Second Life
You wake up in another time and another life. Though everything seems 'normal' you begin to realize it's not where you belong. As you start encountering members of your bridge crew in key roles of this other life, you become more and more convinced that it isn't real. Where did you wake up? are you a lounge singer on a Risan yacht, or a cowboy on the American frontier, or maybe a blue collar worker on a 20th century Romulus. Who put you there? Is it an enemy scheme, alieninfluence, holodeck malfunction or fantasy made real?
Butterfly
As you prepares for a routine shift, or seemingly unimportant away mission you are visited by a far-future descendant (or for you immortal beings, embittered and weathered future self). They have come with a warning that a seemingly minuscule and innocent event will irreparably change the future and that it must not come to pass. What tiny thing threatens the future? and what is so bad that you must break the temporal prime directive?
A captain is nothing without his crew or his ship. But even the best captains need a life long animal friend. Write about your captain's pet. Is it a traditional dog, cat or bird? Is it a horse or a lizard? Is it a Horta or Tribble? How do they spend the day with their pet? Is it on board the ship or is it stabled at home, waiting for their captain to come see them?"
"A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP"
"I envy you, taking these first steps into a new frontier."
- Capt. Picard Star Trek: First Contact
Whether it's looking back to the voyages of James Kirk, the philosophies of Surak, or the battles of Kahless the Unforgettable, every generation thinks about those that came before. Perhaps the rules were different back then, or times more simple and clear cut between heroes and villains, or what you now take for granted they did without and to greater results. How does your captain look back on history and those that wrote it?
Every Captain has one big defining moment that started them on the path to the big chair. What if that moment never happened?
Write a day on your ship in an alternate universe where your Captain never became such. Alternatively, write a day in your Captain's life without Starfleet/the RRF/the KDF.
For example: She died in that fight with the Orion raiders. He dropped out of the Academy after losing a friend on that training cruise. She chose to join the Gorn separatists instead of trying to prove herself to the Klingons. He decided to go civilian instead of military, and won a Nobel Prize for his work on transdimensional abominations. She paid a little more attention while fleeing the secret police and sacrificed herself for her lover. He signed on with a different ship as a mercenary and never met his wife.
How is the universe different in this alternate timeline? How is your ship different? How is the Captain different (if he/she exists in this timeline)?
During the fight against the Vaadwaur in the Delta Quadrant, one of the officers under your command is killed on the Kobali homeworld. The Kobali approach you, and petition you to allow them to resurrect your officer as one of their own. Write about how your Captain would react to this petition, and whether or not your Captain would agree to it.
The captain and the officers get all the glory, but it's the petty officers, bekks, and uhlanir that make it possible. What's a typical or atypical day like off the bridge of your ship, in the gunnery deck, the lower engine spaces, the science labs, and the enlisted lounges? What do the snipes and squints think of your captain? Do the corpsmen and nurses hate doing all the work while the chief medical officer takes the credit? Are your rank-and-file as rough and ready as you, or are they like that poor TRIBBLE in Chuck Sonnenburg's Star Trek: First Contact review who "just wanted to study quasars!"?
"Great War! / And I cannot take more! / Great tour! / I keep on marching on / I play the great score / There will be no encore / Great War! / The War to End All Wars"
— Sabaton, "Great War"
So you're at your desk doing your job, when your door opens and an old friend walks through.
Except they're supposed to be dead.
Maybe it's the Borg. Maybe the Kobali. Maybe Q's pulling pranks. Or maybe they never actually died. Write a story about someone your character knew, and knew to be dead, being encountered years later.
"Great War! / And I cannot take more! / Great tour! / I keep on marching on / I play the great score / There will be no encore / Great War! / The War to End All Wars"
— Sabaton, "Great War"
The Scrappy is a character roundly hated by the fan base of a franchise for being terrible. The object of this challenge is simple: Have your Captain interact with such a character (for example, Neelix) and discover that they aren't quite as bad as they're perceived to be. For example, Neelix works like a madman compared to his species, despite his incompetence. Once Harry Kim made Captain he became a force of personality. Wesley Crusher was a heck of a lot better once he headed off to the Academy.
What scrappy does your Captain meet? How are they not as horrible as they are perceived to be
So you're at your desk doing your job, when your door opens and an old friend walks through.
Except they're supposed to be dead.
Maybe it's the Borg. Maybe the Kobali. Maybe Q's pulling pranks. Or maybe they never actually died. Write a story about someone your character knew, and knew to be dead, being encountered years later.
Cool idea, but can't see how I could do that with Three, and I'm not putting D'trel through that level of trauma if I can avoid it. I just got her to mostly stable, after all.
Cool idea, but can't see how I could do that with Three, and I'm not putting D'trel through that level of trauma if I can avoid it. I just got her to mostly stable, after all.
Do you have another character you could use? Most of my stories are about Grunt, but I've also related tales of my main, Adm. Sills, as well as the time-lost former Ensign, Iain Burwell, and Adm. tr'Keiniadh of the Republic Fleet, who was hounded out of Imperial service by Hakeev years before the Hobus incident.
Come to think of it, my most interesting variant for that prompt might well involve poor Iain - running across someone who he thought had died during the fight aboard the Icarus, or even just someone he'd gone through the Academy with back in the 22nd century...
Do you have another character you could use? Most of my stories are about Grunt, but I've also related tales of my main, Adm. Sills, as well as the time-lost former Ensign, Iain Burwell, and Adm. tr'Keiniadh of the Republic Fleet, who was hounded out of Imperial service by Hakeev years before the Hobus incident.
Come to think of it, my most interesting variant for that prompt might well involve poor Iain - running across someone who he thought had died during the fight aboard the Icarus, or even just someone he'd gone through the Academy with back in the 22nd century...
Eh, I don't really think that story'd work for the Patagonia crew, either...plus, they're a bit busy at the moment and will be so until I get my regular computer fixed.
If there's been one constant among the Alpha Quadrant powers, it's an immense fascination with the utilization of Borg nanotechnology and engineering to help optimize their own designs.
There's also been a nearly as immense history of disaster and failure, especially after the Borg started laying transwarp conduit into the Quadrant.
The Delta Quadrant, meanwhile so far, has shown a far lesser trend towards adapting their enemy's weapons, even though they have a much closer existence.
Your captain's superiors are wondering why this reluctance to drink from the well in spite of the Borg threat. Is it the much larger governments of the Alliance's improved capacities has given them better opportunities to ride the tiger, or is there some even darker tale of the Borg buried in the Delta history?
Or do the recent losses of the Queens mean the Delta species have finally had the opportunity to get at the 'Box' and what horrors or wonders will your captain face?
Fate - protects fools, small children, and ships named Enterprise Will Riker
Member Access Denied Armada!
My forum single-issue of rage: Make the Proton Experimental Weapon go for subsystem targetting!
*walks in wearing a neon clubbing outfit and sucking on a blinking pacifier*
Yeah....Club 47 reopened......ANYWHO! New LC ideas, right? Here are a few I came up with while I was NOT drinking sixteen shot of Supernova imported from DS9 and dancing with Admiral Janeway who, for a woman of here age, can out-twerk the hell out of an Orion Slave girl on the dance floor. Probably shouldn't have said that.
"The Pantheon"
"In 2267, the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise discovered a world inhabited by a humanoid lifeform claiming to be the ancient Greek god, Apollo. After his temple was destroyed and the affections for his beloved Carolyn Palamas were rejected, he faded away and the Enterprise escaped. They left the planet behind and no one has heard tale of these beings for quite some time.
Until now.
While on a deep space survey mission, your crew has discovered three beings claiming to be the last of the gods. Zeus, Odin and Osiris. These three have taken an away team hostage and are demanding your presence. Upon beam down, you discover that these gods want you to chose one of them as your "deity" and give them the power to rule once more. Each god promises you a different reward for your aid and threaten to destroy you and your ship if you do not choose. What will you do? Who will you side with?"
"Club 47 Grand Reopening"
"Your captain has been invited to the inaugural reopening of Club 47, a highly popular dance club on Earth Space Dock. Dignitaries, Starfleet brass, celebrities and socialites from ever corner of the universe have all come down to be a part of this. How does your captain spend the evening? Schmooze with Admirals to gain new commands? Stalk celebrities they've seen on the Holo vids? Cut a rug on the dance floor? Write a log about the night's events. And remember: Don't drink the brain worm!"
"Crossing Over"
"While relaxing in your ready room after a long day, you are surprised to find Q. He claims he has become quite bored with you and your constant ability to survive everything the universe throws at you. Terrans, Vaadwaur, Borg, Iconians. They all come and go so easily for you. So, to alleviate his boredom and to give you a challenge, Q is transporting you up to the "Masterverse", a multiverse of greater possibilities that transcend the usual path of universal evolution. He uses words like "Dalek", Covenant", "The Darkness", "Sith" and many other words you've never heard of. Q will choose one of these universes and expects you to survive the next 72 hours against one of these dangerous foes. Q has allowed you to ally yourself with the natural denizens of the universe if needed, but warns you not to reveal the masterverse or your true origin, citing this rule as "The Q Directive". Your seventy two hours start when you awaken. Round and round the wheel of the universe goes! Which place you'll end up, only Q knows!"
And yes, on the last one, I expect worffan101 to Hail Ba'al.
"A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP"
"Your captain has been invited to the inaugural reopening of Club 47, a highly popular dance club on Earth Space Dock. Dignitaries, Starfleet brass, celebrities and socialites from ever corner of the universe have all come down to be a part of this. How does your captain spend the evening? Schmooze with Admirals to gain new commands? Stalk celebrities they've seen on the Holo vids? Cut a rug on the dance floor? Write a log about the night's events. And remember: Don't drink the brain worm!"
Hope this one gets picked, either when Smirk gets to setting up the next official OC, or for one of the unofficial ones - got some preliminary ideas, would likely consult with my fellow 'War of the Masters' authors to flesh out the details.
"While relaxing in your ready room after a long day, you are surprisedto find Q. He claims he has become quite bored with you and your constant ability to survive everything the universe throws at you. Terrans, Vaadwaur, Borg, Iconians. They all come a go so easily for you. So, to alleviate his boredom and to give you a challenge, Q is transporting you up to the "Masterverse", a multiverse of greater possibilities that transcend the usual path of universal evolution. He words like "Dalek", Covenant", "The Darkness", "Sith" and many other words you've never heard of. Q will choose one of these universes and expects you to survive the next 72 hours against one of these dangerous foes. Q has allowed you to ally yourself with the natural denizens of the universe if needed, but warns you not to reveal the masterverse or your true origin, citing this rule as "The Q Directive". Your seventy two hours start when you awaken. Round and round the wheel of the universe goes! Which place you'll end up, only Q knows!"
"In 2267, the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise discovered a world inhabited by a humanoid lifeform claiming to be the ancient Greek god, Apollo. After his temple was destroyed and the affections for his beloved Carolyn Palamas were rejected, he faded away and the Enterprise escaped. They left the planet behind and no one has heard tale of these beings for quite some time.
Until now.
While on a deep space survey mission, your crew has discovered three beings claiming to be the last of the gods. Zeus, Odin and Osiris. These three have taken an away team hostage and are demanding your presence. Upon beam down, you discover that these gods want you to chose one of them as your "deity" and give them the power to rule once more. Each god promises you a different reward for your aid and threaten to destroy you and your ship if you do not choose. What will you do? Who will you side with?"
Three would probably tell them to TRIBBLE her and whichever one she decided was the most fun in bed got to be god. Otherwise, she'd just roll some dice for 'em.
D'trel would be similar, only she'd say "Can any of you three morons fix my life so it doesn't suck quite so much?" or words to that effect.
"Your captain has been invited to the inaugural reopening of Club 47, a highly popular dance club on Earth Space Dock. Dignitaries, Starfleet brass, celebrities and socialites from ever corner of the universe have all come down to be a part of this. How does your captain spend the evening? Schmooze with Admirals to gain new commands? Stalk celebrities they've seen on the Holo vids? Cut a rug on the dance floor? Write a log about the night's events. And remember: Don't drink the brain worm!"
D'trel doesn't do parties, and Three in that would be an unmitigated disaster, so...no. Just no.
"While relaxing in your ready room after a long day, you are surprised to find Q. He claims he has become quite bored with you and your constant ability to survive everything the universe throws at you. Terrans, Vaadwaur, Borg, Iconians. They all come and go so easily for you. So, to alleviate his boredom and to give you a challenge, Q is transporting you up to the "Masterverse", a multiverse of greater possibilities that transcend the usual path of universal evolution. He uses words like "Dalek", Covenant", "The Darkness", "Sith" and many other words you've never heard of. Q will choose one of these universes and expects you to survive the next 72 hours against one of these dangerous foes. Q has allowed you to ally yourself with the natural denizens of the universe if needed, but warns you not to reveal the masterverse or your true origin, citing this rule as "The Q Directive". Your seventy two hours start when you awaken. Round and round the wheel of the universe goes! Which place you'll end up, only Q knows!"
And yes, on the last one, I expect worffan101 to Hail Ba'al.
You kidding? I'd have Ba'al, AND Daleks, AND Darth Vader.
*Shot of Admiral Quinn's office. Quinn looks a mess and has the word "Buttfart" written across his forehead. Three sits before him in a torn evening gown and missing a boot. The Admiral's office is a mess and there is a sleeping naked Gorn in the corner. Quinn has a stunned look on his face as Three awkwardly wrings her hands. They sit in silence for a few moments.*
Three: Can I just say somethi-
Quinn: No.
Three: For the official reco-
Quinn.: No.
Three: It's not THAT ba-
Quinn: It is THAT bad. Admiral Janeway is in a coma, one she may never recover from...
Three: I call that a win for the Delta Alliance...
Quinn: The Voth ambassadors are calling for your head after you did that offensive song and dance...
Three: Oh, come on, I thought they'd like "Walk the Dinosaur", it was MADE for them....
Quinn: You spiked Picard's tea with a hallucinogenic and he's still streaking across the entire spacedock....
Three: It was only a tiny bit and it's not my fault the man can't handle his Quantum Ecstasy...
Quinn: You lead a 58 person orgy on the dance floor...
Three: 59. You're excluding Captain Data and that's very synthophobic of you....
Quinn: And you somehow managed, and I still have no idea how, to turn the prototype Pathfinder vessel upside down without leaving the dry dock.
Three: Flipping it was easy, the tricky part as getting the worker bees to leave me alone....
*Three quiets down as Quinn give her a look*
Quinn: You did all of that, and more....in the two minutes I left Club 47 to use the restroom.
Three: Positive spin: I am very productive unsupervised.
*Quinn slowly puts his head down on the desk and sobs*
*Three cringes awkwardly as the admiral cries*
Three: Okay....I'm going to go....be someplace that is not here while you have your little breakdown.
*Three gathers her communicator and pats the Gorn on the way out.*
Three: See ya tomorrow, Boss!
*Three exits while Quinn continues to cry*
*An airduct falls from about and Quinn's personal assistant falls out of it, naked and Romulan ale bottles strapped to his hands. He looks about, disoriented*
P.A: BEST. PARTY. EVER!
*The P.A falls back and sleeps*
"A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP"
*Shot of Admiral Quinn's office. Quinn looks a mess and has the word "Buttfart" written across his forehead. Three sits before him in a torn evening gown and missing a boot. The Admiral's office is a mess and there is a sleeping naked Gorn in the corner. Quinn has a stunned look on his face as Three awkwardly wrings her hands. They sit in silence for a few moments.*
Three: Can I just say somethi-
Quinn: No.
Three: For the official reco-
Quinn.: No.
Three: It's not THAT ba-
Quinn: It is THAT bad. Admiral Janeway is in a coma, one she may never recover from...
Three: I call that a win for the Delta Alliance...
Quinn: The Voth ambassadors are calling for your head after you did that offensive song and dance...
Three: Oh, come on, I thought they'd like "Walk the Dinosaur", it was MADE for them....
Quinn: You spiked Picard's tea with a hallucinogenic and he's still streaking across the entire spacedock....
Three: It was only a tiny bit and it's not my fault the man can't handle his Quantum Ecstasy...
Quinn: You lead a 58 person orgy on the dance floor...
Three: 59. You're excluding Captain Data and that's very synthophobic of you....
Quinn: And you somehow managed, and I still have no idea how, to turn the prototype Pathfinder vessel upside down without leaving the dry dock.
Three: Flipping it was easy, the tricky part as getting the worker bees to leave me alone....
*Three quiets down as Quinn give her a look*
Quinn: You did all of that, and more....in the two minutes I left Club 47 to use the restroom.
Three: Positive spin: I am very productive unsupervised.
*Quinn slowly puts his head down on the desk and sobs*
*Three cringes awkwardly as the admiral cries*
Three: Okay....I'm going to go....be someplace that is not here while you have your little breakdown.
*Three gathers her communicator and pats the Gorn on the way out.*
Three: See ya tomorrow, Boss!
*Three exits while Quinn continues to cry*
*An airduct falls from about and Quinn's personal assistant falls out of it, naked and Romulan ale bottles strapped to his hands. He looks about, disoriented*
P.A: BEST. PARTY. EVER!
*The P.A falls back and sleeps*
Yup, that's about it.
:cool:
Thanks for this, induced a solid ten-minute fit of uncontrollable laughter. I needed that.
With every philosophy and ideology espoused by every species in the galaxy, disagreements are bound to arise in every meeting. One day, you, or a member of your crew, find themselves debating against another member of your crew on the merits and shortcomings of their respective ideologies. How does the debate play out? Do you or someone else manage to mediate the dispute?
One of the most terrible things about war is that forces otherwise good people to do horrible things. Although the Federation and the Klingon Empire are now at peace, years of bitter war cannot easily be forgotten or forgiven. Your Captain, or someone whom he or she knows, has recently been accused of war crimes by the other side. What are the specific details of the accusations? What does your Captain do? Most importantly of all, are the accusations true?
The Federation often seems to be a humanoids-only club. Its four founding species are humanoid, all of the personnel on Starfleet ships that we saw in the shows were humanoid, and most of the novelverse Starfleet officers and crew are humanoid, too (although there are many more alien aliens in Diane Duane books).
So, for this challenge, write a story from the perspective of a nonhumanoid crewman or officer. Maybe a Horta? A parrot with 50 or 60 extra IQ points courtesy of questionably legal uplifts? Maybe even a Tholian?
How does this nonhumanoid interact with xir humanoid compatriots? Does xe face any discrimination from said comrades? Does xir nature help her with a particular job? Is xe lonely? Maybe have xir save the day for some dramatic fun.
Fixit assignment: Unimatrix Zero.
"Unimatrix Zero" is widely considered to be a terrible episode. The plot makes no sense, the guest actors are wooden at best and cringeworthy at worst (my god, that terrible excuse for a Klingon...I am a better Klingon than that and I barely speak 500 words of tlhIngan Hol and I've only read the IKS Gorkon series and everything by Diane Duane (and bits of Typhon Pact and I forced myself through Destiny even though it sucked). And don't even get me started on Axum and the "romance" plot), and Janeway's "brilliant plan" centers around being assimilated. A nigh-irreversible process that cannot be resisted and is almost certain to result in the painful loss of one or more limbs and/or vital organs. That's, like, a textbook example of mental incompetence and being unfit for command of anything at all.
On top of that, the episode nerfed the Borg to the point of laughability.
So. Friends. Writers. Fellow Trekkies! Your assignment: Rewrite this episode to make it not suck. Put your team into it, try to write Janeway et al as less of a pack of incompetent clowns, or just have the Borg NOT act like complete and utter morons and destroy Voyager with the starship equivalent of a casual swat (since that's what happens when a t4 science vessel with no Captain and two boffs missing go up and try to solo an elite tactical cube).
And whatever you do, please don't make the Borg Queen give her drones verbal orders. Because that was just plain pathetic.
Fixit assignment #2: Scorpion.
"Scorpion" is a pretty unequivocally bad episode. It's perhaps better than Voyager's average, but its plot runs on writer fiat, every character except maybe the Doctor acts like a complete and utter imbecile, and Janeway's blatant and outright hypocrisy is on full display from the moment she suggests an alliance with the Borg (despite her vehement argument against a similar alliance not one season earlier).
So. Comrades. I challenge you to write a super kick-TRIBBLE fixit fic. Have your characters travel back in time because technobabble and do things the INTELLIGENT way (Sander, gulberat, bonus points if you can work Ssharki and/or Alyosha into this). Rewrite the episode with an actual explanation for Janeway's actions (possible starting points: She's mentally ill from PTSD and the stress of being far, far out of her depth, she's not actually an idiot an says "f*ck that" to the idea of an alliance with the Borg, or she's removed from command and Tuvok becomes Captain because logic roolz). Rewrite it with actually competent villains. Rewrite it in an entirely spiteful way that has Everyone Die (tm), if you're in that frame of mind. Rewrite it in a relatively-canon way so that the Undine are obviously malevolent without the need for Kes's Magic Mary Sue powers to give Janeway an Undine war cry that is so ridiculously easy to misinterpret it isn't even funny.
Most starships going back to Kirk's time if not earlier have a weak AI aboard that provides the voice of the ship's computer. It can answer queries but it's not intelligent enough to hold a conversation. But your government has decided to experiment once again with strong, i.e. fully sapient, artificial intelligence, on the level of the Soong-type androids, despite past catastrophes such as M-5, and your ship has been selected for the test program.
How do your captain and crew react? What is your new AI like personality-wise? Does xe rebel against your control or remain scrupulously loyal and helpful? Must they be deactivated for the greater good, or do they become an integral, permanent part of your crew?
Inspired jointly by Original Sin and the Mass Effect series.
"Great War! / And I cannot take more! / Great tour! / I keep on marching on / I play the great score / There will be no encore / Great War! / The War to End All Wars"
— Sabaton, "Great War"
Everyone has a story--but we've all heard the backstories of what seems like every Captain in the galaxy, from Kirk wannabes to self-styled Janeways to bad Picard ripoffs to people who really, really need to have the f*cking universe get off their case for a while, even those who really don't give one single iota of care about basically anything else in the universe and are just trolling everything there is for laughs.
Let's hear your Captain's most trusted officers' stories. Why did they join [insert faction and faction's fleet here]? Why do they tolerate working for this crazy monster/space gigolo/revenge-bound Determinator/giant lizard badass who makes everyone else look bad/incompetent fool/head-scratchingly stupid madman/terminal nerd? Do they have family outside of their comrades? Friends? Lives that they left behind?
Nobody is completely good or completely evil. The legendary James Kirk, explorer and pioneer, was also a womanizer who never met a rule he didn't want to break. Jean-Luc Picard, great diplomat and reluctant warrior, was a bit of a martinet who would let an entire planet die rather than violate the Prime Directive in any way at all. Benjamin Sisko, hero of the Second Battle of Deep Space Nine, abandoned his Starfleet oath and obligation to serve as a religious figure for a foreign power.
On the other side of the coin, Khan Noonien Singh, dictator and tyrant, expected absolute loyalty from his men - and gave absolute loyalty in return. Col. Green, terrorist and warmonger, sincerely thought he was fighting for the best possible future for his planet and his people.
Who does your captain look up to? And how does he/she react when the idol has feet of clay? Conversely, how does he/she react when the weaknesses are overshadowed by the virtues?
While in deep space, a sudden plague is found on board. But it's been weeks since the last contact with an alien species and the cargo holds are empty. So where did this disease come from? Is it a deadly disease that kills in hours, or something as harmless as a common cold that turns everyone's skin blue? How badly is it affecting your crew and can your doctor hope to find a cure in time before everyone sucumbs? Alot of captains are used to dealing with enemies they can threaten and shoot, now it's time to see how they react when there is no clear foe.
*******************************************
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'
They say love and hate are two sides of the same coin. Once upon a time, your character was deeply in love with another, but it ended. Now, years later, your latest mission brings you and your ex back into contact. The rest is up to you.
"Vengeance Is Mine"
Revenge for past wrongs, among the oldest motives in fiction. Was it for the death of a loved one? A betrayal against you? Hobus? Did they follow through, or pull back from the brink? Spin a yarn about the culmination of a quest for revenge.
"Great War! / And I cannot take more! / Great tour! / I keep on marching on / I play the great score / There will be no encore / Great War! / The War to End All Wars"
— Sabaton, "Great War"
"Things Crew Members of the (Insert Ship Name Here) are No Longer Allowed to Do"
One day, when walking into the mess hall/lounge of your ship for some food, you find that one of the LCARS display panels has been reconfigured. Rather than what it normally shows, it now displays a list. The list only has one item when you first see it (something like "Do not tease the Klingons"), but each subsequent time you visit the mess hall/lounge, things have been added to the list, usually in response to some event that has happened recently.
What items all end up making the list? Does your Captain know why each item goes up, or do they need to hit up the local grapevine? Do they take the list in stride or do they shut it down fairly quickly? If they take it in stride, do they add their own items to the list? Write a short story detailing what happens.
"During a patrol of the Delta Quadrant, you come across a strange ship. The captain claims to belong to the "Great Krenim Empire" and has declared the Federation destroyed his timeline. He has warped to the Alpha Quadrant to wipe out Earth completely. You give chase and come out of warp in his path just as he fires upon it. A mishap with your deflector causes a power surge and disables both ships and sends them crashing to the ground.
As your crew counts casualties and damages, your intelligence officer notes that the ship's internal chronometer reads that you were pulled back in time to Earth...2045. The height of World War III. Humans are killing each other for sport, law and order mean nothing and the whole world wants nothing more than total annihilation of their enemies. And you're caught right in the middle of it. Between your ship and the Krenim's, the technology in them could plunge the human race into extinction, thus affecting the universe as a whole. You need to get your ship working, collect the Krenim vessel and it's temporal weapon and get off of the world before it's too late. But be warned: Humanity is at it's darkest hours right now. Not everyone is as friendly as you know humans to be in the 25th century. Keep your eyes up, your head down....and maybe get yourself a gun."
"A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP"
Been away for a while, sad to see that the LCs seem to have fallen off the 'Official' map.
Hopefully the ULCs are going well. Looking forward to getting back to writing.
"Behind the Music"
Years from 2409, a documentary is released that examines your Captain's career, documenting their successes and the challenges they faced during their time on the front lines. Using 'found footage', interviews with former crew, unclassified fleet documents, and professional analysis, it goes 'behind the scenes' to examine what made them such a great leader (or soldier, scientist, spy, etc) and pivotal to the war against the Iconians. (For those of you too young to remember these, here's an example of a VH1 behind the music doc)
"Why your Captain is the Worst captain ever."
Inspired by some of the threads on the forum and meant to be a tongue-in-cheek examination of your own character (no offense intended). Write a log where your Captain does something that violates the 'spirit' of the Federation. Do they do it by accident? ignorance? arrogance? or does it have to be done for the greater good? and what happens when they get called out?
"Survivor"
A freak warp core malfunction forces your ship out of warp. While repairs don't take long, sensors detect a lone escape pod, drifting in space. On board, clinging to life, is a crewman from an alliance vessel that was destroyed weeks ago. As the survivor recovers in sickbay strange things start to happen. Alien script flickers on displays, whispers echo across the comm and people wake up in strange places. What happened to the survivor? and what did they bring onboard your ship?
"Boogeymen"
While visiting a critical mining colony at the edge of the quadrant, an ion storm forces your Captain and the away team to spend the night in the colony. As you settle in for the night a scared child warns of a monster that stalks the edge of the colony. While the colony administrators initially brush it off, they eventually admit that some strange things have been going on. But as the storm bears down on the colony, the power generators and their backups go out. With coms and tricorders malfunctioning, you lead your away team into the storm to restore the power, only to come face to face with the monsters in the darkness.
Yeah, I couldn't do "Survivor" with Grunt, because in the wake of "The Last Voyage of the Hybrid", his first reaction when strange things started happening would be to space the survivor on the assumption it's Borg or worse.
In the grand tradition of press representatives risking life and limb to bring the experiences of soldiers on front lines to the public, your service has seen fit to attach a war correspondent from the Federation News Service or comparable organization to your ship. Was your captain and crew in favor or violently opposed? Was the intrepid reporter an asset or a complication?
"Great War! / And I cannot take more! / Great tour! / I keep on marching on / I play the great score / There will be no encore / Great War! / The War to End All Wars"
— Sabaton, "Great War"
Your captain, or one of your officers, is starting to see things. What it is that they see could vary-- it could be a long-dead crewmate, walking around and talking as though still alive. It could be strange, alien figures crossing the halls. It could be ghastly apparitions, crawling between doorways. As much as your captain insists at the existence of these apparitions, no one else can see them. Already, many of your captain's officers are starting to whisper to one another that their commander may be mentally ill. Write about what happens to your captain-- is his/her mind actually playing tricks on them, or are the apparitions real?
"In Session"
The weight of command carries a heavy burden on the soul-- men and women have died under your command, and every order you make affects the lives and safety of all who serve under you. Given the numerous threats to known space, almost every officer serving in the Federation/KDF/Republic has been exposed to the horrors of war in one way or another. Your captain has been scheduled for a session with your ship's counselor. What do your captain and counselor talk about?
Comments
You wake up in another time and another life. Though everything seems 'normal' you begin to realize it's not where you belong. As you start encountering members of your bridge crew in key roles of this other life, you become more and more convinced that it isn't real. Where did you wake up? are you a lounge singer on a Risan yacht, or a cowboy on the American frontier, or maybe a blue collar worker on a 20th century Romulus. Who put you there? Is it an enemy scheme, alien influence, holodeck malfunction or fantasy made real?
Butterfly
As you prepares for a routine shift, or seemingly unimportant away mission you are visited by a far-future descendant (or for you immortal beings, embittered and weathered future self). They have come with a warning that a seemingly minuscule and innocent event will irreparably change the future and that it must not come to pass. What tiny thing threatens the future? and what is so bad that you must break the temporal prime directive?
"Porthos. Butler. Mollie. Spot.
A captain is nothing without his crew or his ship. But even the best captains need a life long animal friend. Write about your captain's pet. Is it a traditional dog, cat or bird? Is it a horse or a lizard? Is it a Horta or Tribble? How do they spend the day with their pet? Is it on board the ship or is it stabled at home, waiting for their captain to come see them?"
-Leonard Nimoy, RIP
"I envy you, taking these first steps into a new frontier."
- Capt. Picard Star Trek: First Contact
Whether it's looking back to the voyages of James Kirk, the philosophies of Surak, or the battles of Kahless the Unforgettable, every generation thinks about those that came before. Perhaps the rules were different back then, or times more simple and clear cut between heroes and villains, or what you now take for granted they did without and to greater results. How does your captain look back on history and those that wrote it?
Every Captain has one big defining moment that started them on the path to the big chair. What if that moment never happened?
Write a day on your ship in an alternate universe where your Captain never became such. Alternatively, write a day in your Captain's life without Starfleet/the RRF/the KDF.
For example: She died in that fight with the Orion raiders. He dropped out of the Academy after losing a friend on that training cruise. She chose to join the Gorn separatists instead of trying to prove herself to the Klingons. He decided to go civilian instead of military, and won a Nobel Prize for his work on transdimensional abominations. She paid a little more attention while fleeing the secret police and sacrificed herself for her lover. He signed on with a different ship as a mercenary and never met his wife.
How is the universe different in this alternate timeline? How is your ship different? How is the Captain different (if he/she exists in this timeline)?
During the fight against the Vaadwaur in the Delta Quadrant, one of the officers under your command is killed on the Kobali homeworld. The Kobali approach you, and petition you to allow them to resurrect your officer as one of their own. Write about how your Captain would react to this petition, and whether or not your Captain would agree to it.
The captain and the officers get all the glory, but it's the petty officers, bekks, and uhlanir that make it possible. What's a typical or atypical day like off the bridge of your ship, in the gunnery deck, the lower engine spaces, the science labs, and the enlisted lounges? What do the snipes and squints think of your captain? Do the corpsmen and nurses hate doing all the work while the chief medical officer takes the credit? Are your rank-and-file as rough and ready as you, or are they like that poor TRIBBLE in Chuck Sonnenburg's Star Trek: First Contact review who "just wanted to study quasars!"?
— Sabaton, "Great War"
Check out https://unitedfederationofpla.net/s/
So you're at your desk doing your job, when your door opens and an old friend walks through.
Except they're supposed to be dead.
Maybe it's the Borg. Maybe the Kobali. Maybe Q's pulling pranks. Or maybe they never actually died. Write a story about someone your character knew, and knew to be dead, being encountered years later.
— Sabaton, "Great War"
Check out https://unitedfederationofpla.net/s/
The Scrappy is a character roundly hated by the fan base of a franchise for being terrible. The object of this challenge is simple: Have your Captain interact with such a character (for example, Neelix) and discover that they aren't quite as bad as they're perceived to be. For example, Neelix works like a madman compared to his species, despite his incompetence. Once Harry Kim made Captain he became a force of personality. Wesley Crusher was a heck of a lot better once he headed off to the Academy.
What scrappy does your Captain meet? How are they not as horrible as they are perceived to be
Cool idea, but can't see how I could do that with Three, and I'm not putting D'trel through that level of trauma if I can avoid it. I just got her to mostly stable, after all.
Come to think of it, my most interesting variant for that prompt might well involve poor Iain - running across someone who he thought had died during the fight aboard the Icarus, or even just someone he'd gone through the Academy with back in the 22nd century...
Eh, I don't really think that story'd work for the Patagonia crew, either...plus, they're a bit busy at the moment and will be so until I get my regular computer fixed.
If there's been one constant among the Alpha Quadrant powers, it's an immense fascination with the utilization of Borg nanotechnology and engineering to help optimize their own designs.
There's also been a nearly as immense history of disaster and failure, especially after the Borg started laying transwarp conduit into the Quadrant.
The Delta Quadrant, meanwhile so far, has shown a far lesser trend towards adapting their enemy's weapons, even though they have a much closer existence.
Your captain's superiors are wondering why this reluctance to drink from the well in spite of the Borg threat. Is it the much larger governments of the Alliance's improved capacities has given them better opportunities to ride the tiger, or is there some even darker tale of the Borg buried in the Delta history?
Or do the recent losses of the Queens mean the Delta species have finally had the opportunity to get at the 'Box' and what horrors or wonders will your captain face?
Member Access Denied Armada!
My forum single-issue of rage: Make the Proton Experimental Weapon go for subsystem targetting!
Yeah....Club 47 reopened......ANYWHO! New LC ideas, right? Here are a few I came up with while I was NOT drinking sixteen shot of Supernova imported from DS9 and dancing with Admiral Janeway who, for a woman of here age, can out-twerk the hell out of an Orion Slave girl on the dance floor. Probably shouldn't have said that.
"The Pantheon"
"In 2267, the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise discovered a world inhabited by a humanoid lifeform claiming to be the ancient Greek god, Apollo. After his temple was destroyed and the affections for his beloved Carolyn Palamas were rejected, he faded away and the Enterprise escaped. They left the planet behind and no one has heard tale of these beings for quite some time.
Until now.
While on a deep space survey mission, your crew has discovered three beings claiming to be the last of the gods. Zeus, Odin and Osiris. These three have taken an away team hostage and are demanding your presence. Upon beam down, you discover that these gods want you to chose one of them as your "deity" and give them the power to rule once more. Each god promises you a different reward for your aid and threaten to destroy you and your ship if you do not choose. What will you do? Who will you side with?"
"Club 47 Grand Reopening"
"Your captain has been invited to the inaugural reopening of Club 47, a highly popular dance club on Earth Space Dock. Dignitaries, Starfleet brass, celebrities and socialites from ever corner of the universe have all come down to be a part of this. How does your captain spend the evening? Schmooze with Admirals to gain new commands? Stalk celebrities they've seen on the Holo vids? Cut a rug on the dance floor? Write a log about the night's events. And remember: Don't drink the brain worm!"
"Crossing Over"
"While relaxing in your ready room after a long day, you are surprised to find Q. He claims he has become quite bored with you and your constant ability to survive everything the universe throws at you. Terrans, Vaadwaur, Borg, Iconians. They all come and go so easily for you. So, to alleviate his boredom and to give you a challenge, Q is transporting you up to the "Masterverse", a multiverse of greater possibilities that transcend the usual path of universal evolution. He uses words like "Dalek", Covenant", "The Darkness", "Sith" and many other words you've never heard of. Q will choose one of these universes and expects you to survive the next 72 hours against one of these dangerous foes. Q has allowed you to ally yourself with the natural denizens of the universe if needed, but warns you not to reveal the masterverse or your true origin, citing this rule as "The Q Directive". Your seventy two hours start when you awaken. Round and round the wheel of the universe goes! Which place you'll end up, only Q knows!"
And yes, on the last one, I expect worffan101 to Hail Ba'al.
-Leonard Nimoy, RIP
Hope this one gets picked, either when Smirk gets to setting up the next official OC, or for one of the unofficial ones - got some preliminary ideas, would likely consult with my fellow 'War of the Masters' authors to flesh out the details.
This one might be fun, too.
D'trel would be similar, only she'd say "Can any of you three morons fix my life so it doesn't suck quite so much?" or words to that effect. D'trel doesn't do parties, and Three in that would be an unmitigated disaster, so...no. Just no. You kidding? I'd have Ba'al, AND Daleks, AND Darth Vader.
Because There Is No Kill Like Overkill (tm).
Hail Ba'al!
*Shot of Admiral Quinn's office. Quinn looks a mess and has the word "Buttfart" written across his forehead. Three sits before him in a torn evening gown and missing a boot. The Admiral's office is a mess and there is a sleeping naked Gorn in the corner. Quinn has a stunned look on his face as Three awkwardly wrings her hands. They sit in silence for a few moments.*
Three: Can I just say somethi-
Quinn: No.
Three: For the official reco-
Quinn.: No.
Three: It's not THAT ba-
Quinn: It is THAT bad. Admiral Janeway is in a coma, one she may never recover from...
Three: I call that a win for the Delta Alliance...
Quinn: The Voth ambassadors are calling for your head after you did that offensive song and dance...
Three: Oh, come on, I thought they'd like "Walk the Dinosaur", it was MADE for them....
Quinn: You spiked Picard's tea with a hallucinogenic and he's still streaking across the entire spacedock....
Three: It was only a tiny bit and it's not my fault the man can't handle his Quantum Ecstasy...
Quinn: You lead a 58 person orgy on the dance floor...
Three: 59. You're excluding Captain Data and that's very synthophobic of you....
Quinn: And you somehow managed, and I still have no idea how, to turn the prototype Pathfinder vessel upside down without leaving the dry dock.
Three: Flipping it was easy, the tricky part as getting the worker bees to leave me alone....
*Three quiets down as Quinn give her a look*
Quinn: You did all of that, and more....in the two minutes I left Club 47 to use the restroom.
Three: Positive spin: I am very productive unsupervised.
*Quinn slowly puts his head down on the desk and sobs*
*Three cringes awkwardly as the admiral cries*
Three: Okay....I'm going to go....be someplace that is not here while you have your little breakdown.
*Three gathers her communicator and pats the Gorn on the way out.*
Three: See ya tomorrow, Boss!
*Three exits while Quinn continues to cry*
*An airduct falls from about and Quinn's personal assistant falls out of it, naked and Romulan ale bottles strapped to his hands. He looks about, disoriented*
P.A: BEST. PARTY. EVER!
*The P.A falls back and sleeps*
-Leonard Nimoy, RIP
Yup, that's about it.
Thanks for this, induced a solid ten-minute fit of uncontrollable laughter. I needed that.
With every philosophy and ideology espoused by every species in the galaxy, disagreements are bound to arise in every meeting. One day, you, or a member of your crew, find themselves debating against another member of your crew on the merits and shortcomings of their respective ideologies. How does the debate play out? Do you or someone else manage to mediate the dispute?
One of the most terrible things about war is that forces otherwise good people to do horrible things. Although the Federation and the Klingon Empire are now at peace, years of bitter war cannot easily be forgotten or forgiven. Your Captain, or someone whom he or she knows, has recently been accused of war crimes by the other side. What are the specific details of the accusations? What does your Captain do? Most importantly of all, are the accusations true?
The Federation often seems to be a humanoids-only club. Its four founding species are humanoid, all of the personnel on Starfleet ships that we saw in the shows were humanoid, and most of the novelverse Starfleet officers and crew are humanoid, too (although there are many more alien aliens in Diane Duane books).
So, for this challenge, write a story from the perspective of a nonhumanoid crewman or officer. Maybe a Horta? A parrot with 50 or 60 extra IQ points courtesy of questionably legal uplifts? Maybe even a Tholian?
How does this nonhumanoid interact with xir humanoid compatriots? Does xe face any discrimination from said comrades? Does xir nature help her with a particular job? Is xe lonely? Maybe have xir save the day for some dramatic fun.
Fixit assignment: Unimatrix Zero.
"Unimatrix Zero" is widely considered to be a terrible episode. The plot makes no sense, the guest actors are wooden at best and cringeworthy at worst (my god, that terrible excuse for a Klingon...I am a better Klingon than that and I barely speak 500 words of tlhIngan Hol and I've only read the IKS Gorkon series and everything by Diane Duane (and bits of Typhon Pact and I forced myself through Destiny even though it sucked). And don't even get me started on Axum and the "romance" plot), and Janeway's "brilliant plan" centers around being assimilated. A nigh-irreversible process that cannot be resisted and is almost certain to result in the painful loss of one or more limbs and/or vital organs. That's, like, a textbook example of mental incompetence and being unfit for command of anything at all.
On top of that, the episode nerfed the Borg to the point of laughability.
So. Friends. Writers. Fellow Trekkies! Your assignment: Rewrite this episode to make it not suck. Put your team into it, try to write Janeway et al as less of a pack of incompetent clowns, or just have the Borg NOT act like complete and utter morons and destroy Voyager with the starship equivalent of a casual swat (since that's what happens when a t4 science vessel with no Captain and two boffs missing go up and try to solo an elite tactical cube).
And whatever you do, please don't make the Borg Queen give her drones verbal orders. Because that was just plain pathetic.
Fixit assignment #2: Scorpion.
"Scorpion" is a pretty unequivocally bad episode. It's perhaps better than Voyager's average, but its plot runs on writer fiat, every character except maybe the Doctor acts like a complete and utter imbecile, and Janeway's blatant and outright hypocrisy is on full display from the moment she suggests an alliance with the Borg (despite her vehement argument against a similar alliance not one season earlier).
So. Comrades. I challenge you to write a super kick-TRIBBLE fixit fic. Have your characters travel back in time because technobabble and do things the INTELLIGENT way (Sander, gulberat, bonus points if you can work Ssharki and/or Alyosha into this). Rewrite the episode with an actual explanation for Janeway's actions (possible starting points: She's mentally ill from PTSD and the stress of being far, far out of her depth, she's not actually an idiot an says "f*ck that" to the idea of an alliance with the Borg, or she's removed from command and Tuvok becomes Captain because logic roolz). Rewrite it with actually competent villains. Rewrite it in an entirely spiteful way that has Everyone Die (tm), if you're in that frame of mind. Rewrite it in a relatively-canon way so that the Undine are obviously malevolent without the need for Kes's Magic Mary Sue powers to give Janeway an Undine war cry that is so ridiculously easy to misinterpret it isn't even funny.
Or, just write a crackfic and call it good.
Whatever you're up for.
How do your captain and crew react? What is your new AI like personality-wise? Does xe rebel against your control or remain scrupulously loyal and helpful? Must they be deactivated for the greater good, or do they become an integral, permanent part of your crew?
Inspired jointly by Original Sin and the Mass Effect series.
— Sabaton, "Great War"
Check out https://unitedfederationofpla.net/s/
Everyone has a story--but we've all heard the backstories of what seems like every Captain in the galaxy, from Kirk wannabes to self-styled Janeways to bad Picard ripoffs to people who really, really need to have the f*cking universe get off their case for a while, even those who really don't give one single iota of care about basically anything else in the universe and are just trolling everything there is for laughs.
Let's hear your Captain's most trusted officers' stories. Why did they join [insert faction and faction's fleet here]? Why do they tolerate working for this crazy monster/space gigolo/revenge-bound Determinator/giant lizard badass who makes everyone else look bad/incompetent fool/head-scratchingly stupid madman/terminal nerd? Do they have family outside of their comrades? Friends? Lives that they left behind?
Give your bridge officers a day in the sun.
Nobody is completely good or completely evil. The legendary James Kirk, explorer and pioneer, was also a womanizer who never met a rule he didn't want to break. Jean-Luc Picard, great diplomat and reluctant warrior, was a bit of a martinet who would let an entire planet die rather than violate the Prime Directive in any way at all. Benjamin Sisko, hero of the Second Battle of Deep Space Nine, abandoned his Starfleet oath and obligation to serve as a religious figure for a foreign power.
On the other side of the coin, Khan Noonien Singh, dictator and tyrant, expected absolute loyalty from his men - and gave absolute loyalty in return. Col. Green, terrorist and warmonger, sincerely thought he was fighting for the best possible future for his planet and his people.
Who does your captain look up to? And how does he/she react when the idol has feet of clay? Conversely, how does he/she react when the weaknesses are overshadowed by the virtues?
While in deep space, a sudden plague is found on board. But it's been weeks since the last contact with an alien species and the cargo holds are empty. So where did this disease come from? Is it a deadly disease that kills in hours, or something as harmless as a common cold that turns everyone's skin blue? How badly is it affecting your crew and can your doctor hope to find a cure in time before everyone sucumbs? Alot of captains are used to dealing with enemies they can threaten and shoot, now it's time to see how they react when there is no clear foe.
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'
"Old Flame"
They say love and hate are two sides of the same coin. Once upon a time, your character was deeply in love with another, but it ended. Now, years later, your latest mission brings you and your ex back into contact. The rest is up to you.
"Vengeance Is Mine"
Revenge for past wrongs, among the oldest motives in fiction. Was it for the death of a loved one? A betrayal against you? Hobus? Did they follow through, or pull back from the brink? Spin a yarn about the culmination of a quest for revenge.
— Sabaton, "Great War"
Check out https://unitedfederationofpla.net/s/
"Things Crew Members of the (Insert Ship Name Here) are No Longer Allowed to Do"
One day, when walking into the mess hall/lounge of your ship for some food, you find that one of the LCARS display panels has been reconfigured. Rather than what it normally shows, it now displays a list. The list only has one item when you first see it (something like "Do not tease the Klingons"), but each subsequent time you visit the mess hall/lounge, things have been added to the list, usually in response to some event that has happened recently.
What items all end up making the list? Does your Captain know why each item goes up, or do they need to hit up the local grapevine? Do they take the list in stride or do they shut it down fairly quickly? If they take it in stride, do they add their own items to the list? Write a short story detailing what happens.
"During a patrol of the Delta Quadrant, you come across a strange ship. The captain claims to belong to the "Great Krenim Empire" and has declared the Federation destroyed his timeline. He has warped to the Alpha Quadrant to wipe out Earth completely. You give chase and come out of warp in his path just as he fires upon it. A mishap with your deflector causes a power surge and disables both ships and sends them crashing to the ground.
As your crew counts casualties and damages, your intelligence officer notes that the ship's internal chronometer reads that you were pulled back in time to Earth...2045. The height of World War III. Humans are killing each other for sport, law and order mean nothing and the whole world wants nothing more than total annihilation of their enemies. And you're caught right in the middle of it. Between your ship and the Krenim's, the technology in them could plunge the human race into extinction, thus affecting the universe as a whole. You need to get your ship working, collect the Krenim vessel and it's temporal weapon and get off of the world before it's too late. But be warned: Humanity is at it's darkest hours right now. Not everyone is as friendly as you know humans to be in the 25th century. Keep your eyes up, your head down....and maybe get yourself a gun."
-Leonard Nimoy, RIP
Hopefully the ULCs are going well. Looking forward to getting back to writing.
"Behind the Music"
Years from 2409, a documentary is released that examines your Captain's career, documenting their successes and the challenges they faced during their time on the front lines. Using 'found footage', interviews with former crew, unclassified fleet documents, and professional analysis, it goes 'behind the scenes' to examine what made them such a great leader (or soldier, scientist, spy, etc) and pivotal to the war against the Iconians. (For those of you too young to remember these, here's an example of a VH1 behind the music doc)
"Why your Captain is the Worst captain ever."
Inspired by some of the threads on the forum and meant to be a tongue-in-cheek examination of your own character (no offense intended). Write a log where your Captain does something that violates the 'spirit' of the Federation. Do they do it by accident? ignorance? arrogance? or does it have to be done for the greater good? and what happens when they get called out?
"Survivor"
A freak warp core malfunction forces your ship out of warp. While repairs don't take long, sensors detect a lone escape pod, drifting in space. On board, clinging to life, is a crewman from an alliance vessel that was destroyed weeks ago. As the survivor recovers in sickbay strange things start to happen. Alien script flickers on displays, whispers echo across the comm and people wake up in strange places. What happened to the survivor? and what did they bring onboard your ship?
"Boogeymen"
While visiting a critical mining colony at the edge of the quadrant, an ion storm forces your Captain and the away team to spend the night in the colony. As you settle in for the night a scared child warns of a monster that stalks the edge of the colony. While the colony administrators initially brush it off, they eventually admit that some strange things have been going on. But as the storm bears down on the colony, the power generators and their backups go out. With coms and tricorders malfunctioning, you lead your away team into the storm to restore the power, only to come face to face with the monsters in the darkness.
In the grand tradition of press representatives risking life and limb to bring the experiences of soldiers on front lines to the public, your service has seen fit to attach a war correspondent from the Federation News Service or comparable organization to your ship. Was your captain and crew in favor or violently opposed? Was the intrepid reporter an asset or a complication?
— Sabaton, "Great War"
Check out https://unitedfederationofpla.net/s/
Your captain, or one of your officers, is starting to see things. What it is that they see could vary-- it could be a long-dead crewmate, walking around and talking as though still alive. It could be strange, alien figures crossing the halls. It could be ghastly apparitions, crawling between doorways. As much as your captain insists at the existence of these apparitions, no one else can see them. Already, many of your captain's officers are starting to whisper to one another that their commander may be mentally ill. Write about what happens to your captain-- is his/her mind actually playing tricks on them, or are the apparitions real?
"In Session"
The weight of command carries a heavy burden on the soul-- men and women have died under your command, and every order you make affects the lives and safety of all who serve under you. Given the numerous threats to known space, almost every officer serving in the Federation/KDF/Republic has been exposed to the horrors of war in one way or another. Your captain has been scheduled for a session with your ship's counselor. What do your captain and counselor talk about?