BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK

(DROPPING INTO THE  NORMAL  SPACE/TIME	CONTINIUM, WITH  TRANSPONDER
SQUAWKING SHIP NAME, AND REGISTRATION DAWGIE ARRIVES IN-SYSTEM)

well, as most folks know (that know me) i would rather fight a small
scale action on world or in space than an army level planetary invasion
or  massive fleet engagement.

sooo, i offer up the barebones of a desperate small scale  fight in the
starsystem and universe of your choice. 

said star system must have at least one gas giant  to allow incoming
vessels to skim fuel from the atmosphere (frontier refuelling). star
system should also include a world suitable for humans to colonize.

1. THE SPACE BATTLE;  to fight this space   battle you will need  a
table top, at least  3-ft by 3-ft to  so the combatants can  zoom about
in near orbit of the  gas giant  and something to indicate the gas giant
itself.

a. a vessel to represent a 1,000 metric ton custom designed corsair, its
complement of small craft,and space fighters of some sort.

b.  a pair of spacecraft to represent the vessels used to transport the
defense forces boarding party, and  the escorting space fighters.

c.  something to indicate the  members of the defense forces  boarding
party as they use EVA jetpacks to  move from their tranports to the hull
of the corsair.

d.  rules for fighting 0-g and 0-atmosphere , etc, combats, etc.)

2. THE BOARDING ACTION;  depending on how the commanders (corsair and
defense forces react) to events unfolding, you might also find your self
in  need of suitable miniatures to represent the  members of the
boarding party, defending  corsair gunslingers, and technical crew, as
well as a 25mm/28mm or even 15mm scale deck plan of the corsair.

3. THE ASTEROID STATION; should things go down the tubes for the
defense forces spacecraft and  the  boarding party, you might find it
useful to have on hand:

a.  a deck plan of the	defense forces asteroid station in 15mm, 25mm or
28mm. 

b.   suitable miniatures to represent the  defending station personnel,
and the corsair boarding party! 

c.  deck plans for any corsair or defense  forces small craft (cutters,
pinnaces, etc, used to transort  boarding parties).

d.  terrain to represent the surface of the  asteroid itself, as well as
rules for 0-g and 0-atmosphere combats, etc)  

------------------------------------------------------
PDF BLACKROCK SITREP 
------------------------------------------------------

PDF BLACKROCK STATION is concealed inside of  an asteroid orbiting  the
gas giant. it is here to monitor and  enforce the  local government's
policy of charging transient vessels for using the gas giant's
atmosphere for what would other wise be free refuelling, conduct
routine searches for  contraband, conduct safety routine inspections of
shipping, provided assistance if needed,  and piracy suppresion mission.

it is BORING DUTY,  a 12 month tour, broken by a leave every six month
for personnel assigned here. most of the  personnel a techie types from
the PDF DEEP SPACE COMMAND, but there is also a platoon of PDF GROUND
FORCES COMMAND hostile environment trained grunts assigned to provide
muscle	for any boarding parties, if needs be. the  total complement
assigned to the  station is 120 bods of all types (including your grunt
platoon).

PDF BLACKROCK has  12  pop-up triple turrets for  space defense , that
cover the  rock from all angles.  these turrets  each have a magazine
and independent  battery power source  good for 12 hours. they can be
fought from the TOC of the  station, or by local gunner control. they
are manned only when the station goes to ACTION STATIONS, or for drills.
1-G internal gravity is maintained  through out the station by an
artificial gravity field generator.

PDF BLACKROCK  has  a pressurized  interior docking  bay  equipped to
service  6 - 12  small space fighters (6 are assigned) and 4  armed
cutters (2 are assigned). fighters are single seaters.	cutters require
a crew of  5 (pilot, co-pilot, gunner, and 2 cargomasters) and can carry
up to 20 fully armed soldiers in hostile environment gear with EVA
jetpacks, or a mix of soldiers / SPACE COMMAND spacers . 

the nearest avaiable help is 7 days away.

a 1,000 tonner spacer has  entered the	system and is now proceeding
toward the  gas giant to  apparently conduct frontier  refuelling. the
vessel DOES NOT have its transponder squawking as required by law, and
does not answer any commo attempts.

CO has made the decision to launch both cutters ( with 5 spacers and 10
soldiers in addition to flight crews)  to investigate. after a	slight
delay, and at the  urging of the XO, the station has also launched all 6
space fighters as an escort, and gone to BATTLE STATIONS. 

------------------------------------------------------ SITREP CORSAIR
LADY BE GOOD 
------------------------------------------------------ 
LADY BE GOOD is a custom built 1,000 metric ton corsair.  the hull is
armored, and streamlined, with 10 concealed pop-up triple turrets
providing  firepower all aound. smart, fast and agile, with a
transponder capable of showing many "faces", but low on fuel when she
jumps into the system.	she is also "hungry" as  the prey have eluded
the corsair so far this  cruise. skimming fuel will require 12 hours.

this is the  FIRST TIME the LADY BE GOOD has been in this  system, and
the skipper  decided to run "blacked out" to the advertised gas giant
for a frontier refuelling, maybe a  prowlabout,  before going elsewhere. 

getting pinged approaching orbit of the  gas giant came as a bit of a
shock, as the data for the  system  indicated  a mining and agricultural
colony settled less than 20 years ago, with only orbital customs
patrols. the skipper has refused to answer any commo attempts  from a
nearby (but unscanned!) vessel IDing itself as PDF BLACKROCK.  within
the 2  hours,  the LADY BE GOOD's  sensory array detects, 8 bogies
closing at a leisurely 3 gees, 2  (no doubt armed) pinnaces and six
small fighters of some sort . a rather nasal voice  is instructing the
LADY BE GOOD to heave to and be boarded by PDF vessels.
with not enough fuel to jump out system, and refuelling not even begun,
the skipper has a fight on his hands. . . .  

LADY BE GOOD  has boat	bays for  4  ea pinnaces and 6 ea small space
fighters, which appear to be  easy access cargo locks. from the outside
she looks like	a 1000 tonner merchant ship.

she has  a flight crew 50  spacers, with a boarding party consisting of
40 gunslingers for boarding actions and surface duties. 

the LADY BE GOOD will continue to play "dead" until the PDF pinnaces
pull alongside, allow the boarding party ino the aft cargo lock, and
ambush them! at the same time, she will accelerate away from the PDF
pinnaces and escorting	fighters, pop her concealed weapons turrets and
commence shooting at them.  last but not least, the 6 space fighters
will launch and join the  fight.

have fun!

DAWGIE