Loyalty & Security

Defection

Quite simply, a large number of starship captains, officers and crew are fed up with the Empire -- its blatant abuse of power, its growing racism against non-Humans, and the ever-increasing corruption of its officials, particularly customs officers. By nature, the beings who ply the spaceways are hardy, independent types, disliking rules and regulations and unwilling to knuckle under to tyrants.

Many spacemen have no families -- they have spent virtually their entire lives in space or in far-off ports, and thus have little to fear from Imperial reprisals against their homeworlds. If a captain and his officers or a large enough portion of the ship's crew decides to defect with their vessel, there is little to stop them.

This, of course, is not a true for Imperial Navy spacemen. It is extremely dangerous for an Imperial ship to attempt to defect. The Imperial Navy takes a particularly dim view of their spacecraft defecting to the enemy, and they hunt down defectors with ruthless determination.

Apparently, the navy has begun inserting undercover agents aboard many of its ships. These agents have orders to sabotage any vessel which is seeking to defect to the Alliance; they are supposed to destroy the ship rather than let it fall into Rebel hands.

Spacebar scuttlebutt has it that this is what happened to the Imperial frigate Liberator. With the complicity of his crew and officers, its captain was attempting to take the vessel to a rendezvous with a Rebel force stationed in deep space near Bespin. Something happened while the ship was in hyperspace and it arrived at Bespin a complete wreck, with no survivors.

It is possible that the Liberator suffered a normal hyperspace accident and the Imperial Propaganda Bureau started the rumor to make Imperial vessels think twice about defecting. In either case, since the rumor, Imperial vessel defection attempts have decreased perceptively.

Rank Cylinders

Rank cylinders are issued to Imperial officers and can be very helpful in navigating the Imperial computer network. Each rank cylinder has a specific entry code to insure that only an authorized user is attempting to display sensitive information. Each rank cylinder is labeled by sector (command, military, general, service, technical, hangar bay, or security), level of sensitivity and zone. If the appropriate code is known there is no roll necessary to access the information -- it is automatically available up to the user's authorized clearance level.

If an incorrect code is entered or the user attempts to access information that is not authorized for the user, a warning is immediately relayed to the command sector (bridge, etc.) and a full investigation begins shortly after.

A rank cylinder may also be used in the same manner to access secured areas and doors. They may also be used by officers in a turbolift to force it to ignore calls thereby giving the occupant a quicker journey. Rank cylinders are normally restricted to access for just one vessel, but high-ranking officers, such as Grand Moff Tarkin, had rank cylinders that allowed them virtually unlimited access to any ship or facility under their command and a great amount of leeway within the entire Imperial network.

Low-ranking officers have rank cylinders accessing Moderate information within their sector and zone. Admirals and Generals have Very Difficult cylinders for all sectors aboard their craft or fleet. The specific rank cylinders allotted are determined by the particular officer's duties, and since these cylinders are constantly monitored by security sector few officers are willing to abuse the power entrusted to them.

Main Bridge: The bridge is the command station and the locus of information and order relaying. Each of the bridge stations can override its section controls, with their section head's rank cylinder. The Captain has the ability to override all ship functions from the bridge by using the Captain's rank cylinder. This is intended to limit the effectiveness of capturing a ship and reduce the odds of a successful mutiny.

Armory: The ships' armory is kept firmly in the physical control of the officers. Only the senior officers' rank cylinders will open the armory -- a heavily armored room with blaster pistols, blaster rifles, light repeating blasters, munitions, and all other boarding weapons safely tucked away under security lock (Very Difficult security roll to open without the appropriate rank cylinder).

Main Engineering. This is the control and monitoring center of the ship. All ship's primary functions can be controlled from here with the engineer's rank cylinder, although the engineer's cylinder is third in priority after the captain and operations officer.

Turbolifts. These high-speed lifts can transport passengers from deck to deck in as little as one round if not stopped to load new passengers. The turbolifts can be overridden by an officer's rank cylinder to force it to ignore calls. The turbolifts are not continuous and not every deck is serviced, for security reasons. Much deck-to-deck traffic is done via vertical hatches equipped with ladders.

Imperial Starports and Systems

At the request of the SWI Free Trader Branch GM, some forums were constructed a while ago so that SWI players could make use of Imperial starports in the Minos Sector. More boards will be built in the future to represent all Imperial starports.

To eliminate potential conflicts between any incoming independent vessels and the defense forces assigned to each Imperial system, I have established a list of starport rules which will apply to all Imperial starports and star systems. They are as follows:

These rules apply to all non-colony Imperial starports - regardless if they have a forum or not: (Non-colony means income-producing SWE planets)

All non-colony Imperial systems have at least one Interdictor, Interdictor II, or Abolisher Cruiser stationed there.

Gravity and pulsemass fields are in full effect and will stop (or in the Abolisher's case - destroy) all starships entering the system at a distance of 250 units from the local starport.

The only way to bypass this security field is if you are issued an Imperial Hyperspace Security Passport - which are only distributed by Imperial High Commmand.

All stopped ships will be scanned by local customs craft and boarded if deemed necessary.

Instructions on how to apply for an hyperspace security passport will be made available shortly.

Default Planetary Defense Setup and Defstat levels

In response to some questions that have been asked this past week, I've take the time to type up a lot of the Campaign GM default actions that I originally wasn't going to reveal until Phase Two starts. Phase One was to focus on battles and Phase Two was supposed to introduce the use of missions, adventures, and mini-campaigns. But I was reminded that not all missions take place on the surface of a planet so I figured I could pass out the space stuff right now.

Keep in mind that these rules are not carved in stone like most of our other ones are. Some rules, like ship limits, planetary incomes, research and development etc., are timeless and always apply regardless of who holds the various Gamemaster positions (unless of course the three Senior GMs at the time wish to change them). These rules here are temporary.

They are temporary because each person who holds the Campaign Gamemaster position gets to formulate his or her own default actions depending on what kind of game he or she she wants to run. When the next Campaign Gamemaster after me comes around,  if he or she wants to use these - that's great but each Campaign Gamemaster has the option of coming up with his or her own methods and strategies for running the game. In that respect, these are more like tools then rules - designed to fill the gaps in a system not designed for the great things we plan to use it for. Plus, sometimes players don't want to micromanage everything - sometimes they like to keep things simple. That's just fine. At least this way, they won't be caught with their pants down just because they don't like to crunch numbers.

Default Planetary Defense Setup

Leaders on both sides not only have the authority to set the composition of the defense forces of the planets they control but the exact position of them, in relation to the planet, as well. As always, this information must be posted on the tactical board so the Campaign Gamemaster can use it for upcoming battles and missions.

If a leader does not post any specifics on the position of his or her defense forces on the tactical board, the Campaign Gamemaster uses his default set up, which is as follows:

The space surrounding a planet is divided into 3 separate zones: deep space, the tactical zone, and the starport zone.

The deep space zone is anything beyond a 51 unit distance of the planet. In the default setup, this is the area of space a ship passes through during its journey to the planet before exiting hyperspace at the 50 unit mark. There’s nothing remarkable about this zone but leaders can still make use of it to “filter” incoming traffic by setting up obstacles to cause ships to exit hyperspace before hitting the 50 unit mark.

The tactical zone is where a vast majority of battle will be taking place. It lies 26 to 50 units away from the planet. By default, the planetary defense fleet/squadron is stationed in this zone. When an incoming ship or ships exit hyperspace at the 50 unit mark, the defense fleet automatically scans them to determine if they present a threat to the system. If they are determined not to be a threat (non-military vessels), they can proceed to the starport zone. If they might be a possible threat (military vessels), what the defense fleet does next depends on what the Defstat level is for the system. More on defstat levels later.

The starport zone is the home to any orbital platforms, battle stations, and orbital starports. It lies 1 to 25 units away from the planet. Any customs ships are stationed in this area. Any ships allowed to pass to this zone come into contact with the customs vessels before being allowed to dock or land at the local starport. What the customs ships do depends on the defstat level.

Once the ship reaches and docks/lands at the local starport, any PCs on board may visit any site on the planet’s surface. However, conditions on the planets below are also effected by the defstat level.

Defstat (Defense Status) Levels

Each system’s defstat level represents that system’s level of security and military readiness. PC Leaders of can raise or lower their systems’ defstat level at any time and PC leaders of multiple systems can raise or lower all their systems’ defstat levels at the same time or set specific levels for specific systems. All changes, of course, must be posted on the appropriate tactical boards.

There are four different defstat levels: 0, 1, 2, and 3. Each level has different effects on the military and security forces guarding the planet as well as the local population of the system. Here is a rundown of defstat effects

Defstat Zero is the lowest possible security level. Defense and security forces are present but on a normal level of alertness – they will react if they detect a possible threat but will not go and seek one out. Defense fleet/squadron in the tactical zone have shields lowered, weapons powered down, and do not run sensor scans on approaching ships unless specifically asked. Customs forces take note of suspicious looking ships but generally allow all ships to reach the starport unless told otherwise. The planetary population is generally relaxed by the ease in security and this is reflected by an increase in public morale and the planet’s monthly income is increased by x1.5.

Defstat One is the default defstat level. The Campaign GM uses this level unless otherwise indicated on the tactical board. Defense and security forces are present and begin to seek out possible threats before they actually become threats. Defense fleets/squadrons in the tactical zone run sensor scans of all approaching ships but only raise shields and weapons and launch fighters if the ships are determined to be possible threats (military ships). Customs forces will take note of all ships and make contact with any suspicious ships – asking them their cargo and destination – but will not board any vessel unless specifically ordered to. The planetary population feels secure under defstat one but a little nervous about the increased military activity. Morale is unchanged and so is the planet’s monthly income.

Defstat Two brings fourth greater alertness from military and security forces as even greater efforts begin to be made to find possible threats. Defense squadrons/fleets run sensor scans of all approaching ships and raise shields, launch fighters, and power weapons as soon as any ship is detected – regardless if they are considered a possible threat or not. Customs forces will take note of and contact all incoming ships - asking them their cargo and destination. Suspicious ships are always boarded and inspected. The planetary population feels even more nervous and very tense under defstat two. Morale goes down slightly and planetary income is divided by 1.5.

Defstat Three is the highest level of alert possible. This level turns a planetary system into an almost impenetrable fortress. Defense squadrons/fleets have fighter patrols, shields up, and weapons ready around the clock. All incoming ships are scanned like before but even if a ship is determined not to be a possible threat, they are still escorted to the starport zone by a fight of starfighters. Customs forces take note of all ships and board all ships regardless of the cargo or destination. Every ship is inspected carefully. Planetary populations under defstat three are afraid and feel smothered by the intense security procedures. Morale drops considerably and planetary income is slashed by half.

 Additional Notes:

What makes a ship “suspicious” to customs? PC Leaders should answer this one themselves but in the event the Campaign GM has to determine this himself, the following criteria is put into use:

-Any ship manufactured by a corporation loyal to the enemy. A Corellian Engineering ship would be considered suspicious to the Empire and a ship made by Kuat Drive Yards would be considered suspicious to the New Republic.

-Any ship carrying a type of cargo not usually imported by the planetary system.

-If a character needs a certain license or documentation to enter the system, a suspicious ship would be one who lacks that certain authorization.

What does a defense fleet or squadron do if it finds an incoming ship or ship(s) to be a possible threat? Obviously, if the ship(s) in question is an attack fleet from a known enemy, the defense squadron/fleet is going to go in with guns blazing. If it is a ship with unknown origins, that ship will be asked to power down and to prepare to be boarded and inspected. Either way, common sense applies, Even if a planet is at Defstat Zero, where hardly any precautions are made, a defense fleet is not going to just let an enemy fleet pass through the tactical zone.