SPECIES: LYRAN

The Lyrans are extremely violent and brutal in their dealings with other empires. This extreme ruthlessness does not imply that they are without allies. They Lyran are well acquainted with the theory that, "an enemy of my enemy is my friend".

Lyran disposition is similar to that of Klingons. They are fierce and passionate, with an intense love of combat.
The Lyran government is based on a feudal structure. There are 21 counties, each ruled by a count. Four of the 21 counties are "duchies," each ruled by a duke who governs four of the remaining counties in addition to his duchy. The King-Emperor rules the 21st county.
Each county controls and pays the cost of maintaining a portion of the fleet. The local county controls each station along the border, and the duchies control the starbases. There is a good deal of conflict within the Lyran Empire, which has kept the race as a whole from dominating a much larger area of the galaxy.
The Lyrans are bitter enemies of the Mirak. The nature of both races makes personal contact between the two dangerous if not deadly. One Klingon Captain was heard to remark that it is better to spend an hour in the interrogation booth than to be caught in the middle of a Lyran-Mirak blood feud.
Lyran ships are fast and bristling with weapons, but are generally underpowered. Lyran starships use Disruptors as their primary heavy weapon. They also have the Expanding Sphere Generator (ESG) which can be used both defensively and offensively. The Lyrans have excellent ships; they are well balanced and well designed. Many of the Lyran starships are based heavily on conversions from smaller hulls. Lyrans use as many common parts and systems as possible.

The Lyrans are a technically superior race, equal to the Federation in technology. They are unique in that they utilize a system called the Expanding Sphere Generator (ESG), which is an offensive and defensive tool.
The ESG works extremely well against races that favor close-ranged attacks, like the Klingon, Gorns, or Romulans, and gives them an excellent defense for the swarms of torpedoes launched by the Lyrans' ancient enemies, the Mirak, or against the Fighters that have become prevalent in the Quadrant.
Lyran ships handle only reasonably well, and they rely on Phasers and Disruptors for their offensive power. The Lyrans are also the inventors of the first Fast Patrol Ships (PF's) and use these instead of the Fighters preferred by many of the other races.
Fast Patrol Ships are small gunboats with excellent regenerative firepower similar to starships, but they're much cheaper to build. They carry minimal shielding as well as Disruptors and Phasers. These ships are larger then the fighters used by many other races.
A flotilla of six of PF's is easily equal to the firepower of a Dreadnought at a fraction of its cost. To get these gunboats into combat, the Lyrans developed the Fast Patrol Ship Tender (PFT's).
The primary weapons of the Lyran starship are the Disruptor and Phaser 1. They also use the ESG and Phasers 2 and 3.