The vast armies of the Pegasus Gulf are carried to each theatre of war in the great starships of the 41st Millennium. Some, such as the innumerable regiments of the Imperial Guard, are ferried by the Imperial Navy. Others, such as the Tyranids, are spawned by their ships and form the appendages of a greater living entity. More still are fleet based armies, such as the Elder Corsairs, who travel upon ancient ships acquired through aeons of intrigue and guile.
The Rogue Trader Marcus Antonio Polo Polaris maintains a vast trade fleet to support his widespread economic empire.
Most of the fleet is composed of small cargo ships that ferry goods, people, and supplies back and forth across the Gulf. Some are armed frigates, designed to make pirates think twice before raiding them. Due to the Pegasus Gulf’s state of perpetual instability, these ships are vital to advancing the Lord Merchant’s interests – running blockades, rapidly moving supplies, and ferrying messages to locations of strategic importance.
But under the command of such an old and venerable trading family, there are large capital ships, designed to move vast amounts of cargo and apply strategic pressure to worlds or even entire systems. Though unable to form a battle line that matches the battleships or cruisers of the Imperial Navy, these ships are more than enough to strike fear into the heart of a planetary governor, or to smash an ill-equipped pirate fleet to pieces.
The Lord Merchant’s flagship is The Adventure Capital. As much a base of operations as a ship, its oversized cargo bays and gilded halls house shrines, forges, barracks, and a myriad of other components that make up the great machine of Imperial Trade.
These ships are a mish-mash of designs and styles. Some are ancient, dating back to the Great Crusade itself, while others are nearly new, only recently built or refitted in the great orbital factories of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Most are chartered, privately owned by captains or trade consortiums who have plead their allegiance to the Rogue Trader. This alliance is a tenuous one, required strength, coercion, and above all, steady profits to maintain.
