I decided to try my hand at a more traditional Terran design for my custom race, the Terran Legacy, presented here in the form of an AAR:
All of the industrial ships were designed during the initial colonization rush by a single state-controlled space and aeronautics corporation. They are all based around the same long fuselage design and share the same manufacturing infrastructure. This allowed for rapid construction and deployment during the earliest phases of space exploration.
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The first defense satellites, the
Whetstone network, were developed shortly after making first contact with the Legacy's nearest neighbor, the Krynn. Little more than a communications platform with some auxiliary defense lasers, the
Whetstones provided enough of a show of technological sophistication to keep the belligerent Krynn at bay.
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Within just a few years, the first true interstellar combat vessels began to emerge from the Legacy's orbital shipyards. Commissioned under the Legacy's nascent free-market system that would come to dominate this region of space, the
Gladius is a scrappy, multi-purpose frigate capable of handling a variety of tasks. Although primarily a short-range defensive ship, in the coming decades it would perform admirably as a scout, escort, and even a front-line combat craft before eventually being retired to a purely orbital defense role.
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As Legacy ships continued to explore the galaxy, making contact with the Altarians, the Korx, and the Yor, the Krynn continued to ratchet up diplomatic tensions. To face this growing threat, the
Broadsword, the first true ship of the line was developed. Fast and heavily armed, fleets of these powerful cruisers would find themselves skirmishing along the Krynn border flanked by
Gladius scouts. The
Broadsword would prove so useful that it's design would remain in production for decades and form the backbone of the advance Legacy fleet.
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As the war with the Krynn dragged on, the Legacy picked up allies in the Korx and the Altarians, but both were caught up in an ugly war with the Yor, leaving them unavailable to assist against the Krynn. However, the Legacy's extensive trade network had brought more advanced technology to the home world, allowing for the development of the first great Legacy capital ship, the
Masamune. With its unique "paddlewheel" design and banks of powerful phasors, the
Masamune is a slow, bulky ship, but has more than enough firepower to outmatch any opponent of its day. Just three of these great ships would make the final drive to the Krynn home planet and force that aggressor into ignominious defeat.
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After defeating the Krynn, the Terran Legacy began a long period of expansion, eventually stretching its borders across the galaxy itself, forming a long buffer zone between often combative civilizations. It begame clear during this period that the
Masamune battleships could not easily deploy to the edge of the empire in a timely fashion. The much faster
Broadswords patrolled the frontier, but had no command ships to hold against a powerful enemy.
So was the
Scimitar born. Lighter and slightly less well-armored than the older battleships, this battlecruiser could traverse the interstellar distances that the
Masamune could not, and match pace with the older cruiser fleets already deployed to the frontier.
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Around this time, as the Yor continued to make trouble for our allies the Altarians, and the new threat of the Drengin rolled over potential trading partners, the Arceans, Legacy strategists set upon a bold plan - galactic dominance through speed. Thus they designed the ill-fated
Rapier destroyer - a very light but still well-armed cousin to the
Broadsword. Legacy Admirals envisioned a rapid strike force of
Warhammer dropships flanked by fleets of
Rapiers warping deep into enemy territory to strike a deathblow to an opponent's home world. The plan and the technology were both sound, but fell victim to a cruel twist of fate. A subspace tear event forced the galactic restriction of warp travel to just 5 parsecs, and the Legacy's costly tactical advantage was lost. Only one
Rapier was ever produced, and was then quickly re-purposed as a
Broadsword escort.
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By this time, hostilities had finally broken out with the Yor, and the Legacy now faced a pitched battle across many parsecs, this time without the advantage of speed. To make matters worse, the Yor had begun to equip their ships with increasingly potent shields. The Legacy needed to answer this technological challenge, and fast.
Thinking quickly, fleet engineers altered the designs of four
Scimitar battlecruisers already under construction along the Yor border. They stripped away the top decks of the ships and replaced them with a wide launch platform for small fighters. They then placed a system of newly-developed missile launchers and ECM batteries along the ventral decks. The newly christened
Shamshir carriers proved extremely effective against the overconfident Yor, who had not expected their enemy to adapt to a new weapon technology so quickly. The
Shamshir would replace the
Masamune as the command ships of the fleet.
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As the war with the Yor dragged on, fleet scientists worked fervently to develop a ship that would both defeat the Yor and meet the challenges of the post-war period (by now the Drengin were sending massive expeditionary fleets across the war zone as a show of force to both the Legacy and the Altarians). The Legacy set about construction of the largest vessels the galaxy had ever seen - the dreadnought-class
Gae Bolga. Heavily armored against the Yor's missile batteries and with a startling array of weapons, the first
Gae Bolga brought the war to a definitive end and ensured the continuing dominance of the Legacy fleet.
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As the possibility of a lasting peace drew closer with the defeat of the Yor, only one aggressor remained standing against the free sentients of the galaxy - the Drengin. They wasted little time in declaring war on the weaker Altarians and Arceans. The Legacy was called to their aid, and thus began a long and bloody battle for the future of civilization.
To face this final threat, the Admirals returned to the old rapid strike idea, but on a much grander scale. They commissioned a new dreadnought, the
Morningstar. A long-range capital ship armed with a heavy complement of the most advanced lasers and row upon row of new mass drivers, uniquely suited to piercing the Drengin's defenses. Along side this behemoth would come its sister ship, the
Gungnir - a massive troop transport only slightly less armed and with thick armor and ECM fields. Together, pairs of these ships would strike deep into the heart of Drengin space and engage the densely defended home worlds. Escorted by the best ships from every class of the fleet, these leviathans of space would lead the charge into the final confrontation with the Legacy's enemies, and promise a new dawn for freedom-loving sentients everywhere.
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Many thanks to Kryo as always for the awesome mod, and continued thanks to Stardock for such a great game. I hope you've enjoyed this account as much as I've enjoyed writing it.
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