 WELCOME
The USS MERLIN serves as part of the 20th fleet and is
nominally based in London, but it draws its membership from across the
UK. It is delighted to have a special affinity to the USS Alba who are
our
support ship within STARFLEET International.
We are registered as a correspondence chapter, but run a
two-shift system that actively supports face-to-face meetings as well
as correspondence ones. All members are assigned to both shifts
allowing everyone to take part in as many activities as they wish.
Avalon Shift is comprised
of those members who are able to attend
face-to-face meetings. These occur on a bi-monthly basis and the
location and detail of the meeting is the responsibility of the shift
commander. This role rotates across those members of the crew who want
to host a meeting, and these meetings can take any form, from meeting
for coffee and a chat, to a visit to the cinema, to attending a
convention. AVALON SHIFT meetings are open to all crew members and any
other member of SFI or anyone else with an interest in Star Trek and sci-fi.
 Pendragon Shift is
our online meetings and they also occur on a
bi-monthly basis (four weeks after the AVALON shift meeting). Again the
responsibility for organising the meeting lies with the shift
commander, who will decide the format and style of the online meeting.
These can be quizzes, discussion, interactive episode viewings,
anything really!
Once every year there is a full crew meeting, designated Excalibur
Shift. This is designed to be a
face-to-face event that takes place
during an event that the crew is attending. It is the intention of the
founding crew that where possible this event should be the Region 20
Summit, with an alternative fan run event being chosen for alternate
years. EXCALIBUR SHIFT meetings will be fun events! They could
be as simple as a crew lunch during the event, or as elaborate as a
formal crew muster.
 In line with our SFI bio, we actively encourage our crew
to be
ambassadors in their local communities by taking part in activities
that improve the lives of others. It is a deliberately vague
description so that our crew are able to do what they feel they are
best suited to do. Out motto also reflects our chapter's ethos: Per Consilium Uicforia which means ' through diplomacy, victory'.
SFI Back Story The USS Merlin, NX-26513, is an Ambassador Class Diplomatic Courier working out of Starbase 20.
Her primary mission is to serve as part of the Federation's Diplomatic
Corps and as such, she carries a crew vastly experienced in Federation
law and customs. The Ambassador Class starship was developed at the Utopia Planatia Fleet Yards but constructed at a number of shipyards. The Merlin heralded
from the New Aberdeen Shipyards located at Aldebaran III (also
known as Alpha Tauri) and launched on stardate 23785.28. Her first mission
was to act as the flagship for Federation Ambassador T'Len of
Vulcan on her mission to negotiate Federation membership with the
Gebralli. The mission unexpectedly gave the captain and crew of
the USS Merlin a chance to prove their ability to act as a ship of the
line when they were ambushed by Breen
privateers en route to the Gebralli
home world. It was the quick thinking of the XO, Commander Zig (a long
time student of the tactics of Capt James T Kirk) who noticed that
the enemy ship had a weakened deck plate near their sensor
arrays. She ordered that a modified photon torpedo be fired,
and this disabled both the sensor and weapons arrays. The
Merlin, eager to add to the Federation's knowledge of the legendary
Breen, locked on their tractor beam
and transported a security team onto the Breen ship. The Breen,
however, had no intention of surrendering their vessel or revealing
their physical form; the CO had initiated the auto-destruct sequence.
With seconds to spare, the XO realised this and recalled the Away Team,
but not before downloading some essential files from the Breen ship's
computers. The Merlin made a hasty retreat, ensuring the safety of
the Merlin and the ambassador, but sadly, all hands were lost on the
Breen vessel. Upon their return to Sol, Ambassador T'Len (who was still delivered on time
for her conference on Gebralli) commended the crew or working
so efficiently during the incident. High praise indeed from a Vulcan
Ambassador. The CO, Commodore Richard Sams, then successfully
petitioned STARFLEET Command for an upgrade to the defensive
capabilities of his ship, arguing that if they were to continue
supporting high ranking federation officials, they must have the
capability to defend themselves if necessary. In recognition of her
quick thinking, the XO, CDR Zig was awarded the Christopher Pike Medal
of Valour at a specially convened session of the Federation Council.
The medal was presented by Ambassador T'Len.
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