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Waaaay, waaay back in what now seems like a past life, I was an avid Star Wars Galaxies (SWG) player. I played through Jump to Lightspeed, the starship expansion back, until I eventually moved on to other things. Every now and then I get a nostalgia hit for SWG, and this time it was after I randomly bumped into the Rihkxyrk Assault Fighter on Wookieepedia. This ship, basically an outlaw heavy fighter, debuted in SWG and has shown up in a few other Star Wars works since then.
I don’t know a lot about the manufacturer, TransGalMeg Industries, but I’m getting a strong vibe they offer “legitimate businesses” a variety of spacecraft choices for “preemptive nautical salvage” operations. They seem to have legitimate business history throughout the Clone Wars and into the New Order, but at the same time many of their ships find their way into Black Sun and other underworld hands. There are adventure ideas in that nuance, and opportunity for more lame space piracy jokes, I’m sure.
Rihkxyrk Assault Fighter
The Rihkxyrk Assault Fighter, or Rihk for short, is the latest heavily armed and armored offering from TransGalMeg Industries. Advertised as a heavy fighter for the corporate and planetary defense markets, this powerful vessel was nominally available only to those with proper Imperial authorization for military grade weapons. Despite these regulations, and repeated statements by TransGalMeg emphasizing their corporate responsibility and commitment to adherence to all relevant Imperial laws, frankly ludicrous numbers of Rihk heavy fighters have found their way into underworld fleets. Far from being piloted only by a few well connected freelancers, entire squadrons of mercenaries reputed to be linked with the infamous Black Sun criminal network have been equipped with Rihks.
Sil 3; Speed 4; Handling -1; Def 2/-/-/1 Armor 3
Hull Trauma 15; System Strain 8
Hull Type/Class: Assault Fighter/Rihkxyrk.
Manufacturer: TransGalMeg Industries, Incorporated.
Hyperdrive: Primary: Class 2; Backup: None.
Navicomputer: Yes.
Sensor Range: Short.
Crew: One pilot.
Encumbrance Capacity: 8.
Passenger Capacity: 0.
Consumables: One week.
Price/Rarity: 185,000 credits (R) / 6
Customization Hard Points: 1.
Weapons: Forward mounted triple heavy laser cannons (Fire Arc Forward; Damage 6; Critical 3; Range [Short]; Linked 2), forward mounted concussion missile launcher (Fire Arc Forward; Damage 6; Critical 3; Range [Short]; Breach 4; Blast 4; Guided 3; Limited Ammo 6; Slow-Firing 1).
Adventure Seed – Salvage, Preemptive and Otherwise
Adventure Seed
A quick way to get your PCs into a space battle is the age old pirate attack. With today’s seed the good ol’ phony salvage target is on the menu. Edge of the Empire PCs would likely jump at any chance to make a quick handful of credits, whereas Age of Rebellion and Force and Destiny groups may need to be drawn in with the likes of Imperial datatapes or Jedi records respectively. Regardless of the draw, the basic setup is very straight forward, an attractive salvage target turns out to be bait for a pirate attack.
Pirate Attack Force
The recommended attack force consists of 2 x Z-95 Headhunters (EotE pg. 258), 1 x BTL-A4 Y-wing (EoTE pg. 257), 1 x Rihkxyrk, all but the Rihkxyrk are piloted by pirates with Agility 2 and Piloting (Space) 1. The Rihkxyrk’s pilot has Agility 3 and Piloting (Space) 2. You may need to adjust this composition based on the abilities and equipment of your player characters. The pirates attack to disable, not destroy the PCs’ ship(s). The Y-Wing’s ion weaponry is instrumental in that goal, with the other ships softening up targets and running defense.
Hook
Assuming the PCs destroy or disable their attackers, they will find out that they were not randomly attacked. Found in the Rihk, or its debris, is an encrypted datapad outlining an underworld bounty on the PCs from an unknown sponsor. If the pilot of the Rihk survives, a hot shot human male, he will reveal under interrogation that he is a freelancer who received word of the bounty from a Falleen noblewoman contact of his on Mustafar. He knows the noblewoman by the alias “Neese,” but has not cared to look into her any further. Her credits have always been good, and she even provided the pilot with his Rihk fighter as an extra reward for a previous job. PCs will knowledge of the underworld may conclude these clues all point to Black Sun involvement. If Black Sun has taken an interest in the PCs it remains a mystery why, and when the next move will be made….
Christopher Hunt
Latest posts by Christopher Hunt (see all)
- Command School – Deterrence and Compellence - July 11, 2019
“Preemptive salvage”. I gotta remember that phrase.