Legionnaire-class Line Cruiser

The Legionnaire-class cruiser is one of the designs created by the early Sky Riders, just prior to the Esper Wars. It saw extensive service in the Imperialist War and Leviathan War, and has been used as its cruiser of the line by the Esper Union Aerospacy and SRAN alike. The vessel is a reliable workhorse, though not particularly notable in any one aspect.

History

The Legionnaire-class cruiser was conceived of in a project initiated by Hannibal de'Zama and Darius Laenus to refit the Sky Rider fleet, and create a more diverse fleet of airships with a heavy influence. The first ships were put into service in 30 WR, as airships. They were involved in fighting on both sides of the Esper Wars, proving to be very effective ships of the line. They served a similar function in the Imperialist War. Like many Sky Rider ships, they were refitted with gravitic propulsion systems in 33 WR, and transformed into spacefaring craft. They saw service in the Leviathan War, and were divided between the Esper Union and the Sky Riders when the two split.

Since then, it has enjoyed several refits by both space forces. The ship is one of the most widely produced, forming up between twenty-five to forty percent of SRAN and Aerospacy fleets. It has seen extensive use against the Unbound and guarding the planets and holdings of the Esper Union and Sky Riders.

Schematics

• Manufacturer: Fort Locke Research Group, Strategic Weapons Research Institute
• User: Esper Union Aerospacy, Sky Riders Aerospace Navy
• Length: 550 meters
• Crew: 124 officers, 886 enlisted
• Troops: 100 infantry (1 company)
• Compliment (EUS):
  • 12 Shiva fighters
  • 12 Stray fighters or 12 Kirin fighters
  • 12 KN Garrison mecha
  • 2 Ranchman shuttles
• Fixed Armament (EUS):
  • 16-inch Merton guns x 2
  • 12-inch Flare guns x 4
  • 75mm gravitic point defense cannons x 14
  • Anti-warship torpedo racks x 6
  • Anti-fighter missile racks x 14
• Compliment (SRAN):
  • 12 Vandal fighters
  • 12 Corona fighters or Skyhawk fighters
  • 12 Ifrit IV mecha
  • 2 Commanchero-class gunboats
  • 2 Ranchman shuttles
• Fixed Armament (SRAN):
  • 16-inch gravitic guns x 2
  • 12-inch Flare guns x 4
  • 55mm triple barrel gravitic point defense cannons x 12
  • Anti-warship torpedo racks x 4
  • Anti-fighter missile racks x 12

Legionnaire-class cruisers are used by both the Aerospacy and SRAN. The ships look the same irregardless of which force they serve with, having a sloped appearance along the front, with an imposing bridge tower that rises up at nearly a right angle. The hull on the SRAN vessels is terraced about halfway down the ship, replacing a weapons bank with an additional hangar to fit a pair of Commanchero-class gunboats. The SRAN ships are painted navy blue with white lining, while EUS ships are painted an olive color with red lining. These ships are generally well-armored and well-armed.

Aerospacy ships make use of more magitek weaponry, relying on beam weaponry. This has proven more effective against armor, but the recent advances in shields have rendered them less effective. However, it boasts a few more weapons than their SRAN cousins. The SRAN ships use 16-inch gravitic guns with a high-powered Merton shell, which has proven better at breaking through shields and shown itself to be of a similar effectiveness with armor.