It's the end of the 23rd century, and with it comes a new era of cooperation between long time adversaries the Federation and Klingon Empire. Praxis the moon of Qo'Nos, homeworld of the Klingon people, explodes in an industrial accident. With it's loss Qo'Nos is massively affected and an estimated 50 years of life is estimated for the planet, the heart of the Klingon Empire is dying. Gorkon the then Chancellor and leader of the Klingon Empire, understands that to survive the Empire can no longer stay in a state of cold war with the Federation, and so extends peace offerings to the Federation. But not all are happy with the new found friendship and peace that was given birth at the Khitomer Conference. Both from outside and within, there is dissension, forces unhappy with the shift of power within the quadrant.
The Soyuz class is an offshoot of the Miranda class, and while some may consider it just another variant, the Soyuz class was built from the ground up to be it's own class. The Miranda serves primarily as an exploration and survey cruiser, while the Soyuz was designed primarily for combat, escort and boarder protection. Some units under the operation of Starfleet Intelligence are rumoured to be equipped with a Federation cloaking device, however no evidence have been obtained by any power in the quadrant or Starfleet itself.
I took the liberty to add my own touch to the Soyuz, most notably the addition of torpedo launchers in the front of the saucer. Being a ship of combat it seemed a little strange to lack the heavy weapons. Also like many fans I have ignored the fact that the phaser cannons were actually sensor antennas. It seemed a little silly to me to have so many antennas on a Star Trek ship and I have the Saratoga (Miranda variant) that has the sensor abilities.
Model and textures by Majestic