New in the vehicle park

Added a new APC to the vehicle park this weekend. Our latest acquisition comes via the folks at...Matchbox!

Picked up a "Buffalo Mine Clearance Armored Vehicle" at a local grocery store. I'd seen this mentioned on The Miniatures Page and thought it worth investigating as I need a plethora of wheeled vehicles for the Feri campaign setting.

The Buffalo is modeled on a 'real world' vehcile, but honestly its a great stand in for the classic Traveller vehicle, the All Terrain Vehilce (or ATV). A 6 wheeled vehicle, the Buffalo has the distinctive "MRAP-Vee" body style, resulting on a much higher profile than a standard APC. I could descibe it, but a picture does such a better job.

Here is the Buffalo near a Rebel Miniatures Commanche light APC / Armored Car. You can see the height difference, though the other feature are close. Windows are bigger on the Buffalo.

Next up is the Buffalo alongside RAFM's Imp APC

Here is the side by side shot. It really shows the higher silhouette of the Buffalo. You can see the armored louvers over the engine radiator and the utility crane arm.

Next up - a comparision with the Rebel Miniatures EarthForce APC. Again, the Buffalo towers over the Rebel casting. Part of this is design philosophy - the Buffalo is designed more for a counter-insurgency environment that the front line actions of kinetic operations (to borrow a Tomorrow's War phrase).

 
But how does it look next to the troops. Well here are a few additional photo's;

With 15mm Travller power armor troopers.

And with a 15mm 'ship's crew' that usually try to keep off the Alliance's radar.

Sometimes the "Hero of Canton" likes to enjoy a cigar on the open air deck at the rear of the vehicle

Also makes a handy firing platform when you've got Reavers on your tail! This guy is actually on a Litko base and he still fits!

The verdict? I'm going to have to hunt down a couple more of these to fill out an infantry platoon. Its a great addition to the sci-fi force pool.The Buffalo gives a nice option for an APC appropriate to counter-insurgent operations rather than an IFV loaded for bear. And at less than $6.00 its a bargain!

The Feri Imperial Order of Battle

A quick overview of the Imperial forces involved in the Feri campaign...

The Feri Imperial Order of Battle

Planetary High Command

Baron Siegel, The Imperial Governor General, Baronet Feri: Noble overseeing the affairs of Feri. Baron Seigel acts as the senior representative of the Imperial government on Feri. All local governments are subordinate to Baron Seigel’s commands.

Feri Military Coordination Command (FMCC)

The FMCC is the bureaucratic structure through which Baron Siegel manages military operations on Feri. Similar in function to the role played by the Supreme Headquarters Allied Forces, Europe in NATO. The FMCC serves as the “General Staff” or the “Pentagon” as the planning and administrative structure which implements the Governor-General’s orders.

Mobile Armored Cavalry Corps

• 2 Armored Lift Cavalry Divisions (1^st and 2^nd Cavalry)
• 1 Lift Infantry division (37^th Infantry division)
• 2 MRL Brigade (21^st Rocket and 23^rd Rocket)
• 1 Gauss Artillery Brigade (22^nd Field Artillery)
• 1 Aviation Brigade (VTOL/Gunships) (41^st Aviation Brigade)

The “Mobile Force” is the element of Feri’s army that has been “Imperialized” for the duration of the war. These troops are under direct command of the Imperial Army and have the logistical tail to support being deployed off world. Drawn from the troops of all three nations on Feri and equipped to TL 11 standards with anti-grav vehicles and VTOL gunships.(Edit: The advanced rules in Striker indicate that aircraft may not be used away from their specific intended world of use.So...the Mobile Force would not use VTOL, but would stick with anti-grav vehicles.)

National Armies/Planetary Defense Forces

Feri Military Cooperation Organization (PDF HQ)

900 “Planetary Defense Battalions*”, rough breakdown;

150 ‘armored’ battalions (tank, infantry and cavalry)

300 infantry battalions

200 Artillery battalions

100 Aviation Squadrons (Aerospace Defense Command Forces)

            - Fighters

            - Ground attack aircraft

            - Transports

            - Air Defense batteries (s    urface to air missiles and assorted guns)

* A Planetary Defense Battalion is an Imperial measurement of combat strength, The basic unit of measure is the infantry battalion.

All military units issue night vision equipment as part of the individual soldier’s kit. All vehicles are likewise equipped with night vision equipment (typically thermal imagers and light intensification equipment.

The Feri PDF shuns lasers and energy weapons due to the extreme attenuating effects of the dense atmosphere. Plasma and fusion guns are just beyond their ability to produce. There was an over-reliance on rocket and missile systems, but advances in point defense technology have brought the return of the big gun back to the forefront. Hyper velocity guns, missiles and rockets rules the battlefield.

There are three national armies  representing the Tawantinsuyu Confederation, the Orinoco League and the Chitral Republic. The low gravity and high atmospheric pressure combine to allow effective use of military equipment that would have been superceded by gravitics on a more ‘normal’ planet, as well as some hardware that just would not work on a ‘normal’ world.

Tawantinsuyu Confederation

The Tawantinsuyu Confederation is a Feudal Technocracy that still heavily embraces their feudal heritage. Many units are professional standing troops, but the approach to warfighting is colored by their cultural baggage. Infantry units are viewed as ‘levies’ fit only for the yeoman of the country. The ruling elites and their associated warrior class strive to serve in units that embrace their belief in the supremacy of the knight. As a result the Tawantinsuyu Confederation military leans heavily toward hardware that allows an emphasis on individual combat. Instead of tanks, the single man combat walker is the predominate element of the armor force. Heavily armored gunships (helicopters and ducted fan engines) form the backbone of the cavalry forces.  Aerospace fighter pilots are revered as the “Knights of the Stratosphere” 

The Orinoco League

The Orinoco League is ruled by a paranoid dictator, Convinced that both the other states are set to overthrow his nation, he sought refuge in bluster and ‘security theater’. If a tank was good, a really BIG tank was BETTER. As a result the League consists of a number of battle groups built around their Armor Corps – A force of gigantic tanks staffed by a small crew with a state of the art (TL 3) Artificial Intelligence system.

The other supporting arms are present both to hold ground and serve as garrisons and provide population control should the people rise up against his rule. (Did we mention he’s paranoid?) The supporting arms are mostly wheeled vehicles as the majority of the budget is sunk into the Armor Corps.

The Chitral Republic

The Republic hews closest to an typical Imperial type organization. The low gravity keeps tracked and hover vehicles competitive with the new and very expensive gravitic equipment. The Republic consists or a number of TL 11 grav vehicles (Main Battle Tanks and IFV) paired with a potent Cavalry arm equipped with speedy hover craft and Ducted Fan gunships.  The vehicles for the Mobile Force are drawn from the Chitral Republic's industrial base.

CHAS for Starship Troopers

Switching gears for a minute, I hacked out stats for the CHAS unit in Starship Troopers. These are provisional stats, as we've not had a chance to play using the unit yet.

Enjoy!

XM-550 Cybernetic Heuristic Autonomous System (“CHAS”)

The XM-550 is a state of the art ‘Smartbot” fielded on high-risk missions and to protect high-value targets. XM-550 have been observed deployed in the field during the Tophet campaign as well as guarding MI bases and protecting critical high-security areas aboard Fleet starships.

Unit:	XM-550	Type:	SmartBot
Tech Level:	3	Move:	8” / 16” (Jump)
Armor	3	Weapons;
Quality	D8/D10	Ape Morita	AP:3
Morale	D12	SW-404 Javelin R/L	AP:4/AT:4(M)
		Hel Flamer	Infantry flamethrower
		Trip Hammer Light Mortar	Light Mortar IDF only
		Anti-Vehicular Melee Weapon	AP:4/AT:3(M)

Attributes

Advanced Sensors, Retaliate

Bot Casualty: If marked as a casualty, immediately roll 1 die;

            1     XM-550 destroyed

            2-6  XM-550 intact

            -1 to die roll if struck by AT weapon

Starship Troopers Mechanized Infantry Platoon

My take on the Marauder platoons from the Mongoose Starhip Troopers games, configured for Ambush Alley's Tomorrow's War... 

 Mechanized Infantry Platoon

The mechanized infantry platoon differs from other infantry platoons in that the combat walkers (often called Mech’s) are more vehicle than suit. As a result, the platoon looks more like an armored unit than an infantry formation.

The platoons can be either pure or mixed. Pure platoons are composed of a single kind of combat walker. Mixed platoons have squads that use different mechs.

Platoon Headquarters, with;

1 LT in M8 or M9 Combat Walker

1 Platoon Sgt in M8 or M9 Combat Walker

First Squad, with;

Squad Leader in M8/M9 Suit

Trooper in M8/M9

Second Squad, with;

Squad Leader in M8/M9 Suit

Trooper in M8/M9

Unit notes;

This is the bare bones strength under which a platoon is folded into another platoon. A Squad may have up to three additional Mechs attached to it.. The Platoon may have additional 2 squads attached to it.

 

M8 Vehicle Rating

Unit:	M8 Ape	Type:	Walker
Tech Level:	2	Move:	8” / 16” (Jump)
Class	Light	Weapons;
Front Armor	3D8	Ape Morita	AP:3
Side Armor	2D8	Y Rack	4” LZ D8 (see attribute)
Rear Armor	2D8	Derringer Autocannon	Lt Spt AP:3
Deck Armor	2D8	Trip Hammer Light Mortar	Light Mortar IDF only
Crew	1	Anti-Vehicular Melee Weapon	AP:4/AT:3(M)

Attributes

Advanced Sensors, Anti-vehicular Melee Weapon, Enhanced Fire Control, Lifesaver, Safe Haven, Y Rack

 

M9 Vehicle Rating

Unit:	M8 Ape	Type:	Walker
Tech Level:	2	Move:	8” / 16” (Jump)
Class	Light	Weapons;
Front Armor	2D8	SW-404 Javelin R/L	AP:4/AT:4 (M)
Side Armor	2D8	Sixgun Rotary Autocannon	AP:4
Rear Armor	1D8	SW-490 Blizzard Missile Pack	AP: 6D10 LZ 3”
Deck Armor	1D8	Inferno Flamethrower OR	18” range
Crew	1	Twin .50 AND	AP:4/AT:2(L)
		Anti-Vehicular Melee Weapon	AP:4/AT:4(M)

Attributes

Advanced Sensors, Anti-vehicular Melee Weapon, Enhanced Fire Control, Fire or Move, Rsetricted Arc of Fire, Lifesaver

Vargr Lift Infantry Company (TL 13)

Vargr Lift Infantry Company (TL 13)

            Company Headquaters, with;

                  1 Company Commander

                  1 Assistant Company Commander

                  1 Company NCO

                  1 Grav Command Post

                        4 crew

                  2 Air raft, with PGMP-12

                        2 drivers

      Headquarters platoon, with;

            Point Defense section

                        1 Point Defense grav AFV

            Air Defense section

                        1 lift SAM launcher AFV

            ECM section

                        1 ECM grav sled (truck)

            Medical section

                        1 lift grav sled ambulance

            Nuclear Damper section

                        1 fire control sled

                        2 projector sleds

      4 Vargr Infantry platoons, each with;

            Platoon Headquarters, with;

                        1 Platoon Leader

                        1 Platoon NCO

                        Security fireteam

                           1 corporal

                           3 riflemen

                        1 Grav APC

            3 squads, each with;

                        1 Squad Leader

                        2 fire teams, each with

                           1 corporal

                           2 riflemen

                           1 Plasma gunner with PGMP-12

                           1 Grav APC

                           1 driver        

Notes on the Lift Infantry Company;

1. Small Arms: Unless otherwise noted, all infantry are armed with the Gauss Rifles– a TL 3 slugthrower with integrated sights and gyrostabilizers. All Gauss Rifles have ‘shoot through’ 4cm rifle grenades.
2. Body Armor:  Infantry are equipped with TL 3  basic body armor
3. Sensors: Unit has TL 3 sensors.
4. Stealth:  Unit’s vehicles have TL 2 stealth sytems
5. Vargr Infantry may use the grid. If a grid is present, they are a grid dependent force.

Sale almost over at Critical Mass Games

Critical Mass Games (also known as CMG) has been running a sale on their 15mm figures. Save 20% if you order before July 22nd!

The Protolene Khanate make nice figures to use as Vargr in combat/power armor.

Order of Battle (part 1)

A quick peek at the Vargr Orbat for the Feri campaign...

Vargr

Ngath Confederation Invasion Fleet

Battle Squadron 5 (4 x Vargr Dzough "Empire Builder" Class Light Battleships)

Battle Squadron 8 (4 x Vargr Dzough "Empire Builder" Class Light Battleships)

Cruiser Squadron 3 (4 x Foghoks class Vargr heavy cruisers)

Cruiser Squadron 4 (4 x Foghoks class Vargr heavy cruisers)

Cruiser Squadron 7 (4 x Foghoks class Vargr heavy cruisers)

Tanker Squadron 1 (3 x bulk hydrogen carriers with fuel shuttles and refinery capacity)

Assault Carrier Squadron 12 (5 “Gvurrdon” class assault carriers)

The Ngath Confederation Army

Initial Drop

101^st Lift Infantry Army (Tech Level 13)

105^th Lift Armored Corps (Tech Level 12)

1^st Lift Cavalry Division (Tech Level 10)

2^nd Armored Lift Cavalry Division (Tech Level 10)

Vargr Second Invasion Lift

37^th Lift Infantry Corps (Tech Level 12)

5^th Lift Infantry Corps (Tech Level 13)

12^th Lift Armored Division (Tech Level 13)

The Feri Campaign

The focal point of the invading Vargr fleets during the early months of the war was Feri. Not just a key defensive system protecting Regina, Feri was one of the economic centers of the subsector. Its tech level 11 industrial base, rich mineral resources and large population creates an prize the ‘free-booting wolves of space’ could hardly resist.

The Feri campaign consisted of a number of distinct phases.

Phase 1 - Dance in the Shadows (the years leading up to the war)

The Ine Givar guerilla movement is active through the Spinward Marches. While the action on Efate get much of the attention, the Zhodani carefully nurtured the movement on Feri as well. As war neared, the insurgency had grow to the point where it fielded about 10% combat power of the combined Feri Planetary Defense Forces. More than just an insurgency, the Ine Givar capitalized on the anti-Imperial feelings within all of the major powers and had successfully diverted military hardware from each to equip various insurgent units. The insurgency was mostly political, but a campaign of sabotage and harassment of Imperial interests becomes commonplace. Some of the insurgents can be classed qualitatively as regulars – as capable as the troops of the PDF and the various national armies.  

Phase 2 - Invasion (Week 3)

The first phase of the campaign has the Vargr fleet jumping into the Feri system from hyperspace. Stopping briefly to  allow the tanker squadron to re-fuel the Batrons and assault carriers, the battle opens with a skirmish between the cruiser squadrons and the 12 system defense boats (SBD) defending the system.

Space Combat

While Feri does deploy significant numbers of SDB, the relatively low technology level at which they were built makes them fragile in the face of a capable star fleet. The SDB will either conduct a rearguard action (fight a short action, then flee into the asteroid belts in the outer system) or elect to be passive from the outset. Per standing doctrine, the 12 SDB should race for cover and hide in the asteroid belts. Fighting a fleet action is NOT in their best interest. But their day is coming in the next phase of the campaign!

           

Once the short space combat has been resolved, the actually planetary invasion opens with the

Vargr fleet moving into proximity with the planet of Feri. The cruisers take a high guard position and prepare for bombardment while the assault carrier disgorges landing boats and assault riders (think a mix of LCVP, LCI and LST) to descend on the planetary system.

The initial landings

It’s raining dogs! Well, it’s raining Vargr and by raining, we mean that a complete field army is hitting the surface. Job one is reducing the defenses of Feri. Following a quick surface bombardment of the PDF bases, the landing boats and assault riders drop this massive Vargr force into the region around the starport. The initial landing force consists of the Vargr 101^st Army, the 105^th Armored Corps and two divisions – the 1^st Cavalry and 2^nd Armored Cavalry.

The 101^st and the 105^th bring a decide tech edge to the battlefield with their TL13 standard equipment. The 1^st and 2^nd Cav are actually fighting at a disadvantage with their TL 10 equiement. These units are held in reserve or serve to ‘soak off’ casualties and protect the irreplaceable hi-tech troops.

Phase 3 - Conquest in the balance (Weeks 4-9)
The Vargr fleet departs to retrieve the remaining troops. They will be gone for 6 weeks - a significant amount of time for the soldiers on the ground. This leaves the ground troops 6 weeks to complete the capture of the world. This is no idle timeline. Without control of the planet, the Vargr squadrons cannot refuel and without fuel, they cannot jump to another star system. The CruRon’s are already committed to staying in the system with the now empty tanker squadron. They have enough fuel for the power plant and maneuver drive, but cannot jump.  There is no gas giant in this system. The only way for the fleet to leave is for the planet to be conquered.

In the absence of the battle squadrons, the 12 SDB have a slightly better chance to hit the Vargr cruisers. This is a crap shoot. The cruisers had most of the firepower to thwart the SDB’s in the initial invasion. But each successful strike reduces the bombardment ability of the cruisers and will enable the PDF to hold on a little longer.

The other option weighing on the SDB commander’s mind is the long term option. The Vargr fleet won’t stay in Feri indefinitely. If the SDB can survive long enough, they can return after the Vargr have left, bomb the doggies back to the stone age and liberate the world from the Vargr.

Back in the dirt, the Vargr ground commander must push hard. The 101^st must aggressively destroy the numerous PDF battalions, while the 105^th Grav Tank Corps engages the Feri Armored Lift Cavalry Corps.

The Imperial Governor-General faces a similar problem. The Vargr must be defeated – and quickly! The PDF must preserve its strength for the inevitable follow up wave of attacking Vargr. Better to deal with them piecemeal than allow all the Vargr to mass their fighting potential.

Hanging over both commanders is the critical issue of supply. The Vargr have none and the Feri PDF either must defend theirs, torch it, or lose it to the Vargr. In some ways this campaign is like Rommel in the desert. If you have supplies you can attack. Without supplies you sit on the defensive. Battles rage over sources of refined hydrogen, refinery complexes and access to water resources.

Options

What can happen during this time? Does the Duke of Regina divert critical troops from the larger battles raging against the Zhodani and try and stop the Vargr? One possibility is a “Tiger Run” in which a small battle fleet dashes into Feri, swats the defending Vargr ships out of the way and delivers some badly needed reinforcements.

What’s available? Imperial Marines? The 4518^th Lift Infantry? Army forces ranging from lightly armed jump troops to a brigade of lift infantry?  Whatever it is, it needs to turn the tide of the battle and provide a rude shock to the returning Vargr.

Do the Zhodani push on from Efate and perform a ‘drive by’ to finish off the last of the resistance on Feri? It’s possible that one of the fleets is moving rapidly in an effort to meet the Imperial Navy as close to Rhylanor as possible.

Lastly, it’s entirely possible that both sides are so badly battered that the campaign grinds into a stalemate in which neither side can gain the advantage. While grueling, this is actually a short term win for the Imperium as the PDF is slowing the Vargr advance deeper into the Spinward Marches.

Phase 4 - The Vargr Fleet returns

The additional two corps and two divisions are too much for Feri’s weakened defenses. Barring a miracle, the planet will fall to the Vargr invaders. While there is some degree of looting, the weary victors refuel their fleet and embark upon their warships, leaving a division behind as garrison for the world.

The Occupation

Occupation is a bitter pill for the Imperial citizens of Feri. Sure, the Ine Givar collaborators are savoring their victory against Imperial oppression. But all is not lost! Small bands of the PDF remain intact, hiding in the remote recesses of the planet. Using their encrypted communications gear, they are in contact with the SDB that may still survive in the outer system. A daring plan is formed to designate targets for the SDB in an attempt to destroy the occupiers from space.

Optional events: Units of the IISS may be available to perform bombardment at this time. A scout squadron could slip in from coreward and lay down the hurt on the Vargr occupiers. Combined with any surviving SDB, this could make the occupation a short lived affair. But the Scouts don’t take ground and they don’t hold ground. If the Vargr and Zhodani follow up the campaign with additional forces, Feri could change hands again.

Liberation

If the war goes badly for the Zhodani, an Imperial counter-attack could push back into the Regina subsector – maybe even onward into Gvurrdon Sector and the homeworlds of the Vargr invaders. The appearance of a substantial Imperial battlefleet with several squadrons of state of the art dreadnoughts paired with several Tech level 15 field armies will quickly end Vargr aggression in the system.

This generally marks the end of the campaign, but can the Empire hold against a last ditch Zhodani counter-attack? Or must the new liberating garrison hunt down smaller bands of Vargr and their Ine Givar allies that have ‘gone to ground’ in the unsettled wilds of Feri?

           

The Feri star system

Astrography

Feri is a binary system in which the secondary star (an M3D red dwarf) orbits the primary (a G4 V series star). The system consists of 6 lifeless rocks, two asteroid belts and the main world orbiting the primary at 1.4 AU. 

Planetary geography

Feri is an odd combination of a dense atmosphere coupled with a low gravity planet.

Attribute            UPP              Description                                       

Starport:             B                 Good Facilities. Spacecraft Shipyards. Refined Fuel. Diameter:           3                  Small (4800km)

Atmosphere:      8                  Dense

Hydrographics:  4                  Normal (40%)

Population:         8                  600 Million

Government:      7                  Balkanization. Multiple regional governments.

Law Level:         9                  High law (weapons outside home prohibited)

Tech Level:        B                 Average Stellar (Large Starships)

Core Type: Rocky

Density: 0.96

Earths Mass: 0.05Earths

Gravity: 0.35G

Rotation Period: 60hours

Orbital Period: 404days

Axial Tilt: 22degrees

Orbital Eccentricity: 0

Satellites: 2 (Diamond and Khalil)

Surface Pressure: 2.212atm (equivalent pressure to swimming in 35 feet of water)

Feri has three unique traits that make campaigning unusual.

First is the rotational period of 60 hours. 60 hour days make for a large diurnal temperature swing, especially given the axial tilt of the world. In the equatorial zone, the day divides out into 28 hour periods of daylight and night, with a 2 hour period of dawn and dusk.  Much like Terra, the axial tilt of the planet compounds these effects in the higher latitudes of the planet. Daylight is much longer during the summer and night correspondingly longer in the winter. The inhabitants of Feri have adjusted to these conditions.  In the tropical and summer region, the days start cool, with heat building all day. In later afternoon, the amount of energy in the atmosphere triggers a near daily storm.

Next is Feri’s low gravity. At 0.35g, troopers can move at a pace which can only be dreamed of on a standard gravity world. Use the following movement rates for tactical/rapid movement;

• Infantry 12”/24”
• Battledress: 16”/32”
• Vehicles: 20”/40”

In addition the following modifiers are used.

• The effects of slopes are reduced by 1 level for all vehicles
• Grav vehicles act as if they were 1 class better for movement performance ( i.e. TL1 move as if they were TL2 vehicles.)

Lastly is the effect of the dense atmosphere. The biggest impacts are;

• Attenuated penetration for kinetic, laser and energy weapons (+2 defense dice if shot at by these weapons at above their optimal range)
• Increased performance of medical care due to oxygen saturation (+1 to die roll on medical checks)
• Preventative care requirements due to oxygen toxicity (handled through dietary supplements and breathing more nitrogen. Low supply troops suffer a -1 die roll on medical checks-this results in a net zero when paired with the +1 above AND a -1 to reaction checks to model their impaired performance)

Economic Geography

Feri has a robust economy. Resource extraction is a major part of the economy. The outer asteroid belt is rich in valuable minerals. At tech level 11 Feri supports a booming space mining industry. While extraction activities are focused in the asteroid belt, the raw materials feed a growing manufacturing sector both in orbit and on the planet. While the planets low gravity means the cost to lift 1 kg to orbit is cheap enough that orbital platforms would make little sense, the dense atmosphere promotes corrosion. The starport does have an orbital complex, mostly intended to service unstreamlined or extremely large starships.

The riches of Feri are not the sole source of wealth in the system. Feri is an important trade and communications hub connecting the coreward elements of Regina and Jewell subsectors with the sector capital and the rest of the Imperium. The starport services the hi-jump freighters serving Jewell and Regina on the primary trade route.  The lack of a gas giant and the low gravity of the planet make Feri and ideal port for the mid-sized to larger atmospherically capable freighters.

Recognizing its importance, the Imperial Interstellar Scout Service maintains a Scout base on Feri. The base serves two purposes.  First as a service station for the Express boats and their tenders, as well as the scout ships, couriers and survey vessels that keep the communication lines open. This provides a good source of revenue for the local ship yards and helps impart the knowledge needed to aid Feri in developing the capacity to build its own starships. Second, the base serves as an administrative hub for Scout activities in the Feri cluster of J-1 worlds.

All this results in a planet with a high per capita income – and one that can be expected to continue to increase.

Settlements run the gamut. The high pressure of the planet does have long term effects on physiology. While the permanent inhabitants of the planet don’t suffer from long term exposure to the excess nitrogen, those who are traveling off world, or travel in the upper atmosphere (aviation and mountain areas) must take precautions against decompression sickness.  Hotels at the spaceport have decompression suites designed to acclimate travelers and transport them to waiting ships at 1 atmosphere. There are also dedicated transports that perform the same task, albeit in a much more spartan manner.

Geo-political Situation

            Large tracts of Feri have been divided into baronial estates for the Imperial nobility. Most famous of these estates are those of Baron hault-Oberlindes, owner of the Oberlindes shipping line. Ironically, Baron hault-Oberlindes was granted the title and estates in recognition for his work in expanding trade into the Vargr worlds of the Gvurrdon sector. Beyond the Noble Lands, there are three competing regional governments on Feri. These are the Tawantinsuyu Confederation, the Orinoco League and the Chitral Republic. While all are subservient to the Imperium, none is willing to submit to rule by the others. The Imperial Governor General is content with the status quo as it is as long as all three states continue to acknowledge Imperial sovereignty and abide by the Imperial rules of war in resolving their differences.

The result of the planetary geo-political system is a strategists nightmare - a planetary defense organization that consists of three unique regional armies, all equipped at the same tech level, but each using unique equipment and hardware.  The System Defense Boat squadrons are not managed directly by the nation-states, but instead operate as an element of the Colonial Fleet under direct control of the Feri Military Cooperation Council (FMCC). The planetary defense battalions, though united for the duration of the conflict, are a diverse mix of unit types and equipment.