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Description
The star cruiser has been the mainstay of the Terran Protectorate Stellar Navy since 2345, with the inception of the T.S.S. Stalwart, the first of the Stalwart-class Cruisers. Before the introduction of the Stalwart, the Protectorate relied heavily on local patrol ships, no larger than a frigate, which rarely left their home system.

The Stalwart (far left) came as a direct result of the nearly bloodless war with the Xintrin Merchant Guild about 20 years earlier. Fortunately, both sides were more interested in talking than fighting, but the military leaders of the Protectorate realized they had little in the way of interstellar force projection.
It took 10 years to develop the 640-foot Stalwart, which was armed with solid state lasers, experimental particle beam cannons, long-range nuclear missiles and point-defense lasers. It also carried four star fighters for picket duty (the only cruiser to do so). The Stalwart, for humanity, was a marvel of engineering and formed the backbone of the new navy.
Less than five years later, the Protectorate was at war with the Imperial Consortium. The Stalwart performed horribly and crews suffered cataclysmic losses. It wasn't the ship's fault or its designers. First, humans had virtually no experience with large-scale fleet combat, and the battle-hardened Imperial Consortium commanders literally often flew circles around the fleet, which attempted to fight using rigid formations. Second, Imperial Consortium technology was about 150 years ahead of human tech. It was only the forced reliance on carriers and fighter combat that resulted in a human victory, as well as the coordination of the Protectorate's massive resources into simply outproducing the Consortium by the end of the war.
The Stalwart got a hard rap for its performance, but later its use as an anti-piracy ship in the Free Colonies would cause historians to revise their harsh criticism of the vessel's abilities.
In 2360, the Terran Protectorate fielded the first of a much larger, more powerful cruiser, the Falchion-class. At 950 feet in length, it is still the largest cruiser the Protectorate has ever fielded. The Falchion was designed and built at a time when the Protectorate was flush with money following an economic boom after their success in the first war.
The Falchion is an example of gunboat diplomacy. Squadrons of the cruisers, which some say classify as a battlecruiser, toured nearby alien governments to secure trade agreements. It's massive size, the outriggers filled with "city busting" nuclear warhead and its glaring-red plasma cannons were meant to impress other species that the victory over the Imperial Consortium was more than luck.
The Falchion served for 46 years, during which time it was never engaged in a major conflict. Most have been reassigned to the Colonies of the Line, which maintain their own fleet to guard the "rear" border of the Protectorate from the ancient and mysterious threats from the Orion Expanse and Sea of Dead Stars. By then, the expensive cruiser was showing its age and in 2406 the sleeker, more economical, but just as deadly Neil Armstrong-class heavy cruiser was commissioned.
At 749-feet in length it is much smaller than the Falchion, but its systems are far more advanced, and its weaponry, including the main gauss cannon and particle beam cannons, are just as deadly as the Falchion's massive armaments, but far more efficient and accurate.
In the six years since its inception, the Armstrong has become the symbol of the Terran Protectorate Stellar Navy, as it is the ship most often used for long-range independent missions. Not only is it a capable combat vessel, but it can engage in exploration and other duties as well. Its performance early in the second Imperial Consortium war has been stellar, despite the difficulty and savagry of the new conflict, and if the Protectorate can fend off the I.C. blitz into its territory, the Armstrong likely has a long service life ahead of it.

This was inspired by djomally's Evolution of a Battle Carrier piece. [link]

It seemed like such a good idea that I took it and ran with it. I might do it with other ship classes as well. Enjoy, and let me know what you think.

Description
The star cruiser has been the mainstay of the Terran Protectorate Stellar Navy since 2345, with the inception of the T.S.S. Stalwart, the first of the Stalwart-class Cruisers. Before the introduction of the Stalwart, the Protectorate relied heavily on local patrol ships, no larger than a frigate, which rarely left their home system.

The Stalwart (far left) came as a direct result of the nearly bloodless war with the Xintrin Merchant Guild about 20 years earlier. Fortunately, both sides were more interested in talking than fighting, but the military leaders of the Protectorate realized they had little in the way of interstellar force projection.
It took 10 years to develop the 640-foot Stalwart, which was armed with solid state lasers, experimental particle beam cannons, long-range nuclear missiles and point-defense lasers. It also carried four star fighters for picket duty (the only cruiser to do so). The Stalwart, for humanity, was a marvel of engineering and formed the backbone of the new navy.
Less than five years later, the Protectorate was at war with the Imperial Consortium. The Stalwart performed horribly and crews suffered cataclysmic losses. It wasn't the ship's fault or its designers. First, humans had virtually no experience with large-scale fleet combat, and the battle-hardened Imperial Consortium commanders literally often flew circles around the fleet, which attempted to fight using rigid formations. Second, Imperial Consortium technology was about 150 years ahead of human tech. It was only the forced reliance on carriers and fighter combat that resulted in a human victory, as well as the coordination of the Protectorate's massive resources into simply outproducing the Consortium by the end of the war.
The Stalwart got a hard rap for its performance, but later its use as an anti-piracy ship in the Free Colonies would cause historians to revise their harsh criticism of the vessel's abilities.
In 2360, the Terran Protectorate fielded the first of a much larger, more powerful cruiser, the Falchion-class. At 950 feet in length, it is still the largest cruiser the Protectorate has ever fielded. The Falchion was designed and built at a time when the Protectorate was flush with money following an economic boom after their success in the first war.
The Falchion is an example of gunboat diplomacy. Squadrons of the cruisers, which some say classify as a battlecruiser, toured nearby alien governments to secure trade agreements. It's massive size, the outriggers filled with "city busting" nuclear warhead and its glaring-red plasma cannons were meant to impress other species that the victory over the Imperial Consortium was more than luck.
The Falchion served for 46 years, during which time it was never engaged in a major conflict. Most have been reassigned to the Colonies of the Line, which maintain their own fleet to guard the "rear" border of the Protectorate from the ancient and mysterious threats from the Orion Expanse and Sea of Dead Stars. By then, the expensive cruiser was showing its age and in 2406 the sleeker, more economical, but just as deadly Neil Armstrong-class heavy cruiser was commissioned.
At 749-feet in length it is much smaller than the Falchion, but its systems are far more advanced, and its weaponry, including the main gauss cannon and particle beam cannons, are just as deadly as the Falchion's massive armaments, but far more efficient and accurate.
In the six years since its inception, the Armstrong has become the symbol of the Terran Protectorate Stellar Navy, as it is the ship most often used for long-range independent missions. Not only is it a capable combat vessel, but it can engage in exploration and other duties as well. Its performance early in the second Imperial Consortium war has been stellar, despite the difficulty and savagry of the new conflict, and if the Protectorate can fend off the I.C. blitz into its territory, the Armstrong likely has a long service life ahead of it.

This was inspired by djomally's Evolution of a Battle Carrier piece. [link]

It seemed like such a good idea that I took it and ran with it. I might do it with other ship classes as well. Enjoy, and let me know what you think.