TEXT:  
   
  
   
   
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  CREDITS
   
  COVER ART 
  Ian Stead 
  INTERIOR ART 
  Luigi Castellani 
  DECK PLANS 
  Ian Stead 
  PLAY TESTERS 
  David Hazlewood, Georges Gauthier, Matthew 
  Vann, Jason Dubsky, Julien Reliat, Isaac 
  Abouganem, Mathieu Bedard, and Josh Peters 
   
  AUTHOR 
  Richard Hazlewood 
  EDITOR 
  Omer Golan-Joel and Josh Peters 
  INTERIOR DESIGN & LAYOUT 
  Omer Golan-Joel 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  This Product is derived from the Traveller System Reference Document and other Open Gaming Content made available by the Open Gaming License, and 
  does not contain closed content from products published by either Mongoose Publishing or Far Future Enterprises. This Product is not affiliated with either 
  Mongoose Publishing or Far Future Enterprises, and it makes no claim to or challenge to any trademarks held by either entity. The use of the Traveller System 
  Reference Document does not convey the endorsement of this Product by either Mongoose Publishing or Far Future Enterprises as a product of either of their 
  product lines. 
  Cepheus Engine and Samardan Press™ are the trademarks of Jason "Flynn" Kemp”; Stellagama Publishing is not affiliated with Jason "Flynn" Kemp or 
  Samardan Press™. 
  Product Identity: The following items are hereby identified as Product Identity, as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a, Section 1(e) and are not 
  open content, and thus are property of Stellagama Publishing: All trademarks or registered trademarks, proper names (characters, organizations etc.), 
  dialogue, plots, storylines, locations, characters, artwork and trade dress. (Elements that have previously been designated as Open Game Content or are in the 
  public domain are not included in this declaration.) Open Content: Except for material designated as product identity (see above), any game mechanics are 
  Open Game Content as defined in the Open Gaming License version 1.0a section 1(d). No portion of this work other than the material designated as Open 
  Game Content may be reproduced in any form without written permission. A copy of the Open Game License licence is shown on the last page of this book. 
  To learn more about the Open Game Licence, please go to http://www.opengamingfoundation.org/. 
  This artwork is copyright (C)2006 Bradley K McDevitt.  You can use this image in commercial or fan projects, however you may not publish it as clip art.  Any 
  company that uses images from 'Clip Art Critters' is required to place the artist's name amongst the credits. For more artwork or to contact this artist please 
  visit... www.bradleykmcdevitt.net Sold by Postmortem Studios... www.postmort.demon.co.uk 
   
  Roleplaying games to DIE for. 
   
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  2 
   
  TABLE OF CONTENTS 
  Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 3 
  Setting Overview .................................................................................................................................... 5 
  Referee’s information ............................................................................................................................ 8 
  What Really Happened ...................................................................................................................... 8 
  Dramatis Personae ............................................................................................................................. 9 
  Pre-Generated Characters ............................................................................................................... 12 
  Distress Call .......................................................................................................................................... 13 
  Approaching the Ship ....................................................................................................................... 14 
  Entering the Ship .............................................................................................................................. 16 
  Rescue .................................................................................................................................................. 19 
  Rescue Operations ........................................................................................................................... 19 
  Reticulan Equipment ........................................................................................................................ 22 
  Search for Survivors ............................................................................................................................. 24 
  Escape Pods ...................................................................................................................................... 24 
  Reticulan Abductor .......................................................................................................................... 24 
  The Zhuzzh ........................................................................................................................................... 32 
  Zhuzzh Crew ..................................................................................................................................... 33 
  Aftermath ............................................................................................................................................. 34 
  Appendix – The Parvati System ........................................................................................................... 36 
  Open Game Licence Version 1.0A ........................................................................................................ 37 
   
   
   
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  3 
   
  INTRODUCTION 
  In this adventure, the characters are crew 
  members or passengers on a starship. As they 
  emerge from jump in the remote system of 
  Parvati and begin moving towards the 
  mainworld, they pick up a distress signal, a 
  Reticulan “Signal 99”, from a nearby ship. The 
  ship is in danger and in need of rescue. 
  As the characters race to save the dying ship, 
  they discover the true nature of the Reticulan 
  vessel. However, there are other parties 
  interested in the fate of the stricken vessel, 
  and not necessarily interested in helping… 
  The damaged ship is a dreaded Reticulan 
  Abductor. The hated Reticulan Empire used 
  these large vessels to capture subjects for 
  their nefarious experiments. As the characters 
  explore the ship, they will discover that there 
  are many human subjects aboard the ship in 
  low berths – what the Reticulans planned to 
  do with them is the subject of horror stories. 
  This should be especially disturbing to the 
  characters, as the Reticulan Empire recently 
  signed a treaty with the human United Terran 
  Republic that specifically outlaws abduction 
  and experimentation on humans. There are a 
  number of Reticulan survivors as well. Also 
  aboard the Abductor are a group of insect-like 
  Zhuzzh, known throughout the galaxy as hard-
  nosed scavengers and pirates. The characters 
  will discover the Zhuzzh as they are removing 
  the frozen humans from the Abductor and 
  transferring them aboard their ship. Their 
  ultimate purpose is unknown, but the Zhuzzh 
  do not want to share their “salvage” with 
  others. 
  The characters will have to make some tough 
  decisions. Will they try to save the surviving 
  Reticulans, including children, or let them die 
  and save just the humans? Will they go after 
  the Zhuzzh vessel when the salvagers flee or 
  stay and save more survivors from the ship? 
  There are no ideal answers to these 
  dilemmas. Driving this tension and action is 
  the impending explosion of the Abductor’s 
  damaged power plant. No matter what they 
  do, the characters will not be able to save 
  everyone – they will have to save as many as 
  they can and then flee for their lives. 
  This adventure is designed for a group of four 
  characters. It assumes that the characters 
  have their own ship, however characters who 
  are just passengers aboard another vessel will 
  probably get involved, as all ships that hear 
  the distress call are legally bound to render 
  what aid they can. Ideally, even the most 
  grizzled veteran will want to save innocents 
  from dying in the vacuum of space. 
  Although this adventure is designed to be run 
  in the These Stars Are Ours! setting, the 
  Referee can adapt it to any setting with only a 
  little work.  
  REQUIRED MATERIALS 
  To use this supplement, you will need a copy 
  of the Cepheus Engine System Reference 
  Document, from Samardan Press™ available 
  from DriveThruRPG. We also recommend the 
  use of the Cepheus Engine Vehicle Design 
  System, also available from Samardan Press™. 
  Alternatively, you may use any other variant 
  of the 2D6 Science Fiction SRD such as the 
  base System Reference Document (SRD), itself 
  freely 
  and 
  legally 
  available 
  at 
  http://www.travellersrd.com. 
  Also, to get the most from this book you will 
  need at least two six-sided dice and some 
  pens/pencils and paper or a computer. 
  REFERENCES TO OTHER BOOKS 
  • Cepheus Engine System Reference 
  Document: CE 
  • These Stars Are Ours setting by 
  Stellagama Publishing: TSAO 
  • 50 Wonders of the Reticulan Empire 
  by Stellagama Publishing: 50W 
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  4 
   
  DIE ROLL CONVENTIONS 
  The Cepheus Engine uses only six-sided dice. 
  All die roll conventions and action resolution 
  mechanics are as described in CE Introduction 
  – Dice Rolls. 
  TASKS AND SKILLS 
  The rules for tasks (and the use of skills in 
  tasks) in this book are the same as those in 
  the Types of Checks section in CE Chapter 1. 
  COMBAT 
  Wherever this book refers to combat, you can 
  use the Personal Combat chapter beginning 
  on CE Chapter 5 or CE Chapter 10. 
  Any personal combat during this adventure 
  will occur in zero gravity. The following special 
  rule applies to fighting in zero gravity. 
  FIGHTING IN ZERO GRAVITY  
  When fighting in zero gravity, a character's 
  skill levels are limited by their ability to work 
  in zero gravity. Use the lower of the 
  character's Zero-G skill or the appropriate 
  combat skill when rolling skill checks in 
  combat. For example, if a character has Gun 
  Combat (energy pistol)-2 and Zero-G-1, then 
  the character shoots with an effective skill 
  level of 1, since their Zero-G skill level is lower 
  than their Energy Pistol skill level. Treat 
  characters without Zero-G skill as unskilled in 
  their attacks due to disorientation. In 
  addition, characters using weapons with 
  recoil suffer a DM-2 on attack rolls when 
  fighting in zero gravity conditions. 
  ABOUT THE AUTHOR 
  Richard Hazlewood has been playing RPGs 
  since 1976.  He served eight years in the US 
  Navy, 
  operating 
  nuclear 
  reactors 
  on 
  submarines.  He enjoyed that so much he got 
  out of the Navy and went into aviation.  
  Richard has a Master’s Degree is Aerospace 
  Engineering and works for a major US Airline.  
  He has two grown children and three 
  grandchildren. Richard lives with his wife and 
  three dogs in the Southern USA. 
  STELLAGAMA PUBLISHING 
  Stellagama 
  Publishing 
  is 
  a 
  small, 
  independent, international role-playing game 
  publisher focused on science fiction gaming 
  founded in January 2016. We publish gaming 
  material for Cepheus Engine, 2D6 Sci-Fi OGL, 
  Stars Without Number, and the White Star™ 
  RPG based on Sword & Wizardry: White Box. 
  Our interests are first and foremost to put 
  forth 
  enjoyable, 
  immediately 
  playable 
  supplements, settings, and adventures for 
  these games for the enjoyment of our fellow 
  players and referees. Our flagship setting is 
  These Stars Are Ours! (TSAO), a high-action 
  space-opera universe where Terra only 
  recently gained its freedom from the mighty 
  Reticulan Empire. 
   
   
   
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  5 
   
  SETTING OVERVIEW 
  The Stars Are Ours! Takes place in 2260 AD, 
  two years after the Terran-Cicek victory in the 
  Terran Liberation War against the mighty 
  Reticulan Empire. It is a time of uneasy peace, 
  when all sides of involved in the former War 
  now jockey for political, military, and 
  economic advantage. Many of the worlds in 
  the Terran Borderlands were battlegrounds of 
  the war, which changed the life of every 
  Terran who lived through it. Most human 
  player characters would have fought in the 
  War. For those Reticulans who support the 
  Technocratic Movement, the war was a revolt 
  against outdated Imperial rule. For Imperial 
  Reticulans, however, the war’s outcome was 
  a shameful disaster. The upstart Terrans had 
  the audacity to challenge the Empire – and 
  the impudence to win. A few Reticulans even 
  plot revenge. 
  THE UNITED TERRAN REPUBLIC 
  Terra and the space she carved out of the 
  stars by force of arms is the new thorn in the 
  side of the Reticulan Empire. Defeating House 
  Thiragin – the wealthiest of the Reticulan 
  Great Houses – the Terrans established 
  themselves as a force to be reckoned with. 
  Ruling over Terran Space is the United Terran 
  Republic 
  (UTR), 
  a 
  vigorous 
  power 
  administered by the pragmatic President 
  Alberto Shen. Militarized and centralized to a 
  high degree during the war years, the UTR 
  now moves towards more pluralism in 
  economics and politics. When the War ended, 
  the UTR demobilized a significant part of its 
  military, though it still retains an impressive 
  force. We - the Terrans - are a rising force in 
  interstellar politics and are aggressively 
  developing our economy, as well as colonizing 
  the wide-open frontiers of space. 
  THE RETICULAN EMPIRE 
  Immensely old and vast beyond any Terran 
  comparison, the Reticulans rule over more 
  than a Sector of space. The humanoid 
  Reticulans, sometimes referred to as “Greys”, 
  are rational, technologically advanced beings. 
  All Reticulans are biologically “female” and 
  reproduce asexually. The Imperial system is 
  one of vertical and horizontal monopolies 
  held by the nine Great Houses with the 
  Empress on top, ruling all. Both Terrans and 
  Cicek were client species of the Reticulans, 
  but have recently won their freedom. The 
  Reticulans have also been engaged in an 
  intermittent, and seemingly endless, war 
  against the aggressive Chiwak to the Rimward 
  of Imperial space, employing warbots and 
  alien, often human, auxiliaries. 
  SSESSLESSIAN 
  HARMONY 
  AND 
  RETICULAN 
  TECHNATE 
  The 
  Terran 
  victory 
  created 
  two 
  new 
  interstellar polities, both essentially Terran 
  client-states. The first is the Ssesslessian 
  Harmony. Centuries ago, the Reticulans 
  glassed the Ssesslessian homeworld via brutal 
  orbital 
  bombardment, 
  forcing 
  the 
  Ssesslessians to become nomads and thralls 
  of the Empire. The UTR gave two former 
  Reticulan worlds to the Ssesslessians as their 
  new homeworlds. Deeply spiritual but highly 
  sectarian, 
  the 
  snake-like 
  Ssesslessians 
  maintain multiple mystery-cults to their 
  innumberable gods, all presided over by the 
  Council of Harmony – and its Terran advisors. 
   
   
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  6 
   
  The second new polity is the Reticulan 
  Technate. Even before the Terran War for 
  Liberation, 
  many 
  Reticulans 
  began 
  to 
  question the rationale behind the Reticulan 
  Imperial system. In its stead, they proposed 
  the Technocracy – meritocratic rule by 
  experts 
  and 
  scientists 
  rather 
  than 
  by 
  hereditary 
  nobles. 
  This 
  underground 
  Technocratic 
  Movement 
  supported 
  the 
  Terrans during the War and now controls the 
  Terra-backed Reticulan Technate. Rationally 
  managed in both economy and politics, the 
  Technate demonstrates the vigor which is 
  lacking in the old Empire. 
  CICEK CONFEDERATION 
  To the Spinward-Rimward dwell the tribal, 
  reptilian Cicek. Highly individualistic and 
  competitive in the case of males, and tribal 
  community oriented in the case of females, 
  the Cicek dislike any political framework 
  larger than a tribe. As a male’s Glory changes 
  quickly over time, so does the Cicek hierarchy. 
  Only a particularly Glorious male may hope to 
  unite several tribes under his command. This 
  unification only happened recently when the 
  warlord Nine Talons accumulated enough 
  notoriety and Glory to unite the tribes behind 
  him. He formed the Cicek Confederation, 
  combining multiple tribes into a very loose 
  "government". However, Cicek being Cicek, 
  things are unstable and the only hope for 
  stability is continued effort by Cicek females 
  to reign in the competitive drive of the typical 
  Cicek male. 
  ZHUZZH AND PRECURSORS 
  The insectoid Zhuzzh are opportunistic 
  nomads, traveling space in their ramshackle 
  starships and trading in all sorts of artifacts, 
  trinkets, and other goods. They are also not 
  above turning to piracy or smuggling when 
  the opportunity arises. Zhuzzh are said to 
  originate from a former Precursor world. They 
  were originally semi-sentient scavengers who 
  filled the vacuum left by the Precursors' fall. 
  The Zhuzzh then quickly evolved sentience 
  and learned how to use Precursor technology. 
  This allowed them to advance rapidly, though 
  usually through jury-rigging technology rather 
  than a profound understanding of the 
  principals of engineering behind their devices.  
  ON TO ADVENTURE! 
  This is a time of great danger among the stars, 
  as well as great opportunities. Enterprising 
  people – both human and alien – can make a 
  name for themselves in a wide variety of bold 
  actions among the stars, from exploration of 
  unknown worlds beyond the frontier, to 
  diplomacy and espionage along the border, to 
  trade and commerce between the far stars 
  and across borders, to mercenary work in the 
  many local and interstellar conflicts – or, 
  indeed, active-duty military life in these 
  interesting times. Adventure awaits! 
   
   
   
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  7 
   
  USING OTHER SETTINGS 
  The ships and aliens used in this adventure 
  are from the TSAO setting. Should the Referee 
  want to run this adventure in any other 
  setting, they will need to first select an 
  appropriate star system. A mainworld that is 
  orbiting a gas giant works very well, since it 
  moves the 100D jump limit out far enough to 
  spread out any incoming or outgoing ships, 
  delaying response times in the event of an 
  emergency. A world orbiting a red dwarf star 
  would also work, should the Referee want to 
  do the necessary math. Additionally, the 
  mainworld should be relatively isolated and a 
  backwater. A starport larger than Class D will 
  likely have too much traffic for the characters 
  to be the only ones able to respond. It also 
  would not be a good location for clandestine 
  meetings. 
  The damaged ship that is used by the Referee 
  can be almost anything, but the larger the 
  ship the better as it limits the ability of the 
  characters to save everyone. 
  The Reticulans can be replaced by just about 
  any race in the Referee’s setting, especially if 
  they already have a bad reputation or are the 
  “evil enemy”. If only humans are used, the 
  Reticulans could easily be replaced by a pirate 
  group, or cultists engaged in high-tech 
  eugenics experimentation. The Zhuzzh are 
  easily replaced by any shady group with 
  questionable morals and combined with a 
  desire to make a buck without asking a lot of 
  questions. The other aliens used in this 
  adventure, the Cicek and the Phnunk, can be 
  replaced by humans or any other race. They 
  are not integral to the actual adventure; they 
  are 
  more 
  to 
  provide 
  setting 
  specific 
  interactions and possibly lead to further 
  adventures within the TSAO setting. 
  The most important thing to consider when 
  adapting this adventure to a different setting 
  is to work out the time available to the 
  characters beginning when their ship docks 
  and ending when the power plant explodes. 
  The Referee may need to walk themselves 
  through the adventure, figuring out how long 
  to give the characters to save people. Ideally, 
  they should be able to save about half the 
  people on board. If there is too little time, 
  they may elect not to risk it at all; if there is 
  too much time, then they can save everyone 
  and the moral dilemmas baked into this 
  adventure are lost. A balance of being able to 
  save most, but never all, of the survivors is 
  critical to making this a memorable and 
  poignant adventure. 
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  8 
   
  REFEREE’S INFORMATION 
  The following section details background 
  information for the Referee to aid in running 
  this adventure. Players should not have 
  access to this information unless their 
  characters discover it during the course of the 
  adventure. 
  WHAT REALLY HAPPENED 
  While 
  the 
  players 
  may 
  never 
  really 
  understand the events preceding the meteor 
  swarm that damaged the ship, the Referee 
  should know what happened prior to the 
  damage, so they can respond to unexpected 
  character actions. 
  The Reticulan Abductor was on a mission to 
  collect 
  human 
  subjects 
  for 
  future 
  experimentation. They had a rendezvous 
  scheduled with a Zhuzzh clan that had 
  acquired some human colonists in low berths 
  and were desperate to offload their illicit 
  cargo. The Reticulans and the Zhuzzh 
  “salvagers” hammered out a secret deal, and 
  were finished with their transaction. The 
  Zhuzzh ship’s boat was pulling away from the 
  Abductor, having transferred all of their 
  cargo, and the majority of the Reticulan crew 
  was working on securing the subjects. 
  Meanwhile the Reticulan ship’s Simulated 
  Intelligence program was running. It was 
  focused on monitoring the Zhuzzh vessel as 
  well as ensuring no other ships were in the 
  area. Unfortunately, one of the limitations of 
  the Simulated Intelligence program is that it 
  can only do a few things at a time. A small 
  cluster of meteoroids – none larger than ten 
  tons - approached the ships from above the 
  orbital plane of the system and was not 
  detected until it was too late. The Abductor’s 
  Simulated Intelligence program did succeed in 
  dodging the largest of the meteors, but the 
  ship was still hit by several multi-ton objects. 
  The damage was so extensive that the hull’s 
  self-sealing feature failed – it was never 
  designed to handle this amount of damage. 
  The 
  ship 
  experienced 
  explosive 
  decompression and most of the Reticulans 
  were sucked out into space or died 
  attempting to reach rescue bubbles. 
  After viewing the destruction from close by, 
  the 
  all-too-practical 
  Zhuzzh 
  promptly 
  returned to the Reticulan Abductor and 
  started salvaging the wreck, focusing on the 
  high-value items: the humans in low berths. 
  After all, it isn’t every day that one can sell 
  the same items twice. The Zhuzzh themselves 
  honestly do not see that they did anything 
  wrong. From their point of view, they were 
  selling items to the Reticulans and once the 
  Abductor was crippled, it became a legally 
  salvageable wreck. Lawyers and others 
  familiar 
  with 
  Zhuzzh 
  psychology 
  will 
  understand this point of view, even if most 
  humans might not agree with it. 
   
   
   
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  9 
   
  DRAMATIS PERSONAE 
  This section gives a quick overview of the various NPCs that are likely to be encountered in this 
  adventure. While their general descriptions are available later in the text, more detailed character 
  statistics are provided here. 
  THE RETICULANS 
  "Katerina" is a Reticulan noble and Priestess. Here greenish skin indicates that Katerina has been 
  through the Reticulan Longevity process. As a Priestess, she is a psion, but will do everything she 
  can to hide this fact from the inferior Terrans. That does not mean she will not use her powers, but 
  that she will try to hide her abilities. Katerina will attempt to use Telepathy to influence the people 
  around her to save her life and not ask her too many uncomfortable questions. Once she is rescued, 
  she will refuse to answer any more questions and will demand to be put into contact with the 
  closest Reticulan Consulate. 
   
  Name 
  Proregina “Katerina” 
  UPP 
  4G5ABD-9 
  Age 
  135 (30) 
  Sex 
  Female 
  Career 
  Noble/Priestess 
  Cash 
  500 
  Cr 
  220000 
  Pension 
  16000 
  Skills 
  Admin-1, Advocate-1, Animals-0, Awareness-2, Comms-1, Computer-1, Electronics-1, Linguistics 
  (Terran)-1, Leadership-1, Liaison-1, Medicine-1, Sciences (life)-1, Telepathy-3, Telekinesis-1, Vehicle 
  (grav)-1, Zero-G-1 
  Traits 
  Engineered (TL11), Low Gravity Adaption, Notable Intelligence, Small 
  Equipment 
  CompOrb*, Implanted Multi-Breather*, Multiscanner*, Weave Armor (AR6)* 
  Description 
  Katerina is the chief scientist on this mission. She is a psionic Priestess and was the second-in-
  command of the ship. She looks like every other Reticulan; short, with greenish-grey skin, and large 
  almond-shaped eyes. She speaks Terran, but will try to keep that a secret for as long as possible. 
  Katrina is a hereditary priestess and received the Longevity treatment when she was 30, so she still 
  looks 30 years old, but is actually over a hundred. 
  * 
  Items are detailed below and in 50 Wonder of the Reticulan Empire (50W). 
  "Janice" is the only other conscious Reticulan aboard the ship. She is trapped in her stateroom 
  without a vacc suit or rescue bubble. She is a member of the minor House Zdellic. Janice has strong 
  Technate leanings and has not advanced as far as one would expect in her life due to her beliefs. 
  Should the rescuers be able to save her, she will ask for political asylum and defect to the Reticulan 
  Technate. If the player characters handle the situation correctly, she might be willing to become a 
  member of the crew. 
   
  Name 
  Technician “Janice” 
  UPP 
  3E4897 
  Age 
  44 
  Sex 
  Female 
  Career 
  Reticulan Prole (2 terms) 
  Technician (5 terms) 
  Cash 
  200 
  Cr 
  20000 
  Pension 
  14000 
  Skills 
  Admin-0, Comms-2, Computers-2, Electronics-1, Engineering-1, J-o-T-1, Liaison-0, Steward-1, Zero-
  G-1 
  Traits 
  Engineered (TL11), Low Gravity Adaption, Notable Intelligence, Small 
  Equipment 
  3 Mid-Passages, Vibro-Blade (4D6)* 
  Description 
  Janice is a Reticulan Prole who works aboard ship as an assistant Engineer. Her assignment was the 
  maintenance of the laundry and other auxiliary systems. She has no real knowledge of the ship’s 
  mission. Janice has strong Technate leanings and if rescued will try to defect to the Technate. She 
  looks like every other Reticulan; short, with grey skin, and large almond-shaped eyes. 
  *Item detailed below and in 50W. 
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  10 
   
  OTHER RACES IN THE CREW 
  An unconscious alien Phnunk is aboard the ship. These vaguely humanoid masses of tentacles are 
  very rare in human space and most humans will have never seen one in person. The Phnunk are a 
  servitor race of the Reticulan Empire, like Terrans once were, and are often employed in scientific 
  work. No statistics are provided for the Phnunk as it will not regain consciousness during this 
  adventure. If the characters do manage to wake it up, it will only be able to say that its name 
  is/means Rainfall-on-Mountain-Meadow-at-Night. 
  There are four members of the Zhuzzh ship that are attempting salvage. In the Zhuzzh language the 
  word for “rescue” is the same word as for “salvage”. The Zhuzzh are not saving anyone out of the 
  kindness of their two five-chambered hearts, they are doing it for recovery fees. The four members 
  of the Zhuzzh aboard the ship are Shi-Zar Nim the pilot of the small craft, Ko-Ren Ken a young 
  engineer, Sil-Zar Zex and Dek-Nak Zex, a bonded couple working to salvage/rescue the humans 
  aboard. 
   
  Name 
  Shi-Zar-Nim 
  UPP 
  769876 
  Age 
  18 
  Sex 
  Male 
  Career 
  Zhuzzh (2 terms) 
  Cash 
  100 
  Cr 
  5000 
  Pension 
  None 
  Skills 
  Broker-0, Comms-0, Gun Combat (slug pistol)-1, Gunnery-0, Mechanics-0, Navigation-1, Piloting-1, 
  Vehicle (watercraft)-0, Zero-G-1 
  Traits 
  Armored (AR2), Low Gravity Adaption, Weak Education (-2), Weak Psionics (-1), Poison & Disease 
  Resistance (+1) 
  Equipment 
  Vacc Suit (AR6), Auto Pistol (2D6) 
  Description 
  Shi-Zar is the pilot of the ship’s boat and will remain aboard at all times. If the characters try to board 
  the boat, he will pull away with them in the boarding tube, and abandon her crew mates. Shi-Zar is a 
  coward and will not fight unless cornered. 
   
  Name 
  Ko-Ren-Ken 
  UPP 
  687945 
  Age 
  12 
  Sex 
  Female 
  Career 
  Zhuzzh (0.5 terms) 
  Cash 
  100 
  Cr 
  1000 
  Pension 
  None 
  Skills 
  Athletics-0, Broker-0, Comms-0, Engineering-0, Gunnery-0, Mechanics-0, Piloting-0, Zero-G-0 
  Traits 
  Armored (AR2), Low Gravity Adaption, Weak Education (-2), Weak Psionics (-1), Poison & Disease 
  Resistance (+1), Great Leaper 
  Equipment 
  Snub Pistol (2D6), Vacc Suit (AR6) 
  Description 
  Ko-Ren is moving two low berths to the boat and will be alone in the corridor when encountered. She 
  will abandon her salvage and attempt to escape to the ships boat. She is not particularly brave or 
  skilled, serving as an assistant engineer aboard the Scavenger. 
   
  Name 
  Sil-Zar-Zex 
  UPP 
  989658 
  Age 
  22 
  Sex 
  Male 
  Career 
  Mercenary (2 terms)  
  Zhuzzh (1 term) 
  Cash 
  100 
  Cr 
  10000 
  Pension 
  None 
  Skills 
  Athletics-1, Battle Dress-1, Broker-0, Comms-0, Gambling-0, Gun Combat (slug pistol)-1, Gun Combat 
  (energy rifle)-1, Mechanics-0, Melee Combat-0, Zero-G-1 
  Traits 
  Armored (AR2), Low Gravity Adaption, Weak Education (-2), Weak Psionics (-1), Poison & Disease 
  Resistance (+1) 
  Equipment 
  Combat Armor (AR11), Laser Carbine (4D6), Snub Pistol (2D6), Blade (2D6) 
  Description 
  The mate of Dek-Nak-Zex and the senior team member of the salvage party, Sil-Zar is aggressive and 
  used to taking what he wants. He is the most likely to stand and fight, but if Dek-Nak has gotten 
  safely away, he will try to join her. Should Dek-Nak be injured, he will stay and attempt to rescue her. 
   
   
   
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  11 
   
  Name 
  Deck Cadet Dek-Nak-Zex 
  UPP 
  678567 
  Age 
  14 
  Sex 
  Female 
  Career 
  Merchant (1 term) 
  Cash 
  100 
  Cr 
  10000 
  Pension 
  None 
  Skills 
  Animals-0, Broker-0, Comms-0, Engineering-0, Gun Combat-0, Jack o’ Trades-1, Linguistics (Terran)-0, 
  Melee Combat-0, Steward-1, Vehicle (grav)-0  
  Traits 
  Armored (AR2), Low Gravity Adaption, Weak Education (-2), Weak Psionics (-1), Poison & Disease 
  Resistance (+1), Great Leaper 
  Equipment 
  Vacc Suit (AR6), Snub Pistol (2D6) 
  Description 
  Mate to Sil-Zar-Zex, Dek-Nak is the most practical of the team and the one most likely to try to talk her 
  way out of the situation, if she can. She has spent quite a bit of time amongst humans, and 
  understands Terran quite well. 
  Blue-Eye is a Cicek warrior who was wounded during the disaster. Cicek are lizard-like beings that 
  were humanity’s allies during the recent war against the Reticulans. However, many Cicek still serve 
  Reticulans guns-for-hire. Blue-Eye is hurt, alone, and very confused. Unfortunately for the 
  characters he is also wearing combat armor and is heavily armed. 
   
  Name 
  Zeta Blue-Eye 
  UPP 
  430256 
  Age 
  18 
  Sex 
  Male 
  Career 
  Cicek Male (2 terms) 
  Cash 
  200 
  Cr 
  2000 
  Pension 
  None 
  Skills 
  Animals-0, Athletics-1, Gun Combat (energy rifle)-1, Melee Combat (piercing)-1, Recon-0, Vehicle 
  (wheeled)-0, Zero-G-0 
  Traits 
  Heat Endurance, Low-Light Vision, Natural Climber (DM+2), Notable Strength (+1) 
  Equipment 
  Combat Armor (AR11), Blaster (4D6)*, Vibro-Blade (4D6)* 
  Description 
  Blue-Eye, so called since his left eye has been replaced cybernetically and is blue in color, was injured 
  during the attack and is bleeding. He is delirious and will attack anyone that comes near him, 
  screaming semi-coherently about “Glory”. His Combat Armor has a built-in translator that converts his 
  Cicek dialect into standard Reticulan. He will not stop fighting until he is unconscious. He is fatigued 
  and suffers a DM-2 to all checks. 
  * The Blaster and Vibro-Blade are detailed below and in 50W. 
  REFEREE'S NOTE: If the characters are unarmed or only armed with snub pistols, the Cicek’s Blaster 
  should be replaced with a less lethal weapon such as an Auto Pistol (2D6) or a Snub Pistol (2D6). 
  Remember to change his Gun Combat specialty to Slug Pistol. Replacing his Combat Armor with a 
  standard Vacc Suit (AR6) will also make it easier to subdue him. He is not meant to be a lethal 
  threat to the characters but represent an opportunity to subdue without killing. 
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  12 
   
  PRE-GENERATED CHARACTERS 
  If required, four pre-generated Player Characters have been provided for quick play. The character’s 
  attitudes and descriptions are written as though they were NPC’s. Players are free to re-imagine 
  character attitudes and motivations if it suits them. 
  Merchant Captain (Merchant 2nd Officer) 
  Name 
  Carlos Qureshi 
  UPP 
  676998 
  Age 
  36 
  Sex 
  Male 
  Career 
  Merchant (4.5 terms) 
  Cash 
  900 
  Cr 
  90000 
  Pension 
  None 
  Skills 
  Animals-0, Broker-1, Carousing-1, Comms-1, Gun Combat-1, Gunnery-0, Linguistics (Reticulan)-1, 
  Medicine-1, Melee Combat-0, Navigation-1, Piloting-1, Steward-1, Tactics-2, Zero-G-0 
  Traits 
  None 
  Equipment 
  Snub Pistol, High Passage, 7 Ship Shares 
  Description 
  Carlos spent the War years smuggling supplies and arms to Reticulan resistance organizations. He 
  considers many Reticulans his friends and during a crisis like this will not differentiate between 
  Reticulan and human lives. Once he understands that this is a House Thiragin ship however, his 
  attitude will quickly change and he will refuse to save any more Reticulans. 
  Merchant Engineer (ex-Navy Commander) 
  Name 
  Constance Tietz 
  UPP 
  898A99 
  Age 
  42 
  Sex 
  Female 
  Career 
  Terran Navy (4 terms) 
  Merchant (1 term) 
  Cash 
  400 
  Cr 
  40000 
  Pension 
  None 
  Skills 
  Admin-1, Comms-2, Gun Combat-0, Leadership-1, Melee Combat-0, Navigation-2, Piloting-1, 
  Streetwise-0, Vehicle (watercraft)-0, Zero-G-2 
  Traits 
  None 
  Equipment 
  Explorer’s Club, High Passage 
  Description 
  Connie is a veteran of the Liberation War. She has seen her fair share of destroyed ships and will be 
  very sympathetic to everyone aboard the Abductor. 
  Merchant Gunner (ex-Terran Guard Lieutenant) 
  Name 
  Barry Zhang 
  UPP 
  999678 
  Age 
  26 
  Sex 
  Male 
  Career 
  Terran Guard (2 terms) 
  Cash 
  100 
  Cr 
  10000 
  Pension 
  None 
  Skills 
  Animals (survival)-0, Battle Dress-1, Gun Combat (energy rifle)-1, Melee Combat (sword)-1, Streetwise-
  0, Zero-G-0 
  Traits 
  None 
  Equipment 
  Laser Pistol 
  Description 
  Barry came of age during the War and has known nothing else in his life. He enlisted as soon as he 
  turned 18, but never saw any actual combat as the War ended soon after he completed basic training. 
  He has been moving from ship to ship, trying to find his place in this new universe of post-war flux; he 
  is still looking. 
  Merchant Steward (Merchant Crewman) 
  Name 
  Chazd Brice-Rheudasil 
  UPP 
  5A7765 
  Age 
  22 
  Sex 
  Male 
  Career 
  Merchant (1 term) 
  Cash 
  100 
  Cr 
  10000 
  Pension 
  None 
  Skills 
  Gun Combat-0, Melee Combat-0, Steward-1, Streetwise-0, Zero-G-0 
  Traits 
  None 
  Equipment 
  2 Ship Shares 
  Description 
  Chazd grew up on the battlefield world of Belobog, and still lives with many of the horrors that he 
  experienced while growing up on a war-torn world that has more rubble than buildings. He is a 
  scrapper and has a ‘flexible’ moral code and will always put his best interests ahead of all others’ in any 
  situation. 
   
   
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  13 
   
  DISTRESS CALL 
  The characters are aboard their ship and have 
  just emerged from Jump at the 100-diamater 
  limit of the gas giant Mena, about which 
  orbits the mainworld Parvati (D400485-A; 
  see the Appendix for details). The exact ship 
  that the characters control is not critical for 
  this adventure. If the characters do not have 
  their own ship, then they can become 
  involved in the adventure as passengers 
  aboard any ship that has emerged from Jump. 
  As the ship enters the jump shadow of the 
  blue gas giant and accelerates towards the 
  orbiting moon of Parvati, they receive an 
  automated distress call using Reticulan 
  Imperial encoding from a ship in their close 
  vicinity.  
  “99…99…99… The ship is damaged – crew and 
  ship in peril – please assist – 99…99…99…“ 
  The Reticulan distress call repeats a dozen 
  times and then stops mid-broadcast. 
  The distress call comes from a location less 
  than an hour away at maximum thrust and 
  the characters are the closest ship that can 
  render aid. Interstellar law requires ships to 
  respond to distress calls and about ten 
  minutes after the characters receive the 
  distress call, they get a message from the 
  planetary authority on Parvati: help from the 
  planet is three hours away. The characters are 
  ordered to render all possible aid to the 
  stricken ship. To fail to respond to this 
  distress call is now a violation of interstellar 
  law. 
  DISTRESS SIGNALS  
  A distress signal indicates that a person or 
  group of people, vessel, small craft, or other 
  vehicle is threatened by grave and imminent 
  danger and requests immediate assistance. 
  The use of distress signals in any other 
  circumstances is against interstellar law; in 
  fact, most jurisdictions have large penalties 
  for false, unwarranted, or prank distress 
  signals. Given the vastness of interplanetary 
  space, help is hard to come by. Therefore, 
  most 
  interstellar 
  and 
  interplanetary 
  governments mandate that any vessel that 
  detects a distress signal is legally obligated to 
  either respond and offer assistance or contact 
  the authorities to report the signal.  
  It is well-known that some pirates use false 
  distress signals to lure other vessels into a 
  trap. This behavior has created significant 
  mistrust of distress signals among civilian 
  starship captains. However, interstellar law 
  still requires that assistance be rendered if 
  authorities cannot be reached within a 
  reasonable time. In the event that the captain 
  of a vessel is unable or unwilling to respond 
  to such a call, they are required by law to 
  officially log their reason for not doing so into 
  the ship's logs. Such commanders can be held 
  accountable for their decision, and can pay a 
  fine that could exceed MCr1, as well as serve 
  time in prison. 
  The Reticulan distress code "99" is equivalent 
  to the Terran "SOS" or "Mayday". Both the 
  Reticulan Empire and the Reticulan Technate 
  use Signal 99. 
   
   
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  14 
   
  APPROACHING THE SHIP 
  The Signal 99 is detected at Very Long Range (31200km). The following table can be used to 
  determine the time to reach the source of the signal. 
   
  Travel Times to Distress Signal 
  Thrust  
  1G 
  2G 
  3G 
  4G 
  5G 
  6G 
  Travel Time 
  59 minutes 
  42 minutes 
  34 minutes 
  29 minutes 
  26 minutes 
  24 minutes 
  The ship’s sensor operator should make a 
  series of Comms checks. One check may be 
  made at each range band (see below) as the 
  character’s ship approaches the vessel. Each 
  check provides additional details about the 
  situation.  
  Sensor Scan of Distressed Ship, Comms, EDU, 
  1D6 Minutes, Routine (+2) 
  Note, for all sensor tasks, the Character may 
  add their ship's Sensor Modifier.  
  The Referee can use the following table to 
  determine the normal level of detail that can 
  be determined by a successful Comms roll. If 
  the sensor operator rolls with Exceptional 
  success, then information from the next 
  nearer detection range should be provided. 
  Information from more distant ranges should 
  automatically be provided upon a successful 
  roll. 
   
  Sensor Range Details 
  Range 
  Distance (km) 
  Details 
  Docked 
  Contact 
  There is another ship, a small craft, attached to the underside of the Abductor. 
  Adjacent 
  <1 
  The power plant is unstable and will likely explode in 30 minutes. Airlocks 2A and 2D 
  are undamaged while the other two airlocks appear damaged. 
  Close 
  1 to 10 
  Provide the current Abductor description and the current deck plans. The entire hull is 
  vented to atmosphere, the small craft Saucer is missing.  
  Short 
  10 to 1250 
  There are 17 heat sources aboard the Abductor, 14 of them appear to be people, 
  mostly on the lower deck. Multiple distress beacons can be detected coming from 
  Rescue Bubbles. Artificial gravity is out on the ship. 
  Medium 
  1250 to 10000 
  The Reticulan Abductor has been severely damaged with several large holes in the 
  hull. The power plant is cycling wildly with power arcs flashing through the hull. 
  Long 
  10000 to 25000 
  Ship is a Reticulan Abductor, power plant is unstable. (if ship has Advanced or better 
  sensors, they can detect that the exterior hull is severely damaged). The ship is not 
  maneuvering. Provide the standard Abductor description. 
  Very 
  Long 
  25000 to 50000 
  Sensors pick up a damaged ship, appears to be a saucer shape (likely Reticulan), 500-
  800 tons, with fluctuating power levels. 
  As the Player Character’s ship approaches the 
  damaged Abductor, they can easily see that 
  the ship has been very badly damaged. Once 
  the PC’s vessel reaches Close Range, provide 
  them the current description and the deck 
  plan regardless of their previous Comms rolls. 
  There is a huge hole right through the middle 
  of the Abductor’s hull and several other 
  smaller holes. Most of engineering and the 
  entire bridge area are just gone. Whatever hit 
  the ship damaged it so badly that it was 
  almost broken in half. 
  Below are the Abductor's full statistics, as well 
  as the current statistics due to the damage it 
  has sustained. 
   
   
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  15 
   
  Reticulan Abductor – Standard Description 
  Using a 600-ton hull (12 Hull, 12 Structure,), 
  the Abductor is the menacing face of 
  Reticulan science. It mounts jump drive J, 
  maneuver drive J, and power plant J, giving a 
  performance of Jump-3 and 3-G acceleration. 
  Fuel tankage of 216 tons supports the power 
  plant for 4 weeks and 1 jump-3. Adjacent to 
  the bridge is a computer Model 5. Standard 
  software 
  load 
  includes: 
  Evade/1, 
  Fire 
  Control/1, Jump Control/3, and Simulated 
  Intelligence/1. The ship is equipped with 
  Highly Advanced sensors (+3 DM). There are 
  22 staterooms and 50 low berths. The ship 
  has 4 hardpoints and 4 tons allocated for fire 
  control. Installed on the hardpoints are Triple 
  Beam Lasers, Triple Pulse Lasers, Triple 
  Sandcasters, and a Single Static Pulser 
  weapons. A munitions magazine of 2 tons 
  allows stowage of 40 sand canisters. There is 
  a small craft hangar, capable of carrying a 
  Saucer, normally a Civilian Saucer. Cargo 
  capacity is 11 tons. The hull is Streamlined, 
  with Self Sealing and Stealth options. Special 
  features include Ship’s Locker, integral Fuel 
  Scoops, Fuel Processors (220 tons per day), 22 
  Escape 
  Pods, 
  Breaching 
  Tube, 
  20 
  Laboratories, and a Dedicated Medlab for 14 
  patients. The ship requires a crew of 22: 
  Captain, 3 Pilots, Navigator, 2 Engineers, 4 
  Medics, 3 Gunners, and 8 Scientists. The ship 
  can carry up to 20 additional passengers at 
  double occupancy and 50 low passengers. The 
  ship costs MCr373.990 and takes 76 weeks to 
  build. 
  Reticulan Abductor – Current Description 
  Using a 600-ton hull (currently 0 Hull, 1 
  Structure), the damaged Abductor is floating 
  in space. It mounts destroyed jump drive J, 
  destroyed maneuver drive J, and damaged 
  power plant J, giving a performance of Jump-
  0 and 0-G acceleration. Fuel tankage of 216 
  tons is fully vented and empty. Adjacent to 
  the missing bridge is a damaged computer 
  Model 5. The ship is equipped with damaged 
  Highly Advanced sensors (+3 DM). There are 
  22 staterooms and 50 low berths. The ship 
  has 4 hardpoints and 4 tons allocated for fire 
  control. Installed on the damaged hardpoints 
  are destroyed Triple Beam Lasers, damaged 
  Triple 
  Pulse 
  Lasers, 
  destroyed 
  Triple 
  Sandcasters, and a damaged Single Static 
  Pulser weapons. A destroyed munitions 
  magazine of 2 tons allows stowage of 40 lost 
  sand canisters. There is a damaged small 
  craft hangar, capable of carrying a missing 
  Saucer. Cargo capacity is 11 tons vented to 
  space. The hull is no longer Streamlined, with 
  failed Self Sealing and destroyed Stealth 
  options. Special features include Ship’s 
  Locker, destroyed integral Fuel Scoops, 
  damaged 
  Fuel 
  Processors 
  (unknown 
  capacity), 22 Escape Pods, Breaching Tube, 20 
  damaged Laboratories, and a damaged 
  Dedicated Medlab for 14 patients. The ship 
  requires a crew of 22 (14 life forms detected 
  – 
  status 
  unknown): 
  Captain, 
  3 Pilots, 
  Navigator, 2 Engineers, 4 Medics, 3 Gunners, 
  and 8 Scientists. The ship carries an unknown 
  number of passengers in low berths to a 
  maximum of 50 low passengers. The entire 
  ship is unpowered, has decompressed and all 
  sections have no atmosphere. 
  As the PC’s ship enters Close range, the 
  sensor operator will be able to detect that 
  there are life signs (or appropriate heat 
  signatures, depending on the type of sensors 
  on the ship) aboard the vessel, but even as 
  the sensor operator reports this information, 
  one of the life signs goes out, or the heat 
  signature begins cooling quickly – someone 
  has just died. Most the life signs/heat sources 
  are on the lower deck. 
   
   
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  16 
   
  ENTERING THE SHIP 
  There are several ways that the characters 
  can enter to the ship:  
  1. Manoeuver to an undamaged airlock 
  and dock normally. Since the damaged 
  ship is not maneuvering, the check is 
  Average: 
   
  2. Dock with the damaged ship, Piloting, 
  DEX, 1D6 minutes, Average (+0) 
  Undocking later will take another 1D6 
  minutes, but does not require any skill 
  check. 
  Manoeuver close to one of the holes 
  in the ship and extend a boarding tube 
  from an airlock.  
  Attaching the docking tube to a hull 
  breach, Piloting, DEX, 1D6 minutes, 
  Difficult (-2) 
   
  3. Undocking will only require 1 minute, 
  and does not require any skill check if 
  the Docking Tube is sacrificed (costs 
  Cr1000). If the crew wants to save the 
  Docking Tube, it will take 1D6 minutes 
  and require succeeding at a Difficult 
  Piloting check. 
   
  Docking with the Engine Room is a very 
  dangerous option. The power plant is 
  unstable. 
  Wild 
  power 
  fluctuations 
  and 
  powerful arcs of energy are coming from the 
  damaged power plant. Any ship attempting to 
  dock in that area will receive the equivalent 
  of a Beam Laser attack every ship combat 
  round (approximately every 16 minutes) it is 
  within Adjacent range (<1km), use a DM-4 to 
  hit due to the random nature of the energy 
  arcs. 
  Once the player characters have maneuvered 
  their ship to dock with the Abductor, the 
  Referee should roll 1D6 every 5 minutes. 
  Every time a 1 is rolled, another person 
  aboard 
  the 
  Abductor 
  dies. 
  The 
  room 
  descriptions provide the suggested order of 
  death, but exactly which survivor dies is left 
  to the Referee. The Referee should use this to 
  provide a sense of urgency to the characters 
  and get them to quickly dock with the vessel 
  and start saving people. Once the characters 
  have recovered a survivor, they should not 
  die. 
  During the docking process, have the sensor 
  operator make one more Comms check. If 
  they succeed, inform them that another 
  vessel seems to be docked to the Abductor on 
  the opposite side from the Character’s ship. 
  No details of that ship will be possible due to 
  the hull of the Abductor, and the energy 
  variations caused by the power plant, 
  interfering with the sensor readings. If the 
  characters try to contact this other ship, their 
  hails will not be answered. 
   
   
   
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  17 
   
  ABDUCTOR MAIN DECK 
   
   
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  18 
   
  ABDUCTOR LOWER DECK 
   
   
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  19 
   
  RESCUE 
  Once the character’s ship has docked, the 
  Referee should start the clock. Keep track of 
  every minute. Remember, one combat round 
  is 6 seconds or 0.1 minutes. The ship’s power 
  plant will explode in 25 minutes (250 combat 
  rounds) after the character’s ship docks. 
  However, the Referee should adjust this timer 
  to ensure that not everyone can be saved. If 
  they ask, an Easy (+4) Engineering check can 
  be made to determine when the Power Plant 
  will explode. Due to the power fluctuations, it 
  will be impossible to predict the time of the 
  explosion precisely; at best, the Engineering 
  check will be able to estimate the explosion 
  time within 1D6 minutes. 
  Five minutes before the power plant explodes 
  there will be a massive power surge that can 
  be felt throughout the damaged Abductor. 
  Anyone who hasn’t felt a sense of urgency by 
  then should realize that they need to leave 
  immediately. 
   
  RESCUE OPERATIONS 
  The following tasks have specific time 
  requirements to accomplish them rather than 
  time intervals. These task times can be used 
  by the Referee to help keep track of the 
  overall action and help reduce much of the 
  randomness concerning the number of 
  survivors that can be saved. For ease of 
  calculations, all times are given in minutes. 
  Remember that there are ten rounds (6 
  seconds) in on minute. Any activity carried 
  out by the characters that is not on the list 
  below should be rolled for normally, with 6 
  seconds = 0.1 minute conversion of time. 
  NOTE: Any door or hatch within 2 squares (3 
  meters) of a destroyed area (black on the 
  map) is damaged; all other doors and hatches 
  are undamaged unless specifically mentioned 
  otherwise in the room descriptions. The 
  Referee should be very conservative with this 
  rule, if any part of the destroyed area and any 
  part of the door image are within 2 squares 
  (even diagonally), then the door should be 
  considered damaged. If in doubt, assume the 
  door or hatch is closed and damaged. 
  When the first meteors struck the ship, 
  automatic protocols sealed all doors. Every 
  door is shut, unless it has been destroyed. 
   
   
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  20 
   
  Character Action Tasks and Time 
  Task 
  Skill 
  Characteristic 
  Time (min) 
  Difficulty 
  Open undamaged airlock 
  Athletics 
  DEX 
  1.0 
  Easy (+4) 
  Open damaged airlock 
  Athletics 
  STR 
  5.0 
  Average (+0) 
  Open undamaged corridor door 
  Athletics 
  DEX 
  0.2 
  Easy (+4) 
  Open damaged corridor door 
  Athletics 
  STR 
  1.0 
  Routine (+2) 
  Ascend/Descend undamaged floor/ceiling hatch 
  Zero-G 
  DEX 
  0.5 
  Easy (+4) 
  Ascend/Descend damaged floor/ceiling hatch 
  Zero-G 
  STR 
  2.0 
  Average (+0) 
  Open closed compartment door 
  Athletics 
  STR 
  0.2 
  Easy (+4) 
  Open locked compartment door 
  Athletics 
  STR 
  0.5 
  Average (+0) 
  Move a Rescue Bubble with unconscious occupant 
  through an open door, hatch, or airlock 
  Zero-G 
  DEX 
  0.2 
  Routine (+2) 
  Move a Rescue Bubble with helpful occupant 
  through an open door, hatch, or airlock 
  Zero-G 
  DEX 
  0.1 
  Easy (+4) 
  Move a Rescue Bubble with a combative occupant 
  through an open door, hatch, or airlock 
  Zero-G 
  STR 
  0.5 
  Difficult (-2) 
  Check if a person in a Rescue Bubble is alive 
  Medicine 
  INT 
  0.5 
  Easy (+4) 
   
  Disconnect a Low Berth pod 
  Mechanics 
  or 
  Medicine 
  DEX 
   
  DEX 
  1.0 
   
  1.0 
  Routine (+2) 
   
  Easy (+4) 
  Move Low Berth pod through an open door 
  Zero-G 
  DEX 
  0.2 
  Routine (+2) 
  Move a Low Berth pod through an open hatch 
  Zero-G 
  DEX 
  1.0 
  Average (+0) 
  Move a Low Berth pod through an open airlock 
  Zero-G 
  DEX 
  0.5 
  Average (+0) 
  Check a cabin for survivors 
  Zero-G 
  INT 
  1.0 
  Routine (+2) 
  Move 6m (4 squares) – Normal Speed 
  Zero-G 
  DEX 
  0.1 
  Easy (+4) 
  Hacking a Servbot to help with the Rescue 
  Computers 
  EDU 
  5.0 
  Routine (+2) 
  Hacking a Protectorbot to help with the Rescue 
  Computers 
  EDU 
  10.0 
  Difficult (-2) 
  Additional Referee’s Information: The ship is 
  going to explode long before any other rescue 
  ship will arrive. The Players should clearly 
  understand their time limit before they try to 
  dock with the Abductor. The Referee should 
  be obvious in meticulously keeping track of 
  time. At some point in the rescue, the player 
  characters are going to have to cut and run or 
  risk being killed in the explosion. This 
  adventure is about the time crunch of the 
  rescue and having to make life-and-death 
  decisions with not enough time to save 
  everyone. This is not a traditional dungeon 
  crawl – there is no time to explore. The player 
  character’s ship must be at least at Medium 
  Range (>1250 km) to avoid damage from the 
  inevitable explosion.  
  If there are more than four player characters 
  or rescuers the Referee should reduce the 
  time to explosion to ensure that the 
  characters will have to make tough choices. 
  We recommend reducing the time to the 
  explosion by five minutes per additional 
  player character. 
  The following information should be given to 
  the Characters as soon as they dock with the 
  Abductor: 
  • Power is out everywhere. Only 
  emergency lights are working, giving 
  everything a dim, sickly-green glow 
  common to Reticulan designs. Treat 
  as Low Light conditions throughout 
  the ship (DM-2 to all Recon checks 
  and DM-1 to all ranged weapon 
  attacks that do not use appropriate 
  sights). 
  Some 
  areas 
  have 
  no 
  emergency lighting and are in total 
  darkness. This condition imposes an 
  additional DM-1 to all checks. 
  • The atmosphere is gone. Characters 
  must be in vacc suits at all times. 
  Almost every seam and door has 
  burst – at least a little. Almost every 
  compartment 
  has 
  vented 
  to 
  vacuum. All doors and hatches are 
  shut 
  but 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  damaged. Referees should really 
  play up the creepiness of the ship: 
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  21 
   
  lots of blinking lights in weird colors, 
  debris floating everywhere including 
  bodies, spherical globules of frozen 
  blood, 
  assorted 
  pieces 
  of 
  equipment, etc. 
  • Artificial gravity is out. The entire 
  ship 
  is 
  under 
  zero-gravity. 
  Characters without Zero-G skill have 
  their movement rate cut in half. 
  Additionally, they must make a 
  Routine (+2) Dexterity check every 
  minute (10 combat rounds) or their 
  movement rate is halved again 
  (quarter normal speed) until the 
  next check. Normal Zero-G combat 
  penalties always apply. 
  • There is a lot of debris floating in 
  the corridors. There will also be 
  Reticulan bodies. Most of the 
  stateroom doors are closed, but not 
  airtight. Any time a character fails a 
  Zero-G or similar check, they risk 
  damage from the floating debris. 
  • There are active distress beacons 
  inside the ship. These distress 
  beacons are standard issue for 
  Rescue 
  Bubbles. 
  Using 
  the 
  deckplans 
  provided, 
  distress 
  beacons are active in the following 
  rooms. 
  o Main Deck, rooms 3D, 3H, 
  and 3M  
  o Lower Deck, rooms 4A (2 
  beacons), and 5 (4 beacons) 
  • Escape Pods also have distress 
  beacons. Four pods are emitting 
  distress beacons and are floating in 
  space within 10 km of the wreckage. 
  6 other escape pods are emitting 
  distress beacons but are still located 
  aboard the ship. Two signals from 
  lower deck room 2A and 4 signals 
  from lower deck room 2B. 
  • Hand Sensors can detect distress 
  signals even through interior walls. 
  • Since all known species were (or still 
  are) part of the Reticulan Empire, all 
  space suits are carry a language 
  translator from Reticulan into the 
  wearer’s native tongue. Thus, a 
  Zhuzzh and a Human could talk to 
  each other, their words being 
  translated into and back from 
  Reticulan. Occasional errors in the 
  double-translations can occur. Treat 
  all vacc suited characters as having 
  Linguistics (Reticulan)-1. 
  • The Reticulan Priestess survivor 
  Katerina will try not sit idly by 
  waiting to die. She will move to the 
  escape pods from her position in 
  the laboratory (Location 5 on the 
  lower deck). Unfortunately, she will 
  not be able to get past the damaged 
  areas of the corridor to clockwise or 
  counter-clockwise. She will likely be 
  found in the corridor, trying to get 
  past the damage somehow. 
   
   
   
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  22 
   
  RETICULAN EQUIPMENT 
  Many of the items that can be found or used 
  by the survivors were originally detailed in 50 
  Wonders 
  of 
  the 
  Reticulan 
  Empire 
  by 
  Stellagama Publishing. A short summary of 
  these items is provided below. For a complete 
  description, please see 50 Wonders. Unless 
  specifically mentioned otherwise, all the 
  items below are TL13. 
  RETICULAN VACC SUIT 
  An advanced vacc suit that is almost as thin 
  and light as regular clothes and thus usable 
  without Zero-G skill. The translucent helmet 
  includes a medium-range communicator, IR 
  and low-light vision capabilities and the 
  equivalent of a Computer/2 connected to its 
  integral HUD. AR: 6/14 (laser), Cost: Cr15000, 
  Wt. 3kg  
  RETICULAN CHAMELEON SUIT 
  Manufactured from color-changing “smart 
  fabric”, when activated it provides active 
  adaptive camouflage granting the equivalent 
  of Recon-2 for stealth purposes, additionally 
  any attack aimed at the wearer suffers a DM-
  1 to hit. AR: 0, Cost: Cr10000, Weight: 1kg. 
  WEAVE ARMOR 
  Woven bio-engineered body suit providing 
  excellent protection without encumbering the 
  wearer. Noticing that a person is wearing 
  Weave requires an INT 12+ roll. AR: 6, Cost: 
  Cr6000, Weight: 1kg. 
  COMPUORB 
  The standard Reticulan personal computer, 
  the CompuOrb is a small hand-held ball which 
  projects holographic displays. Equivalent to a 
  Computer/4 and includes a short-range 
  communicator/modem (10km range). Cost: 
  Cr2500, Weight: 0.25kg. 
  SERVBOT  
  Every facet of Reticulan upper-class living 
  incorporates these household or shipboard 
  robots. 
  While 
  less 
  versatile 
  than 
  a 
  protectorbot, a servbot can perform a very 
  wide range of activities to make its masters' 
  lives easier. It resembles a thick grav-
  propelled disk with three articulated arms on 
  its circumference and a sensor cluster dome 
  on its upper surface. It is autonomous and can 
  carry 
  out 
  complex 
  commands, 
  having 
  Intellect-1 and Expert-1 (Steward) software 
  installed. 
  Strength 9 (+1), Dexterity 7 (+0), Hull 2, 
  Structure 2 
  Intelligence 5 (-1), Education 5 (-1), Social 
  Standing 0 (-3)  
  Traits: Small, Integral System (vacuum cleaner 
  and other housekeeping equipment), Integral 
  System (grav floater), Integral System (TL13 
  holographic projector), Model/2 computer. 
  Price: Cr10000 
  PROTECTORBOT 
  The Reticulan Protectorbot is a combination 
  servbot and less-militarized warbot. This 
  humanoid, Reticulan-sized personal service 
  and defense robot is common among 
  Reticulan Nobles or Reticulans venturing 
  beyond Reticulan space. It excels at neither 
  service nor war, but is capable of both. It is 
  perfect for those nervous Reticulans who 
  require security while adventuring in the 
  dangerous universe, as well as all the 
  comforts of Imperial life. The Protectorbot 
  has Intellect-1, Expert-1 (Steward), and 
  Expert-1 (Energy Pistol) software installed. 
  Strength 12 (+2), Dexterity 7 (+0), Hull 2, 
  Structure 2  
  Intelligence 7 (+0), Education 7 (+0), Social 
  Standing 0 (-3)  
  Traits: Small, Armor 4, Integral Weapon, 
  Model/2 computer. 
  Weapon: Blaster (unusable). 
  Price: Cr30000 
   
   
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  23 
   
  VIBRO-BLADE 
  A hydrid, double-sided knife-like weapon with 
  an edge that vibrates at supersonic speed. 
  This weapon uses the Melee (Slashing) skill. 
  Cost: Cr500, Weight: 0.5kg, Damage: 4D6. 
  BLASTER 
  An advanced Reticulan sidearm using an 
  integral micro-fusion power cell. Blasters are 
  much sough-after trophies by Terrans. This 
  weapon uses the Gun Combat (Energy Pistol) 
  skill. Cost: CR5000, Weight: 1kg, Damage: 
  4D6, Range: Ranged (Assault Weapon), 
  Ammo: Cr100, 20 rounds. 
  NEURAL WHIP 
  The dreaded neural whip is a symbol of 
  Reticulan atrocities and is illegal in Terran 
  space. The neural whip consists of a stocky 
  handle with a strap. Each lash stroke causes 
  Stun Damage and physical damage. Also, if 
  the target fails an END 10+ throw, they suffer 
  nightmarish pain and are incapacitated for 
  2D6 rounds. Cost: Cr1500, Weight: 0.5kg, 
  Damage: 4D6 (stun)+1D6 (physical), Ammo: 
  Cr100, 8 rounds. 
  POCKET LABORATORY 
  A 
  standard 
  issue 
  Reticulan 
  portable 
  laboratory the Pocket Lab has all the 
  capability of a hypothetical TL-15 Bioscanner 
  but requires larger samples and cannot 
  identify small traces. Cost: Cr10000, Weight: 
  3kg. 
  MULTISCANNER 
  A device with combines the following 
  detectors into a single, hand-held instrument: 
  Magnetic Compass, Radiation Detector, Metal 
  Detector, 
  Inertial 
  Locator, 
  and 
  Electromagnetic Probe. It also includes a wide 
  range of medical-scientific scanners. It has an 
  integral holographic projector and is typically 
  used with a CompuOrb. Cost: Cr3000, Weight: 
  1kg. 
  MICROFUSION BATTERY 
  A high-tech version of the TL10 Portable 
  Generator, this battery can easily recharge 
  energy weapons and other rechargeable 
  equipment. Cost: Cr50000, Weight: 5kg. 
  REGENERATION VAT 
  This transparent tube is usually filled with 
  greenish gel and slender, tentacle-like probes. 
  Any oxygen-breathing creature submerged in 
  the gel enters a healing coma which enhances 
  the healing process. This vas serves as 
  Medical Care; Reticulans heal at double their 
  normal rate and non-Reticulans enjoy DM+3 
  to their daily healing characteristic points. 
  Cost: MCr1.0, Weight: 25kg. 
  MIND PROBE 
  A smooth, hand-held orb of swirling semi-
  transparent blue, the Mind Probe amplifies 
  Telepathic powers. It provides a DM+1 to all 
  Telepathic tests and reduces the Psi Point 
  cost of any telepathic power by 2, minimum 
  of 0. Cost: Cr5000, Weight: 1kg. 
  MULTI-BREATHER IMPLANT 
  This cybernetic implant combines an artificial 
  gill with the equivalent of a Combination 
  Mask, allowing breathing of ATM 2-9 as well 
  as underwater. It also includes an emergency 
  oxygen reservoir providing 10 minutes of 
  breathing to a Reticulan, or 5 minutes to 
  larger species. Cost: Cr10000. 
   
   
   
   
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  24 
   
  SEARCH FOR SURVIVORS 
  ESCAPE PODS 
  Four escape pods are emitting distress signals 
  and are floating in space within 10 km of the 
  damaged ship. Two of the pods contain a 
  dead Reticulan and two others contain live 
  Reticulans. If the escape pods are not 
  recovered prior to the Abductor’s power 
  plant exploding, they will be destroyed. 
  Recover an Escape Pod, Piloting, DEX, 5 
  minutes, Routine (+2) 
  The recovery effort will only allow the player 
  character’s ship to rescue one pod before the 
  power plant explodes, although this action 
  will take up valuable time possibly spent 
  rescuing those on the crippled Abductor. If 
  the characters’ ship has auxiliary vessels, they 
  could be used to recover escape pods, but will 
  only have 1 ship combat round to do so, 
  before the power plant’s explosion destroys 
  everything within Close range. 
  RETICULAN ABDUCTOR 
  Since the Player Characters have several 
  options for where to dock with the Abductor 
  and begin the rescue attempt, an exact order 
  that the rooms will be visited cannot be 
  provided. Use the maps provided and the 
  room descriptions provided below. 
  Referee’s Information: Many of the survivors 
  will be in Rescue Bubbles. If the occupant(s) is 
  awake and uninjured, they can assist the 
  rescuer in moving them. The rescuer can 
  move at normal speed but will still need to be 
  helped to guide the bubble through the 
  corridors to the waiting ship. If the occupant 
  is unable to help the rescuer, then movement 
  rate is halved. Some occupants may actively 
  try to resist the characters. In that case, the 
  rescuer suffers a DM-2 to all Zero-G or 
  Dexterity Checks. 
  Many rooms have debris moving around in 
  them. Where necessary, a Zero-G, DEX check 
  must be made whenever someone is inside 
  the room, searching for survivors or salvage, 
  to avoid taking damage. 
  Rescue Bubble: A large (up to 2m diameter) 
  pressurized 
  plastic 
  bubble. 
  Piezoelectric 
  layers in the bubble wall translate the user's 
  movements into electricity to recharge the 
  bubble's batteries and power its distress 
  beacon, and a small oxygen tank both inflates 
  the bubble and provides two person-hours of 
  life support. A self-repairing plastic seal serves 
  as an emergency airlock. Rescue bubbles are 
  often found on both space vessels and water 
  craft as emergency lifeboats. Moving in a 
  Rescue Bubble is awkward and movement 
  rates are half normal. All tasks performed in a 
  Rescue Bubble take three times longer than 
  normal and suffer a DM-2. Rescue Bubbles 
  cost Cr600 and are available at TL9. 
  MAIN DECK 
  The rooms are identified on the deck plans by 
  a number. That number, along with its 
  intended use is listed below, followed by the 
  current condition of the room. 
  1 Fuel Tanks – The main fuel tank surrounds 
  the entire upper deck, with access to the 
  airlocks going through the fuel tanks. All tanks 
  are vented and empty. 
  2A Airlock – This airlock is undamaged and 
  may be used to enter the ship. Three 
  Reticulan vacc suits (50W) are still in the 
  stowage compartment. Two of the suits have 
  minor holes in them which can be patched 
  using the integral patch kit. The third suit is 
  undamaged. All three suits are sized for 
  Reticulans. 
  2B Airlock – This airlock is slightly damaged. 
  While it still operates, it has become warped 
  slightly due to the impacts imposing a DM-1 
  to opening the airlock manually and doubling 
  the time to open it manually. There are three 
  Reticulan vacc suits (50W) in the stowage 
  compartment, but all three are damaged 
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  25 
   
  beyond repair. The emergency lights are out 
  in this corridor and everything is in total 
  darkness.  
  2C Airlock – This airlock is severely damaged 
  and will not open without the use of 
  explosives. This damage is visible from the 
  outside and can be detected before the 
  character’s ship docks. The stowage locker 
  has been opened and is empty. There is blood 
  smeared on one of the interior walls of the 
  vacc suit stowage compartment. 
  2D Airlock – This airlock is undamaged and 
  may be used to enter the ship. There are four 
  Reticulan vacc suits (50W) in the stowage 
  locker that are fully functional and sized for a 
  Reticulan. 
  3A 
  Stateroom 
  – 
  This 
  stateroom 
  was 
  completely destroyed by the collision. 
  3B Stateroom – This stateroom was severely 
  damaged by the collision and the interior wall 
  is completely gone. Most cabinet doors are 
  open and all items are missing. The room 
  shows the obvious signs of explosive 
  decompression: loose items in the cabin are 
  stuck to the edges of the breach hole, 
  including more than one body part; several 
  drawers are pulled completely out of their 
  runners; cabinet doors are bent and twisted 
  towards the opening, some completely torn 
  off and missing. There are no emergency 
  lights in this room, it is in total darkness. 
  Failing the Zero-G check causes 2D6 damage 
  from flying debris. 
  Avoid floating debris, Zero-G, DEX, 1.0 
  minutes, Routine (+2) 
  3C Stateroom – This stateroom in intact, but 
  empty; a lot of debris is floating about the 
  cabin, doubling the time to check it for 
  survivors. Located near the bed is a Gestalt 
  Generator (50W); it is mounted to the floor 
  and cannot be moved. Failing the Zero-G 
  check causes 3D6 damage from high-speed 
  (sharp) debris. 
  Avoid floating debris, Zero-G, DEX, 1.0 
  minutes, Routine (+2) 
  3D Stateroom – This stateroom is intact but 
  empty. There is blood smeared near the open 
  door, indicating that someone may have been 
  in this room, but has since left. The trail of 
  blood leads to Stateroom 3E. The corridor will 
  have smeared blood too (including the 4-way 
  corridor interlock). There is an uninflated 
  Rescue bubble in the room with an active 
  beacon. 
  3E Stateroom – The door to this room is 
  open. There are two Reticulan bodies here. 
  One is wearing a Reticulan vacc suit (50W) but 
  shows signs of severe trauma (this was the 
  first death detected by the characters as they 
  approached the Abductor). A trail of blood 
  leads from stateroom 3D. The other body is 
  partially inside a Rescue Bubble, but obviously 
  died of asphyxiation and exposure to space 
  before she could get inside; this Reticulan has 
  a green-tinted skin, an obvious indication of a 
  Reticulan 
  noble 
  who 
  had 
  Longevity 
  treatment. On the largest interior wall is a 
  painted symbol instantly recognized, and 
  hated, by all humanity: House Thiragin, the 
  Reticulan Great House responsible for the 
  alien occupation of Terra and the horrific 
  atrocities committed by the Reticulan Empire. 
  The stateroom is slightly better decorated 
  than most of the others. Lying on the floor in 
  obvious sight is a Reticulan CompuOrb (50W). 
  Two Servbots (50W) are floating around the 
  room ‘cleaning up’; they will ignore anyone 
  entering the room. 
  3F Stateroom – This stateroom is completely 
  missing and was destroyed by the meteor 
  swarm. 
  3G Stateroom – This stateroom was severely 
  damaged by the collision. Much of the 
  interior wall is missing and there is a severed 
  leg floating around in the vacuum. All the 
  emergency lights have failed in this room and 
  it is in complete darkness. Failing the Zero-G 
  skill check will result in 2D6 damage. 
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  26 
   
  Avoid floating debris, Zero-G, DEX, 1.0 
  minutes, Routine (+2) 
  3H Stateroom – This stateroom contains 
  three Reticulans in a Rescue Bubble, one 
  adult and two children. All but one are 
  unconscious; the only conscious Reticulan is 
  one of the children who cannot move the 
  bubble; it must be moved by brute force (the 
  adult is the third death). Against one wall is a 
  Protectorbot (50W). The Protectorbot is 
  damaged and cannot use its built in weapon. 
  It will move to protect the children from any 
  non-Reticulan entering the room. Due to 
  damage, the protectorbot’s Dexterity is 
  reduced to 5 (-1). 
  3I Stateroom – This stateroom is damaged, 
  but relatively intact. It has an airlock on it, 
  which is open and damaged as well. The 
  interior is decorated in unusual designs and 
  colors. The emergency lights in this room are 
  a somber orange rather than the standard 
  Reticulan green. It is empty. Floating in the 
  debris is a Vibro-Blade (50W). 
  3J Stateroom – This stateroom is relatively 
  undamaged, but empty. Unlike most of the 
  other staterooms used by Reticulans, this 
  stateroom is brightly painted with blue and 
  yellow spiral patterns and holograms hanging 
  on the wall (or floating about) showing a 
  variety of natural scenes from many worlds, 
  including two obviously from Terra (the Grand 
  Canyon and the Pyramids of Giza). Under the 
  bed is a Reticulan Chameleon Suit (50W). 
  3K Stateroom – This stateroom was severely 
  damaged. Much of the interior wall and one 
  entire side wall are missing. The room is 
  empty. It is not decorated like most of the 
  others and has Cicek decorations and 
  furniture within it. Emergency lighting has 
  failed in this room and it is in total darkness. 
  Failing the Zero-G skill check will result in 2D6 
  damage. Within the debris is a Reticulan 
  Chameleon Suit designed for a Cicek female 
  (50W). 
  Avoid floating debris, Zero-G, DEX, 1.0 
  minutes, Routine (+2) 
  3L Stateroom – This stateroom was almost 
  destroyed. All four walls show severe 
  damage, with all of one side wall, the entire 
  outside wall and much of the interior wall 
  missing. What is left of the room is empty. 
  The emergency lights in this room (what are 
  left of them) are flickering, adding a further 
  DM-2 to any checks due to the disorientation 
  of the strobe effect. Failing the Zero-G skill 
  check will result in 2D6 damage. 
  Avoid floating debris, Zero-G, DEX, 1.0 
  minutes, Routine (+2) 
  3M Stateroom – The outside and one of the 
  side walls are missing and the rest of the 
  room is severely damaged. All emergency 
  lights have failed and the room is in total 
  darkness. A Reticulan floats in the room next 
  to a Rescue Bubble. The Reticulan is dead but 
  that may not be immediately obvious to 
  rescuers. There are two Reticulan eggs inside 
  the Rescue Bubble and a third in a damaged 
  incubator in one corner. The egg in the 
  incubator has cracked open. The two eggs in 
  the Rescue Bubble are still viable, but without 
  movement inside it, the batteries will run out 
  in 10 minutes. A destroyed Servbot floats 
  among the debris in the room. The amount of 
  floating debris in this room causes all 
  lantern/torch beams to reflect off of the 
  particles floating about, giving them an eerie 
  scattering effect. Failing the Zero-G skill check 
  will result in 2D6 damage.  
  Avoid floating debris, Zero-G, DEX, 1.0 
  minutes, Routine (+2) 
  3N Stateroom – The stateroom is unlocked 
  and empty.  
  3P Stateroom – This stateroom is locked and 
  still airtight. There is a Reticulan inside, but if 
  the door is forced open, the air will vent and 
  she will be exposed to vacuum and quickly die 
  without help. There is no rescue bubble in the 
  room. The survivor “Janice” is a young Prole 
  who was sleeping at the time of the meteor 
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  27 
   
  strike. See p.29 for Janice’s statistics. To 
  rescue Janice, the characters will have to 
  devise some sort of airlock and find a vacc 
  suit or rescue ball that can be used to move 
  her off of the ship. She is a member of a 
  minor Reticulan House, not House Thiragin. 
  Thus, she was not aware of the exact mission 
  of the ship. She has a Vibro-blade (50W) and 
  will use it to defend herself if necessary. 
  3Q Stateroom – This stateroom is relatively 
  intact, but empty. There is a Vibro-blade 
  (50W) and a Medical Kit (TL12) floating in the 
  room. 
  3R Stateroom – The stateroom is empty and 
  slightly damaged. The wall closest to room 3S 
  is warped and buckled. Failing the Zero-G skill 
  check results in 2D6 damage. 
  Avoid floating debris, Zero-G, DEX, 1.0 
  minutes, Routine (+2) 
  3S Stateroom – The room is almost 
  completely destroyed and open to space 
  above and below. The hole created by a 
  meteor has opened access to the laboratory 
  space located in room 5 on the lower deck. 
  3T Stateroom – This stateroom empty, except 
  for the body of a Reticulan floating in the 
  vacuum. 
  3U Stateroom – The stateroom is badly 
  damaged. The wall facing room 3V is buckled 
  and warped, although still technically intact. 
  There is a dead Reticulan tucked into bed, a 
  large piece of metal speared through her and 
  the bed. There is a CompuOrb (50W) floating 
  in the room. The emergency lights have failed 
  in this room and it is in complete darkness. 
  3V Stateroom – The stateroom is almost 
  completely destroyed, only the outer walls, 
  torn and warped, still exist. There is a hole 
  made by a meteor that has opened up the 
  floor leading to Room 6B on the lower deck 
  where the Zhuzzh ship has docked. All the 
  emergency lights are out in this room and it is 
  in complete darkness. 
  3W Stateroom – This stateroom is badly 
  damaged. The interior wall is warped and 
  damaged with the area closest to the bridge 
  open to space. There is a lot of debris floating 
  about this room. 
  4A Storage – This storage area is open to 
  space on the interior and side wall. Whatever 
  was inside it is long gone; the room is empty. 
  4B Storage – This storage area is open to 
  space on the interior side. It used to contain 
  vacc suits and spare equipment. While some 
  items remain, they are all damaged and 
  unusable. Failing the Zero-G skill check results 
  in 2D6 damage. 
  Avoid floating debris, Zero-G, DEX, 1.0 
  minutes, Routine (+2) 
  4C Storage – This storage area is relatively 
  undamaged. It contains various mechanical 
  and electrical toolkits and equipment. Three 
  Multiscanners and two Pocket Laboratories 
  (50W) are undamaged and easily visible. 
  4D Storage – This storage area is almost 
  completely undamaged. It contains spare 
  bridge components. 
  4E Storage – This storage area is undamaged. 
  It 
  contains 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  ground-side 
  equipment such as sensors, collection bags, 
  etc. Obvious equipment includes a Pocket 
  Laboratory and a Microfusion battery (50W). 
  The Microfusion battery is too massive to 
  move without specialized equipment, which is 
  unfortunately damaged beyond use. 
  4F Storage – This storage area is open to 
  space on the interior side. Whatever was 
  inside it is gone, and the room is empty. 
  4G Storage – This storage area is completely 
  gone.  
  5A Crew Rest Area – This crew rest area is 
  completely gone. 
  5B Crew Rest Area – This crew rest area is 
  completely gone. 
  5C Crew Rest Area – Over half of this crew 
  rest area is simply gone – ripped away by the 
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  28 
   
  meteor impact, the rest of the area is 
  completely destroyed. There is blood on the 
  outside wall. All emergency lighting is out and 
  the room is in complete darkness. Failing the 
  Zero-G skill check results in 2D6 damage. 
  Avoid floating debris, Zero-G, DEX, 1.0 
  minutes, Routine (+2) 
  5D Crew Rest Area – This crew rest area is 
  completely gone. 
  6A Medlab – This small medlab is almost 
  completely destroyed; some of the outside 
  wall is still intact, but everything has been 
  blown into space. The emergency lights are 
  out and this area is in complete darkness. 
  6B Medlab – The main medlab is relatively 
  undamaged. There are a couple of large holes 
  on the interior wall, but the equipment is still 
  present, although it has all been thrown 
  around and pushed up against the interior 
  wall. There is a Reticulan body floating here. 
  Obvious equipment in the area includes a 
  Multiscanner 
  (50W) 
  and 
  the 
  damaged 
  remains of a Regeneration Vat (50W). Failing 
  the Zero-G skill check results in 2D6 damage. 
  Avoid floating debris, Zero-G, DEX, 1.0 
  minutes, Routine (+2) 
  6C Medlab – The interior wall of this medlab 
  is open to vacuum. Everything loose in the 
  room has been sucked into space. The 
  emergency lights in this area are flickering 
  erratically, causing a strobe effect and 
  imposing an additional DM-2 to all checks due 
  to this disorienting effect. 
  7 Bridge – The bridge is completely gone. The 
  access to the Lower Deck is completely 
  missing too and the center of the ship is open 
  to space from both above and below. It is 
  possible with a Zero-G check to move from 
  one deck to the other through the wreckage.  
  Move from one deck to another, Zero-G, DEX, 
  2.0 minutes, Normal (+0) 
  Failure means a minor suit rupture (2D6 
  damage); Exceptional Failure means a major 
  suit breach (3D6 damage). However, due to 
  the power surges from the damaged power 
  plant and exposed wiring, anyone attempting 
  to move between decks through this hole will 
  be subject to an electrical attack, equivalent 
  to a Laser Carbine (4D6), with a DM-4 to hit 
  the character. There is no reason for the 
  characters to risk their lives jumping between 
  decks, there are plenty of hatches leading up 
  and down – but player characters being 
  player characters they may try. 
  LOWER DECK 
  The rooms are identified on the deck plans by 
  a number. That number, along with its 
  intended use is listed, followed by the current 
  condition of the room. 
  1 Saucer Hangar – Most of the interior part of 
  the hangar is gone. The saucer is also missing 
  and appears to have been torn out of its 
  clamps. The surrounding walls are warped 
  and there is a lot of sharp metal floating 
  around. Failing the Zero-G skill check results 
  in 3D6 damage. 
  Avoid floating debris, Zero-G, DEX, 1.0 
  minutes, Routine (+2) 
  2A Escape Pods – The compartment contains 
  7 empty escape pods. The other 4 that would 
  normally be stored in this compartment were 
  destroyed or sucked out of the gaping hole 
  caused by the collision. Two of the escape 
  pods are sending out distress signals. All of 
  the emergency lights are out in this room and 
  the only lighting is the lights on the display 
  panels of the pods. 
  2B Escape Pods – All 11 escape pods are still 
  in this compartment. Three are damaged 
  beyond use, but the rest appear functional. 
  One escape pod (closest to the door) has a 
  Reticulan body half-in, half-out of the hatch. 
  She appears to have died of asphyxiation; all 
  the other pods are empty. 
  Just outside the closed door to this 
  compartment, in the corridor, is a Zhuzzh 
  male, Ko-Ren-Ken, moving a low berth 
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  29 
   
  towards the cargo compartment (6B). As soon 
  as the Zhuzzh realizes there are others on the 
  ship, Ko-Ren-Ken will abandon the low berth 
  pod and move as quickly as possible toward 
  the cargo compartment. Should the Zhuzzh 
  be attacked, he will return fire, but still try to 
  escape. See page 31 for more detail on the 
  Zhuzzh aboard the ship. If the Zhuzzh ship has 
  already left, then Ko-Ren-Ken will offer to 
  assist in salvage/rescue operations. He is not 
  particularly brave and will try to take a low 
  berth pod to the character’s ship, and then 
  cower there. 
  3A Low Berths – 25 low berths are in this 
  compartment. All of them are full and running 
  on internal power. Each low berth contains a 
  human being: 9 men, 7 women, and 9 
  children. They all appear to be functioning 
  properly. The low berth can be disconnected 
  and moved out of the ship. Functioning low 
  berths maintain their own atmospheric seal 
  even in hard vacuum and each unit has an 
  internal grav system that makes it portable. 
  Once detached, the low berths can be moved 
  easily through the corridors, although the 
  movement rate is half normal. 
  3B Low Berths –There are currently only 14 of 
  the 
  25 
  low 
  berths 
  normally 
  in 
  the 
  compartment. Inside the room are two 
  Zhuzzh in vacc suits (one male Sil-Zar-Zex, one 
  female, Dek-Nak-Zex) detaching two of the 
  low berths and preparing them for transfer. 
  As soon as the Zhuzzh are aware that there 
  are others on the ship, they will abandon 
  their jobs and move quickly to their ship – 
  which is attached via docking tube to the 
  meteor opening in the lower deck cargo 
  compartment (6B). Should they be fired upon, 
  the male will provide covering fire for the 
  female’s escape, then attempt to escape 
  himself. See P.XX for further information on 
  the Zhuzzh and their actions. 
  4A Engineering – This part of engineering 
  housed the jump drive and part of the power 
  plant. The central part of the compartment, 
  including the master control station for 
  engineering, is gone, and the remaining 
  equipment is severely damaged. There are 
  electrical arcs sparking between conduits and 
  globules 
  of 
  unidentifiable 
  liquids 
  float 
  throughout the space. Two people in rescue 
  balls are caught in the wreckage – a Reticulan 
  and a Cicek female. The Reticulan will be the 
  fifth death, the Cicek female the sixth. 
  Attempting to rescue these people will take 3 
  minutes each minute there is a 50% chance 
  that one of the player characters or a survivor 
  will be randomly subject to an attack from the 
  electrical arcs (4D6 damage) from the power 
  plant, with a DM-2 to be hit. 
  4B Engineering – This part of engineering 
  contains half of the maneuver drive and part 
  of the power plant. The drive has most of the 
  interior portion ripped away and the rest of 
  the drive is dark. The power plant appears to 
  be still operating, but it is obviously damaged 
  and there are power surges running through 
  the systems, as it cycles from low power to 
  high power and back again. There are three 
  additional 
  Reticulan 
  bodies 
  inside 
  the 
  mangled mess of a drive section.  
  Should the characters attempt to shut down 
  the runaway power plant and thus prevent 
  the explosion, the engineer character should 
  make an Engineering check: 
  Determine how to shut down power plant, 
  Engineering, EDU, 0.4 minutes, Routine (+2) 
  Given the amount of damage the power plant 
  has taken, it is surprising that it hasn’t 
  exploded, or gone into auto-shutdown yet. A 
  successful Engineering check will reveal the 
  truth about how to shut down the drive: 
  Shut down power plant, Engineering, DEX, 30 
  minutes, Very Difficult (-4) 
  Unless the Engineer is willing to attempt to 
  Go Faster and thus incur a DM-1 penalty per 
  five minutes they attempt to reduce the 
  shutdown time, there is no way to shut down 
  the power plant before it explodes.  
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  30 
   
  Each minute that a character attempts to shut 
  down the power plant, they are subject to the 
  electric arcs that are the equivalent of a Laser 
  Rifle (5D6) attack, but at a DM-4 to be hit. 
  4C Engineering – This part of engineering 
  contains half of the maneuver drive and the 
  fuel processing plant. The interior portion is 
  torn away, but the rest of the drive is dark 
  and not operating. There are body parts from 
  at least two different Reticulans strewn 
  amongst the wreckage. 
  5 Laboratories – The Abductor’s large 
  laboratory complex is divided into five 
  different areas, each with a different set of 
  equipment. There are 9 CompuOrbs and 3 
  Bioscanners (50W) floating around that could 
  be easily grabbed. Moving from the damaged 
  area near compartment 3A clockwise they 
  are: 
  Unknown – Most of this section of the lab is 
  missing. Whatever was being researched 
  there is gone. 
  Biology – There are two operating tables 
  located in this section, both with bodies 
  strapped 
  to 
  the 
  tables. 
  Upon 
  closer 
  examination, the bodies are humans. Both 
  have Bioscanners and Mindprobes (50W) 
  attached to their bodies. They obviously were 
  awake when they died as both faces are 
  frozen in screaming positions. The emergency 
  lights in this area are flickering, imposing a 
  DM-1 on all checks in this area due to 
  disorientation. 
  Preparation – This section contains three 
  people. Two are dead humans, while the third 
  is inside a vacc suit. The creature inside the 
  suit is unconscious and obviously injured. It is 
  an alien Phnunk, a mass of tentacles 
  resembling a humanoid. Phnunk are rarely 
  encountered near human space but are often 
  employed by Reticulans as researchers. The 
  human bodies are strapped to moveable 
  tables and were conscious when they died. 
  The Phnunk has a Neural Whip (50W) 
  attached to its belt. 
  Biology – Another area with operating tables. 
  These tables are empty, but there is a 
  Reticulan in a Rescue Bubble here. However, 
  if the characters have taken more than ten 
  minutes since docking to reach this area, she 
  will 
  be 
  encountered 
  outside 
  of 
  the 
  Laboratory, trying to get past the damaged 
  areas. Katrina is awake and can assist in her 
  own rescue, and will ask to be rescued in as 
  emotional a way as Reticulans can muster. 
  Once it is obvious that she will be rescued, 
  she will become haughty and distant, 
  stereotypical behavior for a Reticulan Noble. 
  She has green skin, indicating that she has 
  received the Longevity treatment – a sure 
  sign of nobility. Katerina is also a psionic 
  Priestess, something she will do everything 
  she can to hide that information from her 
  rescuers. Katerina tried to get to the Escape 
  Pods in room 2B but was unable to cross the 
  damaged area of corridor on either side, so 
  she will be trapped without assistance in the 
  corridor outside the laboratory. 
  Preparation – This section contains six 
  Reticulan bodies, two dead humans, Blue-Eye, 
  a Cicek male in combat armor (CE), and three 
  unconscious Reticulans in Rescue Bubbles 
  (deaths seven through nine if needed). One of 
  the humans has been shot by an energy 
  weapon, the other died of asphyxiation. Blue-
  Eye’s combat armor was damaged by debris 
  during the explosive decompression. He is 
  delirious 
  and 
  will 
  attack 
  anyone 
  that 
  approaches him. Should the characters 
  attempt to subdue Blue-Eye, they can knock 
  him unconscious by reducing either STR or 
  DEX to zero. He is delirious and cannot be 
  reasoned with.  
  6A Cargo Space – This cargo space is filled 
  with plastic boxes of various sizes. Many of 
  them are damaged, but some are relatively 
  intact. None were designed to survive in a 
  vacuum, so whatever they contain is likely 
  ruined. Most contain biological samples from 
  several UTR worlds. 
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  31 
   
  6B Cargo Space – This space was partially 
  filled with plastic boxes. These boxes have all 
  been shoved to one side. A Zhuzzh Ship’s Boat 
  (page 32) is connected to the meteor hole 
  opening via a docking tube. There were four 
  Zhuzzh aboard the boat when it connected to 
  the compartment. Three of the Zhuzzh are in 
  other locations of the ship, but one Zhuzzh is 
  still aboard the boat, securing their salvage: 
  human beings in low berths. 
  If humans enter this cargo compartment 
  without any of the Zhuzzh being aware they 
  are aboard, the Zhuzzh on the ship’s boat, 
  Shi-Zar-Nim will immediately pull away from 
  the Abductor, destroying the boarding tube, 
  and flee towards the jump limit at maximum 
  acceleration. 
  She 
  will 
  abandon 
  her 
  companions. Should any of the Zhuzzh 
  become aware of the characters before they 
  enter this compartment, then the Zhuzzh 
  actions are described below. 
  7 Breaching Tube – This section of the ship is 
  gone. 
   
   
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  32 
   
  THE ZHUZZH 
  The nomadic Zhuzzh are an insectoid race 
  that can be found throughout known space. 
  They peddle scrap, deal in artifacts of 
  questionable origin, and get involved in all 
  sorts of quasi-legal and illicit transactions. 
  Details of the Zhuzzh can be found in TSAO. 
  Zhuzzh females have wings that give them the 
  Great Leaper Trait, but this can only be used 
  in an atmosphere, and cannot be used aboard 
  the Abductor. 
  Nestled against the under-side of the 
  Abductor’s hull is a Zhuzzh Ship’s Boat. It is 
  using a docking tube attached to one of the 
  damaged areas in the cargo compartment 
  (6B). Due to the wild fluctuations in the 
  Abductor’s 
  power 
  levels, 
  it 
  is 
  almost 
  impossible to detect the small craft. There are 
  four Zhuzzh using the Ships Boat to offload 
  items (and people) as quickly as they can from 
  the stricken ship. The Zhuzzh are primarily 
  concerned with loading the humans in low 
  berth that they sold to the very same 
  Reticulans before the Abductor was hit by 
  meteors. In their minds, they cannot afford to 
  pass off an opportunity to sell the same 
  merchandise twice, whether that be to the 
  UTR government, or to slavers, whichever is 
  most profitable. 
  As soon as the Zhuzzh contact the Player 
  Characters, they will cut their losses and run 
  with what they have, firing their weapons to 
  cover their retreat. They have already 
  managed to salvage at least 10 Low Berths 
  taken from the lower level room 3B. All of 
  these Low Berths contain humans, many of 
  them children. The Zhuzzh will tear away 
  from the Abductor, accelerate away at 
  maximum burn (6G) and flee out of sensor 
  range as quickly as possible.  
  From the Zhuzzh point of view, they are 
  performing legitimate, legal salvage of the 
  Reticulan Abductor. The Zhuzzh word for 
  “salvage” is the same word they use for 
  “rescue”, after all. Should a Zhuzzh be 
  captured by the humans, they will insist that 
  they were there to help Rescue/Salvage 
  people. 
  The Character’s will have to make a choice – 
  continue to rescue people on the Abductor or 
  pursue the Zhuzzh and attempt to recover the 
  kidnapped humans in low berth. The Ships 
  Boat will dock with a stealthed Zhuzzh salvage 
  ship near the edge of the Jump Shadow and 
  the mother ship will jump away soon after. 
  Should the Characters pursue the Zhuzzh, 
  they will not be able to catch the swift Boat, 
  but should be able to reach the mother ship 
  before it jumps. Details are left to the 
  Referee, but the Zhuzzh are willing to “sell” 
  their salvage to the characters. They will 
  attempt to flee rather than fight. Their 
  starting price is Cr50000 per low berth. 
  The following information is provided about 
  the Zhuzzh ships: 
  TL9-10 ZHUZZH SHIPS BOAT 
  Using a 30-ton hull (0 Hull, 1 Structure), the 
  Ship's Boat is a general-purpose small craft 
  designed to cover a range of tasks. It mounts 
  maneuver drive sJ and power plant sJ, giving a 
  performance 
  of 
  6-G 
  acceleration. 
  Fuel 
  tankage of 1.2 tons supports the power plant 
  for one week. Adjacent to the bridge is a 
  computer Model 2. The ship is equipped with 
  Military sensors (+0). There is a one-Zhuzzh 
  control cabin. The ship has one hardpoint and 
  one ton allocated for fire control. The 
  hardpoint mounts a double-turret with a 
  Beam Laser and a Sandcaster. Cargo capacity 
  is 11.7 tons. The hull is Standard, and no 
  additional armor has been installed. There are 
  no special features on this ship. This ship 
  requires a crew of one: Pilot. The ship can 
  carry 6 additional passengers in Acceleration 
  Couches. The small craft has obviously seen 
  better days – it has multiple hull patches and 
  appears to have once started out as a human 
  UTR design. 
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  33 
   
  TL11-12 300-TON ZHUZZH SCAVENGER 
  No two Zhuzzh ships are alike, but the 
  statistics below can be used for the Scavenger 
  in this adventure. The Zhuzzh do not want to 
  fight. If the Player Characters get close 
  enough to threaten them, they will offer to 
  return the low berths for a nominal handling 
  fee. As soon as they can, the Zhuzzh will jump 
  out of the system. 
  Using a 300-ton hull (6 Hull, 6 Structure), the 
  Scavenger mounts jump drive C, maneuver 
  drive C, and fission power plant C, giving a 
  performance of Jump-2 and 2-G acceleration. 
  Fuel tankage is divided between 6 tons of 
  fissionable material which supports the 
  power plant for 1 year and 60 tons of 
  hydrogen which supports 1 Jump-2. Adjacent 
  to the bridge is a computer Model 2. Software 
  load includes: Auto-Repair/1 and Jump 
  Control/2. The ship is equipped with Military 
  sensors (+0 DM). There are 5 staterooms and 
  20 low berths. The ship has 3 hardpoints and 
  3 tons allocated for fire control. Installed on 
  the hardpoints are a Single Particle Beam, 
  Triple Beam Lasers, and a Single Sandcaster 
  weapon. There is a small craft hangar, 
  capable of hangaring a Ship’s Boat. Cargo 
  capacity is 54.5 tons. The hull is Standard, and 
  is armored with crystaliron (4 points) with the 
  Stealth option. Special features include Ship’s 
  Locker, integral Fuel Scoops, Fuel Processors 
  (60 tons per day), 9 Escape Pods, a Breaching 
  Tube, Mining Drones, and Repair Drones. The 
  ship requires a crew of 9: Captain/Pilot, 2 
  Pilots, Navigator, Engineer, Medic, 3 Gunners. 
  The ship can carry up to 20 low passengers. 
  ZHUZZH CREW 
  Only the crew of the ship’s boat are provided 
  in detail, see page 10. The Referee is free to 
  create additional Zhuzzh characters on the 
  Scavenger if required; most will have a 
  relevant skill level of 1. 
   
   
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  34 
   
  AFTERMATH 
  When the power plant explodes, all objects in 
  Adjacent or Close range take 2D6 ship scale 
  damage and any object in Short range takes 
  1D6 ship scale damage. All escape pods will 
  be within short range of the Abductor and 
  thus will be destroyed if not rescued. All 
  survivors in the escape pods are mid-level 
  Proles; there are no humans on any escape 
  pod. 
  There is really no way for the Player 
  Characters to rescue everyone from the 
  Abductor. Even if they ignore the Reticulans 
  and concentrated on the humans in the 
  laboratories and low berths, they still can’t 
  save everyone. If the Player Characters 
  choose to pursue the Zhuzzh, the Abductor 
  will explode before they can return to it to 
  finish rescuing the remaining people. Should 
  they stay and try to rescue people from the 
  Abductor, then the Zhuzzh will get away with 
  their “salvage”. 
  By the time the UTR authorities arrive on 
  scene, everything will be over. The characters 
  will be heralded as heroes for saving 
  whomever they can. While there will be a 
  formal investigation, the characters will 
  receive a lot of accolades and their names 
  may be spread among useful circles that 
  could lead to future adventures. However, no 
  matter how many people they save, the 
  Player Characters should always be haunted 
  by how many they failed to save… 
  If any of the Reticulans survive, they will claim 
  they were transporting the humans under 
  contract as passengers. Unfortunately, all 
  their 
  records 
  were 
  destroyed 
  in 
  the 
  explosion… All will claim to be low-level 
  Proles, with no other information. The 
  Reticulan Consulate will quickly step in to 
  provide legal counsel to these Reticulans and 
  no more information will be forthcoming. To 
  avoid a diplomatic incident, the Reticulans 
  will be returned to the Empire within 1D3 
  months. No charges will be filed unless the 
  characters can uncover hard evidence of 
  illegal activity. 
  If “Katerina” is rescued, she will refuse to 
  speak to anyone in any language other than 
  Reticulan, even though she speaks and 
  understands Terran quite well. She will 
  demand access to the Reticulan Consulate 
  and will refuse to say anything to anyone. As 
  a Reticulan noble, and a Priestess, she will be 
  of great diplomatic value. Two members of 
  CRC-8 will meet the ship when it docks and 
  Katerina will be escorted away. 
  Any humans that were rescued and revived 
  will tell the same story. They were colonists 
  heading from Terra to Rudra. They were 
  placed in cold sleep while still on Terra and 
  have no knowledge of what happened after 
  that; they were told that their transport was 
  being contracted out, but they have no 
  details. They are mostly from poor families 
  that lived in overcrowded slums with no 
  prospects for a better future on Terra. A 
  corporation on Rudra had hired them to work 
  in the mines. There might be a contract to 
  transport these colonists the rest of way to 
  Rudra. 
  Should Blue-Eye the Cicek male survive, he 
  will claim that he was hired as security and 
  knows nothing of the operations of the ship. 
  He will admit to having killed one of the 
  humans, but he did so to prevent her 
  suffering due to her injuries and lack of a 
  Rescue Bubble; it was a mercy killing. 
  Eventually he will be exonerated without 
  evidence of illegal activity and be allowed to 
  return to the Cicek Confederation. 
  Should the Phnunk survive, it will claim that it 
  was hired as a research assistant and knows 
  nothing else. The Phnunk will be supported by 
  the Reticulan Consulate in much the same 
  manner as the Reticulan proles – more 
  support than many humans would expect for 
  a Reticulan servitor race. 
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  35 
   
  If any of the Zhuzzh are captured and survive, 
  they will claim that they were responding to 
  the distress call and were attempting to 
  rescue/salvage people. “Legitimate Salvage” 
  will be their mantra. Eventually, they will also 
  be released, unless they injured or killed a 
  human, in which case they will be sent to 
  prison for several years. 
  While there may be a lot of circumstantial 
  evidence that something relatively nefarious 
  was going on, it will be almost impossible to 
  convict anyone of a crime. 
  However, one of the humans that were taken 
  by the Zhuzzh, Millicent Klotzle, is the 
  daughter of a wealthy industrialist in the 
  nearby system of Rudra, Dante-Jimenez 
  Klotzle, who worked for the company that 
  sponsored the low berth transportation of the 
  workers in the first place. She was travelling 
  back to Rudra in a low berth as an act of unity 
  with the new workers. If the characters acted 
  in good faith and with skill, he might be 
  willing to hire them to track down his missing 
  daughter. 
   
   
   
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  36 
   
  APPENDIX – THE PARVATI SYSTEM 
  PARVATI D400485-A, Temperate (Gliese 408 c-4 M3V, United Terran Republic) 
  During the early phases of the Terran 
  Liberation War, Parvati was a secondary way 
  station on the “Cicek Run” from Terra to Fei 
  Lian. In the later stages of the War, however, 
  Rudra eclipsed Parvati as a transit station, and 
  the local starport fell into disuse. The 
  population now engages in small-scale mining 
  operations, exporting raw ore to Cicek space. 
  However, this remote world makes an ideal 
  hiding spot for pirates and smugglers, since 
  the UTR naval presence amounts to monthly 
  visits by a Patrol Frigate and an even rarer 
  “showing of the flag” by a Light Cruiser. Even 
  though illegal activity hardly reaches that of 
  Lindworm, Parvati is still a hotbed for 
  interstellar crime, and a hub for all sorts of 
  illicit trade with the anarchic Cicek. 
  Why the Player Characters are headed to such 
  a backwater place with a poor reputation is 
  not important, although that could serve as 
  an adventure all to itself.  
   
  Parvati System Details 
  Orbit 
  Name 
  UWP 
  Notes 
   
  Himavan 
  M3V 
  Red Dwarf Star (Gliese 408) 
  a 
  Ragini 
  Gas Giant 
  Small gas giant, torch orbit  
  b 
  Ganga 
  X510000-0 
  Volcanic world 
  1 
  Jahnavi 
  E200000-0 
  Rocky world, abandoned mining outpost 
  c 
  Mena 
  Gas Giant 
  Large, banded, blue-green gas giant 
  1 
  Uma 
  X000000-0 
  Volcanic world 
  2 
  Aparna 
  E200000-0 
  Abandoned mining outpost 
  3 
  Nagajaa 
  E100213-A 
  Lo, Va, Temperate, mining outpost  
  4 
  Parvati 
  D400485-A 
  Ni, Va, Temperate 
  5 
  Durga 
  X100000-0 
  Rocky world 
  d 
  Minavati 
  Gas Giant 
  Large, yellow-orange, banded, gas giant 
  1 
  (ring) 
  X000000-0 
  Icy Ring 
  2 
  Mahabharata 
  X101000-0 
  Icy world 
  3 
  Yudhishthira 
  X201000-0 
  Icy world 
  4 
  Pandavas 
  X000000-0 
  Icy world 
  5 
  Draupadi 
  X000000-0 
  Icy world 
   
  The Parvati system has four planets, three of 
  them inside the Jump Shadow of the main 
  star. Himavan (Gliese 408) has a Jump 
  Shadow 
  (100D 
  limit) 
  of 
  59.8 
  million 
  kilometers. Mena, a gas giant slightly larger 
  and more massive than Jupiter, has its own 
  Jump Shadow of 14.5 million kilometers. 
  Mena is the only planet in the habitable zone 
  of this star; thus, any ship jumping into the 
  system must travel a minimum of 45 million 
  kilometers to clear all Jump Shadows. Parvati 
  is the fourth of five large moons orbiting 
  Mena. The current orbital configuration finds 
  Parvati 47 million kilometers from the closest 
  limit of the Jump Shadow. 
   
   
   
  
  SIGNAL 99 
   
  37 
   
  OPEN GAME LICENCE 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, Licence, 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 Licence, 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; artefacts; creatures 
  characters; stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, 
  incidents, 
  language, 
  artwork, 
  symbols, 
  designs, 
  depictions, 
  likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes and graphic, 
  photographic and other visual or audio representations; names and 
  descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, 
  teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities; 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 Licence 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 Licence: This Licence 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 Licence. You must affix such a 
  notice to any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be 
  added to or subtracted from this Licence except as described by the 
  Licence itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any 
  Open Game Content distributed using this Licence. 
  3. Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You 
  indicate Your acceptance of the terms of this Licence. 
  4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this 
  Licence, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-
  free, non-exclusive Licence with the exact terms of this Licence 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 creation and/or You have sufficient 
  rights to grant the rights conveyed by this Licence. 
  6. Notice of Licence Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT 
  NOTICE portion of this Licence to include the exact text of the 
  COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game Content You are copying, 
  modifying or distributing, and You must add the title, the copyright 
  date, and the copyright holders name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of 
  any original Open Game Content you Distribute. 
  7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product 
  Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as 
  expressly Licenced in another, independent Agreement with the 
  owner of each element of that Product Identity. You agree not to 
  indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or 
  Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open 
  Game Content except as expressly Licenced in another, independent 
  Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered 
  Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content 
  does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product 
  Identity. The owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game 
  Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product 
  Identity. 
  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. 
  The following are classified as Open Content: 
  Any part of this book explicitly marked as “The following is Open 
  Game Content”. 
  The following are not Open Content and are © 2016 Stellagama 
  Publishing unless otherwise stated: 
  Artwork/Images: The artwork/image on the front cover and the 
  artwork/images  
  Text: The text on the front and back covers of this product; all other 
  content contained in this product that has not been specifically 
  identified as Open Game Content in the section titled “The following 
  is Open Game Content”, above; all non-player character names, 
  ranks or titles and descriptions, company/corporation names, 
  starship names and unit/platoon names; the world names in the 
  UWP table on page 36 
  The text of the Open Game Licence © 2000 Wizards of the Coast, 
  Inc. 
  9. Updating the Licence: Wizards or its designated Agents may 
  publish updated versions of this Licence. You may use any authorised 
  version of this Licence to copy, modify and distribute any Open 
  Game Content originally distributed under any version of this 
  Licence. 
  10. Copy of this Licence: You MUST include a copy of this Licence 
  with every copy of the Open Game Content You Distribute. 
  11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the 
  Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You 
  have written permission from the Contributor to do so. 
  12. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any 
  of the terms of this Licence with respect to some or all of the Open 
  Game Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental 
  regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so 
  affected. 
  13. Termination: This Licence 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 Sub-Licences shall survive 
  the termination of this Licence. 
  14. Reformation: If any provision of this Licence 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 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. 
  System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the 
  Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich 
  Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, 
  John D. Rateliff, Thomas Reid, James Wyatt, based on original 
  material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. 
  Traveller System Reference Document Copyright © 2008, Mongoose 
  Publishing. 
  Cepheus Engine System Reference Document, Copyright © 2016 
  Samardan Press; Author Jason "Flynn" Kemp. 
  These Stars Are Ours! © 2016, Stellagama Publishing; Authors Omer 
  Golan-Joel and Richard Hazlewood. 
  50 Wonders of the Reticulan Empire © 2017 Stellagama Publishing; 
  Author Omer Golan-Joel. 
  Signal 99 © 2018 Stellagama Publishing; Author Richard Hazlewood. 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Cepheus Engine/Cepheus Engine/Settings/These Stars Are Ours/TCE - Signal 99.pdf