The basic design Sirocco laid out in his last paragraph is preetty much exactly the way I envisioned the Boskone shuttles Wave Convoy was facing in the flash-forward segments of Surfing With The Alien, with the addition of a wedged-shaped nose that has an overpowered structural integrity field with which to ram at a dozen or so mps relative velocity, the froint of which then opens on heavy hydralic rams to latch in place and reveal a boarding ramp, while thick, gummy goo oozes out of the middle-toaft sections to make a temporary environmental seal. The boarding parties are in hard armor, possibly one or two with powered armor and heavy weapons. Overall size is along the lines of a city bus, a cramped pilot compartment high and forward, possibly offset for the boarding ramp access tube, and with a pressure door in case the boarding area loses atmosphere , then the boarders' ready seats and weapon racks taking up the full height, another pressure door leading back through a section with 6-8 tiny people-lockers for prisoners, and a small area for access to the engine spaces. Having the target lose atmosphere around the ram until the seal fils is actually part of the strategy - the rally area can be overpressurized (their armor is pressure tight both ways) and the internal fast-open door in the boarding ramp opened when they're lined up in the tube to shoot them out and through any hastily laid defense line. Slap some fins on the back and a go-faster stripe down the side from the shark mouth at the prow, et viola.
- CDSERVO: Loook *deeeeply* into my eyes... Tell me, what do you see?
CROW: (hypnotized) A twisted man who wants to inflict his pain upon others.
For the next 72 hours, Itachi intoned, I will slap you with this trout. - Spying no Jutsu, chapter 3
"In the futuristic taco bell of the year 20XX, justice wears an aluminum sombrero!"hemlock-martini
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows
- CDSERVO: Loook *deeeeply* into my eyes... Tell me, what do you see?
CROW: (hypnotized) A twisted man who wants to inflict his pain upon others.
For the next 72 hours, Itachi intoned, I will slap you with this trout. - Spying no Jutsu, chapter 3
"In the futuristic taco bell of the year 20XX, justice wears an aluminum sombrero!"hemlock-martini
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows