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Something tells me some of the Gene-Techs might take the idea of these "mass produced knock-offs carbon copy factories" as a personal offense of sorts and strike them on sight, but considering they are usually quite blase and uncaring of what we usually define as offenses, maybe that's just my imagination and nothing will happen at all....

Well, Clones-R-Us started as a mutual gag...but I started considering the darker side of the joke...

You want darker side?

Cult of Personality - one demented guru survives the mass suicide of his own flock through cloning, while harvesting their memories, energies and more to empower new persona-avatars. Each clone connected but a different mind, personality and psychic or magical path of its own, a thousand parallel lives linked through their obsessive collection of experience, knowledge, followers and power in a labyrinthine quest toward godhood through psionic self-gestalt. A whole Psyscape of one soul-harvesting madman or woman hidden in plain sight amidst the stars.

That is nasty...and can merit a Network Omni New story tie-in with a recurrent villain write-up.

I also had something similar in an immortal pseudo-hero who was essentially 'Old Boy'(movie)-ed; kidnapped by aliens, trained to be an assassin, run through lethal training, and cloned in succession with the memories of the previous incarnation telling him what NOT to do, until finally he ended up with a perfected super soldier body, a big pool of life energy devoted to keeping him alive, and a thousand-ghost grudge against his 'employers'.

Compare to the Burgess novel 'Rogue Moon' about the exploration of an alien structure on the Moon using one-way teleport/duplication device. The main character is sent multiple times into the alien maze/death trap, advancing and learning by increments and lost lives how to navigate the dungeonstructure. The last guy finally makes it but commits suicide because he no longer has any purpose.

Kamasaugh Tolkeki System Defense Frigate
(aka ‘Tsuba’, ‘Watch-skull’)

“Your average Kamasis are of the ‘live and let live’ attitude, without a great lot of killer instinct to them. Those that take up the ways of force, well, they tend towards the ‘warrior monk’ mindset. If they’re going to use force, they’re going to use it with damn serious FOCUS. That shows as well in their weapons and warship design.”

Though the Kamasaugh people are on the whole a pacifistic and nonconfrontational people, they recognize the need to defend themselves from the more violently-inclined factions of the galaxy. The Tolkeki is a system defense gunship meant to provide the Kamasauni Stellar Coalition worlds with at least some space-based defense.
The Tolkeki not surprisingly sports the now-familiar ‘horned oni skull’ prow of many Kamasaugh large spacecraft, a piece of traditional symbology meant to ward off evil spirits(try convincing a Kamasaugh that it doesn’t!).
The Tolkeki uses many of the same components as the Komodo interstellar freighter, but on a shorter, more rotund frame that can turn and maneuver better. The ships mount a heavier weight of armor than is usual for ships of their type, in part to offset the weak older-tech forceshielding these ships carry. Furthermore, the armor is of a multilayered composite that has many damage-reducing properties, allowng the stodgy little ships to soak up impressive amounts of damage for their size. Though the Kamasaugh are not weaponeers by nature, the ships carry fairly heavy armament of types copied from other more militant polities.
Tolkekis are short on creature comforts for the crew . Kamasaugh military crews traditionally train in mental disciplines that build mental fortitude through meditation techniques, and they expect discomfort and privation when on duty. Non-Kamasaugh might argue the opposite(that an uncomfortable combat crew is a distracted and inefficient one), but the Kamasaugh record would indicate otherwise. The few times anybody has raided Kamasaugh space and fought Tolkekis, the oni crews proved their mettle and the strength of their metal. It’s worth noting that Tolkeki crews on port leave have a reputation for being hard-living hellraisers for at least the first night offship to make up for their ascetic iron discipline while aboard ship and on duty.
Tolkekis also lack anything in the way of fighter support or boarding capability; the latter usually left to other vessels such as the smaller and faster Koishal cutters.
The Tolkeki remains an exclusively Kamasaugh vessel; it is rumored that the KSC refused to license production to WZT because the Kamasaugh didn’t want to be perceived as being in the interstellar armaments industry(though they have no qualms about selling their transports).

Type: KSC-SDMFg01 Tolkeki
Class: System Defense Frigate
Crew: 55
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 5,000
Bridge 2,000
Repulsor Eyes(2) 700 each
Horn Lasers(4) 400 each
Missile Launcher Bays(2) 300 each
G-Cannons(4) 300 each
Point Defense Turrets(6) 150 each
Engines 3,000
Forcefield 3,000

Height: 110 ft
Width: 180 ft
Length: 300 ft
Weight: 9,000 tons
Cargo: 1,200 tons
Powerplant: Nuclear Fusion w/ 25 year energy life
Speed:
(Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 3; transatmospheric.
(Sublight) Mach 9
(Kitsune Values: 60% of light speed; Accelerates/decelerates at 0.9% of light speed per melee)
(FTL) 4 light years per hour
Market Cost: 410 million credits
Systems of Note:
Standard Starship Systes, plus:
*Advanced Armor---The Kamasaugh have developed an advanced composite ‘fish scale’ armor skinning that dissipates kinetic strikes and also helps absorb energy damage. Kinetic damage such as from rail guns/g-cannon, meteorites, and concussive explosives does HALF damage.

*Exorcism Barrier(?)---While USA and UWW mages haven’t detected any overt spells laid on Tolkekis, the ships just don’t seem hospitable to malign spirits. Entities and ghosts just seem to avoid going anywhere near the ships, probably due to the many spirit wards plastered all over the interiors and the spiritual strength of the crew constantly praying. There’s a strng feng shui-style influence in the ships’ internal layouts as well.

Weapons Systems:
1) Horn Lasers(4)----The skull prow of the Tolkeki mounts four ‘horns’ that are really medium laser cannon turrets.
Range: 10 miles in atmosphere,40 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 40 miles in atmosphere/ 40,000 miles in space)
Damage: 1d6x100 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: Four times per melee
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

2) G-Cannons(4, two forward, 2 aft)
Range: 7 miles in atmosphere, 14 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 14 miles in atmosphere, 14,000 miles in space)
Damage: 2d4x100 MD per 40-rd burst
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload: 3000 bursts per cannon

3) Missile Launcher Bays(2)-----Two large lateral missle bays can be fitted to carry a variety of missile types, though long range missiles are generally used to maximize engagement range.
Each bay can hold the following:
a) Short Range Missiles---- 720 missiles, volley strength of 1-30
b) Medium Range Missiles----240 missiles, volley strength of 1-20
c) Long Range Missiles---- 90 missiles, volley strength of 1-10
d) Cruise Missiles----Rare; the Kamasaugh don’t manufacture their own, but they have acquired a supply through their USA contacts. 60 missiles, volley strength of 1-5

4) Point Defense Turrets(6) ---The Tolkeki mounts as standard six retractable PDS clusters, each consisting of a double-barreled light laser and a multi-shot mini-missile launcher. Each turret has 360-degree arc of fire and 90-degree elevation. They differ from those mounted on the Komodo in having more heavily armored turrets and a larger supply of ready-fire missiles on hand.
Range:(Lasers)8,000 ft in atmosphere, 16,000 ft in space
(Kitsune Values: 3.5 miles in atmosphere, 350 miles in space)
(Mini-Missiles)Varies by Missile Type
(Kitsune Values: 2 miles in atmosphere, 100 miles in space)
Damage:(Lasers) 1d6x10 MD per blast, 2d6x10 MD per simultanous blast from both cannons on the same target
(Mini-Missiles)Varies by Missile Type
Rate of Fire:(Lasers)EGCHH
(Mini-Missiles) Volleys of 1-12
Payload:(Lasers) Effectively Unlimited
(Mini-Missiles) 72 mini-missiles per launcher; 432 total. Additional MMs can be carried as cargo and reloaded manually.

5) Deflector Repulsor Beams(2)---Mounted in the ‘eyes’ of the forward death’s head are two powerful repulsors. Though intended primarily to deflect space debris, they can also be used to shove aside missiles and smaller spacecraft. The repulsors are occasionally used to push cargo and other heavy loads in space. Each beam projector has a 140-degree wide arc of projection. This system is NOT usable in atmosphere(too much extra mass to move in the form of gas).
The Tolkeki;s deflectors are more powerful than those mounted on the merchantmen Komodos; the defense ships are often called upon to deflect large asteroids and other space debris menacing planets and shipping.
Range: 5 miles in space(NOT usable in atmosphere)
(Kitsune Values: 5,000 miles in space)
Damage: None, typically, but each beam can move up to 1,000 tons of mass. Used against incoming fast moving targets, it can reduce the target’s velocity by as much as 20% per melee(or, it acts as a Parry roll to deflect).
When used against missiles they have an 80% chance of prematurely detonating ‘dumb’ missiles, and 60% for detonating ‘smart’ missiles
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

Auxiliary Craft: None

Variants:
With the imminent Kamasauni Stellar Coalition alliance with/membership in the United Systems Alliance, PS/ASI/WZT-supplied technological upgrades to existing and new production Tolkekis would seem inevitable, with the most likely improvements being the addition of variable forcefields, improvements to sensors and fire control, and across the board upgrades to weapons systems. Technowizardry modifications would also be likely, starting with PPE sensors.

Changes/Modifications:
MDC/Armor by Location:
*Variable Forcefields 2,000 per side, 12,000 total
*Shield Refresh Rate is 20% per melee
Systems of Note:
*Advanced Fire Control---- The point defense turrets are networked and coordinated, and all get a +4 to strike.

*EW Jamming Systems---An electronic warfare suite to confuse enemy sensors as to the ship’s exact position and activity. Communications Jamming has a 10,000 mile range, is 90% effective against civilian systems, and is 65% effective against more sophisticated channel-jumping military communications suites. Missiles and sensor-guided weapons are -4 to strike.

*TW Sensors:(Courtesy of Kitsune)
    -See Aura: Slightly different than the spell in that it can scan an entire target such as a ship or station. The enchantment can be used to target a single individual but only have one tenth normal range when being used in that matter. Costs 60 P.P.E. per activation due to extended range. Range: Starship Mount: 1,000 miles (1,610 kilometers) in space and 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) in an atmosphere. Effects / Abilities: Gives an approximate count of the number of life forms onboard. Gives the average level of experience, highest level of experience, and lowest level of experience [Given in these terms: Low (1-3), medium (4-7), high (8th and up).] Tells if there is any magic onboard. Gives if there are any psychics onboard (Mind Block will prevent detection), Gives a general count on the amount of P.P.E. the target has (basically the P.P.E. of the crew and any devices which store P.P.E.). Detects if there is any kind of possession. Finally sees if the crew or ship has any unusual aberrations.
     -See the Invisible Sensors: The ships has several special optical and other sensor systems with see the invisible on them. Same as spell and used at will (requires no P.P.E. to activate). Range: Starship Mount: 2,000 miles (3,220 kilometers) in space and 2 miles (3.2 km) in an atmosphere. Effects / Abilities: Can see forces, objects, and creatures which can turn invisible, or are invisible. Can also see vaporous beings and astral bodies.
     -Sense Magic: The ship has sensors which the give the ability to detect active magic. Similar to spell and used at will (requires no P.P.E. to activate). Range: Starship Mount: 200,000 miles (322,000 kilometers) in space and 200 miles (320 km) in an atmosphere. Effects / Abilities: detects the presence of magic if within detection range of ship and gives bearing on magic and basic range although not exact position. Detects active enchantments but will not generally detect spell casters in general.
-Sense Rifts: Ship has sensors which effectively allow Rifts to be detected. The system can be (requires no P.P.E. to activate). Range: Starship Mount: 500,000 miles (805,000 kilometers) in space and 500 miles (805 km) in an atmosphere. Effects / Abilities: Detects the presence of Rifts (including those created by Rifts Jump Drives) and unlike when detecting magic gives position very accurately.

*Shipboard TW Multiplexors(?)---Replacement of one or more of the weapons turrets/missile bays with an equivalent size naval TW Multiplexor system would be possible, but would require also the fitting of PPE power generators/accumulators to power them.
Weapons Systems:
3-4) Missile Launchers/Point Defense Systems---Compatibility of the Tolkekis ‘ missile systems with the variety of USA-manufactured special missiles such as TW w arheads and S-Stinger mini-missiles would also seem a likely upgrade.

Interesting model and a way to shine a bit more light on the going ons of the Kamausani. In fact i ask myself how the exodus of people in the Bushi Federation might be affecting them - since being related biologically and culturally makes it a natural place to seek a new home for the usually somewhat insular oni of the Federation - in terms of socio-cultural crosspolination, knowledge exchanges and maybe a few diplomatic hiccups.

Also curious about how conscious they are of the potential tactical issues in the Tolkekis lack of any form of fighter support or boarding capability, what do they have or not to cover for it (as the smaller and faster Koishal cutters seem to do when it comes to boarding actions). I'm curious if they would invest in homemade models, to deal with it, patch up that issue with WZT/ASI models - quite possible if they follow through in joining the USA - or take a middle road with a local chassis following their technical & arcane building traditions combined with a mix of state-approved foreign systems.

Now that i think of it, the Kamasauni Stellar Coalition's equivalent of a weight and measures authority might have considerable pull in their import & export policies, not to say play something of a understated supernatural investigation role in their society, since they are the guys & ladies who have to inspect everything on geomantic standards, appropriate warding and such. LOTS of adventure potential in the ups and downs of such a department, be it governmental, syndicated or even both - what could lead into a peculiar equivalent of jurisdiction confusion or clashes between police divisions or intelligence agencies - it seems.


As an aside, do you already have stats for the Koishal patrol ships or is that something for the future?

I'm working on the cutters.....that was a teaser of things to come.
It's nice to have lead-ups that help encourage further development of an organization's table of equipment(and in turn reflects their culture/economy).

And we already have established that the Kamasaugh use a customized version of the PSPA-10 Pikeman power armor, so using foreign designs is not antithetical to their sensibilities.

Great to know!



Indeed. Now i'm half-tempted to sketch up something about Kamasauni's "import standards' occultist-inspectors" agency myself.



Fair to know. The kind of embellishments and style customizations they might add to those they approve of is where things may get entertaining.

"Inspector Feeng's Homestyle Noodle Delicatessen and Aura Alignment Bureau Agency"

PS/ASI/WZT-CA ‘Rapshaw’ Assault Shuttle
(aka ‘Noldek Tarantula’, ‘Drop-Strider’)
“ The Rapshaw’s more expensive and mechanically complicated than the Republik’s Haelra-class dropper shuttles, but carries fewer troops. However, the usan and Central Alliances tend to field better-trained and equipped troops than the Golgans. Usan troops are all over the place talent-wise and table of equipment-wise with all sorts of crazy ****, while the Cyberhawks and Machine auxiliaries are seriously metalled up and seriously mental. I’d even give them good odds against a CAF assault shuttle complement if it came to that.”

<“Normally I’d say it’s not a good idea to use your means of getting on and off a contested planet as a tank, but somehow this thing works. The usans and the cyberpunks have ways of crowbaring the circumstances such that the concept actually works for them, but I wouldn’t recommend it for anybody else to emulate.”>

“These ships in the hands of the Cyberhawks is like giving a five hundred-ton cyborg body to Noldek’s aerospace crews. Droppers aren’t supposed to be up-close-and-personal combatant units, just dust-and-go, but Noldek’s kids are crazy-ass aggressive. I’ve seen these things land virtually on top of enemy positions and start kicking over vehicles, kicking in walls and bunkers, and generally trashing hot landing zones before the ground troops realize they’re being dynamic-violated.”

An unusual collaboration between PS/ASI/WZT, the Central Alliance, and(it is rumored) the Shemarrian Star Nation, the ‘Rapshaw’ Assault Shuttle is a new combat vehicle entering service.
The Rapshaw program was initiated after the Central Alliance acquired several AAST-8 Wyvern Light Aerospace Transports, and found them satisfactory, but felt that the dozen or so short articulated legs would be improved upon, and so commissioned a new assault shuttle. The design that emerged features four engine nacelles that lie lengthwise along the main hull in flight, but which are articulated to swing into a vertical configuration when landing. Furthermore the landing gear articulation allows the grounded shuttle to perambulate across the landscape, allowing it to traverse rough terrain, move its landing position, and act as a support vehicle for its embarked troops.
The Rapshaw is heavily armed and armored for its type, and also surprisingly fast, though not particularly stealthy, sacrificing stealth for firepower. Though mechanically complex and correspondingly more expensive than a more conventional design, the Rapshaw has proven itself in the hands of its cybered-up crews.
The Rapshaw borrows many subsystems from the PS/ASI-SFB-26 Jatar Strike Fighter/Bomber, streamlining many logistics, especially in the Central Alliance, which has acquired a good number of Jatars for its defense forces.
The Rapshaw gets its name from one of General Noldek’s loyal officers, Golos Rapshaw, who Noldek defeated in honorable arena combat for the leadership of the planet of Dolson’s Landing, but spared to allow the man exile to serve in his Cyberhawks. General Rapshaw repaid Noldek’s mercy by ultimately personally leading a mission to rescue trapped civilians during a Splugorth incursion, losing his life in the process. Noldek honored Rapshaw’s loyalty both to his homeworld of Dolson and to the Central Alliance by declaring him an Honored Martyr.
The Rapshaw is manufactured in both the Central Alliance and Unnited Systems Alliance, and is used by military units in both polities,

Type: PS/ASI/WZT/CA-AAST-12 Rapshaw
Class: Assault Shuttle
Crew: 9(can run with as few as 4, but optimally operates with nine)
+60 infantry(or 36 heavy cyborgs/power armor)
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 2,600
Cockpit 800
Sensor Array* 450
Hull Turrets(2) 150 each
Leg/Engine Nacelles**(4) 500 each
Laser Turrets(4) 100 each
Leg Shields/Weapons Modules(4) 300 each
Forcefield 1,200

*Destroying the sensor array removes the bonuses for the autofire mode defense turrets and reduces pilot bonuses by HALF.

**Can fly on as few as two engine nacelles, but reduce speed by HALF and no dodge bonuses

Height: 38 ft , 80 ft with legs in ground position
Width: 75 ft, 95 ft with legs in ground position
Length: 95 ft
Weight: 500 tons
Cargo: 90 tons
Powerplant: Nuclear Fusion w/ 25 year energy life
Speed:
(Running) 80 MPH
(Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 5; transatmospheric.
(Sublight) Mach 7
(Kitsune Values: 50% of light speed; Accelerates/decelerates at 0.7% of light speed per melee)
(Underwater) Not Possible
Market Cost: 54 million credits
Systems of Note:
Standard Starfighter Systems, plus:
*Radar/EM/Laser Radiation Detection
*Radiation Detector
*Standard Video Optics plus:
Thermo-Imaging
IR/UV Optics
Telescopic/Image Enhancement Optics
Low-Light/Nightvision system
*Combat Computer: The Rapshaw uses the same advanced combat computer as the Jatar,. The computer can identify and track up to 250 targets simultaneously, and gives the pilot the following bonuses (in addition to any others): +1 to Strike and +1 Dodge. (+1 to initiative if using a Cyberlink)
*Motion Detector/Collision Warning System: (particularly useful for
maneuvering in close quarters) 500 foot warning alarm.
*Radio/Video Communications: Wide band and directional, radio and video transmission capabilities with a 500,00 mile range.
*Laser Communications--- 700,000 mile range
*Laser Targeting: +2 to strike with ranged weapons.
*Audio/Visual Flight Recorder
*Forward Landing Gear Spotlights: 300 foot range.
*Heat & Radiation Shields

*Cyberlink----An advanced cybernetic control system allows the
pilot 'jack in', if so equipped, to the vehicle, linking him with the plane as if by telemechanics. The pilot is so in tune with the plane and their environment that he instantly knows everything involving their plane and its operations. A series of tiny external cameras normally used for Virtual Environment Cockpits is tied into the cyberlink, giving them an uncanny 360 degree view around the spacecraft. providing them a +1 to init and dodge, in addition to the normal cyberlink bonuses.

*ECM Suite----- The Rapshaw has a standard ECM suite for confusing sensor-guided weapons; -5 to strike.

*Thermal Resistant Heat-Refractory Tile Armor---Special heat-resistant materials designed for reentry vehicle shielding. Heat and plasma-based attacks do 1/4 damage.

Weapons Systems:
1) Laser Cannon Turrets(4)---Mounted atop the ‘knees’ of each leg-nacelle are ball-mounts for pulse lasers. These cab be manually operated or slaved to an auto-fire system directed through the dorsal sensor array.
Range: 6,000 ft in atmosphere, 24,000 ft in space
(Kitsune Values: 4 miles in atmosphere, 400 miles in space)
Damage: 2d4x10 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: EGCHH, or Eight attacks per melee if in automated anti-missile mode(CANNOT be used for anything BUT anti-missile duty....disengaging the laser system for any other purpose takes a melee action.)
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

2) Rapid-Fire Guns(2, fore and aft)---Mounted under the nose and in the tail is a rapid-fire projectile weapon, typically either a rail gun or g-cannon. USA models fit these positions with WZT/ASI Heavy Weapon Mounts, a feature that is gaining popularity with Central Alliance crews.
a) Grav-Cannon
Range: 3 miles in atmosphere , 10 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 10 miles in atmosphere,1,000 miles in space)
Damage: 2d4x10 MD per 20 rd burst
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload: 250 bursts

b) Double-Barrelled Long Range Laser Cannon
Range: 12,000 ft in atmosphere, 2.2 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 2.2 miles in atmosphere, 220 miles in space)
Damage: 1d6x10 MD single blast, 2d6x10 MD simultaneous blast(counts as one attack)
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

c) Particle Beam Cannon
Range: 2 miles in atmosphere, 5 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 5 miles in atmosphere, 500 miles in space)
Damage: 3d6x10 MD per blast
Rate of Fire: EGCHH
Payload: Effectively Unlimited

3) Leg Modules(4)---Each leg nacelle is protected by a curved outer plate that has an inclusion for an armored weapons bay. Usually this is a rotary launcher for missiles, but it can also be accommodate electronic warfare pods, forcefield boosters, and other accessory systems.
a) MicroMissile Launcher----20x25-shot cassettes; 500 total

b) Mini-Missile Launcher---------96 per launcher in sixteen rows of 6

c) Short Range Missile Launcher----- 44 per launcher in eleven rows of 4

d)S-Sting-----88 per launcher in eleven rows of 8
Note that the ‘S-Sting’ has only limited effectiveness in an atmosphere....HALF bonuses in a thin atmosphere and weak gravity well like Mars’, and NO bonuses, and HALF range in a thick atmosphere and standard gravity like Earth’s.
Range: 4 miles in atmosphere, 32 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 10 miles (16.1 km) in an atmosphere and 500 miles (804.7 km) in space)
Damage: 2d6x10 MD to a 15 ft blast radius
Bonuses: +7 to strike

e) ECM Pod---A more powerful electronic warfare systemmodule. Mounting multiple pods does not increase signal strength, just redundancy.

f) Forcefield Booster---- Increase shield strength by 25%/300 MDC

g) Countermeasure Launcher----Same as 4), only DOUBLE the payload

4) Countermeasure Launchers(2)
a) Chaff/Flare Launchers---Standard radar-reflective strips and thermal flares
Range: Close Defense
Damage: None; similar to Triax-style chaff
01-50 Enemy Missile or volley detonates in chaff and threat is neutralized
51-75 Missile/Volley diverts and may pursue/lock on to other targets
76-00 No Effect! Missile(s) still on target!
Will also temporarily blind and impede flying monsters who fly into it.
Reduce APMs/combat bonuses/ speed by half for 1d4 melees
Payload: 24 per launcher

b) Nano-Pods-----The second system releases a nanotech swarm of active jamming pods and decoys that are programmed to emulate a spacecraft’s sensor signature, or, at the very least, bury enemy tactical communications in ‘white noise’.
Effective Range: 25 mile jamming radius
Duration: 5 minutes per pod-spray
Effects: Jams radio signals(75% chance of jamming military band command-guidance ordnance), and 60% chance of deflecting ordinary missiles.
Payload: 18 swarm packs

c) Grav-Pack Decoy---The third system uses modified grav-pack drives and signal projectors to create a moving pattern of sensor signatures. The grav-pack mini-missile drives can go for 10 minutes before self-destructing, and can either be remotely directed or run a pre-set pattern.
Effective Speed: Mach 6
Duration: 10 minutes per pod
Effects: The decoys have a 70% chance of fooling enemy sensor operators and expert systems. They are are also +2 to enemy sensor-guided munitions to strike, increasing the chance that the missiles will elect to pursue the ‘louder’ sensor signature(the missile rolls to strike for both the original ship and each decoy deployed....highest to strike roll determines which target the missile(s) go after).
Payload: 15 decoys are carried, and can be deployed singly, or in ‘packs’ of 1-3.

5) Melee Combat---The Rapshaw can engage in limited melee combat(especially in the hands of the aggressive Central Alliance crews) using its articulated landing legs to kick and stomp.
Kick 1d6x10 MD
Stomp(objects 12 ft tall or smaller) 2d4x10 MD
Flying Pounce-Crush(2 attacks) 3d6x10 MD
Body Block/Ram 4d6 MD

Options:
*Variable Forcefield----This replaces the monoplanar forcefield with a milspec VFF equal to the Proctor’s. 400 MDC per side, 2,400 total. Cost: 1.5 million credits

Variants:
*AAST-12C---Amphibious variant capable of underwater operations. Given the outbreak of open hostilities with the Golgan Republik, amphibious assault craft have taken on a new importance. The AAST-12C typically carries a complement of scuba-armored marines with mobility sleds, or amphibious combat cyborgs.
Changes/Modifications:
Speed:
(Underwater) Can ‘swim’ at 30 MPH, or run along the bottom at 12 MPH, maximum depth of 1.2 miles
Systems of Note:
*Sonar---100 mile range
*Magnetic Anomaly Detector---Can a MAD (Magnetic Anomaly Detector) sensor; particularly useful in ASW operations.
Range: 5 miles, and has a 70% chance of detecting submerged vessels(-20%) for non-metallic objects, and no chance of detecting organics). Also useful for detecting metal ores and other magnetic anomalies. DOUBLE range for detecting active electromagnetic activity, such as powered-up fusion plasma magnetic confinement fields or powered rail guns/gauss weapons.

Weapons Systems:
1) Laser Cannon Turrets(4)----The lasers have been modified to blue-green frequecies for maximum penetration underwater.

2) Rapid-Fire Guns(2, fore and aft)----As with the point defense lasers, the laser cannon have been modified to blue-green types. Projectile cannons now fire supercavitating ammunition types.

3) Leg Modules(4)----The leg modules can now accommodate various torpedo launchers and underwater countermeasure types.
h) MicroTorpedoes---400 per launcher
i) Mini-Torpedoes---96 per launcher in sixteen rows of 6
j) Light/Short Range Torpedoes--- 44 per launcher in eleven rows of 4
k) Deep Flare/Acoustic Countermeasure Launchers----Screamers are specialized one-use munitions that when fired, broadcast a massive burst of noise across all audio/sonic frequencies, with the intended effect of destroying acoustic target(sonar) locks, and allowing the sub to escape opponents using sonar to detect or track them. -60% to track the sub via sonar while the Screamer is in effect, while sonar-guided weapons are -10 to strike, plus acoustic-homing weapons will break target lock to attack the decoy.
Screamers also have the effect of stunning dolphins, whales, and other creatures using natural sonar and echo location. These creatures are disoriented/stunned for 1d4 melees.
A typical screamer will last 1d4 melees until it burns out or is destroyed.
Screamers can also be fused to ignite/activate anywhen up to a minute(4 melees) after deployment.
Note: Screamers will affect the user’s own sonar systems.
Range: 6,000 ft
Damage: None
Rate of Fire: Can fire off Screamers in salvos of 1 or 2
Payload: 20 per launcher.

*Deep Flares---Deep Flares are fast-burning underwater illumination sources used as distractions in deep sea operations. Though fairly useless as weapons, Deep Flares are effective at night and against deep-sea creatures sensitive to bright light.
Deep Flares will blind surprised targets for 1d4 melees(half all combat bonuses and skill rolls while trying to overcome temporary blindness). Useless against targets using sonar, or without eyes.
Range: 1,000 ft
Damage: 1d4 MD if it scores a direct hit on a target; Otherwise, no damage, aside from possible flash disorientation. : Area of effect: 100 ft area in diameter(suspended silt/debris in the water may limit this).
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1 or 2
Payload: Each pod can hold up to 16 Deep Flares

l)*’Fizz’ Sonar Defense----This dumps a capsule-pod of foaming chemical compounds out into the water surrounding the submarine. This has a multifold purpose; though it clearly shows up on sonar due to the alka-seltzer-like noise, the persistant cloud of bubbles makes it much more difficult for sonar to get an exact lock on the submarine behind the bubbles. Furthermore, many sea creatures are hesitant to cross the cloud of bubbles.
In game terms, the ‘fizz’ lasts 1d6 melees, is roughly 100 ft wide by 300 ft long(the ‘cloud’ foaming as the sub moves along) and during that, sonar-guided weapons(and attackers) are -2 to lock onto the submarine. Creatures caught in the bubbles are -5 to strike, dodge, and parry due to the distraction.
Payload: 12 pods per launcher


*EShemarrian(?)---Though the Shemarrian Star Nation is already known to have an effective light attack-shuttle ‘mecha’ in the form of its ‘Scarab’, rumors persist that the EShemar either influenced the design of the Rapshaw or copied it. The Shemarrian version supposedly incorporates even more ‘biomechanical’ features including an articulated head and neck, biting jaw, eye lasers, heavy rail guns, and the option of mounting ten--shot volley light plasma torpedo launchers in the legs.

But the big question is, how (in)effective or (un)desirable would a cheaper and less mechanically complicated Haelra be for better-trained and equipped troops like those fielded by the USA and Central Alliance instead of the Republik's rank & file? Either way the Golgan military could definitely do with a brush-up of the quality of their troops in general.

The whole Golgan reconquista thing has taken a dark turn with poot-poot going off the deep end, which is adding to the absurdity of Tom Clancy becoming the IRL plot writer. But the I think we've all agreed that the Golgans were ultimately going to choke to death on their logistical shortfalls and shaky institutions. As ever, the largest actual concern is just what the True Believers in charge will do once they realize they've lost.

Anyway, the Rapshaw is an interesting beast. Its niche as all hell, but within that niche its quite understandable. The CA has a number of reasons that make outright retreat/surrender politically and socially unacceptable, and encourages a 'balls to the wall' mentality on all levels, so the ride back being trashed isn't as large a concern as it would otherwise be. Additionally, the sorts of light troop transports/militarized civilian cargo ships that are used to get them in system are often also atmospheric capable themselves, so post-battle pick up generally isn't a problem regardless. If they lost, they're generally all dead anyway.

The USA on the other hand would be using them in platoon level fire-brigade situations, and having a heavy platform in what would otherwise be a purely infantry/light PA situation can make all the difference. And then there's all the BS that makes you really wish you're ride can make a fight of it when something weird happens.

Depending on who they get in trouble with along the way, the ultimate fate of the Republik might be partly or completely out of their leaders' hands in the end.

But they can burn it all down in psychotic spite unless they massively outplayed and occupied before they have the chance.

Again, depends on who - or several whos - they are dealing with when their expansionist buzz comes crashing down. Enemies outside, discontent within, they can get burned or at least in the defensive long before they get to male that sort of choice.

Are we describing the Golgans or the real world situation? I sometimes can't tell the difference, and that scares me....

I better get back to designing more spacecraft, or fluff of them in action.

I get what you mean, indeed.

Sometimes i do have a few concepts related to the Golgans, in mind but kind of divided into working them into a splinter state, some kind of inovators within the Republik itself.

Or something strangely inbetween, like a major base of the Golgans that "suddenly" finds itself in the peculiar situation of going from border fortress to exclave with a dozen new space polities separating them from a home they had no intention of leaving in the first place and so are forced to adapt, improvise and sometimes adopt peculiar compromises due to their circunstances.

I'm going to go through the PS list and look at them from the CA perspective. Should be interesting.

"Yah invested a lot in meat-tech when metal's superior."

For a long time I liked using R. Talsorian's Cyberpunk game to describe Rifts Earth's Golden Age before the Megadamage Revolution cut in. The same SDC tech can describe a lot of the Central Alliance worlds as well, where local corporations and paramilitaries (or fusions thereof) are doing the cyberpunk thing with auging up and doing Saturday Night Firefights on a regular basis. Though less AI and more aliens running around.

I figure that the cyber and (biological) infantry bits would have already been covered, so I'll focus on cyborg usable equipment and vehicles.

"If you rip out the reclining front seats on this thing, you can squeeze a heavy-chassis cyborg frame behind the steering wheel. It's not like you could use the seat massager anyway."

WZ-SCS-X9 Ethereal Stealth Command & Support Cruiser
(aka ‘Nightshade’, ‘Blackaster’)

“We are not out here to win this war, or even this battle, singlehanded. We ARE here to enable others to win with greater certainty. We do our jobs right, and manage not to be spotted, we will be saving many many lives of our forces, probably spare the other side a good number of unnecessary casualties, and bring this nasty little war to a better end. We work as part of the fleet, albeit a publicly unacknowledged part of the fleet, but an important, even VITAL, part of our fleet strategy.”

“We ease into the system, deploy our shrouded missiles on long orbits that intersect the planet in a few weeks, and scram. Our sleeper-missiles coast in, looking like so much innocuous space debris if they register on sensors at all. With careful application of skill and I admit a lot of luck, we should be able to trash a substantial portion of industrial infrastructure while we’re away somewhere else making more mischief.”

“We’d heard that some tinpot Fringe-lord was going to make a move on his interstellar neighbor with a fleet of warships he’d collected, and the Sector Rear Admiral Low-Half thought that some gunboat diplomacy to show we out here could be proactive too was in order, so she ordered up our heavy squadron and cruiser elements to deploy and deny.
Thing is, when we dropped out of overdrive on the edge of the system...just in time to watch the warlord’s entire orbital shipyard and fleet anchorage going up in plasma fire. Took out his entire force projection capability. We later learned it also took out most of the upper command staff, including the generalissimo. Well, we gamely announced our presence and they found somebody down the surviving chain of command who immediately offered their surrender. Seems they thought we had something to do with the destruction of their entire war effort...only we didn’t. We hadn’t even come within weapons range!
Milintel postmortem analysis of the debris field got us an illuminating estimate of the size of the force we would have been facing and our original forecasts were off; they had the quantity, if not the quality, to have done some real damage to our taskforce if they’d been intact and deployed on our arrival. So somebody did us a favor feeding the warlord fleet a sneak dose of the blams. We don’t know who was really responsible, but we got some vague long range scans that give us a possible suspect; not that we’ve made our suspicions public, what with the rest of the sector worlds profusely thanking us for dealing with the problem so decisively.”
---Captain Hugo Marx, CAFSS Bendrix, Consortium Armed Forces, Encsid Sector(Anvil Galaxy)

The third(and some hope, last) of the progressively larger succession of stealth craft that began with the ‘Ecto’ Stealth Drone, the Ethereal SCS Cruiser is said to rival Promethean stealth ships in sheer sophistication(leading to rumors that the Prometheans were extensively involved in its development). Prior to the formation of the United Systems Alliance, the type was mentioned in advertising prospectuses, but when WZT became part of the core of the USA, all development (and mention) of the project seemed to screech to a halt, and the type no longer held out for prospective buyers. It is now known that WZT continued to work on the design with an eye towards equipping the new star nation with cutting edge warships.
The Ethereal was designed from the keel up as a stealth command and support craft, remaining out of the line of fire to direct fleet actions, as well as to sneak in to flanking positions to deploy raiding forces of fighters, heavy robots, and power armors. It also serves as a fleet-level communications platform and Electronic Warfare center, gathering signal intel, and coordinating cloaking and electronic countermeasures.
The Ethereal originally had a decidedly asymmetrical look to its design; one hull pylon supporting a fighter deck and power armor deployment bay, while the other side had a robot drone bay and extended electro-magnetic launch catapult. As originally configured, the Ethereal was to carry a strike arm of drones, two squadrons of aerospace fighters, and two brigades’ worth of troops for sneak-landings. However, AJC re-evaluation of the original WZT design pointed out a number of shortcomings with this configuration; the design sported too little shuttle capability to rapidly deploy the troops, and moving the stealth carrier in closer to the LZ to expedite combat landings would greatly increase the chances of the ship being detected and targeted by opposition forces. And with too few fighters and drones to cover the landings, the original configuration deployment would be a disaster waiting to happen. Instead of fixed specialized bays, WZT decided to emulate the success of PS/ASI’s modular secondary hull system and make the three bay sections reconfigurable to carry out a variety of functions. Typically, if troop landings are planned, one bay is apportioned to barracks and training areas, a second bay is dedicated to heavy attack shuttles, and the third used to carry support fighters/drones. The vessel can can also carry mine warfare modules, stealth missile batteries, and planetary attack vehicle pods. In theory, the Ethereal is also able to carry heavy energy weapon mounts with their own power supply, but such direct engagement in combat would place the ship at risk of counterattack.
Much of the Ethereal’s seemingly large size is a sprawl of thermal dispersion vanes, sensor deflection baffles, and passive sensor arrays, giving the ship something of an appearance like an elongated sea urchin. Two particularly large sensor/communications arrays above and below the main hull give the ship a wide search-sensor arc with few blind spots in coverage.
The Ethereal’s biggest weakness is that in order to save energy for shielding and stealth, the ship lacks all but point defense armaments. This means that, if discovered, the Ethereal must rely on its fighter and robot complement to defend itself from enemy ships seeking to engage it, while it attempts to slip away under cover of its stealth systems(while still hopefully being able to recover its small craft crews before retreating). Thus, an inexperienced captain who relies solely on his ship’s stealth and gets too close to the action may find himself and his command at a serious disadvantage against enemy forces, with no way to defend themselves.
Another shortcoming of the class is the modest FTL speed. In an attempt to mask the ship’s gravitic wake, the Ethereal incorporates an experimental CG FTL drive with a reduced gravitational ‘footprint’. However, this can only be achieved by traveling at relatively slow FTL speeds. Some captains consider this to be a fair trade-off; with their advanced sensors, they can see trouble ahead and have more time to respond, including dropping into normal space and going into full cloak mode, instead of simply speeding into the potential trouble.
The other major downside of this type is the sheer cost per unit; for the price of a single Ethereal-class carrier, several conventional cruisers could be built and crewed. Thus, only a dozen of these vessels have been constructed, almost all of them serving with an elite USAJC branch of the Office of Positive Outcomes.
The Ethereal-class has been implicated in a number of smuggling and recon missions in contested space between the Free Worlds Council and the TGE. Ethereals are also believed to played a role in actions against the Kretig Domain’s ‘superweapons’ programs during the Three System War; Ethereal-borne stealthships extracting key personnel and setting up headhunter strikes on the Kretig High Command. A number of stealth interdiction minefields laid in key star systems of aggressor nations have been blamed as the work of Ethereal cruisers. And Ethereals are rumored to have played a major role in rescuing stranded CAF and civilian spacer survivors from under the noses of the Sqaada in the Tetavian Cluster. How many of these rumors are true and which are false remains uncertain, especially as it is known that the OPO spreads deliberate misinformation about its actions.

Type: WZ-SCS-X9 Ethereal
Class: Stealth Command & Support Cruiser
Crew: 875 +250 special mission personnel
If carrying only troop pods, can be carrying an additional 10,500 troops/passengers
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 98,000
Bridge 10,000
Long Range Sensor Arrays(2) 2,200 each
Modular Secondary Hull Pods(3) 13,000 each
Thermal Dispersal Vanes(18) 1,000 each
Multimode Missile Launchers(6) 500 each
Point Defense Laser/Mini-Missile Turrets(14) 180 each
Point Defense Rail Guns(10) 180 each
Variable Forcefields 8,000 each side, 48,000 total

*Shield Refresh Rate is 20% per melee
Height: 960 ft(320 m)
Width: 2736 ft(912 m)
Length: 3000 ft(320 m)
Weight: 2.4 million tons
Cargo: 400,000 tons
Powerplant: Advanced Lucerin-Nuclear Fusion w/ 20 year energy life
Speed:
(Atmosphere)Not Possible
(Sublight)Mach 8
(Kitsune Values: 60% of light speed; Accelerates/decelerates at 0.8% of light speed per melee)
(FTL) 3/5 light years per hour
(Underwater) Not Possible
Market Cost: 14 billion credits
Systems of Note:
Standard Starship Systems, plus:

*Advanced Stealth---The stealth suite of the Ethereal is based on Oni designs, but has been scaled up. Oni engineers thought their systems couldn’t be applied effectively to larger craft; WZ has apparently proven them wrong, and even improved on it.
-Sensor Shielding---Limits effectiveness of enemy sensors to 2,000 miles or less.
-Baffling--Even if the ship is detected, special sensor-distorters prevent an accurate reading of ship features(and thus capabilities). -70%
-Visual Distortion---75% chance of being undetected by visual means even at extremely close ranges(50 miles or less)
-Stealth FTL---The Ethereal debuts an FTL drive system that is more difficult to detect with long range sensor arrays. 70% of going undetected on long range gravitic sensors, but cannot be mving faster than 3 ly/hour.

*Long Range Sensors---The Ethereal uses a militarized version of the same sensor suite used on the Piecemeal Exploration Cruiser; the arrays can pick up the FTL fingerprint of starships travelling up to 32 light years away, and can detect the gravity wells of planets and planetoids(of down to Plutonian size) up to 40 light years away within minutes of scanning(rather than days of observation). Can also measure solar flux from as far away as 15 light years away.

*Jamming Systems--- When passive stealth fails, the Ethereal can pump out enough electronic noise to overload most sensor systems; Jams enemy communications(radio band) in a 150,000 mile radius in space, 200 mile radius in atmosphere, civilian band communications with 98% effectiveness, military bands with 80% effectiveness. 75% chance of confusing guided missiles(especially ‘beam riders’ or radar-guided types).
-Enhanced ECM Suite----- The Ethereal has a powerful ECM suite for confusing sensor-guided weapons; -9 to strike


Weapons Systems:
1) Multimode Missile Launchers(6)--- Originally the Ethereal was to be armed with only medium range missile launchers, but it was decided to refit them with the multimode launchers proven on the Dark Justice-class taskships. They allow the ship to fire anything from mini-missiles to cruise missiles, through the larger ordnance cannot be fired in the same salvo-weights as comparable cruisers. These are the heaviest weapons integral to the ship; the missiles are frequently launched in ‘packs’, on a common bus shrouded by a temporary thermal and radar blanket until the missiles reach a good distance from the ship before lighting off their drives, in order to frustrate efforts to backtrack the missiles’ trajectory.
Range: Varies by Missile Type(x4 in space)
(Kitsune Values:
Cruise Missiles-- 8,000 miles in atmosphere and 4,000,000 miles in space.
Long Range Missiles-- 3,400 miles in atmosphere, 1,800,000 miles in space
Medium Range Missiles--160 miles in atmosphere, 80,000 miles in space
Short Range Missiles--- 10 miles in atmosphere, 500 miles in space
Mini-Missiles--- 2 miles in atmosphere, 100 miles in space)
Damage: Varies by Missile Type
Rate of Fire:(Cruise Missiles)Volleys of 1-3
(Long Range Missiles)Volleys of 1-4
(Medium Range Missiles)Volleys of 1-8
(Short Range Missiles)Volleys of 1-10
(Mini-Missiles)Volleys of 1-20
Payload:
(Cruise Missiles) 60 CMs per launcher
(Long Range Missiles) 80 LRMs per launcher
(Medium Range Missiles)120 missiles per launcher
(Short Range Missiles) 240 missiles per launcher
(Mini-Missiles) 480 missiles per launcher.
Additional missiles may be stored in the cargo holds and reloaded within 15 minutes

2) Point Defense Laser/Mini-Missile Turrets(14)
Range: (Lasers) 4,000 ft in atmosphere/2 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 2 miles in atmosphere /200 miles in space)
(Mini-Missiles) 1 mile in atmosphere/2 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 2 miles in atmosphere/ 100 miles in space)
Damage:(Lasers) 1d6x10 MD per blast
(Mini-Missiles) Varies by Missile Type; can fire the PS/ASI ‘S-Sting’ space missile and TW mini-missiles.
Rate of Fire:(Lasers) EGCHH, or auto-fire; 6 attacks per melee
(Mini-Missiles) Volleys of 1-8
Payload: (Rail Gun) Effectively Unlimited
(Mini-Missiles) 32 mini-missiles per turret; additional mini-missiles can be carried as cargo(typically takes 2d6 minutes to reload from the holds).

3) Point Defense Rail Guns(10)---Basic ‘flak’ burst-shooters.
Range: 2 miles in atmosphere, 4 miles in space
(Kitsune Values: 4 miles in atmosphere, 400 miles in space)
Damage: 3d6x10 MD per burst
Rate of Fire: EGCHH, or auto-fire; 6 attacks per melee
Payload: 1,000 burst drum; additional drums can be carried as cargo(typically takes 2d6 minutes to reload from the holds).

4) Modular Secondary Hull Pods(3)---Besides stealth, the real strength of the Ethereal is the ability to carry specialized mission pods. Typically these are used to carry deployable effectives, such as troops, raiders, or munitions. Weapons pods, such as cannon-pods, are also possible, but conflict with the main doctrine of the Ethereals of not getting involved in direct slugfests or shooting contests with other vessels.
a) Troops---Troop Complement: 3,500
b) Hangar Bay----Can hold 30 Aerospace Fighters(Star Ghosts are especially favored), OR 9 Stealth Scoutships(Wraith or‘Roswell’) OR 8 heavy shuttles OR 125 Aerospace Drones(typically half of which are Ectos)
c) Planetary Assault Pod---This pod carries the launch systems for freefall kinetic and explosive weapons meant to be deployed against surface targets(the ‘superbomber’ concept). Can typically carry up to 8,000 tons of deployable ordnance, such as the following:
a) Kinetic Bomb---Fairly typical 2 ton ‘rod from god’ high density kinetic penetrator
Range: Orbit to Surface
Damage: 2d6x100 MD; effective blast radius of 120 ft. Can penetrate up to 400 ft into solid rock, dropped from orbit.

b) Light Kinetic Penetrator Module ---Works similar to a WWII ‘Earthquake Bomb’. Kinetic weapons have the advantage of leaving little or no radiation to contaminate a battlefield or potential postwar acquisition. The LKP module actually carries three separate RVs on a maneuverable ‘bus’ stage, allowing three separate targets to be hit, or a single target to be bracketed. Each RV does 1d6x100 MD to a 100 ft radius and can penetrate up to 250 ft of loose soil(100 ft of rock or concrete)
Weight: 4 tons

c) Heavy Kinetic ‘Smasher’--- A single-shot warhead(no multiple warheads) weighing 12 tons. Hits with considerably greater velocity and kinetic energy. Does 1d6x100 MD to a 90 ft radius, and does DOUBLE damage to any fixed-foundation structures in a 200 ft radius, due to ground shock.

d) Heavy ‘MaxSlap’ KEW-----Designed to be ‘lobbed’ for maximum kinetic impact, the super-heavy bomb does 1d8x1,000 MD to 250 ft blast radius, and can penetrate up to 500 ft of earth(300 ft of rock or concrete), for attacking bunkers or undercutting larger structures.
Weight: 21 tons

e) Fuel Air Explosive Munition---A single warhead(no multiple warheads) non-nuclear area of effect weapon that disperses a cloud of volatile fuel droplets in a mist over the target area, then ignites it in a rapidly propagating explosion. Besides thermal damage, the real damage from this weapon comes in the massive overpressure shockwave that it creates, capable of forcing its way into open ducts and vents, and imploding vehicles and bunkers. Also known as a ‘Daisy Cutter’, it is often used to simultaneously secure and clear landing zones of obstacles(both sentient and material). The heavy FAEM can do 4d6x10 MD to a 500 ft radius, plus 3d6x10 MD to everything else in a 3,000 ft ft radius. Those caught within the blast radius are also likely (01-88%) likely to be bowled over by the blast and stunned, if not worse....
Weight: 15 tons

f) ElectroMagnetic Pulse Weapon---Designed to knockout unprotected electronics and power distribution networks, exploding at high altitude for maximum effect. Up to four of these weapons can be carried on a common ‘bus’.
Damage: 5d6x10 MD to 100 ft blast radius
EM effects: Used against unshielded power grids(such as cities and towns), the particle blast has a 99% chance of knocking down electrical systems, including vehicles, in an 100-mile radius of the point of detonation. Unprotected computers and other hardware not protected by surge protectors, and hooked into the common power grid, may still be affected up to a hundred miles or more away by power surges through the power lines.
The EMP is less effective against shielded systems such as those on space structures(25%) and military systems(10% for surface military vehicles), which are hardened against radiation.
Weight: 1 ton ‘bus’

g) Heavy Nuclear ‘SunBombs’---These are the heavy PS/ASI-made weapons used exclusively by their forces. They are rarely used against inhabited/habitable worlds(used against exclusively military targets).
Weight: 10 tons
Range: 1,000 miles(4,000 miles in space)
(Kitsune Values: 3,000 miles in atmosphere, 1,000,000 miles in space)
Damage: 2d4 x 1,000 MD to a 4.6 mile destruction radius

h) X-Ray Laser Bombs
Weight: 10 tons
Range: 1,000 miles(4,000 miles in space)+laser range
(Kitsune Values: 3,000 miles in atmosphere, 1,000,000 miles in space)+laser range
Damage: 1d4x1,000 MD laser blast; range 70 miles(Kitsune Value: 70,000 miles). Laser-reflective armors do NOT halve X-ray laser damage.---One-shot weapon that destroys itself in the process of firing.
Advanced models can target as many as 10 separate targets within range simultaneously.

i) Plasma Jet Bombs(aka ‘Casaba Howitzer’, or ‘Sunspot Bomb’)---A cousin of the X-Ray Laser Bomb and predecessor to the Plasma Torpedo, the Plasma Jet Bomb is essentially a shaped nuclear charge, generating a conical wave of super-excited plasma and radiation. The Plasma Jet Bomb lacks the range and multiple target engagement capability of the laser mine, but because it doesn’t expend all its force in all directions, it can produce higher damage than a regular omnidirectional plasma warhead.
Weight: 10 tons
Range: 1,000 miles(4,000 miles in space)+plasma range
(Kitsune Values: 3,000 miles in atmosphere, 1,000,000 miles in space)+plasma range
Damage: 1d6x1,000 MD plasma blast; range 30 miles(Kitsune Value: 30,000 miles), in a cone 30 degrees wide. The radiation also has a 60% chance of blanking out the target’s sensors for 1d6 melees---One-shot weapon that destroys itself in the process of firing.

j) TW Weapons---Based on the work done between Paladin Steel and its allies, strategic TechnoWizardry weapons are a safer, more ‘morally acceptable’ alternative to vaporizing enemy cities with nuclear weapons. TW warheads also have certain advantages against magic-vulnerable opponents. They are also lightweight, allowing more of them to be carried and deployed.
The downside is that strategic TW weapons are hellishly expensive in both the crystal matrices needed to hold the weapons-grade spells, and the high-level mage talent needed to produce and empower them.
Still, PS produces and deploys a wide variety of these weapons, just in case.
Weight: Each RV ‘bus’ weighs 1 ton.

j1)TW Disharmonize---Actually more of an airburst weapon that deploys thousands of small individual grenade-sized TW ‘skeet’ warheads over a wide area, that fall to an appropriate altitude for maximum effect, then explode, causing no initial physical damage, but sowing massive chaos throughout both military forces and civilian populations. Tremendously expansive in terms of magic energy investment, and relatively short-term in its effects, it nevertheless can be an effective weapon in disrupting an enemy’s defenses in advance of a raid or troop landing.
Each MIRV can carry up to 200 ‘skeets’ each
The carrier shell is designed as an airburst weapon(300-1,000 ft up), with the dispersal charge firing the skeets out on wide arc frisbeeing trajectories to cover a maximum area of effect. Each submunition skeet affects a 500 ft radius(some overlap is unavoidable), and effects last 50 minutes. Everyone caught in the area of effect must save versus magic or else lose HALF their attacks per melee, lose initiative, and be -20% to perform all skills. Furthermore
The beauty of this weapon is that the mage-munition officer or loader, if one is available, can , simply by touching the shell before loading and launching, and uttering a safing incantation(Magic telepathy or psionic telepathy will also do the trick), fuze the weapon to affect ONLY enemy soldiers...KNOWN allies are UNAFFECTED by the magic! Of course, if no such trained combat mage or psychic is available , then the ‘generic’ shell will affect EVERYONE in the area of effect.
Needless to say, however, at 150 PPE per submunition, these weapons are awfully expensive.

j2) TW Magma Weapon(RV)---Modified River of Lava spell, that creates a pool 450 ft in diameter instead, that lasts 15 minutes. If deployed in shallow water it lasts only 7 minutes and does HALF damage, but creates huge bubbles, kills local sea life, and produces a massive cloud of superheated steam that blinds anyone on the surface, fouls up thermographic imaging systems, and creates a belching sonar static that can screw up passive sonar systems in the area.

j3) TW Tsunami Weapon(RV)---Designed for attacking coastal targets,this weapon deploys up to 5 independently targeting RVs that each generate a tidal wave.
Each warhead creates a tidal wave roughly 150 ft high, 3,000 ft long, lasts 15 melees, reach as far as 450 ft inland, and does 4d6x10 MD per melee. Also has a 75% chance of capsizing any ships it catches.
Note: This weapon is INEFFECTIVE unless aimed at a sizable body of water, such as an ocean, large lake, or deep river.

j4) TW Hurricane Weapon(RV)----Ocean-attack weapon, but can also be used against large lakes. Each MIRV creates a massive sea storm that covers a 120 ft area, 100-150 mph winds, and 30 ft high waves. Does 3d6x10 MD per melee to large structures, and 1d6 MD to anyone caught out in the open. Effects last 15 minutes.

j5) TW Maelstrom Weapon(RV)---Another ocean-attack weapon, for attacking shipping and submarine warships/installations. Like the Tsunami Weapon, the ‘bus’ can deploy up to 5 independently targeting RVs that each generate a sizable whirlpool in any large body of water they are aimed at.
Whirlpools are 120 ft wide, lasts 15 minutes, and does 1d4x10 MD to anything caught in its center, 2d6x10 MD per melee to large ships, and 1d6x100 MD to hem if they get submerged or if the whirlpool ‘breaks the ship’s back’.

j6) TW Earthquake Weapon(RV)---Each warhead acts as a 15th level Elemental Earthquake spell; 3500 ft area of effect, doing 2d6x100 MD per melee, for fifteen melees. Generates a fissure 900 ft long, doing damage to everything within 600 ft on either side of it. A full spread of Earthquakers can destroy a county.

j7) TW Stormfront Weapon(RV)---Airburst warheads that unleash multiple Tornadoes(one per warhead), and an accompanying Summon Storm, all equivalent to the 15th level Elemental Warlock Spells.
Tornadoes are 100 ft in diameter, last 15 minutes, and do 3d6x10 MD per melee to anything caught by them, and an additional 2d6x10 MD to anything hurled out. Wood, clay, and stone structures take 4d6x10 points of damage(SDC or MDC), and trees are uprooted in one melee round. The tornadoes will also randomly wander about in a half-mile area before dispersing.
The storm element creates a drenching, obscuring downpour that drops 4 inches of rain per hour, does 1-6 points of structural S.D.C. per half hour, immobilizing floods, and reduces visibility to near zilch; storm covers a 14 mile area, and lasts 7 hours

Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-20
Payload: 80 free-fall RVs. Additional RVs may be carried as cargo(

d) Minelayer---- Can typically carry up to 125,000 tons of deployable ordnance, such as the following:

-X-Ray Laser Bombs----Nuclear explosive-pumped high energy laser
Weight: 10 tons
Range: 1,000 miles(4,000 miles in space)+laser range
(Kitsune Values: 3,000 miles in atmosphere, 1,000,000 miles in space)+laser range
Damage: 1d4x1,000 MD laser blast; range 70 miles(Kitsune Value: 70,000 miles). Laser-reflective armors do NOT halve X-ray laser damage.---One-shot weapon that destroys itself in the process of firing.
Advanced models can target as many as 10 separate targets within range simultaneously.

- Plasma Jet Bombs(aka ‘Casaba Howitzer’, or ‘Sunspot Bomb’)---A cousin of the X-Ray Laser Bomb and predecessor to the Plasma Torpedo, the Plasma Jet Bomb is essentially a shaped nuclear charge, generating a conical wave of super-excited plasma and radiation. The Plasma Jet Bomb lacks the range and multiple target engagement capability of the laser mine, but because it doesn’t expend all its force in all directions, it can produce higher damage than a regular omnidirectional plasma warhead.
Weight: 10 tons
Range: 1,000 miles(4,000 miles in space)+plasma range
(Kitsune Values: 3,000 miles in atmosphere, 1,000,000 miles in space)+plasma range
Damage: 1d6x1,000 MD plasma blast; range 30 miles(Kitsune Value: 30,000 miles), in a cone 30 degrees wide. The radiation also has a 60% chance of blanking out the target’s sensors for 1d6 melees---One-shot weapon that destroys itself in the process of firing.

- Gravitic Disruption Decoy Munitions
Weight: 10 tons

e) Missile Pod--- Mounts an additional battery of long range or cruise missile launchers. Typically these missiles are of the programmable ‘stealth’ models, with the ability to be launched ‘cold’ and programmed to coast into target range before lighting off their drives for the terminal approach.
Range: Varies by Missile Type(Long Range Missiles)
(Kitsune Values: 3,400 miles in atmosphere, 1,800,000 miles in space)
Damage: Varies by Missile Type(Long Range Missiles)
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1-10
Payload: 200 per launcher; additional missiles may be carried as cargo, and reloaded from storage.

f)-Tender Pod--- The Ethereal is sometimes tasked to act as a mothership or waystation for smaller vessels. Designed originally to work with the module-equipped Sunchaser- and Windfola-class corvettes, it’s since been modified to service other smaller craft. This pod is an expandable-framework holding additional modules(up to 90) to swap out with the smaller ships, and the apparatus needed to do it in the field. Other features include extendable repair and servicing armatures.

Auxiliary Craft:
Varies; typically at least one of the secondary hull pods is a dedicated hangar bay.
8 Shuttles(standard)

Variants:
The Ethereal is too new and specialized as it is to have gotten any variants as yet(and the modular hull pods take care of the matter anyway).

Expensive, yes, but its a role that's needed and their no other option, so it gets a pass by default. These sort of 'stiletto from the dark' methods can wrap things up far faster (and easier) than otherwise.

Office of Positive Outcomes..'Kicking down the front door after the trouble's begun in earnest isn't always the best way to deal with a problem."

The one thing everyone seems to forget... X-Ray bombs use a nuke as an innitator. EMP!!! From orbit, it can cause serious economic / electronic / electrical damage to large parts of the hemisphere under it!

Yeah, in earlier posts I note that PS/GNE has protocols against using 'city-buster'-grade nukes against planetary targets without several layers of high-level approval. Against enemy capital units in deep space? Weapons free,
'Post' nukes are likely used for a range of lesser-grade weapons apps, but there will still be some EMP.
I imagine, though, that for many of the higher-end civilizations of the Three Galaxies, the important electrical systems are hardened against just such EMP attacks, though negligence and economy will leave many worlds' grids barely covered.

And with regards to the coaster-missiles? Yes, in the example they were targeting(though it wasn't noted) orbital military infrastructure. It's even possible that the 'yards were around/on a moon without no/little civilian residency.
And then there's 'brilliant' AIs...not sentient, but comprehensively programmed to identify and home in on specific military-grade targets, or military-industrial spoor.
I might even write up a few of the smarter missile types for the sake of completeness.

Even under circumstances, it's possible that some civilian life might be claimed. as with the IJN Shinano super-carrier in WW2 which went down with a complement of civilian laborers/contractors who were fitting the ship for combat. But that's war for you.

Tell me about it... Right now, something like half to two thirds of the grid here in Canada would blow-out in a Carrington Event level storm...despite having first hand experinece back in the 80's(?) took out grids through Northern Quebec, the Territories, and even into areas south of 60 in Western Canada...
That having been said, hardening vs EMP is like a wrist watch...it's water RESISTANT, not PROOF.



Ah, it seemed that the implication was an indescriminate attack on planetary targets, *hoping* to take out industry and infrastructure.



Ah, true (although I've never heard of the incident before), but in this case, even though they are not combattants, I would mark them down as "legal casulaties," as they are working on a legitimate target.

FYI, the IJN Shinano was the third 'super battleship' hull laid down and would have been a sister ship to the Yamato and the Mushashi. The decision was made during the war to finish her as a much-needed aircraft carrier instead...she would have been gigantic. She was launched, but incomplete, and had to make a run through Japanese coastal waters to another shipyard to finish fitting her armaments and equipment. In addition to the aforementioned civilian laborers, Shinano was also carrying a load of kamikaze craft to shore off island defenses. As it was late in the war, she had a minimal escort, and the Japanese Imperial admiralty figured her speed and proximity to shore defenses would save her from any trouble.
A USN submarine on patrol said otherwise and torpedoed her to the bottom.

Ulterated carbon a device implanted in the base of your skull stores your memories, you then transfer your memories into a clone body allowing you to cheat death. Basically the clones in the tank are spare bodies.

Just remember, Gold Cross is still copyrighted.

GR-YIC-LInstelT-210 Depsar Light Transport
(aka ‘Can-Rod’, ‘Qik-Pikup’)
“You rarely see Depsers operating alone; that’s because they operate more economically if you got several of them on regular routes. The type of cargoes that would allow a Depser crew going solo are also the kind that would draw the sort of attention the can-rod’s just not equipped to handle.”

“A lot of in-system ‘space truckers’ are larger, more comfortable, and have more capacity than the Depsar, but supralight jump counts for a lot.”

“If you’re really looking for a low-end transport to make your own, invest in a Fenlock. No matter how good a deal you think you made saving money buying a Depsar, the amount of time and money you’ll spend trying to upgrade it into a worthwhile roamer will break you before you have a chance of making it back.”

“-it’s still cheaper than outfitting a super-can alone as a starship and less conspicuous.”

The Depsar is a light transport found throughout Golgan(and ex-Golgan) space, and a history dating back to the glory days f the Republik, though the design had little part of that glory.
In contrast to the often more streamlined and amphibian-inspired lines of other Golgan designs, the Depsar is utilitarian angular; a thick rectangular hull with a visored windshielded bridge atop one end, a drive pod with four wing fins more for hear radiation than aerodynamics at the other. A ventral cutout with hookups allows for the semi-external carriage of a single class-three ‘super can’ shipping container. What separates the Depsar from being simply a glorified cargo lighter is space in the drive module for a low-class FTL drive, allowing the ships to make extrasolar runs between solar systems.
The Depsar is inexpensive to produce, easy to maintain, and fairly straight forward to maintain, the Depsar is a common intersystem ‘pickup truck’ or delivery-van for small trade. However, its limited payload, cramped and spartan accommodations(a common room/deck below the cockpit, and two bunking areas in the ship’s ‘spine’ behind the cockpit and before the engine access), low-end performance and restricted range mean that it can only operate profitably on regularly-scheduled short runs. The Depsar thus became a popular short-run delivery vessel in the well-travelled starlanes of the Republik coreworlds and the more closely clustered of its territories. Hundreds of thousands of the ships were produced by the Depsar’s designers, the Yebiss Industrial Cartel, making them a fortune.
Unfortunately, when the Republik went into recession, many of its newly politically-independent territories were left holding a good percentage of those hundreds of thousands of short-tun delivery vans, vessels ill-suited for the sort of long-range, high-capacity interstellar trade those worlds needed to establish themselves as economically independent of the old Golgan Republik. Most were scrapped in favor of locally-produced designs, but other new polities. desperate for income or ships, modified their Depsars as best they could, or sold them to whoever would offer them money for the star-jumpers.
The Depsar is still in production in the Golgan coreworlds, but many thousands are available in the (former)outer territories, either older examples or newer ships turned out by appropriated factories. This ready availability of cheap hulls has made the type common with small low-end short-tun cargo transport companies and bounty-hunter/adventurer groups with shoestring budgets.

Type: GR-YIC-LInstelT-210
Class: Light Interstellar Transport
Crew: 3. An additional 3 passengers can be crammed in, but conditions will be close.
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 1,800
Bridge/Cockpit 500
Forward Sensor Array 300
Engine Nacelle 1,000
Radiator Fins(4) 300 each
Cargo Can 1,500
Height: 55 ft (75 ft with fins fully extended)
Width: 60 ft(75 ft with fins fully extended)
Length: 200 ft
Weight: 1,100 tons
Cargo: 200 tons
Powerplant: Nuclear Fusion w/ 30 year energy life
Speed:
(Atmosphere) Hover to Mach 3; transatmospheric.
(Sublight) Mach 5
(Kitsune Values: 20% of light speed; Accelerates/decelerates at 0.5% of light speed per melee)
(FTL) 2 light years per hour, generally
(Underwater) Not possible
Market Cost: 55 million credits
Systems of Note:
Standard light starship systems.
Weapons Systems: None standard, but has provision for mounting up to three light point defense weapons
Options:
Most operators outside the well-policed Golgan coreworlds add light commercial shielding or modify the engines.
Variants:
The Depsar’s been around long enough that many variants exist. Many operators forgo the FTL drive and outfit the Depsar as an in-system runner, gas-skimmer, or passenger shuttle. Others do away with the modular cargo can module and permanently affix a regular cargo hold or personal accommodations in its place.
Out of sheer desperation, a few of the ex-Republik satrapies have modified their Depsars into system patrol boats, maxing the number of defense turrets and replacing the cargo module with a missile launcher pod(usually holding 40-60 long range missiles or twice that number of medium range missiles).

That does sound quite desperate indeed, honestly not envying the poor sobs who get shangaied in piloting such patrol boats.

Personally, i suspect making them into "shoestring budget bombers", easy to mass produce along with an equally disposable payload of drones or missiles might be a more agressive yet practical use of them.

Alternatively such tugs full of drones might make for an economical scoutships to probe and prospect the mineral and resources potential of unexplored star systems.

Honestly that is a good way of making use of a space pickup truck...as long as you have a good mothership to carry them out to the galactic wilds where they'd do the most good.

Well, it all depends on how close or far one's "core" systems are from those so-called galactic wilds anyway. Not to mention that rim sectors all too frequently may have barely explored or abandoned areas just waiting for reevaluation just beside trade routes of local relevance.

True....
Though one might want a better 'probe dumpship' if the sector competition for resources is stuff or pirates are in the area....
And so a 'cakewalk' or 'punishment' job for the PCs becomes VERY exciting, especially if the others in the scenario have better ships....

Well, that's governmental logistics for you. What is most cost-effective for the state/beneficial for taxpayers' eyes frequently is not the most convenient (or safe) for public officials or outsourced contractors....

That said, a detachment of "nukebox Depsars" might be a way to set up some bootstrap security for such budget prospectors. Could be specially galling for pirates or other potential attackers if there's little to nothing to differentiate one variant from the other - until they start to run or explode things, that is.

Maybe a 1/3-to-2/3 or 40-to-60 "bombers to combers" ratio within a mothership's scouting complement? Thinking such "scouting/finecombing forces" could be occasionally used in some "border flexing" actions, to test the presence and degree of commitment of one's neighbors in some frontier spots...

That sort of combining variants /functions might be a good MO of ex-Golgan satrapies who a) find themselves short of purpose-built ships but have a surplus of light transports left behind when the Republik pulled out, b) desperately need resources because closer sources got effectively strip-mined during the Republik's occupations, c) have a lawlessness problem in the section of space since the Golgan forces pulled out, and d) need to train up and blood their (re)forming space navies until better ships become available.

Indeed, all of those are practical reasons for some splinter polity of the Golgans to engace into such extensive weaponization of what even as a civilian ship wasn't that great of a model in the first place.

Beside these, having a limited infrastructure when it comes to the effective production of larger, more powerful or advanced models is another major issue that a number of these ex-satrapies might have dealt with. I imagine all too many of them found out considerable holes in their industrial capacities once the easy access to the Golgan Republik's industrial park vanished in the first years of their newly-gained autonomy, making it dependent on imports from the Republik or other neighbors to patch them up - or not and suffer for it.

So you develop as many variants upon what you can already produce, while making ends meet until you have the budget to build or import what you actually want.
If one is really sensible, they might even learn some lessons in the process to be applied in the acquisition or development of their next generation gear and vehicles, the degree of catching up actually accomplished since secession varying considerably, to say the least.

I'm imagining the French motorscooter(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vespa_150_TAP#:~:text=Surely%20one%20of%20the%20oddest,to%20carry%20a%20recoilless%20rifle.) with the recoilless gun mounted on it as an example of a post-war/occupation attempt to make up for industrial R&D losses.

The Depsar is more of a pickup or van than a scooter by your own description, but yeah, whatever works for one's circunstances.

I've seen photos...

Fun part is, If I recall the design of the rifle correctly, some of the blow-out ports are under your heinie if you don't dismount it first.
Don't know about you, but I like my man-parts where they are, and uncooked, thank you!

I admit the Bazooka-scooter inspired a Robotech Bloopers frankenmech of a MAC destroid cannon mounted on a Cyclone. The one test shot recoil-blasted the prototype through several safety berms, the test center, and several vehicles in the parking lot....

Retest it with missile ordinance.

As long as you're not driving, the blinding from the flare from the motor shouldn't kill you!

The only question I have...why would anyone consider a weapon about 13m long and almost half a metre in diameter as something that *could* be mounted on something that masses less than a tenth of the recoil energy level?

The annals of technological development are laced with examples of boneheaded ideas that from a broader, more reasoned and worldly, perspective, should never have been tried. Take you pick; local pork-barreling, R&D cost gouging, or just plain ignorance of all the science involved or of the flow of world events, to name a few.
In this case, though, it was pure crack of the genius Robotech engineers trying something so ...so...absurd, to put it mildly.

Cut to Doctor Lang, upon hearing of the incident, reaching for the liquor bottle in his desk....

"Do not design while under the influence of Zentraedi cigarettes. Just....don't. "Cancer cannons" were not made with baseline human metabolism & brain chemistry in mind."

Well, not every R&D proejct can be a Molotov Cocktail or AK-series example of low cost ingenuity....

Life Stations
“We’d almost forgotten we had a life shelter with the automated lithium-cracking station out on Expeos Nine until one day our boards lit up with ancient comm-code telling us the station had been activated. Good thing we kept that channel listed on our comm-scan routines, because the crew of that wayward Warlock d-jumper were in BAD shape when they checked in at the shelter.”

“We typically seed most of these stations on low gravity bodies in outer solar systems or in the intersystem voids...there’s a lot of gravity-dimpling garbage out there like rogue planets, brown dwarves, and dust clouds...because ceegee drives like to conk out around gravity wells, so there’s a greater chance of mishap survivors being in the area to take advantage of the stations. That, there’s less need to planet-proof the stations and it’s easier to pull up and land in a micro-gee body if your ship or lifepod’s got compromised hull integrity.”

“Between the damn Exiles claiming our stations as ‘salvage’ and what seems like every new emergent spacefaring species in the Fringe stumbling across our life shelters and bootstrapping their technology from what they pull from them, it’s virtually impossible and increasingly economically unviable to maintain the life station network in the Outer Dark. Tough luck for the legitimate spacers who need help in a crisis.”

While FTL propulsion seems to shrink the universe to near-nothing, the fact remains that space is still VAST. If a ship’s stardrive comes to grief that means it can be dozens or hundreds of light years from help. Unless the crew manages to get off an eftell message detailing their exact position where they came to grief, help may not be able to find them for DECADES in the void. To improve the odds(infinitesimally, it’s admitted, but that’s still better than nothing) of survival for starship crews and apssengers, many of the larger and better-resourced stellar polities establish networks of automated life stations where stranded survivors might find them.

A Life Station typically is a reinforced shelter or space station with the life support and housing capacity for 50-500 people/lifeforms, and supplies for up to a year of occupancy. The stations will have general medical supplies and an FTL beacon and radio. Many will have stasis facilities for keeping the severely injured stable until help can arrive, or to stretch available resources in event help cannot come immediately. Some stations include the means to manufacture fuel, air, and basic foodstuffs as long as they have power and material, extending their endurance greatly. Some life stations sit next to automated factory or refueling facilities that gather and refine useful materials like life support essentials and repair equipment.

Two general forms of life stations exist: the open usage and the covert .
Open Usage life stations are open to all comers who require shelter. Their locations are general knowledge and posted with updated piblic-access space charts. Indeed, OULSs openly advertise their presence and location by continually broadcasting on select radio frequencies. In regions where local authorities have the resources to mount regular patrols, checking life stations is a regular part of the patrol routine.
The downside of OULSs is that their locations ARE known; less scrupulous travelers and organizations may use the stations as convenient supply depots or to steal their technology, leaving them useless for legitimate survivors in need of help. For this reason, many OULSs include automatic ‘occupied’ beacons that trip when they are accessed, the signals alerting any authorities in the area that the station is in active use.

Covert Life Stations are typically established by military organizations to give their crews refuges in event they come to grief near enemy territory. These caches of life-saving equipment are concealed and camouflaged from casual detection, and their locations known only on special charts made available only to select personnel. They may reveal their location only in response to coded signals. These shelters have means of signaling help, but only if the transmitters are accessed with special key-codes which are, of course, only provided to the buiilder organization’s operatives. Effectively deep space safehouses, CLSs provide stranded aerospace crews with an added safety net.

Still, a good number of these outposts go unused, or are vandalized. Many are the tales of first contact being amde with emergenct spacefaring species who, still in their impulse rocketry stage, have come across dormant lifestations and activated them, summoning response from more advanced neighbors.

The more well-to-do members of the Consortium of Civilized Worlds set up and maintain elaborate networks of life stations around the core systems, and the CCW in general maintains, at public expense, a broader web around the outer worlds. Likewise the United Worlds of Warlock(though it’s rumored that many of theirs have inscribed Cucles of Teleportation that allow rescue teams to instantly d-jump to activated life stations). The Golgan Republik in its heyday established a network of emergency stations through its territory, although nowadays, for security and economics, only the coreworld stations are maintained. The United Systems Alliance and other smaller polities with the resources build adhoc shelter systems where they can, though this is subject to what they can afford to maintain and police. The TransGalactic Empire maintains only a covert network accessible only to the high-rank military and officials of the government. The Free Worlds Council also maintains a shadow network of concealed shelters and safehouses for their operatives and military crews. Evidence of older cultures establishing similar networks is often confirmed by exploration teams stumbling across isolated outposts and facilities in the galactic wilds; some of these stations have been dated as being in the hundreds of thousands of years old, and a rare few are astonishingly still in perfect working order, even if nobody answers the assistance phone.

Those two can lead to some interesting things together, with some pre-FTL civilization hopping from place to place through rifts or some barely functional native FTL reverse-engineered from the obscure tech of some lost civilization they are now frantically tracking down to further bootstrap their hi-tech base, while bumping and crossing the path of people across a dozen star nations that currently occupy the same space and know little to nothing of this mostly forgotten group the newcomers are so obsessed about.

Carl Sagan in the original Cosmos series briefly speculated about a 'what-if' scenario involving two cultures, one with the ability to make short jumps between stars and another capable of staging much longer voyages, intermeshing each others' territories before even becoming aware of each other...

*WZ-ESS-2258 Firestorm Exploratory and Surveillance Ship
(With a nod to Omegasgundam’s -ESS-2260 upgrade. TW sensor stats by Kitsune)
Variants:
*WZ-ESS-2261-MKX Firestorm Variant
“If nothing else, both the Kretig War and our own poking in regions of the megaverse has taught us that conditions exist that can inhibit virtual shielding...and curiousity makes for poor physical protection...”

“The Mik-Ex fairly crawls in normal space but that just teaches us to be even more careful. A lot of the new MKX crews like to remain outside target systems’ hyper thresholds and use probes and small craft a lot to poke around. They see anything dangerous coming out of the gravity wells, the distance increases the time the Firestorm has to jump to FTL where it DOES have a speed advantage.”

“We’d still like to have a couple of bigger guns to shoot back with, but odds are, with the improved armor and shields, anything that might pose a danger to that would probably laugh at bigger popguns. Anyways, we usually travel with a warship escort. All the same, captains have been ordering a few extra drones with ‘enhanced self destruct packages’ to fit on the outer racks, just in case.”

The WZ-ESS-2261-MKX is an up-armored version of the WZT--versatile ‘Firestorm’, meant for extended operations away from logistical support. The design was commissioned by Greater New England with exploring its own galactic backyard in mind. More basic physical armoring was felt necessary when facing the unkown, given the relative fragility of the baseline -ESS-2258 configuration.
The -ESS-2261 builds on the improvements of the -ESS-2260 upgrade, but focuses on physical structure and propulsion The change in armor formulation, plus the added hull reinforcement, have increased the Firestorm-MKX’s mass by 25%, and that in turn has affected its acceleration/deceleration profile, compensated somewhat by upgrades to the propulsion, and overall cost has risen, but crews assigned to the new -MKXes feel the changes are well worth it.
Main deployment of the -ESS-2261-MKX has been to the GNE’s Milky Way galaxy cotiniuum, but a few have been deployed in the Three Galaxies, especially on extragalactic surveys to the island galaxies.

Type:WZ-ESS-2261-MKX Firestorm
Class: Exploratory and Surveillance Ship
Crew: 540
MDC/Armor by Location:
Main Body 110,000
Bridge 12,000
Reinforced Crew Compartments(2) 16,000 each
Sensor/Drive Blade-Vanes(4) 8,000 each
Hangar Bays(2) 8,000 each
Engines 30,000
Point Defense Turrets(14) 200 each
Variable Forcefield * (36,000 total , 6,000 per side)

*Shield Refresh Rate is 25% per melee

Height: 1440 ft (480 m)
Width: 1440 ft (480 m)
Length: 1800 ft (600 m)
Weight: 125,000 tons
Cargo: 8,000 tons
Powerplant: Advanced Lucerin-fueled Nuclear Fusion w/ 50 year energy life
Speed:
(Atmosphere) Not possible
(Sublight) Mach 5.5
(Kitsune Values: 60% of light speed; Accelerates/decelerates at 0.55% of light speed per melee)
(FTL) 6 light years per hour
(Underwater) Not Possible
Market Cost: 8.6 billion credits
Systems of Note:
Standard Starship Systems, plus;

*Multiple Redundancy Life Support Systems---The bridge and twin life compartments have their own independent life support and power systems, allowing occupants to survive for prolonged periods in event of a disaster that might cripple or destroy the vessel’s main systems.

*Advanced Long Range Sensors---Extreme range of 9 million miles.

*Long Range Astrometric Sensors---These have been upgraded to full miliatry spec and no longer have the shortcoming of slow resolution time on smaller faster moving objects like fighters. The arrays can still pick up the FTL fingerprint of starships travelling up to 100 light years away, and can detect the gravity wells of planets and planetoids(of down to Plutonian size) up to 80 light years away within minutes of scanning(rather than days of observation). Can also measure solar flux from as far away as 30 light years away.
Furthermore, the Firestorm’s advanced gravitic sensors can pick up interdimensional Rift activity at 100 light years, and large singularities, such as black holes, at nearly twice that range.
Other sensors in this group include radio astronomy, gravimetric charting, quantum particle detectors, and space/time flux registers. Additional instruments may be ‘plugged in’ as needed/developed.

*Tractor Beams(6)----Effectively each rated for 1,000 tons dead weight, but can be used for imparting small changes in momentum/direction to ships/structures several times that mass.
Range: 5 miles in space(NOT usable in atmosphere)(Kitsune Values: 5,000 miles in space).

*Ectofiber Insulation Grid---The refined version of this was added in light of the USA’s experience with magic in its explorations. THe spreading effects of The Flash across the Milky Way also make it imperative that exploration ships have some sort of insulation against paranormal violence.
-Magical Attacks do HALF damage/effect

*Dimensional Flux Shielding---The large ‘vanes’ produce a powerful space/time ‘anchor’ that shields the ship and its crew from external space/time flux...In a way, this is a technological equiavlent of an Astral or Spacial Mage’s feat of creating an Astral/Spacial Realm, only much cruder and limited(the crew cannot change the laws of physics within the field to suit their needs/desires.....though supposedly research is looking into that promising aspect of the technology). This also means that it is nearly impossible for magical or dimensional teleports to happen inside the ship while the vanes are in operation.
This also means that the ship enjoys a +15% to piloting rolls to manuever to break out of gravitational and dimensional storms and other phenomena. Damage associated with ley line storms, dimensional vortexes, and Rift Cannon are reduced by 75%.

*ORACLE Mk V---Omni-diRectional Aura Classification and Locator Electronics---A TW development of the SNARLS PPE Scanner, this system consists of a series of advanced Technowizardry scanner systems(TW optic mounts, static crystal PPE meters, and whatnot) stationed around the ship, feeding into a central computer system with special TW-derived interface program algorithms. The system is designed to detect incoming magical/paranormal attacks and alert the crew to them(hopefully in time to allow them to take defensive measures). Linkage to the Ectofiber Grid has increased the sensitivity and effectiveness of this system.
See Aura: Slightly different than the spell in that it can scan an entire target such as a ship or station. The enchantment can be used to target a single individual but only have one tenth normal range when being used in that matter. Costs 60 P.P.E. per activation due to extended range. Range: 1,000 miles (1,610 kilometers) in space and 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) in an atmosphere. Effects / Abilities: Gives an approximate count of the number of life forms onboard. Gives the average level of experience, highest level of experience, and lowest level of experience [Given in these terms: Low (1-3), medium (4-7), high (8th and up).] Tells if there is any magic onboard. Gives if there are any psychics onboard (Mind Block will prevent detection), Gives a general count on the amount of P.P.E. the target has (basically the P.P.E. of the crew and any devices which store P.P.E.). Detects if there is any kind of possession. Finally sees if the crew or ship has any unusual aberrations.
• See the Invisible Sensors: The ships has several special optical and other sensor systems with see the invisible on them. Same as spell and used at will (requires no P.P.E. to activate). Range: 2,000 miles (3,220 kilometers) in space and 2 miles (3.2 km) in an atmosphere. Effects / Abilities: Can see forces, objects, and creatures which can turn invisible, or are invisible. Can also see vaporous beings and astral bodies.
• Sense Magic: The ship has sensors which the give the ability to detect active magic. Similar to spell and used at will (requires no P.P.E. to activate). Range: 200,000 miles (322,000 kilometers) in space and 200 miles (320 km) in an atmosphere. Effects / Abilities: detects the presence of magic if within detection range of ship and gives bearing on magic and basic range although not exact position. Detects active enchantments but will not generally detect spell casters in general.
• Sense Rifts: Ship has sensors which effectively allow Rifts to be detected(requires no P.P.E. to activate). Range: 500,000 miles (805,000 kilometers) in space and 500 miles (805 km) in an atmosphere. Effects / Abilities: Detects the presence of Rifts (including those created by Rifts Drives) and unlike when detecting magic gives position very accurately.

Weapons Systems: None standard, but most operators mount at least point defense weaponry; a standard configuration follows:

1) Point Defense Turrets(14)---The upgraded Firestorm uses the same modular PDS systems as have been adopted across the United Systems Alliance fleets.


Auxiliary Craft:
24 Shuttles or Aerospace Fighters
Numerous unmanned probes and recon satellites
The -ESS-2261-MKX also has exterior hardpoints for carrying 4 collapsed configuration ‘battle ring’ battlelite platforms modified into heavy instrument platforms and FTL communications relays. In th alternative, these can eb repalced with automated astroid mining rigs.

On a slight tangent, does anyone know of any sources for ships appropriate for a small band of adventurers?

Nearly everything I can find in my books is either ridiculously oversized or a tiny two-man fighter craft. Nothing like a Millenium Falcon-sized courier or frigate suitable for 6-8 people and 2-3 vehicles (shuttlecraft, land vehicle, and maybe a hoverbike or two).

It seems like a really weird class of ship to exclude for the most part in an RPG.