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State of the Rebel Squadrons, November 2006
State of the Rebel Squadrons
Friday, November 24, 2006
I. State of the RS
II. High Command
III. Fleet News Shorts
IV. ORW 3 Progress
V. Executive Offices
VI. Applications Requested
VII. Recognitions
VIII. Miscellaneous
Greetings, Members of the Rebel Squadrons!
Welcome to the SotRS address. A lot of things have been going on in the past month, and I'm happy to be able to report substantial progress on most of the issues I explained to you a month ago. If I was to report the state of the club in one sentence, I'd have to say that it feels like we're on the cusp of something great right now. We're not quite there yet, but we're close enough to taste it and to envision what is to come. IBG and RgF have just recently merged to form the VSG. VSG and RID are both about to embark on their first combined ITOD, which is the first step to an RS-wide ITOD that brings all of our fleets together in one cohesive and fascinating story. The RS-wide narratives, the first of which you saw last week, are a part of this. ORW3 is also going to be a part of this. Many of the building blocks for putting together an RS-wide storyline and interactive experience are in place and we're just about to get rolling on all of it. This is an exciting time for the RS and a lot of changes are underway. It is my job in this announcement to explain some of those changes to you all.
High Command is currently fully staffed. With the recent merger of the IBG and RgF into one unit, VSG, the makeup of the council has changed somewhat. Former IBG CO Anton "Ups" Nels and Former RgF CO David "Heavy" Pasiechnyk are no longer voting members. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank both Anton and Heavy for their leadership of their fleets and their participation on High Command. They will both be missed. In their place, VSG CO Rekio Corsair will have a vote on the council.
HC has recently been discussing possibilities for the restructuring or renaming of certain parts of the infrastructure of the RS. Discussion has slowed to a standstill without much progress made, so I'm afraid I cannot report much in the way of detail. HC will continue to discuss the issue and if and when decisions are reached, you all will be quickly informed.
Patriot Battle Fleet: In the PBF, Tour 7 is ongoing, currently in its fifth mission. PBF CO Josh Hawkins recently announced the abolition of the Wings of the PBF. Competition is currently concentrated on the squadron level, where it remains fierce. Although Gold Squadron is currently dominant, Red is threatening and other squadrons are not out of the fight!
Vigilance Starfighter Group: As you have probably seen on the RS webpage the past couple of days, the Intrepid Battle Group and Renegade Fleet have just recently merged to form the VSG. We all bid a very fond farewell and salute to the IBG and RgF, but the times march on. As I have announced in the past, Rekio Corsair is the CO of the new unit. The VSG therefore has a leader, a webpage, a space on the roster, and membership. Fictionally, VSG and RID will start a new tour at the same time. The first mission of the tour, VSG 101, will be out shortly.
Aurora Force: The AF is currently in a brief limbo, with its next mission scheduled to start sometime between now and Christmas. The subgroup AF-kids is still writing, as the characters await the dreaded invasion of the Yuuzhan Vong.
Allegiance Battle Group: The ABG continues to chug along with regular sims. ABG CO Michael Raven reports that the unit has received a few new members that will make a big impression on the group in the future. Upcoming campaigns should be even more interesting, so contact Raven if you would like to join up!
Redemption Fleet: In RF news, Righteous Indignation Division just finished up its Tour 0 and is preparing for a new tour that it will run in conjunction with VSG. RID CO Luren "DaLe" Ketan was recently appointed Commando Division CO as well. The Jedi Division is now headed up by LCM Bonaparte. Finally, Kaz's Writing Group is going strong thanks to the fact that Cody threatens people to make them write.
Vanguard Fleet: Nothing new to report from our Star Wars: Galaxies fleet, which continues to represent our name in the virtual world of SWG.
I'm happy to be able to report some significant breakthroughs in work on Outer Rim War 3. For those of you not aware, ORW3 will be a multiplayer competition utilizing just about all the games that the RS plays. To be honest, I was hoping that the competition would BEGIN this month (November), but it doesn't look like we're quite going to make that. With the help of Operations Officer Jon Anchorage and Executive Officer Michael Raven, however, we're making a lot of progress. Most importantly, we now have enough clubs that have agreed to be in the competition that it will be a reality. We have gathered the representatives of all these clubs onto one yahoogroup mailing list and formed the ORW Council. The Council has debated and essentially agreed upon the rules for ORW3. You can see the results of this debate here.
In other words, we have the competitors and we have the rules and we even mostly have the fiction that will surround the competition. Work on ORW3 is lagging in the technical side of things, however. The ORW3 webpage is only partially complete, as is the ORW3 IRC bot. Until we have these things done, we cannot hope to have a competition. We need the automation that a good webpage/bot combination will provide. If you are an expert coder, please contact me so that I can see if you will be able to help us on this project. Once the webpage and bot are done, ORW3 will be ready to begin.
There is much that could be said here. A month ago, I told you all that the Executives needed considerable work. Since I told you that, there's been a virtual revolution in the staffing of the Executives. RSXO Michael Raven and I have appointed no fewer than six new Executive Staff members.
Council of Justice: RA Gavin Cantorph Kravis and COM Leonard Cable were appointed Vice-Ministers of Justice to assist MoJ Rensal Darklighter.
Operations Office: MGN Jon Anchorage was appointed Operations Officer, and BGN Eric Skrevski along with LCM Luren "DaLe" Ketan were appointed Assistant Operations Officers to assist him.
External Affairs: ADM Rahj Tharen was apointed Minister of External Affairs.
Training Office: COM Leonard Cable was appointed Training Officer. He will oversee the Training Office, supervise the Beginner's Path, and establish new postgraduate education that will help the RS to produce new mission builders as well as new officers.
The Internet Office and Logistics Office remain the same. One of the most encouraging signs of the improvement of our Executive Offices is the degree of cooperation between them. The Internet, Operations, and Logistics Offices have all been working together on a variety of issues ranging from ORW3 to the upcoming ITODs.
Despite the improvement in the Executive Staff, there is still an open position. I am currently searching for a new Historical Officer. BGN Max Cal unfortunately needed to resign his post as RSHO. If you have an interest in preserving RS history and traditions for future generations, please consider applying for this position. No prior experience in cataloging RS history is required. You may either apply through the roster on the website or email me directly.
I owe my thanks to my entire Executive staff that has tirelessly helped me this past month. I would like to single out a few individuals however who have really gone above and beyond in their dedication to the RS.
MGN Jon Anchorage. Jon has been a tireless advocate of ORW3, showing considerable initiative in getting things going and putting together the ORW Council in the first place. Without Jon, the going would have been much more difficult. For your devotion to the cause of ORW3 and your willingness to step up and make things happen, I'm happy to promote you to the rank of Lieutenant General, Jon. Congratulations, it is well deserved!
COL David Vaughan. Vaughan, you may be tired of hearing it, but you are one of the most active members of the RS today. You work insanely long hours at a largely thankless task, compiling all sorts of data and all so that the RS can have a fictional universe that makes sense and will support a great RS-wide ITOD one day. Your dedication over time has certainly made you stand out from the crowd. It is my pleasure to award you with the Kessel Cup in recognition of your contributions to the RS. Congratulations!
GEN Michael Raven. Raven, you've been a fantastic XO. It's only been about a month, but the amount of work you've done is impressive. I appreciate your management of the ORW Council at the ORW3 meeting, your work with the Training Office, and your contributions to projects in the Logistics Office. In recognition of your dedication to the RS as a whole and your position as RSXO in particular, I'm happy to award you with the Kessel Cup as well. Congratulations!
I'd also like to recognize two special outgoing Fleet CO's:
BGN Anton "Ups" Nels. Thank you very much for your service as IBG CO. Although the IBG has now merged with RgF to form VSG, your service is not forgotten. In recognition of your work and your devotion to the IBG, I'm happy to promote you to the rank of Major General. Congratulations!
BGN David "Heavy" Pasiechnyk. Likewise, I'd like to thank you for your service as RgF CO. The RgF may be gone, but your service is appreciated. You kept the RgF going strong. In recognition of your work in the RgF, I'm happy to promote you to the rank of Major General. Congratulations!
Finally, I'd like to conclude this section with a very important event. The rank of Fleet Admiral is the highest rank that the RS can bestow upon one of its members. An individual who receives promotion to the rank of FA has dedicated an extensive amount of time to the RS, has served the club in a variety of ways, and is not merely a member but a fixture and cornerstone. The group of active Fleet Admirals is kept intentionally low by RS leadership to maintain the special honor of the highest rank available. As you can imagine, this means that the rank of FA is bestowed very rarely. In fact, I can tell you all for a fact that nobody has been promoted to the rank of Fleet Admiral in the last five years. With all of this said, I would like to introduce you all to Admiral Kaz Falcion, currently CO of Redemption Fleet. Kaz has been an active member of the RS for about a decade now. His command experience is extensive, including the command of two fleets and a stint as RSXO. He is an active voice on High Command and has run for the position of Fleet Commander several times. You all may perhaps know him best for his constant presence in #RS_Bar_and_Grill on the undernet. Kaz has a unique style of leadership, and I will be the first to admit that he and I do not always see eye to eye. Regardless, Kaz is an institution. His dedication to the RS and his influence on the development of the club cannot be overestimated. For years of service at the highest levels of the RS, I'm happy to elevate Kaz to the rank of Fleet Admiral. Congratulations, Kaz, and thank you for all that you do.
Don't forget about our Wiki (wiki.rebelsquadrons.org). The Wiki is a valuable tool and it is a webpage that you can edit, no matter what your rank or position in the RS. Make your mark on the RS by posting articles about yourself or your unit! The RS Wiki page of the month is "Executive Offices." If you were ever curious about what I mean by "executives," check it out here.
The FC webpage (fc.rebelsquadrons.org) has received a thorough updating. It now reflects the fact that I'm FC and looks quite pretty as well. RSXO Raven has updated the XO webpage (xo.rebelsquadrons.org) also.
As you probably noticed, I have begun a series of FC's Narratives! These narratives will explain the current fictional situation of the RS from the eyes of the executives who are in charge. The first narrative may be seen on the news page here and you can expect to see the second in the series within the next couple weeks.
The RS is now on Facebook! Special thanks to Ace Farlander for creating the Facebook group for us. See his announcement about the group on our forums here.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions.
":)
Dave Trebonious-Astoris
Fleet Commander
=The Rebel Squadrons=
A H.I.E.R. Organization: Honesty, Integrity, Equanimity, Respect
"I want you to understand this, and I want future generations to believe it; you and they will do more than adequate service to my reputation if I am held to be worthy of my forebears, careful for your interests, steadfast in danger, and not afraid to be unpopular if I am serving the national good." -Tiberius Caesar Augustus
Friday, November 24, 2006
I. State of the RS
II. High Command
III. Fleet News Shorts
IV. ORW 3 Progress
V. Executive Offices
VI. Applications Requested
VII. Recognitions
VIII. Miscellaneous
Greetings, Members of the Rebel Squadrons!
Welcome to the SotRS address. A lot of things have been going on in the past month, and I'm happy to be able to report substantial progress on most of the issues I explained to you a month ago. If I was to report the state of the club in one sentence, I'd have to say that it feels like we're on the cusp of something great right now. We're not quite there yet, but we're close enough to taste it and to envision what is to come. IBG and RgF have just recently merged to form the VSG. VSG and RID are both about to embark on their first combined ITOD, which is the first step to an RS-wide ITOD that brings all of our fleets together in one cohesive and fascinating story. The RS-wide narratives, the first of which you saw last week, are a part of this. ORW3 is also going to be a part of this. Many of the building blocks for putting together an RS-wide storyline and interactive experience are in place and we're just about to get rolling on all of it. This is an exciting time for the RS and a lot of changes are underway. It is my job in this announcement to explain some of those changes to you all.
II. High Command
High Command is currently fully staffed. With the recent merger of the IBG and RgF into one unit, VSG, the makeup of the council has changed somewhat. Former IBG CO Anton "Ups" Nels and Former RgF CO David "Heavy" Pasiechnyk are no longer voting members. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank both Anton and Heavy for their leadership of their fleets and their participation on High Command. They will both be missed. In their place, VSG CO Rekio Corsair will have a vote on the council.
HC has recently been discussing possibilities for the restructuring or renaming of certain parts of the infrastructure of the RS. Discussion has slowed to a standstill without much progress made, so I'm afraid I cannot report much in the way of detail. HC will continue to discuss the issue and if and when decisions are reached, you all will be quickly informed.
III. Fleet News Shorts
Patriot Battle Fleet: In the PBF, Tour 7 is ongoing, currently in its fifth mission. PBF CO Josh Hawkins recently announced the abolition of the Wings of the PBF. Competition is currently concentrated on the squadron level, where it remains fierce. Although Gold Squadron is currently dominant, Red is threatening and other squadrons are not out of the fight!
Vigilance Starfighter Group: As you have probably seen on the RS webpage the past couple of days, the Intrepid Battle Group and Renegade Fleet have just recently merged to form the VSG. We all bid a very fond farewell and salute to the IBG and RgF, but the times march on. As I have announced in the past, Rekio Corsair is the CO of the new unit. The VSG therefore has a leader, a webpage, a space on the roster, and membership. Fictionally, VSG and RID will start a new tour at the same time. The first mission of the tour, VSG 101, will be out shortly.
Aurora Force: The AF is currently in a brief limbo, with its next mission scheduled to start sometime between now and Christmas. The subgroup AF-kids is still writing, as the characters await the dreaded invasion of the Yuuzhan Vong.
Allegiance Battle Group: The ABG continues to chug along with regular sims. ABG CO Michael Raven reports that the unit has received a few new members that will make a big impression on the group in the future. Upcoming campaigns should be even more interesting, so contact Raven if you would like to join up!
Redemption Fleet: In RF news, Righteous Indignation Division just finished up its Tour 0 and is preparing for a new tour that it will run in conjunction with VSG. RID CO Luren "DaLe" Ketan was recently appointed Commando Division CO as well. The Jedi Division is now headed up by LCM Bonaparte. Finally, Kaz's Writing Group is going strong thanks to the fact that Cody threatens people to make them write.
Vanguard Fleet: Nothing new to report from our Star Wars: Galaxies fleet, which continues to represent our name in the virtual world of SWG.
IV. ORW 3 Progress
I'm happy to be able to report some significant breakthroughs in work on Outer Rim War 3. For those of you not aware, ORW3 will be a multiplayer competition utilizing just about all the games that the RS plays. To be honest, I was hoping that the competition would BEGIN this month (November), but it doesn't look like we're quite going to make that. With the help of Operations Officer Jon Anchorage and Executive Officer Michael Raven, however, we're making a lot of progress. Most importantly, we now have enough clubs that have agreed to be in the competition that it will be a reality. We have gathered the representatives of all these clubs onto one yahoogroup mailing list and formed the ORW Council. The Council has debated and essentially agreed upon the rules for ORW3. You can see the results of this debate here.
In other words, we have the competitors and we have the rules and we even mostly have the fiction that will surround the competition. Work on ORW3 is lagging in the technical side of things, however. The ORW3 webpage is only partially complete, as is the ORW3 IRC bot. Until we have these things done, we cannot hope to have a competition. We need the automation that a good webpage/bot combination will provide. If you are an expert coder, please contact me so that I can see if you will be able to help us on this project. Once the webpage and bot are done, ORW3 will be ready to begin.
V. Executive Offices
There is much that could be said here. A month ago, I told you all that the Executives needed considerable work. Since I told you that, there's been a virtual revolution in the staffing of the Executives. RSXO Michael Raven and I have appointed no fewer than six new Executive Staff members.
Council of Justice: RA Gavin Cantorph Kravis and COM Leonard Cable were appointed Vice-Ministers of Justice to assist MoJ Rensal Darklighter.
Operations Office: MGN Jon Anchorage was appointed Operations Officer, and BGN Eric Skrevski along with LCM Luren "DaLe" Ketan were appointed Assistant Operations Officers to assist him.
External Affairs: ADM Rahj Tharen was apointed Minister of External Affairs.
Training Office: COM Leonard Cable was appointed Training Officer. He will oversee the Training Office, supervise the Beginner's Path, and establish new postgraduate education that will help the RS to produce new mission builders as well as new officers.
The Internet Office and Logistics Office remain the same. One of the most encouraging signs of the improvement of our Executive Offices is the degree of cooperation between them. The Internet, Operations, and Logistics Offices have all been working together on a variety of issues ranging from ORW3 to the upcoming ITODs.
VI. Applications Requested
Despite the improvement in the Executive Staff, there is still an open position. I am currently searching for a new Historical Officer. BGN Max Cal unfortunately needed to resign his post as RSHO. If you have an interest in preserving RS history and traditions for future generations, please consider applying for this position. No prior experience in cataloging RS history is required. You may either apply through the roster on the website or email me directly.
VII. Recognitions
I owe my thanks to my entire Executive staff that has tirelessly helped me this past month. I would like to single out a few individuals however who have really gone above and beyond in their dedication to the RS.
MGN Jon Anchorage. Jon has been a tireless advocate of ORW3, showing considerable initiative in getting things going and putting together the ORW Council in the first place. Without Jon, the going would have been much more difficult. For your devotion to the cause of ORW3 and your willingness to step up and make things happen, I'm happy to promote you to the rank of Lieutenant General, Jon. Congratulations, it is well deserved!
COL David Vaughan. Vaughan, you may be tired of hearing it, but you are one of the most active members of the RS today. You work insanely long hours at a largely thankless task, compiling all sorts of data and all so that the RS can have a fictional universe that makes sense and will support a great RS-wide ITOD one day. Your dedication over time has certainly made you stand out from the crowd. It is my pleasure to award you with the Kessel Cup in recognition of your contributions to the RS. Congratulations!
GEN Michael Raven. Raven, you've been a fantastic XO. It's only been about a month, but the amount of work you've done is impressive. I appreciate your management of the ORW Council at the ORW3 meeting, your work with the Training Office, and your contributions to projects in the Logistics Office. In recognition of your dedication to the RS as a whole and your position as RSXO in particular, I'm happy to award you with the Kessel Cup as well. Congratulations!
I'd also like to recognize two special outgoing Fleet CO's:
BGN Anton "Ups" Nels. Thank you very much for your service as IBG CO. Although the IBG has now merged with RgF to form VSG, your service is not forgotten. In recognition of your work and your devotion to the IBG, I'm happy to promote you to the rank of Major General. Congratulations!
BGN David "Heavy" Pasiechnyk. Likewise, I'd like to thank you for your service as RgF CO. The RgF may be gone, but your service is appreciated. You kept the RgF going strong. In recognition of your work in the RgF, I'm happy to promote you to the rank of Major General. Congratulations!
Finally, I'd like to conclude this section with a very important event. The rank of Fleet Admiral is the highest rank that the RS can bestow upon one of its members. An individual who receives promotion to the rank of FA has dedicated an extensive amount of time to the RS, has served the club in a variety of ways, and is not merely a member but a fixture and cornerstone. The group of active Fleet Admirals is kept intentionally low by RS leadership to maintain the special honor of the highest rank available. As you can imagine, this means that the rank of FA is bestowed very rarely. In fact, I can tell you all for a fact that nobody has been promoted to the rank of Fleet Admiral in the last five years. With all of this said, I would like to introduce you all to Admiral Kaz Falcion, currently CO of Redemption Fleet. Kaz has been an active member of the RS for about a decade now. His command experience is extensive, including the command of two fleets and a stint as RSXO. He is an active voice on High Command and has run for the position of Fleet Commander several times. You all may perhaps know him best for his constant presence in #RS_Bar_and_Grill on the undernet. Kaz has a unique style of leadership, and I will be the first to admit that he and I do not always see eye to eye. Regardless, Kaz is an institution. His dedication to the RS and his influence on the development of the club cannot be overestimated. For years of service at the highest levels of the RS, I'm happy to elevate Kaz to the rank of Fleet Admiral. Congratulations, Kaz, and thank you for all that you do.
VIII. Miscellaneous
Don't forget about our Wiki (wiki.rebelsquadrons.org). The Wiki is a valuable tool and it is a webpage that you can edit, no matter what your rank or position in the RS. Make your mark on the RS by posting articles about yourself or your unit! The RS Wiki page of the month is "Executive Offices." If you were ever curious about what I mean by "executives," check it out here.
The FC webpage (fc.rebelsquadrons.org) has received a thorough updating. It now reflects the fact that I'm FC and looks quite pretty as well. RSXO Raven has updated the XO webpage (xo.rebelsquadrons.org) also.
As you probably noticed, I have begun a series of FC's Narratives! These narratives will explain the current fictional situation of the RS from the eyes of the executives who are in charge. The first narrative may be seen on the news page here and you can expect to see the second in the series within the next couple weeks.
The RS is now on Facebook! Special thanks to Ace Farlander for creating the Facebook group for us. See his announcement about the group on our forums here.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions.
":)
Dave Trebonious-Astoris
Fleet Commander
=The Rebel Squadrons=
A H.I.E.R. Organization: Honesty, Integrity, Equanimity, Respect
"I want you to understand this, and I want future generations to believe it; you and they will do more than adequate service to my reputation if I am held to be worthy of my forebears, careful for your interests, steadfast in danger, and not afraid to be unpopular if I am serving the national good." -Tiberius Caesar Augustus