The Stalwart Heavy Cruiser was the first advanced interstellar warship of what most in the Protectorate refer to as the "Modern Age." It was the largest warship ever built at the time, 5 years before the first interstellar war. It also incorporated a host of new technology that had been gleaned from the newfound friendship with the Xintrin and a rapidly progressing Protectorate. After the war with the Imperial Freehold, the surplus and outdated Stalwarts were sold to the Free Colonies, forming the backbone of their militia defense forces. Still a powerful vessel, the Stalwart has performed admirably as a defense vessel, performing anti-piracy, convoy escort and emergency relief duty. A few have fallen into private hands (much to the Protectorate's dismay) and have been refitted as exploration or, unfortunately, pirating vessels. Its main armaments are a pair of large chemical oxygen iodine lasers (COIL) that could still core a destroyer like an apple on one or two good hits. These are backed up by a pair of early particle beam cannons, a significant payload of multi-warhead nuclear missiles, and a well-distributed network of point-defense laser turrets. The ship incorporated many innovations, some of which became standard, and some of which were not used again. Instead of a bridge, it has a massive, decentralized command section. This is a large, open area with two decks, one serving as a balcony, that houses helm control, communications, and fire control. It takes up fully �¼ of the ship. In case of battle damage or decompression, it can be cordoned off into pressurized sections, to prevent all of command and control being lost. It was believed that this would lead to increased efficiency, and while it lead to a much greater social bond among the crew, the efficiency increase never appeared. This does, however, make it VERY hard to simply target the bridge. Enemies tend to aim for the forward view port, when they would have to destroy that entire forward superstructure to cripple the ship. Needless to say, this section has nearly double the armor plating as most other parts of the ship. Additionally, because the Protectorate did not originally plan for its star fleet to be based around carriers and fighters, the Stalwart was designed to carry four fighters into combat. The fortunes of war dictated differently, however, and the Protectorate eventually shifted to more carrier-dependent fleets. The Stalwart is a spacious ship, with ample cargo room and private quarters for every officer onboard. It compares starkly to the sleek, lean and mean warships fielded by the Protectorate today. One can clearly see how a harrowing war has made the Protectorate straighten up its act militarily. Unfortunately, as time has gone by, the Free Colonies have been less than perfect in their stewardship over the Stalwarts. At least a dozen have fallen into the hands of mercenaries, pirates or independent organizations with questionable motivations. And, although there has been no official confirmation, some rumors and vid footage suggest that brand new Stalwarts are beginning to appear on the market for wealthy buyers. While originally, Stalwarts were named for principles of willpower, such as the Resolve, the Indefatigable and the Steadfast, currently, there is no standard naming convention. Stats Model: CA-Type A Heavy Cruiser Fleet: Various Free Colony defense forces Height: 135 ft Length: 640 ft Width: 238 ft Sublight Speed: .20 C (20% of light speed) Maximum FTL: 1/2 light year per day Officers: 25 officers, and four flight officers (pilots for the fighters). Crew: 320 Troops: Two platoons of militia, for a total of 20. Armaments 2x Heavy COIL Laser Cannons 2x Med. Particle Beam Cannons 2x 12-tube Long-range Missile Launchers 8x Point Defense Laser Turrets Combat Spacecraft 4 Arrow Interceptors (Created using DOGA L-3)