The theme for this issue of the Mindscanner is ships.  As I think back on my years in KAG, I realize that I have served on six different ships.  Although there was a lot of overlap of membership between these ships, each had its own flavor and style.

When I joined KAG back in 1993, I became part of the crew of the IKV Emperor's Fist in Montreal, under the command of K'Hack.  This was back in the glory days of klingon fandom, when TNG was on TV every week and The Undiscovered Country was still fresh in everyone's minds.  The Emperor's Fist was a big (some would say unwieldy) ship of over 50 crew; with such a wealth of resources, it was for me an ideal introduction to Klingon fandom.  The name Emperor's Fist was synonymous with strength and power.

A couple of years later, when command of the ship passed to K'Athee, she changed its name to the IKV Destiny (motto: "Boldly going foreward to find our destiny ... while gleefully shaping that of those we meet along the way!").  This was during a tumultuous time in KAG when the Canadian branch of the club was breaking away to form an independent club.  At such a time "seeking our destiny" was very much on our minds.  In fact less than a year after the launch of the Destiny, and at almost the exact time that the Canadian fleets officially broke away from KAG, the Destiny had served its purpose.  K'Athee retired, and the decision was made to divide the ship into two smaller, more manageable ships.

I was given command of one of those ships, which I named the IKV Cold Thunder (motto: "maghoSlI' 'e' boQoypa', mamup rIntaH!" "By the time you hear us coming, we have already struck!").  This was my first taste of command.  For the next few years, my crew and I rumbled across the Montreal fan scene, making ourselves heard wherever we went.

In 1999 I moved to Toronto, leaving the Cold Thunder in other hands.  Because I didn't really know the people there, I asked to be assigned to the crew of one of the local ships, and found myself on the IKV Howling.  In the first year that I was on the ship, we had a total of one meeting and NO actual uniformed events.  This ship really did turn out to be all bark and no bite.

Less than a year after I had moved, the CO of the Howling retired (understandable, since she was visibly pregnant the one time I met her), and left me in command of the ship.  I decided to rename the ship the IKV So' Pach (Cloaked Talon).  Shortly thereafter the ships in Montreal, Toronto, and western Canada decided to leave the club they were with to come back to the original KAG.  I was not one of the official leaders of this movement, but like a cloaked talon I worked queietly behind the scenes to bring about the birth of a new KAG fleet, the Crimson Knight Fleet.

A year after the fleet was launched I was given command of it, a post I still hold.  Since my ship was now the fleet flagship, I renamed it the IKV Crimson Talon.  Although over the years I have passed command of the day to day operations of the ship on to others, I still consider the Talon my home.  I have served on the ship for nine years, as long as all the other ships put together.  As the flagship of the Crimson Knight Fleet, and for the last couple of years the flagship of KAG, the Talon leads the way in events in the area.  We are, to extend the metaphor, not afraid to get our claws bloody.

North to south and east to west, KAG is full of ships that have made their mark.  I have served on a few, been honoured to serve beside others at various events around North America, and have heard tales of the mighty exploits of even more.  I look forward to meeting more of you in the years to come.  Qapla' to the ships of the Klingon Assault Group!