Varanasi class

The Varanasi class  was a type of starship that was introduced in 2297 by Terran Orbital Construction as part of their Sirius Drive Project.

Unlike its predecessors of the Sirius project, the Varanasi focussed on the use of small craft by utilising its extensive hangar deck in its core module. Combining this extensive hangar deck with the minimal hangar facilities in the drive section, the ship class could carry a substantial amount of small craft that made the class popular as an improvised carrier. Mining corporations, pirates, shipbuilders, and scientific groups were enthousiastic buyers of the class.

As part of the Sirius Drive Project, the ship class benefitted from increasingly cheaper replacement parts and maintenance, as its modular drive section could be repaired much more easily than integrated starship drives.

The ship class became a more feared sight during Galactic Dawn, as various pirate organisations had acquired the ships and used them as mobile bases of operations. During this period, the ship gained the nickname of "Pirate Carrier". Ships of the class were refitted to carry armaments to combat corvettes and freighters of the time period.