- Edited
Out of the darkness they emerge, full of rage, laying waste to all that oppose them. Taking whatever they please and disappearing just as suddenly as they appeared. Leaving none alive to tell the tale.
The Varangian Guard.
We have reviewed thousands of video snippets from wrecked ships black boxes from across the galaxy and we believe we have discovered the source of missing ships. Hostile ships of unknown origin. it was speculated that this was merely random pirate activity but upon closers inspection it seems we have stumbled across a hidden empire.
They seem to posses advanced technology and an obsession for large caliber guns. Due to them using similar markings to "runes" we were able to make a rough translation of the writing on their ships. They call themselves the Varangian Guard.
Here's what we know, most of the guards ships are slow, heavily armed and armored. However when the guard assault a sector they deploy FTL jamming ships that prevents the defenders from fleeing and reinforcements from arriving. When reinforcements are finally able to arrive however, there is only wreckage and ruin left to greet them.
Much of thier fleet is well known but every so often a new ship will emerge. Here are the ships we have recorded so far.
Varangian Fighters : The Varangians seem to use fighters heavily and very carefully. Using them on wide flank trajectories to avoid detection. Often times the opposing force doesn't realize the guard deployed them until their rear guard is destroyed.
Varangian Corvette class ships : The guard uses corvettes as scouts and anti fighter ships. In particularly long sieges the guard uses heavy corvettes en mass to destroy convoys and lure enemy ships into traps.
Varangian Frigate class ships : This is the backbone of the guard. Fast and deadly often times the guard dose not need to escalate to larger ships as the initial wave of frigates destroyed the hapless defenders.
Varangian Cruiser class ships : Used in limited numbers by the guard, either long range artillery or as pack raiders. A pack of cruisers usually consists of 3 cruisers armed with 8 large cannons targeting command and control ships and getting out before the defenders can react.
Varangian Destroyer class ships : Truly a force to be reckoned with. Few worlds hold out long enough to witness the fury of the guards destroyers. Cutting through the enemy lines like a hot knife through butter nothing seems to be able to stop them.
The Mjolnir : A heavily upgraded destroyer used if an assault is going extremely poorly this ship is the ship that snuffs out the last glimmer of hope that victory is possible.
Varangian Capitol ships : Armed to the teeth but very slow. Usually a capitol is deployed with the wave of frigates to act as a command and control ship and ensure the frigate wave is the last wave. No Varangian capitol ship has been destroyed in combat yet.
The Deathbolt : A one off ship and flag ship of a unknown Jarl of the guard. Not much is known about the Deathbolt as it is never seen in combat in any footage snippet. However it is covered end to end in weaponry.
The Firereign : Another one off ship and flag ship of an unknown Jarl. This ship, unlike the Deathbolt, has been seen in combat in video snippets often leading the charge. The Firereign and the modified ships it uses in its fleet all use advanced railgun weaponry. Often times the Firereign and its fleet destroy the defending fleet long before they get into range. Little in known about this ship and its full fleet as not a single ship has even been destroyed.
While we know much about the ships of the guard, we still don't know why the are destroying civil and military ships without provocation, and burning fringe worlds sparatically. Due to the vast distances between the planets and zones the guard have attacked we can only assume that no where is safe from them. I feel with the intensity of each attack and increasing number of attacks we should consider them an extreme threat to the stability and security of the galaxy.
Commander Peirce,
151st Assault Brigade
United Cyrulian Federation
(Interested in more information about the Varangians? There is an additional post here )
(You can read about the return of Jarl Whitefang here)