Tribbles in Ecstasy!

I'm not really involved in Beyond the Veil's sister show, Tribbles in Ecstasy, about all things Star Trek, but especially STO.

I thought I'd join the TXTC crew for a bit this evening, and a dance party broke out on DS9.

Ding! Vice Admiral Starblanket

(OOC) The day has finally come. I maxed out a character in Star Trek Online. Appropriately, it was the one I started with, Rowan Ashayam Starblanket, my half-Vulcan, half-Canadian First Nations Medical officer.

Starblanket Personal Log: After the harrowing evacuation of Deep Space Nine, I was summoned back to Sector 001 for a debriefing. And, as it turns out, a promotion. My new orders are to head up an expedition into the Gamma Quadrant to try to bring reasonable proof of the end of the Dominion War to the out-of-time Jem'Hadar occupying DS9. Much of the crew is being transferred to other ships, the details haven't been worked out quite yet. I still have to go over personnel with Tarah and the department heads as to whom we want to keep, and who needs the chance to spread their own wings. I am sure there will be tearful farewells as Peregrine and the Templar depart for other sectors.

Meanwhile, I, and who ever remains on my crew, will be returning to the Bajoran Sector, in what is both our new home and, in a sense, an old friend.

The U.S.S. Quixote, NCC 91511

Dedication Plaque: “One man scorned and covered with scars still strove with his last ounce of courage to reach the unreachable stars; and the world will be better for this.”
~Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote de la Mancha

(OOC) Quixote [kee-HO-teh] is an Odyssey Class, with a Teal Corvus paint scheme. I seriously agonized over the paint job for a good hour. I'm stupid like that. I also spent a ton of time with Rowan's new admiral's coat. I almost gave her a skirt, which would have been completely hidden by the coat. The Odyssey class was the second anniversary ship reward, I believe, with no possibility for hull modification. I don't have much experience with a heavy cruiser, I'd like to deck it out with high-end turrets, which I'd heard was pretty effective. That's really old info, though. For now, I've mostly just cannibalized components from Rowan's two prior ships.

So these will be the voyages of the Starship Quixote. . . May it be that we bring chivalry and civility to the galaxy, and are not simply on a fool's errand.

The State of My Game. Or, Catching Up with Fellow Bloggers

Man! This week has been busy, and not in a good way. Well, I suppose it is good. I have a job, right? But the busy means I haven't been able to get as much done with the games I play. And tonight is another Webcast of Beyond the Veil with my friends from Holosuite Media. Xander, Antida, Feii, and Galactrix are a blast to hang out with on Thursday evenings and chat about The Secret World.

Fellow Mercy Gamers MMOGC and Syp have coordinated top five lists of the scariest and creepiest places in TSW. I wouldn't have minded hitching a ride on that blog train, but I need good screenshots that I just don't have on my office computer.

Belghast is having a blast with his cadre of Elite dungeoneers in TSW,  as well. After a months-long hiatus, they've been gearing up a friend for the Gatekeeper encounter and readying themselves for nightmares.

UPDATE 7Jun'13: After I posted this, I read Psychochild's post about the diminishing population of (MMO) bloggers. Happily, I was doing one of the things he suggested: cross linking to fellow bloggers.

Meanwhile, after a quick boost of fun in Neverwinter, I have picked up STO again with the launch of the Legacy of Romulus expansion. Last June, it seemed overwhelming when I jumped back in to try out the duty officer system and see how other things had changed. I guess I just needed another new Captain (or Centurion) to get used to the Space battles and such. In any event, I am having a blast again with Admiral Rowan Starblanket, and my new Rommy Commander, D'Valon tr'Soturi, a.k.a. Valon. It's also great seeing old friends in STO like Harbinger Zero, Scarybooster, and Talyn. I even managed to run a mission with Adventure Historian the other night.

I don't think I've fired up Neverwinter since getting back into STO. But I haven't given up on it yet, which is more than I can say for Defiance. I played for a couple hours a couple Saturdays ago, during Trion's free play weekend through Steam (for which I finally started a Steam account). It wasn't too hard, but the controls are clearly geared more for a console controller than a keyboard and mouse, even with my Nostromo. With TSW, STO, and Neverwinter all on my (theoretically) active game roster—and all with TPS reticle perspectives available—I don't have the energy or interest to adapt to another control system for a game I only find mildly interesting.

Of course, between those games and Real Life Busy-ness, my progress in TSW has slowed tremendously after a strong push through Egypt and the first two zones of Transylvania. And I don't even have a lore piece ready for tonight's webcast.

POTD: STO's New Crew Screen

Inspired by Syp's post from yesterday, I logged onto STO last night just to get screenies of my Captains and Crews. I wonder how they pick which Bridge Officers get shown. Is that my away team?

Rowan Starblanket. All about the research.

Donovan Locke. Haha, the last time I logged in, I used my first ship to help Sctrz as she tried out the game. Locke and Crew are still stuck on that thing.

W'Low Rial. I think those are still her only Bridge Officers.

I haven't actually logged into the game itself. Queues are crazy unless you're subbed. I can wait a few days till it dies down.

QOTD: SWTOR's Legacy System

The discussion is heating up over at BioBreak regarding SWTOR's Legacy System. Syp brings up some excellent points. For example:

Because surnames are unique on a server, it’s going to be a race to get to them first (and if you come late to the game?  Good luck!).

Warsyde commented on Syp's post:

Whether the name is reserved at character creation or reserved at level 20 (or whenever) doesn’t make much difference, either way it’s a race to get there first, the only difference is the length of the race. They need to make them non-unique.

I think the difference between someone beating you to a name at character creation and the same thing happening 30 levels later is significant. In the first case, you'd lost before you even started running. The second affects gameplay style and possibly enjoyment, if you feel you need to rush through the story to snag that name.

Scarybooster thinks BioWare should stop calling it a surname and just refer to it as a Legacy name:

Everybody can be Skywalker if they want. If you want to be original BW should make a check system that says, “Skywalker”- taken are you sure you want to proceed? Yes/no. “Skywalker” -Name has not been used on this server. Do you want to proceed, Yes/No

I like STO's approach to names and roleplaying. Along with @handles that only appear in chat (I don't count chat when thinking about immersion, it's part of the UI.), STO has "short names" and "full names" along with an in-game RP backstory section as part of the character window. This allowed me to roleplay Donovan Locke as Locke, a militaristic character, and Rowan Starblanket as Rowan, a much more informal character. It also meant that there could be many players with the same character name (Just like my meatspace name is hardly unique) because our @handles were unique. The printed mission dialogue sometimes used the designated surname and sometimes the short name, depending on the context of the conversation. It worked great, and made me feel part of the story.

Scary's suggestion that being original could be optional is great for the first user of the name, until there are two hundred other "Skywalkers" running around. Then they are not so unique. On the other hand, meatspace couples and families could share the surname as they play together. Of course, if it's not a surname, then the option to make it a surname should be removed. I agree the surnames should be either non-unique and/or not part of the Legacy system at all. We could still have the Legacy title and it wouldn't have to be a surname at all, could be an object (i.e., The Frostmourne Legacy, to borrow from WoW). Of course, now that I think about it, there's nothing stopping people from doing that now. Also, if I understand correctly, the players automatically enter the Legacy sytem and start earning Legacy points, regardless of whether they choose a Legacy name immediately or not. So no worries about missing out on whatever rewards are in store.

[EDIT]Another quote from Syp's comments, this time from Buhallin:

While I agree with the concerns over how Bioware implemented this, I’m continually amazed at the MMO community’s ability to take even the most minor things and turn it into an epic catastrophe if they don’t get exactly what they want.

In short, the Legacy system as currently explained is flawed, but I believe there are work-arounds. BioWare could maybe heed some of the suggestions, but people shouldn't sweat it so much. It's just a game . . .

Starblanket: In the Belly of the Beast

I rediscovered this passage while digging through NaNoWriMo stuff from last year. I never posted it, so here it is. This is a continuation of the STO story "Do the Borg Believe in God?" and "Do the Borg have an Afterlife?" Catchy titles, but not exactly what the stories were actually about. In any event, read those first. Enjoy:


Rowan became aware of an insistent chirping. Trying to stir, she felt a tremendous pain in her side and realized that some of her ribs were broken. Groaning, she pushed herself up into a sitting position. Scanning the chamber. She made out the still forms of the other three members of the away team. The chirping continued, it was her communicator pin. Tapping the badge sent a fresh twinge along her ribs.

“Starblanket here,” she grunted.

Tarah’s voice sounded tinny in the thinning air. “Captain, the Borg wreckage you occupy is on the verge of collapse. We anticipate a hull breech at any moment.”

“Can you lock on to our signals?”

“Negative, Captain. The interference from radiation is too strong at your present location.”

“We’ll move to the other chamber. Keep this channel open.”

“Aye, Captain.”

Corporal Graavel, the Tellarite MACO, was closest to her. She crawled closer to him to assess his condition. Realizing her tricorder had flown out of her hand in the tumble, she gently shook his shoulder. He stirred, groaning.

“Corporal, are you hurt?” Rowan asked, visually examining the MACO.

“I’m alright, Ma’am,” Graavel said with a grunt. He sat up.

“Check on Commander Brasseux. While I check the Major.”

They moved off towards their separate charges. Major Gasira’s left lower leg was bent an unnatural angle, her foot caught under some debris. Rowan cast about for something to split the Major’s leg. Finding a short piece of wreckage, she began ripping the bottom of her own uniform top into strips. Gasira moaned and her eyes fluttered open. Rowan paused to put a hand on her shoulder.

“Shh, hold still, Major. Your leg is broken. I need to set on splint it.”

Gasira just groaned her acknowledgement. The chamber shuddered again as the remaining gravity generator began to fail. The stressed metal structure groaned louder than the Major. Thierry and Graavel made their way over to Rowan and Gasira. Having hit the bulkhead face first, Thierry’s ocular scanner was broken and he was bleeding from his temple where the device had cut him. He had abrasions across his cheek on that side and his nose had swollen, perhaps broken.

“Corporal, help me move this,” Rowan indicated the twisted metal trapping Gasira’s foot. The two tossed the debris aside, freeing the MACO commander’s leg, and Rowan spoke to her.

“Major, I need to set this, then I will split it. Without my medkit I cannot give you a painkiller.”

“I understand, Captain,” Gasira gasped and gritted her teeth. Rowan grasped the broken limb pulled as gently as she could, straightening it and trying to set the bones by feel. The Major cried out in pain.

“There. Corporal, position these strips under her leg above and below the break, here and here, while I lift it.” The MACO did as she asked. Rowan placed the splint along the Major’s leg and tied it in place.

“OK, we need to move out of this chamber or La Gitana cannot beam us out. Thierry, how are you doing?”

“I’ll be alright, sheh.”

“Alright, let’s move. Come on, Major.” Rowan hooked Gasira’s left arm around her own shoulders and lifted the other woman off the deck. The Major stood on her good leg, leaning into the Captain.

“Ready, Captain” she grunted.

“Tarah, monitor our signal. Beam us out as soon as you can.”

“Aye, Captain.”

Thierry leaned on the Tellarite as the chamber lurched again. The deck was now apparently at a steep angle, the exit to the corridor above the debris pile by about a meter and a half. Rowan stepped gingerly over the pile, careful of her footing and her charge. Gasira helped as best she could on her good leg. Thierry and Graavel followed behind. Coming to the bulkhead the passageway was on, Rowan propped up the Major.

“Corporal, can you get up into the corridor?” she asked turning to the Tellarite.

“Heh, of course, Ma’am.” The MACO scrambled up the bulkhead and deck into the opening, poking his head back out.

“OK. Thierry, help me get the major up there.” Rowan said. Gasira leaned on the engineer, as Rowan interlaced her fingers into a stirrup. Lifting her foot into The Captain’s hands, Gasira, heaved herself up and reached for the Corporal’s outstretched hands. Together they lifted her in to the corridor.

“OK, you’re next, Thierry.” Rowan put her hands back down to the engineer’s foot to boost him up, grunting in pain as she hoisted him into the corridor. Following the other away team members into the corridor, Rowan reassessed the situation. The tilted bulkheads and deck would make progress hazardous. The groans of the wreckage had not died down.

“OK, move carefully, but quickly. Corporal, you take the lead. Thierry, you follow. I’ll bring up the rear with the Major.” Rowan clutched her side where her broken ribs ground against each other.

“Sheh, are you alright? Can you support her?” the engineer asked.

“Yes, just get moving.”

The Tellarite moved up the corridor, tremors in the craft making him stumble. Thierry stumbled after, holding onto the bulkheads. Rowan realized that the gravity generator was causing the corridor to tilt uphill, slowing their progress.

“Tarah, are we out of the interference yet?”

“Negative, Captain.” Came the voice of her First Officer. “Another 15 meters, maybe.”

They came upon the animated but brain-dead drone, blocking their path. Corporal Graavel turned back to Rowan. “Orders, Ma’am?”

Rowan sighed, “Shoot it.” The MACO pulled out a hand phaser. Adjusting the settings, he took aim and fired on the drone, disintegrating it. Alarms went off echoing down the passageway.

“Damnit!” Rowan cursed. “Get going!”

Thierry and Graavel scrambled up the corridor with Rowan following as best she could with Gasira in tow. Between the groaning structure and the screaming alarms, Rowan barely heard Tarah’s voice.

“Captain, the structure is beginning to break-up, with multiple stress fractures in the hull.”

“We’re moving as fast as we can. Can you reposition to get us out of here?”

“We are already in the prime position relative to the interference, Captain.”

The deck heaved and they were all lifted off their feet. The horrible sound of metal ripping came up the passageway from the cargo bay. Closely followed by the boom of an explosion. Hot gases rushed past the away team, then suddenly reversed themselves.

“Hull breech! Get going!”

They all crawled the last few meters, Thierry dropping back to help Rowan with Gasira. The rushing wind was deafening, but they still had air for now.

“Tarah, beam out Corporal Graavel as soon as you have a lock on him!” Rowan shouted over the wind.

Tarah’s response was lost to the roar. The plasma fire behind was consuming the air. Soon enough, Rowan saw the telltale glow of the transporter rescuing the MACO about three meters ahead of them.

“Thierry! Go!”

“Not without you and the Major, sheh!”

They made it the last small distance when the wreckage rocked again from the force of another explosion. But the transporter effect had already embraced the three last members of the away team, pulling them to safety as the passageway collapsed around them.

Adieu, Admiral Starblanket. Commander Locke

So I canceled my subscription to Star Trek Online today. I just have not been playing it enough, between Rift and the dungeon runs I'm doing in WoW with RL friends. Much as I am going to miss the idea of having adventures with Rowan and Locke, the truth is I haven't been playing very much. I may still write some stories starring one or other STO crew, but for now they're on hiatus.

STO Anniversary

Since this blog has primarily been about Star Trek Online and stories based on characters I created there, I would be remiss if I did not commemorate the First Anniversary of the launch. Congratulations to to the dev team and all the players who have been along for the ride. Things just keep getting better!

La Gitana: Suspicions

Spoilers follow, AyAitch.

Starfleet Communique (Handle Via Top Secret Channels):
STARDATE: 88303.39

FROM: Rowan A. Starblanket, Captain, U.S.S. La Gitana
TO:  Jorel Quinn, Admiral, Chief of Starfleet
        James Kurland, Captain, Deep Space Nine

RE: SPR-5195 and Section 31

In Brief: Upon investigation of possible Undine activity in SPR-5195, I discovered "games" being played by Captain Franklin Drake of Section 31.

Acting on orders from Captain Kurland of DS9, La Gitana approached SPR-5195 to investigate reports by several transport ships of anomalies that were "swimming" through space. We detected several anomalies possibly related to fluidic space and the Undine infiltration. During the survey, La Gitana was ambushed by what were apparently Cardassian vessels. We detected a Starfleet runabout, piloted by Captain Drake, being attacked by one of the Cardassian ships. After defeating the attackers, Drake contacted us with a story of the U.S.S. Obsidian, a Centaur class light cruiser, whose telepathically sensitive crew members were allegedly being affected by Undine telepathy.

We beamed aboard the Obsidian with Drake and subdued several officers, administering a neurosuppressor, provided by Drake, that seemed to cure the subjects. Upon which they beamed away from the area, supposedly to the Obsidian sickbay. Their quick disappearances aroused my suspicions about Drake, which only deepened when he told me Captain Anjan Carna, commanding officer of the Obsidian, was a suspected Undine agent. We confronted Captain Carna on the bridge.

Both Carna and Drake accused the other of being Undine moles. Having had some experience with the Undine, I interviewed them both, but Drake's answers seemed more suspicious. My crew and I sided with Captain Carna and a firefight ensued with other apparent Starfleet officers beaming in to defend Drake. Just as we defeated Drake and his people, the Obsidian bridge dissolved into a holodeck.

Drake said that the whole thing had been a test set up by Section 31, and that by choosing Carna over him, I had somehow failed. Though I suspect if I had chosen Drake, I would have "failed" anyway. He then  threatened me, saying that a court martial would be the least of my worries if I told anyone what had happened.


Admiral, you told me to keep you apprised of any Undine activity we encounter on the Cardassian front. Section 31 is interfering with normal Starfleet operations. I don't approve of the actions of Franklin Drake or his cohort, and I will not be threatened. Section 31 is not acknowledged by Starfleet or the Federation. Frankly, if we cross paths again, I will deal with Drake with extreme prejudice.

Submitted,

Captain R.A.Starblanket, Commanding
U.S.S. La Gitana

OOC: This was the famous holodeck mission. I could have gotten to it a lot earlier, it was a Captain level 1 mission. I was sidetracked doing some other things, and now I'm almost Admiral. But it was still a blast to do. As of right now I don't think Drake will appear again, unless new content is published involving him.

Section 31 is definitely on Rowan's list. She refers to them openly because she realizes that to them operational security is paramount over disruption of their operational goals. Drake's threats were empty ones.

Do the Borg Have an Afterlife?

The interior of the Borg wreckage was dark and humid. A sick green light bathed the injured and dying drones, while sparks rained from a ruptured conduit. Emergency bulkheads had sealed the compartment from the vacuum of space before the cube had broken up. But the life support system was failing, the air growing stale. The telltale whine of a Starfleet transporter echoed down a corridor toward the chamber.

In another chamber, six figures materialized in a combat-ready formation. As the transporter effect faded, one of the figures holstered her weapon and flipped open her tricorder, which murmered and beeped. Speaking though her re-breather, she declared:

"Radiation elevated but within tolerances. Gravity at 75% Earth normal. Oxygen levels below normal; CO2 elevated, unsafe. Keep your masks on."

A chorus of voices responded with "ayes." One of the other figures, even smaller than the captain and positioned directly opposite in the defensive circle, pulled out her own tricorder and began to scan for life signs. Pointing down a corridor, Auzzie said:

"Picking up faint readings, Captain. Down that corridor."

Major Gasira and one of her MACOs took point, followed closely by Rowan and Thierry, with Auzzie and the third MACO bringing up the rear. Debris littered the floor of the corridor, and the away team cautiously through the wrecked ship. They came upon a widening of the hallway where they found several regeneration alcoves occupied by drones. Rowan and Auzzie scanned the bodies, but they were all defunct. Thierry scanned the alcoves themselves.

"Dey appear to have overloaded, mebe a power surge when de cube exploded."

"Yes," responded Rowan. "The tissue surrounding the cybernetic interfaces is burned, some charring. They died in their sleep."

Auzzie continued to track the life signs. Further down this corridor there is a larger chamber. I don't think the explosion happened more than a day or two ago, Captain."

The metallic groan of fatigued struts sounded through the corridor. Thierry adjusted his tricorder and took in the readings.

"Capitaine, de artificial gravity generators are beginning to fail. Gravemetric shifts as dey go offline may cause the structure to collapse."

"Understood. Let's move on. These creatures no longer need our help."

The structural moans continued to reverberate down the hall as the party moved forward. As they approached the large chamber, they came across their first animate drone. Rowan rushed forward with her tricorder. The drone's face was badly burned; the ocular implant looked melted, and the remaining eye was charred. It seemed to be attempting to rise, at least the mechanical portion was. A strangled gasp rattled in its throat. The wall opposite the drone was just twisted metal and polymer. Thierry checked it.

"Dese appear to be de remains of an interface panel, Capitaine. De drone must have been using it when it blew up."

"Only minimal activity in the brain stem. No activity in the cerebral cortex or cerebellum. I think the machine is keeping this one alive. There is nothing we can do here."

"We should put it out of its misery." This from the major. Rowan glared at her through her mask. Gasira just gazed back impassively.

"Do you not think killing this drone will bring whatever defenses they have down on us?"

"I think whatever defenses they might have are not functioning."

"How is it that a Starfleet medical officer knows more than a combat specialist about the tactics of one of the Federation's deadliest enemies? From the first contact with the Borg by the Enterprise-D, they have not reacted to boarders unless specifically attacked."

"Captain, Voyager and even Enterprise-D and -E encountered Borg that were immediately hostile to boarding parties. It is my assessment that if they have not attacked us, they are unable to. Meanwhile this drone is suffering. I simply proposed a humane solution."

Rowan shook her head, "There is no mind to suffer here. And I will not endanger this team needlessly. Let's move on."

"Captain, I also believe that leaving this creature between us and the beam out point endangers the away team."

"Major, I have made the decision. Move out."

Gasira gazed at Rowan, calculating, then gestured to the rear MACO, who replaced her on point while the major took up the rear guard. Rowan fumbled in her medkit for a hypo and, finding it, made some adjustments and injected the drone with a sedative and painkiller combo, just in case the Major was right.

"The life signs are becoming clearer, but they are fading, Captain." This from Auzzie.

"OK, let's go."

As the team moved cautiously down the corridor, the vessel groaned more loudly. The screech of tearing metal rang through the hallway. The away team stumbled, Auzzie falling to her knees as the deck seemed to lurch then list to starboard of the away team's orientation.

"Report!" shouted Rowan, over the cacophony.

Thierry responded, "One of de gravity generators has failed. De others are tryin' to compensate but dey are already strained. Plus, de altered gravimetric fields are strainin' de superstructure."

"How much time do we have?"

"Too hard to say, given our lack of familiarity wit Borg technology. We need to get trough dis mission and get out of here."

"OK, let's move."

The large chamber was a complete shambles. Strangely, it appeared to be some sort of cargo or parts storage bay. But debris was everywhere. Pipes, conduits, and components looked as if they had been tossed off shelves and out of containers. A few more bodies lay amongst the rubble. The team fanned out, stepping through the carnage. One drone had its skull bashed in, apparently by a large pipe that lay  half across the corpse Another had been cut nearly in half by a structural support that had broken loose. Suddenly, Rowan's tricorder began beeping urgently, directing her toward a pile of loosely coiled conduit. A foot and calf protruded from the material.

"These signs are fairly strong. Let's get this stuff off of it."

Thierry and one of the MACOs moved to assist. Together, they threw off the larger coils slowly revealing an unconscious but apparently uninjured female drone. However, when Rowan scanned her closely, she discovered shattered ribs, a collapsed lung and other bruised organs; the drone was barely breathing. Her pulse was thready and blood oxygen levels were half normal. Rowan could detect the Borg's nanites working to repair the misaligned bones, but was unable to determine the functionality of the drone's mechanical components.

"Thierry take a look at these readings," she said as she handed the tricorder to the engineer. He studied the readings for a few moments.

"Cher, de subspace transponder is not functionin'. She's lost contact with de collective."

"I think we can transport her safely to La Gitana."

Auzzie had discovered two more drones under a collapsed shelving unit. "Captain, this one is pretty bad off, but there is still brain activity. The other seems stronger, but still comatose."

Rowan moved to scan the second drone confirming Auzzie's assessment. The third was indeed better off, but had a brain injury. There were no other life signs in the wreckage.

"Auzzie you will accompany these two back to La Gitana. Thierry, deploy the pattern enhancers." Rowan  turned to the MACO standing over the first drone. "Sergeant, you will accompany that one.  "

The Sergeant glanced at Major Gasira. "Yes, Ma'am."

Rowan tapped her commbadge. "Starblanket to La Gitana."

"This is Commander Shintarah. Go ahead, Captain."

"Tarah, alert the medical team and security detail in the Borg containment unit. We're almost ready for beam out."

"Aye, Captain."

Thierry gave Rowan the thumbs up. Rowan nodded to Auzzie, who tapped her own badge. "Torbin to transporter room. Three to beam directly to Cargo Bay Four from my location." The whine of the transporter sounded over the groans and cries of the Borg wreckage. The transporter effect shimmered around the young Trill and her two charges. Rowan nodded to the MACO.

"Starnes to transporter room. Two to beam to Cargo Bay Four." Once again the transporter whined and the MACO disappeared with the drone. But even as the two figures faded, there sounded a giant crash as the floor lurched again, sending the remaining four flying into a wall on top of the debris.

Do the Borg believe in God?

Edit: Just realized this my 100th post!!


Captain's Log, Stardate 88149.62, Kalandra Sector, We have dropped out of warp in the Chapel System to investigate suspicious readings of a debris field picked up by long range sensors.

As Rowan emerged from her ready room, Commander Larrea looked up from her console, aft of the command area. "Captain, this debris is Borg in origin. It could be from a cube, but there have not been any reports of sightings in this sector for years."

"Can you detect any active Borg signatures?" Tarah asked.

"Negative. I recommend that we scan the debris and try to learn as much as we can about it. Any information on Borg technology could be vital to the Federation."

"Proceed." Rowan turned to the flight controller. "Mr. Gleer, ahead one quarter impulse."

"Aye, Captain."

Watching the viewscreen intently, Tarah commented, "After the attack in the Vega system, we have to assume that the Borg are back with a vengeance. And given what happened at the repair facility in the Ker'rat system, I think we should be cautious."

Rowan looked at her first officer and friend. Tarah had been assigned to the U.S.S. Khitomer, which was destroyed during the Vega attack. Rowan was part of the multi-ship boarding party that had rescued the beleaguered crew. They had been almost inseparable ever since.

"Agreed." To the duty tactical officer, she said, "Mr. Powell, raise shields."

"Aye, Captain."

After some time analyzing the readings, Larrea spoke up again. "Captain, the debris field is more extensive than my original assessment. We will need to move further into the system to ascertain the full extent and attempt to determine the number of cubes we are actually dealing with."

"Very well. Mr. Gleer, lay in a course. I'll be in my ready room."

La Gitana eased past the broken hunks of ship. There did not appear any activity, but the seemingly inactive hulks in the Ker'rat system had taken by surprise the small task force Wayfarer had been part of, so many months before.

---

Rowan sat at her desk, reviewing paperwork (funny that after centuries of digital interfaces, miscellaneous forms and reports were still referred to that way). Despite the recent transfer to La Gitana senior crew evaluations were already coming up. She also had yet prepare the patrol report for the Bajor Sector.

Presently, the red-alert klaxon sounded, along with Tarah's voice over the intercom.

"Captain Starblanket to the bridge."

She emerged from from her ready room and headed for the command chair "Computer, silence klaxon. Tarah, report."

"We've found a semi-active cube fragment. Commander Ymiro?" Tarah deferred to the science officer.

"Captain, we have detected Borg life signs, very weak. The cube fragment has a spacetight compartment, but power levels are minimal and appear to be failing," Larrea said.

"How many Borg are we talking about?" asked Rowan, as Major Gasira, the MACO commander, and Chief Engineer Brasseaux emerged from the turbolift.

"Unable to determine through the radiation, Captain."

Folding her arms, Rowan turned to her senior officers. "Recommendations?"

Auzzie spoke first, "Move in and beam the drones abo--"

"Out of the question," interrupted the major. "Bringing Borg drones aboard La Gitana is an undue risk."

Auzzie shot back, "Do we not have a responsibility to render aid where it is needed, regardless of the race of those in need? Besides, even if they are Borg now, they were not always. And it may be an excellent opportunity to gain insight into the current Borg political situation."

"Our first responsibility is the safety of the ship and crew," the MACO responded.

"I have to agree with the major, Captain," Tarah spoke up. "We cannot risk the ship for a few Borg."

Larrea backed up her fellow scientist. "Captain, perhaps an away team can beam over to the cube fragment and determine the condition of drones. Meanwhile, we can prepare a suitable compartment here that will safeguard the ship and crew."

Rowan turned to her chief engineer. "Thierry, what do you think?"

Thierry nodded toward Auzzie, speaking in his Cajun drawl, "Sho, de beb is right, sheh. Bohg o no, if dey need hep we should hep. We can build a containment section for de drones in Cahgo Bay 4. Ah'll get Shrel on it, toot sweet."

Rowan sat back in her chair and considered.

"We'll prepare an away team to assess the condition of the drones. Major Gasira, you and two more MACOs will accompany Lieutenant Torbin and myself aboard the cube. Thierry, get that containment section ready. Make sure medical equipment and staff is on hand along with the engineering personnel. Mr. Gleer, bring us within close transporter range of the wreckage. You have the bridge, Tarah."

With that she arose and strode toward the turbolift, followed by Auzzie, Thierry, and the major.

New Rank, New Ship, New Assignment

"That extra pip becomes you, Rowan," Admiral Quinn leaned forward over his drink. "Your mother would be so proud of you."

Starfleet's newest captain looked back at her mentor, then looked down at her own drink. "It's a big responsibility for a simple doctor, sir."

"Yes, it is. But we have every confidence in you." Quinn reached out and clasped her hand. "I have every confidence in you. You're no simple doctor, uncovering the Reman involvement in the Hobus disaster, fighting off Klingons, Romulans, . . . even Hirogen. You've done great things for the Federation."

The admiral lowered his voice. "I don't think I need to tell you things are not going well for the Federation. We are fighting on multiple fronts. The Undine infiltration reaches deeper than even most of Starfleet knows."

Rowan shifted uncomfortably. "I've heard rumors."

"Trust me, the truth is even more disturbing than the rumors. You are not the only Starfleet officer to participate in missions that turned out to have been directed by Undine agents. We've had whole command crews replaced by Undine imposters. When you take command of La Gitana, you'll be accompanied by a platoon of MACOs."

Rowan picked up the PADD on the table, which had the her new ship displayed. "Sir, La Gitana is a research vessel. You expect us to fight a war?"

"Rowan, I don't expect you to wage war, but we can't take any chances. War is being waged upon the Federation, the Klingon Empire, and every being in the quadrant. Your ship is one of our most advanced." Quinn leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. "It's the techniques you and your crew developed for discerning cloaked Romulan ships that are enabling us to gain the upper hand on that front. With the state-of-the-art sensors aboard La Gitana, Starfleet Intelligence is hoping you'll be able to detect incursions from Fluidic Space as they happen."

"So that's what our mission to Beta Ursae is about?" Rowan toyed with her glass, shaking her head.

Quinn made a dismissive gesture. "Oh, you'll have specific assignments from Captain Kurland of course. But your continuing secondary mission will be to detect and try to stop these incursions."

"We'll do our best, sir."

"In the meantime, enjoy shore leave while the final touches are being made to La Gitana. Your shakedown cruise will have to be on the way to DS9. It's not often that you get back here to Earth. Are you going to visit your hometown, your family?"

"I don't know. Father didn't want me to join Starfleet. He has made it hard to even think about going back."

"I understand. Life on a starship attenuates ties to the ground, any ground. Do what you think is best for you. But it may help to visit your father before that link becomes too tenuous."

"I'll consider it, sir."

Sojourner: A Find in Fitzan

Captain's Log, Stardate 87995.7: We have entered the Fitzan System on regular patrol in the Devron Sector. Lieutenant Commander Ymiro has made an interesting discovery.

"Captain, Sojourner's geo- and radiochemistry teams believe they've found a new element in the rings surrounding Fitzan IV! It has properties that are similar to tritium, but there are subtle, yet significant differences. There is a .08 difference in the rate of radiogenic decay! Isn't that exciting?"

Rowan looked down from the command center toward her Science Officer.

"Um, sure. Right. New element," she repeated as she approached the Research Director's console to look over the Bajoran's shoulder. "Show me."

Larrea punched some links on her virtual controls and brought up the data gathered by the ship's sensors.

"The research teams will need more of the element to complete our initial testing. We should gather core samples from the larger ring fragments in this system."

"Very well, coordinate with Lieutenant Pulaski to plot a course and gather the samples."

Ensign Danar, the duty officer at Tactical, spoke up, "Captain, there have been reports of Romulan patrols in the area."

"We should be careful then -- I wouldn't want anything to happen that would damage the samples."

Sojourner established orbit around the planet, just above the ring plane.

Captain, we have scanned the first ring fragment," announced Larrea. "Preparing to beam aboard samples now."

"Very well. Proceed."

"Captain," Ensign Danar spoke up again. "I am detecting signs of a Romulan vessel approximately 30,000 kilometers away in our planned orbit."

"Computer, yellow alert. Pulaski, plot a course to avoid the Romulans."

"Aye, Captain."

"Core samples have been retrieved from this asteroid, Captain," Larrea reported.

"Good. Continue to the next one, Mr. Pulaski."

"Aye, Captain."

As the helm officer moved to redirect Sojourner's path, the turbolift doors opened, and Tarah emerged, striding across the bridge to relieve Ensign Danar. He quickly reported the tactical status to the Andorian XO. Apprised of the situation, she examined her sensor readings.

"Captain, despite our altered course, the Romulan vessel seems to be approaching. I recommend we quit the system post haste."

Larrea turned at that last. "We haven't finished the survey yet."

"The safety of the ship is paramount," retorted the Andorian.

"The Romulans have not been outwardly aggressive here. They may only be assessing our purpose."

Tarah rolled her eyes as the telltale chime of an incoming hail cut short the discussion.

"Captain, the Romulan vessel is hailing us," said Ensign Danar.

"Put it onscreen."

The face that appeared was not Romulan but Reman.

"Federation vessel, you are trespassing in territory belonging to the Romulan Star Empire. Depart this system or be destroyed."

"This Commander Rowan Starblanket, of the U.S.S Sojourner. We are conducting a Scienti--" The Reman commander cut off the transmission.

"Ensign Danar, hail them with our survey plans, including our intended course."

"They are decloaking and powering weapons, Captain," Tarah called out. "Shields up! Red Alert!"

The klaxon blared throughout the ship, as the bridge became bathed in red light from the warning signals.

Rowan moved to Tarah's side, calling out orders and receiving acknowledgments. "Evasive maneuvers, Ski! Auzzie, jam their sensors. Larrea, run a sensor scan and find any weak areas in their shields. And see if you can create a gravity well near their position. Tarah--"

"Already on it, Captain," her XO threw a grin her way. The Andorian was in her element. The ship shuddered slightly as the Reman escort got off an initial disruptor barrage striking the shields of the science vessel.

"A glancing shot, shields at 98 percent," Tarah reported.

"Return fire. Auzzie, where are his blinders?"

"Working, Ma'am." The young Trill manipulated the console to produce a sensor overload on the enemy ship.

OOC: I found this looking through my drafts. I remember it, but  thought I'd finished and posted it. If I did, it's been cut short for some reason. I may get to it again soon.

Sojourner: Encounter at Ground Zero

Starfleet Communique (Handle Via Top Secret Channels):
STARDATE: 87951.02

FROM: Rowan A. Starblanket, Commander, U.S.S. Sojourner
TO:  T'nae, Admiral, Starbase 39
        Jorel Quinn, Admiral, Chief of Starfleet

RE: Hobus

In Brief: During Sojourner's recent mission to the Hobus System, we discovered disturbing evidence that neither the supernova which occurred here nor the resulting shock wave which destroyed the Romulan Star System were natural phenomena. That, in fact, someone committed genocide against the Romulan people.

Due to the advanced sensor equipment installed aboard Sojourner, we had been assigned to conduct a survey of the planetary remnants in the Hobus System, epicenter of the Hobus Supernova which destroyed the Romulan Star System, some 500 light-years away. Upon entering the system from warp, Sojourner was confronted by the I.R.W. Sithesh, commanded by a Reman, Karatek. He begrudgingly permitted us to conduct our research, but warned us that they would be watching, whereupon the Sithesh cloaked. However, we were able to track the Reman vessel through inferential analysis of sensor effects.

We approached Hobus III and discovered the presence of protomatter in what had been the planet's core. While investigating some unidentified metallic planetary fragments nearby, Sojourner came under attack by the Sithesh, which had been shadowing us. After several harrowing passes, we had sustained damage to the secondary hull but managed to disable Sithesh's weapons; after which Karatek cloaked again.

Proceeding to Hobus II, we encountered Reman birds-of prey that attempted to interfere with our mission. We disabled the ships and collected samples from the core of Hobus II. At this time, my science officer, Lieutenant Commander Ymiro, reported that sensors had picked up a shield signature on one of the remnants of Hobus I, which was closer to the Hobus Cinder than we had originally planned to venture, due to excessive radiation from the Cinder itself.

After consulting with my senior officers, I decided to investigate the shield. It turned out to be a containment field for an atmosphere inside a large crater on the planetoid's surface. After another confrontation with the Sithesh, I beamed down with an away team to investigate the Remans' activities, while Sojourner's engineering crew conducted repairs.

The away team met with heavy resistance from the Remans on the surface. Our investigation turned up weaponized decalithium, protomatter, and tekasite, the same suspicious compounds found in the Romulan planetary remnant after the supernova; however, we also detected seismic activity in the area. The base's power was being routed in such a way that the planetoid itself was becoming unstable. Lieutenant Commander Brasseaux, my chief engineer, was able to reroute power in order to stabilize the planetary tectonics, but at the eastern power conduit control, we were once again confronted by Captain Karatek. He employed photonic soldiers in the skirmish, and several members of the away team suffered major injuries, including myself.

Keratek beamed away and we were able to evacuate the away team. I tried to warn Keratek of the planetoid's instability and the dangers of the substances he was experimenting with; but he would not listen to reason, ordering another attack on Sojourner. After a protracted battle wherein we must have disabled their cloaking device, we destroyed the Sithesh.

I regret the necessity of that action. The Remans working on the surface of Hobus I are in extreme danger, both from the potential failure of the shield they have in place and from the instability of the planetary remnant itself. I do not believe they are aware of the role their research may have had in the destruction of their homeworld.

Sojourner is returning with all possible haste to Starbase 39 to submit our findings and samples to Starfleet Investigative Research, as well as conduct more extensive repairs.

Submitted,

R.A.Starblanket

OOC: I was very interested in this mission, given that I am in the middle of reading The Needs of the Many, which deals with the time period of Star Trek Online.  And the Hobus supernova figures prominently in at least part of the book. It's kind of like I was making history, not! Anyway, I really am enjoying the developing story of the Long War, as I am sure Cryptic would like to call the years that players continue subscribing to play STO. I should have written this when the details were fresher, it might have might been more interesting. 

This also marked the first time I played on the Advanced (middle) Difficulty level. It was harder, but not impossible to finish, and was the source of my crew's injuries. Rowan ended up with a critical head injury, and Rowan, Tarah, and Larrea all had major burns. I did however pick up some good uncommon loot, so maybe it was worth the time and challenge. I do like that Cryptic made the Death Penalty optional, keeping the missions on normal (easy) difficulty will preclude the possibility of injury. I think I will keep things on Advanced and maybe even go to Elite when I get better gear.

On a side note, Rowan made Commander 8 turning this mission, and I was finally able to capture (a little) STO's version of THE GLOW!

Heh, this post is dedicated to Captain Ruz, I lifted his format unintentionally.

Sojourner: Battle Near Icari

Captain's Log, Stardate 87877.66: Enroute to the Ra'kholh System, we received a distress call from the U.S.S. Monmouth, under attack by a mixed squadron of Romulan vessels. Though not strictly a combat vessel, Sojourner and her crew are equipped to bring considerable weaponry and advanced ship systems to bear in support of a deep space battle. We were joined in the battle by the escort U.S.S. Tirpitz, captained by Judon Ruz.

 

Upon approaching the beleaguered Monmouth, we detected six Romulan vessels: three birds-of-prey, two Mogai-class escorts and a D'deridex-class warbird.

Tirpitz ably provided cover fire, while we worked to weaken their defenses and contribute to the fight ourselves.  All three Starfleet vessels suffered damage, especially Monmouth. We destroyed the warbird, one escort, and two birds-of-prey, before the remaining two ships cloaked and warped away from the system.

I am noting commendations in the service records of my crew, particularly Lieutenant Commanders Ymiro Larrea and Shintarah zh'Rithsiria, for their actions coordinating the Science and Tactical departments during the encounter.

OOC: I was caught up in a deep space encounter (one of the more annoying things about traveling through the sector map) and noted that my fellow blogger and and fleetmate, captainruz, had joined me. So I snapped a couple pics for a vignette. There was another player in the encounter, but I didn't note the cruiser's name and made one up.

These Are the Voyages . . . of the U.S.S. Sojourner

U.S.S. Sojourner Captain's Log, Stardate 87876.30: Commander Rowan A. Starblanket reporting. [Rowan grinned at Tarah, who just rolled her eyes.] After several days at Starbase 1, we are finally underway in our new vessel. She's a lot bigger than Wayfarer, with four times the crew. I can only hope to lead them safely through our journeys. Sojourner is equipped with an advanced sensor system dominated by the globe array on our primary hull. Lieutenant Commander Ymiro and Lieutenant Torbin are enthusiastic about the opportunities they and the research staff (over half the crew) will have during our upcoming exploration of the Khazan Cluster.

The U.S.S Sojourner, NCC-94742 is a Research Science Vessel, Horizon Class, with a Hope Secondary Hull and Olympic Pylons and Nacelles, and a blue Corvus paint scheme. The name is a thematic cousin to Wayfarer.

Dedication: "Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it." Ferris Bueller's Day Off

I won't go into the specs here, but suffice it to say, that even though I think the design is a little odd, and there is no true explanation of the forcefield "saucer" section, I like the way the ship handles. She certainly seems faster in warp (sector) space, and her maneuverability in combat doesn't seem to have suffered for her size.

That's Commander Starblanket to You

Say hello to Starfleet's newest commander.

Rowan in her dress uniform.

Her mother would be proud, if Vulcans ever expressed pride.

Qapla'