Kansas

Wait, what? An entire film based on ... a little spaceship sitting there surrounded by asteroids, and shooting at the asteroids? And don't dare twitch the control joystick and start moving the ship, 'cause then you're out of control and smashing into the 'roids, and then once you get control, you are so stuck at a corner of the screen. An entire movie? Oh dear.

.... GI Joe rises up to save the world?

07.08.09 Agincourt Mission Update: TBS: 2 Hours - The Agincourt has arrived and established orbit over the Corianis Colony; the bad feelings between the dilithium workers and the local colony administrators are still present. - The Command Staff of both the ‘Court and the border patrol boat USS Jackrabbit will meet with both colony management and the mine workers to find out why the situation has gotten so far out of hand. - Security will start to co-ordinate with the Jackrabbit personnel to send out roving patrol teams; all other ‘Court department personnel are to remain on standby for now.

Thank goodness. If I want science in my entertainment, this is why I have the Discovery Channel on my cable. Isn't Trek labeled "Science Fiction" (key word fiction there) for a reason anyway? Granted, some of that fiction has now become fact - medical scanners, the flip communicators that have now become cell phones, some of our devices (Blackberry, etc) sure look like data PADDS incarnate as they keep being developed.

Welcome to STSF JustTakeAPebble. This is a wicked cool site to RP on, yes it is.

You know ... overall I'd rather not dwell on this concept. Aren't Pigeons known as "flying rats" because they are so disease ridden?

A big fat raspberry pffhhtt? I've been hearing off and on over the years that the Eastern Coast of Canada has been ticked off (at least those people in political authority) at the Mid to Upper USA Eastern Coast factories and the pollution that drifts up to the Canadian coast. ... maybe the Canadian Goose population unleash is a secret tactical weapon of covert revenge? Then again, it could just be that whole migration pattern nature thing.

Ah. You got the Chief Janitor posting for tonight's Academy sim huh?

I'm so-so with TKar on this one, but it could also be just a 'Net rumor. It'd be nice if re-Imagining doesn't necessarily mean script for script or scene for scene rehashing within this new Trek Universe. Re-Imagined Battlestar Galactica? If the new(er) BSG can still look for Earth just like in the first series, but surround the same main plot with all kinds of new stories then it'd be nice if the New TOS Star Trek did the same thing without the same exact stories over and over again word for word. Even when Adama and crew met up with Admiral Cain and the Battleship Pegasus? The story was effectively reworked and updated within the first framework of the original episode, and I was definitely looking at new episodes, not a rehash. I'm just saying there's a difference.

Note the drop in the pigeon population. :-P

This week we get new orders. The Agincourt warps to Corianis 6 at top speed, with further instructions to come en route. CourtChatLog09_07_01.txt

07.01.09 Agincourt Mission Update: TBS: Day and a Half - The Agincourt has been dispatched to the dilithium manufacturing colony world of Corianis. - The colony is experiencing internal problems such as labor strikes, and the situation has now progressed to full-scale riots. - The local security forces are overwhelmed, and the colony administrators have turned to the Starfleet for some help with the rapidly deteriorating situation. - Colonel C.E. Harper, Commander Kansas JoNs, and the crew of the 'Court are tasked with getting the dilithium flow moving again and the workers and situation quieted.

I am a geek fan of all things fighter jock. Starfighter stuff, the Viper starfighters and pilots from BSG, the X-Wing novel series of Star Wars, Top Gun is my all time favorite, and I tend to drool if I'm playing a stick jock game such as Tom Clancy's HAWX. You get the picture. So, let's talk Wing Commander? I know its a PC game, I've never played any of 'em though. I've wanted to grab a copy of the 1999 movie for a bit now, and found a used one for $4.99 the other day at a local DVD store. Oh, this thing was bad. I tried, I really tried, but I think I lost a few brain cells in the process. The back cover copy of the DVD labeled it as Top Gun meets Starship Troopers. Uh, NO! While Starship Troopers is a total cornball film, it *does* do way better then Wing Commander. And, do not compare Wing to Top Gun, as that's like sacreligious or something. The actors tried, but it doesn't work, and they just crashed and burned. The story could have been a bit better, or at least less all over the place. The CAG? Needed way more spunk to command a fighter wing then she had, and the one "tense scene" with another pilot was predictable and flat - you knew she wasn't going to shoot the guy! The starfighters were a kick azz combo of old school design and modern space design, but *nothing* was done with them other then close and long range cockpit shots. David Warner (Gorkon, Cardassian There Are Four Lights, Trek 5's St. John-Talbot) had a showing as an Admiral type, and that was cool and always a pleasure to have him in a film, but he had no character time whatsoever so that was a let down. They had cat warrior species - the Kilrathi, that the Humans were fighting against. Coolness, I got all excited! A few short scenes with them, and they looked like those freaky Egyptian type cats with no hair and the big ears? What the hell!? And then, the Kilrathi starfighters? Long shot CGI focus, no closeups of the fighters. $4.99 is doable. Free would be better.

Mission Brief: The crew has departed the colony world of Avaros. The Agincourt is on a temporary patrol course within the Alpha Quadrant as we await further orders from Fleet Command on our next assigned mission. CourtChatLog09_06_24.txt

Thank you all for the warm B-Day wishes. :-) = = = = = = = - I remember having a rotary phone. - I do recall music records and cassette tapes. - I remember my first VCR. Star Trek 2: Wrath of Khan was our first VHS tape. - I recall where I was (5th Grade, Mrs. Woldarcyk’s class) when the Challenger ripped apart. - My first TV was a 13 inch black and white, and I had to actually change the channel without a remote! Black and white TV. Do they even make black and white TV’s anymore? - 18 year olds at the local Target and Walmart call me “Ma’am”. Ma’am?! - I remember having a manual typewriter, then an electric typewriter. With buttons. And an ink ribbon. And, yes, I know how to type rather then text. - Email rocks out, but I was taught penmanship print and cursive writing. - I had an Atari 2600 and I can and will pwn you at Pacman. Boo yah. - Yes. I did have 1980’s acid washed jeans with the knees ripped out. - I sometimes *do* forget where I parked the car. The emergency horn on the wireless keychain is highly viable in this situation. - 80’s movies are now showing up on American Movie Classics. Talk to me Goose. - I still remember playing with cap guns, and these toys were designed like a real modern firearm. Times change. - He Man, ThunderCats, Transformers and GI Joe ruled the after school and the now defunct Saturday morning cartoon airwaves. - The Smurfs scare me now. Smurfy. Fa La la la la la …… ahhhhh! Get it out of my head! - I still have a bright neon orange tiger striped 80’s bandanna tucked away in a drawer. It’ll come back in style, yeah, that’s it! - I was told by a younger Best Buy employee as I was buying an Xbox game, that he thinks it’s great that there are “older” gamers out there that play First Person Shooters. Aye sonny, that’s me. I just roll on up with my cane, log on, secure the dentures, and start zapping away.

06.24.09 Agincourt Mission Update: TBS: Three Days - It's an easy duty shift cycle as the crew tends to mundane matters such as reports, and general duty shifts. - The Agincourt remains on a temporary patrol route while awaiting new orders. - Engineering enjoys some cinnamon rolls rahter then donuts. CSEC Caine and OPS Collins have a conversation on the quiet bridge. SCI Bat Tay engages in a holo research program. MCapt Matthews finishes up interrogation reports. Colonel Harper is up to her neck in reports. Commander JoNs questions Gunny Sergeant Hefner on the concept of Marine "toyz".

06.17.09 USS Agincourt Mission Brief: The local Starfleet sector patrol has arrived to take custody of Harvey and the other captured terrorists; they will be whisked away for further questioning by the local big shot officers (read: an Admiral) for further details on the so called Soltan affiliation. Was Harvey really telling the truth? Or merely messing with us? Sciences has determined that "something" was done to the equipment at the research center - further questioning of the suspects/terrorists may determine if they were in fact responsible, and what exactly they were hoping to accomplish by shaking up and looting their world. The Agincourt crew now starts the process of breaking down our Planetary Base Camp, finishing up at the Research Center, remanding any suspects over to the local starbase authorities for transport, and getting all personnel and equipment back to the ship. CourtChat09_06_17.txt

06.17.09 Agincourt Update: TBS: 48 Hours - The local Starfleet sector patrol has arrived to take custody of Harvey and the other captured terrorists. They will be further questioned by the local sctor Admiral for further details on the so called Soltan affiliation. Was Harvey really telling the truth? Or merely messing with us? - Sciences has determined that "something" was done to the equipment at the research center. Further questioning of the suspects/terrorists may determine if they were in fact responsible, and what exactly they were hoping to accomplish by shaking up and looting their world. - The Agincourt crew now starts the process of breaking down our Planetary Base Camp, finishing up at the Research Center, remanding any suspects over to the local starbase authorities for transport, and getting all personnel and equipment back to the ship.

Note: the following joint log is set in the Avaros Mirror Universe log plot line, occurring right after the events in “Avaros: In the Combat Zone” (Caine Log) Written by: Lieutenant (sg) C.T. “Junior” Caine and Commander Kansas “Will” JoNs 06.14.09 ISS Agincourt NCC-81762 “Attitude” Caine stepped off the transporter on the ISS Agincourt and gave a curt nod at the tech who had beamed her aboard before stepping out into the corridor. She was covered in battlefield muck and bore a cut freely bleeding under her ear which had been left by the knife of one of the low-grade rebels with whom she had been forced to grapple hand-to-hand. She paid it no attention. The situation planetside was in a better condition than her uniform, and that was the important bit anyway. Most of the rabble-rousers had been stamped out, the rest fleeing into the hills around the city where the chaos had been centered. Caine had done her job; the rest was all cleanup. Quite frankly, she was less enthused about the duty she had to undertake now than she had been at the prospect of close-range ground combat with a bunch of whelps with guns bigger than they knew how to handle. She would have to report in to JoNs -- the first time she had been forced to speak to the Caitian XO since she had come aboard two weeks beforehand. She stepped into a turbolift which sent her in the direction of JoNs's office, located within the depths of the Marine NNC command center, and then stepped off and approached the door, pinging the chime with an impatient flick of the wrist. A muffled "Enter!" was called out from the interior confines of the executive officers private office, the purred voice muffled by the separation bulkhead and entrance door, but the tone clear and business like. The doors slid open and Caine stepped through, her grey eyes scanning the room with practiced efficiency for threat or surprise before lighting silently on JoNs waiting inside. The feline XO's office was a typical layout design for the Imperial Starfleet: dark gray decking, lighter silver bulkheads, standard issue desk of the same type of material and coloring. There were a few personal items strewn about the office though, to where the area could be considered somewhat of a home: a medium sized woven Caitian wall hanging was affixed to a side bulkhead, the bright tribal colors interwoven throughout the item in contrast to the sterile functional design of the area. Two of the shelves held a few items from the Caitians travels in her career. The bulkhead wall behind the desk sported a smaller sized view screen for any in office debriefing sessions, with a sword and dagger set affixed to the bulkhead just above the viewer. Commander JoNs sat in the desk chair, one furred forearm resting on the desk while she read a few report updates regarding the current Avarosian surface situation; the felinoid officer did not acknowledge the senior security Lieutenant right away, and finished reading the report on her personal desktop computer screen before turning her attention to the Vulcan female. A thick golden paw flipped the flat screen monitor off with the touch of the keyboard inset on the surface of the desk. "You have a report to make to me Lieutenant Caine?" JoNs's green eyes were intent on the Vulcan, and they held a minor glint of intention. Caine inclined her head slowly, meeting the firm gaze with a cold unblinking one of her own. "Situation is stable planetside; the insurgents have been routed from their tactical strongholds and the last of them are being hunted down individually." In contrast to the Vulcan officers bedraggled appearance, Kansas had cleaned up after her stint planet side. She wore her typical command red sleevless uniform tunic and black trousers, the neck wound she had received had been cleaned and bandaged, and she wore her ever present scuffed and silver toned weapons utility belt. The feline leaned back in her desk chair, steepling her paws. Her outward easygoing body language did not telegraph her mental state or her intentions. "Good and well done Caine. I know from firsthand experience that the security snipers you assigned to the detachment team performed above and beyond the call of duty. You chose well." Caine couldn't resist a slight cool smile. "There was never any question of that, sir." Which was of course not true, but Caine would rather have shot herself than admitted to the Cait that there had ever been any uncertainty to her tactical decisions. Not only would it have been galling, but with the currently unstable nature of her new authority here, it could have been actively dangerous. JoNs had not offered the Lieutenant a seat, and now the golden furred Cait removed herself from her seat and amiably walked around the desk to perch her rear end on the edge of the desk, crossing her arms across her chest as she continued speaking to Caine in a neutral, command officer tone. "In addition, I see by your Avaros ground reports that the dirt side teams performed admirably as well." Caine nodded again, feeling herself tensing in proportion to the neutral affability which JoNs was displaying. "I could find nothing to fault in the teams which I have received to work with." Except a certain lingering loyalty to you on some accounts... she added silently. But they will learn. A tail swish from JoNs. "Now, we move onward to the more unpleasant aspects of this most recent ground skirmish that your department engaged in." The felinoid cocked her head to one side, and her green eyes took on a glint of hardness. Unpleasant...sir?" Caine asked. She honestly wasn't sure what exactly JoNs might be leading up to but the look in the Cait's eyes was suddenly a little worrisome. Caine's bearing stiffened even further. The leonine feline uncrossed her arms and in one easy motion unholstered her sawed off plasma shotgun from its sheath, worn low on her leg; she laid the weapon down on the desk, off to her side and to set directly in front of Caine. "You familiar with ballistic energy weapons at all Caine?" She made a pointed gesture with a paw at the prone short barreled shotgun. The weapon in question was about forty years old, give or take a couple years. It had started out its inanimate life as a Falcon Centauri GX model, and still maintained the same basic design lines, but over the intervening years the shotgun had been tweaked and updated and soldered into a custom sidearm. Caine's eyes flicked down from Kansas's face to the stocky weapon and back up to its owner. "There are few weapons I can't turn to my use with minimal difficulty," she allowed cautiously. "Ballistics such as that included." "That shotgun has been in my family for well over thirty plus years. Do you know why it is still in working condition Mister Caine?" Caine said nothing. If there was a point to this, JoNs would no doubt get to it just as well without the half-Vulcan CSEC paying her lip service. The Caitian took her silence as an invitation to continue with her litany. "The weapon item is still useable because it has been properly maintained with the proper cleaning and upkeep procedures. Procedures do have their uses, correct Lieutenant Caine?" Caine had a feeling that she knew where this was going now, and she didn't like it. She nodded almost imperceptibly, acknowledging the point but still saying nothing. Let the cat blow the wind out of her system if she had to. "So, this brings me to my next question, Lieutenant," at this, Kansas's eyes went piercing, and her ears flew back in displeasure, "If maintaining procedure is so important, then why is it that you ordered a change up in the tactical procedures about halfway through the Avaros warehouse property engagement ... without clearing with or informing the command team or the bridge of your intent. I understand the need for on the fly decisions, mind, but some word would have been, oh I don't know ... nice?" Caine found herself taking a cold pleasure in the annoyed expression on the XO's face. "I assure you, Commander, I was quite busy enough without...courtesy calls. You see me now with the first five-minute stretch altogether where I wasn't shouting orders since ten o'clock last night." Her tone was absolutely steady, intended to hopefully irritate the XO, in whom Caine could read thoroughly emotional exasperation. Kansas had by now moved from her perch on the desk to slowly pace about Caine where the Vulcan woman stood at parade rest; the office of the Caitian exec was just big enough for the Commander to do the lurking vulture pace quite effectively as an intimidation factor, and she moved in just close enough for her fur to brush up against Caine’s uniform. When the feline senior officer was standing directly behind the Vulcan woman, she stood on her tippy paws in order to be able to speak in a whisper at a pointed Vulcanoid ear. "You didn't report in on the change in the tactical appraisals. That's not the way we do things here El Tee." Caine, with her expression now hidden from JoNs's view, was free to give reign to a grimace of frustration at the dramatics. "The situation was such that taking the time to do so might have cost us the position I wanted. I apologize if the lack of communication pricked your ego," she said, allowing a tinge of impatience into her voice. The commander zoomed back around to stand in front of the Vulcan chief of security, both her movements and feline expressions taking on a predatory lilt now. "Yes. Ego. The ego can be one officer’s downfall and another officer’s promotion, don't you agree?" The tail had started to steadily swish back and forth with the Caits minor level of annoyance at the female security officer’s minor breach in established 'Court protocol. "You know Caine, our commanding officer gets real tetchy at these sorts of issues ... I should know. Perhaps I should just forward your case onto her, hmmmm?" "Perhaps -- and be sure to explain to her why you feel the need to bother her with a request for discipline for an officer doing her job..." Caine growled. "I've known commanding officers to get...tetchy...at that sort of thing as well." "Well, fortunately, we can handle this little matter privately here Lieutenant. You could have reported in, or called for one of the marine communications officers on the ground detail to make the on the fly report ...." Kansas began to fiddle with the Agonizer badge affixed to the left chest area of Caines uniform, set just below the shoulder. "I could. I did not. I have explained my reasons," Caine replied. It took a great deal of practiced effort to make no response to the soft touch of the paw against her upper chest. The punishment would come anyway -- JoNs had decided that before Caine had even entered the room. Caine refused to give her the satisfaction of cowering for her. "Punish me for my success, Commander, please, if that is what a Cait qualifies as...good procedure..." The last word came out in a hiss. The Commander continued to fiddle with the badge device, her claws flicking the disciplinary conveyance while her chin jutted out to a blatantly defiant angle of one who had made a decision. "Actually, this whole meeting depended on you, Lieutenant Caine, your attitude, the way you handled yourself with me. Procedure is all well and good, and it needs to be maintained. But, I'm not a complete jackass - and no, you may not comment on that - and I realize that at times, skirmishes leave very little room for doing anything else other then trying to get your butt out of the line of fire .... you however, Mister Caine, are in due need of a check in reality as to this current assignment and what we expect of you here - check in next time. Hell, send a carrier pigeon." Her paw slammed down on the Agonizer. Caine's body spasmed as pain blossomed from the badge all over her torso, down her legs, up her neck, every nerve ending screaming as if it had a lit match pressed to it. Her jaw clenched and she tried to hold in a reaction but a roar of agony fought its way up her throat and out into the air emerging as a strangled groan. She staggered, her weight half-held for a moment by JoNs's arm pressed against her chest. Kansas recognized the Agonizer as a necessary evil for maintaining discipline at times. On average though, the Caitian did not go about blitzing crew left and right - it just was not in her nature. She pressed her paw to the device for a few short seconds, her muzzle twisted into a distasteful expression at one of the more unpleasant aspects of her duties. Then, as quickly as the event occurred, she dropped her paw from the badge device. Caine released an involuntary gasp as the pain suddenly ceased, and she made a rather pathetic attempt to regain her dignity. Her chest heaving, she brought her eyes up towards JoNs's. Caine, unlike the XO, had only the highest respect for the Agonizer as a disciplinary tool, but there was a whole world of difference between using it on a subordinate and having it used on herself. The former was useful, the latter humiliating, and the Vulcan lieutenant did not enjoy humiliation, especially not at the hands of a Cait. But JoNs had made quite a point, though not the one she had intended to make. It would take far more power than the Caitian officer wielded in her whole body to make Caine truly respect her authority in any way other than the one obligated by the uniform she wore. However, it was clear that she had allowed too much of that to come through in her bearing, too much of her dislike to influence her actions. Sooner or later she would be allowed to put the Cat in her place, but she had placed herself in danger of receiving professional degradation in pursuit of it. That would not do. Patience was needed here as well as blunt vindictiveness. Caine could do patience. "Understood..." she said coolly, when her breathing had slowed enough for her to do so. "Anything further...Commander?" JoNs fixed the senior Lieutenant with a flat look, yet her eyes danced with the hard aggression common to an officer following the command track. It wasn’t all about reports and looking pretty in the uniform. “Just get yourself cleaned up and those wounds tended to Lieutenant and back to your post. Dismissed.”

- Random Support SEC NPC Listing removed. - Main SEC NPC listing with descriptions/belonging to a Player remains, as well as the Killed in Action listing for those unfortunate Gold/Red Shirt NPCs who got nailed by unknown forces or that random explosion and such. G'Day. - List will continue to be updated.

DeForest Kelley rocks out. Regarding the Thursday Acads, Mr. Kelley lives on in spirit so to speak, or at least the attempt is there to pay a little simming tribute to the man: The regular ship is the USS Greenleaf. Greenleaf is the name of either the home itself or the neighborhood/street that Kelley shared with his wife for the last 30 years or so of their lives together. The Runabout DeForest Kelley, attached to the Greenleaf, also makes regular appearances. Thanks for the link Doc Matthews! Nice to see that he's remembered.

The miniskirt issue updated for 2009 on Zoe Saldana (thankfully I also spotted a female crewmember in quick scene on Enterprise wearing the trousers and the tunic - going back to "The Cage" roots, which is awesome - as a bunch of crew ran out of a section) I can still handle, but the sleeveless female uniform is not practical at all ... unless it's the Mirror Universe. w00t!! As for the lack of Golden Girls - might have a ray of light here. There was a woman wearing thick eyelashes, who I *think* was handling the Vulcan transports prior to Chekhov taking over? It was a very quick glimpse, but I do believe she is supposed to be an older crewmember. I know I was happy to see a silver haired gentlemen doing some bridge time. Captain Pike aside, the ship can't all be about cadets. You gotta have varying aged and experience crewmembers hopping around for any sense of maritime realism, let alone to balance out the 17 year old Chekhov advanced cadet placement/whiz kid thing.

::conditional trigger flashback to that one college literature/philosophy course and ohmyGod, make it stop::

Contrasting to Jorahl's opinion here: I recommend the pre-Trek 2009 IDW Countdown comic to anyone interested in getting a little non canon backstory regarding the movie and our friendly neighborhood Romulans. ** Some Countdown Spoilers ** You base this Countdown opinion on a summary and a glimpse of the artwork? The story isn't all deep and stuff, but it isn't exactly horrible either. I will agree about characters showing up just to be there though; jeez, it's always the Next Generation! As for the Countdown comic containing the V forehead ridges based on the concept art stuff, I have no idea: I'd have to give the actual comic the once over again for any other "background support cast" that have the V ridges, but I do not recall any fore ridges popping off the pages at me. One panel scene that I have immediate recall on (dealing with the Rihan Council) showed a dark skinned Rihan in the forefront who decidedly had no Next Gen forehead V. Most of the IDW Rihan comics out or coming out now - that I've checked out - seem to deal excusively with the non V ridge Rihans from old school Classic Trek. I just picked up a one shot species spotlight on the Romulans, and the crew is full on non forehead ridge. I guess what it comes down to is that I myself prefer the Classic Trek Incarnation of the Rihans, and having Nero and crew in the movie with no fore ridges (and faction/facial tattoos to boot) was kick azz, so the current IDW trend is welcome.

06.10.09 USS Agincourt Mission Brief: The planet of Avaros continues to have multiple aftershocks in the wake of the initial earthquakes, and our search and rescue and assessment teams are still working planetside to get things under control. Science teams continue to deal with the frazzled research center scientists, and speculation may be that the research equipment was compromised in some way, leading to the quakes. A local ruffian is in custody at the 'Court base camp, and a squad of Marines track some suspects who may be more then looters. The whisper of Soltan is on the air as well. CourtChat_Log09_06_10.txt