TEXT:  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  The mining operation on Alcazzar was one of the Frontier’s  
  best-kept secrets, worth millions of credits – until somebody  
  wiped it out.  Now you’re here, to set things right. 
   
   
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  STAR FRONTIERS, WIZARDS OF THE COAST, and the WIZARDS OF THE COAST logo are 
  trademarks belonging to Wizards of the Coast, Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., and are used 
  here without permission. © 2001 Wizards of the Coast. All Rights Reserved.  The free distribution 
  of this revised edition of the out-of-print game system is not intended to detract income from 
  Wizards of the Coast. 
   
   
  Last Revision: 3.25.2007 
   
   
   
  The mining operation on Alcazzar was one of the Frontier’s  
  best-kept secrets, worth millions of credits – until somebody  
  wiped it out.  Now you’re here, to set things right. 
   
  
   
  1 
   
   
   
   
  Alpha Subsection 1 
  THE STORY 
  Recently the Cassidine Development Corporation 
  (CDC) located substantial amounts of gold and 
  uranium on the planet Alcazzar in the remote 
  Rhianna system. Under tight security CDC started a 
  limited mining operation on Alcazzar. 
   
  The mines centered around a small compound 
  where a staff of 12 technicians and an equal 
  number 
  of 
  robots 
  operated 
  an 
  automated 
  processing plant. CDC earned millions of credits 
  from this operation, while keeping it secret from the 
  Pan Galactic and Streel Corporations - CDC's major 
  competitors. 
   
  Unfortunately, the aggressive Streel Corporation 
  learned of the mineral wealth through a series of 
  carefully placed bribes. Never an organization to 
  use subtlety when brute force will work, Streel 
  decided to terminate the CDC operation and begin a 
  much bigger operation of its own. Then, when the 
  wealth of the planet eventually became public 
  knowledge, Streel would be in position to control 
  access to (and administration of Alcazzar). 
   
  The adventure begins after Streel wiped out the 
  CDC operation. The Player Characters (PCs) are 
  specialists hired by CDC to go to Alcazzar and 
  discover what happened to the CDC operation and 
  its staff. 
   
  All that is known about the planet is information 
  that was collected by a CDC environmentalist and 
  relayed to the corporate headquarters on Cassidine 
  before 
  the 
  operation 
  was 
  destroyed. 
  The 
  information is in the System Brief and is furnished 
  to the PCs during their briefing in Gamma 
  Subsection 2. Much more information is provided for 
  you, the referee, in Beta Subsection 1, Beta 
  Subsection 2, and the encounter sections. 
   
  An attack on the PCs ship soon after it delivers 
  them to Alcazzar strands the PCs with no subspace 
  radio. They will be able to salvage some equipment 
  including several explorers and heavy weapons from 
  the ruined CDC compound. 
   
  Many obstacles stand in the way of their cross-
  country journey to the only other inhabited area on 
  the planet: the Streel Corporation mining camp. 
   
  The PCs may leave a swath of destruction across 
  the face of Alcazzar, or they may establish friendly 
  relations with the native creatures. Whether the PCs 
  accomplish 
  their 
  mission 
  with 
  courage 
  and 
  resourcefulness depends entirely on their reactions 
  to the problems they face. 
   
  Alpha Subsection 2 
  EXPLANATION OF  
  MAPS AND FILES 
  This module provides four maps to aid you and your 
  players. Informational files are also included; some 
  are for the players, others for you only. The maps 
  and files are explained below. 
   
  MAP 1:  ALCAZZAR 
  This is a full color map of the entire surface of 
  Alcazzar. Use this map if the PCs leave the Map 2 
  region where most of the adventure takes place. 
  You win have to create descriptions of the specific 
  areas they enter but with Map 1 as a guide, you 
  should be able to let them journey anywhere on the 
  planet they wish. 
   
  Show the map to the players during the PCs briefing 
  in the CDC headquarters (Gamma. 2). Since the 
  PCs are given a copy of this map, the players may 
  look at it as often as they wish. 
   
  MAP 2:  ALCAZZAR: MINING  
  OPERATION REGION 
  This map displays a small region of the planet at a 
  scale of 2 kilometers per hexagon. Both Streel 
  corporation mining camps are in this region, so the 
  bulk of the adventure occurs here. 
   
   
  ALPHA Section 
  
   
  2 
   
   
   
  Show the map to the players during the PCs briefing 
  (Gamma Subsection 2). After they see it, they may 
  refer to it as often as they wish. 
   
  MAP 3:  CDC COMPOUND 
  This map shows the CDC compound. You can use 
  your STAR FRONTlERS counters on this map to aid 
  movement and combat in the CDC compound. 
  Describe the compound to the players during the 
  PCs briefing (Gamma Subsection 2), but don't show 
  the players the map until they reach the compound 
  on Alcazzar (Delta Subsection 2). 
   
  MAP 4:  STREEL COMPOUND 
  The encounter areas and guard positions in the 
  Streel compound are marked on the map. When the 
  PCs reach the Streel compound, show the players 
  the "FORT" map from your STAR FRONTIERS game 
  box. That map also describes the Streel compound, 
  but it doesn't contain the detail that Map 4 does. 
  Don't show Map 4 to the players. 
   
  SYSTEM BRIEF 
  The brief represents all the information CDC has 
  regarding Alcazzar. It will be given to the PCs 
  during their briefing, so assume that they take a 
  copy with them and allow the players to use it 
  whenever they wish. Read the brief before going on. 
   
  ALIEN CREATURES UPDATE FILE 
  This file contains information about the animals on 
  Alcazzar. The information here goes far beyond 
  what the CDC environmentalist learned; so don't 
  show it to the players. As the PCs adventure on the 
  planet and particularly if they decide to stay and 
  study the world after the adventure is over they 
  may learn the information. Read the file before 
  going on. 
   
  RANDOM ENCOUNTER TABLES 
  Use tables 8, 9, and 10 to determine when the PCs 
  have 
  random 
  encounters, 
  and 
  what 
  those 
  encounters are. 
   
  Alpha Subsection 3 
  FORMATS AND  
  ABBREVIATIONS 
  Sections of text are in bold-faced type; they are 
  descriptions of action, places, and things the PCs 
  encounter. Read bolded text aloud to the players. 
   
  You can refer back to bold text for descriptions 
  later. 
   
  When the PCs encounter creatures, non-player 
  characters (NPCs), or robots in this adventure, 
  statistics for the encounter are included in a 
  shorthand format so you can easily refer to the 
  material you need. Table 1 lists the abbreviations 
  used in statistics and the rest of the module. 
   
  TABLE 1: ABBREVIATIONS 
  Abbr 
  Meaning 
  ATT 
  Creatures attack rating 
  CDC 
  Cassidine Development Corporation 
  d10 
  Ten-sided die 
  DEX 
  Dexterity 
  DM   
  Damage caused by successful attack 
  GST 
  Galactic Standard Time 
  IM 
  Initiative Modifier 
  M 
  Melee attack score 
  MV 
  Movement Class 
  NPC 
  Non-player Character 
  PC 
  Player Character 
  PS 
  Punching Score 
  RS 
  Reaction Speed 
  RW 
  Ranged weapons attack score 
  SA 
  Creature's special attack forms 
  SD 
  Creature's special defenses 
  SEU 
  Standard Energy Unit 
  STA 
  Stamina point total 
  STR 
  Strength 
   
  
   
  3 
   
   
   
   
  Beta Subsection 1 
  TERRAIN EFFECTS 
  Only one-third of Alcazzar's surface is land. Two 
  vast oceans and numerous rivers and lakes take up 
  the rest. Seventy percent of the land area is 
  virtually 
  impassable 
  to 
  characters 
  traveling 
  overland. Much of the impassable land is mudflats; 
  the remainder is made up of a series of rugged 
  mountain ranges. 
   
  The terrain of the planet will greatly affect any 
  traveling the PCs attempt as well as determine the 
  types of creatures they are likely to encounter. This 
  section 
  defines 
  each 
  terrain 
  type, 
  including 
  movement requirements and restrictions and a 
  description of what a typical area looks like. 
   
  To determine movement rates for the different 
  terrain types, refer to page 7 of the Alpha Dawn 
  rules book. The Terrain Effects Table there applies 
  to Alcazzar, with the follow definitions in Table 2. 
   
  TABLE 2: TERRAIN EFFECTS  
  TABLE DEFINITIONS 
  ALCAZZAR 
  TERRAIN 
  DEFINITION IN THE 
  TERRAIN EFFECTS TABLE 
  Forest  
  Broken 
  Mountains 
  Rugged 
  Moraines 
  Rugged 
  Ice fields 
  Hazard 
  Mudflats 
  Bog 
  Prairie 
  Clear 
   
  PRAIRIE 
  This is an expanse of lush green grass, easily 
  rippled by any passage of wind. Growing about 
  one meter high, the soft blades bend readily 
  beneath the weight of a traveler. Mostly grasses 
  grow here, but the scene is still one of incredible 
  fertility. 
   
  These grassy areas would be true havens for 
  Alcazzar's herbivores except for one factor: the sky-
  shrikes. These vicious predators constantly circle 
  over the prairies, searching for the slightest 
  movement that might indicate the presence of 
  something edible. 
   
  Occasionally a huge gwerrah shambles across a 
  prairie, quite unmolested by the shrikes. Lokkuku 
  sometimes band together carrying an array of 
  clubs, and move across the prairie with wary eyes 
  toward the sky. Most herbivores stay near the 
  edges of the forests however, venturing into the 
  grass for a quick bite, then scurrying to the shelter 
  of the trees when the shrikes appear overhead. 
  Sky-shrikes keep a respectful distance from all 
  vehicles. 
   
  FORESTS 
  Towering to heights of 100 meters or more, the 
  mighty karakah trees seem to declare dominance 
  over the rest of the planet. These trees sprout 
  from huge bases, 10 meters wide, and shoot 
  straight upward. Long slender branches extend to 
  the sides at about 5-meter intervals, drooping 
  with the weight of heavy pointed needles and fat 
  fruits. 
   
  Although the forest canopy is dense enough to 
  practically blot out the sky, the floor is remarkably 
  open. Visibility averages 100 meters. Many 
  overripe fruit, as well as large, hard pits from 
  inside the fruit, litter the ground, but no 
  underbrush impedes progress. 
   
  The upper reaches of the forest are draped with 
  long, supple vines, creating easy passage from 
  tree to tree; but no vines fall within 10 meters of 
  the ground. 
   
  Forests are the major shelters for the many 
  herbivores on Alcazzar. The karakah fruit is sweet 
  and nourishing, and the pits also have food value. 
  Many hibernating creatures eat the fruit during the 
  warm season and store a large collection of pits for 
  winter. 
   
  Lokkuku rule the forests because they travel easily 
  through the trees. Sky-shrikes cannot effectively 
   
  BETA Section 
  
   
  4 
   
   
   
  break through the upper branches, and even the 
  huge gwerrah cannot reach anything higher than 10 
  or 12 meters above the ground. Many of the smaller 
  herbivores, including the gnawhares, live in burrows 
  excavated among the karakahs' mighty roots. 
   
  MUDFLATS 
  This vast expanse of putrid bog seems to ooze filth 
  and decay. The deep-pitched hum of millions of 
  insects provides a constant drone; and in fact 
  clouds of the creatures are swarming over the 
  central part of the mudflat. 
   
  The mud is a rich brown color, occasionally marked 
  by floating patches of dark green scum. Now and 
  then, bubbles of swamp gas burst from the water, 
  causing the already unpleasant stench to assume 
  nauseating proportions. Every few minutes, a small 
  creature suddenly breaks from the surface to snatch 
  a bug from the air and quickly plop back into the 
  mud. Despite all the activity this seems to be a 
  place of stillness and death. 
   
  Despite their oppressive smell, mudflats offer little 
  to threaten PCs. Hover vehicles and explorers can 
  cross the mudflats with little difficulty. However 
  other ground vehicles become mired quickly. After 
  several hours, mired vehicles sink below the 
  surface. 
   
  Characters attempting to cross the mudflats on foot 
  will find the going very slow--much like trying to 
  swim through pudding or mashed potatoes. The 
  mud is dense enough that a character can lie on top 
  of it without sinking. Traveling on foot in mudflats is 
  so tiring that characters doing so must rest one 
  hour for every hour they travel. 
   
  Many kinds of algae grow in the mudflats. Insects 
  are the most common animals in the mudflats. Even 
  fire locusts sometimes cross them. The only other 
  creatures living in the mud are small carnivores that 
  prey on insects, and pose no threat to PCs. 
  However, warm water pools are scattered across 
  the mudflats, and these pools hold many fish, 
  including sea-shrikes. 
   
  MORAINES 
  Moraines are long, high hills of sand, crushed 
  gravel, and clay, covered with a thin laver of 
  topsoil. Alcazzar's moraines are not described in 
  bold text since the appearance of a moraine varies 
  depending on whether it is in a prairie or a forest. 
   
  The moraines on Alkazzar were created by the 
  movements of glaciers thousands of years before 
  the setting of this adventure. Since that time, the 
  topsoil formed and plants grew on the hills. The 
  moraines and their origins will be obvious to any 
  environmentalist. 
   
  The animal life on a moraine is the same as the 
  animal life in the area around the moraine. 
   
  Explorers 
  and 
  characters 
  on 
  foot 
  can 
  cross 
  moraines, 
  but 
  all 
  other 
  forms 
  of 
  ground 
  transportation are stopped by the steepness of the 
  climb. 
   
  MOUNTAINS 
  Sheer spines of gray and black stone rise abruptly 
  into the sky. Traces of snow cling to the higher 
  pinnacles, and steep, narrow gullies scar the 
  shoulders and sides of the awesome formations. 
  The clatter of falling rocks is a common sound 
  here, first near then far away – erosion is a living 
  force at work. 
   
  The 
  steepness 
  and 
  height 
  of 
  these 
  stone 
  mountains is forbidding. So too, is the absence of 
  life. Only the howling wind and the occasional 
  crash of a rockslide disturb nature's silence here. 
   
  Any hexagon adjacent to a mountain ridge on Map 2 
  is 
  considered 
  mountainous 
  terrain 
  for 
  travel 
  purposes. The ridges themselves are impassable to 
  all hover and ground vehicles, including explorers. 
  Characters traveling on foot take 4d10 hours just to 
  cross a ridge (add this time to the travel time to 
  enter the hex on the other side of the ridge). 
   
  Rockslides are frequent in mountainous terrain. 
  Rockslides occur as random encounters on table 10. 
  If a rockslide occurs, each character must roll his 
  RS or less on d100 to leap out of the way of falling 
  rocks. Each character that fails his RS check suffers 
  5d10 points of damage. If a vehicle is caught in a 
  rockslide, the driver must make a successful RS 
  check to drive the vehicle to safety. If the driver 
  fails his check, the vehicle suffers the result of a 
  3d10 roll on the Vehicle Damage Table. 
   
  Sky-shrikes occasionally drift over mountains on 
  their way from one prairie to another, but very few 
  creatures live in the mountains. Except for some 
  primitive lichens, even plant life is unknown to 
  these barren reaches of cold stone. 
   
  WATER 
  Although most of Alcazzar is covered by water the 
  difficulties of water-travel will probably prevent the 
  characters from spending a lot of time afloat. 
  Nonetheless, they may use explorers amphibiously 
  or even construct rafts or boats, so the following 
  guidelines are included. 
   
  
   
  5 
   
   
   
   
  Frequent storms cross the oceans, creating huge 
  swells and crashing breakers. No vehicle short of a 
  submarine or powerful ship can travel safely on the 
  oceans. 
   
  The breakers smashing against the shore should 
  convince the characters not to travel on the oceans. 
  If they try anyway their vehicles capsize and wash 
  ashore soon after they enter the water. Each 
  character in a capsized explorer takes 1d10 points 
  of damage. 
   
  The ocean floor plunges to tremendous depths in 
  places (8,000 meters or more), but the huge lakes 
  sometimes found in the mudflats are no deeper 
  than 3 or 4 meters in their lowest locations. The 
  lakes in mountain valleys often plunge to depths of 
  500 or 600 meters. 
   
  The current in many rivers and streams is too rapid 
  for crossing by explorers or rafts. Most rivers are 
  50-300 meters wide and average four meters deep. 
   
  If the characters reach a river in explorers, there is 
  a 50% chance that the water before them is too 
  rough to cross safely. If they travel up or 
  downstream 2 kilometers, they reach a quiet spot 
  where they can cross safely. 
   
  If they attempt to cross at a rough spot each driver 
  must roll a number equal to or less than his 
  technician skill x10 on d100. If a driver's roll fails, 
  his vehicle capsizes.  
   
  If the PCs inside a capsized explorer try to escape, 
  they each suffer 1d10 points of damage and lose 
  their rifle weapons, but manage to get to shore. The 
  explorer on the other hand, sinks to the bottom. All 
  equipment carried on the outside of the explorer is 
  lost and all electronic gear inside the explorer is 
  destroyed. The PCs must drag the explorer from the 
  river before it can be used again. 
   
  If the PCs inside a capsized explorer shut all the 
  hatches, the explorer floats downstream before 
  grounding on the far bank. Characters inside the 
  explorer 
  suffer 
  1d10 
  points 
  of 
  damage. 
  All 
  equipment carried on the outside of the explorer is 
  lost but the explorer and equipment inside it remain 
  undamaged. 
   
  Characters traveling on foot can swim across rivers, 
  but must abandon equipment they cannot tuck into 
  their belts or backpacks, including rifles and power 
  backpacks! 
   
  Fish are plentiful in nearly all of Alcazzar's bodies of 
  water. Fish range from small pinfish that subsist 
  mainly on algae to the monstrous sea-shrikes that 
  eat anything they can sink their teeth into.  
   
  Beta Subsection 2  
  CLIMATE EFFECTS 
  Alcazzar's climate and seasonal changes are very 
  unusual because the planet barely rotates as it 
  orbits its star, Rhianna. At any one time, 40% of 
  the planet is in daytime/summer, another 40% is in 
  nighttime/winter, 10% is changing from summer to 
  winter, and 10% is changing from winter to 
  summer.  
   
  At the start of this adventure, the mining operation 
  region, the area in Map 2, just entered high 
  summer. This region will move into a transitional 
  season in 3000 hours GST (150 20-hour GST days). 
   
  WINTER WEATHER 
  The areas of winter/night are nearly void of active 
  animals, since Alcazzar's creatures either migrate 
  with the more hospitable summer/day, or hibernate 
  deep beneath the thick blanket of snow that arrives 
  with the winter. The only active animal is the snow 
  sloth, loping along and feeding on hibernating 
  animals whenever it can find them. (See the Alien 
  Creatures Update File for more information about 
  the snow sloth.) 
   
  In winter/night snow falls heavily, often at a rate of 
  Subsection 25 meters/hour. There is a 90% chance 
  of cloud cover, and a 50% chance of snowfall at any 
  given time. When snow is falling, there is a 20% 
  chance of a blizzard. During blizzards, visibility is 
  reduced to zero, snow falls at least Subsection 25 
  meters/hour, winds blow at 10-100 kph, and the 
  temperature drops to 5-50 degrees below zero, 
  Celsius. 
   
  On those rare occasions when clouds do not blanket 
  the winter/night region, the display of stars is 
  stupendous. However, the absence of the insulating 
  cloud blanket causes temperatures to plunge to 
  anywhere from 45-90 degrees (5d10 + 40) below 
  zero, Celsius. 
   
  The snow-cover on the planet increases as the 
  winter passes. A snow base of 3-5 meters develops 
  in the first wave of winter storms. By the end of the 
  season, the snow cover increases to an average of 
  40 
  meters. 
  Severe 
  winters 
  with 
  twice 
  this 
  accumulation are possible. 
   
  Winter is 4,000 hours long, GST (this is equivalent 
  to 200 20-hour GST days). 
   
  
   
  6 
   
   
   
  TRANSITIONAL WEATHER 
  The regions of the planet between the winter/night 
  or summer/day areas are in transition, either 
  warming (changing from winter to summer) or 
  cooling (changing from summer to winter). In both 
  cases, the following conditions apply. 
   
  The sky is always a dim, twilight gray. In part, the 
  dim light is caused by Rhianna staying near the 
  horizon. Thick, dark clouds also contribute to the 
  grim, gray appearance. 
   
  Almost constantly, violent storms rack the land, 
  dumping large volumes of rain or snow. Fierce 
  winds and lighting are very common. Radio 
  communications 
  have 
  only 
  a 
  5% 
  chance 
  of 
  succeeding in these areas, because of the great 
  amount of electrical activity. 
   
  Transition periods last 1,000 hours GST (equivalent 
  to 50 20-hour GST days). 
   
  Warming: In transitional areas moving from winter 
  to summer, the snow melts at phenomenal rates. 
  Mud flats become shallow lakes, and all streams 
  and rivers flow with tremendous force. Nearly all of 
  the winter's snow-cover disappears in the violent 
  period of transition. 
   
  Cooling: As the cooling transition arrives, animals 
  begin to enter their shelters for hibernation, or 
  begin a panicked stampede eastward if winter starts 
  catching up with them. The weather cools steadily 
  and snow begins to fall frequently. Near the start of 
  the cooling transition the snow melts shortly after 
  hitting the ground. 
   
  SUMMER WEATHER 
  Like the winter, the summer/day period on Alcazzar 
  lasts 4,000 hours GST (200 20-hour GST days). The 
  summer/day season is usually topped with clear 
  blue skies and the gleaming, yellow dot of Rhianna. 
  Clouds cover the sky a mere 10% of the time in 
  summer, and these often bring refreshing, cool 
  rains. Thunderstorms are common close to the 
  transitional periods, but in high summer the 
  weather is usually hot and calm; even the rain 
  showers seem gentle. 
   
  Strong ocean currents carry cool water from the 
  winter regions all over the planet so most of the 
  summer does not become unbearably hot. The 
  same oceans also cool the planet by reflecting a 
  great deal of Rhianna's energy. Of course, heat 
  does build up; at the height of the season, the 
  average surface temperature can climb above 45 
  degrees Celsius. 
   
  Wildlife is plentiful and active in summer regions. A 
  gradual eastward movement of migratory creatures 
  is common all summer long.  
   
  Beta Subsection 3  
  MINING 
  OPERATIONS 
  The facet of Alcazzar that first attracted CDC, and 
  now Streel, was not its weather, but its vast mineral 
  deposits, particularly heavy metals. Gold, silver, 
  uranium, lead, copper, platinum, magnesium, and 
  titanium were discovered at CDC's two initial test 
  sites. The two compounds on the planet were built 
  on those sites. 
   
  The metals are locked in bedrock, for the most part. 
  Thus, expensive, large-scale operations are required 
  to remove them. Many violent streams and rivers 
  cut through the planet's mountain ranges, carrying 
  minerals down from the mountain rock. The 
  minerals in rivers are easier to remove, so the test 
  sites and compounds are near rivers where they 
  emerge from mountains. 
   
  Placer mining is the process of removing minerals 
  from a riverbed, where they have been placed by 
  the water over many centuries. Typical placer 
  operations on an outpost would involve construction 
  of a compound near a river. The compound houses 
  a small staff and basic processing equipment. 
  Heavy-duty robots perform the actual mining. When 
  environmental protection laws are not in effect--and 
  they usually aren't on a newly discovered world--
  these robots systematically excavate long sections 
  of a riverbed, carrying the raw material to the 
  compound for processing. 
   
  On a world as rich as Alcazzar, placer mining can 
  produce anywhere from 1,000 to 100,000 (d100 x 
  1,000) credits worth of metal gathered every 20 
  hours. 
  Of 
  course, 
  transport, 
  processing, 
  and 
  personnel costs bite into this; but the profits are 
  still substantial. However, setting up a mining 
  operation costs around 5,000,000 credits and 
  average daily operating costs are between 1,000 
  and 10,000 credits. Even if the capital can be 
  raised, the risks of claim-jumpers and other thieves 
  are formidable. All in all, mining a wilderness world 
  is a very risky operation. 
   
  Beta  Subsection 4  
  HISTORY 
  A CDC exploration vessel, the Twilight Moon, discovered 
  the route to Rhianna, and its sole habitable planet 
  Alcazzar, two years before the start of this adventure. 
  Preliminary geoscanner tests were extremely favorable 
  
   
  7 
   
   
   
   
  for mining operations - so encouraging, in fact that the 
  company tried to keep the planet's wealth a secret from 
  other corporations. 
   
  The star, Rhianna, is located in the vast reach of space 
  between Cassidine, White Light and Timeon. Don't feel 
  bound by this location does not fit in your campaign; you 
  can use any uninhabited and unexplored system. 
   
  The region CDC selected for mining passed into winter 
  shortly after the planet's discovery, so operations were 
  postponed until the following summer. It was hoped that 
  this delay would throw any suspicious competitors off the 
  track. 
   
  The 
  following 
  summer, 
  the 
  CDC 
  compound 
  was 
  constructed and placer mining operations began in 
  earnest. In 120 days (GST) of operation, the mine 
  produced 6,300,000 credits worth of metal, mostly gold. 
  The winter season was judged too hazardous to leave any 
  personnel on the planet so the compound was evacuated 
  for the season. 
   
  When its second summer of operations began, the mine 
  was producing beyond the previous year's levels for 40 
  days. Reports and shipments arrived regularly. Then, all 
  communication ceased. 
   
  Highly placed CDC officers were bribed by agents of the 
  Streel corporation, and revealed the Alcazzar operation. A 
  strike team of Streel mercenaries eliminated the CDC 
  operation and fused the compound's nuclear reactor to 
  make sure it was never activated again. 
   
  Then, Streel began an operation of its own, about 120 
  kilometers from the CDC compound. Gambling on its 
  great size as a deterrent, Streel decided that CDC would 
  leave well enough alone, and abandon its Alcazzar 
  operation as it had abandoned many other ventures in 
  the past once the larger competitors moved in. 
   
  This 
  time, 
  however, 
  the 
  Cassidine 
  Development 
  Corporation is determined not to sit idly by while its much 
  larger competition reaps the profits of its discovery. By 
  sending an elite team of its own to Alcazzar, CDC will see 
  that its rights are duly protected, by force if necessary! 
   
   
  
   
  8 
   
   
   
  Gamma Subsection 1  
  THE CHARACTERS 
  This adventure requires a very skilled group of 
  player characters. They must travel to a wild planet 
  and face hostile NPCs who outnumber them and 
  have greater resources, so the PCs must be tough, 
  clever and resourceful. 
   
  The pregenerated characters represent an ideal 
  collection of skills and levels for this mission.  If 
  your player characters have not achieved those 
  levels yet, but they want to play this adventure, try 
  to give them a little more experience before sending 
  them to Alcazzar. If your player’s group of PCs is 
  too small in number, feel free to fill it out with any 
  of the pregenerated characters, either as NPCs 
  allied with the PCs or as alternate PCs. 
   
  CDC agents will contact the PCs to hire them for a 
  mission.  These agents are authorized to pay twice 
  the listed rates to specialists hired for this mission. 
  (Characters 
  of 
  this 
  level 
  have 
  established 
  reputations in their fields, and CDC wants the best.) 
   
  The PCs are taken to the corporate headquarters on 
  Cassidine as quickly as possible. They are treated 
  politely, and given a chance to get to know each 
  other (if they don’t already) while waiting for their 
  briefing. Of course, they will be paid from the 
  moment they board ship for Cassidine. 
   
  As soon as they arrive at the CDC headquarters, 
  they are ushered into a room high atop the CDC 
  tower in Triad city. Their adventure begins. 
   
  Gamma Subsection 2 
   
  THE BRIEFING 
  The walls of this room are paneled with real 
  mahogany. Lush carpeting covers the floor beneath 
  several ultra-soft bioform chairs. This room, and the 
  fine refreshments provided, makes a very pleasant 
  setting. After everyone is comfortably seated, the 
  lights dim and a trivid image appears in the center 
  of the room. 
   
  The slightly overweight and balding man in the 
  trivid picture is still readily recognizable as Karral 
  Willthatch. Formerly famous as a daring adventurer, 
  he has turned his energies toward running his 
  multimillion-credit corporation, now, as chairman of 
  the board. He begins to speak. 
   
  "I am sure you are all curious about your mission with 
  the Cassidine Development Corporation. As you know, 
  CDC tries to develop star routes to undiscovered 
  worlds, then exploit the wealth of those worlds before 
  larger corporations can move in and take over. Ideally, 
  we have moved on to other areas before our chief 
  competitors, the Pan-Galactic and Streel Corporations, 
  move in to begin their wholesale operations. 
   
  "You do not know that CDC located one of the richest 
  deposits of heavy metals in the known galaxy on 
  Alcazzar, in the Rhianna system. We have been mining 
  there secretly for two years. 
   
  "Last 
  week, 
  however, 
  communications 
  from 
  our 
  Alcazzar compound suddenly ceased. At the same time, 
  remote survey-satellite transmissions indicated the 
  presence of another settlement on Alcazzar. 
   
  "Your first mission objective is very straightforward:  Go 
  to Alcazzar and determine what happened to our 
  outpost and staff of 12 there. Rescue the staff, if 
  possible.  
   
  "If foul play is involved, you have a second mission 
  objective: Learn who is responsible. If, as we suspect a 
  rival corporation is interfering with our operations, you 
  must contact us via subspace radio, and identify the 
  culprit. Then, while we verbally make our commitment 
  on Alcazzar clear to the foe, you must strike back at 
  their operations, terminating it, if at all possible. 
   
  "Needless to say you will be in a position of high risk. 
  Let me assure you that, should we emerge victorious, 
  all of you will be very well taken care of. Furthermore, 
  Alcazzar has much potential and will eventually 
  develop; skilled individuals with knowledge of the planet 
  will be in commanding positions. I'm sure some things 
  begin to come clear now, including the high rate of pay 
  on this job. 
   
   
   
   
  GAMMA Section 
  
   
  9 
   
   
   
   
  "You should understand, now, why we gathered this 
  team of skilled and experienced agents. This will not 
  be the first time any of you have participated in 
  conflict on an outpost world. You all know that the 
  UPF generally turns its back on these little wars, 
  leaving private concerns to settle them in their own 
  way. We at CDC try to avoid outright hostility. But 
  the wealth on Alcazzar and the likelihood of an 
  attack on our staff warrant this kind of mission!" 
   
  Suddenly the image of a planet, bright against the 
  blackness of space, replaces the chairman. A voice 
  begins to narrate. 
   
  "Alcazzar's climate and seasonal changes are very 
  unusual because the planet does not rotate as it 
  orbits its star, Rhianna. Thus, all areas of the planet 
  except both polar caps pass from a long summer, 
  during which the star never drops below the horizon, 
  to an equally long winter when the star is never 
  seen. The larger of two continents circles the globe, 
  separating two large oceans, one in the north and 
  one in the south. Many lakes and rivers break up 
  both continents. The terrain varies from steep stone 
  mountains to vast plains and forests." 
   
  The narrator pauses, and the image expands until a 
  hemisphere of green is visible opposite a cloak of ice. 
  As details become clearer, you see a pleasant 
  expanse of plains and forests, similar to the huge 
  parks of Triad. The narrator continues. 
   
  "Lush grasses cover the plains, which in lower areas, 
  turn to boggy marshes. The large trees do not shed 
  their needles at any time in the year. During the 
  day, which is the summer, the sun, Rhianna, is 
  always visible from the temperate zone, providing 
  constant illumination. Most clouds remain over the 
  ice in the night or winter, region. Thousands of clear 
  brooks and streams running from mountains and 
  glaciers keep the summer region well watered, 
  despite an almost total lack of rain." 
   
  The image of Alcazzar expands even more, revealing 
  a narrow stretch of plains and forest between a 
  rugged mountain range and Alcazzar's Great Sea, 
  the southern ocean. A light blinks at the mouth of a 
  mountain valley. 
   
  "The light indicates the location of our compound, 
  which was built over a tremendous deposit of gold 
  and other heavy metals."   
   
  Another light blinks, at the mouth of a valley about 
  120 kilometers away. 
   
  "The second light marks the location of the new 
  settlement 
  discovered 
  by 
  satellite. 
  This 
  new 
  settlement is on one of our first test sites, a 
  potentially rich mineral deposit. 
   
   
  "Nothing is known about creatures - if any - that live 
  on the ice fields. The CDC Twilight Moon expedition's 
  environmentalist 
  reported 
  that 
  many 
  types 
  of 
  animals exist in the summer regions, however. Most 
  of these types are mammals, the rest an assortment 
  of harmless insects. Of the mammals, only three are 
  large enough to conceivably affect your mission: the 
  gwerrah, a huge shambling omnivore known to 
  inhabit the hilly and mountainous regions; the sky-
  shrike, a medium-sized carnivore that flies in huge, 
  soaring packs; and the lokkuku, a primate with some 
  intelligence and a noted tendency toward pranks." 
   
  "More 
  Trivid 
  images 
  appear. 
  First, 
  a 
  stocky 
  quadruped covered with coarse black hair is shown 
  towering over an explorer. The gwerrah could have 
  crushed the vehicle without difficulty. Next a flight of 
  sky-shrikes--dog-like creatures with huge, leathery 
  wings--seems to soar through the briefing room. 
  Finally, a lokkuku, a little creature that is almost 
  comical after the other two, blinks into sight. Looking 
  much like a small Yazirian, it tilts its head quizzically 
  and then scampers away on all four feet. 
   
  The lights come up quickly as the trivid images fade 
  out. A security robot enters and hands you a system 
  brief, an equipment list and two maps. The robot 
  informs you that as is standard procedure on outpost 
  worlds, the CDC compound contained a cache of 
  heavy weapons. The weapons are underground, 
  below the very center of the maintenance garage. 
  The robot will answer questions for 15 minutes. 
  Then, you should board the Nightrunner, a fast CDC 
  freighter.  It will lift off in two hours.  
   
  Let the players see the System Brief, the equipment 
  list below (table 3), Map 1, and Map 2. Allow the 
  players to ask questions about their mission. If they 
  ask about the CDC compound on Alcazzar, describe 
  it to them, but do not show them Map 3 until they 
  reach the compound. You may give them information 
  about placer mining and the terrain and weather 
  conditions on Alcazzar. Do not give the players any 
  information about the other settlement that was 
  located on Alcazzar (the Streel compound). 
   
  TABLE 3: CDC SUPPLIED EQUIPMENT 
  Players should note on their character record sheets 
  all the items their characters carry. CDC provides 
  each PC with the following equipment. 
   
  1 rifle* 
  1 pistol* 
  1 skeinsuit* 
  1 defensive screen* 
  1 melee weapon* 
  1 toxy-rad guage 
  1 gas mask 
  1 compass 
  1 chronocom 
  1 everflame 
  1 flashlight 
  1 rope (25 meters) 
  survival rations 
  toolkits for PC skills 
  200 SEU or rounds for each 
  weapon 
  100 SEU for each defensive 
  screen 
   
  * PC may choose any type listed in the rules. 
  
   
  10 
   
   
   
   
  CDC also provides the following items that the PCs 
  must divide among themselves. 
   
  4 holoflares 
  2 pair of magnigoggles 
  2 radiophones 
  2 infrared jammers 
  1 polyvox 
  5 water packs 
  2 freeze fields 
   
   
  Tell the players that level 6 technicians can fuse a 
  nuclear reactor into a worthless lump of radioactive 
  slag - a very efficient way to shut down most 
  mining operations. Common sense suggests that if 
  the CDC compound was indeed attacked, its reactor 
  was probably fused. The fusing process can only be 
  performed by a level 6 technician, and is not 
  reversible.  
   
  Gamma Subsection 3 
   
  THE JOURNEY 
  Read the following bolded text to the players after 
  the PCs board the Nightrunner. 
   
  After a quick lift-off, the Nightrunner starts 
  accelerating to jump speed, bound for Alcazzar. 
  The crew of the freighter is close-mouthed and 
  unfriendly. They do not even engage in the 
  simplest conversation, seeming to desire no 
  knowledge of your mission. 
  If the compound was attacked, identifying the 
  guilty party should not be difficult; only the Pan 
  Galactic 
  and 
  Streel 
  corporations 
  have 
  the 
  resources to pull off such an attack so deep in 
  uncharted space. However, if PGC or Streel are 
  responsible, terminating one of their operations 
  will be quite a project. Frontal assaults on armed 
  compounds are seldom successful. 
   
  One way to shut down a mining operation is to 
  break into the main compound and fuse the 
  reactor core, leaving the outpost without power. 
  Another tactic is to destroy all the processing 
  equipment which is probably also in the main 
  compound. Obviously shutting down a rival mining 
  operation won't be easy! 
   
  The Nightrunner's captain, a human named Gerfritz 
  Dale, will respond if the characters insist on 
  speaking to some member of the crew. Captain 
  Dale is a gruff old spacer. He ordered his crew to 
  keep silent because those were his instructions. He 
  is sympathetic to the PCs' mission, and will bend 
  the rules very slightly if the PCs ask him for aid. 
   
  A shuttle from the Nightrunner will set the PCs 
  down on Alcazzar, 2 kilometers north of the CDC 
  compound. Captain Dale won't land a shuttle any 
  closer because hostile forces may occupy the 
  compound. He will not allow a shuttle to fly over or 
  near the other compound. 
  
   
  11 
   
   
   
   
  Delta Subsection 1 
  GETTING TO  
  THE COMPOUND 
  Read the following bolded text to the players as the 
  Nightrunner's shuttle sets down on Alcazzar. 
   
  The shuttle doors open onto a meadow that is 
  radiant with flowers of every color. Tall trees 
  surround the clearing, blocking any view of the 
  compound about 2 kilometers away to the south. 
  "Move It!" the pilot growls, obviously eager to 
  return to the security of the freighter above. The 
  shuttle quickly lifts away, leaving a scorched patch 
  of earth among the flowers. 
   
  You have instructions to contact the Nightrunner 
  every 20 hours. The Nightrunner will remain in 
  orbit around Alcazzar, waiting for information from 
  you. 
   
  If you want to use the optional gravity rules, tell the 
  players that the PCs immediately notice the light 
  gravity (.8 g). 
   
  As the shuttle arrives back at the Nightrunner, a 
  Streel Corporation assault scout ship attacks the 
  CDC freighter. Through skillful maneuvering and 
  use of the Nightrunner's single gun, Captain Dale 
  escapes with his ship. The Nightrunner is forced to 
  flee the Rhianna system, however, and is only able 
  to transmit a brief message to the PCs before 
  fleeing. Dale radios the PCs, "I am under attack by 
  an unidentified assault scout ship and must leave 
  the Rhianna system to save my crew and ship; 
  good luck."  
   
  The Nightrunner will not return for 50 20-hour GST 
  days, unless the PCs reach the subspace radio in 
  the Streel Compound and call for a pick-up earlier. 
  The PCs should not know if, or when, the 
  Nightrunner will return. 
   
  If the characters use a compass, they have no 
  trouble reaching the CDC compound in one hour. 
  The walk takes them through a majestic forest of 
  tall trees and little underbrush. The woods remain 
  silent during this walk, and the characters see no 
  creatures. They should notice, however, a number 
  of large fruit on the ground. If they look up, they 
  see the same kind of fruit growing from the large 
  trees that make up most of the forest. Each fruit is 
  about 50 centimeters in diameter and contains a 
  hard pit, 10-15 centimeters across. 
   
  Delta Subsection 2 
  OUTSIDE THE  
  COMPOUND 
  Place Map 3 before the players, and put robot 
  counters on their starting positions. The robots are 
  explained in Delta Subsection 3. 
   
  Up ahead, you can make out the compound's reactor 
  tower. Soon, the wire fence surrounding 
  the 
  compound becomes visible. The entrance gates in 
  the fence are swinging loosely, obviously blasted 
  open. A security robot stands motionless just inside 
  the gates.  
   
  The compound contains four buildings, the largest of 
  which is the reactor and processing plant. Several 
  antennas and a shattered radar ball are mounted 
  atop the reactor's cooling tower. A large building 
  next to the processing plant is the maintenance 
  garage. On the east side of the compound are two 
  smaller buildings. The smallest of these, 
  the 
  computer shed, also has an antenna atop it. The 
  other building is the barracks. Three heavy-duty 
  robots, another security robot and a maintenance 
  robot are visible. None of them are moving. 
   
  Signs of damage are apparent. The maintenance 
  garage has a large hole in its north wall, and several 
  skeletons are sprawled about the compound. 
   
  Massive piles of tailings (the waste products of the 
  mining operations) sit outside the fence behind the 
  processing plant. 
   
   
   
  DELTA Section 
  
   
  12 
   
   
   
   
  
   
  13 
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  14 
   
   
   
  The fence around the compound was electrified, but 
  now the power is off, so the PCs can climb it safely, 
  if they wish. 
   
  Delta Subsection 3  
   
  INSIDE THE  
  COMPOUND  
   
  THE ROBOTS 
  Four more maintenance robots (robots I, J, K, L) are in 
  the barracks and two security robots (robots F, G) in 
  the reactor and processing plant but don't let the 
  players know about them yet. None of the robots will 
  move until a character approaches to within two 
  squares of the computer shed. Then, all 12 robots 
  attack the characters nearest them. 
   
  These robots assisted in CDC's mining operation. After 
  Streel agents took over the compound, they radically 
  altered these robots' programming. Now, all 12 robots 
  share the following mission. 
   
  The robots will never attack characters outside the 
  compound. If a robotics specialist checks, he notices 
  that the robots are switched "on," even though they 
  aren't moving. Nothing will activate the robots except 
  a character approaching the computer shed. 
   
  Robotics specialists can safely try to deactivate any of 
  these robots, but only before someone approaches the 
  computer shed. 
   
   3 Heavy Duty Mining Robots (A, B, C) 
  Level Level 2  (cannot converse verbally) 
  Type Mining Robot 
  Body Type Heavy Duty 
  Parabattery Type 2 
  Move Mode tracks 
  Move Rate 10 meters/turn normal, 30/turn max 
  Limbs Robot A: scoop shovel 
  Robot B: huge drill 
  Robot C: rock crusher 
  IM/RS +5/50 
  Stamina 500 
  Attack 50 
  Damage using limbs for 6d10 damage 
  Programs Security Lock, Attack/Defense 
  Equipment various mineral detection sensors 
  Mission: 
  After any intruder approaches closer than 4 meters to 
  the computer shed, destroy all intruders in the 
  compound. 
  Functions: 
  Destroy: inflict damage on any intruder that moves. 
  Intruder: any object not in the compound at the 
  time the robot was reprogrammed. 
  Compound: the area inside the fence. 
  The three heavy-duty robots will crash through 
  walls while chasing characters, but they will not 
  leave the compound. All three are 2nd level. Streel 
  agents erased these robots' excavation programs. 
  They are now reprogrammed with only security lock 
  and attack/defense programs.  
   
   4 Security Robots (D, E, F, G) 
  Level Level 4  (not converse verbally) 
  Type Security Robot 
  Body Type Standard 
  Parabattery Type 1 
  Move Mode wheels 
  Move Rate 10 meters/turn normal, 90/turn max 
  Limbs 4 mechanical arms 
  IM/RS +5/50 
  Stamina 100 
  Attack 70 
  Damage by weapon or 2d10 hand-to-hand 
  Programs Security Lock, Attack/Defense,  
  Searcy & Destroy 
  Equipment laser rifle set at 8 SEU/shot powered by 
  a 100 SEU power backpack 
  Mission: 
  After any intruder approaches closer than 4 meters to 
  the computer shed, destroy all intruders in the 
  compound. 
  Functions: 
  Destroy: inflict damage on any intruder that moves. 
  Intruder: any object not in the compound at the 
  time the robot was reprogrammed. 
  Compound: the area inside the fence. 
   
  The four security robots shoot their lasers (8d10 
  damage) until their 100-SEU backpacks are drained. 
  Then, they attack with their limbs. 
   
   5 Maintenance Robots (H, I, J, K, L) 
  Level Level 2  (cannot converse verbally) 
  Type Maintenance Robot 
  Body Type Standard 
  Parabattery Type 1 
  Move Mode wheels 
  Move Rate 10 meters/turn normal, 60/turn max 
  Limbs Robot H: 1 vacuum, 2 mechanical arms 
  Robot I: 1 electrosnip, 2 mechanical arms 
  Robot J: 1 lasoldering iron, 2 mechanical arms 
  Robot K: 1 electrodriver, 2 mechanical arms 
  Robot L: 1 small drill, 2 mechanical arms 
  IM/RS +5/50 
  Stamina 100 
  Attack 50 
  Damage using limbs for 2d10 damage 
  Programs Security Lock, Attack/Defense 
  Equipment -- 
  Mission: 
  After any intruder approaches closer than 4 meters to 
  the computer shed, destroy all intruders in the 
  compound. 
  Functions: 
  Destroy: inflict damage on any intruder that moves. 
  Intruder: any object not in the compound at the 
  time the robot was reprogrammed. 
  Compound: the area inside the fence. 
  
   
  15 
   
   
   
   
   
  Streel technicians erased these maintenance robots' 
  processing and maintenance programs 
    
  THE GROUNDS 
  A jumble of debris, footprints, and wheel marks 
  cover the ground inside and around the compound. 
  It's impossible to estimate the number of attackers, 
  or determine any other details of the attack from 
  the tracks and debris. 
   
  The skeletons in the compound are the remains of 
  the CDC mining staff, slaughtered by Streel agents. 
  Sky-shrikes have picked the bones clean, but five 
  Yazirian, a Vrusk, and five human skeletons are 
  visible. The twelfth member of the crew, a 
  Dralasite, had no skeleton to leave behind.  
   
  THE BARRACKS 
  This was the barracks for the workers. If the robots 
  have not been activated, four maintenance robots 
  (robots I, J, K, L) are standing around the single 
  large room, immobile. Twelve bunks, an automated 
  kitchen, a large table, and 18 chairs are the 
  building's only other contents. If characters look 
  closely, they notice clean spots at the foot of each 
  bunk, where the worker's footlockers were kept. 
  The Streel attackers removed and destroyed all the 
  workers' personal belongings. Blast spots on the 
  walls show that some laser and automatic rifle 
  shooting took place in here. 
   
  THE COMPUTER SHED 
  This building houses the compound's computer. The 
  building shows no signs, inside or out, of the battle 
  that raged in the compound two weeks earlier. 
  Inside the shed, several huge type 4 parabatteries 
  sit against the south wall. A level 3 computer 
  occupies most of the rest of the building. 
   
  The computer is on when the PCs enter. After 
  erasing the CDC files and programs, the Streel 
  attackers reprogrammed the computer. It now 
  contains only a level 3 security program. The 
  computer has 100 structure points. 
   
  If a computer specialist attempts to display 
  information on this computer after defeating or 
  bypassing its security program, he learns that none 
  of the 
  original programming remains in the 
  computer. However, if his "display information" roll 
  succeeds by 40% or more, he can call up rough 
  pictures of the people who reprogrammed the 
  computer. If the PCs ask the computer to enlarge 
  the pictures, they see that the reprogrammers wore 
  the Streel corporate insignia on their suits. More 
  than one computer specialist in the party may 
  attempt to use the computer. 
   
  You may determine other ways the players can find 
  out that the Streel corporation is the culprit. Make 
  the players dig for this information, however! 
   
  The antenna atop the computer shed is connected 
  to a broken radiophone.  
   
  The PCs cannot interface this computer with the 
  computer at the Streel compound because the 
  Streel computer is not regularly linked to a radio.  
   
  REACTOR AND PROCESSING  
  PLANT 
  This large building contains the nuclear reactor and 
  generators that powered the compound, and the 
  mineral processing machinery that consumed most 
  or the reactor's power. The Streel attackers fused 
  the reactor core into a useless lump of highly 
  radioactive 
  garbage, 
  and 
  then 
  cracked 
  the 
  protective reactor shell. Consequently, this building 
  is full of dangerous radioactivity that will prove 
  deadly to characters that linger here. 
   
  As they approach or pass through the open door to 
  this building, characters that look at their gauges 
  notice that they are blinking blue, warning of 
  radioactivity. The radiation level is less intense 
  outside the building. Do not tell the players about 
  the radiation unless they state that their characters 
  are examining their toxyrad gauges!  
   
  Characters who enter the building immediately take 
  5 points of damage and begin to feel dizzy. If they 
  leave the building immediately, they suffer no 
  further damage. Characters who do not leave 
  immediately take another 5 points of damage. 
   
  Characters still inside the building should notice a 
  yellow glow coming from a crack in the reactor shell 
  at the far end of the building. If they leave 
  immediately, they take no further damage; but if 
  they don't head for the door fight after seeing the 
  glow (even if they pause just to look at their 
  toxyrad gauges) they take another 5 points of 
  damage before escaping from the building. 
   
  Characters who still do not leave continue to take 5 
  points of damage per turn. After they lose 25 
  Stamina points, they become horribly nauseated. If 
  they leave then, they take 5 more points of damage 
  before escaping. If they do not leave, damage 
  continues to accumulate until they die.  
   
  Radiation damage cannot be healed during this 
  adventure. Thus, points lost in this encounter have 
  the effect of permanently lowering the Stamina of 
  the characters involved. Note that all characters in 
  the building take damage equally. 
  
   
  16 
   
   
   
   
  
   
  17 
   
   
   
   
   
  There is nothing of value to characters in this 
  building. If they look around, describe masses of 
  heavily wired machinery, huge vats for melting 
  rock, and large crushing and separating machines. 
  There are a few tools lying about. The tools have 
  become radioactive. Characters who pick one up 
  suffer one additional point of damage every turn 
  they hold it or store it on their persons. 
   
  After the radiation is discovered, technicians outside 
  the building can tell that the reactor has been 
  fused. 
   
  If the characters decide to build an atom bomb, or 
  otherwise use the radioactive wastes in the 
  building, inform them that contamination puts any 
  such attempt out of the question. (Also, the UPF 
  charter calls for severe sanctions against any group 
  using nuclear weapons!) 
   
  A small room to the left of the main door houses the 
  subspace 
  radio 
  and 
  radar 
  apparatus 
  of 
  the 
  compound. Both devices are smashed beyond 
  repair. 
   
  MAINTENANCE GARAGE 
  The doors of, this large single room open, revealing 
  three parked explorers and the remains of a blown-
  up aircar. The explorers do not appear damaged. In 
  addition to the hole in the wall that the characters 
  could see from outside the compound, this building 
  has a number of blast holes in the roof. The metal 
  sheeting around these holes points downward, 
  indicating to a thoughtful character that the attack 
  came from above. One of these holes is directly 
  above an undamaged explorer. The vehicles were 
  outside the compound during the Streel attack and 
  were moved into the garage later. 
   
  The explorers are typical examples of this type of 
  vehicle. Each can carry six passengers (including 
  human sized robots), and has three entry/exit 
  points. A small door at the right front of the vehicle 
  leads to the driver's seat; a large, double door at 
  the back, allows large items to be loaded and 
  unloaded; and a small hatchway in the center of the 
  roof allows one character to ride with the upper part 
  of his body outside the vehicle. The explorers can 
  carry two extra passengers on top, if necessary. 
   
  The Streel attackers booby-trapped the middle 
  explorer with a 200 gram-charge of Tornadium D-
  19 and a detonator. The charge is inside the 
  vehicle, but the detonator is attached underneath 
  the explorer's body connected to the parabattery in 
  the rear. The trap is level 3. 
   
  If the explorer is started before the trap is 
  deactivated, the charge explodes causing 100 
  points of damage to characters inside the vehicle. 
  Everyone outside the explorer within 4 meters takes 
  2d10 points of damage from the explosion. Inertia 
  screens 
  and 
  skein 
  suits 
  halve 
  this 
  damage; 
  characters with both suffer only quarter damage. 
   
  The trapped explorer is parked directly over the 
  hidden weapons cache at the center of the garage. 
  That explorer must be moved before the PCs can 
  reach the cache. The other two explorers are 
  parked on each side of the middle one. The blown-
  up air car rests against the north wall. 
   
  If a technician tries to deactivate the booby-trap, 
  but fails his deactivation roll by 10% or less, he 
  realizes that he failed, but does not set off the 
  explosive. In this case, another technician can try to 
  deactivate the trap. If any deactivation attempt fails 
  by more than 10% (or rolls "00") the explosive 
  detonates. Technicians must deactivate the trap 
  from outside the vehicle. 
   
  A demolitions expert may attempt to defuse the 
  charge from inside the vehicle. The charge was set 
  by a character with 3rd level demolition skill.  
   
  If the explosive detonates in the explorer the 
  vehicle is damaged beyond repair. Even then, 
  another explorer can tow it out of the way to allow 
  the characters access to the weapons cache. 
   
  The weapons are hidden beneath a plascrete slab 
  that matches the rest of the floor. Any technician 
  can automatically locate the switch that moves the 
  slab. Beneath it, still in their transportation crate, 
  are the items listed in table 4. 
   
  TABLE 4:   
  CDC COMPOUND WEAPONS CACHE 
  Players should note on their character record sheets 
  all additional items their characters carry from this 
  cache. 
   
  • 20 power beltpacks (50 SEU) 
  • 10 power backpacks (100 SEU) 
  • 2 heavy lasers 
  • 2 recoilless rifles 
  • 25 recoilless shells 
  • 2 rocket launchers 
  • 20 rockets for rocket launchers 
  • 3 heavy weapon swivel mounts* 
  • 20 bulletclips (10 rifle, 10 pistol) 
  • 20 jetclips (10 rifle, 10 pistol) 
   
  *The swivel mounts fit easily around the roof hatch 
  of any explorer. A technician needs one hour to 
  install a swivel mount and one heavy weapon on an 
  
   
  18 
   
   
   
  explorer. No more than one heavy weapon can be 
  mounted on each of these vehicles. 
   
  Delta Subsection 4  
   
  PREPARING TO  
  LEAVE 
  If the players do not figure out that their next 
  objective is to shut down the Streel operation on 
  Alcazzar, you do not need to clue them in. The PCs 
  may occupy time around the CDC compound in 
  whatever manner they wish, but they will not 
  achieve their second objective that way. 
   
  STREEL AIRCAR ATTACK 
  If the PCs decide to leave the CDC compound, a 
  Streel aircar attacks them as soon as they are ready 
  to leave. If the PCs are on foot or in explorers with 
  their upper hatches open, determine initiative 
  normally. Use the aircar pilot's initiative modifier. If 
  this encounter occurs at night or when the 
  characters are all inside vehicles, the aircar gains 
  surprise. 
   
  The Streel aircar is armed with a recoilless rifle, and 
  carries 10 rounds of ammunition. The attack 
  continues until the aircar is shot down or runs out of 
  ammunition and returns to the Streel compound. 
  The Streel insignia is clearly visible on the side of 
  the aircar. 
   
  The aircar approaches at 400 kilometers per hour 
  (kph) and 50 meters altitude. As it races past the 
  compound, the gunner fires one shot at an explorer. 
  Then the aircar circles the compound at 100 kph, 
  firing at the PCs and their vehicles. 
   
  When firing at a flying vehicle, players need not 
  combine the "target is in vehicle" and "target is 
  flying" modifiers; they should use only the "target is 
  flying" modifier (-10).  
   
  Streel Aircar Pilot, Human 
    IM/RS 4/40 
   
  Streel Aircar Gunner, Human 
    DEX 50; 4th level projectile weapons skill  
    (base 65% to hit) 
   
  Use the Vehicle Damage Table (Alpha Dawn, p. 23) 
  to calculate the effects of hits on an explorer. Use 
  the Aerial Combat Table (p. 24) to determine the 
  effects of hits on the aircar. If the aircar is shot 
  down, the two humans aboard are automatically 
  killed, and the aircar is destroyed.  
  
   
  19 
   
   
   
   
  These are planned encounters the PCs should have 
  while traveling to the Streel compound. Refer to 
  Beta Subsection 1 for terrain effects as necessary. 
  Also use the random encounter tables to determine 
  random encounters.  
   
  The PCs must decide whether to travel on foot or in 
  explorers. If they travel in explorers, find out if all 
  the characters are "buttoned up" inside the vehicles 
  or if characters are standing in the hatchways, 
  ready to use the heavy weapon that may be 
  mounted there. 
   
  Epsilon Subsection 1 
   
  THE GWERRAH 
  This encounter should occur in the first moraine hex 
  the characters enter.  They meet a gwerrah there, 
  regardless of whether they travel on foot or by 
  explorer. 
   
  Gwerrah 
  MV medium; IM/RS 4/40; STA 800; ATT 40; DM 
  20d10 to individuals, use the Vehicle Damage 
  Table if attack is made against an explorer; SA 
  none; SD none 
   
  The gwerrah lumbers around a hill in front of the 
  characters. The first character that sights it must 
  make an immediate surprise check. If vehicles are 
  traveling side-by-side instead of single file, all 
  drivers must check.  
   
  The gwerrah utters an earth-shaking bellow, and 
  charges toward the party making its first attack one 
  turn after it is sighted. The explorers require one 
  turn to turn around and two turns to outrun the 
  creature. Thus, the gwerrah attacks at least three 
  times. If the PCs are surprised, the gwerrah can 
  attack four times. If the PCs choose to fight instead 
  of retreat the fight continues until the creature is 
  killed or the PCs change their minds and retreat. 
  Once 
  the 
  characters 
  decide 
  to 
  retreat 
  their 
  explorers still need two turns to outrun the 
  gwerrah. 
   
  If the characters do not kill the gwerrah, they may 
  not leave the hex where they encountered it in the 
  direction they originally intended to go; they must 
  choose an alternate route around that hex. If the 
  PCs kill the gwerrah, they may cross two more 
  moraine hexes with no encounters. When they enter 
  the third moraine hex, however, another gwerrah 
  confronts them. They continue to encounter a 
  gwerrah in every third hex, as long as they remain 
  in (or re-enter) moraines. 
   
  Epsilon Subsection 2 
   
  THE SKY-SHRIKES 
  Sky-shrikes never attack characters in explorers. If 
  the characters travel on foot in the plains (day or 
  night), sky-shrikes attack them frequently and in 
  steadily increasing numbers. The sky-shrikes swoop 
  down to land on characters' heads, slashing with 
  their razor sharp front claws and biting with 
  powerful jaws. 
   
  Sky-shrikes 
  MV Very Fast (in air); IM/RS 7/70; STA 35; ATT 
  70; DM 2d10; SA none; SD none 
   
  In the first encounter, four sky-shrikes attack the 
  PCs as soon as they move farther than 2 kilometers 
  from the CDC compound. The sky-shrikes fight to 
  the death. If the characters advance another 
  kilometer eight of the flying mammals attack. After 
  another kilometer, 15 sky-shrikes swoop down; and 
  finally 30 attack. Then, 30 sky-shrikes attack each 
  time the party travel 1 kilometer in any direction. 
  The attacks stop when the characters return to 
  within 2 kilometers of the CDC compound, or leave 
  the plains. 
   
  Epsilon Subsection 3 
   
  STREEL MOBILE  
  FORCE 
  Use this encounter if the PCs cross a river or lake in 
  explorers. The water where they decide to cross is 
  about 6 meters lower than the land on both sides. 
   
   
  EPSILON Section 
  
   
  20 
   
   
   
  The explorers can easily descend and climb the 
  banks. As the explorers climb the bank on the far 
  side (after crossing the water), the battle begins. 
   
  The Streel forces attack the PCs with four ground 
  cars and two jetcopters. Each vehicle has a driver 
  and a gunner, and is armed with a heavy weapon, 
  indicated on table 5, below. Table 5 lists each Streel 
  vehicle, its weapon, the base number its gunner 
  needs to hit, and the driver's Reaction Speed. For 
  initiative determination, the Streel side always gets 
  an IM of 6. 
   
  TABLE 5:  STREEL MOBILE FORCE 
  VEHICLE* 
  WEAPON** 
  TO 
  HIT 
  DAMAGE 
  DRIVER 
  RS 
  Groundcar A 
  Recoilless Rifle 
  50% 
  12d10 
  45 
  Groundcar B 
  Recoilless Rifle 
  65% 
  12d10 
  40 
  Groundcar C 
  Rocket Launcher 
  60% 
  15d10 
  35 
  Groundcar D* Heavy Laser 
  70% 
  15d10 
  55 
  Jetcopter A 
  Machine Gun 
  80%*** 
  10d10 
  50 
  Jetcopter B 
  Heavy Laser 
  65% 
  15d10 
  55 
  *  
  Use only groundcars A, B, & C, if PCs have <3 explorers. 
  **  
  Each weapon has enough ammunition for 10 shots. 
  ***  Includes "burst" modifier. 
   
  The Streel force fights this battle as a vehicle 
  combat shooting at the explorers as long as the PCs 
  are in them. Of course, the PCs may leave their 
  vehicles or remain with them as they wish. 
   
  When the explorers reach the top of the bank, the 
  Streel groundcars are spotted 1 kilometer away. If 
  any PCs are in an open hatch ready to shoot a 
  mounted heavy weapon, roll for initiative normally 
  and run a turn of combat. 
   
  Use a PC gunner's initiative modifier for the roll. 
   
  If the PCs are not manning the heavy weapons on 
  their explorer, the Streel force shoots automatically 
  on the first turn. A character takes three turns to 
  open the hatch and man a heavy weapon on top of 
  a vehicle. Use the normal combat procedure in the 
  following turns. 
   
  The explorers are fully visible on the first turn of 
  combat. If the PCs win initiative in the following 
  turn, the drivers may back down the bank into a 
  protective "hull down" position before the Streel 
  forces fire again. If the PCs lose initiative in the 
  second turn, they are exposed to a second shot. 
   
  After the initial turn of combat the groundcars 
  advance directly toward the PCs, accelerating to 80 
  kph. They continue to approach until destroyed or 
  until they reach point blank range, where they stop 
  and blaze away.  
   
  
   
  21 
   
   
   
   
   
  Four turns after the combat starts the Streel 
  jetcopters approach from behind the PCs. If any 
  character is watching the rear, he automatically 
  spots the jetcopters. If none of the PCs are 
  watching the rear, one PC, who is not driving or 
  shooting, must make an intuition check. If the 
  check fails, the jetcopters attack with surprise. They 
  fly at an altitude of 50 meters and maintain a speed 
  of 200 kph throughout the battle, circling to attack 
  every three turns. 
   
  The Streel forces were ordered to eliminate the CDC 
  party, so the crews of all vehicles will fight to the 
  death. Do not allow the PCs to take any prisoners in 
  this battle - if a Streel vehicle is destroyed, its crew 
  is killed. 
   
  Calculate all modifiers for target and attacker 
  movement range, and cover. The -20 modifier for 
  "Attacker in Vehicle" does not apply to weapons 
  mounted on a vehicle. If the characters back down 
  the bank to the water's edge, they gain a "hard 
  cove" and "medium size" bonus (total -30 to attacks 
  against them), while still able to fire at the Streel 
  vehicles. Characters also gain the +15 "careful aim" 
  bonus if they wait a turn between shots and fire 
  from a non-moving vehicle. 
   
  Ignore the modifiers for the giant size of all of the 
  vehicles (+10) and use of heavy weapons (-10), 
  since they cancel each other. If heavy weapons are 
  used against characters, or personal weapons are 
  used against the vehicles, the modifiers should be 
  considered. 
   
  Play this encounter on a table top, using counters to 
  represent the vehicles. Give the players distances 
  orally, so exact distances between the counters is 
  not of critical importance. If possible, the counters 
  representing the two sides should begin the battle 
  about 1 meter apart. 
   
  Epsilon Subsection 4 
   
  THE LOKKUKU 
   
  GENERAL INFORMATION 
  Lokkuku are highly intelligent beings with a stone-
  age culture. The Streel Corporation enslaved over 
  100 lokkuku - in violation of the UPF charter - and 
  now forces them to work in the mines. A large 
  number of lokkuku live in the woods around the 
  Streel compound harassing isolated workers, but 
  the lokkuku lack the technology to attack the heavy 
  weapons and defenses of the outpost. 
   
  If the characters do not overreact to the playful 
  bombardment of young lokkuku (in encounter A, 
  below), and make an attempt to communicate with 
  the tribal leaders (in encounter B, below), the 
  lokkuku will prove an invaluable ally in breaching 
  the Streel defenses. If the characters make enemies 
  of the lokkuku, they have probably doomed their 
  expedition to failure. 
   
  A. THE PLAYFUL AMBUSH 
  Use this encounter as soon as the PCs enter the 
  woods near the Streel compound. Several dozen 
  young lokkuku, completely hidden in the trees 
  above the party, shower the party with hard, heavy 
  karakah fruit pits. These youngsters are acting 
  without the consent or knowledge of the older 
  lokkuku. The PCs are surprised by this attack. 
   
  Characters walking, or riding outside an explorer 
  (including in the upper hatch) take 1d10 points of 
  damage from the falling pits on the first turn of the 
  assault. The vehicles are not damaged. The 
  bombardment occurs even if all characters are 
  inside the vehicles. 
   
  On the next turn, roll for initiative (lokkuku IM=7) if 
  any characters are exposed to the falling pits. If the 
  PCs lose initiative, all exposed characters take 
  another 1d10 points of damage. If the PCs win 
  initiative, they can duck under or inside the 
  explorers if they wish, and avoid the second 
  barrage. 
  Characters 
  without 
  explorers 
  suffer 
  damage again. 
   
  Having had their fun, the young lokkuku scamper 
  away, with much shrieking and chittering in the 
  branches. They are never visible to the characters. 
  If the PCs shoot into the trees, each shot has a 50% 
  chance of hitting a young lokkuku and sending it 
  crashing to the ground, lifeless. If any lokkuku are 
  killed, skip encounter B (The Emissaries) and go 
  directly to encounter C (Hostile Lokkuku Ambush). 
   
  B. THE EMISSARIES 
  This encounter occurs only if the PCs did not kill any 
  young 
  lokkuku 
  in 
  encounter 
  A 
  (The 
  Playful 
  Ambush). 
   
  Your path through the huge tree trunks is suddenly 
  blocked by a half dozen lokkuku. The furry creatures 
  are easily recognizable from the trivid image you saw in 
  your briefing on Cassidine. Each creature stands about 
  a meter and a half tall, and all six are standing on their 
  hind legs. They are not holding anything in their ape-
  like hands. 
   
  The lokkuku stand perfectly still, staring at you with 
  wide, unblinking eyes. The largest one suddenly makes 
  a harsh sound like grinding ground-truck gears. The 
  shadowy shapes of many other lokkuku are becoming 
  visible in the forest on both sides of you, as well in the 
  trees above. 
  
   
  22 
   
   
   
   
  Any act by any character that could seem 
  dangerous to the lokkuku (whether or not it actually 
  causes harm) causes all the creatures to flee 
  quickly. If that happens, do not finish this 
  encounter, go immediately to encounter C (Hostile 
  Lokkuku Ambush). 
   
  If the characters try to veer around the lokkuku, six 
  more step in front of them. If the party tries to 
  drive over them, the lokkuku wait until the last 
  second before dodging out of the way then flee. If 
  they flee, go immediately to encounter C. 
   
  If a psycho-socialist attempts to empathize with the 
  lokkuku, he determines that their attitude is 
  "cautious" and, somehow, "expectant." If a PC 
  makes a successful communication roll, that PC and 
  the lokkuku may exchange two- word messages. 
  The lokkuku will try to describe the status of their 
  comrades enslaved by Streel, as well as the fact 
  that the lokkuku are the friends of anyone who wish 
  to harm the Streel compound. The lokkuku even 
  invite the characters to their primitive village, which 
  is located nearby in a number of huge, hollowed out 
  tree trunks and stumps.  
   
  The trunks of the karakah trees are large enough to 
  hold many lokkuku at once. Many older karakah 
  trees become hollowed out through rotting, not 
  because of work by the lokkuku. One of these trees 
  in each village is used to store karakah fruit for the 
  Kag-Gakka, and smells much like a distillery (see 
  Alien Creatures Update File for more about the Kag-
  Gakka). 
   
  If the characters attempt to program their poly-vox 
  with the lokkuku language, the device can translate 
  after 25 hours of constant exposure to the lokkuku. 
   
  If the lokkuku ally with the PCs, do not use 
  encounter C (Hostile Lokkuku Ambush). 
   
  C. HOSTILE LOKKUKU AMBUSH 
  Use this encounter if the PCs do not establish friendly 
  relations with the lokkuku. 
   
  One of the explorers - the last one, if they are 
  traveling single file - is caught in a lokkuku trap. This 
  trap is made of several stout vines, well camouflaged 
  on the ground across the explorer's path. When the 
  vehicle drives over the vines, huge logs attached to 
  the vines are released from high up in the trees. The 
  weight of the logs pull the vines over high branches, 
  hoisting the explorer 3 meters into the air and holding 
  it there, quite helpless. 
   
  Nearby, 200 lokkuku are gathered in the trees and 
  underbrush. As soon as the explorer is lifted, 50 
  lokkuku rush out and pile brush and dried wood under 
  the vehicle. Any successful hit by a PC weapon kills 
  one of the creatures. 
   
  The other 150 lokkuku wait in the trees around the 
  captured explorer. They are armed with many stone-
  tipped spears that they throw at characters that show 
  any portion of their bodies outside of the vehicle. In 
  each shower of spears, 1d10 spears hit fully exposed 
  characters, causing 4 points of damage each. Only 1d5 
  spears hit partially exposed characters. 
   
  The spear-bearing lokkuku also attack characters on 
  foot or exposed while riding in other explorers. The 
  shower of spears is repeated each turn that the 
  lokkuku have a target until three volleys are thrown. 
  Then, four turns pass while the lokkuku recover their 
  spears. No attacks are made on PCs during these four 
  turns. The attacks begin again as soon as the lokkuku 
  are rearmed and a target presents itself. 
   
  If the characters figure out some way to free the 
  explorer, roll 1d10. On a roll of 1-3, the explorer drops 
  to the ground, landing upright, on a roll of 4-7, the 
  explorer lands on its side and cannot move. If the PCs 
  attempt to shoot the vines, give them a straight -30 
  modifier in addition to range modifiers. Any hit breaks 
  a vine; If two vines are broken, the explorer falls. The 
  PCs automatically hit the vines if they slash at them 
  with blade weapons. The vines break after taking 25 
  points of damage. 
   
  Ten turns after the explorer is hoisted; the brush 
  underneath it is set ablaze. Characters inside the 
  vehicle begin to feel the heat 10 turns later. After 15 
  turns, each character in the explorer takes 1d10 points 
  of heat damage per turn. 
   
  Eighteen turns after the fire starts; the vines 
  supporting the explorer burn through. The vehicle fans 
  into the fire, landing upright if 1-3 is rolled on 1d10. 
  Characters inside take 1d10 points of damage from the 
  fall, as well as another 1d10 from heat. If the vehicle 
  lands upright any technician that is still conscious can 
  drive it out of the fire with no further damage. If it 
  lands on its side, however (4-10 on 1d10), characters 
  leaving the vehicle take 3d10 points of damage from 
  the fire before escaping from the flames. 
   
  If another explorer is nearby, surviving characters 
  could possibly reach it. If the lokkuku have spears at 
  this point, however, characters emerging from the 
  burning explorer must also contend with 1d10 spear 
  hits per turn until the lokkuku run out of spears or the 
  characters reach the safety of another explorer. 
   
  The lokkuku try to repeat this ambush every 2 
  kilometers, as long as there are explorers left, and the 
  party remains in the forest. After the first attack PCs 
  can avoid further ambushes by taking an unpredictable 
  or zigzag course through forest. Unless the players 
  state that the PCs take some kind of evasive action, 
  another explorer will be strung up and roasted. 
  
   
  23 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  24 
   
   
   
  Unlike the CDC outpost the Streel Corporation 
  centered its operation in a large, fortress-like 
  building. The building is surrounded by a heavy 
  chain-link security fence and defended by a number 
  of strategically placed machine guns. 
   
  Let the players use the Fort map (from your STAR 
  FRONTIERS  game box) for the Streel compound. 
  One square equals 5 meters on thls map. Map 4 
  shows you details of the Streel compound and 
  building that the PCs don't know about yet. 
   
  There are 28 armed guards and 20 unarmed 
  workers in the compound.  Another 20 unarmed 
  workers are at the mine. Statistics and locations for 
  these NPCs are given in the following descriptions 
  and in Zeta Subsection 2. 
   
  Zeta Subsection 1  
  OUTSIDE THE  
  STREEL COMPOUND 
   
  THE MINE 
  The mines are operational all the time; so one shift 
  of workers is always on duty, while the other shift 
  rests in the compound.  
   
  The mining is conducted on the riverbed several 
  kilometers upstream and downstream from the 
  compound. When the PCs arrive, 20 workers and 
  their equipment are 2 kilometers upstream from the 
  compound.  
   
  The workers, including members of all four races, 
  are operating four ground trucks, three heavy-duty 
  robots, and a maintenance robot. The workers are 
  not armed, and there are no guards about. If 
  attacked, these workers surrender without a fight. 
  Captured 
  workers 
  will 
  not 
  acknowledge 
  the 
  existence of the tunnel into the compound. 
   
  THE PERIMETER 
  Streel workers cleared the forest away from their 
  compound to a distance of 100 meters on the north, 
  east and south sides. To the west, a huge, low hill 
  of 
  tailings 
  covers 
  the 
  ground 
  between 
  the 
  compound and the river. At each corner of the 
  perimeter fence is a 4-meter-tall tower with two 
  machine guns mounted in it. Two guards man the 
  machine guns in each tower at all times. One guard 
  in each tower wears infra-red goggles. Every 
  approach across this open area-including the 
  tailings-is covered by two of these guns. The 
  machine guns will not run out of ammunition during 
  a PC attack. 
   
  The machine guns cannot be swiveled around to fire 
  into the compound without removing them from 
  their mounts and carrying them across the tower. 
  This procedure takes three turns. 
   
  8 machine gunners, 5 Yazirians, 3 Humans 
     RW 60, M 70, PS 3, IM 5, RS 45, STA 45 
   
  The security fence is 3 meters tall and charged with 
  enough electricity to inflict 5d10 points of damage 
  per turn upon characters touching it, or riding in a 
  vehicle that touches it. An explorer can push 
  through the fence in three turns. Once part of the 
  fence is down, all its electricity shuts off. Characters 
  in gauss screens take no damage from the fence, 
  and can try to climb it. Characters take four turns to 
  climb the fence and are exposed to machine gun 
  fire while climbing. 
   
  The PCs can cut the fence with laser fire, but only if 
  they try to. They must destroy 100 hundred-
  structure points to cut a 1-meter slit. The Streel 
  guards always fire through the fence without 
  damaging it.  
   
  The gates in the fence are solid steel, and nothing 
  short of a heavy tank can knock them down. The 
  gate's lock is level 3. Any technician attempting to 
  pick it has a -20 modifier because he is under fire 
  from two machine guns. (Unless the guns are 
   
   
  ZETA Section 
  
   
  25 
   
   
   
   
  knocked out and no guards are firing at the 
  technician from within the compound). 
   
  A tunnel leads from the river under the tailings and 
  the fence into the compound, west of the reactor 
  room. Several pipes run through this tunnel, 
  supplying water to cool the reactor. There is just 
  enough room in the tunnel for a character to squirm 
  through between the pipes. The tunnel ends and 
  opens into the compound about 7 meters from the 
  reactor room. The pipes continue over ground into 
  the building. The PCs will not locate the tunnel 
  unless the lokkuku ally with them, in which case the 
  lokkuku point it out to the characters. 
   
  Zeta Subsection 2  
  INSIDE THE STREEL  
  COMPOUND 
  Half the guards in the guardroom and all the 
  officers will investigate any explosion in the 
  compound. 
   
  Many rooms are described with people in them. 
  Those occupants are inside their rooms at all times 
  (except when guards have been summoned by an 
  alarm). 
   
  GUARDROOM 
  The outer doors to this room are protected by a 
  level 4 lock. Inside the room, unless alerted by a 
  disturbance outside, are 12 guards. 
   
  6 guards, Humans 
  RW 50, M 60, PS 3, IM 5, RS 50, STA 40; laser 
  rifles (50 SEU beltpacks), electric swords (20 SEU 
  clip), skein suits, albedo screens (powered by 
  beltpacks) 
   
  6 guards, Yazirian 
  RW 60, M 40, PS 2, IM 6, RS 60, STA 35; 
  automatic rifles (40 rounds), sonic swords (20 
  SEU clips), skein suits; gauss screens (20 SEU 
  clips); battle rage: 20% each 
   
  The guardroom also contains bunks, chairs and 
  tables for the guards. A locker near each bunk 
  contains a 10-1,000 (d100 x 10) credits, clothing, 
  and assorted personal effects (pictures, holobooks, 
  etc.) 
   
  MACHINE SHOP 
  This large room contains the heavy equipment 
  needed to work the mines. Four heavy-duty robots 
  and six ground trucks are parked here when the 
  characters enter. The machinery enters and exits 
  through large doors in the north wall of the room. 
  Those doors can only be operated from the inside. 
  They have 200 structure points apiece. Tell the 
  players about these doors because they are not on 
  the player's map. Each piece of equipment can be 
  destroyed by a 500-gram charge of Tornadium D-
  19. 
   
  WORKERS' BARRACKS 
  Twenty technicians and laborers are resting in this 
  room. They are all unarmed and defenseless, and 
  will not join in any combat. If the PCs attack them, 
  give each worker 35 Stamina points. 
   
  The room contains the bunks and personal effects 
  that belong to these workers and the other 20 
  workers currently on duty. None of the personal 
  effects will be of use to the PCs. This room also 
  contains the compound's computer. It is a basic, 
  2nd level device, used only to run the maintenance 
  and food preparation aspects of the operation. 
   
  DINING HALL 
  This room contains four long tables, each flanked by 
  a pair of benches. An automatic kitchen stands at 
  the far end, along with four maintenance robots. 
  The robots are programmed to take orders and 
  serve food. They politely move forward if PCs enter 
  the room, asking the PCs what they want to eat. 
  These 
  robots 
  are 
  not 
  programmed 
  to 
  take 
  combative action of any sort. A huge storage vault 
  next to the kitchen contains dehydrated foods of all 
  kinds. 
   
  SUPERVISORS' ROOM 
  This room is the quarters of the officers in charge of 
  the Streel operation. Unless they have been called 
  to a disturbance in the compound or reactor room, 
  they are in this room. The room is equipped with a 
  camera that shows the hallway approaching the 
  reactor room. The officers here will be aware of any 
  PCs in that hallway, and will immediately run out 
  and attack them. 
   
  This room also contains five bunks, a table, five 
  chairs, and the officers' personal effects (useless to 
  the PCs). 
   
  Captain, Yazirian male 
  RW 80, M 80, PS 3, IM 7, RS 65, STA 55; gyrojet 
  rifle (20 rounds), auto pistol (40 rounds), sonic 
  knife (20 SEU clip), skeinsuit, inertia screen (50 
  SEU beltpack) 
   
  1st Lieutenant Yazirian female 
  RW 65, M 70, PS 3, IM 5, RS 45, STA 40; laser 
  rifle (100 SEU backpack), sonic sword (20 SEU 
  clip), skeinsuit, albedo screen (same backpack as 
  rifle) 
   
  
   
  26 
   
   
   
   
  
   
  27 
   
   
   
   
  2nd Lieutenant Vrusk male 
  RW 60, M 45, PS 2, IM 6, RS 60, STA 40; 4 
  fragment grenades, auto pistol (40 rounds), 
  vibroknife (20 SEU clip), skeinsuit, albedo screen 
  (50 SEU beltpack) 
   
  1st Goon, Human male 
  RW 55, M 80, PS 4, IM 4, RS 40, STA 65; 
  electrostunner (20 SEU clip), 2 tangler grenades, 
  stunstick (20 SEU clip), skeinsuit, inertia screen 
  (50 SEU beltpack) 
   
  2nd Goon, Dralasite 
  RW 50, M 75, PS 4, IM 4, RS 35, STA 70; needler 
  pistol (10 shots), sonic sword (20 SEU clip), 
  stunstick (20 SEU clip), skeinsuit, inertia screen 
  (50 SEU beltpack) 
   
  RADIO AND SUPPLY ROOM 
  The door to this room is secured with a level 2 lock. 
  Within, a technician is always on duty, monitoring 
  both the subspace radio and radiophone.  
   
  Technician/Radio operator, Human 
  RW 50; M 40; PS 2; lM 4; RS 40; STA 45; laser 
  pistol, stunstick (2 20 SEU clips), skeinsuit 
   
  Most of the space in the room is used for supply 
  storage. The supplies kept here are listed in table 6. 
   
  TABLE 6:  STREEL SUPPLIES 
  • 4 type 4 parabatteries 
  • 10 type 3 parabatteries 
  • 7 type 2 parabatteries 
  • 50 gas masks 
  • 10 kilograms of Tornadium D-19* 
  • 20 weeks food supplies for entire staff 
  • 4 freeze fields 
  • 1 grenade launcher 
  • 24 grenades of each type 
  • 1,000 powerclips 
  • 1,000 bulletclips (500 rifle, 500 pistol) 
   
  * Exploding all the Tornadium D-19 at once will destroy 
  the Streel compound, except the reactor building. See 
  REACTOR ROOM, below, for the results of explosions 
  inside the reactor room. 
   
  REACTOR ROOM 
  This large room houses the reactor that powers the 
  Streel operation. The door to the room is protected 
  by a level 4 lock, as is the door from the hall to the 
  outside. Two guards are on duty in the hall outside 
  the reactor room. 
   
  2 guards, Humans 
  RW 40, M 50, PS 2, IM 4, RS 40, STA 40; laser 
  rifles (50 SEU beltpacks), vibroknives (20 SEU 
  clip), skeinsuits, albedo screens (powered by 
  beltpacks, above) 
   
  The 
  walls 
  of 
  this 
  room 
  are 
  steel-reinforced 
  plasticrete with 350 structure points. 
   
  Within the room, the reactor core is surrounded by 
  electrical 
  generators 
  and 
  the 
  machinery 
  that 
  controls the mixture of radioactive pellets and 
  coolant. A 6th level technician can manipulate the 
  machinery in 1d10 minutes to fuse the entire 
  reactor core into worthless radioactive slag. 
   
  The PCs can also destroy the reactor with 500 
  grams of Tornadium D-19. However, any attempt to 
  use explosives to damage the reactor or its 
  machinery activates an automatic safety system 
  that shuts the reactor down. The PCs cannot in any 
  way cause an atomic explosion. As soon as 
  demolition charges explode on or near the reactor, 
  this room fills with dangerous radioactivity. The 
  radioactivity causes 1d10 points of damage each 
  turn to any character in the room. All this 
  information is common knowledge to technicians. 
    
  Zeta Subsection 3  
  ATTACKING THE  
  STREEL COMPOUND 
   
  ATTACKING WITHOUT  
  THE LOKKUKU 
  If the PCs are not allied with the lokkuku, and 
  survived the lokkuku ambushes, they may attack 
  the compound in whatever manner they wish. As 
  soon as the guards in the towers sight a PC--which 
  they must do as soon as any PC leaves the forest 
  and approaches the compound--all the guards and 
  officers in the compound take up positions on the 
  building's roof (4 meters high), facing the direction 
  the PCs are approaching from. They add their 
  firepower to that of the machine guns in the towers. 
  Ladders on the building allow the Streel guards to 
  climb to the roof quickly. 
   
  ATTACKING WITH  
  THE LOKKUKU 
  If the lokkuku ally with the PCs, they gladly tell the 
  PCs about the tunnel that snakes through the 
  tailings and passes under the south end of the fence 
  on the west side of the compound. If the PCs enter 
  the compound through the tunnel, they can reach 
  the door to the hall outside the reactor room 
  undetected. 
   
  This door is secured with a level 4 lock. If the PCs 
  enter here, the guards outside the reactor room 
  attack them immediately; the officers in the 
  supervisors' room join the attack two turns later. 
  
   
  28 
   
   
   
  The guards in the guardroom run down the hall and 
  join the fight six turns after it begins, unless a 
  lokkuku diversion was arranged. 
   
  If the PCs ask them, the lokkuku agree to attack 
  the outside of the compound at a set time. Their 
  attack will draw all the guards from the guardroom 
  to the roof, but not the officers and the two guards 
  at the reactor room - the PCs must deal with them. 
   
  If the diversionary attack is aided by some PCs with 
  heavy weapons, then the 2nd Lieutenant and the 
  two goons from the supervisors' room also climb to 
  the roof. The Captain and 1st Lieutenant are always 
  in the supervisors' room if any PCs enter the fort 
  through the door near the reactor. 
   
  After 
  fusing 
  the 
  reactor 
  (or 
  destroying 
  the 
  machinery), the PCs may safely escape through the 
  tunnel, or they may try to climb the fence or go 
  through the gate and flee to the forest. The Streel 
  guards will fight to the last man, if necessary, and 
  will actively seek out enemies in their compound. 
   
  Zeta Subsection 4  
  LEAVING 
  ALCAZZAR 
  If the PCs call on the Streel subspace radio, the 
  Nightrunner responds. The PCs can report their 
  findings and situation and arrange a pick-up time 
  and place. 
   
  If the PCs don't use the subspace radio, the 
  Nightrunner returns 50 days (GST) after it left. 
  When it reaches Alcazzar, its shuttle lands at the 
  CDC compound and searches the area around the 
  CDC compound every 10 hours for three days 
  (GST). Then, with or without the PCs, the 
  Nightrunner returns to Cassidine. 
   
   
  
   
  29 
   
   
   
   
  Epilogue 
  Karrall Willthatch, CDC's chairman, takes good care of 
  loyal employees. If the PCs performed their jobs well, 
  he sees that each receives a bonus of several 
  thousand credits (you decide exactly how much). 
   
  If you and the PCs wish to pursue the careers they 
  began on Alcazzar - trouble-shooting for CDC - create 
  new adventures for them. Willthatch will see that they 
  get another assignment soon. CDC is active on many 
  planets, so the possibilities of adventure in this line of 
  work are limitless. Missions might include investigating 
  strange occurrences on the deserts of Laco, checking 
  reports of a gold strike in the mountains of Volturnus, 
  or uncovering betrayal in the corporate headquarters 
  building in Triad. 
   
  One benefit of working for a progressive corporation 
  such as CDC is the chance for characters that do 
  outstanding work to purchase stock. Owning CDC 
  stock is a chance to earn a lot of credits, and only CDC 
  employees who make contributions above and beyond 
  the normal job requirements can purchase the stock. 
  If you feel they are eligible, allow the PCs to purchase 
  up to 5,000 credits of CDC stock. Each year, the value 
  of CDC stock will go up or down, depending on how 
  well the company does. To earn money, the PCs must 
  sell their stock when it's worth more than when they 
  bought it. Once they sell their stock, they can't earn 
  any more credits from it. 
   
  Roll d10 on table 7 (or a table of your own) to 
  determine what happens to CDC stock during 1 year, 
  GST. Roll only once each year, the same results apply 
  to all CDC stock. 
   
  Regardless of the results of the conflict between CDC 
  and the Streel Corporation, news of the wealth on 
  Alcazzar leaks to the rest of the Frontier 1-10 weeks 
  after the end of this adventure. All of the major 
  corporations and many independent ("wildcat") miners 
  will arrive and stake out claims. 
   
  If the characters decide to remain on Alcazzar, many 
  different corporations offer them jobs. The PCs are 
  among the only characters in the galaxy with any 
  knowledge of the planet. That makes them valuable 
  employees for any company intending to operate on 
  Alcazzar. 
   
  The future of Alcazzar will be greatly influenced by the 
  planet's mineral wealth. Other considerations also 
  exist however. Although of little importance to many 
  major corporations of the Frontier, the future of the 
  planet's unique environment and many native species 
  are matters of grave concern to a number of 
  organizations. The Society for the Preservation of 
  Natural Ecosystems will be in the forefront of this 
  movement and would be happy to hire the PCs to work 
  for the Society's interests. Such work pays only about 
  half of what major corporations pay. 
   
  Many of the creatures living on the planet have yet to 
  be discovered and classified. None of the native 
  inhabitants have been studied by ecological specialists. 
  Characters interested in studying any aspect of this 
  planet are   offered jobs by organizations and 
  universities interested in learning about Alcazzar and 
  its lifeforms. The planet's unusual climate pattern 
  makes a very likely subject for research. 
   
  Remember that winter will arrive before too long. If 
  characters attempt to live through an Alcazzar winter, 
  determine their chances of survival as you see fit. 
   
  In any event Alcazzar is a new, exciting, and 
  potentially wealthy planet. You may work it into your 
  campaign in any manner you wish. Alcazzar can 
  provide settings for a wide variety of adventures for a 
  long time to come. 
   
   
  TABLE 7:   
  ANNUAL CDC STOCK CHANGE 
  ROLL STOCK CHANGE 
  1       Terrible year, stock value drops to 10% of 
  previous year's value. 
  2       Bad year, stock value drops to 50% of previous 
  year's value. 
  3-4     Below average performance, no change in stock 
  value. 
  5-6     Some good signs; stock doubles in value. 
  7-8     Fine year, stock value multiplies X5. 
  9       Prosperous year, stock value multiplies X10. 
  10      Incredible year, stock value multiplies X50! 
   
   
   
  ETA Section 
  
   
  30 
   
   
   
  Theta Subsection 1 
  RANDOM 
  ENCOUNTERS 
  TABLES 
  Roll 1d10 every time the PCs enter a hexagon on 
  Map 2, or spend an hour in the same hex. Check 
  the result on table 8, the Encounter Frequency 
  Table. If an encounter occurs, roll on table 9 or 10, 
  as indicated, to find their encounter. If a die roll 
  modifier is indicated on table 8, add that number to 
  your roll on table 10. These are summer and 
  transitional season random encounters. You must 
  determine winter encounters if the PCs stay on  
  Alcazzar after this adventure. 
   
  TABLE 8:   
  RANDOM ENCOUNTER FREQUENCY 
  TERRAIN 
  ENCOUNTER 
  OCCURS ON 
  USE 
  TABLE 
  DIE ROLL 
  MODIFIER 
  Water 
  5-10 
  9 
  none 
  Forest 
  8-10 
  10 
  none 
  Moraines 
  7-10 
  10 
  +2 
  Plains 
  4-10 
  10 
  +4 
  Mountains 
  6-10 
  10 
  +10 
   
  TABLE 9:   
  WATER RANDOM ENCOUNTERS 
  ROLL ENCOUNTER 
  1-7     Fish (harmless) 
  8-10 Sea-shrike (1)  
  MV very fast; IM/RS 7/70; STA 400; ATT 50; DM 
  15d10; SA tail flip; SD soft cover in water 
   
  TABLE 10:   
  LAND RANDOM ENCOUNTERS 
  ROLL ENCOUNTER 
  1 
  small herbivores (2-20):  
  MV very fast; IM/RS 8/75; STA 10; ATT -; SA none; SD 
  running away 
  2 
  large herbivore (1);  
  MV medium; IM/RS 4/40; STA 200; ATT -; SA none; SD 
  camouflage  
  3 
  lokkuku (12):  
  MV fast; IM/RS 6/55; STA 30; AT 30; DM 2d10; SA none; 
  SD none; The madness of the Kag-Gakka is upon them. 
  They attack madly until all are slain. 
  4 
  fire locusts (1 swarm):  
  MV slow; IM/RS not applicable; STA 1 each; ATT 90; DM 
  4d10; SA acid burn; SD large numbers 
  5 
  medium herbivores (500):  
  MV fast; IM/RS 7/65; STA 100; AT none; SA none; SD 
  running away  
  6 
  gwerrah (1):  
  MV medium; IM/RS 4/40; STA 800; AT 40; DM 20d10; SA 
  none; SD immune to doze and needler effects 
  7 
  gnawhares (1-10):  
  MV fast; IM/RS 6/60; STA 10; AT nil; SA gnaw any non-
  metallic objects; SD none 
  8 
  lokkuku (6-10):  
  MV fast; IM/RS 6/55; STA 30; AT 30; DM 2d10; SA none; 
  SD none; these are youngsters, very playful and 
  mischievous but not threatening. 
  9 
  medium herbivore (1):  
  MV slow; IM/RS 3/25; STA 65; AT nil; SA odor gland 
  sprays up to 10m, victim gags for 1d10 minutes; SD 
  creature is inedible 
  10 
  gwerrah (1):  
  MV medium; IM/RS 4/40; STA 800; AT 40; DM 20d10; SA 
  none; SD immune to doze and needler effects 
  11 
  sky-shrikes (1-10):  
  MV very fast; IM/RS 8/75; AT 50; DM 2d10; SA none; SD 
  none  
  12 
  lokkuku (2-20):  
  MV fast; IM/RS 6/55; STA 30; M 30; DM 2d10; SA none; 
  SD none; adults, curious and friendly unless attacked  
  13 
  sky-shrikes (2-20):  
  MV very fast; IM/RS 8/75; AT 50; DM 2d10; SA none; SD 
  none  
  14 
  rock slide 
  See Beta Subsection 1 "MOUNTAINS" for details 
  15 
  gnawhares (1-10):  
  MV fast; IM/RS 6/60; STA 10; AT nil; SA gnaw any non-
  metallic objects; SD none 
  16 
  gwerrah (1):  
  MV medium; IM/RS 4/40; STA 800; AT 40; DM 20d10; SA 
  none; SD immune to doze and needler effects 
  17-19 rock slide 
  See Beta Subsection 1 "MOUNTAINS" for details 
  20 
  small herbivore (1):  
  MV very fast; IM/RS 9/85; AT nil; SA none; SD speed, 
  diving under rocks for shelter 
   
   
   
   
  THETA Section 
  
   
  31 
   
   
   
   
  Theta Subsection 2: 
  System Brief 
  Name:  
  Rhianna 
  Star:  
  Yellow 
  Habitable Planets:  
  1 - Alcazzar 
   
  Planet Brief 
  Name: 
  Alcazzar 
  Moons: 
  7 
  Diameter: 
  9,832 km 
  Gravity: 
  0.81 standard 
  Temperature: -30 to 40 Celsius 
  Climate: 
  Seasonal: winter and summer both move 
  east at 3 km/hour continuously, but on 
  opposite sides of the planet. 
  Atmosphere: 
  75% nitrogen, 20% oxygen, 5% inert 
  elements 
  Year: 
  10,000 hours 
  Day (Summer): 4,000 hours 
  Night (Winter): 4,000 hours 
  Transition: 
  1,000 hours (summer to winter) 
    
  1,000 hours (winter to summer) 
   
  COLONIZATION 
  Unsettled. Discovered 12/21/61 by the Cassidine 
  Development Corporation Twilight Moon expedition. 
  The planet’s existence and mineral wealth were 
  kept secret. A mining operation began immediately. 
   
  CLIMATE AND SEASONAL CHANGES 
  Alcazzar’s climate and seasonal changes are very 
  unusual because the planet barely rotates as it 
  orbits its star, Rhianna. At any one time, 40% of 
  the planet is in summer, another 40% is in winter, 
  10% is changing from summer to winter, and 10% 
  is changing from winter to summer. 
   
  The entire summer is daytime, and the whole winter 
  is nighttime. For approximately 200 days GST of the 
  year, each hemisphere is either blessed with eternal 
  daylight and warm, pleasant conditions, or plunged 
  into an equally long night with frigid temperatures 
  and snow reaching depths of several dozen meters. 
  A 50-day GST period occurs between each extreme 
  when each region passes through a twilight 
  transition. 
   
  The winter area is blanketed by a heavy layer of 
  clouds and blizzards approximately 50% of the 
  time. During transition, the “beltline” region is 
  cloudy 90% of the time, and suffers violent rain of 
  snowstorms 33% of the time. The summer region is 
  90% sunny, but when clouds drift in from a 
  transition zone, violent thunderstorms, tornadoes 
  and hurricanes are possible. 
   
  TERRAIN 
  Only one third of Alcazzar’s surface is land, but it’s 
  covered with a wide variety of terrain. Mudlats, wet 
  lowlands with little plant or animal life, cover 58% 
  of the land. These areas are most noted for clouds 
  of insects thick enough to make breathing difficult, 
  but otherwise harmless. 
   
  Several ranges of craggy mountains cut across the 
  land. While not large by most standards – the 
  highest peak is 3,230 meters above sea level – 
  constant glaciations, rock slides and wind and water 
  erosion have carved them into rugged cliffs and 
  crags. The higher valleys in these ranges are 
  choked with ice fields all year around. The lower 
  reaches are filled with rushing streams of icy water. 
  Mountains cover 12% of the land area. 
   
  The plains and forest appear strikingly green from 
  orbit. These fertile areas are made up of flowing 
  grasslands and towering Karakah trees. Glaciers 
  rolled much of these areas flat, but often piled the 
  gravelly soil into rolling moraines along the sides of 
  common glacial paths. 
   
  NATIVE LIFE 
  The karakah trees, reaching more than 100 meters 
  in height, are common to all the lanets forests. The 
  trunks are often 10 meters wide at the base. These 
  trees have long, flexible needles that remain on the 
  branch throughout the year. Thick, porous bark 
  insulates them during the winter. Karakah trees 
  have developed a sap that does not thicken 
  appreciably or freeze during the severe cold season. 
   
  Karakah trees produce a rich fruit in great numbers. 
  These fruit seem to be the base of the herbivorous 
  food chain. The fruit falls throughout the summer. 
   
  Many forms of animal life inhabit the planet, but 
  they have not been researched, so very little is 
  known about them.  All animal life must deal with 
  the extended winters. Many animals migrate, 
  resulting in masses of creatures moving around the 
  planet’s surface as the year goes by. All of these 
  creatures travel a complete circle around the planet 
  each year. Other animals hibernate. The mammals 
  live off of stored body fat; the insects lay eggs, then 
  die off to be replaced next summer. 
   
  ECONOMIC VALUE 
  Alcazzar contains tremendous amounts of fairly 
  accessible heavy metals, including gold, silver, lead, 
  iron and uranium. These minerals are located in rich 
  veins in mountain bedrock, as well as in many 
  riverbeds. 
   
   
   
  
   
  32 
   
   
   
  Theta Subsection 3: 
  Alien Creatures 
   
   Gwerrah 
   
  Type Giant Omnivore 
  Number 1 
  Move Medium 
  IM/RS +4/40 
  Stamina 800 
  Attack 40 
  Damage 20d10 
  Special Attack None 
  Special Defense Immune to doze and needlers 
  Native World Alcazzar – plains and forests, morains; 
  summer only 
   
  DESCRIPTION: The gwerrah is a quadruped that 
  roams freely about the plains, forests and moraines. 
  No creatures native to Alcazzar are capable of 
  threatening it. Its legs are short and its body is 
  quite stocky. Averaging 10 meters long, 4 meters 
  high and 3 meters wide, the gwerrah towers over all 
  other animals on Alcazzar. It is covered with coarse, 
  black hair, except for its eyes and nose. The eyes of 
  a gwerrah are incredibly keen, and mounted on top 
  of its head, so it can see for great distances. The 
  gwerrah possesses almost no sense of hearing and 
  a very limited sensor of smell, however. 
   
  The gwerrah has adapted to Alcazzar’s severe 
  winters by going into deep hibernation, usually in a 
  cave or niche in some rocks. During the time it is 
  active, the gwerrah is incredibly voracious, eating 
  any form of meat available, as well as tons of 
  karakah 
  fruit. 
  The 
  gwerrah 
  preys 
  upon 
  any 
  creatures that do not get out of its path in time. 
   
   
   
   
   Sky Shrike 
   
  Type Medium carnivore, flying 
  Number 1d10 usually, 1d100 in whole pack 
  Move Very Fast 
  IM/RS +8/75 
  Stamina 30 
  Attack 50 
  Damage 2d10 
  Special Attack None 
  Special Defense None 
  Native World Alcazzar – skies over plains, moraines. 
  Summer only. 
   
  DESCRIPTION: Sky shrikes are among the most 
  vicious carnivores in the known galaxy. Wheeling 
  through the skies of Alcazzar in great, hungry 
  packs, they are always alert for movement on the 
  ground. Resembling large, savage dogs with wings, 
  they eat any kind of meat or carrion. Their leathery 
  wings often span 3 meters. 
   
  Packs range up to 100 creatures in size, but they do 
  not all fly together. Generally, half the pack circles 
  in one central group while the other half is 
  dispersed over a radius of 10-15 kilometers, 
  searching for food. When one of the scouts spots 
  potential prey, it reverses the direction of its 
  soaring from clockwise to counter-clockwise (as 
  
   
  33 
   
   
   
   
  viewed from the ground). The others race to the 
  scene, and when the whole pack is assembled, they 
  drop to attack. Only of the potential prey is about to 
  reach cover do the sky-shrikes on the scene attack 
  early. Usually, their patience is extraordinary. 
   
  Sky-shrikes attack by diving at their prey, slashing 
  with their razor-sharp teeth, and quickly climbing 
  away. Thus, trees and jutting rocks provide good 
  protection 
  from 
  their 
  attacks. 
  Pity 
  the 
  poor 
  creatures discovered on the open plains or mudflats 
  by a pack of sky-shrikes! 
   
   Fire Locust 
   
  Type Tiny Herbivores (insects) 
  Number 1,000 
  Move Slow 
  IM/RS N/A 
  Stamina 1 
  Attack 90 
  Damage 4d10 
  Special Attack Acid Burn 
  Special Defense Large Numbers 
  Native World Alcazzar – plains, mudflats, forests, 
  moraines; Summer season only. 
   
  DESCRIPTION: Fire locusts are large, hopping 
  insects that secrete an extremely destructive acid. 
  They travel over Alcazzar in huge chittering packs, 
  clearing a swath up to 1 kilometer wide. Although 
  they eat plants, any animals in their path face 
  certain death unless somehow protected from the 
  ravaging horde. 
   
  The acid secreted by Fire Locusts is so caustic that 
  it burns any non-metallic material it contacts. 
  Although the damage from one locust’s burn equals 
  only a fraction of a stamina point, the number of 
  locusts in a swarm cause the listed damage to any 
  creatures not protected against the acid. 
   
  There are only two to three hordes of fire locusts 
  swarming across Alcazzar at any one time. Despite 
  their relative infrequency, the destructive potential 
  of these bugs makes them a threat to all animals 
  and most activities on the planet. 
   
   Sea Shrike 
   
  Type Giant Aquatic Carnivore 
  Number 1 
  Move Fast 
  IM/RS +7/70 
  Stamina 400 
  Attack 50 
  Damage 15d10 
  Special Attack Tail Flip 
  Special Defense Soft cover in water 
  Native World Alcazzar – lakes, major rivers and 
  oceans 
   
  DESCRIPTION: Breeds of this monstrous fish 
  thrive in both fresh and salt water. The adult ranges 
  in length from 5 meters to more than 10 meters. 
  This carnivorous beast is not a scavenger, but eats 
  
   
  34 
   
   
   
  nearly anything that moves through the water. 
  Small fish are the staple of the sea-shrike’s diet, but 
  any unfortunate mammals that happen to enter the 
  water may also be eaten. 
   
  The sea-shrike attacks a creature (or vehicle) on 
  the surface by jumping upward from the depths. In 
  the first round, it bites. In the next round, it tries to 
  hit it victim with its tail as it turns to dive again. If 
  the tail hits a creature, that creature must make a 
  successful Stamina check or be stunned for 1-10 
  turns. If a vehicle is struck, roll on the Vehicle 
  Damage Table. 
   
  After the first two-round attack, the sea-shrike 
  dives and circles, coming up and repeating its 
  attack 5-10 turns later. Any creature (not vehicle) 
  bitten by a sea-shrike with an attack roll of 10 or 
  less, is caught in the sea-shrikes mouth and carried 
  to the bottom. The sea shrike does not attack as 
  long as it holds a victim in its mouth. To escape, the 
  captured creature must break a wrestling hold with 
  a -30 modifier. 
   
   Snow Sloth 
   
  Type Large Carnivore 
  Number 1 
  Move Medium 
  IM/RS +3/30 
  Stamina 80 
  Attack 70 
  Damage 5d10 
  Special Attack Squeeze 
  Special Defense Camouflage/Silent Movement 
  Native World Alcazzar – western fringe of winter 
  region 
   
  DESCRIPTION: The snow sloth is the only animal 
  known to prowl the snow fields during Alcazzar’s 
  winter. Growing up to 5 meters long, the sloth 
  resembles a huge weasel with coarse white hair and 
  stocky legs. Although not a fast runner, the sloth 
  can lope for days at a time across snow, supported 
  by its huge padded feet. 
   
  If the snow sloth strikes a victim with an attack roll 
  lower than 20, the victim is held and squeezed. 
  Each successive round the character takes 5d10 
  points of damage automatically until killed, or until 
  the character successfully breaks a wrestling hold. 
   
  The snow sloth lives primarily by eating hibernating 
  lokkuku. It finds a tree where a tribe is spending 
  the winter, breaks through the air hole and slithers 
  down for a feast. In their lethargic state, the 
  lokkuku can rarely arouse themselves to fight, but if 
  they do, the snow sloth is usually driven off. 
   
   Lokkuku 
   
  Type Medium Omnivore 
  Number 5-50 
  Move Fast 
  IM/RS +6/55 
  Stamina 30 
  Attack 30 (melee) 
  Damage 2d10 
  Special Attack Trap 
  Special Defense None 
  Native World Alcazzar – forests, moraines; summer 
  only 
   
  DESCRIPTION: These clever primates are the 
  most intelligent natives of Alcazzar. They are found 
  
   
  35 
   
   
   
   
  throughout 
  the 
  planet’s 
  fertile 
  belt. 
  Their 
  appearance varies depending on the season. In 
  spring, they emerge from a long hibernation with 
  loose, baggy skin and hair falling off in great 
  patches. By autumn, their hair has grown back to 
  full, bristly coats, and their bodies have become 
  plump in preparation for hibernation. Lokkuku have 
  flat, monkey-like faces, but no tails. The color of 
  their fur varies from individual to individual, but is 
  usually some shade of brown. 
   
  Lokkuku live in tribes of up to 50 individuals, always 
  ruled by a dominant male. They have learned to use 
  clubs and vines as weapons, and to work together 
  to hunt. Tribes live in the hollowed bases of 
  Karakah trees. Air holes, 20 or 30 meters up, let in 
  fresh air during their winter hibernation. 
   
  Lokkuku resolve disputes over territory and food 
  supplies with a system of warfare. Even though 
  their weapons are primitive spears, lokkuku fight 
  with great skill and savagery; many die in their 
  wars. 
   
  Lokkuku are very curious. They do not attack new 
  animals on sight, preferring to watch and see what 
  develops. If treated to a display of “magic” (i.e. 
  flashy technology), they may even adopt an 
  attitude of reverence toward the strangers. Of 
  course, if any lokkuku are harmed, their vengeance 
  is swift and merciless. 
   
  Perhaps the most bizarre aspect of lokkuku life is 
  the ceremony of the “Kag-Gakka,” a ritual party 
  centered around highly fermented karakah fruit. 
  The primates have found that when they harvest 
  the fruit and store it in a dark place, it ferments into 
  alcohol. To them, the fruit takes on “magical” 
  properties. During the Kag-Gakka, an entire tribe 
  gathers around the overripe fruit, pulling out and 
  eating great fist fulls of pulp, until the situation is 
  totally out of control. Lokkuku are capable of 
  extreme violence or extreme affection at those 
  times. Characters who try the fruit become violently 
  ill for 1d10 hours. 
   
   Gnawhare 
  Type Small Herbivore 
  Number 1-10 
  Move Fast 
  IM/RS +6/60 
  Stamina 10 
  Attack None 
  Damage None 
  Special Attack None 
  Special Defense None 
  Native World Alcazzar – forests, plains, moraines, 
  mudflats; summer only 
   
  DESCRIPTION: This speedy little rodent is covered 
  with soft, brown fur. Its gleaming tiny eyes are set 
  above a pair of huge teeth. Scurrying about on four 
  legs, the gnawhare always seems in a hurry. 
   
  Subsisting on leaves and grasses, the gnawhare is 
  no threat to animals, but its large teeth make it 
  dangerous to inanimate objects that it might line its 
  nest with.  The gnawhare is possessed with an 
  overwhelming curiosity, and is always looking for 
  something new and unusual to carry off. It will 
  chew off a piece of anything that is too big to carry, 
  and hail the piece back to its burrow. 
   
  Rubber, fabrics and soft plastics are all materials 
  the gnawhare will use to coat its nest. If the PCs 
  encounter these creatures, the gnawhares attempt 
  to chew up a piece of equipment made of rubber, 
  fabric or soft plastic. 
   
  PCs will not encounter gnawhares while traveling. 
  However, given enough time, gnawhares are fully 
  capable of disabling a stopped vehicle. 
   
   Herbivores (Harmless) 
  Type Small to Large Mammals 
  Number 1-1000 
  Move Medium to Very Fast 
  IM/RS +4/40 to +9/90 
  Stamina 10-400 
  Attack None 
  Damage None 
  Special Attack None 
  Special Defense Camouflage, odor secretion, flight, 
  numbers 
  Native World Alcazzar – migratory paths cover all 
  terrain; summer only 
   
  DESCRIPTION: Alcazzar is the home of a wide 
  variety of grazing animals that are no threat to 
  other animals. These range from large herds of 
  bison-like creatures to small flying animals that 
  resemble a cross between a rabbit and a bat. 
   
  These animals either migrate (the most common 
  technique) or hibernate to survive the winter. Great 
  herds have worn regular paths around the planet by 
  following the same route each year. Naturally, the 
  planet’s carnivores follow these paths for the 
  plentiful food they offer. 
   
  Many of Alcazzar’s herbivores are edible by the 
  major races. Those that are not edible are not 
  poisonous, simply bad-tasting. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  36 
   
   
   
   Insects (Harmless) 
  Type Tiny herbivores or carnivores 
  Number millions 
  Move Slow to Very Fast 
  IM/RS +1/10 to +9/90 
  Stamina 1-4 
  Attack None 
  Damage None 
  Special Attack None 
  Special Defense Flight, Camouflage 
  Native World Alcazzar – all terrain; summer only 
   
  DESCRIPTION: Insects of virtually every shape, 
  size and color range the planet, often rising in 
  clouds thick enough to cause temporary darkness 
  and make breathing difficult. Some types are very 
  noisy, and others are large (30 centimeters long) 
  for insects. None of the insects, except the Fire 
  Locusts, present a threat to large creatures. Insects 
  are nearly always present in all terrain types during 
  the summer season 
   
  Many insects look grotesque by most standards, 
  with bulging eyes and thick, furry bodies. None 
  would be considered edible except under the most 
  dire circumstances. 
   
   Fish (Harmless) 
  Type Small and medium carnivore; small to 
  giant herbivore 
  Number 1-10,000 
  Move Medium to Very Fast 
  IM/RS +4/40 to +9/90 
  Stamina 5-10,000 
  Attack Nil 
  Damage Nil 
  Special Attack None 
  Special Defense Varies, includes speed, camouflage, 
  “ink” secretion, sea-shrike 
  resemblance 
  Native World Alcazzar – Oceans, rivers, streams, 
  lakes 
   
  DESCRIPTION: Fish are common in all fresh and 
  saltwater bodies on Alcazzar, except the highest 
  glacial streams. They can usually be caught with a 
  hook or net; but only about 50% of the types are 
  palatable by human standards. None of the types 
  included here are dangerous, but remember that 
  sea shrikes are found in all of these bodies of water 
  too! 
  
   
  37 
   
   
   
   
  Theta Subsection 4: 
  Pregenerated 
  Characters 
   
  Rockton Hartsel 
  Human 
  STR/STA: 
  50/60  
  PS: 
   
  3 
  DEX/RS: 
  60/55  
  IM: 
   
  6 
  INT/LOG: 
  50/45  
  RW: 
   
  30 
  PER/LDR: 
  50/60  
  M: 
   
  30 
  Special Abilities:  
  None 
  Skills:  
  Military PSA, Beam Weapons 6, Gyrojet Weapons 
  3, Melee Weapons 5, Thrown Weapons 3 
   
   
  Franklin Zeerod 
  Human 
  STR/STA: 
  60/65  
  PS: 
   
  3 
  DEX/RS: 
  50/50  
  IM: 
   
  5 
  INT/LOG: 
  55/45  
  RW: 
   
  25 
  PER/LDR: 
  45/55  
  M: 
   
  30 
  Special Abilities:  
  None 
  Skills:  
  Technological PSA, Technician 6, Robotics 2, 
  Projectile Weapons 4 
   
   
  Roxella Dare 
  Human 
  STR/STA: 
  65/60  
  PS: 
   
  4 
  DEX/RS: 
  50/40  
  IM: 
   
  4 
  INT/LOG: 
  50/50  
  RW: 
   
  25 
  PER/LDR: 
  60/50  
  M: 
   
  33 
  Special Abilities:  
  None 
  Skills:  
  Technological PSA, Computer 6, Technician 4, 
  Beam Weapons 5 
   
   
  Grobber Jaloub 
  Yazirian 
  STR/STA: 
  40/50  
  PS: 
   
  3 
  DEX/RS: 
  65/65  
  IM: 
   
  7 
  INT/LOG: 
  50/50  
  RW: 
   
  33 
  PER/LDR: 
  45/45  
  M: 
   
  33 
  Special Abilities:  
  Gliding, Battle Rage 25%, Night Vision 
  Skills:  
  Military PSA, Projectile Weapons 6, Thrown 
  Weapons 5, Melee Weapons 4, Computer 3 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Zlikk’n Ktallt 
  Vrusk 
  STR/STA: 
  40/50  
  PS: 
   
  3 
  DEX/RS: 
  70/60  
  IM: 
   
  6 
  INT/LOG: 
  45/45  
  RW: 
   
  35 
  PER/LDR: 
  50/50  
  M: 
   
  35 
  Special Abilities:  
  Ambidexterity, Comprehension 37% 
  Skills:  
  Military PSA, Gyrojet Weapons 6, Melee Weapons 
  5, Psycho-social 1 
   
   
  Janniss Robbaur 
  Yazirian 
  STR/STA: 
  70/60  
  PS: 
   
  4 
  DEX/RS: 
  50/50  
  IM: 
   
  5 
  INT/LOG: 
  45/45  
  RW: 
   
  25 
  PER/LDR: 
  50/40  
  M: 
   
  35 
  Special Abilities:  
  Gliding, Battle Rage 25%, Night Vision 
  Skills:  
  Biosocial PSA, Medical 5, Psycho-social 3, 
  Technician 2, Beam Weapons 4  
   
   
  Meeber Zloot 
  Dralasite 
  STR/STA: 
  60/80  
  PS: 
   
  3 
  DEX/RS: 
  55/45  
  IM: 
   
  5 
  INT/LOG: 
  40/50  
  RW: 
   
  28 
  PER/LDR: 
  40/40  
  M: 
   
  30 
  Special Abilities:  
  Elasticity, Lie Detection 10% 
  Skills:  
  Military PSA, Melee Weapons 4, Projectile Weapons 
  6, Thrown Weapons 3, Demolitions 4, Medical 2 
   
   
  Horradd Wullubber 
  Yazirian 
  STR/STA: 
  45/55  
  PS: 
   
  3 
  DEX/RS: 
  60/50  
  IM: 
   
  5 
  INT/LOG: 
  55/45  
  RW: 
   
  30 
  PER/LDR: 
  40/40  
  M: 
   
  30 
  Special Abilities:  
  Gliding, Battle Rage 15%, Night Vision 
  Skills:  
  Military PSA, Projectile Weapons 5, Beam Weapons 
  5, Thrown Weapons 3, Melee Weapons 4, 
  Technician 2 
   
  
   
  38 
   
   
   
   
  
   
  39 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  40 
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  41 
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  42 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  SF4 
   
  You press against the steel 
  hatchway as the explorer bounds 
  up the river bank, out of the 
  water.  Over the roar of the 
  engines comes the unmistakable 
  whine of a high-performance 
  groundcar.  Quickly, you scan the 
  horizon.  At first the plain appears 
  empty.  Then you see them. 
   
  “Bandits at 11 o’clock.  Three of them!” you shout into your 
  chronocom.  Instantly, the driver slams the heavy explorer 
  into reverse, backing down the bank for cover.  The rear 
  doors burst open as Rocton dashes out to set up a heavy 
  laser.  Harradd, the Yazirian, follows right behind carrying 
  five power beltpacks.  Already someone is handing extra 
  ammo up to you. 
   
  At 80 kph, those ground cars are closing fast.  Targeting the 
  lead car, you squeeze the trigger and a rocket flashes out of 
  the tube.  At the same instant a shell streaks past you, 
  exploding in the river and spraying steam into the air. 
   
  You came to Alcazzar on a tough mission – it just got a lot 
  tougher. 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Star Frontiers (osr)/Star Frontier 1st Edition/Adventure/SFAD - Adventure - Alpha Dawn - SF4 Mission to Alcazzar.pdf