Outbreak Deep Space - The Terramartian War Part 03 - Tlk.4076 65k8

Free content Friday O:DS Special vol. 2 November 2014

the

terramartian war

Part 03 - TLK.4076

by ivan van norman, and christopher j. de la rosa and art by

robert watts

christian quinot

Copyright ©2014 by Hunters Books & Apparel, All rights reserved. Unless otherwise noted, all illustrations, characters, and intellectual property in this book are the property of Hunters Books & Apparel. Permission granted to distribute and copy for personal use only.

TLK.4076 Technocrats of Earth

TLK.4076 has gone dark after their weekly report was not delivered to the relay station above the ISS – Sagan. The base is located on a Terraformed ‘Farming’ Belt that operates close to the Sagan and will require investigation, bring back ANY survivors for interrogation.

TLK.4076 Station

Research base Personnel - 150 Size - 2 sq mi Levels - 4 Power Supply - Solar supplemented with Carbon drilled from Asteroid Core Water - Imported [Shipped from ISS Sagan] Locations - Hangar, Storage, Processing, Vehicle Bay, Security Facilities, Laboratories, Medical Bay. Food - Local Main Export -processed fructose, exotic fruits

gear rebreather

Each Depletion point added will allow a character the ability to resist [Po] damage from inhaling for 1 period of Time. This will also be used to provide air when the air is too toxic to breathe. Capacity: 20

Mars Resistance

Suspicious Reports were stolen from Communication Array Mission, regarding the Terran Technocracy and Research base TLK.4076. Whatever the Terran’s interests in the base are, it’s important to the Revolution of Mars as well. Investigate, and obtain any information about the base at all costs. Bring back any researchers alive for questioning if able.

SP by Difficulty

The difficulty of the campaign will determine how much SP a party needs to earn in order to count this session as a victory. Easy: 130 SP Moderate: 250 SP Hard: 350 SP

opponents list Infested

See ODS: Pg 191 Horror Traits: Alien Physiology - ODS: 192 Viral - ODS: 192 Horror Trait Upgrades Avalable: Grotesque - ODS: 192 Pre-Infestation Armor - ODS: 190

megalards

Special: Air Canister - A replacement air canister will remove all DP from a rebreather. Carrying extra will take up 1 CU each.

Health - 2 DT - 15 Defense - 2 Viral - 0

BioScanner

Large quadrupeds, they have scaly skin, and full 360 rotation eyes, but primarily hunt in packs. They have excellent climbing skills and are known to jump on their prey all at the same time from the tree tops.

Each Depletion point added will allow a character to get a bonus DoS to ‘Spot/Listen’ and ‘Search’. It can also be used to reduce the DoS in an E% by 1. But this use will generate +d5! Risk. Capacity: 35 Special: Universal Energy Cells - This uses Universal Energy Cells, which can be used to remove all DP from the BioScanner.

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Speed - 2d6 {SC%} Attacks MA 33% [1d5! Sl],

30

0 40

60

Grpl 33% [1d5! Pi, Sl],

Other Skills {Do 50%},

Other Skills {Do 33%, Brawl 33%} Horror Traits Fangs (ODS - 182) Pounce - Creature starts at initiative 0 for the first round unless players make a successful {Sp/Li%} to detect the creature.

lampreys Health - 1 DT - 5 Defense - 1 Viral - 0

Horror Traits Acid Blood - (ODS - 180) Flying serpents - they have rounded circular mouths that slice into flesh of smaller creatures. Normally they scavenge the caracasses of fallen animals, but if their nest is disturbed, it can become highly aggressive and attack. Their corrosive blood often can cause damage to armor and sensitive gear and should be avoided at all costs.

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0 30

20

{Spot/Listen 50%, MA%15 [1d5! Ac, Sl], Do%, Tough 40%}

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TLK.4076 Zone 1

Zone 2

Mission Time 01-03

Mission Time 04-05

Avoid the ISS Sagan defensive systems and find your way to TLK.4076. Successfully doing this will allow the rest of the mission to proceeed without any added difficulty.

In order to approach undetected, the insertion team must land a safe distance away and make their final approach on foot. Unfortunately, our intel is scattered as to what the team is to expect in of ground security and flora/fauna.

asteroid “farming belt”

Objective: Reach the desired Labor total as described in the Success entry. Labor: Special {SC%}: {Pilot%, DigiSys%, As/Tel%} Success: 40+ Labor - 0 Risk 25 - 39 Labor - 15 Risk 0 - 24 Labor - 20 Risk Failure: None. Special Ship Nav Systems - Enacting the ship’s Nav Systems will add 3 bonus DoS, but will add +d5! Risk as the increased system usage will likely draw the attention of tracking satellites and systems. You bank your ship and sizzle through the artificial layer of ozone that allows the planetoid to be terraformed. Lush rich greenery lays out below you as you land your ship in the closest patch of empty jungle you can find.

Hazards for Zone 1

Jungle Biome of TLK.4076

Labor: 20 {SC%}: {Nav%} Success: Characters reach the base (Zone 3) Special: Biome - TLK.4076 is predominately a Jungle biome, so the ‘Biome - Jungle’ Descriptor is Active.

Hazards for Zone 2 poisonous flora/fauna

The jungle is full of tangled vines and poisonous flora and fauna that will either harm or greatly slow the progress of the insertion team. Risk: DLv. in ‘Biome - Jungle’ Inflict [2d5! Po] damage to all characters without worn gear that has an ‘All Enclosing’ upgrade.

lamprey nest

The characters stumble upon a nest of Lampreys. This means that they will be encountered in greater number and will attack with greater ferocity. All Lampreys have -1 Speed die to all their combat actions during this encounter.

Weapons Satellite

Risk: 10 The character piloting the Insertion Ship must make Pilot check {Pil%} or the ship will stray within range of a Weapons Satellite’s sensors. The ship will immediately take 1d6 Structure Damage. All characters on board will take [2d5 Bl] Damage per Structure Damage to the Ship. The pilot must immediately make another Pilot check {Pil%} to get the ship out of range or risk destruction of the ship.

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Encounter (E%) Check Table 5 DoS - d6 ZLK Series 3: Megalards (See Opponent List at End) 4 DoS - d3 ZLK Series 3: Megalards 1-3 DoS - 2d6 - ZLK Series 1: “Lampreys” Nest 1-3 DoF - 1d3 Additional Labor 4 DoF - 1d6 Additional Labor + 5 SP 5 DoF - 1d6 Additional Labor + 10 SP

Zone 3

Outside of the Base Mission Time 06 - 07

The insertion team reaches the 15 ft high concrete walls of the research base. Closer inspection reveals that there are several security systems in place that seem to be active . This base is more discretely and expertly defended than most research bases. The area itself is a perfectly geometric triangle, with buttresses facing outwards so that each wall could have ‘2’ turrets facing each side, and a large center turret in the middle.

Opponents

4 - Drones 1D6 - AI integrated Turrets

Missions

Encounter (E%) Check Table 5 DoS - d6 ZLK Series 3: Megalards (See Opponent List at End) 4 DoS - d3 ZLK Series 3: Megalards 1-3 DoS - 2d6 - ZLK Series 1: “Lampreys” Nest 1-3 DoF - 1d3 Additional Labor 4 DoF - 1d6 Additional Labor + 5 SP 5 DoF - 1d6 Additional Labor + 10 SP

Direct Access can be granted by disabling 2 of the 4 turrets by either destroying them or using a [DigiSys] Check on a local console. If players wish to climb the walls it can be done using [Stealth%] and [Climb%] with 5 Difficulty. Finally players can also locate a ventilation shaft in the surrounding jungle with a successful [Nav%] check.

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TLK.4076 Zone 4

Inside the Base Mission Time 08 - 09

Inside the compound, there is a sign of a massive slaughter in the outpost. Trails of dried blood and gore are strewn about along the dirt and grass laden streets. Astute ears can hear the telltale sounds of shuffling feet that seem to be surrounding them.

Locations

Vehicle Bay (see O:DS pg. 130) Crew Quarters (see O:DS pg. 129) Laboratories (see O:DS pg. 130) Medical Bay. (see O:DS pg 130) As the insertion team enters the base, The creature stares at you with lifeless, white eyes as it makes it’s way towards you. Shuffling slowly, with an unnatural gait, it seems to get more excited the closer it gets. Purple flakey skin peels off as the semi-decayed form of what was once a human being now seems to be focused only on seizing you with it’s grasp.

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A detailed Thermal scan of the area, or access to the observation systems using a {Search%} or {DigiSys%} players can located Survivors in the Processing areas, which are below the Laboratories on the ground level.

Encounter (E%) Check Table 5 DoF - D100 Credits on tables or dropped on the floor 2-4 DoF - Nothing 1 DoF - 1D3 Infested - Thanatosis (ODS: Pg 188) 1 Dos - 1D6 Infested - Thanatosis 2-4 DoS - 2D6 Infested 5 DoS - 2D5! Infested

Zone 5

Laboratory

Mission Time 10 - 12

Active, but idle computer systems flicker and cut in and out in the darkness. The Laboratory Lights seems to be off or on emergency power at the moment. What little light that is shed seems to cast shadows across the rooms as several bodies dangle from the ceiling via electrical cables on a gantry, which was manually lifted it seems, as one of the bodies holds the controls as it strains against it’s restraints while lightly swaying in the room.

access processing area

The blast doors that open to the processing area are tightly sealed and protected by the protocols. Getting the doors open or finding an alternative route is imperative. Labor: 25 {SC%}: {DigiSys%, Nav%}

Success: Grant access to the processing area. Failure: None. Retry and add +1 Time. d3 Infested drop from the hooks and attack and start at Inititatve 0. Add +5 Risk. Special: Keycard - Characters making a successful ‘Search’ check will be able to find a keycard on a corpse suspended from the ceiling, the card can be seen dangling from a holder at the hip. The Keycard will add 50 Labor to this Misson’s progress. The corpes are suspended and can be lowered by a console that can be found with a ‘Spot/Listen’ check. Failing that, characters can loot it off one of the bodies of the Infested dropped as described in the Failure entry. Breach - The control can be manually compromised which will add 50 Labor to this Mission’s progress, but it will also add 1d5! per DoF in the {DigiSys%} check.

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TLK.4076 Zone 6

Quarantine

Sci%}.

Mission Time 13 - 14

As you approach the door leading into the cycled airlock leading towards the processing area, you notice superheated steam and hot gasses are being pushed out consistently at vents, blocking the pathway of the players.

disable decontamination protocols

The Vents are super heated chemical agents used to ensure that no viable pathogen can exist in the area. What was normally a dosage that is safe for humans, whatever formula it uses to meter the dose is clearly overcompensating for what must be a horrifyingly powerful contaminant. Objective: Disable the decontamination protocols by reaching the target Labor requirement.

Encounter (E%) Check Table 5 DoF - D100 Credits on tables or dropped on the floor 2-4 DoF - Nothing 1 DoF - 1D3 Infested - Thanatosis (ODS: Pg 188) 1 Dos - 1D6 Infested - Thanatosis 2-4 DoS - 2D6 Infested 5 DoS - 2D5! Infested

Labor: 50 {SC%}: {DigiSys%, Sci%} Success: The characters disable the quarantine protocols, which allows safe age through the malfunctioning system. Failure: The characters are blasted with superheated chemical gasses. It will inflict [3d5! Th, Po] damage if they through the decontamination chamber. Special: Indicator - The normal indicators that tell whether or not the system is deactivated is damaged and cannot be read. Characters that have a 5 DLv. or higher in ‘Science’ or ‘Location - Laboratory’. Contaminated - Characters that attempt to deactivate the system must get to two consoles and use a keycard to deactivate it. Each console is surrounded by opponents determined by the “Quarantined” Hazard. Consoles - Each activated console can provide up to 25 Labor with the proper keycard es or {DigiSys%,

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Hazards for Zone 6 quarantined

Risk: 10 The rooms are littered with those that were killed by either the quarantine protocols or whatever biological agents that infected the victims. Each time this Hazard is used, an E% counts as being automatically successful with d3 DoS.

biohazard

Risk: 15 + 1 per DLv. Science Characters inadvertently expose themselves to viral biological agents. All characters will increase viral by 1. The method of infection would itself allow a Save Throw, but it is up to the GM to determine the method of infection.

Zone 7

Zone 8

Mission Time 15+

Mission Time n/a

A bloody steel door blocks the entrance of several creatures as they bang rhythmically against the door. How long have they been there? One even looks like its hand has been reduced to a bloody stump from so much pounding. Has this been going on weeks? Months?

With the survivors in hand, it’s clear we need to get out FAST before we get overwhelmed by these things. The Jungle never looked so inviting.

processing area

escape

Players will have to backtrack in order to make it back up the surface, Each E% roll will add +2 DoS to it’s result.

liberation

There are survivors that are in need of rescuing. They’ll know what happened in this nightmare. Objective: Rescue the 5 Survivors.

Mission: If at least one Survivor makes it back to the ship, the mission will be considered a Success, but more survivors rescued will increase the reward to the characters.

Success: Rescue the survivors. They add have Access to the entire facility and have 2 Health points and a DT: 10. They have {MA 30%} and have weapons that inflict [Bl, Pi]. Failure: The survivors are killed somehow en-route and the information may die with them. Special: Weary - Most survivors will be too shocked/ malnourished to travel any faster than “DoubleTime”, any commands to sprint will require a {Endur%} with +3 Difficulty’. Likewise asking them to do anything other then come with you will require a {Empathy%} for them to obey.

MISSION COMPLETE Players will be awarded 200 SP + any ‘Sensitive’ Data that was found at 50 SP each. They will also be given a similar amount of Credits depending on how many survived. (All Survivors - 100%) (Half of the Survivors - 50%) (One Quarter Survivors - 25%)

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