Brian and I wanted to write an introduction to ourselves in the style of characters and include those interactions as a conversational ‘fireside chat’ sort of idea. It’s important to us to acknowledge those role playing roots as that is what this club is about. All information is accurate and nothing is embellished for effect and reflects conversations we have had regarding the club and our histories within the organization. There will be some personal insights, within, into who we are outside of the club as well as written below. This is not meant to be an exploration of our platform, it is simply as a way to introduce ourselves.

The day of adulting was finished, wound down with songs sung and stories read. The boys, all the three of them, were finally in bed and asleep. It had been a long day of school work, meals, chores, and ending with half an hour of children’s stories. Jennifer, grabbed a cold soda, and sat down at her computer, earbuds in, and dived into reading posts. The best way to unwind at the end of the day - creating stories about her favorite sci-fi universe: Star Trek.

A couple thousand miles away Brian was getting home from work, tackled by his middle son and apathetically waved at by his oldest while his daughter was pretending to be a puppy. After showering them in an embarrassing level of affection (well embarrassing by the oldest child’s standandards) he took a seat and opened his laptop, getting ready to continue the stories of a wide range of characters. Brian then typed a simple greeting and hit enter.

The sound of a message notification made itself known from Jennifer’s computer: “Howdy!”

“Hey Brian. How’s your stories going?” she typed in reply.

Typing back he wrote, “They’re getting along just fine, some good drama and tension always makes it worth my while. I am having some writers block though can I bounce some ideas off of ya?”

“Of course. Is it Randy’s sassiness or Lazol’s greed giving you problems? LOL” Bouncing ideas, developing characters, and exploring plotlines was one of her favorite hobbies alongside the actual posting done within the threads. Having a communal partnership where two writers create worlds and lives of characters is an enriching experience which reminds her of those early days of STF. “I remember back in 99 stumbling across star-fleet.com and out of pure excitement signing up, and days later getting my log in. I was so excited I spent the whole weekend writing. Back then I was a freshman in college, and though I loved to write I had never actually finished a whole story. We had amazing mentors in STF and they really improved my writing. Back then I had developed some really close friends in the club. We got each other through a lot of tough spots in life. They were there for some really dark times in my life, and to think I wouldn’t have those people in my life if not for STF. Despite the need for the rules and regulations it takes to run an online forum like this, it has always been about the people and the relationships we form, and I’m very grateful for that. Life is crazy. Kids, work, school, this whole Covid thing. It’s nice to have a place like this.”

Brian had been thinking about his own origins in the club, out at college in 2009 and on his own for the first time, “I joined STF as a way to explore some escapism when I first started college, and grew to develop some strong friendships with folks who I could turn to in some of my most challenging times of life. I remember deep conversations about whether or not I was ready to be a husband and a dad at the same time in the midst of character development and story writing. STF has always been a place I could turn to for both a creative outlet as well as a place that would build me up personally.” He sat back and looked over some notes he had written down and asked, “Have you ever thought about running for office in the club?”

“Oh sure I thought about running once, even joined on a ticket with a fellow writer, but you know how it goes. Real life got in the way and adulting and responsibilities took more and more time, and it never came to fruition. I didn’t want to leave the club in a lurch.”

Jennifer took a sip of her drink, popping out an ear bud, was that one of the boys she heard? Nope, still asleep. “I was looking for the Star Trek Adventures game and STF popped up in the web search. I was so excited I bugged my husband about it for 2 hours. Honestly I didn’t even expect STF to still be around.” She shook her head laughing to herself as she typed. “On the application, under how I heard about STF I told them that I used to be a member. They found my old characters and positions. I couldn’t believe it. River even found the archives for me. Man did that bring back memories.”

“So What made you want to run this time around?” Brian asked, reminiscing about his own time in the club through those years gone by. The two had discussed their roles within the club before both past, present, and future.

“Well it’s those memories that really are the reason for this whole thing. I had amazing friends who supported me both as a writer and a person. I’ve been everything from a lowly ensign to FComm of fleet 3, serving on the cabinet. I enjoyed all those positions because it helped me give back to the club. I really want to give back to the club that way, again. To help support writers in their stories and creativity but also to support them as people and individuals. To help STF continue to be a place that is fun and a way to relax against the craziness that is real life.” The ice clinked in the glass as she picked it up to take a drink, Sprite Ginger, her new favorite. “What about you?”

Brian typed back after a few minutes having fielded an issue between his two younger kids, “I’ve thought the same thing. I decided to step aside as the family grew and my responsibilities grew, but I always had a special place in my heart for STF and the creative freedom that it allows me. When I returned as life calmed down, I was greeted warmly and happily, it was as though I had never left and I want that to be the default for folks in our club. I suppose I want to play my part in building up the club how I can, for present members as well as future. I think the responsibility of leadership is one that is great, but needs to be built on a solid foundation of ideals and goals. Quite frankly I think that it is something you and I can accomplish.”

Jennifer Ward and Brian Richards (Co-Written)