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Newsletter for the Star Trek: Freedom Wiki, 2010 edition. To obtain a larger view of any of our pictures in this issue left click on the picture you wish to see. To post feedback click on the Discussion tab. To see previous editions of the newsletter, visit The Archive

Fleet Update

USS Boudicca

^{Mission: Just Another Saturday Night, Day 1, Stardate: 2413.12.30}

(USS Boudicca - Ready Room - Captain Durand - 1021)

Alan had relocated to his ready room after the Boudicca docked. He was going over duty rosters and reviewing departmental reports so he wouldn’t have to do them later.

Something he had, however, been putting off came to mind as he waited for Caskie to arrive.

“Captain’s log, stardate 2413.12.30.

We have arrived, finally, at Starbase 989, after completing a ‘scientific patrol’ assignment. The crew performed admirably, certainly no less well than I would have expected.

I’ve come to learn that Dorga ‘cha Nooras, and Susan Rivers before her, have left me with a well drilled, high spirited, and professional crew. The engineering, medical, tactical, and operations staffs are all keeping the Boudicca and her company in good shape. Our science department is woefully understaffed at the moment, but I’m hoping that we will get some fresh faces there soon.

Our rescue and recovery operations on Jahdara III were successful, in that we mitigated the situation as best we could. The loss of life was staggering, but there was nothing we could have hoped to do differently given our response time after the fact.

The crew is, I believe, looking forward to some well deserved shore leave. I may even venture forth myself.

End log entry. Durand, Alan G., Commanding Officer.”

Russ

Captain Alan Durand

CO, USS Boudicca

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USS Hades

^{(USS Hades- Deck 2, FO's Office -Lt Jericho Haynes -2215)}

After leaving the Astrometrics lab and his meeting with Dr. Bracken, Jack had stopped in his office to try and gather his thoughts. Things were taking a decided turn for the worse and everything seemed to be going by in a whirl, this necessitated him forcibly taking some time to think things through.

The search of the Onyx for clues had been largely fruitless except for a couple of data chips that may or may not hold important information, the captain had assigned the task of sifting through that information to a friend of his in the science department, Harry Doorman. If anyone was qualified for that duty it was Harry, the man was gifted with an extremely brilliant and agile mind. Jack had used that opportunity to give Dr. Bracken some down time, she had earned it after the way events had unfolded on the other ship.

That triggered the memory of the firefight on the bridge of the Onyx, Colonel Drizzt had ordered the marines to converge there ostensibly to protect himself, but from what? Phantasms of the mind? Spooks? Some telepathic sending or demons from their id?

The marines had gone berserk and he, Col. Drizzt and Dr. Bracken had been forced to defend themselves from their own people.

~A frakk of unimaginable proportions.~

But that was only the beginning of sorrows:

Shortly after their return to the ship the Hades had lost power as well, the antimatter for the warp engines had had to be jettisoned and the impulse reactors had gone down as well. They were now operating on backup power alone which would last only a little under forty seven hours under emergency procedures after which time they would be drifting dead in space like the Onyx. Is this how events had transpired on that ship? Were they doomed to fruitlessly repeat the steps that crew had taken leading to their disappearance?

It had to be this section of space! The tachyon field must hold some clue!

But what had caused it?

If they were to have any hope of getting out of here they had to know!

Jack slammed a balled fist onto the desk as he cursed.

"Damn it!"

Getting to his feet he turned and walked to the porthole and looked out into space as he simmered. Here on the port side there was no view of the dead ship.

"I warned you that you had come to hell Jack."

He whirled at the sound of the familiar voice, his hands coming up in defense.

His felt as though the breath had been driven from his body at the sight of his dead wife standing before him.

"Shilae."

"You should never have come Jack." The tender look he had known had been replaced by one of sorrow. "You will all die here. Come to me my love."

What happened next was predictable, she began to burn.

Flames seemed to fill the office and he fell to his knees in the extremity of terror and agony. It was happening all over again!

"No!"

He gave a mighty shout and surged back to his feet and faced the apparition, his face a mask of rage. "Who are you? What are you? You're not real!"

His throat was already hoarse from the cries at the top of his voice as he faced the immolating figure. He could see the flames, could feel them as he forced himself to move toward it. When he was two steps from it, his very uniform beginning to smolder it vanished.

He stood there panting as his hands dropped to his sides, drawing in oxygen with strangled gasps. Lifting up his hands before his face he could see that they were bright red though not burned. Not yet.

But if it had continued?

~What if it gets worse? Is his how the Onyx crew disappeared?~

His reverie was interrupted as his combadge signal actuated, after a brief exchange he left his office for Ensign Dolphine's quarters, they had to find the answers... and they had to find them fast!

Charles Gatling

Lt. Jericho Haynes

FO, USS Hades

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USS Mithrandir

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Poster

Rank, Character name

Position, Ship

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USS Rosenante

^{Mission: Touch of the Eidolon, Day: 4, Stardate: 2413.12.18,}

(USS Rosenante, Captain's Quarters, CO, Captain Ahmed Ibn Salid, Day 4, 2300) Ahmed settled into his favorite leather chair and let out a long labored breath that seemed to carry with it all the stress and strain of the last few days.

The murder of Captain Taylor had been solved, the murderer arrested and his holographic assassination program decompiled. At least the worst of it was now over.

He had lifted the ban on the station-wide lockdown, and already the over-due freighters and cargo carriers were heading out of the system in the hopes of trying to salvage their shipments and get to their destinations on time.

The martial Arts tournament had been suspended because of graft and the judges confined to quarters until it could be decided if there was ample evidence to bring them up on charges. It seemed more likely that they would lose their status rather than face criminal proceedings, but that was not for him to decide.

He closed his eyes and tried to relax the muscles in his forehead, which of course, had just the opposite the desired effect. He slowed his breathing a little and allowed the tension to drain away a little before he focused his thoughts back to the situation on the Starbase.

The level under Captain Taylor had been unlike anything that he had ever imagined. He had sent a special request to the Judge Advocate's Office for a special investigator to get to the bottom of the situation. He had been told that they would be dispatching no less than a team of investigators.

At the very least, Ahmed thought that he would at least be able to allow his crew the long overdue shore leave that they had been denied as a result of the murder investigation. That one thought seemed to make everything alright, and Ahmed was smiling before too long.

(reply none)

Daniel Greene

Captain Ahmed Ibn Salid

CO, USS Rosenante

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USS Spectre

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Poster

Rank, Character name

Position, Ship

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More updates to come as received!

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Now for a little something about me, the new editor. Just wanna say that i know that this is a purely text version of the newsletter but I promise to the fleet that it will get better, just as soon as i've figured out how to add pesky photos to the thing! Anyone free to let me in on this please mail me! Okay, here goes, ust don't judge me harsly!

Get to Know Jaclyn Smith

What is your favorite food, color, drink, music, book and movie? Oh, toughie. Well, food would have to be rigatoni (large pasta tubes) with chicken, brocoli and chillies in a Dolcielatte sauce. Colour would have to be night sky blue. Music is absolutely anything but favourite singer would have to be Bryan Adams and group would be the amazing Naturally 7. Book would be the Forge of God by Greg Bear and movie, oh, i'd have to say either Constantine or Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

Any Favorite TV shows? We could be here a while but if I was picking a top ten then Torchwood (Doctor who spin off), Stargate SG1, Any Keith Floyd cooking show (man was a genius), Doctor Who, The X-Files, Red Dwarf (British comedy sci fi show), Any David Attenborough, Friends, Babylon 5 and, of course, Star Trek! When and how did you first hear about Star Trek in general? Can't really remember. Seems Trek, in one way or another, has always been part of my life.

How did you find out about Star Trek: Freedom and when did you join? Well, only been here a few months but I found out about it in much the same way as everyone else. Used to do a PBEM a few years ago but it folded. Felt it was time to get back into it and so did a search and found Freedom

What do you like the best about Star Trek Freedom? The people. Everyone here is so nice. Even if you make a booboo (as I have made a couple) then there's no recrimination just friendly advice. Everyone is just themselves and real which is great.

Who was your instructor? William Holiday. He had a lot to put up with with my character but he was great!

What do you do on ST:F and what character(s) do you play? I play Siobhan Philbin, the new ACMO, on the USS Mithrandir. So far, and i've only been onboard 2 game days, we've had an exploding lab, radiation leak and my character has gotten herself a broken ankle! Been fun.

When not writing posts or keeping yourself updated on current storylines, what do you do for a living? I work as an insurance claims advisor for a major british insurance company which is a lot of fun. We get allsorts from the man who lost his laptop, fishing rod and Rolex watch in Lake Windemere due to an eel to the woman who out right asked me if she committ fraud! I live in Sale, Cheshire, England with my partner, Keith and our cat pudding and two terrapins, Honda and Dyson.

So many of our players are creative and expressive people. What else do you like to do with your time? I fancy myself as a bit of a photographer. I love to go for walks with my camera and take photos. Also I like to read cook and listen to music.

What do you feel is your best photograph that you've taken? I would say the recent one I took of a white male stag when in our local deer park. He just looks so amazing next to the snow and other brown deers.

How has ST:F impacted your life for the better? Or has it made your life more difficult? At first, it was interesting, getting that old gaming hat back on again. Now I love to read the posts from the ship and see how everyone works around the story. I hopefully have made the start of some great friendships.

Which Star Trek character in any of the series or movies did you like the most? Hmmm, well I love Khan (the late great Ricardo) as his portrayal in ST2 was amazing but if I had to pick from the series, then I would say Quark. He just makes me smile every time I see him I smile but he has the brilliant ability to be serious and caring.

Have you gotten to meet any of the actors from Star Trek?' A few. Paris and Neelix from voyager and Uhuru from the original trek. There was also the one time when a few of us were at convention and managed to...........well kidnap Troi and Suku.

Okay, hold up.... you what? Okay, I was at a Star Trek convention, I think Blackpool and a gang of us had gone as Klingons (fully made up!) and one night, after rather too much at the hotel bar, we decided to kidnap them from their hotel room and hold them hostage for an hour! Mr Takei said that it was the best convention he'd been too!

If you could, what is the one thing in the world you would want to change the most and why? Hmm, I would have to say i'd make people realise that we are all responsible for our own actions whether good or bad and no-one can make you do anything you don't want to do.

What are you the most proud of in your whole life? The proudest moment of my life was when I got to work on the Commonwealth Games ceremonies. I got to look after Sir Steve Redgrave who is a proper gentleman. That and I also got to hear that Russell Watson managed to get in the wrong car and some lucky local cab driver got to take him to London for a TV appearance!

As i said, guys..... please don't judge me too harshly! It's a story i can tell my grandkids!!!!!

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RECIPE CORNER!

Sulu's Lemon Chicken Ingredients:

1 medium onion thinly sliced

1 lemon

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce, light japanese

1/4 cup sake or white wine

4 each chicken breasts halved

1 each egg

3/4 cup flour, all-purpose

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Directions

Put onion in large bowl. Cut the ends off the lemon, slice it and add to the onion. Add the sugar, sake, and soy sauce; stir well. Rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts, put them in the bowl and spoon the marinade over them. Marinate them for an hour at room temperature, stirring occasionally to be sure that all pieces are more or less equally marinated.

In a dish or small mixing bowl, thoroughly beat the egg. Put the flour in a plastic bag, dip a couple of the chicken breasts in the egg and shake them with the flour in the bag to coat them. Heat the oil in the pan and add the floured chicken breasts. Repeat until all the pieces are coated and in the frypan. Brown the chicken on both sides over medium heat (it should take about 20 to 30 minutes) and then add the marinade and simmer until the chicken is well cooked, perhaps another 30 minutes. Serve with rice and enjoy! Klingon Blood Wine:

1 bottle of red port or wine 1 inch of fresh ginger, peeled & sliced a number of fresh chilies (to taste) How To Make It: Combine and leave for a month. Serve at room temperature.

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AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT:

A new segment to this newsletter. A little bit of humour, funny news story or uplifting story from around the world. To start, an excellent piece of Star Trek related humour and a little computer related humour as well, enjoy......

Star Trek TNG Meets Microsoft

Picard: Mr. LaForge, have you had any success with your attempts at finding a weakness in the Borg? And Mr. Data, have you been able to access their command pathways?

Geordi: Yes, Captain. In fact, we found the answer by searching through our archives on late Twentieth-century computing technology. Geordi presses a key, and a logo appears on the computer screen.

Riker [puzzled] What the hell is Microsoft?

Data [turns to explain] Allow me to explain. We will send this program, for some reason called Windows, through the Borg command pathways. Once inside their root command unit, it will begin consuming system resources at an unstoppable rate.

Picard: But the Borg have the ability to adapt. Won't they alter their processing systems to increase their storage capacity?

Data: Yes, Captain. But when Windows detects this, it creates a new version of itself known as an upgrade. The use of resources increases exponentially with each iteration. The Borg will not be able to adapt quickly enough. Eventually all of their processing ability will be taken over and none will be available for their normal operational functions.

Picard: Excellent work. This is even better than that unsolvable geometric shape idea.

. . . . 15 Minutes Later . . .

Data: Captain, we have successfully installed the Windows in the Borg's command unit. As expected, it immediately consumed 85% of all available resources. However, we have not received any confirmation of the expected upgrade.

Geordi: Our scanners have picked up an increase in Borg storage and CPU capacity, but we still have no indication of an upgrade to compensate for their increase.

Picard: Data, scan the history banks again and determine if there is something we have missed.

Data: Sir, I believe there is a reason for the failure in the upgrade. Appearently the Borg have circumvented that part of the plan by not sending in their registration cards.

Riker: Captain, we have no choice. Requesting permission to begin emergency escape sequence 3F!

Geordi: [excited] Wait, Captain! Their CPU capacity has suddenly dropped to 0% !

Picard: Data, what do your scanners show?

Data: [studying displays] Appearently the Borg have found the internal Windows module named Solitaire, and it has used up all available CPU capacity.

Picard: Lets wait and see how long this Solitaire can reduce their functionality.

. . . . Two Hours Pass . . .

Riker: Geordi, what is the status of the Borg?

Geordi: As expected, the Borg are attempting to re-engineer to compensate for increased CPU and storage demands, but each time they successfully increase resources I have setup our closest deep space monitor beacon to transmit more Windows modules from something called the Microsoft Fun-Pack.

Picard: How much time will that buy us?

Data: Current Borg solution rates allow me to predict an interest time span of 6 more hours.

Geordi: Captain, another vessel has entered our sector.

Picard: Identify.

Data: It appears to have markings very similar to the Microsoft logo...

[over the speakers] This is admiral Bill Gates of the Microsoft flagship MONOPOLY. We have positive confirmation of unregistered software in this sector. Surrender all assets and we can avoid any trouble. You have 10 seconds to comply.

Data: The alien ship has just opened its forward hatches and released thousands of humanoid-shaped objects.

Picard: Magnify forward viewer on the alien craft!

Riker: My God, captain! Those are human beings floating straight toward the Borg ship - with no life support suits! How can they survive the tortures of deep space?!

Data: I dont believe that those are humans, sir. If you will look closer I believe you will see that they are carrying something recognized by twenty-first century man as doeskin leather briefcases, and wearing Armani suits.

Riker and Picard, together [horrified] Lawyers!!

Geordi: It can't be. All the Lawyers were rounded up and sent hurtling into the sun in 2017 during the Great Awakening.

Data: True, but appearently some must have survived.

Riker: They have surrounded the Borg ship and are covering it with all types of papers.

Data: I believe that is known in ancient vernacular as red tape. It often proves fatal.

Riker: They're tearing the Borg to pieces!

Picard: Turn the monitors off, Data, I cant bear to watch. Even the Borg doesn't deserve such a gruesome death!

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AND FINALLY:

It would be wrong for me to produce this first edition of the newsletter without a final word about the sad news of Walter Koenig's son's death. Andrew Koenig was an actor in his own right and we at Star Trek: Freedom, send our condolences to Mr. Koenig and his family. Mr Koenig, known to all of us as Pavel Chekov, bravely said that:

"If you are one of those people who can't handle it any more, know people are out there who really care before you make that final decision,Talk to somebody."

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this difficult time.

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