All posts by Marcus Maximus

Adventures, Traveller

The Hidden Cache

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Location: any Starport
Patron: an older prospector
Required skills and equipment: The PC’s will need to own a Jump-2 or better starship. The starship will need to have scoops for refueling or be capable of two hyperspace jumps. Environmental suits or vacc suits will be in demand.

Players’ Information:

The PC’s are approached by Torbun Grey, an aging prospector that says he is in need of a ship with some limited cargo space. He says he was a prospector some years back and his work carried him to another sector for a long time. He has always wanted to return to a rich site he discovered and was unable to leave behind. He will pay, up front Cr. 20,000 for transportation to the site and another Cr. 20,000 upon their return. The catch? The site is not on any charts nor is it located in a solar system. It is located on a moon surrounding a rogue gas giant well away from any space lanes.

Torbun says that he used a computer to calculate the vector of the rogue planet and doubts if anyone else has discovered this location. He says the destination moon is mostly a very thin atmosphere, with a yellowish haze of sulfuric-based airborne compounds emanating from the very active volcanoes that riddle the surface of the moon. It seems the gravity from the gas giant causes some serious stresses on the tectonic plates of the moon, causing the volcanoes to erupt nearly constantly. Obviously, due to the lack of a star, there is perpetual night on the gas giant and moon.

The Lava Moon
The Lava Moon – Image from wikimedia – Public Domain

Referee’s Information:

If anyone in the PC’s party knows anything about prospecting or geology, they will likely know that the chances of a rich prospect on a highly volcanic moon is unlikely. Torbun, is in fact a “retired” corsair who has just finished spending the last twenty years in an Imperial prison for his pirate days. He was a skilled navigator on board the Serpent’s Tooth, a 400-ton corsair that was boarded and destroyed when he was captured.

Torbun discovered this location from a seeker they once captured that discovered the gas giant due to a misjump. The corsair kept the location a secret so they could use it to refuel and strike at solar systems much easier, while avoiding capture. This unnamed rogue planet still seems to be plodding along between solar systems, dragging what is likely its only moon along for the ride. The moon, much like the Terran system’s moon, Io, is VERY volcanic. Visibility at low elevations will be limited, and there is a constant wind, but due to the minimal atmospheric pressure, a 200 kph wind has the force of a 2kph on the moon. This wind does blow dust and ash around and the ash can have sharp edges, fouling gear and wearing out the vacc suits fairly quickly.

Torbun will be nervous when dealing with Imperial Naval encounters as they were the ones who brought him to justice. He will be mum about the real conditions of the moon and the salvage that waits on its surface. The salvage? Nothing less than a crashed Gazelle-class close escort that followed the pirates to this destination. It is his hope that there can be salvage on board the ship. When confronted with his deception, he will quickly try to strike a bargain with the PC’s to share as much as half the salvage they find.

Outcomes:

1. The PC’s arrive at the destination and locate the gas giant ahead after a three-day burn. The Gazelle-class escort is none other than the Badger, a ship sold to a local system for protection from pirates. The ship is intact and sitting on a plateau overlooking a lava lake. If the PC’s decide to salvage the ship’s gear they will find a ship full of weapons and assorted military gear worth nearly 2.0MCr on the black market. Since the ship has been missing for decades, this gear popping up on the markets might raise a few eyebrows. As for the crew their remains are here, huddled together in suits showing they had a hull breach that compromised the ship’s life support. The ship’s engine room is mostly destroyed and the ship’s batteries have run dry long ago.

2. As outcome #1 with the following exceptions: The ship crash landed not far from an active lava vent. The engine room broke away from the rest of the ship on impact and it has been covered over in lave rocks for decades. The moon will be VERY unstable as the nearby lava vent is robustly emitting lava and gas. Quakes are common. Roll (2d6: 8+) for a strong quake to occur nearby capable of damaging equipment and players alike.

3. As outcome #2 with the following exceptions: The Badger has shifted from its original crash site as the support under the plateau has been eroded. The ship’s remaining forward section rests at a 30-degree tilt, and rock slides striking the ship are common. Footing will be treacherous and the risk of a greater rock slide under the remaining section are high.

4. As outcome #1 with the following exception. On the second day of salvage, an unknown vessel enters this small system. It is running without its transponders, a well-known tactic of corsairs. If the PC’s shut down operations for a few days and “go silent” they will avoid detection.

5. As outcome #4, except the incoming ships are a Zhodani scout squadron of three Ninz-class scouts. They will detect and hail the PC’s ship and if the PC’s are truthful and claim they are on a legal salvage, they will be left alone. If they are not truthful they will be boarded, searched and the Zhodani will claim salvage rights.

6. As outcome #4, but it will be no less than three 400-ton corsairs. The PC’s will need to be exceptionally quiet and lay low for the four days they refuel and orbit the nearby gas giant.

Adventures, Traveller

Hearts and Minds

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Location: any “A” or “B” Starport
Patron: Dr. Marion Skaarstaad, MD.
Required skills and equipment: The PC’s will either need to own a Jump-2 or better trader, or they will need to be able to crew a similar starship for this patron.

Players’ Information:

Dr. Marion Skaarstaad is a middle-aged physician (age: 38) who has experience in frontier medicine. He has been contacted by a middle agent from one of the Imperial Megacorporations who have interests in the Foreven Sector. He has been hired to form a team of medical personnel to bring higher tech medicine to lower tech areas. He is looking for a separate, non-medical team to help him with the transportation of his team and to provide personnel security. He is offering a six to nine month contract with the PC’s to help him with his task at double rates due to the difficulties expected.

When asked by the PC’s as to the purpose of this operation, he says that they are trying to win the hearts and minds of the inhabitants of the sector. Whether it is fixing an old prospector’s teeth to curing a mystery disease on an agricultural backwater, he genuinely wants to help these people – and if it is being funded by a Megacorporation, all the better.

His team consists of ten people including himself:
Dr. Marion Skaarstaad, age 38 – General Practice Physician (skill-4)
Dr. Georgi Platov, age 50 – Dentist (skill-3)
Dr. Francis Beaumont, age 44 – Surgeon (skill-3)
Dr. Charles Gordon, age 32, Pathologist (skill-3)
Dr. Chan Li Tong, age 40, Triage /Emergency Medicine (skill-3)
Dr. Juniper Harlech, age 32, OBGYN/Pediatrics (skill-3/2)
Kelvin Grey, age 28, EMT (Emergency Medical Tech, skill-2)
Joyce McLauren, age 32, patient care specialist (skill-2)
Hakim Rahmadi, age 31, patient care/therapist (skill 3/2)
Karen Tonaka, age 44, surgical assistant (skill-2)

Operating Room
Operating Room – Image from wikimedia – Public Domain

Referee’s Information:

Dr. Skaarstad has deep pockets. He will bring aboard all the supplies he needs to accomplish his task. He is impatient to get to the patients he expects to see and will take only what he thinks is necessary to maximize cargo space for his essential medical supplies. He admits he knows nothing about security, weapons or anything military in nature. He is exceptional with his care for these patients when he finally arrives on station.

One of his team members, Kelvin Grey, is not just an EMT technician, he is also the media specialist for this journey. He has a wide assortment of cameras and holo-recorders to document all the good work this team is doing. Dr. Skaarstad is irritated that this team member waste their time recording the work they do, but he knows this is a necessary evil to obtain needed corporate backing.

When the starship is loaded and ready to go, Dr. Skaarstad will sit down with the PC’s and plan a logical roster of planets to visit. He will lean towards those planets with lower-tech, higher population areas. Each planet they target for help will have them stay about two weeks overall. He will plan a six month loop and a nine month loop, depending upon their success. Once this plan is set, he will broadcast this itinerary to his middle-man agent so that supplies can be brought out to the ship has it accomplishes it’s mission.

Outcomes:

1. The team is well received at nearly every location they visit. Word arrives ahead of the team and people are waiting in line for them to begin their work. Because of their initial success, the additional three month loop is utilized. The supply ships with fresh medicine arrive as scheduled and the mission is a resounding success. The PC’s receive a Cr. 10,000 bonus apiece for their work. After a three-month hiatus, Dr. Skaarstad may be willing to try again with the same team and same PC contract.

2. Somehow, word was not sent ahead at half of the locations chosen by the team. It will take several days for a host of patients to finally arrive. Supply ships are on time on a roll of (2d6: 8+), but they do eventually arrive, even if late. Because of these difficulties, the six month tour is the course chosen and the PC’s are paid according to the contract.

3. Word was not sent ahead to the ports of call and the supply ships do not materialize. The good doctor still follows through with the mission and stretches his supplies nearly to the breaking point. Because of these shortfalls, the six month loop is the route chosen. When the six months are up, the good doctor makes sure all the PC’s are personally thanked and all of them are given Cr. 5,000 as a bonus direct out of his own pocket.

4. As Outcome #2, with these exceptions. At one location, not long after their arrival, a major natural disaster strikes with numerous casualties. The ten-man team kicks into overdrive, helping out the minimal infrastructure available to handle this event on the planet. Dr. Skaarstad decides to stay two weeks longer than planned as his skills are needed at this place at this time.

5. As outcome #3, except that there is a significant problem at one pf the landing sites. Initially the natives are appreciative and supporting, but a local crime lord has set his sights on the cargo of medical supplies on the ship. One of the team is captured and the ransom is an exchange for the life of the team member for the medical supplies that are left on board.

6. As outcome #2, but the reason why the supply ships are not arriving is due to pirate activity in the subsector. Towards the end of the six month loop, the team is intercepted by a corsair as it is burning away from the planet they just visited. If the PC’s resist, the corsair will disable the ship and capture the doctors. If the PC’s listen to Dr. Skaarstad and allow themselves to be boarded, the pirates will settle with the medical cargo and they will leave. Why would they capture the team or the ship if they know more medical supplies are en route?

Adventures, Traveller

Affluenza

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Location: any “A” or “B” Starport
Patron: Wealthy young adult,
Torbin Pennington (human male, age: 20)
(stats: 877899. Driver (grav) – 2, Streetwise – 0, Gambling – 1)
Required skills and equipment: Characters with engineering, electronics and mechanical skills will be very useful. The PC’s total skills must allow them to operate a starship without any help.

Players’ Information:

Down on their luck and looking for work, the PC’s encounter a young man who calls himself Torbin “the Turtle.” He says he is the new owner of a used yacht renamed, the Terrible Terrapin. It is a Prince G’Vare class yacht that has been sitting idle adjacent to the starport for a handful of years. He says he bought it outright and he needs a crew to bring it back to life.

He says he is the son of a wealthy megacorporate big-wig who considers him an embarrassment. He cashed in his inheritance and he wants away from the family’s underhanded mind games. All he wants is the freedom to find some secluded garden spot in the universe, where a person of his worth is appreciated and welcomed. His interests are his grav bike, good food and whatever farmer’s daughter he can spend money on at the local watering hole.

He will hire the PC’s to repair his ship, to fly him off the rock they are on now and to get him out of any trouble he may get into. He will bankroll all of the ship’s repairs and any gear that is needed to outfit the yacht for space travel. The rates he offers are double the normal amount offered for their skills. In short, he wants people he can rely on.

The Bar
A place where you may find Torbin – image from wikimedia – public domain

Referee’s Information:

Torbin may not be nobility, but he is spoiled rotten. Self-centered, somewhat naïve and ego-centric, most people want to pound him into the dirt after spending more than an hour with him. He does have a substantial amount of money (all of it in hard currency) and it is kept in several locked cases in his quarters on board. His true focus is running his grav bike at insane speeds, gambling with the locals and chasing skirts – no matter the consequences.

The ship, however is a much bigger mess. In its current state it is not flight-capable. The following systems need to be repaired and/or replaced:

Jump Drive – the energy feed from the jump bubble projector to the engines has been broken in several places. This wiring needs to be replaced.

Maneuvering Drive – the pump that feeds fuel to the engine’s reaction chamber needs to be replaced.

Power Plant – the very first thing that needs to be brought on line is the ship’s internal power. The fusion core is intact, but it needs to be cleaned completely. This means every part needs to be disassembled, cleaned out and reassembled.

Life Support – the ship’s CO2 scrubbers and heating coils are broken and need to be replaced.

Ship’s Thrusters – the small maneuvering jets on the starboard side are clogged and need to be broken down, cleaned and reassembled.

Ship’s Computer – the computer is totally incapable of holding power for more than ten minutes. An entirely new computer is necessary, as well as the software to run the ship.

Bridge controls (helm) – most of the power cables to the controller systems for the helm are not usable.

Bridge controls (navigation) – the controls are completely useless. A new console is needed.

You get the picture…
(Other system needing work include the power transfer conduits, the ship needs new sensors, the galley needs to be cleaned and new equipment installed, the ship’s internal gravity needs calibration and there is a persistent smell that remains elusive). But the airlocks operate perfectly!

Outcomes:

1. Torbin is in no hurry to get his ship off the ground. The PC’s will need about two to three months of solid work to at least get the ship space-capable. Torbin sleeps most of the morning in his cabin and not long after he wakes up he leaves on his grav bike for the day. He will be impossible to find until he returns from his forays into town. After the ship jumps a couple of times he will seek to sign the crew to longer term contracts.

2. Torbin is impatient to get off the ground. The ship will need plenty of time to find and fix everything and Torbin is useless when it comes to repairs. He will get underfoot in the early afternoons after he sleeps off his nightly activities and then disappear until the next morning. After the ship jumps a couple of times he will seek to sign the crew to longer term contracts.

3. After a month of repairs, an agent of Torbin’s rich father shows up looking for him. The agent delivers the message that Torbin needs to return to the Imperium to become a part of the family’s dynasty. After much arguing, Torbin agrees to return, but only after the crew fixes his ship and he returns in his ship. The PC’s are released after his return to the Imperium.

4. After a month of repairs, a group of locals appear at the ship one morning, looking for Torbin. Apparently one of his encounters with a farmer’s daughter has resulted in a pregnancy. He is forced at shotgun to marry his new bride and he is expected to settle down and make a life on this planet. He gives instructions to the crew to finish repairs and to come get him (he uses the word “rescue”) off this rock. After jumping to another subsector, he will see if the PC’s want to sign on for longer contracts. He will be grateful and accommodating in his offers.

5. After a month of working on the ship, the PC’s discover that the elusive smell is actually a nest of rat-like reducers that like chewing on the ship’s interior cables. This will delay the repair time by at least a month.

6. After a month of repairs, Torbin is killed in a tavern brawl. In his quarters there is a holovid cube projector that contains his last will and testament. His wish is to have his body returned to his family back in the Imperium. He awards the ship to the PC’s for their faithful service to him.

Adventures, Traveller

Boxing Day

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Patron: Robot Designer and support team
Required Skills: nothing special
Required Equipment: starship with four middle passage slots and 10 tons of cargo
Location: Industrial world

Players’ Information:
The PC’s are contacted by Jasin Fairchild, a robot engineer for a local company. He is seeking to charter a starship to travel to a robot competition at the nearest rich world or industrial world. He and his team of four technicians are registered to participate in the Industrial Games Olympiad, a competition where different companies display their technical savvy, usually in front of rich patrons with a lot of disposable income. Jasin works for Cyberrogues Ltd., a small company trying to break into the big leagues. Jasin needs to bring aboard his fighterbot, a five-ton bipedal automaton that honestly looks like a piece of junk with an oversized maul that is painted a gaudy shade of reddish-orange from head to toe. Jasin will pay for the trip for his team of four and their cargo space up front half now and half when they return. Jasin will also pay the starport fees for their ship while they wait on them to finish.

If the PC’s are so inclined, they can find out a lot of information on these games. In the league Jasin is competing, they have a strict set of guidelines for their entries. Each fighterbot must be bipedal, they must weigh no more than five tons, they cannot have projectile weapons and they must be controlled through a VRI (Virtual Reality Interface) connection through a regulated network. The “pilot” of the robot stands on a platform overlooking the arena, surrounded by a small VRI cage that has the robot mirror the pilot’s movements. Many of the robots wield an axe, spiked club, mace, flail, battlehammer or saw. Needless to say, sparks fly and as the robot gladiators beat each other into scrap serious wagering is taking place on the sidelines.

Jasin and his three assistants show up a day later is a deal is struck. The robot is hard-wired into a controller box that is allowing the robot to walk aboard the ship. Jasin will introduce his team as they all scramble to get their tools aboard (about five tons worth of gear) and the initial payment is made.

Junkbot - image from wikimedia Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license
Junkbot – image from wikimedia
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

Referee’s Information:
Jasin is a competent engineer and he has a good team. His robot pilot is Shawna Johanssen, a very pretty young lady with excellent reflexes and a knack for showmanship. He has a stoic mechanic named “Rube” and an assistant by the name of Gilman Blunt. Gilman navigates the massive paper bureaucracy usually encountered with these games. He also has the ability to negotiate with any patron if they are successful. Gilman also has a lot of skill in gambling so he works the sidelines during the matches trying to milk the crowd of their money. Gilman handles all the money transactions.

Outcomes:
1. The team arrives a week ahead of time and they are able to get their robot up and running well. The robot may look like junk, but it is apparent that it is an excellent design. They will fight six fights and make it to the semi-finals. (roll 2d6: 2-5 they place fourth, 6-8 they place third, 9-10 they place second and 11-12 they win the championship). Gilman racks up a bundle of cash through his gambling. No matter how they place they do attract the attention of the patrons there and they land a nice contract for a new line of robots to be produced.

2. The team arrives a week ahead of time and they are able to get their robot up and running well. The robot may look like junk, but it is apparent that it is an excellent design. After their fifth fight the team returns early for their sixth fight only to find that their robot has been sabotaged. Despite all their best efforts, they are unable to answer the fighter’s bell and they are forced to forfeit. Gilman does manage to turn a tidy profit and Jasin vows to return in four years.

3. The team arrives a month ahead of time and they are able to test their robot from one end to the other. The robot looks like junk, but it is apparent that it is an excellent design. Before the first fight, a potential patron likes what he sees with this design. He actively supports the team through their fights all the way to the semi-finals. (Final outcome is the same as #1). At the end of their final match, the patron hires that team to return to his estate and the PC’s are released after being paid the money they were promised by Jasin.

4. The team arrives a week ahead of time and it is apparent that this robot is held together by duct tape and super glue. The robot manages to struggle through two matches but is so damaged that it cannot make the final call for the third match. The engineering team tucks their tail between their legs and they return to their homes a little wiser and a lot poorer. They do manage to pay the PC’s the money as promised.

5. The team arrives a week ahead of time and it is apparent the robot really is a piece of junk. The engineering crew loses the first match horribly. When it comes time to return the remains of the robot to the ship, the crew is nowhere to be found. Therefore the PC’s are stuck with some used tools (5 tons worth) and a 5 ton formerly walking robot. Needless to say there will be no return trip.

6. The team arrives a week ahead of time and it seems they have a good design. After the first fight the judges rule that the robot has illegal hardware and software. Therefore they will forfeit their win as well as their robot. Jasin completely loses his temper and he ends up in jail for the night. The next day Jasin and his team return to the ship to fly home in disgrace.

Adventures, Traveller

A Mighty Fortress

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Patron: Religious Pilgrims
Required Skills: nothing special
Required Equipment: starship with some middle passage space

Players’ Information:
The PC’s are contacted by Friar Grissom, the leader of a band of missionary monks who spread their version of “the Word” to offworld planets. They seek passage on the PC’s ship equal to the amount of staterooms available times two. Their destination is a monastery some six parsecs away. They say they all have taken a vow of poverty and only Friar Grissom handles the finances. Each of the brothers following Friar Grissom wears the same simple brown cassock robe with hood that he does and their only possessions fit in a small-sized sack. It is only on a rare occasion that the brothers show their faces or anything more than their hands.

If the PC’s accept the deal Friar Grissom will pay 50% down and 50% at their destination (he honestly does not have enough money for the entire transaction). During the trip the brothers stay in their quarters in prayerful meditation, only to come out during meals in which half of the meal is spent either in respectful silence or in prayer. Once a week, all the brothers will ask that they be allowed to conduct a service in the passenger’s galley/lounge where they will chant and pray for hours.

The Monks
The Monks – image from wikimedia – Public Domain

Referee’s Information:
If the players look up information on Friar Grissom they will uncover that he did register with the local and subsector government to perform missionary work on this system. He has been on the planet for three months and his funds require that he return home. If psionically scanned Friar Grissom appears to be who and what he is.

Outcomes:
1. Their offer is legitimate and there are few complications. When the monks arrive back at their monastery they will be paid immediately with the agreed upon amount. This does not mean that the crew – brother interaction is at least moderately annoying for the crew. The constant praying and meditating should be played up. (For example, Brother Jakob decides to go to the engine room to meditate because his roommate Brother Marius smells bad).

2. Their offer is legitimate and there are some complications. The brothers will be more than annoying with the constant prayers and meditations. During the meals the brothers will ask the crew about their religious beliefs in the hopes of engaging them into a religious discussion/debate. The crew will be exceptionally happy when the brothers depart, who do pay at their destination as promised.

3. Their offer is legitimate and there are few complications. The brothers are not as they seem, however. They are, in fact, a group of new psionic talents on their way to a clandestine training facility. Friar Grissom is a talented psionic instructor who can shield himself some most psi probes and avoid any kind of attention. The crew may suspect something is amiss when a fork at the dinner table suddenly elevates or one of the crew gets a headache for absolutely no reason. After all, these brother-adepts are completely untrained and have little control over their natural abilities. At their destination Friar Grissom will escort these brothers to another instructor and the PC’s will be paid double what they are expecting if they continue to remain discreet about what they have learned.

4. Their offer is legitimate and there are few complications. The brothers are not as they seem, however. Friar Grissom has a cybernetic brain implant that makes him immune to almost any psionic scan. The brothers he is escorting are actually clones of a very important nobleman who is having them moved away to another world for training as a body double. If the crew looks at the faces of the brothers they may notice they look like brothers from the same mother so to speak. At their destination Friar Grissom will escort these brothers to another instructor and the PC’s will be paid double what they are expecting if they continue to remain discreet about this secret if they had discovered who or what they were transporting.

5. The same as condition #3, with one big exception. One of the “adepts” (goes by the name of Brother Arias) is a “Psi cop” who is undercover. Brother Arias is trying to ferret out a group of rouge psionics who have been causing trouble throughout the sector. He will witness the PC’s being paid extra for their silence. Within a month or two, the PC’s will be hauled into a police interrogation and arrested for aiding and abetting fugitives. They will be fined 2d6 x 1000 credits or face six months in prison.

6. The offer is legitimate but there is a big problem. Apparently, due to the bad diet and the cramped conditions, three of the monks are suffering from a debilitating respiratory disease. This illness was not detected by any of the starport sensors nor will a medical scan see the problem until they have been aboard at least two days. Three days into hyperspace one of the brothers will start to cough up blood and he will; need immediate medical attention. The other two monks will fall sick the next day. Half of the rest of the monks will fall sick within the next 7-10 days and the crew has two weeks before they will need to roll versus C3 to risk being infected themselves. The disease is a type of virulent airborne tuberculosis and once it is detected a recovery time of two weeks is necessary. I hope the PC’s have a good ship’s doctor. When the PC’s deliver their human cargo to their destination they will be paid the amount of money as promised.

Adventures, Traveller

The Bank Job

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Patron: Megacorporation
Required Skills: nothing special
Required Equipment: starship with some cargo and middle passage space
Location: system with asteroid belt

Players’ Information:
The PC’s are contacted by an agent of a known major megacorporation. The agent, named Dimitri Kumikov, wishes to charter the PC’s cargo space and buy the available middle passenger space (up to twelve cabins if available) for a trip to that system’s asteroid belt within the next 48 hours. He will offer the normal rate to charter cargo and buy passage. The megacorporation has a newly built ore processing center for mining a new vein of precious metals discovered by private prospectors. The megacorporation is keeping this discovery quiet as long as it can so it has made an agreement with these private miners to supply goods and supplies in exchange for these raw materials. Dimitri will also assist the PC’s with any cargo they may wish to carry back. (-1 DM on cost on raw materials one would find in an asteroid belt).

Dimitri’s cargo is all contained in cargo containers that can be lifted and handed through airlocks. 20% of the cargo is labeled vacc suits. 20% of the cargo is listed as “PLSS” (Portable Life Support System) packs. 20% of the cargo is listed as foodstuffs. 20% of the cargo is listed as medical supplies and the last 20% is listed as “spare parts.” Dimitri’s fellow passengers are all obviously longshoreman-sized brutes who quickly and efficiently load the cargo. Each of these “hands” is sporting a sidearm openly strapped to a holster on their hip and if asked Dimitri tells them they all have system weapons permits that supersedes any system law level.

Asteroids
Asteroids – NASA – Public Domain

Referee’s Information:
This new mining strike is a relatively new area of precious metals and raw crystals. This megacorporation stands to make a heavy profit if the news is suppressed long enough for the market to stay strong. The story is true in that a private band of rogue prospectors found this area and they have been working in conjunction with this megacorporation to sell their findings on the spot. The catch in this plan? They want cash on the barrel for the work and they have established exclusive rights to their claim.

All the cargo the PC’s are bringing are indeed needed supplies that will be used in exchange for the newly mined ore. Dimitri will haggle a little over their contract, but nothing above 20% above the normal rate. The cargo labeled “spare parts” has one crate that is deliberately mislabeled. This crate contains cold hard cash worth no less than 50 million credits in currency no higher than 10,000 credit bills. There will be nothing special to call attention to this crate.

Outcomes:
1. Everything is as presented. These goods are delivered to the miners and when the last crate goes off the ship, so does Dimitri. There is plenty of unprocessed ores, raw precious metals and raw crystals available for purchase or charter. If they try to sell it in the same system they will incur a -1 DM to resale (so it is better if they jump to another location). As the cargo is being loaded on the ship a private prospector will suggest this to the PC’s.

2. Everything is as presented. The ship will be shadowed by another ship (it should be difficult to detect) all the way to their destination. As expected these goods are delivered to the miners and when the last crate goes off the ship, so does Dimitri. The same conditions in result #1 for resale apply here. The problem? A day or two after the delivery it is discovered that the cash crate and Dimitri are missing. They were picked up by the shadowing ship and they are on the run. The megacorporation will swear out a warrant for the PC’s to be brought in for questioning.

3. Everything is as presented. The ship will be shadowed by another ship (it should be difficult to detect) halfway to their way to their destination. The security team that has been helping Dimitri decides to mutiny and take over the ship. Meanwhile the shadowing ship is a privateer or corsair that decides to engage the ship. If the PC’s do not heave to and allow to be boarded they will be fired upon. When the PC’s are under control by the intruders they will be “relieved” of their cargo, personal effects and whatever can be carried through an airlock. Dimitri will be exceptionally upset and ask the PC’s to return to the starport so he can report this to the megacorporation immediately. The PC’s are asked to put in a claim with the corporation where they will be paid (d6x10% +40%) worth the original value of their personal effects after 72 hours.

4. The same as #3 with some notable exceptions. After the crew is robbed Dimitri will go into his quarters and commit suicide rather than face the wrath of his bosses. The PC’s will be detained by the system authorities for about a week until it is found they are not at fault. Compensation for their lost goods will be (d6x10%) of the original value.

5. Same as outcome #1 with a few exceptions. The hands are actually uniformed security guards. The ship is shadowed by a patrol cruiser from origin to destination. The rest is exactly as stated in outcome #1.

6. Halfway to the asteroid belt Dimitri will find his way to the cargo deck. He will try to find a way to secure the money crate and ensure he has a vacc suit on hand. He sets a timer on another piece of cargo and heads to his quarters. The crate in the cargo bay explodes enough to cause a breach in the hold where the cargo is expelled into space. The ship’s distress call is answered by another trader (who happened to be in the area thanks to Dimitri) who renders assistance to patch up the hull long enough for the PC’s to return to port. During the confusion, Dimitri and the cash crate will find their way to the “rescue ship.” The PC’s will return to port with the megacorporation asking questions about the whereabouts of the goods and Dimitri. There is a 50% chance they will pay to repair the PC’s ship.