The Takumi-Class Expeditionary Command Cruiser is a Capital Ship that was first produced in YE 29. The 1A version served until it had a minor refit, a year later, in YE 30. The 1B proudly served the Star Army of Yamatai until it was finally reviewed again in YE 43 and was given a major rebuild to the 2A version which gave the vessel a future once again in the Star Army of Yamatai.

(1A/B on the left, 2A on the right)

Takumi (匠) is a Yamataigo (邪馬台語) word meaning “artisan” or “skilled”.

The Takumi-Class Expeditionary Command Cruiser was a design submitted to Ketsurui Fleet Yards by Ketsurui-Motoyoshi Katsuko in YE 29. At the time, Katsuko commanded the Fifth Expeditionary Fleet; a fleet that had an extensive history of exploration and colonization for the Star Army of Yamatai. The identified need was for a force-protection weapon that would accompany colonization fleets and the design followed another submitted by Ketsurui-Motoyoshi Katsuko, for the Hummingbird-class Colony Ship. A few months later Ketsurui Fleet Yards had reviewed and accepted the design and choose Taiie no Iori, an Iori-Class Star Fortress in the Fifth Expeditionary Fleet to build the prototype, the YSS Takumi.

Unfortunately, the prototype became delayed when Taiie no Iori was destroyed, thankfully the prototype had been undergoing field tests in the nearby Katsuko's Nebula when the tragedy occurred. Production was then resumed at Luna Bianca Shipyards in the Yamatai Star System. The program proved successful and several ships of the class were produced and put into service in the First Expeditionary Fleet, Second Expeditionary Fleet, Fifth Expeditionary Fleet and throughout the entire Star Army of Yamatai. One of the most notable ships of the class was the YSS Yugumo, which played a key role in the exploration and discovery of systems in the Yugumo Cluster.

In YE 30, the Takumi-Class received its first major update and refit; which was centered around the installation of MEGAMI to replace Warship Integrated Electronics System (WIES). It increased the ship's position in the PANTHEON hierarchy to a place that was more suited for the role the ship played in the fleets. This refit is considered the 1B version of the ship.

The 1B version of the Takumi-Class Expeditionary Command Cruiser had a long term of service in the Star Army of Yamatai, as of the beginning of YE 43, there were sixteen remaining ships of the class in active service; which included two in the Second Expeditionary Fleet, two in the Fourth Fleet, eleven in Task Force 75 and one in the First Expeditionary Fleet.

The YSS Mazu, the only Takumi-Class Expeditionary Command Cruiser in the First Expeditionary Fleet, which has a long history in the Star Army of Yamatai ¹⁾, was transferred at the request of Ketsurui-Motoyoshi Katsuko to the First Expeditionary Fleet as a project ship in YE 41. ²⁾. The YSS Mazu was overhauled, rebuilt³⁾ and updated at Gemini Star Fortress and would become for the prototype for the 2A version of the ship. The ship made its debut at the liberation of the Scrapyard System which proceeded the Battle Of Glimmergold.

(2A, Lateral View)

The Takumi-Class Expeditionary Command Cruiser is a long-range capable force protection unit that is ideal for Expeditionary Warfare. It has a capable weapons platform with additional factory and fabrication functions to prolong the amount of time a force can spend outside of the normal range of the Star Army of Yamatai, especially when it is accompanied by specialized support vessels.

It also serves as a platform with decent survivability for stand-alone operation, which is easily modified for peace-time functions and multiple mission profiles. While its size contributes to its strength, it also serves as a weakness due to maneuverability and logistical concerns about staffing during shortages. Thankfully the MEGAMI can mitigate some of these concerns with automation and the creation of sprites.

The Takumi-Class Expeditionary Command Cruiser was designed to meet the following design considerations, derived from the notes of Ketsurui-Motoyoshi Katsuko and Star Army Research Administration’s response to the initial design proposal:

1. A capital ship of the 'Command Cruiser' classification capable of performing independent operations with limited need for resupply or fleet resources.
2. A vessel identified as a ‘long-range force protection weapon’ specifically with colonization fleets in mind.
3. A vessel equipped with state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, capable of handling a large volume of samples, specimens, and equipment.
4. Large production bays for the production of mission-specific equipment, weapons, and other products.

When the 2A design changes were being considered by Ketsurui-Motoyoshi Katsuko, the following considerations were made:

1. The size of the Takumi-Class Expeditionary Cruiser truly puts the ship in the category of Expeditionary Battleship. The designation will be kept purely to express the design lineage of the ship.
2. Expeditionary Warfare needs to continue to be design ethos; long-term deployments without resupply or return to port. Also, improve stand-alone usefulness and survivability.
3. The design requires updates to current technologies.
   1. Integrated CFS Array and elimination of nacelle pods that used to house Continuum Distortion Drive coils.
   2. Replacement of the Hemosynthetic Conduit System with the new Nodal Liquid Conduit System.
   3. Updates to Laboratory Complexes; replacements with Star Army Combined Sciences Laboratory and Star Army Standard Hospital Center.
   4. Update the Takumi Command Deck to the Type 34 Standard Large Starship Bridge.
   5. New Launchbays, included on the lateral structures of the ship.
4. Elimination of vulnerable tower structures. Submerged in-structure Bridge.
5. Updates to Configurations and Inventories.
   1. Added new Weapons Systems to YE 43 standards.
   2. Updated Star Army Small Craft inventory.
   3. Updated Power Armor and Mecha inventory.

Statistical and performance information for the Takumi-Class Expeditionary Cruiser.

(2A Version, Ventral View)

The general information for the Takumi-Class Expeditionary Command Cruiser.

The personnel on board the ship. Actual occupancy can vary due to personnel shortages or other situations.

• Length: 2700m
• Width: 830m
• Height: 1200m
• Decks: 150 (5m average deck height, some decks are much larger⁴⁾

This vessel complies with the Star Army of Yamatai Starship Speeds.

The Takumi-Class Expeditionary Command Cruiser is not designed for atmospheric or water use. It is not capable of making planetary landings.

This vessels damage capacity statistics are in compliance with Damage Rating (Version 3).

Damage Rating (Version 3) is Tier 14, Heavy Capital Ship.

The Takumi Class Command Cruiser is only a Cruiser by name. The ship is very obviously in this category due to its size.

The Takumi-Class resembles the Nozomi-class Scout, but it has an elongated and stretched shape. The 1A and 1B had higher structures located aft of the bridge dome and two stabilizer-like blades extend on both sides of the vessel's wings that held the ship's CDD nacelles. The 2A rebuild/refit removed the wing structure and extended the fabrication and production bays and placed the multi-purpose launch bays on the sides. The nacelle structures, exposed tower structures were also removed.

(1A/B on left, 2A on right)

The interior of the Takumi Expeditionary Command Cruiser is designed for the long-term deployment of personnel either in a Fleet, Task Force, or as a stand-alone ship.

The ship has Standard Passageways, Zero-Gravity Passageways and Standard Lifts that provide access to most of the ship. Some system bays and engineering areas are only accessible by the network of Maintenance Conduits that run through the entire ship.

Arrival onto the ship is done via the Multi-Purpose Launch Hangars, or through Standard Star Army Airlock when the ship is docked with another ship or space station.

The Command Center and Centralized Control Deck.

The Takumi-Class ECC has a Type 43 Bunker-Style Bridge.

The bridge design features a Type 34 Standard Large Starship Bridge which has been isolated from the rest of the ship with a heavy Zesuaium shell designed to withstand the theoretical destruction of the ship.

It can be used as a bunker if the ship has been border and is protected by Forcefield-Nested Isolation Doors that cut off lift and Standard Star Army Maintenance Conduits. One of the ship's Backup Integrated Electronics System is located below the forward subdeck.

If the bridge bunker becomes compromised the Star Army Starship Captain or acting command officer can trigger an overload of the bridge's Aether Generator to destroy the structure and prevent the capture of personnel or technology.

The bridge has its own dedicated:

• Aether Generator with capacitor system and backup Fusion Reactor
• Nodal Liquid Conduit System for Star Army Standard Life Support Systems.
• Star Army Standard Starship Emergency Systems, including two Star Army Escape Pod, Type 35 "Seizonsha"
• Emergency Supplies (Determined by the ship's Star Army Starship Captain and Star Army Logistics)

A spiral-style staircase runs from the top of the central bunker to the bottom of the Type 34 Standard Large Starship Bridge, it is located behind the First Officer's station. It connects the War Room (above) and the Command Office (below) which are also part of the bunker structure.

The bridge on the original versions of the ship was an exposed structure on the outer dorsal hull of the ship. See the Takumi Command Deck.

A secondary command center for emergencies.

The original Auxiliary Bridge, has been replaced with a Star Army Internal Small Starship Bridge, Type 40.

In the event that the main bridge is compromised or destroyed, there is an auxiliary control room located on deck thirty in the most central area of the ship. The auxiliary bridge is heavily armored, its interior sections are lined with Yamataium plates and it has its own quantum power plant, access to the ACS, its own Hemosynthetic Conduit System network, and can be sealed off from the rest of the ship.

The main subsystem hub on the ship.

The engineering section still occupies three aft compartments of decks twenty-two to twenty-four. The upgraded section has all of the same features as the Standard Star Army Engineering Bay. It serves as the central access to the Nodal Liquid Conduit System and its associated systems, and houses two very large Standard Star Army Fabrication Area for the concentrated deployment of the Universal Hemosynthetic Fabrication System Type 43 for damage control and component replacement.

These compartments have access to key Standard Star Army Maintenance Conduits to the Multi-Stage Aether Drive assemblies that are spread out across the aft sections of the ship. The housing for the primary Aether reactors, and the Yumeoibito Hyperspace Fold Drive is also located in this section.

Hemosynthetic Tubes have replaced the original tubes found in the alcoves for sprite creation by MEGAMI.

Three aft sections of decks twenty-two, twenty-three, and twenty-four are devoted to the main engineering. Engineering houses the primary Aether generator power plant, hyperspace fold drive, and other major systems. It is also the primary junction point of maintenance conduits that lead to other system access points around the ship and can serve as an auxiliary method of moving thru the vessel. The chief engineer’s office is located off the main control room on deck twenty-three.

Maintenance tunnels have several alcoves for the production of NH-12 Nekovalkyrja Sprites for damage control and intruder suppression. The tunnels are large enough to accommodate most Star Army Power Armors.

Two secondary engineering monitoring rooms also are located in the forward bow, here the secondary quantum power plants, and backup controls can be accessed in the event that main engineering is compromised in combat or other high alert situations.

The Takumi-Class Expeditionary Command Cruiser is host to some of the best medical and scientific facilities in the Star Army of Yamatai fleets.

The newly updated rebuild of the Takumi-Class Expeditionary Cruiser hosts a Hospital, and six Star Army Combined Sciences Laboratory that can be reconfigured to meet different mission profiles.

Laboratory Complex I: The Takumi boasts the largest scientific laboratory of any ship in the fleet. With the ability to accommodate over two hundred science personnel. There are eight decks in the central forward section of the ship devoted to Biology/Xenobiology, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and other labs as well as two storage facilities for containment of specimens large and small and of various risk levels. The labs all meet Star Army Research Administration regulations for bio-containment, safety, and research integrity.

Laboratory Complex II: The second section of the laboratory complex is an additional two deck sections beneath Laboratory Complex I. Equipped with mission variable laboratory spaces, stellar cartography, and houses the ship’s Medical Bay. The ship’s medical bay serves the needs of the crew with a spacious infirmary, examination alcoves, and operating rooms. Medical Bay is also the central junction for the ship’s HSCS systems and is where body synthesis, mental backups, and torture of prisoners is generally conducted.

The Galaxy Arboretum is an artificially maintained Yamatai (Planet) environment. This area of the ship simulates the experience of being on Yamatai, everything from crystal-clear rippling ponds filled with fancy fish to towering fruit trees and a variable climate control system to simulate weather and maintain this carefully planned environment. Benches, fountains, and walking paths make for a great way to relax during those off duty hours. This section of the ship was recommended by Star Army Research Administration for maintaining a good mental state in crew members during extremely long voyages. The 2A rebuild kept this feature intact.

Like on most Star Army of Yamatai ships, the accommodations are dependant on rank. Unoccupied space is generally utilized as space for additional cargo and equipment. During peace-time or shortages, ships are generally assigned less crew.

Standard Amenities provided by the Star Army provide soldiers who are assigned to ships and facilities with food, personal items, some equipment and services similar to those found on worlds in the Yamatai Star Empire.

Some advanced amenities are provided on some ships, especially in the First Expeditionary Fleet where vetted food providers offer up some grub and refreshments for reasonable prices.

Some ships have some of these establishments:

• Kikyo Pie Company - A pizza company, that delivers hot and fresh pies.
• Tachi's - A traditional Izakaya serving bar snacks.
• Tokyo Brewing Company - A great place to unwind with fresh beer and pub food.
• Sea Of Plenty - A seafood and seaweed fast food eatery.

On First Expeditionary Fleet Capital Ships, Officer dining is provided by vetted and contracted chefs from Takeda House, the price of which is covered by the Motoyoshi Clan.

The Multi-Purpose Launch Bays provide launch facilities for power armors, shuttles, and other craft.

The 2A version has an entirely new launch bay system. There is one located on the starboard side, and another on the port side of the ship.

The Multi-Purpose Launch Bay has a cargo area for storage of supplies, additional parts for vehicles and mission required equipment. There is also a medical laboratory for the triage and treatment of battlefield wounds. The deck is accessible using stairs from Deck Two and a standard lift that travels to all decks of the ship.

The standard bay has six power armor racks with a total capacity of two thousand Ke-M2 "Mindy" Series of Power Armor per bay. During staging and pre-combat procedures, pilots are generally loaded into their armors and held there until launch to keep the flight decks clear. The racks are stacked in movable spindles stacked from bottom to top of the deck, when ready for launch the armor is rotated down to the bottom and ejected into the bay for launch out the bay doors. The racks include stairs and gangways for pilots to access and load into armors on various levels of the racks. Nets and internal graviton beam projectors help to protect the racks from incidental crashes and assist with moving units for storage.

The Repair and Manufacturing alcoves in the Multi-Purpose Launch Bays are designed to repair and build Ke-M2 "Mindy" Series of Power Armor units. It is connected to the Nodal Liquid Conduit System and Universal Hemosynthetic Fabrication System Type 43 functions. It has robotic arms and tools devoted to the efficient and precise assembly of the units. There are five alcoves in the Repair and Fabrication area on Deck Two.

The deck is accessible using stairs from Deck One and a standard lift that travels to all decks of the ship.

There are four vehicle lifts devoted to carrying units between Deck Two and Deck Three for alternative launch strategies or if something prevents launch from one deck or the other.

The Command and Control Tower serve as the heart of the Multi-Purpose Launch Bays. It works as a flight control tower; it is where the bay provides communication, launch control, and flight assistance to pilots. A secure chamber stows the bay's Escort Integrated Electronics System (EIES).

The Multi-Purpose Launch Bays's third deck has six double stalls which hold twelve (in total) Fighters or Bombers or one Star Army Fighter Squadron. Each stall has two gantry ladders and Star Army Tool Locker. Repair units and fabrication chambers assist with repairs of these units.

The deck is accessible using stairs from Deck Two and a standard lift that travels to all decks of the ship.

There are four vehicle lifts devoted to carrying units between Deck Two and Deck Three for alternative launch strategies or if something prevents launch from one deck or the other.

This deck can also be modified to hold optional M19 Ryoko Mechas.

The launch bay is located above the cargo bay and storage facility. The bay is the entire width of the aft section, and is the height of three average deck sections, however from the exterior it appeared there are two distinct bays. Two bay doors open up from the stern of the vessel, and a single door both the port and starboard side. The combined bay serves for the launch of shuttles and armors. The floor is a glossy, polished black and the walls are made of the typical gray paneling found in most Star Army ships.

Maintenance alcoves line the forward most section of the bays, as well as pilot locker storage and weapon holds for armor weaponry and accessories. In the event of an emergency, blast shutters and force fields can seal the armor bay off from the rest of the ship.

The 2A version of the ship expanded the production bays. They are located aft of the new Multi-Purpose Launch Bays. Unlike the Yamato-Class Flagship, the Takumi-Class does not bring other ships into its production bays as that it can't fit most ships. The production bays are huge factory sections of the ship which is focused on the use of the Universal Hemosynthetic Fabrication System Type 43. MEGAMI assisted robotic arms, graviton beam arrays, and conveyor systems help with the production of new parts and components to repair damaged ships, produce armors and other small craft to increase the survivability of expeditionary fleets on long deployments.

Cargo Bays are located in the ventral aft section of the ship for Standard Starship Cargo Containers. It has tracks, cranes, and robotic arms all designed to move, load, unload and stack Standard Starship Cargo Containers. Forcefields (Graviton Fields) similar to those found on Star Army of Yamatai Shuttle Bays allow for the maintenance of the various atmospheric and environmental conditions inside of the container holds. Forcefields, magnetic clamps, and other measures to secure cargo can also be swapped in and out in different configurations.

The systems and inner workings of the ship.

The Hull and Integrated Hull Systems of the Takumi-Class Expeditionary Command Cruiser have not changed much in the 2A rebuild/refit. Some structures such as the exposed towers, bridge dome, etc have been modified to increase the durability and reduce the vulnerabilities of the ship.

The Takumi’s primary space frame is constructed primarily of Zesuaium truss frames interlocked together. These major trusses are arranged in higher concentration around the sections of the vessel that are most likely to become stressed like around the CDD nacelles (1A and 1B), STL engines and to provide additional strength to areas such as armor bays, the main bridge, and around major weapon mounts. Smaller Zesuaium trusses that form the interior frame of the vessel provide internal support for decks and interior sections.

Force field generators are arranged at major truss junctions to provide additional strength, and protect these junctions from anti-matter hits in the event the major space frame becomes exposed or compromised in a battle. Of course, the force field generators are small and can only absorb a limited amount of energy before becoming useless but this serves effort to provide strength to the space frame.

The secondary framework is nested within the primary space frame to provide additional support and provide support for ship systems. The secondary frame is composed primarily of small Yamataium trusses and rods lined with Yarvex meshing to provide shielding to interior structures.

The primary substrate of the hull plating is Zesuaium coated 0.60m thick Yamataium plates. Interior sections of the vessel are provided shielding by the layering of Yarvex meshing across the secondary framework structure.

The integrated hull systems are as follows:

• Integrated CFS Array, which provides propulsion in CDD, defense and stealth operation.
• Nodal Liquid Conduit System, a system which uses the femtomechanical nature of Hemosynthetics. Assists with damage control and other functions. When the shuttle is landed, it can be hooked into the system of its host vessel or space station for greater efficiency for this system.
  • Advanced Damage Control - Ketsurui Fleet Yards brought in Hemosynthologist, Shinichiro Tomoko onto the design team to testbed a new capillary system for the interlocking Yamataium hull. Standardly Star Army of Yamatai ships have capillaries which deliver hemosynth to interlocking Yamataium plating which boosts the annealing properties of Yamataium . The system has a tweak where the femtomachinery components are programmed to respond to osmotic conditions. A breach or damage to the armor creates a concentration gradient, which the fetomachinery is triggered to increase replication and flow along the gradient towards the damaged areas. This was first deployed in the Ke-T10 "Fukuro" Multi-Role Shuttle.
  • The Matter Collection System - 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 Nodal Liquid Conduit System. The MCS units can be shielded in combat with cover plates.

The ship is powered by decentralized Aether generators spread throughout the ship, the highest number of which are located in and around the engineering compartments. Due to the development of the ship during a time when there was a perceived threat from enemy development of systems that interfered with Aether, the ship has several secondary Quantum Foam Generators.

The Takumi-Class is equipped with an Multi-Stage Aether Drive for sublight applications, and it uses the Integrated CFS Array for Continuum Distortion Drive propulsion. The Yugumo Corporation contributed the Yumeoibito Hyperspace Fold Drive. It has Maneuvering Thrusters (ion thrusters) are used primarily attitude adjustment, docking and station keeping.

The 1B and the 2A are equipped with MEGAMI. This standardly includes all Star Army Standard Communications Array, Sensors and other basic electronics systems.

The 1A version of the ship first deployed the Warship Integrated Electronics System (WIES).

The Takumi-Class is equipped with the latest Life Support Systems, which included the update in YE 43 which included integration with the new Nodal Liquid Conduit System.

The ship is equipped with all Star Army Standard Starship Emergency Systems including Star Army Escape Pod, Type 35 "Seizonsha" and Star Army Escape Pod, Type 41 "Kodate".

The Takumi-Class Expeditionary Command Cruiser is outfitted with the following weapons systems:

• 1 x Multi-Mode Aether Shock Array (DR 15)
• 24 x Ke-D7-W3900 Mass Launchers (Tier 11) - Pop-up launch system that is covered when not being used.
• 128 x Ke-S3-W3102 Star Army Anti-Fighter Turret, Type 31 (Tier 7) - Pop-up launch system that is covered when not being used.
• 16 x Dual Port Torpedo Launchers, Type 43 (Ke-Z1 Series Anti-Starship Torpedoes)

The ship also has an inventory of 300 Multi-Role Science Drone Type 43s.

Warning the 1A and 1B were approved before Weapon Limitations:

• 12 KFY-C8-W29A01 Positron 'Striker' Array
• 1 Heavy Subspace-Encased Positron Cannon
• 3 KFY-C8-W2904 Subspace-Encased Particle Cannon
• 2 KFY-C8-W2907 Projected Energy Beam Rakers (See below)
• Projected Energy Beams
• 1000 KFY Ke-C8-W2903 Mobile Variable Pods
• 6 Dual Port Type 29 Torpedo Launchers (See below)

The small craft inventory of the ship can be changed, but it usually includes:

This article was created by Andrew. It was approved by Wes on August 22, 2006: Approval Thread

• 1B DOGA Art was by Kai. Original art is lost, so we have to use what we have.
• 2A DOGA Art is by Andrew.
• Small Bridge Art is by Toshiro.
• Artbreeder Galaxy Arboreetum is by Charaa.
• Multi-Purpose Launch Bay by Andrew in Fireworks MX.
• Shuttle Art by Adam Kopala.

This article was updated by Andrew on 1/30/2021 for 2A rebuild/refit. It was approved by Wes. ⁷⁾