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 (Sovereign-class) is a highly versatile exploration vessel widely considered to be one of the most advanced starships in the service of the Federation. The immediate successor to the USS Venture NCC-71854 (Galaxy-class), the current iteration has served for some thirteen years and is currently assigned to the Fourth Fleet Expeditionary Group under the command of Captain Thaddeus Scott.
Looking to make a name for themselves in the history of this great name, the crew are fresh from a number of more mundane activities at the turn of the century and have now embarked upon a new mission of exploration, with the ship currently headed towards Starbase 11 and the wilderness that is the ‘Galactic South’, an area ripe for scientific exploration.
Mission Objectives
A multi-purpose starship well into her thirteenth year of service, Venture has completed a wide variety of tasks and missions assigned to them over the years. Some of her core duties, commensurate with the Sovereign-class as a whole, include:
- Performing a wide range of duties linked to research projects both scientific and explorative in nature.
- Replacing ageing starships as the primary instrument of Federation deep-space defence and along all borders.
- Operating autonomously under the command of the commanding officer, providing full capability to execute Federation defensive, cultural, scientific, and explorative policy in deep space or along border territories.
- Providing frontline support during times of war or crisis, such as the Century Storm and Blood Dilithium situations.
- Functioning as a mobile platform for the testing and implementation of new technologies, as mandated by Starfleet Command, above and beyond mission-specific parameters.
History
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
2400-Present: On Frontier's Edge
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, (Human Male)
Configuration
Main Article: Sovereign-class Explorer
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
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 Venture 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.
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.
Strategic Operations Suite - StratOps
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. Missions 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.
Deck Listing
- Deck 1: Bridge, Captain's Ready Room, Mission Operations
- Deck 2: CO's Quarters, XO's Quarters and Office
- Deck 3: Main Lounge, Officer's Mess, Senior Officer Quarters, Gymnasium
- Deck 4: Crew Quarters (B), Transporter Rooms 1 & 2
- Deck 5: Brig, Armoury 1, Holodecks 1 & 2, Cargo Bay 1
- Deck 6: Main Computer Core, Main Shuttlebay (Upper), Arboretum, Diplomatic Facilities, Holodecks 3 & 4
- Deck 7: Main Shuttlebay (Lower), Stellar Cartography, Main Science Lab, Counsellor's Office, Hydroponics Bay, Library, School, Main Sickbay and Supports, CMO's Office
- Deck 8: Impulse Assembly
- Deck 9: Impulse Engines, Warp Core Subsystems, Emergency Transporters
- Deck 10: Impulse Assembly, Deuterium Injectors, Industrial Replicators, Cargo Bays 2-5
- Deck 11: Auxiliary Deflector Controls, Transporter Rooms 3 & 4, Airlocks, RCS Thrusters
- Deck 12: Auxiliary Deflector Array, Primary SIF/IDF/Shield Generators
- Deck 13: Torpedo Turrets Access, Torpedo Storage, Main Sensor Array, Deuterium Tanks
- Deck 14: Deuterium Tanks, Shuttlebay 2, Captain's Yacht Access, Turbolift Maintenance
- Deck 15: Secondary Computer Core, Shuttlebay 2, Deflector Assembly
- Deck 16: Reserve Antimatter Storage, Main Navigational Deflector, Deflector Control, Main Engineering, Chief Engineer's Office, Warp Nacelle Access, Auxiliary Sickbay
- Deck 17: Aft Sensor Array, Deflector Assembly, Secondary Plasma Vent, Emergency Transporters
- Deck 18: Deflector Assembly, Auxiliary SIF/IDF/Shield Generators
- Deck 19: Lateral Sensors, Secondary Communications Array, Emergency Batteries
- Deck 20: Crew Quarters (E), Forward Torpedo Launchers (2), Torpedo Magazine, Probe Storage, Primary Communications Array, Tractor Beam Assembly
- Deck 21: Antimatter Storage Pods, Forward Tractor Beam Emitter, Secondary SIF/IDF/Shield Generators
- Deck 22: Antimatter Storage Pods, Antimatter Generator, Torpedo Magazine, Secondary Environmental Control
- Deck 23: Tractor Beam Assembly, Antimatter Generator, Antimatter Injectors, Secondary Sensor Array, Sensor Analysis Suite
- Deck 24: Tractor Beam Assembly, Aft Tractor Beam Emitter, Aft Torpedo Launchers (2), Torpedo Magazine, Warp Core Jettison Hatch