Last known to be commandeered by Commander Elias Vaughn it was presumed retired or destroyed after 2376 but in reality it was commissioned to Capt James Winetree and assigned a final 3 year mission in deep space performing science expeditions.
This information was later obliterated from records due to the following events.
Its design and structural integrity was obsolete for frontline service but the catastrophic state of the fleet after the Dominion wars made it necessary to push one last race out of the old horse.
During its last voyage home to be decommissioned, the battered crew made an intriguing discovery: a Borg wreck in a dark and distant planet.
It turned out to be part of a drone ship on route to aid at the Battle of Wolf 359, which went adrift after the sudden impact on the collective made by the destruction of the other cube by Captain Picard’s Enterprise
Eventually, with all systems down it was hit by an asteroid and all but disintegrated. After some time, part of the debris was retrieved by the Nautilus under the command of Captain James Winetree.
Although separated from the collective and the crew being dead on impact some systems and the data banks were intact providing the Federation with all access to Borg technology for the first time.
Adding to this fortunate discovery late 2379 saw yet another break-trough: The return to the alpha quadrant of the USS Voyager that was lost in the delta quadrant for 7 years.
Aboard the Voyager was a former Borg drone known as 7 of 9 that proved an invaluable asset in future developments.
Torn and traumatized by the recent Dominion war, Starfleet saw in this the opportunity to prepare itself for future threats vouching to never again being so defenceless.
A covert project was born consisting on a special ops team that can provide not only cover and escort for the fleet but also undercover duties, missions and anti terrorist activities.
So determined was the Federation that studies for genetic manipulation on humans was first authorized since the tragic events leading to the Eugenic wars long ago.
The subjects of those procedures trough Borg implant and nano technology were carefully selected among the most fitted and brightest humans in Starfleet in order to create the most powerful “super soldiers”, capable of the most physically and psychologically demanding missions.
The Cube’s weapons array and amazing database when allied to Starfleet’s own war experience for the last decade formed the corner stone of a new class of Starship.
Recognising the importance of the it’s crew discovery and the price they paid, this project was named the Nautilus and the registration number 31910 maintained on the 1st new vessel to set sail: The USS Nautilus NX-31910.
Besides, being such a leap forward in anything Starfleet had what better name than the one from fabled captain Nemo ship in Jules Verne earth classic “20.000 leagues under the sea”?
Timeline
The executive decision authorizing the Nautilus project was made in 2385 as a back up plan following the Federation’s re-evaluation of its post Dominion war assets that determined the refocusing of some resources from military to science and exploratory missions.
The Nautilus would be its safeguard but the following years would prove such decision should have been taken earlier, as the Alpha and Beta quadrants plunged into turmoil from the last years of the 24th century trough the first decade of the 25th century.
The destruction of Romulus in 2387, the Klingon/Gorn War (2400-2403) followed by a new Klingon/Federation war that started on 2405 and its aftermath engaged Starfleet in a way that made it impossible to channel the resources the complex project needed.
Finally by 2418 the Nautilus is ready to sail.
The Starship
The Starship Nautilus is not an enormous vessel neither it should be.
It has a compliment of 40 crewmen with a full capacity up to 150.
It has a Voyager like Elliptical saucer and hull with no neck configuration.
The top half of the saucer has a bone-like spinal reinforcement in order to help structural integrity during transwarp travelling.
Standard armament: 4 weapons array both for and aft including multi phaser capability and photon torpedo launchers
Auto adapting shields and cloaking device. These shields are different because like any Borg drone it can adapt to new types of weapons it never encountered before. It also works as a cloaking device.
The Borg technology allowed for the incorporation of a large number of improvements to be used in more extreme conflict situations.
Known as the Advanced Battle Superiority (ABS) system includes:
- Bio Plasma discharge multi cannon for and aft
- Bio molecular auto charging phaser conduits. As opposed to being confined to the phaser array there is kind of a net of communicating phaser veins enveloping the ship when it’s activated. This net has discharging points on every panel. The phaser power is channelled from the phaser banks to this energy “skin” around the ship that evaluates targets and strength of the discharge needed to neutralize it firing from anywhere on the outer hull without any targeting system.
Although very powerful, the ABS system consumes a lot of energy and so its use is recommended only if the standard weapons prove underpowered for the threat in hand.
Self generated Transwarp conduit. The Nautilus can generate its very own Transwarp conduit mostly used to travel directly from quadrant to quadrant. This allows for a lot faster response and a broader range. This way, The Nautilus can travel outside the Federation Transwarp Network.
In conventional travelling the warp drive is used up to Warp 10.
On board ship compliment
In addition to the 2 normal shuttlecrafts, 2 new types were created:
- The Manta Wing is a Close Air Support and Air-to-air squadron of 2 small two-seat fighter spacecrafts that operate both in space or atmospheric all-weather conditions. Highly manoeuvrable they are armed with phaser cannons and photon missiles and are used for protection of the Nautilus or in planetary strike/combat missions.
- The SAR shuttle is a bigger than average shuttle with a 18 passenger capacity. The passenger area may be used as storage area or transformed into an emergency sick bay for planetary extraction of the ill and wounded. It has no weapons only defensive shields
Both types are limited to Warp 2 maximum speed.
As for the crew, after undergoing 4 years of training and genetic conditioning they are today, faster, stronger, more resistant than any human, and can easily measure up to other more physically gifted races such as klingons, vulcans, Jem’Hadar and even the borg.
Three more members were added: A Klingon, a Romulan and the ships doctor witch is the only non-genetically modified human on board.
Though its not their primary mission sometimes by contingencies of many kind, one of them being the insatiable curiosity of the Captain and his First Officer, the crew find themselves in places and worlds where no one has gone before, in the best Starfleet tradition.
NEXT: The Crew files
Based on Star Trek created by Gene Roddenberry
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