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Happy New Year everyone! With the coming of 2011, the deadline for the end of this round's entries is here, and as such the competition is now closed for judging! Within the next few days I'll be posting the judges' feedback for this round, as well as the runner up and winner! Please bear with us as things are fairly hectic for us all during the New Year period - we'll get those entries looked at as soon as possible. A huge thankyou to everyone who entered - we had a very impressive turn out this month!

With a big thankyou once again to all who entered the last round, it's time for my usual plea - let's cast the net wide this time, and see how much interest we can generate! For the Nov/Dec Challenge, we're upholding the tradition of using a "What If?" theme for entries. As such, last round's winner, Cmdr Quinn Reynolds, has come up with the following topic for this round: "What if Praxis had never exploded?" In 2293, the explosion of Praxis, one of the main energy-production facilities for the Klingon Empire exploded, with disastrous consequences for the Klingon homeworld. The moon's destruction precipitated the chain of events that led to peace between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. For more information, here's a handy link! - Aren't I nice? Guidelines: To participate, create a new thread. The subject of the thread must be the title of your story. If it is a Work In Progress, denote that at the top of the post itself (in the body text, not in the thread title). As with last round it will be the final draft posted in your topic that will be read and taken into consideration. Any unfinished entries marked as Work In Progress will not be considered for judging and will be moved to the "Character Cafe" forum at the end of the contest. Your work must be entirely your own. No co-authoring. You are welcome to create any character you so desire, but they must be from the Star Trek universe. No "canon" characters allowed. (i.e.- No one who has been on a show.) Length: No more than 3000 words accepted. Beginning Date: Saturday, November 6th Ending Date: Friday, December 31st (Please note, there may be a slight delay in judging due to the holiday period. We will of course do our best to get back to you as quickly as possible!) See Also: the Writing Challenge Website Challenge: “What if Praxis never exploded?” Good luck all!

And now the moment you've all been waiting for... the results!!! First of all, congratulations to this round's runner up: Chief Petty Officer Radi Rais, with "Children Equally of Earth and Sky"! ...and a huge congratulations to this round's winner: Commander Quinn Reynolds, with "Beneath the Raptor's Wings"! I'll be getting in touch with Commander Reynolds shortly to get her selection of theme for the next round, and as soon as I do we'll get the next round up and running! A huge thankyou to everyone for entering, and I'll be looking forward to seeing what you come up with next time!

Beneath the Raptor's Wings by Cmdr Quinn Reynolds Review by Cmdr Toni Turner The work of a discipline writer and storyteller is apparent in Reynold's tale of new beginnings dictated by devastation, hatred, defeat, and revenge. The descriptions, typical of Reynold's vocabulary, were somewhat distracting (in that I enjoyed them) and, put her clearly in command of this well-told story. Entries from our more accomplished writers are few and far between, so it's an event to see work of this caliber. Excellent work, Quinn.

Decisions by Ens Charisse Trissta Ocran Review by Cmdr Toni Turner Ensign Ocran's rendition of "Decisions" was a fascinating work. My interpretation was that this eclectic mix of emotions pitted "mind over matter" making both characters winning, and losing, equally - the mentor wanting his student to fail, and disappointed that he did not . . . the student thinking he had failed, when he had won by walking away. Ocran's first entry puts him right at the top as a strong contender in our Challenges. As with most Star Trek episodes, I look forward to seeing more of this Author's work. Well done, Charisse.

All That Remains by Commander Jhen Thelev Reviewed by LtCmdr Tallis Rhul The interpretation of the theme was interesting here, taking something that’s fairly well known, but giving it a fresh, Star Trek-themed twist. The structure is reminiscent of a sequence of flashbacks: we’re seeing the bare bones of a catastrophe as it unfolds. The most pleasing feature of this sequence is that the status quo is maintained for what seems like a long time, and when the inevitable report of the warning arrives, the atmosphere becomes dark and sinister very quickly. Once the chaos has been initiated, things spiral very quickly towards a hopeless situation for the remaining crew. The Captain, a character that we’ve all come to see through our experiences with Star Trek as a figure of authority and the ultimate voice of control over the crew and the ship, is disempowered completely. Not only that, but the decision she is forced into making feels almost perverse: out of the fire and into the frying pan. Again, the conclusion of the story was strong. In this case, we were already looking at something open-ended, as the altered members of the crew were left in control of the ship. However, the fate of Loxley suggests that there could still be more to come in the saga of the Pandora, and that the end of those that escaped is far from certain.I have to say - this went in a completely different direction than I thought it would at first, and I really liked that!

Children Equally of Earth and Sky by CPO Radi Rais Reviewed by LtCmdr Tallis Rhul This was an interesting take on a creation story, and some of the ideas in this piece, particularly the explanation of how the Trill got their characteristic spots, were very cleverly thought out. There was a quality reminiscent of a mythological account to the writing, which was a good thing; it can be very difficult to structure and deliver a story that covers events of this magnitude without running a long way past the word limit for this type of competition. Concise descriptions and accounts of events are characteristic of that particular style, and this was a feature that came across well. I did feel initially that the comparison of the four sisters to Water, Fire, Metal and Air borrowed too heavily from Chinese philosophy in that such parallels have a tendency to feel clichéd, but it quickly became apparent why this feature had been deployed. Having allegiances of the elements and the concepts into which they had been tied give birth to a new character was a nice touch. I enjoyed the creation of honour and loyalty as combinations of the four sisters, and the rationale behind it. However, I was a little less appreciative of the breakdown in relations and the formation of a second round of partnerships; the technique had worked well the first time, but lost its impact the second as it was still fresh in my mind. The conclusion of the piece was strong. The four warring sisters, united by their stricken brother, form the avatar of the trill race, and the choice to leave joy out of the mix of qualities with which they had been built worked very nicely into the Trill’s perception of symbiosis. I also liked the idea that joy is in itself tainted somehow, as the image of the symbionts came about as a result of a spiteful act. This was an entertaining and well thought-out read.

Well, as they say in the trade, the lines are now closed, and the votes have been counted and verified, but first the reviews! Here they are, in no particular order:- Uran Matie Rewrites History! by Lt. Thomas N. Gregory Reviewed by LtCmdr Tal Tel-ar I liked the concept of this story and while it did not really tell us much about a myth from the past it did deal with how people in the future might deal with a myth. The characters were well defined and his descriptions were well written. I think he could have developed the story better. I felt as if something important was missing by the time I was done. It was almost like a few brief glimpses into a full story. Still he was able to invoke some rather complex images mixed with the difficult ideas behind his subject. The bottom line however for me is that regardless of how well written it is there was a feeling of incompleteness. A sense that something was missing that left the story hanging.

That concludes the entry period for this round's Challenge - the judges are deliberating, and we'll announce the results as soon as we can! Thankyou to everyone who entered - good turn out this time!

Just to let everyone know, this entry did come in before the dealine was up, but I was asleep! Ensign Ocran couldn't start a new thread on the forum (we've all been there), so he mailled his entry onto the Challenger OOC list!

Decisions by Ensign Charisse Trissta Ocran Fana Monastery Garden is not big, but due to its layout which is such to leave visitor to enjoy various small areas within it. Among them also a small lake of immense beauty covered in a moss which due to its composition change color in accordance to lighting, from morning red over a fresh blue during the day to orange and purple in the evening. Another fascinating feature is a wall where various plants, mostly various clematises, in diverse colors of green, red and orange hide the stone and are creating a visage of infinity. Their flowers looks like lavenders with petals resembling those of chrysanthemum are adding to the immense beauty showing their heads in groups on the wall. Three corners of the garden are equally marked and hidden by big trees left there for young and restless students to give them escape route and equally a challenge for courageous climbers. Various smaller trees with delicate tracery of their branching and breathtaking colors of their leaves and flowers are adding to the immense beauty of this colorful garden. Single man was sitting in the very center of that beauty contemplating his actions and decisions done. His whole life was a question. He spent last four years in this monastery climbing the tree he was too small to climb. But everything in his life was bigger than it should be, him included. For a Betazoid he was far too tall. For a mere farm kid he was far too powerful his mental powers. He was a farm kid who married a daughter of Seventh House, a Lady of great beauty and wisdom. After training to become a Peacekeeper for four years he finally realized what it means and what his life should be if he finish this training. He was young and reckless, but many of his companions were equally young or even much younger. What was it he didn't know or was not ready to understand and accept? Sitting in this garden of peace, courage and beauty he couldn't concentrate but on its textures and smells, some almost overwhelming. He was supposed to meditate, but meditation was last thing on his mind. The garden, his family, beautiful wife and their child. His biggest pride that one was, so calm, well educated, nice and good. Perfect gentleman, still little kid, but was growing into proper son of the noble house, completely unlike his reckless father. 'I must concentrate; if I fail here it will be failing of them. How to explain that to my little Gentlemen?' Charisse knew he is observed both physically and mentally by his testers and was fully aware they know how far from achieving the peace he was. After battling with himself Charisse finally felt like being ready to concentrate. 'This garden is designed to disable us from concentrating to meditate. That's why it was used for final exam. He smirked and when felt ready and calm enough to start full meditation she appeared. "Hello warrior!" Woman was standing tall, with rippling muscles, long flowing brown hair with curls, the face of the goddess. Her beauty rendered him unable to move his stare from the perfect body wearing a flowing tunic of silk. She stands on a rock facing the sunset, watching through Charisse. His whole body was trembling watching this woman. Watching her he thought that any man would fight the world to stand by her side in battle, and yet quiver by her touch. "Who are you, what are you doing here? There are not supposed to be any women anywhere close this place. Go away. She laughed at him with honest amusement. "Get ready warrior." And before he could do a thing she hit him with a mental blow that passed through all his protections like a hot knife through half melted butter. And that's what he was. Her beauty melted him and rendered almost defenseless, leaving him opened for her attack. He was lying on his back feeling defenseless, his vision blurred of the pain in head she caused him. He was feeling her floral smell getting closer causing panic rise in his chest. Charisse reacted. Jumping on his feet he attacked her physically, expecting that his bigger body will provide him with strength to conquer her that way when was sure he cannot counteract mentally. They fought. Every time it looked like the fight may end one way or another this woman was finding more strength to continue. Charisse was exhausted, but was not ready to give up. Not until he realized that for a good half an hour he's just prying her constant attacks his body and mind burning of exhaustion, while she was looking like playing with him. 'STOP, I beg you, stop!' Charisse dropped on the floor and cried. Woman, this warrior, just laughed at him again. "So, you're ready to make your decision now?" She asked playfully. There was no sweat on her, not even a sign of it. Unable to talk Charisse sent her a thought. 'You think I failed as Peacekeeper. Am I right, you are my final exam and I failed as a warrior for my people? I will never be more than farm boy who climbed too high for his level?' He dropped on his back with his eyes closed. 'If that's what you think…' Charisse was angry, he opened his eyes and jumped on his feet and ended startled. Instead of beautiful woman in front of him was standing his Mentor for last four years, old and grumpy Peacekeeper Ronnan. "So you made it!" He was looking utterly disappointed by the fact that his most hated student achieved what many didn't. Charisse was surprised. But was at the same time sure about everything. He heard stories, but never believed them. He knew now that it was all in his mind and knew that woman he met was Fana, Goddess of nature. "No, I failed! Thank you for everything you taught me, but this is not for me." Leaving his Mentor in awe, Charisse packed his belongings and returning his light blue uniform to his Mentor left the Monastery to return to his Family. 'I'll have to find another way…'

Just over a week to go until the deadline for this Challenge! Thankyou to those who have entered, and to those who have yet to do so - bring on those last minute entries!!

What you've done there is you've revealed your evil and nefarious scheme before actually doing it. You're not by any chance a Bond villain, are you?

Thanks again to everyone who entered in the last round! Let's push this round as much as possible - if you could work on people aboard your ship or who you know in the fleet to enter then that would be great! Last rounds winner, LtCmdr Tal Tel-ar, has come up with the following topic for this round: “Legends” This should be a story from the far distant pre industrial past of one of the Federation Member species. A story that has survived the test of time. Something along the lines of Troy, Atlantis, King Solomons Mines or Shrangra La. Guidelines: To participate, create a new thread. The subject of the thread must be the title of your story. If it is a Work In Progress, denote that with the heart post icon. Again, I'm not sure if the horizontal arrow marker works, but as with last round it will be the final draft posted in your topic that will be read and taken into consideration. Any unfinished entries marked as Work In Progress will not be considered for judging and will be moved to the "Character Cafe" forum at the end of the contest. Your work must be entirely your own. No co-authoring. You are welcome to create any character you so desire, but they must be from the Star Trek universe. No "canon" characters allowed. (i.e.- No one who has been on a show.) Length: No more than 3000 words accepted. Beginning Date: Sunday, August 29th Ending Date: Friday, October 29th. See Also: the Writing Challenge Website Challenge: “Legends”

Below is everything I can find for 2009-2010, if there's any problem with the code then give me a shout and I'll fix it. I think it should be OK though. Mar-Apr 09 is missing, and I wasn't a member of the group back then so I can't offer you an explanation! <li><a href="http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/137-writing-challenges/">Jul.-Aug. '10</a></li> <ul> <li>Theme: "Universal Rights"</li> <li>Winner: "<a href="http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/5172-righting-the-past/">Righting the Past</a>," by: Tal Tel-ar</li> </ul> <li><a href="http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/389-may-jun-10/">May-Jun. '10</a></li> <ul> <li>Theme: "Present"</li> <li>Winner: "<a href="http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/5114-circle/">Circle</a>," by: Thomas Gregory</li> </ul> <li><a href="http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/388-mar-apr-10/">Mar.-Apr. '10</a></li> <ul> <li>Theme: "To Seek Out New Life"</li> <li>Winner: "<a href="http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/5071-excision/">Excision</a>," by: Kevin Breeman</li> </ul> <li><a href="http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/387-jan-feb-10/">Jan.-Feb. '10</a></li> <ul> <li>Theme: "Perspective"</li> <li>Winner: "<a href="http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/5008-broken/">Broken</a>," by: Jesse Lawn</li> </ul> <li><a href="http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/359-nov-dec-09/">Nov.-Dec. '09</a></li> <ul> <li>Theme: "What if the Cardassians had occupied Earth instead of Bajor?"</li> <li>Winner: "<a href="http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/4942-real-lips/">Real Lips</a>," by: Kevin Breeman</li> </ul> <li><a href="http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/358-sep-oct-09/">Sep.-Oct. '09</a></li> <ul> <li>Theme: "The Gathering Darkness"</li> <li>Winner: "<a href="http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/4823-the-darkness-within/">The Darkness Within</a>," by: Tallis Rhul</li> </ul> <li><a href="http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/357-jul-aug-09/">Jul.-Aug. '09</a></li> <ul> <li>Theme: "The Gauntlet"</li> <li>Winner: "<a href="http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/4785-the-gauntlet-of-atlas/">The Gauntlet of Atlas</a>," by: David Whale</li> </ul> <li><a href="http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/356-may-jun-09/">May-Jun. '09</a></li> <ul> <li>Theme: "The Tomb"</li> <li>Winner: "<a href="http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/4660-the-mystery-of-lengdis-viii/">The Mystery of Lengdis VIII</a>," by: Jhen Thelev</li> </ul> <li><a href="http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/forum/354-jan-feb-09/">Jan.-Feb. '09</a></li> <ul> <li>Theme: "Inheritance"</li> <li>Winner: "<a href="http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?/topic/4610-only-one-constant/">Only One Constant</a>," by: Nemitor Atimen</li> </ul>

And so to the declaration of the winners in the usual suspense-riven style... This round's runner-up was... Ensign Alleran Tan: "The Bajoran Goat-Girls" And this round's winner was... (wait for it!...) Lieutenant Commander Tal Tel-ar: "Righting the Past" As usual, the winner of this round will help to choose the topic for the next round, so I will be in touch with Commander Tel-ar in the next couple of days - watch this space people: the next round of the Challenge will launch shortly! Also, the winner and runner-up banners should be ready shortly - they are also winging their merry way to you. Thanks everyone for some extremely high quality entries, and I look forward to seeing you all next round! Lieutenant Commander Tallis Rhul

The Bajoran Goat-Girls - Ens. Alleran Tan The story was interesting with well-constructed sentences that kept cuirosity at a peak, and made me want to read more from this writer. It was a classic story of abuse of power, and a hero doing what he could to right the wrong, but by the end, the story had become so classic that it seemed cliche, making it easy to determine the ending before it came. The piece was an excellent attempt for a first try at the Writing Challenge, and I can almost predict a win for Alleran in future attempts. Reviewed by Cmdr Toni Turner

Two Wrongs - Cmdr Jhen Thelev What to make of ‘Two Wrongs?’ This is classic TNG... season 2-4 kind of plot and writing. It was the stuff that hooked me as a child because it always had me thinking while I was watching... or in this case reading. I like to visualize what I read. ‘Two Wrongs’ begins with one of those wonderful conversations between old friends who happen to be Captain/Ambassador. It sets up the story nicely with talk of ‘prospective new members’ and ‘misunderstandings’. Their are stakes as well: ‘another win for you’ had my foreshadowing sensors going. An abrupt and only partially explained - I’m not convinced whether they are on the surface or the ship... not that its all that important. - scene brings at least one question to the forefront of the story: Is Orrusian slavery of the Mith going to keep them out of the Federation? Like the early seasons of TNG my disbelief had to be suspended at this point. The Mith seemed pretty used to life as slaves. The story became rather predictable from then on: the answer was ‘no’ the Orrusian’s were not ready not membership. In the end the story played it safe: the characters didn’t ask very important questions to the Mith, instead relying on emotional outbursts that felt cliche. The story structure boiled down to: 1) They arrive. 2) Slavery? 3) Comfirmed, its Slavery. 4) They leave. When I viewed the story from the perspective of the Orrusians I did get a sense of ‘severe and deeply held societal prejudices’ guiding the Ambassador and Captains behaviour. If I was an Orrusian watching the two of them question the Mith: I would have deemed it a moment - ‘honey, the policeman would like to ask you if I'm your mommy.’ - that would result in nothing. If there is any real misunderstanding its caused by a severe lack of explanation and education by the Federation. But then again, the Federation let’s just about anybody in these days. So why not the Orrusians? They are giant Insects, they seem nice enough... and they are plantation slave holders... they didn’t think that last part would be relevant after they weren’t rejected because of whole ‘Giant Insect’ policy. Wait does Starfleet have one of these? Like Vampires, I believe Insects should not serve with blood filled life forms. Is that prejudice? Or just common sense? I felt a sense of indifference as the story failed to generate thought provoking moments. There was never any doubt in my mind reading how the story would turn out. Reviewed by Lt Thomas Gregory

Righting the Past - LtCmdr Tal Tel-ar Tal Tel-ar sure loves action... and so do I! I was up half the night playing through co op mode on Halo 3 with my buddy. After he fell asleep writing this review seemed the apt choice. Maybe it was the choice of game-play leading up to reading the story for the second time, but I was in first person shooter mode for act 1 of ‘Righting the Past’. The writing - as expected from a Tel-ar entry - was apt in both: setting the mood of the world and giving us a first person view of the action that unfolds. The second act offers a wonderfully written game of ‘cat and mouse’ before the story engorges itself in the type of visceral mayhem one would expect from a Quentin Tarantino movie. Needless to say: 1) I was high-fiving... myself... after the first reading. 2) I had to read it again. The problem I had coming away from my second reading was that the two acts had relatively little holding them together. In the second act the dialogue was heavy on explanation/exposition and while it wasn’t clunky... it had less lasting appeal. Their is some genuine character building going on and it felt like it was going somewhere, but as I expect from the beginning - Reservoir Dogs! - the story ended abruptly with every character still alive walking into a gun fight. It’s intense - I won’t spoil it - but the carnage that bookends the narrative also kills the character development which was raising my expectations as I read. Reviewed by Lt Thomas Gregory

Well, folks, I believe the saying goes something like "the votes have been counted and verified", so without further ado, here are the reviews for the entries for this round of the Writing Contest as provided by the judging panel, followed by an announcement of the winner and runner up! We all agreed that the entries this round were of an incredibly high standard, and it was very difficult indeed to pick a winner! The Man Called AN – Lt Kevin Breeman Having read a number of entries from this particular author, I always expect something that’s intelligently and poetically written, and this time was no exception. There are fewer references to the Star Trek universe in this story, but those that do appear are not only important, but handled with such a wonderful element of fantasy that it’s difficult not to become caught up in the flow of the piece, swept along by the main character’s musings, to be led towards the final enigma which can never be solved. Such is the impact of flash fiction. I also greatly enjoyed the ambiguity of the setting. Where exactly are we? Is it young Kevin’s dream? Are we on a holodeck, as inferred by the symbolism of the arch, and the phrase “end program”? As I reader I usually clamour for answers, but this time I quite liked not knowing! This was a touching and magical piece, which was expertly crafted. Reviewed by LtCmdr Tallis Rhul

However, I've redrafted mine. It now fits inside the word limit like William Shatner inside Kirk's original uniform- it's one hell of a tight fit, but if you suck in your breath juuuuuuuuuuust right it can be jammed on... just don't exhale! I knew David Hasselhoff had to have learned the technique from somewhere... That's it folks, we're at deadline, so expect the results to be with you within the next couple of days! Good luck to everyone!

I just put it on my weekend to-do list - I don't think I'll get chance today but I certainly should be able to help out as far back as June 09 I think. (Unless someone beats me to it of course!)

Thankyou sir! Ta for sorting the threads out as well ^^. Tallis

I just tried the link to the main website for the Writing Challenge page and it didn't work for me, so just in case it's broken for anyone else here's a vague summary from what I remember... You're writing something trek based, but it does not have to be based on your main character for the SB118 groups. It could be your main character if you wanted it to, or any of your PNPCs, or it could be a completely different character that you made up purely to fit the topic, such as an Orion Pirate, a Ferengi female recently freed from oppression, or a green Ensign starting his first assignment on the original Enterprise. The sky's the limit as far as imagination is concerned, and I'd advise a quick browse through some of the more recent stories if you feel like you need more guidance. Also, it's worth mentioning that as far as "trek-based" goes, remember the show covers nearly every genre you can think of, from sci-fi adventure to historical political, to horror, to romance. The word limit is around 3,000 words. This is so that the judges don't need to give up a week to write up feedback and decide a winner! Although if your story is 3,004 words you won't likely be disqualified, just aim for around there. On the old forum we used to mark posts with a right arrow icon to show that they were ready as a final submission. I haven't figured out if we can do that on this beautiful, brand-spanking new forum yet, so don't worry too much about it. We'll read all new submissions before the closing date. It might be helpful to include (Jul-Aug) somewhere in your post's subject though, as I don't have admin privileges to delete the old entries. If you have any more questions, feel free to contact me by PM! Tallis

Hi everyone. It's time we got this show on the road! As a reminder, Thomas Gregory was the winner of our May/June competition, and he has decided on this topic: “Universal Rights” - On December 10th, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. - What does the future have in store for us when it comes to ‘Universal Rights’ in your minds? This looks like an excellent topic choice, and I'm sure that there's a lot for people to get their teeth into, across all eras of the Star Trek franchise. The closing date for this round's entries is Friday, 27th August. Remember that final submissions need to be marked with an arrow to be considered. Good luck all, and the team is looking forward to seeing your entries! -Tallis