2.0  MAIN BRIDGE

General Overview: Primary operational control for the ship is provided by the Main Bridge on Deck 1, which is located at the top of the primary hull. The Main Bridge directly supervises all primary mission operations (with the exception of shuttlebay flight operations) and coordinates all departmental activities.

The Main Bridge is a highly restricted area; only personnel with security clearance of Level 4 or above (officers of Ensign rank or higher) and authorized bridge personnel are allowed on the bridge. All bridge officers have access to Type-I and Type-II phasers.

The Ares is equipped with a battle ready bridge with ship-wide system control. In addition to the standard hull the Ares Bridge is surrounded by an additional foot of ablative armor plating. The Bridge is also completely self-contained and can be completely sealed off from the rest of the ship with enough consumables for seven days. It has the traditional complement of stations with a dedicated tactical station. The Captain's ready room is on the left side of the Bridge. She has one forward flight control station sharing a console with the Ops station located adjacent to it. The Captain's chair is located above Helm and Ops, with the First Officer's seat to the right and a third seat to the left. Engineering, Science, Environmental Control, Mission Ops, Strategic Ops, the Master Situation Monitor, and a secondary console line the rear wall. All systems have dedicated ODN lines leading directly to the main computer.

2.1  MAIN ENGINEERING

The Main Engineering control center on Deck 7 serves as a master control for the ship's warp propulsion system, as well as the impulse propulsion system and it has access to almost all systems aboard the starship, and manages repairs, power flow, and general maintenance.
Main Engineering also serves as a backup control center in the event of failure of the Main Bridge. Workstations at this location can be reconfigured to emulate Conn, Ops, Tactical, and other command operations. This is a desirable site for such functions because of its protected location within the Enginnering section, whose hull has been reinforced with ablative armor plating, and it's proximity to key components. ODN hardlines provide protected backup communications to other major systems.

Off to the starboard side of Main Engineering is the Chief Engineer's Office, which is equipped with a diagnostics table, assembly and repair equipment, a small replicator, a personal use console with built-in private viewscreen and a private bathroom.

Entrance to the primary engineering spaces is provided by large blast doors on decks 7, that can be closed for internal or external security reasons, as well as in case of emergencies.

Just inside of the doors on Deck 7 - Main Engineering - is an observation area where technicians monitor various systems of the ship. Also in that area is a floor-mounted situational display similar to the Master Systems Display found on the Bridge. Affectionately referred to as the pool table, the Chief Engineer can use the display to more easily get a broad view of the situation with just a glance.

Farther in from the observation area is the warp core and the main control systems. The core is a 'tower' that extends upward from Deck 9 upwards to Deck 3. There is a balcony on Deck 6, within Main Engineering, that surrounds the core. The core can be ejected out of the bottom of the ship, if needed to avoid a breech.

Circular in shape, but exceedingly functional to save space inside the ship, Main Engineering has usable consoles mounted on every piece of real estate around the circumference of the room and provides primary control access for the engineers and technicians. Additionally, there are numerous ladders and access panels to Jefferies tubes, which lead throughout the ship. The technical complexity of the starship dictates the use of these spaces to maintain peak efficiency and affect proper repairs.

The Matter/Anti-Matter Assembly (M/ARA) is what primarily makes up the warp core 'tower'. Primary power for the ship is generated inside the M/ARA. This system is checked on a regular basis due to its importance to the ship. Access to the warp core is restricted, with a front port to get to the Dilithium matrix as well as a side port for access to the warp plasma conduits.

Deuterium Storage and Anti-Matter Storage Fuel Tanks, the fuel components for the M/ARA, are stored on Decks 8 and 9 in the secondary hull, where they are piped to the intake valves on the warp core. Both fuels can be ejected through emergency valves in the hull. In extreme emergencies explosive charges can be utilized to jettison the secondary hull.

2.2  SECURITY DEPARTMENT

This multi-room department is located in a restricted area on Deck 8. Within it are the entrances to the phaser range, the Brig, and to the Ship's Armory, as well as the office of the Chief Tactical Officer. Deck 2 contains the Torpedo/Probe Magazine and Auxiliary Weapons Control.

The CTO's office is decorated to the officer's preference. It contains a work area, a personal viewscreen, a computer display, a replicator, and a washroom/head. It is located next to the brig.

Brig: Located on Deck 8, the brig is a restricted access area whose only entrance is from within the Security department. The Steamrunner class vessel has 4 double occupancy cells, which contain beds, a retractable table and chairs, a water dispenser, and a latrine. The cells are secured with a level-10 forcefield emitter built into each doorway.

Internal Forcefields: Controlled from the bridge or from the Security office on Deck 8, forcefields can be activated throughout the ship, effectively sealing off sections of the hallway from the remainder of the vessel.

Internal Sensors: Used to monitor the internal security of the ship. They can identify the location of specific crewmembers who are wearing their commbadge. They can be used to determine the general location of any person on board the ship, based on the entry of specific variables by the Tactical officer.

Phaser Range: The phaser range is located on Deck 8. The phaser range is heavily shielded and the walls are armored. It is designed for low level phaser fire, but can withstand short phaser blasts at setting 16 without a problem. The phaser range is used by security to train ship's personnel in marksmanship. During training, the holo-emitters in the phaser range are activated, creating a holographic setting, similar to what a holodeck does. Personnel are "turned loose" either independently or in an Away Team formation to explore the setting presented to them, and the security officer in charge will take notes on the performance of each person as they take cover, return fire, protect each other, and perform a variety of different scenarios. All personnel on Starfleet vessels are tested every six months in phaser marksmanship. There are 25 levels of phaser marksmanship. All personnel are trained in the operation of phaser types I and II up to level 14. All security personnel must maintain a level 17 marksmanship for all phaser types. The true marksman can maintain at least an 80% hit ratio on level 23.

Ship's Armory: This room is located in a restricted area on deck 8 and is under constant guard. The room is sealed with a level-10 forcefield and can only be accessed by personnel with Alpha 3 security clearance. Inside the armory is a work area for maintenance and repair of phasers as well as multiple sealed weapon lockers. The armory carries enough type-I and type-II phasers to arm the entire crew. Type-III phaser rifle and the new compression phaser rifles are available as well, but only in enough numbers to arm approximately 1/3 of the crew. Heavy ordinance is available in limited numbers.

Torpedo/Probe Magazine: This restricted area is located on Deck 2 and consists of two bays, one on each side of the roll-bar. It is used for storing unarmed photon torpedoes, quantum torpedoes (if the mission dictates), and science probes type I - VI and type IX (types VII and VIII are available if the mission dictates). Also stored here are the components for manufacturing new photon torpedoes, as well as the equipment to put it all together. This room is also accessed by the loading mechanisms for the torpedo launchers.