Yeah, not exactly anything written but something I've been working on ideas about. The overall thing is basically a newly formed Starfleet crew in a post Dominion War/Nemesis setting, though I probably won't touch anything STO related (despite how STO itself helped me developed the characters). The ship, the USS Dempster (the naming is intentional, as it is named after inventor George Roby Dempster), a New Orleans class that has recently been retrofitted years after being used for war game training exercises (with a ridiculous record of being involved in the Dominion War only to get wrecked in nearly every battle). The Captain? Jacob Patton Flakey, a former Starfleet MACO officer (in this universe, MACO was reestablished though understandably unpopular) and former tactical officer who does have the chops to be a Captain but is a bit unsure of himself from time to time. His crew are composed of his former academy classmates and some of the original Dempster crew. ...I have a lot more insane notes in a google doc somewhere...And I throughly admot I may be breaking some rules in the fandom here XD
And here's the first WIP bio of the Dempster captain! Jacob “Jake” Patton Flakey: Captain of the USS Dempster. Born on Broken Bow Oklahoma, Jake comes from a military family, ranging from Civil War to the United Earth MACO. Persuaded by his father Charles, Jake would enroll in Starfleet Academy, where he would meet his friends and future crew members (Jess Gunther, Basil Morak, Luca Orman, Cassandra Herman, etc). He was noted to be a heavily efficient fighter, and had been an assistant instructor for the advance hand to hand classes but has not been part of any sports team in the academy despite the exceptional physical abilities. Flakey would develop a reputation for taking the Kobayashi Maru test a total of seven times. He has a total of five ship kills from those seven attempts. Despite given the chance to cheat, he refused, believing in his own abilities. Upon graduation, Flakey would transfer to Starfleet MACO, honing his combat abilities in many conflicts (from Borg to Jem’hadar in minor yet dangerous skirmishes) before being transferred to the USS Shambala under Captain Rogers as a tactical officer. Years under Rogers command would Flakey be given a command to a Starship known as the Dempster as captain. Though a roughly patched ship that was nearly destroyed in the Dominion War only to come back from the junk heap, Flakey does find the Dempster as a home to him. While confident in his role as captain, Flakey admits his combat experience has made him very rusty on diplomacy, relying on Jess (who by her merits became his first officer) and the crew to help him. Years of deep space under MACO has made him into an effective combatant. He is skilled in phasers but keeps a modified EM-33 pistol (a family heirloom) as a backup. Outside of combat, he's proven to be a leader and on the fly thinker. Though not exactly sophisticated, Flakey is quite cunning, and hides some traits to most people outside his friendship such as his skills in chess and Go. A lover of classical music, and a dork for famous Captains like Picard. His personal hero is Henry Archer...Which people tend to look over to his dismay.
Hey, this sounds like a good start; I like the idea of a less diplomatically-skilled, science or engineering-trained Captain, and I'm interested in how he'd fare in the late 24th century among the likes of Picard, Riker, Sisko, and Janeway.
Thank you. I felt like writing that Jake's years under Captain Rogers did help regain some ability outside of combat since transferring out out of MACO so while competent, he's going to make some mistakes. Which Jess, who'll be the Riker to Jake's Picard, can help pick up the slack. Heck, she's a bit more like a captain than he is at times.
Another Bio! Jessica “Jess” Gunther: First Officer of the Dempster. Born on Earth’s Spacedock, Jessica has spent her childhood with her parents (Starfleet researchers) to many planets to study in. The dangers being apparent, her parents would have her take survival classes from time to time. Her older brother Stephen left to join Starfleet when she was 15, the two being in a rather distance relationship. She would eventually enroll in Starfleet Academy, becoming the study partner of Jacob Flakey to help him with subjects he is clueless in (mainly alien fauna and cultures). The relationship was somewhat soured as Flakey revealed her crush to Earnest Taylor (the ace of their class and overall friendly guy) to the whole class by accident, which was only resolved years later as the two reunited in the Dempster. Following graduation, Gunther would be part of the research team in the USS Hudson under Captain Crews in deep space exploration. However, the ship was heavily damaged as an unknown ship attacked them in deep space before disappearing, Crews being killed in the process and the ship heavily crippled. Gunther was one of the few officers able enough to treat the wounded after the doctor was crippled, as well as ensuring the ship wouldn't succumb to the damages it sustained. It would take several days for the survivors to be rescued, leaving the event traumatizing for Gunther, taking an extended leave from space before being reassigned to the USS Commache under Captain Falkner. The mystery attacker still haunts her as well as the resulting survivor's guilt. Years of good service in the Commache and her actions during the Hudson incident was enough to get Gunther promoted to commander, which Starfleet assigns her to the Dempster as First Officer. While capable in a fight, Jess is not a seasoned fighter. Her survival ability and wits however proves to be effective. She is also much better at talking things out than to use force, in which Flakey trusts her judgement during diplomacy. Despite her personal distaste for guns, Jess has rather impressive skills with Klingon weaponry, from Bat’leth to Mek’leth. She is also a bit of a stickler on rules onboard the ship, though has her snarking moments.
Well, decided to describe my story version of Starfleet MACO. Enjoy picking that apart if you have to! XD Starfleet MACO: a small yet growing sub organization from Starfleet, MACO is a revival of the old United Earth military organization in response to the Dominion War’s aftermath (though a petition was made since Wolf 359 that remain unpopular until the war). Using elements of the military powers of each major Federation member world, experience from both Dominion War veterans and former members of the Maquis (well, any member that is both alive and willing to join), and the usage of the best equipment Starfleet would allow such as TR-116 rifles and experimental armor, MACO would become an effective fighting force. They are assigned to the areas heavily affected by the Dominion, fighting off the remnants still lurking about. Despite this, they have fought pirates, borgs, and other threats to the Federation and allies. However, they are usually disliked by the regular Starfleet Officers, mainly those who have a disdain for the military roots of the organization clashing with mid-late 24th century philosophy (MACO gave them the rather derogatory nickname known as “24th Elitists” but they keep thst to themselves...Until the fists start flying). At best, there is a grudging respect between the two. However, it is noted that members of both sides do offer transfers so the amnesty isn't a major issue.
Another bio, another possible violation at Star Trek canon. Enjoy. Morak Basil (or Basil Morak): A Bajoran and helmsman of the USS Dempster. Morak’s grandfather, a former member of the bajor militia, fled to Earth with his family during the final years of Cardassian occupation. Born on Earth and having no real experience of Bajor’s customs (his grandfather being offworld constantly and having lost his parents in a deep space accident), Morak is raised as a human from his foster family in Italy. He also downright has feelings of disgust for his grandfather's past actions as what is amounts to terrorism. Looking for something better in his life after a period of delinquency, he joined Starfleet Academy. During his time there, he was noted to be a great pilot. He shares a friendship with roommates Flakey and Luca, being upset as Luca dropped out before graduation. He was also known for his womanizing streak, which never really went away after graduating. He was assigned to the USS Salamis under Captain Herman...But was caught using the shuttles for unsanctioned racing (the kicker being he was doing this for months using authorization codes he claims he "borrowed" from key officers) and was more or less placed in a very low position as a shuttlecraft pilot for remote shipyards as punishment (though frankly, he narrowly avoided much more serious punishments). Flakey, upon his promotion, personally chose Morak as Helmsman, though it's more in the case of both men being ordered by Admiral Cranston to do this as a sort of probation on Morak's part (either this or back to ferrying officers in a shuttle). Morak would have tensions with Cassandra Herman, daughter of captain Herman, for his demotion...A fact he occasionally points out when the latter herself is assigned to the ship. Loyal to those who gain his trust, Morak is willing to go the extra mile to aid his allies. Not exactly the best combatant (though his marksmanship is high), he opt to stay out of away missions unless ordered to. A bold and daring risk taker, his piloting is some of the best out there...Though he can take it up a few notches to uncertainty if the vessel his piloting will come out unscathed.
...Is it weird I made bios of the Mirror Universe counterparts of Flakey and Gunther, as well as several Starfleet ships the Dempster will sometimes come across?
As I mentioned...Here's the bio of Mirror Universe Jake Flakey. Mirror Flakey: Captain of the ISS Dempster. A dangerous thug of sorts yet loyal to the revived Terran Empire (to an extent that is), Flakey is a noted warrior, having been part of the MACO subjugation forces (organized to full out assault planets that show heavy resistance to Terran forces) for years, boasting a hefty body count. After personally killing Captain Rogers of the ISS Shambala during the latter's attempt to rebel against the Empire, Flakey is given command of the Dempster assigned to soften up planets from races that refuse to join the Empire. Despite his lack of grace, Flakey is dangerously cunning, having a few planets in a mostly unexplored nebula unaware of the bigger Empire to be loyal only to him while heavily taking advantage of their vast resources, falsely making reports that said planets are useless. Despite his loyalties to the Empire, self preservation is a priority.
Hmmm, been thinking of ways for one character so far, the Chief Engineer Arn Slegan. I kinda want him to be the most experienced of the crew and that he did serve on the Dempster during the war. In fact, he's one of the handful of survivors left by war's end. Yet I want Arn to be near paranoid of space since then, saying he transferred to a post on Earth (while he's quite on "no way in Hell I'm going back out there" mentality, Arn just can't find himself resigning) only to get a transfer back to space once higher-ups realize he's pulling a Riker (skilled enough to get a nice position, yet too content with their standing to take said position) and pull rank on him. So far, his arc is getting back to appreciate the space exploration again.
After a while, I think it's high time to talk about the ship itself. USS Dempster: A New Orleans class starship that was briefly a piece of largely intact scrap that received so much damage during the Dominion War that one would be impressed that she didn't get decommissioned as other ships would. Instead, she was repaired and stripped for war game practices (which finally replaced the mothballed USS Hathaway) until her eventual return to duty. Retrofitted with up to date equipment, she is ready to head back to the galaxy. Though her systems are a tad faulty, Flakey has come to rely on the ship’s ability to get her crew to safety. My feelings is that the Dempster is practically involved in key battles in the Dominion War...Usually as the ship that gets taken out early on. Heck, I imagine the ship being shot at and boarded by Jem’hadar during those moments. It may or may not even be involved in the battle to liberate Betazed. The old crew that did eventually came back to the ship to merge with the new one...Probably hate it, Arn especially. I also want the typical luxuries to be faulty and still in that "loading screen" mode as well. And why not just give Flakey a newer ship? ...Well, being Ex-MACO can do that to ya. Lol