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Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

“There’s somethin’ you don’t see every day,” mused Louann Wilkins as she looked at the Bajoran Wormhole on the viewscreen. “Kinda reminds me of a hurricane. Still pretty, though.” “You say that now, but wait until there’s a thousand ships coming out of it, all filled with people wanting to kill you,” Quark smirked at the sharp-featured human at the Science station as her eyes widened. “It loses its luster pretty fast when that happens, believe me.” The Ferengi took a seat at the empty Engineering station and watched something else on the viewscreen – a Bajoran freighter as it entered the wormhole at impulse speed. “There. There’s our decoy,” Quark called to the Na’kuhl at the helm of the Orion vessel Coldstar as he pointed at an image on the viewscreen. “Follow them in, nice and slow, and we’ll ditch the Federation cloak sensors around the wormhole. If anything, we’ll

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

The stars in the sky were simply boiling, exploding balls of gas, spread out over billions of miles. Ensign Keero had never understood his human companions’ desires to ascribe patterns to them. And yet, standing in the dark, looking out of the view port of Deep Space Two, Deck 47, East Wing, Keero noticed these patterns. Most of all, he noticed they were different from what he remembered. This was not unexpected. From the time Keero had awoken two days ago, he had traveled exactly 153 years, three months, two days, twelve minutes, and 36.5 seconds into the future. During all of that time, the stars would shift, ever so slightly, the patterns would change. This was a natural and expected course of events. This should satisfy him. But Keero looked out at these new stars and felt…uneasy. Like he was barely holding on to the floor, and could go spinning off into space at any time. The feeling was

Quote from Star Trek Online News

The night sky was still split by the occasional flash. Fighting in orbit was barely visible on the surface, but the explosion when a ship met its end was too big to miss, and the pieces raining down through the atmosphere left fiery orange trails reminiscent of meteors. His watery eyes showing only blurry images of the tiny explosions dotting the sky, Hakken struggled to stand. A dark form loomed over him and then a pair of hands gripped his arms, then another. A pair of people lifted him to his feet. He blinked his eyes several times and looked behind him. The restaurant had collapsed; he was lucky enough to have cleared the doorway right before the explosion. Rubble surrounded the street, and the blue fronds of the decorative grasses were scorched and torn. Hakken tried to right himself but shooting pain in his hip left him leaning heavily on the two people holding his arms. “I… I think I am

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The sound of a shattering PADD echoed through the underground offices. Vrosik hardly paid any mind now; she’d become used to the outbursts, the manic intensity, the slumps of dejection, and the heat of anger that cycled quickly through her co-worker. She waited for the string of invectives to die down, then picked up a fresh PADD from a neatly-stacked pile at the corner of her desk, pulled her goggles down over her light-sensitive eyes, and strode into the workspace next door. She extended the PADD silently. Callius, standing in front of his desk, moped silently for a few moments, then snatched the PADD from her hand. He looked down at it and tapped at it a few times, loading in his latest designs from the network and setting it up for use. Finally he mumbled, “Thank you.” Vrosik started to turn and head back to her workspace, then stopped. She wasn’t sure why she did. Callius’ outbursts

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

We've got a new poll up now, and this time we're asking about the worst places to need to eject. The options in this survey are bit deeper lore than we usually include, so here's a fuller rundown of the choices available:

• Planet Pisces is the place where Krulan nar Ragitagha is stalked by the infamous Arthrosquids
• Angel is forced to eject after taking out the skipper missile bearing down on the Claw
• Minx is in an escape pod poisoned by radiation after the destruction of Ayer's Rock
• Vagabond loses a fight against a wing of Darket in the Kilrah System on the Temblor Run
• This is the pilot that Seether executes if you stay aboard the Lexington
• Hawk reveals to Casey that Iceman saved him in B'shriss, but he was found and captured by the Kilrathi - the remains in the pod retrieved by Blair weren't pretty
• I can only imagine what new challenges Arena's Nephilim fluid-space presented to ejected pilots
• The pilot of

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

This normally wasn’t Lieutenant Whetu’s job, but today she was happy to do it. She stood ramrod-straight, hands clasped behind her back, waiting. She realized after a momentthat she had adopted the stance a little too early, as it was still a few minutes before she heard the soft “thunk” of the inspection pod docking with NX-96400’s hull. Finally, the airlock in front of her hissed as it pressurized. A telltale light flashed from red to green, and the hatch slid open. Beyond it was a tall Andorian zhen in a crisp Starfleet service uniform sporting captain’s pips. The yoke of the uniform was gray instead of captain’s white, as this ship was not hers to command… not yet, anyway. She turned to the shorter Deltan officer beside her. “Thank you, Ensign. This is my first time as a plankowner and my first time to command a brand new ship. The hull was as clean as fresh snow drifts on

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

J’Ula beheld the odd, vicious human blade in her hands for a moment before setting it upon the desk in her quarters. It was a prize, presented to her by the leader of her personal guard, taken from the hand of a dead Starfleet security officer. Kukri, the humans called the blade. It was truly a warrior’s weapon. The officer who once wielded it killed eight Klingons in close combat before finally succumbing to his wounds. But he was a fool, this human. He fought alone against overwhelming odds, trapped in the belly of his ship after all of his comrades had died or surrendered. He fought in a burning house, she mused. He suffered the fate of all fools. Her vessel streaked through space at high warp. Valuable information was gleaned from Starfleet prisoners, and from captured data files taken from the “burning house” so bravely defended by the human with the vicious blade. She’d learned of a

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

DefianceIndustries

is hard at work cranking out the most plentiful peashooter of the Gemini Sector, the F-38 Talon. Unfortunately, they're mostly up to no good on behalf of the Retros or pirates, but occasionally the Confed Militia will trot a few out as well. The Talon might be a bland workhorse in Privateer, but these updated renders are gorgeous!

I finally finished up my F-38 Talon. These things litter the Gemini sector and everybody has at least ten. From the Retros, to pirates, to in-system security - you can't throw a rock and not hit one; even the Kilrathi have a few. But I currently only did two paint schemes. By far the most famous - and obnoxious:

DIE BY THE VERY WEAPONS YOU ADORE!!!!!

And to counteract the crazies - here's a Confed ISS version: Best not be carrying any contraband around these guys - oh, who am I kidding, they're made entirely of tissue paper. Anyway - enjoy!

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

LOAF was looking for a project the other night, and what better than an exploration of the history of the Dorkir transport?! There's probably more to it than you think! Read on for a full rundown:

It's your 1 AM meandering thread about the Kilrathi freighter with the absolute best name: the DORKIR! Dorkir appear throughout Wing Commander I configured as transports, tankers, command staff ships and troopships. Concept art:

A rare element cut (for space) from Wing Commander I is that there were originally separate 'sport and tanker versions of the Dorkir (which is why the briefings always clarify which is expected). The boxier 'freighter' version was reused for Secret Missions as the Lumbari.

The Drayman and the Diligent are the same story, reversed. Comparing the sprite sheets and you can see it's a common cab with a modular container that would change depending on role.

So things get a little weird when

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

Paul Stamets stepped through the automatic doors and into the dimly lit Corridor Seven, a bar with a reputation of being raucous, free-wheeling, and loud enough to allow for a nice, private conversation in a public place. He dodged to one side as a young Starfleet ensign, complete with casually undone collar, stumbled toward the exit. Of all the Academy-adjacent bars in San Francisco, his new friend had chosen to meet in this one. Paul nervously adjusted the mobile emitter on his shoulder and searched the room for the man he’d come to see. He found the atmosphere, the clothing, the people in this place distracting. In his time, things were… different. His world was more low key and practical. Uniforms came in shades of bronze, silver, and gold. Klingons wouldn’t be caught dead celebrating with Tellarites in a shady bar on Earth. It was a lot to process, and he was still working through the

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

Paul Stamets stepped through the automatic doors and into the dimly lit Corridor Seven, a bar with a reputation of being raucous, free-wheeling, and loud enough to allow for a nice, private conversation in a public place. He dodged to one side as a young Starfleet ensign, complete with casually undone collar, stumbled toward the exit. Of all the Academy-adjacent bars in San Francisco, his new friend had chosen to meet in this one. Paul nervously adjusted the mobile emitter on his shoulder and searched the room for the man he’d come to see. He found the atmosphere, the clothing, the people in this place distracting. In his time, things were… different. His world was more low key and practical. Uniforms came in shades of bronze, silver, and gold. Klingons wouldn’t be caught dead celebrating with Tellarites in a shady bar on Earth. It was a lot to process, and he was still working through the

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

A trio of chirps stole Lieutenant Commander Amna Patel’s attention away from a pair of senior security officers and her own data pad. She excused herself and stepped out of the busy shuttle bay where hundreds of Starfleet Security personnel were mustered and boarding shuttlecraft bound for the Conestoga-class transports. Patel removed her communicator and, with a flick of the wrist, initiated contact with the person on the other end of the transmission. “Buran to Lieutenant Commander Patel, situation report.” Her communicator crackled noisily; there was always so much cross traffic during a major operation like this, and it usually took its toll on the comms network. Despite this, Amna smiled at the voice of Commander Ellen Landry on the other end. For a moment her thoughts drifted to happier futures than the one looming in the immediate. The communicator crackled again. “Patel, this is

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

This is a charming but unusual bit of fan art. Grandweasel has painted the epic Excalibur escape from Wing Commander 3 in water color. It's not a medium that you often see digitally represented on the internet, but his take on this scene is very recognizable and nails the intent. He's got a few self-critiques, but given the limitations of the format, I'd say this was a job well done!

A watercolour representation of a scene from Wing Commander 3, specifically the final strike on the Kilrathi homeworld. The background didn't come out as well as I'd hoped and the Excalibur looks a bit funny in places, but it still works. Somehow.

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Barbarian_bros has posted a great set of sharp photos from the French edition of Prophecy. These aren't particularly rare items, but this is one of the best scan jobs I've seen. Most people are well acquainted with the universe map depicted here, but they may not have experienced it in another language before. You can see all the familiar system and quadrant names ('Reid', 'Lesnick' and others are still the same) but major title text is updated. All of the peripheral text is also in French. This is one of the coolest box goodies of the whole series, so it's wonderful that it was available in multiple languages!

While we're on the subject of maps, here's links to some of our favorites: prototype universe map, movie map, Japanese Super Famicon Claw Marks and Terran Confederational Handbook.

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

The Palanquin’s bridge shook as panels sparked and instruments exploded, tossing her crew like ragdolls. The vorta First Officer, Adiss 5, had run the bridge efficiently and with a mastery of motivating the Jem’Hadar crew, but the Hur’q attacks had sent the ship listing hard to port, and Adiss went along with it. She would command this crew with her last breath, but, given her injuries, that didn’t seem all that far away. The Founder called Nuno entered the bridge with purpose, flanked by Jem’Hadar marines and with Adiss 6 in tow. By virtue of being a Founder, Nuno was afforded unquestioned command of the Palanquin, but he had come to think of his crew as a family over the long years of exploring together. He gave Adiss 6 a nod, and the vorta clone ran to her predecessor’s side and helped her up, brushed her off, and began to assist her to the medical bay. Nuno lifted his hands, formed

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

A moist wind blew across the multicolored Mycelial plain, and Amna Patel experienced it in a way she never had before. She sat on the edge of a cliff overlooking a broad basin, the sky brilliant and full of spores, some communicating, some reproducing, some simply traveling from place to place. She had experienced a lot in her life, not the least of which was rebirth as a being made of blood, bones, and animal flesh, and moments like this gave her a deeper understanding of how strange it must be to travel here from the humans’ dimension. The humidity was almost uncomfortable against her recently acquired skin, and the spores in the air scoured her throat when she breathed. While the jahSepp knew she was of their kind, and thus didn’t seek to poison her or chase her away, she had to admit that the only world she knew felt strange and uninviting. She took this form to communicate with the humans

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

A moist wind blew across the multicolored Mycelial plain, and Amna Patel experienced it in a way she never had before. She sat on the edge of a cliff overlooking a broad basin, the sky brilliant and full of spores, some communicating, some reproducing, some simply traveling from place to place. She had experienced a lot in her life, not the least of which was rebirth as a being made of blood, bones, and animal flesh, and moments like this gave her a deeper understanding of how strange it must be to travel here from the humans’ dimension. The humidity was almost uncomfortable against her recently acquired skin, and the spores in the air scoured her throat when she breathed. While the jahSepp knew she was of their kind, and thus didn’t seek to poison her or chase her away, she had to admit that the only world she knew felt strange and uninviting. She took this form to communicate with the humans

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Public debate around the Battle of HIP 22460 has seen the emergence of a grassroots movement that promotes communication with the Thargoids.
As militaries prepare for a protracted anti-xeno conflict, this alternative viewpoint has gained traction on social channels in multiple systems. Proponents believe that their governments should focus on finding ways to open a dialogue with the Thargoid species, and end hostilities using diplomatic means.
On Interstellar Communal Experience (ICE) platforms, some influential names have amplified the xeno-peace concept. In a recent ICE-cast, leading caster Joy Senne openly discussed the topic with her viewers:
"How do you end a war? Is it by fighting harder, building bigger weapons, wiping out everyone you can? No! Well, sometimes, I guess. But I guess Salvation blew that one, right? We shouldn't just accept what our leaders are telling us – that the only

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

One of the many exciting fan projects that legendary artist and programmer Howard Day has created over the years is Wing Leader, a modern WC1 remake in the Unity engine. During the 2019-2021 time period, Howie shared a lot of awesome concept material, art and engine demonstrator content, but priorities got in the way and development has significantly slowed these past few years. In order to potentially kick start community development and make sure the source content is available to fans in the future, Howie has now publicly released the project's assets on GitHub. Although he hopes to continue making improvements at some point, other Wingnuts are free (and encouraged!) to take the reigns and see what they can do with what's been developed so far. You can find out more here!

I figure I should do this, since I don't know when I'll get back to it. I've made the project public. Adam's passing has

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

AD found a neat beer being served at The Quakerhouse in Darlington, UK. Apparently they have an in-house microbrewery dubbed Mad Scientist, operated by Brian (The Scientist) Dourish and Rob (Egor) Brunton. Wing Commander is one of their creations. It's listed as a "spiced/herbed beer" and the little table card pictured below says it's a 4% ABV made with ginger. If anyone's nearby and able to check this out, definitely let us know how it is!