Hello Folks,
I thought I'd have a little fun here and suggest a method by which a Hijacker crew might hit a ship. I invite others to join in this thread to either point out flaws, or add new ideas - as I can't be the only one who has given this thought. Call it mini-scenarios, or call it something where it can reflect a campaign direction. Net result? Sharing ideas is not always a bad thing.
Ok, starting with phase one of the hijacking incident:
The Starport authority generally vets its employees, largely because the work they do enables them to have access to all areas of a ship at any given time. Problem is - even a background check may not be proof against someone slipping through that don't raise any security checks. Perhaps someone who did make it past the background check later on, is compromised in a fashion that renders them willing to work with criminals.
In any event, it all starts with the Annual Maintenance crew. One who is working for the bad guys, does simple things like replace keyboards or computer interface devices (keyboards, how quaint!). These newly installed boards are of course, doctored with password harvesting software/hardware that stores the vital information in a way that later hijackers can access.
But it doesn't end there. All of the security cameras can be mapped out. All of the wiring for those cameras can be noted, and any unsupervised work can be performed to add kill switches or even a coded radio message sent to disable the power to the cameras etc.
Now, if certain access panels are tied into the security system, they can either be replaced with bypass panels, or they can simply have their "vulnerabilities" mapped out for later teams to handle during an actual hijack attempt.
That's phase I of the Hijacker's operation.
Phase II is misdirection of sorts...
Enter the Longshoreman Widows and Disability Fund. Yeah, it is supposed to sound shady, and yes, the ship's crew that is hit up for it will likely refuse. The trick isn't to get them to pay into the fund, the trick is to make them NOT pay into the fund. Why? Because the real target of this phase is to replace the ship's Purser/Steward with a ringer. If you attack the steward out of the blue, the rest of the crew might wonder at the why and become extra alert. On the other hand, if the local criminals take revenge on the crew for not paying the protection racket its fee - then you guide them towards a viewpoint that is less vigilant. What you want for your "ringer" is someone that the target crew will deem desirable above all others. The ringer has to be temporary so that the actual steward, upon recovery, can rejoin the crew. This ringer has to be someone who has a glowing report from his last employer. This ringer has to be someone who is relatively old and deemed to be harmless - like a retiree returning to his destination of choice who is willing to work via working passage rules.
Phase II is all about getting the purser/steward out of the picture and replaced with the ringer.
Now, what can that purser do to advance the agenda of the hijackers? Keep in mind, the purser already knows the layout of the ship, its security cameras etc - due to the work from phase I. He can, as a result of his duties, select which passengers get picked for boarding to the next destination. He can even insure that some of the hijackers "specialists" are brought aboard as low berth passengers.
Disassembled laser weapons can be brought on and hidden in various different luggage compartments or as seemingly harmless things for other applications. Knives from the galley can be made available. In short, the Purser/Steward can give an edge to the hijackers all without the crew being aware of what is happening.
Phase III - the take over.
Depending on what the GM thinks will work best - the Steward can easily doctor the food the crew eats or drinks. He can have shaving cream cans filled with knockout gas. He can have small canisters filled with biowarfare weapons in the form of a virulent virus that can be debilitating (of course, the hijack crew will have been vaccinated!). He can stage a medical emergency requiring the assistance of fellow crew. The purser can also be taking food to the captain, while the rest of the crew are elsewhere (engineering and bridge for instance). Take the captain out quietly would be one way to handle this.
With access to the passwords contained in the logger devices, the hijackers can access the control systems and take it from there. Once the ship is hijacked, the ship can either act as if they were the legitimate crew, or they can file a flight plan involving the intent to engage in wilderness refueling - from whence they will jump to a new destination.
Best of all? In addition to having a ship worth money, they may even have legitimate passengers who can be ransomed to the authorities for money.
If you run this scenario? I would suggest that you do so in a fashion where as GM, you are RUTHLESS. This is a gang that knows their business and intends to win. If one of the things that is loaded onto the ship as "Freight" is a grav car, the hijackers might even have planned an escape in case things go bad.
Play on the fact that the ships crew may have to deal with hostage takers. Make it a point to show that in subsequent hearings - the captain may be called before the Admiralty Board to account for his decisions that led to the death of passengers (or the loss of his ship!). If it turns out that, in your opinion, the crew did everything they were supposed to and were legitimately surprised, be nice to them and allow for insurance to pay for 80% of the loss of their ship's value, of which the bank will grab what it is owed, and with luck, the players still have enough funds to put a down payment on a new ship...
Then?
Let them meet the old retiring Steward who did them wrong in a star port some place else...
GIVE the players the chance to fail, and even make it TOUGH to win. The next time, they won't be so easy to target. If as GM, you feel they wouldn't know about the password loggers - let them try to resolve the issue of "how did they get the passwords!" Like any stage magician, do NOT reveal your secrets! Let them be mystified, and if they ask pointedly to where they are in open rebellion, simply state "As GM, I'll make you a deal. If the scenario I outline would have succeeded - you guys owe me <fill in contract here>. If you feel I railroaded you badly, then <insert penalty clause here>".
Make them work in your game universe, and what they do get to brag about, they will. Years later, they will retell that story to others, or reminisce amongst themselves. If you want, let the story circle back a bit in that the hijackers make a mistake in collecting the ransom and they can get revenge that way. Have a patron approach them after one of the kidnap victims is released, to "Hunt those <expletive deleted> down and make them pay".
Last but not least?
If the players actively WIN against such a hijack attempt, tell them "Hey, you did GOOD!" Praise them and let them know that this scenario was intended for them to lose. They can bask in the afterglow of knowing that you did NOT pull your punch and they succeeded despite it.
As an afterthought? It occurs to me to throw in one final misdirection element...
If they keep hammering away at "how did they know the passwords!" simply have an NPC state "I wonder if the Zhodani were behind this, or a rogue psion". Maybe the efforts to guard against THAT will prove entertaining.
I thought I'd have a little fun here and suggest a method by which a Hijacker crew might hit a ship. I invite others to join in this thread to either point out flaws, or add new ideas - as I can't be the only one who has given this thought. Call it mini-scenarios, or call it something where it can reflect a campaign direction. Net result? Sharing ideas is not always a bad thing.
Ok, starting with phase one of the hijacking incident:
The Starport authority generally vets its employees, largely because the work they do enables them to have access to all areas of a ship at any given time. Problem is - even a background check may not be proof against someone slipping through that don't raise any security checks. Perhaps someone who did make it past the background check later on, is compromised in a fashion that renders them willing to work with criminals.
In any event, it all starts with the Annual Maintenance crew. One who is working for the bad guys, does simple things like replace keyboards or computer interface devices (keyboards, how quaint!). These newly installed boards are of course, doctored with password harvesting software/hardware that stores the vital information in a way that later hijackers can access.
But it doesn't end there. All of the security cameras can be mapped out. All of the wiring for those cameras can be noted, and any unsupervised work can be performed to add kill switches or even a coded radio message sent to disable the power to the cameras etc.
Now, if certain access panels are tied into the security system, they can either be replaced with bypass panels, or they can simply have their "vulnerabilities" mapped out for later teams to handle during an actual hijack attempt.
That's phase I of the Hijacker's operation.
Phase II is misdirection of sorts...
Enter the Longshoreman Widows and Disability Fund. Yeah, it is supposed to sound shady, and yes, the ship's crew that is hit up for it will likely refuse. The trick isn't to get them to pay into the fund, the trick is to make them NOT pay into the fund. Why? Because the real target of this phase is to replace the ship's Purser/Steward with a ringer. If you attack the steward out of the blue, the rest of the crew might wonder at the why and become extra alert. On the other hand, if the local criminals take revenge on the crew for not paying the protection racket its fee - then you guide them towards a viewpoint that is less vigilant. What you want for your "ringer" is someone that the target crew will deem desirable above all others. The ringer has to be temporary so that the actual steward, upon recovery, can rejoin the crew. This ringer has to be someone who has a glowing report from his last employer. This ringer has to be someone who is relatively old and deemed to be harmless - like a retiree returning to his destination of choice who is willing to work via working passage rules.
Phase II is all about getting the purser/steward out of the picture and replaced with the ringer.
Now, what can that purser do to advance the agenda of the hijackers? Keep in mind, the purser already knows the layout of the ship, its security cameras etc - due to the work from phase I. He can, as a result of his duties, select which passengers get picked for boarding to the next destination. He can even insure that some of the hijackers "specialists" are brought aboard as low berth passengers.
Disassembled laser weapons can be brought on and hidden in various different luggage compartments or as seemingly harmless things for other applications. Knives from the galley can be made available. In short, the Purser/Steward can give an edge to the hijackers all without the crew being aware of what is happening.
Phase III - the take over.
Depending on what the GM thinks will work best - the Steward can easily doctor the food the crew eats or drinks. He can have shaving cream cans filled with knockout gas. He can have small canisters filled with biowarfare weapons in the form of a virulent virus that can be debilitating (of course, the hijack crew will have been vaccinated!). He can stage a medical emergency requiring the assistance of fellow crew. The purser can also be taking food to the captain, while the rest of the crew are elsewhere (engineering and bridge for instance). Take the captain out quietly would be one way to handle this.
With access to the passwords contained in the logger devices, the hijackers can access the control systems and take it from there. Once the ship is hijacked, the ship can either act as if they were the legitimate crew, or they can file a flight plan involving the intent to engage in wilderness refueling - from whence they will jump to a new destination.
Best of all? In addition to having a ship worth money, they may even have legitimate passengers who can be ransomed to the authorities for money.
If you run this scenario? I would suggest that you do so in a fashion where as GM, you are RUTHLESS. This is a gang that knows their business and intends to win. If one of the things that is loaded onto the ship as "Freight" is a grav car, the hijackers might even have planned an escape in case things go bad.
Play on the fact that the ships crew may have to deal with hostage takers. Make it a point to show that in subsequent hearings - the captain may be called before the Admiralty Board to account for his decisions that led to the death of passengers (or the loss of his ship!). If it turns out that, in your opinion, the crew did everything they were supposed to and were legitimately surprised, be nice to them and allow for insurance to pay for 80% of the loss of their ship's value, of which the bank will grab what it is owed, and with luck, the players still have enough funds to put a down payment on a new ship...
Then?
Let them meet the old retiring Steward who did them wrong in a star port some place else...
GIVE the players the chance to fail, and even make it TOUGH to win. The next time, they won't be so easy to target. If as GM, you feel they wouldn't know about the password loggers - let them try to resolve the issue of "how did they get the passwords!" Like any stage magician, do NOT reveal your secrets! Let them be mystified, and if they ask pointedly to where they are in open rebellion, simply state "As GM, I'll make you a deal. If the scenario I outline would have succeeded - you guys owe me <fill in contract here>. If you feel I railroaded you badly, then <insert penalty clause here>".
Make them work in your game universe, and what they do get to brag about, they will. Years later, they will retell that story to others, or reminisce amongst themselves. If you want, let the story circle back a bit in that the hijackers make a mistake in collecting the ransom and they can get revenge that way. Have a patron approach them after one of the kidnap victims is released, to "Hunt those <expletive deleted> down and make them pay".
Last but not least?
If the players actively WIN against such a hijack attempt, tell them "Hey, you did GOOD!" Praise them and let them know that this scenario was intended for them to lose. They can bask in the afterglow of knowing that you did NOT pull your punch and they succeeded despite it.
As an afterthought? It occurs to me to throw in one final misdirection element...
If they keep hammering away at "how did they know the passwords!" simply have an NPC state "I wonder if the Zhodani were behind this, or a rogue psion". Maybe the efforts to guard against THAT will prove entertaining.