USS ULYSSES NFC-2006
 
Our Ship
Ulysses Bridge
IFT Command
Enlistment
Our Location
Sovereign Class
Holodeck Multimedia NEW
Mission Statement
  Ship Policies  
Communications
Our Yahoo Group
Contact Us
Captain's BlogNEW
Identify Yourself - Survey
Webrings
Links
MySpace
Our Adventures
Upcoming Activities
Our Charities
Ulysses Mission Logs
Away Missions
Australia Mission Log
Our Crew
Officers and Crew
Our Pets
Graphics & Design
David Perez

Webmasters
Currently Maintaining:
Commander Bob Rivard
XO, USS Ulysses NFC-2006

Designer/Creator/Webmaster August 2000 - January 2005:
Captain Mandy Ison
former XO, USS Ulysses
CO, USS Athena NFC-0750
 
     
 
 
seperator
Map of Australia Australia Mission Log Map of Australia
seperator
Log 1, Log 2, Log 3, Log 4, Log 5, Log 6, Log 7, Log 8, Log 9
seperator thin
LOG 5
seperator thin
May 31, 2001:

My superior officers have expressed some concerns about my apparent enjoyment in my assignment to 21st century Australia. In short, I am having 'too much fun'. To belay their concerns, I have decided to describe my average week. I awake at 6:30 to 7:00 AM in the morning during the week to make it to my 8:00 AM Chemistry class, which combines a semester of Physical, Organic and Inorganic Chemistry into an hour lecture almost every day.

I have a 4-hour lab every Friday and usually a physical chemistry assignment due every Monday, dealing with such mundane concepts as spectroscopy, Huckel approximations of molecular orbitals, wave functions, etc., etc. all those things any first year cadet would know.

My English classes are somewhat more laid-back, as the teachers merely expect 6-8 page papers of superior quality. We all know that as a Starfleet officer and academy graduate, these are not strenuous exercises for me.

At the end of the day, I walk home, which I must add that I’ve never had to walk so much before in my life, to my Australian host family. My landlady, Leigh, who often takes me out with her to cafes and pubs, is a font of information about Australian culture. Likewise, her son, David, an aspiring photographer, is a laidback and equally important source of information. Handsome by any earth standards, he makes pleasant company in front of the ‘tellie’ late at night.

Persevering where others might have failed, I have gone on as many away missions as possible. Thus, my upcoming 5-week excursion through the greater eastern half of Australia. Starting June 18th, I will be flying to Melbourne, taking a train to Ayers Rock, busing to Cairns to dive the Great Barrier Reef, whitewater rafting, sailing the Whitsunday Islands....

Really, it is a lot of hard work and planning to do my job well while I am here! I’m so exhausted I’m going out with some friends to grab a VB (Victorian Bitter) at the local pub to relax for the weekend ahead.

Lt. Commander Mandy Ison, signing off
Log 7, Log 8, Log 9, Top of Page
seperator thin
LOG 6
seperator thin
September 7, 2001:

Communications has been difficult recently as an unforeseen technical problem has cropped up in relaying messages to Starfleet and the Ulysses. Systems are failing rapidly and I am forced to improvise with the primitive technology of this era. It seems that the initial interface of my communications device and the 'Mac' that I use at my current place of residence is not as stable as I thought. I have abandoned the use of this 'Mac' until I either resolve the discrepancy or pitch it into Sydney Harbour.

To bring my log up to date, from June 18th to July 22nd I was on an away mission that covered most of the eastern half of Australia. Heading west, initially, I explored Melbourne, where I had some very interesting contact with nefarious individuals whom I was forced to run from, as well as meeting some famous personage of the United States, a John Travolta.

Next, I took the train up through the middle of Australia to Adelaide and jumped off at the end in Alice Springs, where I toured Ayers Rock, the Olgas, and Kings Canyon.

Bumping along almost 3,000 km of desert road, I then made my way to Cairns on the eastern seaboard. Our bus broke down the first day of travel and we were forced to make do with Frisbees and frying in the sun as we waited for help to come from over 4 hours away. A highlight of the trip was a pool competition with the locals of Hughenden in a decidedly outback, Aussie pub where a local with tattoos on both arms claimed I was his fiancé.

We arrived in Cairns 3 days later, covered in red dust. Cairns was the start of a long 2½ weeks down the Queensland coast, snorkelling, diving, sailing, rafting, and bushwalking.

Back in Sydney, school has started again. As for a little local news, the Good Will Games have occasioned some national pride in the Australians as they trounce the Americans in the swimming competitions. Nothing makes an Aussie's day better than a 'bloody good show' on the playing field against Americans I have found. Well, unfortunately homework calls...

Lt. Commander Mandy Ison, signing off
Back to Log 5, Log 8, Log 9, Top of Page
seperator thin
LOG 7
seperator thin
October 6, 2001:

This has been a difficult month as an American abroad. The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in the United States came as a total shock to the world, an event in history long lost in Federation archives. None of my studies of this century prepared me, and the loss of life was staggering.

What has been dichotomous is the Australian reaction to the crisis. On the one hand, they are shocked and horrified by the events, outlawing knives on their own airplanes and instigating a Sky Marshal program, their politicians lending full support to the Americans.

On the other hand, they are also wary and suspicious of America’s intent in finding the perpetrators, questioning the right this country has to ‘throw its weight around’ and risk worse acts of terrorism. In this same line of thinking, they blame U.S. foreign policy for the attacks.

My pose as an American has exposed me to both reactions. One of my Australian roommates said, while watching a ‘telethon’ to raise funds for the victims of this crisis, “Yes, just before you go bomb a country!” I have been angered by this reaction, and most Australians seem to share the fear and certainty that Americans will start a war against innocents and against countries that could wreak havoc to the world in general.

Yet, at a memorial service some weeks ago that I attended at the U.S. Embassy in downtown Sydney, the piles of flowers and overwhelming sympathy and support by participating Australians has also shown me the best of these people in this crisis. Solemnly, I attach a full report of the events for Federation archives and end this log.

Lt. Commander Mandy Ison, signing off
Back to Log 5, Back to Log 6, Log 9, Top of Page
seperator thin
LOG 8
seperator thin
November 6, 2001:

My assignment to 21st century Australia is in its final stages as I prepare to extricate myself from this society and return to my current timeline. My commander in Los Angeles has already beamed me, in a tight, coded transmission, the coordinates of the shuttle I will be taking into orbit and through the wormhole. It has become unsafe to attempt this maneuver over Los Angeles in the current heightened state of alertness in all airspace over the United States.

I continue to record and transmit cultural and social anxieties over the complex problem of terrorism, one many worlds have not solved in our own timeline. However, the consensus throughout the world seems to be, that whatever the motivation, the death of innocents is never justified, on either side of the battle lines.

I wonder if those in this North American alliance of States are aware of the antipathy its, as it is labeled here, ‘war of attrition’ has created in the hearts of some in the international world, including Australia. I, myself, cringe at the death of innocents in Afghanistan, not killed by acts of terrorism, but by the hand that seeks justice for those innocents killed in New York.

This is a difficult position the United States has found itself, at once justified in its reprisal against the terrorists who perpetrated the horrible acts on September 11th, but needing to be mindful of the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and that not ALL of these people are guilty of the acts of few.

In this light, its government cannot afford many mistakes before risking becoming the aggressor in an unjust war, instead of the defender against a cowardly act of terrorism. Can this country responsibly carry out the justice its people deserve and conscientiously deliver the safety the world has a right to expect from similar acts of terrorism?

I cannot answer these questions. Only history will tell, to be recorded and transmitted by the next Starfleet Officer to take my place. For my part, I can see no clear solution. Terrorism must be, at once, stamped out and yet, the death of further innocents makes this task unpalatable. Some might say that it is necessary, that this is the price of war. But others would reply, ‘Not if we can help it.’

Lt. Commander Mandy Ison, signing off
Back to Log 5, Back to Log 6, Back to Log 7, Top of Page
seperator thin
LOG 9
seperator thin
Stardate 32272.7:

Transfer to the shuttle craft occurred without happenstance. Entering the wormhole also went as planned. Amazing, that we can use it like a time machine, much like that ancient writer, H.G. Wells, once wrote of.

At Starfleet Headquarters, I have completed my debriefings as well as submitted all pertinent documents and files for their records. I’ve met the officer who is to replace me on another one year mission and I admit to feeling a little envious of the adventure that awaits him.

The technologies and culture of this time still strike me as odd and jarring, having acclimated very closely to the timeline I was assigned. However, I am eager to rejoin my ship, the Ulysses, and will be reporting for duty on the next available transport. As my last Australia Mission Log, this is...

Lt. Commander Mandy Ison, signing off
Back to Log 5, Back to Log 6, Back to Log 7, Back to Log 8, Top of Page
seperator thin
Log 1, Log 2, Log 3, Log 4, Log 5, Log 6, Log 7, Log 8, Log 9
seperator thin
[Our Ship] • Ulysses Bridge • IFT • Enlistment • Our Location • Sovereign Class Starship • Holodeck • Mission Statement • Ship Policies •
[Our Crew] • Officers and Crew • David Perez • Newsletter • Graphics & Design • Our Pets •
[Our Adventures] • Upcoming Activities • Our Charities • Ulysses Mission Logs • Away Missions • Australia Mission Log •
[Communications] • Contact Us • Identify Yourself • MySpace • Our Yahoo Group • Webrings • Links •
seperator thin
USS ULYSSES NFC-2006 •  captgamble2006@yahoo.com •  PO Box EI, Beaumont, California, 92223, US
seperator thin
Privacy Policy/Terms of Service

© 2000 - 2006 USS ULYSSES NFC-2006
All Rights Reserved. You must obtain written permission to use any content on this page.

Star Trek® Star Trek: The Next Generation® Star Trek: Deep Space Nine® Star Trek: Voyager® and Star Trek: Enterprise® are registered trademarks of Paramount Pictures registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office. No Infringement Intended.