- For other uses, see Strider.
The USS Strider (NCC-7141) was a Federation starship, a Ranger-class scout in service to Starfleet in the 23rd century. (FASA RPG module: The Strider Incident)
Service history and disposition[]
The Strider was constructed at the Morena Shipyards, and assigned to lead Task Force 13, a patrol group of three Ranger-class scouts near the Organian Neutral Zone. The Strider, and the rest of Task Force 13, would regularly dock at Defense Outpost 1121 between patrols.
On reference stardate 2/0208.09, Kristine Reardon was then assigned to patrol duty along the Klingon Border, as a bridge officer aboard the Strider, after receiving an award for exemplary action during the Four Years War. After roughly five months, the Strider's original captain was killed in action by a raiding party. Reardon's exemplary action in taking command earned her a permanent place in the captain's chair of the Strider, as well as a Grankite Order of Heroism.
- In one part of the reference book, she is referred to as having the Commendation, and a Grankite Order of Tactics. In another, she is referred to as having the Commendation, and a Grankite Order of Heroism. It is unclear if these are meant to refer to the same award.
As of reference stardate 2/1809, Captain Kristine Reardon had been in command of the Strider for 5 years.
On the 20th day of a routine patrol of space near the Klingon border, Captain Reardon received a Code Red 1-A emergency transmission on secure federation channels. Understanding its classified nature, Reardon took the message personally, not on the bridge.
- "Message incoming, Code Red 1-A to Commander of Task Force 13. Execute your Emergency War Orders. The United Federation of Planets has declared war on the Klingon Empire. Star Fleet Command orders your force to depart for the Stogar System. Enemy forces must not know your movements. You are to engage and destroy any and all enemy forces until Task Force 19 links up with your force. All communications are silenced."
Captain Reardon relayed the message to the other members of Task Force 13 - the USS Vidal and the USS Clark - and their ships departed for the Stogar system, as ordered. Since the Stogar system was inside the Organian Neutral Zone, this would have been an act of war, in peacetime, but now, the Federation was at war, and the Captains acted accordingly. On reference stardate 2/1808.19, the task force arrived in the Stogar System, and hid an an asteroid belt, awaiting Task Force 19. However, the ships were detected by a group of five Klingon D7-M battlecruisers, which significantly outmatched and outgunned the three Ranger-class ships. Understanding they stood no chance, Captain Reardon ordered the task force to turn and leave the system. However, the battlecruisers caught up to the Clark and the Vidal. The Clark was almost immediately destroyed by Klingon photon torpedos, and moments after, the Vidal was destroyed as well. Captain Reardon executed a Gartherian Pivot to save the Strider from total destruction, but the ship still took heavy damage, including multiple hull breaches, severe damage to the ship's computer, non-functional warp coolant leaks in engineering, and a direct hit to a nacelle. Fearing the worst, Captain Reardon ejected the ship's logs in a buoy, and engaged the warp engines at maximum, in a last-ditch effort to save the ship's failing engines from destroying themselves. Reardon claims the ship then accidentally "fell into a wormhole" further damaging the Strider, then depositing the ship nearly a parsec away from the Stogar system, and out of range of any Klingon ships in the area. The Strider was so badly damaged it could only sustain warp one, and had lost a great deal of its crew. Captain Reardon ordered the ship back to Defense Outpost 1121 for emergency repairs.
On reference stardate 2/1808.28, the Strider made it back to Outpost 1121, and instantly questioned where the additional security forces, that should be required by wartime procedure, were. The Outpost's commander, Captain Curtis, hailed the Strider, asking why it had returned from its mission early. As soon as Reardon said she had engaged the Klingons, Curtis beamed over security officers and arrested her for treason, as the Federation was no at war - unless the Strider had just started one.
The Strider was docked for repairs, and the crew was removed, and eventually temporarily reassigned to the Outpost. All personal effects and cargo were removed from the ship before full repairs began. The engineers of the outpost were able to repair the propulsion systems and hull in a relatively short time, but other systems of the ship were in much worse shape. The only weapons system that survived the incident was the aft torpedo tube.
Some the remaining crew of the Strider contacted the captain of a recently-docked Starfleet ship for assistance, captain Grant Franklin of the battle-damaged USS Lexington, who had become involved with Captain Reardon's court martial. They agreed to retrieve the Strider's jettisoned logs, which would contain the command codes of who actually sent the 1-A transmission, using the only high-warp capable starship currently docked at the station - the Strider. A late-night heist was planned, and a combined crew of the Strider and Lexington began jury-rigging remaining critical systems of the Strider overnight. Sometime around 0330 hours, Captain Reardon was broken out of the brig, and moved to the Strider, then the ship departed from the station. As the ship was departing, they were ordered to stand down
At least 86 Hours later, the Strider arrived at Stogar. As the ship was scanning for the buoy, a Klingon K-22 class scout, the IKV Bloodsteel decloaked and demanded immediate surrender of the Strider. The Federation officers asked to negotiate, and the Strider was boarded by a landing party of four Klingon warriors. After declaring the crew of the Strider prisoners, the Captain of the bird-of-prey, Tasin sutai-Pallara, was able to fully confirm the story of the Strider, and offered its assistance. Once fully assured the Strider and its crew were not a threat or an enemy, Captain Tasin transported the buoy onto the Strider, and escorted the ship back to the Defense Outpost, cloaked. After arriving, the bird-of-prey decloaked, and accusations were made. After the conspiracy was uncovered, Commodore Harmonson made his escape with a renegade Klingon Ambassador, and the Strider was welcomed back to the station.
After a hearing, the crew of the Strider would be cleared of all charges. (FASA RPG module: The Strider Incident)
Personnel[]
- Captain Kristine Reardon, commanding officer
- Commander Stoan, science officer
- Lieutenant Commander Jack Thompson, helmsman
- Lieutenant K'tril, communications officer
- Lieutenant Lori Desmonal, engineer