I never really liked the mercenary cruiser from Classic Traveller. Once I was in the army, I liked it less. So I took the opportunity to make my version of a mercenary unit and cruiser for my new Traveller campaign!
Ronceval Class Mercenary Cruiser
TL 9. 1,000 dT closed structure hull. Maneuver-2. Jump-1. Agility 2. Armor-1. Jump fuel 100 tons. 20 tons of operational fuel. Computer-2/fib. Fuel purification. Bay for 10 ton launch. 5 bays for 60 ton assault ships. Bays for 16 Combat Grav Carriers. Aux cargo capacity up to 25 tons. 10 low berths. 5 emergency low berths.
Weapons: 6 triple sandcaster turrets (in 3 batteries of factor 4 ea.); 4 triple missile turrets (in 2 batteries of factor 3 ea.).
Crew quarters: 8 full staterooms; 15 half staterooms.
Troop quarters: 5 full staterooms; 50 half staterooms.
Within the Lanxing Comity anyone of social rank of Don or higher (SOC 9+) has the right to raise and arm a company of soldiers and to equip them with anything less than main battle tanks and nuclear weapons. Those of rank rank Senor and higher (SOC A+) may raise and equip a battalion; Condes and above (SOC C+) may raise and equip a regiment. Grandees may be legally required to raise the appropriate forces and keep them ready for local defense or to go to war on behalf of the king. While many are eager to do so for the prestige and social status that comes with being troop Don, the expenses can be formidable. There is also a need to keep soldiers well-trained, active, and out of trouble. Plus, soldiers with combat experience are preferred to 'unblooded' troops.
Combined with the cultural tendency to combine diplomacy, trade, and crisis intervention the mercenary cruiser has been popular for generations. The majority are owned by the troop Don, some are owned by the ship captain and leased by troop Dons, and some few are owned by Grandees or even the king and leased or "loaned" to Dons.
While lightly armored and armed, this ship is not meant for ship-to-ship combat; the weapons mix is focused on deflecting ground to orbit fire while bombarding surface targets. The ship itself is not meant to land; instead it carries a compliment of assault ships capable of carrying troops and vehicles to and from targets. It also has separate bays for up to 16 Combat Grav Carriers.
Since it is carrying a large compliment of soldiers for potentially long voyages the ship is fitted with larger than typical recreation spaces, large kitchens and mess spaces, an armory, an ammo storage facility, a small hospital, a chapel, repair bays and machine shops, and a section of the cargo bay is reinforced so that it may be configured as a rifle range The dedicated cargo (10 dT) bay is typically filled with long shelf life food and emergency relief supplies. The assembly areas, recreation area, rifle range, etc. can add an additional 15 dT of cargo if needed.
If time is not critical or if the operation is ship to ship/ship to station/etc. the CGCs can launch directly from the ship.
The ship's crew includes pilots for the assault ships and mechanics for the subcraft and CGCs. The ship's crew also includes extra medics and stewards.
Halcon Class Assault Ship
TL 9. 60 dT wedge hull. Maneuver-3. Fuel 1.8 tons. Agility-3. Armor-4. Computer-1. Full bridge.
Weapons: triple missile turret (factor 2).
Bays for up to 4 CGC's. 2 tons cargo space.
The assault ship can carry 4 CGCs and passenger couches for 8 or 4 CGCs and 2 tons cargo or passenger couches for 25 and 5 tons of cargo or 18 tons of cargo. It takes about 2 hours to change between the configurations (and it must be done aboard ship). It is designed to take an entire platoon of troops (with or without CGCs) from the cruiser to planetary surfaces, stations, etc. They can bombard surface targets and in a pinch are low-quality space fighters.
When inserting CGCs the soldiers typically remain inside the CGCs, although they can leave if needed.
Special variants include:
Command Ship- Bay for 1 CGC, 2 small staterooms, a galley kitchen, and a command and control HQ capable of managing the battlefield.
Mobile Hospital- Bay for 1 grav ambulance, two surgeries, a galley kitchen, a small stateroom, a 12 bed field hospital, and medical equipment storage.
Field Support- Bay for a recovery vehicle and a large machine shop/repair bay.
Emergency Response/Morale- Two dTs of food storage. Two small staterooms. A full commercial kitchen, a mess area for up to 40 at a time , two group showers for 4 at a time ea., and cot space for up to 30 at a time. Includes water purification systems.
Combat Grav Carrier
TL 9. 4dT displacement.
The grav vehicle is fully enclosed, armored, and environmentally sealed. It carried a fusion system and can operate for 2 weeks independently, although high speed, energy usage, and weapon usage can reduce this. They are typically armed with a heavy vehicle laser (primary with effectively unlimited shots; treat as a double damage triple range laser rifle) and a secondary turret with a LAG (300 rounds in drum; double normal range). The CGC requires a driver (who can control either turret as needed) and has seats for a gunner (either turret) and commander (either turret).
The vehicle can hold a total of 9 soldiers (each with a full combat load) plus spare ammo, food, and water for each, two full reloads for the LAG drum, and emergency medical supplies. The CGC has sufficient communications equipment for LOS communications out to Middle Orbit and has the possibility of indirect communications where such are possible. It has ground surveillanceradar, LIDAR, low-light cameras, FLIR, and radiation sensors allowing the crew to see in the dark, through fog and thick smoke, and detect radiation sources (including radar and laser range finders). Its materials and construction limit the ability of radar of less than TL 9 to sense the CGC.
The CGC can 'fly' at up to 120 kph and can reach orbit slowly. It's armor is sufficient to stop small arms fire and deflect any mine below anti-vehicle level. Universal interface ports along the sides and rear (3 on each side, 2 to the rear) allow soldiers inside the CGC to fire their rifles at targets, aiming using cameras. There is an armored rear ramp that can be dropped for rapid entry/exit; it holds a smaller armored door for individual entry/exit. The driver, gunner, and commander have their own hatches, as well.
Special variants include:
Command- Modified foe the normal crew of 3 and only 4 more, this vehicle has enhanced communications, computing power, holographic map tanks, etc. allowing military commanders to maintain communication, etc. while in the field.
Grav Ambulance- Unarmed and marked as a medical unit, this CGC has two medical emergency low berths (1 person each, 3 day duration) and spaces for up to 4 stretchers and 2 more 'walking wounded'. Typically has a driver and 2 medics.
Recovery Vehicle- Unarmed, this vehicle has a much larger power plant and very powerful grav units combined with cables, tow arms, and mag grapples. It is used to pick up and recover damaged CGCs and other such items. Usually has a driver and two mechanics.
Mercenary Company
Tradition guides the nature of many 'Noble Units', but the confluence of technology and need means that there is often a 'standard structure' for the sorts of units used to earn money, expand influence, and gain goodwill within and beyond the Comity.
Team- 4 soldiers led by a cabo, cabo primero, or cabo mayor.
Escuadron- 2 teams; the senior NCO leads both. 8 soldados.
Peloton- 3 escuadrons and either an alferez or teniente as officer. Typically one of the escuadrons has a cabo mayor or sargento who acts and overall senior NCO. 25 soldados.
Compania- 4 pelotons and a 5 man cuartel team. The cuartel is typically a capitan or comandante (senior officer), a sargento or sargento primera as senior NCO, a driver, a gunner, and an ayudante (as assistant to the commander; usually a cabo, sometimes an officer cadet, called a caballero). 105 soldados.
Each escuadron has its own CGC and each platoon is assigned to a particular assault ship. The cuartel has its own CGC (almost always a Command version). Any assault ship is capable of landing an entire platoon plus and 'extra' CGC. Although a compania only 'needs' 13 CGCs they typically have 16. The 'extras' are usually a spare standard CGC for replacement of losses, a recovery vehicle, and and a spare Command version. It is not uncommon for a compania tasked with diplomatic or relief missions to have a mobile hospital assault ship with its own grav ambulance, an emergency response assault ship, and a second grav ambulance among their spares.
There is also an 'extra' assault ship, used as a spare, to increase mobility, or sometimes in a special configuration (usually the hospital variant).
Equipment and Personnel- Ballistic cloth armor is universal. Soldiers are typically armed with bayonets, grenades, and autorifles (with a total of 6 magazines). Their helmets have integrated night-vision, passive IR, and radio communications. They carry rebreather/filter masks at all times and have dedicated boosters if working in vacuum or bad atmospheres.
Each team has a heavy gunner armed with either a grenade launcher or laser rifle (usually each squad has one of each); grenadiers also carry an autopistol. Officers typically carry an autopistol and either a sword or blade. Sometimes officers carry laser carbines.
Usually there is at least one soldier with some training as a medic per squad and often there is one per team. While ship's crew includes mechanics and armorers each squad typically has a soldier or two at least familiar with maintenance and basic repairs.
Combat Operations Overview- [This is concept, not strategy or tactics].
Lanxing Comity forces are typically 1-3 Tech Levels in advance of any of their close neighbors giving them an advantage in communications, intelligence, and speed.
Operations- Comity forces prefer to deploy with their CGCs for increased mobility and battlefield support. The goal is to avoid a contested landing and use ortillery (orbital weapons fire against the surface of a planet) from the cruiser and possible from assault ships to cover the approach of CGCs. After the initial shock of ortillery and the closing engagement of the CGCs soldiers deploy in support of the CGCs. Assault ships may be used for rapid deployment of reserves.
If a landing is contested ortillery fire from the cruiser and assault ships cover the approach and the assault ships combat deploy CGCs by either landing under cover or in-flight deployment (having the CGCs leave the bays behind the assault ship while the assault ship is flying nape of the earth at 90-100 kph).
Deployment- When troops dismount a member from each team stays with the CGC as either driver or gunner. Tenientes will either dismount with troops or remain aboard their CGC in the commander's position. The commander, senior NCO, and ayudante typically stay with their command CGC. If deploying without their CGCs they act as typical infantry.
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