Independence Fleet Newsletter

June 2004

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=/\=INDEPENDENCE FLEET NEWSLETTER - JUNE 2004=/\=

-- Opening
-- Newsbits
-- Announcements
-- Current Missions
-- Fleet Awards
-- Interview
-- Special Thanks



*******************
=/\= OPENING =/\=

Greetings and salutations all. This is Rear-Admiral
Joseph "Stealth" Carroll. Greeting you all from the
land of us "higher ups." I have been given the honor
and duty this month of bringing you the monthly
newsletter, and so, I hope you will all sit tight if I
am a little slow with it, but I think everything will
be good to go. This was a good month for the fleet,
as are most months, but like usual it had some spots
of black that will need addressing. I hope everyone
will enjoy this newsletter, and read on folks.

*******************

=/\=NEWSBITS=/\=

- IDF Academy. Well, work is still being done on the
IDF Academy. We are getting applications sporadically,
but we need more support from all of you and everyone
needs to feel free to send in those applications. All
questions and applications can be directed to
either Admiral Zhaan or Admiral Hiron.

- Website Update. The IDF website is getting a
facelift folks. Within the next few weeks it ought to
look like something completely new. It is the hope of
myself and the other Admirals that the new and
improved website will help with recruitment for the
fleet. Keep
checking it out to see all the new stuff.

- IDF Fantasy Baseball League Standings
1 1421 Houston Heroes 13,336
2 2552 Texas Werewolfs 12,553
3 2634 New York Diamondbacks 12,508
4 3046 Anaheim 2002 Champs 12,263
5 3421 Missouri Royals 12,054
6 3739 Hell Boys 11,866
7 5755 Baghdad Roughriders 10,416
8 6477 Houston Evil Empire 9492
9 10353 Intermezzo Spears 0

*******************

=/\=ANNOUNCEMENTS=/\=

- Message from all of us at Command. Ladies and
gentlemen of the Independence Fleet, this is a sad day
for all of us. It is my duty to inform you all that
the Federation planets of Bolis and Andor (homeworlds
of the Bolians and Andorians) were savagely assaulted
by a force known as the Zaj. Though the Zaj force that
attacked the worlds has been destroyed, all ships are
to be at alert status for any possible hostile vessels
that may be attempting to invade Federation space. It
is a difficult day for us all at Command, as it must
be for you all that must now hear this. We shall keep
everyone updated on the situation as information
becomes available. RAdm. Carroll out.

- The new Sims that have been added to the fleet,
specifically the glorious returns of the Sunfire and
and Washington are going great. We wish both Sims all
the prosperity in the world, as well as the same for
Starbase D'Shubba. Welcome one and all and may you all

perform at the highest standards.

- The IDF WANTS YOU…to be all you can be. Got a skill
that you think you can use to help the fleet. Got some
free time that you'd like to spend doing all things
Trek? Then feel free to contact Admiral Hiron or
Admiral West about you enthusiasm. We are looking for
people ready and willing to help. Positions currently
looking to be filled include, but are not limited to
are: interviewer, newsletter editor, historian. Also,
don't forget people, if you want to jump to that next
step, feel free to put in an application to the
Admiralty to become a CO or even, dare I say it (dare,
dare!) an Admiral. That's right, you might be the next
one of us. You just need to send in an application and
then all your dreams might just come true…

***
Ship news:

Washington -
Promotions: Cadet Matthews to full Ensign (grade 1).
Congratulations Ensign and welcome to the
Washington-A.

GWB -
Milestone: Post #2200, by Lt. Tobias James, COO on May
27th
Promotions: 1st Lieutenant Yundor Le'e, MCO promoted
to Marine Captain
Lt. Cmdr. Thomas Hallet, CEO promoted to Commander;
with the accomplishment of breaking 200 posts total,
with 201 posts for the 13th months he has been with
the Bush, Congrats!

Starbase D'Shubba -
Promotions: Major Robert Lucas is promoted to
Lieutenant Colonel and in addition
takes command of the entire Marine Detachment.

Dragon -
Milestone: Post #700 Sent in By Commander James
Sullivan
Promotions: Lt JG Richard Flagg, CEO
Lt JG Jon Vaffen, CIO
Lt JG Dag'raMor, CCO (And then Demoted back to Ensign
by her request
for CD purposes)
Lieutenant Colonel Ken Lionheart, MCO/2O

Liberty:
Promotions: Admiral Carroll would like to
congratulate the following Liberty crewmembers for
promotions. They were all well deserved. Congrats to
the following: Ensign D'ce is promoted to the rank of
Lieutenant.

SB10:
Act of Distinction: Commander Douglas Meyer. Meyer
came to starbase 10 in April to help start the fires
of enthusiasm on board the starbase. He is a busy
person, and by committing to help me here, he has
stretched himself somewhat thin. But he has remained
dedicated, and I appreciate that. He has brought a
dept to our storyline that I really enjoy, and I'm
sure others do as well. He introduced a new ship to
the starbase list, and several NPCs for use by the
starbase. And he has enacted a realism that isthriving
and wonderful.

*******************

=/\=CURRENT MISSIONS=/\=

Washington

The Washington was sent by orders of V. Adm. Hiron to
find out what happened too the USS Manhattan, a
defiant class starship. As they approached the last
known co-ordinates, their
sensors were lost. Repair teams began too investigate,
they were able too get an ion trail before they lost
the use of them It leads too an M class planet.
Unfortunately there is an alien fleet there…. For more
information check out our website.

GWB
After concluding their previous mission, the crew of
the Bush is under going repairs at a Starbase before
venturing out into a highly dangerous area of space
with several anomalies in the hopes of charting a safe
course to help in fixing the upset trade routes.

Starbase D'Shubba
Captain Echo and the crew of Starbase D'Shubba head
for Ferenginar to aide the Grand Nagus of the Ferengi
Consortium- Rom. The crew must track down a rouge
Ferengi who is siphoning off money from the Grand
Nagus' personal account. Can the crew track down the
crook responsible, without blowing their cover and not
exposing transvestites?

Liberty
The Liberty while en route to Risa for some shore
leave is instead diverted to SB10. Radm Carroll
informs the crew upon arrival that the Zaj have
attacked the planets Andor and Bolis, killing
thousands before being destroyed. The Liberty and SB10
are currently working together to stop the Zaj who
have apparently declared war upon the Federation. It
has also been determined that the Zaj have planet
killers, massive ships made out of neutronium, and are
almost impossible to destroy. Thus far, the Liberty
and SB10 have put up a great fight against the Zaj
invading force, but it is still yet to be determined
the final outcome? War it would seem has returned to
the Federation.

Holland
Character development.

*******************

=/\=FLEET AWARDS=/\=

Best story:
GWB: Cmdr. Marko, XO --Post #2182
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/USSGeoWBush/message/1264

Best CD:
Dragon: Ensign Dagra'Mor, Post 756.
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/ussdragonrpg/message/961?expand=1

Funniest:
Liberty: Cmdr. Jackson & Lt. Cmdr. Bowen, Post 1105
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/Liberty91101A/message/417

Genesis:
GWB: Julie Absecon, CO --Post #2201
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/USSGeoWBush/message/1286

Most Improved:
SB10: Lieutenant Jean-Michael Bourbon. Who would ever
want to be stuck at the top and never have a chance
for change or growth? Bourbon took advantage of this
opportunity for growth this May, and developed his
character on the starbase further than many of us have

seen. He finally asked Willow to marry him, as many
have impatiently waited for. Not only did his number
of posts increase, but also his character involvement
significantly increased. It got to the point,
as the starbase has slowly come out of a sort of
hibernation, that Bourbon was instigating plot twists,
and ones that I certainly found enjoyable, and I'm
sure many others did as well.

Rookie:
Dragon: Ensign Dag'raMor. Well, here is to the next
James Sullivan on the Dragon. Dag'raMor joined late
last month and didn't have a chance to post. However,
this month she came in and strutted her simming stuff.
Ending the month tied in second place for most posts,
20, She showed what exactly simmers can do. She is not
rookie when it comes to star trek rpgs as she used to
play D&D style ones, if i remember correctly. But in
our world she walked in as a Rookie and I'm sure will
one day leave her mark on all simmers that have the
pleasure of serving with her.

MVP:
W: Cmdr. Kristov Hevanovich. What can I say, this man
has been the blood and soul of the Washington. If it
was not for him, than well, this ship would be a
figment of my imagination. Through rallying the
crew into posting, to coding the last of the website,
he has gone far and beyond what I would have expected
from anyone. While he handled the hardcore stuff, it
gave me the time too give attention to the crew and
the other things, such as recruiting.

Most Posts:
GWB: Lt. Tobias James, COO -- 35 posts

Recruitment:
GWB: Captain Theolin Vadok-3

*******************

=/\=INTERVIEW=/\=

IDF's head honchos sat down with senior Captain, the
lovely and sexy Julie Absecon. Oh yeah baby shake it!
Ms. Absecon talks about her infatuation with the
interviewer Ace Decade, her love for short Mexican hog
farmers and her IDF career! Okay...maybe not all of
the above.

Ace Decade: Finally, we have the honor of sitting down
with Captain Julie Absecon, a long time member of
Independence Fleet (IDF). Ms. Absecon you are the
senior Captain her in IDF. That must be a grateful
honor. Tell me how were you brought into simming?

Julie Absecon: About two years ago, my cousin was
involved in the SIM as Alexis Trent, the XO of the
GWB. She basically introduced me to Star Trek and then
onto simming. I joined up as the CMO.

Decade: Interesting. I remember Trent, how is she
doing these days?

Absecon: Enjoying college life, I'm sure

Decade: How did you adjust to the world of simming?
Did you catch on quickly or were things hard for you
to jump right into?

Absecon: As it is with most new simmers it took some
time. I look back at old posts that I've written and
die laughing at how bluntly and choppy I stated
everything.... one thing that I had to cope with was
just the whole concept of actually connecting story
threads together with other simmers. I was lucky to
have good supporting crewmembers who helped me get my
footing.

Decade: Anyone that took you under their wing and
helped you out? Or were you on your own?

Absecon: I think the overall encouragement was
helpful-- and getting a compliment from a superior
ranked officer raised my young spirits more than
anything. My cousin of course was the main person to
take me under her wing.

Decade: Yeah Trent was good, wish she would have hung
around longer. Who was your favorite character,
besides yourself, on the ship?

Absecon: Wow-- that's a tough one... hmm, I'd have to
say Jubal Sacket. The simmer behind the character was
a very talented writer, and she developed his
character traits very well. But of course, there are
several present simmers that have very promising
characters and I can't wait to see what evolves from
them.

Decade: Yes, the George W. Bush (GWB), is doing rather
well. Tell me, how was it different being under
Charles Star than being under Jasson Asuka?

Absecon: Star commanded the ship for 12 months, I was
present for about 10 and a half of them. He was very
good at keeping the plot lines together and keeping us
flowing in the mission, which is a necessity in any
commanding officer. I only had the privilege of being
Asuka's XO for four months before he relinquished
command. In that time I noticed that he was more
hands-on with the crew in helping us along in posting
ideas. He never forgot that he was in the SIM for the
fun of it, and that showed in his excellent writing.

Decade: What do you know about other players outside
of the GWB? Like former Vice-Admiral Robert Seldon or
James West. What about impact players such as Shawn
Edwards or Sutak? Did you ever post with them?

Absecon: I've only had one character, and that would
be Julie Absecon. However, if I remember correctly one
of them served as Richard "Dick" Phelps on the GWB....
but that was back before I was even introduced to any
of the higher ranks, so I'm not sure which
one. (Laughs).

Decade: That would be Seldon. How were things when you
took over? Was it too much to handle?

Absecon: Hah, definitely! It took a little while but
things began to pick up again. I didn't have long to
prepare for taking command-- maybe a half of a week?
Asuka had to depart suddenly and the first few months
were very hard, especially since at that time I had a
crew of about five members, on top of that was the
wonderful honor of trying to keep plot lines straight
and moving and of course posting numbers in the
correct sequence, which I testify still seems
to be a problem for the Bush.

Decade: Yeah we had that similar problem on the
Liberty. Does the GWB have great character development
going on? Like is there any love affairs or anything
soap operish on board?

Absecon: Yes-sometimes I warn the crew to be careful
that the GWB doesn't turn into the Love Boat. We've
had a marriage between Ryan Dunmore and an NPC
character; then of course there is the ever growing
relationship of Thomas Hallet and Maggie Bentahr,
which
seems to spread to an overall character development
scenario on the ship.

Decade: Any love interest for the captain?

Absecon: As noted from Star Trek series (TOS excluded)
Captains and relationships don't mix. However, in a
recent JM with the Dragon, there was some temporary CD
between Absecon and Captain Dragomire that of course
ended in a mutual agreement that it wouldn't work out
as long as they had their present careers.

Decade: I tried a love interest once and it didn't
work out either. Some bastard stole her from me but
that's another issue. If you want to check that out go
to the Liberty archives. Anyway back to the interview.
So no love interest huh? Well, that's a shame. What is
the thing you like most about your sim currently?

Absecon: The ability to be able to work well with each
other and rely on others; we've all become friends,
and even though they take every opportunity possible
to knock out their beloved Captain, I don't see a
mutiny in the works yet… not with the Bush's secret
weapon still on my side.

Decade: Well, at least your character isn't blind.
What is the GWB doing currently?

Absecon: Right now we are in for repairs at a
Starbase, along with several crew transfers to take
care of, including the dismissal of a long time
veteran, Thomas Hallet-before venturing off into a
highly erratic and dangerous area of space in order to
chart a safe path and deliver a small endangered
society to safety.

Decade: Sounds interesting. I'll have to check up on
that. Tell me, what makes a good captain?

Absecon: He or she has to be able to listen to his/her
crew and be able to manage them successfully in the
ways of keeping the plot lines together etc.-another
important factor is to make sure everyone is included;
and of course in the areas of the GWB especially, the
CO has to have at least an elementary education in
math, since not many others know how to count in
sequence.

Decade: How well do you think the fleet is doing
today, compared to yesterday?

Absecon: We suffered a few hard obstacles, and I'm
satisfied as to how we were able to overcome those
hurdles. The real challenge of course will be in being
successful in keeping the organization and peace in
any future ordeals; but I have confidence in the
abilities
of IDF.

Decade: I think ordeals will come and go like any
fleet or organization for that matter. It was nice
talking with you Captain Absecon, but before we go
have those nice little questions to ask you. . . Who
is your favorite Star Trek character?

Absecon: Tom Paris.

Decade: Who is a better break dancer: Michael Jackson
or Justin Timberlake?

Absecon: Timberlake.

Decade: Over MJ! The king of pop. Sure he sleeps with
youngsters but who cares?

Absecon: Well, after trying some moves myself, I
respect anyone who has the ability to breakdance.

Decade: You dance?

Absecon: Long story.

Decade: (Laughs). Out of these four comedies, which is
the funniest: Space Balls, Weekend at Bernies, Galaxy
Quest or Captain Ron?

Absecon: My heart is in Star Wars, so I'd have to say
Space Balls-- but Galaxy Quest had some really good
lines.

Decade: Yeah, I like Weekend at Brenies myself. But,
Space Balls is funny. I own all four of the above
movies. In a fight, who would win: Luke Skywalker,
Captain Kirk, Will Robinson or A.L.F. from the TV
show?

Absecon: Skywalker of course, the force is a powerful
ally... but I wonder if his light saber would deflect
a phaser blast? There is something to test....

Decade: I think A.L.F. could kick all their asses.

Absecon: Or just dial collect for reinforcements.

Decade: (Laughs). Who is going to win the NBA
playoffs.. The L.A. Lakers or the Detroit Pistons?

Absecon: Lakers.

Decade: Who is your favorite actress out of these
three: Sharon Stone, Halle Berry or Charlize Theron?

Absecon: Halle Berry, even if she sometimes has a
questionable wardrobe. I don't know, might be biased
in the fact that I just love Storm from X-Men.

Decade: In your opinion, out of the five which is
truly movie of the year for 2003: Lord of the Rings,
Seabiscuit, Lost in Translation, Master and Commander
or Mystic River?

Absecon: Lord of the Rings... and that is just not
because of the sad fact that I haven't seen the other
choices... it was directed wonderfully, and I love the
story and the music.

Decade: What is your favorite music? And who is your
favorite band/singer?

Absecon: I've always been into Contemporary Christian
and then of course your various rock groups--- I've
developed a fascination with Evanescence and the
deeper tone rock style of their music.

Decade: You ever heard of the Crabb Family?

Absecon: Nope.

Decade: One last question, besides the GWB, which sim
do you think has the best legacy in IDF?

Absecon: As far as legacy and past history, I'd have
to say the Excalibur.


Decade: I strongly disagree there, but she is a good
ship. Well that about wraps it up for the day Ms.
Absecon, thank you for your time and good luck with
the GWB!

Absecon: My pleasure!

*******************

=/\=SPECIAL THANKS=/\=

Thanks go out to Ace Decade for the interview, Admiral
Hiron for all assistance rendered, Admiral West for
trusting me enough to do the newsletter, and of
course, to the wonderful Simmers of IDF, all of who
are necessary to keep our juggernaut moving ever
forward. Until next month folks, peace, love and
pizza!

- Joey

_________________________________
Rear-Admiral Joseph "Stealth" Carroll
Commanding Officer | Division Director
USS Liberty NCC 91101-A
Defense Response Force
Independence Fleet
__________________________________