With the return of the discussion threads comes a change of format. Instead of an extensive recap (which be left for the new 'Previously on...' thread), these threads will be for immediate reaction - with shorter reminders of what took place in each episode.
"Wright-Hampton, 2393."
President James Wright and Vice President Renee Hampton? Is it truly a possibility? Taylor may have stated she was not endorsing a successor, but behind the scenes, her Chief of Staff is attempting to set the stage for preserving her legacy despite Accobar being under threat. Will Wright accept? Will Hampton take on the challenge? Can the 'Human' problem be overcome. The race for the Presidency will continue in snippets throughout the season - building to an episode down the line focused entirely on the election and Taylor's successor. Asteroid Field all but began out of Taylor's appointment - it will end with her departure.
"Lets have a good day..."
Off the back the last minisode, it all seemed to be starting so well - right up until it wasn't. Contacted by an outside force (intentionally reminiscent of 'Where There is Discord' from Season One - which we learnt in Season Five was also the work of the Cabal), Doctor Rogan was made aware that the life of his former friend and original ACMO from Asteroid Base: Alpha, Nicole Williams, was under threat. A single image and a fleeting sign of her voice was enough to put Rogan to work in following a series of instructions.
Throughout the morning, he compiled and transmitted Pioneer's Accobi Research Archive (work produced over the years by Rush, Thrace, Harper, Etis and others) as well as his own research in to the Halkonian nanovirus. Upon being asked to access Mason's private terminal and retrieve the supposed coordinates to The Gateway, Rogan stopped short. It was just as well, as Costello and McClintock had already traced his actions back to him. Rogan confessed his actions to the staff - and the consequences of his doing so were soon made apparent.
The anticipated arrival of a transport brought with it Nicole Williams herself - checking in to the Travel Center under the belief that she had been invited by Rogan. As Rogan watched from the Brig, Riker made contact with Williams just as the case she was processing detonated, tearing the Travel Center apart and sending debris flying across the Promenade. With Williams and Riker is close proximity - their lives would be well and truly in the balance, if not already suddenly extinguished.
"Financial activities?"
Elsewhere, Doctor Tobin (left at the end of the episode taking on Rogan's duties) balanced the health scare of his mother with the exposing of the pool in to the expected lifespan of Pioneer's next ACMO - with an run in with the Klingon Bistro staff along the way. Mason also checked in on McClintock's recovery and reported that slipstream experiments have been halted until further notice. Costello also continued her investigation in to the luggage thief, with the arrival on the transport due to be the trap which lured out the culprit. Seems this will be on hold for now.
Thank you for attending. Feel free to discuss this episode below. Extra thanks to Crim for playing out the opening scene and Andzzy for being left to make his own decisions throughout the episode. Had he gone ahead and attempted to transmit the coordinates of The Gateway - the episode would have ended differently, which will be detailed after next week's installment.
As I said in the Shoutbox, truly tremendous ending! I didn't even suspect that was going to happen! That was one of the best endings I've ever seen! Thank you Grizz for this! You are wonderful!
It was a perfectly quiet and normal day, so that's when fate naturally decides to prove that notion wrong. Everyone had someone else to play off of, most people had something to do at all times, and the finale was exhilarating, and dare I say it, EXPLOSIVE?!? Can't wait for the continuation, and we all learned things.
Crew's Lesson of the Day: Expect anything.
Rogan's Lesson of the Day: Trust no one
Tobin's Lesson of the Day: Don't try to settle a cultural insult with a Klingon alone.
Hopefully we can take these lessons with us into the continuation.
I wanted to take a moment to say that this episode was the most difficult one playing Timothy Rogan. Across Asteroid Base and Asteroid Field, this role has truly been one of my most rewarding as a roleplayer. I created Doctor Rogan to fill the immediate void left aboard Asteroid Base: Alpha. I had never really played the Chief Medical Officer role before. Before Asteroid Base I was remembered as Chief Science Officer. I was a villain once in an SRP, and mostly I just tinkered with consoles and made things boop and beep! I've also played the role of Engineer (although Mutatio Nomen does a much better job than I would as Chief Engineer). Tim Rogan is quite a few RP firsts for me, and I wanted to share them:
1) Rogan is my first cross-SRP character. I created him for Asteroid Base and when that ended, he transferred to Pioneer Station willingly for Asteroid Field.
2) Rogan is my first Chief Medical Officer position. I'd played a few doctors before, but never one in a role like this.
3) Rogan is my first random character, both in name and personality. I have so much to say about him, but I also don't want this to drag on forever ;)
Now, Cabal!. First, I believe that it was an extraordinary episode, and I had a lot of fun with it. The format was entirely new to me. Rogan has never been put in that sort of position before, and it was very interesting to choose a playstyle that would best fit the character. As stated before, I had the opportunity to do or not do any of the tasks that were assigned to Rogan. I could have blown the entire thing at the first Senior Officer briefing (although I believe we would have found that much less fun!). My rationale behind taking it as far as I did was that the voice on the other end of the line was going to do something far worse if Rogan didn't go along with the plan. I am still confident that that would strike true if we replayed the episode.
We know from another scene that this was intended as a strike against Sophia Mason. Worried about the sudden decrease in Cabal membership, Admiral Kort orders The Truth to carry out an attack on a member of Pioneer Station: Doctor Tim Rogan. I am certain that how this affects Mason will be revealed later in the season, but it appears to have had an immediate effect on her. I am certain that as we carry on, there will be surprises and twists that will make us look back and go "we should have seen that coming!"
As the episode progressed, we saw some character development from our new ACMO, Doctor James Tobin. As Tobin arrived on the station, he managed to get himself caught up in a Sickbay disaster, fight a Klingon ,and discover a betting pool for his time of death. I am very pleased with the development that TheStringTheorist has put into the character, and I am exceedingly excited to see where it goes from here!
Cabal was beautifully directed, with Grizz at the helm of another amazing episode of Asteroid Field. I may have said this before, but Asteroid Field is an event that I look forward to immensely (and indeed I have planned entire weekends around it)! I want to thank Grizz for continuing to put her heart and soul into this story so that we may come back week after week, hooked and curious about what comes next. It truly is a work of art, in my opinion.
Cabal was also a demonstration of the other wonderful thing about roleplaying. The characters developed by the roleplayers come to life week after week, and Cabal was no exception. The core of roleplaying is really what the roleplayers do. Watching Tobin enter a new environment and immediately take on the challenge of balancing quite literally everything while making an impression. Watching McClintock run Engineering but also develop as a character and go through both physical and mental transformations. Etis being stalwart in her duty to both Starfleet and the crew of Pioneer Station. Costello continuing to develop and grow and still managing to stay sane as the head of security at Pioneer. Riker running head-first into security rounds every week (I hope you survive!) Layton bringing a fantastic support character to Engineering, making McClintock-Layton a fantastic relationship.
Watching these players week after week, forming real character bonds, setting the tone for the future, these are the qualities which help to drive the condition of the roleplay. Grizz does a miraculous job of taking all of our relationships and crafting absolutely stunning stories with what we do. Some of my favourite moments from Cabal are McClintock getting genuinely angry at Rogan, Mason storming into her Ready Room and locking herself in it, and the entire crew suddenly seeming more sombre as the reality of the situation set in. This wasn't a scenario where it felt like a group of people sitting at computers going "now what?" this was fluid storytelling combined with fluid roleplaying, and that's part of what makes the experience magical.
OK I think I've rambled quite a bit. Cabal was a stunningly beautiful start to the final season of Asteroid Field. It left us with as many questions as it answered, and was to date one of the best cliffhangers that I've experienced. Some key questions remain:
What is The Truth planning to do with all of the information he acquired? There was quite a bit in those archives, and he now possesses most of the knowledge of Pioneer Station, putting him on par with everyone else. He and Admiral Kort are in cahoots, but their end-goal is still shrouded in mystery. What we do know for sure is that they are taking an extraordinarily hands-off approach and are worried now that most of the original conspirators are dead or otherwise unavailable.
What are the new Dynamic Duo planning to do? We know that recent events have them spooked, but it's still unclear exactly what they intend to do once they've acquired the location of The Gateway.
What of the election? We saw in that fateful scene that Admiral Wright was being asked to convince the Federation to put more time and energy into Accobar. News will undoubtedly be arriving soon of the explosion that has just taken out the Promenade. How will this event play out in the polls, and how will this event be affecting the presidential candidates?
What will happen to the crew? With the election about to start, a possible treason, and the crew in less than optimal spirits, it's anyone's guess as to how events will now be played. Will the crew of Pioneer Station be able to get themselves in order in time to stop the Accobi from returning to their ancestral homeland and threatening the entire galaxy?
Speaking of Accobi, where's Rush? A scene in Season 6 dropped the hint of Rush's return, with The Architect telling Rush that he will be making use of him. If this is the case, will Rush be returning as a double agent? There are many plots, twists, and turns that this could take. How would his arrival affect the state of affairs in the galaxy?
... Alright, NOW I've rambled. These are things that I'll be thinking about as we approach the next episode. Huge thanks to Grizz for everything she does for this amazing production, and thank you to all of the wonderful RPers who come out week after week and continue to breathe life into the Accobar System, it just wouldn't be the same without all of you.
Quote from: Andzzy on September 20, 2016, 10:42:31 PM
Cabal was also a demonstration of the other wonderful thing about roleplaying. The characters developed by the roleplayers come to life week after week, and Cabal was no exception. The core of roleplaying is really what the roleplayers do. Watching Tobin enter a new environment and immediately take on the challenge of balancing quite literally everything while making an impression. Watching McClintock run Engineering but also develop as a character and go through both physical and mental transformations. Etis being stalwart in her duty to both Starfleet and the crew of Pioneer Station. Costello continuing to develop and grow and still managing to stay sane as the head of security at Pioneer. Riker running head-first into security rounds every week (I hope you survive!) Layton bringing a fantastic support character to Engineering, making McClintock-Layton a fantastic relationship.
I really just want to drive this point home. I think that every cast member brings something unique to the table. I've had prolonged interactions with most of you, and just momentary encounters in Engineering or looking for lost baggage. I think that the SRP would be different in an unmeasurable way if anyone left (except perhaps for yours truly, the newcomer). You all have done a great job, and I have felt so honored and privileged to serve alongside these veteran players who were so enthusiastic and welcomed me aboard with open arms. Thank you all for making this my most smooth integration into an SRP and in making this an event I very much look forward to! :D
-StringTheorist (Justin)
I echo all of Andy's Andzy Rogan's sentiments regarding this SRP - it's a matter of record in previous season threads, but hardly as eloquent as above. Thanks for the kind words also. :)
All I can say is that you now know how I feel! I felt I could've totally derailed S6 at so many crucial junctions, but I remembered my character and liberally used by gut to avoid literary disaster. At least, I hope I did?? Grizz?