The Primus-class Battleship, also known as the Primus-class Dreadnought, is Nepleslia's largest capital class warship that serves the role of an anti-starship platform. It was designed by Nepleslian Arms and Munitions and introduced into the NSN in YE 35.

The Primus was conceived along a single philosophy: to blow everything else away. It was never intended to be a speedy warship, capable of keeping pace with cruisers and escorts. The Primus is the Nepleslian expression of a different kind. It is a warship so armed and armored that no other warship can take it down in single combat. It is often called a dreadnought because of it follows the philosophy of mounting as many heavy guns and armor onto a mobile platform, with less emphasis on smaller guns.

Design work began in late YE 34 and was completed in the next year. It is a replacement design for the Na-B-01a Tolchok-Class Battleship, which was considered inferior and obsolete. Unlike the Tolchok, the Primus was designed to have a powerful broadside as well as the usual heavy forward-facing armament. The design team at Aerotech had planned to make a ship comparable to the Tolchok but new requirements from the top levels of the military shifted planning towards a larger warship.

It is considerably larger than the Tolchok but lacks the aetheric shock arrays that are used by that vehicle. This is part of a wider move in Nepleslia to remove aether weapons from the Nepleslian armory. To make up for the absence of such a powerful gun, more plasma and multiphase weapons were installed onto the Primus. Nepleslian planners consider it a dreadnought because of its high proportion of anti-starship weapons compared to its minimal anti-starfighter armament.

Production began in YE 35 though the specifics of the class' deployment into the Fleets had not yet been decided. This was resolved by a complete modernization program for all the fleets. By YE 36, the Primus was present in all four Assault Fleets.

1. Largest Nepleslian Battleship Design
2. Immensely Armored
3. Numerous powerful weapon systems positioned strategically along the bow, port and starboard
4. Designed for maximum firepower from the port and starboard guns, emphasizing broadside tactics

The Primus is a purely anti-starship platform. Its fighter complement are intended to protect the warship from other starfighters rather than act as independent strike units. The Primus can also act as a troop transport, though it is not as suited to this task as the Na-AC-02a Shaika Assault Carrier.

The Primus is a slight departure from the normal rectangular Nepleslian designs. It has a wide and long rectangular shape, tapering at the bow into two short, heavily-armored prongs. It also features three layered tiers on its ventral hull, gradually sloping upwards. Its main weapons turrets are visible on each tier while the majority of its smaller weapons are located along the hull, though some are lined up on the tiers.

The Primus is slower than other Nepleslian warships but makes up for the difference with increased long-range firepower.

• Class: Na-B2
• Type: Battleship
• Designers: NAM
• Manufacturer: NAM
• Production: Mass Production
• Fielded by: Star Navy

Crew: 2500 operators are recommended, 2000 are required.

• Bridge Crew: 200
• Tactical: 700-1000
• Engineering: 700-1000
• Pilots: 80 - 150
• Support Staff: 500
• Security: 300 (Marines)
• Junker Drones: 500+ (Do not count as part of the crew numbers)

Maximum Capacity: There are accommodations for 2500 people. About 8000 people can fit aboard in an emergency, but the ship would be extremely cramped and operations would be severely hampered.

• Length: 1600 meters (1 mile)
• Width: 500 meters (1640 feet)
• Height: 400 meters (1312 feet)
• Decks: 24 (3 meters each)

• FTL: Continuum Distortion Drive
• Sublight Engines: Plasma Impulse Drive
• Speed: See Star Navy of Nepleslia Starship Speeds
• Range: 45 LY
• Lifespan: 20 years or more, with regular refits.
• Refit Cycle: Annually or when seriously damaged

See Damage Rating (Version 2) for an explanation of the damage system.

• Hull: 50
• Shields: 50 (Threshold 5)

The Primus features many standardized compartments.

A central armory is positioned near the Power Armor bays in the lower decks on the ship. It contains enough firepower to arm a small army. It is here that Marines and sailors alike gather to maintain, service and store their weapons. Navy armorers tend to both services' needs and are assisted by junker drones. While the weaponry stocked may vary from ship to ship, depending on how each Captain chooses to equip it, there is a standard inventory.

The Armory would contain the following:

• 200 M2 Rifles & ammunition
• 200 Styrling Auto Twelve & 12 gauge ammunition
• 200 Close Quarter Weapon, 12 Gauge & 12 gauge ammunition
• 200 Styrling Ripshot & ammunition
• Multiple ESG "Easy Sub-Machine Gun" & ammunition
• NAM Infantry Grenades
• Utility Combat Knife M01A
• Marine Combat Axe Model 01c

In addition to the central armory, there are multiple weapons lockers located near vital locations such as the bridge, engineering, hangars and forward weapons batteries. These simple lockers are placed to arm crewmen who aren't close to the central armory in case of a boarding action. Each locker contains the following:

• 30 Close Quarter Weapon, 12 Gauge & 12 gauge ammunition
• 20 Styrling Auto Twelve & 12 gauge ammunition
• 20 Styrling Ripshot & ammunition
• 40 ESG "Easy Sub-Machine Gun" & ammunition

The Primus features a Standard Capital Starship Bridge located within the middle of the vessel's second ventral tier and surrounded by nerimium armored walls to ensure the protection of the crewmen.

Both the bridge and CIC crew work in tandem to operate the ship.

The admirals_suite is installed on all warships. It is a larger version of the captains_suite. The reason for this is to allow any flag officer free choice of flagship. The suite is located close to the bridge for the Admiral's convenience.

Three captains_suite are installed. One for the Captain, Executive Officer and a spare. These rooms are located close to the bridge for the senior officers' convenience.

There are six cargo holds at the bottom of the ship, each one can hold a huge standard container's worth of cargo. This space is usually given over to food and other perishable supplies. To keep food fresh, all of these cargo holds are refrigerated and kept in a vacuum until they are needed. Replacement parts and mechanical components are also stored in airtight containers.

The Primus has 1000 crew cabins for its crew to bunk in.

Crew Lounges are scattered across the ship but are most common on the decks nearest the crew's cabins. There are a total of ten crew lounges and three for officers.

The Primus features a large engineering section, located in the rear but with quick and easy access to all parts of the ship's main corridors. Ship's engineers are responsible for the maintenance of the ship's mechanical and electrical systems as well as the AI. Damage control teams also congregate here for assignment during battle.

Maintenance conduits run through the ship and are only accessible through NAM Standard Airtight Door. These conduits can either be really hot and stuffy or extremely cold and possibly airless. As a result, most crewmen wear EVA suits where possible into the cold areas. However for access into the hot and humid areas, most crewmen choose to strip down.

The Primus' medbay is located in the center of the ship for the convenience of the crew.

The Primus features standard hallways. These can be sealed off in sections with airtight doors.

The Primus features standard hallways. These can be sealed off in sections with airtight doors.

The large hangar is located to the rear of the ship and takes up three decks. Two decks are used for vehicle storage and maintenance while the last is for arming, preparations and launch. When craft are ready to launch, they are moved into a large airlock for takeoff. Once the airlock facing the hangar is sealed, the door facing space is opened, allowing the craft to exit. Up to six craft may launch simultaneously from the two airlocks, on each side of the Primus. The entire launch process takes less than a minute if the craft are ready.

The exterior doors are indistinguishable from the rest of the hull until they part.

There are three Officer's Lounges, however the one closest to the Captain's suite serves as the Wardroom. It is here that the Captain (or Admiral) entertains his officers and guests. It is larger and usually more elaborately decorated than other lounges.

Though there is absolutely nothing revolutionary about the Primus, it is considered as the most electronically modern capital warship fielded by Nepleslia due to inclusion of most of the current generation of electronics.

The Primus, as the heaviest combatant in the NSN, features two Nerimium exterior layers of armor plating. Beneath that is a layer of Durandium Alloy that has been treated to absorb energy weapon blasts. Finally, the ship's superstructure is reinforced by a combined Nerimium/Durandium framework that runs through the ship. This frame allows the ship to absorb more kinetic force and gives it more durability under fire.

A NAM Nano-Constructor System is installed in the hull and is capable of repairing or reinforcing critical areas of the ship's hull. Like any repair system, it cannot be at full capacity everywhere at once. Its most important role is to close any hull breaches created during combat.

The Primus has an AI core housing a powerful ACE unit. The AI serves to complement the crew and conduct cyberwarfare against enemy vessels.

In addition to the AI, the Primus possesses a na-c3-e3103 and a brainspammer.

For communications, na-c3-m3109

The Primus is powered by a trio of Na-ZPER-02b Hyperspace Tap Reactor. It also possesses a pair of Na-HFR-01a Heavy Fusion Reactor as secondaries and backups.

The Primus boasts a fire management system for damage control and numerous escape pods.

A simple yet robust life support system is installed on the Primus that can cope with a full crew complement.

The Primus mounts a dual Combined Barrier System (Nepleslia) to guard it from all forms of known warfare.

The Primus has a simple job: be the most powerfully armed and heavily armored warship wherever it is. For that purpose, it is equipped with the most numerous armament of Nepleslian starship weapons. Due to its design, the Primus favors broadsides, though it has a respectable arrangement of forward batteries.

• Twin multiphase cannon turrets: 8, SDR 2-4
• Quadruple plasma lance turrets: 20, SDR 4
• NAM Twin Plasma Turret: 50, SDR 3
• NAM Massed Positron Array: 28, SDR 2
• NAM Na-LRMS-XX "Curbstomper" Long-Ranged Missile System: 6, DR Variable
• NAM Extended Rack Missile System: 72, DR Variable

The Primus carries a large vehicle complement, mostly starfighters.

The Primus carries 32 shuttles.

The Primus carries 128 FA4s, Hornets, or Hammerheads. Most ships favor the two fighter craft over Hammerhead bombers so that the ship has a dedicated Combat Aerospace Patrol (CAP).