Located near Borderland/Triangle space in the Mesarth Sector. Spacedock orbital facility that is next in line to Starbase 77. Along with Starbase 52, Starbase 20 Key Stone was the nearest Starfleet facility to the Borderland region. This starbase supports Starbase 77 and 52, possessing a larger array of tactical response than is permitted in the Borderland region itself. Apollo, Akula, Okinawa, Oberth and Belknap class make up the majority of the starships at the base.
Starbase 20 Key Stone was named and located as the Starfleet fortress that would hold the line with the Romulans or Klingons, should it become necessary. The starbase was created in the 23rd Century near the Borderland region; the base was the front line against the Orion Syndicate, who had been identified by Jonathan Archer as a threat to the Coalition of Planets - later the UFP. The starbase would act as border guardian against smugglers, traffickers and pirates that would be based in the neutral space between Federation, Klingon and Romulan space. When this region became a three-way junction of the two Neutral Zones, this became the tinderbox between all three governments.
The Borderland, known by the title the Triangle by the geographical shape of the region, resisted the presence of Starbase 20 as this was the closest Starfleet presence. Patrol vessels from the starbase were regularly tested by Orion slave runs and other acts of piracy. Throughout the 23rd Century, Starfleet wanted to close down the Triangle; they had neither the political will from the Federation Council for a confrontation, neither the free resources. The two Cold Wars with the Klingons and Romulans sucked out all free starship allocations.
Starbase 20 is the largest regional starship repair facility for the Second Fleet, with eight orbital repair dry-docks. Starbase 20 is a cargo transportation concentration centre, enabling the distribution of supplies to Federation colonies and worlds in and around the Triangle region. Convoy escorts are organised from this starbase with designated escort vessels and reserve ships available as required. Security is tight at Starbase 20 with the Orion Syndicate and Tal Shiar having attempted missions within the starbase over the last five years.
The fine print of the Khitomer Accords allowed Starfleet to create Starbase 77 in the region of the Triangle. Whilst 77 could not have a large allocation of starships beyond science vessels, Starbase 20 Key Stone was the regional command station, supplying assets of the Second and Third Fleets to starbases 36, 52 and 77. With unprecedented permission from the Klingon High Council, Starfleet looked to carefully tame the region of criminal elements. The Interstellar Concordium formed one of their Exclusion Zones through the region, ironically removing more of the independent armed warships form the region than Starfleet ever could have.
After Starbase 12, this is the largest Starbase in the Second Fleet. Along with Starbases 6, 23 and 24 this formed the line of Starbases along the Klingon-Federation border. After the end of the ISC Pacification War, further co-operation between the Klingon Empire and United Federation of Planets allowed for the Orion presence to be reduced to the lowest level recorded. Starbase 77 Aljetarius and Starbase 52 secured the Nirophian Corridor from the nearside end and Starbase 36 the far end. Starbase 20 maintained the anchorage for these bases.
Commanded by Admiral Mohammed Khan.
Starships assigned to Starbase 20 in 2312:
Ark Royal class U.S.S. Ocean NCC 13118.
Ascension class
Belknap class
Belknap class
Apollo class Amazon
Apollo class Andromeda NCC 11047
Apollo class Ixion
Apollo class Pandora
Apollo class
Apollo class
Apollo class
Apollo class
Akula class Kidd
Akula class Brisbane
Akula class
Akula class
Akula class
Akula class
Akula class
Akula class
Akula class
Akula class
Akula class
Akula class
Akula class
Akula class
Akula class
Akula class
Akula class
Akula class
Akula class
Okinawa class
Okinawa class
Okinawa class
Okinawa class
Okinawa class
Okinawa class
Okinawa class
Okinawa class
Okinawa class
Okinawa class
Okinawa class Peregrine
Okinawa class Kite
Oberth class
Oberth class
Oberth class
Oberth class
Oberth class
Oberth class
Oberth class
Oberth class
Oberth class
Oberth class
Oberth class
Oberth class
