K Class
The K-class space station is a small trade and border outpost introduced in the early 23rd century. Once a common sight within the Federation, these have been past their expected century-long operational lives for over seventy years and are being gradually phased out, but they have proven stubborn to retire and replace due to the underlying resilience of the design and it's expected that by the time the last K-class stations leave service they will be at least two-hundred years old. Designed as resupply stations and trade hubs in areas with few inhabited star systems, in the 23rd century they were built and operated as frontier and border outposts, and represented local Federation interests. Many have been relocated to serve as orbital stations for small colonies or minor Starfleet shore installations. Some are also in use as components of salvage and repair yards.
Mission Parameters
K-class stations remain in service in roles that either do not merit a newer station or where the anticipated operational tempo is low enough to not need one. While this class is modular in an absolute sense, it is not as easily reconfigurable as the later Regula line of stations and can only support three modules at a time. This means that this class is best used in a configuration tailored to its individual mission.
Border Outpost
When used as border outposts, K-class stations are often coordinating a network of smaller, uncrewed listening posts along relatively quiet sections of the Federation's borders with other powers, particularly powers with which the Federation does not have an antagonistic relationship or which aren't deemed to be a significant threat. In this role, K-class stations typically are fitted with three defense modules, which provide the station with the capability to drive off most raiders, or withstand a concentrated, military-grade assault for up to twelve hours—long enough to call for aid from patrol ships. These stations are used as regular way stations for border patrol vessels to pick up supplies, as well, and can serve as the "neighborhood bar" for a patrol division.
Trade and Logistics Hub
K-class stations remain a solid choice for trade hubs, as well as for Starfleet's internal logistics missions. With good amounts of cargo storage and well-documented operational procedures for efficient transfers, these stations can hold shipments for pick-up in remote areas or coordinate the transfer of cargo down to a planet if they serve a colony. Stations in this role tend to have one or more docking modules combined with cargo modules.
Research Station
Some K-class stations are used as research facilities. Their secondary modules are ideal for handling potentially dangerous materials, as the can be easily separated from the main body of the station and have independent life support capabilities so that their crews can be rescued. They are not suited for research tasks which require a large amount of bespoke modules or external equipment, however. Biological, chemical, and material research can be accomplished well here. K-class stations have also been used as orbital hubs for anthropological or archaeological research over remote worlds where the length of study would be too long for a starship. These stations can also be used as research hubs, serving as a gathering place for surveyors and small science vessels in remote regions to return samples and data to, as well as to resupply.
Design and Layout
Sharing a similar design aesthetic with contemporary 23rd-century designs, the K-class station consists of a saucer-like primary module with three secondary modules located at the end of arms extending out from the central hub at 120-degree intervals. The primary module and hub are connected to a docking and cargo module, forming the station's central core.
Central Core
Primary Module
The primary module is made up of a large flattened saucer containing the station's main operational components surmounted by a conical structure with habitation and administration facilities. The conical section is 12 decks tall and has quarters for the station's crew, offices for leadership, transporter rooms, and the station's command facility, which is located at the very top under the station's long-range communications antenna. Station operations is minimally crewed, with monitoring stations for communications, long-range sensors, and station systems, as K-class stations are highly automated. Basic defense and docking control can be achieved from the desk in the station master's office a few levels down, so station operations is usually only fully staffed during an emergency or a time of increased activity.
Crew quarters are relatively spartan, retaining their layout from the 23rd century, but all crew members have at least a private bedroom and bath. Senior officers have a separate living area. On most K-class stations, quarters have been outfitted with beverage replicators, but crew members must generally still take their meals in the mess hall.
Primary recreation facilities are located in the upper third of the module, and consist of a large, manicured garden with real plants kept alive with simulated sunlight. A restaurant and a bar are adjacent to the garden with viewports looking inwards, as well as a small lounge, racketball courts, a small pool, and general use gymnasia. This class of station also included retail space on this level, but most stations now feature a replimat and two holosuites in its place. Other small crew lounges and mess halls are spread around the station.
The lower half of the primary module was originally used as fabrication space to make equipment and parts utilized in the repair and construction of starships. Thanks to advances in replication technology, these facilities are now unnecessary. This space is now either used as general cargo storage or can be repurposed for scientific research or additional habitation space. Some stations retain their manufacturing facilities, but they have been retooled to salvage materials from scrapped starships.
The station's infirmary rings the production area, with a standard sickbay unit, five five-person wards, a ten-bed intensive care unit, six isolation rooms, two surgical suites, and a medical lab. Most stations in outlying areas wouldn't have the full staff necessary to operate their medical facilities at full capacity, so other crew are cross-trained to serve in an emergency. This area also includes the station's original two research labs.
Storage for deuterium to resupply starships is found in a cylindrical module attached to the primary module. It also contains bulk storage for cargo such as grain or ore which are being held for transport. In an emergency, this module can be rapidly ejected from the station. These fuel reserves can be redirected into the station itself if necessary.
Hub & Reactor Module
Directly beneath the primary module are cryogenic storage tanks for the deuterium used in the station's main reactors. These tanks feed six reactors in groups of two between the arms of the station. A corridor connects the hub to each of the secondary modules on the middle level, and direct turbolift access is also provided. Large isolation doors are located at both ends of each arm and can completely shut off the modules from the station itself. In an emergency, explosive bolts can be triggered to separate the module from the arm itself.
Hanger Module
The lowest module of the station has two shuttle bays connected through the center of the station. It is capable of holding several runabouts or cargo shuttles, as well as small civilian craft. The station's own shuttles are stored in a hanger beneath the bay. The original circular elevator pads have been replaced with rectangular ones capable of serving craft as large as a Danube-class runabout. Short-term cargo storage is also found above the hangers, to hold goods being staged for pick-up by small craft.
Secondary Modules
K-class stations have three secondary modules, which are labled KA, KB, and KC. They are also each color-coded, KA is red, KB is blue, and KC is green, which can be seen from the paint at the top of each module and the accent colors within them. They each consist of a six-deck conical section above which contains office space and administration facilities, with a five-deck flattened saucer that is configurable for mission-specific functions. Given how long these stations have been in service, there is no longer truly a standard for which set of modules they might be equipped with. Building a K-type module is a time-intensive affair, and Starfleet generally prefers to keep them in whatever configuration they happen to be in, but it's possible to rebuild the interior of a module over many months to change its function.
Fabrication Modules
Original K-class stations were equipped with fabrication modules, which had the ability to create multiple types of specialized equipment. On modern stations, often these have been replaced by industrial replicators and supplementary cargo storage facilities for producing general goods. Some stations have advanced production equipment to make items that still cannot be replicated easily.
Cargo Modules
For trade stations, the modules can be outfitted with large cargo facilities capable of holding goods far too bulky for the station's other facilities. They can also contain bulk storage bins for grain, ore, or liquids.
Laboratory Modules
On K-class stations refit as science stations, the secondary modules can contain advanced laboratory facilities, though they are limited by the underlying architecture and data feeds of the station's original design. Starfleet has found that biological and chemical isolation labs are a good fit for these stations because of the ability to quickly and easily separate the module from the station itself. As each module has independent life support, the crew can be rescued while minimizing danger to the rest of the station.
Hospital Modules
While a K-class station isn't a first-choice hospital station, they have been used in this capacity. Each module could support a 50-bed hospital, with the medical staff being housed in the upper section. Dedicated transporter rooms are also provided in these modules.
Docking Modules
K-class stations did not originally have the ability for starships to dock with them. Refueling was accomplished via umbilicals delivered by workbee. On stations where starship support is their primary function, the secondary modules can be equipped with three docking ports, one on each side and one on the outboard, allowing for a single large starship to dock or several smaller ones. K-class stations are limited in their accomodations and life support facilities, however, so starship crews cannot generally be accommodated aboard the station itself, but supplementary recreational facilities can be added to the docking modules.
Defense Modules
Some K-class stations have been rebuilt as border outposts in dangerous areas. These stations' secondary modules are outfitted with phaser bank emplacements (three dual banks ventral and three dorsal) and supplementary shield generators, as well as added long-range sensor capabilities. Given that having multiple types of modules would create blind spots, stations in a defensive role typically have this type of module in all three positions.
Station Life
K-class stations are aging remnants of Starfleet's golden age of exploration, which gives them both a nostalgic feel in the 25th century and one that is spartan and cramped. Even with modern additions, these stations are simply not as spacious or as comfortable as later models of space station. With much of their interior devoted to storage and operational equipment, they have relatively small crews for their size. Accommodations are comfortable but not luxurious, approximately the equivalent of those found on a heavy cruiser. Indeed, as Starfleet's design ethos has shifted in recent decades, the crew quarters aboard a K-class station are more in line with what a 25th-century Starfleet officer would expect than a mid-24th century one.
Recreation facilities are similarly compact and centralized, which leads to an environment where the crew, for better or worse, must spend a lot of time with one another. This makes a K-class station feel very much like a small town in space: everyone knows everyone else and what they've been up to. Green space is provided in the center of the recreation deck, though it's a far cry from the arboretums on large stations.
On a day-to-day basis, the crew would largely work in areas distributed around the station. There's little need for constant staffing in operations except when there's a lot of ship traffic or when there's an emergency, so the commanding officer can manage all of the normal functions of the station from their office.
History
K-class stations were historically more successful in peaceful regions of the galaxy, successfully supporting Federation trade and research. Those in proximity to the Klingon border proved to have insufficient defences against the Klingon Empire, several falling to Klingon occupation during the war of the 2250s. These defensive limitations and the need for larger and more sophisticated support for Starfleet ships led to reduced construction of the K-class through the latter 23rd century.
In the late 24th century, many of these stations have been retired, while others have been abandoned or been handed over to civilian management. Border expansion means very few remain in frontier locations, and the K-class stations still in operation largely serve as trade or research hubs.
K-class Stations of the Fourth Fleet
The following K-class stations have been assigned to Starfleet's Fourth Fleet:
- Space Station K-15, on the Klingon-Federation border.
K-class Stations In Play
- K-class stations still in operation were built over a century ago and must have some reason to not have been replaced. So they are rarely in high profile or dangerous locations; frontier outposts are on borders that have not changed for decades, while others have been repurposed to support research or commerce.
- These stations are old and small and offer far less space or comfort than many modern Starfleet ships. Technological advances in automation have reduced the necessary crew numbers, but bases that see much civilian traffic are often crowded.
- Any remaining in use as distant research outposts can be lonely and claustrophobic throwbacks of a bygone era, often doing very little of significance in isolated pockets of space.