Modules are detailed in the next section on Starships.

Cargo Bay Items are detailed under Cargo Bay on page 109.

When you are commissioned by the UREF, acquiring a ship’s hull is free when you want to increase the size of your ship. In campaigns where you aren’t under the aegis of the UREF or a navy, you’ll have to pay 1000cr per size of ship to get a new hull. You can turn in the old hull for ¼ salvage value.

Pods are a special type of detachable module that can be added to the outside of a ship. Each pod adds half a point to the size of a ship (round up) for purposes of difficulty to maneuver and warping but not for any other purpose (hull checks, explosions, ramming etc.) Pods must be attached to an external edge of the ship.

Fighter, Drone, and Missile Pods can be activated as an automatic battlestation action by anybody on the ship. This costs no power from the ship. There is access to the pod from the attached module if there is a door.

While a Pod is attached to a module, that Module will not function except to activate or detach the pod. A module can have at most one Pod attached.

Pods can be jettisoned with an Engineering check of 8 as a battlestation action in the module where they are attached. This can be done remotely at the standard remote penalty of +3 difficulty. Pods attached to Life Support modules must obviously be remotely detached because there is no battlestation. Once jettisoned, Pods are treated like microships that are -3 on the difficulty to be targeted.

This puts two standard missiles in space targeted just as if the ship launched them with the exception that it is as if they were launched by another ship entirely. These missiles cannot be retargeted and don’t benefit from any missile enhancements or count against the ship’s limit of 6 missiles.

This holds 3 slots of Cargo. Note that no Cargo Bay items within this Pod will function.

This holds 2 drones that launch automatically and move and act as directed by the ship launching them. The ship need not have a Launch Tube or Drone Bay. These drones have no way of being returned to the ship.

This holds one fighter and enough power to launch it. The fighter in the Fighter Pod will be lost unless it docks in the pod or is stored in a Cargo Bay for the return home.

The launching ship requires a Launch Tube Cargo Bay Item.

This Pod behaves in all respects as a fighter except that the difficulty to target it is 3 lower and can hold up to 6 crew in addition to one whaloid. It must begin docked to a Launch Tube to be launched. The only two battlestation actions available to that Cargo Bay are “launch” and “detach”

Whaloid Fighters are upgraded like other fighters. Other Pods cannot be upgraded. (see page 124)

Attached pods become a module just like any other on the ship adding to its silhouette. They suffer damage like a module with the exception that if they become slagged, they are destroyed. Any cargo inside a destroyed pod is destroyed. Characters in a destroyed pod suffer 1 more die of damage and become spacewalkers.

Basic Cargo Bay items cost nothing to equip on UREF vessels. Otherwise, they cost 500 cr. They are issued free of charge but cannot be sold for scrap. All Cargo Bay items are detailed alphabetically starting on page 110.