While the future of Grandis is home to Starships with technology whose capabilities may as well be magic to us, the technology of the Gate Wars era of Grandis has its own unique look and feel. Battles take place at close range, as longer ranges allow even the largest of starships time to react to incoming fire, even from the fastest of weapons. As a result, battles in the Gate Wars era are brutal, cinematic slugfests, with starships trading massive blows while starsuits fight for control of starbases (from weapons platforms to Gate terminals). Today we’re going to take a look at 2 starships from the Gate Wars era, one each from 2 factions: The zealous United Republic of Sol, and the hopeful Democratic Association of Colonies.
Artemius War Destroyer
Designed late during the first Gate War with the Frontier Rebel Coalition, the Artemius was a testbed for Plasma weapon technology, and was one of several War Destroyer designs proposed to the Republic Navy. After the Cesar class’ catastrophic test flight, the Artemius was selected (despite her higher material cost), and entered full production shortly thereafter.
The Artemius sports a whopping 5 forward weapon mounts, with Firestorm plasma missile broadsides for close-in power. At long range, it uses its oversized Gladior coilcannons, forcing enemies to close in to avoid heavy damage. However, at medium ranges, the Artemius engages with Plasma Bolt Cannons, and at close range, its Plasma Beam Cannon is a reliable anti-starship weapon.
Republic ships often mount a massive weapon on the end of their neck, which is commonly equipped with missile broadsides. Barring the smallest of vessels, most Republic ships mount a set of Combat Wings at the aft of their neck, mounting either a pair of heavy cannons or, on Carrier vessels, large Carrier Bays built into the wing. As with the Artemius’s Plasma Bolt Cannons, many of these wings also integrate smaller weaponry into the Combat Wing, often near Engines for ease of power delivery.
Guardian Class Frigate
Designed to maintain the integrity of the Colonial Fleet’s starsuits during combat, the Guardian Frigate is one of the newest colonial starships to enter service. Exceptionally maneuverable for its size and shape, this durable Frigate defends larger vessels and provides a platform for Starsuits to support its close range firepower.
Relatively lightly armed on its own, the Guardian carries a Starspear Torpedo Launcher and Class 5 Hardlight Cannon, both highly advanced weapons, on its primary hull. Mounted to the vessel’s small Sensor Pallet is a single Autocannon turret, providing defensive fire at close range.
Colonial Vessels are often equipped with a mixture of highly advanced weapons and an array of Autocannon turrets and emplacements. Their primary hulls resemble a cross between modern day submarines and naval vessels, while their defining features are their circular Sensor Pallets, commonly mounted at the front of the vessel. These pallets contain an advanced array of detection and EM warfare tools that connect directly to the Command Network.
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