The following adventure idea is submitted for the perusal of TML readers.
If
anyone uses it I would certainly like to hear how it was altered to fit into
a
particula campaign and how the adventure was resolved.
AURORA RCES HQ - Khulam Subsector Directorate
Intel indicates elements of the Kide (3131/Khulam) local military are
seeking offworld assistance in the overthrow of the current TED. Team is
needed to contact insurgent agent(s) to confirm intel and if possible to
asist
in coup.
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KIDE COUP
Intel is passed to the players about a senior Kide army officer seeking
offworld help. If the group is RCES they will simply be assigned the
mission.
If the are free lancers this info (a possibly lucretive if dangerous job)
will
come their way via a government or Free Merchant contact.
The initial part of the scenario will involve travel to the Kide system,
avoiding the Kide sig-delts, making their way planet-side, and contacting the
army officer - one General Edmond. One way to get onto Kide would be travel
with Free Merchant contacts (although such will expect payment of some sort)
or posing as merchants themselves.
Once on the world finding Edmond will be easy - just ask any military
personnel who will direct the PCs to the starport cantina. Edmond will
initially question PCs to assure their trustworthyness and if assured will
offer ship parts (stored at a starport warehouse for assistancwe with his
plan. Whatever the agreement he will provide 10% upfront and the rest upon
success of his planned coup.
His plan involves having the group contact elements of the army, loyal to
Edmone, currently stationed in the jungles west of the Kargamir Sea. Once a
signal is r4eceived from Edmond the PCs will lead these forces in a
diversionary attack on the starport (keeping damage to a minimun) with the
PCs
used to neutralize the Imperial Guard. This will hopefully result in some of
the Imp. Gd at Arturo's residence to be sent as reinforcements and allow
Edmond to take Arturo.
A day or two after they make contact the army unit will come under fierce
attack from guerrillas. These guerrillas are led by one of the two remaining
TEDs left after Arturo united Kide. Unless the PCs are extremely careful(or
lucky) they will fall into the hands of these guerrillas. This is not all
bad
as the TED may easily be convinced to join the coup with his forces taking
the
place of the recently defeated army unit.
Before agreeing to such an attack the TED has a test for the PCs. During
the period of civil wars one of the leaders established an ammo cache in the
mountains south of the Kargamir. The TED has a mpa showing its location and
he wants the group to travel there with four of his men. The cache is no
doubt protected by automated defenses and while his men wait outside the PCs
are to enter the cache and disarm the defenses and return with as much ammo
as
possible.
To this end the group will stop at a village along the way and acquire pack
animals - obviously the guerrillas are for simply taking the animals, the PCs
may choose other options. Travel through the mountains to the cache should
be
fairly easy with maybe one fauna encounter and possibly another encounter
involving a difficult crossing on the mountain path. The cach is protected
by
a TL9 retinal scanner locking system which requires lockpicking tools for a
Difficult: Intrusion task (lock quality has deteriorated due to age) to
bypass
the system. BTW from MegaTraveller:
Lockpick Set: Allows picking of ordinary locks by a dextrous and skilled
user. Lockpicks are illegal on most worlds; on such worlds the cost rises to
Cr100 or more.
A lockpick set of a given Tech Level cannot be used against types of locks
of
higher Tech Levels, but it may be used against a lock of higher TL if it is
equipped to deal with that type of lock. For example, a TL6 kit cannot be
used against electronic locks since these begin to appear at TL7. However the
same kit could be used against a TL7 deadbolt lock, albeit at a slight
disadvantage; the difference in Tech Levels could be used as a DM to the
success roll.
TL Vol Weight Price
- --------------------------------------------------------
5 0.5 liters 0.25 kg Cr10-100
The cach is also guarded by a few automated laser defenses, etc. -
Difficult: Observation to locate. The contents include vast stores of
ammunition and a G-Carrier in very poor condition (wear value 8 or 9, half
normal armor). Return to the guerilla camp is uneventful and soon thereafter
the signal is rec'd from Edmond.
When they reach their assigned positions near the starport they are met by
the contact sent by Edmond. She naturally is doubtful about trusting the
guerrilla force but can be convinced by the PCs. She tells the group to
begin
the attack on the starport in three hours.
Initially the attack goes smoothly. The PCs will become involved in a
firefight with a group of Imp. Gd. lift troops (Veteran, TL10) in Combat
Armor
equal to twice the number of PCs. Their first clue that the plan has gone
awry is when they hear the TED over their radios say, "Those stinkin' Arses
sold us out. Everyone retreat and if you see the offworlders cut them down."
Possibly a group of guerrillas will bump into them and another fight will
ensue but soon a number of grav tanks will be seen in the distance. At this
point all the guerrillas will flee and the Edmond's contact will run up to
the
group. She will pant in a near hysterical voice that an offworlder, she
thinks with the Guild that Edmond also contacted revealed the plot to the
Imperial Guard. Edmond has been captured and she needs to get off the
planet.
The group at this time may notice (Easy:Observation) that they are outside
the
warehouse where they rec'd the first shipment of ship parts.
Shouldthey enter the warehouse they will find a transport vehicle of some
kind which they will be able to load with 1 ton of ship parts. They arrive
at
the ship and load the parts just as the Kide military is closing in. By this
time the ship is ready to take off.
The three AD batteries will each get one attack on the ship before it is
out
of range. Unless an Average: Sensors check is failed the ship avoids the
sig-
delts and will outrun them to the jump-point. Should the check fail only one
sig-delt is manned and able to react. Every time it fires or is struck there
is a 1 in 10 cumulative chance that the power plant will fail rendering the
ship temporarily helpless for long enough for the PCs to escape).
Obviously the ship parts can be sold but should the group successfully
escape with the woman contact they will be well rewarded by the RC (whatever
that means).
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PBJuzyk 'Life is a lemon and I want my money back'
-Meatloaf