Freelance Traveller

Spotter

by Guy Garnett

The player characters notice a furtive individual lurking around their docking bay. The individual seems to be closely observing the ship while avoiding starport security patrols. If the player characters watch over time, the individual seems to be taking photographs of the ship and its crew.

Possible directions to take this scenario:

1. The individual is a local resident who is a starship enthusiast; taking pictures of starship and starship operations is his hobby. However, he is not authorized to be in the starport, let alone in a restricted area of the docking bay. If the PCs turn the individual over to starport security, the resulting charges will probably cost the fan his job. The fan pleads for mercy.
2. As #1, except that to save his job or gain legitimate access to crew-only areas of the starport, the fan may be willing to provide information on the comings and goings of other starships that frequent the port.
3. As #1, except that the individual is already providing information about the PCs' ship to their biggest rival or competitor.
4. As #1, except that the individual is a freelance writer for a starship fan magazine, and is authorized to be there. If noticed and approached, subsequent actions by the PCs may result in positive (or negative) commentary about the ship and crew in a periodical with a subsector-wide audience.
5. The individual is a private investigator who has been hired to find out everything possible about one of the player characters. If noticed and approached, he or she will pretend to be an "innocent" starship fan.
6. The individual is a saboteur hired by a rival or competitor. He or she has already sabotaged the ship, and it will experience a non-life-threatening but serious failure after departing orbit but before entering jump space. The ship will have to return to port for repairs, causing a delay of 1d6 days and a cost of 2d6x 1000 credits. If noticed and approached, the saboteur will pretend to be an "innocent" starship fan.

The referee should creatively resolve subsequent events.