Starbase 72

Starbase 72
Information
Registry	SB-72
Class	Spacedock-class
Affiliation	United Federation of Planets Starfleet Fourth Fleet
Location
System	Minos Korva
Quadrant	Alpha Quadrant
Assignment
Role	Fourth Fleet Diplomatic Headquarters
Task Force	[[Task Force 72]]
Personnel
Commanding Officer	Commodore Jalian
Station Populations	25,000 Starfleet 50,000 Civilian
Template:Starbase

[[Category:Task Force 72]]

Starbase 72 is a Spacedock-class station located in the Minos Korva system, and it has been a major hub for Starfleet activity along the Federation-Cardassian border since the mid-2360s. Currently, it is the headquarters for Task Force 72 and serves as a major repair and resupply station for vessels assigned to combat the True Way.

Description

Like all Spacedock-class stations, Starbase 72 is a combination defensive, trade, and shipbuilding facility, with the capacity to house dozens of starships within its large docking bay. It can service hundreds of smaller vessels with numerous other facilities located throughout the station. It has a Starfleet crew of 25,000 and 50,000 civilians of many nationalities live aboard the starbase. A central transport column connects the station from top to bottom, with turbolifts for local service and multi-story trams for journeys that go multiple kilometers. While localized transporters have become common on ground facilities, Starbase 72 has not yet been upgraded with this technology.

Recreational Facilities

As a modern Starfleet facility, Starbase 72 has virtually every recreational opportunity one could wish for, and those it doesn't have physically can be recreated on one of its hundreds of holodecks.

Arboretum

The station's arboretum is located in the dome-shaped structure halfway down the station's primary core. This massive facility simulates an M-class environment over three square kilometers with a sky projected on the domed ceiling, with flora from numerous worlds planted in discrete areas in a park-like environment. The arboretum is also dotted with a few structures, such as gazebos for gatherings, an amphitheater, sports fields, and memorial gardens. This is the site for many of the station's physical fitness classes, and the track around the exterior of the arboretum provides over six kilometers for running and other calisthenics. The transport column runs through the center of the arboretum and it's the only real sign that you're still aboard a space station. There aren't any animals in the arboretum.

Gymnasia & Sporting Venues

Starbase 72 has several dozen general purpose gymnasia, and an equal number of specialized sporting venues for everything from fencing to handball to parises squares. These facilities can be reserved on a first-come first-serve basis through the computer, and there are many intramural sports teams on the station that often allow visiting crew to participate in their games.

Theaters

Along with the amphitheater on the arboretum deck, Starbase 72 is equipped with numerous theaters: some for intimate productions with only a few dozen in the audience and others that can seat two thousand spectators. These venues are also used for briefings and training exercises, but often host visiting theater troupes or musical groups alongside the musicians drawn from the station's crew and residents.

History

The Minos Korva system has long been strategically important to both the Federation and the Cardassian Union. In the 2350s, the Cardassians attempted to annex the system, but Starfleet prevented this by stationing several starships there. In 2369, the Cardassians again made aggressive moves towards Minos Korva, but were detected and turned away by Captain Edward Jellico aboard the Enterprise-D. As the colony on Minos Korva grew, it was decided that a full-scale starbase was required to keep the system secure.

Construction on Starbase 72 began in early 2370, with the majority of its systems operational by the start of the Dominion War in 2373. Minos Korva was again put in the cross-hairs, and the system was the site of several battles, but neither the Cardassians nor Dominion managed to take the system, thanks to the presence of Starbase 72 and elements of the Fourth Fleet, which were assembled into Task Force 72.

Starbase 72 was fully completed in 2376, the year after the Treaty of Bajor, and it was an important staging point for relief missions into the crippled Cardassian Union. Though dated by 2399, it remains an important Starfleet installation in the region.

Current Status

Most of the ships operating out of Starbase 72 have been tasked with securing Federation space throughout the Former Demilitarized Zone, which has become volatile with the presence of the Cardassian extremist sect, the True Way. While Minos Korva itself has not been attacked since the height of the Dominion War, the system is currently on high alert, with all vessels entering and exiting the system subject to scans and inspection to try to stamp out the True Way's access to resources.

As part of the peacekeeping operations in the former DMZ, Starbase 72 currently fields two dozen hazard teams, which operate from the station's fleet of runabouts. These teams perform a wide variety of missions near the station, ranging from diplomatic escort missions, scouting and patrol, and direct protection of Federation assets from the True Way.

This base is also the staging ground for new officers assigned to command vessels assigned to Task Force 72, with a large concentration of diplomatic specialists, personnel officers, and other individuals whose job is to help potential commanders develop their diplomatic abilities, many of whom spend at least some time in the field on the station's runabouts.

Notable Crew

• Commanding Officer: Commodore Jalian
• Executive Officer: Captain Leighton Mortcombe
• Head of Shipyard Operations: Commander Melissa Vane

Starbase 72 In-Play

• Starbase 72 is a large station, much larger than Deep Space 9 and home to tens of thousands of people, so it's easy to get lost in the crowd.
• If you're a new officer in Task Force 72, you'd likely spend some time here before you're assigned your own command, either leading a hazard team, honing your diplomatic skills through training exercises, or in some other capacity on the base.
• Starbase 72 has access to every class of Starfleet runabout.
• This station is very close to the Cardassian border, and so it's very likely that you'll encounter Cardassian military and civilian vessels visiting the station.