Salak

My entry is little more than a stub still. If I do finish it, it's likely to be descriptive with little/no dialogue because despite the judges comments on my last entry, I feel I can actually write description whilst dialogue just chops it up and stops it from flowing smoothly from my point of view...

I'll agree with that comment on mine... I wasn't exactly happy with it myself.

I was thinking this morning of sitting this one out but I think I might have an idea...

Well done everyone... Congratulations to Ventu and Cody.

Is someone calling for a writer as we have quite a few here who could knock together a good story. Correction; have put together many good stories already. Like I've said, if we're going to go back, don't go as far as that. We've seen from Enterprise how much going back can damage the rest of Trek. As for TOS, if it isn't Shatner, Nimoy & co (which it can't really be now as both DeForest Kelley and James Doohan are sadly not with us anymore) then don't bother, it likely won't work. Combining TNG, VOY and DS9 might work. I'd say a new character or 2 would be advantageous as you have to consider certain points... what are the chances that of all the personnel in the entire fleet, a new crew will be comprised entirely of members of only those 3 crews? Pretty slim I think. I see 2 options which could churn out a good story, others might see more; 1. New Crew. We'd need to get to know them but it's a clean slate. Set it around the middle of the Dominion War at the earliest, probably the end so we aren't repeating DS9 plots, and start from afresh. We seem to manage often enough. 2. If we have to go back, don't go back THAT far... Like I've suggested before, the Enterprise-B or C are relative enigmas. A ship doesn't always have the same crew, so if the crew from Generations is a problem, show Harriman handing over the B to a new crew and start from there. If not, there is also the C of which we only know the Battle of Narendra III. Untapped stories galore in those 2 ships, surely? Also, a large gap between 2393 and 2362 to play with. I haven't mentioned TNG, DS9 or VOY for certain reasons. 1. I seem to recall (at least) some of the TNG cast claiming Nemesis was their last Trek movie? 2. The DS9 cast was all spread out at the end of that series and it seemed fairly closed. Can't see how it realistically lends itself to a movie. Mind you, Worf is meant to be on Qo'noS yet how often has he popped up on the Enterprise-E at random moments? 3. Voyager was left fairly open ended but the series was about the journey, as Kim said. Janeway has a desk job and the ship is in the Alpha Quadrant. Might as well just get a new ship instead as a film would not really add much to the Series and wouldn't link to it except for cast and ship. The Alpha Quadrant setting doesn't really fit the series. 4. As for Enterprise, don't even bother thinking about it...

Very nicely put T'Lara.

I'd heard all three... Kirk and Spock would be able to fit the known backstory, i just hope it doesn't try to find the slate, wipe it and start from scratch thus undermining TOS...

I have some faith in the writers but not in the basic plot idea. Enterprise did enough to damage the back story, I fear this film idea will do further damage. If the idea wasn't good enough for Star Trek VI (when it was first proposed), why is it good enough now? Need I remind that McCoy, Spock and Kirk are different ages; By the time McCoy would have finished the academy, assuming he entered at the same age as Kirk, Kirk would still be applying. Also, the final year at least was on a starship, getting field experience; the Republic in Kirks case, the Enterprise in Spocks. I don't like the idea... If we have to go backwards, I'd rather have a look at the B (preferably without Harriman) or the C, both of which we know little about.

I'll see what the topic is before I decide to write an entry. Besides, you can write if you win, you just can't enter it. There is the Character Cafe, after all...

I've not been able to get on there in a little while now, site seems to have vanished.

Still not happy with it, planning to revise some bits in the final few days but I've just posted what I have. The current version has a little note in small italics at the end explaining my thinking. I'll take that off the edit but what is currently there is the main bit. All that might change are certain sentances, a little more detail, improving the wording... We'll see about a possible extra paragraph but that'll only happen if I'm happy with the rest of it before the closing date. EDIT: Can't see how to improve it at the moment. Have marked with the finished tag in case Idon't get back to it. I've deleted the explanation from the end, I'll paste it here so you can read it... Basically, I can see two separate poison apples, and the note points them out... (Marcus Henderson is meant to be the ‘Poison Apple’. My rationale is that the poison apple betrays the person who eats it, who would trust the apple to be just like any other. In this regard, Henderson is a poison apple for Salak. A Poison Apple can also lead to the end of the life of the person who bites it, the poison being the cause of death. In this context, Henderson is also a poison apple for the P’Kothla as his sabotage is the poison which ultimately destroys the vessel, which may have otherwise been able to be retrieved)

(This story is based on a Wallace plotline in Spring/Summer 2005. During that mission, I wrote for both Henderson and Salak.) Deep in the outer realms of Federation space, it was a relatively normal day on the remote outpost of Deep Space 17; the turbolifts were malfunctioning again, the antiquated USS Wallace was undergoing yet more repairs after being damaged on its’ latest mission and the First Promenade was as full of visitors as it had ever been. Hidden amongst the encircling crowd of the through-fare was a former member of the Wallaces’ crew, a Vulcan who had many years previously served as the vessels Chief Engineer. Salak was sitting in his old corner of the Twilights’ Edge, tucked away from the crowds of the bar. Only a single wall seperated him from the bustling First Promenade beyond it. The bar seemed as busy as Salak had ever seen it, reminding him of it's popularity with the crew during his time on Wallace so many years before. He had not particularly understood the enjoyment that could be obtained from consuming synthehol, nor was he comfortable amongst crowds such as those on the Promenade. Such discomfort had led Salak to spend the majority of his time on the Wallace, even whilst the rest of the crew enjoyed shore leave. It had however been this bar which had been host to the ships promotion ceremonies; this bar where he had first been promoted, where he had also gained his first commendation… As he sat in the corner he had made his own, his thoughts strayed back to the events of the mission which led to that first promotion; a rescue mission… The Vulcan had been a member of the ships crew for no more than a few months, yet had already become the Acting Chief Engineer. His two superiors within the department had departed within his own first few months in the fleet. His memories of the mission itself focused on two particular events; the destruction of the P’Kothla and the betrayal of one of the key members of what had just become his own Engineering team… The betrayal had ultimately led to the destruction; the damage caused by the sabotage could not be repaired and the P’Kothla had already been in a poor state. Badly damaged after an attack by the Grendellai, increasingly fragile bulkheads collapsing and the over-stressed engines leaking plasma; the engineers had a lot of work to do by the time the Wallace had arrived on the scene answering the helpless frieghters distress call. As the Acting Chief Engineer, it was Salak who organised the Repair crews. Given the danger, he had chosen people he could trust to assist on the P’Kothla, opting himself to work on the Engines and assaigning Crewman Henderson to lead the team working on the vessels structural integrity. Marcus Henderson had been a competent engineer, a valued member of the department with experience behind him. He had a good record behind him; his disciplinary record was very good, whilst his experience on old vessels had led to Salak trusting him and choosing him ahead of Ensign McLoughlin to lead 'Team 2' for the mission… With the advantage of hindsight, it was clear that trust had been misplaced. Reviewing the events of those distant times, Salak wondered how he had failed to see the potential for Marcus to act as he did on the P’Kothla that day. Henderson willingly and deliberately endangered the lives of everybody on the P’Kothla with the actions he took, working not to repair the SIF as asked but to undermine it. Salak recalled how he turned from his own work to find a P’Kothla crewmember wrestling Henderson away from a console, the siren going off as Henderson input his final commands… commands which triggered an explosion towards the front of the ship, in the direction of the majority of the Wallace away team. The renegade’s reasons remained unclear for a while after that. They were still unknown after he escaped later that year, bombing Salaks quarters on the Wallace before fleeing from Deep Space 17 in a Type-8 shuttle. He later claimed to have grown tired of Starfleet, dismayed at having a relatively inexperienced Ensign as his senior officer. He knew he was more experienced, but he felt such was not being recognised within the department. The Wallace was in the middle of nowhere; There was no easy way out so he tried to end it by force, hoping to take his senior officer with him… Henderson’s actions did have consequences for the P’Kothla; the damage caused by his sabotage further weakened the Structural Integrity of the crumbling vessel. The P’Kothla had already needed a large repair operation when the Wallace arrived to assist but Henderson’s work had pushed the ship beyond that… Despite the best efforts of repair teams and the P’Kothla crew, the possible failure became the inevitable as the balance between holding the ship together and keeping her power systems from overloading became a thinner and thinner tightrope… The power needed to maintain the SIF grew with each bulkhead collapse, with each passing moment, providing a growing strain on the already damaged Warp Core. With minutes to spare, the Wallace beamed its teams and the P’Kothla crew back to the Wallace, Salak holding the FTU vessel together long enough to enable everyone to get to safety. It was not long after Salak became the last person to beam back that the P’Kothla was destroyed, the victim of simultaneous failure of the SIF and the Warp Core, collapsing from the outside and exploding from within. Of course, such events were far in the past and thus Salak could do nothing to change the way in which they had unravelled so many years ago on the P’Kothla. Conscious of the emotions Salak was suppressing, his wife had come from their quarters and joined him. They had not known each other at the time of the P’Kothla incident; at the time, she hadn’t even seen Deep Space 17. However, she was able to understand Salak in a way few others could, knowing about the events in his past from conversations and mind-melds. She knew the better times that he had experienced too, herself a part of many of them over the years. She sat next to her husband, the table cluttered with little more than a solitary PADD and Salak’s untouched cup of Spice Tea. The presence of his wife brought happiness within Salak although he did little to express it, his Vulcan discipline preventing it. Sat in his corner; their corner of the Twilight’s Edge, she consoled him, reminding him of those many better times…

Uh, I meant entry, not sim...

After the last day or two, it's possible my sim will need to be an alternate timeline as parts of it are set on DS17 in the future and mentions the Wallace docked to it undergoing repairs...

Is it just me or have things gotten quieter the last week or so? Am I the only one still writing an as yet unsubmitted entry?

White is the Dress Uniform for ST:Nemesis style. Voyager is that blackish one with the coloured shoulders, and they use TNG style dress uniforms ("One Small Step" for example)

Oh deary deary me... could it be much less correct? Your results: You are Chekov Brash, rash and hasty, but everyone loves you. Chekov 80% Geordi LaForge 65% James T. Kirk (Captain) 60% Deanna Troi 60% Spock 57% Beverly Crusher 55% Worf 55% Mr. Scott 50% Uhura 50% Data 48% Jean-Luc Picard 45% Will Riker 40% Leonard McCoy (Bones) 35% An Expendable Character (Redshirt) 30% Mr. Sulu 25%

If Nemitor talks to Wolf then he'll be able to, yes.

100 Posts or a rank of Lt.JG, in which case you'd need to contact a mod. If my memory serves. EDIT: http://www.starbase118.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=1355 Make that contact Wolfie...

Mine isn't ready to post yet but I've put a draft up on Salak's LJ. You can currently read my draft at http://salak.livejournal.com/605.html but I still plan to change it, add things, etc...

I like the Voyager uniforms myself...

I hoped that was what you meant...

Hmm... Curious. I suppose I should approach this in the same way I approached "Devil in the Dark" a few months ago... Hang on... I've already basically written a story for this in sims last year Hang on... so if we can't edit the first post of the thread to change the icon from a heart to an arrow then it won't be accepted? That seems harsh and I'm hoping my interpretation of that new part of the guidelines is wrong...

Looks like if I do finish my story it'll be after the deadline... Had a tiring few weeks.

*looks at stubs sitting on my LJ* Hmm... I WILL find time to finish it...