USS Lakota

USS Lakota
General Information
Registry	NCC-42768
Class & Type	Excelsior II-class Heavy Cruiser
Affiliation	Starfleet
Status	Active
Commissioned	2401
Assignment
Task Force	Task Force 17
Task Group	Task Group 9
Squadron	Lakota Squadron
Home Port	Starbase Bravo
Role	Heavy Cruiser
Key Personnel
Commanding Officer	Captain Kerina Marten
Executive Officer	Commander Noli Auru
Template:Starship

"No mater where you go, there you are."

    —Buckaroo Banzai - Ship's Dedication Quote

USS Lakota is an Excelsior II-class heavy cruiser serving in the Fourth Fleet. As the fourth ship in its lineage, the Lakota carries on a proud name and legacy, representing a contemporary and versatile upgrade to the iconic Excelsior-class starships of yesteryear. She spent a significant amount of the last five years undergoing a massive structural refit to bring her to modern specifications, before launching and carrying out a short shakedown cruise. The assignment of Fleet Captain Keziah Nazir saw ship and crew embark on several key missions following Lost Fleet's invasion of the Deneb Sector and subsequent encounters with the Borg, but recent events in the personal life of Captain Nazir have resulted in a change of command, which sees Lakota under the command of Captain Kerina Marten, much to the chagrin of many aboard.

Historical Data Records - USS Excelsior NCC-42768 (Excelsior Refit-class)

The following data records pertain to the history of the USS Lakota NCC-42768, an Excelsior Refit-class heavy cruiser, in service with Starfleet between 2328 and 2398.

2320-2340

• 2328: Construction of Lakota begins at Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards, the 20th vessel of the class to begin construction.
• 2331: Lakota is launched from Utopia and began a six-month shakedown cruise. She is officially commissioned later that year.
• 2331-2336: Lakota begins her first five-year mission of exploration in the Alpha Quadrant, spending significant amounts of time at extreme communications range. During her mission she had several run-ins with the Tholian Assembly.

2340-2360

• 2343: Lakota, back operating in the core territories, is one of the first ships to have its crew trial communicator functions in their uniform badges. The trial is a success.
• 2347-2355: A period known as the Federation-Cardassian War, a border conflict in the Alpha Quadrant, sees Lakota perform in a military capacity for an extended period. She is one of the first starships on the scene of the Massacre at Setlik III in 2347. She spends several years along the Cardassian border, conducting various patrol missions and engaging in countless skirmishes.
• 2356-62: Following a significant refit, Lakota begins her second five-year mission, travelling beyond Klingon space for the first time.

2360-2380

• 2365: Following first contact with the Borg, Lakota is part of tactical training and development of new weapons systems in preparation for a likely attack. It is this year that Lakota undergoes a significant structural refit, converting her to an Excelsior-refit starship.
• 2366: Lakota is recalled from a border mission near Minos Korva in response to the Borg attack. She is en-route to Wolf 359 when engine trouble causes a significant delay. She eventually arrives at the system some two hours behind the Enterprise-D, and rescues several escape pods, before returning the survivors to Earth.
• 2367: Lakota visits the Cardassian border for the last time until 2401, to take part in the signing ceremony for the end of hostilities between the two powers. She is later put on standby by Starfleet Command should the Klingon Civil War escalate. When she is not required, Lakota is ordered to patrol the Romulan border following evidence of their involvement in the crisis. She, along with the rest of the fleet, is later put on high alert when the Enterprise-D locates a crashed Borg vessel.
• 2369: For the first time in two years, Lakota comes across the Cardassians following their withdrawal from Terok Nor, now known as Deep Space Nine. She spends several months around the Bajor sector, under the command of Captain Lorraine Thorn.
• 2370: Lakota is part of a fifteen-ship task force responding to reports of renewed Borg incursions around the Beta Quadrant, including Ohniaka III. She later travels to the Cardassian Demilitarised Zone following increasing disturbances caused by the Maquis.
• 2371: After the disappearance of Voyager in the Badlands, Lakota is pulled from her patrol duties along the DMZ to investigate. She is also called to investigate when the Equinox is reported missing, but to no avail.
• 2372: Lakota is recalled to the Bajor sector following the outbreak of war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. She is part of Admiral Hastur's fleet, led by Venture that responds following the Klingon assault on DS9. She remains in the sector for defensive purposes until the war concludes. She is later, briefly, placed under the command of Captain Erika Benteen during Admiral Layton's attempted military coup d'état. She is returned to the command of Captain Thorn.
• 2373-75: With the outbreak of the Dominion War, Lakota plays a pivotal role in several large engagements. She helped with the destruction of the shipyards at Torros III and was one of only fourteen ships to survive the Seventh Fleet's attempt at halting the Dominion advance in the Tyra system. Following significant repairs at Starbase 375, She would later partake in the alliance's efforts to retake DS9 in Operation: Return. During the battle, Lakota suffers significant damage. She is laid up at Earth Station McKinley for several weeks, missing the allied attack on the Chin'toka system. She returned to the war effort just in time for the invasion of Cardassia, playing a part in the final engagement that saw the end of the war.

2380-2398

• 2398: Lakota entered dock at Avalon Fleet Yards for the final time, a grand decommissioning ceremony being held worthy of a ship with such a legacy. Most of her crew are reassigned, whilst Captain Thorn finally retires from active service.

Historical Data Records - USS Excelsior NCC-42768 (Excelsior II-class)

The following data records pertain to the history of the USS Lakota NCC-42768, an Excelsior II-class heavy cruiser, in service with Starfleet since 2398.

Pre-Launch

• 2398: Captain Kosev Thiren is assigned to oversee the decommissioning process for Lakota, but to everyone's surprise, a massive structural refit of the vessel begins, making the most of advances in construction to convert her to the successful Excelsior II-class. Overhaul is expected to take nearly two years, including a shakedown cruise.

Post-Launch

• 2400: Lakota completes her shakedown cruise under the command of Captain Thiren, and begins duties around the core territories, ferrying diplomats, conducting patrols, responding to several bush fires as the Federation deals with increasing hostilities from people at home and abroad.
• 2401: Part of a task force that responds to a spatial anomaly, Lakota is present when the Borg vessel known as Singularity prevents the destruction of an entire sector of Federation space. Later that same year, Lakota participates in the momentous Frontier Day celebrations above Earth, with Captain Lorraine Thorn welcomed back aboard for the special celebration. When the Jupiter Signal hits the assembled fleet, many of the Lakota crew succumb to the Borg assimilation process. Dozens of the ship's officers are killed, including Captain Thorn herself. Lakota receives considerable damage and, once the signal is reversed, what is left of her crew guides the ship to Avalon Fleet Yards for repairs.

Lakota Squadron

• Ethical Frontier: At the conclusion of the repairs process, Fleet Captain Keziah Nazir is ordered to assume command and she forms the new Lakota Squadron as part of the Fourth Fleet's Task Force 17. Following the revelation of a New Maquis emerging in the former DMZ, Lakota is order to patrol the Quasaris Sector. She receives orders to investigate when the Quasaris Biofabrication Center goes silent. Her investigations reveal that all personnel of the laboratory have been killed whilst trying to cure a virus afflicting Cardassians in the surrounding colonies. The Squadron is ordered to quarantine the sector until a cure can be found.
• A Parting of Ways: With the Quasaris lockdown still in effect, Lakota continues its blockade of the system. Medical vessels continue to render support to the worlds affected by the virus whilst the Cardassians continue to watch from afar. Soon, the Hypatia arrives and begins assembling a crew from other vessels in the squadron. A medical emergency arises when Lieutenant Or'uil is taken ill. Lakota transports him to his homeworld, but despite the best efforts of his people, their comrade dies. Dozens of crewmembers take part in the funeral ceremonies, led by Commander Noli Auru. Lakota is ordered to Starbase 38 where she undergoes a small refit to her bridge module to address some identified defects.
• Sphere of Shadows: Having returned to Deep Space 17 after a long mission, hoping for some peace, Lakota's tranquillity is shattered when sensors detect an anomaly in the dangerous Ryton System. Fleet Captain Nazir learns that the USS Proteus has identified a subspace phenomenon with a large vessel inside. Ordered to investigate, the ship arrives to find a damaged Borg sphere emerging from a subspace aperture. The crew, haunted by past encounters, prepares for battle as the Borg sphere begins to regenerate. Luckily, the sphere retreats into the anomaly before any combat is needed. The ship receives new orders to remain on station and monitor the Underspace aperture, until distressing reports of another starship disappearing is received.
• The Eridanus Enigma: Following the ship's return to DS17, a shock disclosure of personal medical records to Starfleet Command sees Captain Nazir issued with an ultimatum; take voluntary medical leave and light duties aboard DS-11, or lose command of Lakota indefinitely. Faced with little choice, Nazir and several members of the senior staff depart for a new posting, while Noli and those who remain must contend with a new commander, Captain Kerina Marten, a Cardassian with a point to prove. Marten wastes no time in ruffling feathers and shaking up the status quo, but new orders to investigate the radio silence of the planet Eridanus means Captain and crew have little time to acclimatise to one another.

The Lakota Lineage

Like many starships in the Federation fleet, the Lakota name has endured long after the first ship to bear the name left dock for the first time. Information about past incarnations includes:

• USS Lakota — Walker-class light exploration cruiser — NCC-3325
  • 2200—2220 (Destroyed)
• USS Lakota — Ares-class assault cruiser — NCC-3523
  • 2238—2260 (Destroyed)
• USS Lakota — Excelsior Refit-class heavy cruiser — NCC-42768
  • 2328-2398 (Decommissioned)
• USS Lakota — Excelsior II-class heavy explorer — NCC-42768
  • 2398—Present (In Service)

Commanding Officer Lineage

Notable commanding officers, past and present, include:

• 2369 - 2390: Captain Lorraine Thorn, (Human Female)
• 2372 - 2372: Captain Erika Benteen, (Human Female) (Acting Captain)
• 2400 - 2401: Captain Kosev Thiren, (Andorian Male)
• 2401 - 2401: Fleet Captain Keziah Nazir, (Trill Female)
• Present: Captain Kerina Marten, (Cardassian Female)

Additional LCARS Database Articles

• Main Article: Excelsior II-class Heavy Cruiser
• Main Article: Auxiliary craft assigned to Lakota
• Main Article: A complete listing of all decks on Lakota
• Main Article: A tour of key facilities around Lakota