Independence Fleet Newsletter

April 2002

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INDEPENDENCE FLEET NEWSLETTER

APRIL 2002

I hope everyone got their taxes in on time, at least all of us who are US
citizens. For those of you who don't know, our income taxes are due on April
15th every year. I filed my taxes online for the first time. It was very easy
to do. However, I know that most people’s taxes are not easy and very
involved. See, there are advantages to being a poor college student. One funny
thing about this is how the IRS has to have our money today, but they take their
sweet time when they owe us money. Just an observation.

Anyway, the newsletter is out and on time (barely). There are several new
items, I hope you enjoy them. Of course, the sections have you grown to expect
are all still here as well. We’re just spicing things up a bit. Send any
suggestions for future newsletters to either myself or VAdm. Seldon. On to
business...

TABLE OF CONTENTS

- News and Happenings
- March Posting Awards
- April Riddle
- Mission Features
- Special Guest: Captain James Mirtoh
- Report on Ex-Ships
- Book of the Month
- Movie of the Month
- Closing

NEWS AND HAPPENINGS

- Lt. Cmdr. James 'Brit” Britanicus is promoted to captain and given command
of the USS Horatio Nelson of the DRF. The Horatio Nelson is tentatively
scheduled to launch on May 1st. Britanicus has served on the USS Washington for
several months. He won the 'Most Improved' fleet award for January and was
nominated for numerous other awards during his service on the Washington.

- Captain Thomas Dupont has resigned as CO of the USS Patriot and is retiring
from simming. Dupont was the first CO of the Patriot, serving since her
December 21st, 2001 launch date. The Patriot saw 245 posts and 3 fleet awards
during her 4 month run under Dupont.

- Dupont is temporarily replaced by Captain Dick Sprague for the month of April
as the Patriot’s CO. DSE Director Admiral Charles Star is still looking for a
permanent successor. Interested candidates should contact Star immediately.

- The Admiralty is searching for someone to serve as the 'Dick Trickle” of
the fleet. In case you don’t know who that is, he is a Nascar driver who
fills in for other drivers when they are unable to race. ID Fleet is looking
for someone to be the 'Reserve Captain” of the fleet, someone willing to
command ships for short periods of time when a CO isn’t able. Interested
candidates should email Admiral Star.

- Starbase 31 has been removed from ID Fleet due to some internal and external
problems. Commander Webb, CO of the starbase, has failed to resolve these
issues after a reasonable amount of time. Current crewmembers of Starbase 31
are given the opportunity to transfer to the soon-to-be-launched USS Horatio
Nelson.

- The USS Washington has become the first ship in ID Fleet history to hit 1,000
posts. Post #1,000 was sent on April 2nd by Vice-Admiral Robert Seldon after
his crew decided he should be the one to send the monumental post. The
Washington was one of the original three ships launched on ID Fleet’s
establishment date of July 4th, 2001.

- The DSE launched three new ships during March. The USS Pioneer, commanded by
Captain Josie O’Neal, was launched on the 1st; the USS Avalon-A, commanded by
Captain Jeremiah Griffith, was launched on the 14th; and the USS Excalibur,
commanded by Captain Steve 'Mac” McCloud, was launched on the 19th. They
are all off to great starts.

- The ID Fleet website saw its 10,000th hit on April 12th. Website hits have
consistently increased since our July 4th launch date. Let’s continue to get
the word out about our fleet!

- The Admiralty is hoping to host a get-together this summer for all fleet and
ex-fleet members. It will likely take place in August and the two current
possible locations are San Diego, CA and Branson, MO. A survey will be sent to
all ships shortly, please fill it out. If anyone has any suggestions about
this, email Admiral Star.

- Since there are only two admirals in the fleet now, a different CO will be
selected each month to serve as the 3rd person to vote for the monthly awards.
The Admiralty would like to thank Captain Josie O’Neal of the USS Pioneer for
assisting in this manner for the March awards.

- I now have the #1 high score of 44,288,840 points on the 'Police Force”
pinball game in the lobby of my dorm. I also have the #4 high score at
38,225,370. I am quite proud of this accomplishment.

MARCH POSTING AWARDS

- Best Post: Lt. Cmdr. David M. Kovich, CTO, USS George W. Bush, Post #161. Lt.
Cmdr. Kovich has been a part of the George W. Bush since her December 1st
launch. He has provided guidance and excellent posting throughout his tenure on
the ship. Post #161 is just one example of his superior writing ability.
Kovich has since been transferred to the new USS Avalon.

- Funniest Post: Lt. Reggie 'Big” Johnson, TP, USS Washington, Post #877.
Big Johnson captures his forth 'Funniest Post” award and his first since
November with Post #877. The crew of the Washington appreciates his comic
relief during both missions and character development. Johnson’s latest posts
have been some of his best to date.

- Most Posts: Capt. James 'Rook” Mirtoh, XO, USS Washington, 20 posts. If
anyone could be the fleet MVP for 2002 thus far, it would undoubtedly be Capt.
Mirtoh. He has consistently ranked among the top of posters in both quality and
quantity month in and month out. Mirtoh captured the MVP award in January and
now becomes the fleet’s most prolific poster for March.

- MVP: Cmdr. Alayne Tolbin, XO, USS Excalibur. Although the Excalibur wasn’t
launched until the 19th, Cmdr. Tolbin still found time to make an impact. She
post frequently and developed the story and characters well. Toblin also
assisted other crewmembers with some difficulties and encouraged them. As
Captain McCloud put it, 'She is the glue that holds this ship together.”

- Rookie of the Month: Ens. Darcon Mailan, AMO, USS Washington. Ens. Darcon
didn’t let his inexperience get into the way of making an impact on his first
ship. He immediately stepped up and started posting, integrating his character
into the story quite well. Darcon has earned the trist and respect of his crew
after just a month of posting.

- Most Improved: Lt. Reggie 'Big” Johnson, TP, USS Washington. After not
being able to post at all during February, Johnson was able to write 10
well-written posts during March. He went from just writing an occasional funny
post to writing both funny and well-developed, plot advancing posts. He is now
one the more valuable crewmembers of the Washington.

- Recruitment: Cmdr. Echo Sheridan, XO, USS Pioneer. The Pioneer’s XO wanted
to see her new ship off to a good start, so she immediately stepped to the plate
with her recruiting efforts. Sheridan was able to recruit three new people for
the ship. Captain O’Neal was glad to have the assistance of a faithful and
active XO in her launch of the new ship.

APRIL RIDDLE

This is a new section to the newsletter. Each month the editor will post a
riddle for you to try and solve. The answer will appear in the following issue.
Some of these riddles will be common, while others will be new. For the first
one, I chose to pick a riddle I heard a few years ago. I’ve spiced it up, of
course, to fit our setting. Without and further ado, here is our first Riddle
of the Month. I hope you enjoy it...

While exploring the uncharted sector Gamma 49-hydra, your ship’s sensors pick
up a human life on an unexplored class-M planet. You beam down, along with your
CO and XO. The three of you find an older gentlemen living there in rather
humble conditions. He has a small living area and a science lab in his one and
only building. He is polite and offers each of you some refreshments. However,
you soon recognize him to be the evil and insane Dr. Horatio Westgate! The mad
doctor suddenly calls forth several androids, who take hold your small landing
party captive. Westgate says he wants to have some fun with you. Each of your
are bound and blindfolded by his robots. A small cap is then placed on each of
your heads. The androids then set you in a standing position somewhere in the
middle of the room.

'If you can solve my riddle, I will let each of you live and return to your
ship. If not, you all shall surely die,” barked the evil Dr. Westgate. He
continued, 'I have placed a hat on each of you. It is either black or white.
There are either two blacks and one white or two whites and one black between
the three of you. All three of them are not the same color. When I remove your
blindfolds, you have 10 seconds for one of you to reveal the color of his (or
her) cap. I will let you live if only one of you can figure out what color hat
you are wearing. However, there is only one guess. If someone guesses
correctly, you all shall live. If one of you guesses incorrectly, you all shall
die. If anyone says anything besides ‘black’ or ‘white’ you all shall
die as well. If anyone moves, you all die. You have one chance.” The mad
doctor gives his vile laugh. 'Remove the blindfolds!”

The androids remove all the blindfolds. Directly in front you is your CO.
He’s facing away from you, wearing a black cap. You can feel your XO’s
breath on the back of your neck. Westgate approaches, stands next to you, looks
into your eyes, and speaks, 'Your captain can see no one, you can see your
captain, and your first officer can see the both of you.” Westgate walks away
just as quickly as he came and looks on at the three of you.

What color is your cap, white or black? Suddenly, 5 seconds are left... 4...
3... 2... No one has said anything yet! What color cap are you wearing?

MISSION FEATURES

Submitted by Captain Steve McCloud of the USS Exaclibur:

The USS Excalibur has been sent to the planetoid, "Memory Alpha" to investigate
a spacial anomaly. After sending in a probe, 20% of the crew is incapacitated
by a sound that is fed back from the probe. Several of the crew, including the
Captain have been taken over by some kind of alien lifeform. Now the crew has
to determine what this lifeform wants, with themselves and the Excalibur.

Submitted by Admiral Charles Star of the USS George W. Bush:

The USS George W. Bush is authorized to take shore leave on the believed-to-be
uninhabited planet, Daveb III. A landing party beams down to investigate the
surface before the rest of the crew begins to beam down. Once on the planet,
the landing party suddenly comes in contact with a rather primitive race and are
taken as prisoners. These humanoids were not picked up by sensors and the
transporter mysteriously no longer works. Shortly thereafter, a Ferrengri ship
arrives. The crew must figure out what is going on without violating the Prime
Directive.

Submitted by Captain Dick Sprague of the USS Patriot:

The crew of the Patriot is given some time off on Earth, just after Captain
Dupont’s retirement. While attending a ceremony for Dupont, Federation
President Horatio Goodspeed is murdered by several renegade Star Fleet officers.
Ensign Gelfand, the Pioneer’s Weapons Specialist, is mistaken for one of the
criminals, Johnson, by the other conspirators. Gelfand is able to infiltrate
the group because of their mistake. The real Johnson is captured and falsely
accuses Dupont of being involved with the murder. It is now up to Gelfand and
the rest of the crew to get to the bottom of the plot and to prove that Dupont
is innocent.

Submitted by Captain Josie O’Neal of the USS Pioneer:

The USS Pioneer has been sent to investigate who has been raiding the ships &
planets near the Klingon boarder & to do what they can to help stop the raids.
While en route, the Pioneer gets attacked by an unknown Romulan ship. A group
of the rogue Romulans board the Pioneer, trying to take over & steal what they
can. Once some repairs were made, the USS Pioneer takes off after the Romulan
ship & right before the Romulan ship comes after the Pioneer again an unknown
Klingon ship de-cloaks & comes to the aid the Pioneer.

Submitted by Vice-Admiral Robert Seldon of the USS Washington:

The USS Washington is dispatched to the remote Sector NWD26 where the USS
Quebec, a Nova class scout ship, disappeared 6 days ago on a mapping mission.
The cause for the vessel's disappearance are unknown and could be anything from
technical problems, a mutiny, collision with space debris, or, of course, enemy
action. It is up to the Washington to find out what happened to the Quebec,
rescue her or any survivors -- if possible -- and protect any threatened
Federation interests in the sector.

SPECIAL GUEST: CAPTAIN JAMES MIRTOH

This month’s special guest is Captain James 'Rook” Mirtoh, XO of the USS
Washington, the fleet’s most prolific ship. Captain Mirtoh has faithfully
served aboard the W for several months and has won three fleet awards (Rookie of
the Month, MVP, and Most Posts). He truly is a model simmer. Everyone,
including myself and other experienced simmers, can learn something from him.

In addition to the interview with our guests, we’re going to have each of them
tell us a little bit about their favorite Trek episode first. Here is
Mirtoh’s favorite episode and his interview:

My Favorite Episode of Trek...

Hands down, my favorite episode of Trek is one that I am sure many of you will
recognize. The Inner Light from Season Five of TNG is by far the deepest and
most profound episode I have seen.

So What's it About?

While on the bridge and investigating a mysterious probe. Captain Picard is
struck unconscious by the device. Under its influence, Picard believes that his
entire Starfleet career was only a delusion. Through much convincing by family
and friends, he eventually settles down to live out his life on the planet
Kataan. At the end of his life, Picard awakens to find himself on the
Enterprise bridge, surrounded by his crew. He comes to find out that he had
been unconscious for only several minutes.

So Why's it so Good?

First of all, what a great plot-line! Furthermore, this was by far the best
acting I've ever seen from a Star Trek. Patrick Stewart's performance really
convinced me that his character was feeling the
emotional pain of giving up the only life he knew to settle down, and his
distress and discovering that it was all real. The life he lived stayed with
him, and to this day Picard has the flute given to him as a keepsake to remember
the people of Kataan. This episode was truly a great Trek moment.

And now, the interview...

Interviewer: Good evening, Captain Mirtoh, and thank you for joining us.

Mirtoh: Good Evening. Glad to be here.

Interviewer: Can I call you Rook?

Mirtoh: That would be great.

Interviewer: Well Rook, how long have you served on the Washington?

Mirtoh: Let's see.... I began in October 2001, so that would be about 7 months!
Gosh, has it been that long already? I guess time flies when you're having fun.

Interviewer: Well, it's good to hear that you're having fun. What was your
first job on the ship?

Mirtoh: I came aboard in October as the Washington's Head Tactical Officer.

Interviewer: And you've made your way all the way to XO and from Ensign to
Captain. It is quite an accomplishment. I'm sure you and the crew have
experienced quite a bit. What has been your favorite mission thus far?

Mirtoh: That really is a tough question... I think my favorite mission so far
has been the Washington's search for Dr. Simon Boothroyd, the anthropologist
gone AWOL to immerse himself into the culture of the people he was studying -
The No'o.

Interview: And how did that mission end?

Mirtoh: Dr. Simon Boothroyd was apprehended and the Prime Directive was
maintained... for the most part. There may be a shuttle discovered on the
bottom of the ocean in a few hundred years. ;-)

Interviewer: Oh?

Mirtoh: Oh yes, our infamous shuttle pilot Reggie "Big" Johnson apparently ran
into some trouble over one of the larger No'o oceans. Luckily, he was picked up
by a passing boat.

Interviewer: Well, that's quite interesting. You've been nominated for numerous
ID Fleet awards and have won three (Rookie of the Month, MVP, and Most Posts).
Do you have any tips for some of the rookies in the fleet?

Mirtoh: Well let's see... the number one tip I can give is always, always
re-read your post before you send it. This helps catch spelling errors that the
spellchecker won't catch, continuity problems, etc. Another tip is to always
try and advance the plot in some way. This won't always be possible, but if it
is, try and do it. Those always make for the best posts.

Interviewer: That is certainly sound advice for the ages. You've been one of
the sustaining factors with both the Washington and ID Fleet. Where do you see
the W and the fleet six months from now?

Mirtoh: I see the Washington going strong and reaching the 2,000 post mark
(which will of course be done by Vice-Admiral Seldon) and most likely spinning
off another successful DRF ship.

Interviewer: Those sound like worthy goals. Since your arrival to the fleet in
October, what has ID Fleet been able to do for you? What have you gotten from
this experience?

Mirtoh: Wow. A lot, actually. A lot of people think Simming is just a game and
I agree to a certain extent. But Simming is more than that. It's a unique
opportunity to advance your writing skills as well as your creativity. Star
Trek is a unique genre that one can explore what they know about science,
people, religion, philosophy, and so on. Not to mention, what you can learn
about those subjects as well!

Interviewer: Very, very true. Has pondering these subjects helped you grow as a
person?

Mirtoh: I would have to say that it has. If nothing else, it allows you to
explore yourself in the form of a character, if you are willing to invest
yourself into your character that is.

Interviewer: That is good to hear. Have you established any friendships through
your interactions within the ship and fleet?

Mirtoh: Well, that's a tough question, because you're never sure your ideas of
friendship are truly reciprocated...but I like to think that I have a friend in
Jacob, the man behind Vice Admiral Seldon; in AJ, the woman behind Dr. Gage,
David who plays Lt. Commander Logan, Chris who plays our HTO Brit and is about
to take command of his own ship as well as a few others.

Interviewer: I'm sure all of those people are glad to have you as their friend.
We've talked a lot about fleet stuff, but everyone would like to know a little
bit about the man behind Rook Mirtoh. What can you tell us about yourself?

Mirtoh: Well let's see.. I'll give you the standard run down: I am 26 years
old, and attend California State University, Northridge as a part timer, Major:
Anthropology. I am married to a lovely woman and have recently acquired a puppy
named Sampson - he's a Cocker/Poddle mix. I was born in Houston, TX, raised in
Austin and have moved to the Los Angeles area only recently (1995). Hobbies
include Chess, Aikido (martial arts) and Guess what! Simming! I think that
about covers it!

Interviewer: It sounds like you are living a very blessed life. What are some
of your short-term and long-term goals?

Mirtoh: I certainly am. Short term goals are to finish up this semester with
straight A's, and head full steam into summer and all the homeowner projects
that brings. Long term goals include - attaining a Bachelor's degree, then a
Master's Degree, and of course a PHD. I'd like to teach college one day.

Interviewer: Ah, so the study of man and his development is something you're
passionate about?

Mirtoh: Absolutely. It's of the richest subjects I can imagine.

Interviewer: What intrigues you about it?

Mirtoh: I think there are a lot of things people do that can only be understood
whithin the context of ther culture. Understanding that culture is the first
step in understanding what drives humans to do the things they do and believe
the things they believe.

Interviewer: That is very true. We wish you the best of luck in your studies
and your eventual goals.

Mirtoh: Thanks so much.

Interviewer: Well, that's all of our time for today. Thanks for joining us,
Rook, and keep up the great work!

Mirtoh: You're Welcome. I'll borrow a phrase Ensign Biro likes to use - Live
Long and Prosper.

Interviewer: ::laughs:: Take care.

Captain Mirtoh can be contacted via e-mail at Russ.Robinson@w... and
through AIM at RussWFM.

REPORT ON EX-SHIPS

ID Fleet has gone through a lot of changes the last few months. Unfortunately
several ships have left to pursue their own greater glory. Here is a brief
summary on how a few of them are doing now:

The USS Avalon (now known as the USS Camelot) is in the stagnant and struggling
'Nova Fleet.” She is commanded by 'Vice-Admiral” Sutak. The
'Camelot” is on pace for 15 posts this month. The 'Camelot” has done
well since she left to help start 'Nova Fleet” up until this month.

The USS Chesapeake (now known as the USS Goliad) is the flagship of the before
mentioned 'Nova Fleet.” She is commanded by 'Fleet-Admiral” Shawn James
Edwards. The 'Goliad” is on pace for 34 posts this month. The 'Goliad”
has struggled ever since she left the fleet to start 'Nova Fleet.”

The USS Destiny is now an independent ship. She is commanded by Captain Jeremy
Ross. The Destiny has yet to have a post since her departure from ID Fleet.

The USS Goldeneye is now an independent ship. She is commanded by Captain Emery
L. Ashley. The Goldeneye has yet to have a post since her departure from ID
Fleet.

We might try to get reports on some of the other ships that have left the fleet
for a later issue. I hope those reports are a little more positive than these.
Time changes everything, including our fleet. However, we don’t have to let
other failures stop us and our organization. Keep up the excellence, guys and
gals!

BOOK OF THE MONTH

The Paradise War, by Stephen Lawhead, published in June of 1991, is one of my
personal favorite books. I read this book for the first time during my freshman
year of high school. I found it to be an enjoyable escape for an hour or so
from the rest of the day. I was quickly engulfed and immersed into the story.
I’ve never felt as much a part of a story as I did with this book. The story
is incredible and the writing is good.

Narrator Lewis Gillies and Simon Rawnson, two graduate students at Oxford, go on
a weekend adventure to Scotland. While there, Simon is transported to the other
world. The other world is known as Albion. It is a lush green world, brighter
and full of more life than our own world. However, this world is ancient
compared to ours. Lewis tries to find his friend and enters into the other
world. He finds that Simon has made quite a difference in that universe, which
has in turn changed our world. Lewis must fix what Simon corrupted.

This is the first book in the 'Song of Albion” trilogy, which is based off
of Celtic mythology. This is arguably Lawhead’s best work. I suggest
everyone check out this book.

MOVIE OF THE MONTH

Showtime (2001), starring Robert De Niro, Eddie Murphy, Rene Russo, Pedro
Damian, and William Shatner, is one of the funniest movies I’ve seen this
year. It’s been in theaters for several weeks now, but you can probably still
find it playing somewhere. If not, I guess you’ll have to wait until it comes
out on video. The humor was excellent and the plot was goofy enough to pass for
this type of movie.

De Niro plays a no-nonsense cop who is forced to team up with a green and
less-than-serious cop, played by Murphy, in a new reality-based cop tv-show.
Rene Russo plays the producer of the show. William Shatner plays himself. His
job is to teach the characters of De Niro and Murphy how to play a police
officer on screen, as he did during the tv series 'T.J. Hooker.” During the
course of the movie/show, the cop duo most get to the bottom of a plot by the
antagonist, played by Pedro Damian. The characters are all portrayed perfectly
and the pacing is right on. The story is kinda out there, but it fits the movie
well. All in all, an entertaining film.

As Star Trek fans, it's nice to see William Shatner still performing and
enjoying his work. Though he's no longer playing Captain Kirk, he is still a
joy to watch. Through numerous tv appearances and movie roles, Shatner has
given us, at least myself, many laughs over the last few years. This is a fun
movie, I think most everyone here will enjoy it.

CLOSING

Thanks for reading the newsletter and for keeping up with the fleet happenings
and other stuff. I hope you enjoyed our little publication this month. VAdm.
Seldon will write the newsletter next month. Until then...

Admiral Charles Star
Commander in Chief, Independence Fleet
Director of Deep Space Exploration
Commanding Officer, USS George W. Bush NCC-2004