TEXT:  
  
  Infinite Stars 
  A Fanzine for Stars Without Number(TM), Traveller(TM) 
  And other Science Fiction Role-Playing Games 
   
  Issue #3, March 2012 
   
   
  Table of Contents 
  Page 2............................................................................................................. Letter from the Editor 
  Page 3.......................................................................................... High Adventure: The Bronze Case 
  Page 8........................................................................................................ Dawn Sector: The Bladish 
  Page 9.................................... A Less-Travelled Road: Abstract Classic Traveller Space Combat 
  Page 11..................................................................................... Outer Veil: Freeman's Belt - Part II 
  Page 16................................................................................ OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a 
   
   
   
   
  Credits 
  Editor-in-Chief : Omer Golan-Joel 
  Assistant Editor: Richard Hazlewood 
  Cover Art: David Redington 
  Interior Art: David Redington 
  Articles by: Omer Golan-Joel, Richard Hazlewood, Brian Pichelman, Paul Eliott 
  Layout Design: Omer Golan-Joel 
   
    
   
  Contact Us: golan2072@gmail.com 
   
   
   
   
   
  Infinite Stars is published without charge or cost under the appropriate Fair Use and Online policies published by the 
  various holders of the Stars Without Number and Traveller licenses. It also follows the Traveller Open Game License 
  by Mongoose Publishing Ltd. 
   
  “Traveller” and the Traveller logo are Trademarks owned by Far Future Enterprises, Inc. and are used according to the 
  terms of the Traveller Logo License version 1.0c.  A copy of this license can be obtained from Mongoose Publishing.  
  The mention or reference to any company or product in these pages is not a challenge to the trademark or copyright 
  concerned. 
   
  All articles (C) by their original authors; all artwork (C) by the original artists. 
   
   
   
  
  Letter from the Editor 
  Welcome to the third issue of Infinite Stars, the fanzine 
  for Stars Without Number, Traveller and other sci-fi 
  RPGs! This issue is mostly a Traveller one, bringing you 
  a whole new adventure for Outer Veil and Mongoose 
  Traveller by Richard Hazlewood, abstract combat rules 
  for Classic Traveller Book 2 by Paul Elliott and the 
  second part of Richard Hazlewood's Freeman's Belt story 
  – and yet another instalment of Brian Pichelman's setting, 
  Dawn Sector, for Stars Without Number. 
   
  I also apologize for the delay in publishing this issue of 
  Infinite Stars. This was due to an increased university 
  work-load on me as I'm nearing the completion of my 
  thesis in Geography and City Planning at the Tel-Aviv 
  University. This has left me with less time for gaming in 
  general and editing IS in particular – but now, finally this 
  issue is ready! 
   
  We are always looking for more submissions to our 
  fanzine, from adventures and pieces of equipment to your 
  opinions and always for artwork as well. You are 
  encouraged 
  to 
  submit 
  such 
  material 
  to 
  golan2072@gmail.com, and we'll include it in our future 
  issues as possible. The deadline for submissions for 
  Infinite Stars #4 is May 1st, 2012, and the issue should 
  come out later that month if nothing bad happens. 
   
  Our best regards, 
  Omer Golan-Joel, Editor-in-Chief 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  High Adventure:  
  The Bronze Case – an Outer Veil Adventure for Mongoose Traveller 
  By Richard Hazlewood 
   
   
  Prolog – The Setup 
  The characters are visiting Novaya Pechenga (UWP 
  C885649-7 Hot) a world orbiting 82 Eridani in the Beta 
  Hydri subsector of the Outer Veil setting; but this 
  adventure could be run on just about any mid-tech world. 
  Their ship is having maintenance done. A failure of the 
  life support system requires the complete shutdown of 
  that system for several days. During the interim period, 
  the characters are housed in a local hotel. 
   
  During the evening of the second night in the hotel, one or 
  more of the PCs are exiting their room when they meet a 
  couple entering the room next to theirs. The interaction in 
  the hallway is a classic “move to the left, move to the 
  right” attempt to avoid each other. With a wan smile the 
  woman allows the PCs to pass. The woman looks like a 
  supermodel and appears to be in her mid-twenties; the 
  man, handsome, but not spectacularly so, is in his mid-
  forties. Both are dressed conservatively, but expensively. 
  Make a Recon roll and use the Effect to determine what 
  they notice. Note that they should be provided all 
  information from lower Effect rolls as well. 
   
   
   
  Effect 
  What was noticed 
  -6 
  or 
  worse 
  Nothing else is noticed 
  -5 to -1 
  The man makes an effort to ensure that he 
  keeps his body between the PCs and a bronze-
  metal case that he is carrying; it appears quite 
  heavy 
  0 
  The woman is naturally beautiful, not the 
  perfectly symmetric beauty of biosculpting 
  1 to 5 
  Both the man and the woman are wearing 
  Diplo-Armor 
  6 
  or 
  better 
  Both the man and the woman are armed with 
  body pistols hidden in their clothing 
   
  Later that night, about 2am, there is a loud commotion in 
  the hallway and in the couple’s room. If any of the PCs 
  look out of their room, they will see Emergency Medical 
  Services personnel working on the man. He has a cardiac 
  monitor on his chest and an oxygen mask over his face. 
  While they are watching, his heart will stop and the EMS 
  personnel will have to defibrillate him. He will then 
  stabilize and be wheeled down the hall to the elevators. 
  The woman, dressed in pajama pants and a T-shirt will be 
  told that she can meet them at the local hospital 
  emergency room. 
   
  If the PCs keep watching, she will enter her room and 
  emerge a few minutes later fully dressed, in the same 
  clothes they saw her in earlier, and carrying the bronze 
  case. She will quickly move down the hall and out of site. 
  About an hour later, she will return to her room and all 
  will be quiet. 
  Part 1 – The Attack 
  Just before dawn, the PCs will be awakened by the 
  obvious sounds of a struggle coming from the woman’s 
  room.  
   
  Decision #1: Do the PCs look out of their room into the 
  hallway? 
   
  If NO: 
    
  The sounds will stop after a couple of minutes and 
  nothing else will be heard that night. The next day, when 
  the PCs leave their room, the woman’s door will be 
  closed and the “Do Not Disturb” sign will be hanging on 
  the door handle. When the PCs return that evening, the 
  woman’s room will be taped off with police tape and a 
  small crowd of police and hotel personnel will be milling 
  around. When the PCs try to enter their room, they will be 
  questioned by the police. The woman was found dead in 
  her room and the police are questioning everyone. The 
  PCs are not suspects and will not be detained, but their 
  statements will be taken. No further actions will be taken 
  and the adventure is over. 
   
   
  If YES:  
  When the PCs enter the hall, they will see that the 
  woman’s door is slightly ajar and there are definite 
  sounds of a struggle coming from inside her room. 
  Upon opening the door, the PCs will see the following: 
  • 
  The woman is fighting with three men. All three 
  men appear to be armed with Stun Batons. 
  • 
  As the PCs open the door, the woman performs a 
  complicated martial arts manoeuvre and one of 
  the men (Intruder#3) goes down in a heap. 
  At this point the PCs must roll for initiative and enter the 
  fight. The men will notice the PCs have opened the door 
  
  immediately and one of them (Intruder#2) will turn and 
  attack the PCs while the other (Intruder#1) deals with the 
  woman. 
   
  Combat should be run until either all three men are down, 
  or the PCs are down. If Intruder#1 is taken out of action 
  Intruder#2 will flee, leaving everyone behind. 
  The following intruder statistics are provided for 
  reference. Credits and equipment reflect only those items 
  on their person at the time of the encounter. 
   
  Intruder#1 
  Str 8 
  (+0) Dex 10 (+1) End 9 (+1) 
  Int 8 
  (+0) Edu 9 
  (+1) Soc 8 (+0) 
  Male, Age 32, 3 Terms 
  1 Term Planetary Army (Infantry, Lieutenant) 
  2 Terms Agent (Corporate, Field Agent)  
  Cr 2,000 
  Skills:  Admin 1, Athletics (Co-ordination) 1,  
  Deception 1, Drive 0, Flyer 0,  
  Gun Combat (Energy Pistol) 1,  
  Hvy Weapons 0, Investigate 1, Melee 0,  
  Recon 1, Stealth 1, Streetwise 1,  
  Tactics (Military) 1 
  Equipment: Armour: Cloth (TL10, armour 5) and Reflec 
  (armour 10 against lasers), Augment: Neural Comm, 
  Weapons: Snub Pistol (1 spare clip), Stunstick,  
  Description: Intruder#1 is the leader of the group and the 
  only one that really knows anything. The other two 
  intruders were hired by him as muscle. Intruder#1 is after 
  the case and will kill to get it; but he is not careless. He 
  will sacrifice the two hirelings to save himself. He is a 
  fairly short man with blonde hair, blue eyes and freckles. 
  If the fight is going against him, he will use his Neural 
  Comm to bring reinforcements. 
   
  Intruder#2 
  Str 7 
  (+0) Dex 12 (+2) End 8 (+0) 
  Int 8 
  (+0) Edu 5 
  (-1) Soc 6 (+0) 
  Female, Age 22, 1 Term 
  1 Term Rogue (Enforcer, Rank 1)  
  Cr 150 
  Skills: Animals 0, Athletics 0, Deception 0,  
  Drive 0, Gun Combat (Slug Pistol) 1, Melee (Unarmed) 1,  
  Persuade 1, Recon 0, Stealth 0, Streetwise 0   
  Equipment: Armour: Cloth (TL8, armour 3) with 
  Computer Weave, Weapons: Blade, Body Pistol (2 clips), 
  Stunstick 
  Description: Intruder#2 is an ugly woman with nasty 
  scars on her face and arms. She is tough and mean. She 
  will be completely uncooperative and combative, even 
  when defeated. She has dark hair and brown eyes. 
   
  Intruder#3 
  Str 9 
  (+1) Dex 8 
  (+0) End 8 (+0) 
  Int 6 
  (+0) Edu 5 
  (-1) Soc 6 (+0) 
  Male, Age 22, 1 Term 
  1 Term Rogue (Enforcer, Rank 0)  
  Cr 200 
  Skills: Athletics 0, Carouse 0, Deception 0,  
  Gun Combat (Slug Pistol) 1, Melee 0, Recon 0,  
  Stealth 0, Streetwise 0    
  Equipment: Armour: Cloth (TL8, armour 3), Weapons: 2 
  Daggers, Body Pistol (2 clips), Stunstick 
  Description: Intruder#3 is a tall man with dark skin. He is 
  unconscious on the floor and will not awaken during the 
  encounter. 
   
  If the PCs LOSE: 
  They will be awakened, rather rudely, by hotel security 
  and the local police. The woman from the room will be 
  dead on the bed, her throat cut. All three intruders will be 
  gone and so will the bronze case. The PCs will have a lot 
  of explaining to do but surveillance cameras and forensic 
  evidence will eventually clear them of any charges. The 
  adventure is over. 
   
  If the PCs WIN: 
  The woman will immediately grab the bronze case and 
  tell the PCs to come with her. “There are more of them on 
  their way!” Each PC will have 2 combat rounds to gather 
  whatever they can from their rooms. Remember, they are 
  likely wearing their sleeping clothes, so actual clothes and 
  footwear would be a good thing to grab. In general, each 
  PC should be allowed to grab clothing and 1 additional 
  item per Dexterity DM bonus; if a PC has a negative 
  Dexterity DM, then they can only grab a pair of pants and 
  shoes, not a full set of clothing. 
   
  If any of the intruders drew a gun, the woman will grab it 
  as she runs out the door. She will not bother to get 
  dressed, fleeing in her pajama bottoms and t-shirt, her 
  only concern appears to be the bronze case. 
   
  If the PCs take longer than 2 combat rounds to gather 
  equipment, three additional intruders will appear at the 
  end of the hall. They will all be armed with Auto Pistols 
  and wearing Cloth armour. If the PCs try to fight them, 
  use the Attackers from Part IV – however, the PCs should 
  be strongly encouraged not to fight these guys, remind 
  them that they are in their pajamas and their opponents 
  are in body armor. 
   
  She will lead the PCs down the hall to a service elevator 
  (the PCs didn’t even notice that elevator before…), down 
  to the maintenance area, and out a service door into the 
  cold morning. Across the small parking lot, hidden in a 
  clump of bushes, she will extract a small black bag, and 
  then she will ask the PCs if they have a car. She will 
  follow the PCs to their transportation and once everyone 
  is in the vehicle and moving through the startown; she 
  will seem to relax and will answer some questions as well 
  as thanking them for their help and asking them about 
  themselves. While the PCs are leaving the parking lot, 
  they will notice three more men exit the hotel through the 
  service door, pistols in hand. Two will immediately head 
  to a parked Air/Raft and begin searching around it. The 
  third will notice the PCs leaving and raise his hand to his 
  wrist and begin talking into a Comm device – they have 
  been spotted. 
  
  Part 2 – The Interlude 
  The woman will identify herself as Amy (no last name); 
  this will obviously be an alias, but she will not give any 
  further 
  personal 
  information. 
  She 
  works 
  for 
  a 
  megacorporation (again, she will not give details) and will 
  say that she and her partner, the man in the hospital) have 
  been assigned to deliver the bronze case to a small 
  research facility about 1000 kilometres away from the 
  starport. 
   
  Their original plan was to take the rented air/raft (the one 
  being searched by the other men) and fly to Antoli Bay, 
  taking turns sleeping so they could make the entire trip 
  non-stop. However, her partner had a heart attack; he will 
  be fine in a few days, but he is out for this mission. 
  Amy is willing to pay the PCs Cr. 10,000 to help her 
  deliver the bronze case to the facility at Antoli Bay. If 
  they refuse, she will thank them for their help, leave the 
  vehicle with the black bag and the bronze case and the 
  adventure if over. 
   
  If the PCs accept, they will need to come up with an 
  alternate plan to get Amy and the bronze case to Antoli 
  Bay. The following things should be considered in their 
  plan: 
  • 
  Amy’s Air/Raft has been identified and will be 
  unusable. 
  • 
  The PCs vehicle has been identified and will 
  probably be traced/tracked. 
  • 
  Amy will not take public transportation (Mag-
  Lev train or Aeroplane) due to security screening 
  affecting the bronze case. 
  • 
  Air/Rafts come equipped with integrated Air 
  Traffic Control computers and navigation 
  systems. Amy believes the people chasing her 
  have the ability to use this system to track her 
  movements. 
  If no one comes up with the idea, Amy will suggest that 
  they rent a ground car and drive straight through to Antoli 
  Bay. The trip will take approximately 10 hours. The 
  GPS/Navigation system on the vehicle will have to be 
  disabled to prevent tracking. 
   
   
   
  Kalina Bakelyte (Amy) 
  Str 8 
  (+0) Dex 10 (+1) End 9 (+1) 
  Int 9 
  (+1) Edu 8 
  (+0) Soc 8 (+0) 
  Female, Age 26, 2 Terms 
  2 Terms Agent (Corporate, Field Agent)  
  Cr 5,000 
  Skills: Animals 0, Computers 0, Deception 1,  
  Drive 0, Flyer 0, Gun Combat (Slug Pistol) 1,  
  Investigate 1, Life Science 0, Melee (Unarmed) 1,  
  Recon 0, Stealth 1, Streetwise 1  
  Equipment: 
  Augments: 
  Neural 
  Comm 
  (TL10), 
  Subdermal Armour (TL11, armour 3), Ally: Jack 
  (Hospitalised Agent) 
  Description: Amy (an alias) has been a corporate agent 
  for one of the larger megacorporations for the last eight 
  years. She is tall with raven black hair and pale gray eyes. 
  She is strikingly beautiful, supermodel beautiful, but it is 
  natural, not the product of biosculpting. She is graceful 
  like a dancer, and even when she fights, it is like watching 
  a dance. 
   
  Amy has two items in her possession after the incident in 
  the hotel, a Black Bag and the Bronze Case. Each are 
  described below: 
   
  Bronze Case: The bronze-coloured case is not actually 
  bronze. It is about the size of a standard briefcase, but 
  very dense; it masses about 10 kg. The case has a 
  biometric lock on it that would take 1-6 days to break, so 
  essentially the case will not be opened during the course 
  of this adventure. Amy does not know the contents of the 
  case (nor does anyone else in this adventure). 
   
  Black Bag: This duffle-sized bag is Amy and Jack’s 
  emergency bag. It contains the following items: 
   
  Clothing – A complete set of clothes for a man and a 
  woman, fitted to Jack and Amy – the clothing is made 
  from Smart Fabric and contains Improved Computer 
  
  Weave (TL11) with integrated Computer/1 capabilities. A 
  variety of programs are available for incorporation; the 
  Referee should assume that any reasonable program of 
  TL11 or lower from the list on page 92 of the Mongoose 
  Core Rulebook is available for use. 
   
  Armour – Two (2) lightweight Flak Jackets (armour 6) 
  with several integrated pockets. 
   
  Medkit – A TL11 Medkit as described on page 93 of the 
  Mongoose Core Rulebook. Additionally, the kit contains 
  the following drugs: 2 doses of Panaceas, 2 doses of Anti-
  Rad drug, 4 doses of Stim drug, 1 dose of Fast drug. 
   
  Weapons – Two (2) Snub Pistols with silencers and six 
  (6) clips of ammunition each (12 total clips); and two (2) 
  ceramic daggers balanced for throwing. 
  Part 3 – The Chase 
  Once the PCs rent a car (Amy will pay for it), they can 
  begin the journey to Antoli Bay. Events will seem quiet 
  during the trip, however… 
   
  The PCs are being tracked by a Probe Drone (see Page 95 
  of the Core Rulebook). The drone will track the PCs as 
  they rent the car and travel towards Antoli Bay. The drone 
  has a range of 500 kilometres, so it will not be able to 
  track them all the way to their destination. 
  The PCs may make a Recon check every hour to spot the 
  drone: 
   
  Identify Probe Drone Tracking them, Recon, Intelligence, 
  10-60 minutes, Difficult (-2) 
  If the drone can track them for four hours, the people 
  chasing them will be able to determine their destination 
  and set a trap. 
   
  Details of how (if) the PCs deal with probe drone are left 
  to the Referee. 
   
  The weather on the trip is stormy and rainy, making the 
  roads slick and treacherous. The PCs should make a Drive 
  (Wheeled) check every hour to avoid a mishap. 
   
  Avoid Road Hazard, Drive (Wheeled), Dexterity, 10-60 
  minutes, Routine (+2) 
  Mishaps should be relatively minor and non-life 
  threatening, but should delay the PCs in their trip. 
  Suggested mishaps include: 
   
  • 
  The Ground Car hydroplanes and spins out of 
  control. The driver must make a Difficult (-2) 
  Drive (Wheeled) check to avoid crashing the car. 
  If the car crashes, assume it is going 1d6*10 
  km/h and use the rules on Collisions (page 66 of 
  the Core Rulebook) to assess damage. 
  • 
  The Ground Car blows a tire. It will take one 
  hour to replace it. 
  • 
  The Ground Car begins to overheat. The PCs 
  must reduce their speed to keep the car from 
  overheating, doubling the trip time remaining. 
   
  Part 4 – The Ambush 
  If the PCs do not detect the probe drone in the first four 
  hours of their trip, the people chasing them will be able to 
  organize an ambush about 2 hours outside of Antoli Bay. 
   
  The PCs will be travelling through a series of rugged, 
  forested hills. The rain will be falling imposing a 
  situational -1 DM on all laser weapons and equipment, the 
  roads will be wet. The forest is composed primarily of 
  Earth-based evergreens, but there are a few native plants 
  eeking out an existence within the alien forest. 
   
  The ambush had to be hastily set up, so the attackers are 
  not heavily armed. There will be four Attackers, two on 
  each side of the road using the trees to provide ½ hard 
  cover (-1 Cover DM). The attack will begin with 
  Attacker#1 firing his Rocket Launcher and then everyone 
  will attack with their melee weapons while Attacker#2 
  covers them with his pistol. The attackers will not retreat 
  until 2 of them are unconscious or dead. If Attacker#1 is 
  still functioning, he will not retreat; this has become 
  personal for him. Even though Attacker#1 is using a 
  Rocket Launcher, it will miss the vehicle but should be 
  close enough to force the vehicle off of the road – the 
  intent is not to kill all of the PCs in one shot. 
   
  The local Law Level is 9, so all weapons are banned. If 
  the PCs are somehow heavily armed, then the weapons of 
  the Attackers should have to be improved – Auto Pistols 
  and Auto Rifles are suggested as likely upgrades if 
  needed. 
   
  Attacker#1 
  Str 8 
  (+0) Dex 10 (+1) End 9 (+1) 
  Int 8 
  (+0) Edu 9 
  (+1) Soc 8 (+0) 
  Male, Age 32, 3 Terms 
  1 Term Planetary Army (Infantry, Lieutenant) 
  2 Terms Agent (Corporate, Field Agent)  
  Cr 2,000 
  Skills:  Admin 1, Athletics (Co-ordination) 1,  
  Deception 1, Drive 0, Flyer 0,  
  Gun Combat (Energy Pistol) 1,  
  Hvy Weapons 0, Investigate 1, Melee 0,  
  Recon 1, Stealth 1, Streetwise 1,  
  Tactics (Military) 1 
  Equipment: Armour: Cloth (TL10, armour 5) and Reflec 
  (armour 10 against lasers), Augment: Neural Comm, 
  Weapons: Snub Pistol (2 spare clips), Rocket Launcher 
  (TL9, 1 round) 
  Description: Attacker#1 is actually the same person as 
  Intruder#1 from the hotel; any damage he sustained from 
  the hotel fight will have been treated, but he will still be 
  wounded. He is a fairly short man with blonde hair, blue 
  eyes and freckles. At this time, he wants everyone in the 
  party dead. 
  
  Attacker#2 
  Str 7 
  (+0) Dex 9 
  (+1) End 8 (+0) 
  Int 7 
  (+0) Edu 6 
  (+0) Soc 6 (+0) 
  Male, Age 22, 1 Term 
  1 Term Planetary Army (Infantry, PFC)  
  Cr 100 
  Skills:  Athletics (Strength) 1, Drive 0, Gun Combat 0, 
  Hvy Weapons 0, Melee (Blade) 1, Recon 1, Survival 1  
  Equipment: Armour: Cloth (TL7, armour 3), Weapons: 
  Autopistol (1 spare Clip) 
  Description: Attacker#2 is of average height but very 
  stocky. He has close-cropped dark hair and swarthy skin. 
   
  Attacker#3 
  Str 9 
  (+1) Dex 8 
  (+0) End 6 (+0) 
  Int 7 
  (+0) Edu 7 
  (+0) Soc 8 (+0) 
  Male, Age 38, 5 Terms 
  1 Term Planetary Army (Infantry, Private) 
  4 Terms Rogue (Enforcer, Rank 4)  
  Cr 500 
  Skills:  Athletics (Co-ordination) 1, Drive 0, Gun Combat 
  (Slug Rifle) 1, Gun Combat (Slug Pistol) 2, Hvy Weapons 
  0, Melee (Bludgeon) 1, Melee (Unarmed) 1, Persuade 2, 
  Recon 0, Stealth 1, Streetwise 1, Survival 1  
  Equipment: Armour: Cloth (TL10, armour 5), Weapon: 
  Blade 
  Description: A veteran of the local criminal gangs, 
  Attacker#3 is the leader of the enforcers hired by 
  Attacker#1. He has brown hair and cold, brown eyes. He 
  never smiles and speaks very little. 
   
  Attacker#4 
  Str 8 
  (+0) Dex 9 
  (+1) End 10 (+1) 
  Int 9 
  (+1) Edu 8 
  (+0) Soc 7 (+0) 
  Female, Age 26, 2 Terms 
  2 Terms Rogue (Enforcer, Rank 2)  
  Cr 1,000 
  Skills:  Athletics (Co-ordination) 1, Deception 1, Gambler 
  1, Gun Combat (Slug Pistol) 1, Melee (Unarmed) 1, 
  Persuade 1, Recon 0, Stealth 0, Streetwise 0  
  Equipment: Armour: Cloth (TL10, armour 5), Weapons: 
  4 Daggers 
  Description: An up-and-comer within the local criminal 
  gangs, Attacker#4 is second in command to Attacker#3 
  and the most ruthless of the hired enforcers. She has dark 
  brown hair and green eyes. 
  Epilog - Delivery 
  If the PCs win the battle, or there is no battle, they can 
  proceed to Antoli Bay and deliver the bronze case. The 
  building that they deliver the case to is a non-descript 
  four-story building at the edge of an industrial area. There 
  are no signs outside the building indicating the name of 
  the company. Amy will go inside by herself and return 
  about 10 minutes later. If the PCs try to spy out the name 
  of the company, they must make a Recon check and a 
  Stealth check to not get caught. Getting caught will 
  reduce their payment by 50%. 
   
  Determine the Name of the Company, Recon, Intelligence, 
  1-6 minutes, Average (+0) 
   
  Not get Caught Looking for the Name of the Company, 
  Stealth, Dexterity, 1-6 minutes, Difficult (-2) 
   
  Both rolls must be made by the same PC. 
   
  If the PCs succeed, they will learn the name of the 
  company “AmalaCorp” which with a trivial amount of 
  investigation will be a local FEconA subsidiary 
  specializing in materials research and high tech 
  fabrication. 
   
  The PCs will never learn the contents of the case. 
   
  If the PCs are caught trying to snoop around the company, 
  Amy will only pay them Cr. 5,000. She will however, 
  reluctantly agree to pay for any medical treatment for 
  injuries sustained during the ambush. 
   
  If the PCs complete the mission, Amy will happily pay 
  them the full Cr. 10,000 and any pay for any medical 
  expenses. Additionally, Amy will reveal her real name, 
  Kalina Bakelyte, and that she works for FEconA; she is 
  now a Contact for the PCs and a possible Patron for future 
  missions.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Dawn Sector: The Hippaflicks  
  By Brian Pichelman 
   
  The Hippaflicks are the pacifist fish-people of Flicker. 
  They are very cumbersome on land, but not in the water. 
  They move up to 100 meters/minute (3mph) on land, and 
  360 meters/minute in water (20mph). They also speak 
  Bladish, and many also speak English. 
   
  Appearance and Biology   
  Hippaflicks are usually 5' long and have huge flat palms 
  with almost immoveable fingers, which they use for 
  paddling. Their feet are short and flat, because their hands 
  reach to the ground. They have 2 antennae with glowing 
  pink bulbs at the end; the glow is equal to a flashlight. 
  Their gills are at their sides. They are very streamlined. 
   
  Hippaflicks have lungs, but they also have gills, and 
  spend most of their lives underwater. 
   
  Unusual Biologic Abilities 
  Hippaflicks have an armor class of 7 due to their thick 
  skin and cannot wear armor due to their physical oddities. 
  Hippaflicks have a minimum Strength requirement of 14 
  and minimum Intelligence requirement of 12. 
   
  They are the most intelligent race on Flicker, having 
  invented antimatter drives and the theoretical concepts 
  that lead to the development of the wormholes. 
   
  They have two glowing pink bulbs on stalks coming from 
  their heads. This provides 10 meters of illumination in all 
  directions. These bulbs can be turned “on” or “off” at 
  will. 
   
  History 
  The Hippaflicks are the newest intelligent race to emerge 
  on Flicker. They stayed “hidden” from the semi-aquatic 
  Bladish for many centuries because Hippaflicks lived in 
  the trenches, a place not many Bladish dared to go. They 
  now live in cooperation with the Bladish, on account of 
  the fact the Hippaflicks cannot make tools on their own. 
  They are the only race that spends the majority of their 
  life in the water.  
   
  They travel off-world less often than the Bladish. Most 
  Hippaflicks are Psychics; they developed their mental 
  powers to overcome their physical limitations. They live 
  in the deep oceans, and so the Bladish are not concerned 
  with their powers. Their Psychics emerged around one 
  hundred years before human contact, so while Flicker was 
  never hit by the Scream, the Hippaflicks haven't gotten 
  much of a chance to develop their powers (about postech 
  level Psychics).  
   
  They are the smartest race on Flicker, but they require the 
  Irons to manufacture their technology. Hippaflicks gain a 
  +1 DM to their Intelligence characteristic. 
   
  Psychology 
  Hippaflicks are a pacifist race, and their religion reflects 
  that. The Gilled God represents the peace that must be, no 
  matter what (many non-Hippaflick historians believe this 
  to be because of their complete hopelessness in a fight). 
  The Shark is the opposite, being like a... shark. 
   
  Other Notes 
  NPC Hippaflicks with have 8 h.p. and an AC of 7. 
  Randomly encountered Hippaflicks have a 50% chance of 
  being a Psychic, a 35% chance of being an Expert, and 
  only a 15% chance of being a Warrior. 
   
  Hippaflicks are of fish decent; i.e. they are more closely 
  related to lungfish than to a dolphin. 
   
  Hippaflicks live a mostly hermitic existence in relation to 
  other races. Their cities are ruled by singular leaders, 
  considered some of the smartest beings in the known 
  universe. Each City-Leader is part of the Council of 
  Flicker. (There are 13 cities). 
   
  Hippaflick as Player Characters 
  Due to their bulkiness and inability to function well 
  outside of water, I would not recommend them as viable 
  PC. 
   
   
   
   
  
  A Less Travelled Road: Abstract Classic Traveller Space Combat 
  By Paul Elliot 
  There was nothing really like Traveller’s original ship combat rules, with its acceleration vectors and computer-
  programming-on-the-fly. For me, though, the novelty was soon replaced with the burning desire to get on with the story 
  and find out how it all ends. One screenwriter in Hollywood is a critic of the car chase, describing it as a gap in the plot, 
  a gaping hole that leaves the audience waiting for the outcome. I’d been wanting to plug Traveller’s ‘plot gap’ for years, 
  but only recently come around to the task when I decided to jump into a Book 1, 2 and 3 only, universe.  
   
  The system I developed is an abstraction of the Book 2 space combat rules as they stand. An important point to make is 
  that it leaves the starship construction rules unchanged; any book 2 design can participate in these abstract combats 
  quite easily. I wanted to know very quickly, 'who wins?' without deciding which programs to feed into the computer, or 
  which turrets should fire on which targets. There involves a short assessment procedure for any participating craft 
  which assigns each a number, a Combat Rating (CR).  
   
  Assess 
  First assess the spacecraft to create a single Combat Rating (CR). This 
  assessment is designed to provide a rough guide to the power and potential 
  combat ability of a starship, not to track every weapon and fitting. Assessment 
  can be done following construction, with the CR written down on the 
  construction sheet. Please resist the temptation to look at the ‘break points’ in 
  the Assessment Table and go on to design ships from there, angling to gain the 
  maximum number of bonuses. The CR is a ‘rough guide’ and should be done 
  after construction. Always add a +3 to the final total to create the Combat 
  Rating. The lowest possible CR for an undamaged craft should therefore be 3.   
   
  Avoiding a Fight 
  If one ship wishes to avoid a fight then it may attempt escape to beyond long 
  range. Roll 10+ every turn to succeed.  Add +2 if higher G rating than the 
  pursuer; +4 if the G rating is twice as high; -2 if the pursuer has a G rating twice 
  as high or more, than the evader.  
   
   
  Combat 
  In each 10 minute round all participants get one attack. It is the ship with the highest CR that goes first. When ships 
  engage in combat, the attacker (on a round by round basis) must compare his CR to the CR of his target on the table 
  below. This comparison table gives a target number that must be rolled equal to or above, and if successful a hit (or 
  hits) is scored.  
   
  Once it is determined that a hit has been made, check the result of the target roll to see how much damage was done. 
  The hit location table in Book 2 is used to determine damage. Ships take turns in trying to inflict damage on one 
  another. An escape attempt can be made if desired at the start of the next combat round. Remember that CR may change 
  if a turret, computer or maneuver drive suffers damage.  
   
   
  Comparison Table 
  Ratio 
  Target 
  Number (2D) 
  Enemy CR Quadruple or Over Yours 
  12+ 
  Enemy CR Triple or Over 
  11+ 
  Enemy CR Double or Over 
  10+ 
  Enemy CR Over Yours 
  8+ 
  Enemy CR Equal to Yours 
  7+ 
  Enemy CR Under Yours 
  6+ 
  Enemy CR Half or Less 
  5+ 
  Enemy CR 1/3 or Less 
  4+ 
  Enemy CR ¼ or Less 
  3+ 
   
   
  The Three-Way Fight 
  When a ship is in combat with multiple foes then the outnumbered ship has to reduce its CR by 1 for every additional 
  foe. The limit on how many foes can be engaged simultaneously is limited to one half of the computer number (round 
  up).   
  Ship Damage Table 
  Target Roll 
  Damage Inflicted 
  Roll Target Number  
  Exactly 
  1 hit 
  Roll 2 more 
  2 hits 
  Roll 3 more 
  3 hits 
  Roll 4 more 
  4 hits 
  Roll 5 more 
  6 hits 
  Roll 6 more 
  1 critical and 2 hits 
  Roll 7 more 
  1 critical and 4 hits 
  Roll 8 more 
  1 critical and 6 hits 
  Roll 9 more 
  2 criticals and 2 hits 
  Roll 10 more 
  2 criticals and 4 hits 
  Assessment Table
   
  1-2G Drive
   
  3G Drive
   
  4 G Drive
   
  5-6G Drive
   
  +1
   
  +2
   
  +3
   
  +4
   
  Small Craft Weapons 
   
  Single Turrets
   
  Double Turrets
   
  Triple Turrets
   
  +1
   
  +1
   
  +2
   
  +3
   
  Equal or Over 10 Turrets
   
  +2
   
  Equal or Over 20 turrets
   
  +4
   
  Equal or Over 30 turrets
   
  +6
   
  Equal or Over 40 turrets
   
  +8
   
  No Sandcasters
   
  -1
   
  Computer 4+
   
  +2
   
  Computer 6+
   
  +3
   
  Computer 7
   
  +4
   
  
   
  Hit Location Tables 
  Use the Hit Location tables given in Book 2, with the following changes; Small Craft, Crew and Hull hits.  
   
  Small Craft:  A cabin hit may injure crew. Everyone onboard rolls 1d6, if the result is 5 or 6, that person is badly 
  wounded or killed. Three hits on a small craft cabin result in the craft’s break up and destruction. Any critical result on 
  a small craft indicates Explosion.  
   
  Crew: A crew hit indicates decompression, fires, hydrogen or powerplant leaks and, more likely, hypersonic 
  fragmentation effects. Up to 1D-1 crew are injured and unable to help in the combat. The ship can only act next round if 
  a 9+ saving throw is made on 2D. This roll can be attempted at the start of each round.  
   
  Hull: The hull is smashed, air lost, structure damaged and interior components disabled. Lose a corridor or two, plus 
  one of the following: 
   
   
  1D 
  Hull Location Affected 
  1 
  Grav-plates are disabled 
  2 
  An airlock is destroyed 
  3 
  Life support fails in 1-3 rounds 
  4 
  Inertial compensators disabled. LImited to 1G 
  acceleration (2G if military) 
  5 
  Comms disabled 
  6 
  Long-range sensors are disabled 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Sample Combat Ratings 
  Ship Type 
  CR 
  Scout/Courier (double turret) 
  4 
  Free Trader (double turret) 
  6 
  Subsidized Merchant (double turret) 
  6 
  Subsidized Liner (no turrets) 
  3 
  Yacht (no turrets) 
  3 
  Mercenary Cruiser (6x triple turrets) 
  9 
  Patrol Cruiser (4x triple turrets) 
  8 
  Leviathan Merchant Cruiser (6x double turrets, 3x triple turrets, 4xsingle turrets) 
  9 
  Kinunir Battle Cruiser (8xtriple laser, 2xtriple turrets) 
  14 
  Launch (3xweapons) 
  5 
  Fighter (3xweapons) 
  6 
  Cutter (3xweapons) 
  6 
  Aslan Escort (8xtriple turrets) 
  10 
  Aslan Cruiser (10xtriple turrets) 
  11 
  Zhodani Escort (6xtriple turrets) plus 2 fighters  (CR 7) 
  10 
   
  Other rules 
  All other rules regarding detection, decompression, abandoning ship, damage control, repair parts and so forth can be 
  used directly from Book 2 as required.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Outer Veil: Freeman's Belt – Part II 
  By Richard Hazlewood 
  AUTHOR’S NOTE: The background for this story is 
  based on the Outer Veil setting developed by Omer 
  Golen-Joel and published by Spica Publishing and is used 
  with permission of the author. In no way should the 
  events or specific descriptions in this story be considered 
  “official” or “canon” to the published setting. Any 
  differences between the official published material and 
  this story are the fault of the author. I would also like to 
  send a special thank you to Omer for allowing me to play 
  in his sandbox. 
  *** 
  One hour before their arrival at Freeman’s Station, Drake 
  ordered the Maneuvering Watch set. Normally, she would 
  have only set this watch during the final approach to the 
  station, but with things as confused as they were, she 
  wasn’t taking any chances. 
  As she entered the bridge, she noted that all the work 
  stations were occupied, including the weapons station. 
  Normally that station was not manned during the 
  Maneuvering Watch. She turned to her XO, who was 
  sitting in the command chair, with a questioning look. He 
  glanced over at the Weapons Station and then back to 
  Drake and nodded his head slightly. She smiled in 
  response, liking his thinking and initiative. Maybe he was 
  going to develop faster than she thought. 
  “Mister Quetel, I have the Conn.” She said loud enough 
  for everyone on the bridge to hear and also to ensure that 
  it was automatically recorded in the ship’s log. 
  “Captain has the Conn, Aye.” Came the young 
  Lieutenant’s response as he got out of the Command 
  Chair and moved over to take the Pilot’s station from 
  Sveglianova as Drake took her seat. 
  Drake glanced out at the holoscreen, quickly updating 
  herself on the situation around the station. As she 
  expected, nothing had changed. The station image was 
  displayed in the center of the screen. Freeman’s Station 
  wasn’t really much to look at. It was made up of five 
  standard modules: two for docking, one for power and 
  command and two for habitation.  Two Phaeton-class 
  small craft were docked at the station, one at each 
  module. The Phaeton’s were universally called ‘Slow 
  Boats’ for their minimal performance. One Boat looked 
  battered and badly in need of repairs, but the other looked 
  almost new, with the FNH logo prominently displayed on 
  the small vertical fin.  
  “Comm, have we received any new messages from the 
  station?” She asked. 
  “Nothing but routine docking instructions Ma’am.” 
  The normal buzz of activity proceeded on the bridge for 
  the next half hour as the Wyvern used her gravitc thruster 
  plates to match orbital speed with the station and then 
  started moving slowly in to docking position next to the 
  station’s Boat. Drake said very little, using the time to 
  observe her crew in action. This was the first time she had 
  seen them operating in any situation other than drills. She 
  was very pleased with what she saw. 
  Things just didn’t feel right about this situation. She had 
  never been to any station where there was no banter 
  between orbital control and a docking ship, even with a 
  military ship like hers. There just weren’t enough ships 
  out here to make these things completely routine. But 
  Freeman’s Station was all business. All messages were 
  curt and short and completely to the point. There was no 
  personality at all. Everyone on the bridge could tell that 
  things were not right on Freeman’s Station. 
  When the Wyvern was within one kilometer of the 
  station, Drake pressed a button on her Command Chair. 
  “Sergeant Albani, proceed.” 
  After receiving the acknowledgement, she raised her 
  voice to the bridge crew. “We are going to launch our 
  shuttle and use it to cover us while we dock. Should 
  things go south, they will have our back.” 
  “Captain!” Her Engineering Officer, Petty Officer First 
  Class Armand Soliari, spoke up suddenly, “The aft airlock 
  has just been activated.” 
  “That’s OK, Petty Officer Soliari; Sergeant Albani’s 
  people are going outside for a bit.” 
  *** 
  At the aft airlock, Sergeant Albani was making his final 
  checks on the armoured vacc suits of his squad of 
  marines. In groups of two, they were cycling through the 
  airlock and regrouping on the ship’s hull. Once everyone 
  else had moved outside, Albani made a quick silent prayer 
  to Allah and moved through the airlock to join his 
  troopers. 
  From the outside of the ship, Freeman’s Station was a 
  bright, irregular blob hanging in the sky. The eight 
  marines waited quietly as the blob got bigger and resolved 
  itself into five connected modules. When the ship was 
  within a hundred meters of the station, Albani gave the 
  hand signal and the marines deactivated their magnetic 
  boots and jumped from the ship’s hull towards the station. 
  The marine’s vacc suits were equipped with small thruster 
  packs.  The marines, using small puffs of compressed gas, 
  moved over the docking module and headed for the 
  junction unit that connected the various modules of the 
  station together. Two pairs of marines carried large boxes 
  between them, guiding them towards the station. 
  The standard modules used to build the station had an 
  opening at each end. These openings, called Iris Valves, 
  were airtight but they were not airlocks. The various 
  modules were connected together using junction units, 
  objects resembling six-sided dice that had openings on 
  each face allowing up to six modules to be connected 
  together. Freeman’s Station had been constructed using 
  two junction units. One unit connected the two docking 
  modules to one end of the command module while the 
  other unit connected the two habitat modules to the other 
  end of the command module giving the station the shape 
  of a capital letter ‘I’. 
  The marines moved under the two docking modules. The 
  artificial gravity of the station was oriented so that the 
  
  floor of the modules was above the marines, but the 
  artificial gravity plates built into the floor and ceiling 
  confined the gravity field such that it was only within the 
  module; all areas outside of the modules were in 
  microgravity.  Using only hand signals, the marines 
  opened one of their boxes and began assembling a clear 
  plastic bag over the unused iris valve on the junction unit. 
  Once completely assembled, Albani’s tech specialist, 
  Corporal Jenna McKarty, moved inside the bag and 
  activated the pressurization system. Corporal McKarty 
  was a very short redhead; she was barely a meter-and-a-
  half tall and most of her equipment had to be specially 
  ordered to fit her small frame; but she was one of the best 
  techs that Albani had ever worked with. Slowly, the bag 
  filled with air. 
  When the bag was pressurized to one atmosphere, 
  McKarty opened another bag and began working on the 
  external controls for the iris valve. Iris valves were 
  designed so that they could not be opened if there was a 
  differential pressure between the two sides of the door. 
  Additionally, since this iris valve was not connected to a 
  module, as an extra safety precaution, it was electrically 
  disconnected so that it could not be accidentally opened. 
  McKarty worked on the operating mechanism to provide 
  power to the door so that the marines could open it. 
  After several minutes, McKarty had successfully 
  connected her computer to the door’s operating 
  mechanism and disabled the alarm that would have 
  notified those on the station that the iris valve had been 
  opened. She gave Albani a thumbs up and waited. 
  While McKarty had been working on the iris valve, the 
  other marines had been busy assembling the second bag 
  and attaching it to the first. The second bag would be used 
  as a crude airlock to allow the marines to enter the 
  module without depressurizing the area immediately next 
  to the iris valve.  Once the second bag was assembled, 
  three 
  marines 
  squeezed 
  into 
  it 
  and 
  began 
  the 
  pressurization process. 
  Once all four marines were within the first bag, the 
  second bag was depressurized and the remaining marines 
  scrambled inside and began pressurizing it again. After 
  the bag had completely pressurized, the marines opened 
  the door connecting the two bags, creating one large 
  pressurized area with all eight marines together. Albani 
  unzippered his flashlight and aimed it at the Wyvern 
  hovering overhead. He blinked his flashlight three times, 
  then returned it to its zippered compartment, double-
  checked his weapon, he signaled McKarty to open the iris 
  valve. 
  *** 
  Aboard the Wyvern Ensign Killig, acting as the Sensor 
  Operator as well as the Navigator, reported the signal to 
  his captain. Drake then gave the order to begin the final 
  docking sequence with the station. Above and just behind 
  the Wyvern her shuttle, a Caracal-class assault shuttle, 
  drifted several kilometers “above” the station, oriented so 
  that her laser cannon covered the station and all three 
  docked ships. The Caracal was designed to support 
  planetary landings and assaults and carried several close 
  support weapons but she was also equipped with a 
  starship grade beam laser giving the design a lot of 
  flexibility and some teeth in a fight. 
  *** 
  As the iris valve opened, McKarty stuck her vacc-suited 
  head “up” through the opening. She felt a moment of 
  disorientation as her head was in normal gravity while the 
  rest of her body was in zero-g; however, years of training 
  had taught her how to adapt to this unusual situation and 
  she quickly adjusted to the gravity shear. Seeing that the 
  junction was clear and no one could see her, she moved 
  up into the junction. The iris valve to the command 
  module was closed, but the ones to the two docking 
  modules were open. McKarty checked both docking 
  modules quickly. The module to be used by the Wyvern 
  was full of armed men, the other module was empty. The 
  junction wasn’t huge, only a dozen or so cubic meters, but 
  with her small frame there was enough room for three of 
  the marines to move up out of the pressurized bag. 
  McKarty moved over to the iris valve separating the 
  junction from the docking module for the Wyvern. When 
  the marines were in place, she led the advance into the 
  Wyvern’s docking module, moving quietly hoping to 
  catch the armed men unaware. 
  As she moved into the module, two of the marines that 
  were in the junction with her followed her and veered to 
  the sides, fanning out in the entrance to the module, 
  moving away from the door and covering more area of the 
  module; the remaining marine moved over to the entrance 
  to the other docking module, covering their back. The 
  four remaining marines in the bag quickly vaulted up into 
  the junction and out into the module after the first group 
  of marines. Albani was second from last through the door, 
  behind him the last marine took up a rear guard position, 
  covering their exit as well as the iris valve to the 
  command module. 
  Within the module, things were relatively quiet. The first 
  group of marines had encountered no resistance and had 
  quickly found cover behind desks, piled up boxes and 
  other items that were normally found in a docking 
  module. As Albani moved into the module and took cover 
  behind the same box as McKarty, he surveyed the rest of 
  the module. 
  Within the relatively small space, about a dozen armed 
  individuals were surrounding one of the airlocks; the 
  Wyvern’s airlock. The group was a ragged bunch in 
  mismatched clothing and bits of uniforms. Most of the 
  group was men, but there were several women as well, 
  just as ragged as the men. None of the people had noticed 
  that the area behind them was now filled with armed 
  marines. A quick scan of their weapons and armour 
  showed mostly small arms with a couple of men armed 
  with advanced combat rifles. Most of the group was 
  wearing some kind of armour, although nothing heavier 
  than ballistic cloth. The heavier weapons were not well 
  deployed around the airlock and very few people seemed 
  to be taking advantage of the available cover. 
  “Amateurs” thought Albani when he noticed the lack of a 
  rear guard and poor use of cover and firing arcs. His 
  marines could have come right through the airlock and 
  
  probably taken minimal casualties dealing with these 
  idiots. 
  As the last of his marines moved into position, Albani 
  gave the signal and using the voice amplification feature 
  of his vacc suit he yelled out “FNH Marines! You are 
  surrounded, drop your weapons now or you will be fired 
  upon!” 
  The people jumped and looked around, several of them 
  swinging their weapons, looking for a target. One short 
  man with a pistol raised it and fired at the box Albani was 
  using as cover. Two quick shots rang out from the closest 
  marine and the man dropped to the ground red spots 
  spreading across his chest. 
  “Anyone else? You have five seconds to drop your 
  weapons or we open fire!” 
  After a couple of seconds hesitation, first one, then the 
  other people dropped their weapons and raised their 
  hands.  One woman tried to use her personal 
  communicator, but one of the marines moved quickly and 
  grabbed her arm, preventing her from completing the call. 
  The marine practically lifted the woman off of the deck as 
  he held her hand over her head.  She struggled in his grip 
  and balled up her fist like she was going to hit him but the 
  marine must have said something because she got quiet in 
  a hurry and stopped resisting.  The look she gave the 
  marine could have melted tungsten. 
  Albani moved over to the airlock, which was still open on 
  the station side and seeing the closed airlock of the 
  Wyvern, banged on the door three times with the butt of 
  his combat rifle, after a pause he banged again twice.  
  Stepping back, he closed the airlock and allowed the crew 
  of the Wyvern to cycle over to the station. 
  Drake was the first one through the airlock, fully suited 
  with the helmet sealed and pistol in hand. Albani smiled 
  behind his faceplate in approval. 
  “Report.” She said briskly, flipping up her visor with one 
  hand while her other hand held her service pistol and her 
  eyes scanned the inside of the module. 
  “Sir, we have taken eleven armed personnel prisoner.  
  They were preparing for your entrance. They have been 
  detained at the far end of the module.” Albani pointed to 
  his left and Drake’s eyes moved over the prisoners. 
  Two marines were standing guard over the group of 
  prisoners who where all sitting on the deck with their 
  hands tied behind their back. 
  “None of the prisoners are talking so we don’t know the 
  situation in the command module, but the other docking 
  module was unoccupied. We did not attempt to enter 
  either of the Slow Boats.” 
  Drake nodded and said, “Good job Sergeant. I have four 
  people with me. I would like to leave a couple of them 
  here with the prisoners while we use your marines to deal 
  with whatever is going on in the command module.” 
  Albani motioned for two of the vacc suited figures who 
  had just come through the airlock over towards the 
  prisoners. When they had taken up guard duty for his 
  marines, he directed those marines to guard the airlock of 
  the Wyvern, which was closed again now that everyone 
  was through it. Under no circumstances would he let 
  anyone get onto his ship that didn’t belong. As he and 
  Drake moved towards the iris valve, he organized his 
  marines and used another of his marines as a guard at the 
  entrance to their docking module. That left him with four 
  marines and himself for whatever Drake had in mind. 
  Unconsciously, Albani had discounted the Captain and 
  the two other ship’s crew from any kind of combat 
  operation. 
  Drake paused at the entrance to the junction, planning her 
  next move. She wished the Wyvern had enough of the 
  docking bags to allow her to send a group of marines 
  through the other junction box and cover both entrances 
  to the command module, but space was limited and if it 
  hadn’t been for the ingenuity of Sergeant Albani, they 
  wouldn’t have gotten onto the station the easy way. 
  While she was deciding what to do, one of the confiscated 
  comm units beeped and a voice came out of the speaker 
  box. “Jeskins, what is your status?  Have the Funnies 
  docked yet. What is going on?” 
  The urgency in the man’s voice indicated that he didn’t 
  like not knowing what was going on. Drake smiled as she 
  took the proffered communicator from Albani. 
  “Jeskins and all the rest of your pirate buddies are now 
  prisoners of the Federated Nations of Humanity. You will 
  surrender now. We have control of both docking modules. 
  You have no way off this station. Surrender now.” 
  Albani and Drake could both hear the cursing coming 
  through the comm, along with what appeared to be a 
  furious, multi-sided argument about what to do. At least 
  one of the voices, a woman’s, was urging surrender and 
  several seemed to be advocating using the crew of the 
  station as hostages to secure passage to their space craft. 
  While Drake listened to the argument going on through 
  the comm unit, Albani signaled to McKarty and she went 
  to work on the activation panel for the iris valve to the 
  command module. Before the argument had come close to 
  ending, McKarty signaled that she was ready. 
  Drake saw the signal from McKarty to Albani and gave 
  him a wink and a small smile. 
  Pressing the mute button on the comm unit, Drake told 
  Albani what she wanted the marines to do. Albani 
  immediately started moving his marines and the two 
  remaining Wyvern crew into the necessary positions. He 
  used the two Wyvern crew to cover the remaining 
  docking module and got his marines into assault 
  formation. Within five seconds he would have what was 
  left of his squad through the iris valve and into the 
  command module. 
  Drake eventually grew tired of listening to the pirates 
  argue amongst themselves. “Listen, you have 10 seconds 
  to surrender or we are coming in there.” 
  She held up one hand and as she started counting down 
  from 10 to the pirates, she actually started counting down 
  from five on her fingers to the marines. 
  
  With no change in her voice, she reached five and 
  punched the air with her empty hand. Without waiting for 
  word from Albani, McKarty activated the iris valve 
  controls and before the door had even completely opened, 
  she and two other marines were already through with the 
  other two marines right behind them. 
  The command module was divided into two sections, the 
  power section, containing the small fusion reactor that 
  powered the station, and the command section which was 
  designed like a starship bridge. Two-thirds of the module 
  was taken up by the command section. The marines 
  stormed through the iris valve and spread out through the 
  command section. 
  The pirates were caught partially off-guard, but they 
  reacted quickly. Two pirates, hiding behind control 
  consoles, opened fire on the on-rushing marines with their 
  sub-machine guns. The spray of bullets whizzed around 
  the enclosed space, but missed their intended targets 
  completely. Several bullets hit one of the control consoles 
  sending a shower of sparks and shrapnel flying. At least 
  one bullet hit a soft target with a dull, wet thud. The 
  victim began screaming as she fell to the floor adding to 
  the general mayhem. With quiet precision, the marines 
  returned fire and both pirates were hit by several bullets 
  which ripped through their light body armour and dropped 
  them in their tracks. 
  Several other pirates started to raise their weapons and the 
  situation was quickly degenerating into an all-out war 
  when the leader of the pirates shouted, “We surrender!  
  Don’t shoot!” 
  The marines froze, their combat rifles shifting from one 
  target to another, covering the six people still standing. 
  First one, then the rest of the people dropped their 
  weapons and raised their hands. Without any apparent 
  communications, two of the marines moved to quickly 
  separate the armed pirates from their weapons and then 
  began searching them for any hidden weapons. A small 
  assortment of knives and pistols were removed from their 
  owners and then all of them were handcuffed and moved 
  to one side of the command section. 
  During this entire event, Drake had remained outside of 
  the command module and out of the line of fire. She much 
  preferred to be inside with her people, but Sergeant 
  Albani had been most insistent; even threatening, and 
  reluctantly Drake had admitted that he was right. The 
  station’s crew had remained at their consoles, ducked 
  down as far as possible to avoid the firefight. 
  When Albani allowed Drake to enter the command 
  module, she came in with her pistol still in her hand but 
  not exactly pointed at anyone. She quickly surveyed the 
  module. All of the station’s crew seemed to be dressed in 
  identical jump suits with the Freeman’s Station logo on 
  the right sleeve and the pirates appeared to be dressed in 
  mismatched military fatigues and civilian shirts, most 
  with light body armour, but Drake was taking no chances. 
  She raised her voice, making sure everyone in the module 
  could hear her. “I apologize in advance for any 
  inconvenience to the station’s personnel, but right now, I 
  don’t know who is who. Everyone will now stand up very 
  slowly and raise your hands.  Move nice and slow people 
  and we can get this straightened out quickly. 
  “Sergeant Albani, secure the rest of the station. I want 
  everyone moved to the docking bay while we figure out 
  who’s who and what is going on.” 
  Albani took three of his marines and moved to the far end 
  of the command section and into the power section. After 
  clearing the rest of the module, his team moved into the 
  two habitation modules. 
  Flicking her tongue to activate her suit’s radio, she said, 
  “Mr. Quetel, please send the medic over along with Petty 
  Officer Lingle and anyone else who can help identify the 
  station’s personnel.” 
  One of her crewmembers had moved over to the wounded 
  woman and begun administering first aid while the other 
  covered the mix of pirates and civilians. 
  While everyone was getting sorted out, searched and 
  moved into the docking module, Drake received a private 
  message from Albani, “Captain, habitat modules are 
  secure, but we have wounded people back here. There are 
  three GSW’s and someone who looks like he’s been 
  beaten pretty badly. I think it is the Station Manager.” 
  Drake cursed under her breath, and moved past the few 
  remaining people in the command module towards the 
  habitat modules, radioing Quetel to have anyone with 
  medical training to her location. She did the mental math 
  as she moved to the iris valve.  Her ship only had a crew 
  of sixteen, plus the eight marines. Of those twenty-four 
  people only a handful had any real medical training and 
  she only had one qualified Corpsman. But she now had to 
  deal with five injured people, guard the prisoners and she 
  still had crew on the Caracal. 
  As she was about to step through the iris valve the entire 
  station shuddered. Vacuum alarms sounded and red lights 
  started flashing. She jumped back quickly as the iris valve 
  in front of her slammed shut, almost cutting off her nose. 
  Behind her, she could hear the other iris valve slam shut. 
  Rushing back to the command section, she moved over to 
  the station manager’s console, which was almost identical 
  to her own command console on the Wyvern. The two 
  other people still in the module with her, one civilian and 
  one marine were standing near the iris valve with a look 
  of shock on their faces. On the deck, part of someone’s 
  shoe, and foot, was sitting on the deck, a small pool of 
  blood spreading away from it. 
  Drake brought up the internal monitors for the docking 
  modules as well as the external sensors. She was afraid 
  she knew what had happened… Sure enough, the pirate’s 
  slow boat had broken away from the station, ripping out 
  the airlock and tearing a gaping hole in the docking 
  module. All of the iris valves on the station had slammed 
  shut with the explosive decompression. The boat was 
  rotating around and as she oriented herself with the sensor 
  readings, the slow boat ignited its maneuver drive and 
  accelerated away from the station. With grim satisfaction, 
  she noted that her own assault shuttle was already 
  accelerating into an attack vector and the Wyvern was 
  cycling through her emergency undock procedures and 
  should be clear of the station in a couple of minutes.  
  
  As she was assessing the external situation, another alarm 
  sounded through the command module; the double-whoop 
  of the Instability Alarm. When the pirate’s Phaeton ripped 
  away from the station, the resulting torque had put the 
  station into a tumble that her modest stabilizing jets were 
  having trouble controlling. As Drake scrambled to collect 
  the data regarding the station’s tumble, thoughts of what 
  was going on outside faded from her mind.  There were 
  still over twenty people on the station and if the tumble 
  was not stopped quickly, the station could rip itself apart. 
  *** 
  Aboard the Wyvern Lieutenant Quetel was torn between 
  taking the helm and taking the command chair. He knew 
  he was the best pilot on board, but with the Captain on the 
  station, he was also in command… He hesitated, unsure 
  which position gave the ship its best chance of survival. 
  Before he could make a decision, it was made for him. 
  Ensign Killig, from his Navigators Station, said, “Captain 
  what are your orders?” 
  Taking a deep breath, Quetel moved back to the 
  Command Chair and sat down, quickly surveying the rest 
  of the bridge. “Emergency Undock!  Get us some 
  maneuvering room!” 
  Sveglianova and the rest of the bridge crew responded to 
  his voice like he was the captain, which technically he 
  was right now, whether he wanted it or not. With only a 
  slight shaking of his hands, he reached down and punched 
  up the external tactical display as well as the status of the 
  ship. 
  Over a private line Killig sent him a message, “Arden, 
  should we go to Battle Stations?” 
  With a start, Quetel realized he had forgotten the golden 
  rule of a changing situation: Battle Stations is your friend. 
  Reaching down and pressing the ‘all-comm’ button, he 
  said in as strong a voice as he could muster, “All hands 
  Battle Stations! Battle Stations! Prepare for combat!  This 
  is not a drill!” 
  With the same hand, he raised the cover and flipped the 
  switch that activated the Battle Stations alarm throughout 
  the ship. Luckily, the ship was still at Maneuvering Watch 
  stations, so activating Battle Stations didn’t require the 
  bridge crew to change positions. The only major change 
  was the manning of the ships weapon systems and he had 
  made sure that the Fire Control station was manned 
  before docking, just in case. 
  Within a few seconds of the announcement, Chief 
  Samataman Palahari, the Chief of the Boat and the 
  Weapons Officer, reported from the Fire Control Console 
  that Battle Stations was manned, minus the personnel on 
  the station and that all weapons were ready. Apparently 
  Quetel wasn’t the only one who had planned ahead. With 
  half of the crew on Freeman’s Station or on the Caracal, 
  they didn’t really have a Damage Control Party, but all 
  required positions were filled. 
  Quetel pulled up full tactical on the main display board so 
  that everyone could see the situation around the station. 
  Things did not look good. The station was in an 
  uncontrolled two-axis spin; her maneuvering jets trying to 
  stop the rotation. The rogue Phaeton was moving away 
  from the station at her full thrust of 2-gees. Their own 
  Caracal was in pursuit and asking for permission to fire 
  on the fleeing boat. 
  Sensors showed that the Phaeton was not armed and had 
  three people aboard. His Caracal only had a crew of two 
  but did have its laser cannon. Quetel’s didn’t hesitate with 
  his response here, procedure was clear. 
  “Alpha-One, capture the Phaeton, do not attack the vessel. 
  Harassing fire is authorized.” 
  The pilot of the Caracal, designated Alpha One when 
  away from the Wyvern, Petty Officer Chevien, 
  acknowledged and changed course from an attack vector 
  to an intercept vector. The Caracal had twice the 
  acceleration of the Phaeton so while it might take some 
  time to get the slow boat to surrender, the outcome was 
  inevitable. 
  Quetel moved on to his next crisis. As he watched, the 
  station was slowly coming under control.  
  Just when it seemed like things might be getting back 
  under control, Petty Officer Senji Nakamura made a 
  startling report. “Sir, we have bodies floating outside the 
  station!” 
  Quetel cursed under his breath. He should have thought of 
  this! When the Phaeton pulled away from the station she 
  had ripped an airlock out. While the iris valves would 
  have prevented the explosive decompression from 
  exposing the entire station to the vacuum of space, those 
  within that docking module would not have been so 
  lucky. Switching the primary display to the area 
  immediately around the station, he saw the two vacc 
  suited figures floating away from the station.  
  Nakamura, pulling double duty as both comm and sensor 
  operator while Chevien was piloting the shuttle,  pushed 
  the status display from the two suits up onto the master 
  display without really looking at them. After they were 
  pushed, he had a chance to look at the actual read outs 
  and realized that he had made a mistake.  The display for 
  Karin Descharde, the love of his life, indicated no life 
  signs. 
  Quetel felt a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach but he 
  still had a crewmember out there that needed help. The 
  vital signs for Spacehand Beatrice Ruark, backup gunner, 
  were weakening, but she was still alive. 
  “Helm, bring us around and pick up Ruark!” he yelled, 
  too loud he realized to himself. 
  Petty Officer Sveglianova, now the primary pilot with 
  Quetel in the Command seat, swung the Wyvern around 
  the station and moved towards the lonely figure floating 
  through space. Quetel could only grip the arms of his seat 
  and wait. 
  TO BE CONTINUED... 
  
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