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State of the Rebel Squadrons, May 2007
State of the Rebel Squadrons
Monday, May 28, 2007
I. State of the RS
II. High Command News
III. Fleet & Division News Shorts
IV. Executive Projects
V. Recognitions
VI. Miscellaneous
Greetings, Members of the Rebel Squadrons!
Good day and welcome to another installment of the State of the Rebel Squadrons, a monthly newsletter and general address that keeps you all up-to-date on interesting events in the RS. As I sit here and write that sentence, I'm reminded of the long history of this thing called the "SotRS." As far as I can remember, the first Fleet Commander to publish some address called a SotRS was Admiral Castor Efrata-Landis, who served as FC in 1998 and 1999. For the better part of a decade, the SotRS remained a semiannual newsletter, released only occasionally and marking either a major event or some important point in an FC's tenure (commonly a six-month progress report). Rear Admiral Licah Fox changed all of this when he became FC in July of 2006. Licah believed that the SotRS needed to come out more often to bring news to all members on a regular basis. As a result the SotRS is what we know it today - a monthly address focusing on news and events rather than broad and sweeping changes over the course of many months. So, what news have I for you all this month? Read on...
For the second month in a row, the appearance of High Command has changed noticeably. The primary change is the retirement of Lieutenant General David "Heavy" Pasiechnyk, who stepped down from the position of Vigilance Starfighter Group CO in early May. Heavy will be very much missed, because he was not only an outstanding leader and example for others, but was also a genuinely friendly guy and always willing to help out. His replacement as VSG CO is Commander Olith Hesto. Olith has not yet selected an XO. The only other change to the roster is the addition of Captain Joshua Mumishi as Redemption Fleet XO. HC has not had any discussions over the past month as its services have not been required.
Patriot Battle Fleet: Tour 7 continues to march along! Recently, there have been several connections between the PBF and the Greeop Defense Force (FC Narratives). PBF CO Josh Hawkins has worked the NR Convoy into the tour, and the recent FC narrative linked that convoy along with the Corvette Shadowblen to the GDF storyline. Josh also recently welcomed Commander Eric Reagan back from a LoA and into the PBF Command Staff as SO.
Vigilance Starfighter Group: VSG105 is in the pipes and will be released very soon. As noted above, Commander Olith Hesto recently took charge of the VSG as its CO!
Allegiance Battle Group: Activity in the ABG has soared this month. Members are simming like crazy, and beyond this Lieutenant General Cyrel Vandroth, along with the help from many others, has revamped the ABG's Jedi rules. Cyrel, General Wes Belden, and many others were honored for this work.
Redemption Fleet: It's always difficult to explain what is going on in the RF because there's so much variety. The RID tour continues and 105 is ready and will be released with VSG and CD105 as usual. In the Commando Division, there was a flurry of activity this month in the Battlefield Battleweek and BFII Conquest and Space weeks. Zealot continues its writing spree, with many active writers each posting multiple stories during the month. Even Vanguard Wing is getting in on the news here, as Leaph has been trying to get new recruits for our SWG PA.
Aurora Force: In the AF, a dedicated writing crew continues to wax poetic about the Vong invasion. The AF-Kids storyline, which follows the "Second Generation" of the characters created by AF writers continues to be active. Of particular interest is the semi-demonic transformation of Alexander Kerensky, which I for one am following with keen interest.
The RS Command Staff has continued to be heavily involved in the fiction of the RS-wide storyline. What can I say? We just like to write. I recently released FC Narrative 7, and the next month should witness some exciting developments and also some chapters written by special guest writers. Stay tuned!
The primary work of the Logistics Office this month was in the TacOps group, where VSG/RID/CD 105 has been worked up. The mission is in final testing and will be released very soon.
In addition to this, Logistics Officer David Vaughan has had MGN Anton "Ups" Nels working on a project for several months. During this time Anton has captured the screens of all the backdrops available in the X-wing Alliance engine. The result is very impressive and may be seen here. This will make a very valuable tool for XWA mission builders.
Training Officer Luren "DaLe" Ketan this month published details on his proposed transformation of the Training Office into an RS Academy. Dale is very excited about this and is eager for help in this project. He will need instructors, assistants, department leaders, and more. Please see his announcement here and contact him if you would like to help. This area is so important because new members are the future of the RS.
Chief Recruiting Officer Damon Lightwind has been busy this month with work to support a general recruiting drive for the RS. He is trying to put up advertisements of the club, has constructed a nice page on yahoo, and is also looking for more folks to help him with recruitment. Email Damon if interested!
LCM Gavin Starseeker, the author of many medal images that you see on our medals page is at it again. He recently completed many graphics for the ABG's medals. Seeks is also beginning work on a project to create ribbons of the full-dangly medals that we currently have. You will be hearing more of this in the coming months.
COL Damon Lightwind has been tireless in his efforts to improve the recruiting practices of the RS. For his desire to excel and to support the RS by finding new ways to bring in new members, I am happy to award Damon with a Dagger of Courage. Congratulations, Damon! ":)
MGN Anton "Ups" Nels has been of inestimable value to LO David Vaughan in his quest to catalog the backdrops of XWA. Anton painstakingly screen-captured more than one hundred images for this project. Vaughan would like Anton to be acknowledged and rewarded for what he has done. Upon Vaughan's recommendation, then, I'm pleased to award Anton with an Iridium Spire in recognition of his superlative dedication to duty and helping out the cause of the Logistics Office. Congratulations, Anton! ":)
General Danny "David Lee Japan" Qatar (better known to us as Cody) deserves a few words of praise here, I think. Although he lives in Japan on a completely different timezone from most of us and is not really equipped to be able to get on the internet reliably, he still remains an important and very active member of the RS. Most recently he has lent his support to the start-up of the Zealot Special Operations writing unit. Aside from being personally responsible for bringing in at least half of the unit's members, he is an active writer in the group as well. Besides all of this, Cody has been around the RS for a very long time and is probably in fact older than dirt. For his oldness, and his activity, and his dedication, I'm happy to promote Cody to the rank of Commodore. Congratulations, Cody! ":)
RS Wiki: This month's RS Wiki page of the month is "Vaughan Book Reviews." Vaughan's page gets the nod not because it's our prettiest wiki page, but because it shows how a wiki entry can contain a lot of information in a very readable fashion. It's also probably the most updated page on our wiki this month. So check it out. The wiki is a webpage that anybody can edit. Feel free to make your own pages about information pertinent to your character, your unit, or even the RS as a whole!
This is a truly miscellaneous note. Captain Joak Drysso appears to have gone missing. He is late for returning from his LOA and LO David Vaughan would very much like to know if anybody has heard from him. Please email Vaughan if you have heard from Drysso recently.
Congratulations: To Olith on his appointment as VSG CO, to Joshua on his appointment as RF XO, to Cyrel on the double whammy of a promotion to LGN and a Kessel Cup, to Giz on his Dagger of Courage, to Arcane on his promotion to 1LT, to Jinn on his promotion to Major, to Reb on his pair of Alliance Daggers, to Dale on his promotion to COL, and to Abi on his promotion to CMDR!
Please do feel free to contact me if you have questions about anything going on in the RS, would like to be more involved, or have ideas. You all have my email address.
To conclude, I'd like to remind everyone that the RS is a place to have fun more than anything. We may chatter about numbers of reports on missions or number of MP matches played, but at the end of the day what really matters is the fun that you have and the people that you hang out with. We're building community here, not just playing games. I hope that you enjoy the friendships you have made in the RS, and I encourage you to get to know new people and strike up friendships with them. At its heart, the RS is a series of friendships that hold together this whole structure.
":)
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
Monday, May 28, 2007
I. State of the RS
II. High Command News
III. Fleet & Division News Shorts
IV. Executive Projects
V. Recognitions
VI. Miscellaneous
Greetings, Members of the Rebel Squadrons!
Good day and welcome to another installment of the State of the Rebel Squadrons, a monthly newsletter and general address that keeps you all up-to-date on interesting events in the RS. As I sit here and write that sentence, I'm reminded of the long history of this thing called the "SotRS." As far as I can remember, the first Fleet Commander to publish some address called a SotRS was Admiral Castor Efrata-Landis, who served as FC in 1998 and 1999. For the better part of a decade, the SotRS remained a semiannual newsletter, released only occasionally and marking either a major event or some important point in an FC's tenure (commonly a six-month progress report). Rear Admiral Licah Fox changed all of this when he became FC in July of 2006. Licah believed that the SotRS needed to come out more often to bring news to all members on a regular basis. As a result the SotRS is what we know it today - a monthly address focusing on news and events rather than broad and sweeping changes over the course of many months. So, what news have I for you all this month? Read on...
II. High Command News
For the second month in a row, the appearance of High Command has changed noticeably. The primary change is the retirement of Lieutenant General David "Heavy" Pasiechnyk, who stepped down from the position of Vigilance Starfighter Group CO in early May. Heavy will be very much missed, because he was not only an outstanding leader and example for others, but was also a genuinely friendly guy and always willing to help out. His replacement as VSG CO is Commander Olith Hesto. Olith has not yet selected an XO. The only other change to the roster is the addition of Captain Joshua Mumishi as Redemption Fleet XO. HC has not had any discussions over the past month as its services have not been required.
III. Fleet & Division News Shorts
Patriot Battle Fleet: Tour 7 continues to march along! Recently, there have been several connections between the PBF and the Greeop Defense Force (FC Narratives). PBF CO Josh Hawkins has worked the NR Convoy into the tour, and the recent FC narrative linked that convoy along with the Corvette Shadowblen to the GDF storyline. Josh also recently welcomed Commander Eric Reagan back from a LoA and into the PBF Command Staff as SO.
Vigilance Starfighter Group: VSG105 is in the pipes and will be released very soon. As noted above, Commander Olith Hesto recently took charge of the VSG as its CO!
Allegiance Battle Group: Activity in the ABG has soared this month. Members are simming like crazy, and beyond this Lieutenant General Cyrel Vandroth, along with the help from many others, has revamped the ABG's Jedi rules. Cyrel, General Wes Belden, and many others were honored for this work.
Redemption Fleet: It's always difficult to explain what is going on in the RF because there's so much variety. The RID tour continues and 105 is ready and will be released with VSG and CD105 as usual. In the Commando Division, there was a flurry of activity this month in the Battlefield Battleweek and BFII Conquest and Space weeks. Zealot continues its writing spree, with many active writers each posting multiple stories during the month. Even Vanguard Wing is getting in on the news here, as Leaph has been trying to get new recruits for our SWG PA.
Aurora Force: In the AF, a dedicated writing crew continues to wax poetic about the Vong invasion. The AF-Kids storyline, which follows the "Second Generation" of the characters created by AF writers continues to be active. Of particular interest is the semi-demonic transformation of Alexander Kerensky, which I for one am following with keen interest.
IV. Executive Projects
The RS Command Staff has continued to be heavily involved in the fiction of the RS-wide storyline. What can I say? We just like to write. I recently released FC Narrative 7, and the next month should witness some exciting developments and also some chapters written by special guest writers. Stay tuned!
The primary work of the Logistics Office this month was in the TacOps group, where VSG/RID/CD 105 has been worked up. The mission is in final testing and will be released very soon.
In addition to this, Logistics Officer David Vaughan has had MGN Anton "Ups" Nels working on a project for several months. During this time Anton has captured the screens of all the backdrops available in the X-wing Alliance engine. The result is very impressive and may be seen here. This will make a very valuable tool for XWA mission builders.
Training Officer Luren "DaLe" Ketan this month published details on his proposed transformation of the Training Office into an RS Academy. Dale is very excited about this and is eager for help in this project. He will need instructors, assistants, department leaders, and more. Please see his announcement here and contact him if you would like to help. This area is so important because new members are the future of the RS.
Chief Recruiting Officer Damon Lightwind has been busy this month with work to support a general recruiting drive for the RS. He is trying to put up advertisements of the club, has constructed a nice page on yahoo, and is also looking for more folks to help him with recruitment. Email Damon if interested!
LCM Gavin Starseeker, the author of many medal images that you see on our medals page is at it again. He recently completed many graphics for the ABG's medals. Seeks is also beginning work on a project to create ribbons of the full-dangly medals that we currently have. You will be hearing more of this in the coming months.
V. Recognitions
COL Damon Lightwind has been tireless in his efforts to improve the recruiting practices of the RS. For his desire to excel and to support the RS by finding new ways to bring in new members, I am happy to award Damon with a Dagger of Courage. Congratulations, Damon! ":)
MGN Anton "Ups" Nels has been of inestimable value to LO David Vaughan in his quest to catalog the backdrops of XWA. Anton painstakingly screen-captured more than one hundred images for this project. Vaughan would like Anton to be acknowledged and rewarded for what he has done. Upon Vaughan's recommendation, then, I'm pleased to award Anton with an Iridium Spire in recognition of his superlative dedication to duty and helping out the cause of the Logistics Office. Congratulations, Anton! ":)
General Danny "David Lee Japan" Qatar (better known to us as Cody) deserves a few words of praise here, I think. Although he lives in Japan on a completely different timezone from most of us and is not really equipped to be able to get on the internet reliably, he still remains an important and very active member of the RS. Most recently he has lent his support to the start-up of the Zealot Special Operations writing unit. Aside from being personally responsible for bringing in at least half of the unit's members, he is an active writer in the group as well. Besides all of this, Cody has been around the RS for a very long time and is probably in fact older than dirt. For his oldness, and his activity, and his dedication, I'm happy to promote Cody to the rank of Commodore. Congratulations, Cody! ":)
VI. Miscellaneous Notes
RS Wiki: This month's RS Wiki page of the month is "Vaughan Book Reviews." Vaughan's page gets the nod not because it's our prettiest wiki page, but because it shows how a wiki entry can contain a lot of information in a very readable fashion. It's also probably the most updated page on our wiki this month. So check it out. The wiki is a webpage that anybody can edit. Feel free to make your own pages about information pertinent to your character, your unit, or even the RS as a whole!
This is a truly miscellaneous note. Captain Joak Drysso appears to have gone missing. He is late for returning from his LOA and LO David Vaughan would very much like to know if anybody has heard from him. Please email Vaughan if you have heard from Drysso recently.
Congratulations: To Olith on his appointment as VSG CO, to Joshua on his appointment as RF XO, to Cyrel on the double whammy of a promotion to LGN and a Kessel Cup, to Giz on his Dagger of Courage, to Arcane on his promotion to 1LT, to Jinn on his promotion to Major, to Reb on his pair of Alliance Daggers, to Dale on his promotion to COL, and to Abi on his promotion to CMDR!
Please do feel free to contact me if you have questions about anything going on in the RS, would like to be more involved, or have ideas. You all have my email address.
To conclude, I'd like to remind everyone that the RS is a place to have fun more than anything. We may chatter about numbers of reports on missions or number of MP matches played, but at the end of the day what really matters is the fun that you have and the people that you hang out with. We're building community here, not just playing games. I hope that you enjoy the friendships you have made in the RS, and I encourage you to get to know new people and strike up friendships with them. At its heart, the RS is a series of friendships that hold together this whole structure.
":)
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