USS Cardenas

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."

—Aristotle - Ship's Dedication Quote

USS Cardenas (NCC-86419) is a Reliant-class Federation starship currently assigned to Fourth Fleet. She stands as a unique and revered addition to Starfleet, named after the famous Cardenas-class heavy cruiser whose namesake fought valiantly at the Battle of the Binary Stars in 2256. The class itself was named after the famous Mexican President of the 1930's, Lázaro Cárdenas del Río.

Commissioned in 2392, Cardenas has already seen action in some of the decades most complex events. Originally under the command of Captain Elliot Mercer, the ship's transfer to Task Force 47 of the Fourth Fleet helped her become an integral part of the re-established Lakota Squadron for its exploration of the Shackleton Expanse. Commander later fell to Captain Darek Prenar following Mercer's death during first contact with the Vaelor.

Design and Layout

One of the earliest of the class to be built, Omaha is a modern frigate built for a new era of Federation service. Built with a number of enhancements of the time, she boasts armaments commensurate with her role as a border patrol and interdiction unit, whilst also being capable of supporting her unit in their exploration or scientific endeavours.

Bridge

Faced with a dilemma during the construction phase due to the size of the Reliant-class, engineers sought to find a bridge module that was compact but fit the traditional aesthetics for the main command center of a starship. They reviewed several successful layouts of battle bridges from different starship classes, and of older, smaller vessels in service, resting on a familiar design from a 70s era frigate, the Steamrunner-class, albeit with a slightly altered, more modern colour scheme. Making the most of a variety of technological advancements, such as holoprojectors, holographic communications, in-built weapons lockers and three-dimensional computer displays in places, the bridge module is one of the most advanced of the 2390s fleet. Perhaps one of its most charming features is the retention of the carpet, which makes the room far less cold than most new designs of the 90s and early 2400s.

Cardenas' bridge module pulls together many successful elements from various ships of the 70s and beyond. As was common for a lot of designs from that era, the heart of the bridge is dominated by two comfortable, leather command chairs separated by a large built in display for controlling certain aspects of the ship. The command area is surrounded by a metallic arch with the tactical and security stations embedded within, directly behind the command duo and with direct line of sight to the main viewscreen. At the front of the bridge there is a combined flight control and operations console sunken in front of the viewscreen. Aft of the bridge, there is a large, entirely interactive and customisable master systems display (MSD) designed to give engineering personnel unparalleled link up with the engine room. On the walls either side are additional displays for holoprojector control, emergency lockdowns, and a number of compartments for medkits and equipment lockers, including for hand phasers in the event of an emergency. On the aft port bulkhead, engineering and environmental control stations provide additional functuality for the department. On the adjacent aft starboard bulkhead, science and mission operations stations provide other critical functions.

There are two alcoves on either side of the bridge, linked by a carpeted walk way that runs from side to side, directly between the command chairs and the forward flight ops station. In the starboard alcove, doors lead to the ready room (front) and turbo lift (back), and to port, the observation lounge (front) and a second turbo lift (back).

Auxiliary Craft

History

The Peace We Keep: Months after battles with the Vaadwaur, the Cardenas is under the command of Captain Elliot Mercer and is one of the first Starfleet assets to travel to the Shackleton Expanse. There, she teams up with the starships Al-Batani, Hypatia, Wasp and Mok'tal for a scientific expedition to the Nareen system, unveiling a monolithic obelisk some 3,000 years old. During their mission, matters are made complicated by the presence of two separate Draxan units, each with mischief in mind. The first draws Wasp and her Klingon friend away from Nareen in response to a distress call, ultimately leading to an armed confrontation that ends terribly, while the second sees an unexpected distress call from the deeply misunderstood Nihari on their homeworld of Nihor. Responding to the distress call, the crew of Hypatia soon learn the truth of the history between the Nihari and Draxans - a conflict that waged for decades and overseen by an ancient evil known as the Vezda. It isn't long before the Draxans threaten to eradicate all life on Nihor, just as they had Nareen all those centuries ago. After a tense standoff in orbit, the Draxans left, but only after delivering a menacing warning. Al-Batani remains in the Nihor system to pursue diplomatic ventures.
Pings in the Dark: Following events at Nihor, Starfleet determines the squadron requires a more formal leadership structure and assigns Commodore Jaro Oak, the Hero of Un'gar, to lead their operations moving forward. Requisitioning the Paulson as his flagship, he travels to the Shackleton Expanse, escorted by Cardenas, Wasp and Mok'Tal to the Nihor system at the behest of the Nihari High Arbiter.

Commanding Officer Lineage

2401 - 2402 : Captain Elliot Mercer, (Human Male)
2403 - 2403 : Captain Darek Prenar, (Cardassian Male)