TEXT: The Linkworlds Cluster
  By Martin J. Dougherty
  Requires the use of a Roleplaying Game Core Book published by Wizards of the Coast®
  Author: Martin J. Dougherty
  Artwork: Bryan Gibson
  Layout: Hunter Gordon
  Copyright ©2002 QuikLink Interactive, Inc. All rights reserved.
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  The Linkworlds Cluster
  A Campaign setting for Traveller20
  Introduction
  The Linkworlds Cluster is a complete gate setting designed for use
  with T20 or T20 Lite. The Linkworlds (are located in Ley Sector of
  Gateway Domain, a region covered in the forthcoming Gateway
  Domain Sourcebook from QLI. Thus everything in this setting is
  compatible with future T20 product releases. The setting can of
  course be used with other rule sets. UWPs (Universal Word Profiles)
  are standard throughout all versions of the Traveller game. Codes
  are explained in the T20 or T20 Lite rules (or any other Traveller
  rules set).
  Standard Traveller measurements are used in this setting; most
  distances are in Kilometers or Parsecs (a parsec is 3.27 light years,
  corresponding to the size of a map hex and the distance a Jump-1
  ship can travel in 1 week).
  Directions are given as follows:
  • Coreward: Towards the Galactic Core (Conventionally, “up” on
  a map)
  • Rimward: Away from the Core (Conventionally, “Down” on a
  map)
  • Spinward: In the direction of galactic spin (Conventionally,
  “Left” on a map)
  • Trailing: Away from the direction of spin (Conventionally,
  “Right” on a map)
  Standard Traveller Unidigit notation is used where appropriate
  (e.g. in UWP codes). This is based on Hexadecimal, where A=10,
  B=11, and so on to F=15. Numbers greater than 15 are uncommon,
  but the system continues, missing out I and O for reasons of clarity.
  Of course, the UWPs of these worlds could have been interpreted in
  a variety of ways – one Charismatic Dictatorship is not necessarily
  like another. But perhaps these seven planets will serve to show
  how an entire world or star system can be extrapolated from the
  UWP code.
  Note that while a certain amount of detail is given about the
  worlds of the cluster, some things are left for the referee to decide.
  Exactly how many outsystem worlds (rockballs or iceballs) there are
  is left vague, as is their exact location (inside or outside the
  mainworld orbit). Thus if the referee wants a second inhabited planet
  in system, or a mining outpost, pirate base or whatever, he/she is
  free to place one as needed on a rockball, gas giant moon or large
  asteroid.
  Large areas of some worlds are entirely unexplored. There could
  be almost anything there, and even those areas that ARE detailed
  may not include the whole story. Thus the system and world
  writeups included here are a beginning, not a closed book. They are
  not a restriction to creativity; they are a springboard to imagination!
  We’ve provided the basics of the setting here. What you do to
  make it yours is up to you!
  The Setting – An Overview
  The Linkworlds (more correctly named the Shanape Link Worlds) lie
  in Ley Sector, close to the border of the human-dominated Third
  Imperium. The cluster, which consists of 7 star systems, is
  something of a backwater, lying off the major trade routes and
  accessible only by ships capable of Jump-2 or higher.
  All seven worlds are members of the Imperium. The population is
  mostly human, though cultures vary considerably. The cluster sees
  only a little through-trade due to its remote location, though an
  Imperial Xboat (Express Boat) link runs through Sentry, which
  dominates the cluster’s economy and can be considered to be a sort
  of capital. Internal trade is a mix of regular routes and tramp
  freighters plying the spacelanes as they will.
  The most important astrographic features in Charted Space are
  the Mains and Clusters. Both are groups of stars where one is within
  1 parsec of the next. This allows navigation by Jump-1 starships,
  which is important in terms of how much cargo can be carried by a
  ship – higher Jump-capable ships need to carry more fuel, so they
  are less economical.
  Mains are long chains of stars, while clusters are clumps. Jump-1
  trading ships tend to ply a main or circuit a cluster for long periods,
  as crossing from one to the next is problematical. In Ley Sector, the
  most important Main is the Reaching Arm, which rambles more than
  halfway across the sector. A number of clusters lie on the arm or its
  spurs, and others can be reached by a Jump-2 vessel at the right
  point on the Arm.
  The most important clusters in Ley Sector are the Great Ley
  Cluster and the four Lesser Ley Clusters, all of which are simply “fat”
  parts of the Reaching Arm. The Imperial Trade Cluster, at the
  Rimward edge of the sector, is gaining importance as it is the
  location of the new Domain capital, Annapabar.
  Other important clusters include the Dukh Cluster (actually small
  and minor, were it not the location of the sector capital), the
  Riftsedge Group, and the Shanape Cluster. The Shanape Link
  Worlds is not particularly important, except in that it provides an
  astrographic stepping-stone to the Shanape Cluster and the minor
  clusters beyond.
  Areas between mains are termed rifts, though the word more
  correctly applies to the vast, almost empty regions that border on
  Ley Sector. A “rift” of a couple of parsecs between mains can be
  crossed by high-jump ships. The Lesser Rift, away to Coreward-
  Trailing, presents far more of an obstacle.
  A Potted History
  Sometime in the distant past, a race now known as the Ancients
  seeded Terran humans (and at least one other species) on various
  worlds throughout Charted Space. Some of these races were
  genetically modified, some were altered by millennia of evolution on
  strange worlds, and some remained more or less unaltered.
  One altered group became the Luriani, a human subspecies
  genetically adapted for the aquatic environment of their new
  homeworld, Daramm. Others (unaltered) included the ancestors of
  the Vilani people who came to rule this region of space.
  The Ancients eventually disappeared from the cosmic stage. The
  existence of a few new asteroid belts, scoured worlds and the
  occasional runaway war machine suggests that the Ancients’
  departure was not a peaceful one. Perhaps they were destroyed by
  some titanic foe, or perhaps they turned on themselves in civil war.
  Historians do not know for sure.
  What is known is that the Ancients are gone, though they have
  left behind occasional artifacts and ruins, and a legacy of far greater
  import – Humaniti.
  Humaniti (the spelling was adopted when Terran humans realised
  they were not the only humans in the universe) was left to its own
  devices on thousands of worlds. Some human groups died out;
  others flourished. The humans seeded on Vland were one of the
  latter groups, rising to rule an interstellar empire of thousands of
  worlds.
  This empire, the Ziru Sirka (Grand Empire of Stars) or First
  Imperium as it is now known, lasted for millennia but finally decayed
  and began to collapse from within. This slide into twilight was
  accelerated by another Human species; the Terrans, who came
  boiling out of their single star system to conquer the stars.
  The Terrans were little more than a nuisance at first, and the Ziru
  Sirka had more pressing problems than a planetful of upstart
  barbarians. The Terran threat was underestimated, and their area of
  influence grew. Eventually, after centuries of intermittent warfare,
  during which the power of the Terran Confederation grew and that of
  the Vilani Imperium waned, Vilani resistance began to crumble and
  Terran fleets punched deep into the First Imperium, capturing world
  after world.
  
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  The Terran conquerors took a new name for themselves; the
  Solomani, or Men of Sol. They declared a Second Imperium, the so-
  called Rule of Man.
  But the Ramshackle Empire (as it came to be known) was built on
  the foundations of the collapsing Ziru Sirka, and though the fall was
  postponed for a time, the Rule of Man slid into darkness. This
  period, in which interstellar travel all but ceased, is now known as
  the Long Night. It lasted the better part of 2000 years.
  Here and there small interstellar states held on, as around them
  worlds regressed or died. For a time interstellar war and piracy was
  rife as would-be successors fought over the wreckage of the
  Ramshackle Empire. Finally, the wars died down as the wilderness
  between civilized worlds widened, and the technology to repair or
  rebuild starships was slowly lost.
  But not all the lights went out. Individual worlds and small clusters
  retained their technological base, while on planets that could support
  life without artificial aids the fall from technological grace did not
  mean extinction. For the next few centuries, beacons flickered in the
  Long Night and the occasional glow of False Dawn was seen as
  new starfaring cultures arose. Most failed, and fell back into the
  night. History will never know what deeds were done in that time,
  what civilizations arose, in those dark days.
  But in time, Dawn came.
  In what is now known as Year Zero, the Sylean Federation, a
  trade and mutual defense organization centered on Sylea (which
  had been for a time the capital of the Ramshackle Empire) defeated
  its immediate enemies and began to expand out into local space. At
  this time the Federation took up the mantle of the First and Second
  Imperium, and a new identity as the Third.
  The Third Imperium grew steadily, and not without setbacks. The
  Pacification Campaigns, the Aslan Border Wars, The Civil War,
  three Frontier Wars and innumerable crises and border conflicts
  were weathered, with varying success. But now, the Third Imperium
  is a thousand years old. It rules 11,000 worlds. But all is not well in
  the Imperium.
  By the time the Rule of Man tumbled into darkness, its rulers had
  moved into the heart of the old First Imperium. Feeling that they had
  lost sight of their Terran heritage, Terra led a secessionist
  movement that founded the Terran Mercantile Confederation. The
  TMC survived the Long Night, albeit in much reduced state, and as
  the Third Imperium was struggling up onto the galactic stage, the
  TMC was also expanding, creating a confederation of worlds that
  became known as the Solomani Confederation.
  The Solomani eventually ran into the expanding Third Imperium,
  and a long period of border skirmishing began. Tensions never
  really dissipated, and in 990, after a long and particularly fraught
  period, open war broke out.
  The Solomani Rim War is now 3 years old. The Solomani made
  good initial gains in the Old Expanses and Diaspora sectors, but
  were eventually fought to a standstill by the Imperial Navy. The
  situation at the front is currently rather fluid, with gains of a few
  parsecs being made as one side or the other launches a new
  offensive, then grinds to a halt. Force densities in the region
  continue to increase, stripping naval vessels from non-war-zone
  areas such as Ley Sector – and therefore, from the Linkworlds.
  The Third Imperium
  The Third Imperium is actually a federation of 11,000 worlds, most
  of which are self-governing. A few are defined as “Imperial
  Territory”, such as prison worlds and so on, but the vast majority are
  free to run their own affairs as they think best, so long as they
  comply with a few Imperial High Laws. High Laws mainly deal with
  interstellar commerce, taxation paid to the Imperium, and sentients’
  rights.
  In return for a percentage of planetary income, the Imperium
  handles foreign affairs, deals with collective defense, and generally
  ensures that worlds are safe and free to govern themselves. Thus
  local laws apply on various planets, rather than a blanket “Imperial
  Law”.
  Worlds also vary considerably in terms of technological level,
  society and culture. There is no reason why high-tech items should
  not be traded to any world, but most low-tech worlds cannot pay for
  them nor maintain them if they are obtained. Thus while some off-
  planet imports may be present on a given planet, they will not be
  widespread.
  Each world has one or more Imperial Nobles associated with it.
  These individuals are rarely the planetary rulers, but may well be
  citizens or hold property there. The nobles act as liaison between
  member worlds, and between worlds and the Imperium as a whole.
  Nobles often have some personal holdings or an estate on the world
  they represent.
  Other nobles are not world representatives but may be “honor
  nobles”, elevated for service, or members of old noble houses that
  head large corporations. While some nobles are rich layabouts, the
  majority have a strong service ethic. Thus nobles often serve for a
  time as troubleshooters, negotiators, naval officers and such like.
  While each world maintains whatever security and local defense
  forces are deemed appropriate, and some have starfaring warships
  at their disposal, the main armed forces are those of the Imperium.
  Of these, the Navy is most important.
  The Imperial Navy protects commerce, keeps the peace, and
  repels invaders. It is currently understrength and overstretched due
  to the Solomani Rim War, but still tries to fulfil its obligations.
  The most common Navy vessels sighted in the Linkworlds are
  small escorts and patrol ships assigned to commerce protection and
  anti-piracy duty. Occasionally a couple of destroyers, a light cruiser
  or even a task force centered on a light fighter carrier will sweep a
  couple of the cluster systems on a flag-showing and deterrent
  exercise, but for the most part major warships are not seen in the
  region, except while transiting through Sentry.
  The exception to this rule is Aleif, where a small Naval squadron
  is permanently on-station to enforce a Red Zone. The system is off-
  limits to unauthorized vessels, which will be boarded or even fired
  upon if attempting to approach the mainworld.
  Major naval units are on call from the Naval depot at Depot, but
  the communications lag is such that it would be 4 weeks before
  even a ready-reaction force could arrive at a trouble spot.
  Imperial Marine Corps troops are stationed in small detachments
  at some of the starports in the cluster. In addition to guarding
  starports, the Marine Corps serves in an assault role, and ready-
  reaction forces are stationed at various points throughout the sector.
  However, it is rare to find a force on-station in the cluster, so any
  significant Marine force must be summoned from Depot, with a 4-
  week or greater time lag.
  The Imperial Army, which specializes in defending worlds from
  the ground and low orbit, has few units stationed in the cluster.
  Advisors are sometimes present with the armed forces of the
  various cluster worlds.
  The Imperial Interstellar Scout Service has an Xboat (Express
  Message Boat) service link through Sentry, and maintains a small
  presence at the starport there, consisting mainly of support
  personnel and tender crews. Scout vessels can sometimes be
  encountered on outsystem charting missions and routine surveys.
  Imperial Territory
  The Imperium claims as its territory the space between the stars and
  worlds of the Imperium. In effect, this means that it controls to flow
  of trade and commerce. In practice, vessels registered on any
  member world are free to navigate where they please unless a
  restricted area has been declared. Restricted areas include Red
  Zones (some worlds are interdicted for a variety of reasons), the
  immediate “security” region around a naval base or warship, and
  hazardous areas such as free-fire exercise zones.
  A world may have several (or many) spaceports, some of which
  are specialized, such as freight terminals or a spaceport serving a
  military base, while others will be general freight and passenger
  handling facilities. However, the main port on any given world is
  designated the Starport. The Imperium claims Starports as its
  territory. Starports sometimes have a small Imperial Marine garrison,
  and are subject to Imperial, rather than local, law. Assume a law
  level of 3 at a Starport, and whatever the local law level is at a
  Spaceport.
  
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  Starports are often the site of Imperial embassies and other
  facilities, and are usually served by some kind of “startown” where
  services are available to visiting offworlders. Startowns can be
  rough, especially on frontier worlds, but the mingling of offworld and
  local cultures does create an exotic and often unique environment.
  The startown is usually outside the Starport “extrality line” and
  therefore not Imperial territory, but some shared jurisdiction exists.
  Ley Sector
  The Linkworlds are located in Ley Sector. This sector is right at the
  Rimward/Trailing edge of the Imperium, though the cluster is safely
  inside the border and cannot really be considered a frontier.
  Ley Sector is part of the Imperial Domain of Gateway, which is
  ruled by Archduke Marcus Aaron Erechs from his capital at
  Annapabar. The sector itself is ruled by Duke Marshal Nells, whose
  seat is at Dukh. Nells was also Archduke of the Domain until
  recently, when he was stripped of his titles by the Emperor. The
  rivalry and hatred between Nells and Erechs runs deep. Both are
  businessmen; Erechs a hugely successful entrepreneur and Nells
  the champion of established interests.
  Beyond Ley sector to Spinward and Coreward is the rest of the
  Imperium. An arm of the Lesser Rift (an area almost completely
  devoid of stars) lies to Coreward-Trailing. To Trailing lies Gateway
  Sector (not to be confused with Gateway Domain), which is mainly
  populated by small human states and individual worlds. Beyond that
  lies the 2000 worlds of the K’Kree, a race of militant vegetarians
  descended from herd creatures. There is a great deal of tension
  between the Imperium and the 2000 worlds, stemming mainly from
  the fact that the K’Kree have openly stated that it is their destiny to
  wipe out all meat-eaters.
  Rimward-Trailing lies Crucis Margin Sector, again populated by
  minor human states, and beyond that is the Hive Federation; a huge
  interstellar polity ruled by the Hivers and their various subject races.
  The Hivers have a reputation for devious designs and manipulation
  of others, as individuals or as species. They do sometimes journey
  as far as Ley Sector, but are quite uncommon in the region.
  Directly to Rimward is a small rift and the Glimmerdrift Reaches
  sector. Mostly populated by humans, there is a small Imperial
  enclave in the Glimmerdrift Reaches, but most worlds are
  independent. This region is subject to influence by the Solomani
  Confederation, which sometimes sends commerce raiding warships
  up through the reaches and into Ley Sector.
  The Shanape Link Worlds
  The Linkworlds is a cluster of 7 worlds lying at the junction of the
  Alpha and Gamma quadrants of Ley Sector.
  High-jump ships traveling Rimward sometimes use a shortcut via
  Sentry and the Shanape Cluster; lower-jump ships have to follow the
  Jump-1 Reaching Arm Main. Transiting the Linkworlds can thus
  save weeks for a high-priority mission. It has been joked that a
  person living at Shanape or Sentry can accurately predict the
  location of the next major war by simply watching for Navy ships
  coming through the port, and finding out where they are headed.
  Be that as it may, the cluster is still very much a backwater. Most
  shipping (even J-2 vessels) takes the long way round; down the
  Reaching Arm. Interstellar events take place elsewhere; rarely in the
  cluster. News filters in through Sentry and then spreads out into the
  cluster; thus most worlds are a week or two behind everyone else as
  regards current events.
  Sentry has received a considerable amount of investment over
  the years and has a powerful economy. It is a local base for Tukera
  Lines, an Imperial Megacorporation that specializes in shipping
  throughout the Imperium. Tukera has a small flotilla of Jump-4
  transports for moving urgent cargoes across the link into the
  Shanape cluster and beyond, out towards the Rimward border.
  These vessels also handle much of Sentry’s exports.
  Jump-2 access to the cluster from the Reaching Arm can be
  made only via Kerin’s Tyr and Miip. The Shanape Cluster can be
  reached from Adukgin and Liar’s Oath. From the Shanape Cluster it
  is possible it is possible to return to the Reaching Arm via Daggar’s
  Edge, or to cross into the several minor clusters on the edge of the
  Rift to Rimward.
  The cluster can only be reached by Jump-1 ships using special
  deep-space refuelling techniques, so through traffic is rather low.
  The Linkworlds have seen waves of colonists from the First and
  Second Imperium, then the Third. Bloodlines on all worlds are
  thoroughly mixed. The main Imperial presence (other than the
  blockade squadron at Aleif) is at Sentry, where Marquis Hallentein
  maintains his court. Technically, parts of the cluster fall under the
  jurisdiction of three different Subsector Dukes, but normally matters
  are resolved at Sentry rather than “outcluster”.
  People of the Cluster
  The majority of the people of the cluster are Imperial Humans of
  very mixed descent. Almost any skin color or cultural heritage can
  be encountered in the cluster. Most people consider themselves to
  be citizens of their homeworld first, and of the Imperium second.
  Some do leave their planet of birth to work, study, or serve in the
  Imperial forces, but most cluster citizens will never leave their
  homeworld.
  Each world has a fairly strong and distinctive culture, though
  centuries of offworld contact have eroded most extremes. Some
  cultures have a strong Solomani heritage. This does not mean that
  they have any affinity with the Solomani Confederation, merely that
  their cultural traditions can be traced back to Old Earth. Other areas
  have equally strong Vilani traditions, tracing their culture back to the
  First Imperium. Most worlds are a melting-pot that combines ancient
  traditions with local conditions to create a distinct and unique
  culture.
  In addition to Solomani and Vilani humans, three other groups are
  fairly common in the cluster.
  Luriani humans are fairly common, since their sub-species is
  prevalent around Daramm, just a few parsecs away. Luriani are
  slightly tubby and have webbed hands and feet (adaptations for their
  aquatic environment) but are obviously and definitely human. A
  small minority of the cluster’s population are Luriani humans. In
  some cases these enclaves have remained separate and
  maintained their culture; in other cases they are fully integrated.
  Vargr are also fairly common (about 1-2% of planetary
  populations are likely to be Vargr). The Vargr are another of the
  Keryin’s Tyr
  068-526
  Adukgin
  ALEIF
  Miip
  SENTRY
  Liar’s Oath
  B
  B
  B
  E
  E
  B
  C
  900-790
  B
  B
  Grunwald
  C
  Kukelu
  C
  Bashtu
  E
  409-704
  A
  Weston
  B
  Mamdinga
  D
  Magi
  C
  Harukaze
  A
  SHANAPE
  
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  Ancients’ genetic manipulation projects, and are descended from
  Terran canines. They are no more dogs than humans are apes,
  however. In the Imperium, Vargr are often completely integrated into
  society, though some worlds have separate enclaves. A number of
  Vargr states exist far to Coreward, but in this region Vargr are a
  minority ethnic group. Some prejudice is sometimes encountered,
  since Vargr have a reputation as pirates and rogues, but most
  people who actually know a Vargr or two understand that individuals
  are as varied as any other racial group.
  The third important minority is Ursa. One of the worlds of the
  Cluster, Miip, is an Ursa homeworld. In fact, only a few thousand
  actually live there, but for the Ursa, this is a significant fraction of the
  total racial population. Ursa, who are descended from Terran brown
  bears uplifted by Solomani scientists during the Rule of Man, tend to
  live apart from humans in small villages. They are unwelcoming to
  outsiders, though friendly enough with those they have come to
  know. A small number of Ursa leave each year, “wandering”, and
  others arrive from time to time.
  The Worlds of The Linkworlds Cluster
  Kerin’s Tyr
  0620 B575775-6 Ag 
  320 I F8 V
  Kerin’s Tyr is the mainworld of a system containing two planetoid
  belts and several small rocky planets, but no gas giants. One
  consequence of this is that visiting ships have to come to the
  mainworld for fuel, or else waste time looking for ice asteroids.
  The Starport
  Kerin’s Tyr is served by a large orbital facility (Warne Highport), to
  which all traffic is directed. The port is a private venture, owned and
  operated by Venture Ports, LIC. Most Jump-2 traffic that comes
  through the cluster arrives or departs via Kerin’s Tyr. This means
  that so long as the Colonial Office keeps subsidizing the port, it
  remains just about profitable.
  However, Warne Highport has seen better days. Originally
  constructed as a high-quality Class B port, it is now rather seedy
  and run-down. A large Startown of some 60,000 inhabitants forms
  part of the facility; laws are liberal (level 2) and rather patchily
  applied. What order there is, is kept by Portside Security, a private
  security force that seems to believe that court cases are a needless
  waste of everyone’s time. Minor infractions usually result in a “spot
  fine” payable in cash or personal possessions, or in on-the-spot
  justice administered with shock batons. Crime rates are fairly low.
  The Port and associated startown are run as a commercial
  concern, and have the air of a lively, if rather seedy, market. The
  port is considered neutral ground, so merchants from the various
  nations of Kerin’s Tyr often come to the Highport to conduct their
  business. Goods are usually shipped direct on-planet.
  Traffic through the port is a mixture of tramp traders and regular
  services plying the cluster, Jump-2 vessels crossing the rift from the
  Reaching Arm, and Tukera Lines vessels heading to Sentry for refit
  (or out again).
  A platoon of Imperial Marines is stationed at the Highport,
  protecting the Imperial trade mission and the residence of Baron
  Marie Iskuulii, the Imperial noble assigned to the world. The Baron
  makes regular visits to the nations of Kerin’s Tyr, and meets with
  ambassadors on a regular basis. She has no desire to live on the
  planet, however.
  For port security and traffic control, Warne Highport operates a
  force of 10-ton light fighters to back up its inspection cutters. The
  latter are unarmed, and crewed by professional if unenthusiastic
  personnel drawn from the Portside Security force.
  Six 200-ton System Defense Boats are also deployed to provide
  immediate defense of the port. Their mercenary crews are long-
  service professionals. They are reliable and skilled, and so far have
  rebuffed all efforts by various on-planet groups to bribe them.
  The Mainworld
  Kerin’s Tyr itself is a mid-sized world, with a standard oxygen-
  nitrogen atmosphere. However, the atmosphere carries a (relatively
  mild as these things go) taint; some of Kerin’s Tyr’s plant life
  produces pollen that causes a violent allergic reaction in about 25%
  of humans. This reaction is rarely fatal, but causes breathing
  difficulties that more or less incapacitate the victim for periods of a
  day or two at a time, occurring at fairly random, but frequent,
  intervals. Filter masks are required to keep out the pollen. It is
  possible to gain a temporary immunity through drugs (though the
  drugs cause a mild version of the reaction which can be physically
  limiting and extremely unpleasant). Immunity can be developed over
  time; this normally takes several months and is lost after a couple of
  years without exposure to Kerin’s Tyr Pollen.
  Kerin’s Tyr has about 50% surface water coverage. This is mainly
  in the form of wide seas between the large continental land masses.
  Seas are fairly shallow at most points, but there exist several
  monumental deep-ocean trenches which have never been fully
  explored.
  Kerin’s Tyr’s land masses are mainly distributed in three main
  continents, plus the Great Arctic Wilderness, a land mass that
  covers the North Pole region and extends far south. The Wilderness
  is large enough that not all of it lies under ice; there are regions of
  taiga and tundra, though few inhabited areas.
  Kerin’s Tyr is home to some 30 million inhabitants, of whom about
  50 thousand are Vargr. The world is heavily Balkanized; i.e.
  fragmented into many small states. These range from isolated city-
  states to large nations. Law and Technology levels are thus an
  approximation.
  There are four main nations on Kerin’s Tyr:  The Kingdom of
  Harven, The Confederation of City-States, the Grand Theocratic
  Republic and the Liberty Alliance.
  The Kingdom of Harven (Hereditary Oligarchy, Law level 5, Tech
  level 6) is the largest state by a good margin, dominating the
  smallest of the three main continents. The Kingdom is reasonably
  well-ordered and organized, and welcomes offworlders. It maintains
  a large spaceport at the capital (Tersberg), which sees considerable
  traffic coming down from orbit.
  As befits the major nation of a world designated “agricultural”, the
  Kingdom exports a great deal of foodstuffs and natural products;
  mainly grain, vegetables, fish from the coastal fishing towns, and
  hardwood from the abundant forests that cover large areas of the
  continent.
  The Confederation of City-States (Balkanized, Law Level 2, Tech
  Level 5) is a loose conglomeration of independent cities scattered
  across the Eastern side of the largest continent.  A steam-powered
  railroad system links the cities, most of which operates a small
  spaceport (equivalent to Type D). The Confederation has no central
  government or capital, but each city-state sends representatives to
  squabble and bicker aboard a “parliament train” that travels between
  the cities. Little is ever settled aboard the train, and politics in the
  Confederation is a constantly-shifting web of alliances, embargoes,
  sanctions and even outright conflict.
  The Confederation attempts to maintain a joint armed force for
  mutual defense and a small (maritime, or ‘wet’) navy to deter
  territorial aggression from the Kingdom of Harven. However, given
  the nature of Confederation politics, these forces are little more than
  political footballs. Operations rarely even get started, let alone
  completed. However, popular militias of citizens well-armed with TL
  5 small arms do exist (indeed, they rule some of the cities), and
  these are capable of putting up a stiff fight at need.
  The Western side of the large continent is mainly wilderness,
  populated by scattered settlements of hardy frontiersmen (who
  rarely have access to more than TL 4) and nomadic groups (TL2-3).
  They have no overall political affiliation.
  The third continent is shared by the Grand Theocratic Republic
  and the Liberty Alliance. The Republic is actually quite democratic
  (Representative Democracy, Law level 5, Tech Level 6), though only
  initiates of the ruling Church of Stellar Divinity are allowed to stand
  for election (this is pretty much everyone, however). The Republic is
  rather stiff-necked and unwelcoming to outsiders. The only
  spaceport is at a special “star city”, away from the mass of the
  
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  population. It is no coincidence, given the locals’ beliefs, that Star
  City is also a holy place. Offworlders are not venerated as holy, but
  they are considered special and treated well. However, most ships’
  crews are not permitted to leave the Offworld Enclave (which is not
  holy). Only those of sufficient “purity” – i.e. those who the theocrats
  don’t think will cause trouble – are allowed into Star City proper
  where the pilgrims will come into contact with them.
  The Liberty Alliance (Tribal Government, Law Level 2, Tech level
  3) is a collection of nomadic groups, small settlements and two city-
  states housing most of the world’s Vargr population. These groups
  have absolutely nothing in common except a desire to ensure that
  the Grand Theocratic Republic does not expand into their territory.
  Armed clashes have occurred, and for a long time guerrilla warfare
  was common as the Republic attempted to expand its territory. An
  uneasy truce now exists.
  Even on the inhabited continents, there is still a lot of wilderness
  remaining unexplored. The Arctic region is almost wholly untouched,
  except for a couple of Kingdom outposts.
  The Rest of the System
  The Kerin’s Tyr system also includes several rocky planets and two
  planetoid belts. The inner belt (in the next orbit out from Kerin’s Tyr)
  is little more than gravel for the most part, but the outer belt is
  composed of a broad mix asteroid types, and is occasionally picked
  over by private Belter ships seeking a new claim. There have been a
  few minor finds but no big strikes.
  Since the nations of Kerin’s Tyr cannot maintain a space force of
  any kind, and the port mercs are assigned to local patrol only, the
  outsystem is almost completely lawless. Imperial Navy vessels do
  sweep the area from time to time, but since the beginning of the
  Solomani Rim War this has become a rare occurrence.
  069-526
  0721 BAAA630-7 Ni Wa
  103 I M4 V K8 D
  069-526 is the Mainworld of a binary system consisting of Klesiter
  Alpha, a dim red main-sequence star and its far-companion white
  dwarf companion, Klesiter Beta.
  Klesiter Beta has no habitable worlds; it is orbited by a small gas
  giant close in and a tiny iceball in a distant, eccentric orbit. Between
  them is nothing more than a collection of rock and ice fragments.
  The Beta system is distant enough that it is quicker to go there
  under Jump drive than to use sublight travel. Of course, there is
  nothing to go there for.
  The Klesiter Alpha system is somewhat more populous. The
  system boasts three gas giant planets and a number of rockballs,
  but no planetoid belts, in addition to the Mainworld.
  The Starport
  069-526 is served by a small orbital Highport of recent construction.
  The port (named Fonnein Orbital) is constructed out of the gutted
  hulls of two bulk freighters joined together by gantries. To this ugly
  but functional base have been fitted various appendages; docking
  arms, expanded personnel accommodation, a small-craft shipyard
  and a maintenance works. The result is a hideous sprawling mess,
  but one that does the job.
  Inside the port, surroundings are surprisingly pleasant (though
  some areas are rather oddly shaped due to the limitations of the
  original structure. The port cannot support a large number of
  personnel; no more than 500 people live and work aboard the
  station.
  Fonnein Orbital is a business unit in its own right. The yards
  manufacture small craft (mainly cargo shuttles and slow boats) for
  buyers across the sector, but most of the port’s income is from
  annual maintenance work on Far Trader ships. The port yards have
  a reputation for fast, efficient refits, and are highly adept at upgrades
  to standard small merchant vessel designs. The yards at Sentry can
  handle most classes of ship; those here specialize, and are thus
  competitive. It is an open secret that the yards can supply, fit and
  calibrate obsolescent military weapons and targeting systems that,
  while not up to current Navy standards, are a quantum leap ahead
  of the usual civilian models. Thus some captains feel that the
  journey to Fonnein Orbital is worth it.
  The port has a light missile armament for defensive purposes,
  and operates a flotilla of unusual defense craft. Most of these are
  converted from civilian small craft, and armed with missiles, backed
  up by military-standard electronics. The stealthy Lurker class Missile
  Shuttle has been offered for sale on the open market, but so far has
  found no buyers.
  The port operates at a standard law level of 3 – no automatic
  weapons – which is enforced by a mercenary security unit. Facilities,
  in terms of shops and hotels, are somewhat limited due to the small
  size of the port, but there will usually be a few ships in dock at any
  given time, so business is quite brisk.
  The Mainworld
  069-526 is known unofficially as Fonnein to its 1 million or so
  inhabitants. The world is huge, almost entirely covered in water, and
  has a carbon-dioxide-rich exotic atmosphere that is unbreathable to
  humans. The planet is rather cold, with extensive ice-caps. Large
  icebergs can be encountered even quite close to the equatorial
  region.
  What land there is, is for the most part rocky and barren, with very
  little vegetation and almost no animal life of any kind. However, the
  seas are rich with life. Some species have been identified as being
  descended from Terran stock, while others are definitely not of
  Terran origin (though they may not have evolved on this world).
  Fonnein is a fairly recent colony, established in 922 on a world
  that was previously uninhabited. The 1 million inhabitants live in
  undersea cities situated on the continental shelves of the few small
  land masses. There are 12 such cities, with an average population
  of about 65,000 people, and a number of outlying settlements.
  Each major city has a spaceport situated atop a tower that rises
  from the sea. Bad weather can close these ports, but each city also
  has a submarine dock. Most bulk cargoes move by sea.
  Between the cities, the oceans are very deep and largely
  unexplored. Some underwater archaeology is currently taking place,
  and scientists are reporting two puzzling discoveries. First, there
  seem to be ruins of some sort on one of the uninhabited shelves,
  and more in deep water under the Antarctic ice cap. Second,
  expeditions have found what seem to be Dolphin skeletons in
  seabed sediment. They have been dated at tens or even hundreds
  of thousands of years old, yet the Dolphin race only left Terra 3-
  4000 years ago, with the early Solomani colonists. There is no
  indigenous species analogous to Dolphins, and Terran Dolphins
  could not breathe 069-526’s atmosphere. No explanation has yet
  been found.
  The cities of Fonnein are ruled by a hereditary leader caste,
  descended for  the original colonists’ elected leaders. Despite the
  complete lack of written laws, society is peaceable and friendly. This
  owes a lot to the fact that in an underwater environment, stupidity or
  malice on the part of one individual can kill everyone. Thus the
  children of Fonnein are raised from birth into a culture of permissive
  cooperation. Society is very informal; even the rulers (who live
  among the general populace) are addressed by first name, usually
  with friendly (and mutual) respect.
  Fonnein has zero unemployment, and everyone is a part of the
  system that keeps the populace warm, fed, and undrowned. Thus
  everyone is respected and valued, and knows it. Citizens are  (for
  the most part) well-adjusted and content. Some offworlders find
  them annoyingly smug.
  A small volunteer security force exists to deal with serious
  problems, and the capital city (Fonnein Prime) spaceport is also the
  base for a small space service. Equipped entirely with vessels
  constructed at the Highport, the space service exists mainly as a
  patrol and rescue force, able to reach any point in orbit or on the
  planet quickly. Its six cutters are armed with beam lasers, and have
  proven willing to engage smuggling vessels at need.
  The Fonnein ruling caste is (collectively) a large minority
  shareholder in the orbital port, and makes a small income from this
  source. Otherwise, the world has little exportable industry, though it
  does make good TL-7 submarines and deep-submergence
  exploration vessels.
  
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  The Rest of the System
  The Klesiter Beta system, as already mentioned, is more or less
  empty. There is not much more activity in Klesiter Alpha. There is
  one exception: the mining Megacorporation Sternmetal Horizons
  maintains a base on Estorr, a tidally locked moon of the gas giant
  Praimen.
  Estorr is a typical “rockball”, with no atmosphere and no water. It
  does have significant deposits of radioactive minerals and rare
  earths, however; sufficient that Sternmetal has built a small city
  capable of holding 20,000 people, and a spaceport to serve it. By
  contract, ore from Estorr is trans-shipped to Foreinn Orbital for
  loading onto bulk freighters. This arrangement is somewhat
  cumbersome, and is the product of long negotiations. Starships
  (other than courier vessels operated by Sternmetal) are not
  permitted to approach Estorr, and must proceed to the starport.
  In addition to surface mining, the Estorr operation is also involved
  in petrochemical skimming, using specially designed shuttles
  operating from refining rigs suspended in the gas giant’s
  atmosphere by antigravity lifters. This is a small-scale operation at
  present, but if the hydrocarbon clouds of Praimen prove worthwhile,
  the operation will be expanded. This will bring yet more miners and
  their support workers, dependents etc to Estorr.
  Adukgin
  0722 B434431-A Ni
  704 I A1 V
  Adukgin orbits a very hot, white main sequence star. The system
  also contains four gas giants, several rockballs, but no planetoid
  belts. Adukgin is one of two possible transit points for Jump-2 ships
  moving into or out of the Shanape Cluster.
  Adukgin has for several years been the site of a regular Imperial
  Navy deployment. The Guardship is normally a destroyer, but with
  the outbreak of war the deployment was withdrawn. For a time, a
  pair of Fiery-class gunboats replaced the Guardship, but these were
  reassigned to patrol duty in 992, leaving the port undefended and
  the system more or less unpatrolled.
  The Starport
  Adukgin’s B class starport is located on the surface, close to the
  world’s south pole. A small orbital facility (Adukgin Highport) allows
  unstreamlined ships to moor and personnel to transfer to interface
  shuttles, but there is little more to the highport  than this.
  Adukgin Downport is also the site of the world’s capital, and only,
  city. About 40,000 people live and work in the port city, mainly in
  starfaring-related industries or in the service sector.  The world’s
  income comes almost entirely from interstellar commerce.
  The port city is home to the world’s ruling elite, made up of the
  managers responsible for various important sectors (power,
  logistics, and commerce, for example). These positions are not
  hereditary, but managers select their successors from a small group
  of favored subordinates, family members etc. However, so far all the
  successors have been selected as much for competence as for any
  other reason. The port and capital city are thus well run, clean, and
  reasonably safe despite the low law level.
  Trade is free and unrestricted at the port (hence the low law level)
  though all dealings must be legal under Imperial law. The port
  boasts numerous brokers, and there is always cargo to be had.
  Many cargoes are offloaded at Adukgin Starport, to be transferred to
  local vessels plying the cluster, or to regular trans-rift services bound
  for the Shanape Cluster.
  The Mainworld
  Adukgin is rather dry and possesses a very thin atmosphere, making
  compressor masks necessary. Temperatures vary widely between
  day and night, especially near the equator. The poles are more
  habitable, though only the southern region is populated. Almost all
  the planet’s water is concentrated in an ocean-belt around the
  southern pole. The northern polar region is a dry desert for the most
  part.
  About 30,000 people live outside the port city, mainly in small
  communities of 2-300 citizens. The only major population center
  outside the port is Grand Mine, home to the world’s tiny mineral-
  extraction and manufacturing industry – and 3,000 people. The
  facilities are highly automated, with everything from mineral
  extraction to cargo container loading being carried out by robots.
  Grand Mine is connected to the main port city by a Maglev railroad,
  which also serves several small communities lying along its route. In
  general, standards of living are quite high, as befits TL A (10)
  citizens.
  Adukgin has no armed forces as such. A customs & security
  service guards the starport and mans a flotilla of four utility cutters
  for customs work.
  Wildlife on Adukgin is generally small and hardy, with burrowing
  creatures being common. Few predators capable of tackling a
  human exist, but the Graddin is a persistent nuisance. This small
  armadillo-like creature tunnels close to the surface and has a knack
  of getting into settler compounds, compromising the environment
  and chewing up cables, which for some reason it finds delectable.
  The Graddin can deliver a nasty bite, and its saliva is mildly toxic to
  humans. They are also very hard to kill, being armored in tough
  scales and very quick on their feet. Offworlders usually find the
  antics of a bunch of port techs or settlement citizens as they try to
  corner a Graddin hilarious – right up until they see how much
  damage the little beast has caused. Graddin have been known to
  get aboard starships, where they secrete eggs in awkward places,
  then set about chewing up the control cables.
  The Rest of the System
  The system’s two large and two small gas giants and their moons,
  and the various rockball worlds of the system, are sometimes visited
  by hopeful prospectors. They remain largely unexplored. A Scout
  Service charting expedition in 790 produced a good set of
  preliminary data, but was never followed up. With the war in
  progress, this situation seems likely to continue.
  Miip
  0819 E999546-3 Ni
  300 IU F1 V
  Miip orbits a hot, yellow-white main sequence star. The system is
  unusually barren; no belts, no giants, just a couple of tiny rockballs
  and a scattering of individual asteroids.
  Miip is the other point of entry to the cluster from the Reaching
  Arm, but sees very little traffic. Most vessels go via Kerin’s Tyr,
  mainly because there is very little at Miip to make it worth the trip.
  The Starport
  Miip Downport is little more than a marked area where ships can
  land safely. It is adjacent to a small village, which is populated
  entirely by humans. The locals are familiar enough with starships,
  but other than trading for a few minor luxuries, they have little
  interest in offworlders. Meals and lodging can be obtained for a
  modest price, however.
  Like most of the buildings on-planet, the port village structures are
  part-sunken into the ground, and starships are directed to a
  berthing-pit protected by an impressive earth berm Starfarers
  arriving on a sunny, hot day may wonder why, but if they stay more
  than 24 hours, they are likely to find out why these precautions are
  necessary.
  The Mainworld
  Miip is almost 90% covered in water. However, it is a very large
  world, which means that there is a great deal of land for the taking.
  The atmosphere is dense, but not unbreathably so. However, it
  carries a taint in the form of radioactive dust particles that are
  extremely hazardous if breathed. Simple filters (and measures as
  simple as tying a scarf over the face) will protect against the taint.
  Miip’s weather is incredibly violent, especially near coastal
  regions where the air over land and sea heats up at different rates
  during the day, and cools down differentially at night. Violent
  rainstorms are frequent, turning streams into raging torrents and
  causing mudslides in areas that seemed stable not long before.
  Another cause of violent weather is the ionizing effect of the star’s
  radiation. As the dense atmosphere becomes charged and ionized,
  incredible displays of lightning begin. Strikes can be devastating,
  and storms can rage for whole days at a time. They are usually (but
  
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  not always) followed by a deluge of huge raindrops that may last
  minutes, hours or (rarely) up to a week.
  In between storms, powerful winds howl across the surface,
  uprooting trees and demolishing weak structures.
  The planet’s population numbers about 30,000, of whom about a
  third are Ursa. The Ursa mostly live in the uplands, apart from
  humans (though some mixed villages do exist). They do not care to
  receive visitors, though it is possible to befriend them, given
  patience and persistence.  The Ursa make their way by herding an
  (extremely hardy) upland quadruped and hunting wild game with
  their lovingly made TL-3 rifle-muskets. They are apparently content
  with this lifestyle, and keep to themselves for the most part. A few do
  descend to the lowlands to attend market fayres and to participate in
  the democratic running of the planet.
  The human population are mainly farmers and crafters, who also
  have a TL-3 pre-industrial society. They trade vegetable foodstuffs
  to the Ursa for meat, cloth for leather, and otherwise leave their
  Ursine neighbors alone. The few mixed communities seem to get
  along well enough, but there is little desire t integrate, and given the
  tiny population to space ratio, no need to compete.
  The entire planetary population is located on one large island land
  mass, part of a chain in the northern polar ocean where the climate
  is less violent than elsewhere (everything is relative!). Government
  is a loose system of village and town representatives that meets to
  decide everything from salt prices to judgement of criminals. There
  is no formal military, just a few village leaders who will lead a hue
  and cry for wrongdoers or gather a mob of pitchfork and musket
  armed locals to fight off any threat.
  Away from this one island, Miip is largely unexplored. There is
  extensive wildlife, and rumors speak of ruins sighted on a distant
  island. The atmospheric taint may be the result of nuclear
  bombardment at some distant time in the past, but as yet this is
  unproven.
  The Rest of the System
  There is very little in the rest of the Miip system to attract visitors. It
  is known that one of the largest asteroids is a rogue, captured after
  millennia in deep space. Its orbit is still settling down, and Scout
  Service vessels occasionally visit it to take samples. Otherwise,
  there is little activity in-system, and no reason why that would
  change.
  Aleif
  0820 E672978-8 In R
  410 I K3 V
  The Aleif system orbits a cool orange star, and comprises one major
  planetoid belt, no gas giants, a number of small rocky worlds and
  one extremely large rocky planet (Named Duruusa).
  Aleif is a Red Zone, an interdicted world. Several of the nations of
  Aleif are involved in open warfare (which is usually a cause for
  Amber, rather than Rd, zoning). The Red Zone was implemented as
  a “status Quo” measure, as various states were bankrupting
  themselves to bring in mercenary forces and high-tech equipment.
  Not only was this practice causing irreparable economic damage,
  but it also escalated the conflict further. The Red Zone is intended to
  keep matters from getting any worse while Diplomatic Service
  mediators try to resolve the various conflicts.
  Ships of the Imperial Navy patrol nearby space to prevent any
  vessel from approaching the planet. The Interdiction Squadron is
  built around a 30,000-ton Interdiction Tender, which ships a phalanx
  of 40 light and 20 heavy fighters, for patrol work and area coverage,
  plus 20 armed cutters to carry the ship’s Marine company for
  boarding and planetary rescue operations.
  The remainder of the squadron varies in composition, but
  normally comprises a pair of escort destroyers (1000t) and a number
  of patrol ships or close escorts (typically 4-6, of which at least two
  will be on distant patrol, away from the squadron).
  Monitoring satellites provide area coverage, but vessels have
  slipped through the blockade from time to time. More commonly,
  incoming vessels are picked up by patrolling fighters and warned off,
  or caught attempting to slip through the satellite net and dissuaded
  by a few laser salvoes across the bow.
  Like most Red Zones, it is possible to obtain permission to visit
  Aleif. This would normally come from the Marquis at Sentry. Vessels
  presenting permission are boarded and carefully inspected by
  Marine contingents, whose job it is to ensure that no unauthorized
  personnel or items get through the blockade – in either direction.
  The Starport
  Aleif has no Starport to speak of, though there are a number of
  known safe landing spot (safe as in your ship won’t sink into the
  ground or be washed away by floods, rather than safe and
  welcoming). The locals do have airports and even a few space-
  research bases, but off-worlders would not want to land there.
  The Mainworld
  Aleif is a mid-sized world with very little surface water. This is the
  source of the “tainted” indicator in the UWP – much of the planet is
  desert, and the air is filled with fine dust that can make breathing
  difficult. Filter masks are thus necessary.
  It appears that Aleif is drying up still further. The cause is
  unknown, though a steady drop in world temperatures cannot be
  helping. Aleif’s sun is apparently undergoing a brief and minor (in
  cosmic terms) fluctuation in energy output, resulting in a general
  cooling of the system.
  Aleif’s population (all 4 billion of them, of whom 100 million are
  Vargr) are concentrated around sources of water, and gathered into
  dozens of distinct nations. As water sources have gradually dried
  up, so competition for control of those remaining has greatly
  increased. Alliances have formed and open conflict has broken out
  in various regions.
  This is the reason for the Red Zone – significant areas of Aleif’s
  surface are war zones. The locals possess good TL-8 weaponry
  (including nuclear, chemical and biological weapons) plus some
  offworld imports. The Red Zone has kept further high-tech weapons
  and mercenaries out – mostly. No blockade is airtight, so offworld
  advisors and equipment are available to some of the factions. There
  are also a few mercenary units on-planet. These units were
  permitted to remain when the Red Zone was established, as a
  “status quo” measure. As merc personnel are wounded or
  surrender, they are shipped offworld and not permitted to return,
  removing their influence by a process of natural wastage. High-tech
  weapons are removed by a similar – but more destructive – process.
  Every major nation on Aleif is capable of building high-quality jet
  aircraft, tracked armor and personal small arms, and of maintaining
  those grav vehicles that are already present. Some lower-tech
  states cannot match these capabilities, but can still put up a fight
  with TL-7 or –6 smallarms and converted civilian vehicles. One of
  the favorite conversions is to take the standard desert-operations
  hovercraft use by many civilians, and to fit grenade or rocket
  launchers. These fast-moving vehicles with their inaccurate but
  powerful armament can cause a great deal harm to either side,
  depending upon how well or badly they are handled.
  Not every nation is in conflict, of course. There is tension
  everywhere, but much of the competition is of a diplomatic or
  economic nature (sometimes backed by the threat of military force,
  true…) and various projects are in motion to remedy the situation
  rather than simply fighting over the dwindling resources. This is one
  reason why permits are sometimes granted to offworlders to visit
  Aleif; scientists and engineers are working on ice-melting or
  desalination plants, recycling operations, and other long-term
  solutions to the problem.
  When war does break out, it typically follows one of two patterns.
  If a developed nation attempts to annex a region and drive out the
  lower-tech inhabitants (or “benevolently subjugate” them), a guerrilla
  war results, sometimes with other developed nations supplying arms
  to the desperate underdogs. Such struggles can drag on indefinitely.
  The pattern between more developed nations is rather different,
  following a “strike and negotiate” pattern. The availability of weapons
  of mass destruction to all nations makes all-out conquest a
  dangerous option, so the plan is “grab what you can and sue for
  peace.”
  
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  The Rest of the System
  Aleif is a necessary destination for Jump-1 vessels plying the
  cluster, but vessels are not permitted to visit the mainworld. To
  ensure continued commerce, a fuelling station has been set up in
  orbit around the smallest, innermost gas giant (named Urlainn). The
  station consists of nothing more than a small Navy Surplus tanker
  owned and operated by a private company. Fuel is obtained by
  shuttles, which skim Urlainn’s atmosphere for hydrogen to be
  processed by the tanker’s onboard machinery and sold to passing
  ships. (Very) limited space is available aboard the tanker for ship
  crews to stretch their legs before resuming their journey. Life
  support supplies are available for sale aboard, and one or more free
  traders are usually docked to the tanker, delivering goods or offering
  them for sale direct to passers-by.
  The large planet Duruusa is something of an oddity; it is
  extremely large but has virtually no atmosphere, and thus no life. It
  lies in a very distant orbit and has not been properly explored yet.
  Some regions are extremely volcanic, though most of the surface
  seems stable enough.
  Sentry
  0921 B5A8ACB-D
  410 I M4 V
  Sentry is the heart of the cluster. While all worlds are self-governing,
  issues are normally resolved here, at the court of Marquis
  Hallentein. The Marquis does not actually live on Sentry, but dwells
  in a subterranean city on the smallest of Sentry’s three moons,
  Luramii. The Marquis owns the moon outright, and uses it as a base
  for his small trading fleet.
  The Sentry system orbits a red dwarf star. As well as Sentry and
  its three moons, it contains a collection of rockball worlds and one
  planetoid belt, but no gas giants. The system is an important
  economic hub, at least locally.
  The Starport
  Sentry’s Starport (Sentry Downport) is situated on a large island off
  the coast of the main land mass. It is a large, impressive and
  recently-modernized installation, with plush facilities for travellers,
  conference and auction suites, and whole streets of brokers.
  The port sees a great deal of traffic, both local (in-cluster) and
  through-traffic moving on to the Shanape Cluster or the Reaching
  Arm. Business is brisk, and the supporting Startown is home to over
  5 million people. The Startown is considered to be an “interface
  area” between the strict local laws and the more permissive
  Starport-standard code. A law level of 9 is observed, enforced by
  efficient, polite security personnel who back their civil requests up
  with a range of powerful weaponry. The Extrality Line is considered
  to be the island shore – once in or over the sea, all local laws apply.
  The Starport is also the headquarters of the Sentry Colonial
  Space Force, the planetary navy. This force mainly operates SDBs
  and monitors from berths on the largest moon, Yrech. The port
  facility is a command base only.
  Sentry Starport does have an orbital component. This too is a
  custom-built installation. A small section of the Highport is open to
  commercial traffic, but streamlined vessels normally proceed directly
  to the Downport. A section of the Highport is given over to Scout
  Service personnel and vessels serving the Xboat link. The port does
  a brisk trade in annual refits for commercial vessels, and the yards
  take up the remainder of the installation.
  180 degrees around the planet from the Highport is a private
  facility owned and operated by Tukera Lines. This is the regional
  headquarters of the Megacorporation, and the site of their extensive
  repair and refit yards. At any given time, one or more vessels will be
  in for refit. The main section of the Tukera facility caters to high-
  Jump freighters stopping over on the way in or out of the Shanape
  Cluster.
  The Mainworld
  Sentry is not a very large world. Its surface is 80% covered with
  water; the oceans are deep and chilly. The atmosphere is an exotic
  mix, high in Nitrogen, which prevents much in the way of air-
  breathing life from developing.
  About a tenth of the 40 billion inhabitants of Sentry are crowded
  into sealed high-tech cities that cover most of the available land.
  Each of these has a small spaceport, and docks for the advanced
  submarines that provide much of the world’s transport.
  The rest of the population dwells in deep-sea arcologies, each
  with a population of a billion or more. Most of these arcologies has
  no spaceport, and must be reached by submarine. A few hybrid
  submersible/grav craft do exist, mainly for government use. Most
  citizens never leave their home arcology.
  Sentry society is highly ordered, with strict laws governing many
  aspects of life. Government is representative, with a system of
  Guilds and professional bodies representing the interests of their
  members to a World Senate, which answers to the Hereditary
  Adjudicators. The system is highly effective, and for the most part
  the Adjudicators’ rulings are accepted as being in the best interests
  of all. Perhaps the only real drawback is that the representation
  process takes time.
  Although the world is not a major industrial center, Sentry’s TL 13
  arcologies manufacture and export a wide range of goods. Sentry
  products dominate the local (cluster) economy, and are sold as far
  afield as Fornast and Antares Sectors. Most of the raw materials for
  manufacturing come from seabed mining operations, a task mainly
  carried out by robotic or remote-controlled equipment. Deep-sea
  engineers are paid very highly, and are mainly trained at the world’s
  University.
  The University of Dukh (Sentry Campus) specializes in aquatic
  engineering, but offers the usual range of courses, from Fine art and
  Imperial History to Jumpspace Dynamics and Xenobiology. Most of
  the students are from Sentry or other worlds of the cluster, but some
  come from far afield, especially those seeking to learn deep-sea
  techniques from the experts.
  Sentry’s military includes a large and powerful planetary defense
  force, which mainly crews deep-submarines armed with meson
  guns. These represent the ultimate in mobile firepower, being almost
  impossible to locate in the deep waters, able to move at will, and
  possessing the capability to shatter a starship in orbit. Missile-
  launching submarines are also deployed, as are remote-site PAD
  (planetary Aerospace Defense) Missile units constructed in the
  sparsely-populated uplands of the world’s land masses. Given the
  fragile nature of arcologies and the hostility of the deep-ocean
  environment, it is deemed wise to keep military installations away
  from population centers, other than light local-defense weapons.
  Other defenses include squadrons of aerospace interceptors
  flying out of land bases to reach targets in orbit, plus the system
  defense squadron. The latter is a powerful force, capable of
  deploying several heavy cruiser and destroyer sized monitors (non-
  jump-capable warships) and hordes of System Defense Boats
  (SDBs).  The system squadron is berthed on the largest moon,
  Yrech, which is heavily fortified and equipped with deep-site meson
  guns and missile emplacements.
  The Imperial Army has a small training base on Sentry, where
  local deep-water combat experts help specialist Imperial Army units
  develop their skills and train up new recruits.
  Sentry also operates a small force of Jump-Capable warships.
  Most of these are Patrol Cruisers and Close Escorts assigned to
  commerce protection in the cluster. However, the world’s pride is
  carried abroad by a small squadron of real warships. These are
  obsolescent ships – two Michealson Class light cruisers and four
  Stalwart class escort destroyers – but they do represent a powerful
  force. Currently all these ships are deployed outside the cluster,
  helping to fill the gap left behind by the transfer of many first-line
  Navy units.
  The Rest of the System
  As has been noted, Sentry has three moons. The largest, Yrech, is a
  fleet base for the world’s formidable system defense force. The
  smallest is the personal fief of Marquis Hallentein, and base for his
  private shipping fleet of six Jump-2 freightliners.
  The middle moon, Ruria, is an industrial complex that processes
  ore mined outsystem and either tranships it to the Highport for
  transit outsystem, or uses it in various manufacturing processes,
  including the construction of sublight warships for system defense.
  
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  The system also includes a number of rockball worlds, of which
  the outer one (Orlainne) is the site of a Scout Service outpost. The
  work undertaken there is mainly interstellar radio-frequency
  interception. The site is part of a project to separate background
  noise and recent radio chatter out of the intercepted signals in the
  hope of finding messages, perhaps millennia old, that might contain
  historically important information.
  The system’s planetoid belt is worked by a number of local firms
  and independent belters. It is regularly patrolled by the system
  squadron, but there is a lot of territory to cover.
  Liar's Oath
  1021 C4247A7-8
  602 I M4 V
  Liar’s Oath is mainly significant as one of two jumping-off points to
  the Shanape Cluster. The mainworld orbits one of the system’s two
  gas giants, just at the outer edge of the life zone of the system’s
  weak red star.
  The Starport
  The Starport at Liar’s Oath is an unremarkable C class port. Its only
  orbital component is a navigation and mooring beacon. On-planet,
  Covenant Downport is a small facility capable of handling half a
  dozen ships at a time. More vessels can be accommodated, but
  they have to be moved to holding areas and thus takeoff and landing
  will be delayed at busy times. The port is operated by planetary
  army personnel, and military engineers are constantly at work on
  expansions to the facility.
  Covenant Startown is home to about half a million people, who
  support the port and provide services, own and operate businesses,
  etc.
  The Mainworld
  Liar’s Oath is not a very welcoming world. Even in daytime, the sky
  is dark due to the dim sun and very thin atmosphere. The world is
  dryish, with a large proportion of its surface water being locked up in
  ice caps and glaciers.
  The population of some 60 million is ruled by a military
  dictatorship, which enjoys the confidence of the bulk of the
  population. The current military ruler, Major Alice Lakaii, took power
  twelve years ago, in a short but bloody coup that toppled the
  previous dictator (who was also a military officer).
  Major Lakaii’s government is more progressive, and far less
  corrupt, than the previous junta. Vigorous efforts are underway to
  turn around the world’s stagnant economy. The first step is an
  expansion and improvement of the starport. There is little money for
  this, but there are plenty of soldiers to do the work.
  Indeed, the Planetary Army is more and more becoming a civil
  engineering force, and as units are increasingly deployed across the
  planet on various upgrade tasks, standards of training are falling.
  However, Liar’s Oath has found a source of revenue that offsets this
  disadvantage. Given the very thin atmosphere, all troops of the
  Planetary Army are trained as Protected Forces (i.e. trained to
  operate in vacuum suits and in hostile environments). The dictator
  has begun to hire out small units of her solders as mercenary
  shipboard or hostile-environment troops. Personnel return from merc
  service with new experience to share among their comrades.
  The mid-tech (TL-8) cities of Liar’s Oath are widely spread across
  the globe, though the extremely cold polar regions are unpopulated.
  Cities are not domed; instead the cities consist of building
  complexes, each of which has a controlled environment, linked by
  transit tubes within which electrically-powered railcars run. The cities
  themselves are connected by railroads; air travel is not possible,
  though many imported grav vehicles are in use.
  Between the cities, the land is largely undeveloped. It is
  inhospitable and uninviting at best, and there is little sophisticated
  animal life.
  The Rest of the System
  Of the two gas giant planets the inner one, Honora, is rather small.
  Liar’s Oath is the largest of Honora’s seven moons. Occasional
  alignments can make navigation a little tricky, but for the world’s
  inhabitants the main consequence of living on a gas giant moon is
  the spectacular sight of the gas giant in the sky (day or night).
  The outer gas giant, Giranuu, is much larger. Giranuu is one of
  the angriest planets in Charted Space; a, radioactive hell-hole of
  titanic storms. No sane captain would try to skim fuel from her
  churning atmosphere. At some time in the past, Giranuu seems to
  have smashed her moons to fragments, and she is now orbited by a
  collection of broken pieces and gravel rings.
  A tiny huddle of asteroids follows timidly in Giranuu’s trailing
  Trojan point, and a similar collection scurries ahead of her in the
  leading Trojan. Attempts to prospect in these clusters are
  unprofitable and fraught with disaster; they have a bad reputation
  among belters, to the point that there is some superstition about
  Giranuu being cursed. A few members of the Church of Stellar
  Divinity hold that Giranuu is an evil star, cast down to smoulder in
  demonic fury forever, and that her anger will curse and crush any
  who venture near. Others say that radioactivity and gravity will do
  the job nicely, and don’t hold with such superstition. However, both
  groups agree that Giranuu is a bad place to go.
  
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  Encounters & Adventures
  Introduction
  This is the second part of the Linkworlds mini-setting for Traveller. It
  consists of several kinds of material:
  Amber Zones are short descriptions, which outline a situation
  and the people involved in it, and suggest how matters are likely to
  unfold. It is up to the referee to flesh out these situations and to
  resolve the players’ actions.
  Patron Encounters are even shorter. They outline a situation
  (typically, an encounter with someone who wants something doing)
  and several possible outcomes. Which actually applies is
  determined by rolling 1d6. The referee must resolve further actions.
  Mercenary Tickets are similar to Patron Encounters, but they
  deal with situations of a military nature.
  Ship Encounters are brief descriptions of a common or
  distinctive vessel and some members of her crew, along with an
  indication of where the vessel might be encountered and what it
  might be doing. Ship encounters can add depth and flavor to an
  adventure, they may be red herrings, or they may lead to new
  adventures.
  We will present at least one example of each here. QuikLink
  Interactive would like to receive additional submissions for this or
  any other Traveller setting. The format used here should be followed
  when submitting material.
  Amber Zones
  Two of the following Amber Zones are set on specific worlds of the
  cluster (though they could be transplanted to any similar location).
  The others can be dropped in anywhere.
  Preacher Man
  Location: Kerin’s Tyr
  Situation: While enjoying the sights of the Kingdom of Harven on
  Kerin’s Tyr, the characters are approached by a youngish man in the
  remains of a fashionable but sober suit. He has clearly been
  roughed up, though not particularly seriously.
  The man explains that he is Jerayme Varrian, a priest-aspirant of
  the Church of Stellar Divinity, and a citizen of the Grand Theocratic
  Republic, which dominates one of the other continents of Kerin’s
  Tyr. There is a certain amount of tension between the Kingdom and
  the Republic at present, and some of the locals resented Jerayme’s
  presence.
  In fact, he adds ruefully after a moment, what they resented was
  his preaching. As a priest-aspirant, he is charged with spreading the
  word of the gods, and was touring the local holy places. This is
  nothing especially disagreeable – many of the Kingdom citizens are
  members of the Church too. However, the Republican slant on his
  sermons touched a few raw nerves, and he was thrown bodily out of
  the church where he was speaking.
  This, too, would have been no major problem, except that
  Jerayme took it upon himself to punish the people who threw him
  out. He stormed back into the church declaiming solar flares and
  radiation upon the heathens who denied the word of the gods. This
  time he got a beating for his trouble, and only escaped worse by
  fleeing. Some of the locals are still following him.
  To cut a long story short, Jerayme wants to get out of town and
  would like the characters (who are offworlders and not likely to be
  offended at him like the locals seem to be). To accompany him as
  escorts. He has enough money to pay passage on a train or a
  maritime vessel for everyone, and can arrange payment of a modest
  fee from Church “eventuality funds”.
  Before the characters can do much, a half-dozen or so locals
  round a nearby corner, point at Jerayme, and charge. They are
  armed with melee weapons (mainly improvised) and consider
  anyone near their quarry to be helping him. A beating and maybe a
  lynching awaits anyone who does not run, or fight.
  Resolution: Things are actually worse than Jerayme thinks. He
  has managed to stir up a lynch mob, and even if the characters
  manage to escape the first locals on the scene, it quickly becomes
  apparent that they are in big trouble. Several bands of locals are
  now after the group, and the Royal Constabulary seems to think that
  they have committed some major crime (perhaps they have,
  depending upon how they dealt with the first lynch mob.)
  There appear to be only two options: hand over the preacher man
  and hope the locals let them go, or flee town. Getting out of town,
  even just for a few days, will allow things to cool off (and Jerayme
  will move on). Of course, if the characters kill or seriously injure
  someone, even in self-defense, they will have the Royal
  Constabulary after them, at least until they can get out of the
  Kingdom of Harven.
  Torpedo Los(t)!
  Location: 069-526
  Situation: 069-526 (known as Fonnein to its inhabitants) is
  attempting to develop a maritime (wet) naval force. Since most of
  the world’s population live in undersea cities, this force mainly crews
  long-range submarines. The force is a new development for the
  people of Fonnein, and is having teething problems. It supposedly
  exists to deter smuggling and unauthorized expeditions to certain
  historic ruins. Although Fonnein has a zero law level, these activities
  are becoming a nuisance and the population as a whole want
  something done about it.
  The Maritime Security Force (as it is known) currently has four
  TL-7 submarines powered by imported fusion reactors. The crews
  are experienced submariners, but are not yet very skilled with their
  weapons. This deficiency is made worse by the fact that some of the
  weapons used by the Maritime Security Force are offworld imports
  of a higher TL than local equipment and – far worse – some are
  rather dubious systems.
  One such system is the MkII Seabed-Mounted Airspace Denial
  System (SMADS). Basically a deep-water mine, SMADS is deployed
  by a specially-converted submarine to a general target area. It then
  proceeds under its own power to a suitable location (usually well-
  hidden), while dropping off remote sensor drones.
  When a vessel or starship passes near the mine, a drone
  demands a transponder signal, and if the signal does not match
  authorized vessels, the mine attacks. Its weapon is a dual-use
  Supercavitating torpedo/missile, capable of more than 200 knots
  through water. Upon hitting the air/water interface, the gas-jet drive
  system changes mode, allowing the weapon to engage airborne
  targets to a height of several thousand feet. SMADS is used mainly
  to deter unauthorized vessels from using ocean refuelling.
  The crew of the patrol submarine Guardian Streala, while
  conducting a test live deployment, configured the sensor package
  for a SMADS mine wrongly. The weapon could not receive
  transponder data, and thus treated everything in the region as
  hostile. Thirty minutes after deployment, the mine armed itself.
  There was only one target in the vicinity – Guardian Streala. The
  sub was hit amidships, broke in half and sank in deep water. This
  occurred four hours ago.
  It is possible that there are survivors aboard the sub, but there is
  a problem. SMADS mines carry two missiles, and the state of the
  second weapon is unknown. No Security Force vessels are within
  range of the downed sub, but a rescue vessel could be flown to the
  area quickly. However, with a possibly live ship-killing torpedo lost in
  the waters nearby, a rescue presents certain problems.
  The Security force needs skilled technicians; people with high-
  tech (TL 10+) electronics and hostile-environment skills. A team
  must quickly be assembled to find the mine, reach it using personal
  diving equipment, and disable it. This is a scratch mission,
  desperately flung together from the available people. Deep-diving
  suits and a few minutes’ instruction are available. It’ll be tough, and
  there may not even be any survivors aboard the sunken boat.
  
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  But there might, so somebody has to try and get them out. The
  characters’ mission is to prevent that becoming a suicide
  assignment.
  Resolution: There is a small band of survivors aboard the sub,
  but they have not got long left. As the rescue gets underway, they
  manage to establish crude communication using active sonar pings.
  What they convey is dreadful news.
  The sub’s weapon bay was open when she was hit, and at least
  one other mine was live at the time. The crew don’t know if it was a
  conventional CAPTOR (Captive Torpedo) mine, in which case it
  contains “only” a TL-7 aquatic homing torpedo, or another SMADS
  weapon. Either way, if the rescue vessel approached the wreck, the
  weapon will launch.
  The location of this missing mine (and its type) is up to the
  referee. There may be more than one, and it is possible that the
  weapons are actually still inside the wreckage. Either way, they will
  have to be cleared before rescue can take place, and the clock is
  ticking.
  It gets worse even than this. The sub broke in two, and there are
  survivors in BOTH sections. One segment is perched on the lip of a
  deep trench, and is unstable. Both sections are badly damaged, and
  would not survive being winched up to a surface vessel. The only
  way is to clear the mines, enter the wrecks, and get the survivors
  out. The entire Maritime Security Force has volunteered to save
  their comrades, but they can’t deal with the mines. The only people
  who really understood how to program them were aboard the
  sunken sub.
  The referee should feel free to add whatever hazards will make
  the characters’ lives most miserable, including hostile deep-water
  creatures, dangerous wreckage, over-zealous rescue crews and
  whatever other fiendish obstacles he/she can create.
  Survey Mission
  Location: Any world with a breathable atmosphere
  Situation: The characters are stuck in port for a few days, waiting
  for a delayed cargo. While they are cooling their heels, they are
  approached by a local investor.
  The investor (Suzanne Morgan-Vens, a representative of an
  offworld mining company) says she needs a survey carrying out in
  order to verify some information she’s received. Her company
  conducts exploratory drilling and sampling operations, selling the
  data or the rights to the site on to exploitation firms if the site turns
  out to be worth exploiting.
  However, a test well or mine is an expensive proposition, and
  she’s not completely satisfied with the data she’s been given by a
  local survey team. There are good indications that there might be
  deposits of hydrocarbons (oil) in the region, but nothing worth
  staking Megacredits on. Suzanne proposes that the characters
  repeat the survey. They’re impartial; they have nothing to gain by
  over- or underplaying the data.
  Suzanne will provide a converted wheeled ATV that can serve as
  a mobile lab and sensor platform. The team will be shown how to
  take densitometer readings and rock samples. There is no need to
  do analysis – just collect reliable data and deliver it.
  The team can be transferred to a regional survey base by
  speeder, but the trip out to the site will have to be overland (the ATV
  is too big to be flown out without specialist equipment that’s not
  available). This will take a couple of days each way, plus a day or so
  to take the samples. The characters are offered Cr 500 apiece, plus
  a letter of introduction to Suzanne’s contacts in the industry.
  The outback region where the data is to be gathered is pretty wild,
  Suzanne warns. The climate and local wildlife might pose some
  problems.
  Resolution: A journey overland in an ATV is never without
  hazards. Terrain hazards include canyons, foul weather, flash floods
  or other dangers appropriate to the terrain. However, this is not the
  worst the characters will face.
  Upon arriving at the site, the characters conduct their survey. The
  data presented was basically correct, and sufficient to warrant a test
  rig. However, the locals (homesteaders, ranchers, nomads,
  prospectors or whatever is appropriate to the setting) don’t want a
  petrochemical refinery and a series of wells on their doorstep. They
  will harass the team as they work. The locals are not willing to use
  violence, though they may shout and threaten, and would certainly
  respond in kind to an attack.
  After a day or so of this, the characters are about to turn for home
  when an exhausted local rushes into the site.  He’s come, quite
  simply, to beg for help. The locals don’t want the mining corp on
  their doorstep and they stand by their earlier words and deeds. But a
  major prairie fire has broken out, and one of the local homesteads is
  directly in its path. The locals have no vehicles capable of getting
  through the flames, but an ATV is sealed. It might be possible for the
  characters to reach the (wooden) homestead and rescue the family
  that lives there. The local can’t offer them anything, and knows
  they’d be justified to just drive away… but he had to swallow his
  pride and come to the only people able to help.
  If the characters won’t help, they will hear later about how a
  dozen homesteaders were killed trying to rescue their neighbors,
  who were killed anyway.
  If they agree, the local man (whose name is Raimarii) can direct
  them towards a ridge, behind which a thick pall of smoke is
  beginning to rise. The fire is just getting going, but it is broad and
  moving fast down the valley.
  The ATV can pass through the fire, but it won’t do it any good.
  The gel-filled tires are designed to withstand high temperatures,
  though they will fail if exposed for too long, especially while under
  load. The ATV, if driven recklessly enough, can reach the
  homestead just ahead of the fast-moving wall of flames. It is obvious
  that the family (two adults, three young children and a couple of
  hands) cannot escape in time. They are busy trying to damp
  everything down (utterly pointless, but the alternative is passively
  waiting to burn alive) and calm the screaming children as they are
  bustled into an inadequate fire-cellar.
  The characters have minutes to get everyone out, and into the
  ATV. The referee should create a situation of intense pressure as
  the character try to deal with panicking kids, a farmer who believes
  he actually has a chance to save something if he can get enough
  water on it, a farmhand with severe burns and family members who
  won’t leave without their missing dog.
  After the family are in the ATV, there only remains to get clear of
  the fire. That means an insane run ahead of it, or angling through it.
  Both are fraught with risk. It is obvious that the burned hand will die
  if he can’t reach a hospital in time. The characters will have to come
  up with a solution. Air transport may or may not be available, but
  certainly no pilot will be wanting to fly into the immediate area
  around the fire.
  Country Retreat
  Location: Anywhere
  Situation: The characters are working on a big deal – perhaps a
  shipping contract – with Josef Taii, a partner in Taii and Daughter, a
  prominent local merchant house. Josef has invited them to his
  country estate for the weekend, to settle the details in comfort and
  incidentally enjoy a little sport, fine wine, and relaxation.
  The house is in a quiet country area, with good hunting land
  nearby. The nearest town, Fultonville, is a couple of kilometers down
  the road. Fultonville is a logging town and a riverport for the local
  villages. A quiet place.
  Until today.
  Resentment against offworlders has been growing for some time,
  as the locals perceive that their traditional industries are losing out to
  large offworld concerns. Radical speakers have been few and far
  between, but one, Amanda Ulaird, arrived in Fultonville this morning.
  Her fiery rant against the “offworld menace” triggered an ugly
  incident in which rocks were thrown at a party of offworld
  consultants. The local constabulary tried to protect them, and to
  arrest Ulaird for instigating the incident.
  Unfortunately, Ulaird’s (armed) followers decided to resist, and a
  gunfight ensued. When one of the offworlders attempted to defend
  himself with a policeman’s handgun, Ulaird managed to turn the
  incident into a riot.
  Now some of the offworlders have been executed, others are held
  hostage, and an armed mob is on the way to the Taii residence to
  punish Josef for colluding with the “offworld menace”. The mob is
  mainly armed with improvised weapons, but at least a quarter of
  
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  them have shotguns, others handguns and rifles from the police
  armoury. Ulaird’s followers are armed with SMGs.
  Help is on the way – a hostage-rescue unit has already been
  despatched by speeder from the capital, and police reinforcements
  are being rushed to the town. However, it is going to be some hours
  before an effective response can be made, and the mob will be at
  the estate in minutes.
  Resolution: The Taii family retainers are reliable and loyal. Most
  are non-combatants, but a couple of gamekeepers and some of the
  grounds staff are willing to fight (they can guess what’ll happen to
  them if they don’t and the mob catches them).
  Josef has a few weapons at the estate, sporting rifles and
  shotguns, a couple of scoped revolvers for hunting – nothing military
  or capable of autofire.
  The situation is simple. The characters must throw together some
  kind of defense, and hold out until police or army units can arrive to
  chase off the mob. The mob is angry and violent, but not particularly
  determined. They will snipe, or fall on individuals and kick them to
  death, but they won’t engage in “human wave” assaults or anything
  so suicidal.
  Ulaird is the lynchpin of the whole riot. She can persuade some of
  the locals to engage in extreme violence or even take massive risks,
  but if she is killed, the whole thing will fall apart. She knows this and
  takes care with her safety.
  Patron Encounters
  A Patron Encounter is a short “adventure seed”. Patron Encounters
  are presented as follows:
  Patron Type
  Required Skills; Required Equipment
  Players’ Information
  This describes the situation as it appears to the players
  Referee’s Information
  This section outlines the real situation (if different) and several
  possible outcomes. Which one of them actually applies is
  determined by rolling 1d6. The referee must resolve further actions.
  Mercenary
  Required Skills: Shipboard Skills; Required Equipment: None
  Players’ Information
  The party is approached by a member of a small mercenary unit,
  Madsen’s Strikers. His unit is a small team of six experts, who
  specialize in rapid in-an-out operations, from hostage rescue to
  corporate espionage. He explains that the unit has a contract
  pending, but needs to find a crew capable of handling a small craft
  such as a pinnace (an aerodynamic spacegoing small craft). The
  unit has access to a suitable vessel, but cannot crew it.
  The mission is fairly simple. The Strikers have been hired by a
  businessperson to recover some “sensitive” documents that are
  being used to blackmail her. The documents are located in a remote
  villa in a mountainous region; approaching by land is out of the
  question. The mercs intend to make a surprise landing directly at the
  villa, overrun the guards, and get out again.
  What the characters are required to do is simple and fairly safe.
  The mercs will “detain” the crew of a supply pinnace, and the
  characters will replace them (this will require some slight bluffing,
  but nobody should look too closely at them). After taking off (with the
  mercs aboard) the pinnace will report lifter trouble and veer off
  course, flying low and fast to the villa site. The mercs will then carry
  out their mission and return to the pinnace, which will be sued to get
  them out of the immediate area and abandoned at a pre-arranged
  rendezvous point.
  All access codes and documentation are provided by the mercs.
  All the characters have to do is fly the pinnace and secure it while
  the mercs perform their mission. The characters will be provided
  with their choice of an autopistol, shotgun or carbine for the purpose,
  if they don’ t have weapons of their own.
  Payment is Cr 1000 each, success-only, on completion.
  Referee’s Information
  All is as presented. Getting aboard the pinnace without arousing
  suspicion is easy enough for people who wear the right clothing,
  behave like skilled flight crew, and don’t do anything stupid.
  Everything goes to plan until the pinnace grounds at the Villa.
  1d6 (1D):
  1. 
  All is as planned. The guards are shocked and fail to react
  effectively. The mercs return quickly with the documents.
  2. 
  All is as planned. The guards are quite numerous (armed with
  handguns, SMGs and carbines). They attempt to storm the
  pinnace to prevent the mercs from escaping, and the
  characters must resist.
  3.
  The mercs run wild, and the whole thing turns into a bloodbath.
  The numerous guards attempt to storm the pinnace. They are
  armed as above.
  4.
  As 3, but the guards are mercenaries armed with Advanced
  Combat Rifles and light body armor.
  5.
  As 4, but the guards and the mercs get involved in a long
  battle, during which two air/rafts filled with reinforcement
  guards arrive and attempt to storm the pinnace.
  6.
  The mission is a fiasco. As the mercs enter the villa, they are
  ambushed and take several casualties. The radar shows
  air/rafts inbound, and the mercs are pinned down. The players
  must stage a rescue or abandon them.
  Naval Official
  Required Skills: Shipboard skills, electronics, mechanical,
  vac suit; Required Equipment: None
  Players’ Information
  The party is approached by a young Imperial Navy officer on
  assignment to the world as an advisor. He explains that he needs
  help with a salvage operation, and has no Navy or Marine assets
  available.
  The mission is simple enough. He will provide a Cutter (and a
  pilot, if necessary) and a set of navigation data, which will lead to a
  collection of wreckage in deep space. He explains that this is the
  remains of a corsair vessel shot up by a navy patrol ship some
  weeks ago. He has come to believe that the corsair is part of an
  organized band, and that there may be information in its data cores,
  if any have survived.
  The party is offered Cr 500 each to enter the wreck and search for
  data cores. A bonus of Cr 5000 is payable for successful recovery of
  one or more readable cores. The patron wants holo-footage of the
  interior of the ship to prove the characters searched thoroughly.
  Referee’s Information
  The trip out is uneventful, but getting into the wreckage is quite
  difficult. The vessel was quite large (1000t or more) and even this
  incomplete fragment will take a long time to search. This requires
  cutting wreckage away and avoiding a vacc suit puncture from
  jagged edges. There are corpses in the wreckage too.
  1d6 (1D)
  1-2
  All is as planned. The recovery is difficult, but eventually
  accomplished.
  3
  The wreck has a little power available; enough for its
  automated defenses to fire a missile at close range into the
  cutter. The characters must rescue themselves before
  proceeding.
  4-5
  As 3, but the wreck is extremely unstable. Characters are
  constantly assailed by loose fragments of metal, entangled by
  cables, and similarly hampered.
  6
  As 1, but the vessel is no corsair. She was in fact an innocent
  merchant ship, which was suffering a communications failure
  and could not reply to the challenge made by the trigger-happy
  Navy captain. The data in the cores could be extremely
  embarrassing to the Imperial Navy.
  
             The Linkworlds Cluster
              www.TravellerRPG.com
  ― 13 ―
  Émigré
  Required Skills: None; Required Equipment: None
  Players’ Information
  The party is approached by a well-dressed young couple. They were
  recently married, an arrangement between their families (both of
  which are quite wealthy, and the couple are the eldest children, and
  thus the heirs of both). However, the families have fallen out.
  The couple have been leaned on by both sides of their family to
  make a choice about where their loyalties lie. They have now made
  that choice, and have decided that their loyalty is to one another.
  Despite the artificial arrangement, they have discovered that they
  are truly happy together, a happiness that will suffer if their families
  keep interfering. They therefore wish to get away, several Jumps if
  possible, and start a new life.
  The couple have money, and are willing to pay to get free of their
  stifling families. They offer Cr 1000 a week to each member of the
  party, to assist them in the following ways:
  The couple think their families will try to stop them leaving. They
  may try to intimidate or even kidnap them. Tough characters able to
  face down or fight off kidnappers are a necessity. Also, the families
  will be looking for a fleeing couple, not a party. If the characters can
  provide them with a cover (e.g. part of a group of students on a
  study trip or a team of consultants journeying to their next
  assignment), then it is likely that they will avoid notice.
  If the party has a starship, the couple are willing to pay for Mid
  passage plus the Cr 1000 per week, but would prefer to have a
  “cover” rather than being obvious passengers.
  If the couple can make it far enough (say 3 jumps, or when they
  are about to board a ship bound for a different main or cluster), they
  say they can offer a bonus.
  Referee’s Information
  The bonus is real enough; bearer bonds and personal stock in the
  banking Megacorp Hortalez et Cie, to the value of Cr 10,000.
  1d6 (1D)
  1.
  All is as it seems. A good cover plan will keep either family from
  catching up.
  2.
  All is as it seems. Earnest but arrogant and overbearing
  relatives may catch up and try to convince one or both of the
  couple to come home. They will not attempt violence.
  3.
  As 2, but an attempt to use force will follow. This is likely to be
  a non-lethal kidnap attempt rather than a murder.
  4. 
  One family is incensed, and attempts to kill one or both of the
  fugitives.
  5.
  Both families are after the couple. One wants to kidnap them
  or, failing that, kill them. The other is actually protecting them in
  the hope of winning them over later, but will attempt earnest
  remonstrations as in 2. The couple don’t trust either group,
  whatever they may say, and the situation is very confused.
  6. 
  The couple have stolen stock and documents from both their
  families, and are hotly pursued by family members trying to get
  them to come back before more extreme measures (which are
  already in motion) catch up. In fact, the couple also have hired
  assassins, a rejected lover, angry cousins (who will move up
  the inheritance ladder if the couple die or meet with disgrace),
  bounty hunters and the Imperial Ministry of Justice after them.
  On the plus side, if they actually make it, the bonus is Cr
  100,000.
  Merc Tickets
  Mercenary Tickets are presented in the following format:
  Title
  Mission Type; Unit Size
  Mission types are normally descriptive: Striker, Commando, Cadre,
  Escort, Bodyguard or Security. Unit sizes range from Team or
  Squad, through the normal range of military unit sizes – platoon,
  company, battalion, brigade or even division.
  Background: This section presents the basic information
  associated with the mission
  Mission: Details of the actual mission.
  Resolution: Special information for the referee, if necessary. The
  resolution is normally left very open, so that the referee can create
  any kind of scenario around the ticket that he/she wishes.
  Secure Logistics
  Mission Type: Escort; Unit Size: Ship Crew
  Background: The Imperial Navy is very short of auxiliary vessels
  at present, and is finding it difficult to maintain its logistic support for
  current operations. A small Marine force is currently deployed to a
  remote region of a world two jump away, and requires supplies to
  remain on station. With no auxiliary vessels available to carry out the
  resupply mission, the navy is offering it as a merc ticket to any
  suitable (armed) merchant ship.
  Mission: Cr 50,000 is offered to the owner and crew of a suitable
  vessel, to deliver 20 tons of supplies (some ammunition and spares,
  but also uniform, boots, rations, mail, etc.) to a Marine platoon in the
  Orrell Badlands, which is currently guarding a crashed Navy vessel
  until salvage can be arranged.
  The ship’s crew will be responsible for securing the cargo in
  transit. It contains high-tech weapons components, so may be the
  target of thieves.
  Resolution: The mission requires loading, Jump, refuelling, a
  second Jump and delivery of the supplies. During the fuelling
  stopover, a band of terrorists posing as ground crew will attempt to
  storm the ship. They wish to seize the weapon components, but
  scuttling a military transport ship would be a great propaganda
  victory for them too. The terrorists will be armed with concealable
  weapons – pistols, SMGs and perhaps an ACR or two. Exact
  numbers are up to the referee.
  Seven Starfarers
  Mission Type: Cadre; Unit Size: Squad
  Background: Life in the outlying Shulgil Province has become
  too hard to bear. Not only do bands of armed raiders terrorize the
  countryside and steal everything the local farmers grow or raise, but
  the Landowners’ Collective, far from dealing with the problem,
  simply ensures it doesn’t lose money by squeezing the farmers
  further. Dissent is dealt with by armed bands whose methods are no
  different to those of the brigands.
  Mission: The farmers of Tarshell Crossing have decided they
  have nothing to lose. They are determined to defend what remains
  of their crops, their herds and their pride to the last. Initial attempts
  to resist the raiders (with hunting shotguns and rifles) were a
  disaster. The farmers have decided that they need expert help – but
  they can’t afford it.
  Since an experienced merc unit is out of the question, they plan to
  form one. They have scraped a few thousand credits together to
  purchase weaponry and someone to teach them to use it. Cr 50,000
  is available. This represents everything the locals can sell, mortgage
  or bargain for. The desperate farmers are willing to hand over this
  sum to anyone willing to help them. However, some of this money
  will be used to buy weaponry.
  The deal is this: a party of mercs or adventurers will undertake to
  obtain weapons for the farmers, and remain in the region for 3
  months to train up a militia. Whatever money is not spent on
  weaponry is the mercs’ pay. The deal is success-only: that is, the
  mercs will only be paid of the farmers are still hanging on after 3
  months. There is actually nothing to stop the mercs from just taking
  all the money and running, except their own consciences.
  Resolution: The Landowners’ Collective will of course try to warn
  off mercs, and make it hard to bring weaponry. The characters will
  then face the challenge of turning inept but determined farmers into
  a fighting force capable of taking on the armed bands and whatever
  force the Collective brings to bear – and winning.
  There are about 5000 people in the valley. Perhaps 1000 of them
  (at the absolute outside) could be given weapons and training,
  though most of these would be tied to their farms by the necessity of
  keeping them working. Perhaps 200 could be speared as a mobile
  force at any one time.
  
             The Linkworlds Cluster
              www.TravellerRPG.com
  ― 14 ―
  The armed bands are mainly armed with carbines, shotguns and
  rifles. The landowners’ bullies are similarly armed, but will quickly be
  re-armed with assault rifles, light machineguns and similar light
  military hardware if the farmers start to pose a real threat.
  The aim for the characters is not to defeat the Collective but to
  create a force that can face them down and assure the farmers’
  rights. However, they will have to fight several small, sharp actions
  against raids and attempts to frighten the farmers. This may lead to
  some big skirmishes, but this is not a mission that can be decided by
  a decisive battle. The best the mercs can hoe for is to create a
  balance of power that forces some cooperation and perhaps even
  an alliance against the brigands.
  Just as likely, some of the mercs will be killed trying to rally the
  farmers – they are determined and desperate but also scared and
  inexperienced. They need leadership to give them confidence.
  Without it, they are nothing but a bunch of people with guns.
  Ship Encounters
  A vessel plying the spacelanes will encounter many other ships.
  Some will be little more than sensor blips, but a friendly hail will
  usually reveal more about the character of the vessel. There is
  always more to a starship than “it’s a free trader”.
  Some vessels will be encountered again and again, becoming old
  friends or familiar nuisances. Others provide momentary color and
  depth. The shock of finding a merchant floating dead in space, her
  crew massacred, is driven home when the players realize that they
  KNOW these people. Perhaps in passing, perhaps in a barfight, but
  these people touched their lives…
  Starlancer
  Starlancer is a Gazelle Class Close Escort. Built for the Imperial
  Navy, she was crippled in an engagement some years ago and sold
  off as surplus, being too expensive to repair to full capability. The
  hulk was purchased by Escort, LIC, a Starmerc outfit specializing in
  commerce-protection. She was rebuilt as far as possible, and a crew
  was hired. Finally, the hulk returned to the stars as the third ship in
  Escort, LIC’s flotilla.
  The Gazelle class close escort is fitted with drop tanks, but these
  were badly damaged and the repair resulted in them becoming a
  permanent fixture. Similarly, the Gazelle’s two particle accelerator
  barbettes were removed. Today, Starlancer is armed with two triple
  laser turrets, a triple sandcaster, and a plasma gun in the chin
  barbette.
  Her crew of twelve are experienced mercenaries, all with
  experience as commercial spacers, Imperial Marines or Navy
  personnel. The vessel is normally employed in close-escort of high-
  value cargoes, but currently serves as a patrol vessel, on retainer to
  the planetary government of Sentry.
  Starlancer has seen combat, and is known to have suffered
  casualties in performance of her duties. Her crew are considered to
  be tough and reliable, but her captain, Mayliza Arrentein, (an ex-
  Imperial Marine Lieutenant) is abrupt and abrasive in her dealings
  with “dumb merchies”. The crew also have a reputation for getting
  into fights when ashore on liberty. Although there are some
  impressive small arms in the locker, these are used for boarding and
  inspections when on ticket as a customs ship, not for ground
  combat. The crew are spacers, not ground-pounders.
  Honest Ab’s Interstellar Mercantile
  Emporium
  The Emporium is a very distinctive ship. Painted in garish colours,
  and displaying a huge holographic logo down her sides, she is a
  heavily converted Type M Subsidized Merchant. Her launch is gone,
  and where it used to ride piggy-back there is an ugly weapons blister
  which mounts two turrets. The aft one is a defense mount, carrying a
  pair of sandcasters and a rapid-fire point-defense laser. The forward
  one mounts a triple missile rack. Both systems are fed from a
  magazine in the cargo hold, with ordnance rising through a “handling
  room” where the low berths would normally be. This armament is
  shipped in addition to the two triple laser turrets on her sides, just
  abaft the bridge. For a merchantman, The Emporium is very well
  armed.
  These days, the Emporium is less of a freighter than a flying
  salesroom. Her cavernous cargo bay is lined with racks of goods,
  mainly fairly expensive items. Upon landing, she opens her side
  doors and lights up the “open for business” sign, selling individual
  items as cheerfully as the bulk containers that line her forward cargo
  area.
  Honest Ab himself is a Sydite, a four-armed humanoid from the
  Khuur League. He is (and this is the cause of many a joke) primarily
  an arms dealer. The forward cargo bay is filled with containers of
  expensive goodies, to be sold only by the container or in large lots.
  Ab deals in everything from planetary defense missiles to TL-7 small
  arms. He seems to be able to obtain quite rare items, including
  combat armor and the occasional grav tank.
  However, Ab is just as happy to sell assault shotguns or flak
  jackets from the racks lining his main cargo hold. He is enthusiastic
  about his product and willing to spend all day with a client whose
  requirements run to a knife and a single hand grenade.
  Ab does sometimes ship high-value cargo (his ship is very secure
  and has an excellent reputation) for clients, but never passengers.
  His crew is very mixed; a Luriani first officer, a Vargr engineer and
  an ever-changing collection of temporary crewmembers that has at
  times included Ursa and even Droyne.
  Perhaps the oddest thing about Ab is that he really is honest. His
  prices are fair (but high, as might be expected from the only vendor
  of plasma guns for 25 lightyears), and all his goods are entirely
  legal. They even come with correct (non forged!) paperwork. Ab’s
  only weakness is that he collects “stuff”. Ab’s stuff collection
  includes much obvious junk, plus a few really unique or valuable
  items. Some of them are technically illegal, such as Restricted
  artifacts. This is Ab’s only foray into illegal dealings.
  Despite the weaponry on Ab’s ship, he is not a fighter by choice.
  Most privateers would think twice before tangling with the
  Emporium, and that’s fine with Ab. If other ships choose to mount
  inadequate armament that’s their business. He’ll advise them of
  what they should buy (and offer to supply and fit it). If they decline,
  and get into trouble, that’s their lookout. Ab has never changed
  course to assist a vessel under attack and never will. He’ll comply
  with the law, but fighting pirates on behalf of people too cheap to
  defend themselves properly is not on his to-do list.
  Celestial Messenger
  There is something very odd indeed about this vessel.
  Celestial Messenger is a converted Yacht, built long ago for some
  noble who decided he or she could not afford to finish fitting her out.
  The vessel was bought up by the Most Holy Reverend Jarmaine
  Kastariis, a priest of the Church of Stellar Divinity, and fitted out as a
  Jump-capable cathedral.
  The Celestial Messenger has been the subject of a string of legal
  injunctions and civil suits, since her master and his equally devout
  crew believe that works done in the name of the Gods transcend the
  petty laws of Humaniti. Normally, this means parking in a restricted
  orbit and blanketing out part of the world communications network
  with a broadcast service. However, the vessel has been involved in
  some genuinely good deeds, and on a couple of occasions has
  received what certainly seemed like divine assistance.
  When a flash-flood struck an Ursa village on Miip and several
  individuals were cut off without hope of rescue, the Messenger came
  out of nowhere to pick them up. There was simply no reason for her
  to be there, and no way to know about the crisis, yet the villagers
  were saved. The Most Holy Reverend didn’t feel the need to explain,
  beyond announcing that “The Gods sent us”. On another occasion,
  the vessel and her crew rescued a diplomatic envoy from street riots
  on Aleif. Setting down in a park, the Reverend (accompanied by two
  of his crew and a choir-robot) walked through the middle of a lynch-
  mob, picked up the battered envoy and her bodyguard and walked
  back to the ship with them. Witnesses report that shots were fired at
  the party, and several individuals attacked them with clubs, but to no
  avail.
  There is no explanation for these activities, beyond what the
  Reverend has offered.
  
             The Linkworlds Cluster
              www.TravellerRPG.com
  ― 15 ―
  The Messenger is a nuisance to other spacefarers, and is
  constantly being fined. However, she continues to ply the
  spacelanes and bring the message of the Gods to everyone who
  can’t avoid listening.
  Breakeven
  The Breakeven is a free trader registered out of Daramm. She is at
  least 20 years old, but shows the signs of careful maintenance.
  Even her paintwork is crisp and frequently redone. The ship is
  beautifully maintained, has a complete set of spares for everything,
  and her steward is famous across the sector for the quality of his
  cooking. Most other Free Trader crews view the crew of Breakeven
  as some kind of  freaks or mutants; Free Traders are not supposed
  to BE like that!
  Breakeven ships passengers, freight and mail (she has an
  Imperial Mail Contract) around the local worlds, occasionally taking
  on a speculative cargo. She has a reputation for reliability and a
  certain arrogance. Both are richly deserved.
  The Breakeven is owned and operated by a human named
  Douglass Sorgan, who serves aboard as her master but (as befits a
  ship’s master) does not hold a crew position. The rest of the
  personnel are all Vargr. The ship has a distinctive “corporate
  identity”, with all of the crew dressing in dark gray coveralls
  (unusually dowdy for Vargr), boots and a crimson ship-jacket and
  peaked cap, with identical sidearms and even dress-swords for
  formal events.
  Breakeven is listed as an Imperial Navy Reserve Auxiliary, and
  has been called up a couple of times in the recent war, mainly for
  routine transport work. Her personnel are mainly recruited from ex-
  Navy or ex-Megacorporate Merchant Service personnel, and it
  shows.
  Clients and passengers find the quiet efficiency and reliability of
  the vessel reassuring. Other spacers find it sickening.
  Bill’s Ship
  Bill’s Ship is a regular sight in the ports of the Linkworlds. The vessel
  is an extremely battered old Scout/Courier operated by an equally
  battered old Detached Duty  Scout, whose ID is the only place
  where he is referred to as William Portman. Bill is known throughout
  the cluster, as merely “Bill”.
  Bill operates his vessel alone, and despite the interference of his
  several cats (nobody is quite sure exactly how many) and a pet bird
  of some description, which seems to get along with the felines well
  enough. Since his ship is maintained and fuelled by the Scout
  Service, Bill’s pension is enough for him to get by. However, he
  makes a little extra money working the personal courier or ‘gray
  mail’ trade.
  There is nothing illegal about gray mail, unless of course the
  packages contain contraband. Bill is not a smuggler; he is a bad-
  tempered, foulmouthed old coot who thinks he owns the spacelanes,
  but he is not a criminal. He will deliver packages, letters and the odd
  passenger to his next destination for a small fee. Passengers rarely
  speak highly of the experience. Anyone taking passage aboard Bill’s
  ship can expect to fend for themselves or be subjected to Bill’s
  intermittent and highly experimental cooking. They also quickly
  discover that it isn’t Bill’s ship at all – it’s run by a brawling
  committee of cats.
  Underneath his cranky and uninviting exterior, Bill is cranky and
  uninviting, but has an embarrassingly broad heroic streak. He once
  took his unarmed ship into the middle of an action between Navy
  vessels and a pack of Solomani commerce raiders to pick up
  survivors. This, and other suicidally brave incidents, earned him the
  Emperor’s Thanks and a knighthood. Somewhere, under the heaps
  of trash in his stateroom, is a patent of nobility and a letter of
  enfeoffment, granting Bill an estate that he’s never bothered to visit.
  When Bill arrives in port, beer share prices go up. His drunken
  sprees are notorious. If caught with just the right amount of ethanol
  in his system, Bill can be induced to explain why he’ll never quit the
  life of an interstellar wanderer. He will wax poetic about the stars,
  the freedom, the grand destiny of Humaniti and his deep love of
  space… then get embarrassed and pick a fight with someone.
  
             The Linkworlds Cluster
              www.TravellerRPG.com
  ― 16 ―
  The Kursis Charter
  A Linkworlds Campaign
  What follows is an extended scenario in the form of a minicampaign.
  It can be played with any group of characters, with or without a
  starship. It is particularly suitable for a party of Merchants created
  using the T20 Lite rules.
  The minicampaign can be expanded by dropping in some of the
  Amber Zones and Patron Encounters as asides. For example,
  characters with a ship may be offered a charter mission that takes
  them to a different system and away from the adventure thread they
  are pursuing. There, they may have several minor adventures as a
  result of patron encounters and amber zones, before finally returning
  to pick up their interrupted adventures.
  Resources: This adventure needs some version of the Traveller
  rules. T20 or T20 Lite is ideal, though the adventure is compatible
  with any version.
  Theme: This adventure is designed around the crew of a small
  starship. A Far Trader or a Scout/Courier is ideal.
  Setting: The adventure is set early in 993, in the Linkworlds
  Cluster, Ley Sector, in Gateway Domain of the Third Imperium.
  Referee’s Overview: The crew of a small merchant ship are
  chartered to carry out a number of deliveries on behalf of a shipping
  company whose vessels are over-committed. The deliveries will take
  the crew to various worlds of the cluster and occasionally impose
  delays that may result in “aside” adventures while the characters
  cool their heels.
  Along the way, the characters pick up clues to the location of a
  derelict ship that supposedly contains a fortune in precious metals.
  Unravelling the clues will lead them to undertake a dangerous
  descent into the atmosphere of a gas giant world.
  Style: The adventure is presented as a series of “Acts”, within
  which there will be one or more “scenes”. Some Scenes are “Key”
  scenes, and playing them out is necessary to the resolution of the
  plot. Others can be modified or ignored as necessary. Extra Scenes
  can be added to an Act if the players’ actions require it. Whole
  additional Acts can be dropped in as and when necessary, say if the
  characters are on-planet and decide to follow up a rumor, leading to
  an unexpected adventure (and one unconnected to the main plot).
  Stats: This adventure is more or less statless, since it is intended
  to be played with any version of Traveller. Stats for three generic
  T20 NPCs are found at the end of the adventure. These three
  (which can be used as the basic combat stats for a range of
  opponents) are drawn from the forthcoming Travellers’ Aide
  supplement 
  “76 
  gunmen”, 
  which 
  contains, 
  oddly 
  enough,
  pregenerated stats for 76 thugs, mercs and goons for use with T20.
  Characters: The characters are all members of the crew of a
  small starship, or at least have some interest aboard. Possible
  character roles include:
  • 
  The vessel’s owner-aboard
  • 
  Crewmembers (Captain, Pilot, Astrogator, Engineers,
  Stewards, Medic, Gunners, Cargo Handlers, Technicians,
  Security Personnel)
  • 
  Non-crewmembers with a financial interest (e.g. backers,
  investors)
  • 
  Non-crewmembers with other interests (e.g. partners or
  friends of crewmembers)
  Almost any mix of characters can be used, so long as they have
  the basic skills to operate their ship.
  The Ship: The adventure assumes that the characters have a
  small Jump-2 vessel available. The Grendelsbane presented at the
  end of this adventure is a typical example.
  Players’ Introduction
  The Grendelsbane is badly in need of a refit. Some systems are
  decidedly erratic, and others are showing signs of wear. Sooner or
  later the vessel will fail a spaceworthiness inspection and be
  condemned, or worse, enter Jumpspace and never come out.
  The only way to keep the ship in service is to find the funds for a
  comprehensive overhaul, but what Free Trader captain has that kind
  of money handy? The answer, of course, is “a successful one”, and
  that’s one thing that Grendelsbane’s captain is not. At least, not right
  at the moment. It was with some relief, then, that the crew took on
  their latest job. Not that there’s a lot of actual money in it, but at least
  it’ll pay for the refit.
  The job itself is fairly simple. Grendelsbane has been chartered to
  pick up several large containers of hard-copy records from various
  starports. All port authorities routinely ship their records in electronic
  facsimile form, but hardcopy logs are also maintained by most ports.
  These accumulate, and when there is enough of them to be worth it,
  they are shipped in bulk containers to be held at the sector capital.
  Normally, these records are transhipped by registered mail
  vessels, but with the recent disruption in the sector, the mail
  schedule is badly off. The three vessels operated by Kursis Mail, LIC
  have all been requisitioned by the Imperial Navy as auxiliaries,
  leaving a gaping hole in the service.
  Kursis Mail LIC has sub-contracted several vessels to fill the
  gaps, and in most cases the situation is entirely satisfactory.
  However, the vessel intended for the Linkworlds run defaulted on its
  contract, and a replacement had to be found quickly. That
  replacement was, of course, Grendelsbane.
  The terms of the deal are simple. The Grendelsbane will Jump
  into the Linkworlds cluster from the Shanape Cluster, via Liar’s
  Oath, then proceed to Miip, Kerin’s Tyr and 069-526, picking up the
  hardcopies (there will be 2-5 tons at each port of call) before
  conveying them to Sentry. At Sentry, they will be delivered into the
  high-Jump mail system and payment will be made.
  Payment consists of the following: Normal overheads and fuel will
  be covered (i.e., the players need not worry about normal life
  support and fuel costs). Extras such as high-class foodstuffs and
  software upgrades will NOT be covered.
  A complete refit at 069-526 will be paid for by a voucher issued by
  Kursis Mail LIC, and validated by the transhipping agent at Sentry.
  The voucher is good for a maintenance upgrade only – any
  additional or upgraded components will have to be paid for by the
  ship’s funds.
  The vessel must leave room in its cargo bay for the records, but is
  otherwise free to trade as desired.
  The deal basically means that the crew get to operate their ship
  for free while they make the pickups (so long as they stick to the
  planned route) and can make some extra cash on the side. At the
  end of the mission, the ship gets that overhaul it so desperately
  needs. It’s a good deal.
  After a hundred and seventy-three hours in Jump, the Far Trader
  Grendelsbane emerges into normal space at 109 diameters out from
  Liar’s Oath. All systems are within normal parameters (normal for
  this ship, anyway). The fuel tanks are more or less empty, but that’s
  not a problem. Ahead lies Liar’s Oath; gateway to the Linkworlds
  cluster….
  Referee’s Notes
  The referee has as much latitude as he or she thinks necessary
  about things like the contents of a survival kit or the ship’s locker.
  Where weapons are listed, it is assumed that “some” ammunition is
  present (how much is up to the referee) and that suitable webbing or
  other accessories are also available.
  The exact contents of the locker are up to the referee. If the
  characters need light, it is likely that there are a couple of cold light
  lanterns or a torch in the locker – though these items may be beat-
  up or less than reliable. Common sense should suggest what is –
  and is not- likely to be present.
  Similarly, character may well have weapons and equipment of
  their own. Players should be allowed a few minutes to buy
  equipment with their mustering-out cash, though again common
  
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  sense should be applied, to prevent characters from loading
  themselves down with every conceivable weapon, item and
  accessory.
  The charter is a reason for the characters to move about the
  cluster rather that a super-important task upon which the fate of the
  region may rest. The actual plot of the adventure is not directly
  related to the charter. However, the players should be encouraged
  to fulfil it despite the difficulties encountered – they can’t afford their
  refit unless they find a way to complete the mission. Thus to them it
  IS rather important!
  However, completing the charter will not be all that easy. Various
  obstacles (some related, some not) stand in the way. Characters
  may choose to go off at tangents from time to time. This is not a
  problem; it’s an opportunity to use some of the Patron Encounters or
  Amber Zones presented in the COTI webzine…
  Note that common information (such as that contained in the
  world writeups) is easily available from the ship’s library computer.
  This information may or may not be 100% accurate, but it will be
  basically true. Library data is frequently updated, so any major
  events on-planet will be included in the library program within a few
  weeks.
  Act 1: Liar’s Oath
  For full details of the world, see the setting notes.
  Liar’s Oath is a dryish, chilly world orbiting a red dwarf star. It has
  a small Class C port (Covenant Downport). The world is a TL-8
  dictatorship. There is little animal or even plant life due to the very
  thin atmosphere. Anyone going outside a ship or a pressurized
  building should wear a vac suit; it is possible to survive using just a
  compressor mask and goggles, but this is very uncomfortable and
  tiring.
  Within the cities, most of the population are human, with a few
  Vargr and (far more rarely) Ursa. Clothing styles are mostly sober
  and “military” in cut, except for those worn by a segment of the
  population who delight in bucking the trend. For them flowing,
  colourful garments are the norm, accompanied by garish facial
  tattoos or makeup. This is a current fashion trend, and is viewed as
  such by the mainstream of citizens. Many government and official
  posts are held by serving Army personnel, who will be in uniform at
  work. The population generally reacts much better to tidy, soberly-
  dressed individuals.
  Overall, the society of Liar’s Oath is polite and fairly formal.
  People seem content for the most part. Services are efficient and
  discreet, except for the military, which is heavily involved in
  government and takes pains to ensure everyone knows it.
  Scene 1: Covenant Downport
  When the characters enter orbit over Liar’s Oath, their ship is quickly
  picked up on radar and challenged. Landing permission is quickly
  and courteously granted, and the ship is directed to Pad Three.
  Coming in on approach, the characters get their first good look at
  Liar’s Oath. The terrain is rugged and dry, with vast open expanses
  (and jagged mountains) between the cities. Here and there
  spectacular bridges and cuttings have been constructed to
  accommodate the inter-city railroad system, but for the most part the
  planet’s surface is uninhabited and in virgin condition.
  The characters’ ship will pass over the Startown adjoining the
  port.  Covenant Startown is large and bustling, with sealed building
  complexes linked by transit tubes and sealed electric railroads. Few
  buildings are over six storeys high, though many have grav vehicle
  landing pads atop them. There are a lot of grav vehicles (mainly
  sealed air/rafts) buzzing about, even though they cannot be built at
  the local tech level.
  Clearing the city, the ship descends towards the port. Covenant
  Downport is a small facility, capable of handling no more than four or
  five small ships at a time. Facilities are fairly basic, as might be
  expected at a TL-8 installation, but the personnel are smart and
  good at their jobs. The port is secured by an impressive (and
  deliberately obvious) array of PAD (Planetary Aerospace Defense)
  missiles and by troops loyal to the world government. A wing of
  advanced jet fighters (aerospace interceptors) armed with combat
  lasers and missiles is based at a special area outside the main
  starport. Again, this facility is made very obvious as a deterrent.
  The ground crews at Liar’s Oath are efficient, even working in
  their bulky TL-8 vac suits. Once the ship is connected up to the local
  power feeds and has been inspected by customs staff, the crew can
  disembark.
  Anyone who has been in space for a week aboard a small vessel
  will want to get out for a while, and even the sealed environment of
  Covenant Downport is a great improvement on the interior of a Far
  Trader. As the characters pass through the starport extrality line,
  they are informed by the efficient guards that the Startown (and the
  rest of the planet) has a Law Level of 8. This means that no
  weapons may be carried, though small knives that are obviously
  tools rather than fighting implements are legal. The guards have
  access to imported TL-12 weapon scanners, and are highly skilled
  at detecting weapons.
  Referee: This may be the first time the players have “seen” a
  starport. It is a fairly utilitarian place, busy but efficient and
  functional. There will be a couple of ships in at any time; mostly
  small traders and couriers. The arrival of a big freighter (probably a
  Tukera vessel) would cause heads to turn, but no great amazement.
  The referee should ensure that the players understand that
  breaking local laws will have consequences. Specifically, stunts like
  trying to sneak heavy weapons through customs will not work.
  Shooting at the guards or trying to intimidate them with powerful
  weaponry will simply bring the equivalent of a SWAT team to the
  scene. These people have the full weight of a planetary army behind
  them. There is little or nothing that a Free Trader crew could do to
  back them down or defeat them. It is important that players unused
  to the game setting understand this – characters who attempt to
  maraud about planets shooting up the locals will get killed – fast.
  Scene 2: A Night on the Town
  Typical practice for characters just arriving is to book into a hotel for
  a couple of nights, then go out and seek entertainment of some kind.
  Covenant Startown caters to a wide variety of visitors, though unduly
  rowdy behavior is dealt with by the local law enforcement personnel.
  An encounter with the law is likely to be a bad experience for
  characters wanting to punch it out with the local constabulary, since
  the police force (like all the local emergency services) is part of the
  planetary army, and is drawn from tits ranks.  The upshot of this is
  that incidents will be attended by experienced personnel, equipped
  with batons, Tranq sprays and body armor. A “panic button” radio
  call to the nearby barracks will bring a backup squad armed with
  assault rifles and support weapons.
  The Startown is clean and well-ordered (no surprise when the
  local police policies are considered), and offers a wide range of
  dining and entertainment facilities. These range from theaters and
  sports venues (to play or to watch), to live music and licensed
  casinos. The more “dubious” kind of establishments can be fund by
  streetwise characters, but even these are fairly tame by the
  standards of some worlds.
  Characters can get about easily enough, using the (slow, but
  frequent and free to ride) electric trains between the building
  complexes or by walking. Nobody goes outside the sealed city,
  unless they really have to, but the characters should find plenty to
  do while they’re here.
  Referee: This is an opportunity to encounter people (and maybe
  patrons with a job offer) and to use those social skills like gambling
  and carousing. The referee should provide the characters with
  opportunities to see and do pretty much what they want – this is
  downtime, unwinding from the shipboard routine. It’s also part of the
  “starfaring experience” as the players get to experience the very
  different cultures along their way.
  This scene can be glossed over or can run to several sessions,
  depending upon who much roleplaying effort the players want to put
  into their recreation time. Friends and enemies) made in one port
  can crop up in another, or be waiting when the characters return. It
  all adds to the richness of the game….
  
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  Scene 3: The Mission Begins
  Obtaining the hardcopy records at Covenant Downport could not be
  simpler. After checking the characters’ ID and authorization, the Port
  Authority is only too happy to have the document crates delivered to
  the ship. The crates have been ready for some weeks now, awaiting
  transit, and the efficient local bureaucrats are delighted to clear the
  space they’ve been taking up. There are 4 tons of hardcopies here.
  The characters may also want to find passengers and cargo for
  shipment to their next destination (Miip). This will prove difficult.
  While a lot of ships pass through the port, few people want to go to
  Miip. However, there are two routes the characters can take to get
  there. They could travel via Sentry (dropping off the first load of
  hardcopies if they like) and then on to Miip, or they could go via
  Aleif.
  Travel via Aleif is something of a problem, since the system is
  interdicted by the Imperial Navy. However, a fuelling station has
  been set up to allow vessels to pass through the system without
  visiting the mainworld. If the characters choose to travel via Aleif,
  there will be no passengers, but 2d6 (2D) tons of supplies are
  available to be delivered to the refuelling station. These are mainly
  perishable foodstuffs. Payment is standard shipping rate – Cr 1000
  per ton.
  If the characters choose to travel via Sentry, passengers and
  freight will be available normally, though there will not be anyone
  wanting to passage from Sentry to Miip, either here or at Sentry.
  Once cargo and passengers are loaded, takeoff clearance is
  granted. The characters are expected to follow fairly strict flight
  protocols to orbit, and may be shadowed by an interceptor at some
  point of their flight. Eventually they reach 100 diameters and prepare
  to Jump.
  Referee: Once the characters have decided upon where they’re
  going, they have a chance to use the trade & commerce rules if they
  like. Procedures are fairly standard here at Liar’s Oath. There is
  sufficient passing trade to support a number of independent brokers.
  Before the Jump can be initiated, the characters receive a
  distress signal.
  Scene 4: Signal GK (Key 1)
  Just minutes before the characters initiate their Jump procedure, the
  comms alarm begins to sound. The vessel (and everyone else
  around) is receiving a GK (distress) signal!
  A few seconds’ work with the comms system shows that it is
  coming from the atmosphere of Honora, the gas giant world that
  Liar’s Oath orbits. It is being automatically broadcast by the ship’s
  computer, which is not a good sign.
  Interrogation of the distressed ship’s computer by the players’
  comms officer will yield the following data:
  • 
  The distressed vessel is the Scout/Courier Malfeasant
  • 
  She is on an upowered ballistic path, scorching upward out
  of the depths of the giant’s soupy atmosphere. Her velocity
  is insufficient to reach orbit.
  • 
  There is no response from her crew.
  • 
  She has been broadcasting for some time, but the signal
  was blocked by Honora’s atmosphere.
  • 
  Shortly, the Malfeasant will reach the top of her arc and
  begin the long fall back to the giant’s rocky core. Her crew –
  of any of them are still alive – will be killed long before she
  strikes bottom.
  • 
  The players’ ship is in range to make an intercept just after
  she crests and begins to fall. It might be possible to tow her
  out or board her and take any survivors off.
  • 
  No other ships are in range.
  Interstellar law requires that assistance be rendered to any
  distressed vessel, unless this would unduly endanger the rescuing
  ship. In this situation, the characters clearly have no duty to even try,
  but their conscience, curiosity or greed may prompt them to try.
  As the characters decide what to do, a big Tukera freighter (the
  Laskalmii Goddess), which entered the system as the characters
  were climbing to orbit, responds in clear (and as a general
  broadcast) that she is responding. The huge, ponderous freighter
  starts to change course, but her vector is all wrong. Even the pair of
  pinnaces she drops have basically zero chance of reaching the
  wreck in time – though clearly they’re willing to try (or maybe to win
  a few PR points for being seen to!).
  A new broadcast comes from the stricken Malfeasant. A horribly
  distorted image of the little ship’s control room can just about be
  made out. Two vac-suited (human) figures are slumped over the
  control consoles. Another has collapsed next to an open access
  panel, apparently while working on the ship’s systems. A male Ursa,
  dressed in a strange-looking vac suit (even for an Ursa) lurches into
  view, clearly distressed. He slurs out some words in the direction of
  the viewscreen pickup before collapsing to the floor. He tries to rise
  for the duration of the transmission, but clearly cannot.
  After a few seconds, the image breaks up to be replaced by the
  automated beacon signal. The characters’ computer managed to
  clean up some of what the Ursa said, but it is fragmentary. The only
  decipherable words are:
  Project… partial… malfunction…drive burned out… orbital
  velocity… failed.
  A quick computer projection shows that the characters’ ship could
  reach the Malfeasant, but only by diving under power after her into
  Honora’s atmosphere. This would not present an undue risk - the
  ship is designed to perform this maneuver in order to skim fuel from
  a gas giant – but unless the rescue was conducted quickly, they
  thickening atmosphere will present a danger, both from turbulence
  and from gas seepage into a suit.
  The characters’ ship is not equipped to attach a tow cable to
  another vessel (a dedicated salvage vessel would be), and there are
  of course no convenient Transporters or Tractor Beams to effect a
  clean rescue with. If the crew of the Malfeasant are to be saved, it
  will have to be done with old-fashioned guts and brains.
  Referee: The Malfeasant was engaged in testing systems
  designed to let it (and its crew) dive very deep into a gas giant’s
  atmosphere and remain there for some time. The crew were
  equipped with specialist suits designed to resist the giant’s
  atmosphere. However, while the test was ongoing, a malfunction in
  the ship’s drive system prevented her from climbing back to a safe
  altitude. The giant’s atmosphere slowly seeped into the ship,
  poisoning the crew. Realising too late what was happening, the crew
  donned their suits. They decided to make a last desperate attempt
  to escape before gas narcosis rendered them helpless.
  Jury-rigging the ship’s engines to burn themselves out in a huge
  burst of power, the crew set their ship on a ballistic course aimed at
  reaching orbit, and gave their fate to the gods. Even as the ship
  lunged at the heavens, they knew it was too little – they could not
  escape Honora’s gravity. Their only hope was that a ship might be in
  range, and be willing to chase them down and launch a rescue
  before they plunged to their deaths.
  Scene 5: Boarding the Malfeasant (Key 2)
  Requires: A1S4
  Piloting the players’ ship in the atmosphere of even a fairly “tame”
  gas giant like Honora is a difficult task. Incredible gusts bounce the
  vessel about as she streaks after the stricken scout/courier. Sensor
  range is greatly reduced. However, at this altitude, the players’ ship
  is well within her design tolerances.
  Approaching the vessel as she begins to arc gently back down, it
  is obvious that she has been heavily modified. To the normal
  wedge-shaped hull form have been added a pair of vertical
  stabilizers (fins). Some kind of streamlined extension has been
  added to her lower cargo area, perhaps to function as an oversized
  airlock. Her drive section is twisted and blackened, testimony to the
  power her drives briefly delivered. The remains of a decaying
  Contragravity field and her residual velocity (plus her basically
  aerodynamic shape) are keeping her on a fairly straight course, but
  her dive is steepening.
  Matching course in Honora’s (relatively)  thin upper atmosphere,
  even with computer assistance, is fraught with danger. The ships
  are pushed together then bounced apart. It is, however, just about
  
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  possible to dock airlock-to-airlock. The alternative is to try to swing
  across on a rescue cable, a well-nigh impossible task.
  If the ships can be successfully docked, the players’ vessel can
  use her contragravity and drives to stabilize the Malfeasant and slow
  her fall somewhat, but it is clear that they don’t have the engine
  power to save her. Nor would the docking clamps be strong enough
  to lift another ship by. In short, the clock is ticking.
  Boarding the vessel (she has power and her airlocks work, though
  the atmosphere within is toxic), the characters find a well-kept, tidy
  vessel. With the exception of items clearly shaken loose or in use
  during the fight to survive the gas giant’s atmosphere, the
  comprehensive stocks of tools and spares are neatly stowed in
  custom-built racks. Monitor panels have been wired into the ship’s
  electronics conduits. They display hull stress readings and similar
  data. It seems obvious that this vessel has been specially modified
  to dive deep into a gas giant atmosphere. There is, of course, no
  suggestion as to why.
  Searching the ship reveals the following information:
  Engineering: Engineering is open to the gas giant’s atmosphere
  (and thus not a healthy place to be for long, even in a vac suit). It
  has been wrecked by an explosion, probably as a result of the
  overpowered drive.
  Crew Areas: Crew areas are neat and contain few personal
  effects. There are changes of clothes and personal equipment (data
  pads, wristcomps, etc) for four individuals. The captain’s stateroom
  was occupied by an Ursa, whose portacomp lies on the floor,
  battered but functional.
  Lower Cargo Bay: The lower cargo area has been converted into
  an EVA room, with racks on the walls for standard vac suits and
  very heavy-duty suits similar to the hostile-environment gear used
  on certain worlds. The forward cargo door is now surrounded by
  salvage gear, including winches, tow cables and cutting equipment.
  It might just conceivably be possible to attach the tow cable to the
  players’ ship. This would be a nearly suicidal EVA, and the vessel
  still would not have enough engine power to tow the Malfeasant out.
  In a rack by the door (and obviously designed to be within easy
  reach for the tow cable operators) are several long spear-like
  weapons that seem to be some kind of electrified prod, and a pair of
  laser carbines. All these weapons are quite functional.
  What appears to be a decontamination area has been set up at
  the rear of the cargo area.
  Upper deck: The Scout’s small upper deck is almost empty. The
  vessel’s dual laser turret is functional but inactive. The rest of this
  area is crammed with stores (air scrubbers, food, electronics spares
  and other mundane items).
  Bridge: The crew are on the bridge. The scene is little different
  from what the characters saw on the screen, other than the fact that
  the Ursa has passed out and fallen to the floor. Two of the others
  are female humans, one a male. All are deeply unconscious, and
  show signs of advanced gas narcosis.
  First Aid or Medical skill can be used to prevent the crew from
  becoming any worse. Otherwise there is a 50/50 chance that any
  one of them will die before they reach a hospital. In any case, none
  of the crew will be able to help themselves or talk to the characters.
  It is up to the players to find a way to get them to safety before the
  ships fall too deep into Honora’s atmosphere.
  Finally, with little time to spare, the characters should cast off from
  the Malfeasant (fiendish referees may want to give them a jammed
  or buckled docking clamp to contend with at the last moment) and
  begin the long climb to safety. Finally, they break through the
  ammonia clouds and set course for Liar’s Oath. The pinnaces from
  the Laskalmii Goddess (which are much faster than the players’
  ship) will offer to convey the injured crew to a hospital groundside,
  and the planetary government urges the characters to comply.
  The characters will be expected to file a report on their actions,
  which can be done in the form of a video statement as they run out
  to Jump, if they’re in a hurry. Signals come in from every transmitter
  in the system, hailing the characters as heroes (even if they didn’t
  get anyone out alive, what they’ve just done is AWESOMELY
  courageous and compassionate). The captain of the Laskalmii
  Goddess offers her personal congratulations, and extends an open
  invite to dinner aboard her vessel, any time the characters want.
  Referee: Make sure the characters feel the pressure. The
  Malfeasant will be creaking and groaning around them, bouncing
  around like a cork. The docking clamps are seriously strained,
  threatening to separate the two vessels and cut off their retreat.
  The characters should have time to pick up some items, but not to
  systematically loot the vessel. But do ensure that they either get the
  portacomp form the captain’s cabin, or they manage to find a
  dataslug lying around. Perhaps the delirious captain of the
  Malfeasant pushes it into someone’s hand in a brief moment of
  consciousness.
  Whatever else they pick up, the characters aren’t asked about. So
  any loot from the Malfeasant is theirs to keep.
  Scene 6: Aftermath (Key 3)
  Requires: A1S5
  The characters resume their interrupted journey (via Sentry or Aleif),
  running out to 100 diameters, laying in a Jump plot and initiating
  Jump. There is now nothing to do but routine maintenance, looking
  after any passengers aboard… and perhaps trying to view that
  dataslug they found aboard the wreck.
  The slug isn’t encrypted, but it’s basically meaningless. It consists
  of a sort of video “project diary” by the Ursa captain, who speaks in
  his native tongue throughout. This is a highly colloquial dialect that
  the computer can’t translate. For that, the characters are going to
  have to persuade a native speaker to interpret for them.
  Viewing the diary, it is obvious that the Ursa and his crew had
  modified the ship and obtained equipment for a very specific
  purpose – a salvage operation deep in the atmosphere of a gas
  giant planet. It seems that most of their equipment functioned well
  enough, but something went wrong with the drives on their ship
  during the test.
  It is also clear that Honora was not the intended salvage site.
  Without translating the Ursa’s video diary, it is impossible to say
  where they intended to carry out the mission, nor what they hoped to
  find. However, the characters are headed for Miip, home to
  thousands of Ursa. Perhaps….
  Referee: The characters have found a clue, a piece of a puzzle
  that will lead them to further adventures. Meantime, the mundane
  business of travelling between the stars will keep them occupied for
  a while.
  Note that while the characters didn’t earn any actual money from
  their rescue effort, the story will spread, and they’ll be able to dine
  out on it from time to time. And occasionally, someone will say,
  “Hey, you’re the guys who saved the Malfeasant”, and extend
  friendship, respect or cooperation that wasn’t there a moment ago.
  Or they may expect the characters to display similar heroics… a
  reputation can be two-edged sword.
  Act 2: Liar’s Oath to Miip
  After salvaging the Malfeasant, the characters are free to proceed
  with their mission. Their next destination is Miip, which is two Jumps
  away whatever route they take. They have the option of traveling via
  the busy port at Sentry, or the outsystem refueling post in Aleif.
  Scene 1: Sentry
  The Sentry system is the economic hub of the cluster, and as such
  sees a great deal of local and through mercantile traffic. The system
  has no gas giants, so it is not possible to skim fuel and move on –
  ships must pass through the main starport (Sentry Downport).
  Emerging from Jump a safe distance out from Sentry and her
  three moons, the characters are directed by traffic control to remain
  in an approach lane and proceed to the planetary surface at a
  steady speed. The system is obviously very busy, with small
  merchant craft coming in and leaving all the time.
  As the characters proceed inward, they witness a few events of
  note:
  1: A 10,000-ton freightliner emerges from Jump and immediately
  sets course for one of the moons. Sensors show other vessels being
  routed out of its way by traffic control. This is one of Marquis
  Hallentein’s ships, and he has clearly obtained priority clearance for
  
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  his ships. Comms chatter includes some grousing, but also a few
  friendly greetings from local and independent ships.
  2: A squadron of six System Defense Boats, returning from patrol,
  makes a parade flyby of the Highport as the characters pass it. They
  then proceed to the naval base on the moon Yrech.
  3: A non-Jump capable Xboat tender departs the Highport,
  heading out to pick up a newly arrived express boat.
  4: Dozens of small utility craft buzz about on errands for the
  Highport, while merchant ships and couriers wait their turn to dock at
  the orbital facility.
  The characters’ ship is directed to a small-ship pad, one of
  dozens at the Port. There, the friendly and efficient tech crews
  (suited against the exotic atmosphere) conduct basic safety checks
  and attach cables and hoses. The characters are given permission
  to disembark, though they are warned about the atmosphere and
  that Law Level 9 applies outside their ship. No weapons are to be
  carried.
  The delivery of any cargo or passengers is a simple matter, after
  which it is likely that the characters will want to get out of their ship
  for a day or two, and maybe look for cargo or passengers to Miip.
  The main port complex is very impressive, and it leads into a
  partially underground sealed city that is home to several million
  people (most of whom have nothing to do with the Starport or its
  operations). The port sees a lot of trade, and facilities are extensive.
  Characters can find leisure or business facilities easily enough, and
  most of the major corporations have offices and/or sales premises
  within the city. If the characters are in a buying mood, it should not
  be hard to find what they want.
  However, the high law level on Sentry means that weapons can
  only be purchased “for export” and will be delivered to a ship in
  locked carry cases. Standard smallarms and blades, body armor
  and accessories, are available, but permit requirements are
  scrupulously observed (see Traveller’s Aide #1 for details).
  The characters’ stopover at Sentry will likely be short and
  uneventful. They can deliver the Liar’s Oath batch of records if they
  please, clearing cargo space. Note that it is unlikely that anyone will
  want to travel to Miip, nor to ship anything there, but the characters
  are welcome to try to find something.
  Soon, enough, it is time to leave. The characters will have to wait
  a little while for takeoff clearance, but eventually they are given a
  departure lane and clearance to go. As they climb into high orbit and
  proceed out to the Jump point, they are intercepted by a pair of local
  fighters on traffic-control duty, which come into visual range, signal
  good wishes to the players, and break off to eyeball an incoming ore
  freighter. This is Sentry policy; a reminder that the local Navy is on
  the ball.
  Reaching the Jump point, the characters can lay in their course
  and proceed to Miip.
  Referee: Sentry is a safe, civilized world that sees a lot of
  interstellar trade. Society is cosmopolitan and for the most part
  friendly. Unless the players are deliberately offensive, they should
  have no problems here. Make sure that they get a good impression
  of what a busy starport looks like; ships and crews everywhere,
  technical staff and the bustle of a thriving market. This is interstellar
  commerce at its most vibrant.
  Scene 2: Aleif
  The Aleif system is under Naval Interdiction, and vessels arriving are
  immediately challenged by Navy vessels. The characters’ vessel will
  be intercepted by a cutter escorted by a pair of light fighters, and
  permission to board will be requested (this is a routine inspection,
  and is not optional!) If the characters try to flee or resist, they will be
  fired on by the fighters, and more vessels will pursue them. This will
  be a mix of heavy or light fighters, likely supported by a couple of
  Close Escorts or even a Destroyer. If the characters do not
  surrender, their ship will be disabled. Either way, they are in big
  trouble.
  Assuming the characters comply, they will be boarded by a squad
  of Imperial Marines in Combat Armor, equipped with Snub Pistols,
  Cutlasses and Snub SMGs. The Marines are polite and respectful,
  but wary. Their officer (a young lieutenant) inspects the ship’s
  papers, and questions the captain about his reasons for passing
  through Aleif while the Marines conduct a quick but detailed
  inspection of the ship. All of this is entirely routine, and any
  experienced starfarers will have been through it all before. The
  marines are courteous, but they will not be messed around.
  After the inspection, the characters are free to proceed to the
  fueling station, where they can dock and stretch their legs for a few
  hours aboard the converted tanker. There may be another ship
  docked when they arrive, if the referee so chooses.
  Facilities aboard the station are utilitarian and basic, but at least
  there is room to walk around and see a different set of bulkheads.
  The crew is glad to chat with anyone coming through, and some of
  them will arrange to share a meal with the characters. This will be
  mostly preserved and ration fodder with a few fresh components, but
  the change of company is the main thing. This is a good opportunity
  to exchange gossip and rumors.
  There are no cargoes or passengers to be had on the station and
  after a day or so, the characters will want to proceed to Miip. The
  Navy vessels make it obvious that the characters are being tracked
  out to the Jump point, to ensure they don’t try to sneak down to the
  planet.
  Referee: Aleif is a war zone, and the Navy vessels overseeing
  the Red Zone are under constant threat of attack by smugglers and
  blockade runners. Suspicious actions by the characters will be met
  with curt warnings and an intrusive investigation; resistance will be
  crushed with military force. Make sure the players understand that
  they cannot take on the Imperial Navy. Even if by some miracle they
  escaped, they will be hunted down.
  Act 3: Miip
  The characters have business on Miip, but also the opportunity to
  find out what is on the dataslug (or portacomp) the Ursa captain
  possessed.
  Miip is a backwater world on the route to nowhere. There is little
  in the system, and hardly any starship traffic. Approaching Miip, the
  characters can see that it is a large world almost entirely covered in
  water. Huge cloud formations boil and swirl in the atmosphere,
  suggesting violent weather patterns.
  Shipboard library data shows that only one island is inhabited,
  and indicates an E class Starport – no actual facilities but a safe site
  that is used by occasional traffic. A village, named Arodu, is nearby.
  Scene 1: Landing at Miip Starport
  As the characters make their landing approach, they pass over a
  pastoral area. Farmers (whose faces are all covered by brightly-
  colored cloths) look up from their work as the ship passes over.
  Some wave; most just get back to work. Other than the fact that the
  village is surrounded by a high (and weed-overgrown) earth berm
  and the houses are half-sunken and sturdily built, this seems a
  peaceful, of backward, place.
  The landing pad is actually a pit about eight feet deep, with a
  paved base and a berm like the one around the village surrounding
  it. A set of paved steps is cut into the side; the only facilities to be
  had here. Fuel will have to be obtained by taking the ship to a water
  source and filling up with hoses, then cracking the water for fuel.
  By the time the characters have climbed out of the landing pit, a
  small gaggle of locals will be waiting for them. About half of these
  villagers are armed; mainly with flintlock rifles and shotguns. Some
  have more advanced weapons; semi-automatic rifles and a revolver
  or two, and one (an older man) wears a Marine NCO’s dress-cutlass
  on a ceremonial belt. These weapons are “just in case”, and there is
  no sign that the locals actually mean the characters any harm.
  The older man steps forward and introduces himself as Andrew
  Karrilane, Elected Elder of the village of Arodu. The starfarers are
  welcome to his village, he says, but he would like to request that
  they respect local customs and behave with decorum. Handguns
  and similar sidearms are quite acceptable, but could the characters
  leave powerful rifles and such like in their ship?
  
             The Linkworlds Cluster
              www.TravellerRPG.com
  ― 21 ―
  Andrew’s request is that they comply with a general law level of 6.
  Refusing or ignoring the request will result in a change in the
  villagers’ attitude. They will refuse to deal with the characters and
  will retreat to the village. Assuming the characters comply, they will
  be invited to the village as guests, and offered free lodging with local
  families. Low-tech techniques for keeping the dust taint out of
  dwellings are demonstrated, and compliance with these is expected.
  As might be expected, Miip’s Starport records consist of a small
  box of hand-written papers stored in Andrew’s house. He says he
  will deliver them in the morning when he’s had a chance to makes
  sure everything is there. Meanwhile, the characters can spend a
  pleasant evening eating home-cooked food and drinking local wine
  and liquors.
  As the characters settle in for the night, a fearsome wind and
  torrential downpour begins. This doesn’t bother the locals (it’s mild
  by local standards), but the characters may worry that the landing pit
  might be filling up with water (it won’t; it’s well drained).
  The villagers are fairly prosperous at present, and don’t stint on
  their hospitality. They don’t have any freight or passengers, but it
  might be possible to trade for a couple of tons of pelts and furs
  brought in by Ursa hunters, or some bottles of the local vintage.
  As to the Ursa, Andrew and the villagers can tell the characters
  that the nearest village is about 30 km from their present location.
  The Ursa mainly live inland, in the highlands, and keep to
  themselves except for trade and the occasional gathering. They’re
  hunters and herders, and “good, solid people” who live apart from
  humans because they prefer the upland conditions, rather than for
  any desire to keep their distance. A few humans do live among
  them.
  If asked about the sword, Andrew explains that it’s a family
  heirloom, as of 2 years ago. His daughter, a Marine Corps corporal
  serving on the Solomani Rim, was given a battlefield commission to
  command her devastated platoon. Naturally, (he says with great
  pride), she has an officer’s dress sword now, so she sent her old
  one to her father.
  Referee: The villagers are tolerant and friendly, and not awed by
  offworlders, who are seen as a welcome break from routine but
  nothing more. Events in the wider universe are of distant interest.
  These people are content where and as they are.
  The records will be presented as promised in the morning, at
  which time the rain will have stopped.
  If the characters try to lord it over the ill-armed low-tech peasants,
  or display contempt for their customs and requests, Andrew will not
  release the records, and the characters will not be allowed in the
  village. A suitable apology will be necessary in order to get the
  locals’ cooperation.
  Alternative approaches, such as attempting to steal the records,
  will get the characters in trouble in the future, when the villagers
  report them to the authorities via the next ship through. If the
  characters try to use force, the locals will resist. Their weapons are
  low-tech but could still be deadly. If necessary, the locals will shut
  themselves in their houses and resist attempts to dominate them
  with superior firepower, though they will flee to save themselves
  from a massacre.
  If this happens, the authorities WILL find out, one way or another.
  Mass-murder of this kind is an Imperial crime, meaning that the
  characters will be hunted by the Ministry of Justice, and their ship by
  the Navy. They will be caught sooner or later, and mass murder
  carries the death penalty. The players should be reminded of this –
  once – if they decide to use force.
  Scene 2: The Ursa Village (Key 4)
  Requires: A1S5
  The characters need to translate the colloquial dialect of the
  recordings, and for that they need a native speaker. The obvious
  place to look for one is in the Ursa villages nearby. The locals will
  warn against taking the starship into the uplands – the combination
  of hills and violent weather may endanger it.
  However the characters reach the Ursa village, they find it quite
  similar to the human one, except (obviously) that 90% of the people
  there are Ursa. There is a little cultivation (vegetables for the most
  part) but the Ursa are mainly herders and hunters.
  The characters will likely be met by a couple of hunters on the
  way in. Equipped with long, large-bore flintlock rifles, the hunters are
  neither surprised nor impressed to see the characters. Their attitude
  is simply that this is happening now, and must be dealt with. They
  offer to accompany the characters to the village, and along the way
  they ask what the characters’ business might be.
  These two are Termeigh, and his nearly-adult daughter Yvonne
  (Many Ursa use human names. This is not a surprise, considering
  their heritage). They have no special status in the village community,
  and are dealing with the characters’ arrival because they happened
  to be on the spot.
  At the village, Termeigh and his daughter depart to resume their
  hunting trip. The characters find themselves being more or less
  politely ignored as folks (Human and Ursa) get on with their
  business all around, but take little notice of the starfarers. It is
  obvious that they are being watched, in case they do something
  unacceptable, but otherwise the Ursa and the culturally-Ursa
  humans don’t seem to want to know.
  Anyone the characters stop will be polite, listening to the
  explanation of what they want, but the response is the same over
  and over again. It would take time to make a translation, and the
  people are all busy. Money isn’t as valuable as their time.
  As 
  the 
  characters 
  become 
  increasingly 
  frustrated, 
  the
  temperature suddenly drops and the wind picks up. The villagers
  look around, almost nervously. They start to move things indoors,
  and in passing one of the Ursa says to the characters, without
  amplification, “you’d better come inside”.
  The characters are led to the village hall, a large building, and
  ushered inside. As they enter, a monumental peal of thunder rolls
  across the hills, then another, and another, and it is followed by the
  heaviest rain anyone has ever seen. This is bad, even by Miip’s
  impressive standards, and within moments everyone (and all the
  animals) is under cover, waiting out a downpour that rapidly
  becomes a horizontal sheet of water as the raging wind picks up.
  A few Ursa share the hall with the characters – the place was
  being cleaned for a forthcoming festival, and work carries on in a
  subdued fashion as the storm lashes the village. The workers are
  offhandedly pleasant to the characters, but don’t want to chat. They
  will explain that sudden storms like this one are not uncommon, but
  this is a particularly bad one.
  Proof of that is provided when the outer doors open and despite
  the fact that the doorway is recessed at the bottom of a set of stone
  steps, a howling wind blasts through the hall. A human family reels
  into the hall, assisted by the biggest Ursa the characters have ever
  seen. He forces the doors closed as the family – a young couple and
  a screaming, drenched baby – are comforted by the people already
  in the hall. It is obvious from overheard comments that their house
  lost its roof to the storm.
  The evening drags on into night, and this scene is repeated
  several times, as houses fail in the awesome storm and their
  occupants come into the hall for shelter. The structure of the hall
  creaks and groans, and leaks begin to form. One of the great
  supporting timbers is suspect, and every time it shudders, all eyes
  turn to it.
  It is a kind of hell in the main hall, a hell of screaming babies,
  frightened children and angry adults, frustrated at their impotence.
  There will be obvious resentment towards the characters unless
  they do something to help.
  Then, around midnight, with the storm at its incredible height, the
  door opens again and the large Ursa returns. He collapses through
  the door carrying another male Ursa. The latter is drenched and
  exhausted, unable to even stand. A quick glance shows that all the
  claws on his forepaws are snapped off, his fur a mat of blood and
  rainwater. It is Termeigh.
  Before losing consciousness, Termeigh manages to tell his tale.
  He and his daughter were caught on a steep hillside over the
  stream. They tried to find shelter but Yvonne slipped and fell down
  the slope into the river. She was swept downstream a short way.
  Termeigh managed to find her, but she was jammed between a
  fallen log and a boulder. Termeigh tried to free her, but could not.
  
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              www.TravellerRPG.com
  ― 22 ―
  Not knowing what else to do, he struggled back to the village for
  help. He knows she was alive when he left her, but the water was
  rising.
  The effect on the Ursa and their human friends pronounced. To
  lose one of their own is a terrible, shocking thing. To lose a child like
  this is unthinkable. After a moment bordering upon panic, everyone
  in the room (who isn’t cradling a baby) gets up to attempt a rescue.
  The big Ursa motions them down with a curt paw. “Family people
  stay,” he growls. “I’ll need rope and tools.” As he loops the rope
  around his body, and picks up a haversack of tools, he doesn’t even
  look at the characters. Others do, though.
  If the characters move to assist, the big Ursa says to them, “This
  is not your affair.” If they still seem to want to help, he nods and
  adds, “I am Thomas Arhein. I’m glad of your help. Before we go…
  tell the village your names.”
  Astute characters may infer that the villagers want to know what
  to put on the gravestones….
  Referee: Ursa don’t like strangers, and want to be left alone.
  They are loving and friendly people with those they trust, but give
  that trust grudgingly. They feel that outsiders are best discouraged
  by what can only be described as polite stonewalling. If anyone
  starts deliberately getting in the way or otherwise trying to force a
  reaction, they’ll get one. Ursa are descended from bears, and can
  push, hurl or bat aside a big human without effort. Their weapons
  are primitive, but numerous. Basically, anyone throwing his weight
  around in the Ursa village will find it being thrown for him.
  If the characters participate in the rescue, all that changes. They
  will not instantly become family, but the frosty welcome will thaw
  considerably.
  Scene 3: Down By The Riverside (Key 5)
  Requires: A3S2
  Thomas has a good idea where the accident occurred, and can lead
  the characters there. However, this does mean an hour of slogging
  through what isn’t far short of a hurricane, in the dark. Everyone is
  thoroughly chilled (no matter what they’re wearing) and will at times
  be blown around alarmingly, having to cling to the huge bulk of
  Thomas to stay on the ground.
  There is a real risk of hypothermia out here. Characters will take
  2d6 Stamina damage (1d6 if they have good waterproof, windproof
  or cold-proof clothing on. In addition, characters should make a
  Reflex save to avoid an additional 1d6 damage from being blown
  into a tree or falling in the dark.
  After an eternity of stumbling (and crawling) through wet
  darkness, Thomas yanks the lead character to a halt just before he
  goes over the edge of a short slope and into a dark, raging torrent
  below. The Ursa yells that the characters will have to search around
  to find Yvonne – and quickly.
  After a period of searching (fiendish referees may require rolls to
  see if a character gets blown over the edge and falls in the water),
  Yvonne is found. As described, she is jammed half under a fallen
  log, against a boulder. She is at best semi-conscious, and
  apparently hurt by her fall. The water is up to her shoulders.
  Thomas has a plan. He’ll try to free the log or loosen it a bit.
  Others can then drag Yvonne free and get her to the bank.
  However, this means that someone has to go into the water with
  him. Even roped together, this is insanely dangerous. That said, he’s
  going to try it whether anyone is willing to help or not.
  The river is waist-deep on most humans, fast flowing and
  extremely cold. The characters are in trouble from the moment they
  enter the water. Just avoiding being swept away is a challenge for
  anyone less huge and powerful than a large male Ursa.
  Characters who do nothing but brace themselves and cling to something
  (Thomas, a rock, etc.) can maintain their footing without a roll. Anyone attempting
  to move must make a Reflex save at DC 15 or slip. Roll on the Slip Table below for
  the effects.
  It will take the characters 1d3+1 minutes of successful movement
  to reach the boulder. Thomas gets there in the 3 rounds, after
  slipping and going completely under at one point. He then squeezes
  under the log as best he can and tries to lift it.
  Freeing Yvonne is DC 40. The attempting character can add his STR (not his
  bonus) to his roll, plus half the STR of each person assisting him. However, this roll
  must be made in the same round that Thomas succeeds in moving the log. There is
  a 50% chance each round that he will manage it. If he fails, there is a further 50%
  chance that he will slip and go under the water, losing the next round attempt while
  he regains his footing.
  Each character attempting to free Yvonne (or to do anything else but maintain
  their footing as mentioned above), must make a Reflex save at DC 15 or slip.
  Anyone clinging to Thomas if he slips automatically also does so.
  Once Yvonne is freed, she must be kept alive (i.e. her head out of the water; she
  is unable to help herself) and dragged out of the river. Getting her to the bank will
  take 2d6+5 minutes or more, even with Thomas taking her weight. Each character
  helping (up to a maximum of 3) reduces this time by 1d3 minutes.
  As the characters struggle back to the bank, each of them must make a Reflex
  check every 3 minutes to avoid slipping. Anyone who slips is separated from the
  others and is too busy trying not to drown to be any further use. He may also be
  swept away. This will increase the time for Yvonne to reach the bank, unless
  someone takes that character’s place.
  Another character cannot take the place of someone who slipped without
  everyone stopping for an additional minute, and the new character needs a Reflex
  save to take over, or he slips, too.
  Slip Table:
  Each time a character slips, roll 1d6
  1: 
  The character gets a good scare, and a ducking. The character cannot do
  anything useful this round.
  2-3: 
  The character slips and goes under, breathing in a fair proportion of the
  river. He takes 1d3 Lifeblood damage and can do nothing useful this
  round. Next round, he can only stand and splutter.
  4-5:
  The character falls or is swept against something. He takes 2d6 Stamina
  damage, but manages to grab hold and stabilize himself. He can act
  normally next round.
  6: 
  Oh dear. The character goes under and is swept away. He breathes in
  water and bangs against rocks for 1d3 Lifeblood and 2d6 Stamina
  damage. If someone can grab him (Reflex check) next round, he is still
  with the party. If not, he is swept downstream. Roll on this table until a 1 is
  obtained. At that point, he fetches up in a battered heap against the bank.
  Apply all damage results.
  Once the characters have gotten Yvonne clear of the river and
  found any lost comrades, they will have to find shelter. Nobody has
  the strength to carry Yvonne back to the village tonight. All they can
  do is treat injuries as best they can and huddle together for warmth
  until the storm breaks and the villagers come looking for them.
  If the villagers find the party in an exhausted huddle around
  Yvonne, they’re instant heroes and will always have a place in the
  village. If she’s dead or they failed to rescue her, the Ursa will still
  treat them with sad respect. Either way, the villagers will help
  decode the data, and Thomas will become a lifelong friend of
  anyone who went into the water with him.
  Referee: It is possible that characters could die here. Well,
  nobody said being a hero was a safe occupation. Play the scene out
  for tension. The characters should be cold, wet, and exhausted, and
  probably half dead too. Hypothermia (see the THB for details) could
  also be a threat if the characters haven’t suffered enough already.
  Scene 4: Translation (Key 6)
  Requires: A3S3
  If the characters helped rescue Yvonne, the Ursa will agree to have
  a go at translating the text of the dataslug. This is a time-consuming
  task, but after a couple of days (during this time some of the
  characters might be involved in rebuilding the village or finding lost
  herdbeasts after the storm, while others write the transcription
  down.)
  The translation is somewhat vague, but the gist of it is:
  Some years ago, a transport vessel Misjumped into the Klesiter
  Beta system with a disabled communications system. Klesiter Beta
  is the companion star of Klesiter Alpha, the primary of the 069-526
  system. Klesiter Beta is almost entirely empty, and seldom visited.
  After patching up damage caused by the Misjump, the transport
  attempted to refuel by skimming the atmosphere of the system’s
  
             The Linkworlds Cluster
              www.TravellerRPG.com
  ― 23 ―
  only gas giant, Railarii. Something went wrong during the refueling
  operation, and the crew was forced to abandon their vessel aboard
  a launch. They placed their ship in a stable, powered orbit before
  doing so, trusting to the ship’s automatics and her Contragravity field
  to keep her safe until they could return to salvage her or take the
  cargo off.
  The crew transferred their emergency low berths to the ship’s
  launch, set the navigation controls and entered cryogenic
  suspension as their craft began crossing the vast distance to the
  inhabited system.
  The launch arrived just over a year ago, though a low berth failure
  (the berths were jury-rigged and had apparently malfunctioned) had
  killed the entire crew. The launch was picked up and intercepted by
  the Malfeasant, which was running courier duty at the time.
  The Malfeasant’s captain, an Ursa named Vilis Kline, puzzled
  over the fragmentary data he found in the launch’s computer and
  deduced that something valuable was aboard the transport. He
  quietly deleted the data before calling in the authorities, then set
  about modifying his vessel for a salvage attempt.
  The local Ursa don’t understand the technical parts of the data,
  but overall some things do emerge:
  • 
  The transport, the Vraidercalt, is probably still there,
  hidden in the atmosphere of the gas giant.
  • 
  Its position is deeper than normal for a skimming
  operation, but within the tolerances of the characters’ ship.
  • 
  If a salvage operation were attempted, the characters
  would need some minor modifications to their ship, and
  advanced hostile-environment suits. Both are probably
  obtainable.
  • 
  If the ship is abandoned, its cargo is there for the taking.
  No one alive (other than the Malfeasant crew, and they’re
  in hospital) knows about it.
  Referee: This is a big opportunity for the Travellers, if they are
  bold enough to take it. The salvage operation is tricky but should be
  doable – they already have experience, after all.
  Careful analysis of the data implies that the Malfeasant was
  somewhat over-prepared (other than having a faulty drive). A
  standard vessel should, with difficulty, be able to conduct the
  operation. The modifications required are fairly minor, and deal
  mainly with sensor upgrades to allow navigation and stress
  monitoring.
  Players should be encouraged to realize that the orbital facility at
  069-526 can handle their requirement for modifications, and they are
  headed there anyway. However, it will take a couple of weeks to
  work out what they need, and they’re on a charter, so the characters
  may want to carry out their pickup at Kerin’s Tyr first. There is also
  the problem of paying for it.
  Hostile environment suits (like the one the Ursa and his crew
  were wearing) are necessary for everyone who may be exposed to
  the gas giant’s atmosphere. It should be obvious that if the transport
  is damaged, parts of it may be open to atmosphere. H-Env suits cost
  Cr 100,000 new, and it is unlikely that the characters have the
  resources to just buy some over the counter. Looking for used suits
  at a bargain price is an option, though they will take time and the
  characters will have to be careful.
  If the characters do have a great deal of money, the referee
  should set the price of the ship modifications plus the suits
  sufficiently high that they cannot just buy what they need and head
  off to Klesiter Alpha.
  Act 4: Kerin’s Tyr
  While they are working up a list of needs (and trying to decide how
  to raise the cash they need), the characters will likely proceed to
  Kerin’s Tyr to pick up the port records there.
  Kerin’s Tyr is a Balkanized world, with several states of varying
  importance. The government, tech level, outlook and laws of these
  states vary considerably. Tension and border incidents are more
  common than actual warfare, but the situation is still fairly unsettled.
  More importantly, the various states of Kerin’s Tyr do not cooperate
  with one another very well. This has implications for the characters’
  mission.
  Scene 1: Arrival at Warne Highport
  Approaching Kerin’s Tyr, the players’ ship is directed to the Highport
  (even if they want to proceed direct to the planet) for a mandatory
  customs inspection. This will take a day or so, after which the
  characters are free to proceed. It is not much of an imposition, since
  they have papers to pick up here anyway.
  Arriving on the orbital station, it is clear that the place has seen
  better days. It is run-down and somewhat scruffy; spacer crews strut
  about the station alongside mercenaries and thugs; armed bands
  are not uncommon, and violence (normally of a non-lethal sort) is
  quite frequent. Most bars and other establishments have a gun rack
  at the door and enforce a strict no-weapons policy, backed up with
  an array of weaponry if necessary.
  Although seedy, the port is not a den of thieves. If the place
  became a haven for lawlessness, the Imperium would correct the
  situation vigorously. At present, it is a rough port, but a legal one.
  Indeed, it is likely that an Imperial Navy patrol ship may be in port,
  her crew enjoying a few days of liberty.
  Picking up the records isn’t too difficult, but the characters are
  advised that the papers are incomplete. The world’s states insist on
  keeping their own records on-site, and will not deliver them. The
  characters are going to have to go planetside and pick them up.
  This would be no real problem, other than a few hops between
  starports, except that the customs inspection has found a problem
  with the characters’ ship. Apparently, one of her fuel transfer pipes is
  unsafe. The port authority will not clear her for space in this
  condition.
  This has the air of a blatant scam (which is pretty much what it is);
  a way of creating business for the repair yards, but the characters
  are over a barrel. They could do the repair themselves, though from
  the inside and without a cradle it’ll take a couple of weeks, mainly to
  remove the stuff in the way of the pipe. Cost would be about Cr
  7500. The port’s yards can do the job in 4 days for Cr 12,500.
  Of course, they can go planetside while the repair is underway.
  Return shuttle flights cost Cr 25 per person from the Highport to any
  of the world’s spaceports. Internal flights (when not suspended due
  to tensions) cost Cr 100 per person, return, or Cr 75 single. This
  cost is mainly due to tolls loaded on by the various states to
  discourage movement and casual spying. It is actually cheaper to go
  to orbit and back down.
  The characters need a couple of cases of records from the
  following ports:
  • 
  Tersberg in the Kingdom of Harven
  • 
  Unity Downport in the Confederation of City-States
  • 
  Star City in the Grand Theocratic Republic
  • 
  Neigsten and Comore, city-states in the Liberty Alliance.
  These records have to be picked up in person. The locals will not
  ship them. This means that the characters will have to visit these
  locations, though in what order they do so does not matter. Once the
  papers are turned over, they can be sent direct to the port via the
  mail system for Cr 10 a time.
  Referee: Warne Highport is the scene for some very borderline
  trading and other operations, like the repair yard scam the
  characters’ ship is tied up in. This is the nature of business there;
  most traders will do whatever they think they can get away with, and
  with local laws being very lax it is all about what power you can bring
  to bear rather than your legal position.
  However, this is an Imperial port, and the home of an Imperial
  noble. Gang warfare and blatant illegality will be stamped on. Thus
  most of the illegal dealings are of the nature of extortion or black
  marketeering.
  Note that the characters may decide to visit the various ports in
  any order; it really makes no difference whether they visit them in
  the sequence listed here.
  
             The Linkworlds Cluster
              www.TravellerRPG.com
  ― 24 ―
  Scene 2: Tersberg (Kingdom of Harven)
  Tersberg is the capital of the Kingdom, and is also the site of the
  main spaceport on planet.
  The port is a fairly major affair, seeing considerable shuttle traffic
  to and from the Highport. Bulk grain barges, taking the Kingdom’s
  agricultural produce to the orbital warehouses for shipping onward,
  are a frequent site, as a re smaller personnel shuttles. Starships are
  less common, but some do come here after being cleared at the
  Highport. Adjacent to the spaceport is an airbase used by the
  Kingdom’s small aerospace defense force.
  Obtaining the records is easy in Tersberg; the local bureaucrats
  are quite efficient, and will not keep the characters waiting for very
  long. There is a fair amount of paperwork to be dealt with, but
  otherwise the transfer is uneventful.
  Referee: Unless the characters decide to look around the city for
  a while, it is unlikely that they will have any significant encounters.
  Scene 3: Unity Downport (Confederation)
  Unity Downport is situated in a barren area, and linked to the city-
  states only by a steam railroad. The port is jointly controlled by all
  member states of the Confederation, meaning that it is a hotbed of
  political infighting and intrigue.
  Inquiring about the records will elicit a number of blank looks from
  local officials, followed by a frenzy of buck-passing. Characters
  skilled in Admin or similar tasks can eventually cut through this haze
  of red tape to determine two facts:
  The records are considered to be important “confederation
  government” documents, and thus are carried aboard the Parliament
  Train.
  There is a great deal of tension between some of the city-states at
  present, with occasional “armed incidents” taking place.
  It would seem that the characters will have to journey overland to
  meet the parliament train and obtain the records they need. The
  parliament is quite distant from the port region at present, being en
  route for the city of Katter to mediate a land dispute. It will not be
  difficult to get a train to Katter, though the journey will take a couple
  of days.
  The Confederation imposes a Law Level of 2, so the characters
  should be able to take along more or less what they please. The
  journey is somewhat slow, but not unpleasant. Confederation steam
  trains are large and powerful, and the carriages well appointed.
  Long-distance train travel is a fact of life in the Confederation.
  Referee: The journey is pleasant enough, though the characters
  will have to be careful about coming into contact with the allergen
  pollen.
  Scene 4: Katter
  Katter is a minor city in the Confederation, but it is situated on large
  deposits of iron and copper. Large segments of the population are
  employed in mining and support industries.
  The dispute is between some of the mine companies and the city
  government, which is challenging some of the exploitation leases
  held by the mine owners. The dispute has dragged on for many
  months and is affecting production, so the local government has
  decided to intervene. This may or may not actually improve the
  situation.
  The records the characters are after are held aboard the
  parliament train, and can be easily obtained upon request (and
  some filling-in of forms). However, the tension in the region has
  recently become much worse, with shooting incidents becoming
  common. Security around the train and the officials it carries is tight,
  and anyone wanting to get close is carefully scrutinized. The players
  will be refused access several times before finally getting an
  appointment with a minor official. After that, it is a simple matter of
  filling in the correct forms and taking custody of a couple of
  briefcases full of hard-copy records.
  Referee: Although frustrating, the delay is not serious. It should
  be obvious that all is not well in the region. The guards are alert and
  wary; government officials have been attacked several times by
  angry mobs (on both sides of the disputes). The players should be
  glad to get the job done and get clear of the region. But it’s not over.
  Scene 5: Ambush at Katter
  Requires: A4S4
  As the characters make their way back to the station to head back to
  the starport (or at some other appropriate moment), a group of
  locals bars their way. These are local landholders, farm workers and
  so on, whose side of the dispute is represented by the city
  government. They are afraid that the parliament will interfere and
  cause a settlement in favor of the miners. This will be bad for the
  locals, who will lose land and maybe their livelihoods. They think
  that the documents the characters are carrying have something to
  do with the dispute, and have decided to take them.
  The mob is angry; they are not interested in explanations. There
  are dozens of them, and some have shotguns, rifles and hand guns
  (mainly TL 5 equipment), plus clubs and rocks. Their intent is not
  homicidal, but it is obvious that they will give the characters a good
  beating and take the cases if they don’t escape.
  The mob closes in, throwing the odd rock. It is obvious that the
  characters can’t just fight them all, and if someone starts shooting,
  well, there are a lot of weapons among the locals. Characters with
  automatic weapons and no brains could in theory just cut down
  everyone in sight, but this will bring down local law enforcement on
  them, and a massacre will not be seen as self-defense.
  It is obvious that the characters need to make a break for it. They
  should be able to barge or thump their way past the nearest locals
  and flee, pursued by a shouting mob. This leads to a chase through
  the streets.
  Referee: Play the chase for tension and excitement, with small
  groups of the locals managing to cut off the characters and having to
  be fought past, or larger groups forcing a detour. The more manic
  the chase becomes, the better. Characters scrambling across
  rooftops or racing through crowded shops with a baying mob in
  pursuit should be a memorable experience.
  Groups that want to shoot it out with the mob should get one
  warning if necessary: returning fire at someone who is trying to kill
  them will probably be seen as self-defense; random gunfire will
  probably get them hanged for murder (the Confederation has a
  death penalty). It would be acceptable to use weapons to create a
  momentary standoff, or to drive pursuers into cover. But there are
  never any guarantees with local laws.
  If the players still want a bloodbath, the local military will be called
  out to take them down, and they don’t care about due process or a
  fair trial….
  Scene 7: Star City (Grand Theocratic Republic)
  Star City is a peculiar place. Most offworlders are not allowed out of
  the special enclave, but within it they are treated as “slightly holy”
  since they have been out into space where the gods reside. The
  locals aren’t reverential, but they are very respectful. Unless, of
  course, offworlders behave in an antisocial manner. In this case, the
  locals are at first stiffly disapproving, and then quietly outraged.
  Church enforcers will be summoned to convey wrongdoers for a
  period of  “penance” in the local slammer.
  However, unless the characters are particularly obnoxious, Star
  City will be a pleasant experience for them. Locals refer to them as
  “noble starfarers” and work hard to ensure they are comfortable.
  Tales of starfaring adventure are avidly sought, and it is entirely
  possible that the characters won’t have to spend any money when
  they’re in town, so long as their supply of tall tales holds up.
  There will be a few other spacers in town; mainly crews on the
  orbital shuttles that carry goods up to the Highport, but also a couple
  of merchants or couriers.
  Referee: This is an opportunity to drop in a couple of encounters.
  Perhaps one or more of the ships from the encounters section of this
  adventure might be in port here.
  
             The Linkworlds Cluster
              www.TravellerRPG.com
  ― 25 ―
  Act 5: Neigsten & Comore (Liberty Alliance)
  Neigsten and Comore are both predominantly Vargr in population,
  although both have substantial human contingents. Both are large
  towns served by a minor spaceport (equivalent to D class),
  surrounded by outlying stead farms.
  Scene 1: Getting the Records
  Picking up the records should not be much of a problem, except
  that the local port officials are Vargr, and as such are very conscious
  of their own importance. Dealing with them will be a challenge.
  Possible approaches include a very deferential, diplomatic
  approach, which will appeal to the official’s ego. However, he or she
  will run the characters around or make them wait, just to show how
  much power he/she has.
  The alternative is to cow the official with a display of power and
  importance. Appearance and acting ability (or real power!) are the
  keys here. A port official, protected by security forces, will not be
  impressed with a character who displays fearsome weaponry. He
  will be impressed by a smart uniform or noble-style clothing, medal
  ribbons, etc., and more than anything by demeanour. Characters
  who roleplay well, projecting power and confidence, will have little
  trouble with the local authorities. Empty strutting will just amuse
  them.
  The local ports are not very busy; just a shuttle every few days
  and the occasional merchant coming in via the Highport. If the
  characters came in by shuttle, they will have to wait a couple of days
  for the next one (no matter how important they seem to be, the
  characters will not be able to obtain the records they want during the
  shuttle’s 4-hour turnaround time). Officials at either port can get the
  records from the other transferred easily enough, but it’ll take 2 days
  or so.
  During this stopover, the characters are approached with a job
  offer. A Vargr by the name of Jorjak Miiliaki approaches them. Jorjak
  is a landholder, and is in a difficult position. Some of his tenant
  farmers are stuck in the middle of a dispute between two of the
  nomad groups. Jojrak’s tenants have for a long time had a cordial
  relationship with the Artath clan, a tribe of human pony nomads who
  wander the plains close to his stead.
  The Vargr farmers and the human nomads get along well, and
  trade a few minor items. They share festivals and respect one
  another’s customs. Until now, that is. A second nomad clan, the
  Carval, has recently moved into the area. The Carval have been
  engaged in a long struggle with border forces of the Grand
  Theocratic republic. They have suffered in this war, and finally have
  moved away from other clans and the farmsteaders.
  This has lead to an increasing amount of raiding, and Jorjak’s
  tenants are on the front line. He has decided to provide his tenants
  with better weaponry, and even to trade a few guns to the Artath
  clan in return for promises of friendship (which he sincerely believes
  will be binding). If the Carval can be driven off (or find the locals too
  much of a challenge) then his tenants will be safe.
  Jorjak has obtained several cases of TL 8 Bullpup carbines; 60
  weapons in all, plus six magazines per weapon. He has several
  thousand rounds of ammunition on had. The problem is that the
  steaders are demoralized and about ready to pack up.
  Jorjak therefore wants to hire a band of adventurers, who will
  undertake the following tasks:
  • 
  Deliver the weaponry to his tenants’ farmstead
  • 
  Show the tenants and their neighbors how to use the guns
  effectively
  • 
  Show the tenants and their neighbors how to improve their
  defenses
  • 
  Rally the tenants and raise their morale
  • 
  Deliver 20 of the guns to the Artath clan
  Jorjak has arranged a gathering at one of the steads. Clansmen
  and farmers will be there, but their patience is wearing thin in the
  face of the constant Carval raids. Jorjak needs a quick result if his
  people aren’t to lose their land. He’d hire mercs, but he can neither
  afford them nor fins any quick enough. The characters are what
  there is, and Jorjak is willing to trust their judgement and unique
  skills. He is offering Cr 1000 apiece for the job, with a Cr 10,000
  bonus (divided as the characters see fit) if he feels that the
  characters have given the steaders a real chance.
  Referee: Everything is pretty much as presented here. The job
  will only take a few days. However, it will have unexpected
  consequences.
  Scene 2: At the Stead
  Requires: A5S1
  Getting to the stead means travelling overland by horse or aboard a
  vehicle. The local steaders can maintain TL3, so much of their
  transportation is by river or canal craft, or animal-powered. The
  journey is safe enough for most of the way, though the land gets
  obviously wilder away from the city-states. This far out, the
  countryside has been unchanged for millennia, except for small,
  cultivated areas around the steads and the towns that serve them.
  The characters travel through open country, mainly grassland with
  small forests where there is sufficient water.
  The stead is owned by the Sarragh family, an extended family of
  Vargr who have raised cattle in this region for many years. The total
  population, with family members and hired hands, is normally about
  30 adults, but this has recently dropped to 20 due to hands leaving
  to find safer work, and a couple of shootings.
  The stead is constructed of wood for the most part, and would not
  look out of place in the West of the US in, say 1800. A fenced and
  cleared area is cultivated for vegetables and used as grazing for
  pigs and a stupid, furry sheep-like animal called an Arked, which is
  raised for meat and its hide. There is a single main stead-house,
  which is large and solidly built, plus several outbuildings, a barn, etc.
  When the characters arrive, most of the workers are out with the
  herd, in the hope of deterring more raids. Those individuals still at
  the stead are wary, but word has been sent that Jorjak is going to
  help them, so once it is realized that the characters are here for that
  reason, the locals warm to them and offer hospitality.
  By the evening, as the herds are rounded up and corralled, it is
  obvious that these people live in a state of siege. Nobody goes out
  of doors unless they are accompanied by an armed individual. All
  the workers are armed in some fashion (mainly flintlock rifles and
  shotguns, but also a few single-shot cartridge weapons imported
  from the other states of Kerin’s Tyr.)
  Morale is also obviously low. One of the farm hands is restricted
  to light work while a gunshot wound heals, and his brother is buried
  out back. The raids, they say, are becoming ever more frequent.
  The Carval clan members want to increase their herds and drive the
  steaders away. They don’t care who they kill to do it. One stead has
  already been burned down, and the Sarragh family are pretty sure
  they’re going to be next.
  Spirits are lifted by the arrival of the guns, but not much. Some of
  the older family members express gratitude that their landowner has
  made this gesture, but they are sure it won’t be enough. In short, it is
  obvious to the characters that, guns or no guns, these people are
  too demoralized to save themselves. They need a shove in the right
  direction.
  Scene 3: The Gathering
  Requires: A5S2
  Word has been sent around the local steaders, and the friendly
  Artath clan, that the characters are coming. Thus, the next morning,
  people start arriving at the stead. Hardy farmers and leather-clad
  nomads arrive, greeting one another and asking news as old friends
  do. The meetings are tinged with sadness; too many people have
  been killed in the skirmishes already, and everyone is despondent.
  The nomads are mainly armed with flintlock weapons, just like
  their neighbors. A few have cartridge weapons that they have
  captured from the Carval clan, who in turn took them from the
  Republic’s border troops.
  Asking about the Carval gets the same story whoever is asked.
  The Carval is a large clan, which has absorbed several others
  through conquest. Its leaders see themselves as lords of this region,
  which they have “preserved” from the expansion of the Grand
  
             The Linkworlds Cluster
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  ― 26 ―
  Theocratic Republic. They think they have the right to ride into clan
  encampments or farm steads and demand “tribute” in the form of
  animals, goods, weapons – and people. When anyone resists, they
  begin a series of raids intended to kill individuals and steal herds,
  until the victim is forced to surrender or move away.
  The situation has been getting steadily worse for some time, and
  has now reached crisis point. As the various groups talk to one
  another, it becomes obvious that everyone is ready to give up. The
  clansmen are considering pulling out of the region and seeking new
  pastures; many of the steaders are for packing up what they have
  left and heading into more civilized lands, where they’ll be poor, but
  safe. Even the few speaking out for staying are half-hearted, and
  again and again the demand is made – “Even with these weapons,
  what can we do?”
  If the steaders are to have any chance, the characters are going
  to have to provide leadership and some concrete ideas. There is
  room for all kinds of characters to utilize their strengths:
  Leaders can give rousing speeches, or show their resolve by
  example
  Combat-Experienced characters can teach the steaders effective
  use of their weapons
  Medics can improve casualty-handling capabilities
  Technically-minded individuals can lay out defenses, show how to
  build redoubts and knock loopholes in the buildings
  Referee: This is a key point in the adventure. The referee will
  have to adjudicate a wide range of character actions, deciding what
  skill rolls are necessary depending upon the situation. As a rule, the
  locals will be inspired by anything that seems to suggest they have a
  chance of holding onto their lands without getting killed.
  If the characters don’t bother rallying the locals, or make a serious
  mess of it, then the eventual outcome of the gathering is an
  implosion of despair. Some of the steaders stubbornly decide to sit it
  out and defend themselves, others make plans to pull out with what
  they have left. The clansmen decide to move their herds away to
  safer lands. The result in this case is defeat for Jorjak and his
  people. The characters may find themselves part of an exodus of
  steaders, harassed by the Carval raiders as they try to make their
  way overland to safety. This terrible journey could be an adventure
  in its own right, but hopefully – if the characters give them any
  reason whatsoever to hope – the steaders and their clansmen
  friends will decide to hang on and battle it out.
  The meetings should be role-played out, with people suggesting
  various options and declaring for staying or going depending upon
  their preferences. The characters’ input should be critical, allowing
  them to feel that they have really taken control of the situation.
  Which may simply mean they’ve persuaded a bunch of people to
  stay and get killed.
  Scene 4: The Skirmish
  Requires: A5S3
  Scarcely has the gathering wound down (after 2-3 days of
  wrangling) when a group of Carval raiders is reported. They are
  approaching the herds. Some of the Artath clansmen, riding patrol,
  are keeping tabs on them.
  This is obviously a small raiding party; perhaps 15-20 individuals,
  armed with hand weapons, revolvers, single-shot breech-loading
  carbines (treat as a standard carbine, but must be manually
  reloaded after every shot), and a few flintlock weapons. They are
  probably not aware of the gathering, nor of the numbers they are
  opposed by. If they follow the normal pattern, they’ll aim to kill a
  couple of the herdsmen and make off with some cattle.
  The herders are trying to get the cattle in, but they probably won’t
  make it. The Artath clansmen offer to ride out and give the Carval
  raiders a fight, though their weaponry is inferior (unless the
  characters have already handed out the carbines). However, there is
  another option…
  The raiders think they’re about to terrorize some demoralized
  farmers armed with flintlock weapons. Instead, the characters have
  an opportunity to give the Carval a good scare and hand the
  steaders a victory that’ll harden their resolve.
  Time is limited; the characters will have to hand out weapons,
  mount up, and rush out to meet the attack (and defend the herders).
  The Artath clanners have a few spare mounts with them. There are
  10 of their people here, all of whom are willing to fight for their
  friends. A few of the steaders are willing to go along, but they aren’t
  enthusiastic – morale is fragile.
  In all, about 20 steaders and nomads, hastily armed with
  carbines, plus the PCs, ride out to meet the raid. They will sight the
  herd pretty soon – the herders are driving in as fast as they can, and
  the raiders are closing fast. It is clear that without help, the herders
  aren’t going to make it.
  Referee: The skirmish will be a nasty, messy affair of galloping
  horses and semi-random shots. Play up the tension and confusion
  as players try to control their mounts, shoot one-handed at the
  gallop, clash in hand-to-hand combat, become unhorsed, and
  generally have a truly horrible time.
  The raiders are not expecting a fight, and will break off if they take
  a few casualties. The characters can gain an additional advantage
  by using the herd to conceal their approach, and charging suddenly
  (if they think of it).
  After the initial clash, the situation will degenerate into a wild,
  dusty scramble with people galloping about all over the place.
  Targets will be fleeting, and hard to hit.
  The Carval raiders are equipped with melee weapons in addition
  to their firearms. Rather than reloading on horseback, some of them
  will close with lances and swords (actually a curved scimitar-like
  weapon). Others are adept at loading their carbines and revolvers at
  the gallop. It is not possible to reload a flintlock weapon unless
  stationary, so anyone so armed will have to resort to hand weapons.
  Scene 5: Preparations
  Requires: A5S3 or A5S4
  The herd is brought in and corralled. After a short period of jubilation
  at driving off the raid, reality sinks in – the steaders have started a
  war. The Carval have been challenged, and will need to eradicate
  the stead in order to demonstrate their invincible power. They will be
  coming, in force, and soon. Chances are the only ones they leave
  alive will be those they make slaves.
  Morale wavers, requiring more role-playing from the characters as
  they try to bolster the frightened steaders. The clansmen offer to
  stand by their friends, and to send a couple of their number for aid.
  Meantime, some sort of defensive preparations need to be made.
  A quick analysis shows the following facts:
  • 
  The stead buildings and the barn are stout, but wooden. If
  the raiders can get close enough they’ll burn them.
  • 
  The corralled herd will make a fine obstacle, so long as the
  raiders don’t break the fence and let the cattle stampede.
  • 
  The fence itself provides no cover and is no real obstacle to
  a mounted attacker.
  • 
  With only 3 magazines apiece, the main limitation on the
  carbines’ 
  firepower 
  is 
  reloading 
  speed. 
  Determined
  defenders can lay down a withering fire until they have to
  start reloading magazines.
  • 
  There are about 10 clansmen and 60 steaders present for
  the gathering. Of these about 15 are non-combatants who
  live here. Everyone who came from elsewhere is an able-
  bodied human or Vargr adult, and willing to fight.
  The characters don’t know how long they have, but they are going
  to have to make at least some preparations. This should be role-
  played. Possible ideas include:
  • 
  A quick introduction to the carbines and how to use them.
  • 
  Creation of small earth redoubts outside the house, to keep
  the raiders away from the walls.
  • 
  Knocking loopholes in the walls of the buildings to allow
  defenders to shoot from cover.
  • 
  Creation of a “reaction force” or reserve to conduct a mobile
  defense and deal with crises as they happen.
  • 
  Improvisation of barricades and other defenses from farm
  stores etc.
  
             The Linkworlds Cluster
              www.TravellerRPG.com
  ― 27 ―
  • 
  Setting-up of procedures for casualty evacuation, fire-fighting
  etc.
  The Stead-house is large, with 2 floors and a cellar for storage. It
  is built of impressive timbers and fairly resistant to small arms fire.
  The other buildings are as solid, but less defensible. It would be
  possible to cram everyone into the house, just about, but this would
  not be an effective way to defend the place.
  A good plan would be to create a few small strongpoints outside
  the house, supported by carbine fire from the house, barn and
  outbuildings. It should be possible to make holes in the roof and
  create good shooting positions there. A mobile force can move
  between threatened areas and reinforce them as necessary.
  Referee: The characters have a couple of days to prepare, but
  they don’t know that. The first Carval scouts arrive late on the first
  day of preparations, but they just observe from a safe distance. By
  noon on the second say, a large body of riders can be seen
  approaching.
  They attack at dawn on the third day.
  Scene 6: The Battle of Sarragh’s Stead
  Requires: A5S5
  Although they prefer to fight on horseback, the Carval nomads have
  become adept at fighting dismounted, at using cover, and at waging
  guerrilla war against well-armed foes. However, they have nothing
  but contempt for their enemies at the stead, and their first attack will
  be an over-confident rush on horseback. Assuming this fails, they
  will become rapidly more cunning, making feint attacks on
  horseback to allow a dismounted party to get in close in the hope of
  setting fire to the buildings. The raiders are also skilled at using
  sniper tactics; skilled riflemen concealed in the grass will attempt to
  pick off anyone making himself an easy target. This sniping will go
  on all day, even between other attacks.
  Stage #1: The Rush
  About half the nomads (i.e. about 300 of them!) gallop towards the
  house from three sides, firing from the saddle or brandishing swords
  and lances. Wild and badly-aimed fire breaks out from the steaders,
  often at too long a range.
  The raiders plunge on, jumping the fence and racing to close
  range where their revolvers are most effective. If they can reach the
  house or barn, some dismount and try to break in through the doors
  and windows. In places, the fighting becomes hand-to-hand, but
  (unless the defenders panic and their morale collapses; this
  depends upon what they characters do) they are eventually
  repulsed, leaving a couple of dozen bodies within the grounds.
  Stage #2: The Lull
  The raiders withdraw to a safe distance, leaving a few snipers to
  harass the defenders. They confer for a couple of hours, then begin
  moving up (still on horseback) again.
  Stage #3: The Second Charge
  This attack is more subtle. It goes in about midmorning. As about
  300 nomads make another charge from three sides, 100 or so
  attempt to sneak up, using the herd as cover. Their primary aim is to
  clear some of the defenders out of the grounds to make the
  approach to the house more practicable. If they can get close
  enough, they will rush any strongpoints and try to overcome the
  defenders inside hand-to-hand. They are not too bothered about the
  house just yet; they want to clear the way first.
  A party of raiders will occupy any strongpoints they capture, and
  snipe at the house from there.
  Stage #4: The Parlay
  Having failed a second time but obtained a toe-hold in the grounds,
  the raiders offer a parlay. They respectfully return the bodies of
  anyone they killed or captured in the grounds to the defenders (this
  is actually a psychological ploy to weaken the defenders’ morale),
  and offer a settlement. Basically this boils down to:
  • 
  All the steaders’ weapons will be turned over to the raiders
  • 
  The steaders will be allowed to pack up some belongings
  and a few cattle, and will be allowed to leave the region
  without further harassment.
  • 
  Further resistance will result in the stead being burned with
  everyone in it.
  The raiders offer a truce of 1 hour for the defenders to consider
  the offer, but warn that they will fire on anyone trying to conduct
  defensive works (like building a new redoubt or carrying ammunition
  to an outpost).
  Unless the defenders break the truce, the raiders respect it, and
  allow the lull to drag out for several more hours. Their snipers begin
  firing occasionally after about 3 hours (1-2PM or so), and this
  intermittent sniping is all that happens until about 5PM.
  The defenders are involved in constant debate about what to do –
  should they trust the offer? Do they have a choice? Divisions begin
  to appear among the defenders as some demand they be allowed to
  surrender and others insist that surrender is suicide.
  Stage #5: The Assault
  About 1/3 of the nomads remain mounted and are held back to
  sweep down on anyone in the open. These remain unengaged
  unless the defenders attempt to abandon the house and flee. The
  remaining raider forces attack, coming in from all sides. Most
  infiltrate through the long grass, crawling close and making
  themselves very hard targets. As these individuals open fire or begin
  their rush, others race in on horseback, some as decoys and some
  in an attempt to reach the house by speed. They dismount to force
  the doors, or attack anyone in the open with hand weapons.
  This assault is pretty determined, but is beatable. Eventually the
  nomads fall back, though casualties have been high on both sides.
  Stage #6: The Last Hours
  Another lull descends, and night draws slowly in as snipers on both
  sides take the occasional potshot at targets of opportunity. The
  mood in the house and among the defenders will be somber – they
  can’t take much more of this. Again, ideas are tossed about –
  surrender, an attempt at a breakout, and so on. Arguments and
  even fights among the defenders become common. The characters
  may be able to hold the defense together with some good role-
  playing. Possibly some small groups will attempt to escape or
  surrender. After seeing the raiders shoot down anyone who tries to
  escape, it is obvious that the only chance is to hold out and hope
  that help arrives in time – or that the nomads lose heart.
  The latter is actually possible. The Carval clan has taken fearful
  casualties, and is continuing the assaults mainly out of pride and the
  knowledge that if this stead holds out, others will also resist. Thus
  the fate of the steaders right along the border region is in the
  balance here. Even if the defenders are wiped out to the last man,
  woman, child and Vargr, the carnage wreaked among the attackers
  might be sufficient that they choose not to keep attacking the frontier
  steads.
  At dusk, another parlay is offered. The attackers have deduced
  that offworlders are involved, and now offer them a chance to get
  out alive. They announce that if the stead is surrendered, they will
  allow offworlders to go free – indeed they will be given mounts and
  provisions. Even if the rest of the defenders won’t surrender, the
  Carval will honor their promise to any offworlder who comes out of
  the stead in the next hour.
  The Carval are honorable people in their way. Steaders or Artath
  clansmen will grudgingly admit (if asked) that they will probably keep
  this bargain. There is a golden bridge for the characters here – but
  they will have to abandon the steaders to their fate. The alternative,
  right now, seems to be to share it. The Carval promise to burn the
  stead with everyone in it unless surrender is immediate.
  If the characters want to surrender, some of the defenders will
  despairingly honor their decision and let them go. Others will
  become angry and even violent towards the “cowards” that talked
  them into this and are now about to abandon them. Some will come
  out and surrender with any characters who give up. They will be
  disarmed and taken away under guard while the characters are
  allowed to go free.
  
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  ― 28 ―
  If the characters surrender, the stead holds out for a while before
  the defense collapses and more or less everyone inside is killed.
  Some of those who surrender are “adopted” by the Carval, mainly
  children and young women. The rest are executed as a warning to
  anyone who resists. Shortly afterward, the other steads are
  abandoned and the Artath chased off their lands. By then, of course,
  the characters will be offworld, and anyway, it wasn’t their fight, was
  it?
  On the other hand, if the characters choose to resist, they do
  have a slim chance for victory.
  Stage #7: To The Knife
  After an hour, a party of nomads rides close to the house under a
  flag of truce. They (sincerely) salute the defenders as heroes, and
  promise that they will honor the dead, and care for the children they
  take into the clan. They will have to kill everyone in the stead now,
  they say, but they do respect them.
  As a fresh wave of terror goes through the defenders, one of the
  characters gets a message on his comm. It’s audio-only, from a
  breathless Jorjak using a borrowed personal comm. All he says is,
  “We’re coming. Just hold on until we get there.”
  Before any details can be obtained, the final assault begins.
  Infiltrators and snipers have managed to get quite close to the
  house, while groups approach on horseback or run, using cover. In
  the gathering darkness, shooting is difficult, and the battle quickly
  gets in to close quarters.
  This is it; the Carval intend to smash into the house and kill
  everyone in it. Setting it on fire is proving more difficult than they
  expected – though from inside it might be easier. Despite the best
  efforts of the defenders, parties manage to get in through windows,
  or break the doors. Desperate fighting, some of it hand-to-hand, is
  going on in and around the house. Defenders turning from a window
  to battle a swordsman inside the house are shot from outside. The
  defenders are forced back to the upper floor, and still the hordes
  pour in.
  The characters at this point may be acting as a “fire brigade”,
  racing from crisis to crisis, but it’s clear that they can’t be
  everywhere, and the defense is failing. No sooner is one area
  cleared and barricaded with furniture than another area is
  threatened.
  Then dimly heard above the din of shooting and the clash of steel,
  is a new sound – the hum of contragravity lifters. Several air/rafts
  slam down close to the house, and people of all shapes and sizes
  leap out firing. Humans wearing borrowed shirts over their Highport
  Security uniforms (their presence here is totally illegal), Vargr
  steaders, Downport clerks, a four-armed Sydite gunslinger, a couple
  of Scouts (who are here as observers and are “shooting only in self-
  defense” - with assault rifles) and militia members from the Comore
  region.
  Leading them is Jorjak, an ill-fitting flak jacket over his suit, a
  smoking Sector Knight revolver in one shaking paw. As the battle
  rages, he is everywhere, snarling hysterical orders in a frenzy of flat-
  eared terror. He’s scared, and way out of his depth. But he’s here.
  Referee: This is the turning point. The Carval are shocked and
  dismayed by the sudden attack, but they still vastly outnumber their
  foes. If allowed, they will rally and crush the defenders by weight of
  numbers. However, a stout counter-attack will scatter them, and by
  dawn 300 riders of the Artath clan will arrive, many of them riding
  double, transporting a hundred or so Vargr from the other steads.
  The Carval will be unable to do much in the face of this force – and
  they’ll be to demoralized to even try.
  Surviving that long depends on one last piece of heroism from the
  characters – they must clear the house and lead the steaders out to
  join the battle outside.
  Running the Battle
  Depending on the nature and tastes of the group, this battle can play
  out in many different ways. Play should focus on what the
  characters are doing, with everything else as backdrop. It is possible
  that the battle may be seen from the point of view of a central
  strategy team, directing the defence but not taking part, or it might
  be a medical drama if that’s the group’s focus. Most likely, it will look
  like a cross between Zulu, Seven Samurai and Cross of Iron. The
  important thing is that every character should contribute in some
  way, and that the characters’ actions should be pivotal in
  determining the outcome.
  The referee should play up the tension, the terror and the tragedy.
  People under pressure can crack, or become incredibly heroic.
  Others are reckless or paranoid.
  The characters should witness horrific and inspiring events as the
  battle unfolds. Sometimes people die pointlessly or have
  unbelievable escapes. Possible events include:
  • 
  During an argument about whether to surrender or not,
  someone shooting from a window turns to those arguing and
  tells them to be quiet. His head explodes as a sniper picks
  him off, spraying everyone in the room with brains.
  • 
  A previously stalwart defender loses it and races out of the
  building, hurling away his weapon. Dozens of attackers
  shoot at him, but somehow he manages to run straight
  through the maelstrom of fire to reach clear ground. A group
  of mounted warriors will chase and subdue him with carbine
  butts and boots.
  • 
  An argument breaks out among the defenders about what to
  do about some injured raiders who have been captured.
  Some are for treating their injures, others for slitting their
  throats.
  • 
  A Carval prisoner helps treat the injured, saving the life of a
  Vargr he shot. The whole time, he talks about how his
  people are going to burn the stead and kill everyone inside.
  • 
  A young child runs out of the house, and a farm hand drops
  his weapon to chase her. Several shots are fired, and the
  hand is hit, but he hobbles after the child as everyone on
  both sides spontaneously stops shooting. A raider grabs the
  kid, holds her out to the tottering Vargr, and supports the pair
  of them to the doorway. There, he spits into the house and
  haughtily walks away, back to his firing position. After a
  moment, the shooting starts again.
  Scene 7: After The War
  Requires: A5S6
  As dawn breaks over the devastated stead, the survivors begin the
  grim task of burying the dead. The Artath clanners ride out to chase
  the Carval off, and Jorjak meets with the characters.
  Jorjak can’t believe what has happened here – he asked the
  characters to help him out by delivering some guns; they won a war.
  He’s confident that the Carval have had more than a bloody nose –
  they’ve taken a pounding they won’ forget in a hurry. He’ll procure
  more guns for his tenants and for the Artath people, and try to create
  a militia to hold these lands.
  The rescue force, Jorjak says, comprised everyone he could find
  who owed him a favor or who’d take credits to fight. Some of these
  people jeopardized their jobs by coming here; all of them risked their
  lives. Some of them are dead.
  But the steaders have held their lands, the characters have
  prevented Jorjak’s people from being massacred (he really does
  care about them; many of them are his relations), and he’s got a
  problem.
  Jorjak explains that he doesn’t have much liquid cash – his
  money is all tied in to the steads and their produce (which means
  the characters have just saved his fortune, too). He can pay them
  what he promised, but nothing more.
  However, he can do something for them. His holdings are
  extensive, and he’ll give the characters a validated letter that entitles
  them to guarantee credit against his lands. That means that the
  characters will be able to (once) get something really expensive for
  nothing more than a promise of regular payments and a deposit. If
  they default, Jorjak will be hit for the debt.
  In short, Jorjak doesn’t have the money to give them a fat reward,
  but he can at least ensure that they can get a loan or credit against
  their next refit – or whatever else they need money for (like maybe a
  few hostile environment suits and some modifications to the ship?)
  Jorjak will have to go to the Highport with the characters to get
  this letter (which is in fact an impressive, unforgable electronic
  
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  ― 29 ―
  document) set up. He will do so as soon as he can. For now, there is
  a cleanup to be started.
  Referee: This is what the characters need to outfit their
  expedition. They don’t make a lot of money here, but they’ve got
  friends now who’ll always welcome them as heroes.
  Act 6: Salvage at Klesiter
  The characters need to pick up some documents at the Highport;
  there is no need to visit the planet (069-526, known as Fonnein to its
  inhabitants). They can obtain the supplies they need for the salvage
  operation at the Highport.
  Scene 1: Fonnein Orbital
  Fonnein orbital is a very ugly structure, constructed out of a couple
  of old bulk freighter hulks, sprouting appendages at all angles and
  junctures. The port is fairly small, but pleasant and well-kept.
  Facilities are limited but acceptable.
  Obtaining the records is no problem at all; the port authority keeps
  good records and is happy to hand them over after validating the
  characters’ requisition forms.
  Despite the small size of the port, it does see quite a lot of traffic,
  and hostile environment suits are fairly easy to obtain (especially
  considering the presence of the mining operation at Estorr in the
  outsystem). The combined price of suits and ship modifications is
  beyond the characters’ means, but with Jorjak’s letter they should be
  able to obtain the equipment they need for a partial payment and a
  contract to pay the rest after a suitable period. The referee should
  determine a suitable down payment and full price for the equipment
  and modifications, depending on what the characters have available.
  The ship modifications are fairly minor, but will take a few days.
  During this time the characters may decide to visit the planet (where
  it is possible they will become involved in an unrelated adventure) or
  they may just hang around and enjoy a few days off in the port.
  Referee: The characters deserve a little downtime, and this is
  their last chance before launching the salvage operation. The
  operation will require some good planning and preparation; smart
  groups will take their time and get it right.
  Scene 2: Klesiter Beta (Key 7)
  Requires: A3S3
  When all the preparations are made, the characters depart Fonnein
  Orbital and lay in a Jump course for the Klesiter Beta system.
  Klesiter Beta is fairly empty, with nothing but a small gas giant
  planet and a tiny iceball orbiting its feeble white dwarf star. The
  characters’ ship emerges into this empty wasteland of space at a
  safe distance from the gas giant and begins its run in.
  There is an intense feeling of loneliness out here. There are no
  other ships, no Navy patrols, nothing. A distress signal might not
  even be picked up in the Alpha system, and help is at least a week
  in Jump away. The characters are very much on their own.
  The first thing that needs doing is a careful sensor sweep of the
  gas giant (which is named Liisik Gara) to see if the Varaidercalt (the
  transport ship) can be located. This is quite a lengthy process, and
  requires several orbits of the giant planet. It is also possible to
  gather data on the weather patterns of the world.
  Liisik Gara is a small and relatively calm gas giant (as those
  worlds go). There is a fair amount of radiation, but individuals within
  a ship or a hostile environment suit should be safe enough, so long
  as they limit their exposure.
  After a period of searching, the characters manage to locate a
  metallic object deep in the giant’s atmosphere. It is a little deeper
  than the Malfeasant was at the time of the rescue, but (just) within
  reach. The object is not in orbit, but is being blown around by local
  weather conditions. This is not a good sign. Presumably the ship’s
  contragrav systems are keeping it from falling, and its drive is
  supplying a minimum of thrust. However, this is not enough to keep
  the ship from bouncing around like a cork.
  Time is clearly of the essence here; the transport’s drive system is
  failing
  Referee: Smart players will want to gather and analyze
  supporting information like weather patterns in the gas giant.
  Detailed analysis by anyone who knows about the subject (a
  planetologist would, or an astrophysicist, or a spacer who has
  skimmed for fuel from gas giants before) will give an insight into
  local conditions that will allow a small bonus to whatever activates
  (like docking with the derelict) the referee deems appropriate.
  Anyone looking over the data can see on important fact – there is
  a big storm approaching the derelict. The characters can get there
  ahead of it and hopefully get out again before it strikes, but it is
  unlikely that the derelict will survive.
  In short, it’s now or never.
  NOTES: The Storm, Operations in a Gas Giant Atmosphere, and
  Related Matters
  There is no clearly predictable moment when the storm will strike;
  instead it will gradually escalate in severity until it hits its peak
  intensity.
  The weather in the vicinity of the derelict is currently “normal”. The
  storm begins to arrive after 1 hour plus a random time equal to 2d6X
  5 minutes. Conditions will deteriorate quickly after this. Determine
  the time to storm arrival as the characters begin their run in, and
  keep track secretly.
  Once the characters reach “striking distance” (i.e. they are close
  enough to the derelict to begin a docking operation) use the
  following procedure:
  Each activity by the characters is termed a “sequence”. Each
  sequence takes 7+2d6 minutes. During a sequence, characters can
  undertake a typical action, such as attempt to dock, search a few
  compartments, cut through a bulkhead etc. Some actions (e.g. a
  brief combat or a glance into a compartment) are negligible and do
  not take up a whole sequence.
  As the characters’ actions eat up time, the storm front will
  eventually arrive. Once it does, continue to keep track of the elapsed
  time. Every 15 minutes, roll on the Storm Event Table, below.
  Storm Events (2d6)
  2-3
  Weather Improves one condition (e.g. Rough to Normal). It cannot get any
  better than Normal
  4
  Superlightning Strike (see below)
  5
  A moment of calm. All skill rolls are at normal this sequence
  6
  Buffeting adds +2 to DC of all tasks undertaken this sequence
  7
  No event
  8
  Superlightning Strike (see below)
  9
  Wild gust – Anyone on the hull must make a reflex save at DC 30 or be
  slammed into the hull for 3d6 Stamina damage. If the save is failed by 10
  or more, the character falls off. All Pilot rolls during this sequence are at
  an additional +5 to DC
  10-12
  Weather deteriorates one condition (e.g. Turbulent to Raging)
  Weather Conditions (1d4)
  1. 
  Normal: There is a great deal of turbulence in the gas giant atmosphere, and
  ammonia precipitation which interferes with the ship’s sensors. Sensor tasks
  are at +5 to normal DC.
  2. 
  Rough: The methane wind picks up, making piloting more difficult. Sensor
  conditions are appalling. All Pilot roles must add 5 to DC, and sensors tasks
  must add +10. Anyone outside adds +10 to the DC of any task he or she
  attempts.
  3. 
  Turbulent: Howling winds and eddies make piloting ludicrously difficult, but
  clear the precipitation somewhat. Pilot tasks are at +10 DC, sensors at +5,
  and EVA (i.e. tasks undertaken outside in a vac suit) are at +20 to DC. EVA
  is suicidally dangerous. Radio is broken and difficult to make out.
  4. 
  Raging: Ships are tossed about like toys, and may suffer structural damage.
  Make a Pilot roll at DC 30 to try to mitigate the worst of the weather effects.
  Failure means the ship takes 1 structural hit. All tasks aboard ship are at +15
  DC, and anyone outside in a suit will be battered to death in moments if they
  can’t find shelter. Communications are also severely disrupted. Radio range
  is limited to a few feet.
  
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  ― 30 ―
  Superlightning Strike Results
  To determine if the ship is damaged, roll 1d6:
  1-2
  Sparks and a corona discharge. Anyone on the hull suffers 2d6 (Stamina)
  damage despite their suit.
  3-4
  Momentary loss of some system (sensors, helm, contragrav) which may have
  secondary effects such as needing a Pilot roll to regain control.
  5
  Ship takes 1 structural hit.
  6
  Ship takes 1d6 structural hits.
  Damage to the Ships
  The players’ ship can take 6+2d6 structural hits, and the derelict 9+1d6 hits (both of
  which the referee should secretly roll as atmosphere is entered). The players
  should not be informed how much damage the ships can take, though increasing
  damage should be apparent from system failures and general signs such as
  structural warping, leaks, etc.
  When a ship suffers its last structural hit, its systems will rapidly fail and it will
  plunge to its destruction in the gas giant’s vast core. There is no chance of survival
  for characters aboard when this happens, and they should know this.
  Scene 3: Approaching the Vraidercalt (Key 8)
  Requires: A6S2
  The characters have two choices about their approach. They can go in slowly and
  carefully, which will be somewhat easier on the Pilot and Sensor rolls, or they can
  forge ahead and hope to gain some extra time before the storm arrives. They run
  the risk of overstressing their ship and possibly losing their target if they do this.
  Piloting in the gas giant’s atmosphere is tricky; base DC for even normal
  maneuvers like docking is 20. Sensor tasks are also DC 20. Any EVA activity (i.e.
  going outside in a suit) is at a base DC of 15 just to move about and keep from
  falling off the hull. Work-related tasks are at +5 to their normal DC. Note that it is
  not possible to use reaction-jet maneuvering units and other aids outside in the
  atmosphere – characters must walk or crawl across the hull.
  Going in Cautiously: If the characters choose to approach cautiously, they can
  automatically keep a sensor lock on the derelict. This type of approach takes 40
  +2d6 minutes, at the end of which the characters should be within striking range.
  However, a Pilot skill roll is required (normal difficulty for the conditions; DC 20). If it
  is failed, the characters have been blown badly off course and lose 2d6 more
  minutes getting into position.
  Going in Fast: Plunging in fast is dangerous, but will get the characters there
  much quicker if everything goes well. They will be within striking range in 20+2d6
  minutes, but their ship suffers a structural hit in the process. A pilot skill roll is
  required at DC 25 to remain on course, or else the sensor lock on the derelict will
  be lost.
  If the characters have to search, each search attempt is a new sequence and
  requires a Sensors check at a DC of 20 (this includes the penalty for sensor ops in
  a gas giant’s atmosphere mentioned above). The characters can search as many
  times as they like, but every sensors task (only 1 person can search each time) is
  an additional sequence (7+2d6 minutes).
  Once the characters have reached striking distance, they can attempt to close
  and dock.
  Approaching: As the characters close to dock, it is apparent that the Vraidercalt
  is in a bad way. She is a 1000-ton transport, lightly armed for frontier operations. It
  looks like she has suffered an internal explosion of some kind; some of her
  compartments are open to space. Her hull is battered and twisted, though that
  probably happened after she entered the gas giant’s atmosphere.
  Docking is going to be very tricky. It requires a DC 20 Pilot roll (plus any penalty
  for the weather conditions as mentioned above), and an entire Sequence to set up
  an approach. If the docking roll is failed by 10 or more, the ships clash together,
  causing 1d3 structural hits to each.
  Once docked, the players’ ship should be safe enough, and entering through the
  airlock is a simple task.
  If the characters don’t want to dock, the only option is to go out the airlock and
  jump on a line. This is a ridiculously difficult Dex-based task, starting at DC 30 and
  further penalized for the weather. It will then be necessary to enter the hull
  somehow, perhaps by crawling to an airlock or cutting the hull (an entire sequence
  in either case).
  Referee: This is a hideously dangerous environment, and very
  difficult conditions. The players’ ship will be bouncing around, rattling
  ominously, and perhaps being struck by lightning. That, and the
  “ticking clock” provided by the storm, should create plenty of tension.
  Scene 4: Aboard the Vraidercalt (Key 9)
  Requires: A6S3
  The Vraidercalt is a wreck. Power is low, and many compartments
  are breached. She has suffered at least one interior explosion. She
  is also bouncing about in the storm, vibrating and occasionally
  lurching wildly as her autopilot tries to keep her stable.
  The interior is a mess, with the personal items of the crew and the
  small number of passengers she was carrying, plus tools, galley
  plates, and other items scattered about all over the place.
  There are also a number of bodies; most are not in plain view,
  and show the effects of decompression, explosion, fire, atmospheric
  exposure and… something else. It’s as if some of them had partially
  dissolved. Many are in strange corners, like they were dragged
  there. Thus bodies may be missed at first or found in places that
  suggest they were put there for some reason.
  A couple of the bodies are suited, and armed (with weapons
  ranging from steak knives to snub pistols). They seem to have died
  of suit breach…. Or rather, suit dissolvement…
  The ship has three decks. The upper one is crew quarters and
  ship systems, (with the exception that the engineering rooms drop
  right through all 3 decks, the next is passenger accommodation, and
  the bottom deck is a large cargo hold for most of its length.
  Searching one section of each deck will take one sequence.
  Entry to the Derelict
  It is possible to gain entry to the derelict through the dorsal
  maintenance airlock (which opens into a corridor in the crew area) or
  the ship’s launch docking area (the launch is of course gone). This
  opens into the aft end of the crew quarters, at a shaft that allows
  access to the passenger deck but not the holds.
  Access via the passenger airlocks is somewhat easier. These are
  situated port and starboard, just behind the observation area. They
  are wider than usual, to allow for luggage and such like.
  Conditions Inside the Derelict
  Artificial gravity is still operating aboard the wreck, though at 1/5 of a
  g. This is low enough that movement is an awkward combination of
  zero-g procedures and normal walking. Note that although objects
  possess only 1/10 of their normal weight, they still have mass and
  inertia. It is just as hard to get something moving aboard the wreck
  as on Earth, and once moving it will not stop until it hits something or
  eventually falls to the deck. Since the ship is bobbing about, objects
  will crash around from time to time, presenting a real hazard of
  being crushed.
  Combat aboard the derelict will be extremely awkward. Treat as
  low-g combat, and increase all hit rolls by the penalty given on the
  weather conditions chart above.
  The only light in most areas is dim red emergency lighting.
  Characters’ lamps are sufficient, but the combination of bright
  beams, dim areas and loose objects sliding around (and hanging in
  the air for long periods) creates a tense environment characterized
  by sudden movements seen in peripheral vision, familiar objects
  mis-identified in torchlight, and obvious things overlooked. In this
  eerie environment, even characters expecting to find corpses may
  be shocked.
  Moving Between Sections
  The various sections of the ship (detailed below) are separated by
  heavy bulkheads (some of which have buckled alarmingly!).
  Bulkheads are penetrated by iris valves, most of which are not
  sealed shut. Lack of power means that they must be cranked open
  manually, requiring an entire sequence. Once open, characters can
  move about freely.
  Within a section, rooms have light doors which can easily be
  forced open. Movement is simple enough. Searching an area takes
  an entire sequence (and this is a quick search. A detailed combing
  of a single room can be accomplished in a sequence, but there are
  several rooms in each area). If characters just move straight
  through, they may still spot obvious things. Moving through a section
  takes negligible time, unless the characters want to keep running the
  
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  length of the ship, in which case the referee should decide how
  much time they’re wasting.
  Moving Between Decks
  There are two shafts that run vertically through the ship. One
  descends from the fore end of the crew quarters, one from the aft
  end. They are closed off by iris valves but most will not be sealed
  when the characters board. There is insufficient power to operate
  the iris valves, so they will have to be cranked open manually,
  meaning that the first use of any given shaft will take an entire
  sequence. After this, transit is quick and simple.
  There is an elevator shaft at the aft end of the crew quarters, but it
  is unpowered. Access can also be gained through the engineering
  room, which drops through all three decks.
  Referee: The ship’s internal monitoring systems were partially
  disabled, so many of the iris valves that should seal off the various
  areas are open. This means that everything within those areas has
  been exposed to the gas giant atmosphere for some time. The
  referee should determine which, if any, valves are shut as
  appropriate. It is possible that some are thoroughly jammed, forcing
  the characters to find a way around. It should be possible to get to
  any area of the ship eventually, however.
  The Upper Deck
  Bridge, Avionics, Computers and Flight Systems: The ship’s
  bridge has emergency power and its environmental systems are
  working. There is nobody here, of course, and the “mutiny pistols”
  are gone from their bracket. The ship’s autopilot can be over-ridden,
  but there is insufficient drive power to do anything more than it was
  already doing.
  Crew Quarters: The crew quarters have several bodies, and
  some sections are open to space. Various personal items can be
  found in the staterooms, but the ship’s locker has been looted for
  weapons and supplies.
  General Stores: The ship’s stores are basically intact, but open
  to atmosphere. Food for the passengers, electronic components,
  spares etc. are strewn about at random.
  Engineering: The drive rooms drop through 3 decks, with
  gantries at all levels. They seem relatively intact, though an
  examination of the drive records shows a serious Misjump that
  brought the vessel out very close to the gas giant and resulted in a
  dive into the atmosphere before the crew could come to their senses
  and change course. The ship’s maneuver drive was damaged while
  in the atmosphere; the records do not show how.
  The Middle Deck
  Passenger Lounge and Forward Areas: The fore end of the
  middle deck is taken up with the passengers’ galley, ship’s store (a
  very modest little shop run for the passengers), lounge and an
  observation room that allows passengers to watch the stars while in
  normal space.
  The view from the observation lounge is even more spectacular
  than normal, since the glazed section of the bow has been shattered
  into the room.
  Passenger Accommodation: The passenger staterooms (and
  adjoining stores lockers containing cleaning and maintenance
  equipment, e.g. mops) look like a hurricane of methane and
  ammonia came suddenly blasting through (which is actually what
  happened). Many of the stateroom doors have been buckled or torn
  off, and there is debris everywhere. Few of the passengers survived,
  and there has been no effort to deal with the bodies. Not by humans,
  anyway.
  Low Berths: The ship’s low berths are barely functional on
  emergency power. Some of them contain passengers who made the
  trip this way, and some contain people who were injured and placed
  here to await rescue, or who froze themselves when it became
  apparent there was no way off the ship. Some of the berths have
  failed, some have been breached from the outside (!) and three
  have survivors in them. Berths can be demounted and manhandled
  to the airlock. This will take a complete sequence each, and require
  two people to accomplish.
  The Lower Deck
  Main Hold: The cavernous main hold contains numerous freight
  containers and pallets. The contents are varied – plastic sandals,
  frozen prawns, tractor parts (real one, not disguised weapons),
  microwave communicator collimating antennae, bulk cheese… all
  kinds of stuff. Most of it is not particularly valuable.
  Minor Hold: The aft hold (accessed through the main one, but
  separated by a bulkhead) is where secure cargoes are carried.
  Several boxes are carefully stowed here. Each could be just about
  carried by one person (they are very bulky). They contain high-
  technology electronics spares marked as manufactured by Ling
  Standard Products, and certainly valuable.
  Referee: People carrying boxes or low berths (which takes 2, remember) can
  fight very awkwardly, at a –6 penalty. This is important, because the characters are
  not alone in the ship.
  The gas giant’s atmosphere is home to a species of protoplasmic “flying
  tentacled cloud” creatures currently unknown to science. (Hereafter, they are just
  referred to as Clouds).
  Three fairly small clouds have got on board the vessel, and fed on the rich
  nutrients provided by human and Vargr bodies. They can float in the low gravity at a
  little less than the speed of a running human (i.e., it is just about possible to escape
  from one by recklessly swinging along a corridor using every projection for
  leverage, like a demented monkey in a vac suit. This is, of course, extremely
  dangerous and requires DEX checks at DC 15 + any penalties each round.) Failure
  indicates that the character has slammed into something for 1d6 Stamina damage,
  and may be caught by his pursuer.
  Protoplasmic Clouds: Small (15kg) Omnivorous Eater; Init +0; Attack 6+; Flee 8+;
  Spd 6m; AC 11 (+1 small); AR 5/0 (see below); St/Lb 50/25; Atk +2 melee (tentacle
  slap 1d8/20); SV Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +3; SZ S; Str 15, Dex 12, Con 25, Int 1, Edu -
  , Wis 1, Cha 2, Soc -.
  Skills: Intuit Direction +0
  Feats: None
  Special Abilities: Each cloud has the following three special abilities:
  Damage Resistance: Clouds, being soft gloopy blobs of dense protoplasm, are
  not easily hurt by bullets or melee weapons (a blade might sever a tentacle, but
  they just grow more). Electrical, fire, and energy weapon damage will harm them.
  (The Malfeasant crew knew this; hence the laser carbines and shock prods).
  Against non-energy weapons, the clouds have an effective AR of 5. Against energy
  weapons they have an effect AR of 0.
  Regeneration: Clouds regenerate by eating. Ingesting a corpse or a character
  will allow them to begin regeneration of any damage. Once begun, a cloud will
  regenerate stamina damage at a rate of 1 every 2 rounds, and lifeblood damage at
  a rate of 1 every 4 rounds. This regeneration will only last for 10 minutes unless
  another source of food is found.
  While killing a cloud is somewhat difficult, they will usually attempt to retreat
  from combat if they have taken 25 or more stamina damage or 12 or more lifeblood
  damage, in an attempt to find something to eat and start their regeneration cycle.
  Tentacle Slap: Attacks can also take the form of a tentacle slap. Tentacles are
  not strong enough to grab and hold a character. A tentacle slap is a melee attack. A
  cloud’s tentacle slap attack causes 1 point of suit damage (see below) in addition to
  any normal damage.
  Envelopment: If a cloud comes into contact with a character’s suit, it begins to
  corrode it (see Suit Failure, below). Envelopment is automatic – the cloud just
  gloops around its target unless the target evades. An enveloped character suffers
  1d6 Suit Integrity damage per round, until his suit is breached. He then suffers 1d6
  Lifeblood damage per round from the cloud (in addition to normal effects of a suit
  breach).
  Avoiding Envelopment is a Reflex save at DC 20, or the character can just flee
  as mentioned above.
  Once a character is enveloped, he begins to dissolve, suit first. The clouds can
  eventually penetrate walls and bulkheads (this takes a long time for walls, as
  measured in days). A character who is enveloped has less time to escape. He or
  she can struggle free by making a Dex check at DC 30. Another character can
  automatically plunge into the cloud and yank his comrade free, but he is exposed to
  corrosion that round.
  Discharge: Once per 10 minutes a cloud can create an electrical discharge that
  zaps everyone within 10 feet (no save) for 1d6 Stamina damage, and causes
  
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  various frightening glitches in electrical and electronic equipment (like vac suit
  environment monitors or helmet lights).
  Climate/Terrain: Gas Giant atmospheres only.
  Organization: Small groups (1d6).
  Suit Failure
  The characters’ hostile-environment suits have 25 Integrity Points. Normal vac suits
  have 10, and emergency softsuits 5.
  Suits can be damaged by accident, such as when a character falls or is thrown
  against something by turbulence (1d4 suit integrity damage each time). Tentacle
  slaps from the clouds do 1 point of suit damage, and envelopment does 1d6 points
  per round.
  A character whose suit reaches 5 points of integrity or less is in danger (thus
  softsuits are not a good choice in this environment.) Each sequence, roll equal to or
  under the suit’s remaining Integrity rating on 1d6, or suffer 1d6 Stamina damage
  from minor leaks, chilling, gas narcosis etc.
  If a character’s suit reaches 0 Integrity, it fails completely. The character begins
  suffering damage as if exposed to vacuum (the atmosphere here is thin enough
  and toxic enough to count as vacuum!) – see THB for details.
  Characters can attempt to fix their suits in the field. One complete sequence
  spent making repairs allows the character to add 1d3 Integrity points back onto his
  suit – IF he makes a DC20 T/Mechanical skill check. If he possesses the Vac Suit
  proficiency feat, the repair value is 1d6 points. Characters may repair other
  people’s suits.
  Salvage
  As well as the survivors, the characters may be able to get several
  of the electronics spares boxes (there are 10 in all) out of the wreck
  and into their vessel. Other objects might be picked up along the
  way, such as passengers’ jewellery. Taking anything back to the
  characters’ ship takes a complete sequence.
  Running the Exploration of the Ship
  The referee should play for tension and creeps, like a “haunted
  house” movie. Let the characters find half-eaten corpses, be startled
  by sudden movements, before encountering one of the clouds.
  The clouds are (probably) possessed of animal intelligence only.
  They can sense the characters, and will be quite cunning in
  attempting to corner them or to get them to flee into another cloud.
  Clouds will not fight to the death, but will retire if hurt. They much
  prefer to ambush a lone, encumbered or fleeing individual than to
  fight it out with the whole party.
  And note that stray shots have to go somewhere. In a starship,
  there are few good places to shoot a laser carbine…
  The players may get on top of the cloud situation, but still they will
  not know what crippled the transport though. They are about to find
  out…
  Scene 5: Departures (Key 10)
  Requires: A6S4
  The characters are already pushed for time. The storm is worsening
  (this is just the edge!) and the wreck’s contragravity system is failing.
  As if this was not bad enough, their ship’s automated sensors relay
  a disturbing image… a large, semi-solid object displacing perhaps
  2000 tons (twice the size of the transport) is closing fast. Its
  composition is very similar to that of the clouds.
  This is what happened to the Vraidercalt. It ran into an adult
  cloud.
  Chances are the characters won’t wait around to see what
  happens next. They would be well advised to flee. However, it is
  possible that they will try to grab more salvage or otherwise hang
  around.
  Referee: The adult is closing quickly; the characters are advised
  to flee to their ship and escape. The adult reaches the transport
  10+3d6 minutes after it is detected. It engulfs the aft section of the
  ship and begins to gloop around both vessels. 2d6 minutes after
  contact, both ships are engulfed.
  The adult can somehow bring force to bear on parts of the ship. It
  will attempt to crush the hull by constriction. Meanwhile, it is
  digesting antennae, control surfaces etc. Airlocks, such as where
  the two ships are docked, are particularly vulnerable and will quickly
  begin to fail. Smaller clouds (perhaps young) break away from the
  adult and roam over the two hulls, entering at any point they can and
  seeing living people to digest.
  If the characters still don’t feel like escaping, the following timeline
  applies, starting the moment the adult engulfs the two ships. Events
  occur during the period and are implemented at the end (i.e., the
  Vraidercalt’s drive section collapses 8 minutes after she is engulfed.
  The players should e able to perceive warning signs about what is
  happening that period – and plenty of other bad things should be
  happening aboard ship to keep them occupied.
  Period 1: 8 minutes: The drive section of the Vraidercalt collapses
  inward, and her contragrav field begins to fail.
  Period 2: 11 minutes: the contragrav field fails completely. The
  characters’ ship cannot maintain altitude for both vessels.
  They begin to descend rapidly. Atmospheric pressure and
  temperature outside rises rapidly.
  Period 3: 4 minutes: the characters’ ship hull is breached. Clouds
  enter the ship 6 minutes; the characters’ ship has serious
  hull breaches. Systems failures begin
  Period 4: 14 minutes: the Vraidercalt breaks up. Anyone aboard is
  killed instantly and digested by the cloud.
  Period 5: 2 
  minutes: 
  massive 
  systems 
  failures 
  aboard 
  the
  characters’ ship.
  Period 6: 2 minutes: temperatures and pressure soar. The adult
  cloud breaks away, but the players’ ship is falling out of
  control.
  Period 7 2 minutes: despite the temperature, the atmosphere here
  is a boiling sea of liquid methane. The characters’ ship
  plunges into it, bobs for a while, then sinks. There can be
  no survivors.
  Chances are the characters will try to escape this fate. A DC 30 Pilot skill check
  is necessary to win free of the cloud. Failure means the ship is still engulfed. The
  pilot can try again after 2d6 minutes. After Period 3, DC is 35. During Period 5 and
  after, DC is 40. Whatever the time situation, the pilot gets to make a skill check at
  least once per period.
  Once free of the cloud, the players can begin the long climb to
  orbit. It is a rough ride, what with the storm and the damage.
  Fiendish referees may decide that some small clouds are on the hull
  and need to be dislodged by characters going outside. If they are
  not, they may get into the ship and cause havoc.
  Assuming they got this far, the characters have one consolation;
  their fuel tanks have been filled up with liquid hydrogen skimmed
  from the atmosphere while they worked. Unless they have really bad
  systems failures, they should be able to Jump for Klesiter Alpha. If
  the ship is in a truly horrible state, they should be able to enter low
  berths and coast home. They’ll get there eventually.
  Epilogue
  Completing their mission (the delivery of the records to Sentry)
  should be a simple matter for the characters once they reach the
  Klesiter Alpha system. They can profit from their adventures in
  several ways:
  Salvage: The boxes of spares are indeed valuable. They would
  sell for Cr 25,000 apiece on the open market if the characters were
  willing to search for good buyers and use appropriate skills such as
  Broker. However, there is another option. LSP (Ling Standard
  Products, the manufacturer, offers a fee of Cr 20,000 plus Cr 15,000
  per box, subject to an agreement that the characters will certify that
  they have returned or witnessed the destruction of all the spares.
  LSP will be pleased if the characters will take this deal, and may
  have work for them in the future. If they refuse, and sell cutting-edge
  LSP products to their competitors, they’ll be less impressed and may
  make life difficult for the characters.
  Survivors: Who are the people in the low berth tubes? The
  referee has a free rein to make them wealthy, influential, important,
  evil, annoying or whatever. Perhaps the characters’ good deed will
  bring them fortune, perhaps a useful contact… or perhaps a new set
  of problems.
  
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  Other Opportunities: Characters can profit in other ways too,
  including selling their story to a chat show or writing papers on gas
  giant ecology or hostile-environment salvage operations. Inventive
  players will find a way to make a buck out of the adventure, and
  inventive referees can use this to drag them into the next.
  Experience: The referee should award experience at the end of
  the adventure, or after each episode. It is recommended that
  characters who made sure the survivors were safe before going
  after loot should be rewarded in some way, perhaps with bonus
  experience.
  The Future: The characters’ ship has had its refit. They have a
  load of hostile environment gear at hand. They’ve proved
  themselves reliable and trustworthy, and able to handle themselves.
  What now? What indeed? Time, perhaps for one of the adventure
  seeds presented elsewhere in this minicampaign. Or maybe the
  characters have had enough of the Linkworlds and want to move
  elsewhere. It’s only a couple of Jumps to Shanape, or to the
  Reaching Arm.
  Wherever they go next, the characters are sure to find adventure!
  The Rumor Mill
  Adventurers are fond of collecting rumors. Some of the following are
  relevant to the storyline, some are misleading, some irrelevant…
  and some are simply untrue. It is up to the referee to determine the
  veracity of any given rumor in his or her campaign.
  Rumors fall into one of the following categories: Street (General),
  Commercial (Merchant), Spacer, Military, and Political. Depending
  upon a character’s location and his/her contacts, the nature of rumor
  heard will vary.
  Whenever the referee decides there is a possibly of hearing a
  rumor, roll on the following table. Rumors should be embellished
  and perhaps altered each time they come up.
  Roll two dice to determine what kind of rumor is heard, then
  determine on the appropriate table, or pick one.
  First Die Modifiers:
  Character has military background: -1
  Character has mercantile background: +1
  Second Die Modifiers:
  Character has low SOC (7 or less in T20, 5- in other systems): -1
  Character has high SOC (14 or more in T20, 9+ in other systems)
  +1
  First Die gives Column, Second is Row:
  1
  st  Die:
  0
  1
  2
  3
  4
  6
  7
  2
  nd
  0
  M
  M
  G
  X
  G
  S
  S
  Die 1
  M
  G
  X
  G
  G
  S
  S
  2
  M
  S
  G
  X
  C
  G
  P
  3
  X
  G
  X
  G
  C
  S
  C
  4
  X
  G
  S
  X
  S
  C
  X
  5
  M
  X
  G
  S
  G
  C
  C
  6
  P
  G
  S
  X
  C
  C
  P
  7
  P
  G
  S
  C
  C
  P
  P
  Key:
  X = No Rumor, or referee’s invention.
  G = General Rumor
  S = Spacer Rumor
  M = Military Rumor
  P = Political Rumor
  C = Commercial Rumor
  General Rumors
  1
  The amount of Solomani and Imperial agents around here
  makes normal criminal activity impossible! This place is a hive
  of spies and counterspies!
  2
  Business is good for the arms dealers. The militias and the
  terrorists are buying up anything and everything.
  3
  Military-grade weapons are available on the black market if you
  know where to look.
  4
  Been an unusually large number of Ursa coming through
  recently. The don’t normally travel much.
  5
  There’s a new Hiver colony just over the Imperial border, out to
  Rimward-Trailing. Why they’ve set that up is a mystery.
  6
  Two minor government officials were assassinated last week.
  General Rumors 2
  1
  A new round of colonial expansion, pushing the border out to
  Rimward, has been curtailed by the war. Prospective colonists
  are cooling their heels and equipment is just lying around.
  2
  Transfers of Imperial Army units to the war front are not being
  made good any more.
  3
  Vilani megacorps never had much of a hold in this region.
  Local, and generally smaller, firms make up much of the
  market.
  4
  The Imperial Navy is looking into creating a class of small
  escort-sized “peacekeeper ships” to take up the burden of
  patrol work. Contractors and designers are queuing up, but
  there’s so much politics involved that you can bet the end result
  will be a turkey.
  5
  Since the Domain capital moved to the border, it’s obvious that
  there is going to be a sudden lurch outwards; a rush of colonial
  operations.The annexation of a couple of systems seems likely.
  6
  Property prices are suddenly rising. Seems like someone’s
  quietly buying up real estate. Perhaps they’ve heard there’s
  going to be another round of ICO investment.
  Spacer Rumors
  1
  Fragments of the hull of an Ishkami class cruiser have turned
  up two or three times in the past seven years, but in truth
  nobody knows what happened to INS Melkami.
  2
  A whole lot of Scout ships were transferred to Coreward-
  Trailing recently. On the quiet, so nobody knows how many.
  3
  A very old ship, declared lost in 823, limped into a border port a
  few weeks back. She was battered but still serviceable, and still
  crewed by her original personnel!
  4
  Some strange starships have been sighted lurking about the
  outsystems – they don’t answer comms and run from the Navy,
  but otherwise don’t seem to do much. The design is very
  unusual and has not yet been identified.
  5
  Commerce raiding and privateering are both on the up. It’s only
  to be expected with the Navy so distracted, but it’s not good.
  6
  There’s good money to be made as a technician or a backup
  pilot at the bigger spaceports. They’re always hiring, especially
  at Sentry. Mostly pretty dull work, but secure. Funny that they
  can’t seem to retain the staff.
  Military Rumors
  1
  Those new Lightning class cruisers are on constant patrol, or
  so it seems. Given their mobility, the patrols could be a cover
  for fire-brigade response work.
  2
  Some of the mercs operating in the region are Solomani units
  preparing for an inside operation.
  3
  Instellarms is quietly recalling a large quantity of anti-shipping
  missiles.
  4
  The merc trade is so busy that new outfits are appearing all the
  time. Many are little more than armed bands.
  5
  Demands on the fleet are such that refits are being missed and
  leaves cancelled. The strain is beginning to tell.
  6
  The Navy has a number of testbed” ships in the sector,
  undergoing trials with cutting-edge electronics systems. They’re
  so short of vessels that these ships are being deployed as
  patrol and escort ships.
  
             The Linkworlds Cluster
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  Commercial Rumors
  1
  Instellarms is quietly recalling a large quantity of anti-shipping
  missiles. Problem is, some of the missiles can’t be traced.
  2
  Lack of escorts has prompted a crash-acquisition program by
  the Navy. Candidate designs in the 400-1000ton range are
  being evaluated.
  3
  MAE Lines has recently shaken up its security system, after
  sabotage by unknown parties.
  4
  Some small firms have recently been bailed out of financial
  trouble by the “Old Guard, which is odd given the resentment
  among Old Guard firms for the newcomers.
  5
  Ship construction is undergoing something of a boom. Some of
  the newer market entrants are cheap, but very shoddy.
  6
  Instellarms recently suffered a sharp dip in share prices for
  reasons unknown.
  Political Rumors
  1
  For all the talk about new starts, the new Archduke is coming
  down hard on dissent of any kind.
  2
  A recent attempt to poison the Archduke has been blamed on
  Solomani sympathisers.
  3
  A delegation form the Lords of Thunder is travelling through
  Imperial space on a “goodwill visit”. That seems unlikely!
  4
  Plans to outfit all Imperial Marines with Battle Dress have
  recently been mooted again, but as usual practicality and cost
  considerations prevent this. Rumours suggest that the arms
  firms leaned on a number of officials to push this through, and
  a scandal is imminent.
  5
  Prince Garlan is expected to announce an increase in his
  personal funding for the Imperial Planetological Society
  sometime soon.
  6
  A measure to allow “licensed psions” to undertake specialist
  duties within Imperial Security was recently placed before the
  Emperor. It was thrown out, of course.
  Library Data
  Ursa
  Ursa are a race genetically uplifted from Terran brown bears during
  the Rule of Man period. They are large and powerful, and were
  intended for high-gravity colonies. However, the experiment was
  deemed a failure and the entire species slated for extermination by
  GenAssist, 
  the 
  Solomani 
  corporation 
  responsible 
  for 
  their
  development. Several thousand Ursa escaped, fled, and formed the
  basis for the modern race.
  Ursa are rare, and this is reflected in their racial psyche. They see
  life as utterly precious, and mostly just want to be left alone. They
  have little malice, but they are reserved with strangers and slow to
  trust anyone.
  Ursa are described as a player-character race in the T20
  rulebook.
  Shock Prods
  The spear-like weapons found aboard the Malfeasant are shock prods. Basically a
  long spear with an electrified tip, fed by a belt power pack. They are designed for
  fending off dangerous animals of various types.
  The weapons are not sharp enough to be used as a spear against a normal
  creature, though they can be plunged into protoplasmic creatures and activated
  inside. Using the prod requires a normal to-hit roll for a spear or staff-like weapon. If
  the target is a protoplasmic creature and the prod has already hit, it hits
  automatically each round unless the creature moves out of reach.
  The belt packs contain 15 power units, and can be recharged from a shipboard
  power plant at the rate of 5 points every hour. The prods have 3 settings: Setting 1
  uses 1 power unit per hit, and delivers 2d6 Stamina damage. Setting 2 uses 3
  power units for 3d6 Stamina damage, and setting 3 uses 6 power units for 4d6
  damage.
  Most creatures will recoil from the shock and be unwilling to approach again.
  Gas Giants
  Gas giant planets are awesome things, with deep atmospheres of
  methane and other gases. While ships often skim the upper reaches
  for hydrogen fuel, little is really known about these hostile worlds.
  What lies deep in the atmosphere? What strange beings might be
  encountered there? If travellers can find a way to survive the winds,
  the temperatures (high AND low, depending upon the level), the
  radiation, the pressure and any other hazards along the way, then
  they may reach a level where the atmosphere is liquid. Below that
  may be a rocky core. All that is certain is that no creature that lives
  there is likely to resemble anything found anywhere else.
  The Clouds
  Are they sentient? Hostile? Psionic? Can contact be made with
  them? Is there something that THEY are afraid of, gliding through
  the depths of the atmosphere? Who can say?
  Actually, the referee can.
  Final Words
  This adventure does require the use of a ship, but it shouldn’t be too
  hard to incorporate that. Many groups already have one. Those that
  don’t might use normal passenger tickets to carry out their mission
  and hire a small craft for the final Episode (using low berths to coast
  back and forth between Klesiter Alpha and Beta). However, it might
  be better to give a group without a ship the use of one. This isn’t so
  hard. Perhaps the characters are assigned to pick up a battered old
  Scout/courier along the way and take it to the yards at Sentry for
  disposal, or to be refitted. Perhaps they can recruit an adventurous
  semi-retired (“detached”) scout – like Bill, who is detailed in the ship
  encounters section along with his vessel.
  Like so much else about an adventure, it is up to the referee to
  tailor the written work to his or her players. No published adventure
  can cover everything, especially in a universe as vast as that of
  Traveller. Instead, we present you with a framework, allowing you to
  expand and create at will. This adventure is set in the Official
  Traveller Universe (OTU) but the moment you get your hands on it,
  it moves to Your Traveller Universe (YTU). Which means you can do
  with it as you damn well please!
  Just be sure to have some fun, okay?
  By the end of this adventure, the travellers have seen a great
  variety of cultures and worlds. They’ve flown in space, fought a wild-
  west style pitched battle, fled a mob, ridden a steam train, frozen
  half to death in the wilderness and plunged into the depths of a gas
  giant world.
  And hopefully, they’ve met interesting people (human and
  otherwise), visited restaurants and bars, been hot and cold and tired
  and hungry; hopeful and desperate. They’ve seen breathtaking
  wonders and been bored by mundaneity. In short, hopefully the
  characters haven’t just made some skill rolls and beaten some
  enemies. Hopefully, just for a little while – they’ve lived.
  Because Traveller isn’t about adventure in the far future. Not
  really.
  It’s about PEOPLE having adventures in the far future.
  ‘Nuff said. Enjoy.
  ― Martin J. Dougherty
  
             The Linkworlds Cluster
              www.TravellerRPG.com
  ― 35 ―
  THE GRENDELSBANE
  Type A2 Far Trader Grendelsbane, registered out of Daramm. 200 tons displacement.
  Fuel Requirements: 
  44 tons
  Jump Capability: 
  One Jump-2
  Maneuver Drive: 
  2 constant
  Cargo Capacity:
  66 tons
  Passenger Capacity:
  4 Low Berths
  10 Staterooms (including crew accommodation)
  Crew:
  4 (Pilot, Astrogator, Engineer, Steward/Medic)
  Armament:
  2 Hardpoints for standard turrets
  1 dual beam laser fitted. 1 hardpoint empty
  Ship’s Vehicles:
  None
  Ship’s Locker:
  8 emergency softsuits (vacc suits for persons who
  don’t have their own)
  Portable Mechanical and Electronic toolkits
  2 standard Survival Kits (each for 4 persons)
  1 portable medical kit (TL 11)
  8 Cold Weather Clothing kits
  8 Combination Filter/Compressor Masks
  4 Blades
  4 Autopistols
  2 Shotguns
  Assorted other junk, including:
  Broken and misplaced tools
  Souvenirs from planetary visits
  Old shoes and clothing
  Several issues of Popular Gravitics magazine
  The Grendelsbane is a typical Far Trader. A little beat-up but basically spaceworthy.
  She normally engages in tramp freighting and speculative trading, but can also carry
  passengers. 4 low passengers can be accommodated, and up to 8 High or Mid
  passengers, assuming a crew of 4 using double-occupancy.
  However, double-occupancy is uncomfortable, so it is more likely that each
  crewmember has a stateroom of their own. Additional crew (e.g. a gunner) might be
  added, further reducing the ship’s passenger capacity.
  EPIC Adventure Checklist
  Key?
  Done?
  Scene
  Required
  Act 1: Liar’s Oath
  -
  ____
  Scene 1: Covenant Downport
  -
  ____
  Scene 2: A Night on the Town
  -
  ____
  Scene 3: The Mission Begins
  K1
  ____
  Scene 4: Signal GK
  K2
  ____
  Scene 5: Boarding the
  Malfeasant
  A1S4
  K3
  ____
  Scene 6: Aftermath
  A1S5
  Act 2: Liar’s Oath to Miip
  -
  ____
  Scene 1: Sentry
  -
  ____
  Scene 2: Alief
  Act 3: Miip
  -
  ____
  Scene 1: Landing at Miip
  Starport
  K4
  ____
  Scene 2: The Ursa Village
  A1S5
  K5
  ____
  Scene 3: Down by the
  Riverside
  A3S2
  K6
  ____
  Scene 4: Translation
  A3S3
  Act 4: Kerin’s Tyr
  -
  ____
  Scene 1: Arrival at Warne
  Highport
  -
  ____
  Scene 2: Tersberg (Kingdom
  of Harven)
  -
  ____
  Scene 3: Unity Downport
  (Confederation)
  -
  ____
  Scene 4: Katter
  -
  ____
  Scene 5: Ambush at Katter
  A4S4
  -
  ____
  Scene 6: Star City (Grand
  Theocratic Republic)
  Act 5: Neigsten and Comore (Liberty Alliance)
  -
  ____
  Scene 1: Getting the Records
  -
  ____
  Scene 2: At the Stead
  A5S1
  -
  ____
  Scene 3: The Gathering
  A5S2
  -
  ____
  Scene 4: The Skirmish
  A5S3
  -
  ____
  Scene 5: Preperations
  A5S3 or
  A5S4
  -
  ____
  Scene 6: Battle of Sarragh’s
  Stead
  A5S5
  -
  ____
  Scene 7: After the War
  A5S6
  Act 6: Salvage at Kleister
  -
  ____
  Scene 1: Fonnein Orbital
  K7
  ____
  Scene 2: Kleister Beta
  A3S3
  K8
  ____
  Scene 3: Approaching the
  Vraidercalt
  A6S2
  K9
  ____
  Scene 4: Aboard the
  Vraidercalt
  A6S3
  K10
  ____
  Scene 5: Departures
  A6S4
  Key?: Denotes if this is a key scene and in what order it should be
  played before other key scenes. These scenes should never be
  skipped or played out of key order if the adventure is to have a
  reasonable chance of being completed successfully.
  Done?: Place a checkmark here if this scene has been played.
  Scene: The name and number of the scene.
  Required: The act and scene number of any scene that must be
  played before this scene can be introduced.
  Generic NPCs
  The following rather generic NPCs are provided for use by the
  referee when one or more opponents may be needed for a given
  encounter. These NPCs may be used ‘as is’, or the referee is free to
  adapt them to suit their needs.
  Regular Guard: Human Professional 3/Mercenary 3; TL 10+; Init +1 (+1 Dex); AC
  17 (+6 CES, +1 Dex); AR 6 (CES); Spd 6m (4sq); St/Lb 26/11; Atk +7 ranged (snub
  pistol 1d10/20), +4 melee (shock baton 1d6+1d6+1/20), +7 ranged (snub smg
  1d10/20); +7 ranged (light ACR 1d12/20), +5 melee (fist 1d4+1/20); SV Fort +4, Ref
  +3, Will +5; SZ M; Str 12, Dex12  Con11, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha10, Edu 11, Soc 10.
  Skills: Pilot +4, Spot +5, Listen +5, P/Security+6, T/Electronics +6,
  T/Communications +6, T/Computer +6, T/Sensors +6, K/Interstellar Law +8,
  P/Admin +8, Sense Motive +5
  Feats:  Vessel (grav), Armor (light, medium, vac suit), Weapons (armsman,
  marksman, combat rifleman), Alertness, Quick Draw, Professional Specialty
  (Security), Brawling, Interrogation, Legal Eagle, Skill Focus: Sense Motive
  Equipment: Combat Environment Suit, Snub pistol with HUD, shock baton,
  access to Snub SMG with HUD or Light ACR with HUD.
  Regular Thug: Human Rogue 6; TL 5+; Init +5 (+1 Dex, +1 Improved Initiative); AC
  13 (+2 jack, +1 Dex); AR 2 (jack); Spd 9m (6sq); St/Lb 32/12; Atk +5 melee (fist
  1d4/20), +4 melee (dagger 1d4/19), +4 ranged (shotgun 3d6/2d6/1d6/20), +4
  ranged (revolver 1d10/x2), +4 ranged (auto-pistol 1d10/x2), +4 ranged (SMG
  1d10/x2); SV Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +2; SZ M; Str 11, Dex 12  Con 11, Int 10, Wis 10,
  Cha 10, Edu 6, Soc 5.
  Skills: Driving +10, Innuendo +9, Intimidate +9, Listen +11, Spot +11
  Feats: Vessel (wheeled), Weapons (marksman, swordsman), Armor (light,
  medium), Alertness, Toughness, Brawling, Improved Initiative, Spot Trouble, Quick
  Draw, Point Blank Shot
  Equipment: jack armor and 1-2 of the following: revolver, autopistol, shotgun,
  SMG, dagger.
  Regular Merchant Crew: Human Merchant 6; TL 12+; Init +0; AC 13 (+3 vac suit);
  AR 3 (vac suit); Spd 6m (4 sq); St/Lb 22/10; Atk +1 ranged (snub pistol 1d10/20),
  +2 melee (fist 1d4/20), +1 melee (lead pipe 1d4/20), +1 ranged (shotgun
  3d6/2d6/1d6/20); SV Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +3; SZ M; Str 10, Dex 10, Con 10, Int 11,
  Wis 11, Cha 10, Edu 12, Soc 10.
  Skills: all: Pilot +9, P/Merchant +9, K/Trade Law +10, Appraise +9, Gather Info
  +9
  a) Bridge Crew: T/Astrogation +10, T/Computer +10, T/Sensor +10
  b) Tech Crew: T/Engineering +10, T/Mechanical +12, T/Electronics +12
  c) Trade Crew: Trader +11, Broker +11, Liaison +9
  Feats: all: Vessel (grav), Armor (light, vac suit), Weapons (Marksman), Barter,
  Brawling, Connections (merchant), Zero-G/Low-G Adaptation, First Aid
  
             The Linkworlds Cluster
              www.TravellerRPG.com
  ― 36 ―
  a) Bridge Crew: Vessel (ship’s boat, starship), Hacker
  b) Tech Crew:  Jury Rig, Gearhead. Miracle Worker
  c) Trade Crew: Steward, Calculating Eye, Chief Steward
  Equipment: vac suit, snub pistol, lead pipe.
  Open Game License Information
  This product contains Open Game Content as defined in the Open
  Game License. Open Game Content may only be used under the
  terms of the Open Game License.
  Specific Open Game Content
  The following material only is considered Open Game Content as
  per section 1d of the Open Game License. Any other material
  contained in the adventure is either considered Product Identity (see
  below) or is otherwise copyright QuikLink Interactive, Inc.
  • The UWP stats for each world in the Cluster.
  • The slip rules found on pages 20-21
  • The Storm Events, Weather Conditions, and Superlightning Strike
  Results tables on page 27.
  • The ship to ship docking rules found on pages 27-28.
  • The Protoplasmic Clouds and the Suit Failure rules on page 29.
  • The Shock Prods on page 31.
  • The Grendelsbane ship information and Generic NPCs on page
  32.
  • Any other sections using the Arial Narrow Font.
  Specific Product Identity
  The following are specifically designated as product identity as per
  section 1e of the Open Game License:
  • Traveller, the phrase “Science Fiction Adventure in the Far
  Future” as well as all logos and other identifying marks
  representing Traveller.
  • QLI, RPGRealms, QLI/RPGRealms, QuikLink Interactive, along
  with all logos and other identifying marks of QuikLink Interactive.
  • The product names T20, Traveller20, T20 Lite, Traveller’s Aide,
  Citizens of the Imperium, Linkworlds Cluster.
  • The proper names of all characters (including the names of any
  pregenerated characters), NPCs, races, places, locations, worlds,
  historical events, businesses, governments, governmental
  entities, and specific items, including but not limited to: Linkworlds
  Cluster, Ley Sector, Gateway Domain, UWP, Universal World
  Profile, Shanape, Shanape Link Worlds, Imperium,  Xboat,
  Express Boat, Sentry, Charted Space, Imperial Trade Cluster,
  Annapabar, Dukh, Riftsedge, Ancients, Luriani, Daramm, Vilani,
  Humaniti, Ziru Sirka, First Imperium, Solomani, Men of Sol,
  Second Imperium, Rule of Man, Ramshackle Empire, Long Night,
  False Dawn, Year Zero, Sylean Federation, Sylea, Third
  Imperium, Pacification Campaigns, Terran Merchantile
  Confederation, Solomani Confederation, Solomani Rim War, Old
  Expanses, Diaspora Sector, Aleif, IISS, Imperial Interstellar Scout
  Service,  Marcus Aaron Erechs, Marshal Nells, Lesser Rift,
  Gateway Sector, Two Thousand Worlds, 2000 Worlds, K’kree,
  Crucis Margin, Hive Federation, Hiver, Glimmerdrift Reaches,
  Tukera Lines, Kerin’s Tyr, Miip, Adukgin, Liar’s Oath, Marquis
  Hallentein, Vargr, Ursa.
  OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a
  The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright
  2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc ("Wizards"). All Rights Reserved.
  1. Definitions: (a)"Contributors" means the copyright and/or trademark owners who
  have contributed Open Game Content; (b)"Derivative Material" means copyrighted
  material including derivative works and translations (including into other computer
  languages), potation, modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade,
  improvement, compilation, abridgment or other form in which an existing work may
  be recast, transformed or adapted; (c) "Distribute" means to reproduce, license,
  rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute;
  (d)"Open Game Content" means the game mechanic and includes the methods,
  procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody
  the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional
  content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means
  any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under
  copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) "Product Identity"
  means product and product line names, logos and identifying marks including trade
  dress; artifacts; creatures characters; stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements,
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  places, locations, environments, creatures, equipment, magical or supernatural
  abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or
  registered trademark clearly identified as Product identity by the owner of the
  Product Identity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game Content; (f)
  "Trademark" means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by
  a Contributor to identify itself or its products or the associated products contributed
  to the Open Game License by the Contributor (g) "Use", "Used" or "Using" means
  to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create
  Derivative Material of Open Game Content. (h) "You" or "Your" means the licensee
  in terms of this agreement.
  2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a
  notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be Used under and in
  terms of this License. You must affix such a notice to any Open Game Content that
  you Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted from this License except as
  described by the License itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any
  Open Game Content distributed using this License.
  3.Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate Your
  acceptance of the terms of this License.
  4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this License, the
  Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license
  with the exact terms of this License to Use, the Open Game Content.
  5.Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing original material
  as Open Game Content, You represent that Your Contributions are Your original
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  6.Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion
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  7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as
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  independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that Product Identity.
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  Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content
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  8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly indicate
  which portions of the work that you are distributing are Open Game Content.
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  10 Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy
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  12 Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of
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  judicial order, or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open Game
  Material so affected.
  13 Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with
  all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of becoming aware of
  the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License.
  14 Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such
  provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable.
  15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE
  Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
  System Reference Document, Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors
  Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on original material by E. Gary
  Gygax and Dave Arneson.
  T20 – The Traveller’s Handbook Copyright 2002, QuikLink Interactive, Inc.
  Traveller is a trademark of Far Future Enterprises and is used under license.
  The Linkworlds Cluster Copyright 2002, QuikLink Interactive, Inc.
  
             The Linkworlds Cluster
              www.TravellerRPG.com
  ― 37 ―
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Traveller/Traveller d20/Traveller T20 - The Linkworlds Cluster.pdf