Star Trek Online: Disconnected From Server

(As annoying as it is and continues to be, I decided to have a little fun with it -B.)

"I don't understand it, Captain."

"Don't understand what, Ensign?"

"I've been trying to contact Star Fleet Command to confirm our next mission as per your orders, but I can't seem to get through. It seems I make contact initially but then I lose the connection and have to reenter our authorization codes again. I must have tried twenty times in the last twenty minutes."

"Could it be a problem on our end or something external disrupting our communications?"

"No Ma'am. I've run a full diagnostic on our communications array. Telltales are all green and there's nothing out there our sensors can detect which should interfere with communications."

"Damn it, Starfleet Command has been promising to upgrade their main array since before I took command of the Invincible, even before Fleet Admiral Zinkievich left the service. I see Star Fleet Command is apparently still far too busy recruiting and training new personnel under Fleet Admiral Stahl to get its own house in order."

"In fairness, Captain," Commander Tolek said quietly, in that earnest Vulcan tone of his Captain Bekka Jai enjoyed on an aesthetic level but had also privately come to loathe when he used it at times when she found it inappropriate to the situation, "The number of ships patrolling the Alpha Quadrant has increased dramatically recently. It could simply be a matter of the system being overloaded beyond its capacity."

"I'm sure that's exactly what it is, Number One. The problem is that we've heard of this promised communications upgrade in dispatch after dispatch, yet it never seems to materialize while the size of the fleet continues to grow rapidly. It makes you wonder exactly what the Starfleet Corps of Engineers is actually working on, because it certainly doesn't seem that making sure that the ships already out here are able to get our own jobs done is a high priority for them."

Commander Tolek took a position just behind the Captain's chair and clasped his hands behind his back as they both watched Ensign Pretobere and Lt. Commander Ezib huddled around the communications station reentering authorization codes and trying anything they could think of to try to get a solid connection with Star Fleet Command. "If I see 'Disconnected from Server' just one more time, I swear I'll..." "Belay that, Commander. Just do the best you can." Captain Jai said sharply. "If anyone on this ship is going to give Starfleet Command hell about this, it'll be me." Chastened, Commander Ezib blushed, as much as it was possible for the Andorian to blush. "Sorry Ma'am."

Bekka Jai looked over her shoulder toward the communications station and her expression softened. "I know it's frustrating, Ezib. It is for all of us. We can't proceed until we get confirmation, which means we're stuck out here in the Hromi Cluster until we can get a solid connection. Believe me, I'm as annoyed as anyone." "I know that Ma'am. I just wish..." Ezib thought better of finishing the thought and instead said "Have you tried contacting the Starfleet Corp of Engineers directly, instead of going through command?"

The Captain's expression was one of wry amusement. "No. There's really no point. We know what the problem is and so do they. Until Starfleet Command pulls its head out of its...gets its act together and upgrades their communications hardware, this is the way it's going to be, I'm afraid." Captain Jai turned and looked over at the communications station again. "Oh and Commander, as a cadet I studied under Academy Commandant Janeway. Like her, I prefer to be addressed as 'Captain' rather than 'Ma'am'." "Yes, Ma...Captain." "Very good. Now help Ensign Pretobere get Starfleet on the line. We're done with our mission here, and I want to get..."

"Captain!" Ensign Pretobere's voice was so excited she nearly squeaked. "I'm in! Mission orders confirmed!"

Bekka Jai visibly relaxed, sank back into her command chair, and looked at the viewscreen. Finally. They have just got to get that damned array upgraded, she thought, or they're going to end up losing a lot of good officers. "Alright, Vwydek. We're headed for the Delta Volanis Cluster, followed by a stopover at Memory Alpha. Set a course, engage the Quantum Slipstream Drive, and get us the hell out of here."

"Yes, Ma'am!"

Do I Really Want To Be A Borg?

The truth is, I dunno. I mean sure, as a lifetimer I can create a liberated Borg character, I'm just still not sure I want to play one.

For me, part of the fun of this game (and other MMO's) is recreating myself within its universe. Right now, my main (and so far only) character is Lt. Bekka Jai, a Bajoran tactical specialist. I like her, even though critics may complain that they've never seen a red-haired Bajoran before (at least, not my color...Kira's hair was a bit darker). Hey, there are always new discoveries to be made in the Star Trek Universe, and I would venture to guess that any species with spacefaring capabilities has already long since mastered the art of hair coloring. Male Klingons often wear more crap in their hair than human females, so perhaps it's even a necessary cultural step on the road toward interstellar travel.

Despite myself, I'm already invested in my Bekka Jai character. On the one hand, I do have an interest in creating a liberated Borg character to try out, I'm just not sure I want to focus on one for any ongoing length of time. I expect that sooner or later I'll create a liberated Borg just to see how it is, but I'll admit to a fair amount of ambivalence about it, despite the buff advantages of doing so.

STO, more than any other MMO I've ever played, fills me with a motivation to put as much of myself inside this universe as possible, as opposed to other MMOs where I've usually tried to escape into another persona and bury the real world completely rather than bring some of it with me.

Maybe it's that it's Star Trek, a universe that's been a part of my life for a very long time. I remember watching TOS in reruns on Channel 11 after school as a kid, I read Star Trek comics, I played with Star Trek toys, and when I was older I started reading Star Trek novels, watching new Star Trek movies and shows as they appeared, and generally being as much of an active part of the fanbase as someone who doesn't go to conventions and such usually is.

It's like I feel a desire to roleplay myself as much as possible within the context of the STO universe. A liberated Borg doesn't really fit my physical self-image, but in an odd sort of way the history of such a character does synch with my own. So, there are pros and cons for me in creating and using a libeated Borg in STO, and I haven't worked out my solution as yet.

Many, I suppose, will read this and ask "Why give a shit? It's all about having the best, most powerful character you can to better pwn everyone else!". I guess that's true for some people, but for me it has to be about more than just being an uber-leet (or whatever the hell the term of the moment is) player, it's also about the experience.

I want to immerse myself in this game when I play, and so I did what I did when I was involved with Second Life, I literally recreated myself within that universe as closely as possible, but an idealized, not realisitic, version of myself. It is, after all, a fantasy universe and there's nothing wrong with taking advantage of that reality to refine the personal image you want to present to others by making it more in keeping with the way you see yourself. In other words, it's a transsexual's best friend (and before you ask, the answer is yes, I am).

And so, for now it's Lt. Bekka Jai who will captain her starship, the USS Blackheart, across the vast reaches of the STO universe. Is there a liberated Borg in my future? Maybe. I've got some nifty stuff coming with the STO collector's edition, so I think I'll wait until at least then before I make any decisions. Either way though, I'm still happy with my main and I think she's going to stay my main. I just like her.

Damn, I'm having a great time with this game.