The Aegis WarShip exemplifies the Terran Hegemony's love of tradition and fondness for proven designs, even after technological advances had opened up new possibilities. Launched in 2372, the THS Aegis won quick acclaim as an excellent heavy cruiser. Di Tron Heavy Industries had incorporated every technological innovation, including the first use of permanent deployable jump sails, into the design of the Aegis. Internal automated systems unfurled the sail along multiple permanent jigger-masts in response to remote signals from the Aegis rather than spending hours performing the operation by hand or on movable jigger-masts. These sails became common on WarShips by the end of the century because they protected the delicate mechanisms of the sail as the ship maneuvered, and made it safer to furl and unfurl the sails.
         With excellent firepower and good mobility, the Aegis served the Hegemony navy for a century and a half, undergoing many refits to take advantage of new equipment. In 2531, the cruisers began to be phased out in favor of the new Avatar cruisers, which turned out to be a short-lived class. A few Aegis, the Manassas included, remained in the navy as training vessels or technology testbed ships while the rest were sent to mothballs.
         The founding of the Star League and the Reunification War that followed created a critical need for ships in the young Star League Defense Forces. First Lord Ian Cameron issued a directive in 2582 ordering the return of the Aegis cruisers to active duty. One-third of the ships were turned over to the Council Lords to be added to their private fleets, and the rest went to Hegemony shipyards to be refitted for use in the Star League Navy.
         Di Tron transformed the relics into some of the most advanced WarShips of their time, using improved heat dissipation systems, improved sensors, improved communications, state of the art power systems, and more, most of which had already been tested and implemented on testbeds like the Manassas. Technologies that the Terran Hegemony had been testing for decades or more, some that didn't enter widespread usage in the Star League Defense Forces for over a century after her debut, saw action on all 70 ships of the class. In a matter of years, the Aegis went from mothballs to the flagship class of the new Star League's navy. Accompanied by a handful of "proof of concept" prototypes like the Kimagure, these new ships gave the Star League fleets a powerful advantage over the Periphery powers. While lesser House fleets retreated in disarray, shattered by the fanatical defenders, the Star League navy pressed on through vicious battle after vicious battle that would eventually lead to final victory.
         The Aegis however proved to be more than just a wartime vessel. Amenities like a Zero-G pool and massive flag suites made them a favorite of Star League fleet admirals. The Manassas never enjoyed that role though, returning to the shipyards where she continued her histoy as a testbed for new technologies. The Star League spent two centuries working on the ship, introducing one new system after another that would later serve on other ships. She had an experimental jump drive equipped when the Star League Defense Forces left the Inner Sphere.
         She followed behind the fleet, watching for House Lord scouts, but failed to meet the fleet. She was thought lost by the SLDF and the Clans until after the Clan Invasion, when the Manassas appeared in the Smoke Jaguar Occupation Zone. Victim of a catastrophic misjump, her Star League crew had no idea of the centuries that had passed.
         ComStar agents contacted the ship and rescued her from a Smoke Jaguar attack, bringing her and her crew back to Terra. The Manassas joined the Com Guard and stayed loyal when the Word of Blake betrayed us all. She fought through the Jihad, serving with distinction throughout the battles of Terra, and became the flagship of the fleet when the Invisible Truth died. ComStar has since refitted her secondary weapon arrays with modern technology and added a naval C3 system and an array of missile launchers, though they left the six main turrets alone. This makes her one of the most powerful WarShips still in use today. She serves as the flagship, pride of the ComStar fleet. She also serves as the flagship of any New Star League fleet she is a part of, an honor granted due to her history.