The Manticore

"The Manticore is the best merc carrier in the entire Neox sector."

- Bryce Vantok

​The Manticore, formerly the Hades​, is the main base of the mercenary crew serving under Bryce Vantok. It is the home of all the mercenaries serving under him, and houses all of their ships. Originally, the Manticore​ belonged to Nova Defence Services. However, after Bryce Vantok broke off from Nova Defence, he took the ship and its crew with him and began his own mercenary group operating out of it.

​History
Originally christened the ​Hades​, the ​Terran Carrier now called the Manticore​ was owned and operated by Nova Defence. The ship was deployed to the Neox Sector under the command of Bryce Vantok, to provide assistance in defending civilians from the various pirates and warlords that dominated the Neox.

At one point in the Hades' service, she and her fleet were attacked by a band of Indigo Brink pirates. The crew of the Hades, ​along with a few of her pilots, ​were the only ones that managed to escape the attack. After seeing many of his pilots getting slaughtered while Nova Defence did not provide any assistance, Vantok decided to break off and form his own mercenary band, taking the Hades with him. He ended up rechristening the ship, ​the ​Manticore​, after the callsign of ​Hayley Snocom, a pilot who went missing during the Indigo Brink attack.

During the Shattering, many of the Manticore​'s ​pilots were providing security for the political conference taking place. After the explosion occured, most of the Manticore's ​pilots perished, and the crew had a desperate lack of pilots to provide mercenary services.

After the events of Galaxy on Fire 3: Manticore, Bryce Vantok resigns as commander of the flagship, and tell the 'kid' (you) to take charge, as you've proven your worth. What happens to the ship after these events is unknown.

Characteristics
The Manticore is a heavily modified version of the Terran Carrier, built to withstand the dangers of the Neox Sector. It is the central hub for the Manticore team, and the main menu for GoF3 is found inside. Various voices can be heard over the communications systems inside the ship.

While the true firepower of the Manticore is unknown (and not present, currently), it is certainly the biggest carrier in the galaxy. The sheer size of the Battleship is vastly bigger than those in Galaxy on Fire 2, and a good competitor for the Vossk Battlecruiser or the Terran Battleships.

There are at least 18 hangars, all of which are void of any activity, save hangar 18, which is yours.

Trivia

 * The design of the Manticore is much more complex than the Terran Carriers featured in GoF2. There are several modules, docking platforms and larger engines than before.
 * It is possible to fly in between individual engines, due to their sheer size.
 * Ketar Repair Bots can be found flying inside the ship, doing their own things.
 * The flatbed cargo vehicle featured in the Terran hangars in the SD version of GoF2 can be seen also. They even travel back and forth.
 * The word "MANTICORE" is scripted on the top and side of the ship, where the ship's original name, "Hades", once stood.
 * Despite having the Manticore renamed since the first mission, Bryce Vantok sometimes still refers to the ship as Hades - for example in the starting cutscene of the Sh'Gaal mission.