2012 March: Achievement Unlocked by USS Gygax

EXTRA LIFE 2011

SOPA PIPA ACTA & WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT

GYGAX TECH MANUAL

MARCH 2012 FEATURE

TREK

MODS FOR OLD GAMES LOOK OUT, „CAUSE HERE WE COME!

PLUS

REGIONAL COORDINATOR

NEW

TREK FANFIC STORY WITH “THE DOCTOR”

MAD

ANDROID PUZZLES

VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1 USSGYGAX.com MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE U.S.S. GYGAX

TOC

ON THE COVER: USS Gygax makes ready to depart Earth following their successful shakedown. Akira-class mesh by Star Trek Australia. Gygax lettering and bitmap by Michael D. Garcia. Earth and Moon image by NASA (Public Domain).

IN THIS ISSUE:

7 9 13 23 35

AFTER-ACTION REPORT: EXTRA LIFE 2011 Twenty-four hours of gaming... for charity!

HOW TO SURVIVE: EXTRA LIFE

Anecdotal evidence to surviving the longest day of gaming.

OLD GAMES, NEW MODS

Dust off those old Trek games...

“STAR TREK: THE NEW THREAT”

Time and Relative Dimensions in Trek!

USS GYGAX TECHNICAL MANUAL INTRODUCTION

Prepare for a crash course in the Akira-class specifications.

COLUMNS & REPORTS 3 4 5 6 21 33 34

FROM THE R4 REGIONAL COORDINATOR CO: ROLLING FOR INITIATIVE XO: XO’S CORNER OPS: MODUS OPERANDI THE MAD ANDROID’S PUZZLE PAGE TRAINNG OFFICE BUREAU OF PERSONNEL

36 37

ENG: ENGINEERING TRUTH SCI: SCIENCE REPORT

23 35

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R4RC

REGIONAL COORDINATOR

remember being on the IRC (internet relay chat) one night back last summer when a new name popped into the #starfleet channel asking about Region 4. I told him that I happened to be the Regional Coordinator for Region 4. He introduced himself as Michael Garcia and I recognized the name from an email I had received the day before. That was the start of the relationship between the USS Gygax and the USS PeaceKeeper. The PeaceKeeper agreed to become the support chapter for the USS Gygax a few days later. One of the most pleasurable things that a Regional Coordinator gets to do is commission chapters. I only wished I could

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have remained Regional Coordinator just long enough to have commissioned the USS Gygax as a full chapter of STARFLEET. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x;s always been fun for me to commission a chapter that I have been the RC and supporting chapter commanding officer. The crew of the USS PeaceKeeper wishes to congratulate the USS Gygax on her commissioning. The PeaceKeeper has been the support chapter for many chapters but not many have been as active with charity work from the beginning as the USS Gygax has been. This is a great thing to see. Once again, from myself and the crew of the PeaceKeeper, congratulations to the USS Gygax on your commissioning. May the wind always be at your back, Vice Admiral Chrissy Killian Region 4 Regional Coordinator CO, USS PeaceKeeper NCC-72300

ROLLING FOR INITI TIVE

August 25, 2011, a group of thirteen people signed up to start a correspondence chapter within Region Four of STARFLEET International. We received approval to proceed as a shakedown chapter called USS Gygax on August 31. Since then, this chapter has been slowly approaching our date of commissioning, which is this month on the twelfth. March also marks a transition for the government in our region due to the recent election of VADM Jerry Tien (CO, USS Eagle) to the position of regional coordinator. We want to wish outgoing RC, VADM Chrissy Killian our heartfelt thanks for her support not only as regional coordinator, but as the commanding officer of our sponsoring chapter, USS PeaceKeeper. We also wish her well in her new role as Awards Director for Region Four. Gygax will be participating in a more active role with regards to the website in the coming weeks and months, as two-three of our members will be maintaining and designing the Region 4 web presence. Also, look to see some changes coming to our own website in the near future, as Josh will be moving to take on the chief engineer position for our ship. The following personnel are being formally recognized by the CO for February: 



artwork and essentially being an honorary member of Gygax with her numerous contributions, suggestions, and input to improving the chapter and this very newsletter. We're hoping she will see the light soon and join our chapter full time! By the time the April newsletter arrives, we will have traded in our NX prefix for an NCC. Tia and I will be promoted one grade in rank to Commander and Captain, respectively. But, even though we will have reached this goal, the work doesn‟t stop there. Let‟s not rest on our laurels and continue to perform as one of the most active chapters in our region. Our website will see a lot more traffic in the coming days of the month. Let's put our best foot forward and show all of STARFLEET what we're made of! Ahead Full Speed,

Commander Michael D. Garcia, Commanding Officer, NX-63545 (USS Gygax)

Lieutenant Melissa Hadley, for her tireless Michael Garcia is the Commanding Officer of USS Gygax. He is the founder and head administrator of efforts in promoting the chapter and converting a WNOHGB. He can be reached at co@ussgygax.com. few of our associate members to full members within SFI. As of this writing, we will have added seven new members to Gygax. Ensign Joshua Benner, for undertaking the role of Chief Engineer. I have promoted him to Provisional Lieutenant pending his completion of the Officer's Command College course. Lieutenant Benner shall be working on a new design for our web presence for 2012. If you wish to contribute time or suggestions, please contact him on the forums via PM. Ensign Duane Watts for undertaking the massive project of writing and collecting information for Gygax' technical manual. Lieutenant Commander Lauri McConaughy (USS Indomitable, Region 5), for donating

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XOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CORNER By LCDR Tia Marie Executive Officer

protect internet users." What PIPA does as well is it gives the federal government to have huge amounts of (unconstitutional power) over censoring Americans' access to the internet, makes all websites liable for the content of it's users, open those websites up for prosecution over the content of their users, and forces ISPs to block those same websites from the internet. Lastly, there is ACTA which is an international treaty geared towards giving countries the ability to stop copyright infringement a standard way to prosecute digital piracy. It would establish a legal body that governs itself outside of already established international organisations (like the World Trade Organisation, World Intellectual Property Organisation, or the United Nations). The EFF already warns us against ACTA and want to educate us about the problems it will cause. SOPA and PIPA has already been tabled, but the victory won by all of us on the internet is a shallow one indeed. There is still ACTA on the table and many countries are taking a stand against it already. We still need to be vigilant! I encourage you reading this article to educate yourselves through the links in this article. Until next time!

a previous column, I talked about one of my favourite non-profit organisations called the Electronic Frontier Foundation who is a digital rights advocacy group. As you might've read in the history lesson, they've had a pivotal role in many of the court roles that have shaped how our digital rights are handled. Recently they have joined the fight against internet censorship an issue that is of great importance to us all. In the past few months, two pieces of legislation and a trade agreement have gotten a great deal of talk around the internet. Websites went dark, many organised in protest, and a goat got to make love to a koala on CNN. What were these topics that brought so much ire? You may know them by Stop Online Privacy Act (SOPA), Protect IP Act (PIPA), and AntiCounterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). Just what would these acronyms do to the internet? SOPA is an anti-piracy bill that gives content makers (like Hollywood) a great deal of power against the entire internet. It gives the movie studios and record labels the ability to shut down foreign sites they have copyright claims against and even worse make the site's ISP keep people from going to those sites and pull finances away, without any court appearance and just with a letter asking for it to be done. PIPA is a very similar bill to SOPA which are presented to us by congress as bills Tia Marie is Executive Officer of USS Gygax. intended to "help combat online privacy and She can be reached at xo@ussgygax.com.

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OPS

MODUS OPERANDI By LT Melissa Hadley Chief Operations Officer

ovember, we overstuffed ourselves with overstuffed turkeys, and suffered the in-laws and the mess at the little kids' table. December, we celebrated light, good will, the Christ child, the Solstice, and rampant commercialism ushered in by a jolly ol' fat man who stalks our children every year. And January, we scrambled to return to work, clean up the past couple months of chaos, and in turn create more chaos. That leads us into February, when we can finally spend time with a loved one again. Now that the winter crazies are over... for most of us... we're back to trying to get out of that slump and rejoin the activities we enjoy during the remaining three seasons. Gygax got a little quiet, and that was to be somewhat expected. Life steals us all away at one point or another, as responsibilities during the holidays leaves very little time to breathe, let alone contribute to a fan organization. However, as the world wakes up from its snow-covered nap, many people are returning to the USS Gygax during February, Recruitment Month for the chapter and Retention Month for STARFLEET. Activity is picking up again with a greater interest than ever before. We're presently looking for people for some key positions on the USS Gygax. If you have a fascination with the Academy and the courses they offer, take a look at our Training Officer position. If you have a way with networking and finding new recruits, our

Recruiting Manager position is also open and available. If you're interested, drop the appropriate Command Staff officer a line, and request your Officer Command Course from the STARFLEET Academy. We'd love any help we can get! Maybe you're not ready for a position yet, but you're interested in lending a hand with specific elements of Gygax, take a look at the forums. We're still working on our Bylaws and Constitution and would love some input. Check out what other ships have put together for theirs, and share your ideas, thoughts, concerns with what we have listed so far. We're also looking for future fundraising ideas and activities our chapter can join together for. Come! Shake off the snow, ice, and bring out that beautiful Region 4 sunshine, and share some of it with your fellow crewmates. Things are heating up and you don't want to miss out!

Melissa Hadley is the Second Officer and Chief Operations Officer of USS Gygax. She presently works for Zynga in Austin, Texas. She can be reached at ops@ussgygax.com.

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AAR After-action reporT: EXTRA LIFE 2011

By CDR Michael D. Garcia with locally, others had to go it alone. LT Melissa Hadley In Silicon Valley, California,

or twenty-four hours on October 15, 2011, members of USS Gygax participated in a gaming marathon called "Extra Life." The goal was to raise funds for the Children's Miracle Network by soliciting pledges from friends, family, and co -workers for each hour that they gamed. As Gygax is a correspondence chapter, the crew were spread around different states, and so while some managed to group together

the commanding officer of Gygax hosted a group of crewmembers, both full and associate. The group consisted of LCDR Tia Marie (XO), MID4 Jared Ethan, PO3 Shon Elliott, and associate members (now-MID4) Michael Haynes and Daniel Newsome. From Austin, Texas, LT Melissa Hadley and ENS Arnold Comeau III grouped up to game throughout the day and night. And in Pennsylvania, ENS Josh Benner flew solo to rack up the hours for charity. Here's the report from Lieutenant Hadley's group:

The crowd in our apartment in Austin for Extra Life was small, consisting of only myself (LT Melissa Hadley), and my support, my boyfriend, ENS Arnold Comeau, and a friend, Shana, who came in from out of town to offer her support. My support team, in addition to keeping me company during this trek, kept me awake and provided food so I didn't have to step away longer than a stretch or restroom break. Although I was teamed up with my fellow USS Gygax members for Extra Life, I was personally playing for my local From Austin, Texas: LT Melissa Hadley, with WNOHGB on Children's Miracle Network hospital, Dell Children's Hospital of Central the laptop and her gaming rig running Dragon Age: Texas, as I live in Region 3. Origins.

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AAR For many years, I've not really been able to stay up past 1am-2am, so I knew going in that the marathon was going to be rough. I played the same game, Star Wars: The Old Republic, for most of the day, from 8am up until nearly 2am. The game was in Beta at the time, so pictures were limited during those hours. But needing a pick-me-up, I switched gears, going to a fresh game of Dragon Age: Origins. And the change of gears from an MMO to a single-player game helped a lot in waking me up. However, as the hours went on, I was starting to feel the wear and tear. In California, the crew test-drove Artemis the Starship Bridge By 6am, I switched to Simulator. They completed six missions and deemed the Facebook games, needing another boost. The smaller, experiment a great success. quicker games woke me up a bit more, as they needed constant attention and "officers" on the bridge. As each mission was constant restarting. I focused primarily on completed, the team grew more confident in Bejeweled Blitz since the games were only their ability to perform in combat situations. one minute long each. My scores, Therefore, lengthier and more difficult mission unfortunately, were abysmal. types were selected until the group broke up But eventually I made it; 24 hours, and with play solo games and then return a few we raised a lot of money to support the kids. I hours later when the bug bit them once more. definitely look forward to doing it again in Star Trek Online and Halo: Reach were 2012. the other popular games. The younger participants tended to gravitate toward the The California crew of six persevered console games whilst the adults opted for PC for the full twenty-four hours, playing a wide or Mac-based gaming. range of games. Some of the games played Between the various Gygax included: Star Trek Online, Grand Theft Auto participants, the team raised over $800 for the IV, Baseball Superstars 2011, Star Wars: The Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x;s Miracle Network. Old Republic, Halo 3, Halo: Reach, Mass At this time, plans are being made for Effect 2, Words With Friends, Rock Band 3, Extra Life 2012, which will take place on and Artemis. October 22nd. Members of the chapter local Artemis turned out to be the biggest hit to Silicon Valley can expect to return to the of the night, as it was the most requested commanding officerâ&#x20AC;&#x;s residence for another group activity of the night. With the number of twenty-four hour session of gaming for charity. people participating, there was only a couple You can sign up now at the Extra Life of overlapping stations between the various website.

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GUIDE

How to survivE EXTRA LIFE Staff Report, USS Gygax

he first tip to surviving Extra Life is your choice in fuel. Everyone knows that in order to stay up all day and all night for twenty-four hours straight requires a bit of indulging in certain types of foods and drinks. The crew at the California marathon for Gygax enjoyed fresh-baked pizza Fuel is required to keep your energy levels up while gaming. (right from the oven in our (From left to right: Monster, Jolt, Thomas Kemper, Cheerwine). kitchen), take-out Chinese food, and assorted snacks that would make any all-nighter college party very happy. We did have some favor of the unhealthy options. healthy snacks in the way of carrots and Most people like to bring over their celery, but they tended to be passed over in favorite caffeinated beverages, such as Coke, Pepsi, etc. The real experience lies in the drinks that are loaded with caffeine, such as Monster Energy, Red Bull, Jolt Cola, Cheerwine, and a whole line of other similar drinks that are absolutely guaranteed not only to keep you up, but give you the worst sugar crash in the history of man when you come down from that big lift. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x;s also interesting about utilizing the sugar and caffeine-heavy drinks is that if you have any younger participants around and youâ&#x20AC;&#x;re not watching Daniel Newsome (left) and MID Michael Haynes work together them too closely, they will to evade the police in GTAIV. basically knock back around four or five of these bottles with ease.

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GUIDE Before you know it, you will have a kid-sized Tasmanian Devil on your hands. Shortly after they‟ve ingested this rocket fuel for the heart, they will have no qualms of invading almost every room in the house as they play a game called, “Scream out loud with your hands raised, while running through the house in a sort-of kind-of chasing fashion.” To this day, it‟s unclear how one wins this game, however, You also need to have a group gaming activity. the game lasts for nearly an Rock Band 3 fits this need quite nicely. hour. Unbearably so when you‟re attempting to game. Once they‟ve completed their running, they will find the nearest I had to check in on them for multiple console and make a mess of your entire reasons: 1) they were being really quiet, library by opening every case and playing which always makes me nervous, and 2) they every game until they find the one they like were actually sitting still. best. Finally, I think the sugar-high settled You have to also have a group activity down a bit, because they managed to sit that will help burn off a lot of the sugar. It also down and play Grand Theft Auto IV for helps if it keeps them active and doesn‟t get roughly ninety minutes. boring. Once of the better methods of doing this is Rock Band. In California, PO3 Shon Elliott brought over his complete instrument set and we finally got all the youngsters strapped in and enjoying themselves while also letting them belt out some of the songs. It got a bit silly after a while, but everyone had fun. Rock Band often tends to let people play for hours on end, so this was an excellent option for whiling away those hours that seem to drag on in the middle of the night. PO2 Shon Elliott (standing) and MID Michael Haynes (seated) Without question, the discuss song selection for Rock Band. worst parts of the marathon are when you‟ve run out of steam to

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GUIDE

How to survivE EXTRA LIFE play games. Especially when your eyes are about to fall out of your skull if you look at another screen. This is when you switch to board games to give yourself a little bit of a break from watching colorful pixels dance in front of you. I‟ve found the best board game to engage people to be Monopoly. Players of all ages love Monopoly and it‟s rare to find a group willing to play with you. A single Monopoly game can burn up at least ninety minutes to two hours with all the wheeling and dealing. Not only does it

allow you to sit down and play and have fun, but if you‟re also hungry, it‟s a good time to break out with the planned meals like pizza or sandwiches. You‟re already sitting down, you have the game in front of you. All you need now is a good drink and a hearty meal to get you through. If you can use all these tips successfully, one can survive any gaming marathon with ease. CDR Michael Garcia, LT Melissa Hadley, PO2 Shon Elliott, and MID Michael Haynes contributed to this report.

Ultimately, you will find yourself wanting to do a little gaming on your own, so it’s important to bring your own computer or laptop with you. (PO2 Shon Elliott engages in solo play at his gaming rig.)

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PROFILE

Crewmember profilE: SCC-68924 SARAH RANDLE

Ensign Sarah Randle joined USS Gygax during the February Recruitment Drive; she was one of eight new crewmembers to join our chapter during that time. We asked Chief Operations Officer Lieutenant Melissa Hadley to interview her for this month’s edition of Achievement Unlocked so we could get to know one of our newest shipmates. Please be sure to welcome Sarah in the forums!

NAME: RANK: ASSIGNMENT: AGE: LOCATION: CAREER ASPIRATIONS: HOBBIES:

Sarah Randle

ANIMAL COMPANIONS:

A rabbit named “Gonzo,” and a golden retriever named, “Maximus.”

FAVORITE TREK ERA: FAVORITE TREK CHARACTER: FAVORITE GAME:

TNG & DS9

FAVORITE NON-TREK TV SHOW: CURRENTLY READING LAST MOVIE WATCHED:

Ensign Services Department 28 Cupertino, California Recent Masters in Sociology Cross-stitching, Hiking, Camping, Gaming, Being Nerdy.

Garak. He‟s mysterious and funny. World of Warcraft. Recently downloaded Star Trek Online. Loves anything Zelda or Portal. Tie between Doctor Who, Firefly, and Battlestar Galactica. Mirror Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold “Sherlock Holmes”

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FEATURE

Old games new mods by CDR Michael D. Garcia

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FEATURE A PAIR OF DEFIANT - CLASS CORVETTES LEAD A FLOTILLA OF NOVA - CLASS FRIGATES AND PURSUIT FIGHTERS IN COMBAT AGAINST A KLINGON ATTACK GROUP, IN SIERRA GAMES’ HOMEWORLD 2 WITH THE STAR TREK: CONTINUUM MOD ENABLED.

SCREENSHOT COURTESY OF SKULLFOUR OF MODDB.COM

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FEATURE

By CDR Michael D. Garcia modification) one could use to enhance or even redefine the game-playing experience. fter recently joining up with a fleet We kick off our tour of Trek mods with on Star Trek Online called the the now-defunct Sierra's trilogy of real-time United Federation of Planets {UFP} strategy game under the banner of to support this writer's gaming habits, Homeworld (1999). The first of the three was discussion about older Trek games and other not exactly mod-friendly but that didn't stop a games was found to be thriving and plethora of gamers from trying. A real-time commonplace. While the focus these days strategy game, Homeworld followed the appears to be on the massively multiplayer struggle of two factions: the heroic but online game (MMOG), {UFP} has been homeless Kushan versus the cruel and around since the days of Activision's Star ruthless Taiidan Empire. Homeworld and its Trek: Voyager - Elite Force, Star Trek: Bridge sequels, Homeworld: Cataclysm (2000) and Commander, and Star Trek: Armada. What Homeworld 2 (2003), featured a full array of was fascinating about the discussion was the Trek mods from Star Trek: Sacrifice of Angels talk of different Trek mods (short for to Star Trek: Continuum, all boasting some

A Federation fleet doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hold back against the enemy. (Sierraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Homeworld with the Sacrifice of Angels mod enabled)

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FEATURE

Once the mod is active, you get a new menu in Sins. (Ironclad Gamesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Sins of a Solar Empire with the Sacrifice of Angels 2 mod).

rather impressive graphics, meshes, audio, and storylines that would make any owner want to play this game again. Sacrifice of Angels (Homeworld) was a total conversion mod, meaning that none of the original factions are available for play. True to its name, it was a mod-version of the Dominion War from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, leaving only the Federation and Dominion allied forces as available factions to lead into battle. Star Trek: Continuum (for Homeworld 2) added another faction as it featured Federation, Klingon, and Romulan fleets. Continuum has a more dynamic system to it, from research options to the many many different types of ships one could build, especially for the Federation side. Ironclad Games' Sins of a Solar Empire (2008) is another real-time strategy game, not unlike Armada or Armada II, but on a much larger scale and of course having the benefit of recent graphics advancements. The mod

we used for this feature was called Star Trek: Sacrifice of Angels 2 (a sequel mod to the Homeworld version). Sacrifice of Angels II is a major upgrade from its predecessor and is a total conversion mod boasting nearly every Federation starship used in one function or another, from the Peregrine fighter all the way to the Sovereign-class battleship. Although there were some minor installation problems at the beginning, a trip to the forums housing the modding team resolved all of them to a point where it is as solid as the original Sins of a Solar Empire game. Though it's pretty much assured that most players play the side of the Federation, one could play the Klingon, Romulan, Dominion or even Borg factions against the computer or against other players with the same game and mod available. Imagine running hundreds or even thousands (if your computer can support it) of ships in a fleet to take down a Borg cube. Don't like the name of your new Galaxy-class cruiser?

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FEATURE

An Ambassador-class heavy cruiser supports its assigned battle group of Miranda-class light cruisers, while defending a Federation-held sector of space against the Romulans. (Sins of a Solar Empire / Sacrifice of Angels 2)

Change it to whatever you like. So far, SoA2 is a gem for a game long since thrown in the been-there-done-that pile. At the time of release, this mod was designed specifically for the expansion pack Diplomacy. Activision's Elite Force is best remembered for the frenetic action-packed firepower and dynamic environments of running through the starship Voyager as a member of the Hazard Team that dealt with some of the more dangerous elements of the

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Delta Quadrant. Elite Force was originally released in September 2000 and yet today, it still serves as a flourishing first-person shooter across the Internet. The mod RPG-X turns Elite Force on its ear. Rather than traipsing around the various ship interiors with a phaser, tricorder, and I-MOD, this mod actually removes the weapons and replaces it with a PADD, a cup of coffee, and of course, your trusty tricorder. With your role-play group, you can literally use the environment to

FEATURE

Two Excelsiors and an Oberth defend an outpost against pirate raiders. (Matrix Gamesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Distant Worlds with the Star Trek mod enabled)

suit whatever scenario you wish to present in order to use races, planets, stars, factions, and let your players do the rest. Many of the ships, stations, and even dialogue from the user-created environments have fully series and the movies for a Trek-like interactive panels on multiple decks, with a experience at empire-building. In short, this is working turbolift and in some cases, even an closer to Microprose's Star Trek: The Next intricate Jefferies tube system to traverse the decks. All in all, RPGX ferments an entirely new method of enjoying Elite Force. Finally, though not technically an old game, Matrix Games' Distant Worlds (2010) is a recent release, but as with most scifibased games on the market that have modfriendly controls, there is a Trek mod available. The used A Federation/Klingon fleet is about to unleash hell on the Dominion. here is simply called (Sierra Gamesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Homeworld with the Sacrifice of Angels mod) Star Trek, and allows the player to install it

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FEATURE

You can send a ship into warp from the bridge, beam people from the transporter room, grab a cup of coffee, handle a tricorder or hypospray, or use your PADD. (Activisionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force with the RPG-X mod enabled.) Generation: Birth of the Federation (a turnbased strategy game from 1999) in feel, but the execution far exceeds Birth of the Federation players' wildest expectations with the level and depth of control provided to those running each faction. Also unlike Birth of the Federation, Distant Worlds is real-time and unfortunately does not support multiplayer games. Due to the twodimensional use of ships (much like the Master of Orion series, also from Microprose), modding this game appears to be much easier than the sometimes overwhelming complexity of Sins of a Solar Empire. In fact, if you have a simple top-down graphic of any

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ship in the Federation, one could simple substitute the original graphic out. Instead of having the original game-designed ships flittering around your galaxy, you could have an Oberth-class scout frigate running exploration missions, and Defiants running escorts for your cargo ships as they transport much needed supplies between Federation member worlds. Mods like these hit the reset button on time-honored classics. Dig through that pile, blow off the dust from that disc and pop it in for renewed interest in a game you already know and love. And the best part is... you don't have to buy it (again).

THE MAD ANDROIDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PUZZLE PAGE

PUZZLES

CRAZY CROSSWORD #1 Across 1. "___ does it!" 5. Abounds (with) 10. SQL Server Analysis Services, Abbrev. 14. Halo, e.g. 15. Hoisted, nautically 16. Alternative to nude 17. Son of Telamon 18. TOS communications officer 19. Give up 20. Spock's first choice for research 23. Capital of ancient Abilene 24. Genus in the Laridae family 25. Klingon general and Chancellor 28. "Pumping ___" 30. Adjutant 31. ___ian Slime Devil 33. Amazement 36. Plays an essential role body flexibility 40. Discomfort 41. A crawling Silicone-based lifeform 42. ___ of Sandwich 43. DS9 Actor Auberjonois 44. Short, stocky, bearded metalworkers from Pratchett's Discworld 46. Computer character encoding scheme 49. Alternate spelling of tuyere 51. Four-lobed grain of wheat and rye; Tribbles dig it 57. Army National Guard, Abbrev. 58. Fad 59. Stepped 60. Nota ___ 61. Busy places 62. About, on a memo 63. Derived from an aromatic ring (eg: phenyl) 64. All tuckered out 65. The station that steers the ship

Down 1. A lake and volcano in the Philippines 2. Islamic fundamentalist organization 3. Spirited horse 4. Economic burden ratio

5. Vulcan engineering ensign from Star Trek: The Next Generation. 6. Gas additive 7. Genus of plants in the Family Brassicaceae 8. Dali contemporary 9. Junk E-mail 10. Disc-shaped beads used as decoration on clothing 11. Short, erect tail (plural) 12. Astrological ram 13. Hindu or Buddhist aphorism 21. Blood-typing system 22. Loaded with sensors 25. Feline NPC from .hack//SIGN 26. Artificial Intelligence Applications Institute, Abbrev. 27. Rear admiral, lower half (Abbrev.) 28. Actress Swenson 29. No longer working: Abbr. 31. Desperate 32. Star Trek: Enterprise, Abbr. 33. Jewish month

34. Klingon security chief on TNG 35. Emergency Neurologic Life Support, Abbr. 37. Churchill's "___ Finest Hour" 38. TNG & DS9 Writer Moore 39. North American ecozone 43. Young male horse under the age of four 44. Can't stand (someone/thing) 45. Windows Experience Index, Abbr. 46. Jordan's only port 47. More likely 48. Shrewd 49. German river, flows to the Baltic Sea 50. To become lean or wrinkled from age or illness 52. Jazz saxophonist Larry or Football Quarterback Craig 53. Stumble 54. Florence's river 55. Forsaken 56. Home for Adam and Eve

SOLUTION IN NEXT MONTHâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ISSUE!

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THE MAD ANDROID’S PUZZLE PAGE

PUZZLES

WORD SEARCH: STARSHIP CLASSES

AKIRA AMBASSADOR ANTARES APOLLO BRADBURY CENTAUR CHALLENGER CHEYENNE CONSTALLATION

CONSTITUTION DAEDALUS DANUBE DEFIANT EXCELSIOR GALAXY INTREPID KOROLEV MIRANDA

NEBULA NIAGARA NORWAY NOVA OBERTH OLYMPIC PROMETHEUS SABER SOVEREIGN

SOLUTION IN NEXT MONTH’S ISSUE!

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SOYUZ SPRINGFIELD STEAMRUNNER SYDNEY WELLS YELLOWSTONE

FANFIC In this issue of ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED, we are pleased to bring you the first two chapters of a crossover fanfic featuring Star Trek and Doctor Who.

Chapter One Visual Range NCC-74705 (USS Bellerophon) Cestus Sector, Warp 9.975 Main Bridge Stardate 65539.4 Lieutenant Commander Martha Jones cast furtive glances at her commanding officer from her seated position on the bridge. The Intrepid-class starship Bellerophon hurtled toward the source of the distress call at maximum warp, and the already-tense atmosphere emanating from the captain's chair notched upward a tick once the distress call ceased. "Let's hear it again, Mister Blake," ordered the captain. Lieutenant Commander Ursula Blake, the ship's chief operations officer and third-incommand, replied with a quick affirmative before replaying the last distress call for the fifth time. The overhead speakers crackled to life with the sound of communications interference. "This is... -nant Silok, acting commander of Outpost Zeta-Thirtee- ... -any Starfleet vessel within the sound of my voice: we have sustain- ... -vy casualties. We are attempting to evac- ... -able to engage escape pods or shuttle- ... -quire immediate assistance. I repeat- ..." The message dissolved into static once more, but for the final time. On the heels of the final bit of static in the message, the captain rose from her seat and strode toward her ready room. "Number One," she said in the same accented English as Martha, "you have the bridge. I need to consult with Starfleet Command." Without waiting for a response, the captain disappeared behind the sliding doors.

Martha turned her attention back to the streaking stars of the viewscreen and announced, "I have the bridge, aye, sir." Lieutenant (jg) Ethan Pope turned around from the helm console to face Martha. "Sir, forgive me for saying so, but it seems more than a little odd that Starfleet should be so secretive about the details of this outpost no one heard of before today." Jones did not meet the helmsman's blue eyes. Instead, she chose to occupy herself with the center console she shared with the captain. "You're forgiven, but let's concentrate on our duty. What is our ETA to the outpost?" Pope answered quickly, "Five minutes, sir." "Right." Jones keyed open a commlink.

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FANFIC "Bridge to Engineering." A baritone voice replied, "Engineering. This is Taurik." "Commander Taurik, we will be arriving at the outpost in under five minutes. Prepare your engineering teams for immediate boarding." "Acknowledged, sir. Engineering, out." "Mister Cooper," Jones called out. The ship's chief tactical officer, Lieutenant Gwen Cooper, replied from her duty station. "Sir!" "Security alert two, all teams," ordered Jones. "I don't know what the hell we're flying into, but I intend to be prepared." Gwen grinned. "I couldn't agree more, sir. Security alert two." The console began to beep wildly. "Incoming transmission, Commander. Starfleet Security. Eyes only, commanding officer." Martha did not reply, instead she opened a link to the captain. "Sir, you have a call holding from Starfleet Security." The captain's contralto tone floated down from the bridge speakers. "Pipe it through." She nodded to Gwen, who in turn routed the call as ordered. "Patching it through, now, Captain." The communication was open for a mere fifteen minutes, and included a series of data packets on an encoded frequency. After the call was completed, the captain returned to the bridge. "Number One, I want a meeting of the senior staff in ten minutes." Martha shared a look with Gwen as she responded, "Aye, sir. Ten minutes."

eration. The Zeta outposts are scientific in nature, each one dealing in theoretical experimentation," Magambo said to her senior staff within the bridge's conference lounge. She stood before the large screen as they listened. "Thirteen was charged with controlling recovered Borg technology to discover the feasibility of constructing a transwarp network. "According to their last report, they had progressed to the third phase of research, which involved the activation of a repaired Borg conduit generator. This phase also included a series of experiments to determine how such a network is generated and sustained. The first experiment was completed three weeks ago. The eighth experiment was to have been completed today. "Starfleet believes that this experimentation may have been the cause of this accident. At this time, Bellerophon is the only ship assigned to investigate. Two additional starships are being dispatched, however, Cestus' position prevents a speedy arrival. It will take one week for the closest ship to arrive. "Our orders are to initiate a full investigation while also preventing any other starships from entering a buffer zone of onequarter parsecs. Mister Cooper and Mister Pope, you will utilize the ship's shuttles to run a picket line to prevent any trespassing." Lieutenants Cooper and Pope replied their understanding of the order. The captain continued, "Number One, Commander Taurik, Doctor Thann. You will take a series of away teams to the outpost, catalogue the dead as well as all data retrievable from the outpost computer." After all of the senior staff acknowledged their assignments, the captain dismissed them all. Commander Jones remained behind. "Outpost Zeta-Thirteen was one of "Yes, Number One?" asked the captain. twenty-five outposts littered across the FedMartha frowned. "Begging your pardon,

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FANFIC sir, but was there something else that Starfleet mentioned? Something not quite right about their experimentation?" The captain grinned inwardly. She turned away from Martha to face the viewport. "Four years we've served together. At times, I forget how perceptive you are." Martha angled her view to the deck, repentant. "I meant no disrespect, sir." "And none was perceived, Number One, I assure you." The captain folded her arms. "No, Starfleet held me enraptured by tails of dimensional transport they felt should be classified at the highest levels. What I withheld from the wardroom, I will share with you with the condition that you do not repeat it." "Of course, sir. I give you my word." The captain returned to hold her executive officer in warm regard. "Your word has always been without reproach."

Within the confines of main engineering, Commander Taurik and Lieutenant Cooper lifted each of the data nodes and settled them in a row. Every other one showed signed of damage to the exterior. "You think you can sort any of this out?" asked Gwen as she set one of the nodes into the data port cradle. Taurik ran a series of commands from his station as he answered, "I shall endeavor to do so, Lieutenant." He peered at the results. "This node's data has degraded to seventy-three percent. It may be possible to recover the remainder." His eyes looked over the engineering personnel working in the compartment. Gwen touched the console interface and tapped it to zoom to the degradation report. "Mister Sato!" called Taurik. "A moment of your time, please." Systems Specialist First Class Toshiko

Sato handed off her current work to a fellow petty officer and approached the console in use by the chief engineering officer. "Yes, sir?" she replied. Taurik turned to face the lieutenant. "Lieutenant Cooper, I'm not sure if you have met Specialist Sato?" "Gwen Cooper," she nodded. "A pleasure, sir," replied Toshiko with a small smile and a quick nod. "She is one of our most experienced computer specialists. I'm confident she will recover the data easily." Gwen raised her eyebrows. "That's high praise, coming from him." Toshiko grinned. "I believe that's the first time he's paid me a compliment." If Taurik was discomfited, he hid it well. "The data in these nodes, Mister Sato, is of the upmost importance to the captain and apparently, Starfleet Command. Any information you should happen to be privy to in the course of your assignment, is of the highest classification. Obviously, I will be unable to provide you with any assistance from your peers." "I've never really needed it, where this kind of work was concerned, Commander," Toshiko said with pride. Taurik continued, "If you require any assistance, contact me directly. Do not accept any projects from any other officers, until further notice." "Aye, sir." "Lieutenant," said Taurik, before he turned away to approach ladder up to the second level. Gwen followed the Vulcan and when they stood before his private station, she turned to peer down at Toshiko working on her new assignment. "She must be your best." "She is of great usefulness to my department," Taurik admitted as he logged into the computer station and activated the primary display. She changed the subject. "What do you

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FANFIC think of the latest report to come from Doctor Thann?" "I'm calling up the data, now." Now, he had her attention. Gwen read the report as filed by the doctor only minutes prior. "Fascinating." "That's one word for it." She read out loud, "'Deceased showed signs of complete cellular disruption at the subatomic level.' What do you make of that?" Taurik blitzed through the data as only a Vulcan could. "It could be a possible side effect of their experiment. The captain did say they were attempting to create a transwarp tunnel through space, using borrowed technology. If the event horizon was unable or perhaps too powerful, an uncontrolled burst of radiation from the tunnel could have this effect." "I'm not quite certain of that, sir." Gwen extended her left index finger to trace around the lines of the scans. "I'm neither an engineer nor a doctor, but to me, this looks like the damage pattern of an energy weapon. Look at the rings." "That is one way of interpreting the data," he said unconvinced. "I'm certain each one of us will have a unique perspective on the matter." "Commander!" called Toshiko from below. Both officers snapped their heads toward the voice. Taurik grabbed the rail with one hand and gestured with the other, beckoning her to approach his station. Gwen stifled her amusement at seeing his brief irritation with the sudden interruption. Toshiko climbed up, wearing a somber expression on her face. The data node in her hand was shaking. "I'm sorry for my outburst, sir, but I think if you will allow me...?" Taurik inclined his head toward her, moving back to give her clearance to operate his station. The display shifted to the output from the

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node. Toshiko explained, "I started with the standard algorithms, and moved through a custom series of data recovery protocols. I was able to recover some of the data on the first two nodes. They were logs and reports about something called 'Project Excelsior.' I got to the third node and started to go through some of the audio files to ensure the integrity when the file began to play." On the last words of her sentence, her voice trembled. Gwen reached out instinctively to steady the non-commissioned officer. "Are you all right?" "I'll be all right," promised Toshiko, her tone demonstrating her appreciation for the officer's concern. She shook it off and said, "I'm sorry, sir. Sirs. But you need to hear this." She touched the playback command. "The video was beyond recovery, but the audio was easier." A male voice reported, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x;ve successfully opened the gateway to a new dimension of space. Project Excelsior is a success! We are keeping the event horizon stable to the minimum requirement under the project guidelines." There was a pause. "Lieutenant, increase the stability matrix to full and let's send the test article in sixty seconds." Another voice, further away from the audio pickup replied, "Yes, Doctor." The first voice returned, "The test article is a modified torpedo casing with the standard mark ten probe sensor package aboard. It is programmed to enter the bridge and return in five minutes." A new voice, female, called out, "Doctor, the bridge is showing signs of instability. I think... I think there's something coming through!" "Shut it down!" ordered the doctor's voice sternly. "Power down the matrices!" "It's too late! I'm reading an object in the tunnel, approaching the bridge. It's coming through, now!" "I-I'm Doctor Thomas Macready of the Federation Sci-"

FANFIC A loud voice, shrill and distorted, screamed over the speakers, "ALERT! LIFEFORMS DETECTED! ADVANCE AND ATTACK! ADVANCE AND ATTACK! EXTERM-I-NATE! EX-TERM-I-NATE! EX-TERM -I-NATE!" With each word, additional voices added to the cacophony. The sounds of weapons fire never before heard filled the speakers, along with the cries of the voices that spoke earlier. Until nothing but silence remained. The audio file reached its end and the display returned to a stand-by mode. No one said a word. Anywhere within the compartment. Taurik noticed that all of his staff were now looking up at the second level in horror. "Return to your duty, at once!" he ordered in a raised tone. He pulled the node from the connection and held it. "Mister Sato, Lieutenant Cooper, with me. We're going to see the captain."

Chapter Two Intruder Alert NCC-74705 (USS Bellerophon) Stationary position relative to the remains of Outpost Zeta-Thirteen Cargo Bay Two Stardate 65539.9 Ensign Coralie Picard hated her name. Not her first name nor her middle name, but her surname. All of the Picards serving in Starfleet often felt as though the most famous Picard in history ruined it for the rest of them. Throughout her childhood, she sought her inspiration for joining Starfleet from Jean-Luc Picard; a fellow countryman who not only held back the Borg with his guile and intellect, but managed to broker peace treaties with several races as a Federation Ambassador. When Coralie obtained her appointment to Starfleet Academy, it seemed as though everyone assumed she was related to Jean-

Luc Picard. It got to be something of a novelty at first. She even tried to find a relation through some obscure fifth cousin, thriceremoved, but it turned out to be a dead end. No, her family of Picards shared only the name, but no common ancestry. In fact, her family adopted the name to hide their true ethnicity in France during one of the world wars. Every time she introduced herself, she saw that flash of recognition at the mention of her name. And every time, she would have to disappoint them. No, she was his daughter or niece or cousin or related by marriage. She was just Coralie Picard, a disappointment from the start. With every meeting, she felt the expectation of a storied and vaunted career slip further away from her, until she lost a majority of her drive and determination. She traded in the red uniform of command for a gold uniform of support services, and was reassigned from helm duty to cargo inspection. On a ship in flight, her daily duties included the inventory of the cargo bays. They remained unchanged until consumption or transfer. Each day, she completed her inventory in boredom. She memorized every code and number of each container housed within that bay; in every bay aboard, actually. She completed her inspection of the third row of containers, and moved to the fourth and final row. She heard a scraping noise behind her and a felt a breeze coming from the ship's environmental systems. Her light brown hair fluttered about her face, obscuring her vision as she closed her eyes to prevent damage from the whipping strands. When the breeze died down, she turned around. It was when she noticed a new container sitting in the corner of the cargo bay. Coralie had passed that corner of the bay hundreds of times before since they departed from Starbase 36 months ago. It was always vacant. No one would store anything there without her notice. But now, standing before her plainly was a tall and narrow dark blue box with a small light on top.

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FANFIC

The box appeared to be constructed of wood, and had lighted words at the top; "POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX." She put away her PADD and retrieved her tricorder. It scanned as it appeared to be: A wooden police call box, circa 1963 on the old Earth calendar. "What the hell is it doing here?" she asked herself. Coralie reached for her commbadge to contact her superior officer, but one of the sides opened inward and a head popped out from within. It was a man with spiky dark brown hair and an inviting smile. He wore an old-style business suit of brown with grey pinstripes with a long tie and a vest, all covered in a light brown trenchcoat. "Hello, there," he greeted, using an Estuary English accent. "I seem to have taken a wrong turn and I'm in need of some assistance. Can you tell me what year this is?" Coralie stood, unblinking at the man. "W-

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What?" she sputtered incredulously. He moved out of the box completely. The man was tall and thin, with his hands shoved into the pockets of his trousers. "Can you tell me what year this is?" he asked again. "W-What?" she repeated, still not comprehending what was going on. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" "Hold on a tick," he said. His smile widened more, and he pointed at her. "Are you French?" "I'm Parisian," she said with pride. "And who are you?" "Oh, this is brilliant. I love the French." He stepped forward and introduced himself, "I'm The Doctor. And you are...?" She took a step back, unsure of his intent. There was something about his smile, though, that set her at ease. "Ensign Coralie Picard, of the Federation starship Bellerophon." "Federation? The Galactic Federation?"

FANFIC he asked, scratching at his left ear. Coralie blinked a few times. "No, the United Federation of Planets. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x;ve not heard of it?" "Afraid not. What year is it? Thirty-three seventy-something?" "It's twenty-three eighty-seven. And what sort of doctor are you? What's your name?" "Just 'The Doctor.'" He paused at the new information. "And it's twenty-three eightyseven? Are you sure about that?" She nodded. "Positive. I'm in the middle of the cargo inventory right now, and my list is stamped with the present time. It's Stardate 65540, which is the last month on the old Earth calendar of twenty-three eighty-seven." "'Stardate?' Now you're not making any sense," the Doctor told her with a soured expression. "Humans shouldn't be this far outside their solar system, yet, let alone traveling at this many times the speed of light." Coralie replied, deadpan, "Should we apologize?" The Doctor sighed as his eyes scanned the interior of the cargo bay. "I always seem to end up in closets and storage areas." He returned his gaze to Coralie. "I wager we're aboard a ship of some kind and you might tag me as an intruder." An intruder! Coralie inwardly groaned. In the course of conversing with the strange man, she forgot that she had a duty to perform. "I apologize, but you will need to come with me, sir." "That's fine. I'm not going anywhere for at least twenty-four hours," replied the Doctor. "I'm curious about why you're out here and what all this is about, anyway." Coralie slapped her commbadge. "Picard to security. Intruder alert, Cargo Bay Two. The intruder doesn't appear to be armed, and has submitted to my authority. Please send a team to my location." A feminine voice with a Welsh accent replied, "Understood, Ensign. A team will arrive presently."

"Thank you, sir." "'Sir?'" said the Doctor in surprise. "But that was a woman's voice, yeah?" "Starfleet protocol requires us to respond to all superiors as 'sir.'" The Doctor's nose wrinkled. "'Starfleet?' Is that like UNIT?" "To what unit are you referring to, sir?" "UNIT, you know? The Unified Intelligence Taskforce in the twenty-first century?" Coralie shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't." The Doctor muttered to himself, "I must be in a completely different timestream, then. Nothing seems right, here." Before she could respond to him, a security team consisting of a small, but stocky man and a tall and muscular woman entered with their type-two phasers drawn. "Sir, if you could come with us, please?" the woman said. "I'm unarmed, gentleman and lady. Please put your weapons away," the Doctor replied, raising both arms up in surrender. "And don't call me 'sir.'" Within the ship's medical bay, Commander Jones held the Doctor's sonic screw-

driver in her hands, eyeing it carefully. It had a blue light at one end and a black tip at the other. "And this was all he had on his person?" The ship's chief tactical officer, Lieutenant Gwen Cooper, shook her head. "No, sir. He had a small piece of paper in a folded case," she said, handing it to the executive officer. "The strange thing is, when my man over there handed it to me, it held his vital statistics upon it until I touched it. I'd like for Commander Taurik to analyze it." "Agreed," Jones said, now looking over the blank paper. "And this other device, too. Make sure it isn't a weapon." The Doctor replied before Gwen could.

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FANFIC "It's not. It's my sonic screwdriver. It's a tool, not a weapon." Martha turned around and cast a stern glare at the Doctor. "Every tool is a weapon, if you hold it right." She stepped forward to introduce herself, "I'm Lieutenant Commander"Martha Jones!" said the Doctor at the same moment. "As I live and breathe!" Confused, Jones continued, "I'm the ship's executive officer." As soon as she came into view, the Doctor's eyebrows rose and a wide smile appeared upon his face. "And Gwen Cooper! But, this is fantastic!" Jones' expression changed to one of completely confusion. "Have we met before?" His grin widened perceptibly. "In another time, another parallel universe. Though, I find it odd that you would appear further down the timestream than in my universe. Very strange," the Doctor began talking to himself.

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"I wonder who else is here instead of back in the twenty-first century?" Gwen looked at Martha. "What the hell is going on about, now, sir?" "I haven't the faintest idea," admitted Jones, perplexed. She raised her voice to address the Doctor, once more, "Sir, I'm afraid that I'll need to hold you here in sickbay until the captain has had a chance to go over our report." The Doctor grinned uncontrollably, "And who's your captain? No, wait, let me guess. Is it Donna Noble?" He turned his head and muttered again, "No, military service isn't really her style." He snapped his fingers, "Ah! I'll bet it's Captain Jack Harkness!" "Actually," said a new voice from the entrance into sickbay. "My name is Erisa Magambo. I'm the commanding officer of Bellerophon." His eyebrows flew up again. "Yes, of course. Captain Magambo. Well, I'm in good hands, then." Martha turned to face her captain. "Obviously, he seems to know us fairly well, sir. He knew me, as well. And Lieutenant Cooper. Just said our names like he'd known us all our lives." "And apparently, me," replied Magambo with her arms folded. "I'm told you refer to yourself as 'The Doctor.' Well, listen up, Doctor. I don't take kindly to people suddenly appearing aboard my ship while we're dealing with a crisis situation." The Doctor tilted his head. "What crisis, specifically?" Martha answered, "We're

FANFIC responding to a distress call from one of our outposts on the edge of Federation territory. An experiment gone wrong, and may have released a new threat from an unknown part of the galaxy." Magambo shot an angry glance toward Jones. "Thank you, Number One." "Apologies, sir," mumbled Martha. "Doctor Thann?" asked Magambo. "Have you made a full evaluation of our... guest?" Thann, a tall and thin Andorian male wearing the rank insignia of a full lieutenant, activated a viewscreen to demonstrate his findings. "Interesting physiology, sir. I could publish several papers on the findings and have an outside shot at this year's Carrington." Captain Magambo rolled her eyes. "Delusions of avarice aside, Doctor, is he human?" "No, Captain," said the ship's chief medical officer. "Dual myogenic muscular organs, he also appears to have conscious manipulation at the cellular level, and his central nervous system is reinforced by a-" Magambo raised her hand as Thann continued. "Thank you. 'No' was sufficient." She turned her attention to the Doctor. "To echo a question posed by Ensign Picard, who are you, and what are you doing here?" "Who I am has already been answered, Captain. What I'm doing here remains to be seen, however," replied the Doctor. "But I give you my word. I'm here to help." His eyes wandered between all three of the officers standing before him. "If you'll allow me to." The captain frowned and considered his words carefully. After a long pause, she admitted, "I'm not certain if it is part of your racial characteristics or not, Doctor, but I find myself believing what you're saying." The Doctor rose from his seated position on the biobed and tucked his hands in his trousers. "All I can say with absolute certainty, ladies, is that with the three of you standing

here before me... I've never been more confident in my life that I'm in the best care possible." Magambo sputtered for the first time since she took command. "How could you possibly be so confident? You don't even know us!" "I don't know you here and now, Captain Erisa Magambo, but in my timestream, you are a UNIT commander. One of the finest.

"Hold on a tick," he said. His smile widened more, and he pointed at her. "Are you French?" You and a brilliant young scientist named Malcolm Taylor managed to save my life and the lives of several civilians, whilst also preventing an invasion that would have surely-" "Doctor!" shouted Magambo. "I'm clearly not certain how you do things, but in Starfleet, we obey the Temporal Prime Directive. That means that we do not divulge any information that might affect the future!" The Doctor was taken aback. "I... don't know what to say." Magambo allowed herself a small smile in triumph. "It's quite all right, Doctor. I apologize for shouting." The Doctor, on the other hand, was not listening to her. "That a human organization is fully cognizant of the ramifications of subverting their own timestream is... most refreshing. Usually, you jump at the opportunity to learn all you can. This level of restraint is surprising and dare I say... insightful?" Martha smirked. "He's beside himself with admiration." Magambo interrupted the conversation, "The Temporal Prime Directive is one of our general orders, Doctor. I do not take kindly to it being broken in my presence." "That's fine by me, Captain. However,

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FANFIC since this is a completely different timestream, and the events I'm describing took place over four hundred years ago, technically it's the past," the Doctor replied with a cheerful smile and rocked back and forth on his feet. "Isn't it?" Clearly, the captain did not appreciate being contradicted. "I see your point." "Good. Now, the TARDIS wouldn't just drop me into a different timestream without some kind of reason," the Doctor noted as he paced around the trio of officers. "Given recent events, I gave up on believing in coincidences. What's the trouble, and how can I help?" Magambo pressed her lips together tight enough to turn them white. She regarded the Doctor with a measured gaze before turning to Jones. "Number One, secure this man in a holding cell until further notice. I shall consult with Starfleet Command." Martha did not hesitate. "Aye, sir. Mister Cooper." Gwen's phaser was in her hand. "Sir, if you will accompany me...?" The Doctor's hands came out of his pockets and extended up with his palms outward. He sighed resignedly. "Blimey! Not this again."

"What's a 'TARDIS?'" wondered Martha, after she followed Captain Magambo into the corridor outside sickbay. "I presume the blue box sitting in my cargo bay. Have it secured," ordered the captain. "No one goes near it. Especially not our guest." "Aye, sir," said Martha. She quickly issued the orders to the security officer on the bridge. "What if he's telling the truth, sir?" "And what if he's aligned with these... creatures?" snapped Magambo, as soon as they entered the confines of the turbolift. "No,

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I won't take that risk until I know more. Much more." She looked up and said, "Bridge." The lift traveled the five decks up to the command center within moments. Captain and executive officer passed through the bridge and into the ready room. "Captain to Mister Blake. I want to talk to Starfleet Command, code forty-seven." Ursula's voice replied over the speakers. "Aye, sir. One moment, please." It took ten. "Piping it through, now, sir." The small screen upon Magambo's desk blinked to show the insignia of Starfleet Command, and then the words, "AUDIO ONLY." A woman's voice asked, "Yes, Captain?" "Sir, we have taken into custody a man who calls himself 'The Doctor,'" informed Magambo, without preamble. "He claims to be here to help." "Understood. You will release the Doctor, immediately." The captain could not help her confusion. "Admiral, I-" "That was not a suggestion, Captain Magambo!" the woman's voice hardened. "Release the Doctor. He carries X-Ray clearance within Starfleet, on my authority. Is that clear?" Martha's jaw fell at the news. X-Ray was above Alpha on the Starfleet Security food chain. She nearly said something, but Magambo raised her hand to stop her. "I understand, sir," the captain said evenly. "If I may be permitted to ask a question, Admiral?" "One question, Captain." Magambo paused to consider her words. "If the Doctor holds such a high clearance, am I to presume then, that he carries a rank within Starfleet?" The woman's voice softened noticeably. "He carries no rank, Captain. Do not even address him as 'sir.' He dislikes that a great deal. But you will treat him with the same level of respect as you would me." Both Martha's and Magambo's eyes wid-

FANFIC ened. The captain nodded to the voice that could not see her. "Aye, sir. Thank you for indulging me." "You will keep me apprised of your progress as frequently as possible. Starfleet, out." The screen blinked again, and the insignia returned before it cleared and powered down. "That raised more questions than it answered," Martha said with a sigh. "Shall I-?" "You shall," Magambo pointed to the exit. "Quickly, please. And brief him on what we know so far. Take him to Commander Taurik, immediately."

Doctor Who's Who Erisa Magambo was a UNIT (UNited Intelligence Taskforce [United Nations]) Captain, she appeared in Series 4 (or Season 30, depending) episode "Turn Left," and the 2009 special, "The Planet of the Dead." Martha Jones was the Doctor's companion during Series 3 (or Season 29). She recurred in Series 4's "The Sontaran Strategem," "The Poison Sky," "The Doctor's Daughter," "The Stolen Earth," and "Journey's End," as a member of UNIT. Ursula Blake and Ethan Pope were both a part of LINDA (London Investigation 'N Detective Agency) from the Series 2 (Season 29) episode "Love & Monsters." Gwen Cooper first appeared as a Cardiff police constable in the series Torchwood (a Doctor Who spin-off), where she is one of the lead characters. Toshiko Sato first appeared in the Series 1 (Season 28) episode, "Aliens in London." She went on to be a supporting character in the spin-off, Torchwood. Historian's Note Star Trek: This takes place roughly eight years after Star Trek: Voyager's series finale, "Endgame." Doctor Who: This takes place sometime after the 2009 Special, "The Planet of the Dead," and immediately before "The Waters of Mars."

Chapter Three: “Apologies and Ramifications,” shall be published in next month’s issue of Achievement Unlocked. But before we leave it here, there are some story notes you should read for more information about the setting and the characters.

If you enjoyed this fanfic and wish to read more like it, we highly recommend the Ad Astra Star Trek Fanfiction Archive, located at http://www.adastrafanfic.com.

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TRAINING

ri s

Tri g

we ll

TRAINING OFFICE

The following is a list of all courses completed by Gygax personnel in the month of February 2012. For more information on how you sign up for courses online and add your name to next months‟ list, visit the Starfleet Academy website.

CDR MICHAEL D GARCIA COC 201: DISTINCTION SIM 105: PASS

ENS MARTY MONTGOMERY OTS: HONORS COS 101: DISTINCTION COS 102: DISTINCTION COS 103: DISTINCTION COS 104: DISTINCTION COS 105: HONORS SORS 101: HONORS SORS 201: PASS SORS 202: HONORS SORS 203: PASS SORS 204: HONORS SORS 205: HONORS SORS 206: DISTINCTION SORS 301: HONORS SORS 302: PASS

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ENS TED POOL OTS: PASS COS 101: HONORS COS 102: DISTINCTION COS 103: HONORS COS 104: HONORS COS 105: HONORS COS 202: DISTINCTION COS 301: PASS OW 114.1: PASS SORS 101: PASS SORS 102: HONORS SORS 103: HONORS SORS 201: PASS

ENS SARAH RANDLE OTS: HONORS COS 101: DISTINCTION COS 102: DISTINCTION COS 103: DISTINCTION COS 104: DISTINCTION COS 105: DISTINCTION

ENS DUANE WATTS

COS 104: DISTINCTION

ENS JAMES E HOWARD OTS: PASS

COURSES COMPLETED: ACADEMY STUDENTS:

38 6

BUPERS

BUREAU OF PERSONNEL This report consists of all changes to personnel status within the month of February 2012. This will include those persons who have come aboard to join, departed the ship, received a promotion or appointment into a staff position.

ENS JOSHUA BENNER

PROMOTED TO LIEUTENANT (JG) PROMOTED TO (PROV) LIEUTENANT APPOINTED AS CHIEF ENGINEERING OFFICER

PO3 SHON A ELLIOTT

PROMOTED TO PETTY OFFICER 2ND CLASS

SARAH RANDLE

MARTY MONTGOMERY

REPORTED ABOARD AS CREWMAN RECRUIT PROMOTED TO ENSIGN

MICHAEL M M HAYNES

REPORTED ABOARD AS CREWMAN RECRUIT ASSIGNED TO STARFLEET ACADEMY APPOINTED AS MIDSHIPMAN 4TH CLASS

REPORTED ABOARD AS CREWMAN RECRUIT TED POOL PROMOTED TO ENSIGN REPORTED ABOARD AS CREWMAN RECRUIT ERNESTO VILLAREAL PROMOTED TO ENSIGN REPORTED ABOARD AS CREWMAN RECRUIT MATT GILLETTE REPORTED ABOARD AS CREWMAN RECRUIT JAMES E HOWARD REPORTED ABOARD AS CREWMAN RECRUIT CHRIS M MACLIR PROMOTED TO ENSIGN REPORTED ABOARD AS CREWMAN RECRUIT

JOSHUA M FOSTER

REPORTED ABOARD AS CREWMAN RECRUIT FULL MEMBERS: ASSOCIATE MEMBERS: TOTAL MEMBERS:

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TECH U.S.S. Gygax NCC-63545 Technical Specifications

INTRODUCTION: LET’S LEARN ABOUT OUR SHIP! By ENS Duane Watts through the ship enable everyone to live in Engineering Officer comfort. A lounge provides quiet contemplation of the space outside the ship. elcome to your new ship, the Holodecks, a shooting range, and gymnasium USS Gygax NCC-63545! This round out the amenities, giving a wide range Akira-class heavy cruiser is of activities to help stave off boredom on long home to the 20th Marine Strike Group, “The deployments. Natural 20s,” as well. For those of you who In an emergency, this class of starship aren‟t familiar with the Akira-class, these has a well-staffed Sickbay and plenty of ships are a combination of torpedo boat and escape pods. This class also has the ability fighter carrier. to take on 4,500 evacuees by converting Fifteen torpedo tubes provide the areas of the ship for temporary habitation.

ability to lay down heavy amount of firepower while the Marine pilots can perform launches and landing simultaneously with our modified through-deck hangar. Additional phaser armaments provide the Akira-class with the capability to do precision strikes on any opposing craft that closes in to prevent warhead or projectile combat. Like all Starfleet ships, the Akira-class provides all of the amenities of home. Ample quarters and staterooms for officers and crew

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The through-deck hangar also gives the Akira -class unprecedented turnaround times in performing evacuation missions for other starships, starbases, or even planets, utilizing the full compliment of auxiliary craft aboard. In later issues, we‟ll go through the ship, deck by deck, to help every crewmembers become familiar with our ship, the people who work here, and the more interesting points that can be found aboard.

ENG

engineering truth By (prov) LT Joshua Benner Before considering other options, we Chief Engineering Officer must first identify what our needs are. I've compiled this (probably incomplete) list of SS Gygax is just about to needs I see for our chapter in a website: commission into STARFLEET International as a full  Topic-based discussion (post with correspondence chapter. As a comments, or threads, etc.) correspondence chapter, we are naturally  Email notifications very different than the traditional SFI regional  Event calendar chapter. While we aren't restricted by  Customizable (ranks, awards) geography, neither do we benefit from proximity. As such, our means of gathering Strictly speaking, the forum meets all of and communication in the age of the Internet these requirements. One small exception I'd is: our website. grant is that the forum's email notifications are At the launch of our chapter we quickly not always the best -- but once they are deployed a forum web site for discussions configured, they're not terrible. and tracking chapter information. Members I would love to hear from the chapter are strongly encouraged to register for an members about what they'd be looking for in a account and participate in the forum. To date website. Do you think the forum is doing a the forum has done fairly well; however, we good job? If not, where do you feel it lacks? have begun to consider if the forum is our ideal platform for communication and coordination, or if we should consider other Joshua Benner is the Chief Engineering Officer of USS Gygax and the webmaster of USSGygax.com. You can options.

reach him at eng@ussgygax.com.

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SCI

SCIENCE REPORT By (prov) LTJG Monica Ayhens Chief Science Officer

d astra, per aspera. The lovely Latin motto of Starfleet, which translates to “to the stars, through difficulty.” Even though the fictional enrollees and graduates of Starfleet Academy may have an easier time traveling to the stars physically than us denizens of the twentieth century, the fact that the stars, and all the promise and wonder that they hold, remain the focus of Starfleet‟s motto, mantra, and mission all speak powerfully not merely to the place of science in the fictional future, but in the present imagination. Maybe it‟s the historian in me, who sees introductions as a necessary evil, but I want to make this first column for Gygax’ science department a proper set-up for what is to come in future columns. Historians may be more artists than scientists, trained to interpret more than we are to explain in hard and fast rules, but we should be always ready to tell a good story. And part of that is realizing where we intersect our work, where our past and our bias and our experiences come into play. A little subjectivity has yet to kill anyone, and it certainly won‟t in a Starfleet fan club newsletter. Like many Trek fans, I think it was the science that hooked me, pulled me into the world of Star Trek: The Next Generation in the late eighties. I drank in the technobabble and the strange new worlds as much as I may have shipped Picard and Crusher (at least she was a blue shirt?) my favorite hook-up for Picard was

the piano-playing geologist, Lieutenant Commander Nella Daren. And when Deep Space Nine came along, I fell hopelessly in love with the beautiful and brainy Jadzia Dax, thus cementing my perpetual crush on blue shirts. And even when the science was wrong – and oh kids, when Trek got it wrong, they did so big time – the fact that science was so important, that discovery and learning and exploration clearly mattered a lot to this fictional future, helped make up for things like “Threshold.” And so, future installments will be a blending, like any historical work, of past, present, and this shared vision of the future that‟s brought us all together in some way. It will hopefully be insightful. It may often seem irrelevant. It will often touch on Trek, though there may be diversions to the role of exploration in the eighteenth-century British navy, or the tasty science that is baking. It will look at science in the public, from education to how to be a „citizen scientist,‟ and how it has forever altered our private everyday lives. And on days I am cramming for my doctoral comps, it may try to explain the question of textual authority in Enlightenment medical science. I apologize in advance for those days.

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WHAT’S NEXT

MARCH 2012 Chapter Events: March 1: March Newsletter published. March 3: “Facility 4028” feature episode release (STO). March 5: Chapter Monthly Status Report (MSR) due. March 10: “Boldly They Rode” feature episode release (STO). March 12: USS Gygax commissions! March 13: CDR Tia Marie‟s Birthday! March 20: Artwork submissions due for April newsletter. March 25: Written submissions due for April newsletter.

In the APRIL 2012 issue of ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: FEATURE STORY: An in-depth interview with the developers of the highly-anticipated iOS game (pictured), Star Command! ENS Duane Watts will take us further into the inner workings of USS Gygax with part one of his Technical Specifications. ENS Ted Pool will give us his opinion on the latest featured episodes from Star Trek Online. And there‟s more fanfic ahead with Chapter Three of Star Trek: The New Threat. SEND ALL NEWSLETTER SUBMISSIONS TO COMMS@USSGYGAX.COM!

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MASTHEAD

CREDITS

PUBLISHER CDR Michael D. Garcia, CO (co@ussgygax.com)

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF LTJG Larry L. Balsley, ChiComm (comms@ussgygax.com)

CONTRIBUTORS VADM Chrissy Killian LCDR Tia Marie LT Melissa Hadley (prov) LT Joshua Benner (prov) LTJG Monica Ayhens ENS Duane Watts PO2 Shon Elliott MID Michael Haynes

ARTISTS CDR Michael D. Garcia LCDR Lauri McConaughey (USS Indomitable, R5)

APPLICATIONS Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X3 Autodesk 3DS MAX 2010 x64 Notepad++ Microsoft Publisher 2010 Crossword Compiler 8 Issuu.com

SPECIAL THANKS VADM Chrissy Killian CAPT Zach Perkins USS PeaceKeeper (sponsoring chapter) USS Angeles USS Navras, R3 USS Zavala, R3

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ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED is a publication of the Communications Department of USS Gygax. USS Gygax is a correspondence chapter of STARFLEET, The International Star Trek Fan Association, Inc. It is intended for the private use of our members. USS Gygax and STARFLEET hold no claims to any trademarks, copyrights, or properties held by CBS Corporation. All content from STAR TREK including still images and character names and other trademarks is the property of CBS Corporation and used without intention of infringement. STARFLEET, The International Star Trek Fan Association, Inc. operates as a non-profit fan club and is committed to promoting STAR TREK. ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED BY USS GYGAX is licensed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommericial-NoDerivs 3.0 License. Some rights reserved.

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The rank insignias in this publication were created by Kuro-chan of KuroRPG.net. If you wish to obtain them and an up-todate copy, access kuro-rpg.net.

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