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	Fleet Captain Keziah Nazir
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.

Mission Objectives

A multi-purpose starship well into her tour of duty, Lakota has completed a wide variety of tasks and missions assigned to her over the years. Some of her core duties, commensurate with her class as a whole, include:

• Operating autonomously under the command of the commanding officer, providing full capability to execute Federation defensive, cultural, scientific, and explorative policy in deep space or along border territories.
• Replacing aging starships in certain frontline diplomatic and exploration duties.
• Providing a platform for extended scientific survey and scouting missions.
• Providing frontline support during times of war or crisis, such as the Century Storm and Blood Dilithium situations, and situations diplomatic in nature.
• Serving non-critical functions such as transport of personnel and cargo when necessary, extended aid, and short-range patrol.

Technical Configuration

Main Article: Excelsior II-class Heavy Cruiser

Additional LCARS Database Articles

• 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

Historical Data Records

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.
• 2365:
• 2365:

2380-2398

• 2365:
• 2365:
• 2365:

Frontier Day Debacle

For much of the last few years, Lakota had been under construction, overseen by Andorian Captain Kosev Thiren. As construction came to an end, Thiren had been replaced by a Human, Captain Lorraine Thorn, who oversaw the final stage of construction and was at the helm when the newly constructed Excelsior II-class starship took part in the momentous Frontier Day celebrations. When the Jupiter Signal hit the fleet at Earth, Lakota crew succumbed to the Borg assimilation process. Dozens of the ship's officers were killed, including Captain Thorn herself. Lakota herself received considerable damage and, once the signal was reversed, what was left of her crew guided the ship to Avalon Fleet Yards for repairs. At the conclusion of the repairs process, Fleet Captain Keziah Nazir was ordered to assume command and form the new Lakota Squadron as part of the Fourth Fleet's Task Force 17.

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:

• 2400 - 2401 : Captain Kosev Thiren, (Andorian Male)
• Captain Lorraine Thorn, (Human Female)
• 2401 - 2401: Fleet Captain Keziah Nazir, (Trill Female)