Rhenora Kaylen Archives - Independence Fleet

Monthly Awards: June 2026

Posted on July 31, 2026 | by Aurther Winters | Leave a Comment

After an great 25th Anniversary, it’s back to the monthly grind…

Best Post (Single Author)

Commander Jenna Ramthorne
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Sunfire

For “Little ‘Red’ Bird – I”

A beautifully written post that delivers unmatched character development, emotional depth, and focus on the craft.

Best Post (Joint Post)

Capt. Rhenora Kaylen & Cmdr. Jennifer Baldric & Cmdr. Dean House & Lt. JG T’Lar & Lt. Cmdr. Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell & Remal Kajun
CO / MA / 2O / C / CSS / C
USS Sunfire

For “Reflections in the Dark”

An action-packed, fast-paced post that brilliantly captures a gripping Mirror Universe tactical showdown, expertly balancing combat and dark comedy.

Funniest Post

Lieutenant Kate Kono & Lieutenant JG Benjamin “Ben” Dalton
Intelligence Officer / Assistant Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Washington

For “Spockluck Dinner”

This is outstanding situational comedy through a hyper-deadpan character with well timed punchlines.

Genesis

Captain Dick Sprague
Commanding Officer
USS Albion

For “Do as I say, not as I…”

This post turns a chaotic narrative mess into a structured, highly inclusive sandbox where players have a direct task, but still have complete creative freedom to take their assignments in unexpected directions.

MVP

Commander Elias McEntyre
Mission Advisor
USS Wayfarer

McEntyre used his guest role to completely revitalize the Wayfarer’s community. Through motivation, encouragement, and his own excellent role playing, he made the writers around him better.

Most Posts

Commander Jenna Ramthorne
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Sunfire

For writing 26 posts.

Most Improved

Lieutenant JG Jacob Rosen
Chief Operations Officer
USS Sunfire

Rosen upped his game this month by pushing a storyline forward while actively increasing collaboration through multiple joint posts.

Rookie of the Month

Ensign Katherine Hobbes
Assistant Chief Engineering Officer
USS Albion

Hobbes immediately jumped into the story with a post upon joining the sim.

Recruitment

Lieutenant JG Dan Murphy
Chief Strategic Operations Officer
USS Liberty

An all-around top contributor during the month in posting and leadership, Murphy also invited someone to take an inside look at the sim.

Rear Admiral Aurther Winters
Director of Personnel
Independence Fleet

A purple-tinted space scene featuring a futuristic starbase and a Starfleet-style starship approaching it, with the text "IDFLEET.COM" in the bottom right corner.

Our Silver Anniversary

Posted on July 4, 2026 | by Charles Star | 6 Comments

One-quarter of a century–a generation by some measures. Yes, it was 25 years ago today that Independence Fleet was founded with three sims and, by our best records, 33 total characters. But for our 108 characters today, we first have a very special message straight from the 24th century (don’t ask how we got it):

While we celebrate our 25th anniversary, the United States (where many members of this fleet hail from) commemorates its 250th. Since our club’s founding shares a date with U.S. Independence Day, our early branding often included American flags. As a piece of trivia, we owe our name to co-founder, three-time Commander-in-Chief, and Hall of Famer James D. West. He happened to glance at either a VHS or DVD copy of the movie Independence Day while we were trying to come up with a name for this soon-to-be-launched fleet. The rest is well, history! The Liberty Bell image was added a couple years later in 2003, again by James D. West, and it has stuck ever since.

To our friends up north, we also acknowledge the recent Canada Day. To our friends elsewhere in the Commonwealth realms, we salute you–your King was here less than three months ago. Finally, to our friends at other locations on the globe, we rotate with you!

Back to today! We have now been around for exactly one-tenth as long as the United States. Moving backward in time 25 years before our 2001 founding would put you right on the July 4, 1976 bicentennial. Who remembers the bicentennial quarters? In that spirit, we have created this one-time challenge coin in honor of our 25 years together as a fleet, which will be provided free of charge to all fleet members.

All current fleet members as of today are also hereby awarded the Anniversary Medal.

We’re not done yet! We have another message for the fleet from a very special guest (this one is from the present!):

We had an entire page in our 20th Anniversary Almanac dedicated to Gott’s Doomsday Scenario. Back then, there was an 80% chance that we would still be here today. Well, here we are! If you remember, the concept is that absent additional information, an observer (i.e., you) has a 50% chance of being in the first half of what they are observing (i.e., IDF) and a 50% chance of being in the second half of what they are observing. Based on that, here are our updated numbers for Anniversary #25:

Date	Probability that IDF is still active
October 4, 2026	99%
October 27, 2027	95%
April 13, 2029	90%
November 2, 2034	75%
July 4, 2051	50%
July 4, 2101	25%
July 4, 2251	10%
July 3, 2501	5%
June 28, 4501	1%

Until next year, or June 28th, 4501, let’s keep simming!

A close-up view of a futuristic starship's bridge seats, featuring a central command chair with an elaborate design. The seat has angular, dark purple and beige components, with additional seats on either side, all positioned in front of a curved control panel. The overall design is modern with sleek, minimalistic features and geometric shapes.

Commandapalooza 2025

Posted on June 13, 2026 | by Charles Star | 2 Comments

We did Awardapalooza. And we did Recordapalooza. So why not Commandapalooza? This post is all about our amazing Commanding Officers and everything they’ve accomplished up through the end of 2025. This is one caveat, however: We only have command records for Jul 2001-Dec 2003, Oct 2010-Aug 2018, Nov 2018, and Jun 2019-present. A few years ago, former Fleet CO Jeremiah Griffith gave us records he had saved that cover January 2004 through September 2010. However, they are incomplete and have not yet been integrated into our official record book. Until that happens, we have had 150 unique Independence Fleet Commanding Officers who have guided 58 different sims. And here they are…

They have led 2,361 ship-months, won 207 posting titles, and commanded through a whopping 64,387 posts!

By Sim:

By Commanding Officer:

*Commanding Officers currently in command are in bold.*

*Only the top 25 and active COs are tagged.*

What a history! What a legacy! What a group put outstanding role players and leaders do we have! There certainly is a lot I can say, but I’m going to let the numbers speak for themselves. But please do feel free to post your own observations, thoughts, and memories in the comments section below!

Monthly Awards: May 2026

Posted on June 12, 2026 | by Aurther Winters | Leave a Comment

Best Post (Single Author)

Lieutenant JG Kate Kono
Intelligence Officer
USS Washington

For “Inside Out”

What a post! It’s always good to remember that these are characters, and writing them more relatable and realistic can be just as, if not more important than techno-babble or explosions.

Best Post (Joint Post)

S’thenosis Gorgox & Cmdr. Jenna Ramthorne & Lt. Cmdr. Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell & Capt. Rhenora Kaylen & Cmdr. Savar cha’Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen & Cmdr. Dean House & Lt. Cmdr. Thriss Kla’ren & Lt. Cmdr. Aurora Vali & Lieutenant JG Jacob Rosen & Lieutenant JG Micheal Stevens & Lieutenant JG T’Lar & Lieutenant JG Olivia Voight & Lieutenant JG Rowan Hale & Ens. Kitiuas Thenis ie-Jia’anKahr & Cmdr. Jennifer Baldric & Lt. Cmdr. Rynn Upland & Lt. Sarah Wilson
Guest / CFCO / CSS / CO / XO / CTO / CEO / CC / COO / CRO / C / MO / CMO / SO / MA / ACEO / ACMO
USS Sunfire

For “Pop, Lock and Drop Em'”

This is a great scene that encompasses a balance between the main characters, the villains, and even the ship herself almost feels like a character as everything comes together to centre the whole story.

Funniest Post

Ensign Ozai Y’zyr & Petty Officer 1st Class Fhiri
Tactical Officer / Computer Systems Specialist
USS Firebird

For “Borrowed Knowledge”

The absurdity of everything happening in this post, as well as the dialogue, harkens back to some serious classic Trek with a few homages here and there that make it delightful and well worth the read.

Genesis

Captain Shran dh’Klar
Commanding Officer
USS Washington

For “Sins Laid Bare”

A nice start to a story that could go anywhere. Will there be repercussions for the actions of her Captain? What mystery does the Klingon ship hold? Does the crew have the answers or more questions? Hope we get to find out!

MVP

Commander Jenna Ramthorne
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Sunfire

She is the Sunfire’s power player: A consistent high poster, with humorous, dramatic, and whimsical writing, plus everything inbetween.

Most Posts

Commander Jenna Ramthorne
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Sunfire

For writing 26 posts.

Most Improved

Lieutenant JG James Phoenix
Tactical Officer
USS Washington

He did excellent work with some interesting collaborative posts, putting forth a strong showing from the beginning to the end of the month.

Rookie of the Month

None this month.

Recruitment

None this month.

Rear Admiral Aurther Winters
Director of Personnel
Independence Fleet

Monthly Awards: April 2026

Posted on May 25, 2026 | by Aurther Winters | Leave a Comment

Best Post (Single Author)

Ensign Helle Leed
Biologist
USS Firebird

For “Starfleet 1st Day: Hands to Yourself”

It’s always hard to start something new, and Starfleet Academy is no exception. This post has everything you want in a character driven arc, from start to end, the situation, the dialogue, and character feel real and grounded.

Best Post (Joint Post)

Cmdr. Dean House & Capt. Rhenora Kaylen & Cmdr. Jenna Ramthorne & Cmdr. Savar cha’Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen & Lt. Cmdr. Thriss Kla’ren & Lt. Cmdr. Aurora Vali & Lt. JG Micheal Stevens & Lt. JG Jacob Rosen & Lt. JG Rowan Hale & Lt. JG Olivia Voight & Lt. JG T’Lar & Ens. Kitiuas Thenis ie-Jia’anKahr & S’thenosis Gorgox & Cmdr. Jennifer Baldric & Cmdr. Rosa Coy & Lt. Cmdr. Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell & Remal Kajun
2O / CO / CFCO / XO / CEO / CC / CRO / COO / CMO / MO / C / SO / Guest / MA / ACFCO / CSS / C
USS Sunfire

For “Earth Pt2”

The somber beginning of this post, and the sudden gear shift when crisis arrives shows both a creative story and how when you have enough cooks in the kitchen, you can create something great.

Funniest Post

Ensign Aidan “A.J.” Reid & Ensign Kevin Mitchell & Lieutenant JG Benjamin “Ben” Dalton
IS / IS / ACIO
USS Washington

For “Ignorance and Bliss”

A great duality, when you should be professional, and you can be professional, but when you also know people’s internal monologues, it adds both great insight and humor as well.

Genesis

Captain Malcom Llwyedd & Commander Rhiana t’Aegis
Commanding Officer / Chief Security & Tactical Officer
USS Firebird

For “A Chance Encounter”

An interesting atmosphere to start a very interesting mission, with some cloak and dagger.

MVP

Commander Rhiana t’Aegis
Chief Security & Tactical Officer
USS Firebird

The Security and Tactical Officer continues to be a rock for the sim despite personal loss, showing extreme range in creativity and collaboration. She is the backbone of the Firebird.

Most Posts

Commander Jenna Ramthorne
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Sunfire

For writing 25 posts.

Most Improved

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

Another Chief Security/Tactical Officer really showing her range with highly varied contributions, with great plot twists and openings for other players.

Rookie of the Month

None this month.

Recruitment

None this month.

Rear Admiral Aurther Winters
Director of Personnel
Independence Fleet

Monthly Awards: March 2026

Posted on April 14, 2026 | by Aurther Winters | Leave a Comment

Best Post (Single Author)

Ensign Emilynn Dove
Operations Officer
USS Firebird

For “The Awakened Connection”

A very well written, authentic feel to a story that is drawing you into something gingerly–setting a tone for the mystery and where the story may lead.

Best Post (Joint Post)

Capt. Rhenora Kaylen & Cmdr. Jennifer Baldric & Cmdr. Jenna Ramthorne & Cmdr. Dean House & Lt. Cmdr. Thriss Kla’ren & Lt. JG Jacob Rosen & Lt. JG Rowan Hale & Lt. JG Olivia Voight & Lt. JG T’Lar & Lt. Cmdr. Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell & Lt. Cmdr. Rynn Upland
CO / MA / CFCO / 2O / CEO / COO / CMO / MO / C / CSS / ACEO
USS Sunfire

For “Vadia Part IV – Doing the Time Warp, Again”

Multiple authors put in alternative perspectives from different locations, yet it still comes together as one showing of great teamwork and cohesion.

Funniest Post

Lt. Cmdr. Deanna Celes & Lt. Imik S’Niohun & Ens. Janelle Barett & CPO Aaron Geiger
ACOO / CSTO / SOO / EO
USS Washington

For “Bushwacked”

Just because you’re in the middle of a firefight, it doesn’t mean you can’t have a little dry humour.

Genesis

Captain Dick Sprague
Commanding Officer
USS Albion

For “How do you do it?”

A classic start from a classic Captain. Let the games, or should I say, let the writing begin with a wide array of directions their mission can go. It’s going to be a good one.

MVP

Lieutenant JG Rowan Hale
Chief Medical Officer
USS Sunfire

Twenty-two posts in just his second month onboard. He has also been a driver of several consequential joint posts.

Most Posts

Commander Jenna Ramthorne
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Sunfire

For writing 24 posts.

Most Improved

Ensign Janelle Barett
Strategic Operations Officer
USS Washington

The young Strategic Operations Officer had a wonderful month and showed real growth as she tied for for the ship’s lead in posting and was part of two other nominations.

Rookie of the Month

None this month.

Recruitment

Marine Captain Emily Janeway
Marine Commanding Officer
USS Albion

She recruited a new crewmember who is already posting!

Rear Admiral Aurther Winters
Director of Personnel
Independence Fleet

Recordapalooza 2025

Posted on February 27, 2026 | by Charles Star | 6 Comments

We recently had one big post on community awards from outside IDF. Why not another big post on awards from within Independence Fleet? That’s what this is! We’ve crunched the numbers for everything from our July 4, 2001 founding through the end of 2025. In that time, IDF has issued 1,248 monthly awards to 599 unique characters, representing 52 different sims. Wow, what a history! Since a table with 599 people would be too big for this article, we decided to narrow it down to the 25. On a separate note, we’ll be celebrating our 25th anniversary later this year! Awards were presented Jul 2001-Oct 2005, Oct 2010-Jul 2013, and Mar 2020-present.

Here we go with our monthly awards records…

Active or recently active member
Hall of Famer

Active members of the fleet are now 1-10 on the all-time leaderboard, and include 18 of the top 25 spots. Hall of Famers make up only 6 of the top 25 today. It seems we likely have A LOT of future Hall of Famers in our midst! Also, Jenna Ramthorne has (barely) overtaken Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell for #1, with Jonathan Grayson not too far behind at #3. Long-time sims USS Chuck Norris, USS Sunfire, and USS Washington dominate the list when looking at the primary sim of characters:

USS Washington: 4 of the top 10; 8 of the top 25
USS Sunfire: 3 of the top 10; 7 of the top 25
USS Chuck Norris: 3 of the top 10; 5 of the top 25

Breaking it out by sim:

The Sunfire leads the way with 236.5 total awards, with the Washington not too far back at 220. Active sims claim spots #1-4 (the USS Liberty is at #3 overall with 96.5 awards) and 6 of the top 10–the more recent addition to the fleet USS Firebird lands right in that 10 spot with 42 awards. The USS Wayfarer is #6 with 52 awards, and the USS Albion and USS Montana sit just outside the top 10 at #11 (26 awards) and #12 (23 awards), respectively.

Breaking it down further to awards issued since they were reinstated in 2020 (546 total awards):

The Washington leads the pack this time with 155, and the Sunfire is in second place at 118.5. The Washington also has the longest streak of winning at least one monthly award, dating all the way back to May 2021 for 57 months in a row if you count January 2026. I can’t find another streak that even comes close. If the W can make it through April of this year, that would make it an astounding five full years with at least one award each month!

Speaking of the W (and a few others), here is the list of sims that led the fleet in awards each year since 2020:

In case you happen to want to see each year fully broken out, we have that too:

Since they are mentioned throughout, let’s also not forget about our other two outstanding sims: USS Churchill & USS Eminence.

Finally, I would like to thank Rook Mirtoh and Arthur Winters, each whom has served as our Director of Personnel, which is the role primarily responsible for selecting the award winners (Mirtoh, March 2020-September 2023; Winters, May 2024-today, with Ken Gillis and me filling in a few times here and there). It’s more tedious than you might imagine! Thank you for making one IDF’s enduring legacies possible!

With that, let’s keep these amazing awards coming!

Monthly Awards: August 2025

Posted on September 30, 2025 | by Aurther Winters | 2 Comments

Ensign Helle Leed
Biologist
USS Firebird

For “Anomaly: The Flame Remembers”

Written so well it’s like you’re there.

Best Post (Joint Post)

Capt. Rhenora Kaylen & SCPO Ronson Mitchell & Cmdr. Jenna Ramthorne & Cmdr. Savar cha’Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen & Lt. Cmdr. Aurora Vali & Lt. JG Ngaza & Ens. Kitiuas Thenis ie-Jia’anKahr & Lt. Cmdr. Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell
CO / Y / CFCO / XO / CC / CSOO / SO / CSS
USS Sunfire

For “Looking Deeper”

It’s a symphony of collaboration.

Funniest Post

PO3 Thyra Kevensdotter & Capt. Malcom Llwyedd & Ens. Emilynn Dove & MCPO Harris Zim
RO / CO / OO / CB
USS Firebird

For “Fool Me Once”

I definitely wanted to read this one more than once.

Genesis

Capt. Mira Rodale Lance & Cmdr. Kevin Lance & Lt. Cmdr. Awal Kronnelti & Lt. Betaras K’ner
CO / XO / CSTO / CMO
USS Chuck Norris

For “And then there was”

A great way to start the next chapter.

MVP

Commander Jenna Ramthorne
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Sunfire

She has been an absolute powerhouse this month with a great mix of solo and joint posts while simultaneously wrapping up one mission and setting up the next.

Most Posts

Commander Jenna Ramthorne
Chief Flight Control Officer
USS Sunfire

For writing 11 posts.

Most Improved

Lieutenant JG James Phoenix
Tactical Officer
USS Washington

Coming off a non-stop action month, he somehow still found a way to step it up with some truly outstanding posting.

Rookie of the Month

Ensign Fiona Flores
Communications and Operations Officer
USS Montana

She jumped right into joint posts with multiple crew members, improving both the quality and quantity of the ship’s posts. She has just the right recommendations to improve the story–a welcomed addition!

Recruitment

None this month.

Rear Admiral Aurther Winters
Director of Personnel
Independence Fleet

Monthly Awards: July 2025

Posted on August 30, 2025 | by Charles Star | Leave a Comment

It’s just me, your guest host this month!

Commander Kevin Lance
Executive Officer
USS Chuck Norris

For “Indecent Proposal”

Only on the Chuck Norris.

Best Post (Joint Post)

Cmdr. Jenna Ramthorne & Lt. Cmdr. Bonnie “Bon-Bon” Durnell & Capt. Rhenora Kaylen & Cmdr. Savar cha’Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen & Cmdr. Dean House & Lt. Cmdr. Aurora Vali & Lt. JG Micheal Stevens & Lt. JG Thalek zh’Vareth & Ens. Kitiuas Thenis ie-Jia’anKahr & Cmdr. Jennifer Baldric & Lt. Cmdr. Rynn Upland & Lt. Sarah Wilson
CFCO / CSS / CO / XO / CTO / CC / CRO / CMO / SO / MA / ACEO / MO
USS Sunfire

For “Flight of the Saviours”

A fast paced montage that hits all the right notes, even if Saviors is spelled wrong.

Funniest Post

Capt. Malcom Llwyedd & Cmdr. Rhiana t’Aegis & Lt. Zub Enel & PO3 Thyra Kevensdotter & Ens. Gianna Djokovic & Lt. JG Peter “Jinx” Kooba
CO / CSTO / ACSTO / SO / TO / SIO
USS Firebird

For “Evaluation: Security and Tactical”

When everyone has to play the game.

Genesis

None this month.

MVP

Ensign Emilynn Dove
Operations Officer
USS Firebird

The Ensign is a dynamic presence in and out of the story, writing truly outstanding posts while constantly helping others. She is the type of player the who raises up everything about the sim.

Most Posts

Commander Jonathan Grayson
Executive Officer
USS Washington

For writing 11 posts.

Most Improved

Ensign Kitiuas Thenis ie-Jia’anKahr
Science Officer
USS Sunfire

The Ensign returned from LOA with a bang, complete with excellent posts and plot twists. It was as if she had never left.

Rookie of the Month

Lieutenant JG Thalek zh’Vareth
Chief Medical Officer
USS Sunfire

New new CMO dove straight in with complex medial storylines. An amazing entrance–that’s how it’s done.

Recruitment

None this month.

Don’t worry, we’ll be back to your regularly scheduled host next month.

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