The Vigilant is a Vindicator-class heavy cruiser and assigned to Command Force Dread in Clan Plagueis' Ascendant Fleet.
History
Purchased as part of a fleet upgrade following massive losses in 34 ABY, the Vigilant was pressed into service as a secondary command vessel for the Ascendant Fleet's smaller task forces. Typically commanded by the Aedile of House Tyranus, it operated as part of a semi-independent task force under Cresh. It was later reassigned to Command Force Dread.
Characteristics
With a distinctive angular frame common with Imperial designs, the Vindicator resembles a scaled-down Star Destroyer. Designed by Sienar Fleet Systems, the ship is six hundred meters in length and is crewed by more than two-and-a-half thousand personnel. This can be further augmented with an additional four hundred passengers; typically marines to help support boarding actions. While offering only average shielding, armour plating, firepower, and maneuverability, it is most noteworthy in its choice of firepower. Opting for sheer volume of weapons over larger cannons, the ship has been outfitted with twenty-five light turbolaser turrets and an additional twenty light quad turbolaser turrets. This makes the ship highly effective in swiftly overwhelming and destroying smaller vessels, or overwhelming the shields of certain targets through sheer volume of shots. In addition to this, the Vindicator is outfitted with a large point-defense network of light turbolasers and ion cannons. This not only makes attacks on this class by starfighters extremely hazardous, but offers it a noted edge when facing fleets reliant upon explosive munitions, nullifying two common weaknesses in Imperial designs. The Vindicator also features a small hanger, allowing it to maintain two squadron's worth of fighters along with further support craft.
Role
The Vigilant's role is to provide offensive and defensive firepower in terms of payload and tonnage. Capable of absorbing far greater yields of firepower than its accompanying ships and carrying a far greater volume of turbolasers, this allows it to serve as a central point in any formation and trade shots with similar sized or larger attack vessels. Its accompanying ships can each serve in specialized roles, either as more lightly armed escorts or dedicated carrier ships; with their best use being decided by the Vigilant's Commodore.