Post by pendell on Dec 10, 2013 22:30:16 GMT -5
I direct your attention to the Quantum Vibe webcomic, and it's current space pirate arc, starting in this episode.
I think this little arc has a great deal of parallels to the Star Traders universe, and I think Jesus Hernandez would fit in well there. In some ways it is a textbook operation.
Here are some of the skills I see used:
Stealth. The pirates use hologram technology to create false sensor images. This allows them to close the range to the passenger ship without eating weapons fire -- not much different from ST pirates evading torpedoes.
Piloting: The pirates must close the range to the civilian craft in order to engage it, and this they do, aided by the aforementioned stealth.
Tactics: After closing to point blank range, the pirates use pinpoint weapons fire to disarm the vessel without breaching the hull. Once this is done, they train the weapons on the victim's command deck and demand surrender. This is not at all different from ST, except we disable a vessel's engines rather than the ship's guns.
Warrior: While Jesus Hernandez does not participate in combat, it is apparent from the fact that he is in the first wave through the airlock and through his later actions that he trains in hand-to-hand combat. I would not be surprised if warrior was his second-highest stat.
Intimidation: This is his prime stat. Everything about him oozes intimidation. The shaved head. The opaque sunvisor. The tall, muscular physique. The quick violence. The authoritative choice of words. The refusal to smile even once or to show the slightest softness to his victims. Everything about him communicates one thing and one thing only: I am the pirate Jesus Hernandez, and *I* am the one in charge here.
The one thing they bring up which ST does not model well is *information*. It's obvious to me that what makes the pirate successful is not any of those stats but the vast quantity of information he has at his disposal. I suspect he had inside help from the crew. The fact that he had exact access to the personnel records. The fact that he subverted the combat robots used for anti-boarding defense. The text implies this operations was weeks, even months, in the planning stages, and therefore he must have known the vessel's exact flight itinerary and defensive capabilities, allowing him to stage a letter-perfect assault with zero casualties.
Meanwhile , I suspect his ability to obscure that same information is what allows him to function as a Dark Nemesis at war with all Quantum Vibe factions.
This is not something ST models well. I wonder if it could...? Info which can be purchased in bars which can make a mission easier, for a price?
Something to think about. Anyway, enjoy the story!
Respectfully,
Brian P.
I think this little arc has a great deal of parallels to the Star Traders universe, and I think Jesus Hernandez would fit in well there. In some ways it is a textbook operation.
Here are some of the skills I see used:
Stealth. The pirates use hologram technology to create false sensor images. This allows them to close the range to the passenger ship without eating weapons fire -- not much different from ST pirates evading torpedoes.
Piloting: The pirates must close the range to the civilian craft in order to engage it, and this they do, aided by the aforementioned stealth.
Tactics: After closing to point blank range, the pirates use pinpoint weapons fire to disarm the vessel without breaching the hull. Once this is done, they train the weapons on the victim's command deck and demand surrender. This is not at all different from ST, except we disable a vessel's engines rather than the ship's guns.
Warrior: While Jesus Hernandez does not participate in combat, it is apparent from the fact that he is in the first wave through the airlock and through his later actions that he trains in hand-to-hand combat. I would not be surprised if warrior was his second-highest stat.
Intimidation: This is his prime stat. Everything about him oozes intimidation. The shaved head. The opaque sunvisor. The tall, muscular physique. The quick violence. The authoritative choice of words. The refusal to smile even once or to show the slightest softness to his victims. Everything about him communicates one thing and one thing only: I am the pirate Jesus Hernandez, and *I* am the one in charge here.
The one thing they bring up which ST does not model well is *information*. It's obvious to me that what makes the pirate successful is not any of those stats but the vast quantity of information he has at his disposal. I suspect he had inside help from the crew. The fact that he had exact access to the personnel records. The fact that he subverted the combat robots used for anti-boarding defense. The text implies this operations was weeks, even months, in the planning stages, and therefore he must have known the vessel's exact flight itinerary and defensive capabilities, allowing him to stage a letter-perfect assault with zero casualties.
Meanwhile , I suspect his ability to obscure that same information is what allows him to function as a Dark Nemesis at war with all Quantum Vibe factions.
This is not something ST models well. I wonder if it could...? Info which can be purchased in bars which can make a mission easier, for a price?
Something to think about. Anyway, enjoy the story!
Respectfully,
Brian P.
