Adventure: Spacenet Piracy

The Spacenet is an amazing feat of technology. Using highly advanced lasers and collecting arrays, the Spacenet is a system of space stations that beam information back and forth between each other. Most planets have their own internet but connecting to the internets of other planets was impossible before the creation of the Spacenet. Now planets can connect to one another and share vast amounts of information, conduct commerce and transmit images of feline aliens to anywhere in the known galaxy.

About a month after the creation of the Spacenet, most governments and corporations restricted access to the Spacenet. To connect, you need to purchase a highly expensive access code and there are restrictions on downloading amounts. The Corporations primarily use Spacenet to transmit holovideos, AI programs and other commercial products between worlds for selling.

Most Spacenet stations are heavily armed and automated. The Pirate Player however has bribed/seduced/stolen a Spacenet Station’s personal disarmament code. This code will allow a ship to link with the Spacenet Station and steal information. Of course, local government forces will respond because if there is one thing that corporations cannot allow is Spacenet Piracy.

The Spacenet Station is a fixed point on the board. Normally it would have 10 guns, 5 shields and 10 missiles but the Pirate’s code has shut it down. At the moment, it is a hunk of space metal with 10 hull points.

The Pirate Player sets up his ships next to the Spacenet Station. He must decide which ships are tapping information and which ships are active.

Tapping Ships are boarded with the station. Their shields do not work and they are incapable of firing guns. They drain 1d6 of CV information per class of the ship each turn. The randomness comes from the uncertainty of what they are downloading. They could be downloading anything from weather reports on distant planets to the latest version of Friday the 13th: Part 678 before it reaches commercial release.

Example: A Class 4 Ravager is tapping information. On the pirate’s turn, the Ravager rolls 4d6 to determine the value of the information it tapped.

Active ships are free to act as normal.

After the 1st turn of Spacenet Theft, roll 3d6 and count successes for anything 4+.

0 Successes – Local Forces are debating who should have to go respond to the call. No help arrives this turn.

1 Success – Local Forces are mobilizing and will be there shortly. Add an extra die to the next Response Roll.

2 Successes – A Local Force has arrived. Roll on table 2 to determine forces.
Note that you keep rolling for Local Forces Responding until pirates have been cleared from the station. This can escalate quickly.

Table 2 – Response Force

1 – 1 Class 5 Ship from controlling planet. Yes, Spacenet Piracy is dealt with harshly.

2 – 2 Class 4 Ships from controlling planet.

3 – A Class 4 Ship from controlling planet.

4 – 1d3 Class 3 Ships from controlling planet.

5 – 1 Class 3 Ship from controlling planet.

6 – 1d3 Fighter Squads from controlling planet.

Response forces emerge from a random side of the table at Thrust 10.

Play continues until all pirate ships have left the area. Local Forces have no hesitation in firing upon a ship docked with the Spacenet Station. Replacing a Spacenet Station is cheap, replacing the profits to be gained from the latest software upgrade can not!

Unlike most adventures, success is dependent on much CV was stolen. The mission is a success if the pirates steal a CV equal to the number of pirate ships x 20. Player greed might demand higher values.