Ask the smuggler if there is stealth tech available, say enough to cloak our cargo ship, either him or in the Braben Hall system.
There's nothing that can "cloak" a ship like in the old shows but there are options.
The best way to hide a ship is to reduce the heat it gives off, hide the electrical signiture.
That kind of things can make a ship difficult to pickup on sensors.
The smuggler shares many low tech tricks he knows that can help with this but there are also things you can buy (ilegal of course).
There are "quiet" engines which are specialy designed engines that give off way less heat than they should, heat storage systems that can store heat for a while rather than radiate it into space, dampening measures to hinder detection of active onboard electronics, modifications to the exhaust ports to make the it seem like a different class of ship.
There are many ways to disguse your ship and make it harder to detect but if you want a true hidden vessel the only way that'd be possible would be to give it a feron coating.
Feron is wonderful stuff almost completely blocks thermal emissions but the cost of manufacturing it is ungodly expensive so naturaly it's also fairly rare.
The CoIW keeps a tight hold on the feron they produce, using what little they have to make fighters.
As for supplies, no fuel. No need for it. We won't be stopping at the cargo ship. I think it can stay hiding in the asteroid field and some crew working on it, they have the shuttle to go to Tabien if need be. Planned ahead they have food.
- 6 Interceptors (90 Credits)
- 3 Ravenhawk (195 Credits)
- 30 Advanced Fabrication (90 Credits)
- 100 Gatling Rounds (100 Credits)
You buy some last minute supplies.
First, have the sub-par boarding shuttle cut up and made lightweight for very high maneuverability, then mount the Gatling turret on it. I am thinking, lightning fast with a forward mounted gun (Cyclon fighter). Use the advanced fabrication/electronic parts and get it done fast, have all extra crew prep it. It should be remote controlled, see if the AI can make a quick remote script for it.
As shuttles go boarding shuttles tend to be pretty maneuverable though not much is going to make this thing faster or better.
Realising this the crew opt to take it apart and use it's parts, most of the adavnced fabrication components and some of the advanced electronics to effictively make a fighter from scratch.
The fighter was built to be unmaned and has no cockpit or any space for crew.
Due to the high quaility materials it's sturcture is actualy pretty durable while still being light.
The engine could be better but it was the best they could do with what they had.
Still due to it's light weight (nothing unnessicary was added) it's a fast little thing.
You have an option with the turret though; do you rip the turret bits out and use it as fixed weapon (much lighter) or do you mount the whole turret (can track targets)?
The AI codes a quick script to control it.
The guys going to the ship I assume won't arrive for awhile, tell em to play board games or something, enjoy their time.
They report that I spy is surprisingly fun in space because it really tests your visual acuity.
Second, on the way have the AI fly the ship, get it used to all systems and tweak our thruster program.
You undock before the merchant and wait while he goes throught the undocking procedure.
His slow lumbering ship leaves the station and the Firestar takes position beside it with Urist at the helm.
You both turn and begin heading towards the system's star which will sevre as your jump point into Galvenn.
Tabien System
Galvenn (known shipyard)
Jayld
Vrinis
Ilbrier (Digital Rights Front Headquarters)
The disputed Zone
Lastros Ak'Mkal
Braben Hall (Black market)
Credits:1710
Hull damage: fine
Armor: Full
System Damage: Working order
Weapon Status: fine
Weapons: four point defence turrets (energy based)
4 inch repeater cannon turrets x2
twin linked railguns
400 missile tubes
Railgun shells: 0 (Railgun shells do more damage but the railguns can still fire scrap metal if need be)
4 inch Cannon shells: 50
Missiles:
- Blinder x2
- Tether Anchor x2 (currently in use: 0)
- Giber
- Ravenhawk x5
- Interceptor x18
- Hammer x2
Crew:24 (1 cast)+(1 away for treatment on Tabien)
Specialists: Doctor 1/ Hacker 1/ Security 1/ Fighter pilots 0
Crew Morale: Above normal
Crew rations: 314 (one crew ration per crew memeber consumed per day)
Computer System:
Type: Armok Modular system
Modules: Superior Targeting (Turrets + main gun)
Custom sysems Automation(Systems, doors, lifesupport all respond automaticly to crisis situations, are automatic and only active when needed saving power)
Custom manuvering and thrusters (The Firestar's controls respond in realtime but lack the percision of a better control system)
Basic Shuttle jump calculating (Very long jump calculation times)
Tailored AI interaction module(designed to link the AI into the ship systems)
AIs:1(Urist)
Other Craft:
Hanger
Remote Fighter(Fuel: 0/200)
Scout Drone(Fuel: 10/10)
Hanger fuel tank:2957/4000
Cargo: basic ship parts
99 flak shells
100 Gattling rounds
Crawler Repair Drone
Advanced tools
damaged cargo loader
smoke grenades
gattling turret
explosives (one mines worth)
Escape pods
Some small arms
12 units advanced electronics
2 Advanced Fabrication Components
Hull damage: fine
Armor: depleted
System Damage: moderate(many secondary systems are still offline)
Fuel: 3,141/15,000
Weapon Status: damaged
Weapons: point defense turret
Crew:0
Crew Morale: none
Crew rations: 0
Computer System:
Type: Armok Modular system
Modules: Superior Targeting (Turrets)
Basic shuttle sysems Suport (You have basic computer control of comn, life support, doors and all basic systems)
Basic Shuttle manuvering and thrusters (The ship's controls are sluggish and crude, with noticable lag between input and thruster activation)
Basic Shuttle jump calculating (Very long jump calculation times)
Other Craft
Away
LR Cargo Shuttle (Fuel: 500/600)
(10 crew, 70 rations, 5 advanced electronic componenets)
Cargo:
Full of computers, luxury goods and heavy machinary
Shuttle engine parts
Sealed crate of known cases (quarentened)
Stack of drives with all the data that was on the cargo ship before you arrived
Fully stocked Medbay