Archanis Station

Starbase 27, codenamed Archanis Station, is a Canopus-class space station that serves as the primary base of operations for Starfleet activities within the Archanis Sector and adjacent territories. Located over Gorion VII in the Meronia Cluster, Archanis Station represents Starfleet's renewed investment in the area, offering support, stability and security to a borderlands region that has received little attention from the Federation in recent decades.

Background

The establishment of Archanis Station came in direct response to an armed conflict with the Hunters of D'Ghor in 2399, and a fungal blight that crippled the region’s food supply concurrently. At the time, Starfleet maintained only a skeletal presence in the region with a single aging space station and a handful of last-generation vessels under the command of Task Group 27. While the Fourth Fleet launched the Archanis Campaign to provide immediate humanitarian relief and repulse the Hunters of D’Ghor, it became clear that long-term effort would be necessary to address decades of neglect and rebuild local faith in the Federation. This led to the decision to replace the aging starbase with a new Canopus-class station that was more strategically positioned within the sector and would serve as the headquarters for a new wave of diplomatic, security and engineering initiatives across the region.

The new station came online in June 2401, replacing the dilapidated station that had previously born its registry. Vice Admiral Alex Grayson, a long-time borderlands commander with significant experience along the frontier, was appointed commander for Archanis Sector Operations, joined by Commodore Amit Agarwal as head of the Archanis detachment of the Fourth Fleet Corps of Engineers and Ambassador Michael Drake at the head of the Archanis Diplomatic Mission, and the station was assigned three support vessels, the USS Pacific Palisades to support engineering efforts, the USS Kennedy as a diplomatic courier, and the USS Lincoln for tactical interdiction. The station also serves as the headquarters of Polaris Squadron, and to that end, it retains a long-term research division from the Advanced Science, Technology and Research Activity.

Since it has come online, Archanis Station has been a beacon of hope, a place of trade and commerce, and of science and diplomacy, a place with grand promenades, servicing yards, and so much more. It hasn't all been smooth sailing for Archanis Station though. In December 2401, during a wave of crime inspired by the illicit proliferation of goods after recent crises, it was the site where an ancient Dominion bioweapon was unleashed (see: Contagion Unleashed), and in April 2402, it was attacked and occupied by the Vaadwaur, who used it as a base of operations from which they launched assaults all across the Archanis Sector (see: Nightmares When Night Falls).

Operations

Operational Mandate

• Maintain the security of the Federation border.
• Provide humanitarian aid and logistical support after the Archanis Campaign.
• Conduct research to improve regional sustainability after the fungal blight.
• Improve diplomatic relations with borderlands colonies and neighboring powers.
• Invest in the revitalization of infrastructure in the Archanis Sector.

Operational Units

Archanis Sector Operations Commander: Vice Admiral Alex Grayson	Responsible for logistical support and coordination of assets operating within the Archanis Sector. Attached Ship: USS Lincoln Heavy Escort
Archanis Corps of Engineering Detachment Commander: Commodore Amit Agarwal	Responsible for regional infrastructure development with the dual mandates of (1) increasing Starfleet's operational capabilities in the long-disregarded sector and (2) reinforcing the stability and sustainability of the Federation's colonies in the region. Support Ship: USS Pacific Palisades Utility Cruiser
Archanis Diplomatic Mission Charge d'affaires: Admiral Michael Drake	Responsible for improving relations both with Federation borderlands colonies in the region and with local and regional neighbors. Support Ship: USS Kennedy Light Cruiser
Polaris Squadron Headquarters Commander: Fleet Admiral Allison Reyes	Responsible for supporting the multi-mission squadron and for conducting long-term research under the Advanced Science, Technology and Research Activity. Squadron Ships: USS Polaris Heavy Explorer, USS Vesta Long-Range Explorer, USS Diligent Heavy Cruiser, USS Juno Heavy Cruiser, USS Ingenuity Research Cruiser, USS Procyon Escort

History

Dominion Contagion (December 2401)

In December 2401, an long-dormant bioweapon unearthed during the Lost Fleet crisis was unleashed upon Archanis Station. With a high degree of spread, and an even higher mortality rate, it spread through the station like a wildfire. In order to slow the spread, Vice Admiral Alex Grayson implemented lockdown and quarantine procedures, but even then, more and more cases continued to present.

Eventually, a team from the Advanced Science, Technology and Research Activity aboard the USS Polaris, assisted by unlikely allies, managed to develop a vaccine, but not before nearly five hundred lives were lost. This event had a chilling effect on the optimism that Archanis Station had brought to the area since its commissioning.

See Contagion Unleashed for more.

Vaadwaur Occupation (April 2402)

When the Nightfall Incursion began, Archanis Station went untouched for several weeks, left wondering why it had been spared. But then the Vaadwaur came en masse, capturing and occupying the station, forcing residents and officers alike into labor camps through a mix of physical brutality and psychological warfare. The station's engineering and logistical capabilities, in combination with its sizable workforce, were leveraged by the Vaadwaur to then extend their reach across the Archanis Sector.

After ten days of occupation, the Polaris Squadron lead a counteroffensive to retake the station. They deployed an advanced team with support from the SS Lucre, and as the ships of the squadron bore down on the station, this covert team managed to foment an insurgency from within and to take key assets on the station. By the end of the Battle of Archanis Station, thousands of officers and residents had joined the fight, and while victory was achieved in the end, it did not come without cost, a total of 1,147 lives lost.

See Nightmare When Night Falls for more.

Notable Crew

Commanding Officers

• June 2401 - Present: Vice Admiral Alex Grayson

In-Play

• Archanis Station is a starbase command assigned to Fleet Admiral James Neidlinger, but members may feature it in their stories in accordance with Section 3 of the Command Policy. Fleet Admiral James Neidlinger also welcomes collaborative joint missions between member's commands and the command itself so just reach out if interested.
• Archanis Station is set within Meronia Cluster, a dense star cluster that has historically served as the breadbasket of the Archanis Sector. In 2399, the Meronia Cluster was decimated by a fungal blight, crippling the region's food supply. A key aspect of Archanis Station's mandate is to support Gorion VII and other agricultural worlds in the region with their recovery.
• The Archanis Sector been through a difficult few years between the fungal blight that afflicted its crops and hostile attacks by the Hunters of D'Ghor. While the Archanis Campaign put a stop to the immediate crises, many colonies are still reeling from both the material and the psychological impacts.
• Federation-Klingon borderlands regions, including the Archanis Sector, have in large part been left to their own auspices for several decades. Archanis Station represents a significant reinvestment by Starfleet in the region, and while this reinvestment is welcomed by some, it is viewed with skepticism by many.