Star Trek: Alchemy

The Year is 2389

2011-03-17T03:30:00.000-04:00

The Federation and its allies continue in their efforts to rebuild the fleets and civilizations left devastated by the Dominion War.

Even though the conflict ended more than a decade ago, it is proving more difficult to rebuild the spirit of trust between worlds than any part of the physical infrastructure.

Governments forced to make agonizing strategic decisions during the fighting are finding that even the closest of former allies can have a very long memory. Lines drawn and loyalties withdrawn on the field of battle remain points of contention, throughout the Federation. This has left the ruling Council with a lot of fences to mend on the diplomatic front.

Research and development of new technologies pushed to the back-burner during the war effort are now returning to the fore, as the highest priority of Command.

With the bare bones of the fleet reconstructed and the fragile bridges of peace holding, at least for now, Starfleet resumes traveling the path of exploration and experimentation, rediscovering the sense of wonder that is the very core of Federation values.

Never has there been a more exciting time to be a Starfleet officer.

Join us aboard the USS Serendipity NCC-2012 as part of The Alchemy Project, and become part of the adventure as we test these new technologies, building the foundation of tomorrow with every step we take today.

Star Trek: Alchemy

The future is no longer ahead of us.

History starts now.

--=/\=--

Our Assignment

Prologue

Contact Us

-=/\=-

The following is an excerpt from the post A Heart Divided Against Itself by Keiran O'Sullivan
-=/\=-

The chill in the air was unseasonable for Cork, even at this time of year.

There was actually a frost, and everywhere you walked through town, people were remarking about it. How many years it’d been since they’d seen the like of it; how many more it’d be before they were likely to see it again.

Keiran O’Sullivan however, was too lost inside his own head to consider the uniqueness of the weather now. He only knew that the cold went straight through him, and he shivered. He pulled his collar up tighter around his neck, then cupped his hands together and blew into them, trying to return feeling to the fingertips that had gradually gone numb while he’d been too preoccupied to notice.

The man who had spent so much of his life carefully ticking off every passing moment of time to keep from being consumed by it had, in recent days, allowed it to overtake him. He had been so distracted that he’d made no note of the advancing date on the calendar, and almost missed the holidays, entirely.

Today was the twenty-fourth of December. It was nearly Christmas in Ireland, but even though he was technically home for the holidays after so many years of wishing it to be so, he found his mind continually fixed on other things.

His thoughts led his head to tilt toward the heavens above. His eyes followed an instant after, and he tried to peer beyond the heavy curtain of steel clouds firmly blanketing the sky, to imagine the Sera beyond them in her orbit against the black.

The whole of his being tilted, it seemed, to that ship so far and unseen over Earth. That was where she was, and where she was, his thoughts could never truly be far away. His right hand reached over and twisted the ring on his left, and he realized once more, all over again that the reason even the familiar ground beneath his feet did not feel like home in this moment was because Liis was not at his side there.

Home could only now ever be a location in which he’d see the fire in her eyes flash at him across the room. Home was only where he’d be able to take her in his arms, and to share her rare, and even more rarely shared moments of laughter.

Home could never again be any place, not even Ireland, in which she was not.

Keiran’s first intended stop in Cork today was the cemetery. Through the gates, and along the well-kept path, he made his way slowly, as he ever did, toward his mother’s final resting place.

There he did the same things, these small but significant rituals, that he always had. He'd say a prayer, and tidy up a little, and leave fresh roses; her favorite. He'd tell her how much he wished she was still walking the earth beside him instead of teaching the angels a thing or two up in Heaven, before settling to simply stand beside her a while in silence.

He never could predict how long these visits would take; no matter how many times he’d come here before. It was a span of time that defied planning or description, and only after he felt he’d properly paid his respects to the woman who’d raised him, could he bring his feet to finally carry him on.

Keiran was unusually nervous this day and he didn’t even know why- he tried to dismiss it as the phantom echoes of the uncomfortable emotions he’d been dealing with, ever since William Lindsay had left.

He worried about what Will might be getting himself into, in this moment or any other moment in a point in time far removed from Keiran’s reality. He wished he’d been a bigger man and in the moment they’d parted, he’d been able to give Will the forgiveness he’d wanted.

He prayed to God he’d get another chance.

As he observed his breath making small puffs of steam in the air when he exhaled, it stirred in him a particular, and particularly comforting memory: he wished, just for a moment, that he’d never given up smoking.

He trudged, at last, toward the steps of the Church of Christ the King at Turners Cross. He looked up toward the building’s ever overwhelming architecture, to the outstretched statuary arms of the Lord that greeted him. They appeared ready to welcome him into the sanctuary and offer him peace, but as unworthy as he felt today, he didn’t know if even being here could lighten the burdens that weighed so heavy upon his shoulders.

Star Trek Alchemy: Temporal Investigations

2011-03-17T03:00:00.001-04:00

Stay tuned for updates to this page!

"First things first." she said to herself. She checked the timestamp on a small hand-held device that, to the layman could only be described as a compass of sorts.

~From the post entitled Two Bajorans, a Vulcan, and a Betazoid by Zanh Liis

-=/\=-

A note from the Managing Editor of Star Trek: Alchemy...

-=/\=-

Ten years ago, when I started writing the role of undercover TI agent Zanh Liis, I tried to research the department and discovered that there was frustratingly little to find.

Aside from the one episode of DS9 in which two TI agents had appeared, there was really nothing else to go on.

I decided early on that there had to be some sort of tool that TI agents relied upon to know when something was wrong with the timeline- a beacon to call them to action and so I wrote about so-called Temporal Compasses. Additionally, like a sailor's compass it would tell them when they were going in the right direction; give them a way to navigate through time and space in a way so as to make everything 'right' again.

This is the first thing I remember ever writing about a Temporal Compass; from a post for the Deep Space 23 platform of Unity Fleet (here's to ya lads wherever ya are now...) The very first mention that I recall of the compass is a ways down (in bold text) but for those of you familiar with our crew roster here, I will leave a large portion of the post in-tact because I believe it'll amuse you. It's my goal to someday archive all of these in our central Alchemy database too.

The scene: Lair Kellyn is unexpectedly reunited with former crewmate and TI Agent Zanh and is asking her about recent fractures to the space-time continuum that have enveloped the station.

-=/\=-

The following post was written on December 30, 2002 (Stardate 21220.00)

-=Aboard the TI ship Stella Polaris=-

A beeping sound emanated from a panel nearby, and Ledbetter rose to look at the screen. His brow furrowed. He tapped a few buttons, and the message he'd seen was relayed to the PADD in Liis' hand.

She read silently for a moment. Then sighed. After reading a little more, she opened her mouth and released an elaborate series of Bajoran obscenities.

Some of her curses were easily recognized by Kellyn. Others were antiquated, and after a moment of scanning her memory for the reason why they seemed vaguely familiar, Kellyn realized that she remembered her grandfather using a few of them when she was a child. Only when he was particularly frustrated, though, and never in front of her grandmother.

"What?" Kellyn asked, shaking her head in an attempt to clear it of these reveries. She began to rub her arms with her hands. She felt cold, a sense of foreboding, but couldn't have explained it if she'd been asked to try.

"Shit." Liis said, punctuating the end of her rant with the Terran swear. "Salvek is in jail."

"WHAT!"

"He made his way to Ops in the wrong timeframe, and they threw his illogical, hormonal ass in the brig."

Half of Liis' words went in one of Kellyn's ears and out the other. She was so distressed by the idea of him being imprisoned that she wasn't truly listening.

"He's acting like he's lost his mind." she interjected.

"He has. It's the blood fever." Liis said matter-of-factly, and Kellyn's eyes grew huge.

That was the one thing she hadn't considered. "No, it can't be. Not for another two years."

"Must I remind you, woman, that the two of you have been screwing around with temporal mechanics for the past several years?" Liis was just a shade this side of losing her temper entirely. "Think about it! All the timeline fractures that have enveloped the station, don't you think that could have an effect on his chemistry?"

"Oh no." Kellyn mumbled. She began to consider his behavior in the infirmary earlier, and she had to accept that Pon farr was the only explanation.

"Another update coming in, Commander." Ledbetter called from across the cabin. He had stayed where he'd been, all this talk of Vulcan mating cycles made him extremely uncomfortable.

Liis consulted her PADD again, and this time she physically reacted to what she saw by straightening up in her chair.

"Hello. What's this?" she read the next few lines of text. "It would seem that your friend Tues K'Raye has just materialized on the station in your timeframe, from a past one."

"You mean my vision of her was real?" Kellyn gasped, incredulous.

"Well, yes and no. You saw her all right, but that was another fracture...it's all hard to understand but what you need to know is that Tues is now in your correct time frame. And, it would appear, she's stranded."

"How can that be? Isn't all of this entirely reversible?"

"No." Liis said simply, offering no further explanation.

Kellyn waited patiently for a moment, thinking Liis was just gathering her thoughts before continuing. But the silence lingered and finally, she shrugged.

"No? That's it?"

"Yep. That's it. I don't have time to give you the details of the situation in their entirety. Suffice it to say that though she doesn't realize it yet, K'Raye will be staying on DS23, in this time line."

Relief washed over Kellyn. She didn't care why, or how, but K'Raye was there. Alive. She felt like Zanh had just handed her hope as a tangible object she could cling to.

"I have to talk to her. She can help him. We have to get back to the station."

"Hold up a minute. You're not going anywhere." Liis replied with a shake of her head and a wag of her finger.

"S'cuse me?"

"You are one variable too many in this volatile situation. I need to keep you in one spot for awhile."

"My husband needs me. He could die."

"I know what blood fever does, Kellyn. Salvek is just going to have to cope for now."

"Will I get back to him in time?"

"Time. That word means such a different thing to me than you. You're going to have to trust me."

Lair remembered that this was the woman who had brought her back to Salvek four years ago to begin with, when she'd been 'dead' due to an error in that Mudor filament field nightmare. She sighed, then nodded. She had to trust her.

"Right, then. Ashton, you keep an eye on Commander Lair here, feed her something, have some tea, Twinkies, I don't care. But do not let her out of your sight. I'm going to break her husband out of jail."

"Any excuse to have tea is a good one." Ledbetter replied pleasantly. Kellyn folded her arms across her chest. She didn't want to be where she was.

"I'll keep you appraised of what's going on." Liis called as she adjusted her arm band.

"Often." Kellyn shouted after her as Liis' form began to shimmer in transport.

"Do you take cream in your tea? Perhaps a scone?" Ash asked, trying to politely break the silence that hung between them now.

"Shove it." Kellyn replied, turning away and closing her eyes.

"Whatever you say, Sir." Ledbetter replied, turning back to his console.

Kellyn rubbed her aching temples and tried to believe this wasn't happening. She couldn't escape what she saw in her mind's eye; Salvek, suffering.

He was all she could see.

-=/\=-

On the Station:

Liis felt the dizzy, familiar feeling that lived somewhere between nausea and its physical result, and she cleared her throat several times. In a moment, the sensation passed, and she took a deep breath or two.

The older she got, the harder this was on her body. Sure, high-tech implants of future origin and regular injections of cellular stabilizers helped some.

At least they kept her frame from simply disintegrating from the constant strain of what those in T.I. casually called "frac-jumping."

Zanh Liis was one of the senior time travel veterans in the agency though, and having lived, backward, forwards, and sometimes laterally more than 327 earth years was rough.

"First things first." she said to herself. She checked the timestamp on a small hand-held device that, to the layman could only be described as a compass of sorts.

Satisfied she'd landed in the right place after her fracture jump, she looked up.

She was standing in Salvek's cell in the brig, and he was unaware of her presence. He'd taken to pacing, mumbling incoherently. He was trying to chant, to bring himself to a meditative state of mind, but found it was impossible to do.

The nondescript Klingon guard appeared annoyed to no end with the noise the prisoner was making. He had taken to sharpening the blades on the daggers he kept, one in each boot. Metal met metal with long, piercing sounds. The noise of the blades scraping reminded Liis of ancient forms of dentistry she'd rather forget. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, but she tried her best to dismiss the din.

She retrieved an armband identical to the one she wore from the pocket of her jacket. She began to match her steps to the Vulcan's, falling into his exact cadence. Finally, she tapped him on the shoulder. He jumped and spun, startled into silence, which was exactly what she wanted.

She put her finger to her lips, and he staggered a little and tried to focus. He looked as if he'd been drinking. He blinked several times, certain he was hallucinating.

She slapped the band around his upper arm, and in an instant they were gone.

Suddenly aware of the silence in the cell, the Klingon guard stood up.

"Romulan." he said "Show yourself." He realized quickly that he was speaking to himself only, that the prisoner had somehow escaped.

He realized instantly that he had failed in his duty as jailer. His prisoner was gone, and he would be dishonored, as would his family. He looked at the blades he held in his hands, there was only one solution. Less honorable than a death in battle, but better than the death of a failure.

He didn't hesitate a moment, but thrust both blades into his chest and sank to the floor, where he died in a pool of his own blood.

Liis and Salvek materialized in his correct time on the station. The jump, sensation made Salvek's stomach lurch and he gagged several times, grateful he hadn't eaten recently.

"Deep breaths, Logic Boy." Liis said, patting him on the arm. She took out her tricorder and scanned him. "You'll be fine. I apologize for the fact that I just took three point five days off your lifespan with that jump, but it had to be done."

"Zanh Liis, I do not...understand." Salvek fought to get the words out, to stay coherent and in the moment. Maybe she knew where Kellyn was. "My wife. I must see my wife."

"Don't worry about Kellyn. She's safe for the moment. So is Arie. I'm more worried about you, my friend."

"Kellyn. Need. Kellyn." Salvek said, beginning to go weak in the knees.

Zanh matched his height inch for inch, and she put her arm around him to keep him from hitting the deck. "Let's have a seat, shall we?"

"Where?" Salvek asked as she sat him down on a small couch.

"Where are we?" he nodded.

"We're in Counselor Hood's office."

"When?"

"What you would consider now, Salvek. Where you were when you woke up this morning."

Again, simply a nod from him.

"There is someone here you're going to want to talk to." Liis looked at her temporal compass once again, and located Tues K'Raye. She was in a transporter room with Dabin Reece. "Salvek, get Reece out of that room."

"I, I do not..."

Liis slapped him across the face. His hand instinctively went to his cheek, and he raised his eyebrow. "Stay with me, Commander. Use your combadge and signal Reece. Send him somewhere, I don't care where."

Salvek touched his badge. "Salvek to Reece."

{Where are you? Sacul is looking for you.}

"Meet me in his office."

{Acknowledged. Reece out.}

In the transporter room, Reece looked at the confused Counselor regretfully. "I apologize, I have to go. I'll send someone back to try to help you figure out what is going on."

Then he was gone, leaving Tues in the shock of what she thought she had just heard. That couldn't be Salvek's voice. Salvek was on the Independence, wasn't he? What the hell was going on?

With Reece out of the room, Liis activated her site to site transporter and suddenly, a very surprised K'Raye and her dog found themselves in Hood's office as well.

Tues drew her phaser, eyes darting around the room trying to understand her new surroundings. She saw Zanh first.

"Who are you?"

Liis held her hands up in a gesture of peace. "A friend."

-=/\=-

Ever since Liis' creation back in early 1999 I have worked on a framework upon which to build stories about her adventures. I'm happy to say that since the stories were character driven they are still being read and enjoyed today and the characters, most of them anyway, are going stronger than ever.

Now, it's time to tell more of the story about the Agency that employed not only ZL for so long but Jonas Vox, Keiran O'Sullivan, William Lindsay, Gem Lassiter, and yes even Ashton Ledbetter.

We've fleshed out a lot more about TI in the past two years here on the Serendipity- and it's time to put all of that together into a reference library of sorts as only our writers can do it.

I'm going to need help on this.

Thankfully, we've got helpful people around here. Talented, too.

Captain Lindsay has volunteered to take on this project with me and has indeed already begun the process in this recent post which explains the basic concept of how 24th Central Temporal Compasses operate. Thank you, William.

Stay tuned for further updates as construction of this section of our site is underway and to be considered ongoing.

-=/\=- Captain Zanh Liis O'Sullivan
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
The Alchemy Project

Future (or past, depending on where you are in the timeline) Feature Articles to Include:

An Introduction to Temporal Investigations:
by Admiral Gemini Lassiter

Polaris: The Master Clock of Temporal Investigations

Temporal Compasses: The Tool of the Trade
by Director William Lindsay

Cascades, Paradoxes and Other Stuff You Didn't Want to Know About Time Travel,
by -=/\=- Zanh Liis

The Code of Conduct: Lessons Learned In and Outside of the Linear Timeline by Captain Keiran O'Sullivan

The USS Perseids: A Prototype Ahead of Her Time
by Dr. Azalea Adams

The Role of The Alchemy Project in the Future of the Federation:
by Jonas Vox

From the Ready Room

2010-09-30T16:01:00.000-04:00

Welcome to From the Ready Room!

If you've a question you'd like to see answered here, hail me and I'll do my best to answer.

Welcome to our site, I hope that you'll enjoy your stay.

-=/\=-Captain Zanh Liis O'Sullivan
Commanding Officer

USS Serendipity NCC 2012

100930.16

There's a really good reason why the Sera's posts have dwindled down so far this year- it's all my fault.

Rather, I should say more specifically it's the fault of my health, which has been particularly bad this year.

Still, I'm determined to get back, somehow, to doing this crew and their characters justice by getting my own writing here back on track, as quickly as I can.

It's not going to be easy, but the best things in life never are, are they?

At this time I must thank Captain Lindsay, without whom the story and our ship itself would have certainly died out altogether along the way during my prolonged illness. Thanks for keeping the home fires burning, Will. We couldn't still be here without your dedication. Thank you...and thanks to the entire crew, for their patience, and for not giving up on me.

-=/\=- ZL

10601.22

Can it really be June?

Sorry for the lag in posting- I've been under the weather again.

Working on getting back into everything.

Thanks to my crew for their infinite patience.

~ZL

---------100510.02------------

The more things change...

As I've been so busy with other things for awhile, some significant and others the insignificant events of daily living that pile up one upon another and conspire to keep you from spending time on the things you love most, behind the scenes things at Star Trek: Alchemy have been evolving.

It wasn't something that I saw coming, but it is something that now that it's happened, I can't believe I didn't anticipate.

I'm in the process of designing some updates for the site, streamlining the way the writing itself is sent out (and I have a great new help in keeping posts- or chapters as I prefer to think of them and should start calling them- sent out and formatted to post here. More on that later)I've also come to realize that we never really have been nor ever really will be an RPG as others define the term.

You see, we started out in RPG in other venues and it was the nature of the beast; the turnover of writers, the frustrations with the politics, that eventually landed us here, Salvek and I, to start a place where we could just keep telling the stories.

I felt that we had no choice but to run it as we knew that these 'games' were always run- continually keeping the roster open for new writers to join, listening to the voices of people who said that a continual supply of 'fresh blood' was what kept games going.

Thing is, to get fresh blood somebody has to bleed.

I hate that.

We never really have been an RPG and the people who have joined expecting the experience have either found what we do either simply bewildering or downright impossible.

People who cringed and then finally balked completely, despite the explicit rules they agreed to before they joined, to trust other writers to write even the simplest lines of dialog for their characters.

People who came in and out, no real commitment, writing if and when they felt like it and ended up flitting off and leaving us in binds that my trusty regulars had to then help me write us out of (though I bet if you look, unless you look really, really hard you won't find where that happened. We've worked hard on that).

Some writers have come and gone because it just didn't work out. Some stayed a time and we really do appreciate what they contributed while they were here- and will remember our time writing with them fondly.

It came to me one night recently- the night before I changed the description beneath the title on the main page of this site from "PBEM RPG" to the new one: A Serial Adventure Set in the Star Trek Universe.

That is what we are.

We are writing a series here, and our set core of writers, one who has been with us since the very beginning of the Sera's adventures (before the ship left space dock so to speak) and two who joined just a little later but who are equally indispensable, these are our heart and they are, as they have ever been, exactly what we need.

After a couple of writers left recently for various reasons (and I thank them both for the time and contributions they made during their stay: Lara and Mellice, thank you) I thought again about that title, 'Role Playing Game' and why it never has and still doesn't fit us.

In RPG it's nearly a crime to write dialogue for other characters. Here, it is not only encouraged but required. I've asked all of our writers to get to know the other characters at least well enough to write say, a battle scene on the bridge with people giving responses that would be recognizable to their characters. Everyone has done that- and yes we still check with each other when in doubt but overall, I think we've done damn well at it.

When you do that- when you work toward writing installments in a story and not just to have your 'turn' in a 'game' the stories become so much more than just posts slapped together to make a plot arc.

They become stories that really stand up when you go back to read them later and after all, that was my wish in starting this place, to not only have a safe place to keep my characters (and there are many) all safely corralled but also to write stories that stand the test of time.

So while, someday in the future, if you're reading this and say you really, really don't think you can stand to live without your chance to write Trek with us you can still try to pitch your work to me (okay, so that sounds a bit much but you know what I'm saying) for now, our roster is closed. You read that right- for the foreseeable future, we won't be taking on new writers.

The truth is it's a lot of work for me, and it's an unnecessary gamble when I feel we have everything we need right now.

Our five writers trust each other, we look out for each other, and we write damn good fiction together. My proudest moments writing Star Trek, in my thirteen year history of doing it, have come at moments I was writing with each of these four gentlemen, and that's the truth. Nowhere else, in no other group and at no other time have I experienced moments as a writer (and a reader) as I have working with them and reading the work that they create.

I can't wait to get back to the actual writing (Script Frenzy is over, six months until NaNoWriMo, it's time to get Liis back into her Ready Room.

I want to thank Lt. Commander Rada Dengar for volunteering time and again to take on more responsibility behind the scenes to ensure that with my limited eyesight, I get to spend as much time writing and as little time proofing posts, sending them out and formatting them for the blog as I can. With his programs, his keen eye and his willingness to do the boring parts, he's making my job a lot easier and I am truly grateful for the assistance, as is Salvek. Thank you, Rada.

Thanks too to the rest of my crew for their patience through my repeated health related absences and even the occasional period of writer's block. You guys are my heart, and I love you all.

I really believe that the best writing is yet to come...and I hope you'll all stick around to see if I'm right.

Now, I hate to dash off so abruptly, but I have to go.

I've got a chapter to write before I go to sleep tonight. So many stories, so little time.

Safe journeys.

~ZL

---

Photojournalist Margaret Moth (photo, CNN.com)

"Most of humanity are what I would call herd animals. She's the antithesis of a herd animal. She's a solo artist. And what distinguishes a non-herd animal as a human being is their demand of themselves that they go forward into the darkness with their eyes open looking straight into it as opposed to with their eyes covered backing into it which is what most of us as humans choose to do as a group." Surgeon Paul Petty, speaking of Margaret Moth.

-=/\=-100321.18

It's not often that I read about someone who really inspires me. In fact, the last time I remember being this inspired by a person was when I saw The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch (saw it, not read the book- the speech is worth watching in its entirety- Google it. Seriously).

This chick really inspires me.

Sadly I had never heard of her before today- until I saw her obituary on CNN's website. She was a photojournalist who survived getting shot in the face while covering the war in Sarajevo back in 1992 (and many complications that followed) and then returned to work there and in many other warzones as well.

She also liked to jump out of planes barefoot, have a pint and smoke cuban cigars.

She just died from cancer at the age of 59.

The following quote is the introduction to the article. Reading it you have to see why this jumped out at me after ten years of writing Zanh Liis (Moth's picture jumped out at me first- then this.) Of course Zanh Liis is only fictional- Margaret was the real deal. I think if you tried to write Margaret as a fictional character, no one would believe it.

Given her jet-black hair, thick black eyeliner, black clothes and combat boots (which she often slept in while on assignment), people didn't always know what to think upon meeting her. She was quirky, the sort who excused herself from a social gathering by saying she had to wash her socks. And she was fearless, the kind of woman who not only kept the camera rolling while under fire, but zoomed in on a soldier who was shooting at her.

I am completely awed by this woman. She lived with such guts and incredible courage, until the end-on her own terms.

And she was humble about it. About bravery she said:

"I think some people are really brave people. Some people are cowards. Most of us sort of fit somewhere in between and I guess I just think of myself like that."

I think if this woman was anything in her life, it was never 'in between'.

Though I did feel sorry for the people who were often tied to her by sound cables when she took off running into a battle zone and they had absolutely no choice but to follow. Of course, they knew (or quickly learned) what they were getting into when they worked with her.

I really liked what her colleague Michael Holmes said of her. Laughing at the thought, he said:

"She was always good fun on the road too, it was always an interesting conversation. Um, often an odd conversation, but you'd find you'e be in a really stressful place or whatever covering a stressful story and you end up talking about cats."

Speaking about her impending death, Margaret Moth said:

"I guess I would ask what's there to be afraid of? I mean I'm not religious, so I don't believe I'm going to end up in hell, which I know I would be going there if I did believe in such a thing."

Then, she laughed.

Margaret, I salute you. Here's to never being a herd animal.

Rest in peace, Gipsy Moth- you were one hell of a magnificent broad.

When I grow up, I want to be just like you; always going straight ahead, eyes open, into the darkness.

-=/\=- ZL

To view past posts From the Ready Room, Click Here...

In Memoriam

2010-07-05T00:50:00.000-04:00

A Tribute

(Picture by John Ruddy; used by permission of Cast Members who are part of the Walt Disney World Monorail family. My thanks to the very humble CM and his wife who created the ribbon theme and all the CMs who have joined them in embracing the symbol. Thank you for allowing me to show my support by displaying this picture here, it means a great deal to me.)

100705.00

I cannot believe it's been a year since I wrote the posts that follow this update.

There's so much that I wish I could say- but so little that words can actually do.

The NTSB report is still unfinished- they're saying it may be until the end of the year.

Be that as it may, there is one thing that is absolutely certain.

By all reports, Austin Wuennenberg gave his life in the early morning hours of July 5, 2009, while doing all he could to try to save the guests on his monorail train from certain tragedy.

He accomplished his task. He gave everything to do it.

Austin is, and ever will be a hero.

Please join me in a moment of silence in memory of Austin Wuennenberg: Monorail pilot, hero, and a man who was truly loved by everyone who knew him.

We won't forget, and our hearts are with his friends, family, and the entire cast of Walt Disney World- on this sad day, and every day.

One Rail. One Family. Disney Monorails.

~ZL

-----------------------------------------------------

90705.15

I know this isn't Star Trek related but I just had to say something about this here.

Anyone who knows me at all, knows what Walt Disney World, particularly their beautiful Monorail trains, mean to me.

In fact, way back at the beginning of Star Trek: Alchemy, Grace and Reece spent their Honeymoon at the 24th Century Disney World, and monorails figured prominently into one of the posts (complete with inside jokes concerning changes made to the resorts in recent years that...weren't exactly to my liking.)

Monorails have been a significant and iconic figure in my life since before I could talk. It's a fact that there is a long running family joke that plays upon the Disney t-shirt logos that say Walt Disney World, EST. 1971 because I was born that year, so they say that WDW was established then, and so was I.

This is the wallpaper on my computer desktop.

When I was tiny I'd ask for empty egg cartons, and I would draw a stripe down the side with my crayons and I would put Weebles in them from my Mickey Mouse Club playset and I would play "Magic Kingdom" instead of playing dolls as girls usually do. I dreamed all of my life of becoming a monorail "Pilot" and even owned a set of the wings at one point. I have a friend online who is a monorail pilot and who has promised me rides in the front cab (which I have enjoyed on many occasions, the view especially on the EPCOT run is unlike anything you'll ever see in your life anywhere else) on my next visit to WDW.

My entire kitchen is 'done' in Monorails, but it doesn't stop there. They are all over the house, here and there. I have dreams of sneaking into the Monorail shop to see all the shining beautiful trains, lined up on the beams at night.

The main attraction of my Monorail Kitchen: The Contemporary Resort model that fulfills a childhood dream.

We have so many pictures of them, too many to count. This is a sweet favorite of mine, from a trip where we took a teddy bear called Howard all over WDW with us photographing him. This was a sweet moment for me, as I remember my daughter's laughter as she watched me take the picture.

Howard, and Monorail Green

90707.2355

I only wish we could do more to show them how much we truly care.

One thing I can promise you all; I won't ever forget.

If you pray, please pray for the cast of Walt Disney World right now.

If you don't pray, then please keep them in your thoughts and wish them peace and healing.

~ZL

July 12, 2009

I have to, at this time, thank everyone in the Walt Disney World Monorail Operations Department for all that they've given me.

The time I spent with them over the past weekend and the ability to attend the vigil for Austin Wuennenberg has been a life-altering experience and I truly thank them all. I won't ever forget.

I was truly moved by, and here respectfully quote their words of solidarity:

One Rail. One Family. Disney Monorails

This is a blanket I've made to donate in Austin's honor, to a children's hospital where it will hopefully bring comfort to a child who needs it.

I will close my remarks here with lyrics by Shaun Davey, from the song which has become inextricably linked in my mind and heart to the characters we've created here...

...a song that will now forever remind me of a sea of candles, held by people lining the steps at the waterfront on Market Street in Celebration Florida on July 11, 2009.

...to you, Austin.

"All the comrades that ere I had,
they're sorry for my going away;
and all the sweethearts that ere I had,
they'd wish me one more day to stay.

Since it fell into my lot,
that I should rise and you should not;
I gently rise, and softly call
Goodnight, and joy be to you all."*

~The Writer of...
-=/\=-Zanh Liis O'Sullivan
Captain, USS Serendipity NCC-2012

Dengarisms

2010-02-20T17:50:00.001-05:00

Thoughts and dialogue that could only come from the mind of one man...

Serendipity's Chief Engineering Officer,
Rada Dengar

(This page is under continuous construction...)

-=/\=-

Rada observed the conversation like an anthropologist studying social behavior amongst different species of an ecosystem.

*The majestic Vulcan likes to maintain an ever watchful eye over the activities of his mate but there is the ever present danger that the more aggressive Bajoran will take this as a challenge,* he thought to himself, with no one probing his mind anymore his mood was definitely improved.

-=/\=-

“I think that should do it,” said Rada. He had finally managed to reassemble the Alchemy’sguidance system and was almost sure he’d done it correctly. Almost sure because a guidance system was like a jigsaw puzzle and it seemed that Kellyn had decided to make some modifications so that it no longer matched the picture on the box.

In fact as far as Rada could tell Kellyn had given the system a complete overhaul, this wasn’t a simple issue like if the picture had involved a man at the beach and Kellyn had drawn a pen moustache on him, it was more analogous to the man being repainted in full pastel colours as a small orange duck and the beach being changed to a detailed rendering of the Battle of Hastings complete with seven different varieties of grass, a verbatim replica of the Saxon shield wall and eight thousand Norman warriors…all of whom had pen moustaches.

-=/\=-

There were few worse omens than when an Admiral chose to type something. She could rob him of his rank, separate him from friends and family and transfer him to a remote planet on the other side of the quadrant where they kill Engineers on sight all by saying the word. It seemed that none of these things would be sufficient though and that she needed more than just her own authority to do what she planned to do to Rada.

To exceed her own authority meant that this code she was entering must somehow allow her access to the authority of other Admirals as well. One Admiral was relatively harmless but when they start working together in swarms then they could strip a man to the bone in a matter of seconds.

Worst of all, he had rights under Starfleet regulations but the regulations and their interpretations were all decisions for Admirals. If they were working together then it must be so that they could go beyond what the current regulations allow; torture, beatings and forcing him to watch hour after hour of Klingon opera were all within their power. They could do all of this with just the touch of a few keys on a keyboard, it disgusted Rada that a supposedly peaceful organisation kept weapons as powerful as keyboards in almost every room. He had to know what she was going to do to him.

-=/\=-

He exhaled slowly, as it occurred to him that he still had to breathe.

-=/\=-

There was nothing more distressing to a man who’d been penciled down as sane than meeting someone with an eraser.

-=/\=-

“Friends? Family? Fish? What?”

-=/\=-

"...could there be any worse a death than the kind where you live on?"

-=/\=-

Rather than looking forward to a good meal at night they’d find that eating was one of those things they despised. They’d treat it like a medical check up, they’d know it was good for them but put it off as long as they could.

The ship would be full of hungry and miserable people and tempers would begin to fray. Then, to add insult to injury they’d start decaffeinating the coffee patterns.

The Captain would be completely incapacitated.

-=/\=-

The name of Dengar and its association with incredible amounts of destruction would last until the end of time and probably several weeks past it.

-=/\=-

Rada sat down in the chair across from Reece and whilst he was about to start speaking he noticed how expectant Reece was looking and so he reluctantly took a bite.

He quickly concluded that Szechuan was Chinese for ‘fire’ and that it was meant quite literally. “W…” Rada wheezed out “Wa…”

He put his meal down and headed to the replicator but he couldn’t form the word. At times like this he considered just how ridiculous it was that the replicators were voice activated. “Wat…” he gave up and typed the command in to the keypad and then downed the glass of water in one go.

After an extended period of panting he managed to force out “That’s very nice,” as he requested another glass and a numbing agent for the pain receptors in his mouth.

-=/\=-

They looked much worse from the outside which gave Rada hope that the Romulans would underestimate their current condition, opt to save power by keeping their shields down and weapons off line and to try to destroy them by throwing small Terran oranges; perhaps he was being optimistic but he thought they could survive that.

-=/\=-

He knew that there was a connection between The Alchemy Project and Temporal investigations and realised that he’d pay heavily for attempting to steal their favourite little project here. Who knows if they’d even give him a trial? He might not be too familiar with their work but what if they could just travel backwards in time a few decades, take a trip to Angosia III and tell his father about how his mother’s didn’t like animals that much. He’d never ask her out, they’d never fall in love, they’d never get married and Rada would never be born. He could wake up tomorrow never having existed. This starship command thing was much riskier than anyone had warned him.

If the Captain caught him sitting in her chair then she might think that he’s trying to take the ship from her, he did try to kill her once and so she probably wouldn’t put stealing past him.

-=/\-=

So Rada had to be briefed on the state of his department. Typically this meant going to his Assistant Chief Engineer but he had never chosen one. Not choosing one had been a very difficult decision but in the end made sense. On one hand not choosing someone meant potentially devastating consequences. The ship could be under attack, consoles could be exploding everywhere, the Captain would be screaming for the shields up and Commander Reece could be screaming some off key version of a twenty first century Terran musical compilation over the intra-ship communication channels trying to calm the crew down which would lead to calls from every department for the speaker systems to be cut off. Rada wouldn’t be able to do anything because he’d have been knocked unconscious by a falling brick which he could only assume someone would have replicated especially to drop on him.

-=/\-=

He’d be cast off the ship, they would have heard of how in primitive times people were made to walk the plank and so they’d force him to walk one straight out of an airlock and then he’d been dead.

Of course that was just the best case scenario. There’s also the possibility that the box offered no new technology for them. It may contain someone’s shopping list and be of absolutely no use to them whatsoever. At first glance that might not seem to change the Federation a whole lot, but Rada always glanced twice. If they managed to scan through technology as advanced as the Hugreti then people might start to think that they could scan through anything.

The Romulans might start to think that they would soon be able to scan through their cloaking devices. The Klingons might think the same. The Romulans would have to attack the Federation before that had a chance to render their advantage void. The Klingons might not worry about losing their advantage but they would worry that the Federation would stop fearing them and so like a vicious dog when a meeker one dared look them in the eye they’d attack too.

The Federation has so many enemies, all of whom would be just waiting for a chance when they’re vulnerable and boy, would they be vulnerable. They’d be attacked from all sides and they’d lose. The Klingons and the Romulans would each claim to control the former Federation territories and a war would ensue between them and one would emerge victorious but so weakened from the continuous warfare that the remaining major powers would all start to attack while they can. The winners would take the Federation space and would end up being attacked themselves and the cycle would just keep repeating until eventually all life in the quadrant would be wiped out.

That shopping list would spell doom for them all.

-=/\-=

Such is the curse of those who hide themselves from the world, if you never reveal yourself then you can never truly be loved.

-=/\=-

They’d been forced to rush and so they’d basically ended up hooking together a series of existing scanning technologies and linking them through a central control. It was about as pretty as a Targ and had just as much going for it in regards to energy efficiency.

It reminded Rada just how far he’d come from the Engineering projects he’d worked on at the Academy in which the first requirement was that always they obeyed the three ‘E’s of Engineering which he was told were Efficiency, Efficiency, and never repeating yourself more than once.

-=/\-=

If Rada did wake up, he’d probably be dead.

-=/\-=

He really was enjoying the time when the ship was stuck in the Terran system because almost nothing could go wrong. There were no alien creatures infesting the hull or probing into their minds; it was just nice.

-=/\-=

As Rada stared in awe at the Zenith’s Primary Electroplasma conduit hub with isolinear reorrienter in a Rankton James alignment he couldn’t help but think of Wren.

It wasn’t that they were at all similar. Rada was almost certain that Wren would object if he attempted to pump fatal amounts of electricity through her body and that even if she agreed to it she’d just not be able to conduct the energy in a manner satisfactory to Starfleet’s efficiency specifications.

The conduit, on the other hand, wouldn’t look anywhere near as good in a dress.

-=/\=-

“I hate gardening, Captain. I hate a lot of things, and frankly there are some things I don’t like very much about you. I don’t like how much you let your decisions be swayed by emotion. I think it’s pretty damn inconsiderate how loud you play your music sometimes and frankly it wouldn’t hurt you to lay off the coffee.”

-=/\=-

Though the dull lighting kept always around him was blinding, worse was the darkness that let him see.

-=/\=-

Life was truly that fragile that it left no doubt that few were more extraordinary than those who could save it and none were less remarkable than those whose greatest achievement was to take it.

-=/\=-

Behind the old and dust covered counter stood and old and due to his lack of movement nearly dust covered man.

-=/\=-

He’d learnt that lesson the hard way, much of it in this very city as a much younger man, and considering that he now began to recall the young Angosian who’d passed him by on those steps. There was an eagerness about him that told Rada he was all ready and prepared to find a buyer for his untarnished soul.

-=/\=-

The Best of Star Trek: Alchemy 2009

2010-01-10T01:59:00.003-05:00

Most Memorable Posts of the Year as Chosen by the Captain

Favorite Post written with my Executive Officer: Clocks
Favorite post written with my Second Officer: TIE: Entitled to the Appellation and Friends and Family
Favorite post written with my Chief Engineer: Mightier Than the Sword
Favorite post written with my Ship's Counselor: Of Course You Realize, This Means War
Favorite post written with Lara Valera Ryn: Armed and Fabulous
Favorite post written with Mellice Cem: Ask Questions First, Shoot Later

Favorite posts written jointly by two or more other members of the crew:

Women Have Wiles and Men Have Needs (Tryst/Reece)
Starting Over (Elton/Salvek)
Extraordinary Damage (Tryst/Salvek)
A Certain Point of View: Blakeslee/Tryst
Just a Coffee: Elton/Ryn
When the Time is Right (Ryn/Jariel)
The Most Dangerous Man on the Ship (Tryst/Dengar)

My favorite post I wrote by myself: The Parting Glass

My favorite individual posts by members of the crew:

Salvek: Full Swing
Blakeslee: Home 1-3
Dengar: What Shall Not Stand
Tryst: Riddle Me This
Ryn: Leningrad
Mellice: The Long Road Home

And a special mention to Reece for: Assorted Mixed Nuts because it was exactly what I asked him for *laugh*.

My favorite joint posts I worked on this year as a character I am primary writer for other than Zanh Liis:

Soul Searching (as Keiran O'Sullivan, with Zander Blakeslee)
For Safe Keeping (as Lair Kellyn, with Rada Dengar)
Snap and Boing (as February Grace with Lara Ryn)
Show and Tells (As Landry Steele with Lance Hartcort)
Horseshoes and Hand Grenades (as Gem Lassiter with William Lindsay)
Teamwork at its Finest (as Dane Cristiane with TC Blane)

My Favorite Action Sequence: Hellfire and Damnation by William Lindsay and Zanh Liis (though my name is on these posts, Lindsay gets credit for the action sequences)

Dramatic Post of the Year: No One Shouted 'Stop'! by Lance Hartcort and Azalia Adams

Funniest posts of the year: TIE: The Balderdash Cup (Reece) and The Second Slowest People by Rada Dengar

My Favorite Plot Arc of 2009: One Day, Every Hundred Years (Lassiter/Blakeney/Lindsay)

My Favorite Sub-plot of 2009: The Adventurer's Club party on the Holodeck (you have no idea how much I loved those posts, guys...so much fun. We have to have another party there in the future.)

Overall Post of 2009 as chosen by the Captain: Last Man Standing by Salvek

Funniest dialog of the year, written by Vol Tryst: From Down Cold

"Reece!" Vol demanded.

[Good to see you too, Tryst...] Liis muttered under her breath, as Reece's head snapped upward and he greeted Vol.

[Howdy!]

"So you're sitting in a bar and in walks Godzilla."

Reece blinked once, then a second time. [Are you sure it wasn't Mothra? What about Gamera? I hear he's really neat, and that he's filled with turtle meat...]

Vol continued on, undaunted. "You're sitting in a bar, and in walks Godzilla. He's pissed off and looking for trouble. Soon, a fight breaks out."

[What am I drinking?]

Vol just ran with it. "It doesn't matter, it's tossed from your hand."

Dabin's eyes widened.

[What was I drinking?]

"A Shirley Temple."

[I love those! With extra cherries? I always ask for-]

[REECE!] Zanh bellowed sharply, and Vol watched everyone on both bridges flinch at the sound of her voice. Everyone, that was, with the exception of Salvek, TC Blane and Keiran O'Sullivan, all who were clearly immune to the effect by this point. [Focus!]

"Yes it had extra cherries. Now it's on the floor." Vol continued patiently, as if speaking to a very small child.

[No way! Godzilla spilled it? I'll kill that overgrown, scaly son of a...]

Zanh was still completely lost, and additionally her headache was returning. [Gentlemen, any time you feel you're ready to enlighten--]

The Captain was promptly ignored by Vol but Reece seemed to come back to the moment. [Yeah, Vol, wind it up, will ya? We don't have all day!]

Vol simply carried on. "Exactly! You want to hurt the big guy, but how?"

Dabin didn't ponder too long. [I guess kicking and punching would do no good.]

Vol shook his head.

[Yeah...okay...I didn't think so. Well, it's a lizard, so I'd beam that sucker to the Antarctic and point and laugh as it--]

"Dabin!" Vol interrupted. "The Domox."

[What about them?] Dabin asked curiously, his face shining brightly with innocent ignorance as to what they had to do with Godzilla and his lost Shirley Temple with extra cherries.

It was at this point that Zanh dropped her head into her hands and just sighed.

"Godzilla," Vol concluded, "meets a shrink ray."

It took a moment, and only a moment, for Dabin to take a sharp intake of air and for Vol's lips to crack a very wide smile.

---

Some of the Captain's other favorite scenes/quotes/dialog of the year:

From Numbers and Figures by Rada Dengar

His eyes, forced open, pled desperately with his body for sleep. Though the dull lighting kept always around him was blinding, worse was the darkness that let him see. There were numbers, so many numbers from corner to corner. He found they gave him order to count them one by one.

There was one door and no windows.

There were eight corners and no escape.

There was one bed and no sheets to hang himself with.

There was one species he’d destroyed and nothing else that mattered.

It was quite odd really how in a universe which had changed so drastically the numbers could be so rigidly set in their ways. What may have been yesterday, such a long time ago, he could remember the feeling like numbers were just his playthings to tease and to change as he wished. It made him something like a god but his actions indicated the devil. Power may have been the greatest of corruptors but he knew the corrupted one was always there down below.

Many worlds told of a mark of evil the gods burnt into the skin of those that offended them most. Now Rada knew better as at it’d not come with pain or passion of fire. Its coverings had just washed away revealing what had always been beneath. Perhaps that was what they were staring at, he considered, of the two figures who now stood in the door.

They were one man and one woman with phasers drawn, such an insufficient weapon for what they were up against. They wore uniforms not unlike his own. The man was a large one. Her nose was creased. Automatically he began again to count these visitors to his world.

Seven pips.

Two phasers.

Four eyes absorbed by concern.

Yet they were more than just numbers to him. They were familiar and utterly unfamiliar. He’d known these visitors in another lifetime.

-----

From Entitled to the Appellation by TC Blane and Zanh Liis

"The bottom line," Blane continued, "is that you were never meant to resign your commission as Captain of this ship to begin with." He felt she'd made a grave error in judgment, and he couldn't count himself as her friend if he didn't try to get her to see that as quickly as possible.

"You don't know, Thomas!" Liis raised her voice, something she rarely did when speaking to Blane. He stood at his full height and so did Liis, looking him straight in the eyes as she poked a finger at his chest. "What these people have done to me."

"Don’t try to feed me that bull! You know damn well that I understand more then most!” he barked back. “Your running with your tail between your legs, it’s that simple! You're going to take yourself out of the fight and let them do it to the people you care about instead? The people that you swore to protect and lead no matter-"

"Go to Hell!" Liis raged, stomping into the house and slamming the door shut between them.

Immediately, she regretted her words. She closed her eyes, fighting to maintain her composure.
After listening for a moment to see if Blane was simply going to leave, she realized she should've known him better.

She opened the door again, shoulders slumping heavily. She winced, glancing at him contritely. Her eyes spoke the apology that she wished she could find the strength to offer in words.

"If I'm going to Hell maybe you can draw me a map or give me some directions Zanh Liis," TC said tonelessly, as he calmly stood at parade rest on the porch where she'd left him. "Seems to me you're already there."
----

From An Eternity by Lindsay, Zanh and Blane

The team closed their eyes as the transporter began to break them down into molecules. When they opened their eyes they stood in the docking bay of the Romulan ship.

Then the fireworks started.

The beams deposited Blane, Zanh, and the rest of the first wave of Sera crew onto the Romulan ship directly behind Salvek.

“Captain! It is good to see you. Arie is in the shuttle.” The Vulcan informed.

*Of course she is. Where else would she be.* Before she could give voice to her internal monologue, Liis' thoughts came to a grinding halt. Her eyes darted around the bay, seeking one form; one face she had to see for herself before she could force her feet to move a single step.

---

From Up and At 'Em, Part One by ZL:

Captain's Personal Log, Stardate 90115.8

It came to my attention recently that, as part of a primary-school science project, Lair Arie managed to override certain security protocols and hijack the omnidirectional holographic diodes and magnetic field generators on deck eight of this ship.

In doing so, and in additionally rerouting certain data through one of the holodecks she was able to alter the subroutines controlling the LMH's appearance and vocal processors and reprogrammed them so that he would take on the likeness of one Twenty-first century musician, a shaggy-haired kid by the name of Joe Jonas.

She didn't understand, she said, when asked what she'd done "Why the hologram 'retained the strong vocal inflections of the doctor's original subroutines."

She then blinked and asked if there was a problem with what she had done.

The LMH was not amused.

I was not amused.

Security was, most certainly, not amused.

The teacher threw her hands into the air and gave the girl an 'a' grade on her 'project'.

In exchange for explaining to Security and Engineering exactly which flaws in the system she had exploited to pull the changes off without detection, her promise never ever to do it again and her agreement to write an essay on why it is not acceptable to override the subroutines of a sentient, photonic being for entertainment purposes or school assignments, we decided not to file any formal charges.

Or send her to boarding school.

I swear, maybe she had the right idea after all.

If Dalton doesn't let me out of here soon, I am going to let Arie have at it again and the LMH will be singing a different tune.

---

From Damnation by Lindsay/Zanh

Liis knew something exactly the right size and which was designed to cope with enough power for what they needed to do. The only problem was her arm wouldn’t move as she tried to get it.

Keiran saw her struggling “It’ll...It…” he tried to tell her that things were going to be okay, but couldn’t bring himself to lie to her.

There were eighteen seconds left before the ship exploded.

She shifted, just enough for her compass to fall out of her pocket. Keiran was shocked to see it, having no idea how or when she'd come to be in possession of it again. He was not, however, at all surprised when he also saw that it was dark. The instant he'd recognized the device, he’d accepted that it would be.

TC Blane knew now they would die, and there was something he had to say. [I…]

Then Keiran cut him off. He realised what Liis was thinking and hurled her compass at Salvek “Use that,” he demanded.

As a former Temporal Investigations agent himself, he knew she was right; that the compass could take it. Looking down at Liis again, though, he wondered if it wasn’t too late already.

"Keiran," she murmured to him softly, unable to keep her eyes open any longer. "Thank you." With her remaining strength, she tugged at the ring on his left hand.

He understood her loud and clear. She wanted him to know that she was thankful for all he'd done, all he had suffered so that they could have the chance to be together again, even if only for a little while.

Keiran could not help but consider with bittersweet gratitude that his many prayers that he would never lose her and never again have to spend a moment without her by his side looked as though they were all about to be answered. This creaking, dying ship was doing its damnedest to take them both with it, but at least it was taking them together. With their deaths they may finally find the peace in their love that so eluded them in life.

There were seven seconds left before the ship exploded.

Salvek had to jump to fix the compass in the gap left by the overloaded conduit. Just releasing it before it locked into position, and the power fried him. Throughout the ship systems began to come back online and the transponder started broadcasting.

Its signal bounced back and forth between the communicators, getting stronger and reaching out to the Sera.

-=Main Bridge; USS Serendipity=-

“Sir, the Captain’s transponder is broadcasting again,” Tenney advised.

Standard protocol was to open communications and to confirm the Captain wanted to beam back, but that was impossible with the interference.

There were four seconds left before the ship exploded.

Luckily, that was standard protocol and this was Dabin Reece.

“Beam them back now!” he ordered.

The transporter room locked onto the transponder signal but it was being bounced around too much to get a fix. They located the end points.

The plasma pressure reached critical and ignited.

The transporter operator started the beam out.

The chain reaction hit.

The transporter operator only counted four life signs.

The Romulan ship was destroyed, taking Liis’ temporal compass, Taris, and everyone left on board with it.

The Away Team materialised on the transporter pad.

Liis’ life sign had been too weak to register on their equipment but she’d been carried along, in Keiran’s arms.

She had closed her eyes thinking how grateful she was that at the very least, she would fall asleep for the last time wrapped in his arms; her head resting against his strong and steady shoulder.

The men she'd both sworn to protect and also entrusted with her life, however, refused to acknowledge that as an acceptable outcome.

They had not deserted her.

They had not faltered.

They had not failed; and because of them, she would wake from the nightmare to find instead she'd made it home alive.
---

From Do You? by Jariel Camen

Camen laced his fingers together, and gave Ram a smile as sweet as death itself. “Relanon also has a long track record of contributing to you as well. I was reading through some of the old public contribution records and saw an anonymous donor provided you with a yacht and a vacation on Vulcan last winter. This was right before Dendre Hald awarded a new contract for planet-wide vaccine manufacturing to Relanon, with a note in the press release that the contract had the full support of Gorlan Ram and the Vedek Assembly.”

Ram stammered, unaware Jariel was coming here armed with any other information other than what the Starfleet doctors had told him.

“You don’t really think I was going to come here unarmed for a fight, did you Vedek Ram?”

Ram brushed a few crumbs off the belly of his stretched out robe, from the snack he was eating during the presentation.

“All that aside, I maintain, my fellow Vedeks, that going public is the wrong course of action at this time. If Relanon collapses, so does the vaccine industry, and that puts the safety of the public in danger.”

“Starfleet can provide any vaccine you need on twenty-four hours notice. All you have to do is ask.” Hartcort chimed in. “Of course you’ll have to give us a little more lead time for the yacht.”

“How was Vulcan, Vedek Ram? The desert must have felt wonderful compared to what the people in the Plains had last winter. Bitter cold with no electricity or heat.” Camen asked. “I have an in with the First Officer of the Serendipity whom I’m sure can find out for me who made and paid for all your travel arrangements to Vulcan, but I don’t think there is any point in going that far, is there Vedek?”

Camen walked slowly around the room, meeting the eyes of each member of the Assembly as he continued to speak. “As for going public, that is a foregone conclusion. If the Assembly does not speak out, I will. That will leave each of you with an important question. Who amongst you desire to go back to your Province and explain to your parishioners why, when you were told about this threat to the Bajoran people, you… did… nothing? Who would like to explain all this to the Kai, when the people call for his head?”

Jariel leaned over the table where the last Vedek sat, palms flat, and his face mere inches away from the white haired elderly woman.

“Do you?”

He moved to the next Vedek.

“Do you?”

--

From Beyond All Reason by Blakeney/Lassiter

Gem was now faced with a difficult decision. Since by definition she now seemed to be his captive, the best should could hope to do was keep him talking and try to cause him a moment's distraction so she could get a hold of his transponder, or figure out another way out of this place. The best way to do that would be to lie to him, to tell him what he wanted to hear. Sadly, her nature just wouldn't allow it this time. "No." She answered honestly. "I don't."

"Why do you doubt me? Is it my lack of skills? Lack of intelligence? Lack of fashion sense?" Now it almost seemed that he was the one trying to throw her off balance. "Because darling if you're basing credentials as an undercover agent on chosen manner of dress, you're the one who has cast aspersions."

"You've been lying to me!" Gem shouted, beyond the point now of looking for a way out that may or may not exist. She just couldn't hold back any longer. "You knew that Braylan wasn't what he said he was. You knew the moment you saw the blood. You knew exactly where and when to show up to keep me from getting killed by his murderer and you," she paused, "you just know a little too well how to," she stopped.

He stared at her now, his expression quite difficult to read.

"How to what, Gemini? How to wear you down until I could convince you to forget that you had an investigation underway that could mean millions of lives being saved or lost depending upon the outcome? Did you think that I could be so egotistical that I'd just beam us up here from a murder scene, sweep you off of your feet, take you straight over there," he nodded toward the large bed in the center of the room. "...and risk all those lives just to spend one night with you? And you think that I'm conceited."

She suddenly felt very ashamed of herself. She didn't want it to but reason interfered. While she had no doubt that, before they'd gotten this far into the investigation he'd have jumped at the chance to spend the night with her, now it was different. And even given their unexpected surroundings, he was trying to keep working. Yes, he had locked the door, there could be any one of a hundred valid reasons why and she was sure he could offer them all if just given sixty seconds to explain. She also knew just how much she would want to believe every single one.

The only thing that still bothered her was why he was holding so much back if he was really who he said he was.

Her silence infuriated him even more than her frustrating refusal to believe his cover story.

He became so angry that he forgot himself and his neatly clipped, perfectly polished British accent began to morph into something that sounded quite different.

"Ya know, yer really somethin'. At first I thought you were just sexually frustrated. But no, no darlin' i's so much more than that. Gem Lassiter doesn' have feelings! She doesn' need romance or excitement. She's more highly evolved than the rest of us poor Neanderthal, bipedal primates who are strugglin' just to keep on standin' upright! She's got i'tall figured out. She can work alone, live alone, sleep alone, save the world all alone. She can do it all by noon and still have the rest of the day all to herself to make up lists of ways she could've done it more efficiently!"

"Michael," she stammered, her mouth hanging open as he continued his rant.

"She doesn' want an'a'one's help, or need an'a'one, ever. Nothin' and no one can touch the great Gemini Lassiter? Well maybe nothin' SHOULD!" As he stormed away, over to another panel in the wall, she heard him mutter one last remark under his breath. "I'm certainly done tryin'."

She stared at him in shock; his accent had just changed countries of origin, right before her eyes.
"Michael," she stuttered again. He hadn't even realized what he'd done, and was still so angry with her and with the ridiculously complicated situation he now found himself in that he swiftly moved back toward her, took hold of her arm with one hand and then pulled the transponder from his pocket again with the other.

"This is yer stop, Gem. I'm sendin' ya back. You are ta stay where I'm sendin' you, 'till you receive word that the investigation is over and the murderer has been apprehended. Do you understand exactly what I am telling you?"

Slowly his accent returned to its original inflections, and she simply nodded. She didn't want to stay here if he was going to keep her from searching for more answers, and so the best thing she could do was play along and then as soon as she was free...

For his part, Michael was convinced that she was not understanding just how much danger her life was really in.

"Listen to me very carefully." He began again, as he grasped her firmly by the shoulders, his eyes burning into hers. "You are not to leave the place where I'm sending you. If you do, they will find you and they will kill you."

------

From Teamwork at Its Finest by TC Blane, Dane Cristiane and Landry Steele

Why can't we just beam the thing up, again?" Landry asked, as Blane settled into the pilot's seat and brought the engines of the shuttle to life.

"Because O'Sullivan can be a pain in the..." Dane blurted, but then he stopped. His reason for not completing the thought was two-fold; the first being that Blane would smack him upside the head without hesitation if he completed the sentence and two, Dane was awfully glad that Keiran was around to be a pain, no matter how big.

"Because it is a handmade gift from O'Sullivan to his wife, who, need I remind either of you happens to be Captain of this ship? He doesn't want to risk a single molecule of it being scattered by the transporter beam." Blane explained.

"You do know we have to get it down that tiny spiral staircase." Dane recalled the space well.

"No, we don't. See, this is why O'Sullivan wanted me to keep an eye on you," Blane shook his head. "Basic reconnaissance, Cristiane. Always check for an easier way out. In this case, the standard staircase that is down the hall from the guest room and exits the house through the kitchen would be the easier route. No spiral."

Dane's face reddened. He'd completely forgotten about the second set of stairs.

“Don’t sweat it, Cristiane. It sometimes takes years to become competent.” TC chided.

The Best of Star Trek: Alchemy 2009

2010-01-10T01:50:00.004-05:00

Favorites posts with memorable moments as chosen by members of our crew...

All posts are hotlinked to their page on the archive. ~ZL

Chosen by Lara Valera Ryn:

Best post written by me: Leningrad
Best JP with another writer and me: When the Time is Right
Best post by another writer: Last Man Standing
Best JP by two other writers: Too Much, Too Soon

Chosen by Rada Dengar:

Favourite post I wrote myself: The Meaning of the Voice
Favourite Joint Post with someone else: Mightier than the Sword
Favourite Post by someone else: Here and Now
Favourite Joint Post by others: Soul Searching
Favourite dramatic post: The Summit
Favourite action sequence: Dressing Down: Two
Favourite humorous post: Go-Directly to Jail
Favourite plot arc: Vanished

Chosen by Mellice Cem

Favorite JP Written with another: Ask Questions First, Shoot Later. Has got to be one of the funniest joint posts I've written with anyone.

Favorite Post Written by me: The Long Road Home Parts 1 & 2. The longest post I've written by myself in a good long time.

Favorite Post or JP Written by Others: Cold Miser By TC Blane

Chosen by Vol Tryst:

Me & Other (JP): Women Have Wiles & Men Have Needs

Written by other: Last Man Standing (Obvious, I know, but your 1000th post-note really did summarize how I felt about the post. Everyone's in it's and it's... dare I say... Fabulous!)

Drama: Egregious:Two. I'd forgotten about this one!

Funny: This was tough. Let the Games Begin.

Chosen by Commander Salvek

Favorite Action Sequence: One Noble Act (Nick Lassiter)
Favorite Dramatic Post: The Meaning of the Voice (Dengar)
Favorite Humorous Post: Teamwork At Its Finest (Blane/Steele/Cristiane)
Favorite Plot Arc: Vanished

Favorite Jariel Post: He Walks With a Purpose
Favorite Reece Post: The Balderdash Cup
Favorite Salvek Post: Last Stand
Favorite Ledbetter Post: Go-Directly to Jail

Special mention to My Father and His Sister (Natalie Grey)
(Note: to my horror I just discovered that this post is not on the blog. Ugh. It's going to have to be added to the Gira Lassiter post before it otherwise I have to move 100 posts to change their numbers. Sorry, Salvek...blind Captain makes these sorts of mistakes...it's added on to post 914. ~ZL)

Special mention to Stepping Over Someone's Grave (Keiran O'Sullivan)

Favorite Joint Post Written with Zanh Liis: While Horse and Hero Fell (Zanh/Salvek)
Favorite Joint Post Written with Briggs: Hold Your Ground (Briggs/Salvek)
Favorite Joint Post Written with Lindsay: The Stroll (Lindsay/O'Sullivan)
Favorite Joint Post Written with Tryst: Women Have Wiles and Men Have Needs (Tryst/Reece)
Favorite Joint Post Written with Ryn: New Association (Ryn/Reece)
Favorite Joint Post Written with Mellice: Right Under Their Nose (Mellice/Borov)

Favorite Joint Post Written by ZL and another: Hellfire (Lindsay/Zanh)
Favorite Joint Post Written by Blane and another: Entitled to Appellation (Blane/Zanh)
Favorite Joint Post Written by Dengar and another: Mightier than the Sword (Dengar/Zanh)
Favorite Joint Post Written by Tryst and another: The Most Dangerous Man on the Ship (Tryst/Dengar)
Favorite Joint Post Written by Ryn and another: Armed and Fabulous (Ryn/Zanh)
Favorite Joint Post Written by Mellice and another: Ask Questions First, Shoot Later (Zanh/Cem)

Favorite Post Written by the Captain alone: The Parting Glass (Zanh)
Favorite Post Written by the SO alone: Home (Blakeslee)
Favorite Post Written by the CEO alone: That Which is Lost (Dengar)
Favorite Post Written by the Counselor alone: Riddle Me This (Tryst)
Favorite Post Written by Lt. Ryn alone: An Itch to Scratch (Ryn)
Favorite Post Written by Lt. Mellice alone: The Long Road Home (Mellice brothers)

...and the best post of 2009 as chosen by the First Officer is...

The Accredited Agent/Trapped/The End of Their Story (Lindsay/Lassiter)

Captain's Choice for Quote of the Week

2008-12-31T19:32:00.045-05:00

-=/\=-

"The name of Dengar and its association with incredible amounts of destruction would last until the end of time and probably several weeks past it."

LT (sg) Rada Dengar
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Serendipity

-=/\=-

"...could there be any worse a death than the kind where you live on?"

LT. (sg) Rada Dengar
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Serendipity

-=/\=-

"I wonder how the cat tastes."

Ensign Hok
CONN Officer
USS Serendipity

-=/\=-

"In conclusion...boiling isolinear chips is bad."

Commander Dabin Reece
Chief of Sciences
USS Serendipity

-=/\=-

"Congratulations Commander Blane! You are our lucky winner, and I’m as happy as a vampire during a solar eclipse.”

Dr. Dalton McKay
(as told by)
Commander Dabin Reece
Chief of Sciences
USS Serendipity

-=/\=-

“I swear, the next time I travel back to 1641 I’m telling Charles to wipe your silly little country off the map.”

Ashton Ledbetter
Temporal Investigations Agent
Speaking to Keiran O'Sullivan
(as told by Commander Salvek )

-=/\=-

“How did ya kill the Borg Queen this time, Ledbetter? Strangle her with her own spine again?”

Commander *Keiran O'Sullivan
(As told by Commander Salvek)

-=/\=-

“She is my captain and I WILL protect her with any means at my disposal, any means! Do we understand each other?”

Commander TC Blane,
to Temporal Investigations Agent
William Lindsay

-=/\=-

““Given enough time the department would descend into a primitive violent warrior culture where the replicator was the only law. The only problem was that they’d never be given enough time because at the start of this entire thing they were under attack and with no Engineers working on anything except drawing up blue prints the ship would be destroyed within minutes. If Rada did wake up he’d probably be dead."

Lt. Commander Rada Dengar
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Serendipity NCC 2012

-=/\=-

"Did ya not listen to a single word I ever told you about the woman, William?"

Commander *Keiran O'Sullivan
(speaking of Zanh Liis
to Temporal Investigations
Agent William Lindsay)

-=/\=-

As the doors opened, Zanh Liis saw the pair yapping at each other like a couple of Chihuahuas in a turf war over a chicken bone.

"That’s enough, both of you. Act like that in front of the Admiral and she’ll throw you both out the airlock, unless I beat her to it.”

Captain Zanh Liis
(speaking to Dabin Reece and
Ashton Ledbetter,
as told by Reece)

-=/\=-

"Dabin, if you 'the baby' me one more time, I swear I'll jettison you so far into space this baby will be the least of your worries." Bru warned while keeping her calm.

"Actually, I highly doubt that--" Dabin never finished.

"The least of your worries!" This time, less calm was in her voice.

February Grace,
speaking to Dabin Reece
(as told by Counselor Vol Tryst)

-=/\=-

"In the all-time rankin' of brilliant ideas, this is right up there with spray-on hair and Lincoln's decision to take in a show."

Dr. Dalton McKay
(speaking to Zanh Liis)

-=/\=-

"So, I'm off my medication and not much in the mood for small talk. I understand there's a boom swinging over me. Please, by all means. Lower it."

Captain Zanh Liis, to Admiral Lassiter

“Might I also add that your husband is a lucky man to have married you. Looks and power, awesome combo.”

Commander Lance Hartcort, to Captain Zanh

-=/\=-

“You are in no condition to do any saving, rescuing or rampaging tonight."

Counselor Vol Tryst, to Captain Zanh

-=/\=-

“Don’t sweat it, Cristiane. It sometimes takes years to become competent.”

TC Blane, to Dane Cristiane

-=/\=-

““The accident report filed by Commander Blane says the cause was, let me see if I remember the exact wording, ‘a lack of reflexes and an abundance of stupidity’ if I remember correctly. He even suggested that I run a scan to make sure that you do, in fact, have a brain.”

CMO Lance Hartcort, to Dane Cristiane

-=/\=-

Liis laughed out loud. "You, Steele and Cristiane. The Three Musketeers ride again."

"More like one Musketeer and two Stooges.”

TC Blane, concerning the 'special mission' he'd been in charge of.

-=/\=-

...so I was standing there, wondering what was next. When suddenly, the ground caved in below me! Betazed swallowed me whole, like Lair Kellyn on a fork full of Chinese food.”

Dabin Reece, regaling the crew with a tale of adventure in an attempt to win The Balderdash Cup

-=/\=-

"Ya’ll should know that ya got about three seconds to yap at me before we go to super-duper Warp or whatever the hell they call it and I disappear from your screen faster than a skeeter during froggin’ season!"

Dr. Dalton McKay, Long-Term Medical Hologram

-=/\=-

"I know we're short staffed and all, but with the repairs complete, isn't there a flunky somewhere we can put on finding out what the hell happened to my chair? At moments like this I really miss Cristiane."

Captain Zanh Liis O'Sullivan, USS Serendipity

-=/\=-

"Reece! You're sitting in a bar, and in walks Godzilla. He's pissed off and looking for trouble. Soon, a fight breaks out."

[What am I drinking?]

"It doesn't matter, it's tossed from your hand."

[What was I drinking?]

Counselor Tryst and Dabin Reece, speaking over subspace.
(as told by Vol Tryst)

-=/\=-

"All I wanted was some tea, is that so much to ask?"

Counselor Tryst, speaking to Keiran O'Sullivan

-=/\=-

"And so the frog says to the targ, y’all can keep the umbrella but I want my skeeter back!"

Dalton McKay,

speaking to the Vulcan CMO of the

Yeht-urgam

(as told by Dabin Reece)

-=/\=-

"You have done your best. It is time for them to take up the work of your hands. "

Anian Naloy

(Zanh Liis' Grandmother, speaking to Liis in a dream)

-=/\=-

“How the hell many of you are there?"

LT. CMDR Michael Blakeney
Temporal Investigations
(to an unknown assailant)

-=/\=-

“I seem to have forgotten a little, but I still remember that I won the bet.”

LT. CMDR Rada Dengar
(talking to Lair Kellyn)

-=/\=-

“Brave man, telling a Bajoran woman what she thinks before she's finished her morning coffee."

-=/\=- Zanh Liis
(speaking to TC Blane)

-=/\=-

Tryst inclined his head with curiosity, wondering how the Vulcan could so casually fix himself a spot of a tea with lemon at a time like this.

(Written by Commander Salvek)

-=/\=-

"There is no map for this. There is no...absolute. There is only uncertainty, and waiting. It's sort of like..." he paused, wondering if she'd spent enough time on Earth to understand the religious term he was about to use. "Purgatory."

Keiran O'Sullivan, speaking to Wren Elton

-=/\=-

"Be careful what you wish for, Mister Blane." She said with a small laugh. "You haven't known Reece quite as long as I have. Chandelier swinging is a likely future possibility, if not an outright eventual certainty."

Zanh Liis, speaking to TC Blane

-=/\=-

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am God."

Ladron Reece (past host of the Reece symbiont) to the locals on Sveji, in the year 2239

-=/\=-

"You are a force of nature, Madame."

Vol Tryst, to February Grace

"Are ya reall'a gonna do this to 'em, Liis? A bugle would be a hellofa lot kinder, yeah?"

Commander Keiran O'Sullivan to his wife, the Captain of the USS Serendipity

-=/\=-

"Remember what happened last time you got too close to me while I was holding a lengthy metallic pole, Cristiane? Unless you want me to break your nose again or find an even more unpleasant way to inflict pain using this thing I sincerely suggest that you cram it."

Ensign Landry Steele, to Dane Cristiane

-=/\=-

*Captain. Ha.* Mellice shook his head in amazement. Wonders truly never did cease.

Lt. Mellice Cem, considering the current rank of old friend Zanh Liis

-=/\=-

"I hope you've thought this through. 'Cause I think you've seriously underestimated the combined power of my posse!"

Lieutenant February Grace
to Jelca, her alien captor

-=/\=-

"I’m gonna put a freaking cow bell on that door."

CMO Lance Hartcort, to Commander TC Blane

-=/\=-

"Good to see that married life hasn't done an'a'thin' to lighten that black cloud over yer head, Zanh Liis. After all, what would the universe be without it."

Captain William Lindsay

-=/\=-

“When you have confirmed that you do indeed have those you claim to possess and that they are being well cared for, then we will discuss what the next step will be. Contact me, through the proper channel, when you are ready. Until that time my response to you and your demands is simply…nuts.”

Commander TC Blane

-=/\=-

"Why don't you just set me on fire and ask me to do the hula while you're at it," Trev retorted, not believing Dane knew what he was asking.

"You'd be dressed for it!" Dane barked.

-=/\=-

"Don't make me go looking for another bottle to break over your head."

Lair Kellyn, to Dane Cristiane

-=/\=-

"Not a word, William. Not a bloody word."

Keiran O'Sullivan, to Will Lindsay
while in the brig aboard the USS Poseidon

-=/\=-

The counselor returned balancing four bags of popcorn, two sodas all while a Snickers bar was being held between his teeth. He walked to Dabin and stood in front of him before the Trill finally noticed him.

Dabin looked at the food, then up at Vol's face.

"You are so hot right now."

Vol rolled his eyes. "I gogna tump dis on yor faith."

(Written by Vol Tryst)

-=/\=-

"Keiran, for Christ’sake, think with yer brain for a minute!"

(William Lindsay, as told by Keiran O'Sullivan)

-=/\=-

"Good thing we didn't take him to see Statue of Liberty or her head would now be floating upside down in Hudson River."

Fleur Le Marc, speaking of Dabin Reece

-=/\=-

Best of Star Trek: Alchemy

2008-12-31T02:21:00.029-05:00

As the writer who also has the privilege of playing the role of 'captain' to our crew, it has been extremely difficult for me to choose favorites among the gifts of words they've been so generous with since Star Trek: Alchemy began. Still, I've tried to pick out a post that I particularly like or think is fitting for each character, and some lines of dialogue that stand out in my mind as well.

Each post I read stays with me, for one reason for another. These, I found, are particularly amazing, each in their own way. My nominations for some of our finest moments from 2008.

Please note that when a post has more than one part, all parts included under the same title are indicated.

~ZL

Captain Zanh Recommends..

Post which best describes your own character?

Zanh Liis: Catalyst and No Kind of Life

The Posts You Found Most Difficult to Write

Miles to Go, All I Know, No Greater Love, Off the Record and A Matter of Honor

(Keiran O'Sullivan's funeral, alternate timeline)

What are your favorite Joint Post(s) that you've worked on?

With **William Lindsay: Given the Choice and The Sum of Our Memories

With my Executive Officer: Thank You

With my Second Officer: Hands Held High

With my Chief Engineer: The Only Right

With my Ship's Counselor: Regrets Only

Favorite posts by any or all of your crew mates?

Salvek: Vigil

TC Blane: The Art of Caring

Rada Dengar: Sacrifices

Zander Blakeslee: Confrontation

Vol Tryst: Faltering

Jariel Camen: Seeking His Wisdom

Dabin Reece: Please, Please Tell Me Now

Lair Kellyn: The 3:14 From Nowhere/All That You Can't Leave Behind/Walk On

February Grace: Under the Weather. . .Modification Net

Keiran O'Sullivan: (Primary Writer) To Lions and At What Cost

*Keiran O'Sullivan (*Co-Author of character)The Letter

Dane Cristiane: The Luck of the Irish

Fleur Le Marc: Then and Now

Admiral Jonas Vox: Step Off

William Lindsay:(Original writer of character)Standing Still

Ashton Ledbetter: The Imperfect Evening

Commander Lance Hartcort: Bingo!

Guest Star: Commander Paxton Briggs: Are We There Yet?

Do you have a favorite Joint Post written by other members of crew?

The Moment

Child's Play

The Darkness

What was your favorite plot arc since we started a year ago?

The Cascade Effect/Two Lights (Alternate Continuity Paradox)

What do you think are the funniest post(s) of the year?

I'll Take What's in the Box, Monty!

A Promise Fulfilled

The Battle of Hastings

In a Handbasket

Favorite dramatic post(s)?

By Default

The Last Sip

Being Beaten

-=/\=-

Captain's Favorites for Purely Sentimental Reasons:

Can Heaven Be So Envious

A Time to Speak

The Cufflinks

All Dressed Up

-=/\=-

Post excerpts that amused or captured the Captain's attention...

----

"Buffer this, you son of a bitch," Zanh Liis, to the transporter pattern buffers on the dying USS Executor

----

"That's a corkscrew. Don't you ever get out?" TC Blane, to Dabin Reece

----

"Shove protocol and END THIS!" ~Zanh Liis, to Salvek, concerning the brawl in Illusions Lounge.

----

"Okay, Ensign Dane Marion Cristiane," TC repeated for effect. "What happened here tonight, from your perspective?"

"I got my ass kicked by a girl." Dane complained.

"Yes you did. You can take that up with your therapist later." TC replied in a matter of fact tone. “I mean before that.”

"Sir, you were there, do we really,"

"For the official record, Ensign, yes we do so let's get this over with shall we?"

"Sure. For the record," Dane felt dizzier than before and leaned against the bar. "May I sit down, Sir? Before I fall down?"

TC hooked one of the few intact barstools with his foot and kicked it over toward Dane. “Sit.” He ordered.

Dane righted the stool and plunked down. "For the record, O'Sullivan was absolutely shitfaced, and,"

"Is that a statement of Mr. O’Sullivan’s mental condition or a remark about his looks? Could you put that a little more tactfully, Ensign," Blane snapped, "For the record?"

Dane scowled.

"Okay, try this. Lt. Commander Keiran O'Sullivan imbibed in far too much alcohol earlier this evening and disturbed the peace by inciting a brawl."

"Better." Blane nodded, tapping away. "How did he start it, and who threw the first punch?"

"He insulted the Captain's boyfriend and he replied with a sign that was direct and to the point. Specifically, to O'Sullivan's grill."

"Ensign,"

"Okay, okay. He insulted Vedek Jariel's worthiness to court the fair Captain Zanh Liis, Queen of all Starfleet."

Blane glared. “My tolerance is at an end.”

~TC Blane and Dane Cristiane, following the brawl in Illusions Lounge

----

"Pfffffffffffft." Fleur Le Marc (to just about everybody)

----

"Zanh Liis, Zanh Liis! God save us all from Zanh Liis!" Ensign Landry Steele, Temporal Investigations (to herself)

----

"That's what I thought. Out the airlock." TC Blane, to Dane Cristiane, upon finding out that Cristiane was spying on Zanh Liis for Admiral Vox

----

"That's not an answer, Sir. It's a wish." ~Counselor Vol Tryst, to Keiran O'Sullivan

----

"What you remember, what we were was the truth then, but you have give it up now. You have to let me carry it, for the both of us...I'm beggin' ya. I'm the only one who can."

"'Tis not your battle to fight, my darlin'. No matter what you do, we can't win."

Keiran O'Sullivan, to Zanh Liis, concerning memories restored to her by the Sylph

----

"LANDRY! Bring my blood pressure medication and an entire bottle of aspirin." ~Admiral Jonas Vox, to his assistant

----

"You wanted him to be quiet, didn't ya? It was set for stun." (Keiran O'Sullivan, to Salvek)

----

“It seems that once again the futility of memory resequencing is evident,” Commander Salvek, to Zanh Liis

----

"Come on. You look like you've gone ten rounds with a Gorn who didn't like your soup." Dabin Reece, to a hungover Fleur Le Marc

----

"Of all the bodies that they appear to have in their storage tubes, only eight of them are actually suffering from what you could call a terminal degree of deadness." Dabin Reece, to Zanh Liis

----

"Put it this way; 'Roman cavalry choirs' weren't the only ones singin' last night." ~Keiran O'Sullivan, to Zanh Liis (alternate timeline) explaining what she'd been singing while she was intoxicated

----

He was a man with no feeling heart left in him, and it seemed to him that if you couldn't feel your heart, there should be no way to know when it's broken.~Keiran O'Sullivan

----

"I'll sit out there all night and you can be alone in here. Or you can go out there and burn the building down lighting one damn cigarette after another, your choice." She put her hands on her hips, indicating that her decision was final and not at all negotiable.

"But if you think I'm going to leave you alone tonight in the state you're in, then I don't think we've met."

She extended her arm out, offering an exaggerated, mock handshake. "Hi, I'm Zanh Liis; monumental pain in the ass. Pleased to meet you."

"You are that." Keiran snorted, retreating out onto the cramped balcony.

----

TC laughed his rare, deep, quiet laugh. The one that was only meant to be heard by those close to him; by friends and family.

“We seem to be lacking the necessary alcoholic beverages for this conversation.” ~TC Blane, speaking to Zanh Liis

----

"How could you," O'Sullivan whispered bitterly, leaning against the wall for support. "Just...bringing her in like that, and not telling me, and-"

"God damn it, Keiran, you were not supposed to remember her."

"She was my wife, Jonas!" Keiran shouted, "I was supposed to forget that?"

"Yes! You were!" Vox exclaimed. "Keep your voice down."

Keiran traversed the space between them in two swift strides and soon had Vox up against the wall, held suspended from the deck by the front of his shirt.

"I can't do this. I can't do it again. It'll kill me, understand?"

Vox sighed slowly. The last resequencing had obviously been a dismal failure. It had seemed so promising, they had even told him that his new partner would be a Bajoran female and Keiran had registered no reaction.

But sadly all it took was being in the same room with her, and the man simply came unhinged.

"They really thought it would work, Keiran. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Vox was sincere in his words. "Aren't you at least gratified to see that she's alive? That your Jump was a success and here she is, back again at the beginning?"

*I can't go back to square one with her and pretend that...”

*I'll never be able to keep the code. * O'Sullivan thought to himself.

"I'm only a man, Jonas, for Christ's sake. I'm only-"

Slowly, he lowered Vox back to the floor. Releasing his grip, he looked at the Admiral apologetically.

"It's over." Keiran announced, reaching up and pulling his badge from his uniform. "My career is over. My life is over."

"Wait,"

"No. You wait." Keiran said, panic rising in his tone again. "You can't ever, ever put me in a situation again with Zanh Liis and expect that I won't remember her." He stared off into the distance. "I've loved her, and what's more I have needed her, and you can't expect that I will ever forget how much."

Vox stepped forward but refused to accept the badge O'Sullivan held out to him.

"There is one other option."Keiran O'Sullivan and Admiral Jonas Vox, Director of Temporal Investigations

----

TC did not even turn to face Dane when he spoke. “What is the third Article of the Federation?” He asked in an uninterested tone.

"Zanh Liis always gets her way?" Dane blurted, unable to censor himself a moment longer.

TC did not even flinch although Salvek did turn his head to look. “No, Mr. Cristiane that would be the first article of this ship's constitution. I suggest you remember that."

----

The stray thought reminded Vol of something his father and mother used to tell him when he was a small child. 'Betazoid gongs are used to give thanks to the Gods and Goddesses for the food we eat. You can also, however, use the gongs to express your irritation with a person by smacking said person over the head with the sacred gongs. Believe me, the Gods and Goddesses will likely be just as thankful.' ~ Vol Tryst

----

Do you always think everything is about you, Cristiane? 'Cause, you know, it's just not." Ensign Landry Steele

----

Yes, little did anyone know, it all depended on one person. Everything happening below between the Captain and her beloved crew could all be rendered moot in an instant in one giant, harmful, dangerous and totally sucky explosion that would all leave them dead.

All their fates depended upon the actions of one incredible man.

Thup thup thup thup thup thup thup thup...

Dabin Reece lay across the Command chair, one arm behind his head and the other working the paddleball he held. One foot dangled and swayed over the side of Zanh Liis' armrest as the other was propped up on the headrest on the back of Salvek's chair.

This, was boring

~Dabin Reece

----

I will cherish what we had and hope you do the same. Carry the joy we had with you, not the sorrow of the loss. In that, my love will have meaning. If you cannot move past the sorrow, we all lose. You, me, him, and your crew. All of us will lose. I don’t want that.

I love you. Stand tall, walk proud, live the life you want and deserve. Just take it easy on the coffee, for the love of God.

Did you laugh again?

Good.

Then fold this letter back up and let that be the last effect my influence has on you for this day.

~SHTV, K

~**Keiran O'Sullivan to Zanh Liis, in a letter

----

"Your beloved Emerson wrote 'When it is darkest, men see the stars.' Well it's never been darker for me, and I see them now, Keiran, but they are meaningless to me. What purpose do any of them serve if their light will never again be reflected in your eyes?" Zanh Liis (alternate timeline) speaking to Keiran O'Sullivan's grave

----

Keiran had resumed staring at Zanh Liis, holding her hand tightly in his own. He looked up as he heard a frantic, jubilant voice calling his name a moment later, and he found himself nearly knocked to the deck by an emotional Dane Cristiane.

"You're alive!" Dane exclaimed, throwing his arms around O'Sullivan as if he were his long-lost son, instead of Carrick. "I can't believe you're alive. Keiran...we buried you."

----

"Sixteen and three. The number of rules and sub-sections of the code of conduct we broke under this tree." ~Zanh Liis, to Keiran O'Sullivan

----

"What is life, and what is living?" Keiran O'Sullivan to Zanh Liis, pondering the fate of the Perseids crew

----

"What about the groom's gift? Need any help with that? It's an Earth thing, you know. They have lots of things on Earth." Dabin Reece, to Zanh Liis, while helping her pick out a wedding gown.

----

“Right, now you listen to me very carefully, William. This is not a matter for debate. You’re not taking Liis anywhere without me, and if you so much as look like you’re thinking about tryin’ it I swear to God I won’t be responsible for my actions.” Keiran O'Sullivan (as told by Dengar) to William Lindsay

----

That's why we're both going to do everything in our power to make certain that you do survive this mission, Zanh Liis," Will replied, placing a reassuring hand on each of her shoulders.

"Because it’s not just your life we’re dealing with here. Every nick, every cut, every drop of your blood that’s spilled will be lost from him as sure as if he’d been in your place. Only when they’re your wounds, they’ll take him so much longer to heal. And I swear if you were struck down by that fatal blow, that no matter where in the universe he was he’d feel it just as hard. Then slowly he’d spiral down and down through misery and pain until eventually, it took his life too.” He added with an all too knowing tone, “There really is no worse way to die.”

~**William Lindsay, speaking to Zanh Liis about Keiran O'Sullivan

To see the Captain's favorite quotes from our always-quoteworthy Chief Engineer Rada Dengar, please click this link...

To view the Captain's Quote of the Week Page, click this link

The Best of Star Trek: Alchemy

2008-12-30T18:45:00.003-05:00

Members of crew recommend some of their favorite examples of our work from 2008

With some seven hundred posts being written in the first year and plot arcs spanning three thousand pages of text, it's very difficult to choose favorites among the chapters we've written together.

This is why I do not select 'posts of the month'. Asking me to choose between the works submitted by our writers would be like asking me to choose between air and water.

Yet, I have asked some of our writers to do just that and pick out what they believe to be our finest moments over the past year. I hope that you'll enjoy these posts as much as we did (and still do).

~ZL

-=-=/\=-=-

Commander Salvek's choices:

Post which best describes the character(s) below?

Salvek:Quality Time, and Affirmation

Jariel Camen: More Questions Than Answers: Two

Dabin Reece: Please Please, Tell Me Now

*Keiran O'Sullivan (*Secondary Writer)The Letter

What are your favorite Joint Post(s) that you've worked on?

I’ll Take What’s in the Box, Monty!

Tending the Flock series

The Moment

Favorite posts by any or all of your crew mates?

Rada Dengar: A Thousand Reasons

Ensign Hok: Decisions

TC Blane: The Last Sip

Zander Blakeslee: A Promise Fulfilled

Vol Tryst: No More Pretend

Lair Kellyn: The 3:14 From Nowhere et al

February Grace: May I Have Your Attention Please

Fleur Le Marc: Revealed

Zanh Liis: Once Upon a Time One and Two

Do you have a favorite Joint Post written by other members of crew?

Rule Thirty-Three

Given the Choice

The Only Right 1 and 2

Just Fine

Going Down

What was your favorite plot arc since we started a year ago?

The Good Fight (First mission, Zanh rescue) and Kidnapped (Taris/Arie)

What do you think is the funniest post of the year?

Reduced to This

Favorite dramatic post(s)?

Revelations

Easier Said

A Handful of the Ocean One and Two

Airlock

Favorite Action Sequences?

Ballroom Blitz

The Force Behind it All

Have any favorite random quotes/passages of dialog?

"He flushed the little towel from by the sink!" ~Thomas Blakeslee (as told by Lair Kellyn, in the post Reduced to This)

-=/\=-

"So, how about you Danger? Chinese?"

“Actually, I’m not really hungry…” Rada really was hungry, but since the first meal he shared with Breaux of his hometown dishes, he had decided that he wouldn’t eat any Terran food that he hadn’t at least run under a tricorder first.

“Oh, come on. Everyone else is eating. I wouldn’t want you to feel left out. How about a leaf of stir-fried beef? A fork of sweet and sour pork? A smidgen of salt baked pigeon?”

It seemed that the commander really wanted him to eat and so he relented. “Perhaps I’ll just have what Kellyn’s having.” Rada didn’t know what a Szechuan was but he had eaten chicken before and liked it, if his memory served it was nice and bland.

“There we go. I knew I’d get you to eat.” Reece said as he gave Rada an encouraging pat on the back. “Now, what else would you like?”

“Really the chicken will be enough,” Rada replied.

“How about just a little Kung Pao Shrimp on the side?”

“Really, I’m fine,” Rada replied.

“Really? You won’t have just a tiny bit?” Reece asked again, demonstrating by bringing his thumb and forefinger together just how small it could be.

“Really,” Rada confirmed.

“It could just be a tiny, tiny, tiny….” Reece would have kept emphasizing how small it was for ten more tinys but Kellyn objected through the window.

“Leave the poor man alone.”(Dialog for all three characters written by Rada Dengar for the post I'll Take What's in the Box, Monty!)

Commander Blane's choices (pending)

Lt. Commander Dengar's choices:

Which post best defines who your character is?

Imitation of Life: Two

What is/are your favorite Joint Post(s)that you've worked on?

Sufficient Distraction

Just Fine

What is/are your favorite post(s) by your crew mates (any or all of them)

Point of Decision

The Last Sip

Final Jeopardy

Do you have a favorite Joint Post that was written by someone else?

Blank Canvas

What was your favorite plot arc since we started a year ago?

Mim

What do you think was the funniest post of the year?

Please, Please, Tell Me Now

Favorite dramatic post?

Resigned

Favorite Action Sequences?

In Plain Sight, Part Two

Counselor Tryst's choices (pending)

Captain Zanh's list can be found by clicking this link...

-=-=/\=-=-

This page is still under construction...

Ready Room Archives

2007-12-31T18:53:00.007-05:00

In Memory of Andrew Koenig

1968-2010

May you finally find peace, and may your family find comfort in the support of those who loved you.

~ZL

91005.0500

Three months ago today, a precious life was lost and countless others changed forever when two monorails collided at Walt Disney World and took the life of a truly incredible young man, Austin Wuennenberg.

I couldn't let the date go by without telling all those that knew him that I have not forgotten, nor could I ever forget.

Your light still burns brightly, Austin, and always will.

~ZL

90929.17

Strange things happen to a person when you are so tired, in so much chronic physical pain, so sleep deprived, and become so worn down by the ongoing daily crisis of life as well as those totally unexpected events that hit you broadside.

You not only start questioning after a point everything you do, but everything you are.

Of all the things that can and do go wrong, it's always the ones you never see coming that hit the hardest and cause you the most doubt.

By anyone's standards, I've had a rough year.

It began a year ago when my father nearly died of throat cancer and had to have life-altering surgery.

I was his DPOA.

While legally blind...(among other health issues of my own).

I had two eye surgeries in April '09 and two in August, both with a multitude of complications. I've also had to accept that while they were both definitely worth it in that I am now no longer blind when using extraordinary external aids, the operations were by no means a complete success. For the rest of my life, every time I take off the glasses and the lenses that enable me to see, I will still be legally blind. But it beats the hell out of being blind every moment of every day, don't get me wrong and I'm very grateful for that. But it still does require adjustments to your expectations and your everyday life. My eyes are now and will ever be extremely weakened and high-maintainence.

There are aspects of losing your vision that people can't begin to understand until it happens to them. What it does to you psychologically to have to be led everywhere you go so you won't injure yourself. What it's like to set yourself on fire trying to use the stove (yes I did that fortunately there were no major injuries). Down to smaller things like trying to navigate a public restroom- there are a million things that happen and that you find on a daily basis are made difficult if not impossible when you can no longer see.

That doesn't even include what it's like when you realize that you've forgotten what your favorite place in the world really looks like. That is something that can only come to you when, after being gifted with the return of some useable vision, you get to see the stars again for the first time in two years. I even got to see the Perseids this year.

Then, one day this past summer and just weeks before my second set of surgeries, Salvek's grandmother was diagnosed with advanced cancer and sadly, she passed away only weeks later. There will never be another lady like she was.

She reminded me so much of my own maternal grandmother, whom I have written into so many Serendipity posts by way of Liis' visions of her. She's still with me every day though this November, she will have been gone for five years.

Jobs have also been lost and then thankfully others gained, as has my sanity at many points during this year as life seems to go faster and slower all at the same time. But even as bad as it's been the past year has definitely had its moments, and that is why I am still here to talk about all that went wrong.

Add in to all I've mentioned already a half a dozen or so other major and minor crisis, and you just wonder what you have left in you anymore.

I came to a point of doubting myself where I didn't want to give my crew any less than my best and so felt I could no longer give them anything at all. What I didn't realize was that they bring out that best in me; even at times I doubt that it could possibly still be there. They continually inspire it, so it can't ever truly go away.

I have learned through the persistance and patience of my friends, this crew, that one thing that never helps me is when I try to give up writing.

So there came a point after my exit that, knowing I was doubting no one but myself, the XO took action and called for the crew to come to a decision as to whether they wanted to try to get me back or let me go.

After an unanimous vote that they wanted me back, I gratefully and humbly acknowledged that giving up the Sera was a knee-jerk reaction to things that had nothing to do with it, and that it was absolutely the wrong thing for me to have done.

I'm so grateful that they still wanted me here.

I want to thank every one them from the bottom of my heart for their loyalty and dedication- every dear soul to the last: J, D, M, JG, A and G...and I want to assure you that you're all stuck with me now.

Whoever comes and goes in the future and for how long or whatever reasons- I intend to be the last one left here to turn out the lights when someday, it's finally over.

I hope that day doesn't come for a very, very long time.

It's so good to be home.

We've added a new officer during my absence, and I'd like now to give an official Captain's welcome to Mellice Cem. Happy to have you aboard, Cem.

We're also going to get to keep Paxton Briggs which pleases me highly. He'll be on the roster just as soon as we can come up with a title worthy of him. ("Exalted King of All Starfleet" may be a bit much, not that he hasn't earned it.)

I'm working on it, Pax, I'm workin' on it.

Once again I salute you all, the best crew in RPG history: the crew of the Serendipity.

My crew.

~SHTV

-=/\=- Zanh Liis O'Sullivan

(Oh- and an aside- about the name...) I've decided that Liis would do the best she could to integrate the best traditions of both of the cultures that she feels she belongs to- the tradition of keeping the Bajoran surname first, while also taking on the Human tradition of her husband's homeworld by also taking his surname. So there 'Liis' is, right in the middle of Bajoran and Human culture. Yes, technically people may point out to me that it should be "O'Sullivan Zanh Liis" or "Zanh O'Sullivan Liis" but I'm not having it *laugh*. Her name is what it is. She's Captain Zanh by rank, she's Liis O'Sullivan at heart. So combining it all, for me, suits her just right.

-=/\=-

90715.00

It's with overwhelming gratitude to the best crew in the history of RPG that I am announcing that I am, as of now, retiring from writing.

It's been an amazing experience, and I thank you all for the gift of all the words you've given me. I regret that I have no more left to give you in return.

I will maintain the website and it is my hope that you will all continue on with Salvek as Captain.

We have to discuss the particulars yet but it's my plan that Liis and Keiran will get that retirement in Ireland that they've always wanted. Perhaps they'll teach.

In the 'real world', I hope to return to the non-profit work I've done before even if only able to do so in a smaller capacity.

In any event, the momentum of life changes on you sometimes and you find you're headed in a different direction than you ever imagined you would be. Then, you have to get your bearings and continue on in that new direction and that is what I am doing.

Thank you, for everything. Updates to the site (roster, etc) will progress as decisions are made as to how exactly it will continue on.

If nothing else the archives will remain as long as I can keep them on the web. Your work deserves to be seen and I myself know that I will come here to read it again and again.

I have to, at this time, thank everyone in the Walt Disney World Monorail Operations Department for all that they've given me.

The time I spent with them over the past weekend and the ability to attend the vigil for Austin Wuennenberg has been a life-altering experience and I truly thank them all. I won't ever forget.

I will close now by quoting the song which has become inextricably linked in my mind and heart to the people and characters we've created here.

"Goodnight, and joy be to you all."

~ZLO

In Tribute

This is the wallpaper on my computer desktop.

The main attraction of my Monorail Kitchen: The Contemporary Resort model that fulfills a childhood dream.

Howard, and Monorail Green

My heart is just broken over the monorail incident of early July 5th and I want to extend my most sincere condolences to the family of Monorail pilot Austin Wuennenberg and everyone else who has been touched by this tragedy.

~ZL

90625.23

I'd like to wish a Happy Birthday to our own Counselor Tryst. We love you, Vol! May the next year be a wonderful one for you.

Last night, we happened to see something really cool- and Star Trek related. It proves once again just what a master Jerry Goldsmith truly was (we miss you, Jerry).

He wrote so much beautiful music, not just what he wrote for Star Trek (though I must say I think the Suite from the Inner Light is arguably the most beautiful thing he ever wrote) but also the work he did for Disney.

The score for the film Mulan is a sentimental favorite of mine, and he also wrote the music for Disney's Soarin' attraction- I don't think anyone could hear it and experience that ride (a term which does not do the attraction justice, it is unlike any 'ride' you've ever seen) and not be moved by it.

In any event without further ado...the Trek related link. Scroll over to 16:19 minutes in, turn the sound up on your computer, and prepare to be amazed. I dare you not to shiver, watching this. I don't think it's possible. Thanks again, Jerry.

Tonight in catching up on logging posts for safe keeping, (I have so much to catch up on around here too as I regain use of some of my vision...) I found that as difficult as things have been this year with me struggling to see and through the surgeries- my loyal crew still helped bring Star Trek: Alchemy not only to our 900th post, but a total of 953 pages of post content so far this year. And every one of them is pure, real storytelling. I'm so proud of that- I'm so proud of them.

I can't wait to see where the next one thousand pages take us.

Thanks again to my crew, for their heart, their soul, and their generosity with their time and talent. You're simply the best I've ever seen in twelve years of rpg writing- I've never seen a crew that could rightfully claim to be in the same league with you, let alone your equal.

~ZL

90515.20

Well...it's been awhile since I've done this hasn't it?

Thanks again to the crew for their patience and support through my recent surgeries over the past month and subsequent recovery time which has gone on far longer than originally expected- due entirely to the fact that the second surgery was needed (and not originally planned) and the outcome wasn't what we hoped for.

I'm on the mend but I'm still working with mostly residual vision in my right eye and it'll be weeks until that changes- but the good news is that hopefully it will change. So site updates may still be a little behind. But I'm doing my best to keep our writers and our readers up to date and in the loop. It's just not easy to do that with stitches in your eye.

Now an aside- it seems that the Phantomstar's Top 200 Trek Sites website has disappeared. This being the case I took down the link to vote for us for now as it wasn't loading properly anymore. I'll keep checking to see if it returns but it's never vanished for so long. In the meantime I'll be looking for new sites to list us on. We had more than eighteen hundred votes and were in the top five most of the time (top three, a lot of the past year and a half) and so got quite a bit of site traffic from there. Thank you to everyone who voted for us in the past, your support is much appreciated.

As we stand at the moment we're about to kick the current mission into high gear- and I can't wait. The writing is fantastic as ever even if my vision issues have slowed us down a little. The quantity of posts may have suffered in April due to my inability to see at all but the quality of the work of our writers, never has suffered for a moment.

Thanks to each and every one of them- no Captain could ever ask for better.

~ZL

90404.04

Recent interviews with the crew that previously appeared on this page have been relocated to each individual writer's page in our new From The Writer's Notebook section.

Other amusements and bits of interesting info about the writers behind Star Trek: Alchemy's amazing characters will be added on an ongoing basis to this continual work in process.

The crew's interview with me will be relocated to my Notebook page as soon as I can see straight to reformat it. ~ZL

90226.18

90127.22

Site Updates and The Best of Star Trek Alchemy...

Updates to spiff up the site are continuing...slowly.

This installment of From the Ready Room will explain why the updates are continuing so slowly. But first, here are some new links:

The Best of 2008: Chosen by the Crew (still in progress)

The Best of 2008: Chosen by the Captain

As my crew already knows, my vision has been bad for years but in the past year, I have lost almost all of my functional vision. I am now considered legally blind in one eye and the other is not that great.

I was scheduled to have surgery last fall but it was postponed by the surgeon at the last minute so that another specialist could be consulted, that appointment is set for Spring. There are many complicating factors and if the team from the local University hospital (the third hospital group I've seen- half a dozen doctors and counting) deems that the surgery is too risky (they have already said that they cannot promise me anything as far as if it will actually work and if so, how well) then I will, they say, lose what remains of my vision.

While I try to maintain the outlook that they will find a way to save at least some of my sight, the fact remains that daily life has changed for me and the challenges are slowing me down some.

My family wanted to try to grasp what I can see, and so I tried to recreate what I see through each eye using the web cam.

Problem is, the auto-focus on the camera is so efficient there's no way to truly reproduce what I see with the equipment I've got.

But still, just for the heck of it, this is what I'd call a most optimistic representation of what I see when I look at our lovely website, with the font set to 'largest' in Explorer and with additional magnification as well.

In actuality, it looks like I am looking through a dirty, frost covered windshield- everything I look at has a yellowish haze over it that I can't recreate for these images.

With magnification to maximum I still can't see anything but blurred sepia-toned light with the one eye, with the other I'm reading at largest Explorer font + 200 percent magnification at minimum. But for now at least, I am grateful to still be reading.

Outside the house, in daylight or in headlights, I am now completely blinded by a large bright blur- in both eyes. At night, on the one side is the solid blur of lights merging together and on the other, for every headlight/street light, I see eight lights overlapping in a semi-circle, then all blurring together. It is rather like a movie special-effect you can't turn off when you look away.

I wish someone would invent the banana-hair clip Geordi visor already, this visual impairment thing is really hurting my writing productivity and web developing skills *laugh*.(Hey Dengar, get to work on that for me will you please?)

So anyway, given the state of my eyes, please bear with me while I continue to do what I can to add to the site. Posts might take a day or two to appear in the archives these days too it's not for lack of wanting to be prompt it's that headaches come with the territory and some days I can't look at the screen at all.

Far as updates I'm anxious to do...for one, my own bio is hopelessly out of date. It's at the top of my 'to do' list. Tweaks to other bios are ongoing and there are a dozen other ideas in my head at least.

I wanted to get the Best Of lists up first though and they are full of hidden gems from our archives, I have to suggest that you stop by and see what's there.

I'm so proud of the work of my crew that I can't even tell you. Thanks to each and every person who contributed to the body of work and stories that we've been able to tell so far.

So, that's all for now.

Take care out there and appreciate your vision. Watch a sunset tonight, look up at stars, take in the smile of someone you love.

Everything could be different tomorrow.

~ZL

90105.14

I hope everyone had safe and enjoyable New Years celebrations!

So...I'm working on compiling a Best Of Star Trek: Alchemy page for the site, and interviewing the crew, asking them to submit their favorite posts- ones they think represent our best work in our first year.

Feedback thus far indicates that it's quite a task to try to choose. I admit, when I sat down with the form I'd sent out and tried to fill it in with only one response per question...I caved. In some cases, I just can't choose one favorite (as in, funniest post of the year).

This is why I don't do the 'post of the month' thing. Everyone writes such amazing stuff, all the time, it's just about impossible to choose between posts. However, with more than seven hundred posts since we started, I do want to spotlight some of the crew's favorites so people who are thinking of joining us can zero in on them and get a real sense of what my writers are capable of without being overwhelmed by the idea of going through the whole post archive.

If you read our work and have a favorite quote, excerpt, post, character, or plot arc that you'd like to see mentioned on our 'best of' page, please drop me an email and let me know! I look forward to hearing from you and finding out which chapters stand out in your minds as readers- and seeing how they compare to the ones that stand out to us as writers. ~ZL

90101.19

Happy New Year!

It's hard for me to believe it's been a year since the bulk of the work was done to make our little site here neat and pretty...and there have been ideas in my head for a long time as to additions I'd like to make and pages I'd like to add.

So, since there's no time like the present (no matter what Temporal Investigations may try to tell you) I am working on making our home on the web as unique as the crew that it represents.

To that end, I'd like to announce that I finally got our "Dengarisms" page up, though it is a work in progress as I have merely scratched the surface of quotes from our Chief Engineer which are worthy of the spotlight.

I've also made an archive for my personal pet project, Quote of the Week, and while I was at it, I spiffed up the Alchemy's specs page a little bit and updated the text to show that Lair and Salvek managed to double her transwarp jump span this year with the help of Mr. Dengar and his engineering department(and I'm happy to report that this was accomplished without Lair Kellyn inflicting injury upon Jamie Halliday for his constant smiling).

I have plenty of other ideas in my head for additions to the site and work on them is already in progress. So stay tuned.

In closing, I'll leave you with the quote I chose today for the Alchemy's dedication plaque. It occurred to me that we've been so busy posting, I had not previously gotten around to choosing one. I think this is just about perfect.

"Do not go where the path may lead,

go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thanks, as always to my amazing crew.

Here's to continuing to blaze our own trail in the new year.

-=/\=- ZL

81208.11

A quick explanation and word of apology to our blog RSS feed subscribers...and you know who you are...

The one thing that I can't control since we host our site here at Blogger is the fact that if I'm going back through old posts and I happen to find a typo I missed previously and want to correct it- that Blogger resends the post to readers such as Bloglines as if it were new.

This will result, obviously, in you getting old posts out of order along with new ones and probably wondering why the hell it happened.

My best advice to our readers (those who aren't part of the game and so don't get the posts via email first) is if this glitch annoys you, it's best (and easiest) to forget the subscription and read the posts on the Archives page directly.

That way posts are always in order from oldest to newest and up to date within a day or so barring some catastrophe that keeps me offline.

I could leave the typos in, I suppose- but nope. Just can't. LOL.

It's best for the crew to check back for posts there too if they need them for reference- depending on the day I'm having- the email versions may have more typos than I can bear to look at later on and the web versions are always the best.

Oh and in case I don't get to post to this page again before the month is out, Happy Holidays, everyone. I hope you have a peaceful, healthy, and joyful 2009. Thank you to my amazing crew for an unforgettable year of writing.

~ZL

90322.22

I feel compelled to write about this...

As anyone who has seen our crew roster knows, Liam Neeson has a special place in my heart, and here in the lore of the USS Serendipity.

He's always been a favorite of mine- (Qui-Gon! Why, did George have to take my beloved Qui-Gon?) and so when I sat down to create a character to temporarily hold the place of Chief of Security when we started Alchemy at the end of 2007, the first thing that came to my mind was an old-fashioned "Irish Cop".

The first person who came to my mind when I thought of the quintessential Irishman was, of course, Liam Neeson.

With his voice, his stance, and his manner in mind, I had all the inspiration I needed to create the concept for Keiran O'Sullivan.

It was a concept never meant to be fully developed, but that has turned out to be the character that I am proudest of writing for, in all the years I've been writing.

While Keiran may have started with Neeson in mind (and the actor remains my physical reference when writing descriptions of the character) he truly took on a life of his own, and has a unique history and stories to tell that I never could have imagined back on that cold winter day upon which I first listened to his voice in my head and started telling his tale.

It was a story that took a sharp turn in direction last June- in literally an instant taking him from a minor supporting role to one pivotal to that of Zanh Liis herself- and that story has been dictating itself to me ever since as though I were merely taking notes.

Keiran is alive; vivid. He is detailed and complicated, and writing for him, by myself and with others, has been a writing experience I will never forget and one that has been transformative not only to my main character, Liis, but to me as a writer.

This being the case, I was heartbroken by the news this past week of the sudden and accidental death of Mr. Neeson's wife, actress Natasha Richardson, following a fall during a skiing lesson.

It is my hope that Mr. Neeson and their sons will find strength in the love of friends and family in this time of grief- and also my hope that the press will leave them alone.

The pictures I've come across, posted on 'legitimate' news websites no less, of the family being hounded by photographers as they went to and from the hospital, and the wake for Ms. Richardson, truly sicken me. To so heartlessly pursue anyone- celebrity, movie star, or regular everyday person- at a time like that is despicable.

Leave. Them. Alone.

Let Natasha Richardson rest in peace; leave the men she loved so well, two of them barely teenagers, to the task of rebuilding their lives in privacy.

My heart goes out to everyone who loved her. There is just no way to make any sense of a tragedy such as this.

I'll be making notations on Keiran's bio that certain plot points were developed nearly a year in advance of these events- I would never want anyone to read them now and think that I would take events from Neeson's life and play off of them for the purposes of storytelling. Never, ever. I could never do such a thing.

If I could say any one thing to Mr. Neeson, it would just be that I am so very sorry for his loss.

I have nothing but respect and admiration for the man, and I only hope that our continued writing for our own Irishman can live up to the concept that he initially inspired.

~ZL

81112.16

The Greatest Gift; or, Why you should be willing to risk trusting others with your character enough to join a game where they're allowed to write some dialog for you, and you for them ~ by Captain Zanh

I do my best to keep up with what's going on in the Trek PBEM RPG world at large, partially out of curiosity as to the rules that other games use to operate.

One rule that is all over the place and continually amazes me is the common rule that goes something like this:

"You are not allowed to write any dialogue for any character that is not your own."

One RPG site that I came across recently went into detail about how this was inconsiderate and unacceptable and how it was basically going to cause irreversible harm to your character and theirs if they allowed people to do this.

My response to that is, yeah, um, what? How in the heck do you ever finish writing an exciting, action-packed bridge sequence at the crescendo of a plot arc if you have to wait for ten people to sign off on it?

Maybe it's just that I'm 'old school' about this stuff. But when I started writing 'back in the day' (i.e., 1997)for an RPG from which most others on the net have been at least partially inspired, SOULTREK, there was no such rule in place and in fact, you were expected to be able to write dialogue that was in character for other people's , well, people, in your posts.

You were just expected from the get-go to learn enough about, and care enough for, the other writers and their characters to be able to do this with a high degree of accuracy.

It was the GM or CO's job to oversee the posts and to make sure that nothing very out of character went out for each particular person on the roster. That's called editorial oversight LOL. It's something that it seems a lot of GM's aren't willing to do these days. Perhaps it's a side effect of all the games being run in real-time chat and on message boards. Maybe it works there, I don't know, but I find for PBEM that such restrictions are maddening.

Then again, I suppose some folks feel that if they're part of a bridge sequence and someone writes that their character replies "Aye sir" to a command instead of "Yes sir" that it's a personal affront to them as an artist and the end of the world. If you're that high maintainence, though how will any game manager be able to stand dealing with you for long? LOL. I think a lot of people travel through a lot of games online one after another because they don't really want to write with a group- they want to be singular authors. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that unless you happen to be trying to do it in an group writing project like PBEM RPGs.

I think people that have that great a need to control such minutiae aren't going to like RPG writing in general anyway and would be better off just writing their stories on their own instead of joining a group to write.

Yes indeed. Not only do I disagree entirely that it's impossible for others to write good dialog for your character, I believe that it brings the crew together in a way nothing else can when you're mutually motivated to help each other explore and improve upon your own characters. I can also tell you from personal experience that it forces you to become a better writer.

It's my job as manager to make sure that nobody writes anything, accidentally or intentionally (hasn't happened here but I have seen that in other RPGs)that will compromise the integrity and dignity of another's character or dramatically alter it. I take that job seriously and protect each character as I would and do my own.

People also forget that joint posting is a great way to explore this with a safety net in place, so to speak. Especially when a writer is new to your game you can get to know them by venturing to try dialogue for them in a particular post and then see how they alter it to make it their own.

I would like to present to you a case in point from this week:

Our newest writer to the Sera, Ensign Hok, and I were working on a joint post for his character and one of mine, Lt. February Grace. Hok decides to employ Rule of Acquisition thirty-three and bring Bru a gift of some of her favorite tea and cookies (not replicated, the real thing!)

I sent the post back to Hok with him having a strong negative reaction to the taste of the cinnamon tea. My original submission to him looked something like this:

He took a sip and from the instant it hit his tongue, he tried to hide the fact that he believed this was the most revolting beverage he had ever tasted in his life.

He took a cookie as she offered it to try to get the taste out of his mouth, but found the cookie to be so sickeningly sweet that it only made things worse.

*Wonder what the flower tastes like.* he thought, trying to keep the smile firmly affixed to his face.

So, I had the thought of Hok considering eating the rose on the tea tray to get the taste out.

Now as you can see, Hok stepped in and made it infinitely better for the final product:

Accepting the cup graciously, he took a sip and thought he was going to die. The revolting beverage made his lobes hurt and he felt like he was going to vomit right in front of February Grace.

Working very hard to hold it in, he took a proffered cookie and greedily devoured a large bite, but it was so sickeningly sweet, his eyes watered.

*I wonder how the cat tastes,* thought Hok as he strained to keep a straight face.

I laughed so hard I almost fell out of my chair. His dialogue inspired me and we went back and forth and the post turned out, I think, to be very entertaining.

This is the kind of joy in RPG writing that you can only experience if you open yourself up enough to others to let them include your characters in what they write without you hovering over them and dictating every step of the process.

It's the beauty of writing as a true team; the more you put into it and the more of yourself you put out there, the more you find that others give you gifts in the form of showing you how they see your character. I can't begin to tell you how much I've learned about Zanh Liis through the eyes of TC Blane; or how much I have learned about Lair Kellyn through the eyes of Rada Dengar- and everybody has a hell of a good time writing dialogue for our resident loose cannon, Dabin Reece. And Reece himself loves every minute of reading it.

I understand that many people have had bad experiences with this type of thing in the past with other RPGs and believe me, I myself have not been immune.

When I was writing but not in any sort of administrative capacity as a part of other games there were times when people posted things out of character even intentionally, or did things to my characters that were unkind- meaning to be unkind to me as a person in real life.

But I maintain that when that happens, it is the fault of management for allowing it to go on- and that's why I promise my writers that I will do my level best for them to protect them from any such bad influences (this is why some writers folks haven't stayed with us- I do not allow 'games' to go on behind the scenes here. I am up front with everyone and with me, you know what you're getting).

So if you've read our site and posts but then looked over the rules and thought, oh no, I could never:

A) 'Let anyone write dialogue for my character that I didn't approve in advance' or

B) 'I could never write for anyone else's character without them dictating the dialogue to me themselves' I urge you to challenge these ideas.

You can always write a joint post, and/or send a post you're written to the writer in question if you're nervous and want to ask them how you did before you submit it to the game if that makes you feel better (though it is very time consuming, and cannot be allowed to stall the development of the plot) but writing dialogue line by line is why so many RPG posts feel choppy and disconnected and not like chapters of a book, which is the goal we aim for here with our stories. We want you to sit down and as you go from post to post, feel like you're lost in a book and turning pages of one complete work.

Looking back over our first year of posts, again I have to tip my hat to our writers. There really is nothing else out there that can equal what they've done here with the first nearly seven hundred posts.

So anyway. Bottom line: trust is a good thing, and you can be surprised and blessed in ways you never imagined by taking a leap of faith.

If people didn't risk writing dialogue for others here at ST: Alchemy, we would have been deprived of this recent beauty, written for Dabin Reece by Rada Dengar:

“Actually, I’m not really hungry…” Rada really was hungry, but since the first meal he shared with Breaux of his hometown dishes, he had decided that he wouldn’t eat any Terran food that he hadn’t at least run under a tricorder first.

“Oh, come on. Everyone else is eating. I wouldn’t want you to feel left out. How about a leaf of stir-fried beef? A fork of sweet and sour pork? A smidgen of salt baked pigeon?”

It seemed that the commander really wanted him to eat and so he relented. “Perhaps I’ll just have what Kellyn’s having.” Rada didn’t know what a Szechuan was but he had eaten chicken before and liked it, if his memory served it was nice and bland.

“There we go. I knew I’d get you to eat.” Reece said as he gave Rada an encouraging pat on the back. “Now, what else would you like?”

“Really the chicken will be enough,” Rada replied.

“How about just a little Kung Pao Shrimp on the side?”

“Really, I’m fine,” Rada replied.

“Really? You won’t have just a tiny bit?” Reece asked again, demonstrating by bringing his thumb and forefinger together just how small it could be.

“Really,” Rada confirmed.

“It could just be a tiny, tiny, tiny….” Reece would have kept emphasizing how small it was for ten more tinys but Kellyn objected through the window.

“Leave the poor man alone.”

I'd say he's got both Dabin Reece and Lair Kellyn down cold. And Reece, I happen to know, walked around for days laughing and saying "tiny...tiny...tiny..." in a voice that got incrementally higher and softer with each 'tiny.' Very entertaining.

Dialogue like that...which creates not only great stories to read but memories for the writers as well, and seeing your characters grow and develop because of posting about others and joint posting with others...is to me the whole point of writing in a group after all.

It's well worth the effort.

It's like getting an astounding birthday gift that someone picked out for you because they cared enough to surprise you with something they knew you'd really love- rather than handing a pre-constructed list to people, having them grudgingly hand over the gift you demanded, and then wondering later why they weren't thrilled to do it.

~ZL

81101.11

Hell Freezes Over: AKA, The Captain Gets Married

After almost a decade of writing Zanh Liis,I can't believe it, but it's official.

She's a married woman.

I have to thank the crew for their help in telling the story of the after-effects of the Paradox (including the effect on the Perseids crew: Mr. Dengar's post here, told from the perspective of the doomed ship's chief science officer was especially poignant) better than I had dared dream it -and I have to thank guest writer Fox Margolis for stopping by for the wedding!

I also have to thank our XO for telling what I believe is an even more compelling story concurrently: that of Jariel Camen's journey of self-discovery on Bajor. His writing on this has been nothing short of incredible.

Between those two main plot points and the extras including the paradox and Perseids crew, we've broken our previous one month post record!

I'm officially calling it at 88 posts because one or two that have been filed for October on the blog (for the sake of continuity) came in today on November 1st.

I find it interesting that our previous one month record was 84 posts in June- during the initial Zanh Liis/Keiran O'Sullivan plot arc that led us to where we are today.

Believe you me, no one was more surprised by the way it's all turned out than I. But needless to say, I'm very glad he's back.

I also want to mention that Zander Blakeslee has kindly shared with us posts from the character's history that are an excellent read. Please take the time to stop by the archives to check them out. Zander and Samthia wrote them a few years ago when the characters were originally on a ship called the Poseidon, and they are amazing.

In the 'works in progress' department, stay tuned because soon I will be adding a page to the site dedicated solely to those amazing twists of the mind and turns of phrase that can only be rightly referred to as "Dengarisms". If you've read Rada Dengar, you know what I'm talking about. I'm looking forward to that very much.

I can't believe we're within thirty days of our one year anniversary. Time has really flown and I have to thank all of our writers for their dedication, talent, and for helping us tell stories that are not only unique and heartfelt, but that I know will stand the test of time. You're the best.

~ZL

81008.0200

From the Writer's Notebook...

In the next day or so, there will be posts added to the USS Serendipity Archives that are unlike any I have ever written before in my RPG career: in the form of multiple alternate outcomes to the current running story.

I have been working on these posts on and off over the past few months.

They'll be listed as "Alternate Continuity Paradox Posts" and they give a glimpse into all the different ways that I considered finishing off the long standing, Temporal Investigations/Sylph plot arc.

Update: Here are links for you:

Alternate Continuity Paradox 2.1

Alternate Continuity Paradox 2.2

Alternate Continuity Paradox 3.1

Alternate Continuity Paradox 3.2

Some of the posts may seem identical at the beginning (two of them in particular) but that is intentional.

If you read on, you'll see that they are designed to demonstrate how making just one or two slightly different decisions, or taking a course of action even a little different from another can, for all of us, drastically alter the future course of our lives.

UPDATE: Before the plot arc resolved, I ended up with one more alternate outcome and told the tale through flashbacks in these posts, in which the Captain remembers the events in the form of a recurring nightmare.

Enough

Her Worst Nightmare: One

Her Worst Nightmare: Two

I hope our regular visitors will find them interesting reading, 'what might have been', as it were, even though I warn you, the endings are not all happy ones.

I have to admit that being the case that in the end... myself, I am happiest with the ending that is part of the active plot going forward.

An ending, which, incidentally, ended up including two alternate endings; one first, then another and includes some very intense posts. The funeral posts for certain characters, specifically, and those that followed will stay with me for a very long time.

Everyone has done such amazing work on the active plot, thanks again to my one of a kind, incredibly generous crew, for every single keystroke.

Each is priceless and so are you.

~ZL

-=/\=-

At this time, I'd like give a warm welcome once again all of our regular readers who are not a part of our crew of writers.

We know you're out there, and site traffic stats tell us that you are a faithful bunch!

Many, many thanks for spending time with us in our little corner of the Trek universe.

It occurred to me that it might help some of you who don't have RPG experience out a little if I decode the punctuation that is standard in our posts.

Most are self explanatory, obviously, (I don't mean to insult anyone) but a couple could probably do with a little explanation, so here you are.

Spoken words use regular quotation marks, "Like this, of course!" (to which I am sure most of you are saying, "Everybody knows that, genius!"

Unspoken thoughts and/or telepathic communication uses asterisks... *Can you reeead my miiiiiiiiind...*

Dialogue spoken by the computer uses ^These nifty little thingies^ because the symbols we were originally using in email format royally messed with the html formatting, and we were losing paragraphs right and left.

Combadge/Subspace communication [Uses single brackets.]

Many Trek RPGs use the above or similar punctuation, it's pretty standard stuff if you're used to reading this sort of thing.

But here's one we invented ourselves in early 2007...

Double brackets [[Like this!]] indicate sign language dialogue. This symbol was developed because our beloved Vedek Jariel was mute for a long time, and still signs now and again even though his speech was miraculously restored.

For our purposes we call that USL, or Universal Sign Language.

I think that's all of them...

Also, our Stardates work this way, if anybody is interested...

(insert audio of crickets chirping here)

No? Oh well, in for a penny...

Last digit of year, both digits of month, both digits of day, dot, hours in military time.

So right now, it is: 81008.0200 give or take ten minutes. We round up to the nearest hour unless two posts come in one right after another.

The only thing I will eventually have to decide is how I want to do them when I upload some of our back posts from ten years ago or more to the site which I hope to do eventually...because in that case the 7 at the beginning would need to indicate 1997 and not 2007.

Yes, we've really been doing this that long for several of these characters, and have the posts to prove it.

So, there's a little peek behind the scenes for you.

Thanks very much to all our readers, we are honored to have you along on our adventures! ~ZL

80918.19

CASTING CALL: Are you up to the challenge?

Star Trek: Alchemy will soon be looking to add one or two additional, distinctive voices to our amazing group of writers.

So read the rules and writers guidelines well- and start getting those character proposals ready for submission when the time comes.

If you have what it takes: dedication, talent and commitment, you could become a part of our adventures...

Stay tuned.

80907.18

All I can say is...it may be imitated, but an original can never be duplicated.

Originally written in August of 2007...

The zhian'tara of February Grace

80630.2355

I have to thank my gifted crew for their unfailing support as we ventured into one of the most in-depth and intricate plot arcs I have ever attempted- or been lucky enough to be part of.

This is one that will really stay with me.

We smashed the living hell out of all previous monthly posting records: as of 23:58 on June 30th, we have 84 posts for the month.

The post count could easily have been well over 100 if I'd divided most up into smaller sections, as has been done in every other RPG I've ever been in. What I tried to do instead was keep the flow of the story going from post to post where possible, dividing up the larger parts where it made the most sense to do so instead of worrying about the post count.

Numbers matter not to me really- the characters and stories do. Still, this is something that is truly extraordinary. Again you've all blown me away.

This mission had it all- adventure, betrayal, humor, heartbreak, and if I do say so myself what I still believe to be the best damned bar fight in Star Trek RPG history. There's a link down yonder in my last entry to some of the starring posts, be sure to check them out.

I've personally used music and lyrics as a reference and inspiration for my posts since the very beginning of my RPG career more than twelve years ago- and recently we started doing something here at ST: Alchemy that I like to call "Words and Music".

It started as purely an experiment- encouraging the crew to work music that inspires them into their posts and create a little play list for me representing their character.

The result? Well, as February Grace might say, boy howdy did it inspire them!

Not only do we now have an extensive Crew Tunes play list which has really helped us all to get a more in depth understanding of each other's characters, but the musical references have been astounding in variety and artistry. This is something so cool, and that has been so successful that I am really excited to know it will continue on past the 'test mission' that we just tried it out on.

In the milestone department, we'll hit our 400th post before the end of July, I can feel it. I'm so proud of what we're doing here, and so proud of all of you.

Exciting times ahead...some changes to the roster, old friends coming in to write new characters, keeping things fresh by realistically writing characters out where it makes sense to... (even when it breaks my heart to do it!)

...all these things make writing for the Sera such a unique experience, and I am humbled as I count my blessings every day that I get to work with writers of this calibre.

On behalf of Salvek and I...thank you so much...for everything.

~ZL

80624.16

Just a quick note of thanks and congratulations to my incredible crew...we have long passed the 350th post mark and not only that but as of today we smashed our own monthly posting record!

We're at 67 posts for the month and we still have a week to go- and lots of writing left to wrap up the plot arc we are currently in. A mission which I have to say is turning out to be quite something...I am so proud of the work everyone has done on this.

Aside from being an intense and intricate story, this mission arc contains what I believe to be the quintessential Star Trek bar fight...here are the links so you don't miss it:

Looking for a Fight

First Strike

Ballroom Blitz

and the aftermath...

Hell in a Handbasket

Also, amidst all the drama of the serious main story, this mission contains two of the funniest posts I have ever read anywhere, bar none, in my years and years of RPG writing:

Please Please Tell Me Now

The Battle of Hastings

Don't miss the chance to enjoy some great summer reading, check them out.

Once more to the crew...Thanks so much everyone.

You have my heart, you truly do. ~ZL

80616.14

We're writing some of the best Star Trek adventures currently available in any format- not just for ourselves but for anyone who wants to read them.

Okay, so maybe I'm a little biased. But I've watched and read a lot of Trek in my life- and I can't believe when I go back and read any one of the nearly 350 posts that we've written for the Serendipity since last December that I have actually been party in any small way to shaping these characters, and stories.

They're that good. My writers are that good.

We've had some interesting guest stars come and go, but it's the central core of our crew that really blows my mind.

We've also had some very intense villains and everything from romance to disaster, betrayal, intrigue, mystery, humor, and just about every other exciting storytelling element you can imagine displayed through the work of our writers in the past seven months ...and people are noticing.

Website feedback tells me that we have readers who stop by regularly, others subscribe to the site for updates- either way they return to see what we're up to frequently. Some of them even go to the trouble to vote for us on the Top 200 Trek Sites list- and we appreciate that very much.

This is very gratifying not only for myself as the CO of the Sera, but for the entire crew. After all, why write if not to be read? If not to make impressions upon people that last- stories and characters that they carry with them wherever they go.

I've done a lot of RPG writing and reading since I joined my first group at the dawn of 1997, and I can't say often enough how amazed by and blessed I am to work with the writers that we have as our core foundation at Star Trek: Alchemy. They continually surprise, delight, shock, and most importantly inspire me.

They've elevated the bar so high that I have to keep watch on my own posts- to be sure that the quality of what I am myself putting into the effort can at least hope to land in the same ballpark as the brilliant work that they do. But you know what they say- shoot the moon, even if you miss, you'll be among stars.

So I'm trying my best.

I would like to say to anyone who may be visiting here to check the roster and read news and updates only- if you're not reading our posts- you are honestly missing out on some of the best original Trek available anywhere. I'm not bragging about my own writing (skip my posts, go ahead LOL) but I will brag forever about my crew.

My crew is one of a kind, and there may be characters that you love and some you don't- but I guarantee if you read through one of our mission arcs from beginning to end- there will be at least a few that you will not forget.

You'll remember their names but more than that, their stories. Eventually, you'll be drawn back to read more, to visit and see what TC Blane, Rada Dengar, Avery Breaux, Vol Tryst and Jariel Camen are up to.

You'll be curious what new technology Lair Kellyn has created for the prototype Alchemy, and maybe you'll look in just to check and see if it is possible that Zanh Liis has finally overdosed on caffeine (some may even wish for it- but it won't ever happen, sorry *lol*)

We welcome you to do so, stop by to read anytime. You don't have to be a writer here to enjoy what we're writing, I honestly believe that.

I'm just grateful I don't have to pay the crew by the word. Because they have a level of talent that no one could afford to pay for if you were compensating commensurate with their gift. And they do it all for free. How lucky are we?

So read- and write- on, everybody...and thank you to all who visit our little corner of the Star Trek universe. We hope you enjoy your time here

ZL

P.S. To make it easier for new visitors to find our most current posts (current post is always listed first- the archives go backward) I've relocated the link to the post site to the top of the link list. You can subscribe to a separate feed to follow updates to that site as well.

80526.0900

Well, it certainly has been awhile since we've done this! So here's an update on the state of our little corner of the Trek universe.

If you've been looking at the roster (and I know you have) you can see that since I posted last we've added some new writers, while others have moved on. The overview is that we are building up a core of amazing adventurers I am so exited about that every time I open up the inbox and see a post, I know before I even open it that I'm in for a great read.

We're almost to the milestone of our 300thpost- not bad for the 'little rpg that could' and one that is only finishing its sixth month of existence.

Despite times where people have been swamped with work, college exams, and other RL issues that could've had them waving the white flag and bowing out- you have stayed with us, and I am very appreciative of that.

Honestly, we would've reached 300 posts a long time ago if not for the fact that I have been dealing with serious problems with my vision for awhile now.

I'm working with useful vision in only one eye, and that eye is not at 100%- and I have been undergoing specialist visits/testing while they try to determine if my vision can be improved by means of surgical intervention.

This situation has seriously cut into my time online, especially since February and I want to thank the crew from the bottom of my heart for their patience and for sticking with me. The posts are in my head- I swear- it's just been a matter of days where I literally have not been able to look at the screen to write them. But I give you my word that I have done and will continue to do my best- whatever happens in the months ahead.

I want to thank M, writer of our own Chief Engineer LT. Rada Dengar, publicly for immediately offering to help me proof posts and such if I needed him to, and to also thank him as well as Avery and Vol for all the emails they've sent in those huge fonts so I could read more easily. It really does help. Such thoughtful guys, all- any Captain would be lucky to have them. (But sorry, you can't. They're mine. All mine! Mwhahaha. :P~~~~)

Seriously, though- I find that in times of uncertainty even more than when things are going smoothly in so-called "RL", I get even more out of working on a collaborative writing effort like our little Serendipity, and I can't think of a group of people I would rather write with than those on our crew. Each of you brings something distinct and unique to the experience, and I count myself lucky every day that I get to go adventuring with you- in a world of our own making where our only limits are the boundaries of our imaginations.

So thanks to my friends D, M, T, Jor, Bob, and B+ (so many B names. . .)and of course, my XO, Salvek: you all comprise my own personal League of Extraordinary Gentlemen LOL. You rock.

That's what's going on in the Ready Room. I look forward to many, many more exciting posts from you all, and with you all, in times to come. I can't wait to see where you take me.

~ZL

80404.22 The Difference Between Crafting a Story and Submitting Posts is. . .

. . .something that good writers instinctively understand, and is the difference between an RPG and a free-for-all. We're about to pass the milestone of our 250th post since we began, four months ago. What a journey it's been so far, I can't wait to see where we're going from here. Thank you to everyone who has contributed, each placing their own unique tiles into the larger mosaic we're constructing, one chapter at a time. Your talent never ceases to amaze me.

I'm also finding it amazing, as we meet people who are newer to RPG writing than we are, how many are either so terrified of offending other writers if they attempt to write any dialog for them that they are frozen into silence- or who are so set in their ways as far as expecting everyone to clear dialog with them before sending posts in for a plot line- that they won't tolerate anything less.

Stuck at either end of that extreme, a couple folks have come and gone but most have stayed- and with those who stay, we're building a crew that is much more flexible than any they may have been a part of in the past. In that flexibility, and in getting to know each other and each other's characters, it's a crew that has really taken off and is excelling in creating stories, not just sending in posts.

Posts are. . .a few paragraphs of lines of forgettable, perfunctory dialog- "Yes Sir, No, Sir, Where do I aim my phaser, Sir?"

Crafted stories are. . .made up of characters that live and breathe, and intricate plots that stay with you long after you are finished reading what is on the screen. I'm reminded of this passage of dialog from a recent post written by our own Rada Dengar:

He just stood frozen for hours, he did not break down, he did not cry. His life and love were gone in an instant and it looked as though they would never come back. All he could do was to remain in that moment. He knew that these last few months would have to be banished from his mind. His life was really no different than it had been just a few months of paradise ago before he had first laid eyes upon true love and yet the world suddenly felt so much colder. So very hollow. He felt so utterly alone. She had showed him what it felt like to be truly alive and now Rada felt as though he’d died. In a way, he realised, he had.

Don't you want to know what happened? Don't you want to know who the woman was, what she looked like- all of that? (Her name was Wren, by the way, and she had long black hair. These details are etched into my memory now, thanks to Rada's brilliant writing).

Here's a sample from Lt. CMDR Avery Breaux:

He could hear people below in the further reaches of the courtyard closer to the walkway and fountain that heralded the beginning of this hidden oasis.

*Have to keep up appearances at the very least-no need to run-yet.*

He knew that soon, if all went well, he would rendevous with Angela Nolan and they could safely compare notes. That is, if Angela didn't make a move without consulting him.

More voices below.

He leaned forward slightly from his location at the end of his bed. He could see the lanterns in place by the pool. Still, he could see none of the others.

His eyes scanned the room, this was not furnished meagerly like his quarters aboard Sera. Everywhere there were reminders of his childhood growing up in New Orleans. His gaze came to rest on a collection of William Faulkner books.

"A gentleman can live through anything." Faulkner's words came to Avery.

Not only the romantic or character developing sub-plots, but the mission action sequences too- work so much better when people throw themselves into them and try to write for the crew as a whole and not carve the post up into segments like a Thanksgiving Day turkey, round-robin style.

An example, courtesy of Commander Salvek:

Liis nodded to Blane, and TC rushed to the panel. He tapped at the lock to the panel, and it popped off the wall with a hiss. TC tossed it aside and peered through at the tangled mess of conduits and cabling the crisscrossed inside the opening.

^90 seconds until auto destruct.^ The Computer announced helpfully.

TC tapped his badge. "The panel is off Salvek, now what?"

[You must remove the main power feed to the antimatter containment system and replace it with the emergency power feed. This feed is continuous and will not terminate when the auto-destruct timer runs out.]

"Well I think I can handle that. We just need remove the cable from terminal 5934-beta and replace it with the feed from 3421-alpha, correct?" TC reached for the wire and got a shock for his trouble. He snapped his hand back and grabbed it instinctively, but the burn seemed superficial.

[Normally yes, however Kellyn and I have already made some modifications to the engineering systems we haven't documented yet.]

Liis slammed her phaser rifle on the control panel in frustration. "Damn it Salvek, this is taking too long! Maybe it would be better if you just..." Liis paused mid-sentence as the hum of a transporter nearby caught her attention. She raised her phaser up to fire on the intruder, but breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was Salvek.

"Captain." He nodded simply to her.

So many people come to us (after past RPG experiences) afraid of attempting to write dialog for others, but once they try it, most of them begin to realize how freeing it is.

Also, they realize that posting individually and not as part of a joint or co-post all the time gives them an opportunity to surprise their crewmates with 'gifts' in their posts- I'm reminded of a recent allusion that Avery Breaux made to something that had happened in a previous Lair Kellyn post that really impressed and delighted me:

Avery looked down at his simple civilian clothes and was glad he hadn't burdened himself with baggage...*baggage*...*damn, what the hell was that?*...the word had triggered something but it was intangible...he couldn't make sense of it and so he decided to continue and allow himself time for worship...

It's the little details like that, that make characters jump off the page and live. And the more you are willing to trust others with bits and pieces of the people you create- the more they surprise you by making you a better writer yourself- and also by enriching your character even as you do the same for theirs.

Time and again, I am reminded of why so many other RPGs have died out- it's because people stop caring, and start phoning it in. They weren't telling stories- they were just submitting posts.

There is a reason for every rule we have for Star Trek: Alchemy- every one is based upon a lesson we have learned as managers, as part of past crews run by others, and as spectators of the RPG world in general since the mid 1990's.

The more flexible you are, the more willing to work with your fellow writers to really craft a story- not just submit 'posts', the better the result, and the better time you'll have writing, too.

Contrary to the belief of many RPGs out there, it is not impossible for others to write your character 'in character', and one of the benefits of having a human moderated RPG like this one is that if the odd out of character reference comes in, we can give the writer a heads up and they can tweak it. But you'll find that the need for that is actually very limited when you have writers who care about, and respect each other's work as much as they do their own.

In that regard, we are very blessed.

Keep writing, folks. Keep right on writing those amazing stories.

~ZL

80308.17

One Equal Temper Of Heroic. . .and dedicated hearts.

Yesterday we passed the milestone of our 200th post.

In view of this momentous occasion, I wanted to take a moment to thank the writers of Star Trek: Alchemy for not only all of the love they put in- but the time that they devote to this project as well.

Not just the time it takes to read all of the posts (which is considerable, we post a lot) but the time they take in truly crafting their characters, making them live and breathe.

In writing not just words on a page as dialog but real conversations between characters that accomplish more than just furthering a plot arc- they create friendships, relationships, and memorable moments that we can all look back on and laugh, or cry, or marvel- but mostly, that we won't forget.

Moments that are very rarely seen in the RPG world- and that really do belong among the best that Trek has ever offered its audience- in any arena.

You've created many truly unforgettable moments like that for me in the first three months and two hundred posts of this 'little rpg that could'. I can't wait to see where you take us in the future.

From the bottom of my heart, (and my Kleenex box *lol*) thank you to my crew- all of whom are way used to me addressing them by their real-life first initials at this point *LOL* J, D, M, T, B, S, and "Lady D". You rule.

To those who may be reading this and considering joining up with us, I would ask that in addition to reviewing the guidelines posted on the Writer Application Information page that you think about your real life schedule and weigh whether or not you really have the time to take on a hobby like RPG writing with us before you join.

Every person who joins owes it to their shipmates to do their best to truly participate- to not only read all of the posts but to support other characters in their plot arcs and development. They need to be ready and willing to jump in and not wait for a joint post to happen to support their department.

We love bringing new people aboard. But we are looking to add, not just more bodies to the roster, but truly the people who have the same level of interest, and dedication, and are willing to put the time into the game that the rest of us do.

I have always found that people make time for the things that they consider to be important. Whether it's a tv show they won't miss, or going to every game of their home team- it's true even when it comes to entertainment.

That's what this is, entertainment- and it's true that real life always takes precedence, rightfully, over hobbies like rpg-ing. But if you're going to try to participate, then do it right- and then it will not only be truly fulfilling for you, but will be a gift to those who get to write with you, as well.

Rock on, Sera crew. Rock on.~ZL

80222.15

Stranger Than Fiction:

I was looking over some site stats today and I found that someone got to us from a very far away place by Google-ing "Serendipity 2012". Curious to see what would come up besides us, I Googled it myself and lo- what is this! I had no idea there is a whole school of thought that the world is going to end in 2012; (on 12/21/12 some say) and many theories about how this will happen and some even involve alien first contact! Who knew?!

I sure didn't.

That being the case- I thought I would just post for the record that my decision to make the Sera's registry number NCC-2012 has absolutely nothing to do with any of these beliefs. It's purely coincidence. Happenstance. Oh, you know the word I'm going for here.

The reason we chose 2012 is because we wanted a number with sentimental value to us to represent the Sera- and "twenty-twelve" was the number that my daughter always used to say everything added up to back when she was a toddler. Everything counted up to "twenty twelve" and everything was always going to happen in "three weeks."

So, our cherished memory of a two year old's favorite phrase accounts for the origin of our registry number- not the belief that when 2012 gets here, we're all. . .well . . .*bleeped* (insert your own personal choice for deleted expletive there. Mine would be 'screwed'.)

To the person who ended up here by way of that search- sorry if we weren't what you were looking for. Search engines. Gotta love 'em. ~ZL

80218.14

My Vision for Star Trek: Alchemy: People are not simply "Players"

Whenever I've had the privilege of helping out a group of people in any administrative capacity- be it for non-profit projects/related groups, for work, or in the rpg realm, I've always tried to get to know the people I was interacting with as people first- then as "volunteers" or "players" as the case may be- last of all. This has never seemed to me to be anything out of the ordinary- it's just the way that I interact with people whether online and in "real life".

This is why it's been so difficult for me to understand the mind set of 'management' when I've been in rpgs in the past that set people's humanity aside- and it was all about 'the game' or some grand image that the GM had of the game.

When people are treated as pawns on a chess board- to be moved by the GM as they see fit- manipulated to get a certain result either in the plot or worse, in real life- you find the dark side of RPG that kept me from returning to it for such a long time- and that almost caused my permanent retirement from it at the end of last year, before we decided to try our hand at our own here at Alchemy.

It remains my philosophy that people are people- and characters are fictional. People should come first.

People will grow weary if left on hold for months at a time- or ignored outright- or justly upset if pitted against each other to try to get one or the other- or both, to leave an RPG environment.

Bad things result from that sort of power-tripping on the part of any kind of administrative body; be it in the workplace, in personal relationships, or in something that is supposed to be fun and entertaining, like participating in an RPG.

There's a whole lot of nonsense going on between so-called 'rival' rpgs out there that just makes me laugh, honestly. This is why I post all of our current posts on the web as soon as they're written.

There is no need for any other group to 'infiltrate' our little rpg to see what's going on. It's all out there, for anyone and everyone to read. We have enough creativity that we don't need to lift ideas from anybody else- or waste our time creating false characters to 'spy' on people as has been commonplace in so many RPG's I've seen in the past.

That's why from day one of this little project, which has generated 150+ posts in just over seven weeks, I promised myself before I promised anyone else, that things would be different here.

Don't get me wrong- I'm not trying to say that we're the only game out there that has this philosophy. There are at least a couple of others that I've seen that do or did when they were still running. They just seem to fly lower under the radar than the larger ones that go through a lot of people. I salute the administrators out there who show care and concern for their writers- if all rpgs were run that way then you'd find a lot more people still participating. So many talented people have gone into retirement because they couldn't find what they were looking for. I hope maybe some of them will be inspired to try again in the future instead of letting past experiences hold them back.

I've been told in the past that I take rpg 'too seriously'. But this has only been when I spoke up in defense of the writers- notice I don't call them 'players'- to the Powers that Be. I think taking it too seriously is more along the lines of watching everything another RPG does instead of going home and making your own 'ship' better.

If believing that the only drama belongs in the plotlines and that people are more important than a ficticious starship is 'taking things too seriously', then I will happily stand guilty as charged. I do take people seriously, and I look out for every individual writer.

The most gratifying thing is seeing that they also look out for me- and each other. We do our best to keep each other advised if someone is out of the game for awhile because of illness or real life issues.

If someone goes silent for more than a couple of days without explanation- people start wondering if everything is all right and will take the time and trouble to ask about a fellow writer to make sure they're OK.

Just this week we had a writer go out of town- and the email that was sent to tell me so got lost somewhere in cyberspace. Within three days, the majority of the rest of the crew asked if all was well!

I was so proud to see that among our little family here, that not only does the story and the rpg matter (which they do, don't get me wrong) but the people matter more.

The quality of the writing speaks for itself- there is no way for me to go through the motions of picking "Post of the Month" because every post we get could qualify for that by most RPG standards.

I'm seeing for a fact that my hopes were right on target- if you are good to people, if you genuinely care and get to know them as best you can- then everything else will fall into place.

Thanks to the Sera crew- for showing me the same kindness and consideration that they all show each other. Thanks for making Star Trek: Alchemy, our own little piece of Star Trek heaven.~ZL

80202.21

If you haven't seen Sera's new schematics yet, you have to check them out on the specifications page. They're just amazing. . .thanks again go to our Second Officer for all his hard work on them! We're already heading to 130 posts and it's only the beginning of February. . .most impressive everyone. ~ZL

80120.2

Just in time to celebrate our 100th post, Our own inimitable Doug Williams, AKA TC Blane has given us a whopper of a present!

Check out the gorgeous cut-away section view of the Sera now on display on our specs page! If you click the image, you will see the larger version (Blogger won't post it any larger I don't think- will see if I can work around that.)

He's also provided us with absolutely gorgeous room renderings- for both Sera and the Alchemy.

What can we say, Doug, besides thank you so much? These are such special gifts, for the whole crew.

We've always been impressed with your writing talent, and your crew pictures too, and now you have proven once again with your artistic gifts that you're a true Renaissance man. We are lucky to be in such amazing company, and we're thankful. Thank you.

(The above is so important that I'll be posting it on the News page as well first thing tomorrow.)

On the subject of our 100th post (a very entertaining one by Mr. Breaux from Engineering) I am awestruck by how far we've come in just the six weeks since we started.

I'm so impressed with every one of you who make up our crew, and I promise you once again I will always do my level best to make sure you know just how valued you are, and to treat your work with the same respect and care that I would wish for mine.

You all rock, that's all there is to it.

That's all for now. . .

~ZL

-=Q&A=--

Question: The Alchemy looks like it's Defiant Class. How can that be when it's supposed to be so entirely different?

Answer: The answer is simple, I think Defiant class ships look amazingly cool LOL. So, when I set about creating the Alchemy- in my mind, I just immediately pictured her looking like the Defiant. But for starters, she needed to be much smaller, and so, she is.

As a prototype, I can tell you that the visual similarities are the only similarities- and the specs are still under construction but by the time they're done you'll be able to clearly tell that the only thing Alchemy has in common with her grandmother so to speak, the Defiant, is her outer beauty.

Her inner beauty- and talents, are all her own. ~ZL

Question: Why did you make so many modifications to the standard Intrepid Class ship with the Serendipity?

Answer: Well, there were always things that we thought we'd do differently if we'd been writing for Voyager. . . *LOL* So this being our first experience in RPG with writing for an Intrepid class ship, and being we were starting our Sera with a clean slate. . .this was our golden opportunity to try our hand at making our ship unique.

We try to keep our alterations in the realm of the believable, however, at least what I like to call "Trek believable" which is the little mantra I came up with to describe how we feel when it comes to ships, characters, and story lines here at Alchemy. We're not doing mythology or fantasy here, so if it wouldn't be something you might see on a series like DS9 or TNG, you likely won't see it here.

A lot of RPGs venture way out there far and away from anything that ever appeared on the shows, and that is the reason why it's so great there are so many RPGs to choose from; everyone can find their cup of tea if they keep searching.

We like to stick with a more 'old school' approach which, granted, may not be every one's idea of a fun and adventurous RPG, but we're OK with that. We like what we're doing and from the response we've been getting, we think we're on to something.

Question: Why is Alchemy a human moderated RPG when the writers are all so experienced? Why not just use a group list for posts like Yahoo or Google groups?

Answer: Salvek and I have done the non-moderated RPG gig, and neither one of us cared for it personally. We found the open list, everybody-posting-for-themselves format to be chaotic and prone to creating rifts among writers.

Also, we would rather head off any seriously contradicting plot conflicts at the pass- and prevent people from having to re-write to 'fix' later because to us, that just makes more sense.

What's more, we've learned it's wise to have a certain amount of moderator control in place as a protection for the writers; limiting what players can do in the use of other writer's characters without getting their approval first.

If the game was unmoderated, and someone married someone else off or killed them or whatever, what a pain to try to fix or explain. How many timeline errors can you have and still be believable? We don't want things to turn into a Bobby Ewing dream sequence scenario, Star Trek Edition.

We know that there may be experienced players who won't want to submit to a system like this, and we apologize to them in advance if we aren't what they're looking for in an RPG. But we've found the system that works for us- and so we plan to keep working it. Many other RPGs also still use this format, so we're not the only ones.

We try not to edit people's posts unless necessary. For reasons why it might be necessary, you can refer to the rules page and view our writing guidelines.

Hopefully, the more experienced the writer, the less they will ever have to worry about their posts being edited.

Since I've been an RPG writer eleven years and an editor for a much shorter period of time, I understand how it feels to hand your work over in good faith. Nobody ever wants to be edited, or asked to do a rewrite. But with any group writing environment, both events are going to happen eventually- and we will do our best to be fair to everyone, and handle people's characters and stories with the same care that we would want them to use on ours, if the roles were reversed.

I always say that the crew has no idea that I am the most moderated and edited player of all. If you all only knew how many times I scrapped my own posts before they ever saw the light of day- and that even I make our XO go over my posts in advance just so even I have someone checking my work with a second pair of eyes.

After all, I'm only Bajoran. Mistakes happen ;)

That's all for now.

Safe journeys.

-=/\=ZL

The Adventure Begins

2007-11-30T18:42:00.004-05:00

As the year 2387 drew to a close, Starfleet captain and former Temporal Investigations Agent Zanh Liis was in a lot of trouble.

After her abduction from the bridge of her command- right before the eyes of her senior staff- she fell into the hands of the Ferengi underworld. It didn't take long for her to realize that her greedy captors had a much darker fate in mind for her than just selling her on the open slave market.

The Ferengi had a very willing and high-paying buyer lined up for this special transaction; the Romulan Empire.

With time running out and the critical information she possessed in jeopardy, Zanh was forced to make a desperate choice. She had no way to know that her loyal friends and former crew mates were already on the hunt for her aboard the untried and dangerous prototype ship, the USS Alchemy.

Little did Commander Salvek know as he led the mission, that this was only the beginning when it came to Starfleet's plan for him, and for the experimental ship that he designed for them in secret, so many years ago.

This is where our story begins. . .

As 2388 begins, the weary Alchemy crew is ordered to return to Earth.

Their mission completed, the whole of Alchemy's crew finds they are facing reassignment, and an uncertain future as pioneers living on the cutting edge of the final frontier.

Star Trek: Alchemy: The future is no longer ahead of us- history starts now.

Assignment: USS Serendipity NCC-2012

Mission Archives

Before there was a Star Trek: Alchemy: 2007 Archives

Contact Us

USS Alchemy NX-53099

2007-11-30T17:30:00.004-05:00

"Do not go where the path may lead,
go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. "

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Vessel Category: Prototype

Class: Alchemy

Production Base: Utopia Planetia

Complement: 25 (officers and crew) Capacity (evacuation limit) 100 souls.

Power Plant: One 1700+ Cochrane warp core feeding two nacelles; two impulse system

Length: 65.23 meters

Height: 13.72 meters

Width: 47.2 meters

Mass: 111,000 metric tons

Performance: Warp 9.982 for 12 hours

Armament: four pulse phaser cannons; 3 photon torpedo launchers

Deck 1: main bridge, captain's ready room/quarters; transporter room 1, pulse phaser cannons (2), plasma exhaust vents, upper sensor array, officer and crew quarters, deuterium storage, escape pod access.

Deck 2: main impulse engines, computer core, targeting sensors, replimat, sickbay, medical and science laboratory, transporter room 2, officer quarters, warhead control room.

Deck 3: main engineering: warp coils, transwarp drive, main impulse engines, warhead impulse engines, shuttlebays 1 and 2, antimatter storage, cargo bays 1-4, airlocks (2), aft torpedo magazine, warp coils, shuttle maintainence, escape pod access.

Deck 4: navigational deflector, stellar cartography lab, pulse phaser cannons (2), forward and aft torpedo magazines, lower sensor array, shuttlebay 1-2 exterior doors and elevator system, main tractor beam emitter. crew quarters, Galley/Mess

Deck 5: Storage/Holosuite/transphasic shield generators (for training and experimentation purposes only)aft torpedo launchers (1), forward torpedo launcher (2), landing struts.

Notes on Alchemy's unique capabilities, by Commander Salvek:

The Alchemy has a small compliment of 15 torpedoes and four phaser banks. The main phaser bank packs a "pretty good punch".

Trans-phasic shielding is the best thing this side of a cloak (providing temporary camouflage, similar to a cloak). The advantage to trans-phasic shielding in contrast to a cloak, however, is the ability that it affords us to fire while remaining nearly undetectable; as the shields modulate so quickly that in the nanoseconds between cycles, we can fire phasers (though not torpedos at this time.)

The ship has impressive maneuverability, too, and with a good navigator working with a good weapons officer we can, at the very least, keep a full sized starship busy for a while, even we cannot take them down completely.

Warp Drive/Transwarp drive:
The prototype Transwarp drive originally had the ability to take the Alchemy about 5.5 light years before needing 24 hours to recharge.

That is roughly the same distance that a typical starship at its maximum cruising speed of warp 9.7 covers in one day.
Due to recent improvements in efficiency achieved through the cooperation of The Alchemy Project's Research and Development Director and the Serendipity's engineering crew, however, the ship can now cover two days of conventional warp travel in one jump- (approximately 11 light years) before recharging.

The Alchemy can reach a maximum standard cruising speed of warp 9.7, and can maintain that speed while recharging its transwarp drive between uses.

The Alchemy also carries classified components developed by myself and my wife for Starfleet; and are in reserve for possible temporal experimentation should Starfleet approve it in future.

While the ship may outwardly resemble the Defiant Class, that is where the similarities end. Beneath the skin, they could not be more different.

The Alchemy is much smaller and as a prototype, the ship will constantly evolve and will hopefully become the blueprint for much more stable, and sturdy, ships of its kind in the future.

~Commander Salvek

Temporal Event Log: CLASSIFIED

On Stardate 80905.12 (current standard timeline) the USS Alchemy and its crew unintentionally broke the time barrier for an instant; but a long enough instant that the temporal disturbance registered on our equipment.

This may not have been their goal for the project, but it was most certainly ours. We are watching their progress and future events concerning the prototype with rapt attention.

~Admiral Gemini Lassiter,
Director, The Alchemy Project
and
Former Director of the Temporal Emergency Management Agency (TEMA)
-=/\=-

Key Locations Aboard the Alchemy

The Bridge

Engineering

Transporter Room

Sickbay

Shuttlebay

Mess Hall

--=/\=--

Star Trek: Alchemy wishes to sincerely thank Douglas Williams for providing the above images of Alchemy's key locations. Thanks Doug!

Image of Defiant Class Ship and Bridge, courtesy of TrekCore

USS Serendipity NCC-2012 Specifications

Ship's Specifications

2007-11-30T17:26:00.004-05:00

"To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."
-Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Name: USS Serendipity

Registry: NCC-2012

Class: Intrepid (Modified)

Vessel Category: Explorer/Scout/Destroyer

Production Base: Utopia Planetia

Dimensions: 352.0 meters in length; 144.1 meters in width; 68.3 meters in height

Expected Vessel Duration: 80 years

Accommodation: 151 Officers/Enlisted Personnel, total passenger capacity: 255

Auxiliary Craft: USS Alchemy NX-53099

Shuttle Complement: 4 : Chance, Fate, Destiny, Fortune.

Propulsion: Class 10 Warp Drive

Maximum attainable Warp Speed: Warp 9.975 (14 hours)

Cruise Speed: Warp 7.5

Armaments: 13 Type-IX phaser arrays; 2 fore-torpedo launchers; 2 aft-torpedo launchers; 20 photon torpedoes; 30 quantum torpedoes; 10 hellfire torpedoes; 4 transphasic torpedoes

Shields: MLSS; Ablative Armor

Deck by Deck

Deck 1: Bridge- Ready Room- Conference Room, escape pod access, multi-purpose rooms

Deck 2: Dining Hall VIP Quarters, XO's office, Tactical Labs/Storage/ Escape Pod Access

Deck 3: Captain's Quarters, Senior Officer's Quarters, Crew Quarters

Deck 4: Cargo Bays, Transporter Rooms, Crew Quarters

Deck 5: Sickbay, Medical Labs, Counselor/Chaplain's Office; Library, Gymnasium: Escape Pod Access

Beneath: Aerowing (Captain's Yacht) Polaris NCC-1971 A

Deck 6: Main Security/Brig; Astrometrics/Stellar Cartography Chief Science Officer's office and science labs

Deck 7: Deuterium Processing and Storage, Auxiliary Computer Core, Weapons Control, Forward Torpedo Bays

Deck 8: Holodecks 1 and 2: Arboretum; Replimat and Illusions Lounge

Deck 9: Cargo loading bays and storage; Environmental Control systems

Deck 10: Upper Level Main Engineering (fore) Alchemy Bay, Shuttle Bays (aft)

Deck 11: Main Engineering; Chief Engineers Office, Warp Core, Auxiliary Warp Engine; Main Computer Core, Main Navigational Array . Aft Observation Lounge, known as The Afterthought Café

Deck 12: Life Support systems, auxiliary command controls

Deck 13: Deflector Control, Holodeck 3 (For training purposes)

Deck 14: Storage, Aft Torpedo bay

Deck 15: Storage

Established (posted) Modifications to ship's systems (relevent posts are linked to each reference for more information).

Due to the space needed to construct Alchemy's bay, the Serendipity does not have the ability to land, as other Intrepid class ships have in the past.

Notes on the Sera's computer and control systems: By Lt. Commander Lair, Chief Engineer:

"Thankfully, we are blessed by the fact that Starfleet has finally realized the wisdom of discontinuing the use of bio-neural gel packs, which were first tested in the original ships of the Intrepid class but also plagued several Sovereign class vessels with their instability and overall poor performance.

"Based on design modifications that Commander Salvek and I have made to ships we've served on in the past, Research and Development has taken the ideas and run with them. They've succeeded in creating a new system of completely mechanical, reconfigured and incredibly efficient isolinear relays that are integrated by an advanced routing system known as the Gateway.

"It will take some time to shake the last of the bugs out of the new design, but I feel a hell of a lot better about that prospect than I did the idea of struggling with those maddening, prone-to-failure gel packs."

Notes on the sensor system and links between the Sera and Alchemy, by Chief Tactical Officer Zander Blakeslee:

"He was working with engineering to establish a new link between the Sera and the Alchemy that would allow the two ships to share each others sensor data in real-time, thereby extending the ships operational sensor ranges practically doubling them. The Alchemy would be able to fly out to the far extent of the Sera's sensors then establish the link allowing the Sera to use the Alchemy's sensors and vice-versa."

Sera specs last updated 91002.22

Key Locations

Bridge of the USS Serendipity NCC-2012 :

Being left handed, Zanh Liis prefers to have her XO seated to her left. The other chairs were added at her request to allow seating for additional members of her senior staff as needed (Ship's Counselor, Second Officer, etc.)

Captain Zanh's Ready Room

Commander Salvek's Office

Main Conference Room

Main Engineering

Lt. Commander Reece's Science Lab

Counselor Tryst's Office

Sickbay

Stellar Cartography

Transporter Room

The Brig

Holodeck

Cargo Bay

Officer's Quarters

Dining Hall

Star Trek: Alchemy wishes to thank Douglas Williams for his amazing work on the Sera's cut-away section shown above, and also for submitting individual room renderings.

Thanks, Doug, nothing around here would be the same without you!

Thanks also to Ensign Tryst for submitting the Sera bridge rendering (which was altered by the Captain.) ~ZL and Salvek

USS Alchemy NX-53099 Specifications

Current Mission

2007-11-30T16:58:00.064-05:00

New Mission to be Announced Soon

Previous Missions
"Time's Poseidon"
Having only recently reconciled on the ship and still dealing with the aftermath of the events on Sibalt the Sera's crew once more finds itself fragmented.
Commander Salvek and Zander Blakeslee are forced to take the Alchemy to Vulcan to give answers about Salvek's involvement in T'Dara's death.
Several members of the crew go to the Earth for shore leave but for very few does it prove to be anything close to relaxing. Doctor Hartcort attempts a procedure to restore Tress' hearing but the possibility stirs up powerful conflicting feelings with the girl's adopted family.
Meanwhile Rada Dengar's resequencing shows clear signs of unravelling completely and taking the man he is with it, forcing him to be sent off the ship alone only to return if he can be helped in time by the one woman who possibly can save him.

However that any of the crew off the ship will ever have a chance to return looks doubtful when William Lindsay's hunt for corruption takes a deadly turn. Knowing they've been exposed the rogue agents reveal they have an unexpected trick up their sleeve...

"Teamwork"

The Sera's command crew is assigned to visit Sibalt, a small planet designated for use as an advanced training environment for Starfleet officers.

During three days of planned wargames, survival training and tactical drills, the crew discovers that they must take teamwork to a whole new level if they're going to escape with their lives; forced to battle an unexpected threat directed toward one of The Alchemy Project's most colorful officers...

"One Day, Every Hundred Years"

Admiral Lassiter's wrath knows no limits as she lays blame for the loss of the Zenith's crew. She begins at the top, removing Captain Zanh Liis from her command and then proceeds to strip the heart of the Serendipity's crew away, one person at a time.

The command crew of the Sera refuses to give up on their captain, however, rallying around her. Keiran O'Sullivan seeks the truth behind Lassiter's fury, and the Admiral is forced to come to terms with losses past and present.

Meanwhile, Rada Dengar's family and friends must try to cope with their new reality after the Chief Engineer's memory resequencing procedure is what Command calls a resounding success...

"Vanished"

The brand new, Sovereign class Federation flagship, USS Zenith has disappeared while on her maiden voyage- along with her entire crew of eight hundred and seventy two souls.

With one of those souls being the son of Alchemy Project's Director Admiral Gemini Lassiter, Zanh Liis and the crew of the Serendipity know that they can waste no time in trying to solve the mystery.

They must find the Zen and her crew before news of the ship's disappearance spreads throughout the quadrant.

“Commander Lassiter, getting some real heavy distortions ahead. Sensors can’t get any readings. I think we should stop.” Lieutenant Swift reported from the science station.

“Hmm?” Nick was too busy reading to have heard what was just said.

“I said, I recommend we stop the ship. There are serious distortions ahead.”

“OK. All stop.”

“Answering all stop.” The helmsman reported.

Lassiter regarded the twisted space before them. The stars themselves seemed to be wrapping around some unseen point ahead of them.

“Maybe we should back off a bit. One hundred kph, reverse thrusters.”

“Aye sir.”

There was a brief burst from the thrusters, and the ship crawled slowly away from the phenomenon.

“Starfleet wanted a report if we came upon anything unexplainable like this, so they could keep tabs on us. Record a message for Admiral Lassiter.”

“Ready, sir.”

“Admiral Lassiter, this is your son, Commander Lassiter aboard USS Zenith. Gemini, my darling, we have encountered some severe spacial distortions. All is well on the ship for now. We will follow...”

Nick never finished his message. In an instant, he vanished from the ship, and all eight hundred and seventy one other members of the crew now present vanished along with him.

The Zenith inched along slowly, as the Computer, having assumed that Lassiter was finished recording, uttered one last report.

^Message sent.^

Read the first post of this plot arc here.

Meanwhile, following a very adventurous party held aboard the Sera in his honor to celebrate his recovery, Zander Blakeslee takes medical leave on Earth to try to heal completely from injuries, both visible and invisible...

...and Admiral Lassiter must face the truth of her past as she contemplates the possibility that she may never see her only son again.

Mission Soundtrack: Coming Soon

"Haunted"

With the Sera tethered to space dock for repairs, most of the crew takes shore leave while an old friend makes his way back to the ship and a new arrival takes her first look around.

Salvek and his family depart on the Alchemy to seek healing for him at the most sacred location on Vulcan...

They reached the plateau at last, upon which the Temple sat. Where Vulcans through out history had come to learn the philosophy of logic, cast off their emotions, and attain the Kolinahr.

The guards at the entrance came into view as they drew closer. Their faces were obscured from the eyes down by a black covering, and they wore traditional steel armor from the waist down. Their chests were bare except for a dark blue sash with gold lettering that extended from their right shoulder to the left hip, and looped around their backs. Each man was armed with a staff, which bore the head of an axe at the end.

Kellyn easily read the words on their chests as, Strength of Logic, Strength of Vulcan.

The guard stood motionless as Salvek and Kellyn approached, but one stepped in front of Kellyn as she was about to pass, and brandished his weapon before her.

“Good afternoon,” She said, choosing to let her anger be expressed in an insincere pleasantry.

“She is my mate,” Salvek spoke. The second guard stepped past him, and took up position next to his partner. They crossed the blades of their weapons, effectively allowing Salvek access, but making it impossible for Kellyn to follow.

“I didn’t expect to be welcome here. Never mind that I have said the prayers, learned the mental disciplines, and raised my child in the Vulcan culture,” She spoke to the guards, not to Salvek, who was well aware of Kellyn’s commitment to Vulcan tradition.

She traced the ridges of her nose, “ek’wak Beidzhorsu. (Forever Bajoran).”

She glanced at her husband and nodded slowly. He had to go inside, so there was nothing she could do but wait.

-=/\=-

...and Zanh Liis and Keiran O'Sullivan return to Ireland to finish their honeymoon, only to find themselves fighting old fears and heartbreaking memories at every turn.

Soon, Zanh discovers that she and her husband are not the only ones trying to forget.

-=/\=-

TC Blane materialized on the sidewalk in front of a large, imposing structure.

The instant he was fully formed, the rain began to sink into him. He closed his eyes, tilting his face up toward the sky and feeling it as it fell. He was glad, for some reason, that the sun was not shining today.

He paced around the building in a circle; considering going inside but in the end deciding against it.

He hated this.

He hated remembering. He hated even more being forced to remember by people asking stupid questions about events that had absolutely no bearing on the life he was living in the here and now.

He hated those events even more when he realized that they did.

The things he'd experienced in the paradox were weighing heavily upon his Captain and those of his crew who had also seen them, and so they weighed heavily upon TC as well.

He saw himself, always, as a man to make things happen. Or more to the point, to make problems go away. He handled things. He managed them and he took action, and then afterward whatever he'd done he always managed to live with it, because he had always done his best.

This time he worried that he wouldn't be able to take any action that could serve the purpose of eradicating the memories in question- other than to face them, one last time.

To look them in the eye and in so doing, take their power and dispel them, once and for all.

In order to do that, there were places he needed to visit. Land he needed to stand upon, in this state of mind and what was more, in the pouring rain. Then, he hoped, he could leave them behind him for good.

To his surprise he soon discovered that he was not the only person trying to win a staring match against Memory today.

Read the first post of this plot arc here...

Mission Soundtrack (will be updated soon)

Stars and Midnight Blue by Enya
Ave Maria by Josh Groban
The Parting Glass by Shaun Davey(From the soundtrack to Waking Ned)
Clocks by Coldplay
One Headlight by The Wallflowers
Somewhere Only We Know by Keane
Never Say Never by The Fray
May We Never Have to Say Goodbye by Shaun Davey

"In the Interim"

Temporal Investigations Jumper Captain William Lindsay is recruited by Admiral Lassiter for a special official assignment: to spend six months serving as Interim Director of The Department of Temporal Investigations.

The job comes with a much more important unofficial mission, however; for Lindsay to see if he can uncover the true extent of the curruption that has woven its way through the agency, threatening not only The Alchemy Project but the very foundation and principles of Starfleet itself.

As he prepares to begin his service, Commander Salvek is called upon to answer for his actions during the Romulan rescue mission of his daughter: actions which nearly cost him, and four other members of the Away Team, (including Lindsay) their lives.

As Salvek struggles with the emotional consequences of his decision to meld with the Romulan Taris, the Away Team is reassembled at the secretive headquarters of TI for his Inquiry (as well as debriefing on their experiences with the Paradox.) While there, Zanh Liis, Keiran O'Sullivan, TC Blane and Lindsay himself soon find that any day spent in that location cannot be counted upon to go according to plan.

-=/\=-

"William, we've serious business to discuss. You did not accomplish your task."

Now, Lindsay's posture stiffened. He was used to pretty much getting a free-pass from Lassiter no matter what he did or how he did it. To sense disapproval in her was new, and decidedly unwelcome.

"Now howdoya figure that, darlin'?" He pressed on with the charm, easing a hand onto her shoulder and giving a squeeze. "Everything turned out all right in the end. Taris is history, Lair Arie lives, what more could'ye ask of me?"

"That you do as your told." She said bluntly, taking hold of his hand and moving it off of her shoulder.

“Come now, Gemini, you know me.” Will lightly protested, not liking this mood she was in one bit. “I get the job done, just need a bit of room to move, that’s all.”

She shook her head, it was important that she be firm here. “Most agents find a way to get the job done and follow orders at the same time.”

“Aye ‘tis true, that.” Will conceded with an overly exasperated tone and a complete lack of modesty in his voice, making her question his sincerity. “But then most agents don’t have my success record, do they?”

Will’s success record may have been impressive but it was not without certain blotches. Blotches that she wondered if he even considered when he acted.

His confidence in his abilities was a great asset; he’d never second guess a choice when he couldn’t afford to. The double edge of that sword existed in the fact that he’d also never reconsider a choice when he could, or should.

Lassiter saw two potential paths stretching out ahead of him at this point. If he paid attention to life’s little lessons he could one day be Keiran.

If not, he could one day be Jonas, and that was what worried her.

“You’re good, Will.” Lindsay accepted this with a falsely bashful grin, clearly exaggerated. “But that can only carry you so far," she warned. Lindsay’s face took on a gentle seriousness, he looked like he was barely succeeding in hiding a smile, and it was quite intentional.

“Letting Keiran come along was reckless even by your standards," she concluded.

“Well, I always am tryin’ to better meself,” he hoped a light tone might alleviate some of the tension Lassiter was clearly feeling.

It didn’t.

"This is serious. Do you realize what could have happened? One false move on anyone's part and we could have lost the Vulcan, his child, not to mention Zanh and Keiran and," Lassiter now moved back to the table and sat down slowly. "This was way beyond a close call. You really could've been killed, Will."

"Could'a been. Wasn't." He winked at her, employing the habit he'd picked up from O'Sullivan over the years of offering quick, direct replies consisting of few words. "'Sides. Aren't you the one who always told me that 'close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades'?"

Lassiter rubbed her temples, trying to force down a headache that she just couldn’t seem to escape. “Well, perhaps it’s about time I added 'near death experiences' to that list. God, Will, sometimes it’s like you don’t even take the time to consider the potential consequences of your actions!”

She had no idea just how wrong she was there. Will had been doing nothing but consider the potential consequences of his actions, albeit retrospectively. His earlier discussion with Liis had left him with all too clear a picture of exactly what could have gone wrong over there.

It was a disturbing picture to see painted by her in such vivid, living detail; and one he intended to work very hard to blacken out of his memory.

Liis’ tale of when they first met from her perspective, in that small pub in County Cork, still weighed heavily on his mind. He knew Keiran had died in that timeline but Liis’ words made it feel real; as though it actually could really happen. It was strange but even as they fought for their lives aboard Taris' ship, he’d not felt like that.

Read the first post of this plot arc here:

Mission Soundtrack (In Progress)

Coming Up Close by 'Til Tuesday
Postcards from Far Away by Coldplay
Glass of Water by Coldplay
Beautiful Disaster by Jon McLaughlin
Clocks by Coldplay
The Oldest Story in the World by The Plimsouls
Holiday by Green Day
Broken by Lifehouse
Gravity by Embrace
Counting Blue Cars by Dishwalla

-=/\=-

"Kidnapped"

Salvek's greatest adversary returns...

Will the crew of the Serendipity be able to save his daughter from the clutches of the same Romulan woman who murdered his parents?

-=/\=-

[Blane to Serendipity, please respond!] TC’s exasperated voice crackled over the speakers.

“We hear you Commander, please report.”

[Lair Kellyn is severely injured, request immediate transport to Sickbay. The Romulans have the Hugreti box.]

Salvek stiffened at the mention of Kellyn’s name. He looked at Briggs, who just shook his head, indicating that transporters were still off line.

“We can’t beam you up, transporters are damaged.”

“Commander, Romulan transports have been activated!” Nye shouted over the conversation.

“Intruder alert, all security personnel…” Salvek’s order was cut off by Nye in mid sentence.

“They aren’t boarding the ship, they are beaming something off. They also have their warp core back on line.” Nye paused, as he waited to see what they were going to do next. “They’ve gone to warp. Heading for Romulan space. They’ve activated their cloak but I can still track them.”

“Let them go, we’ll send a shuttle to retrieve the away team. Any idea what they took?”

“Not what, who. I can’t tell exactly, sensors are malfunctioning.” Nye shook his head as he tried to decipher the readings.

“Abduction?” Salvek raised an eyebrow.

[Hey, Salvek! This is Reece! Look, dude, you gotta get the Doctor down here now, Kellyn is in bad shape.]

“We are assembling a shuttle team, stand by. Computer, are there any persons unaccounted for besides those on the planet?”

^Lair Arie is not on board the Serendipity.^

Salvek staggered back, and slumped into the Command chair. His Vulcan patience had officially been pushed to the limits, and he was barely in control of his emotions.

“Commander,” Nye spoke up, “I can only track the Romulan for another two or three minutes till they move out of sensor range. If we wait for a shuttle launch, we’ll lose them.”

[No way dude, you gotta launch that shuttle or Kellyn will die!] Reece shouted over the open comm.

“If you launch that shuttle you may never see your child again.” Nye did not mean to be harsh, he merely wanted Salvek to understand how grave the situation was. Briggs watched the entire display with one eye on tactical and the other on Salvek.

[You can’t just leave her down here!]

“You can’t just let the Romulans take her!”

[You have to do something!]

“We’re running out of time!”

Read the first post of this plot arc by clicking here...

-=/\=-

Meanwhile, visiting Starfleet physician Lance Hartcort is swept into a crisis situation along with the crew of the Alchemy; currently on assignment on Bajor to try to stop an epidemic.

-=/\=-

Suddenly, Azalea wished there was a chair nearby to sit down in. She felt lightheaded just considering what Hartcort was suggesting. "Altered immune response? This is bad."

“This bug is smart. If we come up with a tailored antibody it obviously will work.” He nodded to the scope again. “But only for that person with that strain and there is no guarantee that they will not be re-infected by another strain.” He shook his head. “This is NOT the fever that we thought it was, not any more. This is a whole new virus.”

"Then we are in a whole lot of trouble." Azalea's breath escaped her lips in a slow, deep sigh. "How could this happen?"

“I will tell you one thing, it is the perfect bug.” He looked straight at her. “Too perfect.” He paused, hating with every fiber of his being what he had to tell her next. "I think that someone introduced this new strain into the population via the vaccine..." his words faded.

Azalea blinked several times as she tried to accept what he was proposing. "Intentionally?"

"Well, it would take a breakdown of every modern safety protocol in place for it to happen unintentionally. And I just don't know how plausible that is."

"It's more plausible to think that someone wanted to wipe out a large population of people on their own planet and make it look like an unfortunate accident?"

"Wouldn't be the first time." Lance replied, his voice heavy with concern.

"Ugh." Azalia put her hand to her forehead and sighed. "We really have to go in this direction?"

"I don't see any other choice. But whether or not we can prove that someone did this intentionally and sent the mutated virus to the Plains I can't say. It should be easy enough though to see if the vaccine itself truly is tainted, all we need to do is get our hands on a sample that was meant to go to another Province. The wealthier the Province, the better."

Read the introduction of this arc here...

-----=/\=-----

Mission Soundtrack

Crashing Down by Mat Kearney
My Shadow by Keane;
A Dustland Fairytale by The Killers
Pride (In the Name of Love) by U2
Lullabye by Billy Joel
Why Should I Cry for You by Sting
Runaway Train by Soul Asylum
Run by Snow Patrol
Hollow Man by REM
Wintersong by Sarah McLachlan
The Grand Finale from Edward Scissorhands by Danny Elfman
When You Wish Upon A Star (Mannheim Steamroller version)
Barbossa is Hungry by Klaus Badelt
South Side by Moby (featuring Gwen Stefani)
Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop by Landon Pigg
A Little Bit Longer by The Jonas Brothers
Violet Hill by Coldplay
A Rush of Blood to the Head by Coldplay
Amsterdam by Coldplay
Name by Goo Goo Dolls
If I Could Be Where You Are by Enya
My Heart Was Home Again by Josh Groban
Right Back Where I Started From by The Alarm
If I Ever Lose My Faith in You by Sting
Far Away by Nickelback

-=/\=-

"The Box"

The Serendipity is dispatched to recover, and open, a mysterious container unearthed on Lethus IV; a world preparing for colonization.

Will the crew be able to solve the mystery of the box and its contents, before it falls into the wrong hands?

-=/\=-

"They destroyed their own civilization in their quest for advancement. Sometimes, Commander, I swear maybe we have a little too much in common with them when it comes to their insistence on rushing things."

"How do you mean, exactly?"

"Look at what happened with the Alchemy recently." Lair focused her attention on him fully, holding his steady gaze. "We broke the time barrier. Next thing I know, we're in the middle of a conflict with some other advanced race of aliens that is holding a Federation ship hostage that has future versions of our technology." She stopped walking and lowered her voice so far that TC had to lean closer in order to hear her.

"I heard the talk. The Perseids wasn't ready for the mission they sent her on, that much is a foregone conclusion. But the one thing that no one seems to want to explain to me is how the hell that ship was even built when we are still in the absolute first stages of our work here."

She watched him react and she came to the conclusion that she needed someone in the top three of the command chain that she could confide in and express her concerns to; someone she wasn't married to, and someone who was not the captain. "Commander Blane, I,"

"TC." Blane offered.

"TC." She continued. "When Lassiter was here, she told me that we'd achieved their goal for us. We thought our goal was achieving stable and ever more efficient means of transwarp travel. But do you know what she said 'their' goal was? Breaching the time barrier."

Blane brought his hand back to his chin, stroking it thoughtfully once again.

"So my concern over what has gone on here and continues to go on here hit critical mass when I was faced with the idea of this Hugreti...thing, whatever the hell it is. It could be the only remaining example of the very piece of technology that destroyed them. What if we put into motion something by opening it that can't be stopped? Why are they sending us to do this and not another crew? Something about this whole thing just isn't right, but I can't figure out what it is."

"Are you really this worried about the dangers of ancient Hugreti technology, Lair Kellyn, or are you more worried about us turning into the modern version?"

"I wish I knew which one posed the greatest threat, Commander. Them to us, or us to ourselves."

-=/\=-

Read the first post of this plot arc here...

Meanwhile, the Alchemy is assigned to handle a humanitarian crisis on Bajor with close ties to one of the most beloved members of the Serendipity's crew.

-=/\=-

"Doctor Adams?" Dane looked up at her in surprise, expecting to find TC Blane but finding the former Perseids physician instead.

"Mister Cristiane," She said, stacking a heavy crate of medical supplies atop a growing pile.

"Here, let me get that." Dane began to move the crates from the anti-grav unit himself, allowing her a moment to catch her breath.

"Thank you. Did they tell you where we're going?"

"No, just that it was some sort of mercy mission."

"I was due to report to the Takesian Plains on Bajor in about a week's time," Azalea explained, wiping beads of perspiration from her brow with the back of her hand.

"But there's been an outbreak of Vellat Fever in the area, and it's spread to an orphanage in a neighboring province. No one seems to know how it happened, but it's a serious situation and they've asked me to get there as soon as possible.

"Commander Salvek volunteered the Alchemy for the mission with Admiral Lassiter's blessing, and has briefed me on what she can do. We've asked that visiting Doctor Hartcort from the Revolution come along as well. If we took the LMH it would leave the Sera without a senior physician, and we can't do that."

"Don't they have doctors on Bajor?" Dane puzzled. His question was entirely sincere.

"Of course. But Starfleet has major fences to mend when it comes to the mishandling of relief supplies after the disaster in the Plains. Since I was due to go anyway, and since the orphanage involved has strong ties to this ship, the diplomats decided that-"

"Wait." Dane's eyebrow shot up. "Where is this orphanage?"

"In Altaan."

Dane's heart fell to his feet.

That was the orphanage where Zanh Liis had grown up, the one where elderly Vedek Timal was still in charge.

"They didn't tell Zanh Liis, did they?" He hated to think that the one chance she and Keiran had ever had for some peace would be taken away before it had even begun.

"No. Blane and Salvek concurred there was no point in telling her, since there is literally nothing she can personally do about it. Vellat Fever is a childhood disease that poses more of a threat to adult Bajorans, and this strain seems to have mutated. It's apparently able to infect even those who had the disease as children. Therefore, Captain Zanh couldn't go there to help if she wanted to, Starfleet would never allow it."

-=/\=-

Mission Soundtrack:

Viva la Vida, by Coldplay
Human, by The Killers
Where The Streets Have No Name by U2
Talk by Coldplay
It's the End of the World As We Know It And I Feel Fine by REM

-----------------------

"Two Lights"

"If you find out he's coming home,
when I come 'round the corner,
I'll know that it's all right-
Leave me two lights."
~Five for Fighting

The Cascade was stopped...but not before creating an anomaly terrifying enough to put fear into the hearts of the most seasoned Temporal Investigations agents.

An Alternate Continuity Paradox

Will History win again, or will love conquer all this time?

-=/\=-

"I don't understand what you're saying," Zanh insisted, "so you'd better tell me again."

"You fixed the error in progress, Zanh Liis. The mission was a complete success."

TEMA agents Tred and Fen stood in her Ready Room addressing her; Fen was the one speaking now.

"Fixed it?"

Liis picked up one of the two enormous pieces of rose quartz that served as bookends on the shelf opposite her desk.

She hefted it into the air once, twice, and the third time she caught it, she spun and smashed it into the elaborate stained glass artwork behind her desk, causing a staggaring, shattering sound.

"FIXED IT?"

She ignored the bits of glass that had imbedded themselves into her arms right through her uniform as the pane had exploded on impact. She picked up the sickeningly familiar envelope that sat on her desk top.

"Keiran is gone," she struggled for every word. "You tell me how it's fixed."

Read the first post of this continuation of the previous plot arc here:

-=/\=-

Meanwhile, Jariel Camen continues on a journey of self discovery that leads him in a direction that he never imagined.

Mission Soundtrack

All I Know by Five for Fighting
I Will Remember You by Sarah McLachlan
At the Stars by Better Than Ezra
Indiana by Jon McLaughlin
The Shadow of the Day by Linkin Park
We Are the Champions (Zach Braff, from the Chicken Little Soundtrack)
Hymne a l'Amour, Josh Groban
Far Away by Nickelback
Time & Again by a-ha
Sailed On by Landon Pigg
The Best Days by Graham Colton
Lost! by Coldplay
Home by Michael Buble'
Love is the End by Keane
Farewell to Yesterday from Lifescapes Celtic Dreams
Right Back Where I Started From by The Alarm
Kind and Generous by Natalie Merchant
Be Thou My Vision/Slane from Lifescapes Celtic Spirit
The Night Sky by Keane
Walk Forever By My Side (acoustic) The Alarm

"The Cascade Effect"

The 'people upstairs' at The Department of Temporal Investigations need to stop a catastrophe, already in progress.

They know exactly who they want for the job.

Going undercover into the unknown, can Zanh, Blane, and a handful of their crew succeed in saving the son of an old friend, and perhaps that friend as well in the bargain?

-=/\=-

"Who is your set point, Jonas?"

"What?" Vox' mouth fell open.

"Your set point. Every TI agent former and current has one. Jariel was mine, I'm Keiran's, and I want to know who the hell yours is."

"Only the weaker agents need those." Vox replied dismissively, cold as stone. "Those of us who are true professionals don't have one."

Zanh Liis uttered two very profane words in response to his statement before saying anything else.

"You can call me what you want, but don't you ever call him weak. You'll never be half the man that he is." She shifted her weight from foot to foot. "Speaking of O'Sullivan, do what you want to me, Jonas. But you should know that he had no control over any of this. Don't punish him because of my,"

Before she could finish, Vox held up his hand. "None of it matters now." Vox reached into the top drawer of his desk, pulled out an envelope, and tossed it across the desk in Zanh's general direction. "Open it."

Liis clasped her arms behind her back, holding her head up high in silent refusal.

"Open it. That is an order."

"You don't get to give me orders anymore."

Vox sighed with great frustration and turned the envelope over to show her the front. He pointed to it, where her name had been hand-written in very familiar script.

Liis felt dizzy, the wind knocked out of her as she realized what this meant. "No." She took a step back and wrapped her arms around her shoulders.

Vox violently ripped the envelope open, and then dumped the contents out onto the top of his desk.

Time seemed to stand still as Liis watched the items fall out and tumble onto the shining black surface. She took inventory of them in her mind as each finally came to rest.

A folded piece of paper.

An envelope sealed with crimson wax.

A rosary.

A large gold ring.

"No," she repeated, her voice warning Vox off as she stared at the ring in disbelief. "Don't say it."

"Keiran O'Sullivan is dead, Zanh Liis."

-=/\=-

Meanwhile, Salvek once again takes command of the Alchemy, under orders to meet up with the now-repaired Serendipity at the site of intense negotiations for valuable dilithium mining rights in the Galador system...

Read the first post of this plot arc here...

Mission Soundtrack

Apologize by OneRepublic
Marble Halls by Enya
Give it Time by Jon McLaughlin
Imitation of Life by REM
24 by Jem

"RSVP: Regrets Only"

Status: Completed

Still reeling from the loss of two members of their crew (for very different reasons) the Sera's senior staff boards the USS Alchemy bound for Betazed, with Salvek in command.

Will the trip end up having much greater significance than they imagined when they were first invited to the arranged Bonding of Counselor Vol Tryst?

Read the first post of this plot arc here...

Mission Soundtrack:
Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, performed by Michael Ball (From Les Miserables)
Shut Up by Simple Plan
Die Hard the Hunter by Def Leppard
Falling in love at a Coffee Shop by Landon Pigg
I Fought the Law (Green Day version)
Blaze of Glory by The Alarm (from Electric Folklore)
If I Talk to God by The Last Goodnight
Killing Me by the Graham Colton Band
Viva la Vida by Coldplay
The Night Sky(For WARCHILD) by Keane
Love Remains the Same by Gavin Rossdale
May It Be by Enya
On My Way Home by Enya
(Say) All I Need by OneRepublic
Breathe (2 am) by Anna Nalick
Everything by Lifehouse
So Close by John McLaughlin
Shattered by O.A.R.
What Would Happen if We Kissed by Meredith Brooks
Sympathy by Goo Goo Dolls

-=/\=-

"Paved with Good Intentions"
Status: Completed

When a species of emotional healers takes an interest in "saving" the Sera's crew from their negative emotions, will their covert attempts to help backfire, destroying Keiran O'Sullivan, Zanh Liis, and the timeline as we know it in the process?

Read the first post of this mission by clicking here.

New Feature: Mission Soundtrack:

Songs the writers were inspired by during the creation of this plot arc. . .

These Hard Times by Matchbox 20
Two Hornpipes (Tortuga) by Hans Zimmer
Ballroom Blitz by The Sweet
Your Wildest Dreams by Moody Blues
I Know You're Out There Somehwere by Moody Blues
Ballad of a Well Known Gun by Elton John
With Or Without You by U2
Fallen Embers by Enya
When The Stars Go Blue by The Corrs
Awake by Josh Groban
My Immortal by Evanescence
Hymne a l'Amour by Josh Groban
To Where You Are by Josh Groban
Is There Something I Should Know by Duran Duran
The Heart of the Matter by Don Henley
To Go Beyond (II) By Enya
Come What May from Moulin Rouge
You Are Loved by Josh Groban
Message in a Bottle by The Police
Gimmee Shelter by The Rolling Stones
All I Need by Mat Kearney
Joining You by Alanis Morrisette
Lost? (Acoustic) by Coldplay
Move Along by All-American Rejects
Two Lights by Five for Fighting

-=/\=-

"MiM"

Status: Completed

What happens to a society entirely dependent upon technology when it loses control of the mechanical being entrusted with maintaining it?

Read the first post of this plot arc
here.

"The Learning Curve"

Status: Completed

The USS Serendipity is released from space dock once again, with repairs to the Alchemy continuing as the crew begins their first true shake-down flight.

Captain Zanh calls for sweeping cross-departmental training exercises, and all must brush up on the basic skills that may have grown rusty since their Academy days, as well as take on new challenges designed specifically to push them out of their professional (and in some instances, personal) comfort zone.

In addition, with the new Counselor settling in aboard ship, Starfleet and the Admiral Vox send word that it's time for the Senior Staff to undergo their annual mental-fitness examinations. . .

read the first post of this plot arc here. . .

----------

"Past/Present/Future"

Status: Completed

Recovering from the brutal 626 mission and forced to return to Utopia Planetia for repairs to both the Sera and the Alchemy, it looks as if the hard-working Serendipity crew is about to be granted a few weeks' shore leave.

Promotions have been awarded: to Lt. Commander Breaux, and Lt. Rada Dengar. But even as the planning of a party to celebrate their promotions begins, the dark pull of the past exerts its power over some of the crew, and each must take different path to try to clear the ghosts away and finally move beyond them.

For a few, shore leave promises to end up as anything but a vacation.

Rada seeks answers to an unsolved mystery from his past, Avery is caught in a web of intrigue as he tries to keep the past from overtaking the present, and February comes to the realization that where you've come from does not determine where you're going.

Read the first post of this plot arc here. . .

"626"

Status: Completed

Just out of space dock, the USS Serendipity is sent on a surprising maiden voyage, with orders to investigate why a star in Earth's system is going nova long before its time.

En route, Commander TC Blane discovers that all eyes are fixed upon their every move, and that the walls have ears. . .

After security sweeps both the Sera and Alchemy to try to rid them of all covert surveillance devices, the Alchemy is dispatched to approach the fiery star and study the phenomenon up close.

Suffering the effects of destructive shears caused by the star, Alchemy's fate hangs in the balance as the Engineering crew fights to restore the ship's damaged systems, despite struggling with their emotions after one of their own falls in the line of duty. . .

Read the first post of this plot arc here. . .

And the mission that started it all..."The Good Fight"

To visit the archives of past missions as well as find our most up-to-date posts click here.

Our Mission

2007-11-30T16:31:00.001-05:00

The USS Serendipity has been commissioned by Starfleet as a 'troubleshooter' vessel, designed to travel quickly- and never stay in one location for too long.

Just beneath the 'on the record' mission of exploring scientific phenomena and putting out fires around the quadrant, lies a deeper, covert operation demanding a crew of varied talents, backgrounds, and experiences.

Serendipity (or, the "Sera" to her crew) will be the ambulatory research lab within which the newest and most ambitious ship design to date will be tried, tested, and refined in order to conjure the future with every stride it makes.

That ship is the USS Alchemy, NX 53099.

The Alchemy, first in its class, is an evolving experiment in trans-warp and temporal technology. Prized technologies sought by many- will have to be nurtured and protected if The Alchemy Project is to be declared a success.

History will be our judge as we take on the challenges that lie just beyond the shipyards at Utopia Planetia.

The future is no longer ahead of us- history starts now. . .

Rules and Legal Disclaimer

2007-11-30T15:18:00.004-05:00

If you have questions about the rules, feel free to drop us a note.

If you've written for RPGs before, none of the following should surprise you.

~ZL and Salvek

Star Trek: Alchemy is a free, PBEM RPG.

Rules and Procedures for Star Trek: Alchemy are as follows:

1. Respect for the your fellow players is imperative. Abusive or hostile speech or any other form of harassing communication whether online or off, or such actions online or off toward any other player will be grounds for immediate dismissal and permanent banning.

2. The CO/XO have the final say in what is posted to the crew. By submitting posts you acknowledge that necessary editing of the content may occur.

This is a human moderated RPG; which means writers send in their posts, and then the CO or XO will read them, make any necessary edits for grammar or inappropriate/conflicting content (if any) and then we will send them out to the crew.

We do not have an open group list where everyone posts their own individual posts- as we have seen the conflicts that arise from such a system in other games in the past and have found this is the set-up that works best for us personally.

3. All new writers should be advised that other writers will be allowed to write dialog for your character. We are not a sim in which every person writes all their own dialog for every post round-robin style.

If you require the ability to be able to dictate every line your character speaks, we are not the RPG for you.

Also, we do not send every individual post out to every character mentioned in that particular post for their approval before it is sent to the crew. This would be impossibly time consuming.

We strive to do our very best to portray each character 'in character' but the best way to ensure that your character is represented 'properly' is to develop them fully in your bio and especially through your own posts. The more you tell people about your character through your posts the more accurate their posts will be.

4. Any characters you create or bring in for use in this RPG remain yours and you may take them and leave the game any time you wish; but by submitting any posts to us you agree in advance that those posts may/will remain as part of the records of Star Trek: Alchemy and on our website(s), to ensure continuity of story lines even if writers come and go. However, the owners/editors do reserve the right to remove any post(s) from the archive at any point for any reason.

Any characters and story content you submit must be your own, original work. Plagiarism is unacceptable and grounds for swift dismissal from the game.

5. No one is to use the email addresses from our RPG list for any purpose outside the game, or for going around the game's official post distribution list. This includes using any addresses for unsolicited email or Spam of any sort, including joke lists, prayer requests, etc. or to recruit people for your own RPG.

6. No Superheroes, Former Borg, Q or Q-like omnipotent characters- no animal/humanoid hybrids/shape shifters, no telepathic communication with computers, no video game or anime characters etc. These comic book style 'save the day every day' type characters make writing hard on the rest of the crew.

Also, be advised that even Trek animated series/comic book aliens/characters (such as Caitians, for one example) may be denied entry into the game at the sole discretion of the CO and XO. Please visit the Writer Application Information page for additional information.

7. No sexually explicit/obscene content allowed; consider this RPG PG-14 rated (since we post our posts -at least for now- on Blogger, we have to take their posting requirements into account, too.) The same is true for explicit gore or violence for the sake of violence. We are a story driven RPG- the stories and the characters are the primary focus not just 'blowing things up' or 'shooting people'.

8. You may not marry/kill/alter another writer's character(s) without prior permission from that writer, and that permission must be proven to the Captain and/or XO before the post will go out.

9. We're all adults here. If there are personal problems between writers, you will be expected to resolve them on your own, outside the game. If writers cannot get along- all parties will be subject to dismissal if it becomes a disruption to the crew. If there are conflicts due to plot lines or posting, you can take your concerns directly to me (ZL).

10. If you want to join us, you are welcome to submit a character proposal for our consideration. RPG experience is preferred, but we will decide on a case by case basis based on the work submitted.

We consider Alchemy an RPG for advanced gamers/experienced writers. We don't expect you to be Hemingway, but you must have a good basic grasp of grammar and spelling to participate.

You must be over the age of eighteen to join.

If you would like details on how to apply, please visit our Writer Application Information page for more info.

We reserve the right to deny anyone admission into Star Trek: Alchemy, for any reason, at any time.

11. We are writing Star Trek in the tradition of TNG and DS9: We are not a Horror RPG, a Fantasy RPG, a Star Wars RPG, a video game, or a circus. If your posts do not fit the Trek framework, then they will not be included in our plot lines.

12. People must post for their department. If you're an engineer, do not spend all of your time in the dining hall. Writers must post with regular frequency (for new characters/writers, that is once per week, minimum) or their character will be put on leave; especially if their absence is extended.

Joint posts count (JPs) if they are substantial and help forward the plot or sub-plots. But if there is a specific need dictated by the current mission story- department heads especially should be ready and willing to jump in without waiting for a JP opportunity to present itself (creating the opportunity if that is the way they prefer to post) and must perform the duties assigned to their character.

Senior staff roles on the Sera are very limited and must be earned to be kept.

13: The Do Not Bail and Expect Us To Like It Rule.

Added of necessity...in the past we have had writers simply stop answering email inquiries as to their whereabouts. This is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

Know that if you bail on us, especially in the middle of a plot line and especially without explanation, your character will be summarily removed from the roster, you will be taken off the email list, and you will be done here. Period, end of sentence.

If we are in the middle of a plot line, especially one focusing on your character and you get stuck, you must take the initiative and email the CO or XO and ask for help getting unstuck. Silence is not golden when it comes to running a group writing project- and if you hang up the plot for the rest of the writers because you can't decide what to do next or have irreversible writer's block, you won't last long on our roster.

We understand that our rules and procedures will not be to every one's liking and that is why it's such a good thing there are so many RPGs out there- if you dislike our structure and rules, you can surely find another option which will suit your desires more fully. Here is a great site to visit if you are looking for other options.

Other rules may be added as needed but if/when they are you'll be notified and given the chance to opt out of group/rpg if you wish.

And now for the legal disclaimer. . .

The owners/writers/bloggers of Star Trek: Alchemy are not liable in any way for any damages incurred/suffered by anyone in any way from their participation in the game or any use of this or any related sites: including but not limited to computer viruses or any other equipment problems that may result from their viewing any involved websites. In other words, you are viewing these websites/participating in the RPG at your own risk and by such voluntary participation agree in advance that you can't hold us liable in any way for anything that happens to you, or anyone else, under any circumstances, ever, period.

Last Update:81001.18