SFC SB 03 Connection

Starbase 03 covers the states of: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming and to the north, all of Canada.

Starbase 03 Connection is dedicated to and written by the ships/chapters and its members in

this region. Any SFC member in the region can submit an article for publication.

Captains, you are encouraged to use the Ship Logs section to showcase your chapter. Tell everyone about your chapter’s promotions, events you attended or just what you’ve been up to for the last month as a group. The articles do not have to be any particular length and how much detail you give is entirely up to you. Add a picture or two if you’d like. Members, you are encouraged to send in articles or art work for the Shore-Leave section. These articles can be about anything you wish and the length of each article is entirely up to you. Give as much or as little detail as you wish. You’re welcome to send a picture or two if you’d like.

Submissions (or questions) should be sent to:

SB03Shoreleave@gmail.com

Articles/submissions are due by the 20th of each month. Articles should be sent in the form of a WORD DOCUMENT, but we can also work with an email. The month runs from the 20th of the previous month to the 20th of the present month.) The newsletter is published in the last week of each month, in an effort to keep the information new and current.

In this issue you will find: Editor’s Comments

Ship Logs Shore Leave

Fan Fiction and the Interactive Quadrant.

Editorial Comments:

Happy Memorial Day!

5- 27- 2013

Remember those who give

US this day.

Make it a safe one

To all the Dad’s.

Happy Father’s Day,

June 16th

2013,

(Adam Nimoy, visiting his father Leonard, on the TOS

set on Father’s day)

Remember those in Oklahoma in your prayers and thoughts and if you have a chance to assist, please do. The Red Cross is a good place to start if you’re unsure what to do.

Ship Logs

USS Mighty Mississippi 201151-A Rose Compton Davenport, IA.

The crew has been busy this month as we continue to collect for Domestic Violence Shelters in

Iowa. We hosted a “Star Trek; Into Darkness” movie premiere at the new Fridley Palms

Theatres in Muscatine IA. Kudo’s go out to Alex Haugen, the medical officer aboard Mighty M,

for his tireless efforts in setting up and pulling together this event. We welcome 2 new

members from the event and are happy to report that a good time was had by all. After

working the event all afternoon, we then got to view a kick-butt Star Trek movie in 3-D with the

Atmos-experience. This Captain can honestly say that she’s never seen that many speakers in

one room at the same time. Joining us for the event were members of SFC’s Thompson Ship

Yard, Coal Valley IL., USS Lobo, Moline IL., USS Riverside and Ring of Fire Fleet.

Trek Tidbit: Did you know? Ed Ciccarone

Rock and roll legend Iggy Pop appeared in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “The

Magnificent Ferengi.” DS9 executive producer Ira Stephen Behr is an Iggy Pop fan, and recruited

him to play the role of Vorta overseer Yelgrun. As always, Trek rocks!

SB 03 Shore-Leave

An Out of this World Experience Nancy Bailey SB03: Montreal, QC.

On the last week-end of April, I had the privilege to share an out of this world experience. More than one actually! I took my 11 year old niece to the new Montreal Planetarium where we saw two shows. On the first one, we are asked to take off our shoes (really!) and to lie down on bean bags. We were staring out at a dome screen with trees and the stars - like we were camping in the woods. There, the first adventure begins. We see shooting stars, comets, asteroids and we explore the galaxy. The floor shakes as two heavenly bodies collide (and I mean rocks!). It was a great presentation. We then went to the more traditional show where we were shown the 2 planets that could be seen by the naked eye that night and how to identify the different constellations. My niece was ecstatic! The following day was her birthday party/sleepover. It was everything you can expect of a good party: laughter, games, food and of course, presents. On Sunday, I was responsible for driving half the birthday party to the Cosmodome where the second half of her birthday party continued. We were a bit early – our room was not quite ready for us, so they let the kids walk through the exhibits in the meantime. What a thrill for a little girl to have that huge complex open up just for her and her friends! We then had a 3 hour space camp, including theory (how long does it take to put on a space suit: 3 hours! There are 17 layers to put on!), a visit of a replica of the space shuttle (with the Canadian arm) and 2 simulations. On the first simulation, each girl was placed on a chair suspended in the air by springs. This was a moon walk simulation. The second simulation was called “multi axe”, which basically was spinning each girl in every possible direction and see if they were still able to spell their names backwards. We then did a regular mission to Mars. Everyone had a great time! We are lucky to have these facilities here to get children excited about science. For some of them, going into space will not be science fiction.

DemiCon 24 Sharon Boren USS Iowa Onawa , IA. I have known about DemiCon for several years now, and have wanted to go and check it out. However, life has a particular way of intervening when you least expect it. To make a long story short, I finally made it to DemiCon this year for the very first time. My mother and I made the trip from Onawa to Des Moines for the weekend. The day was gray and overcast with sprinkles as we left and turned over to snow just outside of Des Moines (and I left my winter coat at home). DemiCon is your typical fan-run conventions with the usual staples--Consuite, gaming rooms, Art show, Dealers room, and Masquerade. Panels were plentiful and covered every possible topic a fan could desire--Star Trek Anime, Astronomy, fantasy, Dr. Who, game introductions, costuming writing, and artist workshops. This year's Guests of Honor were: Author-David Weber, Artist-Scott Ross, Fans-Mitch and Mary Thompson, d Toastmaster-Denny Lynch. This year also included a Memorial Wall to honor past convention fans and attendees who have passed away. Among those were two special individuals listed in the program booklet as Toastmaster Emeritus and Ghost of Honor: namely Rusty Hevelin and Bob Harper. While at DemiCon, I was able to pass the USS Iowa's Retention Award (which I picked up on behalf of the ship at Starbase Indy) to Tom Webster. Then, three members of my Klingon ship (the IKV Raptor's Heart) assisted the members of the IKV Black Thunder (KAG) with their Charity Bail and Jail on Saturday afternoon. The Bail and Jail raised $210 for the convention's charity--Kids Need to Read. All in all, it was a fun weekend away from home, and despite the cooler than normal weather, I enjoyed the event. If my schedule will allow, I'd like to go again, and I highly recommend this convention for you to check out for yourselves.

Star Trek: Into Darkness Michael Francis: USS Nyota Uhura Wichita, KS. Just saw "Into Darkness" in IMAX 3D. The IMAX experience was great, though I don't think the 3D added much to the story telling. The story was a nice blend of "Space Seed", "The Wrath of Khan" and "The Undiscovered Country". Leonard's appearance fit well, and was logical, with the story too. Not sure if the opening scene was a corollary for the Iotians from "A Piece of the Action" or not. Of course everyone knows where the Tribbles come from, but that was one humongous Tribble. Is McCoy sure it's not a colony of them? They also threw in the dialog referencing Nurse Chapel as one of Jim's "acquaintances", whom he may or may not remember. Of course his waking up with two cat girls is in keeping with the mythos that is James Tiberius Kirk.

The Great Gatsby Katie Haugen USS Might M. : Buffalo, IA. Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Gatsby), Tobey Maguire (Nick Carraway), Carey Mulligan (Daisy Buchanan) Directed: Baz Luhrmann As a huge “Gatsby” book fan, I was extremely excited when I saw that “The Great Gatsby” would be coming out as another remake. Then I found out that it would be directed by Baz Luhrmann and all of my hopes for a remake came true. Baz Luhrmann, coming from previously directing the newest version of Romeo & Juliet and Moulin Rouge, was an excellent choice for capturing the true spirit of “The Great Gatsby” novel. Then I got looking at the cast. I'm not very familiar with Carey Mulligan (Public Enemies, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps), but based on her look and style, she seemed like she would be a great fit to portray Daisy Buchanan. Leonardo DiCaprio (Django Unchained, Titanic, Romeo & Juliet) was an excellent choice to play The Great Gatsby. I was extremely pleased with this casting choice as well. Then we get to Tobey Maguire. I really dislike almost everything that Tobey Maguire is in (Spiderman Trilogy, Brothers, Seabiscuit), but looking at the movie from the perspective of being a huge “Gatsby” fan, I had to admit that Maguire was an excellent casting choice for Nick Carraway. For those who are unfamiliar with the “Gatsby” story, I'll provide a little synopsis. The story follows Nick Carraway, a young Midwesterner that leaves the Midwest for a life in New York City in 1922 to become a bondsman. Carraway is cousin to Daisy Buchanan and lives next door to J. Gatsby. The story follows the flapper style of the 1920s era, with great parties at the Gatsby mansion, and the reconnection between Daisy and Gatsby. In the end, Nick Carraway finds out that everyone who was always around Gatsby was never really there for him because they cared for him, and Nick was his only true friend. Baz Luhrmann captured the 1920s flapper style perfectly. If you enjoyed “Moulin Rouge”, you will definitely enjoy Luhrmann's take on the “The Great Gatsby”. Coming from a huge fan of the book, I'll tell you that he did the book great justice, and the casting ended up being perfect. The script was perfectly written to incorporate all of the important aspects of the book, and I think that F. Scott Fitzgerald would have been very proud of his classic work turned into such an on-screen masterpiece.

“Into Darkness” Mighty M Style Alex Haugen Buffalo, IA. Saturday, stardate 90982.83 (5/18/2013) the USS Mighty Mississippi joined by landing parties from Thompson Ship Yard, the USS Lobo, USS Riverside and members of the Klingon fleet descended upon Muscatine, IA Fridley Palms Theater. This was an exciting event that members of the USS Mighty Mississippi put together with the Palms manager, Chris Kottman, to promote the new film “Star Trek Into Darkness” as well as area Starfleet Command ships. Throughout the day members from each crew mingled with the crowds and promoted Star Trek fandom, assisted patrons to their seat in the brand new Dolby Atmos XL theater, presented Trek Trivia, which included Star Trek Into Darkness keychain lights as prizes (courtesy of Paramount), and all around had an amazing time. Also on hand where Trek collectables provided by the members of the USS Mighty Mississippi and many custom props and com badges provided by Thompson Ship Yard. Another icon of the event was the Escape Pod Smart Car, which was hand crafted by Dana Taylor, a perspective member. Around 6:50pm the fun really started with all the ship’s crew entering the Dolby Atmos XL theater to watch Star Trek Into Darkness 3D. Before the film started Alex Haugen, medical officer of the USS Mighty Mississippi, presented Trek Trivia to the crowd and thanked everyone for joining us. Finally at 7:10pm the lights dimmed, the curtain raised, the projector burst into action and the crews watched in awe as Kirk, Spock, and the members of the Enterprise Crew took on super villain John Harrison (Khan) and saved the universe from his evil plan to obliterate the lesser beings. “The event was a huge success in my book”, said Kottman theater manager, “I think that it brought a new level of interactivity to the movie experience.” As a ship, the USS Mighty Mississippi could not ask for much more. “We are super pleased to be here and we hope to do more events with the Palms,” said Mighty M member Alex Haugen. Unfortunately the day did not go off without its hitches. There was a cloaked ship, which must have entered the theater past the Mighty M’s scans and took out the warp core on the Enterprise, which was flying high above the Mighty M’s table. It was a terrible loss, but the Mighty M crew ended up finding the attacker and taking them down before any further damage was caused. There was also a Romulan attack on theater manager Chris Kottman by a new weapon that the crew of the Mighty M had not seen before………. CHEEZY PRETZEL!...... Luckily the Mighty M team was able to assist and help detain the suspect as the proper intergalactic authorities were called.

Crew of USS Mighty Mississippi NCC 201151-A 1st row: L-R : Ensign Alex Haugen, Ensign Katie Haugen, Cmdr. Rose Compton 2nd row R to L: Lt. Ed Ciccarone, Recruit Gerry Pearson and Back row: Lt. Jg. Les Pullman III

Hand crafted by Dana Taylor, Of Davenport, IA. .. The Escape Pod Smart Car, with a Photon Torpedo attached to the rear.

Some of the collectibles on display during the Saturday event.

Altho the nacelle took a direct hit, It will take more than a cloaked attack to take down the Enterprise

Manning the tables and taking a break between showings: (R to L or front to back) Heidee & Alan of Thompson Ship Yard, Katie Haugen, Ed Ciccarone, Recruit Tony Steckman (green shirt) and Les Pullman III (standing) of USS Mighty M. Dan Hill of USS Riverside (SFI) and Brad Smith, USS Lobo.

Vers les ténèbres Nancy Bailey SB 03: Montreal, QC.

I went in to see the second Star Trek movie from the new re-engineered series with some apprehension. How could they re-write history (again!). Couldn't they come up with a new story? To put this into perspective, I find it sad that Hollywood seems content in redoing some of the masterpieces or some of the great movies like The Wizard of Oz, Batman, Spiderman and so on. Where is the imagination? Can they really do justice to the original genius behind the movie? And in this case, would they be true to Gene Roddenberry's vision? I saw the movie twice: the avant-première in large screen 3D and a regular screen presentation with the Starship O'Bready on the Premiere night. I can't say which I liked better: the special effects in 3D were amazing! I dodged and blinked quite a few times. But a second time was with a group of friends, a group of fellow fans where we had the chance to discuss the movie at length after. Bruno Signori, the leader of the Starship O'Bready, had made arrangements with La maison du cinéme in Sherbrooke where they would showcase some of his collection pieces and where we would be present on location to greet movie viewers. It was a lot of fun. Some people had their picture taken with us. I think at first they were not too sure what to make of us: a Klingon and a Vulcan wishing them long life... But then a human showed up and we weren't as scary. Oh, yes, the movie. I was a bit disappointed at first when I heard Spock say the line from "Wrath of Khan" at the beginning of the movie. My first reaction was, "oh, no, it's a remake". But then the story continues with witty exchanges, funny moments, a bit of suspense, action, the reversal at the end (Kirk vs Spock). Some of it was a bit predictable - no, not because I was watching it for the second time! Has anyone ever seen such a big tribble before? - Probably because I am such a fan of the movies and know them so well. All in all it's a very enjoyable movie. The actors are playing well together, I liked the fact that they are giving more depth to the characters and try to make them their own. But most importantly, it remained true to Gene's vision of the future. And that really is the most important part. I'm looking forward to the next movie. And since we haven't lost a crew member along the way, it won't be "The Search for ..."!

MMORPG Kellie Coyle SB 03 Berthoud, CO.

Do you like MMORPG? Do you want to be a virtual Star Trek Officer? The

Second Life group United Federation Gamma Quadrant is in the process of

building its own online grid and breaking away from the constraints of Second Life

and its parent company Linden Labs.

We are seeking developers, scripters, builders and players to make our virtual life

a success. If you are interested in helping or playing, contact Ensign Kellie Coyle

at lucine_dax@starfleet.com.

April/May Liz Robinson USS Lobo Moline IL.

Saturday April 20 was National Astronomy Day. The Popular Astronomy Club observed it with a

program at the Moline Public Library. We had displays of representative sample of various

kinds of telescopes and mounts. In addition we had some items loaned to us by NASA including

used astronaut gloves, unopened packages of food labeled in English and Russian, a model of a

rocket, some moon rocks. Outside we offered solar observing and we also had some

scales modified to show what you would weigh on earth the Sun, moon, Jupiter and an

asteroid, as well as a comet making workshop for kids. We had a guest lecturer from University

of Iowa talk on auroras.

At night we offered night observing at the Niabi Zoo parking lot. Our May program was about

the theoretical companion star to the Sun. I found this less interesting since I do not get my

scientific information from Coast to Coast but there was a nice video on the Kuyper Belt along

with it.

I gave the constellation talk for the meeting in which I talked about the historical aspect of

constellation including how they came to be cataloged, how some became official with the

International Astronomical Union as well as some of the unofficial ones such as the dark

constellations in the Milky Way clouds noted by the Inca and the Australian Aborigines. June's

program will be on Copernicus and the July program will be a smorgasbord of short programs

presented by members. August there will be no meeting but instead the annual picnic during

the meteor shower on August 10.

The April World Affairs Council meeting was a pot mortem on the Arab Spring by three people

from Yemen, Syria and Egypt. Our year end program is music dance, food samples and displays

from around the world and will be on 21 May from 7:00- 8:340 at the Bettendorf Public Library.

Brad and I attended National Train Day in Chicago. Chicago has one of the largest programs in

the country, National Train day is a holiday that celebrates the Golden Spike in Utah on 10 May

and is observed on the Saturday closest to 10 May. We had about an hour ride through the

AMTRAK rail yards including going through the shops. They also have a variety of rolling stock

on display including AMTRAK passenger cars complete with sample meals and a kitchen tour,

freight cards and switchers, and luxury private cars that can be rented out. In addition in the

Great Hall there were a number of displays including organizations with booths, model trains.

We have attended the Dr. Who fan group that meets at Moline Public Library. The meetings

are normally held on the 1st Monday of the Month but the July meeting will be on July 8 due to

the rooms in the library all being booked up. They offer free snacks as well. Meetings run 6:30-

7:30 and it’s free with all ages welcome. The librarian leads the discussion with some open

ended questions. Brad's device is nearly complete. We picked up the pool wall last month. Now

he has to test out the system in our backyard to make sure that he does not need to replace

any spa-flex or plumbing fixtures and all the pumps are working well without leaks. We will

have no problems with the heating system since it is a water jacket stove but we will have to

get a fire holder for the warming fire outside of the tubs and sauna since there is a concern

about fire and ashes waste at the college.

We went to a lecture at Augustana College on two satellites that were being used to probe the

Van Allen Radiation Belts. As you may know Van Allen was on the faculty at University of Iowa

and the guest speaker was the same one who spoke at our Astronomy Day Event. Augustana

has good endowments that allow it to offer free public lectures and this was endowed by the

family of our late club founder who was on the physics and math faculty at Augustan. The Van

Allen belts are being studied as they vary greatly in intensity and size and they have an impact

on astronaut safety and functioning of communications and other satellites. Two satellites are

needed to find out if conditions are over time or all over or just in one spot. Brad left for my

house in Dexter, NY, near Watertown yesterday in our 1994 truck. I have a vacant lot across

the street from the house where my tenants park. However there have been problems with

vandals (not goths or visigoths or ostrogoths) damaging his two an6tique vehicles he stores

there, a 1968 Dodge truck and 62 Ford Falcon and lots of trash. The Village wants the antique

vehicles moved and the trash removed. He planned to go to take care of these things but in

Gary Indiana he was rear ended when he stopped for a gas stop. He asked me what to do and I

told him to call our insurance agent. They needed a police report and he was uncertain of the

condition of the vehicle, could not lock the topper or open the tailgate so he came back right

away. So now we are trying to get a time extension from the Village on completing the work

and making arrangements to repair the truck and figuring out how to get Brad to

Dexter. (Dexter was the right place and there was nothing sinister about it.) My property

Manager is helping us out with this matter since he knows the code inspector well.

Brad and I went to see Iron Man III and we both enjoyed it. It has a nice sense of humor to it

but do not leave until after the credits run or you will miss the last scene of the movie.

My last portion of my report is that I went through the National Geographic Society Genome

project to track ancestral DNA. The purpose is a study being done on human migration over the

millennia. You will not get any report on medical DNA. I got some interesting results both in

what my sister and I have and in what we do not have. However recently I have had some

problems getting into the system and they are working with me on it. We are hoping to get our

cousin who is on my father's side of the family since our report does not include information

carried on the Y chromosome and Bill is our closest male relative on Pop's side of the family.

Connection’s Fiction and Interactive Quadrant

Mara’s Honor Michael Francis USS Nyota Uhura

"Is the combat to the death?" Kirk asked.

"Yes," replied Kang.

"Usually," replied Mara at the same time.

As Kang glowered at his wife, Mara said, "Tradition only requires that a combatant demonstrate

that a killing blow could be struck in order to be declared the winner. However, even when this

is agreed upon prior to starting the combat it has not been the result in most cases, due in part

to the fever of the battle. So as I indicated earlier Ensign, you imperil yourself even if Kang

agrees to non-lethal combat. Also, even though you may not want to win, you must fight to

win or that will ensure your death for fighting dishonorably."

"OK," said Kirk. "I want to know what happens once there is a winner and we can worry about

the loser's condition once we know that."

"If Kang wins...," started Mara. "I will win," stated Kang flatly.

"As I was saying, if Kang wins, both his and my honors are restored and we can return to the

Empire without shame. If Ensign Chekov wins, then I am his to do with as he pleases. I am

prevented from killing myself as a means to restore the family honor because to Kang and the

rest of the Empire it will be as if I never existed because a person who doesn't exist cannot

bring dishonor or honor to anyone. My name will be expunged from all records and never

spoken again. I could even be killed and my murderer would never be punished because

officially nobody would have died."

"What about choice of weapons for this duel?" questioned Chekov.

"As the challenged party that is up to you," said Kang. "However, it is I who will have the option

of determining whether it is a fight to the death or not, and I will only do that after you have

chosen the weapons."

"I will need about an hour to make my decision," Chekov stated slowly and nervously after a

slight pause. "My mother always told me that whenever possible I should make important life

altering decisions only after eating a bowl of borscht. I believe I should make some now."

With that Chekov got up to leave and so did Mara. "I'm his until something gets decided," she

stated.

Kirk nodded to Chekov who waited for Mara and escorted her from the room.

"Kang, the Federation has many members whose cultures are strange, and on occasion offend

my personal views about what is right and wrong. But because of what the Federation stands

for, I do my best to try and view things from their perspective so that I may better understand

them and be able to show them a better way or to show it to myself. It is because of this lesson

in tolerance that I will allow what must be to restore your honor. However, if even one death

has to take place, Chekov's, Mara's, or even yours, you will never convince me that it is worth

it."

"Captain Kirk, I meant what I said about deciding what the outcome of the combat will have to

be in order to declare victory. Chekov's choice of weapons will give me his measure and make

the decision for me," stated Kang authoritatively.

"You're sure he will choose to meet you in personal combat?"

"You would, and he would do no less."

"I am surprised at how open you have been about this situation," said Kirk. "You could have not

involved us and decided what to do on your own."

"If I had done that, there would have been only one course of action open to me. The terms of

the truce would have prevented me from killing Ensign Chekov or Mara before being put off at

Sauria IV. But once we returned to the Empire, Mara would have helped guide my knife into her

own heart and then wished me well on my hunt for Chekov as she died. Then even when I

finally cornered my prey, his death would have little meaning because he would not understand

why he was to die. The ritual of honor would be upheld but the reality would be way short of

what it should be, for Mara would be dead," Kang said evenly and, at the end, a bit sadly.

"Do you wish to return to your men while you wait for Mr. Chekov's answer?"

"Maybe in a little bit. I believe I wish to be alone for a while."

Kirk nodded and signaled the security team to let him exit.

"Commander Kang will signal you when he wishes to return to his crew," Kirk told the two

guards outside the briefing room.

"Aye, sir," they both responded.

"Did Mr. Chekov say where he was going with the Klingon woman?" Kirk asked.

"He mentioned that the food synthesizers in Rec Room Two made the best borscht on the ship.

Chief Richards went with them," replied the ensign.

Considering how little time was left on Chekov's self-imposed limit, Kirk opted to brief Spock

and McCoy first before checking up on Chekov and Mara. McCoy was of course flabbergasted.

While Spock only said, "Fascinating."

Before McCoy could start his usual jibes at Spock's understatement, Kirk stated, "Gentlemen,

time is short and we have been given an unusual, but possibly important, opportunity to show

the Klingons that we practice what we preach. Their code of honor has made them go out of

their way to seek our cooperation in resolving a problem both sides admit is the fault of the

entity. For us, the entity's actions mitigate our bad behavior during the hostilities but for them

dishonor is assigned regardless of whose fault it is and a way must be found to erase that blot. I

do not believe that Kang wants to kill Chekov. He just wants to save Mara's life and will do only

what is necessary to do that and nothing more."

"You're betting Chekov's life on that belief, Jim," said McCoy.

"Indeed Doctor," opined Spock, "he is. But then so is Chekov, since it appears the ultimate

course of action has been left up to him by all parties involved."

"Speaking of Chekov," said Kirk, "I suggest that we check in with him to see what he is

considering for a solution."

The three of them made their way to Rec Room Two and arrived just in time to hear Mara say,

"How can this be made without meat? It tastes too much like a warrior's stew to be without

meat!"

Before Chekov could answer, he spied Kirk and the others and rose to meet them.

"So you finally got someone to taste that concoction of yours," said McCoy. "I would have

thought being turned down by 400 people would have cured you by now."

"You should try it Doctor," Chekov replied, grinning. "My grandmother cured more illnesses

with this than you with all your medicines."

"Imaginary colds to get out of going to school don't count, Mister," McCoy quipped good

naturedly.

"Be that as it may," said Kirk, "we have something a bit more serious than a cold to cure and it

is not imaginary."

Soberly Chekov responded, "I know sir. I have reached my decision."

(To be Continued in Next Edition)

The Finite--Part 2 (continued) Sharon Boren USS Iowa

Lieutenant Harold Phibbs acted swiftly. He secured his station, rose, and approached

Lieutenant Commander Beth Kelly. Carefully taking her arm the First Officer gently escorted

her back to the center seat. With the Commander comfortably seated, he broke into the open

channel temporarily taking command to give Kelly a moment to compose herself

"How bad is he, little brother?" Harold inquired on Kelly's behalf.

"Not good, Harry," Andy replied. "Those torpedoes tore into a lot of vital equipment down

here. Marty was standing under a coolant pipe when blew. He took in a hell of a lung full."

It was clearly obvious that Lieutenant Commander Martin Kelly wouldn't live long. The

radioactive acid was so strong it would disintegrate his entire lung structure.

"Hey, Harry, what the hell hit us?' Andy's filtered inquiry brought crew out of their thoughts.

“A D-10 class Klingon Battlecruiser," came Harold's answer.

"We don't have the firepower to hold off a D-10, not without torpedoes!" Shades of the

Kobayashi Maru test unsettle the crew through the Engineer's frustration.

"Tell us something we don't know," Harold responded. "We're doing everything we can just to

survive this encounter. The Klingon vessel is using an anti-matter charge in its lead torpedo to

take out the shields, so that succeeding torpedoes can hit their mark."

"In other words, the Klingon is stacking the deck in his favor," Andy said. There was something

about that fact that set red flags waving in the Engineer's head. "You know, that doesn't sound

like honorable Klingon behavior to me. What are the chances that the Klingon is an

excommunicated rogue?"

"I believe you are referring to the Klingon ritual of Discommendation, Ensign," Lieutenant Zheyl

corrected, joining the conversation.

"Yeah, whatever you call it" it was clear that in the current chaotic situation that Ensign Andy

Phibbs wasn't thinking straight. The damage to the engineering section obviously had priority

in his mind, distracting him at the moment.

"The probability that the Klingon vessel is a rogue is quite high actually." Zheyl calculated.

"Speaking of which, where is the Klingon and how much time do we have to make repairs?"

Andy questioned.

"The answer to both your questions is currently unknown. The Klingon veered off after the

second pass, cloaked, and apparently moved off. Whether he's done with us, or just toying

with us, is any one's guess," Harold said.

"Klingons usually do not leave things half done, unless there is good reason. The chance that

the Klingon is 'toying' with us is quite likely," Zheyl assessed.

"Right! Priority on shields and weapons it is then," Andy decided. "Engineering out."

Lieutenant Harold Phibbs glanced around the circular bridge. This was not how he wanted to

command anything, let alone a scientific survey vessel playing "David" to a Klingon "Goliath"!

The current lull in the action was merely the eye of the combative hurricane with the worse yet

to come. This was a duel to the death. Either the Klingon was going down or they were.

Exchanging glances with Zheyl, Harold quickly calculated the ship's chances, and reached the

conclusion that the current odds were NOT in their favor. He looked at the view screen and

noticed that the ship was circling Outpost Capella IV. At the rate the ship orbited the outpost,

Harold estimated that they were traveling at full impulse. Not wishing to add dizziness to his

mountain of worries, he decided to take action.

"James, all stop."

Ensign James Morrow glanced back at Lieutenant Commander Beth Kelly, then answered, "Aye,

sir."

(To Be Continued in next edition)