Bridge

The Main Bridge of the Fortuna  is ovoid and serves as the nerve center of the vessel. At the bridge's rear is a large bank of consoles and data readout screens. Center of that area is the Master Systems Display; control consoles flank it on both sides.

Starboard of the information center, past the starboard side turbo-lift,  is the station of the chief tactical officer. This area is maintained mostly for internal security and combat situations. Other systems that may be commanded by Tactical include long- and short-range sensor arrays, sensor probes, message buoys, and tractor beams. An identical station is found on the other side of the bridge, where the operations  console is found. This panel presents the operations officer  with a continually updated list of current major shipboard
activities. This list permits Ops to set priorities and allocate resources among current operations. This is especially critical when two or more requests require the use of the same equipment, entail mutually exclusive mission profiles, or involve some unusual safety or tactical considerations.

Forward of the upper ship operations areas are doorways to the briefing room  at one side and the captain's ready room at the other. Here, the commanding officer can engage in administrative work with all relevant office equipment at hand without interfering with bridge operations. Also, this room is usually the preferred place where the captain can hold private discussions and/or receive classified communications. Aboard the Fortuna, the work desk is the focal point of the ready room, located ahead of the main entrance door. A raised level in the forward section of the room features a small table, a curved couch, and a replicator.  The wall behind the couch features three windows looking toward the bow of the vessel. Compared with the much larger Galaxy-class starship, the Fortuna curiously has a more spacious, luxurious ready room.

In the center of the Fortuna’s bridge is the command area. Here, seating is provided for the vessel's commanding officer and his or her first officer,  seated to the captain's left. Between these chairs is a miniaturized status display. Using keyboard  or vocal commands, the commanding officer can use these controls to override the basic operation of the starship. Directly aft of this area, integrated in the handrail encircling the aft section of the central command area, is another command console that can be operated to perform more bridge duties.

Directly forward of and two steps lower than the central command area is the Conn station. From here, the  flight control officer serves as helmsman and navigator for the starship. Despite many of these functions being heavily automated, their critical nature demands a humanoid officer to oversee these operations at all times. During spaceflight at impulse,  Conn must monitor relativistic effects as well as inertial damping system status. When the ship is traveling at warp speed,  Conn must monitor the subspace field geometry in parallel with the Engineering department. During warp flight, the Conn console continually updates long-range sensor data and makes automatic course corrections to adjust for minor variations in the density of the interstellar medium.

To the Conn's right sits the chief engineer.  Though the position is far better served in Main Engineering, situations arise where the engineer's presence is needed on the bridge. The console allows complete control over all engineering systems. Directly opposite sits the chief science officer in a similar console.