State of the Rebel Squadrons
Thursday, March 29, 2007

I. State of the RS
II. High Command News
III. Fleet News Shorts
IV. Birth of a New Division
V. ORW III – At a Glance
VI. Other Multiplayer Competitions
VII. Executive Projects
VIII. Recognitions/Awards (Don’t skip here!)
IX. Closing Remarks from the RSXO


Salutations, members of the Rebel Squadrons!

I. State of the RS

On first reflection, I thought March to be a month of merely maintaining what was going about in the Rebel Squadrons. The VSG campaign seems to be running smoothly, even with a minor hiccup upon launch; but that was taken care of by the highly skilled commanders and TACOPS personnel responsible for it. Our Wiki continues to expand, even if slowly, through the combined efforts of some of our more active members. We continue to participate in multiplayer competitions, at least, with mediocre of activity. After all of this I found myself searching for content for this SotRS, which Dave so lovingly dropped into my plate.

After some thought, I realized that March has been one of the most active months in our organization since I became RSXO. Outer Rim War III: The Subterrel Conflict ended, on a somewhat disappointing note, and I will have more to come on that later. The remainder of the VSG tour was solidified and finalized, since the results of the ORW III competition are now known. Two members from a fleet that personally, I must admit, I did not think anything truly positive would come out of, brought forth and presented a new dynamic idea for a division in the RS that I truly could not say no to. Some old members of the RS have returned from long hiatus either to say hello, or actually rejoin our ranks, while some newer members show tremendous potential which makes me truly proud to be a commander here. Where we have had difficulties, people have stepped up to take the reigns while continuously attempting to improve the status and state of the Rebel Squadrons.

So, before I begin, I can not help to address the members of the RS who have personified the traits of loyalty, activity, and integrity that we hold so very close to our hearts here.

Thank you.

II. High Command News

The old fogies on High Command that we all know and love (cough) have remained quiet over the past few weeks. While they remain diligent over the RS and continue to look for problems to attack and solve; mainly due to the smooth sailing of our current waters, I expect little activity will take place for some time now. Items that HC used to have to deal with on a regular basis are now being solved directly by the RS Command Staff, and by the executive offices under them. So for now, High Command is quiet, we can only pray that things continue to run smoothly, lest we wake the sleeping beast. ;)

III. Fleet News Shorts

Patriot Battle Fleet – The Patriot Battle Fleet is halfway through mission 8, protecting a convoy of supplies and aide headed for Greeop. They’re currently refitting a stolen corvette and getting her battle ready with a skeleton crew. Naming her is still being discussed by the PBF, since they’re absolutely crazy about their ship names. Using the info from the stolen corvette memory core, the PBF command staff is planning their reprisal attacks and with luck should be home soon.

Vigilance Starfighter Group – Activity has been a bit slower than as of late in both TOD and MP gaming. Morale got shot down a little due to lack of opponents in ORW III, but work is being done to create an internal MP comp, as well as possibly a multi-club comp, both hosted on BSC. VSG 103 is due on Saturday, March 31st, while 104 should be out approximately a week later, assuming things continue to go to plan.

Redemption Fleet – Commander Luren “DaLe” Ketan continues to lead the Righteous Indignation Division with skill, and has recently also taken the Commando Division to new heights with their newest ITOD. The RID and CD are currently diving head first into combat alongside the VSG in the RS-wide storyline. Commander Kane “Kay” Dev Redron has been continuing his work with the Strategic and Tactical Command division, the Rebel Squadrons’ Galactic Battlegrounds group. The Jedi division is still looking for a stable commanding officer to take the reigns and bring that part of the RS back to speed.

In other news, the Redemption Fleet Commanding Officer, Fleet Admiral Kaz Falcion, has decided to step down from his position as RFCO due to real life considerations that he must attend to. I’d like to take a moment to thank Kaz for his service, and for adding a humorous twist to the RF site that always brought about a few laughs. Normally, the Fleet Commander would directly appoint a new FCO, but in this instance, Dave has decided to allow for open applications to the position. If you are interested, please use the jobs page to apply.

Allegiance Battle Group – The Allegiance Battle Group has seen a resurgence of activity with the reappearance of some old-time members and the reinvigoration of a few promising cadets. Major upgrades have been made to the ABG store, a fictional resource for the purchase and comparison of different equipment. The ABG’s Force system, long known to need a complete overhaul, is nearing the completion of that once-lofty goal thanks to the combined efforts of Major General Cyrel Vandroth, General Wes Belden, General Sienn Sconn, Major Rhuryc, and others that I might have forgotten to mention. Plans for a simming division running parallel to the VSG/RID/CD storyline is nearing implementation phases, and will be announced when ready.

Aurora Force – The AF continues to do their thing. The main storyline is progressing as ever, with AF Kids encroaching ever closer to the Vong invasion.

Vanguard – Even though SWG seems to be slowly dying the RS is still represented in Galaxies by some of our more zealous members; maintaining the fight against the tyrannical forces of the Empire.

IV. Birth of a New Division

As some of you have noticed either on the forums or through other medium, a new wing has been added to Redemption Fleet. The brainchild of Lieutenant Commander Alextravia Grentarii and General Janet Skyy, Charybdis Wing is a division that takes the Star Wars experience to a new level. Writing, producing, and creating their own Star Wars Radio Dramas based on the Rebel Squadrons experience, Charybdis holds a tremendous amount of promise as a fun experience that anyone within the RS can participate in. Potential areas of activity include writing scripts, generating sound bytes, or even participating in the actual production of the piece. If you have any skills that you feel would benefit this new division, want to give it a try, or merely wish to learn more, please contact Lieutenant Commander Alextravia Grentarii (AlexG2490@aol.com) or General Janet Skyy (janetskyy@suddenlink.net). A sample of their work can be found at: Filefront.

V. ORW III – At a Glance

While the actual competition is finished, and a newsletter sent specifically explaining what occurred, I find it necessary to reflect back on ORW III. ORW III really allowed me, personally, to realize the unity that we have as an organization. Members would be in the channel nearly round the clock, trying to find opponents to play, or even just chatting with people they wouldn’t talk to otherwise. When certain situations arose, multiple people brought forth their unique concerns and impressions on it to the command staff, heavily influencing the actions taken. Even after a rocky middle-road after the rules were tweaked to allow for a faster competition, our activity did not falter, people continued to show up and play. Even after certain situations disheartened some of our members from participating, others stepped up to take their place and represent the Rebel Squadrons.

I feel as if the most lasting thing that ORW III will lay on us is not the ‘victory’, but the spirit of unity that is nearly palpable when the RS really puts effort into creating and maintaining something as large as an ORW. When things started to go wrong in the competition, and the command staff was nearly ready to pull the RS from the competition, it was your effort and your contributions that changed their minds. I can say with nearly assertive fact that when the next ORW is planned, the lessons from this one will be held steadfast, and it will be a tremendously entertaining and fun experience for all involved.

VI. Other Multiplayer Competitions

As you have likely seen on either the forums or random news shorts sent out, the RS is currently enrolled in multiple competitions through other sites such as Ecliptical Realms or Battlestats. A newsletter will be sent semi-regularly beginning this month to inform you of what competitions we have enrolled in and what you need to do in order to participate. I highly encourage getting out and playing matches against other people, it really makes for a better gaming experience and a more dynamic style of game-play. As a fortunate side-effect of participating in these competitions, it really does get the name Rebel Squadrons out into the general flow of certain games; increasing our recruitment. I know from personal experience that most of the Empire at War main lobby knows the name ‘Rebel Squadrons’, and a few members have actually joined through that association; now contributing members of the Righteous Indignation Division. So, get out there! Represent the RS and your fleets, and show the random kiddies that play these games the skill and tenacity of real competitors.

VII. Executive Projects

The RS-wide storyline, including direct participation from the VSG, RID, and CD continues to flourish. The CD, now fully integrated into the storyline, is just finishing their first mission in tandem with the RID mission on the ground. Fleet Commander Dave Trebonious-Astoris continues to produce monthly Greeop Defense Force newsletters, with the Executive Officer, Michael Raven, producing the fiction surrounding the Subterrel Strike Force. The two narratives have now completely embarked on separate storylines, and the parallels between the two of them make for a very exciting read. The next installment of the Greeop Defense Force narrative will likely be out tomorrow, so stay tuned! You can read more about the FC narratives on the FC Narrative page.

The TacOps group has done a smashing job in polishing off details for the next joint mission of the RS-wide storyline, VSG/RID/CD 104. The missions continue to be produced with extremely high quality and even though earlier this month the missions released had some slight technical bugs associated with them, quick action by TacOps prevented them from becoming a critical problem. Major thanks go to Major General David Pasiechnyk and Commodore Himm El-Syna for squashing these bugs.

The newest addition to the Rebel Squadrons’ logistics office, Deputy Logistics Officer (DLO) Joak Drysso has already made a positive impression on the TacOps group and the logistics office as a whole. His new insights have allowed for further evolution of the RS-wide storyline, including additional to-be-released narratives surrounding the Righteous Indignation Division. The logistics office is proud to have you onboard!

On a more serious note, the Rebel Squadrons’ medals officer, Vice Admiral Tyrell “Spokes” Borran recently recovered from a bout with severe illness. He has, luckily, returned to active duty with us; and we are very glad to have him back. His work will resume on the medals office, which has recently received a complete overhaul by the combined efforts of RSIO Josh Hawkins, Dave, and Spokes.

Speaking of Josh, through his efforts a new page has been added to the RS main site detailing the entire VSG/RID/CD tour up to this point. Narratives, missions, briefings, etc. have all been laid out in chronological order for your viewing pleasure. I am proud to announce the creation of the
Unified Narrative Page. Please feel free to take a look, and be sure to thank Vaughan the next time you see him for his tremendous work as RSLO, having provided all the content for the page.

The Rebel Squadrons’ Training Officer, Commodore Leonard Cable, has stepped down from his position due to work and time constraints. We are currently taking applications for the office, and any interested parties should use the jobs page to apply. Applicants should be well versed in the operations of multiple fleets, should have IRC access or some other medium to easily communicate with division commanders, and should have had held at least one command position (Wing XO or higher) within the RS in the past year.

VIII. Recognitions/Awards

Commander Luren “DaLe” Ketan, step forward. For your tremendous service to the Rebel Squadrons in both the Righteous Indignation Division and Commando Division, your insights and ideas into RS multiplayer competitions, and your activity; I am proud to promote you to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Congratulations, and thank you for your service to the RS.

Brigadier General David Vaughan continues to be the driving force behind fiction in the RS. From his position as Logistics Officer, Vaughan directs all fiction relating to the RS-wide storyline and also supervises the TacOps team that constructs the missions of the ITODs in that storyline. Vaughan's work as a mentor is no less impressive. He is constantly delegating tasks to subordinates and has built the Logistics Office up into a large unit with many officers gaining valuable experience there. Although he is recently come off a lengthy break, he remains absolutely indispensable to the running of the RS. Vaughan, for all that you have done, I'm happy to promote you to the rank of Major General. Congratulations! ":-)

Note: Due to Josh being a spoil sport in previously promoting Vaughan before Dave could, the above note has been inserted by him for this SotRS, as you can see by his trademark saluting smiley…

IX. Closing Remarks from the RSXO

When Dave asked me to write the SotRS I thought he was kidding at first, one of the only jobs the FC actually has being pawned off to the XO? Pfft. But oh no, he was serious, and as I write this section I can’t help but reflect back on my time here, and what led me up to this point. I joined the RS awhile back to sim with a long time friend of mine in the ABG. Over time I became enrooted there, took up command positions, took up GMing and whatnot, and eventually climbed the ranks to become a well known member. I never really cared or participated with the rest of the RS, and very rarely went to the main page if at all. Only recently, within the past year, did I really care about what was going on with the rest of the RS. Oh sure, I was around for the whole Rahj-rank thing, I was around when the ABG got sent back to wing status, and I was around for plenty of the crap-shoots between different members… but I never really got involved with any of it.

It was only after I became ABG CO that I really started to look at the bigger picture, and liked what I saw. What started as a few random questions in the B&G suddenly became a great working relationship, and eventual friendship with Vaughan. That blossomed into my appointment as Tactical Logistics Officer, and eventually narrative writer and technical advisor for the RS-wide storyline. Through his random questions on starships, tactics, etc. I became enthralled in the fiction surrounding the organization that I had been ignorant of for years. I joined the RID around this time, that division becoming the first part of the RS outside of the ABG that I had ever participated in.

When Spokes resigned as FC a few months later, I thought about running as a joke, I really didn’t take it as seriously as I should have. So I ran, made some funny FC posters, blah blah, and when he was elected it seemed like a resurgence of life had been given to the RS as a whole. Again, I found myself immersed in debates, activity, new members and old coming together to bring things together that years ago weren’t even thought of. I joined the VSG around this time as well, after being prodded and poked by Vaughan and Rekio after flying the “T” mission. My activity in the RS continued to grow, and I wasn’t really sure why. Sure things were fun, but they had also been perfectly fine when I was holed up in my little box in the ABG.

After Licah disappeared off the face of the planet I realized why I had become so interested. The community that we exist in. We are all here because we enjoy doing things together and through that, friendships are formed, new ideas are made, new competitions are created, and we propagate our own community by the environment we create for each other. I can name nearly everyone in the B&G on any given day by their real name, and I can name nearly every member of the ABG in its entirety by their real name. This bonding, the community that extends beyond the text and the GUI and the game, is what makes the Rebel Squadrons such a powerful organization for me.

When FC elections were held this time, I enrolled with the full intention of carrying things through. I realized why I enjoyed it here so much, I realized what the office would entail, and I ran with pride and expectation of actually giving something back to the organization I had learned to respect. Dave won the election, and after much thought I realize that was probably the best result that could have occurred; as my inexperience would have likely led me to burn out much like Licah did. When he asked me to be his XO I thought he just felt sorry for me since it seemed I was really interested in the job but didn’t get it. Kind of an “awwwwe, you lost; here’s a cookie.” thing.

I wasn’t going to take the job. I was going to tell him to shove it up his ass if memory serves correctly. But I figured, hey… if he screws up, guess who gets to take his place? I said yes, with some reservations, and went about my duties to the best of my abilities. I quickly realized, only after a few days, that his appointment wasn’t out of pity. We quickly became a rather efficient duo; working to solve problems and mend fences where they might be damaged, bringing about the changes that people had wanted for years, and bringing new things to the RS as a whole. I didn’t really know Dave before all of this, but I have grown to respect him and call him a friend.

So without continuing on with too much more verbiose…


Thank you Vaughan, for asking the right questions at the right time to spark my interest in the RS, for stepping up and taking the reigns, doing what nobody else could have possibly done. Thank you for being a good officer, and a better friend.

Thank you Licah, for in some ways your resignation (and this is not meant as a slight) really sparked the levels of activity in the RS that you were trying to achieve, and brought about tremendous positive change.

Thank you to my friends in the ABG, who have been an instrumental part of my experiences here; and who continue to participate and give me new things to do and new problems to solve nearly every day.

Thank you Dave, for giving me the chance to really experience what it is like to really be a part of the Rebel Squadrons. Thank you for being a good friend, and a strong leader.

Thank you Kaz, for giving me some of the most humorous moments of my time here, some insight when needed, some words of wisdom at times, and many new insults to add to my repertoire.

And finally, thank you; members of the Rebel Squadrons. Each and every one of you adds a new dynamic to our organization, a new beating heart, a new mind. Without you, our community, our unity, and our friendships would not exist.


Respectfully,

Commodore Michael Raven
Rebel Squadrons Executive Officer

-=The Rebel Squadrons=-
A H.I.E.R. Organization: Honesty, Integrity, Equanimity, Respect