You can certainly try. You have some familiarity with things falling apart, so if you want to make a check you might be able to figure out a timeline. Exposure to space will remove most obvious environmental causes that might normally be a timeline, but there could also be information in the computers, either direct accounts or systems status info, that would help.
Also, obviously I lost the train of my sentence in the bit that you quoted. I meant to say "whoever it was that made these things was human."
Jazzming:
Arianna's question about the culture of the ship might not have an obvious answer, but a quick search of the computer will reveal the ship's registry information: TCS (Terran Commonwealth Ship) Boadicea, launched at Hubble Shipyards, AD 2507. That's about 230 years ago.
Engineering (Sergio and Jazzming):
Mfumbe works to strap the unconscious Alain to him, making some jury-rigged straps to carry the other man like a backpack. He steps away from Alain as Vasquez steps in to help finish the process, and takes the opportunity to look at the information Sergio gathered about the creature that attacked.
He looks from the information to the others in the room. "This is not a good thing. What could have happened here? I hate to even suggest this, but it might be useful to try to see whatever that large mass is below us."
Bridge Team:
Are you guys moving back toward engineering, holding your position near the bridge, or doing something else?
Sorry, that was my mistake, since I referred to you as Grimaldi instead of Garibaldi.
Bridge Team:
My goodness, what unlucky spot rolls!
You can hear a conversation between your team mates.
Sergio's voice comes first: "Life support is up. I have some...odd readings from the slime that attacked us. Vasquez and I are headed back to engineering to share our findings with you. Be there soon."
Then Jazzming's replies. "Gotcha. We may be moving soon, so hurry up. Could use your help transporting Alain."
And finally Sergio's once more. "Don't leave before I get there, that's an order Corporal! We shouldn't have split up to begin with. Has there been any contact with the lieutenants?"
It is at this point that Jazzming calls for the two of you. After Arianna's call, Lieutenant Mfumbe speaks. "Sergeant Alain is injured, but he is stable. I believe I should return to Deronda with him so he can be treated. Once he is safe, I will bring additional supplies now that we have life support."
Jazzming:
Mfumbe looks at you, then at Alain. He is about to say something when Arianna's message comes over the radio in reply to you. After she speak, he answers her: "Sergeant Alain is injured, but he is stable. I believe I should return to Deronda with him so he can be treated. Once he is safe, I will bring additional supplies now that we have life support."
To you, he adds, "I do not want to risk aggravating Mister Alain's situation by moving him all over the ship. Once your team returns, we can move him to our shuttle and then you can get to the core."
Sergio:
As you rush through the ship, Vasquez is just a step or two behind you. For a moment he slows down, looking at a door. On it is damaged lettering. "Huh, a mess hall. Should come back here later, sir, see if there's anything left to eat."
You can hear Mfumbe answer Arianna, "Sergeant Alain is injured, but he is stable. I believe I should return to Deronda with him so he can be treated. Once he is safe, I will bring additional supplies now that we have life support."
Assuming you don't decide to stop or explore, you will reach engineering with incident.
As a matter of fact, yes! Your comms will now behave as normal.
As the two of you watch, the security officers more cautiously pursue you down the hallway, only to disappear as they cross the line into damaged territory. One more spot check, please.
You find some interesting readings. The acid the creature spat was extremely concentrated sulfuric acid, so concentrated that was almost certainly the product of industrial manufacturing rather than evolutionary process. Adding to this is the fact that you can detect the components of DNA in the creature, which does not occur in non-Earth-based life. Either this thing came from Earth, or whoever it was human.
You and Vasquez are able to easily get life support running, and as air returns to the ship you are able to faintly hear the groaning of the ship's damaged machinery and the whistling of atmosphere escaping breaches in the hull.
Jazzming:
The ship has numerous security sub-stations scattered around that might do what you need. The closest you can find is two decks away, toward the top of the ship. As far as you can tell, the central security office is near the bridge, and that might have high-level clearance. Finally, the primary computer core is near the center of the ship: a dozen decks up and about a kilometer away, but closer than main security. It probably wouldn't be very user-friendly, but you should be able to find whatever you want if you can beat whatever defenses it has.
Liam:
There's something familiar about those security forces. You don't recognize the faces, but something about the way they stand and the weapons they have seems familiar to you.
Bridge Team:
You can see the surprise on the faces of the people on the bridge as you turn and flee. One of the security officers, obviously prepared for this, draws his weapon and takes a shot at Arianna before you two can get out. She can feel the heat of the beam scorching her skin - a near miss! 9 VP in damage.
You run down the hall, security not far behind, until you reach the point at which the damage becomes obvious again. As you step from the pristine deck to the damaged deck, you can hear the security officers shout and then stop, looking around in confusion. They obviously do not see you.
Mfumbe smiles again at your joke, but it's a grim smile. Sergio's voice comes over the radio. "We seem to have neutralized the threat, I'm running a few tests on it now for more information. Neither of us were injured. Mfumbe, how is Alain doing? Corporal Brokato, keep trying to contact the rest of our team. Once I have my information I'm going to finally fix this life support and return to engineering. Report to me every 10 minutes so I know we're still in contact, if I don't here from you I'll drop what we're doing and head back immediately instead."
Mfumbe responds. "Ensign, Sergeant Alain is stable for now." He looks over at the unconscious security officer. "But a doctor should look at him. Hmm, something just occurred to me. You said some kind of slime attacked you. Could that large biological reading be more of the same thing?"
Sergio:
Vasquez shakes his head. "Me either, sir." He looks at the life support system, brushing away a few metallic particles drifting in the zero-gravity environment. "Kind of exciting though, isn't it?"
Mfumbe's reply comes over the radio. "Ensign, Sergeant Alain is stable for now." There is a pause. "But a doctor should look at him. Hmm, something just occurred to me. You said some kind of slime attacked you. Could that large biological reading be more of the same thing?"
One benefit of the slime's attack is that it helped clear quite a bit of the gunk that was clogging life support. You can get that one turbine working again without trouble now. It still won't restore life support to sections exposed to space, but it's something.
Bridge Team:
I should have clarified this before now! Derond'a zero-gravity suits are field effect suits. Essentially they're a full-body force field, equipped with atmospheric controls. It's not nearly as bulky as a true space suit, and will protect you from vacuum or toxic atmosphere for an extended period of time. You can still communicate 'silently' by sub-vocalizing into your radio, though.
Your radios are putting out a fair amount of static.
The captain looks incredulous. "What kind of game are you playing at, counselor? Our vessel is not in distress." Without taking her eyes off of you, she calls over her shoulder, "Lieutenant, begin penetrating scans throughout the system. Find their vessel." One of the bridge crew leaps into action, following the orders.
She continues. "Unfortunately, I cannot have saboteurs or spies wandering freely on my ship. Wherever you have come from, you will need to learn that our peace is recent, but real all the same. Please surrender your weapons, and you will not be harmed."
The security personnel look ready to respond quickly to any order the captain gives.
I'm glad you're enjoying it! Please let me know if you have future thoughts or concerns.
Sorry for the lack of post last night, all. This week is uncommonly busy for me. As a reminder, there will be one or maybe two more posts tomorrow, and then probably nothing until next Tuesday.
That shot does it! The creature collapses and loses cohesion, becoming a sticky puddle with a distinct yellow tinge. Alvarez nudges it with his boot, but it does not move. "You think it's dead, sir?" he asks. His weapon stays pointed at the remains.
Jazzming:
Lieutenant Mfumbe cracks at smile at your joke while he tends to Alain.
The computer system is becoming easier for you to work with, and you're able to access the summaries of a few logs. The most recent are dated almost 200 years ago, during the brief war with the aliens, and summaries give the impression that they are mostly letters to families from crew members. Older logs hint at research that could turn the tide of the war (or so the crew member, an older Canadian man, believed), but the logs you have here are low-security so there are few details. Top-security access would require the computer core, or potentially an override from the bridge.
The biological readings from down below are hard to pin down. It could be that the sensors aren't working properly, or it could be that whatever's giving off the readings naturally resists scanning somehow. The best you can do is an exact location - a large room, probably a cargo bay - and the approximate mass of the reading of more than 3000 kilograms.
Incidentally, you can see the bio-readings of yourself, Sergio, and CT-2 on the ship... but no sign of Sub-Lieutenants Grimaldi or McGregor. There's also a faint trace signature, nearly undetectable, in a medical bay.
Bridge Team:
The woman who called for security looks at another woman, an obvious puzzled expression crossing her face. "Derelict...?" she begins, but is cut off by a motion from the second woman.
The second woman stands from her seat and turns to face you, while three security personnel take up positions near you. They stop just short of drawing their weapons, but it is obvious they could do so in an instant. They look alert and well-trained. Perception checks, please.
The second woman wears the markings of an admiral, with grey hair and weathered, aged skin. She is not especially tall, but her bearing is pure military. When she speaks, it is accented and her voice is cold. "I am Lestari Gemaputri, captain of this vessel." She stresses the last word. "I am going to give you one minute to explain who you are and what you are doing on my ship, or else you will get to spend the rest of our voyage in the brig."
By the time you call out, Mfumbe is already descending with Alain. You can see him shake his head, dark skin gleaming with sweat in the lights of the engineering bay.
"I cannot tell what kind of burns they are. They might be electrical?"
He reaches the ground safely, engaging his magnetic boots and then Alain's. The unconscious man drifts oddly in the absence of gravity.
Then Sergio's voice comes through the radio. "Watch out for slime, we're currently under attack!" Mfumbe looks at you, puzzled, mouthing the word "slime".
He speaks into his own radio now. "Please repeat, Ensign. Did you say slime?"
Sergio:
Your shot goes wide, impacting the wall in a cloud of metal particles as the slime beast dances to the side and launches a stream of acid... missing you again.
This leaves its side exposed, and Vasquez takes his shot - hitting the creature and leaving an oozing hole in its form, but not killing it.
Mfumbe's voice comes from the radio: "Please repeat, Ensign. Did you say slime?"
Bridge Team:
Your new weapons in hand, you make your way through the ship. It is rough going, as the damage has blocked off several section. You have to reroute more than once to reach the bridge, but once you do - within about 30 meters of the main entrance to the bridge - the damage stops abruptly. The ship looks pristine. Good as new, even. You can feel cool, comfortable air on your skin. The lights are working.
As you approach, the bridge doors open, and you see about a dozen humans sitting at their pristine bridge consoles and conversing softly as if nothing is wrong. Their uniforms are similar to yours, but distinctly different. One, wearing the insignia of a Lieutenant Commander, looks up at you as you enter with your weapons and your strange outfits, and in an instant she is on her feet and shouting "Security alert! Intruders on the bridge!"
Alright, we've been going for about two weeks now, so this would be a good time to be thinking about feedback. I know we're not that far into this little adventure, but some things to keep in mind. What's working for you? What's not? What would you like to see more of or less of? Answers to this kind of stuff will help me do a better job! You can talk about it here or PM me or whatever you'd like.
Also, FYI: Saturdays and probably Fridays will usually be days that I can't post from now on, and this coming weekend I think I won't be able to post on Friday through Monday. So after Thursday, my next post will be Tuesday.
Without warning, the slime that had withdrawn into the vent comes streaming out, reforming itself into a shape not unlike a small animal, and spits acid at you!
1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8 1d8 ⇒ 4
Luckily the acid misses, but you can hear it behind you hissing as it reacts with the ship's floor and wall.
Order will go you, Vasquez, slime. Don't forget that you are able to use an action point before a roll to add 1d6 to the result.
Liam:
Success! You realize that with some elbow grease and a little cleverness, you should be able to unseat the door's lock and force it open.
Inside is a rifle unlike any you've ever seen before, and what look like half a dozen batteries. The rifle has a port that would probably take one of the batteries.
Jazzming:
Mfumbe scans the top of engineering with you, hand tight around his weapon. "No, I see nothing," he says cautiously. He looks at you. "I am going to go up and check on him. If you see something, shoot it."
He disengages his magnetic boots and pushes off the floor, drifting upward through the glittering debris until he reaches Alain's body. You can see him checking the other man, and then he calls down with his radio. "Sergeant Alain is alive. There are some burns around his eyes, but his pulse is strong. I see nothing up here that could have attacked him."
Lieutenant Mfumbe's voice comes over the radio again. "Sergeant Alain is alive. There are some burns around his eyes, but his pulse is strong. I see nothing up here that could have attacked him."
Much of the equipment in the medical lab is pretty much what you would expect: various biochemistry pieces, mostly magnetically affixed to the tables, centrifuges, test tubes. The glass pillars on the other side of the medical bay, on the other hand, look like human cryonic stasis tubes. It's hard to tell through the heavy glass, but you think that one of them might have a person inside.
Jazzming:
Mfumbe's with you, it's Sergeant Alain who went up. Sadly this would be more about spot... but there's good news. Also, please forgive the very slight assumption that you would turn on the lights.
With a muffled curse, Lieutenant Mfumbe draws his weapon, peering up at the darkness above. In his other hand is a flashlight, almost useless at this distance. It is impossible to see The scream stops, and no further weapons fire can be heard.
"Corporal," Mfumbe says carefully, "Can you get us some lights on in this room? I will watch the ceiling." He then calls into his radio, "Sergeant Alain went up to investigate a body. We are not quite sure what happened. I suggest you all continue your assignments for now, but be ready to return quickly."
Fortunately, you are able to quickly find the light system, and can divert some power to the local illumination. Though they will flicker unsteadily, it will be easy to see Sergeant Alain's body floating near the ceiling, unmoving. His pistol floats nearby, having slipped out of his hand. There is no sign of anything else
Liam:
You can't help but notice that there's an unopened weapons locker in the armory. You've seen similar units before. They're tough to break, but your time on the streets has taught you a few tricks. On a unit hundreds of years old, it should be even easier. You can make a Knowledge (Streetwise) check if you'd like to try to force the door open.
Bridge Team:
If you move quickly, you can make it to the bridge without too much trouble. If you want to investigate these areas some more, please say so. Otherwise, my next post will detail the bridge.
Sergio:
Vasquez looks uncertain, but he gives you a dutiful, "Aye, sir." He draws his sleep gun, ready to act on your plan. As the sonic disruption works on the slime, you can see it clearly convulse and loosen... and then suddenly the slime you are affecting contracts into the life support vent, as if running from your weapon.
Roll me a spot check and an initiative, please.
Sub-Lieutenant Mfumbe's voice comes over the radio. "Sergeant Alain went up to investigate a body. We are not quite sure what happened. I suggest you all continue your assignments for now, but be ready to return quickly. Corporal Brokato and I will handle this for now."
Happily, schematics are fairly easy to find. Combined with the master systems display, you can start to piece together a good idea of how the ship is put together and guide your team. You can see that the lowest level, where Arianna reported the lifts to be, is mostly large open areas labeled for storage, and the brig.
Detailed technical information seems to be more tightly encrypted. You can probably work around it, but you will need physical access to the computer core to do that. Thanks to the schematics, it should be easy to get there.
At your mention of what you saw, Mfumbe orders Sergeant Alain up to investigate the figure in the upper reaches of the engineering bay. He deactivates his magnetic boots and carefully ascends, using various catwalks and the walls to stabilize his ascent. When he reaches the figure, he is far enough up that he uses his radio to call down.
"Lieutenant, it's definitely a body. Human. It's in good shape, sir. I think I can-" his voice is interrupted by a brilliant blue flash that illuminates engineering for a moment. When it clears, the faint blue that had lit the room before is gone, leaving only conventional lights. He screams, and the sound of his pistol firing can be heard.
Sergio:
You and Vasquez get turned around a few times, since you have to detour around some damaged sections, but you are finally able to reach the life support system. As you get closer, your keen eyes can't help but notice that the interior, although as damaged as ever, shows a different kind of damage. There is weapon scorching, but there is also what appears to be burn marks. Some kind of acid. Please make a Knowledge (Physical Sciences) check if you want to investigate it further. It's all over in this section.
Vasquez is not an overly talkative person beyond the occasional "aye sir" to orders, and just keeps his eyes open. His weapon is in his hand, ready to fire at the slightest sign of trouble.
Once you reach the life support system, it is very obvious what the problem is: the system uses an oddly archaic turbine system to drive air flow, and the turbine chutes are absolutely clogged with a thick phlegmy slime. In fact the whole room is marked with tendrils of it that cling to the floor, walls, and ceiling despite the lack of gravity. Completely cleaning it out would probably take weeks, but your familiarity with technology leads you to believe that your sleep gun's sonic output might be able to clear one of the turbines with Vasquez's help. It would allow for some limited life support at least, in enclosed areas. Obviously anything open to space right now would be beyond hope unless it's sealed somehow.
Liam:
One thing that is obvious to you, given your expertise with combat, is that there should be a lot more blood around. Missing bodies is one thing (like you said, maybe somebody took them) but unless they also mopped up afterward, something is very amiss with this whole situation. Even if they did mop up, nobody is this thorough. As far your team can tell, the entire ship was a battlefield. If a boarding party was being fought, the airlocks should show the heaviest damage, with less and less deeper in the ship. Instead it seems like this was a firefight that virtually destroyed the vessel.
Bridge team:
Yes, spot or wisdom checks, please. But there are some thing you'll notice with even a cursory search.
As you move and check rooms, it is obvious the people on this vessel lived in some luxury. Compared to your broom closets on the Deronda, these quarters were a four-star hotel.
You also come across an armory, or the remains of one. What was once a weapons locker hangs open, its door torn off one hinge and floating awkwardly in the lack of gravity. Nearby, another locker sits closed tight.
You also find what was probably a medical lab, suffused from above by a light blue glow from some unknown source. It's a large, complicated area, filled with experiment tables and heavy equipment. Near the back, you see a line of what look like glass pillars built into the wall, about eight feet tall. Medical or scientific knowledge will help you identify the things in here.
A voice comes over the radio, that of Sergeant Alain of CT-2. "Lieutenant, it's definitely a body. Human. It's in good shape, sir. I think I can-" And then the voice cuts off in a scream.
Thanks to your incredible attention to detail, you notice something drifting in the upper reaches of the engineering bay. It isn't clear what it might be, but it looks... about human-sized.
Engineering Team:
Lance Corporal O'Hara looks puzzled at Sergio's mention of an organic signature on the ship. "No, sir. Our sensors didn't pick that up." He glances at the two security officers. "Should someone go check it out? It... seems safe enough in here."
The computers need some work to restore power, but luckily CT-2 brought some power packs and Sergio is able to get them up and running. Jazzming's efforts get into the main system, bypassing at least the first level of encryption.
Nearby, a master systems display lights up, showing the entirety of the ship. Much of it registers as heavily damaged.
If there's any information you're interested in looking up, well, you have access to lots of entries now! More classified topics might require you tap into the computers from somewhere else, though. If you want to download the whole database, you'll probably need the computer core.
Sub-Lieutenant Mfumbe taps away at another console. "Ensign," he calls out to Sergio, batting away a floating piece of something, "This shows there is a mechanical problem on the next deck down in the main life support center. You may take Mister Vasquez if you go to fix it."
Also, Arianna's voice comes through the comms. "Bridge team to Engineering...I've always wanted to say something like that...Is this still on? It is? Well, shoot. Anyway, have you guys encountered any people or bodies yet?"
Bridge Team:
Are you climbing up to the bridge or getting there another way? Are you investigating side rooms, such as medical bays, armories, personal quarters, etc. or are you going straight for the bridge?
Ignore the logbooks. They're a relic of a time when tablet computers didn't exist, mostly. Obviously I haven't updated the bundles for the setting, and I probably won't due to time constraints. You do get to select the skills affected by the manuals - assume they represent reference texts uploaded to your computer.
Now that the shuttle's sensors have a chance to study the ship more closely, they do pick up an anomalous organic reading near a large room in the lower part of the ship. The details aren't clear, but whatever it is, it seems big.
There is a gap in the ship's hull two decks above engineering, about six decks above the organic reading, and twenty or more decks below the bridge. The approximate configuration of the ship is this. Engineering is on the lower right side, the bridge on the upper left. Considering the size, there was probably some sort of on-board transportation system. It might still be functional?
As you board the ship, you discover that, among other systems, its artificial gravity is offline. The shuttles will clamp to the floor, and you will be able to move about with magnetic boots, but you might be able to do some fun things with this weightlessness.
The interior of the ship is not in much better shape than the exterior. The walls are scored with obvious weapon impacts and explosions, and some look as though they have been literally smashed through. Whatever happened did a lot of damage.
Engineering Team:
CT-2 docks not far from you and joins you in engineering. The team is made up of four people as well: two security, including Sergeant Alain of Ireland and Corporal Vasquez of Mexico, and two engineers, Sub-Lieutenant Mfumbe of the Congo and Lance Corporal O'Hara of Great Britain.
They give the two of you respectful nods as they get to work inspecting the engines. Debris floats through the area, bouncing off of walls and people if they aren't careful.
Engineering is a huge area, larger than the entire Deronda, larger than an entire building, and criss-crossed with catwalks and filled with consoles and panels. The entire place is dimly lit from somewhere above, but it isn't clear where. Or how. Alain and Vasquez look alert.
Spot checks, please.
Bridge Team:
The bridge is a long way from engineering. You have some options about how to get there, though. The typical way, considering the lack of power, would be to find an access hatch and climb a ladder. Twenty decks. No problem.
If you force the doors along your route, you will find all sorts of rooms including bedrooms, store rooms, even a large medical bay dimly lit from some unknown source. All of them are marked by debris and various small goods, floating through the area, bouncing off the walls and even you if you aren't careful.
There are also what appear to be elevator shafts, huge tunnels that go up and down. It looks like the elevators may have gone down to the bottom of the ship.
Intelligence, investigate, or survival checks, please. Whichever you prefer.
Since the two teams are splitting up, it would be best if your posts for the time being are in spoiler tags. Obviously this is the honor system, but I'd prefer it if you guys kept to the bits meant for you. Communication between the teams can be done in the open.
Note that this isn't a station, but what was once a huge capital ship, caught in orbit around Sol-B.
As the shuttle approaches the derelict, it becomes obvious why it is adrift: the enormous ship is covered in scorch marks and holes in the hull. These gaping wounds in the ship do solve one problem, at least as there is no need to use a typical airlock. Sensors reveal numerous areas where the shuttle could simply land, some of them hangars, some of them recreational areas now exposed to the void.
Someone, please give me a Computer Use roll to determine just how much information you can gather about the ship with your sensors.
Per your orders, there are four main areas of interest:
-The bridge, which might be able to affect life support, the main computer, and have its logs.
-The computer core, controlling the computer (duh) and possibly the logs
-Engineering, which might be the best place to handle life support and which is where you'll most likely find the members of CT-2
-The medical bays and storage rooms, obvious locations to find salvageable goods.
Sensor scans could reveal other areas of interest too!
You can land the shuttle near most of these places, and once on board you are able to walk between them. For this mission, you can select one mission or duty bundle in addition to your regular gear.
The bundle will have to be returned following the mission. You can change the bundle at any time during the mission, but this does require returning to Deronda as both of its shuttles are currently out. This could be a problem if you find yourselves pinned down...
Apologies for the somewhat abrupt post this time. The next three days will leave me with very little time to post, and I needed to get this posted. I will try to get something posted each day, but I can't promise it. But at least this gives you guys a chance to actually get to know each other! Feel free to post any questions you have, I'll do my best to answer them.
The trip to Sol-B is busy, but uneventful. There is no sign of the aliens, known or unknown, no boarding actions, no mechanical failures on the ship.
The first day is spent passing Pluto's orbit at sub-light. The second day is spent testing the FTL drive. As it activates, there is a momentary sensation of falling, then of being pulled in eight different directions. Then the feeling passes, and the ship and its crew are leaving their own photons behind.
By contrast, coming out of FTL is much more peaceful. If not for the slightest change in the ship's vibrations, it would be imperceptible. The probe is quickly deployed.
An hour later, it discovers something: an unfamiliar energy signature. As the picture resolves on the main screen, it is clear the probe has not found an alien ship. It has found a human one.
Sol-B is immense, the second largest object in the solar system. It is so large that its size is almost incomprehensible. The same cannot be said of the ship, which is merely the size of a city, several kilometers long. It is completely dead in space.
"Well, well," the captain says, turning to Commander Skyllang. "It would seem we need a boarding party of our own."
Guess who's on the boarding party! As contact team 1, the four of you have the following orders: restore power to the ship's computer and life support, download its logs, and scavenge any useful supplies. If necessary, neutralize on-board defenses. CT-2 will be focused on restoring the engines and seeing if the ship itself can be salvaged.
Psionics involve implants directly into the brain, stimulating certain regions that lead to psionic abilities. Even in the future, though, the brain isn't completely understood. Sometimes it just can't take the strain. Or sometimes the implants fail, or the body rejects them. When that happens, usually you get powerless lunatics, vegetables, or corpses. And sometimes everything goes perfectly. Even then, there are usually small personality tics that develop.
Psionic implants aren't illegal, but they are heavily regulated and the Commonwealth frowns on them. Because of the extremely challenging brain surgery involved, there isn't a huge black market, and the government does everything it can to keep things that way.
The opinions of the population are more varied. Some people think they're a great idea and the way that humans will get rid of the aliens (this is a very common view among members of the project). There are religious groups that oppose psionic implants because they are just another example of mankind playing God, or because they reduce a human life to nothing more than a power grab. There are conspiracy groups that say that psionic implants are a mind control plot run by the government, the illuminati, or the aliens. The technology was in its infancy during the Systems war, so it's hard to say how other planets might view them.
Implants are available to members of the Deronda Project. If you decide to go that direction, let's talk about it when you get closer to leveling.
Captain Anish nodded at the questions. "Corporal, we're all heading into the unknown," he said softly. He paused to gather his thoughts. "In the past, the aliens have responded almost immediately and very decisively to forbidden actions. The fact that they have not shown themselves yet despite our vessel being in orbit for several weeks is a mystery, but it does suggest that they are not watching us closely. Perhaps they are not watching us at all."
"Our only information about Sol-B is old. Pre-war. If we encounter the aliens, we will attempt to escape the system rather than fight. If it does come to a fight, I trust every member of this crew to do their duty. Other aliens may be out there as well, yes, and in that case we will try to talk to them."
He smiled. "If we are boarded, then it is a good thing we will be running battle drills, including repelling boarders."
Now the captain turned to Sergio. "For this cruise, we will be traveling with approximately half crew while our colleagues on Earth finish assembling. You will each find duty rosters on your personal consoles in your quarters. It should not be too taxing, but this is an opportunity to know this ship inside and out. The people on this ship right now represent the senior crew, and that will show in the expectations we place on you." Anish gestured to the screen.
"Sol-B was chosen for several reasons. The first is that it represents the farthest point in our system to place a probe, giving Earth as much chance as possible to prepare if the aliens do come. The mass of Sol-B should also hide the probe from their sensors. This distance allows a limited test of sub-light and FTL drives without abandoning the possibility of rescue. Finally, we believe the odds of being detected or encountering the aliens to be quite low at this time, and the difference between stopping at Jupiter or Mars instead of Sol-B is negligible."
At the appointed time, Captain Ramjay Anish steps into the assembly room before the gathered crew. Though it could seat about fifty, only perhaps twenty people were present today. The captain walked to the front of the room, his bearing upright and military. With a touch on a large display, an image of the Sol system appeared with its familiar eight planets. On the left was the sun; far to the right, beyond the planets, beyond Pluto, stood another sphere nearly the size of the sun.
When the captain spoke, his voice was soft and even though the room's acoustics allowed everyone to hear, and lightly accented with his native north Indian tongue. "Welcome aboard, all of you. Some of you I have met, and others I have not. We will have our time to do that. Let's begin."
He pointed to the large object on the right side of the display, which highlighted. "For our shakedown cruise we will be traveling to Sol-B, an object that was nearly a twin to our sun but never managed to become a star. Along the way we will be running battle drills, weapons tests, and intensive diagnostics. We expect to reach our destination in a few days."
Now the view changes so that Sol-B fills the screen, an immense gas giant with bands of multi-colored clouds. A dotted line showed an orbital path. "While there, we will be placing a probe in orbit to watch for the aliens. Then we come home. I trust each of you will handle your tasks well."
He waited for questions before dismissing the crew.
After the briefing, you'll have a day to do whatever you'd like to do. While in flight, Deronda will need maintenance, on-board gear needs regular calibration, the crew will need to handle cabin fever on the shooting range or in the canteen, the hangar can use a deck officer, and there are plenty of consoles on the bridge for people who want a front-row seat.
The things you do on board can matter! If Deronda gets into a fight and someone has run maintenance, bonuses can apply. Well-calibrated gear can give a bonus to using it; time spend carousing with the crew can either make useful friendships or give a little boost in the event diplomacy is called upon in a mission.
We'll arrive at Sol-B tomorrow or the day after. I'm sure it will be a sleepy mission. These kinds of things never have any surprises. Right?
Jennifer smiles at Jazzming's enthusiasm, and takes a bite of her food while the other corporal talks. "Well I'm glad you're happy. But... I'm here as a weapons expert. I doubt I'll get to have any fun with those in our own back yard." She frowns. "I'm pretty sure the captain's gonna be briefing us on the mission. But what is there to tell?" She finishes her food and stands up. "We should get going for that, actually."
Sergio:
Santos grins at Sergio's request. "The way you've been working, ensign, I didn't think you even needed to eat. I nearly ordered you to do that two hours ago. So go, go, I'll have Recruit Davis watch your diagnostic."
No replicators, I'm afraid. The technology exists, it's just incredibly wasteful of power. So they're fairly common on Earth, but Deronda can't spare the energy. There is a chef on board, along with a large amount of fresh provisions. As long as you're in orbit, assume pretty much any food is available. But if Deronda is away from resupply for several months, eventually the crew will be reduced to MREs and protein packs and such.
As Jazzming enters the canteen, one of the off-duty crew, a fellow corporal who came aboard at the same time she did, Jennifer Tate, from Australia, raises a hand in greeting, then beckons her over. "I heard our first mission is just going to be a little spin around Mars. Kind of boring, huh?"
At the height of the Terran Commonwealth, centuries ago, there had been a network of planets, bound together under a common government on Earth. Seemingly alone in the universe, we forged an empire - democratically governed, but an empire all the same. Hundreds of worlds were exploited for the benefit of their new inhabitants, exploited for the benefit of Earth. And through it all ran an armada of starships made possible by the invention of faster than light propulsion.
But then the Systems War came and tore apart that empire and those wonderful vessels. And in the void that followed that war, the aliens came and swept mankind from the stars. No more was there a commonwealth of hundreds of worlds. Now there were hundreds of worlds living in their own isolated darkness, any attempt to fight back, to return to the stars, to take out our rage on our fellow man, ruthlessly suppressed by the aliens.
For two hundred years, we have lived in their shadow, their spire taunting us from the middle of Asia. For two hundred years, we, the people of Earth, have lived as slaves. For two hundred years, the Commonwealth government have bowed their heads to the aliens.
But today we are taking the first step to changing that. We are launching a vessel again. We are returning to the stars. We are fighting back.
The Deronda is a small vessel. At the time of the Systems War, she would have been on the verge of obsolescence, perhaps a light escort for merchant shipping. She was not made for comfort. But these were the only schematics known to survive the aliens. And she is your home now, gleaming steel carbont plating and all.
The ship has four decks, plus the bridge, to serve a total crew of 43. Rumor has it that the ship will not run with even that many for her shakedown cruise, though. In shape, she looks like a bird with wings outstretched.
The bridge is the nerve center of the ship, placed at the bird's head, cramped and filled with controls and displays of every description. In the middle of it all sits the captain, Ramjay Anish, surrounded by the bridge crew manning weapons, science consoles, and engineering readouts. Near the main screen is a bronze plaque, and on the plaque words can be seen to read: "The free ship Deronda, launched 7 August 197 New Calendar. We shall brave the stars for the betterment of all humankind."
Deck 1 is the top of the ship, spread across both wings and the body of the bird. It serves as the armory, shooting range, and supply storage, under the control of quartermaster Gunnery Sergeant Eli Quint. Quint is a large bear of a man, brawny and red-faced, from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, USA.
Deck 2 serves as crew quarters. There are also a canteen, gym, and assembly room in the event the crew needs to gather.
Deck 3 is home to engineering and the main computer systems, under chief engineer Lieutenant Commander Docila Santos, a Peruvian woman from Cusco. Santos is quick-witted and kind, her face no stranger to laugh lines.
Deck 4 is larger than the others and serves as the hangar bay for the ship's two shuttles that brought you on board. Deronda's limited manufacturing ability is found here as well. The hangar is overseen by a deck officer and an enlisted assistant, changing regularly. Because the hangar is very cold, this tends to be unpopular duty.
Your quarters are small and sparse, with a narrow bed, footlocker, bathroom, and a desk with chair. Nothing here to write home about, but maybe it could be spruced up a bit.
You have an hour before the captain will address the crew in the assembly room, at 1600 sharp.
Deronda has been in orbit for a few weeks now. You can have arrived at any time up to today. Feel free to walk the decks, explore the ship, meet people in the canteen (or find something to eat), or whatever else you want to do. Just make sure you're on time for the meeting!
When I originally started thinking about this campaign, the Deronda was a ship that used solar sails and the setting was going to have a Firefly-style planetary system with a couple dozen worlds that were accessible without FTL drive. In the end I decided I wasn't too happy with that and moved toward the current conception.
@Deko Are you planning to make an alt for Jazzming?
@Bogg Liam looks good overall. Be thinking about two or three major cities on Earth he has some familiarity with.
@All Don't forget about your rank! I've changed the system very slightly, but I don't believe it should impact anyone. Please include your rank on your character sheet somewhere.
Rank:
All characters will have a rank. You are welcome to decide whether you are enlisted or an officer. If you decide to be enlisted, your starting rank will be lance corporal (E-2). If you decide to be an officer, your starting rank will be ensign (O-2).
At character creation you may choose to spend an action point to gain a promotion to either corporal (E-3) or sub-lieutenant (O-3), depending on whether you are enlisted or an officer.
Discussion thread now exists. I'll be opening the gameplay thread in a couple of hours, most likely.
@Deko Never fear, more gear picks will come about in time! Remember that you are free to change your gear picks any time you are on or have access to Deronda, and you may wish to decide based on the needs of each mission and the bundles available.
As for the feats, I can't find any references to class requirements, so unless someone knows differently I suppose they're open to anyone.
@Deko You can make the substitution, but I don't believe an extra pick is warranted in this case. The reason why is because the two armors are equivalent for most mechanical purposes, with a +3 bonus. In fact the undercover vest is slightly superior thanks to having a +5 MDB versus the tac vest's +3.
In the SG-1 system the undercover vest is slightly worse because it's vulnerable against an extra damage type and has a bit less DR, so it's cheaper. That said, tell me if you find gear that doesn't seem to justify its cost in gear picks. Like always, I have no problem negotiating that kind of thing.
@Jonny Great! You'll find a wall o' text in the campaign tab to help you make a character. The party could benefit from a doctor or a scientist type, but you can make whatever you'd like.
@Vrog Looks good to me, though it's the Deronda Project, not the Dekonda Project! I like the idea of the boxes. That should allow for some interesting twists.
@All Oh, since the skill point system is slightly different from the standard, all classes that require a certain number of skill ranks to qualify (which I think is all of them) require two fewer in each skill. So if it calls for six ranks in a skill, you only need four. This won't matter for a couple of levels, but it should help with planning.
Gear picks are on top of bundles. So you'll get the basic bundle, some number of bundles depending on the mission, and (for now) 2 picks worth of other gear. You are automatically proficient with the vest and the two weapons in the basic gear, but for better weapons or armor you'll need to have proficiencies (and use gear picks).
Gear's a little bit restricted right now, but that should change as the project, uh, gets off the ground.
I went ahead and added the basic gear rules and some resources, as well as basic bios of some of the people on the Deronda Project. Note that the gear rules are a little rough right now. If you think there's a problem, let me know and we'll figure it out.
@Deko Master's at 19 will certainly get you noticed! The project seems like a perfect fit for her skills.
@Deko Partial BAB progression just means that certain classes gain a fraction of a bonus per level so that multi-classed characters don't miss out on what should be their bonuses.
For example, consider a multi-class charismatic hero/smart hero with one level in each. The character would normally get no bonus because both have +0 for first level. With partial progression, because their BAB table shows they gain +1 every other level, they each technically get 0.5 per level, thus our hypothetical granting a total of +1. Hopefully this makes sense. I know it's not necessarily super clear.
Gear will involve characters earning gear picks and being assigned gear based on the mission. I have a ton of stuff to transcribe from the relevant source book, so the rules aren't up yet. Admittedly I could have done that earlier, but this came together a lot faster than I expected.
I'm willing to bend on this, though. I like the gear picks system for a military organization, but if you guys would rather use regular wealth rules we can do that too.
@Xynen Very nice! It makes perfect sense that delving into forbidden knowledge could lead to people losing family and friends - even if the aliens didn't wipe out humanity in general, just being associated with such things could end poorly (i.e. being converted to atomic vapor). It'll be nice to see how Sergio turns out with the opportunity to be with people who share his goals.
@Vrog Makes sense to me. Royalty, man. Just don't forget that the world's countries still exist, they just have to answer to a higher power now. I have some plans for future plot lines that could make this very interesting.
@All I'll be working on the gear system over the next few days so there should be a big update to the campaign tab once it's ready to go. Take a look at the PL 5 and 6 gear on the SRD, since that's approximately the kind of gear that will be available.
Some things that could be helpful for backgrounds: consider one or two friends and enemies of your character, within the project or otherwise. I'll post small bios of a few people within the Deronda Project and the Commonwealth government, but don't feel confined to the figures.
@Vrog No problem, just make sure there's some reason the family knows about the Deronda Project. Sounds like they might be the kind to keep their ears to ground just in case they find a chance to stick it to the Commonwealth. The other question to ask yourself is whether their anti-government position is about the government itself (a personal grudge), or perhaps a sympathy to some larger movement (anger at the official government line being appeasement of the aliens, or about losing the Systems War, or some similar reason).
@Xynen Characters will start with max hit points. After that we'll do 1/2 HD + 1 + CON bonus.
@Deko All the advanced classes are available unless they use actual magic. Technosavant could be a great asset to the team!
Well, there's no starting location other than Earth, that's true. But a feat that involves influence on Earth could be valuable as well. Secrets can't stay secret forever, after all, and being connected could be a real asset in the future.
As far as salvage, don't forget that other worlds could still benefit from having things to barter. The SG-1 gear picks system technically lies on top of a personal wealth score that mostly involves missions on the homeworld, I just didn't see much reason to add the complexity. If you guys feel there's something to be gained by it, I can incorporate that, too.
Thanks for the pointer, Dragon. Use a 32 point buy, then - I forgot about that difference.
As for wealth feats, if you have something specific in mind perhaps we can convert it to give an extra gear pick point or two. Maybe it turns out you and the quartermaster are old friends, or something.
I'm looking for 4-6 characters for this. I've added at least the basic information to the campaign tab. It's been awhile since I last ran a PbP campaign so I'm sure I've forgotten something or something will be unclear. Please let me know what questions come up during character creation.
Not everything is up yet, of course. I'll be adding information about the Deronda herself, gear rules, etc. as I have time.
