THE WRIGHT STUFF
Vol XX No 6 The Official Newsletter of the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk NCC-1659 Nov / Dec 2009 C O N T E N T S
A VIEW FROM THE CATBIRD SEAT ...... 3 J.R. Fisher SCIENCE REPORT ...... 3 Elaine Pischke SECURITY REPORT ...... 4 Spring Brooks COMPUTER OPERATIONS REPORT ...... 4 John Troan FROM THE KITCHEN ...... 5 Volume 20 - Number 6 Lynn Stone is a publication of the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, the VOYAGER - DEALER'S CHOICE ...... 6 Raleigh, N.C., chapter of STARFLEET, an Brad McDonald international STAR TREK fan organization. This publication is provided free of charge to UPCOMING EVENTS ...... 10 all chapter members in good standing. Subscriptions for non-members are $12.00 per year (six issues). Please address all corres- pondence to CATBIRD Publications, 5017 Glen Forest Dr., Raleigh, N.C. 27612. This publication is a non-profit enterprise and is not meant to infringe upon any copyright or trademark held by Paramount Pictures, Gulf & Western, or any other holder of STAR TREK copyrights or trademarks. Unless otherwise noted, ENTIRE CONTENTS ARE COPYRIGHT © 2009 CATBIRD Publications, THE WRIGHT STUFF. Nothing in whole or in part may be used without the written permission of the publisher. THE WRIGHT STUFF assumes all material submitted for publication is gratis. The publisher and editors reserve the right to edit all submissions.
Publisher ...... J.R. Fisher Editors ...... Jane Fisher John Troan TOOL BOX: Latitude D810; HP LaserJet 1200 & DeskJet 722C; Lotus WordPro; Adobe Acrobat. IMAGES - Title Banner Wright Flyer from NASA/Ames PAO photo archive; U.S.S. Kitty Hawk (USN CV-63) from navicp.navy.mil; Constitution class cruiser from gwu.edu/~rljones/khawk. IMAGE - Featured Front Page Snow cover in Nov 2009, as seen by NASA's Terra satellites. These three sats, celebrating their tenth anniversary of operations, regularly monitor Earth's surface for changes and look for links between different areas. A View From the Catbird Seat By J.R. Fisher
A happy holiday hope to have a report to the We have had a very good to all! The crew early next year. year and I hope that next year season is upon In that same vein, I want to will be even better. Festival will us and I hope thank those who helped at be coming up real soon and I that every one of Suncoast on November 21st to hope we can get a really large you has raise awareness as well as crowd again this year. There completed your shopping, promote STARFLEET, the Kitty are a number of good cons to decorating and meal planning. Hawk and push the sale of the go to and I would like to see the Ho-Ho-Ho! We do know better. DVD of the new movie. While ship have some away trips with As a group we are trying to we have not yet seen any a larger contingent of the crew finish our to-do lists as well. At tangible results of recruiting, we in attendance. the last meeting on the 5th of have high hopes that we may Please have a safe and happy December, we voted to spend a see some new faces on our holiday and come back in portion or our treasury to finish ship. January renewed in your the shopping for our class of The collection of school enthusiasm for Star Trek, the needy children. The teacher supplies lagged behind the Kitty Hawk, and in helping your and I will go out in the coming clothing effort, but we did get fellow man. One man or days and buy the necessary four large bags of materials for woman can make a difference. coats and winter clothing for the the kids. It was surprising how Esse Quam Videri most needy of her class that much notebooks and such cost! have not yet been helped. We No wonder there are shortfalls in our school system. Science Report By Elaine Pischke
The news coming out of for much of China and India, is the scientific community from Copenhagen does not bode well already causing food shortages. coming up with some creative for the planet. Not surprisingly, As to the future, without ideas for dealing with the the nations in attendance are significant reductions in problem. Some ideas being unable to come to any greenhouse gases, we can considered are artificial ‘trees’ meaningful agreement about expect major changes by the end that generate electricity, huge how to deal with global warming. of this century. The island nation solar panels that can be located As usual, short term national and of the Maldives is expected to in space (no worries about economic issues have taken completely disappear long before cloudy days there!), an energy precedence over longer term, then. The government is already island that uses the difference planet-wide concerns. But the looking for a place to relocate its between warmer surface air and problem is no longer in the people. Closer to home, most of colder deep water to generate ‘someday’ category. Droughts in New Orleans will be underwater, power, with desalinated water as Africa are already causing this time permanently. And even a byproduct, and more artificial dispersal of refugees from the closer to home, in North ‘trees’, this time created to scrub worst hit areas. Fires in the Carolina, expect Dare, Tyrell and C02 from the air. Some farmers forests of California are due to Hyde Counties to be pretty much are already ‘recycling’ methane draught. The disappearance of gone. Bye, bye Kitty Hawk. produced by dairy cows to ice from the Tibetan plateau, On the bright side, the lack of produce energy to power their which is a major source of water action by politicians has not kept farms.
THE WRIGHT STUFF PAGE 3 NOV / DEC 2009 Security Report By Spring Brooks holidays are a time for enjoying priced hotel or motel and Holiday Travel Safety Tips your family; there’s no need to complete the journey the next With the holidays become angry when you hit a day. approaching, it’s important to patch of traffic. Practice defensive remember that safety should be Be Aware of Changing driving: Unfortunately, some a number one concern, right up Weather Patterns: Advances people use the holidays as a along with Black Friday deals in meteorology have time to indulge past their limits. and getting the mistletoe transformed what was once a If you see a driver ahead of you positioned just right. Along with guessing game into a much on the highway swerving over home security and the risk of more exact science. Check the the lanes, hold back. There’s no intrusion while you’re out of forecast a couple of days ahead need to attempt a dangerous town, one of the most of time, and make adjustments pass. Instead, put a call into the dangerous aspects of this to your travel plans accordingly. state troopers on your cell special time of year is the If things look dicey, it pays to phone and let them handle the increased risk of motor vehicle wait. situation. You may need to pull accidents. Here are some tips Never Drive When Tired: over in order to use your cell to help you arrive at your We’ve all been there before – phone. Your first priority should destination safely. home is only a hundred miles be getting home safely. Give Yourself Enough down the interstate, you’ve The holiday season is a time Time: Try to holiday traffic into been away for days, and all you for celebration. Be aware of the your estimate for travel time. want to do is switch off your increased travel risk during this That way, you won’t feel alarm system, open the door time, and you can proactively compelled to speed or drive and get into bed. Still, if you’ avoid dangerous situations. dangerously if you get behind yawning and feeling groggy schedule. Remember that the behind the wheel, don’t risk driving. Find a reasonably Computer Operations Report By John Troan
(With apologies to Clement Clarke Moore.....) 'Tis the day before Christmas and all through the house Not a creature is stirring 'cause, let's face it, cats don't stir much. The nephews' presents are perched by the chimney with care, Waiting to be wrapped in paper that will be shredded only a few hours later. Out on the phone line there arose such a clatter, As I make one last round of work calls to close out the year. Next year's projects are lined up and on hold, So that I can enjoy a much-needed (and too-short) vacation. As I get the year's final Wright Stuff sent on its way, I wish, "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!"
THE WRIGHT STUFF PAGE 4 NOV / DEC 2009 From the Kitchen By Lynn Stone
Chinese Creole Okra
The Chef aboard Archer's Enterprise thought it would be fun to turn the tables on the crew. He set up an irresistible challenge. Find a particular food that most people hate and come up with a recipe that changes everyone's mind about it. Okra was voted the all-time most disliked vegetable and the crew set about creating various ways to fix it. The winner was Hoshi Sato and her recipe follows.
Main Ingredients y A bowl full of okra cut into sections about 1/2 inch long, discarding caps y Cut a sweet red pepper into pieces about the same size y Cut a purple onion into pieces about the same size y Cut the kernels off an ear of sweet corn y A pint of cherry tomatoes, rinsed and dried
Sauce Ingredients y 2 TBSP. soy sauce y 2 TBSP. rice vinegar y 2 TBSP. sherry y 1 TBSP. Chinese bean paste y hot pepper flakes to taste y coarsely chopped cilantro (hold this aside)
Directions Chop the vegetables, mix the sauce ingredients, then:
Put a couple of tablespoons of peanut oil in the bottom of a wok or large frying pan and bring to high heat. Throw in the okra and stir continuously until all the pieces start to get brown. Remove.
Add a little more oil to the wok or pan, then stir fry the sweet red peppers. As they get about half cooked (4 minutes), throw in the onions. Just as the peppers and onions are almost cooked (another 2 minutes) throw in the corn. After about one minute, add the cherry tomatoes and the cooked okra.
Immediately add the sauce and stir everything together for about 20 seconds. Turn off the heat. Cilantro is added on top as the dish is served.
THE WRIGHT STUFF PAGE 5 NOV / DEC 2009 VOYAGER - "Dealer's Choice" By Brad McDonald
ACT FIVE INT. BORG PLANET - DATA problem, our marginal ARCHIVES ROOM energy reserves are FADE IN: disappearing fast. A Chakotay is reacting to the news EXT. SPACE - VOYAGER AND combination of having with concern, in the B.G. we can BORG PLANET (OPTICAL) weapons on standby, use of see the others have stopped their the transporters, shields, The ship remains in orbit. work. screens; you name it. CHAKOTAY INT. VOYAGER - TRANSPORTER There's a brief silence and Torres We're ready to beam up. ROOM is about to repeat her call when JANEWAY'S VOICE Janeway answers. Action is continuous from Act 4, No rush, they're four hours Janeway and Torres are running to out. Any chance your team exit the transporter room. JANEWAY'S VOICE might find a few answers in Any chance of a reprieve? JANEWAY the next hour or so? (moving) TORRES CHAKOTAY Understood Paris, recall the I've used up my bag of Impossible to say, but with pickets and the landing tricks. All that's left is the number of discs to parties... Belay that last shutting down entire decks. search, I'd say the chances part! Estimated arrival time! We've already started. were slim. PARIS' VOICE JANEWAY'S VOICE BRIDGE Four hours, fifty-one Do the best you can, I'll minutes, Sir. JANEWAY bring you up in two hours, Very well, Lieutenant. JANEWAY regardless. Prepare to get under way, I'm on my way. CHAKOTAY we'll leave shortly. Understood. Chakotay out. BRIDGE She turns to Paris. (to team) Janeway enters at a trot Let's get busy, this effort JANEWAY and heads for Paris. will have to be brief and (continuing) efficient! Have the pickets returned? JANEWAY Status Mister Paris! PARIS INT. VOYAGER - ENGINEERING I show two still out, do you PARIS The area is very busy with activity. want an E.T.A.? All pickets report en route. Torres is working at a control Janeway is hatching a plan as she She taps her comm badge. board, deep in thought. An N.D. taps her comm badge. ENGINEER approaches with a JANEWAY data padd and hands it to her. JANEWAY Commander Chakotay, Commander? What's the report please. TORRES prognosis? (off padd) CHAKOTAY'S VOICE It's worse than I thought. CHAKOTAY'S VOICE Making slow progress, We'll be out of reserves in a Not good. Some of the data Captain. We only have a matter of hours, minutes if discs are damaged or few playback units here and we have to fight. deteriorated... the tricorders aren't much help. She nods to the N.D. engineer who JANEWAY exits, then taps her comm badge How long would it take to JANEWAY with a grim and determined look. load the discs into the We've got a complication. shuttles and bring them An unidentified guest. TORRES back to Voyager? Engineering to bridge, Captain? We have a
THE WRIGHT STUFF PAGE 6 NOV / DEC 2009 INT. BORG PLANET - DATA have. We may cut off our Janeway jumps from her chair and ARCHIVES ROOM noses to spite our faces... heads for the turbolift. Chakotay and the others stare at CHAKOTAY'S VOICE JANEWAY the discs in disbelief. Recommend we bring a Tom, you have the Conn. If random sampling of the Chakotay returns, tell him KIM data discs along for I've gone to get Seven. A real long time, there's just analysis. Meanwhile, recall all shore too many of them. Why not parties other than just beam them up? JANEWAY Chakotay's team. Have Agreed, select a group and JANEWAY'S VOICE them use the shuttle transport to the shuttles in Low energy reserves. I'm transporters. forty-five minutes. Janeway holding what's left to bring out. you back and get out of EXT. BORG WORLD - BUILDING here. PARIS #3 (OPTICAL) Captain, the ship must have KIM Tuvok and two security persons are picked us up on sensors, Captain? We could use the standing outside the building and they've changed their shuttle transporters. wave to Janeway as she arrives. heading, straight towards She moves closer to the team. CHAKOTAY us. We're forgetting a larger TUVOK JANEWAY problem. Where had you Captain. She is in a lower E.T.A.? planned on storing all of chamber located in this these discs? In the food PARIS building. It is shielded so lockers? Our cargo bays Two hours and twenty-one transporters are not are full of the raw materials minutes. possible. She is armed and we've been collecting, or seems reticent about Janeway then taps her comm were you going to jettison leaving. In her current state, badge again. all of it? I was uncertain of what JANEWAY method of extraction to KIM Engineer, I need you to employ. We could come back after prepare that special we -- Janeway is now standing next to package -- Tuvok. JANEWAY'S VOICE She is interrupted by her comm We're not coming back, and JANEWAY badge. there won't be anything to Take your team and return come back to. TUVOK'S VOICE to the ship. A shuttle is Captain, we've located standing by. I'll handle this. CHAKOTAY Seven, but she is reluctant Torres has a device that You're going to carry out to return with us. needs your attention. I'll Starfleet orders after all? trust your judgment on its JANEWAY JANEWAY placement and detonation Tuvok. I'll join you shortly. If we can find Seven. I'm timing. not giving up on her. TUVOK'S VOICE Tuvok nods in agreement and Understood. Tuvok out. moves off. Janeway enters the INT. VOYAGER - BRIDGE Janeway retaps her comm badge. building. JANEWAY JANEWAY (continuing) INT. BUILDING #3 B'Elanna? Did you hear I don't know who is me? The room is dark and Seven is approaching us, but they barely visible. She has begun to won't be getting any Borg TORRES' VOICE revert back to Borg. Her skin technology. We don't have Already working on it, coloring is darker and her manner enough power to engage Captain. It will be ready in is very Borg. Janeway is cautious them, so we're taking the fifteen minutes. and moves slowly. only alternative step we
THE WRIGHT STUFF PAGE 7 NOV / DEC 2009 JANEWAY part of your new life, so is JANEWAY Seven? Are you all right? Voyager. Thank you, Mister Paris. Tuvok? Specifics on that SEVEN Janeway's comm badge sounds ship. You will be assimilated. You and she seems annoyed at the are an inferior species -- interruption, but taps it. There is TUVOK heavy static. Matches the description of JANEWAY the pirate ship. (interrupting) JANEWAY That's the old Seven Yes? JANEWAY talking. Have you forgotten Noted. Maybe we can keep CHAKOTAY'S VOICE what the Borg did to you them away from the Borg We need to leave, now and your family? planet. Captain. If you don't want Seven looks a bit confused. that other ship to acquire KIM Janeway can now see her better. Borg technology... we need You may be too late The room she is in is an operating a bit of distance between us Captain, they're altering room, with an assortment of Borg and the planet. B'Elanna course for an orbit. instruments displayed all about. has power enough to TUVOK transport you and Seven. SEVEN Confirmed. Evidently they My family? Killed. I became JANEWAY picked up on the beacon's Borg. I am a superior being. Understood, Commander. signal. The planet's Have transporters lock on technology is a bigger prize JANEWAY my comm badge as soon than we are. It was the Borg who killed as I exit the building. your family. They took you Janeway's confidence is replaced against your will, Janeway moves closer and Seven by concern. remember? raises her phaser. JANEWAY Seven is very dazed and confused JANEWAY Time to detonation, Kim? and seems not to recognize Seven. We must leave this KIM Janeway. place! Two minutes, thirty seven SEVEN SEVEN seconds. They gave me a better life, This is... home. JANEWAY here. Janeway is loosing her patience Open a channel to that She indicates the operating table and draws her phaser. ship, now! and instruments. JANEWAY TUVOK JANEWAY If I can't convince you to (working) No! They took a better life! leave, I can't leave any They are refusing our hails. What about that little girl Borg technology behind, JANEWAY whose favorite color is red? and someone else might Open a channel anyway! What does she remember? find you here. Tuvok nods in readiness. Remembering seems to cause pain Janeway fires her phaser and for Seven. Seven drops to the floor. JANEWAY Attention unidentified ship. SEVEN EXT. SPACE - VOYAGER AND The planet you're I don't know. I need the BORG PLANET (OPTICAL) approaching will be others to help me. I can destroyed shortly. Alter your sense them and I feel them, Voyager is leaving orbit and course, now! but they don't answer. heading out to space. Janeway moves slowly, closer. BRIDGE - NEW ANGLE INT. VOYAGER - BRIDGE JANEWAY She turns to Tuvok for PARIS They will not answer, confirmation, but he shakes his Leaving orbit, Captain. they're dead. That part of head in the negative. Course is one-seven- five, your life is dead too. I'm mark two, warp one.
THE WRIGHT STUFF PAGE 8 NOV / DEC 2009 KIM (beat) INT. HIROGEN SHIP - BRIDGE They're making orbit, Maybe next time I won't be Two Hirogen officers are at a loss Captain. forced to make another to understand what has happened. decision like this. Perhaps JANEWAY we did some good for ALPHA HIROGEN Unidentified ship, you are in someone fighting the Borg. Why have they stopped? danger! Leave orbit They have already immediately! SICKBAY destroyed half our ships? TUVOK The doctor is examining Seven, BETA HIROGEN They're refusing our hails who seems herself again. Unknown, maybe we Captain. should attack. DOCTOR CHAKOTAY All readings are back to Alpha Hirogen seems surprised at Captain, if they choose normal, at least for Seven. the comment. suicide, there is little we can When the planet was do... ALPHA HIROGEN destroyed, her We are barely able to JANEWAY 'reconnection' was severed. sustain our own life support. Not suicide, greed. They In the meantime, I'm going Nearly half our ships are won't believe what we say. to review my heavily damaged. No, we Afraid we may be hiding deBorgification process and withdraw while we can. some untold riches. see if I need to alter it just a They may be simply Detonation time? bit. regrouping or even KIM The doctor moves off and Janeway preparing a more Ten seconds. steps closer. devastating weapon. SEVEN EXT. SPACE - BORG PLANET EXT. SPACE - AS BEFORE You shot me! AND PIRATE SHIP (OPTICAL) (OPTICAL) JANEWAY There is a large explosion on the The Hirogen ships all leave at warp It was necessary. planet surface which sends a large speed. shock wave outward, destroying SEVEN the pirate ship. The destruction Yes, I agree. I was armed. I INT. BORG CUBE continues as the planet surface is could have hurt you. There is no activity within the cube. totally destroyed. JANEWAY All of the Borg seem frozen in their You're more human than tracks, lost. INT. VOYAGER - BRIDGE - AS you know. Your phaser BEFORE FADE OUT. wasn't even activated. I was The crew reacts to the scene on just in a bit of a hurry. It was END OF ACT FIVE the viewer o.c. the only way to get you out of there in time. JANEWAY THE END Pandora's box remains Seven looks confused and closed, at least for now. Janeway smiles. CHAKOTAY Off their reactions... The Borg may have other CUT TO. facilities in this quadrant. Janeway sighs heavily, then turns EXT. SPACE - BORG SHIP AND to Kim. HIROGEN SHIPS (OPTICAL) JANEWAY There is a Borg Cube and seven Mister Kim? Let's find a Hirogen ships engaged in battle, planet with some deuterium when the Borg suddenly stop firing. and get our ship back to full potential.
THE WRIGHT STUFF PAGE 9 NOV / DEC 2009 Upcoming Events
Jan 9 4 p.m. Ship Meeting, Triangle Factory Outlet
Feb 6 4 p.m. Ship Meeting, Triangle Factory Outlet 19 Articles due for the next Wright Stuff
DON'T FORGET TO CHECK YOUR STARFLEET STATUS .....AND WITH THE NEW YEAR, KITTY HAWK DUES WILL SOON BE DUE.
THE WRIGHT STUFF U.S.S. KITTY HAWK P.O. BOX 52112 RALEIGH NC 27612-2112
THE WRIGHT STUFF PAGE 10 NOV / DEC 2009