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Gladius

  • Ascendancy Gladius Cruiser

  • Ship role: General-purpose cruiser

  • Width/Length/Height: 188x141x145 meters

  • Reactor: Ascendancy fusion reactor 5 Gigawatts

  • Propulsion: 7x Thermal particle-stream thrusters, Semi-inertialess maneuvering and 4 m/s^2. Combat speed 300 m/s

  • Weaponry: 4x Proton cannons, 18x Thermal Rays

  • Defenses: Thermal shielding, light Ascendancy steel armor

  • Additional equipment: Grade four dimensional engine, radar and optical sensors. 25 Javelin fighters

  • Firepower

  • Agility

  • Speed

  • Defense

  • Utility

  • Cost

Gladius.jpg

Design

The Gladius is a standard, general-purpose cruiser used by the Ascendancy to lead patrols, raids, and take part in assaults. As a result of its intermediate status in Ascendancy fleets, it is a middle ground between many of their designs, possessing average speed, firepower, shielding, and mobility. Due to this it is often used to flank Directorate battleships, as it is faster than a Longbow or Spatha but still relatively durable, making it a popular support ship.


The Gladius has a small number of slow firing Proton cannons as its main weapon, as well as thermal rays for point defense. Because of this, it generally engages from a greater distance than ships like the Xiphos or Kopis. It also carries fighters rather than swarmcraft, which augments its staying power.


Generally the Gladius is a favorite of Ascendancy admirals who prefer power to swarm tactics, though it has also at times been used as long-range fire support for a wolfpack of Kopis's.


Because of its weapons firing arcs, the Gladius will often attempt to orbit around its opponents with its bottom facing them, where all of its proton cannons can fire. While it has turret coverage on all sides, and can fire all guns forward, it can typically only fire two of its weapons to the port or starboard sides, and from specific angles upwards and to the right, only one cannon can fire. Skilled opponents may be able to take advantage of this deficiency.

The Justiciar's shields buckled under another barrage of proton blasts. The Ascendancy ship was some distance away, perhaps 13 kilometers- far enough away that its point defenses could effectively intercept almost all of the Justiciar's nuclear missiles, which were running worryingly low.

The Admiral wiped the sweat from their brow, as they ordered their cannons to hold steady for another salvo. For twenty minutes they had been pursued by this ship- a lone Ascendancy cruiser, half the size of their own dreadnought. Yet they could not destroy it, could not escape. It was faster than them, more accurate than them, and while it was not more powerful, it was difficult to hit from this range, where it could perform evasive maneuvers at any moment.

A loud rumble echoed as the Justiciar fired rail-shot through the void of space. One struck the Gladius's shields, a molten bolt of metal piercing the outer shield and striking its hangars. It was a good shot, but not good enough. The Gladius's three remaining proton cannons- the fourth having been disabled by a lucky shot early in the engagement- struck the Justiciar one again, and its energy shields failed, a distant explosion sounding as fuses burst and the reactor surged.

Then, the Javelins came- two-dozen fighters, eager to disable the capital ship. Without its shields, the Justiciar's point defenses proved easy prey for the fighters weaponry. The Gladius began its final approach, another salvo of proton blasts eating away at the Justitiar's engines- as soon as they impacted, the corrosive crawl of the free proton gas corroded away the engines structure, and soon enough they would overheat, reducing the Justitiar to a sitting duck.

Its human crew members would flee from the ship aboard their escape pods, but they would prove easy prey... Ascendancy fighters were not known for showing mercy.
 

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