Valdivia

((USS Darwin, Deck 1, Captain’s Ready Room)) ::She didn’t know what to make of it, but she was indeed free, and could not deny it.::Reynolds: =/\= I am. =/\= ::She played it cool, thinking that was how ne wanted it to be handled. Deep inside, however, her heart longed for the expressiveness of kisses, and the tenderness of touch.::::If ne had expected her response to bring relief ne would remain disappointed. Ne felt more anxious, more tense and slightly nauseous. Ne was going to need to say some things ne really didn’t want to say. To open nir heart, be honest and make nemself vulnerable. Why? Because it mattered to nem greatly that ne try to fix this, that Poppy understand the truth. She was an absolute joy to be with and ne really craved her company but certainly didn’t deserve it. Even if they never spoke again outside a work capacity after this, ne wouldn’t feel satisfied until ne had tried to resolve this.::Renos: =/\= Good, thank you. Where do you want to meet? =/\=Reynolds: =/\= My quarters? I really could use help unpacking. I’m the worst procrastinator ever...=/\= ::It didn’t take long for the captain to arrive and as soon as ne had confirmed they were alone ne launched into nir explanation, mainly as a product of how anxious ne was about it. If ne didn’t set it out all right now then ne would overthink things and inevitably bungle that too.:: ::Renos, had not been much help unpacking. Instead, ne behaved in a way that suggested ne needed to get something off nes chest.::Renos: About the other night… uh morning. I meant what I said. I am sorry and you deserve better. I’m not good at dealing with my romantic feelings. Heck I’m not used to having them! It’s alien to me and I handle it very very poorly. I’ve only ever felt this way about one other person in my life and that went catastrophically too. Why? Because every time someone gets close I freak out and pull back. I can’t help myself. I’m afraid of letting people get close. Of being hurt. It’s not just that either - I’m wanted by the government and I can’t stand the thought of them using the ones I love to get to me. That’s why I can never be involved with anyone. ::Poppy hadn't known about nes wanted status, but it dimmed light on the fact that Renos lived an already complicated life, with a history, and disappointments all their own. She appreciated the explanation, and didn’t blame him for it, and at least now, whatever the resolution ne was admitting there were feelings to be had. There was in that idea, a sliver of hope.:: ::She smiled the grin of relief. At least, there was nothing freakish about her.:: Reynolds: Can I admit something silly and girlish? Renos: Of course you can. ::Offering a reassuring smile and opening nir body language intentionally:: Reynolds: Part of me wondered if it was because you found me unattractive...mannish in some way, and given….that I am…. Renos: Given you are what? ::Renos had a feeling ne knew what Poppy was about to say but didn’t want to assume too much, just in case she was wrong. Either way ne wanted her to say it, to put a name to that fear and express it. Then maybe it could be dispelled. She paused. She had...never in her life, uttered the next words conversationally to a friend before, to anyone other than a doctor. It was time to let it out.:: Reynolds: ...a hermaphrodite. I thought maybe you regretted touching me… ::She shrugged with a reluctance to admit personal shame, where none should have existed. For years she had accepted who and what she was. It wasn’t until very small minded men whom she had come to be romantically attracted to repelled to the idea of her, and cringed at her touch, did she wonder if she might not be a freak.:: Renos: Not at all, I’m pansexual and you are absolutely beautiful to the core.::What that meant was that gender wasn’t a limiting factor to nem. As a doctor ne had seen many reproductive systems and of course just because ne was aware of them did not mean ne found them equally appealing due to it. J’naii had evolved over time from a species with two genders to an androgynous species with one. If anything she found her own species least attractive but that was more due to social rather than physical reasons. Ne had found humans males as attractive as females, ne didn’t know why, nor did ne question or worry over it unduly. Perhaps ne was simply attracted to those who showed nem kindness since there had been so few of those individuals in nir life - at least ones ne would let get close. Whatever the reason, Poppy was one of the most attractive and enchanting individuals ne’d ever met.:: ::She smiled a grin as wonderful and luminous as the sun. Did he really like her? Physically? Then he, or at least the parts of nem that Poppy considered masculine, became complementary to her. And for the first time in her life, Poppy was glad to be desired for the physical aspects of her body, internal chemistry and all.:: ::She was really beginning to like Renos, and like a deep cool well with no visible end, she wondered where the breadth and depth of that feeling extended to.:: Reynolds: Really? Well… wow...I’ve never had anyone say that about me before...and not mean it as a joke… ::She blushed a bit at the physical attention, but allowed herself to bask in it.:: Reynolds: So what’s next for us then? Renos: Well, that’s your call. I have some free time, so if you don’t mind me tagging along, what do you want to do? ::Now there was an open ended question. When a prospective lover handed over the reigns in this way they were asking for trouble. Poppy smiled a devious and intense smile. Renos was going to get what he asked for this time!:: Reynolds: Well I was about to explore Iram of the Pillars. How about we make it an adventure for two!?Renos: That sounds good to me! Lead the way chief explorer. ::Playfully::::Renos smiled and the duo headed out the door. The captain hadn’t completely fulfilled nir objective of keeping Poppy at arms reach. Ne had made nir feelings of attraction very clear and could only hope Poppy understood why ne didn’t want to be involved in a romantic relationship. Ne craved Poppy’s company and when ne botched things up like ne did with Gordie then ne wouldn’t be able to enjoy it any more. As they headed towards the holodeck ne wondered how many liberties Poppy would have taken with this program. They were supposed to be going to a desert but anything could happen, maybe they would get sand and snow. It would be no stranger than nir last adventure with chief explorer.:: Fleet Captain Renos - Commanding Officer, USS Darwin NCC-99312-A * Executive Council & Captain's Council Member * Academy Commandant A238805EB0 And PNPC Poppy Reynolds Simmed by:- Lt. Cmdr. Nate Wilmer Mission Specialist USS Darwin-A E239107NW0

Some life experiences, in our real life, are definitely life changing. It could be argued that all of them are, but some of them make changes so deep that our life is forever diferent. Initiating a relationship, or getting married, having a child. Or an accident and permanent injury, for example. On some of these we have decision power, and some are out of our control. All these experiences change our life, but as humans we learn to life with them. When simming, we want to make our characters alike to real people (even when simming into a starship set in the future). And that means some of these events will also affect our characters. We have seen characters start or end relationships, have children or get terrible injuries. But, on this, we have control. In the end, we decide what experiences our characters go through. Especially those experiences that will mark them forever. For this week’s poll, we want to know how much you exercise this control. Do you carefully plan every major change for your character, or do you let them happen and explore them as they come? This is a new post in our category Simming Questions. Here we will be asking questions about our community, our characters and our writing, and how you interact with it all.

((Personal Quarters, USS Darwin-A))::After their wild shuttle ride, Iniko was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go back to jheas quarters and take a nap, or maybe head up to Sickbay to check on Lambert. Jhe couldn't relax, though, and the thought of seeing anyone else right now made jhea feel sick. Jhe finally had to admit to jheaself that what jhe was feeling was guilt. Whatever it was that had caused such an emotional reaction in the rest of the shuttle crew had only given Iniko a headache, but it had made focusing difficult, and they still didn't have any idea what had actually happened to them.::::Jhe was certain that jhe could have figured it out and been more useful if only jhe had spent some time developing jheas fielding abilities. Up until now it had seemed unimportant. There had never been much need for it on missions before, and while it could occasionally come in useful in jheas normal tasks as an engineer, it had always seemed like a minor added bonus. So jhe had just kept putting it off and putting it off, even when jhe had discovered jhe couldn't use the holodeck any longer due to interference headaches.::::This mission had changed all that, though. It was time to stop waffling and start practicing. Luckily jhe had been slowly going crazy during jheas extended leave back on Til’ahn, and during a fit of boredom had contacted the Fielding League and asked to be assigned a tutor. After securing a promise that Iniko would send them reports on interesting new effects or applications of the skill jhe might discover while in service with Starfleet, subject to Starfleet’s willingness to disclose the information, they'd been very accommodating. Jhe had walked away with the contact information for a new tutor, immediately been swept up in another of jheas mother's emergencies, and forgotten all about it. Now it was time to resurrect that plan.::::Upon reaching jheas room, jhe sat down at jheas personal console and initiated a call to Til’ahn. Jhe punched in the contact information the Fielding League had sent jhea, and sat back. The call took a while to connect, and Iniko began to hope that maybe the new tutor was too busy. Maybe jhe should put this off for a while after all. Jhe wasn’t entirely sure why jhe was so nervous. This wasn’t going to be like Dr Cook poking around in jheas brain. It was just like exercising a muscle, right? Surely jhe didn’t need to be so wary of the process. But that nervousness remained.::::Finally, the call connected. A face appeared on jheas monitor. A familiar face, not because jhe had seen it many times, but because jhe had relived that single experience so many times in jheas memory. Jhe almost flinched back, but just managed to keep jheas face calm. This must be a mistake.::Chalor: Hello? ::the lomale on screen raised jheas eyebrows as jhe took in Iniko’s uniform and surroundings.:: Can I help you?Mpeba: ::coldly:: I don’t believe so, no. I was given this number by mistake, I believe. Don’t worry, I won’t contact you again.::Sawat Chalor narrowed jheas eyes, peering closely at Iniko, and then huffed and pursed jheas lips.::Chalor: Ah. The younger Mpeba. You look just like your mother and father. I had forgotten that you were supposed to call.::Iniko sat back, a little stunned. Jhe had known about this? And hadn’t objected? The memories flashed through jheas mind again, still stunningly at odds with Sawat’s current behavior.::((Flashback, 12 Years Ago))::Iniko's mother had that worried look on her face again. She was talking with a friend, and as usual they had been discussing the aliens and their bad influences, how they were destroying Laudean culture and values. Iniko always felt nervous when they talked like that. Jhe wasn't sure what sort of things the aliens had planned for them, but jheas mother always made it sound like they were lawless pillagers, out to take every resource of their world and steal all the lomales to breed their own race of fielders. Jheas mother usually seemed most worried about Iniko’s future during those discussions. She was off the comm now, and came over to talk to Iniko.::C. Mpeba: Iniko, come with me. I have someone you need to meet.::Iniko nodded and followed along, trying to be properly demure. Chioma sat jhea down on the seat next to her and started another call. It took a few moments to be picked up, but when the picture appeared it was of a serene and elaborate garden, full of carefully pruned trees, delicate flowers and exquisite sculptures. The person sitting in the middle of all of this was a handsome lomale a few years older than Iniko's parents. Jheas hair was piled in an sophisticated knot on jheas head, and jhe wore finely embroidered robes of a shimmery and slightly translucent fabric that showed glimpses of jheas form in the afternoon sunlight. Iniko was entranced. This was what jheas mother kept pushing for, and jhe had never been able to grasp. This person was poise and elegance and sensuality personified. Iniko didn't believe jhe could ever achieve such a thing, wasn't entirely sure jhe even wanted to. But it was certainly a beautiful sight.::Chalor: Hello, how can I -- why, Chioma, isn't it? What a pleasant surprise!C. Mpeba: Sawat, it's so good to see you again!Chalor: It is always a good day to see you, my dear. How have you been? It's been far too long.::The older lomale’s drawl was hypnotizing, but jheas words made Iniko blush. Jhe was finally starting to grasp who this person was, and the images that conjured up were not something jhe wanted to contemplate.::C. Mpeba: It has been too long. So much has happened recently. But that isn't what I called you about. I wanted you to meet our child, Iniko.::The lomale on the screen flinched, momentarily losing jheas composure. A moment later jhe had it back, but the smile jhe offered Iniko was weak and brief.::Chalor: Hello, child. Would you mind running in the other room for a moment? I need to speak privately with your mother.::Iniko wasn't sure what to make of that reaction, but given jheas mother's crumpled frown, it hadn't been what she had been hoping for. Iniko felt guilty, wondering if jhe had done something wrong, or if it was the lomale on the call who had disappointed her. Chioma turned to Iniko, though, and gave jhea a small nod in the direction of the open doorway. Iniko stood and left the room as quietly as jhe could, but stopped as soon as jhe turned into the hall. Jhe leaned against the doorframe, just out of sight.::Chalor: Chioma, what were you thinking? I thought we made this clear in our agreement!C. Mpeba: But Iniko is your only lomale child! I checked the coven records! I thought jhe would mean something to you, especially now that jhe is approaching the age of apprenticeship!Chalor: ::sternly:: I don't know how to make this any more clear. You and Akinade I would be happy to see again, anytime. You two have always been wonderful fun. But the . . . results of those encounters? I want nothing to do with them, regardless of their age. That was made clear from the very beginning. They are yours, not mine, not in any sense. This child is not my responsibility, and I am entitled to no part of jheas life, nor do I want any.C. Mpeba: But, surely if you just spoke to jhea for a moment.Chalor: Do not press this, Chioma. It is a thoroughly inappropriate request. I will not be a part of this conversation. Goodbye.::Iniko felt jheas throat close up. Jhe stifled jheas anger as best jhe could, but a little squeal of indignation escaped. What jhe was saying was perfectly reasonable, of course. Iniko was well versed in the basic tenets of lomale duties, even if jhe struggled with the more complicated aspects, and this was about as basic as they got. Lomales had no rights or responsibilities regarding their offspring, except in extreme circumstances. Chioma opting to pursue this in opposition to the decrees of the Fielding League she respected so much spoke volumes about her worry for Iniko's future. But it had been for nought, and now they were both humiliated.::((End Flashback))::If Sawat had been so set against having anything to do with Iniko previously, why was jhe expecting Iniko's call now? Whatever the reason, Iniko wasn’t sure jhe wanted anything to do with Sawat now. Iniko set jheas jaw firmly and hid behind the most formal manner jhe could produce.::Mpeba: I apologize for the intrusion. I have no intention of intruding on your peace any further. Goodbye.::Jhe reached forward to end the call, but Sawat held up a finger to forestall jhea.::Chalor: Please. Wait a moment. There is no need for you to go so soon.Mpeba: I was under the impression you wanted nothing to do with me.::Sawat bowed jheas head, and just for a moment seemed frail. A moment later, though, jhe raised jheas head again and frowned seriously at Iniko.::Chalor: Listen well. I want nothing to do with any progeny of mine. You are not my child, and you will never be. But I have been asked by the Fielding League to instruct a student in the art of fielding, and this is a task I will undertake without qualms. We will relate to each other solely as master and apprentice. There will be no familiarity between us, and you will not forget your place. Do you understand?::Iniko felt the heat rising in jheas chest, and forced it down. Jhe would remain civil. Jhe would. Jhe counted to ten before answering, and was satisfied to hear jheas voice come out even.::Mpeba: I believe you are under a false impression. I am no child, and I have no intention of being spoken to as such. If you were anyone else I would give you the respect due a teacher, but since you have clearly expressed such a disinterest in me, I don't believe there is any possible way we could work together civilly. You will have to excuse me. I will seek another course.::Jhe leaned forward again to end the call, but this time Sawat threw up jheas hand more urgently. Iniko halted, more at the expression on jheas face than anything else. Jhe looked afraid, not an expression Iniko had ever imagined on jheas perfectly composed features.::Chalor: Please, listen.::Despite the request, Sawat bit down on jheas lip, bowed jheas head and remained silent for some time. Iniko glared at jhea for a moment, but finally leaned back away from the console in surrender, folding jheas arms sullenly.::Mpeba: Fine. What do you want from me?::Sawat didn't raise jheas head, but jheas hands began clenching and unclenching, a nervous tic if Iniko had ever seen one. Jhe had to admit, jhe’d had plenty of fantasies of seeing Sawat so discomfited when jhe was younger, but jhe had always imagined it being in response to some lecture Iniko had given jhea. Now Iniko was just confused. Sawat finally looked up, not quite meeting Iniko's eyes.::Chalor: You must understand, these are very strange times. This world is not the same one I was raised to.::Iniko desperately wanted to roll jheas eyes at the obviousness of that statement. Jhe was very proud that jhe managed to merely nod an invitation to continue.::Chalor: The Romulans, of course, were not to be emulated, but this Federation of yours is perhaps not so abhorrent as I had initially believed.Mpeba: Oh really?::Jhe couldn't entirely keep the note of sarcasm out of jheas tone. Jhe’d had this conversation far too many times with jheas mother, and it left a sour taste in jheas mouth. Sawat merely pursed jheas lips and continued, looking a little more calm now.::Chalor: I have had some informal interactions with members of some Federation species, while acting on behalf of the Fielding League, and, quite by accident, I assure you, have had occasion to, well, play. With their children. It was not precisely as distasteful an experience as I had expected.::It was Iniko's turn to raise jheas eyebrows. Jhe kept the rest of jheas face calm, but jhe could feel her heartbeat speed up significantly. Jhe willed it to settle down, unsuccessfully.::Mpeba: What exactly are you trying to say?::Sawat cleared jheas throat.::Chalor: Well, to put it succinctly . . . I requested this assignment.::Iniko's eyes went wide as saucers, and jheas voice went faint.::Mpeba: You what?::Sawat squirmed slightly in jheas chair. The movement was surprisingly childlike, but jheas eyes looked ancient, haunted by something Iniko was only beginning to guess at.::Chalor: It was not a popular request with the Fielding League. They didn't want me interacting with you, and for good reason. This is just not done.Mpeba: You asked to speak with me? To teach me?Chalor: It was just going to be professional. I told them it was purely professional. I told myself it was purely professional.::Sawat looked like jhe was talking to jheaself now, retreating. Iniko leaned forward, wishing jhe could reach through the screen and grab Sawat’s shoulders, drag jhea back from the panic jhe was working jheaself into. That being impossible, Iniko tried to project calm reassurance with jheas words.::Mpeba: It's okay, this is okay.::Sawat let out a slightly hysterical laugh.::Chalor: No, child, this is very, very far from “okay”. You've been corrupted by the Federation for far too long if you can simply be “okay” with this. On the contrary, this is very nearly heresy.::Iniko didn't know how to respond to that. Jhe was certain Sawat was going to change jheas mind and walk away again, but Iniko didn't have any words that could stop jhea. But Sawat sat up straight, setting jheas jaw in a gesture that Iniko surreally recognized from the mirror.::Chalor: Forgive me, this is not as easy as I had hoped. I will need to erase this message from my logs, in order to ensure no one can acquire unsavory information they can use against me. But I do not rescind my offer.Mpeba: And what precisely is that offer?Chalor: I will teach you to use your fielding skill, if you so desire, and if you can retain any modicum of respect for me after the spectacle I have made of my myself just now. Additionally, or alternatively, as you prefer, I would . . . not be entirely averse to the concept of attempting to develop some sort of more . . . familial rapport between us.::Sawat broke eye contact at last and stared down at jheas fidgeting hands intently. Iniko sat back in jheas chair, floored. Jhe had wanted this. Fantasized about it, when jhe wasn't fuming. But not the smallest part of jheaself had ever believed it could possibly happen. Now that it had, Iniko didn't know what jhe wanted. A part of jhea wanted to seize the chance at that impossible relationship jhe had dreamed of. But jhe had fought so hard to escape all the ridiculous conservative nonsense jhe had been raised with. Did jhe really want to deal with more of that? There was also a significant part of jhea that had spent so long being bitter and angry at Sawat and all jhe represented, and that part of Iniko wanted nothing more than to throw this back in Sawat's face and see jhea deal with rejection for a change. Iniko squashed that last feeling down mercilessly. Jhe was not going to allow jheaself to be ruled by bitterness. Jhe resolutely leaned forward again, before jhe could change jheas mind.::Mpeba: I accept. I'm willing to try if you are.::Sawat's shoulders sagged, jheas hands finally stilled, a gentle breath of a sigh escaped jheas lips. Jhe raised jheas head again, slowly, and met Iniko's eyes.::Chalor: Good. That is. That is very good to hear.::Iniko smiled grimly. Jhe was not at all certain this was going to work out. This might very well be one of the biggest mistake jhe had ever made. But jhe was absolutely certain that not trying would be an even bigger mistake.::Mpeba: Okay then. Where should we start?Lieutenant JG Mpeba - Engineering Officer, USS Darwin NCC-99312-AD239205IM0

You are the captain of a starship, and on your exploration, while studying an asteroid belt, your crew has made a most amazing discovery. Space fish! Fish-like creatures that live autonomously in space. Each specimen is big as a shuttle, and as you entered, a group of them has been playing around your ship, while you studied them. Meanwhile, you have detected lifesigns within an asteroid, similar to those of the creatures following you. Eager to find more, you use the phasers in your ship to open a hole in the rock. And a new creature appears. But this one is huge. And not like the others. It is clearly a predator, and after you freed it, it is now eager to have a meal, chasing the small fish that had been accompanying you through the asteroid belt. You should defend them! Or should you? Is it your fault they are going to be eaten? You freed it after all. Should you interfere in the natural cycle of life in such an environment? Does the prime directive even apply to this situation? This is a new edition of our category Morals of Trek, where you are in the shoes of a Starfleet Captain facing a dilemma any of our favourite characters could have faced in Star Trek. If your crew has faced any such dilemmas and you want to see it featured in a Poll of the Week, let us know!

I identify as male, and I am more comfortable simming as one. Not that I can't sim as another gender option, and I have had different PNPCs, but, as someone was saying before, it is easier for me to get into the male mindset. And, to be honest, I am not completely confident in my ability to faithfully sim a woman. So my main characters, and a possible new character I am developing is also male. As for sexuality, however, I chose Valdivia's (and that's ages ago) and I used the same one I identified with, and he has been evolving in the same way that I have. That would not be necessary (as I have only simmed to relationships for him in all these years, and separate in time). But I have stated that Valdivia is poliamorous, because he has evolved the same way that I have, and I found it important to show that evolution.

Part of the appeal of simming and Star Trek more generally is in Gene Roddenberry's vision of a brighter future. Throughout our diverse community, we have a wide spectrum of people who identify differently in terms of gender and sexuality. From the androgynous monogendered J'naii to the tri-gendered Laudeans Star Trek gives us space to explore these aspects of human experience widely. We even have the Lambda Alliance forum to support those who either identify with the LGBT community, consider themselves allies or who wish to know more and perhaps try simming a point of view different to their own. What we want to ask is, whatever your character’s gender and sexual orientation are, what brought you to choose them? Maybe you had not even thought much about it until now, or maybe you tend to choose the same you identify with. Or maybe not, maybe you wanted to give visibility to some option or explore the stories your choice could bring. This is a new post in our category Simming Questions. Here we will be asking questions about our community, our characters and our writing, and how you interact with it all.

As captain of your starship, you are sitting in the central chair, looking through the screen at a Ferengi ship. After a heated discussion with their Damon, your tactical officer informs you they are powering up their weapons. Suddenly, your own ship plunges forward, rolling sidewise and launching a full salvo of all your weapons on the Ferengi, completely obliterating the ship. You jolt up from your chair and look and your Tactical officer, that looks at you surprised, ignoring what just happened. Looking around the bridge, nobody seems to know why you have just killed over a hundred Ferengi. You command them to find out. “They were going to attack you”, says the computer. “They were dangerous”. Surprised, you look around. Slowly, you respond, only to find out you are talking to your own ship’s computer. After some more interaction, you realize the computer has suddenly become sentient. And it wants to help. Is eager to help. In fact, it is so intended to please you it has taken the initiative with the Ferengi, and several other minor things you are already receiving protests over. Not to mention that, being a sentient being, it has certain rights now that you have to observe. You sigh and sit down, getting ready for a long talk. Tell us how do you think it would go. This is a new edition of our category Morals of Trek, where you are in the shoes of a Starfleet Captain facing a dilemma any of our favourite characters could have faced in Star Trek. If your crew has faced any such dilemmas and you want to see it featured in a Poll of the Week, let us know!

The recent and exciting launch of the USS Za gave us the opportunity of a transfer as the requests sweeped the fleet. Some people took the chance, some didn’t. But it gave us all an opportunity to reflect on our current post and ship. On what we love about the ship, the style of simming we are enjoying. Or maybe what we hope to find, or even help shape, in a new post. We love our ships, older and newer alike. Though each one of us loves them for different reasons. Maybe the people? Maybe the quality of the sims? The plots, or the approach your crew takes to them? Maybe the commanding officers and their leading style? We are sure there are lots of things, but what is the best? Each one of us has different reasons. Tell us what yours are! This is a new post in our category Simming Questions. Here we will be asking questions about our community, our characters and our writing, and how you interact with it all.

As standard for your duties, you walk into the transporter pad to transport to a nearby ship, for transfer. After a final look back, you sigh and nod to the transporter chief and feel the familiar blue haze engulf you. An instant later the blue shimmer disappears and you stand there, in the very same transporter room, looking at the very same, albeit surprised, transporrter chief. “Sorry, sir.” she says, as he starts checking the computer for an explanation. She contacts your destination ship, but there seems to be a problem. Apparently, you are already there. For some reason, as your pattern was transmitted, the computer failed to eliminate your copy from this ship. The transporter chief doubts. Two armed security officers enter the room. “Sorry, but we would need you to step back into the transporter so it can complete its cycle. “ This is a new entry in our Morals of Trek category. This time, the scenario can be a bit familiar since Commander Riker lived something similar. But not exactly the same since, where the two Rikers had years to lead separate lives, you barely had a few seconds. Tell us what you would do!

With the close arrival of Star Trek: Beyond (closer in some places than others), we wanted to do a special dedicated poll to be able to discuss it. The reboot Star Trek (2009), Into Darkness, and Beyond movies have caused a great deal of controversy in the realm of our fandom. We know we could easily list off everything that is not liked about the reboot series, but what about the changes you enjoyed? Whether you liked the reboot or not, we think it has a great cast, and some great portrayals of the characters we already loved. So we wanted to ask you, what do you think? Who do you think is the best portrayed character in the reboot universe? Share your reasons after answering!

While surveying a solar system, your ship encounters an adrift object. Closer scans reveal it to be alive, and as a Captain you decide to bring it onboard. It happens to be an intelligent humanoid, although at first she seems crazy and looks at you with maddened eyes. She slowly regains her composure and explains her story. She was a scientist who experimented until she found a way to make herself immortal. Her body does not need food or water or any other resource, and regenerates too fast for it to be destroyed. She is even willing to demonstrate, if you don’t believe her. The problem is, those experiments required the sacrifice of a whole planet with its entire population. She made that sacrifice, and became immortal, but she was also condemned as a high level criminal. Unable to execute her, or to imprison her indefinitely, their society left her, with nothing but a set of clothes, in a stable orbit around a star on an uninhabited system, virtually forever. She can’t say, but by your crew’s calculations, she has been there for near three thousand years. Her civilization has since vanished, and there is no one left to decide over her sentence. She asks you to either free her or give her the means to undo her own experiment and end her suffering, but not prolong her penalty. Would you? What would you do? This is a new edition of our category Morals of Trek, where you are in the shoes of a Starfleet Captain facing a dilemma any of our favourite characters could have faced in Star Trek. If your crew has faced any such dilemmas and you want to see it featured in a Poll of the Week, let us know!

Wow, thanks Traenor *blushes* As he said, I always try to keep technobabble (which I use, but basically the things already apperared in Trek) to something reasonably coherent with what we know of science. That being said, those of you who say you are not good at it, in a pinch, ask google for "technobable generator" and you'll have hours and hours of fun and ideas!

Reverse the polarity! Focus a tachyon beam on the metaphasic resonator! Expand our warp bubble around the meteor! Use the deflector to create a gamma pulse! All these sentences might sound familiar. Not because you have heard them before, but they have a certain feeling. A certain Star Trek feeling. These are the kind of things a Starfleet officer might try to solve a problem in any of our favourite series. And, from the viewpoint of 21st century Real World, they make no sense. Which is not bad. In the amount of years from here to Star Trek, science and technology are bound to have evolved a lot. Otherwise, they would not be flying through the stars. But, for us, all those principles and technologies sound like babble. Technological babble. Star Trek technological babble. Which has been surprisingly nicknamed ‘Treknobabble’. And here we are now, simming characters into the Star Trek world. So the question is necessary, how much Treknobabble do you use while simming? And how much do you think we should be using? This is a new post in our category Simming Questions. Here we will be asking questions about our community, our characters and our writing, and how you interact with it all.

I saw Eerie's post, and I read it as "and if they are decided to go, I will consider they are already Borg and shoot them" hahaha That being said, I voted for letting them go, but I agree with those of you saying long counseling sessions would be needed beforehand.

The borg are feared throughout the galaxy. For anyone not Borg, they are seen as a terrible evil, assimilating unwilling creatures to join their Collective in what they see as a quest for perfection. But how could that be perfection, being part of a collective without any sense of individuality? Anyone, from any species within the Federation, would agree that their individuality is good, and that the Borg assimilation is a crime against all that is good. Anyone, right? You are the captain of a starship. On one of your travels, you find a small freighter heading directly for Borg space. Upon intercepting them, their leader explains that they consider the Borg to be the ultimate evolution of living beings, as close to perfection as a human can get, and therefore they plan to ask the Borg to be assimilated. For all you know, they look like an organized sect adoring the Borg, with Borg themes all over the ship. They claim to have the right to do so as free citizens. Tell us, would you let them go? This is a new edition of our category Morals of Trek, where you are in the shoes of a Starfleet Captain facing a dilemma any of our favourite characters could have faced in Star Trek. If your crew has faced any such dilemmas and you want to see it featured in a Poll of the Week, let us know!

It looks like the Universal Translator is almost here, but we'll have to see how well it works

What we all love about this community is the possibility to live the Star Trek stories we saw and loved when we were in front of a TV. How many times did we ask ourselves ‘what would I have done in that situation?’. And now, we all have the opportunity to find out. We are here sharing a piece of this amazing world. And we all do it in one way: through our characters. Which brings us to this week’s question. Who are your characters? Are they related to you somehow? Are you living out the fantasy of being in Starfleet? Are you exploring aspects of yourself? Are you exploring other characters you would have no chance of being in Real Life? (that is, outside of being a Starfleet officer trekking through the stars) This is a new post in our category Simming Questions. Here we will be asking questions about our community, our characters and our writing, and how you interact with it all.

Nemesis was not generally a good movie for my liking, but I'll vote for Data's death, for the sense of permanency implied when Picard tells B4 about it and about Data.

You are the Captain of your own ship, and on your explorations you receive a distress call from an inhabited planet. The inhabitants, a humanoid species not much different to those who comprise much of your crew, request your help with a major problem. The cells in their immune systems have evolved to start communicating with each other and acquired sentience. Since then, their immune systems have stopped working and their people are falling victim to every form of disease, minor as it could have been a few days before. Under the circumstances, the cells request to be freed, explaining the situation of slavery in which they have found themselves in upon awakening. Both sides request your help towards their objective, and the fate of now two races rests on your decision. You pool your senior officers for ideas. Your scientists have a way to free the immune system cells so they can have a life of their own. Your doctors have a way to compensate the evolution of the cells, returning them to their original function. As the population falls prey to disease, you only have a few hours to decide, making it impossible for you to get Starfleet counsel. It is your decision. This is the first post in our new category Morals of Trek, where you are put on the shoes of a Captain and faced with a dilemma any of our characters in the Fleet could face one day, or even the characters from our favourite series might have faced in a episode. Cast your vote, and come to the forums to discuss with other captains-for-a-day what they would have done. This question is loosely based on a recent dilemma faced by the crew of the USS Darwin-A. If your crew has faced a dilemma and you want it to be featured in an edition of the Poll of the Week, we welcome your subspace messages.

Thanks to everyone! It is correct I'm back. But I'm back as an Ensign. Have we met, though?

((Breen Homeworld)) ((Stardate 257607.28)) CAMERON: =/\= Hey Holmes! Check this out! =/\= ::The man in the matte grey EVA suit lumbered up to his similarly-dressed colleague and peered over his shoulder, the lights around his visor illuminating the console Cameron was working on. The rest of the derelict ship was submerged in cold, unforgiving darkness.:: HOLMES: =/\= What? More ice-slugs? =/\= CAMERON: =/\= Ship logs. A non-encrypted cache of them. Back in the day, they used a rudimentary system to store information. A system that didn't require too much power to access. I hooked up my Q-scanner to the console and with whatever minimal power I can afford to waste from it, I barely managed to extract some of the logs. This one was right at thetop of the pile. =/\= HOLMES: ::leaning in closer to peer at the Q-scanner screen:: =/\= Good. Maybe we'll finally learn what happened to the ship and crew. =/\= CAMERON: =/\= I wouldn't get my hopes up too high, Holmes. It appears to be a personal log…. of the First Officer…. Just some random entry. Might not tell us much…. Let me get it cleaned up.. there.. almost done. =/\= ::He disconnected the scanner and waited for it to display the salvaged remnant of the log.:: HOLMES: ::sighing:: =/\= She was a mighty fine ship back then. They don't make `em like they used to. I still can't believe we found her. We finally found her, after all those years looking in every quadrant and peeking into every wormhole. Who would've guessed we'd find her right in our backyard? =/\= CAMERON: =/\= What the hell happened, Holmes? How did she end up here, in this God-forsaken hellhole? =/\= HOLMES: ::shrugging and shaking his head sadly:: =/\= We keep digging until we find theanswers, Cam. We don't ever stop until we find those answers! All of them! =/\= CAMERON: =/\= Okay. Done. =/\= ::The scanner screen flickered and pulsed. Both men anxiously awaited with bated breath asthe personal log entry of the Starfleet officer rolled up the screen. It began as such: :: Personal Log of Lieutenant Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer of the USS Discovery, NCC-31929-C Stardate 239001.31 The last night of shore leave had been a memorable one, and especially poignant. Emerson and I had the time of our lives on the beach. The food and wine were exquisite, the music lovely and the company of friends and family priceless. I can't begin to decide exactly what wasthe main event I was celebrating: the end of shore leave with a large part of the crew and Eskyys' and Jenyys' generous hospitality, or, the anniversary of my fourth year with Starfleet, which also happens to be how long I've served on board the Discovery. I don't think anyone realizes this little trivia, not even Emerson, and I wouldn't have expected them to. What's a paltry four years compared to the decades of Waltas, Mitchell and Eskyys? Ah, but without realizing it, they HAVE given me a wonderful present to commemorate this milestone in my career. The farewell supper Eskyys and Jenyys had organized for the crew on the beach overlooking the sunset-kissed Caribbean on the last day of shore leave was the best gift anyone has ever given me. I've never been a part of a more loving and beautiful family. We had cast away whatever lingering animosity and bilious enmity that may have arisen between us following the mutiny, into the ocean that night. The close circle we had built aroundthe campfire, Emerson's solo woeful highland tune on the violin and the flowing wine, laughter and tears had been a sort of ritual, a closure, to that dark and unspeakable period in theotherwise immaculately glorious tapestry that is the hallowed history of the Discovery. New bonds had been forged, old ones reinforced. We had bid our adieus just before the stroke of midnight, with a promise to return. I had resolved to hate Earth for all eternity until those precious moments on the Oasis Resort in theBahamas. The bitter old memories of Earth have been diluted by sweeter, newer, more potent ones. The birthplace of the human civilization has been once again sanctified. End of personal log. +++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++ Personal Log of Lieutenant Commander Raj Blueheart First Officer of the USS Discovery, NCC-31929-C Stardate 239002.01 – Supplemental Off the starboard bow, Emerson and I had watched with sorrowful hearts the modified probe cradling the inanimate, cryostatic body of Lady Julia Reyna Amada Raj, make its steady way into the roiling core of the Sun. We had prayed over her and had sung hymns, in full accordance to neo-Grecian rites, witnessed by the revered pantheon. I had placed her favorite purple mouse next to her, inside her burgundy velvet-lined polished steel casket. Several moments later, with a brief, barely discernible flash of intense white light, she had pierced theheart of the Sun. Atoms scattered across the universe, she will now live forever. Farewell, my immortal beloved. End of personal log (supplemental) HOLMES: =/\= That's it? Doesn't tell us much. =/\= CAMERON: =/\= No, it doesn't. But it's just one of several thousands of logs cached up in here. Eventually we'll find the right ones that'd tell us what happened to the Discovery. =/\= HOLMES: ::looking around the eerie decrepit chamber:: =/\= I hope so. There's a lot riding on this salvage mission. =/\= CAMERON: ::grinning wryly behind his visor:: =/\= You don't say. You ready to believe it's a conspiracy? =/\= HOLMES: ::looking around again, chills running down his spine:: =/\= The flagship of theAvalon sector, mysteriously disappeared without a trace over a century ago, finally found, just as mysteriously, buried miles beneath the frozen salt dunes of the Breen homeworld…. I'm ready to believe anything! =/\= ::And the men continued their work on the derelict starship.:: END ================================ Dr Evan Holmes & MSgt Isaiah Cameron (Ret.) AstroDynamics Archeology & Salvage Unit Alpha Alliance Federation as simmed by LtCmdr Raj Blueheart First Officer USS DISCOVERY-C