The Men of Iron had only four conventional ship types: transport, electronic warfare, close-assault, and long-range fire support.
There were only two sizes, standard and flagship. Every standard ship was the size of an Imperial cruiser, while flagships varied, and only flagships included a unique special type: the Command Flagship.
Iax designated this newly evolved ship as a giant flagship (fire support), UD-01, codenamed Pektaro. Iax also raised its original intelligence level again and gave it the ability to carry out missions independently.
Whenever Iax moved beyond the ship's communications range and could no longer control it, this subordinate intelligence would temporarily execute orders in Iax's place and assess the situation independently.
This was a hybrid flagship unlike anything that had ever existed in the history of the Men of Iron. It possessed both fire support and command capabilities.
Plasma turrets, Relativistic Particle Emitters, and giant Nova Cannons were the hallmarks of fire support ships. The enormous hull and Antimatter reactor modules were unique to command flagships.
Its immense energy supply could extend to nearby Men of Iron Ships, and in battle, it could use quantum transmission technology to supply power to other ships across vast distances. Conventional quantum power reactor cores often suffered energy shortages while charging their Nova Cannons; heavy Energy Shields and vast arrays of energy weapons were like black holes devouring power.
Without a Command Flagship participating in battle, most ships would temporarily shut down some of their weapons to ensure sufficient power for their shields and Nova Cannons.
When a Command Flagship was present, it became a super-Batteries for the entire fleet. Its ample energy supply could support three hundred fire support ships within range, allowing them to charge their Nova Cannons while still firing enormous numbers of energy weapons simultaneously.
When a complete Men