7 Suns(Republic Ships)
Warships
Cruisers
Valley Forge Class Heavy Cruiser:
With a design half a century old, the Valley Forge class has become the primary command cruiser for the Sol fleet. With powerful computer systems, extremely intelligent AIs and sensor suites that would make explorer vessels jealous, there is little question as to why they have become so popular. Armed to the teeth with nine heavy laser turrets and quad missile launchers, the Valley Forge also packs a powerful punch. Adding on to this, the ships’ strong armor, top of the line ablative repairers and monopole shielding creates a top of the line vessel that will go wherever its crew asks. The only criticism of the Valley Forge class stems from its reactors. With the power needs of the laser banks, the class’ twin plants are incapable of both running the cannons and powering up for an FTL dive at the same time. Most captains however have come to terms with this slight limitation, deciding that the banks of weapons are worth the requirement of powering one or two of them down before an emergency grav-entry.
Lake Class Heavy Cruiser:
Out of the design process only five years ago, there was some debate as to whether this class was worth the cost of full scale production. Breaking from the tradition of heavily armed laser boats, the Lake class instead mounts much stronger armor on its prow than its predecessors. With the replacement of the standard twin fusion reactors for a single antimatter reactor, further refinements were also needed. The Lake class’ antimatter reactor puts out more power than a single fusion reactor of the Valley Forge class, but it doesn’t have the power to keep large arrays of laser cannon online like its predecessor did. This choice, along with the heavy prow armor, sent designers back to the drawing board, replacing the multiple laser cannon of the Valley Forge with launcher arrays meant for heavy bombardment. This decision leads to the new class being a standoff vessel, using its squadron of cruisers to defend the core of the fleet from attack.
Tribal Class Cruiser:
Older even than the Valley Forge class of ships, the Tribal class has been the workhorse of the Sol navy for two generations. Mounting heavy armor and powerful defensive capabilities, the Tribal class qualifies as perhaps the best ship of the line currently in use. Laid down before the common use of the spherical bridge standard, the Tribal class is the only line of ships in the Sol fleet that still have semi-exposed command centers. Similarly, their fusion reactors are slightly less efficient than those of the Valley Forge, and their twin power plants can only support a smaller number of main batteries. Whatever firepower they might lack however, is easily made up for when they are grouped in squadrons, and upgrades to their fire control systems and communication arrays have kept this workhorse flying longer than many would have thought possible.
Battlecruisers
Solar Class Battlecruiser:
The Solar class Battlecruiser is the second largest warship in the Sol navy. Sporting ample launch bays and heavy laser arrays, the Solar class is considered the hardened core of the Sol fleet. Slightly newer than the Valley Forge class, the Solar class of ships was originally seen as obscenely expensive for the power that was shown on paper. This was because their predecessors were still seen as inherently capable warriors in need of only a refit. The Solar class though began to win over converts when the Aligned Worlds released their plans for a battlecruiser class of their own.
As a class, the Solar’s are designed as command and control vessels, and have the acceleration to keep up with lighter cruisers as well as the fuel reserves to keep the same range. Their bridge is buried deep in the central core of the vessel, safe from all but the most potent damage and with enough backup systems to keep running even after heavy damage. Another notable feature of the class is their twin command centers, one for CIC and information control with the other dedicated to sifting through every sensor contact to pick out an enemy before they see the battlecruiser.
Many wondered at the decision to include a launch bay in the design, arguing that superiority fighters were an outdated concept in space warfare.
As a swift command vessel, the Solar class is designed to keep up with its cruiser attendants, as well as provide heavy support that a fleet of smaller vessels might lack. It does not however contain the massive guns of a battleship, a limitation that can be problematic if a head on approach is required. The class does however grant its admiral a level of agility and speed that a fleet laden down with battleships would otherwise lack, and this can be used to great effect in intersystem skirmishes and interdiction raids.
Battleships
Mountain class Battleships:
The largest vessels in terms of sheer tonnage ever devised, the mountain class is a behemoth of vast scale. Armed and armored to the teeth, this Sol design is by far the most powerful vessel afloat. Intended to counter the Rama class of dreadnoughts laid down by the Federation of Aligned Worlds, the Mountain class exceeded her specifications (as well as cost estimates). The first class to be powered by twin antimatter reactors, the Mountain class supports banks of laser arrays that smaller ships can only dream of, while simultaneously powering the most extensive active defenses in space. In combat, the Mountain class needs every one of these abilities and more, because the massive cost of the ships has meant that the Sol Navy has had to field fewer hulls on average than the Federation. Some of that slack has been taken up by the Solar class, but overall an admiral knows that he will likely be outnumbered in terms of power and relies on his crews and fleet to keep up.
