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AN ADVENTURE SHELL FOR THE NEW ERA:

The following is intended to provide some ideas and background
for referees running Star Vikings campaigns.  Is it of any use to
any body?

In 1115:

Quarry DI2933 B99A343-F    Ni Wa Lo Rs A      104 Im M9 V

     RS Alpha, on Quarry in Diaspora P (Khulam), was a large
underwater research facility investigating the diverse marine
ecology of the planet.  It also served as a test bed for a number
of advanced submarine craft and equipment designs -- non-military
in nature, of course, but high-tech and with potential
applications on other water worlds.  Additionally, the basic
research conducted here promised exciting payoffs in terms of
underwater techniques, technologies, and a better understanding
of water worlds in general.
     The pre-Collapse population of Quarry consisted primarily of
scientists, technicians, and starport personnel.  The planet
itself has a 98% water/water ice surface; its atmosphere has a
high oxygen content requiring protective equipment to prevent
oxygen intoxication.  A large moon exerts strong tidal forces on
the planet and, like most water worlds, the planet itself is
subject to violent, tsunami-like storms.
     It is assumed that the scientists of RS Alpha were evacuated
or departed Quarry sometime during the Hard Times.  The starport
is known to have been hit several times by corsairs.  The
possibility exists, however, that some equipment at RS A was left
behind, and, due to the underwater location of the station,
remains intact and available for recovery by RCES personnel.

     RCES administrators admit that this is not a very likely
possibility, but are willing to assign a small team to recon the
station, cold recover interesting (and portable) items of
equipment, and tag anything else for later extraction if such a
course seems worthwhile.  The PCs' team is given the mission,
such data as is available (the above notes), and some TL 8-12
SCUBA gear.

REFEREE'S BACKGROUND:

In 1200:

Quarry DI2933 X99A252-3    Ni Wa Lo         B 404 Wi M9 V

     The player info given above is incorrect in one respect:
the station was not completely evacuated, even in the face of a
nominal Solomani occupation, repeated corsair attacks on its
starport, and the Virus.
     Among the research endeavors here was a gene-mod program
intended to produce an amphibian human strain capable of extended
periods of underwater activity.  A small population of these
"mermani" exists, along with the descendants of their intended
"trainers" -- the intelligent dolphins genginereed by Terrans
during the Second Imperium.  The mermani now roam the seas in
small family groups, basing themselves around islands, reefs, or
on small boats; their dolphin partners serve as guides, scouts,
and occasionally "mounts" (actually, the "rider" merely holds on
to a set of reins and is pulled along behind the dolphin, if you
can believe that).  The mermani do not have gills, but can
somehow "hold their breath" for periods of up to 12 hours.  They
have large webbed feet and webbed hands, no external ear, and
flattened noses which reflexively "seal" when underwater.  They
otherwise resemble standard strain humans.  Their hearing extends
into the range utilized by their dolphin companions.
     Other communities of standard strain humans exist on some of
the scattered islands on-planet; the largest is at the ruins of
the starport.  These natives are somehow immune to the harmful
aspects of the atmosphere--PCs may chalk this up to adaptation,
but it is actually the work of self-replicating "scrubber"
nanomachines, living as symbiotes in the natives' bloodstreams.
A Quarrian blood sample might be the most valuable thing a Star
Viking team could recover from this world, as it would be
possible to breed the things for injection into other humans.
However, the nanomacs aren't 100% safe -- sometimes they cause
problems for their host (see Adventure Plots, below).
     The natives at Starport Village are the descendants of the
scientists who survived the Collapse here on-planet.  Realizing
their predicament, the original survivors emphasized establishing
a viable low-technology culture.  The present government relies
on "Consuls" selected by a consensus of the community (there are
no elections as such; a man or woman of sufficient experience or
talent is simply acclaimed or accepted as Consul, much as
Kentucky colonels were once appointed).  Education, in addition
to survival skills, provides most children with a grasp of basic
science.
     The Starport Villagers rely on a local seaweed to create
alcohol-based fuel for their generators and other equipment
(mostly fabricated from material scavenged from the starport) and
have a small cache of TL 15 sensor and commo equipment, including
a handheld densitometer and an NAS set.  They may be willing to
sell these, in exchange for items of real or practical value.
The decision to sell, however, will be made in council if at all,
and there will be a faction against the trade on principle.
As a community, the Starport Villagers are practical, honest, and
level-headed, with a great deal of pride in their heritage as
scientists and challengers of the unknown.  The referee can
either play it straight, or play 'em for laughs:  imagine
Gilligan's island where _everyone_ acts like the Professor.
     The site of RS Alpha is about 100 km from the small island
on which the starport existed.  It is on the sea floor, several
hundred meters beneath the ocean surface, near where the seabed
slopes abruptly downward into abyssal deeps.  It is essentially a
framework of cylindrical modules, each about 10 m in diameter and
50 m long, linked by elbow-, tee-, and cross-shaped connectors
and laid out in a haphazard, almost maze-like configuration.

UPON ARRIVAL

     Detecting the research station's location from orbit is very
difficult with standard sensors (Formidable: Sensors).  Reduce
the difficulty level by one if the crew uses a densitometer while
scanning.  However, the first pass over the planet will detect IR
signatures from the old starport consistent with a low tech
chemical power plant of some kind.  Apparently, this world has
survivors!
     If the PCs stay in orbit for more than a few hours, it is
possible that the Starport Villagers will use relic technology to
send a radio message to the PCs ship.

     "Come in, alien ship...come in...this is Romeo Sierra Alpha,
calling unidentified craft in orbit...how do you read, over?"

     The referee must decide how likely this is; the villagers
will have to detect the ship through a dense atmosphere using
only TL 3 telescopes (unless the referee decides that one of the
Consuls has a pair of relic binoculars).

GETTING TO THE STATION

     At this point, it is up to the players to decide what to do.
If they were unable to detect the station's location, they will
have to go the natives and ask.  If they have located the
station, they may or may not contact the natives, either before
or after investigating the station.  Possibilities:

1A)  The Starport Villagers know of the station, but not its
precise location.  However, they have contact with the mermani,
who trade with them, and will introduce the PCs and act as
translators and help them negotiate with the mermani.  They may
demand some form of consideration or remuneration, and it is
possible that the deal could include some of the high-tech cache
owned by the Starport Village.

1B) While negotiations are under way, the daughter of one of the
Consuls (as the leading men and women of the village are called)
falls very ill with the "lung sickness".  The disease is
mysterious and almost inevitably fatal.  Its symptoms are
consonant with oxygen shortage or hypoxia.  If the Arsies can
cure her, the Consul will be very grateful and help the team
however he can.

[This is a good way for the players to discover the nanomacs the
natives possess.  Apparently, the girl's symbiotes are not
releasing sufficient oxygen into her bloodstream; she is short of
breath and will eventually lapse into a coma.  Brain damage may
occur if a cure is not found.  Possible options include filtering
the girl's blood so that it is free of nanomacs (though this
would mean that the girl can no longer live on her world without
a filter mask) or giving her a transfusion of normal blood with
healthy nanomacs.  The referee must decide whether any of the
player's plans will work.]

1C)  The mermani will agree to lead the PCs to RS Alpha, but will
not enter, as they believe it to be cursed.  In exchange, they
will demand some "strong ocean medicine"; that is, an item of
technology which can be used underwater and which is truly useful
to an essentially sea-dwelling culture.  If the PCs can't think
of, or do not possess, such an item, the mermani will swim away,
muttering about starmen who will not share their magic.

                                    OR

2A)  The land-dwelling Quarrians know where the station is, due
to old maps and journals, and will provide transport to the site
(via a small but seaworthy sailing vessel).  Dangers en route
include hostile mermani attacks, large flying predators, and
mechanical difficulties with the Starport Villager ship.  Once at
the location, the Quarrians promise to remain on station as long
as possible, but (see those clouds?) a storm seems to be on its
way.

2B) During the dive, the PCs are attacked by either some sort of
marine predator (perhaps a marine filter that moves by hydraulic
jet propulsion, sucking in anything that happens to be in the
way) or a "vampire sub" -- use the stats for PR 317 robot on p.
262 of the TNE manual, but give it only tranq ammo and call it a
"remote piloted submersible".

     In any event, the PC team will eventually arrive at the site
of the research station.  They make their dive, and discover....

INSIDE RESEARCH ALPHA

     The following possibilities are presented for referees to
consider as examples of what might await the team inside Research
Alpha.  In most cases, the team will enter through an airlock or
a "diving chamber", in which divers enter an air-filled module
through a hole in the floor, which (from inside the module) seems
to be a pool of water.  In some cases, the team will be able to
enter through a hull breach.
     There are a few interesting and potentially recoverable
items here, including perhaps a TL 15 auto med, two or three hand
computers (Virus nests?), deep sea diving suits (as protective),
TL 15 vehicle batteries intended for submersibles (100 hr
duration), and whatever else the referee feels is reasonable.
     If the referee has any remnant NPCs he wishes to introduce,
the medical low berths in sick bay are a good place to put them.

1)  The station was hit by a Suicider virus which destroyed the
station's data stores and automated systems, but left everything
else largely intact.  The scientists were able to evacuate to the
planet's surface fairly easily; while the station is dank, dark,
and cold, there are no bodies or other signs of Virus-committed
mass murder.
     The team will have to find and restore power to the basic
environment and life support systems unless they prefer to rely
on flashlights.

2)  The station was hit by a Samson-strain virus which not only
scrambled data but flooded some modules, raised oxygen levels in
others in order that a spark would cause an explosion, and caused
remote submersibles to ram still others.  The team may be able to
enter through a hull breach.  There are bodies in most of the
modules and full life support cannot be restored to all modules.

3) The station was hit by an Empire Builder virus which is still
active and which will attempt to lure the PCs into a trap of some
kind -- generating a woman's voice over the intercom:  "My God,
is there somebody there?  Please come help us, we're trapped!"
Canny PCs will be put on guard, and the Virus will attempt to
kill or drive off the intruders by flooding chambers, raising and
lowering air pressure, or whatever else you can think of.  The
PCs should be able to find and destroy the Virus' location in the
main computer, but they should feel as if they're racing the
clock to get there.  The Virus may have other tricks up its
sleeve, as well, perhaps including labor droids now wired for
mayhem, so to speak.

WRAPPING IT UP

Once the PCs have finished exploring the station, they can take
what they want and head back to their ship.  The referee may
introduce complications as desired, including offended native
sensibilities and natural disasters.  Otherwise, they return to
base, where members of a rival NPC team make fun of them for
going on a "cakewalk mission".

Bill White
[email removed]