Discens Station

**Outpost 42 *"Discens Station"*** is a 26th Fleet forward-operating base in place for over 2 years. Originally assigned to provide a research platform for sensitive research projects, especially those related to the Dark Expanse and dark matter, this mission has since evolved. With the new Chief Science Officer Discens has been reassigned to provide a platform for the Outback Research Co-operative Initiative. This initiative seeks to promote positive relations with local species, and stable and safe development of technology amongst the local post-Warp capable species of the Outback.

# About

## Crew Compliment

These numbers represent only those personnel permanently assigned to Discens, the actual number of personnel fluctuates as new research projects are brought to the station through the Outback Research Co-operative. These numbers also do not include non-Starfleet or Jenolan Alliance personnel.

**Officer:** 100 (30 Security, 30 Operations, 20 Sciences, 20 Medical)

**Enlisted:** 2400 (900 Security, 900 Operations, 400 Sciences, 200 Medical)

**Civilian:** 500

# Major Projects

## Current projects

At present Discens is being refitted to suit its new mission parameters, so no projects are currently in operation aboard the station.

## Previous projects

Many of these are related to the previous mission of Discens.

* Stardate 93355.1 - Opening of the Discens Transwarp Conduit, connecting to the Outback Transwarp Network
* Discovery of the Dark Matter Sinkhole
* Discovery of DeWitt Particles
* DeWitt Squid incident

# Renovation

The USS *John Paul Jones* was dispatched to ascertain the status of the Outpost to prepare for its renovation as per Starfleet Command's orders. [Orders: Recon Mission Outpost 42] Upon receipt of the report, The Starfleet Corps of Engineers was dispatched to renovate and move the facility within the sector but slightly further away from the Dark Expanse.

The Corps of Engineers worked with the *Praetorian* Science and Engineering Departments getting the plans set for the facility. As of Stardate 93440.72, the Facility was ready for occupation and use and christened *"Discens Station."*

## Technical Specifications

### Internal Specifications

After the refit and rebuild of the station, many safeguards and advanced specifications were implemented. The modular design of the station allows it to serve as the hub for any and all highly experimental equipment storage or hazardous experiments which if done on Praetorian would expose an unnecessarily large number of people to heightened risk.

Several major updates ensure proper containment and emergency responses in the case of extreme risk. Each science lab and cargo bay are run on independent computer processing to eliminate the potential of a base-wide computer virus leaking into other systems and causing a catastrophic failure. In addition, each is supplied by an auxiliary power generator which is fed by the main reactor core. This allows an extra stop-valve in the case of power cascades.

In absolutely extreme risk each bay and lab are also designed with emergency jettison capabilities. With these, if an uncontrollable incident occurs Command-level authorization can be given to "blow out" that section to then be dealt with accordingly. Independent self-destruct protocols are also housed within each module allowing for the elimination of threats as needed.

### Defensive Systems

*Discens Station* is equipped with state-of-the-art shield systems which serve several functions. On a daily basis, they protect the station from the local ion storm activity which occasionally makes its way into the system, however, if a potential threat is found the system has full capabilities to harden the shields against most any type of incoming attack. High-intensity tractor beams have been strategically placed to not only guide jettisoned sections out of harms away but to also serve as a combat deterrent if a vessel were to attempt to ram the station directly.

Conversely, the station suffers from under-powered weaponry. Turrets have been placed around the station, as well as 2 main phaser banks which run the length of the main ring - one dorsal, one ventral - and the station holds a very limited supply of photon torpedoes. The massive power drain to sustain the various internal components and keep the station safe also limit the number of offenses which are able to be powered on at once. Thus, *Discens* relies heavily on Task Force Avalon for defensive support.

# History

Outpost 42 was set up as a Starfleet science station that's the main project was to research the dark matter and travel through dark matter. Every two weeks a ship would head out to the Outpost to check up and resupply. Staff rotations were every 6 months initially planned. Once stationed at the outpost, communications were impossible from outside the station due to the interference from the dark matter.

## The Occurrence

On Stardate 92188.38, then Lieutenant Commander Andrew Kumar reported to Outpost 42 to assist in upgrading the Outpost's sensors with Borg imaging devices and sensor upgrades that would allow the station to observe deeper into the Dark Expanse. After a few days on board, the crew exhibited minute anxiety, though this behavior was originally dismissed.

When the upgrades to the sensor grid were completed, the scanners and imaging pieces were improved and ready for testing. The scanning beam began to survey the nearest region of the Dark Expanse, the data was piling in and then everything suddenly changed. There was a new reading, coming from the expanse. It was using the scanning beam as some sort of passageway. The systems began to fluctuate and Kumar attempted to compensate, but the rest of the crew had come under the influence of something else.

The crew changed the Lieutenant Commander's implants to be more accessible to the entities. These entities were unable to survive in normal space for extended periods of time, therefore they required the beam to transfer between the Dark Expanse and the Outpost so that they could survive. Then the entities consumed the other crew's neural activities, consuming them.

A team from Starbase 381 "*Praetorian*" was dispatched to pick up Lieutenant Commander Kumar from the Outpost. When they got onto the Outpost, the entities made the team face their fears and use that to distract them from attempting to save Kumar. Then Ensign Tov Jan Meit destroyed the new sensor grid, cutting off the entities' connection to those on the station. All officers that returned from this mission were shaken for some time.
[Outpost 42 AAR]

## The Iconian War

Over the year after the previous incident, the station was lightly staffed with twelve officers. During the Iconian War in the Outback, Herald forces took over the area surrounding the Outpost, eliciting the staff to send out a distress signal. The USS *Silverfin* responded to the call and evacuated the crew and blew up half of the station where Heralds had boarded. [Mission: Silverfin Departure]

## A new mission

With the appointment of a new Chief Science Officer, Jasad Kell, the mission and organisation of Discens was brought under review. Given the changing needs of the 26th Fleet and the growing instability from the influx of Milky Way technologies, the review determined a change was needed. In order to foster more positive relations between Starfleet, and the Jenolan Alliance generally, with the local powers and to provide a more stable and monitored development to local capacities the Outback Research Co-operative Initiative was begun.

Lieutenant Thandi Shanthi was appointed to the position of Executive Officer for the station, responsible for the day-to-day operations, and begun to oversee the process of transforming the station into a facility suitable for its new mission.