Lambda class

The Lambda class was an experimental cannonship in service of the Federated Systems Navy and property of the Allied Systems Federation during the Vrox Rampage. The Lambda class was a variation on the mainline Excalibur class tactical cruiser. The Lambda was essentially a flying cannon. The ship was built up from the same type of siege cannon that the Excalibur housed, as well as shield generators, a power core, and engines. The siege cannon was one of the few effective weapons the Federation had against the Vrox. By building the Lambda, these cannons could be put on the battlefield faster and cheaper than with the expensive Excalibur class.

The ship was absolutely bare-boned with only the essentials for functioning. The vessel was controlled from a small control bridge on the dorsal side of the primary hull. This bridge had a rear landing platform where a single shuttle could dock. The ship was protected by exposed shield generators to make them as efficient as possible. Since the vessel had only the most minimal armor plating, the vessel relied on its shielding. Likewise, the main reactor was relatively exposed, being protected only by its primary housing in the aft sphere. The engines, shielding, and the primary cannon were all directly linked to the main reactor, while the bridge module was powered by local micro-fusion generators and excess heat from the reactor.

These direct links to the main reactor made the ship systems quite powerful. The cannon was optimized for longer-ranged shots than its Excalibur counterpart. The shield generators could enter an overdrive, in which the generators were pushed to their absolute maximum. This increased shield strength significantly, but flooded the surroundings of the ship with lethal radiation and could overheat the generators, causing them to melt. Likewise, the engines would pack quite a punch for their relative size.

Due to the minimal protection the vessel offered, and the minimal safety standards of the various ship systems, this vessel was quite fragile and needed constant protection from the enemy and itself. If its shields were breached, you wouldn't need much to cause devastating damage to the vessel.

Very few people wanted to serve on these ships. The minimal protection and the always imminent threat of enemy fire was not very encouraging. The crew that did serve on these ships often decided to wear hazard suits that would protect them from radiation. Some of the more protective crew members wore entire E.V.A. suits just in case the vessel would be destroyed.

Most ships of this class were built by Aurora Drive Yards, although some were built by ZenMars Shipyards.

After Vrox threat was over, production of these vessels stopped immideatly. The surviving ships were scrapped for materials, sold, or traded away.