Centauri, Procyon, Sirius, Epsilon Indi, and Altair, as well as a considerable number with more exotic names (mostly taken from the Sumerian language). Only a dozen stars have naturally habitable planets, although many more have planetary systems with outpost-capable worlds. The game includes a variety of ship types, ranging in size from the small scouts and fighters to the mighty battleships. The ship counters are blue for the Terrans and red for the Imperium. Each counter includes a set of ratings, the ship type, and a silhouette. The combat ratings give the Beam weapon combat factor, the Missile factor, and the Screen factor. Beam weapons are for close range combat, while missiles are best fired at long range or used for planetary bombardment. Beam weapons are slightly more effective, but missiles get to fire first. The screen factor represents the ship's capacity for defense. The following ship types are available for production: Scout ships, destroyers; several different types of cruisers, dreadnaughts, and battleships; stationary monitor defense platforms, missile boats, and "mother ships" (functioning as aircraft carriers) with their fighter squadrons; transport and tanker ships. Ships with a black silhouette can perform a jump between stars, while ships with a white silhouette can only travel through regular space. The two sides' ships are not mirror images. The Terrans generally have stronger ships overall and have the upper hand on beam weapons, while the Imperium favors missiles. Smaller Terran ships focus on beam weapons while smaller Imperial ships are more balanced. On the other hand, larger Terran ships are balanced while most large Imperial ships feature stronger missile ratings. But there are exceptions - both sides can build Strike Cruisers with high missile factors, and each side have at least one unique ship typ not available to the opposing side: the Terrans can build cheaper Missile Boats, while the Imperium can build heavy Attack Cruisers. The available jump routes can significantly hinder the movement of a side's forces. Certain star systems act as bottle-necks, and can be used by each side as a defensive front. Two of the stars do not allow refueling, so tankers are required to leave these sites. Ships (excepting fighters and missile boats) are allowed to move at sub-light speeds across the hex map, and so can move directly from star to star without following the jump routes. However the movement rate of these ships is only one