Ragnarok

The Ragnarok is a capital ship serving in the Valyrian fleet, piloted by Count Janos Korwitz. It is specialized in destroying enemy fortifications, and boarding enemy ships.

Specifications
The Ragnarok is a Demnevanni HSR3, though perhaps in name only, as its extensive modifications over the centuries have put it in a class of its own. Like other Demnevannis, it is both bulky and unwieldy. In addition, its weapons are not made for destroying spacecraft, sacrificing the raw power of other capital ships' batteries for the precision required for a shell to destroy an underground bunker.

It has also been outfitted with seven extra fission reactors, which by themselves produce enough energy to power a large city. This adds an enormous strength to the Ragnarok's shields that, when added to the many layers of reinforced hull, make it rather difficult to damage.

Finally, the Ragnarok has about a quarter the amount of fighters carried by other Demnevannis, having instead hundreds of Elephants, transport shuttles that are nevertheless armored and armed to the point that they can almost be considered fighters in their own right, and which can lock onto enemy ships and breach their hulls, enabling the marines within to storm them and seize the ships from within.

Semi-Sentience
Atlas is what the Leviathan's semi-sentience is called, and it is as old as the ship itself, dating back to the old Empire. Indeed, it still believed itself to be part of the Imperial Fleet, and stubbornly insists on calling the King "Emperor". It places great importance on tradition, and refuses to accept as captain any other than the rightful descendent and heir of its legendary captain of old, Harn Korwitz.

It is as conservative in combat as out of it, preferring to take safe options rather than risky ones. Nevertheless, its wisdom is greatly respected by the crewmembers, as it has had over a millenium to gather combat data.

Role within the fleet
Some wars can be won in space, but most are not over until the enemy planets and outposts are captured. Unfortunately, this often entails attacking heavily fortified positions. It is in this that the Ragnarok finds its niche: It specializes in cracking open planetary fortresses.

Its 10 000 marines are trained to storm hell itself, and its guns have the precision and punch required to implode bunkers up to a kilometre underground. The Ragnarok also possesses a large stock of unconventional weapons, biological, chemical, and nuclear. In short, it is the King's hammer, that smashes the petty castles of his enemies.

Ship History
The Ragnarok's history dates back to the old Arcturian Empire, when it was constructed among the thousands of others of its kind, during the great drive to expand across the entire galaxy. While today the Ragnarok is among the largest vessels seen in space, certainly one of the largest HSR3s, at that epoch it was dwarfed by the behemoths that flew beside it, in the golden age of the Empire. After the battle of Milas, in which the Rival Claimants smashed the last emperor's forces and which lead to the sack of Almata, the Ragnarok was in the same situation as what was left of the Imperial fleets, isolated and without a clear purpose.

Her captain elected to retreat to Plentiful Dawn, at the time only a remote colony. There, the Ragnarok found others of the fleets, and joined them in defending the last bastion of Imperial power. For a thousand years, the ship fought, against every kind of enemy imaginable. In this time, tradition came to be that the vessel would pass from father to son in a hereditary fashion.

When the Valyrian fleet arrived, scattering the raiders who were threatening the very survival of Plentiful Dawn, the fortress-world was annexed into the growing kingdom, and the Ragnarok, along with its captain, Count Janos, were assimilated into the royal armadda.