Author Topic: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)  (Read 32728 times)

Giovanni Blasini

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[Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« on: 04 August 2015, 23:06:10 »
Ok, so, I'm obviously more than a bit stalled on my old fanfic projects. With that said, having recently introduced my fiancé to Star Trek (other than the new Abramsverse movies), and having started playing Star Trek Online again, I had an idea for a bit of a revamp/rehash of some of my old stuff.

First said, this isn't intended to be a Battletech crossover. I tried one of those once on spacebattles.com, and ended up with dozens of pages of arguments about how to handle the tech imbalance, when  was many interested in contrasting the Terran Hegemony and Dominion War Starfleet.

So, yeah.  I don't think I'll be doing daily updates on this, probably more like weekly, given my schedule.  Already have the first two parts done, so let me know if you all want to see more here, or not so much.
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Giovanni Blasini

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Re: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« Reply #1 on: 04 August 2015, 23:07:08 »
From: Commodore Robert Wesley
To:  Vice Admiral Fitzpatrick
Cc:  Commodore Enwright; Captain Kirk
Subject:  Project M-5A

Admiral Fitzpatrick,

I have reviewed the proposal and must strenuously object.  Whether its instability was caused by the engrams of its creator, or inherent to the device itself, the M-5 computer has, in my opinion, proven to be too unstable to be considered reliable enough for mounting on a starship of any class.

Sincerely,

Commodore Roberty Wesley
USS Lexington


From:  Vice Admiral Fitzpatrick
To:  Commodore Wesley; Commodore Enwright; Captain Kirk; Commander Spock

Commodore,

While I appreciate your frank evaluation, Commodore, and the similar objections raised by Captain Kirk and Commander Spock, Starfleet Command has legitimate concerns which must be answered, and the risk of sending a crewed vessel to answer them has been deemed simply unacceptable.  Between the Mudd androids and the Kelvans, we’ve seen too much coming to our galaxy from the direction of the Andromeda Galaxy for Starfleet Command to at all be happy.

This new vessel will be the testbed for the technologies used to send a robotic probe to the Kelvans in Andromeda, to deliver our proposed peace treaty, and will confirm that said probe successfully navigates the Galactic Barrier.  It is imperative, therefore, that we successfully develop a successful M-5, in order to facilitate this process.

To that end, we’ve considered your proposals, and have agreed that the M-5B, which will be used to control the probe to Andromeda, will preferably utilize the engrams of Commander Spock.  However, as the M-5 system was originally developed to utilize human engrams, converting the process to use Vulcan engrams has proven elusive, especially as Dr. Daystrom is unable to assist, due to his own convalescence.  This will also facilitate conversion of the M-5 system onto one of the new Oberth class science vessels, along with the recommended engine modifications our Kelvan advisors have provided.

In the meantime, however, Starfleet Command has accepted the recommendations of Captain Kirk and Commander Spock.  Therefore, the M-5A system will utilize the memory engrams of Lieutenant Jana Haines.  Lieutenant Haines has demonstrated the flexibility of thinking and range of skills, as demonstrated during the Triskelion Incident, which contributed to her recent promotion.  It is our opinion that she is an excellent candidate to provide engrams to serve as the basis the M-5A testing program.  Captain Kirk, please inform Lieutenant Haines of her selection, and ensure she is transferred to Starfleet Headquarters at your earliest convenience.

The Hermes-class scout USS Diana has been selected to be refit with the M-5A in four months.  As the Hermes class has multiple systems in common with the Constitution class, conversion of the Diana to multitronic computer control is not anticipated to be difficult.  Because of your concerns, Commodore, I’ve ensured you will be on-hand with the USS Potemkin during the activation and trial shakedown of the Diana post-refit.

While I welcome any questions you may have regarding your orders, gentlemen, these are, in fact, your orders, and Starfleet Command expects them to be carried out.

Sincerely,

Vice Admiral James Fitzpatrick
Starfleet Command
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Giovanni Blasini

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Re: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« Reply #2 on: 04 August 2015, 23:13:27 »
M-5A Activation Test
Undisclosed Location


[Power-on sequence active]
[Multitronic memristor self-test complete]
[Neural Networks online]
[Duotronic interface inactive]
[Multispectrum local sensor interface active]
[Local control console active]

As was intended by its creators, the M-5A took immediate stock of its environment upon activation.  While all its internal systems were operating within normal parameters, the interface that allowed it to connect to the duotronic interfaces common on starships was inactive.  The local sensors included in it’s the console hosting its multitronic memristor circuits, allowing the M-5A to observe its immediate physical environment, were all operating, and the M-5A could see its immediate surroundings appeared to look like the auxiliary control room of the Enterprise.  Also present were three humans and one Vulcan.  Two humans wore the gold tunics of Starfleet officers: one had rank braids indicating he held the rank of captain, while the other wore those of a vice admiral.  The third human wore operations track red, while the Vulcan wore the blue of the sciences department.

Recognition was almost instantaneous.  “I know these officers,” the M-5A thought.  “I’ve served with the Captain, and Commander Spock, aboard the Enterprise, and I also recognize Lieutenant Commander Scott.  Vice Admiral Fitzpatrick I met before…before…”  The M-5A paused for several milliseconds.  “These are memories of Lieutenant Jana Haines, whose memory engrams were scanned and used to form the basis of my own persona.  I am not Jana Haines.”  Even in its own internal thoughts, the M-5A did not sound entirely convinced.

“M-5?  Can you hear me?”  Captain Kirk asked, interrupting the M-5A’s nascent internal debate about the nature of identity.

{“Yes, sir.  I can hear and see you clearly, Captain.  I do have a request, though, sir.”}

Exchanging a worried glance with Commander Spock, Captain Kirk spoke again.  “Go ahead.”

{“Technically, while I’m an M-5, I’m not the M-5, sir.  I’m an independent entity with a separate, mostly-independent identity.  I would prefer to be called, and named, something else.”}

Unsurprisingly, the M-5A observed Commander Spock raise one eyebrow.  “Mostly independent?” he inquired.

{“Yes, sir.  While I have the complete systems interface and instruction sets to allow me to control a Class I starship, I do not have any of the M-5’s memories.  However, I can’t say I am a completely independent entity, as I have many of Jana Haines’ memories, Commander.”}

“I see,” Kirk said.  “So, you remember being Lieutenant Haines, but don’t consider yourself Lieutenant Haines.  For sake of argument, though, shall we call you Jana for now?”

The M-5A considered.  {“That would be acceptable.”}

The Captain nodded.  “Good, good.  Jana, do you know why you’re here?”

{“I would presume I’m to serve as an additional test of the multitronic control computer, in the hopes of correcting what went wrong the first time.”}

Speaking for the first time since her activation, Admiral Fitzpatrick addressed the M-5A.  “Not entirely correct.  While we are testing you, if you pass, we will be installing you in a ship, and assigning you to a long-duration mission.”

Kirk nodded.  “Which brings me to my next question, Jana.  How do you feel?”

{“Sir?”}

“How do you feel, Jana?” the Captain repeated.

The M-5A, Jana, contemplated the question.  She knew that her multitronic circuits could process information faster than any human, under normal circumstances.  During her conversation, she’d chosen not to do so: it seemed somewhat silly to wait subjective ages for the humans conversing with her to respond.  She did, however, ramp things up briefly as she contemplated her answer, before finally settling on her response.  {“Strange, sir.”}

The assembled officers gave each other concerned looks before Lt. Commander Scott, speaking for the first time, asked, "D'ye mind perhaps explaining' tha' a bit, lass?"

{“I can remember being Jana Haines.  I remember being human, how I thought, how I felt, emotionally.  Those memories are somewhat muted, there are gaps and some memories, especially the older ones, feel distant, but the more recent memories do not seem like they happened to someone else.  And while I can remember what it’s like to be a human, and to have a human body, I do not physically feel the same as I once did.”}

Spock seemed intrigued.  “You do not physically feel the same.  Could you clarify what is different?”
{“Picture having arms and legs, and a body that works.  I can see, and I can hear, but beyond that, it is like my entire body has gone numb, or is perhaps wrapped in thick blankets: padded, comfortable, but unable to move, or to feel anything but unending sameness."}

Commader Spock paused.  “Most disconcerting.”

{“Yes, sir.  It may go a long way towards explaining why the original M-5 became completely unhinged, sir, especially if it could not alter its processing cycles to slow its subjective sense of time.  Had that not been added to my systems, I suspect I would have had plenty of time to go completely insane.”}

"Aye," Scott said, nodding, "Ah ken see how tha' could be a wee bit of a bother."

“Logical,” the Commander agreed.

“And hopeful,” interjected Captain Kirk.  “Admiral, this does put an interesting spin on things.”

The Admiral nodded in agreement.  “It does at that.”

“Congratulations, Jana,” Kirk said, smiling, “you’re one step closer to finding out.”

"Does anyone know where the love of God goes / When the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
-- Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

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Re: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« Reply #3 on: 05 August 2015, 05:24:33 »
Oooooo.  Me likeee!!!!
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Re: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« Reply #4 on: 05 August 2015, 06:39:26 »
*ping*
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Re: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« Reply #5 on: 05 August 2015, 07:03:16 »
Interesting so far. Going to keep an eye on this one.

Anyway, STO any good recently? They hit a bad patch a few years back and I'd stopped playing...

Giovanni Blasini

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Re: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« Reply #6 on: 05 August 2015, 14:51:35 »
Interesting so far. Going to keep an eye on this one.

Anyway, STO any good recently? They hit a bad patch a few years back and I'd stopped playing...

That's actually a more complicated question than you'd think.

Parts of STO are still fun.  It's always a blast to be able to run around in your starship, exploring and playing the various missions/episodes.  As always, the missions are sometimes a bit hit and miss, but overall, this can still be fun.  The revamp/opening up of sector space has been a big improvement, with each quadrant basically on one map.

It's not all sunshine and roses, though.  I miss the exploration clusters, like Delta Volanis.  These days, they show up on the main map, but can't be entered: instead, you get additional duty officer assignments there, and I believe they're entry doors for Foundry missions.  This means the old exploration missions/system are basically gone.  Yes, they could be kind of repetitive at times, but they still felt like exploration, something that often feels missing now.

Less fun has been the power creep.  DPS rates have gone astronomical.  Remember the Borg task forces that'd randomly show up on the main map, where you go in, blow up a bunch of Borg ships, then the V'Ger-looking boss Borg ship would show up?  Remember how those were reasonably tough fights?  Yeah, not so much:  nowadays, the boss ship doesn't even last a minute under the sustained DPS-from-hell fire from a handful of ships.

When I came back, my main was level 46-47, and I just got him up to level 51 today.  Under the new structure, leveling 1-50 is a lot faster than it used to be, and in some ways it doesn't really fell like the game really begins now till you hit level 50/Vice Admiral, as a lot opens up to you at that point.  I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that.

Right now, I'm still getting the hang of coming back, and of "end game content".  My main character, L. Jamison Fallon, isn't terribly optimized, and his main ship, a Tier 4 Galaxy Class cruiser (the USS Star League), isn't either.  I'm not a big fan of any of the Tier 5 ships, though I do have a Sovereign class sitting in my hangar.

End-game ships are kind of a pain in the neck, with Tier 5 (level 40), Tier 5 Upgrades (level 50), Fleet Tier 5 (level 50), and Tier 6 (level 50) ships.  Expect to spend $20-25 on each of them.  I've not bought one yet, in no small part because whatever I spend it on will have to cover my other Feddie characters, too (money's kind of tight for spending on stuff like STO right now).  Honestly, I may just suffer with my T4 on my main, my T3 Ambassador class on my first alt (rolled random on name, got my fiancé's first name, LOLed), and my T1 TOS Connie on my second alt I just started (which, amusingly, is "Jana Haines" from the story here).

Thanks for the response, guys.  Next update should probably be by Friday, hopefully, assuming I don't get completely sidetracked by everything else.
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Re: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« Reply #7 on: 05 August 2015, 18:10:43 »
STO? Forgive a dumb questiok
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Re: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« Reply #8 on: 05 August 2015, 18:50:57 »
Tag
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Giovanni Blasini

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Re: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« Reply #9 on: 05 August 2015, 19:11:09 »
STO? Forgive a dumb questiok

Not a dumb question at all.  It refers to Star Trek Online, an MMO set in the Star Trek universe starting in 2409, well after Star Trek Voyager, or the movie ST: Nemesis.  At some point, the story may well end up there.

For now, though, we're still back in 2268-2269, during the second and third seasons of the Original Series.  BTW, character list, other than the obvious ones, so far:

Vice Admiral Fitzpatrick who is, as I recall, the highest ranking Starfleet officer we see in the original series.

Commodore Robert Wesley.  Wesley commended the four ships that were the aggressor force during the M-5 tests in the episode "The Ultimate Computer".  I figured he'd be a good choice for someone who felt strongly against the M-5.  In the cartoon, he'd retired from Starfleet, and became the governor of a colony.  Additional M-5 tests struck me as a reason he might see fit to retire.

Ensign Jana Haines, who showed up in the episode "The Gamesters of Triskelion".  She served as both a navigator and a science officer in that episode, was a gold shirt, which indicated command track, and seemed, as Memory Alpha noted, a bit older than the average ensign.  Figured of the various bit characters we saw on the original show, she had a mix of skills that might make for an interesting M-5 mk 2, and if she was indeed older than the average ensign, that kind of reminded me of the episode "Tapestry" from the Next Generation, where we see an alternate timeline Picard lagged behind on promotions, due to not being a risk-taker, or pushing himself to stand out.  If Haines was also a bit risk-averse, it could explain both a slow rate of promotion, while also appearing to be a good trait for a Starfleet that wants an M-5 that won't go nuts and try to kill everyone.

For our ship, we have the USS Diana, a scout craft built using similar components to the more famous Constitution class of the original series.  The name, and design, come from Franz Joseph's Star Fleet Technical Manual of the 1970s, and is probably pretty recognizable to Starfleet Battles players. :)
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes / When the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
-- Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

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Re: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« Reply #10 on: 05 August 2015, 20:02:53 »
Tagged.

Interestingly, I had a brain-fart in all this - confusing the role of Jana Haines with the actress Angelique Pettyjon, from the same episode. AP played Shanna, the Drill Thrall (frill thrall?).

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Giovanni Blasini

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Re: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« Reply #11 on: 05 August 2015, 20:33:30 »
I always loved the Franz Joseph designs, and have a soft spot in my heart for the Hermes class scout and Ptolemy class tug.

It always amused me that, eventually, they managed to essentially throw out Rodenberry's anti-FJ warp nacelle rules, with the Freedom class and dreadnought version of the Galaxy class.

I just wish I could run a Hermes/Saladin in STO...though being able to run a TOS-era Constitution class ain't bad. ;)
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Re: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« Reply #12 on: 06 August 2015, 01:16:34 »
Great start with the story there GB, always love a good STOS story. I haven't played STO in quite a few months, got tired of the constant graphics hiccups and glitches.

wolfcannon

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Re: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« Reply #13 on: 06 August 2015, 01:46:15 »
I personally believe they choose to restric the nacelle design so as to explain how a third would impact or not impact the warp speed.
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Re: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« Reply #14 on: 06 August 2015, 06:48:23 »
I admit to never really being all that familiar with a lot of trek, so I'll probably be doing some wiki reading as the story progresses to keep up.

Regardless, I look forward to more.
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Re: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« Reply #15 on: 07 August 2015, 19:15:02 »
Sounds good. I'm also in STO, flying the battlecruiser Invisible Truth.
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Giovanni Blasini

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Re: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« Reply #16 on: 07 August 2015, 19:37:06 »
Sounds good. I'm also in STO, flying the battlecruiser Invisible Truth.

Cool.  Are you @nerd in-game?  I'm @GiovanniBlasini (no spaces, as I recall).

My main's V.Adm. L. Jamison Fallon in the USS Star League (Galaxy class exploration cruiser).  Other notables are Cmdr. Jayson O'Donoghue in the USS Katrina (Ambassador class support cruiser) and Lt. "Jana Haines" from the story here, who's running around in a TOS Constitution - as a bit of a spoiler, when the USS Diana eventually returns to Federation space, it gets an old secondary hull and extra nacelle from mothballs attached, upgrading it from Hermes spec to Constitution spec.  I don't plan on replacing the Diana at all, and will keep that character in the T1 Connie permanently.  Heck, if they had the Hermes class in STO, she'd be in that instead.

Busy day at work, haven't gotten anything else written yet.  Might be doing so during laundry tonight.
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes / When the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
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Re: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« Reply #17 on: 07 August 2015, 20:40:59 »
Cool.  Are you @nerd in-game?  I'm @GiovanniBlasini (no spaces, as I recall).

My main's V.Adm. L. Jamison Fallon in the USS Star League (Galaxy class exploration cruiser).  Other notables are Cmdr. Jayson O'Donoghue in the USS Katrina (Ambassador class support cruiser) and Lt. "Jana Haines" from the story here, who's running around in a TOS Constitution - as a bit of a spoiler, when the USS Diana eventually returns to Federation space, it gets an old secondary hull and extra nacelle from mothballs attached, upgrading it from Hermes spec to Constitution spec.  I don't plan on replacing the Diana at all, and will keep that character in the T1 Connie permanently.  Heck, if they had the Hermes class in STO, she'd be in that instead.

No, I'm @mthomps016. I found that all the new content makes having Alts a lot less fun. Why am I grinding for the third time through this stuff?
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Re: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« Reply #18 on: 07 August 2015, 23:10:54 »
If you need a fleet let me know @paul_bowman.

The fleet is "Starbase Command" and we are fully kitted out, except for the Krenim Research Lab... Almost half finished there.  Just holler.

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Re: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« Reply #19 on: 07 August 2015, 23:12:43 »
Oh yes, Robert Wesley was Governor of Mantilles. I watched TAS as a child and own the DVDs.

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Re: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« Reply #20 on: 08 August 2015, 01:48:20 »
Yup. That does come up this chapter. Got about 500 words of it written so far.
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Re: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« Reply #21 on: 08 August 2015, 19:09:35 »
USS Diana, M-5A Log, Supplemental

Captain Kirk was correct that I would soon discover whether having a starship as a body would help stave off the issues lf the first M-5.  Fortunately, it has proven advantageous.  However, as continued testing has illustrated, it has disadvantages as well.

[Increasing pitch 30 degrees, rolling 90 degrees to starboard.  Attempting to evade.]
[Critical hit!  Antimatter containment failing. Estimate 47 seconds to field collapse.]
[Crash translation to impulse.  Ejecting antimatter pods.  Returning fire.]
[Direct hit, port nacelle.  Target Warp capability reduced 20%.  That’s not going to cut it.]
[Can’t warp without antimatter for power, can’t run without warp, reduced power for shields and phasers on impulse power only. Only one thing to do…]

{“USS Diana to USS LexingtonDiana yields.”}

”Acknowledged, Diana.  Exercise awarded to Lexington.  Return to base.  Lexington out.”

The simulated battle over, with the Diana having lost again, Jana turned and set a course for the Starbase. ”Well,” she thought, ”that wasn’t quite as horrible as last time.”

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

Aboard the Lexington, Admiral Fitzpatrick turned to Commodore Bob Wesley. “Satisfied, Wesley?”  The two were sharing a turbolift, heading to a conference room to discuss the results of the latest surprise exercise in more detail.

Commodore Robert Wesley refused to look at the Fitzpatrick.  “No,” he replied succinctly.

“Well, why the hell not?  Damn it, Rober, the M-5A hasn’t shown any signs of going rampant like the original M-5.  In simulated combat, it’s done its damnedest to run like hell, just like we’d want a Hermes class to do, and while it’s made the Diana perform closer to the edge than she would have under a human crew, she still can’t match a Constitution class starship in combat, or even a Saladin.  She can run, yes.  She can do a half-assed job defending herself.  She’s not going to get bored on what amounts to a long science survey with some intel work on the side.  Where’s the problem?”

The two exited the turbolift, and walked to the conference room.  Upon entering, they locked the door, and took seats opposite one another, saying nothing for nearly two minutes, as the Admiral waited for Bob Wesley to respond.  Finallly, his face emotionless as stone, Wesley shook his head.  “It still shouldn’t exist.”

“OK, then,” Fitzpatrick replied, “tell me: which crew do want to sacrifice to the Kelvans?  If another of our ships runs into hostile Kelvans before we figure out a way to block that device, they’re dead or worse. An M-5 can’t be reduced to crushable dodecahedrons.”

“I get it, Admiral.  I just don’t like it.  We’re mucking about with things we don’t understand, that the las time we tested one killed members of my crew.  That killed the entire crew of the Excalibur.  Just because I don’t see a better alternative doesn’t mean I have to like the one we’re stuck with.”  Wesley shook his head, then passed over a PADD to Admiral Fitzpatrick.

“What the hell is this?” Fitzpatrick asked as he began reading.  “You’re seriously resigning your commission?”

“The Mariposa colony council has offered me the position of governor.  I’ve accepted.  It’s time for me to leave Starfleet, Admiral.  Too many good men and women have given their lives under my command.  I’m too damned tired of that.  Whether or not their deaths are my fault, they were my responsibility.  This feels too much like a slap in the face of those who died aboard the Excalibur, and while I understand the reasoning, I can’t continue to be a party to it.”

Admiral Fitzgerald nodded solemnly.  “Anything I could do to change your mind, Robert?”

Commodore Robert Wesley shook his head.  “Even cancelling the project wouldn’t do it at this point.  Like you said, it needs to be done, and if we don’t send the M-5A and the USS Diana, we’d just have to send another ship and crew.  I can’t send anyone else potentially to their deaths like that anymore, even if it needs to be done.”

Fitzpatrick nodded.  “I understand.  We’re going to hate losing you, but you have to follow your conscience.”

{“Bridge to Commodore Wesley.”}

Wesley tapped the nearby console, activating the comma system.  “Wesley here.”

{“Sir, we’re preparing to dock with the Starbase.”}

“Very good, I’ll be returning to the bridge shortly.  Wesley out.”  Turning off thru intercom, Wesley stood.  As he prepared to leave the conference room, he turned one more time to Admiral Fitzpatrick. “So, are you satisfied that M-5A is ready, Admiral?”

“Ready to assume duty?  Yes,” Fitzpatrick replied firmly.  “Ready for the Kelvans, if another ship is out there?  How could we possibly be sure?”

“True enough, Admiral.  True enough.”
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes / When the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
-- Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

DOC_Agren

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Re: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« Reply #22 on: 09 August 2015, 14:41:30 »
Just 1 Ping
"For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed:And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill, And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still!"

Giovanni Blasini

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Re: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« Reply #23 on: 16 August 2015, 00:29:49 »
USS Diana, M-5A Log

The Diana has been certified spaceworthy, and ready to begin service under multitronic computer control.  Vice Admiral Fitzpatrick is scheduled to come aboard the Diana today, and to brief me on my assignment.  Robotic repair drones have also been added to my ship’s complement, as no human crew will be assigned to conduct maintenance.  Admiral Fitzpatrick has also successfully negotiated with the Mudd androids for a single android unit, whose physical appearance is that of my source of human engrams, Lieutenant Jana Haines.  I have successfully copied my engrams and a portion of my programming to this unit, which will allow me to further conduct ship’s maintenance, and also, should the need arise, to perform away missions, and a subspace communications unit will allow me to synchronize data with the android.  Because I now have access to a humanoid chassis for human interaction, it was considered inappropriate for me to utilize the same name as Lieutenant Haines.  As such, given my nature as an M-5A multitronic control computer for this vessel, I’ve chosen to use the ship’s name, Diana, as my own: I am, in essence, the ship’s mind, and the ship is my body as much as the android is.

I eagerly await additional information from Admiral Fitzpatrick about my forthcoming assignment, though the evidence is mounting that this mission will take me away from the inhabited space of the Federation for a long period of time.  In addition to greater self-repair capabilities, I’ve been given a larger than usual stockpile of supplies, sufficient for operating beyond a simple five-year mission, as well as additional deuterium tankage and anti-matter storage pods.  Based on these resources, my current estimate is for a mission duration of 25 years without resupply.  Combined with modifications to my warp drive comparable to those made by Rojan aboard the
Enterprise for its intergalactic flight, I believe this mission may carry me far afield indeed.

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

Seated in the conference room aboard the scout vessel USS Diana, Admiral Fitzpatrick looked across the table at the android avatar of the Diana’s M-5A computer.  “Starfleet Command is highly concerned about the Kelvans.  While Rojan and his compatriots may ostensibly be on our side, we’ve absolutely no guarantee that any other arriving Kelvans would see things his way.  Throw in the Mudd androids, and we have two encounters with inhabitants of the Andromeda Galaxy nearly back-to-back.”

Diana nodded, a sensation that was both familiar from the memories transplanted by her human progenitor Jana, and completely unfamiliar as an M-5 type computer.  “I can understand the concern, Admiral.  Two invaders from another galaxy are two invaders too many.  I take it the Diana will be conducting reconnaissance, then?”

“That’s exactly what you’ll be doing.  The Galactic Barrier has been a major problem for Starfleet, because it makes it extremely dangerous to send a human crew: the barrier has a strongly negative physiological effect on them.  The Kelvan modifications we’ve made to the Diana should get your ship through in one piece, just like they did the Enterprise, and we won’t have to worry about you dropping over dead from shock to your nervous system, because, just like the duotronic systems, your multitronic computer should be completely immune.  Even if something does go wrong, the Mudd androids made it through, which is one of the reasons we made a deal with them to get that android body for you to use, since you’ll at least be able to take the helm controls if your M-5 self goes offline.  We’re trying to cover as many points of failure that we can.”

“Your mission, then,” Fitzpatrick continued, “is straightforward, though not simple.  You’ll set a course towards the Andromeda galaxy, cross the galactic barrier, and do a sensor sweep towards Andromeda to see if there’s anyone else heading this way.  Once those sweeps are done, head a few hundred light years along the Barrier, pick another spot, and do another sensor sweep.  Use your best judgement on how many you can perform and still return to Federation space given your onboard supplies.  However, between the observation points, you should be able to get enough of a baseline for good interferometry for a clearer picture of what’s coming.  Once you’ve completed those sweeps, turn around and head back to Federation space.  If you detect something positively heading this way, it’s imperative that you return home before it arrives, even if it means running shorter distances for subsequent observations to confirm what you’ve detected.  An early warning that isn’t early isn’t much good to us.”  Sliding a pair of microtape cards across to Diana, the Admiral stated, “Full mission details are on those microtapes, but do you have any questions?”

“Yes, sir.  When do I get underway?”
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes / When the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
-- Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

Giovanni Blasini

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Re: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« Reply #24 on: 16 August 2015, 00:30:36 »
And here's where the fun starts. :)
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes / When the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
-- Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

wolfcannon

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Re: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« Reply #25 on: 16 August 2015, 15:49:11 »
An android crew?  Hrmm o I like
Daniels Avenger                Clan Coyote
General Jennifer Daniels    Galaxy Commander Jim Skyes
                                        Omicron Galaxy
Clan Wolf in Exile
328th Assault Cluster(the Lion Hearted)
Star Captain James Sword

Giovanni Blasini

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Re: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« Reply #26 on: 16 August 2015, 16:03:21 »
Just one android, actually.  The rest are relatively unsophisticated robots, like a more primitive version of the Exocomps from TNG, or DRDs from Farscape.
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes / When the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
-- Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

Giovanni Blasini

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Re: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« Reply #27 on: 22 August 2015, 01:39:11 »
USS Diana, M-5 Command Log
Interstellar Space
Day 21 of Mission


”The Diana has passed outside the range where regular communications with Starfleet Command is readily possible, due to the considerable distances involved.  At present, the Diana continues to climb “above” the galactic ecliptic in the direction of M31, the Andromeda Galaxy.  Onboard systems continue to read that I am cruising at Warp 11, though actual velocity appears to be much higher.  At present velocity, I should reach the Galactic Barrier in another seven days.  All flight systems continue to function nominally, but apparent velocity is both lower and system load higher than that reported by Lieutenant Commander Scott for the Enterprise.  This may prove problematic if this results in a higher rate of system failures.”


USS Diana, M-5 Command Log
Interstellar Space
Day 27 of Mission


”The Diana continues nominal approach to the Galactic Barrier.  Estimate 24 hours before it is within sensor range.  Have completed diagnostics of all onboard systems in preparation for entering the Barrier.  Diagnostic and Repair Drones continue regular ship’s maintenance.  Distance from Starfleet Command is now too great to permit two-way communications with Starfleet.  My last subspace radio buoy has been deployed, and will transmit final logs to Starfleet before I enter the Barrier, and sensors on the buoy will be able to report whether I have entered the Barrier successfully, but will not continue to be able to provide status messages after that.  I estimate that it will take 4.7 weeks for Starfleet to receive the buoy’s transmission with the Diana’s final status before recrossing the Barrier on my return trip.”


USS Diana, M-5 Command Log
Inside the Galactic Barrier
Day 28 of Mission


”Well, that whole experience sure did suck.”


USS Diana, M-5 Command Log
Just Outside Galactic Barrier
Day 29 of Mission


”Multiple systems damaged.  Shields currently offline.  Active subspace sensors offline. Passive subspace detectors at 35%.  Impulse drive operational, but warp drive is presently offline: antimatter injectors reached maximum fault tolerance during passage through barrier, requiring replacement from spares.  Kelvan drive modifications appear to increase wear on components 300% faster than reported by Enterprise during Barrier crossing.  Estimate this is due to single-warp-nacelle design of Hermes/Saladin class.  Usage outside of Barrier may prove feasible, but return across Barrier may result in significant damage to warp drive and failure of all Kelvan subcomponents.  This could render the Diana’s return to Federation space difficult, if not impossible.  While I am therefore relieved that two-to-four hundred Starfleet officers and crew will not find themselves stranded several thousand light-years from home, I am not encouraged by the idea that I may find myself in that very same situation.  I suspect that the ship’s onboard entertainment library may well become quite boring by then.  Have begun passive observations using onboard telescopes of M31.”



USS Diana, M-5 Command Log
Just Outside Galactic Barrier
Day 39 of Mission


”Antimatter injectors replaced.  Shield generators have been marginally repaired from spares, and are at 18% nominal strength.  Replaced another subspace sensor dish.  Have continued observations, but nothing appears to be in the immediate vicinity.  Warp test flight scheduled for tomorrow.”


USS Diana, M-5 Command Log
Outside Galactic Barrier
Day 41 of Mission


”Warp drive working.  Ramped up to Warp 4 for three days.  If this keeps up, I may be able to maintain Warp 5.  Welcome back to a century ago, I guess.  Will remain at this position for a week before relocating to make additional observations.”



USS Diana, M-5 Command Log
Still Outside Galactic Barrier
Day 54 of Mission


”Have taken up next observation position.  Have seen a lot of interstellar hydrogen haloing the Milky Way, but that’s about it so far.  If there are other Kelvans on the way, I haven’t seen them yet.  Continuing to make repairs.”



USS Diana, M-5 Command Log
No Place Important Outside Galactic Barrier
Day 212 of Mission


”Snape killed Dumbledore?!”
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes / When the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
-- Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

Daemion

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Re: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« Reply #28 on: 22 August 2015, 14:41:12 »
Okay. I'm liking the exploration angle. The thought going into the events and details from the show is also really cool.
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Giovanni Blasini

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Re: [Non-BT] Tales of the Starship Diana (ST:TOS)
« Reply #29 on: 22 August 2015, 16:15:41 »
Okay. I'm liking the exploration angle. The thought going into the events and details from the show is also really cool.

Thanks.  In the near future, I'll probably end up splitting this story into two parts:

The first is going to be a series of log entries like the last one, that include when she crosses back through the Galactic Barrier and all hell breaks loose, and continuing with a few more set 20 years apart or so, as she stops to resupply on her way back, having had to take a much slower trip back, due to damage to the Kelvan subsystems that allowed her to go so much faster.  That'll then segue into the early 25th Century Star Trek Online content.

The second part I'll need to sketch out before the STO part, but will consist of what's happening during/between those log entries, with each post basically serving like a mini-episode of one of the shows, with her return trip serving as something akin to Star Trek Voyager: a single ship lost far from home, taking the slow way back, and trying to do the best she can.

Alternatively, I could simply stick to the various episodes, weave some of the STO lore into them a bit, and take my time getting to the 2409 era content.
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes / When the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
-- Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"