A rare breed of ship in the Union Navy and a derivative of the Tanken-Class Destroyer, the Shisu-Class Explorer, which is the old Japanese word for “sheath,” fills a small niche of ships in the Union Navy that are still needed today: a vessel capable of deep space exploration. Using the Tanken as a base, the Shisu’s hull is elongated to accommodate the addition of exploration-specific equipment on the flanks of the forward hull, increasing the length to 447 meters. These sections house additional quarters, scientific research rooms, and sophisticated sensor equipment for use in the stellar exploration, cataloguing findings, and recording any flora and fauna’s interaction with their surroundings if any are present. The sections also house additional storage units that hold supplies for long-term deployment since the ship would be away from any known trade routes or space stations for prolonged periods of time. Except for the new sections and one change in the weapons, the rest of the Shisu’s specifications are the same as the Tanken’s.

 

While the Shisu is an exploration vessel, it is more than capable of defending itself from threats the ship may encounter. Much of the Shisu’s weapon and defensive capabilities are the same as the Tanken’s except for its main artillery turrets. Because the hull has been elongated, the Shisu’s main batteries consist 10 “light” laser turrets mounted on the vessel’s dorsal and ventral axis, 2 more than the Tanken. 8 of these turrets are forward facing and the remaining 2 are rear facing. Additional capacitors for the added turrets were also installed in the elongated sections. The Shisu can easily broadside its targets by bringing up to 5 turrets to engage either to port or starboard. If the target is large, all 10 turrets can be used on a single target. The remaining weapons, defenses, and layout of the Shisu is exactly the same as the Tanken. Only 15 vessels of this type exist in the Union Navy, meaning assignment to these vessels is both rare and hard to acquire unless a member of a Shisu’s crew either transfers or retires, creating an opening to apply for a transfer.