The Rebels are from the same species as the Evil Empire. They are a group from the lower class known as the “Light”. Led by a female known as Yarrow - they took advantage of a situation during a war campaign against a space faring race called the Keel who had been fighting for survival against the Core of the Empire. During this conflict, Yarrow was captured by the Keel.
After being captured, Yarrow convinced the desperate Keel that she could gather support from the Light and lead a Rebellion from within the Empire and was released. Upon her return she was able to save her own life by convincing the young Core commander leading the assault on the Keel that she could use her new position to infiltrate the Keel and destroy them from the inside.
From this double edged position, Yarrow and members from the Light embedded themselves all throughout the Keel hierarchy, and in one fateful moment they betrayed the Keel, sabotaging their infrastructure, capturing their ships and technology and executing their crews.
However, Yarrow and her Rebels never intended to help the Core and had effectively played both sides for their own gain. Upon return, she destroyed her commander's fleet, gathered her forces and immediately hyped out of the galaxy as far away from the Empire as possible - eventually ending up in the Echo Cluster with the Empire in close pursuit. They have rejected the Dark matter technology of their former masters except where it can be used to hide or protect against the Core.
Their fleet consists of a combination of stolen Imperial ships and the powerful and unique Keel hull technology which consists of bone-like scaffolding grown around traditional minerals.
The most useful of the stolen Empire designs is the Falcon Class Escort, a Hyperspace-capable armed transport which functions as a logistical and colonization link across great distances.
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