Captain's Log — 2014

December 2014

No Captain's Log

November 2014

No Captain's Log

October 2014

Commander Ares had a busy month, greeting all the new crew members, the new Marine CO Solada Luang, the new Tactical Monom, the new XO Mar'zo, the new Fighter Wing Commander Ayin Araela, and the new Fighter Wing pilot Allanna Shepard, and instructing the new Chief of Intelligence La'Steir and the new Chief of Security Son'Tzu. Most of the new crew went straight on to Doctor Laura Butler. Especially Ares encounter with La'Steir leaves lots of questions. Some related to intelligence business and some about Sentinel Station's position between two crossing timelines.

The youth at the school, too, are getting to know each other and probably they are up for mischief as usual.

Chief of Operations Athena Theophilus had quite a few private matters at hand. She accomodated two lost children and met an old, unknown acquaintance from the future.

Our Cardassian locals, Seger Meret and Kadra Grepht were still raking one another with words. They even had Dr. Butler care for their physical wounds so that they could inflict more verbal injuries instead.

Subject Heading of the Month

2414.10.05.01 SENT - Luang - "Luang, her eyes bewildered"
— The Tamarian CO made his crews life miserable by being unable to speak properly, this headline is the deserved payback.

Post of the Month

2414.10.30 Sentinel Meret "She turned me into a newt!"
— Living in foreign parts, there is nothing like having your own family with you. If you are wondering whether the spoken word was really mightier that the sword, then you have never met our Cardassian word fencers. I fear, I will never touch donut tongs without distrustfulness again.

Player of the Month

The Player of the Month goes to Deb for her portaying Laura Butler, Athena and RAP. Congratulations!

September 2014

The crew and civilians of Hope One have started settling on the new Sentinel, only to find that the station might not be ready for them. Thankfully, Captain Trento Kelo and his team from the Corps of Engineers have arrived to start whipping the station back into appropriate standards. This comes with less than full excitement from Commander LA Ares, who remembers the hard-hitting engineer from being his student at the Academy. Ares is not the only person on board that Kelo has bumped heads with since settling on board. Lt Son-Tzu has run into his own personal conflicts when he tried to deal with the fact that Tobin Al’Rasgal and some of his associates in one of the halls selling coffee without a license. Things quickly grew out of control when Al’Rasgal showed some resistance and was supported by Anun La’Stair, a man who was an officer on the Sentinel in a different timeline. Son-Tzu made some threats in order to bring things under control, but they were of a level that was not usually allowed by Starfleet. This led to a long discussion with Commander Ares. Lt. La’Stair has now been appointed as Chief of Intelligence.

La’Stair s is not the only new member to the crew. The station has recently received new officers to fill in as Executive Officer in the form of Lt. Commander Mar’zo, as Tactical Officer with Ensign Monom, as Marine Commanding Officer with Major Solada Wendy Luang, and Wing Commander for the pilots with 1st Lieutenant Ayin Araela.

All of them have arrived for the big social event of the season in the form of a grand opening festival for the Promenade. The festivities are being presented by the Romulans with Enriov t’Teral using the event to bring everyone together while also showcasing the new theater she has opened on the Promenade. All of the crew and most of the civilians have been mingling at the event, which has also been attended by the mysterious Kharians, the Sphere race that seems to have the least amount of interest in mingling with outsiders. Well, at least that was the case until t’Teral started opening talks with them on behalf of the Star Empire.

In the shadows of the party lurks the Shade, a dark individual that no one seems to be noticing, but who is definitely taking an interest in all of the people living and working on the Sentinel

Behind the Scenes

With the two new players from last month as well as four new players this month, we have really started to see OH1 really starting to become lively. In fact, we have hit a record in posting that has not been seen in at last 18 months. This has shown a growth in the number of characters while also allowing some of our characters (new and old) to really develop.

Our new XO has had to take a long-term leave of absence. Thankfully, Harald has been willing to step forward to fill that role. While Raf will be coming back at some point, it will be in the form of a regular player rather than as an administrator. Harald has some great ideas and no shortage of enthusiasm.

We saw the completion of two surveys to help us select the name of our commercial district, which is the traditional Promenade, and our new station, which will be dubbed Sentinel Station like its precursor.

Post of the Month

2414.09.21.02. SENT Athena "How'd you do that"
—This post really allowed the everyone a chance to get to know Theophilus, who is usually so distant from everyone else. Great job Deb!

Subject Heading of the Month

2414.09.03 SENT Magar/Meret "Coffee Wins Out"
—This really captures the tone of a series of posts that really brought a situation out of control. Both characters and players totally got caught up in the happenings.

Players of the Month

Harald – This is not the first time Harald has held this position, but this time it is for his new role as XO. He has come flush with some neat plot ideas and a strong willingness to really jump in with both feet.

Deb – We are having a second person this month since Deb has really done such a wonderful job of expanding on Theophilus with some wonderful storytelling and the “adoption” of a boy, allowing us all to see an interesting side to a long-lived character.

August 2014

LA Ares has announced that he will be taking over command of the Starfleet facilities at Outpost Hope One. He also shared that Starfleet was replacing Sentinel Station, which was destroyed in some mysterious temporal phenomenon. After completing a meeting with local business people about setting up a commercial district on the station, he has met with the command team about his recent promotion to Commander and to get a sense of their take on the situation. As of yet, he still has to pick a replacement Exec.

Jacqueline Ares seems to have turned the tables on her abductor and has escaped where he had her held while trying to transport her to a buyer. She has now locked herself into a space and is trying to reach the security services of Freeport or security at Camp Gor’Vosh to try and come and get her.

The Cardassian ambassador has been meeting with some of her fellow countrymen about the change in location of the station as well as some philosophical conversations about how they were there to replace individuals who had gone missing during the temporal phenomenon.

Romulan Enriov t’Teral has started meeting with representatives of the Kharians about shared interests.

Poor Lt Commander Sanjiv Banerjee has been assigned to spearhead the replacement station for the Sentinel. Much has been accomplished in the last couple of weeks, but he is definitely feeling overwhelmed by the task. The station is coming together, but at a slow rate and is falling heavily behind its construction schedule.

Behind the Scenes

I am sad to say that we seem to have lost Mike and Dianna, but it is for a very good reason since they are dedicating their spare time toward looking for and buying a new home and preparing for the arrival of a baby. They will be sorely missed, but we definitely wish them well. They are welcome to return once things settle down for them.

Our newest players are Kait and Bob, and they really aren’t new so much as returning back to the nest. They have definitely jumped in with both feet and look forward to gaming with them and their high levels of activity.

Post of the Month

2414.08.25.02 GORV Meret "I Grovel So Well"
This (I believe) is the final posting of a great group post that really allowed us to get to know so many of our civilian characters. There is some great subtext that somewhat reminds me of The Game of the Thrones, only with less blood and no nudity. Kudos to the whole team!

Subject Heading of the Month

2414.08.05 - Gor'Vosh - T'Para "Diversity is a dish best served cold”
This just so nicely sums up the relationships that make our businesspeople. Good one, Lil!

Player of the Month

Anna-Maria – I can’t thank her enough for bringing back two such active crew members in the form of Bob and Kait. Thank you!

July 2014

The T’Pol Incident has come to a conclusion with the safe rescue of all crew and passengers. The Nal’Gaharay cell led by Valesk Seska departed when they realized they were up against three teams of Starfleet officers. The marauders left aboard a ship they had docked in the hangar bay, bringing with them a good amount of the good being transported by the T’Pol.

Wine and slave trader Romain LeBoucher has been able to get the captured Jacqueline Ares onto his ship only to find that she is not the easiest prisoner to maintain control over. Freeport corporate security is working to find LA Ares’ daughter as quickly as possible.

Behind the Scenes

The transfer to the new command team has kicked off. We currently have plans for the creation of a new Sentinel Station with a graphic artist working on a new deck layout for us.

June 2014

The Federation crew of Outpost Hope One have started to confront the situation on the FTV T’Pol with three teams now having made their way to different areas of the ship. A small group has transported onto the Bridge (Butler, zh’Daeryn, Tr’Ahrby) seemingly having gained control of the marauders who have taken the civilian transport vessel. A team of pilots (Jonesy, Arrow) has also crash landed into the shuttle bay and are making their way through the bowls of the ship, finding some help in the form of the T’Pol’s teenaged, Andorian helmswoman, Ashaia ch’Kayag. A final team (Eliin, Artax, Navander, Son Tzu) has transported into Engineering, having seemingly also gained control.

Jacqueline Ares made her way into the newly settled community of Freeport, a civilian community that has been formed largely under the auspices of Copernicus Corp. She has seemingly attracted the attention of a human slave trader by the name of Romain LeBoucher. Fortunately, a young Bajoran named Qi Semreh has taken notice of her abduction as in the process of trying to gain help from the Orion guards that keep the streets of the new town as safe as can be.

Lt Commander Turik continues to meet with the leadership of Freetown, getting a better sense of the mysteries of the Builders, who created the Dyson sphere and its mysterious connection to the nearby wormhole. The result seems to be that there is for more not known about the Builders and their technology than is known, something not likely to change any time in the near future.

Meanwhile, the visiting Enriov t’Teral has begun meeting with Aendeh t’Hrilliake, the Tal’Shiar commander of a facility on the far side of the sphere from Camp Gor’Vosh. Despite a recent pleasant visit with Lt Commander Ares and al’Rasgal, it seems that there might be some interest by the Romulans in trying to gain control of the wormhole. What are those tricky Romulans up to?

Post of the Month

2414.06.26.01 FRPT Security Guard "Possible Leads?"
—Like last month, this is another case where the post has me as the with the actual posting time, this really captures the amazing things Raf and Harald have done in taking a situation and really spinning it into something fun to be a part of. My involvement played no role in that. Great job guys! I am looking forward to seeing how this plays out, particularly as Josh and Lil are getting involved.

Subject Heading of the Month

2414.06.04 GORV Al'Rasgal "Diplomacy be (NOT) thy Name"
—This was a great subject heading put forth by Josh that truly reflected the diplomatic dance played by his and Harald’s characters as their mutual distrust had them testing each other.

May 2014

A new chief engineer for Hope one has arrived and is being escorted to the sphere by Counselor zh’Daeryn. Lt. Artax is from a technically advanced race in the Alpha Qudrant, and he finds himself enjoying some conversation with the counselor and a civilian passenger named Haluv Lorvil, a Voth archaeologist on his way to the sphere to join in an upcoming dig led by Lady T’Dia.

A Romulan warbird has mysteriously arrived at Hope one, and it is part of a tour of the Delta Quadrant by Enriov t’Teral. No one is really sure what is behind the visit, but Commander Ares is providing her with a tour of Camp Gor’Vosh and a possible opportunity to meet with Mr. Al’Rasgal.

Behind the Scenes

We have had another fairly strong month of posting, despite the challenges facing a number of the crew in real life. As can be seen in the report, a number of people have had to request leaves of absence due to health, demands from work, moving, and even starting a new business. While these levels of posting seem to be the new norm, the hope would be that as the crew is able to fill out and be more active as a whole, that our numbers will match some of the busier DS’s within Borderlands.

Subject Heading of the Month

2414.05.04.01 TPOL Jonesy "OMG, They Killed Kenny, ugh, Baron"
—Thanks to Raf for adding a little reference to South Park.

Player of the Month

Harald might be new to Outpost Hope One, but he has really added his distinct flavor to the game. Besides introducing a unique character to the Starfleet crew, he has also reintroduced the Romulans to the Dyson sphere in the form of Enriov t’Teral

April 2014

The Memorial Service arranged for by Lt Commander Theophilus and Counselor zh’Daeryn to honor those lost during the recent Sentinel Station incident took place. Many of the races living and serving at Outpost One contributed to the ceremony in a way that brought everyone together to share their grief and their love.

Lt. Commander Turik continues working with Tobin Al-Rasgal in the development of Freeport, a city that is abutting Camp Gor’Vosh. The hope is to continue to redevelop civilian and native ties with the Federation institutions as they recover from the recent major shift.

Counselor zh’Daeryn has also been busy with handling a new case in treating Julien Ares. With the help of Nurse Navander and Dr. Butler, she was able to bring Julien out of a panic attack. The Counselor then escorted the boy home to update his father on his mental and physical condition.

Fortunately, the team of pilots arrived at Checkpoint Delta in time to find that none of the crew had been killed, but the outpost had clearly been boarded. Signs of damage at the docking ports made it clear that they were visited by people who could be considered less than friendly. Everyone aboard had been left unconscious. After securing Checkpoint Delta, the team, outside of Kirkpatrick who stayed behind to debrief the crew, has been called away to deal with a more immediate concern that may or may not be related.

The FTV T’Pol was on its usual run through the wormhole to Hope One when it was met with an attack of marauders. All of the ships design and power systems don’t seem to match, but they are all clearly from the Delta Quadrant, and they are armed to the teeth, creating a challenge for a transport ship that is actually a converted, retired Vulcan High Command vessel, whose shields and weapon systems are not up to such a match. Lts. Archer and Baron have arrived just in time to go head to head with the small fleet of vessels, but they were unable to really stop the marauders before two of them have been able to dock with the transport vessel. Lt. Jonesy has also arrived with the rest of Clover Squadron, but not before Baron’s fighter was destroyed.

More help is on the way in the form of a team headed by Commander Theophilus, who has boarded the Hunter with a team from Camp Gor’Vosh to reinforce the pilots in dealing with the T’Pol Incident. The problem is going to be that they are pushing the limit with the pilots starting to run low on fuel as they circle the now occupied T’Pol.

Behind the Scenes

This month has seen us hit our second highest posting rate with the current group of players and command team. This is pretty impressive with two players currently on leaves of absence and a number of players dealing with illness.

It also looks like we are on the verge of having two new players join the crew, as they finalize their characters.

Post of the Month

2414.04.26.02: Hern'Gal, Turik - "Losses"
—It’s always enjoyable reading Turik and T’Dia and their familial interaction. This captures that nicely. It is still being worked on as we transition into May. There have also been some great subject headings relating to cheesy punnery (literally, referencing cheese). Great job guys.

Subject Heading of the Month

2414.04.04.01: Gor'Vosh, Taura "Stuck on a Sandbar"
—This just really seemed to catch the situation that was trouble Julien Ares so well.

Player of the Month

Dianna has been an amazing player this month. Between all of her characters, she has pretty much been involved in moving along most of the plots currently taking place. All of this while being on vacation and dealing with some illness. Great job, Dianna!

March 2014

The survivors of Sentinel Station of settled down at Camp Gor’Vosh, and are dealing with the new setting, which is fairly cramped, as well as some of the trauma that they are feeling after having made it through a horrible disaster. The Counseling teams are feeling overwhelmed and a request has gone out for more staffing to help get them through this difficult time. Many of the Starfleet personnel have been taking time to get to know each other, as well. So far, there has been little definitive information to explain what might have caused the anomalies that damaged the station while also transferring personnel between realities, but that has not stopped the staff from investigating as much as possible under the leadership of Lieutenant Commander Athena Theophilus.

The Johvan continue to find troubles not only with the other two races in the sphere, but also between each other now that there is a new government as a result of a coup. This has been slightly aggravating the stability of the politics within the sphere. The only group that seems to have a handle on the situation is the staff at Copernicus Corporation, who has kindly offered to help mediate between Starfleet and the other races in order to make sure that Camp Gor’Vosh has the supplies it needs.

Arrow, Kirkpatrick, along with a group of pilots and Marines have responded to Checkpoint Delta, a data transfer and intelligence station that seems to have gone totally quiet. They have arrived to find severe damage to the exterior docking bays and all of the staff of the checkpoint unconscious.

The most disturbing news has come through Lt. Colonel Luirai, who has recently spoken with Admirals Hayes and Escobar. Apparently, the recent disaster at Sentinel Station and the constant political instability between the races of the Hope One Dyson Sphere has left the leadership at Starfleet questioning the effectiveness of a Starfleet facility at the sphere. They are simply asking if the risk is worth the constant damage and troubles caused as the outpost.

Behind the Scenes

Lisa Arsineau has been playing Ensign Cliona, our Deltan Counselor, since the reboot of the game in the fall.

Last Sunday, Lisa passed away at home with her loving family after a lengthy battle with cancer. I have gamed with her for almost 25 years, and I knew her in person. In fact, she was a good friend, more like family than friend. I know that she greatly loved gaming, and she found comfort in the Borderlands games she participated in her final months. They were a chance to escape the difficulties she was facing and being a part of another universe filled with interesting characters and people she was coming to know as virtual friends.

Post of the Month

2414.03.26.01: Gor'Vosh, Taura "Until We Meet Again”
—This post, what came before it, and what has come through since has had some great character development.

Subject Heading of the Month

2414.03.17.01: Gor'Vosh, Solek "Vulcan Gibberish"
—Who can pass up a subject heading that includes Vulcans and Gibberish?!?

Player of the Month

Rather than highlighting a single player, we would like to highlight the whole gang of players for really stepping up and keeping the game moving along as both members of the command team have been struggling with illness, family situations, and the loss of one of our players.

February 2014

No Captain's Log

January 2014

With Sentinel Station completely and utterly destroyed, the USS Hunter completed recovering survivors. Once they were onboard, they began to realize that not all the crew was accounted for, and some crew were...extra. As Lt. Colonel Liurai assumed command of Hope One and briefed the crew, Commander Theopolis announced that she believed the destruction of the station to be the work of the Johvan. The crew is beginning to develop evidence that the Hope One Sphere suffered from some sort of a dimensional shift, causing a disturbance that may or may not have led to the destruction of the station.

The crew will be arriving soon at Camp Gorvosh and live in temporary housing until they can complete an investigation into the incident and decide how to proceed, and build a more permanent housing location. They're also preparing for a possible war with the Johvan. Be aware--the sphere has been declared off-limits for all Starfleet vessels and personnel until the situation has been resolved.

Lt. Colonel Liurai has assumed command, and named Lt. Commander Ares as his XO. Lt. Commander Theopolis will assume the duties of Operations and Second Officer. Strangely, Liurai believed that he was assuming command from Lt. Colonel Bearkiller.

Behind the Scenes

Transfer to the new server is complete, and the old Hope One server has been turned into an archive for old posts. We've picked up two new players and two returning players, and our numbers are picking up. We have some work to do, but I think we're getting there. Special thanks to all the players who've stuck with us the last few months--you guys are going to make Hope One great, and I'm really proud of you!

Player of the Month

Deb, hands down. I've never seen anyone throw a DS for a loop like she has with her revelation that there were multiple dimensions. She's given us the the best DS reboot I've ever seen, and our players have really taken to it. Kudos to her.

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