VK-318

Lieutenant Natasha Yar was the original chief of security for the Enterprise-D in Star Trek: The Next Generation. She died before the end of the first year of the show, making her the first main character of an ongoing Star Trek TV show to die and not be resurrected. Her death was likely intended to establish to the audience that main characters could get hurt or die - to establish some real viewer concern for main characters. In-story, her death also had a significant impact on certain members of the crew, particularly Data. While Starstriker is dead, the plotline in which he was involved continues to move, and, along with the death of John Hannibal, sets the sort of atmosphere of risk that lets builders like me pull off monologues about potentially impending doom without sounding ridiculous - main characters have died before, so we might not be bluffing. Does that make sense? It's very late at night, and I'm afraid I'm starting to ramble.

I think Starstriker has become the Natasha Yar of Andromeda's Gates.

Nifty bunker and even better clutter. The Rhotuka spinners as antenna aerials are my favorite - NPU there, and the nostalgia is real. I loved my Sidorak, back in the day.

Location: G10 Onix Tags: None ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Captain's Log Prisoners still in custody - dispatched to Onix in response to reports of pirate activity. Fleet intelligence advises suspected connection to band eliminated prior to formal hiring. Jump made in good time - traffic at Onix GATE continues to be low. Fleet intelligence indicates only known Octan traffic composed of weekly mail courier, one science ship departing, and some activity in low orbit en route to former pirate base. Assess as likely transit lockdown following earlier Kawashita activity in this sector - Octan fleet is far away and unable to provide significant support or escort, and most armed ships likely drawn to provide logistics for Octan-M.A.N.T.I.S. conflict elsewhere. Captain's Log, Supplemental I strongly doubt that FI is correct. Some visual footage of suspected pirate ships was provided, and the hull configuration does not match that of any vessels we encountered previously in the Onix sector. Of more interest is why pirates are raiding Kawashita shipping in Onix. There are several other sectors that are equally vulnerable, given the current disposition of the fleet, and almost none with less traffic than Onix. Certainly they would be more likely to be detected in other systems, but as a rule, in the sweet trade the important part is to get away, and being spotted in the process is unimportant. I do not care to speculate, therefore, concerning what might be these presumed pirates' motive for raiding in Onix. Diary of Silvia Kramer Viktor is worried about the word from the fleet. He's sure the fleet is wrong. I told him I was sure he had finished with the pirates before, and the fleet must be wrong. But he said he hoped it would turn out to be the same pirates. I wasn't sure what he meant, but I didn't get a chance to ask. The corporal came in with some questions for Viktor, and I had to let it go. I've been thinking, though, and I think I get it. Pirates from the base we visited would still be operating there while they try to recover and get re-organized. But new pirates in that system aren't looking for loot - they're looking for ships. That's why they haven't stopped the Octan mail courier - they want a Kawashita hull, and a merchant one, too. But why? The freighters that run those routes are tubs that only mount one turret! Captain's Log Encountered hostile activity in Onix system. Weapons fire was spotted over Onix's moon, concealed from the planet surface by the moon. Upon approach, conflict was identified as a battle between a Kawashita freighter and an unknown hostile craft. An attempt was made to hail both craft. Neither responded. We moved to approach, but before we arrived, contact with the freighter was lost. Thermal contact dropped off, followed a fraction of a second later by loss of radar and visual contact. Fate of freighter unknown at this time - fluctuations in local gravity commonly associated with GATE anomaly/drive failure not detected. Boarding party sent aboard hostile craft. Assessed as non-Human design and construction. No life signs detected during approach, and none found during thorough search. Assessment is difficult. Lacking evidence for clear-cut evaluation, hostile craft has been flagged as category-red quarantine zone. Transponder attached - reporting directly to Variga. Will inform fleet once more complete assessment of situation and threat posed by unknown craft are more complete. Have issued security ID cards to crew, and instituted automated checkpoints throughout vessel until further notice. Corporal Nodachi concurring. Captain's Log, Supplemental The corporal may not be useless. He agrees with my assessment. Someone or something far more advanced than ourselves has taken control of one of our freighters, and intends to use it for unknown purposes. Diary of Silvia Kramer I'm afraid, and so is Viktor. We're pirates, not soldiers, and this isn't our kind of mission. But I don't think we should tell the fleet. Then we might loose a line cruiser, or even a dreadnought. This way, if something does go really, horribly wrong, the Kawashita Group is only down one corvette, five people, and a couple of robots. Andromeda isn't quite our galaxy yet, and we don't know who or what is really out there, in the hundreds of systems not connected to the GATE network. May God help us all. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ So, I bought a game called "Stellaris" a week or so ago. It's a sci-fi, 4X, grand strategy game that is devouring my life. This doesn't have anything to do with my build, or the plot arc I'm starting, except that I spent so much time playing that I never got around to building anything new for this week. So, I dug through my drawers of Legos and found some old ships that I build a few years ago and never shared here before. The green one is inspired by the Dragon Pod, from the X-Pod series of a decade or so back, and the Kawashita freighter is inspired by a Highlighter market and by General Grievous' flagship in Revenge of the Sith. C&C welcome.

It's beautiful!

Thanks! I'm not too thrilled with the "head" section, either. I don't know how I would fix it, though. Project for later, I guess.

Thanks! Looking at this again makes me think I need to revisit my photography. The blurriness especially is a problem, and these pictures just don't do the colors justice.

This is honestly my favorite GoH castle yet. The greebling on the walls is absolutely beautiful, and the round towers are a great touch. It reminds me of some of LEGO's recent castles, with a major facelift.

Location: C09 Orinshi Tags: Civilian, Spaceship Note to judges: the micro Variga is reused and should not be judged. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Captain's Log Made landfall at Fleet HQ on Orinshi to pick up our zampolit. Corporal Nodachi's dossier lists him as a proficient sniper and distinguished officer after four years of service. During his service aboard the Variga, he is to have veto authority over the captain's actions under certain circumstances. Captain's Log, Supplemental The man is the most uptight, pretentious person I've ever seen carrying a sniper rifle. We shall have to hope that he will forbear from interfering too regularly with the command of my ship. Diary of Silvia Kramer Viktor and the new crewman hate each other. Since Nodachi's supposed to be on the bridge during combat, this could make things interesting. Will have to find something for him to do to make himself useful. If we're lucky, we might get until our next shore leave without anybody getting shot. Captain's Log Encountered suspect vessel in Orinshi system far orbit. Contact report filed with fleet command. Various requisitions made. Prisoners currently being held in the brig, pending delivery to the fleet. Mission Report - 3816 5 Junali Location: C09 Orinshi Mission: Interception; Search and Seizure. Target: Hull 38ACY-B9B - Bay Lines Fackrell-class Light Container Freighter Action Report: Encountered target in far orbit of Orinshi. Upon sighting, hailed, as orbital location atypical for craft awaiting commercial docking. Target reacted by initiating hard burn on thrusters toward sensor shelter of a nearby ring system. In accordance with standing vessel operating orders, engaged target as presumed smuggler or slave-trader. Intercepted successfully, and boarded with minimal hull damage. Boarding Report: Boarding party consisted of enlisted crewmen and Captain Kramer. Enemy crew: captain, supercargo, three enlisted. Due to armed resistance, lethal force was authorized by order of Captain Kramer. Two enlisted died from injuries sustained in boarding. Third enlisted attempted to escape through airlock - died due to vacuum suit malfunction. Body recovered for deliver to family. Captain and supercargo surrendered - latter suffered minor wounds during boarding. Post medical treatment, delivery to fleet is pending. Actual status of hull and crew as Bay Lines employees is unconfirmed but presumed valid - smuggling activity assessed as non-localized. After Action Report: Docked containers searched; contraband discovered. Quantities of chemicals not matching permitted standards contained in starboard container - analysis suggests unlawful recreational narcotic. Military-grade explosive ordinance found in ventral container. Food, medical materials, and various sundries requisitioned as per fleet policy. Hull flagged as military property and flagged with proper transponder - coordinates attached. Mission Status: SUCCESS Diary of Silvia Kramer "Various sundries" include: one-tenth of a dimensional ton of explosives, an as-yet uncounted cache of precious-metal coinage found in the supercargo's footlocker under a false bottom, and a collection of Bay Lines uniforms, passcards, and other items "just in case." It was my job to keep Nodachi busy on the bridge while the others brought the gear aboard. He is impossible to make small talk with. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ C&C welcome. Thanks for reading - I'm trying a new format.

I'm glad so many of you like that tree - getting it to work right is what delayed this build more than two weeks! I wanted to do a dead tree, and in real life the best match would be light gray, but that looks too much like stones, especially when you're working in a medieval setting. Tan was my best shot. As for the rest of the vegetation, I honestly planned the orcsfang for Hook (no relation to Captain Hook), then threw down the other marsh-y plants I had however I could without getting in the way of the action. I'm glad it worked so well for you all!

Me too. My favorite moment in the whole series is in ME1. I play as a Colonist, and I love talking down the escaped slave who's trying to kill herself. We'll probably see that in my story somewhere - NOBODY STEAL THAT IDEA!!!

Well, great.

Yes, that's exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for! Thanks for the tip, I'll definitely try to figure out ways to do that. Thanks! I think ...

Location: A08 Crentium Tags: Civil Building ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "According to the doctors, the wound healing went well. Your wife should be scar-free, in spite of her recent encounter with advanced torture methods." "Agent Raven." With difficulty, I tore myself away from the ledge. "It's an unexpected honor. What bring you here?" "Fifty-eight pirates killed and goods recovered valued into seven figures." "Is that how many I shot? I lost count." "You lost count." Her icicle expression didn't change - it never did. But I thought I heard a touch of surprise. "In any case," she continued, "this mission was not authorized. Indeed, your vessel was found absent from the battle line during an engagement with an enemy fleet. Upon inquiry, I discovered that you had deliberately gone AWOL to pursue your unauthorized rescue mission. This is grounds for dismissal, and charges of desertion." "I'm afraid you're wrong, Agent," I said politely. "Only employees can be charged with desertion, and if you will examine our contract, Silvia and I, along with the Variga, are independent contractors, and not subject to most disciplinary actions." "Correct." Ragen lapsed into silence. I watched. She had plainly known that we were not punishable before she came, else she would have argued the point - and backed up her argument with troops. So why was the CEO of all of the Kawashita Group's Andromeda activities here, aboard a hospital ship in orbit over a no-account world on the galactic fringe? "The toxin the torturer used," Raven said, interrupting my musings. "It's a very new design. M.A.N.T.I.S. only developed it a few months ago, a by-product of something else. They still haven't properly finished testing it, and obviously that filthy traitor Laszlowe didn't bother giving the pirates the safety information anyway. According to the doctors, the toxin appears to interact heavily with many varieties of stimulants." "Which means?" I had heard the mock casual tone Raven was using many times before, from all manner of people. It was the voice of someone who was carrying bad news, and liked it. "The stimulant used in the torture process appears have to interacted with the torture-enhancing toxin, leading to permanent neural scarring. In short, the effect is permanent." "I beg your pardon? Does the Kawashita Group not have the technology to repair neural damage? Is it not, in fact, the selfsame device in which my wife is currently being recuperated?" My voice was tightly controlled, and I spoke through almost-clenched teeth. "So it does, so it does. But that level of therapy is reserved for employees only." I boiled over. "What?!" I reached for a gun, then remembered that I had been disarmed before being admitted. "You know exactly what I've already done to bring Silvia this far. And now you tell me that nothing will be done to help her? Do you really think that's wise?" I hissed. Agent Raven fixed me with an icy glare. "Don't threaten me, ever, pirate. This once, I'll overlook it." She stepped away from the window. "As a matter of fact, something can be done." "The other corporations no longer pose an existential threat to the Kawashita Group," Raven said briskly. "Octan and M.A.N.T.I.S. are too involved in their own troubles to hinder us; we have all grown to the point where the damage of war would take another year to repair. The battlefield has changed. "We must now confront the forces of organized crime. Slavery, that most vile of all crimes, plagues our neighbors, and it is only a matter of time until its creeping touch is felt on our own worlds. Piracy leeches at the trade routes so newly established, and cuts our profits nearly by half in some systems. Corruption threatens to topple corporations from within, and gang violence is already acting to destabilize the civilian populations so newly planted in this galaxy." "A grand speech," I said acidly. "What do you suggest I do about it?" "The fleet of this company is strongly oriented toward conventional action - occupation, invasion, and large-scale interfleet engagement. Our commanders are trained for this, and our warships are designed with this mission in mind. We lack an effective pirate-hunting force. "For this, a unique skillset is needed. One must have personal experience with organized crime - preferably from the inside, the better to root it out. One must command a team experienced in shipboard and close-quarters fighting, in order to detain and recapture as much as possible and effectively rescue prisoners. And one must have access to a small vessel, capable of intercepting enemy craft, disabling fight-or-flight mechanisms, and moving to board." "What does this have to do with Silvia?" I asked tightly. "I want to you lead an anti-piracy task force. It's mission will be to eliminate and discourage acts of organized crime, acting either in support of the fleet or alone as needed." "But..." There was going to be a catch. "You will sign a revised contract. From now on, your are an employee, assigned to the first branch of the Andromeda Division of the Kawashita Group. You will take orders from the First Branch Executive and myself, and you have a zanpolit aboard to ensure that you do. In exchange, I will personally authorized full neural recovery treatment for Silvia Kramer." I pondered for a moment. Piracy must truly be eating at the company's bottom line if the most famous pirate hunter in the Kawashita Group, known even back in the Milky Way for her infiltration and elimination of the Dust Demons less than a year ago, was coming to me to solve the problem. As far as the contract was concerned, there was no question. I would have sold my sold my soul to Lord Business himself if that was what it took to help Silvia. "Done." I signed the contract and handed it back. Raven left without a word. So, we were employees now. It was worth it, I knew, but what had we given up? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ So, yeah. I probably should have checked a couple of weeks ago to see if I had any of the parts required to build Agent Raven. Nope. I hope this simple imitation will suffice. Finally back from finals! Hooray!

The Saucer Centurion has never looked better! Way to go! The rover is also very impressive. I need to study these more, because they perfectly capture the style of Spyrius with modern parts. I'd better get moving if I want to be the first to remake the Recon Robot ...

Thanks. I think I'm kinda channeling BEAVeR from over in Shadows of Nar Eurbrikka with these builds - not because of the build, BEAVeR only does digital, but the whole wall-of-prose thing. It's fun, though. I build the landscape about three weeks ago, I think - the dirt part. Then I couldn't figure out whether to use a standing stone or a tree, and the standing stone wasn't working out, and then finals hit. I finally dug it out and finished it over the weekend. It's about time I was moving on with the story. Thanks so much for the tip.

My second build is up! http://www.eurobrick...howtopic=133103 I have named two common types of plant life in the Orcish Marshes: fenweed (at some point to be represented with dark sand yellow 3x and 4x axles standing on their studded or flat end) and orcfang frond (depicted with the large palm-leaf parts, can be any reasonable color).

Previously: Storm in the North The spring rains had not yet come to the Orcish Marshes, and so the wetlands were not yet wet, the snowmelt on this coast being fairly light and tending besides to run south in the mountains and bypass the marshes altogether. Every spring, a torrential rainstorm, lasting sometimes as long as two weeks, would saturate the land, and the land soaked it up like a sponge. Truthfully, much of the "marshes" was not much of a marsh at all - more of a wasteland, an expanse of shrub and rough country that might have been worth something to someone were it not populated by orcs. With so much bountiful land to be found elsewhere in Mitgardia, this corner saw little development. The dark-cloaked man had been traveling across this dry expanse for nearly a week now. It was not easy country to travel. Every hump and hillock concealed some stagnant watercourse, backed up since the snowmelt subsided nearly a month ago, and only to be crossed with difficulty. Although the thick, succulent fenweed had not yet sprouted its yearly crop, the evergreen orcsfang fronds were at their height of growth, and mistletoe and other such parasites grew thickly on the old and dead wood of still-dormant trees. The orcs themselves were easily avoided by any skilled traveler. They kept to themselves, in stockades made of gnarly tree trunks placed in rings on the highest hills, and sallied out only to hunt - those encampments that lacked springs or wells survived on stagnant rainwater kept in great pits. Orcs, with their iron bellies, care little for the quality of their water, and only bother with springs or wells because they do not so easily run dry. A single traveler may moved unnoticed in the marshes, though he must needs go slowly, for the ground is not straight and the old roads are not kept. To travel in a group is to be seen by any and all who may be there to see - the fronds and, in their season, the fenweed will not permit otherwise. So it was that the traveler encountered a party of four orcs passing through the marsh, and began to shadow them. Three were male, including their leader, but there was also a female among them. One of them, a male who wore a rough helmet and carried a battered sword, seemed by his stiff walk to be the eldest. The other male follower wore a helmet as well, and both he and the female carried spears. The leader had no helmet, and he carried some sort of stone instrument with a hooked blade. They climbed a small hillock, and the traveler hid behind a stand of orcsfang to watch. There was an old, dead tree atop the hillock, and a chain was looped around one branch. Bound by the chain was a girl, fairly young by her looks, dressed in simple green and brown. The orcs gathered around the leader, evidently some sort of priest, as he took a position in front of the girl and began chanting. As the chant progressed, the orcs' excitement grew, and the priest brought his hooked blade closer and closer to the young woman's neck. Bound as she was with her hands high over her head, the girl could do little but grit her teeth and watch as the stone crescent-moon inched nearer to her. The travelerl quickly laid down his staff and unslung one of his bundles: a fine crossbow. Cradling the weapon with his hook, he brought a bolt from its place under his cloak and readied his weapon almost without effort. It was a small weapon, intended for obvious reasons to be used with one hand, and he sighted along its guides briefly before squeezing the catch. Almost before the metal chord had rebounded with a splack off of the spring-steel arms of the bow, the bolt buried itself in the throat of the female orc. She fell without a sound. The traveler didn't wait to fire another shot. Instead, he set the crossbow down in a dry patch of dirt and again reached under his cloak. As the chanting suddenly gave way to cries of alarm rose from the orcs, he drew from its scabbard a heavy longsword. With his hand against the crosstree and his hook looped just above the pommel, he stepped out from behind the weeds and let fall the massive blade, cleaving through both helmet and head of the male spear-carrier before wading into the fray. With the priest's head left rolling in the dust, he turned his attention to the girl. The locks on the orcish manacles were crude, and a few moments with his knife made short work of them. He wiped his blade off on the fronds, replaced it and his crossbow under his cloak, and, retrieving his staff, offered it to the girl, who was so stiff that she nearly fell over when released from her bonds. Then, and only then, did he speak. "Where are you from, lass?" His voice was deep, and raspy, as though it seldom saw use, but not unkind. "I -- I'm from one of the villages," she said uncertainly. "I live in the fens. But I don't know where I am." "Ah, so the fen-folk still life in this country. What is your name?" She gave him a wary look. "Haelda." "Then, well met, Haelda of the Fens. I am traveling to the mountains. Perhaps on the way, we may find an inn with a map, or a landmark you know, and direct you toward your home? In any case, it is not wise to be out on the marshes much longer. I can smell the rain coming on, not more than a day away." "You're probably right, sir. What should I call you?" He thought for a moment, then raised his left arm. "Call me Hook," he said. "It will do." C&C welcome, of course.

Happy anniversary! While the launch of AG came at right about the time that I had to take a break from LEGO (it's a long story), I was one of those who pushed for something like this, and I'm glad that I've finally been able to get involved! It's been an honor to work with and against you all, and I hope to continue and stick with it through AG2, though hopefully that'll take a while to happen.

Welcome back, Beltar! Very effective lighting - maybe I should try something similar on my builds at some point.

I've got one in progress. It's been held up due to finals week, but expect it sometime soon.

You don't say. By the way. Should I post a build with a flag and all that to officially join the guild? I noticed everybody else recent seems to.

AG_Rosenhaus_01 Located in a clearing in the Orinshi jungles, few people know of the existence of this building. AG_Rosenhaus_02 Built in the shape of a cross or a T, the owner of the property is listed in documents only as, "K." AG_Rosenhaus_03 It is large enough to house an entire military base, but appears from the outside to be a civilian residence - a mansion of tremendous size. AG_Rosenhaus_04 The architects were sourced from the Milky Way, as Kawashita architects have little experience with rotundas and other such distinctly Western architectural styles. AG_Rosenhaus_05 There is, in fact, a front door, a very large one indeed on the ground level of the rotunda. However, at present it merely leads out onto grass - there is not another building or a road for hundreds of miles in any direction. AG_Rosenhaus_06 The building, listed in legal documents as "Rosenhaus," appears to be undefended - there are even trees and a fountain under the crystal dome that tops off the rotunda. The two layers of the rotunda below are composed mostly of balconies, including an open-air dining room and a running track that circles the rotunda on the third level. AG_Rosenhaus_07 Orbital imagery suggests that there may be military hardware concealed under the irregular surface of the larger dome. AG_Rosenhaus_08 The east wing of the mansion has a roof garden, which is in fact more like a grove of trees, around a square with a fountain. AG_Rosenhaus_09 On the other side, the west wing of the Rosenhaus boasts an outdoor pool. AG_Rosenhaus_10 The north wing is more mysterious. It is by far the largest portion of Rosenhaus, but is fitted with only one row of large windows. Orbital analysis indicates that the northern wall conceals a massive door, but it has never been seen to open. Whether some weapon or vehicle is contained within, or whether this is merely some sort of gigantic warehouse, is unknown. AG_Rosenhaus_11 The roof is used as a landing pad for ship identified as the Variga, suggesting that "K" stands for Kramer. A large elevator provides passage from the roof directly into the north wing, or there is a main entrance on the north side of the rotunda. AG_Rosenhaus_12 Efforts have been made by multiple parties to infiltrate or break into the Rosenhaus, so far without success. The difficulties involved are compounded by the use of a highly automated staff, making the use of a mole essentially impossible.

I wish it looked this good when I "throw something together." Great micro facility, and an excellent piece of work on the station - it's immediately recognizable.

Nifty monorail! The M.A.N.T.I.S. color scheme works very nicely for sci-fi buildings.