Xenophobe Picket
Xenophobe Picket
Xenophobe Pickets are small spacecraft, usually operating with a crew of less than 10, although they can pack in up to 50 marines for boarding purposes. Generally, X Ps only pack a few nuke missiles for armament. This is a holdover from the Zenbrudi War, which was the heyday for this particular type of craft. The XP was a clean systems’ best line of defense against Zenbrudi infection.
X Ps are generally sent with a singular mission: reconnaisance. As an unscheduled approaching ship is sensed, an XP is dispatched to intercept. X Ps are loaded with passive and active sensor arrays, and initiate conversation with any intruders that may arrive. If the intruder doesn’t respond appropriately, they can either launch nukes and bug out, or call home and bug out. That all depends on local procedures.
X Ps have some of the highest acceleration ratings outside of racing craft. They generally avoid combat engagements at all cost. The one exception is piracy.
After the Zenbrudi War finally died down, systems slowly came to realize how expensive it is to pay highly trained crews to sit around in deep orbit for months and generally just end up doing Customs work. So a lot of X Ps starting hitting the market.
Pirating groups love them. They skip the Berryman Sensor Array and just lurk on an asteroid or comet. As a ship gains space, the XP rushes out to intercept it. While military ships would send the pirates scurrying for cover, most civilian ships are vulnerable to a quick attack. The XP can also be fitted with jamming equipment to prevent their victim calling for help.