Freelance Traveller

Exposure

by Timothy Collinson

This adventure is set in Independence Games’ Clement Sector/Earth Sector setting, and relies on the description of the world of Manzanedo from Subsector Sourcebook: Adroanzi. Our reading of this adventure, however, suggests that it is not tightly tied to the wider setting, and should be portable to other campaign settings. Nevertheless, the Subsector Sourcebook should be considered a necessary resource to fully understand the environment and social system of Manzanedo.

The PCs might be merchants buying high and selling low, explorers detailing worlds that are off the beaten track, or representatives of an agency or organization that might be interested in checking out Manzanedo’s government type should the UWP no longer be accurate, or perhaps they are other travellers visiting or passing through the world. The current reported UWP for Manzanedo is D552355-A

Player Information

Landing at Liebana shouldn’t prove too difficult (usually a Routine Pilot, DEX, 1D minutes task) once a port worker is roused to deal with them. This might take 1D hours as traffic at the starport is so minimal. However, there is a one in six chance that an ice storm lasting 2D hours is passing over (Difficult Pilot, DEX, 1D×10 minutes). The D-class starport is nothing to write home about but the PCs’ pilot will have been assigned one of the ten plascrete landing pads in one of the few areas on the world kept free of ice. The bare rock and gravel looks no more inviting than the icy wastes surrounding. The pilot will be warned to ensure any crew disembarking have good cold weather gear; as if that wasn’t obvious. “En Manzanedo no hay mal tiempo, sólo mala ropa”“On Manzanedo, there is no bad weather, only bad clothing”, they will be told. The ship’s locker may or may not have such clothing.

Immediately upon landing, a naked man (or perhaps for variety and to give the sophont a better chance of surviving the cold, an uplift Bear), approaches the airlock on the side of the ship away from the ’port buildings, or approaches the PCs as they exit their ship. He’s on the point of death from exposure and would be begging for help except that he collapses into unconsciousness.

To stabilize the sophont:

Difficult, Medic, INT, 1D×10 minutes

Exceptional Success:

recovery in 1D×5 minutes with no ill effects.

Success:

recovery in 1D hours with the loss of 1D fingers/toes.

Marginal Success: (i.e., 10 or perhaps 9):

stabilised but still unconscious for 1D hours

Failure:

1D3 limbs need amputation due to frostbite

Exceptional Failure:

the sophont dies

(Medics with experience reviving passengers from Low Passage may reduce the task difficulty by one step).

The PCs will be welcomed in the small ’port buildings and the domed city of Liebana to the south, treated well and allowed to go about their business. There is no customs inspection or similar. They will be informed of mealtimes in the commissary and invited to eat there as they wish, as well as being told that weapons are not allowed, nor are drugs, tobacco, cannabis, sugar, caffeine and alcohol. Any such items must be left aboard their vessel. A final note will invite them to join the morning exercise session at 0700. However (there is always a however), circumstances may change depending on PC actions regarding the sophont they’ve encountered.

Referee Information

The sophont has been exposed by the police and has lucked out in seeing the PCs’ ship landing just before succumbing to hypothermia. When he regains conscious he will claim asylum or the protection of the PCs. He will identify himself as Meddy Vedrun.

If returned to the ’port (or if the sophont is discussed with starport workers) they will deny that the sophont is anything to do with them and refer them to the police. The police will claim that no one of that name or description is a citizen of Manzanedo. This last is strictly true. They will refuse to take the sophont off the PCs’ hands.

If questioned, Vedrun will possibly be cautious or cagey about what he says depending on what he has been accused of and whether he is guilty or not. The Referee can either pick an option, roll 1D6 or come up with something else entirely:

1-2    he is accused of something that would be criminal in much of the subsector
3-4    he is accused of drug running and refusing to work
5-6    he is accused of multiple instances of failing to attend the exercise session

In fact, all can be true. Vedrun has actually been shipping drugs onto Manzanedo in order to help his sick aunt, slowly being deformed by a wasting disease that is incurable. The care she needs has meant attending the mandatory exercise sessions has been difficult for Vedrun and his work has suffered as well.

The obvious thing would be for the PCs to simply give Vedrun a berth for the duration of their stay on Mazanedo and take him elsewhere. This would be fine with the local authorities and what they hope happens. However, it is not as simple as that. Vedrun will not be willing to leave without his aunt and Gonzalez will make it clear that the society he rules is hospitable and perfectly able to care for her. He wants to make an example of his planet and an example of just what a caring community he has built up. However, nicely he dresses it up, he will flatly refuse to allow the aunt to leave the dome and leave the planet. Furthermore, Vedrun’s aunt is in such a condition that she won’t be willing to leave unless Vedrun is there to both reassure her that her removal is legitimate to and to care for her needs as he has done for some time now.

If the PCs want to get involved, “Maravilloso” he will say with some relief, Vedrun will be more than grateful but it could involve diplomatic negotiations with someone who holds all the cards; it could involve a careful, secret exfiltration of the aunt with Vedrun in the party; or it could be simply a no-holds-barred smash and grab that will need to be carried out with some delicacy. Or perhaps the players will have some other scheme up their sleeves.

The description of Manzanedo should give the Referee plenty of information whatever option(s) the PCs decide on.