Transmitter: Examination of the transmitter site will find a crude jury-rigged radio transmiiter coupled to a few storage batteries and a small solar array. The array is sufficient to power the radio during the moon's day, while the batteries can power the transmitter for a few hours once the sun has gone down. Examination of the airlock door will reveal a manual hatch, which shows signs of serious seal failure. Inside the airlock, it will be dark and quiet. No airlock systems show signs of power, there is no atmosphere, and the inner hatch will open easily, indicating that there is no air on the otherside. Opening the inner hatch will reveal a small square room with a shaft leading down. There is no signs of life. The room is dark and in vacuum. A ladder leads down the shaft into darkness. Any PC who drops a stone down the shaft to determine its depth will be disappointed, there is no atmosphere to carry the sound of the pebble hitting bottom. Any PC that climbs down the 100ft shaft will find a similar darkened room at the base of the shaft. The hatch out of the room will be wedged open by a corpse. It is the mummified frozen remains of a man in standard shipboard jumpsuit typical of the pre-collapse imperium.

Sweeping the room on the other side of the hatch will reveal a scene of horror picked out in the lights of the PCs vacc suits. Over one hundred men and women lie here in frozen agony. A routine engineering roll will indicate that the seal failure above caused a loss of pressure integrity, the man wedged in the lower door prevented the last survivors from closing the door and maintaing life-support. This is a scene from a nightmare, the referee may want to impose trauma effects on any personnel who view this scene. Sorting through this grave site will locate a small holorecorder and several crsytals clutched in the grasp of a female staff member. These can be reviewed back at the ship using Sid's present. The records tell of the last days of the research station and were made by a Lora Hindraday, the base's computer operator. The base seemed to be involved in research to improve the efficiency of GSBAG manufacturing processes, but no data on the research remains.

132-1132 Pulled another long shift last night, the computer is still acting up, I think those spare parts were fakes, they don't seem to be lasting long, especially the memory and processor cores, although in these times beggars can't be choosers and any spare is better than nothing. We fixed the computer in time for our regular data dump down to the planet. Gasbag's manufacturing secrets might as well be put to good use by someone. Oh my God what was that noise (followed by sounds of a large explosion and falling debris). The recording cuts out then"

133-1132 My God the main reactor has exploded, the main base is gone, we are attempting to move the survivors into the old storage areas, they seemed to have survived the blast. Henrich thinks he can rig a transmitter on the surface to call for help. A rescue ship should be here with a week or so."

134-1132 We are now safely relocated into the old storage areas. The rations are a bit basic, makes national service seem like hotel living. We lost three today from the radiation effects from the blast, but people seem to be coping"

140-1132 No sign of the rescue ship, what's up with these people, didn't we do enought for them, Morale has dropped, but Jetta has kept up hopes by reminding them of the supply ship. It should be hear in two weeks. Henrick has suggested a trip out to the defence emplacement. The MFD contains useful parts, we may even be able to build a sensor or long range communicator. Pity it was not a missile turret, a 300,000 klick laser com would be real useful right now"

142-1132 Henrich and his two companions have not returned. We haven't got enough suits or experienced people to go looking for them. I hope he gets back"

160-1132 No sign of the supply ship either, supplies are getting low, and the group have agreed to go into low berths to survive until rescue arrives. We are just securing the airlock before we set up the low berths"

This was the last recording.

Eye Of The Beast

If the PCs board the launch, they will find it powered down to a minimum setting and in vacuum. But there are four low berths in the cargo area. Examination of the low berths will reveal four men in cold sleep since the early 1130s (according to the readouts). If the PCs transfer the low berths to their ship and revive the men, they will all survive the awakening process and introduce themselves as the remaining crew of the free trader "Honest Profit" out of Lorsch. They claim to have abandoned ship after their ship caught the virus and crashed into the gas giant. The launch was carried as an unofficial small craft in the hold which is why it was not infected. The remaining trader crew perished at the hands of the virus. Examination of their equipment will reveal a few personnal items, a couple of snub pistols (which they will hand over) and a child's present of some coloured shapes.

The men are actually undercover pirates pretending to be remanents. They hope to infiltrate the ship and distrupt ships operations at a critical moment. They will pretend to be helpful and shocked at the results of the collapse. The pirates were picked for their acting ability rather than their combat experience, and as such they are rated as follows: 1 novice; 2 experienced; and 1 veteran. At the critical moment, they will move to engineering and weapons stations in an attempt to take over these areas. They will be armed with plastic knives made from memory plastic. Memory plastic is a TL13 product that will revert to its original shape (a knife). Exposing the plastic to microwaves will cause it to melt into a formless coloured blob (the child's present), a few sharp taps will cause it to revert to its original shape. As they are made out of plastic, the knives are at -1 Pen, and -1 Dam compared to a normal knife. If locked in a stateroom the veteran pirate will attempt to override the electronic lock using bits of the staterooms electronics (at -2 difficulty levels due to the lack of proper tools and equipment). If they don't have access to the knives, they will arm themselves with whatever they can find in the staterooms.

Suspicious PCs may try to find holes in their stories, but they have been well briefed and will only be discovered on an Impossible Interrogation roll. Investigation of the low berths will confirm their story, however if a formidible computer or electronic task roll will pull up the low berths internal maintenance log. This shows that the low berths were activated a few weeks ago, not in the 1130s.

When the PCs are half way through refuelling, a pirate vessel (Guild Vessel: Damocles) will emerge from the clouds of the gas giants upper atmosphere and attack. The Damocles is a modified Bastien class liner (use the stats for the Winged Vengance from Personalities of the Coalition). The sounding of battle stations onboard the Crepuscule will be the signal for the pirates to spring into action. The first round of fire will be subject to a DM of -1 Difficulty levels due to the interference from the gas giants atmosphere. The pirate will freely use its nuclear missiles.

After approximately 10 rds of combat, any PC sensor operator checking the surrounding area will detect an energy signature in the nearby gas giant's rings. PCs may scan the area, the target is medium sized with TL14 EMM. The pirates will be concentrating on the battle. Next round, both ships will be swept by a powerful AEMS pulse from a source rising out of the rings. Any successful scan against the target will reveal a terrifying sight, a 50KTN warship emerging from the rings. Its transponder will identify it as the "SS Triumphal Destiny", a Solomani Heavy Cruiser.

The Destiny will commence firing at long range at the pirate, whom it perceives as an Imperial commerce raider. Firing at the cruiser will be a bad idea, as it will spilt its fire between the two ships. The PCs best course of action is to make maximum speed to the jump point. After the cruiser has destroyed the pirate, it will spend a few rounds deciding what to do next. Then it will identify the Crepuscule as an Imperial standard merchant vessel and a legitimate target. Once the cruiser starts moving it will soon catch up with the PCs unless they jump out.

The Triumphal Destiny is a Doomslayer occupying a TL14 Solomani Scharhorst class heavy cruiser, formally attached to the 122nd Frontier Cruiser Squadron on deep frontier recon when the virus hit. It suffered minor damage destroying its small escort squadron. It is responsible for the bombing of the survivors on the dead worlds in this cluster. Upon entering the "En Livereh" system, its fuel shuttle suffered a M drive failure and disappeared into the depths of the gas giant during a refueling run. The Destiny was stuck, without the shuttle it could not refuel, it decided to power down and conserve what fuel remained until it could infect another ship and transfer its personality or gain another fuel shuttle. This is the reason why the system is still alive.

The Destiny powered down and the virus spent the next sixty years reviewing its memory cores and histroical files. In this powered down state, it failed to notice the occassional free trader quietly refuelling at the gas giant. However, nuclear missile detonations fromn the pirate were hard to miss and the Destiny awoke. In the PCs favour the Destiny only has 4 months of power plant fuel and 12G turns for the M drive, and it has expended all its missiles. If the PCs return this way in a few months the Destiny will be dead and a very useful source of military salvage and possibly a reclaimed vessel for the RCN to use in the forth coming Solee war.

Stats reflecting the Destiny's current condition are presented below: 50KTNs, Size: Medium, Armour 280, J3, M5G, Comp TL14 Fib x 2, No remaining small craft Sensors: 240,000km AEMS, 3 x 480,000 km AEMS, 300,000km ladar. Bridge and auxiliary bridge, 6 TL14 MFDs Weapons: TL14 1,000,000MJ PAW, 12 TL14 150MJ laser turrets. No sand, No missiles

Shelter In A Storm

After a probably desperate jump (see the Eye of the Beast above) the Crepuscule will emerge in the Lorsch System.

Upon arrival in the Lorsch system the PCs will detect the signs of a technological civilization when refuelling at the gas giant (i.e. low power civilian radio broadcasts radiating into space). The Crepuscule will be hailed by radio while still several diameters out from the planet, and a friendly voice will give them a beacon frequency to follow down to the starport. The startport is a bit dilapidated (and was the old downport, but is freshly painted and smart. There is even signs of a TL11 SDB pen. The native are surprisingly friendly especially given the collapse, and it will soon emerge that the planet maintains contacts with free traders operating in this subsector and in the neighbouring subsector within the Hinterworlds. The natives have quite a keen set of merchants and are willing to trade and exchange info from a free trader crew. The starport will repair battle damage and install the TL14 turret + MFD in exchange for a TL11 laser turret and possibly the launch from the Damocles if the PCs kept it. They will also throw in a fuel bladder for a type R merchant giving the Crepuscule a reserve Jump capacity of J1.

Once the locals become aware that the Crepuscule is from the coalition, there will be a flurry of interest both from official government sources and the local media. A local government representative will politely interview the captain and any other crew members who volunteer. He will ask general questions on the RC - number of planets, distance from Sitah, tech levels, government structure, and most importantly do they want to trade. Lorsch has had a noticeable upturn in its economy, and a feel good factor has swept the planet since the arrival of the free traders. The entire planet is keen to develop the fruits of interstellar trade again. This is an excellent time for the PCs to be diplomatic, and do a little ground work for a follow up diplomatic team.

After the government interview, the ship will be swarmed by local reports. Two hours later, a personnel messenger will arrive and hand deliver a written message to the ships captain. It is a request for an interview from a major prime time talk show host to appear that night. The invitations covers the entire crew. Any local ground crew will confirm that this is a major honour as only the biggest stars are normally invited.

If the PCs attend (and their diplomatic protocol handbook will suggest that they do), they will be picked up from the ship in the early evening by a fleet of limosines. Hopefully the PCs will hace remembered their dress uniforms and medals. PCs should note that only weaponry that goes with the dress uniform will be allowed, and even then guns will draw stares, prehaps it is better to stick to the cermonial sword or marine cutlass. After make-up (a strange experience for battle hardened PCs), they will appear on the show as the main guests. It is being filmed before a live audience. The first half of the show will go fine, the host is jovial and polite, and the PCs will be asked questions about themselves, their homes, where they got that medal / scar etc., and the audience will react well to stories of daring do.

Then in response to public demand the host will throw the show open to questions from the floor. This is were it starts to get messy. Most of the audience will be friendly, but a well dressed prosperous looking character near the front will start asking embarassing questions about SAG raids, decaptiation strikes etc. and will show a surprising knowledge of general events within the RC. The host will then ask the PCs if there is any truth in these claims. This is a good time for the PCs to tell the truth, being diplomatic will annoy the audience and hence the greater viewing public. Asking the troublesome character his name will lead to a startling relevlantion: He is a Guild Factor! Smart PCs will rebuff the factors claims, but revealing guild atrocities and slaving raids will be considered tit for tat mud slinging unless the PCs have documentary evidence to back up their claims (video footage of the aftermath of a slaving raid would be explosive). A good performance will do a lot to bring this world into the fold.

Whatever the outcome of the interview, one of the local ground crew will meet the PCs when they are returned to their ship late that night. He will feel a bit sorry for the PCs, they have been okay to him and seem okay sorts of people. He will pass on a potentially vital lead, there are rumours from the free traders that there is a D class starport at Riene. If questioned about the guild factor, he will confirm that he was dropped off by a bastien class liner that passed through about two months ago heading coreward. They did some minor trading, but did not seem to have much in the hold. If gently prodded, he will remember the ships name, it was damocles.

Presenting this information (which can be backed up by the starport records) together with sensor data from the battle will transform the political situation and get the guild banned from the planet. The PCs must remember that at TL5 the Lorsch government may have trouble reading the sensor data.

The Blessed

Vendtup station appeared to be another low tech low population non entity, when the low grade densiometer fitted to the Crepuscule picked up a strange reading moving fast (200kph) over one of the island chains. A difficult sensor task roll will determine that the reading is from a small volume of very high density. A difficult sensor or physics task roll will realise that such a reading could be generated by a superdense structure.

If the PCs descend near their strange sensor reading, it will swerve away, increase speed to 300kph and drop down to close to sea level and soon lose itself amongst the sensor cluter of the islands. If the PCs land near the one town, they will not be detected unless they land in the middle of the town square. The locals are mainly agricultural TL5. Due to the small size of the population (even the town has a population of no more than 2,000) the PCs will probably soon be recongnised as outsiders, and experienced covert operatives amongs the PCs will realise this on a routine recon or intelligence roll.

If the PCs land covertly and attempt to sneak in, they will be recognised within a day, especially if they enter the town or one of the numerous villages. When they are recognised, people will scream, and women will usher their children indoors. The PCs will be rapidly confronted by a raging mob who will initial attempt to drive them out of town using thrown stones and other objects. They will not come close to the PCs. If the PCs actively resist or merely refuse to leave, some of the mob will disperes, only to return a few minutes later with a variety of TL5 civilian firearms (hunting rifles, shotguns, any be the odd pistol). They will fire over the heads of the PCs, but will actively return fire if the PCs shot any of them. A difficult linguistics roll will deermine what the mob is screaming (their local dialect has diverged somewhat from standard Angalic). They are shouting "Plague, Unclean etc."

If the PCs announce their intention to land near one of the villages, i.e. radio broadcast, they will be grudgingly allowed to land, but ordered to remain in their ship. Once the PCs land, a small group of militia will surround the ship. The militia are dressed in old imperial era, biowarfare suits. They will erect a tent over the airlock and place some cages outside the airlock, they will then back away. A curt radio message will inform the PCs to take the caged animals into their ship and bring them out after 24 hours. Any attempt to open the airlock at any other time will be met with an armed response. The PCs may be worried that the locals are trying to introduce something dangerous onto the ship, but the animals are only local versions of canaries, if they die, the ship must be contaminated.

After 24 hours, the PCs can place the animals back outside, where they will be picked up by the militia and taken to another tent. A few minutes later the PCs will get another radio message, they can come out of their ship, but they are to leave their weapons inside. Cautious PCs may hide weapons on their persons or leave a skeleton crew aboard. Once the PCs leave the ship, the militia (still wearing theie bio suits) will request the PCs line up infront of another militia member who is holding a fire hose. The PCs will then be hosed down. This may affect any delicate electronics or weapons the PCs are carrying. They will then be told to strip off, dry themselves and put on some supplied local clothes. The PCs will be watched by the militia closely - mainly from curiousity. It will take a formidable dexerity roll to swap an item from one set of clothing to another without someone seeing. If they are caught attempting to hide weapons, they will be told to leave immediately, other items will be confiscated. Once they are changed, they will be driven into town on the back of a farm lorry.

Arriving at the town, the lorry will be driven through the streets. The locals are curious but afraid, and the lorry will be watched from indoors. The town is a curious mixture of high technology building whose materials have not been affected by the elements even after 70 years, but with TL5 doors and other fixtures (including chimneys). The PCs will be dropped off outside the Temple of Tarin where they will be met by a junior priest. They will then be ushered inside and taken to see the ruling council of priests. The PCs will be lead into a comfortable room divided by a curtain, movement can be heard behind the curtain. Their guide will ask them to sit. The priests are behind the curtain and are reluctant to come any closer than necessary to potentiallu unclean off-worlders. The PCs will then be asked some basic questions (with their guide acting as interpreter) such as who they are, where have they come from, what do they want.

If the PCs say they are traders, the priests will be happy and will arrange for the PCs to be given a small suite of rooms in the temple whilst they make a decision. The rooms consist of what is obviously the groundskeepers rooms and are a local woodbuilt cottage- but reasonable comforatble. If the PCs announce that they are representatives of the RCES, the priests will be very interested, and will again retire to confer whilst the PCs rest. Tarin has been listening into the interview via his holographic projector equipment. If the PCs are pretending to be merchants, Tarin is quite willing to let the locals trade for things (subject to church approval i.e. no guns, slaves etc.) and the PCs will soon have a list of TL5/6 equipment that the locals would like to obtain. They have agricultural produces, some handcrafts and a few basic ores to trade. The priesthood will however insist on a small donation to prove the PCs good faith and they will be presented with a page torn from an old imperial era medical catalogue - it is an advert for TL15 anti-aging drugs. They suggest a small quantity should be brought back with the trade goods. The PCs will be allowed to ship goods to Vendtup Station, and each time the church will ask for a donation of high tech luxury goods, which will be passed on to Tarin.

If the PCs have announced they are RCES representatives Tarin will try and kill them. He will fly the houseboat over the PCs rooms at about 2am and fire repeated laser bursts into the roof of the cottage. He will fire approx 12 bursts before the power runs out. Tarin is an ex government paper pusher who has spent the last thirty years bossing about some TL5 locals and has no clear idea of the effectiveness of modern military equipment (if the PCs managed to bring any). If there are any PCs still on the ship, they will be able to monitor the area with the ships sensors. An routine active scan or a difficult passive scan will detect the houseboat descending.

The ships weaponry will easily demolish the houseboat, but the PCs will then be treated as murderers, and any unarmed PCs in the town may have a hardtime getting out. Use of the lauunch or another grav vehicle will allow the PCs to board the houseboat and overcome Tarin, who is armed with a snub pistol and should be considered a novice NPC. If the PCs kill Tarin and show the contents of the houseboat to the gathering crowd, the sight of the body parts will cause wide spread revulsion in the crowd, and cause most of the three man elderly priesthood to suffer from shock. Over the next few days, the population will spilt into two factions, the larger more moderate faction will be repelled by Tarin's excesses and try to establish a secular society (lead by the junior priest that acted as the PCs guide), the smaller group (only numbering about 100) will become Tarin fanatics. In an act of rebellion they will attempt to recover artifacts from the church and then burn it down. They will also try to steal the houseboat if it will still fly but will end up crashing it into the burning church. The resultant blaze will destroy about half the town unless the PCs can do something about it, and the fanatics will cause severe disruption to the planet and hinder its recovery for decades to come. If the PCs capture Tarin, he will suffer a final nervous breakdown, and the fanatic faction will not form.

If the missionaries from the Church of Urbain are onboard they will ask the PCs to leave them here and they will minister to the confused citizenry. They ask that the PCs inform the church of their location and arrange for them to be resupplied every so often.

The PCs can now refuel and jump to Torrel.