over earlier designs; the first operational ship whose midspace drive was fitted with an emission control and attenuation (ECA) system,
Vanguard radiated less than one thousandth the radiation of previous engine designs. This allowed the midspace shunts to be brought
into the main body of the ship for the first time, allowing a more compact and survivable configuration. It also made the Vanguard all but
impossible to detect on the passive detection equipment which is the primary midspace combat sensor.
The rift generator which allowed the ship to transit between midspace and normal space was capable of twelve transitions on a full charge,
and could be charged in as little as three hours. This allowed Vanguard to transit in and out of midspace more or less at will, allowing
her to conduct sustained attacks on an enemy for days on end.
She was also the first ship to carry jacketed AMP cannon, allowing her to fire antimatter/matter rounds at FTL speeds. Although accuracy
constraints meant that these weapons were only useful at virtually point blank range by the standards of a modern vessel, they still
represented an increase in range of more than fivefold over the non-jacketed AMP weapons of the time.
Although it gained little attention at the time, Vanguard incorporated one other important advance; the most advanced inertial
navigation system ever fielded. Since midspace contains no fixed points of reference it was impossible to determine the location
of a ship by any means other than inertial navigation. Periodic transitions into normal space for a navigational update had been
required in ships like the Iowa and Amzarg - and with rift generators taking many hours to charge, this was no small delay.
Vanguard was able to keep an accurate position fix for days on end, and with her ability to rapidly transition into normal space
and back, navigation became virtually a non-issue.
This lead ship of the class had a remarkable history; under then Captain Malenkov she freed Charles II from Heliopolis after he
was imprisoned there by his brother, causing the breakaway of the Secessionist faction of the Imperial Fleet and initiating
the Human Civil War. She acted as flagship of the Secessionist fleet throughout the war, fighting in more engagements than
any other ship. Once Charles was restored to the throne and the Empire began to collapse in the aftermath of the war,
Admiral Malenkov led the senior officers of the newly united Navy in signing of the Declaration of Neutrality on board
Vanguard, a move which prevented a second civil war but ensured the total collapse of the Empire. Malenkov was instrumental
in drafting the constitution of the Republic which held the bulk of the ex-Imperial worlds together; if not for his efforts, the
worlds of Humanity may well have splintered.
When the Republic and Turgran Imperium signed the Articles of Coalition in 2906, one of the provisions of that treaty created a
permanent Coalition Navy. Although little more than a token force intended to demonstrate unity, the Republic President shocked all
commentators by assigning the Vanguard to the new Navy. Although not considered to be a frontline unit by now, the presence of
a ship of such immense prestige gave an added gravitas to the new Coalition Navy, making it clear that it would be a force to
be reckoned with.
Vanguard was docked for the last time in 2908 after fifty one years of service. She officially retains her commission today, one
hundred and forty three years after first being granted it, making her the oldest ship in the Coalition navy. She serves as a museum
ship.
