USS Exeter (23rd Century)

The USS Exeter was a 23^rd century Federation starship operated by Starfleet.

In an alternate timeline, in the year 2289, Lieutenant T'Less briefly served aboard the Exeter.

In 2289, during its first year of a deep-space exploration mission, the Exeter was called upon by Starfleet to investigate the loss of communication with a listening post along the Romulan Neutral Zone. Starfleet suspected a Romulan incursion, in anticipation to war, and sent the Exeter to determine the truth of the matter.

Upon arrival, the outpost was discovered to be entirely without power and the 8-member crew to all be dead, some by exposure to the vacuum of space, others by hypothermia as the station lost temperature when life support failed. Further exploration of the station led to the discovery of a mostly intact torpedo resting near the station’s power generation unit, having seemingly been shot down through the entire outpost to its resting spot. The weapon casing was returned to the Exeter and brought to the Engine Room, where T'Less was set to begin examination on it, believing it to be deactivated. Before she could, the device powered up and latched on to a warp coupling. Unbeknownst to T'Less, the weapon was of no ordinary design and began emitting psionic radiation. The effects of the radiation destroyed T'Less’s ability to control her emotions, as well as inducing hallucinations in her and the rest of the crew. The longer the device remained on, the farther the effects spread.

Only just able to save the ship, it came to light that it had, indeed, been a Romulan plot, with the discovery of a cloaked Romulan Warbird for confirmation. There was an official complaint submitted by the Federation’s Ambassador to Romulus, who decried the entire incident as the act of a rogue ship and her crew.

T'Less, unable to cope with her now freed emotions, left Starfleet and returned to Vulcan, there to study the Kolinahr in an effort to regain a modicum of what she’d lost.

(It has not yet been revealed what class of starship the 23^rd century USS Exeter was. It is unlikely that this is the same vessel from the TOS episode "The Omega Glory", for that ship was abandoned and likely scuttled because it was infested with a disease that killed off the whole crew.)