Freelance Traveller

by Jens Rydholm

Characters: Travellers interested in small package cargo transfers.

Setting: Two worlds, one on a freight lane and one backwater world one jump away.

Situation: The PCs are approached by a young businessman, who offers them a rather handsome payment for delivering a package of data storage units (crystals or whatever is used in your TU) to his reclusive grandfather, who lives on the next world the PCs will visit. The data is a large collection of classical literature for his reading pleasure. The package is small enough to be easily carried by one person.

The businessman explains that they will need to tell him that "your kid Ronnie says hello." The nickname is very old, and the characters will probably gain the old man's trust from knowing that they talked to his grandson in person about the package. Otherwise, he might be a bit suspicious about their motives.

Payment for the cargo is 100% up front, since Ronnie's grandfather doesn't have any imperial credits, but the businessman explains to them that he sends packages to his grandfather about every other week, and he expects them to deliver the package. "You look like trustworthy people to me."

Since Ronnie's grandfather lives a long distance away from civilization (he buys his food and other necessities from an outback trader some 20-30 kilometers from his home), the PCs will need to travel there to deliver the package. Payment is a bit higher than normal for small packages to reflect this.

When the PCs arrive at the specified coordinates, they find a few small building, some old automated farming equipment slowly working, and an old and battered air raft partially disassembled in the front yard (for inspiration, watch the moisture farms in Star Wars, ep4). There is no sign of Ronnie's grandfather.

Possible directions for this seed:

1. After calling out for the old man, hopefully mentioning Ronnie, he comes out of his home, wiping his hands on an old cloth. He accepts the package, tears it open right away, looks at the contents and smiles (a wide grin missing most of the teeth). Being in a good mood for receiving all this reading, he even invites the PCs for coffee and small talk.
2. As above, except the coffee is really nasty. Motor oil variant of nasty. And grandfather takes offense if the PCs criticize it. Witty PCs might talk their way out of this ("No, it's great, it was just a bit too hot"), otherwise the conversation dies out, they finish their coffee and leave.
3. As above, except the old man is in a really grumpy mood from the beginning. He stays hidden inside his home, explaining to them that he is aiming for them with a shotgun (which is true). He tells them to put the package on top of the airraft and open it slowly, showing him its contents. When satisfied, he tells them to leave the package where it is and take their "damn fancypant cruisership and beat it."
4. As above, except the old man refuses to accept the package. "What's them send me this time? Poison? Bombs? Bloody government, keep ya damn nasties, I donwant 'em". If the PCs are really clever, they might be able to persuade him to accept the package, otherwise they'll just have to return the package to Ronnie. Or just drop it on the ground, probably resulting in the old man shooting it to pieces before coming closer than ten meters.
5. As above, except the old man isn't at home when the PCs arrive. He comes sneaking back while they're there, however. If the PCs snoop around (for example, entering any of the buildings) looking for him, they'll be in big trouble when he arrives.
6. As above, except the old man has quietly passed away since the last package arrived. Since there is no authority nearby, the PCs will have to decide for themselves if they should bury him here, transport the body back to Ronnie, or something else.