The Soulaki S1 cruiser is the most powerful ship in the HCS fleet and also the first true clean-sheet design by the HCS Space Navy and thus is a remarkable achievement by the Clones. The Soulaki project began after the massacre of the HCS by the DDS in the mid 2090s when Z-cannon armed Pulsars wiped out a large part of the HCS fleet. The HCS saw that they needed a ship in the Pulsar class, a large and powerful battlecruiser.
Up until then HCS designs had been licence built or adapted Utrek and Raegris designs but as no suitable designs were available the HCS were forced to design from scratch. Finally in 2101 the Soulaki was unveiled, easily the largest ship in the HCS fleet. The Soulaki is powerful and fast (for the HCS, it can touch on 700c) but it is also rather lumbering. HCS engine technology lags way behind the DDS and Dinos and the HCS were forced to use 2 engines on the Soulaki to get the required performance at the cost of a much bulkier and less efficient ship.
Around 25 Soulakis have been built to date and production is thought to have now ceased. The Soulaki has yet to be tested against top-of-the-line opponents, it's only combat action being in internal struggles in the HCS. The DDS consider the Soulaki is a powerful ship but one that can be countered.
