Starbase 142
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Starbase 142 (SB-142) is a Presidium-class Federation starbase currently assigned to the Fourth Fleet's Task Force 93. A major Starfleet Medical facility, this station serves Task Force 93's humanitarian mission by providing a safe refuge for patients evacuated from hotspots around the galaxy. The station orbits a Class-D planetoid that hosts multiple secure storage facilities for medical and relief supplies, ranging from vaccines and drugs to field hospitals and starship mission modules, making it a major depot for medical missions.
Mission Parameters
Like all starbases, Starbase 142 is capable of general starship logistics and command support, but the station's primary mission is to serve as a hospital and a logistics depot for medical and humanitarian relief missions. The starbase supports only a minimal civilian population, limited to the crew's immediate family members and certain civilian specialists. The station's operational crew is 500, with a further 1,000 medical staff supporting up to 1,500 patients, 400 in the ICU and 1,100 in acute care. 100 doctors, 800 nurses, and 100 medical technicians are supported by an advanced holographic nursing system that ensures round-the-clock one-on-one nursing care in the ICU, and one-to-six nursing care on acute floors.
Starfleet Medical has designated Starbase 142 as a level-1 trauma center (the highest level), which means that it can provide medical interventions to patients in the most dire of circumstances resulting from injury. When a starship is unable to stabilize patients with its own medical equipment, it will put them into stasis (if available) for transport to this facility. Starbase 142 is also a level-1 pathogen center, with the capability to fully isolate each floor, ward, and patient room to handle the treatment of contagious diseases. Patients with urgent but not emergency-level conditions can also be brought here, while patients without immediate, life-threatening conditions are routed to hospitals further within the Federation. The primary goal of care at Starbase 142 is to stabilize patients for transfer to rehabilitative facilities, and patients rarely spend more than a few months here.
In addition to the hospital, Starbase 142 is a logistics depot for medical supplies and other humanitarian equipment. The majority of this materiel is stored in deep bunkers within the Type-D planetoid the station orbits. Some of these supplies are highly controlled because of their rarity or their risk for misuse, so the starbase itself and the planetoid are protected by transport inhibitor fields. Several dozen prefabricated field hospitals are stored directly on the surface. Hospital and ambulance mission modules for Nebula, Sutherland, and New Orleans-class starships are also kept in orbit of this planetoid. In a pinch, the crew at Starbase 142 can attach one of these pods to a starship, but they are generally towed first to a facility with a drydock, such as Starbase 93.
Operational History
Starbase 142 was built in the Gamma Zibal system in 2359, one of the first Presidium-class stations deployed by Starfleet. Gamma Zibal was considered a somewhat unusual place for a hospital, but its proximity to Catulla and to several prospective member worlds, such as Theta Zibal III, led the Federation Diplomatic Corps to lobby for a station here as a demonstration of the Federation's goodwill and benevolence in the region.
Throughout the first decade of its existence, Starbase 142 was a sleepy assignment, occasionally seeing influxes of patients from vessels attacked by Orion pirates, but otherwise being far from the Cardassian front. Its location far from the Dominion lines later led it to be used extensively as a safe haven during the Dominion War, but it wasn't until the Romulan evacuation that Starbase 142 saw real action--receiving patients injured during the evacuation and preparing humanitarian relief convoys.
During the 2390s, the station received an update to its medical systems, but it largely retains its mid-24th-century technology in operational terms. In 2401, this station was transferred to the auspices of Task Force 93, the Fourth Fleet's humanitarian operations unit.
Configuration and Layout
Unlike other Presidium-class stations, which have civilian housing in the upper and lower hemisphere modules, this is where Starbase 142's medical facilities are located. The acute care facility consists of floors divided into units, which are then divided into communal patient wards or individual rooms, depending on the nature of care the floor provides. Towards the center of each floor are labs, treatment areas, and logistics facilities. Surgical facilities and other treatment areas are located in three of the station's four upper modules, with hospital administration occupying the fourth. Crew housing occupies much of the central spire of the station, while operational and recreational facilities are found in the larger lower modules.
Starbase 142 is armed with Type-IX phaser arrays and powerful shields, which allow it to repel modest assaults, but it isn't a match for military-grade vessels, such as a Klingon battlecruiser or Gorn raiding party. Should an attack occur, the station would send out a distress call and attempt to bunker behind its shields.
Operations is located in one of the lower modules and consists of a modest space resembling that of a starship bridge. The interfaces are somewhat dated, but the space has been well-maintained over the years. A central table offers a holographic view of the station, as well as a map of the surrounding area. Seated consoles are provided for six crewmembers in the center area, and a further six on the outer edges of the room. The captain’s office has a window that looks into this area, adjacent to a transporter room with two places.
For hygiene reasons, many of the areas within Starbase 142 have metal decking, as was common in the early 24th century. Areas within the starbase are color-coded based on what department they serve: blue for medical, red for command, and gold for operations.
Support Vessels
Starbase 142 has eight runabouts, four New Atlantic-class runabouts and four Danube-class runabouts. There are sufficient cargo transport, medical transport, and critical care modules stored aboard the station to equip all eight runabouts for any of these mission types. Typically, one of each class is kept ready in each of these three configurations, with the fourth in a tactical configuration for station defense. All of the runabouts are named for physicians or nurses, including the New Atlantic runabout, Chapel, and the Danube runabout Phlox.
Starbase 142 Crew
Captain David Thurston
Captain Thurston is a human male in his mid-50s who assumed command of Starbase 142 just over five years ago. He shaves his head every morning, preferring to be bald then face a receding hairline. He has had a successful career as an administrator in numerous postings across the Federation. Thurston himself is not medically trained but brings a formidable will to ensure that those under his command have what they need to succeed. At first impression, Thurston appears to be exhausted and irritable, giving a vibe of 'retirement is just around the corner' despite having no intention of leaving Starfleet anytime soon or abandoning his duties.
Captain Peter Anderson, M.D.
The station's Chief Medical Officer, Peter Anderson, is a tall and gangly man somewhere in his late 40s with short-cut brown hair and a facial expression best described as vulture-like. Despite appearances, Doctor Anderson is, in fact, quite the personable individual with an impeccable bedside manner that he brings to all engagements. His friendly and outgoing demeanour has resulted in almost everyone aboard SB-142 knowing who the good doctor is, greeting him in his daily goings-on. In a crisis, Doctor Anderson is quick and confident in his decision-making, with little regard for rank when required. If you are a capable pair of hands in a crisis, he will put you to work.
In Play
- Starbase 142 is an asset of Task Force 93, though this setting may be used by any Bravo Fleet member as long as the setting itself is respected and unaltered. For story ideas that might have an impact on the station's history (such as repelling an attack), consult with Task Force 93's staff before proceeding.
- Starbase 142 is intended to support Task Force 93 operations along the Klingon border from the Archanis Nebula to the Gorn border. She is both a hospital station, focusing on medical care and mysteries and a depot for medical and humanitarian supplies. This is great launching point and ending point for missions related to those topics.
- Starbase 142 is the premier space-based medical facility along the border, dealing with a variety of medical emergencies every day. Patients are brought here when they need the best care available, where they are stabilized and then sent further into the Federation for long-term or rehabilitative care.
- The station's medical staff are well respected and professional in their nature, treating all patients with the same level of excellent care. They frequently serve neutral worlds in the region, such as Theta Zibal III—one of the secondary roles of this station is to promote goodwill.
- This station is in the possession of lots of valuable cargo and equipment, including all manner of rare, dangerous, and/or proprietary drugs, vaccines, and tools. This makes it a tempting target for organized pirate raids. While the station's shields can withstand significant firepower, a concentrated assault by Klingons, Orions, or the Gorn would certainly be able to breach them. Rescuing this station from an attack would be an excellent mission for more tactically minded vessels in Task Force 93.
- Operations to assist border colonies along the Klingon border may be based out of SB-142. These would typically entail relief aid, medical assistance, or other health-related issues that local entities may be ill-equipped to handle. SB-142 also takes in a number of patients and has medical staff ready for deployment at short notice for situations that can’t be brought to the station.
Encounters
The following story prompt is open for adoption. If you’re interested in taking it on, please reach out to your Task Force staff to let them know. The bullet points below are meant as optional ideas for development rather than fixed requirements.
Before your next mission - or following the last one - your ship is docked at Starbase 142, where it is welcomed with understated efficiency. Shore leave is granted, but the crew finds themselves lingering near labs, archives, or discussion spaces rather than lounges.
- Command staff meet with administration to finalize reports and coordinate survey priorities. This is an excellent opportunity to connect with other writers in your Task Force, or writing Task Force Command Staff.
- During routine movements through the station, one of your junior officers overhears a conversation between medical logistics personnel, suggesting that a recently received shipment may not fully meet safety or storage standards. The supplies are urgently needed elsewhere, and delaying distribution would have immediate consequences - but forwarding potentially compromised material carries its own risk. Your crewmember has to decide whether, how, and to whom this should be raised.