[RFC]For Tailed Ones

[Ace Dreamer]

OK, so a small assault vehicle, with probably one to four troops onboard, small cross-section so it is more difficult to spot with sensors or target with weapons, and some (one shot?) method of penetrating any armour or hull so the troops can be inserted into the target. All Freudian references to be avoided, of course. [grin]

Not the way most people would want to arrive at a tourist destination...

Some Fen might also call them "drop pods", even if "dropping" on an object with nearly no gravity would be strange. I think of them as one shot (or at least "easy to replace") very fast and small transports... most likely with some good front armor. *G*

I'd expect "drop pods" to be something for inserting troops into somewhere with a significant gravity well, and quite often an atmosphere.  For that you'd probably want heat shields, maybe a parachute, possibly fast decelleration tech just before landing.  No need for a means to penetrate defences, unless you are assaulting a bunker from orbit, and I really wouldn't recommend that.
So, I could argue rather different operational requirements.  Unless, maybe, you think your tech level is a lot better than the people you're attacking, so you can afford to use multi-role vehicles.

From the point of view of defenders, sound like a really
good reason to invest in a force field rather than just depending on
physical defences...

Forcefielding an entrance might work, but Liberatrix is much too large to forcefield to whole asteroid.

Maybe...  Given a big enough power supply (or supply grid), and the resources to install force field generator nodes all over the surface, maybe not.  But, that is very expensive on lots of levels, and is probably only for the most paranoid.
I guess you don't need to forcefield more than the entrances if you know enough about the enemy tech that you think that's the only way they could (quickly) get in.
Generating a short-term force field that could cover the whole asteroid, with cooperating vehicle-mounted generator nodes is probably more practical, but that's the sort of thing I'd expect Jenga to consider, if they are concerned about attack, rather than Liberatrix.
Defensive rather than offensive tech.  Maybe Jenga could consider offering that sort of capability?
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"It is the business of the future to be dangerous" - Hawkwind