Himiko-class Light Escort

This class of ship currently consists only of its prototype, YSS Miharu, and a test type, YSS Asamoya.

The Miharu is a tentative design for a heavily armored and well-shielded exploratory and ambassadorial vessel within the cadre of Project Himiko, begun by SARA in YE 28 before the SMX made their stunning comeback. The prototype's birth began under less than auspicious circumstances as a surveyor-science vessel, but as explorations beyond the boundaries of the Yamataian Star Empire became secondary to the survival of the Empire itself; it was quickly retooled in early YE 29 with the latest advances in defensive and offensive systems to be an anti-mishhuvurthyar warship focused on independant operations.

Produced under less than ideal conditions as far as the accepted normal sequence of research, development, testing, and evaluation were concerned; the Miharu did boast a panoply of state-of-the-art components and design innovations which made it stand out in its own right. A rapid-fire aether beam cannon inspired off the 'Snowdrop' aether shock array, shield-piercing Mishhuvurthyar-inspired turreted particle cannons and multi-layered regenerative shield system were noteworthy mentions in its arsenal, as well as the detachable rear quarter of the vessel - dubbed 'Kansashi-type auxiliary ship' - which could serve either for fire support of the main section or as an independant base of operation for planetbound missions.

Joining deadly tactical prowess with creature comfort, the prototype - despite being only one step toward the completion of the tried-and-tested Himiko-class light cruiser - fits well in the Ketsurui Fleet Yards proud lineup of highly performant, high-quality ship designs.

Project Himiko was originally spawned with the hopes that, with the war with the Mishhuvurthyar blowing over, the Star Army of Yamatai could return its expeditionary fleets to the task of seeking out new habitable star systems and sentient races to parley and joining in their growing interstellar Empire. Stark reality, however, butted in as the Mishhuvurthyar made a comeback in late YE 28. With the Star Army barely holding them off, non-essential projects such as an exploratory and ambassadorial starships was left to the sides in favor of churning more tried-and-true warships in support of the battered fleets.

The Star Army Research Administration did not give up on the design, since the spaceframe was sound and tried to adapt it to meet their current needs. New technology either inspired to better defend against the Mishhuvurthyar or reverse-engineered from their enemy were put on the list of modifications to the design, which also included powerful engines and thick battleship-grade armor to take full advantage of the latest variable pod repair technology.

One bit of new technology which was in high priority for the experimental design was a new type of regenerative shielding which would possibly nullify one of the biggest advantages Mishhuvurthyar weaponry had on the Ketsurui Fleet Yard design: the ability to tear through the defensive shield system of even state-of-the-art vessels such as the Chiharu-class flagship and the Sakura-class light gunship. The concept behind Regenerative Shielding was to not only constantly shift the moulation and frequency of the shield while engaged, but also to constantly and completely re-initialize the combined field system in different layers, maintaining maximum coverage with maximum protective power during combat situations. This would be accomplished with a redundant system of field generators - when one particular portion of the combined field fell below acceptable levels, the secondary systems would immediately take over and shore up the failing barrier. When the primary field generators rebuilt the shields to standard operating levels, the back-up generators would immediately switch to hot-standby until the combined field suffered another attack.

With the new defensive screens, rapid firing main weapon battery, four-front facing positron railguns, the addition of a mounted dual torpedo launcher, the long-range rapid firing shield piercing particle cannons and the massive complement of 168 weapon pods; anticipations ran high on the ship design as a potent and hardy weapon platform, despite its lack of anti-fleet weaponry (a conscious choice, as space engagements included fewer and fewer vessels and that the wide-ranging effects of anti-fleet weapons were politically hazardous). In conjunction with the latest avances in interdiction field technology, improved sublight engines were a must to keep the Miharu prototype competitive with KFY's other high-speed skirmisher design, the Sakura gunships.

However, as promising as the prototype had seem, initial field testing proved extremely disappointing - the Miharu had barely left Scorpio Base's docks on its own and the combined field system had failed to initiate itself in the nebula's environment, despite the new field's touted superior capability to cope with particle displacement wake faster-than-light travel caused.

The vessel's great mass due to its unprecedented thick armor demanded a higher engine output than originally considered, with the Miharu's power supplies unable to meet the demand within an acceptable margin because of the inability to adequately power its new combined field system, which hogged so much power due to its new generative function that it barely left anything for the operation of the other systems on the ship. With the inability to change the vessel's double-layered zesuaium space frame and the infeasibility of increasing the size of the already sprawling gravimetric arrays and four aetheric power generators due to the unacceptable drop in stealth capabilities (vital to the ship's anticipated solitary role).

Designers were stumped. There was no way the Miharu could be a feasible warship with the new technology they had tried to equip with its unseemly power demands.

However, the shining success of the new land power armors proved to be the ship's saving grace. Using the M5-1A Harpy's capacitor power reserve system as their inspiration, the designer's had their construction crew remove the whole positron rail gun assemblies on each sides of the ship's nose and replaced them with custom built, massive rechargeable reserve power capacitors which would store the power needed while the Miharu was in a non-combat situation - hopefully enough to allow the vessel to obliterate whatever opponent came in its way before its reserves gave out.

Success crowned their newest modification, as the Miharu became functional enough for SAINT to decide they needed the new design for a secret investigation which could have decisive repercussions to how the war would unfold and using a ship class unknown to the other sides intel was an appealing prospect (as SAINT intel had become rather unreliable of late faced to the new tactics the Mishhuvurthyar employed, which could even involve Nekovalkyrja inside agents).

As the ship's new crew assembled at the secret Scorpio base, work feverishly continued on the newly registered NJ-X1-00 YSS Miharu. The 168 weapon pods initially intended for the ship were pulled out in favor of only 36 of the new, quick launching variable pods and a 30% reduction in the combined field energy output. While the modifications severely cut into the vessel's point-defense systems and FTL speed, the reductions were still within an acceptable margin and allowed enough respite to the quartet of aetheric generators to allow a steady recharge of the power capacitors even while under combat conditions. Xiulurium-coated Zesuaium plates were also added atop the yamataium hull to give the ship more lasting power (YARD-type variable pods could come and focus their repair functions on exposed portions of the hull once the indestructible cover was blown off).

One of the lasting disappointment of the Miharu remains its much diminished top speed (from the hoped for 300 000c to barely over 190 000c), the middling sublight speed between the Nozomi and Sakura-classes and the finite energy reserves which makes the vessel unable to fight long-engagements. While it stands as unlikely that the Himiko-class design lineage will be easily identifiable as descending from the Miharu due to the massive spaceframe and hull recomposition which will be required for the YSS Himiko class pathfinder, the prototype escort is already out to make its mark in early YE 29.

• Type 29 Nekovalkyrja Experimental Escort
• Class: Ke-C3X-1 Himiko
• Designer: Star Army Research Administration
• Manufacturer: Ketsurui Fleet Yards
• Production: YSS Miharu and YSS Asamoya

• Crew: A minimum of one operator, Standard Crew is 8 (two shifts of three, a cook and a captain)
• Pilots: 5 Officers, 16 enlisted. Total of 21 when fully manned.
• Maximum Capacity: Standard accommodations are for 34 crew members. The ship can convert its internal room layout to accommodate enlisted quarters into 4-bunk rooms, officer quarters into 6-bunk rooms and passenger suites into 8-bunk rooms to support up to 164 crew. Maximum capacity is 320.

Main Hull + Auxiliary Ship

• Length: 218 meters
• Width: 131 meters
• Height: 31 meters
• Decks: 3
• Mass: 4 634 057 kg (4,403.218 tonnes)

Main Hull only

• Length: 169 meters
• Width: 131 meters
• Height: 31 meters
• Decks: 3
• Mass: 4 403 218 kg

Auxiliary Ship only

• Length: 150 meters
• Width: 42 meters
• Height: 7 meters
• Decks: 1
• Mass: 230 839 kg

• Speed (STL): .341c (~102,229 kilometers per second)
• Speed (CFS): 0.01 to 12,833c (1.46 ly/hr) using combined distortion system.
• Speed (Hyperspace Fold): 210,834c (0.40 LY/min)
• Speed (Aerial): Mach 8 in atmosphere (With shields). The ship has landing gear and full VTOL capability.
• Speed (Water): Up to 41 knots underwater. Can float on the surface with its anti-gravity generators.

• Speed (STL): 0.04c
• Speed (CFS): 0.01 to 3,652.5c (10 ly/day) using combined distortion system.
• Speed (Hyperspace Fold): N/A
• Speed (Aerial): 516kph (320mph) in atmosphere. The ship has landing gear and full VTOL capability.
• Speed (Water): Up to 20 knots underwater. Can float on the surface with its anti-gravity generators.

• Speed (STL): .3c (~89,937 kilometers per second)
• Speed (CFS): 0.01 to 11,666c (1.33 ly/hr) using combined distortion system.
• Speed (Hyperspace Fold): N/A
• Speed (Aerial): Mach 12 in atmosphere. The ship has landing gear and full VTOL capability.
• Speed (Water): Up to 50 knots underwater. Can float on the surface with its anti-gravity generators.

• Range (Distance): Limited only by the lifespan of the vessel. Crew can be put in stasis indefinitely.
• Range (Support): The vessel should replenish life support at least every year to insure higher quality of life.
• Lifespan: The vessel is expected to operate for 5 years of constant use.
• Refit Cycle: Frequent modifications to increase the ship's performance. The vessel is a prototype testing new technologies: flaws are expected. Complete overhaul planned in YE 30, based on observations of how the ship will perform in the field.

In every room on the ship which has more than one door, there are fire-fighting stations. These stations are designed to enable Star Army soldiers to extinguish fires aboard the starship. Each contains two environmental suits, a hose and pumping system, and two portable Fire Extinguisher 🧯s for smaller fires. The hoses mix a concentrated solution mixed with the ship's emergency water stores to produce an water-borne foam that forms a fire-protective film that suffocates fires and prevents spreading onto coated surfaces. High-powered air treatment, venting systems and atmospheric fields also assist in clearing smoke from areas.

This passageway, roughly rectangular with rounded edges, is lined up with white square-shaped cushions with light strips providing its length with soft illumination. The passage remains devoid of gravity, even when the ship lies inside another gravity well, and so passengers whom are unable to propel themselves in the way of Nekovalkyrja and Yamataians need to resort to strong loops of cloth, placed here and there along the cushions, to pull themselves about. The passageway is vertical and is about 7 meters long, 5 meters wide - individuals leaving it for an horizontal passage will have gravity slowly pull them back down to the floor.

In case of emergency, the cushions can be removed to reveal lockers containing emergency supplies such as field ration packs, 2-gallon water jugs, AMES suits and field surgery kits.

Various small crawl ways line the insides of the ship - small enough to forbid access to a power armored soldier - reinforced with support frames and crossed over with power conduits, pipes and wiring. These allow access to some of the ship's more remote components. Every bit as noisy as the machinery in the subdeck (and often tied to it anyhow), these passages purpose is to allow the ship's personnel to be able to effect maintenance and repairs to keep the vessel in good working order. Unlike the subdeck, the ship's Integrated Electronic Suite has no audio/video reception in these areas (unless a communicator is used or a sprite is present).

Trapdoors next to the entryways to the officer quarter's on the upper deck lead down and open up in proximity to the ship's dorsal launching escape pods, the sensor dome and the monitor room.

The damage control chambers next to the main engineering has several branching access ways leading to each sides of the aether beam cannon and up the vessel's nose to access the sensor and communication arrays.

From the damage control rooms adjacent to the wing engine chambers, conduits lead partly into the flaring part of the gravimetric engines and maneuvering thrusters arrays.

Again from the damage control rooms adjacent to the wing engine chambers, a tunnel way leads up to the rollbar section, providing access to the variable weapon pod storage, fabrication and launch systems. Going further up leads to the central pod which holds the twin torpedo launcher system, the ammunition bay and loading system as well as the small fabrication rooms generating the vessel's payload. The tunnel then branches off, offering access up to the sensor pod and fire control systems on the top of the rollbar's central pod, or to access the crawlway which would lead through the other side of the rollbar and down to the damage control room on the opposite side of the ship.

The auxiliary ship's engine room has twin crawlways branching to access the two turreted particle cannons and the communication and sensor system there.

Installed throughout the ship in unobtrusive nooks and crannies, these phones will work without power because sound waves acts as the source of current in the phone circuit. Because of the nature of these phones, each receiver is also transmitter; this means you can talk into the ear piece if your mouthpiece is broken and vice versa. These do not function in a vacuum.

The weapons locker are small storage containers for firearms aboard the Miharu. There's are two per deck, on each side of the prow-toward-stern entry into the Main Passageway. Shaped like a rather large, impact resistant enclosure not dissimilar to a suitcase, they are opened by disengaging two locking clamps before taking grasp of the handle and pulling it down to snap it open (the container door is hinged on a bottom pivot point). The MEGAMI insures that only the commanding officer, the executive officer and the ship's armorer can freely unlock the clamps, unless there is a major power failure, a computer failure or that battle stations are sounded (they will not budge otherwise).

Each container contains the following (most firearms are muzzle facing upwards for ease of retrieval):

• Ke-M4-2901 Light Armor Service Rifles, with 6 additional magazines of ammunition each.
• 4 Type 28 Nekovalkyrja Submachineguns with 20 additional BR-SMG battery magazines

The upper deck of the ship covers most of the amenities for the crew. Most of the public areas there are wider than usual for non-capital ship; with a soft decor (earthen tones) and studio lighting to help provide a cozy and relaxing atmosphere. Interior furnishings are generally made to be pleasing and comfortable over opulent.

Placed right in the hub of where the ship's most powerful sensors are located, the dome itself serves as a specialized area which, for all intent and purposes, is a science lab. It contains a large holographic emitter array to properly show in stellar phenomenon in three-dimensions, along with several multi-function workstations. Equipment in the lab are dedicated to mainly studying astronomical sciences (astrophysics, stellar cartography, stellar dynamics), but also have the necessities to cover planetary sciences (geology) and physical sciences (engineering simulations, quantum mechanics). The chamber can conveniently serve for briefings, presentations, communications (easily doubling up as a multiple squadron command center) and any other task requiring access to advanced sensors.

The monitor room contains three comfortable gray suede leather chairs (all with SPINE interfaces), surrounded by technical readouts and information, white walls and a white ceiling. Designed for monitoring and controlling the computer and the starship, the monitor room is filled with many screens, both small and large, pouring out data and schematics. Several holographic panels float around the chairs in midair, too.

While command of the vessel is usually taken from the bridge of the auxiliary ship, the monitor room serves as an auxiliary control station should the 'main' bridge be compromised and as the main control station of the primary hull should the auxiliary ship disconnect.

Placed close to the monitor room and the sensor dome, two hatches can be opened to reveal four of the ship's ten escape pods. All personnel situated on the upper deck should head for these should the order to abandon ship be given.

A trapdoor positioned before the upper decks officer quarters lead to a small slide which allow quick access to the escape pods.

Four rooms, two inside each of the upper deck's living quarter area, are reserved for officers. They each have a large transparent Zesuaium window, a comfortable queen-sized bed, a dresser, a bookshelf (with straps across the books to keep them from going anywhere if gravity failed) and a work desk with a reclining chair. A closet is in the far back of the room. There is no bathroom.

Just outside each pair of officer quarters is a hatch on the floor which provides quick access to the upper deck's escape pods. Officer quarters can be altered into becoming a six-bunk room within 7 hours with the help of the ship's nodal system. Each room can be converted to a 'nest' configuration with the bedding actually being in a depression in the floor, should the occupant wish it - that alteration takes about one hour to do and is meant only for a single occupant.

These quarters have a single, twin-size bed, a small white desk and chair as their only pieces of furniture. On the wall opposite to the door are various storage compartments for clothing and personal items. Rooms this size are usually meant to be occupied by two crewmembers on other star army ships, so, despite the smaller size, it is very good by the standards of enlisted soldiers. They do not, however, have their own bathrooms.

Enlisted quarters can be converted into two to four-bunk rooms within about five hours with the help of the ship's nodal system. Each room can be converted to a 'nest' configuration with the bedding actually being in a depression in the floor, should the occupant wish it - that alteration takes about one hour to do and is meant only for a single occupant.

Each living quarter area shares a common laundry room. Each of these rooms contain specialized front-loading washing machines and dryers lined up on the far wall; all designed to survive heavy use and allow to care for a wide range of fabrics, from delicate to coarse. Capacities of each machines allow up to 125 pounds of dry weight laundry.

Cleaning supplies such as detergent, fabric softener and bleach are provided by a dispenser next to the door.</ul>

Larger than the officer quarters, the ship's suites can serve the needs of the ship's commanding officer or as guest rooms for important visitors. Each contain a living area, a bedroom, and a bathroom area. The living area has a large desk area with a work terminal, along with a couch and a small table with two chairs. The bedroom has a queen-sized bed along with a dresser along with a walk-in closet. The bathroom has a sink and mirror (the mirror acts as a door to a small compartment behind it), a toilet and a shower.

A Passenger Suite can be altered into becoming a eight-bunk room within 9 hours with the help of the ship's nodal system. Each room can be converted to a 'nest' configuration with the bedding actually being in a depression in the floor, should the occupant wish it - that alteration takes about one hour to do and is meant only for a single occupant.

Effectively restrooms shared by the occupants on each side of the living quarter areas, they are partitioned into 4 cubicles with the washing facilities (three sinks before a large mirror) separate. There is an hand drier next to the sinks as well as a compartment holding towels, spare cleaning wipes and other amenities to attend to the crew's hygiene. There are no urinals.

It is okay to flush a toilet inside a Star Fortress: waste is not expelled, but recycled and resequenced to useful components by the ship (through the HSCS-2).

The ship's two recreation rooms are long, slightly curved rooms containing bookcase with popular novels of various genres (generally clumped into series), data pads containing news headlines (updated by the MEGAMI-IES when contact with SANDRA is possible), specialized video game consoles with a sizable selection of well-rated games and exercising equipment (of the domestic kind - the recreation room is not a professional gym).

A separate chamber holds virtual reality equipment system which would make use of the ship's holography and nodal system to create fictitious interactive environments (simulations generally provide a microcosm impression: movement in large outdoor areas are supported even though the size of the chamber itself could be much smaller).

The virtual reality room has safety settings which prevents a simulation from dealing lasting harm to a subject. These safety settings can only be lessened with authorization from either the chief medical officer, the executive officer or the commanding officer. Only the commanding officer can approve a no-safety setting (which can result in lethal repercussions).

The public baths are heavily based on the facilities of a Japanese bathhouse, except that it is for both sexes.

Entry is attained only though the dressing room, where one must undress before accessing the bathing area. The floor of the dressing room is covered with tatami mats and contains lockers for clothing. There is an equipment shelf for storing stacks of woven baskets, soap, shampoo, towels (towels come in two varieties: large and soft for drying and smaller scrub towers for washing), combs, shower caps, sealed toothbrush packages, toothpaste and sealed shaving equipment.

A sliding door allows passage to the larger bathing area (and also keep the heat and steam from spreading out). The floor is a mosaic of smooth but slightly porous tiles (which allows better grip for bare feet and lessens to risk of injury through unfortunate slips). On one side is a set of short stools which users can take to sit before the washing stations lining each walls leading to the baths beyond - each station has a shower head overlooking two faucets. At the end of the room are two bathtubs (one lukewarm and the other very warm) and the wall has a large illustration of a sunset as seen from the black beaches of Port Xenn.

The kitchen is divided in four sections: the serving area, the galley, the scullery and food storage. The cook can access it though a door which leads directly to the scullery.

The serving area is where the cook typically serves his meals. A crew member or one of the cook attendants would come and retrieve the completed dish, or set it back there for retrieval and washing. The serving counter has a depression meant to hold trays and a cool (refrigerated) glassy booth which offers snacks to the crew in non-eating hours, buffet style.

The galley, effectively the heart of the kitchen, is section most operated by the cook and his staff in preparing cuisine for the crew and guests. It contains two ovens, two convection ovens, two microwave ovens, a rapid-warming electronic stove, a refrigerator and freezers, a toaster, blender, waffle irons, mixers, meat slicers… among other things. Most surfaces are stainless steel.

The scullery is where most of the messy kitchen work takes place (such as butchering). Utensil cleaning and dish washing are the most common.

Food storage, at the very back of the facility, include walk in refrigerators and freezers as well as the fresher foodstuff not held in the main deck's cargo storage. The end of this area actually is multi-level and can reach up to the elevation of the starboard living area: that is a lot of storage space.

Serving as the ship's main gathering area, the Miharu's wardroom is situated nearly at the rearmost end of the Upper Deck and is designed with several transparent Zesuaium windows to offer a spectacular view of space behind of the vessel (just over the hull of the auxiliary ship). The large room is accessed by from the main passageway and branches off to lead into the public baths, the kitchen, up flight of stairs port and starboard leading to the crew quarters and finally short climb of stairs extends further into the observation deck to the stern.

The location is equipped with a four round tables, each with four chairs set near the windows, while two large rectangular tables (which contain cast iron grills for teppanyaki cooking) with eight chairs each are set further inward. The kitchen staff will typically wait for any crew coming during meal hours. Additionally, bolted-down furniture like soft couches, sofas and coffee tables run about the place invitingly, accompanied by a handful of large potted ferns.

The Miharu's wardroom, aside from being used in the capacity of dining room and lounge, is also the place to hold many official shipboard functions such as weddings, diplomatic gatherings, the change of command ceremony, birthdays and other parties for individual ship personnel, concerts and funerals.

The observation deck is actually an elevated extension of the Miharu's wardroom with serves the purpose of being part lounge/relaxation area and part botanical garden. With the same stunning view of space provided by Zesuaium windows, the observation deck's center has many soft leather couches (some with backing, some not) with the edges of the deck where the fauna grows. Under special lighting, a variety of fern, flowers and other plants grow for either the entertainment, the study or even the nourishment of the ship's crew.

There is no automated systems surrounding the said plants - they must be tended in the traditional manner. Squat containers at the entrance of the deck provide with the tools needed to nurture them. In the event of gravity failure, the deck's gravity plating has an auxiliary power source to avert the kind of messes loose black earth could do in 0G.

The main deck, a more spartan environment to the Upper Deck, is mainly dedicated to the some of the ship's more utilitarian operations. The major focus of this level is the connection to the auxiliary craft and vehicle/cargo management.

The ship's main computer is held in a heavily armored room at the front of the ship - close to the medical laboratory and the main sensors. The door (reinforced, but not the blast shutter type) can only be accessed by certified Kessaku personnel or the ship's commanding officer.

Fabrication Rooms, adjoining each cargo areas and the ammunition bay in the ship's rollbar area, are *Assembly: Main Deck (1 of 2 rooms)

• Ke-M4-2A “Sylph II”
  • Production Time: 12 hours
  • Assembly: Main Deck (1 of 2 rooms)

• Ke-M5-1A “Harpy”
  • Production Time: 12 hours
  • Assembly: Main Deck (1 of 2 rooms)

• Ke-M6-1B “Daisy”
  • Production Time: 16 hours
  • Assembly: Main Deck (1 of 2 rooms)

• Ke-T4-1a “Fox” Aeroshuttle
  • Production Time: 6 hours
  • Assembly: Main Deck (2 rooms), piecemeal: require 2 crew for final assembly

• Ke-V2-1B “Uriko”
• Production Time: 18 hours
  • Note: Zesuiaum spare parts are available to outfit two V2 Uriko bombers with appropriate armor.
• Assembly: Main Deck (2 rooms), piecemeal: require 4 crew for final assembly

• Ke-C3-W2903 Variable Weapon Pods
  • Production Time: 1 hour
  • Assembly: Rollbar Launchers (36, store 1 each)

• AS-5 series torpedo
  • Production Time: 30 minutes
  • Assembly: Rollbar Ammunition Bay siderooms (1 of 2)

• AS-7 series torpedo
• Production Time: 45 minutes
• Assembly: Rollbar Ammunition Bay siderooms (1 of 2)

• Chibi-Megami Probe
  • Production Time: 4 hours
  • Assembly: Rollbar Ammunition Bay siderooms (1 of 2)

The main medical center of the ship (more commonly known as the &quot;medlab&quot;) is responsible for the health care and well being of the crew. The area is also tasked with analysis of new life forms the ship would make contact with and developing treatments for unknown diseases or illnesses. When rendering aid to a stricken planet or spacecraft, the sickbay staff treats and cares for the wounded. It usually serves in the role of an infirmary ward, but the facilities are versatile and can have their use extended to experimentation, memory backups, body synthesis and even torture of prisoners.

The main area of the medical bay is rectangular, with one entry and two doors on the starboard side leading to containment cells. Two doorways (covered by curtains) toward the ship's prow lead to the mental backup center and to a small examination room. On the port side the wall is covered in cabinets of medical supplies and refrigerators. There are four beds in this room and a variety of scanners on the ceiling. The beds have restraining straps on them.

These cells are used for specimen storage and also double as a brigs. They contain a removable bed, food dispensing system, and a small toilet. These rooms can clean themselves and sterilize their equipment automatically using a combination of mechanical and nodal processes.

This is a smaller examination room isolated in its own cubicle. It contains a single bed (complete with restraining straps) and a row of cabinets on one side, as well as a small desk and a cushioned rolling chair. This allows some privacy for examinations or operations when the medical bay is busy, and typically serves as the doctor's office space.

A small alcove in the medical bay that contains a bed sitting underneath a special device used to make complete backup's of a person's mind (including memories) for storage on the ship's computer. This device can also write from the ship's memory a mental backup into a body.

These tubes are filled with fluid based on Nekovalkyrja blood, which analyzes and repairs injuries and defects to the occupant's body. They're used when a crew member has taken major damage. The tubes can also generate new bodies for mental backups to be written to.

The Miharu has twin cargo storage areas which hug around the multi-function bays and are also connected to the main hull's fabrication rooms. The floor holds a conveyor system which, accompanied by a couple of mechanical loading arms, serve to load and offload palettized cargo. Most of the supplies held are, namely, non-perishable foodstuffs, extra non-live ordnance, repair parts, extra power armors, raw components for the nodal system to recycle and form finished products. It holds mostly mission-essential supplies for the most part.

A hefty amount of space is dedicated to these two large chambers in the center of the ship. Both chambers, sporting the traditional glossy black-tiled floor, are used both as cargo space and as a launch point for crafts such as shuttles and starfighters. The twin multi-function bays attach themselves to the ones on the auxiliary craft to augment their size and storage space, though two layers of segmented armored shutters can seal access in between those two (and are typically placed when separation occurs to prevent exposure to vaccuum and shield the ship's insides properly) - both can be partitioned from each other even when connected.

Shuttles and power armors usually leave through the auxiliary ship exits. For larger crafts like starfighters, the ventral hoverplatforms (usually used when the ship is grounded to load cargo) are used to lower them out through an atmospheric field so they can depart into space.

One can gain entry to the bays either through the decontamination rooms (which both open up on catwalks with stairs leading down to the bays' floor); the cargo storage holds; from the auxiliary ship's smaller multi-function bays; from the elevator platform coming from the rear damage control rooms on the Sub Deck; and finally the loading platforms, which work through small inertial drive units instead of traditional hydraulics to lower themselves down in relation to the ship.

Each multi-function bays can be accessed through a decontamination room that includes a changing room (including a bench and multiple lockers), a restroom (with stalls and single sink) with the decon room itself having several stalls with shower-heads. A sealed airlock leads out on a catwalk inside the multi-function bays.

The main passageway extends into this horizontal access way which is part airlock, part docking anchor mechanism between the Miharu's main hull and the auxiliary vessel. When separation is done, much of the length of this passage are retracted, much like an accordion, and then covered with a segmented armored shutter.

On each outer sides of the multi-function bays are hydrolic-powered elevator platforms which can ferry cargo down directly to the rear damage control rooms in the Sub Deck. A metal grid is typically raised as the elevator goes up to the deck above to avoid anyone being stuck underneath at a point where the platform would descend back down.

This deck presents itself very differently from the two others. The first thing that stands out are the much loud hum of the ship's internal machinery: unlike the two other decks, the Sub Deck has very few maintenance conduits simply because about every component there is exposed. Cables and HSCS tubing are obvious as they run on the sidewalls, under a gridded floor and above on the ceiling along with circuit panels, power transformers, condensators and such.

Entry to the Sub Deck leads directly to the Miharu's main engineering. Set just behind the main gun, the engineering is packed with noisy machinery, console displays and systems related to the ship's most fundamental functions. The primary aether power generator stands centered of the room close the main gun primary energy feed with a great many power conduits going out on the sides and disappearing into the walls (mainly going over to the capacitors). The hyperspace fold unit is anchored down on the left side of the engine room and the combined distorsion field system opposes it on the other side, the spherical generator mounted atop a small platform, held aloft with gyroscopic ring supports.

Two grid-floored passages split toward the port and starboard sides of the room, each splitting up to lead toward either damage control rooms or the capacitor system chambers on each sides of the Sub Deck. A couple of maintenance conduits spring from the engineering (generally accessed through the gridded flooring).

Branching off on each side of the engineering are two long chambers spanning a good portion of the Miharu's forward hull (the ceiling is quite high, vertically extending up to the main deck level). Dominating the length of each of these chambers is a large array of blocky power capacitors; with monitoring consoles, wiring and cabling. Gridding covers the ceiling and floor sections of the chamber, covering the numerous regenerative barrier generators whom rest there. The stern-end of the room holds the machinery and systems for the ventral and dorsal retractable subspace encased particle cannon turrets.

Aside from the small cleared area on the inner side of the ship where a sidewalk allows access to the wing engine area, and the small ladders placed here and there to be able to get atop the large capacitor banks; the chambers are so crowded that 'chambers' is a generous appellation: the workspace allowed could nearly have been called 'crawlways'.

The walkway from the capacitor chamber passes through a sealed door and into the secondary engineering sections, dubbed 'wing engine areas'. The smaller rooms contain aether power generators of their own whom are primarily used to feed power to the Miharu's large fin-like gravimetric engines, power the particle cannons or recharge the regenerative shield/capacitor systems. Facing the front of the ship is the machinery dedicated to the matter conversion system, while a considerable part of the back-end of the room is dedicated to machinery and the monitoring stations for the gravimetric arrays and primary maneuvering thrusters. A larger combined field generator dedicated to defensive functions rests on the outer side of the room, and the back rear corner opens up to the rear damage control stations.

There are four major damage control stations in the Sub Deck of the Miharu. These stations not only serve as repair part and tool storage, but are also where most of the ship's maintenance conduits and HSCS tubing spring from to then branch out in various areas of the ship.

The stations typically contain at least the following components (and more spare parts can be stored in the back section or the ship's cargo storage areas on the main deck):

• Power cables
• 2 Portable aether generators (2)
• Hull patch kits
• Engineering kit (Portable energy-analysis station and repair kit for mechanical, electrical, or structural difficulties. Provides sufficient tools and diagnostic equipment to repair most items aboard the ship)
• Welding and cutting equipment
• 3 Environmental Suits

The twin frontal stations are closest to the main engineering and have sealed doors which are opened manually with a valve handle. The twin rear stations are directly accessed from the wing engine sections; they hold the area of the loading elevator, a large stash of spare parts and access to the escape pods (it is generally a good idea to keep the rear damage control stations tidy to allow easy access to where the escape pods are stored; no one wants to be tripping over spare parts when the order to abandon ship is given).

Hidden behind vertical shutter hatches on the rear walls of the rear damage control stations, four of the ship's ten escape pods await (2 on each sides). All personnel situated on the sub deck should head for these should the order to abandon ship be given.

Two hatches nearest to the connecting passage to the main hull provide access to the inner workings of the Auxiliary ship's gravimetric engines. Each cramped room has a small monitoring console, many power conduits lining up its insides (when both ship sections are connected, power transfers and ship resources are pooled through that location. The gridded floor can be opened up to grant access to the variable pod launchers, anti-gravity generators and the two stern landing struts.

The small gravimetric engines lack efficient heat sinks, so, the room is uncomfortably hot despite the working life support system. It is inadvisable to be in one of the maintenance areas while the gravimetric engines are functional: temperature can reach dangerously high levels, sufficient to make any surface scalding hot.</ul>

Smaller than their counterparts on the main hull, the two, black-tiled bays on the auxiliary ship remain large enough to comfortably hold one T4 Fox shuttle or two with less room to work about (for a maximum capacity of 2 each - 4 shuttles total).

Entry and egress from the bay is done through the frontal opening (the one leading out into space, typically facing the stern when the auxiliary ship is interconnected with the main hull) which is covered in an atmospheric field as common to KFY rapid-launch bays. When both bays are joined, shuttles and power armors stowed in the main hull's bays will usually fly out of the auxiliary ship's openings.

Access to the ship's power armors can be obtained on the inner side of the bays (and beyond the decontamination rooms and the armories) in addition of a closed-off cargo storage chambers.

When the bays are unused, armor covers (labeled '01' to starboard and '02' to port). The rear part of the bay can be partitioned off from the larger multi-function bays on the main hull with segmented armor covers (the larger bays have its own segmented covering) and will be shut closed when both ship section undergo separation.

Two small cargo bays allow the auxiliary ship to hold its share of cargo containers. Since main cargo storage is left to the main hull, the storage chambers will generally be used to hold Cargo that will be eventually offloaded in the main hull's cargo bays or to hold supplies to increase the autonomy and range of the auxiliary vessel, such as spare parts and foodstuffs.

The title 'decon rooms' refer to a narrow chamber combination of changing room, toilet room, and a decontamination room with showers. Access to the power armor bays can be gained through an airlock (and beyond to the auxiliary ship's multifunction bays.

Like the multi-function bays, the floor is a glossy, polished black and the walls are made of the typical gray paneling found in most Star Army ships. Specially designed racks and a mass of red straps and black buckles hang on the wall where power armor would be if the ship is fully manned.

There are ten racks in total, typically holding two Mindy power armor, one Harpy power armor and seven Daisy power armors. The prow-side (relative to the auxiliary ship) of the power armor bays lead to the armories, where most of the hardware the powered armor use are taken out by the vessel's assigned armorer.

Located next to each power armor bays and accessible through hatches near the command section of the auxiliary ship, the armories are armored, cooled, static-free vaults that contains small arms for the crew, and, more importantly, payload for the power armors stored nearby.

Access to the armories is typically given to the ship's armorer, the executive and commanding officers, as well as pilots when battlestations are sounded.

Each armories holds:

• 8 Ke-M4-2901 "LASR", SLAG attachmentwith 6 additional magazines of ammunition each type.
• 2 Ke-M2-W2901 Aether Beam Saber-Rifle's with 10 BR-M20 magazines and attachment cables
• 4 Ke-M2-W2905 Shoulder-Fired 50mm Gauss Cannon
• 4 Ke-M2-W2906 Shoulder-Fired Missile Pod
• 1 Ke-M2-W2909 Accelerated Plasma Rifle
• 2 Ke-M2-P2900 Teleportation Units
• 2 Ke-M2-W2704 Nodal Support Bit Launcher
• 2 Ke-M2-W2905-BPX Gauss Cannon Backpack Extension
• 1 Ke-M2-P2903 Hyperspace Fold Booster
• 1 Ke-M2-P2904 Barrier Shield Module
• 1 Ke-M2-G2902 Nodal Fabrication Module
• 1 Ke-M4-P2902 Wing Pack for Sylph M4 Power Armor
• All shoulder-mounted mini-missiles for the Mindy M2's Ke-M2-W2906 Shoulder-Fired Missile Pod. (200 for 5 full loads)
  • Missiles: Ke-M2-W2906-MSAP
• All leg mounted augmentation pod mini-missiles for the Ke-M2-2A Mindy and the Ke-M6-1B Daisy. (2680 for 5 full loads)
  • Missiles: Ke-M6-W2901-IMM, Ke-M2-W2907-SDMM, Ke-M2-W2907-MFMA, Ke-M2-W2907-ARMA Ke-M2-W2908-MSAP
• All Nodal Support BitsNodal Support Bits, Drones and Autonomous Tactical Drones for the Mindy M2 Power Armor and the Daisy M6 Power Armor (70 Daisy M6 Optional Tactical Drones, 120 Ke-M2-W2903-NSD and 240 Ke-M2-W2904-NSB for 5 loads)
• 10 Ke-M6-W2921 Atmospheric/Space Plasma Rifles with the Ke-M6-W2902 Atmospheric Plasma Rifle Adaptor for each
• 5 Ke-M6-P2902 Gravimetric Engine Thruster Pack *^*
• 25 Nekovalkyrja Service Pistol, Type 28 with 50 Additional BR-28 battery magazines
• 10 Nekovalkyrja Submachinegun, Type 28 with 10 additional BR-SMG battery magazines
• 20 Star Army Environmental Suit, Type 28 (AMES)
• Weapon maintenance supplies, cleaning kits, and spare parts (such as human grips)
• Explosives, grenades, other weapons, and body armor as needed and/or available

The auxiliary ship contains a well-equipped, but small combined laboratory and operating room (usually nicknamed “medlab”), designed for saving lives, but having many other uses as well, such as other medical procedures, torture, and experimentation (it has only one operating bed and one containment cell). The room can clean themselves and sterilize their equipment automatically.

Since it is right next to the C-IES, it also includes a ST backup device, though lack of space required the device to be attached to the single examination bed the small laboratory has.

The ship's secondary computer is held in a heavily armored room sandwiched between the medlab and the bridge. There is no direct access to the computer; one must go through a sealed crawlway under surelevated section of the bridge. The hatch seal can only be crossed by certified Kessaku personnel or the ship's commanding officer.

The auxiliary ship's bridge is the main operations center for the Miharu when both sections are connected; unless the whole vessel suffers tremendous structural trauma, the bridge should remain relatively safe as it is very well protected (especially due to the rear-half of the auxiliary ship being embedded in the main hull).

The rear area of the bridge is surelevated from the rest to divide the command area from the rest of the operations. The commander's chair sits roughly in the middle of the bridge just on the edge and overlooks on the stations below. A half-ring of fully programmable console brings to the commander's fingertips many functions of the ship through her direct control if need be, though the stations below offer more specialized monitors and control interfaces.

The rear bulkhead (behind the commander's chair) has a cushioned bench where bridge crewmembers may lounge - or offer extra seating space for crewmembers not part of the bridge staff, either to spectate, to consult and such (also applies to very important passengers). Higher on the wall is a large Master Situation Monitor which displays situationally relevant information such as damage, power distribution and other information for an easily accessible detailed overview of the Miharu's status.

To the commander's left is a set of stairs which descend the four feet required to reach the recessed portion of the bridge. While there are no stairs to the commander's right, an hatch allows access to a crawlway which goes under and across the rear section of the bridge to reach the C-IES armored chamber.

Below in the recessed portion of the deck, are three consoles. Directly to the fore of the commander is the communication/navigation console, usually called Flight Control. Sitting directly in front of the main holographic emitter, the station includes advanced flight control, astrometric navigation, relativistic effect monitors for high sublight speed travel, combined field geometry displays when traveling faster-than-light and finally fold drive system control for interstellar travel (note: while the Miharu's IES can manage most of these functions automatically, they are so critical that live supervision is required, especially in a crisis).

To the left of Flight Control is the Tactical Station, dedicated to defensive system control of the starship. Its layout includes information on the internal protection of the starship and crew (emergency systems status, escape pod status monitoring, atmospheric/forcefield system) as well as controls for the vessels weaponry (aether beam cannon, turreted particle cannons, variable pod configuration and launch, torpedo launcher system and ammunition loadout). Other functions the tactical console includes are graviton beam control, probe control, fire control-related sensor access as well as management of entry and egress from the ship for fighters, shuttle and power armors.

To the right of the Flight Control station is the Ship Operations console, which includes long-and-short-range sensor control, extensive access to the IES computer database, mission operation (monitoring the status of the crew to complete objectives outside the ship), environmental control (includes life support and HSCS-system control), power and resource management.

All the consoles on the bridge are digital touch screens which can be reconfigured to different function depending on need and task workload for smoother operations.

The auxiliary ship has a small galley next to the bridge and the lounge opposing the bathroom. It contains a microwave, a refrigerator, a freezer, a modest electric stove and oven, and a Coffee maker. There is enough space to store up to about three weeks worth of food; discounting foodstuffs added in cargo storage.

Opposite to the kitchenette, the auxiliary ship's bathroom is small and spartan, compressing in a small space a toilet, a sink (with hot and cold water faucets), a bath with shower head and compact washing machine and dryer.

A very comfortable space between all crew cabins with easy access to the bathroom and kitchenette, the auxiliary ship's lounge has thickly carpeted red walls, floor and ceiling with the Star Army Hinomari logo proudly woven into the center floor along with a hunch of bolted-down furniture with velvet covers and discrete Coffee tables spaced in between, adorned with soft lamps to provide with soft white lighting on the nightshift (when overall luminosity is dim).

Similar to their counterparts on the main hull, these cabins hold a twin-size bed, a small white desk and a chair. The wall opposing the door holds storage compartments.

They may be reconfigured into nests or into four-bunk rooms (the change taking an hour for the former and five hours for the latter).

The same as their counterparts on the main hull, these two rooms boast a zesuaium window to show a view of the outside, a queen-size bed, a dresser, a bookshelf and a workdesk with a reclining chair.

They may be reconfigured into nests or into six-bunk rooms (the change taking an hour for the former and seven hours for the latter).

The 'heart' of the auxiliary ship's system, the engine room is noisy, cramped and holds the machinery vital to the ship's autonomous operations such as the aetheric power and the combined field system which dominate the center of the room, with power capacitors lining the top and bottom of the room (accessible through the floor and ceiling gridded covers).

Crawlways lead further up the nose of the vessel, allowing access to the communication and sensor arrays, along with the components for the twin turreted particle cannons.

Positioned on each sides of the entry of the auxiliary ship's engine room, two hatches (one on either side) each lead to an escape pod - two of a total of ten on the Miharu. While the auxiliary ship is meant as an emergency craft in its own respect, these two pods provide a way out for up to a total of ten occupants should it be doomed (any more personnel would have to escape using shuttles, power armors or even AMES suits through the launch bays).

The Miharu’s primary space frame is constructed primarily of Zesuaium supports interlocked together. These are arranged in higher concentration around the sections of the vessel that are most likely to suffer abuse, such as around the engineering, wing engine areas and the raised area of the hull between the dorsal sensor dome, up the quarter areas and to the rollbar. It is also especially dense around where the auxiliary ship connects.

This secondary reinforcements serves to define the ship's deck and to give support for the equipment installed within. It is particularly dense around the monitor/sensor dome, the wardroom area and the multi-function bays.

The key substance that makes up the 150 centimeters-thick hull of the ship is Yamataium. Armor plates are made of Xiulurium-coated Zesuaium thinly coat the outside portion of the hull. Interior sections of the vessel are provided shielding by layering of Yarvex meshing across the internal structure. Zesuaium and Yamataium's main vulnerability is to antimatter weapons.

Zesuaium is a nonporous gray substance which does not conduct any form of electromagnetic radiation, including heat and electricity. It neither bends nor breaks, but will remain in a solid piece. The fabrication of Zesuaium takes place factory starships, where a certain substance is molded in the shape desired, and then is transmuted into the fixed Zesuaium form. The properties of Zesuaium are related to time energy.

Windows are made out of a special transparent Zesuaium which does not block visible light.

For stealth concealment, the armor plating is coated with Xiulurium. Xiulurium is a &quot;stealth&quot; armor that lacks protective value and is used to generate a stealth field around the vessel that renders most forms of active sensors ineffective against the starship. This stealth field generated by Xiulurium also masks the vessel's presence to scalar wave and quintessence differentialometer type sensors. Xiulurium is similar to Zanarium in composition, but this alloy is more flexible, requires less energy (to use its stealth), and has only negligible protective value. Xiulurium-S is made to interact efficiently with the repair systems and bond with Zesuaium-S.

Because Zesuaium armor is nearly impossible to repair, most of the ship's hull is primarily composed of Yamataium-S, a SARA-created artificial metalloid with self-healing molecular bonds. Under the guidance of the HSCS-3, the Yamataium can patch holes as needed in a matter of days. Yamataium-S is also made to interact efficiently with the repair systems and bond with Zesuaium-S.

A highly advanced, virtually impenetrable gluon mesh, used primarely on the more flexible parts of KFY-made power armors. Particles that make up protons (quarks and gluons) the gluons and quarks are strung together in a long chain using an alteration of Yang-Mills Theory. This permanently binds the quarks together so they may never be pulled apart. The resulting cloth like substance is impervious to penetration, although it does nothing to stop kinetic energy. All interior passageways and rooms are surrounded by Yarvex sheeting.

Damage Rating (Version 3)

The Miharu's hull armor value per section

• Main, Prow (nose, sensor dome, MEGAMI-IES, engineering): 9
• Main, Stern (wardroom area, quarters, launch bay): 9

• Main, Right Wing (capacitors, STL engines, secondary generators): 9
• Main, Left Wing (capacitors, STL engines, secondary generators): 9
• Main, Rollbar (Torpedo launcher, backup sensors/FCS, variable pods): 9
• Auxiliary, Stern (STL engines, launch bay, C-IES, bridge): 9

• Auxiliary, Prow (quarters, engines, sensors): 9

This device creates a stream of gravitons which can be used to tow other spacecraft or shuttles. The projector is ineffective against ships using gravitic shielding. The projectors are disposed around the ship so:

• Lowest point of the ship's ventral section, just below the main gun.
• Rear tip of the torpedo launcher pod.
• Two on the sides of each wing engine modules. One on each side.
• One just under the connection point for the auxiliary ship on the main hull. Another at the rear of the auxiliary ship, just under the connection point (both are unusable while connected)
• Two inside the multifunction bays, one on each side. Two others within the auxiliary ship's multifunction bays, again one on each side (when connected, the projectors in the auxiliary ship are typically the ones being used).

Force field generators are arranged throughout the vessel at regular intervals. Replacing the blast shutters, they create barriers which can maintain the ship's pressure and atmosphere, in the manner of the field generators typically used for KFY rapid-launch bays. More tangible, solid graviton fields can be maintained to protect from explosions and restrict passage; they can sustain some amount of abuse (http://stararmy.com/setting/damage.htmlShield Rating 5) before failing momentarily for a few seconds (five with main power, fifteen on battery power) before they restore themselves to full strength. Each generator has a rechargeable battery pack in case of catastrophic power failure, and can operate continuously for 8 hours.

See: Ke-S3-X2900 Escape Pod

A different type of escape pod, the SSP, regularly saves an encrypted copy of the entire crew's memories and providing the chance that crew members will survive destruction of the ship even if they cannot make it to an escape pod. Only an upper-Pantheon (such as MEGAMI or KAMI) system can retrieve the data. The pod is heavily armored with Zesuaium, and will self-destruct if tampered with. The pod is located just under the connection point at the rear of the ship.

The ship is sectioned off so that ruptures and fires in one section will not affect other sections. Airtight internal doors and atmospheric forcefields further enable the ship to maintain air pressure in the event of small through large-scale decompression. These systems also make decent anti-boarding defenses.

In effect, the CFS sustains a small &quot;pocket universe&quot; around the vessel by nesting electrogravitic and electrostatic fields. Gravity and time outside the shield bubble do not affect the objects inside, and objects inside the bubble are protected from both solid and beam weaponry, because the projectiles or beams pass through the curved space and around the ship. The combined field serves a number of purposes, including propulsion, defense, weaponry, and stealth; for this reason, it is almost always on. The CFS can also be used to generate waves and pulses, which can be used to detect hidden ships and objects when used in combination with the sensors.

The ship is capable of projecting a powerful artificial gravitic field that disrupts the operations of FTL drives of all types in a specific area of effect (minimal effective AOE is a 1,000 meter cubic area; maximum AOE is 1 AU cubic area). This is useful in preventing enemy vessels from escaping from battle. The interdiction field also has a secondary mode that can defeat the interdiction efforts of enemy forces in a localized area roughly half the size of its normal operation.

The ship propels itself at speeds many times the speed of light by generating continuum distortions in the CFS and nesting them to create asymmetric peristaltic fields. The normal CDD speeds are augmented by working with the forward deflector (located on the underside of the ship). This allows the ship to travel thousands of times the speed of light. This gives Star Army ships the advantage of attacking at FTL speeds. The combined field system is also capable of generating small wormholes, navigating the quantum slipstream, creating hyperspace fold points, and acting as sublight propulsion. Distortion-based systems allow the ship to stop or move nearly instantly because the ship has not 'moved'.

The Miharu escort has a powerful combined field system that can protect against up to 3.2 YottaWatts worth of damage per each 1 square meter area in either kinetic or energy form. While of weaker output than the revolutionary shielding of the Sakura-class Gunship, the Himiko Project primary defense system marked the advent of Regenerative Shielding Technology in response to Mishhuvurthyar shield tunneling weaponry. Damage Rating (Version 3) Shield Rating of 5. Resist shield piercing and tunneling effects. When overpowered, effectiveness does not decrease.

Using redundant shield generators (field generators in main enginerring and the auxiliary ship's engine room, with additional units in the capacitor and wing engine sections) which alternate coverage on a specific area when integrity drops below a predetermined percentage. In practice, this allows the active shield generator to bear the brunt of incoming fire while the redundant generator remains on hot standby. As the primary generator drops in integrity, power is then increased to the redundant generator which seamlessly takes over the burden of shielding that portion of the ship, allowing the other generator to once again recharge on standby. As shield piercing/tunneling properties are generally only good to cleave through one layer of energy shielding, the Miharu can offer up to six layers as a counter.

The CFS also protects the ship from collisions during high-speed space flight and can be used to facilitate ramming other vessels. As the ship's defense must ward against weapons and high-speed impacts such as meteors in space and debris from destroyed starships, the shield is quite powerful.

The shield system is bordered (at a several kilometers out from the ship) with an intense scalar field which serves to dud electronics of incoming missiles and mecha, as well as detonating explosives, ablative armor, and overloading the nervous systems of pilots. This feature is disabled during normal operations, and (usually) enabled in combat.

The ship can also be rendered invisible to scalar radar, aetheric-energy sensors, other forms of detection by using the shield bubble to keep the ship in its own alternate plane of existence. It can also use its scalar fields to simulate that photons and other sensory forms pass through the &quot;empty space&quot; and thus its presence is hidden. When the ship is fully it its bubble plane, it may only use its RDD sensor to monitor normal space; all other sensors will be useless. This is considered a dangerous procedure. Ships equipped with the CFS also can use it for offensive purposes.

The spatial distortion around the ship (the Combined Field System) is used to release condensed potential energy from the aether, the ubiquitous sea of energy. By distorting the shield-space, the origin of the beam can be maneuvered around the field bubble, allowing it to be fired from any point on the field system. The subspace effects of the beam make it naturally piercing to distortion-based shields. Please note that when firing, it substantially weakens the Combined Field System.

• Location: Combined Field System (Main Hull engineering, Auxliary Ship Engine room)
• Primary Purpose: Anti-Starship
• Secondary Purpose: Heavy Assault
• Damage: Good chance of destroying a non-capital ship in a single hit; a great deal of possibly crippling damage on a capital ship. http://stararmy.com/setting/damage.htmlDamage rating of 9.
• Area of Effect: Beam of 1 to 25 meters in diameter.
• Range: Theoretically unlimited except by the beam's speed (1c).
• Rate of Fire: Up to ten five-second blasts every 15 seconds.

The CFS' new regenerating shield function is extremely energy demanding even to its total of four aether generators. When the defensive functions are active, limited power will be available for speed and weaponry; hence the presence of capacitors to store power for weapons so the ship will be mobile - reduced speed will enable recharge of the capacitors, thus increase combat power).

This network, consisting of blood-filled tubes, runs throughout the ship carrying femtomechanical purpose-oriented molecules (constructed at the level of elementary particles) that are tied to the ship's life support and computer system. At access points, the bloodstream can hemosynthesize objects, including food and water packages, as well as dissolve objects. A secondary internal network (HSCS-2) recycles and dissolves waste, and a third, independent system (HSCS-3) carries femtomachines through various parts of the ship where repairs are needed, to control damage automatically, even during combat.

The HSCS system fluid can be differentiated by color. The HSCS-1 system is bright red, HSCS-2 is brown, and HSCS-3 is gray. While the HSCS-1 and HSCS-3 fluids are harmless to Nekos, the HSCS-2 waste liquid is extremely dangerous to organics (it dissolves them). Food from the HSCS is probably not what one has in mind when “food” is mentioned. The food packets generated by the HSCS, while edible, come only in the form of slimy blocks of nutrient-rich &quot;flesh.&quot;

See Psionic Signal Controller

The ship has a very thorough recycling system, tied into HSCS-2, which breaks down anything classified into “waste” into its atomic components. The air recycling system (which is segmented and highly monitored for security reasons) can support up to 320 Yamataian or NH-29 personnel up to five years. Water can be recycled for twenty years as well.

The MCS allows the ship to collect hydrogen molecules as it travels through space, which can be used to provide fuel or converted into higher elements for use in the HSCS. The MCS units are positioned on the front of the wing engine modules and can be shielded in combat with cover plates.

Trillions of tiny femtomachines are distributed in the air aboard the ship, allowing anywhere to become a control panel with a simple swirl of a person's finger. The ship can use the system to sense what is happening throughout the interior, thus giving it more information to use for environmental control, security, and communication. Using the nodal system, the ship's computer may manifest herself anywhere on the ship in physical or holographic form.

Since high saturation of femtomachines can be dangerous, the ship's fabrication room is where they will typically be to build the more complex objects the crew would require of them. In the event of a ship refit, entire sections will be sealed off for safety reasons.

The MEGAMI-IES is Kessaku Systems' package of sensors, computers, and electronic systems. The heart of the ship's electronics suite is an extremely advanced femtotronic quantum computer, capable of performing nearly endless amounts of data-churning and possessing untold memory. This system is known as the Mentafexal ElectroGravitationally Accelerated Memory and Intelligence (MEGAMI). Data processing is further assisted by an electrogravitational temporal distortion field that can increase the processor and memory signal speeds to many times that of light, for use during continuum distortion travel. If necessary, MEGAMI can run a battalion of ships on her own. The computer itself is located in an armored room on the main deck, under the sensor dome and close to the nose of the ship. Since the Megami system is involved in nearly all functions of the ship, it is vitally important. Access to the computer room is only available to technicians certified by KES. MEGAMI is part of the PANTHEON system.

The Miharu's MEGAMI is considered the ship's primary computer system and pool its resources with the auxiliary ship's C-IES system (see further below). The forward sensor dome and torpedo pod are each equipped with an array of sensors. The ones on the torpedo pod are considered secondary for backup purposes and are mainly uses for fire-control.

Unidirectional sensors included in the M-IES include variable wide-band imaging clusters, long-range gravimetric and magnetic resonance, distortion, and interferometry sensors and spectrometers, electromagnetic trans-space flux sensors and imaging scanners, quark and gluon density scanners, and spin polarometers. These sensors face the front of the ship and have a range up to fifty light-years.

Omnidirectional sensors of the M-IES include aetheric/quintessential field/differential/particle/wave sensors, scalar field sensors, subspace mass sensors, soliton sensors, moh sensors, unified field mass/energy sensors, neutrino/tachyon sensors, and the all-seeing eye of the TQP-RDD. These sensors (excluding the RDD) have a range of twenty light-years. The Integrated Electronics Package is so fast, that the ship can attack faster than many ships can comprehend, doing a faster-than-light drive-by-shooting.

The Transmetaphasic Quantum Particle/wave Remote Detection Device can detect, track, observe mass and/energy by making observations using linked quantum particles. The RDD can track small items if it knows what to look for, but will not see objects with relatively little mass when searching large areas. The maximum range is 250 LY, but at that range the RDD can only detect huge objects such as stars. The standard range is 50 LY. This decreases if resolution increases. When used in a 1 LY range, anything over 10,000kg is detected.

There are three levels of scanning:

1. A wide range passive scan, which monitors for unidentified energy objects and mass fluxes among a wide range of dimensions and phases
2. An active scan. Active scans are used rarely because they can give away the presence (but not location) of a vessel to other ships. The active scan is a high-powered sweep of a particular phase and dimension.
3. A remote scan of a clearly defined area such as an enemy ship. Using the scan, the complete nature of the target can be recorded.

WARMS is a monitoring system that is able to detect and calculate the probability wave front of a major quantum events (such as hyperspace folds or firing of main starship weapons) before the events actually occur. It is possible to determine the time, location, duration, power, and type of each via a complex analysis of the wave front by the MEGAMI. Derived from both the much-maligned PARADOX system developed by the Qel'noran and the TQP-RDD developed by SARA. Communications: The M-IES boasts one of the best communications suites of the Star Army. It is equipped with a multi-channel wide-band array that gives a great deal of both security and versatility. Among the types of communication supported are radio, laser, subspace, and transuniversal quantum relay. Communications can be secured using Quantum Encryption technology, which (due to the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle) allows the system to detect any monitoring attempts and counter them.

An alternative method of faster-than-light transmission. The ship's hyperspace systems can emulate those of many other space militaries; the system is not only proficient at detecting and decrypting hyperspace messages, but can produce &quot;authentic&quot; communications of it own. The Himiko-class Light Escort can also provide absolute jamming of hyperspace signals within ten light-years of its position.

For close-range transmissions, it is more difficult for the enemy to intercept, because they have to be in the area of the beam. Also limited to light-speed.

Full spectrum, Dual-Modulation, range theoretically unlimited except by interference. Practical range is short, since the waves only travel at light-speed. A M-IES can also jam the spectrum with white noise and intelligent false radio traffic (such as fake missile guidance commands and IFF traffic).

Quantum tunneling used for faster-than light transmissions. A tachyon is a photon without any mass. Tachyon transmissions, because they travel faster than light in normal space, appear to travel towards the transmitter from an observer's view.

Delivers a message anywhere, instantly, but precise coordinates of the receiver must be available. Mainly used by MEGAMI and relayed through starships. Certain shields may interfere with QR transmissions. Based on Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen phenomenon (quantum pair effect). Fire Control: The MEGAMI operates a sub-system dedicated to fire control operations. Megami compensates for all movement of the ship and of target ships, and can track upwards of a billion targets ranging from pebble-sized shrapnel to planets. MEGAMI-FCS usually controls all weapons systems (though actual firing of the main gun can only be initiated by an authorized crew member). Control of the torpedoes is shared between the pilot and MEGAMI; The pilot fires, and Megami takes over tracking the target, creating a &quot;fire and forget&quot; system. As mentioned above, the torpedo pod has its own dedicated FCS which can, in case of failure from the units at the ship's prow, take over.

MEGAMI is an extremely fast and powerful computer system. Characters will almost never have to wait on her to think things over or to reply. If you know or can find out the answer to a question your character asks MEGAMI, it is okay (and even expected) to also post MEGAMI's reply. MEGAMI's personality is quiet, respectful, and helpful.

Megami can:

• Create objects of a mundane nature or lightly alter an object (cleaning, pigmentation, etc) as long as it is for utility reasons.
• Create holograms, again for utility issues.
• Create extra crewmembers (sprites). NH-29A sprites can emerge from the medical laboratory's hemosynthetic tanks while NH-12B maybe be created out of the ship's HSCS-1 access ports.

The MEGAMI does not cooperate with demands that could likely result in unnecessary collateral damage to the ship or could be remotely hazardous to the ship's crew.

Megami cannot:

• Open sealed doors.
• Change the settings on a manual safety switch.
• Kill sentient life-forms using the nodal system.

The C-IES is Kessaku Systems' package of sensors, computers, and electronic systems. The heart of the ship's electronics suite is an extremely advanced femtotronic quantum computer, capable of performing nearly endless amounts of data-churning and possessing untold memory. Data processing is further assisted by an electrogravitational temporal distortion field that can increase the processor and memory signal speeds to many times that of light, for use during continuum distortion travel. If necessary, the C-IES can run a squadron of ships on her own. The computer itself is located in an armored room sandwiched between the small medical laboratory and the bridge on the auxiliary ship - access to it can only be obtain through a floor hatch and a crawlway from the bridge. Since the C-IES system is involved in nearly all functions of the auxiliary ship and serves as a backup to oversee the proper functioning of the whole vessel should the MEGAMI-IES fail, it is very important. Access to the computer room is only available to technicians certified by KES. C-IES is part of the PANTHEON system.

The Miharu's C-IES can act as a backup computer system when both sections are connected. Furthermore, it taps into the sensor system of the auxiliary ship (at the its prow) and can pool its resources with the rest of the ship's impressive, redundant sensor array.

Unidirectional sensors included in the CIES include variable wide-band imaging clusters and short-range gravimetric and magnetic resonance and distortion sensors, These sensors face the front of the ship and have a range up to parallax second (parsec).

Omnidirectional sensors of the CIES include aetheric field/differential/particle/wave sensors, scalar field sensors and unified field mass/energy sensors. These sensors have a range of one light-year. The Integrated Electronics Package is so fast, that the ship can attack faster than many ships can comprehend, doing a faster-than-light drive-by-shooting.

Any CIES ship is equipped with a multi-channel wide-band array that gives both security and versatility. Among the types of communication supported are radio, laser, subspace, and hyperspace. Communications can be secured using Quantum Encryption technology, which (due to the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle) allows the system to detect any monitoring attempts and counter them.

An alternative method of faster-than-light transmission. The ship's hyperspace systems can emulate those of many other space militaries; the system is not only proficient at detecting and decrypting hyperspace messages, but can produce “authentic” communications of it own. The Miharu prototype can also provide absolute jamming of hyperspace signals within ten light-years of its position.

For close-range transmissions, it is more difficult for the enemy to intercept, because they have to be in the area of the beam. Also limited to light-speed.

Full spectrum, Dual-Modulation, range theoretically unlimited except by interference. Practical range is short, since the waves only travel at light-speed. A M-IES can also jam the spectrum with white noise and intelligent false radio traffic (such as fake missile guidance commands and IFF traffic). Fire Control: The CIES does not use an independent Fire Control System per se, but operates a sub-system of itself dedicated to fire control operations. CIES compensates for all movement of the ship and of target ships, and can track upwards of a million targets ranging from pebble-sized shrapnel to planets. CIES-FCS is a balanced system, and works for the ship's defense, as well as offense. Weapons under CIES's control automatically: target sensitive areas of enemy ships; identify friendly assets; optimize beam power and range; guide missiles and torpedoes, assign (and reassign, if necessary) targets in real-time; and control ECM, and ECCM functions. CIES-FCS usually controls all point weapons systems but the GWB (which the tactical specialist controls). Control of torpedoes is shared between the pilot and CIES. The pilot fires, and CIES takes over tracking the target, creating a “fire and forget” system.

The C-IES is an extremely fast and powerful computer system. Characters will almost never have to wait on it to think things over or to reply. If you know or can find out the answer to a question your character asks C-IES, it is okay (and even expected) to also post MEGAMI's reply. The C-IES' portrays a feminine personality that is quiet, respectful, and helpful.

C-IES can:

• Create objects of a mundane nature or lightly alter an object (cleaning, pigmentation, etc) as long as it is for utility reasons.
• Create holograms, again for utility issues.
• Create extra crewmembers (sprites). NH-29A sprites can emerge from the auxiliary ship's medical laboratory (from the hemosynthetic tank) while NH-12B maybe be created out of the ship's HSCS-1 access ports.

The C-IES does not cooperate with demands that could likely result in unnecessary collateral damage to the ship or could be remotely hazardous to the ship's crew.

C-IES cannot:

• Open sealed doors.
• Change the settings on a manual safety switch.
• Kill sentient life-forms using the nodal system.

The Miharu fields a small but diverse armament ranging from its main gun and torpedo launcher serving as its heavy ship killing weapons, its turreted particle cannons for full spatial coverage along with potent shield piercing qualities and finally the variable pods, which serve in point-blank defense and supportive roles.

Versatility and wide-firing arcs are one big strength of this warship. However, the power required for propulsion, defensive systems and optimal functioning of the weapons are beyond the resources alloted by the Miharu's power plant. To compensate, the vessel stores excess power in large twin capacitor banks.

The ship is only as effective as its commander's ability to manage the finite amount of power at her disposal. Due to that flaw, the Miharu escort ship is best used as a skirmisher in quick, decisive engagements over prolongued battles.

Far tamer than anti-fleet 'shock' cannons, the W2900 Aether Beam Cannon was designed to provide the Miharu with a knock-out punch that would be more reliable and less hazardous to use than anti-fleet weaponry and projected energy beams. This weapon uses a spatial distortion to release condensed potentials from the aether in a coherent phased beam. Because of the subspace effects of beam, it naturally pierces distortion-based shields. Since it is meant for focused attacks on single targets, making it safer to use in home territory as well as causing less strain on the ship's Combined Field System. It has no minimum range.

The main advantage of the beam cannon over its 'aether shock array' cousin aside from its safer-to-use feature is its considerably increased firing rate, up to six pulses a minute, or a less powerful but sustained 'sawing' beam. This makes the W2901 potentially superior in performance compared to the W2900 Aether Shock Cannon in smaller skirmishes or against fixed emplacements.

Commonly designated 'the main gun', this weapon's firing arc is a 15-degree cone.

• Location: Cavity under the Miharu's nose.
• Purpose: Anti-starship, Anti-Mecha, Heavy Assault
• Pulse mode
  • Damage: Good chance of destroying a non-capital ship in a single hit. Possibly crippling damage on a capital ship. http://stararmy.com/setting/damage.htmlRating of 10.
  • Range: 2 AU, single target 20m diameter bolt
  • Rate of fire: Capacitors store a total of 6 shots which can be fired twice per second. Recharging takes 10 seconds for a single use, or one minute to full capacitor recovery.
• Beam Mode
  • Damage:Sustained beam from 1 to 10' in diameter. Good for surgical strikes, downing mechas or cause tremendous boring damage to tougher targets such as battleships and space stations. http://stararmy.com/setting/damage.htmlRating of 8. Increase by 1 per 10 seconds of continuous fire on the exact same location. Maximum rating 14.
  • Range: 2 AU, single target ray
  • Rate of fire: continuous

The Star Army of Yamatai particle cannon, like the SMX medium tunneling cannons it was reverse engineered from, has astounding shield and armor piercing properties while also compromising the target's power grid from the backlash of positive energy released on impact. The cannons forked firing assembly are mounted on squat turrets with a 110-degree vertical and a 360-degree horizontal pivot axis; they are disposed for optimal firing arcs: three turrets out of six will generally be able to point to a target.

The turrets are generally kept tucked under armored covers and will emerge in combat conditions.

• Location: Two pairs of turrets mounted in front of the wing engines sections, one dorsal and the other ventral. Another pair on the nose of the auxiliary ship, top and bottom as well.
• Primary Purpose: Anti-starship
• Secondary Purpose: Assault
• Damage: Extremely Heavy; possibly crippling to non-capital ships, heavy damage to larger vessels. Pierces through distortion and repulsion shielding, ignores force and scalar fields and easily breaches through Zesuaium and Yamatiaum. Damage Rating (Version 3) Rating of 9.
• Range: 1 AU
• Rate of Fire: Once per second.
• Payload: Effectively unlimited, so long as the ship provides power.

Situated in the pod at the center of the ship's rollbar, the dual port torpedo launcher fires, through twin-railgun like tubes facing both to the fore and the rear, aetheric or anti-matter torpedoes. Ordonance is automatically loaded from the storage racks with mechanical arms. The Type 29 launcher is normally used to fire AS-5 and AS-7 torpedoes, but can also launch Chibi-Megami science probes and NDI warheads.

The ship torpedoes are held above and between both launch tubes and can hold 24 AS-7 torpedoes; alternatively AS-5 torpedoes or Chibi-Megami probes (each AS-7 takes twice as much space as an AS-5). Fabrications rooms flank each sides of the ammunition bay and generate new warheads overtime.

• Location: Rollbar Weapon Pod
• Rate of Fire: Two every two seconds.
• Payload: 20 AS-7 Torpedoes, 8 Chibi-Megami Probes

• Warhead: AS-7-1-TA, Type 1 Transphasic Aether
• Primary Purpose: Anti-Starship
• Secondary Purpose: Anti-Mecha
• Damage: Heavy. Damage Rating (Version 3) of 6.
• Blast Radius: 20,000 miles.
• Speed: 17,532c (2 LY/hour)
• Range: 1 Light-Year
• Note: Shielded, armor piercing, guided/homing.

• Warhead: AS-7-1-AM, Type 1 Anti-Matter
• Primary Purpose: Anti-Starship
• Secondary Purpose: Anti-Planet
• Damage: Total Annihilation. Damage Rating (Version 3) of 10.
• Blast Radius: 1 mile+ (Directed)
• Speed: 17,532c (2 LY/hour)
• Range: 1 Light-Year
• Note: Shielded, armor piercing, guided/homing.

• Warhead: AS-7-1-SDM, Type 1 Subspace Detonator
• Primary Purpose: Anti-FTL
• Secondary Purpose: Anti-Wormhole, Anti-Shield
• Damage: No Direct Damage Damage Rating (Version 3) of 0.
• Blast Radius: 5,800,000 miles.
• Speed: 17,532c (2 LY/hour)
• Range: 1 Light-Year
• Note: Shielded, armor piercing, guided/homing.

• Warhead: WickedArms AS-5a Transphasic Aether
• Primary Purpose: Anti-starship
• Secondary Purpose: Assault
• Damage: Extremely Heavy. Shield-piercing. Damage Rating (Version 3) of 9.
• Speed: 2500c (or 500c in interdiction fields)
• Range: 59,000,000 miles
• Note: Shielded.

• Warhead: WickedArms AS-5b Compressed Antimatter
• Primary Purpose: Anti-starship
• Secondary Purpose: Assault
• Damage: Heavy. Shield and Armor-Piercing. Damage Rating (Version 3) of 6.
• Speed: 2500c (or 500c in interdiction fields)
• Range: 59,000,000 miles
• Note: Shielded. Persistent shaped charge.

• Probe: Kessaku Chibi-Megami Sensor/Communications Probes
• Primary Purpose: Extends MEGAMI's sensor range.
• Secondary Purpose: Communications Relay
• Systems: Contains all sensors of the MEGAMI-IES and miniature AI system.
• Speed: ~18,263c
• Range: 50 light-years. Sensor range is half that of the MEGAMI-IES.
• Note: The probes can be recovered and redeployed. Self-destructs if tampered with.

The ship's has numerous launchers set in the rear part of its rollbar (and from under the auxiliary ship, between the multi-function bays) which can generate and release custom discoid variable pods. These pods may form into mobile weapons whom take about thirty seconds to form and typically fire some sort of transphased energy beams, scalar electromagnetic interferometric pulses or Transplanar Phased Pulse due to the abilities of such weapons to hit and destroy shielded targets. Alternatively, the pods can be configured to a yamataium hull armor regenerative platform or as a cluster of six small plasma cannons whom orbit the ship's power armors for added anti-mecha firepower. When the pods are deployed, they move fully out of and around the ship (they float) and adjust their position to obtain the maximum volume of fire. Each pod has a maximum output of 150,000 PetaWatts (two times as great as the PDV-5). Should a Star Army ship be disabled or destroyed, the pods will actually jump to another suitable Star Army ship (or power armor, in the case of the armor assisting drones) that passes close by.

There are a total of 36 hatches on the ship, 24 inside the rollbar and 12 under the auxiliary ship which slingshots the pods out horizontally (contrary to the usual KFY vertical release). Each hatch is dedicated to create only one pod, which allows the vessel to generate and configure the pods much faster than prior versions.

• Location: Rollbar and bottom rear section of the auxiliary ship (released toward the back of the ship when connected)
• Weapon:

• Variable Pod Type: Transphasic Beam
• Primary Purpose: Anti-starship
• Secondary Purpose: Anti-Torpedo/Fighter/Mecha
• Damage: Moderate to Heavy. Very precise. Damage Rating (Version 3) of 6. Rating of 7 if fired in volleys of 10.
• Rate of Fire: 3 times a second
• Range: 1,200,000 miles
• Note: Can be used to intercept incoming torpedoes (or fighters). Shield-penetrating.

• Variable Pod Type: Scalar Electrogravitic Pulse
• Primary Purpose: Anti-Mecha/Fighter
• Secondary Purpose: Anti-Missile
• Damage: Destroys electrical systems, kills life, detonates explosives.
• Rate of Fire: 2 times a second
• Range: 500,000 miles
• Note: Effective against enemy starships without gravitonic shielding.

• Variable Pod Type: Transplanar Phased Pulse
• Primary Purpose: Anti-starship
• Secondary Purpose: Assault
• Damage: Very Heavy. Damage Rating (Version 3) of 7. Rating of 8 if fired in volleys of 10.
• Rate of Fire: Once every 5 seconds.
• Range: 20,000 miles
• Note: Shield-penetrating.

• Variable Pod Type: Armor Assisting Attack Drones
• Primary Purpose: Anti-Mecha
• Secondary Purpose: Point-Defense
• Damage: Separates in six attack bits which orbits a power armor. Damage Rating (Version 3) of 6 against power armor and other small mecha. Rating of 5 toward any craft larger than a shuttle.
• Rate of Fire: Each drone fires once per second.
• Range: Remains in CFS bubble or in close proximity of adopted power armor, performs as this http://stararmy.com/org/ketsurui/wickedarms/gm_6.htmlweapon.
• Note: Detaches into six attack bits of comparable power and performance as the http://stararmy.com/org/ketsurui/wickedarms/gm_6.htmlAccelerated Plasma Rifle. Weapon power source is the assisted power armor's CFS - the drones otherwise are limited to 50 shots from launch.

• Variable Pod Type: Yamataium Armor Regenerative Drones
• Primary Purpose: Emergency repairs
• Secondary Purpose: Maintenance
• Range: Remains in CFS bubble.
• Note: Encourages regeneration of yamataium hull at a rate of 1 cubic centimeter restored per second. Pod hovers at maximum 50 centimeters away from the ship's hull to effect repairs.

7.1. Mindy M2-2A Power Armor (4, in Power Armor Bays)

7.2. Harpy M5-1A Power Armor (2, in Power Armor Bays)

7.3. Daisy M6-1B Power Armor (14, in Power Armor Bays)

7.4. Ke-T4 "Fox" Combat Aeroshuttle (2, in Multi-Function Bays)

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