The Chiss Ascendancy and the rest of the Chaos, what the rest of the galaxy calls the Unknown Regions, have had generations to built their own vessels and wage war across the stars, leading to significant divergence in ship design compared to the standard of the galaxy. The Chiss in particular have developed their own system of warship classification, built upon centuries of their own struggles and lesions.

Missile Boats:

The smallest vessels used for combat by the Ascendancy, Missile Boats strike using their salvos of missiles and plasma spheres, often acting in packs to coordinate fire against larger vessels.

Patrol Ships:

Small vessels with limited combat potency, Patrol Ships often act as customs vessels around Chiss worlds, ensuring the safety of civilian craft while larger warships deal with the real threats.

Gunboats:

Vessels of similar design to Missile Boats, Gunboats provide a more balanced warship that can escort larger vessels, work alone, or even strike in packs like Missile Boats to pose a danger to larger vessels.

Patrol Cruisers:

The smallest vessels that often act alone, Patrol Cruisers, as their name suggests, perform patrol of Ascendancy Space, enforcing the will of the Ascendancy or its owner within the state's borders, and sometimes beyond it.

Light Cruisers:

The smallest vessels to often see full battles as independent combatants, Light Cruisers have far greater firepower than lesser vessels, though nowhere near matching the larger vessels in service.

Frigates:

On paper, Frigates are designed to support the larger warships of a Chiss fleet, escorting them and adding additional firepower when needed. However, as the largest vessels available to the Great Families, many "Frigates" are closer to small Heavy Cruisers in design, attempting to get the most power out of the ship type as possible. The Frigate has mostly fallen out of favor within the Defense Force, with Cruisers mostly fulfilling its role.

Heavy Cruisers:

The largest warships permitted to the Ruling Families of the Ascendancy, Heavy Cruisers provide a powerful punch while lacking the strategic importance and cost of a Man-of-War, allowing them to be deployed more easily and without the same political entanglements required for a larger vessel or small task force of smaller ones.

Man-of-Wars:

The largest warship in the Ascendancy's service, a Chiss Man-of-War can take on almost anything it could face within the Chaos, but this comes at a great cost. Each Man-of-War is a valuable craft, servicing for vast stretches of time and being carefully deployed, sensitive to the political and strategic concerns of each vessel's use. This leaves them with less freedom than smaller craft, though this can be relaxed during times of crisis. Almost all Man-of-Wars have aboard an Admiral, with most serving as flagships for major Ascendancy formations.