the doors, lock the aliens out of the computer, and send out a distress signal for Hood to pick up. After a few seconds, you remember to release your crewmates from their cells. By the way, did I mention you're a medical officer? This is called "god moding" and it's inappropriate because if one character can do everything you don't need any other characters. This was an exaggerated example, the kind of thing that would hold you back about 10 sims in the Academy (not to mention invoking a swift GM ACTION killing your character off). But god moding can always creep up in more subtle ways. Try to remember... you're not here to solve problems, you're here to have fun making the effort. Avoid the mindset that the sim is a challenge to be overcome and put more emphasis on what you're *not* capable of doing. Flaws encourage teamwork and are a lot more fun to role-play.

 

- In-Character Romantic Relationships - While the Hood Command staff does not discourage romantic relationships "in-character;" we strongly advise against jumping into them the first week you're on a game. And while they can certainly ad depth to a character, and realistically romance would be a normal part of any fleet officer's life, we advise extreme caution.

 

Some pointers:

-Don't turn it in to "Days of Our Lives: Hood," a little drama now and then is okay, but melodrama isn't a way to win points with anyone. And besides, most people really don't want to read it, if they did, they'd check out a V.C. Andrews book.

-Take care to make sure that both parties are aware that relationship is IN CHARACTER ONLY. When OOC becomes involved, things tend to get messy

 

- Gamemasters Actions- It was once said that if everyone had a perfect life, it would be boring. Occasionally, the command team might decide… at random… to throw a huge monkey wrench in your characters plans. If this happens, don't panic! Just like real life, not everything should work out the way we plan it. In fact, it usually doesn't.

 

If a GM decides (or their dice decide) that something is going to go wrong, just go with the flow. If you have a problem with something, talk to the GM in private and ask them about the situation. Generally a GM isn't going to turn your character's life upside down without asking you about it first, but even if they do… go with it. You might find that a little bit of strife once in a while can be far more fun than being June Cleaver.

 

- Telepath Players - In regard to telepaths, please note that as with logs, permission MUST be obtained from other players before your character can sense any particular thought or emotion that is not explicitly spelled out on screen. For example, without permission, the following is NOT acceptable

 

Huff> ::throws chair across the room::

Telepath> ::senses Huff's anger::

 

Since I simply may like throwing chairs, the following IS acceptable:

 

Huff> ::is extremely angry::

Telepath> ::senses Huffs anger::

 

- A Final Reminder on Role Playing - This is a game, played for enjoyment; it is natural to assume that a variety of circumstances will occur. However, please understand that while this simulation is not real we still expect an atmosphere of realism. Thus, it is expected that your character will not engage in actions that exceed the bounds of what can be called realistic. There are no "super heroes," just a team of dedicated officers. Likewise, the ship does not heal herself. Any damage the ship receives must be repaired. Please note, repairs take time, they are not instantaneous: no "magic bullets." Finally, while 24th century technology is quite advanced, Star Trek has its limits, and we work within them.

 

 

----

 

The USS Hood is a sim of Star Fleet Simulation Forum. This document is an internal policy packet intended only for the USS Hood simulation. The command staff of the Hood reserves the right to modify this document without notification.

The only sound in the Hood science lab was that of working machines. Whirl. Click. Buzz. Repeat. It was almost soothing to Alessandro Zareh. He’d been so busy the past three weeks that his tan had faded from a dark mahogany to a medium almond color. It was altogether mildly depressing, but such was the life of a busy Starfleet officer, he supposed. Really he should consider himself to have been lucky enough the several years to have been able to spend as much time beneath the heat lamps of the science bay.

 

Pulling over his chase lounger, he smirked as the occupant of the glass containment unit next to him – the infamous, prized, and chartreuse Gator. The thing was somewhat of a legend among the Hood crew. Cosmo said it’d been here longer than most of the current crew and that they’d picked it up along with the cockroaches when they’d stopped the first time on the green-yellow world. Apparently, the thing ate just about anything and everything.

 

Nevertheless, it made a decent companion for sunning. Normally, Cosmo would come down and spend a few hours under the heat lamps with the Risan commander, but the aforementioned scientist was on bridge duty this evening, meaning the Gator would have to be his sunning buddy. For its part, the Gator was happy to oblige.

 

Today had been a particularly annoying day for the Gator. While his morning feed had been provided by the tall, blonde male-thing, lunch and dinner had been provided by two new human females, both of which were more interesting in ewwwing over the raw chicken-livers than properly feeding him or scratching his back like good little lab assistants. On top of that, there’d been four or five new people in the lab and that woman from engineering whose voice he hadn’t learned to tune out.

 

Likewise, it’d been a trying day for the Risan Commander. Root had apparently fallen ill or something and was taking some time off, which meant he got stuck doing most of his work.

 

“It’s not that I mind doing work,” he finally said to the Gator. “But I just wish that we’d get a little bit of credit for the good we do out here. Instead, we constantly are looking over our backs worrying that Admiral Bethany is going to show up and send the lot of us off to some frozen ice-planet on the otherside of the universe while sending the rest of us to her villa to be her pool boys.”

 

The Gator seemed to nod, even though he had no clue what the Risan was saying, just that the sound of the snady blonde-brown haired male’s voice was soft and silky.

 

“It’s bad enough that we have to babysit her grandson or nephew or whatever Root is,” he continued. “You know, I am frankly surprised she didn’t keel hall Rex and Huff after that incident that caused him to be scared. I mean if all of this is over that Ricky incident, I’d hate to see what would happen if anything were to actually happen to her little stool pigeon. Granted, she can’t be too obvious or she’d have to admit that to everyone and I think only Huff and I are actually privy to that little tidbit. It’s like knowing how old the old bat really is.”

 

Sighing, Zareh settled back into his chair as he turned over on his stomach. “I still can’t believe she put Huff in jail. Lord. It’s a good thing she doesn’t know about… well… that Huff has Risan tapestry in her quarters, she’d skin me alive.”

 

Meanwhile the Gator was over the smoothness of the piece of meats voice and was considering moving out of the sun lamps and into the cool water of his tank. It was a difficult decision because the sunlamp was so warm. He decided, for the moment to remain under the heat.

 

Unawares to his audience’s ambivalence, Zareh continued his diatribe. It lasted another several minutes, ranging from the latest hairstyles on the bridge to the newest security officers and how long he thought they might last and how they might meet their doom.

 

After sometime, the Gator looked over when he noticed the sound of the Risan voice had stopped only to find it laying on its back sleeping. Hmph, he thought. And into the water he went.

The sleepy town of Berchtesgaden loomed in the distance as the early morning sun rose over lake Königssee. Mostly retired Captain Alessandro Zareh plodded down the stairs from his small alpine home that he'd acquired nearly ten years before to the small dock that stuck out into the crystal clear water of the glacially formed lake in the German Alps.

 

Ten years ago he'd bought this place at the suggestion of an old friend who'd rented it for a long summer leave, and for the first time Zareh was really beginning to enjoy it. His ship, the Georgetown, remained in a holding pattern a few hundred miles above, docked at starbase where it waited in line for formal decommissioning. That more or less put Zareh and a large portion of the crew on furlough with the caveat that should they be needed, their vacation would end rather swiftly.

 

It seemed odd, apparently, to most of his friends that Alessandro would want to spend what was shaping up to be the dawn of his retirement on Earth when he had a sprawling guest house on Risa attached to his family owned resort on the island of Sal Caprice which his cousin Fantein had taken to running after the death of his father. As he reminded them, though, it had been years since he lived on Risa and he had very little interest in running the hotel, though he did plan on spending several months a year on his native world. Still it was mornings like this one that reminded him exactly why he enjoyed this better than Risa, for all the sun and warm green waters of his homeworld, breath taking sunrises over snow covered mountains weren't something that his homeworld offered in large supply.

 

Moving out on to the dock, coffee cup in hand, Zareh stood for a long moment as the gentle winds carried the light mist away as the sun rose above head. In the far distance the St. Bartholomä church and the eastern face of the Watzmann. He took a sip of his coffee and stood basking in the morning light for what seemed hours.

 

“I thought I'd find you here, Captain...”

 

Zareh turned hearing the voice, unsure of how much time had passed. Behind him stood Rear Admiral Taeko Nzbuck in his red service uniform wearing a rather amused look. “Quiet the view...”

 

“You know,” Zareh said with a smile. “You should have called and let me know you were coming... I would have had breakfast for you...”

 

The Admiral smirked and ambled down the wooden dock to come alongside the Risan captain. “Breakfast? It's almost midnight in San Fransisco...”

 

Feigning ignorance, Zareh batted his eyes. “Really? Oh... right...”

 

“You never change Alessandro...”

 

“I don't make it habit, no...”

 

“So what has you up at such an ungodly hour?”

 

Nzbuck remained silent for a moment, taking in the view. He himself had started living in a small villa in Northern California, but it paled in comparison to this place. “I am afraid,” he finally said. “I am going to have to cut short your little furlough and get you and Georgetown back into space.”

 

“Oh,” Zareh said with a mild frown. “Lovely.”

 

“Well,” Nzbuck said, “it's a mission of some delicacy and we don't want to hand it over to some wet behind the ears Captain and his hot-shot crew...”

 

Zareh started to open his mouth to speak but stopped himself. After a moment he finally did, “So what do you want me to do?”

 

“I need you to go pick up an Ambassador and deliver him to Qo'Nos.”

 

“Lovely.”

 

“Does it soften the blow if I tell you that you get to go to Risa to pick up your Ambassador?”

 

“You know,” Zareh said pointing to the small marking on his forehead, “I am a Risan... that doesn't particularly hold as much weight with me as it would some people....but yes.”

 

A small smile crept across Nzbuck's face, “I thought so...”

 

“So who is this ambassador who warrants me leaving this gorgeous view and heading to the lovely acid rains of Qo'Nos?”

 

“I am sure you've heard of him,” Nzbuck said. “Curzon Dax.”

 

Zareh snorted for a moment. “Does Curzon know I am picking him up?”

 

“He asked for you personally,” Nzbuck said with a wide grin. “How did he put it... oh yes, 'if I am going to have to leave my vacation, at least send that blasted Risan to pick me up from Risa.'”

 

“I'll be sure to thank him. When do we leave?”

 

“As soon as possible,” Nzbuck said, growing serious. “The situation on Qo'Nos is depreciating rapidly. Chancellor Azetbur is losing control of the situation and more radical elements of her government are moving quickly to amass power, Ambassador Sarek and Captain Spock fear that if something isn't done soon the entire government could collapse and the Khitomer Accords scuttled.”

 

Frowning Zareh nodded. He had some contacts in the diplomatic corps who'd been telling him that the situation was tenuous at best, and this only confirmed what he'd been hearing. “I understand. Most of my crew is on leave on Earth or Mars, I assume you can handle the call up order from your office, Admiral?”

 

“Already underway, I sent the orders our just before I headed your way, but I wanted to tell you personally. Captain, all joking aside this may be the most important mission you've ever undertook. Curzon has the respect of many Klingons and might be able to bring the situation to a peaceful solution... and the men who want a rebellion know that. Once you enter Klingon space, you'll be a target. Not to mention they might send someone to off him before you arrive. Security around the Ambassador is paramount.”

 

Nodding his understanding, Zareh looked at the clearing fog once more before returning his glance to the Admiral. “I understand Admiral,” he said. “We'll take every precaution. One question though.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“If we're fired upon by Klingon vessels?”

 

“Then you have permission to defend yourselves, but don't get in a shooting war. Starfleet has a dozen or vessels in the area, lead by the USS Challenger. I know you're a senior commander compared to Challenger's captain, but they have point on this...”

 

“Of course Admiral,” Zareh said. “And once we've delivered Curzon safely to Qo'Nos?”

 

“You'll remain in the system to lend whatever aid is needed until new orders are issued.”

 

Back on active duty, Zareh thought but didn't comment.

 

“I know you were up for retirement Captain, but I think you understand the severity of this crisis.”

 

“Absolutely,” he responded. “I know as well as you do that too many peopled worked too hard and too many lives were lost to have come this far only to have that peace destroyed in a blaze of power-mongering glory.”

 

“Yes,” Nzbuck said with a nod.

 

“Well then, how about that breakfast I offered?”

 

The Admiral laughed. “I suppose we have time...”

Captain Alessandro Zareh glanced across the window of his ready room to the looming form of the USS Challenger taking shape in her dry-dock bay. From the Constitution-classed Georgetown, the Excelsior-class starship looked huge, even though the largest portion of the ship remained unfinished.

 

The image of the Challenger was only obscured by the reflection of the graying, yet stately Risan officer who’d once matched wits with Kirk, and voyaged the stars with Huff., but such experience was rapidly becoming outdated.

 

The young cadets of his youth were becoming Captain’s and most of his peers were dead or retired. Like his ship, he too was growing too old—space travel was a game for the young.

 

He took one last glance as the Challenger shrunk in the distance and Earth grew on the Horizon. The twilight of his career had begun.

:lol:

Name: A-l-e-s-a-n-d-r-o Z-a-r-e-h :lol:

 

_______

 

 

Name: Calyista Hazja

But Huff, you've been so very *bad* this year. ::dives::

Zareh rubbed at his forehead. Phasers gave him a worse hang over than any liquor—even Saurian. At least the situation was back under control. And for that he was thankful. The Risan exited the lift and back onto the bridge, glancing around. As he thought, situation normal. And Earth was nearing on the sensor readouts.

 

Sighing he returned to the center seat, letting himself down easily into the comfy confines of the leather upholstery. At least Random hadn’t made a mess of the décor when she mutinied.

 

He felt a pain run up spine. Every time he thought about the “mutiny” he wanted to go smack the living daylights out of that Trill. Just what in the name of James T. Kirk was she thinking? Shooting the ranking officer, and attempting mutiny was *not* the best way to get Captain Huff and Commander Ksanders back…or advance ones career.

 

She surely didn’t think he wanted to leave them behind, did she? He really didn’t. But given what he knew about Ole Bethy…if she gave an order, you’d best follow it.

 

The only reasonable solution he had to why Random had acted in the manner she’d acted was that she hadn’t been thinking. Perhaps a fit of mental insanity? In any case, he knew she’d better start thinking up something very quickly, because the Court Martial wasn’t going to just dismiss this incident, and he was going to make sure of it.

 

He didn’t like being the disciplinarian, it really wasn’t his style, but when you shot him…well even the good natured Risan drew the line.

The chime sounded. Another bridge shift was over. Alessandro Zareh smiled widely, showing his perfectly white teeth. It wasn't that the deeply tanned Risan Commander had a dislike for bridge duty, let alone being in command of a Constitution-class starship—quite the opposite—but he'd been on Beta shift for days now. It was as if Captain Huff had been trying to avoid him.

 

He let that thought pass without further consideration and pushed himself out of the boxy, yet comfortable command chair and headed towards the lift, smiling at the helm officer who crossed his path, neatly averting his eyes. Say one thing for Bethany, she did her best to make sure that everyone on the Hood was worth a second, or even third look.

 

Entering the lift, his skin glistened under the overhead lighting, and he grabbed at the handle, stating his destination. With the hairless Bethany back at Earth, things to seemed to be rather back to normal, or rather as normal as they got on the Hood. Just the usual occurrences one expected why exploring the unknowns of the Quadrant.

 

It wasn't as if the entire ship was over run by giant, man-sized, sentient Scorpions, avian life forms, nor where they currently facing off with Romulans, Breen (whatever those were), or Imperial Storm Troopers with bad British accents. Nope, just the average run of the mill stuff. And it certainly could be worse—the entire ship could be pink and Quint and Kresh could be best friends, while Sarvek handed out lollipops and Katie only drank decaf.

 

That thought made him shudder inwardly. He had to wonder how anyone could let themselves get into that type of situation. Really, letting a bunch of giant arachnid runabout creating havoc? Insecticide anyone?

 

Granted, he had read about one of the missions Hood had been on prior to his assignment, one that involved an ancient Earth sailing ship and Pirates. He kept getting visions of Bethany playing Captain Hook, but kept reminding himself she had a peg leg not a hook. Still he couldn't shake the thought, and he wondered why. Perhaps in a past life, Bethy had a hand removed by some aquatic sea monster? Nah...wishful thinking.

 

As the lift came to a stop and the doors slid open, Zareh was still smiling widely. The thought of Bethany being eaten by a large Squid was rather amusing, you had to admit. But alas, they seemed to miss out on all the weird missions.

 

Okay, so there was the happy field. And the Soilent Green people. And the Pirates. And Chartruseian cockroaches...

Can I have: Would you like a Risan Tapestry?

As long as they leave the Velour and Mini-Skirts...I am all for this! :P

Meanwhile unaware of any problems on the Hood, Huff has dinner with the beautiful Risan XO.

 

::Preens::

I was a yeah...busy... :lol:

Welcome to STSF!

Zareh stood on the bridge, Bethany a few feet in front, Huff to his right, and the oddest Vulcan he’d ever had the displeasure of meeting. She was a suck up --a big one. It was just being nice, which wasn’t something Vulcans were known for anyway. She was licking Bethany’s boot.

 

He made a note about her for latter on. He didn’t abide by such people for any length of time. You couldn’t count on them to tell you when you were being an idiot.

 

At any rate, he had more important issues at hand. The Volcano was high on his priority list, but getting rid of Bethany at the earliest opportunity was a close second; wooing the attractive Huff somewhere below those two – what he was a man after all.

 

With the Volcano situation in hand, he turned his attention to Bethany. If the mission succeeded and all went well, she’d likely be convinced of her command capabilities and make plans to get rid of Huff, which was in conflict with goal three. If all went badly, she’d blame Huff and Zareh and reassign both of them. It was a no win situation.

 

Of course, maybe if the mission went somewhere in between, she’d just go off in one of her moods and go back to plotting, leaving Huff, Zareh, and the Hood alone. One could only hope.

Mission Briefing SD 0601.24

Admiral Bethany has brought with her new orders, and a new XO. The Hood has been ordered to report to the Mygteo Sector, to the volcanic world of Kamria, where the Mygteo Communications relay has been detecting communication signals, despite the lack of civilization or known colonies.

Clack, clack, clack. Clink. Woosh. Those five sounds were the five best sounds Alessandro Zareh had heard all day—pegleg Bethany finally retired to her VIP Quarters for the night as the Hood hurtled on towards Mygteo.

 

He sunk down in the Command chair utterly spent. The woman tried everyway possible to make you want to just jump out the nearest airlock, and now…god…he had to spend an entire mission with her…or worse longer. He could never understand how one woman could be so utterly miserable.

 

Somewhere, he’d read that losing a limb could embitter patients—but this was ridiculous. She went out of her way to make you miserable. Cripes, an hour in the same room with her had to classify as one of Dante’s Circles.

 

Despite that, there was still a mission to accomplish, and hopefully Bethany would spend most of her time below decks, using her evil aura to make everyone on edge.

 

Glancing at the helm officer, an Ensign Baker “ETA to Kamuria?”

 

“Sixteen hours,” Baker said astutely.

 

“Very well,” Zareh leaned back again.

 

Why didn’t I just stay on Mygteo? Because it’s cold there you idiot, and you wanted command of a starship. Zareh looked around to make sure he wasn’t letting his internal dialogue become external. Besides, if you do good, maybe Bethany will give you command – Fat chance.

 

Again Zareh surveyed the bridge. A rumble in his stomach interrupted him from another internal dialogue.

 

“You sound hungry,” Baker said. “Perhaps you should head to the mess, I hear the food cubes are tasty today. Nothing going on up here anyway.”

 

“Perhaps you’re right,” Zareh smiled slightly. “Do me good to see some of the ship anyway. Ensign you have the Bridge.”

 

Zareh pushed himself up and headed for the lift, giving a nod to the red shirt guarding the lift, then grabbing a handle. “Officers’ Mess.”

STARFLEET DATABASE

PERSONELL FILES

 

 

Name: Alessandro Zareh

 

Age: 49 (Born 2219)

Sex: Male

POB: Risa

Ht: 6’1”

Wt: 184 lbs

Race: Risan

Rank: Commander, USS Hood

 

Father: Braizil Zareh, Risan Hotel Owner

 

Mother: Jessera Zareh, Boutique Owner

 

Siblings: None

Markings: Small marking on forehead

 

Past History:

The only son of Hotel and Boutique owners, Alessandro spent much of his youth on the beaches of Risa, or otherwise soaking up the local paradise.

 

When he became older, he worked at his father’s hotel which served many Starfleet officers on their shoreleave. It was during this period that he began to take an interest in Starfleet as opposed to the family business in the tourism industry.

 

At age 19, Alessandro enrolled at Starfleet Academy focusing primarily in Communications and Diplomatic Studies. A vivacious student, he graduated 11th in his class and received a post aboard the newly commissioned USS Manchuria as a junior communications office.

 

After several months, he was promoted to senior communications officer aboard the Manchuria, a post he would hold throughout the Constitution-class Manchuria’s first five-year exploratory mission.

 

At the end of the five-year mission, now Lieutenant Zareh was transferred to the USS Iowa as Senior Communications specialist. The Iowa would complete two three year missions making first contact in the Beta Quadrant and cataloging Gaseous Anomalies. The Iowa was destroyed shortly after the completion of their second mission during a skirmish with Klingon forces.

 

Zareh and a handful of crewman were the only ones able to survive the explosion and drifted in escape pods for several days until they were finally found.

 

Following the destruction of the Iowa, Zareh was transferred to the USS Georgetown as Communications and Second Officer.

 

The Georgetown embarked on two five year exploratory missions. During a first contact away mission, the first officer was killed, but Zareh successfully managed to extract himself and the remaining members of the away team.

 

For his heroism, he was awarded the Fleet Medal of Bravery and also promoted to Commander and given the position of First Officer, a position he would maintain until 2264 when veteran Captain Terry Shaw of the Georgetown retired. Many, including himself, believed he would become the next Captain of the Georgetown, but instead a younger upstart Commander George Killan was promoted and given Command.

 

Feeling slighted, Zareh contemplated retirement, but chose to accept command of a small communications outpost situated among the ruins of a planet called Mygteo.

 

For unknown reasons, Zareh returned to fleet duty a few years later, taking a post as first officer aboard the USS Hood.

 

 

Service Record:

-Graduated Starfleet Academy, Bachelors in Communications (2242)

-Assigned to USS Manchuria (2242)

-Promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade, Captain Justin Kree, USS Manchuria (2244)

-Promoted to Lieutenant, Captain Justin Kree, USS Manchuria (2246)

-Manchuria completes first five-year mission; transferred to USS Iowa (2247)

-Iowa completes first three-year mapping mission. (2250)

-Promoted to Lieutenant Senior Grade, Captain Dana Taft, USS Iowa (2250)

-Promoted to Lieutenant Commander, Captain Dana Taft, USS Iowa (2252)

-Iowa completes second three-year first contact missions. (2253)

-Iowa destroyed, transferred to USS Georgetown. (2254)

-Promoted to Commander, Captain Terry Shaw, USS Georgetown (2258)

-Assumes role of First Officer, USS Georgetown, (2258)

-Georgetown completes first five-year exploratory mission. (2259)

-Georgetown completes second five-year exploratory mission (2264)

-Assumes Command of Communications Outpost Mygteo (2264)

-Transferred to USS Hood, First Officer. (2268)

The shuttlecraft Copernicus began it’s final approach to the USS Hood, in the co-pilot’s seat, Commander Alessandro Zareh looked on with approval. Four years had passed since he last set foot on a Constitution-class vessel, four years since he’d been passed over for command of the Georgetown.

 

Now he was heading for one of the most storied and renowned ships in the entire fleet. A small smile crept across is tanned features as he ran a hand through his slightly shaggy, brown hair.

 

He’d spent the better part of his nine day shuttle flight from Mygteo studying the Hood personnel. In fact, he’d gone out of his way to uncover information about the men and women who served on the fine ship. His father had once told him that one could never to much about the one that he was dealing with, that every minuet piece of information was like a gold coin to be treasured.

 

Mentally going back over the information, he addressed each on the senior staff mentally. There was the Chief Engineer, Lt. Commander Kresh; Tellerite, ill tempered, and severely lacking in the finer points of etiquette.

 

Next came the Vulcan, Quint. He was still somewhat of a mystery. How he’d managed to wind up on this crew of misfits, Zoreh was not entirely sure, his service record was exemplarily.

 

The next two on the list, Chief of Science and Chief Medical officer, James Root and Katie O’Claire respectively, were noted to have had ‘social’ ties. Something that made Zoreh raise his eyebrows. But the two had excellent service records, Root going so far as to have earned multiple praises from his former boss, Cosmo Rex, even if Rex had never told him personally, it was certainly noted in the personnel file. O’Claire also had her own share of merits in her file, she’d cured plagues, fought pirates and saved numerous lives. He supposed the two could be allowed to have…“social” relations, so long as they didn’t let it spill out into their work.

 

Finally he came to the ringleader of the Hood, Captain Helen Huff; A woman with the beauty of amaranth, and the skills of Kirk. You had to give her credit, despite Bethany’s best efforts, she’d foiled the one-legged hag for years. That thought caused another small smile to cross his face, the real question was how long could Huff’s luck continue.

 

“Commander,” the young redshirt next to him spoke, braking his train of thought, “We’re on final approach to the Hood.”

 

He blinked bringing himself back to the present. “Very well, signal the Hood of our arrival.”

 

“Yes sir.”

 

Zoreh looked out the window as the Hood loomed in the distance, growing larger with each passing second. “How long can she last…”