A Titan class low orbit and upper atmosphere patrol craft, the Cheops is the sole Templar vehicle permanently assigned to Terra. Orbiting the earth in Am or within the Veil at a depth of 1.5, the Cheops keeps watch while staying well out of the range of terrestrial sensors.

The Cheops is equipped with the standard Titan class armament – particle cannon, kinetic point defense batteries, nuclear and conventional cruise missiles. The ship also mounts a high caliber after-market nuclear powered railgun and a long-duration Crew Service Module. While the “angry end” of the vehicle is capable of atmospheric entry, the CSM is not. It does, however, have the capability to fly the Command Module remotely via an encrypted tight-beam telecommunications link, and can function as a lifeboat or orbital platform if required.

Development Notes: The Cheops was a very early asset, and the first attempt to create a vehicle via the technique of Box Modeling. Its canonical replacement, the Atlas, and every other spacecraft with the exception of the Sabrosa, makes use of the same technique.