(SP285.0) CATFIGHT IN THE BONEYARD
(Y173) by Stephen V. Cole, Texas
In Y173, a Kzinti battle group broke through the front lines and began raiding Lyran rear areas. One planet in their path was Lyberon, where several damaged Lyran ships had been brought together with an FRD for field repairs. Knowing they could expect a Kzinti attack within days, the sector commander sent the ships that were able to move to another assembly area. The FRD, however, could not be moved and had to be defended. The commander of the FRD used the undamaged portions of a crippled frigate to mobilize a battle pod that had been stored there for use by the sector LTT (which was elsewhere). The resulting "ship" was useful only for local defense, but was a powerful if slow and short-ranged unit. Fortunately, the Kzinti raiding force had dispersed so that its individual ships could raid various targets. A single Kzinti CM attacked Lyberon, and was driven off by the weapons of the FRD and the "mobilized battle pod".
(SP285.1) NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2; the Kzinti player and the Lyran player.
(SP285.2) INITIAL SET UP
TERRAIN: Class M planet (P2.21) Lyberon in hex 2215. KZINTI: CM Fearbringer enters the map anywhere along the 42xx map edge, heading E or F, speed max, WS-III.
LYRAN: BFF Feral sets up anywhere within six hexes of 2215, heading at player’s option, speed max, WS-III.
POL Sacrifice sets up anywhere within two hexes of 2215, heading at player’s option, speed max, WS-III.
FRD with a repair module and a power module in 2214 in standard clockwise orbit (P8.1), heading B, speed 1 (orbit), WS-III. Four civilian cargo pods (R1.34), one each in 2315, 2316, 2116, and 2115, all in standard orbit.
SAMS with two Cargo Modules in 2216 in Standard Orbit (P8.1), initial facing and rotation rate at the player’s option, WS-III.
(SP285.3) LENGTH OF SCENARIO: The scenario continues until all forces belonging to one side have been destroyed, captured, or have disengaged.
(SP285.4) SPECIAL RULES
(SP285.41) MAP: The map is fixed; it does not float. Any unit leaving the map has disengaged and cannot return. Kzinti units can only disengage from 42xx map edge. Lyran units can only disengage from 01xx map edge. Units which disengage in unauthorized areas are considered destroyed. 
(SP285.42) SHUTTLES AND PFs: No shuttles or PFs have warp booster packs. 
(SP285.421) No ship in this scenario is qualified to carry an MRS shuttle, but in a variant of the scenario where that is possible, they may be purchased [up to the limits in (J8.5)] under (SP285.431). 
(SP285.422) There are no fighters in this scenario. In a variant in which fighters are present, use the standard deployment patterns (one EWF for each squadron of eight or more fighters) for EW fighters. 
(SP285.423) There are no PFs in this scenario.
(SP285.43) COMMANDER’S OPTION ITEMS
(SP285.431) Each ship can purchase additional or special equipment as Commander’s Option Items (e.g., T-bombs, extra marines, etc.) up to 20% of its Combat BPV. See (S3.2) for details and exceptions. Note that whatever is spent here counts in the Standard Victory Conditions (S2.2) as victory points for the enemy.
(SP285.432) All drones are "medium," i.e., speed-20. Each drone-armed ship can purchase special drones up to the historical racial percentages as part of the Commander’s Option Items. Note that (S3.2) allows drone ships extra points for this purpose. 
(SP285.433) Prime Teams (G32.0) are not available in this scenario. 
(SP285.44) REFITS: The Lyran BFF and FRD have received the ESG capacitor refit, no other refits had been installed on any of the units involved in this scenario. Note that the BFF does include the equivalent of the Plus Refit for a Lyran FF.
(SP285.45) PODS: The pods represent collections of vital repair parts and, in some cases, salvaged pieces of ships. They cannot be tractored (they are amorphous collections of material rather than actual pods) to force them into the planet, will not trigger mines, and are not affected by explosions.
(SP285.5) VICTORY CONDITIONS: The Lyrans use the Standard Victory Conditions (S2.20).
The Kzinti’s mission is to inflict as much damage as possible and evade destruction:
For each point of damage scored on the planet    1 pt
For each point of damage scored on the FRD      2 pts
For each point of damage scored on a ship          1 pt
For each point of damage scored on a pod       0.5 pts
If the Kzinti ship is destroyed, the Kzinti total of points is reduced by 500 pts.
If the Kzinti ship is crippled, the total number of points is reduced by 100 pts.
If a Lyran ship or the FRD is destroyed, double the number of points received. Captured Lyran units count as destroyed. The Kzinti player scores a Astounding victory if is total score at the end of the scenario is 700 points or more.
650-699 Decisive Victory
600-649 Substantive Victory
550-599 Tactical Victory
500-549 Marginal Victory
450-499 Draw
400-459 Marginal Defeat
350-399 Tactical Defeat
300-349 Brutal Defeat
250-299 Crushing Defeat
Less than 200 Devastating Defeat
(SP285.6) VARIATIONS: The scenario can be played again under different conditions by making one or more of the following changes:
(SP285.61) Move the action to the Hydran border by replacing the Kzinti CM with a Hydran Traveler.
(SP285.62) The Kzinti is here to recover a vital piece of material the Lyrans salvaged from a battlefield. The Lyrans are not aware of the nature of the device. The Kzinti must gather 20 points of lab information on a given cargo pod, and then choose one of four chits from a cup numbered 1-4. If the chit with #4 is drawn, the item is in that pod and can be transported aboard normally. Once the Kzinti has the item, he must successfully disengage. If The Kzinti succeeds, he wins, even if his ship is crippled. If he fails, the Lyrans win.
(SP285.63) For a smaller and faster battle, replace the Lryan BFF with an MP and delete the POL. The Kzinti ship is a DW in this variation, and all points scored by it are doubled.
(SP285.7) BALANCE: The scenario can be balanced between players of different skill levels by one or more of the following:
(SP285.71) Change the CM to an MCC.
(SP285.72) Replace the Pol with an MP.
(SP285.73) Add the phaser-refit to the BFF.
(SP285.8) TACTICS
KZINTI: Your best bet is probably to deal with the mobile Lyran units first, and then take your time dealing with the rest of the targets. 
LYRAN: The CM is bigger and meaner and certainly more mobile than you are. You may have to sacrifice the SAMS, but he does not get any points for it anyway. Hang around the FRD as much as you can, because you may have to try to duck inside of it for a few quick repair points (which is always painful enough under fire). Be VERY careful of his drones as your mobile units only have ONE ESG between them, which is another reason to stay close to the FRD and its ESGs. The BFF also only has one weasel. You may want the FRD to break orbit and become a stable base around which to fight.