The human star base starts out pretty boring. It's constructed from a Raloz Heavy Constructor, a cruiser that resembles a table someone knocked over. The finished star base itself doesn't fare much better. It resembles a lamp. But this table and lamp are must-haves for an interstellar invasion.

After the jump, find out how the most boring looking star base is also the most feared.

Just so you know how boring they look, here's the Raloz, looking like someone bumped into it and probably broke the vase that was sitting on top:

And here's the finished Argonez:

If you look down into the lampshade portion, it's actually lit up inside!

But their plain appearances belie their usefulness. Whereas the Advent star bases have a variety of purposes, the human Argonev class star base is unique for having one very clear purpose: it changes the way the humans invade their enemies. This unlovely Argonev class star base is the ideal beachhead for an offensive into enemy territory. Among the modules it gets are Construction Bays, which are slightly slower ship factories. And while they may not build ships as quickly as the factories at your planets, imagine the prospect of jumping into an enemy system with a Raloz Heavy Constructor and then guarding it with your fleet while it builds an Argonev star base. Suddenly, you've got a base smack dab in the middle of the enemy's base.

This remote ship-building ability is completely new in Sins of a Solar Empire. Previously, locations for ship building were few and far between. A frigate factory took up some of your planets' precious logistics slots that you could have used for research, culture, trade income, or refineries to improve your mining rate. Furthermore, it was almost never convenient to wait for your reinforcements to show up from wherever they originated behind the front lines. In fact, many close battles were decided by how long it took each side to bring in fresh ships. The Argonev throws that balance into disarray. Now the humans can crank out new ships from wherever they want.

What's more, an Argonev class star bases can be fitted with Docking Booms to repair nearby ships and refill their antimatter reserves. With Docking Booms on a star base, your fleet can heal damage and make extra use the special abilities that drain antimatter. You get to do this right on the enemy doorstep, with reinforcements being cranked out of the Construction Bay all the while. And if your invasion doesn't go well, consider Safety Override Protocols. This lets you self-destruct your star base in a massive explosion that damages any ships in a wide area. If you're going to fail an invasion, fail it with a bang.

Of course, these star bases also have all the usual functions of other star bases. They disrupt enemies jumping out of the system, they can be equipped for Trade Facilities to boost your income, and their Auxiliary Government modules mean you can't be kicked off a planet until the star base is destroyed. The humans also get the unique ability to research improved jump destabilization, which tears up fleeing enemy ships even more. If there's one star base you don't want to turn your back on, it's an Argonev with improved jump disruption.

Tomorrow, read about the Vasari star bases. If you're looking for your own personal Death Star, look no farther than the Vasari Orkulus.