PROJECT FULL CIRCLE
Background
The sweeping initiative of scientific exploration & discovery in the Delta Quadrant, Project ‘Full Circle’ was initiated in mid 2378, a matter of months following the return of the Starship Voyager to the Alpha Quadrant.
Created at the behest of Fleet Admiral Kenneth Montgomery, the project’s initial goals centered on the removal and examination of all Borg and Borg related technologies from the Intrepid class cruiser.
However, the advent of revolutionary Quantum Slipstream Propulsion technology in the late 2370’s—allowing vessels so equipped, to traverse great distances in a fraction of the time it would take with conventional warp drive—convinced Montgomery and others within Starfleet Command to alter and drastically expand the initiative’s focus. Despite Starfleet Command’s approval, the project remained in limbo because of now Vice Admiral Kathryn Janeway’s extreme reluctance to resume command of her former ship, which had been named the expedition’s flagship.
Following Janeway’s death and the Borg’s final invasion in 2381, the expedition set out in 2381 under the direction of Admiral Willem Batiste, with Voyager—now commanded by Capatain Afsarah Eden—as the flagship. The project suffered a setback early on, when Admiral Batiste was mysteriously killed in a shuttlecraft accident. Command of the Full Circle fleet and the project itself passed to Eden, who was subsequently promoted to Commodore by Admiral Montgomery. Captain Chakotay, who had remained on Voyager but had deferred to Eden, resumed command of his vessel and the expedition proceeded on without incident.
In 2385, Starfleet approved plans for the construction of an Ournal II class Space Station—Federation Starbase 601—in an unexplored and unclaimed sector of space. That same year, the Kazon—an extremely violent, nomadic race—reappeared and viciously assaulted the USS Curie. First encountered by Voyager shortly after its arrival in the Delta Quadrant, the Kazon themselves as well as the various sects which made up the greater Kazon Collective were roughly analogous to the street gangs which plagued various nations on Earth during the 20th and 21st centuries. Their harassment of the peaceful exploratory force continued unabated and resulted in Commodore Eden’s request that larger, more powerful ships as well as supporting forces be assigned to the expedition. Starfleet obliged without question, though that did little to quell the violence on the part of the Kazon. In 2390, Starbase 601, which was nearing completion, was the sight of a bloody assault. 10 Kazon Predator class vessels as well as at least a dozen smaller Raider class craft surprised and overwhelmed the base’s defenders—the Akira class Devore (CB 64088) and Defiant class Horizon (DD 75668) and Moscow (DD 75655). A furious barrage of Plasma Torpedos crippled the Devore and caused severe damage to the Starbase before the attackers were driven off by the Excalibur class Exeter (BB 99002).
This attack caused Starfleet to dramatically alter the makeup of the Full Circle fleet. Up until the reemergence of the Kazon, mostly multi-mission type vessels that were generally smaller in size and lacked heavy weaponry and sophisticated defensive systems comprised the fleet. In the aftermath though, the Delta Quadrant became home to a number of classes ranging from Destroyers to massive Battleships. Additionally, both the Starfleet Marine Corps and Starfighter Command deployed extensive assets to the region.
In 2392, as part of an agreement developed between the Federation and its allies, Starfleet was given permission to develop a general colonization and expansion plan for the quadrant, partially as a defensive measure, but moreso to help the Federation heal from the devastation wrought by the Dominion and the Borg in the prior decades. This, combined with an increase in starship construction and development led some to compare the period (which continues to this day) to that of the mid-late 23rd Century, roughly 2250 to 2293 – the so-called ‘golden era’ of Federation exploration and expansion.
Assets Involved
At the time it began in 2381, Project ‘Full Circle’ was comprised of a small expeditionary force of vessels from the Intrepid, Nebula, Luna and Nova classes. The difficulty faced by Starfleet in refitting certain classes with Quantum Slipstream Propulsion technology kept the fleet’s makeup relatively constrained until approximately 2383 when ships of the Galaxy II and Sovereign classes were added. In 2385, despite the Federation finding itself once again on a war footing, Starfleet deployed a small number of Akira and Defiant class ships to bolster the force’s defensive capabilities.
The war’s conclusion in 2387 and the subsequent worsening of hostilities with the Kazon in 2390 saw an increase both in the number of ships deployed to the region and in their type. Starfleet’s flagship class—the Excalibur class Battleship saw 3 examples deployed (Exeter, Charleston and Alliance) along with the smaller Essex class Battleship and Lancer class Heavy Frigate. Cruiser classes saw their ranks expand as well with additional Galaxy and Sovereign class examples deployed along with 3 of the specialized Eagle class Command Cruisers (Eagle, Atlantis and Olympia). Complimenting the Defiant class Destroyers were ships of the Gallant class—a Heavy Destroyer developed partially in response to the Kazon threat in the Delta Quadrant.
More than just ships-of-the-line were involved however. Integral to Starfleet’s efforts—maintaining and supplying starships, ferrying construction supplies and transporting personnel between destinations—was the involvement of Transport Command. Starfleet’s logistical arm was heavily involved in reconstruction and redevelopment efforts throughout Federation space, but as always, proved to be eminently resourceful when called upon. The core of their spacegoing force was the Java class Freighter and Istanbul class Transport. The largest and most capable freighter and transport classes respectively, they were the first Class II starship classes to be equipped with Quantum Slipstream Propulsion technology. Despite the fact both classes dated back to the early 24th century, their utilitarian natures and the comparative simplicity with which they were engineered contributed to the greater ease with which Starfleet was able to refit these ships (when compared to newer classes such as Galaxy and Nebula). The refitting of the Deneva, Yorkshire and Mediterranean classes quickly followed.
To ensure that redevelopment and reconstruction efforts were not hampered, the Federation Council authorized Rear Admiral Robert DeSoto (the Starfleet official in charge of redevelopment/construction) to re-activate several ship classes dating from the early 23rd Century. Chief among them were the Al-Rashid/Moncrief and Hensley transport-tug classes. The versatility and value of the transport-tug concept had been well proven throughout the 23rd century and with sufficient upgrades, all three classes were able to match and in some cases exceed the capacity of the Java class, while traveling at speeds up to Warp 8.7—perfectly suitable for use throughout the Alpha & Beta quadrants.
Proving just as vital, if not moreso than the aforementioned classes were the Cochrane, Aaken and Edward class ‘colonial’ transports. So named because of their extremely large passenger and cargo capacities (the Cochrane had a cargo capacity of up to 240,000 metric tons while Edward was capable of transporting up to 6500 passengers), their re- introduction into service proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Transport Command was more than capable of managing challenges on multiple fronts.
The completion of Starbase 601 in 2395 in what came to be known as Sector 51-G was only the beginning. The presence of a resource rich planet as well as several more in the neighboring star system (’53-G’) led to the immediate fortification of the entire area. Smaller Andromeda and Jupiter class Space Stations were built as well as numerous smaller planetside bases in both systems. One such base was utilized by the Starfleet Marine Corps and developed into the headquarters for what would become the 7th Expeditionary Force that would be permanently stationed in the quadrant.
Large asteriods from an expansive belt .5 light years away were also taken and placed strategically around the two systems. Fitted with RCS thrusters, immensely powerful nadion pulse cannons and sophisticated firebases, they formed the first line of defense against the Kazon and other potential adversaries. This was as blatantly militaristic as Starfleet had ever gotten in its 200+ years of existence, but given threats posed by the Dominion, Borg and later the Typhon Pact, were completely justifiable defensive moves (that enjoyed support from the majority of the civilian populace, especially those who hoped to establish colonies in the quadrant).
In short, over a period of nearly 30 years, Starfleet has assigned hundred of starships and uncounted thousands of personnel to the Delta Quadrant – numbers which will continue to expand in the coming years.
The Future
The inception of Project ‘Full Circle’ has not only seen the Federation return to its core mission of seeking out new life and new civilizations, but has provided direction and goals for Starfleet as well as hope for its member worlds as well as those of its allies.
The establishment of a new ‘core’ in sectors 51-G and 53-G has provided the foundation from which the project’s exploratory and scientific endeavors can continue, colonization and expansion efforts can continue to grow and commerce can be conducted—both independently and in support of the Federation’s primary ‘core’ in the Alpha Quadrant.