The Imperial Fleet serves as the main military for Rationalist Science. Many of the starships are new colony ships and guard/patrol ships, while older ones are remnants from the Civil War. The flagship,
Aphelion, is about 900 meters long; larger ships in the fleet tend to be around 500 meters in length. Despite knowledge of larger ships, the Fleet Command has decided on a policy of smaller but more nimble ships, rather than larger and more cumbersome ones. The ships tend to use railguns, energy weapons (lasers, ion cannons, etc), and missiles (nuclear, antimatter, kinetic, conventional, and proton), along with smaller fighters, particularly drones. The starships often double as police (against uprisings and pirates) and facilitation for colonization and trade. Due to improvements in hyperdrive designs, some ships are now equipped with hyperdrives with a class under 1.0, though most are only Class 2.0.
The Scientific Exploration Fleet is a primarily civilian exploratory force used for scouting uncharted systems and preparing them for colonization. They primarily use
Vivaldi-class corvettes and
Rationality-class shuttles for exploration, though they generally employ ships less armed than their military counterparts. Their flagship is a modified
Carpe Diem-class cruiser, the
SES Actualization.
Aphelion-class battleship
At 890 meters long, Aphelion-class ships have been constructed extremely few times: Aphelion, the flagship, and Perihelion are the only two currently in operation, though some are in reserve. Originally constructed at the end of the Dalton Civil War to prevent further uprisings, the ships have proven quite successful at their job. Aphelion-class ships are armed with 72 railguns spread evenly on all parts of the ship and 2 mega-railguns that run the entire length of the ship. They also contain 92 turbolaser batteries, 10 ion cannons, 20 torpedo launch tubes, and 10 tractor beam projectors. Aphelion-class ships are equipped with a Class 1.2 hyperdrive with a backup Class 15 hyperdrive, and a warp drive with a maximum speed of Warp 9.975. The 10 ion engines on all sides of the ships help increase maneuverability, and the ship is shielded by 2 shield generator domes. Aphelion-class ships can also carry up to 6,000 crew, 2,000 troops, 256 Humanism drones, 12 Scarlatti starfighters, 16 Vivaldi-class corvettes (in docking bays), and 10 Rationality-class shuttles.
Carpe Diem-class cruiser
Functioning as the main ship of the Imperial Fleet, Carpe Diem-class cruisers are also used for colonization and intra-empire trade. These 510-meter long ships have speeds and armaments that vary depending on the usage. The military-grade cruisers are generally equipped with a Class 2.0 hyperdrive or lower and a backup warp drive that can reach Warp 8 or higher. They are armed with up to 1 mega-railgun, 48 smaller ones, 54 turbolasers, 2 ion cannons, 14 torpedo launch tubes, 4 tractor beam projectors, and 8 ion engines. Civilian Carpe Diem ships have significantly less armament. These cruisers are generally protected by at least one shield generator. Carpe Diem-class cruisers can carry up to 2,500 crew, 750 troops, 128 Humanism drones, 6 Scarlatti starfighters, 6 Vivaldi-class corvettes (in docking bays), and 6 Rationality-class shuttles.
Precision-class interdictor cruiser
Precision-class interdictor cruisers are heavily modified Carpe Diem-class cruisers. Most are equipped with Class 1.0 hyperdrives or lower, and their warp drives can reach Warp 9.975, allowing them to bypass their own interdiction fields. In addition to standard armament, these interdictor cruisers are equipped with at 4 gravity well projectors and at least 6 tractor beam projectors.
Carpe Noctem-class assault ship
Carpe Noctem-class assault ships are used for Army troop transport. At 510 meters long, they are somewhat based on the Carpe Diem-class cruiser, but are streamlined for speed and transport capabilities. They are equipped with a Class 0.75 hyperdrive, and a few have warp drives that reach Warp 9.975. Each ship is armed with 36 turbolasers, 8 railguns, and 4 torpedo launch tubes. They have a crew of 500 and can carry 14,000 troops. They carry 60 Rationality-class dropships, 24 Oppenheimer-class gunships, and 72 military-grade speeders. The dropships and gunships carry a total of approximately 24 Gargantua vehicles, 120 Sabre-class fighter tanks, 360 Spatha hovertanks, and 1024 Rapier drones. The number of troops is often decreased in favor of larger numbers of battle droids and/or Rapier drones. Each ship is protected by a shield generator dome and 12 Humanism drones.
Carpe Vitam-class carrier
Carpe Vitam-class carriers are heavily modified Carpe Diem-class cruisers, used as starfighter carriers. They are armed with 48 turbolasers, 36 railguns, and 4 torpedo launch tubes. These ships generally carry 576 Humanism drones, 18 Scarlatti starfighters, and 20 Rationality-class shuttles. Most are equipped with Class 1.0 hyperdrives.
Vivaldi-class corvette
At 130 meters long, Vivaldi-class corvettes are the smallest and nimblest ships of the fleet. They are used for many purposes, and more poorly armed versions are often used commercially by smaller or independent companies. The military-grade versions have 12 ion engines arranged in configuration for optimal speed, and they are equipped with a class 1.5 or lower hyperdrive. Most also have a warp drive that can reach Warp 8 or higher, though blockade runner variants can travel faster than Warp 9. They can hold up to 200 crew and 700 passengers depending on configuration, and contain 1 docking bay that can hold several Humanism drones or other starfighters. They are armed with 8 turbolasers, 6 railguns, and 5 torpedo launch tubes, and are protected by a shield generator.
Rationality-class shuttle
Rationality-class shuttles and Scientific exploratory vehicles are used for transport and exploration. At 45 meters long, the shuttles can carry up to 300 people, depending on configuration, though a standard shuttle holds around 60 passengers. The Rationality-class shuttles are highly agile in both sublight and supralight speeds, with 3 or more ion engines and a Class 1.0 hyperdrive or lower. They often have no backup warp drive, but those that do usually can travel up to Warp 5.5. The shuttles are armed with 6 laser cannons (though some military variants have up to 12 laser cannons) and 2 torpedo launch tubes and are protected by shields. These shuttles are often used to transport people and explore planets pre-colonization, as they can land on undeveloped planetary terrain.
Empiricism-class blockade runner
Empiricism-class blockade runners are modified Rationality-class shuttles used as personal transport of the First Consul and other important government officials, as well as for use in special operations and the SIA. They are powered by 5 ion engines and their custom-designed hyperdrives are Class 0.6, with a backup Class 8.0 hyperdrive. Their warp drives can reach Warp 6. They have 4 torpedo launch tubes, and are often equipped with a shroud to help circumvent tractor beams, as well as a sensor jammer, if not a cloaking device outright.
Feynmann-class shuttle
The Feynmann-class shuttle is smaller than the Rationality-class shuttle, at 20 m long. They are usually equipped with 2 ion engines and Class 1.0 hyperdrives. These ships usually are not warp-capable, though some can reach up to Warp 5. They are armed with 4 laser cannons, though some military variants are armed with 10 cannons and a torpedo launch tube. Unlike Rationality-class shuttles, these ships are used almost exclusively for transport of people.
Humanism drone starfighter
True to Science's strong value of life, most of the starfighters used by the Fleet are drones. The Humanism drone is 3.5 meters long and equipped with 4 laser cannons and 2 missile launchers. A bomber variant is 4.0 meters long and is armed with proton bombs. These drones are sometimes not shielded to improve agility and reduce costs. Science's drone starfighters have both built-in AI and ability to connect with a central computer. Furthermore, large numbers of drones can connect with each other to create a supercomputer network, allowing for more streamlined swarm-based tactics.
Acuity long-range drone starfighter
The Acuity drone starfighter is a hyperspace-capable variant of the Humanism drone. At 5.0 meters long, it is equipped with a Class 1.5 hyperdrive. These drones are strongly shielded, yet still agile. They also contain stronger AI than Humanism drones, and have hyperwave transceivers to connect with distant computers.
Scarlatti manned starfighter
The Scarlatti starfighter is Science's primary manned all-purpose starfighter. It is 11 meters long and contains a Class 1.0 hyperdrive. The Scarlatti is armed with 4 laser cannons, 2 missile launchers, and 1 railgun, and is protected by relatively powerful shields; bomber variants are armed with proton bombs as well.
