Welcome to the USS Sojourner!

Our Tainted Utopia

The destruction of Mars set back Starfleet's exploration endeavors for a decade, and delayed its recovery from the Dominion War. In the wake of such devastation to it's infrastructure and morale, Starfleet pulled back. It closed and secured its borders. Starleet and Federation ideals faltered.

The unity of the Federation was tested as member worlds threatened secession over the Romulan supernova incident, and Federation humanitarian instincts were hampered by hawkish isolationism. "Let them die," had been spoken in the halls of Starfleet Command before, and it was spoken again. The Federation stumbled.

The Hope of Barzan

But a stumble is a stumble, not a fall. Starfleet forged ahead. Efforts to bring the Barzans into the Federation were slow but steady. Voices grew among a people who had largely known austere poverty and favored tight familial bonds above the interstellar society. Some wanted more for their children. Barzan delegates began the painfully slow process of bettering their world for eventual Federation membership.

The broken promise of the Barzan wormhole, now almost thirty years ago confirmed to be unstable, was looked at through fresh eyes and new technology. It could be stabilized on both ends, but it would take a lot of resources and delicate precision. The Barzan people would need Federation resources.

Pathfinder II Project

Starfleet's return to the Delta Quadrant was haphazard. Like Voyager some twenty years ago, Starfleet assets within the quadrant were forced to fend for themselves between cyclical openings of the wormhole. Several vessels were lost or went missing. One of those vessels, the venerable Ambassador-class starship Adelphi, was among those casualties and a harsh lesson learned. The species adjacent to the wormhole remained hostile and advanced technologically. Starfleet had to rethink its logistical presence: it needed a permanent outpost to support its vessels. It needed the ability to form reliable diplomatic ties.

The answer was Pathfinder Station and the Pathfinder II Project, named after its predecessor project which maintained successful contact with the starship Voyager.

WIth Pathfinder Station under construction, Starfleet has shifted strategy in the Delta Quadrant. Rather than large vessels with a lot of manpower and resources invested in them, Starfleet is deploying small, fast vessels capable of long periods between refuel and resupply. The Rhode Island-class refits of the Nova platform seemed a decent foundation. They were redesigned for autonomous, deep space mission profiles.

The first of those vessels deployed in the Delta Quadrant is the starship Sojourner.