The Gostronom class blockaderunner have been used in interplanetary conflicts as a means to bring in releif supplies and/or personnel to the planetside from outside.
About this creation
Several times, the Gostronom and their death-defying pilots have been the only thing saving colonies beseiged by pirating freelancers on the rim of space, roving bands of independent war-companies or any other of the scourges of the Outer Rim territories and the Colonies.
The blockaderunner has a smaller compartment for cargo, and a larger where the heavy enginesystem is crammed in together with the bulky droppod.
Beneath the ship hangs the pod that will be released once the Gostronomo hits planetary atmosphere.
Even without the threat of pursuers and blockading warships on your tail, the prospect of blasting into a planets atmosphere at full throttle and releasing a manned landing device would be a risky one.
Of course, its easier with just cargo. But skilled personell as well as fighting men is always a scarce commodity on colonies beseiged. Therefore, the droppod is designed to carry up to three humans.
When the resources of the Colony Command grows thin, the blockaderunners are one of the last things they withdraw from a sector. When squadrons of fighting ships cannot be sent to lift a blockade, one single Gostronom can make the difference between life and death for hundreds of colonists.
After releasing its cargo, the Gostronom will book out as fast as it can.
The crew of the pod however, will, if they survive, have a dangerous time ahead.
These pictures, taken from the Explorien Colony Command broschure "The Colony Forces and what we do" shows the standard insertion team of two armed commandos and one field engineer.
Standard protocol includes salvaging whatever useful they can from the drop pod, before seeking out the closest colony forces, engaging the enemy or whatever they've been sent in to do.