Hanashōbu, The Lasting Impression

The Hanashobu Heavy Gunship is an experimental exploration craft designed to test a new FTL system and survive the journey back.

The Hanashobu's mission is straightforward: use an experimental FTL modification, discover what happened to the unmanned test vessels sent before it, and get back safely.

As a vessel, the Hanashobu has been outfitted with many of the same systems and upgrades as the Plumeria E-type, with a greater emphasis on spatial field manipulation and fabrication at the cost of some of its weapon platforms. Its sensor package is also improved with the intent to better understand the particulars of the new form of FTL travel.

The Hanashobu is a one-of-a-kind vessel in a number of ways. It was originally designed as a test platform for Transpositional weaponry, and with that came a number of specific design choices. Its later upgrades were influenced by what was already present and the ship's uncertain mission parameters.

• Exotic Matter/Gravitic Centrifuge
  • The ship's most distinguishing feature, the massive central ring takes up a large portion of the vessel's body. Early efforts at providing the immense power required for weapons on the scale of the Legacy Cannon had proven fruitless, even when considering the immense power of Aether generators. The Exotic Matter Centrifuge (“EMC”) uses an initial “spark” of Aether to generate exotic matter, greatly increasing the output of the vessel's Aether Generators. It is sandwiched between two Gravitic Centrifuge that provide additional control and safety for the EMC, as well as supplemental CFS.
• KE-S2-W4000 "Main Weapon Array"-X , “The Maw”
  • An experimental version of the KE-S2-W4000. It is distinct from the production model in the following ways:
    • Dark Energy Field: Utilizing the same effect that leaves a wake of Dark Energy behind after firing a Ke-S2-W3000 Main Weapon Array, the KE-S2-W4000-X can disperse a field of Dark Energy in front of the ship. The precise effects of this are unknown, but it is believed to greatly increase the range of an FTL jump by providing additional power to the Alcubierre effect directly.
    • Firing the weapon requires the ship to open “The Maw” in order to reveal the weapon's firing mechanism. This action takes one minute to perform and reverse. During this time, transportation between the upper and lower half of the ship's fore section must be done at the EMC. This exposes the less armored firing mechanisms of the Main Weapon Array, but is necessary for the weapon to operate.
• Enhanced Production Facilities
  • When it was clear that the ship would need to be able to repair itself and fabricate replacements for its support craft, the designers at Ketsurui began to look for a way to allow the Hanashobu to create objects larger than the standard ship fabricator facilities. The answer presented itself in the Maw itself. All of the systems found in the Fabrication Area of a vessel like the engineering were placed alongside the KE-S2-W4000-X's firing mechanisms.
  • Similar in theory to a 3D Printer, the various necessary construction mechanisms travel along the length of the Maw upon rails. A purpose-built CFS is used to hold and rotate objects in place while they are being assembled.
  • As with the Main Weapon Array, printing can only be performed while the Maw is open. When not in use, the 'printing' mechanisms retract and are covered by specially-designed armor that keep them safe despite the forces at work nearby.
  • The same concept has been applied within the ship's massive Centrifuge, allowing the vessel to repair all but the most severe damage without exposing its crew to the potentially dangerous energies within.

<What are good uses of this ship?>

• Specialization 1
• Specialization 2

<What does the ship look like? NOTE: DO NOT JUST PUT A PICTURE HERE. A TEXTUAL DESCRIPTION IS REQUIRED>

The Hanashobu began life as a weapons testing platform for the Ayame-class Cruiser, Irim-class Heavy Gunship, and, later, the Plumeria-series.

Barebones, with only the minimum required systems, the ship served to test the Star Army's ongoing Transdimensional, Transpositional, and Scalar Field anti-ship weaponry. After well over a decade's worth of successful weapons tests, Ketsurui Fleet Yards made the decision to mothball the vessel.

A recent discovery related to the effects of Dark Energy on FTL travel have sparked a renewed interest in the vessel. Previous small-scale experiments seem successful, save for one thing - the unmanned test vessels never return. The decision was made to send a manned vessel to understand why. The vessel of choice is one well-suited to the particulars of the mission; a vessel capable of generating Dark Energy on its own, with an emphasis on reliability.

Unsure of what, exactly, the vessel might face on its trial run, the shipyard's designers made the call to outfit the vessel for wherever it might end up. To that end, it gained all of the systems a modern ship of its size would be expected to have, built around the ship's existing core.

<General notes about ship stats and performance>

• Class: See: https://stararmy.com/wiki/doku.php?id=standard_product_nomenclature_system
• Type: <Cruiser? Scout Ship?>
• Designers: <Character or organization who designed the ship>
• Manufacturer: <Shipbuilder and location of manufacture>
• Fielded by: <Organizations using this vessel>

Crew: XX operators are recommended, XX are required.

Maximum Capacity: There are accommodations for XX people. About XX people can fit aboard in an emergency, but the ship would be extremely cramped.

• Length: XX meters (XX feet)
• Width: XX meters (XX feet)
• Height: XX meters (XX feet)
• Decks: XX (XX meters each)

• Continuum Distortion Drive: <NOTE: This is the speed of faster-than-light if using CDD>
• Hyperspace Fold Drive: <NOTE: Same as above, but with Hyperspace Fold>
• Sublight Engines: <NOTE: This is the speed using traditional engines>
• Range: <NOTE: Range is how long a vessel can go without resupply/refueling>
• Lifespan: <Estimated service lifetime of ship>
• Refit Cycle: <NOTE: How often the vessel needs to visit a shipyard to stay operational. 5 years for Yamataian military ships>

See Damage Rating (Version 3) for a guide to damage ratings to include.

DRv3 Tier: (target type, i.e.: Medium Starship)

<Chart of what is on each deck>

<Some ideas for compartments below…>

<NOTE: See Damage Rating (Version 3) for more info on damage ratings>

<NEW: ALL WEAPONS SHOULD BE POSTED AS SEPARATE ARTICLES!

• Main Weapon: ##, DR X
• Secondary Weapons: ##, DR X
• Point Defense Weapons: ##, DR X

These things exist already:

• Scalable Graviton Beam Projector Array
• Ke-S3-W2901 Positron Accelerator Cannons
• https://stararmy.com/wiki/doku.php?id=stararmy:weapons:ke-d7-w3900_mass_launcher

Whisper created this article on 2019/09/10 09:50.

🚧 This article is a work-in-progress. Is it not currently approved.