An illustration from the Dark Nova Roleplaying Game.

I decided to redo the Spartan Group assault fleet image. While it is true that most naval engagements in space take place at a range of tens- if not hundreds- of thousands of kilometers, and the original image reflected this, it just didn't have the same panache or flair without being able to see the enemies. That, and as was pointed out by one of our playtesters, most of their naval engagements were in low-to-mid orbit where maneuvering room is limited, so battles tend to get very tight. So, I added in a few of the Khurian ships that SG was kicking the batsnot out of to give a bit of balance, and frankly I like it a lot better.

Spartan Group- Unquestionably the largest, most powerful, and widespread mercenary company, Spartan Group is a Freespace-based company with extremely strong naval capabilities, potent ground forces, and substantial intelligence, special operations, support, and logistics assets. Like Eastbridge Services, Spartan Group traces its roots- at least in part- to the pre-Fall period. Triple Canopy- one of the PMCs that would later form Spartan Group proper shortly after the Fall- had been operating throughout the world since the latter part of the 20th century, making Spartan Group arguably the oldest mercenary firm in existence. Like Eastbridge, it has taken part in every major conflict, including having a pivotal role in the Andali War for Independence. Their propensity to work for any legitimate client without bias, regardless of whether or not they are a previous opponent, makes them surprisingly popular. They have yet to violate or break a contract unless the client broke it first, and this has given them a sterling reputation.
In addition to their rep, SG’s capabilities have also made them the premier mercenary firm. Their naval capabilities are unmatched by any other mercenary firm, and they produce and sell warships from their shipyards in the Heliopolis system. SG is the only mercenary firm to have built and fielded battleship-class warships, though they primarily hold these powerful vessels back to defend their home systems and shipyards. They can field hundreds of vessels at a time- ranging from corvettes to battlecruisers- without compromising their existing garrison contracts, making them an extremely adaptable force. No one is certain of how many ships of each class SG has, but they have fielded a fleet of over five hundred destroyers, one hundred thirty cruisers, sixty seven battlecruisers, twelve carriers, and eight battleships in defense of the Kitai system, and intelligence reports estimate this was not even a quarter of their full fleet capacity. SG is also one of the most expensive firms to hire, and one of the hardest for an entry-level mercenary to get into. Mercs who want to join Spartan Group generally have to be in the top 10% of their field.