Like Stealing Candy From A Little Baby... with guns by Jens-Arthur Leirbakk The Pitch This scenario is meant as a fairly simple, introductory scenario. Introductory in that there's a fair amount of railroading into the situation which is intended as the evening's entertainment, and fairly simple as it is well suited for about four fairly average 2nd level characters or 3rd level characters, with a good spread of skills. The characters should all be members of NEO, to avoid some retooling of this scenario. I've found that a good 1st level to 2nd level scenario is to break up from whatever rut one has found oneself in, and enlist as a member of NEO... Although the number of adversaries in this scenario is quite large, the characters should manage to ambush them in ones and twos - if they are clever. If they aren't, they might get themselves enmeshed in a multiple-way firefight. Not to mention that the opposition might get smart - and subsequently nasty.

Scenario Outline

Background

A NEO mole, Ron Holzberger, has alerted NEO to one of the new class of ships that features this technology. Not only that, but he has also managed to get himself transferred aboard this ship. And, like any good rogue, he has plans to steal the ship. For the benefit of NEO, of course. Now, if he only could get a little help...

Partytime

Once on board the ship, they need to use their own ingenuity and a little undercover help in order to first get free from the ship's brig, and then to take over the ship. And, of course, between them being in the brig and them being masters of the ship, there's only one small thing. The crew of the ship. But why get hung up on details?

Aftermath

• The characters deliver the ship to NEO

• The characters deliver the ship to NEO, but is charged with another mission

• The characters get further involved in the "stealth technology" storyline

• The characters start another scenario straight away - without realising!

The mission, mr. Phelps, should you choose to accept it...

Once the party has settled down in the conference room, their commanding officer dims the lights in the room slightly, and triggers a program. A holo of a fairly normal ship materializes over the officer's desk (reminiscent of the Luna Scout Cruiser picture in the boxed set), and starts rotating.

This is a schematic depicting a new ship type from RAM, the Defiant-class scout cruiser. The Defiant-class cruisers are testbeds for a new technological breakthrough - cheap and easily mass-produced stealth technology for larger ship types than the infamous Krait fighter I'm sure you are familiar with.

Unfortunately, we at NEO have no samples of this technology. This, however, is a situation that we hope can be remedied - and remedied fairly soon. This is where you lot enter the picture.

We have managed to place a NEO agent aboard one of these ships, namely the Luminous 3. The Luminous 3 is scheduled to transport some RAM prisoners from Luna to Mars three days from now. You are to be those RAM prisoners.

Turning stealing into art...

Setup:
The RAM prison on Luna should be described fairly sketchily. NEO agents disguised as RAM soldiers bluff their way into the prison, and place the "stinking terrorists" (namely, the player characters) into the prison cells. A NEO computer hacker then changes the names of the prisoners that are to be transferred by the Luminous 3 to the (probably assumed) names of the NEO agents.

The prison is fairly difficult to escape from, with magnetic-lock arm and legbands. This means that the prisoners can, with the flick of a switch, be locked down to the electromagnetic rail, with barely any chance of getting free (incredible strength feats might do it inside the prison).

The magnalocks are wrist and ankle bands of an insanely strong metal alloy, fitted and then welded in place around the wrists and ankles of a prisoner. The lock system is quite simple - run an electric current through something to generate a powerful, localized magnetic field, and the bands will "lock" themselves magnetically to the rail (or whatever) with the current. Think magnets locked to each other.

First glimpse of the Luminous 3
After a couple of days (difficult to tell the exact time without a chronometer when you're in a RAM prison on Luna, for crying out loud), soldiers come to get the prisoners (player characters). They're magnalocked to a long steel coil, and are marched out to the landing bay where the Luminous 3 has landed.

The Luminous 3 is of a fairly common, simple design, but is better armed than most, fulfilling its role as something between fighters and cruisers - a light middle-weight, so to speak. However, its hull looks a bit strange - as if the entire ship was covered with an inch-thick, semi-transparent plastic material of some sort, slightly blurring the clear red hull, and making the RAM logo somewhat indistinct.

Thrown in the brig
The player characters are then thrown into the brig of the ship. The entire floor, ceiling and walls are lined up with the magnalock system that the player characters must be depressingly familiar with now. Otherwise, the brig is bare except for a few cots to sleep on, cots that can be telescopically extended from the walls. The glare of the brig is always constant - no easy way to keep track of time here, either.

The routines of the brig
The characters are magnalocked every time they get food. Play this up for what it is worth. If they try the good, old "I'm sick, really really sick", then they're magnalocked down, and someone comes in to see to the character. They'll get fairly angry when the player character isn't sick, and keep the magnalocks on for a few hours. Otherwise, whenever anything happens, the first reaction of the guards when and if they discover what's going on, is to magnalock the brig, and then come in and check the situation.

There are also always two guards on guard outside the brig, periodically checking the surveillance cameras inside the brig to see if something fishy's going on. If the characters try something, and don't disguise it properly, the guards know automatically that there's something going on. Otherwise, the guards have to roll against their Notice to see something's going on.

Breaking the magnalock
Basically, you can't. You'll have to do an Impossible Strength check each round to defeat the magnetic lock. (Impossible Strength check - Strength score is basic percentile chance of doing that, Impossible means that you're rolling against one-fourth of your Strength score - each round!) The players should think that their newly-generated player characters are set up, and that the NEO agent has been discovered.

The chance to get out
After a few days under weigh (remember that the brig will then be a zero-gee environment, unless you choose to be merciful and decide that they're still accelerating), the player characters are fed like they usually are, three times per day. The difference is that this time, one of the player characters get a little extra "seasoning" in his oatmeal-gruel - a little, rubberized container with a nozzle, marked "metal-eater". (Have to spell it out to them, eh?)

A few Dex rolls later (or Stealth, Sleight of Hand, Acting, or whatever skill the character tries to use to hide the little extra he got from the guards), the meal is over, and they are locked down again so that the gruel bowls can be removed. (It is suggested that the characters experiment a little with the metal-eating acid before they do anything rash.)

Metal-eater
The metal-eater is a strong acid that'll eat through the wrist and ankle bands in about a minute or so. It is also quite painful to get on bare skin, and will usually stick to what it has been applied on (remember, you're in a zero-gee environment, and want acids to stay put - thus, you'll have to make them into some sort of glue-like gel or something similar). When you describe the consistency of the metal-eater, think super-glue.

After experimenting a bit with the metal-eater, it is quite clear that it won't free all of the characters. There are only seventeen applications of the stuff in the little flask, and although seventeen might seem like a lot, remember that you need two applications per band to remove a section of the band so that you can get your hand free. Thus, there is enough metal-eater to completely free two characters, with a little extra.

One application weakens the band enough that one can try to break free on an Average Strength check (straight percentiles), provided the brig is magnalocked (one need the extra leverage the lock produces to try and bend free of the band). This means that the group may decide to try and free more than two of their number, but that they'll have to gamble on getting loose from a magnalocked position. This is hazardous, but if they decide to do so, let them. They are the players, not you. You merely adjucate the results of their actions.

Overpowering the guards
After researching what the metal-eater can and cannot do, the player characters should try to stage some sort of diversion, so that they can get loose. The two guards will respond to any sort of diversion with locking down the brig, and may be in for a surprise when they go into the brig to sort things out. Hopefully, the characters will defeat the guards - if not, bring in Ron to shoot one of the guards (in the back, of course) to demonstrate he's on NEO's side.

Taking over the ship
Basically, the characters have to get control of the ship by either killing or incapacitating all RAM-loyal characters. This is made more difficult by the fact that the ship has a self-destruct mechanism as well, so the first priority of the characters should be to take the bridge.

The bridge is manned by one of the helmsmen, and usually the captain and a smattering of other RAM soldiers. Decide on a mix to challenge the characters, but a mix which they have a chance to defeat (remember the shortage of equipment unless the characters can defeat some equipment crates in the cargo hold - if they think of it!). When the players get passive, hit their characters with an ambush of a few RAM soldiers. As long as the player characters are active, allow them to get the drop on the RAM soldiers. Remember, the action should be fast, furious, and a bit heroical, with daring assaults, madcap zero-gee jumps through corridors, and perhaps a bit of smoke and explosions as well.

In the end the characters probably gets control of a slightly-damaged Luminous 3, and can plot a course to Salvation III or wherever they like - and are ready for further derrring-do in the XXVc universe.

The Candy

NPCs - The Babies

Str 11 Dex 15 Con 14 Int 11 Wis 12 Cha 18 Tech 6
   Expl 14 Elec 13 Paral 15 Tox 14 Suff 16 Rad 13 XHeat 13 XCold 13
   Career: Pilot Rocket 55, 0-G 25, Notice 32, Use Rocket Belt 45
   General: Bypass Security 35, Fast Talk/Convince 35, Open Lock 35, Climb 35
   Thac0 20, AC 2, HP 11
   Two laser pistols (ornamented double-barreled) Wt 2, Ra 800, Dam 1d4+2, ROF 2, Shots 4 (total 4 reloads) Mono Knife Wt 1 Dam 1d6
   Martian Smart Suit (AC 3), Utility Belt, Communications Pack, ECM pack, Security Pack, Spacesuit Backup 1 Stun Grenade

Str 10 Dex 14 Con 13 Int 13 Wis 10 Cha 14 Tech 12
   Expl 13 Elec 12 Paral 13 Tox 13 Suff 14 Rad 9 XHeat 8 XCold 15
   Career: Fast Talk/Convince 48, Pick Pocket 33, Bypass Security 43, Notice 24, Move Silently 21
   General: Acrobatics 44, First Aid 22
   Thac0 19, AC 4, HP 11
   Martian Laser Pistol Wt 1 Ra 800 Dam 1d8+1 ROF 3/2 Shots 2 (total 3 reloads) Terrine-Issue Mono Knife Wt 2 Dam 1d6 + special (paralytic poison in this case)
Protective Goggles, Smart Clothes (AC 4), Utility Belt, Communications Pack, Stealth Pack, Spacesuit Backup

Str 14 Dex 13 Con 9 Int 11 Wis 13 Cha 14 Tech 11
   Expl 14 Elec 13 Paral 15 Tox 14 Suff 16 Rad 13 XHeat 13 XCold 13
   Career: Pilot Rocket 53, 0-G 43, Notice 43, Drive Jetcar 53
   General: Repair Electrical 21, Repair Mechanical 21, Repair Rocket Hull 21, Repair Nuclear Engine 21
   Thac0 20, AC 4, HP 7 and 8
   Laser Pistol Wt 1 Ra 800 Dam 1d8 ROF 3/2 Shots 7 (total 2 reloads) Mono Knife Wt 1 Dam 1d6
   Protective Goggles, Smart Clothes (AC 4), Utility Belt, Communications Pack, Spacesuit Backup

Str 18 (+2h/+2d) Dex 13 Con 11 Int 12 Wis 9 Cha 12 Tech 12
   Expl 14 Elec 13 Paral 14 Tox 14 Suff 16 Rad 13 XHeat 13 XCold 13
   Career: Battle Tactics 27 Leadership 27 0-G 28 Notice 24 Repair Wpn 22 Demolitions 22
   General: First Aid 22, Cook 22, Acrobatics 23, Repair Electrical 22
   Thac0 19 (spec +1 Mono Knife, Martian Rocket Pistol), AC 2, HP 6
   Martian Rocket Pistol Wt 3 Ra 400 Dam 1d10+1 ROF 2 Shots 5 (total 4 clips) Mono Knife Wt 1 Thac0 16 Dam 1d6+3
   Heavy Body Armor + Smart Clothes (AC 2) Utility Belt, Power Pack, ECM Package, Communications Pack

Str 10 Dex 12 Con 10 Int 12 Wis 11 Cha 12 Tech 11 (Martian)
Str 12 Dex 11 Con 10 Int 10 Wis 12 Cha 11 Tech 11 (Terran)
   Expl 14 Elec 13 Paral 15 Tox 14 Suff 16 Rad 13 XHeat 13 XCold 13
   Career: 0-G 25, Notice 20, Repair Wpn 25
   General: Drive Heavy Gr. Vehicle 15, Etiquette 10, Climb 20
   Thac0 20, AC 4, HP 10 4 9 8 9 9 8 6
   Rocket Pistol Wt 3 Ra 400 Dam 1d10 ROF 2 Shots 5 (total 4 clips) Mono Knife Wt 1 Dam 1d6
   Space Suit w/ Heavy Body Armor Torso Protector (AC 4)

NPCs - Hired Help

Str 13 Dex 14 Con 10 Int 16 Wis 11 Cha 15 Tech 8
   Expl/Plas/Fireball 13, Elec Shock 12, Paral/Stun/Fall 15, Tox/Gas/Poison 13, Suff 14, Rad 11, Ex Heat 13, Ex Cold 11
   Career: Bypass Security 48 Climb 24, Fast Talk/Convince 55, Hide In Shadows 24, Move Silently 44, Notice 51, Open Lock 48, Pick Pocket 44
   General: Drive Heavy Gr. Vehicle 18, Cryptography 18, Chemistry 19, Memorize 19, Mimic 18, Act 35, Etiquette 35, Distract 21, Disguise 36
   Thac0 18, AC 4, HP 17
   Rocket Pistol Wt 3 Ra 400 Dam 1d10 ROF 2 Shots 5 (total 4 clips) Mono Knife Wt 1 Dam 1d6
   Space Suit w/ Heavy Body Armor Torso Protector (AC 4)