Under these orders, we now have one week to prepare for permanent saucer separation, and full deployment here at the wormhole. Our stardrive section will detach, and return to Lya III, to be recommissioned as a starbase deploy vessel under the registry, and name, “USS Gryphon”. It will be repurposed to deploy, relocate, and recover both Galaxy-class starbases, as well as the saucers of Galaxy-class starships, as needed. Our future USS Gryphon will be the fourth dedicated Galaxy-class deploy vessel (stardrive section/ship) in Starfleet.
For those that may have forgotten, some time after the USS Enterprise-D disappeared (and subsequently time-traveled into the future as a result of the Devron Anomaly), we were listed – by Starfleet Command -- as missing in action, and presumed destroyed. Two years later, in 2365, another starship, a Nebula-class starship, was commissioned to succeed us as the USS Enterprise-E. In the absence of the USS Enterprise-D, our originally-planned first officer, Commander William T. Riker was promoted to the rank of Captain, and given command of the Enterprise-E. He has commanded that vessel for the past four years.
Now that our Enterprise-D is, unexpectedly, back in action, Starfleet does not want two vessels in service that both carry the name, Enterprise. Since we are already stationed at the Bajoran Wormhole, we will be remaining here, as a vital starbase, and the Nebula-class, USS Enterprise-E, will retain its current name and status as the flagship of Starfleet. We have been renamed “Enterprise Station” in honor of our vessel’s short history within the fleet.
In three weeks, Captain Riker, of the Enterprise-E, will arrive at our newly-named Enterprise Station, and assume command from Captain Picard. Captain Picard has been reassigned to Starfleet Command, at Lya III, and will be promoted to the rank of Commodore. He will become part of the regional Starfleet Command authority along the Cardassian border.
In addition, also arriving aboard the USS Patriot, today, was our new Enterprise Station first officer, a man by the name of Commander Chakotay. Commander Chakotay has been serving as an instructor for the Starfleet Advanced Tactical Training program on Lya III. He was recently promoted to the rank of Commander, and will be relieving our own Lieutenant Commander Data. Data has been serving as the acting first officer of the Enterprise-D since we left Earth to investigate the Devron Anomaly.
Also arriving aboard the USS Patriot is our new chief security officer, Lieutenant Commander Michael Eddington.
The Norway-class USS Patriot will be remaining with us, at the wormhole, as one of our two assigned starbase defense vessels. The Norway-class, USS Firebrand, will be the other defense vessel, arriving in a few weeks. Their arrival is delayed, since they are concluding upgrades, in drydock, above Lya III.
And finally, in other news, while not part of today’s orders (since Starfleet Command, at Lya III, does not yet know of their existence), we now know where our alternate reality manifested guests will be living. Since they cannot leave the vicinity of the wormhole, they will likely become long-term residents aboard this new Enterprise Station.
It may be an understatement for me to say this, folks, but… things just got interesting.
-Lieutenant Sam Archer
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July 27, 2369 – (Devron Timeline 3.0)