Command Information Center

The Command Information Center (CIC) is the 'brains' of the ESCI Revelation.

Purpose / Function

The CIC, as the name implies, is a place where information is gathered, decisions are made, and commands are issued to the Revelation's many systems. It also serves as the headquarters of the Cobalt Knight presence aboard the vessel, as the Director is a high-ranking Knight with lots of command experience. The Revelation operates on a mission control model, with highly-trained Department Heads and their staff overseeing mostly computer-automated processes in case manual intervention is required.

Architecture

The CIC forward has three tiers, with the tiers descending in height as they approach the forward end of the compartment. Stairwells . Each tier has a set of concave clusters of terminals from which the various Department Heads and their subordinates work. From lowest to highest, these tiers and their control clusters are:

1. Astrogation, Helm, Sensor, Electronic Warfare/Countermeasures. The center of this floor is taken up with a large holography tank in the form of a croupier's table. Sensory data relating to the ship and its environs is displayed here, with the Sensor and Astrogation clusters having the ability to manually update the data if required. The security sally port (see Defenses) exit, built mostly into the wall created by the second tier, deposits visitors onto this floor.


2. Communications, Command, Computer Engineering. The center of this tier is taken up with a raised platform created by the roof of the exit for the security sally port. This raised section is where the Director (or Shift Chief), Integrated Communications Officer, and anyone they might wish to speak to discretely sit.


3. Mechanical Engineering, Electrial Engineering, Reactor Engineering, Life Support. Hatches in the rear wall lead to the Director's on-call suite, a private meeting room, a break room, and a head for crew members standing watch, all of which are thuroughly soundproof and capable of being sealed from the inside to serve as shelters of last resort.

The forward-facing wall is covered with displays showing a wide variety of information relevant to the Revelation's status and disposition in space; should a Shift Chief or Department Head need a quick 'bird's eye view' of all systems, this is where they would look.
The Auxiliary CIC fully mirrors the structure of the main CIC, including a separate security sally port. During normal operations, the Auxiliary CIC is minimally manned and used primarily for training purposes - after all, crew members are expected to train outside of their normal spheres of responsibilities in preparation for when (not if) a real emergency arises. The Auxiliary CIC's skeleton crew can also be called upon when more than one set of department staff must be brought to bear on a particularly thorny problem.

Defenses

The walls of the CIC in all directions are multiple layers thick, with extensive field-proofing, surge protection, and water-based radiation shielding implemented to protect against most forms of electromagnetic frequency attacks. The volume of the Sphere Section surrounding the Administration Ring has its own damage control membrane surrounded by a near-vacuum, and the CIC portions even has their own partition within this membrane. As with all parts of the Administrative Ring, the CIC is positioned as close to the hardened core of the Revelation as possible; in the result of a near mission kill, the CIC and Auxiliary CIC functions as a biowell and life raft for the operational staff.
The CIC is isolated from the elevator gantry beneath it (along with the associated emergency stairwells) by a security sally port on the deck below. This sally port adjoins a portion of the Security Department responsible for checking the identities of all visitors and confiscating any connection-capable devices for the duration of a visit. Similar sealed accessways link the CIC to its mirror image, the Auxiliary CIC, on the other side of the Administration Ring.
As the command center of a colony vessel during wartime - especially after the Armoa Incident - the information security of the CIC is top-of-the-line despite its position within an otherwise civilian-run vessel. Generally, only fully-vetted Cobalt Knights, trusted Department Heads, operational personnel on watch, and Protectorate government officials are permitted within the CIC during normal operations, though the occasional guest may be admitted with Department Head approval and extensive pre-screening. All visitors must pass security screening before ascending to the flight deck (see above). Access to the Auxiliary CIC is even more strict, with absolutely no guests under any circumstances.

Ruling/Owning Rank

Director

Compartment of Vehicle

ESCI Revelation

Owning Organization

Cobalt Knights