1. Launch and Origins: The Magnus Militia Initiative

The Hermes was one of the first hundred Krakens to roll off the Drake assembly lines on Borea in the Magnus System. Unlike the polished capital ships of the UEE Navy (like the Aegis Idris), the Kraken was marketed as a “tool for the people”—a rugged mobile base for industrial operations and local militias.

The ship was originally purchased by the Magnus System Defense Force (MSDF) under the name MDS Libertas. It was deployed immediately to the fringes of the Magnus-Stanton jump point to suppress the growing threat of “Nine Tails” pirate incursions, serving as a mobile refueling and rearm station for Drake Cutlass and Buccaneer patrol wings.

2. Service History: The “UEES” Designation

The “UEES” (United Empire of Earth Ship) prefix is strictly reserved for commissioned Navy vessels, which typically excludes Drake hulls. However, the Hermes is a rare exception born of necessity.

In 2951, during the massive XenoThreat incursion in the Stanton system, the UEE Navy found its supply lines critically overextended. Under the emergency Naval Auxiliary Augmentation Act, the Navy “federalized” several local militia carriers to serve as rear-guard logistical hubs.

The MDS Libertas was temporarily drafted into the UEE 7th Fleet Support Division. It was repainted and designated UEES Hermes (Auxiliary). For eighteen months, she served with distinction, not on the front lines, but as a “firewall” ship—hunting Vanduul scouts and pirate opportunists trying to flank the main Navy force. She took heavy damage protecting a convoy of civilian transports fleeing the Vega sector, earning a Unit Citation.

When the crisis abated, the Navy moved to decommission the auxiliary fleet. The ship was stripped of its military-grade encryption and put up for surplus auction, technically stripping it of the “UEES” title. However, the hull still bears the designation, a point of contention with local Advocacy agents that her new owner blatantly ignores.

3. Acquisition: The “Pappy” Wade Maneuver

Rear Admiral Glenn “Pappy” Wade, a decorated carrier commander who retired after becoming disillusioned with UEE bureaucracy, was looking to form a private defense force capable of operating where the Navy wouldn’t go.

Wade knew the UEE Navy viewed the Kraken as “unsophisticated junk,” but he saw its potential: it was cheap to repair, didn’t require proprietary parts, and could land planet-side—something his old Javelin destroyers could never do.

Using his military pension and a hefty severance package (rumored to be “hush money” regarding a botched operation in the Pyro system), Wade attended the surplus auction on Hurston. He was the only bidder who didn’t plan to scrap the ship. He purchased the Hermes for a fraction of its value, using a loophole in the Militia Mobilization Initiative that allows retired high-ranking officers to purchase “demilitarized” capital ships for “security consulting.”

4. Current Status: Carrier Strike Group 3

Wade refused to rename the ship, keeping UEES Hermes on the transponder. When asked by a UEE customs officer why he kept the Navy prefix, Wade famously replied: “She earned that title bleeding for your Empire while you were writing tickets. Come scrape it off yourself.”

Today, the Hermes is an escort carrier of Carrier Strike Group 3, Wade’s private defense fleet.

• Modifications: The Hermes has been retrofitted with “grey market” industrial shield generators and an oversized sensor suite usually found on exploration vessels.
• Role: She currently patrols the lawless drift between Stanton and Pyro, offering protection to independent miners and salvage crews who can’t afford official UEE advocacy escorts.
• Reputation: To pirates, the Hermes is a terrifying sight—not because it’s the most advanced ship, but because “Pappy” Wade runs it with the discipline of a Navy warship and the ruthlessness of a Drake privateer.