This adventure lets the players take the role as detectives trying to both clear their names and to get a large reward. This adventure takes place in Urnian Subsector, just outside the Imperium, in the year 1099. It can easily be transformed and played in another time and space.
Part 1: “The PYLKAH Genocide”
In the first part of this adventure, the PCs who are trading in military equipment, (not smuggling) are suddenly blamed for a genocide on PYLKAH.
The PCs
At least one of the PCs is a merchant. Together the PCs run a 200-ton Frontier Trader (jump-2 capable). The PCs should also have some weapon skill. You don’t need to use the pregenerated PCs that are presented here.
Pregenerated PCs
Hans Ozawa 775A98 x-Merchant age=46
Pilot-2 Cr. 15.000
Computer-1 Low Psg.
Engnrng-1 Laser Carbine
Electronics-1 Dagger
Steward-1 Frontier Trader
Jack-o-T-1
Laser Carbine-1
Dagger-1
Vacc Suit-1 (Pilot and Captain of the Ship.)
Paulo Gibbon 5A8AD4 x-Doctors age=46
Medical-4 Cr. 20.000
Mechanical-1 Instruments
Streetwise-3 Low Psg.
Handgun-0
Dagger-0
Vacc Suit-0 (Surgeon of the Ship.)
Ivan Edison 8A79DA x-Navy age=46
Engnring-1 Cr. 61.000
Vacc Suit-4 Travellers'
Mechanical-1 Dagger
Jack-o-T-1 High Psg.
Fwd Obsvr-1
Dagger-3
SMG-1 (Engineer of the Ship.)
Emma Sobrero 6B9965 x-Merchant age=22
Gunnery-2 Cr. 20.000
Navigation-1 Low Psg.
Pilot-1
Handgun-0
Vacc Suit-0 (Gunner and Beauty of the Ship.)
Isaac Gatling B568A8 x-Merchant age=46
Gunnery-1 Cr.11.000
Medical-1 Low Psg. x 2
Navigation-1 Dagger
Mechanical-1
Electronic-1
Streetwise-1
Groundcar-1
Jack-o-T-1
Dagger-1
Handgun-0
Vacc Suit-0 (Gunner of the Ship.)Equipment
The PCs may buy any equipment below TL-12. Except for the standard equipment there are three other pieces of equipment available for this adventure.
Start
The adventure starts at URNIAN (0403 Urnian B9779AC-A), the most important world of Urnian subsector. This world is ruled by the popular and good-looking dictator Leila Utsukushi. It is a trade center on the trade route from the Imperium to the Kamrati league. It is also an industrial world, and its most important industry is all sorts of military products. The industry has polluted the air, and filtermasks must be worn outside. The air is breathable for short periods, but 24 hours without filtermask will cause permanent lung damage.
The PCs has just arrived at URNIAN. They go to a typical merchant bar in startown, just outside the starport. Here they talk to the crew of a Kamrati Trader (maybe after the usual brawl where the PCs are helped by the kamratis) who tells them that they will be leaving tomorrow with a cargo of small arms to PYLKAH. They hope to make a good profit since weapons are cheap here and PYLKAH is a balkanized world. They say that the last time they were at PYLKAH, the Imperium had almost finished building a new starport and that they hope it is finished by now. The PCs also learn that SuSAG ships has been seen in the Kamrati League, but not to make trade. The SuSAG ships were probably just passing through.
The PCs should buy a cargo (and maybe also a small cargo) and determine a destination. (The PCs should be told that military products sell well on balkanized worlds. If this doesn’t make them go to PYLKAH it doesn’t matter. They will probably go there later anyway. So why not a little trade adventure at first.) The remaining of the cargo hold may be filled with normal (rented space) cargo.
PYLKAH
When the PCs ship returns to normal space in the PYLKAH system, they receive a broadcast message telling them to go to the new type C starport at Pushkin, the capital of Pyllos (the southern superpower). The PCs go to the new starport (If they don’t want to go there, tell them the two other starports are full.)
They sell their cargo, hopefully at a good profit. (Military equipment gets an extra +3 DM on market value table.) After a week they have a new cargo and are ready to go (Don’t let them buy any cargo here, they will need their money later.)
In Space
When the PCs are leaving the planet, and are in the upper atmosphere, there is suddenly a bright light, and the ship is shaking. (Something like when leaving the planet in Alien 2.) Anyone looking through any view-ports will be temporarily blinded. This will also damage the maneuver drive so that it cannot do better than 2G. All sorts of alarms will also go off reporting high radiation levels and damage to the maneuver drive. The radiation levels will not harm any of the PCs, this is just to make the players upset.
Later when the PCs reach space, they receive a message saying “This is Imperial Fighter IFF-SB-UR-4711. Please return to PYLKAH. Land at Pyllos old starport. We will escort you.” The PCs sees two Bumblebee Class fighters approaching.
If the PCs do anything but respond that they will follow the fighters down to PYLKAH they will be attacked. It is not illegal not to follow orders given by an imperial ship outside the Imperium, (but it is still not wise). If the PCs are fired upon they are allowed to return fire for self-defence.
If the PCs choose to fight, they can surrender at any time and go down to PYLKAH. After five combat turns the PCs sees a 2000-ton Colibri Class Destroyer Escort. This ship will go into battle with the PCs at turn 8 if the PC hasn’t surrendered by then. The PCs will not reach the 100 diameter limit for a save jump. They will either have to surrender or be destroyed. If they try to press the jump button anyway, a red alarm will flash saying; “JUMPDRIVE MALFUNCTION“. If the PCs ship is so damaged so that it cannot enter the atmosphere, then the PCs will be taken aboard the Destroyer Escort and taken down to PYLKAH. The PCs ship will then be placed in a parking orbit.
The trial
When arriving at PYLKAH the PCs are arrested. They are blamed for the nuclear explosion at Pushkin that killed more than 200.000 people and gave many more lethal doses of radiation.
The PCs are locked away until a trial can be held in a few days. Since the PCs are suspected of such a horrible crime, all the top law firms wants to handle their case to get publicity. The PCs should use one of the best law firm because they need it to get a fair trial. It will cost the PCs about a third of their total funds. The lawyer who gets the case (Niels Anzio) is however not so pleased with it, (even though his firm is very pleased) because he believes that the PCs are guilty and that this case may ruin his career.
Niels Anzio 6ABABA Lawyer age=30
Law-3 Cr. 100.000
Gun Cbt-1 Low Psg.
Streetwise-1
Interrogation-1The first time the PCs leave the prison to go to the courthouse the PCs are handcuffed and surrounded by armed guards. (They cannot escape, and it would be stupid to try.) Outside the courthouse there are a lot of TV-reporters and camera-men. There is also a small demonstration who wants to see the PCs painfully executed. (Tell the players what the demonstrators signs says.) Suddenly one of the camera-men drops his camera, picks up a pistol and fires at the PCs. If the PCs throw themselves at the ground, only two of them will be hit, if not three of the PCs will be hit before the guards can disarm and capture the assassin. The PCs should not be killed, (since they cannot defend themselves) but one of them might get some serious damage and be put in a wheel chair for the rest of part-1 of this adventure.
First Assassin
Edmund Baird 488AA9 Reporter age=42
Reporter-3 Cr. 5.000
Handgun-1 Auto-Pistol
Ground Car-1 Ground Car
Streetwise-1
Jack-o-T-1After a week the PCs are once again going to the courthouse. This time in an armored car for their own safety. A lot of TV-stations are broadcasting the trial live. The PCs are blamed of either being Zhodani agents, or agents of another superpower. They are blamed of dropping the bomb just before takeoff and then remotely trigger it when they were at a safe distance.
Suddenly one in the audience picks up a silenced pistol and fires at the PCs. He misses and are disarmed and captured by guards.
Second Assassin
Carlos Pettersson 956454 x-Rougue age=34
Streetwise-1 Cr. 10.000
Carousing-1 Auto-Pistol
Brawling-2 Dagger
Handgun-1
Cbt. Rifleman-1The police says that they have technical evidence that the PCs have had a nuclear bomb aboard. They say that they can see that in the remaining radiation pattern. If the PCs has bought the radiation analyzer available in the beginning of the game, they can ask their lawyer to repeat the test to prove that the evidence is false. When the lawyer can see this he is convinced that the PCs are framed and can get them free. Otherwise the PCs can let another lab make their own test. This will be very expensive and cost half of their funds or ten times as much as the radiation analyzer costs whichever is the most. The PCs might have to use their ship as security for a bank loan.
The lawyer (Niels Anzio) will now get the PCs free. But they are stranded here on PYLKAH. Their ship is held as evidence until this case can be solved, and their insurance doesn’t cover this situation. Typically when a ship is held as evidence it has been involved in smuggling, so the insurance is not valid in such cases. This is very unlucky for the PCs since they aren’t guilty (this time). The court hasn’t been able to prove that they are not guilty either so they are not allowed to leave the planet. However, maybe they can help in some way in the investigation of this crime, so that they will get their ship back a little faster. There is also a reward of up-to Cr. 1.000.000 for information that helps to solve this crime.
(END of part 1.) PART-2