TEXT: UMBERTO PIGNATELLI
  UMBERTO PIGNATELLI
  31060
  31060
  DEADLY CHANT
  DEADLY CHANT
  
  by Umberto Pignatelli
  Editing & pROOFREAding: ScOtt AlAn WOOdARd
  cOvER, gRAphic dESign & typESEtting: RObin ElliOtt
  ARt: gOng cREAtivES
  plAytEStERS: dAniElE bOnEttO, lucA cOERO bORgA, MAnER SAMuEl, 
  pAOlO bOiERO, piERpAOlO FERRARi.
  SpEciAl thAnkS tO: MARtA cAStEllAnO (My WiFE) FOR SuppORting ME All 
  thE WAy And FRAncEScA viAREngO FOR ShE knOWS EvEn MORE StuFF
  WWW.tRiplEAcEgAMES.cOM
  © 2010 Triple Ace Games. Daring Tales of the Space Lanes and all related marks and logos are trademarks of  Triple Ace Games. 
  Savage Worlds, Smiling Jack and all related marks and logos are trademarks of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. All rights reserved.  
  Used with permission. © 2010. All Rights Reserved.
  Permission is granted to print this ebook for personal use only.
  This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at www.peginc.com. Savage 
  Worlds and all associated logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Used with permission. Pinnacle makes 
  no representation or warranty as to the quality, viability, or suitability for purpose of this product.
  dEAdly chAnt
  07
  
  This book contains an adventure based around the 
  exploits of four pregenerated, spacefaring heroes.
  You can find the character sheets and details of 
  their spaceship, the Blazing Star, on the Triple Ace 
  Games website: www.tripleacegames.com. The he-
  roes have no defined gender, thus the players can 
  assign it as they wish.
  The characters have all their leveling opportuni-
  ties mapped out in advance from Seasoned (from 
  which they
  start) to Legendary. Each adventure in this series 
  earns the heroes a fixed five Experience Points, 
  granting them advancement after every mission. 
  The players only need to tick the appropriate box 
  on the sheet to start making use of their advance-
  ments.
  This means you can use the character 
  sheets at conventions and run adventures of any 
  Rank without having to create your own characters 
  from scratch. It also means you can run these tales 
  as pick-up games without any preparation!
  Better yet, you will know that when you 
  buy one of our adventures, you can guarantee the 
  adventurers will have all the skills and abilities they 
  need to win the day! 
  You will also need some gaming stone 
  counters or other markers, a copy of the Space 
  Rules Supplement, and, for this scenario only, a 
  map of the Blazing Star. You can download all this 
  material for free from the www.tripleacegames.
  com website. 
  Finally, you will find it useful to have some extra 
  copies of the standard Savage Worlds Burst templates to 
  represent obstacles and terrain elements.
  backgroUnd
  The Greenbelt is a great asteroid field created by the 
  fragmentation of a huge planet. Different from other 
  asteroid zones, this one is primarily composed of frozen 
  water and excellent soil. Asteroids have no atmosphere, 
  but this is not a big problem, because all the buildings 
  are inside pressurized domes. 
  Some years ago, the Shipping Guild promoted the 
  development of the area into a food production system 
  capable of supporting the nearby planets. To accomplish 
  this, the Guild offered loans to colonists interested in 
  building astrofarms on uninhabited asteroids, granting 
  them ownership of the land. 
  In just a few years, this enlightened policy attracted 
  many hardworking frontiersmen, who erected a great 
  number of these installations. Even a city was founded 
  on one of the larger asteroids — Khuma Bay, central hub 
  of the area and sole starport in the Greenbelt.
  Six months ago, a group of Guild researchers made 
  a very interesting discovery. Due to a series of peculiar 
  environmental factors —the quality of the water, unusual 
  levels of space radiation and so on — the soil of the as-
  teroids is perfect for farming Cybo, a plant that is totally 
  inedible but can be easily processed into cheap, though 
  high quality, bioplastic.
  The Guild intends to convert all the astrofarms over 
  to Cybo production, a business that could yield millions 
  of credits. And millions can easily become billions if the 
  Guild somehow manages to obtain exclusive ownership 
  of all those farms it helped to build.
  To accomplish this, the Directive Committee sent 
  Hanazon Bal, a new Guild Officer, to the Greenbelt with 
  the task of examining the situation and finding a way, 
  legal or not, to wrest the farms from the colonists.
  After a couple months, the cunning accountant dis-
  covered the means to that end. He became acquainted 
  with Kera Bellon, a local xenobiologist who has dedi-
  cated her life to the study of the Xanthi, a wonderful, 
  deep space life form.
  The Xanthi are titanic, space roaming beasts, capable 
  of jumping through hyperspace. They are the cosmic 
  counterpart of Earth’s whales — they graze on space-
  bound spores and are natural collectors of stellar energy. 
  deadly chant
  
  
  deadly chant
  
  In the past, they were hunted because their synapses 
  were the central components of certain biological hyper-
  drives. Even today, many races continue the slaughter, 
  because their colossal bodies provide many other valu-
  able resources.
  Kera has studied these beasts all her life, becoming 
  particularly proficient in their language - a series of 
  energy emissions capable of reaching extremely intense 
  frequencies.
  During a romantic cruise through the asteroids, the 
  woman, who loves talking about her work, revealed to 
  Hanazon that the one thing that can totally enrage a Xan-
  thi is the chant of a space amoeba, the only beast capable 
  of single-handedly killing a spacewhale.
  The sly Guild Officer used this information to concoct 
  a devious plot. He stole the recording of an amoeba chant 
  from Kera and had Guild scientists perfect it. Then, he 
  unleashed his evil scheme using the Backstabber, a ship 
  cloaked with a special stealth device.  The Backstabber 
  sneaked in close to a few astrofarms and targeted them 
  using a special harmonic cannon. The cannon itself is 
  harmless; its only effect is that its target comes into reso-
  nance, emitting a specific sound based on the cannon’s 
  impulse frequency.
  The cannon has been programmed to make its target 
  emit the amoeba’s chant across all radio frequencies the 
  Xanthi can perceive. This then lures entire pods of en-
  raged spacewhales that attack and destroy the farms with 
  terrible ferocity. To date, more than twenty farms have 
  been besieged. The colonists are terrified, and many of 
  them are selling their property at low prices to make a 
  quick buck and start a new life in some other sector. 
  Obviously, only the Shipping Guild (represented by 
  the Officer), has offered to buy the astrofarms.
  Hanazon’s plan seems to be perfect, but two problems 
  have arisen: First, a whole fleet of spacewhalers (grizzled 
  spacefarers that live off killing the Xanthi) have come to 
  the Greenbelt with the goal of slaughtering all the beasts 
  and filling their cargo bays with precious organic com-
  ponents. They must be stopped at all costs or the whole 
  plan will fail. Second, Kera Bellon (made suspicious by 
  the sudden madness of the Xanthi) started investigating 
  and discovered that Hanazon had used her recording 
  to devise his terrible scheme. Luckily for Hanazon, she 
  made this discovery too late — the Officer’s goons kid-
  napped the woman from a remote space beacon and are 
  keeping her prisoner in their secret base. 
  But Hanazon’s plan is not complete; a more terrible 
  step is forthcoming.
  How are the heroes involved in the story?  Keep read-
  ing to find out…    
  Characters: 55 XP
  act 1: Settling a debt
  Scene 1: the laSt Will of Jo-
  ran bellon
  This scenario starts with the heroes in the thick of the 
  action. 
  You are in trouble, no surprise there, but this time 
  the troubles are very serious. A gang of shipjack-
  ers is targeting all the major starports in the sec-
  tor, and this time they have stolen the wrong ship 
  — yours, the Blazing Star!
  The thieves are highly skilled and protected 
  through many connections, so you have asked 
  an old friend – Joran Bellon, bounty hunter, pri-
  vate eye, and former GEA (Galactic Enforcement 
  Agency) operative – to help you.
  Together you have followed the clues to the ship-
  yards of Cahol II, where the thieves overhaul the 
  stolen ships before selling them in faraway sec-
  tors, but the gang is too big and organized to be 
  fought in open combat, so, after discovering that 
  your dear old ship is located on platform A-27, 
  you’re going for it! 
  The plan is simple: Board the Blazing Star and flee 
  — fighting consortiums of interstellar thieves is 
  not exactly your type of work.
  Now, you are running on a suspended catwalk, 
  below you lie the mists of the lower levels of the 
  shipyards, a long drop, and, further down, the sea. 
  You can just see your rusty old friend on the next 
  platform over, and damn if those scurvy sons of a 
  Chandran priestess haven’t painted her red!
  However, a new paintjob is the least of your 
  troubles. Suddenly a group of thieves rushes from 
  the platform to the walkway to block your path, 
  their weapons at the ready.
  Take cover because blaster shots will soon be flying! 
  Deal action cards!
  The combat area is a catwalk 6” wide and 24” long. 
  SoUnd in the SPace, Uh?
  As is commonly known, sound cannot travel in 
  space, because it is empty. What we call “sound” 
  in this scenario, referring to the amoebas’ chant, 
  is in truth a peculiar radio emission, capable of 
  travelling in the void. We use the word “sound to 
  respect” the “chant” anologly. So, don’t undress of 
  your spacesuits in the void to sing a song, it will not 
  be healthy!
  
  daring taleS of the SPace laneS #07
  
  The shorter sides are connected with the platforms. 
  The thieves approach from the northern end, where the 
  Blazing Star is berthed, while the heroes cross from the 
  southern end.
  The longer sides (eastern and western) border the 
  void (see below).
  Place the heroes in the center of the battleground. 
  They are running, so they start with no cover.
  At the start of the fight, place 75% of the thieves within 
  3” of the northern border. They are no fools, so place 
  them behind cover of crates. The thieves’ tactic is simple 
  – using their superior position, they only have to stand 
  ground and pin down the heroes until reinforcements 
  arrive.
  To spice things up, a few scripted events will occur in 
  certain rounds.
  Round Three - Before dealing action cards, read the 
  following passage to the players:
  You hear heavy footsteps from behind. There are 
  some other guests at this party and they are led 
  by a Yugon, a giant, twelve-foot tall alien. His 
  octopus-like face sports a mass of slimy tentacles 
  that almost touch the ground. He is equipped with 
  a braced gravity imploder, a big and altogether 
  nasty gun, and he seems to have no problems 
  wielding it.
  “Ghoro smash!” he roars, with a voice as deep as 
  the Gatorian oceans. 
  Place Ghoro, the tentacled alien, and the other thieves 
  within 3” of the southern end of the walkway. Ghoro and 
  his men advance while firing. The Yugon tries to soften 
  the heroes with his gun for one round, before he enters 
  melee. 
  Round Five - The cavalry arrives to save the day!
  Suddenly another blaster roars, but this time it’s 
  not directed against you. It’s Joran Bellon, your 
  friend, coming to the rescue!
  “Sorry I’m late, guys, but I was investigating the 
  base,” he says to you. Then, looking at the big Yu-
  gon, he continues: “Ghoro, I suspected you were 
  behind all this. Boys, Ghoro and I are old friends. 
  How many times have I put you in jail? I’ve lost 
  count.”
  The response from the tentacled alien is a terrible 
  roar of anger.
  Place Joran Bellon 6” from the southern edge. He 
  starts on Hold. He is an ally, so let the players control 
  him. 
  Ghoro hates the bounty hunter so much that from 
  now he will concentrate his attacks on him, almost ignor-
  ing the heroes.
  Once Ghoro is down, read the section titled “Joran’s 
  Death”. 
   Ship Thieves (2 per hero):  See page 27.
   Ghoro the Hitman:  See page 26.
   Joran Bellon, Private Investigator:  See page 
  27.
  tERRAin And pROpS
  * Crates: A few metal crates lie within 3” of the north-
  ern edge of the walkway. Each crate has Toughness 8 and 
  grants Medium (–2) Cover. Place up to three of them on 
  the battlefield. You can use gaming stones to represent 
  them.
  * Security Lights: The catwalk is lined with security 
  lights, so that flying vehicles can spot and avoid it. Each 
  security light is in the shape of a hydrant, with a lumi-
  nous head. They have Toughness 6 and grant Light Cover 
  (–1) but only for crouching characters. A technologically 
  savvy hero can try to jury rig a light to produce a strong 
  flash. It requires a Repair (–2) roll, with a +2 if the char-
  acter has the MacGyver Edge. In case of success, it counts 
  as a use of the Stun power, centered on the light’s posi-
  tion. The hero triggering the device must shut his eyes to 
  be immune to the effects. Jury-rigging always breaks the 
  circuits, so only one attempt per light can be made. Place 
  eight lights, four on each side of the walkway, 6” from 
  each other. To represent the lights, use gaming stones of 
  a color different from the previous ones. 
  * Falling Down: If a character is Shaken or Wounded 
  within 1” of the catwalk’s edge, he must make a success-
  ful Agility roll or tumble into the void! An Extra missing 
  this roll simply dies in a horrible way. A Wild Card, in-
  stead, manages somehow to cling to the edge. He needs 
  a Strength (–4) roll to regain solid ground on his own.
  JORAn’S dEAth 
  With one last blow, the giant finally falls. Being 
  so big, Ghoro stumbles off the walkway, disap-
  pearing into the mists. At this point, the surviving 
  thieves run away screaming. 
  You have won the day!
  You rush to the walkway’s edge, to look down into 
  the thick fog of vapors below. There is no trace of 
  the Yugon.
  “Poor Ghoro,” Joran shakes his head, “He surely 
  deserved to die, but not in that way. I’ll miss 
  him.”
  Just then, a vicious tentacle lashes up from below, 
  clasping the investigator’s ankle and dragging 
  him down with terrible strength!
  It is all so sudden you have no time to react!
  
  deadly chant
  
  Ghoro is not quite dead, yet! He used his long 
  facial tentacles to grapple the metal structure 
  beneath the catwalk, and with the last of his 
  strength, he has managed to drag his mortal en-
  emy down with him! 
  Joran is clinging to the metal structure now, but 
  his legs are completely enveloped by the tentacles 
  of the dying Yugon. When the hitman finally loses 
  consciousness, his terrible weight will drag your 
  friend down with him.
  You see the sudden understanding of his fate in 
  your friend’s eyes.
  Joran says, “I am doomed. Hear me — I have a 
  son that I have never known. Jim. Jim Bellon. 
  Please, look after him.”
  Then the two mortal enemies fall to a terrible 
  death.
  Scene : an aStrofarm Under 
  attack!
  A month has passed since Joran’s demise. 
  You searched high and low for his and Ghoro’s 
  bodies but found nothing, the murky waters of 
  Cahol II have claimed them forever.
  So you decided to respect the final request of your 
  friend, and started searching for his son.
  Using your contacts and spending a fair amount 
  of time and money, you found mentions of a Jim 
  Bellon in the Shipping Guild’s archives. He lives 
  in Khuma Bay, the only city of the Greenbelt, the 
  great asteroid field of the Myan system. Assuming 
  Joran’s son is around sixteen years old now, the 
  age certainly matches.
  You are now traveling to Khuma Bay, eager to 
  know if this Jim Bellon is your man or not. 
  Suddenly the Blazing Star’s sensors go haywire as 
  communications intercepts a message broadcast 
  on all frequencies, though strangely distorted by 
  a bizarre space anomaly.
  “Mayday! Mayday! Tanus astrofarm under at-
  tack! Mayday! Mayday!” 
  The Blazing Star is abruptly thrown out of hyper-
  space.
  You are in the Greenbelt, in the middle of the 
  asteroids. You’re lucky, because jumping out of 
  hyperspace in such a congested area could have 
  been deadly.
  Soon, you spot the source of the transmission.
  On a nearby asteroid, a domed installation (an 
  astrofarm) is currently under attack by some of 
  the strangest creatures you have ever seen.
  They are known as Xanthi, but spacefarers usually 
  refer to them as “spacewhales” — starship-sized 
  creatures capable of jumping into hyperspace. 
  Normally they are peaceful, but now three of 
  them are using their energy breath to assault the 
  farm’s dome.
  You theorize that the cause of the strange distor-
  tion that pulled you out of hyperspace is the ter-
  rible energy being generated by their breath.
  You have no time for further analysis. The farm 
  appears heavily damaged and you must intervene 
  if you want to save it!
  In truth, the space anomaly affecting the Blazing Star’s 
  sensors is related to the chant of the space amoebas that 
  the Backstabber is broadcasting. The Backstabber is 
  cloaked by a stealth device and their harmonic cannon 
  makes the chant appear to originate from the astrofarm, 
  so the Xanthi are venting their rage on the agricultural 
  installation. Since the cannon is only a prototype, it is 
  also generating the weird effect that threw the Blazing 
  Star out of hyperspace.
  The combat area is a rough square 24” by 24”. Each 
  inch represents a SU. Place a Medium Burst Template 
  within 3” of the northern border, to represent the aster-
  oid. On this, place a Small Burst Template, representing 
  the Tanus astrofarm (see below). The astrofarm is consid-
  ered an ally, so let the players control it in the combat.
  Place the three Xanthi 6” from the astrofarm, each 
  one at least 4” from the next.
  Let the players place the Blazing Star within 6” of the 
  southern border.
  The spacewhales are living beings, but, for ease of 
  use in space combat, they are treated as spaceships. The 
  beasts attack the astrofarm until the heroes begin target-
  ing them. At this point, the beasts ignore the installation 
  and attack the party.
  The fight lasts five rounds. At the start of the sixth 
  round, stop the combat and move on to the “Spacewhal-
  ers!” section.
  yOung XAnthi
  The Xanthi are a species of massive, though peaceful, 
  spacefaring creatures. They eat interstellar microorgan-
  isms and are capable of metabolizing stellar radiation. 
  Their only natural enemies are space amoebas, which ad-
  
  daring taleS of the SPace laneS #07
  
  here to their bodies and slowly consume them. The Xan-
  thi hate these devious parasites so much that the mere 
  chant of the amoeba drives them mad. Some intelligent 
  races hunt the Xanthi too, because their bodies provide 
  many precious organic components. These particular 
  specimens are relatively small.
  Top Speed: 6; Toughness: 18 (4); Handling: +0  
  Abilities: Piloting d8, Shields d8, Shooting d8
  Notes: Heavy Armor
  Weapons:
  * 1 x energy blast (Range: 12/24/48; Damage: 3d6; ROF 
  1; AP 6, HW)
  Special Abilities:
  * Living Being: The Xanthi are living beings, so they 
  ignore the vehicle critical hits table.
  * Ramming: A Xanthi in contact with another space-
  ship will ram it. It is an opposed Piloting roll by the 
  two opponents. If the Xanthi wins, it deals 3d6 dam-
  age, AP 8 to the enemy ship. The damage is dealt from 
  an Extra.
  tERRAin And pROpS
  * Astrofarm: The astrofarm has Toughness 18 (6) 
  and can sustain three Wounds before being destroyed. It 
  is armed with laser batteries (Range: 12/24/48; Damage 
  3d6; ROF 2; AP 4, HW) and has Shooting d6.
  * Ice Debris: The Greenbelt asteroids are mostly 
  made up of ice. In this area, there is a thick bank of tiny 
  ice chunks. They are too small to damage ships but they 
  can hinder the combat in other ways. For this combat 
  only, the Innocent Bystander rule is tweaked as follows: 
  Whenever a 1 is rolled on the Shooting die, the weap-
  on’s beam vaporizes some ice, creating a cloud of fog. 
  Place a Large Burst Template centered on the shooter 
  to represent the cloud. It grants Light Cover (–1), but 
  also hinders the Piloting rolls (–1) of anyone crossing the 
  template. The effects of multiple clouds are stacked. The 
  clouds stay in play until the end of the fight.
  SpAcEWhAlERS! 
  In the middle of the fight, another three ships 
  suddenly emerge from hyperspace. They look 
  like modified fighters, with giant space harpoons 
  mounted on their noses. You have heard of these 
  people, they are spacewhalers, spacefarers coura-
  geous or mad enough to hunt the Xanthi for their 
  precious organic components!
  The spacewhalers enter the fight on your side with 
  daring courage, but they are not here to save you 
  or the farm.
  One of them contacts you. He is a burly and 
  muscular man with a blonde mustache and a red 
  bandana.
  “This is Khodar, captain of the spacewhalers. What 
  are you doing 
  here? This is our 
  hunting ground! 
  Take your rusty 
  ship and be off 
  with you! You’re 
  hindering us!”
  In 
  the 
  mean-
  time, the Xanthi, 
  frightened and 
  outnumbered, 
  jump into hyper-
  space, with one 
  last, angry emis-
  sion of energy.
  “For the cyber-
  netic leg of Ach-
  ab!” The blonde 
  whaler 
  curses, 
  “You are making 
  them flee! Space-
  whalers, follow 
  me!”
  Without 
  hesita-
  tion, the hunters 
  
  deadly chant
  7
  jump into hyperspace, following the energy tracks 
  of their prey.
  Willingly or not, the spacewhalers have saved the 
  astrofarm.
  AFtERMAth 
  After the battle, you check your ship. Besides the 
  damage suffered in the battle, the strange distor-
  tion that dragged the ship out of hyperspace also 
  destroyed the delicate hyperjump condenser. The 
  Blazing Star’s hyperdrive is now useless. 
  The astrofarm is a family-run business. Llaran 
  Tanus, a plump, blue-skinned alien is the elder 
  father of the family (they are polygamous). He ar-
  rives on his old spaceboat and tries to do his best 
  for the Blazing Star.
  “I’m sorry,” Llaran says, “I can do nothing for 
  your hyperdrive, but what I can do for you is tow 
  your ship into hyperspace to Khuma Bay. There 
  is a very skilled mechanic there. If anyone can 
  repair your engine, it’s him.”  
  During the trip, the alien tells you that this attack 
  by the Xanthi was not the first.
  ”More than twenty astrofarms have been at-
  tacked in the past month. We cannot understand 
  why these peaceful beasts have suddenly turned 
  so aggressive. Many farmers have sold their lands 
  and headed off for new suns. I am not happy at 
  all with this solution, but after speaking with the 
  other fathers of my family, we have decided to sell 
  now, before the prices fall.”
  The alien sighs deeply: “I love this land, but I have 
  no choice.”
  Scene : the Xanthi’S friendS
  The heroes finally arrive in Khuma Bay. Assuming they 
  do some research on the area, let them make Streetwise 
  or Investigation rolls (see sidebar) to acquire informa-
  tion about where they are. 
  Khuma Bay is a domed city built on a large aster-
  oid. It is rather old-fashioned, and has a sort of 
  rural appeal lacking in many modern cities.
  Llaran takes you to Cutrass, the best, and only, 
  starship mechanic in the city. His workshop is 
  near the docks. 
  “I thank you for what you have done for us and 
  I wish you all the best of luck.” The farmer says. 
  “Now, we part ways. I’ll go to the Shipping Guild 
  offices. I hope to bargain for a good price. May the 
  Ever-growing Gods bless you.”
  Then, the astrofarmer shakes your hands and 
  departs. 
  Cutrass is by far the ugliest alien you have ever 
  seen; all spikes, teeth, and weirdly positioned 
  eyes.
  “You are unlucky, strangers,” He says.” Your con-
  denser is broken. Dead. Jammed. Without any 
  hope of being salvaged. Do you understand what 
  I’m saying?”
  “The good news is that I can order one of these 
  babies from Wayland right now. The bad news is 
  that it will be delivered in no less than a week, 
  data: the greenbelt 
  invEStigAtiOn RESultS 
  Success: The Greenbelt is the largest asteroid field 
  in the whole sector. Originally, it was a huge green 
  planet, destroyed by unknown causes. The aster-
  oids are rich in water and the soil is particularly 
  good, so the astrofarms are the main source of food 
  for the nearby planets.
  Raise: The Greenbelt is under the control of the 
  Shipping Guild. Until twenty years ago, it was al-
  most uninhabited. Then the guild decided to trans-
  form it into the main food producer of the area. 
  To encourage immigration, they offered excellent 
  loans and granted the ownership of the land to the 
  colonists. The Guild Officer is de facto the governor 
  of Khuma Bay, the only starport in the area.
  StREEtWiSE RESultS 
  Success: Before the recent colonization, some in-
  dependent miners’ consortiums had tried to exploit 
  the mineral resources of the asteroids, but it was a 
  failure. The expenses were too high and the profits 
  too low. Nowadays many of these abandoned mines 
  are used as bases by independent smugglers and 
  other shady types.
  Raise: Due the great amount of food export, Khu-
  ma Bay‘s starport is an ideal place for starting an 
  illegal trade because Shipping Guild inspectors are 
  renown for being easily bribed. However, for the 
  last few months, a new Guild Officer has been in 
  charge and he seems a very honest man who has 
  put an end to a lot of profitable, illegal trade.  
  
  daring taleS of the SPace laneS #07
  
  more or less. Until then you can use your ship, but 
  without hyperdrive, you won’t get far.”
  If the heroes ask Cutrass what the cause of the dam-
  age might be, he shrugs and admits that it could be many 
  things: A distortion in the hyperspace field, an energy 
  emission of some type, or simply bad luck. He does 
  not exclude the Xanthi’s “voice” either. The beasts emit 
  strange, energy-based impulses.
  In the meantime, a great starship is coming. It is 
  too big to dock inside the city so it remains in 
  orbit. It is the Slaughterhouse, the spacewhalers’ 
  flagship. Slung below the ship is the carcass of a 
  Xanthi. Several whalers in spacesuits are working 
  around the huge carcass in zero gravity, cutting 
  and refining it with their energy harpoons. 
  A small spacedinghy flies from the Slaughterhouse 
  to the docks, close to where Cutrass’ workshop 
  is. A group of whalers exit – they are all rough 
  looking fellows. Khodar, the muscular whaler you 
  spoke with earlier, is among them. 
  At this point, you notice a small group of young-
  sters approaching the docks and taunting the 
  whalers: “Assassins! Murderers! Leave the Xanthi 
  in peace!”
  One of them, a dark-haired boy, suddenly takes 
  something out of his jacket and throws it at the 
  whalers. It looks like a grenade!
  The object explodes releasing a cloud of red 
  paint! The whalers are covered in the disgusting 
  substance, and they aren’t at all happy! With a 
  unified roar, they unsheathe their weapons and 
  charge toward the boy.
  Cutrass snorts looking at the scene.
  “Jim Bellon. That hothead will surely get himself 
  killed one day.”
  The bomber is the boy you’re looking for! 
  Jim jumps onto his hoverskate and zooms off, but 
  the whalers rush to their boat and start chasing 
  him, clearly with no good intentions!
  The heroes must join in the chase to save Jim from a 
  serious beating, but first, they will need to find a suitable 
  vehicle. Cutrass has only out-of-service hovercars, but 
  Jim’s friends have hoverskates handy. Obtaining one of 
  them can be done in various ways, though a Persuasion 
  or Intimidation roll is the simplest. Offering at least $30 
  grants +2 to the roll, while offering $100 grants auto-
  matic success.
  Threatening the boys is also an option. They will flee 
  on foot if provoked, leaving their skates behind, but this 
  unheroic behavior will cost the hero (or heroes) a benny. 
  Each hero must acquire his hoverskate independently 
  from the other members of the party, and each attempt 
  requires one round. Once properly equipped, the char-
  acters may join the chase.
  Jim is in the lead, followed by the whalers at Medium 
  Range. The heroes start three Range Increments behind 
  the whalers, plus one for each round they spent obtain-
  ing their hoverskates.
  Each Range Increment corresponds to 10” on the 
  tabletop.
  The hoverskates are controlled using either Agility or 
  Piloting (player’s choice). The Ace Edge also applies.
  The dinghy uses a spacewhaler’s Piloting skill (Khodar 
  is not driving). The vehicle is considerably faster than the 
  skates, so it grants +1 to all chase rolls, but it is not built 
  to fly in such a cluttered place as a space dock. When it 
  is involved in a miniscene (see below), it suffers –1 to all 
  Piloting rolls.
  Jim’s tactics are simple; he uses the Push maneuver 
  every time he is not in immediate danger (not involved 
  in a miniscene). 
  During the chase, up to half of the spacewhalers can 
  shoot either at the heroes or at Jim (your choice). They 
  are not killers, so they set their weapons on stun.
  After the heroes attack the spacewhalers, concentrate 
  the whalers’ response on the party because Jim must be 
  unharmed in the next part of the scene.
  Do not use the standard obstacle rules. Instead, when 
  a driver draws a Club card as his first initiative card from 
  the action deck, run the miniscene described below.
  The chase ends when the spacewhalers are within one 
  Range Increment of Jim, or after ten rounds, whichever 
  happens first. Continue with “Scene 4: Dead End!”
   Spacewhalers (1 per hero + 2):  See page 27.
   Khodar, Spacewhaler Captain:  See page 27.
   Jim Bellon:  See page 27.
  ObStAclES tAblE
  Deuce (–4) Crossing Hovercar: A hovercar crosses 
  the character’s path! If the chase roll fails, the pilot barely 
  avoids the danger, losing a Range Increment. With a criti-
  cal failure the two vehicles collide, suffering 3d6 damage 
  from an Extra. If a hoverskate is involved in the accident, 
  the driver suffers all the damage.
  Three (–2) Protoplasm Cargo: A hovercart is passing 
  in front of the character. It seems empty, so it can easily 
  be climbed over. In truth, the barge is filled with a huge 
  mass of transparent Umagu protoplasm, a delicious food 
  produced in the Greenbelt but quite a problem for the 
  chase. This round, Notice is the chase skill for the char-
  acter. If the roll is successful he spots the protoplasm 
  and avoids the cart, otherwise he is mired in the slimy 
  goo! Getting out the protoplasm requires a full round 
  and a Strength (–4) roll. The character cannot continue 
  the chase until he gets free. 
  Four (–2) Cargo Droids: Two huge, twenty-foot tall 
  
  deadly chant
  
  cargo droids are loading several containers, right in the 
  way of the chase. The robots are not very smart and carry 
  on with their job, ignoring the situation. Avoiding them 
  is the pilot’s task. If the Piloting roll fails, the character 
  crashes into one of the droids and is Shaken. With a 1 
  on the Piloting die, the droid literally knocks the poor 
  character off his skate! He also loses two Range Incre-
  ments (three in the case of the dinghy).
  Five (–2) Painters: Some painters are working on the 
  wall of a warehouse, using a levitating platform. If the 
  character fails the roll, he hits the painters, making a ter-
  rible mess. He automatically loses a Range Increment and 
  his clothes are soaked with paint, making him appear so 
  ridiculous that, until cleaned, he suffers –1 to tests of will. 
  If he succeeds with a raise, the hero not only manages to 
  avoid the painters, but he also grabs a bucket of paint. It 
  can be used to add +2 to a Distract maneuver or kept for 
  the imminent fight to grant the same bonus to a Trick. 
  Six (–2) Chicken Stampede:  The character is moving 
  among a large number of crates full of Pixarian Chickens, 
  simpleminded, four foot tall beasts. The chickens, startled 
  by the roar of the engines, break free of the crates and 
  start running around the docks! The beasts then join the 
  chase, so add another counter to represent the startled 
  flock. They have Agility d10. A character in the same Range 
  Increment as the chickens suffers –2 to all Piloting rolls. 
  The chickens disperse at the end of the chase.
  Seven (–1) Beans From The Heavens:  A large silo 
  is discharging all its contents just as the character is pass-
  ing below! Luckily, the contents are only blue Asteroid 
  Beans, but there is an avalanche of them! Each character 
  in the Range Increment where the miniscene occurs 
  must make an Agility roll or suffer 2d6 damage from an 
  Extra. Having a roof, the spacedinghy ignores this.
  Eight (–1) Molecular Fishnet:  The Greenbelt aster-
  oids host many interesting microorganisms floating in 
  space. The most common way to gather them is by using 
  large, specially fabricated fishnets dragged by spaceboats. 
  One of these fishnets is currently spread between two 
  containers to be repaired. If the hero fails his Piloting 
  roll, he ends up in the net! He must make an Agility (–2) 
  roll to free himself. Until he is free, the character cannot 
  gain further Range Increments in the chase.   
  Nine (–1) Rolling Spools:  A group of workers is 
  unloading a cargo of fifteen foot tall spools of wire, but 
  something goes wrong and the spools fall out the cargo 
  door, and roll down the street! Place a counter on the 
  Range Increment where this miniscene takes place. Each 
  character in the same Range Increment as the spools must 
  make an Agility (–2) roll to avoid being hit and suffering 
  2d8 damage from an Extra. At the start of each round, 
  the spools move one Range Increment backwards, until 
  there is no other character behind them. 
  Ten (–1) Religious Group:  A procession of Melanite 
  monks is crossing the docks, making for their spaceship. 
  There are twenty of them, with long, ritual staves in their 
  hands. The character can either choose to let them pass, 
  losing a Range Increment, or cross the procession. In 
  this case, he uses Persuasion or Intimidation as his chase 
  roll. In case of failure he angers d4 monks who attack 
  him with their staves (Fighting d6, Damage: d6+d4 from 
  an Extra). If the roll is a critical failure, they also benefit 
  from Ganging Up.
  Jack (0) Slipway: A slipway leads to the service tun-
  nels under the docks. A hero can choose to navigate 
  these passages to gain some advantage. In this case, he 
  uses Smarts as the chase skill for this round. Being famil-
  iar with the place, Jim rolls with +4. Otherwise, run the 
  chase as normal. 
  Queen (0) Cargo Shortcut: A large container stands 
  in the way, its front and back doors open. The hero can 
  choose to go through it. If he succeeds in the chase roll, 
  he gains an extra Range Increment thanks to the short-
  cut. If he fails, he must make an immediate Spirit (-2) roll 
  or be Shaken. If the character does not go through the 
  cargo container, run the chase as normal.  
  King (0) Xamanian Flour: There are some open 
  crates of Xamanian red flour exactly where the character 
  is passing. The vehicle’s engine kicks up a great red cloud. 
  The character is in Darkness until his next action.  
  Ace (0) Ramp: Ramps are a hoverskater’s best friend. 
  The character can choose to use the ramp to gain extra 
  ground. In this case, for each success and raise on the 
  chase roll, he gains an extra Range Increment, without 
  limit to how many Increments he can gain. In case of 
  failure, he falls badly, suffering 2d6 from an Extra and 
  damaging the hoverskate, which from now has Handling 
  –1. The dinghy ignores this result. 
  SpAcEdinghy
  Spacedinghies are very adaptable vehicles, used for 
  short trips within a planet’s atmosphere and in space. 
  Many large ships carry at least a couple of them, to be 
  used as auxiliary vehicles.
  Acc/Top Speed: 12/50; Toughness: 14 (2); Handling: 
  0; Crew: 1+6
  Notes: Atmospheric, Spacecraft
  hOvERSkAtE
  Hoverskates are the natural evolution of skateboards. 
  Plastic or metal boards fitted with a powerful repul-
  sor field, they are very common among teenagers and 
  youngsters.
  Acc/Top Speed: 6/12; Toughness: 7(2); Handling: 
  +1; Crew: 1
  Notes: Max height 5”, very stable (half the penalty for 
  unstable platform). A hero can take another passenger 
  on his hoverskate in emergencies, but it suffers –2 to 
  chase rolls.
  Scene : dead end!
  Jim suddenly turns left to shake off his pursuers 
  and goes straight down a narrow passage lined 
  with containers.
  
  daring taleS of the SPace laneS #07
  10
  But this was not a very good idea!
  The passage ends in an open area, completely sur-
  rounded by high walls of crates and containers, 
  too high to be climbed over on a hoverskate. The 
  boy frantically looks for an opening, but there is 
  no way out.
  Just then, the spacewhalers arrive and leap out of 
  the spacedinghy.
  “Look at him, guys. He’s trapped.” Khodar says.
  “Let’s help him.” Another grizzled spacewhaler 
  snarls.
  You notice that they all wield strange energy 
  weapons with nasty points on them – space har-
  poons.
  You push on the accelerator to reach the boy as 
  fast as you can.
  Combat is imminent!
  The combat area is quite large, 36” by 36”. The pe-
  rimeter of the battlefield is completely surrounded by a 
  wall of crates. There is only a 6” opening at the center of 
  the southern wall, through which the combatants have 
  entered.
  Place the spacewhalers in the middle of the battlefield, 
  within 3” of their dinghy (see below).
  Jim is positioned in the northeastern corner of the 
  area.
  The heroes do not automatically join the fight during 
  the first round. They arrive after one round for every two 
  Range Increments they are behind the spacewhalers.
  When the party enters the fight, place them within 3” 
  of the southern edge.
  Both Jim and the heroes start the fight aboard hov-
  erskates (unless they have lost them), which use the 
  standard vehicle rules.
  The spacewhalers’ tactics are pretty straightforward. 
  They want to capture Jim and give him a serious beating, 
  so they will use their harpoons’ special ability to grapple 
  his hoverskate, but they are not killers. Unless the party 
  uses lethal force, the spacewhalers set their blaster weap-
  ons on stun and use the harpoons’ tips only for Tricks or 
  against hoverskates. 
  Jim is weaponless, so he tries to find an improvised 
  weapon (see below), and to avoid a direct fight, he re-
  mains on his hoverskate.
  The fight lasts exactly six rounds and the enemies are 
  the survivors of the previous chase. At the start of the 
  seventh round, run the section “Deadly Avalanche”. 
  tERRAin And pROpS
  * Big Crates: Some enormous containers are scat-
  tered about the area. They grant Full Cover (-4) and have 
  Toughness 12. They stand about 12’ tall, so a Climbing 
  roll is required to scale them. Hoverskaters can try a 
  stunt to jump onto them with a Piloting or Agility (–2) 
  roll. Place up to four crates on the battlefield. You can 
  use Medium Burst Templates to represent them.
  * Hoverskates: Hoverskates are the big advantage 
  the heroes have over the opponents. They use the stan-
  dard vehicle rules and can be used to ram into an enemy. 
  Remember that the skates hover 5” from the floor, so 
  they can easily fly over many small obstacles.
  * Mechanical Lifter: A big mechanical lifter stands 
  nearby. It is typically used for moving very big and heavy 
  containers, but crafty heroes can use its huge mechanical 
  claw in the fight! The mechanical arm counts as Medium 
  Cover (–2) and has Toughness 12 (2).  It is also fitted with 
  a claw that deals d12+d6 damage, Reach 8. The character 
  uses the lower of his Piloting and Fighting skills to attack. 
  The huge vehicle can move, but very slowly, it has only 
  Pace 3. Use a Large Burst Template to represent it. Place 
  the vehicle in the northwestern corner of the battlefield.
  * Small Crates: The area is also packed with small 
  crates, both sealed and opened. Each crate grants Light 
  Cover (–1) and has Toughness 7. On top of the sealed 
  crates there are various objects (boards, hammers, 
  wrenches and so on) that can be used as improvised 
  weapons. A hero can grab a Str+d4 weapon with an ac-
  tion, or he can spend a full round searching and making 
  a Notice roll. With a success, he finds either a Str+d6 
  weapon or a very balanced one (Str+d4, no Fighting 
  penalty for improvised weapon). The open crates, in-
  stead, contain various wares that can be used as props 
  for Tricks. Each round, a player can grab a prop of his 
  choice (with the GM’s approval) from an open crate. Use 
  gaming stones of two different colors to represent the 
  sealed and open crates. Place up to ten sealed and ten 
  open crates on the battlefield.
  * Spaceboat: The spaceboat is 6” long and 3” wide. It 
  offers Medium Cover (–2) and has Toughness 14(2). 
  dEAdly AvAlAnchE
  At the start of the seventh round, something unex-
  pected happens.
  The wall of containers surrounding the battle 
  area trembles and quickly starts collapsing in a 
  deadly avalanche of cargo. You must duck for 
  cover, but wait; Jim is standing still, frozen in ter-
  ror. You haven’t come this far to see him crushed! 
  You must save him!
  Deal action cards as normal to Jim and the heroes. 
  Each card has two meanings: it decides when the hero 
  acts and it describes the type of danger he faces during 
  the round (see table below).
  At the start of an action, the character can decide to 
  look for cover. It requires a Notice roll. Once under cover, 
  the hero is protected from the avalanche and suffers no 
  further damage for the rest of the scene. If he fails the 
  
  deadly chant
  11
  Notice roll or chooses not to make it, he must make an 
  Agility roll modified according to the table or suffer the 
  described damage. This roll does not suffer from the mul-
  tiple action penalty. All damage is dealt from an Extra.
  Why should a hero choose not to look for cover?
  Unlike the heroes, Jim is Surprised for the entire scene 
  and cannot search for cover on his own, he can only make 
  the Agility roll to avoid damage. A hero must first drag him 
  down, with a Strength (–2) roll, and then find cover for 
  both with a Notice roll. Doing both actions in the same 
  round incurs the standard multiple action penalties.
  Grant a benny to the character who saves the boy. 
  The avalanche lasts for four rounds. Being crafty 
  types, the spacewhalers survive on their own, though 
  battered and bruised.
  Card	
  	
  Agility	Roll	Modifier	
  Damage
  2-5 
   
   
   0 
   
  4d6
  6-10 
   
   
  –2 
   
  3d6
  Jack-Ace 
   
    
  –4 
   
  2d6
   
  If the heroes survive the avalanche, read the following:
  When the deadly avalanche ends, you and the space-
  whalers leave your improvised refuges. A terrible scene 
  surrounds you. Crates and containers lie wrecked all 
  around and you are engulfed in a cloud of thick dust 
  that makes you cough.
  You quickly discover out what caused the terrible 
  event – a forklift, driven at ramming speed against the 
  wall of containers, which now lies abandoned. Was it 
  an accident or did someone just try to kill you?  
  While you ponder this, the sirens of the Shipping 
  Guild’s police are getting closer and closer.
  The “accident,” in truth, was a murder attempt. Gan 
  Zun, one of Hanazon’s dangerous henchman, was fol-
  lowing Jim because his master is worried about what 
  Kera, Jim’s mother, might have revealed to her son. 
  The chase and subsequent fight would have offered him 
  the occasion to wipe out both the pesky boy and the annoy-
  ing spacewhalers’ captain, but luck was not on his side.
  If a hero examines the forklift, a successful Notice roll 
  reveals hints of a strong, “swampish” odor on the seat. 
  This is Gan Zun’s bodily odor. 
  act 2: like father, like Son
  Scene 1: i have no father!
  Jim, the heroes, and the spacewhalers are all taken 
  into custody by the Shipping Guild’s police (this is not 
  really customary in pulp, but we need the heroes to meet 
  the villain of the story).
  A gruff Shipping Guild police sergeant takes you, 
  Jim, and the whalers’ captain in front of the Guild 
  Accountant Officer, de facto ruler of Khuma Bay.
  “I am Hanazon Hal, appointed by the Guild to 
  govern this city.” The man speaking is a Tuathan 
  of pleasant and sophisticated appearance, dressed 
  in simple but elegant robes.
  “I know Jim Bellon and captain Khodar, but I haven’t 
  had the pleasure of meeting you, strangers.”
  The heroes must introduce themselves, and then 
  Hanazon continues.
  “You are all in serious trouble. The report here 
  says you started a brawl, vandalized half the 
  docks, and had a serious fistfight on an aban-
  doned cargo platform, where your actions almost 
  caused a tragedy. What do you have to say in 
  your defense?”
  Jim quickly says the spacewhalers attacked, but cap-
  tain Khodar replies that they were provoked, and the 
  two begin quarreling. Then it is the heroes’ turn to ex-
  plain their involvement in the matter. Let them do some 
  roleplaying before Hanazon interrupts the quarrel.
  “Silence! Your behavior was shameful, Jim! Only 
  my friendship with your mother prevents me from 
  sending you to jail, but you must face the conse-
  quences of your actions. You must pay a fine of 
  $500. While you, captain Khodar, you are not a 
  boy, and I would have expected a little more sense 
  from you. I’m afraid you have to pay for all the 
  damage caused this afternoon plus an additional 
  fine in the amount of $2000. Let me add that in 
  dire times such as these, your behavior was very 
  inappropriate. You are dismissed.”
  After Jim and Khodar leave the room, exchanging 
  enraged looks, the Officer addresses the party.
  “I must thank you. Without your intervention, 
  we would now be counting the dead. I think I 
  should have been harsher with the boy, but I am 
  a close friend of his mother, Kera, and I know he 
  has grown up fatherless. I’ll speak to her about 
  the problem. Now, if you would excuse me, I am 
  very busy.”
  In truth, Hanazon is not happy at all. He wanted Kho-
  dar and Jim dead, but the party ruined his plans.
  Outside the office, the heroes meet up with Jim, who 
  is having trouble paying his fine. It is the right time for 
  the party to help the boy and speak to him.
  Jim does not know his father. Joran abandoned Kera, 
  Jim’s mother, when he was very young, and Jim has very 
  bad feelings towards him. So, after discovering the he-
  roes are friends of Joran’s, he refuses to talk with them. 
  This is a good moment to do some roleplaying. The 
  group did save Jim’s life and the boy has a big problem 
  now, so in the end he tells the heroes the whole story.
  
  daring taleS of the SPace laneS #07
  1
  “I have always lived with my mother, Kera. She 
  is a scientist who has dedicated her life to study-
  ing the Xanthi.  She is convinced that they are not 
  simple beasts but a very intelligent race. They have 
  always been peaceful, so she was totally shocked 
  when, a month ago, they started becoming aggres-
  sive and attacking the astrofarms.
  “Ten days after the first attack, these damn whal-
  ers arrived, promising to solve the problem with 
  the Xanthi. Mum and I hate these men; they are 
  just killers without any respect for such an amaz-
  ing form of life!
  “But the people here cheered their arrival, so Mum 
  secluded herself in her laboratory investigating 
  the facts. She was sure the answer to the mystery 
  could be found in the sounds the Xanthi make to 
  communicate. You see, they are capable of emit-
  ting sounds and energy impulses on several fre-
  quencies, and she started analyzing all of them.
  “When Mum is in this mood, she is completely 
  dedicated and can spend whole days without 
  sleeping or eating, but now it’s been three days 
  and she hasn’t come home yet, her wristcomputer 
  is turned off and her spaceboat is missing. I went 
  to her lab, but the door is locked and I don’t have 
  the key. I’m very worried and I fear for her life. 
  Maybe I’ll return to her lab and break in to look 
  for clues.”
  One legitimate question the characters can ask is why, 
  if he is so worried, he has not mentioned the matter to 
  the Officer.
  “Mum and Hanazon had a relationship.” Jim 
  reluctantly admits. “They broke up two months 
  ago but they remain friends. I don’t want him 
  involved in my family’s business.” 
  The best thing the party can do now is to go and check 
  the woman’s laboratory with Jim. They are heroes and a 
  locked door should not stop them.
  Scene : kera’S laboratory
  Kera’s lab is in the lower part of Khuma Bay, in 
  a building directly adjacent to the external walls 
  of the city dome, because she needs access to the 
  powerful receivers on the dome’s exterior to catch 
  the voices of the Xanthi without interference.
  When you arrive at the lab, you realize that some-
  thing bad has happened here — the door’s lock 
  is broken.
  Worried by the mess Jim has made, Hanazon has or-
  dered Gan Zun, his main minion, to check Kera’s lab, 
  to make sure the woman has not left any dangerous 
  evidence behind. 
  The party arrives just as Gan Zun is deleting all the 
  data from Kera’s computers, while some hired thugs 
  keep watch.
  Kera’s lab is like a tower — three rooms on three dif-
  ferent floors, connected by a stairwell.
  Use three Large Burst Templates to represent the 
  floors, placing a Small Burst Template in the center of 
  each one to depict the stairwell.
  Reading the floor maps clockwise, place a door 2” 
  wide at six o’clock on the first floor. This floor is used 
  as a library but it also has a small kitchen and a bed, 
  because Kera often stays in the lab for several days.
  The second floor is where Kera usually works and 
  there are computers lining the walls.
  On the third floor there is a locker containing some 
  spacesuits and a pressurized door at nine o’clock. This 
  is the access to a service corridor leading to the dome’s 
  external surface.
  Place all the thugs but two on the first floor. They are 
  active sentinels and make group Notice rolls for spotting 
  purposes.
  If the heroes are not explicitly moving in silence or if 
  they fail their Stealth roll, the goons start on Hold and 
  two of them have the time to hide at either side of the 
  door. In this position, if they win a Stealth roll opposed 
  to a character’s Notice roll, they get the Drop on him. 
  The hidden thugs wait until at least two heroes are inside 
  before springing the ambush.
  If the heroes are stealthy enough, place the goons at 
  random positions in the room and check for their sur-
  prise.
  Gan Zun and the two remaining thugs are on the sec-
  ond floor, wiping the computers of all the data. The evil 
  alien needs three rounds to accomplish the task from 
  the start of the fight, so he orders his two underlings to 
  hold back the heroes on the stairwell while he finishes 
  his work. 
  After erasing the data, he leaves his men to face de-
  feat and runs to the third floor, using smoke grenades 
  to cover his trail. It is likely the party cannot see him 
  now, being on a different floor, they only hear his voice. 
  Therefore, Gan Zun is described in the next section. 
  It is necessary for Gan Zun to escape. If need arises, 
  use the Recurring Villain rule to let him flee to the third 
  floor.
  At this point, after the goons are defeated, run the 
  section, “Decompression!”
   Gan Zun, Criminal Henchman:  See page 25.
   Thugs (1 per hero +1):  See page 27.
   Jim Bellon:  See page 27.
  tERRAin And pROpS
  * Computers: The second floor’s walls are com-
  pletely lined with computers, which are likely to explode 
  when hit by a stray blaster shot. On this floor, tweak the 
  
  deadly chant
  1
  Innocent Bystander rule slightly: When a 1 is rolled on 
  the Shooting die, the shot misses and hits a computer on 
  the wall behind the target, causing an explosion. Place 
  a Small Burst Template centered on the wall where the 
  shot has hit a computer (use common sense to deter-
  mine this). Any character under the template suffers 2d6 
  damage from an Extra. 
  * Generic Furniture: As it is impossible to detail ev-
  ery piece of furniture in the lab, as a rule of thumb con-
  sider each piece as granting Light Cover (–1) and having 
  Toughness 6. You can use gaming stones to represent the 
  furniture. A single gaming stone represents something 
  small (e.g., a chair), two stones within 3” of each other 
  represent something medium (e.g., a table), while three 
  stones within 3” of each other depict a big piece of furni-
  ture (e.g., a bed). Place up to ten gaming stones on the 
  first floor and up to five on the second and third.  
  * Stairwell: Each flight is 10” high. Shooting from one 
  floor to the other through the stairwell is possible, with a 
  –2 modifier. In melee, being at a higher position on the 
  stairwell is definitely an advantage and it grants +2 to 
  Parry. Conversely, being at a lower position subtracts –2 
  from Parry.
  dEcOMpRESSiOn!
  “Hey!” Jim shouts: “He’s escaping!”
  It’s true, the thugs’ leader is fleeing to 
  the upper floor! You must stop him!
  You run up the stairwell just in time 
  to see him go through a door in the 
  western wall. The room in which you 
  are now seems to be a sort of ware-
  house. It’s almost empty; there is only 
  a metal locker along the southern 
  wall. 
  The heroes are now on the third floor 
  of Kera’s lab. Let them do a Common 
  Knowledge roll. Characters with a space-
  farer background or similar add +2 to 
  this roll. If successful, the heroes recog-
  nize the symbols on the door, indicating 
  a corridor that leads outside the dome. 
  There must be an airlock at the end of 
  the corridor and the way out into space is 
  surely protected by codes known only to 
  the city’s security forces. 
  In the locker, there are some space-
  suits (one for each character). Donning 
  a spacesuit requires six rounds, but an 
  Agility roll lowers this number by one for 
  each success and raise. Being impatient, 
  Jim spurs the heroes to chase the alien 
  without hesitation. The heroes do not 
  actually need to hurry; instead, in this 
  particular case, losing time wearing a spacesuit will be 
  worth it later.
  When the party goes through the door, continue with 
  the following:
  You are in a rather long corridor, ending with an 
  airlock door. The fleeing alien is frantically trying 
  to open it, without any luck. He is trapped!
  At this point, without dealing action cards, ask the 
  players what they want to do. Any hero that runs or 
  charges towards the alien will start at one lower Range 
  Increment in the following situation. Then, before the 
  players can act, go on with the description below.
  The thugs’ leader turns towards you, so you can 
  see him clearly for the first time. 
  He has a third bionic arm on his right side and 
  a funny looking turtle-like head, but his eyes are 
  those of a killer. 
  
  daring taleS of the SPace laneS #07
  1
  His swampy stench fills the corridor.
  Heroes that have previously found this clue will rec-
  ognize the odor from the forklift at the docks!
  “Well, my friends, I am very happy to meet you 
  again, but now I need my… space!” He laughs.
  Then, with a mighty blow, his bionic arm smashes 
  the window on the airlock door, which opens into 
  the void!
  Only now you notice that the alien’s armor is 
  a fully functional spacesuit fitted with mag-
  netic boots and a force field generated breathing 
  mask.
  The evil alien says something else but you 
  can’t hear because the air is being sucked out 
  of the room, and you are being pulled towards 
  the opening, as well! He waves his hand and 
  moves off onto the dome’s surface, leaving you 
  to die.
  The situation is critical. When the window was 
  smashed, the door through which the party came in auto-
  matically closed to avoid decompression in a larger area. 
  The heroes seem doomed, but they still have a chance 
  to save their skin; near the door, there is an emergency 
  panel that can generate a temporary force field in the 
  area near the airlock. The problem is that the characters 
  are being sucked out into the void – they must use all 
  their strength to reach the panel.
  Handle this situation as a chase, with some modifica-
  tions.
  Place ten Range Increment markers on the table. The 
  first represents the airlock and the tenth represents the 
  emergency panel. Place the heroes on the fifth segment 
  (or the fourth if they previously declared their intention 
  to charge Zun Gan).
  Strength is the chase skill. Every round a hero suc-
  ceeds with his roll, he gains Range Increments as normal, 
  but any failure causes him to be sucked back one Range 
  Increment or two with a critical failure.
  A hero dragged below the first Range Increment must 
  make a Strength (–4) roll each turn to avoid being thrown 
  out into space where he meets a horrible death.
  Instead, the first character who reaches the tenth seg-
  ment can activate the emergency force field, stopping 
  the decompression. Doing this also unlocks the door to 
  Kera’s warehouse, ending the chase.
  The standard obstacle rules are ignored. Instead, 
  whenever a character draws a Club as his first initiative 
  card, it means he suffers the effects of oxygen depriva-
  tion. He must make a Vigor roll (–2 if he draws a face 
  card) or gain a level of Fatigue. He recovers from Fatigue 
  at the end of the scene.
  Heroes fitted with spacesuits ignore the Club card 
  effect, have +2 to Strength rolls, and, if sucked out into 
  space, they will be recovered, unhurt, at the end of the 
  scene.
  Help from Outside. If a character has not gone down 
  the corridor, he can help his mates from outside. There 
  is a second, more complex control panel in Kera’s ware-
  house. As this is a very stressful situation, activating the 
  emergency force field from here requires two successful 
  Smarts rolls (with each raise counting as an extra suc-
  cess).
  A hint
  Once the party is out of danger, Gan Zun has already 
  disappeared beyond the dome’s curve and following him 
  is impossible. 
  Any surviving thugs provide no useful information. 
  Gan Zun hired them at the docks a couple hours ago to 
  have some extra muscle handy. 
  Kera’s computers are totally wiped of all data, so they 
  are of no help.
  However, there is another clue that can be found 
  with a successful Notice roll. To effectively monitor the 
  Xanthi, Kera set up some receiving stations on various 
  asteroids. Being a neat and organized person, she stored 
  the electronic keys for all the stations in a panel in the 
  kitchen area.
  All the keys are in the right place except for the one to 
  Vendellmann station, which is missing.
  Usually Kera visits the stations every month or so to 
  check the instruments and to download the recorded 
  data. Vendellmann station is placed in proximity to the 
  scene of many Xanthi attacks, so it might have recorded 
  something interesting. 
  The woman has gone there to investigate and if the party 
  wants to find her, they must head to Vendellmann too.
  If the heroes fail to discover this hint, Jim automati-
  cally finds it.
  Scene : the black one
  You set off for Vendellmann station. Using your 
  hyperdrive, this would be a short trip, but with 
  sublight engines only, the voyage takes four hours. 
  You have almost reached Vendellmann’s asteroid 
  when you hear a strange sound echoing through-
  out the Blazing Star! It has no clear origin, and 
  it seems to radiate from the whole ship! It is the 
  same sound your sensors detected when the Tanus 
  astrofarm was attacked.
  The party is about to fall into a deadly trap – even if 
  they do not know it yet, the sound they are hearing is the 
  chant of the space amoebas.
  What is worse is that the sound propagates through 
  space at enormous speed, summoning enraged Xanthi.
  And it is all the Backstabber’s doing. 
  The cloaked ship is here to intercept the heroes and 
  eliminate them. The Guild’s cruiser has the firepower 
  
  deadly chant
  1
  to take down the Blazing Star, but Hanazon wants the 
  destruction of the group to be instrumental to his goal, 
  spreading terror among the colonists, so why not cause 
  a little Xanthi attack in the process? 
  After a few moments, you notice something on 
  the sensors. A shape. A Xanthi. A big one. It is ap-
  proaching so quickly that you can see it through 
  the portholes now. It isn’t big. It is HUGE! About 
  the size of a capital ship. Its skin is so dark that 
  the creature looks like a moving black hole head-
  ing straight for you.
  “Oh shit!” Jim curses, “It is the pod leader, the 
  Black One.”
  The beast opens its enormous mouth. It doesn’t 
  simply want to destroy you. It wants to eat you!
  You must flee through the asteroids if you want 
  to avoid it.
  This is a chase, and a potentially deadly one!
  The Blazing Star starts at Medium range from the 
  Black One. The beast has Piloting d6 and is considered a 
  Wild Card. It is so massive that there is no sense in shoot-
  ing it with the Blazing Star’s weapons. The only chance 
  for the party is to gain ten Range Increments, so they will 
  be out of the Backstabber’s cannon range, and the Black 
  One will lose interest and go away.
  Each Range Increment corresponds to 10” on the 
  tabletop.
  The Black One is treated like a capital ship and its 
  attacks are counted as battery fire.
  thE blAck OnE
  1 x  Energy beam (Range: 30/60/90; Damage: 3d6; 
  ROF 1; HW; AP 4)
  The beast has Shooting d6.
  1 x Huge Bite (Range: must be in the same range in-
  crement; Damage: 3d10; ROF 1; AP 8)
  The Black One does not use any chase maneuvers, it 
  simply follows the heroes and fires at them, but, when it 
  reaches the Range Increment the heroes are on, it tries 
  to bite them.
  For this chase, do not use the standard obstacles rules. 
  The area is full of small asteroids and debris. Whenever 
  the pilot and the Black One draw a Club card as their first 
  initiative card, it means they have to avoid an asteroid, as 
  per the table below.
  The Piloting Roll modifier is the penalty to the chase 
  roll. In case of failure, the Blazing Star suffers the stated 
  damage, but before trying to avoid it; a gunner can at-
  tempt to destroy the asteroid. To do this, the gunner 
  must make a Shooting roll at short range (taking into 
  account the To Hit modifier) and score sufficient dam-
  age to beat the asteroid’s Toughness. If the asteroid is 
  destroyed, the pilot suffers no penalty! 
  These rules fully apply only to the heroes’ ship. The 
  Black One is too big to be damaged and is only mildly 
  annoyed by the asteroids. It suffers only half the Piloting 
  penalties (rounded down) and does not try to destroy 
  the asteroids. The good thing is that its beam attacks also 
  suffer the Piloting penalties (rounded down).
  When the party finally shakes off the huge beast, they 
  also notice that the strange “sound” the Blazing Star was 
  emitting has ceased. This is because the Backstabber’s 
  cannon is not accurate enough to stay locked onto a fast 
  moving target.
  Finally, they reach Vendellmann station.
  Scene : deadly chant
  Vendellmann is a medium-sized asteroid where, 
  well before the colonization of the Greenbelt, the 
  Shipping Guild had placed a radio beacon to help 
  the few ships travelling in this space sector. The 
  radio beacon became obsolete and was decom-
  missioned, but the domed installation remains. It 
  seems totally uninhabited, but a small space dock 
  is still functional. There are no apparent signs of 
  Kera’s presence here.  
  Kera obtained permission from Hanazon to place one 
  of her receivers here when the two were lovers. 
  The landing dock seems to have been used re-
  cently, a small ship landed leaving traces in the 
  dust, and the main access porthole is unlocked. 
  You reach the beacon control room, where Kera 
  placed her receivers and a set of computers. All 
  the machines are switched on and are operative, 
  but there is no trace of Kera. 
  Let the party make a Notice (+2) roll. With a success, 
  they find a cup of Chandran tea on a desk. Jim’s mother is 
  particularly fond of this exotic beverage, as the boy knows. 
  It is a clue that the woman was here, but she left in a hurry, 
  because the cup is almost full, and a few days old.
  The reason for such a hasty departure lies in the re-
  cordings database. The heroes can find the following in-
  formation by examining the computers with Jim’s help.
  chaSe table
  Card 
  Piloting Roll Modifier 
  Damage 
  To Hit 
  Toughness
  2-5 
  –4 
  2d6 
  –4 
  6
  6-10 
  –2 
  3d6 
  –2 
  7
  Jack-Ace  
  –1 
  4d6 
  –1 
  8
  
  daring taleS of the SPace laneS #07
  1
  The computers reveal that Kera has isolated some 
  specific parts of the recordings — they are filed as 
  “space amoeba chants”.
  “Space amoebas are the only natural enemies 
  of Xanthi, apart from spacewhalers.” Jim says. 
  “These nasty parasites adhere to the Xanthi’s bod-
  ies and consume them with corrosive digestive 
  fluids, resulting in a very painful death. They emit 
  a sort of sound, a “chant”, to call other members 
  of their race to join in the banquet. This chant is 
  the only thing that can enrage a Xanthi enough 
  that it would cross an entire solar system to kill a 
  chanting amoeba.” 
  The date and the position of the source of every 
  recording correspond to the Xanthi attacks on the 
  astrofarms. It seems that amoebas were chanting 
  in all the spots destroyed by the Xanthi. 
  “This is really strange.” Jim continues, “Space 
  amoebas are very rare. I have never seen one in 
  the Greenbelt.”
  If the heroes listen to one of the recordings, they 
  notice it is very similar to the strange sound the Blazing 
  Star emitted in the previous scene, before the Black One 
  attacked them. Someone is imitating the amoeba chant 
  to provoke the attacks on the astrofarms! But how can 
  the sound be made to originate from a specific target? 
  The heroes may start making suppositions, but they 
  are suddenly interrupted. 
  It seems you are going to have guests. 
  The beacon’s monitors display the clear image 
  of the Slaughterhouse, the spacewhalers’s capital 
  ship. It is orbiting around Vendellmann while a 
  couple of whaleboats are now docked at the base, 
  beside the Blazing Star.
  Some burly fellows are entering the room now.
  “Uh-oh…” Jim says, “We’re in trouble.”
  act : the enemieS of oUr 
  enemieS…
  Scene 1: the SlaUghter of the 
  SlaUghterhoUSe
  “What a nice surprise! Our old friends!” Khodar’s 
  voice thunders.
  “Our sensors detected an enormous whale in this 
  area. We came here, but we can’t seem to find it 
  anymore. What a pity, it means we’ll have to skin 
  you instead of the big beasts you love so much. 
  Spacewhalers, let’s teach them a lesson!”
  The spacewhalers are not the true villains of this story, 
  but surely, they want to spill some of the heroes’ blood 
  for the embarrassment they caused in Act 1, Scene 4. As 
  before, not being killers, they use weapons set on stun, 
  as long as the heroes does the same.
  The combat area is the Vendellmann beacon control 
  room. It is a square, 18” by 18”. 
  There is only one means of access to the area, a 3” 
  wide opening in the middle of the southern wall.
  In the center of the room is the computer hub (see 
  below).
  The enemies start within 3” of the opening. 
  Place the heroes by the hub, at least 8” from the 
  spacewhalers.
  The whalers prefer to enter into melee, but they do 
  not object to a few blaster shots to soften the party.
  This fight is not destined to reach a resolution, be-
  cause after five rounds, something terrible happens. 
  Stop the combat immediately and run the next section, 
  “Unavoidable death”. 
   Spacewhalers (2 per hero):  See page 27.
   Khodar, spacewhaler captain:  See page 27.
   Jim Bellon:  See page 27.
  tERRAin And pROpS
  * Computer Hub: A large circular desk full of com-
  puters, receivers and so on. It counts as Medium Cover 
  (–2) and has Toughness 8. Use a Medium Burst Template 
  to represent it and place it in the center of the room. 
  * Energy Conduits: Four energy conduits, running 
  along the ceiling, power the computer hub. Draw four 
  random straight lines from the computer hub to the 
  room’s perimeter. Place a gaming stone in the middle 
  of each line. The lines represent the conduits and the 
  gaming stones are energy nodes. A Called Shot (–2) dam-
  aging a node (Toughness 6) causes it to explode, dealing 
  2d6  damage in a Small Burst Template.
  unAvOidAblE dEAth
  The beacon’s receivers start wailing. It is the 
  amoeba’s chant again, but now many times 
  stronger!
  All of you, heroes and spacewhalers alike, stop 
  fighting.
  The sound is originating from the Slaughterhouse. 
  The crew calls Khodar on his wristcomputer:
  “Captain! Captain! This sound, it is emitting from 
  
  deadly chant
  17
  the Slaughterhouse itself! We don’t understand 
  how it’s happening, but it’s the truth! Wait… 
  there’s something on the sensors. A Xanthi, incom-
  ing! No, there are two… Three… A dozen! For all 
  the galaxies, they are coming towards us!!!”
  Dozens of spacewhalers, a whole pod of Xanthi, 
  appear on the monitors and throw themselves 
  against the whalers’ capital ship with blind rage. 
  There is nothing anyone can do. Within moments, 
  the Slaughterhouse is destroyed, leaving only 
  space debris in the area.
  “No!” Khodar shouts, his voice full of desperation 
  and anger.
  Despite being grizzled spacefarers, Khodar and 
  his shipmates are totally shocked. Their ship is 
  destroyed and their friends are dead, and it all 
  happened in a flash.
  With the destruction of the Slaughterhouse, the 
  deadly sound fades and the Xanthi, after a moment 
  of confusion, appear to relax before moving away.
  At this point, an area of space shimmers and a 
  spaceship appears. It is a medium sized cruiser, 
  with a strange, long cannon protruding from its 
  nose. The ship was cloaked under some sort of 
  stealth field!
  There is an incoming transmission. On your 
  screens, you see the three-armed alien you en-
  countered before.
  He speaks in a deep voice: “I am Gan Zun, captain 
  of the Backstabber. You have seen what we are 
  capable of doing. Just as we destroyed the Slaugh-
  terhouse, we can destroy Vendellmann station. 
  However, you are lucky, my master wants you, 
  and wants you alive. So drop your weapons and 
  surrender, otherwise you will soon sample some 
  of the other features of our harmonic cannon.”
  The heroes should surrender and persuade Khodar 
  and his men to do the same. Accomplishing this requires 
  a Persuasion roll. 
  If they decide to resist, the Backstabber blasts the bea-
  con with a stun ray. It is not at all pleasant, and both the 
  heroes and the whalers quickly fall unconscious. In the 
  next scene, they will be Fatigued. They can then recover 
  from this condition with a successful Vigor roll, to be 
  attempted at the start of every scene.
  When they awaken, they are aboard the Backstab-
  ber. The soldiers search the heroes and remove all their 
  useful equipment (weapons, armor and assorted gear), 
  but the characters might be able to hide something (see 
  sidebar).
  Scene : the cybo
  A group of soldiers, all wearing nondescript gray 
  uniforms, captures and restrains you with secu-
  rity handcuffs.
  “Just to be on the safe side.” Gan Zun grins.
  You notice that the other spacewhalers, apart 
  from Khodar, are not restrained. The alien quick-
  ly glances at his men, who suddenly shoot them 
  dead!
  “You bastard!” Khodar shouts. “You promised to 
  spare our lives!”
  “I lied” Gan Zun shrugs and, speaking to his 
  men, continues: “Bring the prisoners aboard, un-
  der strict surveillance, and put their ship in the 
  secondary hangar. We don’t want to leave any 
  traces.”
  The soldiers obey silently.
  The Backstabber is not a very big ship, but it is 
  a true jewel of technology. Some guards watch 
  while you stand on the main deck. You wonder 
  who is behind this whole thing, because surely he 
  has amazing resources at his disposal.
  You don’t need to wait very long. The trip is 
  brief and you can see your destination through 
  a porthole – a barren asteroid, completely unin-
  habited.
  But wait, there is a large crater and you are head-
  ing straight into it. The asteroid is hollow, and it 
  hosts a series of pressurized caverns and domes, 
  where people are working.
  You are in the enemy’s secret base! 
  “It must be an old space mine,” Jim whispers.
  “Silence!” Gan Zun orders.
  hiding obJectS 
  If the heroes surrender, they have a few moments 
  before being captured to hide some useful objects 
  on their persons. These must be very small items, 
  like lighters or pocketknives. Make an opposed 
  roll between the character’s Stealth and the aver-
  age soldier’s Notice (d6). In case of success, the 
  object goes unnoticed. A hero can try to hide more 
  objects, but every additional item requires another 
  roll and inflicts a cumulative –2 to all rolls.
  
  daring taleS of the SPace laneS #07
  1
  The alien and an entourage of soldiers bring you 
  before their master in the main control room. 
  Finally you will meet your enemy!
  He is the tall figure who is busy observing a huge, 
  entirely cultivated cavern through a glass wall.
  Upon your arrival, he turns and you can finally 
  see him. It is Hanazon Hal, the Shipping Guild 
  officer!
  With a little smile, the Tuathan speaks: “My 
  friends” he says, “You have given me a lot of 
  trouble, but finally we have managed to arrange 
  a little family meeting.” 
  Two guards come in, leading a prisoner, a woman. 
  It’s Kera, Jim’s mother!
  “Mum!” the boy shouts.
  Mother and son try to embrace, but the guards 
  stop them.
  “I suppose I owe you an explanation.” Hanazon 
  continues, “Yes, I am working to destroy the as-
  trofarms and spread general fear throughout the 
  area. Why? The motivation is simple and lies in 
  the crops beyond that glass wall, look at them 
  with your eyes.”
  The field is entirely planted with black-leafed 
  plants, carefully tended by small, cloaked aliens. 
  “You know those plants, don’t you?” the Officer 
  asks.
  Let the heroes make a Common Knowledge roll to rec-
  ognize them. Otherwise, Hanazon himself will explain.
  “They are Cybo saplings, a recently discovered 
  plant, totally inedible but capable of producing 
  excellent bioplastic.
  “Our little aliens, we call them the Agronomists, 
  made quite a discovery some months ago. Due to 
  some unique environmental properties, the Green-
  belt’s soil is excellent for growing Cybo. More than 
  excellent. The plants grow ten times faster and the 
  quality of the resultant plastic is ten times better. 
  It is a business worth millions, but they can easily 
  become billions if the Guild manages to seize all 
  the astrofarms from the colonists! We paid them 
  once to colonize this area… Well, now we want 
  our asteroids back! 
  “Good Kera here unwillingly gave me the right 
  idea. The Xanthi are relatively common in this 
  area, and it is wonderful what these space giants 
  can be tricked into doing with the help of a little 
  amoeba’s chant. They go mad and destroy every-
  thing in sight! 
  “Thanks to the Guild’s scientists we used a pro-
  totype weapon to accomplish this, the harmonic 
  cannon. This weapon is practically harmless, but 
  it emits a beam that makes its target generate 
  sound waves, controlled by the cannon’s frequen-
  cy. And guess what sounds we make it produce?
  “Using this little trick, we have destroyed several 
  astrofarms and the colonists have reacted by sell-
  ing off their estates at very cheap prices and leav-
  ing the sector, but it is a slow process. Too slow. We 
  are losing money with every passing moment. We 
  need something more… spectacular… to inspire 
  all of them to abandon the area.
  “Something like a pack of Xanthi utterly destroy-
  ing Khuma Bay! It will cost the Guild quite a lot 
  to reconstruct the city afterwards, but it will be a 
  worthwhile investment, I can assure you! 
  “Today is the Balabala, a religious festival. Many 
  farmers are in Khuma Bay with their families, 
  praying in the temple to stop the Xanthi’s mad-
  ness.
  “A few thousand deaths will help us reach our 
  goal, and I have no time to properly deal with you 
  right now. Gan Zun, throw them into the fertilizer 
  depot, then have the Backstabber ready to take 
  off. Little Kera and I will be in the first row this 
  time, to enjoy the show! Be well until my return!”
  The guards drag Kera away from Jim and escort 
  you all to the fertilizer depot.
  Scene : eScaPe from the Se-
  cret baSe
  You are in a damp warehouse full of crates and 
  sacks of agricultural chemicals and you are still 
  handcuffed. If you want to save Kera, your own 
  lives, and Khuma Bay itself, you must find a way 
  out, and quickly!
  The handcuffs are the first problem. They are very big 
  and cumbersome, completely restraining both arms and 
  hands. Breaking them is impossible, as is lockpicking 
  them. Even if the heroes have managed to smuggle some 
  lockpicks, they simply do not have the fine manipulating 
  skills to accomplish the task.
  The road to freedom lies in the crates and sacks in 
  the room. If a hero examines the wares, let him make a 
  Common Knowledge roll.
  
  deadly chant
  1
  Heroes with a background in chemistry or with the 
  MacGyver Edge roll with +2. With a success, they recog-
  nize Abernate, Balianix, and Cynderium, chemicals that, 
  mixed, can produce a strong acid, capable of corroding 
  metal!
  MAking Acid
  Concocting an acid requires accurate timing because, 
  once opened, the components need to be quickly com-
  bined. So the party has only six rounds to create the acid, 
  otherwise they must restart the process. Luckily, inside 
  the room there are enough supplies to allow them limit-
  less attempts. The first two steps can be performed coop-
  eratively and scoring a raise means the action is carried 
  out without spending a round.
  * Breaking the Abernate Sack. Abernate is a pow-
  der, contained in a sack. The hero must break it, using 
  his teeth or whatever else. It requires an Agility (–2) roll. 
  A critical failure fills the hero’s mouth with the substance, 
  causing 2d4 damage, from a Wild Card.
  * Throwing the Balianix Barrel. Balianix is a liquid 
  contained in a big barrel. With a good kick, the character 
  can let it fall on top of the Abernate powder. This re-
  quires a Strength (–2) roll. 
  * Spraying Cynderium. Cynderium is gaseous and is 
  stored in a large spray can. This is the most delicate step, 
  because the hero must spray it onto the mixture once 
  the Abernate and Balianix are well mixed. It requires a 
  Smarts (–2) roll.
  * Using It. Now the acid is ready! It will be effective 
  only until the sixth round. Each round the heroes can try 
  to use it to corrode their handcuffs. It requires an Agility 
  roll, –2 for each additional character if more than one 
  hero tries to free himself in the same round. With a suc-
  cess, the hero is free. With a failure, the character suffers 
  2d6 damage from an Extra from exposure to acid.
  Once free, a hero can help his comrades, automati-
  cally freeing one of them each round. The acid making 
  process does have one side effect - it produces clouds of 
  thick smoke, attracting unwelcome attention!
  thE AgROnOMiStS
  Four rounds after the smoke starts spreading, the ware-
  house door opens and three little aliens, the Agrono-
  mists, enter.
  They are not fighters, but they will do to their best to 
  defend themselves.
  The fighting area is a square of 12” by 12” with a 3” wide 
  door on the northern wall.
  Place the Agronomists within 4” of the door, and while 
  the heroes may be placed wherever the players wish, 
  they must be at least 6” from the nearest enemy.
  Remember that from this point to the end of the sce-
  nario, Khodar is on the party’s side, so the players can 
  use him as an ally.
  The Agronomists’ tactics consist of fighting for two 
  rounds, then, from the third round on, one of them 
  attempts to leave the room to sound the alarm, push-
  ing a button placed on a wall 15” from the depot. If 
  the Agronomist manages to trigger the alarm, a patrol 
  of Gray Soldiers will arrive to investigate in five rounds. 
  The same thing will happen if the fight lasts for more 
  than five rounds.
   Agronomist (3):  See page 25.
   Gray Soldier (1 per hero):  See page 26.
   Jim Bellon:  See page 27.
   Khodar, Spacewhaler Captain:  See page 27.
  QuEStiOning thE SuRvivORS
  If the heroes spare some of their enemies’ lives, they 
  can interrogate them for vital information. Below, you 
  will find answers to some of the most likely questions 
  the party could ask:
  Q: Where is our spaceship?
  A: You mean the merchant ship? Gan Zun took it 
  as spoil of war. It is on the Backstabber now.
  Q: Are there other spaceships handy in the base?
  A: Yes, there are the two captured whaleboats. 
  They are in hangar Alpha.
  Q: Where is our equipment? (Only Gray soldiers 
  know the answer)
  A: In the control room. Now that Hanazon and 
  Gan Zun are away, the guards on duty are gam-
  bling for it.
  Finding thE WAy
  To reach the control room, the heroes must make a 
  group Stealth roll and a group Smarts roll. If both rolls 
  succeed, they find the room without any problem. If the 
  heroes questioned a prisoner about the location of the 
  room or, best of all, if they have an Agronomist or Gray 
  Soldier to guide them, they can skip the Smarts roll.
  If one of the two rolls fails, they run into a patrol of 
  Gray Soldiers after a turn in the corridor.
  The corridor is 4” wide and L-shaped. Place the he-
  roes at the corner and the enemies within 6” of them. 
  The Soldiers must check for surprise. If the heroes fail 
  to wipe them out within five rounds, at the sixth round, 
  and every further sixth round, a patrol of equal size joins 
  the fight.
   Gray Soldier (1 per hero):  See page 26.
  thE cOntROl ROOM
  You reach the control room where you met Hana-
  zon before. The automated door opens silently. 
  
  daring taleS of the SPace laneS #07
  0
  Some guards are sitting at a table focused on a 
  game of Wo Ka, a very popular card game, while 
  on the other side of the glass wall you can see the 
  Agronomists tending to the Cybo. The soldiers 
  are heated and verbal, and you gather the stake 
  of the game is your equipment, which lies on 
  another table nearby! There are many computer 
  and surveillance monitors on the walls and there 
  is another door, on the opposite side of the room. 
  If you remember correctly, it should lead to the 
  space docks!
  The room is a 12” by 12” square with two 3” wide doors 
  on the southern and the northern walls. The heroes have 
  come through the southern door. The soldiers are placed 
  around one of the two tables at the center of the room.
  They were focused on their game, have no weapons 
  drawn and must now check for surprise.
  The heroes are mostly unarmed, except for the few 
  things they have taken from the Agronomists, so their prior-
  ity should be retrieving their weapons as fast as they can. 
  The first thing the soldiers do is call for help via their 
  wristcomputers. Then they fight as best they can, de-
  fending the northern door and awaiting reinforcements, 
  which will arrive after six rounds (see below).
   Gray Soldier (1 per hero +2):  See page 26.
   Jim Bellon:  See page 27.
   Khodar, Spacewhaler Captain:  See page 27.
  tERRAin And pROpS
  * Tables: The tables are 4” long and 2” wide. They are 
  placed in the middle of the room, parallel to the north-
  ern wall. On the left table is the party’s equipment, while 
  the soldiers are sitting at the table on the right. Grab-
  bing a weapon from the table counts as an action, but it 
  can be done for free with a successful Agility roll. Each 
  table grants Light Cover (–1) and has Toughness 8. With 
  a Strength roll, it can be upended to create a barricade, 
  granting Heavy Cover (–4).
  * Glass Wall: The east wall is made of duraglass. It 
  has Heavy Armor against blasters but if hit by an energy 
  weapon, it reflects the energy as a flash of white light. 
  Every target within 6” of the wall suffers the effect of the 
  Stun power. Hitting the glass wall can be voluntary or 
  accidental (you can tweak the Innocent Bystander rule 
  to have the glass wall hit in case of a 1 on the Shooting 
  die). 
  * Computers: The northern wall hosts various com-
  puter consoles. Place up to five gaming stones by the 
  wall to represent the different consoles. Each computer 
  has Toughness 5 and grants Light Cover (–1). They are 
  also useful to block the enemies (see below), but only 
  until unarmed! 
  EnEMiES incOMing!
  After six rounds, read the following passage to the 
  players:
  You hear the sound of boots running up the corri-
  dor behind you. There are more guards coming!
  “We have to find a way to give us time to reach the 
  hangar or we’re doomed!” Khodar says.
  Add a new part to the combat area. From the southern 
  door draw an 18” long corridor, and place a new patrol 
  of guards within 3” of the far end.
  The guards run toward the heroes while firing, half of 
  them using Suppressive Fire.
  A new patrol arrives every three rounds. The players 
  must find a way to block the soldiers, or they are likely 
  to be stormed. 
  Here are three ways to accomplish this result, but oth-
  ers can be devised at the GM’s judgment:
  Block the Control Room Door. The doors are au-
  tomated, so the southern one can be blocked. This re-
  quires standing near the door and rolling two successes 
  in Lockpicking or Repair (–2) rolls. A raise counts as an 
  extra success. 
  Hack the Fire Sprinkler System. This must be done 
  standing near the computers and requires two Smarts 
  (–4) rolls. Characters with a security or thievery back-
  ground add +2 to the rolls. Also, in this case, a raise 
  counts as an extra success. The result is that the fire fight-
  ing system turns itself on and floods the corridor with 
  foam, totally blocking the Gray Soldiers’ way. 
  Activate the Localized Security Force Fields. The 
  corridor has several security force fields, which are ac-
  tivated to compartmentalize the base in case of danger. 
  They must be triggered via the computers. It requires 
  two successful Shields (–2) rolls, a raise counting as an 
  extra success. The effect is that three powerful force 
  fields block access to the control room.
  All the previous solutions block the corridor for six 
  rounds each, so the heroes have time to dispatch the 
  enemies inside the control room.
  When there are no more enemies in the room, the 
  group can run to the hangar.
   Gray Soldier (1 per hero):  See page 26.
  tO thE hAngAR
  “Come on!” Khodar shouts. “This trick won’t hold 
  them back for long.”
  You follow the muscular spacewhaler through the 
  northern door, until you reach the hangar.
  The two whaleboats are here.
  “They’re piloted exactly like interceptors.” Khodar 
  says in response to your quizzical stares, before 
  jumping into one of the cockpits.
  Normally whaleboats carry three people, but the en-
  tire group can squeeze into one of them, if they want. 
  
  deadly chant
  1
  Khodar suggests taking both. He will pilot one of the two 
  boats. The group can split if they want, but be sure to 
  know who is on which boat before the next act starts.
  You cram onboard and take off just in time to see 
  the Gray Soldiers storm into the hangar.
  “All the ship’s systems are operational.” Khodar 
  says. 
  “Khuma Bay, here we come!” Jim shouts.
  act : Xanthi attack!
  Scene 1: the battle of khUma bay
  You drop out of hyperspace near Khuma Bay.
  The situation is bad and it will soon get worse. 
  The radio frequencies are completely dominated 
  by the amoeba’s chant and a whole horde of Xan-
  thi, dozens of them, are attacking the domed city. 
  There is some resistance from Khuma Bay, ground 
  batteries are opening fire, but they are too under-
  powered against the rage and sheer numbers of 
  space titans. 
  The city can resist only for a little while longer.
  There is only one way to resolve this situation 
  — locate the Backstabber and destroy it. It can’t 
  be that far.
  But first, you have more immediate problems, the 
  Xanthi have noticed your arrival, and they aren’t 
  happy at all. Some of them are actually turning 
  away from the city and rushing towards you!
  The heroes know the Backstabber is nearby, because 
  the amoeba’s chant is originating from the domed city. 
  The cannon must be running at full power to make the 
  whole structure resonate, so its energy can be traced! 
  The heroes must accomplish two different tasks now: 
  The whaleboat pilots must keep their ships safe, while 
  the rest of the heroes must find the Backstabber and take 
  it down. If the players do not think of this solution, let 
  Khodar suggest it to them.
  For simplicity’s sake, the pilots’ role is detailed in 
  “Surviving the Battle” and the other heroes’ part in 
  “Dealing with the Backstabber”.  
  For this scene only, ignore the normal initiative 
  rules. The pilots (in any order) act first, then the other 
  characters perform their actions. At this point, the turn 
  ends and another one starts, until the whaleboats are 
  destroyed or the Backstabber is discovered.   
  SuRviving thE bAttlE
  The pilots’ task is a difficult one. They must keep the 
  whaling boats safe in the middle of the battle. It means 
  making a Piloting roll every round. The roll is influenced 
  by how prudent the pilot’s attitude is. Staying on the 
  margins of the battle is safer, but it also makes the work 
  of the gunners more difficult, because the Backstabber 
  is very near the center of the battle. In terms of rules, 
  this means the pilot must choose a modifier to his Pilot-
  ing roll, from +4 to –4. The same, but opposite number 
  modifier is applied to rolls dealing with the Backstabber 
  (see below).
  For example, if a pilot chooses to be very daring, suf-
  fering –4 to his Piloting roll, his mates will have +4 to 
  their correspondent roll to deal with the Backstabber.
  Here are the effects of the Piloting rolls’ results. All 
  damage is dealt by an Extra. Characters with the Ace Edge 
  can normally use it to absorb the damage. Shields can be 
  used in this fight, but only for their Armor power.
  Critical Failure. Very bad news, the ship is seriously 
  hit and suffers 3d8 damage, AP 8.
  Failure. The ship is hit by some Xanthi energy shots. 
  It suffers 3d6 damage, AP 4.
  Success. Only minor damage. The ship suffers 2d6 
  damage, AP 4.
  Raise. All the enemy’s attacks are avoided.
  Two Raises. Excellent job! Not only are all the enemy’s 
  attacks avoided but the amazing maneuvers of the pilot 
  grant +1 to the rolls of the rest of the crew for this round.
  WhAlEbOAtS
  Whaleboats are interceptors, heavily customized for Xan-
  thi hunting.
  Top Speed: 10; Toughness: 12 (4); Handling: 0; Shield 
  Pods: 2; Crew: 1+3
  Notes: Fixed Weapon, Heavy Armor, Improved Stabilizer, 
  Spacecraft
  Weapons:
  * 1 x forward-firing laser (Range: 12/24/48; Damage: 3d6; 
  ROF 1; AP 6, HW)
  * 1 x energy harpoon (Range: 20/40/80; Damage: 3d10; 
  ROF 1; AP 12, HW), 1 reload
  dEAling With thE bAckStAbbER
  A sequence of four actions must be performed in the 
  following order by those characters not directly involved 
  with the piloting of the ships. There is no fixed time to 
  accomplish this, but, for everyone’s safety, the faster the 
  better! 
  If the heroes have two whaleboats, the two crews can 
  try to find the Backstabber independently. The first boat 
  to reach the enemy ship will communicate its coordi-
  nates to the other boat, allowing both of them to attempt 
  the fourth step. Remember that the following rolls are 
  influenced by the pilot’s choices (see above). All rolls can 
  be cooperative.
  
  daring taleS of the SPace laneS #07
  
  * Triangulate the General Area: When evaluating 
  the strength of the amoeba’s chant, the heroes must first 
  define the general area where the Backstabber is likely to 
  be. It requires a Smarts (–2) roll. Characters with back-
  ground as a ship’s gunner or the Target the Engines Edge 
  add +2 to this roll. 
  * Identify the Engines’ Signature. Now that the 
  heroes have located the general area, they must find the 
  energy signature of the Backstabber’s engines, which 
  cannot be fully obscured by the cloaking device. It re-
  quires a Notice (–2) roll.
  * Locate the Cloaking Device Anomalies. The cloak-
  ing device is a particular type of energy shield; it works 
  by generating space distortion. Finding the origin of the 
  distortion means being very close to the Backstabber’s 
  actual position. A Knowledge (Shields) (–2) roll is neces-
  sary to accomplish this step.
  * Target Locked! Using the information gathered in 
  the previous step, the crew can now lock onto the Back-
  stabber. It can be done with a Notice (–2) or Shooting 
  (–2) roll. 
  When the target is finally locked, go to the section 
  “Revenge of the Black One”.
  REvEngE OF thE blAck OnE
  You open fire...
  And you successfully score a hit!
  The cloaking device must have drained away all 
  the ship’s energy because the Backstabber hasn’t 
  raised its shields, leaving the ship completely 
  unprotected. The impact is very strong, and the 
  cloaking device fizzles out. 
  Now the cruiser can be seen.
  The shot had another terrible effect. It hit the 
  delicate tip of the harmonic cannon damaging it 
  in a dangerous way — its resonating effect has 
  created a new target, now the Backstabber itself 
  is emitting the deadly chant!
  The Xanthi slowly turn away from Khuma Bay 
  — they have found a new, more suitable target.
  The Backstabber attempts to flee at maximum 
  speed, but just then, a huge monstrosity, the 
  biggest Xanthi of the pack, crosses the path of 
  Hanazon’s ship. 
  It is the Black One, the creature you barely 
  avoided during your initial trip to Vendellmann 
  station!
  With a single, tremendous bite, the beast destroys 
  the Backstabber, splitting it into two parts. He 
  swallows one of them, while the other half drifts 
  off into space dumping people and air bubbles 
  into the void.
  Jim cries out in horror: “Mum!!!”
  Scene : inSide the beaSt
  After some moments of astonishment, a distorted 
  radio transmission is intercepted: “Help! Help! We 
  are alive! We are… inside!” The transmission ends 
  abruptly.
  It was Kera speaking!
  Kera, Hanazon, and the precious Blazing Star have not 
  been destroyed; they are in a section of the Backstabber 
  swallowed by the Black One! 
  How can the heroes rescue them? Without expert 
  help, they cannot, but Khodar is in his element now 
  — he is the best whaler in the sector. He takes charge of 
  the situation, giving the party precise instructions.
  “Calm down boys! We can do it! It’s not the cus-
  tomary way we hunt spacewhales, but it’s the 
  only chance we have. Do you see those two strange 
  humps on the Xanthi’s back? Those are mem-
  branes protecting the Xanthi’s “nose”. We must 
  fire at them with the magnetic harpoon, grapple, 
  and land exactly on them. There are spacesuits 
  below your seats; I suggest you put them on.”
  To land on the Xanthi, the heroes must make suc-
  cessful Piloting and Shooting rolls. Then, wearing their 
  spacesuits, they will enter the living conduit that is the 
  Black One’s “nose”.
  While it certainly could be interesting to entirely map 
  out the interior of the huge beast, this is not the way 
  pulp works. Instead, the heroes will use the chase rules 
  to abstractly represent their dangerous journey to the 
  stomach of the beast.  
  First, put eleven markers on the table, each of them 
  representing a Range Increment. Place the party on the 
  first one. When they reach the eleventh marker, they 
  have arrived at their destination, the beast’s stomach. At 
  this point, you can run the final scene of the scenario, 
  “Deadly Flight”. 
  The party must choose a leader who will make the 
  chase rolls using Smarts. This roll is cooperative, so 
  the heroes can help. If they choose Khodar as leader, 
  the grizzled spacewhaler adds +1 to the roll due to his 
  knowledge of Xanthi anatomy.
  With a success, the group gains a Range Increment, 
  and with a raise, it gains two. A critical failure means 
  the heroes have taken a dead end, losing a Range Incre-
  ment.
  Every round, before rolling, the leader draws a card 
  
  deadly chant
  
  from the action deck. If the card is a Club, run the cor-
  responding miniscene below, applying the modifier to 
  the Smarts roll.
  If they want, the heroes can split into different groups, 
  but this can be very dangerous.
  ObStAclES tAblE
  Deuce (–4) Energy Conduit:  Xanthi generate bio-
  energy beams. The party is so unlucky that they enter 
  one of the bone corridors where this energy flows just 
  moments before a massive discharge. First, they must 
  make a Notice roll to detect (on their wristcomputers) 
  the sudden surge of energy in their surroundings. Then 
  they will see the bone itself become luminescent.  This is 
  the moment to run away! Escape requires an Agility (–4) 
  roll, +1 for each success and raise scored in the previous 
  Notice roll. With a success, they manage to reach a safe 
  area before being blasted. With a failure, they suffer 2d8 
  damage from a Wild Card, 3d6 with a critical failure. 
  Three (–2) Divided!:  The beast releases a tremen-
  dous mass of goo through a roof pipe, just in the path 
  of the heroes. Let them make a Spirit (–2) roll, and split 
  the group into two according to the results. Put all those 
  who missed in one group, all those who succeeded in 
  another. The group that failed their rolls loses two Range 
  Increments, and from now on, it must draw cards and 
  move in the chase independently from the other. The 
  two groups will reunite when they are again on the same 
  Range Increment. The most advanced group can choose 
  to wait (they do not roll or draw a card for that round), 
  or to use their successes in chase rolls to move back-
  wards along the Range Increments markers in order to 
  find their comrades.
  Four (–2) Membrane:  A leathery membrane blocks 
  the heroes’ path. They have three possible choices to 
  overcome the obstacle: First, turn around and lose two 
  Range Increments. Second, attempt to stimulate it open 
  as the membrane responds to certain chemicals and en-
  ergy frequencies and it can also be manipulated with a 
  Healing (–2) roll. Third, the party can use brute force. 
  The membrane has Toughness 10 (2), but at the end 
  of every round in which they try to pry it open, draw a 
  card from the action deck. A Diamond card means that 
  a group of enraged Xanthi Sweepers arrives at the start 
  of the next round. The combat area is 6” by 12” and the 
  enemies start 10” from the heroes.
   Xanthi Sweeper (1 per hero+2):  See page 28. 
  Five (–2) Twisting Corridor:  The heroes are inside 
  a conduit of flexible bone that suddenly starts twisting! 
  Each hero must make an Agility (–2) roll to avoid losing 
  his balance. With a critical failure, he falls so badly that 
  he suffers bumps and bruises until the end of the scene. 
  After this delay, run the chase as normal.
  Six (–2) Meat Shaft:  A large depression lies in the 
  way. The heroes must jump over it to reach the other 
  side. This requires a Strength roll. Failure means clinging 
  to the edge of the opposite side. Only with a Strength 
  (–4) roll can the hero recover. A critical failure in one of 
  the two rolls means the character falls down for several 
  yards suffering 3d6 damage from an Extra. The party can 
  also avoid the shaft, but it means they forego the chase 
  roll this round and they lose two Range Increments due 
  the additional footwork. 
  Seven (–1) Dangerous Parasites:  The heroes have 
  disturbed a nest of dangerous Xanthi Sweepers, aggres-
  sive symbiotes that live inside the body of the Black One. 
  They attack immediately! The combat takes place in an 
  18” by 6” corridor. Place the creatures at least 12” from 
  the party.
   Xanthi Sweeper (2 per hero):  See page 28.
  Eight (–1) Auditory System:  This strange, sloping 
  corridor has a very smooth floor, almost like the skin of a 
  drum. It is part of the Xanthi’s delicate auditory system. 
  With a successful Common Knowledge roll, a hero rec-
  ognizes this area and warns his comrades to be very quiet 
  while walking in here. All heroes must make a Stealth 
  roll. In case of failure (or if a hero walks carelessly) an 
  energy discharge inflicts 2d6 damage, AP 2 from an Extra. 
  Run the chase as normal.
  Nine (–1) Meat Ropes:  The heroes’ path ends sud-
  denly at the edge of a deep crevasse. They may turn 
  around and go back losing a Range Increment (and miss-
  ing the chase roll) or they can choose to climb down 
  using strange meat “ropes” that descend deep into the 
  chasm. It requires a Climbing roll by each hero. If any-
  one fails the roll, they discover the true function of the 
  “ropes” — they are vocal cords and they immediately 
  start vibrating and emitting an intensely high-pitched 
  sound. Any hero failing a Vigor roll suffers the Hard of 
  Hearing Hindrance (Minor) until the end of the scenario. 
  Characters who already have the Hindrance suffer the 
  Major version. After these rolls, run the chase as normal, 
  but the party gains an additional Range Increment due 
  the shortcut.    
  Ten (–1) Digestive Beast:  The heroes have disturbed 
  a huge creature resembling a large transparent puddle. 
  It is a parasitic bacterium that aids the Xanthi’s digestive 
  process. The creature has Smarts d4 (A), Stealth d10, and 
  Heavy Armor, so the party cannot damage it. It slowly 
  pursues the heroes, trying to engulf them in its corrosive 
  juices. Each round the beast is on the same Range Incre-
  ment as the party, it quietly tries to envelop the heroes’ 
  feet. This is an opposed roll between the beast’s Stealth 
  and a random hero’s Notice. In case of failure, the char-
  acter suffers 2d6 damage, AP 2 from an Extra. If the beast 
  wounds the hero, he also suffers the effect of a critical in-
  jury to his legs. The puddle joins the chase on the Range 
  Increment where the heroes are and continues following 
  their tracks until the end of the chase.
  Jack (0) Crossroads:  The heroes have reached a 
  huge cavern where several physical parts join, so there 
  are many corridors that can be taken. The leader must 
  make a Tracking roll that cannot be cooperative. With 
  a success, he takes the right path to the main stomach 
  cavity, gaining +2 to the next three chase rolls. In case of 
  failure, he takes the wrong corridor, suffering –2 to the 
  same rolls.
  
  daring taleS of the SPace laneS #07
  
  Queen (0) Carcass in the Acid Pool:  The heroes 
  find a secondary stomach, where, in a pool of bubbling 
  acidic juices, they spot the half-corroded wreck of a 
  small spaceship of unknown origin. In the cockpit, a 
  figure wearing a spacesuit is still visible. Clearly the ship 
  has been here for many years, perhaps even centuries. 
  Reaching the ship requires two successful Agility rolls. In 
  case of failure the hero falls into the acidic juices suffer-
  ing 2d8 damage from a Wild Card. Inside the small ship, 
  everything is destroyed and the alien’s body, a strange 
  humanoid, is unrecognizable. An ancient-looking sword 
  lies at his side (see sidebar). 
  King (0) Antibody Turret:  There are delicate parts 
  of the Xanthi where parasites must not go, so the beast 
  has generated a bone turret that attacks any intruder 
  with energy beams. It starts attacking at 18”. The turret 
  has Shooting d6, range 12/24/48, Damage: 2d6 AP 1, 
  ROF 3. It does not suffer multiple fire penalties and has 
  Toughness 12 (4). A hero can find Light Cover (–1) in the 
  area with a Notice roll, Medium Cover (–2) with a raise. 
  If the party decides to avoid the turret, they lose two 
  Range Increments.
  Ace (0) Heart:  The heroes arrive at the beast’s heart! 
  Khodar insists on destroying it, killing the Black One, 
  while Jim is against it. The heroes must decide what to 
  do and make an appropriate Persuasion roll to sway one 
  of their two comrades. If they decide not to kill the beast, 
  this heroic act grants each of them a benny. Destroying 
  its heart will kill the beast but, given its titanic dimen-
  sions, it will be a long process that will produce effects 
  only in the final scene. Run the chase as normal.
  Scene : deadly flight
  Finally, you reach an enormous cavity. It’s the 
  Black One’s stomach. In the middle of a lake of 
  gastric juices and assorted debris lies Hanazon’s 
  ship, looking like a broken toy.
  You hastily move through the lake, avoiding the 
  more dangerous points, and climb aboard the 
  cruiser.
  The Backstabber is devastated. Only the indepen-
  dent pressurized compartments saved the ship 
  from total destruction. All around lie the bodies 
  of the crew and the alarms are sounding, because 
  fires are quickly spreading.  In the end, you reach 
  the main deck, where Kera lies wounded on the 
  floor. The woman is badly shaken, but still alive.
  “Mum!” Jim cries, running to her side.
  “Hanazon…” she says, “…they have gone to the 
  hangar. To your ship…”
  The bad guys are going to escape on the Blazing 
  Star!
  You have to run if you want to catch them!
  Ask the players for some Agility rolls, but ignore the 
  results. They will arrive in time to stop Hanazon’s escape, 
  but a little suspense will add some spice to the scene.
  Just in time! 
  The Blazing Star is here and its engines are start-
  ing. In the docking bay, you see the last surviving 
  Gray Soldiers boarding your ship. You must hurry 
  if you don’t want to be left behind!
  For this fight, you need the map of the Blazing Star.
  The fight is divided into two parts: In the first part, the 
  heroes need to board their ship before it takes off, and 
  in the second part, they have to retake her and dispatch 
  their enemies.
  Place the Blazing Star’s map on the gaming table, and 
  put three Gray Soldiers on the cargo ramp.
  The hangar is quite big. Place the heroes 12” from the 
  soldiers. They have only three rounds to board the Blaz-
  ing Star. At the beginning of the fourth round, the ship 
  starts moving! She moves 6” the first round, so latecom-
  ers can reach her by running and making a successful 
  Agility roll. This roll can be cooperative, but only heroes 
  on the cargo ramp can assist late arrivals.
  The heroes have until the sixth round to board the 
  Blazing Star.
  Jim does not take part in the first stage of the fight 
  as he is busy helping his wounded mother walk to the 
  cargo ramp. When all the heroes are aboard, place Jim 
  and his mother on the ramp and go on with the second 
  part of the fight, in which the boy actively aids the party.
  In the second part of the combat, the party engages 
  the rest of the enemies aboard the ship. If you are play-
  ing with miniatures, place only the enemies the heroes 
  can see from their current position.
  Hanazon is in the cockpit, attempting to pilot the ship. 
  Gan Zun is in the Spacesuit Storage room. The hench-
  man remains hidden here until he gets the opportunity 
  to sneak up behind a hero. Place the other enemies as 
  you wish throughout the battle area.
  The heroes must try to end the fight as fast as they can 
  because Hanazon is a poor pilot and navigating inside 
  XanatUr, a relic from the PaSt
  The heroes have found an ancient relic from a for-
  gotten past! Xanatur, identified by the inscription 
  written in ancient Standard, is a unique vibrosword 
  of great power, constructed with lost technology. 
  It deals Str+d8+2 damage, AP 2 and grants +1 to 
  Fighting. Note which character wields this weapon 
  because it will have a small (optional) part to play 
  in a future installment of the series. 
  
  deadly chant
  
  the belly of a giant space monster is no easy task. See the 
  “Bumpy Ride” rule below. 
  When the heroes finally reach the cockpit, they find 
  Hanazon busy piloting the ship. The officer is a lousy 
  pilot and is close to crashing! The heroes must drag him 
  away from the controls and save their ship with one final, 
  daring maneuver!
  It requires winning an opposed Strength roll with a 
  raise, and then a successful Piloting roll. This roll suffers 
  –4 if the party killed the Black One, due to the shaking 
  of the huge body. 
  In case of failure, the ship suffers 3d6 damage from 
  an Extra. 
  At this point Hanazon is the party’s prisoner. Killing 
  him now is not a very heroic act, but nobody will complain 
  if one of the heroes gives him a solid punch in the face!
  The party has saved the day once again! Go to “The End!”
   Hanazon Hal:  See page 26.
   Gan Zun:  See page 25.
   Gray Soldiers (2 per hero+2):  See page 26.
   Jim Bellon:  See page 27.
   Khodar, Spacewhaler Captain:  See page 27.
  tERRAin, 
  pROpS 
  And 
  SpEciAl 
  RulES
  * Assorted Props: It is impossible to detail all the 
  furniture and props aboard the heroes’ ship, but the 
  rooms’ names alone give you a good idea of the items 
  they contain. As a rule of thumb, the heroes can grab a 
  prop in each room granting +2 to a single Trick (with 
  GM’s approval). After being used in this way, the room 
  will provide only standard items.
  * Bumpy Ride: Whenever a character draws a Club 
  card as his first action card, it means Hanazon has made 
  a bad maneuver. Put a Medium Burst Template centered 
  on the character. All targets caught in the template must 
  make an Agility roll, with a –2 modifier if they killed the 
  Black One. In case of failure, they fall and drift away 1d4” 
  in a random direction. A character that is thrown against 
  an obstacle is also Shaken. Whenever a black Joker is dealt, 
  the situation is worse! The ship collides with an obstacle 
  and all passengers suffer 3d6 damage from an Extra.
  * Useful Items: The heroes (and only the heroes) 
  know where some useful items are stored on their star-
  ship. In the medical bay, there is a Medipac (+2 to a 
  Healing roll), in the lavatory, there are a couple of spare 
  blaster pistols, and in the northeastern stateroom, some 
  d4 stun grenades (Range: 5/10/20, Damage: 3d6, MBT, 
  non-lethal). Use gaming stones to represent these items. 
  Grabbing them requires an action.
  the end
  You regain control of the ship just in time. The 
  Blazing Star is near the Black One’s mouth, which 
  is now almost closed!
  With a last, daring stunt of piloting, you shoot out 
  of the space leviathan’s mouth.
  You are outside, in space. 
  Safe.
  Without the deadly chant to enrage them, the 
  Xanthi are peaceful again. A high-ranking Ship-
  ping Guild representative reaches Khuma Bay 
  in no time to take charge of the situation and to 
  arrest Hanazon. The Guild refuses to take any 
  responsibility. Hanazon is a madman, who acted 
  on his own initiative, they say.
  It may be true, it may be false, but the Guild offers to 
  cover all expenses for Khuma Bay’s reconstruction and 
  pays out large refunds to the owners of any damaged 
  astrofarms. The heroes receive a generous reward of 
  $10,000 and the eternal gratitude of Jim Bellon and his 
  mother.
  With their debt to Joran settled, the heroes start the 
  next scenario with an additional benny. 
  the caSt
  agronomiSt
  This short creature wears a long, leathery, hooded 
  vest that completely enshrouds him, except for his mole 
  rat nose that cannot be hidden beneath the hood. Rather 
  peaceful, his real interest lies in agriculture. The Ship-
  ping Guild pays him well and lets him cultivate, so he is 
  happy with this arrangement. 
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d4, 
  Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting d4, Knowledge (Agronomy) d10, Notice 
  d8, Shooting d4, Stealth d8, Throwing d4
  Charisma: 0; Pace: 5; Parry: 4; Toughness: 5 (1)
  Gear: Leather vest (+1), sickle or knife (Str+d4), weed 
  killer staff (range: cone template, sprays a weed killer 
  substance that forces any target in the area to make a 
  Vigor roll or be Shaken, 3 shots).
  Special Abilities:
  * Size –1: The Agronomist is only 4’ tall and uses d4 
  instead of d6 as his running die.
  * Heightened Smell:  He cannot see very well (–2 to 
  Notice rolls if only sight is involved), but he has a very 
  fine nose (+2 to Notice rolls if he can use his sense of 
  smell).
  gan ZUn, criminal  
  henchman
  Gan Zun is an alien of unknown origin and species. 
  
  daring taleS of the SPace laneS #07
  
  He has a turtle-like face that might look rather comical 
  on his tall and muscular body, but his bloodshot eyes 
  and evil grin are not funny in the least! In the past, Gan 
  Zun had been a mercenary specializing in dirty work 
  until several years ago when he joined Hanazon Han’s 
  entourage and became his right-hand man. He is abso-
  lutely loyal.
  Cybernetic Arm: Gan Zun has a third cybernetic 
  arm implanted in his right shoulder. The prosthesis is 
  a highly illegal piece of technology constructed by the 
  cyborgs of Wayland, with a nasty device inside. In gam-
  ing terms, Gan Zun has several Powers. He uses Vigor 
  to activate them. The evil alien has no Power Points; 
  instead, he can use each Power a fixed number of times 
  in each scene. Powers with a standard duration of (3/1) 
  last three rounds. He has the equivalent of 15 Power 
  Points.
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d12, 
  Vigor d8
  Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d8, Notice d8, Piloting 
  d8, Shooting d8, Stealth d8, Streetwise d8, Throwing d8
  Charisma: -4; Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 9 (2)
  Edges: Block, Brawny, Connections (Shipping Guild) 
  Dodge, First Strike, Level Headed
  Hindrances: Loyal, Mean
  Gizmo: 2 x Healing (combat drugs released by the arm), 
  1 x Boost/Lower Trait (bionic arm’s energy boost, only 
  enhances physical traits), 1 x Smite (bionic arm energy 
  discharge)
  Gear: Blaster pistol (Range: 12/24/48, Damage: 2d6, 
  ROF 1, semi-auto), armored spacesuit (+2), smoke gre-
  nades (5/10/20, MBT, the template area counts as Pitch 
  Darkness). 
  Special Abilities:
  * Stench: Gan Zun emits a foul swampy smell that lin-
  gers in the air even after he has left. This causes him 
  to have -2 to all Stealth rolls and -2 Charisma. 
  * Cyberarm: Gan Zun’s third arm grants him extra 
  Strength (already calculated in his stats) and can be 
  used in melee dealing Str+d4 damage. He also has a 
  Blaster pistol built into it (Range: 12/24/48, Damage: 
  2d6, ROF 1, semi-auto). Gan Zun can perform an ex-
  tra attack with his arm each round, without penalty.
  ghoro the hitman
  Ghoro is a Yugon, a race of giants with octopus-like 
  heads. Usually they are very peaceful and excellent musi-
  cians and composers, but Ghoro is totally different. He 
  is a killer at heart, and he loves his job. He hates Joran 
  Bellon because the private eye sent him up the river a 
  couple times in the past.
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength 
  d12+3, Vigor d10
  Skills: Fighting d10, Intimidation d8, Notice d6, Shoot-
  ing d8
  Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 12 (2)
  Edges: Combat Reflexes, Nerves of Steel
  Hindrances: Bloodthirsty, Vengeful (major), Wanted
  Gear: Gravity imploder gun (Range: cone template, 
  Damage: 2d10, minimum Strength d8, ignores ar-
  mor, follow the flamethrower rules), combat armor 
  (+2). 
  Special Abilities:
  * Tentacles: Ghoro can use his tentacles in melee. Place 
  a Small Burst Template centered on the hitman. All 
  enemies in the area are attacked at –2. Hitting with a 
  raise counts as having grappled the target. The attack 
  deals Str damage. Ghoro can also attack with his fists 
  while using his tentacles, with the standard multiple 
  action penalties, but he cannot shoot in the same 
  round. 
  * Size +3: Yugons are twelve feet tall.
  gray Soldier
  Gray Soldiers are the military arm of the Shipping 
  Guild, which sometimes hires them out as mercenar-
  ies to third parties in various interplanetary conflicts. 
  They are professionals, but with the bad reputation of 
  being faithful only if well-paid and effective only when 
  they clearly outnumber their enemy. Well, they are quite 
  cheap, so what do you expect?
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d6, 
  Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting d6, Notice d6, Intimidation d6, Piloting 
  d4, Shooting d6
  Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6 (1)
  Gear: Combat vest (+1), blaster machine gun (Range: 
  12/24/48, Damage: 2d6, ROF: 3, AP 1, auto), energy 
  shield (+1 Parry, +2 Toughness against ranged weap-
  ons), energy gauntlet (Str+d4).
  Special Abilities:
  * Strength in Numbers: While grouped in superior 
  numbers they add +1 to Spirit rolls, but when out-
  numbered they suffer –1 to the same rolls.
  hanaZon hal
  This Tuathan has reached a very high rank in the Ship-
  ping Guild hierarchy despite his young age. Handsome, 
  mellifluous, and charismatic, he is ambitious and desires 
  even more power. He has no moral scruples and the lives 
  of others mean very little to him.
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit d8, Strength d4, 
  Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting d4, Intimidation d8, Investigation d6, 
  Knowledge (Economics) d8, Notice d6, Persuasion d10, 
  Piloting d4, Streetwise d10, Taunt d8
  Charisma: +6; Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 5
  Racial Traits: Agile, Anemic, Low Light Vision
  Edges: Attractive, Charismatic, Connections (Shipping 
  Guild), Iron Will, Noble
  Hindrances: Arrogant, Greedy
  Gear: Fancy clothes.
  
  deadly chant
  7
  Jim bellon
  Jim Bellon is very similar to his father, Joran, when he 
  was young. Temperamental, stubborn, and strong-willed. 
  Someday this boy will become someone important, but 
  for now, he is only a young man in big trouble.
  Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d6, 
  Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting d6, Notice d6, Piloting d6, Shooting d6, 
  Stealth d6, Streetwise d4, Taunt d8, Throwing d6
  Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6 (1)
  Edges: Acrobat, Luck
  Hindrances: Arrogant, Stubborn
  Gear: Padded jacket (+1), hoverskate.
  Joran bellon, Private  
  inveStigator 
  Joran Bellon is an old friend of the heroes’. Reliable, 
  resourceful, and cunning, he is a good man to have han-
  dy when dangers arise. He is very close-mouthed about 
  his past and the heroes only known he was a former GEA 
  operative before opening his own private investigation 
  agency.
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d6, 
  Vigor d8
  Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d6, Notice d8, Piloting 
  d6, Shooting d10, Stealth d8, Streetwise d8, Taunt d8
  Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 8 (2)
  Edges: Block, Dodge, Giant Killer, Level Headed, Marks-
  man
  Hindrances: Arrogant, Heroic
  Gear: Blaster rifle (Range: 15/30/60, Damage: 2d8, ROF 
  1, AP 1, semi-auto), bounty hunter armor (+2), stun gre-
  nades (5/10/20, Damage: 3d6, MBT, non lethal), vibro 
  knife (Str+d4+2, AP 2). 
  khodar, SPaceWhaler  
  caPtain 
  Khodar is the captain of the Slaughterhouse, the 
  biggest spacewhaler ship in the sector. Strong and mus-
  cular, he is not the type of captain who commands his 
  fleet of whaling vessels from the comfort of his captain’s 
  chair; rather he is always on the front line, chasing the 
  Xanthi with daring courage aboard his own custom-fitted 
  whaler.
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, Strength d10, 
  Vigor d8
  Skills: Fighting d10, Intimidation d8, Notice d6, Piloting 
  d8, Shooting d8, Tracking d8
  Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 8 (1)
  Edges: Ace, Brawny, Combat Reflexes, Command, Trade-
  mark Weapon (Space Harpoon)
  Hindrances: Arrogant, Code of Honor (spacewhalers)
  Gear: Energy harpoon (see appendix), light spacewhaler 
  armor (+1). 
  Special Abilities:
  * Gotcha!: A spacewhaler never gives up when he 
  catches a target with his energy harpoon. He has a +2 
  bonus to grappling rolls with the harpoon only.
  ShiP thief 
  A tall, skinny humanoid with gray plumage, this thug 
  has rapacity in his blood, as his cruel, hawk-like beak 
  proves. 
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d6, 
  Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidation d4, Notice d6, Piloting 
  d6, Repair d6, Shooting d6, Stealth d6, Throwing d6
  Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 6 (1)
  Hindrances: Bloodthirsty, Wanted
  Gear Blaster pistol (Range: 12/24/48, Damage: 2d6, ROF 
  1, semi-auto), light armored vest (+1). 
  Special Abilities:
  * Beak: Str+d4, AP 1.
  * Strike the Eyes: If a ship thief hits with a raise using 
  his beak, he hits his enemy in the eyes. The target 
  must make an immediate Vigor (–2) roll or suffers the 
  One Eye Hindrance until healed.
  SPaceWhaler 
  Few spacers have the guts to assault giant-sized beasts 
  like the Xanthi with only small spaceboats and energy 
  harpoons. This grizzled man is one of them. He doesn’t 
  only do it for the money, but also for the adrenaline rush 
  that this dangerous hunt gives him. 
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d8, 
  Vigor d8
  Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d6, Notice d6, Piloting 
  d6, Shooting d6, Tracking d6
  Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 7 (1)
  Edges: Combat Reflexes
  Hindrances: Code of Honor (Spacewhalers)
  Gear: Energy harpoon (see appendix), light spacewhaler 
  armor (+1). 
  Special Abilities:
  * Gotcha!: A spacewhaler never gives up when he 
  catches a target with his energy harpoon. He has a +2 
  bonus to grappling rolls with the harpoon only. 
  thUg
  The scum of Khuma Bay’s docks. He knows very few 
  of the aliens that hire him personally and he isn’t even 
  remotely interested. He only wants to do his job and get 
  his money. 
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d8, 
  Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Notice d6, Shooting 
  d6, Stealth d6, Throwing d6
  
  daring taleS of the SPace laneS #07
  
  Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6 (1)
  Hindrances: Greedy
  Gear: Blaster pistol (Range: 12/24/48, Damage: 2d6, ROF 
  1, semi-auto), light armor (+1), bladed tonfa (Str+d4+1, 
  +1 Parry). 
  Xanthi SWeePer
  This parasite resembles a mantis made of white 
  crystal and black chitin. They travel in groups and are 
  in a symbiotic relationship with the Xanthi they live on, 
  feeding on the waste and any ailing parts of the host and 
  subsequently keeping it healthy and free of infection.
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6 (A), Spirit d6, Strength 
  d4, Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Notice d6
  Pace: 8; Parry: 5; Toughness: 4
  Special Abilities:
  * Bioenergy beam:  The sweeper generates a ray of 
  bioenergy from its mouth. It has Range: 6/12/24 and 
  deals 2d6 damage. It uses Agility for its attack roll. 
  * Claws:  Str+d4.
  * Fleet-Footed:  Xanthi sweepers roll d10s instead of 
  d6s when running.
  * Size -1:  Sweepers are about the size of a dog.
  aPPendiX: neW WeaPonS
  energy harPoon  
  The energy harpoon is a blaster weapon fitted 
  with a sharp spearpoint, used by spacewhalers as the 
  main weapon and tool of their trade. It is a multipurpose 
  weapon, which can be used in three different ways:
  First, it can be used as a blaster pistol capable 
  of shooting energy bolts. Second, it can be wielded in 
  melee as a short spear. Third and lastly, it can fire a sin-
  gle durasteel harpoon. The harpoon is designed to bore 
  into the target and is connected to the handle through 
  a super resistant wire, with a special servomechanism to 
  wind the wire. This action is considered a Grapple that 
  can be done at distance, and inflict Str+d4 damage.
  Each round the shooter succeeds in the grap-
  pling roll, he can wind the wire up to his Strength die 
  in tabletop inches, dragging the target towards him.  For 
  example, a hero with Strength d6 can wind the wire up 
  to 6” each round.
  energy harPoon
  Mode of Use 
  Dmg 
  Range 
  ROF 
  Notes 
  Melee weapon   
  Str+d6
  Blaster weapon   2d6+1  
  12/24/48 
  1 
  AP 1
  Harpoon 
  2d8 
  8/16/24 
  1 
  AP 4, 1 shot only, can Grapple at a distance.
  
  © 2010 Triple Ace Games. Daring Tales of the Sprawl and all related marks and logos are trademarks 
  of Triple Ace Games.
  All rights reserved. Used with permission. © 2010. All Rights Reserved.
  www.tripleacegames.com
  SAVAGE WORLDS     GAMING!
  TM
  A WORLD IN CHAOS!
  A WAR FOR CONTROL...
  
  © 2010 Triple Ace Games. Sundered Skies and all related marks and logos are trademarks of Triple 
  Ace Games.
  All rights reserved. Used with permission. © 2010. All Rights Reserved.
  www.tripleacegames.com
  SAVAGE WORLDS     GAMING!
  TM
  SAVAGE, SWASHBUCKLING
  ADVENTURE!
  
  © 2010 Triple Ace Games. Daring Tales of the Space Lanes and all related marks and logos are trademarks of  Triple Ace Games. Savage Worlds, Smiling Jack
  and all related marks and logos are trademarks of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. All rights reserved. Used with permission.  © 2010. All Rights Reserved.
  www.tripleacegames.com
  www.tripleacegames.com
  31060
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  Triple Ace Games’ line of high-octane, two-ﬁ sted tales that launch the heroes 
  into space, where ﬁ ghting evil crime lords, evading bounty hunters, and 
  dodging asteroids (while blasting away at enemy ﬁ ghters) is all in a day’s work.
  This issue contains a single, stand-alone adventure — Deadly Chant.
  The Xanthi (a.k.a. “spacewhales”), one of the most beautiful and strange 
  life forms of deep space, are going mad! For no apparent reason they are 
  attacking the domed cities and astrofarms of the Greenbelt region with 
  ravenous fury. What has transformed these peaceful beings into merciless 
  destroyers?    
  Space chases, gunﬁ ghts and dark, evil plots await the heroes in this 
  adventure among the asteroids.
  STRAP IN AND PREPARE FOR LIFT OFF, 
  STRAP IN AND PREPARE FOR LIFT OFF, 
  WITH THE SEVENTH ISSUE OF 
  WITH THE SEVENTH ISSUE OF 
  DARING TALES OF THE SPACE LANES!
  DARING TALES OF THE SPACE LANES!
  
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