The Gladius-class is the United Galactic Authority Fleet's frontline light interceptor, the single-seat point-defense frame that forms the backbone of every carrier group. It is built to do one thing supremely well: hold the close-in fight. Where heavier frames trade agility for reach, the Gladius commits fully to the near engagement, posting the best instantaneous low-speed snap handling of any craft in the fleet inventory.

Its maneuvering thrusters are fixed ports rather than articulating pods, a deliberate simplification that trades vectoring range for pure response time. The Gladius does not reposition its thrust; it has thrust everywhere it needs it, the instant it calls for it. The result is a frame you can trust at point-blank range: predictable, forgiving, and utterly obedient. It does exactly what you tell it, exactly when you tell it. In the tightest engagement, it is the frame you can afford to confirm in.

Carrier-launched and fleet-tasked, the Gladius screens capital formations against enemy fighters, inbound ordnance, and fast attack craft. Its reach is short and its speed merely moderate, and inside the envelope where it does its work, neither has ever been the point. The Gladius exists to hold the wall, so that nothing ugly reaches the hull while it stands.