Hutt Cartel Defenses

[Just Matt Now]

[The Hutt Cartel defenses on worlds under their control were designed and built during the years of Sith Expansion. Even as Cartel Commanders led their fleet to ruin in campaigns against the Bothans, others were studying the battles and sieges being waged by the Imperium following the destruction of Coruscant. Quite a few senior personnel in the Cartel had also been members of the Ona'bak Retrade, and thus also had first hand experience with how the Imperial Military Operated. As the New Sith Imperium controlled the greatest war machine the galaxy had seen in centuries it was reasoned by many in the Cartel that if their defenses were designed to forestall an invasion from such a power, they could adequately serve to defend the greatly expanded interest of the Hutts against any other threat in the galaxy.

The first lesson learned by the Empire's expansion was that they would not hesitate to subject any planet that got in their way to a planetary bombardment, with exceptions being worlds that contained vital resources worthy of capture. While the Sieges of Corellia and Manaan showed that a siege could effectively drain the might of the Imperium, the destruction of Coruscant, Duros, and more recently the Mandalorian Genocide, showed that the Imperium was also willing to sacrifice vital resources to achieve a quick victory. As a result it was decided that no world would be able to rely on its own importance to force the Empire to engage it in a long, costly, siege.

The Hutts would instead have to rely on powerful fortifications to ensure that an Imperial Fleet could not simply sit in orbit and turn a planet's surface to glass. While the best defense against this would be space assets such as fleets, and space stations, planetary defenses would also be required. These defenses would not account for any space stations, or naval assets, instead ensuring that a system could defend itself using only what was built on, and beneath the surface of its planets. While it would be impossible to defend all of Hutt Space, indefinitely with such a plan, if these fortress worlds can be placed on specific and the largest hyperlane routes into Hutt territory, theory holds that any fleet will have to pass at least one in order to get into the core of Hutt space.

These fortress worlds include Nal Hutta, Sleheryon, Daalang, and Gamorr.

First Layer​

The first layer of defenses for these worlds comes in the form of Planetary Shields, and Planetary Ion Cannons. In the case of the former they are Encasing Shields, which have had their weak points mapped out meticulously, and are patrolled by 3 Squadrons of Scyk Interceptors, below the Shield to oppose any infiltration group. A backup Planetary Shield Generator is also available should the first one be sabotaged, undergoing routine maintenance at the time of an attack, suffer mechanical/electronic failure, or be destroyed.

The Planetary Ion Cannons, are essentially useless as long as the Planetary Shields hold, but should they fail, the Ion Cannons are intended to disable the largest warships in the Sith Armada to disrupt any orbital bombardments. There are typically 8 Planetary Ion Cannons, spread out across the surface ensure all of the planet is protected, and to provide overlapping fields of fire. In the case of worlds with close orbits such as Nar Shaddaa and Nal Hutta, one can potentially fire its ion cannons at a fleet trying to bombard the other if they're in such a position. Like most large ion cannons, they are extremely effective at disabling capital ships in the star destroyer and dreadnought ranges, but horribly inaccurate against smaller light cruisers, and ships under them in the Anaxes War College System.

While these defenses are in and of themselves nothing extraordinarily different from others, in the case of the Y'Toub and Gos Hutta systems the Cartel has gone beyond just the practice of fortifying a single world with these defenses, to fortifying a select few pinpointed on key access points along the largest hyperlane routes. For the Y'Toub system the fortress world is the last line of defense being Nal Hutta, and being such a key point, it has been given the highest priority. Such a drastic measure was controversial, but with memories of what happened to Coruscant it wasn't hard for Vero the Hutt to convince the Lordas to proceed with them, and the recent Mandalorian Genocide has silenced even the staunched against these measures. The other three fortress worlds include Sleheryon, which blocks a main intersection of hyperspace lanes; Daalang which is on the border of Hutt space blocking an important entry lane; and Gamorr which covers the flank to the Southern territory.

Second Layer​

The second layer of defenses come in the form of shielded bases on the ground. These bases are often built near important structures, such as the above mentioned Ion Cannons, and Planetary Shield Generators. On built up worlds such as Nar Shaddaa they are also built near structures such as Calrissian Hall, and the Holonet Access Point. On Nal Hutta at least three are in the immediate vicinity of the HUB. In the case of Planetary Shield Generators and Ion Cannons, they are built almost directly on it to provide for an immediate defense. All bases have a Shutter Shield in place, to protect them and surrounding structures should the main Planetary Shield fail. In the case of more built up worlds, more shielded bases can be found.

As the Hutts cannot field nearly the same massive military as the Imperium, these bases maintain the doctrine of tying down more forces than they're really worth. Each base houses 2,000 troops in addition to the personnel needed to man and take care of the squadrons of vehicles assigned to the defense of each one. Each base hangar typically has a squadron of Dunelizards, two squadrons of Scyk's, and room for up to eight light freighters or sixteen shuttles. There is also a dedicated hangar for 46 ISP speeders, which generally have the job of harassing enemy movements before quickly retreating back to the protection of the base. All of the hangars are equipped with their own magnetic shielding, and blast doors made of duranium, which is also used in the blast doors, and shutters of transparisteel windows, while the majority of the base is comprised of armor grade durasteel, and permacrete. Most bases also have landing platforms adjacent to them for Rendili Spaceguns to land, and provide fire support.

(examples of turbolaser cannon, flak missile pod, and AA turrets)​

In addition to any personnel, the exterior defenses against air/spacecraft include 6 anti-air homing flak missile pods such as those seen on the AT-AA, and can fire 8 missiles before reloading with 120 missiles ready to be fired. Anti-air laser cannons are paired with anti-air mass drivers in 14 turrets to ensure that regardless of shielding they can take out any air or spacecraft that breaches the shutter shields. Against ground targets there are 6 artillery turbolaser cannons intended to defend the base against heavy walkers such as AT-AT/a's, or target large dropships landing in the vicinity. 24 medium ion cannon provide defense against smaller walkers, and anywhere from 40 to 60 point defense/anti-infantry laser cannons can be found depending on the exact layout of the base. No two bases share the exact same layout due to the vast differences in terrain they occupy, and are designed to take advantage of. Many of them are in some way built into a geographical feature and have underground storage facilities.

Each however is built to ensure that all guns have overlapping fields of fire and provide a complete defense of the base exterior. With the exception of the turbolaser cannons, and point defense/anti-infantry laser cannons which guard the perimeter all of the base weapons are able to retract behind solid duranium blast shutters. a The layout may also be different depending on whether or not the base is protecting a planetary shield generator, ion cannon, or the defense of an area. On the surface the bases may not appear to be a single building with separations between barracks, command centers, gunnery positions, etc...but all are usually linked via subterranean passageways. In the case of city worlds such as Nar Shaddaa they are much more compact however, and rather than spreading out over a comparatively flat area, they are typically arranged in a more vertical manner to better take advantage of the massive skyscrapers and platforms that dominate the city.

Inside the base there are number of defenses not uncommon to those seen on larger starships. The base is designed to completely seal itself off from the outside, with a military grade life support system, and either lethal or nonlethal gases can be pumped into different sealed off areas if needed. Auto-blaster turrets, and ray shield defenses are at every juncture and outside the entrances to important areas such as the initial base entrances, hangars, and control room. Duranium blast doors, and anti-tamper locks are among the more mundane defenses, and the airlocks that make up each doorway to keep the rooms environmentally sealed also mean two blast doors must be cut through to get anywhere. Internal sensors are capable of tracking motion, detecting thermal anomalies, and security personnel monitor visual input around the clock. Holoprojectors are also placed in some areas to simulate walls or other objects, confusing intruders, buying time for a security response. The reactors which power all this are buried deep beneath the base, and surrounded by immense nueranium radiation shielding, that would be deemed too expensive by any power other than the Hutts. There are 4-6 of these bases on each fortress world.

Third Layer​

The third layer of defenses come in the form of cheaper, and smaller prefabricated bases as opposed to those described above. The types of bases can be found on virtually every Hutt World, but are found in greater concentrations in the Y'Toub, Mulatan, Gos Hutta, and Sleheyron systems. These bases come in a number of different varieties but all are composed of quadanium steel, and are typically home to 200 personnel, with room for another 64. All are equipped with 16 anti-personnel blaster cannons, 2 anti-vehicle laser cannons, and 2 anti-air laser cannons paired with anti-air mass drivers like on the shielded bases.

All typically also have a built in hanger for 12 ISP Speeders, and other speeders, and a landing platform for a single light freighter built nearby. The hangars have large blast doors, and magnetic shielding to keep out the exterior atmosphere. The interior has blast doors, anti-tamper locks, and internal sensors capable of tracking motion and detecting thermal anomalies. As these bases are designed to be placed on any number of worlds they are sealed against the environment and have their own life support systems, and feature airlocks on all doorways. Such bases also typically have an extendable docking port to connect a landed starship. Most of them are also typically equipped with drilling and digging equipment allowing the personnel to dig out and expand underground for storage and sleeping quarters. Not ones to let any resource go to waste, the Hutts often use these bases as safe houses for illicit goods, and checkpoints for convoys of the same.

The first version of these prefab bases have an additional hangar facility designed to house a squadron of fightercraft, and a pair of light freighters if needed. These are the most common of the prefab designs as they allow the force occupying them to scatter should the enemy attempt to overwhelm it. Another use of this same variant houses more speeder or walkers.

The second version's are equipped with full-spectrum transceivers, subspace antenna, and HoloNet transceivers to act as listening posts. These prefabs are most notably built along the borders of Hutt Space, but can be found throughout the region, as they also do double duty of listening in on communications with a less military purpose, such as economic reports allowing the Hutts to take advantage of a financially ruined neighbor.

The third version has an extended medical treatment center, storage facilities. These prefabs also have more digging equipment to expand their storage capacity quicker, and allow for more room for wounded to be moved to underground safety should the base be attacked. These bases often act as storage facilities for spice, and experimenting in different spice varieties, and other illicit drugs.

Oftentimes these prefab bases are built at population centers, but can be also be found in the wilderness with rudimentary camouflage. On built up worlds such as Nar Shaddaa large existing structures will have chunks hollowed out and replaced with these prefabs, making them difficult to locate, and they can be found at virtually every level of the city. Unlike shield bases they are typically only single units for ease of prefabricating them, and using industrial movers to place them throughout Hutt space.

Additional Notes​

When placed on alert, stealth approaches into the Y'Toub system are difficult due to the amount of space junk that exists in areas not heavily trafficked. Any disturbance of the junk by a capital ship is easily detectable regardless of stealth features, although small vessels may still go undetected if they can successfully navigate these dangerous areas.

The GRVS-DSSCD communications system is use on the Hutt border with the New Sith Imperium. Klaatooine, Aduba, Kwenn, Chalacta, Ulmatra, Alee, and Nanthiri all have this system in place.

Having learned their lesson at Thyferra, the Hutts have installed software to make destroying and sabotaging the Tibanna Gas Refineries on Sleheyron easier, to ensure that even if an enemy is able to overcome the planet's defenses they will reap no benefits for their work. This software can only be activate by Vero the Hutt (and can be activated remotely if communications aren't cutoff), and will override safety measures to cause a dangerous buildup of pressure and heat in the refineries causing them to burn to the ground, as it also disables fire extinguishing systems.