Dark Century Campaign - Section I - Part 1 of 2

Date: Tue, 19 Sep 1995 18:13:07 GMT
From: "Brendan O'Donovan" <Brendan@odonovan.demon.co.uk>
Subject: Dark Century Campaign - Section I - Part 1 of 2

Well, the TML seems to be working now, so I'll risk posting this. I hope 
everything's sorted out again because the second part of this which I'll post 
next week won't make so much sense without it.

The Reformation Coalition has moved on a fair way since I wrote this adventure. 
You may need to find some new frontier worlds to relocate the adventure to, but 
it fits fairly flexibly into any pre Regency contact time period.

This is a renovation and fleshing out of the first adventure seed I ever posted, 
which was really only the introduction to a campaign. The adventure centres 
around the Dark Century II which I posted a few weeks back, I'm afraid I'll have 
to rely on someone who gets digest mail to post the digest number that the 
design appeared in. Anyway, here goes with the first of six weekly (maybe, 
depends how much spare time I get) parts.

The adventure starts on Aubaine/Aubaine 0738. The exact date is not important 
but it should generally be early in the life of the Reformation Coalition, when 
they are still desperate for any ships they are offered. The adventure is 
suitable for any number of players, as the encounters can be scaled to match the 
size and talent of any party.

Referee's Background:
Austin Farlos is an extremely wealthy and greedy man. For many years, he was a 
member of the crew of a far trader, drifting from system to system, trying to 
make ends meet. Then, one day, while his fellow crewmembers were running sensor 
checks at New Martham/Thoezennt 0221, prior to jumping out of the system, an 
anomalous densitometer reading from a planetoid in the asteroid belt was 
recorded. The ship's launch was dispatched to investigate and a heavily damaged 
naval facility was discovered. On closer inspection, large warehouses of 
starship components were discovered undamaged. Virus had been unable to infect 
these stores, as sensor an comms antennas had been destroyed in the attack which 
led to the base's abandonment. The ship returned to Coalition space to stake a 
finder's claim on the cache. 
Back on Aubaine, Austin arranged for the other crew members to meet with a 
tragic and fatal grav vehicle accident (he believed), leaving him the sole 
recipient of a claim worth hundreds of megacredits. Fuelled by an insatiable 
greed and sense of ambition, Austin decided to invest his money in a venture 
calculated to bring returns tens of times greater than any stock deal. His time 
in the wilds provided inspiration, he had seen how small numbers of high tech 
troops could allow a TED to rule, so he reasoned that others would pay well for 
the services of high tech mercenaries to preserve or disrupt the status quo. 
This left him with one further problem, his mercenaries would need a starship 
for support and transport, but the only ones available were battered relic 
ships, as the Coalition had control of the shipyards and all new ship 
construction.
He decided to trick the Coalition into building the ship he wanted. He wrote a 
clause into his will, stating that on his death, the Coalition would inherit his 
fortune, one the one condition that it was used to construct a ship as a 
memorial to him, from ship plans he commissioned himself. This was done to 
prevent the questions that would have been asked if he donated the money while 
still alive, and prevents him from being a suspect when the ship is stolen from 
the Coalition.
After his death was staged (lost at sea on Aubaine, no body recovered), the 
Coalition was only happy to add another ship to its fleet, and so the Dark 
Century class Stealth Destroyer was constructed. As the adventure begins, the 
Coalition is recruiting the finest crew it can for the Century's shakedown 
cruise. Austin too is doing some recruiting, both among mercenaries and the 
shipyard security..........
Getting involved

"During the past few weeks, there have been rumours surfacing that the Coalition 
is about to launch the first of a new class of Destroyers. The media is saying 
little, but people you know who work for the Coalition and trusted freelancers 
are spreading the word. The Destroyer is being constructed secretly, word has it 
that it is some kind of memorial, which is to be unveiled as a surprise. At one 
of the Transtown bars you overheard an argument between two young naval hotshots 
as to which would be picked for assignment on the new ship. There's a sense of 
expectation in the air, and many RCES personnel are working far harder than 
usual, trying to get noticed."

The players are approached by a Coalition admin officer who offers them a job at 
+50% wages for a few weeks on a special assignment. If pressed she will raise 
this offer to double wages (difficult:bargaining), but no further. If asked for 
details of the assignment, she will be able to provide nothing, other than a 
time and place for a complete briefing. Players can be offered jobs as naval 
personnel, ship's troops, or 'trouble-shooters' for the Century's first tour of 
duty, depending on skills available. If characters are interested, they are to 
report for briefing at the underwater shipyards at 1900 tomorrow. Characters who 
are already active RC personnel may be told simply to report to the shipyards 
for briefing.

The Shipyards

The underwater shipyards were constructed with major Schalli assistance in NE2, 
to serve the growing needs of the RC. The shipyards nestle in a giant atoll in 
the temperate waters of the northern hemisphere of Aubaine. Above the water a 
500m diameter dome provides docks for passenger and freight ships and grav 
vehicles, and accommodations and some offices for the human component of the 
workforce, who largely prefer to live in the sunlight. From the surface 
facility, a large tower carries several freight and personnel elevators down to 
the under water facility. The hub underwater is very similar to the facility 
above water, although there is a much greater Schalli presence. From the hub six 
smaller tunnels fan out to the construction bays of various sizes located on the 
edge of the atoll.
The shipyards were built for capacity instead of luxury, so all doors except 
emergency bulkheads are manual, and although clean, there are places where the 
seals around tunnel joints leak slightly, allowing water to run through the mesh 
floor into drainage tunnels. This is not due to any lack of structural 
integrity, but instead to Schalli architects who believe in sufficient instead 
of absolute waterproofing, who look on in amazement at how human workers try to 
block up every last leak, where there really is no danger.

Maps don't really travel well in email, so I'll give some descriptions of some 
stock locations in the starport which you can join together to taste:

Construction Hangar:
The hangar space is about 100m x 400m, usually several ships are in construction 
at once in a single hangar. The hangar is filled with water, and the roof of the 
hanger is constructed of transparent plastic. This can be opened to allow ships 
to launch, but normally it remains closed to persuade the local wildlife to 
remain outside, while still aiding with the lighting of the space. On all sides 
of the hangar, 'walls' about 10m wide and 60m high contain offices and computer 
facilities for the projects underway in the hangar. These offices have large 
windows looking both out to the sea and into the hangar. Both the natural and 
artificial lights tend towards a green or blue colour which the Schalli find 
most comforting. This would make the place slightly depressing for the human 
workers, but the scale of the place makes it impressive and inspiring. The 
machinery constructing the ships gives a background sound of rhythmic thumping, 
very low and not so loud it can't be ignored, but there nonetheless if you 
listen. Although the offices and workspaces in the walls of the hangar are 
comparatively free of leaks, the air still has a slightly salty smell, and is 
cold and slightly damp.

Office
The offices in the surface facilities are decorated in warm colours, browns, 
beiges etc. The   floors are covered with tightly woven carpet, chosen more for 
durability than any comfort consideration. Most offices have a desk with a 
networked terminal, and two or three chairs. There is considerable variation in 
the state of the offices, some tidy with pot plants, others looking like a bomb 
just hit them, with papers stacked chaotically on desks, others give the 
impression that if a bomb was to hit them, it would probably tidy the place up a 
bit.

Briefing Room (surface facility) 
The briefing rooms are about 6m by 10m, with windows along one of the longer 
sides. Slatted blinds can be closed down over these windows as necessary, and 
projection equipment linked to the facility computers is embedded in the 
ceiling. Chairs are arranged in rows, to seat about 60.

The players arrive at the shipyards on one of the many commuter hydrofoils which 
carry workers to and from nearby islands. On arrival they are escorted a short 
way to a briefing room.

'The briefing room is already quite full when you enter, with several people 
standing at the back. You estimate that there must be about seventy people 
standing in on this briefing. Another small group enters the briefing room and 
stand next to you. The doors are closed and Sid Papagopolis takes the stand:
"You are all here because you are the best available. Don't let that go to your 
heads, the cream of the service are almost without exception engaged off world 
at the moment. Nonetheless you represent one of the better crew we have 
gathered. This is as it should be for the first cruise of the RCS Dark Century."
A video image is presented onto the wall behind him, showing an almost completed 
ship in a wet dock. There is a stunned murmur as the camera zooms out to show a 
scout courier undergoing a refit next to it, completely dwarfed by its 
neighbour. [Average:(EDU + INT)  to estimate the size at about 1000 displacement 
tons]. The video image shimmers in shades of blue and green from the light 
filtering through from the surface of the water above, but the ship is still 
clearly distinct. Black and streamlined, it looks like some monstrous predator 
of the prehistoric oceans. Sid continues, "The Century was a gift to the 
Coalition. Some of you may remember report's of Austin Farlos' death in a storm 
about a year ago. He was an extremely wealthy man, possibly one of the richest 
in the coalition due to a massive finder's claim on a cache at an old naval 
base. His will asked that his fortune be given to the Coalition, on the 
condition it be used to build this ship as a memorial to him. We had been having 
trouble funding enough ships to use the dock capacity here, so this was not an 
opportunity to pass up. Her first mission will be a routine patrol through safe 
systems, we wouldn't want to risk losing her to an unexpected malfunction in the 
wilds. Now ladies and gentlemen, any questions?".
Sid will answer any questions the players have.
-If the players ask about pay, they will find that some people are being paid 
double, allowing them to get that pay if they haven't already.
-Questions about the Century can be answered from the design. If the players 
aren't forthcoming with questions, then NPCs should ask questions so the players 
now some of the key facts about (eg. stealth design), but don't give everything 
away unless the characters specifically ask.
-Questions about the planned route cannot be answered until the Century leaves, 
for security reasons, but it lies entirely within safe systems.
-Questions about rank/position onboard ship should be answered as you wish. If 
characters merit it, there is no harm in allocating command positions.

Crew Breakdown for Dark Century:

Captain
First Officer
Tactical Commander
Flight Commander
	11 Flight Crew
Steward/Medic
Troop Commander
	2 Squad Leaders
		2 Squads:
		Lieutenant
		Medic
		5 squaddies
2 Electronics
2 Manuever
Gunnery Commander
	14 Gunners		
Chief Engineer
 	Senior engineer
		13 Engineering Crew
		3 Maintenance Crew

After the briefing, the character are assigned clean, if spartan accommodation 
in the shipyard facility before departure tomorrow. The accommodation is not on 
the Century, as except for the Captain's stateroom, the quarters are somewhat 
uncomfortable.

Things that go bump in the night....
The characters are woken in the middle of the night by an announcement on the 
intercom to their room. "We appear to have a situation here in the Century's 
Hangar. Could any available personnel report to the hangar immediately. This is 
the head of security, I repeat all available personnel to hangar four." 
Characters should try to get involved now. Any who don't will get included again 
in a short while, but at least a couple need to head for the hangar (repeat the 
message with threats of action against those who don't respond if necessary). 
Heading to the hangar the characters will be surprised by how few people there 
are around. One or two maintenance and security personnel are up and about, but 
even they don't seem concerned by the warning you heard. (The head of security 
put the announcement through only to their rooms).
	Some players may try to wake some more people. This is fine, but as 
they'll end up working with the players later in this scenario, limit it to only 
a couple of NPCs, the rest either don't want to know, or are sound asleep. 
Anyone trying to contact security about the message will be told that something 
must have gone wrong with the intercom. They will be told to continue directly 
to the hangar and not to bother waking anyone else. They will be told that some 
workmen have been attacked by a native creature which has somehow got into the 
hangar and then the line will fizz and go dead. When they arrive at the hangar, 
there is nobody around. The observation gallery the players enter looks into the 
hanger, but they can't see anybody working inside. Observation:Average to spot a 
pair of feet sticking out from behind some chairs in the observation gallery. 
The feet belong to a dead security guard, shot dead and crudely hidden, there is 
another similar body next to it. The body is still quite warm, especially 
considering the clammy cold of the air. There is no ID with the guard, but his 
weapon (a gauss pistol with full tranq clip) is still present. There is no sign 
of the killer, and the intercom is dead. Within seconds, the characters are 
distracted by further events:
'Looking through the window into the dark hangar, you can barely make out the 
shape of the Century, the spotlights shining through the water picking it out as 
a piece of more solid darkness. However, as you look, something seems wrong. 
External lights on the ship are flickering into life, and you can make out the 
rising whine of contra-grav powering up. As its weight is reduced, the Century 
begins to lift through the water like a rising bubble, smashing through the 
clear plastic roof of the hanger, leaving shards of plastic tumbling down in its 
wake, like rain in slow motion. Within seconds of its passing through the 
ceiling an alarm is triggered. Sirens split the silence asunder, and the blue 
and black of the hangar is lit by strobing red lights giving a hellish 
appearance.
(referee: The head of security, Trefin Galth is framing the players for helping 
with the theft of the Dark Century. As his word is widely trusted, and he has 
access to anywhere in the station, he makes a fairly good job of it. The 
evidence he will use against the players includes:
He supplied the starship thieves with copies of the player's door passes.
He has planted quantities of gold in the player's rooms.
He has spliced together footage of the thieves entering the facility with 
security camera footage of the characters answering his announcement.
Any incriminating evidence in the computers has been either deleted or tightly 
encrypted.
He has dispatched a unit of security guards to the observation lounge, where 
they will find the characters, and the dead guards)

continues.....
-- 
Brendan

Date: Tue, 19 Sep 1995 18:15:32 GMT
From: "Brendan O'Donovan" <Brendan@odonovan.demon.co.uk>
Subject: Dark Century Campaign - Section I - Part 2 of 2

continues.... (knew I should get a decent email program)

A number of security guards, outnumbering the players by 6 people will enter the 
observation gallery. They will call for the players to drop any weapons and will 
take any who surrender to the security centre for questioning. Any resistance 
will cause security to open fire, and will look bad when protesting their 
innocence. If the party is subdued they will be taken to the security centre. If 
the party escapes, then go straight to the section on escaping. Of course, if 
the players resort to lethal force, but fudge it so security guards don't die 
unless the players specifically want to kill them. Charges of assault can be 
dropped once the conspiracy is uncovered, although some of the guards might hold 
a grudge.

Security guard. Veteran NPC. Combat Assets: Slug Rifle, Unarmed martial arts. 
Other Assets: Swimming 12, Small Craft 10, Electronics 7, Computer 7. Armed with 
4mm gauss rifle, no armour.


Framed!
If the players were captured above they are taken to the security centre 
(underwater facility)
'You have been sitting in this featureless room for half an hour now, the guard 
didn't seem interested in anything you said, so as the door opens and you are 
escorted out , you are glad that you can at last speak to someone who will 
listen. You are shown into an office, behind a desk sits a grey haired man, with 
a smile that irritates you greatly.
The man straightens up a stack of paper, then looks up. The security guard 
remains in the room.
"I must regretfully inform you that you are all under arrest for aiding in the 
theft of the RCS Dark Century. The security video tapes show you moving through 
the base, apparently in a state or some agitation (and carrying weapons, if 
appropriate). An access card issued to (one of the characters) was used to open 
an airlock from the submarine bay. Anyway, let me play the tape, so you can see 
the evidence against you" He taps his finger on some controls set into the 
desktop. On a monitor on the wall a picture of a corridor is displayed. The 
characters are seen to run down it, followed seconds later by a group of about 
thirty armed men and women. More film follows, including pictures of the 
characters actually opening doors for the thieves. (Average:Sensors, Computer or 
EDU. The tape could have been altered by the operator, and the characters could 
have been added through computer effects. However the image processing power to 
generate the images would be considerable, and  require significant attention 
from the facility mainframe. If the players later investigate this, they will 
find conclusive evidence that the mainframes were not used. How he managed to 
get the footage I'll leave a mystery for now......)
As the tape finishes, another security guard enters and places a large parcel on 
the desk "Found it in the suspect's quarters, sir." he says stiffly. Inside are 
several bars of gold, wilds currency. "Planning a little trip away from the 
coalition then, are you?" Trefin inquires sarcastically.'
The characters can argue their innocence, but talking to Trefin is like talking 
to a smirking brick wall.
The characters are lead back to the cells. By this point they should suspect 
that Trefin is framing them, but they will be helpless to prove their innocence 
while incarcerated. Average:Legal - The characters are in a very bad situation. 
The evidence already presented against them will possibly be sufficient, and as 
Head of Security, Trefin can continue adding evidence as necessary. It would be 
sensible to try to escape to find evidence to prove their innocence. A lawyer 
contacted for Cr100 will give the same opinion. Trefin now has the players in 
his hands, but he has begun to fear that their service records might lead to an 
investigation which could uncover him, or that the trial could take too little 
time, in which case it wouldn't disrupt the pursuit of the Century at all. He 
decides to let the players escape, in the hope that their flight will occupy the 
authorities.

Meanwhile, the Dark Century has escaped. It briefly engaged a gazelle CE, which 
was destroyed within minutes from a particle accelerator hit which triggered a 
chain of massive internal explosions, ripping the ship apart. As the Navy 
believes it can track it through the players, they are not pursuing it, as they 
cannot risk losing any more precious ships or crews. 

Trefin Galth. Veteran NPC. Combat Assets:Energy Pistol, Unarmed Martial Arts, 
Slug Pistol. Other Assets: Leadership 12, Computer 14, Electronics 12.  Carries 
a TL13 2cmCC Laser
Trefin arrived on Aubaine from 'somewhere in the wilds' about ten years ago. 
Despite his shaded background, his technical skill made him a successful 
security guard.
Motivations
Spade Queen: Trefin is ruthless and will go to any length to achieve his ends. 
He takes sadistic pleasure not in others physical suffering, but in their 
frustration and helplessness when he manipulates others against them. He 
engineered a scandal which removed his predecessor in the job.
3 Diamond: Trefin has a degree of greed, but his reasons for framing the players 
lie deeper than financial reward. Players may (Formidable:Admin) manage to track 
his arrival to the same battered far trader which brought some of the thieves 
which can be identified to the planet. Interestingly, the far trader has never 
been registered as trading around Aubaine since then... 

A Chance of Freedom
The players should be trying to escape. If not, the second part of the encounter 
could be used (or use it anyway if you like it)

The cell you are held in looks as if it was intended more as a cupboard. There 
is a panel to control the door on the inside, but it has been deactivated from 
outside. An access panel below it covers the door circuitry, but it is welded 
loosely in place.
Opening the panel requires 4 points of damage to be done to it in a single 
attack. (Increase this if you find it amusing to get the players trying to 
shoulder barge it, flying kick it, etc.)
Average: Electronics- The door could be hot-wired if the panel was removed
Difficult: Electronics- To hot-wire the door (two attempts possible before the 
circuits burn out completely)

The Guard outside is 'Chip' Dawkins, a junior and completely inexperienced guard 
(novice NPC, combat assets: Knowing which end of the gun the bullet comes out 
of.) Chip is very gullible, and Difficult:Act Bluff could get him to open the 
cell up ("please, my friend feels ill"). He can be easily subdued when the 
players are free, and they can escape.

If the players feel unwilling to take action into their own hands:
'It's night time, the guard brought you a meal about an our ago. The food was 
good, probably straight from the staff mess, they can't have prisoners very 
often, otherwise they'd be better at cooking badly. Suddenly there is a dull 
thud from outside. A moment of heavy silence follows and you begin to wonder if 
it was just your imagination, but the door to your cell opens with a swish. 
Outside is a schalli in a power suit, it greets the characters
"I'm a friend, know you not steal ship. Was making night maintenance rounds, 
when I saw Trefin at computer, working on camera feeds. He ran when I saw, and 
now he's framed you. The only way to prove innocence is outside." Beside her is 
the unconscious guard. "Hurry, he wake soon." she urges.
The Schalli will return to her quarters after this, knowing she is more of a 
liability to the characters trying to escape stealthily.

If the players still don't try to escape (check their pulse and respiration):
Trefin appears while the Schalli stands outside. He shoots her through the back, 
and as she dies she tells the players to escape. Trefin will shoot himself 
through the forearm, drop his gun and call for backup.

Escape!
Moving through the shipyard:

Corridors - Carries the highest risk of encountering guards. Players will 
encounter D6 patrols of D3 guards each (use stats above). Difficult:Stealth to 
avoid a patrol (all characters roll, some may be caught, others can surprise the 
guards). The video cameras appear to be deactivated (Trefin is manning them, to 
help the players escape). Formidable:Act/Bluff to talk your way out of guard 
encounters.

Ventilation Shafts - These allow characters to avoid patrols. Most of them are 
50cm x 50 cm square, but this increases to 1.5m x 1.5m in places. Despite their 
advantages they have their own hazards:
D6
1-2	Faulty electrical wire hangs down into the duct.
	Average:Observation to spot (-1 difficulty level in the dark)
	Difficult:Ship's engineering to remove (2D6 damage to dominant arm on 
catastrophic failure, 5min)
	Average:Acrobatics to avoid (Unskilled OK, 2D6 damage on failure, but 
wire still passed)
3-4	Maintenance robot. Probably background colour unless it decides the 
characters are an obstruction to be cleared.
5	Shaft
	Easy:Observation to spot (+2 difficulty in the dark)
	Easy:Acrobatics to cross over (4m fall on fail. Could cause problems 
trying to get back up)
6	Shaft
	As above but with air conditioning fans which add D6 damage to falling 
damage on a fail.

Outside - Airlocks to the outside will allow the players to swim around to exits 
from the facility. This could also help them get on board a ship as they 
wouldn't need to pass through facility exits.
On entering an airlock:
D6
1	2 Guards waiting in ambush, Vac suits present
2	Vacc Suits are present for extended aquatic work
3-6	Scuba equipment is available.
Aquatic ACRs are present in all airlocks. 
There is a 50% chance of encountering a local predator outside, increasing to 
100% if a character with an injury is wearing scuba gear. Combat tasks are +2 
diff levels, Swimming enables to give only +1 diff mod. Characters without any 
swimming skill can be aided by others, but take no part in combat.
Underwater Encounters
D6;Type;Weight;Hits;Weaponry;To hit;Damage;Pen;Range;Initiative;Armour;To 
attack;To flee;Speed
1;1D6 killers;50;3;Poison stinger;13;1p2;Nil;Short;8;Nil;12;1;30 
- Like very small sharks w. poison barb on forehead like a rhino's horn
2;Chaser;3200;49;Projectile;12;9;Nil;18;2;nil;5;Am;5;50
-Very big serpent/snake like creature
3;3D6 chasers;25;4;Poison teeth;14;3p1;Nil;Short;3;0.5;Am;9;65
- eel-like
4;Siren;100;9;Acid;14;1;Nil;Short;7;Nil;As;7;5
- like a Giant Scorpion Fish, but with more spines in bright multi-colours and 
patterns. It floats freely until a curious swimmer or fish gets close...
5;Siren;6000;100;Teeth;10;20;1;Short;3;Nil;As;10;2
- Pretends to be a crater on the floor of the sea until a reason able mouthful 
is contained, then large teeth are extended from the rim of the 'crater' causing 
severe injury to unwary swimmers.
6;Chaser;12;3;Claws;15;2;Nil;Short;4;Nil;Am;7;27
- 'Reefcat', aquatic mammal

The players can ultimately exit from the facility through one of three major 
means, ask them where they are headed.
- Utility launches. 
'Making your way cautiously down a corridor you stop in surprise as you see a 
launch outside the window. Around the corner, an armoured guard sits next to the 
airlock, a rifle propped between his knees, and a can of drink in one hand.'
The Shipyards have several launches used for utility purposes, ferrying simple 
replacement components to orbit etc. A security guard is present on the airlock 
for each launch, armed with dart ammunition in their rifle, and wearing TL12 
combat armour. Although a single guard could be overcome easily, the launch is 
not fully prepped for takeoff, so the players might have trouble getting away 
that easily, though.
Difficult:Ships Engineer - Bring power plant up to full (not a cold start), 
takes 1D6+1 minutes. Critical success reduces time to 1 min, critical failure 
doubles time needed. Every minute roll D6-4 for the number of armoured guards 
appearing. 
Difficult:Electronics - Burn out door servo control, barricading the entrance 
from the guards.  Three guards together can open it manually - Wait until three 
guards have accumulated outside from the roll above.
Formidable:Act/Bluff - Convince guard that characters are maintenance crew for 
the launch.
Impossible:Forgery - Produce requisition order and passes to deceive the guard. 
This task is one level easier if the characters have access to a portable 
computer/printer or similar.
A pre-emptive attack would surprise the guard, but an implant monitors his 
health and will alert security even if the players knock him unconscious 
immediately.
Average:Interface/Grav to fly out safely through the plastic covering the 
hangar. If nobody has Interface/grav, then they will need to find another exit.


- The underwater docks
'The docks are dark, lit by the lights below the water in a shifting pattern of 
blue and shadows across the walls and ceilings. The walls reach a hundred meters 
away into the darkness, and the room is about forty meters wide, and almost as 
high. About a dozen submarines are tied up in the channels which run along the 
sides of the room. There is a pair of unarmoured security guards with tranq 
rifles sitting in a control room set into the centre of the ceiling, with glass 
windows all around.'
Sneaking past the guards is Easy:Stealth due to the lighting in the submarine 
docks.
Average:Electronics or Intrusion - open a submarine door.
Average:Act/Bluff - to persuade security to let the submarine exit through the 
'airlock' (waterlock?) which prevents the room from filling up with water, while 
keeping air pressure normal.

If they get suspicious of the bluffing above, characters will have to fight past 
1D6+2 guards (the original two, and reinforcements) to get to the control room 
above, and then Average:Computer is necessary to open the gates. If the 
characters try this straight away, then only the original two will need to be 
overcome.
Average:Small Watercraft to actually escape in the submarine, otherwise they'll 
need to find another exit.

- Passenger ships
'The loading platforms for the surface ships are unbelievably crowded. People 
and aliens in clothes fashionable on any of the worlds of the Coalition mill 
around, waiting for, and getting off the ships which arrive every few minutes. 
Some security personnel stand by, but they aren't checking for you very 
carefully, as they are far too few in number for the task of overseeing so many 
people. It would be very easy to just slip into the crowd and get on board a 
ship.'
Average:Computer - Forge bookings on a passenger ship leaving the shipyard 
(needs access to a terminal in an office, which risks an administrator coming in 
and finding the characters)
Average:Act/Bluff or Disguise or Stealth - Slip past security and board a 
passenger vessel. 

The players can leave their escape vessel in one of the downtown docks on 
Aubaine, where few questions are asked, and most people would consider it a 
breach of honour to talk to the police. The smell of the docks is overpowering, 
and the concrete piers are crumbling with disrepair. Small fish jump from the 
water to catch insects, and larger, long insects buzz around the water, catching 
the tiny fish. 
The people here dress functionally.  While some ships are hives of activity, 
with dockworkers scrambling over them to unload the cargo, others seem eerily 
deserted.

I'll leave the players here, tired, confused, hunted by the police. Well that's 
all folks, until next week's (fortnight's more likely, considering how long this 
one took.) instalment of the Dark Century Campaign.

(If anyone wants to publish this then email me, but I think its probably too 
long for a magazine)
-- 
Brendan