This implies it has a massive element zero core, and the ability to generate staggering amounts of power. The attack on Eden Prime demonstrated Sovereign's ability to generate MassВ Effect fields powerful enough to land on a planetary surface. Its design, however, hints at a more alien and mysterious origin. The prevailing opinion is that Sovereign is a geth construct, while others believe it is a Prothean relic. How Saren acquired this incredible warship is unknown. At two kilometers long, its spinal-mounted main gun is likely capable of penetrating another dreadnought's kinetic barriers with a single shot. An enormous dreadnought larger than any other ship in any known fleet, Sovereign is crewed with both geth and krogan. Sovereign is the flagship of the rogue Spectre Saren. The Tantalus drive generates mass concentrations that the Normandy 'falls into,' allowing it to move without the use of heat-emitting thrusters. The stored heat must eventually be radiated, or it will build to levels capable of cooking the crew alive.ДЄnother component of the stealth system is the Normandy's revolutionary Tantalus drive, a MassВ Effect core twice the standard size. Combined with refrigeration of the exterior hull, the ship can travel undetected for hours, or drift passively for days of convert observation. The Normandy, however, is able to temporarily sink this heat within the hull. It is optimized for scouting and reconnaissance missions in unstable regions, using state-of-the-art stealth technology.ДЇor most ships, the heat generated through standard operations is easily detectable against the absolute-zero background of space. The Normandy is a prototype starship, developed by the human Systems Alliance with the assistance of the Citadel Council. Interceptors are one-man craft optimized for destroying opposing fighters.

Smaller vessels are exclusively used in a support role to the warships during combat:ДЇighters are one-man craft used to perform close-range attacks on enemy ships. They are only deployed for the most vital missions.Д¬arriers are dreadnought-sized vessels are also carry a large amount of fighters. Cruisers are the standard patrol unit, and oftenlead frigate flotillas.Дreadnoughts are kilometer-long capital ships mounting heavy, long-range firepower.

Frigrates often operate in wolf-pack flotillas.Д¬ruisers are middle-weight combatants, faster than dreadnoughts, and more heavily-armed then frigates. Larger warships are classified in one of four weights:ДЇrigates are small, fast ships used for scouting and screening larger vessels. The ship is snapped back to sublight velocity, the enormous excess energy shed in the form of lethal Cerenkov radiation. If the field collapses while the ships moving at faster-than-light speeds, the effects are catastrophic. Very massive ships or very high speeds are prohibitively expensive. The amount of eezo and power required for a drive increases exponentially to the mass being moved and the degree it is being lightened.

With only a core, a ship has no motive power. Starships still require conventional thrusters (chemical rockets, commercial fusion torch, economy ion engine, or military antiproton drive) in addition to the FTL drive core.

Mass effect human ships