If you run a campaign during the Kafer Invasion, then this adventure will provide you with a change of pace ( exploration instead of combat -- yet still possibly quite deadly). My thanks to Mike for granting permission for me to host his revised version on my web site. -Kevin Clark - Jun 19th, 1998.

Drifter

by Michael C. LaBossiere
( Ontologist AT aol DOT com )

Copyright ©1992, 1998 Dr. Michael C. LaBossiere. All Rights Reserved.
Originally published in Challenge magazine #64.

HTML layout/editing by Kevin Clark
( kevinc AT cnetech DOT com )
Please report errors to me.

http://www.geocities.com/pentapod2300/mag/drifter.htm

Legal Information: This adventure is copyright 1992, 1998 by Dr. Michael C. LaBossiere. It may be freely distributed for personal use provided that it is not modified and no fee above the normal cost of distribution is charged for it. Visit my web site at: http://user.aol.com/ontologist/index.html.
Disclaimer required by Far Future Enterprises: This item is not authorized or endorsed by Far Future Enterprises ( FFE) and is used without permission. The item is for personal use only. Any use of FFE's copyrighted material or trademarks in this file should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights or trademarks. In addition, this item cannot be republished or distributed without the consent of the author ( Dr. Michael C. LaBossiere).

Introduction

I remember my old biology professor telling the class that life could exist anywhere there was available energy, or something like that. Space has got plenty of available energy, but I never expected to ever meet anything that called space home, especially not the sort of thing we found.

Background

Approximately two weeks ago a human-owned robot probe's sensors detected a large object drifting in space. The onboard computer dismissed the object as an asteroid, at least until it began maneuvering ( a most un-asteroid activity). Following its programming , the probe returned. At first, it was feared that another bout of Human-Kafer hostilities was on the way. However, once the probe's data was examined it was determined that the vessel was not of any known Kafer design. In fact, it did not appear to be the product of any known race. Of course, as the more cautious pointed out, it would be a simple matter to alter the appearance of a vessel. The more scientifically minded pointed out that this could be a vessel from a previously unencountered alien race. Eventually, a compromise was reached and it was decided that an armed vessel with a research team would be sent to meet the vessel.

The player characters are to be part of the crew of the vessel. If they own their own ship, it can be hired for the task. If they do not own a ship, then they will be hired as part of the crew of the vessel. The exact vessel is left to the referee, but it is likely to be an auxiliary cruiser.

The exact location of the adventure is also left to the referee, but it is recommended that it begin on a frontier world.

Approach

Once the ship is outfitted and the crew is selected, the team will head towards the last known location of the alien vessel. If the referee desires, the vessel used by the expedition can suffer from a variety of minor ( but annoying) glitches. For example, the food dispensers might occasionally mix the beverages into the main course ( orange mashed potatoes-due to the orange soda mixed in, scrambled eggs and beer, etc.), the vacuum toilets may get out of control, or the entertainment system may show only Lawrence Welk tapes and Madonna videos from the 20th century. Use your imagination.
The trip into the area where the ship was detected can be uneventful or can be spiced up a bit with a few accidents ( engineering problems, computer failure, etc.) or perhaps an encounter with a ( small) Kafer vessel. These side encounters should not pose insurmountable obstacles, however.

Once the ship gets into the area where the probe encountered the alien ship, the crew will be surprised that the vessel has not gone very far. The scientific team will suggest that the vessel has been waiting for them.

Alien Vessel Behavior

The alien vessel will not respond to any attempts at communication. It will maneuver around apparently at random, using what appear to be chemical jets. If the science team examines the situation, they will be able to determine that the vessel is moving through pockets of material in space and seems to be scooping up the free floating elements. It is also emitting a broad range of radiation in what appear to be scanning sweeps.

If the player's vessel is brought within 1 km of the alien vessel, it will move towards the human ship and will attempt to touch hulls. It will also move towards any smaller vessel ( like a missile, for example) that might be launched from he human ship or any space suited human.

From the outside, the alien vessel looks rather odd to humans. Rather than the smooth hull that human ships have, the alien vessel has a convoluted and knotted hull that looks almost like it was grown instead of built. It also looks oddly shrunken, as if it had been larger once. The hull is also scarred from encounters with small objects in space. The vessel give the impression of being very old and very alien.

Inside the Vessel

There is an obvious metallic air lock on the side of the ship. The interior does contain an atmosphere, but it is very thin and contains elements that humans would find unpleasant. The team members will need space suits or oxygen masks to live within the vessel.

Being inside the vessel will give the players an odd feeling, as if they are inside a living thing. One of the science team members will dub it the "Jonah Feeling". This feeling is quite apt, since the vessel is actually alive.

The science team will want to spend at least a few days examining the vessel and will conduct a wide variety of tests. They will eventually determine that the vessel is a cybernetic organism. The vessel consists of a fusion of organic parts and mechanical parts and possesses a rudimentary intelligence. They will also be able to determine that the vessel has been adrift for centuries, maybe even for thousands of years or longer. They will also find out that the vessel is nearly dead, due to lack of food and spare parts. It will last another three weeks without human intervention. However, with human care it can last for a few more centuries.

Unfortunately, there will be an accident that may convince some of the humans that the alien vessel is an alien monster. One of the science team will find what he takes to be a bunk set into the wall, he will climb into it and be shocked to find the opening close. He will call for help over his radio and his transmission will end with a horrible scream as acids break him and his radio into component elements.

It will appear that the vessel ate him. It actually did it him, but not out of any intentions on its part. The science team member blundered into a waste disposal area and the vessel did not register him as living, due to breakdowns in its sensors. So the waste disposer converted him into raw materials. This incident will set off a debate on the player's ship as to what should be done about the alien vessel. If the situation is carefully investigated, the truth may turn up and the incident be revealed as a horrible accident, but an accident nonetheless.

If the team decides not to destroy the alien vessel, they may elect to bring it back with them. The vessel is not large and could be linked to the player's ship ( depending on how big it is). The vessel would be a gold mine of information in terms of technology and data on the civilization that produced it. If it is left alone, it will perish in a few weeks. If it is destroyed, it will be a loss for the human race. If the vessel is brought back and cared for, it will expand a bit and its hull and interior walls will smooth out. It will also regain its full consciousness and will be willing to communicate with the humans, within its limited abilities for communication.

Maps

The alien vessel consists of an organic hull with organic and artificial equipment in its interior. The doors, airlock, and many of the controls are machines. The walls have an odd, shrunken organic look to them. Everything looks quite old.

Maps

Side View

1. Engineering
2. Quarters
3. Storage/Cargo
4. Bridge
5. Electronics
6. Drive: The ship has two drives. The mechanical drive has failed and seems to be similar to human stutterwarp drives. The other drive is a cybernetic chemical drive which is fueled by hydrogen and oxygen. This drive is still working.
7. Sensors.
8. Sensors.

Deck One

1. Engineering: Contains mechanical and electronic engineering panels. The hatch in the floor is metal.
2. Crew Quarters: This area contains the sleeping, eating, and bathroom facilities for the crew. From the evidence, it is evident that they were not humanoid. The door is metal.
3. Cargo Area: This area is the vessel's cargo bay. The air lock is metal. There are two waste disposal systems set into the walls of this section.
4. Bridge: The bridge contains odd, organic looking chairs for a multi-limbed, non-humanoid race. There a numerous mechanical control panels set into the walls and linked into the vessel's nervous system. The floor hatch is metal.

Deck Two

1. Engineering: Contains controls for manipulating the organic parts of the ship.
5. Electronics: This area contains the ships electronic systems, including the main computer.

NPCs

There will be three groups of NPCs:

Military Team: A veteran NPC leading four experienced NPCs, armed with military rifles and equipped with light armor.

Ship's Crew: Experienced NPCs equipped with light sidearms. The exact number of the crew members depends on the vessel used.

Science Team: Four Novice ( for combat purposes) NPCs, without weapons.

-Michael C. LaBossiere

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Last Update: 1998 Jun 19
First Online: 1998 Jun 19
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