Hestia (TOS-RH)

This article has a separate continuity. This article is in the Richard Hatch Novelizations separate continuity, which is related to the Original Series. Be sure that your contributions to this article reflect the characters and events specific to this continuity only.

Hestia is a civilian vessel in the Fleet, serving as home to over two hundred men, women, and children for twenty yahren. The ship operates an education program and has an unusual demographic composition with more children than adults aboard.

The vessel houses an education program operated by Protea, a teacher who serves approximately thirty children in addition to her own daughter. Despite cramped quarters typical of fleet vessels, the program functions successfully for many years. The crew and passengers have inhabited the ship continuously since the exodus, creating strong community bonds over two decades.

Operational History

Resource Crisis

During a fleet-wide resource shortage while trapped in a spatial anomaly, Hestia experiences severe supply deprivation. The ship's population attempts to contact fleet command through multiple channels, making ten unsuccessful attempts to reach Commander Athena before finally securing a direct communication line. The delays in receiving assistance are attributed to requests being redirected through bureaucratic channels rather than reaching decision-makers.

Protea reports that the population is starving, with visible physical deterioration evident in communications. When offered emergency relocation to Daedalus, she declines on the basis that she cannot abandon the children under her care. She expresses hope that evacuation to Rising Star will provide access to better food supplies.

Structural Failure

Hestia suffers catastrophic structural failure with three simultaneous hull breaches. Flight Officer Omega reports to Commander Athena that the vessel is breaking up with an indeterminate timeline for complete failure. The structural damage is partially attributed to insufficient fuel allocation for maintenance and repair operations throughout the fleet.

Fleet resources are overextended, precluding the dispatch of repair teams. Commander Athena orders immediate evacuation via rescue barge with destination Rising Star, despite that vessel's existing overcrowding. The ship's population initially resists evacuation orders, citing their twenty-year residence aboard the vessel. Communications officer Athena terminates debate and orders evacuation to proceed.

Evacuation Incident

A rescue barge dispatched from Daedalus successfully evacuates all 200 passengers from Hestia, bringing total personnel aboard the barge to 222 including the barge's crew of 20, captain, and first officer. Pre-departure manifests confirm the barge was fully operational and adequately fueled.

During transit to Rising Star, the barge experiences complete fuel system failure. The captain reports fuel monitors indicating 60% capacity immediately before engine failure, while manual inspection reveals empty fuel tanks. Captain Starbuck initiates emergency response by launching Vipers to attempt fuel transfer, but distance and timing calculations prove rescue impossible. Commander Athena dispatches additional Vipers from Daedalus, but their estimated arrival time exceeds the barge's remaining life support capacity by thirty centons.

All 222 personnel aboard the barge perish when life support systems fail. Audio communications capture hull impacts during the final moments before system shutdown. The incident represents one of the largest single-event casualty counts in the fleet during this crisis period.

Investigation

Post-incident analysis reveals several anomalies. The instantaneous transition from 60% fuel capacity to complete depletion defies standard mechanical failure patterns. Commander Athena characterizes the fuel loss as "insane" and "just about impossible." Commander Apollo and Captain Starbuck conduct inquiries into the location of reserve fuel cells that should have been available for emergency response, with launch bay personnel indicating no knowledge of fuel storage discrepancies.

The cause of the fuel system failure remains unresolved, with the circumstances suggesting potential sabotage or other non-mechanical explanations.

Notable Personnel

• Protea – Teacher operating the education program, responsible for approximately 30 children. Childhood friend of Commander Athena. Lost in the barge incident.

Notes

• The ship's name references Hestia, the Greek goddess of hearth and home.