The second ship of her class, the second oldest vessel in the
Federation Starfleet, this proud starship is a true monument to the
men and women who designed her.
Commissioned on January 28th, 2287, she
was given the special Naval Construction Contract (NCC) number
NCC-1986 in memory of the year the Space Shuttle Challenger was lost.
She has survived the Tholian Conflict, the Cardassian War,
two attempts by the Borg to invade the Federation, and the Dominion
War.
Now, after 18 months of intensive
re-building and re-fitting, she is once again ready to return to the
stars. With a new Captain and crew, her adventures are about to begin
anew.
2366:
Admiral Quentin Mallory, working with
Starfleet Research, begins his attempts at reviving the centuries old
technology of his ancestor, Quinn Mallory. All he had was a disabled
piece of equipment once known as a timer, some musty old pages of
research notes, and alot of faith. He believed he could duplicate
the work of his ancestor, but it would take time and patience, and a
great deal of faith.
2376:
After a decade of hard work, Admiral
Mallory has succeeded!!!! He has revived the technology, and even
managed to incorporate it into a starship's operating systems.
Mallory chose this route as he believed that while his intentions were
good and honourable, not all the Quantum Dimensions he planned to visit
might think as he did. There was a certain amount of risk and outright
danger to those involved in his experiment. By incorporating the
Sliding apparatus into the Main Deflector Array of a starship, it would
allow the "Sliders" a certain amount of protection, and a better
platform from which to explore this new domain.
After a careful study of the various
officers within the 'Fleet, Admiral Mallory chose to employ the
Excelsior-class starship USS Challenger, NCC-1986, under
the command of Captain James D. Hunter as his test vehicle.
Newly re-built and just out of Spacedock, she fit the bill perfectly.
The proud old vessel and her crew are about to embark on one of the
greatest adventures Mankind has ever known!!!!
Following a tension-filled final mission, the crew of the starship Challenger has finally made its way home.
However, it is a homecoming filled with sadness. Many lives were lost, including that of Captain Hunter, and the stately lady herself, the USS Challenger, was lost.
One year after the crew of the late starship Challenger found their way home. The Federation and Starfleet have decided to continue the sliding experiments, and to that end they have reactivated an old science station in a fixed position orbit that keeps it on the far side of the moon. Admiral Quentin Mallory, while not native to this Quantum Realm, has agreed to stay on and lead the project, and has been given a full commission as a Starfleet Admiral in this Universe.
Lieutenant Commander Amiri Qu'Tal has been assigned as his research assistant on the newly re-commissioned Moonbase Alpha.
Newly promoted Starfleet Captain Katerina Dominie has been assigned to assist with the experiments as the Commanding Officer of the USS Columbia, a Nova-class science vessel that has been attached to the moonbase.
Most of the crew of the Challenger have opted to remain with the project. Commander Maya FallenStar is the Executive Officer of the Columbia, and Lieutenant Mark Ireland is the Helm Officer. His wife Kerry has accepted a post as moonbase psychologist.
Commander Brian Culkin is the Second Officer, and Chief of Moonbase Security. Lieutenant Commander KorD has decided to return to the Klingon homeworld, and Lieutenant Travis Keogh has resigned from Starfleet.
During their first mission, the intrepid crew of sliders embark on a daring and dangerous mission to find their missing comrade, James Hunter......which ends in success.
However......they do not live happily ever after.
Due to their polar opposite opinions with regards to the sliding project, Admiral Mallory and Captain Hunter have a major falling out. As most of his crew has been assigned to Mallory's command, Captain Hunter makes a choice to move ahead with his life on his own, and resigns from Starfleet.
After a six month absence, Captain James Hunter is forced back into the service via the little known, seldom used 'Reserve Activation Clause' in order to assist Admiral Mallory and his people with an emergency situation. To aid in this mission, he accepts a posting as Commanding Officer of the Galaxy-class starship USS Endeavour. He returns to the stars with a new ship, and a mostly new crew.
The year is 2381. The odyssey continues......