Heralds

The Heralds are a mystery. Their ships and stations found are empty, with no bodies or evidence of inhabitation. We know from the way they made their ships that they were bipedal, taller than humans, and had an affinity for Mana.

The theories run rampant, both on the Hypernet and in backwater bars. Some say they're millenia old aliens, others claim them to be severely modified humans, others don't believe they exist, and that the ships are just Triglav's unfunny attempt to be more important than they really are.

Herald ships disregard every design convention in the book, using a jagged "pincer" shape instead of the more slanted or curved aerodynamic designs in use today. All Herald ships in modern operation are heavily modified for human use, completely replacing the computer systems, life support, and often the energy production systems. Additional retrofits convert the Herald weapon mounting points to the standard weapons hardpoint system in modern use.

The effort put into the retrofits yields a ship unsurpassed in speed and maneuverability. Though slightly less durable than a Blackhawk or Federation Navy ship, the Herald ships compensate by their ability to optimize mana core energy production systems, boosting the energy output to unprecedented heights and making an attached Heraldic shield system the strongest type available. Additionally, the unique FTL propulsion systems on Herald craft allow for extremely short range "FTL Hops" that allow for instant strategic repositioning in ship to ship warfare.

However, Herald ships are rare. As in, hundreds of millions of credits rare. As in, be willing to pay up a buttload of that digital cryptocurrency to get a Herald ship with retrofits from someone who could just easily make as much or more by selling it to Triglav or Beatrice.