Archon-class starship

The ***Archon*-class starship** is an assault cruiser produced for the United Federation of Planets Starfleet to succeed the *Regent*-class. Originally a wartime project in response to the Iconian War, the *Archon* was put on hold after that war until members of Starfleet, particularly M.A.C.O., pushed the project to completion. Although the specifics are classified, she is stated to serve as a platform to support broad special forces operations and rapid strikes against time-critical targets. It is also one of a few Federation starships designed with cloak capability in mind.

The launch of the USS *Archon* on Stardate 94422.1 (25 October 2416) faced significant problems which ultimately put the launch of her sister ships on hold for three weeks while the issues were investigated. New members of the class have since been steadily launched to fill in gaps left by the losses of the Iconian War.

# Background

During the Iconian War, one of the most difficult aspects proved to be the movement of ground forces in response to attack. Starfleet's doctrine focused on winning battles in space and thereby controlling access to a stellar body, a strategy which had served well during the Klingon and Dominion Wars. In the case of the Iconian War, their gateways gave the Herald unprecedented access to the surface of even well-defended planets. The alliance's reliance on mass produced military transports, designed with the expectation of space dominance, were further exploited by the Iconians in ambushes using the same gateways. In many cases, such as at Qo'noS, it was enough for the Iconians to establish Gateways to highly radioactive nebula or pulsars to overcome the light shielding of these ships to kill the occupants. A third of all casualties to ground forces throughout the war occured before setting boots on the ground. In particular, M.A.C.O. maintained harsh criticism of this performance well after the war, demanding that the deficiency be addressed, and reminding that relations with the Iconians were only at a ceasefire.

During the war, M.A.C.O. began using starships as their platform for deployments as much as possible purely for the protection they offered, but often did so at the expense of other areas such as heavy equipment or berthing space. M.A.C.O. came to prefer cruisers due to the space allowed for supplies, personnel, and support for assault shuttlecraft which had become increasingly necessary due to transport inhibitor technology. In particular, they favored assault cruisers due to their firepower and relative agility, and to some degree command battlecruisers, in particular the *Concorde*-class, though they were too few in number to meet demands. There was also some interest in the exploration cruisers and the *Odyssey*-class, as without the civilian complement there was ample room for ground personnel, and it possessed the novelty of using saucer separation to respond to enemy actions while the saucer section remained to continue support of ground operations. The use of this was, however, judged limited due to the saucer section's vulnerability, as it was only ever intended to be left alone in an area of safety, not in ongoing action.

Ultimately, M.A.C.O. decided to put their efforts to assault cruisers. They wanted more of them, and wanted for them to be of modern specification which even the most recent member, the *Regent*-class, would no longer meet without refit. M.A.C.O. also noted that due to available internal space it was the older chassis of assault cruisers which better suited their needs, the numbers of which had taken a sharp decline due to the recent wars.

By this time, the San Francisco Fleet Yards had already begun construction of a prototype assault cruiser, the *Archon*, following repairs and renovation to the shipyard after the Battle At Midnight. Her initial design had been drawn up by the end of 2414 and underwent revision during the first quarter of 2415 only to have her construction delayed indefinitely when the Iconian War began with resources being shifted elsewhere. Now M.A.C.O. had taken an interest.

Almost immediately M.A.C.O. found the list of the *Archon'*s requirements not what they expected. Starfleet Command had slated for a mid-range tactical cruiser with unprecedented warp capability and heavy forward bulkheads to serve as the leading edge of a task force. M.A.C.O. wished to expand on these capabilities with more advanced technology, more berthing space, more command and control systems, and improved orbital strike capability. This made the requirements list untenable, prompting a fierce debate between the two parties on which requirements should be kept and which should be dropped. Starfleet Command initially tried to placate M.A.C.O. by adding three more *Archon*s to the order, going so far as to make a contract with the Baikonur Cosmodrome to fulfill them more quickly, but the attempt failed. The war had seen heavy losses incurred to both space and ground forces, and so neither party were willing to make concessions on the design, yet both requested increasingly more resources for the project. This rapidly brought it to the attention of the Federation Council, and in June of that year a debate was held within the Federation Council chambers to reach a final decision.

To meet both sides, an executive decision was made to split the sum requirements in two, in ways which would make both specifications useful to the other, if not ideal. Construction of the *Archon*-class continued under more of a "Special Forces" designation, while the "Command" requirements would be met with a more cost effective solution of a major refit of older *Sovereign*-class hulls, which were already the most popular class of assault cruiser with M.A.C.O., starting with the *Vizier*, ultimately being reclassified as the *Vizier*-class.

*Archon* was launched Stardate 94422.1 (25 October 2416), but an unspecified near disaster during testing, reportedly involving her warp nacelles, led to her being recalled to spacedock and delayed the launch of her sister ships for assessment. By mid-November the cause and other issues identified during the short maiden voyage had been corrected and the next test flight on November 15 went by with less excitement. Construction holds were lifted and the first block of *Archon*s began to see launch.

# Design

The *Archon*-class can be considered a heavy cruiser specialized in strike operations. Civilians are not part of the starship's standard complement and specialist science labs and other eccentricities are minimal. Most of the ship's internal space is devoted to tactical weapon systems, intelligence gathering, and strike team infiltration and exfiltration. A M.A.C.O. detachment is virtually standard, as are the facilities to support their operations. The ship also makes use of an impressive warp drive and Quantum Slipstream capabilities for rapid response to changing strategic situations and long-range travel. The *Archon*-class additionally makes use of considerable sensors focused on ship-to-ship and planetary atmosphere and surface scans.

## Armament

Befitting the tactical focus of an assault cruiser, the *Archon*-class has been heavily armed at the expense of general science capabilities. Fourteen Type XII Mk XV Phaser Arrays line the hull in various sections to offer near complete coverage. Four omni-directional mounts complement the direct energy armament, one located near the bridge, one forward ventral saucer, and one ventral and dorsal near the rearmost primary hull respectively. These mounts are agnostic, and may be equipped with either Phaser beam emitters or Pulse Phaser emitters. Though less powerful than the main arrays, the mount is ideally suited for rapid target acquisition to serve as a light duty Close In Weapon System.

The primary new technology comes in the form of her torpedo armament, where the forward launchers are of a new design. Located a deck below the main deflector dish is the twin assault torpedo launcher. Utilizing autoloaders, advanced graviton-based rails, and multiple independent tubes, this launcher alone is capable of emptying the ship's entire standard complement of torpedoes in less than three minutes.

Facing aft lies more standardized launchers, including two variable-payload torpedo launchers on the lower most decks and a Wide Angle Torpedo Turret at the fantail of the ship reminiscent of the forward launcher on *Sovereign*-class vessels. Though smaller, this aft torpedo turret features two compartments with independent torpedo bays. All torpedo launchers are variable payload per modern standard.

A typical mission payload consists of a mix of both Photon Torpedoes and Quantum Torpedoes. Block I *Archon*s also included Metreon Gas Warhead launch capability, but this was dropped from the Block IIs due to complexity when resources were diverted to projects based at Utopia Planetia's Yard 39.

## Defense Systems

The *Archon*-class incorporates standard forms of technology for the preservation of the ship in carrying out its mission. Typical of many Starfleet vessels, this includes deflector shields, structural integrity field, inertial dampers, and a specialized navigational deflector.

232 emitters integrated into the hull comprise the Aegis Technologies Mk. XIV Resilient Deflector Shields. One of the production results of experiments conducted since 2409, the shield system was intentionally designed for simplicity to allow for ease of retrofit in the future, allowing the *Archon*-class to be readily modified with advanced technologies to suit the current dangers of space. The shield system divides its load evenly into six standardized sections: forward, aft, port, starboard, dorsal, and ventral. As with all sixth-generation systems, it incorporates modernized auto-modulating capability originally made to combat the Borg. Auto-modulation analyzes shield impacts and uses the main computer to compute optimal modulation solutions and automatically shares this with the ship's weapon systems. The system can be manually manipulated by Tactical in the event the selected modulation proves to make the *Archon*-class's own weapons ineffective in battle.

While deflector shields are effective against high energy weapons, the navigational deflector provides high up-time and energy efficient deflection for navigational purposes, provided by the Shinsei Industries G19/b Heavy Graviton Navigational Deflector. Larger and more powerful than previous assault cruisers, this main deflector assembly was specifically designed and constructed for the *Archon*-class to provide coverage even at its expected high warp velocity. Heavily integrated with the ship's sensors, the dish also provides a wide range of particles for active sensor scans Like many Starfleet deflector dishes, the G19/b is multipurpose and highly configurable. Due to the excess number of graviton emitters, this model is theoretically capable of generating temporary gravity wells.

The final level of defense before the hull itself is the ShiKahr Astrogation CA-class Inertial Damping and Structural Integrity Field. This joint system utilizes force fields and inertial dampers to absorb and distribute hull stress from impacts and maneuvering in order to preserve the ship and the sensitive equipment and crew within. The system is combat-rated. Test results performed aboard the USS *Destiny* reported that the combined system exceeded expectations.

## Sensors

Utilizing sixth-generation technology, the *Archon*-class uses sensor suites that are fully configurable while in spacedock for special missions. Forward of the main deflector dish is a special mission sensor pod which typically mounts the NYX Phased Subspace Sensor Suite, a general purpose suite typically used in intelligence gathering operations. Some *Archon*-class starships mount more advanced versions with high resolution sensors. This module is intended to be updated periodically to keep the ship's role relevant well into the future. The dorsal side of the saucer section features more standard DYN-90 Multi-band Linear Sensor Suites and Omniwave Passive Sensor Matrices to support the primary suite and provide redundancy. Additional standard suites are located about the ship for optimal coverage. Two AN/X-29 Wide Angle Targeting Arrays flank the main deflector dish to directly support the *Archon'*s tactical systems, specialized for directing guided torpedoes at long range and high angles of attack.

## Hull

The *Archon*-class utilizes a double hull design built on an endoskeletal frame. Key spaceframe structural elements, notably the keel, are made of Tritanium alloys, while the rest of the hull is built almost entirely of Duranium/Nanomesh, a measure which achieves the same strength known of assault cruisers for a modest 8% reduction in mass displacement. The inner hull is pressurized for habitation while the outer hull form has been streamlined for optimal subspace field and quantum slipstream performance. The hull is lined with Trellium-K to protect the ship against common subspace anomalies per standard Federation design. The interior is heavily partitioned and compartmentalized for better preservation of the ship despite damage due to hazardous conditions, such as combat.

Critical areas of the ship incorporate more substantial protection in the form of Neutronium alloy armor in varying thicknesses. The *Archon'*s armor is typically thicker toward the bow, anticipated to be the primary vector of attack and most likely area for sustained and substantial hits. These critical areas include:

* Main Bridge
* Main Engineering
* Torpedo Bays
* Impulse Engines

Two transverse bulkheads, one in each warp nacelle located just behind the bussard ramscoops, protect the warp coils from frontal attack, where the *Archon* is said to most likely encounter the enemy. All aspects of the ship's hull are further supported by a battle-rated structural integrity field and inertial dampers.

## Subluminal Propulsion

The *Archon*-class is equipped with two Vervyn X-119 Low-Observable Combat Impulse Engines independently powered by four deuterium fusion reactors each. Only half of the fusion reactors are used to power each engine at efficient cruising speeds. All eight reactors are used to drive the engines at full impulse. With consideration for the cloaking capability, sublight propulsion has been designed to promote stealth characteristics and survival in combat. The exhaust ports have been reduced to C-shaped slits to better diffuse the volume of ejected plasma and the inward curvature of the drive mounting essentially reduces direct line of sight with the exhaust ports to only the aft aspect of the ship. These same aspects also contribute to survival in combat, along with the heavy armor surrounding the exhaust ports.

Flight control is provided by four conductive RCS accelerators recessed into the rim of the saucer section at approximately intercardinal points and two Garrick Industries B1D2 Impulse Maneuvering Manifolds concealed in the warp nacelle pylons. The maneuvering manifolds vector thrust using force fields through its various exhaust ports along the trailing edge of the pylons to provide two-axes of flight control, pitch and roll, while independent throttling provides a measure of yaw. The manifolds are jointly powered by three deuterium fusion reactors, only two of which are required for full maneuvering power, and incorporates an internal S-shape to the exhaust which limits the glow of the exhaust ports to only a dim, red reflection.

Compared to previous assault cruisers, the *Archon*-class has a lower maximum thrust, but maintains efficient combat maneuverability and effective management of its infrared signature and plasma exhaust trail. The impulse maneuvering manifolds are a noted improvement over the design found on the *Regent*-class, achieving a greater range of vectoring while simultaneously lowering observance. Though the manifolds provide excellent in-flight maneuverability, her maneuvering while in spacedock has been critcized as clumsy and slow due to her lack of significant RCS thrusters aft of the center line. Many consider this to be an oversight given the bulk of her enormous warp nacelles.

## Superluminal Propulsion

Primary interstellar mobility is provided by the Jet Propulsion Lab Class 14G M/ARA Warp Drive, a traditional design of a single warp core powering a twin set of codependent warp nacelles. It is essentially an upscaled and modified version of the drive used by the Resolute-class in order to suit the much larger Archon-class. Curiously enough, it is one of the only systems of the ship designed which did not require compromise. JPL had continued development despite the ongoing debate in order to meet time table goals. The end result was the Archon featuring some of the largest warp nacelles ever fitted by Starfleet for a ship of this size, approaching the size used on the much-larger *Odyssey*-class hull.

The drive itself quickly became known for high speed and inefficiency. The massive ramscoops were an attempt to mitigate that inefficiency with greater ability to pull in deuterium, but this did not correct the amount of antimatter the drive required. It did, however, improve cooling for the drive when operating at high speed, as shown by test flights aboard the USS *Archon*. Reportedly, the *Archon* consumed twice the antimatter of the preceding *Regent*-class at cruising speed, and Starfleet Command had concerns for the relatively uncovered nacelles remaining functional in battles for which this ship was intended. As a result, Starfleet Command has issued orders to investigate retrofitting the *Regent*-class drive for use on future *Archon*-class ships.

Despite the known inefficiencies, the *Archon* is still listed as having a cruising speed of Warp 7, and her top speed is unknown. Transwarp capability via the Transwarp Gate Network is integrated with the latest model warp coils.

The *Archon* is also equipped with the Rigel Labs X07α Quantum Slipstream Field Projector system. Explicitly designed for the *Archon*-class, this system utilizes multiple smaller projectors and innovative phase variance detectors and waveform attenuators to allow the ship impressive slipstream performance for her size. The *Archon*-class can safely maintain slipstream for twenty seconds, afterward requiring a minimum three-hour cooldown before making an additional hop. Successive hops are untested, though Rigel Labs recommends against it without full cooldown, shutdown, inspection, and repowering up, a process which can take up to twelve hours.

## Powerplant

Main Power is supplied by the warp core, with auxiliary power supplied by large, advanced deuterium fusion reactors attached to the impulse engines. The ship's electro-plasma system (EPS) utilizes state-of-the-art Magnetoplasma Relays. These power systems support the *Archon'*s design overload capability, allowing power levels beyond even emergency power levels for limited time frames. All tactical systems were engineered with this provision in mind, including weapons, shields, engines, and other auxiliary combat systems, believed to include the cloaking device. Running at this level causes excessive wear on many ship components designed to take wear. Though they may be replaced readily, it drastically shortens their lifespans and requires maintenance inspection each time subsystem safeties are overridden to enable this level of performance.

To handle the inefficient power load, the *Archon*-class additionally features larger, dedicated heat exchangers engineered specifically to provide optimal dissipation for the fusion reactors and impulse engines.

## Specialist Labs

The core of the ship's data collection occurs at the Intelligence Operations Centre. This provides real time updates and analysis on the ship's present situation and mission using all available sensors and the ship's computer. Plans to expand these facilities to include communications and data links with more throughput were instead transferred to the *Vizier*-class as a result of the sixth-generation assault cruiser debate, as designing such technology to work in conjunction proved impractical due to lack of available space. Holodecks are present on the ship primarily to provide continued training and operational preparation for missions, particularly for the M.A.C.O. detachment, but can be used by the general crew for recreation when idle.

Science capabilities are limited on the *Archon*-class due to a shortage of dedicated laboratories. That which exists is adept at initial survey of solar systems and planets. There is a full Stellar Cartography lab, and the Planetary Science Laboratory is well-equipped for meteorology and geodesy, but are lacking in biology and anthropology. Similarly, sickbay is well-equipped for long-term healthcare and trauma, but there is little available for detailed medical research. There is also a Cybernetics Laboratory and a Physical Sciences Laboratory.

Engineering contains a wide variety of machine shops and industrial-grade replicators as with many large cruisers. These facilities primarily provide means of repair for the ship while in space, particularly during long-range missions. Given sufficient time and material, these shops can build new shuttlecraft, equipment, or even small space stations.

## M.A.C.O. Detachment

The *Archon*-class was designed to utilize a larger than normal force of M.A.C.O.s. Design complement is 80, and includes their equipment, berthing, and assault shuttles. Surge capacity can deliver hundreds more into combat for short durations. The M.A.C.O. detachment may deploy from the ship as needed using one of the ship's plentiful transporter rooms or the assault shuttles or Argo shuttles located in the Main Shuttlebay. Each assault shuttle has capacity for a full 12-person squad, not including the pilot and co-pilot. The Argo shuttles deploy the Argo all-terrain vehicle, a light 3-person low-emission vehicle. With a typical complement of five, one may be rotated out for maintenance while the other four continue to provide operational readiness for a full motorized squad to deploy.

While underway, M.A.C.O.s are treated as any member of the ship's company, and have the same expectations. They train with the ship's crew and are expected to know proper damage control. Their duties on board primarily involve assisting Security, but some specialists prefer applying their skills to their respective fields. One aft torpedo launcher is officially manned by the M.A.C.O. detachment, organizing their own rotations and maintenance. The detachment is also required by Starfleet Command to keep secure certain classified areas, specifically the Intelligence Operations Centre and a room on Deck 13.

Not all *Archon*-class starships go underway with a M.A.C.O. detachment. Deployment is typically based on mission specification and anticipated dangers, although some, such as the USS *Destiny*, have never been without a significant M.A.C.O. presence.

## Cloak Capability

Due to the proven usefulness of cloaking devices during the Iconian War, cloak capability was looked at very early in the *Archon'*s design process. Such a device had already been thoroughly tested on a ship of her size aboard the heavily modified *Sovereign*-class USS *Ennex* for years prior. The data from the *Ennex* would prove invaluable during the design process of the *Archon*-class. The new class of assault cruiser could be designed with cloaking capability in half the time of another class of ship with it. This only convinced Starfleet Command that the *Archon* was the right ship to select for the capability.

After Starfleet convinced President Okeg, the Romulan Republic was contacted per the Treaty of Algeron. Given the losses of the Iconian War and the known fact that the war was technically only in ceasefire, they agreed readily to the proposal with an allowance for an unpublished number to be equipped with a cloaking device. The number is only known to be less than the number of *Archon*-class starships currently on order. Per Starfleet policy, which ships are equipped with a cloaking device is not public knowledge.

# Deck Layout

* Deck 01: Main Bridge, Conference Room, Dorsal Sensor Arrays, QSD Phase Variance Sensor
* Deck 02: Primary Airlock, Officers' Mess, Senior Officers' Quarters
* Deck 03: Mission Operations Center, Transporter Room, Officers' Quarters
* Deck 04: Dorsal Main Phaser Control, Officers' Quarters, Enlisted Quarters, Gym
* Deck 05: Pilots' Briefing Room, Main Computer Core Access, Enlisted Mess, Enlisted Quarters
* Deck 06: Main Shuttlebay Flight Deck, Holodecks, Enlisted Quarters, Primary Impulse Engines
* Deck 07: Main Sickbay, Brig, Armoury, QSD Primary Spinnaker, Transporter Room
* Deck 08: Main Shuttlebay Hangar Deck, Stellar Cartography, Arboretum, Officers' Quarters, Cargo Bay, Primary Life Support
* Deck 09: Cybernetics Laboratory, Crew Lounges, Ventral Main Phaser Control, Ventral Sensor Arrays, Auxiliary Powerplants
* Deck 10: Intelligence Operations Centre, Captain's Observation Lounge, Secondary Mess, Modular Laboratories
* Deck 11: Physical Sciences Laboratory, Long Range Surveillance Antenna, Senior Enlisted Quarters
* Deck 12: Battle Bridge, Senior Enlisted Quarters, Secondary Sickbay, Lateral Sensor Arrays
* Deck 13: Secondary Computer Core Access, Transporter Room, Enlisted Quarters, Cargo Bay, Special Systems Integration
* Deck 14: Deuterium Storage, Aft Phaser Control, Enlisted Quarters
* Deck 15: Auxiliary Powerplant, Enlisted Quarters, Enlisted Mess, Workshops
* Deck 16: Upper Deflector Control, Aft Torpedo Bay, ECM Antennae, Enlisted Quarters, Secondary Impulse Manifolds
* Deck 17: Main Engineering, Enlisted Quarters, EPS Control, Aft Sensor Arrays
* Deck 18: Secondary Life Support, Main Deflector Access
* Deck 19: Armoury, Briefing Room, Shooting Range, Gym
* Deck 20: M.A.C.O. Barracks, M.A.C.O. Mess, Lower Deflector Control
* Deck 21: Forward Torpedo Bay, Enlisted Quarters
* Deck 22: Antimatter Storage, Auxiliary Shuttlebay, Cargo Bay
* Deck 23: Tractor Beam Control, Antimatter Generator
* Deck 24: Ventral Torpedo Bay, Auxiliary Powerplant
* Deck 25: Ventral Torpedo Launcher

# Ships

**Block I/A**:

**Block I/B**:

**Block II**:

 USS *Renown* | NCC-96047-A

*\* List is incomplete*

## *Archon*

The lead ship of the class was launched ahead of schedule. It took three hours for her to leave drydock and her maiden voyage was similarly plagued with issues due to the early launch. She returned to drydock the next day for further work, and the launch of her sister ships was delayed indefinitely until all the problems identified could be corrected. *Archon* would enter service properly by mid-November. Her current mission is to develop tactics and strategies for the use of the new class of assault cruisers and to train crews for future vessels in order to expedite their rise to full readiness.

## *Pegasus*

The second *Archon* to be laid down, *Pegasus* was launched immediately after the class grounding was lifted without major issue. After a brief shakedown period, she was deployed to the Bajor Sector, where she shortly became embroiled in the Tzenkethi genocides. As of July 2417, she serves as part of a task group whose mission is to interdict Tzenkethi fleets advancing on worlds inhabited by prewarp cultures in order to protect these vulnerable worlds from massacre by protomatter bombs.

## *Destiny*

Named and registered for her predecessor when Starfleet Command declined to strike her from the books after the original hull's destruction. Like *Archon* and *Pegasus*, her construction was slowed by the assault cruiser debate, and later delayed further by *Archon'*s own troubled launch. She was finally launched by late November and rushed into service with the 26th Fleet in the Outback as the flagship of her own task group when tensions sharply and unexpectedly rose in the region. In 2419, she serves as the flagship of Task Force Avalon and served as the command ship of strategic operations in the Outback during the End War, in which she famously carried out Operation Nazaire.

## *Kongo*

By fortune, *Kongo'*s drydock endured little damage during the Iconian War and was able to complete her hull and propulsion systems without the delays suffered by most of the rest of the class. To avoid further delays, *Kongo* was launched ahead of the incomplete *Archon* to perform the class's basic spacefaring trials in her stead. After *Archon* addressed the technical issues of their mission technologies, *Kongo* returned to dry dock where she was properly fitted out. She was brought into active service in late November and now serves with the 13th Fleet. In 2419, she joined the 13th Fleet on deployment to the Outback to support the 26th Fleet in combat operations against the Scourge.

## *Krasny Oktyabr*

The first *Archon* built at the Baikonur Cosmodrome as part of a small order expansion in March 2416, *Krasny Oktyabr* was laid down quickly in order to keep to the original deployment schedule. The delays due to the capability debate allowed *Krasny Oktyabr* to catch up to the other ships being built at the San Franciscio Fleet Yards and launch in roughly the same time frame. She was launched in early December and assigned to the Outback under Captain Wendy Thorne in response to the rapid deterioration of political stability in the region. The name means *Red October* in her native tongue.

## *Dedication*

The only member of Block I/B, *Dedication* represents the culmination of the Starfleet Corps of Engineers' long efforts to satisfy Starfleet Command and Starfleet Intelligence by better combining capabilities of the *Archon* and the *Vizier* onto a single platform. Though they were unable to deliver the design in time to resolve the debate, their stubborn dedication earned the ship her name. Her unusual design requirements give her a unique profile among *Archon*s, bearing features predominantly of the *Archon* and *Regent*-classes. *Dedication* was launched from Vulcan in 2417 as a prototype to test the concept as finally realized, and stands as an effective blending of both intelligence gathering and fleet command capabilities. After a troubled launch in which she was nearly stolen by the remnants of the Tal Shiar, *Dedication* eventually came into the 26th Fleet as Admiral Carrie's flagship, where her capabilities would be fully put to the test.

## *Ascendant*

After the troubled launch of the *Archon*, *Ascendant* was built to Block II standards and was the first Block II to be launched. She participated in the joint launch of multiple *Archon*-class starships from across Federation space at Stardate 94668, pressed into service when evidence surfaced that the Tzenkethi had been accomplice to the genocide of a pre-warp civilization in 20 Draconis. *Ascendant* now operates on the Tzenkethi front where she participated throughout the Battle of Gon'cra. She was last seen in June 2417 maintaining patrols of the Gon'cra Sector.