A new shuttle could be in the works for the Arkansas sector

The number of STARFLEET chapters in Arkansas may be growing by one very soon. LCdr. David King of another fan group, the United Confederation of Interstellar Planets recently contacted the Celt and the Marko Ramius about launching a shuttle in Cabot, AR.

David King, a senior at Cabot High School, has three other individuals interested in joining STARFLEET and launching a shuttle. They would only need one more person to meet minumum launch requirements, along with passing Officer Training School from STARFLEET Academy and filing the necessary paperwork.

He's planning to attend the Celt/Ramius combined anniversary party on March 19th. Let's all turn out to meet him and any away team members he brings with him to answer their questions and show them what it means to be a member of STARFLEET in Region 12.

A member of JROTC, David will be going through Basic Training for the Air Force this fall, then moving to Fayetteville to attend the U of A in January. Their group has yet to select their CO and XO, but for a newly-formed chapter, losing the participation of an active member so early on will be a challenge. It'll be up to us on the Celt and Ramius to lend any help they might need as they learn the ropes in 'Fleet and R12.

In a time when organized fandom in general has seen a decline in membership, it's great to see new people interested, who've never even heard of STARFLEET before. Going out there and finding them is all we have to do to turn that corner in returning our region to its former prominence in 'Fleet.