USS Venture
- "It is good to have an end to journey towards, but it is the journey that matters in the end."
- —Ursula K. Le Guin - Ship's Dedication Quote
A recent addition to an impressive lineage of vessels to bare the name, the USS Venture NCC-75306 is a Sovereign-class starship assigned to the Fourth Fleet Expeditionary Group under the command of Captain Thaddeus Scott.
Embarking on a mission of exploration in mid-2400, Venture is currently headed towards Starbase 11 and the wilderness that is the ‘Galactic South’, an area ripe for scientific exploration.
Key Historical Data
2386-2389: Construction
Construction of the USS Venture began in early 2386 at Earth Station McKinley as a response to the synth attack on Mars which resulted in the near total destruction of the famous Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards.
2389-2398: The Decade In Between
2398-2400: Diplomatic Overtures
Key Personnel Data
At 20 decks, housing over 800 personnel from no less than 43 different species and member states of the Federation and beyond, some of the ship’s more notable crew include:
- Commanding Officer: Captain Thaddeus Scott(Terran Male)
Commanding Officer Lineage
In the time since her construction, Venture has been privileged to have two commanding officers overseeing her tours of duty, and one Captain of Engineering overseeing her construction.
- 2386—2389: Captain Nokin Fora, (Bolian Male)
- 2389-2398: Captain Qarvez, (Benzite Male)
- 2398—Present: Captain Thaddeus Scott, (Terran Male)
Key Location Data
With 24 decks, the ship has hundreds of rooms and locations that serve a variety of purposes for the crew. Some of the more notable locations include:
Bridge, Deck 1
Consisting of an amalgamation of successful features from both the Galaxy and Sovereign lineages, and also one major new addition, Venture has one of the more unique bridge modules in the fleet. Importantly, it makes the most of a variety of technological advancements, such as holoprojectors, holographic communications, in-built weapons lockers and three dimensional computer displays wherever possible.
In a move away from more recent styles, and harking back to the traditional layouts of yesteryear, the Ulysses has an ornately carved rail, known as The Arch, surrounding the command pit and housing a large tactical display used by members of the Tactical Operations Department for all offensive and defensive operations. In the command pit it surrounds, three chairs stand ready for the Captain, her Executive Officer (starboard) and a third seat (port), reserved for the use of the ship's Counsellor, Chief Medical Officer or any official or dignitary the Captain sees fit. Both chairs flanking the Captain have their own stand alone consoles to enable the occupying officers to conduct their duties, whilst the command chair itself has control built into the arms on either side, allowing the Captain unprecedented control from the seat of command (although sh'Elas is much more of a traditionalist and will delegate tasks to others where possible).
Directly ahead of the command pit, at the bottom of the ramp and between the commanding officer and the holographic viewscreen, two angled consoles serve as duty stations for Operations (port) and Flight Operations (starboard). Next, and facing the main focal point of the viewscreen, are duty stations for science (port) and engineering (starboard). Around the outside of the bridge, there are countless other additional stations. Behind the main science station on the port bulkhead, additional science and medical consoles are available for mission operations, as well as access to life support. Adjacent to them on the starboard bulkhead, engineering is the focus with additional controls allowing the Chief Engineer access to the same engineering systems as in engineering itself, including access to environmental controls, propulsion systems and the warp core.
Most notably, and an exciting feature for inclusion, the bridge has been set back a short distance to allow for an additional facility. Separated from the rest of the bridge by two steps and a railing, the new Strategic Operations suite (known colloquially as StratOps) allows the crew to deal with any scenario that may arise in their mission, without the need to access more specialised facilities around the ship unless absolutely necessary or appropriate. Operations are routinely monitored here, and additional personnel from across the ship may be assigned on a needs basis, such as additional medical or science personnel when evacuating a colony or dealing with an anomaly; security may be beefed up from here in the event of a tactical scenario such as an intruder alert or boarding action; intelligence, strategic operations and command analysts are likely to use the space to provide relevant departments with up to date information in ever changing scenarios. On the back wall, the obligatory Master Systems Display (MSD) is present, but this is a fully customisable display, capable of hundreds of functions, including operating as a reduced viewscreen for mission operations. Most significantly, the space allows for the crew to react to an evolving situation without the need to retreat to the observation lounge.
Around the command center, six doors provide access to and from the bridge. On the forward port bulkhead, access is available to the observation lounge and Executive Officer's ready room, whilst the starboard door grants access to the commanding officer's private ready room (available for use by any officer in command of the ship), and a forward turbo lift granting express access to key locations only, such as engineering, shuttlebay 1, sickbay, the brig and transporter rooms 1 and 2. At the aft of the bridge, both doors provide access to turbo lifts which enable the crew to access the command center from the rest of the bridge.