TEXT: A Fanzine For T20 and Classic Traveller
  Issue 2:  Spring 2005
  FLT
  GAMES
  
     Stellar Reaches                           Issue #2, Spring 2005                                   Page 2 
  Stellar Reaches 
  A Fanzine for Traveller T20 and Classic Traveller 
   
  TABLE OF CONTENTS 
         Letter From The Editor                                                                                                                              3 
         Golden Age Spinward Marches: Random Castle Light Task Force                                                           4 
         Astrography: Delta Quadrant Of The Empty Quarter Sector                                                                     6 
         Feature Adventure: Into The Lesser Rift                                                                                                   13 
         Starship Datasheet: Deep Space Stations                                                                                                   19 
         Traveller Science: RNA Implant Technology For T20                                                                              22 
         Wildlife Encounters: Sheola                                                                                                                      27 
         Patrons: Patricia Remus                                                                                                                             28 
         Open Gaming License Version 1.0a                                                                                                          30 
   
  Credits: 
         Cover Art:                        “Insidious Atmospheres” by Chuck Shaw, Copyright (c) 2005. 
         Contributing Artists:       Bryan Gibson (“Flynn’s Market”, pg 13) 
         Contributing Authors:    Daniel “Liam Devlin” Hammersley, Jason “Flynn” Kemp, Benjamin “Jame” Pew 
         Editor:                              Jason “Flynn” Kemp 
         Layout Design:                 Jason “Flynn” Kemp 
         Astrographic Maps:         J. Greely’s outstanding sec2pdf application, found at http://dotclue.org/t20/ 
   
  The Stellar Reaches fanzine’s website can currently be found at http://www.geocities.com/stellar_reaches/index.html. Please feel free to 
  browse the site for more information, as well as back issues and other downloads as they become available. 
   
  Traveller T20 and Classic Traveller Fair Use Policies: 
   
  Verbatim from Far Future Enterprises's Fair Use policy, which can be found at http://www.farfuture.net/ffe/n7001.html: 
           "The Traveller game in all forms is owned by Far Future Enterprises. Copyright 1977 - 2003 Far Future Enterprises. Traveller is a regis-
  tered trademark of Far Future Enterprises. Far Future permits web sites and fanzines for this game, provided it contains this notice, that Far 
  Future is notified, and subject to a withdrawal of permission on 90 days notice. The contents of this site are for personal, non-commercial use 
  only. Any use of Far Future Enterprises's copyrighted material or trademarks anywhere on this web site and its files should not be viewed as a 
  challenge to those copyrights or trademarks. In addition, any program/articles/file on this site cannot be republished or distributed without the 
  consent of the author who contributed it. 
           Traveller is copyright by and of Far Future Enterprises, and its use here is by permission. http://www.farfuture.net/." 
   
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           "The Traveller game in all forms is owned by Far Future Enterprises. Copyright 2002 QuikLink Interactive, Inc. Traveller is a registered 
  trademark of Far Future Enterprises. QuikLink permits web sites and fanzines for this game, provided it contains this notice, that QuikLink is 
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  as a challenge to those copyrights or trademarks. In addition, any program/articles/file on this site cannot be republished or distributed without 
  the consent of the author who contributed it." 
   
  From Steve Jackson Games' online policy, which can be found at http://www.sjgames.com/general/online_policy.html: 
   
  Disclaimer 
  Some of the material presented here is the original creation of the contributing author, intended for use with the GURPS system from Steve 
  Jackson Games. This material is not official and is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games. 
   
  Notice 
  GURPS is a registered trademark of Steve Jackson Games, and some of the art here is copyrighted by Steve Jackson Games. All rights are re-
  served by SJ Games. This material is used here in accordance with the SJ Games online policy. 
   
  All original material in the Stellar Reaches fanzine not designated as Open Game Content, or not otherwise protected under the copyrights of 
  other entities, is copyright © 2005 by the original authors and artists, as identified in the byline with each article or contribution. 
   
  No portion of this fanzine may be reproduced in any form or by an means without permission in writing from the author or artist holding  that 
  specific content's copyright. 
   
  
     Stellar Reaches                           Issue #2, Spring 2005                                   Page 3 
  Greeting, Fellow Sophonts! 
   
  Welcome to the second issue of Stellar Reaches, a free PDF-based fanzine dedicated to Traveller T20 and Classic 
  Traveller. Despite a few technical issues, we still managed to produce this issue within our schedule, releasing it in 
  late Spring of 2005. Our next issue will be released in August 2005, before the end of the summer, assuming Gen 
  Con Indianapolis 2005 does not overly interfere with its preparations or release date. 
   
  As you can tell from our cover page, the Spring 2005 issue has actual art contributions. We are particularly thank-
  ful to both artists that submitted work for inclusion in this release: Bryan Gibson and Chuck Shaw. 
   
  Bryan Gibson has provided exceptional artwork for Traveller products for every edition of Traveller, from CT and 
  MT to TNE, T4 and T20. His interior art is fantastic as always, and we are greatly honored and appreciative of his 
  contributions here. (Please bear in mind, friends, that he does retain copyright on the images found herein, so if 
  you want to use them elsewhere, please contact him for permission.) 
   
  Further examples of Bryan's work can be found at on the web at: 
  http://groups.msn.com/ImagesStudio 
   
  Known as Baron Saarthuran von Gushiddan on the Citizens of the Imperium boards, Chuck Shaw is an up-and-
  coming graphics artist, actively involved in the Theater industry. His creation, entitled "Insidious Atmospheres", 
  serves as this issue's front cover. For more of Chuck’s work, please check out his website: 
  http://groups.msn.com/SidurHaskiDesignConsortium 
   
  In addition to art, this issue offers some contributed content as well. From one of our Classic Traveller fans, Benja-
  min "Jame" Pew, comes a short article on light task forces set in Golden Age Spinward Marches, complete with 
  two military vessels designed under CT Book 2 specifications. On the T20 side of things, Daniel "Liam Devlin" 
  Hammersley provides us with an article that expands on the information found within the T20 Traveller's Hand-
  book on RNA Implants. Special thanks to each of our contributors for their efforts. 
   
  The usual suspects for Stellar Reaches are still present, as well. The Spring 2005 issue contains an in-depth article 
  on the Delta Quadrant of the Empty Quarter sector, as well as an adventure related to that little corner of the Third 
  Imperium. This issue's starship datasheet article addresses Deep Space Stations, those "stepping stone" space sta-
  tions used to bridge the gap across the vacant reaches of rifts. To round things out, we've included a wildlife en-
  counter and a patron encounter as additional material for use in your Traveller campaigns. 
   
  Please remember that this work is an act of love on the part of those that have helped make it what it is. Stellar 
  Reaches can not continue to exist without support from Traveller fans, so please consider contributing either arti-
  cles or artwork to this fanzine. Submission guidelines are available on our website, and all contributions will be 
  considered! 
   
  Now, without any further adieu, it's time to stop scanning the editorial and jump directly into the articles for the 
  Spring 2005 issue of Stellar Reaches. We hope you enjoy our efforts. 
   
  Preparing for Jump, 
  Jason "Flynn" Kemp 
  Editor, Stellar Reaches fanzine 
  A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR 
  
     Stellar Reaches                           Issue #2, Spring 2005                                   Page 4 
  This article looks at the structure and purpose of the 
  Random Castle light carrier and the Superraider frig-
  ate, as well as the Random Castle–centered task force. 
  These ships and task forces are used to provide a naval 
  presence where heavier forces are either out of place 
  or unavailable, such as on the frontier. Many of these 
  units act as rapid-response forces against enemies or 
  pirates, and fulfill patrol duties in outlying districts. Of 
  course, there are many variations of this type of task 
  force, but one of the most common is discussed below, 
  followed by game statistics for both ship types. 
   
  A Typical Mission 
  A typical mission for a unit of these would be a 
  counter-raid/anti-piracy campaign against Vargr cor-
  sairs anywhere along the frontiers. In this example we 
  will follow the mission of the task force led by the car-
  riers Fractal Keep, Odd-Shaped Bulwark and Trape-
  zoidal Tower. Their task force consists of four frig-
  ates – the Overpowered Kicker, the Nuclear Com-
  mando, the Lightning Striker and the World Stealer, as 
  well as 4 Type-T patrol frigates. Their mission was to 
  respond to a series of raids into the Jewell and Regina 
  subsectors of the Spinward Marches. There were sev-
  eral brief, inconclusive encounters with the corsairs, 
  where several corsairs were destroyed attempted to 
  break off. Eventually, Imperial Naval Intelligence lo-
  cated the corsair base, which was in the Ougzdaelzo-
  errgh/Uthe/Gvurrdon system. 
         The task force – RC 1011 – met up with 6 Naval-
  service Broadswords at Efate and began moving up. 
  RC 1011 quickly reached the target system, and dis-
  covered that the base had two parts: a downport facil-
  ity in a small archipelago and the main base in the lo-
  cal asteroid belt. Sensors detected eight hostile vessels 
  in open space, plus four more being launched from the 
  asteroid. None was larger than 800 tons. The task 
  force split into two parts: one lead by the Odd-Shaped 
  Bulwark, backed by the Broadswords and two of the 
  Type-T cruisers, which would assault the base in the 
  archipelago, and another lead by the Trapezoidal 
  Tower, which was backed by the Fractal Keep, the 
  Superraider frigates and the remaining two type-T 
  cruisers. This segment was charged with engaging the 
  hostile corsairs and capturing the base. 
         The Odd-Shaped Bulwark moved into orbit with 
  the Broadswords and two Type-T cruisers to assault 
  the archipelago base, while the rest of the task force 
  moved on the asteroid base. The assault began by 
  dropping the fighters and the Type-Ts down to sweep 
  the skies clean of enemy ships and anti-small craft 
  guns, supported by orbital bombardment from the car-
  rier and the Broadswords. Once ground fire was sup-
  pressed, the Broadswords dropped their troops – one 
  cutter was dropped early and was shot down by a mis-
  sile battery, however – and began to watch for any fur-
  ther hostility. The assault went quickly – the base was 
  mostly repair and recreational facilities and under-
  staffed at the time. 
          When the Superraider section, consisting of the 
  Trapezoidal Tower and the Fractal Keep plus all four 
  frigates and two Type-Ts, reached the asteroid base, 
  the fighters and Type Ts moved up to suppress the 
  base’s outer defenses while the frigates destroyed or 
  drove off the corsair ships (except any which were 
  currently docked). When the outer defenses were de-
  stroyed, the Superraiders began landing their Marines, 
  who moved out through the base, killing or capturing 
  any corsairs they encounter. Eventually, a computer 
  expert’s discovered that the recent campaign had re-
  duced this band, not only by ship destruction but by a 
  recent surge of tail-turning – and that there was only a 
  small frigate docked at the moment. The Marines at-
  tempted to board the corsair frigate, beginning by dis-
  abling its turrets and engines and then blowing the 
  cargo hatch and the bridge airlock. Most of the crew 
  had been called out to repel the Marines, but an anchor 
  watch had been posted, mostly of armed spacers. 
  These spacers valiantly strove to keep the boarders 
  out, but after several minutes fighting surrendered. 
          Most of the corsair ships in system were de-
  stroyed, but three – an 800-ton frigate, a 400-ton cor-
  vette and a general trader – managed to escape. These 
  three managed to enter jump space, and were later 
  spotted deeper in the Vargr Extents – still committing 
  piracy, but no longer against Imperial Interests. 
   
  Ship Designs 
  The Type-L Random Castle 1000-ton light carrier is 
  the centerpiece for light task forces which can perform 
  commerce raiding, anti-piracy or fast planetary as-
  saults against low-tech or low population targets. They 
  are usually accompanied by 3-4 Superraider-class 
  1000-ton frigates, and in strike actions 4-8 Type-T 400 
  ton patrol cruisers; in planetary assaults, 4-8 Broad-
  swords or, as support in fleet actions, several 1000-ton 
  GOLDEN AGE SPINWARD MARCHES 
  RANDOM CASTLE LIGHT TASK FORCE 
  By Benjamin “Jame” Pew 
  
     Stellar Reaches                           Issue #2, Spring 2005                                   Page 5 
  troop transports and resupply ships. There are several 
  variants, and the one that follows performs at jump-3 
  and 3g and is the most commonly encountered. Their 
  model/5 computer allows them to perform squadron 
  direction or “air boss” duties, usually for their own 
  squadron but also for units up to the size of a wing, in 
  case any allied unit becomes detached from its own 
  carrier. 
   
         Book 2 design: 1000 tons. Jump-3, 3g. 330 tons 
  fuel. Model/5. 30 staterooms, 7 emergency low berths. 
  10 hardpoints: 3 triple pulse lasers, 2 triple beam la-
  sers, 2 triple missile racks, 3 triple sand casters. 12 10-
  ton fighters, 1 30-ton ship’s boat, 1 air/raft. 194 tons 
  cargo. 30 crew, 12 pilots, 8 troops. Streamlined nee-
  dle. 750.75 MCr (7.5075 MCr fee), 29 months. 
   
      The Type-K Superraider-class frigate accompa-
  nies the Type-L Random Castle light carrier on most 
  operations that the carrier performs; it also undertakes 
  independent missions as a reinforced platoon carrier. 
  Their troop complement means that they can conduct 
  boarding actions, strike actions or commerce raiding 
  missions where troops might be expected to capture a 
  ship or destroy an enemy base, or form a bridgehead 
  during fleet actions. The Jump-3, 3g variant – the most 
  commonly encountered – follows. Keep in mind that 
  the two craft share almost exactly the same hull, in 
  order to cause confusion. When assembled into fleets, 
  the class also performs anti-missile and anti-fighter 
  duties, putting its complement of pulse lasers to good 
  use; when singly or as the lead ship, it also performs 
  as the anti-ship unit, using its three triple missile tur-
  rets. 
   
         Book 2 design: 1000 tons. Jump-3, 3g. 330 tons 
  fuel. Model/5. 50 staterooms. 10 hardpoints: 3 triple 
  missile racks, 4 triple pulse lasers, 3 triple sandcasters. 
  2 cutters (2 ATV modules, 2 open modules), 2 ATVs, 
  2 GCarriers. 24 tons cargo. 30 crew, 40 troops. 
  Streamlined needle. 603.12 MCr (6.0312 MCr fee), 27 
  months.  
   
  About The Author 
  Ben Pew is looking for regular work so he can buy a 
  car, move from Massachusetts to, say, California and 
  work for George Lucas. If not, he’d like to move some 
  place where there aren't many people. If anyone asks, 
  he'll readily deny that he has Force-like powers. 
  
  Empty Quarter Sector
  Delta Quadrant
  Third Imperium
  1726
  Neelamani
  A338414-C
  A
  N
  Im
  1728
  Mugama
  E5537AB-5
  E
  Im
  1729
  Hemant
  BA97312-B
  B
  Im
  1730
  Miigaki
  D479678-6
  D
  Im
  1731
  Aleshanee
  B402463-8
  B
  Im
  1733
  Kirluan
  C352798-8
  C
  Im
  1734
  Dyani
  E211501-7
  E
  Im
  1737
  Takoda
  B311679-9
  B
  Im
  1738
  Lakea
  A202623-B
  A
  Im
  1826
  Jansing
  E230310-9
  E
  Im
  1830
  Iridia
  E561443-3
  E
  Im
  1831
  UDUSIS
  E768996-8
  E
  Im
  1833
  Sakari
  D659223-6
  D
  Im
  1836
  Aisha
  C450563-B
  C
  S
  Im
  1838
  Belumar
  D663796-4
  D
  Im
  1923
  Cairne
  C865431-4
  C
  Na
  1930
  HEBRIN
  B550A88-9
  B
  N
  Im
  1932
  Okori
  E430231-9
  E
  Im
  1934
  Corcoran
  X500352-7
  X
  Im
  1937
  Iisdirrii
  D8668D9-7
  D
  Im
  2030
  Cooke
  A868837-9
  A
  Im
  2032
  Drago's Belt
  B000546-8
  B
  N
  Im
  2036
  IRASH
  C99799B-A
  C
  Im
  2037
  Guudagi
  E5556BC-3
  E
  Im
  2038
  Ebrahim
  B695451-8
  B
  Im
  2039
  Urduaan
  D87A862-5
  D
  Im
  2128
  Prakesh
  C550220-8
  C
  Im
  2129
  Gauri
  B544357-A
  B
  Im
  2130
  Manendra
  D5505AE-8
  D
  Im
  2134
  Shuiku
  B575656-A
  B
  Im
  2138
  Faust
  C511200-9
  C
  Im
  2227
  Sahale
  A335537-9
  A
  Im
  2230
  Daruka
  D474645-5
  D
  Im
  2237
  Wapeka
  C226324-C
  C
  Im
  2331
  Rajan
  A362875-9
  A
  Im
  2423
  Exile
  X000444-9
  X
  Cs
  2428
  Liamea
  A3447BB-A
  A
  Im
  2431
  Kiskiishga
  C000610-8
  C
  Im
  2434
  Niketan
  A650467-E
  A
  Im
  2523
  Turley
  A549554-E
  A
  Na
  2528
  Camilla
  D434342-7
  D
  Na
  2529
  Lawinger
  B542631-A
  B
  Na
  2536
  Selka
  D452310-4
  D
  Im
  2635
  Yashodhan
  A652779-A
  A
  N
  Na
  2839
  Tapendra
  C565896-8
  C
  Na
  2933
  Enola
  C989755-B
  C
  Na
  3136
  Miramon
  B56578B-8
  B
  Na
  3224
  Chimalis
  B46578C-9
  B
  Na
  
     Stellar Reaches                           Issue #2, Spring 2005                                   Page 7 
  Introduction 
  Welcome to our second article on the Empty Quarter sector! This sector, located just coreward of Ley sector, 
  marks the most coreward-trailing frontier of the Third Imperium. Divided roughly in two by the Lesser Rift, the 
  rimward half of the sector contains the homeworld of one of the most prolific and widespread Minor Races of the 
  Third Imperium, the Bwaps, while the coreward region is claimed by two human-Vargr interstellar polities, the 
  Julian Protectorate and the Hegemony of Lorean. 
         This article is the second of four that present the details of this interesting sector for enterprising Referees 
  looking for a new and vibrant campaign setting. Last year, QuikLink, Inc., has released the Gateway To Destiny 
  Campaign Sourcebook, which details the Ley, Gateway, Glimmerdrift Reaches and Crucis Margin sectors of the 
  Gateway Domain immediately coreward of Empty Quarter sector. Following suit, the author has decided to follow 
  the example set forth with the Gateway To Destiny sourcebook and present the Empty Quarter sector in quad-
  rants. The location of the Empty Quarter sector should allow adventures currently set within Ley sector to explore 
  the Empty Quarter sector as a part of an ongoing campaign. To maintain compatibility with the Gateway To Des-
  tiny sourcebook, the world data provided below is current as of Imperial Year 993, in what has become known as 
  the Gateway Era or Milieu 1000. The Solomani Rim War is in full swing many sectors to rimward, but its influ-
  ence can still be felt. 
   
  Overview of the Delta Quadrant of the Empty Quarter 
  Isolated along the rimward edge of the Lesser Rift, the Imperial and non-aligned worlds of this quadrant have an 
  established and well-settled culture, having been settled for more than three thousand years. This quadrant is a 
  more egalitarian mix of humaniti and Vargr races, and Bwaps remain a strong racial presence on Imperial worlds 
  in this region. One world, Iisdirrii (Empty Quarter 1937 D8668D9-7), serves as an adopted homeworld for a mis-
  placed colony of Sydites. 
         With the Third Imperium engaged in a war far to rimward, many of the Imperial fleets have been pulled away 
  to fight in those battles, leaving relatively minimal forces to protect Imperial territory in the Empty Quarter sector. 
  Corsairs from across the Vargr polities to coreward of the Lesser Rift have taken notice, and conduct raids on the 
  worlds of this quadrant, having crossed the rift via two fairly close Jump-5 routes, the Corsabren-Cairne Run and 
  Saeghvung-Turley-Exile Run. 
         Among Imperial worlds, the Tap-a-wewakas-atapas (Guardians of Order) provide an increased measure of se-
  curity among worlds with a significant Bwap population, despite their predominate role as inspectors for the 
  Atapas-atta-wapawab (Great Council of Crèches). The trade-off for this is an increase in the much Bwap-beloved 
  bureaucracy, though many traders feel this is a small sacrifice to make in exchange for increased security. 
   
  Mains & Clusters 
  The Irash Cluster, a dozen worlds in Udusis subsector, form the largest cluster completely in the quadrant. The six 
  worlds of the Kirluan Cluster lie along the border of both Udusis subsector and neighboring Gimushi subsector in 
  the Gamma Quadrant. The longest main in the Empty Quarter sector extends over three subsectors from Khalidah/
  Lentuli to Kiskiishga/Udusis. The four Deep Space Stations along the Saeghvung-Turley-Exile Run offer Jump-2 
  contact with the Hegemony of Lorean. Without proper authorization to use the Deep Space Station route, however, 
  transport across the rift is restricted to Jump-5+ vessels, typically a rare occurrence indeed in the Empty Quarter 
  sector, particularly outside the Imperial Navy and Star Legion forces. 
   
  World Data By Subsector 
  Details of the basic world data for the worlds of the Delta Quadrant of Empty Quarter sector are provided below, 
  arranged in individual subsectors for familiarity and ease of reference. 
         A brief note regarding specific notation used in the stellar data section may be in order. In the case of multiple 
  ASTROGRAPHY 
  DELTA QUADRANT OF THE EMPTY QUARTER SECTOR 
  By Jason “Flynn” Kemp 
  
     Stellar Reaches                           Issue #2, Spring 2005                                   Page 8 
  stars being listed, an asterisk in the stellar data indicates which star serves as the primary for the world in question. 
  Parentheses indicate stars that are in very close orbit about one another. Brackets indicate stars that are located in 
  a far and distant orbit from the world’s primary, and so do not exert much, if any, influence on the world at all, but 
  are still located within the same parsec. This information is provided to assist those that wish to flesh a particular 
  system out further using products such as Book 6: Scouts, DGP’s Grand Survey or World Builder’s Handbook, 
  the World Tamer’s Guide for TNE, or GURPS Traveller: First In. If the Referee feels that such detail isn’t de-
  sirable, by all means, ignore the notations. 
  K) Hebrin Subsector 
  The Hebrin subsector is home to 16 systems. The highest population, by far, in the subsector can be found on 
  Hebrin, a desert world with four billion inhabitants. Neelamani possesses TL12 technology, the highest in the sub-
  sector. 
  Name                       Basic Data                  Base    Remarks                     TZ       PBG    All       Stellar Data    
  Neelamani      1726  A338414-C  N     Lo Ni                 803   Im    M1 V   
  Mugama         1728  E5537AB-5                              921   Im    G1 V   
  Hemant         1729  BA97312-B        Lo Ni                 414   Im    M0 V* M6 V [M3 V M7 V] 
  Miigaki        1730  D479678-6        Ni                    522   Im    M5 V   
  Jansing        1826  E230310-9        De Lo Ni Po           422   Im    M6 V   
  Iridia         1830  E561443-3        Lo Ni                 710   Im    G9 V   
  Cairne         1923  C865431-4        Lo Ni                 620   Na    G4 V   
  HEBRIN         1930  B550A88-9  N     De Hi Po              423   Im    K3 V   
  Cooke          2030  A868837-9                              423   Im    F5 V   
  Prakesh        2128  C550220-8        De Lo Ni Po           502   Im    G6 V   
  Gauri          2129  B544357-A        Lo Ni                 410   Im    K2 V   
  Manendra       2130  D5505AE-8        De Ni Po              123   Im    G2 V* G9 V 
  Sahale         2227  A335537-9        Ni                    623   Im    M5 V* M8 V 
  Daruka         2230  D474645-5        Ag Ni                 522   Im    F6 V G2 V* 
  Exile          2423  X000444-9        As Lo Ni         R    310   Cs    M0 V   
  Liamea         2428  A3447BB-A        Ag                    334   Im    K3 V   
   
  L) Turley Subsector 
  Only four systems fall within the boundaries of the Turley subsector. The remote world of Chimalis is home to 60 
  million sophonts, giving it the highest population in the subsector. The independent world of Turley supports TL14 
  technology, the highest in the subsector. 
  Name                       Basic Data                  Base    Remarks                     TZ       PBG    All       Stellar Data    
  Turley         2523  A549554-E        Ni                    100   Na    F8 V   
  Camilla        2528  D434342-7        Lo Ni                 723   Na    G2 V   
  Lawinger       2529  B542631-A        Ni Po                 704   Na    G9 V* K5 V 
  Chimalis       3224  B46578C-9        Ag Ri                 600   Na    G9 V   
   
  O) Udusis Subsector 
  The densest subsector of the Delta Quadrant, Udusis subsector is home to 23 systems. Much of the subsector’s 
  population is concentrated on Udusis (with three billion inhabitants) and Irash (with one billion sophonts). TL14 
  technology, the highest in the subsector and the highest level of Imperial technology in the Empty Quarter sector, 
  can be found at Niketan. The human population of Iisdirrii shares their world with a lost Sydite colony. 
  Name                       Basic Data                  Base    Remarks                     TZ       PBG    All       Stellar Data    
  Aleshanee      1731  B402463-8        Ic Lo Ni Va           414   Im    A8 V M8 V*   
  Kirluan        1733  C352798-8        Po                    323   Im    K5 V   
  Dyani          1734  E211501-7        Ic Ni                 934   Im    M0 V   
  Takoda         1737  B311679-9        Ic Na Ni              824   Im    M9 III K7 V*   
  Lakea          1738  A202623-B        Ic Na Ni Va           924   Im    M0 V   
  UDUSIS         1831  E768996-8        Hi                    313   Im    K8 V* [M1 III]   
  Sakari         1833  D659223-6        Lo Ni                 123   Im    G9 V   
  Aisha          1836  C450563-B  S     De Ni Po              410   Im    G0 V* M6 V   
  Belumar        1838  D663796-4        Ri                    910   Im    K3 V   
  Okori          1932  E430231-9        De Lo Ni Po           122   Im    M1 V   
  Corcoran       1934  X500352-7        De Lo Ni Va      R    512   Im    G8 IV K2 V* [G3 V]   
  Iisdirrii      1937  D8668D9-7                              124   Im    G9 V* M5 V   
  
     Stellar Reaches                           Issue #2, Spring 2005                                   Page 9 
  Drago's Belt   2032  B000546-8  N     As Ni                 923   Im    M0 V   
  IRASH          2036  C99799B-A        Hi In                 122   Im    F6 V* M5 V   
  Guudagi        2037  E5556BC-3        Ag Ni                 324   Im    G4 V   
  Ebrahim        2038  B695451-8        Lo Ni                 110   Im    F2 V* M3 V   
  Urduaan        2039  D87A862-5        Wa                    934   Im    K0 V   
  Shuiku         2134  B575656-A        Ag Ni                 910   Im    G0 V   
  Faust          2138  C511200-9        Ic Lo Ni              124   Im    M8 V   
  Wapeka         2237  C226324-C        Lo Ni                 712   Im    M8 V   
  Rajan          2331  A362875-9        Ri                    100   Im    G8 V   
  Kiskiishga     2431  C000610-8        As Na Ni              422   Im    M4 III   
  Niketan        2434  A650467-E        De Lo Ni Po           722   Im    G7 V* [M8 III]   
   
  P) Yashodhan Subsector 
  Where the borders of the Third Imperium meet the Lesser Rift, the Yashodhan subsector is home to only five sys-
  tems. The eight hundred million inhabitants of Tapendra contain over eighty percent of the subsector’s population. 
  Yashodhan’s industrial infrastructure supports TL11 technology, the highest in the subsector. 
  Name                       Basic Data                  Base    Remarks                     TZ       PBG    All       Stellar Data    
  Selka          2536  D452310-4        Lo Ni Po              521   Im    G3 V   
  Yashodhan      2635  A652779-A  N     Po                    200   Na    K2 V* [M2 II]   
  Tapendra       2839  C565896-8        Ri                    800   Na    K8 V   
  Enola          2933  C989755-B        Ri                    202   Na    F0 V* M9 V   
  Miramon        3136  B56578B-8        Ag Ri                 723   Na    K9 V* M5 V   
   
  Empty Quarter Library Data 
  Travellers in the Delta Quadrant of the Empty Quarter sector can commonly access most of the following informa-
  tion via ship computer databanks or starport library kiosks. This data may be considered accurate as of Imperial 
  Year 993. Additional library data of interest can be found in Issue #1 (Winter 2005) of Stellar Reaches, which 
  should be available for download from the fanzine’s website. 
   
  Camilla (Empty Quarter 2528 D434342-7): Over seven thousand colonists call the Republic of Camilla home, 
  having left behind the oppressive world government of Liamea (Empty Quarter 2428 A3447BB-A) several decades 
  ago. Receiving no technological support from Liamea in protest of their political leanings, the Republic maintains 
  its fragile existence through trade and interaction with their only other interstellar neighbor in the Liamea Pocket, 
  Lawinger (Empty Quarter 2529 B542631-A). Given Liamea's greater position as a member of the Third Imperium, 
  the continued existence of the colony on Camilla is questionable, at best, particularly in light of recent political de-
  cisions by Lawinger’s monarchy to focus on domestic over foreign policy. 
   
  Chimalis (Empty Quarter 3224 B46578C-9): Chimalis is an isolated world out of direct contact with the remain-
  der of the Delta Quadrant. As her closest neighbors are five parsecs away in the Beta Quadrant, her population is 
  mixed Vargr-human, and there are no other neighbors within six parsecs of the rich garden world, it is likely that 
  Chimalis will unite with the Hegemony of Lorean within the next century, despite the efforts of a few fanatical 
  anti-Vargr factions to the contrary. 
   
  Corcoran (Empty Quarter 1934 X500352-7): Corcoran has been interdicted for the last forty-five years by the 
  Imperial Interstellar Scout Service for the preservation of a possible Ancient site, the only one found to date with 
  Empty Quarter sector. In an announcement in 990, a Senior Scout Leader for the IISS stated that the interdiction 
  status for Corcoran would be lifted gradually over the next ten years, as “extensive research has demonstrated that 
  the existence of an Ancient site on the planet was a carefully fabricated hoax, perpetrated by individuals who are 
  currently in Imperial custody.” Corcoran is expected to be reduced to Amber Zone status in 996 for a brief two-
  year period, after which time it will no longer harbor an interdiction travel zone classification. 
   
  Enola (Empty Quarter 2933 C989755-B): An isolated rich world in the Yashodhan subsector, Enola was origi-
  nally settled as a research facility in the early years of the Third Imperium. Early on, the administration of the 
  original research facility controlled the original colony as well. The practice, though changed somewhat over the 
  years, still remains today, as the Administration of Enola makes decisions for the world's population of twenty mil-
  lion human and Vargr. The current Lord Administrator, Baron Ferreli von Lazarus, has been an eager supporter of 
  Majestic Lines, in the hopes that enhanced contact with the Third Imperium will promote growth for his people. 
   
  
     Stellar Reaches                           Issue #2, Spring 2005                                  Page 10 
  Exile (Empty Quarter 2423 X000444-9): Formerly a penal colony from the days of the Rule of Man, Exile's 
  population of xenophobic belters voluntarily requested interdiction from the Imperial Navy in exchange for raw 
  materials mined from the system's single planetoid belt. Burdened by a long social memory of the atrocities com-
  mitted against their ancestors, the belters of Exile hold no special regard for those outside their own communities, 
  and tolerate trade with the Imperial military as a necessary means to protecting themselves from the brutality of 
  others. Unauthorized intruders into the Exile system are often met the destruction of the unauthorized vessel and/or 
  long-term imprisonment, delivered by either Exile system defense boats or Imperial interdiction cruisers. 
   
  Hebrin (Empty Quarter 1930 B550A88-9): Bursting at the seams with forty-two billion people, the desert 
  world's population challenges the Hebrin Bureaux's ability to provide sustenance and water for its people. Water 
  itself has become a valuable commodity, having to be processed from limited underground reserves or brought in 
  from offworld, harvested elsewhere within the system. Ice belters, in particular, are in ever-increasing demand, 
  bringing a high level of status and respect to a profession not highly regarded in other areas within the Third Im-
  perium. 
   
  Hegemony of Lorean: An affiliate state of the Julian Protectorate, the Hegemony of Lorean controls a significant 
  number of member worlds in the “four corners” region of Empty Quarter, Amdukan, Arzul and Star’s End sectors. 
  Despite the number of worlds under their rule, the Hegemony of Lorean has limited influence with the Julian Pro-
  tectorate due to its limited ability to trade with other major trading or diplomatic entities. Within the Hegemony, 
  however, the polity focuses most of its own political priorities on local development. 
         Although the Hegemony of Lorean attempts to pursue relations with the K’kree outposts to trailing, the K’kree 
  in general have expressed disinterest in the matter. Nonetheless, the Hegemony continues to promote such rela-
  tions, in the hopes that regular trade between the K’kree and the various affiliate states of the Julian Protectorate 
  would increase both the importance and the influence of the Hegemony in interstellar affairs. 
   
  Iisdirrii (Empty Quarter 1937 D8668D9-7): Originally settled during the Second Imperium, Iisdirrii is home to 
  the central church of the Seekers of the Divine Words, where efforts are made to gather and synthesize the theolo-
  gies of the universe into one Inspired Canon. Once the Inspired Canon has been forged in its entirety, the Church 
  of the Seekers will transform, becoming Evangelists of the Divine Words. However, as the Great Signs have not 
  come to pass, the church continues to revise their work, creating version after version of their Inspired Canon, then 
  producing copies and shipping them offworld. 
         Approximately seven hundred years ago, a Sydite colony ship misjumped while en route to their new colony 
  world and emerged almost in the Iisdirrii system almost an entire sector away. As one of the leaders of the Sydite 
  people was a talented theologian (or perhaps became one quickly in order to save her people), the Sydites were 
  welcomed among the Seekers, and were granted a place to settle in exchange for their service to the Church of the 
  Seekers of the Divine Words. For this reason, many Sydites found in the Delta Quadrant of the Empty Quarter sec-
  tor are often either very religious or aggressively atheistic, as driven by their own proclivities. 
   
  Irash (Empty Quarter 2036 C99799B-A): Although changed considerably with the passage of time, the rigid he-
  reditary caste system that segregates the population of Irash was born of a fusion of Vilani and Hindu cultures, re-
  flecting the disparate heritages of the first settlers to this large world. Irash boasts some of the most impressive 
  temples still standing in the Empty Quarter sector from the era of the Second Imperium. 
   
  Julian Protectorate: A response to Imperial aggressions during the Julian War (175 to 191), this interstellar polity 
  neighbors the Imperium. In its loosest definition, the Julian Protectorate is a trade confederation and defense alli-
  ance of worlds within the “four corners” region of Mendan, Amdukan, Empty Quarter and Antares sectors. 
         All member worlds (and in some cases individual member nations on balkanized worlds) conduct their own 
  diplomacy and maintain their own armed forces, giving little power to the central authority of the Julian Protector-
  ate on Asimikigir (Amdukan 0223 A684A87-E). The Protectorate, however, does give structure to the community 
  of states. It mediates disputes, provides a set of interstellar laws, and promotes communication and cooperation. It 
  also has a standing armed service, the Star Legion, used for patrols and in crisis situations. 
         While Vargr and humans populate the Julian sectors in almost equal proportion, the distribution is not homo-
  geneous. Individual world populations vary widely in their human/Vargr ratios. As a rule, though, Vargr are less 
  common closer to Gashikan sector. Other races also exist in the protectorate, but humans and Vargr clearly pre-
  dominate. Most others tend to remain on their respective homeworlds. Two additional races also play an interstel-
  lar role: a large, somewhat aggressive saurian race called the Hhkar and, to a lesser degree, the Bwaps. 
         The primary languages of the Julian Protectorate are Galanglic (a dialect of that spoken in the Third Im-
  perium) and Irilitok (a language spoken by most Vargr within the Domain of Antares.) 
  
     Stellar Reaches                           Issue #2, Spring 2005                                  Page 11 
  Majestic Lines: A subsector-wide mercantile corporation operating primarily within Yashodhan subsector, Majes-
  tic Lines is based out of the highly advanced world of Niketan (Empty Quarter 2434 A650467-E), located in Udu-
  sis subsector. Operated on subsidies from the Third Imperium and the various world governments of Yashodhan 
  subsector, Majestic Lines fields a small fleet of recently constructed Jump-5 subsidized merchant vessels and liners 
  to extend trade into this relatively isolated subsector. The longevity of this program is in doubt, however, as rumors 
  continue to spread about mismanaged funds and an increasingly lack of quality service. 
   
  Miramon (Empty Quarter 3136 B56578B-8): Another garden world on the edge of the Third Imperium, the iso-
  lated paradise of Miramon teams with native life. Although no native sentient races exist on Miramon, the fertile 
  planet produces a wide variety of agroproducts. This, in turn, allows Miramon to maintain a bustling trade with 
  other inhabited planets and moons within its twin star system that it has colonized locally since humanity first ar-
  rived in the system in the early years of the Third Imperium. 
   
  Neelamani (Empty Quarter 1726 A338414-C): The last port of call before entering the Cairne-Corsabren Run, a 
  Jump-5 route across the Lesser Rift, Neelamani provides a customs interface with the Julian Protectorate and inde-
  pendent worlds on the coreward end of the Run. Neelamani sees more "long legged" traffic than the Saeghvung-
  Turley-Exile route, as the Julian Protectorate has yet to enter into a trade agreement similar to that which the Im-
  perium holds with the Hegemony of Lorean in support of the Deep Space Stations along the Saeghvung-Turley-
  Exile Run. Between the lack of easy transport across the Rift and the presence of one of the only three Imperial 
  Naval Bases in the Quadrant, Neelamani has a reputation of being a much safer route than the easier Saeghvung-
  Turley-Exile Run, if one's vessel can handle a Jump of five or more parsecs. 
   
  Star Legion: The interstellar navy of the Julian Protectorate, the Star Legion is an interstellar service performing 
  patrols and military actions in crisis situations in support of the Protectorate’s member worlds. The Star Legion 
  often works in conjunction with member state’s own military forces. 
   
  Sydite: A four-armed minor human race believed to have been genetically altered by the Ancients for physical la-
  bor. Native to Khuur (Ley 3026 E959977-5). Often perceived as big strong brutes without imagination, the Sydites 
  nevertheless controlled an extensive interstellar empire at their height of their power. The Sydymic War two centu-
  ries ago saw the Sydite Empire destroyed by the Third Imperium, forcing the Sydites to rebuild their society and 
  technological infrastructure. Although most Sydites are encountered in the Delta Quadrant of Ley sector, small en-
  claves exist throughout the Gateway Domain and surrounding areas. 
   
  Turley (Empty Quarter 2523 A549554-E): The most technologically advanced independent world in the Empty 
  Quarter sector, Turley sits along the middle of the Saeghvung-Turley-Exile Run, where it profits greatly as the 
  only planetfall for non-military vessels for weeks in both directions. Until the Deep Space Stations began to be de-
  ployed, Turley was a very isolated world, perfect for the special needs of the Verrada Turley Foundation. Classi-
  fied by Imperial authorities as a Eugenics Cult, the Foundation colonized Turley in an effort to create their own 
  version of utopia through the manipulation and control of their population's genome. While native citizens suffer a 
  greater level of restriction than visitors, the Foundation has changed its policy on isolationism, recognizing visitors 
  as an excellent resource for Credits, which in turn supports the Foundation's pursuit of scientific elitism. 
   
  Udusis (Empty Quarter 1831 E768996-8): Originally a small colony established in the late Rule of Man, Udusis 
  thrived during the Long Night and now claims a mixed population of three billion humans and Vargr. As the world 
  itself is self-supporting, being quite Earth-like (or Lair-like, in the eyes of its Vargr inhabitants), the people of 
  Udusis have little need for contact with offworlders. While not exactly xenophobic, the local population is not typi-
  cally open to offworlder contact and so do not maintain active starports. The Udusis world government, known as 
  the World Directorate, does provide a number of paved fields near its capitol city for visiting Imperial delegations 
  and the occasional trader willing to interact with the conservative mindset of the Udusis people. 
   
  Yashodhan (Empty Quarter 2635 A652779-A): A world of numerous nations and no interstellar allegiance, Ya-
  shodhan is the only independent world in the Delta Quadrant to possess its own Naval Base. (Indeed, there are sev-
  eral such facilities within the system, owing allegiance to various political powers on the mainworld.) While a 
  number of the major political powers on Yashodhan seek admission into the Third Imperium, the Imperial Diplo-
  matic Corps has recognized that supporting any particular power would most likely turn the others against them, 
  and increase the likelyhood of Yashodhan military forces looking towards the Imperium rather than internally. 
  While the IDC waits for the political situation to resolve itself, several larger corporations have not, and are invest-
  ing in facilities on the border world in an effort to pursue research and production beyond the jurisdiction of the 
  
     Stellar Reaches                           Issue #2, Spring 2005                                  Page 12 
  Imperial Bureaucracy. 
   
  Closing Notes & Credits 
  The Gateway Era world data above was regressed from data developed by the author for the Empty Quarter sector 
  during the Classic Traveller Era, circa 1105. The original Classic Era data complies completely with GDW’s Atlas 
  of the Imperium. (Fans of DGP’s alien supplement, Vilani & Vargr: The Coreward Races, will notice that 
  some of the world positions differ from the dot map found within that book. There were some differences in sys-
  tem locations between Atlas of the Imperium and Vilani & Vargr: The Coreward Races. Where differences 
  existed, the author chose to follow the Atlas of the Imperium as his first source of canonicity. 
         Although the Gateway Era world data given above does not exactly match that of the Atlas of the Imperium 
  in terms of population and starports, this is simply due to the regression applied to the Classic Era data to account 
  for the passage of over a century between the Gateway Era and the Classic Era. The original world data does match 
  that source. 
         All world names, save those found within the Atlas of the Imperium or referred to in prior Traveller canon, 
  were generated from Vilani, Vargr and Bwap language tables, or were picked from Arabic, Hindi and Native 
  American names, with a few exceptions based on world isolation. The author assumed that this region of space was 
  settled during the late First Imperium by the Vilani. A second wave of colonists followed during the Rule of Man, 
  primarily comprised of the Middle East and India cultural regions, with a solid minority from descendants of sev-
  eral Native American tribal nations. The history of the Vilani-Vargr integrated nature of the Julian Protectorate and 
  spinward regions of the Hegemony of Lorean allowed for a mixture of both Vilani and Vargr names in the core-
  ward half of the sector. 
         Information on the two non-Imperial polities was inspired by an article in Challenge #49 on the Julian Protec-
  torate. Information on the Bwap minor race is based on canon set forth in the original Bwap article from Journal 
  of the Traveller’s Aide Society #11 and the Bwap racial write-up found in GURPS Alien Races IV. The author 
  fully acknowledges these sources of inspiration and information, and intends no infringement or challenge of the 
  copyright of any and all entities involved in the creation of those original sources. 
  
     Stellar Reaches                           Issue #2, Spring 2005                                  Page 13 
  Introduction 
  “Into The Lesser Rift” is a “One Act Adventure” in 
  the EPIC style, an adventure organization format 
  originally proposed by Traveller’s creator, Marc W. 
  Miller. The EPIC adventure style presents adventures 
  in a loosely related series of Acts and Scenes, creating 
  a more freeform approach to scenario presentation. 
  Within this loose framework, the Referee can present 
  Scenes in whatever manner is appropriate to the un-
  folding story, merely needed to cover any indicated 
  Key Scenes before moving on to the next Act. 
         For more information on the EPIC format, consult 
  the following article, which can be found online: 
  http://www.traveller5.com/EPIC.html 
          “Into The Lesser Rift” is written as rules-light as 
  possible, so that Referees can more easily utilize the 
  adventure with their favorite version of the Traveller 
  rules. However, when the need for rules arises, the 
  author has elected to support both the CT and T20 rule 
  sets. Therefore, when game mechanics are required, 
  notes are provided for both systems. 
          This adventure is set with the Delta Quadrant of 
  the Empty Quarter sector. Readers interested in learn-
  ing more about this region of space are encouraged to 
  read the accompanying article elsewhere in this issue 
  of Stellar Reaches. Although the adventure is set in 
  FEATURE ADVENTURE 
  INTO THE LESSER RIFT 
  By Jason “Flynn” Kemp 
  
     Stellar Reaches                           Issue #2, Spring 2005                                  Page 14 
  this locale, Referees should have very little problem in 
  adjusting this adventure to fit their own campaign set-
  ting, replacing world details and adding encounters 
  appropriate to their campaign setting as necessary. 
   
  General Assumptions 
  This adventure begins on Hebrin (Empty Quarter 1930 
  B550A88-9), one of the primary worlds in the Hebrin 
  subsector of the Empty Quarter sector. It also assumes 
  that the characters either have a ship of their own, or 
  have some means of traveling via a Jump-2 ship to 
  other worlds (such as Medium or High Passages or a 
  job aboard another vessel.) Campaigns operating un-
  der other conditions may require some modification to 
  the adventure as it is presented. However, a creative 
  Referee should be able to minimize the impact the lack 
  of Jump-2 transport will have on the actual adventure 
  flow, given the open nature of the EPIC format. 
         If the characters are following the Empty Quarter 
  adventure that began with “Special Delivery To 
  Gudina”, the adventure featured in Stellar Reaches 
  Issue #1, then it is safe to assume that the characters 
  either possess their own ship or are using the bwap 
  scientist Sebabpawa’s lab ship as their primary means 
  of transportation. 
   
  Background 
  Several months ago, the bwap scientist Sebabpawa, 
  former Dean of Xeno-archeology at the Gudina Impe-
  rial University and a respected crèche elder, received a 
  very special gift from a student. Unbeknownst to the 
  student or the group that carried the apparent trinket, 
  the silver armband was actually a relic found on an-
  cient ruins located on a world to coreward. 
         One of Sebabpawa’s rivals, a Vargr xeno-
  archeologist known as Dr. Denzo Karrkarzrouk, has 
  learned that Sebabpawa has in his possession an arti-
  fact that might reveal the location of a site left behind 
  by a previously unknown advanced culture. The Vargr 
  has tried to intercept and steal the artifact several times 
  before it was delivered to his bwap rival, but to no 
  avail: Sebabpawa received the artifact and then hired 
  the band of travellers to escort him in his quest for the 
  trinket’s origins. The beginning of the bwap’s quest 
  lay in speaking with the curio dealer that sold the trin-
  ket to Sebabpawa’s student on the world of Hebrin, 
  and attempting to identify who sold the item to him. 
         Aware of Sebabpawa’s plans, Dr. Denzo 
  Karrkarzrouk has rushed back to his homeworld of 
  Hebrin, using what influence he can afford to hinder 
  the characters en route, so that he could return to 
  Hebrin first. As luck would have it, Denzo arrives on 
  Hebrin several days before Sebabpawa’s vessel can 
  arrive. Using a few hired thugs to rough up the curio 
  dealer, Denzo learns that the trinket came into his pos-
  session through one of the dealer’s old acquaintances, 
  a retired Scout named Tarl Mennard that is rumored to 
  have settled on Dharo, in the Nisaga subsector. Know-
  ing that the fastest route to getting there would involve 
  taking the Saeghvung-Turley-Exile Run, the Vargr 
  leaves Hebrin just hours before Sebabpawa and his 
  crew arrives in the system.  
   
  Prologue Scene: Visiting A Curio 
  Dealer On Hebrin 
  Assuming that the travellers are delivering the bwap 
  scientist, Sebabpawa, to Hebrin, as a result of actions 
  undertaken in “Special Delivery To Gudina,” the ad-
  venture featured in Stellar Reaches Issue #1, this scene 
  allows the Referee to play out actually meeting the 
  curio dealer. If this adventure is being run as a stand-
  alone, then the Referee is free to have Sebabpawa hire 
  the party to transport him to Dharo in the Beta Quad-
  rant of the Empty Quarter sector, assuming that this 
  scene has already taken place before the characters 
  enter the storyline. Alternately, the Referee could have 
  the bwap xeno-archeologist hire the PCs to help him 
  on Hebrin, and then offer to extend his contract once 
  he learns about retired Scout Mennard. 
          The characters arrive on Hebrin, and make the 
  arrangements to escort the bwap scientist to the open 
  market where the trinket was originally purchased. 
  When they arrive, the crew spread out in order to find 
  the curio dealer amidst the hustle and bustle of the 
  open marketplace. While humans outnumber all other 
  races, the crew should still see numerous other races, 
  including Vargr, Sydites and Bwaps. Although the 
  characters find the curio shop relatively quickly, they 
  find a sign on the door announcing that the shop was 
  closed until further notice, with no explanation. 
          Referee: After a period of investigation, the party 
  will learn that the curio dealer, Barden Burrell, was 
  found assaulted and unconscious in an alley not far 
  from his shop, and is recuperating at the Mearl Kayer-
  dri Memorial Hospital. Rushing to Mearl Kayerdri, the 
  characters find themselves stopped by the bureaucratic 
  wheels of the hospital administration. The diligent 
  work of someone skilled in the ways of red tape (T20: 
  P/Admin check, DC 20; CT: Roll 10+ on 2D6, DM + 
  Admin skill) can get someone in to see Master Burrell. 
  Other creative efforts to get around the administrative 
  obstacle should be rewarded with success, as well. 
  Once the dealer is convinced that the group is “out to 
  get the mangy Vargr that beat him up”, he’ll tell them 
  everything he knows about the retired Scout, Tarl 
  Mennard, with the sole request of payment being that 
  they hurt the Vargr Denzo as much as Denzo has hurt 
  him. Master Burrell will relate that the unusual trinket 
  came into his possession through one of his old ac-
  quaintances, a retired Scout named Tarl Mennard, The 
  retired Scout apparently found the trinket while in the 
  service. He doesn’t live in the Hebrin system, but is 
  
     Stellar Reaches                           Issue #2, Spring 2005                                  Page 15 
  rumored to have settled on the world of Dharo, in the 
  Nisaga subsector to coreward, with his Vargr “wife.” 
  Master Burrell definitely does not understand the rela-
  tionship Mennard has with the Vargr woman, but is 
  willing to leave each to their own. 
   
  Scene One: Problems With A Stow-
  away 
  Once the travellers are en route to the jump point 
  above Hebrin (or have entered jumpspace), one of 
  them will discover a rather attractive stowaway on-
  board the vessel. Once she is discovered, however, 
  young Alicia Sanduval fervently begins to beg for her 
  life, begging them not to space her, either into hard 
  vacuum or into jump space. 
         Tearfully, Alicia tells the characters her somewhat 
  brief life story. Recently, she came of age on Hebrin. 
  Within a few days of her emancipation, the only par-
  ents she ever knew died in a horrible accident. As part 
  of the reading of the will, she learned that she was 
  adopted from a starport worker, and she'd never really 
  known her true parents. She's managed to track him 
  down to Deep Space Station 2324, and is willing to 
  work off her passage there as a ship's steward, if need 
  be. 
         Referee: Referees are given some latitude as to 
  where this stowaway is found onboard, making the 
  choice most appropriate to the characters and circum-
  stances as befits their campaign. Alicia Sanduval is in 
  all actuality Shari Sandana, an operative in service to 
  the Intelligence Division of the Julian Protectorate’s 
  Star Legion. Referees are encouraged to portray young 
  Alicia Sanduval as a very attractive, somewhat inno-
  cent and very tearful young lady, in the hopes that the 
  party decides to take her with them, at least as far as 
  the next planet, if not all the way to DSS 2324. At the 
  moment, she acts like what she appears to be, not a 
  secret agent from another interstellar government on 
  the run. 
   
  Scene Two: A Sydite On Gauri 
  When the vessel arrives at Gauri, the crew must decide 
  what should be done with Miss Sanduval. If the char-
  acters decide that she must be thrown out, then she'll 
  leave quietly, but it is her preference to stay with the 
  ship. Either way, the characters will most likely go 
  about their business. 
         Later on that day, either in the company of a 
  crewmember or at least within view of one, a Sydite 
  thug approaches Alicia and attempts to escort her else-
  where against her will. If a character tries to step in, 
  the Sydite replies, "It's none of your business, little 
  man! You can leave Shari and I alone, get me?" 
         Alicia will deny being this Shari person and re-
  sists the Sydite's efforts, hoping that the characters or 
  the authorities will come to her rescue. If pressed, 
  however, the Sydite will inject the struggling human 
  waif with a sedative, throw her limp body over his up-
  per left shoulder, and flee the scene. Any resistance 
  will be met with a snub pistol firing tranq rounds held 
  in one of his lower hands. 
          Referee: If the characters pursue, the Referee is 
  encouraged to give them a merry chase before allow-
  ing the Sydite to escape, hopefully with the woman in 
  hand. If the characters do not rescue Alicia Sanduval, 
  the local authorities approach the crew after the excite-
  ment dies down to determine their involvement with 
  the young Miss Sanduval, as she was registered with 
  their vessel. After a long series of questions, the au-
  thorities, apparently satisfied with the answers they've 
  received, leave the characters with their vessel. Before 
  leaving, however, any witnesses are told that they can-
  not leave the system until Miss Sanduval is found or 
  the matter is absolved. "We don't take kindly to abduc-
  tion, and your testimony will be vital in bringing this 
  criminal to justice." Subsequent events should be left 
  in the hands of the Referee, although the Sydite’s body 
  will be found a few days later, beaten and then slain in 
  a quick execution style. 
          Should the characters succeed in rescuing Miss 
  Sanduval, undoubtedly, they will be very curious as to 
  what had occurred on the main concourse. Alicia will 
  insist that she is not the person the Sydite was looking 
  for. "I don't know anyone named Shari," she says. 
  "But what if he comes back for me? I'm not safe here!" 
  She will try to continue to travel with the characters 
  under their protection, but will leave should the char-
  acters deny her transport to DSS 2324. 
          In truth, the Sydite thug, Nagro Facille, is a rogue 
  agent of the Intelligence Division of the Julian Protec-
  torate’s Star Legion. He had left the organization sev-
  eral years ago after faking his own death, pledging his 
  skills to the Shadow Cartel, a criminal organization 
  that had gained considerable illicit power in the Delta 
  Quadrant of Empty Sector. Shari Sandana, the woman 
  the party has come to know as Alicia Sanduval, has 
  uncovered Nagro’s defection and is intent on reporting 
  it to her superiors without being discovered. In the 
  meantime, Nagro has been using the Shadow Cartel’s 
  influence to block her travel until he can capture her 
  and determine whether she has already reported his 
  existence to any other Intelligence Division agents. 
   
  Scene Three: I’ve Got This Map, 
  You See… 
  At some point during the characters’ stay on Gauri, a 
  somewhat bedraggled young Vargr belter named 
  Vusaers approaches one of the crew with a proposi-
  tion: he has recently come into some information re-
  garding the location of an ancient source of an old 
  cache of Vilani information and technology from the 
  end of the Second Imperium. Sadly, one of his broth-
  
     Stellar Reaches                           Issue #2, Spring 2005                                  Page 16 
  ers stole his Seeker a few days before, and so he can-
  not exploit his recently acquired knowledge. While the 
  characters have, no doubt, heard of the rumors of such 
  caches on the planet, Vusaers insists that others have 
  been looking in the wrong places. They’ve all been 
  looking on the planet’s surface, but no one has consid-
  ered that perhaps the cache was hidden on an asteroid 
  within the system’s solitary planetoid belt. The Vargr 
  claims to hold a set of ancient records that identifies 
  shipments to a specific asteroid, which should be the 
  key. If the party decides to pursue the matter further, 
  the Vargr indeed has an actual example of the pre-
  Long Night media. Should they find the means to read 
  it, which should take several hours, they will find data 
  containing manifests destined for a particular location 
  in the asteroid belt. The Vargr is seeking partners to 
  help him locate the cache and publicly lay claim to it, 
  and is willing to go fifty-fifty with anyone that will 
  take him to the site. 
         Referee: The media is indeed authentic, but the 
  contents regarding Second Imperium manifests are 
  faked. Dr. Denzo Karrkarzrouk, Sebabpawa’s com-
  petitor, has convinced Vusaers of the authenticity of 
  this fake in the hopes that Vusaers would provide the 
  party with a diversion and keep them from following 
  him as he rushes to track down the retired Scout Tarl 
  Mennard. Vusaers was told that the characters’ ship 
  contains an expert on the Second Imperium that might 
  be willing to help him, the bwap Sebabpawa. Al-
  though Sebabpawa cannot confirm nor deny the au-
  thenticity of the forgery, he might be convinced to 
  take the time to look, if Vusaers and the characters 
  make an earnest and plausible presentation. (If the 
  characters decide not to pursue the lead, Sebabpawa 
  may never hear of it.) 
         If the characters do decide to take the time to 
  track down the particular asteroid belt, they’ll find 
  several candidates near the coordinates. It could take 
  upwards of a week to rule them all out, and Vusaers 
  becomes more despondent with each failure. After a 
  boring week of looking about, the Vargr belter will 
  stumble across Dr. Karrkarzrouk’s image in the ship’s 
  library while researching the end of the Rule of Man 
  for clues of where the cache might be hidden, and 
  identify him as the one that sold him the ancient me-
  dia. The characters should quickly figure out that Dr. 
  Karrkarzrouk set them up through the unwilling du-
  plicity of Vusaers. Sebabpawa requests that the group 
  return quickly to the starport and make preparations to 
  return to their quest for the retired Scout. 
   
  Scene Four: Party Planet 
  When the characters’ ship arrives in the Sahale sys-
  tem, they encounter only the usual level of red tape. 
  Travel to the planet’s surface is uneventful, and it 
  turns out that the characters have arrived in time to 
  participate in one of the many celebrations declared in 
  honor of a former ruler of House Kaninikasatisi. Given 
  the existence of the family line over several millennia, 
  and the long line of Lord Governors that have ruled in 
  the name of the Imperial House, Sahale celebrates the 
  anniversaries of birthdays and deaths of rulers long 
  past more often than they do not over the course of a 
  standard year. While this might sound good to visitors, 
  the celebrations have mostly become a ritualized ef-
  fort, demonstrated by practiced litany at appropriate 
  times when meals are served or at the beginning of 
  large social events. 
          The crew will be approached numerous times 
  over the course of their stay on Sahale with offers to 
  attend “underground” festivities. Some are simple 
  sales ploys for entertainment establishments, using the 
  world’s reputation as a “party planet” to attract cus-
  tomers. Others, however, are illicit raves, marked with 
  loud music and prone to police raids. Anyone caught 
  in such a raid will generally spend a number of days in 
  jail, unless they are sufficiently skilled in legal proce-
  dures or the exchange of money or goods for freedom 
  (aka bribery). 
          Finally, before leaving the system, every vessel 
  identified by flight plan as traveling coreward to DSS 
  2225 is required to undergo an extensive inspections 
  by Imperial customs officials before they can depart 
  the system. 
          Referee: Other than appearing to be a perpetual 
  pale imitation of an academic or resort planet’s 
  “Spring Break,” Sahale has little of actual value to of-
  fer player-characters plot-wise. However, it’s an ex-
  cellent location for some extended roleplaying, and the 
  possibility of legal ramifications adds to the thrill and 
  risk of some interesting diversions for the characters 
  before returning to their quest. 
          The customs inspection is simply a rather strict 
  and straightforward procedure, unless the characters 
  demonstrate suspicious behavior or take an attitude 
  that inspires the customs officer to probe quite deeply. 
  While the players may suspect that their Vargr com-
  petitor has influenced this incident beforehand, it 
  should only be the characters’ own actions that get 
  them into trouble at this point. (Of course, if the Refe-
  ree suspects that his players are reading the adventure 
  ahead of time, he is encouraged to make life uncom-
  fortable for the characters during this inspection.) 
   
  Scene Five: Deep In The Rift 
  Travel into the starless void of the Lesser Rift can be a 
  little disconcerting. Upon emerging from Jumpspace, 
  the crew cannot locate the usual signs of a star or 
  planet nearby. Even though they should be expecting 
  such, the impact of arriving in deep space leaves ex-
  perienced travellers nervous, because such are usually 
  the sign of a misjump instead of an intentional flight 
  plan. Within moments, Communications will pick up 
  the deep space station’s beacon and begin homing in 
  
     Stellar Reaches                           Issue #2, Spring 2005                                  Page 17 
  on the little oasis. 
         Arriving at the Deep Space Station, DSS 2225, 
  the characters will most likely take a few days on the 
  station as the ship is refueled and appropriate mainte-
  nance work is completed. They will find the rift sta-
  tion to be more crowded than the designers intended, 
  though not overly so. Considered top of the line in its 
  day, the station has been well maintained for these last 
  eighteen decades, but the wear and tear of heavy traf-
  fic shows. Space is at a premium, and descriptively, 
  the characters should feel that. 
         They are surprised on their first day on the con-
  course when they run into an old “friend,” the young 
  Miss Alicia Sanduval, dining with a young executive 
  of obvious wealth and position. (This assumes that the 
  characters elected at some point to leave her behind on 
  another world. If they have been traveling together all 
  along, the party is then surprised by her company, as 
  she had never spoken of knowing a young aristocratic 
  merchant on DSS 2225.) It is obvious to an attentive 
  observer that the couple is attempting to meet clandes-
  tinely, and if confronted, Alicia will deny any connec-
  tions to the gentleman. 
         Referee: This is Shari’s contact, who will bear 
  her report back to their superiors. The man will fade 
  back into the woodwork, so to speak, as Shari draws 
  attention to herself. Unfortunately, this draws the 
  wrong kind of attention: members of the Shadow Car-
  tel, the widespread underworld organization, now 
  know she’s on board, and she’s marked for death. 
         How this particular scene plays out is up to the 
  Referee, but even if Shari seeks aid from the party, she 
  will not reveal her connection to the Star Legion. In-
  stead, if push comes to shove, she’ll claim she’s a 
  freelance corporate espionage agent, and has run afoul 
  with the local criminal element. If she suspects that the 
  characters are interested in glory or reputation, she 
  will attempt to bring them in on a “sting operation” to 
  capture the local criminal element. Referees should 
  pursue this option if the players are the type that likes 
  to plan traps of this nature. The characters should suc-
  ceed, but in the ensuing excitement, Alicia blends into 
  the background and slips aboard an outbound starship, 
  perhaps to meet the players again in the not so distant 
  future… 
         Referees may elect to let the Shari storyline re-
  solve itself off camera, but the crew should still feel 
  some of the aftermath of that, as their relationship with 
  Shari, past or present, brings some of the Shadow Car-
  tel’s attentions on them. In this case, the characters 
  may have to resolve their issues with the criminal ele-
  ment on their own. Whether this is simply a few run-
  ins in dark corridors, or escalates to a full-scale “sting 
  operation” with the aid of the station’s Security De-
  partment, lies in the purview of the Referee. 
   
  Conclusion 
  This adventure, unlike “Special Delivery To Gudina,” 
  demonstrates a different style of Traveller scenario:  it 
  focuses on travel and localized scenarios, with a lot of 
  the specific scenario adjudication left up to the Refe-
  ree. While this adventure retains the overarching plot 
  to discover the origin of the silver armband trinket that 
  started in the previous Issue’s adventure, “Into the 
  Lesser Rift” introduces a subplot to be developed in 
  future adventures: the presence of Star Legion Intelli-
  gence agents within the boundaries of the Third Im-
  perium. While the characters have not yet discovered 
  this secret, they will eventually reveal the existence of 
  Star Legion Intelligence Division (S.L.I.D.) agents in 
  their pursuit of the origins of the mysterious artifact in 
  Sebabpawa’s possession. 
          For now, however, they continue will across the 
  Saeghvung-Turley-Exile Run and enter the Hegemony 
  of Lorean, where adventure awaits. Further adventures 
  into the origins of Sebabpawa’s artifact will be cov-
  ered in future issues of the Stellar Reaches fanzine. 
   
  Related Library Data 
  Referees and players alike may find the following li-
  brary data to be useful in the implementation of this 
  adventure. 
   
  Gauri (Empty Quarter 2129 B544357-A): Settled by 
  technocratic colonists seeking a sanctuary from the 
  turbulence of their original homeworld, Gauri has 
  been a small but thriving settlement since the early 
  periods of the Long Night. Rumors of a cache of tech-
  nology and information hidden somewhere on the 
  planet has drawn many would-be explorers and treas-
  ure hunters to explore the surface of the world, but to 
  no avail. Should such a cache of knowledge from the 
  end of the Second Imperium exist, it would be invalu-
  able to researchers seeking a more accurate picture of 
  the fall of the Rule of Man. 
   
  Sahale (Empty Quarter 2227 A335537-9): The 
  world of Sahale has flourished under the guidance of 
  Imperial House Kaninikasatisi since the Rule of Man. 
  Originally settled by Vilani colonists, a second wave 
  of Solomani settlers of Amerindian descent arrived 
  and intermingled with the original colonists a few cen-
  turies later, supplanting the original Vilani culture. 
  With the fall of the Solomani at the collapse of the 
  Rule of Man, the Vilani-based House Kaninikasatisi 
  regained political power on Sahale and has maintained 
  it ever since. The traditions of the Imperial Household 
  requires the worldwide observance of the anniversa-
  ries of every former ruler’s birthday and death, leading 
  to a situation where the population of Sahale are re-
  quired to celebrate more days each year than they do 
  not. 
   
  Shadow Cartel: An extensive crime syndicate with 
  
     Stellar Reaches                           Issue #2, Spring 2005                                  Page 18 
  influence throughout the Delta Quadrant of the Empty 
  Quarter sector, the Shadow Cartel has evaded efforts 
  by the Imperial Ministry of Justice to destroy or dis-
  mantle the organization for over a century. Over the 
  last few decades, some of the more high profile activi-
  ties of the Shadow Cartel have become the focus of a 
  series of holovids, sensationalizing the underworld 
  lifestyle of the crime syndicate. 
   
  Star Legion Intelligence Division (S.L.I.D.): A small 
  branch of the Julian Protectorate’s Star Legion, the 
  Intelligence Division is devoted to covert intelligence, 
  gathering information and performing reconnaissance 
  in an active defensive role. Given the nature of hu-
  man-Vargr society, the size and activity of S.L.I.D 
  varies based on the charisma of the leadership of the 
  organization. 
   
  Supporting Cast 
  Referees can find details on Sebabpawa and Dr. Denzo 
  Karrkarzrouk in the Supporting Cast section of 
  “Special Delivery To Gudina,” the feature adventure 
  of Stellar Reaches, Issue #1. 
   
  Sydite Thug/Nagro Facille 
  Formerly an agent of the Intelligence Division of the 
  Julian Protectorate’s Star Legion, Nagro Facille left 
  the Intelligence Division several years ago after faking 
  his own death. Going rogue, Nagro eventually pledged 
  his skills to the Shadow Cartel, a criminal organization 
  that had gained considerable illicit power in the Delta 
  Quadrant of Empty Sector. 
   
  T20: Nargo Facille 
  (Mercenary 6) TL12 Medium Sydite 
  Stamina 42, Lifeblood 14; Init +3; Speed 9m (6 
  squares); 
  Armor Class: 17 (+3 dex, +4 armor), Armor Rating: 4 
  Str 16, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 6, Edu 12, 
  Soc 8 
  SV Fort +7; Ref +5; Will +1; 
  ATTACKS: 
  Weapon      Hit       Damage  Rng-M  Rng-S   Crit   RoF  Rnds 
  Fist              +10/+5 1d4+4     --           --           20/x2  --       -- 
  Snub Pistol  +9/+4   1d10        18          12         20/x2 1        6/15 
  ACR            +9/+4   1d12+2   72          48         20/x2 1/4     20 
  Skills: Hide +6, Intimidate +1, T/computer +7. 
  Feats: Armor Proficiency (Light, Medium, Vac Suit), 
  Weapon Proficiency (Combat Rifleman, Marksman), 
  Brawling, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, 
  Evasion, Uncanny Dodge. 
  Equipment: Flak Jacket, Snub Pistol (with Tranq 
  Rounds), ACR, Personal Communicator. 
   
  CT: Nargo Facille  BB9785 Sydite  age 22  2 terms 
  ACR-1, Brawl-1, Computer-1, Pistol-1, Vacc-0 
   
   
  Shari Sandana/Alicia Sanduval 
  An active agent of the Star Legion’s Intelligence Divi-
  sion, Shari Sandana is assigned to duty in the Hebrin 
  subsector. In dealing with members of the Shadow 
  Cartel on Hebrin, Shari recognized Nagro. Unfortu-
  nately, the recognition was mutual, and the Sydite has 
  been hunting her ever since. 
   
  T20: Shari Sandana 
  (Mercenary 3/Rogue 3) TL12 Medium Human 
  Stamina 33, Lifeblood 13; Init +3; Speed 9m (6 
  squares); 
  Armor Class: 15 (+3 dex, +2 armor), Armor Rating: 2 
  Str 14, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 10, Edu 
  11, Soc 8 
  SV Fort +5; Ref +7; Will +2; 
  ATTACKS: 
  Weapon      Hit   Damage  Rng-M    Rng-S   Crit    RoF    Rnds 
  Fist              +9     1d4+3      --              --           20/x2  --         -- 
  Body Pistol +8     1d8          24            16         20/x2  1          6 
  Skills: Bluff +9, Hide +12, Move Silently +12, Sense 
  Motive +3, T/computer +6, T/electronics +3, T/
  mechanical +3. 
  Feats: Armor Proficiency (Light, Medium, Vac Suit), 
  Weapon Proficiency (Combat Rifleman, Marksman, 
  Swordsman), Brawling, Connections (Underworld), 
  Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Evasion, 
  Spot Trouble, Dumb Luck. 
  Equipment: Mesh Armor, Body Pistol, Personal Com-
  municator. 
   
  CT: Shari Sandana  9B9875 Human  age 26  2 terms 
  Brawl-1, Computer-1, Electronics-1, Mechanical-1, 
  Pistol-1, Vacc-0 
   
  
     Stellar Reaches                           Issue #2, Spring 2005                                  Page 19 
  Introduction 
  With the discovery of Jump Drive, the potential range 
  of influence for a sentient race expands dramatically. 
  No longer bound by limitations on travel time forced 
  upon them by the speed of light and the physical laws 
  of the universe, sentients expand throughout their local 
  region until they encounter other borders. While the 
  political borders of other polities provide an artificial 
  limit to expansion, more often it is the natural limits of 
  astrography such as rifts and other starless expanses 
  that halt a sentient race’s explorations. 
         This article introduces the concept of Deep Space 
  Stations, stations located in empty parsecs such as 
  those found in rifts that provide a stepping-stone be-
  tween star systems for vessels with lower Jump ca-
  pacities. Any TL13 or greater polity can deploy the 
  station described in this article into an empty parsec, 
  extending the reach of an interstellar government into 
  regions of space previously unavailable. 
   
  History of the Deep Space Station 
  Project 
  In the early 800s, the Hegemony of Lorean, seeking to 
  expand its mercantile market into new areas, contacted 
  the Third Imperium with the concept of establishing a 
  trade route across the Lesser Rift in the Empty Quarter 
  sector. The Hegemony, although affiliated with the 
  Julian Protectorate, desired to directly trade with the 
  Third Imperium in order to expand its available mar-
  kets. Toward that end, representatives from the He-
  gemony proposed that a series of deep space stations 
  across the Lesser Rift, thus bridging the gap the two 
  interstellar polities. Delegates debated the pros and 
  cons of such an arrangement for almost a decade be-
  fore coming to a compromise to which all participants 
  could agree on a final plan. In 814, the Third Im-
  perium and the Hegemony of Lorean entered into a 
  mutual trade pact that provided for a series of deep 
  space stations operating under the joint jurisdiction of 
  both governments. Given that the costs of such sta-
  tions would most likely exceed their capacity to sup-
  port themselves, the construction and operation costs 
  for the deep space stations would be subsidized by 
  grants from both governments, as part of the mutual 
  trade pact. 
         Based on early feasibility studies, the DSS Project 
  estimated an annual flow of 15,000 passengers and 
  300,000 dtons of cargo through these artificial star-
  ports. Those figured implied 300 passengers and 6000 
  dtons of cargo per week, or approximately five trade 
  vessels per day. Unlike planetary starports, which may 
  have multiple highports and downports, a single deep 
  space station must manage all passenger and freight 
  transfers coming through their region of space. To pre-
  vent each station from being overwhelmed by the oc-
  casional heavy traffic volume, naval architects created 
  the deep space station design under the assumption 
  that they may occasionally have as much as double the 
  expected passenger or freight flow. For example, in 
  addition to a station’s normal fuel requirements, each 
  carries enough fuel for twice the normal expected ship 
  volume passing through the Saeghvung-Turley-Exile 
  Run. Given the isolated nature of each deep space sta-
  tion, naval architects designed the deep space stations 
  as small Class C quality starports; capable of provid-
  ing at least some repair capacity to incoming vessels, 
  in the event such were required. 
          Along the Saeghvung-Turley-Exile Run, the deep 
  space stations are identified by the designation DSS, 
  followed by the location of the empty parsec in which 
  it resides. For example, a rift station located in the 
  empty parsec of Empty Quarters 2225 would be called 
  DSS 2225. In total, the Saeghvung-Turley-Exile Run 
  requires four deep space stations: DSS 2225, DSS 
  2324, DSS 2621 and DSS 2720. The pair rimward of 
  Turley were constructed within the Third Imperium 
  and are manned primarily with Imperial personnel, 
  while the pair coreward of Turley were constructed 
  and manned by Hegemony personnel. Details within 
  the trade pact that create created the Deep Space Sta-
  tion Project requires that at least ten percent of each 
  station be manned by personnel from the more distant 
  polity, to insure representation from both parties. 
   
  Physical Parameters 
  Each deep space station occupies a 55,000-dton closed 
  structure constructed in either the Hegemony of 
  Lorean or the Third Imperium. Once completed, each 
  station is then moved via jump tenders to their final 
  destination, where it begins providing service. Special 
  tankers provide the station with unrefined fuel twice a 
  week, to keep the DSS full and capable of supplying 
  the fuel needs of incoming vessels. The fuel is proc-
  essed by internal fuel processing plants built into the 
  station’s design. These plants require seven hours to 
  STARSHIP DATASHEET 
  DEEP SPACE STATIONS 
  By Jason “Flynn” Kemp 
  
     Stellar Reaches                           Issue #2, Spring 2005                                  Page 20 
  process 200 tons of fuel, but merely operate to main-
  tain the supply of refined fuel as it is depleted by out-
  going vessels. 
         Each station possesses hangers for support of two 
  100-dton Crash-Rescue-Fire (CRF) vessels (which are 
  not included in the costs of the station). Typical ves-
  sels used for emergency services are modified scout/
  couriers, although other vessels of a similar size and 
  shape can be used. 
         The Deep Space Station supports thirty-eight 
  small 100-dton hangers and seven standard 800-dton 
  hangers to serve as ship berths. Ships larger than 800 
  dtons must maintain a relative position in space close 
  by, but the station does have two modular cutters with 
  two passenger and two cargo modules for passenger 
  and freight transfer from larger vessels to and from the 
  station itself. 
         In order to support Class C quality starport re-
  pairs, each DSS possesses five engineering shops ca-
  pable of manufacturing or rebuilding starship compo-
  nents as necessary for minor repairs. In addition, each 
  station provides three small (100-dton) hangers and 
  one standard (800-dton) hanger, complete with scaf-
  folding and braces, necessary for assisting in such re-
  pairs. 
   
  Personnel and Residents 
  As designed, Deep Space Station requires approxi-
  mately 1256 personnel to perform its day-to-day op-
  erations: 100 administration personnel, 126 traffic 
  control personnel, 314 ship services personnel, 251 
  cargo management personnel, 151 passenger services 
  personnel, 25 security personnel, 6 medical personnel, 
  6 emergency services personnel, 126 flight operations 
  personnel and 151 physical plant personnel. In order to 
  maintain that much personnel, each station has certain 
  provisions in order to make an extended tour of duty 
  more pleasant. 
         Housing for most employees is somewhat 
  cramped, though significantly better than most starship 
  accommodations. Such suites are four times larger 
  than the usual stateroom found on a trading vessel. 
  Executives and managers on the station earn one of the 
  more rare standard housing units, with suites eight 
  times larger than a starship’s stateroom. 
         While the designers did not plan for many people 
  to take up permanent residence on a deep space sta-
  tion, some provision has been given to those who 
  would choose such a life. The naval architects incor-
  porated five standard housing units into the design for 
  long-term rent by non-station personnel, as well as 
  thirty cramped suites. Short-term travellers, spending 
  only a few days in the station, may rent space luxury 
  or standard accommodations, or even pursue economy 
  accommodations in so-called “slot shops”, which are 
  nothing more than a communal fresher and a coffin-
  sized sleeping cubicle. An open concourse with nu-
  merous shops and retail establishments provide travel-
  lers and station personnel with an opportunity to ex-
  change lose credits for specialty items at exorbitant 
  rates. For entertainment, personnel and travellers can 
  enjoy holo-productions at either of the two theaters 
  onboard the station, or even take a swim in the swim-
  ming pool found as part of the exercise facility. 
          The station provides four sickbays for medical 
  attention, as well as ten emergency low berths in the 
  event of a major accident. Crime rates are under-
  standably low, given the selection process used to as-
  sign personnel to service aboard a rift station, but in 
  the event that such is needed, each station has two de-
  tention cells capable of holding two prisoners each for 
  an extended time, or fifty persons each on a very tem-
  porary and crowded basis. 
   
  A Traveller’s Experience 
  As a result of the Deep Space Station Project, a travel-
  ler working through such a region encounters a few 
  notable differences worthy of note, primarily in the 
  areas of fuel costs and special certification for astroga-
  tors skilled in plotting jumps through rifts. 
          Fuel Costs: As fuel tanker vessels must con-
  stantly ship fuel in to support the deep space stations, 
  fuel costs are often four to five times as much as nor-
  mal, despite government subsidy. 
          Rift-Certified Astrogators: Plotting jump into 
  empty parsecs across the vast depths of space, in the 
  absence of a significant gravity well such as a star or 
  planet, can be more difficult than plotting a standard 
  jump. For this reason, more talented or experienced 
  astrogators are given preferences on ships that intend 
  to use the deep space station routes. Shipping lines 
  may even require a specialized rift certification for 
  astrogators before hiring them. 
          System Defense Boats: Deep space stations are 
  frequently protected by small System Defense Boats, 
  which proved more economically viable than creating 
  a design to support fighter squadrons. 
   
  Station Statistics 
  Below are the basic statistics for a TL13 Deep Space 
  Station, as described in this article. 
          The TL13 Deep Space Station is a rift station, de-
  signed as a result of a trade pact between the Third 
  Imperium and the Hegemony of Lorean to cross the 
  Lesser Rift in the Empty Quarter sector. Rift stations 
  of this design, or something similar to it, have been 
  implemented elsewhere about the Imperium where a 
  gulf of stars prevents trade or expansion. 
          Built on a 55,000-dton full, the Deep Space Sta-
  tion carries neither a Maneuver drive nor a Jump 
  drive. In addition to its own fuel requirements, the 
  Deep Space Station carries 1260 dtons of fuel to dis-
  
     Stellar Reaches                           Issue #2, Spring 2005                                  Page 21 
  perse to vessels traveling through its parsec. Although 
  the station possesses five hundred hardpoints, none are 
  typically equipped with ship’s weapons. The station 
  itself, however, is armored against attack, giving its 
  defenders a chance to take out any assailants. 
         The Deep Space Station described here requires a 
  crew of 1256 to perform day-to-day operations: 100 
  administration personnel, 126 traffic control person-
  nel, 314 ship services personnel, 251 cargo manage-
  ment personnel, 151 passenger services personnel, 25 
  security personnel, 6 medical personnel, 6 emergency 
  services personnel, 126 flight operations personnel and 
  151 physical plant personnel. The Deep Space Station 
  costs MCr6447.8496, and takes 56 months to build. 
  TL13 DEEP SPACE STATION 
  Class: Deep Space Station, type DSS EP Output: 37 
  500 hardpoints. No turrets or 
  weapons installed.  
  Tech Level: 13 
  Agility: 0 
  Size: Huge (55000 tons) 
  Initiative: +0 
  Streamlining: Partially streamlined 
  AC: 10 (-2 size, +2 armor) 
  Jump Range: None (0 x Jump-0) 
  Repulsors: None 
  Acceleration: 0-G 
  Nuclear Dampers: 3 
  Fuel: 1307 tons 
  Meson Screens: None 
  Duration: 4 weeks (or  
  Black Globes: None 
  Crew: 1256 
  AR: 2 
  Staterooms: See below 
  SI: 612 
  Small Cabins: 0 
  Main Computer: Model/7fib (73/14) 
  Bunks: 0 
  Sensor Range: System Wide (Model/7fib) 
  Couches: 0 
  Comm. Range: System Wide (Model/7fib) 
  Low Berths: 10 emergency berths 
   
  Cargo Space: 8255 tons 
  Cost: MCr6447.8496 (new) 
  Atmospheric Speeds: 
  NOE = 0 kph 
  Cruising = 0 kph 
  Maximum = 0 kph 
  Other Equipment: TL13 Fuel Purification Plant, 2 CRF Vessel Hangers, 2 Modu-
  lar Cutter Bays (w/cutters), 4 External 30-dton module mounts, 38 Small (100-ton) 
  Berths, 7 Standard (800-ton) Berths, 3 Small (100-ton) Hangers, 1 Standard (800-
  ton) Hangers, 4 Sickbays, 5 Engineering Shops, 2 Brig/Detention Cells, Concourse 
  for 350 people, 126 Offices, Standard housing: 130 employees, Cramped housing: 
  1130 employees, Standard apartments: 5 residents, Cramped apartments: 30 resi-
  dents, Luxury accommodations: 30 travellers, Standard accommodations: 150 trav-
  ellers, Economy accommodations: 120 travellers, 2 Theaters, 1 Swimming Pools, 
  10 Emergency Low Berths, Supplies & Stores (one year's worth). 
   
  TAS Form 3.1 (Condensed) 
   
  Ship’s Data (Commercial) 
  
     Stellar Reaches                           Issue #2, Spring 2005                                  Page 22 
  Author's Introduction 
         Science fiction RP-gaming races to keep up with 
  current science facts, books, and movies, without a 
  doubt. Hollywood movies like “Total Recall”, where 
  implanted memories of vacations are sold to the gen-
  eral public; “Johnny Mnemonic”,  where the protago-
  nist stores data cybernetically as a living memory re-
  ceptacle; and “Paycheck”, where the protagonist's 
  memory was erased as part of a corporate espionage 
  contract, all make use of memory as a plot device. 
  Even the TV series “Babylon-5”,  where memories are 
  removed and rewritten as a form of penal punishment, 
  demonstrates the use of memory manipulation as a 
  popular plot device within the science fiction commu-
  nity. 
         This article tackles one aspect of memory manipu-
  lation, the use of RNA implants, within the Traveller 
  universe, exploring its history and use, and providing 
  a logical baseline for its role in the game (no matter 
  the version preferred by the referee or group). 
         As I have several players who prefer role-playing 
  “doctors”, this one’s for you. The information found 
  within is extrapolated from previous editions of Trav-
  eller, and is based on articles involving Cloning and 
  their ’complete memory’ transfers at TL-16 to said 
  clones, and the ‘partial memories’ transferred at TL-
  15. In addition, information on anagathic drugs avail-
  ability, found in MegaTraveller, helped provide the 
  basis for availability of RNA implants in tables pre-
  sented below. My historical reasoning behind the tech-
  nology and its widespread use are extrapolated from 
  the OTU (Official Traveller Universe) history time-
  lines. As with all things, “Knowledge is Power.” 
         Referees may wish to alter these proposed guide-
  lines for purposes of game balance within their own 
  campaigns, and are free to use or ignore what they 
  wish. 
         --Liam Devlin, CoTI (aka Daniel W. Hammer-
  sley), Jan 2005. 
   
  RNA Memory Implants 
  This article explores the realms of RNA Implant tech-
  nology within the Traveller universe. Much of the fol-
  lowing information has been taken from the Traveller's 
  Handbook, pp. 218-219, and expanded to better ad-
  dress its use under the T20 rules set. Most of it is still 
  applicable with other versions of Traveller. Creative 
  referees should easily be able to expand on the ideas 
  found herein when converting to other systems. 
  Availability 
  RNA memory implants become available at TL12 on 
  most worlds. These implants chemically ‘induce’ 
  memories of unacquired skills or skill levels into the 
  recipient. The advantage of this is easily seen: A per-
  son need no longer have to study to obtain a skill. Just 
  one set of injections, and in a few weeks, a new skill is 
  acquired. There are, however, limitations to their use. 
  Only one implant should be performed per year in the 
  case of standard skills. An additional accumulation of 
  RNA memory implants leads to complications involv-
  ing memory and the biochemistry of the brain, which 
  can lead to insanity and other issues. 
          Legitimate skills can be obtained on most high-
  tech worlds (based on population), at a price generally 
  ranging from Cr3,000 to Cr10,000 for an injection. 
  Illicit skills, such as those often attributed towards 
  criminal pursuits (such as T20's Bribery, Bluff, Dis-
  guise, Forgery, Hide, Move Silently, Innuendo, and 
  Intimidate skills) are typically only available on 
  worlds with a Law Level of zero or one. 
   
  Table: Base Cost Per Injection, By TL 
  Tech Level           Cost 
     11                      Not available 
     12                      Cr10,000 
     13                      Cr9,000 
     14                      Cr5,000 
     15+                    Cr3,000 
   
          RNA memory implants are considered controlled 
  substances, given their potential for abuse by the 
  criminal element. With the widespread use of these 
  implants, penalties for illegal use arise, such as mal-
  practice lawsuits, government regulation (popular on 
  worlds with Law level 2+), fines, possible criminal 
  prosecution and loss of one's license to practice medi-
  cine. Only worlds of Law level 1 and 0 are there no 
  such restrictions. In cases where the use of RNA mem-
  ory implants is restricted, bribery may be used to cir-
  cumvent this restriction. Black market implants may 
  also be available, but let the buyer beware! The pur-
  chaser may not always get exactly what they paid for. 
   
  Table: Penalties For Illicit RNA Implant Use 
  Law level     Penalties 
                      (Doctor's penalties; Patient's penalties) 
     0-1            None 
     2-3            Fines (T/Medical 8+ x10cr to Dr.; 10cr x 
  TRAVELLER SCIENCE 
  RNA IMPLANT TECHNOLOGY FOR T20 
  By Daniel “Liam Devlin” Hammersley 
  
     Stellar Reaches                           Issue #2, Spring 2005                                  Page 23 
  PC level) 
     4-8             Misdemeanor (T/Med 8+ x 50cr to Dr.; 
  50cr x PC level).  
     9-A            Serious crime (T/Med 8+ x100cr fine to 
  Dr, Suspended 1 yr.; PC fined x level, 
  jailed 1-4 yr.) 
     B-H           Major crime (T/Med 8+ x 1000cr & loss 
  of Dr’s license, prison 4 yrs; PC x 1000cr 
  level, possible mind wipe, 4 years+ im-
  prisonment) 
   
  Determining Availability By World 
  To determine if RNA memory implants are available 
  on a specific world, the referee should roll a D20, 
  modified as per the table below, against a base DC 
  equal to the world's law level. This check should be 
  made twice, using the same calculated DM. If the refe-
  ree is only successful once on this check, illegal RNA 
  memory implants are available, but legal ones are not. 
  If the referee is successful with both checks, then both 
  legal and illegal RNA memory implants are available. 
         When determining availability by world, a natural 
  one on the d20 roll always fails. 
   
  Table: Modifiers For Availability of RNA Implants 
  By World 
  UWP Values               DM 
  Starport                        
     A                             +2 
     B                              +1 
     C                              +0 
     D                             -1 
     E                              -4 
     X                             -8 
  Population                   
     0                              -16 
     1                              -8 
     2                              -4 
     3                              -1 
     4-6                           +0 
     7                              +1 
     8                              +2 
     9+                            +3 
  Tech Level                  
     11                            Auto fails 
     12                            +0 
     13                            +1 
     14                            +2 
     15+                          +3 
  Bases Present              +1 
  Subsector Capitol       +1 
  Sector Capitol             +2 
   
  Examples 
  Here are a few examples for determining availability 
  of RNA implants using the world's UWP values. 
         Rikhani (A688772-E  N) has an availability DM 
  of [+2 for starport,  +1 for population, +2 for TL, +1 
  for the naval base, equals] +6 on the d20 roll, versus a 
  DC of 2, which is Rikhani's law level. Only a natural 
  one on the d20 roll would indicate that there are no 
  RNA memory implants. 
          Zeeland (E989AA9-E) has a DM of [-4 for star-
  port, +3 for population, +2 for tech level, equals] +1 
  on the d20 roll, versus a DC of 9, which is Zeeland's 
  law level. A natural eight or higher on the d20 roll 
  would indicate the existence of RNA memory im-
  plants on this world. 
          Station 4 (C000012-C) has a DMof [+0 for star-
  port, –16 for population, +0 for tech level, equals] -16 
  on the d20 roll, versus a DC of 2, which is Station 4's 
  law level. Only a natural 18 or higher on the die roll 
  would indicate that RNA memory implants are avail-
  able for those interested. 
          And finally, for an example of everything, Libert 
  (A21099C-F N Cx) has a DM of [+2 for starport, +3 
  for population, +3 for tech level, +1 for bases present, 
  +2 for sector capitol, equals] +11 on the d20 roll, ver-
  sus a DC of 12, Libert's law level. Only a natural one 
  would indicate that there are no RNA memory im-
  plants on this world. 
   
  Effects 
  RNA memory implants provide the patient with artifi-
  cially acquired skill ranks, as determined by the type 
  of implant given to the patient. No skill may be in-
  creased past a level of five skill ranks by RNA mem-
  ory implants. Ranks higher than this require ‘hands 
  on’ experience to a fine-tuning of an existing skill. 
  Efforts to exceed such limits automatically fail, and 
  the patient may suffer irrepairable brain damage as a 
  result. The exact effects are left as an exercise to the 
  individual Referee, who is encouraged to be colorful 
  and debilitating in their arbitrations. 
          In order to determine the success of an RNA 
  memory implant, the character must make a successful 
  Fortitude save (DC10) to successfully assimilate the 
  artificial memories. The patient receives a +1 circum-
  stance bonus if the injection is administered by some-
  one with a T/Medical skill of 8 or higher, and a +1 cir-
  cumstance bonus if the world's tech level is higher 
  than 12. (An optional rule might be to grant a +1 cir-
  cumstance bonus per tech level above 12. Failure to 
  assimilate the RNA memory implant indicates that the 
  character does not gain the skill. The injection still 
  counts as the one injection for that year, and, of 
  course, the doctor still expects to be paid for the im-
  plant. 
          For each attempt to obtain additional RNA mem-
  ory implants beyond the first within a rolling twelve 
  month period, the DC for the Fortitude save to suc-
  cessfully assimilate the artificial memories increases 
  by four (i.e. DC14 for a second attempt, DC18 for a 
  third attempt, etc.) Should a patient fail such secon-
  dary attempts, they must immediately make a Will 
  save (DC15) to avoid insanity. One again, the exact 
  
     Stellar Reaches                           Issue #2, Spring 2005                                  Page 24 
  effects are left as an exercise to the individual Referee. 
   
  Other Uses 
  In addition to providing a character with skill ranks, 
  RNA memory implants can be used to provide other 
  options. The most common of these is the use of RNA 
  implants to gain a minimum general education, 
  roughly equivalent to that of a high school diploma. 
  Effectively, this increases a character's low Education 
  ability score to a minimum of ten (Editor's Note: 
  That's a seven under Classic Traveller rules.) 
         Other degrees, such as those gained in college or 
  vocational schools, are available at the discretion of 
  the referee. However, characters must still meet the 
  basic entrance requirements for such organizations 
  (since the memories have to build on a pre-existing 
  foundation of skills and knowledges). Such implants 
  have a base cost of Cr10,000 per year of assimilated 
  knowledge, with an Honors graduate implant costing 
  twice as much. Non-military education implants are 
  generally termed "implanted scholarships", as a means 
  for universities and other academic organizations to 
  broaden their revenues  without burdening their facili-
  ties, as well as lessening the cost of student travel/ 
  housing to the school’s homeworld. In the Traveller 
  Universe, this means a character from a low populated 
  world can receive the education benefits of a person 
  living on the world where the school lies. Cost how-
  ever is the equalizer, although a merciful referee may 
  rule that an outstanding result on an entrance exam can 
  reduce the cost in the character's prior history. 
         In the Imperium, Solomani Confederation, and the 
  Zhodani Consulate, talent scouts for schools will 
  travel and test prospects on nearby worlds as donors 
  for these RNA implants. Megacorporations seek to 
  recruit appropriate donors for technical schools. The 
  competitive nature of Sports also lends to this method 
  of recruitment. Military "implanted scholarships" are 
  often granted during wartime due to personnel short-
  ages. 
         Along the same lines, many intelligence agencies 
  (and even certain criminal organizations) with access 
  to advanced technology can use RNA memory im-
  plants to create artificial personalities, complete with a 
  detailed backstory and a wide collection of supporting 
  memories. Many intelligence agencies employ spies, 
  saboteurs, and assassins with “faked” implanted per-
  sonalities designed to make them blend into the local 
  population, even when being occasionally scanned for 
  surface thoughts by psionically talented individuals. 
  Referees may wish to consider personality implants of 
  this type separately from skill implants when deter-
  mining how many one can have in a year, as personal-
  ity implants tend to be designed to ‘obliterate’ pre-
  existing implants of personality as they are assimi-
  lated. 
   
  RNA Memory Implants In Traveller History 
  It should come as no surprise that the Terran Confed-
  eration originally developed RNA implants to provide 
  colonists a basic set of necessary skills in early settle-
  ment efforts following their fateful meeting with the 
  Vilani at Barnard’s Star in the 24th century AD. The 
  war efforts of the Interstellar Wars pushed scientists to 
  develop the wide ranging potential of RNA memory 
  implants.  In the years following the collapse of the 
  First Imperium, the Rule of Man made RNA implants 
  a staple of their cultural region, as well as a means to 
  provide citizens of membership worlds with the oppor-
  tunity for a more uniform education. In war time, 
  medical advances allowed vast numbers of people to 
  be gainfully employed with basic skills desperately 
  needed (it was felt) in war critical industries due to 
  reservists and active unit call ups, not just service per-
  sonnel. It is postulated by some Imperial historians 
  these medical advances allowed many "spin off 
  "pocket empires, including the Terran Union and 
  League of Dingir to survive the Long Night, some as 
  far away as the Domain of Gateway. 
          The Third Imperium’s rise brought with it strong 
  policies against genetic tampering beyond the cloning 
  of whole organs and limbs. The Third Imperium's 
  stance against genetic engineering of ‘super-humans’ 
  found this Second Imperium medical measure a far 
  more palatable compromise for the common Imperial 
  citizen. The use of RNA memory implants was offi-
  cially approved under the reign of the great reformist 
  Emperor Cleon Zhunastu among his social equality 
  edicts, under the Imperial Education Act in the third 
  year of his reign as Emperor of the Third Imperium. 
  Legal limitations implemented under the advisement 
  from Imperial Ministry of Public Health, as well as the 
  assessment of penalties under the Imperial Ministry of 
  Justice, were also implemented as part of the Imperial 
  Education Act. 
   
  Locating A Source 
  There are typically two types of sources for RNA 
  memory implants: legal sources and illegal sources. 
  Once the referee has determined whether such sources 
  actual exist (using the method described above), char-
  acters can use their skills to locate legal and illegal 
  RNA implants. Suggested skill uses included Gather 
  Information or T/Computer (for legitimate sources), at 
  a base DC of 10. This DC can be modified by world 
  conditions and current circumstances as the referee 
  sees fit. 
          When dealing with RNA memory implants, char-
  acters suffer a chance of receiving a bad implant or 
  one with a hidden defect. A ‘bad implant’ could cover 
  anything from the wrong skills or ranks to the wrong 
  product entirely! A ‘Hidden defect’ can be anything a 
  fiendish referee can devise, from no skills, to a hidden 
  memory of some horrible event. Use of this option is 
  highly encouraged as a means of countering potential 
  use of RNA memory implants merely to maximize a 
  
     Stellar Reaches                           Issue #2, Spring 2005                                  Page 25 
  character's abilities, game mechanicly. 
   
  Table: Bad Implants And Hidden Defects, By TL 
  Tech             Bad Implant         Hidden Defect 
  Level             (wrong skills)      (no skills,Bad memory) 
  12                 75%                     25% 
  13                 50%                     10% 
  14                 25%                     5% 
  15                 10%                     1% 
   
   
  RNA Implants As Plot Devices 
  The following are examples of using RNA memory 
  implants as plot devices to enrich the gaming experi-
  ence. 
   
  Scenario 1: “Sheepskin in a Needle”  
  Required equipment: Starship, and cargo container 
  for 5 dtons (resale worth 1,000,000cr.) 
  Skills /Feats needed : Starship Operations, Broker, 
  Liaison, and Connections/ Academic* 
   
  The crew of a starship obtain a set of "scholarship im-
  plants" as a top-credit profit yield priority cargo. 
  These implants are TL15 versions of bachelor’s de-
  grees for several hundreds of students on a median 
  populated (4-6) TL12 world. The cargo must be kept 
  at a constant refrigerated temperature until it is deliv-
  ered. Problems arise on delivery when they discover 
  the T/Medical skilled doctor who was supposed to be 
  there to pick it up from them from the school isn’t 
  there! (Investigation would reveal that the vessel is 
  overdue.) Characters must contend with baby-sitting 
  the implants for another seven days on this average 
  stellar, median pop world before the contract expires. 
  Referees can throw in additional headaches, such as 
  angry students or parents, as necessary. On the four-
  teenth day, an eleventh hour rescue from this dilemma 
  is resolved when the misjumped passenger vessel with 
  the collegiate Doctor arrives, and “hands out” the di-
  plomas. 
   
  Scenario 2: “Double Jeopardy”  
  Required equipment: Starship needing more than 1 
  engineer. 
  Skills required: T/medical 8+, Gather Information, 
  Interrogation, Sense motive. 
   
  The characters have hired a new assistant engineer. 
  Problems arise when his  “skills” actually get put to 
  the test; he fouls things up, to a degree in proportion to 
  the amount of stress in the situation. A much closer 
  inspection of the new crewman's paperwork, which 
  appeared to be in order upon hiring, discovers he ob-
  tained one of the RNA degrees from the Subsector 
  Merchant Academy. When asked where he got the in-
  jection, and from whom, he reveals he got it bootleg at 
  twice the price on a TL12 low law level world where 
  EDU degrees were not to be had legally. The crewper-
  son can be played out as either defensive or ashamed 
  to have been caught in the deception, due to unem-
  ployment issues of his homeworld. Unfortunately the 
  Merchant Academy implant engineering degree turns 
  out to be a BA not BS, in the culinary arts! (Yes, he 
  can cook like a chef—but recalibrate a drive—eek!). 
  Problems could arise when the next port of call AL-
  WAYS examines the ship’s registry 
  ‘paperwork’ (electronic or otherwise). Falsifying your 
  crew manifest on your registry is a finable offense—
  one the Captain might not wish to bear. 
   
  Scenario 3: “A Dark Shadow” 
  Planet requirements: (UWP) C-[Any size]-6-[Hyd. 
  7-9]-[Pop 3-4]-[Govt. 2]-[LL 3-9]-[TL 7-8]  (Lo) Ni.  
  TPPG [as necessary] Star [as necessary] Im world. 
  PC requirements: Legal/ Investigative skills. 
  Special Note: This scenario requires absolute referee 
  knowledge of the characters' prior histories. 
   
  While stopping over on a small, relatively sparsely 
  populated C-class Starport world, one of the characters 
  recognizes a former serial killer from their home-
  world, then known as Willermo Huunaash (a mixed 
  Vilani human male). Willermo was convicted of 7 
  counts of ritual stalking and strangulation of his fetish 
  victims, female hospital nurses (either professional or 
  med school). He was caught, convicted, and exiled 
  offworld long ago. Willermo is now a changed man, 
  unaware of his past due to memory implants. He now 
  works at the local Downport as a lonely janitor bot 
  mechanic under the name of Jon Dire, goes to church 
  regularly where he sings in the choir, and has a part 
  time job cleaning the grounds and building. 
          Mr. Huunaash was mind wiped and given an en-
  tirely different personality and name, thanks to a spe-
  cial program operated by IMOJ in conjunction with 
  the local penal system on Huunaash's homeworld. He 
  served 4 terms of seven sentenced for his crimes, was 
  a model prisoner, and due to overcrowding was found 
  suitable for early release through this procedure. Due 
  to the social living pressures he’d felt living on the 
  higher populated world, the Justice system sent him 
  here to be observed for the time being. 
          His priest, a former IMoJ Undercover agent him-
  self, is his monitor, and the only one on this world be-
  sides the characters who know Jon Dire’s dark secret. 
  The Priest, Father Michael Flynn, is himself a past re-
  cipient of RNA memory implants and removals. Fa-
  ther Flynn has had OB/GYN memory implants as part 
  of his cover, augmenting his actual majors of Law En-
  forcement/ T/Medical Forensics as a special agent for 
  IMoJ. He is an elite veteran of 20 years of service, a 
  retired senior Special Agent, and now this world’s Par-
  ish priest, having been involved in Dire’s case, as well 
  as cases involving interstellar ‘prostitution/slavery’ 
  and organized crime. Father Flynn is living under a 
  
     Stellar Reaches                           Issue #2, Spring 2005                                  Page 26 
  new name, with his old memories intact (although the 
  traumatic events of his career with IMOJ have been 
  removed.) 
         There are two other ships in port, one in orbit, be-
  sides the characters (optional). Two are 600dton M-
  class passenger ships, laden with Sector college kids 
  on a three week ‘Spring Break’ to this world (2 weeks 
  in jump under Mid Passage/ 1 week spent locally), 
  which despite having a low population, has subsector 
  famous beaches and several resorts for tourism. A 
  number of the passengers are nursing pre-med majors. 
  One of them turns up dead the second night ashore, 
  strangled with the same modus operandi as Huunaash 
  used. 
         The dilemma comes from the Priest-monitor and 
  the character(s) in the know about Jon Dire’s past. The 
  world has scarcely 100 policemen, of whom maybe 
  ten are detectives. This is a resort world, and weapons 
  are not allowed, or thoroughly proscribed. The police 
  here use every means of non-lethal subdual. They are 
  not equipped to deal with a serial killer, per se. 
         It is the referee’s option as to whether or not Jon 
  Dire is being framed by a copycat killer, or is the mur-
  derer himself.  If it is a copycat killer—perhaps it is a 
  former victim’s relative, or more sinister, someone 
  seeking to discredit the RNA- mind wipe program. As 
  Jon Dire lives alone, with his three cats, he has no al-
  ibi. Tracks along beach from victim’s body lead to his 
  domicile. The hospital bed sheet torn for the garrote is 
  found in his burn barrel/trashcan outside. Each night, 
  another victim is found until the tour ships depart or 
  the killer (or killers) are caught or stopped. 
         Referees with the “a leopard cannot change his 
  spots” mentality may skew this plot that Huunaash’s 
  wipe never fully took, and take it from there. Referees 
  with a “redemptive spirit” outlook may play it as such. 
  Far more evil referees could combine a number of sug-
  gested scenarios, such that after someone else perpe-
  trates the initial killing, Jon Dire takes a blow to the 
  head in the fraces where he is accused, and his past 
  personality filters back. 
   
  Scenario 4: “Castaway Thoughts” 
  Required skills: Legal & Investigative skills 
          
  One of the characters in the Downport ‘red-light’ dis-
  trict on a Pop 7+, TL-12+, No law level world (0) runs 
  afoul of the local Underworld Syndicate after a night 
  of heavy carousing prior to lift time. While otherwise 
  engaged in privacy with opposite gender, the character 
  gets the cliché “Mickey-Finn” slipped to him. The 
  RNA implant twist to this plot can go several ways. 
         A: The character becomes a living mule of secret 
  data being smuggled offworld, and will be met by a 
  like member of the organization at a destination world 
  for retrieval several weeks later. 
         B: The character is tranqed for 30 minutes, and 
  his memories/skills are ‘stolen’ for bootleg RNA 
  sales! Copying them takes 20 minutes, then they’re 
  returned. Evil referees may just keep them! Only 5 
  skill levels can be removed of any one skill. The ‘Bad 
  guys’ have limited time available, so taking 1 skill 
  rank per minute. 
          C:  As in B, above, but the character commits a 
  crime while ‘somebody else’, then doped again, and 
  returned to where he was picked up. The character will 
  have the memory of his criminal actions removed, and 
  thus not be able to honestly recall the crime—even 
  though eyewitnesses will easily identify him. The se-
  verity of the crime is dependent on the referee and the 
  nature of his campaign. Proving innocence, of course, 
  will take the efforts of the entire group of characters. 
          D: Hard up for cash, strapped characters find the 
  ‘brain-jack’ broker, and wish to sell ‘copies’ of their 
  skills for credits. This can be played legit, or as a sting 
  operation by IMoJ, the characters being on either side 
  of a rock and a hard place. The ‘brain-jack’ broker can 
  be honest, or as crooked as a 3-credit bill, taking as 
  needed and not returning the RNA memories; doing 
  exactly as promised; or taking the skills and replacing 
  them with other “copied” skills and memories. 
          E: All of the above. 
   
  ABOUT THE AUTHOR 
  Daniel W Hammersley was born 26 November 1962 in 
  Kenitra, Morrocco, North Africa. A Navy brat for his 
  first 22 years of life, he graduated college with a de-
  gree in BA History degree in 1984. Recently returned 
  from Iraq, he has several Traveller irons in the fire, 
  including credits in TA5 “Objects of the Mind”; the 
  yet to be published work “Starfall”; and the up-and-
  coming “TNE: 1248 Bearers of the Flame” source-
  book by MJ Dougherty, where he is listed as “one of 
  the fellow pyromaniacs of the Flame”. Other interests 
  besides Traveller gaming and re-enacting include 
  brewing mead and reading SF. 
  
     Stellar Reaches                           Issue #2, Spring 2005                                  Page 27 
  Native to the coastal regions of the arctic archipelagos of the waterworld Urduaan (Empty Quarter 2039 D87A862-
  5), the psuedomammalian carnivore known as the Sheola possesses a sleek, torpedo-shaped body and two pairs of 
  muscular limbs that act primarily like paddle-like flippers, propelling it through the icy waters. Massing approxi-
  mately 400 kg and measuring almost 3 meters in length from snout to tail tip, the sheola's gray rubbery hide glis-
  tens with a blue-green sheen when it moves out of the water. The long tapering jaws of the beast reveals several 
  rows of shiny black teeth, a visual clue to the predatory nature of the sheola. 
   
  The sheola are relatively unique among the aquatic carnivores of Urduaan, in that they are amphibious. The sheola 
  have evolved rudimentary lungs that allow them to exist for several hours out of the frigid arctic waters, out of 
  reach of larger predators below the water's surface. Sheola will lay their eggs on the ice shelves and tundra-covered 
  islands out of reach of aquatic predators, insuring that their race will survive. The simple insects and winged fish 
  that ride the winds of Urduaan tend to avoid sheolan nests, as the leathery eggs of their young are quite odiferous 
  and repel even the most curious of creatures. 
   
  Strangely enough, sheola eggs, once they are properly treated and prepared, lose much of their odor and are con-
  sidered a rare delicacy. They are often served in five-star restaurants on most worlds within ten parsecs of Ur-
  duaan, at relatively exorbitant rates. Hunters will sometimes mount expeditions to the frozen glaciers of the sheola 
  in order to seek out nests, hoping to harvest the 3d6 eggs found within each icy clutch. The vicious nature of the 
  sheola mothers defending their nests does make egg hunts a dangerous undertaking. Young nobles in the Udusis 
  subsector sometimes organize such hunts as a rite of passage within the local noble subculture, the goal being to 
  dine on a fresh sheola egg prepared at the base camp after the youths have faced the mother and survived. 
   
  T20: Urduaan Sheola – Large (400kg) Carnivore/Pouncer; St/Lb 54/18 (6d10+21); Init +2; To Attack if surprise; 
  To Flee if surprised; Spd 6m (4 squares), swim 15m (10 squares); AC 15 (-1 size, +2 dex, +4 natural armor); AR 4; 
  Atks bite +8 melee (2d6+3), tail +2 melee (1d6+1); SV Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +1; Str 16, Dex 14, Con 17, Int 2, 
  Wis 10, Cha 4, Edu --, Soc --. 
  Skills & Feats: Hide +5, Move Silently +4, Survival +4. Stealthy, Toughness, Weapon Focus (bite). 
   
  CT: Urduaan Sheola – 400kg Pouncer; Hits 25/12; Armor cloth; Wounds 12 (as teeth); A0 F0 S1 (swim 4). 
  WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS 
  SHEOLA 
  By Jason “Flynn” Kemp 
  
     Stellar Reaches                           Issue #2, Spring 2005                                  Page 28 
  Patron Type: Citizen 
  Necessary Equipment: Starship access 
  Locale: System's starport 
   
  Player's Information: 
   
  As the characters return to their ship before preparing to leave the system (either as a passenger or as crew), a fran-
  tic woman dragging a young child behind her approaches the characters. With an almost reckless abandon, Patricia 
  Remus begs the characters for space on the starship for herself and her son, Nikolo, as she is desperately seeking a 
  means of traveling offworld as quickly as possible. If the travellers are passengers, Ms. Remus asks to share their 
  room, or barring that, money to purchase low passage for both herself and her son. If the characters are crewmem-
  bers aboard the ship, the tearful woman asks for working passage as a steward. While Ms. Remus lacks the certifi-
  cations of a steward, she claims to be a good cook and has experience in the custodial arts. 
         If the characters show any interest in her situation, Ms. Remus will gladly give her life story to anyone who 
  will listen. Over eight years ago, Ms. Remus tells the party that her boss, Master Jon Daniels, made advances on 
  her under the pretext of marriage, and she eventually became pregnant with little Nikolo. When he found out, Mas-
  ter Daniels abandoned her, leaving her to fend for herself. A few years ago, Ms. Remus continues, Master Daniels 
  reentered her life married to another woman, and began trying to steal her child away from her through the local 
  court system. As she is penniless and he is a rather wealthy man, she has continued to lose her rights to her child 
  because she cannot afford a good lawyer. Now, she feels that the only way she can keep her son is to flee offworld 
  with him. 
   
  Referee's Information: 
   
  If a character demonstrates sympathy for her position, she will focus on them with her tales of woe. While the child 
  is generally silent around his mother, Nikolo becomes more open and friendly when not in her presence, showing a 
  very tender and compassionate nature. If the travellers agree to help Ms. Remus, she will fulfill her end of the 
  agreement as best she can, given her somewhat limited education and heightened emotional state. En route to their 
  jump point, the ship will receive a notice regarding the child’s abduction from the planetary public broadcast alert 
  system, and may be required to allow a random boarding action to look for the child and his abductor. 
   
  1.    All is as presented above. Other than having to listen to the details of the “soap opera” that is Ms. Re-
  mus’s life, the relocation of Ms. Remus and her son Nikolo proceeds without complications. A few jumps 
  later, an investigator hired by Master Daniels approaches the characters seeking information regarding 
  Ms. Remus’s whereabouts. Subsequent events are left to the discretion and imagination of the Referee. 
   
  2.    Ms. Remus is self-delusional and an emotional powder keg. Master Daniels is actually a middle income 
  technician that cares for his son, and is undertaking what limited legal actions he can to protect his rela-
  tionship with Nikolo. If the characters dig deep enough, they will uncover a number of details (incident 
  reports, court orders, etc.) that indicate Patricia Remus is abducting the child to avoid losing her parental 
  rights altogether. If the characters decide to aid her without checking her story, they may be caught in the 
  aftermath of the system-wide child abduction alert. Subsequent events are left to the discretion and imagi-
  nation of the Referee. 
   
  3.    As number two above, except that Master Daniels is a figment of Patricia Remus’s imagination. She was 
  actually Nikolo’s nanny, and believes now that Nikolo is her child. His true parents are lesser nobles in-
  volved in the local government, unaware until now of Ms. Remus’s state of mind. Subsequent events are 
  left to the discretion and imagination of the Referee.  
   
  PATRONS 
  PATRICIA REMUS 
  By Jason “Flynn” Kemp 
  
     Stellar Reaches                           Issue #2, Spring 2005                                  Page 29 
  4.    Ms. Remus actually works as a caregiver at a secret research facility run by the local government, and her 
  lack of education and dramatic mannerisms are simply an act. The facility conducts psionic research, and 
  has performed a number of cruel experiments on young Nikolo, a psionic savant with a natural talent for 
  telepathy. Nikolo has unknowingly created within Ms.Remus a strong emotional bond towards him, 
  which manifested in this rash act to save him from the torments of government testing. The planetary gov-
  ernment will likely use a scenario like number three above as a cover story for retrieving Nikolo. Subse-
  quent events are left to the discretion and imagination of the Referee.  
   
  5.    As number one above. Although Ms. Remus knows that Master Daniels is well-connected within her 
  home system, she does not realize that he is highly connected with a subsector-level crime organization. 
  This cartel of crime continues to make life difficult for the woman and all that aid her, as news of the 
  child’s abduction spreads throughout the criminal underworld. Competitors may also seek out Nikolo to 
  gain an edge over Master Daniels and his organization. Subsequent events are left to the discretion and 
  imagination of the Referee. 
   
  6.    As number three above, except that Ms. Remus is actually a member of a secretive religious cult known 
  as the Siblings of Shadow. The Siblings expand their power and influence by abducting children of influ-
  ential families from other worlds, bringing them to their central compound for induction and brainwashing 
  into the cult, and then sending them back home in a few years to inherit the influence of their parents. The 
  children-turned-cultists then provide the cult with further power and influence. Should any of the charac-
  ters realize this is the true nature of Nikolo’s abduction, then the Siblings will feel obligated to deal with 
  the characters. Subsequent events are left to the discretion and imagination of the Referee. 
  
     Stellar Reaches                           Issue #2, Spring 2005                                  Page 30 
  OPEN GAME LICENSE VERSION 1.0A 
   
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  Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. 
  D20 System Rules and Content Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Johnathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on 
  original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. 
  
     Stellar Reaches                           Issue #2, Spring 2005                                  Page 31 
  T20 - The Traveller’s Handbook Copyright 2002, Quiklink Interactive, Inc. Traveller is a trademark of Far Future Enterprises and is used un-
  der license. 
  All original Open Game Content from “Random Castle Light Task Force” Copyright 2005, Benjamin Pew. 
  All original Open Game Content from “RNA Implant Technology For T20” Copyright 2005, Daniel Hammersley. 
  All other original Open Game Content from “Stellar Reaches, Issue #2” Copyright 2005, Jason D. Kemp. 
   
  DESIGNATION OF OPEN GAME CONTENT: The UWPS provided in the article “Delta Quadrant of the Empty Quarter Sector” are des-
  ignated as Open Game Content. The stat blocks and all T20 game mechanics derived from the SRD and the Traveller’s Handbook as provided 
  in the feature adventure “Into the Lesser Rift” are designated as Open Game Content. All T20 game mechanics derived from the SRD and the 
  Traveller’s Handbook as provided in the article “RNA Implant Technology For T20” are designated as Open Game Content. The final TAS 
  Form 3.1 (Condensed) for the TL13 Deep Space Station given in the article “Deep Space Stations” is considered Open Game Content. The 
  T20 stat block of the Urduaan Sheola provided in the article “Sheola” is designated as Open Game Content. 
           The remainder of this document is considered Closed Content and contains Product Identity belonging to Far Future Enterprises. No 
  challenge of their copyright is intended by its inclusion here. 
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Stellar Reaches/Stellar Reaches 02.pdf