[LAB Phase 1]: The Labyrinthine Cinquain

Description

A Cinquain is a type of poem that is written in a five line pattern, which is further defined by a set of syllables and stresses. Many different forms and rules have evolved over time. For the purpose of this competition, a Labyrinth Cinquain consists of: one line of two syllables, a second line of four syllables, a third line of six syllables, a fourth line of eight syllables and then a fifth line of two syllables. Your challenge is to write a five line cinquain that is clearly inspired by the Labyrinth mission you’re writing for your command or the overarching Labyrinth mission briefing & fleet canon. While not a requirement, your cinquain could explore topics such as your primary characters’ lived experiences in this mission, the visceral sensation of traveling through Underspace, or a morality play of the choices being made. Like the many apertures in and out of Underspace, the choice is yours.

Criteria

  • Submit the text of the Labyrinth Cinquain directly into the submission box and write an artist’s statement of up to 250 words describing what you were intending to communicate about the Labyrinth Fleet Action through your poem. While not required, you may choose to include your cinquain into a story chapter; if you choose to do so, also include the BFMS link in the submission box.
  • Entries will be judged using the following rubric: 5 points for use of the poetic form and style, 5 points for impact of Bravo Fleet canon, 5 points for originality, 5 points for application of the Labyrinth plot. The submission with the highest number of points will win.

Winners

Submissions

User ID Content Date Entry
Reva Sarrik 2185

Stars gleam,
Across the void,
Creatures dance in blue,
Strangers clash in shadowed night,
Protect life.

This poem was inspired by the mission I'm writing for the USS Cardiff. The idea was inspired by the breathtaking sight of a rare space creature, the Glaucus stellaria, that they come across. These creatures, resembling the stunning earthly Glaucus atlanticus or blue sea dragon, arrived in our galaxy through an Underspace aperture. I imagined these blue, shimmering beings floating gracefully in the vastness of space, like a cosmic dance, like their ocean counterparts. Unfortunately, poachers also arrived, eager to capture the Glaucus stellaria for their own gain. As a new species of unknown conservation status, the Cardiff intervenes in an attempt to protect the creatures. I've included a picture of the blue sea dragon for a visual of my inspiration.

This was a new (I think?) poetry style for me, as challenging in its own way as haiku and senryu and just as fun. My preferred styles are free verse, pantoum, and Pleiades, along with haiku. This poem, for me, reflects a guardianship or stewardship of nature (terrestrial or celestial) and the clash between preservation and exploitation. It’s a call to action, a reminder of the importance of defending the innocent and preserving the beauty of the natural world.

 2024-06-30 01:30:36 View Image
2688

Abrupt
Engines churning
Fighting, flying, searching
To go back home not in pieces
Sudden

Explanation:
With the apertures in space forming, ships have been lost to them. Abrupt disappearances with many ships left standard as their warp engines break down. There are many challenges in the face of new threats: fighting, flying, and searching for a way back home, but not in pieces. Sudden changes challenge the crew of the many federation ships as they try to return home.

 2024-06-29 11:30:57
Trevenan Williams 1295

My Story "Hesperus Rising" is inspired by two of my favorite poems - that I feel set the tone for the tale of the USS Savannah's sojourn in the Underspace anomaly that comes to be known as the "Labyrinth" - The Wreck of the Hesperus by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1842) & The Wasteland by T.S. Elliot (1922).

So, I particularly enjoyed this competition as I had never encountered a 'Cinquain' before ((Imagine my glee when I discovered that there is indeed such a convention of the "Crapsey cinquain" !!)).

Though I am not entirely sure that I have done the cinquain justice, my poem is an attempt to express the complex set of relationships that forced Captain Hyland to flee the duplicity of the True - Way attackers (Masquerading as New Marquis), her split - decision to flee into 'Underspace' (not knowing what it would hold for her crew - beyond respite from certain death), the sorrowful discovery of the ill - fate of the crew of the shipwrecked USS Subic Bay (and strong connection to the eponymous title and poem by Wadsworth) and Sam's entreaty to the malevolent True Way Gul Yomat Ghallir, to put aside their past enmities and cooperate together to break the cycle of mistrust and hatred - so that both crews can escape Underspace together.

It's my first attempt at a Cinquain - I hope subsequent forays get better with time !!!

 2024-06-25 10:15:25 View Image
Sazra Kobahl 2545

I honestly had to get some research done to understand Cinquain a bit. So here is my attempt (?):

Labyrinth
Mystery calls
Crew's resolve
Strength through darkest trials
Journey

The artist's statement
In this cinquain, I aimed to capture the essence of the Labyrinth Fleet Action. The term "Labyrinth" evokes a sense of complexity and entanglement, reflecting the challenging nature of this fleet action. "Mystery class" and "Crew's resolve" emphasize both the psychological and emotional challenges that are faced by the crew. The line "Strength through darkest trials" reflects on the crew's determination and their courage as they "Journey" through these trials of their resilience to overcoming the obstacles they face.

2024-06-24 19:53:54
Erill'Yun Mek 2187

Captain Felrak Vordenna chastises himself as the USS Ahwahnee hurtles through an underspace corridor in pursuit of an assimilated Jem’Hadar attack ship.

Felrak,
What have you done?
Leading them into fire,
Death, pain, and the voice calls your name,
What now?

 2024-06-24 05:04:23
Theo Barrington 2080

Ship
Call, distress
Missing, seeking, tumbling
Snatched into the unknown
Adventure

___

I was intending to highlight the situation on the Interceptor when they realize that their division ship is missing after receiving their distress call, and just as they are snatched into Underspace.

 2024-06-23 19:34:45
Noli Auru 18

2 - Enter.
4 - Where will I go?
6 - To a new dimension?
8 - Will I find the answers I seek?
2 - Who knows.

Specifically related to the Hypatia (since the Lakota story won’t involve the crew travelling through the Underspace), what I tried to get across here is the mystery behind the opening of the apertures. Where will I go? What will I find there? Will I get the answers to my many different questions? And the last line is simple, yet effective – who knows? I don’t because I am leaving the ending of my mission quite open so I can see how things develop as the information about the phases is released. Why did I choose the style of questions though? I am one for planning stories to the nth degree. I always know where I am taking things and how I am getting there. Hypatia, and this first mission of hers, is different. She’s a science vessel, and I am really trying to immerse myself in the unknown (science itself is a relative unknown for me) and the discovery of the universe. On our journey we will encounter things that will make us ask many questions, but the answers will not always be found. Just as it is here.

 2024-06-23 19:10:46
Alexandra Sudari-Kravchik 2121

Adrift
Lost far from home
Camargo in command
Atlantis be tested anew
Homeward

A quick summation of my plot and intent for the Labyring story featuring Atlantis flung far from home with the senior staff off ship in order to manufacture a chance to let Camargo grow as an officer. The test of her in the centre seat, a test of others accepting or rejecting it and then the ultimate goal of figuring out a way home.

 2024-06-22 18:16:04
Cressida Brennan 2765

The Void
How’d we get here?
And how do we get back?
I am supposed to know, aren’t I?
I don’t.

________________

The story on my primary command, the USS Cupertino, currently concentrates on the psychological impact of being stranded in an unknown region of space. In most of what we see on-screen, the Captain is almost always exceedingly confident and the crew remains professional, no matter how dire the situation. I found it interesting to explore the other extreme - a Captain who is not only new to the situation, but new to the ship and a stranger to the crew. And a crew that doesn’t quite trust their new Captain, with different people having different reactions to her attempts to connect.
I feel vulnerability and in self-doubt is an underrated aspect of Trek, and something that's happily omitted in a lot of fanfiction, so that is what I wanted to focus on.

The poem is written from Captain Nassar’s point of view, who finds herself trying to maintain composure when faced with she ship’s decent into the aperture, and finds herself unable to get a fix on their location. She is a new Captain with the Cupertino being her first command, and already started off in a rather negative setting - the former Captain and CO vanished, the crew seems unapproachable, and the computer does as it pleases. So in the current story, she feels like she is supposed to have all the answers - but really does not. Deep down, she wonders if she will get out of this, if she will get her crew out of it, and what the future holds.

2024-06-22 17:29:38
Aaslin Braim 1225

Black hole
The mighty pull
Horizon is lethal
Must break, from gravities' strong force
Or die

This cinquain is a literal reflection of the current state of affairs on the USS Calistoga. The Labyrinth Fleet Action has quite literally put them in a life or death scenario and they must come together, face their mortality and escape the pull of a black hole. I wanted this to reflect the straight emotion of their current situation and reflect the grim prospect they have before them.

 2024-06-22 01:36:11
Callen Varro 2063

Metal,
Warped and twisted,
Floats in the endless dark,
Whispers of what once had been,
Debris.

In my story, the USS Io discovers scattered debris in space, upon closer inspection it appears to be shattered pieces of a Romulan warbird. This debris mirrors the fate of other vessels destroyed or trapped in the Underspace Corridors, the cinquain aims to honor these metal remnants, once magnificent starships now reduced to drifting debris. It captures their altered state with "warped and twisted," their solitary journey with "floats in the endless dark," and their lost histories with "whispers of what once had been."

2024-06-21 21:40:29
Varen Wyll 2419

Seek,
Little Sun God,
The next far horizon,
Carry my memory ever,
To morn.

The story I'm hoping to explore as part of Labyrinth is one focused on the discovery of a lost civilization, through their fallen colony and broken relics, following their separation from the Underspace network. With it, I hope to explore the narrative tone of blind exploration that was core to the TOS & TNG narratives, where the frontier was truly unexplored and novel, where Starfleet championed its ideals. In recent years both in universe and out of universe we have seen a focus on narratives filled with high-stakes, galaxy shifting conflict and for me Labyrinth represents an opportunity for a return to adventuring within a completely unexplored universe.

The references to ‘Sun God’ tie directly into Helios’ namesake and, I hope, conjure images of a chariot racing at the edge of the exploration as a metaphorical star of hope. I’m hoping to reflect this in my stories and writing with a more positive and familiar tone, a more hopeful and excited attitude juxtaposed to previous story arcs of heavy loss.

The last two lines speak to the duality of both the poem and (I hope) my narrative, that they will be carrying the history of this lost civilization but also the memories of those who have been lost in the last year in the universe. I also like the homophonic nature of ‘morn’, that journeying forward with memory is a form of mourning whilst also linking back to the sun motifs intrinsic to Helios’ identity.

2024-06-19 20:20:44
James MacLeod 653

Underspace,
Paths unknown, dark.
Aperture opens wide,
Ancient secrets pull us deeper,
Shattered.

In writing this cinquain for this competition, I wanted to capture the essence of Ulysses Division’s current mission 'Shattered Horizons' surrounding the mysterious Underspace aperture near Raeya III. The poem begins with "Underspace," a term that evokes both wonder and uncertainty. The "Paths unknown, dark" line emphasizes the treacherous and unpredictable nature of Underspace "Aperture opens wide" refers to the sudden and alarming manifestation of the aperture that has caused the debris storm, symbolizing the gateway to both discovery, danger, and valor.

The line "Ancient secrets pull us deeper" highlights the allure of the unknown, ultimately drawing the crew of the USS Ulysses and USS Chimera (spoiler!) further into the labyrinthine corridors of Underspace. This evokes the mission's theme of exploration and the pursuit of knowledge, despite the inherent risks involved. The final line, "Shattered," reflects the chaos and destruction that the debris storm has wrought upon Raeya III and the fragility of the Raeyan peoples’ materially, socially, and politically.

Overall, the cinquain underscores the bravery and resilience required by Starfleet officers as they navigate these treacherous paths, striving to protect Raeya III and uncover the secrets of Underspace. This poem aims to convey the intensity of Ulysses Division’s mission, the moral complexities of their choices, and the enduring spirit of exploration and valor that defines the Federation.

 2024-06-19 13:17:11
Nathan Hawthorne 2199

USS Luna
Away in deep space
Captain lost her leg yeeeouch
Klingons make rash decisions to shoot
Hope everyone survives

2024-06-17 20:07:23
Edmond Langston 2064

Labyrinth Cinquain
(2)Old doors,
(4)Ancient wisdom,
(6)Tunnels through time and space
(8)Knowledge fleeting, fear and panic
(2)Captive

 2024-06-17 18:21:25
Alexandria Mitchell 2266

Last trip
Runabout crew
Through Underspace they fly
Danger's grasp tightens all around
Fix fast

The mission, Voyage Through the Aperture, is a story that focuses on the characters' life-threatening dilemmas after being pulled into the Underspace. In a simple twenty-five-syllable poem, I hope I conveyed the key elements of the narrative involving my Andorian crew aboard the runabout Tyson.

The first line, "Last trip," appropriately suggests that this journey might be their final one; however, is it their last one together, or will someone not make it out of the voyage? It hints that there might be more to the story. As mentioned in part one, someone is hurt. Will they make it?

The second line, "Runabout crew," simply references the four Andorians on the Tyson, grounding the poem in the main context of the story: its characters. The third line, "Through Underspace they fly," aptly demonstrates the key plot twist of their voyage, which is being pulled into the hazardous corridors of Underspace. This aligns with the story summary's focus on the unexpected and dangerous nature of Underspace, which will be central to the other stories throughout Phase 1.

The fourth line of the poem, "Danger's grasp tightens all around," reflects the increasing peril described in the mission summary. The word "tightens" suggests an unavoidable and increasing threat, namely the deteriorating conditions of the runabout and imminent danger posed within the Underspace.

Lastly, 'Fix Fast' focuses on the crew’s desperate need to repair the severely damaged Tyson. This line reflects the summary's portrayal of the Andorians’ frantic efforts to pool their resources and skills to survive and return home.

2024-06-16 15:45:52

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