the commonwealth -1- issue 8: december 2013 · the commonwealth -2- issue 8: december 2013...

The Commonwealth -1- Issue 8: December 2013


Greetings members of Region 20, By the time this issue reaches your data files, I will have completed nearly three months as your RC, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support. A huge thanks and debt of gratitude goes to Fleet Captain Dan Adams for stepping in and taking the reins once again during a fluid time, and congratulations are also in order for FCAPT Dan on his promotion and Fleet Order of Merit Award, 'Order of Axanar, First Class'—very well deserved. Thanks Dan, your service is appreciated. I would like to reiterate Dan’s call to you, our members, that if you don’t speak up and let me and your COs know your thoughts and wishes for the way forward, then it is difficult for us to try to achieve it as a region. Remember, there is no limit to what could be accomplished if we want to, so talk with your chapter COs and feed those thoughts through to your regional team. I too have a few plans of my own that I would like to try and bring about to enhance our member experience and grow as a region, but more about that later. My first couple of months in command were busy and eventful to say the least; assisting and navigating the nebula of diplomacy with the transfer of our former chapter the ISS Isaac and, more recently, the change of command and chapter designation of the USS Alba among those tasks. I would like to wish the skipper and crew of the USS Alba God speed as she continues her voyage. One of the finest moments in a Captain's tenure is the graduation from shakedown programme of one of our chapters, so I am very pleased that the USS Cuchulain, has made it. Well done to the crew of the Cuchulain; she also hosts the newly formed 391st 'The Banshees Marine Strike Group' under the tutelage of OIC Cmdr Frank Kiernan. I would also like to congratulate Captain Matthew Bergin and his XO Lorna Bergin as the USS Iceni also graduates from shakedown programme. Well done all. We also have a new logo. Huge congratulations to LTJG Adam Dolphin for his winning entry, read more on this later in this issue. Working closely with our new Region 20 SFMC Liaison Officer, MGSGT Jamie Spracklen, 20th Brigade OIC, we are seeing a growth in the ranks of our Marine Corps which is very pleasing, with more plans for


the future. Both myself and Jamie will continue to work together to enhance our region's fun experience. One of the ways in which I would like to see our Region grow and have fun is through engagement with other groups. This already happens locally at chapter level and one example of this is the Cuchulain where her crew work closely with their friends in Emerald Garrison, Ireland, Star Wars costuming and trooping group and Heroes and Legends groups along with our friends at Dublin Comic Con, the 501st Troopers and our close friends over at Starbase 24, Rear Admiral Kehlan commanding. Indeed, recently a good number of Region 20 members had shore leave at the annual Starbase 24 Klingon Banquet; more on that later. As RC, I am pleased to extend the hand of friendship also to the commander USS Equulus, Captain Will Ross, Will is organising the second First Contact Day in April 2014 and Region 20 will be present to enjoy this great event once more time. One of my dreams as RC is to hold a Region 20 organised event and to that end, I have commissioned an Events Committee which will be chaired by our Events Co-ordinator and Chief of Staff, Ens Patricia Stoneham. More news on the work of this committee will be announced in future publications but, suffice to say, at this stage, Region 20 will be hosting an organised Star Trek/sci-fi event. Another way in which we can enhance our experience for those of us who enjoy online gaming, is Star Trek Online. There is a team on the USS Cuchulain called the Hounds of Cuchulain that have set out on a mission of exploration, conquest and fun exploring the Star Trek Online universe. I would like to see this rolling out fleet wide, not just with that game but with others such as Attack Wing etc. There were a few bumps on the road so far but overall Starbase 20 is operating within normal parameters. Perhaps I will have to have a word in the ear of our Chief Engineer to squeeze a few more kilocochranes of power to increase our peak efficiency in time for our next communiqué across to my counterpart at Starbase 24!

Alan

FLEET CAPTAIN Alan O'Shea

Regional Coordinator


In this Issue ...

In this Issue ... ...................................................................................................... 4 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................. 5 Issue Dates........................................................................................................... 5 Region 20 Logo Competition ............................................................................... 6 Facebook Frolics .................................................................................................. 7 Ten Forward: Sudoku........................................................................................... 9 GAME ZONE: Star Trek Attack Wing ..................................................................10 Ten Forward: Word Search................................................................................13 AWAY MISSION: The Klingon Banquet ..............................................................14 Personal Log Entry: CMDR Frank Kiernan, USS Cuchulain.................................16 Recruitment & Retention...................................................................................19 Meeting Chapters ..............................................................................................20 Correspondence Chapters .................................................................................20 USS Alba - To boldly go ... ..................................................................................21 Cubic Magic Squares..........................................................................................22 The Perils of Deep Space Travel.........................................................................24 STARFLEET Marine Corps...................................................................................30 Dress Sense........................................................................................................31 The Cuchulain breaks Dock................................................................................33 Upcoming Events ...............................................................................................35 Ten Forward: Kakuro .........................................................................................35


@cknowledgements Our thanks go to this issue's

contributors (listed alphabetically):

FLT CAPT Dan Adams USS Ark Royal

ENS Ant Burr USS Ark Royal

FLT CPTN Alan Oshea USS Cuchulain

LT 'Zig' Potts USS Ark Royal

CMDR Frank Kiernan USS Cuchulain

CAPT Scott A J Peter USS Alba

ENS Patricia Stoneham USS Ark Royal

MGSGT Jamie Spracklen SFMC

Also:

SEV TREK www.sev.com.du

The Commonwealth is the newsletter

of STARFLEET International – Region

20. Unless otherwise stated, all articles

are the property of the author. Any

opinions expressed are solely those of

the author and may not reflect the

opinions of the editors, STARFLEET

Region 20 or STARFLEET International.

Star Trek and all related trademarks

are the exclusive property of CBS. They

are used here without permission for

entertainment purposes only.

Issue D^tes The Commonwealth Magazine is our

quarterly magazine available to

download as an A5 PDF. This means

that you can copy it to your eReader or

read it on your PC, whichever you

prefer. Publication dates are as

follows:

Issue Date Deadline for

Submissions

SPRING

SUMMER

AUTUMN

WINTER

March

June

September

December

15 February

15 May

15 August

15 November

Please remember that the Editor only

edits the magazine so unless you make

submissions, the Commonwealth will

be very small indeed. All submissions

are welcome, but the Editor reserves

the right to edit, postpone or not to

publish a particular item.

Submissions should be sent to

[email protected].

Many thanks.

LT Anni Potts

Chief of Communications

20th Fleet


Region 20 Logo Competition

First and foremost, we are delighted to have a bright, shiny new logo for

Region 20. Designed by LTJG Adam Dolphin of the USS Iceni, it is a great piece of

artwork and came out tops in the entries received. Here, as promised, are those

entries. As you can see, the standard set was very high indeed.

Submitted by LTJG Adam Dolphin

Submitted by LT Anni Potts Submitted by COL Marcus Cupps

As to the overall winner, just in case you

missed it ...

This now features everywhere.

Congratulations once again to

LTJG Adam Dolphin.


F^cebook Frolics

LT Anni Potts, USS Ark Royal

Whether you love or loathe it, Facebook is an important

medium for people keeping in touch. For me, it is invaluable.

Without it, I would have lost contact with relatives spread

across the globe long ago as well as dozens of friends I went

to school with, some of whom I've known since I was five

years old.

Many of our chapters also have pages or groups of Facebook and use it as a

vital medium for passing on information or, in the case of some, general

tomfoolery. Take the crew of the Ark Royal ...

On 8th September, allegedly, the Chubby Panda (aka Ensign Amanda Barrow)

was given command of the Ark Royal while the Captain and XO where both

engaged wth other missions. With the sense of power dizzying her head, she

decided to see "how fast this baby can go", left her position and went gadding

about the sector. Egged on by the Chief of Engineering LT Zig with the words,

"every good engine needs a bit of a thrashing every now and again. It blasts all

the **** out of the injectors", she pressed on further into space taking snapshots

of the universe as

though she were on a

family outing. Yes, all

very fascinating but

completely

unauthorised and

most unStarfleet-like.

With the constant

irritation of a strange

rattle on the bridge,

Chubby Panda reassigned valuable resources to the Science Department to

create a suitable replacement that didn't rattle. Having discovered that the rattle

was not on the bridge at all, but rather on her ear (it turned out to be CP's

Bajoran earring), the Ark Royal arrived at a planet (name and location unknown

as no official log entries were made) and Ensign Kevin Peters led an away mission

to the surface to find ... well, very little really.

Her jaunt completed, Acting Captain Barrow then laid in a course for home

before playing a prank on the rest of the crew. She implemented an illegally


obtained Romulan personal cloaking device at which point ENS Michael Hartley

took control of the Ark Royal and took her out for another "spin".

Unfortunately for Mr Hartley, things did not go quite as well as it did for

ENS Barrow. He ran into a group of space pirates at which point ENS Peters tried

to jump ship with the feeble excuse that he had to go to work, while the vast

majority of the rest of the crew took to the life pods. Mr Hartley then fired upon

the pirates loosing the entire allocation of torpedoes but largely missing them. (I

think you're supposed to target them first.)

In a final, disorganised attack against the pirates, the remaining command

crew then opted to send the Tribbles over. The Tribbles, filled with adrenaline

from high levels of excitement of the moment, began to breed almost faster

than they could be beamed off the ship. However, finally, the pirates were finally

quelled—or rather suffocated having had their ship stuffed from stem to stern

with the little furry blighters, and the Ark Royal made her escape (I believe the

correct term was 'ran away').

All was not well though. Not only was there a rogue tribble aboard the AR

threatening the Chief Engineer's white chocolate chip cookies, but a band of

Klingons appeared through a temporal rift and attacked. Battle ensued.

For a short while, the Ark Royal thought she had help when the Defiant was

spotted approaching on sensor, but that turned out to be a mucky mark on the

monitor, so having exhausted her supply of torpedoes, the Command Crew

resorted to desperate and abhorrent measures (and if this report is ever verified,

all those involved will undoubtedly be court-marshalled and thrown out of

Starfleet). They loaded the cook's dumplings into the torpedo tubes and fired

them at the Klingon vessel while conducting the Heimlich Manoeuvre to evade

their return fire.

Needless to say, the Klingons were no match for the dumplings and the battle

was won, although the Ark Royal took heavy damage with hull breaches on

Decks 3, 4 and 5 plus the loss of her warp core due to the incompetence of

ENS Hartley who inadvertently ejected it in moment of panic while trying

to replicate Romulan Ale.

In the meantime, the Engineering Chief broke down

and could be heard sobbing,

"I told you ma engines

cud na tek much

more o' this".

Mr Peters

(now very

late for


work) then went outside to effect some repairs while Engineering got the ship

going again. The core and Mr Peters (who fell off the hull) were, thankfully, both

retrieved and the Ark Royal was able to limp to the nearest non-Starfleet Klingon

shipyard to complete repairs. After a number of hours working with feather

dusters, duct tape, cable ties, and tins of spray paint from the nearest Halfords,

the Ark Royal was deemed to be "as good as new" and was taken back to her

original position. Only the stain on the carpet in the Captain's Ready Room

remained to evidence their trip, a stain that even copious amounts of soda water

and white wine couldn't shift. Fortunately, it turned out the carpet was

reversible so was duly flipped over. The fact that's it is bright pink, the crew hope

will pass the captain by. Similarly, the Klingon symbols now displaying on the

ship's navigational systems.

Ten Forw^rd: Sudoku


G@ME ZONE: St^r Trek @tt^ck Wing

Fleet Captain Dan Adams, CO, USS Ark Royal

Ever wondered what would happen if Kirk was in Command of the

Enterprise D? Would Sisko be an effective captain on the bridge of a

Cardassian Galor Class 1 ship? What hell would Kahn raise if he was in

command of the USS Defiant? How would General Martok fare in the

centre seat of the original Enterprise?

To answer these mystifying questions, you can start by looking towards the

board game “Star Trek Attack Wing”.

The game is manufactured by NECA who also make the Star Trek Heroclix

line. Collectors of this range will be very familiar with the painted models.

However, due to the nature of the game, the two lines aren’t compatible.

Players of Star Wars: X Wing will be very familiar with the rules. A full set of

rules can be found AT Wizkidsgames.com but in a nutshell, you build up your fleet

with ships from Federation, Klingon, Romulan and Dominion fleets with some of

the lesser races represented. You have a set number of points with which to

build your fleet and, as well as spending the points on your ships, you can spend

them on crew, upgrades and weapons cards.

Once your fleet is in place, the game begins. Each round consists of planning,

activation, combat and end phases.


Planning Phase You basically plan you movement

and record it using a “heroclix

dial”.

Activation Phase In the activation phase, you show

your opponents your wheel, and

move accordingly, using special

“rulers” before taking an action

such as battle stations, evasive

manoeuvres, sensor scan and

cloak (if applicable). Alternatively,

if your characters have a special action, you can use this instead. All of these

have an impact on combat.

Combat Phase If you are in range of an opponent, you roll a specified number of red dice based

on your ship’s attributes. This generates a set number of “hit” points.

Conversely, if you are attacked, you roll a specified number of green dice. If you

land an “evasive manoeuvre” you’ve dodged a hit and a point is subtracted from

your opponent's attack. The actions you took in the previous round and

additional combat actions on your cards play a role too.

The beauty of Attack Wing is that it is customisable. In the starter set you get a

Galaxy class ship, a Klingon Battle Cruiser and a Romulan Warbird. However, you

can buy ships from each of these factions, plus the Dominion. Each ship comes

with a different play

scenario to provide a

different spin on the

game. Unlike Heroclix

tactics, you know what

extra ships you are

getting. They do tend to

cost more, but you get so

much more besides the

ship, including cards and

tokens.

Additionally, if you

take part in an organised


play tournament at a participating dealer, you have the chance to win rare ships

and even if you fail to win, you still come away with a participation prize. Some

retailers charge a fee and/or offer free participation if you buy an expansion

pack on the day.

The Negatives

The colours aren’t particularly accurate in this set and have earned harsh

criticism on Internet circles. Also, the Federation ships lack registry numbers.

However, this is because the models can represent a specific ship or a generic

vessel of the class (e.g. the Enterprise D model can represent the Enterprise D or

a nameless galaxy class). If accuracy is important to you, models can be

repainted by talented people.

The Positives

The core set is a fun little game, and is easily picked

up by novices. The game doesn’t require the

additional ships to play although building up your set

and taking part in games is very rewarding, and if you

are fortunate enough to be near an organised play

event, it can be a great way to meet new people!

Overall, I’d heartily recommend this game. The core

game is straightforward, but can be expanded upon

to make a fast, fun gaming experience.

A A A


Ten Forw^rd: Word Se^rch

M Z F M N C E N I W G N I R P S Q A V B Q M T F B K V N Z A R B M R D H J E E A I G Z N Q D D O P R E T T A K F N Q T S S I E P B P C K W P B J K Q G J T E C R G E H Z U P F X X X K Z W T U L C I L S B M O B A F R U I T O U E H H F A V A K L U A W Z X A Y L A J O T G L A D S T V L G P T R W T Q U W S P J M G G D A E R B A P A K A M R K P K G U T E C F A K K O G A N K A V F T E A L H J S R A Q V R R R A S I L O V B X G G S I G T K W G I U P S A E K Y M G A P U Q Y M N D O G E Q O O A U G N M R S X U T V R A X T P P A P A R T E S V N J C R E F J W U K F N F O E W Y A N O T I Y Q R C T R B T Y A Y A A X L H G C W O K D F M A T K E I A Q H A A A N V H N X P B O E V B E D J V S B D C F S P R C W H O H O R M O D D R T L R S T A A D J A A O F S A A N G R W G E O C T R U E S E O H S I X K N S R F A N R U O G T E N R K X W C L G E P K R U L C M E T K T A P P L C R R I L C E M L D O I E S A I B E F Q K E Z K Q L S S K E G P Z O G H J F F T D X S M A O I U F W E N I W D O O L B A Q L B L U J A L V A S P Z O F T E L A H T N Y S K M Q I G L L P A S G U X D A A O K C A B J F O R A I G A K D S I H O U P R F N L C V H H U H A R M I C G X P W E S X H A C O Q A B I G H A V B K L E V O N I J A T K R A U Q O R D D D T A S S L U R I G A C A A D J H U E X G J E B R J U P A F X M K H A H F H P Z L E S I R N U S A E N I W E R I F U D E C K P Z I L B V K S V H G E K L S W X T A R G E H M V B Y N F I W B R W A L C S U I P I P E A B D A E R B A P A M Y U G E U F J I T A R E P S A H M C B J Q U E H R J X X O Z Z Z W F F K D B F T H P A M O N I J A T K A R F J A J F L D

This should keep you quiet for a bit. This issue we're concentrating on alien

cuisine. Can you find them all, and do you know what they all are and where

they are from?

Alvas

Bahgol

Bloodwine

Bregit Lung

Deka Tea

Firewine

Foraiga

Gagh

Gladst

Grapok Sauce

Groatcake

Hasperat

Jumja

Kanar

Katterpod

Kava

Klavaatu

Koganka

Krada

Larish Pie

Makapa Bread

Mapa Bread

Moba Fruit

Octopus

Palukoo

Pipius Claw

Quarktajino

Racht

Raktajino

Ramufta

Ratamba Stew

Regova Egg

Rekja

Rokassa

Rokeg Blood Pie

Rulot Seed

Shrimp

Springwine

Sunrise

Synthale

Targ

Taspar Egg

Teakle

Tojal

Tuwaly Pie

Veklava

Voodai

Warnog

Yamok Sauce

Zabu Stew


@W@Y MISSION: The Klingon B^nquet

While the Commonwealth is a Region 20 publication, we touch base with many other Star Trek organisations during the year and enjoy many events together. The USS Fortitude were the organisers for the Dawn of the Federation event that took place earlier this year and Trekology, while the USS Equulus are putting together the First Contact Day celebration in April 2014. Each year too, Starbase 24 puts on the Klingon Banquet. We are therefore delighted that Rear Admiral Khelan has submitted a piece into the Commonwealth magazine and I am delighted to be able to publish it.

EDITOR

Rear Admiral Charlotte 'Kehlan' Kebbell

Number 13: 'lucky for some' so the old saying goes

and, overall, 2013 has been a good year. Certainly

it's been a busy, productive year with a lot going

on in the Trek World.

It has always been the goal of Starbase 24 to

reach out to other groups and clubs and offer the

hand of friendship. In April we were proud to

attend and support 'Dawn of the Federation'—an

event that was designed to do just that—and one

that I REALLY wish we'd thought of first! It was an

event that was designed to not just celebrate the 50th pre-anniversary of First

Contact but to bring the clubs together to do so! It

was great to see so many groups attending and

having fun together, including a large contingent

from SFI Region 20.

Starbase 24 has always enjoyed good relations

with SFI and in particular, the crew of the Ark Royal

whose commanding officer is also my Fleet

Captain. Over the last few months, we have also

built up a relationship with the USS Cuchulain, SFI's

first Irish chapter and we are very glad to consider

them our friends too. I'd like to think it is a

friendship that has benefitted both groups.

Certainly, we have gained from it ... the new

Starbase 24 comm. badges (which are currently in


pre-production) were not only inspired by the

beautiful Irish design of the Cuchulain's new

badge but designed for us by Adam Dolphin of

the Iceni.

At the beginning of October, Starbase 24

held its 7th Annual Banquet which was

attended by a large contingent from Region 20

representing the Caledonia, the Ark Royal, the

Iceni and the Cuchulain. We were glad to

welcome renowned bounty hunter, Boba Fett

(aka Jeremy Bulloch) and his lovely wife

Maureen as our guests on the Friday night.

The Saturday Banquet celebrated the wedding of two of the Starbase 24

command team although the proceedings were unfortunately interrupted by a

troublesome penguin which resulted in a murd... um... execution taking place

and the head of the victim being

presented to the bride as a rather

gruesome wedding gift! Despite this,

attendees had a lot of fun and between

us all we managed to bring our

fundraising total to £2678.12p—a sum

which is being split between Macmillan

Cancer Support and a local dog rescue

charity. Just over 100 tins of pet food

were also donated for wildlife charity

Authorpe Hedgehog Care. So well done

to all!

As we look towards 2014, we face the future with hope and enthusiasm,

knowing that we move forward with friends at our side. No doubt we will meet

up with Region 20 members at the SF Ball in February and at various signing

events across the country. In

April, we are excited to offer our

support to the USS Equulus' First

Contact Day in Leicester and of

course, in October, the event that

does NOT exist and will NOT take

place once again in

Peterborough*. Be afraid ... be

very afraid ... for the ghost of a


vengeful murdered penguin roams the dark, abandoned

corridors. Join us if you dare for the Haunting of

Starbase 24.

E E E

EDITOR'S LOG: Additional

*Each year, the Rear Admiral states, quite categorically and in

no uncertain terms, that "this banquet is the last one". Hence,

"there is no banquet next year so you have no need to keep 24th and 25th October free", although if you did happen to pop

along to the Holiday Inn in Peterborough on those dates, you might get assimilated ... by

a penguin!

You'll also note the Klingon command chair. This was recently purchased by Starbase

24 with the help of donations from SB24 members as well as Region 20 and other ST

fans. On behalf of Starbase 24, I'd like to thank everybody who contributed. It's a great

chair and it was great to have it available on the day for photo shots and general larking

about!

Person^l Log Entry: CMDR Fr^nk Kiern^n, USS Cuchul^in This year in October I attended my first Klingon banquet. Held at the Holiday Inn,

Peterborough, I arrived on my own into unfamiliar territory, but very quickly was

made to feel welcome, such are the kind of people you meet in the Star Trek

fandom community.

Friday

The evening on Friday

consisted of a hot buffet

which was very tasty

and Jeremy Bulloch was

the guest of honour. He

proved to be a very

entertaining guest,

cracking jokes and

participating in the fun

and games that were

going on during the

meal. It was easy to see

he was enjoying himself. Now what are those pesky Romulans plotting now?


The disco that evening was

good fun and all in all a great

night was had. It was also

great meeting people in

person that had previously

only been known online.

Saturday

Popped into Peterborough

during the day (which is a lovely town and gives lots to do during the day) before

the Banquet in the evening.

The Banquet itself was very well done with you being led into the room by

the crew of Starbase 24 in full uniform and shown to your table. The meal itself

was delicious and very well presented.

There were lots of things

going on during the evening

with the charity raffle,

auction, quiz and more before

moving on to another

entertaining night of dancing

and chat with the awesome

people of Star Trek and sci-fi

fandom.

In an era where

conventions are becoming

more and more commercial, it is refreshing to go to an event so well run by fans,

for fans, for charity that is also very well organised and provides a great weekend

for all who attend.

I know I am already

looking forward to the next

one and will be looking to

make it a definite away

mission for the

USS Cuchulain and will be

hoping for a good

attendance from our crew.

A A A


Recruitment & Retention

Lt Anni Potts, USS Ark Royal

No, I haven't taken on a new role, I'm just helping out and

knowing how important it is to include a report regarding

our current status, here it is ...

With the recent transfer of the USS Isaac into

Region 11, our overall numbers have dropped a little but

it still stands at a healthy 133 members spread across six chapters and those

currently in dock.

The first thing you'll notice is that I'm not using the term "unassigned". I find

it a bit cold and alienating (excuse the pun) and all of our members, whether

they are assigned to a chapter or not, are part of Starbase 20. These members

often take part in our public spaces (like Facebook) and those of our chapters,

and may simply be in the process of deciding whether to join a specific chapter

of not. During that time then, as someone once reminded me, these members

are on Starbase 20—in dock so to speak, so I'm going to refer to them as being

in 'Space Dock'. That's not an officially adopted term—it's just me being a little

more welcoming to our unassigned members.

Members

133


Anyway, as you can see from the chart, we do have two chapters that are under

strength at the moment, but the rest of our fleet is very fit and healthy. I

personally have noticed the high level of activity and involvement by these

chapters with their members through their Facebook pages, and I know that

there is much more that goes on in those chapters outside of Facebook.

For me, this has to be one of the key reasons for signing onto a particular

ship, so if you happen to be one of those members who have yet to leave space

dock, do consider it. Each of the captains would be more than happy to hear

from you and let's be perfectly frank, you've paid your dues, why not get as

much as you can for them?

And, just in case you are thinking that none of these chapters are local to

you, three of them are correspondence chapters: the USS Ark Royal, Cuchulain

and Britannia.

Correspondence chapters work surprisingly well and I can say this from

personal experience. Living in Shropshire, there isn't a chapter near me so I

chose a correspondence chapter to sign up to. From it, I get a real sense of

belonging and I do get to meet fellow crewmembers every now and then. We

had a great time at The Dawn of the Federation earlier in the year and at the

Klingon Banquet last month.

So go on! Take the plunge! What have you got to lose?

Meeting Ch^pters

A USS Alba: (Edinburgh) CAPT Scott Peter [email protected]

A USS Essex: (Essex) - TBA

A USS Iceni: (Essex) CMDR Matthew Bergin [email protected]

Correspondence Ch^pters

A USS Ark Royal: (Worksop) FCAPT Dan Adams [email protected]

A USS Britannia: (USA) COL Marcus Cupps [email protected]

A USS Cuchulain: (Ireland) FCAPT Alan O'Shea [email protected]

A A A


USS @lb^ - To boldly go ...

CAPT (COL) Scott A J Peter, Commanding Officer, USS Alba NCC75024

Until recently, Chapter 75024 was known as the USS Caledonia,

the first (and only) Scottish based chapter in SFI. Caledonia was the

Roman name for Scotland and this term is still often used within Scottish culture.

After our recent change of command, our new by-laws allowed for a more

consensual approach to running and developing the chapter and the crew felt it

was time for a change of name. The crew all voted and approved the name

change and our request was sent to STARFLEET to amend their records. This

official message was received on stardate 112013.11:

By order of Starfleet Command, Department of Technical Services, a dispensation has been granted to change the name of CH 75024 to USS Alba. Effective immediately, the name Caledonia is retired and CH 75024 will continue operation under the new name. All the best to you and your crew. In Service to the Fleet... Alex ADM Alex Rosenzweig Director, Department of Technical Services Director, Office of Technical Information

Alba is the Scots Gaelic word for Scotland; it’s a native word and not the name

given to us by a civilisation that tried to invade us. Thankfully, the Romans were

stopped at the border and they then built Hadrian’s Wall to keep us in!

As commanding officer, I’d like to thank the many people who have sent us

messages of goodwill for our new voyages as the USS Alba. We have a small but

dedicated crew with numerous talents which have never been adequately

utilised before. In our short time as the Alba, crew members have given us two

new logos, a proposal and prototype for a

chat/messaging forum and now we have someone who

can create and actually host our website.

Finally, I’d like to thank the members of the USS

Alba for remaining with us through an unsettling period

and for their dedication and commitment to getting back

to normal and living up to the ideals of Star Trek. The Alba

has a bright future ahead.


Cubic M^gic Squ^res

ENS Ant Burr, USS Ark Royal

I mentioned the concept of cubic magic squares in the last issue of the

Commonwealth and would like to take the opportunity to explain them further.

This is a Pythagorean Triangle squared, each square is consecutively

numbered so that each magic square has the same constant.

• The 3² has 9 squares with a start number of

6 in red.

• The 4² has 16 squares with a start number

of 0 in red.

• The 5² has 25 squares with a start number

of -6 in red.

Any line in any square (including diagonals) add

up to 30. Also ...

• All ODD squares constructed consecutively

numbered in this way, have an average

value of the centre square. (The 3² has 10,

and 5² has an average value of 6.)

• The EVEN 4 magic square here operates in pairs that add up to 15 and does

not have a whole number average.

The 3, 4, 5 Pythagorean Triangle² examples a²+b²=c². In the energy equation of

e=mc², c² is half the solution to energy. The internal numbering of the magic

squares create a straight line sum constant of 30 in all directions in all 3 magic

squares.

Illustrated above, the biggest square there is c² (it is 5² or 25 squares). The

centre number and average content of the 25 squares is 6. Six could indicate a

few things. Cubic magic squares is my interpretation. This is where the six

represents the six faces of a cube. Each square cell represents a cubic cell, hence

cubic magic squares. On a quantum scale, I believe the cubic space frame is not

edge centred, but diagonally face centred.

A cubic magic square is not a magic cube; it is a magic square made of cubic

spaces, not square spaces. The inner cubes have an ability to oscillate and

The 3, 4 & 5 Pythagorean Triangle squared has 9, 16 & 25

squares.


expand downwards and upwards by half a cube, increasing the area inside the

cubic magic square.

Here a Cubic 7 square shows how the inner

cubes have created enough space to put an

expanded Cubic 5 square inside.

The prototype idea developed in a search

to find the minimum application to cubic

magic squares and the principle of space

created within. I interpreted the twelve

straight line constants in the above 5² into

twelve articulating mechanical square waves:

five thick, each with a frequency of thirty

incremented squares.

It's an attempt to copy the duality of a

wave and somehow create the unlikely

conditions for an Artificial Gravity Well to

form. I have tried to translate c², I am now

having a stab at the other half of the energy equation 'm' or mass.

I do so hope the start number of 0 in the above 4² does not indicate a

rotation value. The next time these three squares share the same line sum

constant, is when the constant sum is 90. That's where the start number of 5² is

6, 4² is 15 and 3² starts at number 26, At 3x the frequency that's a step too far

for me to take.

A A A


The Perils of Deep Sp^ce Tr^vel

ENS Patricia Stoneham, Chief Science Officer, USS Ark Royal

There has been a great deal in the news of late concerning advancements in

technology and developments by humans that edge us all that little bit closer to

the exploration of space. Deep space missions are that little bit closer to reality

for humans and NASA, in collaboration with the European Space Agency, has

indicated a timeline for when they expect to take those first steps beyond Earth

and our moon.

Construction has already begun on NASA's first Orion space capsule and will

continue throughout 2013.

That prototype is expected to

launch unmanned atop an

existing Delta 4 Heavy rocket

in 2014 for initial testing and

systems verification. A more

ambitious unmanned test

flight around the moon is

planned for 2017, when an

Orion capsule will make an

unmanned trip after launching

on the first Space Launch System booster.

The first operational flights of the complete Orion and Space Launch System

designs are expected by 2021.

NASA recently finalized a deal with the European Space Agency on the Orion

capsule's service module, which will provide power, propulsion and other vital

systems for the space capsule beginning with the 2017 test flight. The move,

NASA officials said, sets the stage for a truly international collaboration approach

to space exploration beyond low-Earth orbit.

So, what happens when we get there?

It is anticipated that early space flights beyond our own moon and Earth’s orbit

through this collaborative consortium are likely to focus on short bursts of round

trip journeys short distances to “test” the technologies and, no doubt, the

human occupants. However, ambitions have already been announced from a

competing source concerning Moon and Mars colonies, and “recruitment drives”

have commenced for “one-way” trips for those brave enough to want to go live


in one of these pioneering Earth outposts. With a low registration fee (i.e. about

the same as it would cost to apply for an identity card), there has been no

shortage of applicants wanting to enter the “lottery” in the hopes of securing

one of the four astronaut positions. Called Mars One, the privately owned and

financed Dutch

company is

raising finances

for the mission

via reality TV

broadcasts,

licence fees, and

applicants’ fees,

so far of which

exceeds 80,000

individuals all

willing to go on a

one way trip to

Mars. The company boasts a wide range of advisors from media relations

through to science and technology specialists from across the world. This

programme is not without its critics however and NASA for one has been very

vocal in condemning this group for understating the dangers and risks associated

with its planned mission. NASA’s alternative vision and timeline can be found

here

Despite the range and depth of scientific advisors that are attached to

Mars One and its associated organisation, the fact that its primary financial

backers are media companies associated with the Big Brother franchise, and that

the “business case” for this mission is built on the live telecasting of the process

from astronaut recruitment through to training and development, one has to

wonder whether it is simply a spin on another reality TV angle and if any mission

would ever actually happen, or if it is simply a licence to “print money” from

advertising revenues? Only time will tell.

So, what are the Risks and Challenges?

Radiation Exposure

A recent teleconference revealed results from data gathered via

NASA’s Curiosity Rover on the levels of exposure to radiation that

can be expected for any Mars colony. Called Radiation

Assessment Detector (or RAD for short) between December

2011 and July 2012 on Curiosity’s journey to Mars, RAD showed that an


astronaut would clock up the same radiation dose in a day that the average

American would receive in an entire year. Excluding any medical dosages (i.e. x-

rays, scans, etc.), it would be ten times more than the average yearly exposure

level, meaning that the radiation from a 500-day round-trip to Mars would

exceed NASA's current safety guidelines.

The data also revealed that the radiation comes in two forms.

1. Solar storms – On five occasions along the journey to Mars, RAD detected

rises in the amount of radiation due to solar flares. However, these turned

out to be the least of an

astronaut's problems. Although

such storms can be dangerous,

the particles released accounted

for just 5% of the total radiation

measured by RAD.

2. By far the greatest dose came

from a second source: the natural

bombardment of galactic cosmic

rays. These are produced mainly

in the dying remnants of

exploded stars that litter our galaxy. Galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) usually carry

more energy than particles ejected by the Sun, so thicker shielding is

required to stop them. And they are constant: day in, day out they will strike

the spacecraft, the astronauts inside and everything they carry along with

them for the journey.

Whereas solar particles could effectively be blocked by the spacecraft's

water tanks or special suits that the astronauts could put on, metres of dense

shielding would be needed to provide any barrier against the GCRs, given our

current levels of technological shield developments. Such extreme shielding is

not possible on today's spacecraft because it would make them too heavy to

launch.

So how do we progress?

Either we develop new propulsion technology to get to Mars faster, or we

develop lighter shielding. Both approaches are being worked on at NASA but

they will take time. (Source: Space Radiation Mars Mission Debate )

In the Star Trek world, the issue of shielding has already been addressed

through various different technologies developed both in house by Starfleet or

which has been gleaned from technologies acquired during interactions with


other species. See: Memory Alpha—Shield Technology. As with all things Trek,

the descriptions of technologies are generally vague but to note, Deflector

Shields appear to be the most effective at protecting the ship from both particle

emissions and energy from

weapons fire or from natural

sources. See: Memory Alpha

Deflector Shield. Unfortunately

however we may have to wait a

couple of hundred years for

their development!

In comparison to NASA’s

radiation risk findings, in the

Trek world and mentioned in

specific episodes and films (see

links to memory-alpha), there

are pages and pages of different types of radiation mentioned and too many to

list here but worthy of note are some similarities to those found by NASA during

Curiosity’s journey—see Memory Alpha: Radiation/Shielding

Where early work within the Moon and Space Station (ISS et al) development

missions is concerned, attention for NASA and other Space exploration nations

focussed on advanced materials development which eventually led to NASA


developing second layers of shielding protection. This included the ceramic tiles

used on the Space Shuttle’s exterior layer, and which was implicated in the

incident that led to catastrophic failure and deaths on the Columbia Shuttle after

it blew up during re-entry (see: Space Shuttle Columba Disaster)

The material itself worked well in helping to shield the occupants from

harmful effects of heat, extreme cold and radiation whilst in space, but the

methods of securing the tiles to the craft eventually failed rendering the craft

exposed to risks from re-entry heat spots (increase of around 25% at vulnerable

points) and atmospheric effects.

Another form of protection credited to NASA and its development partners is

modern diachronic glass. This is glass that has been coated with microscopic

layers (nano layers approximately 760 to 890 nanometres, or 30 to 35 millionths

of an inch thick) of up to 50 different layers of metal oxides (like rust!) which

were found to have the ability to block certain types of radiation and particles.

Nowadays, diachronic glass is more often found in architectural applications or

fancy jewellery, as it has the most beautiful rainbow effects of light refraction

that gives the glass a magical quality.

Not discussed or covered here in this article and to be addressed another day

are all the issues associated with food, water and shelter, and all the

psychological considerations of long haul space travel that would also need to be

carefully managed by any long-term missions to the moon and Mars. It will be

interesting to see how people compare between those trained to work in the

military and those coming from a civilian background, mirroring many of the

issues as seen on Stargate Atlantis and Destiny crews. Survival for any future

colony/colonies will be solely dependent on the ability of these people to work

together for the greater good.

Technologies and skills that are likely to be of importance will include


renewable energy systems, communications, advanced medical training and

equipment, and hydroponics/aquaponics for food/clean water production. All

these and more are reflected across the various programmes/series and films

from the Trek world which was definitely well thought out and ahead of its time

in approach.

A final point to consider is whether or not we are capable as a species in even

surviving in a colony away from Earth when we are blatantly not capable of

looking after our home planet without pushing ourselves to the brink of

destruction, as we allow our nation’s leaders to carve up the world’s resources

for greed and financial gain. Perhaps we need to address our species-specific

issues on-world first before venturing too far

away from home? Until such time that we are

capable of traversing the universe, a wise friend

once reminded me that there is only one way off

this planet at the moment and that is with a one

way ticket!

Links & Sources • The Orion Space Capsule

http://www.space.com/19349-orion-space-capsule-

nasa-europe-photos.html

• With Obama's Inauguration, NASA's Deep-Space

Mission Continues

http://www.space.com/19358-obama-inauguration-

nasa-space-exploration.html7

• NASA lays out vision for manned mission to Mars – as it happened

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/may/06/nasa-curiosity-mars-press-conference-

live

• Mars-One Applicants - http://applicants.mars-one.com/

• Space radiation results should spark manned Mars mission debate

http://www.theguardian.com/science/across-the-universe/2013/jun/03/space-radiation-

mars-mission-debate

• Memory Alpha Field Technology

http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Category:Shield_technology

• Memory Alpha Deflector Shield - http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Deflector_shield

• Space Shuttle Columba Disaster

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Columbia_disaster

• Space Shuttle Thermal Protection

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_thermal_protection_system

• University of Washington - http://depts.washington.edu/

• Dichroic glass - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dichroic_glass

• Dichroic filter - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dichroic_filter

• www.candyglass.net

• www.johnblazydesigns.com

• http://www.otterrockglassworks.com


ST@RFLEET M^rine Corps

MGSGT Jamie Spracklen, OIC 20th Brigade SFMC

Dear Members

Just a short article from me to introduce you to the STARFLEET Marine Corps

(SFMC), especially if you are not already one of our active or reserve marines

within the region.

So why choose to join the STARFLEET Marine Corps? Well, if you like a military flavour to your SFI membership, why not consider

joining our growing ranks? It’s easy to do—just visit the STARFLEET database

where you can easily navigate to a tab called ‘MARINE AFFILIATION’ and select

either to be an Active or Reserve, and you can change your affiliation at any time.

Being an Active Marine simply means that your primary membership with SFI

is with the SFMC, and you are referred to by your marine rank rather than your

STARFLEET rank. If you choose Reserve you can still take part in all the Marine

Corps has to offer, but you are referred to by your STARFLEET rank.

Once you have chosen to become a marine, you then can choose either to

serve in one of the units attached to most of our of region's chapters or, if you

are currently unassigned from any chapter, you can join our very first Marine

Expeditionary Unit, the 399th MEU. Please contact me for details about this.

There lots you can do as a Marine, from reading challenges to taking courses

at our very own Academy, to working towards a number of uniform ribbons and

awards by attending SFI events with your chapter/unit, and lots more.

As your Brigade Officer in Charge (OIC), I am here to help with all your marine

questions and provide advice about your membership options, so please do get

in touch with me at [email protected].


Dress Sense

Lt Anni Potts, USS Ark Royal

In a previous edition of the

Commonwealth, I had a good old

gripe about the horrendous postage

costs attached to buying dress

patterns from the US as well as the

costs of those patterns. Well since

then, the cost of patterns does seem

to have dropped a little. (I can now

buy the pattern for around $20 plus

postage). Shame I can't say the same

about the postage costs. All in all, it

still makes buying a pattern from the

US very costly so I wanted to be sure

that I was getting value for money. To

this end, I began to investigate and

thank goodness I did!

The first thing I discovered is that

the dress is not in fact a dress. The

original was a one-piece cat suit with a skirt attachment sewn onto it. This means

that any pattern you buy is not made from the original design, but is taken from

the original design. It also explains the incredibly flattering fit.

The next thing I learned was that the neckline is an absolute nightmare. It's

not just its asymmetrical design but if you look closely you will see that the

shoulder on Dianna's right-hand side is narrower than on her left. Many people

had complained that the pattern was

unworkable in this area and needed

adapting. Some had resorted to boob-

tape to keep the garment in place. (Yes,

chaps, boob-tape. It's what we girlies

use to keep that little strapless number

up and yes, it is glorified double sided

sticky tape.)

Al in all, it did not bode well. Yes, I

could get a pattern, but was it worth the


money? Would I be wasting my fabric as so many others before me had

complained?

With the Klingon Banquet fast approaching, I needed to make a decision. I

desperately wanted to have a second outfit for the evening but this dress just

wasn't going to be possible in the time available, so I opted for a compromise: a

Troi style dress—one that a Starfleet officer might wear on a posting we've not

yet seen. (I chose the Planatia Shipping yards to keep my sense of authenticity

happy.)

I took the skirt design from the original Troi dress and then modified the top

into a more formal design: a V-neck with black trim—something quite Trek. It's

not perfect and may offend the costuming die-hards, but without the creators of

new designs, we'd still be in TOS uniforms.

As to the genuine Troi dress, it's not materialised this year, but I will make it

... some time.


The Cuchul^in bre^ks Dock

FCapt. Alan O'Shea, USS Cuchulain

Earthdate 5th November 2013 was a pivotal moment in

Cuchulain's history in that we have now graduated from Shakedown cruise and

received our orders from Starfleet Command to begin our first scout mission to

explore strange Triellian emissions detected by a subspace observation post on

the edge of Neutral Zone. Command wants it checked out and have asked

Cuchulain to investigate this uncharted area covertly and report back. However,

we are not to engage so

will be running at high

warp to get to the last

known coordinates of

the emissions and we

will receive further

instructions upon

arrival.

There is a sense of

unease among the crew

as we do not know

what lies ahead. I know

that this is our first big

mission and that we are more than ready. I feel that we have the best crew in

the fleet and that I can trust each of you with our lives. Separate orders are sent

by coded dispatch to our illustrious Marine Strike Group to stand ready. Starfleet

places the highest importance on the success of this mission ...

We are currently stocking up on supplies and receiving upgrades to critical

systems while at space dock. In the meantime, I would like to introduce you to

the Command Team.

• First Officer, 391st OIC and Region VRC: CMDR Frank Kiernan

• Second Officer and Chief Engineer: LT Aidan Leonard

• Chief of Security: LT Jim Gorman

• Chief Medical Officer: Dr Pete Meaney

• and ship's Counsellor: LTJG Betty O'Brien.

Each and every one of you is an integral part of the crew. All departments report

ready and operating within normal parameters. We have a green light and are

ready to depart. This is an exiting time, to be part of the first chapter of Starfleet


International in Ireland, and all because of the vision of our former commander

and crewmate, Commander David Chapman. The crew of the Cuchulain is in your

debt and we thank you for bringing us this far on our journey. David is continuing

his journey with us as

an active member of

crew. It is our hope that

Cuchulain will be a

shining light for others

all over Ireland and

Region 20 as a whole to

form new chapters or

enter Starfleet's shuttle

craft programme.

The Cuchulain would

also like to send a

subspace message to

our friends on the USS

Iceni as they graduate from shakedown cruise. We wish the ship and crew God

Speed as she embarks on her ongoing mission to boldly go where no starship has

gone before.

Subspace communication also goes out to our Celtic Cousins on the USS Alba

as they continue their voyage.

The Cuchulain is taking shape and certainly making a mark as we move

forward with an active 27 crew members. We have a new crew patch for the

ship and Marines along with a new uniform being adopted from the Star Trek

Online universe (available from Cosplaysky.com) along with our new Cuchulain

polo shirt, and of course our fantastic Custom Cuchulain comm. badge now

available for you to buy on our website.

By the time you read this we will have celebrated

our commissioning at our Christmas party and we

are pleased to be working with Ireland's

Emerald Garrison Star Wars Costuming group

and Heroes and Legends. Together, we will be

bringing you Ireland's first chapter event Trek

Eire, so watch out for further updates as we

move into 2014. For now, though, we are

enjoying our regular meet ups and activities on

board ship and look forward to a bright future in

Ireland.


Upcoming Events

A full list of events is available on our

website at

http://www.20thfleet.org.uk/

events.html.

Event line-ups are subject to change

though, so please check the

organiser's websites before making

travel arrangements.

Unless explicitly stated, events

are not organised by any agency of

STARFLEET International.

A A A

Well, that's about it for this

issue. See you again in March,

but don't forget to send in your

articles, photos, jokes etc in the

meantime!

[email protected]

Captain's Log: Stardate 54329. The

search continues for a compatible

format with which to access Sulu's

holiday videos.

Ten Forw^rd: K^kuro

the commonwealth -1- issue 8: december 2013 · the commonwealth -2- issue 8: december 2013...

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