=/\=Independence Fleet Newsletter=/\=
October 2003

=/\= Begin Transmission =/\=

Contents:
1. Opening
2. Newsbits
3. Mission Summaries
4. Awards
5. Interview
6. Special Features
7. Thanks
***

=/\=OPENING=/\=

Hello to the gallant simmers that make up Independence Fleet! It's certainly been an interesting month, hasn't it? This issue will include a few updates on the current situation as well as all the regular news from September. So without further ado, let us begin!
***

=/\=NEWSBITS=/\=

-Rear-Admiral Jeremiah Griffith retired as Division Director of the Special Operations Division. He was succeeded by Rear-Admiral Samar on September 20th.

-The U.S.S. Victory was removed from the fleet.

-Captain Ace Decade retired from the Liberty, leaving Captain Dylan Anderson in command.

-The U.S.S. Goliad hit 500 posts on September 16. Post #500 was sent by Doctor Robert Dragonmire.

-The U.S.S. Patriot hit 1500 posts on September 30th. Post #1500 was sent by Lieutenant (junior grade) Nolofinwe.

-The U.S.S. Minerva hit 800 posts on September 15th. Post #800 was sent by Lieutenant Rhian Chal.

-Captain Krol, son of K'Targ was promoted to Rear-Admiral and replaced Steve McCloud as Division Director of Deep Space Exploration. His successor on the Minerva is Captain Andrew Ryan.

-Jacob, who formerly played Admiral Robert Seldon has returned to IDF as Fleet Historian.
***

=/\=MISSION SUMMARIES=/\=

SB10
The Valdera II Mission, started nearly months ago, will be ended soon. The crew has completed much of the planet's evacuation, and the evacuees who will be sent to SB10 have been recieved and are being dealt with by the crew there. Meanwhile, a mist of evaporated Duranium, pieces of which have also been found in V. II's atmosphere, has been discovered floating around the station. A shard of Duranium was also used to attack our resident Romulan expert, Terrh Ullho, earlier in the mission. Many of the crew are becoming ill, and it is suspected that the Duranium may somehow be the cause. The source of the radiation in Valdera II's atmosphere is still unknown, but it is being cleared and the marine teams are also circling the planet, protecting the evacuation ships and searching for clues. A team of 4 marines, including Lt. Col. Modin Blatheric, along with Capt. Treniek and led by Ullho, are exploring an abandoned Romulan Outpost found on the surface.

GWB
The George W. Bush has a simple assignment. Catch a thief and bring her and her followers to justice, and in the process recover the missing artifacts and stolen objects. However, this thief, Carmen, is clever and in fact no one can figure out where in the cosmos is Carmen Sandiego. She has already stolen an ear piece from the ancient Bajoran's relics, the Emperor of the Klingon's High Counsels prized bat'leth, and most recently the Denobulans first historical records.... What she plans to do with all of these things is as much as a mystery as her location. Will the crew of the Bush successfully capture Carmen Sandiego? Can they find the traces of another one of her vile henchmen? We'll soon find out as they try to out smart the master thief.

Goliad
The Diplomatic assignment to Phalos III has been wrapped up with a great loss of personnel and heavy damage. The Goliad put into Starbase 12 for repairs, and has embarked on her Long-Term Mission to the Gamma Quadrant, so far all is quiet as the crew try to get used to a Vorta Ambassador.

Patriot
Attack of the Couch Potatoes:
An angry race of being from the planet WBUPNABC is on their way to Earth to find out why the last fifteen minutes of the show 24 had been cut off. Since the signal travels at the speed of light and their planet is about 375 lightyears away, they are just now getting the signal. The Patriot has picked them up on long range scanners is on their way to say "hi".

Minerva
The Minerva receives a distress call and goes to investigate. We discover a Galaxy-class starship dead in space. We send an away team to investigate. The away team powers the ship up… and the ship suddenly vanishes. After a long time, it suddenly reappears, once again powered down and empty. A second away team goes over, including Captain Krol, and powers the ship up again. Once again, the ship vanishes. After some deliberation, the rest of the crew decides to take the Minerva into the ship's last known coordinates, and the Minerva is rocketed through a transwarp conduit. On the other side they discover a planet, on which both away teams are stranded, facing monsters taken from their fears. The away team is rescued, but it is discovered that there is an alien presence on the planet. When Cerberus squadron goes to investigate, the planet breaks itself apart, revealing that it is really a gigantic starship! What happens next? We'll soon find out.
***

=/\=AWARDS=/\=

Rookie of the Month:
Excalibur: Ensign Darrin Sullivan

Ensign Sullivan posted 5 times in 7 days. He fell right into the story and started posting like a pro. He has a good writing style and looks to be a very good pickup for The Excalibur. I think he will win many other awards in the months to come.

MVP:
Liberty: Commander Joseph Carroll

Of all the awards, this is by far the toughest. The entire crew deserves this award for the work they put in this month in making the ship a much better place to sim. However, if a choice needs to be made, the person who has shined the brightest is Commander Joseph Carroll. Carroll and I were handling thre Liberty's command functions for two months prior, and we were barely in Command postions! But, Carroll this month really helped out. He encouraged the formation of the new Leveling up system, by creating the core ideas for it. His insight into some of the new ship designs have been very helpful, and his posts were really well thought out. On a personal note. Carroll still helped the crew, even though he had some personal issues with one of the crew(now former crew member.) He did not put any disdain in his posts, or create any problems. Seperating personal feelings from professional posting is an extremely admirable quality, and it was very much appreciated. If anyone should get this award, it should be Commander Joseph Carroll.

Most Improved:
GWB: Lt. Ryan Dunmore -CTO

I'm not sure where to start with this Simmer.... He has been on the Bush for about a year now, and at first he just added a little something here and there to the storyline, but now he has stepped it up a notch. It almost seems that with his new title of Lieutenant that he is jumping over each chance he has to post, plus his posts are contributing to the storylines. He went from four and a half posts to eleven, if that is any good explanation of how much he is has improved with the Sim.

Outstanding Simmer:
Washington: Cdr. Chameleon "Cam" Circuit

Cam stood steadfastly beside the command staff of the Washington through the lean times, serving for a time as Executive Officer. With good grace, he stepped down when another Executive Officer was found who had more specific qualifications. He is always willing to pitch in with ideas, asks questions when they need asking, and posts more than any other officer on the W. He's always willing to take a risk, and accepts it graciously when sometimes they don't work out. Someday he will leave the W to spread his wings so to speak, and until that day, we're glad he's serving with us.

Recruiter:
Patriot: Ens Momiji Olera for recruiting 2 new members, Ens Jameson the Weapons Expert and Ens Koshoku the CMO

Best Story Post:
HN: Ensign Kao Nor'Deth, Acting Chief Science Officer, Post # 1448
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/horationelson/message/2494 -This post pulls everything together from a state of confusion which arose from a time jump in some ones post

Best Character Post:
Washington: Post #2622 - Christof
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Washington11988/message/529 -LtCdr Dane Christof eating dinner with his Captain, who is also his old girlfriend

Funniest Post:
DS15: #1047, (though it says #1046), Lt. Venrir Kaesora
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DeepSpace15/message/1411

Genesis Award:
Excalibur: Captain Steven McCloud Post # 3094
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/uss-excalibur/message/3810

Most Posts: Lt. Cmdr. Kiara Rodale, Conqueror, 68 posts ***

=/\=INTERVIEW=/\=

Interviewer: This month's interview was conducted with Rear-Admiral Krol, son of K'Targ, who was just recently promoted to Division Director of Deep Space Exploration. Thank you for taking the time out of your insane schedule to have this chat with us, Admiral.

Krol: Oh, no problem, you caught me on a lighter day.

Interviewer: I understand you're one of the longest-standing members of Independence Fleet. Care to elaborate on this?

Krol: Sure. I was actually in what they're classifying as the second batch of original Sunfire members. The first ship I was on went under due to lack of activity, and that ship's captain invited me to join the Sunfire, on which he was serving at the time... so I did. I joined her as the Chief Tactical Officer, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Interviewer: So what do you do in real life, Admiral?

Krol: It's interesting you should ask that question, as I am in the middle of basically a complete 180 degree turn in my life.

Interviewer: Oh? How so?

Krol: Well, at the beginning of this semester, I entered University of Missouri-Rolla as a freshman student in Aerospace Engineering. After a time, though, I realized that this was not what I really wanted to do with my life. Instead, I want to write books and music… so next year I plan to change to a double major in English and music composition and a minor in French horn performance.

Interviewer: You certainly are taking what seems to be a 180 degree turn! Now let's talk about your simming career some more. You've had several different characters in the fleet at different times, right?

Krol: That's right, I've had four so far.

Interviewer: And which one was your favorite?

Krol: ::hisses through teeth:: That's a tough call… The way I do things, each character sort of represents a different part of me, and a lot of the time they overlap a bit. I'd have to say that it's a draw between them… the one I've had through my entire career with IDF and the Sunfire is Krol, though.

Interviewer: What would you say it is about Krol that has made you keep him so long?

Krol: I'd say it's probably the fact that I get to explore Klingon language and customs and definitely his sense of duty. He's the kind of character who would sacrifice anything to maintain his honor and fulfill his duty. Hell, the love of his life died right in front of him on the bridge and he restrained himself from doing anything because the ship was still in danger.

Interviewer: So it sounds like you've done a bit of exploring in the negative side of emotions with this character.

Krol: Oh yes. I've actually done that with all of my characters except one. I had a Trill named Devsyn Rahn on the Goliad for a while and he was a pretty happy guy… but Cathero and Krol were definite downers from time to time.

Interviewer: Well, we only have time for a couple more questions. First I'd like to ask you what your favorite simming memory was.

Krol: ::thinks for a moment:: I'd have to say it was probably back on the original Sunfire, pre-IDF times. We had this mission where we were up against this insane Klingon named Krackerjax, who proclaimed himself the "Master of the Totality of Space, Time, Matter, and Energy". That was a really fun mission. I think the Washington did a sequel to that mission sometime last year, too. There was another one on the Sunfire where we were on the holodeck playing cops and robbers and the holodeck malfunctioned and all we could get to eat was fortune cookies and I had one or two that insulted my honor! [that's] great stuff there!

Interviewer: Finally, what's one piece of advice you have for simmers?

Krol: I've always been one to stress quality in posts instead of just quantity. With that said, my one piece of advice is to just let it flow. Don't ever get stressed out and post just for the sake of bumping the count up a notch. Sure, it's nice to be at the top of the numbers game, but I think it is more important that the writing be of the best possible quality. When you post, just let your mind open up and let the ideas flow, fine-tuning can come later, just never stop the "pen" from moving. Oh, and use spell-check, it saves lives.

Interviewer: Thank you for your time, Admiral. As always it's been a pleasure.

Krol: The pleasure was all mine, I assure you. Qapla'

***

=/\= Special Features =/\=

As many of you know, Deep Space 15 and the U.S.S. Conqueror have left Independence Fleet due to dispute with Admiral Star. Admirals Rager and Samar have also departed.

-Captain K'Lar of the Conqueror had the following words to say:

"We came; we saw, we conquered. It was fun, but honor demands that we move on now." Some, we will miss. Some we will wish we hadn't, but what can you do when Ferrengi set the weapons targeting system. Oh well, at least a few of you will finally have a shot at the posting title for a change. For the most part, the past year, first with SB10, and then USS Conqueror and DS15, has been good. The other part, is no longer a concern. Most of you who stay behind, have my sincere wishes for good luck in the future. The rest, have my sincere wishes to finally get what you so richly deserve. I leave the same way I came, as Captain of the best ship and crew, in the history of the fleet. No matter how you want to try to rationalize it, the loss is definately yours.

Respectfully,
Captain K'lar zantai-Rasmehlier
USS Conqueror, NCC-63303.....

-Admiral Star said the following about the departure of the Conqueror:

Capt. K'lar Rasmehlier and the USS Conqueror:

What a captain and what a ship! Simply put, the numbers speak for themselves. Through ten months, the Conq has seen 3000 posts, won 14 fleet awards, and the posting title for each month that is was in operation! In all likelihood, the Conq's run will never be repeated by another ship. Now, enough on the Conq. What made this ship so successful? It was obvious to me. In addition to having an incredible crew, K'lar was as enthusiastic as any CO I've ever seen. Every month, he pushed his crew to produce as much as possible. They pushed the boundaries and broke them many times over. Rasmehlier taught his crew how to be both creative and productive. His enthusiasm and fiery demeanor will be greatly missed. IDF wishes K'lar and the Conq the best of luck in their new endeavors.

ADM Star

-Admiral Rager submitted the following:

Dear Fleet Members,

I keep trying to think of what to say, and each time can't figure out something that seems right. After all, it's not like I won't be able to speak to those of you I know again. This fleet does bring people together, and that's one of the points of having a fleet. But it's not a necessary component for keeping people together. The many friendships I've made here since becoming an Admiral I intend to keep. I only wish I had have been able to get to know more of you.

Mostly for personal reasons, I am leaving IDF. It's been a good five months, sometimes fun as well. I wish all the crews continued enjoyment in their games. Remember not to be timid about contacting your COs if you need help or have an idea you think might be fun. It's about as much your game as theirs! COs, continue to remember your first duty is to your sims, but make sure you get to enjoy playing at some times too!

I've been asked to keep this concise. So I'll just mention for everyone's knowledge that DS15 has decided to leave IDF with me. We've enjoyed the constant friendly competition with the X and occasionally with the HN. The JM with the GWB was both fun and a learning experience. Months before that we had a joint mission with the Sunfire, which while it didn't go as well as with the GWB, I still defiantly recommend that sims try joint missions at some point. It's amazing what you can learn, what new friends you make, and interesting to get to see how other sims do things and what their crew dynamics are!

I can't think of anything else I want to say.

Be Excellent to each other,

Rachael Amanda Rager
Ex-Director of Fleet Relations
Formerly Independence Fleet

Victoria Concord
Commanding Officer
Deep Space Fifteen

-Admiral Star had the following to say concerning Admiral Rager:

Rachel Rager, Victoria Concord, and Deep Space 15:

Jennifer, as some of us know her, has been with the fleet for quite a long time. In fact, she was with the Sunfire back in IDF's very early days. She went on to command both the USS Griffin and Deep Space 15. Jennifer is definitely one of the most dedicated simmers I've ever met. Not only with in-story contributions, but with much other stuff as well. She's helped with leadership, administration, and the techincal stuff many times over. In fact, her innovations with the website have probably been un-paralleled thus far. Jennifer's dedication and work ethic will be sorely missed. She can be sure that she has left a lasting legacy with the fleet. We wish her and DS15 the best of luck!

-Admiral Samar respectfully declined to submit anything to be printed in the newsletter.
***

=/\=THANKS=/\=

Thank you to the entire Admiralty for helping me out with my first jaunt at newsletter editing. Special thanks to Admiral Dragonetti and Jacob for proofreading and making sure I didn't screw things up too horribly.

Extra special thanks to Captain Dylan Anderson for jumping in at the last second to help with awards voting.

=/\= End Transmission =/\=

=====
Qapla'

Rear-Admiral Krol, son of K'Targ
Division Director
Deep Space Exploration
Independence Fleet

"Heghlu' meH QaQ jajvam" -Klingon Proverb