TEXT: A Science-Fiction Setting and Mini -Module For Use With Mercenaries, Spies, & Private Eyes under license from Flying Buffalo, Inc.
  
  All original material copyright @2007, 2018  Thomas Rafalski; Author Thomas P. Rafalski. 
  Cover image copyright 2007, 2018 by Thomas P. Rafalski with the exclusion of the Mercenaries, Spies, and Private 
  Eyes logo and system usage wording
  Mercenaries, Spies, and Private Eyes are trademarks of Flying Buffalo Inc and are used with permission. www.
  flyingbuffalo.com
  For Use With Mercenaries, Spies, and Private Eyes, under license from Flying Buffalo, Inc.
  Some art work taken from Sci-Fi Clip-Art Collection One, copyright © Philip Reed and Christopher Shy. Used with 
  permission. To learn more visit www.roninarts.com.
  Some artwork taken from Sci-Fi Clip-Art Collection Two, copyright © Philip Reed and Christopher Shy. Used with 
  permission. To learn more visit www.roninarts.com.
  This is a work of fiction. Any similarities between any real persons, characters, corporations, and alien species is 
  entirely coincidental.
  
  Table of Contents
  Chapter 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Page
   1 
  Introduction 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  3
   2 
  Operations Onboard the Cel-Maris 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  7
   
  Ship Protocols  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  8
   3 
  The Cel-Maris in Detail  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  9
   
  Sample Price List 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  14
   4 
  Alien Species 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  15
   5 
  GM “Secret” Stuff 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  18
  	6	
  Crew	Profiles 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  21
   7 
  Mini-Module:  A Playful Death 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  25
   8 
  Arturo Hiromachi and his Retinue  
   
   
   
   
   
   
  30
   9 
  Pre-Generated Player Characters  
   
   
   
   
   
   
  32
    
  General Player Handout 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  39
   10 
  MSPE System Stuff 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  40
   11 
  Bibliography 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  43
   Maps  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  44
  Cover Illustration And Some Interior Art by: Bryce Nakagawa
  Writing / Editing / Layout / Cartography:  Thomas Rafalski
  Some art work taken from Sci-Fi Clip-Art Collection One, copyright © Philip Reed and Christopher Shy. Used with per-
  mission. To learn more visit www.roninarts.com.
  Some artwork taken from Sci-Fi Clip-Art Collection Two, copyright © Philip Reed and Christopher Shy. Used with per-
  mission. To learn more visit www.roninarts.com.
  As always, I dedicate this work to Yul-Mee, for her love, laughter, and patience - Tom R.
  Cel-Maris Station
  
  3
  Cel-Maris Station
  Thank you for purchasing Cel-Maris Station. We hope 
  this product provides a fun location for your roleplaying 
  campaign and the mini-module A Playful Death 
  provides your group a session or two of adventure. The 
  text is written with numerous “inspiration seeds” to 
  assist creating and playing additional scenarios.
  The general notes in this chapter describe ways to 
  mesh the material into various styles of sci-fi games. 
  We distinguish between Very Hard Science Fiction 
  Roleplaying, where the natural laws as currently known 
  followed as strictly as possible, and Standard Science 
  Fiction Roleplaying, where play feels as if something 
  like the setting may actually happen in the future, but 
  there’s some flexibility in the name of an interesting 
  narrative. Standard Science Fiction Roleplaying often 
  involves aliens and psychic abilities at a very low 
  power level (ie. A psychic can pick up emotions or the 
  presence of others, but would not be able to pick up a 
  bus using telekinesis.) Space Opera ranges from games 
  that completely adhere to scientific laws and theories 
  but simply don’t bother with details, all the way to 
  games where the impossible is so common-place it is 
  really fantasy with techno-babble labels.
  Very Hard Science Fiction Roleplaying
  Spaceship	Designation	and	Configuration
  In a Very Hard Science Fiction campaign, the Cel-
  Maris is a cycler station. It is the primary method of 
  getting from Earth to Mars and is much larger than 
  the mapped layout; the passenger section is only 
  1/5 the total vehicle. The passenger section rotates 
  around a cylindrical central core with 3 gigantic cargo 
  “sister” sections at 90, 180 and 270 degrees to the 
  connection point on the core with the passenger 
  cylinder. Centripetal force provides faux gravity, and 
  the orientation of the decks is reversed. This means 
  that the floor of the 1st Level now contains various 
  engineering and storage systems and ‘below’ that is 
  Open Space. The ceiling of the 1st Level is now the floor 
  of the 2nd level. ‘Gravity’ is strongest on the 1st level and 
  progressively weakens on subsequent levels.
  Convert alien species and items to their human 
  equivalent. While alien life almost certainly exists, it is 
  almost impossible to accurately predict the nature of 
  an intelligent alien species, particularly psychological 
  and cultural behavior. Real alien biology and societies 
  are most likely incompatible for shared living with 
  human, if not so totally different that the only thing we 
  could have in common is mutual incomprehensibility.
  You can convert the Anti-Claustrophobia room 
  displays from Holograms to more conventional 
  stereoscopic flat panels or 2d displays. However, the 
  nascent technologies for true 3d displays already 
  exist. Fiction always contains at least some amount of 
  speculation.
  Cycler Station Basics
  Cel-Maris is a cycler station with a comet-like orbit 
  (for details about a real-world station, see Aldrin & 
  Noland, “Roadmap To Mars,” Popular Mechanics, 
  December 2005). The orbit of the station stays 
  “above” or “below” the primary plane other than at 
  two intersection points, one in between the Earth 
  and Venus, one in between Mars and the Asteroid 
  Belt.  The station’s orbit is primarily determined by 
  the gravitational influences of the Sun, Earth, and 
  Mars with other factors compensated through the 
  use of adjustment thrusters. A non-planetary-orbit-
  intersection path was chosen in the event of a total loss 
  of the station (Most consider it a good idea to put an 
  object roughly the mass of an aircraft carrier orbiting at 
  a very high relative speed near your home planet into 
  an orbit that minimizes the risk of collision.)
  Each orbit has two official voyages: the Earth-
  ward trip and the Mars-ward trip. The station takes 
  approximately 5.5 months to orbit from Earth to Mars, 
  and 28 months to transit from Mars to Earth.
  Most voyages to Mars have full passenger and crew 
  complements. Voyages to Earth rarely have passengers.  
  If you want, the Cel-Maris is used to carry large 
  volumes of precious metals from asteroid mining based 
  out of Mars orbit.
  Chapter One:  Introduction
  
  4
  Cel-Maris Station
  During the 28 month trip, the Cel-Maris is crewed by 
  five couples carefully screened to be able to withstand 
  the conditions of very long spaceflight and whose 
  relationships are extremely stable. The station was left 
  unmanned for the first several Mars-Earth circuits, but 
  the need for a minimal human crew to affect certain 
  types of repairs quickly became apparent.  The entire 
  crew is rotated at the end of a 28-month trip, and most 
  couples only do the ‘long-haul’ once in their career.
  It is assumed a sister station named the Maris-Cel 
  takes a similar voyage with the Earth-bound leg of the 
  voyage being the shorter of the two; the passenger 
  situation is reversed. In the early stages of colonization 
  and exploration, the Maris-Cel is only ½ the size of 
  her sister vessel; most passengers going to Mars are 
  colonists, and a sizable portion of the crew are Mars-
  bound colonists with the proper skills to act as one-
  time crew.  Shortly after the Mars colony attains the 
  capability to handle recreational tourists, the Maris-Cel  
  undergoes a major retrofit to equal the size of her sister 
  station (new sections are boosted and added to the 
  station over a half-dozen orbits).
  Each station has total inspections and overhauls on a 
  regular basis. Once every seven orbits of the Cel-Maris 
  and every ten orbits of the Maris-Cel an engineering 
  crew and their repair supplies replace the tourists and 
  colonists on the short-haul transit. The most dangerous 
  task of overhaul flights is the replacement of worn 
  sections of the external “skin” that protect the stations 
  from micrometeorite impact and radiation.
  Converting the Module
  The first major consideration is the change of the 
  primary assassin from a mimicking, shape-changing 
  alien to a human wearing a disguise. The motivations 
  should be personal instead of professional; the chances 
  of the assassin getting away with the crime are very 
  slim.  The primary assassin is Clair Montague. 
  If you really want to increase the tension, Todd 
  Wainwright may attempt to sabotage the entire ship 
  if the initial attempt fails. The GM is warned that this 
  would be very easy to do in a Hard Science Fiction 
  game, and player character attempts to prevent such a 
  catastrophe would have to concentrate on preventing 
  Todd’s actions instead of reacting to them. It is 
  suggested to give the players clues that “the assassin 
  had inside assistance “ and that this mission’s entire 
  security team is set to debark at Mars.  
  Remove Paul Garsimon’s psychic ability and 
  rebalance the character. Instead of a Direct Neural 
  Interface, Ipown Leets has a highly customized micro-
  laptop with a large number of device connector plugs. 
  Regular Science Fiction Roleplaying
  Transportation, Communications, and Other 
  Technologies
  Faster than light drives exists, but the energy 
  requirement is proportional to the area of a craft’s 
  displacement perpendicular to the direction of travel, 
  not totally dissimilar to a parachute. Most interstellar 
  freighters are about 25-30 feet wide and thousands of 
  feet or even miles long. Travel tops out at more than 
  100 light years per hour and most trips involve multiple 
  “layovers,” so individual hops of more than a day are 
  rare. Additional factors also make the use of super-
  luminous travel for distances of less than one light 
  hour impractical and dangerous except under the most 
  extreme circumstances. Neptune hosts a very busy 
  orbital spaceport and harvests fuel from the planet; 
  more expensive cargo arriving in the solar system 
  continues at superluminal speeds to the destination 
  (usually Earth), while less expensive bulk cargo is 
  offloaded and sent on a multi-year voyage using anti-
  grav boosting and conventional rockets.
  
  5
  Cel-Maris Station
  Most near-distance space travel is done using 
  gravitational/anti-gravitational drives. The drives are 
  considerably more efficient than chemical rockets, 
  provide superior performance to non-atomic ion 
  thrusters, and do not incur the additional radiation 
  issues of most versions of atomic ion engines. Since the 
  performance is greatly affected by proximity to large 
  stellar bodies (planet, star,etc…), most acceleration 
  and deceleration occurs around a voyage’s start and 
  end. The Cel-Maris has large grav/anti-grav drives and 
  completes a voyage in either direction in 3 months. 
  There is no sister Maris-Cel ship.
  Communication is limited to light speed. Messages 
  from one stellar system to another are delivered as 
  part of routine relays of faster-than-light ships between 
  the known worlds. Rumors exist that the Deep Spacers 
  (see next section) have a means of communication that 
  is instantaneous to any point in the Galaxy, but those 
  have not been confirmed or rebuked. 
  Extraterrestrials
  Mankind is aware of seven intelligent extraterrestrial 
  species. Three have initiated direct contact with 
  humans, and there is a species within the Human 
  sphere of influence quarantined according to 
  Interstellar Protocol (See Chapter 4, Alien Species 
  for details on the four directly-contacted species.) 
  Communications with the Deep Spacers have informed 
  Earth researchers of three additional species beyond 
  the current human sphere of exploration that have not 
  established contact; these are open for whatever nifty 
  creatures and cultures the GM can create.
  Spaceship	Designation	and	Configuration
  The Cel-Maris follows a route between Earth and 
  Mars very similar to a cycler station, but grav/anti-grav 
  drives reduce the transit time to a mere 3 months for 
  both directions. The vessel is the default size and non-
  centrifugal artificial gravity is used in conjunction with 
  acceleration/deceleration on every deck. The “floor 
  gravity” slowly adapts from one planet normal to another 
  so that passengers and crew are fully acclimated to their 
  destination upon arrival.
  Passengers and crew board the Cel-Maris while it is 
  in orbit around the departure planet. The crew for a 
  particular trip arrives shortly before the passengers. The 
  Captain from the previous voyage transfers command to 
  his replacement after all arriving passengers have been 
  given their rooms; the former Captain and remaining 
  permanent crew then act as reserve crew on the return 
  voyage. Reserve crews debark the ship with passengers 
  upon planetary arrival for a six month period where they 
  receive three months vacation and work three months 
  as ground personnel. As with a “very hard” roleplaying 
  campaign, some of every crew are “temporary” and 
  working off part of their transit fees for a one-way trip. 
  Full luxury accommodations are available from one 
  hour after station docking to two hours before destination 
  arrival.  Café Orbital and Bob’s Bar are continuously 
  staffed and open to passengers and crew alike. Sale of 
  intoxicating substances is prohibited five hours before 
  departure.
   At arrival, the station settles into a regular orbit, and 
  the passengers along with any temporary crew and all 
  reserve crew members depart on the same shuttle used 
  to get to the Cel-Maris. The primary crew uses the interval 
  before the arrival of the next staff to completely clean the 
  vessel and do any extensive repairs. Cleaning and repair 
  time is usually 24 hours, but there have been instances of 
  repairs taking 72 hours or longer.
  The Cel-Maris has a total of 12 docking “ports.” Each 
  port has 2 airlocks, one for passengers, and one for cargo. 
  Once a shuttle has unloaded, power is turned off and 
  minimal life support is provided via an umbilical to the 
  station; this means personnel can immediately board a 
  
  6
  Cel-Maris Station
  shuttle in an emergency while systems are reactivated. 
  There are two shuttles for each crew and primary 
  supplies (a total of four during a voyage), two passenger 
  shuttles, two emergency shuttles, and four docking 
  ports for personal spacecraft. In the days before the 
  Mars colony was entirely self-sufficient and the Cel-
  Maris retrofitted, the four personal spacecraft docking 
  ports were used for supply shuttles.
  The Module
  A Hard Science Fiction setting is the default for A 
  Playful Death. As always, you will probably want to 
  tweak the scenario to your group, particularly if it is 
  part of a larger campaign.
  A Playful Death takes place in 2175. This is a purely 
  speculative estimate of the earliest reasonable 
  timeframe that a Mars colony capable of handling pure 
  tourists would develop if initial colonization occurs in 
  the 2030’s. If you go for an earlier campaign/adventure 
  date, it would probably be a good idea to shift the 
  location to Earth orbit and use the Cel-Maris as an 
  orbital resort station.
  Arturo Hiromachi has his own personal spacecraft 
  in one of the docking ports. However the Cel-Maris 
  has already begun deceleration into Mars Orbit, and 
  the massive grav/anti-grav fields generated by the 
  stations’ drives during the next twenty-four hours 
  would tear any spacecraft moving through them into 
  bite-sized chunks. Once Mars Orbit has been achieved, 
  shuttle departure will once again be an option. The 
  players could, of course, power up Arturo’s shuttle and 
  isolate him within it. (The shuttle is not detailed here. 
  Assume life support capable of operating the entire 
  trip and interior amenities the level of the Cel-Maris or 
  better with the exception of gourmet restaurants and 
  masseurs.) 
  Space Opera Roleplaying
  In a game with “rubber science” where a trip 
  between planets is the same as a trip to the corner 
  market, the Cel-Maris is a place to spend a day or two 
  when someone with a bit of money feels like over-the-
  top-excessive pampering. Those who travel from one 
  planet to the other on the station are very wealthy 
  romantics dreaming “of the days of Solar Sails long 
  since gone.” (Even though the station has never utilized 
  solar sails.)  Arturo’s personal spacecraft should be an 
  option in this type of game, but the GM should feel 
  more than free to let the Assassin sabotage the shuttle, 
  and repairs will take station personnel at least twelve 
  hours to complete (Convenient, isn’t it?)
  
  7
  Cel-Maris Station
  CUSEA, the Combined United States and European 
  Agency, owns the Cel-Maris. The Agency is a semi-
  public corporation with 60% of their operations publicly 
  funded and under the full review of governmental 
  authorities. Originally operated as a heavy supply ship 
  under the public arm of CUSEA during Mars Colony 
  construction, the vessel was heavily retrofitted five 
  years ago by private “arm” of CUSEA and now operates 
  as a private for-profit venture.
  Command and Control Structure
  The Captain is undisputed commander of the vessel 
  and his word is absolute.  While there have been a 
  few lawsuits involving CUSEA after a voyage, however 
  no member of the crew (and most passengers) would 
  ignore or countermand an order unless the Captain had 
  obviously “gone mental.” In one case a plaintiff won a 
  suit when a previous Captain and several of his crew 
  were removed and incarcerated for numerous gross 
  violations of Interstellar Law.
  Underneath the Acting Captain is a triumvirate 
  of 3 officers:  The Chief Engineer, the Chief Medical 
  Officer, and the Chief Navigator. If the Captain is unable 
  to continue his duties, one of those three officers is 
  promoted to Captain, the choice dependent upon 
  the situation at hand (Four times a Captain has been 
  replaced in emergencies. One medical emergency 
  saw the Chief Medical Officer assume command, two 
  emergencies have occurred where the Chief Engineer 
  took command, and one emergency occurred where 
  the Chief Navigator was promoted to temporary 
  Captain.) Any time that the Captain is replaced in 
  an emergency situation, the Chief of Security is 
  promoted to Second-In-Command with the remaining 
  two Chief Officers as third in the command chain. If 
  a replacement Captain is incapacitated, the Security 
  Chief determines who then acts as Captain:  if the 
  situation warrants Maximum Panic Control protocols, 
  the Security Chief will take charge, otherwise he/she 
  will hand control over to a member of the crew most 
  capable of handling the particular situation.
  All officers permanently promoted to Captain as 
  Chapter 2:  Onboard Operations
  of the events of the mini-module have been Chief 
  Engineers. The company publicly stated that the first 
  two or three ‘generations’ of Captains would probably 
  be promoted from the position of Chief Engineer 
  because of the extensive retrofit from bulk supply craft 
  to luxury transport.
  Third in rank on the Cel-Maris are the Chief of 
  Security and the Chief of Passenger Operations and 
  Public Relations. 
  All other crew are technically the same rank, with 
  orders given and taken according to a normal worker-
  manager relationship.
  
  8
  Cel-Maris Station
  General Passenger and Crew Protocols
  Passengers
  1.) In the event of an Emergency, do exactly as 
   
  instructed by crewmemebers for your safety  
   
  and the safety of other passengers.
  2.) In the event of a medical emergency, contact  
   
  the  nearest crew member whether in uniform 
   
  or out of uniform.
  3.) Please obey the orders of security personnel at  
   
  all times. This is for the safety of the ship and  
   
  your own safety.
  4.) If you need something, don’t hesitate to ask a  
   
  uniformed crew member. Please respect the  
   
  personal time of the crew when not in uniform;  
   
  the crew can only provide the best service 
   
  when they get adequate rest.
  5.) Smoking is only permitted in specially-designed  
   
  and designated areas of the station.
  6.) Please use only the water you need. While the  
   
  station has significant reclamation capabilities,  
   
  they are limited.
  Crew
  1) 
  The safety of the ship, passengers, and crew is  
   
  the highest priority. This priority overrides any  
   
  command, even those of the Captain.
  2) 
  Comfort of the passengers is second priority.
  3) 
  Crew on break and still in uniform are required 
   
  to  stay out of passenger areas except when in  
   
  transit from one non-passenger area to another.
  4) 
  Platonic fraternization with passengers is 
   
  encouraged. Romantic involvement with a  
   
  passenger is highly discouraged and may lead to  
   
  disciplinary action at the discretion of the  
   
  Captain  if such a relationship leads to an  
   
  incident.
  Maximum Panic Control Protocol
  In the event of an extreme emergency, the following 
  protocols take effect.
  1) 
  Passengers and off-duty crew are restricted to  
   
  their quarters. If the emergency is of a  
   
  biological or chemical nature, all cabins are  
   
  supplied with emergency power, oxygen &  
   
  water reclamation systems, and food supply for  
   
  3 months. Each  cabin also has a miniature 
   
  airlock through which security personnel can  
   
  transfer “emergency personnel bubbles” in the  
   
  event of loss of station atmospheric integrity.
  2) Security personnel have full authority over all  
   
  other crew members unless the crew member 
   
  believes that an order places the safety of the  
   
  station at risk. 
  3) 
  Security and command personnel have full  
   
  authority to use deadly force if necessary.
  4) 
  Security and command personnel will be armed  
   
  with both lethal and non-lethal weaponry.
  5) 
  Command personnel have the authority to  
   
  declare any passenger or non-Security member 
   
  of the crew Security Personnel.
  6) 
  If an evacuation of the station is necessary,  
   
  passenger shuttles are to be loaded first,  
   
  followed by crew shuttles. Security personnel  
   
  will draft personal spacecraft into service to  
   
  their maximal life support capacity.
  
  9
  Cel-Maris Station
  The original Cel-Maris was designed to carry as 
  much payload as possible on each trip. Once the Mars 
  Colony became self-sufficient and grav/anti-grav drives 
  reduced the transit times of unmanned cargo vessels 
  to a month or less, the end looked near for the “Grand 
  Lady of the Skies.” With less than half capacity cargo 
  trips becoming the norm, the ship seemed doomed to 
  decommission and the scrap pile.
  The CUSEA board of directors decided to hold a 
  “what should we do with this?” contest. Suggestions 
  ranged from hooking up faster-than-light drives for 
  interstellar trade (the person who wrote that had no 
  understanding of the term “amount of energy cubic-
  proportional-to-area”) to creating a center for trying 
  out “experimental space communes.” The idea with the 
  highest profit incentive won out, and  “A Spectacular 
  Space Resort with A View from the Top of the Solar 
  System!” was born.
  Elevators
  The life-blood of the station are the elevators. 
  Normally operating off of ship’s power, they are capable 
  of running independently off of battery reserves and 
  contain their own micro-life-support system. 
  1st Floor (Top): Dining and Spa
  The centerpiece of the supply shipt to luxury 
  transport retrofit was the installation of a gigantic 
  crystal-clear dome over the “top” floor of the station. 
  The dome is composed of a super-strong “smart” 
  material that reflects 99.9% of non-visible wavelength 
  light and radiation. It automatically limits the amount 
  of visible light that can pass into the passenger area 
  beyond so there is no danger of passengers and crew 
  being blinded or baked if the station suddenly turns 
  toward the sun. The material of the dome is also “self-
  healing” and only requires the placement of patches of 
  ‘base’ material during turn-around times. In extreme 
  situations, there is an iris-shaped cover deployed over 
  the dome strong enough to withstand direct impact 
  with a large interstellar object.
  Chapter 3:  The Cel-Maris in Detail
  The Cel-Maris
  Hull Construction 
  Advanced Microgravity-Produced Hybrid  Carbon-
  Titanium Compound (90% Carbon, 10% Titanium)
  Capabilities 
  Luxury Transportation, Emergency Personnel or 
  Supply Transportation, Troop Transport
  Speed (Cruising) 
  35,000 – 60,245 Kph
  Speed (Maximum Engine Acceleration from Earth) 
  600,000 KpH* 
  Speed (Maximum Engine Acceleration from Mars) 
   65,000 KpH
  Normal Complement 
  500 (250 Passengers / 250 Crew)
  Emergency Rescue Complement (Safety Limit) 
  1,000 humans total
  Short Period Emergency Rescue Complement 
  1,200 humans total
  *The maximum force attainable by this type of drive 
  depends upon the mass you are pushing against. That 
  velocity would only be used for trips to celestial bodies 
  with masses greater than or equal to Earth (Such as 
  Jupiter, Saturn, etc…) The velocity is still far short of 
  what would be required for interstellar travel other 
  than a generational ship.
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  In-Transit Cargo Area
  Shuttle Bays
  Planetary Cargo Area
  Power and Primary Propulsion
  The Cel-Maris
  
  10
  Cel-Maris Station
  Gift shop
  No tourist attraction is complete without a gift shop 
  loaded with gaudy overpriced baubles. Here the chic 
  customer can pay triple the normal price for a laser-
  engraved ashtray, shot glass, or items of a more curious 
  nature (Located in the back room labeled ‘Adults Only.’)
  Massage rooms
  The masseurs are trained and fully-certified 
  in twenty-seven forms of massage. Five of these 
  techniques require signed waivers and the staff will 
  repeatedly warn customers about the risks involved.
  “Anti-Cabin-Fever” Rooms
  Some find it odd that passengers on a spacecraft in 
  the middle of the vastness of interplanetary space get 
  “cabin fever.” While a few adventurous passengers sign 
  up for the weekly “spacewalk and a sandwich” outing, 
  most on board the Cel-Maris would freak out if they 
  found themselves in the middle of the vacuum with 
  only a suit protecting them. Therefore, most of the 
  passengers will eventually get a feeling of 
  being uncomfortably cramped.
  The Anti-Claustrophobia Rooms give 
  the occupant(s) the feeling of being in a 
  very open location using a combination 
  of holographic projectors, surround-
  sound, scent dispensers, fans, and a 
  smattering of real props. Unlike the 
  famous holographic simulations given 
  various names in many well-known 
  science fiction shows and books, the 
  user cannot ‘feel’ the holograms, nor 
  can they walk for what appear great 
  distances while subtly being turned in 
  loop. The purpose of the rooms is for the 
  occupant(s) to sit/stand and “soak up the 
  distance.”
  There are several beach rooms, a few 
  forest/plains rooms, one room simulating 
  an upper-deck bus trip through 
  London, two Mars rooms complete 
  with adjustable environment suits, and 
  several others.
  There is one room, Number 13, that 
  is perpetually marked with tape saying, 
  “Out of Order.” Rumors abound about 
  the room: it’s haunted; it’s used by some interplanetary 
  cartel to smuggle goods; a secret alien lives there; a few 
  “long-term” guests died in an accident, the corporation 
  replaced them with androids, and the crew is using the 
  stored bodies to blackmail the corporation; one of the 
  crew secretly runs a small prostitution operation, etc… 
  Then again, the room might just have some breakdown 
  that engineers haven’t been able to pinpoint.
  Saunas and Exercise Rooms
  These rooms feature the usual amenities for human and 
  alien physiques. The equipment has very advanced safety 
  and monitoring features. The place is continually staffed. 
  Needless to say, it would be very difficult to rig one of the 
  machines or sauna rooms as a death trap.
  Meditation and stress reduction area
  This is a place for those who don’t find saunas, 
  massages, or exercise relaxing and don’t want the, “I’m 
  somewhere else,” feel of the Anti-Cabin-Fever rooms.  It 
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  In-Transit Cargo Area
  Shuttle Bays
  Planetary Cargo Area
  Power and Primary Propulsion
  Gift Shop
  Attendant's
  Break & Work
  Area
  Storage
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  Exercise
  Floor
  Emergency
  Life
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  S
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  Cel-Maris Station,  Top (1st) Level
  S       Sauna
  = 2 Meters
  Sliding Door
  Treadmill
  Pool
  Anti-Inertia
  "Weights"
  
  11
  Cel-Maris Station
  features a small stream running between two water 
  pools,  a Zen rock garden, and the usual amazing view 
  through the transparent dome ceiling.
  Café Orbital
  This quaint eatery serves light meals and snacks. The 
  majority of the menu consists of Earth food, including 
  a very good cup of coffee. There are a few non-human 
  food dishes available, but customers are warned that 
  only two members of the all-human staff can read 
  the preparation instructions. The prices are the most 
  reasonable on the station (The “Rotgut and Faux 
  Cheese” combo at Bob’s Bar is cheaper, but the ‘deal’ is 
  also know as  “Antifreeze & Rubber Erasers.”)
  Light jazz and classical music generally plays over the 
  café’s speakers. The Orbital hosts an “Amateur Hour” 
  every twenty five hours. The Hour is popular with many 
  of the crew, who often form a jazz band.
   Mongrongo’s - Vegetarian Restaurant
  Mongrongo’s is the premier restaurant on the 
  station, receiving top ratings from every food critic who 
  has ever visited the station. A wide variety of dishes is 
  available, and all staff are full versed in what dishes are 
  generally toxic to different species. Prices are totally 
  unreasonable, but then again, those with a reasonable 
  amount of money to spend who wish to keep out of 
  enormous debt tend to stay away from the place.
  Mongrongo, the owner and chief chef is a METHANE 
  and notorious for being short-tempered, even by their 
  standards.  He will not hesitate to verbally assault and 
  ban anyone who criticizes the food. Mongrongo is 
  famous for his statement of “The most evil thing ever 
  created in the universe is ketchup.”
  Mom’s “Standard Earth” Restaurant
  For those who want a more traditional meal, the 
  Standard Earth Restaurant is the ticket. Here customers 
  can have real chicken soup (just like Mom never made!) 
  or a cheeseburger and fries with all the trimmings. 
  Most items are priced at what one would expect on 
  such a closed environment, with a few exotic dishes at 
  a high cost. The most expensive item on the menu is 
  a seafood pasta dish with French truffles that goes for 
  5,000 credits.
  Yuologogo – The Eclectic Diet Restaurant
  While every restaurant other than Mom’s serves 
  non-Earth food, Yuologogo is the one that truly caters 
  to the more unusual patrons of the hotel. Hermetically 
  sealed chambers allow guests with alternate 
  atmospheric requirements to eat ‘as if they were 
  at home.’ Many of the plates feature live food. The 
  interactive menus detect each customer’s species and 
  restricts menu options to (legally) safe items.
   2nd Floor: HoloCinema and Theater,  
  Life Support and Forward Defensive Grid
  HoloCinema and Live Stage Theater
  The Cel-Maris features a full-sized HoloCinema 
  and an actual stage theater where several live 
  performances are held every two or three days. 
  The price of the theater tickets varies dramatically 
  depending upon the actors taking a trip on the station. 
  More than one HollyBollyWood star has received a 
  considerable discount on their vacation by “working the 
  Cel-Maris.” Crew members get complemenary popcorn 
  for HoloCinema shows.
  Forward Defense Grid
  CUSEA acknowledges the Cel-Maris is equipped 
  with a system of “Light” defenses for use against small 
  asteroids and space debris. These systems are in plain 
  view and wrap the entire ship in a defensive “balloon.” 
  One of the Big Secrets of the Cel-Maris is the cache 
  of armament and defensive field generators hidden 
  inside of pop-up turrets on the 2nd Floor and the Engine 
  & Power Generation section at the other end of the 
  craft. Activation of this system requires authorization 
  by at least 2 command-level personnel (the system 
  takes into account any in-mission changes due to 
  incapacitation or death.) Defensive fields are up 10 
  seconds after system activation, while ship-to-ship 
  weapons take 30 seconds to come online.
  The power level of the defense system is not detailed 
  because almost every campaign will have a different 
  standard and scale. The Cel-Maris should be equal or 
  even slightly heavier in ship-to-ship armament, shields, 
  and armor as the most powerful Earth capital starship. 
  Even during initial design phases, CUSEA knew the Cel-
  
  12
  Cel-Maris Station
  Maris would be a nice large, juicy target for marauders 
  or opposing forces in the event of an interstellar 
  conflict. The station normally has no planetary-attack 
  weaponry or assault vehicles (unless you count the 
  transit shuttles, which are unarmed and only have 
  the necessary shielding and armor to carry out their 
  functions in a non-combat environment.)
  3rd Floor: Sports Bar, Services Desk, and 
  Officer’s	Living	Quarters
  Bob’s Sports Bar
  With over 5,000 sports channels to watch and a full 
  bar, numerous variable-gravity arcade booths, and 
  even a few old-fashioned games (air hockey, billiards, 
  and darts), Bob’s business is booming catering to bored 
  passengers. The bar is continuously open, and the staff 
  is trained to recognize numerous forms of intoxication. 
  Crew members are not permitted alcohol while on 
  duty (even the Captain), and service of all intoxicating 
  substances is stopped five hours before shuttle 
  departure or arrival.
  Services Desk
  This hotel staple is part of tradition. It isn’t necessary 
  since everyone wears a wrist computer, but some 
  guests prefer face-to-face interaction.
  4th Floor: Command Center, Crew 
  Quarters
  The central command center monitors all activity 
  aboard the station and can remotely activate/
  deactivate any ship system. The highest ranking crew 
  member on duty as well as five regular crew members 
  and three members of the security staff operate in this 
  location at all times (The Captain is technically off-duty 
  when he greets passenger shuttles.) The regular crew 
  members operate controls for various ship systems, 
  including maneuvering and gravity controls. The 
  security personnel monitor security feeds both inside 
  and outside the craft. 
  Crew Cabins
  The primary crew quarters and recreation room are 
  adjacent to the Command Center. While not nearly 
  as nice as the guest suites, the crew accommodations 
  are much more comfortable than those found on a 
  military station or most commercial stations. Two 
  crewmembers share a cabin.
   5th	floor:	Crew	Cabins
  This level is identical to the 4th floor, but there is the 
  Crew Galley in place of the Command Center. Crew can 
  purchase food as normal for normal prices on the 1st 
  and 3rd floors, but since the Crew Galley is free and off-
  limits to passengers, they usually eat there.
  6th	Floor:	Sick	Bay	and	Crew	Quarters
  This level is identical to the 4th floor, but Sick Bay 
  with seven hostpital-style beds takes the place of the 
  Command Center. Sick Bay and the passeges to it from 
  the elevators is the only crew area of the ship that 
  passengers may enter, but they must be escorted. The 
  crew cabins outside of Sick Bay are assigned to the 
  newest and lowest-ranking crew.
  Sick Bay
  The Chief Medical Officer and her staff have access 
  to the most modern equipment available. 
  7th-14th	Floors:	Guest	Quarters	
  Guest quarters
  As you may have already guessed, all of the rooms 
  at the Cel-Maris are Luxury. The furniture inside each 
  room is made of auto-programming ‘smart material’ 
  that reshapes itself according to each traveler. Every 
  room and suite has its own self-contained life-support 
  
  13
  Cel-Maris Station
  system and is designed to operate as a ten week 
  lifeboat in the event of an emergency.  
   Lower Sections
  In-Route Cargo Storage Units
  Below the Guest Quarters are 50 pressurized cargo 
  storage units containing supplies needed during a 
  voyage. The cargo units have a diameter of 48 meters 
  and a “height” of 6 meters. Each unit has artificial 
  gravity and full life-support capability, but gravity is 
  turned off and life support kept at minimum most of 
  the time to reduce power consumption other than 
  in Cargo Unit 1 where a small volume is leased by a 
  company that sells dogs and cats to Mars colonists. 
  The Cel-Maris does not carry any other livestock, and 
  the first generation of those few stock animals on Mars 
  (mostly goats) were shipped as frozen embryos and 
  developed in artificial wombs.
  In the event of a non-quarantine crisis at the Mars 
  Colony or deep space rescue of a failing colony ship, 
  these modules could transport evacuees to Earth (and 
  troops to Mars, if the situation warrants.) and all critical 
  supplies moved to the Interplanetary Cargo Units and 
  all non-necessities would be jettisoned. Such a move 
  would increase the transportation capability of the 
  Cel-Maris by 500 humans to a total of 1,000 people. 
  (10 to a unit. Adding more than that would overload 
  the life-support system of the module. The primary life 
  support systems of the entire ship could compensate 
  and handle up to another 200 people, but then the 
  life support systems of the entire ship would hit their 
  limit. However, no captain worth the title is going to 
  endanger the entire crew by pushing past the 1,000 
  human limit. 
  Shuttle Docking Bays & Emergency Power Supply
  Spacecraft with the proper airlock configuration 
  (standard for all CUSEA shuttles) less than 100 meters 
  long by 40 meters wide and 40 meters tall travel 
  within a sheltered non-pressurized bay. Shuttles not 
  fitting into an enclosed bay can still dock with the 
  station through the use of extension docks to transfer 
  personnel and cargo.
  Larger shuttles cannot remain tethered to the station 
  during the course of a normal flight as smaller oversized 
  vessels would create a blind spot in the anti-asteroid 
  defense system (and the secret heavier defense grid 
  as well.) While much larger oversized vessels would 
  probably have their own defense systems to cover an 
  obscured area, any object caught in the grav/anti-grav 
  field (an egg-shaped field roughly 20 meters from the 
  hull at the docking bay area) would be shredded during 
  de-orbital acceleration and destination deceleration.
  Interplanetary Cargo Storage Area
  Cargo not belonging to passengers or related to 
  the operations of the ship are held in this section, a 
  duplicate of the In-Route Cargo Unit section but lacking 
  their own atmospheric life support systems. 
  Grav/Anti-Grav Drive, Primary Power 
   Supply, and  Rear Defense Grid
  This section is of a massive scale because the ship 
  actually has three complete sets of grav/anti-grav drives 
  and four fusion power generators (Three generators 
  are active during a mission with one available as 
  backup.) In order to ensure that all the drives and 
  generators work, the offline units are rotated each 
  voyage. The most important item of space travel is life 
  support (for which you need power) and ensuring you 
  actually stop when you get to your destination (without 
  re-entering the atmosphere and causing a large crater, 
  not to mention your own death).
  
  14
  Cel-Maris Station
  SAMPLE PRICE LIST
  A unit (generally referred to as a “credit” in sci-fi literature) should equate to 10 minutes of minimum wage. 
  (Yes, the costs on the Cel-Maris are Tourist Trap.)
   
  Item 
   
   
   
  Price 
   
  Item 
   
   
   
  Price
  Accommodations
   
  Room, Per Night  
   
  5,000 Cycler / 2,500-10,000 High Speed*
  Café Orbital (lunch and snacks)
   
  Coffee (Regular) 
   
   
  10 
   
   
  Bagel & Cream Cheese 
  20
   
  Tofu Sandwich 
   
   
  15 
   
   
  Ham on Rye 
   
  30
  Mongrongo’s 7 Star Vegetarian Restaurant
   
  Appetizers 
   
   
  300-500  
   
  Wine (Glass) 
   
  200-15,000
   
  Wine (Bottle) 
   
   
  500-50,000 
   
  Main Course (Min 3) 
  5,000-70,000 
   
  Dessert  
   
   
  100-500  
   
  Main courses include Avocado and Ukkli, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Broiled Kirrats, and Tofu Surprise
  Mom’s “Standard Earth” Restaurant 
   
  Appetizers 
   
   
  10-20 
   
   
  Beer 
   
   
  10-30
   
  Cheeseburger and Fries 
   
  75 
   
   
  Wine (By Bottle Only) 
  80-5,000
   
  California Roll 
   
   
  23 
   
   
  Chicken Soup (Bowl) 
  50
  Yuologogo – The Eclectic Diet Restaurant 
   
  Terran Blo-Fish 
   
   
  300 
   
   
  Live Znvkailsdssss  
  500
   
  Surplus MRE 
   
   
  20 
   
   
  Snogel Escargot on Toast 
  100
  Massage rooms
   
  Head & Neck Massage 
   
  200  
   
   
  Swedish Full-Body  
  700
   
  Techniques 2-14 
   
   
  800 
   
   
  Techniques 15-22  
  900
   
  Techniques 23-27  
   
  1,700 + Full Signed Waiver
  Saunas and Exercise Rooms
   
  Exercise Room 
   
   
  Free 
   
   
  Sauna / 10 Minutes 
  20
  Meditation and stress reduction areas.
   
  Hour Reservation  
   
  Free
  HoloCinema and theater
   
  Per Holofilm 
   
   
  15 
   
   
  Per Live Show 
   
  150-500
  Bob’s Sports Bar
   
  Normal Beer 
   
   
  40 
   
   
  Real Cheese Sticks  
  40
   
  Billiard Table/Hour  
   
  25 
   
   
  Faux Cheese Sticks  
  10
   
  Arcade Game/Play  
   
  1
  Gift shop
   
  Refrigerator Magnet 
   
  20 
   
   
  Shot Glass 
   
  20
  * Room rates depend upon the speed of transportation and whether or not the Cel-Maris is a cycler or semi-cycler station. 
  The “High Speed Cost” is the cost of a room when the station is a spa in constant orbit around a planet or faster-than-light 
  transportation is cheap, easy, and accessible; the cost variances in that case depend upon the exact level of services and 
  accommodations included in the room package. (In the Cycler case, everyone receives the same treatment except in the case of 
  the mega-rich, such as Arturo Hiromachi.)
  
  15
  Cel-Maris Station
  The material included in the mini-module only 
  specifies a Changer, but as GM, you will probably want 
  to add additional species for flavor. Details not covered 
  in these profiles are left up to you to create what best 
  suites your game.
  The Deep Spacers
  Life Form Category
  Carbon-Based, RNA Genetics
  Environment
  Oxygen atmosphere at early stages. Vacuum and 
  most others at later stages. Maximal gravity range 
  from 0 G to 2.5 G with a comfort range of 0 G to 0.5 G. 
  Temperature range of -250 C to 5000 C with a comfort 
  range of -100 C to 250 C.
  Description & Physiology
  A Deep Spacer looks like an earthworm about the 
  thickness of a baseball with multiple manipulative 
  tendrils. It arranges its body in successive layers of 
  intertwined loops the same as a ball of string or twine; 
  as the Deep Spacer grows a new layer, it will secrete 
  a concrete-infused-with-metal substance between 
  the new layer and the previous top layer. This layer 
  provides a level of significant radiation shielding, 
  and scans of larger Deep Spacers point toward the 
  distribution of particular metals in very complex 
  patterns.
  Deep Spacers can survive in complete vacuum. 
  They use a combination of spontaneously-grown 
  tendrils and TK to interact with their environment. 
  Once a new section has grown the actual cellular 
  composition beneath the skin area transits; neural 
  clusters migrate to the center of the creature, sensory 
  and digestive components migrate to middle and 
  external areas, motive components (tendril cells) 
  migrate the outermost layer. As they age, they gain the 
  ability to utilize a very wide-spectrum photosynthesis 
  for metabolic energy. Upon reaching full maturity at 
  the human age of 124 years, a Deep Spacer is able 
  to self-modify cellular clusters into a huge variety 
  of organs, including vacuum locomotion similar to 
  thruster jets. 
  Human scientists speculate Deep Spacers are 
  genetically engineered life forms created by another 
  species. How could a species be that perfectly suited 
  for space travel evolve naturally? Some site as “proof” 
  their photosynthetic abilities because it is efficient in a 
  considerably broader spectrum than any of the stars in 
  the region of the galaxy that Deep Spacers claim as the 
  location of their homeworld.
  Known/Speculated Abilities
  Known: Photosynthesis
  Known: Ability to Survive in Vacuum and most 
  environments
  Known: Personal Anti-Gravity Field Generation in 
  larger specimens
  Speculated: Inherent Faster-Than-Light Movement 
  among individuals of truly enormous size.
  Culture and Attitudes Toward Others
  Incredibly curious explorers, the Deep Spacers 
  are perceived as one of the oldest, if not the oldest, 
  civilizations in the galaxy. Little else is known about 
  their culture or morality. It is very unusual for 
  contact to involve more than one Deep Spacer at 
  a time.  Xenoliguistic and cultural experts from all 
  other known advanced races continue to study the 
  few available recordings of Deep Spacer to Deep 
  Spacer communication, but most have come to the 
  conclusion that the Deep Spacers are so advanced 
  our attempts to understand them is analogous to an 
  amoeba attempting to solve a quadratic equation using 
  chopsticks and a bulldozer.
  Chapter 4:  Alien Species
  
  16
  Cel-Maris Station
  The Pinidotix
  Life Form Category
  Carbon-Based DNA Genetics, Methane Breather
  Environment
  Methane and CO2 atmosphere. Maximal gravity 
  range from 0 G to 12.5 G with a comfort range of 0.4 G 
  to 1.7. Temperature range of -30 C to 50 C with comfort 
  range of 0 C to 25 C.
  Description & Physiology
  Resembling a giant hairless teddy bear with fins for 
  ears and gigantic eyes, these methane breathers would 
  be considered the cutest species in the galaxy. That is, 
  if one could ever find an image of one smiling. Their 
  native smell reminds most humans of a cross between 
  a skunk and a overcrowded dairy farm, and those who 
  interact with humans (such as Mongrongoro) usually 
  spray any body areas outside of their environmental 
  units with a fine layer of chemical sealant.
  Known/Speculated Abilities
  No abnormal abilities noted amongst general 
  population or any known sub-groups.
  Culture and Attitudes Toward Others
  The Pinidotix evolved in a particularly ruthless 
  ecosystem. Their cellular build has fewer mutation 
  ‘safeguards’ than life forms that developed in other 
  stellar systems. Large predators dominated the food 
  chain until the development of technology. The system 
  is prone to massive solar radiation bursts that break 
  through the weak planetary magnetic field, and the 
  quick pace of evolution means completely new plagues 
  every few years.
  It then makes sense that the Pinidotix culture 
  is one of intense competition and little patience 
  or compassion. The current society is the fourth 
  civilization to achieve spaceflight; the previous three 
  collapsed back to iron-age levels or worse before 
  interstellar travel technologies were developed. 
  Pinidotix philosophers who study more stable 
  civilizations often become outcasts as they generally 
  come to the conclusion that it would be a better thing 
  for the entire species “learn to control their temper and 
  get along with each other.”
  The Tripod Birds 
  	(Quarantined	Species)	
  Life Form Category
  Carbon-Based DNA Genetics, Oxygen Breather
  Environment
  Earth-like atmosphere. Planetary gravity is 0.7 G 
  with unknown maximal G and comfort range. Inhabited  
  temperature range -20 C to 40 C with an apparent comfort 
  range of 5 C to 35 C. One large moon and two smaller.
  Description & Physiology
  Avian-like with a tri-axial (a core area with three mostly-
  identical extremities and sensory organs) instead of an 
  bi-axial (such as humans, who have a common core but 
  two of many almost-identical organs along a central axis.)  
  There is a central brain area near the core of the creature, 
  with a single digestive track that runs the center of the 
  creature (the mouth has three sections, and there is an 
  eye located above each mouth section.)
  Known/Speculated Abilities
  Flight in native gravity and atmospheric conditions.
  Minimally telescopic (2x) eyesight in comparison to 
  human normal.
  Culture and Attitudes Toward Others
  There are three predominant cultures on the planet. 
  Each culture balkanized into multiple sovereign regions. 
  One culture is based upon complete harmony with 
  themselves and the environment. Another is monarchial 
  with a socialist economic system. The final culture is 
  highly hierarchical and competitive: advancement appears 
  meritoric through a combination of achievement and one-
  on-one combat. For example, to prove a new technology, 
  the individual must then kill the current ‘leader’ of a 
  competing technology in order for others in the culture to 
  adopt it. 
  Due to the imposed quarantine, the “Tripod Birds” have 
  no interaction with other species. Limited translation 
  indicates all three predominant viewpoints consider their 
  planet the center of the universe. Technologically, they 
  have not yet developed advanced astronomical methods 
  to detect life beyond their own planet.
  
  17
  Cel-Maris Station
  Special Note
  The Changers are currently banned from entering 
  both Human and Pinidotix Space. Any Changer found 
  in Human or Pinidotix Space will be detained and 
  deported unless charged for some crime (more often 
  than not, multiple charges are leveled including any 
  unsolved local crimes.) Deep Spacers, for reasons 
  unknown, attack and kill and kill Changers immediately 
  upon detection.
  Life Form Category
  DNA-Based with ability to copy and support ‘shell’ of 
  every type of known life form.
  Environment
  Unknown. Assumed to require oxygen, methane, 
  or some other type of respiratory atmosphere, 
  but original environment unknown (No Changer 
  encountered to date has taken the guise of a 
  Deep Spacer, the only naturally vacuum-capable 
  advanced life form.) When disguised as Oxygen or 
  Methane breathers, they consistently ‘breathe’ in 
  accordance with a member of the species they are 
  copying. Gravitational and temperature comfort 
  levels uncertain, but autopsies indicate maximum 
  temperature range from -175 to 1,000 degrees Celsius.
  Description & Physiology
  The native physiology of Changer is unknown. They 
  are capable of altering their outward appearance and 
  skeletal structure to simulate the appearance of all 
  known species. They are also capable of fully altering 
  all external features (hair, mucous secretions, etc…) to 
  duplicate that of any member of a ‘copied’ species and 
  and thus leave forensic evidence framing someone else. 
  Shifting appearance from one member of a species 
  to another takes from ten minutes to a day or more 
  depending upon how drastic the change in appearance 
  and whether or not skin DNA duplication is achieved.
  “Conversion” to another species requires the growth 
  of a completely new exterior “skin” and is estimated 
  between one and two months along with tissue 
  samples of the copied creature type.    
  It is noted that Yuologogo’s menus only scan the 
  outermost surface of the patron and will not detect the 
  presence of a Changer.
  Known/Speculated Abilities
  Known: Total Physical Mimicry (Communications, 
  Forensic, etc…)
  Known: Multi-Atmospheric
  Speculated: Ability to survive in vacuum
  Speculated: Minor Telepathy
  Culture and Attitudes Toward Others
  Unknown: All individuals encountered have been 
       mercenaries.
  The Changers 
  
  18
  Cel-Maris Station
  Anti-Claustrophobia Room #13
  Only 15 people know the truth about the 
  permanently “out-of-order” anti-claustrophobia 
  room. They are the current Captains, retired Captains, 
  Chief Engineers, and three members of the Board of 
  Directors of the company that owns the Cel-Maris, 
  including the CEO.  Whatever happened in Room #13 
  occured during the tour that resulted in the arrest of 
  the Captain and several crew upon arrival.
  The fewer people who know the truth, the better.
  Gift Shop
  Some of the “Special Items” the Gift Shop provides 
  are not, technically, “Adult Novelties”. The owner 
  and his employees are one of the major suppliers 
  of marijuana, cigaretts, cigars, and pipe tobacco to 
  the Mars colony. While most Earth nations legalized 
  cannabis long ago, in the default setting the air of Mars 
  is not yet breathable (Ie. all smoke is bad.)
  Using the strong odors and fumes from incense, 
  body oils, and other legal chemicals, they have 
  managed to ship their products onto and off of the 
  Cel-Maris undetected. The amount of maerial shipped 
  is relatively small; very few people who smoke get 
  through initial colonist screening, and it takes a bit 
  of effort to disable just the right sensors in the air 
  recirculation systems. The employees of the Gift Shop 
  keep the illicit material in their cabin most of the 
  trip and can easily dispose of it if there is any danger 
  of discovery by keeping the package stored in the 
  waste disposal unit (which routes directly to a high-
  temperature plasma chamber. The material is burned 
  and the resultant raw material is reconstituted into 
  useful nutrient material, atmosphere, and water.)
  Chapter 5:  GM “Secret Stuff”
  The Station
  
  19
  Cel-Maris Station
  The Deep Spacers
  Origins
  The Deep Spacers are not genetically-engineered 
  creatures created by another species; this speculation 
  by human scientists is purely a result of species bias. 
  The Deep Spacers began as something akin to a 
  terrestrial earthworm with manipulative tentacles. 
  Greater vision, dexterity, and intelligence proved critical 
  features in their native environment as the species 
  evolved. The ability to form a shell with concrete-like 
  properties was also beneficial.
  That said, Deep Spacer photosynthesis is an 
  intentional genetic “tweak” put into universal practice 
  after their technology developed to spaceflight. The 
  Deep Spacers found out their body could easily survive 
  vacuum and their shells could be augmented with 
  metals to provide protection from radiation. However, 
  they still needed food as an energy source. This quest 
  for a way to survive long periods in space led to the 
  development of advanced genetic engineering, and 
  photosynthesis capable of  providing energy in just 
  about any stellar spectrum.
  The Deep Spacers are a very old species. Their home 
  planet had relatively low gravity. The star was early 
  Second Generation and no longer exist. Deep Spacer 
  technology uses mostly non-radioactive elements 
  because there was considerably less of it 7 billion years 
  ago when they first achieved spaceflight. 
  Maximum Age and Abilities
  The oldest Deep Spacer to date lived to the age of  
  53,125,235 Earth years. Deep Spacers have a limited 
  ability to ‘share’ thoughts by “joining” sensory nerve 
  endings together and can transmit memories in that 
  manner; however, the ‘communion’ is not perfect 
  and Deep Spacer memories are as vulnerable to 
  modification by time, experience, and introspection as 
  much as a human. The Deep Spacers themselves realize 
  that ancient “Memories” to their original home-world 
  are really myths based on a grain of truth.
  Very large Deep Spacers do exist and grow not to 
  the size of a aircraft carrier, but to small moons. Those 
  around the size of an elephant can begin using their 
  shells to generate grav/anti-grav fields. Individuals the 
  size of a naval cruiser or larger can use their shells to 
  propel themselves faster than light speed.
  The maximum survivable temperature range of a Deep 
  Spacer is 10 Degrees above absolute Zero and 20,000 
  degrees centigrade. They can survive pressures up to 540 
  atmospheres.
  Reproduction and Multiple Personalities
  Deep Spacers reproduce both sexually and asexually. 
  Sexual reproduction is non-gender and involves two 
  individuals creating a joint cocoon of secretion material 
  filled with nutrients and a single very large zygote 
  from each containing ½ of a total genetic set. Asexual 
  reproduction is infrequent and deserves its own 
  paragraph. Sexual reproduction is considered a sacred 
  and private act, while asexual reproduction is a public 
  celebration of  a new life.
  Asexual reproduction occurs when newer neural 
  tissue within a Deep Spacer begins to develop a second 
  personality that is not subsumed into the primary 
  personality. As the body grows, both personalities 
  develop with the new intellect quickly catching up to 
  the original. Once the new personality achieves a level 
  of self-sufficiency, the Deep Spacer’s body will begin to 
  quite literally split the creature into two halves. The final 
  splitting process can take anywhere from five weeks to 
  several years depending upon the size of the parent.
  Changers 
  Origins
  The Changers were created 350,000 Earth years ago by 
  the Deep Spacers as a weapon in a conflict with a now-
  extinct  conquerist species, the Nuwas. The Changers still 
  retain a deep genetic drive to kill members of the Nuwas; 
  in their absence, they channel their pre-programmed 
  tendencies through work as mercenaries and assassins.
  Reproduction and Culture
  The Deep Spacers designed the Changers to live 250 
  Earth years (the maximum age of a Nuwas) and incapable 
  of reproduction. Changers are essentially mindless blobs 
  until they instinctively mimic an intelligent species. They 
  were and still are not able to copy themselves into the 
  form of a Deep Spacer.
  Unfortunately, a good assassin is an intelligent one. 
  With almost perfect timing, the remaining Changers 
  staged a revolt against their creators at the exact end of 
  
  20
  Cel-Maris Station
  the war with the Nuwas. Before the Deep Spacers could 
  round up their ‘tools’ and deposit them on a thoroughly 
  blockaded and embargoed world, the assassins 
  escaped to hidden colonies throughout known space, 
  hiding out on planets with species not yet ready for 
  interstellar contact. Within three years they developed 
  treatments that allowed reproduction. Methods to 
  increase their lifespan and gain the ability to mimic 
  Deep Spacers have proven futile.
  The Changers have a minimally-organized survivalist 
  culture that encourages successive phases of birth, 
  childhood & training, reproduction of several spawn, 
  and finally a hedonistic lifestyle during the final 100 
  years of life (one trait of their ‘copying’ is that they 
  duplicate the sensory organs of their ‘copied’ species.) 
  They intentionally control their numbers, biding their 
  time and hoping to find an infiltrateable species with 
  technology advanced enough to destroy the Deep 
  Spacers. Even the Changers are unaware of the true 
  age, abilities, and technological capacity of the Deep 
  Spacers.
  Pinidotix
  External	Influence
  The Deep Spacers are secretly using the Pinidotix 
  as a cultural experiment and were responsible for 
  ‘nudging’ Pinidotix into space travel on all four 
  occasions. They want to discover the minimal bio-
  psychological stability level a species can have without 
  self-collapase. Various genetic “tweaks” are implanted 
  after each societal disintegration to slightly increase the 
  average psychological stability of the species.
  
  21
  Cel-Maris Station
  This chapter covers gives an example of top officers 
  and with a few other notable crew members. The 
  characters are designed for use both in A Playful 
  Death and in a general campaign using the station as a 
  common adventure/meeting point. 
  Captain Alexander Slejerski 
  Short Biography
  Age 
  Description
  0-11 
  Born in Prague, Czech Republic
  12-14 Tokyo, Japan. Father promoted to Head of 
  Asia Operations for major travel company 
  15-18 Johannesburg, South Africa. Father semi- 
  retired to Africa/Antarctica division.  Mother 
  took position as Professor of Asian Studies at 
  the University of Johannesburg 
  18-23 
  Undergrad Dual Major in Astrophysics and 
  Aeronautical Engineering, then Master’s Degree 
  in Space Engineering, CUSESA Polytechnic 
  University
  23-25 Astronaut/Mars Colonist Training Program
  25-30 Journeyman Life Support Systems Engineer, 
  Mars Colony 
  30-40 Life Support/Power Systems Engineer, Cel-Maris
  40-45 Chief Engineer of the Cel-Maris
  45-50+ Captain of the Cel-Maris
  General Personality and Outlook
  Captain Slejerski demonstrates a personality closer 
  to that of a good surgeon than a stereotypical military 
  officer. Relaxed and amiable when things are going 
  well, he is also capable of making very tough decisions 
  very quickly when necessary. Alexander is above all a 
  reasonable person who does his best to please as many 
  people as possible while maintaining his status, dignity, 
  and authority. The Cel-Maris is his more his home 
  than his apartment on Mars or his family’s house in 
  Johannesburg, and he has made special arrangements 
  to serve as a “goodwill ambassador” aboard the 
  Cel-Maris after he reaches the mandatory Captain 
  retirement age of 65.
  Quote
  “Relax. Air duct #9 in Section 4 always rattles….”
  Chief Engineer Rahidi Eshe
  Short Biography
  Age 
  Description
  0-16  Kilimanjaro Primary and Secondary School 
  17-20 Dual Undergraduate in Mechanical &  
   
  Electrical Engineering, M.I.T.  
  21-23 Graduate Degree in Space Engineering & 
   
  Advanced Astrophysics, CUSEA Polytechnic
  23-25 Apprentice Engineer, UNEV Van Gogh 
  25-30 Engineer, UNEV Van Gogh
  30-35+ Chief Engineer, Cel-Maris (Special Request  
   
  by Captain Slejerski)
  General Personality and Outlook
  Most call Rahidi smart; those few who understand 
  his work call him a genius. While any engineer worthy 
  of the title will first approach a problem using ‘the 
  standard approach’ and one or maybe two alternate 
  angles utilizing proven methods, Rahidi simultaneously 
  thinks about the most advanced engineering and 
  scientific problems using at least a dozen or more 
  approaches incorporating both proven and highly 
  theoretical means.
  Chapter	6:		Crew	Profiles
  
  22
  Cel-Maris Station
  Rahidi knows that he usually gets things much 
  more quickly than others and that many of his 
  understandings are beyond all but a few. He is a living 
  example of the old Thomas Edison phrase, “Genius is 
  1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” He never looks 
  down on someone who gives an honest effort and 
  fails, but he has considerable contempt when he sees 
  someone do “just enough to get by” when possessing 
  the ability for greatness.
  Personable, civilized, and confident, there are two 
  things that get Rahidi excited enough to turn off the 
  “calm as a surgeon” switch; his family and football 
  (soccer). Fortunately his wife Manawi is his equal in 
  football fanaticism and considerably better at actual 
  play; their wedding ceremony took place on the 
  stadium field and the entire team attended. The only 
  time Rahidi missed a game of his home team while 
  within reception range of Earth was the birth of his son, 
  Jafari. Every moment of a pick-up game while at home 
  is joy, even though Rahidi knows he is possibly the 
  least talented player in all of time. To Rahidi, heaven 
  is watching Jafari play with all the determination and 
  clumsiness of a five year old under the watchful gaze of 
  Mt. Kilimanjaro.  
  This voyage is Rahidi’s last. Shortly before departure, 
  he accepted a position as Head of SuperLuminal Ship 
  Design at TerraAstroTec. Rhaidi wants to spend as much 
  time with his wife and son as possible.
  Quote
  Have I shown you the holovideo of Jafari’s last game?  
  Yes, but at this angle he really looks like a young Pele.
  Chief	Medical	Officer	Alexandra								Turkrush
  Short Biography
  Age 
  Description
  0-18  Public Education, Istanbul, Turkey
  19-21 Istanbul School of Medicine (Pre-Med)
  22-25 Harvard Medical School of Sydney
  25-30 Internship and Practicing Surgeon, Emergency 
   
  Trauma Center of Central Manhattan
  35-40 Surgeon and Promoted to Chief of Surgery,  
   
  Olympus Mons Mars Colony 
  41-43+ Chief Medical Officer of the Cel-Maris
  General Personality and Outlook
  Alexandra has always been sensitive and 
  compassionate to others, and the decision to pursue a 
  medical career was as natural to her as breathing. Her 
  original plan was to open a pediatric surgery center in 
  one of the poorer sections of her native Istanbul. Life 
  would determine a close yet very different path for 
  Alexandra.
  After Medical School, she received several offers for 
  Internship and decided to go with the most prestigious, 
  a stint working at the Emergency Trauma Center 
  of Central Manhattan, one of the busiest and most 
  advanced surgical centers in the world. Thinking the 
  experience would not change her, she began working 
  with her college friends and family to establish a 
  Children’s Center in Istanbul. Three years of internship 
  of seventy to eighty hours a week in the Trauma Center 
  changed Alexandra; inside she is still as compassionate 
  as ever, but her interactions with others altered 
  significantly. She couldn’t return home, no more than 
  the American doctor from Midwest Ohio who now ran 
  the Children’s Center of Istanbul could ever go back to 
  small-town America.
  Alexandra took on the most challenging and 
  dangerous assignment she could find: the Olympus 
  Mons Mars Colony.  The job wasn’t as hectic and 
  constant as the Manhattan Trauma Center, but the 
  cases and conditions were often more extreme. Five 
  years went by in a blur.
  Alexandra first dismissed the Cel-Maris offer as “too 
  soft.” Her co-workers suggested she reconsider the 
  job, stating, “You haven’t taken a day off in over three 
  years. You’ve saved over a thousand lives without 
  having one of your own…”  She took the offer and has 
  spent the past two years catching up on all the movies 
  she’s missed and even going on a few dates. There are 
  always a few cases each trip, but nothing close to a 
  level 5 trauma center in an area of thirty million people.
  Quote
  I’ve seen worse. Not much worse, but I’ve seen worse.
  
  23
  Cel-Maris Station
  Chief of Security Todd Wainright
  (This is Todd’s Delusional Self-Image)
  Short Biography
  Age 
  Description
  0-18 
  Private Prep School, LaJolla, California
  19-21 
  Bachelor’s in Administration of Justice, 
   
  University of Winnemuka
  21-30 
  Luna Colony Police - Final rank Captain
  30-35 
  Assistant Chief of Security, Cel-Maris
  35-40+ Chief of Security, Cel-Maris
  General Personality and Outlook
  Todd Wainright has been on the Cel-Maris longer 
  than anyone but Captain Slejerski. When it became 
  clear that he would never be promoted to Captain, 
  Todd began to secretly look for other work two years 
  ago, but his current job has hampered his ability to 
  pursue new positions. Those at MegCount Industries 
  involved with “Operation Arturo” discovered this 
  and quietly contacted Wainright with a very nice 
  compensation package. Once he was certain the 
  Assassin would not be able to implicate him, Wainright 
  agreed to the job. Officially, Wainright is taking a 
  planned vacation at the end of this flight. 
  Quote
  My men will handle this situation.
  “The Cheese,” Head of Cargo and Supplies
  Short Biography
  Age 
  Description
  0-18  London, England. Attended public school.
  18-19 Accelerated Degree from Oxford University in  
   
  Applied Mathematics
  21-23 Merchant Space Core, Deckhand and Cargo Crew  
   
  MSC Profit 
  23-27 MIT, PhD in Theoretical Quantum Space-Time 
   
  Mathematics
  27-30 Cargo crew, Cel-Maris
  31-33+     Quartermaster, Cel-Maris.  Also co-edits  
   
  and frequent contributor to Advanced 
   
  Theoretical Mathematics Quarterly. 
  General Personality and Outlook
  A native of the British Isles, Laura Woodside 
  received her nickname of “The Cheese” while on tour 
  in  the Merchant Space Core. She loves old-fashioned 
  animation, particularly stop-motion clay modeling. Her 
  nickname stuck after screening a particularly famous 
  late 20th Century short film for the crew of the Profit.
  When off-duty, Laura can often be found discussing 
  advanced computational techniques looking for ways 
  to optimize grav/anti-grav field geometries with Rahidi 
  over a latte at the Café Orbital. Her other hang out is 
  Bob’s Bar where she’s currently crew beer-chugging 
  and arm wrestling champion.
  	Quote
  Look for it in cargo container #134 of Unit #2. Should 
  be underneath the stack of monthly Sluts from Saturn 
  the security chief is smuggling to his buddy working 
  at Vatican Colony.
  
  24
  Cel-Maris Station
  Misalie Brownback, Passenger Service Clerk
  Short Biography
  Age 
  Description
  0-17  Public Education, Olympus Mons Colony
  18-20 Assistant Data Entry Clerk, Olympus Mons Social  
   
  Security Center
  21-23 Service Clerk, Cel-Maris
  General Personality and Outlook
  If the crew voted anyone as, “Most likely to have a 
  better vacuum in her skull than outside the ship,” it would 
  be Misalie. Her all-natural looks rival the all-artificial 
  bodies of Holly-Bollywood starlets. Unfortunately, to all 
  appearances, the looks left no room for any measurable 
  intelligence. Most of the other female crew members 
  suspect she’s sleeping with one of the officers. In truth, 
  the few male crew members have approached Misalie 
  have been rebuked through amazing stupidity.
  Now for the truth....
  Misalie Brownback is a the most intelligent living human 
  NPC in this setting and a  genius on par with John Locke, 
  Isaac Newton, and Mycroft Holmes.
  She discovered early on that people will always view 
  you as a stereotype if you encourage it. The bimbo blonde 
  persona Misalie developed makes it all but impossible for 
  others to think she could accomplish anything requiring 
  more than a single neuron.
  At first she used her faux stupidity to keep out of 
  trouble in school. As she grew into a voluptuous woman, 
  After somehow ‘miraculously’ graduating high school, 
  Misalie then got a mind-numbingly simple job with easy 
  access to extremely useful information. She lives well 
  beyond her means: “One of my boyfriends bought it for 
  me. Aren’t Haute Couture dresses so nice?” 
  Misalie has never slept with any other crew member, 
  but she often has very discrete affairs with passengers. 
  She easily removes any potentially incriminating data 
  from the security system.
  While Arturo is a tempting target, she knows he might 
  actually be smart enough to eventually see past her 
  facade.
  Fortunately, for both Earth and Mars alike, Misalie isn’t 
  a villain. She actually likes most people. Mostly she gets 
  bored and has a bit of a hedonistic streak.
  Quote
  Oh, darn I think I accidentally deleted your credit 
  number on file. Can you give it to me? These 
  computers just have too many buttons! I can’t even 
  figure out what a folder does…
  Mongrongoro
  Short Biography
  Age 
  Description
  0-20 
  Childhood and adolescence in Pinidotix  
   
  Educational System 
  21-30 Apprentice Chief, The Feather, Pinidotix 
   
  Homeworld
  30-50 Master Chief, The Feather II, Ambassadorial 
   
  District, Olympus Mons Colony
  50-55+ Owner and Chief Chef of Mongrongoro’s
  General	Personality,	Outlook,	and	Quote
  There is nothing wrong with my food. You are simply 
  not good enough to appreciate it.
  
  25
  Cel-Maris Station
  Reference pages 40-41 for Game Mechanics
  Act I:  Ready, Set, Go!
  Fitragate Security 
  You work for FitraGate Security, a firm with over a 
  hundred years of experience guarding dignitaries, 
  investigating internal corporate affairs before 
  they leak to the public, providing unofficial help to 
  countries in situations where official actions are 
  unwise, etc… The Company tends to hire people with 
  a few years or more of proven experience with other 
  firms. Due to the extremely diverse range of contracts 
  the Company takes on, teams tend to be composed 
  of individual experts from very different backgrounds 
  and specialties.
  The Mission So Far
  Your mission is to guard one Mr. Arturo Hiromachi, 
  Founder and President of ArtMachi Industries. He 
  is one of the 5 richest humans in the Solar System. 
  Team members carry compressed air guns that 
  look like something out of a low-budget B-movie 
  from the 1950’s (The front looks a bit like a lawn 
  sprinkler.) The weapon fires gel pellets that stick to 
  a target’s skin and release a small amount of fast-
  acting tranquilizer. Cel-Maris security is working 
  cooperatively with the team, and Team Leader Paul 
  Garsimon even has security access to most of the 
  station (although it is requested that he only use 
  such access in a most dire situation.) Mr. Hiromachi 
  is a bit eccentric and his reality is a bit askew from 
  your average Joe. It’s easy to see how he could have 
  created his incredibly diverse company;  you just have 
  no idea how it managed to survive the early stages 
  where Arturo ran the day-to-day operations.
  It is March 14th, 2175. The station is on the last part 
  of a Mars-Earth transit with 30 hours until Mars Orbit. 
  The Cel-Maris is on her 7th Mars-bound voyage as a 
  luxury transit resort after retrofit from a more practical 
  configuration designed primarily for carrying colonists 
  and bulk supplies to Mars.
  Chapter 7:  Mini-Module: A Playful Death
  Dinner at Mongrongo’s
  Only a few restaurants in the Galaxy have as high a 
  reputation as Mongrongo’s Vegitarian. To eat there 
  legitimately on the company tab is a once-in-a-
  lifetime opportunity. You’ve eaten at least four meals 
  a week at the restaurant for three months and those 
  of you who believe in reincarnation feel you must 
  have been a saint for the past two dozen lives.  
  Arturo Hiromachi, is much less impressed with this 
  meal. He takes a few bites and begins picking it 
  apart. “Is there any ketchup in this place?” he asks 
  the waiter. Arturo drinks half a glass of 100,000 
  credit-a-bottle wine while waiting for the stunned 
  server’s response.
  “Are you quite sure, sir?” is all the terrified waiter can 
  say. He begins to resemble a star collapsing into a 
  black hole.
  Arturo puts his wine glass down with a small huff. “I 
  know exactly what I want, and this is not it. Return 
  this to the kitchen and put some ketchup on it.”
  You notice the dish is the same entrée you are eating. 
  It is utterly divine to you.
  A man resigned to Utter Doom, the waiter takes the 
  dish back into the kitchen as a look of utter horror 
  engulfs the face of every employee in the room..
  A few moments later, a large Pinidotix comes out of 
  the kitchen holding the plate in his hand as if made of 
  hair-thick crystal. He walks to the table and places it 
  
  26
  Cel-Maris Station
  down gingerly. “I am Mongrongo, owner and chef. I 
  hear that you thought the dish needed an additional 
  ingredient?”
  “Ketchup,”Arturo answers nonchalantly while 
  guzzling the rest of his glass. 
  It doesn’t require extensive training to think of two 
  phrases repeated in uncounted movies and holos, 
  “Wrong word,” followed by, “ I need a raise...”
  As noted in the “Alien Species” section, Pinidotix 
  are notoriously ill-tempered with short fuses but are 
  total pacifists. Mongrongro is widely known in Pinidotix 
  circles as being hot-headed. He has also been known to 
  hold grudges against the grandchildren of those who 
  suggested a meal needed “just a dash of salt.” Until this 
  time, NO ONE has ever dared use the word ‘ketchup’ 
  in Mongrongo’s presence.
  This scene should end with Arturo banned from 
  the restaurant for the next several lifetimes. If the 
  players act tactfully, they may be able to return, but 
  will have to be creative with their expense account 
  (If Arturo’s lawyer isn’t banned, she will help with 
  that…) Mongrongoro will not instigate violence, but 
  his demeanor may trigger those player characters with 
  ‘itchy fingers’ to do something rash.
  The Message
  Shortly after the dinner debacle, the player 
  characters receive a high priority message.
  You receive a message on your wrist computer 
  reporting a priority security message in the 
  Command and Control room. Security Chief Todd 
  Wainright escorts you into C&C.
  A Fitragate accounting team running a confidential 
  audit at ArtMachi Industries uncovered a 
  connection between Hiromachi’s former secretary 
  and a competing military contractor, MegCount 
  Industries. Subsequent investigation has confirmed 
  a considerable amount of money was paid to 
  “Project Arturo” with a bank account number 
  traced  to a known “assassination arranger.” The 
  last item Arturo’s former secretary worked on before 
  quitting the company was his Mars trip. The timing 
  of payments appear to fit an operation some time 
  during this voyage. Fitragate Security officially 
  requests permission from the captain of the Cel-
  Maris to arm personnel with deadly armament. Mars 
  officials have already given their permission for Mr. 
  Hiromachi’s guards to carry lethal armament while 
  on the planet.
  The Cel-Maris is currently in full Mars approach 
  deceleration. ‘Bunkering up” in Arturo’s shuttle is an 
  option, but Hiromachi will not voluntarily agree to it; he 
  is particularly adamant about seeing the play in person. 
  The shuttle cannot safely launch from the hanger bay 
  for twelve hours without risking being shredded in the 
  Cel-Maris’ grav/anti-grav engine field, and even if the 
  shuttle cleared the deceleration field, it does not have 
  the engine capacity to slow itself down enough to enter 
  Mars orbit. The shuttle would sling past the red planet.
  Todd Wainright objects to permitting the Fitragate 
  team the use any weapons other than their knockout 
  pellet guns. However, he will not object to the team 
  using lethal ammunition (In fact, he secretly hopes they 
  will use poison pellets, which is one of the most certain 
  methods of killing a Changer.) Captain Slejerski agrees 
  with Wainright, citing concerns about the risk of “a 
  depressurization incident.”
  Here are bits the player characters may discover:
  • The ship has a nominal 250 guests and 250 crew.
  • 50 of the crew are working as service personnel to pay 
  for a one-way colonist trip to Mars
  • 50 of the passengers booked the flight a week before 
  departure after it was leaked that bachelor playboy 
  Arturo was on this flight. 10 of the last-minute 
  passengers are single women in their 20’s. The names 
  of the women are: 
    Denise Atherton, Claudette Bergamot, Janet 
    Gromband, Barbara Kelly, Laura Leland, Clair 
    Montague, Kristen O’Hara,  Irene Rosencrantz, 
    Mildred Thompson, and Polly Young.
  • No anomalous transmissions from within the ship.
  • None of the passengers other than the Fitragate 
  Security Team registered weapons. All passengers and 
  cargo were scanned before boarding the Cel-Maris
  • No odd life support readings indicate a stowaway
  • In 12 hours Arturo Hiromachi’s shuttle can launch
  • According to security sensors, no one has entered or 
  exited any shuttle since de-orbital launch
  
  27
  Cel-Maris Station
  The Changer assassin is in the guise of Clair 
  Montague. The real Clair is dead and her body is now 
  under several feet of muck in a wildlife recovery area 
  of the Everglades. The Assassin does not know the 
  identity of its target, only that it will be contacted and 
  given operational instructions on-board.
  No Need to Worry (????)
  Arturo may or may not be present in the Command 
  And Control Room. His reaction is:
  I get this sort of thing all the time. There is a reason 
  I have to hire a team of bodyguards. Don’t worry, 
  the bad guys are probably being arrested on Mars 
  as we speak. I’m sure the operation was called off to 
  prevent bad press for MegCount since it’s in the open.
   Arturo is adamant about attending tonight’s play, 
  “Hang Tenlet.” The play begins three hours after the 
  player characters receive the message.
  Act II:  Hang Tenlet
  The Michael Ford Lincoln Foundation Theater for the 
  Preservation of Culture presents the classic surf-goth-
  movement-revision of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Hang 
  Tenlet is the classic tragedy of a Dude whose mother 
  divorces his father and moves in with his best friend #1, 
  his other best friend #2 then narcs on his dad, who goes 
  to jail, and the Dude looses his gonzo stash right before 
  the Big Surf Competition. He looses the competition 
  because he can only smoothly hit the Zone with some 
  assistance. In the final tragic act, the Dude tricks his 
  best friend #1 and mother into his rigged van that 
  bursts into flames and then plummets off a high cliff.
  Before The Play
  Todd Wainright sends an anonymous message to 
  the Assassin at the first opportunity. The message is 
  transmitted to the Assassin’s wrist computer through 
  the on-board wireless information system; all traces 
  and records of the signal are removed within five 
  minutes (A character monitoring the system may notice 
  this, but it will be difficult for even a seasoned hacker.) 
  The “Go” message includes Arturo’s picture, his front-
  row seat location at the show, and rehearsal trideos 
  of notorious womanizer Morgan Digwood, backup for 
  Clarence Overwood (the actor playing “The Dude.”)
  Within twenty minutes of receiving the “Go 
  Message,” the Assassin lures Morgan Digwood to its/
  her room and kills him. The Assassin morphs into 
  Morgan’s appearance ; the process takes approximately 
  one hour in which the Assassin memorizes voice 
  and gestures on the Hang Tenlet rehearsal trideos. 
  Morgan’s body is stashed in a sealed body bag 
  underneath the Assassin’s bed.
  The cast arrives at the Theater only an hour before 
  the show (modern cosmetic devices allow for the 
  almost instant application of makeup. ) Other cast 
  members will notice Morgan is a bit quiet, but he has 
  a history of “getting out the nerves” before a big show 
  and is a consummate professional on stage. Unless 
  something happens to Clarence Overwood during the 
  first half of the play, the Assassin easily plays its bit 
  parts of only a few lines.
  Allow players who want to do a bit of thespian work 
  to get their characters inserted into the play as minor 
  roles. The play is extremely famous, and even the least 
  educated person on board can recall a few lines from it.
  The stage is elevated five feet above the rest of the 
  floor with a waiting area underneath the stage (that’s 
  sunken three feet lower than the main floor, to give a 
  small room with a 7 foot ceiling.) Holograms are used 
  for most scenery. Cast members enter and exit one of 
  two doors at the back of the waiting area and go up 
  small stairs onto the stage. The assassin hides his sniper 
  particle blaster rifle (broken down into 3 parts) in the 
  toilet next to the stage right doorway.
  A Rad Play about a Bogus Ride
  The play proceeds as normal through the first three 
  acts. You should use this opportunity to introduce false 
  alarms and to raise the suspense as fits the group. If 
  some of the players to insert their characters into the 
  cast, the play will likely turn into a bit of improvisational 
  theater for you and the players (of course, in game 
  reality, everyone is following the script to a tee).
  To Surf or Not to Surf? Hark, is that a particle blaster I 
  see shooting someone in the audience? 
  Act 4, Scene 1 is the famous “I Am So Deep, Dude” 
  speech. The theater darkens and Clarence Overwood 
  steps alone onto an empty stage. A spotlight halos him 
  as gives the famous soliloquy:
  
  28
  Cel-Maris Station
   “To Surf, or Not to Surf? That is deep, dude. Like, can 
  I rad the tube without my stash, or will I wipe out into 
  the buttcrack of the abyss?....”
  The rest of the cast sits in the understage common 
  room, glued to Overwood’s performance via video link. 
  The Assassin heads to the toilet as soon as Overwood 
  begins. It puts together the rifle, covers it with a small 
  tarp, then quickly sneaks out the exit without being 
  seen by any of the cast. It leans on the darkened stage 
  and takes aim with the rifle. Of course, if one of the PCs 
  is in the cast, they have a chance to notice the Assassin 
  coming out of the toilet, and things may not proceed to 
  this stage quite as smoothly for the Assassin…
  Make sure that the player characters have a chance 
  to take at least one action either before the Assassin 
  shoots or simultaneously with the shot, depending 
  upon how successful they roll their  Perception checks
  In the Fudge play-test, the characters flubbed 
  their chance to see the Assassin with pre-action, but 
  succeeded enough for the simultaneous action with 
  the shot. The GM did a “live five second countdown” 
  for each player, starting with the character closest to 
  Hiromachi and going from there.
  The character of Paul Garsimon, who was sitting 
  behind Arturo, jumped over the seat, covered 
  Hiromachi with his body, and pushed the tycoon to the 
  floor just as the Assassin pulled the trigger. The blast hit 
  him instead. Nobody said being a bodyguard was easy.
  Escape
  If the Assassin gets away, it will revert to the identity 
  of Clair Montague as quickly as possible. If it isn’t 
  tracked down, it will dispose of Morgan Digwood’s 
  body through an airlock at the earliest opportunity. The 
  Assassin will NOT make another attempt on Arturo until 
  after Mars arrival.
  Act III: After The Play  
  Some scenarios are easily scripted up to the very 
  end. However, in many scenarios there is a point where 
  heavy scripting becomes almost pointless and general 
  information is the best course of action. This is one of 
  those scenarios.
  Unless they really “screw the pooch,” the player 
  characters will probably uncover the “Clair Montague” 
  identity. Whether or not Wainright’s involvement is 
  uncovered will depend upon how paranoid/thorough/
  skeptic your gaming group happens to be. 
  If The Assassin is Captured 
  If knocked out, the Assassin will slowly begin to 
  ‘melt’ into a generic, androgynous human. At this 
  point, the nature of the Assassin will be obvious. The 
  Assassin has the identity cards for both Clair Montague 
  and Morgan Digwood. There is only the “Go” message 
  and one dead Morgan Digwood. A techie-hacker player 
  character may be able to trace the message packet 
  back to Wainright’s account/password, but it should 
  take a very good roll or a long time to do it.
  Todd Wainright will insist on personally attending 
  any interrogation. The Assassin is a highly trained 
  professional. However, since sense organs are 
  duplicated, interrogation techniques usable on humans 
  may have an effect, but such methods will become less 
  effective the longer an interrogation proceeds as the 
  Changer manages to “turn off” those senses. 
  
  29
  Cel-Maris Station
  IF the Assassin begins to talk, Todd Wainright may 
  or may not react. He believes the Assassin doesn’t 
  know his identity, but he cannot be certain. 
  If The Assassin is Killed
  Wainright will have every excuse to be present 
  during examination of “Clair Montague’s” quarters. The 
  situation will be similar to the “Captured” subsection 
  above.
  If the Assassin Escapes
  A full-ship “man” hunt will take place immediately. 
  Wainright will attempt to get rid of the Changer in a 
  way that will not blow his identity.
  If Todd Wainright is Unmasked or Panics
  In this case, Todd Wainright will use every means 
  at his disposal to get as clean a get-away as possible. 
  Captain Slejerski will not hesitate to “cut off” 
  Wainright’s normal security passwords and send 
  security personnel to arrest Todd, but the Captain must 
  be given a good reason.
  If the Captain cannot or will not “cut off” Wainright’s 
  security passwords (ie. Captain Slejerski is dead, the 
  PCs don’t present credible evidence, etc…), Todd 
  will have a huge amount of control over Cel-Maris 
  computer systems and control of security personnel 
  unless the PCs can convince/smooth talk/bluff the 
  crew. Each GM has a different measure of how 
  influential die rolls are in NPC interactions in this type 
  of situation. Play security personnel as thinking people 
  (ie. not mindless drones.)
  In a worst-case scenario, Todd may attempt to flee 
  to a shuttle and then hack the life support & airlock 
  system of the rest of the ship.
  Taking Shelter in Arturo’s Shuttle
  The players may decide this is the safest location for 
  themselves and their client.
  If Wainright is still at-large and his involvement 
  undetected, this is the one situation where the Security 
  Chief himself will try an assassination without being 
  pressured into it. He will attempt to covertly override 
  safety protocols and detach the shuttle from the Cel-
  Maris, pressurize the bay, and then do an emergency 
  “blow out” which would suck the ship out of the hanger 
  into the grav/anti-grav field.  A skilled techie-hacker 
  and/or very good pilot definitely becomes extremely 
  important members of the team in this situation.
  Act IV:  Wrap-Up
  Arturo Safely Reaches Mars
  Is there a “backup team” waiting on Mars (or did 
  the Assassin escape?), or is Arturo safe until another 
  competitor decides the universe is better off without 
  him? Do the players establish a bond with Arturo and 
  end up permanent employees and agents? If they got  if 
  the players sure there was only one Changer Assassin?
  Maybe We Should Send Flowers?
  If Arturo dies, the consequences could range from, 
  “Well, you lost over half your team” to “Your entire 
  team survived and he didn’t? (Followed by a long pause 
  where you can almost read the words ‘Maybe they 
  were in on it? Time for an internal investigation..’ above 
  the bosses’ head.) 
  
  30
  Cel-Maris Station
  The Man, The Myth, The Geek
  Arturo Hiromachi really does not understand just 
  how much money he is worth. No human understands 
  his wealth. His sharp logical mind can answer with 
  the number “five hundred quadrillion,” but the 
  human brain was simply never designed to handle 
  such concepts and the closest thing to an intuitive 
  understanding anyone can really get is “Wow. That’s 
  big.” According to Arturo, “Things in life don’t change 
  that much after a few trillion, anyway.”
  His parents were upper-middle-class Tokyo 
  “suburbanites” (meaning the family lived in a 2 room 
  apartment, as opposed to everyone sharing one room) 
  with enough money to have some luxury items but still 
  reliant upon employment income. Arturo is their only 
  child. 
  Popular global culture during the time period in this 
  game setting puts engineers, scientists, and doctors 
  above all others. Arturo is considered “the apex 
  of cool,” meaning he is the biggest geek on Earth. 
  Opposite of what the reader may think, he functions 
  very well in this society because he wasn’t isolated to 
  the fringes of culture during his developmental period. 
  In fact, he often exhibits the same sort of bullying 
  mentality many “Captain-of-every-team-in-our-high-
  schools” have because his position as “Top/Alpha Dog” 
  has never been threatened (and never will.)
  The Parasites
  Like any filthy rich quasi-celebrity, Arturo attracts 
  followers. 
  The Escort
  “Mona Da’ Gooda” is a very high priced traveling 
  companion working for a premier escort service. She is 
  highly trained for someone only twenty-four, including 
  extensive knowledge of proper etiquette in over a 
  dozen human cultures and fluency in five languages. 
  Mona gets to travel to very exotic locals, usually eats 
  only the finest foods, and she keeps any personal 
  items given to her. The one group she usually avoids 
  are Hollywood/Bollywood celebrities; to her, most 
  celebrities are nothing more than cheap hookers not 
  honest enough to actually “provide the actual goods to 
  the customer.”
  While Mona has become Arturo’s “regular” 
  escort and the two enjoy something of a “pals with 
  benefits” situation, they both feel they are so intensely 
  individualistic that neither is capable of a permanent 
  intimate relationship. Arturo’s will includes a small trust 
  fund for Mona, enough to give her a comfortable life 
  when she gets too old for her profession. Mona knows 
  about the trust fund, but the yearly payments are tiny 
  compared to her current pay plus benefits.
  Her last name is, of course, a nom de plume, but her 
  first name really is Mona.
  The Traveling Secretary 
  Susan Kostanzi was hired as Arturo’s secretary only 
  a month before the Mars trip. She knows very little 
  about the actual inner workings of ArtMachi Industries, 
  including any under-table dealings that might have 
  provoked an assassination attempt. A search of her 
  employment record will bring up nothing unusual and 
  all satisfactory or favorable reviews.
  Chapter 8: Arturo Hiromachi and his 
  Retinue
  
  31
  Cel-Maris Station
  The Valet 
  Charles Durrant is trained in the ancient art of 
  butlery. Extraordinarily resourceful and possessing 
  more tact in his left pinky than the rest of Hiromachi’s 
  retinue combined (with the exception of Trudy), he 
  is the person Hiromachi turns to when he wants to 
  resolve a situation as quietly as possible. If there is 
  anyone who knows a ‘dirty little secret’ that would 
  motivate an assassination attempt, it would be Charles.
  The Lawyer
  Trudy Chambers is Arturo’s primary legal consul 
  and travels with him on extended trips. She is a very 
  tough and good lawyer. Hiromachi makes sure to keep 
  her away from any necessary business activities of 
  questionable legality.
  
  32
  Cel-Maris Station
  The pre-generated character profiles are meant to 
  be  starting blocks for players to customize.
  Any PC can be of any gender. We’ve left details such 
  as height, weight, etc.... for the player to determine.
   Paul Garsimon, The Leader
  Sample Personality and Outlook
  Paul Garsimon is a consummate professional and 
  life-long member of the “Firtragate Family.” His father, 
  the Sector Manger for North America, inherited the 
  job from his father, who was the first agent hired 
  by the founders of the company. With a complete 
  understanding that the clients he protects are usually 
  being hunted by more than one person for more than 
  one reason, Paul constantly observes those around him 
  and never does anything to reduce his ability to react.
  Quote
  “Let me try to handle it first. If not, use the universal 
  backup plan.”
  Ipown Leets, Techie
  Sample Personality and Outlook 
  Most people have the mistaken impression that 
  Ipown Leets is in love with technology. The truth is, 
  Ipown is a total information junkie and he could care 
  less whether he learns something through an email, a 
  message board, or by listening into a conversation at a 
  bar. Ipown is easily bored.
  Quote
  Don’t worry guys, I’m monitoring the security feed. 
  Wow, did you know the President’s dog has one 
  green eye and one blue eye?
  Andre Nurien, Former(?) Assassin
  Sample Personality and Outlook
  Andre’s parents hoped their child would grow to be 
  a famous xeno-biologist; he always loved dissecting 
  all the dead animals he found on his parent’s French 
  farm just north of the Italian border. It never occurred 
  to them Andre found a lot of dead animals. They also 
  never thought about whether or not the animals might 
  have been alive when Andre found them.
  He spent a number of years working for numerous 
  government officials, every one of who carried 
  identification as “Mr. Jacques.” The work ended when 
  a new government came into power and there were 
  severe budget cutbacks.
  Andre auditioned for his current position at Fitragate 
  Security by subduing five ‘interview’ agents sent 
  to beat him up in the middle of the night (Fitragate 
  assumes that someone who can’t defend himself 
  isn’t much of a bodyguard.) To add a bit of flair, he 
  then  proceeded across town to wake up the Fitraget 
  Sector Manager in his bed saying, “I guess this means 
  I’m qualified for the job? You really should get a better 
  alarm system. Don’t worry, the dogs will recover from 
  the tranqs after a hours... However. I think that team of 
  audition agents are going to take a few months.”
  Quote
  It might be easier if we were a bit more proactive. Let 
  me grab my ‘special’ guitar case...
  Chapter 9:  Pre-Generated Player 
  Characters
  
  33
  Cel-Maris Station
  Constantina Rhamaputra, Soldier
  Sample Personality and Outlook
  Before signing on at Fitrageate, Constantina spent 
  her entire life thinking about daring adventure as a 
  Space Marine. She weight-trained from an early age 
  and participated in those sports most recognized 
  as “good training” by official fliers. At the age of 18, 
  she was accepted into the Space Marines and spent 
  the next twenty years earning awards and medals of 
  commendation. Policy mandates retirement from field 
  operations at the age of 38, and Constantina accepted 
  her new role at headquarters without question.
  It only took a month for her to start feeling restless; 
  when she looked at the graduating cadets leaving for 
  off-world duty, she knew she could “eat for lunch and 
  shit for dinner.” Constantina requested a transfer to 
  a more active location, but there was a bureaucratic 
  mix-up, and she ended up in the records department 
  in the Marine’s Retirement Home while someone who 
  requested a “quiet post” was transferred to routing 
  chief at Earth Orbital.
  Unable to get her post changed again but able to 
  retire, Constantina read an article about a team of 
  Fitragate operatives older than her getting into a heavy 
  fire-fight (It was linked to numerous editorial columns 
  with titles such as “Who lets these thugs run around 
  shooting people all the time?”) and applied for a job. 
  She was accepted and retired from her commission the 
  next day.
  Constantina is still in the emergency non-active call-
  up reserves.
  Quote
  If they were firing at us with a heavy machine 
  gun, Jonesy would have much bigger holes in him. 
  Probably a couple of guys with uzi’s.
   John Simon, Mr. Slick
  Sample Personality and Outlook
  John Simon (even he has forgotten his birth name) 
  is a con artist and impersonator extraordinaire. He is 
  at least 40 years old and has lived so many different 
  personas that he himself now has Multiple Personality 
  Disorder. There are two traits that every personality 
  shares: one is a desire to trick people, and the other, 
  oddly enough, is a strong devotion to his teammates. 
  He is working for Fitragate because it seems like an 
  interesting thing to do at the moment (He won’t leave 
  in the middle of a mission, but once it is completed, he 
  may follow another lark.)
  Quote
  Are you sure you talked with me about that? I think 
  you might have meant my twin brother Al.
  
  34
  Cel-Maris Station
  Name: 
  Paul Garsimon - Team Leader
  IQ
  22
  HtH 
  Adds
  ST
  12
  0
  LK
  10
  Missile
  Adds
  DEX
  12
  0
  CON
  11
  CHR
  23
  SP
  7
  Level
  4
  APs
  7,001
  Carried
  2,000 credits
  Stashed  
  10,000 credits
  Height
  Weight
  Eye Color
  Hair
  Gender
  Male
  Race
  Human
  Nationality
  Birthdate
  Skills
  Name
  Level
  APs
  Name
  Level
  APs
  Pellet Pistol
  2
  1,000
  Disguise
  1
  Observation
  1
  OC - Bodyguard
  2
  1,000
  Computer
  1
  Medic 
  1
  Acting
  2
  1,000
  Leadership
  2
  1,000
  Ambush/Silent Movement
  1
  Lockpick
  1
  Pugilism
  1
  Active Psychic - Empathy
  3
  3,000
  Elocution
  5
  15,000
  Weapons
  Name
  Dice & Adds
  Ammo
  Capacity
  Range
  Missile Chart
  Notes
  Pellet Pistol (Stun)
  4
  P-Clip
  12
  60’/20 yrds
  I
  Knockout Drops
  Pellet Pistol (Poison)
  3
  P-Clip
  12
  60’/20yrds
  I
  Hemotoxin
  Sonic Carbine
  5/3/1 & 3/1/0
  E-Pack
  8
  75’/25yrds
  I
  STR & CON damage
  Armor
  Name
  Dice & Adds
  Notes
  Reactive Suite Armor
  3
  Suit looks like normal semi-casual business attire. Can turn into a vac-
  proof suite in one round with hood-helmet and gloves.  3 hour air supply.
  Provisions
  Earphone/radio 
  Holographic Display Wrist Computer
  Expense Account for food and most expenses during the assignment.
  Security Access To Most Areas of the Station (Some Areas require escort by Crew or Officer)
  
  35
  Cel-Maris Station
  Name: 
  Andre Nurien - Former(?) Assassin
  IQ
  20
  HtH 
  Adds
  ST
  14
  12
  LK
  16
  Missile
  Adds
  DEX
  18
  4
  CON
  11
  CHR
  6
  SP
  7
  Level
  4
  APs
  7,001
  Carried  
  3,500 credits
  Stashed  
  8,000 credits
  Height
  Weight
  Eye Color
  Hair
  Gender
  Male
  Race
  Human
  Nationality
  Birthdate
  2/22/2345
  Skills
  Name
  Level
  APs
  Name
  Level
  APs
  Pellet Pistol
  3
  3,000
  Blaster Carbine
  4
  7,000
  Observation
  2
  1,000
  OC - Assassin (1)
  1
  Laser Rifle
  4
  7,000
  OC: Taxidermy
  1
  Ambush/Silent Movement
  2
  1,000
  Knife Fighting
  1
  Martial Arts - Ninjitsu
  1
  Lockpick
  1
  Weapons
  Name
  Dice & Adds
  Ammo
  Capacity
  Range
  Missile Chart
  Notes
  Pellet Pistol (Stun)
  4
  P-Clip
  12
  60’/20 yrds
  I
  Knockout Drops
  Pellet Pistol (Poison)
  3
  P-Clip
  12
  60’/20 yrds
  I
  Hemotoxin
  Laser Rifle
  12
  E-Pack
  8
  1,500’/300yds
  II
  Ask GM about 
  hull breaches
  Armor
  Name
  Dice & Adds
  Notes
  Reactive Suite Armor
  3
  Suit looks like normal semi-casual business attire. Can turn into a vac-
  proof suite in one round with hood-helmet and gloves.  3 hour air supply.
  Provisions
  Earphone/radio 
  Holographic Display Wrist Computer
  Expense Account for food and most expenses during the assignment.
  Security Access To Most Areas of the Station (Some Areas require escort by Crew or Officer)
  
  36
  Cel-Maris Station
  Name: 
  Ipown Leets - Techie
  IQ
  25
  HtH 
  Adds
  ST
  10
  4
  LK
  12
  Missile
  Adds
  DEX
  16
  0
  CON
  10
  CHR
  8
  SP
  5
  Level
  4
  APs
  7,001
  Carried
  1,000 credits
  Stashed  
  9,000 credits
  Height
  Weight
  Eye Color
  Hair
  Gender
  Male
  Race
  Human
  Nationality
  Birthdate
  Skills
  Name
  Level
  APs
  Name
  Level
  APs
  *Computer
  4
  7,000
  Cryptology
  3
  3,000
  Observation
  1
  Forgery
  2
  1,000
  Pellet Pistol
  1
  OC - Hacker
  1
  Acting
  1
  Electronics
  2
  1,000
  Electronics Countermeasures
  2
  1,000
  Lockpick
  3
  3,000
  Alarm Neutralization
  3
  3,000
  Safecracking
  2
  1,000
  Weapons
  Name
  Dice & Adds
  Ammo
  Capacity
  Range
  Missile Chart
  Notes
  Pellet Pistol (Stun)
  4
  P-Clip
  12
  60’/20 yrds
  I
  Knockout Drops
  Pellet Pistol (Poison)
  3
  P-Clip
  12
  60’/20 yrds
  I
  Hemotoxin
  Armor
  Name
  Dice & Adds
  Notes
  Reactive Suite Armor
  3
  Suit looks like normal semi-casual business attire. Can turn into a vac-
  proof suite in one round with hood-helmet and gloves.  3 hour air supply.
  Provisions
  Earphone/radio 
  Holographic Display Wrist Computer
  Expense Account for food and most expenses during the assignment.
  Security Access To Most Areas of the Station (Some Areas require escort by Crew or Officer)
  *Cyberspace Booster System: Adds + 3 to rolls when using skills over a computer network. However, see the user is only 
  vaguely aware of what’s going on around him/her while using the direct neural interface and cannot do anything for two 
  entire combat turns after disengaging from the system. Anti-hacking network defenses may add to this, or even require 
  the hacker to make an IQ SR roll or suffer a temporary or permanent phobia (one of which could be cyberphobia.)
  
  37
  Cel-Maris Station
  Name: 
  Constantina Rhamaputra - Former Marine
  IQ
  20
  HtH 
  Adds
  ST
  18
  11
  LK
  14
  Missile
  Adds
  DEX
  15
  2
  CON
  20
  CHR
  9
  SP
  9
  Level
  4
  APs
  7,001
  Carried  
  8,500 credits
  Stashed  
  4,000 credits
  Height
  Weight
  Eye Color
  Hair
  Gender
  Female
  Race
  Human
  Nationality
  Birthdate
  Skills
  Name
  Level
  APs
  Name
  Level
  APs
  Clip Pistol
  2
  1,000
  Pellet Pistol
  3
  3,000
  Blaster Carbine
  4
  7,000
  Brawling
  4
  7,000
  Observation
  1
  Self-Defense
  3
  3,000
  Ambush/Silent Movement
  2
  1,000
  OC - Soldier
  2
  1,000
  Leadership
  2
  1,000
  0 G Combat/Movement
  2
  1,000
  Weapons
  Name
  Dice & Adds
  Ammo
  Capacity
  Range
  Missile Chart
  Notes
  Pellet Pistol (Stun)
  4
  P-Clip
  12
  60’/20 yrds
  I
  Knockout Drops
  Pellet Pistol (Poison)
  3
  P-Clip
  12
  60’/20 yrds
  I
  Hemotoxin
  Blaster Carbine
  8
  E-Pack
  8
  300’/100yds
  II
  Ask GM about 
  hull breaches.
  44 Automag
  8
  .44 am
  8
  I
  Total of 5 clips
  Armor
  Name
  Dice & Adds
  Notes
  Reactive Suite Armor
  3
  Suit looks like normal semi-casual business attire. Can turn into a vac-
  proof suite in one round with hood-helmet and gloves.  3 hour air supply.
  Provisions
  Earphone/radio 
  Holographic Display Wrist Computer
  Expense Account for food and most expenses during the assignment.
  Security Access To Most Areas of the Station (Some Areas require escort by Crew or Officer)
  
  38
  Cel-Maris Station
  Name: 
  John Simon - “Mr. Slick”
  IQ
  19
  HtH 
  Adds
  ST
  10
  6
  LK
  18
  Missile
  Adds
  DEX
  10
  6
  CON
  10
  CHR
  25
  SP
  5
  Level
  4
  APs
  7,001
  Carried
  15,000 credits
  Stashed  
  150,000 credits
  Height
  Weight
  Eye Color
  Hair
  Gender
  Male
  Race
  Human
  Nationality
  Birthdate
  Skills
  Name
  Level
  APs
  Name
  Level
  APs
  Seduction
  4
  7,000
  Confidence
  5
  15,000
  Chic
  1
  Diplomacy
  3
  3,000
  Elocution
  4
  7,000
  Pellet Pistol
  1
  Gambling
  1
  Disguise
  2
  1,000
  Observation
  2
  1,000
  Forgery
  2
  1,000
  Computers
  1
  Slight of Hand
  1
  Weapons
  Name
  Dice & Adds
  Ammo
  Capacity
  Range
  Missile Chart
  Notes
  Pellet Pistol (Stun)
  4
  P-Clip
  12
  60’/20 yrds
  I
  Knockout Drops
  Pellet Pistol (Poison)
  3
  P-Clip
  12
  60’/20 yrds
  I
  Hemotoxin
  Armor
  Name
  Dice & Adds
  Notes
  Reactive Suite Armor
  3
  Suit looks like normal semi-casual business attire. Can turn into a vac-
  proof suite in one round with hood-helmet and gloves.  3 hour air supply.
  Provisions
  Earphone/radio 
  Holographic Display Wrist Computer
  Expense Account for food and most expenses during the assignment.
  Security Access To Most Areas of the Station (Some Areas require escort by Crew or Officer)
  Disguise Kit
  
  39
  Cel-Maris Station
  Welcome to the Future!
  Hello. Humans are, for the most part, the same as we’ve 
  always been. The world and the universe, however, are 
  always in motion.
  Earth
  Various large-scale and hyper-distributed small-scale 
  measures have stabilized Earth’s climate .
  Money
  Money is in universal Credits. Credit sticks can be either 
  account-linked or not linked to an account. They can be 
  secured to require biosensor verification, or unsecured 
  (an unsecured, non-linked credit stick is the same as 
  cash).
  Space Colonies!
  There’s a healthy and self-sustaining colony on Mars. 
  Mining in the Asteriod Belt means a lot of minerals 
  are not as rare as before. Several Jovian and Saturnian 
  moon colonies are near-self-sustaining. One extra-sol 
  planet with a human-friendly environment is in the early 
  stages of colonization, along with three other extra-sol 
  worlds at the earliest stages of Terraforming.
  Anti-Grav and Faster Than Light Travel!
  Well, turns out that there are ways around that pesky 
  light speed limit, after all. There’s also highly efficient 
  anti-gravity drive, which makes getting to and from 
  orbit as easy as driving a country road in the early 21st 
  century.
  Space Tourism!
  Space tourism has been a thriving industry for over 
  two hundred years. With advances in propulsion 
  technologies, the moon is a week’s vacation, and Mars 
  has replaced terrestrial destinations as the cruise 
  destination. 
  Aliens!
  We know of several alien species. Most are nice, all are 
  odd by Human standards, and a few are dangerous. 
  Ask your GM to show or print out pages 14-17 of the 
  main text (It also includes a sample price list for items 
  on the Cel-Maris).
  Pre-Generate Characters
  Feel free to switch the gender of any of the pre-
  generated player charactes. 
  General Player Handout
  Tomorrow’s Technology Is Here Today!
  Pellet Pistols - Using various advances in chemical and 
  nano-engineering, this device allows security and law 
  enforcement to handle most situations in a non-lethal 
  manner. Lethal(Poison) pellets are for use with certain 
  life forms such as Changers.
  Sonic Carbines - This energy weapon requires some sort 
  of medium in which to transmit schock waves (usually 
  atmosphere, but also works in liquid environments 
  and even directly onto a solid surface if in vacuum). It 
  damages via very powerful and focused sound waves. 
  Damage is two-fold, Str Damage & Con Damage.. 
  Against non-living entities, just use the Con Damage. 
  Damage spreads out via distance as per shotgun.
  Blaster Rifles - These weapons use an energy pack and 
  cartridge filled with distilled, ultra-pure water (good 
  for 100 shots). A small amount of water is heated up 
  to a plasma state, then fired out of the weapon using 
  advanced magnetic technologies. Use caution when 
  using in a space station or ship.
  Laser Rifles - Minaturization of power sources and 
  cooling systems can only be pushed so far. While a 
  practical powerful laser pistol might never be realized, a 
  sniper laser rifle is extremely deadly in the right hands.
  Reactive Suit Armor - Advanced nanotech body 
  armor that also allows the user to survive in hostile 
  environments for up to 3 hours. The armor protects the 
  user from up to 5 points of damage from either type of 
  pellet round. 
  Wrist Holographic Computer  - Think of a smart phone 
  worn your wrist with even better motion sensors 
  (including detecting motion for the other hand) and a 
  free-standing/in-air holographic display. This might not 
  be science fiction for that long.
  Direct Neural Interfaces and Cyberspace - Plug your 
  natural wetware into the grid/web/etc.... Again, how 
  much longer this will be science fiction is unknown.
  
  40
  Cel-Maris Station
  Game Mechanics
  • 
  Changers can keep two different trains of thought in their minds at all times and are experts at masking their 
  emotions and tracks from Psychics. The deep train of thought is their real thought, the surface train of thought 
  is what most psychics or mind probes or such will pick up. 
  • 
  Psychometry and Empathy to get to the deep train of thought are all Challenging - failure means the 
  psychic picks up the surface train the Changer wants to present. 
  • 
  Telepathy is Normal to establish a connection, but requires a Difficult to detect the deep train and a 
  Challenging to actually enter and attempt to manipulat or read the deep train.
  • 
  Most passenger door/cabin/closet/bathroom locks are electronic and Easy
  • 
  Each passenger cabin has a safe that is Difficult to crack
  • 
  Elevators and doors in non-critical crew-only areas are Normal to attempt to hack/override
  • 
  Navigating a network to find a point to hack generally can’t include Cryptology, but once the proper node is 
  found by using Computers, then the SR to hack that point should allow Cryptology to add.
  • 
  Locks to the Command Center and Crew Quarters are Difficult
  • 
  Hacking a non-critical (life-support, navigation, etc....) system is Easy or Normal
  • 
  Hacking a financial or communications node is Difficult
  • 
  Hacking a critical (life-support, defense grid, navigation, etc...) system is Good Luck
  • 
  Locks on cargo containers are Easy or Challenging (if ‘Sensitive’ or ‘Extremely Valuable’)
  • 
  Interior walls act as 5 points of armor.  Doing a total of 30 points to a 5 foot section will destroy it.
  • 
  Exterior Walls act as 20 points of armor. A total of 100 points to a 5 foot section will destroy it. If any attack 
  does over 20 points of damage, you’ve got a leak, and when damage is greater than 35 points, the breach 
  sucks things into vacuum: Static SR3 versus ST to stay inside the spaceship. 55 or more points, SR5 versus ST.
  • 
  Main Supports and Blast Doors act as 50 points of armor. A total of of 500 points to destroy a 5 foot section.
  Dynamic	Difficulty
  Use the chart below with the column corresponding to the Average Character Level for the first adventure.
  Continue to use those SRs anytime you use Cel-Maris unless CUSEA is given a good reason to increase security 
  measures on the next maintenance trip (say, the PCs are caught successfully breaking into a passenger’s cabin safe...)
  SR (Target Number = 15+SR, except for 0)
  Difficulty
  Calculation
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  8
  9
  10
  11
  Cakewalk
  SR 0 (Target 5)
  0
  0
  0
  0
  0
  0
  0
  0
  0
  0
  0
  Easy
  SR = (3+1/lvl)/5
  0
  1
  1
  1
  1
  1
  2
  2
  2
  2
  2
  Normal
  SR = (5+2/lvl)/5
  1
  1
  2
  2
  3
  3
  3
  4
  4
  5
  5
  Difficult
  SR = (7+3/lvl)/5
  2
  2
  3
  3
  4
  5
  5
  6
  6
  7
  8
  Challenging
  SR = (9+4/lvl)/5
  2
  3
  4
  5
  5
  6
  7
  8
  9
  9
  10
  Good Luck
  SR = (11+5/lvl)/5
  3
  4
  5
  6
  6
  8
  9
  10
  11
  12
  13
  With Calculations, always compute using decimal points until the final result, then truncate (cut off) the decimals.
  Chapter 10:  MSPE™ System Stuff
  
  41
  Cel-Maris Station
  NPCs
  Typical Passengers and Crew
  Generic passengers simply have a 9 in all attributes, add in 1 to 6 points in appropriate skills if needed.
  Generic crew has 9 in all attributes with 1 to 4 in relevant skills. Security personnel have a Pellet Pistol with non-
  lethal ammo and a Pellet Pistol skill of 2 and Brawling of 2. Most security staff have physically restrained passengers 
  more than once, but none have fired a weapon at a real person.
  Notable Individuals
  Name
  ST
  IQ
  LK
  CON
  DEX
  CHR
  SPD
  Chief of Security Todd Wainright
  16
  9
  12
  15
  18
  8
  12
  Captain Alexander Slejerski
  17
  18
  14
  10
  13
  17
  7
  Chief Engineer Rahidi Eshe
  15
  17
  10
  12
  14
  9
  14
  Chief Medical Officer Alexandra  Turkrush
  14
  16
  18
  11
  17
  12
  5
  “The Cheese” Head of Cargo and Supplies
  19
  20
  9
  19
  12
  11
  9
  Mongrongoro
  22
  11
  16
  21
  14
  4
  7
  Misalie Brownback
  8
  32
  10
  10
  10
  27
  9
  Skills are 1 to 7 as appropriate.
  Chief Medical Officer Alexandra  Turkrush will use only non-lethal methods unless she knows the Assassin is a 
  Changer. The Hippocratic Oath extends to almost all sentient lifeforms, but the Changers are considered a threat in 
  the category of a bacteria or virus.
  Arturo and his Parasites
  Name
  ST
  IQ
  LK
  CON
  DEX
  CHR
  SPD
  Arturo Hiromachi - 500 Quadrillionaire Geek
  8
  26
  20
  10
  10
  4
  10
  “Mona Da’ Gooda” - Escort
  9
  16
  18
  12
  12
  19
  8
  Susan Kostanzi - Secretary
  10
  14
  16
  14
  14
  12
  11
  Charles Durrant - Valet
  14
  12
  12
  16
  12
  11
  14
  Trudy Chambers - Lawyer
  9
  18
  8
  10
  7
  16
  12
  General skills are 1 to 4, with their speciality skills 8 to 12. The parasites had to be better than the competition to 
  get to their position with such a “sweet sugar-daddy.”
  General Player Handout
  Page 37 is a generic player handout that should cover most games other than strict hard sci-fi. It is also suggested 
  (on the handout itself) to print pages 14-17.
  
  42
  Cel-Maris Station
  Name: 
  NPC Opponent - The Assassin
  IQ
  18
  HtH 
  Adds
  ST
  22
  LK
  10
  Missile
  Adds
  DEX
  16
  CON
  24
  CHR
  16
  SP
  13
  Level
  8
  Carried  50,000 credits
  Stashed  250,000 credits
  Gender
  Convenient
  Race
  Changer
  Nationality
  None
  Birthdate
  Unknown
  Skills
  Name
  Level
  Name
  Level
  Blaster Carbine
  7
  Pellet Pistol
  6
  Observation
  6
  OC - Assassin
  4
  Computer
  4
  Lockpick
  6
  Acting/Mimic
  10*
  Confidence
  2
  Ambush/Silent Movement
  5
  Self-Defense
  4
  Pugilism
  4
  Disguise
  12*
  Knife Fighting
  5
  Weapons
  Name
  Dice & Adds
  Ammo
  Capacity
  Range
  Chart
  Notes
  Collapsable Blaster  
  Carbine
  Plasma
  60
  300’/100yds
  II
  Night Scope: +20 to hit farther 
  than 50 yards
  Carbon-Fiber Knife w/ 
  monofilament blade
  NA
  Armor
  Name
  Dice & Adds
  Notes
  Natural (Built Like Putty)
  3d for projectile (bullet, sword, etc...), 2d for laser or blaster,  1d for melee/wider impact
  Provisions
  Holographic Display Wrist Computer 
  Anti-toxin (4 doses)
  Notes
  Overconfident and Paranoid
  Poison acts as normal. 
  * Natural Capabilites are already factored into skill level
  
  43
  Cel-Maris Station
  Chapter 11:  Bibliography
  Biliography
  The following material provided inspiration and technical information referred to in the creation of this product. 
  Most scientific data was approximated in the Cel-Maris setting and A Playful Death mini-module; while real-world 
  data and science is followed as closely as possible, this is a work of fiction, not a technical manual.
  “Buzz Aldrin’s Roadmap To Mars - A PM Exclusive.” BUZZ ALDRIN with DAVID NOLAND 
  Illustrations by Jeremy Cook 
  Published in the December 2005 issue of Popular Mechanics.
  http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/air_space/2076326.html?page=1
  NASA Solar System Exploration Website
  http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/index.cfm
  Mars Exploration Website (Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
  http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/
  
  Cel-Maris Station,  Top (1st) Level
  S       Sauna
  = 15 Feet / 5 Yards
  Sliding Door
  Treadmill
  Pool
  Anti-Inertia
  "Weights"
  Gift Shop
  Attendant's
  Break & Work
  Area
  Storage
  Mo
  m's
   "S
  tan
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  Floor
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  S
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  In-Transit Cargo Area
  Shuttle Bays
  Planetary Cargo Area
  Power and Primary Propulsion
  
  V
  V
  V
  V
  V
  V
  = 15 feet / 5 yards
  "Secure" Door
  Cel-Maris, 2nd Level
  V
  Vending Machine
  E
  Cargo Elevator
  to Area Below
  S
  t
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  B
  a
  y
  V
  V
  V
  = 15 feet / 5 yards
  Cel-Maris, 3rd Level
  V
  Vending Machine
  E
  Cargo Elevator
  to Area Below
  E
  E
  Check-In and
  Services Desk
  Emergency
  Life
  Support
  VG
  Unit
  VG
  Unit
  VG
  Unit
  Bob's Sports Bar
  Kitchen
  Break Room
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  B
  a
  y
  = 15 feet / 5 yards
  Sliding Door
  Cel-Maris, 4th-6th Levels
  Shower
  E
  Cargo Elevator
  to Area Below
  Special Note:  A Room Key Card or Security badge
  is required to enter this level from the elevator.
  E
  E
  Emergency
  Life
  Support
  Tr
  an
  spa
  ren
  t D
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  B
  a
  y
  = 15 feet / 5 yards
  Sliding Door
  Cel-Maris, 4th-6th Levels
  Shower
  E
  Cargo Elevator
  to Area Below
  Special Note:  A Room Key Card or Security badge
  is required to enter this level from the elevator.
  E
  E
  Emergency
  Life
  Support
  Tr
  an
  spa
  ren
  t D
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  an
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  In-Transit Cargo Area
  Shuttle Bays
  Planetary Cargo Area
  Power and Primary Propulsion
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Mercenaries, Spies & Private Eyes (MSPE)/3rd Party/BhM3001 - Cel Maris [MSPE].pdf