Lots of questions abound as the Explorer crew gets back to business. How will Captain Baxter handle his first day of classes at Starfleet Academy? Moreover, how will Dr. Browning, way over in the Gamma Quadrant, handle Plato’s relatives? And what is Richards doing in his spare time that seems to have him so worn out? Find out as The Vexed Generation kicks off its eighth and final year with ‘Learning Curve, Part One!’
Ouch. Just when things were going well…well, except for the part about being stuck back in school, Captain Baxter stumbles smack dab into…well, what happened in Part One. And what of Browning, Chaka and Plato? Will Richards get to them in time? And what are Dominion insurgents planning to do with them? And why is Richards looking even more worn out now than he did before?
Being an Orion with a score to settle isn’t exactly good times. But being on the Explorer with a couple Orions with scores to settle is even worse. Luckily for the Explorer crew, these Orions aren’t exactly the sharpest tools in the shed.
Why is Captain Conway visiting the Explorer? Could he actually be homesick? Chances are, he’s not, but perhaps it has something to do with his recent divorce. Whatever the case, it’s up to Captain Baxter to figure out why he’s moping around his former ship, and, on his wife’s orders, fix whatever’s wrong with him. Unfortunately, there’s someone else wandering the ship even more messed up than Conway.
Once upon a time, Kelly Peterman and Deanna Troi hated each other. Thankfully, though, that’s all in the past. Or is it? When a confrontation at yet another auspicious book signing rubs Peterman the wrong way, she sets out to show Troi that she doesn’t hold grudges. No matter what the cost.
A simple away mission becomes anything but when Commander Richards and Dr. Browning are transported to a horrifying alternate universe. Even more horrifying, this universe isn’t the happy universe. But it’s an even more disturbing… ALTERNATE-ive.
Not to be outdone in the disturbing department, the Happys show up to rain terror once more on the Explorer crew. Stuck between a rock and a happy place, what’s Baxter to do but gut it out and try to get these two universes to just make up and get along? One thing’s for sure, nobody’s going to be happy with the way this thing turns out.
When an engineering accident accidentally…incapacitates…the third grade teacher, Lt. Commander Hartley is forced to temporarily take over. Will guilt over the accident force Hartley permanently into a life of teaching, or will the students prove so annoying that she’s forced to give them an accident of their own? With Lt. Commander Hartley, one can never be certain.
An epic quest brings together the greatest races in the quadrant for a contest of wit and skill. So why on earth are the Explorer and the Aerostar involved? C’mon, with the word ‘coffee’ in the title you knew Conway wouldn’t miss this story. Or maybe that’s because his name is in it. But if Conway’s getting a chance for fame and glory, you can bet Baxter won’t be far behind…
Romance is in the air as the Explorer discovers an ancient space object and the Explorer crew discovers that some secrets are best kept, well, secret. How will Lt. Commander Tilleran cope with the news that J’hana may no longer be single? Will Plato win Cadet Sparks away from Lt. Sefelt? Time will tell. Then again, so will the story!
Counselor Peterman convinces Lt. Sefelt to volunteer to lead the Escort on a supply run, hoping to improve his self confidence and dispel some of his fears. Baxter agrees, grudgingly, to let him go. There’s just one catch: Peterman has to go with him.
A trip to Andor to receive an award for Meritorius Killing provides a chance for J’hana and Richards to spend some time away from the Explorer getting to know each other. Unfortunately, J’hana knows next to nothing about dating human males, and must resort to asking Counselor Peterman for assistance. Her answer? Extreme makeover!
Baxter and Peterman get an unexpected surprise when their runabout detours into an asteroid belt. What they find there will put Counselor Peterman’s training…and Captain Baxter’s patience…to the test.
Since they handled the recent Andorian situation so well, the Explorer is invited to a summit on Gorn. It goes exceedingly well, until the reprehensible Sirron, the deceased Captain Harth’s former love interest and diplomatic attache for the Gorn, realizes the Explorer crew is there.
A revelation about Cadet Ethan Piper leads Captain Baxter to renew his determination to capture the USS Idlewild and bring Alvin Ficker to justice. But as an away team struggles to get aboard the rogue ship and rescue a collection of wayward Starfleet officers and cadets, it becomes increasingly clear that Ficker has no intention of giving up so easily.
When last we left the USS Explorer crew, the situation was dire indeed. Baxter, Richards and J’hana attempted to infiltrate the Idlewild, only to discover that Dr. Maura Drake was now working with Alvin Ficker, and if that wasn’t bad enough, Richards was Shot and J’hana was immobilized by a nasty Vulcan. On the Explorer, matters weren’t much better. Counselor Peterman had just discovered that Ariel Tilleran had been controlling the crew’s minds for months, and has now been thrust into command of the Explorer at an extremely inopportune moment.
When the Explorer comes calling on an incommunicado communications station, will they find there’s more there than meets the eye? Or would it be ear? And speaking of communication, will Tilleran be able to wake J’hana from her catatonic state? Will Peterman figure out what to do with Tilleran? Will Baxter figure out what to do with his crew? Find out as the crew searches for “Conversation Starters.”
Join Lt. Commanders Tilleran and Hartley as they land on Betazed, in search of a cure to Tilleran’s telepathic addiction. All’s not as it seems on Betazed, however (would you really expect otherwise?) and soon Hartley and Tilleran find themselves hunted by a telepathic stalker. Will they discover the mysterious telepath’s identity in time, or will they be out-thought…out-thinked?
In the history of Star Trek, no adversary has been as powerful or threatening as the Borg. On the other hand, in the history of Star Traks, no adversary has been as mind-shatteringly absurd as the Dawg. So why would they return? Would it have something to do with the survivor of a destroyed colony, rescued by the Explorer? Will they succeed in capturing this golden creature? Not if Counselor Peterman has anything to do with it.
When the going gets tough, the tough make pizza.
What better way to take a break from all your worries then to travel back to your old starship for a reunion? Well, there are probably better ways when your former crewmates don’t like you very much, as Captain Baxter and Commander Richards soon discover, as they visit the Aquarius to celebrate Captain Hatton’s retirement. But when a crisis emerges to disrupt the celebration, will it be Baxter and Richards who find themselves…retired?
Everyone is on their toes when a Klingon talk show host comes to interview the Explorer crew. They realize this is a chance they sorely need to redeem themselves. But there may be more to this than just a primetime special. What dark secret lies in wait for Lt. Commander J’hana? And how many times can Baxter stand to be called a coward?
The crew’s willful suspension of disbelief is put to the test when they are called in to respond to complaints of ghosts on a Federation colony world. So Richards, Tilleran, J’hana and Piper beamed down, armed with tricorders and lots of skepticism. Which is all well and good, of course, until stuff starts going…well, wrong…
The Explorer crew comes calling on Deep Space Nine for a special summit on the Dominion, and all seems well as Chaka’kan prepares to give a presentation to the gathered delegates. But, as often is the case, all is not as it seems. What is Odo planning to announce at this conference, and why does it scare the heck out of Baxter and company? And why is Browning’s purse talking all of a sudden?
When the Explorer sets course for a distant resort world, all seems sunny and bright, but we know that can’t last for long. So what secret does this cushy vacation spot hold, and why is Mirk so interested in its proprietors?
Commander Tilleran takes the cadets on a shakedown cruise aboard the USS Escort, hoping to help them hone their Starfleet survival and leadership skills. Sounds good, in theory, until a certain Betazoid love interest gets involved. And why is it that Tilleran’s been having these…funny feelings?
Baxter and company have been chasing after Alvin Ficker for the better part of a year. But when they finally come face to face with the Idlewild, will they be able to defeat Ficker and his crew? One thing’s for sure. The timing couldn’t be worse. The crew of the Explorer have a lot on their minds at the moment.
After recent events, the crew could use a good party. But when the Explorer visits Earth for Harlan Baxter’s promotion to Fleet Admiral, and to drop off the cadets at Starfleet Academy, not everyone’s in the mood to celebrate. Join us in saying goodbye to our fearless cadets, and find out why the confrontation with Alvin Ficker is just beginning.
What does Captain Ficker have in store for Harlan Baxter, and will the Explorer be able to intervene in time? Find out in the next-to-last Star Traks: The Vexed Generation story, “Fools Rush In.”
Ficker. Baxter. Explorer. Idlewild. And a massive watermelon…coming up in the very last Star Traks: The Vexed Generation story (for now, anyway): How Far We’ve Come!