Glad everyone enjoyed my entry. Hopefully I'll be able to continue the story.
@grylak: Talaina fights *dirty*. Heh...sitting aquatic animal, Gorns part chicken...some great lines...loved it! Question...it's always been voice authentication for command authorization, or retinal pattern recognition...how is the DNA sampled in your scenario? And why'd you have to go and kill a Ghostbuster? Now who you gonna call?!? <g>
The DNA scan is an added layer of security added because of the initialisation of 'Boarding Protocols'. Security codes can be compromised, retinas can be taken out, so the computer also scans the DNA of the person giving the command. That way, even by forcing a member of the crew to give up the codes, they can't access the ship's systems. It's becoming a recurring theme that Stunshock has installed a number of protocols for different situations. Yes, there is still ways around that, but a standard boarding party wont have the means unless they come prepared.
Ernie Hudson (never even realised he was a Ghostbuster until you said!) is on my DOFF list (same with Willie Wurz who was in LC 47, and Claudius who I recently got off the exchange. Though I forgot he was photonic when I wrote him in this story), and someone who has been in previous stories (and will appear again in a story set before this one).
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A Romulan Strike Team, Missing Farmers and an ancient base on a Klingon Border world. But what connects them? Find out in my First Foundary mission: 'The Jeroan Farmer Escapade'
@ambassadormolari - awesome piece there. I am really enjoying Lynathru's displays of badassery. Your tlhIngan Hol skills could use some work though - I think you described Janga as a "Sorry Leader." And since when do the Gorn have tails? Still, great fight scene.
I, er...welll, I...scuse me. (Runs off to brush up on Klingon and get basic reminders on Gorn physiology)
Ambassadormollari: LC40 continuation of the 47 story is great, I love how you demonstrated not only Lyanthru(sp?)'s 'orion' characteristics and his nervous relationship to the Empire, but also his brilliance and understanding of his environment.
The good judgement and backbone to back it up was also very nice.
Thanks! An earlier draft actually had an ending which revealed that Lynathru had rigged the fight by poisoning the blades of one of the contestants (honour, for him, is just a word), but I didn't want to drag the story further than I had to. Either way, glad you enjoyed it!
rextorvan: Well done. Aguchi's flippant smugness and his callous disregard for the lives under his commant made him a truly despicable character. It was immensely satisfying to see him get his just desserts.
gulberat: It's always interesting to see more of Captain Teeglar-- I like how you've essentially taken a minor "bit part" species from the new Star Trek and used it to create a more serious character. I also like how you wrote Alyosha's reactions to having to use his "gifts" to repel the Jem'Hadar.
zidanetribal: A nice story there, and dare I say it, you made Va'kel Shon come across as much more likeable and rounded as a character than the game depicts him. Over all, though, your story was really well written-- the fact that Remus was shamelessly pilfering Enterprise paraphernalia did little to detract from the overall gravity of the story.
cmdrscarlet: Excellent story. I could practically feel all the weight that Kathryn was carrying.
@ambassadormollari: Awesome. A whole backstory, very well told. See...this is what the game should have...cluster exploration missions that, like, *explore* a different culture, not just have you scan for 5 anomalies, or 5 wrecks, or 5 whatevers...
Agreed! When I think back to some of the best bits of TNG, I remember how they handled ethical, philosophical and scientific dilemmas on a regular basis, and introduced new species in significant detail. The fact that STO emphasizes combat instead of exploring new species, or having to answer difficult questions, is, in my opinion, a missed opportunity.
@gulberat: "The physical pain, though, was the easiest to deal with." Ain't it the truth. Nicely done.
@zidanetribal: Shon's glassware replicator report will be interesting, since *everybody* wants a piece of the E-F! Well done. Any entry that features Shon is going to have to take into account not only the game portrayal of him, but also the ongoing fiction appearing in the Star Trek Magazine, which might make for some tricky entries.
@jonsils: re: United Earth Star Fleet. Ahh. My memory from ENT had them talking about the UESPA. I claim the "It happened a decade ago!" defence, and add in a little of the "it's my TBI" excuse...
So...caught up on the entries posted to this date.
Question...how often do the regulars here go over their previous works? Do you re-read your entries to get in a frame of mind...or are you just hardwired to drop into your character's stories automatically?
After five entries, my mind won't remember all the nuances, so I've cut & pasted my entries into a Word doc, and will use it to prevent those blasted continuity errors. (In doing so, I've found the annoying red squiggles that show spelling errors...some legit, some showing up because, for some reason, this computer just can't accept that I've set the default dictionary for Canadian English and keeps yelling at me for the extra 'u' or 'c instead of s'. Meh.)
I'm also going to dig out the STO novel just to ensure timelines make sense...and make more use of Memory Alpha so I don't have to ask "D'oh!" questions I should have known...
And just to flesh out some of the past entries with additional details that I've asked others to pop into their stories:
--USS Yorktown was an Ambassador-class. It was our crew's previous command.
--USS Honolulu is the Vesta-class command of Capt. Sotek. Mix of Aventine & Vesta saucer/hull/pylons, with Rademaker nacelles.
Finally...that obscure pop culture reference from LC 47 (first entry):
..."Better than Papailoa Beach on Earth."
"Get lost"...
Well...Papailoa Beach was where they filmed a lot of scenes from Lost.
Masopw, when you see a red squiggle under a word that you know is spelled correctly (at least "Canadian correctly" ), you can right-click on it, then click on "Add to Dictionary" in the pop-up menu. I've had to do that with a few technical terms (amazingly, while the dictionary knows "phaser", it thought "disruptor" was misspelled, and had no idea what to do with words like "chroniton" or "tricobalt").
@Jonsills...yep, when it works properly, it is *supposed* to do that. It's also *supposed* to *save* the settings! But this cursed computer refuses to save the default language, hasn't added *any* of my saved words to the custom dictionary. Just imagine the nightmare when I've got to translate something into French...
No, nothing I can do about it either...it's work's computer, and even if I did know how to fix it , I won't fix it because (a) that could tick off IT, and (b), I'm not *paid* to fix it! :P
So...I'll patiently read over my goofs, edit as I find, or as others find them, and put it up to an Imperfect World.
Now it's time for a coin flip...do I go light hearted or real dark for LC 49?
Question...how often do the regulars here go over their previous works? Do you re-read your entries to get in a frame of mind...or are you just hardwired to drop into your character's stories automatically?
I see them in my mind's eye, and write what I see. This is the two-fold reason why I cast my characters: It makes it easier for me to visualise them, giving my subconscious something less to have to work on, and equally, it helps others see what I see. Sure, character description can be good, but if I was to describe every character each time I write, it would stop a story dead while everyone on the bridge gets described, and also get very repetitive, as after all, they always look the same .
On the subject of re-reading, I am always re-reading my own work, seeing if there's anything I could have done better, phrased more smoothly etc
Question...how often do the regulars here go over their previous works? Do you re-read your entries to get in a frame of mind...or are you just hardwired to drop into your character's stories automatically?
I've spent a lot of time creating the mindsets of my main characters (and some of the ancillary ones - there's something about Ruben Manalang that's probably going to be mentioned in the next story), so mostly I figure out how I think the story's going to go, then turn the people in my mind loose in it and see how long the original concept survives. I usually know the story's ready about the time I can clearly envision one or more of the scenes playing out in my mind's eye...
(For instance, in "Outpost 47", the moment that gelled the entire story for me was when I could "read" the conversation between Grunt and Mycroft. That also blew away my original story, which was going to be much more mysterious. The followup came together when Grunt's reasoning for keeping his new supercomputer out of SCE's hands revealed itself to me.)
On the subject of re-reading, I am always re-reading my own work, seeing if there's anything I could have done better, phrased more smoothly etc
Me too. I'm something of a perfectionist and I often go back after the story's dropped to hunt for typos or sentences that need to be rephrased and sometimes I go back and retcon things to fit what I've said in other entries.
I try to make all my entries fit together, because I feel like I'm slowly putting together a massive puzzle with my stories, working from a few different corners. The Road to Ruin helped me find an edge, but there's a lot more to be added to the puzzle before I'll be able to see the whole picture.
...Oh, baby, you know, I've really got to leave you / Oh, I can hear it callin 'me / I said don't you hear it callin' me the way it used to do?...
- Anne Bredon
gulberat: It's always interesting to see more of Captain Teeglar-- I like how you've essentially taken a minor "bit part" species from the new Star Trek and used it to create a more serious character.
I was inspired by the description someone came up with for Keenser, that he was the straight man to all of Scotty's craziness.
That gave me the idea of making the Roylans (other than the instinct to go to high places sometimes against the rules) have a very strict, disciplined culture--not at all the "little comic relief" types that you often see little people portrayed as. They're not quite up there with the Cardassians...not sadistic...but they lead very regimented, efficient lives in their society and don't easily tolerate breaches of discipline or a bad attitude. While perhaps Starfleet is not as strict as my Roylans might have it if they ran it, Teeglar runs a tight ship aboard the Avandar. I can actually see Alyosha's posture straighten up (most of the time) when dealing with Teeglar.
I also like how you wrote Alyosha's reactions to having to use his "gifts" to repel the Jem'Hadar.
Thanks. On one hand it was good that he could do those things--on the other, it felt like walking a fine line, to him.
@gulberat: "The physical pain, though, was the easiest to deal with." Ain't it the truth. Nicely done.
Thanks. Undoubtedly Alyosha had nightmares about the incident for quite a while.
Christian Gaming Community Fleets--Faith, Fun, and Fellowship! See the website and PM for more. :-) Proudly F2P.Signature image by gulberat. Avatar image by balsavor.deviantart.com.
Comments
The DNA scan is an added layer of security added because of the initialisation of 'Boarding Protocols'. Security codes can be compromised, retinas can be taken out, so the computer also scans the DNA of the person giving the command. That way, even by forcing a member of the crew to give up the codes, they can't access the ship's systems. It's becoming a recurring theme that Stunshock has installed a number of protocols for different situations. Yes, there is still ways around that, but a standard boarding party wont have the means unless they come prepared.
Ernie Hudson (never even realised he was a Ghostbuster until you said!) is on my DOFF list (same with Willie Wurz who was in LC 47, and Claudius who I recently got off the exchange. Though I forgot he was photonic when I wrote him in this story), and someone who has been in previous stories (and will appear again in a story set before this one).
A Romulan Strike Team, Missing Farmers and an ancient base on a Klingon Border world. But what connects them? Find out in my First Foundary mission: 'The Jeroan Farmer Escapade'
I, er...welll, I...scuse me. (Runs off to brush up on Klingon and get basic reminders on Gorn physiology)
Glad you enjoyed it, all the same!
Thanks! An earlier draft actually had an ending which revealed that Lynathru had rigged the fight by poisoning the blades of one of the contestants (honour, for him, is just a word), but I didn't want to drag the story further than I had to. Either way, glad you enjoyed it!
rextorvan: Well done. Aguchi's flippant smugness and his callous disregard for the lives under his commant made him a truly despicable character. It was immensely satisfying to see him get his just desserts.
gulberat: It's always interesting to see more of Captain Teeglar-- I like how you've essentially taken a minor "bit part" species from the new Star Trek and used it to create a more serious character. I also like how you wrote Alyosha's reactions to having to use his "gifts" to repel the Jem'Hadar.
zidanetribal: A nice story there, and dare I say it, you made Va'kel Shon come across as much more likeable and rounded as a character than the game depicts him. Over all, though, your story was really well written-- the fact that Remus was shamelessly pilfering Enterprise paraphernalia did little to detract from the overall gravity of the story.
cmdrscarlet: Excellent story. I could practically feel all the weight that Kathryn was carrying.
Agreed! When I think back to some of the best bits of TNG, I remember how they handled ethical, philosophical and scientific dilemmas on a regular basis, and introduced new species in significant detail. The fact that STO emphasizes combat instead of exploring new species, or having to answer difficult questions, is, in my opinion, a missed opportunity.
Thoroughly enjoyed this piece, Lynathru really covered all the angles :cool:
Cheers,
Brandon =/\=
@zidanetribal: Shon's glassware replicator report will be interesting, since *everybody* wants a piece of the E-F! Well done. Any entry that features Shon is going to have to take into account not only the game portrayal of him, but also the ongoing fiction appearing in the Star Trek Magazine, which might make for some tricky entries.
@jonsils: re: United Earth Star Fleet. Ahh. My memory from ENT had them talking about the UESPA. I claim the "It happened a decade ago!" defence, and add in a little of the "it's my TBI" excuse...
So...caught up on the entries posted to this date.
Question...how often do the regulars here go over their previous works? Do you re-read your entries to get in a frame of mind...or are you just hardwired to drop into your character's stories automatically?
After five entries, my mind won't remember all the nuances, so I've cut & pasted my entries into a Word doc, and will use it to prevent those blasted continuity errors. (In doing so, I've found the annoying red squiggles that show spelling errors...some legit, some showing up because, for some reason, this computer just can't accept that I've set the default dictionary for Canadian English and keeps yelling at me for the extra 'u' or 'c instead of s'. Meh.)
I'm also going to dig out the STO novel just to ensure timelines make sense...and make more use of Memory Alpha so I don't have to ask "D'oh!" questions I should have known...
And just to flesh out some of the past entries with additional details that I've asked others to pop into their stories:
--USS Yorktown was an Ambassador-class. It was our crew's previous command.
--USS Honolulu is the Vesta-class command of Capt. Sotek. Mix of Aventine & Vesta saucer/hull/pylons, with Rademaker nacelles.
Finally...that obscure pop culture reference from LC 47 (first entry):
Well...Papailoa Beach was where they filmed a lot of scenes from Lost.
No, nothing I can do about it either...it's work's computer, and even if I did know how to fix it
So...I'll patiently read over my goofs, edit as I find, or as others find them, and put it up to an Imperfect World.
Now it's time for a coin flip...do I go light hearted or real dark for LC 49?
*flip*
Heh...perfect.
Thank you everyone for your feedback! Like I said, there are some amazing entries so following them was a little scary.
LC 49 is going to be very interesting.
I see them in my mind's eye, and write what I see. This is the two-fold reason why I cast my characters: It makes it easier for me to visualise them, giving my subconscious something less to have to work on, and equally, it helps others see what I see. Sure, character description can be good, but if I was to describe every character each time I write, it would stop a story dead while everyone on the bridge gets described, and also get very repetitive, as after all, they always look the same
On the subject of re-reading, I am always re-reading my own work, seeing if there's anything I could have done better, phrased more smoothly etc
(For instance, in "Outpost 47", the moment that gelled the entire story for me was when I could "read" the conversation between Grunt and Mycroft. That also blew away my original story, which was going to be much more mysterious. The followup came together when Grunt's reasoning for keeping his new supercomputer out of SCE's hands revealed itself to me.)
I try to make all my entries fit together, because I feel like I'm slowly putting together a massive puzzle with my stories, working from a few different corners. The Road to Ruin helped me find an edge, but there's a lot more to be added to the puzzle before I'll be able to see the whole picture.
...Oh, baby, you know, I've really got to leave you / Oh, I can hear it callin 'me / I said don't you hear it callin' me the way it used to do?...
- Anne Bredon
Thanks.
I was inspired by the description someone came up with for Keenser, that he was the straight man to all of Scotty's craziness.
That gave me the idea of making the Roylans (other than the instinct to go to high places sometimes against the rules) have a very strict, disciplined culture--not at all the "little comic relief" types that you often see little people portrayed as. They're not quite up there with the Cardassians...not sadistic...but they lead very regimented, efficient lives in their society and don't easily tolerate breaches of discipline or a bad attitude. While perhaps Starfleet is not as strict as my Roylans might have it if they ran it, Teeglar runs a tight ship aboard the Avandar. I can actually see Alyosha's posture straighten up (most of the time) when dealing with Teeglar.
Thanks.
Thanks. Undoubtedly Alyosha had nightmares about the incident for quite a while.
Christian Gaming Community Fleets--Faith, Fun, and Fellowship! See the website and PM for more. :-)
Proudly F2P. Signature image by gulberat. Avatar image by balsavor.deviantart.com.