Under the command of her first captain, Leland Bell, the Dauntless joined the Seventh Fleet in 2365. Her first assignments were routine - some would call them "milk runs." This changed rapidly when she was involved in a series of skirmishes with a flight of Romulan warbirds in a disputed area of the Alpha Quadrant. The Dauntless acquitted herself with distinction, holding the area until other Starfleet vessels could come to her aid. This action earned her first Unit Citation.