Post of the Month--March 2013

The time to announce our Post of the Month has come around once again. This month, we invite you to take a look at a post solely devoted to setting the scene by planting an idea of the character's thoughts and surroundings nicely in the reader's mind.

[Gamma 448 - Northern continent]

The alien sun of Gamma 448 was at its zenith in the sky, bearing down on the harsh iron-rich, sandstone terrain of the planets surface. The temperature was exceeding what any human would consider ‘unbearable’. This particular patch of red-hell was located on the southern tip of one of Gamma 448’s northern continents. Positioned almost directly on the equator, it received the full dose of daily solar radiation.

Jon Tulley halted and futilely tried to stem the flow of sweat pouring into his eyes, it was blurring his vision and causing considerable discomfort. He was wearing Starfleet issue UV protectors along with desert-certified clothing, but those didn’t stop the profuse sweating. He had been following a lead for the past couple of days, trying to find a remote shrine or religious site which may hold some significance with Starfleet. The local dust farmers had told Tulley he was heading in the right direction, but they couldn’t give him a precise location. Jon had tried to pinpoint his destination using the Churchill's planetary scanning suite to no avail. Tulley had to go back to basics and search using more traditional methods.

Liking himself to the early european explorers of the 15th century, Jon was trying to find a little piece of Solen and Human history. In a previous mission, Jon had recovered the log of an old NX-class ship which crash landed onto this planet. In that log, it was found that the Solen gained warp-theory from the stranded crew by less than peaceful means. Of course, the Solen had changed from their violent ancestors but, as Jon knew well, they still had the tendency to simply take what they needed.

Looking into the distance, Jon thought he caught a glimmer of light in the heat haze. Maybe it was just a mirage or his imagination but, he decided to investigate anyway. Wiping his eyes once more he replaced his eye protectors, took a swig from his camel-pack and proceeded up the slight incline of the hill in front of him.

He was not disappointed. Cresting the low hill, he came across a small graveyard and monument. The monument was fashioned from what looked to be a duranium girder, and stood approximately twelve feet tall. Surrounding the metal in a loose circle, were around a dozen headstones crafted from the local stone. Walking closer he could make out an inscription burned into the metal. It read: Here lies the crew of the NX-Osaka. Stranded away from home, they served with honour to the last.

The names of the crewmen were also carved onto the headstones, Jon wondered which one belonged to the captain in the video log. His search was over. As Mike had stated, the descendants of these crewmembers could now be contacted and informed of the final fate of their missing family members.

Taking a seat in the shade of the duranium monument, Tulley removed his sun protection and took a long drink. He would document this site and record everything for the history books.

Commenting on this post, USS Churchill Commanding Officer Reece Thompson said, "I think it sets the scene very well with amazing imagery. It puts the reader in no doubt about the setting, or the actions happening."

Don't forget if you notice a post worthy of recognition, submit it to your Commanding Officer before the end of the month. Please congratulate Petty Officer Third Class Jon Tulley on his remarkable post and the award of Post of the Month for March, 2013.