The battle  bridge is directly responsible for the supervision of all primary mission functions during emergency situations when the Bridge is unusable. Though usually vacant, the battle bridge may be used if the main bridge cannot uphold it's duties as primary command center of the vessel.

The battle bridge of the USS Epsilon is located on Deck 8.

CONN, or sometimes called Flight Control or Helm, is located at the front of the bridge, giving a clear and unhindered view of the view screen. CONN is responsible for the actual piloting and navigation of the spacecraft. Although these are heavily automated functions, their criticality demands a living officer to oversee these operations at all times.

During impulse powered space flight, CONN is responsible for monitoring realistic effects as well as inertial damping system status. In the event that a requested maneuver exceeds the capacity of the inertial dampening system, the computer will request CONN to modify the flight plan to bring it within permitted performance envelope. During Alert status, flight rules permit CONN to specify maneuvers that are potentially dangerous to the crew or the spacecraft.

Warp flight operating rules require CONN to monitor subspace field geometry in parallel with the Engineering department. During warp flight, the CONN station is continually updated by long-range sensor data, allowing automatic course corrections to adjust for minor variations in the density of interstellar medium.

Because of the criticality of CONN in spacecraft operations, CONN is connected to a dedicated backup flight subproccesor to provide for manual flight control. This equipment package includes emergency navigation sensors.

There are 5 major areas of responsibility for the CONN's Officer.

Navigational reference/course plotting
Supervision of automatic flight operations
Manual flight operations
Position verification
Bridge liaison to Engineering

Located at the front left (from view screen looking towards the Command chair) of the bridge, the Engineering Station duplicates the primary status display in main Engineering. These displays include warp/impulse propulsion systems, as well as other major subsystems. The purpose of this station is to permit the Chief Engineer to maintain supervision over engineering systems while on the bridge, as well as a back up for engineering operations should Main Engineering be compromised, and unavailable for system use. This Station is particularly critical during Alert situations that may require the Chief Engineer's presence on the bridge while simultaneously requiring that officer to maintain a close watch over the status of key systems. During most cruise mode operations it is the responsibility of the Ops officer to monitor these systems through the Ops station for the bridge.

Although this Station is normally configured for passive system display, priority access by the Chief Engineer or senior staff can provide full control of virtually all engineering systems.

The console is linked to the engineering system through the bridge's dedicated optical data network trunk, but an additional measure of redundancy is provided by the dedicated optical hardlines, which permit direct control of key systems in the event of a major control systems failure. In such a case, the main computer cores would be assumed to be unavailable or unreliable, so manual control of systems would be enabled with support from the bridge subprocessor.

In full enabled mode, this station is capable of individually addressing each control and servo device in all propulsion systems (subject to safety restrictions), giving the Chief Engineer enormous flexibility to reconfigure system operations in response to unforeseen situations.

Located in the mirror position to the Ops Station is Security. This is also the base for Tactical operations.

Under Cruise mode operations the security console is manned by Tactical, and Security is run from the main security office. Under Yellow and Red Alert mode operations the Security station is manned by a Security Officer, and Tactical takes control of the Tactical Station behind the Command chairs. The Epsilon also holds a Marine detachment, who work as extra officers for Security when ship board functions are taking place, but take command on away team missions (see the Marine link under "Main Decks").

SHIPBOARD SECURITY FUNCTIONS:
Under normal conditions, cruise mode, security does not man a position on the bridge, instead conducting it's ship wide security from the Security Department Offices. Here Security controls the inventory of weapons, Security team personnel assignments, ranging from personnel bodyguard's, to key location guarding. However under alert conditions Security can be controlled from the main security station on the bridge.

STARSHIP DEFENCE FUNCTIONS:
The very survival of the ship will often rest in the hands of the Tactical officer, and his/her performance of operations in hazardous situations. Tactical co-ordinates with CONN and Ops in all situations involving external hazards. Guidance and navigation information, targeting data, and external communications are networked through these three stations, providing expanded options for dealing with the unknown as they present themselves.

Tactical also has the latest defence technology available to it for defence, phasers, photon and quantum torpedoes, as well as tricobalt devices, and the latest development in shield technology. For more information on this see "Main Decks".

Under normal conditions, cruise mode, Tactical mans the Security Station on the bridge, performing ship wide tactical analysis. However under Yellow and Red Alert conditions Tactical moves to the Tactical Station located behind the Command chairs.

Both Security, Tactical and Marine Officers work closely together in providing ship wide security, and can perform each others task, if a crisis situation requires this.

Current Security and Tactical Matters on the Epsilon:
Currently both the Security and Tactical Department are run by the same chief and assistant. This allows for much easier operations of the personnel and their interaction with each other. Similarly it also allows much easier communication between the Marines and Sec/Tac.

In the Auxiliary space at the back of the Battle Bridge, the Executive Officer, Chief Medical Officer, and/or Counselor can work to accomplish any duties they may have while in a crisis situation.

Ops is traditionally stationed at the front of the bridge with Conn. However, the Defiant style bridge (used as the battle bridge of the USS Epsilon) moved Ops to a larger and more advanced station. This required a separate styled station form original forms. Ops can now be found at the back right, (when looking from the view screen) of the bridge.

Many shipboard operations involve scheduling resources or hardware (such as power or the use of sensors) that affect a number of departments. In many such cases, it is common for various operations to present conflicting requirements. It is the responsibility of the Ops officer to co-ordinate such activities so that mission goals are not jeopardized. Having a crew member in this decision-making loop is of critical importance because of the wide range of unpredictable situations with which a starship must deal.

Most routine scheduling and resource allocation is done automatically by the Ops program. This frees the Ops Officer from routine activity, leaving him/her able to concentrate on decisions beyond the scope of the artificial intelligence software. The level of these decision filter programs can be set by the Ops officer, and also varies with the current Alert status of the ship.

During crisis situations and reduced power mode operations, Ops is responsible for supervision of power allocation in co-ordination with the Engineering department. Load shedding of nonessential power usage in such situations is based on spacecraft survival factors and mission priorities.

The Ops officer is also responsible for providing general status information to the main computer, which is then made available to all departments and personnel. Ops routes specific information to specific departments to inform them of anticipated changes and requirements that may affect their operations. Ops also maintains a watch on key engineering functions (see Engineering above).

On the opposite side to the Engineering Station,  the Science Station can be found. This station is used to provide real-time scientific data to command personnel. During cruise mode conditions this station is not manned 24 hours, however under Yellow and Red Alert conditions the Chief Science Officer, or other available Science officer will take command of this station.

The Science Station are generally configured for independent operations, allowing the Science Department to conduct operations on the Science deck. Direct links provide Tactical, CONN, and Ops with scientific data. During alert status, the Science Station has priority access to sensor array, if necessary overriding ongoing science department operations.

In some cases, the Science Station is used by personnel attached to secondary missions including researchers, diplomats, and mission specialists.

SCIENCE STATION FUNCTIONS:
The ability to provide access to sensors and interpretative software for primary mission and command intelligence requirements.
The Ability to act as a command post for co-ordination of activities of various science laboratories and monitoring secondary mission status.
The ability to reconfigure and recalibrate sensor systems at a moments notice for specific command intelligence requirements.

The Central area of the bridge provides seating and information for the Commanding Officer.  On the Battle Bridge, the Executive Officer usually sits in the Auxiliary Space behind the Commanding Officer, where he/she can monitor the shipboard functions more closely (below).  All bridge Operations authority rest with the Commanding Officer on the bridge at that time, (usually the Captain or XO, 2nd officer or Quartermaster [in that order]). The Commanding Officer is responsible for execution of Starfleet Orders and Policy, as well as for interpretation and compliance with Federation law and diplomatic directives. As such a Commanding Officer is directly responsible for the performance of the ship.

The Command seating has information displays which provide the CO and XO (or other officer in shift command at the time) with all information available to the different stations around the bridge, and simplified CONN and Ops controls. Upon a key or vocal command, the Commanding Officer can use these controls to override the basic operation of the spacecraft. Such overrides are generally reserved for emergency situations.

Cruise mode operating rules require a shift Command Officer to be on duty at all times, although the presence of the other personnel is optional, depending on the specific mission requirements.

These pages are built and maintained by Michael Santerre for the benefit of the crew of the USS Epsilon and the other players of UFED RPOŠ. Much of the imagery has come from various sources, and therefore exact origins are unknown to me. However, if you recognize any of the work as your own, please contact me and I will be happy to reference you and/or your site. I assure you that no breech of copyright was intended.  If you have any questions / comments / queries - e-mail me, and I will respond ASAP.
The pips graphics on this page were created by Steven Marriott, for the Tango Fleet PBE-RPG. Please do not copy these images. If you wish to obtain a copy simply go to the Tango Fleet Website, and the Ranks Page. Here you will find info regarding the Pips. Steven will happily pass along the files freely to anyone who takes the time to ask him for their use.
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