Joint Base Dathon

From Bravo Fleet

Joint Base Dathon (DS-1-T) is a Starfleet Jupiter-class station run as a partnership between the United Federation of Planets and the Children of Tama as a facility for cultural and linguistic exchange, as well as for coordination of joint operations and exercises between Starfleet and the Tamarian military. Orbiting El Adrel IV, this station is positioned precisely on the border between Federation and Tamarian space so that the central connecting bridges are split evenly across the two powers. Established in the 2380s, oversight of this station passed to the Fourth Fleet’s Task Force 72 in 2401.

Mission

  • Promote cultural and linguistic exchange between the United Federation of Planets and the Children of Tama.
  • Provide a joint communications facility for coordinating cooperation between Starfleet and the Tamarian military.
  • Conduct consular services for Federation citizens in Tamarian space and for Tamarian citizens in Federation space.
  • Hold regular conferences, summits, and other programs outside of the bilateral relationship to encourage broader galactic conversations with both Federation members and parties external to the Federation.

Layout & Configuration

A standard Jupiter-class station, Joint Base Dathon is comprised of two stacks of three saucer-shaped modules. Stack A is located in Federation space, and Stack B is located in Tamarian space, with the saucers in each being numbered 1 through 3. Station Operations is located at the top of A1 on the Federation side, while the joint operation communications facility is located parallel in B1. Saucers A2 and B2 comprise most of the habitation area for the station, while Saucers A3 and B3 hold conference facilities, classrooms, shops, bars, and restaurants to encourage cultural exchanges.

Stack A is emblazoned with the Federation’s seal, while Stack B bears the Tamarians’ insignia. The facility is unarmed but has upgraded shields. The communications facilities are also particularly robust.

Auxiliary Craft

Joint Base Dathon’s small craft are a mix of Starfleet New Alantic-class runabouts and Tamarian personnel transports. Because the station is unarmed, it is watched over at all times by either a Tamarian warship or a Starfleet vessel.

Notable Crew

Captain Reanna Eldari (Betazoid Woman), Commanding Officer: career linguist and diplomat selected for her skill in combining telepathy and linguistics to succeed in negotiations.

Captain (Provisional) Mai (Tamarian Woman), Executive Officer: career Tamarian military officer given provisional Starfleet rank. Was present aboard the vessel that made contact with the Enterprise-D and has had an interest in the Federation ever since.

Namesake

Joint Base Dathon is named after Captain Dathon, the Tamarian officer who successfully made the first linguistic breakthrough between the Federation and the Tamarians with Captain Jean-Luc Picard in 2368. Dathon perished during this effort, and the base was named in his honor. The motto of the station is also “Picard and Dathon at El-Adrel,” which has come to mean “a breakthrough between strangers who are now friends.”

The station’s registry, DS-T01, stands for Deep Space Station, Tamarian 1.

Joint Base Dathon In-Play

  • Joint Base Dathon is an asset of Task Force 72. All Bravo Fleet members are welcome to use this station as a setting in their stories as long as they respect the characterization of established NPCs and don’t alter the setting itself.
  • The Tamarians are the only power that the Federation has a strong, positive relationship within the rimward (“southern”) area of its territory, so Joint Base Dathon is one of many other projects to cultivate that relationship.
  • There’s always an event, like a conference or a festival, going on, so you’d visit this station for your crew to take part, or maybe you’d be transporting dignitaries or guests to such an event.
  • As this facility coordinates exercises and operations between Starfleet and the Tamarians, it could be a great starting place for a joint mission or for simulated war games.
  • As a diplomatic facility, Joint Base Dathon is unarmed. It only has shields to protect it. There is typically either a Tamarian warship or a Federation starship in orbit for defensive purposes, which could be a job for your ship. It’d probably be pretty boring to guard a stationary object, though, so that might be a good opportunity for some downtime or character development!