Lieutenant Alexandrovich Vorobijev, Chief Engineer of the Titan talks with Captain Draigon, and first officer, Lieutenant Ilic, about their proposed new vessel, the USS Morningstar.
The USS Titan was launched three years ago under Rear Admiral Brian Kelly. Upon Kelly’s retirement, she was taken over by the admiral’s first officer, Theodore Draigon, and has remained under his care since that time. However, during the whole of the Draigon-era Titan, there has been talk of renaming the ship, particularly since a canon Titan was created in the last Trek movie. While talk subsided for some time, recently, the idea of a relaunch of Titan‘s crew on a completely new starship was rekindled. The ship, a Ronin class, is planned to launch under the name USS Morningstar. Lieutenant Alexandrovich Vorobijev, Chief Engineer of the Titan took some time to speak with his commanding officer, Captain Draigon, and first officer, Lieutenant Ilic, about the anticipated change.
Vorobijev: Titan has been in the fleet for a few years now, and in much of that time there has been talk of a change like this. What made now the right time?
Draigon: Well with the Federation at peace with all of its neighbors, the need for battleships such as the Titan is not as pressing. The Titan will be assigned to rear guard duty in honor of her first commander Rear Admiral Brain Kelly. In other words she will be manned by a skeleton crew and ready at a moments notice if needed.
Ilic: I suppose one of the reasons is that, until now, none of the ship designs presented to us were satisfying enough to prompt this change. We were looking for a vessel that would be ideally fitted for exploration duty, as well as being capable to successfully defend itself against most threats. Ronin is the first class design that meets both of these requirements. And with flying colors, I might add.
Vorobijev: Most of the fleet knows very little about this new vessel, the Morningstar. What kind of ship is she and what mandate will she have?
Draigon: It’s not surprising that people don’t know about the Ronin class. She is a totally new design to the fleet. The Ronin class is a Sovereign class variant still in its prototype stages. The design is currently before the Executive council for review. Once given the go ahead the Morningstar will be the first ship in that line of production and Titan’s crew has been given the honor of taking the design out on its maiden voyage. She will be primarily an exploration vessel with the same ability as the Nebula to alter that mandate by switching out the science pod for a weapons pod. Bringing her weapons up to compliment that of the Sovereign’s. I personally am looking forward to writing the proverbial book on this new class of vessel. It will be a fun adventure.
Ilic: Since Ronin is a Sovereign class variant, both classes share a lot of the same technological solutions and infrastructure. However, the Morningstar will feature several upgrades not available to Sovereign class. Mark Five EMH matrix and improved bio-neural circuitry, to name couple. Like the Captain said, the Morningstar can be adapted to meet specific mission parameters using different Pod configurations. As a standard, the vessel will carry a science/sensor pod. In addition to formidable array of sensors and scanners, this pod will be outfitted with specialized science labs, enabling the Morningstar to meet any exploration challenge.
Vorobijev: Are there are any sad feelings about moving on from the Titan, or has the chapter been closed completely?
:: Draigon reflected for a moment. ::
Draigon: There are some sad feelings about leave her. She was after all my first command. I know the crew thinks fondly of the vessel but we wish to honor Rear Admiral Kelly at the same time. I would say the chapter on the Titan is closed for me but you never know what the future holds.
Ilic: Well, yes, I suppose I do feel a bit sad when I think of leaving Titan. I’ve got used to all the luxuries provided by its size, like not being forced to make an appointment just to use the holodeck… ::chuckles:: But, on the other hand, the Morningstar has a lot of potential, and I am very anxious to see what she can do.
Vorobijev: Finally, what is the expected launch date of the new vessel?
Draigon: The launch date is still undetermined as we are waiting for the full approval of the Executive council.
Ilic: (with a wide smile) So, keep your fingers crossed for us.
