Pirate Faction

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 Barghest represents the pinnacle of the Legion’s ambitions for its new strike craft doctrine: A fast battleship with high-speed missile delivery systems, fully capable of contesting the field with more traditional heavy skirmishers.

Named after a child-devouring demon of Amarrian legend, the Bhaalgorn is the pride and joy of the Blood Raider cabal. Though it is known to be based on an Armageddon blueprint, the design's origin remains shrouded in mystery. Those of a superstitious persuasion whisper in the dark of eldritch ceremonies and arcane rituals, but for most people, the practical aspect of the matter will more than suffice: you see one of these blood-red horrors looming on the horizon, it's time to make yourself scarce.

While its utilitarian look may not give much of an indication, many are convinced that the Machariel is based on an ancient Jovian design uncovered by the Angel Cartel in one of their extensive exploratory raids into uncharted territory some years ago. Whatever the case may be, this behemoth appeared on the scene suddenly and with little fanfare, and has very quickly become one of the Arch Angels' staple war vessels.

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 Nestor 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. The Sanctuary corporation poured uncountable resources into making the cloaking technology developed for the Stratios fit the Nestor, but were eventually forced to concede that it was impossible. The effort was not without benefit though, as part of their work focused on reducing the Nestor's mass enough that it could make its way into unexplored territories that might've been hazardous to bulkier vessels. This paid off by affording the Nestor unmatched access to wormhole space, and meant that the embedded miniature rescue vessel on the ship's hull could be relegated to a decommissioned role. With covert function off the table, the Sanctuary turned their eyes on logistics and now the Nestor serves as one of the best support platforms in New Eden.

When this terror was first seen haunting the spacelanes, rumors abounded about its design, which bore the indelible stamp of Sansha Kuvakei's unique madness. Who else, the conspiracy theorists argued, could come up with such marvelously twisted designs? These and other theories were all but confirmed during the Sansha invasions of YC 111-112, as endless swarms of Nightmare fleets descended upon planet dweller and capsuleer alike, eager to serve their returned master Sansha Kuvakei once again.

In the time-honored tradition of pirates everywhere, Korako ‘the Rabbit' Kosakami shamelessly stole the idea of the Scorpion-class battleship and put his own spin on it. The result: the fearsome Rattlesnake, flagship of any large Gurista attack force. There are, of course, also those who claim things were the other way around; that the notorious silence surrounding the Scorpion's own origins is, in fact, an indication of its having been designed by Kosakami all along.

Basing their design on the Federation Navy's much-vaunted Megathron, the Guardian Angels' engineers set out to create a battleship that would instill fear in anyone fool enough to square off against the Cartel or its Serpentis protectorate. Based on the reputation this ship has engendered, they seem to have succeeded admirably.