RIS Bouteina (ship)

The RIS Bouteina is a Norexan-class ship. She is second ship of the Norexan class in the RIS Bouteina continuity, and also the ship that the Romulan Senate sent out on the first exploratory, scientific five-year mission ever launched by the Romulan Star Empire.

Background
The Romulan Senate decided that the sister ship to the RIS Bouteina, the RIS Norexan, was to become the flagship of the Tal Prai'ex and, as such, was the ship on which the Praetor and/or the Emperor could fly off-world. For this reason, it was not suitable to be used on a scientific/exploration mission, much less one that lasted five years.

The christening of the ship was a matter agreed upon between the crew and the Tal Prai'ex command. The name that was finally chosen was a name taken from a legendary space beast tale that originated from one of the crewmen's home planet, Mysidia.


 * Legends speak of a beast whose call could make any starship crew sleepy and lure its occupants to whereabouts unknown. The Federation xenobiology unit put a bounty on its head, but wanted the beast alive at all costs. Many people tried to capture the beast but the monster sent all the people to other places they were not intended to. Until Bouteina came and, by the luck of the draw, finally tractored the monster in and put the monster in a containment field so Starfleet could study it. The Federation granted her full rights to colonize the system in which she captured the creature, and thus Mysidia is born.

In 2383, the ship was commanded by Commander Annika Hansen.