Traveller - TNE (Inactive)

Game Master Daniel Stewart

Background::
The stories told by your parents of the wonders of the Third Imperium contrast to the reality of the old military base you have lived on all your lives. A leftover relic of a past age, it was once a waypoint for the IISS (Imperial Interstellar Scout Service) and a training and equipment depot for the Imperial Navy, Marines and Army. A small commercial repair depot was even installed during the period your parents called the “Hard Times”. It is said that a secret Imperial Laboratory also resides somewhere on the small moon, but no one seems to want to talk about it.

The year is 36TNE (The New Era), or 1196 by the old Imperial Calendar. Your group is made up of the sons and daughters of the staff and officers that manned the IISS Depot Thoth on the 3rd moon circling the Gas Giant Pyt-4. The system use to be home to a lush, technologically advanced planet of millions, Pyt-2, but not since the “incident” has anyone heard from them.

The “incident” as it has been called for the last 30 or so years, seems to have been empire-wide. Some sort of breakdown in technology turned the once helpful tech of the empire against its users. Before FTL communication ended, stories leaked through about computers turning off space station environmental controls, or warships firing on each other against the commands of the human passengers. It seemed the technological triumphs of the Third Imperium turned on their users…with deadly results.

Your family has lived on Pyt-4iii (Thoth) for all your life. Your parents use to belong to that great interstellar empire that you have read so much about, but no longer. Whatever they did in the “old” days is now moot…survival is all that matters. Pooling their skills, and with a huge amount of supplies located in the depot’s warehouses, the staff and officers of Moon Base Thoth were able to live and, to a very small extent, thrive. Society continued and people were taught what they needed to know to help live on the isolated and barren moon. Hydroponic farms were developed, environmental systems were maintained to supply the life giving air and water needed for the colony to survive.

As the years march on, the technology that keeps the moon base running has begun to breakdown. At first, with all the supplies in the depot’s storage areas, repairs were routine, but now as common items become more and more scares, certain functions within the base have ceased to be. Two ship’s boats sit in a hanger, parts cannibalized to keep systems within the base running. Other ships were taken in the early days of “The Incident”, never to be seen again.
Recently the heating exchanges that are used to moderate the temperature within the base have started to breakdown. Without replacements, the base will begin to cycle between periods of searing heat and icy coldness. The plant manager gives the current repairs only a few months before they too breakdown. You have been called into the office of the Base Commandant.


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Liberty's Edge

Male Historian/Curator

Anyone here?? We all done now?


Emilyene is heading for the ship. She needs to check if it is flight worthy.

Others should be loading it to capacity with everything, medical and any tech first.


Male Human STR: 9 (+1) DEX: 10 (+1) END: 7/9 (+0) INT: 7 (+0) EDU: 6 (+0) SOC: 7 (+0)

Flint looks around the area for anything heavy to possibly help barricade the door they recently came through.


An arc welder would be nice...

Liberty's Edge

Male Historian/Curator

There is really nothing that is nearly as bulky as the loader that Emilyene parked there. The shelves are simple metal, and the crates are not all that heavy.

Liberty's Edge

Male Historian/Curator

Aboard the ship, the cockpit looks just like the simulator you were taught on. It takes you only a few moments to realize that this ship is ready for launch...full tanks, all systems in the green....it is almost brand new! The place still has that 'new' spaceship smell!!


Cole quickly hops into one of the loaders and begins to load some of supplies onto the ship.

Liberty's Edge

Male Historian/Curator

you spend a few minutes getting use to the controls, but soon you are running supplies into the two cargo bays of the ship. It only take you 5 minutes to complete the task, taking almost all the crates and shelves from the dock area. Once finished you snug this loader against the other one, reinforcing your barricade against the door.

As you finish, you can hear what sounds like distant music...you cannot tell where it it coming from...it seems to be all around you. You catch only a small part now and then, but is might be some sort of classical number.

The ship is loaded and ready to go. You need only override the bay door controls and you can be out of this place and on yur way back to the base proper.

Override the security locks is a 8+ TN. Piloting out of the bay and back to the base will take a 8+ TN as well.


Marcus sits down heavily and looks around, unable to help with either lock or piloting. "Emilyene, tell me this ship isn't the one with the plague lab in it. Please."


Emilyene blinks slowly before turning, um, is this Lab D's launch bay?

With a chagrined look she pulls up the flight manifest and log. I didn't check what cargo was already on board, just the flight worthiness. Though this bay does seem more like a CEO's personal escape plan, not exactly a main entrance we came through to get here.

Liberty's Edge

Male Historian/Curator

This is the launch bay for Lab D. A quick look over the manifest shows that the lab produces something called "starshine" and the fabrication workshop creates a spray-type grenade (among other things) that releases "starshine". There is a lot of medical jargon that goes with this file, so it might take someone with a medical background to decipher it.


"Asteroids! I hope starshine isn't code for plague," Cole hopes.

"Marcus can we rig this base to explode and can we unload this starshine before those creatures break through," Cole asks the soldier.

Liberty's Edge

Male Historian/Curator

As the last of the supplies gets loaded, the party hears a number of very loud thuds coming from a large door of to the side of the hanger. You guess that this door leads into Lab D, or at least to the area the lab is located. Visible dents can be seen appearing in the tempered metal of the door, as someone or thing batters at it from the other side.

Still need a computer 8+ roll to access the hanger doors and decompress this area from take-off...then a pilot (small craft) 8+ to maneuver out of the subterranean hanger and back to your base.


electronics-pc +2 edu +2: 2d6 + 4 ⇒ (4, 2) + 4 = 10

Emilyene logs into the hanger system and starts the decompression cycle after verifying everyone is onboard.

Be a good idea to get those engines warmed up!

She also starts working on a burst communication to send back to base as soon as they are clear of the base.


Ephraim sit down in the co-pilots chair and starts the engines. "Jasmine, I could use a hand here," he yells. Anxiously he considers, "Is everyone on board?"

Pilot (small craft): 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (1, 2) + 2 = 5 to start the engines

Liberty's Edge

Male Historian/Curator

As a simple task the engines start and a roar fills the hanger bay. Emilyene just finishes overriding the controls for the outer doors as the door to the far side of the bay bursts open and several creatures bolt out into the hanger. They seem confused by the sound of the engines, but soon see Emilyene at the control panel and rush her. Being only steps from the ships airlock, Emilyene easily steps inside just as the sirens go off and the room seals. Seconds later the air is forced from the hanger and the grav-plates are turned off. The monsters gasp and choke as the air is pulled from their lungs and soon are floating around the hanger in various twisted and grotesque writhing shapes. Once the overhead doors slide open, the bodies are expelled into the hard vacuum of space...freezing in the odd contortions they had taken in their final throws of life.

The ship is primed and ready to fly. Emilyene attempts to contact the moonbase, but all signal traffic seems to be jammed.


Male Human STR: 9 (+1) DEX: 10 (+1) END: 7/9 (+0) INT: 7 (+0) EDU: 6 (+0) SOC: 7 (+0)

Flint relieved to be inside the small craft and not in the vacuum outside looks down at the patch covering the tear in his Vacc suit and the scrape beneath it.

Liberty's Edge

Male Historian/Curator

The wound does not look terribly deep, but the flesh around the tear is discoloured. You should probably have someone take a look at the wound when you get back!


Since they broke into the hanger, did the lab also decompress?

Let's grab one of those things, even flash frozen we might need to have the tissue samples. And we're being jammed, can't communicate with the base.

Emilyene heads up to the bridge, We should also swing around and get our grav boat too. I don't think we want to leave anyway to leave this base behind us.


Male Human STR: 9 (+1) DEX: 10 (+1) END: 7/9 (+0) INT: 7 (+0) EDU: 6 (+0) SOC: 7 (+0)

And we left the doctor on the Grav Sled and I could definitely use some medical attention. Not sure about Marcus.


I don't know what that AI was, but if it's virulent, we need to make sure this ship's databanks remain isolated.

Liberty's Edge

Male Historian/Curator

The lab was in one of the modules attached to the ship (if you know what a modular cutter looks like, this is one, except instead of only 1 module attached, this one has 2...side by side


Like this?

Liberty's Edge

Male Historian/Curator

That is exactly what it looks like...lol. One side has the lab in it and the other the manufacturing shop.


"We need to have a serious talk," says Marcus. "In our hold is a lab experiment that killed an entire moonbase. I don't think we want to bring any part of this back to Moonbase Thoth. I'm thinking the sun is a better place to send it."


"Good point," Cole concedes to Marcus. " But are you certain it was this experiment that destroyed the base? Also, if we don't get these supplies back to Thoth they wouldn't have much of a future anyway."


"I've never heard of a side-by-side modular cutter before, and that matches the description of the virus lab pretty exactly. I say we shoot the samples and lab records into the sun, then return to Thoth with the supplies."

Liberty's Edge

Male Historian/Curator

Need a Pilot skill to get out of the hanger and heading home...also has anyone else taken a look at the records? Would be a Medic 6+ or Science (Biology) 8+


Cole take a second to familiarize himself with the controls and curse to himself, Never was very comfortable with this. "You all better strap yourselves in its gonna be a bumpy ride," he cautions.

Pilot: 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (1, 2) + 2 = 5


Emilyene grunts a laugh this is the first modular cutter you've seen. I'd expect there's quite a few ship types unfamiliar to all of us.

Emilyene glances at Flint. We might be in need of a sophisticated bio lab sooner than we'd like. Let's face it. This base has a serious bio outbreak. And this base does have a direct connection to our base. And cutting that has got to be a priority.

While Ephraim works on the controls, she brings up the ship logs.

medic 0, edu +2: 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (5, 1) + 2 = 8

Liberty's Edge

Male Historian/Curator

You discover that "starshine" is actually a cure to whatever those poor people were infected with. While it cannot change a person back from one of those monsters, it can ensure that they do not become one. Not only will it heal the disease from an infected body, but it also immunizes the individual.


Emilyene shares what she learned with the others.

As a precaution, I think we should give Flint a dose.


Male Human STR: 9 (+1) DEX: 10 (+1) END: 7/9 (+0) INT: 7 (+0) EDU: 6 (+0) SOC: 7 (+0)

Sure why not I'll be the guinea pig for us all. After all I guess I may have been exposed to something when my Vacc Suit got ripped by those things.
Flint says as he puts his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.


"Are we sure we can trust the logs on the computer," Cole asks.


"What reason would the researchers have to set up that elaborate a hoax? The notes may be incomplete, burin doubt they'd create a lie just so we'd come along and inject ourselves," says Marcus.


"I'm not concerned about the researchers," Cole asserts. "But something released those beasties which, conveniently I might add, forced us to this ship." He looks around at his companions, "We might want to ask ourselves why." He shrugs his shoulders, "I wouldn't inject anyone with anything until we've analysed it more thoroughly."


"Fair enough," agrees Marcus. "Speaking of which, let's go pick up the Doc."


Male Human STR: 9 (+1) DEX: 10 (+1) END: 7/9 (+0) INT: 7 (+0) EDU: 6 (+0) SOC: 7 (+0)

I will take the injection if anything starts to feel weird.

Liberty's Edge

Male Historian/Curator

Who is flying the ship?


Per posts it was Ephraim.


Jasmine was our pilot but she hasn't posted in a bit so I took the controls.

Liberty's Edge

Male Historian/Curator

oops...thanks...I read it them promptly must have forgotten it...

The ship rises slowly as Ephriam eases it out of the subterranean hangar. The going is a bit bumpy as he scrapes one side then the other in the tight confines of the vertical shaft. Finally the ship breaks the surface and you start on your way back to the moonbase.

What too hours to travel the first time round, is only minutes on the return. Sensors picks up a vehicle moving from the hidden lab towards the base. A quick check of the comms and you can hear a female voice swearing up a storm.

"Hey! Is that you up there?? What happened? Why did you not come back? I stayed as long as I could before those...ugg...creatures forced me out. I spaced a few of them before the safety doors dropped. What happened...is everyone ok?? I hope to god that you are the ones flying that thing...hello?? This @&#% thing on!!"


Male Human STR: 9 (+1) DEX: 10 (+1) END: 7/9 (+0) INT: 7 (+0) EDU: 6 (+0) SOC: 7 (+0)

Yeah we lost our doctor and our pilot PCs. Should have made a backup of those instead of just more fire power.


Slow down and lets get you docked.

Liberty's Edge

Male Historian/Curator

There is nowhere to put the g-carrier on the ship without removing a bunch of the equipment from one of the modules.

"I'm good to get back...plus I have some of the supplies onboard and we would not want to return home empty handed now would we! I'll see you all in a few hours. Save some of the celebration wine for me!"


Male Human STR: 9 (+1) DEX: 10 (+1) END: 7/9 (+0) INT: 7 (+0) EDU: 6 (+0) SOC: 7 (+0)

Hey Doc! Glad you're alive down there. Those things got a claw into me. I'll need some personal attention when we get back.
Flint said flirtatiously into the radio.


Marcus frowns at Flint but says nothing.


Cole smiles at Flints remarks, Get in line buddy. Then he focuses his attention on flying this relic.


I take it we're past any jamming field now?

Liberty's Edge

Male Historian/Curator

Yes you are....the message took you all by surprise. You can radio the base if you want and let them know you are on your way....there are several derelict landing pads that you can make for. What happens is once landed the pad, with the ship on it, retracts into the waiting hanger. The hanger is then pressurized, the grav plating is activated and atmo is pumped in. As they have not been used in some 30 years you can only hope one of them is still functional, otherwise it will take even more time to unload this ship!

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