USS Arondight
The USS Arondight (NCC-86407) is a Reliant-class starship currently assigned to the Fourth Fleet. As of mid-2401, it is assigned to Arcturus Wayfinding Squadron, which is based out of Olympia Station. Arondight is assigned to regular patrol and reconnaissance missions in the Olympia Sector, a duty it shares with Buran, as two of Olympia Station's primary defensive assets.
History
Arondight was launched from Avalon Fleet Yards in 2390 as one of the first wave of Reliant-class frigates to be constructed, incorporating components from an earlier Miranda II-class vessel bearing the same name. Since then it has served mainly as a patrol vessel and transport in and around the Grazer Sector. In late 2400 it began its first major overhaul to bring it up to the standards of her newer sister ships. That six-month program of work was originally to be completed in the weeks following Frontier Day 2401, but this timeline was extended until Stardate 2401.6 to allow for the removal of all systems related to Fleet Formation Mode.
Following her re-launch and successful trials under the oversight of Avalon Fleet Yards personnel, Arondight was assigned to the Olympia Sector. After a ferry flight to Olympia Station under a caretaker captain with a skeleton crew, Arondight was assigned to Captain Blake Bennett and joined Arcturus Wayfinding Squadron on Stardate 2401.9.
Notable Events
- 2389: Construction of Arondight begins at Avalon Fleet Yards using structural components from her decommissioned Miranda II-class predecessor.
- 2390: Arondight is launched from Avalon and began a three-month shakedown cruise. She is officially commissioned later that year.
- 2390—2395: Arondight conducts first five-year mission undertaking patrol, survey, and logistics support missions within the Grazer Sector under the auspices of the Fourth Fleet.
- 2392: Arondight answers a distress call from a Talarian military vessel that had drifted into Federation space. The crew resolves the incident to the satisfaction of both Starfleet Command and the Talarian government.
- 2394: While surveying a moon in the Benthuus system previously identified as unable to support life, Arondight discovers a sub-surface ocean with high biodiversity. This moon is flagged for study by a dedicated surveyor, but credit for the discovery was given the crew of Arondight, as reflected in the names of many of the species discovered there.
- 2395—2400: Arondight conducts its second five-year mission under the command of a new captain and senior staff, again remaining generally within the Grazer Sector. In addition to patrol, survey, and logistics mission, Arondight occasionally serves as the flagship for the Superintendent of Avalon Fleet Yards, Admiral Felix Kominek, in his role as commander of the Grazer Sector.
- 2396: While transporting Admiral Kominek to a conference on Grazer, Arondight suffers a warp field collapse and is temporarily disabled for several days. While the admiral is taken to Grazer by another vessel, a diagnostic reveals design flaws in the Reliant-class's plasma manifolds. A fix is applied to the existing vessels and construction practices are changed.
- 2399: Arondight remains in the Avalon system for much of the Raptor's Wings and Archanis Campaigns, using her tractor beams to assist in the construction and maintenance of starships being sent to reinforce the Fourth Fleet in those operations. She is kept in reserve as part of the fleet yards' defensive screen.
- 2400: Early in the year, Arondight is relocated to Starbase Bravo to provide patrol and search-and-rescue support for vessels fleeing the impacts of both the Century Storm and the Sundered Wings crises.
- 2400: After the successful completion of two five-year missions, Arondight begins its first major overhaul since construction in mid-2400. Lessons learned during her service and the service of other first-generation Reliant-class frigates are used to improve her overall performance. Construction is expected to take six months.
- 2401: While Arondight is nearly finished with its refits, the events of Frontier Day 2401 demonstrate the severe flaws with Fleet Formation mode. The refit program is extended another three months to mid-2401 and Arondight is launched with these systems removed, as well as improved power generation systems and hardened EPS grid for service with Arcturus Wayfinding Squadron. After transiting to Olympia Station with a caretaker crew, Arondight is placed under the command of Captain Blake Bennett for her third five-year mission.
Namesake
The precise etymology of the word "Arondight" is not known. Also spelled as Aerondight, Aroundight or Aroundyȝt, it is mentioned in the last section of Beves of Hamtoun, a Middle English chivalric romance (a narrative which is in this case in verse) by an unknown author. Here, it is the name of the sword borne by Lancelot of the Lake (Lancelot du'Lac), one of the greatest knights of King Arthur's Round Table, in Arthurian lore.[1]
The only other starship to bear the name Arondight was a Miranda II-class vessel (NCC-6407), which was launched in 2300, decomissioned in 2380, and recycled during the construction of the current Arondight from 2389 through 2390. The present iteration of the vessel incorporates several structural members, a variety of historical artifacts, and several furnishings and other fittings from the older vessel.
This lineage is reflected in the design of the ship's seal, which features two crossed swords: one representing the original starship Arondight and the other representing the present one.
Configuration
Following her refit from 2400-2401, Arondight has been brought up to the specifications of the latest generation Reliant-class starships now under construction, with additional modifications to allow her to serve with Arcturus Wayfinding Squadron. Most notably, her powerplant has been enlarged to allow her to sustain higher cruising and sprint speeds, at the expense of more frequent maintenance intervals, a modification the class was designed originally to support. The ship's power transfer conduits and EPS grid have also been reinforced to handle the increase in power.