Starbase 415 (SB-415)

Starbase 415 is in orbit of the third planet, which is barely habitable, in the Nereus Star System, located in Federation Space, only a few lightyears away from Tholian and Talarian Republic territory. USS Sovereign has been assigned as an attached support vessel to the Starbase.

Their mission, study the Tholians’ way of life as passively as possible to not interfere with the Tholians or be perceived as a threat to the Tholians. The idea behind their studies is to learn as much as they can about the Tholians, in hopes of conducting peaceful negotiations, expanding on the diplomacy between each other, and perhaps someday, establishing an alliance with the Tholians. Of course, there are Tholian Ambassadors who are allowed to move freely within Federation Space for ongoing diplomatic missions, it is important to Starfleet to continue obtaining as much knowledge as they can about the Tholians, to have a far better understanding of the race. While studying the Tholians and their culture is conducted passively, the Tholians have been given invitations to the station, as to shorten the distance needed to conduct any diplomatic proceedings.

The station also provides the same housing and hospitality to the Talarian Republic. While there are other places where the diplomatic proceedings can occur, such as Starbase 72 as an example, this provided Starfleet and the Talarian Republic a location that was less crowded and less activity from various starships, either from civilian transports, freighters, and even Starfleet vessels. The station also acted as a relay for all subspace communications in the area, which allowed Starfleet and Federation dignitaries to send messages of official nature to the governments of both the Tholians and the Talarian Republic.

While the station’s primary mission is diplomatic to the two factions, their secondary mission remains like any other Starfleet facility. Science, research, and planetary studies. Every bit of space, planets, asteroids, nebulas, phenomenons… any celestial bodies in the area and in the range of the station and its attached crafts: shuttles, runabouts, and their support attached vessel, must be cataloged and studied. Perhaps they can find valuable resources that could help terraform the barely habitable planet the station is orbiting, into a thriving, lush planet capable of supporting a colony.

Now, with this station out in deep space and the size of it, some would think that there is plenty of work to do, or too much work and not enough time. Others might think that being assigned to this station is a career-ender. Relationships will develop, grow, or be crushed. Friendships will waiver but the bond will grow stronger or the bridges will be burnt to ash. People will come and people will go, as the turnover rate at this station may be high for a lot of junior officers. Many who had graduated from Starfleet Academy, had been dreaming of piloting starships or tinkering with the warp core of a brand new Starfleet cruiser, only to end up at a border station, feeling like their talents would just go to waste. This is an opportunity for these graduates to find their footing, find their calling, or be discovered that they were frauds, cheated through and somehow got away with it, only to find their careers do indeed come to an abrupt end here at this station. Perhaps those who had tried to leave a criminal past, to start a new life of honor and integrity, only to fall back to the criminal instincts that they couldn’t get rid of, and find themselves before a hearing where they are sent away to prison.

In either case, those who we will see the most will be those who are in the command division and those who are senior officers. Their lives on board this station are the lives we will be seeing the most, where their honor may waiver, and their belief in the code will falter or become stronger. Where relationships will form or collapse, where the bonds of friendships will grow or burn. Where those who are down on their luck, find support from those who they had the wrong impression about.

The crew on board this station once served on board the Centaur and the Sovereign. Many would say that they simply followed orders wherever Starfleet sent them. Others will feel like it is punishment for what happened on their last mission on the Sovereign. So there will be a lot of familiar faces, but this is where everything gets tested.

Welcome to Starbase 415!

This story is rated:

for content, which equates to roughly a 16+ rating