When Gene Roddenberry created Star Trek, he conjured up a future where mankind had emerged from the devastating conflicts of the Third World War and Eugenics Wars to shed the shackles of material need, unite sentient beings into the United Federation of Planets and champion a future of equality, peace and understanding – throughout the Galaxy.

Yet, some of our favorite experiences have involved our protagonists having to duke it out with an endless series of antagonists, from William Shatner’s Captain James T Kirk slinging roundhouses with the Gorn Captain in TOS “Arena”, to Zachary Quinto’s Spock trading blow – for – blow with Kahn Noonien Singh – atop a speeding craft in the Kelvin Universe’s “Into Darkness”; it seems that (just sometimes) old – fashioned fisticuff – diplomacy is the only way forward.

In the spirit of these legendary sparrings, members are challenged to throw down and write a short passage describing their character/protagonist engaging with an antagonist of their choice.

Writers are asked to consider:

• Why is your character having to fight and with whom?
• What form the conflict takes? Is it hand to hand, with a weapon – or something more unorthodox?
• Where does the conflict take place? Does the environment help or hinder the combatants?
• What is the outcome of the contest? Is it a fight to the death, or is a better outcome reached?

The challenge is to designed to test the writer’s ability to create a sense of engagement and be able to relate a sequence of action in an exciting and confronting way.

Take your place in the circle. Prepare yourself. Show the Galaxy who you really are!!!

Criteria

• Stories must be submitted through the BFMS and your entry should link to that story. Stories should be between 1,000 and 2,500 words.
• Stories will be graded using the Bravo Fleet Fiction Rubric, which marks on the following criteria: Language, Style, & Mechanics; Adherence to Canon; Perspective; Characterization; Originality; Use of the Prompt.
• Stories must be written during the competition period and should not be a reuse of an existing story. Stories written before or after the competition begins will be disqualified. The BFMS publication date will be used.
• Your story must be a single-author post, not a joint post.