Letter From The Editors
For March of 2020

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STAR PORT: HADES BASE ONE



  
   When you timeshare your mind with someone of a dimension higher than yours strange things can happen, take for example the following analogy. How it came about is that Karra can see and hear through me what I do when she wants which includes her viewing of past and current television programming in all its glory, both the good and bad. An older television series we’re revisiting for obvious reasons is "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" where it's a case of life yet once again imitating art. Except for the wars and conflicts, Gene Rodenberry got much of the next dimension right on a number of counts in his creations. Then came DS9 which was released two years after his death. It carried on the legacy he began in grand style with a well-balanced crew facing new challenges from a completely different quadrant of the galaxy. We apologize in advance to those new to the terms and characters discussed from the series or even unfamiliar with the entire Star Trek universe. Our editorials often bring up beings from other dimensions and planets and those topics will wander into the familiar territory of science fiction writers. You see, a star port in space is different to a star port five miles below the surface of a planet like Mars only in the environment, the distance needed to travel before reaching open space and the size of ship that can visit the base. Another connection between reality and fiction is the Founders inside the anomaly leading to the different quadrant. Having no sense of linear time is much as Karra describes Omal’s plan for the website in this month’s podcast. He knew where it would be, as it is now and where it will be one day. Individuals such as Monka and Sananda would be an even closer match. George Lucas also got a lot of the elements of life off-planet right such as the wookies who you can find on the base sliding down Wookie Mountain on their snowboards. As in the movies, they are incredible engineers as well. As for the members of the former Cardassian space station of Terok Nor, it’s just a matter of matching up the fictional characters of the now renamed Deep Space Nine to the corresponding real members of the base and Ashtar Command. 

   We’ll begin with a humorous match in the form of Quark’s Bar on DS9 and the Corner Bar so often referred to by some of the speakers in the sessions. While the size is similar, the holosuites are in a different part of the base and bringing your own beverages is encouraged. The chief medical officer of the station is Julian Bashir who corresponds to someone else equally dedicated to their profession on the base, Kornas. He is head of the genetics department known for chasing down subjects for their DNA to the point of sneaking up from behind for its collection. Keiko O'Brien, a botanist on DS9 that is best represented by Treebeard, the head gardener on the base who devotes his life to his plants and his family. Besides being of opposite sexes, there is an age difference of some eight hundred years. In coming up with an analogy for Odo, the station's chief of security, the clearest comparison is Ashtar Command's head of communication Korton. As an eighth dimensional being, Korton has no set form except for one he sticks with and can materialize out of thin air when traveling to his destination. He is noted for the serious nature in his channelings and, while he does have a sense of humor, it is as dry as Odo's who rarely will find the humor in something. Speaking of humor, a running joke between Omal and myself is that he once suggested I call Ashtar by the name of Q to see what would happen. It would be hard to dispute a number of similarities and, where they differ, the differences are clear. Q, as we’ve seen in his appearances in other Star Trek series is a prankster with a mischievous bent and his arrogance is unmatched. Ashtar is none of these things but the serious as a heart attack attitude Q showed when he made his first appearance to Captain Picard would be more in line during the episode “Encounter at Farpoint".  Deep Space Nine would only have a single visit of the entity Q where he would suddenly appear much as Ashtar would and, like Ashtar, every visit no matter the setting would be memorable.

   Then there is Worf, a crossover character from The Next Generation crew who would not make an appearance in the series until season four after the destruction of the Enterprise-D in 2285. It would have to be said that there is no person who better matches his aggressive nature than Lyka. He is a Klingon warrior and officer in Star Fleet, she is an Oath Keeper in the Sirian Defense Force, he is ready for any battle and can lead those in his command with a commitment to them and their mission, she……enough said. Next comes the character of Major Kira Nerys. That honor falls to Kiri who is enough like her in similarities that even the name calls out to be noticed. Kira can be seen working on engineering tasks when needed and Kiri can also sometimes be a wild and spontaneous flirt like Major Nerys. The resident Trill on DS9 is Jadzia Dax who shares a symbiotic existence with another being who was surgically implanted into her. Of course, Karra fulfills that role seeing as how our mental connection is a very close match. On top of that, her background as a healer required an education similar to a Trill host and the many lives of the Dax symbiont can be compared to the many past lives Karra has to draw on to decide a course of action. One of the more obvious parallels between a character and a person is the commander of Deep Space Nine, Benjamin Sisko and the commander of Hades Base, Omal. Both command respect just from their words alone, both show an ability to know exactly what to say and when it should be said and both display amazing patience in their interactions such as Benjamin with his son Jake and Omal with our group in his channelings. The final character we'd like to compare is one who never appeared on DS9 but instead served with the original crew of the Enterprise under James T. Kirk. We're referring to the ship's Vulcan science officer Spock. Who else but Tia would be the closest comparison to him and not for the fact that they both have pointed ears. In nearly every episode Spock would be at his science station viewing the data being displayed to him by the computer through a tube that obscured most of his face. Tia’s position as the head of a department of analysts studies the data about the status of our planet and then presents her reports to Omal. That is the comparison between the fictional characters and the living, now let's look at the comparisons between bases. Deep Space Nine and Hades Base are both star ports and, as the layout of the space station is well known, we want to describe the spaceport layout of Hades Base.

   The area on the base where the ships take off and land is set away from Dolphin Lake and the living quarters though there are hallways that lead to the viewing and meeting areas. Floor-to-ceiling windows twenty feet high form a half-circle in each area and outside the windows, the bustle of activity is almost more than the eyes can take in. Ships of various sizes arriving, departing or just being prepped by crews create a flow of activity where everything is organized in a clockwork fashion. On either side among the tables and chairs above all this, clear elevators leading down to the boarding areas just need to be entered. Climbing in, they immediately start down until they stop below. From there one can either go to the assigned ship or as authorized, can head down to the pilot’s area after going through a checkpoint. As we hear from Wing Commander Taal in this month's podcast, down the hallway and a couple turns later you would come to the pilot’s bar. Here the pilots and crews get together for a drink, share a laugh and get something to eat. On a wall at the back, there are a large number of pictures hanging upside down with the names of each of the pilots underneath. Every one of them lost their lives in defense of our planet, every one died helping us achieve our growth as a species without any interference from any other third dimensional races. Each left the base in their ships from a dimension higher than ours to come down and give their lives in this dimension against often overwhelming odds. We here at the Hades Base News would like to honor all those pictures and the names of individuals we’ve never heard of or ever will except for one, the Baron. He channeled multiple times and even took on the role of ringmaster of our channeling sessions when there was a need. His legacy holds a place of esteem in Ashtar Command, the base, and our hearts. To all those members of Ashtar Command who honored us as well with their presence, their patience, and knowledge, we wish to thank them for helping with our ascension path. With all the paths basically leading to the same place, it’s nice to get some assistance from those who know the paths so well.

From Russ and Karra,

with love, light, and wisdom as one.