Union Ships

The Rustfire is not only the first in the chain of Union ships, but also represents the origin of the Union itself. It is based on 'Mad' Max Shepard’s own first ship, a refitted Rustclaw.
To make this vessel more effective in his smuggling runs, he replaced the useless mining equipment with a simple, yet effective construction to mount an additional gun and missile. With more armour added, the ship became an efficient blockade runner. It is not a high class fighter, but at several occasions patrol ships realized too late that this ship has more than the expected firepower of a Rustclaw. Shepard himself claimed he had once even shot down a Hawk-class fighter with his Rustfire, but this is most likely not true.

The Marauder's name befits its appearance: A striking ship, armed beyond the range of most fighters in its class. It was designed by an unnamed space pirate for his private use, but became so successful that it is now used almost exclusively in swarms for attacks on small trade convoys. Despite this shady reputation, the Marauder has proven itself to be a more than able fighter, and has gained its place among the fleet of the Union.

The Union, desperately wanting to compete in the space lanes for trade needed a cheap craft that could be built quickly, cheaply and flown by inexperienced pilots got it right on the fourth attempt. By taking the chassis of a Sabre, with its familiar and forgiving controls, bolting large cargo bays, fashioned from the ageing but numerous Rustclaws, Union bosses were able to mass produce a relatively cheap trader.
Handling is not a concern for this pocket size bulk trader, nor is visibility or combat ability; however, for the budding union pilot wanting to make a buck on a shoestring, the Junker is the ship to own.

The shortcomings of the Junker IV led to a reassessing of Union ship design. They needed a ship that had the ability to carry large quantities of cargo, had multiple weapons mounts, a strong hull and armour. The Union offered a prize to the best ship and the now legendary Union trials began. The slider came second, and did not win the contract, but impressed many spectators. Orders began to be placed from private companies for the design. It outsold the winning design four to one. The Union military took the hint and scrapped the winning design and adopted the Slider. Considered by many to be one of the finest multi purpose ships ever designed, it continues to support the Union’s growing economy and impose its increasing military.

A reaction to the failures of Junker IV, this is the Union's attempt at a bulk carrier. Reverse engineering stolen Babels and Constrictors, Union engineers put together a cargo carrier to meet their needs. They sacrified armour for a strengthened hull, reasoning that these ships would work on protected supply routes. Now beginning to fall into private ownership, they can make their owners rich, if they can afford to fill the cargo hold to start with.

Named after the carapace of many insects, the Chitin lives up to its name having some of the thickest armor in the known universe while being a relatively small target too. Made specifically for combat, this ship first saw service in the first war between the Federation and the Empire and was used to stir up trouble. She excelled at this gaining a reputation as the most feared ship in the Union.

The Union space superiority fighter utilises a Spectre fuselage so it comes as no surprise that it has more cargo space than its contempories. Although affecting its maneouvering ability, many Union pilots are quite happy to trade this off against the much larger hull and thus weapons capacity the Horpor can provide.
As with many Union designs, the ship, being essentially a heavy modification of an existing design has some unique design features, the Horpor, or 'Terrible Crab' in Rashkiran, takes its name from the two claw like weapon sponsons slung low either side of its cockpit.

With the creation of the Imperial Mooncrusher and later the Federal Doomstar, leading generals and ship designers of the Union felt that the Horpor was an underperforming flagship. By combining an advanced prototype warship and a newly designed freighter, the Union created the first dual-purpose vessel with much higher specifications than similar-sized craft. Due to its hanging tail and claws, the ship was named after the venomous Scorpion.