Re: Fleet Book Tugs

FTFB p8. Last Paragraph Left hand column (tender) and First paragraph
righthand column (Tug)

---Why have docking? Why not a rescue?

Commander Seth Daloche stood up as the communications officer piped the
incoming message over the brigde intercom.  The sender's voice quivered,
revealing the fear he fought to conceal.

"Mayday, Mayday - This the NAC Research Station SL23, to anyone who may
be
insystem.  Our remote sensor platforms have gone off line after reading
the
incoming jump footprint of no less than a full taskforce.  Initial scans
seem consistent with the known operational configuration of the alien
Kra'Vak.  Our best estimates give a time to intercept of 8.24 hours.  We
are unarmed and our single lifeboat has been disabled.	Anyone who
receives this message please respond."

The commander lowered his head and stood silent for several seconds
while
contemplating alternatives.

 _Damn.  The corporation may never forgive me for revealing our
presence,
but I can't leave them here to die...and besides, we may be able to turn
this to our advantage_. As the message started to repeat, he settled
back
into his command chair and raised his head firm.

"Comm, cancel audio. Helm, plot a minimum time course to rendezvous with
the station."

Daloche thumbed the person-to-person com button on his display and the
com
system chimed the connection.  "Major Burke, start preparing your troops
-
we go live in just over 7 hours.  Main group is to perform a _friendly_
evac of all the civilians on the station, make sure they know that.
Military and security types are disposable if you can cover it in the
confusion.  Secondary team is to perform covert recovery of technical
data
and research prototypes.  Only the best of the team please.  our hand
has
been forced, and I can only give you half an hour.  Get on it."  The
commander clicked the com off before the major could ask any more
questions.

"Gentlemen, fate is conspiring against us - it seems as if our prize is
about to be snatched from our grasp - let's see if we can snatch victory
here.  If we play it right our true purpose here may never be revealed,
and
the evidence of our operation will be erased by those incoming
savages...
Com, Prepare to send Audio only." The comm officer tapped a few keys the
nodded to the commander.

"SL23, this is the IDL Hermes with escort on unscheduled operation in
the
inner Asteroid belt - we have received your distress signal and are en
route at maximum acceleration.	We are unable to confirm your sensor
readings. Please verify if possible.  Be prepared to provide all
possible
navigational assistance to our astrogators during our approach. Current
estimates place our ETA at 7.53 hours. Further updates will be sent as
we
refine our course data.  Begin all possible evacuation preparations
immediately."

The comm clicked off.	_And pray we can reach you in time..._

>
>
>The fleet book gives rules on constructing Tugs - better rules that
plain
>FT, allowing for more flexible Tug design.  However - and I think this
was
>the meaning of your reply - There are no rules for how tugs interact on
the
>table, nor any designs for Tugs in the book.
>

I saw no place that explains the mass or cost of a tug FTL drive and
that
is what I was refering to.

>I think that generalized rules for "Docking & Undocking" (not the same
as
>retrieving fighters) will help cover a lot of currently grey areas.
(Tugs
>grabbing their cargo, Boarding and Rescue operations, Base
interactions,
>etc.)	I look forward to ideas about this - my own thoughts are usually
>muddied and incoherent.  By the time your rules reach print they seem
to
>convey an elegance that works well.
>

I would like to see for some of these things, too.  I like having
starbase
assault scenarios.  Docked ships would be nice to add (as targets :)....
)

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+	   Eric Fialkowski, just me	     +
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+					     +
+    http://netnow.micron.net/~ericski	     +
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+ http://netnow.micron.net/~ericski/full.htm +
+					     +
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