After receiving of many plans to analyze, the Scientists and engineers on multiple docs start their work. The HDC leadership decides to establish a giant space station for scientists and engineers to test new designs and materials, with some sub stations around to test dangerous materials/weapon systems.
At the moment there is a sub station for laser weapons, one for plasma weapons, two for plasma shields, one of them testing their effect against weapons of different kinds and how make them more effective, the other sub station tests offensive capabilities and how to make it so your projectiles can fit through it. Many other sub stations are busy with other kinds of technology, from other shields over general missile weapons to anti matter and FTL technologies.
The station itself is very heavy armored and equipped with some normal weapons and a very large amount of different experimental weapons. For its protection, there are a fleet with some destroyers and frigates, but most noticeable a Spear class Dreadnought, that is also equipped with top tier weapons, fresh from the station and a unusual strong reactor to power these. Its the first HDC ship with an experimental reactive plasma shield against projectiles and plasma weapons. The dreadnought carries the first purely energy based weapons of the HDC.
The Spear class Dreadnought has the name "Novictia". Main changes besides the shields and the better reactor are that it carries plasma and laser weapons where the hangar doors would be. The hangars have been moved to the back, while an engine with a new thrust distribution system and faster rotating super heavy ring in its core greatly improve its turn rate. The new added weapons are simple primitive plasma weapons and some heavy laser cutters. The missiles have been upgraded to be more agile and have a much more laser protected inside a Caloris layer that turns incoming heat into thrust for the missile.