Takaaki Destroyer

Named after Labrim Takaaki, a legendary hero of the Cardassian People's Unification Party, the Takaaki Destroyer is the combat-specialized variant of the Takaaki heavy frigate, developed in the early 2300s. The Takaaki Destroyer is known affectionately as the "Gun Takaaki".

Takaaki Hull
Despite weighing just over half as much as the older Jaldun-class cruiser and requiring a much smaller crew, the baseline Takaaki is nearly as sturdy and nearly as powerful, incorporating the latest Cardassian technologies. The large dome deflector on the dorsal hull appears oversized and fragile, but its placement near the Takaaki's highly efficient warp core and numerous SIF reinforcements keep it fully powered and free of wear and tear. Four disruptor turrets, positioned in pairs on the highest and lowest decks, ensure that at least two weapons have a line of sight at every possible vector. The Takaaki's two torpedo bays are asymmetric, with the aft bay being much higher on the hull. The twin "tails" above and between the warp nacelles bear the ship's impulse engines; the Takaaki's one true failing as a light warship, these engines are slightly undersized for the ship's weight, making the Takaaki a bit less maneuverable than some commanders would prefer (though others would argue that with the Takaaki's impressive shields and armor, maneuverability is less important). The two large "wings" on either side of the forward hull contain the crew quarters, cargo bays, sensor banks, and transporter rooms, with the bridge and CIC being located just before the deflector housing on the central engineering spine. The two rows of escape pods are located along each side of the dorsal spine, near the bridge and main engineering rooms and roughly equidistant from most of the enlisted crew stations. For the just over two hundred Cardassian officers and crew, life aboard a Takaaki is somewhat cramped and claustrophobic, but not nearly as unpleasant as the older Isamu or Hiroshi frigates.

Takaaki Destroyer Module
On the Takaaki Destroyer variant, a brilliantly engineered module fits above the forward wings and spine, affording an extra layer of armor over the bridge, sheltering the deflector from enemy fire, and bearing two extra disruptor domes and a cruiser-sized heavy phaser cannon that faces directly forward. In addition, a central "arm" of the module extends downward to fit over the forward torpedo bay, increasing the magnetic catapult's barrel length and adding an extra superconductor pathway for cooling purposes; this feature grants the forward torpedo tube increased range and a substantially higher rate of fire. While even the Takaaki's powerful warp core lacks the output to feed six disruptors and a superheavy phaser at once, the combat module's EPS conduits include a fast-acting system of turnstiles and valves that allow the ship to switch between powering the phaser and disruptors with only a momentary delay. Ideally, the Takaaki Destroyer will open the battle with shots from its long ranged phaser and forward torpedo tube, and then switch to its many rapid-firing disruptors once the enemy is within closer range and its shields have been weakened. Remarkably, despite having equivalent firepower to some heavy cruisers, this deadly frigate is able to support its armament without any reduction in speed, maneuverability, or shield and SIF strength. However, corners had to be cut somewhere; the Gun Takaaki is unable to support the long ranged sensors of the baseline Escort variant, and is essentially blind outside of combat range.

Takaaki Destroyer Doctrine
The role of the Destroyer is closely wed to the Cardassian ideal of a combined arms fleet doctrine. With its uncommon durability and exceptional firepower, the Takaaki Destroyer casually bats aside enemy skirmishers during the opening stage of a fleet battle, securing favorable positions for the larger Jaldun, Kaldar, and Lorgot class ships. Once the heavy metal has moved into position, the Takaaki Destroyers can then - unlike the flimsy frigates of the Cardassians' enemies - fall into line among their larger brethren, each destroyer adding a cruiser's worth of firepower to the main battle while counting on the larger hulls to absorb most of the return fire. In such fleet actions, the destroyer's CIC officer maintains a constant comm network with the other ships, relying on their long-ranged sensors to sight for the sensor-limited Takaaki. Consequently, the Destroyer is nearly useless on its own, but absolutely devastating as part of an integrated fleet.