Players’ Information:

The PCs have arrived in the Adabicci system (Lunion 0204, A-57189A-B), traveling down the Spinward Main. While conducting routine inquiries at the Adabicci starport, they are approached by a representative of the Adabicci Astronomical Union, a semi-professional scientific organization. They wish to charter the PCs ship for an in-system recovery operation.

Over a century ago, the AAU helped to sponsor the production and launch of a remotely controlled probe that would explore the outer planets of the system. The outer planets consist of a small gas giant and a number of airless cold planets that were only briefly surveyed by the Scouts, and quickly deemed not suitable for colonization.

The historical spacecraft, one of the first produced on Adabicci, and really not much more than a sensor cluster, was lost within the first decade of its flight – the radio stopped responding, and it was concluded at the time that the probe had fallen into the gas giant. Recently, the AAU spotted a small moving object that their much more advanced detection equipment has identified as the old probe. It is now far past the orbit of the last planet in the system, and is drifting outwards towards the Kuiper Belt. The astronomers ask the PCs to go out and retrieve it, saying it may have useful survey data, but it also an object of historical significance. They offer payment of Cr 500,000 to recover it. The patron group will keep in regular radio contact with the PCs ship during the voyage.

Image from NASA – Public Domain

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Players’ Information:

The PCs are heading outbound from their starport when they are contacted by the disabled lab ship SS HAWKING. The head scientist by the name of Ammat Hassad who on board requests the PCs help him retrieve some important flora and fauna in a nearby backwater system before they have to evacuate their temporary laboratory/outpost on the planet’s surface. His university-funded outpost is located on an isolated island in the tropical zone and the cyclones common in that area would imperil his fellow researchers and their research work alike. His lab ship’s Hyperdrive Motivator is broken and a replacement part is still weeks away. He needs transport to this destination, they need to retrieve the six scientists and their samples and leave long before the replacement part arrives. He will pay for the fuel, the cargo space (Cr. 3000/ton) and passage for him to the outpost, and for the seven of them to return. For every successful sample brought back to his lab, the PCs will also receive a bonus of Cr. 100/animal and Cr. 50/plant.

Fluffy – Image from Wikimedia – No known copyright restrictions

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Players’ Information:

The PC’s are approached by a well-dressed gentlemen aged in his mid-50’s. He introduces himself as Armand Morgan, majordomo and confidant to his lordship, Frederik, the Marquis de Bonneville – well sort of. You see the actual Marquis was killed in a re-entry burnout on his personal small craft as he was returning to his estate a few years ago. Armand was aware that the Marquis had purchased a life insurance policy ten years ago where, in the case of an accidental death, his salvaged DNA would be reanimated. If there was no DNA to salvage (as it was in this case), an additional DNA sample was taken, placed in cold storage and would be available as a Plan “B”. Welcome to Plan B.

The Marquis had become suspicious in his later years that someone was trying to kill him. He had a wafer chip inserted in the back of his cranium and he would download his memories each and every night on to alternating chips. He also had a decent amount of money secretly stored away that only Armand would know about and be able to access. Always his faithful servant, Armand grabbed the memchip from the day before to his death to be secretly appropriated for later use. Armand was fired within a year of his lordship’s death by the Marquis’ wife, Julia. Since her husband’s death, she has laid claim to her late husband’s lands and wealth, in order to continue to raise her two sons and daughter. According to Armand, all three children have been placed with other family members, or have been sent to boarding school. Julia has taken on a young lover by the name of Leopold and has been living the high life after she did her obligatory year of mourning.

Armand is convinced that Julia did something to the ship to have it lose control. He needs help to get his lordship his lands back and help find out what actually happened to the Marquis those three years ago. He has contacts back on their homeworld who are willing to reopen the crash investigation and he has retained a trusted lawyer to help him regain his lordship’s property as its rightful owner. Armand will offer the PC’s Cr. 5,000 per PC per month (over twice the normal rate) as bodyguards to the Marquis. He will pay for all fuel and goods consumed along with an additional Cr. 250,000 if their mission to restore the Marquis is achieved.

The Marquis – Image from Wikimedia – Public Domain

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Introduction:

This scenario is designed to slot into an existing campaign. The referee should choose a habitable world with a breathable atmosphere, a moderate climate, and a few million inhabitants at most. Vast areas of the surface are unpopulated wilderness.

Players’ information:

An advertisement has been placed on reputable networks: the services of a reliable group are sought. Technical expertise is preferred, the position includes travel, and the final pay is to be negotiated. The contract will last for a number of weeks. Contact details are provided.

The patron is Artur Ishurgi, an earnest and rather obsessive young man who works as a bureaucrat. Artur only has one real passion in life: maglev trains. He talks about them, he studies images and schematics, he reads books and watches documentaries, and he endlessly plays on simulators. Artur is rather out of his depth in anything other than a comfortable urban environment.

Artur, however, is a dreamer. He has received an inheritance and has decided to spend it on documenting the decaying maglev networks of an abandoned settlement. He needs experienced companions to travel with him to assist with the technical challenges and to act as guides and security.

The exact costs will have to be negotiated and may involve chartering a vessel or hiring vehicles. Artur is shrewd and careful with money but will pay reasonable expenses and costs. The characters, however, will need to provide their own personal equipment, and they should be properly prepared for cold weather: the area to which Artur wishes to travel is currently experiencing its winter season.

Artur has detailed maps of the world and has marked out the locations that he wishes to visit. These are clearly noted as being within a vast wildlife reserve. He has florid permissory paperwork from the nobleman whose fiefdom the world is, as well as official-looking governmental permits and passes.

He has already made substantial preparations and is pretty much ready to go. He has all kinds of cameras, sensors, holorecorders, diffusers, lamps, hand computers, memory crystals, cabling, power sources, and the like. They are packed into sturdy containers and loaded onto a grav pallet. He also has a portable shelter, camping gear, food supplies, medical kits, and all of the other sundries needed to survive in the wild.

The Drek – © Ade Stewart

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Player’s Information:

The PC’s are heading outbound from their starport towards their mission when they receive a distress call from the passenger liner Lord Brisbane. The ship’s registry lists this vessel as a Type “OO” Bastien-class Passenger liner with a crew of 16 and a passenger manifest of 28. When the PC’s ship gets a little closer the standard “Signal GK” is issued (like an old-type SOS).

The message says: “SIGNAL GK… SIGNAL GK…. This is the SS LORD BRISBANE… We have been holed in the engine room and have lost power… We are drifting towards a planetoid – aft first… We have lost our engineering crew… Gravity and Life Support is failing… Requesting immediate assistance…. We have 43 souls aboard needing immediate evacuation… SIGNAL GK… SIGNAL GK… (repeats)”

As the PC’s ship gets closer (about 30 minutes out) it is apparent the ship was struck by a cluster of micro-meteors. The ship is drifting backwards towards the nearby planetary body (a size-1 to 2 airless planet). The ship is expected to crash in about three hours and no other ship of any kind will be able to assist in time. Some passengers have been able to make it to the life pods and they are drifting along with the ship towards the planet. These life pods should be able to make a successful soft landing safely away from the crash site if things go horribly wrong. However there are crew and passengers still stuck on board. What will the PC’s do?

A Low-Tech Lord Brisbane – Image from Wikimedia – Public Domain

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