The Failed Colony - A 76 Patrons format adventure

The Failed Colony

This is another contest entry I wrote a few years ago; cleaned up and expanded. 
Patron: Businessman/Investor Anton Sharrett

Location: Mavramorn (Holtzmann's Corridor 0605)

Required skills: any, technical skills helpful

Required equipment: none

The situation:

The patron, Anton Sharrett (776999, Age 42) has recently acquired at auction the ownership of a failed colony on an in-system moon, Mavramorn-VII-C. M-VII-C is an airless planetoid, so the colony is a sealed habitat. The PCs are part of a group hired to travel to the habitat and conduct an initial assessment. They will be transported to the location by shuttle or the PC's own craft; their goals are to assess damage, get the life support and other machinery working again, and begin cleanup in advance of a more dedicated construction team.

The habitat was sold at government auction, and is certified to have failed for political/economic reasons rather than disease or disaster. Payment will depend upon the skills a character brings to the expedition, technical skills will be most valued. Sharrett offers Cr 2,000 per person plus salvage.

In addition to the PCs, there are two other members of the team

Jean-Pierre Grantham: A78765, Mechanical-2, Forgery-1, Bribery-1

Mechanics tools, vacc suit Gregarious, friendly but utterly self-centered

Brandy Warwick: 698898 Electronics-2, Computer-1, Handgun-1

Electronics tools, hand computer, Vdist commo, task-oriented, quiet, looking for regular work

Sharrett will not be there in person, but can be contacted by radio from the transport ship. He has agreed to grant salvage rights to the characters for any personal (i.e. non-structural) items left behind. If it isn't bolted down, the PCs can take it.

Referee's Information:

The referee will create plans for the habitat. It is above ground and extends underground, and must be sealed. The habitat was large enough for 2,000 persons at most. Include a landing area with airlocks and some adjoining storehouses. The habitat is on a small moon (size S planet) orbiting the system gas giant. The habitat has only the most basic of landing areas, a Piloting throw of 8+ is needed to set down safely. Inside the habitat, the gravity will be 0.28G before power is restored, and the standard 1G afterwards. Until the air processors have run for four hours, the air inside the habitat is too oxygen-poor to breathe. While this adventure is not structured to be either a mystery or horror scenario, the referee can include those elements, if that's what works for the PCs.

"It all looks good from out here, Captain. What could possibly go wrong?"

There are several possible complications:

1) It will take several days to repair, refuel and restart all the machinery; the referee will determine throws to diagnose problems with the habitat's systems, then decide on the skills necessary to repair, and set target numbers. Each PC should have several opportunities to address repair tasks.

There are a number of large(ish) hungry vermin infesting the base. Referee must determine frequency of vermin encounters.

Scavenger/carrion-eaters (1D appearing)

6 kg 1D/2D Teeth (-1D) No armor A6 F7 S3

Any characters searching the habitat may find a few hundred Credits worth of salvageable goods, but that is when they are most likely to encounter the vermin.

2) As number 1, but the habitat made use of numerous robots controlled by the central computer, which were left 'on' and ran out of power. When power is restored, the robots will reactivate, causing problems for the characters until switched off or given new commands.* This can only be done from the central computer terminal, with a task throw of 8+ (DM for Computer skill, EDU 9+) The referee can roll on the Reaction table for the robot's approach to the PCs. A negative reaction means the robot considers the PCs to be pests, part of the infestation, to be exterminated. Robotic pincers/grabbers attack As Sword for 2D damage. Positive reactions might mean trying to clean the PCs or their equipment, or moving things to their 'proper' place. A roll of 7 means the robot is unresponsive. Salvageable goods worth several 1000's of credits can be found. The robots themselves can be claimed as salvage.

3) As number 1, but while searching for salvage, evidence of a murder is discovered in the form of a dead body full of bullet holes. If none of the PCs want to report this discovery, one of the NPCs will. The habitat will be declared a crime scene and sealed off once the police arrive from Mavramorn. The characters may be hired as detectives to track down the former inhabitants that are no longer in-system. Also, salvageable goods worth tens of thousands of credits can be found. PCs and NPCs will have trouble getting anything out of the station past the police, who will consider it potential evidence.

4) A legitimate shipping company has been using the habitat as a storage facility, under abandoned property laws. The storehouses are full of their stuff, clearly marked and bearing appropriate shipping documents. No agent of the company is present when the characters arrive, but if they enter the storehouse, a transponder will notify the company and they will assume the group are bandits when they arrive, 1D+1 hours later. The security team will outnumber the PCs group by one; they will be aggressive, but willing to talk if the PCs try.

5) There is evidence of seismic activity, and portions of the habitat may be structurally unsound. Additional tremors will occur during the restoration work, causing collapses, sinkholes or breach of seals. A tremor forces all characters to throw DEX or less on 2D to keep their feet; characters who fall take 1D damage. Any area with PCs present will have falling debris or some other structural damage on 9+  PCs in the area must throw END or less on 2D to avoid injury of 2D. Salvageable goods are as in number 2 or number 3.

6) A gang of pirates has been using the habitat as a base. The storehouses are full of their stolen goods. The pirates, equal in number to the whole group, are there at the base, and will fight to keep their stuff and contain knowledge of their presence. The pirate's vessel (a type P Corsair) is camouflaged near the habitat's landing field.

In all cases, the referee must determine the flow of subsequent events.

* There is an amusing chapter in H Beam Piper's The Cosmic Computer where this happens to the main characters. Adjust the level of danger to suit your game.