“’Let the world honor you my Huntress,’ Artemis said, ‘Live forever in the stars.’”
Rick Riordan
The USS Artemis-A was first launched under a different name in 2392 (2015) as the USS Doyle under the command of CO Captain Shelther Faranster. The USS Doyle was deactivated and remained in the reserve fleet until it got a retrofit and a new name in 240002 (2023 Feb) when it was relaunched under command of then Commander Addison MacKenzie. Today we are joined by Fleet Captain Addison MacKenzie, Commander Genkos Adea and Lieutenant Gila Sadar to tell us more about this unique Luna Class vessel.
Harford: Thank you for joining us. Can you please start by telling us how the USS Artemis-A fits into our fleet? What sort of role does it fill with regards to the fleet as a whole?
MacKenzie: The Artemis is a Luna class scientific explorer – among the current fleet makeup, it is one of the smallest ships, but after its retrofit and recommission as the Artemis-A, it is also one of the newest. Our campaign region is a little-known area of Federation space called the Borderlands, along the Federation’s border with the Klingon Empire. As such, it makes sense to have a ship assigned to the region that is both scientifically advanced but tactically able to do some damage, given the threat from any number of hostile species (the Suliban and Son’a among them).
Harford: The Luna class is a relatively small ship? Why did you choose it and what sort of benefits or drawbacks have you seen with regards to the class of ship during your command?
MacKenzie: Well, as I mentioned above, we’re assigned to a hostile region of space that is largely unexplored. The Artemis has a wide range of science labs and sensor arrays but is also tactically formidable as well. Having a ship that is both equipped for scientific exploration, but also able to mount a strong defense is crucial for this particular campaign region. As for why I chose it, the truth is that I’ve always been interested in the smaller, scrappier ships. My first posting was on the Veritas, another small, but incredibly resilient ship – one of the things I learned in serving there was the interesting dynamics of having a ship at your disposal that is capable of doing some damage without being a total powerhouse. It can make for some incredibly sticky situations.
Harford: The crew complement of a Lunca class vessel is about 350 Officers, roughly a third of the size of a Galaxy Class crew. How is that reflected in your missions? Do the smaller numbers foster a bond of closeness among your Officers?
MacKenzie: I think so, and I certainly believe my officers would say so, too. From an in-game perspective, the department heads all navigate what it’s like to manage a medium-sized staff while retaining a closeness among them, and among the senior staff as well. That can have interesting ramifications during missions, especially if we have NPC or PNPC players that make regular appearances on screen.
Adea: I mean, it means we have fewer red shirts to throw into the jaws of the sacrificial lamb, but it does also mean when someone does snuff it, it can be quite meaningful. Not that it happens very often, but you know, these things happen.
Sadar: It does very much depend on how the officers choose to SIM though. On the OOC side of things, the Artemis has one of the ‘smaller’ PC complements of the current fleet, but functionally, whether you have 11 PCs aboard or 16, that still forms a rather small group of a ship’s total crew complement. But I do think that we aboard the Artemis tend to re-feature NPCs more often than introduce new ones, and establish a working rapport with them, which does make the Artemis feel smaller and more intimate.
Harford: Dubbed an Explorer type vessel, one would expect the focus of the USS Artemis-A to be mostly exploratory missions? Does that assumption hold true? What is your favorite exploratory mission you’ve served through while aboard the Artemis?
MacKenzie: I would say it’s true to some extent, sure. One of the things I’ve noticed with my particular group of writers is that somehow even the more purely scientific/exploratory-themed missions end up turning into missions steeped in some type of violence or another. The amount of self-inflicted trauma is astounding, sometimes, but it sure has made for some interesting missions (and great writing).
My favorite probably has to be our inaugural mission: the Artemis was dispatched to the Da’al homeworld to assist with relief efforts following a meteor impact, which left approximately 10,000 Da’al dead and thousands more wounded and/or unhomed. It was a combo search-and-rescue/diplomatic mission that ended up taking an even darker turn.
Sadar: It isn’t for lack of trying, Captain! That squirrel dog ain’t on my shoulders! ::clears throat:: The way I usually describe the Artemis-A when talking Ship profiles on the Discord, is that we’re a bit like a police patrol vessel. We’re in a lawless bit of territory bordering the Klingon Empire, and our missions (since I joined) have dealt with quite a few smugglers and Suliban pirates. Our command staff favors diplomacy when possible, but isn’t afraid to smack someone over the head if the situation calls for it… And unfortunately, the situation does seem to call for it unfairly often.
Adea: I guess we’re very exploratory, but boldly going where someone has been before… most of the time. I think my favourite mission so far was Both Sides Now – we had visitors from another dimension. Not quite the Mirror-verse, but not far off. The Shintiverse (be careful how you spell that) version of Genkos replaced him for quite a while and sowed some serious chaos, which was a lot of fun to write.
Harford: What makes the Artemis unique? Is there a particular upgrade that stands out or a section of the ship the crew most enjoys?
MacKenzie: The sensor pod is always interesting, and it’s been the focus of some really interesting writing among our science personnel. As for a spot that the crew enjoys, the Elysium is our crew lounge and often the scene of off-duty shenanigans or awards/promotions ceremonies.
Adea: You know, it’s not highly original to say so, but the Bridge is such a fascinating place for our crew to write about. So often the “lower deckers” write these fascinating little slices of life that are then disturbed when Addison comes out of her office and ruins their day. They also have this marvellous tendency to add some brilliant narration / inner thought to those long scenes where we’re all effectively asking for things to be put on screen or go full impulse.
Sadar: Not to highlight my PCs workaholic tendencies, but Sickbay is the best part of the Ship! But I think my favorite (and entirely unintentional) upgrade to the Artemis is probably Elysium. One of the first award ceremonies I was on board, a few crew members accidentally simmed the wrong deck for joining the ceremony, and so it was quickly established that the Artemis has a double-decked crew lounge with a Mezzanine area. Just goes to show that sometimes mistakes can be embraced to make something truly unique.
Harford: Before we go, Fleet Captain MacKenzie, you have garnered a certain ::gulp:: reputation in the fleet with regards to your style of discipline. Can you tell us, are the rumors true? Do you have hidden airlocks in your office and throughout the ship?
MacKenzie: ::sigh:: I don’t know what you’re talking about. All the airlocks on the Artemis are very clearly marked – ::making flight attendant gestures:: 2 fore, 2 aft, and one over each wing.
Thank you so much for your insights into the USS Artemis, Fleet Captain Addison MacKenzie, Commander Genkos Adea and Lieutenant Gila Sadar!
You can read more about the USS Artemis-A on the wiki, here.
