"Flexible throat, stiletto smile."
The Vashar-class is the Saurid answer to a compact capital vessel: a modular light cruiser engineered for versatility, survivability, and deniability. It serves as the preferred command ship of Shadow Collective Kingpins, the flagship of private pirate barons, and the backbone of small criminal squadrons operating beyond the reach of major navies. Where a Vandu King Ship is a rolling citadel of force, the Vashar is a sleek, adaptable instrument of influence — able to smuggle, strike, ferry, or enslave on short notice.
Primary Roles: Kingpin flagship / pirate capital ship / modular commerce & combat platform
Typical Crew: 700–1,800 (varies by variant and mission)
Troop/Passenger Capacity: 200–5,000 (variant dependent)
Hangar Capacity: 12–30 small craft (Vorn-class fighters, shuttles, drones) + external docking collars
Length: ~1.2–1.6 kilometers (light cruiser class)
Armor / Shields: Medium armor; heavy, adaptive deflector shields optimized for short engagements and boarding actions
Speed / Maneuverability: Medium — stable in fleet formations, agile for a cruiser of its size
Special: Highly modular interior bays and external hardpoints; rapid refit capability in hidden shipyards
The Vashar’s hull is low and angular, a silhouette built to look lethal without announcing its purpose. Sandstone-dark hulls, lacquered black with family sigils in crimson or jade, are common. The superstructure is peppered with retractable sensor arrays, concealed weapon pods, and sliding access panels that hide cargo and contraband bays. Kingpin variants boast opulent bridge suites, jeweled lounges, and trophy halls — just one sign that the owner is as much a patron as a predator.
Internally, the cruiser is a patchwork of modular blocks: cargo modules, passenger suites, slave-pens, command centers, tech labs, and armories bolt into the spine like vertebrae. A Vashar can be stripped and refitted within weeks at clandestine yards — a key feature for an organization always needing to change its face.
Primary Batteries: 6–12 medium pulse cannons (hull turrets)
Point Defense: 120–600 anti-fighter batteries (distributed micro-turrets and flak arrays depending on fit)
Missile Racks: 8–24 modular missile tubes (anti-ship, anti-planetary, or specialized warheads)
Electronic Warfare: Advanced ECM/ECM suites, scan drones, jamming arrays — Shadow Collective Vashars are rarely found without enhanced EW packages
Boarding Systems: Grapnel projectors, rail-launched assault pods, and drone swarms for rapid board & capture
Cloak/Masking: Optional low-power stealth skin that reduces sensor signature (requires shield suppression for full cloak)
Hidden Holds: Faraday-shrouded concealed bays for contraband, slaves, or illegal tech — nearly impossible to find without insider access
Purpose: Command ship & show of force for a Kingpin family.
Profile: Opulent private suites, audience halls, intelligence centers, and a reinforced command citadel.
Capacity: 1,200 crew + 2,500 retainers/guards or assorted passengers.
Signature: Hostile boarding complements and heavy ECM to protect client operations.
Purpose: Fighter carrier and raider mothership.
Profile: Enlarged hangars (up to 30 fighters/drones), maintenance bays, drone factories.
Capacity: Reduced crew for more tech staff; rapid launch & recovery systems.
Signature: Launch rails for Vorn squadrons, drone swarms for looting.
Purpose: Large modular cargo capacity for illicit shipping.
Profile: Reinforced cargo spine, multiple concealed holds, and long-range fuel tanks.
Capacity: Max cargo holds with limited troop quarters.
Signature: False manifests, layered decoy cores, and scan-scrubbing gear.
Purpose: Mass transport & slave runner.
Profile: Hardened pens, life-support suppressors, shock discipline systems, and auction staging areas.
Capacity: Up to 5,000 captive passengers (cramped) plus 600 crew/overseers.
Signature: Guard towers, internal shock corridors, and retractable pens for ease of auction and transfer.
Purpose: Strike cruiser designed to punch above its weight against larger ships.
Profile: Reinforced pylons for heavy missile salvos, additional medium batteries, and modified reactor output for burst fire.
Capacity: Heavier armament reduces troop/cargo capacity.
Signature: Devastating long-range volleys and targeted disablement packages designed to cripple escorts and capital ship subsystems.
The Vashar is used in small, aggressive task forces — a Kingpin might field one as a command node leading a patchwork fleet of corvettes, freighters and fighters. Pirate lords use Vashars as mobile bases for raiding convoys; smugglers hide contraband aboard Vashar-Fs; slavers run entire human cargo networks off Vashar-S hulls. The Shadow Collective never fields uniform fleets in the way empires do; instead, each Kingpin’s Vashar is a reflection of their strategy, wealth, and temperament.
Tactically, Vashars favor:
Surgical strikes: Use stealth and ECM to get within range, disable escorts with EMP/fighter swarms, then deliver boarding parties.
Denial & Extraction: Fast in-and-out raids on resource platforms and convoys, leveraging drone nets to harvest cargo.
Command & Corruption: Host clandestine meetings, smuggling negotiations, and black auctions directly aboard well-guarded Vashars.
A Vashar is a status symbol among Saurid Kingpins. Their hulls are personalized with trophies — the teeth of captured hounds, bars of rare ore, flags snatched from defeated rivals — and every Kingpin’s Vashar is a floating testament to their prestige. On the inside, the command suites and lounges are lavish, with lounges for client entertainment, trophy rooms for trophies from successful raids, and hidden vaults that hide both wealth and secrets.
Built in hidden shipyards across Torsa Prime and Feraxis, Vashars are expensive but essential investments — a silent capital ship that gives a Kingpin presence, projection, and plausible deniability. Outside Shadow Collective space, wealthy pirates and mercenary lords prize captured or purchased Vashars for their blend of punch and personality.