The designing of the Ascendancy-class Flagship's bridge was a work of passion; undertaken by Taisho Ketsurui-Motoyoshi Katsuko herself. Katsuko had already designed the bridges of the Takumi-Class Expeditionary Command Cruiser, Hummingbird-class Colony Ship and lead the “D” refit to the Chiharu-class Flagship's bridge; so the Ascendancy's bridge would prove to be the culmination of all her designs.
The bridge is a tear drop shape, giving it a smooth flowing appearance. Its high arched ceilings and spacious interior provide a regal yet comfortable atmosphere. The design focus's on the command platform with most stations set facing the commander's centrally located chair to allow for a more direct interaction between command and crew.
All stations have:
Have small storage drawers for:
Raised 0.8m off the main deck the Command Platform provides commanding officers a view of the entire bridge. The platform has two distinct areas; the forward command chair area and two stations set in the aft section. The platform is accessible by a set of stairs in the rear that come up between the two stations.
Raised slightly off the platform is the command chair, the chair is padded leather with a high sturdy back and is equipped with SPINE to facilitate interaction between the commander and ONSLAUGHT-LEVEL NOVACORP AI. The chair itself can swivel three hundred and sixty degrees to allow the officer to face in any direction. Volumetric projection emitters inset within the platform and ceiling allow for easy visual interaction and communications. The base of the chair is designed with several interlocking shock absorbers and can be removed from the platform. Beneath the command chair a ladder leading down provides access to the main bridge maintenance and equipment room. It can also serve as an escape route should the bridge be compromised.
The chairs sitting left and right of the command chair are also equipped with SPINE providing access for the Executive officer and one other senior officer.
Left station behind command chairs.
The Operations officer is one of the most highly skilled officers on the ship. From this station through SPINE and console interaction the Chief or duty operations officer preforms the following duties:
Right station behind command chairs.
Security requires that Bakufu leadership ranked Taisa and above must have protection when serving aboard starships. So this station provides a close proximity to the generally high ranking officials serving on this class of ship. The assigned Blackcoat can also preform the following duties:
Below Command Chair, Center
Has volumetric projection system to create maps and overlays required for plotting navigation solutions. NAV Officer is responsible for:
Directly below platform left side
Typical chair and console combination; chair has SPINE interface. One of the most critical stations on the bridge. Tactical Station Duties include:
Directly below platform right side
FCIS station is the link between the main bridge and the Flight Control bridge. The FCIS Officer is responsible for:
Forward of NAV Station-Central Right and Left
Starship pilots are responsible for executing maneuvers and navigation solutions. Duties specifically are:
Just forward of Starship Pilot Stations–Center
The bridge science station is utilized mostly for real-time sensor data relay to commanding officers. The bridge science officer preforms the following duties:
Triangular bank of stations
Possibly the most active stations on the bridge. Fairly straight forward purpose, but the lifeline of the ship, communications officers are responsible for:
Located behind the command platform, two inwards facing banks of stations are devoted to on board and off ship logistics coordination. The stations are responsible for the coordination of movement and inventory of personnel, supplies and equipment. Generally on such a high profile ship they are responsible for fleet-wide duties and report directly to the Operations Officer.
Five lifts provide access to the bridge. All lift shafts are equipped with:
Can be sealed off using:
Access can be gained via maintenance tunnel beneath the command chair. The tunnel leading down is round and has a single ladder secured to one side. Dark gray panels cover various electronic cables and utilities running through the tunnel. Approximately 3 meters down is the equipment bay, which is roughly half the size of the bridge above it, and accessible to two other maintenance tunnels that connect to the rest of the ship.
The Equipment Bay has polished glossy black floors and flat gray and light blue walls. Clear blue transparent doors cover several equipment storage alcoves.
Storage for critical supplies to repair damage to the ship.
Control station for the ACS system.
An auxiliary backup in case the ONSLAUGHT-LEVEL NOVACORP AI system is damaged, malfunctioning, or deactivated. When the ACS is activated, the computer systems are rebooted in ACS mode, and begin managing vital systems of the ship: Environmental, Power Systems, Propulsion, and Defensive Systems.
