Rhenora Kaylen Archives - Independence Fleet

24th Anniversary Webcast: Saturday @ 1pm Eastern

Posted on July 23, 2025 | by Charles Star | Leave a Comment

Beam up to our Discord Server this Saturday, July 26th at 1:00 pm EDT (-4) / 6:00 pm BST (+1) for our anniversary webcast celebration. In addition to spinning the awards big wheel to see who will win real prizes this year, host Ken Gillis has a few surprises this round. See you there!

For the second year in a row, it appears that we didn’t publish a recap following the last anniversary webcast:

Frist place: Remal Kajun of the USS Sunfire

Second place: Captain Mira Rodale of the USS Chuck Norris

Third place: Captain Rhenora Kaylen of the USS Sunfire

The bridge of a futuristic starship, designed with a circular seating arrangement. In the center, a large, command chair is surrounded by four other seats, all with ergonomic, cream-colored upholstery. The curved ceiling has a series of geometric panels with ambient lighting. Behind the seats, large control consoles with touch-screen interfaces are mounted on the walls. Two doorways and an elevator are visible on either side of the bridge.

The Most Important 24th Anniversary in the Universe

Posted on July 4, 2025 | by Charles Star | 7 Comments

Happy 24th Anniversary, Independence Fleet! These anniversaries seem to be happening quicker and quicker these days! Continuing a tradition we began a few years ago, we again have a video message from a very special guest:

As some of you are already aware, we recently acquired a prop used on Star Trek V: The Final Frontier during the shuttle crash landing scene:

See it on the right side of the screen next to the stacked barrels? Yes, that’s it!

Turns out, it’s a miniature of a highly prolific movie prop. Dubbed the “most important device in the universe” by some, it’s been used in more than 200 movies and television shows. Ex Astris Scientia notes that this full sized version appears in two Star Trek movies and six episodes, and refers to it as “blinking tubes” here.

This guy even created his own working copy of the thing. This full-size device belonged to Modern Props, which unfortunately closed back in 2020. While we don’t know the fate of Modern Props #195-290-1, we’re happy to hold a piece of history with this mini version. What did we do with it?

We asked each ship to write a post using the object in some way. Here are those submissions in alphabetical order by sim:

A Tale of Two Spragues (and Keys) by the USS Albion
What in the World? by the USS Chuck Norris
Transfer Arrival by the USS Churchill
Genesis by the USS Eminence
The Thing Is Broken by the USS Firebird
Shakedown out the window by the USS Liberty
Potential Problem by the USS Montana
Ikar’s Folly by the USS Sunfire
Brigid’s Gift by the USS Washington
Goes Nowhere, Does Nothing by the USS Wayfarer

We then asked three individuals from independent sims to serve as judges:

Christie of Gnashville
Tavey of USS Potemkin
WizardBeard of Memory Theta

And your winners are…

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1st Place: USS Chuck Norris for What in the World? CO: Captain Mira Rodale	2nd Place: USS Washington for Brigid’s Gift CO: Captain Shran dh’Klar	3rd Place: USS Sunfire for Ikar’s Folly CO: Captain Rhenora Kaylen
“Any device that knows that Raktajino is needed is awesome in my opinion. Awesome plot.” “I liked the casual subtlety that was employed here.” “The writing style here is very clean with very good grammar, which makes it easy to read. Well done!”	“This post had peak Treknobabble and it was fantastic.” “Disclosure – I have a fascination with Celtic deities, so I was immediately drawn in anyway. This was fun, and I am curious about what happens next!” “I absolutely adore the Quantum Physics take.”	“Starfleet and Snow.. Neat.” “‘Outsmarted by snow’ is definitely a new take on the ‘acts of God’ trope and I am here for it!” “I found the battle portions to be particularly engaging, especially the dialogue.”

Superlative winners:

Most integral to story use of the object: USS Firebird for The Thing Is Broken CO: Captain Malcom Llwyedd	Most creative use of the object: USS Montana for Potential Problem CO: Captain Michael Murphy	Most humorous use of the object: USS Wayfarer for Goes Nowhere, Does Nothing CO: Captain Akeno Misaki
“I will forevermore wonder what The Thing ™ does! I cared about the characters and the plot!” “This sim does a great job of rounding out all bases in a post.” “‘The thing is broken’ is now my new favorite sentence.”	“This sim does a good job of showing before telling.” “I wanted to know more about the mysterious officers.. Tell me more!” “The whole ‘Men in Black’ story line is absolutely wonderful!”	“I wasn’t sure what to expect with the cat at first but the post turned out to be a lot of fun.” “Cats In Space! I could feel how comfortable Barry the GNDN is for Isoroku!” “I’m pretty sure you’re the only sim in history who would think to use an unknown object as a cat bed and I love it.”

Great all around use: USS Eminence for Genesis CO: Captain Alex Shepard	Avant-garde: USS Liberty for Shakedown out the window CO: Captain Kaylia Strenvale	This is Trek: USS Churchill for Transfer Arrival CO: Captain James Stewart
“The cameos were surprisingly well done.” “A good way to bring in a familiar character. Hi Geordie! OK folks on the Eminence, how do you find the device??” “The writing, grammar, and punctuation are impeccable!”	“An interesting dilemma, and some equally interesting people in the middle of a time twist!” “There was a great sense of urgency in the story.” “From this post, it sounds like the object was incorporated into a larger story, which I find very creative.”	“The sim did a good job of writing the post by the numbers. Right on.” “I wondered where the device was…” “I love the detailed descriptions of the scenery.”

Yes, it is a post: USS Albion for A Tale of Two Spragues (and Keys) (CO: Captain Dick Sprague)

“This was one of the funniest things I’ve read, although I may have found it even funnier if some of the context wasn’t lost on me.”

“I liked the differentiation between the real characters and the fake ones.”

Congratulations to everyone, and a special thank you to our judges! All three judges expressed to me how much they enjoyed reading the 10 posts. They were all highly entertaining while showcasing the unique personalities of each sim. I hope the Captains and crews had as much fun writing them!

Happy 24th anniversary, Independence Fleet! Thank you for all you do to make our community what it is!

Monthly Awards: April 2025

Posted on May 21, 2025 | by Aurther Winters | Leave a Comment

Commander Jörgen Leed
Chief Diplomatic Officer
USS Firebird

For “A Fragile Peace”

A great post, well written with a very heavy introspective look at the situation of diplomacy.

Best Post (Joint Post)

Lt. Ayana Hillis & Cmdr. Jonathan Grayson & Lt. Cmdr. Callie Raven-Grayson & Lt. Inara Senn & Lt. JG James Phoenix
ACSTO / XO / CC / CSO / TO
USS Washington

For “Superior Weapons and Tactics”

There is no better place than being trapped in a jail cell to flesh out characters and add some dread and suspense.

Funniest Post

Capt. Michael Murphy & Lt. Cmdr. Steve Ryan & Lt. Aubrie Fox & Lt. Kestra Ral & Ens. Leela
CO / XO / CRO / CSO / RO
USS Montana

For “Potential Problem”

This gag and trope has been used many times before, and probably many times after, but a piece of equipment that we know, but no idea what it does is going to get a laugh out of me every time.

Genesis

Capt. Rhenora Kaylen & Cmdr. Jenna Ramthorne & Cmdr. Dean House
CO / CFCO / 2O
USS Sunfire

For “Fungus Amungus”

A very promising start to a new mission with some unexpected turns right out of the gate. Mystery and intrigue are surely close behind.

MVP

Commander Jenna Ramthorne
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Sunfire

A dependable and a brilliant writer who always knows how to add dimensions and depth to the story.

Most Posts

Commander Jonathan Grayson
Executive Officer
USS Washington

For writing 12 posts.

Most Improved

Ensign Abigail Gordon
Nurse
USS Firebird

Ensign Gordon helped bring the Firebird’s last mission to a close. She’s also been finding her way around the ship, writing well, and has plans to add new NPCs to the complement.

Rookie of the Month

None this month.

Recruitment

None this month.

Rear Admiral Aurther Winters
Director of Personnel
Independence Fleet