USS Mercury
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| StarBase 118 Fleet | Active Vessels | Inactive Vessels | Lost or Decommissioned Vessels | ||||||
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| USS Mercury | ||
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The USS Mercury is an Oracle class deep space science ship. Launched on SD 238812.02 under the command of Captain Tallis Rhul, the Mercury was first assigned to the Menthar Corridor, a region of space between the Cardassian Union, Breen Confederacy and Tholian Assembly, via special arrangement with the Cardassian Detapa Consul. Its primary mission was to explore space poorly known to the Federation and explore the farthest bounds of the Alpha Quadrant. While serving in the Corridor, the Mercury underwent a number of command changes, first with Captain Tallis's retirement on SD 238904.22 and then Commander Miles Unum on SD 238905.05. She was briefly commanded by her first officer Arden Cain before Aron Kells took command on SD 238905.09, serving as her CO through the end of 2390.
After incurring extensive damage during the Gateway Crisis of 2390, the Mercury was deactivated from service for repairs. Unlike most of his crew who had been reassigned to the USS Garuda, Captain Kells resigned and disappeared in a shuttlecraft to parts unknown. The Mercury herself left Deep Space 10 under a warp tow, heading back to Federation space. A few weeks into her journey, the tow’s tractor beam systems failed during a massive passing ion storm. The tow itself barely made it out of the storm in one piece, limping on a single maneuvering thruster. Fleet operations dispatched a ship to retrieve the tow and the Mercury, but the storm continued to interfere with sensors in the area, making retrieval impossible. The last sensor scans taken when the Mercury broke free from the tow indicated that the science ship was hurtling away at full speed in a decaying drift, traveling with the storm.
A search was soon conducted for the missing vessel, but initial efforts proved futile, and the ship was officially listed as lost. Several months later, however, a chance investigation of an odd sensor reading by the transport Andorian Rose led to the discovery of the massive hulk, adrift but salvageable. The vessel was returned to Starfleet and after inspection and repairs, the Mercury returned to service in late May 2391 as a support vessel in the Corridor. Her first mission since her recovery is as a support vessel in a task force sent to the Zeta Equulei system to follow up on mediating the hostilities between the Community and the Myr Luuk.
As an Oracle class vessel, the Mercury is designed to run missions for long periods of time without returning to a starbase for refuel, resupply, or support if necessary.
