In 2380, under the command of Commodore Joshua Kemper, the Dauntless was assigned to hunt down her sister ship, the USS Excalibur. To that end, she rendezvoused with the Starfleet ETV USS Hermes to take aboard Admiral Edward Jellico, who was overseeing the mission. When the Excalibur was found disabled, Commodore Kemper ordered her immediate destruction, but was eventually overriden by Admiral Jellico. (NF novel: Blind Man's Bluff)