$W{ SSD LUCIFER
From the Encyclopedia Galactica (Ising University of Antares ed., January 2399) $}

TYPE: Shivan planetkiller
LENGTH: 2777m
WEAPONS: 11 turrets, 4 missile launchers (various types), 2 beam cannons, 2 planetary bombardment beams
SHIELDING: Sheath-type
FIRST ENCOUNTERED: 2335-1-7 (Riviera Station, Ross 128)

The SSD Lucifer was a massive superdestroyer that led the Shivan armada in the Great War, and was responsible for the desolation of Melanchthon (Ross 128), Ribos IV, Deneb III, and Vasuda Prime.  Archaeologists believe that a Lucifer was also responsible for the annihilation of the Ancient civilization circa 5500 BC.

During the Great War, no weapon in the allied arsenal could penetrate the Lucifer's shields. In the Altair system, Vasudan scientists uncovered ancient artifacts that explained how to track ships into subspace, where the Lucifer's shields would not function. A desperate mission to attack the Lucifer in subspace succeeded. But the explosion of the Lucifer collapsed the Sol jump node, severing all contact with Earth. The victory over the Lucifer effectively ended the Shivan invasion.

During Reconstruction, defeating another Lucifer formed the cornerstone of Terran and Vasudan military planning, ultimately culminating with the introduction of beam weaponry and the construction of the GTVA Colossus.  

Ironically, no Lucifer threat ever materialized during the Second Shivan Incursion.  While bombing runs against a simulated Lucifer are part of every GTVA pilot's training, they are given lesser importance than the so-called Bearbaiting missions to disarm the main beams of a Sathanas or a Ravana.