Star Trek: Tales of the Storyteller

Have I got a story to tell you...

Honesty was extremely important to him [Sutek]. It went without saying that he expected it from us, especially in the little things. The little things didn't matter all that much to us, though. We just kept our heads down and prayed to whatever deity or deities we revered to get us out of this command. The first one of us that wasn't sloppy (wasn't dishonest) with the details would get his full attention. And boy, did I get it.

—Commander Sydney Satterwhite, "Stand and Wait"

Tales of the Storyteller is a Star Trek fanfiction series written by User:Intrepid Sovereign, centered around Sydney Satterwhite (at the right), a Starfleet officer serving in the late 24th century. Many stories are told by Sydney herself through log entries, from her stint as a lowly Ensign, to her service aboard an infamous starship under a demanding captain, to her assignment as captain of her own ship, the USS Adirondack.

The stories are set in the pre-Next Generation years to, currently, the early Deep Space Nine era. Character-driven, with some mystery, tragedy, humor, and adventure. They try to adhere to canon, but it's mostly used as background information and history. OCs dominate.

Notable stories in the series:

• "Into the Inferno" - Ensign Satterwhite is set on the path to meeting Captain Sutek, the commanding officer who will have the greatest influence on her career.

• "Stand And Wait" - Commander Satterwhite takes stock of her life as she waits for word on a new assignment.

• "Send-Off" - There is one thing left for Sydney to do before making the next major step in her career...but she can't bring herself to do it.

• "Captain on the Bridge!" - Captain Satterwhite puts her feet up and recounts her first day on board the Adirondack.

• "Dealing With It" - Sydney grapples with a painful event from her past. As First Officer of the Toledo, she rescued 212 crewmen from another starship before it exploded. But could she have done more?

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Tropes used in Star Trek: Tales of the Storyteller include:

• The Alleged Starship: The Pennsylvania is infamous for driving off helmsmen by her obstinance and quirks, but nothing is ever found to be wrong with her.
• American Accents: Sydney was born in South Carolina; her accent drifts from Lowcountry to Georgian, since a lot of her family is from Georgia. She hides her accent fairly well, while her sister Savannah goes all out.
• Bad Dreams: Sydney often has nightmares from the Vesper disaster.
• Berserk Button: Don't ever call Sydney's ship a "flying spoon", unless you're smiling while you do it.
• The Captain: Sutek, Spillane, Stewart, Mishenko, and, later, Sydney.
• Captain's Log: Many of the stories are from or include pieces from Sydney's log.
• The Chains of Commanding: The stories are leading up to this for Sydney.
• The Clan: The Satterwhites, along with the Hetterford and Broadhurst branches.
• Companion Cube: Sydney has been known to talk to (and sing to!) the ships she's served on.
• Cool Old Lady: Sutek's mother T'Lasa, a retired Starfleet vice admiral. Also, Sydney's grandmother, Selena "Big Momma" Satterwhite.
• Cool Starship: Adirondack, Pennsylvania (maybe), Currituck, Ithaca...
• Dead Little Sister: Sydney's youngest sister died at nine years old, and her death is still a tender spot years later.
• Dragon Lady: one of the Pennsylvania's nicknames, and for good reason.
• Elsewhere Fic
• Ensemble Darkhorse: Sutek, to the author's amazement.
• Famed in Story: Lots of stories and legends about Sutek and his ship. And Sydney knows all of them.
• Follow in My Footsteps: Both of Sutek's parents were Starfleet officers; he chose to follow his mother on the command track instead of going into the sciences, where his father worked.
• The Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry: Averted with Sydney and her twin Savannah.
• Half-Human Hybrid: Riley Crawford, half Trill and half Human.
• Hyper Awareness: Sydney seems to know whenever Sutek enters the room.
• I Am What I Am - Sydney has to learn this about the Pennsylvania...and herself. It's practically Sutek's mantra.
• I Have Many Names: Sutek has quite a few nicknames: The Nightwalker, He Who Never Sleeps, The Executioner, He Who Must Not Be Named, Destroyer of Dreams, The Hitman, The Vampire of the Presidio, The Watcher...
• "Ma'am" Shock: Sydney tells her shuttle pilot to address her as "ma'am" or "Captain" instead of "sir". (The rest of Adirondack's crew follows suit.)
• Military Brat: Sutek and Regina Broadhurst were "Starfleet brats".
• Not So Stoic: Sutek, but only with Sydney.
• Not That Kind of Doctor: Dr. Broadhurst (materials scientist), Dr. Pendergraff (ditto). However, Drs. Tate, Wittaker, and (Savannah) Satterwhite are that kind.
• Number One: Sydney was Sutek's first officer for three years. Even after they had parted ways, he still called her "Number One" out of fondness.
• Sergeant Rock: Captain Sutek, especially when he's CO of the Penn . He's a prime example of Vulcan sternness, tough, yet fair. The crew likes to wrap themselves in his reputation.
• Shiny-Looking Spaceships: Adirondack has been out of drydock for only seven months, plus the Intrepid class is cutting-edge technology at the time.
• Sink or Swim Mentor: In the beginning, Sutek pretty much let Sydney flounder around until she figured out the "problem" with the Penn.
• Southern Belle: Sydney's cousin Dr. Regina Broadhurst (but you'll never catch her saying "I do declare!"). And Sydney herself, to some extent.
• The Spock: Sutek, and every other Vulcan.
• The Storyteller: Exactly What It Says on the Tin. Plus, Sydney likes to hear other people tell stories.
• Theme Twin Naming: Sydney and Savannah.
• There Are No Therapists: Adirondack wasn't assigned a counselor for shakedown work, but Riley Crawford filled in unofficially.