TEXT: the black hole syndicate needs smugglers
  PL 7
  Customization/Notes:
  Failed Gather Information Check: “You know
  the Black Hole Syndicate,boy.Well,they’re lookin’for
  pilots – without a criminal record – to operate some
  of their freighters. It’s good pay and safe work since
  the Syndicate has pretty much every cop between
  here and the Dio Rings taking bribes. I could point
  you in the right direction ...for a small price.”
  If the player characters are interested, and can
  negotiate a payment for information, the old man
  continues:
  “You want to haul yourselves down to Bay 112.
  Ask for Rigger Clive and tell him Jacobs sent ya.He’ll
  get you boys working.”
  Source: Arthur Jacobs [male human, Strong
  Ordinary 3, 12 hp], a lean, tall man in his fifties.
  Jacobs’talks in a slow,broken tone – the man’s seen
  better days.He wears a simple jumpsuit and carries a
  Fusion Age laser pistol. If pressed, Jacobs agrees to
  lead the player characters to Bay 112 but he’ll
  attempt to sneak away if things turn ugly.
  Successful Gather Information Check: “I
  couldn’t help but overhear Jacobs.If you’d take make
  advice, friend, I recommend you don’t go into that
  meeting without first arranging some protection.
  The Black Hole Syndicate, while they do sometimes
  hire freighter pilots, is better known for snatching
  people and selling them into slavery. I’d expect the
  worst,if I were you.”
  Source: Irina Alekseyevna [female morphean,
  Smart Ordinary 2, 9 hp], an attractive woman
  with short red hair dressed in a tight,revealing body-
  suit. Alekseyevna’s gene therapy modifications are
  not apparent visually. She refuses to get involved,
  stating prior commitments.
  Follow Up: If the player characters choose to go
  to Bay 112 they’ll meet Rigger Clive [male human,
  Tough Ordinary 5/Charismatic Ordinary 5, 55
  hp] and eight of his thugs.Clive will attempt to lure
  the player characters into a nearby light freighter –
  “to show them the ship,” he’ll say – but once inside
  he and his men will attempt to capture the player
  characters. If Rigger Clive and his men succeed the
  player characters will be bound and gagged and
  whisked off to an illegal slave market. If the player
  characters succeed and gain access to the ship they’ll
  quickly determine that it’s little more than a hull –
  the Black Hole Syndicate has used this tactic a lot
  over the last few months.
  
  the chikako confederation is hiring mercs
  PL 7
  Customization/Notes:
  Failed Gather Information Check: “You look
  like a tough bunch that can hold your own in a fight.
  If you’re looking around for work you may want to
  consider heading out to Selfakan VII and signing up
  with the Chikako’s.Last I heard they were in the mar-
  ket for mercs and paying good wages. It’s supposed
  to be easy work.”
  Source: Black Bailey [male human, Tough
  Ordinary 5,27 hp], a towering,heavy-set bald man
  a prosthetic arm. Bailey is wearing a suit of scout
  armor and has a laser rifle slung over his shoulder
  and a plasma pistol on his hip.He hires himself out as
  an enforcer,bodyguard,or thug and has spent sever-
  al years incarcerated on Devil’s Rock, a maximum
  security prison in the Noah System. Bailey is only
  repeating what he overheard a few minutes ago.
  Successful Gather Information Check: “Yeah,
  the Chikako Confederation is hiring mercs but the
  job’s no picnic. My brother died working for those
  Chikako bastards;they sent him and ten others into a
  battle against several dozen and kept them there
  until every merc was dead.The Chikako pay well – if
  you can survive the assignments – but they demand
  a lot for their credits.”
  Source: George Argos [male human, Strong
  Ordinary 2, 8 hp], a pale-skinned man wearing
  gray fatigues and unarmed.Argos is friendly and will
  do everything he can to persuade the player charac-
  ters to not seek employment with the Chikako
  Confederation.
  Follow Up: If the player characters go to the
  trouble of traveling to Selfakan VII they’ll be permit-
  ted to meet with Chikako Confederation recruiters.
  The exact way in which the meeting evolves will
  depend on the type of campaign that you want to
  run (and that the players want to participate in).It’s
  highly recommended that this particular rumor,
  more than any other, be used primarily as back-
  ground chatter and not the basis for adventure.Still,
  if you want to run a campaign in which the player
  characters are hired mercenaries this is certainly a
  good way to get the ball rolling.
  
  the starcross race prize
  PL 7
  Customization/Notes:
  Failed Gather Information Check: “You
  haven’t heard of the Starcross? It’s a new race being
  put on by the Haver Corporation.Each ship in the race
  has to pay an entrance fee but the prize is big! The
  team that wins the race is gonna be given a Fusion
  Age courier ship. Sure, it’s not top of the line but a
  free ship’s a free ship. I hear the competition for the
  race is gonna be pretty intense – hell, I’m thinking
  about borrowing a ship and entering myself – so I
  bet there’s gonna be some foul play during the run.”
  Source: Richard Kubek [male human, Fast
  Ordinary 4, 14 hp], an agile man in his early thir-
  ties dressed in an old flight jacket and one-piece
  black bodysuit.Kubek spent several years as a corpo-
  rate courier,flying one-man starships between all of
  the wealthiest worlds, but lost it all when a crash
  destroyed his legs and left him in a coma for years.
  Under the bodysuit Kubek is a mix of flesh and cyber-
  netics.
  Successful Gather Information Check: “An old
  courier? Hardly.The prize is a decommissioned bulk
  freighter.Old, sure, but a lot more useful to the right
  group than a courier. If I win I’ll take the ship, hire a
  few men, and start running cargo for a living. It
  would be nice to get out of the hangar and actually
  travel the stars.”
  Source: Jorgen Holm [male human, Smart
  Ordinary 6, 16 hp], a blond-haired man in his late
  forties dressed in a station engineer’s outfit. Holm
  has spent the past twenty years working in the
  hangar, performing minor maintenance and repairs
  on starships. He’s managed to convince his boss to
  loan him an Information Age shuttle that has been
  heavily customized.Unfortunately for Holm,though,
  the ship’s just too old to compete against the newer
  model ships that are sure to be entered into the race.
  Follow Up: If the player characters choose to
  enter the race this is a great opportunity to run a ses-
  sion that doesn’t rely heavily on combat. Of course,
  some competitors are going to do everything they
  can to sabotage the others but actual weapons fire
  during the race is not allowed – violators will be
  expelled. Whether or not the player characters win
  depends completely on whether or not you want
  them to get their hands on the prize.
  
  The freighter alliance was lost
  PL 7
  Customization/Notes:
  Failed Gather Information Check: “Did you
  hear? The Alliance was completely destroyed in a
  meteor storm;there were no survivors! She was com-
  ing in with a load of food and water and now the sta-
  tion’s going to run out of supplies before tomorrow.”
  The woman turns away from the player characters
  and starts shouting:“We’re going to starve!”
  Source: Jessica McCutcheon [female human,
  Dedicated 1, 4 hp], an early-twenties woman with
  long black hair and a long, hooked nose. She grows
  increasingly louder until she starts screaming and
  crying in panic, rushing about looking for someone
  to take her to a place with ample amounts of food
  and water.
  SuccessfulGather Information Check:“Ignore
  that woman, she’s insane. Yes, the Alliance was
  destroyed in a meteor storm but it wasn’t carrying
  anything more than circuit boards and diagnostic
  components.Besides,even if the Alliance was bring-
  ing in food and water the station has a six-month
  supply on hand and can get fresh supplies in less
  than twelve hours.There’s pretty much no fear that
  we’ll ever run out of food or water.”
  Source: Adriaen Tappan [male human, Smart
  Ordinary 4, 10 hp], an elderly gentleman that
  makes his living onboard the station as a traffic con-
  trol director.Tappan was in the control booth when
  the report of the Alliance’s destruction reached the
  station so he’s far more informed about the situation
  than the screaming woman.
  Follow Up: Unless the woman is silenced (or
  sedated) she’ll push several people onboard the sta-
  tion into a panic that, if left alone, grows into a riot.
  Station security will be overwhelmed in such an
  event and begin hiring competent men and women
  to assist in dispersing – and sometimes arresting –
  the rioters.
  
  pirates in the antarnox lane
  PL 7
  Customization/Notes:
  Failed Gather Information Check: “Six times in the
  past week pirate ships have ambushed freighters traveling
  along the Antarnox Lane, the most recent ambush taking
  place just yesterday.”The man looks down at his datapad,
  types a few quick keys, and looks back up to the player
  characters.“My sources tell me that the pirates are operat-
  ing out of the Keyes Ring and I’ve heard rumors that the
  Shippers’Guild is going to offer a bounty on the pirates no
  later than next week.An experienced group such as your-
  selves may want to get out there and try to capture a pirate
  ship or two before the bounty is posted; there could be
  some good money in it.”
  Source: David Weaver [male human, Fast Ordinary
  8,20 hp], owner and operator of the Planet Carrier, a light
  freighter.Weaver has been running the Antarnox Lane for a
  decade now and has never personally encountered pirates
  (though he’s had a few encounters with the law;he some-
  times smuggles illegal cargos for the Black Hole Syndicate).
  Weaver has dark hair, a moustache, wears glasses, and
  dresses in plain, cheap jumpsuits. If he gets into trouble
  there are 1d4+1 men in the immediate area that are
  employed by Weaver;these men will jump to his rescue no
  matter the conditions.
  Successful Gather Information Check: “I wouldn’t
  set out in search of those pirates without ensuring I’ve got
  a combat-ready ship,myself.”A short,thin man in red scout
  armor steps up as soon as the player characters finish talk-
  ing with David Weaver.“Weaver’s right,and he’s a trustwor-
  thy fellow, but that doesn’t make those pirates any less
  dangerous.I’ve got a few friends working in station securi-
  ty and they tell me that the pirates are operating with no
  fewer than a dozen assault fighters,escorts,and one rebuilt
  cruiser.”The man takes a slow drink.“Besides, it’s best to
  leave the problem to the military – they’ve got the equip-
  ment and manpower to handle the situation and should be
  on the case in less than a week.”
  Source: Alexander Dane [male aquan, Smart
  Ordinary 5/Fast Ordinary 3, 25 hp], captain of the
  hauler Galaxy Whale.Dane has had encounters with pirates
  in the past and is keeping his ship in stardock for the next
  few weeks until this recent pirate situation is dealt with by
  the military.He’s quite friendly and will ask the player char-
  acters to have a meal with him.He believes the best thing
  anyone can do for now is avoid the Antarnox Lane and wait
  for the military to do their job.
  Follow Up: If the player characters foolishly go in
  search of the pirates they’ll find them.Lots of pirates.If they
  wait around it will be less than a week before the Shippers’
  Guild offers a bounty on each pirate ship brought in to the
  station (DC 35 sale value for purposes of determining the
  effects of claiming a bounty on a player character’s Wealth
  bonus) and a few days after that a military task force
  begins patrolling the shipping lane.The player characters,if
  they do not own their own starship, could sign up with a
  freighter to help provide defense in the event of a pirate
  attack.If they do own their own starship they may choose
  to hire themselves out for escort duty during the crisis.
  
  faisal abdo has been arrested for murder
  PL 7
  Customization/Notes:
  Failed Gather Information Check: “Abdo had it
  coming,the murderous slime.I spent six months serving
  with that fool on the FTL Shadow and he was never any-
  thing but a thief and a liar.If it were up to me,”the man
  looks around nervously,“Abdo would be shoved out of an
  airlock. The law’s going to be far, far to lenient on the
  man.” Patting his pistol the man stares hard at your
  group.“I should have killed him when we were on the
  Shadow.It would have saved us all some trouble.”
  Source: Paul Martin [male human, Tough
  Ordinary 4, 20 hp], a thick, powerful man with well-
  defined muscles and a broad smile.Martin is well known
  to merchants and smugglers in this sector of space – he’s
  served on dozens of different ships over the years – and
  he’s very well liked.Martin’s carrying a laser pistol,a dag-
  ger,and is wearing a battered spacesuit.
  Successful Gather Information Check: “Sure,
  Abdo Faisal was arrested for murder,but what they’re not
  telling anyone,” the woman glances around and then
  lowers her voice,“What they’re not telling anyone is that
  Faisal escaped last night. Word is he had help from a
  guard but I’m not sure if that’s true or not.Station securi-
  ty is monitoring all ships leaving the station and they’re
  willing to pay a healthy bounty to anyone that can cap-
  ture Faisal and bring him in.I’d go after him myself but
  I’m scheduled to make a run to Moreau Station in just a
  few hours.”
  The woman motions the player characters closer.“For
  the right price I could be persuaded to share what I know
  about Faisal including,”she grins,“where he can be found
  on the station.”
  If the player characters can give the woman enough
  to make her happy she hands them a small map of the
  station with a maintenance closet on the lowest level
  marked.“Faisal’s there,but I’d be careful if I were you.”
  Source:
  Ayame Eriksson [female 
  human,
  Charismatic Ordinary 6,22 hp], an attractive woman
  of Oriental/European ancestry.She has several friends in
  station security that told her about the escaped Faisal
  after she swore to keep her mouth shut until she blasted
  off.When she saw the player characters,though,she fig-
  ured she could make some quick cash off of the informa-
  tion and then leave before anyone found out that she
  had let the secret out.
  Follow Up: Though Faisal [male human, Fast
  Ordinary 5,Smart Ordinary 5,48 hp] is a criminal he
  did not commit the murder that he’s been accused of.In
  fact,there was no murder – the murder is just a smoke-
  screen station security was using to grab Faisal so that
  they could ship him off to Devil’s Rock,a maximum secu-
  rity prison in the Noah System,and have him as far away
  from the station as possible.
  Faisal will not go down without a fight and when the
  player characters reach the maintenance closet in which
  he’s hiding they’ll also find 2d4+1 men that are waiting
  with Faisal. All of them are paying the Black Hole
  Syndicate to smuggle them off of the station.If the play-
  er characters alert station security or otherwise thwart
  Faisal’s escape from the station,both Faisal and the Black
  Hole Syndicate will actively work to harm the player
  characters for interfering in the operation.
  
  A pirate armada is approaching the station
  PL 7
  Customization/Notes:
  Failed Gather Information Check: As the play-
  er characters enter a new location they see a large
  crowd breaking-up, please screaming and running
  for the exits.As a man runs by and the player charac-
  ters attempt to find out what’s going on the man
  pauses for a moment.“What are you stopping me for
  fools? They’ve already destroyed six freetraders that
  crossed their path and they’ll be here in less than
  three hours.We’re doomed!”He then takes off, rush-
  ing for the hangar bays.
  Source: Carlos Engel [male human, Dedicated
  Ordinary 2, 7 hp], a heavy, doughy man with short,
  stubby fingers and legs. Engel wears his black hair
  close and cropped and is clean-shaven. When the
  player characters meet him he’s wearing a loose two-
  piece outfit and a heavy jacket.
  Successful Gather Information Check: “Relax,
  my friends,there’s nothing to fear.Yes,there’s a small
  armada of pirates headed our way but military ves-
  sels have already engaged the pirates and there’s
  absolutely no chance that the pirates will reach the
  station.Trust me, we’re perfectly safe as long as we
  stay onboard the station until the battle has con-
  cluded.”
  Source: Irina Alekseyevna [female morphean,
  Smart Ordinary 2, 9 hp], an attractive woman
  with short red hair dressed in a tight,revealing body-
  suit. Alekseyevna’s gene therapy modifications are
  not apparent visually.She leans back and invites the
  player characters to join her for a drink.
  Follow Up: Alekseyevna is correct,the military is
  in the middle of a combat with the pirate ships at
  this exact instant.Unfortunately for everyone fleeing
  the station,most the independent ships blunder into
  the battle and confuse things for the military craft,
  unwittingly leading to a pirate victory.About an hour
  after the player characters first hear of the “danger,”
  a trio of pirate cruisers drop into the system and
  begin making attack runs against the station. Will
  the player characters join in the defense of the sta-
  tion or run and hide? 
  
  the black hole syndicate is buying hot starships
  PL 7
  Customization/Notes:
  Failed Gather Information Check: “It’s not like
  it’s news or anything. Hell, they’re always buying
  stolen starships.”The man motions to a darker corner
  of the room and if the player characters follow him
  he continues,“They don’t pay much for starships but
  the Black Hole Syndicate asks no questions and pays
  on delivery. Last I heard they’re looking for bulk
  freighters,haulers,and escorts and are paying better
  rates for those than any other type of ship.You need
  to talk to Christopher Koenraad in Bay 87 if you’ve
  got a ship to sell.”
  Source: William Seaborn [male desert crawler,
  Charismatic Ordinary 9, 36 hp], a tall, sandy-
  complexioned man dressed in thick, heavy clothing
  (he spent so many years on a world of intense heat
  that most climate-controlled locations feel cool to
  him). Seaborn has never actually sold a ship to the
  Black Hole Syndicate and has no connection to the
  criminal group, he’s just repeating information he
  was given the day before.
  Successful
  Gather Information Check:
  “Buying starships? Yeah, they’re always buying star-
  ships, but never from random guys they’ve never
  met before. If you’re foolish enough to attempt to
  contact the Black Hole Syndicate I bet you’ll end up
  sold as a slave.”
  Source: Gregor Skulsky [male human, Smart
  Ordinary 6, 20 hp], a chaming, friendly man that
  maintains eye contact while talking and offers to buy
  drinks for the player characters.Skulsky is tall,attrac-
  tive,and works on the station as a medic.
  Follow Up: If the player characters have already
  encountered Rigger Clive (see The Black Hole
  Syndicate Needs Smugglers) they’ll recognize him
  immediately – Clive and Koenraad are the same
  man. Otherwise, events will play out much like as
  described in the Black Hole Syndicate Needs
  Smugglers rumor.With work a GM could easily blend
  these two rumors into one – the Black Hole
  Syndicate will load a stolen starship with cargo and
  then pay the player characters after they deliver the
  ship and cargo to a distant world.Of course,this vari-
  ant is also an elaborate trap designed to capture the
  player characters and place them into slavery.
  
  a discovered alien artifact is a weapon
  PL 7
  Customization/Notes:
  Failed Gather Information Check: “They say
  that if activated it’s powerful enough to completely
  destroy a planet.My friend,well he asked that I keep
  his name out of it, showed me video of the artifact
  and it is as large as a starcarrier. The techs found it
  beneath one of Craxa’de’s oceans and pulled it into
  orbit with grav tethers and booster rockets.The mili-
  tary’s supposed to take possession of the artifact
  next week but until then it’s sitting in orbit over
  Craxa’de IV,protected by just a couple of science ves-
  sels and an escort ship.I bet someone with the right
  equipment could steal that thing and make a for-
  tune.”
  Source: Gavin Corrigan [male eclipse chaser,
  Strong Ordinary 5, 25 hp], a thin, tall man that’s
  constantly looking around.Corrigan,like most eclipse
  chasers,is nervous and paranoid and constantly try-
  ing to be sure that his back is to the wall. Corrigan’s
  wearing a heavy jacket and a bodysuit and keeps his
  hand on his holstered sidearm both to warn others
  away and to reassure himself that it’s still there.
  Successful Gather Information Check: “Sure,
  I’ve heard about the artifact found on Craxa’de IV,it’s
  an ancient alien starship that the military is planning
  on stripping down and examining. A weapon? Well,
  it’s probably equipped with weapons but the techs
  that discovered the ship have already determined
  that the ship is thousands of years old and every sys-
  tem is ruined from so many years underwater.If you
  ask me,they’ll eventually end up parking the ship in
  orbit over some resort world and running tourists
  through it. Initial reports indicate that there’s
  absolutely nothing of technological value to be
  gained from the wreck.It sounds as if the aliens that
  built it weren’t quite as advanced as we are today.”
  Source: George Argos [male human, Strong
  Ordinary 2, 8 hp], a pale-skinned man wearing
  gray fatigues and unarmed.Argos is well-connected
  and likes to keep up with the latest news in alien
  artifacts and archeological discoveries.
  Follow Up: If the player characters take
  Corrigan’s advice and attempt to steal the “weapon”
  they find it in orbit over Craxa’de IV, though it’s a
  worthless wreck and not a single onboard system is
  operational.A battleship,two corvettes,and a dozen
  fighters have been assigned to defend the wreck
  until a tow ship can arrive and transport the alien
  craft to a military research facility.
  Attempting to steal the alien ship would be a sui-
  cide mission.
  
  the heakae starport has been destroyed
  PL #
  Customization/Notes:
  Failed Gather Information Check: “It’s true, I
  just heard it over the Shippers’Guild’s radio frequen-
  cy. Heakae Base was completely destroyed by an
  unidentified fleet of starships. The transmission
  warned all Shippers’ Guild members to avoid the
  Heakae system until the military can close in and
  deal with the situation.” The man shakes his head.
  “And me stuck with this cargo that has to be at
  Heakae Downstation in three days. I pray this gets
  dealt with quick or else I’m gonna miss a delivery –
  and I’ve never missed a scheduled delivery in almost
  twenty years as owner of the Midnight Flare.”
  The man looks around the room. “You guys
  wouldn’t happen to know anyone with a ship that
  would be willing to attempt the run?”
  Source: Julian Rabadan [male human, Fast
  Ordinary 5, 24 hp], a hispanic gentleman in his
  early forties with long, thick hair and a finely-
  trimmed beard. Rabadan is willing to give up the
  cargo (see box) to anyone that convinces him they
  are trustworthy and will deliver the cargo to Heakae
  Downstation.
  Successful
  Gather Information Check:
  “Destroyed? Not likely. Sure Heakae Base took some
  damage recently but it was from an orbital hazard
  and it didn’t destroy the station.From what I hear all
  travel to the orbital station itself is restricted for the
  next few weeks while they repair the damage but
  Heakae Downstation is still open for business. Why
  do you ask?”
  Source: Adriaen Tappan [male human, Smart
  Ordinary 4, 10 hp], an elderly gentleman that
  makes his living onboard the station as a traffic con-
  trol director. Tappan has friends living on Heakae
  Base and has talked to them since the accident –
  three people were killed in the accident but the sta-
  tion’s still in excellent condition and repairs will be
  completed fairly quickly.
  Follow Up: This is a good opportunity for the
  player characters to make some quick money. The
  run to Heakae Downstation from their current loca-
  tion should take less than 10 hours for most starships
  so delivering the cargo should be no problem at all.If
  they elect to steal the cargo, though, their future
  might get a little more complicated as Rabadan
  reports them to the Shippers’Guild.
  CARGO: CASE OF HYDRODYN
  SEAHAWK PARTS (PL 7)
  This 15-foot square metal case features one
  heavy, electronically locked door on one side.
  Opening the case requires the proper access
  code (or successful DC 35 Disable Device
  check).
  Inside the case are spare parts for the
  HydroDyn Seahawk,including new water-tight
  seals,engine casings,and control circuits.
  Case Hardness/Hit Points: 8/80.
  Cargo Space Requirements: 15-foot
  square,3,500 lb.
  Cargo Value/Purchase DC: 25 (as sepa-
  rate components the case has a purchase DC of
  23 and the parts have a purchase DC of 23).
  Restriction: Licensed (+1).
  
  there’s a bounty on his head
  PL 7
  Customization/Notes:
  Failed Gather Information Check: “That fel-
  low there, in the blue combat armor, is Ogre Craft;
  he’s wanted in seven systems.There’s a bounty on his
  head that would make any one of us rich. What do
  you say, guys, should we work together and grab
  him? I bet that together he’d be easy to take down.”
  Source: Dean Verdruss [male human, Strong
  Ordinary 5, 21 hp], an arrogant, take-charge guy
  that constantly bullies others into doing what he
  wants. If the player characters agree to work with
  him Verdruss is sure to live up to his name.Verdruss
  knows exactly what he’s doing (keep reading).
  Successful Gather Information Check: As the
  player characters move to get a closer look at Ogre
  Craft one of them feels a hand on his arm. Turning
  quickly the player characters see a thin, attractive
  woman who beckons them to follow her to a booth
  on the other side of the room.Once seated she leans
  over and whispers to the player characters:“Are you
  idiots? Don’t you know who that is?” If the player
  characters answer her she shakes her head and looks
  around at each one of them.“You are idiots.That’s not
  Ogre Craft,that’s Major Fyodor Popov,station securi-
  ty. He’s working undercover trying to grab that fool
  you were talking to a few minutes ago. Best watch
  your backs, boys.”With that she gets up and leaves
  quickly,doing her best to avoid being seen by Popov
  or Verdruss.
  Source: Sabrina Espinoza [female human,
  Charismatic Ordinary 5, 20 hp], a beautiful star-
  ship engineer that works in the station’s upper
  hangars. When off-duty Espinoza dresses in very
  revealing clothes – she’s always used her beauty to
  fluster men and get her way. She’s decided to help
  the player characters out because she finds one of
  them attractive.What Espinoza will do to display her
  interest is better left to each individual GM’s style.
  Follow Up: If the player characters assist Dean
  Verdruss they’re suddenly surrounded by off-duty,
  undercover, and in uniform station security and
  whisked away with Verdruss and charged as his
  accomplices.Verdruss is a hired killer sent to the sta-
  tion to kill Popov – Verdruss knows Ogre Craft per-
  sonally and knows that the villain is in a completely
  different system when this goes down. He selected
  the player characters to assist him since he figured
  they looked like they would be useful but easy to
  shake once Popov was killed.
  
  the station’s biocort supply has been contaminated
  PL 7
  Customization/Notes:
  Failed 
  Gather 
  Information
  Check:
  “Contaminated? Not a chance.The medical center is
  a secure area – no one gets in or out of the pharma-
  cy without passing through two checkpoints. It’s
  impossible for anyone to tamper with the medical
  center’s supplies,including the biocort.”
  Source: Paul Martin [male human, Tough
  Ordinary 4, 20 hp], a thick, powerful man with
  well-defined muscles and a broad smile. Martin is
  well known to merchants and smugglers in this sec-
  tor of space – he’s served on dozens of different
  ships over the years – and he’s very well liked.
  Martin’s carrying a laser pistol, a dagger, and is
  wearing a battered spacesuit.
  Successful
  Gather Information Check:
  “Station security and medical personnel have been
  working at keeping it quiet but every last ounce of
  biocort on the station – including the individual
  injectors kept in the security offices – has been con-
  taminated.After reviewing security cameras station
  security forces have determined that a robot
  entered the secure areas and injected a poison into
  each separate biocort container. Even as we speak
  the contaminated biocort is being jettisoned into
  space and replacement biocort is enroute to the sta-
  tion.The only reason the authorities are attempting
  to keep the contamination a secret is to avoid start-
  ing a panic – the new shipment should arrive in less
  than six hours.”
  Source: Victor Ivanovich [male greenhouse
  dweller, Tough Ordinary 3, 15 hp], a cargo lifter
  operator on break. Ivanovich is short, stocky, and
  wears his black hair in a ponytail.His thick, scraggly
  mustache and beard makes the man appear crazed
  though anyone that spends time with him quickly
  realizes the Ivanovich is an intelligent, resourceful
  man.
  Follow Up: As long as the contaminated biocort
  story remains a whispered rumor and is not proven
  before the new biocort arrives everything should be
  fine. If proof of the crime reaches the public before
  the new shipment arrives,though,the medical cen-
  ter is forced to deal with dozens of angry people that
  are demanding immediate medical attention. In
  only a matter of hours over half of the people on the
  station find themselves “desperately ill.”
  Station security forces may just look to hire
  someone to investigate the situation. Sounds like a
  perfect job for the player characters.
  
  illegal genetics lab kidnapping subjects
  PL 7
  Customization/Notes:
  Failed Gather Information Check:“I’ve heard whis-
  pers of people being sold into slavery by the Black Hole
  Syndicate but I haven’t heard a word about some “secret
  genetics laboratory.”The woman stands from her table and
  moves to leave the player characters.“I think you boys have
  spent too many years in space;you’re getting space happy.”
  Source: Katina Steinbach [female human, Fast
  Ordinary 3, 12 hp], a plain-looking woman in her late
  thirties. Steinbach is gunner on a military escort that has
  docked with the station for a day of R&R.She ignores the
  player characters and if they refuse to leave her alone all
  she has to do is shout and several crewmates will rush over
  and ask her if she needs any assistance.
  SuccessfulGather Information Check:“Yes,it’s true,
  the Black Hole Syndicate is capturing people and selling
  them into slavery but there’s another group of kidnappers
  operating on the station.”The elderly gentleman asks the
  player characters to buy him a drink.If they do he contin-
  ues.“I saw them on the lower levels, weird genetically-
  engineered men that looked more like animals than men.
  They were grabbing anyone that walked through Sector
  Eight – the only reason I managed to escape was that they
  grabbed Fritz and he put up a struggle.”The man begins
  crying into his drink.“I shouldn’t have run. I should have
  stayed and helped Fritz.Now he’s going to become one of
  the animal men.”
  Source: Regis Esercito [male human, Strong
  Ordinary 4, 18 hp], a frail-looking man in his late fifties.
  Esercito is a customs agent onboard the station and is close
  to retirement.He feels guilty for his friend’s capture but not
  so guilty that he’ll report the incident to station security.
  Follow Up: If the player characters descend to the
  lower levels to look for the kidnappers it doesn’t take long
  for them to find their quarry – 4d6 toughs come out of the
  shadows and attempt to capture the player characters
  alive.Each is obviously a man but has animal features.The
  instant one of their number is killed the group scatters.Any
  that are caught can’t speak – they’ve been surgically-
  altered and stripped of their voice – and only a few
  moments after being captured an internal bomb detonates
  killing anyone that was captured. For now, it seems, the
  player characters cannot uncover the source of this group
  or their goals.
  Any player characters that are captured are knocked
  unconscious and transported to a secret orbital station in
  the Setrix Prime system.This could evolve into either a res-
  cue mission – as any player characters that managed to
  avoid capture work to free their companions – or a prison
  break. If the GM decides to run the campaign through a
  prison break he’ll need to create his own map of the
  research station (though Ronin Arts’Future: Installation
  1 would certainly work in a pinch).
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/3rd Party/d20 Modern/Ronin Arts/Future - 13 Gravity Age Rumors Forms.pdf