USS El Dorado (NCC-1722-C)

USS El Dorado '''NCC – 1722-C''' was a Galaxy-Class starship, launched from Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards, Mars Orbit, in 2364, under command of Captain Jose “Joe” Sanchez.*  When first launched, she was unremarkable for a Galaxy Class, the 5th vessel of this class to be launched. Unknown to most, several members of her senior staff were Starfleet Intelligence agents, or at least, did some work for SI and Admiral Nyota Uhura. By 2365, El Dorado’s senior officers included: Dr. Jaryd Harker, M.D. (CMO); Richard “Ricky” Drake, Chief Engineer; and Ian (Vulcan Ops Manager), among others. After her initial shakedown cruise, El Dorado was ordered back to Spacedock for a special refit that took a month, with SCE working around the clock: her engineering hull was completely redesigned, and now included four nacelles and a much larger Warp Core. The entire ship was classified Level Sigma-2 by Starfleet Intelligence, and featured an experimental coaxial warp engine called the “lattice drive,” that essentially folded space. This was a breakthrough in spacial mechanics that had never been attempted before—and after this, was never likely to be repeated. The first few “jumps” were successful, leaping across a single sector of space. When Capt. Sanchez decided to attempt to jump across the entire Federation, something went haywire with the highly experimental system. El Dorado reappeared in normal space, in the Gamma Quadrant, six months from the Idrian-End of the Bajoran Wormhole. Half the on-board systems were burned out, and 23% of her crew in the engineering section lay dead or dying. The casualties included the ship’s Tellarite chief engineer and Betazoid chief medical officer. Ricky Drake and Jaryd Harker were given battlefield promotions to fill the vacant posts, and soon found their work cut out for them. It took Drake two weeks, but finally had normal warp drive restored; the experimental Lattice Drive was a hopeless pile of melted alloy (not that Sanchez was about to order it used again on his ship.)  The only advantage of the four nacelles now, was that it enabled the vessel to maintain high-warp speeds for longer periods of time, alternating between pulse-rest cycles between each pair.

El Dorado’s crew soon learned to fear the Jem Hadar, and avoided all contact with them if at all possible. In the course of exploring, on their journey back toward the Idrian System (and Federation space) the ship came across an entity that was nearly as powerful as a Q, but dimwitted. He transported everyone who was on the bridge to his personal world, leaving Dr. Harker (who had been below decks in sickbay at the time) as the line officer in command. The computer and all primary systems were locked-out, so Harker was left with no choice but to officially list Captain Sanchez and most of the senior staff as missing in action. This released the security lock-out, so the crew was free to search for their missing officers. (Joe turned to me and winked.  “You realize, of course, that if you abandon our characters, that leaves you in command permanently.”  To which I responded, “Shut up, Joe.  We’re rescuing you!”  The GM leaned closer, “Why thank you—Captain McCoy!”)

When El Dorado finally reached Earth, the Lattice Drive was mostly forgotten for some two years of game-play. Then, in 2367, Uhura called the senior staff to her office and directly ordered us to test the drive out again. Joe’s character exploded, and my doctor character wasn’t much happier:

“Ma’am, with all due respect, after the last time we tested that damn engine of yours out, I spent three days straight trying to keep our crew from dying—and a good quarter of them died anyway. I am objecting to this action in the strongest terms in my log.”  To which Uhura responded, “You are free to do so, Doctor Harker, but be aware that your log is Classified Level Sigma-Three, which means that nobody will ever read it, except the President and myself.”

We ended up in Galaxy M-33: “A galaxy far, far, away….”  Yeah, you guessed it. We were approached by triangular-shaped ships, behemoths in space—but their technology was more than two centuries behind the Federation’s! Hailing us using some sort of holographic system (we had to readjust our comm system through the holodeck) the lead ship was led by someone or other named “Lord Vader,” and he was demanding our surrender to their “galactic empire.”  Soon, these arrogant ships opened fire on us.

“They’re using lasers!” Ian cried.

'' “Lasers? That won’t even penetrate our navigational deflectors! I suppose we should at least go to Yellow Alert. That is the usual procedure in these circumstances, isn’t it, Number One?”''

So went our (mis)adventure in that galaxy. Ricky Drake, our Chief Engineer, ended up trading a shuttlecraft for a speeder-bike. (With its computer memory intact, with detailed instructions on how to build and repair things like phasers, photon torpedoes, warp drive, even a transporter!)  Ricky was overjoyed, and couldn’t wait to try his new speeder bike out back on Earth.

Then, we returned to Sol Sector, and Spacedock, and had a very long debriefing in Admiral Uhura’s office. Needless to say, the Lady had conniptions. “You did ''WHAT?!? ''Lieutenant Commander Drake, have you ever heard of the Prime Directive? Okay…breathe…I’m only going to say this once…you boys are going back to M-33, and you’re getting that shuttlecraft back. '''By. Any. Means. Necessary.'   Am I perfectly clear, Lieutenant'' Drake? Yes, you heard me correctly, Lieutenant. The only reason I’m not court-martialing you is thanks to Dr. Harker’s report that you were under mental dominion of that ‘Lord Vader’ when you handed over a Type-6 shuttlecraft—with its memory core intact! Go. Before I court-martial the lot of you!”

Fun, hell yeah! (“Don’t shoot us, Mr. Vader!  We surrender!  Energize.”  (Heavy breathing through mask): “They must’ve disintegrated themselves, rather than be taken prisoner.”)

It is presumed that the Starship El Dorado is still out there, somewhere….

(*Jose “Joe” Sanchez was the original creator of Star Trek: The Next Generation Roleplaying Game, and the Icon System; sometime in 1996, he sold all rights to the people who became Last Unicorn Games.)

Last Unicorn Games Stats, Starship El Dorado: