Stealth has always been the way the Republic Central Intelligence Agency has operated, whether it be to uncover plots against the government by dissidents or to stop rioters who want to use lethal force for one reason or another. The RCIA has at its disposal multiple small craft and personnel armor equipped with optical cloaking devices for centuries and their actions were always answerable to the Supreme Chancellor who oversees their activities. The RCIA has never had at its disposal a warship-type vessel as those would be considered "overkill" for its operations. However, during the beginning of the First Interstellar War, that policy had to change.
The Royal Lykan Kingdom managed to salvage Camino cybernetic implants that allowed a person to transfer their consciousness into a clone body from their first battle decades prior. This technology is used by the Empire to operate their vessels with minimal crew but also for the pilot to "jump" to safety if their vessel is destroyed. For the Lykans, however, it was a chance to get the Empire to wage war against the Novus Initium Republic, forcing the Republic to fight on two fronts. They managed to get the DNA of Vice Admiral Trent during their first encounter and create a clone of him with a Lykan consciousness who volunteered for the mission, and had the clone make their way to the Serenus System near the Northern Region to steal a Republic destroyer, jumping it into Camino space. The plan inevitably backfired as security measures were in place to stop the clone after Trent requested his DNA be removed from the military database, making him and his clone "unauthorized" personnel, securing both in a force field. The clone committed suicide, forcing his consciousness back to his original body and reporting to his superiors. The Caminos were quickly aware of the plot and the salvaged technology, giving them a reason to join the war against the Lykans.
Because of this, Vice Admiral Trent had to be removed from the war, but was put to work for the RCIA to help develop a new stealth warship for agency to both turn the tide of the war in the Republic's favor and to find the facility that stored his DNA within the Kingdom's borders. After several months, the Templar was created. The ship was the first one in the Republic's known history to utilize a sustainable warp drive allowing it to circumvent the star gates used by all parties. Utilizing its optical cloak, it participated in missions in secret to unlock enemy gates allowing allies into those systems. Later, when the Kingdom increased its defenses, the Templar proceeded to destroy targets of logistical importance and attempted to free the five home planets of the races that comprise the United Vitam State (later proven to be an error due to the stations in orbit providing a pseudo-antidote for a drug introduced into the population to make them more obedient). It soon found its way to the Dellino System where Trent's clones and DNA resided as well as one end of a long-range gate that was used in an attempt to invade Lumen. Both were ultimately foiled, and the ship was later used to access the Lykan home system of Heronia where it participated in the final battle of the war. Vice Admiral Trent was later reinstated into the military after confirmation that his DNA was removed from the Lykans' research facilities.
After the war when it was discovered than an ancient cult from the Republic may be responsible for key events that resided outside the Republic, the Templar under the the command of Captain Tora and its sister ship the Cavalier under the command of Captain Luke began to explore the Western and Southwestern Regions respectively. The the public, they were exploring areas to find other alien nations that might exist. To the RCIA and the Supreme Chancellor, they were finding those that brought about the seeds of the war to begin with.
Full tactical information on the Templar Stealth Warship is classified, but it is known that the ship is 1500 meters in length, putting it at the same length as the Paladin Battleship. It does possess a shield system like the Paladin, but due to the materials used on the hull to reduce its signature, it is unknown if the vessel possesses an armor repair system. While the ship originally possessed railgun turrets under covered hardports as well as a heavy railgun during the war, those were replaced with laser weaponry to reduce ammo use and issues of resupplying while deployed on extended missions. Also, while initially the long range warp drive was thought to be sustainable, it has since shown that the vessel can only go a full week of continuous use before the ship drops out of warp and must take several hours to recharge its capacitors.