Freelance Traveller

Evening Star

by Bill Cameron

The players' current job includes an overnight trip aboard the "Evening Star", a cislunar excursion vessel operating out of the planet's starport. The players are acting a bodyguards or need to trail someone or are making an 'exchange' with other parties aboard or are planning on some illicit, high stakes gambling or whatever else the GM requires. Suffice it to say, the players are involved in something more serious than the concerns of the tourists usually aboard.

The "Star" leaves the local starport in the early evening of Day One and serves a somewhat passable dinner once in orbit. A cabaret, aimed towards the families and children aboard, performs after dinner. The passengers are expected to sleep during most of the trip out to the planet's large moon. Breakfast of Day Two finds the ship in low orbit over the moon, a body with a thin atmosphere, an odd biosphere, and great scenic beauty. After the meal, the ship enters the lunar atmosphere and passes at mid-to-low altitudes over various picturesque regions. By luncheon, the "Evening Star" is back in lunar orbit and preparing to head home. Entertainment, both frivolous and educational, is provided during the return trip. The vessel returns to the planetary starport a few hours after dinner and all the passengers depart.

After a hectic day of equipment checks, repairs, resupply, and cleaning, the "Evening Star" lifts to orbit again to begin the cycle all over.

Possible directions to take this adventure:

1. The bog standard "Titanic/Poseidon in Space". Something goes horribly wrong and the players are called upon to assist until rescue vessels can arrive. Double your fun by throwing in the usual suspects: terrorists of all stripes, incompetent crewmen, etc.
2. The players' own vessel is the first rescuer to arrive. Their free trader is at risk of being 'boarded' by 200+ frightened tourists wanting to save their families' lives, 20+ frightened crewmen wanting to save their skins, the saboteurs that started the whole thing, or all three groups.b
3. A group of schoolchildren and far too few chaperones are aboard at the same time as the players. The children, being children, interfere with the players' "business" in various ways: "Is that a pistol Mister?", "Why did you hit him Ma'am?", "Are those gems?", "I saw you drop this package in the potted plant over there so I took it to give back to you.", "What's going on in this room?", "Have you seen Binky?", "Why are you pointing that FGMP-15 at me?", etc. Killing all the children, while an understandable desire, should not be an option the GM allows ... unless the players ask very nicely.
4. Some other "business" aboard the "Evening Star" interferes with the players' own; a gambler is beaten or worse, another game is raided, law enforcement officers 'bust' another party, staterooms are searched after a tip, etc.
5. The person or persons the players are aboard to meet do not show. The players are now stuck aboard for two days/one night while all sorts of events detrimental to their business occur planetside. Someone acting on mysterious motives arranged to put the them 'on ice'.
6. Nothing happens at all, but your players' act as if something should at all hours. After nearly 48 hours, twitchy players should make for a twitchy crew and the police should greet the players when the ship returns home.