Star Galleon's Detachable Cargo Bay

[CRMcNeill]

As part of a larger stat project, I'm looking to make stats for this and tack them onto the existing stats for the Star Galleon. The primary reference is in The Far Orbit Project, which states the following:

-When activated, the hull of the Star Galleon splits down the long axis and pre-placed explosive charges blow clear of the cargo bay.

-The cargo bay requires one round to clear the wreckage, and then immediately jumps to hyperspace (no Astrogation roll required).

-The cargo bay is equipped with a hypertransceiver that allows Imperial forces to track it through hyperspace. It jumps to a random location and holds position for a short time before jumping out again (the time between jumps is randomized and not known to the characters, although Imperial forces are likely to be aware).

-Picking up the pod's homing signal requires a Very Difficult Communications roll. Tracking the pod to its destination requires Difficult Sensors, Communications and Astrogation rolls.

-The pod can be slaved to another ship (the characters') if they know the appropriate code (which they are not likely to). Alternately, the code can be sliced (Very Difficult Computer Programming roll requiring 6 hours, which can be reduced by 1 hour per +10 Difficulty).

-Actually opening the cargo pod requires Very Difficult Computer Programming and Security rolls. Failure activates any one of a number of traps, including:
Fragmentation Explosives (6D Damage, plus space suit breach)
High Voltage Trapped Locks (5D Damage)
Automated Anti-Personnel Blasters (FC 4D, Damage 4D)

What The Far Orbit Project doesn't provide is any information about the stats, and there isn't a whole lot else to go on. Cargo capacity is a gimme (100,000 metric tons), and it has to have a hyperdrive, but does it have a subspace drive? If so, is it fast or slow? How maneuverable is it? What's the skill of the droid AI operating it? Hull rating?

I have some ideas, but I'd like some opinions before I put anything in writing...
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[JironGhrad]

I would suspect that it doesn't have any kind of sublight drive. The idea is to preserve the cargo from capture (hence random jumps). They would be wasting quite a few extra resources in turning it into a ship rather than a cargo module.

Reasons behind this perspective:
1. cargo bay is blown into space/clears wreckage: if it had sublight capability of any kind, a quick blast to pop the doors and it should be able to escape rather than jumping.

2. random jumping: if there were ship-type features, why would it randomly jump, why not take 2-3 rounds and locate the nearest imperial location and deliver itself to them? As it is, it could jump into an imperial-held system... and then leave before being retrieved if the in-system units were unable to arrive in time.

[CRMcNeill]

One thing I left out was that, to clear the debris from the Galleon, the pod had to fire up its maneuvering thrusters. To me, that implies that it has at least some sort of sublight drive.

And I doubt it is making jumps in the same league as starships do for interstellar travel. I'd expect jumps of no more than a few light minutes. The idea is to make the cargo bay difficult to track by attackers, but to stay within the same general area so as to make it easier for the Empire to recover it.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[JironGhrad]

What pages is this on? Too lazy to go hunting atm.

[CRMcNeill]

[Thx1138]

I would have to assume it has to have a sublight. If my understandings are correct, hyperdrives are in reality a generator that requires a sublight drive to work. Case in point, in TPM when the royal cruiser was stuck on tatooine, they only had to get a hyperdrive generator, not engines. Also since hyperdrives aren't shown as engines they have to make use of some sort of engine system. Keep in mind also that when ever the hyperdrives of ships breakdown they never say anything about engines, only the generators or motivators. Also since the pod can be slaved I would have to think some sort of sublight engine is attached to feed info to.

[JironGhrad]

[Thx1138]

While it is true you can disable or damage hyperdrive components, the hyperdrive is not used constantly like sublight engines. I would think that in order to save on both space and cost on producing ships, you would have to lump things together. Also if this is correct, the hyperdrive has a very little influence on the engines. Also keep in mind hyperdrive would be a lot like putting nitrous oxide into a engine. It allows you to go faster by using existing equipment.

[JironGhrad]

[Thx1138]

If my understanding of the realm of hyperspace is correct, it is really a condensed version of the universe allowing for faster travel. This would account for the mass shadows of objects in real space affecting objects in hyperspace. So if this theory is correct, travel through hyperspace is the same as travel through real space except in a dimension that is condensed to allow for faster travel.

[JironGhrad]

[Thx1138]

That whole scene was a little off. For one thing, the falcons hyperdrive should have registered the baleen transport as a mass shadow given that it has been inferred that decent sized asteroids could prevent a jump to hyperspace and since we don't know the lower limits of mass shadows it's impossible to tell. but if we take that scene as fact it is possible that ships have equipment in them in order to prevent changes in mass and density while in hyperspace which could be used to create a hyperspace free bubble to allow for a jump through the hanger exit.

[JironGhrad]

[CRMcNeill]

[Thx1138]

Been busy with school but I was able to dig up my copy of the Far Orbit project with my free time. So on page 163 of the FOP, we see a picture of a damaged star galleon apparently ejecting its cargo pod. It is apparent in the picture that the pod does have some form of sublight drives because the visible thrust component can be seen coming from the rear of the pod. It also says on said page that the pod fires its thrusters and builds speed to clear the debris field in one round. If it was just equipped with maneuvering thrusters it would be unable to clear a debris field in one round, that would be to fast in my opinion. Also maneuvering thrusters would not just be focused in the rear of a small vessel like that, think of the space shuttles, they had maneuvering thrusters in the front and rear of them. Also this design is a lot like the covert shroud, the "Destruction" of the host vessel is used to distract the enemy while the smaller one escapes. With the size of the Star Galleon put into perspective, they would need some sublight engines to clear the debris field in one round in order to make the jump.