T20 Traveller - The Kursis Charter (complete Aug 8th 2005)
- Thread starter Morte
- Start date
Skylinkdave
First Post
Beautiful story. I plan on running "The Kursis Charter" for my group of Travellers, and this gives me tonz of ideas on how to flesh it out, and what I might expect from the players. Can't wait to see how this group finishes up...
Dave
Dave
William Cameron
First Post
Mr. Benford,
I am very glad that you are once more sharing this story with us.
One small suggestion if I may. Have you considered saving the story as a single document? Both QLI and Freelance Traveller would jump at hosting such material. Not only is the story very good, but the insights it provides into running a campaign would help many GMs.
Again, thank you for sharing with us.
Sincerely,
Bill
I am very glad that you are once more sharing this story with us.
One small suggestion if I may. Have you considered saving the story as a single document? Both QLI and Freelance Traveller would jump at hosting such material. Not only is the story very good, but the insights it provides into running a campaign would help many GMs.
Again, thank you for sharing with us.
Sincerely,
Bill
Morte
Explorer
*waves to MJD (author of the adventure)*
Skylinkdave: Thanks. It's a good adventure, with a bit of everything, and easy to run. Don't make the mistake I made and switch the Malfeasant signal GK to before planetfall (I wanted some action after hours of chargen). That could have scuppered me if they'd just handed the diary in to the authorities on Liar's Oath, but I got lucky (they forgot they had it). And if you keep real accounts, start them with Cr50-100k in the bank -- otherwise some bad spec trade rolls and that non-paying trip to Miip could actually break them before they get up to speed.
Missah Whipsnade Sah: Thanks too. Yep, there's a word doc. When I get finished, and it fades down the list at ENworld as story hours do, I'll submit it to Freelance Traveller for their archive. I must be about half way by now...
Skylinkdave: Thanks. It's a good adventure, with a bit of everything, and easy to run. Don't make the mistake I made and switch the Malfeasant signal GK to before planetfall (I wanted some action after hours of chargen). That could have scuppered me if they'd just handed the diary in to the authorities on Liar's Oath, but I got lucky (they forgot they had it). And if you keep real accounts, start them with Cr50-100k in the bank -- otherwise some bad spec trade rolls and that non-paying trip to Miip could actually break them before they get up to speed.
Missah Whipsnade Sah: Thanks too. Yep, there's a word doc. When I get finished, and it fades down the list at ENworld as story hours do, I'll submit it to Freelance Traveller for their archive. I must be about half way by now...
Morte
Explorer
Act IV: 069-526 - Well, Somebody Has To
Date: 176-993 to 177-993 Imperial.
Location: 069-526 system (0721), high above orbital plane.
“F-ck” said Fish.
“You could put it that way” said Sir David, something like bitterness or disgust creeping into his voice.
“Wow” said Maelcum, “they blew it”.
There was a long pause, then Sir David spoke again. “Can you relay that back to Silea for the log, please, Fish.” Fish spoke to Silea and made the data transfer.
“Thirteen, I think” said Sir David.
“Yes, so far. Plus someone in engineering, I’d imagine. And maybe the other cabins.” Maelcum had also been counting bodies seen or implied. “How will we store them for the trip back?”
“We can put them in the main hold and evacuate it. That’ll do. Alright, let’s get this computer core out then start a proper search.”
…
Fish dismantled the computer to get at its optical core, while the others herded the casework he detached into a corner. It was out in 15 minutes, and into a shock-absorbing bag. Then they towed the three bodies from the bridge back to Avarice Rewarded and put them in the hold. The woman, child, and cook went back in a second run, and they set to searching the ship properly.
Luan examined the frozen corpses as they came in and made medical notes for the ship’s log. She didn’t seem bothered by them. Back on Cochrane’s Burden, Fish got through the other passenger area doors quickly since none of them were in anti-hijack mode. They found four more bodies, apparently passengers, who didn’t seem to belong on their list of thirteen.
Back in engineering they found two more, looking like crew. They were perforated by flying metal shards from the hole in the wall.
“Beam came through” said Maelcum.
Fish spoke emptily. “It hit the power plant from the back. Spalls from that hit the backup.” He pointed at the wreckage of the main fusion plant, and the big holes that flying debris had punched through the backup store. “All power gone. That’s what stopped the doors. I wonder how the girl got her door open.” He attached a tow line to one of the engineers.
“Below decks next. You two had better lead off, there’ll be sharp edges down there from the weapon damage. Your suits are better for that.”
…
The fifth visit was the worst. They found Louisa, or at least a woman in overalls labelled “Lousia”, drifting in a corridor, near a chair facing a door. She showed signs of rapid decompression, plus impact trauma to the head. There was blood and broken skin on the wall.
A short way along, five feet of wall were missing from either side of the corridor. The edges of the holes were torn and blistered. Maelcum checked for radiation since they were close to the impact site, then headed through the hole on the side opposite the chair. He was quiet for a moment, then spoke over the comm link. “This is the brig, where they held the hijackers. There are bodies.”
The other two followed him in.
It was a charnel house.
The room was open to space, but most of the recognisable body parts had stayed inside the hull. A head floated free, and two arms tied together at the thumbs. A pair of legs were taped to a bench against the outer hull. Of the torso, no sign. But the really gruesome sight was across the room, where the plasma and shrapnel had had a chance to spread and cover the other three prisoners. The freezing vacuum had preserved the result for all to see.
Fish began to flail, and make gagging sounds. There was the sound of heaving on the comm link. As Maelcum and Sir David turned to face him, his faceplate splashed green and yellow from the inside. He sucked in another breath for the next heave, and drew the last lot of vomit straight back into his lungs. Maelcum grabbed a bracing point and prepared to push off towards Fish, as they heard him start to drown over the comm.
But Sir David snapped a quick warning: “Leave him. Spacer suit.”
Maelcum relaxed. Moments later water jets blasted Fish’s faceplate clear from above, as unseen suction pumps gathered the fluid under his chin. As the visor cleared, the apparently soft fabric below his ribs constricted and gave him a Heimlich manoeuvre. A fresh water jet swept the vomit away as it hit his faceplate. The fabric shifted again, taking a grip on his lungs and regulating his breathing. In ten seconds he was back under control. His eyes refocused, before he saw the carnage in his headlamps and closed them with a shudder.
“Looks like you got the night off” said Sir David.
Date: 176-993 to 177-993 Imperial.
Location: 069-526 system (0721), high above orbital plane.
“F-ck” said Fish.
“You could put it that way” said Sir David, something like bitterness or disgust creeping into his voice.
“Wow” said Maelcum, “they blew it”.
There was a long pause, then Sir David spoke again. “Can you relay that back to Silea for the log, please, Fish.” Fish spoke to Silea and made the data transfer.
“Thirteen, I think” said Sir David.
“Yes, so far. Plus someone in engineering, I’d imagine. And maybe the other cabins.” Maelcum had also been counting bodies seen or implied. “How will we store them for the trip back?”
“We can put them in the main hold and evacuate it. That’ll do. Alright, let’s get this computer core out then start a proper search.”
…
Fish dismantled the computer to get at its optical core, while the others herded the casework he detached into a corner. It was out in 15 minutes, and into a shock-absorbing bag. Then they towed the three bodies from the bridge back to Avarice Rewarded and put them in the hold. The woman, child, and cook went back in a second run, and they set to searching the ship properly.
Luan examined the frozen corpses as they came in and made medical notes for the ship’s log. She didn’t seem bothered by them. Back on Cochrane’s Burden, Fish got through the other passenger area doors quickly since none of them were in anti-hijack mode. They found four more bodies, apparently passengers, who didn’t seem to belong on their list of thirteen.
Back in engineering they found two more, looking like crew. They were perforated by flying metal shards from the hole in the wall.
“Beam came through” said Maelcum.
Fish spoke emptily. “It hit the power plant from the back. Spalls from that hit the backup.” He pointed at the wreckage of the main fusion plant, and the big holes that flying debris had punched through the backup store. “All power gone. That’s what stopped the doors. I wonder how the girl got her door open.” He attached a tow line to one of the engineers.
“Below decks next. You two had better lead off, there’ll be sharp edges down there from the weapon damage. Your suits are better for that.”
…
The fifth visit was the worst. They found Louisa, or at least a woman in overalls labelled “Lousia”, drifting in a corridor, near a chair facing a door. She showed signs of rapid decompression, plus impact trauma to the head. There was blood and broken skin on the wall.
A short way along, five feet of wall were missing from either side of the corridor. The edges of the holes were torn and blistered. Maelcum checked for radiation since they were close to the impact site, then headed through the hole on the side opposite the chair. He was quiet for a moment, then spoke over the comm link. “This is the brig, where they held the hijackers. There are bodies.”
The other two followed him in.
It was a charnel house.
The room was open to space, but most of the recognisable body parts had stayed inside the hull. A head floated free, and two arms tied together at the thumbs. A pair of legs were taped to a bench against the outer hull. Of the torso, no sign. But the really gruesome sight was across the room, where the plasma and shrapnel had had a chance to spread and cover the other three prisoners. The freezing vacuum had preserved the result for all to see.
Fish began to flail, and make gagging sounds. There was the sound of heaving on the comm link. As Maelcum and Sir David turned to face him, his faceplate splashed green and yellow from the inside. He sucked in another breath for the next heave, and drew the last lot of vomit straight back into his lungs. Maelcum grabbed a bracing point and prepared to push off towards Fish, as they heard him start to drown over the comm.
But Sir David snapped a quick warning: “Leave him. Spacer suit.”
Maelcum relaxed. Moments later water jets blasted Fish’s faceplate clear from above, as unseen suction pumps gathered the fluid under his chin. As the visor cleared, the apparently soft fabric below his ribs constricted and gave him a Heimlich manoeuvre. A fresh water jet swept the vomit away as it hit his faceplate. The fabric shifted again, taking a grip on his lungs and regulating his breathing. In ten seconds he was back under control. His eyes refocused, before he saw the carnage in his headlamps and closed them with a shudder.
“Looks like you got the night off” said Sir David.
Last edited:
Morte
Explorer
Fish has a TL14 tailored vacc suit, the best money can buy in the 56th century. It's a spacer's suit, different from the ground pounder hostile atmosphere suits that Maelcum's used to.
Well, that's my story now. During the game Laurent (Fish's player) was acting sickly, so when we go to this bit I raised a D20 and said "Will save", grinning. A few seconds later I had absolutely no idea what happens when somebody vomits in a vac suit, either currently or at TL14. I had to fall back on "roll to know what to do" and "roll to do it", which was pretty disappointing. Not my finest hour as a GM.
Before I wrote this up, I asked for ideas about the spacesuit on the JTAS forums. I did a bit of retconning for the story hour.
Well, that's my story now. During the game Laurent (Fish's player) was acting sickly, so when we go to this bit I raised a D20 and said "Will save", grinning. A few seconds later I had absolutely no idea what happens when somebody vomits in a vac suit, either currently or at TL14. I had to fall back on "roll to know what to do" and "roll to do it", which was pretty disappointing. Not my finest hour as a GM.
Before I wrote this up, I asked for ideas about the spacesuit on the JTAS forums. I did a bit of retconning for the story hour.
Broccli_Head
Explorer
Ok...so what exactly did they see?
William Cameron
First Post
Broccli_Head said:
Mr. Head,
Do we really need to know? I find the suggestion far more frightening than a graphic depiction.
Whatever it was, it made Fish physically ill. He'd been herding dead bodies for a few hours and it could have been something relatively minor that set him off.
If you still require precise details, may I remind you of the amount of viscera the human torso holds? If a few of the hijackers' bodies ruptured under decompression, there may be a 'delicate' web made up of tens of meters of mixed-up intestines, colons, livers, kidneys, hearts, lungs, and many, many other bits gently hanging in free-fall at the other side of the compartment.
Now, be honest, did you really need to know that?
Sincerely,
Bill
Similar Threads
