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Under the Ashlon Empire’s Tactical Applications Program, a set of commercial and industrial craft were rapidly repurposed into military vessels. The ATB-9 Mudcrab was selected due to its rugged construction and unique combat potential. Normally used to grapple, slice and shunt asteroids during mining operations, it could latch on to a hostile capital ship, drive it off course with engine power, or burn through key systems.
The triangular structure here was fun to figure out! Lots of angles to harmonise.
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Plot Text -- Acquisition Report
Subject: Recommendation for Military Conversion of ATB-9L “Mudcrab” Mining Vessel
From: Cmdr Garran Plet, Strategic Industries Office
To: Capt Trellik Dorne, Director, Tactical Applications Program
Classification: Priority Secret
Captain Dorne,
Per your directive on unconventional asset utilization, I submit the following assessment and recommendation regarding the ATB-9L “Mudcrab” deep-asteroid mining vessel, currently in use by Tyneex Extractive Syndicate in the Terzan Belt.
Summary:
The Mudcrab is a bulky, low-profile industrial craft designed for asteroid harvesting operations in unstable gravity wells. It features:
- Triple forward grappling arms, hydraulically driven with mag-grav adhesive claws, capable of crushing or restraining medium hull targets or affixing the ship to large hull targets.
- Hull-integrated plasma-bore laser, originally for drilling, but easily reconfigured as a forward-fixed beam weapon. Thermal output is comparable with capital-grade turbolasers over short bursts.
- Oversized ion-core sublight engines, designed to reposition massive ore payloads—unusually high thrust-to-weight ratio for a mining platform.
Combat Potential:
The Mudcrab’s chassis offers several tactical advantages:
- Capital ship engagement: We assess that the Mudcrab could successfully close with a typical New Republic or pirate capital ship and grapple with its hull. Once engaged in this way, it could either fire directly into the hull to destroy key subsystems, or power its engines to push the grappled ship off course and reduce the target's combat effectiveness or even cause collisions with other nearby hostile ships.
- Close-quarters interdiction: The claws can immobilize small craft without hull breach, ideal for prisoner extraction or cargo seizure. It would also be compatible with boarding operations if supported by an extended crew module or additional ship.
- Ambush capability: Its rugged build and heavy-duty plating make it ideal for low-signature deployment in debris fields or mine-rich orbits.
Recommendations:
I propose immediate requisition of five ATB-9Ls for retrofit at the Terminus Central Yards. Estimated turnaround: 6 weeks per unit. Minimal cost—unit price is one-tenth that of a Tartan patrol cruiser.
Pending your approval, I will initiate coordination with Tyneex under Order 848-A (Resource Militarization Protocol).
For the Empire,
Cmdr Garran Vos
Strategic Industries Office
Navy Headquarters
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This topic was modified 7 hours ago by Utini
Posted : 16/06/2025 12:28 pm
