USS Challenger (NCC-71099)

"The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave." - Ronald Reagan

About

Galaxy-class • NCC-71099 • Starbase Bravo

The U.S.S. Challenger NCC-71099 is a Galaxy-class explorer, the sixth to be constructed and one of the oldest still in service. After 34 years, the Challenger is showing no signs of slowing down. Following a recent year-long refit, she has once again taken flight under the command of Captain Thomas Forrester.

Originally designed and built with exploration in mind, the Challenger’s deep space mission was scrapped in 2373 and she returned home as the clouds of war gathered on the horizon. A quick refit focusing on her tactical capabilities followed and was completed shortly after the outbreak of war with the Dominion at the end of that year.

The Challenger’s service during the Dominion War was exemplary and when it was over, the Federation’s focus shifted to rebuilding efforts and providing aid to Cardassia. Given her cargo and passenger carrying capacities, the Challenger was well suited to these tasks and spent the post-war years on them. By 2380, she had finally returned to the mission for which she was built: long-term deep space exploration.

The Challenger was once more pressed into service as a refugee carrier in 2374 when the Romulans requested assistance with evacuating their worlds in the face of the impending destruction of the Romulan star. This mission was halted following the synth attack on Mars a year later.  In the years that followed, the Challenger was limited to scientific research missions in and around Federation space.

In 2399, with much of Starfleet’s focus on exploration of the Delta Quadrant, the Challenger’s first post-refit task with a six month exploration mission of the Gamma Quadrant while providing assistance to those worlds that’ve been abandoned by the Dominion over the past four years.

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Crew Manifest

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8 February 2023

4. Petty Rivals

USS Challenger: The Old Order Changeth

The sound of the door chime cut through the tranquillity of the ready room. Forrester dismissed the holographic screen in front of him with a downward swipe. He took a deep breath, held it briefly, and released it slowly out of his mouth. “Come.” Forrester stood as his guest entered the room. [...]

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14 January 2023

3. Dinner Plans

USS Challenger: The Old Order Changeth

Gentle music played gently in the background, providing the ambience for their evening. Forrester was cutting two large carrots into chunks to be added to the vegan lentil stew he was preparing. The smell was already beginning to fill the captain’s quarters. He wore an apron that read, ‘I’m [...]

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7 January 2023

2. Challenger Squadron

USS Challenger: The Old Order Changeth

After two weeks orbiting Starbase Bravo, the Challenger was preparing to receive new orders. The crew was well-rested and ready for whatever Starfleet Command had in store for them next. With Forrester’s return, he and Rix were summoned to a meeting with Commodore Stafford, the Fourth Fleet’s [...]

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31 December 2022

1. Auld Lang Syne

USS Challenger: The Old Order Changeth

The cold wind whipped around the two men as they sat on the hill. The lights of Tom’s home town twinkled in the distance. Nearby, their horses stood tied to a tree, calmly looking around them. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt cold like this,” Matthias grumbled as he pulled his coat [...]

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