Star Trek Expanded Universe
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The Charybdis (TAU Three) was a "Thousand Astronomical Unit" class extrasolar exploration vessel in service with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration during the early-21st century.

TAU Three suffered an apparent similar fate as TAU One. Launching on July 23, 2037, under the command of Colonel Stephen Richey, the vessel transited for the heliopause along an angle of ten degrees above the ecliptic. Its secondary mission was to utilize the scientific packages attached to the mid-section support rails to search for signs of extraterrestrial civilizations, specifically the artificial ion trails left by alien ships utilizing comparable propulsion technology.

Instead, in early February of 2038, final telemetry received by NASA from the Charybdis indicated the fusion engine had burned to accelerate the ship to twelve times Solar Escape Velocity. The official report read: “Assumed vehicle was lost with consumables run out, 20% possibility of crew survival with hibernation systems at low usage mode.” It was not until 2365, when a Klingon cruiser detected debris from the vessel in the upper atmosphere of Theta VIII, that any outcome for the mission was recorded. Col. Richey, the only known survivor, awoke from hibernation and found himself within a simulation of a locale from Hotel Royale, a novel he had brought along. In surviving logs, Richey hypothesized that an alien life-form created the simulation under the assumption the novel described what he considered to be the ideal world. He lived the remainder of his life in that limited environment. No other details as to how the Charybdis arrived at that location, nor about the alien culture behind the simulation, have ever been determined.

(Star Fleet Starship Recognition Manual: Report #307: TAU Extrasolar Exploration Vessel)

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