Our comprehensive history of StarBase 118 PBEM RPG spans three decades of play, with many events highlighted throughout. Here are some of the more tantalising hot plots and news items from this month in our timeline.
2396
Inaugural flight of the USS Juneau launches from Utopia Planitia Fleetyards
On 27th October 2396, the USS Juneau launched from StarBase 118 Ops on an inaugural test flight under the command of Captain Oddas Aria. Part of the Warp XV Development project, culminating in Project Capstone and fresh addition to the hallowed halls of Starfleet’s finest vessels.
The Juneau-class starship is the first of its kind to host the OR-400 Series Mark V warp drive, comprising one 4,000+ Cochrane warp core, designed specifically for the purposefully built USS Juneau. Standing on the shoulders of the Advanced Starship Design Bureau and Starfleet Corps of Engineers, the ship has served ever since under the command of Captain Oddas Aria.
However, the process from conception to design was not as straightforward as the nearest engineering manual would have you believe. The development of the Warp XV took several years, encompassing several vessels and crew from the furthest reaches of the fleet. The brainchild of Oddas Aria upon recognising anomalous results on the Argus Array as undiscovered layers of subspace.
Beset by the idea of the theorised but untested layers of subspace, Oddas collaborated with then Commander Roshanara Rahman, a fellow engineer and starship enthusiast, to run simulations on the concept. From then on, they funnelled their efforts into prototyping a new breed of the warp engine and a new understanding of infinite velocity.
Unfortunately, the technology was not without limitations. Because of technical weight constraints, the beloved Intrepid-class was judged too light to contain the new technology, limiting the usefulness of smaller escort boats such as the Defiant-class, which could not match the speed.
“One of the principal designers of the Warp XV core is my captain, Roshanara Rahman, so the project has a personal angle for me. We’ve helped bring the drive online for the Veritas, and we’ve seen some incredible performance, but helping to build a ship from the keel up to integrate this new engine and all the other new systems is an engineer’s dream.”
— Commander Geoffrey Teller, USS Veritas
Nevertheless, the first prototype vessel with the engine STS-17569-WV12 — christened the Nova Aster — was engineered into being incorporated into a Type-9 shuttlecraft with an additional compartment to house the engine. The first test flight occurred on 16th February 2396, reaching a newly calibrated speed of Warp 12.4.
The engine has since passed through several iterations in design and aptitude, and subsequent revisions have received the maker’s mark of OR to denote their series number.
But on that crisp October morning, the Juneau launched from Utopia Planitia, with a bottle of the best cracking at the hull.
You can learn more about the USS Juneau and discover the story of the launch here on Federation News Service.
ALSO THIS MONTH
2379
The USS Ackerman, NCC-1744, emerges from a temporal anomaly, having been missing since 2269. Under the command of Captain Duncan Glennie until the ship and crew disappeared while assisting freighter Zuiyo Maru. A segment of the recovered vessel remains in the Starfleet Museum. You can read more about the USS Ackerman and the mission here.
2390
The Battle of Bondi took place outside the city of Bondi, Manar Providence on Til’Ahn, when the homeworld of the Laudean people came under attack from Klingon and Scarlet Brotherhood invaders. You can read more about the Battle of Bondi here.
2395
The Romulan Star Empire withdrew support from the joint operations of the interstellar station Astrofori One in the Menthar Corridor, in response to United Federation of Planets sanctions levied for failed Duronis II invasion earlier in the same year. This had devastating consequences for Astrofori One, which you can read more about here.
