"To answer your questions, this is going to be a black as vacuum op. Blacker than
the inside of a Hutt's asshole. So no E-11s or anything recognizably Imperial. You'll
be outfitted with armor that looks like it came from the blackmarket, but is as good
as the real thing, in fact, it IS the real thing, but mismatched."
"I recommend disruptor carbines as the order of the day, or other weapons that
do not scream Imperial over and over even to the most dimwitted investigator
in the event you cannot destroy the base totally and are forced to leave behind
evidence."
"As for the Rebels, no prisoners or survivors. There's always the chance they'll
escape and and tell their friends what happened. We can't allow this for the simple
reason that we would like our alien friend's cover to be intact through this mess."
"For that reason, you're not meeting our friend at an Imperial installation; you're gonna
meet him out in the primary asteroid belt in Polok, far from any prying eyes."
"As for the base itself..." Sheppard pulled out a sheaf of flimsiplast papers and began
to leaf through it. "It's your standard Reb Starfighter base, two squadrons of X-Wings,
24 craft in all, and 36 pilots for them. The base commander is an old Z-95 jockey who
somehow survived those death traps long enough to be promoted to Major."
"The base has two platoons of Rebel troops attached to it for security and defensive
purposes, sixty men in all, equipped with your standard gamut of light infantry support
weapons, no heavy weapons at all from our reports. They think they're safe since they're
invisible and don't stage out from it too much."
"As for the plans, I do believe we have them, Check Slot 512 on your deskcomps for
the base maps."
"We've labelled what we think is each part of the base's functions, but we're operating
on sketchy information we've gleaned from our Alien friend...so it might not entirely be
accurate."
Rebel Base Layout
Blast Doors These heavily-armored doors seal off areas to contain fires,
explosions,or intruders,
Hangar Each reinforced hangar shelters one starfighter and provides computer
and navigation ground links, cold engine starters, external power source, overhead
winches and lifts. On extended alerts, many pilots and ground crews sleep in hammocks
slung beside their fighters.
"Ready One" Position The fighter in this hangar is always flight-ready. The alert pilot
must be able to scramble in one minute. The hangar position allows immediate straight-line
launch with minimum taxi.
Armory All "hard" weapons, such as missiles and bombs, are stored in this heavily
armored vault. These munitions become "live" (linked with detonators) only on flight-ready
craft. Replacement laser actuators and barrels are also stored here, as well as heavy
ground weapons.
Crash Wagon In the tight confines of the hangar, any debris or fire could quickly
shut down all operations. The Rebels keep a powerful repulsorlift tractor with a blast
shield to push or drag damaged or burning fighters, equipment, or munitions out of
the base, They also use the vehicle for above-ground excavation, clearing fire zones,
and digging out emplacements.
Medical Suite Diagnostic sensors, medical computers, a surgical theater, and a
bacta rejuve tank equip doctors to diagnose and treat most diseases and injuries.
A surgical doctor manages the medical suite, assisted by two medical Droids
(MD-1 and MD-2 units). The medical bay can only handle six bed patients;
additional patients are housed and treated in adjacent cabins.
Command Center Duty officers here constantly monitor communications and
sensor readings. A multitude of sensors, including the base's powerful above-ground
array, secret remote units, and sensors on ships on picket duty, feed data back to this
comand center. Computers and operators search the data for any sign of Imperial
activity. All missions are monitored from here. Pilots usually maintain strict radio
silence, but in emergencies can send coded messages less than a second long back
to the base. All primary base systems are normally controlled from here, including the
power generators, life support systems, and shields.
Holographic Projector This sophisticated projector provides three-dimensional
composite images of any computer or sensor data desired. During briefings, the
holographs help clarify mission routes, positions, and objectives. During combat,
commanders and tacticians study the holograph to monitor the action and devise
new strategies. The holographic projector stands in the command center.
Standard Cabin Between four and 12 Rebels share each standard cabin.
Furnishings vary from hand-made bunks to pre-fabricated units salvaged from
passenger liners the Alliance converted into cargo ships. Supplies and equipment
fills every spare cabinet and bit of floor space.
Stateroom Unlike standard cabins, only a few officers share each stateroom,
but they don't enjoy more space than the Rebels they lead. Each stateroom
also serves as an office, a laboratory, briefing room, microcircuitry machine shop,
or some other vital function. Most staterooms contain extensive computer systems,
much of it jury-rigged and portable.
Lifts Repuisorlift elevators connect the base to the tunnel complex and the
above-ground facilities including the sensor array, defensive laser batteries, and
observation towers. The lift shafts include ladder rungs for use in power failures. If
an attacking force breaks though the aboveground defenses or infiltrates the tunnels,
Rebels in the base can detonate special charges to destroy and fill the shaft.
Common Room This large room serves many functions: mess hall, recreation
area and lounge, briefing room, fitness center, even barracks for transit troops and
crews or refugees.
Galley Walk-in freezers, dry-food lockers, and crates of rations fill the galley,
barely leaving room for the stoves and ovens. Much of this compact equipment
came from galleys on small passenger ships.
Storage A jumble of supplies, parts, and equipment fill designated storage areas.
Supplies range from bags of dry formex mix to delicate Droid parts. Special vaults
keep perishables at a constant temperature, pressure, and humidity.
Life Support Like so many Rebel systems, the life support system is hand built. Few
Rebel bases are very comfortable because they are set in extremely inhospitable
environments, and this one is no exception. The Rebels rarely run their life support
equipment at full capacity since doing so generates a tremendous energy signature
that might alert Imperial sensors or probes of the base's presence.
Observation Tower Sharp-eyed lookouts constantly man concealed observation
towers, scanning the horizon with macrobinoculars. These sentries stay in contact
with roving patrols, the control lower, and the command center through low-frequency
comlinks.
Control Tower This tower serves as the primary lookout station for the base. Sensors track
all atmospheric and ground movement in a 1,000 kilometer radius around the base. During
flight operations, controllers in the tower give pilots final approach vectors in any weather.
The controllers prove especially necessary when coordinating heavy flight traffic, assisting
damaged fighters or injured pilots, and guiding transit pilots who often don't know the final
approach route until they arrive. The controllers also visually confirm that incoming ships
are who they claim to be. Observers in the tower direct laser fire and ground strikes when
the base comes under attack. The armored tower supports the base's primary
communication antennas.
Fuel Cells These high-energy capacitors store power for recharging starfighters' fuel
cells. The base generators continuously charge these cells so a tremendous amount of
energy is available almost instanteously during combat, not only for the fighters, but also
for the defenive laser cannons. During bombardment these fuel cells supplement the
shield power generators. If the base generators fall, these cells can support the base
for a while, depending on how much energy remains.
"Now as for landing directly in the base, you could do that, by hiding in the ship and bursting
out while they unload it, but then the Rebs would be able to channel you into kill zones, they
probably got some heavy E-WEBs set up to cover the ship during unloading. The alternative
is to jump from fourteen point four kilometers up, and freefall towards the base and land
there during the night and infiltrate it using your skills."
"Finally, one last thing, If you ever fucking kill an Imperial officer again for no damned good
reason, your ass is grass. I don't care if he was trying to shortchange you on a Sabaac game,
it's not good for morale amongst the forces."
