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Monthly Awards: September 2024

Posted on October 24, 2024 | by Aurther Winters | 2 Comments

Best Post (Single Author)

Lt. Soto Gantt
Assistant Chief Engineering Officer
USS Firebird

For “From The Wreckage”

An excellent post of overall story telling.

Best Post (Joint Post)

Capt. Malcom Llwyedd & Lt. Cmdr. Rhiana t’Aegis & Lt. Cmdr. Jörgen Leed & Lt. Tor Ezzo & Lt. Ceilidh Parsala & WO Arlan Harlan & Lt. JG T’Kuvo
CO / CSTO / CDO / FCO / TS / ACEO / EO
USS Firebird

For “Getting Underway”

The crew of the Firebird again showing that when you mix in all the talent on a sim, the teamwork really does show and shine, well done.

Funniest Post

Cmdr. Jennifer Baldric & Cmdr. Savar cha’Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen & Cmdr. Jenna Ramthorne & Lt. Cmdr. Aurora Vali & Ens. Aubrie Fox
MA / XO / CFCO / CC / TO
USS Sunfire

For “Day 4 – Nearing Home”

When you’re writing for a mission called Lost in Space, you know there is going to but a good little but of fun.

Genesis

Captain Shran dh’Klar & Commander Jonathan Grayson
Commanding Officer / Executive Officer
USS Washington

For “Shadow Games”

with two talented writers contributing to the first post of a mission, you know it’s going to be a ride.

MVP

Commander Samantha Howard
Chief Medical Officer
USS Washington

The Washington’s CMO has a knack for posting just the right thing at just the right time, and for encouraging players outside the game to keep them inspired.

Most Posts

Commander Kevin Lance
Executive Officer
USS Chuck Norris

For writing 20 posts.

Most Improved

Lieutenant Commander Aurora Vali
Chief Counselor
USS Sunfire

Kind hearted, consistent, and always showing respect and integrity, the Sunfire’s Counselor is truly a pleasure to have onboard.

Rookie of the Month

Lieutenant Gale Deekros
Science Officer
USS Firebird

A fantastic writer with three new posts in short order, also active and engaged on Discord!

Recruitment

Lieutenant Owen Woodhouse
Chief Operations Officer
USS Firebird

He brought in two new fantastic writers in one month, and one is brand new to simming.

Rear Admiral Aurther Winters
Director of Personnel
Independence Fleet

Monthly Awards: August 2024

Posted on September 25, 2024 | by Aurther Winters | 1 Comment

Best Post (Single Author)

Commander Kevin Lance
Executive Officer
USS Chuck Norris

For “Once is Happenstance”

Not only the usual Most Posts winner, but a clear case showing that quantity doesn’t mean the quality goes down.

Best Post (Joint Post)

Capt. Akeno Misaki & Lt. JG Runa Suruga & Cmdr. Mashiro Munetani “Shiro” & Lt. Cmdr. Raelyn Mckenzie & Lt. Cmdr Mark Johnson & Lt. Ileah & Lt. Luna Eclipse of the House of Martok & Lt. Justin Specter
CO / ACOO / XO / CSTO / CMO / Y / CFCO / CIO
USS Wayfarer

For “Change of Plans”

A great continuation to a suspenseful story from an outstanding writing team that continues to produce time and time again.

Funniest Post

Commander Kevin Lance
Executive Officer
USS Chuck Norris

For “Time to talk”

Continuing his domination this month with excellent situations and word play.

Genesis

Captain Mira Rodale
Commanding Officer
USS Chuck Norris

For “The coldness of space”

A fantastic beginning, and if I know the Chuck Norris, to what will be a wild ride.

MVP

Lieutenant Imik S’Niohun
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Washington

She was prolific in her writing, driving the story and creating great opportunities for others to jump in.

Most Posts

Commander Kevin Lance
Executive Officer
USS Chuck Norris

For writing 18 posts.

Most Improved

2nd Lieutenant Connor McQueen
Marine Executive Officer
USS Sunfire

Still new to the Sunfire, Connor is showing some awesome potential by bringing the ship’s Marine department to life.

Rookie of the Month

None this month.

Recruitment

None this month.

Rear Admiral Aurther Winters
Director of Personnel
Independence Fleet

Monthly Awards: July 2024

Posted on August 30, 2024 | by Aurther Winters | 1 Comment

Best Post (Single Author)

Lieutenant JG James Phoenix
Tactical Officer
USS Washington

For “Forget Me Not”

Good character work, and it’s nice to see a different change in pace with times.

Best Post (Joint Post)

Capt. Akeno Misaki & Cmdr. Mashiro Munetani “Shiro” & Lt. Cmdr. Raelyn Mckenzie
CO / XO / CSTO
USS Wayfarer

For “Aggressive Negotiations”

Excellent teamwork showing on this one, well done.

Funniest Post

Commander Jenna Ramthorne
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Sunfire

For “Laying Down a Mutual Friendship”

Some great humour mixed in with some serious elements. A good balance of both.

Genesis

Capt. Malcom Llwyedd & Lt. JG Randolf Forst & Lt. JG Hopkins Cobb & Ens. Helle Leed & Ens. Winston Hubblestone
CO / ACSO / SO / B / SO
USS Firebird

For “Back to the Future?”

I am a big fan of seeing these posts being made with such creativity and skill and when not done by just the CO or XO; I know there is a lot of trust as well as imagination and hard work put into this one.

MVP

Lieutenant Inara Senn
Chief Science Officer
USS Washington

The Washington’s Science Officer had a lot of fun this mission with the various scientific aspects, making the mission really feel like a deeply technical Trek episode for everyone else.

Most Posts

Lieutenant Commander Kevin Lance
Executive Officer
USS Chuck Norris

For writing 25 posts.

Most Improved

Commander Jonathan Grayson
Executive Officer
USS Washington

The Washington’s XO returned in full force and really showed how versatile he can be in a less prominent role.

Rookie of the Month

None this month.

Recruitment

None this month.

Rear Admiral Aurther Winters
Director of Personnel
Independence Fleet

Monthly Awards: June 2024

Posted on July 31, 2024 | by Aurther Winters | Leave a Comment

From the Desk of Aurther Winters:

Good day to you all, I apologize that this is coming later than expected, both my introduction, if needed and the awards this month. I can say I look forward to reading and seeing where you take your stories, missions and sims for the foreseeable future. If you require any assistance with anything or help, please feel free to reach out to me, I am more than happy to help. A quick introduction if you’ve made it this far, Hello… hola, Aurther Winters here, former Captain of the only known starship with a roundhouse in its arsenal. I also once went by the name of James Sullivan from the USS Dragon, and if that name rings a bell to you, I’m sorry about your back pain. I have been simming on and off now, for probably almost 20 years now. I don’t make too many promises other than when I judge you, it will be done on top of a mighty floating throne, much like a Q, but with far… far less power. Ad Astra Per Aspera

Best Post (Single Author)

Ensign Torog Zakhov
Engineering Officer
USS Washington

For “Argumentative Engineering”

A solid post, filled with just enough backstory, humour and intrigue to keep one wanting more.

Best Post (Joint Post)

Capt. Malcom Llwyedd & Lt. Cmdr. Cynfor Rees & Lt. Cmdr. Rhiana t’Aegis & Lt. Cmdr. Kataxes & Lt. Cmdr. Jörgen Leed & Lt. Tor Ezzo & Lt. Owen Woodhouse & Lt. Jackson Smith & Lt. JG Randolf Forst & Ens. Lun
CO / XO / CSTO / CMO / CDO / CFCO / COO / CIO / ACSO / IO
USS Firebird

For “It Takes A Village”

As the title suggests, this is just a fantastic example of what happens when you get the entire crew to contribute in their own ways to make an extremely compelling, well thought out and fantastic story. Well done!

Funniest Post

Lt. Ayana Hillis & Cmdr. Samantha Howard & Lt. Imik S’Niohun & Lt. Inara Senn & Lt. JG Kate Kono & Lt. JG James Phoenix & Ens. Torog Zakhov
ACSTO / CMO / CSTO / CSO / IO / TO / EO
USS Washington

For “Promotion Party”

Jokes, dancing and even a few songs will help with a promotion, and make for a very entertaining read.

Genesis

Cmdr. Mashiro Munetani “Shiro” & Capt. Akeno Misaki
XO / CO
USS Wayfarer

For “Calling For Backup”

The Dynamic duo are back at it again, and bring some nice callbacks from their own past as well as some past Trek, with just the right splash of awkwardness.

MVP

Lieutenant JG Patra Rommel
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Wayfarer

It can be hard to come back to writing and have either the same spark you once had, or even get back into the swing and cohesion of things when you miss enough time. The praise from one’s CO about their skill on their return is never something to be overlooked.

Most Posts

Lieutenant Commander Kevin Lance
Executive Officer
USS Chuck Norris

13 posts is again the most to take this award.

Most Improved

Lieutenant Jackson Smith
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Firebird

Being commended on being the most improved on the ship, while also helping elevate your fellow crewmen and their writing is a great combination.

Rookie of the Month

Ensign Torog Zakhov
Engineering Officer
USS Washington

An engineer, new to the sim, having a Best Post award as well as Rookie of the Month–this is the start of a possible star studded career, and a path, I know all so well. I am excited to see where this will lead.

Recruitment

None this month.

Rear Admiral Aurther Winters
Director of Personnel
Independence Fleet

Happy 23rd Anniversary, Independence Fleet

Posted on July 4, 2024 | by Charles Star | 9 Comments

Happy 23rd anniversary, Independence Fleet! For anyone new and not aware or simply not wanting to do the math, this club was founded all the way back on July 4, 2001. Continuing a tradition we began a few years ago, here is a message from a special guest:

What else do we have for this year? You might remember the 20th Anniversary Almanac that we published three years ago. Well, we got the cover page signed by none other than Star Trek legend William Shatner:

pdf | jpg

A closer view of the signature:

In case you were wondering, the cover photo at the top is indeed based on the greatest Star Trek selfie ever taken by LeVar Burton. Thank you to Captain Misaki for creating our header image two years in a row.

I almost forgot, we have a second message this year too:

Happy anniversary, IDF! Here’s to 23 years and much more!

A purple horizontal ribbon with fine dark stripes and three white liberty bell symbols evenly spaced across the center. The ribbon design symbolizes achievement or recognition within the Independence Fleet.

2024 Hall of Fame Inductees

Posted on July 4, 2024 | by Charles Star | 2 Comments

With another year in the books, it is again my great honor and privilege to formally announce the newest members of the Independence Fleet Hall of Fame. As a reminder, induction into the Hall of Fame is the highest honor this club offers–reserved for those who have demonstrated exemplary service or extraordinary contributions to the fleet, according to the Hall of Fame Charter (pdf). As such, here is your Hall of Fame Class of 2024:

Inducted by Election:

Vice Admiral Krol

of the USS Minerva

A charter member of the fleet, the original and long-time Commanding Officer of the Minerva, and later member of the Admiralty, Krol was an ever-present figure during IDF’s early years. Regardless of the role, he truly immersed himself into his character and the greater Trek universe. Whether in-story or out-of-story, he always fostered an environment of exploration and wonder for others to use.

Lt. Cmdr. T’Vyn

of the USS Victory

The most decorated crewmember of the Victory, T’Vyn was the engine that enabled the sim to be one of the most successful of its era as her seven Most Posts played no small part in the Victory’s 13 posting titles. Boasting 8.5 total awards, she still ranks within the top 20 all-time. Beyond her superior quantity, she was also known to be extremely inventive within the story to empower other writers.

Inducted by the Veterans Committee:

None this year.

Congratulations to each of our 2024 inductees! They continue to provide a timeless example for us still role playing today to follow. The inductees will hereby be remembered forever for their extraordinary service to Independence Fleet. Well done! There are now 43 total members of this most exclusive club.

A futuristic transporter room from a starship, featuring a circular transport pad with glowing blue lights and a surrounding control console displaying LCARS interface. The walls are lined with illuminated panels, and overhead lights highlight the center of the pad.

23rd Anniversary Webcast: July 6th at 7pm Eastern

Posted on July 2, 2024 | by Charles Star | 2 Comments

Beam up to our Discord server this Saturday, July 6th at 7pm Eastern for our 23rd Anniversary Webcast, hosted again by Ken Gillis. Again, that’s July 6th at 7:00 PM ET (-4) / July 7th at 12:00 AM BST (+1). And yes, it will once more include real prizes!

Everyone who won any share of a monthly award from June 2023 through May 2024 had name added to the big wheel below, which we will spin this Saturday for real prizes. All award fractions were rounded up.

Speaking of the big prize wheel, an internal audit of our blog revealed that we never announced the winners from last year’s webcast spin. They were Lieutenant Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell of the USS Sunfire and Captain Shran dh’Klar of the USS Washington. Their prizes were…

What will the prizes be this year? Tune in this Saturday to find out!

Monthly Awards: May 2024

Posted on June 26, 2024 | by Aurther Winters | Leave a Comment

Best Post (Single Author)

Captain James Stewart
Commanding Officer
USS Churchill

For “Help on Its Way”

An excellent amount of back story and intrigue that left me wanting to dive deeper down that rabbit hole on this mission.

Best Post (Joint Post)

Capt. Malcom Llwyedd & Lt. Tor Ezzo & Ens. Nusien & Ens. Gianna Djokovic & PO1 Kipp Lak & PO2 Fhiri
CO / CFCO / FCO / TO / Y / CSS
USS Firebird

For “Screaming in the Silence”

Clearly written by some very talented writers who know how to do a good back and forth and flesh out their characters.

Funniest Post

Lieutenant JG James Phoenix & Lieutenant JG Kate Kono
Tactical Officer / Support Craft Pilot
USS Washington

For “Thunderstruck”

This one tickled in a very nostalgic way, however based on the nickname giving to one of the characters, I hope for a better outcome.

Genesis

Captain Mira Rodale
Commanding Officer
USS Chuck Norris

For “Who let the cat out?”

Typical of a Commander Officer of the Chuck Norris, a great start to a new chapter. No bias here at all……. dismissed!

MVP

Commander Michael Murphy
Executive Officer
USS Montana

Getting high commendations from the CO about how well you can work independently of them is one of the highest praises you can receive and is well deserved in this case.

Most Posts

Lieutenant Commander Kevin Lance
Executive Officer
USS Chuck Norris

15 posts leads the way with the fleet.

Most Improved

Lieutenant JG Kate Kono
Support Craft Pilot
USS Washington

A good writer is always trying to improve as they go, and being able to be fun and entertaining is a great mix.

Rookie of the Month

2nd Lieutenant Connor McQueen
Marine Executive Officer
USS Sunfire

New to the sim and Discord, and improving with every new post, excited to see where their career continues to grow.

Recruitment

None this month.

Rear Admiral Aurther Winters
Director of Personnel
Independence Fleet

A sleek, futuristic conference room table with grey surfaces and blue glowing lights on the sides. The chairs surrounding the table have a modern design with dark grey fabric and geometric shapes. The walls of the room are simple, with soft purple accents. The environment has a clean, minimalist, and high-tech aesthetic.

Admiralty Changes

Posted on June 1, 2024 | by Charles Star | Leave a Comment

We have two personnel changes to announce:

Rear Admiral James “Rook” Mirtoh hereby relieves Commodore Heather Meadows as Director of Media
Captain Aurther Winters is hereby promoted to Rear Admiral and relieves Rear Admiral James “Rook” Mirtoh as Director of Personnel

First, I want to offer my sincerest thanks to Commodore Meadows and she has been a tremendous asset to the fleet over the last two years. Her counsel and wisdom have been invaluable in matters far beyond her formal role here. Our partnership will certainly endure as she continues to do great things in both Theta Fleet and the broader community.

Rear Admiral Mirtoh has served admirably as our Director of Personnel for over four years now. His management of the monthly awards, an institution that sets us apart from many other great fleets, has been second to none. I have no doubt that he will bring the same energy and enthusiasm to his new role.

And finally, Rear Admiral Winters is no stranger around these parts as he commanded the USS Chuck Norris for three years, and loyally served on that same sim for many more before assuming command. I have no doubt that he will fit right in with the Admiralty.

Monthly Awards: April 2024

Posted on May 31, 2024 | by Charles Star | Leave a Comment

Just in the nick of time…

Best Post (Single Author)

Lieutenant Tracey Walker
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Chuck Norris

For “Hunted”

Great action description!

Best Post (Joint Post)

Lt. Cmdr. Deanna Celes & Cmdr. Jonathan Grayson & Cmdr. Samantha Howard & Ens. Kate Kono & Ens. James Phoenix
ACOO / XO / CMO / SCP / TO
USS Washington

For “The War With the Machines”

A great bit of collaborative writing!