Following the recent Damocles incident, all operatives are on high alert for deep space asteroids and transient objects passing through the inner system. After Moonbase was almost destroyed by the passage of the asteroid which appeared from the edge of the system almost without warning, regular patrols by long range reconaissance ships are now in place. Equipped with special scanning and imaging sensors, modified Needle Probes stationed at Ganymede Base sweep the orbits beyond Jupiter for trojans and other potential hazards. The pilots have established a classification scheme for these objects, based on their size and potential threat:
MJOLNIR - Asteroid or meteor, sized between half a metre to three metres. Named after the Hammer of Thor and capable of seriously damaging any unshielded ship or installation.
TROJAN - Any object larger than a standard scout ship and bearing a gravity well. The magnetc field of larger objects sometimes collects smaller dust and meterorites and carries them in its wake. Named after the Trojan Horse with soldiers hidden inside.
GOLEM - Any object above a half kilometre. Potentially a global planet killer, depending on speed and orientation, the Golem poses a serious threat as stopping anything of such considerable size needs a concerted strike and is beyond the capability of a standard scout ship. Named after the mythological stone figure brought to life by magic and absolutely unstoppable by any other means.
Needle Probes carry a three man crew and use extra heavy magnetic shields while cruising in Jupiters ionosphere. Photograph shows a pair of probes scrambled from G-Base engaging the magnetic field and preparing to use the jovian gravity to slingshot out towards Saturn. Io grazes Jupiters baleful face in the background as the Needle Probes ignite the ion drives to escape her jealous embrace.
