Captured intelligence makes a coalition attack possible

In Rimward Stars, almost two thousand defensive platforms make the pirate base a difficult target even though much of its equipment is obsolete. Captured records reveal the defenses, but the attackers must allow for missiles produced locally or supplied more recently. Long-range fire could defeat the fixed defenses if enemy raiders, fighters, and the battlecruiser could first be kept from overwhelming the attacking force. The allies also need current targeting information without exposing their sensitive equipment to one another. A probe fitted with a tamper-resistant self-destruct mechanism provides the necessary link between their ships. The strike cruiser's dangerous approach supplies both a diversion and the battlecruiser's position, at the cost of serious damage and a difficult escape.