EPISODE 1: “SHIFTS” – Act 4 (by Shawn Alpay)

Please note, STAR TREK: LOMA PRIETA will be taking a mid-episode hiatus starting today. We will return with Act 5 of Episode 1 on Tuesday, October 8th.

[Story by Shawn Alpay, Character Art by Thomas Marrone]

Previously on Star Trek: Loma Prieta…
Episode 1: Shifts – Prologue
Episode 1: Shifts – Act 1
Episode 1: Shifts – Act 2
Episode 1: Shifts – Act 3

ACT 4

“Rothschild here.  What’s the latest, Commander Sung?”

“He’s been read his charges and directed to the brig, Admiral, per your direction.”

“Very good.”  With his bulky build and greying beard, Admiral Rothschild cut an imposing figure in his chair as displayed on Commander Sung’s console, though he clearly exuded the air of a man past his physical prime.  “That’s very good.  Starfleet won’t stand for such incursion against its vessels, and Perkins will taste justice soon enough.”

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From The Ensign’s Lounge: Drunken Starfleet Rants

(This happy-hour entry has been re-posted from Yeoman Bukowski’s blog)

RULE #23: There is no sex on the Holodeck.

When most of your time is spent meandering the florescent hallways of the ship, facing ever-impending destruction, or responding to the Captain’s 5-a-day Book updates, the pressure of it all leads to some serious need of R&R. So I am pretty sure it’s like half the reason most of us are still in Starfleet, the other half being selfless scientific discovery and inter-planet diplomacy (duh). And since the holodeck remains the final frontier of entertainment when you’re light years from home, it is pretty much the most important room we’ve got — I mean, next to the bridge… obviously. Erm, and I guess the decks of main engineering… primarily warp core access balconies… Ugh, and I guess sickbay depending on your biological stamina… Whatever, they’re all kinda important… But I digress… I need a refill.

The point is the holodeck is everyone’s favorite playground. And more than once I’ve come to realize that there might be some extra-curricular activities happening to and upon our most beloved recreational area.

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[Program must remain PG(-13?), please]

There is no sex on the Holodeck. No matter what a slutty hologram tells you, there is no sex on the holodeck. Keep your nasty Ferengi fantasies fluid-free. Understandably, there’s a majority of single crewmen who need to “explore strange new worlds” and I mean, we’ve all been there! In fact, there’s been more than one occasion where it was of everyone’s benefit for me to find a way to relieve the stress and keep a zero BAC to simply make the right decisions in a time of need. But you know what? Not on the holodeck. Sure, I’ve programed some racy run-ins with various Starfleet candy (“Oh well, hellllooooo Commander Riker! What a flattering 19th century naval uniform you’re wearing…”) but take it back to your quarters and keep your proverbial private-time phasers to yourself. Your “person juice” is not regulation replicated matter.

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[Ewwwwww… NOOOOOOO.]

You know what’s worse than replicating a sexual partner? Bringing one with you. I get it, there are some fine ass couplings all up in the USS Loma Prieta, but c’mon people… this isn’t the Academy! Keep it in your pants and out of the common area. Oh, you want to roll around on the ivory sand of Risa? Then take some leave. Don’t jumble your junk all over the grid for some simulated backdrop. I mean, you have the infinite background of the fucking universe to be your sexytime mood lighting. If that doesn’t get your partner off (OR YOU), then I demand for their (OR YOUR) immediate resignation. Need to spice it up? I highly recommend taking a couple hours when we’re scheduled to warp, because there’s nothing more arousing than zooming through star-fields.

I think we can all admit to some fooling around on the ship. I’ve even heard *ahem* of some crew personnel finding some “special down time” in some very creative nooks & crannies of our beloved Loma Prieta. And you know what? I totally don’t care. Just keep it off the holodeck. Pornography is ancient Earth shit… just pull out your Pad and access the archives. Do not interrupt my holonovel mystery with concerns like “Why is this slippery”? or “Something doesn’t smell right”.

Now where’s my homemade pickleback?

=^= En. Tiffany Bukowski
Ship’s Yeoman
USS Loma Prieta

EPISODE 1: “SHIFTS” – Act 3 (by Shawn Alpay)

[Story by Shawn Alpay, Character Art by Thomas Marrone]

Previously on Star Trek: Loma Prieta…
Episode 1: Shifts – Prologue
Episode 1: Shifts – Act 1
Episode 1: Shifts – Act 2

ACT 3 

Captain’s Log, Stardate 48316.2.  In the wake of an outbreak of food poisoning generated by the ship’s replicators, I’ve assembled my senior staff to receive a debrief of Hesser and Bukowski’s latest efforts to get to the root of an increasingly worrying problem.

“Well, Captain, we’ve got some bad news, some good news, and some terrible news.”

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EPISODE 1: “SHIFTS” – Act 2 (by Shawn Alpay)

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[Story by Shawn Alpay, Character Art by Thomas Marrone]

Previously on Star Trek: Loma Prieta…
Episode 1: Shifts – Prologue
Episode 1: Shifts – Act 1

ACT 2

The science lab was teeming with a mix of yellow and blue uniforms as Bukowski entered.  She didn’t recognize some of their faces, and she assumed most of them to be recent transfers or Academy grads, judging by their bright eyes and lone pips on each of their collars.  LCARS consoles were strewn about the room in various state of disassembly, each accompanied by a pair of harried but determined crewmen, tinkering with the consoles’ insides or taking notes on PADDs.  Complicated combinations of math equations and chemistry shorthand littered the screens activated nearby.  She made a mental note to review the most recent crew logs, and to pay closer attention during Lieutenant Roodman’s lessons, as she walked around the corner in search of the chief science officer.

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Chief Science Officer’s Log: (2013.0902) September Science Report

Can We Build a Star Trek Tricorder?

Qualcomm is offering a $10,000,000 prize to whomever can invent the first medical tricorder. Many companies have entered this race and already have some production models. This would be a great leap forward in medical diagnosis, and a boon for Starfleet Medical officers. Read more about the race here: http://americablog.com/2013/08/can-build-actual-star-trek-medical-tricorder-theyre-sure-trying.html

New Technology Will Help Assist Women in Childbirth

The sad truth is that even in our current century, pregnancy and childbirth are the #1 killer of women who are child-bearing age, and it tends to be worse in rural areas and developing countries that are far from good medical access. The ePartogram seeks to help lower this statistic. Much like you’d remember in the Starfleet archives where Lieutenant Worf delivers Keiko O’Brien’s baby in Ten Forward on the Starship Enterprise, the ePartogram will help walk birth attendants through the steps of labor and delivery, and identify and prevent complications. Read more here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/deniserestauri/2013/08/26/how-emerging-technology-will-save-womens-lives-during-childbirth/

Earth Life May Have Originated from Mars

Mars Hubble

Yet another theory has arisen that life on Earth began on Mars. While Mars isn’t a very hospitable planet for life currently, it was the perfect place for the creation of certain materials millions of years ago. Scientists are now speculating that life started on Mars because it has boron and molybdenum and Earth’s crust has very little, and this is needed to create the RNA, DNA, and proteins. This life-forming material traveled over to Earth on meteorites but we know the real truth about where our genetic materials came from…the ancient Humanoids that existed in the Milky Way Galaxy and spread their genetic makeup across the universe before going extinct. You can read more about the false theory here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23872765

=^= LT Amy MacKinnon
Chief Science Officer & Cyberneticist
USS Loma Prieta