TEXT:  SLAIndustries.net Monthly Collection – January 2002                                          Page 1 
   
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  HTTP://SLAINDUSTRIES.NET 
  MONTHLY COLLECTION 
   
  Issue 3 – January 2002. 
   
  Contents : 
  Death Squad – by Max Hattuer 
  Page 1 
  The Babysitters Club – BPN by Max Hattuer 
  Page 2 
  Lord Of Illusion, Masters of Reality – by Max 
  Page 2 
  The Beasties Collection – by Various 
  Page 4 
  Couple of CAF Weapons – by AJCrowley 
  Page 8 
  Back Story on my Frother – by Frother_Rip 
  Page 8 
  812 Succubus Stormer Variant – by Max 
  Page 9 
  The Guardians – Mort’s Angels on the Street 
  – by Max Hattuer 
  Page 10 
  Nearhom – Planet of Leisure - by Sue WIlson 
  Page 12 
  Navigation Hazard A70312 - by Sue Wilson 
  Page 13 
  Navigation Hazard X18 – by Sue WIlson 
  Page 13 
  Media Equipment – by Darrin O’Connor 
  Page 14 
   
   
   
  Death Squad! 
  - Max Hattuer 
   
  Why? 
   
   
  The Death Squad package is one of the most 
  misunderstood packages in SLA Industries.  
  Too many people have told me "I just don't want to 
  play the big gun-toting  
  type." Well, news flash…Death Squad is a whole lot 
  more than just  
  big heavy automatic weapons. 
  It is tactics. It is attitude. 
   
  When you think Death Squad, think the entire military 
  cast from Predator. Think Aliens. 
   
  The men and women who make up the Death Squad 
  operatives in SLA Industries are the people you want 
  to look to for information on taking out a group of 
  people holed up somewhere. They are the operatives 
  who specialize in telling you what a violent group is 
  probably going to do next. And they are also the 
  people who are going to be there to save your butt 
  when you need them. 
   
  Death Squad operatives need to be quick thinkers. 
  True, not all of them are, but the truly great ones 
  know when to back down and call it quits, although 
  they seldom do. 
   Character 
  Creation 
   
  Attributes Strength is important, as is Cool. 
   
  During training, the Death Squad operative 
  does a lot of weight lifting, and their minds 
  are conditioned to take a lot of 
  punishment. Mainly physical, it is not 
  unknown for Death Squad Operatives to 
  have above average Diagnosis and 
  Concentration. 
   
   
  Skills The operatives trained in the Death Squad 
  package are, on average, from fairly 
  violent backgrounds, and usually will have 
  Unarmed Combat, and a few melee skills. 
  Some even have previous experience with 
  fully automatic weaponry, such as CAF 
  submachineguns, and already have 
  Auto/Support when they join the company. 
   
  Ebons and Brain Wasters who decide to 
  take Death Squad as their training package 
  usually have some sort of affinity for Blast 
  and Protect. 
   
   
  Advantages Advantages are where the Death Squads 
  are hurting just a little. Many will probably 
  have DNA Tattoos representing their 
  training groups. Death Squad tattoos are 
  badges of honour for those that have 
  them. 
   
   
  Disadvantages Usually a bit off in the head in one way or 
  another, most commonly a bit 
  Psychopathic or Arrogant. Possibly, some 
  bad DNA Tattoos. Bad reputations are also 
  very common, as the Death Squad attitude 
  seems to get in the way with most people-
  relationships.  
   
   
  Choosing 
  Equipment 
   
  Weapons Death Squad weapons are usually brutal 
  and to the point. Death Squad Operatives 
  are not taught how to be flashy or dance 
  around their opponent, they are taught to 
  kill them as fast, and as brutally as 
  possible. 
   
   
  Melee The common choices for melee weapons 
  are ugly and vicious. Weapons like the Flick 
  Scythe and the Chainaxe. Brutal, 
  damaging, and to the point. MAC knives 
  are also common, though Death Squad 
  Operatives usually use them more as a tool 
  than weapon.  
   
   
  Thrown Mainly, grenades. Death Squad Operatives 
  are familiar with all the different types of 
  grenades. They know what they look like, 
  what they do, and how to use them 
  effectively. Another brutal weapon choice. 
   
   
  Firearms 
   
  Pistols The Blitzer from BLA has been the weapon 
  of choice for years, although with the new 
  Buzzsaw hitting the market, it looks as 
  though things will change. Death Squad 
  Operatives will pick out the 'heavy hitters' 
  when it comes to pistols. Calibre and 
  ammo capacity are important, but come in 
  second to reliability. It should be noted 
  that many starting Operatives with this 
  package will buy the FEN 204. 
   
   
  Rifles Death Squad Operatives are lucky to have 
  a few weapons made especially for them, 
  the Power Reapers, the KK 20 and 30, KPS 
  Mangler, and a host of others. Operatives 
  with this training package will almost 
  always have a shotgun and a fully 
  automatic rifle (and dream of the day SLA 
  Industries will lift the ban on grenade 
  launchers). Death Squad Operatives are 
  
   SLAIndustries.net Monthly Collection – January 2002                                          Page 2 
   
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  also more likely to buy the larger 
  ammunition bins for their weapons. 
   
   
  Armour As with all operatives, armour selection is 
  pretty standard, although the Death Squad 
  Operative will stay away from unnecessary 
  accessories and colours. Blocker is frowned 
  upon, Death Squad Operatives will prefer 
  survivability to weapon strength at first, 
  and bulky armours may slow you down, 
  but they will keep you alive longer, best 
  advice for the starting Operative is PP7 
  Exo-base. 
   
   
  Equipment Death Squad equipment is almost 
  standardized from one Operative to the 
  next. Motion Scanner, Enviro Scanner, Kick 
  Start (all types), various Combat Drugs, 
  Magholds, Waldo units, laser painters and 
  light sources. Silencers and flash 
  suppressors are usually avoided as they 
  reduce the penetration and range of 
  weapons, not to mention won't fit on most 
  of the preferred weapons. 
   
   
  The BPN 
   
  Before the 
  BPN 
  Death Squad Operatives will try and get as 
  much information as they can about the 
  area they are going into. If there is to be 
  combat, they will also try to get 
  information on their opponents tactical 
  abilities and weapons. Also, these 
  Operatives will make sure that their 
  equipment and weapons are in top shape, 
  and will try to advise squadmates to do the 
  same. 
   
   
  During the 
  BPN 
  During the BPN, Death Squad Operatives 
  will do their best to provide tactical 
  advantages for their squad. Usually, if not 
  on a combat-oriented BPN, Death Squad 
  Operatives will provide backup and in some 
  cases be used as an intimidation factor by 
  the other Operatives. "Tell us what we 
  want to know or we'll give you to the 
  Frother with the Buzzsaw…have you ever 
  seen what one of those do to flesh?" 
   
   
  After the BPN First off, check equipment, restock if able, 
  then it's home to clean it while watching 
  TV, getting drunk, getting stoned or before 
  a night on the town. Death Squad 
  Operatives will never leave their equipment 
  to be cleaned the next day. 
   
  The BabySitters Club – a BPN by Max Hattuer 
  Colour: Blue 
  Department: Health and Safety                       
  Training Packages: Pilot Navigation Required  
  Payment: 50c/Op  
  Media Coverage: Third Eye News  
  Text: Transportation of orphanage children to new 
  building. Squad must contain at least one 
  Pilot/Navigation Operative. Contact Mr. Kenneth 
  Samael at 36-594-6362-14 ext. 001 
  Background: 
  GoreZone has scheduled an episode for tonight that 
  regrettably occurs just outside the 'Usher Home for 
  Children.' 
  The Operative's will be responsible for the safe 
  transport of some of the children to their new home. 
  The Squad will be issued a bus which they must drive 
  to the orphanage, there they will load their charges 
  and drive to the new building, where the children will 
  be dropped off. 
  The squad will be met at the orphanage by Jackylynne 
  Kelly, Superintendent of the orphanage-Human 
  female, SCL 8, Business Package- a rotund, motherly 
  figure of a woman. She will provide a list of 
  approximately 70 children between the ages of 6 and 
  16 to be transported to the new location. 
  She will then instruct the operatives to go to the 
  cafeteria and obtain the children. If she sees any 
  'irresponsible' actions by the operatives, she will 
  immediately report them, but because of the time 
  frame, she will not dismiss them unless they are 
  abusive. 
  Some of them have been used by the Skin Trade 
  before, but won't talk about it as they have been 
  threatened with death and/or torture. 
  Although, the Ops should get the feeling that all isn't 
  right about the children. 
  The BPN: 
  If the operatives ask the older children to gather up 
  the younger children of the same race, obtaining the 
  children will happen very quickly (10 minutes or so), 
  otherwise there may be problems... ;) 
  All of the children are fairly well behaved and in good 
  health. If the operatives show ANY sign of weakness 
  or confusion, the children will quickly start to annoy 
  them. 
  The operatives may notice (passive DETECT rank 4) 
  that all of the children in the cafeteria are in good 
  health. They will obviously hear some children crying. 
  If they ask Jackylynne she will just say that being 
  shuffled around so much upsets them. If they talk to 
  one of the crying children or one of the adolescents 
  who are comforting them, they will learn that some of 
  the children are not going to be moved-mainly those 
  with incurable diseases or missing limbs. 
  Not much can really be done about this, if they take 
  the diseased children, they may infect their charges, 
  and the other children will take too long to load up. 
  Also, Jackylynne Kelly, a Skin Trade agent, has other 
  plans for the children in good health. 
  The squad should be able to move the children before 
  GoreZone starts, if not then it could get messy. 
  The Shivers and GoreZone personnel that arrive to 
  get things started will inform the PC's that traffic is 
  
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  pretty light, and may help get the children loaded 
  onto the bus. 
  The guest operatives will arrive about an hour early 
  before GoreZone starts and some of them will be glad 
  to help, creative ideas will get everybody out of the 
  way with plenty of time to spare. 
  There are 4 other squads that have accepted this 
  BPN, and they will use the Shivers and Contract 
  Killers to the best of their abilities. The Media will take 
  great care to watch the operatives on this BPN, at 
  least right now anyway, and the PC's may be able to 
  get a quick spot on TV if they are smart. 
  Encounters: 
  If the squad does not evacuate the children by the 
  time GoreZone starts: 
  5 Carriens will show up every round, 2 Ex-War 
  Criminals will show up every 5 rounds, 5 Carnivorous 
  Pigs will arrive every 7 rounds, 6 DN operatives will 
  show up every 15 rounds and 10 Tek Trex drones will 
  arrive every 10 rounds, as needed (basically until you 
  get bored =o) ). 
  Throw in anything else that you may want to play 
  with, TRY to kill them with numbers, show no mercy 
  on the children. 
  If the squad gets away they will be ambushed by the 
  Skin Trade 30 mins after they leave the orphanage, 
  unless they take a different route prescribed to them 
  (Navigation check to find a quicker route IF the PC's 
  ask about it) 
  The ambush consists of 10 Skin Trade agents dressed 
  as Shiver units who have set up a roadblock. Other 
  than the standard equipment carried by Shivers, 
  these agents are also carrying 603's. 
  There are also 2 snipers set up in windows above, 
  they will attempt to shoot out the tires on the bus if 
  trouble occurs, and of course they will shoot the 
  operatives. 
  This ambush was set up by Kelly, the ST agents will 
  try not to harm the children, as they need them.  
  That's pretty much it for this one. As a side note, I 
  ran this as the first Blue for a squad leading into a 
  campaign against the Skin Trade, in which they 
  actively tried to get the BPN's to find the buses of the 
  other squads, find the children, and track down Kelly 
  in their spare time. 
  -Kevin, finding new ways to torment his players... 
  --------------------------------------------------------- 
  Lord of Illusion, Masters of Reality – by Max 
  Hattuer 
  A brief look at the Media, and their purpose (written 
  as a propaganda piece) 
  In a world where the rain washes away hope, serial 
  killers stalk the populace, pigs the height of men run 
  free in the sewers and monstrous reflections of people 
  roam the shadows, the people have only one place to 
  turn for salvation...the Media.  
   
  The Media is the backbone of SLA Industries, without 
  the constant influence of Third Eye, the World of 
  Progress would fall apart. The Downtown masses 
  would rise up out of boredom, sales would plummet 
  with the lack of advertising, and Operative's would 
  become mere shadows of a security force.  
   
  It is not the wealth of "quality programming" that 
  keeps the TV's on, nor is it the subliminal messages in 
  each and every aired program and advertisement that 
  keeps the populace glued to their sets. It is the want, 
  the NEED to feel involved in the world around them. 
  The need to socialize; to have something going on. 
  The Media gives the populace hope for the future.  
   
  The glorification of SLA Operative's engaged in flashy, 
  bloody duels with the insane and the treacherous 
  provides the masses with a goal, something to strive 
  for. And, in an environment where a person can be 
  watching TV one second, and running from creatures 
  so horrible they can not even describe them the next, 
  hope is something that the people are starving for.  
   
  SLA Industries provides this hope. SLA gives the 
  masses purpose in their everyday life, and it does this 
  through the most effective propaganda tool it has, it's 
  Media Operative's. The people who can start, fuel and 
  stop the fires of resistance.  
   
  The power that these Operatives hold over others is 
  an unseen force to be reckoned with, with merely a 
  flick of a switch, they can make or break almost 
  anyone they choose. With a word, they can turn 
  someone's best friend against them. The camera 
  merely records the truth, the people behind the 
  camera create it.  
   
  It is this creative ability that allows the Media to keep 
  someone alive indefinitely, of kill them prematurely. 
  Using their editing skills, Media Operative's can easily 
  show the exact opposite of what is truly going on, to 
  the point that if need be, they may always claim that 
  something real, is merely a TV show using the latest 
  in special effects.  
   
  Aside from raw talent, Media Operative's have 
  perhaps the most technologically advanced equipment 
  in the World of Progress, and it seems, everyday 
  something new is made available to them. Along with 
  costumes and props, the Media uses these tools to 
  rewrite or create history. If the masses see it on TV, it 
  must be true; everything on TV is true.  
   
  SLA Industries was built on the machinations of these 
  "Lords of Illusion," and every Operative trained in the 
  Media package strengthens the hold that the company 
  has over the Universe. 
  
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  The Beasties Collection. By Various 
  Kris Steel’s Carrion Beetle (Morior Adamo) 
   
  Found on at least 12 inhabited worlds the actual 
  indigenous homeworld of the Carrion beetle, also 
  called the 'death-watch bug' by some downtowners 
  for its reputed ability to detect the imminent demise 
  of a person.  
  Science has long proven that the beetle cant tell if 
  someone is dying and it is pure superstition, what is 
  remarkable about these little beetles is their ability to 
  locate dead and decaying organic material up to 8 km 
  downwind. Whereupon they will take to the air and 
  descend in swarms around the material and begin 
  consuming it in large numbers. The beetle is harmless 
  to people and completely non aggressive, in fact the 
  amount of refuse that the beetles can eat probably 
  helps keep down the amount of rubbish in the streets, 
  which in turn helps to keep disease and larger 
  scavengers away. SHIVERS dont like them, as the 
  bugs have been known to eat through a murder 
  victim's corpse in up to 8 hours, which makes 
  determining the death that much more difficult. 
  Size: 20-55mm long 
  Appearance: 6 legged, black armoured beetle with 4 
  wings 
  Move: 1m (crawl) 2m (flying) 
  Kris Steel’s Rust Tailed Spider (Urbanus Occisor) 
  Rarely seen, this large and aggressive spider is an 
  active predator of small mammals like mice and 
  insects it has been responsible for up to 300-900 
  deaths a year in Downtown. 
  Once a native to the jungle planet of Charlie's Point it 
  is thought to have been brought back by veterans or 
  as pets that escaped from its owners. They are a 
  popular pet amongst some Brainwasters who keep 
  them in glass terrariums but most people would be 
  wise to keep them out of their homes or risk being 
  bitten. The combination of highly toxic venom, which 
  attacks the nervous system and a bad disposition, 
  makes these a very dangerous animal. 
  Capable of jumping up to 2 feet and getting under 
  doors they have been known to come inside homes as 
  a way of getting out of the rain, sometimes this 
  involves hiding in cupboards and empty shoes as they 
  avoid being out in bright light. An antivenin is 
  available from some hospitals which will counter the 
  poison but it must be injected, unconsciousness 
  occurs after 20mins (of screaming agony), coma 
  within 25mins and death from heart failure after 
  35mins. 
  Regardless, people still keep them as pets and 
  collectors will pay up to 2000u for a full grown 
  specimen in good condition, the Dept of Health will 
  pay 500u per spider (alive) for antivenin milking. 
  Size: 120mm legspan  
  Weight: 90gms (larger specimens have been sighted)  
  Appearance: Light grey spider with thick, luxuriant 
  hair on its external body and reddish marking on 
  abdomen.  
  Move: 2m (crawling) 
   
  Matt Rose’s Gutter Eels 
   
  Ok, this species is the source of countless Blues in 
  MDRWoP... 
   
  Contrary to their name, Gutter Eels are molluscs 
  rather than fish. They resemble large (up to 60cm in 
  length) amphibious slugs, with two filmy flukes that 
  run the length of their sides. They tend to be a drab 
  olive grey, although they can become spectacularly 
  colourful when exposed to certain chemical outflows. 
  Adults are equally at home swimming in open water 
  or sliding over concrete above the surface. Originally 
  the species is believed to have lived in Mort's 
  sewerage system, but in the late 400s they developed 
  a unique survival strategy.  
   
  Gutter Eels get their name from their reproductive 
  technique. Two or more fertile adults (they're 
  hermaphroditic) will position themselves inside of a 
  drain pipe on the side of a building. Most commonly 
  they climb up the pipe from the inside, although they 
  have been seen to scale the outside of a building to 
  gain access to the pipes from above. Once inside the 
  pipe, the adults cluster together and swap genetic 
  material in a slimy disgusting mess. As well as 
  fertilising each other, they also secrete hormones that 
  solidify their natural lubricants, and ultimately their 
  bodies. This results in the Gutter Eels forming a 
  dense, solid plug of organic material that completely 
  blocks the drain pipe. The adults are killed by this 
  process, but not before releasing all of their eggs into 
  the upper section of the pipe.  
   
  In a short time rain water backs up in the blocked 
  pipe. The Gutter Eel young grow rapidly in their 
  artificial safe haven, quickly reaching 5cm in length. 
  They eat algae and waste washed into the pipe, as 
  well as each other. When they grow too large to be 
  supported by this tiny ecosystem, they swim to the 
  surface of their pipe and spread along the buildings 
  guttering. (This is where they were discovered by roof 
  maintenance teams, and hence the name.) They live 
  in the guttering for up to a year, growing to about 
  20cm in length, before they are forced to return to 
  the sewers or other areas with more abundant food. 
  Of course, they now have a considerable size 
  advantage over other creatures trying to hang on to 
  the same ecological niche.  
   
  Gutter Eels are mostly harmless, apart from the 
  collateral damage they cause. Depending on the area 
  they grow in, some can gather caustic pollutants from 
  their environment, which they secrete in their slime. 
  All SLA personnel are advised to wear protective 
  clothing when coming into contact with Gutter Eels. 
  Wraithern personnel are advised to test each Eel 
  individually before attempting to eat them.  
  The Dept. of Sanitation would like to lay to rest any 
  rumours of Giga-Eels living in the deeper sewers of 
  Sector DT129. These creatures are said to grow to 
  enormous size, and follow a lifecycle similar to the 
  Gutter Eel. The Dept. of Sanitation would like to point 
  out that the piping in sub-sector 93844#2323#129 -
  where the rumours are believed to have come from- 
  is, on average, 4m in diameter, so it is quite 
  preposterous to suggest that recent blockages are 
  caused by any such creature.  
  
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  Kris Steel’s Dog Spider (Queror Tantus) 
   
  One of the nastiest denizens to come across on Mort, 
  they do prefer relatively dry and quiet areas to build 
  their nests. Normally inoffensive creatures to humans, 
  they do have substantial size to deter smaller 
  predators and highly painful bites with their 4 fangs to 
  dissuade anything larger from molesting them.  
   
  Unless directly provoked these large, web spinning 
  spiders won?t attack but have been known to eat 
  anything that gets stuck in their thick, rope-like webs 
  after wrapping it in silk and then drawing out its body 
  fluids with the two larger fangs. Usually they can be 
  found in small groups of up to 6 spiders but if space 
  allows sometimes more. Diet usually consists of rats, 
  large insects but at times this has also included 
  carnivorous piglets and young Carriens or children!  
   
  When alarmed the Dog spider can cough out a loud 
  'bark' from their trachea tubes and startle off 
  intruders, eyesight and hearing are above normal and 
  can navigate in complete darkness without a problem. 
  The webs are matt black in colour and can cover an 
  area of up to 30sq metres with this silk, particularly 
  brave Carriens have been known to cut part of it off 
  to use in making rope and binding threads. 
   
  Size: 300-500mm legspan  
  Weight: 150-400gms (larger specimens have been 
  sighted)  
  Appearance: Dark grey/black spider with sparse, 
  short hair on its external body. Eyes glow red in IR 
  vision 
  Hits: 3-6 
  Move: 4m (web) 3 (crawling)  
   
  Kris Steel’s Disease Vectors 
  Three Living Disease Vectors from Kris Steel's World 
  of Progress... 
  Orienta Fleas 
  (Pulex Orientens)  
  Fleas are not host specific but have 
  preferred hosts. Pulex Orientens is 
  the human flea but can be found on 
  DACs, DAFs, rats, pigs, and other 
  warm blooded mammals. This 
  particular species has been shown to 
  exhibit a high tolerance to pesticides 
  and has been known to carry a wide 
  variety of flukes, worms and 
  bacterium that are transmitted to 
  people when they are bitten or 
  contact with the flea. As a threat to 
  people they are only an irritation that 
  bites and causes misery from the 
  itching after, secondary infections 
  from scratching the bite area can 
  also occur. 
  This particular pest is more common 
  in Downtown but the occasional 
  plague of them hits the suburbs, 
  bringing with them a wide variety of 
  contagion?s and sickness. Normally 
  they like carpeted floors and bedlinen 
  where they will lay their eggs and 
  multiply in numbers quickly. Keeping 
  an area clean and regular dousing 
  with pesticides will keep them at bay 
  but if they aren't controlled quickly 
  the numbers quickly build up again. 
  They are responsible for the ?Blue 
  Yaws Plague? (Treponema pertenue) 
  of 874, which killed a large number 
  of people in downtown several years 
  ago and is characterised by 
  widespread skin tissue death if it isn't 
  treated quickly with antibiotics. 
  Size: 1-2mm long  
  Weight: Not much  
  Appearance: Reddish-brown 
  abdomen with a black head  
  Move: 0.6m (jump)  
  Banded Mosquito 
  (Volatilis Ictus)  
  This is the largest native mosquito 
  found on Mort and it has been seen 
  on numerous other planets in small 
  numbers. Nicknamed ?Bandits? by 
  the locals for their black and white 
  striped legs they are notorious for 
  biting through nearly anything, it is 
  not unknown for this monster to 
  crawl under and in-between power 
  armour plates and pierce through the 
  ballistic lining to take a bite out of 
  the wearer! Being bitten is a quick 
  and painful occurrence, which has 
  been likened to an electric shock as it 
  draws out 0.5 to 1cc of blood in less 
  than a second before flying off. There 
  are stories of people being drained 
  completely of blood by these insects 
  but more likely it is an urban myth or 
  the ?White Death? serial killer, 
  depending on which myth you 
  subscribe too. 
  More dangerous though, the insect is 
  a carrier for the deadly and feared 
  ?Sector 3 fever? a hemorrhagic fever 
  which has a 2-25% mortality rate if 
  not treated quickly. 
  Size: 40-60mm long  
  Weight: 1-2gms  
  Appearance: Large 4 winged insect 
  with black and white bands on all 6 
  legs  
  Move: 2m (fly)  
  Drain Fluke 
  (Sordeo Repere)  
  Found anywhere human waste is in 
  large amounts, this particually 
  dangerous organism is capable of 
  entering the human body either by 
  ingestion or skin contact with 
  infected substances (water, 
  sewerage). Very hard to detect, it is 
  
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  common in people living or working 
  in dirty environments and can take 
  up to a year to make its home and 
  begin breeding within the hosts body. 
  It mainly attaches itself to the liver 
  and has been known to attack the 
  lungs, kidneys and heart in some 
  people. Once it grows, it forms a 
  cyst. This cyst crowds adjacent 
  normal tissue and impairs the 
  tissue's ability to function. If the cyst 
  ruptures, the fluid within the cyst can 
  cause anaphylatic shock (blood 
  poisoning). 
  Surgery is the only effective 
  treatment for these cysts. 
  Prevention can be done by avoiding 
  contact with sewer water, eating raw 
  meat, sterilisation of clothing and 
  armour that has been worn in these 
  environments. 
  Size: 0.1mm long  
  Weight: bugger all  
  Appearance: Can only be seen under 
  a microscope, clear amoeba that is 
  bottle shaped.  
  Move: very bloody slowly  
  AJCrowley’s Mort Cockroach (Blatta Maximus) 
  The larger variety of bug that Mort's citizens have to 
  deal with. 
  The Common Cockroach has long ago been lost to the 
  various mutations and hybrids which exist in Morts 
  dark corners. The common Mort Cockroach (Blatta 
  Maximus) is the most irritating and numerous vermin 
  next to the Rat in the populated areas of Mort. 
   
  In the last 150 years on Mort, the Mort Cockroach has 
  grown in size to an average 4-5 inches long, with the 
  larger specimens measuring up to 7-8 inches. it now 
  has a shell up to (in extreme circumstances) 2 
  millimetres thick, meaning it can actually be fairly 
  difficult to swat and stamp out, resulting in many 
  chemical agents used to treat large scale infestations. 
  The Mort Cockroach has larger, tougher mandibles, 
  and eats *anything*, up to and including the softer 
  building materials and fillers. It will eat dead bodies, 
  (but not in actual preference to anything else, it's just 
  dead matter,) along with 2 month old Pizza, an old 
  bed, and Pot Noodle.  
   
  Nests of this species build up in the inner walls of 
  (generally) Downtown & Suburbia flats/apartments 
  and homes, usually only numbering in the 100s when 
  eradicated, they're hard not to notice as their size 
  usually means they create noise audible enough to 
  alarm tenants. If sealed off, and unable to eat their 
  way out, these colonies usually die out, after a small 
  period of cannibalisation, this is a more common way 
  of extermination now, to avoid the overuse of 
  hazardous chemicals. They avoid brightly lit areas but 
  are equally at home in temperatures ranging from -5 
  to +65 degrees C.  
   
  Size : Avg 100-130mm Length. 
   
  Weight : Avg 200-250 grams 
   
  Appearance : Large Beetle, wingless, with hard dark 
  brown - Black Shell, various mutations have been 
  recorded with Shell's matching the surrounding 
  environment but there is *no* evidence of 
  chameleonic abilities 
   
  Armour : 1 point of ID @ PV 1 
   
  Matt Rose’s Plas-Ticks 
  "Plas-Ticks? Lil' fuckers! I caught one makin' for my 
  fridge last week and stomped on it good. I swear, it 
  was oozin' out from all sides of my boot like one of 
  them stress-relief 'Squeeze-me-Senti's. Soon as I lift 
  my foot, though, the lil' bastard was off. What really 
  pissed me off, though, was that the fuckin' thing 
  wouldn'ta got under the door if I hadn't squashed it 
  flat!" 
  Boron, Brainwaster, SCL 9B, overheard in the 
  Dept. of Housing reallocation queuing hall.  
   
  Originally discovered in 132 SD at the waste 
  reclamation & processing station Gwai-45 (800km 
  outside Orienta), the Plas-Tick has since spread to 
  many of the industrialised planets of the World of 
  Progress.  
   
  Appearances vary, as the Plas-Tick has undergone a 
  frenzy of speciation in recent centuries, but in general 
  they are 2 - 10cm in length, with between 6 and 10 
  legs. Colouration varies according to environment.  
   
  Urban Plas-Ticks tend to be concrete-grey or tarmac-
  black, whereas creatures found in refuse sites tend to 
  be more colourful, to blend in with the discarded 
  packaging that comprises their gaudy home. To date, 
  all reported varieties of Plas-Tick have been flightless, 
  although most still bear vestigial wings which are 
  displayed during courtship rituals.  
   
  They are not social insects, only meeting to mate or 
  compete over food sources when times are hard. (Not 
  often, in Downtown.)  
   
  Although their success and resilience has spawned 
  many nick names for the insect, such as 'Taarnish 
  Beetle' in the slums of New Town, to 'Progress Bug' 
  on Artery, the name that has stuck across most of 
  Mort is Plas-Tick - an inaccurate translation of the 
  original Orientan name. (A better translation would be 
  'Unstompable plastic machine insect')  
   
  Plas-Ticks do not feed on the blood of living creatures. 
  They share the dietary habits of their presumed 
  ancestors, the cockroaches, although they are fast 
  supplanting even these hardy survivors. The secret of 
  Plas-Tick success is due to their remarkable 
  metabolism, which allows them to ingest and break 
  down complex synthetic materials, most notably 
  plastics and certain ceramics. They then use these 
  materials in the construction of their own bodies, 
  becoming virtually indestructible.  
   
  They have almost no natural predators, being largely 
  
   SLAIndustries.net Monthly Collection – January 2002                                          Page 7 
   
  7 of 14 
  inedible, and can survive for months on no food at all. 
  They can survive being submerged in water for long 
  periods, and develop rapid immunity to poisons. The 
  only restriction on their population growth is the 
  availability of plastics and ceramics. The female will 
  only lay her eggs in or near a suitable source of such 
  materials. When the eggs hatch the larvae, although 
  only tiny, are equipped with ferocious mandibles, and 
  quickly set to work chewing and consuming their 
  surroundings. It takes several weeks for the young to 
  mature, and requires 10-100g of material.  
   
  How the adult Plas-Ticks turn out is highly dependent 
  on their feeding at this stage. A diet of cheap plastics 
  from food cartons will result in a reasonably tough 
  cockroach-like creature. Eating heavier grade 
  materials, such as the plastics used to line sewers, 
  results in a much hardier specimen. There have been 
  numerous reports of Plas-Ticks consuming silicon and 
  rubber to emerge with highly flexible, yet very strong, 
  exoskeletons, allowing them to survive long falls or 
  encounters with vehicle tires. The most resilient Plas-
  Ticks have been reared on ceramics found in lost 
  scraps of armour or caches of DarkNight equipment. 
  These insects grow large and glossy, and stamping on 
  one hurts in the same way as stamping on a steel ball 
  bearing. The vast amount of effort in accumulating 
  such bodies is not wasted when they die, however- 
  Other Plas-Ticks will make short work of the corpse. 
   
  Plas-Ticks are seldom seen in Central or Uptown, and 
  only very rarely in Suburbia. As usual, Downtown 
  takes the brunt of the affliction, particularly in some 
  of the lower levels where Plas-Tick populations are 
  rumoured to have swollen to plague proportions. They 
  are popular as pets to people with a certain mindset, 
  and most Downtown children have 'played' with them 
  at some point. (A popular game involves two or more 
  players armed with bats, bashing a Plas-Tick around a 
  dead end alley. Points are scored for the number of 
  ricochets and the height of bounce. Ten additional 
  points go to the first player to get Plas-Tick insides on 
  their bat. The game is called 'Squash';) ) A current 
  craze sweeping through Downtown children is to 
  collect the most virulently colourful Plas-Ticks they 
  can find. These are traded and collected just like any 
  SLA produced Kiddie-Kraze.  
   
  Plas-Ticks in the Game  
   
  These creatures don't pose a problem to operatives, 
  as such. They have no real offensive capability, and 
  are only really dangerous to armour when very 
  young. Of course, if an Op has bad housing and 
  leaves his armour untended for long periods, he may 
  find a female Plas-Tick has turned it into lots of ickle 
  baby Plas-Ticks. However, here are some Plas-Tick 
  related BPN ideas: 
   
  Blue - Plas-Ticks have eaten through some important 
  pipes/cables. A maintenance team must be 
  despatched to repair the damage, which 
  unfortunately, is deep underground. A squad of Ops 
  must protect them from all the usual perils.  
   
  Blue or White - A swarm of Plas-Ticks have been 
  released in an Operative housing block. Since most 
  operatives spend a lot of time away from their home, 
  the insects need to be contained quickly. This could 
  be a Blue (Go get those bugs!) or a White (Who 
  released the bugs, and why?) 
   
  White - To cash in on the current Plas-Tick craze 
  sweeping Downtown's schools, an enterprising soft 
  company start-up is selling little metal cages and wire 
  bug nets to the kiddies. The company calls itself 'Plas-
  Tick-Kick', and is currently quite small. Rumours are 
  spreading that soon they will 'release' (ie, sell) a new 
  breed of Plas-Tick, more colourful (and hence, fun) 
  than the 'natural' varieties. The investigation could 
  also take in recent hijackings of chemical tankers en 
  route to plastics factories.  
   
  Yellow - There's a rumour going around a Downtown 
  school that some kid found a Plas-Tick with the Power 
  Projects logo on it's back, presumably after eating 
  some Power Projects packaging/armour. Somehow, 
  this rumour gets back to a PP middle manager, who 
  despatches a squad to go retrieve said insect. By now 
  the rumour is in several schools. Tracking down that 
  bug (if it even exists!) is not gonna be easy... 
  ------------------------------------------------------- 
  
   SLAIndustries.net Monthly Collection – January 2002                                          Page 8 
   
  8 of 13 
  A couple of CAF Weapons, by AJCrowley 
  CAF Tristar 
  Triple barrelled DarkNight CAF Conversion using 
  standard CAF production weaponry & Ammunition. 
  Weapon : CAF Tristar 
  Calibre : CAF Pistol 
  Clip : 60 
  Rate Of Fire : 10  
  Recoil : 7 
  Range : 5 Metres 
  Weight : 4Kg 
  Cost : 2000 u (Black Market only) 
   
  Mass produced conversion kit to use CAF Parts to 
  produce a short range machine gun for infiltrators 
  unable to secure amounts of SLA Calibre Ammunition.  
   
  Uses three synthetic magazines side by side feeing 
  into a receiver carrying standard CAF Pistol barrels. 
  Also uses other parts of CAF pistols to make up the 
  assembly, including the Grip and Stock from a CAF 
  Rifle.  
   
  Only any use in close range ambushes, and can be 
  fitted with a DN buffering kit to reduce the recoil by 3.  
   
  Up to the GM whether use of CAF parts might reduce 
  the reliability of this weapon over time ;-) 
  CAF Backup 
  Very basic derringer using CAF. 
  Weapon : CAF Backup 
  Calibre : CAF Pistol 
  Clip : 3 
  Rate Of Fire : 1/3 
  Recoil : 2/4 
  Range : 3m 
  Weight : .75Kg 
  Cost : 250 u 
   
  Very small backup pistol in CAF. has 3 barrels, each 
  with its own firing pin in a vertical configuration, 
  making it as narrow and concealable as possible. the 
  grip is uncontoured, and when concealed, folds up 
  behind the barrels, this also acts as a safety, bringing 
  the grip down and locking it cocks the 3 firing pins, It 
  then has a 3 stage trigger firing each barrel from the 
  top down in turn. 
  ---------------------------------------------------------
  Back Story on my Frother – by Frother_Rip 
  I was found by a couple named Richard and June 
  Riddick in a liquor store trash bin, gasping for air with 
  an umbilical cord wrapped around my neck...  
   
  I don't know who my parents are, so these two will do 
  I guess. They never gave me a name, just called me 
  boy. Guess they figured I would die anyway, and 
  didn’t want to get too attached. She had just lost a 
  baby, so she had no problem nursing me. She was a 
  junkie to boot, so that helped. I was with them for 
  about nine years. We ate what other people threw 
  away, and begged for what ever hand outs the "rich 
  people" (that’s what we called anyone who had more 
  than the sky for a roof) would throw our way. I 
  learned a lot about surviving on the streets form 
  those people. I had no idea that my biggest lesson in 
  life was just about to begin.  
   
  One day after going out to look for food I saw 
  something that would change my life foe ever, in 
  more ways than one. some wannabe Halloween Jack 
  was making a jigsaw puzzle out of the only tow 
  people that ever mattered to me. I know he was a 
  wannabe, because the real deal showed up a few 
  minutes later. Boy was he pissed he made a real 
  mess out of that guy. I think that was the biggest 
  blood bath i had ever seen. ::chuckles:: Makes me 
  wish i had a camera.  
   
  A couple of years went by, and I hooked up with this 
  local street gang called the Rippers. I learned more 
  from them than anyone in my life. We had a nice long 
  run. I made some good money selling weapons, and 
  drugs. I always seemed to take more drugs than i 
  sold though. Oh well. We saw our fair share of war. 
  We sent quite a few bodies to the sewers to feed the 
  pigs. I lost a lot of people who i would almost consider 
  friends. If running with the Rippers taught me 
  anything it taught me DTA (Don’t Trust Anybody) not 
  even yourself.  
   
  After a while this new group came along, they called 
  themselves the Talons. We just figured they were a 
  bunch of upstarts, and would be pushovers like 
  everyone else. We were very wrong. They had more 
  people, money, and weapons than we could have ever 
  imagined. All it took was one hour for my entire 
  Psycho ***** family to be reduced to broken bodies, 
  and bloody pieces on the streets of down town. I was 
  the only Ripper to live through that one, so I took that 
  as my name. Anyone who claims to be a Ripper has to 
  answer to me.  
   
  After that my life took a real downward spiral. I didn’t 
  care what shit I put into my body(I think I even shot 
  up drain cleaner once). I was broke, and bored. I took 
  to robbing people to make ends meet. Don’t get me 
  wrong. I never meant to kill anyone, but ya know 
  sometimes people grow a pair when you least expect 
  it. One day I got the bright idea that the pickings 
  would be better up town. Yea I know that was ***** 
  stupid. Well I got up there and , was hitting this good 
  mark, an old couple. I was just about to convince 
  them to give me what they had. Then this punk with a 
  shiny nickel slick badge decided to play hero, and I 
  had just a little too much UV in my system to let that 
  happen. Some how half of his face ended up smeared 
  on the pavement, and the other half was frozen in a 
  look of pain, and fear. Then along come his buddies to 
  
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  9 of 13 
  rescue him.(boy I’m glad they had bad timing) I 
  ended up knocked out. When I came around I was 
  chained spread eagle to a wall, and had no idea where 
  I was. I figured I had a good run, and it seemed like a 
  good day to die.  
   
  When I had just convinced myself that death wouldn’t 
  be that bad a guy walked in looking like some kind of 
  business man. He said he worked for SLA, and gave 
  me the chance of a lifetime. Work for him and get all 
  the drugs i wanted, not to mention make some good 
  money doing what I was best at, or die. I cant believe 
  it took me a whole five minutes to decide.  
   
  I live for the sweet nectar called Ultra Violence, and 
  the Chain keeps me from going completely insane in 
  this fucked up world of progress. The company has 
  given me a chance to become somebody. On the 
  streets I was nobody. I hear aliens talk of religion and 
  gods, well MR Slayer is my god. I owe all I have to 
  him. My body my mind my soul belong to MR Slayer I 
  will do whatever the company asks, and do it with a 
  smile 
  --------------------------------------------------------- 
  812 Succubus Stormer Variant – by Max Hattuer 
  "Karma is happy to introduce the first female stormer, 
  the 812 Succubus. Originally, the 812 was used as in 
  covert operations against the Skin Trade, due to the 
  success involved, and the want of Operative status by 
  the Stormers involved, SLA Industries has declassified 
  their existence and granted them the option to 
  become freelance operatives. We hope that the World 
  of Progress will also see their talents and abilities as 
  useful and helpful."  
  -Harold J. Donavon, Karma PR representative, 
  speaking to the public in a recent program from Third 
  Eye News, July 903. 
  Quote: "I may be the weakest of all the previous 
  models, but I make up for it in intelligence, charm 
  and the ability to blend in with all of the other races. 
  We have been around since 900 and nobody ever 
  even knew we existed..."  
   
   
  Insight: You were made to combat the Skin Trade, 
  with the success of your previous sisters, SLA has 
  decided to allow you to move freely in society as an 
  operative. Using the natural abilitities that you have 
  been given, you move easily into a squad. Although 
  you don't understand why they refuse so many 
  undercover BPN's, you handle it with all the grace and 
  charm that you have. You have been constantly asked 
  to be a model, but the excitement of working as an 
  operative has always been the first thing in your 
  mind. You are better than the other Stormers. You 
  are physically appealing to others, charming, and 
  beautiful, and you can influence people in ways that 
  the other Stormers can only dream. It is how you got 
  into the squad, and it is how you will operate if you 
  need to. After all, it is fun, and men seem to turn to 
  puddy in your hands with just a wink and a blown 
  kiss.  
   
  Background: For years Karma have experimented 
  with female stormer varients, and once again, the 
  technicians at Phantom Pregnancy have outdone 
  themselves. Not only is the 812 Succubus a perfect 
  specimen of the Human female, it is also quite 
  charming. After only a few minutes in the presence of 
  one of these models, you quickly forget that it's a 
  Stormer. The flexibility that this creates is enhanced 
  by the fact that they have been around since 900SD, 
  working undercover against the Skin Trade, and even 
  DarkNight operatives have fallen for them. One DN 
  agent even married one.  
  I have been informed that the charming personality 
  comes not just from a natural affinity, but also from a 
  highly concentrated pheromone that these Stormers 
  excrete. And although physically inferior to even 
  Humans and Ebons, they make up for it in very clever 
  ways. And many of them are quite accomplished at 
  Martial Arts.  
   
  Appearance: The 812 Succubus is in all aspects the 
  epitome of the beautiful Human female.  
   
  Interaction:  
  Humans: "I love Humans, they are so easy to control, 
  I mean, talk to..."  
  Frothers: "Hanging out with Frothers guarantees a 
  good time. They really know how to party, although 
  working with them usually gets you in trouble if you 
  are not careful."  
  Ebons: "Ebons have a problem with being to uppity 
  and unyielding, although as emotional as they are it is 
  surprising how easily they are influenced.  
  Brain Wasters: "Haughty bastards with no inkling of 
  the finer points of Etiquette, and virtually charmless. 
  'Big throbbing vein indeed,' that is no way to talk to a 
  woman. Especially one that carries a Blitzer."  
  Shaktars: "I'm really at a loss on them, I don't 
  understand them in the least. But I trust them more 
  than anyone else."  
  Wraith Raiders: "Cool fur, it feels really neat. Easily 
  manipulated once you get the hang of want they like."  
  313 Malice: "Ahh, big brothers, all of them. One or 
  two of them around and it actually gets kinda hard to 
  talk to people in a quiet, calm way."  
  711 Xeno: "Wish I could do that whole 'colour-thing,' 
  it's really awesome!"  
  714 Chagrin: "A bit overprotective if you ask me, 
  okay, at least when it comes to 'little ol' me.'"  
  Vevaphon: "Weird, definitely weird."  
   
  Base Skills: Martial Arts (DEX) Rank 1, Persuasion 
  (CHA) Rank 2, Bribery (CHA) Rank 1, Seduction 
  (CHA) Rank 2, SLA Info (KNOW) Rank 1, Rival 
  Company Info (KNOW) Rank 1  
   
  Pheremone Excretion:  
  The Succubus constantly excretes a highly 
  concentrated form of pheremones through the pores 
  in its body, gaining the ability to 'charm' other races. 
  A CONC save at -5 applies to all CHA-based skill rolls 
  in which the victim has been in the presence of the 
  Stormer for more than 5 minutes. Modifiers should be 
  applied dependant on the situation and current 
  emotions of the victim.  
  The ability CANNOT be used if the Succubus is 
  wearing a fully-enclosed suit of armour. And the 
  Stormer MUST be within 2m or the time it takes 
  doubles out to 5m, and is ineffective at longer ranges. 
  Time is halved if the Stormer is touching the victim, 
  and the penalty doubles if 'sexual' contact is made, 
  i.e. kissing, pressing, etc.  
   
   
  
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  10 of 14 
  Extremely Charismatic:  
  Because of the 812's programming, she will always 
  recieve a +5 bonus to CHA-based skills. This is 
  cumulative with the Pheremone Excretion abilities 
  when appropriate.  
   
  Minimum/Maximum Characteristics:  
  STR DEX DIA CONC CHA COOL  
  1-6 1-10 1-11 1-10 5-15 1-10*  
   
  *A Succubus will usually act like they have a lower 
  COOL than they actually do 
  --------------------------------------------------------- 
  The Guardians – Mort’s Angels on the Street – by Max 
  Hattuer 
  For about ten years now, a group of Downtowners 
  have been walking the streets looking for 
  troublemakers. Very easy to spot in their white flak 
  jackets and red berets, they call themselves, the 
  Guardians.  
  Without accepting any pay for their services, they 
  protect the civilian population from the extortion 
  carried out by the other street gangs such as the 
  Kiesta's and Krosstown Traffic.  
   
   
  Unfortunately, this has resulted in various conflicts 
  between the three gangs, usually involving a gunfight 
  and wounding civilians in the process.  
  There are rumours that the Guardians have access to, 
  and use, SLA and DN weaponry, but so far, all 
  investigations have come up empty in this matter.  
  The actual number of members is unknown at this 
  time, but rumours persist they are in the hundreds.  
  The following report is not for public release, and 
  details the information that we currently have about 
  this bothersome group of individuals.  
   
   
  Department of Investigation File#: 11639870-
  663125/BN95~1863  
  Operative in Charge of Investigation: Charles Harrison  
  Security Clearance Level: 9  
  Distribution: By Request only 
  "I don't know who the ***** they were, they came 
  around the corner of the building while we were 
  talking to the Kiestas, trying to get them off the 
  street, and just started shooting. All geared for a 
  gang war in their flak vests, carrying guns...they 
  dropped all the Kiestas, and I took two in the 
  shoulder. They couldn't have been using CAF."  
  -Statement from Johnathon Lyons, SCL 10, Human 
  Male Strike Squad, Toto's Demise, interviewed after 
  Blue BPN# 3659742~80934/K13652  
   
  On -March 9th, 903SD, I was given the assignment of 
  investigating a squads involvement in a gang clash in 
  Downtown Level 4, Sector 98, Brownsville Walkway. 
  The Squads name was Toto's Demise.  
   
  The Squad consisted of:  
  Johnathon Lyons, Human Male, Strike Squad, SCL 10  
  Dorathy Miller, Human Female, Investigation, SCL 10  
  Scar Crow, Brain Waster Male, Death Squad, SCL 10  
  Mantin, Wraith Raider Male, Scout, SCL 10  
   
   
  After a fresh cup of coffee, I proceeded to the area in 
  which the conflict took place. It was a mess.  
  The Wraith Raider lay in pieces, my first assumption 
  was a grenade, but after examining the body, I 
  realized that it had been blown apart with HESH, 
  probably 12mm.  
  Miller, the Human female, was riddled with bullet 
  holes of varying calibre; she lay propped up against a 
  building.  
  Crow, obviously in pain, was in the process of dying.  
  Lyons was in the back of a Shiver transport.  
  Kiesta's lay everywhere, their colours soaked in their 
  own blood, weapons still in their places.  
  I went to Crow first, seeing as how he was about to 
  die. He told me to get away from him; he "wasn't in 
  the mood." So I informed the Shiver unit not to go 
  near him as he "wanted to be left alone." Hope he 
  heard me before he died.  
  So I talked to the Shiver Squad Leader and found out 
  what had been told to him by Crow and Lyons.  
  And off I went to the transport to consult the, now, 
  only survivor, Johnathon Lyons.  
   
  What follows is his statement:  
   
  Tell me what happened:  
   
  "We were called on a BPN, a Blue. 'Disperse gang 
  members before they get a chance to cause a 
  disturbance.' We were told there was a group of 
  Kiesta's hanging around the area, and they needed to 
  be removed. No big deal, easy 50 creds.  
  "Dorathy had a car, so we all piled in and came down 
  here. We figged we'd let her do all the talking since 
  she's a trained in it.  
  "Well, she walked right up to them and said, 'Excuse 
  me sir, would it be possible for me to talk to your 
  leader?'  
  "And the Kiesta, he says, 'That'd be me Slop, whatchu 
  want?'  
  "So Dorathy replies with, 'I want nothing, but I would 
  appreciate it if you would be so kind as to move along 
  down the street a way.'  
  "And he says, 'Why?' Like he's all bad and shit.  
  "Well, this kinda shit goes on for awhile, an then, 
  well, we hear a bunch of yellin from behind us, we 
  have just enough time to turn around and...BANG, 
  BANG, BANG, 
  RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA...  
  "And then we hear bullets flying all around us, all 
  over, and the Kiesta's they start to yell and fall...then 
  Dorathy takes one, and I take one, and Crow takes 
  some, and then they got old Mantin lots of times. 
  Hell, he was just a blur of red, like they all went full-
  auto on him or something.  
  "I saw them just as they came around the corner of 
  the building, they were wearing white jackets and red 
  berets, then it was all muzzle-flash, noise and blood."  
   
  Had you ever seen a group like this before?  
   
  "No."  
   
  Do you know who they are?  
   
  "I don't know who the ***** they were, they came 
  around the corner of the building while we were 
  talking to the Kiestas, trying to get them off the 
  street, and just started shooting. All geared for a 
  
   SLAIndustries.net Monthly Collection – January 2002                                          Page 11 
   
  11 of 14 
  gang war in their flak vests, carrying guns...they 
  dropped all the Kiestas, and I took two in the 
  shoulder. They couldn't have been using CAF."  
   
  What do you think they were using?  
   
  "How the ***** should I know? You think I stopped 
  to ask them? It was bigger than ***** CAF, I know 
  that!"  
   
  What would you assume they were using?  
   
  "10mm I guess, can't see how they would get there 
  hands on anything bigger."  
   
  Why didn't you return fire?  
   
  "They caught us by ***** surprise! That's why! And 
  then it was all confusion and noise!"  
   
  Could you make out their faces?  
   
  "I could see them, but I don't remember any details, 
  as soon as they started firing I tried to take cover."  
   
  Where?  
   
  "The ground, behind my hands, I don't know, ***** 
  ANYWHERE!!!"  
   
  And your squadmates?  
   
  "They were all on the ground, like I said."  
   
  No further questions at this time, but I may need to 
  talk to you later, is that okay?  
   
  "Yeah, whatever."  
   
  End Transcript.  
   
  I continued my investigation by walking around the 
  scene. From what I could tell, the Operative squad 
  had moved into an alley to talk to the Kiesta leader, 
  and the people who opened fire on them came from 
  the west. Looking down the street, I could see people 
  milling about, and decided to take a closer look.  
  Figures, the people in this area claim to have seen 
  nothing and heard nothing. So much for helpful 
  citizens.  
  At this point in the investigation, I went back to my 
  flat, and thought.  
  If there were people out on the streets, using SLA 
  weaponry, then there was only one place to get it, the 
  Black Market.  
  A quick stop by the Pit for a drink, you have to drink 
  before you go into the deeper levels of Downtown, 
  and then back to my car for a trip downtown.  
  Being an Investigator, you meet people, and some of 
  those people have pretty shady dealings in some 
  areas. As long as I keep my nose clean, I'll be okay. 
  And anyway, if they do something really horrible and 
  tell me about it, I'll turn them in.  
  First stop, Joey's.  
  Joey is really a good kid, but he has a problem buying 
  drugs from people who aren't really good people. But 
  he also hangs out with Operative's, which has proven 
  helpful to him. And for the right price, about two 
  doses of PI, he will give you information.  
  So, I grabbed two doses of PI, and away I went.  
   
  I need some information.  
   
  "Yeah? You know the price."  
   
  Yes, I do. Here you go, two doses.  
   
  "Okay, what do you need to know?"  
   
  I need information on a gang that wears red and 
  white.  
   
  "Red and white? Hmmm, how are the colours set up?"  
   
  Red beret, white flaks.  
   
  "Sounds like the Guardians to me. What did they do, 
  keep an Op from beating his wife?"  
   
  They killed almost an entire squad, Joey.  
   
  "Holy shit! It has to have been someone else, the 
  Guardians are more like free Props than a true gang."  
   
  That is a possibility. What do you know of the 
  Guardians?  
   
  "They came from New Paris a while back. Found Mort 
  to be a little more than they bargained for, so they 
  became vigilantes. Hell, they helped me out more 
  than once when I was starving or needed a safe place 
  to crash."  
   
  Tell me more.  
   
  "Well, here in downtown, they just kinda roam the 
  streets, much like any other gang, 'cept they take out 
  the bad guys."  
   
  The "bad guys?"  
   
  "Yeah, like the Johannas, Serial Killers, the Kiestas 
  and the Skin Trade. Just last week, they saved a girl 
  from being sold into slavery."  
   
  So they aren't in the business of killing Ops then?  
   
  "No way, man. The Guardians have lots of friends who 
  are Ops."  
   
  What type of weapons and gear do they use?  
   
  "Shit, whatever they can find I guess. Baseball bats, 
  CAF weapons, pipes and whatever else."  
   
  Including higher calibre weapons?  
   
  "Nah, these guys are straight, no funny business from 
  them."  
   
  You stated they would use whatever they could find, 
  Joey.  
   
  "Okay, how's this? I have never heard of them using 
  anything along the lines of firearms other than CAF."  
   
  Okay. What about armour?  
   
  "Flak vests and whatever they can scrounge."  
   
  SLA or DN included?  
  
   SLAIndustries.net Monthly Collection – January 2002                                          Page 12 
   
  12 of 14 
  "Yeah, probably."  
   
  Weapons too?  
   
  "Yeah."  
   
  How would I go about talking to someone who might 
  have sold them something?  
   
  "Man, I ain't no snitch."  
   
  Here's two more, plus a carton of Feelgoods.  
   
  "Sorry, keep it, and go home. I got no cause to get 
  my head blown off."  
   
  Okay, thanks for your trouble, Joey, and keep the 
  smokes.  
   
  "Anytime."  
   
  After talking with Joey, I went to the Department of 
  Investigation, where I proceeded to look up 
  information on the Guardians. What I obtained was 
  very interesting.  
   
  I will summarize the information here, for a complete 
  transcript, refer to Department of Investigation file 
  #34982~98459-9a9087/GDNS.  
   
  The above file states that the Guardians first 
  appearance on Mort was close to the end of the 
  "Chrome Age."  
   
  The Guardians started off as an anti-cybernetic gang, 
  that dealt with people who went 'over the edge.' This 
  was done in the service of the public, to keep the 
  metal-maniacs off the streets.  
   
  The Guardians were well received by the general 
  populace, and the company allowed them to roam 
  and do what they do; inasmuch as they caused no 
  damage to SLA or its properties, holdings and 
  personnel.  
   
  Before their appearance on Mort, they were known on 
  New Paris, and were popular with the adolescent 
  children there.  
   
  Many who were Guardians, have become Operative's 
  working with in the company. The following is a list of 
  just a few of these Operatives:  
  Pepper, Female Brain Waster Strike Squad, SCL 7B  
  Davix Mikley, Male Human Business, SCL 8  
  Remy LaBouche, Male New Parisian [read: Templar 
  from Freddy Lennon] Strike Squad, SCL 9  
  Corbin Linisex, Male Human Scout, SCL 10A  
  Michelle Donnal, Female New Parisian Human, SCL 8  
   
  My investigation will include interviews with the 
  above-mentioned Operatives, as soon as the 
  paperwork comes back to me. 
   
  Nearhom – Planet of Leisure - by Sue WIlson 
  Nearhom 
  A planet to reward your ops with a trip to... If they 
  become rich and famous enough... Or get very very 
  lucky. 
  Nearhom is a fairly small planet, mostly covered with 
  water. The place is (almost) paradise. It has a 25hr 
  day and circles the neighbouring sun one every 150 
  days (local). Its orbit is virtually circular and there is a 
  negligible tilt of the planet so there are no significant 
  seasons. 
   
  The equator dotted with small archipelagos and 
  islands, perfect for quiet secluded vacations, has a 
  uniform temperature of around 23'C, a negligible rain 
  fall and bright sun. (The sort of effect I am gong for 
  here is Caribbean.) There are a number of small 
  airports, many served by boat planes which serve to 
  transfer visitors from the main Space port to the 
  island of their vacation. 
   
  The poles consist of two land masses, and it is here 
  that the evaporated moisture from the sea falls back 
  mostly as snow. This area is popular for winter sports. 
  Average temp is -5'C but in the sun it feels much 
  warmer. 
   
  The Planet has very little in the way of natural 
  resources, other than the plentiful ocean life and 
  ideally environment. The number of visitors is 
  carefully controlled to prevent damage to this 
  resource, and as a result the small numbers are 
  charged an exorbitant rate. The planet is owned by 
  Nearhom enterprises and the whole population of the 
  planet is geared towards these high class and very 
  expensive holidays.  
   
  There is no record of any indigenous sentient life form 
  (or indeed anything more evolved than the plentiful 
  fish) Approximately every 100 years (+/-20years) , 
  the planet is swept by violent storms that grown out 
  of deep oceanic swells in the northern and southern 
  oceans. In all cases the storms (which last about 24 
  days) destroyed almost every man made structure on 
  the archipelagos, and often re write the map of teh 
  islands. The survivors where those evacuated to the 
  poles. As a result conditions in these oceanic areas 
  are now carefully monitored for warning signs that the 
  storms are building again, (although to be honest the 
  exact "warning signs" they are looking for are 
  unknown). It has been 84 years since the last one. 
   
  Galactic Locations (or what ever) : The place is one 
  fold from Mort [probably directly away from white 
  earth:)] To navigators the planet 'smells' of salt and 
  fish.. Anchovy(?) 
   
  
   SLAIndustries.net Monthly Collection – January 2002                                          Page 13 
   
  13 of 13 
  Navigation Hazard A70312 – by Sue Wilson 
  The asteroid belt in question is a little out of the way 
  and is marked on most space maps as not a good 
  place to go. It has developed a bit of a Bermuda 
  triangle reputation over the years and as it is not on 
  any normal route is avoided. 
   
  Have to give a lot of credit to john (mine) on this one. 
   
  The asteroid belt in question is a little out of the way 
  and is marked on most space maps as not a good 
  place to go. It has developed a bit of a Bermuda 
  triangle reputation over the years and as it is not on 
  any normal route is avoided. This is why - trouble is 
  I'm not sure how you would get this info into the 
  atlas. 
   
  Some 250yrs ago there was a small soft company 
  operating in the [sector]. They were closed down by 
  SLA and over time forgotten about. However they 
  have left a legacy.  
  Part of their operations was a mining scheme on these 
  asteroids, however they are some distance from their 
  base of operations so to easy the problems they 
  constructed and automated system of mining 
  machines with simple ***** roach intelligence and 
  the following instructions  
  Find large concentration of the following minerals and 
  precious metals.  
  Mine them, Purify them, turn into pure ingots (which 
  you will then ignore) and send them to these co-
  ordinate.  
  If Mineral is present in quantities above this threshold 
  level, go into reproduction mode and make more of 
  yourself. (They are Von Neumann machines)  
  If damaged identify source of damage. If threat is 
  smaller than this threshold value attack and destroy. 
  If larger run away.  
  5) Make any modifications/ repairs that improve your 
  productivity.  
   
  The last instruction was inserted so that the company 
  did not have to waste resources sending technicians 
  out there to up grade and repair the equipment.  
  However it is the bases of the legacy. 
   
  Over the last 250 years the machines have been 
  modifying and improving themselves and have set up 
  a nice little eco system. (similar to that Virus 
  experiment that was carries out some time back)  
   
  There are herbivores (which mine the rocks),  
  Carnivores (that mine the herbivores),  
  Parasites (That mine other beings at a small un 
  noticed level),  
  Symbiotic systems (where one type of machine 
  mines, and another type purifies.)  
   
  Some machines have grown very large (large enough 
  to take on ships hence the bermuda triangle problem- 
  BPN hook)  
   
  Some have reduced down to the size on nanites. (And 
  at this size people definitely register as being a viable 
  mineral source - BPN hook)  
   
  Some actively seek out the minerals, others lie in wait 
  to ambush I'm tempted to have one who has evolved 
  its long range sensor into a transmitter and has 
  discovered that if you broad cast on this frequency 
  this pattern the 'food' comes to you. (Wonderful thing 
  distress beacons! -BPN hook) May be another planet  
   
  The ingots of purified metals and minerals are being 
  transported out of the asteroids via some jump gate 
  or something. They are arriving in orbit around a 
  small planet which used to be the base of operations 
  form the soft company.  
   
  Obviously after 250 yrs there is quite a lot there.  
   
  Recently this source of pure materials was found by a 
  trading vessel form a nearby small and unimportant 
  planet, and the population have started collecting it. 
  They have no idea where is came form but, unlike the 
  goose that laid the golden egg they are more than 
  happy to take what they got. All they know is more 
  keeps turning up. Having pretty much used all they 
  can themselves (Streets paved with gold!) A 
  representative form this planet has approached SLA 
  to negotiate a contract to sell the material to them. 
  (BPN hook) 
   
  Navigation Hazard X18 – by Sue WIlson 
  This is an area of space marked as being hazardous to 
  Fold ships. In fact fold ships point blank refuse to 
  enter the sector. Navigators report an sense of fear 
  and nausea when the sector is even mentioned. 
  Space faring vessels on not Dark lament technology 
  report the only significant 'thing' in the area is a large 
  amorphous mass that registers as Unclassified 
  Organic Matter on any scans. It is the size of a large 
  gas giant (jupiter).  
   
  There has been one reported case of a ship entering 
  the mass itself. This was a Shaktar Ion drive vessel 
  on a research mission for Dark lament. It returned 
  with samples of the matter, reporting that it was 
  uniform semi solidified fluid. However the DL research 
  Fold ship refused to let the vessel back on board. 
  When the ship tried to approach, without orders the 
  foldship opened fire with all weapon. In a desperate 
  attempt to save the crew and their project the 
  researchers folded onto the ship and retrieved the 
  sample. However as they folded back onto the ship it 
  initiated a self destruct sequence. 
   
  The last message from the vessel was "I do this for 
  those I love" and appears to have been sent by the 
  Navigator. 
   
  In Sue wop the goo is the equivilant of fold ship snot 
  and contains something nasty and contagious and 
  probably lethal to fold ships.. 
  You can probably come up with something better 
  
   SLAIndustries.net Monthly Collection – January 2002                                          Page 14 
   
  14 of 14 
  Media Equipment – by Darrin O’Connor 
  Third Eye Portable Editing Suite 
   
  Designed to be taken anywhere out on the field, from 
  the trenches of a war world to the darkest alleys on 
  Mort. This modified Oyster laptop computer combined 
  with a deck-to-deck dataslug recorder is capable of 
  instantaneous real-time editing. The editing suite 
  comes with a fully-installed Umbilical 
  Transmission/Sissor Link and is compatible with all 
  Third Eye 'Vision' range vid-cams. When it's gotta go 
  live in five, trust Third Eye! 
   
  Features include: Standard Oyster computer with a 2-
  deck dataslug recorder/player. Contains anti-jog 
  (prevents loss of recording capabilities when system 
  is in motion), full color and 3-D playback, stereo 2-
  track recording, auto-stop, twin-deck recording, long 
  play facility (double recording time 0.001% picture & 
  sound degradation), deck-to-deck continuous 
  recording, Third Eye MediaMaster editing software 
  connectable to a remote database of broadcast-
  cleared vid effects, sponsor logos, equipment 
  statistics and celebrity bios. Supports 4 dataslug 
  ports, 6 cable 'chippy' ports, Third Eye 
  Umbilical/Sissor Link, and is capable of broadcast up 
  to 600km. Two-way transfer between live vid-cam 
  transmissions through Umbilical/Sissor Link.  
  Cost: 50c 
   
  Third Eye Portable Sound Recorder/Mixer 
   
  In years past news reporting out on location suffered 
  from poor audio recordings, forcing controllers and 
  editors to cover up using sub-par substitutes. Today, 
  thanks to this remarkable device great sound can be 
  achieved no matter where the story takes you. With 
  Third Eye by your side, everyone will be listening to 
  you! 
   
  Features include: 2-deck dataslug sound 
  recorder/mixer. Contains anti-jog (prevents loss of 
  recording capabilities when system is in motion), full 
  stereo 8-track playback, stereo 8-track EngulfSound 
  recording, auto-stop, twin-deck recording, long play 
  facility (double recording time 0.0001% sound 
  degradation). deck-to-deck continuous recording, full 
  studio mixing control capable of isolating 16 audio 
  signals (2 per track), connectable via Third Eye 
  Umbilical/Sissor Link to a remote database of 
  broadcast-cleared audio effects, sponsor 
  slogans/jingles and pre-recorded celebrity 
  soundbytes. Supports 4 dataslug ports, 3 cable 
  'chippy' ports, Third Eye Umbilical/Sissor Link, and 8 
  low-wave frequency wireless sound microphone ports 
  (microphones not included) and is capable of 
  broadcast up to 600km. Two-way transfer between 
  live vid-cam transmissions through Umbilical/Sissor 
  Link.  
  Cost: 40c 
   
  Third Eye Omni-Directional Microphone Kit 
   
  The Omni-Directional or 'Bulb Microphone' has always 
  been a staple of broadcast sound recordings. Its 
  spherical shape allows for it to pick up sound from 
  almost any direction with a minimal loss of sound 
  quality and gain of distortion. Each kit is self-
  contained and comes in a portable waterproof case. 
  Can be used handheld, mounted via clamps or 
  magholds. 
   
  Features include: Waterproof carrying case, 2 Omni-
  Directional microphones capable of receiving sound in 
  a 10m radius, 2 manual clamp mounts, 2 maghold 
  clamp mounts, 6 padded microphone head covers. 
  Supports 1 cable 'chippy' port or transmits to portable 
  sound recorder/mixer via low-wave frequency 
  wireless transmission, up to 90m.  
   
  Game Effects: Gives Good Hearing advantage rank 3 
  up to 10m radius. 
  Cost: 15c 
   
  Third Eye Uni-Directional Microphone Kit 
   
  The Uni-Directional or 'Shotgun Microphone' is the 
  premiere instrument for capturing live audio, whether 
  in a studio or out on the field. Its cylindrical shape 
  allows for it to pick up sound from an aimed direction 
  with a minimal loss of sound quality and gain of 
  distortion. Each kit is self-contained and comes in a 
  portable waterproof case. Can be wielded handheld 
  via pistol-grip, mounted on a 10m collapsible pole or 
  mounted underneath the barrel of a rifle.  
   
  Caution: If microphone is mounted underslung on a 
  rifle please be advised to fit the rifle barrel with a 
  silencer otherwise the firing of the weapon may 
  damage the microphone's sensitive internal 
  components and deafen the listener. 
   
  Features include: Waterproof carrying case, 1 Uni-
  Directional microphone capable of receiving sound 
  from a narrow field up to 30m, 1 pistol grip, 1 
  collapsible-expandable 10m pole, 1 rifle mount, 1 
  padded microphone cover. Supports 1 cable 'chippy' 
  port or transmits to portable sound recorder/mixer via 
  low-wave frequency wireless transmission, up to 90m. 
   
  Game effects: Gives Good Hearing advantage rank 6 
  up to 30m in one aimed direction. 
  Cost: 25c 
   
   
   
  SLA Industries and all characters, settings, images and other 
  intellectual properties pertaining thereto are © 1993-2001 
  Nightfall Games Limited, and are used without permission. 
  No challenge to those copyrights is intended or implied. 
  All other Non-Nightfall logos and trademarks in this site are 
  property of their respective owners. The works in this 
  document are property of their respective Authors. 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/SLA Industries (SWADE)/SLA Industries - SLAIndustries.net - Monthly Collection 03.pdf