An Earth spacecraft launched in 2037 under Colonel Stephen Richey as the third crewed attempt to leave the solar system, whose wreckage the Enterprise-D found orbiting Theta 116 VIII.
The Charybdis was launched by NASA on 23 July 2037 with Colonel Stephen Richey in command. It was the third crewed attempt to travel beyond the solar system, and it was written off when its telemetry failed.
In The Royale, the Enterprise-D finds a piece of hull bearing a United States flag with fifty-two stars in orbit of the eighth planet of Theta 116, far beyond any distance the ship could have covered alone. On the surface is a single habitable structure reproducing a hotel and casino.
Unknown aliens had contaminated the Charybdis and killed its crew by accident. To make amends they built Richey a home modelled on a pulp novel found aboard, Hotel Royale, taking it for a guide to human life. He lived in it for thirty-eight years.