Some say that the destruction of New Thebe was the event that decided the war. Others argue that it just sealed the rebellions fate. All agree that it was a devastating tragedy.
In the last year of the war, both the Alliance and the Confederation had taken heavy losses. The war had come to a standstill, and a large deadlocked no-man's zone had been formed between the outer and the inner system. In a daring bet to end the war, the alliance send a large strikeforce to jump behind the enemy lines and attack their capital, in order to force a surrender. Jumping this far without guidance is never without danger, and several ship's, including the Admiral's flagship, were never seen again.
Command fell to Captain Grenard, and the mission was continued. Most of the Confederations ships were tied up at the front, leaving only a small garrison avaible to protect that capital. They fought valiantly, but where eventually overwhelmed. New Thebe's defense sattelites were torn down, New Athena's shipyards were bombarded and the Confederation was, at the threat of orbital bombardement, forced to surrender. Unfortunately, the Confederations tactical AI, designed to defend the system, did not agree with this. As the fleet made it's way down to the surface to accept the surrender, it activated the planet's nuclear arsenal. Captain Grenard's fleet, New Thebe and it's 2.3 billion inhabitants all dissappeared in a blazing light. The bombardement was so heavy that it destroyed the planet's entire ecosystem, and even shattered parts of the crust. To this day, the planet remains unliveable.
This all did not end the war as the Alliance had hoped, but it broke the spirit and the organisation of their contendors. There would be several more, larger battles in this sector, but this battle is the one everyone remembers. The other battles have left their traces too, and it's between those wreckages that you search for new weaponry, and interesting things to procure. Your cargo holds are empty enough, since you dropped of the colonists on a planet in a nearby system. The godess must be smiling on you, because as soon as you come close to the debris field, you immediatly spy a half of a supply shuttle drifting slowly out of the main field of debris. (Which, unlike the scrapyard, isn't all that dense) It turns out to contain a single heavy pulse rifle (Standard gun which uses an electrical pulse system to improve firerate and accuracy, as well as reducing jams and overheating risks in vacuum) as well as a single lightweight armored EVA suit. (Includes heat management system). Your just about to continue your search when you get a huried warning from one of the locals. Apparently, the entire field is mined. You bail out quickly and continue the flight towards the nearest dockyard.
The shopping list you find there is extremely limited for such a developped system. You also notice that several prices are incredibly inflated. The trading station is almost abandonned, another strange thing for such a large station. Since there's not much usefull right here, you decide to visit the colonists in the neighbouring system.
The system, called Vanguard, was turned into the military stronghold of the rebellion after the fall of New Thebe. It sustained heavy bombardement, and was reopened only recently. Most of the planets are still uninhabitable, but some moons are fine. In fact, the choice is between on of the moons of the gasgiants, which have been barely terraformed, or one of the planet's moon, which are more habitable, but lack acces to the asteroid belts.
((I ponder the possibility of setting up a suggestion game where you play the colonists. Probably not going to do it))
Missiles
- Emergency flare (Longe range, large, slow ,thermic payload designed to show up on radar screens) :50
- Skiff missile (Designed to confuse enemy targetting, slow, short ranged) : 20
Weaponry:
No weaponry avaible
General:
Fuel: 3.5 credits each
Food: 1.5 credits each
Simple tools: 365
Advanced tools: 650
Resources: (A system repair will need about 10 of these, with difference on how complicated they are)
Simple electronics 14/unit
Electronics 32/ unit
Complex electronics: 86/unit
LQ resources: 2/unit
MQ resources: 14/ unit
Hull plating:
Dunarim light hull plating: 1.5/unit
Teladine hull plating: 7.5/unit
Zeus (Large gasgaint)
-New Athena
-Several other moons
Asteroid belt
Hephaistos (Gasgiant)
-New Thebe
-Ganymede
-Callisto
-Several other moons
Asteroid belt
Midnight
Prodistum-23
Gas giant
Gasgiant
- Asteroid belt
- Asteroid belt
- Barren planet [Bombarded]
- Aquatic planet [bombarded]
-Moon (light bombardement)
- Terrestial, planet [bombarded, thick+ poisonous planet]
-Moon: [Habitable]
Vanguard
The supply ship that normally provides food and other supplies to a number of colonies in the outer rim has never arrived. In order to prevent an impeding food shortage, the Jaltan colonies have decided to travel to the inner systems (or as close as you can get within a reasonable timeframe) in order to oversee the deliverance of supplies themselves. They know need someone to take the supplies back to their colonies.
The Oddysea coorporation is willing to give a large bounty to whomever is willing to look for their lost Jumpship Surveyor, which is apparently lost somewhere beyond the known systems. The last message dates back to 2 weeks ago, and seems to indicate a problem with their primary jump drive. (Message delivered by partly fragmented Jump drone*)
Many traditionall shipping compagnies have refused to do cargo runs towards planets near the Quarantined zone, fearing that another increase of the Quarantine might lock them in. As such, the planets near the zone are undersupplied, and many people are trying to leave.
There's still the investigation of the station near the Galven system.
A colony ship heading for the outer rim is trying to buy some cheap protection. They haven't got much, and their ship is completely undefended, and largely unarmored.
An archeology site near the Galven system has gone silent. Their main benefactor would like you to check up on them, to see if everything's alright.
Credits: 2000
Merchants: Acquinted
MMC: Acquinted
Military: Not trusted
Sector Police: Currently being registered
A large Alliance Cruiser, dating back to the war. Modified and refitted by the crew. The ship's painted in light blue, with several spots and stripes added to aid in visual deception. There are several fake spots on the wings, and stripes to make the ship appear longer. The Engines are painted in a blue/white combination, matching the color of the engine exhaust(in space, in the air it's quite obvious if the engines are on or not). The top bridge is flanked by 2 stars, painted in orange and black. On the sides, the name of the ship is painted in big friendly letters.
Armour: Depleted, several holes ( 4490 Good. 1220 damaged, 310 Teladine)
Structural: 1800/3000
Power supply: 4.5/7 (5/5 storage)
Fuel: 212/2000
Crew: 30 (1 wounded)
-2 Pirate faction A
Subsystems:
-Weaponry:
- 4 Lasers
Integrity:60/60; Power: 1/2
- 4 Rail guns
Integrity:60/60; Power: 0/1;Ammunition: 1 slugs, 2 arrow, 20 fighter shells
- Turrets: [3/4 mounted]
Plasma cannon turret
Integrity:15/15 Power: 0.5/0.5
Quad fighter railgun turret
Integrity:15/15 Power: 0.25/0.25 Ammuntion: 400/400
Flak cannon
Integrity:15/15 Power: 0.1/0.1 Ammuntion: 20/50
- 4 Missile launchers
Integrity:60/60; Missiles: 11/20
-Tow missile (1)
-Mosquito missiles (2)
-4 aegis missiles (Very fast, agile, Very low payload)
-2 Zephyrus Orbit to air missiles (slow, large target, laser guided, High payload)
-2 Wasp missiles (fast, unguided, small payload)
-Control
BridgeIntegrity: 20/20 Manned; MQ computing system; Cargoship OS
Automated sensor systems: Online (+2 to targetting and detection)
-Sensors
-MQ Passive sensor:online
Integrity: 30/30
-MQ Active (Targetting) sensor: online
Integrity: 40/40
-Lifesupport
Integrity: 60/60;Power use: 1/1; Heat: Normal (0/20)
-Reactors
4/7:Online;Integrity:40/40;
3/7:Offline;Integrity:2.5/40;
Civilian Pulse reactorOnline Integrity: 20/20
Battery Integrity: 10
-Jumpdrive
-Jumpcore
Integrity: 75/80Charge: 50%
-Jumpcontrol:
Integrity: 40/40;Manual control;Slow automatic calc
-Jumpcapacitors
Integrity: 26/80; Tertiary capacitor only Power: 1/3
-Engines
- Main engines (1/2 working)
Engine one: Integrity: 50/50 Power: 1/1
Engine two: Integrity: 5/50 Power: 0/1
-Auxilary thrusters
Integrity:40/80;4/8 Online Power: 0.5/1
-Docking bay (4/4)
-Cargo shuttle (142/400 fuel)
Integrity: 80/80;Armor: 200/200; Cargo:000/1000
-"Red Rocket" (Lamprey class boat) (43/100 fuel)
Integrity: 60/60;Armor: 60/60; Railguns: Online;Ammo: 100/100 Cargo:0/10
-Pirate Fighter (20/50 fuel)
Integrity: 60/60;Armor: 20/20; Missiles(2/2): Handmade Missile Cargo:0/20
-Pirate Fighter (20/50 fuel)
Integrity: 60/60;Armor: 20/20; Missiles(2/2): Handmade Missile Cargo:0/20
-Cargo Bays (5)
-Cargo bay Alpha
Integrity: 100/100; Cargo:1250/1250
-Cargo Bay A
Integrity: 40/40; Cargo:200/200
-Cargo Bay B
Integrity: 40/40; Cargo: 200/200
-Cargo Bay C
Integrity:40/40; Cargo: 200/200
-Cargo Bay D
Integrity:40/40; Cargo: 200/200
Other:
-Medbay [0/10 People; Decent equipment. Supplies:5/10]
-Habitation
-Common room
-10 4 people chambers
-2 20 people chambers
Cargo: (1892.1/2050)
468 units of food (1 unit per crewmember per day) [184]
Plenty of low quality scrap metal and damaged armour/hull plating [135]
5 Cargo protection
44 duranim [44]
5 Teladine [5]
10 units of cheap electronics[1]
10 units of MQ resources[11]
31 spacesuits (Modified emergency suits, not that durable, nor usefull.) [3.1]
1 Mechanized space suit [0.5]
475 units of railgun ammunition [Scrap Based, S] [47.5]
25 Hollow rail gun shells [Scrapbased, L] [25]
-Water [25/25]
8 ballista arrows [Scrap based, M] [4]
10 ballista arrows [Scrapbased, Hardened arrow head ,M] [5]
9 HD slugs [Scrapbased, L] [9]
Advanced tools [20]
2 Crawler drones [10]
3 Hand made missiles(Slow, unguided, Medium payload) [Unreliable] [3]
2 Poltergeist missiles (stealth, fast, self guided, 2 stage missile, no payload)[8]
1 box of medicine [1]
HQ rations (=200 rations. Note: doesn't include water and stuff)[1]
Damaged Original reactor [200]
AI core [1]
Short use (Dodging, in area short movement)
- Cargo shuttle: 5 fuel
- Lamprey: 1 fuel
- Auxilary engines: 1.25 each
- Main engines: 10 each
Medium use(Exploration of sector, moving between relatively close sectors)
-Cargo shuttle: 10 fuel
- Lamprey: 5 fuel
- Auxilary engines : 2.5 each (Note, even at the best of times you can only use 4 due to their placement)
- Main engines : 15 each
Long term use (Moving between relatively far away sectors)
-Cargo shuttle: 25 fuel
- Lamprey: 10 fuel
- Auxilary engines : 7.5 each (Note, Even at the best of times you can only use 4 at once due to their placement)
- Main engines : 25 each
-John Gibson (TylerTheCreator)
-Gunner
-Promtho (Terra 162)
-Engineer
-Diana Banks (Ukrainian Ranger)
-Diplomat
-George William Gyralt (GreatWyrmWold)
-Doctor
-Legion McCaffee (Dariush)
-Mechanic
Max Lukasson (Tophat)
-Pilot
-Baxter (Hubris Incalculable)
-Computer Technician
Charlie Phelps (The Card)
-Field medic
Shia Trotsky (GotdamnMiracle)
-Recon
-Lightweight armored EVA equipment (+4 defense, fire resistant)
David Chapel
-Head of personnel
Domas (Aseaheru)
-EVA
-Pulse rifle
If you want an action executed by the crew, just type and bold it. If you want it to be done by your character, please explicitedly state so, and use bold +Italics.
Character actions might be ignored during conflicts or for secret GM reasons.
Anyway, going to list combat modifiers just because I can. These are not used in the previous encounter, because the system wasn't ready. These can be subject to additional modifiers from player actions.
For targetting:
Cruiser class weaponry: - 4
No targetting computer: -1
Laser weaponry: +2
Plasma weaponry: +4
MQ targetting sensor: +1 (No sensor= -2)
Evasive manoevres: +2 (Requires thrusters)
Cruiser: -2
Frigate: -1
Corvette:0
Damage:
Cruiser class weaponry: + 4
Depends on rail gun ammo: +X
Cruiser class medium armor: +6
armor damage: -2
Forgot that.
...ebbor, how common are AIs? Common enough that it's completely normal for an old cruise ship to have one and a sign of our poverty that we don't, rarer than gold, somewhere in between?
Common enough that everyone knows they exist, but incredibly rare. This is probably the first one you see in your lives.
Do note that there's a difference between an AGI (artificial general intelligence) and just a generic AI. The first has a personality, and is pretty much equivalent to humans, while the second is an automated quasi intelligent program which can improve itself.
Here some short descriptions on how the weaponry you posses works, and it's usefullness.
Standard sidearm: (whatever you want it to be.)
(Upgraded) Laser blasters: Simple and cheap weaponry. Uses a chemical reaction to create a somewhat powerfull laser. Batteries last long and can be recharged. Sadly, due to cheap lenses and a fairly weak laser, these are neither accurate nor particulary deadly.
Heavy welder: Modified welding instrument. Uses a heavy, but portable chemical power source, to create a glob of plasma and ionized air and often some metal, which it slings at the target. Reloading is fairly complicated, and has to happen after every shot. Quite deadly, especially when used in pressurized environements.
Laser welder: Stronger version of the laser blaster, normally used for welding. Uses a stronger laser and slightly more accurate lenses, making it a bit more dangerous.
Pistol: Similairy to contemporary pistols, but with modified ammuntion to work in vacuum. Note: Barrel warns up rapidly after repeated fire in vacuum.