#or almost

With the discovery of an entirely new unexplored quadrant, aptly named The Epsilon Quadrant, Starfleet sets its eyes on exploring it in depth. However, no actual Starfleet vessels are capable of reaching said quadrant within an acceptable time range. So, in order to remedy this, the engineers and scientists put together their heads to create a brand new Transwarp technology, capable of jumping to the Delta Quadrant within mere days. Meaning, the time range to transwarp to the Epsilon Quadrant would only take a week or two.

Their first prototype was the USS Betelgeuse. The Betelgeuse acted as a training ground for ensigns who were specifically chosen to embark on the future Epsilon Project. It only took 3 years before disaster struck during one of their test flights: Kazons and Pirates who have heard of Starfleet's new technology decided to take over the ship, leaving most of the crew dead. It only managed to be fished out by Starfleet in the end after it was held up by the very few surviving ensigns and lieutenants, led by Lieutenant Daniel O'Connor of Operations.

The project continued on, this time learning from the mistakes made by the Betelgeuse. They couldn't risk having enemies at their doorsteps now that their new technology is known galaxy-wide, so they rushed the newest project; Project Australis. Thus they created USS Kaus Australis, the second Australis Class starship, a class of starships specifically designed to chart the uncharted space of the Epsilon Quadrant, prioritizing speed and stealth.

Now it was time to choose a crew to command the USS Kaus. The Admiralty fought for their choices; Should they choose a more experience crew of admirals to chart this mysterious quadrant, or should they choose a younger crew fresh from the Academy capable of adapting and surviving better than the older crew? Head of Starfleet and Representative of the Federation, Admiral Donnghaile O’Connor, stepped up in his decision and chose his own son to command the ship instead, for this youth and his incredible show of leadership and tenacity while piloting the Betelgeuse out of enemy territory. Some would say it was a clear act of Nepotism, but nobody could argue with the Admiral's logic: A compromise, a crew that's young but also has the experience of handling An Australis Class starship. And besides, they're on an extreme time crunch and they had to launch the project before more of the galaxy heard of their transwarp technology.

Lieutenant Daniel O'Connor became Captain Daniel O'Connor. Daniel's first act as Captain was to contact the survivors of the Betelgeuse to see who would like to join the Kaus' new 15 year journey. Most rejected, but a few answered. First ones to say yes were Daniel's long time childhood best friends Kienan Turgon O'Rahilly, the "Irish Romulan" who served as a Science Officer on The Betelgeuse, and Anastasia Tendean, a transfer from the Indonesian Akademi Antariksa Starfleet who served as a Security Officer on The Betelgeuse. Others began trickling in and the survivors would make up the entire Senior Crew

The USS Kaus' Chain of Command:

Captain Daniel Whitmore O'Connor (Captain) [Human - 28 - Male]

Commander Kienan Turgon O'Rahilly (First Officer & Chief Science Officer) [Romulan - 29 - Male]

Lieutenant Commander Anastasia Natalie Tendean (Second Officer & Chief Tactical Officer) [Human - 30 - Female]

Doctor Liam Raymond McCartney (Chief Medical Officer [Rank: Commander]) [Half-Vulcan Half-Human - 33- Genderfluid]

Lieutenant Commander Davine T'Raal (Chief of Operations) [Human - 35 - Nonbinary]

Lieutenant Commander Jackson Shevann (Chief Security Officer) [Half-Orion Half-Human - 31 - Male]

Lieutenant Commander Alexander Hernandez (Chief Engineer) [Human - 35 - Male]