by Patrick Goodman
The year is 2295, and a great deal has changed for the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire. Once bitter foes, the two governments now find themselves uneasy allies.
The Khitomer Accords of 2293 was an historic treaty between the two powers, the main goal of which was to give the Klingons a chance to recover from the devastation on Q’onoS, parties on both sides see it as a sign of weakness, so all is not as cozy as the respective governments would like. Unfortunately, no technology the Federation currently had available to it would be able to sufficiently restore Q’onoS in less than a century.
As a sign of goodwill, the Federation has pledged considerable resources to assist the Klingons in either restoring their world or finding another suitable world for them to settle on. It also seeks to further diplomatic relations between the two governments.
To this end, a Starfleet base on the edge of what used to be the Organian Treaty Neutral Zone has been given a new mission. Starbase 24, dubbed Razor’s Edge Station by many during the lengthy cold war, has been converted from a purely military monitoring and supply station to a full-fledged diplomatic center.
Razor’s Edge Station has several ships assigned to it as part of the station’s permanent discretionary fleet. The crown jewel of this discretionary fleet is the U.S.S. Lexington. While most Constitution-class vessels are being retired in favor of the new Excelsior-class explorers, a few of them remain in service with Starfleet Training Command. The Lexington has been upgraded with better sensors and expanded diplomatic amenities to help support the Razor’s Edge initiative.
Under the command of Captain Thaval Birev, the Lady Lex has proven invaluable, with the ship and her crew already having averted disaster at the station and abroad. Their efforts have helped the efforts to establish a Klingon colony on the planet Dourap IV, as well as earning the respect of the Chancellor of the Klingon High Council and several other high-ranking warriors in the Empire.

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