oDay 6-Where shall we start?
"As a Starfleet Officer, I 'start' wherever I am assigned but before a major mission that is usually a Starbase or other Starfleet/UFP outpost. For our previous 5-Year Mission, the Prosperity operated out of Deep Space 5. Our most recent tour started out from Deep Space 4."
Commanded by Admiral George Bankroft, decorated former captain of the USS Colin Powell, Deep Space 5 is an R-1 Type Space Station placed in a strategic position that lies just off the Delta-Therbia-Aamazzara Trade Route.
Small and lean with very few non-essential facilities or amenities, DS5 nonetheless hosts decently sized rooms for diplomatic events and guests. It is a newer design, quite advanced, and can handle major starship repairs short of having to completely replace parts or sections like an entire nacelle or a whole deflector array. .
The Admiral is a skilled and experienced officer with an excellent staff. He is warm and generally quite charming, preferring a personal approach to administration. He likes to meet with the command staff of any and all starships that visit the station. This approach has rubbed off on his crew and creates a 'cozy' atmosphere to the base.
Starfleet Officers genuinely like stopping at DS5, even if its a little 'barebones'.
More about Admiral Bankroft later in the Challenge.
This H Type Space Station is under the command of Commodore Alastair Strickland, a very serious man with a no-nonsense attitude. Strickland runs a tight station and is not known to stop by to say hello to every tramp frieghter captain who passes through his base. If he thinks you're worth talking to, he'll summon you to his office. Be on time.
Larger but older in design than Deep Space 5, DS4 has a few more 'creature comfort' features. The station has a bigger and better equipped gym than DS5, as well as an Officer's Lounge in addition to its Mess Hall. Commodore Strickland often dines in his own private 'Captain's Mess'. DS4 can handle major starship repairs but because of its great distance from the Federation Core worlds and major trade routes, they have to wait a long time to get highly specific or uncommon parts.
Deep Space 4 is all business. It is where Starfleet Officers go to get things done, even if that 'thing' is to relax. Don't get too comfortable though, as Strickland needs you back out there asap!
If you are a civilian visitor to the region I highly recommend beginning your journey at Rhaandar or Deep Space Station K-12.
Rhaandar is the fourth planet in the Rhaandaran System, also known as the Rhaandar System or Alpha Indii. It is the homeworld of the Rhaandarites, a long standing member species of the United Federation of Planets.
Located in Sector Sierra-10, Rhaandar has the distinction of being one of the UFP member worlds furthest from Earth and therefore the center of the Federation. A lovely destination all its own, it is a quiet, largely pastoral world belonging to a gregarious people. However, it is also one the best places to start a journey into the frontier as the Rhaandarites are excellent pilots and navigators, which a sense of spatial awareness that appears preternatural.
Orbiting the second planet in star system HD 132648, Deep Space Station K-12 is a Federation civilian outpost with a strong Starfleet presence. It's overall design is typical of K Type stations but it's interior definitely shows evidence of being customized to accommodate sector locals and Starfleet personnel.
The station hosts more art and cultural locations and activities than is typical for an outpost this size, especially one located this far into frontier space. It has an Art Gallery with rotating exhibitions that offers art classes and workshops. There is a small but well done Earth-Romulan War Museum, along with a Memorial Sculpture and Plaque.
Most of the restaurants and lounges broadcast local music and sporting events on multiple screens. Of particular note is a 'Family Style' restaurant that serves food from across the Federation, with a heavy emphasis on Earth cuisine. Another very poplular and well regarded restaurant is 'Sha'Shee Pree Hom' or 'Where We Eat', an Andorian establishment that is considered a bit more 'upscale'. According to an acquaintence of Commander Bhoth, the independent Andorian Merchant Shelev, the Thuush is especially good, tasting very much homemade and not in the style of Lor'Tan or other major cosmopolitan areas but more like that found in rural countryside regions.
"This year I was pleased to be asked by Lt. Charlie Wilder to serve as his Co-Pilot and Navigator when he entered the competition. Along with Ensign Mayfield and Ensign Megop from Engineering, we packed into an old Starfleet Orbital Transfer Shuttle with replacement engines and won! It was so much fun! If you are a talented pilot and know some good engineers I highly recommend giving it a try.
See you out there!"
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