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Interstellar commerce is only viable through hyperspace. No natural space drives are capable of delivering goods between stars in a timely manner - even closest neighbors are centuries apart through normal propulsion. But hyperspace travel is still very risky, and it requires near perfect maintenance on phase drives to safely make a jump. To reduce the risk to life and property, much of the galaxy's commerce travels via unmanned barges. These are sent through gates that phase them into hyperspace, so the ships only need the much simpler deshifting mechanisms to return to natural space. Such vessels often only have small drives for maneuvering into docks, depending on tows from other craft. Spacers call these ship "slugs", because of their lack of propulsion. Most major planets have "gateways" dedicated to sending ships into hyperspace, with a programmed direction, speed and time to shift back into natural space.

Slugs are especially useful in wartime, when every expensive hyperdrive and able-bodied spacer needs to be on a warship. Fleets on patrol or based in uninhabited systems will rendezvous with shifting slugs for resupply. Knowledge of such rendezvous is prized by spies, as it is possible to pin down exactly where an enemy fleet will be. Intercepting fleets can also make off with the slugs themselves, denying resources to enemies and relaxing some strain on their own resupply efforts.

Spies have learned of a slug rendezvous! A fleet has been sent to intercept the enemy fleet, and to steal the supplies.

At the start of each turn, roll a die for each slug that has not appeared yet. On a roll equal to or less than the turn number, the slug appears randomly in one of the interior sectors. (Turn 1, a slug appears on 1; on turn 2, a slug appears on a 2 or less, etc). This means that all slugs will appear by turn 6.

The goal is to steal the slugs, and inflict as many casualties as possible on the enemy. The defender’s goal is defend the slugs, and inflict as many casualties as possible on the attacker.

Any ship size 4 or larger can capture a slug by moving into contact with it (all ships have some kind of grapple or tractor beam). The slug can then be shifted out of the battle with that squadron on the next turn (not the turn it was captured), or carried with the squadron.

1 point for each slug captured and taken off the board.

1 point for destroying more VP of the enemy fleet than your fleet suffers.

A fleet will leave the battlespace if it suffers 30% or greater casualties, ending the battle.

<=2 Points = inconclusive

3 points = Victory

4 points = Total Victory.

The attacker and defender both write out where their TF’s will be on the first turn. The defender sets up all TF's for the first turn; they are assumed to have been in the battlespace for several turns already, while the attacker is just shifting in. This means the defender can shift out on the first turn (though not with a slug). The attacker does not have to bring his full fleet onto the table in the first turn, but must have written out when and where each TF will appear the first time.

Play is otherwise normal. A slug that is captured can be freed by moving an equal sized ship into contact with the slug, or captured by moving a larger sized ship into contact.