At Citizen Con 2955, Cloud Imperial Games introduced Gray’s Market, a new manufacturer in the Star Citizen universe that embraces an outlaw, rough, and practical aesthetic. Their debut ship, the Gray Market Shiv, sets the tone for a brand focused on independent, uncompromising designs that appeal to players living on the edge of legality. Gray’s Market ships look repurposed from existing technology but are built for survival and performance in harsh conditions, expanding the game’s industrial and criminal design language.
Building on this theme, the video introduces a hypothetical ship concept called the Gray Market Prey Bird. This ship is envisioned as a fast, rugged vessel born from scrap and defiance, designed for outlaws and desperate pilots. Based on the battered hull of a Mercury Star Runner, the Prey Bird sacrifices data running capabilities for hard-edged practicality and speed. The removal of the second deck housing data servers results in a flatter silhouette, improving aerodynamics and atmospheric performance.
The Prey Bird’s nose section is replaced with salvaged parts from a Drake Vulture, creating a hybrid ship capable of both combat and escape. Its cockpit is asymmetrically placed on the right side of the fuselage, using a Misque Freelancer cockpit due to the Vulture salvage occupying the original cockpit space. This gives the ship a unique, rebellious look that feels alive and improvised, reflecting the outlaw spirit of Gray’s Market.
Performance-wise, the Prey Bird is designed for raw speed, featuring a third main thruster grafted from decommissioned Mercury Star Runners and thrusters realigned for maximum forward acceleration. It can reach a top speed of 1,445 m/s, making it the fastest ship in known space, surpassing even the Origin 350. However, this speed comes at the cost of maneuverability, with stiff turns and slightly worse handling than the original Mercury Star Runner, making it unsuitable for racing.
Combat capabilities are limited by the ship’s power demands, with pilot weapons removed to prioritize thrusters, leaving offensive duties to the crew. The Prey Bird retains upper and lower turrets with size three laser repeaters and supports eight size two missiles fired from the co-pilot seat, encouraging teamwork and coordination. This design embodies Gray’s Market’s ethos of chaos, craftsmanship, and defiant independence, making the Prey Bird a perfect hypothetical expression of the brand’s outlaw character and a compelling addition to the Star Citizen universe.
