Hysteresis

The Hysteresis-class runs on an organic computational substrate that retains the context of every experiment conducted aboard. Subsequent research benefits from an institutional memory that improves with age — older vessels produce measurably better results than new ones, which other empires attribute to "the ship getting smarter, which is concerning." The Collective considers this an accurate description. Unarmed and slow, but the layered shield array regenerates faster than anything else in the exploration class, and the defense slots accommodate whatever the research site demands. The fitting capacity is enormous and deliberately left empty — each Hysteresis diverges from its siblings over time, shaped by what it has studied and what its crew has bolted on in response.