the Crusader

When it turned out that Gi Joe was spending a whole lot of time in space to counter Cobra's nefarious activities in low earth orbit, it was deemed necessary to commission a second space shuttle for the team. Soon enough, the Crusader was delivered to the Joes!

Making use of the Defiant's crawler gantry and booster rocket / space station to conserve materials and reduce costs, the Crusader has an added bonus: a special scout craft - the Avenger! The Crusader lost its hydraulic crane arm to gain this advantage, however.

Space Shuttle

The component most people think about when you mention the Crusader (since it's usually referred to as the Crusader all by itself), the space shuttle is an advanced model space craft, one built for combat when necessary - and has these capabilities:

Air Lock: the Crusader space shuttle is equipped with an effective air lock mechanism, which allows its occupants to exit the vehicle without depressurizing the rest of the facility. It can be used to allow space walks or travel between the space vehicle and the space station.

Body Armor (s): the Crusader was built tough - it's a fighting spacecraft, after all! It is of an effective Material Strength of 12, and it provides its occupants +3 protection from injury and attack, which at least covers small-arms fire.

Communications Array (i): the Crusader space shuttle makes use of a powerful gigahertz frequency, frequency wobbler clandestine operations radio system. This makes for intensity 10 communications power (with a 25,000 mile range) that has intensity 10 signal encryption.

Extra Vehicular Activity Systems (s): the Crusader space shuttle can support an operative outside the craft. This system can supply him or her the vehicle's air-based life support to augment the air supply in their suit, thanks to a long 'umbilical' cord that keeps them close to the vehicle.

Flight (s): the Crusader space shuttle is built for speed. It can operate at many times the speed of sound, being designed to operate in the inky blackness of space. It can fly with intensity 20 speeds, though the thing handles like a brick - especially in an atmosphere.

Fuselage Cannons (a): these retractable cannons are mounted beneath the Crusader's three-man cockpit. They can each be fired to inflict the gunner's Agility +8 energy damage per blast, raised a further +1 if both are brought to bear on a single target.

Life Support Systems (s): the Crusader space shuttle is equipped with enough food, water and oxygen stores to allow its crew to subsist for up to a month if necessary, though most mission profiles don't have that kind of duration. This is intensity 5 life support.

Radar System (w): the Crusader space shuttle is equipped with a long-range threat indicator system, and is able to spot items ranging from enemy spacecraft to errant asteroids, doing so with intensity 12 ability, and a range of 25,000 miles.

Resistance to Cold and Pressure Variance (s): designed to operate in outer space, the Crusader space shuttle has to shield its occupants from the extreme cold and vacuum present present outside our atmosphere. It can resist these two hazardous forces at intensity 18 levels.

Resistance to Fire and Heat (s): re-entry causes friction - lots of friction. The silica ceramic tiles lining the Crusader are especially designed with this in mind, and allow the vehicle to withstand fire and heat of up to intensity 20 levels before it is endangered.

Scout Craft

This small, one man space vehicle is stored in the cargo bay of the Crusader when not in use. It can be launched at a moment's notice, either to serve as an advanced scout (to save the Crusader fuel) or to instead perform fire support duties. It has these capabilities:

Body Armor (s): the Avenger scout is built tough for something so small. It has an effective Material Strength of 10, and it provides its occupant +2 Body Armor from injury and attack, which at least covers small-arms fire.

Communications Array (i): the Avenger scout makes use of a powerful gigahertz frequency, frequency wobbler clandestine operations radio system. This makes for intensity 10 communications power (with a 25,000 mile range) that has intensity 10 ranked signal encryption.

Flight (s): the Avenger scout craft is built for speed. It can operate at many times the speed of sound, being designed to fly even faster than the Crusader itself. It can fly about with intensity 22 speeds, though the thing is not designed to fly at all in an atmosphere.

Life Support Systems (s): the Avenger scout craft is equipped with enough food, water and oxygen stores to allow its crew to subsist for up to two days if necessary; it's not designed for long term use in any capacity. This is intensity 3 life support.

Mk12 H.O.G.S. 20mm Cannons (a): these wing-mounted, High Observation Gunship System cannons can be fired singly or in tandem. They inflict the pilot's Agility +6 damage when fired singly, though the pilot may fire both when necessary to inflict +7 damage to whatever is in front of him.

Radar System (w): the Avenger scout craft is equipped with a long-range threat indicator system, and is able to spot items ranging from enemy spacecraft to errant asteroids, doing so with intensity 10 ability, and a range of 25,000 miles.

Resistance to Cold and Pressure Variance (s): designed to operate in outer space, the Avenger scout has to shield its occupant from the extreme cold and vacuum present present outside our atmosphere. It can resist these two hazardous forces of up to intensity 18.

Extra Goodies:

Gi Joe directories featuring a version of the Defiant Space Vehicle Launch Complex: