S.S. Maren - Botanical Research Facility

## S.S. Maren

### Thrusters

15 Standard Mark I Magnetohydrodynamic Gas-Fusion Thrusters (For Orbital Adjustment)

## Name

Maren:

* Scandinavian word meaning "Pearl"

## History

Starfleet command has a long history of using orbital platforms for vital research and development purposes. The deployment of Earth Station McKinley, Jupiter Station, and the continual expansion of the Utopia Planitia Fleet yards above and upon the surface of Mars, illustrates Starfleet’s commitment to this kind of facility.

As part of the Ambassador class project, Starfleet had planned to build a set of operational spacecraft and then build six semi-complete vessels to keep as a reserve force, much as was done with the later Galaxy class. However, Starfleet decided to cancel this option in favour of increasing the reserve Galaxy force from two to six vessels instead. This decision came when the construction of the spare hulls had already been partially completed, so Starfleet was left with six Ambassador class primary hulls on its hands.

Various options were contemplated, most centring around turning the hulls into operational vessels. One idea was for a Centaur-style conversion, adding nacelles but not engineering hulls. However, Starfleet was not willing to expend even the reduced resources needed for this option. In the end it was decided to link the hulls together in order to create a space station; Starfleet had been planning to build a new station in Jupiter orbit, so this option would allow it to fulfil that need without having to design and produce new hardware.

The conversion went remarkably smoothly. Since the station was not considered a front line combat or defence station the weapons systems were removed, although the shields were retained. The hulls were stacked in groups of three, with each group linked together by bridging gangways. Various peripheral equipment was added to allow the station to fulfil its new roles. These included various scientific research projects, including a holographic research laboratory run by Dr. Lewis Zimmerman.

S.S. Maren was constructed in August 2419 at LV 818 in the Tau Quadrant of the Black Eye Galaxy (M64). LV-818 is an isolated uninhabited Class-M planet that supports one of the most diverse ecosystems ever seen in the Federation's history, with over fifteen million different species of flora and fauna.

It was discovered by the U.S.S. Callisto that some of these plants could have impressive medicinal qualities and S.S. Wynter Life was constantly running low on medical supplies so Maren Botanical Research facility was founded in order to investigate and process these unique specimens into workable medicines.

However during the Roth/Strategos War of 2420, the Strategos, learning the location of the research facility successfully initiated an attack on the station, only being driven off by the arrival of the U.S.S. Trident. However the attack had caused a massive containment breach on Maren and an evacuation was forced, leaving the station to be crippled and abandoned.

## Technical Data

#### **Overview**

Class: Jupiter Class

Fleet Operational Speciality: Botanical Research

Commissioned: 2419

Decks: 54

Power Generation:

* Mark I Plasma Reactor

Diplomatic Rating: Grade C

Expected Hull Life: 300 Years

#### **Defensive Systems**

* 2 Type X Phaser Arrays
* High Capacity Multi-Adaptive, Regenerative Shield System
* Standard Ablative Plating