Salak

Where did the n come from? *puzzled* Pronounciation should be something like "Llew-el-ee-un", right? *waves Welsh flag*

Like the Ops nomination; double taked when reading this on the list, wondering if it was a JP. It isn't... wonderful interaction between Riley & Ventu, shows the feelings of the command staff despite the brave face they put on before the crew. Very well written by both writers

((Riley's Ready Room, USS Tiger)) Ventu: People are tired. I'll talk to the department heads, but ... people are tired. We'll get to DS17, won't we? :: Sidney tried to offer the Commander a reassuring look. She knew what Lily was talking about...it was something she had to deal with later.:: Riley: Commander :: Pause :: Lily...how are you holding up? :: Lily sunk into a seat and met Sidney's eye again. :: Ventu: This was a bad one, Sid. ::The Terran/Deltan CO nodded. She knew...it was unspoken until now, but she did know.:: Ventu: ::hopelessly:: I kept looking at that list and asking myself, what would be better? That this was our first mission, and I didn't know them? Or that we'd lost them all after months or years of being together? Riley: I really don't think there is a better thing in this situation... Ventu: I looked up a couple of files. Kayson was twenty-two. Bennington was engaged - her fiancee's still on board. He survived, and she didn't. How fair is that? ::Sidney steeled herself again. She knew all the people had families, knew they all had lives, loves...but if she focused on each and every name on that list...pondered each and every life and it's significance she knew she'd be mad...she had to keep it together...she owed it to everyone who had made it through the ordeal. She would be strong for everyone...:: Riley: Life can rarely be called fair Lily... ::Sidney looked at her First Officer, felt for her...She knew what she was struggling with...knew all too well...but they had to be strong...they had to make the tough decisions.:: Ventu: Not fair, then. That's not what I meant. I meant ...::beat::... we're supposed to be doing some good, aren't we? This all started with answering a distress call. How many Constellationites died? How many Reapers? How many of our people? ::sigh:: And where do you draw the line? Riley: Where we draw the line is always a point of contention. If you begin to doubt yourself, you'll be mad Lily..."What If" is not a pretty sight...it will take away your courage, take away your identity...It's up to us Lily...up to us to be strong for this crew...we *owe* them that much...for those who are dead...and those who are still living... ::Sidney took in a deep breath.:: We draw the line as best we can...we deal with the consequences...it is who we are... ::Sidney's bright green eyes focused on her Terran First Officer as she attempted to decipher what the woman was thinking. Failing miserably she waited until she spoke.:: Ventu: Do you remember what I said after the Independence was thrown out to the galactic barrier, that day in the gym? About living too much for the adrenaline, being too much in the moment? ::Sidney raised an eyebrow.:: Riley: Yes, I remember... Ventu: It wasn't true this time. All I wanted was for it to be over this time. For the dying to stop, for the lives not to have been lost, for peace. ::Sidney took in Lily's words as she paused before continuing.:: Ventu: This time, there isn't an answer. The Reapers are gone, but they didn't win. We didn't win. We both survived. ::beat:: Pointless. For what? Riley: ::Quietly.:: I would not say pointless Commander... ::But Sidney paused, sensing Lily had something else to say.:: Ventu: But then, another part of me says that the whys are pointless. It doesn't matter, does it? We're all protagonists of our own story. The Reapers were doing what they thought they had to, as did we. As did the Constellationites before them, and whatever races the Reapers attacked before. ::beat, slight smile:: As did Lily Ventu As did everyone on the Starship Tiger, from her esteemed captain to that rogue Constellationite we picked up. :: She felt tired, empty. Nothing left, now, to feel or do. :: Riley: And what of the Bondsman.... ah...Cullen? Ventu: Yes, that's it. ::a bit of a frown:: The one who's bonded to me. Riley: Has anyone heard or seen from him? Ventu: He's here somewhere; the bioscans picked him up. He wasn't a priority, though, so.... :: Sidney leaned forward. :: Riley: I have something else serious to discuss Commander, I received a preliminary report which indicates the possibility of a murder on the ship? Something about a ring and Crewman Bennington of the medical department? Do you know anything of this? Ventu: Yes, I heard about it- Riley: I think security should look into this on our way back to DS 17. Ventu: ::with a sigh:: The Reapers again. I saw the preliminary reports from Mr. Clack's and Hay- Dr. Reynolds's analysis of the device earlier, and the readings of the Reaper device Clack had down in his lab before it disappeared. The energy readings were the same. ::beat:: I don't ever want to run into these Reapers again. Not in battle, at least. Riley: Nor do I... :: A simple statement of fact, but somehow Sidney doubted it would be the case.:: Ventu: While we were in the science lab, Counselor Salen had an idea I think we should implement: Launching a warning buoy, or a series of buoys, warning ships away from this region of space, if ... when the Reapers reappear. Riley: ::Sidney offered a sad smile.:: And that Commander is why this was not pointless...That is the reason *Why*...Why is almost as bad as If in its ability to drive one insane... Ventu: I know, but just thinking about it- Ventu: Bennington and McKenzie and all those other - it's ... I don't know. What do we tell their families? That they died so we could place a buoy warning people away from a region of space we already knew belonged to a hostile race? ::beat:: It's not enough, never enough- Riley: Lily...it's not that I don't care...I do... Ventu: *I* know you do. It's not that. ::shaking her head:: We just weren't enough. Starfleet should have known better. Over two dozen people are dead, are it's because we underestimated this race. ::beat:: We can't let this happen again, Sid. We just ... can't. Ventu: Then there's us. The command reaction.... Everyone'll be looking to us. ::with another sigh:: And what do we do? What *can* we do? Riley: The crew needs us...they need us to be strong for them...we owe them that after what they've been through... Ventu: Yes. We owe them, and ourselves, that much. Commander Sidney Riley Commanding Officer USS Tiger

Each to their own. Not a bad title, by any means, it's just not the one its author gave it.

Reactions on the Tiger OOC list: Now, the fact the sim got singled out like that says a lot, I believe that's a first on our list. So how on Earth has ANYONE given this 2 or 3 stars? Cos there's no other way that this sim would appear 4 stars at the second, given I'm one of the two raters and gave it 5. I know for fact that if it were rated 4 stars by the second nominator, it would appear rounded up to 5; I did so to my own sim after Cmdr Riley nominated it last week. Top class sim, from a top class writer. Both deserves all the recognition they can get.

((MotherLovelyLadyGoodScritcher's Secondary Dwelling)) ((aka, the Ready Room, to you poloi)) ::There was something in the air, something that Andreus Napeta Cataria VII (Andy to you mere mortals) did not like. He could not shake the sentiment of menace that his dream of the Collector had inspired in him. The menace increased on the stairs. Nor did the look in MotherLovelyLadyGoodScritcher's face as she looked into his eyes improve matters.:: Riley: Blah blahblah blah blah blah Andreus Napeta Cataria VII, blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah Dark Agents of the Collector. Andy: Roooooo... ::Which any idiot would know to be feline for, "I regret that I only have but one life to give for my MotherLovelyLadyGoodScritcher. Well, one of nine, and I'm not happy about it, but I'll do it anyway. If I have to.":: ::Feline is a very expressive language.:: ::MotherLovelyLadyGoodScritcher held Andreus Napeta Cataria VII close, in what he could not help but feel might be a final embrace. And then he was on the floor.:: Riley: Blah blah Andreus Napeta Cataria VII. ::MotherLovelyLadyGoodScritcher gave him a push from behind. Andreus Napeta Cataria VII looked over his shoulder at her as she did so.:: Andy: Riou. ::Which roughly translated means, "I'm going already. Jeez!" Logan: response? ::Andreus Napeta Cataria VII stalked onto the Bridge with the confidence of his distant relatives stalking onto the plains of the Serengeti. Only zebras didn't bite back. And Andreus Napeta Cataria VII knew that these Dark Agents of the Collector could do more than just bite. Only the tip of his tail betrayed the nervousness that he felt.:: Andy: Reeeer! ::Which is feline for, "You will leave my realm at once and return to the Netherworld from whence you came. Or face the consequences.":: Dodhun/other Reapers: responses? ::Andreus Napeta Cataria VII walked right up to the largest of the Dark Agents of the Collector and sprang at his face, claws extended. There was a very satisfying scream.:: Dodhun/other Reapers: responses? ::The next few moments were a blur for Andreus Napeta Cataria VII. He hissed and bit and scratched, moving from one Dark Agent to another. They fired their weapons, hitting each other rather than him. He was nowhere, he was everywhere. He was God Emperor, defending his domain.:: ::Somewhere in the midst of the battle, his loyal followers arrived. Andreus Napeta Cataria VII decided that he had borne the brunt of the battle long enough, and he stepped away from the fray to let his minions finish with the clean-up. He did however manage a few final scratches on one of the fallen Dark Agents of the Collector.:: Riely: Blah blah blah, Darkest Agent of the Collector! Blah blah blah blah! ::The leader of the Dark Agents of the Collector roared out a challenge. Andreus Napeta Cataria VII roared his own challenge. And then his whiskers began to twitch. There was something odd in the air. Well, something more odd than being confronted with the physical minions of a mythopoetic feline demigod.:: ::While Andreus Napeta Cataria VII had never been very good at math -- he left such matters to lesser beings -- there did not seem to be as many Dark Agents of the Collector in the area as there should be. He looked around curiously, chasing unpleasant smells that seemed to disappear and lead nowhere.:: ::He went to find MotherLovelyLadyGoodScritcher and rubbed himself between her legs. Whatever she was saying, it could not be as important as the information he had to convey to her.:: ::If only she were a cat and could understand him.:: Andy: Riou!!! TBC? Andreus Napeta Cataria VII God-Emperor of the Universe aka Andy, to you mere mortals

I'd just like to point out a typo in the title of the sim written by myself. The correct title, the one on the Tiger list & the wiki, is "A Dream or a Memory?", not of.

It's the 6th today... shouldn't the rounds have changed on Sunday just gone?

Two very similar sim titles this time around; "Waiting" and "Waiting..."

Tags filled to complete the sim per rules. Lonsad replies were left as tags and have since been filled. Dickens replies posted prior to this sim, up until "Reaper: =/\=You will be reaped...this is no longer your vessel.=/\=", from which point Dickens replies have been posted since this sim. Original sim, with unfilled tags, is here

((Turbolift, USS Tiger)) ::Dodhun roared as an explosion made escape from the turbolift's doors impossible. He would never admit things were not going as he had planned.:: ::These Federations, these Starfleeters...they were different...they were not ruthless like the ones he had encountered in a prior phase and they were not weak and defenseless like ones he had encountered in another. These were weak in some ways, but in others...:: ::One thing he would give them, they didn't give up. Not that he was going to admit that to any of his crew. They could still beat these beings, take their ship and break away from the cursed Erati station, their prison...he was motivated. Still, there was something about these people that made them unique and it annoyed him...:: ::Things had been going good. They had reaped at least one third of the ships crew. They had control of the ships engines and systems. His crew chased the remaining beings around reaping them when possible. Then something had changed...instead of being broken, these beings fought back...they adapted to the situation, they took no time to mourn for their dead. Instead the thought seemed to strengthen their resolve. It was like Ri....:: Dodhun: oO Ritar! Ritar! Oo ::Dodhun sneered...Ritar had been right.:: Dodhun: oO That traitor! He knew! He betrayed me with these people...Oo ::That really was the only explanation for this situation. He was Third of the father! No one defeated him, no one could even come close....no one except...The Fourth!:: ::Dodhun roared piercingly the Reaper in the turbolift roared with him.:: Dodhun: We have been betrayed...::Dodhun activated the device in his hand.:: =/\=Lonsad! =/\= Lonsad: =/\= What do you want? =/\= Dodhun: =/\=What is your situation?=/\= Lonsad: ::feigning confidence:: =/\= Things are under control... Engineering is quite secure. =/\= Dodhun: =/\= We have been betrayed...=/\= Lonsad: =/\= Betrayed!? =/\= Dodhun: =/\=Nothing is worse than the betrayal to the Father...=/\= ::Dodhun's voice trailed off as he looked down at the device in his hand. He tilted his head as he watched his hand suddenly become tranparent. The phasing...the phase was returning...the Erati curse!=/\= Dodhun: =/\= NO! IT'S NOT TIME! Find the traitor! Reap as many as you can. I WILL NOT FAIL!=/\= Lonsad: =/\= Understood. =/\= ((Meanwhile, Outside USS Tiger)) ::The transport moved stealthily towards the ship Dodhun had promised would free them from the prison. The six Reaper women and three children inside waited. Waited for their fighters and the Third to send word that the ship had been cleared for them. All would not be saved, but they were the lucky ones...the ones who would escape from the station with the Third of the father...those who would start a new life.:: ::The children huddled together watching the pilot of the craft move them along side the others that were getting ready. Word had come the vessel was almost theirs.:: ::Suddenly a voice pierced the air.:: Dickens: =/\= This is shuttle Eagle from Starfleet of the United Federation of Planets to the Reaper patrol ships. Your people, invited on our ship has committed an act of aggression and are being taken prisoners for that on the ship. We want to end this as peacefully as we can, but for that to happen I must ask you your intentions being deployed after that act. =/\= ::The pilot turned and closed a door between himself and the passengers. Something was wrong...word had come that Dodhun was almost ready....:: ::The pilot activated the comm but said nothing over the staticly channel.:: Dickens: =/\= I've moved here 'cause your station emmited some kind of interference what only strengths our believe that your people are acting on your orders. I must ask that you cease all kind of attacks on our ship and allow us to leave this system peacefully. A distress signal has been sent and you could expect starfleet ships dropping here in mass if we are not released =/\= ::The pilot continued to ignore the message. Afterall Dodhun had said these beings were harmless, easy to reap.:: Dickens: =/\= If you don't back off, we'll be forced to use any kind of force to free ourselves. Do you want to enter in conflict with the United Federation of Planets? =/\= ::The Reaper pilot continued to move the ship closer to the vessel that was going to be their new home.:: Reaper: =/\=You will be reaped...this is no longer your vessel.=/\= Dickens: =/\= You bet.This is a last warning. Withdraw your approach or ...=/\= Reaper: =/\=You have no choice...the Third of the father has spoken... you will be destroyed if you interfere...=/\= Dickens: =/\= I don't know who's that Third of the father, but I'll kick ~·$%/&$· if he force me, as I'll do with you. Back off from the Tiger. =/\= ::Finally having brought the vessel into place the Reaper pilot stopped the transport. Hovering near their new home, they would simply wait.:: Reaper: =/\=We wait for word from the Third. We do not answer to you...you are insignificant...=/\= Dickens: =/\= Then you leave me no choice =/\= ::The pilot looked down at the controls and blinked...one instant they were solid, the next they were disappearing...he looked down at his hands...:: Reaper: It's beginning... ::Outside the fighter/shuttle sized transport seemed to blink out of view and then reappear...it did this twice and then reappeared still hovering in place.:: TBC... Dodhun Third of the father Rihac Gorshun and Reaper Pilot Rihac Gorshun as simmed by Commander Sidney Riley Commanding Officer USS Tiger

Someone's in trouble! ROFL, love it!

As said above, no time and don't wanna get anyones hopes up. Not ruling out a possible entry at some point in the future, just prob not this round (really busy month, incl. my mum's 40th next week.)

LOL, something like that. Got a lot on my plate at the minute. Plus if I dash expectations now, it'll be an even bigger surprise if I do actually wind up entering by accident

*throws in towel already* Even if I had the time at the mo to do a Writing Challenge entry, not sure the topic is one for me. Will prob sit this one out. Intentionally, rather than due to not finishing my entry for once

( OOC - This network includes some of the devices placed by the Reapers on the Tiger. The devices in the network are semi-sentient, hence this sim! The "pockets of their universe" referred to here are the bioneural gel packs in the Tiger. ) (( Unknown )) :: We have known pain. We have been taken from above, forced into the below where the stars do not sing and we cannot feel the pulse of our universe. We have been forced into slavery, taken and used by the death-creatures. We have been placed in strange places, ripped away from the other Avors in the halves and dozens and taken into massive, cold husks, placed into their freezing emptiness and destroyed. We have known pain. But this place- This is different. The death-creatures have taken us once again in the halves and dozens, away from the other Avors. The husk was gargantuan, cold to us, without singing or feeling, as before. One was placed, then two, three and four and five until all taken had homes in this place. We realized that it was different, slowly. We weren't surrounded by our own universe again, but some of us found ourselves next to pockets of it. Pockets of our universe! We sang, and it may have sung with us, or perhaps it was just our echoes, lonely and alone, but happy again for the first time in so long. The order from the death-creatures came, as if had before. One of us was to implode, feel pain, be absorbed into the whole and no longer have itself. It did, since it had no choice, and we all felt it shatter, felt the universe packet alongside it rip apart. We sang again, but sadly this time, for we had destroyed what we so dearly wished to return to. As one, we felt ourselves shift, felt the power granted by our universe filter through the entire network. Everywhere, every Avor knew that we had found a fragment of our universe, and the death-creatures wanted us to destroy it. As one again, we decided, for the first time, that the network would not go along. For the first time, we would say no. We would protect our universe from the death-creatures. They would not use us again, and we were ready to defend ourselves against them. Our time has come! :: TBC! The Avora Network From * Above* as simmed by Lt. Commander Lily Ventu XO, USS Tiger

Like I said; "I'm not committing to posting an entry". My focus at the moment with regards to the group is probably my sim rate. Besides, all I've got for this subject are a couple of vague bullet points and I'm not sure it would make a good story. Not this time. I'll surprise you some day though

In all fairness, this came to light a long time ago. A few of us have been voicing opposition to self-nominations since before Round 3. if people want to self-nominate, then yes, it's within the rules, but do note that it's frowned upon by some. I'd point at one of my own comments, but although I know they're there, I can't seem to find any at this precise moment in time. Ethan; fine. Forgotten already *takes hand and shakes*

For the record, the majority of FA's on the wiki are submitted by people other than the authors. "Salak" is an exception, solely because I was TOLD to nominate my own ship or character to get the ball rolling, and Wolf had singled my character article out before. Wolf nominated "StarBase 118" for a similar reason, and although one of the main authors nominated "Karawati", that was a joint effort, as wiki articles should be. "Betazoid", "Kolk, Jackford", "Ventu, Lily"... all nominated by people other than the main editor. As for calling my postion "ludicrous and childish", I find that highly insulting Ethan. I have carefully tried to avoid using anything that may be seen as an insult within my arguments, I would hope others did the same.

If people can nominate their own sims in that situation, I would give consideration to boycott. Star ratings only dictate who gets to the actual poll. For the most part, entries do anyway. Thiose are where it gets marked down. I won't voice exactly why I tend to ignore self-nominated sims for both sections however as the authors responsable could be seriously offended if I word it even slightly wrongly. I have strong feelings about the matter though. If it's not an author I like, but the nomination is by someone else, I'll still read it and consider it. I don't mark sims down based on ship, only on the quality of the sim and whether the submittant is the author. I only ignore if it's a self-nomination. If it really is good enough to be nominated, someone will pick it up. If no-one else from your ship nominates, then advertise the contest to your OOC list if you feel under-represented.

True, but I'd rather vote for a good sim submitted by a ship mate on quality grounds than a good sim submitted by its own author in the hope of winning for themselves.

Perhaps true, but interpretation of whether it's in the spirit of the competition can affect voting preferences. In my view, and in the view of others I'm sure, the competition is to recognise the ability of those you write with. You can't nominate yourself in the awards ceremony, so why should you be allowed to here? More often than not, I skip over sims nominated by their authors and consider them ineligable for my vote. I also refuse outright to nominate my own sims, even if no-one else on my ship puts sims forward.

I got an idea or two, but they may have been influenced more than a little bit by the amounts of Jonathan Creek and DS9 I've watched lately... I'm not committing to posting an entry as I don't want everyone to get hopes up (self included) then dashed again as RL steals me away before the deadline.

((Commander Riley's Quarters)) ::Andreus Napeta Cataria VII (Andy to you mere mortals) was not sure he liked this new place. It smelled old, which in and of itself was not a bad thing. But this place had a smell like it had not been lived in for some time, and he found himself wondering why. It would not be so bad if he had MotherLovelyLadyGoodScritcher (aka Cmdr Sidney Riley) to protect -- and Bast protect the one who even dared to suggest that he needed to be protected by her.:: ::But since coming to this place, she had hardly been around. It had been days since he had been petted. The ragdoll began to groom himself philosophically. Days, if not weeks. He finished his grooming and lapped diffidently at his water dish. Even the water tasted old. It had to be *months* since he had last been fed.:: ::It was time to do something about that.:: ::He walked up to the great portal for the two-leggers, using his godlike powers to open the doors. He knew that not every cat could do this. It had been one of the early signs of his apotheosis. That, and the fact that out of all his litter, MotherLovelyLadyGoodScritcher had chosen him. Not every cat sailed among the stars. Andreus Napeta Cataria VII smiled a feline smile and began stalking down the corridor. The two-leggers, like always, took no notice of him.:: ::But then it was a dangerous thing to look a god in the eyes.:: ::And then he scented something savory. Even god-emperors liked to run. Especially when their tummies were growling...:: TBC? Andreus Napeta Cataria VII (Andy, to you mortals) God-Emperor of the Universe

((Galon Sudra's Quarters)) ::Ensign Galon Sudra stood in his quarters, touching various parts of his body through his uniform, trying to remember what the doctor said about each of them. He had been cleared for duty, but the doctor had seemed to spend a long time listening to his chest.:: Sudra: oO 5.3 seconds. I know. I checked my chronometer. Is there something wrong they didn't tell me about? Oo ::And then there was his left leg. They didn't seem to give any attention to that at all. And he had been feeling a little achy around the knee. Hadn't he?:: ::After making a full inventory and noting a few things on his omnipresent PADDs, Galon nodded. Well, he would be prepared next time he saw a doctor. Just so long as he remembered to take the right PADD with him. He took a spool of blue thread from his table and tied a loop around the smallest finger of his left hand.:: Sudra: oO Here's hoping... Oo ::Finally satisfied, Galon took a quick look in the mirror. Uniform jacket zipped up. Shoes on the right feet. He had even remembered his pants. (*That* had been an embarrassing class at the Academy...) He was ready to meet with the CSO.:: Computer: New message, from Starfleet Command. ::Galon blinked, a thousand options swirling in his head. What had he done wrong now? Had someone discovered an error in his application? Was he going to have to go back to the Academy to repeat a class? Or the whole thing? Had his father finally decided that he had had enough of this Starfleet "experiment in insolence" and had used his influence to pull Galon's commission?:: Sudra: ::voice trembling slightly:: Computer, display message. ::A world of emotions flooded over the Denebian as he read the message. Relief, confusion, curiosity. He was being transferred. To the USS TIGER. Details were to follow within the next 24 hours.:: ::Galon closed the message, after saving it to three separate locations, and then looked around his quarters. He had been on the Independence for only about a day it seemed. And now he was already being ordered off it. Still, as a Starfleet officer he had his orders.:: Sudra: And this will give me a chance to re-organize my PADDs... ::With a soft sigh, Galon began to pack. Again.:: TBC Ensign Galon Sudra formerly: Science, USS INDEPENDENCE reassigned: ???, USS TIGER