USS Ohio (NCC-1698)

### Captain

Juliet Crowe (2225-2227), Tlily Sh'vhaonit (2227-2240), Anton Schaefer (2240-2256), Keith Bowerman (2256)

## Ship Information

### Launch Date

2225

The USS *Ohio* (NCC-1698) is a Federation Starship, a *Malachowski*-Class cruiser in Starfleet service in the 23rd and 25th Centuries.

## History

### Construction and launch

The *Ohio* was built as part of the Starfleet Appropriate of 2223, with her keel being laid at Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards in late 2224. Officially launched under the command of Juliet Crowe in January 2225, the vessel's shakedown cruise to Tellar Prime and back passed without incident. The vessel entered active service in March of that year.

### Early Missions

The *Ohio*'s primary mission was patrolling the Romulan and Klingon Neutral Zones, and providing escort and security to any vessel or colony world that required it. Beyond a few skirmishes with pirates, the years passed without significant incident.

### The Beta Thoridor Incident

The *Ohio* was assigned to a small task force to attempt a rescue of Federation diplomats stranded after the 2226 Klingon invasion of Beta Thoridor. Along with three smaller vessels, the *Ohio* passed through the Azure Nebula in early 2227 and proceeded to the planet at high warp, attempting to avoid any Klingon patrols. The task force was successful at eluding detection, and a landing party consisting of Captain Crowe, Commander Sh'vhaonit, Lt. T'Lar and a MACO team beamed to the last known location of the diplomats, which was a government office complex in the First City.

The team was discovered almost immediately by a small security team. Fortunately, they were able to quickly overwhelm their attackers. They were able to ascertain the whereabouts of the diplomats through the facility computer systems, which showed them being held in a detention area approximately 2 miles from the team's location. Fearing attracting attention by having themselves beamed up and back down again, Captain Crowe had the team disguise themselves in the uniforms of the guards they defeated before disintegrating the bodies. There were not enough uniforms for the entire team, so Captain Crowe, Commander Sh'vhaonit, and MACO Corporal Finn O'Mally volunteered to pose as prisoners.

The team commandeered a hover lift and travelled to the detention camp. On arrival, they were met with what appeared a garrison of Klingon warriors. Lt. T'Lar, attempting to pass herself off as a Beta Thoridorian native of Romulan ancestry, engaged with the guards and advised that the two Humans and the Andorian were caught sneaking into the office complex, and were to be held in this camp for interrogation. However, instead of allowing them access to the camp, the Klingon guard instead opted for immediate execution and shot Corporal O'Mally in the head.

Dropping any pretense, the team fought back and were able to fight their way into the complex. A run-and-gun battle ensued throughout the hallways of the detention center. T'Lar advised of a scattering field around the complex, which would prevent beaming out. Captain Crowe knew time was of the essence. A Klingon fleet would easily overwhelm the Ohio and the other task force vessels, and it was only a matter of time until the ground team were captured and likely killed. Also knowing that if their presence was made known to the High Council on Q'Onos, it was going to be considered an act of war. Crowe ordered the team split in two. T'Lar and MACO Privates Benson and V'Shon would come with her to disable to scattering field. Commander Sh'vahaonit and MACO Privates Xirasin and Prarggond would go and secure the diplomats.

Commander Sh'vahaonit would find the diplomatic team in a sub-level holding area. Of the five members they expected, one was dead from blunt force trauma, two had taken a severe beating and required urgent medical care, and the last two were left in a vegetative state from the use of a mind-sifter. Sh'vahaonit and her team barricaded the door and prepared to defend themselves.

Captain Crowe and her team found the facility computer complex where the controls to the scattering field were held, only to discover that it was heavily fortified. Sensing no other options, her team elected a full frontal assault. Resistance was brutal. T'Lar was shot down almost immediately, and V'Shon was grievously wounded. However, the Starfleet team gave as good as they got, killing several Klingons. As Crowe reached the computer banks, a Klingon attacker shot off her left leg. As she fell to the ground, Benson broke cover and was immediately killed. Bleeding heavily and going into shock, Crowe tried to pull herself to her feet and continue the job of deactivating the scattering field. But with no one left to cover her, a warrior approached her from behind and beheaded her with a swift stroke of his bat'leth. Turning to declare victory, he failed to notice that, as her last act, Crowe set her phaser to overload. A moment later the weapon exploded, killing the Klingons and V'Shon, as well as destroying the computer. Noting the scattering field was now down, the *Ohio* beamed up all survivors, and was able to escape the system ahead of a patrol group.

On formal inquest from the Klingon Empire, Starfleet maintained that they had no knowledge of the operation, and that it must have been carried out by "freedom fighters" resisting the Empire's illegal occupation of the system.

Sh'vahaonit was awarded the Starfleet Medal of Honor, promoted to Captain, and given command of the *Ohio*.

## Activities under Captain Sh'vahaonit

After refurbishment and upgrades to the *Ohio*, she resumed her patrol and security duties.

In 2230, a brief standoff with what appeared to be a Romulan scout vessel occurred in the Kaleb Sector. Having found the Romulans on the Federation side of the Neutral Zone, Captain Sh'vahaonit attempted to hail them. In response, the Romulan vessel raised shields and locked weapons on the *Ohio*. After *Ohio* did same, the Romulans went under cloak and left the area. Further searching did not result in more sightings, so it is presumed the Romulan returned to their side of the Neutral Zone.

In 2233, the *Ohio* was tasked with monitoring the civilization on Capella IV. While in orbit, sensors picked up an approaching Klingon D5 cruiser. As the planet was close to the Federation border with the Empire, both groups had access rights to this system, and the mission passed without incident.

The next year, 2234, saw an accident whereby a plasma interlock failed, sending far more energy than is safe to the warp coils within the starboard nacelle while the ship was at warp. The result of this power spike was a disturbance in the warp bubble, causing the nacelle to be torn away from the ship. Chief Engineer Nuygen was able to compensate for the loss of the starboard nacelle by pouring enough power into the port side nacelle to expand the warp bubble from that unit alone around the rest of the ship. This allowed for a controlled slowdown and return to sublight speed, saving the ship from likely breaking apart due to the forces encountered at warp velocity. The crew suffered 37 casualties due to this incident, which Starfleet inspectors attribute to faulty modules. The ship was towed to Starbase 234 for repairs, where it remained until 2336.