Several years after the Orion Enclave rejoined the Federation [Y180 at the latest, per GURPS Federation, p.94], some Orion-based corporations began producing civilian workboats based on the pirate Buccaneer design [Y183 YIS per G3].

These, and the post-General War import of foreign workboats [R11 p.16, p.43-44] created some difficulties for local police forces. Faster, more maneuverable, and far better shielded than the old skiffs, workboats became popular among smugglers and other criminals in the Federation; they had the legs to run from a security skiff (or a freighter with a police skid) and the shielding to take a drone hit while doing so. Other empires had police gunboats [R11, p.44] to chase the workboats, but the Federation had no gunboats.

Having sold the poison, the Orion manufacturers turned around and sold the antidote. The same production lines that made workboats could make security boats to chase them easily enough. Armament was restricted to the approximate level of a security skiff, both to stay within the Federation prohibition on PFs and to allow sales to private security firms like Black Nebula.

SSD: Orion workboat minus 2 cargo, plus 1 ph-2-360 and 1 G-rack.

Crew and marines as a security skiff (3 crew units, 2 BPs).

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Thursday, September 03, 2015 - 03:09 am: Edit

Not going to happen. federation won't allow such sales as real Orion PFs would hide by pretending to be workboats.

Also, the drone rack is a deal killer.