After the Free World Rebellion and the vrusk refugees were evacuated to K'tsa-Kar. A humanitarian crisis developed at K'tsa-Kar as there was not enough food or supplies. The fledgeling UPF was had been rapidly building up Space Fleet but that organization was still small and inexperienced. At this time in history, the Royal Marines still represented the elite naval force in the Frontier.
The UPF was organizing a relief mission to be sent from Cassidine to K'tsa-Kar with industrial and food supplies to relieve the refugee sitation of the disposessed vrusk. However, rising pirate activity in Dramune and Cassidine threatened this effort and a new Space Fleet friage (UPFS Dridia) was serverely damaged in an encounter with pirates just monthes after its first deployment and had been sent back to the SSC in Cassidine for major repairs and refit.
News outlets like FNN reported that the pirates escaped after damaging the new Space Fleet frigate but the turth is the Space Fleet vessel was ambushed and was lucky to survive. There is little doubt that the shipyard in Cassidine could put the UPFS Driadia back in service to escort the relief convoy to K'tsa-Kar but the delay could mean a loss of life for the vrusk refugees. Luckily the CMS _____________ just happened to be finished by the Cassidine shipyard as her new Royal Marine crew arrived to pick her up for her space trials. With the situation being so dire for the vrusk refugees the CMS _________ was given a muster activation and assigned the relief convey mission.
Mercy Mission K'tsa-Kar Pre-quell vignette
Flash back vignette (predates this adventure and the Mercy mission to Madderley's star)
Players start with pre-gen Royal Marines on Clarion station. and a boarding shuttle is available to them in the central hub but their vacuum suits are not on board.
They have drawn an execution by vacuum detail where they must escort a pirate from his cell to an airlock for execution.
The pirate runs his mouth the whole time taunting and threatening and promising that he will get even with the royal marines
Sentence is read by high ranking RM officer Pirate is placed in airlock and the restraints removed. Offered chance to say last words, resorts to an insult and I'll get even threat.
The button is pushed and he is blown out of the airlock he has 1 minute to live in total vacuum. However, through the viewport to the side of the air lock, a large launch looms into view with its bubble canopy open, a space suited individual with a net grapple gun fires on the executed pirate. The PCs are stunned to see the pirate captured and reeled into the launched and being placed in a freeze field bodybag as teh launch heads for a nearby frighter.
PC's had the execution duty and see what happens and are forced to run for the elevators, to the station docking bay, cut short a pre-flight check (give the players the pre-flight checklist and ask them how much of it the want to skip in the interest of running down the criminals. For every item on the checklist they skip, there is an accumulative x% that an engine will hyper ignite which cuts the ship's ADF in half. no real time to don vacuum suits which may still be stored in a locker on the space station.
The freighter has a lead and the PCs are in pursuit (potentially at half ADF) The freighter begins detaching cargo container to try to hit the PCs ship requiring a pilot roll each time.
They can board it but the ship is empty, when they get to the bridge the view screen is active and the
"executed" pirate is on the screen smiling at them with a towel hanging loose around his neck. He taunts, "So long suckers" then presses a button and the bridge blows up. a cargo container pops open and a thruster class privateer emerges and targets the freighter or the boarding shuttle the PCs used with assault rockets.
All the pre-gen PCs could/should be killed. TPK but perhaps not if someone gets lucky somehow but these are throw-away characters and this event gives the Royal Marines a huge motive to get this pirate.
(Obviously, he is going to show up during the convoy mission.)
Players may possibly have a personal grudge for this NPC at this point? Play the NPC are arrogantly and dismissive as possible, make his taunts as personal as possible, and use the "Gollywog" insult. Perhaps he favors a catchphrase: like Suckers or something.
Mercy Mission to K'tsa-Kar Briefing
The CMS ___________, without a proper set of trials to test the newly built ship, must escort 3 freighters and an ag ship from Cassidine to K'tsa-Kar.
The Space Fleet frigate, UPFS Driadia was previously lured into an ambushed in the outer system of Cassidine. She was beset by a squadron of fighters and barely survived and is now in the SCC shipyard orbiting Cassidine. (PCs should get a briefing from the Driadia's acting CO.) Driadia obtained maximum range scans of the mother ship but the data is fuzzy. What is known is that it appears to be some sort of auxiliary freighter launching fighters from cargo containers converted to hangers.
Even though the CMS _________ is a smaller vessel than the UPFS Driadia it's not believed that the pirates will be able to replace their fighter craft losses in time to bother the convy providing it leaves now.
The PCs could also poke around Boneyard station asking questions and learn that just recently 4 mothballed Corsair fighters were purchased.
Convoy:
2 small freighters (1 is armed)
1 large freighter (Armed)
1 Ag ship (unarmed)
1 digger shuttle which is piggy backed on the large freighter and intended to mine comets for water supplies once at K'tsa-Kar.
Use large and small deckplans from the KHs box set for the freighters all ships have ion drives except the digger shuttle which has an atomic drive so that it can land the mined water.
Other potential assets:
The Driadia will complete repairs and make all speed for K'tas-Kar ASAP
The former NAAR conglomerate privateer vessel K'zz is ferrying the limited supplies it can carry from White Light to K'tsa-Kar has some armament and can be called on for help.
Since part of the trip goes through White Light, the Royal Marines will be available to call on for support.
Threat Intel:
The pirate Aux Carrier is not likely to pose a threat as several of her fighters were destroyed by the Driadia.
A frigate class pirate vessel and a couple of privateer vessels have been operating in the Cassidine & Dramune systems over the past 10 months. No hard data is available on these vessels other than one of the privateers appears to be a Thruster Class vessel.
The most radical of the Freedom Committees on Kdikit is rumored to have obtained boarding shuttles. The rhetoric from this group's leaders implies a willingness to attack NAAR vessels and potentially freighters delivering relief to K'tsa-Kar.
PCs should have or host a briefing with the civilian captains before departing and outline plans for what to do if X happens. If they do not then the civilian captains will likely do random things that may not actually help during a crisis.
Mercy Mission to K'tsa-Kar Hardware Problems
Without the shakedown cruise/space trials
the CMS ___________ will have maintenance issues. Roll once per star system to see what issues come up while in that system.
If the PCs make any effort to go over their ship in the few hours they have while the convoy finishes assembling roll for a breakdown/maintenance issue. let them discover what will be the issue in the next system and take steps to mitigate it.
If its a software issue they can obtain the software fix before leaving or if a hardware issue they can try to obtain parts to fix it. this might require obtaining a [insert techno-babble] control module that is not available at the shipyard but can be found at Boneyard station.
Roll on table:
1. Software glitch in drive program- minus 1 ADF not detectible until ships attempts to use full ADF
2. Strange burning smell from the air ducts- hardware and programing issue with the life support plant (will also need to be fixed on the Back up life support too. Computer tech/astrogator can rewrite the code and a technician can fabricate a new part in an hour (must be undisturbed ie no combat)
3.Laser Battery tracking: improperly machined tracking collar is sticking and could jam causing a -5% penalty to LB shots any failed LB shots that fail by 20% or more causes the penalty to jump by -5 and any critical failure over 95% causes it to jam. DCR roll will unjam it but or reduce penalty by 5%. however to solve the problem an engineer will need to suit up and pull access plates on the hull and attempt to fix the issue with a laser power torch- failed roll means problem cannot be fixed without putting into a space station.
4.Nothing
5. Depressurization alarm on deck with airlock. Airlock seals are leaking. Tech repair roll and 1-3 hours work.
6. nothing
7. ?
8. Nothing
9. ?
10. Engineer catches and solves one of the other problems before it crops up inconviently
Once a break down result is rolled replace it with Nothing for future rolls.
Except for number 1. keep that result except the next time its the same effect but instead of being a software glitch its a hardware issue. [insert Techno babble] plasma injection nozzel misalignment. make it seem like its the exact same issue as the software issue. If the players really inspect the engines while fixing the software glitch and the engineer makes a really good roll or the players specifically specify the kind of scrutiney that would reveal this issue allow them to problem solve this issue at the same time as the software glitch.