Provided is a list of standard space vessel classifications (and/or equivalents) that have been used in the Gergosphere
Provided is a list of standard space vessel classifications (and/or equivalents) that have been used in the Gergosphere
A corvette is a class of spacecraft denoted for their high speed and low size. Typically manned by a crew between 8 to 15 individuals, corvettes are typically used for a variety of purposes. Corvettes are typically used as pickets, escorts, swarmers, screeners, transports, support ships, and play an important role in guerilla warfare, being a favorite vessel for smaller factions and private militaries for their high speeds and low cost. A good corvette can quickly strike at an enemy position and swiftly flee, though the vessel's small size means that it cannot handle larger armaments or take significant damage without risk of destruction
Notable corvette classes include:
Crustacean Class, a reconnaissance ship used by navies of Bletcher's League as well as the Milnilchlanese. It is still in use today.
Velocity Class, the closest thing the Ibixan Empire got to a standardized ship class. Velocity-Class corvettes cost almost nothing to produce, but were very unreliable and prone to malfunction. Similar designs are in use by bandit and marauder groups, but the last Velocity-Class corvette was said to be destroyed in a hangar fire.
Hagbeadi transport units may be considered corvette analogs.
Destroyers are medium sized spacecraft primarily used to lay and direct space mines, autonomous jell drives rigged with bombs that rapidly strike enemy ships upon detection by entering jell and re-emerging at the enemy's position. Space mines detect ships with Pylons that intercept enemy communication lines and their location relative to the time of detection. Apart from mine-laying, destroyers also act as screen ships and as escorts, being able to wield larger weaponry than a corvette.
Notable destroyer classes include:
Minelayer Class, a Clementinan creation used to do just that.
Oberyon Class, a Neopolian screen ship used by pre-civil war roidocracies to deploy space mines and protect assets.
Cruisers are large vessels typically on the frontlines of space combat, with crews in the hundreds and devastating weaponry equipped for combat against other cruisers or smaller ships. Missile swarm launchers, anti-hull cannons, and ultra-high frequency lasers may be based on crusiers. Cruisers may also contain hangars from where space superiority or strike craft may take off or land at. While not necessarily intended, cruisers may hold auxillary fuel for other craft to use in non-combat situations, or transport large goods if needed. Cruisers tend to be slower and bulkier than smaller ships due to large size and an increased power priority to the ship's many features rather than the engines.
Notable cruiser classes include:
Clagg Class, a cruiser class used by the Clementinan Space Navy. Opted for travel over extremely long distances, the Clagg was used extensively in the Gap Campaign as well as in the Grimlands. However, the Clagg was vulnerable to swarm tactics due to its heavy weaponry, which were devastating but had a slow rate of fire.
Veric Class, a cruiser class used by the Kyrnomacek Space Navy to hunt Blossom cells in asteroid belts, firing cannons to move or split asteroids as needed.
Battleships are massive vessels manned by thousands and capable of holding most devastating weaponry. Battleships act as flagships for navies, using heavy weaponry to demolish the hulls of enemy ships of just about any size. Certain battleship classes also act as carriers for smaller craft, which can include military strike craft and even corvettes. These floating cities are often escorted by cruisers and destroyers, as although extremely powerful, battleships were notoriously notable for attracting space mines that would need to be repelled by anti-mines or cannon fodder ships.
Notable battleship classes include:
Massivicus Class, a battleship class used by the Kyrnomacek Space Navy to act as a fire distraction for enemy ships while escorts could pick off enemy forces. As it is often caught under heavy fire, Massivicus Class battleships required some of the largest hulls ever deployed.
Titan Class, a battleship class used by Calor to glass the surface of bodies holding enemy strongholds. The vast array of missiles and radiation cannons on the ship could render a planet's surface uninhabitable in minutes.
Artillery ships are more or less colossial guns that require their own hulls to transport on. Although not crewed by as many individuals as a battleship, an artillery ship can obliterate whatever is unfortunate enough to be in its line of fire. The most common usage of artillery ships is to act as a hard counter to battleships, propelling a superlaser or asteroids at a target with unprecedented force. Artillery ships can crack small planets depending on the armaments used on-board, but are especially vulnerable to large numbers of enemy ships and require great protection.
Notable artillery classes include:
Colossus Class, a superlaser attached to a spinal mount and typically used to strike at enemy battleships or fortress worlds. Used by both the Kyrnomacek Space Navy and the Clementinans, Colossi can crack planets in synchronized barrages.
Apollyon Class, an elusive class of ship originating in Thresher hands. Considered to be the largest non-celestial battlestation ship to ever be deployed, only a few were ever made, most of which were captured by the Hagbeadi during a battle in south Neopolis. The exact design is unknown, but it is known that the purpose of the Apollyon-Class cannon is to force a star to undergo supernova by piercing the convection zone and destabilizing the core.
Subspace ships are sleek spacecraft that blend in directly with empty space by tricking scanners into detecting nothing or a mundane object. Subspace ships therefore act as stealth ships and can sneak through an armada or a space minefield undetected, leaving it open to gather intel or fire space torpedoes at unsuspecting battleships. Chameleon plating and thermal controls prevent subspace ships from being detected visually. The devices used by subspace ships to remain undetected can be prone to overloading unfortunately, and must occasionally take time at reduced usage to recalibrate, leaving the subspace ship potentially vulnerable. Typically, larger subspace ships require more off-time, therefore subspace ships tend to be corvette-sized.
Notable subspace classes include:
Yu-Class, the class of subspace ship used by the infamous Raumkrieg Corps, known for their hit-and-run wolfpack tactics in space combat. The Yu-Class subspace ship is considered to be an icon of unrestricted subspace ship warfare.
A frigate refers to any military spacecraft that is more heavily armed than a destroyer, but does not match the firepower or defense of a cruiser. Frigates are often categorized as light cruisers, but remain distinct to distinguish them from proper light cruisers. Frigates are most commonly used by polities such as Bletcher's League and Milnilchlan for their balance of firepower and lower cost compared to larger ships. The advantage of a frigate is that it is superior to destroyers in firepower and can hold its own against some cruisers, making it viable in combat between nations that cannot support the production of cruisers and battleships. Frigates cannot reasonably stand a chance against heavy cruisers and battleships in most scenarios however, so they do not make good capitals ships.
Interorbital ships refers to any spacecraft not designed for interbody travel except within the gravity well of a planet. They are most common among residents of gas giant moons. Unmanned variants such as satellites are crucial for surface imaging, planet-wide instantaneous communication, and in some cases planetary defense.
Interorbital ships are often very small, at the size of most military corvettes at most, and tend to be very slow compared to other ships.
Space stations and refueling stations also fall under this category.
Interplanetary ships, or "stellar craft" are spacecraft lacking interstellar capabilities and are not designed to be operated outside the gravity well of a star system. Though they may pass through a wormhole, they are not to access interstellar space or hyperspace. They are very diverse in size, with larger ships typically having greater range, speed, and cargo load. Merchant ships, transport ships (both civilian and military), and interplanetary probes are interplanetary craft.
True ISVs are not counted despite lacking hyperspace capabilities.
Interstellar ships (or ISVs) refer to ships designed for interstellar travel, whether through hyperspace, brute force (True ISVs), or other means. Their size and shapes are often very diverse, but are typically around the same size as or larger than most interplanetary ships, depending on role. Most military ships fall into this category.
Most interstellar craft are owned by polities, organizations, or corporations. However, those who are very wealthy may afford a private ISV, and custom-made or stolen ISVs are not unheard of.
Intergalactic travel is a very novel and extravagant field, as intergalactic distance is so far that even hyperspace travel will take an unfathomably long time. To date, only a handful of expeditions have been made into intergalactic space, most of which were to the Small Magalagic Cloud and have yet to even reach their destination. Occasional messages are intercepted from the mysterious depths beyond the galaxy, often too alien for translation systems to even comprehend. Intergalactic objects are even rarer.
It is believed the Hagbeadi originate from outside the galaxy, but from where is unknown. As they seem to use similar methods of transportation as we do, it can only be assumed that the journey they took lasted hundreds of thousands or perhaps millions of years even under optimal conditions.