Shooting Transhuman Space Weapons.

In GURPS firing a gun is an Attack, All-Out Attack or Move and Attack action. This may or may not be preceded by one or more seconds of Aim action. In Transhuman Space we have the added complication that smart ammunition, including homing bullets are relatively commonplace. Any firing in non-homing mode will simply be called “Shooting” in the following passages. “Shooting” includes firing beam weapons, firing “dumb” ammunition and firing smart ammunition in a non-homing mode.

Shooting rules for GURPs are spread across several volumes. At the minimum you need both volumes of the Basic set and High-Tech. Changing Times and Tactical Shooting are also desirable and Gun-Fu and Ultra-Tech can be useful. Even with all of these how the rules are specifically applied to Transhuman Space may not be clear.

Many weapons in Transhuman Space cannot use smart ammunition. These range from zip guns and shoukwans to relatively sophisticated weapons like the Xuan Feng and laser weapons. The following three firing modes apply to these and to smart ammunition used in “dumb” mode. TL9+ personal weapons usually have HUD and laser sights fitted as standard.

Shooting without using the sights is a Move and Attack or Attack action, never an All-Out Attack. There can be no Aim action before. Since such shots do not require seeing the sights -1 in darkness penalties can be ignored at ranges up to Per in yards. A targeting laser provides a +1 modifier. Other targeting aids including HUD links give no bonus to unsighted shooting. Items such as goggles, dive masks, gasmasks etc give -1 modifier to unsighted shooting. Items such as VR/AR visors and spectacles give no modifiers since many TS-era citizens wear them daily so are very familiar with them.

Sighted shooting is an All-out attack so +1 to Guns, Gunner or Beam Weapon skill. Goggles, dive masks etc give -4 to sighted shooting. You need to be able to see the sights so darkness penalties apply. A HUD-link or Improved Visibility Sights negate -1 of darkness penalties. The GM may allow that a HUD-link acts as a micro-reflex sight so gives +1 to Guns up to 50 yards. Some HUD-links perform at even longer ranges.

Deliberately Aimed shooting is represented by an Aim followed by All-Out Attack. The bonus for Aim usually only applies to the next attack (p. B372). The GM may allow shooters to retain half their weapon’s base Acc (round down) on subsequent sighted shots against the same target after using aimed shooting. Shooters with braced weapons may add full base Acc when firing at RoF 1; mounted weapons on flexible or fixed mounts may add full base Acc even when firing at a higher RoF.

In addition to these modes some weapons in Transhuman Space have a fourth mode of shooting using their homing ammunition.

The basic rules [p.B413] tell us that to be used as a homer a projectile must be aimed first. During the Aim manoeuvre the shooter must successfully roll against Artillery (Guided Missile) skill. Transhuman Space: Changing Times [p.64] tells us to make this roll with the appropriate Guns or Gunner skill instead. For clarity I will call the Aim manoeuvre with a success roll an “Aim and Lock”. If the Aim and Lock is successful the projectile(s) are fired with a Ready action. The attack roll is made by the projectile(s) when they reach the target, which may be the same turn or in subsequent turns. Changing Times tells us that the projectile(s) Attack is Homing (Vision). Optionally a Critical Failure in the Aim and Lock roll negates any Aim bonuses (A5) for the following shot.

Homing (Vision) implies that projectiles have night vision no better than an average human. Technological devices and biomods mean that shooters in TS will often see their targets much better than their bullets! The GM may allow that military or police issued ammunition have some level of Night Vision. This will be more common in calibres in widescale military use. 5.6mm, 6.6mm, 7.5mm and 10mm rounds may have Night Vision 4. The tiny 4mm rounds only have Night Vision 2. Larger calibre missiles may have even better Night Vision, depending on role and cost. Some will have multi-spectral capabilities. Budget homing ammunition or that from dubious sources may have no Night Vision.

What is not made clear in the sourcebooks is which, if any, modifiers apply to the Aim and Lock and the Homing Attack rolls. Logically locking onto a distant, fast target would be more difficult than on a larger, closer target. If you are on fire this may or may not distract you from carefully aiming. If you are a cybershell or wearing an armoured powersuit you might ignore a little bit of fire! Rather than giving rules for every possibility and variation of circumstance the GM should be logical and waive modifiers that do not apply.

Another question that arises is what happens if you fail an Aim and Lock? The original TS sourcebook and TS: Changing Times both make it clear that homing bullets and other projectiles may be fired without an Aim action before. If you still choose to fire the next action will be an Attack, All-Out Attack or Move and Attack. Another roll against Guns, Artillery or Gunner is made and the projectile(s) are treated as a non-homing “dumb” attack. Note that in Transhuman Space homing projectiles fired without an Aim and Lock still count as “stabilized” so treat ranges as 30% less than actual for purposes of determining range penalties. Gestalt ammo also counts as stabilized (TS:CT p.64 and TS p.157)

Many weapons mount targeting lasers. Beam weapons often have a targeting spot option. A targeting laser adds +1 to skill, even if an Aim action was not taken. This presumes that a shooter can see the spot. If the laser was set to infrared you will need vision sensitive in this range to see it. Targeting lasers are of limited use underwater. Green is hard to see, red does not travel far and water absorbs infrared.

Laser-homing ammunition locks on to a target designated by a laser. This is usually the firing weapon’s targeting laser but can be another source.  If the laser is moved or deactivated after firing the rounds continue to home in on their target. The round retains a “snapshot” of the target that was designated. Laser-homing ammunition works with both visible and IR lasers. Cheap, knock-off or black-market ammunition may only work in the visible but the buyer may not be aware of this! Laser-homing ammunition must be used with a designating laser. Without a laser it is dumb, stabilized ammunition, not homing. Smoke or other factors may prevent laser designation. The targeting laser gives a +1 to Aim and Lock and designation gives +1 to the Homing Attack roll.

Gestalt ammunition counts as stabilized so treat ranges as 30% less than actual for purposes of determining range penalties. Rapid fire bonus to hit (A7) is for 1.5x the number of rounds actually fired. Recoil is reduced by 1 for determining number of actual hits.

Below is a list of Ranged Attack Modifiers modified and annotated for use with Transhuman Space 4e.

When making a ranged attack, Homing attack or Aim and Lock figure your effective skill by:

1. Taking your base skill with your ranged weapon. A Homing attack uses a base skill of 10.

2. Applying the target’s Size Modifier (SM), rounding up.

3. Modifying for the target’s range and speed, rounding up; see Size and Speed/Range Table (p. 550). Remember, add range in yards to speed in yards/sec and take the modifier from the total. Adjust for elevation (p.B407) if necessary. Use actual adjusted range for Aim and Lock or firing of “dumb” unstabilized rounds. Use 0.7 of actual adjusted range for stabilized and Gestalt ammo. Ignore range for Homing Attacks. Range Ruler here.

4. Applying the relevant conditional modifiers below. Modifiers are cumulative, but combined visibility penalties cannot exceed -10. If any modifier marked with an asterisk (*) applies, adjusted skill after all modifiers cannot exceed 9.

A roll of this number, or less, is a hit. If using rapid fire, you score one extra hit for every full multiple of Recoil by which you make your attack roll.

A1. Attacker’s Manoeuvre.

A1 modifiers do not apply to Aim and Lock or Homing Attack

• All-Out Attack (Determined): +1
• Move and Attack: -2 or -Bulk of weapon, whichever is worse.
• Ranged Rapid Attack: 2 shots at -6 each. Uses an Attack or All-out Attack and requires a weapon with RoF 2+.

A2. Attacker’s Situation.

A2 modifiers affect Aim and Lock and Shooting. They have no effect on Homing attack roll.

Affliction (coughing, retching, etc.): see Afflictions (p. B428)

Afflictions that add a penalty to DX add an equal penalty to Guns, Gunner, Beam weapon or Artillery skill for Aim and Lock or Shooting.

Bad footing: -2 or more (GM’s option)

Close combat: a penalty equal to the weapon’s Bulk statistic (see Weapons for Close Combat, p. 391)

Aim and Lock cannot be attempted if in close combat. No effect on Homing attack roll of projectiles already in flight.

Damaged weapon: -HP of damage received last turn (maximum -4). This modifier may persist until weapon is repaired.

Major distraction (e.g., all clothes on fire): -3 or more (GM’s option)

Minor distraction (e.g., part of clothes on fire): -2

Shock: -HP of injury received last turn (maximum -4)

ST below that required for weapon: -1 per point of deficit.

Overheating: For pistols, rifles, SMGs, and shotguns, reduce Acc and Malf. by 1 after firing 225 rounds in under a minute. See Sustained Fire 4e HT p.85-86.

A3. Attacking from Moving Vehicle or Mount.

The increased relative motion between the firer and the target will affect the accuracy of homing projectiles. A3 modifiers are applied to Aim and Lock, Shooting and Homing Attack.

If weapon is not in a stabilized mount, the combined bonus for Accuracy, Aim, bracing, and targeting systems cannot exceed the vehicle’s SR.

• Air vehicle: -1 if handheld weapon, 0 otherwise.
• Exposed rider hanging on side of vehicle/mount and shooting over/under it: -6
• Ground vehicle, good road: -1 if handheld weapon, 0 otherwise.
• Ground vehicle, bad road: 0 if stabilized turret or stabilized open mount; -1 if fixed mount, hardpoint, or carriage; -2 if external open mount; -3 if handheld weapon.
• Ground vehicle, off-road: -1 if stabilized turret or stabilized open mount; -2 if fixed mount, hardpoint, or carriage; -3 if external open mount; -4 if handheld weapon.
• Space vehicle: 0
• Turning in exposed saddle/seat of vehicle/ mount to fire at foe behind: -4
• Vehicle/mount dodged last turn and you’re not operator/rider: -2, or -4 if flying.
• Vehicle/mount failed control roll: penalty equal to margin of failure
• Water vehicle, calm water: 0 if stabilized turret or stabilized open mount; -1 if fixed mount, hardpoint, or carriage; -2 if external open mount; -3 if handheld weapon.
• Water vehicle, rough water: -1 if stabilized turret or stabilized open mount; -2 if fixed mount, hardpoint, or carriage; -3 if external open mount; -4 if handheld weapon.

A4. Opportunity Fire.

Aim and Lock can only be used with Opportunity fire if the area watched is only 1 hex (no modifier). The projectile is considered to have locked onto a geographical location rather than an individual. The homing round will hit anyone or anything that happens to be in that hex. This mode of using homing projectiles cannot be used with targeting specific body parts or areas.

• Checking target before firing: -2
• Hexes watched: 0 if 1 hex; -1 if 2 hexes; -2 if 3-4 hexes or a line; -3 if 5-6 hexes; -4 if 7-10 hexes; -5 if 11+ hexes watched.

A5. Aiming and Targeting.

The A5 modifiers come into effect “after the trigger is pulled”. A5 modifiers are not applied to Aim and Lock. They are applied to Homing Attack and are applied to Shooting if an Aim action preceded it.

• Aim for one turn: +Accuracy (Acc) of weapon
• Scope: +1 per second of Aim, to a maximum of the scope’s bonus
• Extra Aim: +1 for 2 seconds, +2 for 3+ seconds. Bonus cannot exceed weapon Acc or scope bonus, whichever is lower.
• Range known. +3 to Acc or Scope bonus. Requires a Ready action to adjust sights or switch aimpoint.
• Laser sight: +1 (also gives this +1 bonus if no Aim action preceded the shot)
• Match-grade Ammunition: +1 to weapon Acc.
• Braced weapon. Weapon rested on sandbag, car, wall or other object; pistol used two-handed; long arm used prone and with a bipod: +1 if stationary and took a turn to Aim.
• Pistol used two-handed: +1 if took a turn to Aim. Multiply minimum ST by 0.8 and reduce Bulk by 1.
• Bipod: Use of a bipod changes minimum ST for weapon to ⅔rds its value. Long arm used prone and with a bipod: +1 if stationary and took a turn to Aim.
• Tripod or similar flexible mounting, arm mount etc: +2 Acc for bracing.
• Fixed Mount such as hardpoint, turret etc: +4 Acc for bracing.
• Shooting Long arm with sling: Treat as braced. Takes one Ready manoeuvre per -1 Bulk of the weapon to prepare; a successful Fast-Draw (Long Arm) roll halves this time (round down). Leaving the position takes two Ready manoeuvres – or one with Quick-Sheathe (Long Arm) and a successful Fast-Draw (Long Arm) roll.
• Firing a long arm with the stock folded or removed improves Bulk by 1, but removes stability that resting it against the shoulder provides. Apply -1 to Acc and +1 to Rcl (unless Rcl is 1), and multiply ST by 1.2, rounding up. Using any sling or a shoulder rig on a stockless long arm avoids the Rcl and ST modifications, but not the Acc penalty. It does not count as braced.
• Vehicular targeting system: +1 to +3 if shooter took a turn to Aim
• Unfamiliar weapon or targeting system: -2

On a moving vehicle, the combined bonus for Accuracy, Aim, bracing, and targeting systems still can’t exceed the vehicle’s SR, unless stabilized (p. B548).

The combined bonus for sights, scopes, and/or targeting computers cannot exceed the value of the weapon’s base Accuracy.

A scope or similar device gives a +1 bonus to hit per full doubling of magnification if you take one or more Aim or Aim and Lock manoeuvres.

With a fixed-power scope, you must Aim for at least as many seconds as the scope bonus. With a variable-power scope, you may Aim for fewer seconds but this reduces the bonus by a like amount.

The Acc bonus and related bonuses are lost if any of the following occurs:

• You lose sight of your target;
• Switch targets;
• Make an attack roll;
• Move more than the step allowed by the aim manoeuvre;
• Attempt a defense roll;
• Fail the will roll after being injured;
• Choose a different maneuver from aim (e.g., ready to reload);
• Switch weapons or unbrace a braced weapon,
• Switch between sights, or otherwise change your weapon’s mode of use

A6. Other Actions by Attacker

Affect Aim and Lock, Shooting. Affect Homing Attack unless stated.

• Unfamiliar aiming system, mounting, action etc: -2
• Weapon in bad repair: -4 or more
• Dual-Weapon Attack: -4/-8 with primary/ off hand (-4/-4 with Ambidexterity)
• Off-hand attack: -4 (no penalty with Ambidexterity)
• Reflex sight adds +1 Guns/ Gunner/ Beam weapon skill at 300yds or less.
• One handed shooting of long arm: Multiply ST by 1.5 or 1.2 if sling used. Round up. Weapon becomes unready unless shooter has 2x weapon ST or 1.7x with sling.
• One-handed shooting for bullpup long arm or long arm with magazine in grip: Multiply ST by 1.2, rounding up or no modifier if sling used. Weapon becomes unready unless shooter has 1.7x weapon ST or 1.5x with sling.
• Long arm fired one handed and held against heavy object. No ST multipliers but does not count as braced (A5).
• Limp-wristed gangsta-poseur shooting: -1 (Must be treated as unsighted shooting. Cannot be braced and no bonus for two-handed grip)
• Pop-up attack: -2, and no Aim possible. (Cannot be used with Homing attack)

A7. Rapid fire or Multiple Projectiles:

A7 modifiers are “after the trigger is pulled” so are applied to Shooting and Homing Attack, not Aim and Lock.

Gestalt ammunition gets the bonus for 1.5x the number of rounds actually fired. A 10 round burst gets the +3 bonus for 15 rounds. 

 0 if 2-4 shots;

 +1 if 5-8 shots;

+2 if 9-12 shots;

+3 if 13-16 shots;

+4 if 17-24 shots;

+5 if 25-49 shots;

+6 if 50-99 shots;

+7 if 100-199 shots;

+8 if 200-399 shots;

+9 if 400-799 shots;

+10 if 800-1,599 shots;

+11 if 1,600-3,199 shots;

+12 if 3,200-6,399 shots;

Fast Firing: (Pump or lever actions up to double tabled RoF, Semi-automatics, beam weapons and double action revolvers up to triple). Rcl increased by +1, Attack roll modifier equal to actual number of rounds fired.

  An attack scores one extra hit for every full multiple of Recoil by which you make your Attack roll. The total number of hits cannot exceed shots fired.

A8. Target.

A8 modifiers apply to Aim and Lock, Shooting and Homing Attack.

To attack hit locations or weapons, use the penalties under Melee Attack Modifiers (p. B547). If the target has cover, you can either choose to take no penalty and roll hit location randomly (shots that hit a covered location always strike full cover, and hit partial cover on 4-6 on 1d) or target an exposed hit location (add an extra -2 if only partly exposed).

• Very light cover (solid cover exposing ¾ of body): -1
• Shooting through light cover (solid cover exposing ½ target): -2
• Medium cover (Solid cover exposing just ⅓): -3
• Heavy cover (solid cover ¼ or less exposed): -4
• Targeting the face, hand(s) or weapon of an enemy firing from cover: no penalty for cover, usual penalty for body part (see below).
• Target behind someone else: -4 per intervening figure
• Target crouching, kneeling, sitting, or lying down: an extra -2 to hit torso, groin, or legs
• Target only partly exposed: -2
• Shooting at narrow apertures or object: Use SM of item.

Hit location for humans:

0 for torso,

-2 for arm or leg,

-3 for groin or pelvis,

-4 for hand or foot,

-5 for face,

-7 for skull; impaling and piercing attacks can target vitals at -3 or eyes at -9

Weapon, to damage: -5 to hit a reach “C” weapon (e.g., knife or pistol); -4 to hit a reach 1 weapon (e.g., broadsword, baton, bangstick); -3 to hit a reach 2+ weapon (e.g., spear or rifle)

A9. Visibility.

A9 modifiers apply to Aim and Lock, Shooting and Homing Attack. Visual capabilities of the shooter and the homing round may differ!

• Blind, target completely invisible, or in total darkness: -10*
• Cannot see foe: -6, or -4 if you know his location to within 1 yard*
• Partial darkness, fog, smoke, etc.: -1 to -9 (GM’s option)
• Target has light concealment (e.g. bushes): -2
• A telescopic sight removes -1 of darkness penalties.
• A reflex sight removes -3 of darkness penalties. A micro reflex sight for a pistol removes -1.
• Night vision goggles that limit depth perception: -3 (TS-era devices are likely to use holographic or AR technology that removes or reduces this penalty).

Spear-Hand

Around 400BC in Nemea the Greek fighters Creugas and Damoxenus fought until dusk. They resolved to permit each other a single final blow. Creugas struck Damoxenus on the head but the blow was weathered. Damoxenus had Creugas raise his arm and then struck him with his open hand, using his fingertips like a spear. Damoxenus penetrated his torso, killing Creugas.

Many other fighting styles include techniques for striking with the finger-tips.

Spear-hand is a thrusting strike executed with the tips of the stiffened fingers. Potentially the spear-hand is a very effective technique that can deliver a lot of force into a very small area. It is a good hand form for hitting small, hard to access but very vulnerable targets. In practice spear-hand is often neglected by martial artists since it cannot be used when wearing sparring gloves and many of its targets are not legal or too dangerous to attack in sporting competition. Another reason for its neglect is that developing a strong spear-hand requires more conditioning and training than most other anatomical weapons. Supposedly the way to condition your hand(s) for spear-hand is to thrust your hands into a bowl of powder or fine sand. Once used to this you work up to coarse sand, dried beans, gravel, ball bearings, and, if some movies or books are to be believed, hot rocks or coals. In GURPS Martial Arts (4e) rules for the result of this conditioning are on p.42 and p.50. Hands so conditioned have a DR1 [1] and are treated as blunt claws [3] (p.B42). Conditioning to achieve this takes 600 hours and comes with the disadvantage Bad Grip 1 [-5] (p.B123).

In Transhuman Space a similar effect can be gained by a relatively minor biomodification ($5,000 and 15 days recovery). Placing the thumb-tip on the second joint of the forefinger causes the fingers and wrist to automatically lock in the optimum configuration for powerful spear-hand strikes. Treat this as an equivalent to the blunt claws advantage (+1 damage per die) for thrusting attacks made with the hands. This biomod has no effect on the fighter’s grip or dexterity nor does it increase the DR of the hand. The hand appears unmodified. Actually having blunt claws has the same effect but alters the appearance of the hand. Having sharp claws or talons may increase damage and change it to impaling damage, as per p.B42.

Using a spear-hand strike itself requires the fighter to know the technique Exotic Hand Strike (MA 4e p.71) and/or Lethal Strike (MA 4e p.85). Exotic Hand Strike is Average and does thrust crushing damage plus Karate bonuses. Lethal Strike is Hard and gives thrust-2 piercing damage plus Karate bonuses. Iron-hand conditioning or the Spear-hand biomod add +1 for each damage die. Spear-hand requires the striking hand to be empty. Spear-hand techniques get no modifier for brass knuckles and cannot be used with boxing gloves etc.

Karatand gloves are made of a memory plastic that becomes rigid on impact (UT 4e p.163). They are described as having the same effect as brass knuckles which seems to suggest they add +1 to total damage, making a punch thr cr rather than thr-1 cr. It seems reasonable that the rigid fingers of a Karatand give +1 to spear-hand strikes. 

Fifth Wave Special Forces.

As I have described in previous articles, military operations in the Transhuman Space era often involve relatively small numbers of personnel, often tasked with an operational or strategic level mission. In contemporary parlance these units would often be described as “Special Forces”. In the THS era, however, special forces have undergone a number of changes.

Missions such as special reconnaissance or direct action raiding are what might be termed “uniformed” Special Forces tasks. In the 20^th and early 21^st century these missions were trusted to highly trained soldiers. For Fifth wave nations such tasks are the province of selected and correctly programmed cybershells. A special reconnaissance force will often be a variety of small robots reporting to a comms crab. A raiding force might be a unit of jump-RATS inserted by a stealth glide bomb.

A consequence of this is that the responsibility for such missions has diversified. It is understandable that a marine brigade would want to invest in cybershells suited to underwater beach reconnaissance and other amphibious operations. Likewise, airborne brigades and other expeditionary forces have contingents of RATS suited to stealth. Once such establishments have the tools to conduct special operations it is not long before they begin to seek such assignments. In many Fifth Wave nations special reconnaissance or small unit direct action has now become the province of more conventional forces such as the marines or airborne.

In the more conservative militaries this trend has been resisted and the special forces have tried to keep their monopoly on this responsibility. In the USA the Green Berets, SEALs, Delta and numerous other similar seeming but distinct special operations forces still exist, many operating under the aegis of Unified Combat Applications Group (UCAG). However, the USMC has always been keen to justify its independent existence by adopting new roles. A significant proportion of special operations have been conducted with USMC RATS rather than those of traditional SOF units. Some observers expect this trend to extend to the 82^nd Spaceborne and 75^th Rangers.

A similar trend for the increased use of cybershells is seen in the field of counter-terrorism, which some perceive as a special forces responsibility. Police departments and non-military organisations have been enthusiastic customers for cybershells capable of SWAT and hostage rescue operations. In the USA this trend has been stimulated by the Great American Insurgency.

The UCAG also includes the 8th Special Forces Group, which is tasked with the location and neutralization of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and their production facilities, be they Nuclear, Nanno, Biological, Chemical or Ecological (NNBCE). A relatively traditional, semi-overt “uniformed” special forces unit, it uses cybershells and battlesuits with advanced NNBCE and hazmat protection. 8th SFG was reactivated in its new role after the Pacific War. 8th SFG(C-WMD) is garrisoned in Panama and Fort Bragg but may be deployed globally or provide advisors for off-world operations.

The second trend that has reshaped Fifth wave special operations is that many more operations are covert (“Wasn't us!”) or clandestine (“Never happened!”) in nature. The result of this is that many offensive operations have been conducted under the aegis of intelligence agencies rather than that of the uniformed military. Some of these operations have been conducted by cybershells. Many nations or organisations have a stock of generic reconnaissance or combat cybershells, devoid of distinctive markings. Such “sterile” cybershells are the ideal expendable asset. When the mission is over or the system is likely to be captured the controller simply severs the radio connection and activates thermite destruction charges. 

Covert or clandestine operations often take place in populated areas where combat cybershells would be conspicuous. Some missions are better conducted by human/ parahuman/ bioroid operatives. The use of such operatives may take several forms.

Most intelligence agencies prefer to use “local assets” for their activities. The majority of these lack military training and/or cannot be relied on for covert military operations.  One solution is to use proxies such as mercenaries, criminals or dissident groups. The competence and reliability of such units is variable and many will have their own agendas. Consequently some intelligence or espionage agencies have formed and trained units for covert and clandestine military operations.  Such teams are known by a variety of often euphemistic terms. For simplicity I will call them Covert Action Teams and their members Covert Military Operators (CMOs) or Covert Action Team Operators (CATOs). A tradition in some Special Forces is for members to be termed as “operators” rather “operatives”. Operatives are “other” espionage personnel.

In some respects this trend can be seen as a full circle. Many 20^th century Special Forces originated from the wartime activities of the British SOE. The American equivalent of the SOE, the OSS evolved into the CIA. The inspiration for the SOE was itself taken from the 1920s IRA.

Covert Action Teams vary considerably but some generalizations can be made.

CMOs that operate on their own are rare. CMOs are generally fielded as an established team of between three and nine members. Like similar-sized formations in more conventional military forces the members of a team tend to be tight-knit and familiar to each other. For security purposes such teams are effectively “cells” and only have no contact with other agents unless necessary.

In many services the members of a team are selected for similar apparent ethnicity and language skills. For example, a team might all appear to be of Latin ancestry and speak fluent Spanish. Such a team would often be deployed in South America. A team of Orientals who spoke Mandarin would be likely to see missions in Asia or on Mars. For nations with a relatively homogenous population forming teams that do not look out of place can be a problem. Chinese intelligence has very few Caucasian operatives it can draw upon. To create non-asian covert teams it must rely upon recruited foreigners, cosmetic surgery or specially created bioroids.

CMOs often operate at close ranges. Operations in locations where the carrying of weapons is restricted are also likely. CMOs are well versed in the use of improvised weapons and know that any workshop, kitchen or hardware store can provide them with implements to club, cut and stab. Many items of clothing can serve as effective garrotes. CMOs are also well trained in unarmed combat techniques and may have biomods to assist in this.

More advanced weapons can be produced by minifac, delivered by stealth glide bomb, captured or stolen.

It is in a CMO’s interest to blend in and not seem conspicuous. Visible biomods will be in tune with those common in the area of operations. A CMO in a polar area or on Mars may have fur just like many of the locals. In actuality a CMO may have many less obvious but more drastic biomodifications. Some of these will be combat or survival orientated or be designed to assist the user’s mission in other ways. An example of the latter is the “thief light”, a switchable patch of bioluminescent skin with a light output similar to a candle.

Many CMOs cultivate a distinctly unmilitary appearance. Some teams appear to be family groups, troupes of entertainers or various other inventive covers. At least one team has the cover of a fashion photographer and his models. The “children” in a family may in fact be highly capable combat bioroids.

Comms-crabs.

In the late 20^th century special reconnaissance missions would normally be performed by small parties of highly trained men. In the TS-era the same mission is more commonly performed by a collection of diverse robotic systems.

A reconnaissance/ surveillance force will usually contain a variety of systems. Some of these systems such as surveillance dust, surveillance fluff, bumblebots, robo-roaches, snakebots and birdbots have been described on other pages.

One of the drawbacks of using small robotic systems is that they are limited to broadcasting in the microwave range. The systems are physically too small to use antenna suitable for longer radio wavelengths. Such microwave transmissions are often limited to line of sight use since microwaves cannot pass around hills or mountains like longer radiowaves can. These relatively low power transmissions are often limited in range too. In populated fifth-wave urban areas this may not be a problem since there are abundant signal boost and relay systems designed to facilitate the operation of wearable computing systems. In abandoned or rural areas buildings and other terrain features may have a significant effect.

Often it is not practical for a reconnaissance system to transmit a continuous, real-time feed. Transmissions are often highly directional short duration bursts.

Due to these practicalities a reconnaissance force will include at least one relay centre. Such a system collects transmissions from reconnaissance systems and passes them on using its more sophisticated broadcast capabilities. One form of relay system in common use is known as a “comms-crab”.

The comms-crab is a small cybershell about the size of a small dog (SM -4). It has four short, stocky legs. Very little detail of the crab will be visible since it is covered with a tangle of varicloth strips. The crab often looks like a bush or patch of forest floor. The crab includes a number of satellite robot systems. This include a repair cyberswarm, utility robo-roaches, a mecho-gecko and a snakebot. The snakebot is of the variety that has graspers at each end and can be used as a manipulative limb by the comms-crab. It is also used as a periscope and as an auxiliary monopole antenna.

At the top of the comms-crab is a folding parabolic antenna. This is primarily used for satellite communications but can also be directed to communicate with high flying aircraft. It can be repositioned to transmit to lower receiving stations.  

Comms-crabs can climb tree trunks to attain better broadcast positions. They are not so adept at climbing rockfaces or narrow trees. In such a situation the comms-crab will attach its satcom antenna to a snakebot or mecho-gecko and send it to climb as high as possible. A hardwire controls the satellite robot and feeds transmissions to the antenna.

Alternately the comms-crab can use HF/ shortwave  transmissions. HF transmissions can have a global range since shortwaves reflect from the ionosphere. Unfortunately this requires an antenna that takes several minutes to deploy or recover. A HF antenna is a T-shaped construction of wire that may be tens of metres across. The comms-crab deploys this using three small helibots; one at the centre and one at each end. The helibots are designed so their systems minimize interference with the antenna’s performance. If possible the terminal helibots will anchor themselves to a high point. Robo-roaches are used to adjust the antenna. If conditions require the comms-crab can reconfigure to transmit by MF (medium frequency).

The comms-crab has a secondary SIGINT role, monitoring and recording local transmissions.  

The comms-crab's main defence is its ability to hide. The legs can be used for digging but it is more common that existing hollows or animal burrows are used. Comms-crabs are also likely to hide in the high boughs of trees. A comms-crab may have several hiding places some distance from the areas from which it broadcasts.

There are many models of comms-crab in service with various nations and organizations. Variants optimized for operation in various environments exist. The basic design is also highly adaptable. A system deployed in an urban environment may be fitted with legs suited to climbing walls, or a unit uses in a desert may be fitted with solar-powered cooling systems.

If enemy surveillance is suspected security detachments may be sent on “crab-hunts”. Ideally a crab is to be captured before it can broadcast its collected reports. Examination of the memory banks may indicate how much the enemy may know. The crab’s hiding abilities make such operations highly challenging. A crab may incorporate a thermite self-destruct charge which it will activate if it is likely to be captured and is not quickly disabled.