USS Kaskaskia
The fictional USS Kaskaskia was one of two runabouts detached to the [USS Khai Tam (ficticious vessel)|USS Khai Tam]] when she set out on her maiden voyage. The Danube-class runabouts gave extra reach to the Khai Tam's sphere of influence. It is the Starfleet tradition to name ships of the class for Rivers, in this case the Kaskia River in Illinois on Earth.
Origin
The Kaskaskia River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, which runs through central and southern Illinois where Colin Toenjes grew up. When developing ideas for the Technical Manual, Colin and author Kevin McNulty decided to name each of the two runabouts after a river by where they grew up. Colin's pick of the Kaskaskia was a well thought out choice.
Usage
It became common after that to start referring to Kevin's car as the Santa Ana and Colin's as the Kaskaskia, especially on away missions when both would be in caravan. When Colin left, he said that he was taking the Kaskaskia with him literally and figuratively. From that day, the ficticious Khai Tam never again embarked the Kaskaskia. The replacement runabout turned out to be the Appalachacola, though no one's sure if Kevin actually told anyone that.
