Often it's just not enough for a fleet to fight well -- it must fight smart also. Skill and tactics may be crucial for victory, but if the enemy has superior technology, you will eventually lose. In order to stay on the cutting edge and adapt to new enemy threats, Kushan fleets depend on a finely tuned system of research and development. The cornerstone of the scientific branch of fleet ops is the Hub class lab ship. Many branches of research, especially those involving weapons and drive technologies, are simply too dangerous to be pursued within the vulnerable interior of the Mothership. The lab ships were created as a space for experimentation, research, design, and initial prototyping of new technologies. Rapid-pulse maser communication arrays keep a lab ship in real-time contact with the massive databanks aboard the Mothership, while still allowing for complete damage containment should an unfortunate accident occur.

Hubs are flown by auto-pilot and are crewed by a compliment of 20-40 scientist and engineers. Since every space aboard a Hub is crammed with specialized equipment and large experiment bays, Hubs carry no weaponry and require no combat personnel. Research ships are usually protected by a small wing of defenders, sufficient enough to hold off any enemy raiders until more substantial help arrives. The Hub class of lab ship is also designed to work synergistically with other ships of the same type, and a large research station can be constructed by docking several Hubs together, 6 of which will form a complete space station with reinforced structural integrity.