USS Temeraire
The USS Temeraire is an Inquiry Class starship assigned to the Fourth Fleet. After an inquiry into the disastrous testing of the MARS stealth system aboard the Inquiry-class starship Thesis, Starfleet Command relieved Captain Italia Ruas of her command, opting to merge the crew with that of their ageing counterpart, the USS Santa Fe. Whilst undergoing an overhaul, the ship had all traces of the controversial system removed, and is recommissioned with a new name and a new commanding officer. Redesignated as the USS Temeraire, pronounced Tem-uh-rare, the ship’s technological advancements and experienced personnel make her a perfect candidate for a new mission.
Design and Layout
Designed in response to Starfleet's change in emphasis following events of the 2380's, the Inquiry-class is designated as a heavy cruiser. As one of the fastest, most well-armed starships of her size, the Inquiry-class is a design that is quickly becoming commonplace throughout the Federation thanks to the standardisation of the class. Such standardisation has enabled a second 'block' of starships to be commissioned, making use of new technological advancements and upgrades. Temeraire is the fifth of the Block-II vessels to be constructed.
For a ship of her size and mission profile, Temeraire has an enviable sensor suite widely believed to be on par with vessels such as the Galaxy and her Sovereign cousin, which make her more than adequate to deal with any scientific mission, discovery or phenomenon she might encounter. Although she is more than capable to perform a wide variety of mandates, it is combat where the ship excels. With an impressive array of phasers, four burst fire torpedo launchers, a large complement of torpedoes and a high capacity shield grid, the Temeraire is one of the most combat-proficient vessels in her size category, earning her the moniker of a ‘pocket battleship’. A somewhat unique feature of the class is the existence of additional hard points across the exterior hull which allow for additional pulse phaser cannons in the bow and micro torpedo launchers, allowing the crew to refit the ship into an even more capable heavy cruiser. A much more manoeuvrable option compared to her larger cousins, but also other ships in her category, Temeraire can fly rings around virtually any threat that comes her way, making perfect use of her weapons array. A tough little ship, Temeraire can shrug off most hits that come her way, making her perfect for the unknown territories beyond the Thomas Expanse.
Internally, Temeraire benefits from a high degree of automation which means that, despite having mission capability on par with the Sovereign-class, Temeraire has less than half the crew complement. Happily, this ensures a comfortable standard of accommodation throughout the ship, and a variety of recreation facilities. Some of the more unique features she possesses are the recreational facilities which largely follow the perimeter of the saucer section (apart from on decks such as that with the through-deck shuttle bay). These facilities are connected as a promenade that circles from the port side of the saucer, around the bow and to the starboard side in an almost 270-degree rotation. These facilities provide a surprising sense of openness and elevate the claustrophobia often associated with space travel. In the event of an emergency, these recreational areas can be converted for triage purposes or refugee accommodation. A large crew lounge facility is located above the forward shuttle bay.
Bridge, Deck One
Modelled on the successful layout of its older, larger cousin the Sovereign-class, the bridge of the Temeraire has a slightly altered colour scheme and a much-changed console layout across the bridge. 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 Inquiry-class bridge module is one of the most advanced in the fleet. Perhaps one of its most charming features is the emblem of the United Federation of Planets emblazoned on the carpeting as a constant reminder of all the ship stands for.
In a move away from more recent styles, and harking back to the traditional layouts of yesteryear, the Temeraire has a single center command seat for the commanding officer. Directly ahead of them, down a few steps 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 into the heart of the bridge to allow maximum participation with the rest of the bridge crew are duty stations for science (port) and tactical operations (starboard). Directly behind the commanding officer, and in a further break from tradition, a combined duty station serves as positioning for the two most senior advisors and assistants to the ship's commander; the Strategic Operations Officer (port) and Executive Officer (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 and environmental controls. Adjacent to them on the starboard bulkhead, mission operations and security stations ensure the continued safety of the ship and crew on a day-to-day, mission-by-mission basis. On the aft bulkhead, engineering is the focus. With a large, entirely interactive and customizable master systems display (MSD) and other engineering controls, the representative from engineering has full access to the ship's systems.
Around the command center, four doors provide access to and from the bridge. On the forward port bulkhead, access is available to the observation lounge, 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). 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. The starboard turbo lift grants express, overridden access to key locations such as engineering, shuttlebay 1, sickbay, tactical astrometrics and transporter rooms 1 and 2.
Notable Crew
Commanding Officers
OOC Credits
A number of images used by the Temeraire are personal commissions produced by hard-working artists and should not be reproduced or used without express permission. Many avatars can be located at Sci-Fi Avatars or are free use from STPMA.