TEXT: P I R AT E S  O F  D R I N A X :
  LIONS
  O F
  T H E B U S
  V
  
  P I R AT E S  O F  D R I N A X :  L I O N S  O F  T H E B U S
  Traveller ©2017 Mongoose Publishing. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this work by any means without the 
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  text herein are copyrighted by Mongoose Publishing.
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  a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual people, organisations, places or events is purely coincidental.
  Traveller is a trademark of Far Future Enterprises and is used under licence.  
  CREDITS
  CLASSIC TRAVELLER
  Marc Miller
  Loren Wiseman, John Harshman, Frank Chadwick, Darryl Hany,
  Winston Hamilton, Tony Svajlenka, Scott Renner, Doug Poe,
  David MacDonald, Wayne Roth, Paul R. Banner.
  MONGOOSE TRAVELLER 
  Author
  Martin J. Dougherty
  Editor
  Matthew Sprange
  Layout, Graphic Design
  Will Chapman, Amy Perrett
  Interior Illustrations
  Amy Perret 
  
  INTRODUCTION
  T
  R
  A
  V
  E
  L
  L
  E
  R
  The Travellers are engaged by an Aslan lord to rescue 
  his missing son Ftahteas from the world of Thebus. 
  Ftahteas has fallen victim to local conditions and is in 
  grave distress, not least since he is being hunted by 
  Aslan-hating humans who intend to claim they mistook 
  Ftahteas and his followers for local wildlife. The rescue 
  attempt leads the Travellers to one of the old cities of 
  Thebus, bombed but not quite destroyed in the last days 
  of the Sindalian Empire. The biggest obstacle to the 
  rescue, however, is Ftahteas himself.
  THE SETTING
  Thebus was once an important world of the Sindalian 
  Empire, lying adjacent to the capital and sharing in 
  its wealth and status. Ultimately, this meant Thebus 
  also shared in its fate. The world was bombarded with 
  nuclear and deadfall weapons, asteroids allowed to fall 
  from orbit and cause immense damage on impact. This 
  was not the worst of it, however. A variety of biochemical 
  weapons were also used, some of which merely infected 
  their victims with terrible diseases. Others were worse, 
  creating forced mutations that had little effect on 
  victims but ensured future generations would suffer a 
  high mutation rate and live short, miserable existences.
  One unintended side effect of this weapon was mutation 
  among local animals, some of which developed into 
  species that could survive the post-bombardment 
  wasteland. Indeed, the mutagen agents used to destroy 
  Thebus may have also enabled its ecosphere to recover. 
  As a result, today’s Thebus has several rather strange 
  creatures and plants, of which the most impressive is 
  the so-called Thebun Lion. The Thebun Lion has a thick 
  skin and its glossy pelt provides considerable natural 
  protection, and disguises the fact that the creature is a 
  big-but-skinny animal.
  Due to the world’s very thin atmosphere, the Thebun 
  Lion is quite lightly built for its size, and its chest is 
  impressive primarily because it needs to contain a set 
  of large and highly efficient lungs. Thebun Lions are 
  less of a threat than most visitors to the world imagine, 
  a misconception fostered by enterprising locals who run 
  lion-hunting safaris for visitors. These safaris are a major 
  source of income for the small planetary population and 
  might not be so popular if they ceased to be seen as 
  exciting and dangerous.
  The population of around eight thousand is well adapted 
  to the very thin atmosphere, though this is by long 
  acclimatisation rather than mutation; the mutagens died 
  out long ago in most areas. Offworlders typically use 
  breathing masks or supplemental oxygen, though it is 
  possible to acclimatise over a period of several weeks. 
  Those who do not will find any exertion extremely tiring 
  and can suffer from altitude sickness even at sea level. 
  This causes confusion, slow reactions and sometimes 
  delirium, and can cause otherwise rational people to do 
  extremely stupid things. 
  This is a real problem for Aslan, who at a distance 
  might be mistaken for Thebun Lions. An Aslan not 
  acting coherently and who does not respond to a call or 
  challenge might get shot at by an over-zealous hunter. 
  THE PATRON
  Ftahkaiw is a minor male Aslan noble. That means that 
  he behaves as if he owns the universe and everyone 
  else is just renting space in it. He spends a lot of time 
  conducting business across the human/Aslan border, 
  operating from offices aboard his yacht, which is 
  escorted by one or two small warships. 
  If he is staying at a starport for more than a couple 
  of days, Ftahkaiw usually sets up a temporary 
  residence and office at one of the better hotels. This is 
  characterised by a series of fairly unreasonable demands 
  for changes to his operating and dwelling space, to be 
  undertaken immediately and quickly, but to an exacting 
  standard. He then nitpicks the work that is done and 
  drags the high price asked for down to the point where 
  the hotel’s owners wonder if it was worth all the trouble. 
  From this newly rearranged space, Ftahkaiw issues 
  invitations to those he wishes to do business with, and 
  holds court when they attend him. It is very rare that 
  he will condescend to visit someone else in their place 
  of business; Ftahkaiw enjoys playing the great lord and 
  the psychological advantage he gains from having others 
  come to him for whatever they want. 
  Ftahkaiw is notorious in some ports along the border, 
  though there are several other Aslan names that come to 
  mind when this sort of behavior is mentioned – it is not 
  uncommon. As with all Aslan, Ftahkaiw intends to pass 
  his lands, titles and fortune on to his eldest son; the 
  others get nothing.
  
  That, however, is not the whole truth. Ftahkaiw’s younger 
  sons will not directly inherit anything from him, but he 
  is quite willing to furnish them with the means to make 
  their own way. In the case of his second son Ftahteas, 
  this was a small transport ship, a craft full of guns 
  and enough cash to attract some followers. With this, 
  Ftahteas was to go out and grab himself a fortune of his 
  own. Plunder, land-grabbing, even trade were 
  all options. 
  Ftahteas, to his father’s pride, naturally announced that 
  he would grab a huge expanse of land from someone 
  capable of putting up a decent fight over it, and set off 
  to do just that. This sort of vainglorious announcement 
  is quite common among ihatei, and is often followed by 
  annexation of some worthless piece of swamp or a failed 
  expedition into the middle of nowhere. Ftahkaiw has 
  done a certain amount of boasting about what his son is 
  going to achieve, and now watches anxiously (though he 
  would not admit to that) to see what develops. 
  The fate of Ftahteas’ expedition will reflect on Ftahkaiw, 
  which is an additional concern beyond a natural desire 
  not to see his son killed on some backwater world. Given 
  the circumstances of Ftahteas’ current predicament, 
  Ftahkaiw also has strategic concerns. This is partially 
  because he cares about the status of the Aslan Hierate 
  and his clan within it, and partially because he might 
  be implicated if the present incident has bad results for 
  Aslan in general.
  Ftahkaiw thus has complex motivations. He is an 
  anxious father, a haughty lord who fears his people 
  may suffer, and a minor leader who knows he will be 
  a scapegoat if there are consequences. All of these 
  motivations point to the same outcome – he needs his 
  son Ftahteas rescued from Thebus, and ideally in a 
  way that lets him keep at least some of his 
  self-respect intact. 
  HIRING ON
  Whilst the Travellers are near Thebus, they receive 
  something that falls about halfway between a summons 
  and an invitation to attend the Lord Ftahkaiw and 
  thence receive a potentially lucrative assignment. 
  Although the tone is condescending and rather off-
  putting, there are some good reasons for attending. 
  This Lord Ftahkaiw is known for entertaining people of 
  some influence at his court, which might enable the 
  Travellers to make useful contacts. Plus, he is offering 
  an incentive in the form of ‘trade credit’ (whatever that 
  is) to attend his ‘court’ and listen to his proposal.
  Ftahkaiw‘s court is extremely pretentious, with armed 
  guards and a large exclusion zone around the conference 
  suite he has taken over. There are other guests, mostly 
  well-dressed humans, chatting and drinking wine. Some 
  may actually be conducting business; most seem to have 
  been invited just to create the illusion of a busy court. 
  Once announced, the Travellers are invited to approach 
  Lord Ftahkaiw and hear his proposal. 
  Ftahkaiw outlines the situation, which comes down to 
  this: his son Ftahteas and a band of ihatei set out to 
  make a great fortune and win lands of their own, but 
  met with treachery or disaster. It has taken a while to 
  locate them but it seems their ship was downed on 
  Thebus. Thebus, as all well-educated sophonts know, is 
  famous for its lion-hunts. 
  Ftahkaiw is openly contemptuous of this concept, 
  partly because he knows the Thebun Lion is far less 
  dangerous than the safari operators lead their clients to 
  believe, and partly due to the racist connotations. He 
  believes (not incorrectly) that some people hunt Thebun 
  Lions because they dislike Aslan. Ftahkaiw is not so 
  much upset at the idea of his species being hunted as 
  contemptuous of someone who hunts and kills a lesser 
  creature in place of dangerous prey.
  The Travellers’ mission is to go to Thebus, locate 
  survivors of the ihatei expedition (especially Ftahteas) 
  and rescue them. The operation is to be low-key – 
  Ftahkaiw does not want it publicly known that his son 
  needed the help of non-Aslan to extricate himself from 
  his predicament. If the ship can be salvaged, Ftahkaiw 
  will pay a bonus but mostly he wants to save his son 
  and avoid embarrassment for himself, his clan and the 
  Hierate (in that order). 
  Payment is Cr50000 for a credible attempt at the 
  rescue, doubled if Ftahteas is brought back alive and 
  well, and doubled again if the ihatei ship can be saved. 
  In addition, Ftahkaiw offers his (in his mind at least) 
  extremely valuable goodwill and assistance in any 
  dealings with Aslan over whom he has influence. This 
  latter is something of an empty promise, though he 
  actually believes his own propaganda and thinks he has 
  a lot more pull than he really does. 
  The trade credit is also slightly useful but worth less 
  than Ftahkaiw thinks. It takes the form of a 5% discount 
  or premium on all trade with Aslan clients, up to the 
  total value of Cr10000. In other words, if the Travellers 
  buy goods from Aslan sellers worth Cr20000, they get 
  a 5% discount (Cr1000). Once they have received 
  discounts (or premiums on sales) totaling Cr10000, 
  their preferential credit is used up.
  3
  
  LIONS OF THEBUS
  The highport at Thebus is large and busy, but it might as 
  well be in a different star system to the mainworld. Few 
  vessels proceed to the surface, though shuttles provide 
  a regular (but infrequent) service planetside for those 
  who wish to visit. Most do not; Thebus Highport exists 
  to support traffic along the interstellar trade lanes, and 
  for those with an eye to profit there is simply no good 
  reason for stopping at Thebus itself. 
  The port is not owned by the world government (such 
  as it is), but is a private concern built by the General 
  Development Corporation and sold to investors. It is 
  now run as the Thebus Highport Corporation, which 
  takes care of its own business and more or less ignores 
  the planet below. Most of the port’s income is from 
  interstellar trade moving along the Sindalian Main, not 
  least since Thebus is the jump-2 entry/exit point to the 
  main via Marduk and Torpol. 
  Local trade along the main and the Torpol Cluster 
  is frequent, with big freighters plying the Imperial/
  Florian trade route less common but worth a lot more 
  per ship. The port makes a special effort to cater to the 
  ‘big-ship clients’, with high-volume freight handling 
  equipment and discounted accommodation for those 
  taking a few days away from their vessel. There is not 
  a lot of difference between a liner cabin and one at the 
  starport, and it is entirely possible to live aboard a ship 
  in port and go ashore for short trips. To entice crew and 
  passengers to base themselves in the port instead, the 
  operators have made the entry/exist process just a little 
  more time-consuming than necessary whilst offering very 
  good prices at portside hotels.
  This approach has worked well, with the result that 
  when a big ship is in port the hotels tend to get very full 
  and the nightlife is sometimes excessively exuberant. 
  The social phenomenon locally known as ‘party season’ 
  varies depending on what sort of ship is in port – a big 
  freightliner with ordinary passengers sets a different 
  tone to a high-end liner whose passengers have money 
  to burn.
  The port itself is well protected with missile and beam 
  weapons but, other than its shuttles and a couple of 
  repair/rescue tugs, has little in the way of small craft. 
  There is not much need for a system defence flotilla 
  when the only thing worth defending is the port itself 
  and traffic within close proximity of the mainworld. 
  The world itself is of no great consequence to the port 
  operators; all they need is its gravity well. They do not 
  prevent ships going directly planetside, but they do 
  have a rule that vessels which do so will not be allowed 
  to dock at the port. This is blatantly for commercial 
  reasons, though it is covered by the polite fiction that 
  the port operators have a duty to conduct customs and 
  legality checks on vessels coming through the system.
  When the Travellers arrive in the Thebus system, they 
  will be quickly contacted by the port and informed of 
  the rules about going planetside. They are expected to 
  dock and refuel at the port, during which a standard 
  spaceworthiness check will be conducted (this is 
  common in most ports, and usually consists of no 
  more than a look at the ship’s maintenance log and a 
  5-minute walkaround by an official with more urgent 
  things to do. Afterward, the Travellers can experience 
  ‘party season’ at Thebus Highport and perhaps ask 
  around about the ihatei ship. 
  It is widely known that an Aslan vessel recently went 
  straight to the planetary surface and thus ceased to be 
  the problem of the port authority. It is presumed by most 
  to have left the system, but deeper investigation shows 
  it was never tracked doing so. Its rough landing location 
  can be obtained by bribery, hacking or otherwise getting 
  the port staff to divulge it.
  PLANETSIDE ON THEBUS 
  The Travellers might proceed directly to the surface in 
  their own ship – though if they do this they will not be 
  allowed to come back to the highport – or could take 
  a shuttle to the planet’s one small community. This 
  is a town of about 8,000 people, with a collection of 
  outlying farms. Travellers who go via the settlement will 
  be bombarded at both ends of the trip with offers to take 
  a guided safari and photograph interesting animals/shoot 
  dangerous animals/hunt and kill something that looks 
  just like an Aslan. The pitch varies depending on the 
  apparent attitudes of the Travellers.
  Since there is no enforceable law outside the one 
  settlement, there are no restrictions on the equipment 
  and weaponry the Travellers can take planetside. 
  Carrying of weapons is not allowed on the highport, 
  but transition to the shuttle and thence the ground is 
  routine. Even fairly ridiculous requests, like taking a 
  30mm autocannon and putting it in the shuttle’s cargo 
  
  hold, will be entertained so long as enough credits are 
  offered. The locals are equally willing to let offworlders 
  indulge their idiocy if they pay highly enough.
  Groundside, the Travellers find most of the people of 
  Thebus have no real interest in offworlders or their 
  affairs, but there is a segment of society who make 
  a very good living from rich people wanting to take a 
  safari into the wilds. Guides are highly recommended (of 
  course) for such an undertaking, since the world still has 
  radioactive hotspots, active mutagens, poison, plagues 
  and lethal wildlife – at least according to the prospective 
  guides. What they tend not to mention among all this 
  exaggeration of quite minor or virtually non-existent 
  threats is potentially the greatest hazard Thebus has for 
  offworlders – its atmosphere. 
  Someone not acclimatised to Thebus’ very thin 
  atmosphere can function for a short while with little 
  more than mild discomfort (though the shortness of 
  breath is frightening) but soon they will tire or become 
  confused. Guides will warn of the need to wear a 
  compressor mask or use an oxygen supply, but if none 
  are hired then this piece of information will be quietly 
  omitted. This is a rather cynical ploy which has cost 
  lives in the past, but is in the interest of the local safari-
  guide community for the world to seem more dangerous 
  than it is and for services to be seen as absolutely 
  necessary.
  The locals can confirm no Aslan ship has landed at their 
  settlement for some time – well over a year in fact – 
  but they did see a ship pass low overhead a few weeks 
  ago. It was headed roughly north-east, into an area that 
  used to be quite densely populated in Thebus’ heyday. 
  The region is quite well-watered, which is unusual on 
  Thebus, and was a natural site for cities to grow – and 
  therefore a target when the bombardment began. Today, 
  it has considerable forest coverage and is a good place 
  for hunting, though can be hazardous. At this point the 
  list of potential threats and needs for a guide are trotted 
  out again. 
  This does sound like the sort of place ihatei might try 
  to claim. The thinness of the atmosphere might be a 
  problem but Aslan are attracted by ‘good land’ which 
  generally translates to greenery and the potential 
  to build impressive cities in the future. Ihatei are 
  particularly prone to grabbing lands where they can 
  enjoy hunting, yet planning the day when it is buried 
  under starports and factories.
  Travellers who want to use their ship as a base will 
  find landing sites are difficult to find. The low, scrubby 
  dryland undergrowth often conceals crumbly soil 
  and uneven ground. Landing anywhere other than a 
  previously scouted site risks the ship suddenly tipping 
  as one side sinks into the ground, and damage is quite 
  possible. Major components are unlikely to be disabled, 
  but the Travellers will have to deal with minor breakages 
  and the occasional battle to get a landing foot out of a 
  concealed gulley. 
  OVERLAND ON THEBUS
  Travellers who venture outside the settlement on Thebus 
  will find it is a rather dry environment with harsh 
  sunlight and a great deal of glare. Vegetation is more 
  brown than green, with spiny stems and creepers that 
  cling to every surface. Tripping is a constant hazard, 
  as seemingly flimsy plant tendrils fail to yield and 
  snag Travellers’ boots. Most vegetation is low, no more 
  than knee high, with the occasional scrubby patch of 
  bushes. However, where there is more water, such as 
  near a river, plant life gets taller and greener. The region 
  the Travellers are heading into could be considered an 
  actual forest.
  Those concerned with radiological, chemical and 
  biological hazards might bring detectors with them. They 
  will find the threat levels are for the most part extremely 
  low, with occasional areas where a low or even moderate 
  threat is detected – in short, the residual toxins from 
  the bombardment have been overplayed. A guide, if one 
  was hired, will make a big show of taking the Travellers 
  around ‘threat spots’, saying that levels rise fast in some 
  areas and by the time a detector has warned its user, it 
  may be too late. There are a few places on the planet 
  where this might actually be true, but for the most part 
  it is showmanship to justify the price of the safari.
  The Travellers may sight one or more Thebun Lions in 
  their travels, and they do indeed resemble Aslan. They 
  travel on all fours, but stand on their hind legs to look 
  around or reach into higher vegetation for prey that has 
  taken refuge. They are wary of humans, however, and 
  will slink away at their approach. Again, a guide ‘sells’ 
  this by claiming the Thebun Lion is extremely sneaky 
  and will move away if detected, only to come back to 
  ambush unwary hunters. This is not true; they are just 
  predatory animals who recognise humans as a threat 
  and beyond their normal prey. Thebun Lions would only 
  attack if threatened, such as when a party of humans 
  enters the territory of a group with young who cannot be 
  moved away.
  5
  
  The Aslan ship (an Aoa’iw-class light trader) can be 
  detected easily enough from orbit, and even on the 
  ground a rough bearing can be obtained from its 
  residual powerplant emissions. It is deep in the forest, 
  at the end of a long furrow ploughed through the trees. 
  It has obviously crash-landed, and deposited several 
  pieces of itself along the crash path. The drive section 
  travelled furthest, apparently tumbling as it did so, and 
  now lies upside-down amid a tangle of broken trees. It 
  also smashed up most of the ship as it broke free and 
  crashed through the wreckage, killing most who had 
  survived that far.
  It is not immediately apparent what brought down the 
  ship, but an inspection of the wreckage by someone with 
  naval or shipboard engineering experience may reveal 
  signs that the drive area was hit by a missile. This is not 
  conclusive – there is so much damage that it is hard 
  to tell for sure – but it seems like the most plausible 
  explanation for the crash. If so, the strike must have 
  occurred whilst the ship was flying low over the surface 
  of Thebus, which has some interesting connotations. At 
  present, there is no way to determine the truth, and in 
  any case the Travellers have a mission to carry out.
  It appears there were survivors among the passengers 
  and crew. Some of the internal wreckage has been cut 
  away, perhaps to retrieve bodies. Certainly, there are no 
  corpses within the ship, and not far from it is a line of 
  graves. Someone survived, and made a real effort to bury 
  their dead before stripping what they could salvage 
  from the wreckage and moving off. It should be 
  possible to track the handful of survivors as they head 
  roughly north.
  KINGS OF THE RUINS
  As they proceed northwards, Travellers with tracking 
  experience (Survival or Recon skills) might begin to 
  suspect they are not the only ones in the area. The 
  occasional track intersects those of the ihatei, as if 
  someone was intermittently crossing their path or 
  paralleling it with the occasional check to make sure the 
  trail had not been lost. The additional tracks are made 
  by human-sized boots, but no signs are seen of those 
  who made them.
  Background radiation is a little higher in this area, 
  and there are occasional toxin alerts. These are 
  nothing serious but suggest the area was hit by very 
  concentrated chemical weapons a long time ago. 
  Traces still linger in the local ecosystem. There are 
  also odd shapes to be seen in the forest; mounds and 
  narrow ridges that were once the lower parts of walls. 
  Further north, it becomes increasingly apparent that 
  the Travellers are walking through what was once a 
  city. There are some open areas with no walls which 
  were ground-zero for nuclear detonations. There is little 
  residual radiation after all this time, but the realisation 
  that the Travellers are standing where a bomb once 
  came down from orbit might be sobering.
  Finally, the Travellers come to an area with more intact 
  walls, some of which jut up above the ground. These are 
  covered in creepers, but here and there are chunks of 
  a nearly-intact building; the lower floor or two at least. 
  The Travellers will become aware that they are being 
  watched, and with little warning they emerge into a 
  clearing. Ahead is an intact set of steps with a stub of 
  some tall building at the top. In front of this structure, 
  on a flat area serving as a dais, sits Ftahteas on his throne. 
  THEBUN LION
  ANIMAL
  HITS
  SPEED
  Thebun Lion
  22
  10 m
  SKILLS
  Melee (claws) 2, Recon 1, Stealth 2, 
  Survival 1
  ATTACKS
  Claws (2D)
  TRAITS
  Armour (+8), Heightened Senses, 
  Large (+1)
  BEHAVIOUR
  Carnivore, Hunter
  6
  
  SPECIES
  GENDER
  AGE
  Aslan
  Male
  -
  TRAITS
  Heightened Senses
  STR
  12 INT
  7
  SKILLS
  DEX
  7
  EDU
  6
  Athletics (strength) 1, Carouse 
  1, Drive 0, Electronics 0, Gun 
  Combat (slug) 2, Heavy Weapons 
  (man portable) 1, Leadership 1, 
  Melee (blade) 2, Melee (natural) 
  2, Recon 2, Stealth 1, Survival 2, 
  Tactics (military) 1
  END
  10 SOC
  8
  EQUIPMENT
  Aua-leather (+1)
  Crescent Blade (2D+3), Dewclaw 
  (1D+2), Yeheal Autorifle (3D, Auto 2)
  SPECIES
  GENDER
  AGE
  Aslan
  Male
  -
  TRAITS
  Heightened Senses
  STR
  10 INT
  7
  SKILLS
  DEX
  7
  EDU
  5
  Athletics (strength) 1, Carouse 
  1, Drive 0, Electronics 0, Gun 
  Combat (slug) 2, Heavy Weapons 
  (man portable) 1, Leadership 1, 
  Melee (blade) 2, Melee (natural) 
  2, Recon 2, Stealth 1, Survival 2, 
  Tactics (military) 1
  END
  10 SOC
  7
  EQUIPMENT
  Aua-leather (+1)
  Dewclaw (1D+2), Reaver’s Axe (4D) or 
  Spear-hook (2D), Yeheal Autorifle (3D, 
  Auto 2)
  SPECIES
  GENDER
  AGE
  Aslan
  Female
  -
  TRAITS
  Heightened Senses
  STR
  12 INT
  8
  SKILLS
  DEX
  7
  EDU
  8
  Admin 2, Athletics 0, Electronics 
  (computers) 2, Diplomat 1, Gun 
  Combat (slug) 1, Medic 1, Melee 
  0, Recon 1, Survival 1
  END
  10 SOC
  7
  EQUIPMENT
  Autopistol (3D-3)
  Ftahteas
  Male Aslan
  Female Aslan
  7
  
  Ftahteas is unmistakable as his father’s son. It is 
  not just the markings of his fur or his features; the 
  haughty way he sits at the head of his court – even 
  in this extremity – reminds the Travellers of their 
  patron. Ftahteas’s throne is a heavy chair apparently 
  salvaged from the ship wreckage – quite a feat under 
  the conditions – and his ‘court’ consists of a handful of 
  male and female Aslan who are all in an a poor state.
  The ihatei have only a couple of compressor masks 
  between them, and these are becoming worn out after 
  weeks of use. They are not short of food, thanks to their 
  ability to hunt in the surrounding forest, but have few 
  tools, the clothing they wear, and not much in the way 
  of weaponry. Nevertheless, they are a proud people and 
  living with as much dignity as they can.
  Ftahteas challenges the Travellers to approach. He 
  is breathless in the thin air, and clearly has trouble 
  concentrating, but his regal bearing does not waver. 
  He demands to know why the Travellers have murdered 
  one of his people then walked into his court. There is 
  a fresh grave off to the side of the clearing, and astute 
  Travellers might spot one or two additional Aslan hiding 
  in the forest fringe.
  Ftahteas is considering using the last of his ammunition 
  and spending the lives of his followers to take the 
  Travellers’ weaponry and equipment, but this is a very 
  risky strategy. He would prefer to find some other way 
  to profit from the situation or extricate his people from 
  their predicament, but lack of oxygen has given him 
  a headache for the past few weeks. In addition, he is 
  tired, irritable and easily confused – typical symptoms of 
  ‘altitude sickness’. 
  The Travellers might inadvertently trigger a bloodbath, 
  but may be able to convince Ftahteas that they are not 
  his enemies. The idea of being rescued by non-Aslan 
  is galling, and the thought of going back to his father 
  and thanking him for sending rescuers (was the choice 
  of who to send an insult? Ftahteas has many reasons to 
  be suddenly angry, and this question is one of them). 
  However, if the Travellers are respectful and persuasive, 
  they may be able to get through to Ftahteas and perhaps 
  convince him to accept the help he desperately needs.
  CONFRONTATIONS
  One of Ftahteas’ hunters was shot and killed yesterday 
  by persons unknown. The Travellers may – correctly – 
  suspect this was the party they previously detected. It 
  is possible it was a genuine accident, but might equally 
  have been a racist killing – hatred of Aslan is high along 
  the border at present, and there are those who would 
  like the opportunity to shoot one if he was no threat. 
  Even if Ftahteas can be convinced to leave Thebus, 
  these hunters are still a potential problem.
  Ftahteas knows very well that he must get his people 
  offworld, and wants to be given a reason to accept 
  rescue. On the other hand, it is his duty to die rather 
  than bring shame upon his father or his clan. The 
  Travellers will have to tread very carefully in talking to 
  Ftahteas, otherwise he is honour-bound to dig his heels 
  in and declare he will die on the ground he has won. 
  He might even turn upon the Travellers if they insult 
  him – or, in his present confused state – he thinks they 
  have. In short, Ftahteas is an honourable person with 
  cross-cutting duties. He does not want to die nor lead 
  his people to destruction, but will do so with stubborn 
  dignity unless the case can be made for retreating 
  from Thebus. 
  SPECIES
  GENDER
  AGE
  Human
  -
  -
  STR
  7
  INT
  6
  SKILLS
  DEX
  8
  EDU
  6
  Admin 1, Carouse 2, Drive 0, 
  Electronics (computers) 1, Gun 
  Combat (energy) 1, Profession 
  (various) 1, Recon 1, Stealth 1, 
  Survival 0
  END
  7
  SOC
  8
  EQUIPMENT
  Dagger (1D+2), Laser Rifle 
  with Scope (5D)
  Hunters
  8
  
  Assuming the Aslan can be convinced to leave, the party 
  of hunters must also be dealt with. They are in some 
  ways a typical safari party; a handful of rich offworlders 
  who wanted some excitement. Most would not consider 
  murdering a sentient being, but one of them came to 
  Thebun to kill something that looked like an Aslan, 
  and got an unexpected bonus. He knows he has killed 
  a real Aslan warrior and is both delighted and slightly 
  horrified. However, he is pretending it was just a Thebun 
  Lion, and since the body could not be found (the warrior 
  managed to crawl off and hide before expiring, and was 
  later found by the other Aslan) there is no proof.
  Ftahteas and his Aslan want vengeance for their 
  friend, but most of the hunters are innocent. They will, 
  however, resist any attempt to avenge the dead Aslan 
  or impose any form of justice – most genuinely do not 
  believe he has killed a person, and will think the Aslan 
  are just trying to make trouble. The murderer will try 
  to engineer a situation where the rest of his party are 
  forced to ‘defend themselves against Aslan aggression’ 
  if he can, perhaps by ‘mistaking’ another Aslan for a 
  Thebun Lion.
  If the hunters can be dealt with or evaded, Ftahteas and 
  his people need to be escorted back to the settlement 
  or the Travellers’ ship, and perhaps conveyed to the 
  starport. That might be an additional challenge, since 
  the ihatei did not arrive through the port and will be 
  refused entry unless the Travellers can come up with 
  a reason for letting them in. Dropping Ftahkaiw’s 
  name might help, due to his reputation in this region. 
  Bribery, deception or other means are all possible too. 
  Alternatively, the Travellers could simply bring their ship 
  down from the port and pick up the ihatei, though they 
  will be refused docking permission if they then try to 
  return to the highport.
  Whether Ftahteas is rescued or not, there is still the 
  question of who shot down his ship and why. It was 
  obviously an Aslan vessel so they knew what species 
  they were firing upon, but beyond that there is little 
  information to be had. Perhaps it was rival ihatei, 
  pirates or someone else operating on Thebus… or maybe 
  another ship. These questions may lead the Travellers to 
  new adventures once they have brought Ftahteas home 
  to his family.
  9
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Traveller/10 - Traveller 2nd edition (Mongoose)/Pirates of Drinax/TPOD Adventure 5 - Lions Of Thebus.pdf