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Chapter 2 - Chapter 2: Majestic Stellar Academy

The void outside the shuttle was a black ocean stitched with silver threads—distant stars watching silently like ancient gods with cold, gleaming eyes. For Kael, it wasn't just a sky; it was a door. A door carved by destiny and swung open by brilliance.

The shuttle, a sleek Falcon-class sub-FTL transport, hummed like a caged beast with its heart wrapped in plasma coils. Its outer hull wore the insignia of the Human Federation—a silver gauntlet crushing a serpent of flame, a brutal symbol of dominion and defiance. Beside it glowed the mark of the Stellar Academy—a golden eye embedded in a starburst crown, watching all, missing nothing.

As the stars flowed by like melted diamonds, Kael sat in silence, flanked by thirty-nine other recruits, most fidgeting, others pale with motion sickness. But not him. His back was straight, his mind sharp, and his eyes—like twin novas—burned with untold purpose.

"Two light-years left," murmured the shuttle's onboard voice, soft but firm, like a professor who rarely smiled. "ETA: 38 hours."

Kael leaned closer to the porthole, watching as Velora Prime—his birthworld—shrunk into a distant green marble. "Soil to stars," he whispered, "just like that."

Instructor Voss, an aging warhound with cybernetic eyes and a tongue dipped in sarcasm, noticed Kael's focused demeanor.

"You're not pissing yourself like the rest," he said, gruffly.

Kael shrugged, "I've piloted harvest crawlers at 200 mph through plasma storms. This is a breeze."

Voss smirked. "Cocky. Dangerous. I like that." Then he nodded toward the flickering data screen near Kael's seat. "Curious about the war machines of your new home?"

Kael nodded.

With a flick of his hand, Voss activated a holo-tablet, displaying rotating models of Federation warships.

Here is an enhanced and detailed format for Federation Warship Classes, with RPG-style stats including firepower, hull strength, dimensions, and more. These can be used directly in your story or codex entries.

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Class: E (Recon/Patrol)

Firepower: ★☆☆☆☆

Hull Strength: 1,000 HP

Length: 412 m

Width: 90 m

Height: 72 m

Shield Capacity: 1,000 HP

Recovery Rate: 15 HP/sec

Ops Crew: 70

Troops: 400

Mechas: 30

Primary Role: Local patrols, scouting missions

Combat Capability: Can destroy light drones, unarmored pirate ships

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Class: D (Mecha Deployment Carrier)

Firepower: ★★☆☆☆

Hull Strength: 2,000 HP

Length: 2,133 m

Width: 344 m

Height: 343 m

Shield Capacity: 2,500 HP

Recovery Rate: 35 HP/sec

Ops Crew: 400

Troops: 5,000

Mechas: 5,000

Primary Role: Planetary assault support, battalion deployment

Combat Capability: Heavy support unit, cannot survive solo in major fleet battles

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Class: C (Siege Assault)

Firepower: ★★★☆☆

Hull Strength: 5,000 HP

Length: 3,740 m

Width: 620 m

Height: 490 m

Shield Capacity: 6,000 HP

Recovery Rate: 50 HP/sec

Ops Crew: 650

Troops: 12,000

Mechas: 7,500

Primary Role: Fortress assault, siege warfare

Combat Capability: Capable of orbital destruction of fortified cities

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Class: B (Fleet Destroyer)

Firepower: ★★★★☆

Hull Strength: 8,000 HP

Length: 5,320 m

Width: 720 m

Height: 690 m

Shield Capacity: 9,000 HP

Recovery Rate: 75 HP/sec

Ops Crew: 1,200

Troops: 28,000

Mechas: 12,000

Primary Role: Mid-range fleet command, large-scale battlefield dominance

Combat Capability: Can decimate enemy fleets and space stations

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Class: A (Annihilation Cruiser)

Firepower: ★★★★★

Hull Strength: 12,000 HP

Length: 8,400 m

Width: 1,200 m

Height: 1,150 m

Shield Capacity: 15,000 HP

Recovery Rate: 120 HP/sec

Ops Crew: 2,000+

Troops: 60,000+

Mechas: 25,000+

Primary Role: Total annihilation of planetary defenses, war-ending strikes

Combat Capability: Can destroy orbital defense rings and obliterate continents from orbit

"But that's not all," Voss said, voice low like a storm behind mountains. "You'll soon learn of Titanus-class supercarriers, Leviathan dreadnoughts, and the elusive Drake stealth cruisers. Each one a myth forged into steel."

Kael stared, drinking it in like a man lost in a desert finds water.

"And what about the military ranks?" Kael asked, his voice steady.

"Ah," Voss chuckled, "the ladder to power. A cruel beast."

 Human Federation Military Ranks

Enlisted:

Cadet

Soldier

Sergeant

Warrant Officer

Officer:

Lieutenant

Captain

Major

Colonel

High Command:

General

Commander Marshal

Grand Admiral

Supreme Executor

"Which one do I need to command a Leviathan?" Kael asked.

Voss blinked. "You? You'd need to tame hell itself, boy. But who knows—maybe hell listens to geniuses."

Kael's lips curled into the ghost of a grin.

At hour thirty-eight, the stars parted like curtains drawn back for royalty. Before them stood Stellar Academy, orbiting a pale-blue dwarf star in Solris System III. It wasn't just a station—it was a citadel carved from dreams and metal.

A ring of silver halls wrapped around a central spire that pierced space like a blade challenging heaven. Docks stretched like open palms, welcoming the arriving youth of a trillion worlds.

Kael pressed against the glass, heart thudding. Even the void seemed to bow to this place.

"Welcome to Stellar Academy," the ship AI whispered. "Where gods are made."

The shuttle slowed, docking with the grace of a falling feather. Kael gripped his pack and stepped forward.

Behind him was soil, sweat, and 5,000 acres of rice.

Ahead? Stars, steel, and destiny.

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