The Talarian Republic, a patriarchal society that controls a small area of the Alpha Quadrant that borders Cardassian, Breen and Federation space. After a brief series of border conflicts with the Federation that cost hundreds of lives on both sides, the Talarians have kept to themselves for the past few decades. When the Dominion War broke out, they fortified their borders, keeping the occasional attempts by both Cardassians and Breen forces to encroach on their space. Although their ships were no match for the superior forces chipping away at their defenses, their willingness to fight to the death was enough to persuade their enemies to try their luck elsewhere. During the tail-end of the war, a final Dominion push was thwarted at the cost of a large chunk of the Talarian armada, as well as the U.S.S. Patriot, a Starfleet ship on patrol whose captain and crew sacrificed themselves to give the surviving Talarians time to escape.
Now, with the war over, the Talarian Republic is working to rebuild itself and reassert its place in the galactic political arena. But resource-poor and overstretched due to its war-time expenditures, and lacking a scientific infrastructure beyond their military needs, the Republic General Commander and his War Council grudgingly realize that they need help.
Contacting the Federation for assistance, with the promise of renewed diplomatic relations, an tentative agreement was made to have a science vessel assigned to their space, to complete an expedition of Talarian space and its outer regions for the resources they desperately need. However, many of the military leaders were opposed to the idea of a Starfleet ship in their territory for a prolonged period.
That was where VersaCorp stepped in.
Contacting the Federation for assistance, with the promise of renewed diplomatic relations, an tentative agreement was made to have a science vessel assigned to their space, to complete an expedition of Talarian space and its outer regions for the resources they desperately need. However, many of the military leaders were opposed to the idea of a Starfleet ship in their territory for a prolonged period.
That was where VersaCorp stepped in.
An up-and-coming multi-planetary business organization that maintains a distinct 'neutral status', they seize this opportunity to be the first company to create a strong business link with the Republic. VersaCorp makes a deal with Faraday Independent Shipping & Transport (F.I.S.T.) to lease a eighty-year-old run-down scout-turned cargo-ship, the S.S. Artemis, a former Starfleet science vessel that has long since been retired and mothballed before it was purchased by F.I.S.T.
VersaCorp spare no expense in refitting it into a science vessel that would give a state-of-the-art Starfleet ship a run for its money.
But Starfleet, unhappy that VersaCorp circumvented certain interstellar laws while profiting from the fallout of war, insists on having a degree of oversight. A compromise is reached with the assignment of a Mission Commander, to take charge of scientific operations. The rest of the crew are Faraday employees, alongside a team of VersaCorp scientists and a liaison to oversee operations and maintain their interests.
Now, with its eclectic mixture of cargo runners, business-minded bureaucrats and a lone Starfleet officer whose career has seen better days, the S.S. Artemis is ready to fly alone in the dark expanse of the Talarian Republic.
VersaCorp spare no expense in refitting it into a science vessel that would give a state-of-the-art Starfleet ship a run for its money.
But Starfleet, unhappy that VersaCorp circumvented certain interstellar laws while profiting from the fallout of war, insists on having a degree of oversight. A compromise is reached with the assignment of a Mission Commander, to take charge of scientific operations. The rest of the crew are Faraday employees, alongside a team of VersaCorp scientists and a liaison to oversee operations and maintain their interests.
Now, with its eclectic mixture of cargo runners, business-minded bureaucrats and a lone Starfleet officer whose career has seen better days, the S.S. Artemis is ready to fly alone in the dark expanse of the Talarian Republic.
The Ship
Name: S.S. Artemis (formely U.S.S. Helin)
Registration: NAR-1692 (formerly NCC-1692)
Class: Oberth-class, Clarke-subclass
Original Commission Year: 2290
Decommissioned: 2332 (severe ion-storm damage)
Recommissioned: 2371 (as class-4 cargo vessel, privately owned, later 'leased' on permanent loan to VersaCorp)
Crew Comp: 39
Affiliation: Federation Merchant Service, on loan to VersaCorp
Designation: formerly a class-4 cargo vessel, refitted to science vessel standards by request of VersaCorp.
Notes: Lovingly 'restored' as a pet-project by Nikki Faraday and Danil Mazarn to an excellent condition. The bridge module has been restyled into an appearance more fitting of a vessel from the 2280s, with only limited touch-screen interfaces. The consoles themselves though, now make use of the most up-to-date computer hardware, including isolinear and bio-neural technology, thanks to the generous support of VersaCorp.
Registration: NAR-1692 (formerly NCC-1692)
Class: Oberth-class, Clarke-subclass
Original Commission Year: 2290
Decommissioned: 2332 (severe ion-storm damage)
Recommissioned: 2371 (as class-4 cargo vessel, privately owned, later 'leased' on permanent loan to VersaCorp)
Crew Comp: 39
Affiliation: Federation Merchant Service, on loan to VersaCorp
Designation: formerly a class-4 cargo vessel, refitted to science vessel standards by request of VersaCorp.
Notes: Lovingly 'restored' as a pet-project by Nikki Faraday and Danil Mazarn to an excellent condition. The bridge module has been restyled into an appearance more fitting of a vessel from the 2280s, with only limited touch-screen interfaces. The consoles themselves though, now make use of the most up-to-date computer hardware, including isolinear and bio-neural technology, thanks to the generous support of VersaCorp.
Title Banner/Crew Images by Jonathan Crosby-Bromley at DeviantArt
Background by Donny Versiga
Oberth-class images by The LightWorks
Background by Donny Versiga
Oberth-class images by The LightWorks