Cptn Moose

The USS Arcadia is still in Romulan space, methodically following the last reported course of the Federation's Delegation to Paktar. Did the Ambassador really follow this course through the Star Empire? Or is the ship being led down one more Romulan trap? Cptn Moose USS Arcadia, NCC-1742-E

It had been 36 hours since they began their journey, searching for signs of the Delegation through Romulan space. It already felt like an eternity. Who traveled at warp one, wondered Christopher Moose? No one, he thought, other than an unmanned ore freighter or an occasional rogue satellite. He wondered if Ambassador Moose had felt the same anxiety. Moose had been skeptical from the first moment Lt. Bailey had shared his findings. Bailey had been working on the data reconstruction team that had been searching for information about the squids amongst the ruins of the Saulk Observatory's data core. Instead, he found an encrypted message describing the path they were currently taking. It claimed that the Federation Delegation to Paktar had not followed a conventional flight path, but instead was sneaking through Romulan space, seeking an abandoned transwarp conduit leading directly to Coalition space. It sounded preposterous, truly. But as he stood at the window of the observation room ... as the stars stubbornly refused to rush by the window any faster ... as only the vibration of the deck plates betrayed any sense of warp movement at all, Moose had no doubt that his other self had taken this same journey once before. He wondered if Zephram Cochrane had even imagined someone thinking warp travel was too slow. But fools errand or not, the journey and its slowness bought them time. They were given rare dispensation to conduct this investigation, and they needed every second they could drag out of it. Because once it was over, they either had to hand Dacotah back to the Romulans, or choose to abscond with her and shatter the peace that they had fought so fiercely to establish. Hayden couldn't go back to the Romulans. She had undergone the surgery to restore her former appearance, and he were allowing her to resume some of her former duties. She could visually resume her former life. But a piece of her mind was still Romulan; was still emotionally tied to her abductor. Until she could let it go, she was still one of them. There was no telling what she would do if he tried to cross the border back to Federation space. He gazed out the window and picked out the Romulan star. In his mind, he could see Romulus slowly moving in its orbit, with Remus following exactly opposite. The duality of the system served as an uncomfortable metaphor. Like Remus, the Arcadia was in the shadow of ch'Rihan. Two Dacotahs tried to become one, while one Moose slowly drifted in search of his other self. Other self ... he pondered those words. Grammar failed him in regards to Ambassador Moose, which was not surprising given the circumstances. Once there was one, suddenly there were two. They weren't brothers, but they weren't the same person either. Language failed to describe the relationship. The only other people Moose knew who had been permanently split by a transporter where his cousins Bill and Tom, and the four of them collectively were not a large enough concern to create an entirely new tense in Federation grammar. It had never been an issue before. After the split, the two Mooses had gone on to different lives. Their paths had rarely crossed. And even though the Ambassador had once been Captain of the Arcadia, they had never been there at the same time. The crew who had served with him had adapted to the notion that their new Captain looked like the man but was another person. But now, Moose followed the Ambassadors path, like Remus following behind Romulus. He wondered what calamity would be caused if the two orbits ever collided. Cptn Moose USS Arcadia, NCC-1742-E

Well, of course they are ... it's called satire. Somewhere else on these boards is a discussion on whether someone should be making a video spoofing Martha Stewart and everyone's saying, "Go for it!" Should all the homemakers and multi-millionaire entrepeneurs get upset? Sure, let them cry all the way to the bank. I rarely watch sports on T.V., so the only reason I know about the chest painting custom is from seeing it spoofed on TV commercials. And those make these people seem pretty stupid too. Lighten up and laugh everyone. : ) Chuckles the Moose

Great log, ensign. Welcome aboard again.

Captain's Log, Stardate 10404.14 The universe has a theory of relativity to which everything is bound: e = mc squared. Basically, the Energy you expound is rewarded by Marginal gains and twice as much Calamity. The Arcadia has been beaten to a pulp; the damage is extensive and will note be easily fixed. And although we were successful in defeating the alien squids, we did not so much avert a war as postpone one. The Romulans, embarrassed by their need for our assistance, have agreed to put bygones aside ... for now. As an added bonus, we were given two apparent prizes. First, we've been granted safe passage to investigate the last confirmed location of the Delegation to Paktar. This is an unprecedented opportunity to Validate Lt. Baily's data first hand, and to determine if the Ambassador and the Delegation are even still alive. Next, Cdr Dactoah has been returned to us. She has been surgically altered to appear as a Romulan. Her mind has been altered as well. She believes herself to be a servant named H'Dan, and she appears to be loyal to the Star Empire. But she is back with us for now and this gives us the opportunity to break her conditioning. But even these gains have the potential for enormous calamity. Although more brutal and paranoid than most, Khre Riov t'Rexan is still a Romulan. And she will not sit idly by while I outmaneuver her in her backyard. The Delegation vanished very close to Romulus, and "safe passage" or not, we will not be allowed to linger. Yet if we can't reverse Dacotah's brain washing before we're forced to leave, we will either have to return her to the Romulans or take her home with us against her will. For all appearances, this will be a kidnapping. Our assistance against the squids will be forgotten as the full force of the Romulan Empire is unleashed to protect one of its citizens against the barbaric Lloann'na. We are only one half step ahead of them, and I keep waiting for our parachute to turn into an anvil as it always did in those animated Earth films. But in spite of the danger, we must pursue both opportunities. Hopefully both prizes with be worth the calamity. Cptn Moose USS Arcadia, NCC-1742-E

Captain's Log, Stardate 10403.16 Lt. Sam Bailey looked back at Captain Moose as the man stared him down. It had been a long time since he had seen that look. Not since the Arcadia-D actually, and, well, the other Captain Moose. Bailey had served as a Communications Officer for a long time with this crew, and remembered how fierce the man who became Ambassador Moose had been. The current Captain Moose had been softer, more patient. Until recently, that is. This encounter with the Romulans had not sat well with him, and Bailey saw traces of the other Moose that this one had kept well hidden until now. "Are you certain?" Moose asked the Lt. "Are you willing to bet your life on your findings? Because that's what you're doing. Not only your life, but the lives of everyone on this ship and possibly the Federation itself. Not to put any pressure on you ..." Moose was unwavering in his attention, and was silently impressed with how well Sam withstood the pressure. "I am absolutely certain, Captain." Sam spoke slowly and deliberately. "The voice print of the message matched that of Hayden Dacotah. It was too small a sample to match 100%, so we analyzed the carrier wave itself. It was created by an interphase generator, which are primarily used on Romulan vessels. And it originated from the Romulan Neutral Zone. The message was short, but clear. It said, 'This is a distress call.' " Lt. Bailey paused for breath. "Yes, Captain. I will bet my life that I am reporting the facts to you accurately." Moose didn't waste any time as he tapped his badge. "Bridge, this is the Captain. Go to red alert. Helm, set a course for the source of that transmission. Maximum warp." His body surprisingly relaxed. The hard part was over. The decision had been made. Now all there was left to do was deal with the consequences. "You did a good job, Sam." he said to the Lt. who was nowhere near as relaxed as he. "Thank you sir." Lt. Bailey remained at attention. "Is there something else?" asked Moose. "Well, Captain. This probably isn't the time, but there is another matter I've been waiting to report to you. It concerns the Saulk Observatory." Moose sat down behind his desk. The obervatory had been tracking the squids on their way to Federation space. As far as anyone could tell, the squids had destroyed it. Everyone on board had died. "Go ahead," said Moose. "Well, sir. When Ambassador Moose first left the system, Yeoman Bleeth and I had set up emergency communications parameters in case the Delegation to Paktar needed to contact us without the Coalition knowing about it. This emergency system was used by the Ambassador to request legal guardianship of David Quest, the Lt. Colonel's cousin, who had stowed away on the mission." "I know who David Quest is, thank you Sam." "I'm sorry, sir. I'm so used to reminding myself that you're not him ... I forgot." "No offense taken. What does David have to do with the Saulk Observatory?" Sam closed his eyes for a moment to regain his composure. He felt stupid, especially after having held it together through the previous interrogation, only to blow it over this. Moose sensed some of this from the look on Sam's face. His own composure having returned, Moose remembered his manners. "At ease, Sam," he said. "Sit down." "Thank you sir," said Bailey taking the seat. "I've been working alot with Cdr. Lo'Ami on the Saulk data crystals, trying to recover their contents. And I noticed a strange pattern redundancy in one of thier data banks. It seemed familiar somehow, and I found myself dwelling on it more and more. Finally, I went through my old files and realized why I'd recognized it. It was Yeoman Bleeth's communications pattern." "You recognized her communications pattern?" "Yeoman Bleeth was a genius, sir. You never forget genius." "I guess not," shrugged Moose. He had only met Yasmine Bleeth briefly. It was not her genius that made her memorable. "The message we reveived originally had been incomplete and garbled. We were barely able to piece enough together to decode their orders about David. Well, the Saulk Observatory monitored the Neutral Zone, and they had picked up the same message. They stored parts of the message that we had never received. I don't think they even realized what they had, but I was able to decode some of their data using Yasmine's encryption key." "Why would the Saulk Observatory have received the message? They were focused on the Romulan Neutral Zone. Were the Romulans spying on the Delegation?" Moose wasn't sure he liked the sound of this. "No sir. The message had originated from Romulan Space. From what I've been able to piece together, the Coalition ship carrying Ambassador Moose tried to take a short cut. I'm still missing the part of the message that explains why. Their ship was damaged near Romulus and they dropped to warp 1 to avoid detection. They were planning to enter an abandoned Borg conduit to complete the journey to Paktar. That's all I know. They seemed to be dumping the Ambassador's logs like we do when we think a ship might not survive." "I see," said Moose. "And did the ship survive?" "I don't know sir. The Saulk data was damaged, and since they didn't know what they had, it was also mis-categorized. I think I have it's point of origin, and their course. I could interpolate where they were heading. But the data is unreliable. I'm just guessing, sir." "Your worst guesses are usually pretty accurate, Sam. Transfer what you have up to the bridge. We'll attend to it after we get Commander Dacotah back." Moose thanked Sam, and turned to watch the starts shoot past. After all those months of silence, the Delegation to Paktar might not even be alive? Then were all those games from the Coalition Ambassador simply to disguise the fact the our Delegation no longer existed? And again it's the Romulans ... first Hayden and now the Ambassador. Anyone who came near them simply disappeared, missing in action ... presumed to be dead. He shook that thought out of his head. It was just a coincidence, not a conspiracy. Connecting the two events would only serve to make him emotional and unstable. The crew needed better from him now. Whether the distress call was actually from Hayden or not was irrelivant. It was clearly an invitation; one that couldn't be refused. If the Talon was truly in distress, then it's likely that the squids turned against them. If not, then they were setting up the Arcadia for an ambush. Either way, someone was going to try and take a chunk out fo the ship within the next few hours. "Bring 'em on," he thought grimly, as the stars sped past. "Bring 'em on." Cptn Moose USS Arcadia, NCC-1742-E

Affairs of State, Stardate 10402.24 Benai Tickva slowed his heartbeat by another 50 milliseconds and immediately felt the tension fade from his body. It felt odd, being tense. He hadn't experienced that sensation in years. But the universe was moving too slowly for his tastes, and his body was expressing his displeasure. He knew it was just a perception issue. Tickva was Benai Prime, after all, and had mastered the skills required of his station. Time never flew for Tickva, it progressed methodically, second by second, always at the same pace. But he was still moments away from the proper alignment of the celestial bodies that would open a communication channel with his Department Chair, and those moments were creeping by with an alarming lack of speed. His respiration was also slowed. Adrenaline production had stopped completely. This was so he could stay focused on his work. The celestial window of opportunity for the broadcast was small and they had a large agenda to cover. But that fact shouldn't be irritating him. Coalition Rules of Order had allowed them to cover much more ground in the past, and he knew better than to fret something so monumentally beyond his control as planetary orbits. Perhaps he was absorbing the tensions of the technicians operating the broadcasting equipment? The Paktaran attaches were far more skittish than any race previously assigned to him. They were physically enough like the humans, that it was felt their presence would be reassuring to the Federation. But the Paktarans weren't ready for interstellar contact. They were so afraid of Tickva that the mere threat of his punishments kept them in line. Tickva rarely had to actually punish any of them, other than for show. He increased his respiration and took a deep breath. He could smell their sweat; taste their pheromones. Satisfied he had found the source of his unease, he turned off his sense of smell completely and slowed his breathing down again. Ping. It was time. Contact had been established. Benai Tickva opened his eyes and found that he had been broadcast to a wood paneled antechamber. The room was stately and serene; not overly ornate but authoritative. He had never been here before. It certainly was not his Department Chair's office. But a woman greeted him before he could wonder if he had been broadcast to the wrong location. "Welcome Benai Tickva," she said. "We have been awaiting your arrival. Please follow me." Her tone was pleasant and formal, but it was clear that she held a position of authority outside his sphere of influence. Her heartbeat was strong and regular, almost sedate. She was hiding no deceptions, he thought. Nor is she intimidated by his presence. He allowed her to lead him away. They entered a darkened meeting room, where bright lights shone down upon a raised, horseshoe shaped conference table. Had he been physically present, Tickva would have been able to identify the nine figures seated around the table, down to their age, sex, and species. But he had been broadcast to the meeting, and the environment seemed specifically designed to mute his perceptions. Even with muddled senses, Tickva knew instantly where he was. He had been summoned before the Coalition Counsel. He instantly refused to allow his mind to dwell on the magnitude of this honor, and focused his concentration instead on preparing for this impromptu presentation. "Mr. Chairman," said an unidentifiable male voice sitting on the left edge of the horseshoe. "It appears that our Ambassador to the Federation has arrived. I move that we table our current discussion and move to topic 15 on the agenda." "Discussion?" asked the Chair. His voice was deep and measured; completely controlled. The Chair sounded impartial, but Tickva had no doubt that his opinions were effectively communicated to all. "The Attache on Paktar assigned to the Federation's Delegation is not present," said a female voice. She sounded Gaeic to Tickva, who resolved to stop making observations like that. They were futile. He clearly couldn't trust his senses in the Council meeting room. "Is her presence necessary?" asked the first voice again. "If I may address the Council, Mr. Chairman?" This voice Tickva recognized. It belonged to Prime Varden, the Benai who had been assigned as the primary point of contact with Ambassador Moose. "Because of her prior ties to the Federation, I'm not certain that our Attache is in full support of this project. I felt it best to exclude her from this meeting." "Prime Varden, you have overstepped your authority," said the Chairman. "But you have done so wisely in this case. However, if your Attache cannot fully align herself to the Coalition agenda, she will have to be neutralized. Submit a suitable timetable and action plan to the Secretary before our next meeting." "Yes, Mr. Chairman." "There is a motion on the floor. Does anyone wish to oppose?" The silence was brief, but of the perfect duration. "Motion carried unanimously. We proceed to Item 15. Prime Tickva, you have been asked here today to report on your interviews with the two Federation women. Please proceed." "Thank you, Mr. Chairman." Tickva stepped forward, more to give himself an extra second to prepare than to be heard. But something stopped him. An unseen force prevented him from coming within nine meters of the conference table. Not only could they scramble his perceptions, but they could limit the movement of his broadcast avatar. Tickva had never experienced anything like this before, and it took all his skills to hide his surprise from the Council. "As requested, I allowed a meeting to be arranged between our Embassy and Hayden Dacotah, First Officer of the USS Arcadia. She brought Kelly Quest, a former associate of Ambassador Moose with her. It was immediately apparent that Dacotah is truly a doppleganger for Rowan Midori of Axaia. However, the resemblance is only superficial. Her molecular physiology is completely unique from any human species cataloged so far. She may not be one of the humans, although she chooses to walk amongst the other lifeforms undetected. Her vital signs were barely detectable, so any information I learned had to be inferred solely from her verbal responses." "Then she will not be able to replace Midori's in her role in Proposal PL-038?" It was the Gaein woman who asked the question. "No, Councilwoman. Her presence will inspire confusion only, but that is her only foreseeable purpose." "We will form our own conclusions, Benai Tickva." The Chairman scolded him just as he had Benai Varden. But like Varden, Tickva was Benai Prime. He was trained to control his reactions, and he suspected the Chairman's tone was simply to test that training. "What else did you learn from your meeting?" "Unlike the Ambassador, Captain Moose is not discorporating. His First Officer was surprised to learn of the Ambassador's condition, but showed no curiosity towards the process. The concept of a person's molecules loosing their cohesion was not new to her. Nor did she offer any suggestions on how we might help the Ambassador. Her responses confirmed our intelligence report; Captain Moose had at one time begun to discorporate. His condition was reversed due to alien intervention. They have no idea how this was done." "Your deductions sound logical," said the Chairman. "Now tell us about Kelly Quest." "Molecular scans of the subject confirmed that she is the biological mother of Ambassador Moose's ward, David. The boy's father is dead, and unfortunately, there are no remains to exhume. More invasive tests will be required to determine if the boy's psionic resilience to flux travel was a natural trait passed on from her, or a mutation caused by the pairing of those two individuals." "Test such as you propose cannot be conducted in Federation territory. She must be brought to us," said the Chairman. "The Arcadia must enter Coalition space." "They asked to be allowed across our borders, but I explained that we will not allow passage as long as the Felinian conflict is taking place. Regardless, they will arrive at Paktar long before planetary alignments allow me to broadcast here again." "How can you be certain?" asked the Chairman. "I have seen to it," answered Benai Tickva, firmly and confidently. The room went silent as the Council scrutinized Tickva. Finally the Chairman broke the silence. "Very well," he said. "Let us resume discussion of Item 8 of today's agenda ..." The Chairman banged his gavel sharply and Tickva blinked, just for a moment. But a moment was all it took to break the spell. He was back in Federation space. The broadcast had terminated. Finally, he could relax his control and take in all that had happened. He had appeared before the Coalition Counsel. His counterpart, Benai Vardon, had spent his whole career trying to arrange such an audience, and here, Tickva had one thrust suddenly upon him. He had no idea that the affairs of his ambassadorship in this technological wasteland held so much importance to the Coalition. Tickva always performed his duties to the best of his abilities, which were considerable, because this is what he did. But now he held a conviction that had previously been missing. He was a Benai Prime of the Coalition, and he had been entrusted with matters vital to the Coalition Council. He had trained his entire life for the moment when he could make the contribution that only he could make. That moment was now, and he was determined to execute his duties flawlessly. The Arcadia would travel to Paktar. He had seen to it. Cptn Moose USS Arcadia, NCC-1742-E

Mission Brief, Stardate 10404.14 The Arcadia is still deep in Romulan space, where the defeat of the alien squids has earned the crew several favors. First, the Arcadia has been granted safe passage to investigate the course used by the Coalition ship to take Ambassador Moose and the Delegation to Paktar, even though it is amazingly close to Romulus itself (if you haven't read the Delegation to Paktar folder on the message boards, now is the time). Second, Cdr Dacotah has been returned. She is brainwashed, still believing herself to be the Romulan servant H'Dan, and is only on board to guarantee proper conduct by the Arcadia. Although Khre Riov t'Rexan understands that Moose has no intention of returning her, the posibility remains that someone will come to retrieve her. The Arcadia must conclude it's investigation and help Cdr Dacotah to regain her senses, before they outstay their welcome. Cptn Moose USS Arcadia, NCC-1742-E Note to the new players: we have been outside of Federation space for quite some time. Just magic edit yourself aboard and we'll assume you've been there since the mission began.

IF TUESDAY, APRIL 13TH, IS YOUR BIRTHDAY Most things will come easily to you this year, but because Mercury, planet of the mind, is moving retrograde on your birthday, there will be times when you lose sight of the overall goal. The important thing is that you keep moving and keep striving, even if you sometimes move in the wrong direction or strive for the wrong reasons. All action is good action. Horoscope courtesy of Sally Brompton, www.nypost.com Happy birthday Ayers. You brought her, you Ridire. ;-) Moose

Please join me in offering congratulations to Aaron Westler who graduated the Starfleet Academy on Sunday Evening at 11 pm. Ensign, may you have an eventfull career in space. Cptn Moose

The Sunday Night Starfleet Academy will be held as scheduled at 11 pm Est, Sunday, April 11, in spite of the fact that this is Easter Sunday. There are only so many marshmallow peeps you can eat without having some activity to help burn them off, so strap on your tricorders and help us right the wrongs in the galaxy. 11 pm Est in the Holodeck chatroom right here at stsf.net. All are welcome to attend. Cptn Moose

So YOU'RE the goddess of revenge? I thought you were a boy?

IF APRIL 7 IS YOUR BIRTHDAY: Big advances this year expand your mind first and your life second. This month, be the sparkling personality you've been hiding. If others can't handle the competition, that's their problem. A new job comes in May, and new love follows soon after. Family ties grow closer through June travel. A real estate purchase is a winner in September. Your lucky numbers are 40, 36, 22, 19, 28 and 5. Happy Birthday Vex.

Mission Brief, Stardate 10404.07 The squids have been defeated, at great cost to both the USS Arcadia, and the RES Talon. And although the crew of the Talon appears grateful for the Federation assistance, the ship is still heavily damaged and floating in Romulan space. The Arcadia must effect repairs and depart before the Star Empire chooses to overrule the Talon's protection. But there are still some loose ends to tie up and prisoners to exchange ... Cptn Moose USS Arcadia, NCC-1742-E

Well, there are several things that make up a good villian. The first is the idea that they're powerful and can't be stopped. I think that's what made Kahn such a wonderful character. Up until the last moment, you truly thought he was going to win. The same holds true for the Borg. They weren't defeated the first time we saw them, Q took the Enterprise-D away. And all through both episodes of "Best of Both Worlds", you had no idea how they were going to be stopped. Unfortunately, once they were stopped, they lost that edge. The only time since that they regained it was in the "Enterprise" episode where Archer and crew persued them. We knew they NX-01 couldn't stop them, so the questions turned back into "How will our heroes survive this?" The other thing that makes an excellent villian is the idea that you can't predict their behavior. Just being in their presense is dangerous because you don't know what to expect. The one I liked the best for this, that people seem to overlook, was Weyoun the Vorta from DS9. Most of the others are fairly stock characters whose demise is forseeable and predicable.

If today is your birthday: A to-do list will be vital this year if you don't want to get sidetracked about what you want to accomplish. Recognizing that confusion may set in, you should be able to counteract underachieving by putting that wonderful imagination and creative talent to work. Your numbers are 2, 17, 26, 29, 37, 45 Birthday Baby: You are very intelligent but sometimes lack the confidence to follow your dreams. You are critical of your abilities and often hold back, waiting for perfection. You are a cut above and you must recognize what you have to offer. BORN ON THIS DAY: Jamie Lynn Spears, Nancy McKeon, Robert Downey Jr., Craig T. Nelson Happy birthday, Precip. Horoscope courtesy of Eugenia Last on www.canoe.ca

I thoroughly agree with Vex on this point, even if it's wandering a bit off point (Sorry Krax, but this is a fun topic too : ) ) The core to drama has always been a charcter's struggle to overcome their weakness. Omnipotent characters are a drag. No guts, no glory they say ... but also no danger, no excitement. Sorry folks, but strife is good for business. Omnipotent species who enter one of my games will at some point find their powers restricted or removed, not as punishment but just for the drama. Over time, they may get them back, or new traits will emerge. But no one gets to play Superman for too long. N'Dak talked about using Jaruq as a transmitter. Once that story ended, his character was ordered into therapy to learn how to reign in an out of control psychic ability. Did he know his ability was 'out of control'? No ... but there was the point of drama in that story. When I was an ensign, telepathic characters were everwhere. So I made Moose into a "psycho-phobe" and made him paranoid about telepaths. When that path was explored to death, I exposed Moose to a "psionic amplifier" which turned him into a telepath. He then had to deal not only with the imposing ability, but the disgust of what he'd become and the shame from actually liking it. It was a fun time. Vex is right. Design your weaknesses, not your strengths.

IF APRIL 3 IS YOUR BIRTHDAY: Actor Alec Baldwin (born 1958) shares your birthday. Quite often, you are at the center of things whether you intend to be or not. This is because you approach everything with passion and dedication. You are independent, intuitive and capable of working on your own. You always listen to your inner voice. Work hard in the year ahead. You will not regret it. Horoscope courtesy of Georgia Nicols at www.suntime.com Happy Birthday Trichon.

Either that, or cats have better lobbiests. P.S. Good job Ki'rok

IF APRIL 1 IS YOUR BIRTHDAY: You're looking and feeling fabulous this year. Keep taking excellent care of yourself, and you'll get the benefit of renewed energy. There's so much more to give to your family and friends now than before. Exotic travel in August cements a new goal. For those on the marriage track, it all comes together in September. Lucky love signs are Virgo and Gemini. Your lucky numbers are 2, 30, 41, 16 and 28. Horoscope courtesy of Joyce Jillson at www.suntimes.com Happy Birthday Travis

Your birthday is today. You are an Aries: (Your lucky number is 6) You may become frustrated as you try to help co-workers learn new work methods now. New technology may be frustrating to some, but you could help speed up the learning process. Emotional understanding of others helps to assuage frustrations. As your personal expression carries a more forceful influence now, it's a good time to assert leadership. You can help others to develop a more positive attitude. Your thoughts and moods are positive and others enjoy bathing in your positive glow. Improved physical fitness can increase your vitality and you make plans in this direction. This afternoon's celebrations are gratifying. Later, clean up your surroundings so you can quietly settle down after this busy day. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Horoscope courtesy of www.dailyhoroscopes.com Happy birthday Tovan

Now Vex ... that is the funniest joke I've heard all day. : ) Xindi Bradey comes in second. Happy B-Day Travis.

Excellent job, Mr. Laiden!

A long time ago in a sim group far, far away ... I posted a series of tips on simming to another set of message boards. These addressed the things I look at when evaluating cadets for graduation. Well, times change, boards change ... and suddenly I realized that I have a whole new captive audience to bore. So, keeping in mind that free advise is worth what you pay for it, here is the first of my 'Tips From The Moose'. Enjoy. Former First Lady, and national icon Nancy Reagan once coined the phrase, "Just Say No!" It was very successful as an anti-drug slogan, but caused all sort of havoc in the virtual world. Why? Because "No" is a scene killer. Nancy's Hollywood years were far behind her when improvisational theatre was developed, otherwise she would have learned that on her first day of theatre class. Imagine the following scenario: Mission Brief: An asteroid is on a collision course with Deep Space 109. The USS Reagan has been set to intercept. Co: Lock on a tractor beam. Tac: Tractors are off-line, Captain. Co: +taps+ Engineering. We need the tractor beam. Eng: +taps+ I can't Captain. A power conduit burst on Deck 12. We don't have the power for it. Co: Lock photon torpedoes on target then. Tac: No. We're too close to use photons. That would hurt the ship. We should use phasers instead. Co: Fine, lock on phasers. Sci: But the debris would be too large. It would strike the station anyway. I'll increase power to the shields and we can push it away. Ops: That would rip off half of the drive section. Why can't we modify the deflector dish to send out a sonic pulse and shake it apart? Sci: No, let's use tacheyon particles instead. Co: Hail the station. Have them evacuate. Ops: Station not responding, Captain. Communications must be down. ACTION: Boom! No, can't, but, instead, not ... Each suggestion was met with a "No" in some form or another. Can you see the effect it had? The scene died, as did the station crew. And what's worse than the hundreds of Bajorans and Changelings floating through space is the fact that half the sim was wasted and nothing happened. Let's rewind and try again. Co: Lock on a tractor beam. Tac: Tractor engaged Captain. The asteroid is strong; it's pulling us with it. Co: Increase power to the tractor beam. Eng: +taps+ Captain, power conduits are bursting on Deck 12. These levels won't last very long. :: dispatches emergency repair team to Deck 12 :: Co: +taps+ Acknowledged. Tac> Lock photon torpedoes on target. Tac: Torpedoes locked, Captain. Co: Fire. ACTION: The ship rocks from the torpedo blast. Tac: Tractor offline. Damage reports coming in from all decks. Ops: Captain, large chunks of debris are now heading towards the station. Sci: I can modify the deflector dish to send out a sonic pulse. Maybe we can shake them apart? Co: Do it. Ops, hail the station. Have them evacuate. Ops: The station has begun to evacuate. Hopefully, they'll be in time. In the second example, all the 'no's were turned into positive actions. Some of those actions had negative consequences, but those consequences became obstacles to overcome instead of points to debate. And as a result, everyone was busy. Tac and Ops were active, Science got to modify the deflector dish, and Engineering was sent to fix the ruptured power conduits. And although they weren't mentioned specifically, even Medical was busy, fixing Engineers who didn't know how to fix power conduits. To forward the story, respond with an action rather than objecting to one. Now ... what do you do if you don't like the suggestion? You have a better idea. Don't use sonic waves, use tacheyons. It'll solve everything and the GMs will see how good a player you are. Do you say anything? No. The idea itself is of lesser importance than the actions, so the first idea that's approved by the GM wins. Sure, you think your idea is good. So did the gal who thought up the sonic pulse. But you'll use all of your sim time trying to negotiate a course of action, and suddenly discover there's no time left to play either idea. Save the "photons vs. phasers" debate for the post-sim wrap up in the lounge over Raktajinos. It's important to note that the "No 'No'" rule does not apply to the GM. It's their job to kill the scenes that distract from the mission brief. Suggestions like, "Captain, eject me from the torpedo tube with a jackhammer, and I'll take care of the asteroid," are going to get a "No". So will requests for routine physicals while the ship is on red alert. Remember, positive actions allow the scene to build and take on a life of its own. Negative objections stop the scene cold. Tip From The Moose #1: Just Say "No" ... Not!. Cptn Moose Commanding Officer, USS Arcadia Academy Training Instructor, Sundays @ 11 Est

Only 70 logs between two characters over a 78 week period? That's only one every other week per character. Travis, you need to step up to the plate, bud. ;-)