USS Memphis
USS Memphis NCC-91817 is a Sutherland-class Federation starship currently assigned to Sirius Squadron, Fourth Fleet Operations. She is currently under the command of Captain Khalid El Sayed. She is the premier research platform for the squadron, with her vast array of laboratories and the expertise of her crew providing other starships crucial scientific support.
Memphis acts as the hub for the Science and Exploration Division’s missions, where the explorers USS Liberty and USS Ranger venture into deeper space and relay data and findings back. From there, she proceeds to locations of interest to conduct in-depth research as the explorers move on, or retains the research data for more long-term analysis. While the rest of the division goes boldly where nobody has gone before, the Memphis proceeds thoughtfully in their wake, providing the highest levels of scientific expertise and equipment. Her crew are all seasoned scholars and researchers, though some have more experience in laboratories than the final frontier, and the ship is known for an atmosphere aboard more akin to that of a research facility than a starship: somewhat informal, and veering between highly collegiate as crewmembers collaborate on research projects, and highly competitive when the time comes to share the spoilers of scientific war.
Outside of such missions, the Memphis is an able platform to act as a hub for squadron-wide operations, providing operational support on deployments where the flagship Sirius is needed elsewhere.