Hey Jeffery,

I like what I read and would suggest submitting the adventure.

Tom Rux

> On 07/10/2020 11:54 AM Jeffrey Schwartz <xxxxxx@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> Found this in my old documents.
> It was originally meant to be finished and sent to Freelance as a submission.
> Jeff, if it's something you think is worth working on, let me know.
>
> Otherwise, ya'll enjoy.
>
> ---------------------------
>
> The Plague Robbery
>
>
> Sometimes the best summary for a week is ‘an epic cascade of fails,
> one after another, until you begin to wonder if you’re actually being
> pranked by Hidden Holocam and pray that Alan Funk steps out soon.’
>
>
> This week was like that.
>
>
> It was supposed to be a routine courier job - well, as routine as a
> rag tag bunch such as ourselves get. We had a full hold that had to be
> delivered planetside,  just one jump from where we took on the load. A
> bunch of wooden statues, carved by the natives of ______ and meant to
> decorate a bar on _____. We found out later the regular Type-A that
> did this run had a captain that was the same religion as the
> wood-carvers, and he refused to space with them aboard, fearing
> bad-ju-ju.
>
>
> Apparently he was right.
>
>
> Just as we exited Jumpspace, the portside fusion-to-JDrive plasma
> conduit ruptured. Containment held - small blessing - but we’d be
> stuck until the conduit was replaced. The part was too big to keep in
> shipboard stores, so we’d be stuck in a yard for a week or so. The
> latest parts catalog uploads said only 25kcr for the part, another
> 10kcr or so for labor, which would eat up the profits for the trip.
>
>
> Once we made radio contact with Traffic Control, we found out how
> screwed we were.
>
>
> This is an adventure in the “Old Scout” series. This series of
> adventures are based around a Type-S (the “Snipe”), with a detached
> duty Scout in command, and a mixed crew of 3 other players.  If you
> intend to be a player in this adventure, stop reading now.
>
>
>
> Adventure Synopsis:
>
>
> The Origin and Destination systems are deliberately left vague to
> allow the GM to adapt this to an ongoing campaign. There are various
> corporation names and other details that are left vague to allow
> integration into ongoing campaigns.  If the players are in something
> other than a Type-S, then various sizes/amounts/times will need to be
> modified.
>
>
> An MT-ish task description is used (Easy/Routine/Difficult) for
> purposes of not tying this to a particular edition of Traveller.
> Descriptions should be used as a guide for the GM to decide on how
> hard to make the roll for his players.
>
>
> The adventure begins as the players in their Type-S come out of Jump
> in the Destination system. As they exit the Jump, there's a loud
> "CLANG! POP!" from engineering, and they discover the J-Drive has
> eaten one of the plasma conduits. The part is not terribly expensive,
> but it is about 4 meters long and 1 meter in diameter, making it too
> large to fit in the S's limited spare parts locker.
>
>
> The Destination system has two inhabited worlds:
>
> Aleph, which is about 0.8 AU out and is a hot world. The upper and
> lower latitudes are desert, with a central sea that is bordered by
> rain forest and jungle.  Aleph does have a Class B port operated by
> GenericMegaCorp, though, and they have the part the players need in
> stock.
>
>
> Bet, which is about 1.7 AU out and is cold and dry, with a
> thin,tainted atmo. Bet's main interest is a lichen that has awesome
> antibiotic properties, but a very limited shelf life (4 days). There's
>
> a small research station on Bet where a group of scientists are
> working on making a drug from the lichen that is stable enough to ship
> through multiple weeks of travel.
>
>
> And, of course - the complications:
>
> First, Aleph won't clear the players to land. A new plague has come
> out of the jungle, and is raging as an epidemic.  The planet is
> quarantined until they come up with a way to treat it.
>
>
> Second, the research station on Bet is owned by BadGuy,LLC. This
> company bid for both worlds, but the Imperium split the ownership of
> the system, with the caveat that if either colony fails, then the
> other company gets full control. Vice President BadGuy has realized
>
> that if he merely stands pat and obeys the quarantine, then his
> company has a strong chance of picking up the whole system....
> including all the buildings. They'll just need to come down and clean
> up the bodies.  With that in mind, the research station is not eager
> to release an experimental drug for use on Aleph.
>
>
> And, of course, the hook: While orbiting Aleph, deciding what to do,
> the players pick up a tight beam comm from someone on the planet. The
> guy is a Mafia type, who's strongly involved in the Aleph Black
> Market. As an ex-Scout, he knows certain security protocols that allow
>
> him to make a private offer to the players: if they can raid one of
> the labs on Bet and get the drugs, he can arrange to get them the
> parts they need, plus a nice cash bonus. They'll be saving lives as
> well.... but they need to hurry, since every day means more dead
> people on Aleph.
>
>
> Bet has a main base (spaceport, small admin building, warehouses,
> barracks for workers and small security force) and there's a dozen or
> so small labs scattered here and there where the lichen grows. The
> Mafia contact knows which of the Labs has finished product, and can
>
> give the players the coordinates.
>
>
> The Type-S's ECM will work for sneaking to Bet and landing near the
> Lab, as the spaceports sensors aren't the greatest - just minimal
> traffic control radar.
>
>
> The Lab has (players - 2 or so) maintenance staff who have access to
> limited weapons, and 3 scientists who are non-combatants. They'll need
> to get into the Lab, find the stuff,and get out.
>
>
> The Lab is 1/2 hour travel by ATV from the main base on Bet, and it's
> presumed that as soon as the alarm is raised, an armed ATV with a
> dozen soldiers will be dispatched - so the players need to get in and
> out quickly, and try not to raise the alarm too early.
>
>
> Once they achieve that, they’ll need to sneak to Aleph and land at the
> hidden Mafia spaceport. There they can trade the drugs for the repairs
> needed, and the Mafia Scout will arrange to have the cargo delivered
> for them as well.
>
>
>
> 1. The opening situation
>
>
> The ship is in a stable parking orbit around Aleph.
>
> There are no passengers aboard, just crew.
>
> The cargo hold is full of decorative wood carvings. (These are
> allegedly cursed, but nobody believes in hokey religions and ancient
> legends when they’ve got a good sidearm.)
>
> The fusion plant and M-Drive are functioning normally.
>
> The J-Drive is non-functional until a new plasma conduit is installed.
>
> Fuel on board will run the fusion plant at full output for another 403
> hours. At ‘economical cruising power’ this can be stretched to 467
> hours.
>
> Avionics, flight controls, sensors, and commo are functioning
> normally. The ship is in radio range of Aleph and in contact with
> Aleph Traffic Control.
>
> Life support has one glitch: several hundred liters of water were used
> to help emergency cool the engineering compartment, and evaporated to
> space to carry the heat away. There is no immediate danger, but if the
> players are going to be aboard for more than another 3-5 days, water
> usage should be rationed.
>
> The ship’s computer is acting oddly - nothing that’s a game-rule hit,
> but it is occasionally bringing up the wrong entry on library
> searches. It is also sometimes opening a “pop up” window behind the
> current screen with a library search result that has to do with
> archeology and famous ‘curse events’ (ie, Tutankhamen's Curse)
>
> Hull integrity is good. No air leaks, no external hull damage that
> would prevent re-entry or landing.
>
> The air temperature in engineering briefly spiked at over 65C as the
> shield around the conduit ablated. The compartment is cooling, but the
> stench of the ablative material lingers on. Each time the engineering
> hatch is opened, the smell expands into more of the ship.
>
> The engineer on duty in that compartment during Jump-exit has ‘that
> special sunburn’ on exposed skin, and needs to rehydrate badly. As a
> bonus, their hair and clothes are completely permeated with ‘eau de
> ablative.’ There is no game-rule damage, but this is a
> special/cosmetic effect for the player until remedied. (Lots of
> drinking, shower, change clothes... some burn-salve and a week or so
> for the ‘glow’ to fade.) (Regarding the shower: see note above about
> ‘water usage should be rationed’)
>
>
>
> The players easily opened radio contact with Aleph Traffic Control
> (ATC) and were routed to a parking orbit, with the explanation “you’re
> in the queue for landing, please hold.” Curiously, there’s no one else
> in the queue, so there’s no reason to be waiting.
>
>
> After a ten minute wait, they are placed in contact with William
> Sonoma, a very mellow, relaxed gentleman who speaks with a definite
> Solomani accent (Midwest North America - think “Ward Cleaver” from the
> old TV show).
>
>
> He delivers the following message in that calm voice test pilots use
> when something is wrong: “<Ship Name> , ATC. William Sonoma, Chief of
> Operations. Look, we’ve got a little issue, we’re going to have to
> keep you topside for a while. Say again fuel status and engineering
> situation?”
>
> (players response)
>
>
> Sonoma: “We’re going to have to be creative here to work around that.
> For your own safety, and for the safety of other worlds, Imperial
> Regulation 2217-4(b)(7)(ii) has been invoked, and I’m sure you all
> know what that means.”  Sonoma delivers this with a tone of voice that
> is perfectly matter-of-fact, as if he’s convinced that everyone has
> memorized all of the regs, and will know off-hand what
> IR2217-4(b)(7)(ii) is. An experienced spacer will know that “2217”
> covers starport/ship interaction, and that -4 is the part where
> “something bad has happened”.
>
>
> A Routine check against an experienced spacer’s memory - skills such
> as ‘Admin’ , ‘Jack-of-Trades’, ‘Purser’,’Trader’ will bring back the
> knowledge that the next subsection is vague - (a) is ‘wartime/pirate’
> and is more common, but (b) has something to do with “biological.”
>
>
> Players may make a Difficult roll, they know that 2217-4(b) means a
> plague is ravaging the planet, and quarantine is in place. The
> (270)(ii) is just the grisly details.
>
>
> In the event they decide to just use the computer’s library to look it
> up, they get:
>
> Sec. 270. Quarantine regulations governing civil  navigation and civil
> spacecraft
>
> -STATUTE-
>
> (ii)The Surgeon General is authorized to provide by regulations for
> the application to civil navigation and craft of any of the provisions
> of sections 267 to 269 of this title and regulations
>
> prescribed thereunder (including penalties and forfeitures for
> violations of such sections and regulations), to such extent and upon
> such conditions as he deems necessary for the safeguarding of the
> public health.  Planetary quarantine may be declared by the local
> Surgeon General, with a minimum duration of four weeks. Deadly force
> may be used to prevent ships from landing or lifting in order to
> prevent the spread of infection.
>
> [2]"As for all men who shall enter this my tomb... impure... there
> will be judgment... an end shall be made for him... I shall seize his
> neck like a bird... I shall cast the fear of myself into him"
>
>
> Curiously, (if asked) William Sonoma denies that [2] appears on his
> copy of the regs.
>
>
> The players are stuck - they can’t jump, they can’t deliver the cargo,
> and they don’t have enough fuel to wait around indefinitely.
>
>
> Sonoma does, however, have a plan : “I realize you’re stuck up there,
> and we’re working the problem. We’ve already got some pretty bad
> things going on down here, and I’m not going to start losing ships
> too. It’s not going to happen on my watch. So... We’ve got a cutter we
> can operate remotely. What we’ll do is send it up with a full load of
> refined fuel, and the hold full of replacement life support supplies
> and such. When it’s near you, we’ll open the hold to space, which
> should kill the plague bacteria, and you can bring the stuff aboard.
> We’ll just bill you for the service, at cr10k a week plus the cost of
> fuel.”
>
>
> This price is about 2.5 times the normal life support cost for the
> ship, and adding in the cost of refined fuel makes it even more of a
> gouge. (The fine print includes a line about they’ll be paying both
> for the fuel they bring aboard ship, and the fuel the cutter uses to
> bring it up, and the cutter’s return trip fuel usage.)
>
>
> If the players ask about the part they need, Sonoma will be glad to
> ship one up as well... for 50kcr (about twice the going rate).   If
> the crew thinks to ask, anyone with Engineering-2 or above will
> immediately realize that installing the conduit is going to take a
> variety of shipyard tools that they players don’t have. Sonoma won’t
> volunteer that info, and will gladly take their money. Should the
> players end up with a 50kcr, 4 meter long, one meter wide object, it’s
> their problem what to do with it.
>
>
> Sonoma will gladly make small talk with the players, but is vague
> about the groundside situation... People are dying, a lot of them.
> Getting people to come to work means paying huge bonuses to convince
> them to come in and (potentially) be exposed instead of staying home
> with the doors and windows locked.  The local economy is one big
> gouge-o-rama, and if the players had something other than decorative
> wooden idols, they’d be in a position to clean up.
>
>
>
> 2. Don Nullivoni
>
>
> After signing off with Sonoma, the players have two orbits (174
> minutes) to ponder the situation. Rather than waiting this out, the GM
> should wait until the player-to-player conversation tapers off, then
> mention another comm contact, this one tight-beam and encrypted in a
> fairly decent IISS code.
>
>
> As your conversation tapers off, the comms console pings for your attention.
>
> Someone is trying to make contact on a tight-beam. The starport
> probably won’t it, and if the players respond on a tight beam as well,
> they should be able to talk with no one noticing. The encryption isn’t
> current or super-secret, but it’s better than what merchants use and
> should make the conversation reasonably private even if it is noticed.
>
>
>
> If the players accept the contact :
>
> The voice is male and heavily Sylean accented (think one of the “Goodfellas”).
>
> “<Ship Name>, this is Don Nullivoni, private contact... please
> respond...I’d like to make you an offer you’d be happy to accept.”
>
> “I think I have a win-win for everyone involved. The fourth planet in
> this system has a research lab on it - they found a lichen or fungus
> or some such that grows there that is a really good antibiotic. The
> problem is that every attempt to refine it has resulted in a drug
> that’s only stable for three or four days, which means it won’t last
> long enough to be transported out of the system.”
>
> “On the other hand, the station is only a day there and a day back -
> so you could transport the drug here, and save a whole bunch of
> lives... and rack up a good profit as well, while doing a good deed.”
>
> “I’ve been in contact with a … friend.. of mine on Bet. She can’t get
> anyone there to sell the drug to us through normal channels. There’s
> some kind of corporate shenanigans going on there. I do have a fix on
> where you can pick it up, if you’re willing to do some kinetic
> negotiation.”
> -----
> The Traveller Mailing List
> Archives at http://archives.simplelists.com/tml
> Report problems to xxxxxx@simplelists.com
> To unsubscribe from this list please go to
> http://www.simplelists.com/confirm.php?u=zZOCJCw2BI9jPrGTB4OJoibiHbbTEiok