Starfarers' Gazette IssUe 0-1
For whatever reason, I created an Issue 0. Parts of 0 and 1 needed to be removed as they would be highly confusing without extensive explanation. For those who care, they included a terribly clever section on ACT (Avenger Classic Traveller) which was then under development. I have combined what remains of issues 0-1
Editorial: From the Bridge
It’s the usual scene here on the bridge of RSS Avenger. We’ve been diverted to undertake some work on behalf of a third-party contractor which has taken us out of our normal sector of operations. The captain is, as usual, stressed and harassed, and he’s making sure we all get a share of that too.
Other than that, the sitrep at present is as follows: RSS Avenger is on course, though delayed by some unexpected conditions encountered in the last system we passed through. Our mission to map, detail, collate and generally poke our noses into everything is well underway.
Latest data dump follows.
Other than that, the sitrep at present is as follows: RSS Avenger is on course, though delayed by some unexpected conditions encountered in the last system we passed through. Our mission to map, detail, collate and generally poke our noses into everything is well underway.
Latest data dump follows.
Equipment and Essentials
In our travels we get to try out all manner of new toys and gizmos. Not all of them work as well as advertised, but there are also some hidden gems out there. The latest experimentation by our intrepid crew has produced a set of product reports. Note that, as always, the crew of RSS Avenger cannot be held responsible for the use, misuse, loss, accidental discharge or unexplained by-product of using these items. Most days we can’t even find our shoes.
Weapons
In this inaugural issue we bring you a collection of assorted weapons of personal defense plus a couple of more, well, offensive items.
Iridium Foundries Series Nine
Iridium Foundries contracts to the Imperial Marine Corps – though interestingly, not to the Navy – to provide officers’ dress swords and cutlasses for security work. The Series Nine is a civilian version of the 1246-pattern Junior Officer’s Sword. The curved blade is well-balanced, though just a little too tip-heavy for users of a smaller stature. It is robust, however, and holds a fine edge well despite all the abuse our team could give it.
The weapon is finished in traditional brass with a stirrup-and-half-basket handguard of fairly typical pattern. The Pseudohide handgrip is positive and well proportioned, creating an overall workmanlike sidearm which offers excellent value for its price tag. This is a weapon that might be seen at the ambassador’s reception one evening and in a sidestreet brawl the next. It looks good, gets the job done and doesn’t cost the planet.
Interstellar Ordnance M01 ‘Bullpup’ Carbine
Perhaps the definitive light longarm, the M01 is a magazine-behind-trigger carbine with a solid plastic stock and a short barrel. It is aimed at the civilian market and has sold millions of examples. A 20-round magazine is normally used but a 10-round version is available. This is sometimes enough to get around local laws that limit the magazine capacity of civilian weapons.
The M01 Bullpup is a basic weapon intended to be neglected, abused and occasionally driven over in an ATV. Which, incidentally, we did. Several times. It is quite difficult to break an M01, although RISS Avenger’s gunnery officer did manage it with the application of a large rock and a great deal of anger. Under normal conditions an M01 will give years of reliable service, which is just as well, as although basic these weapons are not cheap. If they were made by someone other than Interstellar they might be, but the logo alone is worth almost doubling the price – or so Interstellar's marketing department seem to think.
MidTech Seven-Fifteen
MidTech is a relatively new firm with branches on several mid-tech worlds. It markets a range of serviceable weapons and other gear and has recently won contracts to arm several planetary militias unable to afford more advanced equipment.
The Seven-Fifteen (Tech level 7, 15-round magazine) carbine is a typical MidTech offering. A conventional layout with the magazine inserted in front of the trigger guard is accompanied by a design with no real surprises. It does have a bayonet lug however. These weapons are often encountered as imports on low-tech worlds, where MidTech finds a ready market.
MidTech Assault-Eighteen
The Assault-Eighteen is full-automatic capable 18mm military shotgun intended for use by close-assault troops. It is built to full military specification and without any frills, and even has a bayonet fitting. It is fed either by a 6-round ‘carry box’ magazine or an 16-round ‘assault box’ which makes for a heavy weapon but offers devastating firepower.
The Assault-Eighteen produces tooth-rattling recoil, but despite this it is tremendous fun to shoot, mainly for the satisfying level of devastation that can be caused to the surrounding countryside. We destroyed an old flitter with a pair of these guns as part of the test.
The Assault-Eighteen is very tolerant of abuse and unusual ammunition types, which it accepts without protest. It will survive being used as a club to smash the more breakable parts of a flitter, but is prone to accidental discharge if so used.
Overall: a decent, if random, close combat weapon. At the price it’s a good buy so long as you’re not intending to carry it far.
Precision Industries AMR22
The AMR22 (22mm Anti-Materiel Rifle) is a weapon for people who think the rest of the tank will just slow them down. A semi-automatic bullpup design fed from a 4-round magazine inserted in the top of the shoulder stock, it comes complete with a monopod and holographic sights calibrated out to 3 kilometers.
Straight out of the box we found the action to be lumpy and the weapon was consequently very inaccurate, but after a good hard dismantling and reassembly our test rifle performed as advertised. The market for weapons capable of putting a hole in a light armored vehicle at 3km is quite limited, and this is an expensive piece of kit as might be expected.
This weapon absolutely cannot be fired on the move. Don’t try. We did, and it’s not a good idea. Nor is hunting anything smaller than a bus with it. Not if you’re hoping for something other than soup for dinner, anyway. Despite its so-called flash hider the AMR22 flings up a lot of dirt and debris, so expect to leave your position smartly after firing. That can present problems because this is one heavy rifle to lug around at speed.
Overall: It’s a gigantic monster rifle. If you happen to need one of those then this one gets the job done, though it’s not cheap.
Ealy Solutions Wrist-Flamer
Without a doubt this is the daftest piece of kit we have encountered. It consists of a fire-retardant glove with a small fuel and compressed-air tank mounted on the back. In theory it functions much as a handheld flame gun, though you only get two shots (which is one more than you will feel inclined to use).
Triggering the Wrist-Flamer shoots a cone of blazing fuel out from a tube on the back of the user’s hand. Effective range is about 3m, though within this distance it is quite difficult to miss. The hazards posed to the user and any allies he may have need not be listed here.
Mills & Royce 'Autocrat' Sef-Loading Pistol
Mills & Royce is primarily concerned with top-end weaponry, which is generally considered to be overpriced and quirky but well made and entirely useable. M&R weapons are almost always heavily decorated and inlaid in precious or simulated-precious materials. The firm seems to be trying for the 'new nobility' market with the Autocrat, a heavy autopistol whose impressive appearance and heavy 11.5mm round 'speaks with authority'.
The Autocrat does indeed hit hard and looks intimidating, and the built-in laser dot pointer aids aiming at close range. However, this is a clumsy weapon; heavy to carry and slow on the draw. Its 8-round magazine offers rather low firepower and the iron sights are almost an afterthought, making ranged fire tricky. Autocrat is a status symbol as much as a weapon, and it is most effective at close range – presumably so that the target can be impressed by its magnificence. Overall: Overpriced but reasonably effective, a hard hitter at close range but limited further out. And it looks fabulous.
Protective and Field Gear
In addition to destroying stuff with a range of weapons, we’ve been testing out some field gear too. Some of it was good, some mediocre and some of it was… interesting.
Ikada Security Systems ‘Budget Bodyguard’ Flak Jacket
Ikada is well known for its bargain-basement personal defense equipment. Their reputation for putting out cheap, reliable products is well established. They are all also well known for the poor finishings of their equipment, and our sample was no exception. Every one of the Ikada flaks we tested came in one of the two available sizes – too big or too small.
Uncomfortable and hot to wear even by body-armor standards, these instruments of torture were good only for one thing – stopping bullets. They look terrible, fit badly and reputedly fall apart in a few months where a better make might give years of service, but they do indeed keep bullets and blades out of your body. If you’re looking to get a piece of kit to last years, go buy from Interstellar Ordnance for twice the price. If you want something to keep you alive today, tomorrow and maybe go in the bin next week, an Ikada will do the job.
Ikada Security Systems ‘Security Guard’ Helmet with visor
A typical Ikada product, this cheap helmet will keep flying rocks or even a small club from crushing your noggin for a while, though it will spontaneously fall to pieces within a few weeks of purchase even if kept unused in its box. Its primary value is against hand weapons, and it does offer decent protection for a low cost if you can stand the poor fit and less-than-ergonomic design.
Catling Defense Products ‘Thornbreak’ Bush Outfit
Comprising a pair of light boots, trousers and a sleeved jerkin that fits pretty well over the rock band T-shirt of your choice, this complete outfit comes in a range of natural colors and is made from the patented Thornbreak ‘slashproof’ material. It’s pretty good; after donning suitable face protection our astrogator dived into a number of spiny bushes to no ill effect.
The only real drawback of this outfit is that the jerkin is hot if kept closed, but you don’t have zip it up of course. It provides good protection against most spiny plants, plus small fangs, stingers, teeth and the like and might conceivably stop a knife or other sharp implement.
Catling Defense Products ‘Thornbreak’ Slash Vest
Rather more prosaic and designed to be worn under other clothing, this is simply a vest of ‘Thornbreak’ slashproof material. It will stop a jagged implement like a broken bottle and may even turn a knife or sword thrust if the wearer is lucky. It is totally useless against firearms, especially large ones. We know – we tried it out and we have the confetti to prove it.
Catling Defense Products ‘Thornbreak’ Bush Hat
Everyone needs a knife-proof hat, or so CDP would have us believe. Available in a range of colors and styles, this piece of bush headgear will stop a knife if it happens to be in the way of one. It is useless against firearms or falling boulders, though it keeps the rain off pretty well.
General Interplanetary ‘Kaisterman’ Rescue Suit
Basically this is a heavy-duty vac suit with extra toys. We had a lot of fun playing with them. Along the way we discovered that the suit will resist being shot in the faceplate with its own line gun (nobody said we weren’t thorough) and the reaction pistols are rather difficult to control. It’s a sound piece of kit though.
The rescue suit has a rigid body protector and arm and leg plates plus a heavy helmet for entering wreckage. There is a line gun and two detachable buddy oxygen tanks, each with one hour’s air in them – this is in addition to the suit’s own six-hour supply. A hip holster secures the biggest reaction pistol you’ll ever see, and the tool belt contains a range of small cutting, patching and prying tools along with more exciting toys like a powered iris valve opener. There is even a power takeoff to run a buddy’s suit and an attachment for replenishing rescue shelters. The equipment layout is a bit peculiar until you get used to it, but this is overall an excellent product.
Last-minute addendum: the faceplate will also stop several 10mm pistol rounds. We don’t know how many – our gunnery officer got bored and gave up before it started to crack, though he did manage to chip it in places.
Iranii Electronics A101 Atmosphere Tester
Not the most exciting piece of equipment ever, but the A101 will help keep you alive. It differs from the standard tester in that it is worn on a wristband rather than being handheld, and is a little smaller. According to the literature its high-technology systems react to atmospheric conditions in 82% of the time taken by the ‘industry standard’ model, whichever one that is.
The A101 monitors air breathability and quality. A bleep and flash alert informs of hazardous conditions (parameters can be set as to exactly what ‘hazardous’ means. The readout also indicates pressure in general terms (“Thin”, “Dense” etc). The unit stores a dozen standard compositions and can indicate a match with one but outside these parameters it is as limited as the standard version.
Iranii Electronics ‘Survival Margin’ Wristwatch
This dreadfully cheesy device actually serves a halfway-useful purpose. As well as telling the time it incorporates a short-ranged emergency radio beacon (which drains the battery amazingly fast) plus an atmosphere tester and a very simple chemical and biological alarm keyed to a range of typical pollutants, hazardous agents and atmospheric taint. It will squeal and flash in the presence of these harmful chemicals and compounds, but will not indicate which one is present. It does the same when air pressure is too high or too low. We also discovered that if you immerse it in fluid it gives a reasonable indication as to whether the liquid is drinkable or not. This is not mentioned in the literature so may be an accidental side-effect.
We all hated the idea of this gimmicky gizmo and at 1500 credits Iranii have got to be joking but if someone gave us one… we’d probably throw it away. But maybe not. There’s actually a chance it might be useful.
Vehicles
Something of an assortment of vehicles this time. A classic skimmer, a variant model and a utility vehicle, among others.
Lovell Trasnportation ‘Venture 600 Classic 1247 Model’
Lovell has been making vehicles and other hardware for centuries, and they have been manufacturing the Venture 600 for almost as long. The ‘6’ refers to the number of seats; in fact it is possible to fit eight normal sized people in a V600 quite easily – the pilot and a front-seat passenger, then three persons in each of two bench seats behind.
The V600 is a rugged surface-skimmer intended for use in the outback. Although a standard open-topped design it is available in a ‘ragtop’ version with an overhead rain frame covered by sheeting. The enclosed version, the Venture 603, is considerably more expensive than the basic model.
Speed is modest and rate of climb very much on the low side, though the safety electronics are good. It is hard to turn one of these over – and we should know, we’ve tried. The V600 comes with a standard electronics and sensors fit: autopilot, traffic control slaving, terrain-following and navigational radar and a decent sound system. It also has a really good set of lights for a standard model.
Cargo capacity is reasonable not great, with a rear cargo area and side stowage panels. Fuel cells are located under the front panels ahead of the windshield, and there is an emergency power cell located in the rear which is good for an additional hour’s cruising.
The main drawback with the V600 series is maintenance. In truth it needs little but this means that it is simply not designed with maintenance outside a major facility in mind. Almost every job other than refuelling is extremely fiddly and involves removing panels or even major components – a damaged lifter unit is a true nightmare without the manufacturer-approved maintenance cradle which is only found in dealers’ outlets and licensed repair works.
However, the V600 gives good service for the cost and if not too badly abused will run for years with only basic maintenance. Parts are a little expensive but if you’re careful you shouldn’t need them often.
Lovell Transportation ‘Venture 628 Rigger’
A specialist version of the long-serving (and long-suffering) Venture 600 series, the V628 is a field-work platform. It has both heavy-duty lifters and an extra set of stabilisers on outriggers (which are often adapted for use as work platforms, extra stowage and all sorts of other unofficial uses). A powered winch and take-off points for both electrical and shaft power are fitted, along with heavy-duty fuel cells to run it all.
This is all fitted on an extended chassis. Rather than use their V800 series as a base, Lovell chose to stretch the 600 and put an 8 on the end; a move that caused some head-scratching in the industry. It seems to work, though there are some concerns about the structural integrity of the extended chassis.
The 628 is otherwise little different from the base-model, though it is a good bit slower and has a truly lamentable rate of climb due to the heavy-lift units replacing the standard lifters. Maintenance is every bit as aggravating – and thankfully just as rare – as on any other V600 model.
NKL (Nusani-Kildaire-Levinthall) ‘Standard’ Ground Car
The NKL group mainly builds vehicles and power tools, though it has some subsidiaries working in other industries, notably gas giant petrochemical extraction and high-end metallurgy research. Most of its vehicles are fairly basic and the ‘Standard’ is no exception.
A fuel-cell powered electric drive system powers all four wheels through a basic electronic control system that deals with wheel slip and traction loss to create a safe and distinctly bland drive, and can of course use automatic control. The Standard nominally seats four but can squeeze an extra passenger in. It carries somewhat less than a half-ton of cargo, or a little more if no passengers are carried. Offroad performance is negligible.
Imperial Ground Vehicles ‘Black Knight’ Ground Car
IGV only manufactures high-end grav and ground vehicles for the security and performance markets. The Black Knight is one of the latter. Unusually for an advanced vehicle it is powered by liquid hydrocarbons and is illegal for road use in most urban localities of the core worlds. It was not built for the city traffic anyway.
The high-technology internal combustion engine drives all four wheels through a mechanical gearing and transmission system with little in the way of monitoring or computer control. There is an engine management computer and a ‘crash button’ that automatically brings the car to a halt as quickly and safely as possible. It has no regard to other vehicles as it does this, however; the crash system is a safety device for the racetrack and intended to get the vehicle to a halt from a total control loss at high speed – it is triggered automatically in certain circumstances, though many drivers disable this feature as it can be activated by a particularly overzealous powerslide.
The Black Knight seats four including the driver, in surprising luxury although without much room. It carries a quarter-ton of cargo but performance and handling are affected by the additional weight. An automatic fire suppression system is fitted, and the vehicle is available in twelve different variations of the black-on-black color scheme. There is no autodrive or ‘roadgrid’ external computer control provision.
Consolidated Industries ‘Piglet’ Minitractor.
The Piglet is essentially a small 4-wheel-drive ATV ridden in the manner of a motorcycle. It can carry a pillion passenger but is normally used to push cargo containers around. It is, truly, a little pig to drive and slow to boot, but its pushing/pulling ability is incredible. Power takeoffs allow a shaft to electric drive to whatever machinery is needed and Consolidated make a range of trailers ranging from a cargo unit to specialist vehicles intended for shipboard and frontier-planet use.
Ushaw Aerospace Systems ‘Super-S’ Speeder
UAS produces a number of speeder designs. Most are fairly standard, but the Super-S is something rather special. Originally conceived as a way to get some return from a cancelled military strike vehicle project, the Super-S uses an advanced lifter design that provides very impressive handling and acceleration at the price of large energy consumption.
The Super-S is a two-seat airframe design with a small luggage compartment at the rear. It can turn on a quarter-credit and accelerates very fast – so fast that UAS fits starship-grade dampers under the cockpit floor to make the ride more comfortable. Unfortunately these do not cover the luggage area, so it is possible to arrive at a destination to find fragile cargo smashed to bits or distorted beyond use.
Electronics are good, including the usual advanced autopilot and navigational systems, plus smart route planning and even an evasion package for clients willing to pay for the software. Most of those who do take the evasion software also upgrade to the lightly armored Security-S variant, which is protected against light armor-piercing rounds fired from beyond 100m and reputedly take a direct hit from a heavy machinegun without undue damage, though it ‘cannot be guaranteed’ that the round will not penetrate or cause hull spallation.
The Super-S is expensive and needs recharging on a frequent basis but for those who absolutely, positively must be there on time, this is the speeder of choice. The Security-S is as yet unproven in the field, though some VIP protection firms are reputedly considering testing out some examples.
Weapons
In this inaugural issue we bring you a collection of assorted weapons of personal defense plus a couple of more, well, offensive items.
Iridium Foundries Series Nine
Iridium Foundries contracts to the Imperial Marine Corps – though interestingly, not to the Navy – to provide officers’ dress swords and cutlasses for security work. The Series Nine is a civilian version of the 1246-pattern Junior Officer’s Sword. The curved blade is well-balanced, though just a little too tip-heavy for users of a smaller stature. It is robust, however, and holds a fine edge well despite all the abuse our team could give it.
The weapon is finished in traditional brass with a stirrup-and-half-basket handguard of fairly typical pattern. The Pseudohide handgrip is positive and well proportioned, creating an overall workmanlike sidearm which offers excellent value for its price tag. This is a weapon that might be seen at the ambassador’s reception one evening and in a sidestreet brawl the next. It looks good, gets the job done and doesn’t cost the planet.
Interstellar Ordnance M01 ‘Bullpup’ Carbine
Perhaps the definitive light longarm, the M01 is a magazine-behind-trigger carbine with a solid plastic stock and a short barrel. It is aimed at the civilian market and has sold millions of examples. A 20-round magazine is normally used but a 10-round version is available. This is sometimes enough to get around local laws that limit the magazine capacity of civilian weapons.
The M01 Bullpup is a basic weapon intended to be neglected, abused and occasionally driven over in an ATV. Which, incidentally, we did. Several times. It is quite difficult to break an M01, although RISS Avenger’s gunnery officer did manage it with the application of a large rock and a great deal of anger. Under normal conditions an M01 will give years of reliable service, which is just as well, as although basic these weapons are not cheap. If they were made by someone other than Interstellar they might be, but the logo alone is worth almost doubling the price – or so Interstellar's marketing department seem to think.
MidTech Seven-Fifteen
MidTech is a relatively new firm with branches on several mid-tech worlds. It markets a range of serviceable weapons and other gear and has recently won contracts to arm several planetary militias unable to afford more advanced equipment.
The Seven-Fifteen (Tech level 7, 15-round magazine) carbine is a typical MidTech offering. A conventional layout with the magazine inserted in front of the trigger guard is accompanied by a design with no real surprises. It does have a bayonet lug however. These weapons are often encountered as imports on low-tech worlds, where MidTech finds a ready market.
MidTech Assault-Eighteen
The Assault-Eighteen is full-automatic capable 18mm military shotgun intended for use by close-assault troops. It is built to full military specification and without any frills, and even has a bayonet fitting. It is fed either by a 6-round ‘carry box’ magazine or an 16-round ‘assault box’ which makes for a heavy weapon but offers devastating firepower.
The Assault-Eighteen produces tooth-rattling recoil, but despite this it is tremendous fun to shoot, mainly for the satisfying level of devastation that can be caused to the surrounding countryside. We destroyed an old flitter with a pair of these guns as part of the test.
The Assault-Eighteen is very tolerant of abuse and unusual ammunition types, which it accepts without protest. It will survive being used as a club to smash the more breakable parts of a flitter, but is prone to accidental discharge if so used.
Overall: a decent, if random, close combat weapon. At the price it’s a good buy so long as you’re not intending to carry it far.
Precision Industries AMR22
The AMR22 (22mm Anti-Materiel Rifle) is a weapon for people who think the rest of the tank will just slow them down. A semi-automatic bullpup design fed from a 4-round magazine inserted in the top of the shoulder stock, it comes complete with a monopod and holographic sights calibrated out to 3 kilometers.
Straight out of the box we found the action to be lumpy and the weapon was consequently very inaccurate, but after a good hard dismantling and reassembly our test rifle performed as advertised. The market for weapons capable of putting a hole in a light armored vehicle at 3km is quite limited, and this is an expensive piece of kit as might be expected.
This weapon absolutely cannot be fired on the move. Don’t try. We did, and it’s not a good idea. Nor is hunting anything smaller than a bus with it. Not if you’re hoping for something other than soup for dinner, anyway. Despite its so-called flash hider the AMR22 flings up a lot of dirt and debris, so expect to leave your position smartly after firing. That can present problems because this is one heavy rifle to lug around at speed.
Overall: It’s a gigantic monster rifle. If you happen to need one of those then this one gets the job done, though it’s not cheap.
Ealy Solutions Wrist-Flamer
Without a doubt this is the daftest piece of kit we have encountered. It consists of a fire-retardant glove with a small fuel and compressed-air tank mounted on the back. In theory it functions much as a handheld flame gun, though you only get two shots (which is one more than you will feel inclined to use).
Triggering the Wrist-Flamer shoots a cone of blazing fuel out from a tube on the back of the user’s hand. Effective range is about 3m, though within this distance it is quite difficult to miss. The hazards posed to the user and any allies he may have need not be listed here.
Mills & Royce 'Autocrat' Sef-Loading Pistol
Mills & Royce is primarily concerned with top-end weaponry, which is generally considered to be overpriced and quirky but well made and entirely useable. M&R weapons are almost always heavily decorated and inlaid in precious or simulated-precious materials. The firm seems to be trying for the 'new nobility' market with the Autocrat, a heavy autopistol whose impressive appearance and heavy 11.5mm round 'speaks with authority'.
The Autocrat does indeed hit hard and looks intimidating, and the built-in laser dot pointer aids aiming at close range. However, this is a clumsy weapon; heavy to carry and slow on the draw. Its 8-round magazine offers rather low firepower and the iron sights are almost an afterthought, making ranged fire tricky. Autocrat is a status symbol as much as a weapon, and it is most effective at close range – presumably so that the target can be impressed by its magnificence. Overall: Overpriced but reasonably effective, a hard hitter at close range but limited further out. And it looks fabulous.
Protective and Field Gear
In addition to destroying stuff with a range of weapons, we’ve been testing out some field gear too. Some of it was good, some mediocre and some of it was… interesting.
Ikada Security Systems ‘Budget Bodyguard’ Flak Jacket
Ikada is well known for its bargain-basement personal defense equipment. Their reputation for putting out cheap, reliable products is well established. They are all also well known for the poor finishings of their equipment, and our sample was no exception. Every one of the Ikada flaks we tested came in one of the two available sizes – too big or too small.
Uncomfortable and hot to wear even by body-armor standards, these instruments of torture were good only for one thing – stopping bullets. They look terrible, fit badly and reputedly fall apart in a few months where a better make might give years of service, but they do indeed keep bullets and blades out of your body. If you’re looking to get a piece of kit to last years, go buy from Interstellar Ordnance for twice the price. If you want something to keep you alive today, tomorrow and maybe go in the bin next week, an Ikada will do the job.
Ikada Security Systems ‘Security Guard’ Helmet with visor
A typical Ikada product, this cheap helmet will keep flying rocks or even a small club from crushing your noggin for a while, though it will spontaneously fall to pieces within a few weeks of purchase even if kept unused in its box. Its primary value is against hand weapons, and it does offer decent protection for a low cost if you can stand the poor fit and less-than-ergonomic design.
Catling Defense Products ‘Thornbreak’ Bush Outfit
Comprising a pair of light boots, trousers and a sleeved jerkin that fits pretty well over the rock band T-shirt of your choice, this complete outfit comes in a range of natural colors and is made from the patented Thornbreak ‘slashproof’ material. It’s pretty good; after donning suitable face protection our astrogator dived into a number of spiny bushes to no ill effect.
The only real drawback of this outfit is that the jerkin is hot if kept closed, but you don’t have zip it up of course. It provides good protection against most spiny plants, plus small fangs, stingers, teeth and the like and might conceivably stop a knife or other sharp implement.
Catling Defense Products ‘Thornbreak’ Slash Vest
Rather more prosaic and designed to be worn under other clothing, this is simply a vest of ‘Thornbreak’ slashproof material. It will stop a jagged implement like a broken bottle and may even turn a knife or sword thrust if the wearer is lucky. It is totally useless against firearms, especially large ones. We know – we tried it out and we have the confetti to prove it.
Catling Defense Products ‘Thornbreak’ Bush Hat
Everyone needs a knife-proof hat, or so CDP would have us believe. Available in a range of colors and styles, this piece of bush headgear will stop a knife if it happens to be in the way of one. It is useless against firearms or falling boulders, though it keeps the rain off pretty well.
General Interplanetary ‘Kaisterman’ Rescue Suit
Basically this is a heavy-duty vac suit with extra toys. We had a lot of fun playing with them. Along the way we discovered that the suit will resist being shot in the faceplate with its own line gun (nobody said we weren’t thorough) and the reaction pistols are rather difficult to control. It’s a sound piece of kit though.
The rescue suit has a rigid body protector and arm and leg plates plus a heavy helmet for entering wreckage. There is a line gun and two detachable buddy oxygen tanks, each with one hour’s air in them – this is in addition to the suit’s own six-hour supply. A hip holster secures the biggest reaction pistol you’ll ever see, and the tool belt contains a range of small cutting, patching and prying tools along with more exciting toys like a powered iris valve opener. There is even a power takeoff to run a buddy’s suit and an attachment for replenishing rescue shelters. The equipment layout is a bit peculiar until you get used to it, but this is overall an excellent product.
Last-minute addendum: the faceplate will also stop several 10mm pistol rounds. We don’t know how many – our gunnery officer got bored and gave up before it started to crack, though he did manage to chip it in places.
Iranii Electronics A101 Atmosphere Tester
Not the most exciting piece of equipment ever, but the A101 will help keep you alive. It differs from the standard tester in that it is worn on a wristband rather than being handheld, and is a little smaller. According to the literature its high-technology systems react to atmospheric conditions in 82% of the time taken by the ‘industry standard’ model, whichever one that is.
The A101 monitors air breathability and quality. A bleep and flash alert informs of hazardous conditions (parameters can be set as to exactly what ‘hazardous’ means. The readout also indicates pressure in general terms (“Thin”, “Dense” etc). The unit stores a dozen standard compositions and can indicate a match with one but outside these parameters it is as limited as the standard version.
Iranii Electronics ‘Survival Margin’ Wristwatch
This dreadfully cheesy device actually serves a halfway-useful purpose. As well as telling the time it incorporates a short-ranged emergency radio beacon (which drains the battery amazingly fast) plus an atmosphere tester and a very simple chemical and biological alarm keyed to a range of typical pollutants, hazardous agents and atmospheric taint. It will squeal and flash in the presence of these harmful chemicals and compounds, but will not indicate which one is present. It does the same when air pressure is too high or too low. We also discovered that if you immerse it in fluid it gives a reasonable indication as to whether the liquid is drinkable or not. This is not mentioned in the literature so may be an accidental side-effect.
We all hated the idea of this gimmicky gizmo and at 1500 credits Iranii have got to be joking but if someone gave us one… we’d probably throw it away. But maybe not. There’s actually a chance it might be useful.
Vehicles
Something of an assortment of vehicles this time. A classic skimmer, a variant model and a utility vehicle, among others.
Lovell Trasnportation ‘Venture 600 Classic 1247 Model’
Lovell has been making vehicles and other hardware for centuries, and they have been manufacturing the Venture 600 for almost as long. The ‘6’ refers to the number of seats; in fact it is possible to fit eight normal sized people in a V600 quite easily – the pilot and a front-seat passenger, then three persons in each of two bench seats behind.
The V600 is a rugged surface-skimmer intended for use in the outback. Although a standard open-topped design it is available in a ‘ragtop’ version with an overhead rain frame covered by sheeting. The enclosed version, the Venture 603, is considerably more expensive than the basic model.
Speed is modest and rate of climb very much on the low side, though the safety electronics are good. It is hard to turn one of these over – and we should know, we’ve tried. The V600 comes with a standard electronics and sensors fit: autopilot, traffic control slaving, terrain-following and navigational radar and a decent sound system. It also has a really good set of lights for a standard model.
Cargo capacity is reasonable not great, with a rear cargo area and side stowage panels. Fuel cells are located under the front panels ahead of the windshield, and there is an emergency power cell located in the rear which is good for an additional hour’s cruising.
The main drawback with the V600 series is maintenance. In truth it needs little but this means that it is simply not designed with maintenance outside a major facility in mind. Almost every job other than refuelling is extremely fiddly and involves removing panels or even major components – a damaged lifter unit is a true nightmare without the manufacturer-approved maintenance cradle which is only found in dealers’ outlets and licensed repair works.
However, the V600 gives good service for the cost and if not too badly abused will run for years with only basic maintenance. Parts are a little expensive but if you’re careful you shouldn’t need them often.
Lovell Transportation ‘Venture 628 Rigger’
A specialist version of the long-serving (and long-suffering) Venture 600 series, the V628 is a field-work platform. It has both heavy-duty lifters and an extra set of stabilisers on outriggers (which are often adapted for use as work platforms, extra stowage and all sorts of other unofficial uses). A powered winch and take-off points for both electrical and shaft power are fitted, along with heavy-duty fuel cells to run it all.
This is all fitted on an extended chassis. Rather than use their V800 series as a base, Lovell chose to stretch the 600 and put an 8 on the end; a move that caused some head-scratching in the industry. It seems to work, though there are some concerns about the structural integrity of the extended chassis.
The 628 is otherwise little different from the base-model, though it is a good bit slower and has a truly lamentable rate of climb due to the heavy-lift units replacing the standard lifters. Maintenance is every bit as aggravating – and thankfully just as rare – as on any other V600 model.
NKL (Nusani-Kildaire-Levinthall) ‘Standard’ Ground Car
The NKL group mainly builds vehicles and power tools, though it has some subsidiaries working in other industries, notably gas giant petrochemical extraction and high-end metallurgy research. Most of its vehicles are fairly basic and the ‘Standard’ is no exception.
A fuel-cell powered electric drive system powers all four wheels through a basic electronic control system that deals with wheel slip and traction loss to create a safe and distinctly bland drive, and can of course use automatic control. The Standard nominally seats four but can squeeze an extra passenger in. It carries somewhat less than a half-ton of cargo, or a little more if no passengers are carried. Offroad performance is negligible.
Imperial Ground Vehicles ‘Black Knight’ Ground Car
IGV only manufactures high-end grav and ground vehicles for the security and performance markets. The Black Knight is one of the latter. Unusually for an advanced vehicle it is powered by liquid hydrocarbons and is illegal for road use in most urban localities of the core worlds. It was not built for the city traffic anyway.
The high-technology internal combustion engine drives all four wheels through a mechanical gearing and transmission system with little in the way of monitoring or computer control. There is an engine management computer and a ‘crash button’ that automatically brings the car to a halt as quickly and safely as possible. It has no regard to other vehicles as it does this, however; the crash system is a safety device for the racetrack and intended to get the vehicle to a halt from a total control loss at high speed – it is triggered automatically in certain circumstances, though many drivers disable this feature as it can be activated by a particularly overzealous powerslide.
The Black Knight seats four including the driver, in surprising luxury although without much room. It carries a quarter-ton of cargo but performance and handling are affected by the additional weight. An automatic fire suppression system is fitted, and the vehicle is available in twelve different variations of the black-on-black color scheme. There is no autodrive or ‘roadgrid’ external computer control provision.
Consolidated Industries ‘Piglet’ Minitractor.
The Piglet is essentially a small 4-wheel-drive ATV ridden in the manner of a motorcycle. It can carry a pillion passenger but is normally used to push cargo containers around. It is, truly, a little pig to drive and slow to boot, but its pushing/pulling ability is incredible. Power takeoffs allow a shaft to electric drive to whatever machinery is needed and Consolidated make a range of trailers ranging from a cargo unit to specialist vehicles intended for shipboard and frontier-planet use.
Ushaw Aerospace Systems ‘Super-S’ Speeder
UAS produces a number of speeder designs. Most are fairly standard, but the Super-S is something rather special. Originally conceived as a way to get some return from a cancelled military strike vehicle project, the Super-S uses an advanced lifter design that provides very impressive handling and acceleration at the price of large energy consumption.
The Super-S is a two-seat airframe design with a small luggage compartment at the rear. It can turn on a quarter-credit and accelerates very fast – so fast that UAS fits starship-grade dampers under the cockpit floor to make the ride more comfortable. Unfortunately these do not cover the luggage area, so it is possible to arrive at a destination to find fragile cargo smashed to bits or distorted beyond use.
Electronics are good, including the usual advanced autopilot and navigational systems, plus smart route planning and even an evasion package for clients willing to pay for the software. Most of those who do take the evasion software also upgrade to the lightly armored Security-S variant, which is protected against light armor-piercing rounds fired from beyond 100m and reputedly take a direct hit from a heavy machinegun without undue damage, though it ‘cannot be guaranteed’ that the round will not penetrate or cause hull spallation.
The Super-S is expensive and needs recharging on a frequent basis but for those who absolutely, positively must be there on time, this is the speeder of choice. The Security-S is as yet unproven in the field, though some VIP protection firms are reputedly considering testing out some examples.
People, Places and Things
In our travels we’ve visited a lot of places. Some of them were rather nice, most were unexciting expanses of deep space, and a few were quite unpleasant indeed. We’ve recently been redeployed to the Rimward frontier to poke around the backwaters there Some of what we’ve found was traumatic, but there are also little islands of hope and even civilisation out there.
The first leg of our voyage took us through the Kamaki Cluster. There’s a Trade Mission on Amad and the odd Navy patrol passes through, so it’s not as lawless as the more Rimward parts of the sector. That didn’t stop us getting into the odd scrape, but overall the cluster was a good preparation for more dangerous regions.
Amad occupies a fairly empty system with no gas giants or significant planetoid belts and just a handful of rockball and iceball worlds. It has a starport of sorts and even a few system defence craft to protect it. Local tech is pretty poor, though there is a fair amount of imported technology and equipment as well as the usual crude copies of higher tech gear, sometimes with bought-in or salvaged higher-tech components to create more capable hybrid systems.
Amad is one of the few industrial centers in this region, and as such is an important hub for trade and commerce. It says a lot about the state of the cluster in general that a nowhere world like Amad is of such importance, but the fact is that with a reasonable technology base and the population to use it, Amad is now a player. A minor one, true, but a force in the region.
Amad itself is a smallish world with little surface water. The dense atmosphere is partly responsible for keeping the world at a fairly constant temperature and though it has some impressive thermal currents in some regions, weather is overall fairly placid.
The landscape is not as heavily weathered as on many dense-atmosphere worlds, but with little tectonic activity there are no massive mountain ranges. The result is a fairly dreary expanse of dry plains and semi-desert with rolling hills and the odd excuse for a mountain range. Areas on the windward side of these tend to be wetter and thus more fertile than the majority of the planet.
The region between the Marish Sea and the Travon Urus mountains is the most fertile on the planet, since it receives the most rainfall. Thus the city of Aldir Urus, location of the world’s starport, was one of the first settlements on Amad. Although damaged by raiders, Aldir Urus is still an impressive city. The region also contains several other large cities, with the rest of the planet being less densely populated in keeping with the difficulty of living there.
Amad has managed to retain a world government through some difficult times, though there have been times when central control broke down and the present government is descended very only tenuously from the original planetary administration, rulership having passed through several emergency administrations, two military juntas and at least one period of near-total anarchy.
Today, however, the one billion or so inhabitants of Amad are united under the rule of a dictatorship and supporting administrative functions. The government is fairly corrupt and is stagnating fast, but retains considerable public support despite the harsh laws imposed on all citizens, as these are seen as necessary in the difficult conditions that prevail.
It is likely that there will be a major social upheaval in the next ten to twenty years, and this has the potential to be quite destructive. If it happens soon, it will probably be for the best as Amad is at this time fairly well integrated. The outcome of these events will define the future of the world; at present the administration seems to be losing its way and becoming complacent. There are, however, several vested interests becoming entrenched in Amad's politics and most of these oppose a move towards growth and looking outwards as this might upset their position. There is also a feeling that Amad became a trade port all by itself and does not need outside help.
Amad is very much self-sufficient in terms of food, raw materials and industrial goods. Its surplus finished goods are offered for sale at the starport and find markets throughout the cluster and beyond. They are transported there by private trade ships; Amad has no merchant fleet of its own, although it does have a couple of small freighters on retainer, making scheduled runs across the cluster to steady markets. Amad could live without this activity of course, but sales of finished goods offworld provide some spare cash for various projects.
One long-overdue project is the redevelopment of Amad’s inter-city rail network, which has been kept running for decades on a shoestring and is finally being overhauled. There are also prospecting operations in uninhabited regions. It is typical of the world’s culture that money generated offworld is being plowed into industries that do not depend on interstellar travel.
Moderately isolationist yet open to visitors, Amad is something of a contradiction, but the outlook of the dictator and his government makes sense given the history of the region. Despite the strict laws and military policing, this isn’t a bad place to live, nor to visit. The starport bars are okay, the locals aren’t hostile and the food is decent, if a bit bland and lacking in variety.
As a trade port, the world receives a steady, if not exactly rapid, flow of ships through its acceptable starport, and conducts a fair amount of business there. In short, these people have managed to construct a system that works for them and doesn’t hurt anybody else. That’s a pretty impressive achievement in this day and age, and it is to be hoped that the balance is not upset by future events.
Flora and Fauna
Away from the cities of Amad, there are large areas of wilderness that rarely see people. We boarded our ATV and headed out into this great wide open to see what we could see. And blow holes in, but just in case of legal repercussions we aren’t telling who fired at what, nor under what circumstances. We wish merely to make the following statement: Field Test, AMR22, comment by RSS Avenger crewmember “Whoohoo!” Draw your own conclusions.
Kanderson’s Graymass
A large filter-feeder resembling a shapeless gray blob (hence the name), Kanderson’s Graymass is found on many dense atmosphere worlds. It does not normally like environments as dry as that of Amad but seems to have adapted. It is an extremely simple creature which feeds mainly on plant and animal matter that drifts into it on the wind or blunders into its semi-camouflaged maw and is trapped by muscle contractions. It will also happily attempt to eat any RSS Avenger crewmembers who step on it, though fortunately in this case without success.
Lacking much in the way of a brain or very developed organs, the Graymass is quite hard to kill, though we did manage in the end. This may be the only way to extract a victim short of an ATV with a winch.
Fortunately the Graymass poses relatively little threat to humans, being only about 3m across and unable to ‘swallow’ more than a boot. Indeed, the biggest hazard is self-injury cased by trying to pull a trapped foot out of the Graymass’ maw and falling, causing a badly twisted ankle. The Graymass is apparently unable to let go of anything that is still moving, and has quite a grip. It then begins to secrete a mild acid that will eventually dissolve flesh and allow it to be digested.
Riverdipper
The Riverdipper is a peculiar little beast. It seems to be some kind of mammal or marsupial intermittent herbivore that dwells in small communities of up to a dozen individuals along the banks of watercourses. ‘Dippers feed off plants growing on the banks and also forage among the river-bottom weeds. They are fairly good swimmers and can also glide short distances in the manner of a flying squirrel, allowing spectacular dives into the water from improbable distances away.
For all they live in family groups, these little critters are very antisocial. They bicker constantly and fight frequently, though fights tend involve throwing a lot of small objects at one another, posturing and squealing like crazy, with actual blows rarely struck. Gang fights are quite entertaining, as a mob of ‘Dippers will jump around squealing, flinging things at one another and occasionally run up and bash one of the opposing side before gliding or running away. Their antics are made more interesting by what seems to be a sense of fair play – if one side is being roughed up too much, some of the opponents will change sides to help out. They also do this to gang up on an individual that is being too rough, and apparently sometimes at random.
We have no idea what these little guys were fighting about or who was winning, but it was fun to watch. They pose little threat to people, though they will steal small objects to throw at one another and may try to eat bootlaces and other small semi-edible items.
Laruuli
Laruuli are nasty mid-sized pouncers that are encountered on several worlds in the area. They are well camouflaged and fast, with a bullet-shaped head filled with razor teeth designed more for slashing bites in passing than serious fighting with a resisting foe. If they were fighter aircraft, we’d say these things were more suited to a slashing pass-and-away style of combat than a full-on dogfight. Their furry bodies are lean and built for short-distance speed and a powerful lunge. They have claws but these are obviously secondary to their teeth as weapons.
Laruuli generally work in mated pairs or packs of 3-5 juveniles. Their usual method of attack is a sudden rush from cover, knocking the victim down. The attacking beast will usually then spring clear and posturing, getting the target’s attention as it tries to rise. This allows the partner to close and deliver a crippling bite or a second knockdown to tire out a tough foe. Once down, the victim is usually worried to death. Laruuli seem to dislike a straight fight, even with a fairly harmless foe, and dash in and out, presumably to avoid lashing hooves or the flailing gun hand of an incautious explorer.
These things are willing to attack humans and they are dangerous. Treat with caution.
The first leg of our voyage took us through the Kamaki Cluster. There’s a Trade Mission on Amad and the odd Navy patrol passes through, so it’s not as lawless as the more Rimward parts of the sector. That didn’t stop us getting into the odd scrape, but overall the cluster was a good preparation for more dangerous regions.
Amad occupies a fairly empty system with no gas giants or significant planetoid belts and just a handful of rockball and iceball worlds. It has a starport of sorts and even a few system defence craft to protect it. Local tech is pretty poor, though there is a fair amount of imported technology and equipment as well as the usual crude copies of higher tech gear, sometimes with bought-in or salvaged higher-tech components to create more capable hybrid systems.
Amad is one of the few industrial centers in this region, and as such is an important hub for trade and commerce. It says a lot about the state of the cluster in general that a nowhere world like Amad is of such importance, but the fact is that with a reasonable technology base and the population to use it, Amad is now a player. A minor one, true, but a force in the region.
Amad itself is a smallish world with little surface water. The dense atmosphere is partly responsible for keeping the world at a fairly constant temperature and though it has some impressive thermal currents in some regions, weather is overall fairly placid.
The landscape is not as heavily weathered as on many dense-atmosphere worlds, but with little tectonic activity there are no massive mountain ranges. The result is a fairly dreary expanse of dry plains and semi-desert with rolling hills and the odd excuse for a mountain range. Areas on the windward side of these tend to be wetter and thus more fertile than the majority of the planet.
The region between the Marish Sea and the Travon Urus mountains is the most fertile on the planet, since it receives the most rainfall. Thus the city of Aldir Urus, location of the world’s starport, was one of the first settlements on Amad. Although damaged by raiders, Aldir Urus is still an impressive city. The region also contains several other large cities, with the rest of the planet being less densely populated in keeping with the difficulty of living there.
Amad has managed to retain a world government through some difficult times, though there have been times when central control broke down and the present government is descended very only tenuously from the original planetary administration, rulership having passed through several emergency administrations, two military juntas and at least one period of near-total anarchy.
Today, however, the one billion or so inhabitants of Amad are united under the rule of a dictatorship and supporting administrative functions. The government is fairly corrupt and is stagnating fast, but retains considerable public support despite the harsh laws imposed on all citizens, as these are seen as necessary in the difficult conditions that prevail.
It is likely that there will be a major social upheaval in the next ten to twenty years, and this has the potential to be quite destructive. If it happens soon, it will probably be for the best as Amad is at this time fairly well integrated. The outcome of these events will define the future of the world; at present the administration seems to be losing its way and becoming complacent. There are, however, several vested interests becoming entrenched in Amad's politics and most of these oppose a move towards growth and looking outwards as this might upset their position. There is also a feeling that Amad became a trade port all by itself and does not need outside help.
Amad is very much self-sufficient in terms of food, raw materials and industrial goods. Its surplus finished goods are offered for sale at the starport and find markets throughout the cluster and beyond. They are transported there by private trade ships; Amad has no merchant fleet of its own, although it does have a couple of small freighters on retainer, making scheduled runs across the cluster to steady markets. Amad could live without this activity of course, but sales of finished goods offworld provide some spare cash for various projects.
One long-overdue project is the redevelopment of Amad’s inter-city rail network, which has been kept running for decades on a shoestring and is finally being overhauled. There are also prospecting operations in uninhabited regions. It is typical of the world’s culture that money generated offworld is being plowed into industries that do not depend on interstellar travel.
Moderately isolationist yet open to visitors, Amad is something of a contradiction, but the outlook of the dictator and his government makes sense given the history of the region. Despite the strict laws and military policing, this isn’t a bad place to live, nor to visit. The starport bars are okay, the locals aren’t hostile and the food is decent, if a bit bland and lacking in variety.
As a trade port, the world receives a steady, if not exactly rapid, flow of ships through its acceptable starport, and conducts a fair amount of business there. In short, these people have managed to construct a system that works for them and doesn’t hurt anybody else. That’s a pretty impressive achievement in this day and age, and it is to be hoped that the balance is not upset by future events.
Flora and Fauna
Away from the cities of Amad, there are large areas of wilderness that rarely see people. We boarded our ATV and headed out into this great wide open to see what we could see. And blow holes in, but just in case of legal repercussions we aren’t telling who fired at what, nor under what circumstances. We wish merely to make the following statement: Field Test, AMR22, comment by RSS Avenger crewmember “Whoohoo!” Draw your own conclusions.
Kanderson’s Graymass
A large filter-feeder resembling a shapeless gray blob (hence the name), Kanderson’s Graymass is found on many dense atmosphere worlds. It does not normally like environments as dry as that of Amad but seems to have adapted. It is an extremely simple creature which feeds mainly on plant and animal matter that drifts into it on the wind or blunders into its semi-camouflaged maw and is trapped by muscle contractions. It will also happily attempt to eat any RSS Avenger crewmembers who step on it, though fortunately in this case without success.
Lacking much in the way of a brain or very developed organs, the Graymass is quite hard to kill, though we did manage in the end. This may be the only way to extract a victim short of an ATV with a winch.
Fortunately the Graymass poses relatively little threat to humans, being only about 3m across and unable to ‘swallow’ more than a boot. Indeed, the biggest hazard is self-injury cased by trying to pull a trapped foot out of the Graymass’ maw and falling, causing a badly twisted ankle. The Graymass is apparently unable to let go of anything that is still moving, and has quite a grip. It then begins to secrete a mild acid that will eventually dissolve flesh and allow it to be digested.
Riverdipper
The Riverdipper is a peculiar little beast. It seems to be some kind of mammal or marsupial intermittent herbivore that dwells in small communities of up to a dozen individuals along the banks of watercourses. ‘Dippers feed off plants growing on the banks and also forage among the river-bottom weeds. They are fairly good swimmers and can also glide short distances in the manner of a flying squirrel, allowing spectacular dives into the water from improbable distances away.
For all they live in family groups, these little critters are very antisocial. They bicker constantly and fight frequently, though fights tend involve throwing a lot of small objects at one another, posturing and squealing like crazy, with actual blows rarely struck. Gang fights are quite entertaining, as a mob of ‘Dippers will jump around squealing, flinging things at one another and occasionally run up and bash one of the opposing side before gliding or running away. Their antics are made more interesting by what seems to be a sense of fair play – if one side is being roughed up too much, some of the opponents will change sides to help out. They also do this to gang up on an individual that is being too rough, and apparently sometimes at random.
We have no idea what these little guys were fighting about or who was winning, but it was fun to watch. They pose little threat to people, though they will steal small objects to throw at one another and may try to eat bootlaces and other small semi-edible items.
Laruuli
Laruuli are nasty mid-sized pouncers that are encountered on several worlds in the area. They are well camouflaged and fast, with a bullet-shaped head filled with razor teeth designed more for slashing bites in passing than serious fighting with a resisting foe. If they were fighter aircraft, we’d say these things were more suited to a slashing pass-and-away style of combat than a full-on dogfight. Their furry bodies are lean and built for short-distance speed and a powerful lunge. They have claws but these are obviously secondary to their teeth as weapons.
Laruuli generally work in mated pairs or packs of 3-5 juveniles. Their usual method of attack is a sudden rush from cover, knocking the victim down. The attacking beast will usually then spring clear and posturing, getting the target’s attention as it tries to rise. This allows the partner to close and deliver a crippling bite or a second knockdown to tire out a tough foe. Once down, the victim is usually worried to death. Laruuli seem to dislike a straight fight, even with a fairly harmless foe, and dash in and out, presumably to avoid lashing hooves or the flailing gun hand of an incautious explorer.
These things are willing to attack humans and they are dangerous. Treat with caution.
