USS Arcturus

Odyssey-class • NCC-84000 • Arcturus Wayfinding Squadron • Fourth Fleet • Managed by ADM Liam Dahlgren

The starship Arcturus bears the legacy of the vaunted Galaxy-class explorers that came before her as the ultimate expression of the maximalist design principles of the Utopia Planitia Design School. One of the newest of the Odyssey-class heavy explorers, Arcturus entered service in 2399 with hardened and redundant deep space exploration equipment to prepare her for a long mission in the Delta Quadrant under Commodore Elizabeth Hayden. That mission only lasted a few months before Arcturus was called back to serve against the Breen in the Alpha Quadrant, then came the Klingons at Arcanis in the Beta Quadrant, followed by the ancient mystery left by the T’Kon back in the Delta Quadrant. The next year, she was at the front lines of the Stormbreaker Campaign, the Sundered Wings Campaign, and the Blood Dilithium Campaign. A ship designed after the Dominion War to herald in a new era of peaceful exploration, Arcturus has spent most of her service life with the Fourth Fleet as a bulwark against the forces that lurk in dark corners of the galaxy.

Now in 2401, with the Lost Fleet Campaign behind her and her captain now elevated to the rank of fleet captain, Arcturus remains to hold the line along with her squadron. With a diverse and exceptional crew, the story of the Arcturus is one of ingenuity, camaraderie, and love overcoming the worst instincts of the galaxy. To paraphrase the ship’s dedication quote: fate may have some ideas for us, but where we go is up to us.

Command History

Commodore Elizabeth Hayden (December 2398–March 2399)
Captain/Fleet Captain Michael Lancaster (March 2399–Present)

Stories associated with this command may include up to the equivalent of a 222 on the RPG ratings scale, and are intended for mature audiences.

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Arcturus Wayfinding Squadron

Arcturus Wayfinding Squadron is an elite exploratory unit that specializes in finding new ways forward for Starfleet. Distinct from navigation, which is plotting a course based on the precise knowledge of exactly where one is in the universe, wayfinding is a more general word that refers to the process of orienting oneself in regard to space, place, objects, and peoples. Wayfinding was practiced by the Polynesian and Norse voyagers of Earth in the ancient past, as they used landmarks, the stars, and their relationships with other beings to find their way across the seas. While Arcturus Squadron engages in traditional surveying and charting missions, its mandate is also to use whatever tools it can to find the way forward, whether through diplomacy, acquiring or developing new propulsion methods, or, when necessary, mitigating threats to Starfleet’s exploratory mission.

Currently, Arcturus Squadron is based out of Olympia Station at the rimward trailing edge of Federation space in the Alpha Quadrant.

Squadron Commands

USS Arcturus

Odyssey-class Heavy Explorer
NCC-84000

USS Achilles

Achilles-class Destroyer
NCC-78250

USS Antares

Intrepid-class Science Vessel
NCC-74601

USS Apollo

Duderstadt-class Fast Cruiser
NCC-90769

USS Arondight

Reliant-class Frigate
NCC-86407

USS Artemis

Obena-class Emissary
NCC-83011

USS Ganymede

Luna-class Light Explorer
NCC-80107

USS Hipparchus

Grissom-class Surveyor
NCC-82263

USS Talos

Echelon-class Light Cruiser
NCC-97409

USS Theseus

Gagarin-class Heavy Escort
NCC-97931

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Crew Manifest

Recent Stories

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18 May 2025

Routine Inspection

The Ariadne Protocol

Olympia Station, USS Achilles, USS Antares, USS Apollo, USS Arcturus, USS Arondight, USS Artemis, USS Ganymede, USS Hipparchus, USS Nellie Bly, USS Praxiteles, USS Talos, USS Theseus and USS Thomas Paine

Perched on a high bluff overlooking the vast ocean that swallowed almost all of Olympia II’s surface area, Admiral Elizabeth Hayden’s villa was several kilometers distant from the main settlement, Halcyon Bay. The low, rhythmic sound of the waves washing against the base of the cliff could be [...]

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8 April 2025

1. Hipparchus Prologue

The Ariadne Protocol

Olympia Station, USS Achilles, USS Antares, USS Apollo, USS Arcturus, USS Arondight, USS Artemis, USS Ganymede, USS Hipparchus, USS Nellie Bly, USS Praxiteles, USS Talos, USS Theseus and USS Thomas Paine

The bridge of the Hipparchus was bright and sleek, full of gleaming white and silver surfaces that always reminded Elizabeth Zhang that her command was essentially a research laboratory with warp engines strapped to it. Through the large forward window, the interplay of fantastical rainbow colors [...]

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2 December 2024

9. Actions and Their Consequences

Operation Salient Dawn

Olympia Station, USS Arcturus and USS Arondight

Still somewhat dazed from the explosion, Wren tried to process the news he’d just received from the captain in the dim gloom of the drone ship’s hold. He was vaguely aware of a low alarm tone sounding, likely in response to the bomb. Through panicked thoughts, he tried to center himself by [...]

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1 December 2024

8. Warning Deferred

Operation Salient Dawn

Olympia Station, USS Arcturus and USS Arondight

Arondight was hanging in space nose-to-nose with the disabled drone freighter over the gold and bronze atmosphere of a gas giant. While his away team had only been over on the freighter for a few minutes, Captain Blake Bennett was already anxious for them to return. Even without the added [...]

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