USS Highlander History (In Character)

Created by Captain Tim Williams on Wed Oct 9th, 2013 @ 7:05pm

Launched in 2384, the USS Highlander was built to renew the Federation's mission of exploration, and befitted her first assignment; forming a part of the small group of vessels code-named Sigma Division, the Highlander's first year of service saw the vessel through the Bajoran Wormhole to explore the Delta Quadrant, though opportunities for exploration proved to be few during the ship's tour there and the ship's second year in service was to provide far more opportunities for the crew to explore.

Assigned as the flagship of the newly-formed Epsilon Force, the Highlander was part of a group of vessels to experiment with the networking of starship computers in order to facilitate a stable slipstream corridor and transport the vessels to the Delta Quadrant, to further the exploration begun during the Starship Voyager's journey through the region. Though not entirely successful, the slipstream drives were able to bring the Highlander and her fellow ships within standard warp distance of their intended rendezvous, and as each ship was thrown from the corridor, it had to complete the remainder of the journey on its own.

Once set up in Epsilon Force's new area of operations, the Highlander began the work she was intended for. Exploration of the Delta Quadrant yielded numerous surprising finds, including a device that was able to transport the entire ship back in time on a deserted world to a point in its history similar to the stage of development seen during the height of the Roman Republic on Earth. As time went on, a temporary wormhole was discovered which enabled ships to return to the Alpha Quadrant to reunite the crews with their families, and to resupply.

The Highlander was nearly destroyed in 2386 when after being ordered back to Earth for Commodore Williams to take on a new assignment at Starfleet Headquarters, he commandeered the ship to fly it to the forbidden planet of Talos IV in order to put a stop to experiments being done on the world under the orders of a senior Admiral at Starfleet Command. Though the impromptu and self-authorised mission was a success, the Highlander was shot down during a battle with Admiral Rotchen's ship, and crash-landed on the planet's surface.

As evidence of the incident was carefully covered up by Starfleet to prevent the spread of knowledge of the existence of Talos IV and what its inhabitants are capable of, the Highlander's wreckage was retrieved from the surface of Talos, and returned to a Federation drydock facility for dismantling. Demoted to Captain and ordered to teach at the Academy until a new assignment could be found for him, Williams was able to use his remaining contacts in the Corps of Engineers to have the ship repaired and reconstructed to face active service again - a task which took two years to complete, and a bargain which saw Williams remain at the Academy until the ship was ready.

Finally complete in the year 2388, Captain Williams resumed command of the ship, and was ordered to a border patrol detail along the Romulan Neutral Zone, where the ship remained until its transfer to the Eleventh Fleet in 2390. With most of the crew remaining with the Sixth Fleet, the Highlander adopted the orphaned crew of the USS Endeavour, which had been reported destroyed with its captain in the aftermath of a battle with a single isolated Borg Cube in the Beta Quadrant.