For decades, since before even the first war with the Imperial Freehold, the Protectorate has sought to close the technology gap between humanity and the Imperials. It seemed an impossible task, since the Imperials have been conquering star systems since at least the height of the Roman Empire. Human scientists, engineers, and military strategists became desperate at the start of the second war. The Imperials were clearly making their big push, and do not seem likely to stop until they�ve crushed Terra itself under a steel-shod boot. But a year after the start of the war, after the fleet slowed the Imperial advance and began to hold the line, the first of the Nova-Class Dreadnoughts came online. The Novas take all the best of human technology and knowledge of space war tactics and jams them into one armored hull. Made to be both devastating and flexible, these dreadnoughts have the firepower of a small battleship, the independence of a cruiser, and even carry a squadron of fighters. To most strategists it is clear that the Nova was designed to take down the formidable Dree�Dok Battlewagon without the Protectorate having to build a fleet of Powell-Class battleships to counter every one. However, critics say the Nova may be trying to be all things to all people, instead of finding one thing and doing it well. Only time will tell. At first blush, the Nova appears to be an incredible ship that could mark a turning point in the fleet. Many of the older races, like the Vorhasi and the Nix, seem to prefer using just one class of starship for most of their capital ship considerations. These catch-all ships tend to be very powerful and very flexible. The Protectorate took its first steps in this direction with the Armstrong-Class cruisers, but the Armstrongs, while successful, are too �light� for many strategists. The universe is proving to be a much more dangerous place than mankind realized. And if humanity is going to push back the Imperials and not cower from every shadowy species that pokes its head out of the Expanse, then it needs some ships with some chops. But those chops are very expensive. A Nova-Class Dreadnought costs three times as much as an Armstrong, and is 2/3rds the cost of a Powell-Class Battleship. Each one will require a crew of 800, and may sorely strain the Protectorate�s anti-matter production capabilities once they begin being deployed in significant numbers. But, if successful, it can fill a lot of painful holes in the Fleet�s strategic capabilities. As a first strike weapon, it is superb. It brings nearly the same firepower as a Powell, but doesn�t require a fleet to support it, and can go it alone. As a light carrier with 12 Crossbow fighters, it would replace the Archer carriers as the vessel of choice for Special Forces squadrons, who often deploy deep into enemy territory to take out strategic targets. And it has a sensor suite just as developed as the Armstrongs�. The Nova-Class dreadnoughts are to be named after both astronomical objects and �classic� ship names. Examples include the Nova, Pulsar and Nebula, as well as the Columbia, Essex and Enterprise. Stats Model: CX-1 Nova-Class Superheavy Cruiser Fleet: Terra Protectorate Length: 665 ft (202.7 m) Width: 244.5 ft (74.5 m) Height: 164.5 ft (50 m) Sublight Speed: 22% Light Speed Maximum FTL: 1 light year per day Officers: 55, plus 20 flight officers Crew: 780 crewmen, 40 marines. Can carry 300 additional passengers or troops. Armaments 1 x Anti-matter Beam Cannon 4 x Heavy Particle Beam Cannons (turret-mounted) 6 x Long-range Missile Tubes (4 forward, 2 aft) 2 x Forward Medium Laser Cannons 10 x 120mm Electromagnetic Rail Gun Turrets 10 x Short-range Missile Launchers (on above turrets) Combat Spacecraft 12 Crossbow Space Superiority Fighters Auxillary Craft 2 STS-5 Space Shuttles Created in DOGA-L3 Thanks for viewing, reading all that, and commenting!