Forward Observation Zone
Created by Captain Wilkan Targaryen on Sat Feb 24th, 2024 @ 10:37pm
Forward Observation Zone
The Forward Observation Zone is a United Federation of Planets Starfleet installation located adjacent to the Gamma Quadrant terminus of the Bajoran Wormhole.
Overview
History
Infrastructure
Deep Space 47
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| Class: | Rho |
| Affiliation: | Federation Starfleet |
| Diameter: | 200 meters |
| Height: | 152 meters |
| Mass: | 1,400,000 metric tons |
| Decks: | 18 |
| Crew: | 105 personnel 250 evacuation |
| Armament: | Phaser Banks |
| Auxiliary craft: | Type 18 Shuttlecraft |
Following a long range cometary survey of the Minos Korva Star System in 2344, the United Federation of Planets orchestrated the annexation of the system into Federation territory to assist with monitoring of the Cardassian Union. While construction of a Research Station was planned, the construction was deferred which gave the Cardassians an opportunity to challenge the Federation's claim on Minos Korva. The Cardassians announced their intent to occupy the system; however, the Federation objected and assigned vessels to patrol the system. Construction of the Minos Korva Research Station began soon after, with the Starfleet Corps of Engineers making the station a priority project due to the Federation-Cardassian War.
Completed in 2350, the Minos Korva Research Station was formally commissioned with a staff of 105 personnel. Due to the advanced sensor equipment at the station, Minos Korva was tempting target for the Cardassians and it frequently came under enemy attack from Cardassian forces. While formal hostilities between the Cardassians and Federation ended in 2366, Minos Korva remained a target and, in 2369, Starfleet believed that the Cardassians would launch an invasion of Minos Korva from the McAllister C-5 Nebula; however, this was avoided through the actions of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D under the command of Captain Edward Jellico.
Following the establishment of the Federation/Cardassian Demilitarized Zone, life at the Minos Korva Research Station settled dramatically. This would all change when the Cardassian Union allied with the Dominion in 2373 and the Minos Korva system became a target for the Dominion. During an attack by the Cardassian Third Order, the Minos Korva Research Station was critically damaged. While the station and its defense fleet were able to repel the enemy force and prevent the invasion of the Minos Korva System, the station itself had to be abandoned and was later transferred to the Qualor II Salvage Yard for scrap.
When the Dominion and the United Federation of Planets reestablished contact in 2410, the Federation Council was able to negotiate permission for Starfleet to establish a Forward Observation Zone at the Gamma Quadrant terminus of the Bajoran Wormhole. While Starfleet considered building a large outpost the decision was made to limit Starfleet's presence to not antagonize the Dominion. Starfleet Command and Starfleet Logistical Support opted to restore and reactivate the Minos Korva Research Station to serve as the flagbase for the Forward Observation Zone and the Starfleet Corps of Engineers deployed teams to Qualor II to begin repairs on the station. Their work would be completed in 2411 when the Research Station was towed by the Starfleet Corps of Engineers to the Bajoran Wormhole. Following its transit into the Gamma Quadrant, the station was formally reactivated and rechristened as Deep Space 47.
While appointment to older space stations was often considered a career killer, due to its responsibilities, many believed that assignment to DS47 would help to advance their careers. This was true, for a time, but as the threat from the Dominion lessened, DS47 saw its importance diminish once more. As of 2440, Deep Space 47 has started showing its age and has earned a terrible reputation. Modern personnel see assignment to DS47 as one of the worst penalties available to them as the crew are seen as unprofessional, have been issued outdated equipment, and the station experiences frequent equipment breakdowns.
Defense Satellite
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| Affiliation: | Federation Starfleet |
| Diameter: | 100 meters |
| Height: | 40 meters |
| Mass: | 40,000 metric tons |
| Decks: | 4 |
| Armament: | Phaser Arrays Phaser Turrets Torpedo Launchers |
Federation Defense Satellites are small, unmanned defensive platforms that have been designed to protect a location from potential threats. Consisting of four decks, the structure houses four Phaser arrays and four rapid fire Torpedo launchers that maintain a magazine of up to 1,000 Photon Torpedoes. Independent Phaser turrets built into the superstructure can target and destroy incoming projectiles before they can do any damage, based upon concepts created during the Strategic Defense Initiative of Earth's 20th Century. Command and control over the Defense Satellites is provided by Deep Space 47 as command base for the Forward Observation Zone; however, the satellites further feature advanced artificial intelligence software that engages should contact with Deep Space 47 be interrupted. In the event that communications with Starfleet or Deep Space 47 are lost, the satellites enter a "read-only" preset to maintain their autonomy to defend the Forward Observation Zone. This "read-only" preset prevents the satellites from adapting beyond the needs of their assigned mission nor may they go beyond actions that their mission parameters allow them to do. If needed, a Defense Satellite can be set to "read/write" mode. When employing its "read/write" mode the Defense Satellite can augment its database to adapt to new situations that it faces, learning new things in the process and developing new strategies beyond those it was initially programmed with.
Each Defense Satellite has been built with its survival as a top priority with easy access to systems and redundancies that allow the station to withstand severe damage more easily than its contemporaries. Advanced alloys, electromagnetic shielding, and other electronic countermeasures make the satellite difficult to detect with conventional sensor systems. Advanced shields defend the station from external threats, while high capacity ablative armor provides protection should the satellite's defensive shields fail. Primary power is provided by a Matter/Antimatter Reactor assembly - based upon the Warp Core of a Defiant Class escort - while secondary reactors provide power in the event that the primary power systems are disabled.
U.S.S. Nicolaus Copernicus
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| Class: | Libertas |
| Affiliation: | Federation Starfleet |
| Length: | 100 meters |
| Width: | 75 meters |
| Height: | 13 meters |
| Mass: | 65,000 metric tons |
| Decks: | 3 |
| Crew: | 30 personnel 100 evacuation |
| Speed: | Warp 9.4 |
| Armament: | Phaser Arrays |
| Defenses: | Shields |
| Auxiliary craft: | Type 18 Shuttlecraft |
In its role as mission support vessel, the Copernicus maintains a crew of 30 personnel; however, the officers of the vessel are selected from the crew of Deep Space 47. As a replacement for the Nova Class, the Libertas Class is intended for planetary research, reconnaissance, and short-range exploration assignments that will not take it far from its home base for long periods of time. Like its sisters built at the Baikonur Orbital Complex, Copernicus can be configured to perform crisis response duties, responding quickly to a crisis zone to provide support or resources to support survival.
Featuring an atypical, integrated design, the Copernicus is three decks tall and incorporates twin Impulse Engines and Warp Nacelles. The engines of the Copernicus have been specially designed to operate at lower power levels to reduce the strain on the ship's reactors due to the limited amount of fuel stored aboard the Libertas Class. The Copernicus has been equipped with Metaphasic Shielding capable of withstanding the pressure, radiation and energy of a star's corona, but the Copernicus is heavily reliant upon its maneuverability and versatility to survive in combat. Despite its role in reconnaissance operations, the Copernicus has not been designed for combat operations and is only equipped with two Phaser Arrays for defense.
Shortly after commissioning, the Copernicus was dispatched to the Cardassian Sector on a two year survey mission to update the Federation's navigational records of the Badlands. Three months into its assignment the Copernicus encountered a contingent of Alpha Jem'Hadar that were in operation at a former Maquis Outpost in the Badlands. During their observation of the installation, the outpost detected the Copernicus and deployed an assault team to attack the Starfleet vessel. Despite being the inferior combat craft, the Copernicus was able to use its maneuverability to survive against the Jem'Hadar vessel and escape destruction. Calling for reinforcements, the Copernicus led the Starships Pequod and Resolute to the Jem'Hadar base. The Copernicus aided its larger cousins in their interdiction duties by establishing and patrolling a defense perimeter while the Defiant and Pequod performed their law enforcement role. The Copernicus detected a Jem'Hadar vessel attempting to flee the area and moved to intercept, engaging the Jem'Hadar ship in combat, disabling the enemy vessel, and successfully towing the ship to Starbase 419. Having successfully aided the interdiction efforts, the Copernicus returned to the Badlands to complete the survey mission it was originally assigned without further incident.
Having proven its tactical capabilities, Starfleet Command selected the Copernicus to replace the starship U.S.S. Bougainville as the mission support vessel for the Gamma Quadrant Forward Observation Zone. Undergoing a provisioning stopover at Starbase 419, the Copernicus began its Gamma Quadrant assignment in 2439.
Noteworthy Personnel
| Forward Observation Zone Senior Staff Manifest | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Name | Rank | Species |
| Commanding Officer | Shibren Ayi | Commander | Bajoran |
| Executive Officer | Badri al-Moustafa | Lieutenant Commander | Human |
| Chief Engineering Officer | Amasis | Lieutenant | Coridanite |
| Chief Flight Control/Operations Officer | Fobehl Exia | Lieutenant | Bajoran |
| Chief Medical Officer | Renaud Baptiste | Lieutenant | Human/Skrreean |
| Chief Science Officer | Nysirkil | Lieutenant JG | Edosian |
| Chief Security/Tactical Officer | Matilde Virzi | Lieutenant JG | Human |
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