what does lonestar have access to? I'm sure they dont have delta, but do they have beta for there special ops?

Well they are a pretty good sized corp, so I would say yes. The question is, would they use it?

They biggest ops they're likely to need is SWAT, since that's what the star is for. THey're more quantity than quality. If they have an "op" they need done, they'd probably hire runners like everyone else. Bottom lines and all that.

Lone Star is a security and law enforcment corporation. It is their business to provide security for and enforce the laws of the governments and corporations that hire them. The public perception of their ability to do so is important as it can have an influance upon their contacts. No one wants to hire security company that is inferior to the criminals so they will have some very highly trained and well equiped personal on their public face. Local Swat is likely to get Alpha grade ware but they probably have some high profile international HRT and Counterterrorist squads that have Beta or Delta, just so the PR guys can point to them and say "when you hire us this is what you are getting".

I disagree on the delta ware, since the number of delta clinics is supposed to be a something you can count on one hand sort of thing. In Blood in the Boardroom, it was a major coup for Villiers to get one of Fuchi's Delta clinics. Fuchi was the only AAA that had two.
But you make a good point for the whole publicity/beta angle. Depending on jsut how much general knowledge is out there about the different grades of 'ware to public knowledge.

thank you for the quick response

Well what else are we gonna do at 5 am!? WORK?!

hehe

the old lonestar soursebook mentioned C-SWAT Basicly totaly chromed SWAT for dealing with dangerous cybered criminals and the elimination of cyber-psycotics, and they did have accsess to beta for sure. and anything they ddn't have room for went into the armor, radios, extra visual, stuff like that

I should imagine the Star has access to all sorts of goodies, since they say in the book that they can access confiscated items, and like BitBasher pointed out they are a AA corporation.

I think we could better help you if you layed out some details-how do you pla on using them if you're a Game Master. Or if you're aplayer how were they used against you?

I believe delta-grade cyberware is military-grade stuff. I doubt Lone Star would have more than a handful of people in the entire company with deltaware.

However, alpha and beta cyberware would be around for the SWAT teams and other special response units.

I'd add one caveat to that-if the Star prouces a piece of tactical cybernetcis that is betaware.

Most of there operatives will have little cyber wear, maybe 2 essence worth of standard grade.

As far as I can tell hire grade wear is only useful if your pushing the limit on what you can have, it is far more expensive both to obtain and maintain. If I was setting up a CSWAT teem much of there needs would be externalised.

Coms can be accessed threw a data jack and transducer

Imaging systems and display links can be built into the helmets.

They will need body augmentations (bone lacing and dermal sheath) reflex enhancements (the type you want, I prefer boosted, synaptic and reaction enhancers but you could use wired) and a SL2 with range finder although I would be tempted to install only the partial sim rig and image and link. With the other items being integrated into the armour and connected by data jack. Enhanced articulation is a good one and muscle toner and aug as well and there may be a couple of other items worth considering but that covers most of what they need.

The only reason street samys need all the internalised stuff they get is that they have to operate without obvious armour and without adequate preparation time, while some security officers may have these problems most do not and should be equipped appropriately. even more so for military.

Delta wear is high end research that is probably not yet paying for itself, only elite operatives that work for moderate periods of time (more than a day les than a month) in unpredictable situations and experiments such as cyber zombies are likely to receive the highest grades of cyber wear.

Edward

Since they're cops who have to go out and work in UCAS-land would they be limited to what's legal in that jurisdiction, basically security grade at best, or do you think they'd get special treatment for the high end folk like the FRT's and SWAT?

Very little is downright illegal in the UCAS, loan star officers will have permits for anything they need. There SWAT equivalent will have anything they want, at least as much as swat dose now. I would think that any item that increases the chance of killing the target without taking down bystanders will be available to them, as well as the necessary hardware to take out any security grade vehicle, and I think that would mean they need some military stuff.

Hardened military armour they almost certainly have, these are the defenders of the city from the worst that crawl out of the gutter, military armour is no threat to bystanders and nothing saps confidence in law enforcement than the headline “swat teem massacred”

Edward

I also think a serious consideration is what the cop wants. Some cops will opt for less wares. Not all, but some.

For the most part they wouldn't even need permits. In the areas that have LS contracts they just flash their badges and say "It's okay, I'm with the Star". In areas that don't have LS contracts they can usualy get away with flashing their badges and saying "It's okay, I'm a cop from Seatle."
Most firearms regulations have built in exceptions for police officers. Only the most paranoid officers in the most tightly regulated States would bother to hastle a cop.

What the cop wants is also a consideration, but not much of one. LS will have standard issue equipment that all officers are required to have. Refusal to accept implantation would result in being relegated to a desk job of not outright termination.
For the awakened they might make an exception or provide betaware to reduce essence loss. For the top of the line C-SWAT guys that might provide some nonstandard ware upon request.

Although there will be standards they will vary between arias.

Seattle may give there C-SWAT men beta wired 3 while Chicago uses cerebral boosters and boosted reflexes with reaction enhancers. And New York insists on move by wire.

Also time maters. The C-SWAT recruits of 45 are stuck with first generation boosted reflexes with no grading and where great full when they got it but they where eclipsed by the wired reflexes in the 50s and only recently have had the opportunity to get cerebral boosters, they still cant get reaction enhancers if they lost a limb in the line of duty before some time in the late 50s because cyber replacement used to much essence.

Edward

Yeah, to set a precedent for Lone Star and Milspec gear look up the section on the Division of Highway Patrol in the Lone Star Sourcebook. They use Full on military grade Panzers with SAM's and custom Lone Star "Land Shark" skimmer missiles to take out smugglers. Not to be messed with.