i. Photon Missiles

Not available to many.  They simply disable ALL mines, fighters and Quasar Cannons in the sector that you fire them into. They will blow up at the slightest attack of any sort. They must be shot from an adjacent sector to the one you want to invade, and the sector you shot it from will show up in the daily log, by number, so people will know EXACTLY where you have been.

"...When a photon is launched into a sector where a player is staying in a citadel they lose their turns for the rest of the day. Neither ship nor planetary shields offer any protection against this. Sysops can deal effectively with this by leaving photons disabled.
 
Using Photon Missiles: To use a Photon Missile, you must have either an Imperial StarShip (the best out there), or else a Missile Frigate (probably THE WORST ship I've ever seen). Photons take care of such unruly hazards as Mines, Fighters, Quasar Cannons, and fighters on planets. They don't destroy them, but they DO make them completely useless. The mines will not hit you, the fighters will not attack, and the Quasar Cannons will not fire. Beware that they do have limits.
 
Such as, if you decide to stay too long in the sector, they hazards will become active again (it will tell you how long you have.. up to 1 minute depending upon what the SysOp has set the 'Photon Wave Duration' to) DO NOT carry Photon Missiles around with you. If you do, and run into ONE fighter that is on offensive mode, or a few mines, or a quasar, or a Ferrengi, then the photon will detonate, and you will have no turns left. Hope you have a cloaking device! It is ABSOLUTELY necessary to carry a cloak around with you so if this does happen to you, you can cloak and then resume the next day. Before you buy one, make sure that the sectors to the destination sector are clear of all hazards (from the StarDock to the destination sector) before you begin." (TWB p.9;¶1-2, 1993)
 
Do photons affect people sleeping in Tholians?

A: Yes, photons hurt everyone. ...The shield thing in the help file means nothing. It's messed up even in 2.01. ...Shields do not stop you from getting hurt by photons. ...Ship shields do not protect you from the photon and are not meant to. However, PLANETARY shields WILL protect you from a photon. So if you're sitting in your citadel on a level 5 or 6 and have shields...and someone photons your sector you will NOT lose your turns. Remember, you cannot send photons into Fed space." (AX.BBS/TW.NET - ML: Reisa@MMN, 5/21/96)
 
"No, a photon wave will NOT disrupt an Interdictor. There are only four things a photon can do: 1) Uncloak a cloaker, 2) take somone's turns, 3) Allow you to slip past sector figs without attacking / being attacked / paying toll, and 4) Dampen Quasars on unshielded planets." (AX.BBS/TW.NET - PCS, 6/2/96)