Ben Zwycky

I never saw that advert, and I'm pretty glad I didn't. It would have really put me off BC3K, because I would have thought, 'If they have to resort to that kind of advertising, the game can't really be any good. Thanks for proving me wrong, SC. ------------------ Cmdr. Ben Zwycky GCV Svoboda, ISS08 Adjutant to the Fleet Commander ISS Fleet Recruiting Officer Director, CIOPS Directorate of Training and Administration Initiate - Order of Jade Dragon ISS Fleet Homepage GCV Svoboda Homepage "Nakonec pravda vitezi" (in the end the truth wins)

[rp]Ben led Commander Ryker over to the console and Briggs brought up the summary lists of what had been found and who the prime suspects were. He quickly digested the information. "We haven't got any leads strong enough to act on. We'll need to keep a close watch on all these people for suspicious activity." "I agree, but maybe you've missed someone." "Who?" asked Ben, taken by surprise. "Tepes. When was he given the Dark Sun?" "Jaromir? No way! He recruited me into ISS, and he's one of my best friends on station. It couldn't be him." "25th March 3007," reported Briggs. Ben was stopped in his tracks. "Less than one month before the discrepancies started. I'd say we have another prime suspect." concluded Ron. "I don't believe it could be him! Why would he?" "Maybe someone got to him in his new environment, maybe he was disgruntled at having his core access taken away. He would have the technical knowledge to hack into the system if he really wanted to." "I know him, He's not like that. It couldn't be him!" "You're getting emotionally involved in this investigation, Ben. You can't afford to do that. If you want to clear your friend, he'll have to be watched." Ben rubbed his eyes and nodded. "OK, but he's on patrol with the Defense Wing, isn't he? How do you plant surveillance devices all over an active ship without any of the crew noticing?" "You don't." said Josh, instantly getting the attention of both of them. "Oh. What's your plan, Josh?" 1520 March 14, 3008 [/rp] OK, people we're still a day behind the rest of the story, let's get this moving along again. ------------------ Cmdr. Ben Zwycky GCV Svoboda, ISS08 Adjutant to the Fleet Commander ISS Fleet Recruiting Officer Director, CIOPS Directorate of Training and Administration Initiate - Order of Jade Dragon ISS Fleet Homepage GCV Svoboda Homepage "Nakonec pravda vitezi" (in the end the truth wins)

Welcome, Joe! Back pain- not nice OK, before this thread turns into a recruiting drive- if you want to join a fleet then look here before you decide anything. see you around, ------------------ Cmdr. Ben Zwycky GCV Svoboda, ISS08 Adjutant to the Fleet Commander ISS Fleet Recruiting Officer Director, CIOPS Directorate of Training and Administration Initiate - Order of Jade Dragon ISS Fleet Homepage GCV Svoboda Homepage "Nakonec pravda vitezi" (in the end the truth wins) [This message has been edited by Ben Zwycky (edited 04-12-2000).]

Well done, lad! Very good for a first story. I emailed you with my little concerns, but nothing too major wrong with that one ------------------ Cmdr. Ben Zwycky GCV Svoboda, ISS08 Adjutant to the Fleet Commander ISS Fleet Recruiting Officer Director, CIOPS Directorate of Training and Administration Initiate - Order of Jade Dragon ISS Fleet Homepage GCV Svoboda Homepage "Nakonec pravda vitezi" (in the end the truth wins)

I've never been in the military, and don't plan on joining. Not that I don't appreciate what you guys do, you do a very fine job indeed, I'm just not cut out for it myself. ------------------ Cmdr. Ben Zwycky GCV Svoboda, ISS08 Adjutant to the Fleet Commander ISS Fleet Recruiting Officer Director, CIOPS Directorate of Training and Administration Initiate - Order of Jade Dragon ISS Fleet Homepage GCV Svoboda Homepage "Nakonec pravda vitezi" (in the end the truth wins)

[rp] It is indeed a sad day. DeSylva made enemies only of those with no sense of honour. All of us in the ISS fleet (and across all other fleets I am sure) are deeply saddened to see dishonourable men succeed in this way, and we are all far more deeply determined to see that justice is done. There will be no end to the investigation until we have found the culprit(s), and there will be no haven safe enough to hide them forever. They will be found, and will be called to account for this most cowardly of crimes. [/rp] ------------------ Cmdr. Ben Zwycky GCV Svoboda, ISS08 Adjutant to the Fleet Commander ISS Fleet Recruiting Officer Director, CIOPS Directorate of Training and Administration Initiate - Order of Jade Dragon ISS Fleet Homepage GCV Svoboda Homepage "Nakonec pravda vitezi" (in the end the truth wins)

Well, unless my arithmetic has gone way downhill, Max is the oldest at 56 already. Also J.Smith is also 14, so unless we know lockjaw's birthday, we can't know for sure who is the youngest. Just keeping you on your toes, Blades I had no idea you were such a youngun' Alun. I am impressed ------------------ Cmdr. Ben Zwycky GCV Svoboda, ISS08 Adjutant to the Fleet Commander ISS Fleet Recruiting Officer Director, CIOPS Directorate of Training and Administration Initiate - Order of Jade Dragon ISS Fleet Homepage GCV Svoboda Homepage "Nakonec pravda vitezi" (in the end the truth wins)

Well, my RL alter-ego was born approximately twenty-four and a half solar cycles ago, way back in the mists of time (but obviously not as way back as some ) ------------------ Cmdr. Ben Zwycky GCV Svoboda, ISS08 Adjutant to the Fleet Commander ISS Fleet Recruiting Officer Director, CIOPS Directorate of Training and Administration Initiate - Order of Jade Dragon ISS Fleet Homepage GCV Svoboda Homepage "Nakonec pravda vitezi" (in the end the truth wins)

[rp] "You're kidding!" "No, I definitely beat him, here's the results broadcast to prove it." Replied Doug McIlroy, handing Ben a datapad "Doug, that's unbelievable, it's unheard of! You actually beat a Nepalese Gurka over an assault course?" "I've just given you the proof, what more do you need?" "Come on, what aren't you telling me?" "Why can't you just believe me?" "Because I know that look, Doug, and you usually get it after you've laid a practical joke for someone. What happened?" Doug smiled. "No wonder you always find those! OK, he had a virus, and a sprained wrist," and after a few more suspicious looks from Ben he reluctantly admitted, "and he was 46, OK? Still, I was the only guy there to beat him." "I'm still proud of you, Doug." "Hmph. Those guys are amazing! I'd give just about anything to have a squad of them under my command." "So would everyone, Doug, they're the best natural-born soldiers on the planet. Prime fleet has jurisdiction over all of them, and they're certainly not keen to let any of them go. I wouldn't be." "Couldn't I go and ask for some to strengthen ISS' elite battalion?" "Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt to ask. Badgerius is quite high up in prime, but I'm not sure if he has that kind of authority. Even if he does, he'll know how valuable they are, so I wouldn't get your hopes up too high." Never being that responsive to negative thinking, Doug happily jogged across the room and enthusiastically introduced himself. Since Frank had got up to join in the conversations, Jana had just remained seated, appearing distraught and totally unapproachable. All around her, the different conversations blurred into an unpleasant noise, and more dark thoughts haunted her. 'Everyone else is enjoying themselves. No one understands what I'm going through. No one cares.' The noise seemed to rise in volume, interspersed with the occasional recognisable word: *babble* *babble* *babble* "Deadboy" *babble* *babble* "Deadboy" *babble* "Deadboy" "Deadboy" *babble* "Deadboy" *babble* "Deadboy" "Deadboy" "Deadboy" When she could stand it no longer, she stood and ran out the door, down the corridor, away from the people who didn't understand, away from the room full of life. Her breathing became more panicky, and she decided to head for the one place she could get away, be alone. Her quarters.[/rp] ------------------ Cmdr. Ben Zwycky GCV Svoboda, ISS08 Adjutant to the Fleet Commander ISS Fleet Recruiting Officer Director, CIOPS Directorate of Training and Administration Initiate - Order of Jade Dragon ISS Fleet Homepage GCV Svoboda Homepage "Nakonec pravda vitezi" (in the end the truth wins)

Thought I'd add a bit of culture to this board IMO, you can't beat a quality piece of classical music to set the right mood. ------------------ Cmdr. Ben Zwycky GCV Svoboda, ISS08 Adjutant to the Fleet Commander ISS Fleet Recruiting Officer Director, CIOPS Directorate of Training and Administration Initiate - Order of Jade Dragon ISS Fleet Homepage GCV Svoboda Homepage "Nakonec pravda vitezi" (in the end the truth wins)

Have a look here ------------------ Cmdr. Ben Zwycky GCV Svoboda, ISS08 Adjutant to the Fleet Commander ISS Fleet Recruiting Officer Director, CIOPS Directorate of Training and Administration Initiate - Order of Jade Dragon ISS Fleet Homepage GCV Svoboda Homepage "Nakonec pravda vitezi" (in the end the truth wins)

Whenever I hear this piece of music on the radio (I listen to classic FM sometimes when IÔÇÖm driving), in my mind I always have this picture of a sequence to put in the BC movie. I just thought IÔÇÖd share it with you all. IÔÇÖm afraid youÔÇÖll have to excuse my bad cutting out of the bit IÔÇÖm concerned with, ItÔÇÖs the bit from 28 seconds to 2 minutes 40 seconds (although you could include the first bit as well if you want). Anyway, this is what it brings to mind: After shore leave at home on his familyÔÇÖs farm, the battle-hardened battlecruiser commander is called up by Galcom, who have sent a shuttle to go and pick him up. (If you include the first bit of the music, then it starts as you see the shuttle come in to land, if not then it starts as he walks over to the shuttle.) He enters the shuttle and sits down next to the pilot, and looks out the window. Cut to the shuttleÔÇÖs eye view, as it rises up from the ground before slowly starting forward. There are fields of crops all around. As they carry on, they pass over a couple of kids chasing each other through the cornfields. The fields stretch almost as far as the eye can see in every direction, but with some mountains in the far distance. The shuttle slowly accelerates and almost imperceptively starts to gain altitude, as they fly over the fields towards the mountains. They pass over an old dirt track, then some more fields, then another small farm compound with a plastic dome in it. The shuttle starts to really pick up speed and altitude as they approach the foothills. Cut back to the commander looking through the window, moved by the beauty of what he sees, with the mountains passing below reflected in the window. Back to the shuttleÔÇÖs eye view. As they climb above the mountains and through the light cloud cover, a collossal sprawling metropolis can be seen on the other side, and beyond that the shimmering blue sea. The shuttle continues to climb and the cityscape and coastline get smaller and smaller until the shuttle has left the atmosphere and the commander is looking down at the earth below. (This is the point where the mood of the music changes) Th view slowly pans away from the earth across the stars and past the moon, there is a lens flare as the camera pans past the sun, then out of it appears Galcom HQ in all itÔÇÖs majesty and the music climaxes. Hope you all enjoyed that. I do every time I imagine it. The music link might not be working when I post this (ItÔÇÖll probably take me about twenty minutes to upload) Later all, ------------------ Cmdr. Ben Zwycky GCV Svoboda, ISS08 Adjutant to the Fleet Commander ISS Fleet Recruiting Officer Director, CIOPS Directorate of Training and Administration Initiate - Order of Jade Dragon ISS Fleet Homepage GCV Svoboda Homepage "Nakonec pravda vitezi" (in the end the truth wins)

That's not too bad, Robert, but the cloaking issue raises it's head again. You can't just stay cloaked indefinetly, waiting for something to happen in the standoff. What you can do is go and hide in a debris field while your cloak cools down, or it's going to start spewing radiation all over the place. (Btw, Ben Somerset's ship is the GCV Swiftsure, not the Sureswift. ) For doing italics, bold, links etc, click on the 'UBB Code is ON' link next to the box where you type (or paste) in your post, and to do the smilies, click on the 'Smilies Legend' link. Both of these pages will tell you how to do all sorts of nice things Enjoy, ------------------ Cmdr. Ben Zwycky GCV Svoboda, ISS08 Adjutant to the Fleet Commander ISS Fleet Recruiting Officer Director, CIOPS Directorate of Training and Administration Initiate - Order of Jade Dragon ISS Fleet Homepage GCV Svoboda Homepage "Nakonec pravda vitezi" (in the end the truth wins)

Quote from SC from aquite a while ago: quote: I have two experienced teams that I am happy with. If I hire any of the B5 team (and I have already offered this to a couple of them) it will be for either BC:3030AD or the Dreamcast version of BC3K and they will be working, as with the new Team B guys, from already established engines. Why mess with perfection? and more recently: quote: Yes, thats what I said. BCM and my console game, will probably be the last single-player BC3K title that I do. Whether console referred to the Dreamcast or the PS2, I'm not totally sure. I have this vague memory that it would be available on both, but I'm very unsure of that, so don't quote me there He also said somewhere that it would be a simplified version, but I can't find that quote right now. Anyway, those who know for sure correct/confirm what I've said, please. ------------------ Cmdr. Ben Zwycky GCV Svoboda, ISS08 Adjutant to the Fleet Commander ISS Fleet Recruiting Officer Director, CIOPS Directorate of Training and Administration Initiate - Order of Jade Dragon ISS Fleet Homepage GCV Svoboda Homepage "Nakonec pravda vitezi" (in the end the truth wins)

I remember Dukes of Hazard, I remember playing at it with all the kids on my road, jumping in and out of the windows of my parents big old red estate car. I owned and used a Z80. (I won another two in a school raffle when they were replacing them) Yes! the forerunner to the ZX Spectrum and definitely not mighty. I can't remember using the Z80 much, but I have very fond memories of my speccy, mightily upgraded to a massive 48K of memory. I played frogger, space invaders, horace goes skiing, Oracle's Cave, way of the exploding fist and elite, of course. Not your fancy elite II on the PC, but the real original, where you could hyperspace directly into your destination station by jumping just as you were going back into the station you just left. I remember having a very dodgy connection between my very battered cassette recorder and my Speccy, and havig to set the volume exactly right or else it wouldn't load. I remember trying 10 or twelve times to load the next level on one of the games- altered beast or something. It got pretty frustrating at times. We also had a rotary telephone until I was about 8 I think I did AS-Level computing when maths coprocessors were the latest thing, and windows was a "fancy resource-hogging waste of time for those namby-pambies who couldn't be bothered to program" (or words to that effect) according to my teacher at the time, and they banned civilisation from the school network because nobody did anything else with the computers. We've still got loads of LP's in our house, including some of the goon show, amongst other things. Them were the days, lad. Now don't you forget it! ------------------ Cmdr. Ben Zwycky GCV Svoboda, ISS08 Adjutant to the Fleet Commander ISS Fleet Recruiting Officer Director, CIOPS Directorate of Training and Administration Initiate - Order of Jade Dragon ISS Fleet Homepage GCV Svoboda Homepage "Nakonec pravda vitezi" (in the end the truth wins) [This message has been edited by Ben Zwycky (edited 04-04-2000).]

[rp] Director of CIOPS Training Ben Zwycky looked over his line of new recruits. "Right! In honour of the SC's birthday, we are going to perform an honour march all the way to galcom HQ! Squad, present arms!" In unison, all the new cadets brought their rifles up in front of them, but being unaccustomed to such drills, two of them dropped their rifles, having forgotten to switch on their safeties, and they went off. One blast sliced through the legs of a couple of the unskillful cadets' comrades who fell screaming to the floor , and the other slammed into a support beam, which buckled and gave way, causing a large section of roof to collapse and flatten the other half of the line. Ben put his hand over his face and shook his head with a large sigh. "OK, change of plan!" --------------------------------- GALCOM SECURE TANSMISSION: FROM: Cmdr. Ben Zwycky TO: SC Karl Reines Happy Birthday, Sir! END TRANSMISSION --------------------------------- [rp] ------------------ Cmdr. Ben Zwycky GCV Svoboda, ISS08 Adjutant to the Fleet Commander ISS Fleet Recruiting Officer Director, CIOPS Directorate of Training and Administration Initiate - Order of Jade Dragon ISS Fleet Homepage GCV Svoboda Homepage "Nakonec pravda vitezi" (in the end the truth wins) [This message has been edited by Ben Zwycky (edited 04-04-2000).]

[rp] "Well, the only people who have that level of system access are wing commanders and above, high ranking CIOPS and administration staff, and a few of the system techs." "Have you got a list?" "Sure, there's the system access listings." Ben leant over and looked at the list of names that scrolled down the screen: --------------------------------------------- PERSONNEL WITH CLEARANCE LEVEL 4/AS AND ABOVE TO RENEGADE COMPUTER NETWORK: FC JEEHUN RISTAR - - - - FLEET COMMANDER CMDR ALUN TRINGAD - - - COMMANDER, TACTICAL SUPPORT WING CMDR NICK JAMONT - - - - COMMANDER, INTEL & ESPIONAGE WING CMDR JOSH DILVORN - - - COMMANDER, DEFENSE WING CMDR CODY BADER - - - - COMMANDER, CIOPS WING CMDR BEN ZWYCKY- - - - - CIOPS DIRECTOR OF ADMIN & TRAINING CMDR RON RYKER - - - - - CIOPS DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS CMDR AOETHEN FREEFOX - - CIOPS DIRECTOR OF INTELLIGENCE CMDR JASON TISBORN - - - CSO, RENEGADE STATION CMDR R'OR J'AAL - - - - CEO, RENEGADE STATION CMDR ROBERT KENEAD - - - CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR, INTEL WING LT REBECCA GUNDINE - - - ISS CHIEF COMMS OFFICER LT DAVID REGIS - - - - - CORE SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN LT STEVEN BYWEATHER - - CORE SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN LT GEORGI KLADIC - - - - CORE SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN LT RAM JACHUK - - - - - CORE SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN --------------------------------------------- "That's quite a list." "What about Ketovski? He had your level of access, Ben," commented Josh. "Yeah, OK. Redefine the search. Search for all personnel who have had that level of access at any time over the last two years, and highlight those personnel who first gained that level of access in the six months preceding the first discrepancy." Five more names were added to the list: --------------------------------------------- CMDR IVAN KETOVSKI - - - CIOPS DIRECTOR OF ADMIN (DECEASED) CMDR THOMAS MURAKA - - - CSO, RENEGADE STATION (RETIRED) CMDR HANS MULLER - - - - CEO, RENEGADE STATION (DECEASED) CMDR JAROMIR TEPES - - - CORE SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN (GIVEN COMMAND OF GCV DARK SUN) LT NADIA KOMALENKO - - - ISS CHIEF COMMS OFFICER (DECEASED) --------------------------------------------- and five were highlighted: --------------------------------------------- CMDR JASON TISBORN - - - - CSO, RENEGADE STATION CMDR R'OR J'AAL - - - - - CEO, RENEGADE STATION LT REBECCA GUNDINE - - - - ISS CHIEF COMMS OFFICER LT STEVEN BYWEATHER - - - CORE SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN LT GEORGI KLADIC - - - - - CORE SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN --------------------------------------------- "Right, these are our prime suspects, but we'll need more info to narrow it down. I think it's time to get our Director of Operations involved." Ben went over to the comms panel, inserted his key and activated the retinal scanner. After the soft confirmation beep he opened a secure channel to Commander Ryker's office. "Ron! How you doing?" "Not too bad, Ben. Settling in to your new office?" "Yeah, I could get used to it." "So what's this about?" "Something important has cropped up. Could you come to my office? There's something I want to show you." "OK, I'll be there in ten minutes."[/rp] There you go, Rod, you're in I think you know what I'm going to ask you to do. ------------------ Cmdr. Ben Zwycky GCV Svoboda, ISS08 Adjutant to the Fleet Commander ISS Fleet Recruiting Officer Director, CIOPS Directorate of Training and Administration Initiate - Order of Jade Dragon ISS Fleet Homepage GCV Svoboda Homepage "Nakonec pravda vitezi" (in the end the truth wins) [This message has been edited by Ben Zwycky (edited 04-03-2000).]

[rp] Jana came up to the lectern, very unsure of what to do or say. The silent expectation of the audience only made her feel worse. She had cried at many of the memories that the earlier speeches had brought to the surface. She was on the edge of tears again at the prospect of recounting those precious memories that hurt so much now, and she very nearly broke down before uttering a word. From somewhere she gathered the strength to utter the words "Deadboy. What can I say about him?" She seemed to be relieved to get something out, and was able to continue- "He was a kind man. He was a generous man. He was a gentle man. He loved me, and he was the first man I ever loved. I never thought I would love anyone that much, but I did, and now he's gone." The sobs took over and she couldn't go on any more. She struggled back to her seat where Frank put his arms around her and tried to comfort her, without much success. Ben was upset to see one of his crew in such pain. He was reminded of the love that he'd lost all those years ago. The one he had pinned all his hopes on. He approached the podium again. "Thank you for sharing that, Jana. We're all here for you." He then straightened up and faced the rest of the audience. "Deadboy and Cavalry were heroes. No one denies that. We were all privileged to know them and serve with them. They both gave all they had to save others, and when they had nothing left to give, they gave themselves. Any of us would be honoured to have that said of us. I don't know whether either of them believed in God, but I know this: If any of us can face death and face meeting God with the same courage that they did, then there will be no challenges in this life that we cannot face. Deadboy and Cavalry, we salute you." Ben turned to the screen and saluted, and everyone in the room stood and did the same, except for Jana, who was unable to stand, and Frank, who stayed down to comfort her. Everyone held their salutes while the Galcom anthem was played, during which many a tear went unwiped, then sat down again when it was finished. Ben turned back to the lectern. "These proceedings are now closed. For those that wish to stay, there will be a reception in the next room in five minutes." Some small double doors opened in the wall to the right of the podium, revealing a second room containing some elegantly laid buffet tables. Some stayed where they were and talked to old friends, some made their way to the second room, and some went on their way to their various destinations. Ben turned to the commanders behind him and shook the hand of each one, thanking them for coming. He talked quietly with Fleet Commander DeSylva before he was moved to a hoverchair and escorted back to his shuttle.[/rp] Feel free to hang around and chat in the reception. I hear the food's quite good ------------------ Cmdr. Ben Zwycky GCV Svoboda, ISS08 Adjutant to the Fleet Commander ISS Fleet Recruiting Officer Director, CIOPS Directorate of Training and Administration Initiate - Order of Jade Dragon ISS Fleet Homepage GCV Svoboda Homepage "Nakonec pravda vitezi" (in the end the truth wins)

Sorry, Nick. Here you go [rp] "But isn't there supposed to be triple redundancy on all data storage? They couldn't have purged all four system logs at once, could they?" "They didn't have to. Someone hacked into the triple redundancy subroutine. They only had to change a few lines, and instead of copying the document to the other four locations, it sends a file of complete garbage to those locations, but with the same filename and file size. Since all files are heavily encrypted, a file of complete garbage looks pretty similar without the decryption key." Ben and Josh both paled visibly. "That's unbelievable! How long ago was this done?" "Well, the first garbage files started appearing just under a year ago, so it was probably done then. It's shocking that it hasn't been picked up until now." Josh turned to Ben, "We're in trouble." Ben's Intercom buzzed. "Yes, what is it?" "Ben, the GCV Conquest has been trying to reach Commander Dilvorn. They want to relay a secure message from Commander Jamont." "OK, tell them they can send it to the secure comms terminal in my office." Josh moved over to the comms terminal, inserted his security key and activated the retinal scanner. A quiet beep indicated the completion of the identification procedure. "Jamont knows about the possibility of the mole, and wants to meet up with us." "OK, tell him he can meet us here." "So which logs have data missing?" "System access and communications logs." "Who could have gained access to those logs?"[/rp] OK, Josh, Nick, Rod, any other ISS members, we might need to discuss a few things. I'll be in the chatroom for a little while. ------------------ Cmdr. Ben Zwycky GCV Svoboda, ISS08 Adjutant to the Fleet Commander ISS Fleet Recruiting Officer Director, CIOPS Directorate of Training and Administration Initiate - Order of Jade Dragon ISS Fleet Homepage GCV Svoboda Homepage "Nakonec pravda vitezi" (in the end the truth wins)

This is a continuation of the ÔÇÿmole in ISSÔÇÖ storyline, which myself, Josh Dilvorn and rod_G worked out earlier today in the BC chatroom. The timestamp, as well as some of the continuity details are subject to revision. [rp]0903, March 14, 3008 ÔÇ£Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Commander. I didnÔÇÖt realise things had gotten this bad.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Just doing my job, sir. It seems like the administration staff are severely overburdened with everything thatÔÇÖs happened.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Indeed, Ben. Mr KetovskiÔÇÖs shuttle acccident couldnÔÇÖt have happened at a worse time. Virtually every fleet is in the middle of major restructuring, and there just arenÔÇÖt enough administrators to go round.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£What will we do, sir? We need a new director of administration. We canÔÇÖt just go on like this.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Correct, Commander, which is why until a more qualified individual comes along, you are the new director of administration and training.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Sir?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£You heard me. Miss Cartwright, Mr. KetovskiÔÇÖs old secretary, will show you the ropes.ÔÇØ Ben struggled to say more than a stupefied grunt as he temporarily lost all power to his tongue. ÔÇ£Blu, but, er, how?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£How what?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£How am I the best qualified individual?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Well, you have just demonstrated that you understand how important the job is and what the consequences are of it being done badly. The training regime and discipline youÔÇÖve shown with your crew has turned them into a well-motivated, capable and flexible team. WhoÔÇÖs to say you wonÔÇÖt do the same for the administration staff?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£But sir, I hardly think-ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Most important of all, Ben, I know that I can depend on you to do your best, and I know that I can trust you. For a position this important, that is vital.ÔÇØ Ben tried to think of something to say to counter this, and even opened his mouth to speak, but ended up just audibly exhaling. ÔÇ£So what about my other positions then, sir?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£If the burden becomes too much then we will get others to take over your current duties as and when you request.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£And the security sweep?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£That will be your first duty. I will give you the clearance necessary to perform it. I assume it will take quite a while, and you wonÔÇÖt need to be present the whole time, so in the meantime Miss Cartwright can fill you in on how the organisation works.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£OK, when do I start?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Immediately. Mrs Redgate will show you the way to your new office. Here is your administration id and password.ÔÇØ Ristar handed Ben a small box. ÔÇ£Good luck, Ben, and happy hunting.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Thank you sir, IÔÇÖll need it.ÔÇØ Ben stood and left the office. In the reception area, a pleasant but businesslike middle-aged woman greeted him. ÔÇ£Commander Zwycky, if you would follow me, please.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Certainly.ÔÇØ As he walked through the corridors towards his new second home from home, he contacted the Svoboda. ÔÇ£Karen, get me Briggs and Elworthy.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£No problem.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Elworthy here, sir.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Briggs here.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Gentlemen, Ristar has agreed to your proposal. Get all your analysis equipment together- IÔÇÖll tell you where to beam to in five minutes. WeÔÇÖre going hunting.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Will do.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Commander, your new office is just down there at the end of the corridor. You canÔÇÖt miss it.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Thank you maÔÇÖam.ÔÇØ Ben went to the end of the corridor. She was right. At the end there were big double doors with ÔÇÿDirector of Administration and TrainingÔÇÖ emblazoned across them. ÔÇÿWell time to meet the office assistant. Probably been working here since the station was builtÔÇÖ As the doors opened, the spacious reception area was revealed, with plush seats and an elegant receptionistÔÇÖs desk with a pretty young woman sitting behind it, probably not even in her thirties, dressed dignifiedly in a business suit. She looked up and greeted Ben with a big smile, standing up and approaching him warmly. ÔÇ£Hello! You must be Ben Zwycky. ItÔÇÖs great to finally meet you. IÔÇÖm Emily Cartwright, your new secretary.ÔÇØ Ben was puzzled. ÔÇ£You were KetovskiÔÇÖs secretary?ÔÇØ She smiled again, accepting the compliment, even if he didnÔÇÖt mean it as such. ÔÇ£IÔÇÖve been on this station for six years, and I was his secretary for two.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Wow,ÔÇØ Ben said involuntarily. ÔÇ£Wow yourself! A real battlecruiser commander, and cute as well! Lucky me!ÔÇØ She said with a grin. Ben was unsure how to deal with this sort of comment, so he just said, ÔÇ£Umm, yes. So what facilities do we have here?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Well, IÔÇÖll show you round your office.ÔÇØ She led him through the oak-paneled door into his spacious office. ÔÇ£Here we are- desk, comms terminal, computer terminal, drinks dispenser, executive washroom, you can see for yourself, really. Anything else you need, you just use the intercom, and IÔÇÖll get it for you. Within reason, of course,ÔÇØ said with another smile. ÔÇ£So, is there anything I can do for you first of all?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Well, in about five minutes Privates Briggs and Elworthy will be arriving with some equipment. Show them straight in. After that, I would like a breakdown of the administrative structure of the fleet.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£That report is done and in the datapad on your desk. If there are any unfamiliar terms, IÔÇÖd be happy to go through it with you. IÔÇÖll show those gentlemen in as soon as they arrive.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£OK, IÔÇÖll read through it, and get back to you with any questions I have.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Very good, sir. Oh, what would you prefer me to call you? Sir, Commander, Director?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Just call me Ben. Everyone else does.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Right. ThatÔÇÖs nice and easy. See you in a little while, Ben.ÔÇØ Ben closed the door and looked around his plush office again. Picking up the datapad and sitting down on the long imitation leather couch he thought to himself, ÔÇÿMaybe the executive life isnÔÇÖt so bad after all!ÔÇÖ The events of the last twenty minutes started to sink in. 'Wow, this is really my office!' He activated his commbadge. ÔÇ£Karen, IÔÇÖve just been made the new director of administration and training.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Well done, Ben! IÔÇÖm sure you deserve it and will do a great job.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£HereÔÇÖs where my new office is. Can you tell Briggs and Elworthy?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£OK, done. TheyÔÇÖll be over in five minutes.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Thanks, Karen.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£OK, bye.ÔÇØ Ben started to absorb the well-presented report and was fully engrossed when his intercom buzzed. ÔÇ£Misters Briggs and Elworthy to see you.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Show them in.ÔÇØ Briggs and Elworthy entered the room carrying a medium sized black plastic box. They closed the door behind them and removed the system infiltration console from the box, along with a couple of small cubes. ÔÇ£Nice little secretary you have there, Commander!ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Hmmm, yes, I suppose." "You suppose?! If I knew those were the sorts of perks you got, I'd have applied to become an administrator a looong time ago! " Briggs and Elworthy both chuckled. Ben wasn't so amused. "OK Guys, you know what youÔÇÖre doing, and you donÔÇÖt need me to watch over you. IÔÇÖve got lots of stuff to do, so IÔÇÖll just let you get on with it, OK? HereÔÇÖs the terminal, and hereÔÇÖs the authorisation from Ristar.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Gotcha.ÔÇØ They got to work quietly and efficiently as Ben completed reading the report. Miss Cartwright was surprised by the questions he asked. He didnÔÇÖt just dumbly ask the ÔÇÿwhat does this word meanÔÇÖ questions she had expected, but asked incisively about the motivation and philosophy behind the different administration strategies, how they knitted together, and arrived at some points where the current methods couldnÔÇÖt really be justified, and so a note would be made of an action to be taken. She was impressed with his questions and he was impressed with her answers and they both came out of the discussion with an increased appreciation of each otherÔÇÖs capabilities. ÔÇ£Wow, has it been that long? Time for lunch. IÔÇÖll just check on how my guys are doing.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£What are they working on?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Some new security checks.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Anything I can help with?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£I wouldnÔÇÖt think so. TheyÔÇÖre pretty much experts. Go and get some lunch.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£I need to know when youÔÇÖre going to get back first.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Oh, yeah, sorry.ÔÇØ Ben poked his head round the door. ÔÇ£OK, guys, howÔÇÖs progress?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£ThereÔÇÖs an awful lot of files to go through. IÔÇÖd say weÔÇÖll be done in about an hour and a half, maybe two.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Right. See you in just over an hour, then. Oh, and remember to cross-reference any suspicious files with everyone who has had access to them.ÔÇØ He closed the door and turned back to Miss Cartwright. ÔÇ£OK, Emily, can you check if Commander Dilvorn is on the station?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Will do- Yes he is.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Okay, Zwycky to Dilvorn, are you there, Josh?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Hi Ben! WhatÔÇÖs up?" ÔÇ£You had lunch yet?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£No, you buying?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Alright, then. See you in about ten minutes in the caf├® next to the stationÔÇÖs main bar. I forget itsÔÇÖ name.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£I know the one you mean. IÔÇÖll be there.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£OK, Emily. IÔÇÖll be gone just over an hour, probably.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Right, no problem.ÔÇØ 1305, March 14, 3008 [/rp] Whew! That turned out a little longer than I intended. Josh, you can describe our lunch conversation and the results of the analysis. (WeÔÇÖll go back to my office after lunch). It doesnÔÇÖt have to be just us two, if you donÔÇÖt want. I realise this doesn't quite fit with your post with timestamp 1350 March 15, 3008, which sort of implied that you only found out about it then, but it lets us do what we discussed. Later all, let the sport commence! ------------------ Cmdr. Ben Zwycky GCV Svoboda, ISS08 Adjutant to the Fleet Commander ISS Fleet Recruiting Officer Director, CIOPS Directorate of Training and Administration Initiate - Order of Jade Dragon ISS Fleet Homepage GCV Svoboda Homepage "Nakonec pravda vitezi" (in the end the truth wins) [This message has been edited by Ben Zwycky (edited 03-30-2000).]

Just letting everyone know that Commander Josh Dilvorn's alter ego has a birthday today, so let's all wish him a good one. Happy Birthday, Josh! It's been an honour serving with you, and long may it continue. ------------------ Cmdr. Ben Zwycky GCV Svoboda, ISS08 Adjutant to the Fleet Commander ISS Fleet Recruiting Officer Director, CIOPS Directorate of Training and Administration Initiate - Order of Jade Dragon ISS Fleet Homepage GCV Svoboda Homepage "Nakonec pravda vitezi" (in the end the truth wins)

You might want to look at the BCM Product Info page. The system requirements are given there. ------------------ Cmdr. Ben Zwycky GCV Svoboda, ISS08 Adjutant to the Fleet Commander ISS Fleet Recruiting Officer Director, CIOPS Directorate of Training and Administration Initiate - Order of Jade Dragon ISS Fleet Homepage GCV Svoboda Homepage "Nakonec pravda vitezi" (in the end the truth wins)

*pokes body shell with long stick at arms length* "ewww- its all slimy!" ------------------ Cmdr. Ben Zwycky GCV Svoboda, ISS08 Adjutant to the Fleet Commander ISS Fleet Recruiting Officer Director, CIOPS Directorate of Training and Administration Initiate - Order of Jade Dragon ISS Fleet Homepage GCV Svoboda Homepage "Nakonec pravda vitezi" (in the end the truth wins)

Thanks Badger, that was just what I was after. Great post. [rp] A short and slightly overweight man nervously approached the podium. He had friendly features and a quiet and reassuring voice. ÔÇ£Hi. My name is Brian Causey, IÔÇÖm a flight engineer on the Svoboda, and I worked with Greg Robinson, who became known as Cavalry. He was a nice lad, maybe not the best engineer, but lots of fun. When he first came on board, he was fresh from the academy, and wasnÔÇÖt exactly a conscientious worker. One time on a simulated attack it was found that IC-3 wouldnÔÇÖt launch. We traced the problem back to a few circuits that had been damaged when Greg was doing a routine systems check. It turned out heÔÇÖd dropped a welding torch on the engine control system, and then hadnÔÇÖt bothered to check that it was still working afterwards. If we had really been under attack, we would have been one interceptor short. Quite a few of us thought he would have got thrown off the ship for that, but he wasnÔÇÖt. After a severe dressing down, the Commander said that he needed some motivation to do a better job, so he put him on the list to be trained as a primary backup interceptor pilot. This was so if anything went wrong with any of the ICÔÇÖs, Greg knew that his own life might be put at risk. From then on he was one of the pickiest systems checkers on the ship!ÔÇØ Brian gave a little laugh at this point. ÔÇ£He was made a primary backup pilot as a form of punishment, but he pretty quickly gained that position as of right. It was pretty amazing how much he learned and changed. IÔÇÖd like to think he had it inside him all the time, he just needed a break to show us all what he was really made of. Wherever you are, Greg, I hope youÔÇÖre doing well, and weÔÇÖll meet again someday.ÔÇØ Satisfied that he had said all he wanted, Brian stepped aside. [rp] ------------------ Cmdr. Ben Zwycky GCV Svoboda, ISS08 Adjutant to the Fleet Commander ISS Fleet Recruiting Officer Director, CIOPS Directorate of Training and Administration Initiate - Order of Jade Dragon http://issfleet.cjb.net http://www.watson-jones.swinternet.co.uk/Svoboda "Nakonec pravda vitezi" (in the end the truth wins) [This message has been edited by Ben Zwycky (edited 03-26-2000).]

What he said was that BC3020 will probably never happen- he will just keep on advancing BCOnline. I too fear that until BT sorts itself out (or OFTEL sorts itself out and makes BT sort itself out) and implements ADSL (which they can do relatively easily and cheaply but are dragging their heels because they're still making loads of money upgrading people to ISDN ), my phone line may not come up to the standards required for MP, even in BCM (I'm told that ADSL will work on any normal phone line even mine that's a few miles away from the nearest small town.) BCM SP will look like being my (and a few others') limit until then (but what a limit! ) ------------------ Cmdr. Ben Zwycky GCV Svoboda, ISS07 Adjutant to the Fleet Commander ISS Fleet Recruiting Officer Director, CIOPS Directorate of Training and Administration Commandant, ISS Fleet Academy Initiate - Order of Jade Dragon http://www.watson-jones.swinternet.co.uk/Svoboda "Nakonec pravda vitezi" (in the end the truth wins) [This message has been edited by Ben Zwycky (edited 03-24-2000).]