Nozomi II-class Scout

The Nozomi II-class Scout is a versatile, high-speed reconnaissance vessel designed for long-range, autonomous missions, equipped with advanced sensors and armaments, capable of operating independently in deep space and hostile territories.

While first fielded by the Star Army of Yamatai in YE 46, the Nozomi-II class Scout's development began during the last phases of the Kuvexian War. The need for a small, fast, hard-hitting vessel for long-range, unsupported missions was identified through after-action review of the the successes of the highly-advanced, but rather large, Fuji-class Expeditionary Gunship deep in enemy territory. The strategic, tactical, and logistical value of replicating as many of those capabilities as possible in a small, lean package that could be readily deployed en masse became the program's goal. The Yui 7-class Scout by this time was quite old, and, while not obsolete, was several upgrades deep and beginning to see drastically diminishing returns on further revisions. A key feature of that ship was the recycling of old Yui-class Scout spaceframes, prompted by the loss of Nataria Fleet Depot. At this phase of the war, Zesuaium shortages were looming, so eyes turned to the significant stockpile of mothballed Nozomi-class Scout in the Star Army of Yamatai inventory. With minimal addition of new Zesuaium and Yamataium to enlarge the very small ship just a small amount, there was suddenly a readily-accessible source of abundant, cheaply, easily, and quickly convertible spaceframes for a new class of Recon-Scout Destroyer.

Just as the Yui 7-class Scout was born of the shortages of the Second Mishhuvurthyar War against the NMX, so was the Nozomi II when that foe re-emerged during the Third Mishhuvurthyar War. By then, Star Army Research Administration had several years of research and development already undertaken. By early YE 46, the prototypes were undergoing space trials, and the first production models shortly thereafter.

Another one drawn from the best of a long line of successful scout ships, the eighth model continues the tradition of greatness, an evolution of the form and philosophy. Redesigned from the frame trusses to the hull plates, the latest Yui-class Scout is a return to the dramatic shape of the sixth iteration of the ship, in the same way the seventh generation was a return to the original. The ship can be run by a single Nekovalkyrja from the computer room or the bridge command station, overseeing the rest of the ship, and sports a powerful main gun. This Nekovalkyrja Scout ship is designed for long-term, extremely-long-range scout and raiding missions on its own, with a lean crew complement, albeit one somewhat larger than prior versions. The versatile weapons of the ship are multipurpose, quickly adapted to new situations, and are capable of disabling or destroying much larger vessels. The ship carries even more powerful sensors than ever before, even those that made the past scout ships in its family so very successful. The Nozomi II-class Scout Ship is also known as the Yui 8 Recon-Scout Destroyer and the Type 46 Nekovalkyrja Scout Ship.

The Nozomi II, like its predecessors, is a versatile ship capable of handling multiple mission roles:

• Long Range Reconnaissance
• Scouting
• Surveying
• Destroyer
• Escort

The Nozomi II-class Scout Ship, also known as the Yui-8 Recon-Scout Destroyer and Type 46 Nekovalkyrja Scout Ship, greatly resembles the Nozomi-class Scout, but is just a bit larger. It is a sleek, low-slung ship with the signature two-tined bow housing its primary weapons system. Its “wings” are docking pylons that terminate in flat-sided nacelles containing the ship's primary airlocks and docking hubs, as well as housing some other ship systems and compartments.

While larger than the prior ships of its line, the Nozomi II is still a small starship that isn't intended for a huge crew, though it has enough room for an entire third shift and more support and mission personnel compared with the prior model. The little bit of size advantage the Nozomi II has over prior Yui-class vessels alleviates some of their shortcomings.

The Nozomi II is deeper in the belly than Nozomi-class Scout to allow a half-height subdeck over a crawlspace. The upper, raised rib portion that allowed clearance for the torpedo launch systems was also expanded and lifted two-and-a-half meters, to allow for a half-length, manta-ray-shaped upper deck in the thicker part of the elongated teardrop profile.

General notes about ship stats and performance

General notes about armor stats and performance

Crew: Standard Crew is 17-21, with one captain, a first officer, four bridge crew for each of two shifts, a chief engineer, chief medical officer, intelligence officer, and support crew such as technicians. A minimum of one operator is required thanks to extensive automation, but performance would be severely degraded compared to a full complement. Additionally, a fully-crewed Nozomi II would have 16 power armor pilots and 3 small craft pilots.

Maximum Capacity: There are accommodations for 50 people. There are short-term, basic, emergency accommodations available for about 100 people. About 180 people can fit aboard in an urgent emergency, but the ship would be extremely cramped.

• Length: 120 meters (393 feet, 8½ inches)
• Width: 60 meters (196 feet, 10¼ inches)
• Height: 15 meters (49 feet, 2½ inches)
• Decks: 2 plus a a sub-deck (4 meters each, 2.5m for sub-deck)

• Continuum Distortion Drive: 19,723.5c (2.25 ly/h)
• Hyperspace Fold Drive: 447,066c (0.85 ly/m)
• Sublight Engines: .375c
• Range: Limited only by the lifespan of the vessel.
• Lifespan: The vessel is estimated to operate for at least 50 years of constant use.
• Refit Cycle: 5 years

DRv3 Tier: 10 (Light Starship)

In a nod to its predecessor, the Nozomi II features Palace-Style Passageways, with the Standard Lifts featuring decor to match. Only the Standard Star Army Zero-Gravity Passageways in the cargo and docking areas and the Standard Star Army Maintenance Conduits that crisscross the vessel lack such ornamentation.

The Nozomi II features a main deck, a half-length upper deck, and a subdeck.

Nozomi II Deck Elevation
Nozomi II Upper Deck
Nozomi II Main Deck
Nozomi II Sub-Deck

The Nozomi II, being a versatile, multipurpose ship capable of excelling in multiple roles, for possibly indefinite unsupported operations, is optimized to make the most use of the limited space aboard.

The primary airlocks, each a Standard Star Army Airlock, are located port and starboard in the nacelles. Like the original Nozomi, they are located at the end of the “wings” of the starship, these attachment systems include full umbilicals and airlock systems. Mission-variable weapons or sensor systems (or shuttles) can be attached to the mounting ports, or the ports can be used for docking with another similar ship, or with a Type 24 or Type 26 lift shaft airlock. The sealing systems are self-adjustable so that the Nozomi II can interface with nearly any type of circular airlock hatch under a certain size.

Easily accessible from both the bridge, the Standard Star Army Armory is armored and climate, static, and humidity controlled, as well as upgraded with Forcefield-Nested Isolation Doors for extra security. There is a work area for the armorer on duty, with a secure window for arms and equipment issue and return. Additionally, the ship's safe is in this area.

The Nozomi II is controlled from the Star Army Internal Small Starship Bridge, Type 40, located amidships on the main deck. However, this class of ship has the seats arranged in a different configuration than typical. The Liaison and Systems and Safety Monitoring stations are moved to the back stations of their respective sides, and the Mission Operations and Communications and Science and Sensors Stations moved to the outside seats of their two-seat stations. In their places are two Piloting and Weapons Stations. Generally, one Piloting and Weapons Station focuses on navigation and the other on tactical.

In addition to the expected gantries, cranes, conveyors, and robotic manipulators found in a Standard Star Army Cargo Area, the ship's cargo areas boast a Scalable Graviton Beam Projector Array-based cargo handling system. Refrigerated, climate-controlled, HAZMAT, and secure storage are all available, the latter two featuring Forcefield-Nested Isolation Doors. There are four cargo areas on the ship, two in the stern of the main body, and two in the nacelles, with the latter accessible from the docking port and decon bay nearest it.

Differing a little from the still-similar Standard Star Army Crew Cabin (Enlisted), the crew cabins on the Nozomi II feature the advanced SAoY Standard Starship Bunk, Type 45, stacked three high in two banks, making efficient use of space and offering more storage, privacy, and utility than before. However, on demand, a cabin is easily convertible to Traditional Nekovalkyrja Nests. Accommodations may be expanded, essentially doubled, in the short term by the deployment of the banks of the Star Army Bunk Bed, Type 40 typically stowed collapsed above the desks and drawers in the common area, although their occupation results in inconvenient overcrowding. The Crew Cabins share communal Standard Star Army Crew Shower and Standard Star Army Toilet.

Officer berths are variants of the Standard Star Army Officers' Cabin with two SAoY Standard Starship Bunk, Type 45 each, four in the case of the larger berth for the small craft pilots. Like the crew cabins, they also have Star Army Bunk Bed, Type 40 stowed above the desks and drawers for emergency expansion. The captain and first officer are berthed in accommodations similar to a Star Army Standard Captain's Suite, and have their own standalone versions of the Standard Star Army Crew Shower and Standard Star Army Toilet. The captain's stateroom connects to the bridge via an antechamber used as the ready room, and has direct access to the computer room as well. The small craft pilot bunkroom has immediate access to the small craft bay.

The ship's infantry complement are housed in an upgraded Standard Star Army Infantry Squad Cabin featuring three banks of three SAoY Standard Starship Bunk, Type 45, per squad, each with its own, shared Standard Star Army Crew Shower and Standard Star Army Toilet.

The Standard Star Army Crew Baths, patterned after the usual Star Army Onsen are shared communally by everyone aboard, as is the Standard Star Army Laundry Room.

The usual Standard Star Army Engineering Bay is updated and upgraded to account for the cutting-edge systems of the Nozomi II, and its power, propulsion, life support, and other critical systems.

Thanks to the Universal Hemosynthetic Fabrication System Type 43, the ship doesn't have need for dedicated fabrication and production areas, allowing open-air fabrication anywhere on the ship, though the shop in the engineering bay still features all the hallmarks of the Standard Star Army Fabrication Area for additional utility. Engineering, as well as the science and medical facilities, cargo areas, power armor and small craft bays, and the armory have enclosed, special purpose chambers for their more intensive fabrication needs. In addition to fabrication being available ship-wide, Solid Volumetrics projectors are as well, eliminating the need for specialized chambers for that. Between the two capabilities, the interior of the ship is highly mutable and configurable by anyone with proper access. The Volumetric Windows and Omnihue that cover all interior bulkheads also facilitate versatility and customization. Engineering still has all the hallmarks of the Standard Star Army Fabrication Area for addional utility, and it, along with the cargo areas, power armor bay, small craft bay, magazine, and armory have enclosed, high-concentration chambers for their more intensive fabrication needs.

Foodservice is provided aboard from a compact but highly capable galley, with a small dining hall for communal eating. It can be enlarged by opening the wall to the adjacent wardroom, typically used by the senior officers, VIPs, and for special occasions, to make one large space. The size of the Nozomi II's food storage areas is significantly larger than the earlier design, extending into the enlarged nacelle, and thus conveniently accessible from the docking port for resupply.

In addition to storing torpedoes for the KFY Type 27A Torpedo Tube, the fully-automated, autoloading magazine also stores various drones, probes, satellites, and other ordnance that can be launched from the tube. While most of the magazine is usually sealed off and only entered for maintenance and repair, there is a section where extra ammunition for personnel, power armor, and small craft weapons is kept.

The ship's significant exploration and survey capabilities are thanks to the Star Army Combined Sciences Laboratory. Given the Nozomi II's mission profiles, the Standard Medical Center doesn't quite suffice, so it is augmented with a space-efficient but fully-optioned version of the Autonomous Medical Treatment Center and a small Stasis Bay, conveniently adjacent to the laboratory. The medical bay also features a bank of Type 30 Mental Transfer and Backup Unit and Hemosynthetic Reconstruction Tube. The three containment cells, with fully closed-cycle-sealable environmental systems and Forcefield-Nested Isolation Doors also double as the ship's brig.

A Standard Star Army Power Armor Bay is present on both the port and starboard sides of the ship, with a total of four large rapid-launch bays, forcefield-contained openings in the hull, allowing unrestricted launch in any direction. There are enough Armor Storage Rack (Type 31) to equip the entire crew, in addition to the power armor pilots, as well as a few left over for emergencies or visiting personnel.

The bays make it possible for power armors to leap out into space and into combat at their convenience. The ship contains standby units and extensive facilities for repair, maintenance, and construction of the power armor. If the bays are going to be used for some recreational purpose, the ship has netting that can be attached to rings that line the interior about a foot inside from the forcefield; these nets prevent people and objects from accidentally being pushed, thrown, or stumbling into the vacuum.

Thanks to the ubiquity of the Universal Hemosynthetic Fabrication System Type 43, Scalable Graviton Beam Projector Array, Solid Volumetrics projectors, Volumetric Windows and Omnihue, the recreational facility is, like the rest of the ship, quickly and easily configurable, capable of serving as a lounge, dojo, fitness center, or volumetrics chamber. The resulting facilities are state-of-the-art and more capable, if less spacious, than their equivalents on much larger, but older, vessels. ensuring crew morale on extended mission deployments.

The Standard Star Army Shuttle Bay runs from one side of the ship to the the other, and holds a small complement of shuttlecraft, typically 2-3 depending on their size. There are openings into space on each end; atmospheric pressure is contained by forcefields in the doorways. If the bays are going to be used for some recreational purpose, the ship has netting that can be attached to rings that line the interior about a foot inside from the forcefield; these nets prevent people and objects from accidentally being pushed, thrown, or stumbling into the vacuum. Extensible ramps allow ground vehicles to disembark from the small craft bay when planetside.

Centrally, on the forward part of the upper deck is the ship's Teleporter Chamber. It consists of a Ke-S3-P4600 "Big Froggy" Small Starship Teleporter System. In storage racks outside the control area are the inventory of Ke-M2-P4600 Remote Teleporter Pads, available for outgoing personnel, or to send along. There is enough for the entire crew and infantry complement's power armors, and a few extra.

Two areas, port and starboard, on the subdeck allow for expansion, customization, and mission specialization. The areas are built with modular attachments to ship systems, so that the time and effort required to make changes is minimal.

The Nozomi II not only sports a carefully-curated selection of the most advanced systems available at the time of its class commissioning, it also is built with a modular path for continuous updates and upgrades.

The Nozomi II-class utilizes a primarily Zesuaium hull structure. All windows and viewports utilize transparent Zesuaium, and most have a retractable armored exterior covering for opacity against beam weaponry, in addition to their Omnihue tint and reflectivity capabilities. The hull features an Integrated CFS Array and Nodal Liquid Conduit System, and the emitters for the Scalable Graviton Beam Projector Array are in an omnidirectional phased array around the entire surface. A Xiulurium coating and Omnihue matrix provide signature reduction and stealth.

The key substance that makes up the .75-meter-thick hull of the ship is Yamataium. The frame of the ship is Zesuaium, while armor plates are made of Xiulurium-coated Zesuaium and Yamataium. In addition to their Zesuaium-reinforced hull plating, all Yui-Class scout ships, including the Nozomi II, have the ability to deploy 25cm of heavy armor over the entire hull of the ship, including areas normally exposed such as the CDD, thrusters, and sensors. When the armor takes damage, it flakes away in a controlled manner (ablation), absorbing the destructive force. The armor can then be repaired using hemosynthesis, making the armor self-regenerative. A combined Photonic/Gravitonic field further protects the armor from scalar fields.

The ship's primary PANTHEON system is the MEGAMI computer system by Kessaku Systems. It is housed in an updated, upgraded Standard Computer Room, readily accessible from Engineering and the Captain's quarters. The Nozomi II is equipped with a Psionic Signal Controller.

While it lacks the independent sensor booms that allow the Midori-Class Scout Ship its parallelized sensor data acquisition, the Nozomi II does feature the extended sensor array from the Ke-D6-E3200 Sensor Array, arranged in a phased-array over the surface of the hull. What it lacks in sensitivity and instantaneity, it makes up for somewhat in synthetic aperture geometry.

A custom KAIMON adapter allows it to seamlessly integrate with the KAIMON/Ascendant produced auxiliary electronics systems:

• Stealth and electromagnetic warfare (such as ECM/Electronic_counter-countermeasure) capabilities are courtesy of the Star Army Electronic Warfare Suite, Type 44¹⁾.
• Atmospheric and transatmospheric capability is enhanced by the Star Army Aerospace Operations Package, Type 44.
• Underwater sensing and communications is provided by the Star Army Subsurface Operations Package, Type 44.

The Nozomi II sports several other, special-purpose sensor capabilities such as the Ge-Y2-E3305 - Life Science Sensor Package.

Internally, the Type 34 Interior Sensor System is used to monitor the interior of the ship, along with the usual cameras, microphones (quad-crystal and polyphonic array), thermal, and ultrasonic sensors, with the full optional sensor loadout:

• Ke-G1-E3100 - Life Form Scanner
• Ke-G1-E3101 - Chemical Scanner
• Ke-G1-E3102 - Emission Scanner

Given the possibly unsupported, indefinite nature of a Nozomi II-class Scout's mission profile, special emphasis was placed on emergency systems as distress calls are unlikely to summon help in a timely enough manner. Not only does the ship class have the Star Army Standard Starship Emergency Systems, including the upgraded Star Army Fire Suppression System, Type 32 as one of the front-line defenses for shipboard emergencies but additionally, there is at least one Star Army Damage Control Alcove, Type 41 readily accessible in every major compartment and corridor. They are spaced for minimal travel time from any point on the ship, with more in critical areas.

There are enough Star Army Escape Pod, Type 35 "Seizonsha" for the crew and several passengers, with capacity left over. For worst-case scenarios, the Nozomi II is equipped with a Soul Savior Pod. Escape pods are located centrally, near the bridge area. There are six on the top of the ship and six on the underside.

Behind armored, retractable fairing panels around the outer hull of the ship are multiple, deployable emergency and auxiliary systems such as antenna arrays, radiators, solar panels, and solar sails.

Although the Nozomi II-class Scout Ship lacks a dedicated self destruct system (primarily for space efficiency reasons), the ship can be destroyed from the computer room by deliberately overloading the generator and capacitor system. The process takes only a few seconds and results in an aether energy explosion powerful enough to totally destroy the ship (and anything within 2500 km).

The Nozomi-II is equipped with the latest iteration of the Star Army Standard Life Support Systems, including the YE 43 update that provides compatibility with the Nodal Liquid Conduit System. The Star Army Standard Life Support Room is easily accessed from Engineering.

A pair of Geshrinari Aether Generator provide primary power and an Aether source. In addition to the primary Aether Generator, secondary and auxiliary power is provided by a bank of Kaminari Quantum Foam Generators, with backup and emergency power courtesy of a Geshrinari Fusion Generator. Banks of supercapacitors and batteries store and condition power for distribution, and there is ample, secure, and well-protected storage for plasma and antimatter with multiple redundant failsafe systems. Ports for the Matter Collection System are present in strategic areas of the hull to bring in gases, plasma, and particles from the interstellar medium, gas, dust, or ice clouds, or a planet's atmosphere or oceans.

Like the Takumi II, the propulsion of the Nozomi II was contracted out to Yugumo Fleetworks, including the same, albeit smaller-scale, Yumeoibito Hyperspace Fold Drive. The ship's sublight propulsion is powered by two Hoshi III-Series Multi-Stage Turbo Aether Plasma Drives, the latest iteration of the Multi-Stage Aether Drive. Sublight maneuverability and acceleration is enhanced by a Plasma Projection System provided by Sunflower Corporation. The Integrated CFS Array provides the Nozomi II's Combined Field System, freeing the nacelle space for other purposes, and is an integrated, military-specification version of the Mizu II Series Continuum Distortion Drives. An Azure I Series Anti-Gravity System provides anti-gravity hover and maneuver capabilities. Underwater and subsurface maneuver is facilitated by the modifications the Star Army Subsurface Operations Package, Type 44 makes to the primary engines as well as the supplemental ones it adds. Maneuvering Thrusters (ion thrusters) are used primarily for attitude adjustment, docking, and station keeping.

Capable of landing on large enough planetary and sub-planetary surfaces, the Nozomi II is equipped with extensible landing struts. Their articulated legs have multiple modes of operation, capable of automatic, adaptive, and fully manual height and leveling in pneumatic, hydraulic and linear electromagnetic modes. They are capable of lifting the lowest part of the ventral hull to 7.5 meters above the surface. The legs' cross section is designed with a dynamic profile allowing them to be used as hydrofoils for close-to-surface operations in fluids, and the long, narrow shape skid bottoms allow it to skim or ski over appropriate surfaces.

The Nozomi II is equipped with Combined Field System shielding, supplementary shields, and navigational shielding. The primary shields may operate in several geometric modes, thanks to the Integrated CFS Array, allowing for selection of barrier facings on the fly.

For times when the CFS is unavailable or its operation is undesirable such as when Xiulurium is energized. Running both supplementary defensive systems at the same time does not increase the effective tier of the barrier, rather, they are used against different threats and the responding selected in realtime after threat analysis by the computer. As the supplementary shields do not contribute to the ship's defensive profile when the CFS is active, it is wasteful to have the supplementary shields active while the primary shields are as well.

The Electromagnetic shields are particularly good at deflecting the charged particles in many beam weapons. The shield created may operate in various geometries.

Gravitic shielding are effective against kinetic weaponry and collisions. This shield also serves the special purpose of counteracting graviton beams. The shield created may operate in various geometries.

Not intended for, or effective at, defense against starship weaponry, navigational shielding protects the ship against navigational hazards, such as fast-moving small masses and slow collisions with large masses. The deflectors allow for safe maneuvering without raising the profile of its sensor signature as much as the defensive shielding.

• (Main Weapon) Ke-D2-W4000 Shock Cannon – Tier 12 (Heavy Anti-Starship)
• (Secondary Weapon) KFY Type 27A Torpedo Tube – Tier 12 (Heavy Anti-Starship)
  • Integral Chōuryū Subsurface Torpedo/Sensor Platform implementation
  • Integral Star Army Shipboard Blazing Comets System
• (Point Defense) Plasma Projection System and CFS - Up to 2 Tier-Equivalent Weapons Groups total combined:
  • Individual weapon maximum of Tier 9 (Heavy Anti-Mecha) each for plasma.
  • Individual weapon maximum Tier 8 (Medium Anti-Mecha) each for CFS.

• Scalable Graviton Beam Projector Array - Up to 8 beams, hull-wide omnidirectional phased array
• MultiStruct Multitool, Large – Ventrally Mounted

The Nozomi II's small craft bay is typically equipped with three Ke-T10 "Fukuro" Multi-Role Shuttle.

Yuuki created this article on 2024/02/20 15:24. Collab with Wes.

Nozomi II / Yukika II art and deck plans by Yuuki.

References to KFY "Froggy" Teleport System mentioned in the Teleporter Chamber section attached to the system's approval article.