U.S.S. Conqueror

undefinedThe U.S.S. Conqueror is the lead ship and only member of the Conqueror-class, a subclass to the famous Odyssey-class Dreadnoughts that head the Federation Fleet. Heavily geared towards combat, the science facilities onboard the Conqueror are subpar when compared to her contemporaries, but makes up for this deficit in terms of armor and firepower. The vessel acts as the flagship of Vice Admiral Rodasi Stats and symbolizes the might of the 5th SOD Fleet.

Early Service
The Conqueror was originally constructed as the U.S.S. Mastodon in the Utopia Planitia Shipyards orbiting Mars. After the success of the newly commissioned ''Enterprise-F, Mastodon'' was built to the same specifications as the Federation Flagship. Her saucer was detachable, her aft shuttle bay was refitted to house an Aquarius-class Escort, and she carried a full compliment of autonomous worker drones. Launched in 2411, two years after the Enterprise, the vessel served as a frontline command ship during the waning hours of the Dominion invasion of Deep Space 9. After the cessation of hostilities between the Gamma Quadrant forces and the Federation, Mastodon was recalled back to the core of Federation space, where she would undergo repairs and be used as a patrol ship for the Federation Border until the discovery of the Solanae Dyson Sphere.

Refit and Relaunch
The discovery of the Solanae Dyson Sphere would spark the beginning of a long and noteworthy service career for the vessel. After receiving extensive refits to her systems to bring her up to snuff with her current contemporaries, a new hull plating scheme, and a name change, the Mastodon, now operating under the designation U.S.S. Gneisenau, would lead the charge in exploring the newly discovered Sphere. It was on her deployment that Rodasi Stats, acting as only a Commander, would join the crew as the vessel's chief tactical officer. Gneisenau would spend the next 6 months patrolling the Contested Zone, engaging the Voth fleets whenever they would arrive. When the Solanae Sphere gave way to the Jenolan Sphere, and subsequently the Delta Quadrant, the vessel acted as an usher into the new frontier, positioned in a sentry position on the Solanae side of the Gateway. She would spend another 5 months on this posting before a Voth raiding party attacked and boarded the vessel, causing extensive damage and killing the current Captain. This would put Rodasi in charge of the vessel.

After repelling the boarders, Gneisenau limped to Federation controlled shipyards to lick her wounds. And after extensive repairs, it was back to work. Another 7 months in the Dyson Sphere would see the end of her tour within it, and her new posting as the head of a special operations task force under the designation “Task Force 937”. She would then be deployed into the Delta Quadrant to assist with the Vaadwaur Conflict.

The Delta Quadrant
The Delta Quadrant would bring new frontiers for the Gneisenau in more than one way. The vessel, in conjunction with her accompanying vessels would act as infiltrators to the Vaadwaur's most heavily fortified systems, acting more as hit-and-run specialists rather than face-to-face brawlers. This would only last for so long, before Vaadwaur intelligence was purposefully leaked in an attempt to catch the raiding “Shadow Squadron”. The attempt worked, leaving many of the vessels crippled and nearly destroyed. With no way of making it back to the Dyson Sphere for the extensive repairs the ships would need, Gneisenau encountered a lone Starbase acting as a hub to and from the Delta Quadrant. Limping quite literally near death, the battered and beaten vessels of Task Force 937 utilized the shipyards belonging to the 5th Special Operations Division.

It would be during this time Rodasi would meet up with his soon-to-be family. Having received a promotion to Rear Admiral allowed him to post his vessels at Starbase Phoenix as a defense force. This is where the Gneisenau would remain for the remainder of her time, as the Fall of Phoenix would see the ending of her time as an Odyssey-class, and her rebirth as something new.

Becoming the Conqueror
"'Conqueror on station; we're ready.' - Admiral Stats"The Battle of Starbase Phoenix would see more than just the destruction of the 5th's home; it would see the death of Task Force 937 and the end of Gneisenau's existence in her current form. After limping to a secondary facility, the Gneisenau entered drydock, where she would stay for close to a year. During this extended lay-up, she would have her science facilities gutted from the inside out, and her combat capabilities completely retrofitted and reconstructed from the ground up. She became a new ship in every possible way. Whereas other Starfleet vessels utilized strips of Phaser Banks, she was given a blistering array of Phaser Batteries and Turrets. Her gun-fire control systems were reprogrammed by the ships Chief Engineer, and provided pin-point accuracy within a 0.22% margin of error. Her sensor platforms were modified to scan on every known frequency and type.

The Aquarius escort that came standard issue was integrated into the ship, removing it's ability to detach, but acting as a second Warp Core for the vessel. The Saucer would undergo a similar fate, having the launch mechanisms removed and the hull welded together to strengthen the overall structural integrity of the vessel. The worker bees, though useful, were removed from her arsenal and assigned to the new Starbase Phoenix, which was under construction in the Solas Nua system.

The Gneisenau now no longer represented the ship she was built to be; an explorer. She now embodied what she was meant to be; a steadfast guardian for the Federation, one who could overcome and conquer her adversaries with ruthless efficiency. As such, the Starfleet Corps of Engineering no longer associated the vessel with the current Odyssey-class, but rather, how own variant. She was redesignated as a Conqueror-class Dreadnought, and rechristened as the lead ship. This is the mantle she will bear for the rest of her time.

Current Assignment
The Conqueror acts as the flagship for Vice Admiral Rodasi H. Stats, and serves as the head of the defense fleet assigned to Starbase Phoenix. This is an indefinite posting, and Solas Nua will likely be her base of operations until her decommissioning.