RE: Pirates and Privateers

>I don't know how true that can be. Some of the smaller AE outpusts are
small

>family groups or even lone (intrepid, insane, fill in the blank)
>adveturers/claimstakers/homesteaders/etc. I would imagine the
particularly

>far flung outpsts are quite vulnerable to true pirates and "plausibly
>deniable" local power antagonism. When Old Zeke way out on some rock
>somewhere stops transmitting and all the AE investigation patrol finds
is a

>big glass crater where his dome used to be, what's the emperor going to
do?

>What if the antagonist is an entrenched power larger than AE? What if
it's
a
>roving pirate band?

If it occurs in OU space, then expect the following:
a) OUDF forces search to see if any of the covert surveillance buoys are
still
in existence. Many of these are "covert" merely by them being very
numerous
and inconspicuous, not hi-tech stealth jobs. 20,000 buoys at $1 a pop
rather
than 1 at $20,000.

b) Examine records of the buoys to see Whodunnit.

c) Try and find out *why* the attack occurred. This is important, as
evidence
as to whodunnit may be inconclusive - a "frame-up" is always suspected.

d) OU takes appropriate action. This may be "Do nothing, they deserved
it".
It may be involve a Vandal Raid on an expensive and difficult to replace
installation.
It may involve the cancellation of an old debt (or recording that a new
one
is owed). Generally speaking though, an attack on an AE installation
could well
have been an attack on any of the similar isolated OU facilities. The
OUDF hasn't
got nearly enough to guard everything. But they're very big on
Retribution,
and don't mind calling in old debts to get help where needed.

Remember the idea of the Tuffleyverse is not just to have a consistent
background,
but one where combat between various combinations of parties is not just
reasonable,
but likely.