Session 8-1: The Border

The PC's return to Cirrus and a meeting of the council is convened. They have reviewed some of the data the PC's have been gathering and want the PC's to gather some specific data. They want the PC's to figure out where the border of GC space is, closest to them. They like the PC's success with Ben on Gallos and suggest a cruiser be dispatched as soon as possible to support the new base and SF team. The other cruiser can continue to transport the scientists families and then go to Gallos and start transporting the refugees here. They are also concerned with what the GC is doing to find them and want the PC's to find a way to gather information on this.

After the meeting, Garth approaches the PC's and introduces them to Pervis, he was a security officer and knows the systems around Valamos and has a few contacts on the starbase there that might help the PC's.

The PC's take off and spend the next few weeks charting the systems along the border, in Quad D and overseeing the building of the base on the planetoid in the gas cloud. They will also need to keep building comm relays and deploying them in different sectors. During this time Pervis works with a group of ten rebels to teach them the spy trade. When the PC's are finished he plans to get them onto the starbase at Valamos, but when the PC's press him for specifics, he just grins and winks...

If the PC's do not want to calculate all of the space lanes one by one, the following information can be passed to them and the amount of time it "took" them to acquire it; (This is providing they have figured out the significance of the major shipping lanes and how they go from region to region.)

Sector N:18, has 15 outer sectors, eight outlying systems, a total of 91 planets, and three major space lanes. (1 month)
Sector L:15, has 12 outer sectors, eleven outlying systems, a total of 58 planets, and two major space lanes. (23 days)
Sector L:12, has 14 outer sectors, thirteen outlying systems, a total of 71 planets, and three major space lanes. (22 days)
Sector M:8, has 15 outer sectors, ten outlying systems, a total of 78 planets, and two major space lanes (1 month)
Sector K:6, has 21 outer sectors, 6 outlying systems, a total of 63 planets, and three major space lanes (6 weeks.)

Session 8-2: The Valamos Starbase

While the PC's have been doing this and building their skills, Pervis has been training his team and hogging the holodeck. The PC's are tired of this mission so Pervis grudgingly says he is ready and they are to head to the starbase orbiting Valamos. Once there, he tells the helm what he wants to do and they all think he's crazy. He says part of the base was hit by a star ship head on, that left a gaping hole and he wants the helm to pilot into the hole. He's sure it is big enough and this will solve the problem of all the traffic preventing holding a position so that the team can be transported, besides there is equipment they'll need and the PC's will want to check things out...

There is a lot of traffic in the immediate vicinity of the starbase and the possibility of a transporter malfunction is high, as the crew's skill level is not high enough to make such a tricky transport. The problem is that the pilot will have to dodge ships that can't see the cloaked cruiser. This will require a roll with increasing frequency. When the ship drops to sublight, from FTL, it is 1020LS to the station. They can travel 6 min at 150LS, 1 at 1/2 impulse, and 1 minute at 1/4 impulse, after waiting (d100) minutes for the revolution to reveal the hole, then the last few hundred meters on thrusters, 1 minute. Each minute a roll is made against the pilots skill level a failure results in a collision. This won't be a problem if the PC's skill level is ten, unless he is short on sleep and fatigue is modifying the die rolls, like when he is leaving, if it is in a hurry. So that getting in won't be hard, but getting out may be. Even if the pilot stays there on the ship, if he waits till the PC's are ready to leave, he may be tired from waiting. If he rests, he may not have time to get to the bridge before they are caught by who ever is chasing them, on the chance that something interferes with transport. The only other option is to hijack a ship that is heading to the starbase and pose as the crew, there is a lot more that can go wrong though.
The hole in the starbase hull is pretty big and the pilot will have to roll against their skill level to make it without scratching the paint. Pervis advises them to go in disguise and leave all weapons behind. Once inside Pervis gives them coordinates to transport to and just he and the PC's will go on this trip. He will lead them through a maze of passageways, avoiding the main corridor, to the promenade and then to a bar, aptly called "The Pirates Roost". He has told them beforehand, that when a fight breaks out, to head towards the back room. As if on queue, a few minutes after they arrive, a fight breaks out and Pervis heads for the back room.
The PC's may get themselves embroiled in the fight, roll against their dexterity, if they fail, use hand-to-hand combat rules, if they can't break free within five rounds, they will be hauled off to the brig. If they are carrying weapons they will be taken to an interrogation room instead, (with cameras) and the weapons confiscated. If the PC transports out, it will be on camera, otherwise he is in for an unpleasant time (d6) hours, before being moved to a holding cell. Then it would be safe to transport, if they are not carrying any weapons, or strange devices, they will be thrown into the drunk tank and Pervis will get them out in two hours, no problems.
A concealed door in the back room will lead them into a maintenance tunnel and then to a series of rooms that look like they haven't been used in awhile. Pervis will open a box and pull out bottles of liquor and start passing them around. They wait awhile, till the barkeep closes shop and joins them, bringing a little food with him for the PC's just in case. If all the PC's are there they will begin talking plans, if not the PC's will be left to their own devices while Pervis and Gordo get the others out, if possible. If the PC's had to transport, they can transport back to here, as they will know the coordinates.
Gordo will explain that the 'blown out' section of the star base is purposefully kept that way, so he and his friends can operate in secrecy. Danger signs and hazardous areas are all carefully maintained to prevent repairs, or curious people from investigating the area. The handful of rebels (smugglers) have a pretty extensive area they control, which could become a base of operations for the PC's spies. The PC's will have to build a training facility somewhere, to support and coordinate teams. Pervis will suggest a base be built on Viken IV, a prehistoric world where the jungles and predators have repulsed every attempt to colonize it.
Pervis is one of the main characters of the campaign and should accompany the PC's from here on out. He will seem to have contacts everywhere and has been in space for over 40 years. It is his suggestion that the PC's establish a base of operations on the star base it's self. Several other crew members will strenuously object, as it is known as one of the primary headquarters of the GC security force. This is precisely why Pervis suggests that they set up a base there, only half of the base is security force, the other half of the population is made up of drug dealers, prostitutes, and smugglers. They all deal with the security force, who are their main customers and a relaxed atmosphere protects them, for the security officers do not believe that anyone would invade their home turf.
They will transport the team Pervis has been training and all the equipment that he has replicated, while most of it looks like GC issue, Pervis has made some modifications, (so far he is the only one who will understand the replicators). The team will gather information for the PC's and relay it weekly to another cruiser, who will need to hang out near by and support the team and evacuate them if necessary. Pervis leaves them in Gordo's hands and he returns to the ship with the PC's to go build a Covert-Ops Base, that will train spies...

Session 8-3: Spy Character Class:

The spy character class is basically a diplomat with armsman training and a number of the general skills thrown in. A team has a well rounded group of ten NPC's with the following members;

Drunk  Bar Hopper, character needs skills in Gambling, Brawling, and Streetwise. The character will learn information such as 'who is who' and where they are stationed, or where prisoners are being transferred to.
Moral officer  Character needs skills in Diplomacy. Information gained is how the troops regard the actions of the PC's. He can also either incite, or quell a riot with just a few words.
Snoop  Counter intelligence, skills needed are; Communications tech. Information gained is on what is being done to apprehend the PC's units.
Terrorist  Skills needed are Elec tech and Mech tech, this character will try to sabotage efforts of the security force.
Goose  Dis-information officer, skills needed are Computer tech and forgery. This character can throw off pursuit and redirect inquiries, of the PC's movements.
Forger  Skills in Computer tech and Forgery. This character makes the PC's units story valid if any of the units are apprehended. The skill level of this character determines whether a unit is killed, or just fined and released.
Hacker  Skills in Computers and Counter intelligence. This character gains information such as control and access codes needed by the PC's and their units.
Blackmailer  Skills in Gambling and Bribery. This character learns personal secrets and gains 'people on the inside', for when the PC's, or units need someone to 'open the back door'.
Spy  Skills needed are Counter intelligence, Elec tech, and Communications. This character can be sent to spy on people and places if the PC's, or units want more information.
Assassin  Skills needed are Armsman, hand-to-hand, Archaic weapons, and chemistry. This character removes key personnel in an attempt to slow down the enemy's efforts.

Spies are the counterpart to Special Forces and a high ranking spy can lead a team of SF to a site "within their reach", to carry out a special mission. In this case the SF team does not need a base of operations, nor time to prepare. Their mortality rate often goes up, (1 per rank of mission), but a teamed SF/Spy unit can operate within an entire region of space. (Until the SF unit drops to having only two members) then must return to a base. A team of spies operates in space, like the SF team does on a planet. Combined the enemy can not hold it's border nor reinforce units operating beyond the border.
Spies typically have a higher morality rate than SF forces, so that by the time a team reaches a rank of ten, there is only one member left, but then at that rank, that is all one needs... Where the SF team is a seek and destroy type of unit, the spy is a misdirect and dispose, kind of guy. Once a spy reaches a rank of ten, he does not retire, he just gets better, "there is no out", capable of operating solo, as a spy gains higher rank, his reach lengthens, (1 shipping lane per rank, above 9). The spy must operate within his territory though, he can not be "dropped off" anywhere, or moved, once in place. The spy can not reek shear havoc on the enemy like the SF unit does, but picks and chooses the most vital targets (one per month).

Spy Ranks

Mongers  This rank of spy hangs out in bars and eating establishment, according to their level and picks up information, or plants it. Typically patrols and security teams will look "in the wrong place", allowing for escape by other units.
Gatherers  This rank of spy acquires sensitive information and passes it along. Sensitive information is flagged and whatever the team wants to know, if a piece passes through their site, it's theirs.
Borrowers  At this rank, a spy can steal objects, or swap them, to prevent the enemy from getting their hands on it. From a paper clip, to an entire star ship, rebel objects that fall into enemies hands, disappear before engineers can take it apart.
Contact  At this rank, a spy can break out a prisoner, or find dissidents and either recruit them, or put them to work doing something more useful. Persons slated for penal colonies will have a tendency for escaping and prison populations in the system will not grow. They are diverted instead to rebel contacts and recruited, on the order of 100 per month.
Terrorist  At this rank a team of spies can sabotage a shipment of goods, or a place, costing the enemy resources to replace it. If behind enemy lines, a spy team can prevent reinforcements, resources, or supplies from reaching their destination. Units in the field will disband, or go dead in the water, at the rate of one per month.
Hacker  At this rank, a spy can steal, and wipe out entire databanks, crashing sensitive computer systems. Information systems are constantly destroyed so that communications and orders do not pass through the location of where a team is operating.
Revolutionary  At this level a spy can incite emotions in others, who will sacrifice themselves for the cause. These persons will manage to travel anywhere within a system, smuggling themselves aboard transports, stealing a ship, or what ever it takes. In cases where the enemy builds a base, has a command vessel, or headquarters, it is destroyed before carrying out it's objective.
Spy vs Spy At this level a spy will cause distractions to security forces and lead them on wild goose chases, exhausting men and resources and demoralizing the enemy. The team can open borders to allow the passage of troops, or ships and prevent the enemy from locating remote bases if the enemy unit is dispatched from the team's home sector.
'OO'  At this level a spy team can effectively operate within an entire sector, to spy, distract, or destroy enemy units that pass through the sector. Merchant vessels, patrols, and fleets, passing though the sector are targets and won't make it any farther (destroys one minor shipping lane per month, then major ones when there are no minor left).
Agent  At this level a spy can gain entry into any enemy facility to operate and then leave, without fear of being caught. Capable of operating solo, a team member can travel space lanes to the next world in line and carry out a mission there.

Spy teams tend to sacrifice their own members to prevent the others from getting caught, thereby ensuring that at least one member survives their tenure. There is no way for the enemy to kill a team of spies entirely and once a spy gains the rank of ten, they are bullet proof (with the exception of the double agent). Typically spies are deployed in regions of space, at the juncture of major shipping lanes, where information, resources, and reinforcements have to pass through their zone. In the event that the enemy draws a battle line, if a spy is operating in the sector, it will be in peril and might as well not be there if the rebels want to pass through.
The limitations of a spy are time and space, in that, they can only operate "abroad" for one month per rank above ten and then must return to their site of operations for at least a month. And while away, normal operations are not carried out in their home sector. An additional team can placed in the sector, but when a rank of ten is reached the new spy will turn double agent and work against the rebels interests. The loss of all the covert-ops bases in a quad will also cause all the spies in that quadrant to become double agents. The only way to prevent this is to move the spy to a new location, with a new team, however, if at any time the spy gains a rank of ten, they will still become a double agent. In this event, a spy of higher rank must be sent to kill the spy, if they are able to reach them. The double agent will move one region away and set up a base of operations. A rebel spy team then can not be placed in that region, or any other unit, without it being shipped back in little pieces. As the double agent's reach lengthens, they can kill one rebel spy per year, effectively halting that teams ability to gain rank, until a new member gains the rank of their peers.
The double agent can also recruit a team and place it in an adjoining region not occupied by a rebel spy base, the enemy spies are not as effective as the rebel spies, as their only mission is to prevent units from operating off their home worlds (and hunting down rebel spies). But until that team is killed off, (hopefully before one gains the rank of ten) a rebel unit is at risk. An enemy spy, for example, can not kill off a SF unit, but can shorten their reach. If a rebel spy and an SF unit are deployed together though, they can cause the enemy spies to move their base by destroying it, and force them to retreat. There by nullifying the spies, until one reaches a rank of ten and begins extending their own reach.
A double agent can only be killed by a higher ranking spy and only by lying in wait for them, for example; If a 14th level agent is operating in a region solo and an 13th level double agent is operating deeper into enemy territory and there are no targets in the adjoining regions for the double agent to target. Before the rebels move units into one of the adjoining sectors (to the double agent), the spy is sent in to lay in wait. When the double agent enters the sector they are automatically killed. A double agent will attack the most vital target within their reach, if this is not where the rebel spy is located...
The problem with this, is that while the rebel agent is away, they can not carry out any missions, home, or abroad and the double agent will wait till the last moment, in this case three months, before entering the region (in the case that the rebel unit is a stationary one. The rebel spy will effectively lose four months (has to be in place, the month before) of operations. An agent automatically gains one month of experience, for each of the levels of the opponent they kill. These cat and mouse games may never happen, but more than likely, in the second part of the game, when battle lines are drawn, the PC's will want to hear this information again. This may also be the hardest part of the game to keep track of, though a chart is provided in (Appendix One).

Session 8-4: Welcome to the Jungle

The PC's need a covert-ops base to train recruits and coordinate operations, one of the most hostile planets is Viken IV. Colonies have tried to establish themselves here, only to disappear, or be completely wiped out, even well armed scouting parties were totally overcome before help arrived to extract them.

While Viken IV has a well deserved, nasty reputation, the PC's can establish an underground covert-ops base here without too many losses, or problems, if they are careful and quick about it. The wild life will guaranty no one will sneak up on them and the jungle will quickly cover the construction site. A mountain can be tunneled into the easiest, if it isn't too close to the base, if they choose anywhere on level ground, night fall will bring a horde of monsters that will at least get the construction crew and cause the PC's to transport out. Even a star ship is no safe haven against some of the dinosaurs, as they will be able to get several bites in, before the ship can lift off. A few little stowaways will most likely be hunted down later as the crew starts dying from bites...
Unless the PC's are extremely careful they will not walk away from this mission without scars, (some may even be missing body parts). Just about every type of creature on this primordial world has a lethal bite, in it's severity, or poisonous venom. Every minute they are here, an insect, snake, or spider will get someone, every hour they are here a larger predator may wander by... Each day it takes them to secure themselves the attacks will increase in frequency, as their presence will attract hungry predators from miles around. The construction will have many problems beside the loss of workers, seeing a T-Rex come out of the jungle will halt construction and scatter the workers, some will even flee into the jungle, not to be seen again. When someone screams from a creeping thing, work will halt for a few minutes while everyone tries to kill it. Some attempts at killing creatures will result in accidents, even a PC may get shot this way, or lose a hand from a wildly swinging machete.
This is all to ensure that the PC's base will be secure once it is built, if it can be... The PC's might also want to establish their own penal colony here, for say the security council members. In any event only by using flame throwers all around the perimeter can the construction succeed. And also, if the base is not underground, there will be nothing left of it by morning, just the scent of the workers will cause the creatures to destroy anything above ground, looking for lunch. Even the waters here are teeming with creatures that will destroy buildings and eat scuba divers. If the construction takes longer than a day, the workers will strike and rumors will prevent any further attempts for at least a year.
The base will need to be completely sealed off from the outside and accessible only by transporters, a landing pad will be quickly over run by the jungle and it is unlikely that all the visitors can make it to the door before something gets them, or worse, follows them inside. A character with jungle survival ten is the only one who stands a chance here and even then they will be wanting to leave as soon as possible. The PC's, ship's crew, and construction workers, will all have reoccurring nightmares and develop phobias of spiders, snakes, and flying things. An on-staff psychologist is the only way to prevent general quarters from being sounded in the middle of the night every couple of days and even this will take months to accomplish. For the next several months every mission is in jeopardy if one of the PC's see a spider, or something else that can make them scream like a girl...
This base will never be compromised though, even a rumor that it exists will quickly be dismissed by anyone who has, or is, visiting. Not too many rumors will be circulated though, no one who has been here will want to bring up the subject, unless they have been heavily drinking, or want to inspire fear in someone. The need to use the transporters will also prevent anyone from learning the general location. If the location of the base is learned somehow, teams sent to search will either disappear, or lie that they had looked and didn't find anything. A covert-ops team would have to assassinate the tyrant of GC before a serious enough search was made and this could only be accomplished by defoliating the entire continent first. Even then, something will survive and make the search teams few in number than when they arrived...
If the PC's send a team on their own, it will not report in and little if any trace of them will be found. The PC's will be needed in person, for their quick thinking, powerful weapons, and reflexes, or the base will not get built. It is also noted that the players should be encouraged to play on the phobias of their own characters and that of the others too. This may last for years, but the stories should be circulated for longer, at the end of a year, the PC's should roll an intellect check, success means they have overcome their phobia, otherwise it will crop up and hamper the PC for the rest of their life. This is serious enough to possibly get a PC killed if they jump up and run around screaming, during a firefight, after they think they see a spider. Only a telepath can completely nullify a phobia of this nature, but this should only be suggested by a PC.

The covert-ops base is needed to gather information and sift through it, each one that is built with in a quad can discover troop and fleet movements within the quadrant, as long as a spy, or covert-ops team is in operation. Without it, or if it is destroyed, the spies in the area become double agents. The rebels will need a spy network because of the expanse of known space, just along the border, from Ethos (in Q-C/12:R) to Porthos (in Q-D/8:M) there are over two-hundred worlds and while the PC's may not see the need for them, the council does. This is also the only way to find out information about the security force, which will be sent to find the PC's and rebels, before sending in the troops. They will expend a lot of resources and manpower to find a spy base, more so than any other rebel unit and there is a 10% chance a year that they will find it, (excluding this one). This of course will make it harder to get spies to the rank of ten and is often the reason why double agents are created, as when a base is built, it automatically produces 10 spies. If that base is in the same region as another spy...
There is no limit to the number of covert-ops bases the rebels can build, but at least one is needed per quad, or all the spies will turn into double agents. This won't be a problem in quad D, but can easily happen in the other quads. A base will also be needed in the rebels quad, to discover "moles", which will be a future mission. A mole is simply a spy that has infiltrated the rebels and gives away their fleet and troop movements, steals technology, and assassinates their leaders. The possibility of the rebels being able to catch a mole is very low, as it depends entirely upon the reach of their top agent and his ability to find the mole's base (10% per year). This is the surest way for the GC to squash the rebellion. Rebel bases can be found easier (+5% modifier (not accumulative)), technology will quickly become balanced, (0.1 per year) and the PC's most vital operations will be foiled (1 per month).
A mole's base will be established in the closest sector to GC space, if the PC's start colonizing at the far edge of their own quadrant it is unlikely that they will ever find the mole. The base will be built by the first double agent the GC gains, if a colony is established somewhere by the rebels, if not, as soon as they do, the first agent to turn will build the base. Like their own spies, the mole can not be hunted down by any PC, or NPC, except another spy, this will add an element of frustration to the game for the PC's. Because the best idea they come up with, will fail miserably, because of the presence of the mole. Not even psionic PC/NPC's will be able to root out a mole, they believe in telepathy and will guard their thoughts skillfully.
With the presence of a mole, the PC's will find the game long and draw out, as their advantage of technology and special units will be nullified by spies and moles. And the longer the game draws out, the greater the likeliness that the GC will win, as they have far more resources and manpower than the PC's and will win because of sheer numbers. Besides the expanse of their space, they are also not limited to recruiting, but can turn the entire population of a world into an army (conscripting). The PC's however are limited by population growth and unless they are willing to bombard planets, (which will severely hurt their moral) they will not be able to field the troops and ships necessary to stem the horde of armies the GC is capable of raising. But this will all be dealt with in parts two and three...

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