Warship

> "I would say they had a chance... But were the ones with the warships..." - Unamed Imperial Captain
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Warships are starships specifically constructed with the main purpose of engaging and destroying other starships, and come in a variety of classes and shapes. Frequently Warships are different in shape to other starships which tend to be larger and more bulky prioritizing space, and comfort, over armor, profile, or maneuverability.

While most ships are armed with at least some basic weapons for self defense. Warships are far more heavily armed, sporting all manner of anti ship weapons for many varieties of situations. Few organizations operate warships outside of military forces, though some outlands mercenary groups are known to operate small corvettes and even rarely frigates. The operation of warships in the Imperium outside of its own military however is strictly outlawed with the largest armed ships usable by civilian organizations being restricted to small gunboats or gunships.

## Classes

Warships are arrayed into a variety of classes that are assigned dependent on the ship's characteristic's, outlined role, and weapons layout. The Imperium tends to categorize warships into any one of the following classes.

### Corvettes

Corvettes are the smallest class of warship recognized by the Imperium and also make up a large number of its own navy. Small and relatively light in tonnage. Corvettes specialize in fast movement and light weapons that allow them to harass larger enemies or intercept long range weapons such as missiles. Frequently such warships are used to patrol systems due to their high speed, and relatively cheap nature.

### Frigates

Frigates serve as a step up from corvettes. Being frequently twice the size and tonnage, these warships often are used as general purpose vessels, boasting heavier weapons than a corvette and often space for cargo. while not quite as fast as a corvette. Frigates are still relatively fast as far as warships go, and can often make for heavy support ships for star system defense fleets.

### Destroyers

Destroyers are the first class of warship to begin employing a focus on firepower over its two smaller classes. While still quite maneuverable, Destroyers field far more powerful weapons in comparison to the two prior classes suited to true anti ship duty. Such weapons usually including torpedo's which excel at destroying enemy vessels, even larger tonnage ones. While not the most intimidating class of warships, Destroyers can still cause plenty of problems for enemy fleets, and if left unsupervised can deal significant damage.

### Strike Cruisers

Strike cruisers reign as the queens of small fast warships. While larger in tonnage than even a destroyer. Strike cruisers float at the very edge of where ships can perform high G maneuver's without tearing themselves apart, and field an impressive variety of weapons. They also frequently carry small numbers of strike fighters which can harass larger ships or otherwise defend against incoming ordnance. The Imperial Praetorian branch fields several of these warships as part of its personal fleet, with the added benefit of stealth modifications. Designed to help reduce their ship's presence on radar screens and thermal optics.

### Cruisers

Cruisers function as essentially a step up from frigates. Also frequently used as general purpose vessels, Cruisers can serve in a huge variety of roles, though their heavier tonnage excludes them from the high G maneuvering possible with frigates. Cruisers often boast a impressive array of weapons. However their strongest and most frequently focused on attribute are their extensive sensor arrays. Allowing them to detect and track enemy ships at significantly greater ranges than their smaller and even sometimes larger cousins. Cruisers tend to serve as a mid point for warships being not too heavy in tonnage but also not too light.

### Heavy Strike Cruisers

Serving as an intermediary between lighter tonnage vessels and heavy warships. Heavy strike cruisers are a rare and often highly niche class of warship, which most navy's tend to ignore. Not seeing the purpose in a ship that dosent fully commit to one direction or another. While this class of ship can often field impressive firepower for its size, they are frequently not well armored enough to use them to their true extent. The Imperial Praetorians field a few of these vessels in their personal fleets also possessing the stealth modifications of the lighter strike cruiser. Though they are the only branch in the Imperial military that fields them.

### Heavy Cruisers

Heavy cruisers tend to fall into one of two categories of design. They either continue the purpose of a cruiser simply serving as a larger version of that class of warship. Or they fall into the category the Imperium chose to pursue. Where they are outfitted with heavy weapons that simply cannot be fielded by anything smaller, and proceed to send anything smaller than them back to the stone age. Heavy Cruisers serve as the entrance into larger tonnage vessels that focus less on maneuverability and more on armor and firepower.

### Escort Carriers

Escort carriers are the first class of warship suited to operating single ships as a primary function. While cruisers and some other smaller classes of warships can field small aircraft. Escort carriers are the first class to truly specialize in the function. As their name suggests they are often well suited to providing support for other ships often those that are heavier in tonnage than itself.

### Battlecruisers

Battlecruisers are frequently the largest ship a small nation would ever be able to realistically field. The Imperium to date has only ever come across a single periphery nation that was able to build and maintain one. Though the Imperium itself fields close to 300. Battlecruisers serve as a large tonnage warship aiming for a overall balance of speed, armor, and firepower.

### Battleships

Battleships as their name suggests are built for one exclusive purpose. Destroying other warships. To accomplish this task they are frequently outfitted with heavy armor and very heavy weapons suited to a variety of range brackets. Though often this comes at the tradeoff of a slower speed, however for a battleship such a tradeoff is usually not anything to be concerned with. The ample armor provided is often well suited to sustaining the damage of other ships weapons, and its own weapons equally suited to returning it back either in full or twice over.

### Carriers

Unlike the escort carrier. True carriers often serve as the center piece of a fleet, fielding a wide variety of aircraft and sometimes even being large enough to carry small warships like corvettes. Carriers function as a fleet's primary fighter support element. However their design often comes with the trade off of being vulnerable in other areas. As such they frequently need support from other ships to operate without prohibitive danger.

### Super Battleships

Super Battleships often find themselves the center of legends and the subject of awe, and not for trivial reasons. Being one of the largest classes of warships, their class name practically describes their duty perfectly. They are a Battleship on steroids, possessing even heavier armor and weapons suited to taking on anything that would dare face them and live to tell the tale. The Imperial Navy fields only 25 of these monstrous warships all of which originate from the venerable "Vulcan" Class design.

### Super Carriers

Super Carriers find themselves the primary target of an enemy fleet practically by default. A response that is in all fairness, justified, as left unattended Super Carriers can easily send an entire fleet straight to hades alone. The enormous numbers of support ships and aircraft they field able to overwhelm the defenses of virtually any target. Being the enormous and highly valuable targets they are though they must be extremely well defended.

### Fleet Carriers

Fleet carriers are the crowning jewel of any star nation's armada. In line with their name these warships reside at a scale that carrying aircraft are no longer their specialty but rather the transportation of an entire warship fleet. The Imperium Fields just 7 of these warships with their Tribune Class, a number which is into itself impressive considering their expense and size. Fleet carriers are comparable to virtually no other warship and are only surpassed by one additional class.

### Flagship

If a star nation's fleet carriers are its crowning jewels then a flagship is the crown itself. The largest class of warship the Imperium has invented, there is only one ship that has ever achieved this designation. That being the Emperor's personal vessel "The Portunus". If such ships exist elsewhere then the Imperium remains blissfully unaware of them. For its part, the Portunus boasts weapons that can obliterate battleships in a single pull of the trigger and still have energy left over to sink several other ships. As far as warships go, a Flagship is the king of a navy unsurpassed by anything.