Pirate Faction

In those of the Empire's regions where naughty children are frightened into submission with tales of the Blood Raiders and their gallery of horrors, the terrible spear of the Ashimmu is known by all as a bringer of things worse than death. This is one of the few things that small children and capsule pilots generally agree upon.

The Cynabal was one of the earliest designs put forth by the Angel Cartel, and to this day it remains their most-used. The ship's origins are unknown, but as with most Cartel ships persistent rumors of Jovian influence continue to linger. Whether these tales have basis in reality or not, the facts are on the table: The Cynabal is one of the fastest, most powerful cruisers to be found anywhere.

Taking what he had learned from his days in the Caldari Navy, Korako ‘The Rabbit' Kosakami, Gurista leader, decided that he would rub salt in the State's wounds by souping up their designs and making strikes against his former masters in ships whose layout was obviously stolen from them. To this end the Gila, bastard twin of the Moa, has served him well.

In YC 116, Mordu’s Legion intelligence reported to command that the Guristas pirates were developing new and advanced strike craft capabilities using unknown technologies. In response to these reports, Mordu’s Legion accelerated a program of ship development that was itself a response to trends in capsuleer tactics and warfare. The crash development and manufacturing effort resulted in a new family of fast strike ships integrated with one another to provide tactical flexibility and firepower across ship class lines. The Orthrus is at the core of the Legion’s new strike formations and provides the mercenary pilots with superior projection of high damage missiles while executing rapid attack maneuvers.

As with other Sansha ships, not much is known about the origin of this design. Its form - while harshly alien in shape - bears the mark of extremely advanced physics research, lines and corners coalescing to form a shape whose resilience and structural integrity are hard to match. Coupled with advanced hardpoint technology and an extremely efficient powercore, the Phantasm's legendary status is well-deserved.

This was one of the first vessels the Sisters of EVE made available to capsuleers. It had been under development by the Sanctuary corporation, whose interest in exploration includes not only search & rescue operations but also a constant inquiry into the nature of the EVE Gate. Thanks to the Sisters' efforts and the Sanctuary's particular expertise, the Stratios is an agile, tenacious ship that aptly adheres to the mantra of both rescuers and explorers: Stay safe, stay hidden, and use every tool at your disposal. It is particularly adept at venturing into dangerous territories, not merely in recovering whatever may be of interest but also in being able to safely bring it back. Its engines have alternate power sources that come into play should any of its cargo - for which it has plenty of room - cause serious interference with internal systems. Its weaponry runs best on renewable sources, an ideal for a ship that doesn't know how long it'll be in deep space. Its carapace is extremely well armored for a ship this agile, and covered in sensors capable of letting its crew track a myriad of different organic signatures. The crew itself is safely protected from any number of transmittable ailments from rescues and other unexpected passengers, thanks to special quarantine bays that are conveniently located near jettisonable openings. And lastly, an ingenious but cryptic transfer in part of the warp core functionality to an outlying cylindrical structure means the Stratios is able to run certain higher-level cloaking functions with very little technical cost, and minimal interference from warp. The Sisters of EVE have refused to comment on this technology, other than to recommend it not be tampered with.

The Vigilant was the first Gallente design the Guardian Angels would steal and make their own, but it wouldn't be the last. Building on the Thorax's natural strengths, it is a deadly vessel both by itself and in fleet tandem. A group of these sluggers is a sight to fear.