32 replies to this topic

[InnerSphereNews]

Sat. May 19, 3049: Reports of another lost prospecting JumpShip near the Pirate’s Haven Star Cluster ignite new calls to end the threat.

[Thorn Hallis]

Who'd see prospecting JumpShips as threat?

[Akrasjel Lanate]

Good one

[pbiggz]

I smell Clanners.

[Storm McIntyre]

Thorn Hallis, on 19 May 2012 - 08:10 AM, said:

Who'd see prospecting JumpShips as threat?

Well, as targets go, they are only lightly armed and armored. Against a determined attack, they won't hold up for long. What puzzles me is, if this is pirate activity, it makes no sense. These prospecting dropships generally prospect for industrial ores, not precious metals or gems. Compared to a cargo freighter, the freighter would be a more lucrative target. Yes, any ores they plunder could net some money, but only to industrial firms in the periphery, and I'm not sure many of them would deal with pirates for resources unless they were desperate.

This makes two prospecting dropships lost within the past month. Pirates don't engage in prospecting as a rule, so none of this is making any sense. Which leads me to my last question:

What the %$#@ is going on out there?

[pbiggz]

scratch my previous statement, pirates star cluster is on the wrong side of the Innersphere. Cant be clan.

[Storm McIntyre]

pbiggz, on 19 May 2012 - 08:18 AM, said:

I smell Clanners.

I would be inclined to agree, except this is in the southern periphery, near the Taurian Concordat and the Magistracy of Canopus. The clans, according to lore, attack from the northern periphery, near Star's End, the Rock, and the Oberon Confederation. This doesn't fit. And that concerns me a great deal.

[Erasmus]

Maybe Peripheric Faction active muhahahaha

[Felicitatem Parco]

I wonder what those Brigands are up-to over there...?



(edit: Pun-Accentuation-Powers: ACTIVATE!)

Edited by Prosperity Park, 19 May 2012 - 09:20 AM.

[SoulLessCommander]

When is this game going to come out???

[Storm McIntyre]

Prosperity Park, on 19 May 2012 - 08:30 AM, said:

I wonder what those Brigands are up-to over there...?

The only idea I can come up with is that maybe the pirates came across a vein or veins of industrial ores, but have no way of mining them. The prospecting dropships do have limited mining capabilities/equipment. Maybe the pirates intend to mine the ores using the dropships and try their hand at going legit.

Yeah, I'm not buying that either....

[Sheilei]

Erasmus, on 19 May 2012 - 08:27 AM, said:

Maybe Peripheric Faction active muhahahaha

Uh-Oh they're onto us. Run.
I knew it was a foolish idea to try and raid planets with only a lance of junky mechs and a rustbucket of an old ship.

Note to self- Remember to mix laxatives into the Commander's meals on a regular basis to stop him from ordering us to our death's to satisfy his crazy ambitions for power.
It should at least keep him busy for a while if that fails.

Edited by Sheilei, 19 May 2012 - 09:07 AM.

[Haakon Valravn]

Perhaps it may be...

WOLVERINES!

[Korin Orrel]

Quote

Who'd see prospecting JumpShips as threat?





Well, as targets go, they are only lightly armed and armored. Against a determined attack, they won't hold up for long. What puzzles me is, if this is pirate activity, it makes no sense. These prospecting dropships generally prospect for industrial ores, not precious metals or gems. Compared to a cargo freighter, the freighter would be a more lucrative target. Yes, any ores they plunder could net some money, but only to industrial firms in the periphery, and I'm not sure many of them would deal with pirates for resources unless they were desperate.



This makes two prospecting dropships lost within the past month. Pirates don't engage in prospecting as a rule, so none of this is making any sense. Which leads me to my last question:



What the %$#@ is going on out there?

Perhaps they were prospecting close to a pirate haven or got a sensor reading of something the pirates wanted to hide. Or maybe they were merely targets of opportunity. You can bet that if a ship jumps in a pirate isn't going to be too picky on whether or not they they take it, regardless of the value of the cargo and/or vessel. It's there, you take it. End of equation.

As far as being able to sell the ores there will always be SOMEBODY willing to make a quick buck on the side, or save a few credits by buying stolen cargo

Or perhaps they are converting the JumpShips into raiding vessels?

[Soviet Alex]

It's a jumpship. Pirates need jumpships. Any jumpships. They'll either use it themselves or ransom it back to the original owners.

What kind of ***** goes prospecting near the Pirates' Haven cluster without adequate fighter cover anyway? Doesn't the name give it away?

[Storm McIntyre]

Korin Orrel, on 19 May 2012 - 09:20 AM, said:

Perhaps they were prospecting close to a pirate haven or got a sensor reading of something the pirates wanted to hide. Or maybe they were merely targets of opportunity. You can bet that if a ship jumps in a pirate isn't going to be too picky on whether or not they they take it, regardless of the value of the cargo and/or vessel. It's there, you take it. End of equation.

As far as being able to sell the ores there will always be SOMEBODY willing to make a quick buck on the side, or save a few credits by buying stolen cargo

Or perhaps they are converting the JumpShips into raiding vessels?

I agree with your analysis. The pirates are being very bold to attack targets like this so close together, imo. I would think they would space the targets out so as not to attract so much attention for when they do launch raids. Nothing ruins a raiding timetable like a military task force jumping into your backyard. They also have to know that with the periphery nations taking notice of these losses, the planets on their frontiers are likely going to be on alert for pirate attacks, so the militias and even house military units will be geared up, expecting trouble. They just made their own jobs a whole lot more difficult, as any planet now is going to be a tricky target to hit and run with a raid. Raids depend on surprise. If the enemy knows your coming, your chances of pulling off the raid successfully diminish dramatically. While its possible the pirates had to jump the gun in capturing the jumpship and shot themselves in the foot in doing so by tipping off to the authorities that they were gearing up, I just don't buy it. Pirates can be an unpredictable bunch, but to survive as a pirate, you generally are not stupid. Cowardly? Yes. Brutal, sadistic and cruel? Yes. Tactically and strategically stupid? Not very bloody likely.

If that jumpship did see something that the pirates didn't want seen, what could it have been? I agree a pirate mech factory would be a good answer, or perhaps a lost star league depot/base that the pirates found and are using? There are several possibilites.

Bottom line for me, however, is something just doesn't feel right. I know my feelings count for squat, but something about these attacks just bugs me.

[GreatSeaSpider]

Dont forget how highly valued jumpships are, for a band of pirates mobiliy and supplies are going to be two primary concerns, and a prospecting jumpship is likely to have an excellent store of general supplies if they've found it early into it's mission. Sounds like a win for a band of pirates to me :-)

In fact it seems to me that the size of a pirate band may well be limited by the number of jumships available to them, this pirate band, whoever they are, might suddenly be thinking about expansion :-\

[Kenyon Burguess]

http://www.sarna.net...irates%27_Haven

could be anyone involved in that. even the http://www.sarna.net...urian_Concordat

[Starne]

Ships going missing out in the Periphery? Could be a lot of things. But I wouldn't be surprised planets and systems start going dark, soon. I'm not going to come out and say that it was Aliens, but I'm betting it was Aliens. They're abducting people and stealing our technology to learn about us in preparation for their invetiable conquest.

I'm calling it now, before the end of 3052, the invading hordes will have overrun all but a tiny enclave of the FRR, and taken sizeable chunk out of Lyran and Combine territory. Mark my words. I for one am not going to let some hideous Alien wierdoes born in a test-tube or something take over our planets, steal our stuff, and enslave our people.

[Steinar Bergstol]

Just more proof that pirates ought to be shot on sight, no questions asked. The scum out of the Pirate's Haven are just one group among many who continue to terrorize and victimize legitimate citizens of the Inner Sphere and Periphery nations alike. Names like Hendrik Grimm III, Helmar Valasek, Maria Morgraine and Redjack Ryan are, I'm sure, familiar to those who live or trade in the north periphery or the border worlds of the northern sphere. With the relative calm between the Lyran Commonwealth and Draconis Combine since the buffer zone called the Free Rasalhague Republic was established I would have hoped these two major states would have turned at least some of their attention towards wiping out these blights on humanity. Send in a couple of Sword of Light regiments, for example, to Butte Hold, Oberon IV or Santander's World and I'm pretty sure the pirate scum would get the fate they deserve.

I find it interesting as well to note that Helmar Valasek is from the Federated Suns, while Grimm and Ryan are supposedly both of Lyran descent. Funny how the worst pirates of our time all hail from the FedCom, isn't it?

Edited by Steinar Bergstol, 19 May 2012 - 04:09 PM.