Gaia-Class Battlecruiser

The Gais-class is a new class of battle-cruisers, which has been intruduced to service only recently. 
Developement:
These ships were developed shortly before the conflcit with the UNSC started and only a single prototype was build until the Battle of Rust.
Afterwards the Federation invested trillions to build more of these ships, giving the until then outdated Federation fleet a new and mighty battleship.
In difference to older designs, the Gaia-class can not transport troops and has only small docking bays.
History:
The Gaia-class developement already began during the end of the Geralic Civil War, but were never introduced to service, since they goverment considerd them to expensive .
First contact with humanity changed their views and soon dozens of battlecruisers were orderd.
Armament:
The Gaia-class is the heaviest armed ship in the whole geralic Navy and has the strongest weapons the Federation can build.
The heavy Hades-Lasers fire devastating, short laser beams, a single shoot can crippeld an unshielded UNSC frigate, while the reliable Snow-missiles cause even more destruction.
The ship has only few AA-weapons for its size, since they focus on ship versus ship battle, relying on fighter coverage.
Defense:
The Gaia-classes armour is rather thin compared to UNSC ships, only as strong as an destroyer.
But they compensate this with their very advanced shields, which can easily even withstand hits from energy projectors.
Engine
Category:Battlecruiser classes