This is part of an ongoing series about the preparations I've made to
run Mongoose's revised edition of the Bayern campaign for 2300AD.
Spoilers for Plot Point 1.
This doesn't much involve Entdecker. I assume the flotilla is
docked for maximum communications bandwidth (and maximum peril when
the incident happens), and to keep local space clear of unexpected
objects. Some of Entdecker's crew with notable skills might be
involved with drone prep, and while significant this is not especially
challenging, so to summarise:
- Electronics (Computer) to bring drone systems up from storage to
ready. (Not Nicole or any of the senior computer staff.)
- Engineer (Stutterwarp) to bring up the stutterwarp core (and fix any
problems). (Not one of the senior engineers.)
- Pilot (Small Craft) to cargo-bug the drone out of the hold
into a free-flight position. (Angelica Mendozza?)
- Electronics (Remote Ops) to get the drone to 200km from the ship,
and flip over to internal systems. (Tashima Matsika?)
With my storygame head on, I might ask: why are you getting involved
in this job that's off your ship? Are you bored with life on
Entdecker and hankering for a change of scenery? Or I might have
some secondary PCs available.
Once the extra code takes over, Entdecker has a substantial reaction
drive which, while not designed as a weapon, can still be used as one
at point-blank range. This would need an emergency undock from
Bayern (Piloting), a calculation of where and when to burn
(Astrogation), and orientation of the ship to put the exhaust plume in
the right time/place (Piloting).
If the drone does hit, even the maximum possible damage won't destroy
Bayern. The saboteur would have known this; at most it will cause
delay and suspicion.
Of course one of the hardest things to do is to get players to let go
of an unsuccessful investigation. The key point, I think, is that
while the computer intrusion can be analysed, in the end the code
insertion could have been done by anyone who's been aboard Bayern
since the computers were initialised, which doesn't even restrict it
to the crew on board now. They wouldn't need any computer skills, just
a data storage module appropriately configured.