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Aloneinthe Dark Setting
Aloneinthe Dark Setting
In long eons past, long before the even the earliest scratches were made by man into the rocks,
an alien race took to the stars and discovered the network of what humanity would come to call
fold nexuses. This race became so great as to even discover how to fold space to their will. Once free
from the bonds of naturally occurring folds, these people embarked on a new age of exploration to
points previously inaccessible even to them.
One of the many systems they visited was Sol, studying the third planet keenly, seeing the
blossom of life the Maker had planted there. The leaders of this race had wisely left the life
discovered about the galaxy in the hands of creation, fearing the far reaching consequences of their
own interference. Yet there was a faction who were drawn to the fate of this planet’s people, feeling
great sadness that they would be locked away from the rest of the universe by the Maker's denial to
place a fold nexus as had been done in so many other life bearing systems. So they created an
artificial nexus, hidden far enough from Sol III to ensure that whoever slipped the bonds of gravity
could only leave their home system when they had become a sufficiently advanced and worthy
civilization.
Those who objected to this course of action would be well vindicated long after their people
had abandoned this reality, for the seemingly beneficent gesture would have dire consequences for
humanity and the worlds they touched. It would seem the Maker had a good reason to leave
humanity where it was.
Ad Astra
In 2067 the NASA probe Star Finder II found something far more interesting than stars with
its experimental sensor package. The anomalous signal was intriguing enough to mission control
that a portion of its precious fuel was burned to change course. What they found in a distant Jovian
orbit kicked off a frantic space race that not only exponentially expanded humanity's technology, it
triggered a bloody war that changed the long established order of nations and alliances of earth.
The powerful countries balkanized into regional authorities, desperately clinging to one
another to stall the slide into global collapse triggered while trying to grasp the stars. The poor
nations continued to suffer, ever pawns of the great powers. Three great alliances battled on earth
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and in space, destroying much but unable to grasp victory as the global economy crumbled into
oblivion and the conscripts lost the will to wage their masters' wars.
By 2115 the three alliances had realized the war was unsustainable and signed the Jupiter
Accords, which established neutral zones on and around earth, as well as at the Jupiter gate and
wherever it led to. Once it could be studied in peace, a nexus key device was invented that could
finally open the gate. A joint scout ship was—after many ridiculous demands and concessions all
around—sent through to arrive with great wonder in the Tau Ceti system. A neutral zone was
mapped out, initial scans performed and the scout returned home to a new interstellar civilization.
The new horizons turned humanity's eyes outward to exploration and possibility and away
from the old hatreds it had bled over. With the search for hidden treasures and new worlds to
colonize, mankind aspired once again to the hope of a united race and united world. The Earth
Prosperity League (EPL) was instituted to give all nations a voice in their new interstellar society.
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Fomalhaut II was obliterated in September that same year when the colonial alliance refused once
again to surrender. Colonial leadership knew the EDL was so desperate that no colony was safe and
the CDF was stretched too thin to protect most worlds. The war had to be ended soon. A daring
military campaign to capture the Tau Ceti side of the star gate was launched in hopes of being able
to trap EDL fleets in the "fatal funnel" of the one place from which they could leave Sol.
It was a bravely fought, yet pyrrhic, victory. The defeated Earth fleet survivors fled through the
gate to Sol knowing the bloodied remnants of the Colonial Defense Force could not hope to
withstand the counter attack. The colonial commander knew this was true and was faced with a
grim choice.
solar transit:
Mega-corps have been a powerful force in the doings of Earth for hundreds of years. When the
stars opened these corporations followed—and often lead—their customers into space. They were
able to establish their own operations unfettered by the restraints of terrestrial governments. When
the gate was destroyed those corporate assets stranded in Sol saw the writing on the wall; the
terrestrial governments were going to adopt a might makes right policy (which the corps often
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supported when it favored them) and co-opt company assets for 'security reasons.' The companies
banded together for self-defense and the ability to better exploit whatever opportunities the new
solar order might present. Any company that had the assets or influence to be deemed useful was
allowed into the new conglomeration—the others sold their assets to the highest bidder or were
annexed by Earth.
Thus was Solar Transit formed. It is a brutally efficient organization driven by the desire to
maintain its ability to leverage a 'free market' by remaining free from the burdensome legislation of
a tyrannical earth, which is to say that the board doesn’t like the competition. ST is willing to do
business with anyone, even Scrapers, and are able to use lethal force to protect their assets or open
new opportunities, whichever is more cost effective. Robotics and automation are the secret of
Solar Transit's success. Their engineers were able to refit their older fleet, build new ships, and
maintain their facilities with very few human staff. This saves on life support and payroll, two
major expenses for any space power.
Even so, all resources are tightly controlled in ST facilities. Some employees (they gave up the
childish moniker "team members" long ago) are paid only in food and water. Their main office is a
massive industrial complex on Titan, policed by brutal automated security bots and auditing
programs.
Solar Transit is governed as company, with a CEO, a board of directors, and regional vice
presidents. Labor is divided by departments and most employees will remain in the same
department for life. Small families are encouraged and a very limited number of skilled immigrants
are allowed to replace their aging workforce. The current CEO, Marston Fripps, is somewhat
militant minded and has decided that negotiations need to be backed by steady shows of force. The
board is somewhat skeptical of that philosophy, but has of yet decided to put it to vote of
confidence, as there are indications that negotiations have been more successful of late.
Tactics and fleet philosophy: Solar Transit prefers not to engage in any activity that would
result in a profit loss, including the high cost of ship repairs. All fleet operations involve either
protection of assets or escorting valuable convoys, with the occasional assault on the competition
thrown in. Their ships are highly automated, allowing a small crew to man combat vessels. ST ships
take advantage of bot repair systems, warbots (for WA use), and drone fighters to keep the human
commanders, called command executives, as safe as possible. Due to construction constraints, ST
craft are seldom larger than frame size 4, save for a handful of large freighters running between
frame 5-7.
Rules: the abilities of automation being what they are, and with combat executives trying to get
promoted to safety as quickly as possible, ST ships lack green or veteran crews.
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scrapers:
Scrapers are opportunistic rogues and vagabonds who live by any means necessary, mostly
resorting to piracy and scavenging. They started as a group of engineers and miners of the
Interstellar Space Workers Union working for JoCorp, one of the founding companies of what is
now Solar Transit. As a cost cutting measure, the workers were being loaded onto ships under the
pretense of a work transfer but were instead being shipped to Earth against their will and dropped
planet side with a pittance of severance and no chance to say farewell to friends and family. When
the union found out what was going on the company claimed it was contractual. The union
disagreed and went on strike, effectively taking over Jove Station. The negotiations turned bloody
and the halls of the station where the fighting was heaviest are painted red to this day, though few
now know why.
The company shut down life support remotely. By the time the workers regained control of
Jove Station's systems, dozens more had died. Finding ongoing resistance, JoCorp abandoned the
ruined station as a tax write-off. Soon other union workers and those willing to fight the mega-
corps migrated to Jupiter to help Jove station survive. The original workers are dead, what
memories that survive are carried on by their decedents. But Jove is manned mostly by newer
arrivals with no connection to the original union. Solar Transit is however still reviled by all
Scrapers.
Jove Station is ruled by an ever shifting council of bosses who are part of the council if they
have power and influence to force their way on. The station is divided into 'crews' which are the
family structure for the Scrapers. They band together for mutual defense in times of need but
otherwise it is dangerous to wander in another crew's territory. They are near anarchist and one
will find anything from idealistic rebels to sociopathic pirates in their ranks.
Disputes are handled by bribes or violence but there is a tacit sense of honor that underpins
Scraper society. There are several other smaller bases scattered throughout the system, notably in
the asteroid belt. Against all odds, these brigands have become a solar force to be reckoned with.
Jove Station has grown in size as the hulls of scavenged ships are attached by those with the know-
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how and power. With no formal educational facilities, workers learn their skills by apprenticing
with masters. Certain crews are known for expertise in specific fields and sometimes children can
be sent to other crews to learn their trade.
Tactics and Fleet Philosophy: Scrapers are seldom interested in prolonged fights, preferring to
flee stronger enemies and overwhelm weaker ones. Having little industrial ability, they specialize in
scavenging from the dead and robbing the weak to survive. They follow trader convoys and military
patrols they feel may run into trouble. To this end their ship designs focus on speed to close and
use laser streamers disarm, disable, and cut away cargo pods from weak prey. Many will have at
least one cargo bay subsystem for their loot.
Rules: Always Watching; Dilapidated Fleet; Glad They Got Away.
Colors: varied, but commonly a red skull on a black star field.
Ship of Note: The Flying Iris is a heavily armed space brothel operated by Marybelle Grunyon,
boss of the Rockmen crew. Marybelle, often shortened to "Maybe," scraped together a crew and
ship and took her business off Jove Station after suffering from the constant internecine warfare.
She not only visits other scraper outposts but provides services for any customers they come across
in space. It is armed on the outside and luxurious on the inside. The cargo boxes represent the
spaces where business is conducted.
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policies that cannot be comprehended by the common citizen or those running for office; it often
seems the ED instead appoints the congress. The current president is Pavel Angrovski, a vile and
unpopular war-monger known for his brutal efficacy.
Most of the population resides in dilapidated and overcrowded mega-cities. Wealthier citizens
and government facilities are located in lush, walled cities with restricted access. The current
center of culture and government earth-side is Phoenix City while the president and a good portion
of the congress reside on the well-armed Liberty Station in L5 orbit.
Tactics and fleet philosophy: the Republic holds a large number of aging, but still battle-
worthy vessels from the EPL. They have managed to keep both the fleet and the fleet repair
facilities in working order. The EPL believed in versatility and as such the 3R fleet follows the same
design philosophy, deploying large ships carrying a wide array of subsystems and weaponry to face
the other solar powers. Their task forces are generally centered on a large cruiser, drone carrier, or
command ship with several mid-sized escorts.
Rules: none
Colors: earth globe wreathed with lighting.
Ship of Note: Victorious. The Third Republic is the proud owner of the largest craft in the solar
system, not so aptly named, Victorious. It is a survivor of the colonial insurrection and was being
refit over Earth at the time of the gate's destruction. The craft is constantly parked in orbit near
Liberty Station where it is used more as a venue for political events than as a war-ship. It seldom
deploys but the crew is rotated to provide veterans in case it is needed. Unfortunately these
assignments are often driven more by politics than merit, so the Victorious can never have a
veteran crew. It is kept as safe as possible as its destruction would be a terrible blow to 3R esteem.
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views in the hard times to come. Legislation that encoded Islam into European law was popularly
enacted and large swathes of Northern Africa were brought into the newly dubbed European
Caliphate. When the heresy dictates were enacted the European descended minority began to flee
or fight back. It was a bloody time for Europe
Devotion in the times since has waxed and waned. The holy men of Islam wrestled with the
challenge of maintaining Islam’s dominance while at the same time preventing the skilled yet
secular European labor force from being driven away or destroyed. Islam itself still faced sectarian
conflicts among the different sects. An Islamic reformation slowly spread to keep the Caliphate
united, impure though it may become.
Social, business, and government institutions still favor the devout adherents of which ever
sect holds sway, but violence against non-believers has largely subsided. All high officials,
parliament members, and military officers must be approved by the Righteous Council Of The
Angels Of Persia, a group of powerful imams. This ensures that even though the masses might be
largely left alone about their beliefs, the ruling elites are vetted based on their devotion, or
appearance thereof, to the imams. Currently those of European ancestry are finding it hard thrive
under the bigoted religious majority.
The Caliphate suffers from the same stratification as most nations in that there is a vast social
barrier between the elites and commoners. One notable achievement of the Caliphate is the
successful development of Northern Africa, as some of the technology developed by the Earth
Prosperity League for colonization was used in the Arab wastes. It is an accomplishment, even if it
is rightly criticized as an effort to keep the caliph’s large army of soldiers and indentured servants
fed. They now have a skilled labor force able to feed its war-machine, which keeps a wary eye
always on Liberty Station.
The orbital station Gabriel’s Star Brightness (formerly Berlin station) in L4 orbit acts as the
civil headquarters of the Caliphate and new Ka'ba in Saudi Arabia is the religious center. The
traditional Muslim sites of Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem have all been destroyed at one point or
another in earth's violent history.
Tactics and fleet philosophy: the Caliphate’s predecessors inherited many of the surviving EPL
ships stranded in Sol. Unfortunately they were unable maintain those ships, lacking the facilities
and skilled workforce to do so. Much of the current fleet is made up of reassembled components of
those ships, though the Caliphate recently brought a small ship yard on-line in L4 orbit. Their
tactics are simple and their fleet is designed around the ability to move fast, keep away, drop
remote sensors, and swarm the enemy with long range missiles. Few of their ships are large due to
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their shipyard limitations, but a swarm of small missile craft releasing swarms of missiles is a
fearful sight to behold on the scanner.
Rules: none
Colors: earth globe wreathed with lighting.
Ship of Note: The Djinn is a refitted EPL cruiser, one of the few in their fleet to remain
operational. It was the lone survivor of a major battle near Venus against the Third Republic. It did
not perform very well but it did have a special passenger, Imam Abdul Rauf Dajani. The Djinn’s
survival was accredited to the holy man’s presence and has become not only a holy site for space
pilgrimage, it is also Abdul’s jail where he is an honored prisoner, not allowed to leave. The ship
was upgraded after the battle and fitted with a full set of new missile launchers. Though it is not as
fast as their newer missile ships, Caliphate command and its crew willing fly her into any situation
with religious fervor and a belief in that the blessed ship is nigh on indestructible. Only the most
skilled and devout crew are given the honor to serve.
sovereign mars:
Mars colony is the oldest and most developed of humanity's off-world colonies, boasting close
to 100 million citizens at the time of the gate collapse. Even then it was a reluctant source of
support for the EPL and several attempted political coups were violently put down. After the
collapse, the Mars council could smell blood in the wind and with the help of a full squadron of
defecting EPL warships, they declared themselves Sovereign Mars. The fighting was brutal but
when the EPL realized more of the warships it had sent had also chosen to defect, Mars was written
off as a great, but temporary, loss. The Third Republic and the Caliphate both eye Mars greedily.
Martian society is the closest thing to a free society left in Sol that isn't an anarchy—if one is
smart. They press hard to develop the education and science that has been lost, to the point that it
is effectively becoming a technocracy. Those with the inclination and ability to pursue scientific
fields are greatly favored—both culturally and officially—in their career opportunities and
educational benefits. Those with minds turned to more artistic or other less lofty pursuits will find
little support or encouragement.
Mars has much going for it in the way of culture and infrastructure, but is resource poor,
making trade agreements with Earth critical. Their technology and fleet assets prefer using
renewable energy for weapons and defense. The Demos ship yards is one of few in the solar system,
giving Mars a strong hand militarily, despite its smaller size.
The Martian capital is a large ring city around Olympus Mons connected to the lower level by
an impressive tether elevator. Each sector of the colony appoints representatives to the Martian
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Council. Security forces have been clamping down recently after a failed attempt by Caliphate
agents to destroy the Mons elevator. This is causing tension in the populace and bringing the messy
issues of security versus privacy to the forefront of Martian politics. President Alicia Grennarin is
popular but considered too conciliatory by many in these trying times.
Tactics and fleet philosophy: Mars has one advantage and that is the ability to expand
technologically. It has little in the way of spare resources and as such tries to leverage its advances
in space craft engineering against its inability to field large barrages of missile and drones with the
use of advanced shields, particle cannons, and ion cannons. Current task force compositions tend
to be a heavily armed destroyer escorted by several smaller craft armed with ion cannons to destroy
enemy shields. The space yard on Demos is limited in size so the Martian fleet seldom produces
anything larger than a frame size 4 or 5. While the other fleets have a few surviving EPL ships with
stealth plating technology, only Mars knows how to incorporate it into new designs, though it is
still challenging.
Rules: none
Colors: red owl’s head.
Ship of Note: The Terminus is the newest warship to come from the Demos ship yards. It is the
largest of their new ships and boasts advanced technical systems including impressive stealth
plates. They opened the ship up to applications from fleet crewmen and, with only a little cronyism,
managed to assemble a fine crew and given her to the Martian’s most respected commander,
Colonel Zack Dennross. Billets on the Terminus are given only to highly skilled crew and the ship
will always have a veteran crew.
independents:
Independents are just that, small groups of survivors that fly between the great powers, hoping
to care only for their own and to be left alone by others. Seldom do these free traders stick together
very long, but some families have long standing arrangements of mutual support. Nations of Earth
with small space fleets not aligned with the Republic or the Caliphate may also be considered
independent factions.
Most independent homesteads follow only the laws as set down by the head of the family. Luna
city is the exception, being a large trading hub run by the Marketeers' Guild, who are rich enough
and provide an important enough service that all factions behave when landed. And all who behave
are gladly welcomed. Luna City has no fleet aside from its local transports and maintenance ships,
but it does have control of the old, massive EPL missile batteries, which helps ensure their
neutrality.
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Their ships tend to be lightly armed and often one step away from hull breach. Some
independents have managed to get their hands on powerful vessels and are not lightly trifled with.
They seldom stay and fight unless a friend or fortune are on the line. Sometimes an influential
captain or desperate colony will launch strikes against troublesome Scrapers in the area.
Tactics and fleet philosophy: Vacuum sealant and repair kits are the mainstay of any
independent ship. They are so varied it is hard to assign any particular philosophy except survive
by any means, mostly by fleeing. Nearly all will have cargo bays and a few will be dedicated
mercenary ships who hire themselves out as escort craft. Many independents have no homesteads
or colony to call home so it is not uncommon to find a ship manned by one or more families.
Rules: Dilapidated Fleet; Glad They Got Away.
Colors: earth globe wreathed with lighting
Ship of Note: Uncle Jerry's Flying Circus. This ship is crewed by a group of paranormal
investigators who believe in alien life and other paranormal goings on. The captain of this ship is
always called Uncle Jerry, though the original Jerry died decades ago. They are mostly harmless
and their search is truly genuine, but the Flying Circus isn’t above a bit of petty larceny or
scavenging in Scraper territory. Their investigations sometimes lead them into the middle of
conflicts between the larger powers.
Sovereign Mars, the Third Republic, and the European Caliphate each have aged ships from
the time of the collapse and can incorporate EPL ships in their fleets. There are also a few rogues
and a few in Solar Transit and the Scraper fleets, but nothing militarily significant. The Earth
Prosperity League believed in using few frame designs that were equipped with mission
modification modules (or tri-m, "trims") that could swapped out quickly depending on the mission.
A majority of the trim supply was on the other side of the gate to support the war, but the surviving
work horses can be found occasionally in differing configurations, especially with hyperdrives
being destroyed or replaced by other systems.
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solar transit:
merchant man (523 nova)
hull: shd4UUUU plt3UUU frm3UUU (0)
drives: tac5UUUUU man1U
subsystems: btbU cgbU
weapons: lsrM
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scrapers:
flying dagger (180 nova)
hull: plt2UU frm1U (0)
drives: tac5UUUUU man1U
subsystems:
weapons: lsrR
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european caliphate:
scimitar missile craft (887 nova)
hull: shd5UUUUU plt4UUUU frm4UUUU (1)
drives: tac7UUUUUUU man3UUU
subsystems: mnbU pdsU
weapons: mslUUU(l1) msl1U(l2)
sovereign mars:
mars interceptor (673 nova)
hull: shd4UUUU plt3UUU frm3UUU (0)
drives: tac6UUUUUU man3UUU
subsystems: cnaU sbgU pdsU
weapons: incR ptcR
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independents:
independent operators by and large man some manner of common transport ship listed
previously. there are those out there who either by hook or by crook have managed to
get their hands on something more substantial. this is especially true of scrapers, who
tend to chafe under a boss' authority and strike out on their own—often with former
family members in hot pursuit.
Optional Rules:
Always Watching.
Scrapers are everywhere, constantly following convoys and military patrols, hoping to be able
to swoop in a pick the bones of the dead. If all players agree, each time a ship is crippled or
destroyed during a scenario, roll 1d10. On a 1-2 a Scraper Wrecker is placed next to the nearest
terrain feature or map edge to the ship and moves at full speed to that ship. If the ship is destroyed,
the Wrecker will fire at the closest ship possible trying to drive it away. If the ship is merely
crippled, the Wrecker will attempt to target all remaining shields, cargo bays, and weapons systems
when close enough; it will fire as previously described until it gets within short range of its target.
If the Wrecker is able to spend two turns in the target hex without losing its cargo bay, it is
considered to have successfully looted the vessel. It will then flee to the nearest map edge. Players
can decide what effect on the victory conditions this might inflict. Players may choose to use the
Warcosm Assault rules for boarding instead.
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Dilapidated Fleet.
Scraper and Independent ships suffer from a chronic lack of proper maintenance in the
decaying Solar system. At the beginning of a battle, roll 1d10 for each ship of this faction. If a '1' is
rolled that ship suffers a single hit as determined by a roll on the Chain Reaction table. As this
represents poor maintenance and not an explosion, no chain reaction can be generated by this roll.
Fighter Screening.
A fighter squadron can be tasked with the roll of fleet defender. A squadron can be assigned to
act in a point defense role wherein that squadron is assigned the task of trying to shoot down
incoming ordnance. This must be declared when the squadron is activated and it must start and
end its turn in any hex next to the ship it is screening. That squadron may make no other attacks or
take any other action. The squadron will give the protected ship a point defense roll against
incoming missile and rocket battery attacks (just as the PDS subsystem) as long as the defended
ship isn't between the attacker and the fighters. Only two squadrons can be assigned to screen a
single ship and each squadron can only try to stop one incoming attack.
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allowed though the last movement of each turn fleeing can be into a hex to the port-forward or
starboard-forward while maintaining the same direction (known as side-slip in some games).
Each turn the fleeing vessel's current maximum thrust is added to the previous turn's speed.
This continues until the fleeing ship is able to leave a map edge; no changing one's mind. If the
scenario ends before a fleeing ship exits the map, it still counts as having fled for victory condition
purposes. Moral modifiers are applied as normal once the ship begins the burn. As all available
power is being put into maneuvering, only point defense and mine subsystems can be used while
fleeing. A fleeing ship can be targeted as normal, but they quickly become hard to hit as their speed
increases. A fleeing ship is destroyed if it rams into anything.
Reinforcements similarly have no ability to jump in to save the day. They must race at full
thrust to help their fellows. Reinforcements enter from a friendly map side going 2 or 3 x maximum
tactical thrust (this can be of the slowest ship if the fleet wants to stay in formation). Each turn they
reduce speed by their tactical thrust until at or below their thrust value. This should be on the third
turn. As they are arriving ready for battle, a decelerating reinforcement may use all weapons and
subsystems (except stealth). They may not make any heading changes until decelerated and will be
destroyed if they hit anything.
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Ships
st merchant man, pride of io (523 nova)
hull: shd4UUUU plt3UUU frm3UUU (0)
drives: tac5UUUUU man1U
subsystems: btbU cgbU
weapons: lsrM
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Victory Conditions
- The Solar Transit executive wins if she can get at least two cargo bays off the exit edge of the
map while surviving herself.
- The Scrapers succeed if they can successfully scavenge two cargo bays (see Always
Watching rules) and leave the map with their booty.
Historical Notes
Solar Transit is as dangerous to pirates as any of the national powers, but Scrapers always
prefer going after ST goods if possible. They don't really remember why, but they hate ST above all
others. Depending on the outcome of this mission, ST will promote the executive to VP, Jove
Station will have a new boss, or there will be a long lasting rivalry between the two if neither side
wins.
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The miners have called in help from a nearby Mars squadron, afraid the Caliphate is about to
attack. Comments between the two commanders escalate quickly and the miners take deep cover as
the two fleets open up.
Ships
9x mars interceptor (673 nova)
hull: shd4UUUU plt3UUU frm3UUU (0)
drives: tac6UUUUUU man3UUU
subsystems: cnaU sbgU pdsU
weapons: incR ptcR
Victory Conditions
- The Mars player must drive off or destroy the Caliphate patrol.
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- The Caliphate player must destroy the Mars command ship and drive off or destroy the
others.
Historical Notes
Despite Mars being depending on Earth for resources, there have always been an extra layer of
tension between them and the Caliphate due to their religious differences. Mars has a strong
appreciation for those things scientific and finds itself in direct conflict with the Caliphate's
religion, finding its superstitions and laws barbaric.
counter insurgency
Proxy wars are nothing new. The European Caliphate has reprised the ancient tradition of
issuing letters of marque and reprisal against the Third Republic. A conglomeration of Scrapers
have accepted the terms; attack any and all Third Republic assets and the Caliphate shall provide
provisions, pay, and ship maintenance as payment. Republic intelligence has tracked the
movements of one of the Scraper squadrons to a rendezvous with its Caliphate benefactors and
dispatched its own squadron to break up the soiree.
Ships
4x clp scimitar missile craft, (887 nova)
hull: shd5UUUUU plt4UUUU frm4UUUU (1)
drives: tac7UUUUUUU man3UUU
subsystems: mnbU pdsU
weapons: mslUUU(l1) msl1U(l2)
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Victory Conditions
- The Republic fleet wins if it manages to cripple two of the enemy ships by destroying their
engines and weapons, or it wins if it can cripple either the Warrior's Sword or the Long
Nailed Parasite. The rest of the enemy fleet must be driven off or destroyed so they can
process the crippled ships.
- The Caliphate / Scraper player(s) win if they destroy or cripple half of the Republic fleet and
at least three transports escape or if all the transports escape.
Historical Notes
In the long run the Caliphate dropped this program in effect, though never officially due to
save face for the Caliph who supported the plan vociferously. The Third Republic began to track
down the Scraper fleets with their superior scanning technology, ambushing several such supply
drops. The Scraper crews decided that it was easier to raid the supply convoys the Caliphate sent
than it was to fight dedicated Republic task forces. The agreements were soon terminated, with the
Caliphate unable to vent most of its anger at the now dispersed Scraper bosses.
corporate espionage
An upcoming executive has learned that important design data for the Mars Advanced Stealth
Institute has been loaded on a scientific transport. He has planned a daring raid to hack into the
ship's databanks to retrieve the data. Mars command however is very protective of its intellectual
property and when the legal discourse fails, the particle cannons will not.
Ships
mars interceptor (673 nova)
hull: shd4UUUU plt3UUU frm3UUU (0)
drives: tac6UUUUUU man3UUU
subsystems: cnaU sbgU pdsU
weapons: incR ptcR
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Victory Conditions
- Solar Transit must hack the Mars design data and escape with it. The SCA subsystems
represent the scientific equipment to store the data (Mars) and the hacking equipment
(Solar Transit). In order to successfully hack the Big Sky Rover, it must have its shields
depleted and the Champaign Shark must be within 5 hexes at the end of the Attack Phase;
the Shark does not have to drop her shields to hack. If these conditions are met a hacking
roll is made; 1-5 indicates a successful hack. Once hacked, the Champaign Shark must flee
off any map edge with its own SCA subsystem intact.
- If the Champaign Shark hacks the Big Sky Rover, and its SCA is destroyed, it can attempt
to repair its SCA but the data has been lost—it must hack again.
- The Shark has been modified with an Ion Cannon to bring down the target's shields
quickly. The ST player must be careful not to blast the SCA's before he has the data!
- Mars must ensure the data does not get into Solar Transit's hands. This can be done by
either driving off the enemy ships before Big Sky Rover is hacked or by destroying the
Shark's SCA after it has performed a successful hack. If the Rover loses both of its SCA
subsystems, it no longer has the data on-board. The Mars player may NOT purposely fire
on the Rover with the intent of destroying the SCA systems!
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Historical Notes
Mars often finds its need to maintain good trade relations at odds with its need to jealously
guard its scientific infrastructure. Given this uncomfortable position, Mars intelligence keeps close
watch on the executive factions within Solar Transit, knowing that competing VP's don't always act
in concert and that a failed Solar Transit mission is likely to result in operational reorganization.
Since Mars prefers to do its needed trading well away from Earth, its leaders are loathe to burn
bridges with ST despite their turbulent history.
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Counter Insurgency
clp scimitar missile craft #1 (887 nova)
hull: shd5UUUUU plt4UUUU frm4UUUU (1)
drives: tac7UUUUUUU man3UUU
subsystems: mnbU pdsU
weapons: mslUUU(l1) msl1U(l2)
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Counter Insurgency
sc wrecker nepharious (787 nova)
hull: shd4UUUU plt4UUUU frm4UUUU (1)
drives: tac5UUUUU man2UU
subsystems: cgbU (may replace with atbU if using warcosmassault)
weapons: lsr1OOPP inc1RR
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Counter Insurgency
3r cholnov class destroyer, kiev (1020 nova)
hull: shd5UUUUU plt4UUUU frm5UUUUU (1)
drives: tac5UUUUU man2UU
subsystems: cnaU pdsUU mnbU dclU
weapons: rkt1KJ lsr1RR mnlU (g1)
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Corporate Espionage
mars interceptor (673 nova)
hull: shd4UUUU plt3UUU frm3UUU (0)
drives: tac6UUUUUU man3UUU
subsystems: cnaU sbgU pdsU
weapons: incR ptcR
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Corporate Espionage
st corporate asset escort, mambo (760)
hull: shd4UUUU plt4UUUU frm4UUUU (1)
drives: tac4UUUU man2UU
subsystems: btbU pdsUU mnbU ftbsU
weapons: lsr1KJ msl1U(l1)
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