All ship statistics are in Mekton Zeta format. I plan to try and convert them to Palladium, but that could take a while.
The Starfire Space Combat Robot is designed for close defense of starships, ground support (it can fly into an atmosphere and back out), and close assault of hostile forces. While it is fast by ground mecha standards, it is far slower than either the Tomcat fighter or the Nightshadow attack ship. As such, the Starfire rarely takes part in long-range strikes. Instead, it remains with its mother ship as a last line of defense while the faster craft are away on raids. While a humanoid mecha may seem out of place in space, the Starfire's range of armaments and maneuverability make it a valued part of any commander's flight wing.
The Tomcat Space Superiority Fighter is the mainstay of the Stellar Guard Space forces fighters. Fast and reasonably agile, the Tomcat can dogfight with almost anything, and it has enough firepower to kill anything that can reasonably hit it. Tomcats usually use their speed as a weapon, flying in and out of weapons range before the opponent realizes that they're close. Tomcats often fly missions away from their carriers, using their speed to cover large distances in space quickly.
The Nightshadow Space Attack Fighter is the Tomcat's big brother. The Nightshadow's main armament are four heavy missiles, powerful enough to hurt corvettes and sting starships. Nightshadow's often attack enemy ships a good distance away from the carrier, speeding in to launch missiles, and then speeding away under the cover of watchful Tomcats. Space Force carriers can cover a wide area of space using such tactics.
The AT-class Assault Transport is a flying slab of armor designed to get up to a company of mechanized forces or a battalion of leg infantry to the surface of a planet safely. It is protected by two turrets, each with four light X-ray lasers, but it is too light to mount a force screen.
The Ross-class Space Frigate is the smallest lightspeed-capable ship in the Stellar Guard. Primarily an escort, the Ross carries heavy missiles to damage large ships and X-ray laser turrets to deal with smaller targets. The Ross is not exceptionally fast, but is nimble. The Ross carries twelve Starfires for close escort against enemy mecha and for a variety of other missions. In a fleet action, the Ross can either stand off as an anti-small craft escort for larger ships or charge in on a torpedo run. With its mecha complement, the Ross also sees some detached duty, patrolling a system or systems for pirates.
The Battle-class Space Destroyer is the main fleet escort of the Stellar Guard. Faster than the Ross, the Battle also carries double gun armament, as well as twenty-four mecha, all Starfires. While the Battle will escort convoys, its primary use is as an escort for main fleet units. With its faster legs and more guns, the Battle can make more effective attack runs in fleet actions. However, the Battle has one significant weakness in heavy engagement; it does not have enough dedicated gunners to man all of its turrets and batteries (9 turrets/5 batteries and twelve gunners assigned). Fire control computers or command officers can make up the difference, but rarely will a ship need both front and rear main guns in action at once. While Battles are not deployed independently as often as the Ross class, it is not unknown to see a Battle on patrol where the trouble in question can outrun or outshoot a Ross.
The Xenophus-class Space Cruiser is the workhorse of the Space Forces. Mounting a combination of heavy X-ray laser cannons and small close in defense weapons, the Xenophus has more than enough punch to worry similarly sized ships, and is as fast as the Ross, but not as agile. The Xenophus's mecha wing is split, with twenty-four Starfire robots, twelve Tomcat fighters and twelve Nightwing attack mecha. This wing gives the Xenophus some long-range strike capability, to back up its powerful main armament. Xenophus cruisers are seen everywhere: patrolling with Ross and Battle ships, commanding convoy escorts, escorting heavy units, or patrolling on their own through regions considered too dangerous for smaller units. In fleet actions, the Xenophus can do anything, though nothing exceptionally well. It lacks the speed of the Battle, and the mass and firepower of the larger ships. Still, Xenophus commands are treasured, since this is the largest ship that operates outside of the watchful eye of an admiral for any length of time. The Xenophus is also the only combat ship to carry science facilities; the Xenophus's excellent sensor suite is augmented with specialized astronomical and planetary sensors, and it carries labs and a dedicated science staff as well.
The Imperium-class Space Carrier is one of the capital ships of the Guard Space Forces. With a flight wing of 196 fighters and mecha, even one of these carriers is capable of causing tremendous damage to an opponent. However, the carrier itself is vulnerable, with only self-defense weaponry. Usually, one or two cruisers and two to four destroyers are closely escorting the carrier, especially in a combat zone. In a major battle, the Imperium will launch its fighters, then retreat behind the other major units during the close approach. While the Imperium is powerful, discretion is the better part of valor if the carrier's fighters are otherwise occupied.
The Lansing-class Space Transport is the most common transport in the Space Forces. Able to carry either an infantry or armor division within its cavernous troop deck, Lansings are seen everywhere the Imperium rules or wishes to rule. If transports are anywhere near a battle, the objective of the fleet becomes the protection of these ships until they either land or escape. The sight of these massive ships descending to land on a planet is quite impressive, but they can also land troops from orbit, using the 15 AT transports they carry. However, a general often appreciates the fear that the sight of a descending Lansing inspires in his opponents, and orders the transport to land itself. Since few ground forces can muster the firepower to defeat the troops and then damage the ship itself, such temerity is rarely punished.
The Aron-class Space Battlecruiser is one of the newer ships in the Space Forces. Designed with the philosophy of speed and firepower in mind, the Aron can maneuver faster than any Imperial ship, thanks to its new gravity drives. The two classes often work together in battle, with the Aron providing gunnery support for a destroyer torpedo run. The Aron also has new weapons; its entire weapons suite consists of the new anti-particle weapons, which pack much more of a wallop than X-ray lasers, although they are less accurate and more power hungry. While the Aron lacks indigenous mecha suport, it is rarely too far away from support ships. Some admirals question the wisdom of the design, but it has yet to meet a foe swift enough to catch it and strong enough to kill it.
The Terra-class Space Battleship is the pride of the
Stellar Guard Space Forces. Strong and powerful, a Terra is dispatched either to
show Imperium resolve or to destroy all comers; frequently, it is asked to do
both. Swift for its size, it can maneuver with a fleet without being a
hindrance, and Admirals appreciate the ability to direct a battle from such a
capable platform. While the lack of indigenous mecha troops has been cited as a
weakness in the design, its proponents point out that the Terras are rarely
deployed without Imperium carriers in attendance, and that the carriers carry
enough mecha for both. Some carrier admirals argue that this just makes their
point; the Imperiums should be conducting independent strikes, not shepherding
battleships around. At the moment, the pro-battleship lobby is the dominant
force, and looks to be so for the foreseeable future.