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Adventures, The Base, Traveller

Star Whispers

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Patron: A mysterious private communications network
Required Skills: Computer, if any
Required Equipment: Access to a public network computer

Players’ Information:
StarWhispers, a club of computers and communications enthusiasts has spread a network of influence from the Spinward Marches, along a swath of the Imperium, all the way to Terra. Approximately 100 star systems (and growing) have a mall communications relay within hailing distance of the StarPort. Consisting of a Model 1-bis computer, a powerful planetary range communicator, a solar cell and battery storage, and a microthruster. StarWhisperers leave messages, proposed library program additions, map chip data, old scanner logs, resumes, want ads, business proposals, correspondence courses, etc, in the computer’s memory for other members to find. Membership can be applied for at any Type A or B StarPort on the Imperium’s Spinward edge. The cost is kCr 2.5, takes a month, and membership is for life. After an application is processed, a package will arrive from the nearest world with a tech level E+. If the application included an itinerary, it will catch up to him after 1D months. It contains a Hand Computer, Model 2bis, program capacity of 6, tech level E or F. It contains a club version of Anti-Hijack (allowing unauthorized entry to the computer only on a 4 or less), a version of ECM, and an empty private Library, with a full suite of software tools to produce, create, and edit any work of art except holography. It can take still pictures, video, or record sound, and radio communicate 100 km.

A communications relay
A communications relay : Image from wikimedia. Public domain. Created by NASA.

Referee’s Information:
After gaining membership in the club, and establishing an online presence across a few dozen systems, players start to meet online actors again, and think of ways to use the club.

1. A SW relay at a Type C system contains some detailed map chip data of 1D-2 planets in the subsector that are of particular interest to the players. These data include CommCode (phone) directory information, and extensive library data about residents and business, and government, religious, and non-profit groups on all of them.

2. A Merchant character gets an idea from examining message traffic collected while cruising past a SW relay in a Type E semi-frontier starport system, and is able to generate four cargoes leads in the trading week at his next two ports of call, instead of the usual three. Trade Burst.

3. There is a puzzle on a SW message board relay in a Type A StarPort city. Throw 10+ to solve, +Computer, +1 Int C+. It reveals a notice of a standing offer to purchase certain kinds of machine tools on a Vacc world or in an Asteroid belt system in the sector, for the next year. Any Book 2 sized cargoes of that will sell out at +2 due to demand, but no Broker will be necessary, available, or even possible for these private deals.

4. Libertarian cultists STORM are recruiting for personnel to staff a budding asteroid industrial base. There are positions available from prospecting, mining, 0-G Construction, and hydroponics specialists, to metallurgists, mercenary teams, teachers, scientists, and engineers. Their cult revolves around the Golden Rule, a square deal, and forthright, even provocative speech. They have a sober, “squeaky clean” reputation, and in truth carouse very little if at all, but are intent on building a society according to their vision, involving hard work, thrifty living, clever investment, advanced education, universal military service, universal access to universal surveillance, and the highest standard of living for all citizens.

5. A musician leaves some dreamy, celestial music videos and artistic writings on a SW relay in the middle of nowhere. The writings contain a coded section (roll 10+ to decode, +Computer) which describes a ritual that can be done with five simultaneous viewings of some of his works under a precisely calculated dosage of Fast drug. Roll 11+ to perform the ritual correctly, +1 if Commo or Computer skill, +Medical. Upon success the ritualist will perceive a secret message in the music. The composer wants to collaborate with a Computer Programmer (he has no skill) on a project based on an artistic symbol language of his own invention. The Referee should determine the degree of usefulness/credibility of this mental construct. Roll Again: On 1-2 the artist has reconstructed a logical pattern in computer science that is technologically trivial and of no commercial value, whatever the experience of someone studying it from the artist’s metaphysical perspective might be, On a 4 it is the pattern of an expert system, a crude artificial intelligence shell and worth some money with a week of finishing work from someone of Computer-2 or higher, on 8+. On a 5 it forms an unknown pattern, throw 10+, +Computer to recognize it as a virus before executing it, to the great detriment of the hardware it is run on! -1D to Computer Level. It will require a successful attack against an anti-hijack program at level-0. On a 6 it forms a pattern generator that, after a week of Computer work, will make structured sound patterns that some people will think is music and enjoy greatly, but many people will hate. In particular, extreme extroverts and anyone with Carousing-3+ will find this music baffling and eventually irritating. The patterns are complex, and slightly more attractive (+1 on Reaction) to intelligent people (Int C+). Not very danceable.

6. While inspecting the contents of a SW relay at a Type D or E starport, the relay computer automatically triggers an ECM package as another starship approaches. The relay has received some ship traffic news from passing vessels and the profile of this ships travels stands out as fake. The ECM area gives the players a chance to evade the pirate ship’s notice, or detonate their missiles prematurely if combat begins. This relay has a well maintained expert system of commercial grade, and is declared freely copyable and distributable by the creator, provided his name and a contribution address to StarWhispers Foundation are not deleted.

Adventures, The Base, Traveller

Lost Lamb

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Patron: Minor Noble
Required Skills: None
Required Equipment: None
Number of Players: 1-3

A minor noble who is a friend of a friend approaches the characters for aid. As per family tradition, her youngest daughter was travelling for a year before beginning her university studies. Her last message home was sent from Urnian (Foreven 2833) and said she was going to Pylkah (Foreven 2834). No message has arrived for nearly a year. Imperial authorities claim it is a local matter. Local authorities reported that a search of incident records turned up nothing related to the missing girl. The noble lacks influence to get either the local or Imperial authorities to pursue the matter further. Bank statements show someone has accessed the family accounts at intervals in Pyllos. The amounts withdrawn are reasonable for one person taking out cash for living expenses. The noble has not shut down her daughter’s account access as it is the only lead.

The noble will pay all expenses for the characters to travel to Pylkah, find her daughter, and return with her. This includes a reasonable allowance for bribes and will be provided by access to the family credit accounts and a supply of Imperial currency. The noble will also provide a letter of introduction that identifies the party as her agents and may ease their attempts to question bank managers and the like. Upon the safe return of her daughter, the noble will pay each member of the party 20,000 Imperial credits.

The wayward child
The wayward child : Copyright Gordon Horne

Referee’s Information:
1. The wayward child has had her identification, credit access, and travel papers stolen. Unable to convince the first local authority she approached as to her predicament, she gave up quickly and is living in a flop house trying to earn enough money to send a message to her mother. She is eager to be rescued, but the characters will need to acquire replacement identification and travel papers before taking her off world.

2. Sampling illicit pleasures, the wayward child has gotten herself in debt to a local gangster. Her ID, credit access, and travel papers are being held by him as she works off her debt. She has been too embarrassed to call her mother for help, but she is eager to be rescued. The characters need to get her away from the gangster and either recover her original ID and papers or acquire replacements.

3. As (2) but in an arrangement outside the characters hearing the gangster offers to let her be rescued if she will carry a package with her. She believes his boasts that he can reach her anywhere and agrees. The contents of the package are very illegal.

4. The wayward child has fallen in love with a destitute local. She has found meaning in life by his side and refuses to return to the life of empty privilege she knew before.

5. As (4) except she agrees to return home if her love comes too. He is a street rat with no education, no skills, and no travel papers.

6. As (5) except she will only return home if her love, his mother, his mother’s aged parents, and his two younger siblings all come along. None of them have travel papers.

Variation:
The characters are hired to escort the wayward child’s older sister who has been tasked by their mother to find her and bring her home. Everything is otherwise as in the main writeup except the elder daughter controls the money supply. In addition to rolling for the younger sister’s situation above, roll below for the older sister’s attitude.

1. The elder sister insists on being in charge and micromanaging everything. Her first and only concern is the safe return of her little sister.

2. As (1) except her first concern is family honour.

3. The elder sister is in charge but she delegates well. She loves her sister even if she is a bother at times. Her first concern is the safe return of her little sister.

4. As (2) except she is very concerned about family honour. She would rather see her little sister suffer the consequences of her actions than the family name become a subject of malicious gossip. She recognizes that her little sister sometimes has to be spared the consequences of her actions to preserve family honour.

5.  The elder sister is overwhelmed by the charge given her by her mother. She loves her little sister but has no idea how to proceed.

6. As (5) but she finds her little sister bothersome and would be just as happy if she weren’t found.

Adventures, The Base, Traveller

Tourist Trap

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Patron: Bureaucrat, Spy
Required Skills: social skills, combat(?)
Required Equipment: None

Players’ Information:
The team is contacted by Jakomo Sato, Assistant to the Second Foreign Minister for Trade on Fessor (2814 Foreven). He is seeking to hire experienced trouble-shooters to travel to Roopolaty (2712 Foreven) and determine the status of Deputy Third Foreign Minister for Trade, Stefana Kazlauskas. Kazlauskas has gone on holiday to Roopolaty, a balkanized world designated as an Amber Zone by the Travellers’ Aid Society due to internal political strife. Sato hastily explains that Kazlauskas had long been intent on touring the ruins of a long departed alien race in the Northern Uplands. He tried to convince her not to go but to no avail. In hushed tones Sato reveals that information obtained through diplomatic back channels suggests that an off world tourist or tourists are being held by militants in the vicinity of the ruins. Unable to prod the government of Fessor into formal action in a timely manner, he is turning to the characters for assistance. (If pressed he will reveal he has the covert backing of the Second Foreign Minister and his contingency accounts).

Sato will provide roundtrip middle passage to and from Roopolaty, cover all reasonable expenses and pay Cr 10,000 per person to find Kazlauskas and return her safely home. He can’t promise more than that up front but thinks he can secure bonuses based on how successful the mission is. If Kazlauskas, or other Fessori, are being held for ransom, the team is authorized to negotiate for their release and is advised to coordinate with the local consulate.

Roopolaty Ruins
Roopolaty Ruins : Image from wikimedia. Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Referee’s Information:
UPP data: Roopolaty         2712 Foreven    C65667A-9 Ag Ni           A 303 Na

1. While travel to Roopolaty itself is relatively straightforward, it takes a fair amount of negotiation/haggling to obtain the services of a local guide and secure the use of a surface vehicle to travel to the Northern Uplands. The trip takes three days, the last half of which is via unpaved roads. Sato’s information turns out to be flat wrong; Kazlauskas is in no danger and will in fact be quite put out that the characters have been sent to bring her home.

2. As in option number 1 except that the characters’ vehicle will come under attack by brigands two days out from the capital city. They are mainly intent on exacting a “toll” from the party and offer token violence at best unless one or more of their band is injured or killed, at which point the gloves come off. There are 1d6+2 brigands armed with auto rifles and possessing stats consisting of all 7’s.

3. Sato’s information was correct and Kazlauskas is being held for ransom by anti-government militants intent on embarrassing the local regime. The militants’ base of operations is an outpost about 5 km from the ruins that supports approximately 30 persons, most variously armed with assault weapons. They seek kCr 100 in ransom and want the incident publicized as widely as possible, all the better if the off world news services pick up the story. The militants are not die-hard fanatics but they will put up a strong fight if challenged.

4. As in option number 3 but the militants have vowed to overthrow the government by any means possible. They have taken Kazlauskas, as well as a handful of other tourists, hoping to exchange them for political prisoners being held in the capital. It’s possible that a sufficiently skilled negotiator could secure their release in exchange for a cash ransom but it will take some effort. A military style raid might also work but the hostages will clearly be at risk.

5. In reality Kazlauskas works for Fessor’s intelligence service and was sent to Roopolaty in the guise of a tourist for the express purpose of meeting with the anti-government militants to arrange support for them. Sato, who is Kazlauskas’ handler, obtained information that the Zhodani were aware of her mission and hired the player characters to extract her before she could be compromised. (Sato gives the team an innocuous sounding message to pass to Kazlauskas informing her that her cover has been blown). Whether or not there are actually any Zhodani agents in the area and what their skills/talents are is left to the referee to decide.

6. As in option number 5 except that Kazlauskas was unwittingly sent to Roopolaty by Sato in hopes of triggering an interstellar incident as a pretext for intervention by Fessor. Word of her mission was leaked to the Zhodani though obscure channels, in theory insuring that she would be discovered. Things have not gone as planned as Kazlauskas has apparently been very successful in her mission to contact the militants. Sato, much dismayed at the situation, hired the team in hopes that the plan will work on the second pass. In the interest of plausible deniability, the Zhodani have dispatched their own group of hired travelers to investigate the situation with orders to secure any off-worlders found for questioning (and likely later disposal).

Adventures, The Base, Traveller

The Musician

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Patron: Artist
Required Skills: None
Required Equipment: Starship
Locations: Urnian, Gotylu

Players’ Information:
The characters are enjoying some downtime at a starport establishment on Urnian, which includes a live performance of Gotylu folk music by Voh Rahl Shu. After the performance, one of the characters is delivered a hand-written note, asking him or her to meet with the musician backstage.

When the character arrives at Shu dressing room, the musician is sporting the beginnings of shiner around one eye and is dabbing at a bloody nose with a handkerchief. Shu explains that he is ending a highly unfavorable performance contract with his manager – one where she and her cronies kept most of the money he earned. His injuries are a result of him refusing to sign an extension. Shu says he cannot go to the local authorities because his manager, Eboni Blayz, has connections with the local and planetary government.

Shu says he has one more performance tomorrow evening to fulfill his current contract and then wishes to return to his home on Gotylu (3 parsecs away). For payment, he offers up his toku’omo, the Gotylu instrument he has played on the tour, easily worth four times the cost of his passage to a collector. Shu wants to depart Urnian as soon as possible after his last performance.

The Musician
The Musician : Picture from wikimedia. Public domain, copyright has expired.

Referee’s Information:
Due to the laws on Urnian, breaking even the smallest terms of a contract entails severe financial penalties, including a period of indentured servitude to the injured party or organization. Trying any legitimate means of getting Shu off-world before he completes his contract will bring the full force of Urnian law enforcement down upon the characters and Shu.

The toku’omo is a fairly bulky and fragile instrument which could very easily be damaged or even destroyed with rough handling, thereby reducing its value (possibly to the point of worthlessness), even if is the signature instrument of a noteworthy performer. If any profit is to be had in the enterprise, considerations will have to be made for the transportation and storage of this item.

Eboni Blayz and her company, Blayz Entertainment, represent over a dozen off-world performers on Urnian, though Shu is by far the most noteworthy (and profitable) to date. His departure will be a serious blow to her operation’s bottom line. While there have been allegations of contract improprieties with past performers, no charges have ever brought against Eboni or Blayz Entertainment.

Outcomes:
1. All is as presented. Immediately after Shu’s final performance the next night, Eboni and three of her cronies (all armed with body pistols and cudgels) will attempt to forcibly “escort” Shu away from the venue.

2. Shu is fibbing a bit. He actually has been romantically involved with Eboni for the past year and has only recently discovered that she is pregnant. He doesn’t want to live up to his parental responsibilities and using the “contract difficulties” as a ruse to elicit sympathy from the characters. Eboni’s “cronies” are actually disgruntled family members who are upset that Shu isn’t going to marry Eboni.

3. Shu is an out-and-out liar. Shu is attempting to smuggle a small stash of anagathic drugs off-world in special space inside of his toku’omo. He gave a private performance at a wealthy noble’s home a few nights before meeting the characters and stole the drugs. He was visited by the noble’s personal guard who gave Shu his injuries. To buy time, Shu said he would have the drugs at his next performance. The guard will be there with three reinforcements (armed as the combatants in Outcome #1).

4. Eboni is working an angle. Eboni has taken out a standard life insurance policy on Shu. Since he is reluctant to sign a contract extension under her “generous” terms, she intends to collect by killing the performer and framing the characters for it. She will be waiting with her cronies (see Outcome #1) for the characters to make their move after the show, moving in to create the incident and kill Shu in the process. The secret space in Shu’s instrument contains a stash of contraband hallucinogenic drugs to further sell the story.

5. Shu and Eboni are working an angle. This is similar to Outcome #2, except that both Shu and Eboni are working together to smuggle the anagathic drugs off-world before the noble discovers the stash is missing. Shu’s story about the abusive manager is a ruse, with the injuries inflicted by Eboni needed to sell the story. Both Eboni and Shu plan to meet up on Gotylu later to split the profits of the venture. However, the noble’s men will catch up to Eboni during the show and be waiting for Shu and the characters afterward to reclaim the stash. (These guys will be armed the same as Outcome #1, but will also be wearing Jack armor as well.)

6. Shu is working a double-cross. This is similar to Outcome #5, with the twist that Shu is intending to double-cross Eboni and keep the sizable profits from the sale of the anagathic drugs on the black market. During the planned distraction, he will shoot Eboni with a poison-tipped body pistol round to make sure she is out of the game.

Each of these outcomes may have further opportunities for resolution, depending on the level of morality in your game – such as the victimized noble hiring the characters to locate the stolen stash of anagathic drugs and the persons responsible…

Adventures, The Base, Traveller

Flight of Orphans

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Required Skills: None
Required Equipment: Starship
No. of Players: 2-6

Players’ Information:
While between jobs on a world still recovering from a devastating global conflict, the group is approached by a representative of Flight of Orphans, a charitable organization dedicated to placing some of the thousands of war orphans with loving foster families offworld. The association wants to charter the PCs’ ship to transport a group of orphaned babies one jump away to waiting families. There is little money involved (ship captains usually just accept the price of fuel and some life support reimbursement), but as the charity is highly respected, the PR rewards are great.

The cargo
The cargo : Picture from wikimedia. Bundesarchiv, Bild 102-12915. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Germany license.

Referee’s Information:
The passengers consist of 4D babies, their necessary provisions and supplies (taking up about a ton of cargo space), and one nurse for every four children. The PCs may partition off part of the cargo bay to act as a nursery at minimal cost and effort.

1. All is as represented. The nurses are good at their jobs, and the babies are mild-mannered for the most part. No help will be needed from the PCs.

2. Whether it’s some subtle discomfort upon the transition to jumpspace, something in the baby formula, or just plain unluckiness, the babies are especially fussy and colicky throughout most of the flight. The overburdened nurses ask the team to help care for the children. Sleep will be a luxury as the kids’ cries echo throughout the ship.

3. Unknown to the group, one of the nurses is in on a plot to get the young son of the world’s ruler offworld before his father’s enemies can make good on several threats to the child’s life. She is actually a trained bodyguard, and carries not only false identity papers for the lad (identifying him as an ordinary citizen he has been switched with) but also important state documents intended for remote government agents. She will let this fact slip or be recognized by someone who frequents the world on a throw of 9+, once a day.

4. As 3, but the nurse is joined by several representatives of the government who insist on “monitoring” the boy throughout the flight to preserve their own political interests. They will be a constant presence, watching closely as the boy is fed and clothed, insist on analyzing his milk before he drinks it, ask the PCs all kinds of intrusive and annoying questions, getting in the way of caring for the other children, and otherwise making a titanic nuisance of themselves. Any mistreatment of the representatives will reach the ears of the planetary ruler.

5. As 3, but the nurse is actually an agent of the father’s enemies, with orders to kidnap the boy as soon as soon as possible after landing and deliver him to enemy agents. If she is found out beforehand, she will first try to lie about her role, then resort to killing witnesses.

6. As 5, but the nurse will instead try to kill the child and make it look like an accident or a disease was responsible. She will try to kill the PCs if she is exposed beforehand or once she completes her evil mission.

The referee must determine the flow of subsequent events.

Adventures, The Base, Traveller

Custom Build

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Patron: Scout Pilot
Skills Required: Technical skills, Administration
Equipment Required: tools

Players’ Information:
The PC’s are contacted by a detached duty Scout, who is looking for help o a building project. He has acquired a starship hull, which is sound but lacking some key components. The Scout has borrowed against the selling price of the ship to purchase or build the required parts. He offers the party a share of the selling price, initially 30% to him and 70% split amongst the group. The Scout claims to have a buyer already lined up.

Custom Ship
Custom Ship : Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest, “LIBERTY SHIP, 1943. – A Liberty Ship Under Construction At The Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard In Baltimore, Maryland. Photograph, April 1943.”, accessed 23 Aug 2012 . (rights-cleared image)

Referee’s Information:
The situation is as the Scout has explained it, the hull is legally his, and he has secured funding. Referee can choose the size of the ship based upon the size of the PC group and their skills. Any starship, even a rebuild should be worth several MCr. The ship sits on a paved area that used to be a warehouse floor, outside of the local metropolis, and he has rented some heavy equipment necessary to lift large components. The referee must determine the number of parts still needed and their cost. It is suggested that the referee consult the Traveller Book, p. 78 ‘Repair parts’, the Starship Operator’s Manual page on Maintenance, under Other Tasks, the JTAS article Starship Malfunctions, (JTAS 15 p. 16), and ‘Refitting Ships’ and ‘Repairs’ in Adventure 5: Trillion Credit Squadron.

Complications:
1. The buyer has only a limited time in which he is able to purchase the ship. The players will have to work very fast to meet the deadline. After that date the PC’s will need to find a new buyer.

2. The buyer is a crook, and is planning to forge payment then skip the system with the ship.

3. There are some components which cannot be gotten locally. Someone will have to travel to another star system to find them, buy them and have them shipped back.

4. The hull has a secret compartment, containing a Macguffin. The referee must determine the nature of the Macguffin, and what parties may wish to buy or steal it.

5. The local shipyard manager objects to the competition and is using his connections to hold up the project by requiring permits, inspections and lots of red tape. Local police may be called in if the permits are not in order. If pushed to extremes, the manager may employ yard workers to attempt sabotage.

6. The buyer backs out unexpectedly, leaving the group with a very large debt. Then they find out that the money came from loan sharks, not a bank.