TEXT:  
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   Publishing 
   
   
   
   
   
  Orbital 
  2100   
  A Solar System Setting for the Cepheus Engine Game 
   
  
   
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  ORBITAL 2100 Second Edition, Zozer Games 2016 
  Visit Zozer Games at www.paulelliottbooks.com 
  Find me on Facebook as Zozer Games 
   
  Author  
  Paul Elliott 
   
  Developer 
  Ben Lecrone 
   
  Cover Art 
  Ian Stead/biomassart.wordpress.com 
   
  Interior Art 
  Donald   Davis   (‘stanford   torus’),   Bryan   Versteeg/Spacehabs.com   (‘asteroid   station’);;   Steve  
  Attwood/www.digitalwaterfalls.co.uk (‘tharsis   orbiter’),   Someformofhuman   (‘martian   fossil’),   
  Joowwww  (‘IAU  logo’),  Evgeniy  Bazurov  (‘hotel  interior’),  Auris  (‘futuristic  corridor’),  Luca  Oleastri  
  (‘astronaut’),   Jankaliciak   (‘mars   rover’),   ESO/L. Calçada (‘Triton’   &   ‘Pluto’),   ESA/AOES (Venus 
  Landscape), Paul Elliott (drawings, maps & diagrams), two of the images have been made 
  available via the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 license, other images courtesy of 
  NASA/JPL 
   
  Special Thanks  
  Ian Stead, Omar Golan, Lou Wester, Russ Venlos, Boris Cibic, John Bee, Jason Kemp, Alexander 
  Shaw, Michael Johnson of Gypsy Knight Games, Colin Dunn 
   
   
  All rights reserved. Reproduction of this work by any means is expressly forbidden. This book is 
  fully compatible with the Cepheus Engine roleplaying game, a Classic-Era Science Fiction 2D6-
  Based Open Gaming System. Cepheus Engine and Samardan Press are the trademarks of Jason 
  "Flynn"  Kemp,”  and  Zozer  Games  is  in  no  way  affiliated  with  either  Jason  "Flynn"  Kemp or 
  Samardan  Press™. 
   
   
   
  
   
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  CONTENTS 
   
   
  1 
  The Situation  
   
  5 
   
  2 
  The Cold War  
   
  7  
  A Century of Rivalry   
   
  7 
   
  3 
  Organisations  
   
  15 
  Government Agencies  
   
  15 
  Corporations   
   
   
  18 
  Non-Governmental Organizations 
  23 
  Criminal Organizations 26 
  ‘Tasting  Freedom’ 
   
  4 
  Character Creation   
  30 
  Skills & Characteristics  
   
  31 
  Select A Campaign  
   
   
  31 
  Select A Career  
   
   
  33 
  Military and Spacer Ranks  
   
  35 
  Mustering Out  
   
   
  35 
  Sample Character  
   
   
  36 
   
  5 
  Spacecraft Design   
  37 
  Designing DSVs  
   
   
  37 
  Design Checklist  
   
   
  37 
  Designing Orbital Vehicles  
   
  63 
  Designing Launch Vehicles   
  67 
   
  6     
  Operating Spacecraft  
  69 
  Launch & Re-Entry  
   
   
  69 
  Travel Times   
   
   
  70 
  Fuel  
   
   
   
   
  73 
  Maintenance   
   
   
  74 
  Revenues  
   
   
   
  75 
  Encounters  
   
   
   
  76 
  Running Space Combat  
   
  77 
  Spacecraft Damage   
   
  78 
   
  7     
  Hardware  
   
   
  84 
  Spacesuits  
   
   
   
  84 
  Rovers  
   
   
   
  89 
  Computers  
   
   
   
  91 
  Orbital Vehicles  
   
   
  93 
  Launch Vehicles  
   
   
  96 
  Deep Space Vehicles   
   
  99 
  Modules & Space Stations  
   
  106 
  8 
  Orbital Society  
   
  108 
  Law Enforcement  
   
   
  108 
  Art  
   
   
   
   
  110 
  Colonies, Stations, Habitats   
  111 
  Running a DSV 
   
   
  119 
  Treaties & Regulations  
   
  121 
  Earth Orbit Network   
   
  123 
   
  9     
  Working in Space   
  125 
  Zero-G Workplace  
   
   
  125 
  Ways To Die in Space  
   
  127 
  Airlocks  
   
   
   
  131 
  Asteroid Mining  
   
   
  133 
  Setting Up An Outpost  
   
  138 
   
  10 
  Worlds 
   
   
  140 
  Planetary World Profiles  
   
  140 
  Mercury  
   
   
   
  142 
  Venus   
   
   
   
  147 
  Earth   
   
   
   
  154 
  Luna   
   
   
   
  163 
  Mars   
   
   
   
  170 
  The Belt  
   
   
   
  180 
  Jupiter  
   
   
   
  185 
  Saturn   
   
   
   
  192 
  Uranus  
   
   
   
  206 
  Neptune  
   
   
   
  210 
  Kuiper Belt  
   
   
   
  213 
   
  11 
  Running Orbital  
   
  216 
  What Do We Do?  
   
   
  216 
  Running A Campaign   
   
  217 
  Non-Player Characters  
   
  222 
  Aliens   
   
   
   
  225 
   
  12 
  Resources   
   
  229 
   
  Appendix  
   
   
   
  236 
  Acronyms 
   
   
   
  236 
  Legal Information  
   
   
  237 
   
  
   
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  1   THE SITUATION  
   
  "In spite of the opinions of certain narrow-minded people, who would shut up the human race 
  upon this globe, as within some magic circle which it must never outstep, we shall one day travel 
  to the moon, the planets, and the stars, with the same facility, rapidity, and certainty as we now 
  make the voyage from Liverpool to New York." 
        
   
   
   
   
   
  Jules Verne, From the Earth to the Moon, 1865 
   
   
  Jules Verne was right. The human race made it out into space, to the Moon, to Mars and beyond 
  to the outer planets. Not just to visit and measure, but to work and live and reproduce. Mankind 
  stepped out of the cradle and out into the interplanetary nursery that is the solar system.  
   
  But. There is always a but; the misguided, almost blind, optimism that plagued many of the 
  philosophers, cosmologists, scientists and space advocates throughout the 20th century disguised 
  the darker truths of human nature. Perfect beings, angels, saints and Peace Prize winners were 
  not  the  new  colonists.  Those  wonderful  1970’s  paintings  of  vast  space  habitats,  with  lakes  and  
  gardens and forests and smiling happy Americans so   beloved   by   Gerard   O’Neill   and   his   fans,  
  proved unattainable, and when the reality of life in space hit home, human nature kicked in.  
   
  Orbital is a TL 9 setting for the Cepheus Engine and the 2D6-based science fiction game it is 
  derived from.  Although  set  in  Earth’s near future, it is neither a cyberpunk dystopia nor a trans-
  human melting pot, it is the future of space colonisation envisaged by planners of the 1980s, albeit 
  with a healthy dose of realism.  
   
  Quotes from historical figures litter the book, they reveal the subtext, the real story of what is 
  going on, how things are developing and what may be the inevitable end. Many of these figures 
  commented on the first space race and the Cold War that kicked it off. Our future history is built 
  on the foundations of a new cold war, fought between the Luna colonists and the people of Earth. 
  Fear and national competitiveness spur on the exploration and settlement of the solar system, for 
  without this political imperative, humans would be content to sit in their own nest and wait for that 
  life-killing asteroid to strike.  
   
  “I'll  believe  in  people  settling  Mars  at  about  the  same  time  I  see  people  setting  the  Gobi  Desert.  
  The Gobi Desert is about a thousand times as hospitable as Mars and five hundred times cheaper 
  and easier to reach. It's ugly, it's inhospitable and there's no way to make it pay. Mars is just the 
  same,  really.  We  just  romanticize  it  because  it's  so  hard  to  reach.” 
  Bruce Sterling, SF author 
   
  The cold war setting of Orbital drives everything; exploration, settlement, technological 
  development, it is the political will and the energy behind life in the solar system. A lot is 
  happening and there are humans scattered all across the moons and planets. For the referee, the 
  solar system resembles a typical subsector. Many of the adventures that could take place in a 
  subsector can happen here too, just remember that travel times are longer, ships more fragile, 
  communications a little easier, and a polarized political world complete with mistrust, espionage 
  and puppet governments dominates the stage.  
   
   
  
   
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  Other Uses for Orbital 
  The setting in Orbital is offered as a ready-made backdrop in which to set near future games. 
  There is plenty more here than setting, though, from rules for rovers, vacc suits, rockets and 
  activity in zero-G, to the write-ups of moons and planets and of course the spacecraft design 
  system.  
   
  Several gaming possibilities spring immediately to mind:  
   
  The Game of the Movie - There are plenty of movies that could make decent scenarios, in fact 
  there are plenty that would turn out better in the hands of a group of players! With Orbital you 
  can run that movie, or its 'sequel', as a one shot. Try 2001: A Space Odyssey, Mission to Mars, 
  Ghosts of Mars, Apollo 18, Red Planet orThe Expanse.  
   
  Back in the Day - Every setting has a TL 9 past somewhere along the way. It is possible to 
  create a series of adventures in the past, to set a campaign there, or, as happened in numerous 
  Star Trek episodes, for spacecraft  from the past to come through a temporal rift to reach the 
  current setting date, or vice versa!  
   
  Mixing Old with New -  Of course many of the Classic 2D6-based SF scenarios, seeds, NPCs and 
  encounters published over the decades still work in Orbital. 
   
  Why 2100 AD?  
  It is natural to ask the question, if, when you can run many already existing SF situations and 
  adventures within the Orbital universe, why anyone should bother going back to TL 9 at all? Are 
  we not just narrowing our options? Yes  we  are,  and  that’s  the  point. Spaceflight is very much like 
  it is today, it is hard and dangerous and not to be taken for granted. That adds an extra dimension 
  to any scenario, and connects the sci-fi shenanigans with real world spaceflight, something I love. 
  I waited with baited breath in March, 2011 to watch the ISS pass through the night sky, and was 
  stunned to see two fast moving points of light where there should have been one. I realised at 
  once that the space shuttle Discovery had undocked from the ISS for the last time and that I was 
  looking at them both. Orbital is for those players like me, who always wanted to go into space 
  and who want to pretend for a couple of hours that they really are about to land on an asteroid, 
  dig for iridium on Mercury or try to fix an out-of-control satellite during an EVA. Maybe I just want 
  my space travel to be a bit more difficult... 
   
   ~ Paul Elliott 2016 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  2   THE COLD WAR 
   
  "Mankind’s   journey   into   space,   like   every   great   voyage   of   discovery,   will   become   part   of   our  
  unending journey of liberation. In the limitless reaches of space, we will find liberation from 
  tyranny, from scarcity, from ignorance and from war. We will find the means to protect this Earth 
  and to nurture every human life, and to explore the universe. . . .This is our mission, this is our 
  destiny."  
   
   
   
   
   
   
             Ronald Reagan, speech at Houston, 1988  
   
  On July 20, 1989, the 20th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, President George Bush 
  announced plans for the Space Exploration Initiative (SEI). His speech detailed the construction of 
  space  station  Freedom,  it  described  returning  to  the  Moon,  this  time  ‘to  stay’,  and  it  ended  with  a  
  proposed manned mission to Mars. Bush laid out, not a ten-year Apollo-style plan, but a long-
  range continuing commitment. Unfortunately, Congress shot the SEI down in flames due to the 
  huge budget that it would have required. But consider an alternative where the SEI was passed, 
  where the project thrived because of the international co-operation that the president was able to 
  muster. With new partners on board, including Russia, Space station Freedom ends up looking 
  much like the International Space Station we know so well. It even carries the same name. Why 
  was the initiative passed? Mars beckoned. Besides the enigmatic Face, NASA had more concrete 
  proof that some alien intelligence had (or still) existed on the red planet. This evidence was 
  concealed from the public, yet the fact it existed drove the SEI forward with vigour.  
   
  What else differs in our alternate history? On August 20, 1998, a barrage of American cruise 
  missiles struck terror camps in Afghanistan, and (unlike in our timeline, where he missed the 
  attack by hours) Osama Bin Laden was killed. There was no 21st century War on Terror. The Space 
  Exploration Initiative enjoyed the optimism and support of a new century unfettered by Middle 
  East wars and on-going terror.  
   
  "Don't tell me that man doesn't belong out there. Man belongs wherever he wants to go - and he'll 
  do plenty well when he gets there."  
  Wernher von Braun, 1958 
   
   
  A CENTURY OF RIVALRY 
   
  To the Moon and Mars 
  Americans returned to the Moon in 2001, twelve years after Bush gave his speech on the steps of  
  the National Air and Space Museum. By 2006 there were up to eight astronauts living there semi-
  permanently.  Within another six years they were producing their own oxygen, and crew numbers 
  had doubled. This was a scientific base on the Sea of Tranquillity.  
   
  In 2017 the first manned mission to Mars was successfully carried out. It was truly multi-national, 
  with a great deal of technological support provided by Russia. Using similar technologies to that 
  employed on the Moon, an international crew stayed for several weeks and left behind habitats for 
  more permanent crews who followed on a year later. The modular design allowed nations to add 
  
   
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  to the new colony, expanding its scope and population in fits and starts for the next four years. All 
  of these SEI milestones were reached on time (if a little over budget).  
   
  China Reaches Orbit 
  As the Space Exploration Initiative was embraced and executed in the West, a rising star in the 
  East began to make its own bid for space. China launched its first astronauts in 2003, and 
  immediately planned further launches, the construction of a small space station and even a 
  permanent Moon base. Success, coupled with a competitive spirit, spurred the Chinese 
  government to back its space program to the hilt.  
   
  By 2010 the Chinese had landed men on the Moon and five years later they established a semi-
  permanent base. By 2020 the Chinese presence on Luna (as the Moon is being referred to) was 
  almost self-sustaining and a future bridgehead for the planned construction of solar power 
  stations. There were now two separate Lunar colonies, one chiefly American, the other Chinese.   
   
  The Power From Space Design Agreement 2015 
  China made its intentions clear on October 13, 2000, when its space timetable was reported by the 
  Xinhua News Agency. It planned to mine Lunar resources and beam solar power from space to 
  alleviate China’s  massive  energy  needs.  In  2015,  China  and  the  US,  as  the  operators  of  the  only  
  two Luna bases, came together to sign the Power From Space Design Agreement. Government 
  investment would match private investment, and the aim was to start mining the Moon’s  surface  in  
  order to build these solar power ground-stations that would beam to Earth free, sustainable 
  energy. The project involved setting up automated mining and processing facilities, as well as 
  equatorial solar panel collectors microwave beaming stations. By 2028 the first beaming stations 
  began  to  test  their  equipment,  and  a  year  later  microwave  beaming  to  the  Earth’s  surface  fropm 
  the surface of the Moon was   underway.   From   2030   onwards,   a   new   era   in   Earth’s   history   had  
  begun.  
   
  A decade of Earth-Lunar manufacturing followed, immigration of skilled labour from Earth began 
  as  a  trickle,  and  ended  as  a  steady  flow.  In  2032  a  mass  driver  ‘catapult’  was  constructed  on  the  
  Moon’s  surface,  this  would  launch  unmanned  loads  of  mineral  ore  out  to  various  nearby orbital 
  positions (the Lagrange points) where experimental spinning space stations were being 
  constructed. These new stations required raw materials from the Moon, in return they would 
  become centres of orbital manufacturing. By 2040 the L5 stations began to act as a space vehicle 
  construction and preparation yard. It also served as the prime way station for future manned 
  missions to Mars and a hub of the new space industries. While there were perhaps 6,000 people at 
  the orbital stations by the year 2040, there were over 22,000 living and working on Luna.  
   
  “Experience  has  shown  how  deeply  the  seeds  of  war  are  planted  by  economic  rivalry  and  social    
  injustice.” 
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Harry S. Truman 
   
  Them and Us – The Orbit War 
  It  wasn’t  really  a  war  at  all,  but  the  orbital  fracas  of  2044  certainly  had  dramatic  repercussions  that  
  are still felt sixty-years later. It had begun in 2040 when the Lunar management requested 
  increased investment to handle the growing labour force. Plans were on the table for a new 
  colony, greatly enlarged and upgraded. Backers on Earth, both governments and shareholders, 
  refused to further stretch the finances of the operation. A backlash movement began on the Moon; 
  a hostile mood was sweeping the habitats of the colony. Earth held fast, pushing for its quota of 
  microwave transmissions, but remained reluctant to step up the investment to unrealistic levels. 
  The Lunar crisis lasted for more than a year, with the rising political movement threatening to halt 
  all power transmission until the Lunar requests were reviewed.  
   
  
   
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  In 2044, a delegation of ministers and company chiefs from Earth landed on the Moon for an 
  emergency summit. It looked like the Lunars had maybe gotten their way, but things were moving 
  fast. Many of the Chinese colonials sought to deal with Earth and get back to business, while the 
  American colonials proved more stubborn. These factions were at odds, and in the ensuing chaos, 
  all of the delegates from Earth were kidnapped and later murdered.  Small scale rioting took place, 
  but the habitats of Luna soon came under the control of the most influential of the anti-Earth 
  factions, mainly made up of Americans and a small number of liberal Chinese. Through coercion, 
  and control of the main oxygen factories, this militant faction was able to drag the rest of the 
  Chinese toward complete independence.    
   
  What became known as the Orbit War was actually no more than tit-for-tat destruction of orbital 
  assets. The Lunar colonists sabotaged several communications satellites in Earth orbit, while Earth 
  destroyed a Lunar space vehicle in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) that refused to respond to transmissions. 
  Finally, an automated vehicle en route from L5 was crashed into a small modular station over 
  Australia, killing four people. When it became obvious to the colonists that China and the US were 
  putting military forces into orbit, ready for an assault on the Moon bases or the L5 station, the 
  ante was suddenly - and dramatically - upped.  
   
  In a state of extreme brinkmanship, the colonists directed the Luna mass driver to launch several 
  ore payloads at Earth itself, each one impacting with the force of an atomic bomb. The three 
  payloads smashed into the Thar Desert of India, the an-Nafud  desert  of  Saudi  Arabia  and  Egypt’s  
  Western Desert. Although it was intended that no lives should be lost, 34 miners on an Egyptian 
  drilling operation were killed by the third payload strike. The governments of Earth had no choice 
  but to stand down their military task force. Everyone understood the harsh new message delivered 
  by these three rocks from space:  “don’t  mess  us  around  again,  because  next  time  it’ll  be  Beijing,  
  Miami  and  Washington  …”   
   
  Such daring apocalyptic blackmail prevented an imminent Earth takeover, but of course there was 
  to be no future investment in expanding the Moon colony, in fact there was to be no more 
  investment from Earth at all. The strong ties of belonging, support, nationhood and commerce 
  were quickly severed and although neither side was able or willing to make war on the other, a 
  cold silence descended between Earth and Luna.  The  Cold  War  had  begun…   
   
  Peace, noun. In international affairs, a period of cheating between two periods of fighting. 
             
   
   
   
   
   
  Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary 
   
  An Uneasy Peace 
  How could two Lunar colonies and a space station survive a total Earth embargo? In truth, it 
  wasn’t  total.  Earth  had  become  dependant  on  the  power  being  beamed  to  it  from  the  Moon;;  and  
  the Lunar colonists needed nitrogen. It was amazing how many raw materials that the Moon could 
  provide, given suitable excavation technology. Oxygen could be extracted, iron, aluminium, 
  magnesium  and  silicon  too.  Water  was  being  mined  from  craters  at  the  Moon’s  south  pole,  and  
  although very costly to ship to the lunar bases at the equator, or out to the L5 stations, could then 
  be recycled almost indefinitely. Habitat construction could continue as it had for the past decade, 
  greenhouse cultivation provided food, and bio plastics (made from corn or potatoes) was 
  beginning to stand in for the traditional Earth-dependant petroleum versions.  
   
  But Luna needed nitrogen. It was essential for the success of any artificial crop production and it 
  was also essential as a component in the atmospheres of the Luna habitats. Without it the 
  colonists would be forced to breathe 100% oxygen, a very flammable and potentially disastrous 
  atmosphere indeed. After several months of static, Luna and Earth began to conduct business with 
  one another. It was sullen, reluctant and mistrustful commerce. The Earth governments looked to 
  a  future  where  they  didn’t  need  Lunar  solar  power,  where  they  could  gain  all  the  free,  cheap  and  
  
   
  10 | P a g e  
   
  clean energy they needed from fusion reactors. Such reactors were still in development and were 
  perhaps 20-30 years away. Luna looked to a future where it could scoop nitrogen for free, from 
  the surface of a distant moon. That future would one day arrive.  
   
  War in South East Asia 
  The Forties were a time for Luna to stand on its own two feet and for Earth to undergo a radical 
  and momentous change, for the people of Earth through war, created what would almost amount 
  to a world government. Although China was investing heavily in asteroid mining, many of 
  the  other nations in the western Pacific lacked the funds to look off world for  resources.  Instead 
  they turned to sea-floor mining.  Inevitably this  led to clashes over mineral rights in the South 
  China Sea.  The  Asian League, a very pro-Lunar alliance of nations, backing Malaysia’s  sea  floor  
  claims, watched the  Orbit War with unhidden glee.  They felt that by being put in their place  the 
  space 
  faring 
  nations 
  would 
  be 
  willing 
  to 
  give 
  concessions 
  regarding 
  sea -floor 
  mining.  Unfortunately, they had miscalculated.  China, the  space power least affected by the 
  Orbit War, took the opportunity to reassert its  claims to most of the islands in the South China 
  Sea.  China hoped to  offset the high start up costs involved in asteroid mining by exploiting 
  these  same sea floor resources.    
   
  War in South East Asia began on August 2, 2045, shortly after Chinese and Filipino ships opened 
  fire on one another.  Chinese diplomacy scored a huge  early victory by reaching an agreement 
  with the United States concerning  the settlement of Mars and the Asteroid Belt.  Unfortunately, 
  the Chinese were  far less successful closer to home.  The accidental shooting down of an  Indian 
  passenger liner en route to Singapore led to increased tensions along the  Sino-Indian 
  border.  This blunder was followed just four weeks later by the  accidental sinking of the Indian 
  aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, by a Chinese  submarine.  India declared war on China two days later 
  and threatened to respond to any nuclear weapon use with equal force.  
   
  By the end of 2045 the East Asian War had become exceedingly  destructive.  Both sides launched 
  deep penetration strikes into enemy  territories targeting industrial and power generating 
  sites.  Russia’s  entry  into the war on  India’s  side  and  Indonesia’s  alliance  with  China  continued  
  the  move towards global conflict.  As the UN proved incapable of halting the  slide towards 
  armageddon, the nations of Europe and South America began to call  for boycotts and an 
  immediate end to the fighting.  America and the UK, however, stood aloof.  America’s  on  again  off  
  again trade war with China, as  well as concerns for the safety of Taiwan and Japan, had done 
  much to harden  their stance towards that nation.  Both the US and the United Kingdom gravitated 
  towards India and supplied the anti-China bloc with arms and loans.  
   
  
   
  11 | P a g e  
   
  After twenty months of war the unthinkable finally  happened.  A pro-Chinese coup in Pakistan 
  panicked the Indian  government.  On March 5, 2047 India launched four intermediate 
  range  ballistic missiles at troop concentrations of Chinese troops moving through  China.  A fifth 
  missile  was  launched  at  Pakistan’s  primary  military  command  headquarters.  Pakistan had not yet 
  declared war on India or even fully  mobilized its military.  The Chinese and Pakistani response 
  was 
  immediate,  
  but 
  American 
  supplied 
  THAAD-X 
  anti-ballistic 
  missiles 
  proved 
  surprisingly  effective.  Only three of the eight missiles launched penetrated Indian  defences, one 
  of those missed by several miles and a Pakistani launched  missile failed to go fusion and was far 
  less effective than intended.   America was appalled.  It had been assured by the Indian 
  government that  they would not initiate first use.  
   
  Sanctions were immediately declared by all the nations of  Europe as well as North and South 
  America.  They also demanded an immediate  end to the conflict and as this occurred in the UN a 
  second nuclear exchange  ensued.  Over the first week of April no less than twenty-five 
  nuclear  missiles were fired.  Even though only two population centres were struck  by nuclear 
  weapons, Russian Vladivostok and Chinese Harbin, millions died in the ensuing  chaos.  Before 
  long, clouds of radioactive dust circulated about the  northern hemisphere causing slow deaths for 
  thousands more.  The East  Asian War ended on May 15, 2047.  The overall cost of the war 
  remains  unknown.  It is estimated that just fewer than 50 million people died as a  direct of the 
  war.  An unknown number of would die over the years due to  malnutrition and radiation 
  poisoning.  
   
  Even those nations that were not direct participants were  greatly affected by the war.  America, 
  one of the nations most responsible  for India’s   overly   confident   posture   coming   into   the   war,  
  experienced a severe  political crisis as confidential memos leaked showing that its government 
  had  done much to instigate the conflict.  The UK too found its reputation sullied by its  role in the 
  affair.  In the end the devastation caused by the war  solidified international support for a 
  replacement for the United Nations, and the ex-secretary-general Matthias Vanderveen proposed a 
  world alliance based on the current regional organisations. Even the United States found itself 
  unable to halt the inexorable move  towards a united global government.  
   
  After eight months of detailed planning, the Lima Conference of 2048 set out the structure of an 
  international confederation that recognised regional organisations such as ASEAN, the European 
  Union and the Arab League as decision-making entities linked with a supra-national confederation 
  parliament. Nations gave up some of their powers to the regional bodies, just as European nations 
  had in the 1990s. San Francisco, Singapore and Munich became the joint capitals of the Earth 
  Union. With the rise of Lunar ambition, signatories at the Lima Conference agreed that all military 
  space activity was to be carried out under the umbrella of this new Earth Union. Fear and mistrust 
  of another nuclear war, and of the Lunars, brought the Earth nations together, perhaps 
  temporarily, perhaps forever.   
   
  Under the Asteroids 
  Out in space, there were others who would help shape the future of humanity. The Mars colonies 
  were expanding rapidly, scientists and engineers vied with prospectors and miners for seats on 
  outbound rocket flights. There were tens of thousands of people from many different nations on 
  Mars by 2040.  
   
  Further out even than Mars, are the asteroids of the Belt. Here, throughout the Forties, Chinese 
  astronauts established tiny mining outposts, at first experimentally, and then productively, as 
  newly installed mass drivers began launching valuable ores back toward Earth.  China, using the 
  technology developed to drop its astronauts on the Moon, had first sent out a manned prospecting 
  mission to 4660 Nereus (a rogue asteroid orbiting close to Earth) in 2027. The mineral-hungry 
  nation followed it up in 2035 with a long duration mining mission to the Asteroid Belt. This was 
  
   
  12 | P a g e  
   
  never part of the 2015 Power From Space Design Agreement. China had gone it alone in a risky 
  venture  to  prospect  for  rare  minerals.  Out  in  the  black,  these  souls  were  brave  beyond  measure  …  
  or just desperate. A massive Chinese recruitment drive attracted educated young men with no 
  prospects of marriage since the ratio of men to women was so low. They would expend their 
  energies in the Belt instead, establishing outposts, bases, green-houses, refuelling stops, trade 
  centres  and  mass  drivers  …   and how the Earth distrusted anyone with a mass driver! 
   
  The Belt War (2052-2055) 
  When news came to Earth in 2052 that envoys from Luna had visited miners in the Belt, the 
  government was electrified with nervous energy. Within months Earth military were in the Belt 
  trying  to   ‘secure   the   safety   of  the   Chinese   belters’.   Earth  did   not   want  Luna   to   co-opt the belt 
  miners, and have them stop sending raw materials back to their home planet. Instead, the world 
  government cultivated the new concept of Cascadia, a free and independent nation of belt miners.  
  Luna reacted predictably by sending in its own newly constructed military vehicles. Earth fought 
  this war by supplying the Cascadian miners with craft, supplies and weaponry, but they dare not 
  intervene directly. Lunar military troops broke up the burgeoning 'nation of Cascadia' created by 
  the free-thinking miners, and imposed their own restrictions. There were an estimated 1,000 
  deaths in the Belt, and more than five hundred on Mars, which could not escape the war. Luna 
  power supply workers had long been established with enclaves on the Martian surface, and these 
  Luna colonists brought the war to Mars. Troops of both Luna and Earth fought each other on 
  Martian soil. In the end, the Moon established a colony on Vesta, and broke up the dream of a free 
  Cascadian nation. As a counter-balance, the Earth Union was able to maintain its first colonial 
  presence in the Belt at the asteroid called Ida.  
   
  “Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon. July 1969, A.D. 
  WE CAME IN PEACE FOR ALL MANKIND” 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Apollo 11 plaque left on Moon. 
   
  Showdown Over Mercury 
  The Earth Union soon found a way to shake-off its dependence on Luna when the first fusion 
  reactor   came   online   in   2060.   The   ‘miracle   powerplant’,   fusion   reactors   produced   very   little  
  radioactive waste but incredible amounts of power. Various fuels are needed, the most sought 
  after being helium-3. Although small amounts can be gathered on Earth, the greatest 
  concentrations are out there, in the solar system, waiting to be collected. This helium-3 is blasted 
  into rocky surfaces by the solar wind and is found on Mercury, the Moon and on the gas giants in 
  the outer solar system. Now the Earth Union had to secure a source of He-3 and it set its sights on 
  Mercury, sending an initial colony to the Sobkau region in 2067.  
   
  Luna was determined to spoil this party and a colonial mission of its own arrived in orbit in 2068. 
  It soon emerged that the Earth colony included military assets, and that the Lunar mission had  
  also included weaponry. The stand-off was tense and after several 
  weeks the Luna ships were resupplied with fuel from the Moon and 
  then they withdrew. Crisis talks were held between Luna and the 
  Earth  Union,  the  outcome  falling  in  Earth’s  favour,  it  would  continue 
  with a 3 year plan of development on Mercury. Here was cheap 
  solar power, immense mineral wealth and a truly amazing export: helium-3. It looked like Mercury 
  would eventually out-perform Luna; Earth had a super-colony!  
   
  It   wasn’t   to   be.   The Earth Union sponsored expensive operations that began to mine helium-3 
  from the Sobkou basin, but where was it all? To the shock of all concerned, it seemed that 
  Mercury had very little of the precious material. It was now the dash for Saturn, and the vast 
  amounts of helium-3 there, that quickly turned the Sobkou debacle into a forgotten memory. 
   
  Tech Levels 
  TL 7 
  1969 – 2020 
  TL 8 
  2020 – 2070 
  TL 9 
  2070 – 2100+ 
  
   
  13 | P a g e  
   
  “Here's  my  strategy  on  the  Cold  War:  we  win,  they  lose.”  
                        Ronald Reagan, USSR-USA Summit, Moscow, May 29 June 2, 1988 
   
  Jupiter and Beyond 
  The great expansion into the outer solar system began apace in the early 2070s. New rockets, 
  nuclear thermal drives that were based around a fission gas-cored reactor using liquid hydrogen or 
  water as a reaction mass, now powered these long range missions. Fusion powerplants were far 
  too large to scale down enough for use as a space drive and so fission reactors have remained the 
  powerplant that has allowed the exploration of the furthest parts of the solar system. Both powers 
  established bases at Jupiter. Luna planted a small outpost on Europa that would later develop into 
  a fully-fledged colony, while Earth set up bases to monitor Luna activity at both Callisto and 
  Ganymede.  
   
  It was in 2082 that a Lunar expedition reached Titan, the sixth moon of Saturn. This world had 
  everything  that  the  Moon  didn’t,  including  nitrogen,  methane  and  hydrocarbons!  It  was  going  to  
  be the perfect source of raw materials, materials that would be shipped back to Luna to free the 
  people from its reliance on nitrogen from Earth. Within two years, though, the Earth Union had 
  arrived and brought everything it needed to begin mining helium-3 from the Saturnian 
  atmosphere. It established bases on the twin planetoids of Janus and Epimetheus; the tension 
  between the Earth depot and the Lunars on Titan grew year by year.  
   
  From 2090 onwards expeditions even reached Neptune and Uranus, but settlement has been light 
  and patchy, sponsored not just by the two superpowers, but also by corporations or wealthy 
  individuals.  
   
  It was in 2098 that a peace conference was held that would see the cold war between Luna and 
  Earth thaw a little. Three years earlier (2095) the Earth Union had staged an invasion of Luna-
  aligned Titan. Titan was a Luna colony that had been granted autonomy, yet it was still a staunch 
  Lunar supporter and crucial to Lunar affairs. Its hydrogen was easy to scoop and a ready source of 
  affordable fuel that attracted the envious gaze of the Earth Union. Titan was also seen by Earth as 
  a deniable tool of the Luna government, exporting revolution, opposing Union expansion, 
  challenging Union vehicles and detaining Union citizens. Military intelligence suggested that the 
  small moon Helene was being used by the aggressive Titan military to build up a force ready for 
  the invasion of the Earth-aligned moon Iapetus. As a pre-emptive move, declared Earth Union 
  ambassadors, an invasion of Titan was found necessary in order to prevent interplanetary war. 
  Luna furiously accused the Earth Union of starting such a war itself. Occupation forces were first 
  met with some grudging acceptance, but armed opposition and then rebellion soon followed. 
   
  For three years escalation continued until full scale war threatened to engulf the entire solar 
  system. Such a war was unthinkable. Luna could drop rocks on Earth’s  cities  with  impunity,  Earth  
  could launch missiles at Luna space stations or habitats killing tens of thousands in a single strike. 
  At the last hour, with ambassadors recalled, militaries on stand-by and fingers hovering over 
  buttons, one sane human being stepped out of the political fog. The 76 year-old Evelyn Chen was 
  a Shandong politician who had represented Earth for four decades across the solar system. With a 
  hastily gathered group of equally Jurassic diplomats and ambassadors around her, she addressed 
  the Council of National Leaders in 2098. Her rhetoric was good, her PR blitz was even better, 
  resulting in an immediate pause in the escalation, then a roll back to more peaceful conditions.   
  Chen’s   role   in   cooling the Titan conflict was key. Within a matter of months a timetable for 
  meetings and summits that would bring the nations of Earth and Luna closer together, was put 
  forward. Titan was still occupied by Earth troops trying to root out White Tiger terror cells, but a 
  reduction in the occupation forces had helped to calm the international situation. Evelyn Chen 
  accepted nomination to secretary-general and given emergency powers to help normalize relations 
  with Luna. She currently enjoys massive popularity on Earth.  
  
   
  14 | P a g e  
   
   
  Two years on, the rival powers are no longer at war and a measure of co-operation is possible in 
  some spheres (notably trade and science); but sixty years of rivalry and mistrust cannot be 
  banished with a wave of the hand.  
   
  The future may be uncertain, but one thing is certain, events are going to be interesting...  
   
   
                       “The Cold War is over,  but Cold War thinking survives.” 
                                                                               Joseph Rotblat 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Predicting the Unpredictable 
  No one predicted the collapse of Communism in 1989 or the Arab Spring of 2010. The 
  future history depicted here is not what I think will happen, but a narrative that explains 
  why the world is as-it-is in 2100 AD. It explains how a cold war divides the solar system, a 
  cold war that the setting needs in order to fuel another race into space .... and it is into 
  space we want our adventures to go. The East Asian War is not a world war but a regional 
  nuclear confrontation which provides just enough incentive for the nations of Earth to 
  realise how beneficial a union of world governments would be. We need there to be a 
  single government on Earth to establish our cold war setting.  
   
  Many other elements in this setting are based on the predictions of agencies, developers, 
  scientists and others, from the rate of global warming to population growth, and the rise 
  of new economies to the cultural dominance of emerging nations. Overall, my choices 
  have been optimistic ones, and a glance at the entry for Earth in the Worlds chapter will 
  show that mankind has done its best to provide a viable future for its descendants.  
   
  Where is America in this future? Still there, still a powerful international force, but now 
  shoulder-to-shoulder with equally powerful nations: China, Brazil, Indonesia, India. Their 
  rise to prominence and the massive populations they bring with them has transformed the 
  default Western culture to a more Western-Oriental culture, fusing East Asian fashions, 
  names, cuisine and tastes into the Western culture that dominated in the early 21st 
  century. That shift is represented in Orbital on the orientation of the world map, in names 
  and in the location of the biggest, most influential cities on Earth.  
  
   
  15 | P a g e  
   
  3   ORGANISATIONS 
   
   
  GOVERNMENT AGENCIES 
   
  Earth Space Development Agency 
   
  With the establishment of the Earth Union, the space agencies of individual 
  nations became irrelevant. A global space effort was needed and nations 
  were invited to participate in a global space programme. The Earth Space 
  Development Agency (ESDA) co-ordinates   all   of   Earth’s   national   space  
  efforts, it built the L4 Vanderveen colony and pioneered the audacious 
  helium-3 mining programme inside the Saturn system. 
   
  The ESDA is a descendant of the European Space Agency, NASA and 
  Roscosmos, and fulfils many of the same functions in 2100. It funds technology demonstrators, 
  engineering projects, astrophysical and astronomical science missions, and provides space-based 
  data for government, the military and business.  
   
  International Astronomical Union 
   
  Perhaps the only truly international organization in existence, having 
  no real allegiance to the Earth Union or to the Lunar Republic, the IAU 
  has been in existence since 1919. For much of its history, the IAU was 
  based in Paris, and its main function was to act as a clearing house for 
  new discoveries and catalogues and assigning designations for new 
  bodies or features found on them. New stars, comets, dwarf planets, 
  all were officially named by the IAU. The organisation also promoted astronomy and safeguarded 
  international links and working partnerships to make the study of astronomy a truly universal and 
  multinational affair. After the Orbit War, the IAU virtually ignored the barriers between Luna and 
  Earth that were raised at the start of the Cold War. With no concern for day-to-day politics, the 
  then president Pierre Moitessier, signed the Lunar Republic into the IAU and ensured that data, 
  communications, assistance and access to records was freely available to the Lunars. Pressure 
  from the government of Earth failed to dissuade Moitessier who felt that the IAU transcended 
  politics, worlds and ideologies.  
   
  Today the IAU is still based in Paris, but has a second office at the IAU orbital observatory (SGS-34 
  ‘the  Bernard  Lovell  Observatory’)  in  geostationary  orbit  around  the  Earth.  Earth  and  Luna  visitors,  
  students, researchers, scientists and engineers have all been made welcome. The IAU, due to its 
  almost   ‘Swiss’   neutrality,   soon   acted   as   a   clearing   house   for   orbital   allocations,   transponder  
  frequencies and the like. With the establishment of a new legal department, the IAU has now 
  become the de facto space co-ordination body, creating rules and regulations, and using the laws 
  of either Luna or Earth to bring what power it has to bear. It was the IAU which brokered the 
  Fairline Space Convention on Compatibility & Co-ordination in 2059. Both national powers see the 
  need for such a regulatory agency, and although both sides have at one time or another tried to 
  influence or even co-opt the allegiance of the IAU, it has remained gloriously and stubbornly 
  
   
  16 | P a g e  
   
  independent. At least one commentator has remarked that once the Cold War ends, it will be the 
  IAU which has the aloofness and assured integrity to govern the entire solar system! Some of 
  those  commentators  aren’t  even  joking...  The  IAU  has  its  own  army,  actually  a  small  security  force  
  called Eckard Tactical Management (ETM) on a long term contract. ETM puts its full complement of 
  security  personnel  and  vehicles  at  the  IAU’s  disposal,  and  this  includes  a  mechanized  company  of  
  infantry deployed to Mars in order to guard some of the alien ruins at Cydonia. In common 
  parlance,  EMT  troops  are  known  as  the  ‘Swiss  Guard’,  a  reference  to  the  ceremonial  mercenary  
  troops that have provided protection for the pope inside the Vatican for the past 600 years.  
   
  The 57th IAU General Assembly took place at Reunion on Mars in 2099. The next is scheduled for 
  the Matthias Vanderveen L4 colony in 2102.  
   
  Lunar Outsystem Patrol & Security (LOPS) 
   
  Filling  a  role  very  similar  to  SARA’s  is  the  Lunar  Outsystem  Patrol  and  Security 
  (LOPS).  LOPS focuses on placing agents within those stations and outposts 
  controlled by or allied to Luna.  LOPS has no jurisdiction on Luna itself but does 
  share nearly all of its information with LunaPol, while LunaPol often sends up-
  and-coming officers on detached assignments with LOPS. LOPS agents can 
  work as handlers for the notorious Lunar Security Detachment (LSD) but here 
  too they must report back to LunaPol and follow its orders. 
   
  Due  to  Luna’s  low  population  LOPS  makes  extensive use of robots and drones 
  which saves lives and money, but which has given the organisation a reputation 
  for being aloof and uncaring.  This is especially true in the Belt where members of the Cascadian 
  Alliance already have a poor view of Lunar meddling.  On Venus this arrangement gives LOPS a 
  distinct edge over rival organizations as tele-operated robots are the norm away from the floating 
  cities.  Around Jupiter, LOPS has had problems. Jupiter’s   highly   irradiated   environment   can 
  adversely affect electronics and remote operations.  Several embarrassing incidents in the late 80s 
  have some observers wondering if Luna backed down during the Titan Crisis because of problems 
  inherent with their entire military force structure.   
   
  Martian Rangers 
   
  Perhaps no single law enforcement group more exemplifies the 
  rough and  tumble  pioneer  spirit  of  the  ‘final  frontier’  than  the  near-
  legendary Martian Rangers.  Formed in 2042 by recently retired 
  Colonel Creighton Deerman, the Martian Rangers were created to 
  capture criminals and provide aid to those in need.  Deerman, an outspoken supporter of the 
  Greens and a strong advocate of opening Mars for settlement by anyone who could make the trip, 
  hated the idea that Mars might become just another government-run bureaucracy. To this day the 
  Rangers have a strong bias against the Reds and anyone they suspect to be of Red alignment. 
  Sure  they’ll  still  rescue  them  or  give  them medical aid, but they’ll  be  a  bit  rough  and  ready. 
   
  Individual Rangers are recruited from the many small settlements that dot Mars and they go 
  through gruelling survival training that has a 65% wash out rate.  Yet every year dozens of young 
  Martians flock to Deerman Base,  just south of Reunion.  After six months of survival training the 
  recruits are given two years of weapons training and extensive course work in criminal justice, 
  research and intelligence analysis.  Although some specialisation eventually occurs, each Ranger is 
  expected to be a jack-of-all-trades and also a master of Martian survival.   
   
  
   
  17 | P a g e  
   
  Space Activities Regulatory 
  Agency (SARA) 
   
  Celebrating its forty-
  fifth year of existence 
  in 2100, the Space 
  Activities Regulatory 
  Agency is the Earth 
  Union’s  
  primary  
  extra-terrestrial 
  law 
  enforcement agency.    SARA formed in the 
  aftermath of the SolCom Industrial Station 
  Disaster of 2054.  The loss of life and the fear 
  of an orbital cascade event prompted the 
  bickering members of the Earth Union to come 
  to quick agreement.  The agency draws on 
  personnel and expertise from numerous Earth 
  based agencies both government and private 
  but recruits agents right out of university.  SARA 
  was given a mandate to police all Earth Union 
  affiliated outposts and colonies, provide deep 
  space search and rescue, enforce space safety 
  regulations, recapture escaped convicts and 
  provide professional assistance to Earth Union 
  allies.  
   
  Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, the agency 
  employs nearly 15,000 people though only 370 
  of  those  are  in  Phoenix.    Most  of  the  agency’s  
  marshals work off planet as field agents, 
  technical experts and support personnel. Initial 
  training begins after college and occurs at 
  Vanderveen L4 colony station. After a year at 
  Vanderveen the trainee is posted on board one 
  of   SARA’s   many   deep   space   vehicles.      These  
  three year tours focus on search and rescue, 
  anti-smuggling 
  and 
  assisting 
  any 
  isolated 
  outpost in need of help.  After serving as crew 
  member of a DSV the marshals or deputies are 
  promoted and allowed to pick a specialty.  Upon 
  making their choice they are given a further six 
  months training and then given a posting.  
  Currently the most prestigious postings are in 
  the  Belt at the EU facility on Ida and at the EU 
  consulate at Reunion on Mars. 
   
  SARA currently operates twenty-two heavily modified Wu-Ketai Spartan DSVs as well as numerous 
  smaller vessels, their white and green hulls are a welcome sight in many regions of the solar 
  system.  On large stations, planet-side or within a habitat, SARA agents work in teams of six; two 
  of them being technical and support while the others are deputy marshals (field agents).  SARA 
  has full access to all paramilitary weaponry and many military grade weapons, but if heavy 
  resistance is expected real military units are often brought in to assist.   
  
   
  18 | P a g e  
   
  CORPORATIONS 
   
  Aerodyne 
   
  Aerodyne is a relatively recent merger of several high profile aerospace 
  companies on Earth. The business focuses on producing deep space vehicles 
  and a whole range of components for space colonization, from guidance 
  computers to airlocks and module hatches.  
   
  Baospace 
   
  Baospace is a fiercely competitive Luna corporation based in Meridian city that 
  specialises in consumer products, food stuffs, clothing and interior fittings. It has a 
  sparse but chic look which is a  reaction  to  the  older  ‘ergo’  design  principles,  and it is 
  in front of the fashion trends at the moment. The better space lines often boast of 
  having a Baospace cabin decor, and at least one passenger line has fitted out its 
  cabin crew in designer uniforms created exclusively for that line by Marco Yen, the 
  most  famous  of  Baospace’s  design  houses.  Baospace even builds chic custom-designed pressure 
  suits! Baospace decors 
  are 
  minimalist, 
  and 
  favour white, grey or 
  beige colour schemes 
  with a touch of black or 
  an occasional pop of 
  colour. There is little 
  clutter, strip lights are 
  used 
  as 
  linear 
  architectural 
  features, 
  and 
  edges 
  flow 
  and 
  merge 
  to 
  create 
  an 
  organic whole. Simple 
  lines, 
  decorative 
  restraint 
  and 
  neat 
  geometric 
  shapes 
  all 
  encourage 
  tranquillity, 
  peace and serenity and 
  typify 
  Baospace 
  furn-
  iture.  
    
   
   
   
   
  Centennial 
   
  Probably the largest corporation of Luna origin, Centennial has expanded out into 
  the solar system to create a dynamic business. It is an engineering firm, focusing 
  on large scale projects for the Luna government as well as other corporations 
  (including those from Earth). Centennial can build colonies, drilling rigs, space 
  stations and became famous for its pioneering success with the construction of 
  the submarine outpost under the ice crust of Europa.  
  
   
  19 | P a g e  
   
   
  Colonial Endeavours 
   
  An Earth-based transport corporation that is not particularly large, but that is 
  able to move its assets quickly and  ingeniously  to  deal  with unorthodox 
  cargoes and unusual situations. CE purchased several Reiner-Gama DSVs from 
  Luna as soon as the cold war trade embargoes were lifted 2 years ago. In 
  return, and as a sign of trust, the Luna Republic has employed Colonial 
  Endeavours on a number of occasions. Of course there are many other 
  customers that also use  the  flexible  ‘can-do’  services  of  Colonial  Endeavours.  
   
   
  Erebus Power 
   
  The symbol of Erebus Power is a map of Antarctica which hints at the 
  petrochemical history of the corporation. The multinational corporation is British 
  and was involved in oil and gas drilling a century ago. Then known as BP, it 
  merged profitably with both a French and a Chinese petro-corp to become Erebus 
  Power, at a boom time in Southern Ocean drilling. Hard times followed the start 
  of the solar power project on the Moon, but Erebus R&D had seen the danger and 
  had made plans to move into space in order to secure new sources of energy. Near Earth asteroids 
  proved to be the lucrative new industry upon which the 21st century Erebus was to be founded. 
  More recently, lucrative licenses to extract petrochemicals from the surface of Titan have been 
  gained. This new extractive industry has made Erebus a new high-end player in the solar system 
  power business. Erebus is massive in size and ever hungry for profit - the corporation is interested 
  in keeping other companies out of Titan if at all possible.  
   
   
  Ellis-Itami 
   
  Ellis-Itami is small but powerful information corporation and is widely respected. 
  It has an unprecedented data network, owns insurance subsidiaries, a detective 
  agency, stock traders, several small Japanese banking companies and Kodai-
  Secure the globally famous courier and security firm. Information is Ellis-Itami’s  
  game, and the corporation has a reputation for hiring the brightest cyberspace 
  cowboys and the best investigators. Trying to be impartial, they sell data to all 
  the big corporations, all governments: to everyone who can afford the fees. Ellis-Itami operates 
  mapping subsidiaries, phone systems and digital location services.  Much feared is the E-I credit 
  section  hired  by  other  firms  to  collect  debts.  The  ‘credit  adjustors’  are  basically  hired  guns,  often  
  Shanghai street scum.  
   
   
  Fly By 
   
  Fly By is one of several low cost carriers intent on cutting as many corners as 
  legally possible to maximise profits and stay ahead of larger firms like Trans-Solar. 
  Freight only companies, not likely to kill their passengers through lack of care, Fly 
  By is not the fastest, the most flexible, or the most  versatile – but it will get your 
  cargo there, and get it there cheaply. Other cargo companies of a similar ilk include 
  FR8, Direct and 2GO. Their biggest rivals are Trans-Solar, Colonial Endeavours, Mammoth and 
  Inter-Planetary Services (IPS).   
   
  
   
  20 | P a g e  
   
  Hermes Systems 
   
  While many considered the Earth colony on Mercury an abject 
  failure, and predicted the return of the colonists within the 
  year, Hermes Systems proved them wrong. Established by Sajid 
  Khan during the Sobkau debacle, Hermes rationalized the 
  colonial project, offered the colonists jobs and published a four year plan for Mercury. Investors 
  bought in, Khan snapped up unwanted and unused machinery from the Earth Union at a massive 
  discount and the modern state of Mercury was born. Khan may be the richest man off-Earth, a 
  billionaire who has made his fortune from the solar power, electronic and metallurgical industries 
  that make up Hermes Systems. He took a gamble, and it certainly paid off.    
   
  IPS 
   
  One of the top transport companies, Inter-Planetary Systems (IPS) prides itself on 
  efficient and fast delivery of cargoes to almost anywhere in the solar system. It has 
  an integrated system of transport networks including cargo jets, rail connections and, 
  on Earth, parcel vans. Its famous mustard yellow livery is known as a sign of 
  dependability and reliability. The 10 ton cargo module forms the backbone of the 
  interplanetary transportation industry, it has become a space-borne version of the modern-day 40 
  foot shipping container.  
   
  Luxor Aerospace 
   
  With its origins in the rush of private firms competing for space contracts in the 
  2020s, Luxor Aerospace has pioneered the expandable transhab. Luxor was once 
  far more well known for its chain of hotels, spas and luxury resorts across Earth, 
  but today Luxor is the leading owner of entertainment and vacation services in the 
  solar system. It boasts a new resort facility on Luna, at Tranquillity, a spin gravity 
  hotel and leisure complex at L5, six Deep Space Passenger Vehicles that tour the 
  solar system, and many more vacation spots, habs and stations.  Luxor also runs a space 
  passenger service in Earth-Moon space.  
   
  Matsuyama 
   
  Almost a dinosaur from the 20th century, Matsuyama has 
  managed to adapt to the new solar system environment, whilst 
  many of its turn-of-the-century rivals became extinct. The 
  Japanese corporation builds, prolifically and on a huge scale. Governments and other businesses 
  hire  Matsuyama’s  expertise  when  a  bridge,  tunnel  or  skyscraper  is  needed.  Where  the  corporation  
  really led however, was in the way it created an affordable method to colonise other worlds. 
  Rather than simply finance off-world projects, Matsuyama created the tools for the first time 
  colonist to get started with only a small investment. In a method similar to modern-day 
  franchising, training courses were established and linked to corporate-designed colony modules, 
  rovers and other hardware. Colonists train together and ship out together, they pay for their own 
  training and sign contracts with Matsuyama. The corporation supports the colony with 
  maintenance runs, supply drops and medical assistance for a defined period, while the colonists 
  are  bound  by  their  contract  to  work  in  the  colony’s  interest  for  a  similar  period.  In  the  longer  term,  
  Matsuyama benefits from long term maintenance and hardware replacement contracts with the 
  colony, even if the pioneers should turn to other carriers for their supply runs.  
   
   
  
   
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  Nortinghouse 
   
  Nortinghouse has been building nuclear reactors since the days of the very first 
  cold war, back in the 1950s. It worked with NASA on various nuclear thermal 
  rocket designs in the 1970s, and helped to kick-start the revolution in space 
  transportation almost a hundred years later with its new gas core reactor designs. 
  Constantly in competition with smaller, newer firms, Nortinghouse is an adaptable 
  and energetic corporation, re-inventing itself constantly. It not only produces 
  good quality reactors and NTRs but also solar cells, life support systems, space suits and even 
  something as humble as zero-G power tools. Nortinghouse is the epitome of reliability.   
   
   
  Parkfield Biolabs 
   
  Parkfield’s   operations   include   agri-chemicals, genetics, pesticides, GM crops and 
  livestock. Its logo is a green crystal maple leaf on a blue background. Parkfield is 
  headquarted in Toronto, Canada, and its current president is James Parkfield Jnr. 
  The corporation is a large Canadian agri-corp specialising in genetic manipulation to 
  produce superior crops and associated crop enhancers. Parkfield owns large areas 
  of farmable land in Canada. Its main   laboratory   (‘Rockwell’)   is   situated   in   an 
  underground complex which extends deep into a Canadian mountainside, but it also runs a large 
  facility on the remote asteroid 17253 Vonsecker.  Rumours rocked the company twenty years ago 
  when stories emerged that Parkfield was responsible for many of the more accessible synthetic 
  street drugs, but such internet buzz was never proven. Initially getting into space by sponsoring 
  crop experiments on the ISS, Parkfield later paid for a complete module on the Russian OPSEK 1 
  station. Many of the techniques pioneered by the corporation are used today under license in 
  many of the hydroponic units of deep space vehicles.  
   
  Reiner-Gama 
   
  The Reiner-Gama anomaly is a mysterious area on the Moon of very high 
  magnetic strength. The mining company that began operations in the area took 
  the name and went on to become the bedrock corporation of the Luna economy, 
  responsible for engineering, mining, construction and aerospace. With many 
  subsidiaries, Reiner-Gama products are found on most Luna DSVs and in many 
  Luna-sponsored outposts and colonies. The CEO of R-G is Susan Leung, a young business-woman 
  of extraordinary determination and vision who enjoys the loyalty of those who work around her.   
   
   
  Southern Cross Mining 
   
  Southern Cross is a cutting edge mining and development corporation that 
  has seen much successful activity in the Asteroid Belt and in more recent 
  years, the atmosphere of Saturn. In 2084 the corporation signed a contract 
  with ESDA to begin extracting helium-3 from the upper atmosphere for use 
  as fuel in Earth’s newly designed fusion reactors. The Kronos units built in 
  partnership with Voroncovo were the product of eleven years of research and testing. The base on 
  Janus, a minor inner moon of Saturn, is a Southern Cross centre of operations for the outer 
  system. Ida in the Asteroid Belt is the base centre for the inner worlds.  
   
  
   
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  Tharsis Heavy Industry 
   
  Although Mars has become almost the black sheep of the interplanetary 
  community, Tharsis has thrived, not just on its home planet, but out in the 
  wider solar system, picking up mining and engineering contracts as far afield 
  as Mercury, Io and Iapetus. Tharsis is the product of the nationalization of 
  the mining group AIMCON working on Mars in the 2050s. When the Green movement (the Third 
  Way) took control of Mars after the Belt War and established its own planetary government, it 
  nationalized AIMCON and renamed  it  Tharsis  Heavy  Industries.  To  everyone’s  surprise  the  Martian  
  economy flourished and this was in no small part due to the efficient way in which the new Tharsis 
  Heavy Industries corporation was run. Mining is the focus of the corporation, but it also builds 
  outposts, colony buildings, rovers and large scale agricultural stations. A subsidiary, named 
  Tharsis Space Systems, also constructs orbital craft and deep space vehicles for sale throughout 
  the solar system.  
   
  “One  year,  they  told  you.  Just  one  year of hard work and your duty tour was over and you could 
  go home... After a month you began wondering if it was really such a good deal. After two, you 
  wished  you  hadn’t  signed.  After  nine,  you  found  yourself  counting  the  minutes  remaining  to  your  
  year instead  of  the  days.  After  eleven  months  you  spent  much  of  your  time  trying  not  to  scream.”   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Alan Dean Foster, Outland 
   
  Trans-Solar 
   
  ‘A  to  B’  means  Trans-Solar. This transport corporation has a 
  fleet of DSVs and orbital craft that keep freight and 
  passengers moving, from Titan to Mars, Mercury to Earth, 
  Luna to Titan and every point in between. Large scale transport of colony parts, powerplants, 
  supplies, equipment, rovers and personnel are the basis of Trans-Solar’s  business  model.  T-S is an 
  Earth Union enterprise that initially began as a coalition of private firms that were trail-blazing 
  access to space in the 2020s. After the 2040s this coalition incorporated as Trans-Solar, in order to 
  supply Mars and the Asteroid Belt with supplies. Causing great controversy, and jeopardizing its 
  excellent reputation, T-S initiated transport links with the cold war enemy Luna in 2060, although 
  these  links  were  highly  scrutinized  by  security  and  customs  officials.  It  was  only  the  Teflon,  ‘non  
  stick’,  reputation  of the corporation that enabled Trans-Solar to survive such controversy. Today, 
  anyone wanting to start up a space transportation business has to somehow deal with the market 
  domination of T-S.  
   
  Voroncovo 
   
  This Russian corporation is focussed on sophisticated engineering, rocket 
  systems, satellite technology, surveillance and the technology of security. 
  Voroncovo is feared in corporate circles, both for its sheer size and amount of 
  force it can bring to bear. Developed from an amalgam of Russian state 
  industries during the tumultuous times in the early 2030s, Ilyech Voroncovo 
  brought together the brightest scientists and projects from the CIS before the West could buy 
  them first. Voroncovo inherited Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia (RSC 
  Energia), which is its successful rocket subsidiary, and Obyedinyonnaya Aviastroitelnaya 
  Korporatsiya (OAK) the famous Russian aircraft design corporation. Voroncovo is successful in 
  the space industry, and well-known for its Speransky Heavy Lift Vehicles.  
   
  Voroncovo is known as an information broker that rarely uses what it knows for personal gain (the 
  space industry excepted). Voroncovo also provides security bodyguards, escorts, armoured cars, 
  
   
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  detective services, mercenary units, and corporate arbitration services. It is tough and un-
  compromising. This company has its own private launch complex at Plesetsk, Russia. The OPSEK 1 
  and 2 orbital module platforms were Voroncovo designs that revolutionized modular living in 
  space. Similar modules are still used today. This corporation has its HQ in Moscow (constructed 
  over old nuclear bunkers and tunnels). The current CEO is Vladimir Dubovka. 
   
  Wu-Ketai 
   
  Patrick  Wu  is  one  of  the  solar  system’s  few  billionaires  and  the  owner  of  Wu-Ketai, 
  a huge and profitable corporation that has many subsidiary companies. Although 
  Wu retains complete ownership and control of Wu-Ketai, the commercial set-up of 
  companies within it is varied and complex. Each of the companies operating under 
  the Wu-Ketai brand is a separate entity, with Patrick Wu completely owning some 
  and holding minority or majority stakes in others. In some instances, he has simply licensed the 
  brand to a company that has purchased a division from him. 
   
  The Wu-Ketai brand is strongest in manufacturing, with companies like Wu-Ketai Industries, 
  Wu-Ketai Components, Wu-Ketai Power Tech, Wu-Ketai Mining and Wu-Ketai 
  Aerospace creating huge profits. Patrick Wu has spread the corporation into mining, colonial 
  sponsorship, entertainment, food production, publishing and automobiles.  
   
  Zenith Electronique 
   
  This European corporation is a world leader in computer systems, 
  lasers, advanced electronics, application software and cyber 
  systems. Its development of optical computing is revolutionary, 
  and will soon pay off. By buying out various optics manufacturers 
  at the start of the century such as Zeiss, Canon, Siemens and Optique, Zenith became a world 
  leader in this field. It is a dynamic corporation with an attitude and is run by a young, no bull 
  management that likes to take risks. The company has separate subsidiary divisions in each 
  product area: Okuda specializes in sensors, optics, lasers, high tech surveillance and monitoring 
  devices; Transdyne specialises in robotics; Eurodyne specialises in electronic systems and Helix 
  specialises in computer systems. Helix has been developing artificial intelligence for the past 
  decade with patchy and inconclusive results,  its  greatest  triumph  is  ‘Sentinel’  the  experimental  AI  
  on Ganymede.  
   
  NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS [NGO] 
   
  An  NGO  can  be  described  as  ‘an  independent  voluntary  association  of  people  acting  together  on  a  
  continuous basis for some common purpose other than achieving government office, making 
  money   or   illegal   activities.’   Charities,   trusts,   religions,   humanitarian groups, and labour 
  organizations all fit this definition.  
   
  The Network 
   
  The   Space   Workers   Network   (SWN   or   simply   ‘Network’)   is   a   trade   union,   info-share and lobby 
  group that serves freelance spacers. DSV crews can operate alone without a corporate or national 
  backer, but need the Network to assist them with finding work, negotiating fees, dealing with legal 
  issues and so on. Few crewmen will find work on a DSV without membership of the Network. 
  ‘Terminal  Station’  (SGS-78) located at L-4 is a Goddard-style spin gravity station and headquarters 
  
   
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  of the Network. Terminal tried to establish itself as an unaligned station, but it required Earth 
  Union backing, which meant that up until recently, there had only been a token Luna presence. 
  Since 2098, however, Terminal has flourished and the numbers of disillusioned, disenfranchised 
  and independently-minded corporations and individuals operating from there, has grown 
  tremendously.  
   
  Cascadian Alliance 
   
  The Asteroid Belt had been targeted early on by Chinese mining corporations 
  who had decided to by-pass Mars. When the Orbit War began, some miners 
  reacted sympathetically to the plight of the Luna colonists and set up on their 
  own. Independent of the corporations they used stolen equipment to hide out on 
  remote asteroids, lending one another assistance and keeping out of the way of the Chinese ore 
  transports and prospectors. Some of the dissidents were Christians who, back in China, had 
  worshipped  in  secret  ‘house churches’  for  fear  of  persecution  and  arrest.  Others  were  members  of  
  the Uygur minority, a Muslim people from Xinjiang province who had been offered mining 
  contracts when many other Chinese refused to leave the comfort of Earth. For decades restricted, 
  pressurized and persecuted, the Uygurs were enticed into space by the promise of good pay. Like 
  some of the Christians, there were Uygurs who likewise fled out into the Main Belt with stolen 
  equipment. These first few formed the core of what was to become the Cascadian Alliance, named 
  after a new breakaway state in north-west America that had a lifespan of only six months (during 
  2045) before being forcefully dissolved by the US and Canada. The 48 Cascadian martyrs proved 
  an inspiration to the hard-working Chinese dissidents, just as the revolutionaries of 1789 France 
  were partly inspired by the successes of the American Founding Fathers. In more recent times, the 
  Cascadian dream has been fuelled by new immigrants fleeing persecution or more commonly, the 
  pressures of civilized, high-tech, corporate-dominated life. They wanted freedom from laws and 
  regulations, and Cascadia, or the dream of Cascadia, provided that freedom.  
   
  Today, Cascadian homesteaders have cultivated a cottage industry in spacecraft design. Wanting 
  to be independent and free from solar system-wide market forces, they extract the materials they 
  need from asteroids for vehicle hulls, and purchase second-hand components for drives and 
  interior fittings. Many spacecraft parts have been removed from Earth Union war craft that were 
  broken up by the Luna authorities at the end of the Belt War, fifty years ago; they are TL 8 but 
  still work fine! Recycling and sharing is an important part of the Cascadian culture. These 
  homebuilt ‘rock-hoppers’ are used to launch homesteaders out to new asteroids, and are typically 
  orbital vehicles of less than 100 ton mass. These are communal efforts, with several families 
  pulling together to help one another, sharing skills, resources and goodwill. Hulls are fabricated 
  from aluminium mined and smelted by the Cascadians, and used to sandwich a layer of sand to 
  provide some shielding. In this way Cascadian hulls can cost as low as 1/10 of standard prices. 
  Power comes from fuel cell batteries and solar panels, second hand reaction drives are bought, 
  refurbished, tested and installed. Most are connected to fuel tanks providing only 2-3 burns. Parts 
  are often old (TL8) and acquired at 50%. Compact bridges are popular, while an airlock, a farm, a 
  hab module and mining drones are virtual necessities. Another module of choice is the micro-
  smelter for total self-sufficiency.   
   
  Church of Heavenly Stigmata 
   
  A popular Christian movement established on the Net during the preparations for the first manned 
  Mars flight by the Reverend Shire Kavanagh. It is an evangelical movement tying Christianity and 
  the fate of the cosmos up with the settlement of Mars. In Heavenly Stigmata doctrine Mars 
  symbolizes the blood of Christ, a permanent sign to the sinful that their sins were forgiven on the 
  cross. Reverend Kavanagh made no secret of his belief that Jesus was an 'extra-terrestrial' that 
  came to Earth from beyond our galaxy, and in this doctrine, Mars plays a central role as a stop 
  
   
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  over and the place that Christ returned to after his Crucifixion. Mars is the god of war, it is Rome 
  the conqueror and the Devil tempting Christ in the wilderness. For the members of the church, 
  Jesus is on Mars still, it is the desert testing Christ, and now testing Mankind. To survive the End 
  of the World (tentatively dated to 2066, then 2099 and now 2121), a believer must make the 
  pilgrimage to Mars, must go through the ordeals of life on Mars and must fight the Devil and find 
  Christ. Mars is a stepping stone to Heaven, after all. The religion aims to try and keep Mars 'pure' 
  and free from human interference, to oppose sinful city developments and any moral or ethical 
  freedoms, to oppose any research into the existence of alien life (dead or otherwise). To prove 
  that Jesus walked on Mars and fought the Devil there, to prove that Mars was created in 4004 BC.  
   
  Cydonian Society 
   
  The Cydonia region of Mars is associated with that enigmatic Martian feature: 
  the Face. Seen from orbital photos, the rock outcrop resembled a humanoid 
  face. Other features in the Cydonia region include weirdly shaped pyramidal rock 
  formations - indeed some proponents of intelligent alien life on Mars initially 
  insisted that the entire area was the remnant of a ruined Martian city. In the 
  universe of Orbital, these theories were actually proved correct once explorers 
  reached the planet. We were not alone. A new age had begun, and a new 
  Martian religion, too. But debate began immediately. Had the Martians died off millennia ago? Or 
  were they still out there somewhere? The scientists on Mars who have aligned themselves with the 
  latter theory and who have steadfastly adhered to it, have been driven to set up habitats in the 
  region in order to live amongst the structures they study. But in doing so they have become 
  scientific pariahs - fringe researchers. Someone built these things, some intelligence once walked 
  the Martian surface. Controversially these Cydonian scientists believe the Martians are here still - in 
  hiding or exile - that the human race is somehow related to the Martians, that the Martian race has 
  something to teach us. Perhaps the Martians are actually the physical embodiment of God. The 
  Cydonians have built up quite a store of beliefs and have fashioned a new Martian religion, they 
  are determined to unlock the secret code of these alien structures and to communicate with their 
  builders.  
   
  Frontier Foundation 
   
  Established  in 2018 by billionaire space visionary, Eddie Muzner, the Frontier 
  Foundation provides low cost access to space for anyone willing to partake in a 
  five month training course.  Low interest loans are available through its Outbound 
  Bank and its real estate department helps prospective space settlers sell their 
  Earth-based housing.  It even runs the popular Space Settlement Lottery which 
  gives 500 winners every year the chance to move to Mars or the Asteroid Belt.  
  The Foundation still uses the Muzner-Zubrin Spaceport outside of Phoenix as its primary launch 
  facility, but instead of direct shots to Mars all settlers stop at the SGS-45 Neil DeGrasse-Tyson 
  Space Training Centre for a two week orientation.  The Frontier Foundation also launches from Sri 
  Lanka and Cape Verde and also has extensive facilities on Mars and in the Belt. An extremely close 
  working relationship exists with Matsuyama, whose company’s roving technician teams are a 
  common sight at many Foundation settlements. 
   
  Providing inexpensive access to space for the largest most diverse group of people possible, the 
  Frontier Foundation hopes that by giving nearly everyone a chance to move to outer space they 
  will ensure the long term survival of the human race.  Unknown to most, the organisation also 
  supports the Green Mars movement and actively works to hinder the Red Legion.  Ties also exist 
  with the Cascadian Alliance and as such the Foundation often comes into conflict with Luna as well 
  as some factions of the Earth Union.  Despite this the Foundation is looked upon rather fondly by 
  the majority of Lunar citizens as it represents the pioneering spirit they once lived by.  Its biggest 
  
   
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  secret is the on going covert war against the Snakehead criminal groups of Asia.  These human 
  traffickers see the Foundation as competition and have used violence against Foundation 
  employees. To deal with this the organisation has hired operatives to try to eliminate the 
  leadership of certain Snakehead gangs, thus provoking a tit-for-tat cycle of violence.  Recently, the 
  Frontier Foundation switched  to the tactic of subverting Snakehead gangs in order to divert the 
  off-world migrants toward the Foundation or at least to improve the conditions these people 
  endure during their attempt to get off-world and reach the new frontier.  
   
  Planetary Reproductionists 
   
  Planetary Reproduction is an idea that borrows heavily from James Lovelock’s   Gaia  
  Hypothesis.  Simply put, if   Earth’s   organisms   all   interact   to   form   a   single   complex   system   that  
  works to maintain all life on the planet,  than this system can be compared to the cells and organs 
  that make up the body of living creature.  Furthermore given that all living creatures have as their 
  most important function the need to reproduce it can be deduced that Gaia itself strives to 
  reproduce.  Upon   further   analysis   the   only   currently   known   process   that   can   transfer   Gaia’s  
  offspring to other locals, beyond a few microbes that might be dispersed by meteorite collisions, is 
  human  terraforming. The Earth needs you! 
   
  Planetary Reproductionists believe that it is the destiny of human kind to spread the seed of Gaia 
  not just throughout the solar system but also eventually to other stars.  As the Greens are the 
  political proponents of terraforming the Reproductionists are the spiritual proponents of the 
  process.  They are strongly opposed to the Reds and the Church of the Heavenly Stigmata, though 
  on Mars this conflict in ideology is often blurred.  Many Reproductionists are scientists, academics 
  and engineers who have no traditional religious beliefs but instead have taken up the idea of 
  Planetary Reproduction as a spiritual replacement.  There is no real dogma or scripture per say for 
  Reproductionist philosophy, although a handful of books including Lonely Mother (2077) and 
  Children of Earth (2082) are considered must reads.  
   
  CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS 
   
  Nine-Heads of Xiangliu 
   
  Labelled an Earth-sponsored terrorist organization by the Lunar Republic, members of Xiangliu are 
  seen as heroes by the Cascadian Alliance and also many people on Mars.  The   ‘Nine-Headed’  
  Xiangliu originated in the Belt shortly after the Belt War and has been actively striking at Luna 
  outposts there ever since.  Xiangliu is a nine-headed snake monster from Chinese mythology and a 
  creature who also served as the minister of Gong Gong, the water god. The Xiangliu organisation 
  is based on a secret asteroid known only as Mount Buzhou. Mount Buzhou was a mythological 
  Chinese mountain which lay to the northwest of the Kunlun Mountains (the modern Pamirs). 
  Mount Buzhou is said to have supported the heavens, against which the Chinese water god Gong 
  Gong smashed his head in a fit of anger.  
   
  Organised into nine independent teams of close companions they receive their orders by way of 
  anonymous dead drops or coded messages posted to open chat sites.  Very few members know 
  who’s  pulling  the  strings  but  as  Luna  and  the  corporations  are their most common targets they 
  don’t  much  care.  Those  working  for  the Nine-Heads are divided into three areas of expertise; the 
  Eyes of Xiangliu are spies who specialize in infiltration and observation, the Ears of Xiangliu consist 
  largely of computer and technical experts who use their special skills to hack their way into 
  targeted systems, and the Fangs of Xiangliu are those members who wage a propaganda war 
  against their enemies.  
  
   
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  Given that terrorism is neither profitable nor a full time job many members of the Nine-Heads of 
  Xiangliu earn a living by hiring out as private investigators or protective service providers.  Within 
  the Belt the Xiangliu have made a name for themselves as being both fair and 
  affordable.  Furthermore they have somehow been able to afford a growing fleet of modified 
  mining vehicles that ply the Belt assisting homesteaders and delivering much needed supplies.  In 
  the recent past the Nine-Heads have worked alongside SARA and even earned the grudging 
  respect of some LOPS agents. 
   
  Reds (The Red Legion) 
   
  Members of the Red Legion are stalwart supporters of the 'Pristine Mars' movement. They believe 
  mankind should have come here to study and observe. All industry, much settlement and all 
  terraforming are abhorrent, unethical and wrong. Members of the Red Legion support the   
  sabotage of such projects where lives are not put at risk. The Legion is connected to several eco-
  terrorist groups back on Earth. Crucial to the Red argument is the proposal that life that has been 
  found on Mars, hidden away within its depths, is being influenced by human meddling, some 
  species declining while others flourish in the artificially-induced wetter and warmer conditions. The 
  Red Legion is a secret terrorist organization with members in many walks of life on Mars. The Reds 
  find the Cydonians strange but useful allies.  
   
  Snakeheads 
   
  With a long history of criminal activity, the Snakeheads crime syndicate had its origins in Fujian 
  province, eastern China. The gang grew out of the racketeering of the Triads and made a name 
  for itself at the end of the twentieth century as a people smuggling ring. This lucrative illegal 
  business capitalized on the plight of the poor in developing countries (in particular China, but in 
  more recent decades elsewhere around the globe) and their desire to move to a developed and 
  prosperous nation.  
   
  The Snakeheads work as independent organizations that come under the umbrella of the Dragon 
  King who is a shadowy hereditary figure whom the police struggle to identify, much less arrest. In 
  these off-planet times, the Snakeheads have extended their criminal tentacles into orbit and 
  beyond.  
   
  There are millions who want to leave Earth and make a fresh start on Mercury, Titan, Mars, L4 or 
  L5, or one of the many inhabited moons of the solar system; but moving off-Earth is not as simple 
  as the Utopian space pioneers of the 1970s envisaged. If you want a stake in the new future of 
  mankind, you need to be assessed, tested, trained, retrained and retested. Education, talent and 
  ability get you a long way through the training programmes - hard work and perseverance take 
  you the rest of the way. The Snakeheads are able to bypass all of this nonsense and get someone 
  into a job or a colony position as long as they have money. Members are able to bribe or 
  intimidate officials, spaceport workers, dock managers and so on ... smuggling individuals, couples 
  or families off Earth and into their dream assignment, perhaps that of a worker on an L4 colony or 
  a spin gravity station, a miner earning big bucks on Io or Ida. Miners can sign up for lucrative 
  contracts, earning many times what they could ever earn on Earth. The Snakeheads make it 
  happen.  
   
  ...or do they? For some, maybe, but new reports come in weekly of illegal migrants asphyxiated in 
  a poorly maintained transport module, or indentured on some remote asteroid with no way to 
  leave, or thrown out of an airlock as soon as money changes hands, or arrested by the colony 
  police for carrying false papers and having no qualifications for the heavy equipment they are 
  operating ... the horror stories are many. Yet the Snakeheads are never out of work, people pay 
  
   
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  and the Snakeheads pull the strings that make the off-world illegal network operate. The 
  desperate send their earnings back to family living in squalor back on Earth; in some cases a 
  village may have clubbed together to sponsor a migrant – so great is the comparable wage they 
  can send back.  
   
   
  Tijuana Brothers 
   
  Why, when the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) bound Canada, Mexico and the 
  USA into the largest trade bloc in the world, did Mexico end up as part of the Amazonian Union 
  thirty years later? Blame the Tijuana brothers, two Mexican crime lords who run one of the biggest 
  and most high tech crime syndicates in history. The Tijuana cartel, a Mexican gang active in the 
  state of Baja back in the 2010s had moved into counterfeiting and by 2030 this had easily eclipsed 
  its revenues from drugs. The gang wasn’t  just  copying  handbags,  DVDs  and  iPods,  though,  but  
  software, patents, genetic code and intellectual property. When human cloning hit the headlines in 
  2040, with the claims and counterclaims over the identity of the alleged human clone Lisbeth 
  Stratton, the Tijuana brothers were involved in the cover up and the pay-offs of US officials. When 
  the story broke, it transpired that Stratton was a clone (the first, and so far only, official human 
  clone), but rumours have been rife for decades that the shadowy brothers who are rarely 
  photographed have also been cloned. By 2042 the Tijuana syndicate had a fiefdom along the US 
  border and paid the Mexican government for this privilege, using its proximity to the US border to 
  smuggle in its low cost, high profit, fakes. In that year the US government, after applying intensive 
  diplomatic pressure, decided to carry out cross-border strikes in order to neutralize the drugs and 
  counterfeiting   centres   in   the   Tijuana   ‘kingdom’.   This   Baja   Affair,   which   could   have   turned   into  
  conventional war, was averted by Matthias Vanderveen, the UN secretary-general, after he 
  conducted a series of diplomatic shuttles between Mexico City and Washington.  
   
  Mexico was expelled from NAFTA for its intransigence, and as new regional economic 
  organisations were established soon after during the creation of the Earth Union, the nation was  
  allowed membership of the new Amazonian Union. The Tijuana brothers were able to survive the 
  crisis and today continue to dominate the counterfeiting market, selling everything from GM crops 
  to vacc suits, microchips to enhanced hormones. Baja still remains the heartland of the operation, 
  but the syndicate can shift goods out as far as Uranus using its complex network of agents.  And 
  yes, the brothers must be pushing ninety, re-igniting the rumours of illegal cloning from sixty years 
  ago...   and   creating   speculation   amongst   some   journalists   that   the   Tijuana   brothers’   greatest  
  counterfeiting scam might actually be human beings! 
   
  ‘TASTING FREEDOM’ 
   
  No-one could come into the desert and remain indifferent; its impact on the soul equalled its 
  withering impact on the weak human body. Artists at Andamooka waxed lyrically about its primal 
  beauty, day-trippers up from Adelaide wrote home about the infernal heat, while geologists and 
  archaeologists admired its scientific purity.  
   
  Rahman certainly recognized its beauty. The sun was low in the west, the sky pale and washed 
  out and the rolling desert glowed  with tangerine hues. Acacia, salt bush and the odd eucalypt 
  were starting to cast long shadows, though it was not yet dark enough to see stars. He could see 
  the beauty but he felt the frustration of a prisoner. Trapped here for two days, in the same spot, 
  he was beginning to crave colour, shade and shape - something that did not resemble dry, orange 
  desert and yellow scrub.  
   
  
   
  29 | P a g e  
   
  A few metres away, on the slope of a low rise, Indah, his wife, drew shapes in the sand with a 
  stick. He dare not ask her what she thought. This enterprise had been his idea, and she had gone 
  along with it trusting in his good intentions and solid judgement. Yet Rahman was terrified that the 
  plan to have them smuggled off-Earth would fail, if not here in the outback, then at the check-in, 
  or up in orbit, or even, if they should ever reach it, the Asteroid Belt. On the huge krill ships 
  forging through the north Pacific waters, stories were told by the workers on the 14 hour shifts of 
  relatives who had gotten into space, out to the Belt, and fallen on their feet. Some were sending 
  money back to Earth, some were moving on beyond the Belt.  
   
  Rahman and Indah had borrowed money from relatives to move to Australia, the past six months 
  they had worked at the Olympic Dam mines. It had been hard work, with good pay, and they had 
  been lucky to avoid the Australian labour officials, repatriating illegal workers. But now they were 
  here, close to the biggest spaceport in south-east Asia, close to leaving behind them a life of 
  unending poverty and desperate hard-work.  
   
  Behind Indah sat the six-wheeled camper they currently called  home. It was an old Imperial, 
  bloated and fat, with tall wheels that gave it the resemblance of a Martian rover. Vaas, their driver 
  and snakehead contact, had unfurled the awning to provide shade and shelter while the camper 
  waited.  
   
  Vaas was waving them now, calling them for supper. In his shirt and waistcoat, and long black 
  hair pulled back into a pony-tail, the street poseur looked incongruous as the king of camping. 
  Always smiling, the middleman had arranged for their transport to this forbidding rendezvous. He'd 
  been well paid, Rahman knew that, yet the couple were utterly at his mercy, isolated and alone as 
  they were in the middle of the Australian outback.  
   
  "Rahm," moaned Indah, "how long now? It's not the heat. I'm just not used to sitting around."  
   
  "I can't say. Vaas said he's waiting for a call from his contact inside the spaceport. Tonight or 
  tomorrow he said, didn't he? Just a little longer baby." He stroked her hair. Big brown eyes stared 
  up at him, that cute baby nose, framed by high cheek bones. Indah was Javanese, like Ramhan, 
  but her mother's Chinese heritage dominated her good looks.  
   
  "I can't stand that camper van any more, and Vaas, well,  he's  just  too  …  cheerful..." She smiled at 
  her husband, noted the lines of worry across his young face. Such a lot of worry, always worry. 
  And more worry to come no doubt. The furrows melted into a smile, and the couple stood and 
  turned toward the RV.  
   
  They sauntered back down the dusty slope until the sound of a  low rumble stopped them. 
  Looking west Ramhan could see the first star of the evening, blinking against the deep blue. And 
  there, responsible for the low roar, two contrails on the horizon, rocket exhausts powering 
  vertically up toward the heavens, golden rods of opportunity, spearheads leading to new worlds, 
  to fortune and prosperity. At the tip of each plume, a spacecraft packed with supplies and 
  colonists. Their gaze followed the rocket trails until their necks hurt and the plumes eventually 
  drifted apart.  
   
  Indah squeezed her husband's hand, "Just a little longer".  
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  30 | P a g e  
   
  4  CHARACTER CREATION 
   
  
   
  31 | P a g e  
   
  Characters are created for the Orbital setting using the standard rules and careers found in the 
  Cepheus Engine Book. Some of the careers exist in a slightly different form, however, or are 
  renamed, while a number of others do not exist at all. This chapter looks at each of the relevant 
  occupations and suggests how they might fit into the solar system setting of 2100 AD.  
   
   
  SKILLS & CHARACTERISTICS 
   
  The character creation rules in the Core Book provide a full explanation of how to determine a 
  character’s  characteristics  and  how  to  run  that  character  through  a  career  in  order  to  gain  skills  
  and earn promotions. The Orbital setting requires a change to Social Standing and also the way 
  in which background skills are determined.  
   
  Social Standing 
  In 
  the 
  standard 
  game, 
  social 
  standing of 12 or greater implies that 
  the character is a noble with an 
  official title, such as baron or duke. 
  Such 
  aristocratic 
  titles 
  are 
  inappropriate for the world of 2100. 
  Instead it is better to see Soc ratings of 12 or more as an indicator of unusual power, fame, wealth 
  or reputation. The player should select a family connection or avenue through which this wealth 
  and prestige has been gained.  
   
  Background Skills 
  As explained in the Core Book, 
  characters 
  get 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  background skills equal to 3 + their 
  education DM. These skills must be 
  taken from one of the background 
  categories in the accompanying table, 
  the rest are spent on the education 
  skills in the Core Book.  
   
  Select a background, or roll 2D6.  
   
   
   
   
  SELECT A CAMPAIGN 
   
  Referee and players should decide what type of 
  campaign they wish to play. Orbital is written with 
  the transport, rescue and salvage theme in mind, but 
  others are possible. The transport, salvage, science 
  and mining campaign concepts are fleshed out in 
  greater deal in chapter 11, Running Orbital. Each type 
  of campaign is best played with characters suited  
  to it.  
   
  Family Connection 
  Mid-20th Century Example  
  Corporate Leader 
  Howard Hughes 
  Celebrity 
  Marilyn Monroe 
  Member of Government 
  Robert Kennedy 
  Old Moneyed Family 
  Prince Rainier III of Monaco 
  2D6 
  Category 
  Skill 
  2-3 
  Earth Rural 
  Ground Vehicle 0 
  4 
  Earth Slum 
  Streetwise 0 
  5 
  Orbital Colony 
  Mechanics 0 
  6 
  Earth Metropolis 
  Computer 0 
  7 
  Earth Industrial Zone 
  Mechanics 0, 
  Electronics 0 
  8 
  Luna 
  Electronics 0, Vacc 0 
  9 
  Mars 
  Survival 0, Vacc 0 
  10 
  Titan 
  Survival 0, Vacc 0 
  11-12 
  All other stations, habs, 
  colonies and outposts 
  Vacc 0 
  - Transport, Rescue & Salvage 
  - Science & Exploration 
  - Investigation, Espionage & Crime 
  - Mining and Colony Survival 
  - Military 
   
  
   
  32 | P a g e  
   
  Transport, Rescue & Salvage 
  Orbital is written with the transport 
  campaign in mind. PCs are independently-
  minded 
  space 
  crew, 
  either 
  from 
  a 
  commercial, science or military background. 
  They fly spacecraft out into the black, 
  ferrying unique and specialized cargoes 
  insane distances. Out in the far reaches of 
  the system, they are on their own when things go wrong. And things always go wrong... 
   
  Science & Exploration 
  Science teams and explorers can visit 
  remote moons, land on newly discovered 
  comets or drill for life on moons. Characters 
  in this setting may take passage on a 
  chartered transport, or may have their own 
  Deep Space Research Vehicle.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Investigation, Espionage & Crime 
  If  the  players  don’t  want  to  fly  spaceships,  
  then a life of intrigue, deals and espionage 
  might 
  suit 
  instead. 
  PCs 
  might 
  be 
  government secret service agents, corporate 
  spies, criminals or police investigators. They 
  travel incognito as passengers, uncovering 
  plots and investigating murders, spy rings 
  and sabotage... 
   
   
   
  Mining & Colony Survival 
  A campaign might focus on the plight of 
  some remote colony. The PCs are key 
  individuals, either colony leaders, miners or 
  colony workers with prominent roles. What 
  catastrophe or challenges the colony must 
  weather is determined only by the dark 
  imagination of the referee. Alternatively the 
  PCs might be miners out in the Belt with 
  their own deep space mining vehicle, trying 
  to make that one big score.   
   
   
  Military 
  Although the focus of the game is purely 
  civilian, there is a great deal of military 
  activity in the post-Cold War period. PCs 
  could be special force Luna marines, the 
  crew of an Earth Union patrol vehicle or a unit of Martian mechanised infantry tracking a sneak 
  Lunar sabotage squad.  
   
   
   
   
  Career 
  Equivalent 
  Commercial Spacer 
  Merchant 
  Free Trader 
  Merchant 
  Space Agency 
  Scout 
  Space Force 
  Navy 
   
   
  Career 
  Equivalent 
  Scientist 
  Scientist 
  Civil Engineer 
  Technician 
  Surface Operator 
  Colonist 
  Space Agency 
  Scout 
                                                
  Career 
  Equivalent 
  Law Enforcer  
  Agent 
  Government Spy  
  Agent 
  Corporate Spy  
  Agent 
  Thief   
  Rogue 
  Enforcer   
  Rogue 
  Journalist  
  Entertainer 
   
   
  Career 
  Equivalent 
  Colonist  
   
  Colonist 
  Belt Miner 
  Belter 
  Colony Administrator  
  Bureaucrat 
  Civil Engineer 
  Technician 
  Law Enforcement 
  Agent 
  Surface Operator 
  Colonist 
                                            
  Career 
  Equivalent 
  Space Force 
  Navy 
  Army 
  Surface System Defence 
  Marines 
  Marine 
  
   
  33 | P a g e  
   
  SELECT A CAREER 
   
  Army – The surface forces of a major world, complete with infantry, armoured cavalry, support 
  units and air drop regiments.  
  Belt Miner – Mining in zero-G is hazardous. Belt miners live and work in space, hoping to strike it 
  lucky on an asteroid, or just survive to the end of their contract on some big corporate drilling rig.  
  Civil Engineer – Colony projects require good engineers capable of overcoming all kinds of 
  technical, man-made and natural obstacles.  
  Colonist – These guys live and work in space or on planets, growing crops, maintaining life 
  support systems and fabricating new habs, rovers and spare parts in order to maintain their 
  survival on a hostile world.   
  Colony Administrator – Colonies grow and soon require managers and supervisors capable of 
  providing  leadership  able  to  tackle  a  myriad  of  deadly  threats  to  the  colony’s  existence.     
  Commercial Spacer – With the privatization of space travel in the 2010s, civilian astronauts 
  began  to  be  trained.  In  2100  AD  these  ‘space  truckers’  crew  the  freighters,  transports,  liners  and  
  mining vehicles that criss-cross the solar system.  
  Corporate Spy – Large corporations need to find out what the opposition is up to, and 
  sometimes steal or sabotage that work. Corporate spies are the long arm of a corporation, capable 
  of reaching any facility or world to spy for the company.  
  Enforcer – Organized crime has followed explorers and astronauts into space. An enforcer is an 
  agent of a group like the Triads or Snakeheads, and capable of intimidation, bribery and violence.   
  Free Trader – Some commercial transports are privately owned, and the crews all hold a share in 
  the business venture. The crews of such vehicles are called free traders.  
  Government Spy – The Cold War bred countless secret agents, spies, moles and contacts that 
  still proliferate. Both the Lunar and the Earth Union secret services still maintain active espionage 
  networks to counter the efforts of the other. For these guys, the Cold War never ended...  
  Journalist – Cover-ups, fraud, military incompetence, industrial accidents, embezzlement and a 
  host of other crimes need uncovering. Journalists can make it big investigating a story that the 
  establishment want buried. They have the skills to dig up the truth. 
  Law Enforcer – Eventually, all colonies require law officers, either recruited locally from trusted 
  individuals, or sent from a distant authority such as a national government or corporate 
  headquarters. Agents of SARA and LOPS, LunaPol and the Martian Rangers are all law enforcers.  
  Marines – Marines are soldiers that specialise in zero-G combat, in boarding actions and the 
  security of deep space military vehicles; they are also capable of landing on foreign soil and taking 
  defended positions.  
  Scientist – Scientists investigate new phenomena, conduct experiments and travel to distant 
  worlds in order to take samples and image landscapes and geology. They must be self-reliant and 
  adaptable. 
  Space Agency - Both Luna and Earth maintain government space agencies, much like NASA or 
  the ESA. Flight crew man the exploratory craft that conduct research, and transport science teams 
  to distant worlds. Colony support crews also ferry supplies and colonists out to new outposts or 
  space stations. They are not just space pilots and navigators, but also problem-solvers, fixers and 
  diplomats.  
  Space Force - The military space forces of Earth and Luna are equipped with powerful armed and 
  armoured deep space vehicles (DSVs). On large DSVs crewmen are needed for all kinds of 
  positions, from sensor or coms operator to logistics officer, mechanic and weapons operator. 
  There are also numerous technical jobs aboard, including the all-important flight engineer and the 
  pilots of shuttles, interceptors and DSVs. 
  Surface Operator – Surface exploration of a world requires the skills of a surface operator, 
  someone skilled in the use of vacc suits, rovers, field equipment and survival equipment. Every 
  mining expedition or science team includes a few surface operators to keep everyone safe.  
  
   
  34 | P a g e  
   
  Thief – Low-lifes, con-men, hustlers, snakeheads, hackers, pimps, forgers and smugglers have 
  made it to the colonies, often taking up some dead-end  job  as  a  cover.  Pray  your  life  doesn’t  one  
  day depend on one of these scum-bags.  
   
  SKILL CASCADES 
  Aircraft: There are no Aircraft cascade skills, only the skill Aircraft.  
  Animals: Select either Farming or Survival, there are no ‘Pigs in Space’.  
  Gun Combat: When this skill is received the character is able to use all forms of modern infantry weaponry.  
  Gunnery: When this skill is received the character is able to use all forms of space weaponry. 
  Linguistics: Common 2100 AD languages are English, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, Hindi, Malay and Arabic.  
  Melee Combat: Do not cascade further. The skill of Melee Combat indicates proficiency in unarmed 
  combat, blades and clubs.  
  Science: When this skill is received, the player must select from one of the following new skills, below. Note 
  that they are quite specific to the planetary sciences conducted in Orbital.  
   
  Archaeology - The study of ancient cultures. On Mars archaeologists study the alien remains found 
  in the Cydonian region, there may be ruins elsewhere in the solar system. With only structures and 
  artefacts of this long dead alien civilization left to study, archaeology has become an invaluable 
  subject.  
   
  Astronomy - Astronomy is the study of stars, galaxies and other observable phenomenon. It is also 
  the study of asteroids, meteoroids, orbits, comets, the Sun and its cosmic radiation. An astronomer 
  is skilled with optical and radio telescopes.  
   
  Biology - Biologists study the processes of life and on Mars they look at the development of plants 
  and animals brought here. They also study primitive life discovered on Mars, Venus and Europa. 
  Biologists have a great knowledge of the diversity of life forms back on Earth.  
   
  Geomorphology - The interpretation of land-forms such as ridges, canyons, craters, valleys and a 
  multitude of surface features. On most airless worlds, without oceans or vegetation to cover the 
  surface, there is plenty to study! Importantly, the geomorphologist can explain the processes that 
  created many land forms, and often these involve wind-blown dust, meteor impacts, volcanism or 
  (on Mars and Titan) the action of rivers and lakes.  
   
  Geophysics - This is the study of the global or planetological whole. The structure of planets and 
  moons interest a geophysicist, their internal make-up, the earthquakes which shake them, ancient or 
  recent volcanoes which rise up out of them, the effects of rotation and orbital tilt, of magnetic fields 
  and gravity. Geophysics is the 'big picture'. 
   
  Glaciology - The study of ice masses and polar ice caps. Glaciologists study the frozen 
  environment, the effects of ice, and the widespread phenomenon (on Mars) of frozen ground water 
  (permafrost). 
   
  Meteorology - The study of atmospheric conditions, of winds, dust-storms, cloud formation, 
  climate change and frost formation. Several worlds boast atmospheres worthy of study including 
  Earth,  Venus,  Titan  and  Mars,  as  well  as  the  gas  giants  with  their  ‘extreme  weathers...’     
   
  Petrology - The study of rocks in all their aspects, including rock types, mineral composition and 
  chemistry, origins, metamorphic changes, usual occurrences and the relationships to other rock 
  types. Petrology is the prime subject of a mining geologist.  
   
  Stratigraphy - The study of historical geology, of stratified rocks, their sequencing in time and the 
  correlation of different rock beds in different locations. A stratigrapher is a detective who can 
  interpret the rock layers to explain the exact sequence of geological events - to say what happened 
  when and how this relates to other structures in the area. 
  Survival: This skill covers important techniques of travel and survival and travel on foot in harsh 
  environments, and includes the following disciplines:  caving, desert and polar survival and mountaineering.  
  Vehicle: The Vehicle skills in Orbital are Ground, Aircraft and Watercraft.  Do not split further.  
  Watercraft: Cascade this skill as indicate in the Core Book.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  35 | P a g e  
   
  MILITARY & SPACER RANKS 
   
  Ranks for the military careers (Marines and Army) and those involving spaceflight organizations 
  (the Merchants, Navy and Scouts) will use new, setting specific, rank tables as presented below.  
   
  Space Force 
  Rank 
   
  Lunar Officer 
   
  Earth Union Officer 
  0 
   
  Crewman 
   
  Crewman 
  1 
   
  Lieutenant 
   
  Lieutenant 
  2 
   
  Flight Lieutenant 
   
  Flight Lieutenant 
  3 
   
  Major 
   
  Squadron Leader 
  4 
   
  Lieut. Colonel 
   
  Wing Commander 
  5 
   
  Colonel 
   
  Group Captain 
  6 
   
  General 
   
  General 
   
  Army/Marines 
  Rank 
   
  Officer 
  0 
   
  Private 
  1 
   
  Lieutenant 
  2 
   
  Captain 
  3 
   
  Major 
  4 
   
  Lieut. Colonel 
  5 
   
  Colonel 
  6 
   
  General 
   
   
  Space Agency  
   
              Law Enforcement 
  Rank 
   
  Title 
  0 
   Crewman 
  1 
   Senior Crewman 
  2 
   Flight Officer 
  3 
   Senior Flight Officer 
  4 
   Department Chief 
  5 
   Executive Officer 
  6 
   Captain 
   
  MUSTERING OUT  
   
  In a typical game characters must muster out before the game 
  begins. In Orbital, it is more likely that characters will still be in 
  employment   within   their   chosen   career.   Player’s   may   finish  
  character generation at any desired point and have their 
  characters join the game, although an aging crisis or some 
  events may also indicate a character has left the character 
  generation process and begun the game.  
   
  At mustering out, roll once on the appropriate cash table for 
  the career, but award only 10% of the value. In addition, roll 
  only once on the accompanying universal benefit table. Do not 
  use the benefits table for the  character’s  chosen  career that appears in the Core Book.  
  Rank  
  SARA 
   
  LOPS 
  0 
   Asst. Deputy 
   
  Patrol Agent 
  1 
   Deputy 
   
  Senior Patrol Agent 
  2 
    
   
  Lead Patrol Agent 
  3 
   Marshal 
   
  Watch Supervisor 
  4 
   Senior Marshal 
   
  Watch Commander 
  5 
   Chief Marshal 
   
  Deputy Div. Chief 
  6 
   Commissioner 
   
  Division Chief 
  Commercial Spaceline 
  Rank  
  Title  
  0 
   
  Crewman [Mechanic-1] 
  1 
   
  Senior Crewman 
  2 
   
  Fourth Officer 
  3 
   
  Third Officer 
  4 
   
  Second Officer 
  5 
   
  First Officer 
  6 
   
  Captain 
   
   
   
  UNIVERSAL BENEFITS TABLE 
  Roll 
  Other Benefits 
  1 
  Weapon 
  2 
  +1 Int  
  3 
  +1 Edu or +1 End 
  4 
  +1 Soc 
  5 
  Useful Contact 
  6 
  Middle Passage 
  7 
  +1 Soc 
   
   
  
   
  36 | P a g e  
   
  NIKOLAY KAMOV: SAMPLE CHARACTER  
   
  I roll C85B77 for Nikolay and a quick roll tells me he is from a metropolis on Earth, I choose 
  Volgograd. Nikolay is a big guy and clever, yet didn't pursue university education. I'd like him to be 
  a cop, maybe a SARA agent, but first he needs some life experience. Nikolay joins a commercial 
  spaceline, Interkosmos, as soon as he can. Although he gains some training in vacc suits and in 
  piloting spacecraft, his career is cut short when a crime syndicate forces Interkosmos out of 
  business. The legal trouble that he is landed in, forces Nikolay to learn the ropes of space law in a 
  hurry and his next career choice is easy:  the Space Activities Regulatory Agency (SARA). He has 
  developed an interest in space law and has a real motivation to tackle crime, it isn't revenge, 
  Nikolay is too level-headed for that.  
   
  He serves three terms in SARA (I use the Agent career) and is promoted every term, entering the 
  game as a marshal.  
   
  In term one Nikolay establishes a network of contacts and learns basic investigation and computer 
  skills. In term two he toughens up (+1 End) as one of his investigations turns dangerous and ends 
  in disaster. He trips over a conspiracy on Mars and gets off the planet to save his life. Agents 
  within the government of Mars want Nikolay dead.  
   
  In his last term he gains some advanced training and learns how to gain entry  to hostile computer 
  networks (+1 Computer). Nikolay is promoted to marshal with a roll of 'double 6', perhaps 
  indicating that he was decorated for bravery on a particularly audacious collar of a Snakehead 
  gang-lord.  
   
  Today Nikolay is known as a reliable and tenacious agent who may turn up anywhere in the solar 
  system in his pursuit of organised crime. Like other plain-clothes agents he travels by commercial 
  liner and may even take passage on the PCs spacecraft with some of his incognito deputies. On 
  Earth Union territory, including that of corporations registered with the EU, he can temporarily 
  deputise civilians and also commandeer vehicles and other assets in the pursuit of criminals.  
   
  Nikolay Kamov is six feet tall. He has close cropped blonde hair with a long asymmetric fringe.  His 
  chiselled face and blue eyes are striking, as his physique which he must devote much gym time to 
  retaining, since space travel encourages muscle wastage. He favours a short grey jacket worn with 
  black combat trousers.  
   
  Nikolay enjoys conversation and seems a good judge of character. He has a lot of respect for 
  spacers since he is a qualified pilot himself. He never discusses details of a case unless it is to a 
  trusted ally, deputised civillian or contact.  
   
  Marshal Nikolay Kamov    C86B78  Age 34  4 terms  Cr2,500 
  Computers 1, Vacc suit 1, Pilot 1, Carousing 1, Melee Combat 2, Streetwise 1 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  37 | P a g e  
   
  5   SPACECRAFT DESIGN 
   
  Spacecraft form an integral part of SF gaming, and although the craft in Orbital are a little 
  different from those in the Cepheus Engine book, they are just as important to the setting and to 
  the adventures that take place there. Before we look at the types of spacecraft that exist in 2100 
  and how to design them, a quick primer on those important differences is in order. Orbital is set 
  in 2100 and this equates to TL 9 (with TL 11 in computing and electronics).  This  isn’t  your usual 
  SF universe, however; anti-gravity propulsion and the jump drive that was derived from it, do not 
  exist in this setting. It is TL 9 without those innovations. Where does this leave the spacecraft of 
  our setting? For one thing, they are trapped inside our solar system. There are no trips to other 
  stars, a journey out to Neptune or Pluto is a long, long voyage. There are still a lot of worlds to 
  visit, probably as many as in a traditional subsector, but these are mainly moons along with a 
  handful of planets.  
   
  The biggest difference in space technology is the absence of anti-gravity. Ships require the use of 
  fuel-hungry reaction rockets similar to those in use today, and they follow orbital paths familiar to 
  NASA mission planners. Not only are the drives different but the lack of on-board anti-gravity 
  means that crews must operate in zero-G throughout the mission. The only way to mitigate this is 
  the   installation   of   spin   habitats,   or   rotating   sections   of   the   spacecraft,   that   ‘simulate’   gravity.  
  Several movies have shown us what ships or space stations employing this type of technology 
  might look like.  
   
  The Cepheus Engine rules split spacecraft into two easily defined types; small craft (without jump 
  drives and under 100 tons) and starships (100 tons or larger, and incorporating a jump drive). 
  Orbital does something similar. We have orbital vehicles and launch vehicles, or rockets, (100 
  tons or less, using regular chemical rockets) and deep space vehicles, or DSVs, which are 100 tons 
  or greater and fitted with powerful nuclear thermal rockets. These are the equivalent of traditional 
  ‘starships’  and  form  the  focus  of  most  games.  Orbital  vehicles  are  just  that,  ancillary  craft,  landers,  
  and orbital shuttles which allow characters to leave the DSV and land on a planet, visit a station or 
  go to the aid of a crewman on a doomed spacewalk.  
   
  DESIGNING DSVs 
   
  Vehicles travelling the long distances to other planets are radically different to the short-range 
  orbital craft of today. Fuel cells and solar powers are replaced with a nuclear fission reactor, and 
  puny chemical rockets are replaced with a more powerful nuclear thermal rocket that is built 
  around the reactor. Long journey times typically require spin capsules that create an artificial 
  gravity for the DSV crews.  Craft like this have not yet been built, but several designs for missions 
  to Mars have appeared on drawing boards over the past few decades. The latest in-house NASA  
  design is Nautilus-X, a manned interplanetary explorer, meanwhile SpaceX has proposed its own 
  Mars Colonial Transporter. Orbital allows referees to design DSVs using the Core Book. Several 
  modifications are required to the established Cepheus Engine construction rules, these changes 
  are reflected in the design process below.  
   
   
  
   
  38 | P a g e  
   
   
  DESIGN CHECKLIST 
   
  1. Select Hull Size. It will be distributed, and may have options for further protection (Self-Sealing and 
  Ablative  Armour).  It  cannot  be  armoured.  Note  the  vehicle’s  Structure  Points. 
  a) Consider Hull Protection for Military DSVs 
  b) Note Structure Points 
   
  2. Build the Engineering Section. Using the Drive Performance table, decide  on  the  DSV’s  delta-V to 
  determine the drive number of the NTR. In addition, set the powerplant to the same number or higher. 
  Purchase drives accordingly.  
   
  a) M-Drive 
   
  b) Powerplant 
  c) Flare Damper. Always fit this essential piece of equipment. 
  d) Fuel. The fuel tank requires tonnage of 0.1 x M x Mn (M=DSV tons, Mn = Manoeuvre Number). 
   
  3. Build the Control Section. 
  a) Install Bridge 
  b) Install Computer. Install either a Model/1, Model/2 or (rarely) a Model/3 computer. 
  c) Install Electronics. Fit the DSV with an electronics package of TL 11 or less. 
   
  4. Build the Equipment Section. Consider fitting some of these equipment accessories:  
   
  Cargo Hold 
   
  Detention Cells 
   
  Docking Clamp  
   
  Drones 
   
  Fuel Processors 
   
  Grappling Arm 
   
  Landing Gear 
   
  Luxuries 
   
  Module (various) 
   
  Ship’s  Locker 
   
  Vehicles 
   
  Vehicle Hangar 
   
  Workshop 
   
  5. Build the Living Section. This includes accommodation for crew and passengers, as well as spi habitat 
  machinery.  
  a) Calculate crew requirements and then allocate ½ stateroom to each. On large DSVs the 
  commander, exec and perhaps the department heads may get their own stateroom. Middle 
  passengers are expected to share, while high passengers receive a stateroom to themselves.   
  b) Install Staterooms (typically 2 people per stateroom) 
  c) Install Low Berths and/or Emergency Low Berths.  
  d) Install a Storm Shelter 
  e) Consider hydroponics 
  f) Consider a medlab 
  g) Consider an armoury, laboratory or barracks 
  h) Consider a briefing room 
  i) Install suitable spin gravity machinery 
   
  6. Build the Weapons Section. If the DSV is military, it will require some weaponry.   
  a) Determine available hardpoints.  
  b) Install turrets and weaponry for those turrets 
  c) Install any required barbettes 
  d) Install any required bay weapons 
  c) Decide if additional missiles, AKVs or CML cannisters need by added within a magazine.   
   
  7. Putting it All Together. 
  a) Calculate total tonnage of components. Adjust as necessary to fit within the hull. Spare tonnage 
  can be allocated to the hold, or used for some additional component.  
  b) Calculate total cost of all components. 
  c) Determine how long the DSV takes to build.  
   
  
   
  39 | P a g e  
   
  1 - Select Hull Size 
  The craft’s  hull  is  the  framework to which all other components are attached. A craft’s  construction  
  time is based on its hull size, as outlined on the DSV Hull table. Since launch vehicles from Earth 
  struggle to reach orbit with anything greater than 100 tons, there is little use in building a 
  streamlined DSV; it would never reach orbit again. As a consequence, all Deep Space Vehicles 
  utilise distributed hulls. A distributed hull is completely non-aerodynamic and if it enters an 
  atmosphere or strong gravity it will fall to the surface of the planet. It cannot mount fuel scoops. 
  The price is factored in to the Hull costs in the table further down.  
   
  Most vehicles are divided into five primary sections: 
   
   
  The Engineering Section 
  The Engineering section contains the drives and power plant necessary for proper operation and 
  movement. It also includes radiators to cool the vehicle, fuel tanks and usually a drive shield, to 
  protect the crew and other parts of the vehicle from the harmful   effects   of   the   drive’s   nuclear  
  powerplant.  
   
  The Control Section 
  This area contains the bridge, a large control room or cockpit, the nerve centre of the DSV. It 
  includes much of the computer and electronics systems.  
   
  The Equipment Section 
  All of the useful items that allow the DSV carry out its mission are part of the Equipment Section, 
  from cargo holds to labs, workshops and landing craft.  
   
  The Living Section 
  This section is where the crew live, and includes dorms, freshers, solar storm shelters and 
  hydroponics. This section is often put under some kind of spin gravity.  
   
  The Weapons Section 
  Military  DSV’s  include  turreted  weapon  systems  and  ammunition  bays.   
   
   
  Displacement Tons – How Big? 
  Hulls and other ship components are designated by their displacement volume. Displacement 
  volume is measured in the volume of space that is displaced by one metric ton of hydrogen, 
  referred to in this design sequence as displacement tons or simply tons. A metric ton of hydrogen 
  measures approximately 13.5 cubic meters, which is rounded to 14 cubic meters for ease of 
  calculations. When drawing floor plans or maps of ships, each square measuring 1.5 meters by 1.5 
  meters, to a height of 3m up from the floor, represents half a ton. 
   
  How Many Airlocks? 
  Airlocks are sealed systems consisting of two 
  heavy-duty 
  doors 
  or 
  iris 
  hatches, 
  with 
  atmospheric pumping equipment, allowing 
  transit to and from a spacecraft in a vacuum or 
  hostile atmosphere. A number of airlocks 
  designed for personnel access are built into 
  each DSV design. This number does not factor in those docking hatches dedicated to ancillary 
  orbital vehicles that are carried. A standard airlock is capable of cycling two humans per minute 
  exiting or entering the ship. Additional airlocks of any size may be added to a ship. It typically 
  takes a minute for an airlock to fully cycle. Airlocks require a minimum displacement of one ton 
  and cost MCr 0.2.  
   
   
  AIRLOCK TABLE 
  Spacecraft Tonnage 
  Number of Airlocks 
  100-400 
  2 
  500-1000 
  4 
  1000-5000 
  6 
  Each Additional Airlock            MCr0.2, 1 ton 
  
   
  40 | P a g e  
   
   
  DSV HULL BY DISPLACEMENT 
  Hull 
  Hull Code Price (MCr) Construction  
  Time (weeks) 
  Structure  
  Pts 
  100 tons 
  1 
  2 
  36 
  2 
  200 tons 
  2 
  8 
  44 
  4 
  300 tons 
  3 
  12 
  52 
  6 
  400 tons 
  4 
  16 
  60 
  8 
  500 tons 
  5 
  32 
  68 
  10 
  600 tons 
  6 
  48 
  76 
  12 
  700 tons 
  7 
  64 
  84 
  14 
  800 tons 
  8 
  80 
  92 
  16 
  900 tons 
  9 
  90 
  100 
  18 
  1,000 tons A 
  100 
  108 
  20 
  1,200 tons C 
  120 
  124 
  22 
  1,400 tons E 
  140 
  140 
  28 
  1,600 tons G 
  160 
  156 
  32 
  1,800 tons J 
  180 
  172 
  36 
  2,000 tons L 
  200 
  188 
  40 
  3,000 tons M 
  300 
  268 
  60 
  4,000 tons N 
  400 
  348 
  80 
  5,000 tons P 
  500 
  428 
  100 
   
  Note the Structure  Points  
  Spacecraft in Orbital are weak and fragile! Unlike the design rules in Cepheus Engine, a DSV has 
  only Structure Points, and NO HULL POINTS.  As per the standard rules, each vehicle has 1 
  Structure Point per 50 tons of displacement (round up). When all Structure Points have been lost, 
  the vehicle has been smashed to pieces. Military   DSV’s   are   often   constructed   with   Added  
  Protection (see below). 
   
  Add Protection if Needed 
  TL 9 reaction drives struggle with adequate shielding for their own nuclear powerplants, they 
  cannot cope with large amounts of heavy armour. There are two methods of increasing the 
  resilience of DSVs:  
   
   
  Self-Sealing Hull Option (TL 9) 
  A self-sealing hull automatically repairs minor breaches such as micrometeoroid impacts, 
  and prevents hull hits from leading to explosive decompression. Hull material is comprised 
  of a reactive gel called tributylborane sandwiched between two layers of a solid polymer so 
  that when the hull becomes punctured, the gel inside is exposed to leaking air and quickly 
  solidifies - plugging up the hole. Within seconds of coming into contact with the vehicle’s  
  internal atmosphere, the gel goes from a liquid to a solid. In Cepheus Engine terms this 
  costs MCr0.2 per ton of hull, displaces 5% of the total hull tonnage and provides 2 points 
  of Armour.  
   
   
  Ablative Armour (TL9) 
  An ablative coating can be built into the skin of a DSV, providing some protection against 
  missiles, lasers and other weapons. The ablative material is an epoxy novolac resin with 
  special silica additives in a fiberglass honeycomb matrix. This is coupled with increased 
  systems redundancy, the strengthening of bulkheads and the added protection of vital 
  systems. In Cepheus Engine terms this costs MCr0.2 per ton of hull, displaces 5% of the 
  total hull tonnage and provides 2 points of Armour. 
   
  
   
  41 | P a g e  
   
  2 – Build the Engineering Section 
  Drives and the power plant are installed in the engineering section. A DSV must have a maneuver 
  drive (M-Drive) and a power plant (P-Plant). The powerplant is a TL 9 fission reactor and the 
  manoeuvre drive is a powerful reaction rocket that uses the heat of the powerplant to accelerate 
  hydrogen propellant as a reaction mass. It is an expensive device and uses a massive amount of 
  fuel. The traditional SF gravity drive, used for manoeuvre, does not exist in this setting.  
   
  Nuclear Thermal Rocket (NTR) 
  This rocket motor has the same costs and tonnage as a jump drive from the Core Book rules. 
  Various real-world nuclear thermal rocket (NTR) designs have been on the drawing boards since 
  the 20th century, including the NERVA, Project Rover, the Soviet Kosberg RD-0410 and the cleverly 
  designed TRITON. It is assumed that in 2100 a highly efficient descendant of these prototypes is 
  in use, perhaps a gas-core  NTR  (GCNTR)  which  has  a  ‘clean’  (non-radioactive) exhaust. It is a type 
  of nuclear thermal rocket that separates the nuclear fuel from the propellant with a quartz wall. 
  The  core  of  a  ‘nuclear  light  bulb’  NTR  is  molten,  and  can  operate  at  temperatures  in  excess  of  
  25,000 ºC. 
   
  This design system uses the NTR drive’s   Manoeuvre 
  number (Mn) to determine the distance covered by the 
  spaceship in one month. The Manoeuvre number 
  equates to a drive rating called delta-V, put simply it is 
  a   measure   of   the   DSV’s   acceleration.   These   craft   will  
  coast without thrust for most of the journey and so it is 
  the delta-V during acceleration and deceleration which 
  really determines how long that journey will last. Delta-
  v values and travel times are given in the table 
  (below). Delta-V is given in kilometres per second. 
   
  Powerplant & Components 
  A nuclear fission gas core reactor is crucial for long-term power, and it forms the heart of the 
  nuclear thermal rocket. Liquid hydrogen is sent through the reactor and, super-heated, it expands 
  out of the reaction chamber to push the spacecraft forward. Without it the drive does not function. 
  When the NTR is shut down (for coasting in space), the powerplant switches to a power 
  generation mode. Powerplant  number  must  equal  or  exceed  the  NTR’s  Manoeuvre number.  
   
   
  Drive Shield 
  Because  heavy  reactor  shielding  would  reduce  the  DSV’s  payload  to  a  fraction,  there  is  little  
  of it, making any spacewalk or shuttle trip within 10-15 km of the drive very dangerous. 
  Designers   from   the   1950s   onwards   designed   nuclear   thermal   rockets   with   drive   ‘shields’  
  built of a layer of beryllium (acting as a neutron reflector), tungsten (a gamma-ray shield) 
  and finally lithium hydroxide (the hydrogen slows the neutrons down and the lithium 
  absorbs them). This disc-shaped shields sit forward of the reactor. Even a small disc should 
  shield the crew and delicate components of the DSV from the harmful effects of radiation. 
  The tonnage of this shield is included within the powerplant tonnage.  
   
   
  Radiator 
  Heat normally convects away through air, but on a spacecraft it is trapped by the vacuum 
  surrounding it. To prevent overheating of the living areas and of the heat-generating 
  electrical components, DSVs must be fitted with heat skins or radiators that superficially 
  resemble solar panels. However, they are designed to cool the craft by releasing heat 
  through a fine pipework carrying liquid ammonia. Like the drive shield, the radiators are 
  included within the powerplant tonnage. They must be fitted away from the reactor.  
   
  Drive 
  Mn 
  Delta-V 
  Distance/ 
  Month in Mkm 
  1 
  50 
  120 
  2 
  65 
  160 
  3 
  80 
  200 
  4 
  95 
  240 
  5 
  110 
  290 
  6 
  125 
  330 
  
   
  42 | P a g e  
   
   
  Flare Damper 
  The flare damper or Generator-Magnetospheric Field (GMF), is usually part of the 
  engineering equipment on DSVs. Essential for travel through Jupiter or Saturn space, the 
  flare damper creates an artificial magnetosphere around the vehicle which diverts high 
  speed radioactive protons and protects the crew from deadly radiation. The fission reactor 
  easily has enough excess power to run the GMF. Spinning space stations are also fitted 
  with a flare damper, allowing them to be located in   high   orbits   outside   of   the   Earth’s  
  protective magnetosphere.  
   
  Note that smaller orbital vehicles also include a flare damper, though this draws so much 
  power from fuel cells that it can only be used for 6 hours, making it useful for protection 
  against solar flares, but not against the continuous bombardment of radiation in the Jupiter 
  and Saturn systems. Landers, however, are able to utilise the 6 hour GMF duration to 
  deorbit and land within these hostile systems, but the work of other orbital vehicles is 
  carried out by 100 ton DSV ferries dedicated 
  to the Jupiter/Saturn environment. Fitted on 
  a DSV, a flare damper masses 1 ton and 
  costs MCr1.  
   
   
  Life Support 
  Life support machinery for air processing, 
  temperature regulation and water and waste 
  recycling is all included in the drive tonnage. 
  Air and water can be recycled, but not 
  indefinitely. Every DSV needs water, filters, 
  food and air to supply the crew and 
  passengers for 6 months. To stock up on 
  life support supplies costs Cr 12,000 per 
  person aboard. These supplies require 0.5 
  tons of cargo space per person. Expeditions 
  may want to include additional reserves, 
  including food, air, filters and water, which 
  will take up 0.5 ton per person for an 
  additional 6 months. A 20-man crew would 
  therefore require an additional 10 ton 
  supply of food, air, filters and water for a 12 
  month mission. Remember this all costs Cr 
  12,000 per person. Unused supplies can be 
  reused on later missions. The cargo hold of 
  the DSV should be used to store these life 
  support supplies.  
   
   
   
  DRIVE COSTS 
   
  Drive Code 
  M-Drive 
  Tons 
   
  MCr 
  P-Plant 
  Tons 
   
  MCr 
  A 
  10 
  10 
  8 
  16 
  B 
  15 
  20 
  14 
  32 
  C 
  20 
  30 
  20 
  48 
  D 
  25 
  40 
  26 
  64 
  E 
  30 
  50 
  32 
  80 
  F 
  35 
  60 
  38 
  76 
  G 
  40 
  70 
  44 
  88 
  H 
  45 
  80 
  50 
  100 
  J 
  50 
  90 
  56 
  112 
  K 
  55 
  100 
  62 
  124 
  L 
  60 
  110 
  68 
  136 
  M 
  65 
  120 
  74 
  148 
  N 
  70 
  130 
  80 
  160 
  P 
  75 
  140 
  86 
  172 
  Q 
  80 
  150 
  92 
  184 
  R 
  85 
  160 
  98 
  196 
  S 
  90 
  170 
  104 
  208 
  T 
  95 
  180 
  110 
  220 
  U 
  100 
  190 
  116 
  232 
  V 
  105 
  200 
  122 
  244 
  W 
  110 
  210 
  128 
  256 
  X 
  115 
  220 
  134 
  268 
  Y 
  120 
  230 
  140 
  280 
  Z 
  125 
  240 
  146 
  296 
  
   
  43 | P a g e  
   
   
  DRIVE PERFORMANCE BY HULL VOLUME: SMALLER HULLS 
   
  100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 
  A 
  2 
  1 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  B 
  4 
  2 
  1 
  1 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  C 
  6 
  3 
  2 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  D 
  – 
  4 
  2 
  2 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  – 
  – 
  E 
  – 
  5 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  F 
  – 
  6 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  G 
  – 
  – 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  1 
  1 
  H 
  – 
  – 
  5 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  J 
  – 
  – 
  6 
  4 
  3 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  K 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  5 
  4 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  L 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  5 
  4 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  M 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  6 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  N 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  6 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  3 
  P 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  4 
  4 
  4 
  Q 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  6 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  4 
  4 
  R 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  S 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  T 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  U 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  6 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  V 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  6 
  6 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  W – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  6 
  6 
  6 
  5 
  X 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  6 
  6 
  6 
  6 
  Y 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  6 
  6 
  6 
  6 
  Z 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  6 
  6 
  6 
  6 
   
   
  DRIVE PERFORMANCE BY HULL VOLUME: LARGER HULLS 
   
  1200 
  1400 
  1600 
  1800 
  2000 
  3000 
  4000 
  5000 
  A 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  B 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  C 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  D 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  E 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  F 
  1 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  G 
  1 
  1 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  H 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  J 
  2 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  K 
  2 
  2 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  L 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  1 
  1 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  M 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  1 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  N 
  3 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  P 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  – 
  – 
  – 
  Q 
  4 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  2 
  1 
  – 
  – 
  R 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  1 
  – 
  – 
  S 
  4 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  3 
  1 
  – 
  – 
  T 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  – 
  – 
  U 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  4 
  4 
  2 
  – 
  – 
  V 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  4 
  2 
  1 
  – 
  W 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  1 
  1 
  X 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  1 
  1 
  Y 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  1 
  Z 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  2 
  2 
  
   
  44 | P a g e  
   
  For manoeuvre drives, the potential is the Manoeuvre number (Mn), which will equate to a Delta-V 
  velocity and which can be applied during space combat as Thrust. The power plant rating (A-Z) 
  must be at least equal to the manoeuvre drive rating.   
   
  Allocate Fuel 
  Total fuel storage must be indicated in the design plans.  
   
   
  NTR Fuel: The NTR has the same fuel requirements as the jump drive in the Cepheus 
  Engine standard rules. Liquid hydrogen fuel for the NTR takes up considerable space, 
  equivalent to 0.1 x M x Mn. 
   
   
  Powerplant Fuel:  Nuclear reactor fuel is made up of enriched uranium pellets, this fuel is 
  rarely replaced. Assume that new uranium fuel is installed during the 5-yearly maintenance 
  (which must, due to long travel times, replace the annual ship maintenance). There are no 
  other powerplant fuel requirements. As powerplant fuel is included in the weight and cost 
  of the plant, you do not calculate fuel tonnage for the powerplant.  
   
   
  3 – Build the Control Section 
  A DSV’s  control section contains the bridge, computer, electronics and associated components.  
   
  Install a Bridge 
  The size of the bridge varies depending on the size of the 
  DSV. The cost for the bridge is MCr0.5 per 100 tons of 
  vehicle. Two variations on the standard DSV bridge are 
  available, the Compact Bridge and the military Hardened 
  Bridge.  
   
   
  Compact Bridge: A compact bridge crams as much equipment and control stations into 
  as small a place as possible. Compact bridges take up 25% less tonnage than a standard 
  bridge of the same type and costs 10% more than a standard bridge of the same type. 
  However, all skill checks performed on the bridge suffer a –1 DM due to the un-ergonomic 
  design. 
   
   
  Hardened Bridge: A hardened bridge is shielded against the effects of nuclear missile 
  detonations  and  meson  gun  impacts.  The  ship’s computer systems are immune to EMP and 
  the number of rads absorbed by the bridge crew is reduced by 1000. Hardening a bridge 
  adds 25% to the cost of the bridge. If a ship has radiation shielding installed, it is assumed 
  to be hardened 
   
  Install a Computer 
  The main computer is identified by its model number; the computer table indicates details of price, 
  capacity, and tech level available. Model/1 or Model/2 computers are required for all spacecraft; 
  advanced  ‘next  generation’  Model/3  computers  are  available for the newest military DSVs. 
   
   
  BRIDGE SIZE 
   
  DSV Size 
  Bridge Size 
  200 tons or less 
  10 tons 
  300 tons – 1000 tons 20 tons 
  1,100 – 2000 tons 
  40 tons 
  More than 2,000 tons 60 tons 
  
   
  45 | P a g e  
   
   
  MAIN COMPUTER MODELS 
  Computer TL 
  Rating Cost 
  Model 1 
  7 
  5 
  MCr 0.03 
  Model 2 
  9 
  10 
  MCr 0.16 
  Model 3 
  11 15 
  MCr 2 
   
  Hardened Systems (fib): A computer and its connections can be hardened against attack by 
  electromagnetic pulse weapons. A hardened system is immune to EMP, but costs 50% more. 
   
  Select the Computer Software 
  Main computers run highly specialized software packages designed to support numerous functions, 
  such as managing the drives, evading incoming fire, controlling weapons and executing automatic 
  repairs. DSV computers automatically provide the means for basic control of the vessel, as well as 
  extensive library data on numerous topics and a basic level of security (Security/0). 
   
  COMPUTER SOFTWARE 
  Program 
  TL 
  Rating 
  Cost (MCr) 
  Notes 
  Auto-
  Repair 
  10+ 
  10 per 
  repair 
  attempt 
  MCr 5 per 
  repair attempt 
  Computer may attempt one repair per turn, or give a 
  DM+1 to an attempt. 
  Evade 
  9+ 
  5 + 5 
  per DM-
  1 
  MCr 1 per 
  DM-1 
  Imposes DM-1 on incoming fire by maneouvering the 
  craft and spinning the hull; at TL 11 can purchase an 
  addition DM-1.  
  Fire Control 
  9+ 
  5 per 
  weapon 
  MCr 2 per 
  weapon 
  Main computer may fire one weapon; for each 
  additional weapon, TL is increased by 1 (the ship can 
  fire up to 2 weapons at TL 10 and 3 at TL 11). The 
  ship’s   computer   may   also   sacrifice   controlling   a  
  weapon to give a DM+1 from computer targeting on 
  another attack, whether that weapon is controlled by 
  the main computer or by an actual gunner. Maximum 
  of three weapons may be controlled by this program. 
  Navigation 
  9+ 
  5 per 
  DM +1 
  MCr 1 per +1 
  All vehicles require Navigation software. This handles 
  the often intricate and complicated calculations of 
  space flight. Each rating adds a DM +1 to any 
  navigation roll. You can purchase up to a maximum 
  DM +3. 
   
  Install Electronics  
  A ship comes with a basic communications, sensor and emissions-control electronics suite, but 
  more advanced systems can be installed. The Dice Modifier applies to jamming and counter-
  jamming attempts (including jamming incoming smart missiles). The Orbital universe has 
  developed electronics up to TL 11 standard.  
   
  
   
  46 | P a g e  
   
   
   
  ELECTRONICS 
  System 
  TL 
  DM 
  Includes 
  Tons 
  Cost 
  Standard 
  8 
  –4 
  Radar, Lidar 
  Included 
  in bridge 
  Included 
  in bridge 
  Basic Civilian 
  9 
  –2 
  Radar, Lidar 
  1 
  Cr50,000 
  Basic Military 
  10 
  +0 
  Radar, Lidar, Jammers 
  2 
  MCr1 
  Advanced 
  11 
  +1 
  Radar, Lidar, 
  Densitometer, Jammers 
  3 
  MCr2 
  Improved Signal Processing 
  11 
  +2 
  Radar, Lidar 
  1 
  MCr4 
  Extended Arrays 
  11 
  - 
  - 
  x3 
  x3 
   
   
  Radar/Lidar detects physical objects. It can be active or passive. If a DSV is using active 
  sensors, it is easier to detect (+2 DM to Comms checks) but detects more about its surroundings. 
  Jammers can jam or counter-jam radio communications and sensor locks. 
  Densitometers can determine the internal structure and makeup of an object using deep-
  penetrating radar. 
   
   
  Two military technologies can often be found on dedicated military DSVs, Improved Signal 
  Processing and Extended Arrays:  
   
   
  Improved Signal Processing: Signal processing consists of extremely specialized 
  computers and software to improve the quality and likelihood of detection. Improved signal  
  processing provides a +2 DM to sensor tasks and improves range band by 1 for radar and 
  lidar as well as thermal and visual sensors. However, this comes at a cost of increased 
  vulnerability to jamming, with all jamming DMs doubled. 1 ton, MCr 4.  
   
   
  Extended Arrays: An extended array increases the effective sensor antenna size and 
  increase  the  longest  range  of  the  sensor  (all  increased  range  performance  is  at  ‘minimal’  
  level of detail). Visual and Thermal sensors can now detect at Extreme Range (from 
  150,000 to 300,000 km), EM and active radar/lidar to Very Distant range (25,000–150,000 
  km) and passive radar/lidar to Very Long range (2,500-5,000 km). The arrays are extended 
  well beyond the hull of the vehicle on retractable arms. However, with the arms extended 
  the ship can be detected at a +2 DM by all sensors and it may not use its reaction drive. 
  Triples tonnage and cost of sensor suite it is applied to.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  47 | P a g e  
   
  4 – Build The Equipment Section 
  Review the components in this section and decide which will be needed to further the mission of 
  the DSV. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Cargo Hold  
  The design plan must indicate cargo capacity. There is no cost but cargo carried may not exceed 
  cargo capacity. Any space left over after all systems have been installed may be allocated to cargo 
  space. A  DSV’s  cargo  hold  is  used  for  supplies,  equipment  and  items  integral  to  the  DSV’s  mission.  
  Like most of the vehicle, the hold is typically a zero-G environment, and palletized cargo is 
  strapped to all walls and other surfaces of the hold with tension rigs, or is held in place on a 
  ratchet system, similar to that found in modern cargo jets.  Smaller cargo amounts are packed into 
  zippered Cargo Transfer Bags (each holding up to 20kg) which prevent small items drifting away. 
  CTBs allow rapid transfer of small items without fuss and are rectangular in shape which allow 
  them to be slotted into any available cargo rack. These racks feature CTB-shaped spaces that are 
  often mounted on the walls of cargo holds. Finally, note that any unused Hull tonnage at the end 
  of the design process could easily be added to the Cargo Hold.   
   
  Detention Cells 
  Found primarily on military and government vehicles, a detention cell is used to keep prisoners. A 
  detention cell displaces 2 tons and costs MCr0.25. 
   
   
   
   
   
  EQUIPMENT SECTION COMPONENT TABLE 
  Component 
  Tonnage 
  Cost (MCr) 
  Cargo Hold 
  varies 
  - 
  Detention Cells 
  2 
  0.25 
  Docking Clamp (10-30 ton) 
  1 
  0.5 
  Docking Clamp (40-90 ton) 
  5 
  1 
  Docking Clamp (100-300 ton) 
  10 
  2 
  Docking Clamp (400-200 ton) 
  20 
  4 
  Drones : Repair 
  1% Hull Tonnage 
  0.2/ton 
  Drones: Probe (x5) 
  1 
  0.5 
  Drones: Mining 
  10 
  1 
  Fuel Processors 
  1 
  0.05 
  Grappling Arm 
  2 
  1 
  Landing Gear 
  10% Hull 
  Tonnage 
  1 
  Luxuries 
  1 
  0.1 
  Module (various) 
  10 
  varies 
  Ship’s  Locker 
  - 
  - 
  Vehicles 
  See separate Table 
  Vehicle Hangar 
  Vehicle + 30% 
  0.2/ton 
  Workshop 
  1 (minimum) 
  0.5/ton 
  
   
  48 | P a g e  
   
   
  Docking Clamp 
  A docking clamp allows a spacecraft to carry a 
  small craft or other vessel on the outside of the 
  hull and allows access between both vessels 
  while   they   are   docked.   Recalculate   the   ship’s  
  Thrust Number by adding the tonnage of the 
  spacecraft and the docked craft together, round 
  up to the nearest hull size and then compare that 
  to the thrust by drive volume table. An NTR drive 
  must be sized to accommodate the combined 
  displacement of both craft. The size of the vehicle that can be docked depends on the size of the 
  docking clamp. 
   
  Drones 
  Drones are only semi-autonomous, more akin to modern remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). 
   
   
  Repair Drones – Carrying repair drones allows a DSV to make battlefield repairs with the 
  AutoRepair software or when managed by a character with Mechanic or Engineer skills. 
  Repair drones take up 1% of the DSV’s  total  tonnage  and  cost  MCr  0.2  per  ton.  Individual  
  repair drones will mass around 200 kg (0.2 ton).  A common type of repair drone is short 
  and squat; they are two legged robots, easily able to crawl through ducts and passages, 
  but also able to clamber across the hull's exterior to make repairs. Their chest opens up to 
  display an array of extendable tools, from power wrenches, drills, AC connectors and 
  manipulators. Think of the three drones, Huey, Dewey and Louie that feature in Douglas 
  Trumball's 1972 movie Silent Running. Other designs also exist. 
   
   
  Probe Drones  - Probe drones are for surveying planetary surfaces. Each ton of probe 
  drones contains five drones. Probe drones can be dropped from orbit in disposable entry 
  shells but must be recovered manually. Probe drones are also capable of surveying orbiting 
  satellites, derelicts and other space debris. They can also be used as communications 
  relays. A single probe drone is 0.2 tons in volume and masses around one metric ton, 
  roughly the size of a car. The probe drone is powered by a fuel cell and is equipped with a 
  LOX rocket motor; it is equivalent to a small NASA space probe of today, with a bank of 
  cameras and sensors and a comms dish. 
   
   
  Mining Drones – Mining drones allow a DSV to mine asteroids. Massing 10 tons, a set of 
  mining drones is the most useful piece of equipment any DSV can carry. The set includes 
  three 2 ton mining drones, a 1 ton docking and recharging unit and a 3 ton ore handling 
  unit. The ore unit channels and transports ore from the drones into the cargo or ore bay. 
  Drones process 1D6 x 10 tons of asteroid material per working day and cost MCr 1. 
  Individual mining drones mass 2 tons each. They are large machines equipped with LOX 
  rockets, fuel cells, two side-mounted ore baskets and a forest of manipulators, drills and 
  grinders up front. Most have landing gear fitted, allowing them to touch down before 
  beginning mining operations. An ore conveyor unit on-board the parent vehicle will extend 
  out  to  the  drone’s  location  to  accept  the  ore. Further ore bodies require the drone to lift 
  ore in its side-cages back to the DSV.  
   
  Fuel Processors 
  Liquid hydrogen (refined fuel) must be tanked on-board at space stations and refuelling points. 
  However, some DSVs that are involved in asteroid mining are able to process ice to create liquid 
  hydrogen using fuel processors. They will also require landing legs and mining drones. A 
  spacecraft’s   fuel   processor   is   used   to   electrolyse   melted   water   ice   to   create   both   oxygen   and  
  DOCKING CLAMP TONNAGE 
  Clamp  
  Tonnage 
  Attached  
  Ship Maximum 
  Cost  
  (MCr.) 
  1 
  10-30 
  0.5 
  5 
  40-90 
  1 
  10 
  100-300 
  2 
  20 
  400-2000 
  4 
  50 
  2000+ 
  8 
  
   
  49 | P a g e  
   
  hydrogen; the first can be used for life support, the second for chilling and using as liquid 
  hydrogen fuel for the nuclear thermal rocket. One ton of fuel processing equipment can convert 20 
  tons of water ice into liquid hydrogen per day. One ton of fuel processing gear costs Cr50,000. 
   
  Grappling Arm 
  A grappling arm is a remote control device for manipulating objects in space. The arm is a flexible 
  arm of various telescoping and articulated segments, capable of reaching out up to 50 meters and 
  allowing objects of up to 10 tonnes to be manipulated. The arm ends in a set of cameras and 
  manipulators/grippers of varying sizes, from large claws to tiny micro–manipulators. It also carries 
  a toolkit which can be customized for a particular task. Multiple grappling arms can be combined to 
  manipulate larger objects A grappling arm takes up two tons of space and costs MCr 1. 
   
  Landing Gear 
  Although expensive and bulky, some DSVs have a requirement to land on asteroids or small 
  moons. To do this they need landing legs and suspension, as well as braking rockets and 
  compressed-gas activated pitons and cables, in order to anchor the spacecraft in a low-G 
  environment.   Landing   gear   takes   up   10%   of   the   vehicle’s   mass   at   a   cost   of   MCr1   per   ton   of  
  equipment.  
   
  Luxuries 
  Luxuries cost Cr100,000 per ton, and make life on board the craft more pleasant. Each ton of 
  luxuries counts as one level of the Steward skill for the purposes of carrying passengers, and 
  therefore allows a DSV to carry middle and high passage passengers without carrying a trained 
  steward on board. 
   
  Modules 
  Many DSVs are fitted with docking clamps that allow them 
  to carry 10-ton modules of various types, depending on the 
  DSV’s   mission.   Some of the ‘mission   configurable’   Deep 
  Space Vehicles are able to easily swap out two cargo 
  modules for two science modules, for example. At least 
  one docking clamp is required in order to carry 
  modules, vehicles carrying several may need a grappling 
  arm too, which allows them to dock and undock modules 
  without assistance from space station personnel. Modular 
  clusters are several modules (typically 5) arrayed like the 
  spokes of a wheel, connected together at a central hub 
  which is then attached to a larger type of docking clamp on 
  the spacecraft. Airlocks are fitted to the docking, science, 
  workshop, low berth and micro smelter modules. More 
  information on module clusters is provided later in the 
  Hardware chapter.   
   
  Ship’s  Locker 
  Every DSV has a ship’s  locker, Ripley even climbed inside one when she spotted the Alien in the 
  Nostromo’s  shuttlecraft. Typical equipment carried aboard will include protective clothing, vacc 
  suits, weapons such as shotguns or pistols, ammunition, compasses and survival aids, and 
  portable shelters. The contents of the locker are defined only when they need to be but always 
  contains  vacc  suits  and  other  useful  items.  The  ship’s  locker  is  usually  protected  by  a  lock. 
   
   
   
   
  MODULE TYPES 
  Module Type  
  Price 
  Docking Module 
  MCr2.6 
  Rover Module 
  MCr1.05 
  Hab Module 
  MCr2.5 
  Science Module 
  MCr3.24 
  Office Module 
  MCr1.03 
  Workshop 
  MC2 
  Power/Fuel Cell Module 
  MCr4.09 
  Power/Fission Module 
  MCr8.57 
  Laser Module  
  MCr7.8 
  Missile Module 
  MCr3.88 
  Passenger Module 
  MCr1.46 
  Low Berth Module 
  MCr2.06 
  Cargo Module 
  MCr1 
  Transhab 
  MCr4.9 
  Micro Smelter 
  MCr 4 
  Hydroponics Unit 
   MCr3.05 
  
   
  50 | P a g e  
   
  Vehicles 
  Small craft must be selected from the list of orbital vehicles given here in Orbital. Orion capsules 
  are often used as lifeboats or as emergency orbital run-abouts. So many were produced in the 
  2020s by the USA for itself and allies and the design was so successful that it is still in service  
  today, in the same way that 
  Cessna’s   172   was   first   flown   in  
  1955, but is still rolling off the 
  production lines in 2015, sixty 
  years later!  Escape pods are not 
  used by any DSVs or space 
  stations. 
  Safety 
  procedures 
  recommend 
  staying 
  with 
  a 
  stricken vessel where life support 
  and power may be found or 
  restarted, as an alternative to 
  ‘jumping   overboard’   into   the   vast  
  emptiness of space with only two 
  hours of oxygen. As a consequence the rescue bubble and other types of escape pods are never 
  installed. Instead, the rescue bubble makes a wonderful emergency spacesuit for children, the 
  elderly or infirm, those who are injured and anyone who lacks training in the use of a pressure 
  suit, such as passengers on a commercial liner.  
   
  These vehicles only take up the space they occupy, either permanently docked at a dedicated 
  airlock, or within a form-fitting hangar. Hangar space takes up a lot more space (see Vehicle  
  Hangars). 
   
  Vehicle Hangars: The tonnage and cost outlined in the Cost and Tonnage for Orbital Vehicles 
  does not cover full-scale hangar space, which allows for repairs and maintenance of small craft 
  when they are back on the ship. A dedicated hangar includes spare parts and specialized testing 
  and repair equipment for the stored craft. It does not include the cost of the vehicles or drones. A 
  custom hangar takes up tonnage equal to the tonnage of the vehicle to be stored, plus 30% and 
  costs MCr0.2 per ton. 
   
  Workshop 
  The workshop costs MCr 0.5. Note that each ton assigned to the workshop provides the DSV with 
  a ton of spare parts. Many interplanetary craft are able to repair even the biggest system failures 
  on their own, since they are out of touch of repair yards and ports for months if not years. DSVs 
  can dedicate several tons of their internal space to a workshop. Now even if the fission reactor 
  itself is 'damaged' the crew have the ability to fabricate most of the parts they need to fix it. Note 
  that  repairs  will  ‘consume’  these  spare  parts.   
   
  While Hull damage can be repaired by a crewman with Mechanic skill in 1-6 hours, it will typically 
  consume 1 ton of spare parts. Systems damaged on-board can also be repaired with a Mechanic or 
  Engineer roll (based on the system affected), and this will also take 1-6 hours. Unless the Effect of 
  the roll is 2 or more, however, the fix is temporary and will fail again on a 10+ each day. To 
  determine the tonnage of spare parts required for the repair, roll 2D6, subtract the chief 
  engineer’s  most  relevant  skill,  and  divide  by  10.     
   
  5 – Build The Living Section 
  To design the living section, first create a crew list. Allocate additional spaces for passengers (if 
  appropriate). Most DSVs will be built with staterooms for two crew or two passenger occupancy. 
  Most also fit a single cryogenic low berth as an emergency measure, or for very long distance 
  COST AND TONNAGE FOR ORBITAL VEHICLES 
  Orbital Vehicle 
  Tons 
  Cost (MCr) 
  Spider Light Lander 
  5 
  4.84 
  Palomino Heavy Lander 
  10 
  6.39 
  Skycrane Module Lander 
  10 
  6.64 
  Orion Transfer Pod 
  5 
  3.6 
  Long Beach Transfer Shuttle  
  20 
  6.76 
  Taurus Light Tug 
  10 
  11.80 
  Argus Heavy Tug 
  55 
  24.32 
  Star Sabre Interceptor 
  5 
  7.12 
  Spaceplane 
  40 
  16.58 
  Venus Dart 
  80 
  38.80 
  
   
  51 | P a g e  
   
  trips. Next you might want to add a medlab and a hydroponics bay, and you will certainly require a 
  storm shelter. Finally, most DSVs put all of these assembled Living Section components into a 
  spin-gravity habitat. Please see that section.   
   
  LIVING SECTION COMPONENT  TABLE 
   
  Component 
  Tonnage 
  Cost (MCr) 
  Accommodation 
  Limits (tons) 
  Stateroom 
  4 
  0.5 
  - 
  Low Berth 
  0.5 
  0.05 
  - 
  Emergency Low Berth 
  1 
  0.1 
  - 
  Storm Shelter/8 people 
  4 
  1 
  - 
  Hydroponics: Garden 
  1/person 
  0.25/ton 
  - 
  Hydroponics: Farm 
  2/person 
  0.25/ton 
  - 
  Briefing Room 
  4 
  0.5 
   
  Medlab: Standard 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  Medlab: Dedicated 
  8 
  1.5 
  - 
  Medlab: Shipboard Hospital 
  16 
  5 
  - 
  Laboratory 
  4 
  1 
  - 
  Barracks 
  2/marine 
  0.1/marine 
  - 
  Armoury 
  2 
  0.5 
  - 
  Spin Gravity: Rotating Ring 
  10% of spinning 
  components 
  25% of spinning 
  components 
  120+ 
  Spin Gravity: Spin Capsule 
  10% of spinning 
  components 
  0.1/ton of 
  machinery 
  12-180 
  Spin Gravity: Spin Capsule/ 
  Retractable 
  20% of spinning 
  components 
  0.2/ton of 
  machinery 
  12-180 
  Spin Gravity: Centrifuge 
  15% of spinning 
  components 
  0.1/ton of 
  machinery 
  25-100 
  Spin Gravity: Twin Body 
  Tether 
  2 
  0.1 
  Ship size 300  
  tons or less 
   
  Decide on the Crew Requirements 
  All vessels require a crew to operate and maintain the ship. Small independently-owned vessels  
  tend to operate with a minimum of crew, while corporate and military vessels maintain a full 
  complement. The crew requirements for deep space vehicles are broadly in line with those 
  provided in the Core Book, with a number of minor changes.  
   
  CREW REQUIREMENTS 
  Position 
  Orbital Title 
  Civilian Requirement 
  Military Requirement 
  Captain 
  Command-Pilot 
  1 
  1 
  Pilot 
  Pilot 
   
  2 
  Astrogator/Navigator 
  Navigator 
  1 per craft of 200 tons+ 
  1 per craft of 200 tons+ 
  Engineer 
  Flight Engineer 
  1 per 50 tons of drives 
  1 per 35 tons of drives 
  Medic 
  Medical Technician 
  1 per craft of 200 tons+, 
  +1 per 100 passengers 
  1 per craft of 200 tons+, 
  +1 per 50 crew 
  Gunner 
  Weapons Operator 
               -  
  1 per turret or bay 
      - 
  Payload Specialist 
  1 if cargo 50 tons+ 
  1 if cargo 50 tons+ 
  Steward 
  Flight Steward 
  1 per 8 high passengers 
  1 (optional) to attend to 
  senior officers 
  Executive Officer 
  Executive Officer 
  - 
  1 
  Tactical Officer 
  Tactical Officer 
  - 
  1 
  Electronics Technician 
  Electronics Technician 
  - 
  3 if craft 400 tons+ 
  Logistics Specialist 
  Logistics Specialist 
  - 
  1 if craft 400 tons+ 
  Data Specialist 
  Data Specialist 
  - 
  2 if craft 800 tons+ 
  
   
  52 | P a g e  
   
   
  Traditionally, the vehicle commander (captain) is the command-pilot and on most commercial and 
  military vehicles there will be back-up (co-)   pilots,   known   as   ‘first’,   ‘second’   etc.   The   navigator 
  manages all sensor and navigation data coming into the spacecraft. Engineers are known as flight 
  engineers, and if there are several engineers, the most senior is designated the chief flight 
  engineer. Similarly, when the crew maintains several medical technicians, weapons operators, 
  payload specialists or stewards, the   most   senior   of   those   is   designated   as   ‘chief’.   Payload  
  specialists move cargo and modules, pilot the grappling arms and have responsibility for 
  loading/off-loading and cargo safety and security. Military vehicles require additional crew 
  positions, including a tactical and executive officer, a logistics specialist (or officer), electronic 
  technicians who keep the military systems running, additional systems operators and one or two 
  data specialists acting as assistants to the commander. Other positions may exist, such as 
  interceptor pilots, vehicle technicians, on-board troops etc.   
   
  However, why bother with a human crew when scientists today (at TL 7) can send automated 
  spacecraft across the solar system on long and complex missions? The answer is fail-safe. 
  Although the computers of the day are sophisticated and able to handle many aspects of a 
  mission, the human crew act as a back-up, a fail-safe, an adaptable and ingenious problem solver 
  that  can  think  ‘outside-of-the-box’.  In  addition,  character  generation often creates crewmen with a 
  diverse set of skills and we can interpret this as indicating a good deal of cross-training and 
  redundancy.   Just   as   the   Apollo   astronauts   could   all   do   each   other’s   jobs,   here   the   pilot   might  
  operate the sensors, the second engineer might be trained as a medic, the tactical officer might be 
  able to act as co-pilot, and so on. Remember that the crew is a back-up to the computer and cross 
  training reduces the likelihood of losing a critical member of the crew.  
   
  Staterooms 
  Each stateroom is sufficient for one person, displaces 4 tons, and costs Cr500,000. The tonnage 
  and cost of the staterooms includes the life support systems needed to keep the crew alive. Large, 
  spacious staterooms are a luxury afforded only on space-stations and private or corporate 
  transports. Typically, staterooms are doubly occupied (two people to a room), by both crew and by 
  passengers. No stateroom can contain more than two persons, such as for middle passengers, as 
  it  would  strain  the  ship’s  life  support equipment. The commander and perhaps one or two senior 
  officers (a least on larger vehicles) may enjoy the privacy of a stateroom to themselves. To 
  determine the total number of crew on-board, refer to Crew Requirements.  
   
  Low Passage Cryogenic Chambers   
  Passengers on long haul flights out to the outer planets will probably travel in cryogenic chambers 
  (low berths). A cautious designer should include low berths for the crew, should catastrophic 
  accident or fuel leak leave the spacecraft stranded in deep space. Assume every low berth is 
  powered independently by a radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) as used on the Voyager 
  probes, keeping the passenger alive for decades even if the powerplant shuts down. A low berth 
  module is shielded against radiation to protect passengers against solar flares.   
   
  One low passage berth carries one low passenger, costs Cr50,000, and displaces one-half ton.  
  Emergency low berths are also available; they will not carry passengers, but can be used for 
  survival. Each costs Cr100,000 and displaces one ton. Each holds four persons. 
   
  Passengers are rarely killed by low berths, but injuries (including serious or permanent ones) can 
  result from their use. Under standard procedure, preparing a passenger for low passage takes 1-6 
  hours and requires the presence of a medic but no task roll. 
   
  Medicine, Endurance, 1-6 hours, Easy (+4) 
   
  
   
  53 | P a g e  
   
  One medic could simultaneously work on up to 20 low berths, but the medic has to make a 
  separate task roll for each passenger they attempt to revive. A failed revival roll results in 3D6 
  damage rather than instant death. Healthy low passengers frozen and revived according to the 
  standard regulations rarely die, but may need prompt medical attention in some cases; infirm, ill or 
  wounded passengers are at greater risk. 
   
  In emergencies it is possible to quickly freeze a passenger, taking only 10-60 seconds and not 
  requiring any medic to be present. This emergency procedure is automatic and may be initiated by 
  the passenger using an override switch inside the low berth. Reviving a passenger frozen in this 
  manner is subject to a -2 DM. 
   
  Emergency low berth revival procedure: Medicine, Endurance, 1-6 minutes, Average (+0) 
   
  This can either be done by a medic or by triggering an override failsafe mechanism of the low 
  berth (which is treated as if it had Medic 0 for this purpose). A failed emergency revival task 
  causes a roll on the Injury table; damage is permanent unless treated in a major hospital facility. 
  If  a  low  berth  is  cut  off  from  the  ship’s  power, it switches to the internal RTG power source in 
  order to keep the occupant alive. One low passage berth carries one low passenger, costs 
  Cr50,000, and displaces one-half ton. Emergency low berths are also available; they will not carry 
  passengers, but can be used for survival. Each costs Cr100,000 and displaces one ton. Each holds 
  four persons.  
   
  Storm Shelter 
  A safe-room, or storm shelter, shielded against solar flare radiation by thick cavity walls filled with 
  water or sand, is a common feature of many DSVs. This acts as a back-up to the ubiquitous flare 
  damper and helps to protect against the most serious of solar storms. A safe-room is built as a 4 
  ton stateroom, and can house 8 passengers for 12 hours. Multiple safe-rooms may be needed, or 
  just a partial-tonnage safe-room. Each costs MCr 1.0 and acts as additional rest area or gym space 
  when not in use. 
   
  Hydroponics 
  Many ships carry hydroponic gardens or farms to help shoulder the life-support load or as 
  decorative or recreational hydroponic gardens. 
   
   
  Garden displaces 1 ton per person it supports, and cost MCr 0.25 per person. It includes a 
  limited variety of plant life and serves as both decorative-recreational facilities, as a source 
  for fresh fruit, vegetables and spices and also assists the life support system by producing 
  some foodstuffs and helping recycle air and water. Reduce the monthly life support costs of 
  any person supported by partial hydroponics by 50%. Partial hydroponics requires 2 kg of 
  additional nutrients, seeds and spare parts (costing Cr 300) per month per person it 
  supports. Does not require a dedicated crewman.  
   
   
  Farm  is a full-scale, closed-circuit shipboard biosphere. It displaces 2 tons per person it 
  supports and costs MCr 0.5 per person. It includes organisms ranging from bacteria and 
  yeast to higher plants and animals, and is capable of providing all the life support and food 
  requirements of any person supported by it. Life support costs are not paid for each person 
  that the farm supports. A hydroponics farm requires 1 kg of nutrient replacements and 
  spare parts (costing Cr 200) per month per person it supports. A farm requires the services 
  of one or more dedicated, crewmen; 1 level of Mechanics is needed for every 20 tons of 
  farm installed.   
   
  
   
  54 | P a g e  
   
  Briefing Room 
  A specialized briefing room is useful on large military or corporate DSVs where teams can discuss 
  plans or meet with clients privately. A briefing room gives a +1 DM to Tactics checks made when 
  planning missions on board ship. 4 tons, MCr0.5. 
   
  Medlabs 
  Fully-fledged hospitals are uncommon so many ships carry their own medical facilities. 
   
   
  Standard Medlabs are subsumed in the stateroom tonnage and cost. Assume 0.25 tons 
  of medical equipment available per stateroom. Small ships have medical equipment lockers 
  and a folding stretcher or two, while larger ships have infirmaries. Standard Medlabs have 
  paramedic-level or ambulance-level equipment. Whilst they allow rudimentary surgery and 
  long-term care to be administered, they incur a -2 DM to all medical tasks due to the 
  limited equipment available. The referee may decide that certain medical procedures are 
  too complex for such basic facilities. Standard Medlabs do not provide any additional life 
  support beyond what the ship's staterooms already provide. 
   
   
  Dedicated Medlab unit displaces 8 tons, cost MCr 1.5 and provides facilities for up to two 
  patients including dedicated life support and intensive care. Each additional patient capacity 
  adds 2 tons and MCr 0.25. Its equipment and facilities allows most medical tasks to be 
  carried out without additional difficulty. Each Dedicated Medlab unit requires one medic for 
  every four patients (or a fraction thereof). A ship will carry as many Dedicated Medlabs as 
  it has medics. A Dedicated Medlab includes one medical-purpose low-berth per patient it 
  has capacity for. 
   
   
  Shipboard Hospital displaces 16 tons, costs MCr 5 and houses up to four patients with 
  complete life support facilities. Each additional patient capacity adds 2 tons and MCr 0.5. It 
  is a fully-fledged hospital, complete with laboratory and extensive imaging systems, 
  allowing complex medical procedures such as cybernetic implantation and giving a +2 DM 
  to all medical tasks. A Shipboard Hospital requires one doctor for every 8 patients (or a 
  fraction thereof) and one nurse or medical technician for every 4 patients (or a fraction 
  thereof). 
   
  Laboratory 
  Space allocated to laboratories can be used for research and experimentation. An allocation of 4 
  tons lab space allows for up to three scientists to perform research on-board. Cost for a laboratory 
  will vary depending on the type of research being undertaken and the equipment required for that 
  research, but will average out to MCr 1 per 4 tons of space allocated. 
   
  Barracks 
  A barracks takes up 2 tons per marine, and costs MCr0.1 per marine. Barracks can only be used to 
  accommodate troops intended for boarding or assault operations. Troops accommodated in 
  barracks cannot be used to reduce the number of service crew embarked. 
   
  Armoury 
  A  DSV’s armory contains a wide variety of weapons which can only be accessed by those with the 
  correct codes. In game terms, an armory has enough pistols for the crew, enough long arms for 
  any marines, and a selection of other military equipment like grenades, combat armour and 
  portable communications equipment. An armoury displaces 2 tons and costs MCr 0.5. For a 
  military vessel, the number of armories to be included in the spacecraft’s design is based on the 
  crew and marine complement. One armoury can be installed for every 50 crew members, or every 
  10 marines, in order to provide adequate storage for equipment, weapons and ammunition. 
   
  
   
  55 | P a g e  
   
  Build a Spin Gravity Habitat 
  Without artificial gravity, everyone on board runs the risk of muscle wasting and bone 
  degeneration. A portion of leisure time on-board will have to be spent exercising, whilst drugs to 
  counter the effects of muscle wastage and bone degeneration must be taken daily. These include 
  antiresorptives, bisphosphonates, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, parathyroid hormone 
  treatments and anti-sclerostin therapies. For this reason the long duration out-planet spacecraft 
  typically include spin habitats. These are rotating accommodation areas with an artificial gravity 
  that is produced by the result of rotational centripetal force. Once rocket acceleration is complete 
  within the first two or three hours of leaving orbit, the DSV will begin to rotate its spin habitats. 
  The spin provides gravity (typically around 0.5-0.6 G) in those living compartments while the craft 
  coasts for the rest of its journey. Spin habitats are always stopped prior to any acceleration or 
  deceleration manoeuvres, due to the damage that would be sustained to the habitat machinery 
  and the people inside them. There are several types of spin habitat currently being built into deep 
  space vehicles: the rotating ring, spin capsule, centrifuge and the twin body tether.   
   
   
  Rotating Ring - A large passenger vehicle with plenty of staterooms or science labs or 
  whatever, will not have spin capsules on rotating arms, but instead will resemble a torus 
  (doughnut shape) with an unbroken outer ring which spins, leaving the bridge, drives and 
  other components in the non-spinning centre. This  may  also  be  called  a  ‘double  hull’.  The 
  outer hull must have a minimum radius of 30m and have a minimum of 120 tons of 
  staterooms, low berths and other living section components allocated to it. The rotating 
  ring requires additional tonnage to operate (equal to 10% of all components on the ring; 
  round this figure). The cost of a ring equals 25% of anything mounted on the ring.  
   
   
  Spin Capsule – Arms or hull extensions, with capsules or accommodation units at their 
  ends, rotate around the main hull to provide gravity in those areas. These add a little extra 
  space and cost to the design. Minimum tonnage of staterooms, low berths and other living 
  section components allocated to the spin pylons is 2 x 6 tons (12 tons), while the maximum 
  practical limit for spin capsules is 2 x 80 tons (160 tons). The additional pylon and 
  machinery tonnage equals 10% of the two spin habitats (round this figure), and this costs 
  MCr 0.1 per ton of additional machinery. 
  Spin capsules are the most common 
  method 
  of 
  creating 
  gravity 
  on 
  a 
  spacecraft. Some military craft install 
  retractable spin capsules that are used in 
  order to minimise radar profile and 
  damage inflicted by a hostile vehicle. 
  Retractable 
  spin 
  capsules 
  require 
  machinery equal to 20% of the spin 
  capsules (round this figure) and that 
  machinery costs MCr 0.2 per ton.  
   
   
   Centrifuge – Shaped as a wide, 
  flattened cylinder, the centrifuge spins 
  on its axis, providing gravity for those 
  inside (who are stood on the inside of 
  the rim). Although a centrifuge may be 
  installed within a large spacecraft (as 
  one was on the ‘Discovery’, in 2001: A 
  Space Odyssey), it is more common to 
  see them mounted on the side of a DSV, 
  often as a counter-rotating pair, in order 
  to off-set the effects of torque. The 
   
  Spin Science (Juggling Forces) 
  To create artificial gravity, the habitat has to spin, the 
  faster  the  spin  the  greater  the  feeling  of  ‘weight’.  But  
  the faster the spin the greater the lateral forces at 
  play (Coriolis force) and the greater the degree of 
  motion sickness the crew may experience. The inner 
  ear can get used to zero-G, can it adapt to constant 
  circular motion?  
   
  The greater radius of spin, though, the fewer spins 
  will be needed to achieve the same degree of artificial 
  gravity. Most DSVs have a radius for the arms or 
  centrifuge of 24m as a minimum to achieve 0.5G. At 
  this length the spin rate is 4 revolutions per minute 
  and the ring/capsule has an actual speed of 11 
  metres per second. This is still a moderately fast spin 
  and the only way to reduce it is to increase the radius 
  of spin. Bigger DSVs with rotating rings are able to 
  achieve this. A 40m radius spin will reduce the spin 
  rate to just over 3, which easily sits within modern 
  scientific   definitions   of   ‘comfortable’.   It   may   be   that  
  drugs are needed by some crewmen that treat motion 
  sickness – a small price to pay for the availability of 
  gravity (even if reduced). 
  
   
  56 | P a g e  
   
  benefits of the centrifuge over spin capsules are the fact that access is not by a single 
  vulnerable tube and that not just the ends of the centrifuge are spinning, much of the 
  interior  of  the  disc  has  some  gravity,  the  centrifuge  may  have  two  or  three  ‘floors’,  each  
  with increasing gravity. Minimum tonnage of staterooms, low berths and other living 
  section components allocated to a centrifuge is 25 tons, while the maximum practical limit 
  for a single centrifuge is 100 tons. The additional machinery tonnage equals 15% of the 
  centrifuge (round this figure), and this costs MCr 0.1 per ton of additional machinery. May 
  also  be  called  a  ‘hamster  cage’.   
   
   
  Twin Body Tether – Useful only on smaller craft (up to 300 tons), this concept simply has 
  two halves of the vehicle separate from one another following initial acceleration. Yet they 
  remain connected by a nanofibre cable. The two halves spin around each other thus 
  providing gravity on the outer hull of each. Cost is minimal, Cr50,000 for the cable and 
  another Cr50,000 for the winches and locking mechanisms. Only 2 tons is required for the 
  cable winches. The disadvantage is that the two halves remain separated and cannot easily 
  communicate physically. To move from one body to the other without reattaching, a 
  crewman must perform an EVA and traverse the cable on an attached sled. Both halves of 
  the twin body vehicle must have the same tonnage. Bridge, fuel, drives, etc. can be 
  mounted on either half.  The  ‘Alhambra’  in  Bova’s  Mercury is of this design.  
   
  6 – Build The Weapons Section 
  A DSV has one hardpoint per 100 tons of vehicle and each weapon system takes up one hardpoint. 
  You may decide to install turrets, barbettes or bay weapons to the DSV. Each occupies one of the  
  vehicle’s   hardpoints. Any of the TL6-9 turret and weapons options can be fitted to a DSV. 
  However, Lunar and Earth space forces have differing views on how to equip a DSV. Lunar  DSV 
  designers favour the use of railguns, based on a technology that the Luna engineers are extremely 
  familiar with. Mass drivers and railguns use the same application of magnetic linear acceleration. 
  Supplementing railguns are SRAMs (the equivalent of standard Cepheus Engine missiles) and 
  Counter-Measure Launchers (the equivalent of standard Cepheus Engine sandcasters). Beam 
  lasers are popular only as anti-missile defence systems. Earth Union designers favour the use of 
  beam and pulse lasers and have experimented with particle beams. The Union also uses SRAMs 
  and CMLs, and although some of its DSVs sport railguns, this technology has not been widely 
  applied.  
   
  Turrets 
  One turret may be attached to each hardpoint on the DSV. Turrets may include multiple weapons 
  – for example, a triple turret could contain three lasers, three SRAM missile launchers, three 
  counter-measure launchers or some combination of these weapons. 
   
  Single, Double and Triple turrets can hold one, 
  two or three weapons. 
  Pop-Up is a quality that can be applied to any type 
  of turret – the turret is concealed in a pod or recess 
  on the hull, and is detectable only when deployed. A 
  vehicle with all its weapons in pop-up turrets looks 
  unarmed to a casual sensor scan. 
  Fixed Mounting weapons cannot move, are limited 
  to firing in one direction (normally straight ahead), and are found mainly on deltas. A fixed 
  mounting costs half as much as a turret of the same type, so a single fixed mounting costs 
  MCr0.1, a double fixed mounting costs MCr0.25, and a triple fixed mounting costs MCr0.5 
  SRAM Missile racks launch self-propelled Short Range Attack Missiles designed to explode on 
  impact. 
  TURRET DISPLACEMENT AND COST 
  Weapon 
  TL Tons Cost (MCr) 
  Single Turret 
  7 
  1 
  0.2 
  Double Turret 
  8 
  1 
  0.5 
  Triple Turret 
  9 
  1 
  1 
  Pop-Up Turret  
  10 2 
  +1 
  Fixed Mounting - 
  0 
  x 0.5  
  
   
  57 | P a g e  
   
  Pulse lasers fire short, rapid bursts of intense energy. Pulse lasers are notoriously inaccurate and 
  suffer a DM -2 on all attack rolls.  
  Countermeasure Launchers (CMLs) reduces the damage from a beam weapon by 1D6. CMLs 
  require ammunition. Twenty CML munitions take up one ton of space, can be manufactured at 
  TL5, and cost Cr10,000.  
  Beam lasers fire a continuous stream of intense energy. 
   
  No launcher includes ammunition in its purchase cost. Missiles, torpedoes and so forth must be 
  purchased separately. 
  Bays 
  Bay weapons are much larger than turrets, and take up 50 tons of space and one hard point, as 
  well as one ton of space for fire control. Particle beams fire a high-energy beam of subatomic 
  particles.   The   beam’s   impact   disrupts  the   molecular   structure   of   the target, causing a radiation 
  crew hit in addition to normal damage. 
   
  BAY WEAPONS 
   
  Weapon 
  TL Range 
  Damage 
  Cost  
  (MCr) 
  SRAM Missile Bank 
  6 
  Special 
  Launches a flight of  
  twelve missiles 
  12 
  Particle Beam 
  8 
  Long 
  6D6 + 1 radiation hit 
  20 
  Railgun 
  9 
  Short 
  3D6 x 4 
  200//10 tons/MCr 0.2 
   
  SRAM Missile banks fire flights of twelve missiles at a time. 
  Particle beam bays fire a larger and more powerful beam of subatomic particles than particle 
  beam turret weapons. 
   
   
  Barbettes 
  Barbettes are semi-recessed and protected heavy weapons stations. Barbettes can mount either a 
  singe railgun or a launcher for Autonomous Kill Vehicles (AKVs), a type of powerful and destructive 
  missile. Barbettes take up 5 tons of space, require one hardpoint and an additional ton of fire 
  control.  
   
   
   
  BARBETTES 
  Weapon TL Optimum  
  Range 
  Damage 
  Tonnage Cost (MCr) Ammo 
  Railgun 
  9 
  Short 
  3D6 
  5 
  4 
  20 shots/1 ton/Cr20,000 
  AKV 
  9 
  Special 
  By missile 
  5 
  4 
  2 missiles/5 ton/Cr varies 
  TURRET WEAPONS 
  Weapon 
  TL Optimum 
  Range 
  Damage 
  Cost 
  (MCr) 
  Notes 
  Missile 
  Rack 
  6 
  Special 
  Depends 
  on 
  missile 
  0.75 
   
  Pulse Laser 
  7 
  Short 
  2D6 
  0.5 
  Suffers 
  DM-2 
  to 
  attack 
  CML 
  7 
  Special 
  Special  
  0.25 
   
  Beam Laser 
  9 
  Medium 
  1D6 
  1 
   
   
  
   
  58 | P a g e  
   
  SRAM Missiles 
  SRAM missiles are TL 9 reaction-rocket weapons that are 
  self-propelled or directed by remote control, carrying a 
  conventional or nuclear explosive and exploding in close 
  proximity to the target, but rarely if ever impacting with it. 
  They  are  termed  ‘short  range’  attack  missiles  to  differentiate  
  them from the ship-killing AKVs (see below). They may be 
  fired from missile racks mounted in turrets or from bay-
  mounted missile banks. Twelve missiles take up one ton of 
  space. Missiles are capable of Thrust 8, but have a limited 
  endurance of 30 minutes before running out of fuel. There 
  are three common types of missiles: Standard (continuous-
  rod warhead), Smart (standard missile with adaptive 
  protocols) and Nuclear (nuclear shaped-charge warhead). 
   
  Each standard missile is around 80 kg in weight, similar in size and killing potential to the modern 
  AIM-9X Sidewinder used by the USAF. They generally carry continuous-rod warheads (where steel 
  rods are packed together, yet welded at alternate ends, the detonation forcing rods to open into a 
  wide, high velocity circle of hull-cutting steel), they actively guide themselves using IR sensors and 
  use limited numbers of burns to alter course if needed. Nuclear missiles are low-yield, around 250 
  tons of TNT. They are not like modern nuclear bombs because nukes in space create little blast 
  effect, no shrapnel and the intensity of their deadly X-rays dissipate rapidly in a vacuum. Instead 
  nuclear missiles get in close, detonate and direct all of their blast forward into a tungsten shaped 
  charge which becomes an ionized tungsten plasma, traveling at high velocity (200 km/second). If 
  they strike a hit, nuclear missiles inflict 2D6+1 on the ship damage table, as well as a free single 
  radiation hit. Smart missiles in Orbital do not have the rocket fuel to make repeated attacks as 
  described in Cepheus Engine, instead they use sophisticated AI programming to carry out evasion 
  manoeuvres as they close in and are protected by an ablative anti-laser jacket. They can be 
  jammed by the defending spacecraft.  
   
   
  SRAM MISSILE TYPES 
  Missile Type 
  TL Damage 
  Cost 
  per 
  Missile 
  Notes 
  Nuclear 
  6 
  2D6 + 1 
  radiation hit 
  Cr45,000 
  Attack   roll   based   on   launching   gunner’s   skill  
  result. Radiation hit suffers a –DM equal to 
  the ship's armor.  
  Continuous-
  Rod 
  6 
  1D6 
  Cr15,000 
  Attack   roll   based   on   launching   gunner’s   skill  
  result.  
  Smart 
  8 
  1D6 
  Cr25,000 
  Attack roll is always 6+; can be jammed by a 
  sensor roll (DM-2) or shot down. 
   
  Railguns 
  Railguns are huge gauss weapons that use a coil of electromagnets to accelerate solid metal darts 
  relying on kinetic energy to damage the intended target. These are often used to attack orbital 
  defences and other targets on predictable trajectories. Railguns are not as effective in space 
  combat as directed energy weapons and missiles, but do have some tactical advantages as it is 
  very   difficult   for   a   target   vehicle’s   weapons   to   counter   an   incoming   very high velocity metal 
  projectile. Railguns barbettes are superb heavy point defence weapons and can only be used at 
  short range or less. A 50 ton railgun bay consists of multiple linked railguns. It always fires in full 
  auto mode, has Autofire 8, includes space for 200 shots of ammunition and deals 3D6 damage on 
  each successful hit.  
   
  SRAM MISSILE RANGES 
  Range 
  Turns to Impact 
  Adjacent 
  - 
  Close 
  - 
  Short 
  1 
  Medium 
  2 
  Long 
  4 
  Very Long - 
  Distant 
  - 
   
  
   
  59 | P a g e  
   
  Autonomous Kill Vehicles (AKVs) 
  Both sides employ AKVs (Autonomous Kill Vehicles), large 2.5 ton missiles with powerful DSV or 
  station killing capabilities. The warheads available for these weapons include Kinetic Kill, Nuclear, 
  X-Ray Laser and Precision Ground Strike. Considered to be true ship killers with the ability to inflict 
  tremendous destructive force against an enemy combatant, AKVs are heavy 2.5 ton anti–vehicle 
  missiles with a thrust of 12. Like smart missiles, they can be defended against using standard anti-
  missile countermeasures. AKVs are purchased in two-shot loads massing five tons which fits into 
  the barbette. Barbettes can launch one AKV per turn. With the exception of the Precision Ground 
  Strike version, torpedoes cannot be used in atmosphere. 
   
   
  Kinetic Kill: The kinetic kill AKV consists of a small but powerful engine, guidance 
  computers, and a fragmentation device. It deals 4D6 damage on a successful hit. Cost 
  Cr60,000. 
   
   
  Nuclear:  A nuclear AKV will deal 6D6 damage, as well as an automatic radiation crew hit. 
  Cost Cr180,000. 
   
   
  X-Ray Laser: The primary military strike weapon, the X-Ray Laser is a one-shot laser 
  weapon. The AKV contains a small nuclear device that is detonated prior to impact to 
  charge a laser. The explosion destroys the AKV but also generates a powerful x-ray laser 
  burst. The X-Ray Laser is a normal laser attack, but deals 7D6 damage. The basic roll to hit 
  is as a missile, but is defended against as a laser. Point defense can be used to attempt to 
  kill the AKV before it detonates, but suffers a -2 DM due to the fact the X-Ray laser can be 
  used in a stand-off role. Cost Cr300,000. 
   
   
  Precision Ground Strike: Ground strike AKVs are used for bombing fortified positions. 
  They deal 8D6 damage, but are much too slow to be effective in space combat. They move 
  at the same speed as a missile, but take 3 and 6 turns to reach Very Long and Distant 
  targets, respectively. Attacks made with a ground strike AKV have a -2DM to hit, and 
  attacks against the vehicle have a +2DM. Cost Cr50,000.  
   
   
  6 - Putting it All Together 
  As   you’ve   already   guessed,   Orbital tries to cultivate a modern-day aerospace feel with its 
  terminology and its limitations on technology. We eschew nautical terms for those used in 
  aerospace; engineers refer to the fuselage, as well as the hull and to the vehicle or craft, not the 
  ship or vessel. In this way we can relate to, and understand Orbital as a linear progression of the 
  technology of today, rather than some far future space-faring navy.  
   
  Let’s  look  at  how  the  Deep  Space  Vehicle  fits  together  once  designed, what do these things look 
  like?   The   short   answer   is:   “generally   similar”.   They   are   distributed   hulls   without   atmospheric  
  streamlining since none have engines powerful enough to return to orbit. The reactor sits at the 
  rear of the vehicle, along with the NTR. Fuel tanks, at low (-253ºC) temperature, are cylindrical or 
  spherical and mounted close to the rocket motors. The flight deck and accommodation will be as 
  far forward as possible in order to provide some protection from possible reactor leaks. Carried 
  vehicles (landing craft, etc.) can be carried inside standard, form-fitting hangers, but also simply 
  connected via an airlock, and left hanging from the side, front, or top of a DSV. It might look 
  ungainly but the vehicle only has to cope with moderate acceleration, and not the effects of wind 
  shear, or re-entry.  
   
  The DSV is built in orbit. It will include at least one airlock, and more often two or three, with an 
  adjacent Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) locker complete with suits, umbilicals, cables and tools for 
  the support of spacewalks. There are suits for all the crew with a couple of spares. Rescue bubbles 
  
   
  60 | P a g e  
   
  are typically mounted on passengers’ stateroom wall next to the door with an instruction sheet. 
  Everyone also gets their own acceleration couch for the initial acceleration burn, as well as the 
  deceleration burn at the end of the trip. They resemble the crew seats of the US Shuttle Orbiter, 
  with four-point harnesses.   
   
  The flight deck or cockpit is designed to 
  allow the pilot and systems operator 
  (navigator) to control the vehicle. Additional 
  positions exist for a flight engineer, and on 
  military DSVs, for weapons specialists and 
  additional sensor operatives. The tonnage 
  allocated to the bridge covers the two 
  airlocks, as well as space for the computer 
  mainframe and for the communications and 
  sensor arrays. These will both require 
  external 
  dishes 
  and 
  other 
  complex 
  equipment mounted outside the fuselage. 
  Both the flight deck and the engineering 
  section are separated from the rest of the 
  craft by pressurised bulkheads, and can be 
  isolated 
  should 
  depressurisation 
  or 
  a 
  reactor leak occur. 
  Other pressurized 
  bulkheads exist within the vehicle; these 
  prevent catastrophic depressurisation of the 
  entire vehicle in an emergency.  
   
  Deep Space Vehicles are rarely equipped with solar panels since they often travel out beyond Mars 
  where sunlight is weak and there is little energy to be gathered from it. However, most DSVs do 
  sport solar-panel  like  ‘wings’  near  their  engineering  section,  these  are  actually  radiators.  Getting  
  rid of waste heat is essential. The International Space Station, for example, uses honeycomb-
  structured, aluminium-panelled radiators filled with ammonia-tubing.  
   
  Finally, to understand the DSV, we have to forget what we know of traditional RPG starships. Crew 
  and  passengers  can’t  walk  down  corridors  to  their  staterooms,  most  of  the  DSV,  in  particular  any  
  ‘work’  area,  is  in  zero-gravity. Only those parts of the craft assigned to a spin habitat will have 
  simulated gravity, and for the most part this will be the accommodation and recreation areas. The 
  idea here is that crews work in zero-G but then relax and sleep in artificial gravity to give them 
  some resilience to the inevitable bone and muscle wastage associated with zero-gravity.   
   
  The gravity capsules or rotating rings are mounted on arms more than 20m long and these hollow 
  arms usually have internal ladders or elevators to allow crew or passengers to descend into their 
  respective capsule. They enter the capsule or ring through a hatch in the ceiling and can enjoy 
  downtime in a gravity environment. These capsules and the pylons that spin them must be locked 
  into place during manoeuvres to prevent them suffering damage, but in orbit, or during the long 
  coasting voyages with the drives off, the pylons spin to provide gravity.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  BUILD TIMES 
  Hull 
  Build Time (weeks) 
  100 tons 
  36 
  200 tons 
  44 
  300 tons 
  52 
  400 tons 
  60 
  500 tons 
  68 
  600 tons 
  76 
  700 tons 
  84 
  800 tons 
  92 
  900 tons 
  100 
  1,000 tons 
  108 
  1,200 tons 
  124 
  1,400 tons 
  140 
  1,600 tons 
  156 
  1,800 tons 
  172 
  2,000 tons 
  188 
   
  
   
  61 | P a g e  
   
   
  Alternative: The TL 10 Fusion Drive 
  The gas-core nuclear thermal rocket (NTR) is an achievable space drive design and parts of the 
  concept have already been tested in the lab. Several versions are currently on the drawing boards 
  of space agencies and universities. However, there is an alternative type of advanced space drive 
  that pushes our technological limits a little further. The referee might want to introduce the 
  nuclear pulse fusion drive (NPF) to his Orbital universe. It will significantly shorten travel times 
  between points in the Solar System, but is limited in its operation to accelerations of 1G or less in 
  order to protect the frail human beings on-board.  
   
  Fusion drives use small pellets of fusion fuel, in Orbital composed of deuterium and helium-3. The 
  pellets are thrown into a reaction chamber where they are hit on all sides by laser beams. The 
  heat generated by the beams explosively compresses the pellet, to the point where fusion takes 
  place. The result is a hot plasma, funnelled by magnetic fields to the rear for thrust, propelling the 
  ship forward. This is done continuously. Although some 
  of the energy could be diverted to run the ship's 
  systems, a fission reactor is carried on board and is 
  able to continually supply power, whether or not the 
  drive is lit.  
   
  Installing a nuclear pulse drive  
  This rocket motor has the same tonnage as a 
  manoeuvre drive from the rules, but costs 4x that 
  listed. The NPF has the same fuel requirements as a 
  DSV’s  
  standard  
  manoeuvre  
  drive. 
  Fuel 
  of 
  deuterium/helium-3 pellets for the NPF takes up 
  considerable space, equivalent to standard fuel requirements (0.1 x M x Mn). Fuel costs are 
  Cr2000 per ton. The NPF drive is TL 10, cutting edge for the Orbital universe, if it exists at all.  
   
  Nuclear Pulse Fusion Performance 
  At such costs, what are the benefits? A fusion drive can provide significant thrust for many hours 
  and days. It does not need to burn and coast, then burn to decelerate once it reaches its 
  destination. The fusion drive can accelerate continually until mid-point, the ship turns around and 
  then  the  drive  is  relit  to  decelerate  for  the  remainder  of  the  journey  (a  manoeuvre  termed  ‘flip  and  
  burn’   in   The   Expanse   TV   series).   The   fusion   drives   table   indicates  the  acceleration   provided by 
  each rating of drive. The acceleration figures must be used in combination with the interplanetary 
  travel time formula given in Cepheus Engine and repeated here:  
   
      T=2 �𝑫
  𝑨       where T is time in seconds, D is distance in meters, and A is acceleration in m/sec2 
   
  To calculate a travel time, the player or referee must now take the distance to destination (say a 
  Mn 4 fusion drive travelling 780 Mkm from Earth to Jupiter) convert it to metres (780 x 1000 x 
  1,000,000) to get 780,000,000,000 metres.  
   
       T=2  
   
   
  After calculating the square root and doubling, this equates to 7 days and 5 hours, compare that 
  to the time taken for a (TL 9) Mn 4 NTR which would reach Jupiter in just over eight months (780 
  ÷ 95 = 8.2). It would be coasting for much of this, however, after tens of hours of an accelerating 
  and then decelerating burn from the main rockets.  
  FUSION DRIVES 
  Drive 
  Mn 
  Acceleration 
  (G) 
  Acceleration  
  m/sec² 
  1 
  0.2 
  2m/second² 
  2 
  0.4 
  4m/second² 
  3 
  0.6 
  6m/second² 
  4 
  0.8 
  8m/second² 
  5 
  1.0 
  10m/second² 
  6 
  1.2 
  12m/second² 
  780,000,000,000 
   
  8 
  = 97,500,000,000 = 624,499 seconds 
  
   
  62 | P a g e  
   
   
  Fusion ships may still include spin habitats in their design, but they must be able to fold away, 
  military style, or be damaged by the continual acceleration. They are only of use in orbit or station 
  keeping, when the drives are off and the fusion craft is in zero-G. For the time accelerating and 
  decelerating, the craft has its own internal gravity equal to the acceleration. A vehicle with a 1G 
  drive  will  have  an  internal  gravity  much  like  Earth’s.  But  of  course  the  gravity  pulls  down,  toward  
  the drive, and so the layout of fusion craft is totally different from the ISS-style of most Orbital 
  craft. These TL 10 vehicles are designed like skyscrapers, with floors stacked on top of one 
  another. Some SF universes seem to use fusion drives like this exclusively (The Expanse comes to 
  mind, where the crew have gravity only when  the  drives  are  on),  but  others,  like  Ben  Bova’s  Grand  
  Tour, have both ubiquitous slow boats using NTRs and the expensive, ultra-fast craft that are 
  equipped with fusion drives.   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  63 | P a g e  
   
  DESIGNING ORBITAL VEHICLES 
   
  Orbital Vehicle design follows the rules for standard ship design, with some important changes. 
  The Cepheus Engine Small Craft design rules do not account for the very small sizes of modern-era 
  space capsules, neither do they factor in early pre-Stellar technologies such as solar panels, fuel 
  cells (chemical batteries) and chemical reaction rockets.  These rules allow referees and players to 
  build TL 7-9 Orbital Vehicle such as landers, space capsules and transfer vehicles.  
   
  1 - Building The Hull 
  Orbital Vehicles use the Orbital Vehicle Hull by Displacement table below. The cost of streamlining 
  and distributed configurations are calculated as per standard ship design rules. 
   
   
  ORBITAL VEHICLE HULL DISPLACEMENT 
  Hull 
  Hull  
  Code 
  Price 
   (MCr) 
  Build  
  Time (wks) 
  Structure 
  Pts 
  Example 
  2.5 tons 
  S.25 
  0.7 
  26 
  1 
  Soyuz  
    5 tons 
  S.5 
  0.8 
  27 
  1 
  Lunar Excusion Module 
  7.5 tons 
  S.75 
  0.9 
  28 
  1 
  Apollo Command-Service Module 
  10 tons 
  s1 
  1.1 
  28 
  1 
  Altair Lunar Lander 
  15 tons 
  s2 
  1.15 
  29 
  1 
   
  20 tons 
  s3 
  1.2 
  29 
  1 
   
  25 tons 
  s4 
  1.25 
  30 
  1 
   
  30 tons 
  s5 
  1.3 
  30 
  1 
   
  35 tons 
  s6 
  1.35 
  30 
  1 
   
  40 tons 
  s7 
  1.4 
  31 
  1 
   
  45 tons 
  s8 
  1.45 
  31 
  1 
   
  50 tons 
  s9 
  1.5 
  32 
  1 
  Skylab 
  55 tons 
  sA 
  1.55 
  32 
  2 
  Russian Mir Space Station 
  60 tons 
  sB 
  1.6 
  32 
  2 
   
  65 tons 
  sC 
  1.65 
  33 
  2 
   
  70 tons 
  sD 
  1.7 
  33 
  2 
   
  75 tons 
  sE 
  1.75 
  34 
  2 
   
  80 tons 
  sF 
  1.8 
  34 
  2 
   
  85 tons 
  sG 
  1.85 
  34 
  2 
   
  90 tons 
  sH 
  1.9 
  35 
  2 
   
  95 tons 
  sJ 
  1.95 
  35 
  2 
   
  100 tons sK 
  2.00 
  36 
  2 
  International Space Station 
   
  Hulls that must enter an atmosphere of type 2 or greater have to be streamlined or include a 
  lifting body and they must also incorporate heat-shielding.  
   
  Streamlined:  Streamlining a ship increases the cost of the hull by 10%. Streamlining may not be 
  retrofitted; it must be included at the time of construction. 
   
  Lifting Body: Vehicles capable of independent flight, powered or gliding, and that can be 
  controlled  right  down  to  touchdown  on  a  runway  incorporate  wings,  control  surfaces  and  a  ‘lifting  
  body’  hull.  These  are  expensive  both  in  money  and  weight  terms.    A  lifting  body  design increases 
  the cost of the hull by 400% and the hull mass sacrificed is 15% of the total displacement.  They 
  require a Standard atmosphere (type 6) or greater in order to operate.   
   
  
   
  64 | P a g e  
   
  Heat Shielding: Re-entry into an atmosphere of type 2 or greater creates dangerous levels of 
  heat through air friction. Any capsule, lifting body or re-entry vehicle must include areas of heat-
  shielded hull, which costs MCr 0.1 per ton of hull.  
   
  2 - Building The Engineering Section 
  An Orbital vehicle must have a maneuver drive (M-Drive) which will be a chemical reaction rocket, 
  and a power plant (P-Plant) which for Orbital vehicles consist of fuel cells (chemical batteries). The 
  costs for each are captured in the Orbital Vehicle Drive Costs table. The performance of Orbital 
  vehicle drives are found in the Orbital Vehicle Drive Performance by Hull Volume table. 
   
  ORBITAL VEHICLE DRIVE COSTS 
  Drive 
  Code 
  M-Drive 
  Tonnage 
   
  MCr 
  P-Plant 
  Tonnage 
  MCr 
  sAA 
  0.12 
  0.25 0.6 
  1.5 
  sA 
  0.25 
  0.5 
  1.2 
  3 
  sB 
  0.5 
  1.0 
  1.5 
  3.5 
  sC 
  0.75 
  1.5 
  1.8 
  4 
  sD 
  1 
  2.0 
  2.1 
  4.5 
  sE 
  1.25 
  2.5 
  2.4 
  5 
  sF 
  1.5 
  3.0 
  2.7 
  5.5 
  sG 
  1.75 
  3.5 
  3 
  6 
  sH 
  2 
  4.0 
  3.3 
  6.5 
  sJ 
  2.25 
  4.5 
  3.6 
  7 
  sK 
  2.5 
  5.0 
  3.9 
  7.5 
  sL 
  2.75 
  5.5 
  4.5 
  8 
  sM 
  3 
  6.0 
  5.1 
  9 
  sN 
  3.25 
  6.5 
  5.7 
  10 
  sP 
  3.5 
  7.0 
  6.3 
  12 
  sQ 
  3.75 
  7.5 
  6.9 
  14 
  sR 
  4 
  8 
  7.5 
  16 
  sS 
  4.5 
  9 
  8.1 
  18 
  sT 
  5 
  10 
  8.7 
  20 
  sU 
  5.5 
  11 
  9.3 
  22 
  sV 
  6 
  12 
  9.9 
  24 
  sW 
  6.5 
  13 
  10.5 
  26 
   
  Reaction Rocket Fuel 
  Conventional chemical rockets typically burn liquid helium and liquid oxygen.  Fuel tankage (as a 
  percentage  of  the  Orbital  vehicle’s  displacement)  is  equal  to  2.5% x Burns x G rating of the M-
  Drive.  Decide on the number of Burns required by the craft to carry out its normal operations 
  before making this calculation. G ratings will either be 1G (in-orbit craft) or 2G (lander or craft 
  moving out to a moon or other planet).  
   
  Chemical Battery Recharge 
  These fuel cells store electrical energy and will need to be recharged. Each provides power for a 
  number of days equal to 20 x the PP number, assuming that there are no active sensors being 
  used or weapons being fired that depend on a power source for their operation.  Chemical 
  batteries can easily be scaled to give the ship designer any endurance he feels necessary for his 
  craft. Recharging batteries with solar panels requires a number of hours equal to Power Plant 
  number x 10. An orbital vehicle (perhaps docked to a DSV or a station) can be recharged at 5x 
  that rate.  
   
  
   
  65 | P a g e  
   
  Solar Panels 
  Solar panels can provide back up power and a way to recharge chemical batteries.  The size of the 
  solar panels that are required to power a craft are equal to one-tenth of the size of the fitted 
  power plant. They cost MCr 0.1 per ton. If the chemical batteries are offline (or non-existent, 
  perhaps on a space probe) they can provide a power plant rating equivalent to 1 provided that no 
  active sensors are used or other heavy drains made on the electrical system. Endurance of the 
  solar panels is considered as infinite. Note the times for recharging batteries in the section on 
  chemical batteries.  
   
  Flare Damper 
  Note that smaller orbital vehicles also include a flare damper, though this draws so much power 
  from fuel cells that it can only be used for 6 hours, making it useful for protection against solar 
  flares, but not against the continuous bombardment of radiation in the Jupiter and Saturn systems. 
  Landers, however, are able to utilise the 6 hour duration of the flare damper to deorbit and land 
  within these hostile systems, but the work of other orbital vehicles is carried out by 100 ton DSV 
  ferries dedicated to the Jupiter/Saturn environment. Fitted on an orbital vehicle, a flare damper 
  masses 0.01 ton and costs MCr 0.06  
   
  Life Support 
  Life support machinery for air processing, temperature regulation and water and waste recycling is 
  included in the drive tonnage. Air and water can be recycled, but not indefinitely. Every orbital 
  vehicle needs water, filters, food and air to supply the crew and passengers for 30 days. To stock 
  up on life support supplies costs Cr 2,000 per person aboard. These supplies require 50 kg of 
  cargo space per person. Long haul vehicles may want to include additional reserves, including 
  food, air, filters and water, which will take up 50 kg per person for an additional 30 days. Unused 
  supplies can be reused on later missions.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
  ORBITAL VEHICLE DRIVE PERFORMANCE 
  Drive 
  Code 
  2.5 
  5 
  7.5 
  10 
  15 
  20 
  25 
  30 
  35 
  40 
  45 
  50 
  55 
  60 
  65 
  70 
  75 
  80 
  85 
  90 
  95 
  100 
  sAA 
  4 
  2 
  1.5 
  1 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  sA 
  8 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  1 
  1 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  sB 
  12 
  8 
  6 
  4 
  2 
  2 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  sC 
  -- 
  12 
  9 
  6 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  sD 
  -- 
  -- 
  12 
  -- 
  5 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  sE 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  6 
  5 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  sF 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  6 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  sG 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  sH 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  6 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  1 
  sJ 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  6 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  1 
  1 
  sK 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  1 
  sL 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  6 
  6 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  1 
  sM 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  sN 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  2 
  sP 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  6 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  3 
  sQ 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  6 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  sR 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  6 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  4 
  sS 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  6 
  6 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  sT 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  6 
  6 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  sU 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  6 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  sV 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  6 
  6 
  6 
  sW 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  -- 
  6 
  6 
  
   
  66 | P a g e  
   
  3 - Building The Control Section 
  An  orbital  vehicle’s  control  section  contains  the  cockpit  and  associated  components.   
   
  Cockpit 
  Orbital vehicles do not have bridges. Instead, a cockpit serves the same function. A cockpit is 
  typically quite cramped and costs MCr 0.1 per 20 tons of ship, the instruments and controls require 
  0.5 ton of space. Each crew position also requires an acceleration couch (see The Equipment 
  Section, below). Cockpits come equipped with a basic communications, sensor and emissions-
  control electronics suite. More advanced systems can be installed per the standard ship design 
  rules. 
   
  Computer 
  Model/1 or Model/2 computers are required for all  spacecraft;;  advanced  ‘next  generation’  Model/3  
  computers are only available for the newest military DSVs.  
   
  Electronics 
  As with DSVs, use any electronics system up to and including TL 11.  
   
  4 - Determining Crew Requirements 
  All Orbital vehicles of 50 tons or under require a minimum crew of one to operate and maintain 
  the ship. Orbital vehicles larger than 50 tons require a minimum crew of two. Decide on the 
  number of passengers.  
   
  5 - Building The Equipment Section  
   
  Acceleration Couch 
  Flight crews will be accommodated within the cockpit in their own acceleration couch. These cost 
  MCr 0.05 and mass 0.5 ton. Passengers, particularly for short-haul flights of 24 hours or less, can 
  also be allocated an acceleration couch with basic life support equipment.  
   
  Airlock 
  Unlike larger vessels, an orbital vehicle does not have an airlock by default. Airlocks take up one 
  ton each and cost MCr0.2. If a craft does not have an airlock, then the crew cannot leave the craft 
  except when it is landed or in a pressurized landing bay without opening the ship up to vacuum. 
   
  Braking Rockets and Inflatable Cushions 
  A   method   of   bringing   down   a   large   vehicle   onto   a   planet’s   surface   that   is   cheaper   than   using  
  landing gear, and that takes up less space onboard, exists. It is a bank of retro rockets coupled 
  with inflatable cushions.  Mass is 5% of the total displacement of the vehicle and cost is MCr 0.1 
  per ton of braking equipment.  Cheap and compact this is, but it means that the vehicle cannot 
  return to orbit. Perfect for cargo drops or single use missions. The vehicle will need parachute 
  braking in addition, if required to enter an atmosphere.  
   
  Cabin 
  Some Orbital vehicles on long haul missions are fitted with cabins for sleep and relaxation. A 
  cabin requires 2 tons and costs MCr0.1. Cabins can be used as double occupancy, though the 
  users had better know one another! 
   
  Cargo Hold 
  As  with  a  DSV,  an  orbital  vehicle’s cargo hold is used for supplies, equipment and items integral to 
  its mission. Palletized cargo is strapped to all walls and other surfaces of the hold with tension rigs, 
  or is held in place on a ratchet system, similar to that found in modern cargo jets. 
  
   
  67 | P a g e  
   
   
  Landing Gear 
  Unstreamlined landers that are making a descent on to a planet or moon with an atmosphere of 0 
  or 1 must include a landing suspension system, legs and shock-absorbing pads. Mass is 10% of 
  the total displacement of the vehicle and cost is MCr 1 per ton of suspension equipment.   
   
  Modules 
  Some types of orbital vehicles, such as tugs, are 
  fitted with a docking clamp that allows them to 
  carry a 10-ton module that varies depending on 
  the mission. At least one docking clamp is 
  required in order to carry a module, vehicles 
  carrying several may need a grappling arm too. 
   
  Parachute Braking 
  Vehicles that enter the atmosphere (type 2 or greater) but that are not lifting bodies (like a shuttle 
  or space plane) must include aero-braking parachutes into their design. Mass is 1% of the total 
  displacement of the vehicle, cost is MCr 0.1 per ton of parachute system.  
   
  Ship’s  Locker 
  As Core Book. 
   
  6 – Building The Weapons Section 
  An orbital vehicle has one hardpoint, despite being less than 100 tons. Orbital vehicles follow the 
  standard ship design rules regarding armaments, with the exception that only SRAMs and Counter 
  Measure Launchers (missiles and sandcasters in Cepheus Engine parlance) may be fitted.  
   
  DESIGNING LAUNCH VEHICLES 
   
  Launch vehicles, or reaction drive rockets, can easily be constructed using the Orbital Vehicle 
  Design rules, with a number of important differences. Launch vehicles are designed to propel their 
  payloads into Low Orbit. If the cargo or launched spacecraft requires insertion into High Orbit or to 
  leave orbit, it will generally use its own motors in order to this. Launch vehicles can, however, be 
  tasked to launch payloads into High Orbit or beyond, but doing so requires more fuel and 
  consequently the payload will be reduced by 30%.  
   
  1 – Building The Hull 
  Launch vehicles are generally single-use, disposable craft that burn up in the atmosphere of their 
  launching world. They must be streamlined. Launch vehicles larger than 100 tons are certainly 
  possible, but require multiple vehicles (each with their own fuel, reaction drive and power plant) to 
  be strapped together or stacked one on top of the other. Only one (automated) control cockpit 
  and Model/1 computer will be required for the entire launch vehicle, though. There are two ways 
  in which launch vehicles can be reused: 
   
  Parachute Recovery: The launch vehicle can re-enter the atmosphere (heat shielding is not 
  required) and return to the surface using parachutes. The landing zone must be over water, 
  otherwise the vehicle will suffer damage. 
   
  Vertical Takeoff, Vertical Landing (VTVL): The aim of Space X in the USA is to return the first 
  stage of their Falcon 9 rocket to the surface under control, and throttling the reaction drive to slow 
  the descent. Tests have shown this can be achieved. A launch vehicle must be built with this 
  MODULE ACCESSORIES 
  Grappling Arm 
  2 tons 
  MCr 1 
  Docking Clamp  
  (per 10 ton module) 
  1 ton 
  MCr 0.5 
  Docking Clamp  
  (per 50 ton module cluster) 
  5 ton 
  MCr 1 
  
   
  68 | P a g e  
   
  return method in mind at the design stage, it cannot be attempted by any unmodified launch 
  vehicle. Vertical landing requires that specialized control vanes and landing struts be fitted, 
  requiring  2.5%  of  the  vehicle’s  total  displacement  and  costing  MCr  2.  In  addition,  the  fuel  used  in  
  the descent will force the payload to be 70% of its normal size. A VTVL rocket cannot reach High 
  Orbit.   
   
  2 – Building The Engineering Section 
  Refer to the Orbital Vehicle Drive Performance table to determine which drives will give the launch 
  vehicle being designed 4G acceleration and a 1 point Power Plant output. These are the minimum 
  values required for any launch vehicle. Fuel requirements for a Low Orbit insertion from Earth (a 
  Size  8  world)  equate  to  82%  of  the  launch  vehicle’s  displacement.  This  is  enough  fuel  for  the  15  
  minute burn into orbit. On other worlds with differing gravity fields, more or less fuel will be 
  required. Refer to the following table: 
   
  LAUNCH VEHICLE FUEL 
  World 
  Size 
  Fuel Required 
  % 
  1 
  47 
  2 
  52 
  3 
  57 
  4 
  62 
  5 
  67 
  6 
  72 
  7 
  77 
  8 
  82 
  9 
  87 
  10 (A) 
  92 
   
   
  3 – Building The Control Section 
  A Model/1 computer must be provided as well as a 0.5 ton automated cockpit. No acceleration 
  couches, crew or passengers are carried on board launch vehicles. The cockpit provides telemetry 
  data to ground controllers and allows the computer to control the ascent into orbit without 
  requiring input from the ground. 
    
  4 – Building The Equipment Section 
  The  cargo  (referred  to   as  a  ‘payload’  on  a  launch  vehicle)  sits  at  the  top  of  the  launch  vehicle  
  under an aerodynamic shell. Once in Low Orbit, with the last of the fuel spent and the launch 
  vehicle about to drop away, the payload breaks free. The aeroshell is discarded, and payload is 
  ready for action, whether a small spacecraft, a satellite, space probe or cargo module.   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  69 | P a g e  
   
   
  6  OPERATING SPACECRAFT 
   
  Many of the rules in the Core Book governing the use of starships, including of course space 
  combat, are very relevant for slow reaction-drive DSVs in Orbital. There are a number of key 
  differences, however, mainly revolving around travel times through the solar system. 
   
   
  LAUNCH & RE-ENTRY 
   
  While the streamlined starships of Classic SF find little problem in landing and taking off, the 
  vehicles of Orbital find both of these manoeuvres extremely difficult. On large planets like Earth, 
  Venus and Mars the only way to reach orbit is by spaceplane, orbital catapult, high energy laser lift 
  or conventional rocket systems, with all the technical support and infrastructure that entails. 
  Spaceplanes carry little in in the way of cargo, which means conventional rocket systems are 
  responsible for 70% of the materials placed in orbit. Small planets and moons, with their lower 
  gravity gradients are easier to leave and the landers described in chapter 7 Hardware, are all 
  capable of reaching orbit.  
   
  Returning to the surface may be equally fraught. For small airless moons (atmospheres 0 or 1) 
  unstreamlined landers are able to touch down without difficulty just as the Apollo Lunar Modules 
  did routinely in the 1970s. Difficulties arrive when the vehicle wants to land on a moon or planet 
  with an atmosphere. Spaceplanes use heat-resistant tiles to protect themselves from the heat of 
  re-entry, most other vehicles including DSVs, landers and orbital tugs are unstreamlined and will 
  be destroyed if they attempt re-entry.  
   
  Re-entry vehicles are often small aerodynamic capsules fitted with an ablative heat-shield that is 
  able to stand the stresses and temperatures of re-entry. These capsules are only capable of 
  transporting a few passengers or crewmen at a time, deploying parachutes or parawings and using 
  retros to touch down on the planet's surface. Larger cargoes can be landing using aeroshells, a 
  collection of five cargo modules mounted behind a large heat-shield that uses parachutes and 
  retros to land safely.  
   
  The crew and passengers of DSVs then, need some way to get down to the surface of a moon or 
  planet. Most carry landers for airless moons and asteroids and use the services of local 
  spaceplanes when visiting Earth, Venus, Titan or Mars.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  70 | P a g e  
   
   
  TRAVEL TIMES 
   
  Jump drives take one week, regardless of distance travelled 
  but travel from Earth to Mars, or Uranus to Mercury is a bit 
  more   involved.   This   is   a   game,   though,   so   don’t   expect  
  involved calculations or a detailed description of different 
  orbital transfer choices. We want to get on with the story 
  and let the characters worry about such details, just as 
  they take the pressure of us referees when it comes to 
  calculating jump drive trajectories.   
   
  Travelling to Planets  
  First, the distance from port to destination must be 
  determined. For the Outer Planets (the Asteroid Belt, 
  Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune or the Kuiper Belt) this is 
  fairly static. In a ten year time frame, those bodies are still 
  in the same part of their orbit, enough to ignore any 
  movement during the life of a role-playing campaign. In the 
  interests of fast gameplay, we assume these outer planets 
  remain at a generally static distance from the Inner 
  Planets.  Check this table to determine distances from any 
  Inner Planet to individual Outer Planets (distances are in 
  millions of kilometres): 
   
   
  Outer Planets: Distance from Inner Planets  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  The Inner Planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars) are moving very swiftly through their orbits 
  around the Sun and distances change from month to month. To determine the distance from one 
  Inner planet to another requires that the player refer to the Basic Distance Chart as well as the 
  Orbit Chart (both next page). Treat the Orbit Chart like an important star-map in your typical SF 
  game. Print it off and draw on it. Look at the chart. The orbit of each planet is marked on, and 
  each is divided up into monthly sections. Look at Mercury, it has 3 sections to its orbit, it orbits the 
  Sun in 3 months. Look at Earth, it has 12 sections, it orbits the Sun in 12 months. The aim of the 
  chart is to allow the players to move the planets on one space, every month of the campaign. 
  Simple and easy book-keeping. Suggested start positions are already placed on the chart.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Destination 
  Distance (Mkm) 
  Vesta/Asteroids 
  375 
  Jupiter 
  780 
  Saturn 
  1427 
  Uranus 
  2,900 
  Neptune 
  4,500 
  Kuiper Belt 
  6,000 
   
   
  Catching Mercury 
  Mercury is travelling incredibly 
  fast around the Sun and a 
  spacecraft needs to match that 
  velocity.   
   
  The 2004 probe MESSENGER 
  needed six fly-bys for purposes of 
  gravity 
  assist 
  to 
  match 
  the 
  planet’s   velocity.   For   ease   of  
  gameplay, Orbital neither factors 
  Mercury’s   speed   or   the   use   of  
  gravity assist.  
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  71 | P a g e  
   
  Travel Between Inner Planets 
   
   
       
  1. Place planets on chart (with markers) in initial positions. 
  2. Each month, move planets one space in their own orbit. 
  3. To determine current distance from one world to another, count squares. If moving along 
  the orbit when counting, always move counter-clockwise. The count can move down 
  (toward the Sun) or up into higher orbits, as well as along, but not diagonally. The fastest 
  distance between Venus and Mars in their starting positions is 3 squares, one along the 
  orbit, then two squares out. Obviously as planets move, these distances will vary.  
  4. A square represents adding an extra 30 Mkm to the base distance that must be travelled. 
  Base distances from one world in the Inner System to another, are listed on the following 
  table.  
   
  Inner Planets: Basic Distance 
  Home 
  Destination Planet 
  Planet 
  Mercury 
  Venus 
  Earth 
  Mars 
  Mercury 
  - 
  42 
  92 
  172 
  Venus 
  42 
  - 
  50 
  130 
  Earth 
  92 
  50 
  - 
  80 
  Mars 
  172 
  130 
  80 
  - 
   
  Calculating travel times is easy. Divide the distance to destination (say 780 Mkm to Jupiter from an 
  Inner Planet) by the speed of the NTR rocket (for example, a Jn 3, 160 Mkm/month, rocket). This 
  rocket would reach Jupiter in almost five months (780 ÷ 160 = 4.9). It would be coasting for 
  much of this, after tens of hours of an accelerating and then decelerating burn from the main 
  rockets.  
  Look at the basic distance on 
  this table; add the extra 
  distance provided by the Orbit 
  Chart. The result is the total 
  distance to the destination in 
  Mkm.  
  
   
  72 | P a g e  
   
  Travelling to Gas Giant Moons 
  NTR rockets can take humans from one moon around a gas giant to another, but travel times are 
  shorter and the NTR will not have time to reach its maximum delta-V. Instead use this simplified 
  formula to determine the required hours of flight time: 
   
  DSV: 1200 hours divided by delta-V (or 2000 hours if moving to or from one of the very small 
  outer moons) 
  Orbital Vehicle: 140 hours (+60 if travelling to a very small outer moon) 
   
  For example, an NTR (delta-V 65) travels from Ganymede to Io (both inner moons of Jupiter) and 
  takes 18 hours; a faster craft (delta-V 95) takes 12 hours. A conventional chemical rocket transfer 
  vehicle takes almost 6 days, twice the time it took the Apollo astronauts to reach the Moon. 
   
  Travelling to Luna and LaGrange 
  Use the following table for all chemical rocket spacecraft to move from Luna to Earth or the 
  LaGrange points. NTR rockets can halve these times.  
   
  Flight Plan 
  Duration 
  From L1 to Luna 
  2.5 days 
  From L1 to L5 or L4 
  0.5 days 
  From Earth orbit to L1 
  0.5 days 
  From Earth orbit to L3, L4, L5 
  1.5 days 
  From Earth to L2 
  3 days 
  From Earth orbit to Lunar orbit 
  3 days 
  Orbit Earth 
  100 minutes 
  Orbit Luna 
  80 minutes 
  From Luna to L5 or L4 
  1.5 days 
  From Luna to L2 
  0.5 days 
  From Luna to L3 
  3 days 
   
   
  
   
  73 | P a g e  
   
  FUEL 
   
  The nuclear thermal rockets of Deep Space Vehicles use liquid hydrogen as a propellant, super-
  heated by the nuclear reactor it expands at incredible speed and is thrown out as rocket exhaust 
  to accelerate the craft forward.  Hydrogen and oxygen can be split from water through a process 
  of electrolysis, which means that any source of water-ice could theoretically be used to create 
  rocket fuel and oxygen for life support uses. Liquid hydrogen is sold to DSV operators at a flat cost 
  of Cr500 per ton. A crew might be able to gain access to waterg-ice, on a moon or asteroid, and if 
  the DSV is equipped with a fuel processors it is able to melt this ice and conduct electrolysis in 
  order to create hydrogen fuel. DSV operators could opt to purchase water from stations for use as 
  fuel  at  Cr100  per  ton.  Water  acts  as  an  ‘unrefined  fuel’  for  the  Orbital setting.  
   
  What can a DSV do with this fuel? Most of it is used for a voyage to a destination planet.  It 
  spends several hours accelerating, cuts the motors to coast most of the way, then turns around 
  and decelerates for an equal amount of time to finally reach Venus, Saturn or where-ever. There is 
  a  reserve  fuel  supply  which  is  used  to  allow  short  journey’s  within  a  planetary-moon system. But 
  these  vehicles  don’t  have  SF’s  magical gravity drives, a DSV can run out of fuel very easily and the 
  commander  won’t  order  any  wasteful  manoeuvres  if  at  all  possible.   
  Every DSV is capable of 12 burns, used in the same way that orbital vehicles use theirs.  
   
   
   
   BURN OPTIONS TABLE 
  Manoeuvre 
  Burns Required 
  Interplanetary Manoeuvres 
  Leave orbit for trip to another planet 
  4 
  Enter orbit around another planet 
  4 
  Planetary System Manoeuvres 
  Leave orbit for trip to a local moon 
  1 
  Enter orbit around a moon/planet 
  1 
  Lander descends to moon’s  surface 
  1 
  Lander  ascends  to  orbit  from  moon’s  surface 
  1 
  Minor orbit change  
  1 
  De-orbit burn 
  1 
  
   
  74 | P a g e  
   
  WHICH COMPONENT? 
  Use the Location Table in the Core Book to determine 
  what has actually failed. Decide Interior or Exterior.  
   
  Re-roll  a  ‘Jump  Drive’  result. 
   
  ‘First  Bridge  Hit’  will  be  computer  failure. 
   
  Re-roll Hull Hits. Another result of Hull Hit 
  indicates airlock, pressure hull or bulkhead failure. 
   
  Re-roll Structure Hits. Another result of Structure 
  Hit indicates life support damaged. Further hits 
  then disable and finally destroy life support 
  machinery.  
   
   
   
    
  REPAIR 
  Use the repair rules under in the 
  Spacecraft Design chapter. Spare 
  parts cost Cr10,000 per ton.  
   
   
   
   
  MAINTENANCE 
   
  SYSTEM  DEGRADATION 
   
   
   
   
  Monthly Maintenance Checks 
  Life in the Orbital world is slower than the jump-capable world of the Core Book; some 
  interplanetary NTR craft may not even reach a port within a year, and are not put under the 
  same stresses as SF starships.   They   can   go   five   years   between   standard   ‘annual’  
  maintenance overhauls, similar to modern Boeing 747s. These overhauls still cost 0.1% of 
  the   spacecraft’s   total   value.   Maintenance   should   be   carried   out   every   month,   and   the  
  engineer should likewise roll 2D6 for potential equipment failures once per month.  This 
  replaces maintenance rules in Cepheus Engine. 
    
  Roll 6+ to avoid any breakdowns 
   
  +  engineers’  highest  skill  of  Mechanics  or  Engineering   
  +1 if the DSV is fitted with repair drones  
  +1 if the engineering department have put in overtime to maintain the craft 
  -2 if no routine maintenance had been carried out this month  
  -2 if the DSV has missed its 5-yearly maintenance  
  -1 if the DSV has suffered a solar storm this month, entered Jupiter or Mercury space or has 
  been hit in space combat.  
  -1 if using unrefined fuel, which focuses a lot of maintenance time on the drive  
   
  Failure to achieve 6+ indicates some sort of system degradation (see table, below).  
  Note  that  a  natural  roll  of  ‘2’  is  an  automatic,  dramatic  and  serious  failure! 
   
  Example: The Luna-owned DSV Glorious Future is in Jupiter space, and its engineer has been busy 
  helping to rescue the crew of a crashed spacecraft from the surface of Europa. As the Glorious Future 
  leaves   orbit,   the   end   of   the   month   maintenance   check   is   required.   The   following   DM’s   apply:   +1  
  Engineer’s  skill,  +1  the  DSV  has  repair  drones,  -2 no time for maintenance, -1 stuck in hostile Jupiter 
  space.   Total   DM’s:   -1.   The   player   rolls   a   ‘5’   on   the   dice,   reduced   to   ‘4’.   Looking   on   the   System  
  Degradation table tells us that 2 hits have been suffered on components.  
   
  The referee takes over, decides both are interior hits and using the Location Table in 
  Cepheus  Engine’s  space  combat  section, rolls Structure, and re-rolls to get a Hold result. For 
  the second hit he rolls Structure again, and after rerolling gets another Hold result. Looking 
  up the effects, the table tells us that a second hit on the hold destroys 30% of the stored 
  cargo. The cargo is mainly supplies for the crew, so the referee decides that humidity 
  controls in the hold have failed and that a third of the crew’s  dried  rations  have  been  ruined.  
  It’s  going  to  be  tough  to  eke  out  what  food  is  remaining  ...  the  DSV  can’t  ask  Europa  for  
  help  since  the  captain  has  already  initiated  the  burn  to  leave  Jupiter’s  orbit.     
  Monthly 
  Roll 
  Number of Hits 
  on Components 
  7+ 
  None 
  5-6 
  1 
  3-4 
  2 
  1-2 
  3 
  
   
  75 | P a g e  
   
   
  REVENUES 
   
  The interstellar society of a typical SF subsector can be scaled down to work within the solar 
  system. Passengers need to get out to Saturn, cargoes must be shifted out to Ida, or L5 or 
  Mercury. DSVs are cruising between worlds packed full of passengers and/or goods. The trade and 
  transport rules of the Core Book serve this purpose well, although the differences between 
  jumping between stars and accelerating out to distant orbits require clarifying.   
   
  Passengers 
  The exact cost of catching a ride out to a far orbiting world depends on the distance travelled. 
  Each orbital transfer will push the price up, instead of the number of parsec jumps as used in the  
  Core Book. So, the more orbits a passenger crosses, the higher the cost of his ticket will be. If an 
  orbit is that of an outer planet (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) then the price increases 
  massively due to the much greater distances involved.  
   
   
  Ticket 
  Base 
  Cost 
  Per Orbit Supplement 
  (Inner Planets) 
  Per Orbit Supplement 
  (Outer Planets) 
  Low 
  Cr2,000 
  + Cr2,000 
  + Cr15,000 
  Middle 
  Cr10,000 
  + Cr10,000 
  + Cr80,000 
  High 
  Cr20,000 
  + Cr20,000 
  + Cr100,000 
   
   
  A middle passenger seeking passage on a DSV from Mercury to Mars (3 orbital transfers: Venus, 
  Earth, then Mars) will be expecting to pay Cr40,000. Or he could go via cryogenic suspension 
  (lowberth) and pay only Cr8,000. Fast NTR craft with delta-V of 80 km/s or more can push up their 
  prices, charging 35% + delta-V). 
   
  Cargo 
  Instead of shipping freight per parsec, as done in the Core Book, here it is done instead as per 
  'orbital transfer'. Fast NTR craft, those with delta-v of 80 km/s or more can again charge more for 
  shipping freight. They charge 35%+ delta-V. 
   
  Base Cargo Cost 
  Per Orbit Supplement 
  (Inner Planets) 
  Per Orbit Supplement 
  (Outer Planets) 
  Cr2,000 
  + Cr2,000 
  + Cr15,000 
   
   
  Moon Transfers 
  Transporting freight or passengers within a planetary system between orbits or between moons 
  costs less, and requires less time. Simply use the base costs at half their normal value, and do not 
  add in any bonus for fast craft. It is probably not cost effective for DSVs to transfer cargoes or 
  passengers within a planetary system.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  76 | P a g e  
   
  ENCOUNTERS 
   
  Rules for creating random encounters are explained in the Starship Encounters chaper. Use these 
  tables for the Orbital setting rather than those given in the Core Book.  Encounters  occur  on  a  ‘6’  
  on 1D6.  Encounters  don’t  and  can’t  occur  in  deep  space  between  the  planets.  DSV’s  are  coasting  
  at tens of kilometres per second and are saving most of their fuel for the big deceleration when 
  they near their destination. Imagine two bullets whizzing past each other above a battlefield, the 
  energy needed to slow down and rendezvous is immense.   
   
  ENCOUNTER MODIFIERS 
  Zone 
  DM 
  Range Description 
  Earth Orbit 
  +3 
  41-96 
  In low or geostationary orbit around Earth. 
  Earth-Moon System 
  +2 
  31-86 
  In Luna orbit, at the Lagrange points. 
  Colonized Space 
  +1 
  21-76 
  Mars, Ida, Ceres, Mercury. 
  Outer Planets 
  - 
  11-66 
  Jupiter and Saturn 
  Far Space 
  -1 
  01-56 
  Neptune, Uranus, other parts of the Belt 
  Empty Space 
  -4 
  01-26 
  Beyond Neptune ... the Kuiper Belt 
   
  ENCOUNTER TABLE 
  D66 Encounter 
  D66 Encounter 
  01 
  Solar flare (2D6 hours see pg.109) 
  51 
  Hostile Vehicle (roll again for type) 
  02 
  Rich ore-bearing asteroid 
  52 
  Garbage ejected from a ship 
  03 
  Mining Vehicle with drones 
  53 
  Medical Vehicle 
  04 
  Rich ore-bearing asteroid 
  54 
  Research vehicle 
  05 
  Explorer 
  55 
  Drone  
  06 
  Asteroid hermit/miner 
  56 
  Police/Customs/Patrol Craft 
  11 
  Military Scout Vehicle 
  61 
  Executive Transport 
  12 
  Derelict vehicle (possible salvage)  
  62 
  Cargo Hauler 
  13 
  OMP (on 1-4, derelict) 
  63 
  Police or Military Vehicle 
  14 
  Comet or barren asteroid 
  64 
  Cargo Vehicle 
  15 
  Mining station on asteroid  
  65 
  Navigation satellite 
  16 
  Vehicle in distress 
  66 
  Argus Heavy Tug 
  21 
  Mining vehicle 
  71 
  Collision with space junk!  
  22 
  Small general transport 
  72 
  Taurus Light Tug 
  23 
  Micrometeorite storm! Collision 
  73 
  Small transport vehicle 
  24 
  Shanghai II Mining Rig 
  74 
  Dumped cargo module 
  25 
  Mining drone 
  75 
  Military Patrol Vehicle 
  26 
  Transfer pod used as lifeboat 
  76 
  Cargo hauler 
  31 
  Rescue vehicle 
  81 
  Passenger liner 
  32 
  Skycrane Module Lander 
  82 
  Defence station 
  33 
  Space junk (possible salvage) 
  83 
  Long Beach Transfer Shuttle 
  34 
  Solar flare (1D6 hours see pg.109) 
  84 
  OMP; corporate 
  35 
  Science vehicle 
  85 
  OMP; industrial 
  36 
  Spider Light Lander 
  86 
  OMP; scientific 
  41 
  Palomino Heavy Lander 
  91 
  Communications satellite 
  42 
  Orion Transfer Pod 
  92 
  Spaceplane 
  43 
  Colony resupply or cold sleep liner 
  93 
  Cargo Hauler 
  44 
  Explorer 
  94 
  Old rocket debris from 20th century 
  45 
  OMP (varies with location) 
  95 
  Star Sabre Interceptor 
  46 
  Cargo hauler 
  96 
  Military Vehicle 
   
  
   
  77 | P a g e  
   
   
  RUNNING SPACE COMBAT 
   
  Clashes between spacecraft in the Orbital setting do inevitably occur. The rules provided in the 
  Core Book are perfectly able to handle the slow, cruel space warfare of 2100 AD.  
   
  All that separates the orbital craft and DSVs from the fast moving grav-drive equipped ships of the 
  typical SF universe, however, is the way in which they can (or cannot) manoeuvre in space. 
  Potential energy is at a premium, movement costs huge amounts of fuel, and so the Manoeuvre 
  Phase of space combat may differ slightly.  
   
  THRUST POINTS 
  Type of Spacecraft 
  Each Burn provides  … 
  Orbital Vehicle 
  5 points of Thrust per combat turn 
  DSV 
  3 points of Thrust per combat turn 
   
  Thrust 
  While standard Cepheus Engine ships have a G rating which provides them with Thrust points for 
  use at the start of a space combat turn, DSVs and orbital vehicles do not. Instead each burn 
  allocation that an orbital vehicle possesses provides 5 points of Thrust to be used in a single space 
  combat turn. Points not used can be saved for later turns, but the maximum thrust allowance in a 
  turn is 5. Few orbital craft have many burns to spare for this kind of use. DSVs, having reaction 
  drives that have a much lower thrust, but that are in the long term more efficient, only receive 3 
  points of Thrust per point of Burn; they are not good when it comes to manoeuvring in combat. 
  Unused points cannot be saved for later turns. Thrust points are used as in the Core Book. 
   
  Range 
  Ranges in Orbital are shorter; reduce all ranges by a factor of 10. The revised Range Table looks 
  like this: 
   
  SPACE COMBAT RANGES 
  Range 
  Distance 
  Thrust  
  to Change 
  Example 
  Adjacent 
  <100m 
  1 
  Docked vehicles 
  Close 
  100m to 1000m 
  1 
  Nearby vehicles; close visual 
  Short 
  1km to 125km 
  2 
  Vehicles in same orbital path, visual 
  Medium 
  125km to 1000km 
  5 
  Surface to orbit 
  Long 
  1,000km to 2,500km 
  10 
  Near a planet 
  Very Long 
  2,500km to 5,000km 
  25 
  - 
  Distant 
  5,000km + 
  50 
  - 
   
  Trajectory  
  Players may be used to encountering other ships in space, hailing them, and then rendezvousing 
  to dock, ever in deep space. In Orbital, the trajectory is king. What the pilot has decided to do 
  with the ship dominates its entire voyage and makes deviations difficult, if not impossible. Imagine 
  a DSV as a bullet, fired from a rifle that slows itself down to come to rest as it reaches the target. 
  If it spies an enemy bullet shooting across its path, it can do little about it! It has used a third of 
  its fuel in the acceleration, and saves another third for the deceleration. Space combat out in the 
  vacuum between planets is virtually impossible. Space combat occurs around, or near, worlds. 
  Spacecraft do not move wherever they please, as if on a hex map. They are all in orbit around 
  something, even if it is the Sun. All vehicles are moving in circles or ellipses. Few are pointing 
  toward their destination, they are arcing their way there in long orbital curves around the Sun or a 
  
   
  78 | P a g e  
   
  planet. Instead of thinking about starship combat as a hex map, it is more helpful to think of 
  spacecraft travelling along a racecourse around the Sun, the Earth, the Moon, Jupiter, Titan, etc. 
  Each world has its own racecourse of tracks, each track a higher and higher orbit. Flying from 
  Earth  to  Mars,  for  example,  could  be  seen  as  leaving  one  racetrack,  to  temporarily  follow  the  Sun’s  
  racetrack, finally arriving at Mars and joining that   planet’s   racetrack.   Everything   is   circles   and  
  ellipses.  
   
  We assume that the attacker and the target are in approximately the same orbit, going the same 
  direction. Of course vehicles can change their orbit to intercept if desired, but this takes time ... 
  and fuel. All space combat is interception, an aggressor is closing on a stationary target (perhaps a 
  OPM in orbit), or on a fleeing target. Sometimes the aggressor may be stationary and not 
  manoeuvring, waiting for a target vehicle to approach. When two craft are moving towards one 
  another, in the Orbital setting, this is achieved by the aggressor accelerating toward the target 
  and the target carrying out braking manoeuvres to slow itself. None of this alters the rules given in 
  the Core Book, but should always be borne in mind.  
   
  Combat Phase 
  The combat phase of space combat is conducted as presented in the Core Book.  
   
   
  SPACECRAFT DAMAGE 
   
  Systems can take a variable number of hits before being destroyed, depending on the system in 
  question. Spacecraft in Orbital are designed to a distributed layout, hence they have only 
  Structure points, and no Hull points. A spacecraft can endure one point of Structure damage per 
  50 tons, rounding up. A spacecraft that runs out of Structure breaks up and is completely 
  destroyed. 
   
  The effects of damage are determined by subtracting any armor points (if present) from the 
  damage rolled by the weapon, then consulting the Space Combat Damage table to determine the 
  number of hits inflicted. Then roll on the Spacecraft Hit Location table for each hit. Small craft 
  have their own column. There is a sub-table for Equipment hits. The Equipment Damage table is in 
  turn split into Civilian and Military Craft.  A double hit applies two hits to the same location. A triple 
  hit applies three hits to the same location. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  SPACE COMBAT DAMAGE 
  Damage 
  Effect 
  0 or less 
  No damage 
  1–4 
  Single Hit 
  5–8 
  Two Single Hits 
  9–12 
  Double Hit 
  12–16 
  Three Single Hits 
  16–20 
  Two Single Hits, Double Hit 
  21–24 
  Two Double Hits 
  24–28 
  Triple Hit 
  29–32 
  Triple Hit, Single Hit 
  33–36 
  Triple Hit, Double Hit 
  37–40 
  Triple Hit, Double Hit, Single Hit 
  41–44 
  Two Triple Hits  
  For every extra three points +1 Single Hit 
  For every extra six points 
  +1 Double Hit 
  
   
  79 | P a g e  
   
   
   
  Airlock  
  One of the airlocks is hit. There is 1 airlock 
  per 100 ton of DSV.  
  First Hit: The airlock is disabled.  
  Second Hit: The airlock is destroyed and 
  the depressurization system for ALL the 
  airlocks is disabled.  
  Third Hit: All airlock controls from the 
  bridge are destroyed – they must be 
  operated manually.  
  Subsequent Hits: Count as Structure 
  Hits. 
   
  Bay 
  A random bay is hit.  
  First Hit: The bay's targeting 
  mechanism is damaged. It can still 
  be used, but all attacks suffer a –2 
  DM. 
  Second Hit: The bay weapon is 
  disabled. 
  Third Hit: The bay weapon is 
  destroyed. 
  Subsequent 
  Hits: 
  Count 
  as 
  Structure hits. 
   
  Bridge 
  The bridge is hit. 
  First Hit: The crew suffers a Crew 
  Hit, rolling on the Normal Damage column. 
  Second Hit: The bridge is disabled. Until the bridge is repaired, the ship cannot take any Pilot or 
  Sensor actions, it cannot jump, and any attacks suffer a –2 DM. 
  Third Hit: The bridge is destroyed. 
  Subsequent Hits: Count as Structure Hits. 
   
  Crew 
  Each hit on the crew indicates that radiation or flying debris has injured one or more crew. Roll 
  2D6 on the appropriate column on the Crew Damage table. Note that the use of nuclear devices in 
  a military conflict would advise the wearing of hard suits during the attack, the placing of relief 
  crews or non-essential personnel within the storm shelter, and the rapid application of anti-rad 
  drugs (see Cepheus Engine) immediately after the battle. 
   
   
  SPACE COMBAT HIT LOCATION 
  2D6  DSV  
  Space Station  Small Craft  
  2  
   Radiators  
  Structure  
  Fuel 
  3  
   M-Drive 
  Power Plant  
  Power Plant  
  4  
   Equipment*  Equipment* 
  Structure 
  5  
   Powerplant 
  Equipment* 
  Fuel  
  6  
   Structure 
  Structure  
  Hold  
  7  
   Fuel  
  Fuel  
  Solar Panels 
  8  
   Structure  
  Structure  
  Crew 
  9  
   Vehicle 
  Hold 
  Landing Legs 
  10  
   Bridge  
  Hangar 
  M-Drive  
  11  
   Sensors  
  Radiators 
  Hold  
  12  
   Crew 
  Bridge  
  Cockpit 
  EQUIPMENT DAMAGE 
  2D6  Civilian 
  Military  
  2  
  Airlock 
  Airlock 
  3  
  Workshop 
  Workshop 
  4  
  Medlab 
  Medlab 
  5  
  Spin Grav Machinery Spin Grav Machinery 
  6  
  Staterooms 
  Staterooms 
  7  
  Hold 
  Turret 
  8  
  Hydroponics 
  Bay Weapon 
  9  
  Life Support 
  Life Support 
  10  
  Low Berths 
  Low Berths 
  11  
  Drones 
  Drones 
  12  
  Fuel Processors 
  Fuel Processors 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  80 | P a g e  
   
   
   
   
  Drones  
  The drone bay is hit. 
  First Hit: Half the drones are deactivated or damaged.  
  Second Hit: All the drones are disabled.  
  Third Hit: The drones, charging area and hangar are all destroyed.  
  Subsequent Hits: Count as Structure Hits. 
   
  Fuel 
  The fuel is hit. 
  First Hit: Causes a minor fuel leak of 1D6 tons per hour. 
  Second Hit: Destroys 1D6x10% of stored fuel. 
  Third Hit: Destroys fuel tank. 
  Subsequent Hits: Count as Structure Hits. 
   
  Fuel Processors 
  The fuel processors are hit. 
  First Hit: The processors are impaired, half the speed they can process fuel.  
  Second Hit: The processors are disabled.  
  Third Hit: The processors are destroyed 
  Subsequent Hits: Count as Fuel Hits. 
   
  Hold 
  The cargo hold is hit. 
  First Hit: Destroys 1D6x10% of stored cargo. 
  Second Hit: Destroys 1D6x10% of stored cargo. 
  Third Hit: Destroys cargo hold and everything in it. 
  Subsequent Hits: Count as Structure Hits. 
  CREW DAMAGE 
  Roll 
  Normal Damage 
  Radiation Damage 
  4 or 
  less 
  Lucky escape – no damage 
  One random crew member suffers 2D6x10 
  rads 
  5–8 
  One random crew member suffers 2D6 
  damage 
  One random crew member suffers 4D6x10 
  rads 
  9–10 
  One random crew member suffers 4D6 
  damage 
  All crew suffer 2D6x10 rads 
  11 
  All crew suffer 2D6 damage 
  All crew suffer 4D6x10 rads 
  12  
  All crew suffer 4D6 damage 
  All crew suffer 4D6x20 rads 
  +1 if Particle Accelerator; +2 if X-Ray Laser 
  -2 if Self-Sealing Hull; -2 if Ablative Armour Hull;  
   
  RADIATION ATTACK PROTECTION 
  Protection 
  Reduction 
  in Rads 
  Soft Suit  
  10 
  Hard Suit  
  20 
  Hard Suit with Flare Damper 
  100 
  Hostile Environment Suit 
  100 
  Storm Shelter 
  500 
   
  
   
  81 | P a g e  
   
  Hydroponics 
  The hydroponics bay is hit. 
  First Hit: Partial depressurization kills half the crop, halving the benefit of the bay.   
  Second Hit: Kills all plants and damages vital equipment.  
  Third Hit: Destroys the hydroponics bay and everything in it.  
  Subsequent Hits: Count as Structure Hits. 
   
  Landing Legs 
  The landing legs are hit. 
  First Hit: Damaged, forcing a pilot to make a Difficult task roll to land safely.  
  Second Hit: Landing legs are badly damaged, preventing the ship from landing safely. A pilot 
  may attempt a landing as a Very Difficult task but this will subsequently destroy the landing gear.  
  Third Hit: Landing legs are destroyed. Lander cannot fire its M-Drive until they are removed or 
  repaired.  
  Subsequent Hits: Count as Structure hits. 
   
  Life Support 
  The life support system is hit. 
  First Hit: Life Support Damaged. Air becomes stale or thin. Crew must don EVA suits or Oxygen 
  Masks. If not, all tasks have a -2 DM due to the lack of oxygen.  
  Second Hit: Air recyclers and pumps disabled. Remaining air will last 1 minute per ton of hull 
  before crew begin to asphyxiate.   
  Third Hit: Both water and air recycling systems are destroyed.  
  Subsequent Hits: Count as Structure hits. 
   
  Low Berths 
  The low berth section is hit. 
  First Hit: One low berth is damaged. Roll 8+ for the passenger to avoid 3D6 injury. 
  Second Hit: All low berths are damaged. Roll 8+ for each passenger to avoid 3D6 injury. The low 
  berths are unusable until repaired. All low berths reactivate their passengers as a precaution.  
  Third Hit: The low berths are destroyed, all passengers suffer 6D6 damage instantly.  
  Subsequent Hits: Count as Structure hits. 
   
  M-Drive 
  The maneuver drive is hit. 
  First Hit: Reduce the ship's thrust by one. 
  Second Hit: Reduce the ship's thrust by 50%. 
  Third Hit: The drive is disabled. 
  Subsequent Hits: Count as Structure hits. 
   
  Medlab 
  The medlab is hit. 
  First Hit: Damaged. Some components will be unusable. 
  Second Hit: The medlab is trashed and unusable until repaired.  
  Third Hit: The medlab and its contents are destroyed. 
  Subsequent Hits: Count as Structure hits. 
   
  Power Plant 
  The power plant is hit. 
  First Hit: Damaged. 
  Second Hit: The crew suffers a Crew Hit, rolling on the Radiation Damage column. 
  Third Hit: The Power Plant is destroyed and the ship is disabled. 
  Subsequent Hits: Count as Structure Hits. 
  
   
  82 | P a g e  
   
  Radiators 
  The radiators are hit. 
  First Hit: Heat build-up occurs. Sensors suffer a -1 from overheating.   
  Second Hit: Heat build-up occurs. All electronics require a 5+ roll to complete a set task.   
  Third Hit: Radiators destroyed. Electronics overheat and shut down after the next complete space 
  combat turn (6 minutes). 
  Subsequent Hits: Count as Powerplant hits. 
   
  Sensors 
  The sensors are hit. 
  First Hit: –2 DM to all Comms checks to use sensors. 
  Second Hit: Sensors are disabled preventing the ship from making Comms checks for using 
  sensors and on making attacks on targets beyond Adjacent range. 
  Third Hit: Sensors are destroyed. 
  Subsequent Hits: Count as Structure hits. 
   
  Solar Panels 
  The solar panels are hit. 
  First Hit: The solar panels suffer damage, although they can provide power to the craft, they can 
  no longer recharge the chemical batteries.  
  Second Hit: Solar panels are disabled preventing the ship from recharging the chemical batteries 
  (fuel cells) or producing power for the craft.  
  Third Hit: Sensors are destroyed. 
  Subsequent Hits: Count as Structure hits. 
   
  Spin Gravity Machinery 
  The machinery or structural elements controlling the spin of living habitats is hit.  
  First Hit: Damaged. The spin machinery is disabled.  
  Second Hit: The spin machinery is destroyed and will no longer function.  
  Third Hit: The spin machinery is destroyed and access to all living quarters on the spin section is 
  blocked.  
  Subsequent Hits: Count as Structure hits. 
   
  Staterooms 
  A number of the staterooms are hit. 
  First Hit: Damaged. Some components will be unusable, the cabins are depressurizing. Video 
  surveillance throughout the craft is lost.  
  Second Hit: The affected cabins are trashed, depressurized and unusable until repaired.  
  Third Hit: The staterooms and their contents are destroyed. 
  Subsequent Hits: Count as Structure hits. 
   
  Structure 
  Reduce the ship's Structure by one. If a ship's Structure is reduced to 0, the ship is destroyed. 
   
  Turret 
  A random turret is hit.  
  First Hit: The turret's tracking mechanism is damaged. It can still be used, but all attacks suffer a 
  –2 DM. 
  Second Hit: The turret and all weapons in it are disabled. 
  Third Hit: The turret and all weapons in it are destroyed. 
  Subsequent Hits: Count as Structure hits. 
   
   
  
   
  83 | P a g e  
   
   
   
  Vehicle 
  A lander or transfer shuttle is hit. Re-
  roll on the Orbital Vehicle column.   
   
   
  Workshop 
  The workshop is hit. 
  First 
  Hit: 
  Damaged. 
  Some 
  components will be unusable. 
  Second Hit: The workshop is trashed 
  and unusable until repaired.  
  Third Hit: The workshop and its 
  contents are destroyed. 
  Subsequent 
  Hits: 
  Count 
  as 
  Structure hits. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  84 | P a g e  
   
  7   HARDWARE 
   
   
  SPACE SUITS 
   
  Whether you live on Luna or Titan, Ida or 
  Mercury, your space suit is more important 
  to you than any mere piece of clothing. You 
  spend hours in it every week and some 
  people spend most of their working day 
  inside a suit. Your suit is personal, 
  customised 
  to 
  the 
  way 
  you 
  work. 
  Colloquially they are known as vacc suits 
  (from  their  common  use  in  the  ‘vacuum’  of  
  outer space), but these suits are able to 
  operate on the dusty, rocky surface of Luna, 
  on chilly ice sheet environments like 
  Enceladus, 
  in 
  the 
  staggeringly 
  cold 
  temperatures of a world like Titan, in fierce 
  dust storms on Mars and in many other 
  hostile places besides.  
   
  Vacc suits are complex. Each is a self 
  contained space vehicle in its own right, 
  with a breathable atmosphere, pressure 
  regulation, heating and cooling controls, 
  drinking water, 10km radio and TV camera 
  communications, 
  5m 
  range 
  flashlight, 
  limited 
  micrometeoroid 
  and 
  radiation 
  protection and the ability to do all that in a 
  low pressure environment that threatens to 
  turn your suit into a balloon.  
   
  Rather than present player characters with 
  a single off-the shelf vacc suit, Orbital, like 
  the suit manufacturers themselves, offer 
  customizable suits for the hard-working 
  spacer who has exacting needs. Players 
  should design their suits as soon as they 
  have designed characters, or else simply 
  pick up the soft suits installed as standard 
  on most newly built space vehicles.  
   
   
   
   
  
   
  85 | P a g e  
   
   
  Soft Suit (TL 8): The soft suit is the standard vacc suit available at TL 8. Used at one time for 
  spacewalks (Extra Vehicular Activities, or EVAs), the soft suit is now relegated for use as an 
  emergency pressure suit worn by space vehicle crews. Although bulky when pressurized, there are 
  no action penalties when reclined in an acceleration couch, operating controls or computers. 
  Unpressurized, it is quite comfortable, utilitarian and easy to wear. Although it is possible to carry 
  out EVAs in the pressurized soft suit, the -4 Action Penalty (AP) make it inferior to the TL 9 hard 
  suit. The soft suit is used to provide life support and mobility within a spacecraft or on a world 
  surface for up to 6 hours. It is a bulky soft suit with a helmet and backpack PLSS (Portable Life 
  Support System). It provides Protection 4, masses 24kg and Costs Cr7,000. It cannot be 
  customized. All actions carried out in a pressurized soft suit are done so with a -4 action penalty.  
   
  Hard Suit (TL 9): The hard suit is capable of maintaining its shape and flexibility while 
  pressurized  (unlike  the  soft  suit).  This  makes  it  ideal  for  all  EVAs  in  zero  gravity  and  on  a  world’s  
  surface. With fewer APs, both movement and work are made much easier. However, hard suits are 
  not ideal for long-term wear, being uncomfortable for any duration of 6 hours or more. Some DSV 
  crews employ hard suits for EVAs, while using soft suits for all intra vehicle activity. Most crews 
  have switched to hard suits and dress casually while on board, resorting to their suits during any 
  period of danger (rendezvous, fly bys, atmospheric braking, EVAs, dockings and other situations in 
  which there may be an unexpected decompression through hull puncture).  
   
  The hard suit is a modular design, and although once built cannot be altered, it can be tailored by 
  the manufacturer to suit the needs of the customer. Weights, costs and life support duration are 
  all defined by the buyer. Any hard suit is more expensive than a soft model, but the player 
  character gets what they want.  
   
  Building a Suit 
  To build a hard suit, select a suit design, select a PLSS and then choose up to three options that 
  make your suit unique. Total the weight, the cost and make a note of any penalty assigned to any 
  actions taken when in the suit. A suit is made up of several components: a torso assembly, a 
  helmet and limbs. Select the basic suit design from the table below. 
   
  Suit Design 
  Description 
  Action 
  Penalty 
  Mass 
  (kg)  
  Cost 
  (Cr) 
  Base 
  Protection 
  Full Hard Suit 
  Hard shell suit with rotating joints 
  -1 
  16 
  9,000 5 
  Semi Hard  Suit 
  Hard shell torso with flexible arms 
  and legs  
  -2 
  14 
  7,000 4 
   
  Next, select the type of PLSS that will be worn with the suit. The PLSS includes oxygen, pressure 
  regulation systems, and unlike Apollo and ISS systems which cooled their suits with a sublimator 
  (which only works in a vacuum), these TL 9 PLSS employ a water membrane evaporation cooler 
  that chills the wearer using the same principle as sweating. It works fine on Mars, Titan and other 
  worlds with an atmosphere. Another TL 9 innovation is the way in which the PLSS dumps wasted 
  carbon dioxide every few minutes, rather than collect it within lithium hydroxide/metal oxide 
  scrubbers, a method used by the old TL 7 and 8 suits. Who wants to have to constantly replace 
  those CO2 scrubbers?  
  VACC SUITS & ACTION PENALTIES 
  Suits are bulky and constraining. All suits begin with a basic penalty to all physical actions taken while in 
  the suit. Added extras further increase general encumbrance, and can further increase this action 
  penalty. Training and experience counts for a lot, though. The wearer can use his Vacc Suit skill to 
  cancel out the action penalty DMs up to his level in that skill. For example, a wearer with Vacc Suit 2 
  inside a soft suit (action penalty -4) only suffers a -2 when attempting physical tasks.  
  
   
  86 | P a g e  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  All suits have 3 customizable slots that can be used to build in extra features. Select up to three 
  from the table below. Once chosen add the combined weights, this total may adversely affect the 
  suit’s  action  penalty:  if  4kg+  then  apply  a  DM  of  -1 to the action penalty, if 7kg then apply a DM of 
  -2 to the action penalty and if 10kg then apply a DM of -3 to the action penalty. Note that even 
  the  ‘cosmetic’  option  called  Baospace  Fashion  also  takes  up  a  full  slot,  that  futuristic  ergonomic  
  design takes up valuable space.   
   
  Feature 
  Description 
  Cost (Cr) 
  Mass (kg) 
  Ablative Outer Layer 
  Protection 6, from lasers only 
   
  2 
  Atmosphere Tester * 
  Provides detailed chemical analyses 
  500 
  1 
  Baospace Fashion 
  A sleek, tailored and futuristic look 
  2000 
  - 
  Binoculars* 
  Fold-down vision aids, with laser range finder 
  800 
  1 
  Climbing Harness 
  Integral harness with rings and attachment 
  points for rope climbing and rappelling 
  250 
  - 
  Collapsible Helmet 
  Helmet folds back and slots into hard torso 
  shell; for the hard or mixed suit only 
  500 
  - 
  Comms, Long Range * 
  Extends radio range out to 50km 
  250 
  - 
  Crampons* 
  Extending boot spikes for stability on icy 
  terrain 
  200 
  1 
  Extended Life Support* 
  Extend PLSS duration to 18 hours 
  10,000 
  4 
  Flashlights* 
  Twin helmet-mounted flashlights, illuminating 
  up to 20m 
  200 
  - 
  Flare Damper 
  Magnetic field generator that can protect 
  against solar flares, but saps power from the 
  PLSS at a rate of 5 minutes per PLSS hour 
  1000 
  3 
  Inertial Locator * 
  Indicates direction and distance travelled from 
  a starting location 
  1,200 
  1.5 
  Mag Boots * 
  Allow walking on metal hulls and deck plates in 
  zero-G 
  200 
  2 
  Power Pack 
  Extra power source with cables, for running 
  equipment etc. as an emergency  back-up 
  1000 
  2 
  Radiation Counter * 
  Provides warnings of radiation threats 
  200 
  - 
  Resistant Outer Layer 
  adds +2 to suit Protection 
  1000 
  3 
  Zero-G Tool-Belt * 
  With zero-G tools attached 
  500 
  2 
  Spotlight * 
  Powerful helmet-mounted spotlight, 
  illuminating up to 50m 
  1000 
  1 
  Thruster Unit 
  PLSS-mounted thrusters providing limited 
  movement in zero-G  for a total of 10 minutes 
  1000 
  4 
  Wrist-Mounted 
  Computer * 
  as Computer/1 
  1000 
  1 
   
  * These components can be fitted to the Hostile Environment Suit (see below) 
   
   
   
   
   
  PLSS 
  Duration (hrs) 
  Mass (kg)  
  Cost (Cr) 
  A 
  6  
  7 
  3,000 
  B 
  9  
  8 
  5,000 
  C 
  12 
  12 
  10,000 
  
   
  87 | P a g e  
   
  Hostile Environment Suits 
  Most vacc suits are able to cope with vacuum 
  and with extremes of temperature from 120°C 
  down to -180°C. There are more hostile 
  environments, the Jovian moons are bathed in 
  radiation,   Mercury’s   dayside surface is a 
  boiling 427°C and on Venus a visitor suffers 
  the heat of Mercury with the added peril of 
  being crushed by 92 atmospheres! Only one 
  suit has so far been widely marketed that can 
  cope with all of these hazards, and that is the 
  Aerodyne HEV-X manufactured on Earth for 
  use on Mercury. With the failure of that 
  colonisation effort, the Earth Union sold on 
  suits to other worlds, and even struck up a 
  deal to export them to the Luna Republic. This 
  is the TL 9 Hostile Environment Suit appearing 
  in the Core Book.  
   
  It is a hard-suit with heat-shielding, radiation 
  protection and flare damper (see above). To 
  prevent flash explosions should the radiators 
  on the PLSS accidentally touch super-cold 
  surfaces, they are carefully shielded. The visor 
  can screen out UV radiation and allow vision 
  even  on  Mercury’s  dayside.  Finally,  the  suit  is  resistant  to  flame and extremely toxic atmospheres. 
  It is coated with a distinctive gold, mylar film for temperature reduction. The HEV-X provides 
  Protection 7, masses 27kg and Costs Cr16,000. A difficult beast to operate, the Aerodyne HEV 
  requires a minimum skill of Vacc Suit 1 and has an action penalty of -4. The PLSS operates for 6 
  hours.   
   
  Suit Colours 
  Early explorers on Mars soon discovered that they needed to identify each other while out on the 
  surface and wearing heavy pressure suits. A form of identification was created; the back of the 
  suit's helmet became a place to put a personal logo or custom paint job, this large space could be 
  seen from a distance and instantly identify the wearer. Since most designs wrap around the top 
  and sides too, identification is often possible from the sides and front also. Designs might be 
  chequered patterns, solid colours, geometric shapes, coloured letters, pictures, logos or anything 
  else that is colourful and recognizable from a distance. It's not just scientists and explorers that 
  practice this custom, but miners, engineers, construction workers - almost everyone! Passengers, 
  visitors and  temporary crew-members hire or borrow TL 8 soft suits that have blank helmet backs 
  with simple stencilled numbers for ID. The players with customized suits might want to create their 
  own custom logo (just draw round a coin and grab some colouring pens or pencils..).  
   
  Teams or personnel grades are usually identified with coloured arm-bands. For example, on a 
  construction site, managers have red arm-bands, workers blue armbands, and scientists green 
  armbands. Stencilled numbers on these armbands denote the wearer's actual site ID number.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
  PRE-BREATHING (Hard Science Option!) 
  It is possible to reduce the AP on the soft suit, 
  making it much less of a cow to work in. Pressure 
  inside can be lowered, lessening the ballooning 
  effect. However, with less air comes less oxygen 
  and the wearer will need to switch the air to 100% 
  oxygen, or risk blacking out. AP is reduced to a 
  more manageable -2. The downside is significant; 
  leaving the airlock under such partial pressures will 
  usually   result   in   decompression   sickness   (‘the  
  bends’).   To   prevent   this   the   space-walker can 
  either spend 8 hours slowly depressurizing in the 
  airlock (what   is   known   as   ‘camping   out’), or pre-
  breathe pure oxygen for 4 hours before he begins 
  the EVA in his partial-pressure suit.  
   
  The Bends: Symptoms of the bends (deep pain, 
  confusion, fatigue) occur in 1D6 hours. The spacer 
  makes a Difficult (-2) End roll, and if successful 
  suffers 3D6 damage. If unsuccessful, the bends 
  are almost certainly fatal (6D6 damage). Quick 
  medical care (Medic 6+) with oxygen mask and 
  medkit, can reduce damage by 6 points.   
   
  Treat the Bends: Medic, 1-6 hours, Routine (+0) 
  
   
  88 | P a g e  
   
  Life Inside the Suit 
  It goes without saying that a vacc suit can 
  be bulky and uncomfortable, but there are 
  some comforts. A full-body garment is 
  worn beneath the suit that includes a 
  water-cooled layer, but warm water can 
  instead be sent through the system as the 
  suit detects a change in the outside 
  temperature.  
   
  Drinking water, typically a litre or two, is 
  included and a drinking tube is fixed close 
  to  the  wearer’s  mouth.  He  or  she  can  also  
  mount a food stick into a nearby housing, 
  giving the wearer a chance to eat 
  something if in the suit for several hours. 
  Urine is processed in thigh pockets and 
  sent to the PLSS for recycling as drinking 
  water. And if you need to defecate, then 
  the  suit  holds  it  in  place,  that’s  all  it  can  do.  
  Even  the  best  of  the  TL  9  units  can’t  reprocess  that  stuff.  Go  before  you  put  the  suit  on.   
   
  A TL 8 suit will include gauges on wrists and chest that allow the wearer to check battery life, 
  pressure, temperature, air and the PLSS system. At TL 9 these are integrated into a Heads Up 
  Display   that   appears   on   the   wearer’s   faceplate.   Comms   are   all   voice   activated,   with   a   wrist  
  mounted manual control as a back-up. Controls for the PLSS are also mounted on the same wrist 
  controller. It is standard practice to switch on the helmet camera when working, it means you 
  aren’t  alone,  comrades  inside  the  base  or  DSV  can  give  you  guidance  and  advice,  and  everything  
  you see is recorded   for   later   analysis.   A   small   light   illuminates   the   wearer’s   immediate   working  
  area.  
   
  The PLSS can be recharged (air, water and electricity) at dedicated connectors within most 
  airlocks. Other places, such as mining facilities, may have large banks of connectors in an EVA 
  prep hall for many users to top up their PLSS at once. Every acceleration couch in a spacecraft 
  includes an umbilical allowing the wearer to take-off the PLSS (it gets in the way when laying in 
  the couch) and rely on air from the vehicle if needed. Most crewman take off the helmet once 
  aboard, but keep the suit on.    
   
  Getting it On 
  TL   7   and   8   soft   suits   are   only   partially   pressurized   so   they   don’t   balloon,   and   circulate   100%  
  oxygen to compensate for the thin atmosphere. Getting into one requires the wearer pre-breathe 
  oxygen to reduce nitrogen in the bloodstream. TL 9 hard suits are able to circulate a normal 
  spacecraft cabin-type atmosphere at normal pressures due to innovations in suit materials, 
  keeping them flexible while preventing them from ballooning. Player characters can take their 
  helmets off in the cockpit without suffering the bends. It is possible to climb inside a vacc suit 
  while  wearing  normal  clothes,  but  they’d  better  be  tight  fitting,  the  urine  connections  won’t  work 
  and without the water-cooled full body garment, any movement becomes hot and sweaty. 
  Increase the action penalty by -1 every 2 hours.   
   
  Putting  on  a  suit  requires  10  minutes  if  help  is  available,  15  minutes  if  it  isn’t.  Taking  the  suit  off  
  takes 3 minutes. It is possible to do either of these a lot faster in an emergency! To speed up the 
  process use the tasks below (do not factor  in  the  suit’s  action  penalty). 
   
  BREACH!  
  Once a suit is breached (perhaps from colliding with a 
  piece of sharp debris while the wearer is repairing a 
  drive) it takes 1-3 turns for the suit to repair the tear.  
   
  In the first turn the wearer suffers 1 pt of damage, in 
  the second turn he suffers 2 pts of damage and in the 
  third and subsequent turns he suffers 4 pts.  
   
  For larger breaches, the damage is instant and often 
  fatal, depending on the environment. A breach on 
  Mars can be handled with the suffocation rules, other 
  worlds should factor in temperature (see the Core 
  Book). See Ways to Die in Space. 
   
  To repair a major breach: Vacc Suit, 10-60 seconds 
  hours, Difficult (-2) or Very Difficult (-4) if repairing 
  one’s  own  suit.  All  suits  include  a  suit  repair  kit.  
  
   
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  Putting on a vacc suit while under stress: Vacc Suit, 1-6 mins, Difficult (-2) 
  Taking off a vacc suit while under stress: Vacc Suit, 10-60 seconds, Difficult (-2) 
   
   
   
  ROVERS 
   
  An all terrain vehicle designed for use on moons and planets is traditionally called a rover. It is 
  used as a general purpose truck and utility vehicle, but other more specialized variants can be 
  purchased for certain jobs. There are five main versions of the Rover: the Utility Rover, the Survey 
  Rover, the Rover Crane, the Rover Excavator, the Expedition Rover and the Venus Rover.   
   
  Utility Rover (TL 9) Cr 489,000, 10 tons. A six-wheeled off-road vehicle intended for local 
  transport of cargoes. The utility rover is rated for use on Luna, Mars, Titan, Mercury (with 
  appropriate modifications) and any moon of size 1 or greater. It cannot operate on Venus. The 
  rover has a rear flat-bed for cargo transport, and a cramped control cockpit. There is an airlock. 
  The rover can carry 0.5 tons of cargo internally and 6.5 tons externally on the exposed flatbed. Tie 
  downs and cargo nets are included along with various tools for digging the rover out of loose 
  ground and for making repairs in the field.  
   
  Space is provided for a driver and co-driver, but no passengers. Life support can keep the crew 
  alive for up to 90 days, but there is no accommodation. The rover cruises at  100 kph (for a range 
  of 825 km), and can achieve a maximum speed of 135 kph (for a range of 550 kph). The vehicle is 
  powered by a fuel cell.  
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  Vehicle 
  TL 
  Skill 
  Agility 
  Speed 
  Range 
  Crew/ 
  Pass 
  Cargo 
  tons 
  Armour 
  Hull/ 
  Structure 
  Cost 
  Size 
  tons 
  Rover 
  9 
  Ground 
  Vehicle 
  -1 
  135 
  550 
  2/0 
  7 tons 
  4 
  10/10 
  489,000 
  10 
   
  Survey Rover (TL 9) Cr607,000, 10 tons.  A six-wheeled off-road vehicle intended as a survey 
  vehicle. The cabin holds two crew only, with no bunks or other facilities, but oxygen for up to 90 
  man-days. Designed for geology surveys, this rover has automated extending scoops and rock 
  drills, external sample trays and mineral analysis units as well as a hollow-core drill for taking rock 
  samples down to 500m. It requires an hour to set up the flatbed mounted derrick. A survey 
  expedition will typically take a cargo trailer for tents, supplies, etc. or even a refuelling trailer.  
   
  Vehicle 
  TL 
  Skill 
  Agility 
  Speed 
  Range 
  Crew/ 
  Pass 
  Cargo 
  tons 
  Armour 
  Hull/ 
  Structure 
  Cost 
  Size 
  tons 
  Rover 
  9 
  Ground 
  Vehicle 
  -1 
  135 
  550 
  2/0 
      -  
  4 
  10/10 
  607,000 
  10  
   
  Rover Crane (TL 9) Cr607,000, 10 tons. This is a six-wheeled off-road vehicle intended as a 
  lifting crane for the construction of large projects on airless worlds. The cabin holds two crew only 
  with no bunks or other facilities, but oxygen for up to 90 man-days. The flatbed mounts a 
  telescoping crane that is kept locked in place across the top of the cab. When needed, the crew 
  must spend 10 minutes extending the stability legs and unlatching the crane mechanism. A 
  separate  cab  is  built  onto  the  crane’s  revolving  turntable to allow the operator to control the crane. 
  It can lift a 10 ton object (divide by surface gravity of the world : maximum 80 ton).  
   
  Vehicle 
  TL 
  Skill 
  Agility 
  Speed 
  Range 
  Crew/ 
  Pass 
  Cargo 
  tons 
  Armour 
  Hull/ 
  Structure 
  Cost 
  Size 
  Tons 
  Rover 
  9 
  Ground 
  Vehicle 
  -1 
  135 
  550 
  2/0 
      - 
  4 
  10/10 
  607,000 
  10  
   
  Rover Excavator  (TL 9) Cr532,000, 10 tons. This is a six-wheeled off-road vehicle intended as a 
  digging machine and outpost support vehicle. The cabin holds two crew only with no bunks or 
  other facilities, but oxygen for up to 90 man-days. The flatbed mounts a hydraulic boom arm 
  mounted on a rotating platform.  The boom is connected at an elbow to a secondary arm that 
  holds the excavation bucket. This bucket can be replaced with a claw attachment which is able to 
  lock onto modules, allowing them to be lifted and manoeuvred into position. An earth-moving 
  blade is mounted on the back of the rover and a secondary cab is included allowing the driver to 
  either operate the bucket or drive the rover backwards to move earth. The excavator is especially 
  useful for creating trenches into which hab modules can fit, then covering over the modules with 
  regolith to act as shielding.  
   
  Vehicle 
  TL 
  Skill 
  Agility 
  Speed 
  Range 
  Crew/ 
  Pass 
  Cargo 
  tons 
  Armour 
  Hull/ 
  Structure 
  Cost 
  Size 
  tons 
  Rover 
  9 
  Ground 
  Vehicle 
  -1 
  135 
  550 
  2/0 
      - 
  4 
  10/10 
  532,000 
  10  
   
  Expedition Rover (TL 9) Cr 533,000, 15 tons. A larger six-wheeled off-road vehicle intended for 
  transporting small teams of engineers or scientists across a hostile environment for long periods of 
  time. The expedition rover is rated for use on Luna, Mars, Titan, Mercury (with appropriate 
  modifications) and any moon of size 1 or greater. It cannot operate on Venus. The rover has a 
  rear flat-bed for cargo transport, and a two part cab, divided into control cockpit and living 
  module. There is an airlock at the juncture of the two. The rover can carry 0.5 tons of cargo 
  internally and 6.5 tons externally on the exposed flatbed. Tie downs and cargo nets are included 
  along with various tools for digging the rover out of loose ground and for making repairs in the 
  field.  
  
   
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  Space is provided for a driver and co-driver, as well as 6 passengers. All have cramped bunks and 
  use of both a fresher and galley. Life support can keep everyone alive for up to 90 days. The rover 
  cruises at 100 kph (for a range of 825 km), and can achieve a maximum speed of 135 kph (for a 
  range of 550 kph). The vehicle is powered by a fuel cell.  
   
   
  Vehicle 
  TL 
  Skill 
  Agility 
  Speed 
  Range 
  Crew/ 
  Pass 
  Cargo 
  tons 
  Armour 
  Hull/ 
  Structure 
  Cost 
  Size 
  tons 
  Rover 
  9 
  Ground 
  Vehicle 
  -1 
  135 
  550 
  1/7 
  7  
  4 
  15/15 
  533,000 
  15 
   
  Venus Rover  (TL 9) MCr 2.45, 15 tons. A tracked all-terrain rover carrying 8 passengers and 
  0.27 tons of cargo through the corrosive and burning environment of Venus. It includes an airlock 
  and can travel at 75 kph for 500km. The Venus Rover has complete corrosive and insidious 
  environment protection , its life support can keep everyone alive for up to 90 days. 
   
  Vehicle 
  TL 
  Skill 
  Agility 
  Speed 
  Range 
  Crew/ 
  Pass 
  Cargo 
  tons 
  Armour 
  Hull/ 
  Structure 
  Cost 
  MCr 
  Size 
  tons 
  Rover 
  9 
  Ground 
  Vehicle 
  0 
  75 
  500 
  2/8 
  0.27  
  4 
  15/15 
  2.45 
  15 
   
  Refuelling Trailer (TL 9) Cr117,000, 5 tons. On worlds with access to water ice, a rover is able 
  to pull a 5 ton Refuelling Trailer. Chunks of ice are manually fed into a hopper and heated. The 
  water is then electrolysed to create hydrogen and oxygen for use  in  the  rover’s  fuel  cells. Including 
  labour, it requires 24 hours to completely top up the fuel cells. Vehicle handling is reduced by 
  another -1 when the trailer is hooked up. A Refuelling Trailer costs Cr 117,000 and has 1.5 ton of 
  additional cargo space.  
   
  Cargo Trailer (TL 9) Cr12,000, 5 tons. A rover may need extra cargo space, and although towing 
  a trailer reduces the agility and control of a rover (-1 to Ground Vehicle roll), it provides a highly 
  useful cargo capacity. The cargo trailer can carry 4 tons internally and an additional 1 ton strapped 
  to the top of the trailer, held in place by cargo netting.  
   
   
  COMPUTERS 
   
  Predicting the way computing will change in the future is a game no-one can win, therefore, in 
  Orbital, we assume that the current set up of mobile devices linked to a wireless network 
  continues. The advantage of this is that players begin the game with a general understanding of 
  how computing works, and can then go on to use the technology effectively and efficiently in the 
  game.  
   
  Coms 
  What has changed is ubiquity. Everyone carries a 'com' which is a smartphone, personal data 
  assistant, sound and image recorder and network terminal. The word 'com' has the dual meaning 
  of computer as well as communicator, but is actually an acronym meaning 'Configurable 
  Operations & Messaging'. Every com has a lot more computing power than a modern smartphone 
  and of course data storage is immensely improved on today. Your com will contain more data than 
  the Library of Congress. The rover workstation will contain almost every article ever written and a 
  vast wealth of cultural and scientific data. Storage capacity is vast. Your computers contain more 
  data than anyone could ever use in a lifetime. Think of having the entirety of today's net on your 
  palm and you're getting there. When contact is available your workstation will automatically check 
  
   
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  for updates to the network and will send these to your com where relevant. Machines 
  communicate without the need for supervision. Your com will note your interests and fields of 
  enquiry and will liaise with the workstation and local network whenever possible to check for any 
  developments which should be on your personal machine. Coms and more complex computers can 
  receive data by voice, typing, handwriting, whatever you prefer at the time. 
   
  On-Board Computing 
  On board a spacecraft there are mounts and Velcro pads for the fixing of coms so that they do not 
  float away.  They can be tasked to operate and interface with all kinds of equipment, becoming a 
  mobile control board for anything that operator has the access code for.  
   
  Of course spacecraft have their own Model/1 computers which is the industry standard. The 
  Model/1 is a TL 9 integrated platform with automatic oversight and auto-pilot functions. In most 
  cases the computers can fly DSVs and perform all required manoeuvres. More advanced Model/2 
  and 3 computers utilise self-learning algorithms and are able to autonomously communicate with 
  and direct subsidiary vehicles; if there are repair drones then they may act as a set of avatars for 
  the ship itself. A soft interface is common amongst Model/2 and 3 systems, with the central 
  computer having a voice or some digital face with which to communicate with crew. TL 9 
  computers are far from truly intelligent however, and certainly not artificial intelligences. Model/3 
  computers are second generation TL 11 computer systems used by extremely large DSVs or 
  military craft.  
   
  Networks 
  Working in an orbital hab, an outpost on Mars or in the science bay of the DSV Marketeer en route 
  to Io, a character will have access to a Local Area Network (LAN) sometimes called a LiveNet 
  because it constantly monitors machinery, environmental readings and subsystems such as rovers, 
  vacc suits and drones in real time. Of course the Livenet also features extensive memory files and 
  scientific software, but it is mainly concerned with monitoring and controlling a complex piece of 
  machinery. Some corporations and other organisations run their own LANs known as intranets, 
  closed systems that allow access to wider nets only through established data gateways.  
   
  The internet as we know it has been replaced by the Interplanetary Network (IPN). Because 
  communication is greatly delayed by the great interplanetary distances involved the IPN employs a 
  new set of protocols and technologies that are tolerant to large delays and errors. Data requiring 
  transfer is bundled, stored and then forwarded and this means that instantaneous net usage is 
  impossible. The IPN across the solar system is broken up into separate Global Area Networks 
  (GANs), such as Earthnet, Lunanet, Titanet and so on. The huge communication time lag between 
  worlds effectively closes these GANs off from one another and communication between them is 
  effectively via text, voice or video email, forwarded data transfer packets and bulletins. Very much 
  like today, the com allows an individual to connect to his LAN or Livenet wirelessly to monitor 
  drones or access information or operate cameras. The Livenet is a self regulating system, which 
  keeps all coms registered with the system up to date with all current information.  
   
  Drones 
  Limited AI is used to create expert systems capable of volitional action and learning. They are 
  sophisticated devices which observe how they are being used and learn from it. A tele-operator is 
  indeed, in part, a coach. A mining drone for example, when first used, is stupid and requires 
  considerable supervision. Over time it will learn how its operator uses it, what types of things he or 
  she does and what places are chosen for prospection. In time the drone will be capable of doing 
  these things independently and operator control will only be required for new or unusual 
  situations. These types of computers do not normally have a sense of self, although they often 
  develop rudimentary 'personalities' depending on what they have learnt.  A competent operator is 
  
   
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  always checking to see exactly what the drones 'think' they have learnt and what conclusions they 
  seem to be drawing from it. 
   
       Repair Drones – A common type of repair drone is short and squat; they are two legged 
  robots, easily able to crawl through ducts and passages, but also able to clamber across the hull's 
  exterior to make repairs. Their chest opens up to display an array of extendable tools, from power 
  wrenches, drills, AC connectors and manipulators. Think of the three drones, Huey, Dewey and 
  Orbital Vehicles 93Louie that feature in Douglas Trumball's 1972 movie Silent Running. Other 
  designs also exist. 
   
       Probe Drones  - A single probe drone is 0.2 tons in volume and masses around one metric 
  ton, roughly the size of a car. The probe drone is powered by a fuel cell and is equipped with a 
  LOX rocket motor; it is equivalent to a small NASA space probe of today, with a bank of cameras 
  and sensors and a comms dish. 
   
       Mining Drones – Mining drones mass 2 tons each. They are large machines equipped with 
  LOX rockets, fuel cells, two side-mounted ore baskets and a forest of manipulators, drills and 
  grinders up front. Most have landing gear fitted, allowing them to touch down before beginning 
  mining operations. An ore conveyor unit on-board the  parent  vehicle  will  extend  out  to  the  drone’s  
  location to accept the ore. Further ore bodies require the drone to lift ore in its side-cages back to 
  the DMV.  
   
   
  ORBITAL VEHICLES 
   
  Orbital vehicles are similar to small craft in the Core Book. They displace 100 tons or less; they are 
  fitted with conventional chemical rockets and are typically used as landers or orbital shuttles. Few 
  have any endurance and they cannot reach other planets, (although some are able to reach a 
  moon or geostationary orbit). All small craft are fitted with cockpit control systems, standard 
  electronic sensor fits and Model/1 computers.  
   
  Most small craft are powered by chemical batteries (fuel cells); some are equipped with solar 
  panels. On-board space is at a premium, crew and passengers are confined to acceleration 
  couches, usually with some limited free movement during zero-G coasting. Fuel for Earth Union 
  vehicles is liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, but Luna, with its difficulty in obtaining hydrogen, 
  often builds small craft that are able to burn aluminium micro-particles in combination with 
  oxygen. All but the spaceplane are fitted with flare dampers (see Spacecraft Design). 
   
  Each   vehicle   has   a   number   of   ‘burns’   allocated   to   it   that   are   used   to   travel   within   a   planetary  
  system and its moons. Each major manoeuvre requires one burn. An orbit change or de-orbit burn 
  requires 1 burn, leaving orbit for a moon requires 1 burn as does decelerating to enter the orbit of 
  a moon or planet. Landers also require 1 burn for each ascent and one for each descent. Once 
  burns are used up, the vehicle requires refuelling. Leaving planetary orbit to travel out to another 
  planet in the solar system requires acceleration equal to 4 burns, and a following deceleration 
  equal to 4 burns. No orbital craft has the fuel reserves or motor powerful enough to do this. See 
  DSVs (later).  
   
  Earth Union operators use the names of the orbital vehicles; Lunar operators build almost identical 
  orbital vehicles, but prefer to use the letter designations given in parentheses. 
   
   
   
  
   
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  Orbital Vehicle 
  Tons 
  Cost (MCr) 
  Spider Light Lander 
  5 
  4.84 
  Palomino Heavy Lander 
  10 
  6.39 
  Skycrane Module Lander 
  10 
  6.64 
  Orion Transfer Pod 
  5 
  3.6 
  Long Beach Transfer Shuttle  
  20 
  6.76 
  Taurus Light Tug 
  10 
  11.80 
  Argus Heavy Tug 
  55 
  24.32 
  Star Sabre Interceptor 
  5 
  7.12 
  Spaceplane 
  40 
  16.58 
  Venus Dart 
  80 
  38.80 
     
   
  Spider Light Lander (LL): The Spider is a lander used as an excursion craft by some DSVs. A 
  lander is unstreamlined, and designed to drop from orbit to land passengers or cargo onto a moon 
  with atmosphere 0 or 1. It requires landing suspension and resembles the small Apollo LEM. Using 
  a 5-ton hull, the light lander is capable of 2 burns, carries 0.5 tons of fuel and has a crew of two.  
  It is fitted with landing suspension and chemical batteries 
  that provide 80 days of power. The craft can carry 1.17 tons 
  of cargo which can be customized instead to carry two 
  passenger couches. It costs MCr4.84. 
   
  Palomino Heavy Lander (HL): The Palomino is used to 
  ferry passengers to a world surface from a DSV, or to cross 
  from a Lagrange station to the Moon. Using a 10-ton hull, 
  the heavy lander is capable of 3 burns, carries 1.5 tons of 
  fuel and has a crew of two.  It is fitted with an airlock, 
  landing suspension and chemical batteries that provide 40 
  days of power. The craft has a 0.54 ton cargo bay and a 
  cabin large enough to hold 6 passenger couches.  The heavy 
  lander costs MCr6.39. 
   
  Skycrane Module Lander (ML): Using a 10-ton hull, this 
  vehicle can safely bring a standard 10 ton module out of 
  orbit and land it on a world surface for use in habitat 
  construction. It resembles the proposed US lander called 
  Altair and is capable of 2 burns, carries 2 tons of fuel and has 
  a crew of two. It is fitted with a docking ring that enables the 
  tug to carry a standard 10 ton module, as well as landing 
  suspension. Power for 80 days is provided by chemical 
  batteries. A cockpit provides accommodation for the two man crew, and 1.44 ton of cargo capacity 
  is provided for crew equipment. The module lander costs MCr 6.64.   
   
  Long Beach Transfer Shuttle (TS): This vehicle is unstreamlined and spends its life in low or 
  geostationary orbit. The Long Beach is a common orbital transporter, ferrying passengers from 
  DSV to stations or from stations to station. It could easily carry people from planetary orbit out to 
  the low orbit of a moon. What the Long Beach lacks is any landing or re-entry capability. Using a 
  20-ton hull, the transfer shuttle is capable of 4 burns, carries 4 tons of fuel and has a crew of 
  three (two pilots and a flight attendant). It is fitted with an airlock, solar panels as well as chemical 
  batteries that provide 80 days of power. The transfer shuttle has a 5.85 ton cargo bay and a cabin 
  large enough to hold 10 passenger couches. The transfer shuttle costs MCr6.76.   
   
  
   
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  Taurus Light Tug (LT): Cargo needs moving from one orbit to another, perhaps out to a moon. 
  Using a 10-ton hull, the light tug is capable of 4 burns, carries 4 tons of fuel and has a crew of 
  two. It is fitted with a docking ring that enables the tug to haul a standard 10 ton module to its 
  destination and power for 80 days is provided by chemical batteries. A cramped cockpit for the two 
  man crew is provided, and there is 1.34 ton of cargo capacity for crew equipment. The light tug 
  costs MCr11.80. 
   
  Argus Heavy Tug (HT):  Like the Taurus, the Argus is a cargo hauler, pulling versatile modules 
  out to higher orbits, moons or DSVs. Using a 55-ton hull, the heavy tug is capable of 4 burns, 
  carries 19 tons of fuel and has a crew of three (two pilots and a payload specialist). It is fitted with 
  a docking mounts that enable the tug to haul up to four standard 10 ton modules to its 
  destination. Power for 60 days is provided by chemical batteries. The cockpit provides cramped 
  accommodation for the three man crew, but the tug also has a dedicated rest cabin. In addition 
  there is 8.2 tons of cargo capacity, an airlock and a grappling arm for the manipulation of 
  modules. At the front of the tug is docked a 10-ton Skycrane module lander which is used to 
  deliver modules to a world surface. The Skycrane comes as standard with the Argus. The heavy 
  tug costs MCr24.32, without any attached modules. 
   
  Star Sabre Orbital Interceptor (OI): Military forces use the orbital interceptor as a high 
  velocity space fighter, burning into a high speed interception orbit to launch up to three volleys of 
  missiles at a target, then either returning to its launch platform, or dropping into a planetary 
  atmosphere for retrieval. Although typically launched from military space stations, interceptors 
  from Earth can also be launched atop rockets or hypersonic spaceplanes. Using a streamlined 5-
  ton hull, the orbital interceptor is capable of 3 burns, carries 1.5 tons of fuel and has a crew of 
  one. It is fitted with chemical batteries/fuel cells providing 40 days of power as well as a heat 
  shield and parachute system for atmospheric re-entry if required. The orbital interceptor is armed 
  with three forward-facing missile launchers, each carrying a single reload and controlled through a 
  Model/2 computer. The orbital interceptor costs MCr.7.12. 
   
  Shenlong Spaceplane (SS) – The Shenlong series of spaceplanes are streamlined cargo or 
  passenger liners capable of taking off from a runway on Earth on the back of a reusable winged 
  booster called the Tianlong and then returning to Earth as a glider. The manoeuvre drive of a 
  Shenlong is a SABRE synergistic air breathing rocket engine that accelerates the airliner to 
  hypersonic speeds. It can reach low Earth orbit, but not move beyond it. It resembles the Pan-Am 
  shuttle in 2001: A Space Odyssey, and  Rutan’s  SpaceShipOne concept. The spaceplane has 6 tons 
  of fuel, enough for 2 burns: one gets it into orbit, the other it uses to deorbit and begin its descent 
  into  Earth’s  atmosphere.  The  Shenlong  has  a  40  ton  hull  and  costs  MCr  16.58.  It  has  a  crew  of  4  
  and carries 30 passengers. 
   
  Orion Transfer Pod (TP): The Orion is a 
  ubiquitous orbital crew vehicle, a 5-man taxi cab 
  for transport between DSVs and stations, or 
  between stations. It includes re-entry capability 
  for emergencies. Using a 5-ton hull, the transfer 
  pod is capable of 3 burns, carries 0.75 tons of 
  fuel and has a crew of five (one pilot and four 
  passengers). It is fitted with batteries and solar 
  panels that provide pow for up to 40 days, and 
  has a re-entry capsule fitted with heat shield and 
  parachute system. The transfer pod is very 
  cramped, but does have a 0.41 ton cargo area. It 
  costs MCr 3.6. 
     
  
   
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  Venus Dart (VS):  Using an 80-ton hull, the Venus dart is a sleek and aerodynamic spaceplane 
  using rockets and ramjets to return to orbit. Unlike conventional spaceplane designs used on 
  Earth, the Venus lander does not touch down as an aeroplane. Instead, after atmospheric entry, 
  the lander deploys parachutes and retros to slow the descent enough that at an altitude of around 
  10,000m a hydrogen gas envelope is inflated and the dart becomes an airship, able to travel 
  through the Venus atmosphere and even descend to the planet's surface for a soft touchdown.  
   
  The gas envelope is an aerodynamic wedge in shape and the sleek dart fits snugly beneath it 
  within a form-fitting cavity. The cockpit, fitted with two acceleration couches, sits in an under 
  slung position to allow vision even when the balloon is inflated. When time comes for return to 
  orbit, the hydrogen pressure is lowered and the balloon and dart lifts off, climbing to an altitude of 
  25km. At this altitude the balloon is discarded and when the spaceplane drops rockets ignite and 
  as velocity and altitude suddenly increases, the ramjets open up and carry the dart into orbit with 
  a rendezvous with its parent craft. 
    
  The Venus dart cannot be reused until it is serviced and resupplied with a fresh hydrogen envelope 
  (12 tons, Cr50,000). The vehicle includes acceleration couches for 4 passengers and double 
  occupancy cabins for crew and passengers. A Model/1 computer is fitted along with an airlock, 
  retractable landing suspension and standard electronic sensors. Fuel cells provide power for 40 
  days. The cargo deck has a capacity of 10 tons. Cost MCr38.8.  
   
   
   
   
  LAUNCH VEHICLES 
   
  Getting cargo and passengers off the surface and into orbit takes a huge amount of energy, 
  particularly when launching from a large world like Earth, Mars or Venus. Even moons require 
  some launching capability beyond simple landers if they are to move a large volume of people and 
  freight off world. Multi-stage rockets have always worked and are still very popular. On Mars and 
  Earth the discarded stages of these rockets are typically recovered by parachute and reused 
  (reducing the cost of the rocket for the next launch by 50%). The cost is still enormous, however.   
   
  Cascadian Rock Hopper 
  Using a home-made 60 ton hull, the Cascadian rock hopper is a self-sustaining colony vehicle, home to a 
  family of up to five. The rock hopper allows colonists to live a nomadic existence, moving from asteroid to 
  asteroid as needed. The vehicle is fitted with recycled chemical rockets and draws power for 20 days from 
  recycled chemical batteries (fuel cells). Fuel tankage provides 2 burns. The cockpit holds a pilot and co-
  pilot and is fitted with standard sensors and a Model/1 computer. A fuel processor can turn ice that is 
  extracted by 5 tons of mining drones, into fuel, water or oxygen.  There is a single airlock.  
   
  Modules attached to the rock hopper include a 20 ton transhab, a micro-smelter module and an agri-
  module (capable of sustaining five people indefinitely). Landing suspension allows touch down and 
  tethering onto an asteroid. So much is squeezed into a rock hopper that cargo capacity is limited to just 
  5.61 tons, with the result that supplies and spare parts are packed into rec areas, corridors, overheads 
  and staterooms.  
   
  Using recycled drives and second-hand TL 8 components purchased at 1/10 price, the rock hopper can be 
  manufactured for around MCr 2-4 in about a year. Typically, several families will pool their abilities and 
  resources to build a number of rock hoppers at the same time. Cascadians will then set off in small 
  groups, the rock hoppers travelling together to provide assistance and back-up for one another should 
  disaster strike one of the vehicles.  
   
  
   
  97 | P a g e  
   
  Two other launch methods have been introduced, the mass driver orbital catapult and the high-
  energy laser lift vehicle (HELL-V). The mass driver is used on Earth, Mars and Luna, though 
  prohibitive set-up costs have limited the numbers so far built.  HELL-Vs have proven cost effective 
  but again require immense set-up costs and have an upper limit on their size.  
   
  Mass Driver Catapult 
  The mass driver catapult is a giant coilgun that 
  accelerates a cargo sled to escape velocity 
  speed 
  via 
  electro-magnetic 
  induction 
  of 
  superconducting coils along a tunnel. The 
  tunnel has to be very long and is depressurized 
  to vacuum to eliminate drag. The coils are 
  arranged along and around the tunnel and are 
  switched on and off in sequence, causing the 
  projectile to be accelerated along the vacuum 
  tunnel.  
   
  There are two mass drivers on Earth. Their 
  tunnels are both longer than 150 km in length 
  and include a plasma window preventing 
  vacuum loss when the large shutters open at 
  the  ‘barrel-end’.  Both the catapults exit on the 
  upper slopes of a mountain peak at a minimum 
  of 5,000 metres altitude. The aerodynamic sled leaves the tunnel at 9 km per second and initiates 
  a rocket motor burn that accelerates it to escape velocity. All the tunnels face east, for an extra 
  kick of velocity. Each cargo sled  is a 14-ton cargo craft, with a 4.5 metres diameter and 12.5 
  metres length, reaches LEO then opens its cargo doors to release a 10-ton cargo module, before 
  initiating a deorbit burn and gliding back to the mass driver centre to land on its runway.  
   
  The two mass drivers are located at the Carl Friedrich Gauss Mass Drive Centre (Mount Kinabalu, 
  east of Bandar Seri Begawan, capital of Brunei) and the East African Space Launch Facility (Mount 
  Kenya, north of Nairobi in Kenya). No more will be built due to the sheer difficulty of finding a 
  suitable site with the correct orientation, elevation and crustal stability. 
   
  High Energy Laser Lift 
  A high energy laser lift vehicle (HELL-V) is a surface-to-orbit craft that carries only a fraction of the 
  fuel needed by a multi-stage rocket of the same size. Energy is provided by a megawatt laser at 
  the launch facility which targets a parabolic reflector on the underside of the vehicle. This 
  concentrates the laser energy to produce a region of super-heated air that expands violently, 
  producing thrust with each pulse of laser light. As it reaches the upper atmosphere where there is 
  very little air, the vehicle jettisons the mirror assembly and pumps liquid hydrogen fuel into the 
  exposed combustion chamber. The laser continues to target the base of the vehicle, turning the 
  hydrogen into highly energetic plasma which propels the HELL-V into low Earth orbit.  
   
  There are several drawbacks. The HELL ground stations are very expensive to establish, lasers 
  must be careful not to strike other orbital craft, and there is an upper limit to the size of the 
  vehicle, equivalent to a medium multi-stage rocket. The vehicles are more conical in shape than 
  conventional rockets to maximise the available base area the laser can target. There are four HELL 
  facilities on Earth that are launching 24 hours a day: the Myrabo Launch Centre at Macapa, Brazil; 
  the Muzner-Zubrin spaceport in Arizona; Spaceport America in New Mexico; the Woomera Laser 
  Lift Complex in Australia and Lanyu Island Spaceport off the coast of Taiwan. 
  Voroncovo Coil Sled 
  Using an aerodynamic and heat-shielded 14 ton 
  hull the Coil Sled is accelerated to high altitude by 
  magnetic induction coils. At the edge of the 
  atmosphere the sled initiates a rocket burn to put 
  itself in orbit before releasing its payload and 
  gliding to Earth. It has reaction drive-sA and 
  chemical powerplant-sA with 0.75 ton of rocket 
  fuel and 0.020 ton of powerplant fuel, this 
  provides two burns and 3 hours of electrical 
  power. It is fitted with an automated cockpit and 
  Model/1 computer. Folding aerofins are integral to 
  the design for the glide stage and parachutes are 
  included to slow the glider once it has touched 
  down. The payload bay holds a single 10 ton 
  module, but cargos loaded must be able to 
  withstand accelerations of 20G. Cost is MCr 9.81.  
   
  
   
  98 | P a g e  
   
   
  Multi-Stage Rockets 
  Chemical rockets are still the primary method of reaching orbit from Mars, Titan and Earth. With 
  small payloads, thirsty rocket motors and cavernous fuel tanks, these launch vehicles would be 
  familiar to anyone working in the rocket industry in the 21st century. 
   
  Light Launch Vehicle (LLV): Using a 50 ton multi-stage hull the LLV has a 4G reaction drive 
  (type sK) and 41 tons of fuel for 15 minutes of flight. A chemical powerplant (type sC) provides 
  electrical power for up to 3 hours. A Model/1 computer and standard electronics are fitted. The 
  LLV can lift 4.2 tons into low orbit. The LLV is suitable for launching satellites. Cost: MCr 10.78. 
  Modern comparisons include the Vega, Rokot and the Long March 2.  
   
  Medium Launch Vehicle (MLV): Using a 70 ton multi-stage hull the MLV has a 4G reaction 
  drive (type sM) and 57.4 tons of fuel for 15 minutes of flight. A chemical powerplant (type sD) 
  provides electrical power for up to 3 hours. A Model/1 computer and standard electronics are 
  fitted. The MLV can lift 7 tons into low orbit. The MLV is suitable for launching a large satellite, 
  interceptor or Orion vehicle. Cost: MCr 12.5. Modern comparisons include the Delta II, Long March 
  4, the Soyuz FG and the Zenit 3.    
   
  Heavy Launch Vehicle (HLV): Using a 100 ton multi-stage hull the HLV has a 4G reaction drive 
  (type sR) and 82 tons of fuel for 15 minutes of flight. A chemical powerplant (type sE) provides 
  electrical power for up to 3 hours. A Model/1 computer and standard electronics are fitted. The 
  HLV can lift 11.1 tons into low orbit. The HLV is suitable for launching both a lander and Orion 
  together or a single 10 ton module. Cost: MCr 15.33. Modern comparisons include the Angara A5, 
  the Ariane 5, Titan III, Atlas V, Long March 3 and Delta IV.  
   
  Very Heavy Launch Vehicle (VHLV): Using a 500 ton multi-stage hull the VHLV has a 4G 
  reaction drive (5 clustered type sRs) and 410 tons of fuel for 15 minutes of flight. A chemical 
  powerplant (5 clustered type sEs) provides electrical power for up to 3 hours. A Model/1 computer 
  and standard electronics are fitted. The VHLV can lift 57.5 tons into low orbit. The VHLV is suitable 
  for launching either large components required for space station construction or sections of DSVs. 
  Cost: MCr 76.13. Modern comparisons include the proposed Space Launch System, the Saturn V 
  and the Falcon Heavy.  
   
  Payload figures listed are for insertion into low Earth orbit. To launch from Mars or Titan refer to 
  the following table.  
   
  Launch 
  Origin 
  LLV 
  Payload 
  MLV 
  Payload 
  HLV 
  Payload 
  VHLV 
  Payload 
  Titan  
  22.65 
  32.83 
  48 
  184.5 
  Mars  
  20.6 
  30 
  43.9 
  221,5 
  Earth 
  4.2 
  7 
  11.1 
  57.5 
   
   
  These payload figures are only for 
  launching into low orbit. To launch 
  to a geosynchronous orbit or 
  reach an escape velocity, then 
  more fuel is required which will 
  reduce 
  the 
  effective 
  payload. 
  Reduce payload to 30% of its 
  stated size.  
  Aerodyne Griffin 
  While many HELL-Vs mass between 10-20 tons, the largest is the 50 ton Aerodyne Griffin. This 
  streamlined vehicle has a chemical powerplant-sC with 2.5 tons of fuel to provide up to 3 hours of 
  electrical power. There is hydrogen fuel tankage of 26.7 tons as well as an automated cockpit, a 
  Model/1 computer and a 2.85 ton jettisonable mirror assembly. A 2.5 ton heat-resistant combustion 
  chamber protects the cryogenic fuel from the incoming megawatt laser energy. The Griffin can lift 10.95 
  tons into low orbit, typically a single module. Cost of a Griffin is MCr 4.53. 
  
   
  99 | P a g e  
   
  DEEP SPACE VEHICLES 
   
  Designations 
  As stipulated by the FSC59 regulations, manufacturers of DSVs are obliged to designate them 
  according to an agreed system. This is counter to the method used by modern civilian airliner 
  manufacturers, and more akin to the way in which the Canadian and US air forces refer to their 
  aircraft.  
   
  DSVs are given a type name and a letter code that relates to their primary function (M for mining, 
  for example). They can then be referred to not just as a DSV (Deep Space Vehicle), but also as the 
  more mission-specific DMV (Deep Space Mining Vehicle). The big manufacturers are Aerodyne, 
  Tharsis Heavy Industries, Matsuyama, Reiner-Gama, Voroncovo and Wu-Ketai. Each has their own 
  preferences for naming the types of vehicles they produce. Individual DSVs are often given a 
  unique name by the company or crew using them, and again these space lines and shipping 
  companies may have their own naming preferences.   
   
  Code Mission 
   
  Code Mission 
   
  Code Mission 
  A 
   
   J 
   
   S 
   
  B 
   
   K 
  Construction/Repair/ 
  Salvage 
   T 
  Module 
  Transporter 
  C 
  Cargo Transport 
   L 
  Cold Sleep Transport 
   U 
   
  D 
   
   M 
  Mining 
   V 
   
  E 
  Executive 
   N 
   
   W 
   
  F 
  Fueller 
   O 
  Colony Transport 
   X 
   
  G 
   
   P 
  Passenger Liner 
   Y 
   
  H 
  Rescue/Medical 
   Q 
   
   Z 
   
  I 
   
   R 
  Research & Science 
    
   
   
  eg. Wu-Ketai Messenger DCV, Reiner-Gama Horizon DRV, etc.  
   
   
  "You will address me as Sir or Captain," the captain interrupted. "The computers do most of the 
  brainwork aboard ship, but you will still have to learn astrogation, logistics, communications, 
  propulsion, and life support. If you goof off or prove too stupid to master these subjects I'll sell 
  you off to the first work gang on the first rock we rendezvous with. Is that clear?" 
  Captain  Farad,  Ben  Bova’s  Mercury 
   
  Transport Craft 
   
  Tharsis Industries DCV Electra 
  Using a 200-ton hull, the Electra is an elementary interplanetary cargo vehicle plying the space 
  lanes carrying cargo and passengers. It has nuclear thermal rocket-A and power-plant-A giving a 
  delta-V of 50 km/s. Fuel tankage of 40 tons allows for two trips at full thrust. There are no fuel 
  processors, but the Electra includes a flare damper. Adjacent to the bridge is a Model/1 computer 
  and a standard sensor suite. There are three double-cabins for the crew, three double-cabins for 
  passengers and 20 cryogenic low berth units. The Electra has three spin pylons that keep all 
  cabins and low berths in gravity. A Palomino heavy lander is used to ferry passengers to world 
  surfaces. Cargo capacity is 84 tons.  
       The Electra requires a crew of six: pilot-commander, navigator, engineer, medic, steward and 
  payload specialist. The vehicle costs MCr 45.67 and takes 12 months to build.  
   
  
   
  100 | P a g e  
   
  Wu-Ketai DCV Messenger 
  Using a 300 ton hull, the Messenger is a fast cargo courier making runs to all of the major planets. 
  It has nuclear thermal rocket-F and powerplant-F, and a fuel tankage of 120 tons, which provides 
  a delta-V of 95 km/s.  Adjacent to the bridge is a Model/1 computer and a suite of standard 
  electronics. Mounted on two spin capsules are 3 staterooms and a solar storm shelter. There are 
  no emergency low berths. A flare damper is fitted, and the Messenger also carries a Palomino 
  heavy lander. Cargo capacity is 58 tons.  
       The Messenger has a crew of six: command-pilot, navigator, two engineers, medic and payload 
  specialist. The vehicle costs MCr178.13 and takes 14 months to build.  
   
  Aerodyne DTV Trojan 
  Using a self-sealing 300-ton hull the Trojan is a tug designed to ferry 10-ton modules out to the 
  planets for use as space stations or surface habitats. It has nuclear thermal rocket-E and 
  powerplant-E providing a performance of 80 km/s. Fuel tankage of 90 tons allows for a single trip 
  at full thrust. Adjacent to the compact bridge is a Model/1 computer and a standard suite of 
  avionic sensors. There is a single cabin for the commander and three double cabins for the rest of 
  the crew, two passenger low berths are fitted, as well as two emergency low berths for emergency 
  use. The Trojan is fitted with a grappling arm for module manipulation, eight docking clamps 
  arrayed in a circle for the attachment of 8 modules (not included), a flare damper and a Skycrane 
  module lander. The latter is used to transport individual modules down to a moon's surface. A spin 
  habitat houses all cabins and some rec facilities. The Trojan has a 10 ton cargo bay for supplies.  
      The Trojan requires a crew of seven: command-pilot, co-pilot, navigator, chief engineer and 
  assistant, a medic and a payload specialist. The vehicle can carry 2 passengers in cryogenic 
  suspension. It costs MCr 158.05 and takes 14 months to build. 
   
  Wu-Ketai DCV Wayfarer 
  Using a 400 ton hull, the Wayfarer is a cargo carrier making runs to all of the major planets. It has 
  nuclear thermal rocket-D and powerplant-D, and a fuel tankage of 80 tons, which provides a delta-
  V of 65 km/s.  Adjacent to the bridge is a Model/1 computer and a suite of standard electronics. 
  Mounted on two spin capsules are 4 staterooms, 2 emergency low berths and a solar storm 
  shelter. Other features of the spacecraft include a flare damper and an 8 ton workshop, a 
  hydroponic garden, four standard module clamps (with a capacity a carry four 10 ton modules), a 
  grappling  arm  and  a  Palomino  heavy  lander.  Dominating  the  Wayfarer’s  hull  is  the  cavernous  156  
  ton cargo bay.  
       The Wayfarer has a crew of seven: command-pilot, two co-pilots, navigator, engineer, medic 
  and payload specialist. There is capacity to carry an additional crew-member. One of the pilots 
  operates the lander. The vehicle costs MCr135.45 and takes 16 months to build. 
   
  Matsuyama DPV Swiftliner 
  Using a 600 ton hull, the Swiftliner is a passenger and freight carrier committed to long-haul 
  routes between high population centres. It has reaction drive-J and powerplant-J, giving a delta-V 
  of 80 km/s. Fuel tankage of 180 tons allows for a single trip at full thrust. A flare damper is fitted. 
  Adjacent to the bridge is a Model/2 computer and a suite of standard sensors. There are four 
  double-cabins for the crew and a single cabin for the commander, 20 cryogenic sleep berths, 16 
  single occupancy cabins for first class passengers, and 11 double-cabins for economy class 
  passengers. The Swiftliner has a large centrifuge ring housing all cabins, low berths and 10 tons of 
  luxury lounges and facilities. The vehicle has three hardpoints and three tons set aside for fire 
  control, no turrets or weapons are installed. A 20-ton Long Beach transfer shuttle is used as an 
  orbital transport, able to ferry passengers and freight to stations or other vehicles. Cargo capacity 
  is 100 tons.   
      The Swiftliner requires a crew of nine: command-pilot, co-pilot, navigator, chief flight engineer, 
  two assistant engineers, chief steward and assistant, and a medic. The vehicle can carry 16 high 
  
   
  101 | P a g e  
   
  class, 22 middle class and 20 low berth passengers. It costs MCr 311.01 and takes 24 months to 
  build.  
   
  Reiner-Gamma DCV Nova 
  Using a 600 ton hull, the Nova is a multi-mission transporter, capable of carrying passengers, 
  freight and modules. This makes the Nova a very versatile DSV. It has nuclear thermal rocket-F 
  and powerplant-F, and a fuel tankage of 120 tons, which provides a delta-V of 65 km/s.  Adjacent 
  to the compact and crowded little bridge is a Model/2 computer and a suite of basic civillian 
  electronics. Mounted on two spin capsules are 16 staterooms, 5 emergency low berths, 20 
  passenger low berths, medlab and a solar storm shelter. There are two double turrets fitted, both 
  with twin counter-measures launchers. Other features of the spacecraft include a flare damper and 
  a 12 ton workshop, two docking clamps, each rated for a 50 ton module cluster and a grappling 
  arm used to manipulate the module clusters. Carried craft include a Palomino heavy lander for 
  passenger transfer and a Skycrane module lander used to ferry individual modules down to moon 
  surfaces if needed.  An additional 9 tons of fuel is held in reserve in order to refuel these vehicles. 
  Total cargo capacity for the Nova is a 130 ton cargo bay as well as 100 tons of modules.  
       The Nova requires a crew of ten: command-pilot, two co-pilots, navigator, chief engineer, 
  assistant engineer, medic, steward and two payload specialists. There are cabins for 10 
  passengers and low berths for 20 carried in cryogenic suspension. The vehicle costs MCr251.07 
  and takes 24 months to build. 
   
  Reiner-Gamma DCV Corona 
  Using a 600 ton hull, the Corona is a module transporter, an inter-planetary container-ship that 
  can ship 30 modules to multiple destinations. It has nuclear thermal rocket-F and powerplant-F, 
  and a fuel tankage of 120 tons, which provides a delta-V of 65 km/s.  Adjacent to the compact and 
  crowded bridge is a Model/2 computer and a suite of standard electronics. Mounted on two spin 
  capsules are 6 staterooms. Other features of the spacecraft include a flare damper, six docking 
  clamps, each rated for a 50 ton module cluster and a grappling arm used to manipulate the 
  module clusters. There are two Skycranes carried as auxiliary craft, used to carry individual 
  modules  down  to  a  moon’s  surface.    Total  cargo  capacity  for  the  Corona  is  a  13  ton  cargo  bay  as  
  well as 300 tons of modules.  
       The Corona requires a crew of ten: command-pilot, co-pilot, navigator, chief engineer, 
  assistant engineer, medic, two lander pilots and two payload specialists. The vehicle costs 
  MCr231.65 and takes 24 months to build. 
   
  Mining Craft 
   
  Aerodyne DMV Viking   
  Using a 200 ton, self-sealing hull the Viking is a small mining exploration vehicle, capable of long-
  term prospecting missions. It has nuclear thermal rocket-A and powerplant-A, and a fuel tankage 
  of 20 tons, which provides a delta-V of 50 km/s.  Adjacent to the bridge is a Model/1 computer 
  and a suite of standard electronics. Mounted on two spin capsules are 2 staterooms and one 
  emergency low berth. Other features of the spacecraft include a flare damper, a 1 ton fuel 
  processor, mining drones and a single mining laser. The Viking is fitted with landing gear for 
  touch-down on asteroids and carries a 10 ton Palomino heavy lander. A 19 ton cargo bay holds 
  supplies, parts and equipment, while an 80 ton ore bay carries minerals excavated by the mining 
  drones.  
       The Viking has a crew of 4: command-pilot, navigator, engineer and mining specialist. The 
  vehicle costs MCr75.28 and takes 12 months to build.  
   
   
   
  
   
  102 | P a g e  
   
  Wu-Ketai DMV Shanghai II 
  Using a 600 ton hull the Shanghai mining derrick targets previously identified asteroids with high 
  metal contents to set up drilling operations. It can mine iron-nickel and carbonaceous asteroids as 
  well as comets and ice balls. These last targets are mined for water ice which can be pumped 
  through a fuel processor to be turned into liquid hydrogen fuel. The Shanghai is built around a 
  power drill assembly, above which are mine operations areas, the rig is topped with an 
  accommodation and control section. Huge landing pylons with piton drills used to anchor the rig to 
  the asteroid surround the drill assembly and give the vehicle the appearance of a small Earth-side 
  oil platform. Flood-lights above the legs illuminate the drill site. The Shanghai has a nuclear 
  thermal rocket-C and fission power plant-F and a fuel tankage of 60 tons of liquid hydrogen which 
  provides a delta-V of 50 km/s. Adjacent to the bridge is a Model/1 computer and a suite of 
  standard electronics. There are 4 single and 17 double staterooms, two low berths used for 
  medical emergencies and no provision made for the areas of artificial spin gravity. The main 
  feature of the derrick is its six landing legs. At the centre of these gigantic pylons is the 80 ton drill 
  assembly, complete with its own 10 ton drill control centre. The ore bay holds 150 tons of 
  extracted material,  which  typically  is  first  refined  in  the  Shanghai’s  own  25  ton  smelter. A 2 ton 
  fuel processor, a 6 ton workshop and a 4 ton geology lab are all adjacent to the drill control room. 
  Other features of the rig include a flare damper, a Palomino heavy lander with a 3 ton liquid 
  hydrogen/liquid oxygen reserve tank used to refill the lander. General cargo capacity is 26 tons.  
       The Shanghai has a crew of 36: commander-pilot, operations manager, 3 admin staff, co-pilot, 
  navigator, chief engineer, 2 assistant engineers, doctor, drill supervisor, 11 drill hands, 6 smelter 
  operators, 6 mining technicians and a lander pilot. There is a spare double stateroom for extra 
  crew/company officials. The rig costs MCr 276.82 and takes 20 months to build.  
   
  Military Craft 
   
  Wu-Ketai Spartan 
  Using a self-sealing and laser reflective 400 ton hull, the Spartan is an Earth Union military patrol 
  and customs vehicle, responding to threats, combatting terror, piracy and smuggling. It also 
  carries out search and rescue operations. It has reaction drive-H and powerplant-H giving a delta-
  V of 95 km/s. Fuel tankage of 160 tons allows for one trip at full thrust. Adjacent to the bridge is a 
  Model/3 computer and a basic military sensor suite. There are 3 single cabins for commander, his 
  executive officer and the troop commander, and 9 double-cabins for the rest of the crew. There is 
  a bay for 5 military probe drones as well as a flare damper. The Spartan has a centrifuge, spinning 
  the cabin accommodation. The vehicle has four hardpoints each fitted with triple turrets, two of 
  these turrets are pulse lasers, and two are SRAM missile launchers. The Spartan is equipped with a 
  20-ton Long Beach transfer shuttle used to ferry crew to habitats, or send boarding parties over to 
  suspect spacecraft. Cargo capacity is 6 tons. The hull is armoured (4 pts.) with titanium-steel 
  composite.   
      The Spartan requires a crew of twenty: commander, executive officer, pilot and co-pilot, 
  navigator, chief engineer, 2 assistant engineers, chief weapons operator and 4 weapons operators 
  and a medic. Eight boarding troops are also carried. The vehicle costs MCr 333.91 and takes 16 
  months to build. 
   
  Reiner-Gamma Constellation 
  Using a laser reflective, stealth-capable 500 ton hull, the Constellation is a Luna strike vehicle 
  designed to hit a space station or DSV hard with AKVs and railguns. It has reaction drive-H and 
  powerplant-H giving a delta-V of 80 km/s. Fuel tankage of 150 tons allows for one trip at full 
  thrust. Adjacent to the bridge is a Model/3 computer and a basic military sensor suite. There are 5 
  single cabins for commander, his executive officer, chief engineer, tactical officer and the troop 
  commander, and twelve double-cabins for the rest of the crew. There are two spare cabins for 
  additional personnel or passengers. A flare damper and a 6 ton workshop are fitted along with a 
  
   
  103 | P a g e  
   
  dedicated medlab and 33 low berths. The Constellation has a centrifuge, spinning the cabin 
  accommodation. The vehicle has five hardpoints one fitted with an AKV barbette and 4 AKVs, two 
  fitted with railgun barbettes (each with 1 ton of railgun ammo, 20 shots per gun), one fitted with a 
  triple turret of SRAM missile launchers and the fifth fitted with dual beam lasers and a CM 
  launcher. The Constellation is equipped with a 20-ton Long Beach transfer shuttle used to ferry 
  crew to habitats, or send boarding parties over to suspect spacecraft. Cargo capacity is 15 tons. 
  The hull is armoured (4 pts.) with titanium-steel composite.   
      The Constellation requires a crew of twenty-nine: command-pilot, executive officer, two co-
  pilots, navigator, chief engineer, 3 assistant engineers, tactical officer and four weapons operators, 
  a medic, three electronics technicians, logistics specialist, a marine sergeant and eight marines. 
  The vehicle costs MCr 385.11 and takes 18 months to build. 
   
  Tharsis Space Systems Interdictor 
  Using a stealth-coated and laser reflective 200 ton hull, the Interdictor is a military patrol and 
  rescue vehicle, responding to distress calls or intercepting suspicious vehicles in Martian space. It 
  has reaction drive-D and powerplant-D giving a delta-V of 95 km/s. Fuel tankage of 80 tons allows 
  for one trip at full thrust. Adjacent to the bridge is a Model/2 computer and a basic civilian sensor 
  suite   (‘).   The   commander and his executive officer both have single staterooms; there are 3 
  double staterooms for the rest of the crew and a spare stateroom for two rescue victims. A flare 
  damper is fitted. The Eris has no spin gravity, but is fitted with a storm shelter and 18 low berths, 
  8 for the crew and 10 for rescue victims.  The Interdictor has two hardpoints, one holds a single-
  mount particle accelerator weapon, the other is fitted with a triple turret, mounted with a single 
  CM launcher and two SRAM missile launchers. The Interdictor is equipped with a 5-ton Orion 
  transfer pod used to ferry crew to habitats or investigate disabled spacecraft. Cargo capacity is 13 
  tons. The hull is not armoured.   
       The Interdictor requires a crew of eight: command-pilot, executive officer, co-pilot, navigator, 
  flight engineer, two weapons operators and a medic. The vehicle costs MCr 169.5 and takes 12 
  months to build. 
   
   
  Support Craft 
   
  Voroncovo  DKV Starlifter   
  Using a 600 ton, self-sealing hull the Starlifter is a salvage craft, a big lifter, repair and 
  construction tug. It has nuclear thermal rocket-K and powerplant-K and a fuel tankage of 180 
  tons, which provides a delta-V of 80 km/s.  Adjacent to the bridge is a Model/2 computer and a 
  suite of standard electronics. Mounted on a rotating ring, around the main body of the spacecraft, 
  are 17 staterooms, four storm shelters, eight emergency low berths and a dedicated medlab. 
  Other features of the spacecraft include a flare damper, a 6 ton workshop, repair drones, two 
  grappling arms, an extendable airlock and an 80 ton internal maintenance hanger. Docking clamps 
  are fitted that allow the Starlifter to pull any other vehicle (up to 1400 tons) through space, 
  although this reduces the effective velocity of the two vehicles.    
       This powerful salvage tug carries a 20 ton Long Beach shuttle as well as two Orion transfer 
  pods. They are routinely used by maintenance crews during a salvage job. A 20 ton cargo bay 
  holds supplies for the crew, parts and equipment are carried within the workshop or maintenance 
  hanger.  
       The Starlifter has a crew of twenty-four: command-pilot, two co-pilots, two navigators, chief 
  engineer, two assistant engineers, medic, logistics specialist, technical operations manager, 
  assistant operations manager and twelve technicians. There are four spare cabins capable of 
  carrying eight additional crew, company representatives or non-paying passengers. The vehicle 
  costs MCr370.03 and takes 24 months to build.  
   
   
  
   
  104 | P a g e  
   
  Reiner-Gama DKV Proton 
  Using a self-sealing 100 ton hull the Proton is a small salvage and repair vehicle operated by a 
  crew of between 2 and 4. It has nuclear thermal rocket-A and powerplant-A and a fuel tankage of 
  20 tons, which provides a delta-V of 65 km/s. Adjacent to the bridge is a Model/1 computer and a 
  suite of standard electronics. A flare damper is fitted along with a fuel processor and 5 tons of 
  mining drones (giving 50% of the standard mining capability). The drones are used to mine ice to 
  replenish   the   Proton’s   hydrogen   fuel   tanks.   Landing   legs   allow   the   vehicle   to   touch   down   on  
  asteroids and moons. Also installed are repair drones and a grappling arm for retrieving objects in 
  space without the crew resorting to an EVA. The cargo bay is quite large for a vehicle of this size, 
  with doors that open up and expose the entire bay to space allowing the grappling arm to place 
  objects inside. There are no auxiliary vehicles carried. Spin habitats house two double staterooms 
  and six low berths.  
   
  The Proton has a crew of up to four: command-pilot, co-pilot, navigator and engineer, 
  though some crews function with only an engineer and pilot. The vehicle costs MCr 43.45 and 
  takes 10 months to build.  
   
  Private Craft 
   
  Matsuyama DEV Sunrise 
  Using a 200 ton, self-sealing hull, the Sunrise is a luxury executive craft for the transport of 
  corporate, government or independently wealthy individuals and their aides to the furthest reaches 
  of the solar system. It has nuclear thermal rocket-C and powerplant-C, and a fuel tankage of 60 
  tons, which provides a delta-V of 80 km/s.  The bridge is detachable and as a one-use lifeboat can 
  make a safe re-entry and landing. It is equipped with a Model/1 computer and a basic civillian 
  suite of electronics. Mounted on a double-wheel centrifuge are 10 standard staterooms, 4 
  emergency low berths and two double sized stateroom suites (both fitted out to luxury quality). 
  Other features of the spacecraft include a flare damper and an 8 ton hydroponic garden, repair 
  drones and a 6 ton luxury zero-G lounge. Cargo capacity is 8 tons.    
       The Sunrise has a crew of seven: command-pilot, two co-pilots, navigator, engineer, medic and 
  two stewards. Up to four passengers can occupy the two luxury suites, while an additional two 
  passengers can occupy a standard stateroom each. The vehicle costs MCr108.78 and takes 12 
  months to build.  
   
  Exploration Craft 
   
  Reiner Gama DRV Horizon 
  Using a 100 ton self-sealing hull, the Horizon is a light scientific research and reconnaissance craft. 
  It has nuclear thermal rocket-A and powerplant-A giving a delta-V of 65 km/s. Fuel tankage of 40 
  tons allows for two trips at full thrust, and 1 ton of fuel processors is fitted. Adjacent to the bridge 
  is a Model/1 computer and a basic civilian sensor suite. There are two double-cabins for the crew, 
  a laboratory, and a 4-man emergency low berth unit for emergency situations. The Horizon has no 
  spin capability; all interior areas are in zero-G. The vehicle has a single hardpoint with a double 
  turret fitted. No weapons are installed. There are 5 science probes on-board with a launching 
  station, as well as 5 tons of mining drones, used to bring ice aboard for fuel reprocessing. Carried 
  craft includes a small 5 ton Spider light lander used for surface missions. Cargo capacity is 4 tons. 
  The craft includes a flare damper. 
      The Horizon requires a crew of four: pilot-commander, navigator, engineer and science 
  specialist. The vehicle costs MCr 39.16 and takes 10 months to build.  
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  Voroncovo DRV Sirius  
  Using a self-sealing 400 ton hull the Sirius is a mobile laboratory used for scientific analysis and 
  investigation. It has nuclear thermal rocket-D and powerplant-D that produces a performance of 
  65 km/s. Fuel tankage of 80 tons allows for a single trip at full thrust. Adjacent to the bridge is a 
  Model/1 computer and a suite of basic civilian sensors. The bridge is hardened and doubles as a 
  storm shelter for all the flight crew.  There are six single cabins for the crew, 20 low berths, and 
  14 single occupancy cabins for the science personnel. The hull of the Sirius is a single rotating 
  ring, with only two auxiliary craft (both 10 ton Palomino landers) and their mounting in zero-G. It 
  has 62 tons of configurable lab space, a flare damper, 15 probe drones, mining drones used to 
  refuel from ice deposits and fuel processors. The vehicle has no hardpoints or weaponry installed. 
  Cargo capacity is 23 tons.  
      The Sirius requires a crew of six: command-pilot, co-pilot, navigator, a chief engineer and 
  assistant, and a medic. The vehicle can carry 14 science personnel. It costs MCr 175.06 and takes 
  16 months to build. 
   
  Wu-Ketai DRV Surveyor 
  Using a 400 ton self-sealing hull, the Surveyor is a deep space exploration and research craft. It 
  has a nuclear thermal rocket-F and powerplant-F giving a delta-V of 80 km/s. Fuel tankage of 120 
  tons allows for a single full thrust voyage. One ton of fuel processors and a flare damper are fitted. 
  Adjacent to the bridge is a Model/2 computer and a basic civilian sensor suite. There are twelve 
  double cabins for the crew, a single cabin for the command-pilot as well as an 8 ton workshop and 
  10 tons of mining drones used to bring ice aboard for fuel reprocessing. There are repair drones, 
  10 probe drones and a 12 ton hydroponic garden which cuts crew life support requirements by a 
  ¼. The Surveyor includes a medlab, four laboratories and storm shelters and six emergency low 
  berths for emergency situations. Its carried craft are two 5 ton Spider light landers used for 
  surface missions, an Orion transfer pod and a Palomino heavy lander. Staterooms, medlab and 
  storm shelters are all mounted on spin capsules to provide artificial gravity. Cargo capacity is 22 
  tons. 
      The Surveyor requires a crew of thirteen: pilot-commander, two co-pilots, two navigators, a 
  chief engineer, two assistant engineers, a medic, two lander pilots and up to 10 scientists. The 
  vehicle costs MCr 237.13 and takes 10 months to build. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Voroncovo Kronos III Refining Drone 
  Using a 100 ton streamlined hull with heat-shielding, the Kronos refining drone is intended for free-fall 
  descent into the Saturnian atmosphere where it deploys balloons and spends fourteen and a half days 
  processing helium-3 from the native gases. It then ignites its NTR motor for an orbital insertion.  The 
  drone has a type B NTR producing 4G thrust and  tankage for 40 tons of liquid hydrogen fuel. It enters the 
  atmosphere with fuel tanks empty, topping up its hydrogen tank on-site. A type B fission reactor provides 
  power for control systems and the atmosphere processor. The Kronos probe is equipped with an 
  automated control section controlled by a Model/1 computer, and uses a standard electronics sensor suite. 
  Balloons and parachutes take up 12 tons, the atmospheric processer takes up an additional 4 tons; the 
  rest of the payload (5 ton) is devoted to helium-3 tankage. It takes the Kronos refiner fourteen and a half 
  days to process 5 tons of helium-3 as well as the 40 tons of liquid hydrogen it requires for orbital insertion. 
  The drone costs MCr 58.03 and takes 10 months to build, it has no crew or life support.    
  
   
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  MODULES & SPACE STATIONS 
   
  Large cargo ships may carry attached cargo modules and like the maritime cargo containers of 
  today, they can be transferred to other vehicles for transport further along the logistics chain. 
  More than that, these 10 ton modules can be docked together to form small space stations (orbital 
  module platforms, or OMPs), or even landed on a moon to create a base of interconnected 
  modules. Our International Space Station is a TL 7 platform of around 100 tons in total. Each 
  module is a cylinder, 4.5m wide and 9m long, with docking adaptors at either end. Based on the 
  particulars of their use, some have integral solar panels, some include EVA-rated airlocks (see 
  below). Modern equivalents are the Zvezda, Kibo and Columbus modules of the ISS.  
   
  Orbital Module Platforms 
  OMPs are non-gravity stations, designed for research or manufacturing. The average platform is 
  made up of five to ten modular sections, perhaps a lab section, and certainly a hab module and a 
  power module. The modules are standardized. Most OMPs support crews of around 10 people, 
  some more, some less. Since many platforms are located outside of the Earth’s  Van  Allen  Belts  
  which protect the planet from solar radiation, all hab modules include a small, heavily-shielded 
  section designed as a solar flare shelter, able to support four people for 12 hours. A specialized 10 
  ton docking module includes three airlocks, allowing several spacecraft to dock with the station. 
  Most of these modular stations will have at least one docking module, although some modules 
  come ready-made with an integral airlock.  
   
  Clusters 
  Module clusters are made up of five modules arrayed like the spokes of a wheel and connected 
  together at a central, 5 ton node. Nodes cost MCr1.8. Module clusters can all be undocked and 
  transferred from one DSV to another or to a space station all at once, speeding up the process. 
  However, the modules cannot be disengaged from the cluster without several hours of mechanical 
  work. Cargoes destined for Mars or Titan are placed inside these module clusters, and the cluster 
  is locked onto a disc-shaped Module Lander Aeroshell (MLA) which allows the entire cluster to 
  make an atmospheric entry.  
   
  Module Aeroshell 
  Dropping cargo onto Mars requires a heat-shield and braking rockets. The Module Lander Aeroshell 
  (MLA) mounts a cluster of 5 modules, arrayed like the spokes of a wheel, on the rear-face of a 
  large re-entry shield (the aeroshell). With its modules, the aeroshell masses 70 tons; it is fitted 
  with a guidance unit, parachutes, braking rockets and inflatable landing bags. Five modules (of the 
  carrier’s  choice)  are  mated to a central Node, a 5 ton, 6-way airlock connector allowing access 
  from one module to another. The MLA comes with a 3 ton de-orbit motor carrying 1.9 tons of fuel; 
  this is enough for a single burn, before it is jettisoned. After this the aeroshell re-orientates itself 
  for atmospheric entry. Total cost of an MLA is MCr18.95; this does not include the cost of 5 
  modules!  See the illustration on pg.152. 
   
  Transhabs 
  The  transhab  is  an  ‘expandable’  module  concept  that  allows  a  module  of  a  standard  10  ton  size  to  
  be doubled in internal capacity once in orbit. These transhabs are expensive and so far have been 
  used to provide living space and accommodation on a number of orbital stations. Although they 
  can be docked to a standard module and can be launched by a rocket, they are not able to be 
  clustered, nor can they be mounted on aeroshells. Currently the only type in service is the 
  transhab living module.  
   
   
  
   
  107 | P a g e  
   
  Module Type  
  Airlock? 
  Price 
  Notes 
  Docking Module 
  Three 
  MCr2.6 
  This cargo module includes three airlocks at one end 
  and controls for an exterior grappling arm. Webbing 
  and frames are fitted for 5 tons of cargo storage. 
  Includes vacc suit storage.  
  Rover Module 
  No 
  MCr1.05 A storage garage for a 10 ton utility rover, with wide 
  doors and ramp to reach the ground. It includes wall-
  mounted tool racks.   
  Hab Module 
  No 
  MCr2.5 
  Shared living facilities for 4, with multi-gym, mess, 
  galley, entertainment etc. Includes 2 ton storm shelter 
  for 4 that also doubles as the mess and galley.    
  Science Module 
  Yes 
  MCr3.24 Two 4 ton labs, with work-stations, closed facilities and 
  experiment space. 
  Office Module 
  No 
  MCr1.03 Office space for 4, with storage 
  Workshop 
  Yes 
  MC2 
  Tool shop, typically fitted with an airlock, docking 
  extension and spare parts. 
  Power/Fuel Cell Module No 
  MCr4.09 Every station requires a power module, fitted with a 
  Model/1 computer, comms gear, radar and controls for 
  life support, attitude, power, etc. This module is fitted 
  with solar panels. It also provides batteries (fuel cells) 
  that give a 24 power supply in case of accidents. It 
  features a rocket motor for station-keeping.  One 
  power module is required for each 200 tons of 
  platform.  
  Power/Fission Module 
  No 
  MCr8.57 Every station requires a power module, fitted with a 
  Model/1 computer, comms gear, radar and controls for 
  life support, attitude, power, etc. This module is fitted 
  with solar panels. It also provides a small fission 
  reactor with power for 12 months. The module also 
  features a rocket motor for station-keeping and a flare 
  damper. One fission power module will be enough for 
  a platform of 1000 tons or less.   
  Laser Module  
  No 
  MCr7.8 
  Mounting for a single pulse laser turret and control 
  bay, along with a chemical powerplant with fuel for 12 
  hours of operation. It includes a Model/1 computer.  
  Missile Module 
  No 
  MCr3.88 Mounting for a single missile turret and controls. Like 
  some of the other modules it takes its power from the 
  platform’s   solar   power   grid.   It   includes   a   90   missile  
  magazine and Model/1 computer.  
  Passenger Module 
  No 
  MCr1.85 Cabin space for 16 passenger couches, with 1.5 tons 
  cargo space. It includes solar panels. 
  Low Berth Module 
  Yes 
  MCr2.06 Holds 17 low berths, and includes 0.4 tons of baggage 
  space. With solar panels.  
  Cargo Module 
  No 
  MCr1 
  Configurable 10 ton cargo module.  
  Transhab 
  No 
  MCr4.9 
  Inflatable module with 20 ton final interior space. 
  Quarters for 8 people, with central 8-man storm 
  shelter. Includes solar panels.  
  Micro Smelter 
  Yes 
  MCr 4 
  An industrial unit able to process 2 tons of ore per day 
  to produce 200kg of metal. Needs crew 2.  
  Hydroponics Unit 
  No 
  MCr3.05 Solar panels provide power for this unit which supports 
  4 people with hydroponics and traditional soil farming 
  facilities.  
  ORVIN 
  No 
  MCr7.3 
  Oxygen mining factory, with fuel processor for creating 
  liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen from water ice. See 
  pg.114. 
   
   
   
  
   
  108 | P a g e  
   
  8  ORBITAL SOCIETY 
   
   
  LAW ENFORCEMENT 
   
  “The   Marshal   turned   to   the   pickup.   ‘You   can’t   keep   the   door   closed,   Sagan.   The   moment   the  
  hydraulics  are  cut  off  it  will  open  inward.  You  can’t  stay  in  there.  You  might  as  well  come  out...  
  Sagan’s  voice  rose  in  response,  came  harshly  through  the  speaker  and rattled around the silent 
  corridor.’The  second  that  door  opens,  I’m  going  to  kill  her!  I’m  going  to  slice  her!’” 
  Alan Dean Foster, Outland 
   
  With such long travel times across the solar system, communities, whether they are on Mercury, 
  Eros, Europa or Hyperion must rely on their own resources and police themselves. Should a 
  criminal run riot, help might be weeks away. Every community has its own methods and levels of 
  tolerance, this is what the Law Level measures, exactly how severe or 'on the ball' any colony 
  treats its security measures. Above and beyond what local outposts and cities can manage, both 
  Luna and the Earth Union have their own interplanetary police forces. Luna has the patrol agents 
  of LOPS while the EU has the marshals and deputies of SARA. The Space Activities Regulatory 
  Agency (SARA) polices all Earth Union affiliated outposts and colonies and provides deep space 
  search and rescue, enforces space safety regulations, recaptures escaped convicts and provides 
  professional assistance to Earth Union allies. 
  LOPS (Lunar Outsystem Patrol and Security) 
  provides a similar service for the Lunar 
  Republic. Licensed private security firms such as 
  Eckard Tactical Management (ETM) have carved 
  themselves a niche within the orbital society, 
  able to provide law and order where no 
  government authority exists. Strict limits are, 
  however, imposed on the weaponry such firms 
  are able to use; they are security companies 
  and not mercenary units, after all. Most have 
  access only to small arms. 
   
  Crime 
  Most developed countries realised by 2050 that 
  drug prohibition was costly and futile.  Being 
  illegal did nothing to reduce either consumption 
  or lower supply but it greatly increased the 
  likely-hood that drugs were dangerous and the 
  cause 
  of 
  urban 
  violence. 
   
  Over 
  time 
  governments 
  turned their 
  efforts 
  towards 
  rehabilitation and to monitoring the rise of 
  dangerous homemade pharmaceuticals.  As of 
  2100  the  ‘drug  war’ has all but ended although 
  some laws remain on the books allowing for the 
  prosecution of those who knowingly produce 
  Money 
  Most 
  financial 
  transactions 
  are 
  completed 
  electronically and the standard SF  ‘credit’ works 
  well as an accepted e-credit, used by both Luna 
  and Earth as well as other independent worlds 
  such as Mercury and Iapetus. Certainly each of 
  these worlds will have their own currency 
  standard, based perhaps around the value of 
  that most precious trading commodity, helium-3. 
  In an Orbital game we can forgo that detail and 
  skip straight to the e-credit. 
   
  Credit and debit cards work as they do today, 
  though they now contain a tough microprocessor 
  which communicates with the store computer 
  and exchanges details. Daily, store computers 
  on worlds across the solar system upload their 
  transaction data to the Net which is transmitted 
  to the relevant holding bank on Earth or Luna. 
  So when a traveller next slots his card into a 
  machine on Titan, for example, the bank will 
  already have details of his last purchase and his 
  card too will retain its own record, should the 
  data not get to the holding bank for whatever 
  reason 
  (comms 
  failure, 
  solar 
  flare, 
  poor 
  electronic infrastructure, etc.).  
   
  
   
  109 | P a g e  
   
  and sell harmful substances.  A similar line of thought has also led to the legalization of nearly all 
  consensual prostitution and most gambling.  
   
  Conversely, the ease in which a small group of people can set up a highly advanced chemical or 
  biological laboratory has created many new dangers.  It is relatively easy to create weaponized 
  biological agents or extremely harmful chemical agents.  When introduced into the confines of an 
  enclosed space-station or habitat these can have truly devastating effects.  Thus both Earth and 
  Luna closely monitor the sale and distribution of a wide variety of common and not so common, 
  chemicals and equipment.  Given that most lab equipment that can be used to create weapons of 
  mass destruction also has numerous legitimate uses this can be an exceedingly difficult task.  
   
  A great area of concern is people trafficking, organizations like the Snakeheads specialize in the 
  illegal movement of people throughout the solar system.  Other concerns include immigration law 
  violations, the transportation and harbouring of wanted fugitives and the defection of contract-
  bound government or corporate employees.   
   
  There are several other areas of concern for law enforcement agencies.  Claim jumping is common 
  on Mars, in the Belt and on Venus.  Current international law requires a claimant to clearly mark 
  their claim visually and electronically and they must establish a substantial presence on the 
  property within two years time.   Intellectual property rights are a concern for many corporations 
  but since the IP Revolt of 2029 much has been done to level the playing field between the large 
  corporations, smaller businesses and the consumer. Copyright and patent periods have been 
  reduced to a more manageable twenty years for both individuals and corporations; the doctrine of 
  fair use and the creation of derivative works are both now better protected.   
   
  Environmental regulations both on Earth and in space continue to keep some agencies busy.  
  Earth is doing well as the general decline in the use of fossil fuels and CFCs has decreased global 
  warming, allowed the ozone layer to recover and greatly decreased acid rain.  Mars on the other 
  hand is a mess.  The process of terraforming has sparked countless lawsuits and counter lawsuits 
  that may continue for decades. Finally, a major though unlikely threat that the EU monitors 
  involves the use of weapons powerful enough to threaten global annihilation.  Having been hit by 
  rocks aimed by the Lunars, the government of Earth knows all too well what damage even a small 
  impact can have.   
   
   
   
   
  Mass Driver N6 
  In the tit-for-tat struggles for freedom and supremacy in the Belt, the Cascadians 
  have stung the Luna authorities there just too many times. Luna military moved 
  in and took  a score of prisoners. En route to Luna they all died in a 
  pressurisation accident, or so the Republic news channels reported. Now the 
  Cascadian freedom fighters want revenge and are about to seize control of a 
  Luna mass driver (nicknamed 'The Six-Gun') on asteroid  42 Isis, an S-type 
  asteroid roughly 100km in diameter. This they will use to launch destructive rocks 
  at the Luna far side as a show of force (before Luna marines from Vesta arrive 24 
  hours later to recapture the facility).  
   
  Perhaps the PCs unwittingly ferry the Cascadians (disguised as Luna technicians) 
  to the Six-Gun facility, or maybe they have just been hired to make a routine 
  delivery and arrive at the wrong time. Locked up along with the mass driver staff, 
  they must affect an escape and stop the terrorists in time.  
  
   
  110 | P a g e  
   
  ART 
   
  The most impressive forms of art to come out of the Belt are asteroid sculpting and light clusters.  
   
  Rock Art - Asteroid ‘Rock  Art’  sculpting involves entire asteroids being carved into recognizable 
  shapes using several types of mining robots, plasma torches and laser drills. Once the major cuts 
  are made, and the waste material sifted for valuables, the artists themselves add the final details. 
  Two of the most famous asteroid sculptures are the Dreamers and Athena in Repose. The 6 km 
  long Dreamers is shaped like a pair of porpoises jumping over the Moon. The memorial doubles as 
  a refuelling station and even houses a small museum dedicated to the history of manned space 
  flight. The memorial has a permanent staff of four and due to their very pro-Luna stance it has 
  been the target of numerous terrorist threats by the Cascadian Alliance. The largest asteroid 
  sculpture yet completed is the beautiful Athena In Repose. This 9 km long sculpture depicts the 
  goddess Athena nude and floating through space, draped across the edge of the asteroid 3277 
  Aaronson.  
   
  Lights - Light clusters on the other hand make use of advanced solar cells to capture energy and 
  then release it again as coloured lights. The size of these lights can be up to several tens of 
  kilometres in diameter as the cells are made of flexible mats. The three most famous light clusters 
  are the Eros Wrap, the Dancing Fates and the Beacon. The Eros Wrap was meant to be a 
  temporary art show to commemorate the 25th Anniversary  of  NASA’s  landing  a  probe  on  asteroid 
  433 Eros (which today orbits the planet Venus). The asteroid was wrapped with millions of high 
  powered pink Christmas lights all powered by an old Nortinghouse nuclear reactor. Like the Eiffel 
  Tower before it; this ‘temporary’  display became extremely popular as it could be seen from Earth 
  by any decent sized telescope. In 2039 the lights were upgraded and given the ability to change 
  colour depending upon the season. Today Eros is considered neutral territory by both Earth and 
  the Luna Republic. The Dancing Fates is a light display located near Ceres that consists of twelve 
  high powered coloured lights; two of each colour of the visible spectrum. The lights flicker on and 
  off to the beat of a musical accompaniment and thus give the illusion that they dance. While fun to 
  watch on their own, the Fates only get their full effect if the observers tune their radios to receive 
  the music been broadcast from the light display. Like Eros, the Dancing Fates often change their 
  routine based upon the season. 
   
  Unlike Eros and the Fates which are seen as works of art, the Beacon has become something of a 
  mystery. First noticed on July 20, 2069 the Beacon consists of just one very powerful light source 
  that rotates like a light house. Originally located on 911 Agamemnon, a large  member  of  Jupiter’s  
  ‘Greek  camp’  trojan  asteroids,  the  light  takes  a  full  sidereal  day  to  make a rotation and thus always 
  points at Earth while North America is experience night. In 2071 a Lunar expedition visited the 
  beacon and found it to be powered by a cutting edge fission plant but was other wise 
  unremarkable. A year later the Earth Union deemed the Beacon to be ‘...a threat to deep space 
  navigation and a system wide eye-sore.’ In late 2073 the Beacon was destroyed by an EU mission. 
  To  everyone’s  surprise  the  Beacon  reappeared  July  4,  2076  on Jupiter’s  ‘Trojan  camp’  trojan, 617 
  Patroclus. Five years later this Beacon too was destroyed by the EU. The Beacon remained absent 
  for nearly eight years but reappeared in the trailing Martian trojans on August 21, 2089 to be once 
  more destroyed by an EU military vehicle. Surprisingly, the Beacon came back, located on a Near 
  Earth Asteroid, on September 25, 2089. Now maddened by the reappearing nature of the Beacon, 
  the EU offered a reward for information regarding those responsible and had the newest Beacon 
  destroyed. The current Beacon came on December 15, 2091 and emanates from an unmanned 
  asteroid  outpost  on  Jupiter’s  ‘Greek  camp‘ trojan, 4543 Phoenix. The Titan Crisis prevented the EU 
  government from launching an expedition to destroy the newest Beacon and as of yet the new EU 
  government appears resigned to allow the Beacon to continue operating for the time being. 
   
  
   
  111 | P a g e  
   
  COLONIES, STATIONS, HABITATS 
   
  There is a lot of human construction out there, but most of it can be easily categorized.  
   
  Surface Installations 
  There are humans living on Luna, Mercury, Ganymede, Titan and many other planets and moons, 
  in one of four types of installation: city, township or outpost. 
   
  City 
  A large population centre (8,000+) that is purpose built, often in several stages. It boasts 
  amenities including movie theatres, meeting halls, entertainment complexes, restaurants, bars, 
  offices, warehouses, shops and gardens. Much of a city is underground in dispersed chambers 
  connected by wide tunnels providing electric vehicle access, while ramps lead to surface garages, 
  factories and solar power and communications facilities.  The city will have surface landing pads 
  (typically providing a spaceport of level C or D). Cities have an administration and a government 
  as well as a police force. Thompson in Canada, (population 12,000) makes a good modern-day 
  equivalent, a city that has grown up around a single industry to develop an infrastructure, housing 
  and a service economy.   
   
  Parts of the city, mainly industrial sectors, are above ground by necessity, but all living quarters 
  are underground, protected by at least 2m of radiation-proof soil. Public areas often have access 
  to the surface with large windows or domes which are provided for psychological reasons. To 
  prevent a decompression blowout affecting the entire city, sections are strung out, decentralized 
  and capable of being isolated from one another by bulkheads and airlocks. Domes are constructed 
  from strengthened glass, divided into many tiny panes, that way a blow-out will affect only a 
  single  pane  and  not  ‘crack’  the  entire  window.  Teams  will  be  able  to  repair  the  pane  before  too  
  much air has escaped.  
   
  Landing pads allow landers to touch down with passengers and cargo. Most pads have integral 
  elevators lowering the vehicle into an underground pressurized hanger for easy fuel, cargo and 
  passenger management. Otherwise there may be tracks that slide landers into surface hangers for 
  routine servicing.  
   
  A fission plant provides power, and is often partnered with fuel cell and solar cell technology to 
  provide power for secondary systems, or as a back-up. Close to the power-plant is the life support 
  plant, recycling oxygen and water and dealing with waste. This depends on near-by electrolytic 
  plants, catalytic crackers and smelters that produce  the  city’s  raw  materials.  Meanwhile, after an 
  early preparation of lunar soil with nitrogen, earthworms and other techniques, the farms focus on 
  fast-growing, protein-rich soya food. Vegetables and fruits are grown in hydroponics sections, 
  whilst poultry, guinea pig and fish are reared as delicacies. Shellfish can be eaten and assist in the 
  water purification process. Most habitat dwellers are vegetarians, though not by choice, it is more 
  energy efficient in these closed environments to eat vegetables rather than have those vegetables 
  processed by an animal that is consumed months or even years later. Living areas may be single, 
  double or triple level cylinder-shaped habitats, with stairs leading to different levels from a single 
  access corridor. Designs of cities do vary, but the main principles of habitat design remain the 
  same and the most ubiquitous building material is the baked soil brick. 
   
  
   
  112 | P a g e  
   
  Township 
  The township is a small settlement which usually serves a basic economic function, most often 
  mining. Its population ranges from 200 to 8,000. The township is quite independent, providing for 
  its own oxygen, metals and food, but will need to bring in a whole range of other goods from 
  elsewhere. It will export its prime resource, whether that is oxygen, nitrogen, aluminium, helium-
  3, water, liquid hydrogen or food. Most were initially established around ORVINs, each one capable 
  of sustaining around 250 people. As settlement on Mars began, hundreds of Mars-adapted ORVINS 
  (named MARVINS) were autonomously landed across the surface. The township will often be in 
  contact with a city, or a spaceport, so that it can import and export goods. Townships are 
  purpose-built structures, smaller-scale versions of the city (see above). The oil-refining town of 
  Nikiski (population 4,000), on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, provides a useful analogy.  
  
   
  113 | P a g e  
   
  Outpost 
  A small settlement with a particular mission, a population less than 200 and a dependency on 
  another installation for regular shipment of supplies epitomizes the outpost. Individuals or teams 
  will be regularly rotated back to the main installation on a regular basis. Outposts can be purpose-
  built, but are more often created from 10-ton modules. A township or city will be ringed by 
  outposts, serving as extraction sites, industrial plants and refineries. Their organization and day-to-
  day life resembles that of the modern-day North Sea oil & gas platform called Elgin (population 
  100), or the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station (population 50-150). 
   
  Modules  are  often  buried  in  shallow  trenches  and  soil  then  shovelled  into  long  ‘regolith-bags’  which  
  are pulled across modules, draping over the top to protect the occupants from solar flare radiation. 
  Alternatively, if a digger is available, soil can be shoved directly over the modules to cover them 
  completely. Imagine an outpost almost as a partially buried International Space Station. Nodes 
  connect multiple modules together, docking modules become gateways to the surface via ramps. 
  Rovers and equipment shelter beneath simple aluminium shades. On the surface, power comes 
  from a bank of fuel cells, most often regenerated via large solar arrays. As the outpost slowly 
  becomes a township, these are often replaced with a buried fission reactor, large radiators taking 
  the place of those solar panels. The outpost has covered rover areas, a beacon, floodlight towers 
  and at least one comm tower. Tool sheds, equipment lockers and sheltered work areas are also 
  sited on the surface, close to airlocks.    
   
  An advanced follow-up to the Martian MARVIN stations that dot the surface of Mars (see the Mars 
  entry, chapter 9) is in use by the Lunar Colonization Office.  Called ABODE (Automated Base or 
  Outpost Deployment Equipment), these modular payloads are essentially self-deploying outposts 
  launched towards an uninhabited moon or asteroid. Upon arrival, drones and memory metal go to 
  work and over the course of several weeks a fully functional outpost facility is constructed. Once 
  ready for habitation a crew can move in. With a much smaller population and fewer overall 
  resources, the Lunar government feels the need to blindly claim as much real estate as quickly as 
  possible in a struggle to catch up to Earth. These ABODEs can sometimes be found on asteroids of 
  moons ready for future science teams or colonists to arrive and take control. On occasion a crew 
  in trouble might find an ABODE a useful emergency shelter. Some ABODEs have been occupied by 
  independent groups unafraid of Lunar retaliation.  
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  Orbital Installations 
  Four types of orbital installation have been developed for use across the solar system: orbital 
  modular platforms (OMP), single-hull stations (SHS), spin gravity stations (SGS) and the stunning 
  megastructures known as large scale space colonies (LSC). Some attempts have been made to 
  tunnel into asteroids to create pressurized cavities, but these projects are still experimental.  
   
  Orbital Module Platforms (OMP) 
  Cheap and simple, the OMP is an 
  orbital station composed of 10 ton 
  cylindrical modules (see pg.84). 
  These have been in use for 
  decades, are ubiquitous, cheap 
  and versatile. Simply by adding 
  two new modules, an OMP can 
  change its mission from a transfer 
  station to an orbiting laboratory. 
  All OMPs require a minimum of 2 
  modules, power and hab, but 
  many are made up of 4-9 and 
  there are some even bigger. Some 
  of the modules come with their 
  own solar panels, providing power 
  should the main powerplant be 
  shut 
  down 
  for 
  repair 
  or 
  maintenance.  
   
  OMPs 
  are 
  no-gravity 
  stations 
  which mean that crews either have 
  to be rotated back to a planet like 
  Mars, Luna or Earth regularly, or 
  have to maintain a fierce regime of 
  fitness while on-board to prevent 
  bone and muscle wastage.  
   
  Some OMPs are extremely old, with many previous owners. Those left abandoned are quickly 
  inhabited by squatters, eager to set up shop away from which ever government they feel was 
  persecuting them. Modules can be bought second hand for a fraction of the original cost, but 
  requiring renovation and work. A character might find a module for sale for 10-60% of its price 
  when new, but it would require Cr100-600,000 spending on it, along with a complete overhaul: 
   
  Overhaul an Old Module: Mechanics or Engineering, Intelligence, 1-6 weeks, Average (+0) 
   
  Failure means that the module contributes a -1 to the OMPs monthly maintenance check, unless 
  the overhaul is redone.  
   
  OMP-242 Zenith Electronics Platform 
  Built up from six 10 ton modules, OMP-242 is a research and testing centre for zero-G electronic 
  production methods. It is a 65 ton station, mounting a fuel cell module, a hab module, two science 
  modules, a workshop module and a docking module. A Model/1 computer is fitted within the power 
  module. There is accommodation for 4 personnel and no weaponry is mounted, but a single 5 ton Orion 
  transfer pod is docked with the platform which provides transport for 3 people. Cargo capacity is 5 tons. 
  The Zenith platform cost MCr 15.38.  
  
   
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  Single Hull Stations (SHS) 
  While the gravity requirements of passengers and tourists are catered for by the torus-like spin 
  gravity stations, there are a huge number of industries, operations and activities that cannot be 
  conducted on such a station. For these unique activities, a station is constructed like a DSV from a 
  zero-G hull, with components and facilities added on, modules fitted, and all of the machinery 
  required by the sponsor. If a crew is going to live there permanently then some form of spin 
  gravity is also required. All SHS are different, tailored to their unique needs. A great example of an 
  SHS is the 300 ton Cryostat series, built by the Earth Space Development Agency (ESDA) to supply 
  Earth vehicles with liquid hydrogen fuel.  
   
   
  Spin Gravity Stations (SGS) 
  The days of OPSEK, Mir, ISS and Tiangong 3 were left behind in the 2020s with the first spin 
  habitats, large wheels in space that, when spinning, create an artificial gravity for crewmembers 
  on the inside of the curved rim. There is nothing modular about these stations; each is a one-off 
  build using the spacecraft rules in this book. Crews on an SGS stay fit and healthy, life has that 
  fixed gravity normality that OPMs lack, making them easy places for travellers and transient 
  visitors to cope with. They make ideal transfer stations for people used to gravity, or long term 
  stations for people employed to live and work in space.  
   
  Cryostat SHS 4LH  
  Using a 300 ton hull the automated cryogenic fuelling station 
  (‘cryostat’)  has  been  developed  by  ESDA  to  emplace  caches  of  
  liquid hydrogen where refuelling may be a problem or even 
  impossible at key points throughout the solar system. Vehicles 
  registered with ESDA (any Earth Union vehicle, civilian or 
  military) may dock with any cryostat once the computer 
  management system has identified and billed the vehicle. Lack 
  of funds is no matter, the bill is sent electronically to Earth, 
  refuelling can always be done once ID is verified. Solar panels 
  provide basic electrical power for life support and to power the 
  refrigeration equipment that super-chills the 200 tons of  liquid 
  hydrogen on-board. Large radiators keep the tank cool, 
  preventing the hydrogen from boiling off. There are two 
  extendable fuel arms,  either can pump fuel onto a visiting 
  craft, or alternatively, offload fuel from a tanker in order to fill 
  the  cryostat’s  own  tanks.  In  addition,  12  tons  of  chemical fuels 
  (such as hydrazine and  kerosene) is kept on board for smaller 
  rocket motors and retro-rockets, and the use of a 20 ton fresh 
  water tank is available for those wanting to top up their 
  vehicle’s  water  tanks.     
   
  A compact, fully-automated bridge fitted with a Model/1 
  computer controls all station functions, although there are four 
  double staterooms within a centrifuge for the use of visitors or 
  maintenance crews. There are also 10 emergency low berths 
  on-board that can hold up to 40 individuals in a crisis. Five tons 
  of emergency supplies and medical equipment are also 
  available for the use of a visiting crew in dire straits. Up to 
  three vehicles can dock at any one time; access to the interior 
  of the station is allowed only under emergencies, the ESDA 
  authorities will be notified who will then attempt to make 
  contact with the vehicle in distress. Cost is MCr 17.75 
  
   
  116 | P a g e  
   
  The wheel-like torus of a spin gravity station is mounted around a cylindrical axle, which acts as a 
  non-rotating, zero-G docking area for spacecraft. This central core also includes a control centre 
  and fission powerplant.  
   
  Large Scale Space Colonies (LSC) 
  So called Lagrange space colonies have been proposed by space advocates like Gerard   O’Neill  
  since   the   early   1970s.   His   vision   for   the   ‘High   Frontier’   postulated   almost   a   utopian   civilisation  
  living in space with limitless power, living room and mineral resources. There are currently three 
  O’Neill   style   colonies   in   Earth   space,   all   are massive rotating rings, 1,800m in diameter, with 
  enclosed environments that include huge agricultural areas, with some open water and parkland, a 
  glass ceiling sitting 65m above. In essence, these LSC are up-scaled versions of the small spin 
  gravity stations, the major difference here being that the interior is one vast habitat rather than 
  corridors and compartments. Glass windows cover one third of the surface of the torus to allow 
  sunlight directly into the habitat, providing night and day and allowing crops to grow. Spinning 
  slowly in the space the torus enjoys a full 1G on the inside of the rim, whilst the central hub or 
  ‘axle’  remains  at  zero-G allowing vehicles and supply craft to dock easily. Six spokes housing large 
  elevators connect the hub with the rotating rim.  
   
  Shielding against cosmic rays is 
  created by large   ‘bricks’ of 
  fused undifferentiated lunar or 
  asteroidal soil held together by 
  mechanical 
  fasteners. 
  This 
  shielding is up to 2m thick and 
  coats the outer rim, beneath 
  the   ‘floor’   of   the   habitat.   To  
  prevent cosmic rays cascading 
  through the windows above, 
  ingenious angled mirrors are 
  mounted there which absorb 
  radiation, but bounce light into 
  the habitat. The glass windows 
  are made up of small panes 
  mounted 
  in 
  strong 
  metal 
  frames; a meteoroid punctures 
  only one pane, providing plenty 
  of time for repair crews to fix 
  SGS-16 Goddard Low Orbit Transfer Station 
  Using a 2000 ton hull, Goddard Station is a spin-gravity station with two counter-rotating wheels. It allows 
  passengers and cargoes arriving via spaceplane from Earth to transfer to shuttles heading out for stations 
  in geosynchronous orbit. From there they board DSVs heading out to the distant planets. It has a fission 
  powerplant-K and a station-keeping reaction drive-K, both providing a rating of 1. Fuel tankage of 230 tons 
  supports one burn (50 tons) and provides fuel surplus for visiting craft. Adjacent to the control centre is a 
  Model/2 computer and a basic civilian sensor kit. There are 75 crew staterooms, 20 of which are singles 
  and 55 of which are double occupancy, and no low berths are carried. No hardpoints or weapons are fitted.  
   
  Goddard has many amenities, a 100-room hotel, a 25 ton restaurant and bar, 100 ton of offices, 40 ton of 
  workshops, a 19 ton customs and security section, repair drones, a dedicated medlab, 160 ton of open 
  concourse and shopping with 20 individual stores, 380 ton of cargo warehousing and a 300 ton zero-G 
  docking bay complete with a 10 ton docking control centre. Four vehicles are routinely carried on board, 
  two Long Beach shuttles and two Orion transfer pods. There is approximately 55 tons of integral pylon 
  structure that incorporates elevators to take goods and guests from the zero-G spine down to the fixed 
  gravity rim. Goddard has a crew of 130. It cost MCr 666.06 and took 32 months to build.  
  
   
  117 | P a g e  
   
  the problem. Power needs are met by areas of solar cells spreading out from the hub like the 
  petals of a flower. These colonies have been massive undertakings and all are still undergoing 
  construction of new agricultural areas, housing and other services as the population expands. With 
  almost a million square metres of community living space, there is plenty of potential for 
  development.  
   
  The LSC require stable orbits, they are so massive that they cannot easily boost themselves to 
  prevent orbital decay. Stable points around Earth and Luna are found in two locations, named 
  Lagrange 4 (L4) and Lagrange 5 (L5) after Joseph Lagrange, the scientist who discovered them. 
  Both  are  points  on  the  Moon’s  orbit  60° ahead of (L4) and 60° behind (L5) the Moon as it orbits 
  the Earth. It takes around a day and a half to reach these points from Luna or Earth by 
  conventional rocket. L1 is another stable Lagrange position between the Earth and the Moon.  
   
  Location 
  Large Scale Colony 
  Alignment 
  Population 
  Date Completed 
  L4 
  LSC-1 Matthias Vanderveen 
  Earth 
  220,000 
  2064 
   
  LSC-3 Sword of Damocles 
  Luna 
  15,000 
  Begun 2080 
  L5 
  LSC-2 Revolution 
  Luna 
  85,000 
  2078 
   
   
   
  
   
  118 | P a g e  
   
  Colony Crew Requirements 
  When designing spin stations, colonies and OPMs, the crew requirements are slightly different 
  from those of standard starships. A large number of personnel are required just to maintain the 
  life support and integrity of the station. All stations and colonies have a Hab Systems Manager, 
  and under him or her are the following departments: 
   
   
  Department Responsibilities 
  Typical % of 
  total population 
  Admin 
  Office staffing and managerial oversight 
  2 
  Life Support 
  Air, water and temperature, hydroponics 
  4 
  Integrity 
  Airlocks, evacuation, seals and hull integrity 
  2 
  Power 
  Power generation & distribution 
  4 
  Fire Safety 
  Fire drills, extinguishers and practice 
  2 
  Catering 
  Food preparation, restaurants & canteens 
  4 
  Cleansing 
  Laundry and cleaning 
  2 
  Security 
  Guards, customs and police officers 
  1 
  Technical 
  General maintenance 
  4 
   
   
   
   
  This forms a total of 25% of the total population 
  of any type of artificial colony, whether an OPM , 
  a space station, LCC or colony on Mars or 
  Miranda. Consider for a moment how many 
  people work day to day at an international 
  airport, whilst thousands of passengers pass 
  through every day. These figures are just 
  approximations, but they give the referee some 
  idea of the numbers of people required on a 
  colony or space station project.   
   
  The   referee   might   decide   on   a   colony’s   overall  
  population and then use the % values to 
  determine the number of security personnel or 
  admin staff, as needed for the game in hand. 
  Such calculations become useful once the referee 
  begins to construct spin gravity stations.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
  “  ‘It’s  just  a  big  tube  and  they  pour  things  through  it,’  Molly  said.  ‘Tourists,  hustlers,  anything. And 
  there’s  fine  mesh  money  screens  working  every  minute,  make  sure  the  money  stays  here  when  
  the  people  fall  back  down  the  well.’  ” 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  William Gibson, Neuromancer 
   
   
   
   
  
   
  119 | P a g e  
   
  RUNNING A DSV 
   
  “The  first  officer  was  boss  of  the  ship  and  a  wise  captain  did  not interfere with him. The captain, 
  although by law monarch of his miniature world, turned his eyes outward; the first officer turned 
  his eyes inward. As long as all went well the captain concerned himself only with the control room 
  and with astrogation; the first  officer  bossed  everything  else.” 
  Robert Heinlein, Starman Jones 
   
  Officers 
  Officers  hold  a  commercial  space  license,  they  are  known  as  ‘licensed’  personnel.  In  game terms 
  they are commissioned Merchants. Officers on-board a commercial DSV are able spacers, 
  technically competent and cross-trained. Below the rank of captain (or vehicle commander) sits a 
  ladder of ranks named first, second, third and fourth officer. Although the captain and first officer 
  are both qualified DSV pilots, the other officers do not have specific roles associated with them. 
  The second officer may be the engineer or the medic, for example. The second, third and fourth 
  rank structure establishes seniority, responsibility and experience. These officers take turns in 
  standing watch on the bridge, and sharing that responsibility with the captain.  
   
  There are a lot of jobs that need attending to on-board a DSV that fall outside the specific job that 
  a spacer has been hired on to do. Cargo needs loading and unloading, orbital craft launched and 
  retrieved life support systems checked, airlocks cycled, radio messages sent and received, and a 
  host of checks on every part of the spacecraft in a never-ending maintenance and replacement 
  cycle. Much of the work and responsibility is shared, most DSV crews are small (less than 20 in 
  number)   and   there’s   very   little   ‘pulling   rank’   between   first,   second,   third   and   fourth   officers.  
  Everyone  works  together,  but  when  the  captain  and  first  officer  are  absent,  it’s  the  second officer 
  who  calls  the  shots.  When  he’s  unavailable  it’s the third officer who is in charge. The first officer 
  has some extra duties; he is a qualified pilot, able to take control of the vehicle in the absence of 
  the captain. Additional responsibilities include the welfare of the crew and their training in fire- 
  fighting, explosive decompression and other emergency situations.  The first officer will decide 
  who is on watch and assign jobs to crew members in order that the captain’s   orders   may   be  
  carried out most effectively. On-board large DSVs with several departments and a large number of 
  crewmen, there may well be more than one fourth officer. This often happens on passenger craft, 
  large repair and construction DSVs and on hospital DSVs, where responsible officers are required 
  to lead departments. Should two fourth officers have no senior officer in charge, then the one 
  serving the most terms has seniority.  
   
  Crewmen 
  Although some crewmen can be quite skilled, holding levels in engineering, sensors, astrogation or 
  pilot, for example, they hold no licence, have no command responsibility and are not allowed to 
  stand watches (ie. be the sole person on the bridge). They are far from being the 2100 AD version 
  of the hull-painting, deck-scrubbing able seaman, however. They are technically proficient and 
  able to work with the officers as part of a tight-knit team. Most will be skilled in space suit 
  operation, zero G activities, remote ops, communications and mechanics. On small DSVs there 
  may not be many crewman on board, most personnel will be made up of officers (purely so that 
  watch duties can be shared out) but when they are, they are typically assigned to the engineering 
  section, although military vehicles may assign some to the weapons section and passenger 
  vehicles to the customer service (stewards) section. Like officers, crewmen receive a good deal of 
  cross-training.  
  
   
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  Downtime 
  Once the DSV's acceleration burn is complete the spin habitats begin revolving and the crew and 
  passengers settle down to a routine that last weeks or even months. There are daily tasks to 
  complete related to the crewman's specific job, and the officers take it in turns to monitor the 
  bridge. There is always one officer on duty at all times. Then there are the training regimes, 
  changing every day. They prepare the crew for all of the expected dangers of space travel; from 
  how to deal with explosive depression, reactor leaks, fire, medical emergency, evacuation and a 
  host of other crises. Engineers are always keen on preventative maintenance; rather than waiting 
  for machinery or electronics to fail, parts are taken out, tested and put back or replaced according 
  to a schedule. For larger or more complex components the entire crew may get involved with that 
  job.  
   
  That still leaves plenty of free time; the crewmen can indulge in hobbies, they can socialise and 
  they can even freelance. Some crewmen have other jobs, ranging from writing novels, debugging 
  software, data entry, creating art or anything else that can be done by telecommuting and that is 
  not adversely affected by the communication lag.  
   
  Passengers can be frozen in cryogenic low berth, but there are always associated risks (although 
  minor) and so many passengers  prefer to travel in conventional staterooms. These passengers 
  require diversions and so every stateroom includes some type of data station within their cabin 
  that can provide games, movies and other entertainments. Many bring work with them and can 
  get on with that in the privacy of their stateroom (or not if they are sharing a cabin). There is 
  always a lounge with gym facilities, game tables and VR booths. Passengers crave the company of 
  others, they routinely occupy lounges, canteens or other areas set aside for socialising. Most of 
  these areas are in gravity.  
   
  Time served on-board a   military   vehicle   is   a   little   different.   Since   the   enemy   can’t   conceal   a  
  nuclear thermal drive burning as hot as a small sun, the vehicle commander can use the trip to spy 
  on anything out there that emits radiation (using everything from multi-band encrypted radio to 
  plain old optical spying with a good sized reflector telescope). While coasting between acceleration 
  
   
  121 | P a g e  
   
  and   deceleration   the   crew   will   assist   the   vehicle’s   computer   in   all   sorts   of   active   and   passive  
  surveillance. Depending on the trajectory of the voyage, time can also be spent seeding different 
  areas with passive observation drones (spy satellites).  
   
  If the DSV is large enough, then training will be conducted in boarding or assault techniques, 
  emergency procedures, rules of engagement, combat medicine and prisoner handling. Most 
  vehicles contain a common area large enough to accommodate the entire crew. On many military 
  vehicles this will be everything: flare shelter, mess, exercise/training room, off-duty lounge and 
  briefing room. Typically, the day begins with an all-crew briefing (only a select bridge crew is 
  exempt) led by the executive officer. This will be a review of any news received from HQ, the 
  vehicle’s   current   situation   and   intent, as well as a general Q&A for crew members to air their 
  concerns These are people confined to a small sterile cylinder for months at a time, and most 
  people selected to serve aboard military DSVs will be single; physical relationships will be allowed 
  so  long  as  they  don’t  interfere  with  a  person’s  ability  to do their duties.  
   
  TREATIES & REGULATIONS 
   
  Interplanetary   space,   much   like   the   world’s   oceans   today,   may   not   be   sovereign territory, but 
  there are still regulations   which   have   been   agreed   upon   by   the   system’s   great   powers   (Earth,  
  Luna, Mars and Mercury) to ensure the smooth passage of vehicles and trade between worlds.  
   
  Outer Space Treaty (1967) 
  Signed by many Earth nations in 1967, the Outer Space Treaty  established legal responsibilities of 
  spaceflight and declared outer space to be a nuclear free zone, within which no weapons of mass 
  destruction could be stored. Following the Orbit War of 2044, the Outer Space Treaty became a 
  worthless document, of use only to the nations of Earth itself. Luna never signed the OST.   
   
  Fairline Space Convention on Compatibility & Co-ordination (2059) 
  In 2059 a tragic disaster inside the Asteroid Belt led the Earth Union and the Lunar Republic to put 
  various differences aside and create a set of compatible, space-faring standards. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  The DSV ‘Fairline’ was a Luna cargo transport inside the Asteroid Belt that suffered a catastrophic 
  malfunction in 2059. All 12 of its crew died, despite a rescue attempt made by the Earth Union 
  research vehicle DRV   ‘Europa’. It soon became apparent that the incompatibilities between the 
   
  Article 1 – Vehicles receiving an emergency SOS call must respond. All reasonable efforts must be made to 
  rescue survivors and assist with the recovery of the stricken craft. Insurers are bound by law to recompense 
  rescuers, and settlement sums are often inflated, acting as incentives. 
   
   
  Article 2 – Airlocks should be manufactured to FSC59 standards, compatible with both Luna and EU 
  spacecraft designs. 
   
   
  Article 3 – Radio transponder frequencies should match those agreed with the FSC59 standards. 
   
   
  Article 4 – International English is the agreed language of solar system communication; Standard Chinese 
  (also known as Mandarin) is the second agreed language. 
   
   
  Article 5 – All measurements are metric, using SI units. Radiation levels may use either rads or grays. 
   
   
  Article 6 – Plumbing, fuel, water and other lines on board space vehicles (and within space colonies and 
  stations) are labelled in English as a minimum, in line with FSC59 directives. 
   
   
  Article 7 – Computer communication systems, both wired and wireless, follow FSC59 compatibilities. 
  Software follows the GMX protocols of 2050. 
  
   
  122 | P a g e  
   
  transponder and radio practices of the two powers significantly slowed the response time of the 
  Europa. Not only that, but use of differing airlock designs prevented the Europa from docking with 
  the stricken craft. An attempt was made to get badly wounded crewmen, and others suffering 
  from severe radiation sickness, across in space suits and rescue bubbles. Time wasted, however, 
  meant   that   the   effort   was   futile.   The   Fairline’s   reactor   flooded   the   main   compartment   with  
  radiation, preventing the Europa’s  rescue  team  from  crossing  to  the  Lunar  vehicle.   
   
  Within a year both powers had made an agreement to ensure that airlocks, transponder codes, 
  radio frequencies and a host of small details (such as oxygen valve sizes, emergency signage and 
  vacc suits) were compatible, and these during the height of the Cold War! The size of the 
  ubiquitous 10-ton module and the details of its couplings were standardized at this time, enabling 
  the swapping out of modules and international trade using these cylindrical containers. The 
  convention was drafted in 2061 by the International Astronomical Union, which also invited Earth, 
  Luna, Mars and Mercury to sign it. The Fairline Space Convention on Compatibility and Co-
  ordination 2059 (FSC59), became a part of international law.  
   
  Mercury Convention (2068) 
  Following the crisis in Mercury orbit, when a Luna colony expedition arrived to challenge the Earth 
  Union’s  settlement  of  Mercury,  the  Mercury  Convention  of  2068  was  signed.  Luna  had  been  forced  
  to back down, but it grudgingly entered talks with the Earth Union. The convention essentially laid 
  down guidelines for the exploration and settlement of the solar system. Both sides signed the 
  treaty, which stated that all worlds (planet, moon or asteroid)  with a diameter of 6 km or greater 
  were open for settlement by any group able to make a landing. For rocks less than 6 km, 
  international mining rights would instead come into force and could be claimed wholesale, so long 
  as a physical or remote presence is maintained.  Despite this legal victory, Luna did not pursue a 
  colony on Mercury, instead turning to Venus.  
   
  Titan Agreement (2098) 
  In 2095 increasing tensions in the Saturn system led to the outbreak of war on Titan. The Luna 
  colony there held a monopoly on hydrocarbons, methane and abundant nitrogen and its 
  government, although Luna aligned, was technically fully independent. It had begun to interfere 
  with Earth Union affairs in the Saturn system and most crucially of all had tried to foster 
  revolutions amongst the Earth Union colonies there. What followed was a short invasion by the 
  Union and a violent backlash fought by the Titan colonists. Luna did not intervene directly 
  (although it was obvious that Titan had been acting as a puppet of the Luna Republic all along), 
  but continued to provide materials and assistance and sent military vehicles into orbit. Escalation 
  increased and historians looked back at the 2044 Orbit War with trepidation and concern. Could 
  the Titan War escalate beyond Saturn to trigger a solar system wide war between Earth and Luna? 
  Such a war would obviously prove catastrophic.   
   
  Peace talks were held on Mercury in 2098, and although these talks lasted for six months, they 
  eventually proved successful. They led to the signing of the Titan Agreement by both warring 
  factions. This agreement ostensibly established the rights of both powers to enjoy peaceful 
  economic activities   within   the   Saturn   system,   more   importantly,   the   leaders   of   Titan’s   hardline  
  revolutionary party were removed from office and given shelter on Luna. The new Titan 
  government was a co-signatory of the Agreement, which now allowed Earth Union personnel to 
  visit the moon without restrictions.  
   
  Peace descending upon the Saturn system. More than that, peace descended across the solar 
  system. With the signing of the Titan Agreement everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief, the 
  Cold War tension of the past fifty years had suddenly dropped a notch. Co-operation between 
  Earth and Luna in other spheres, beginning at the smallest scale, but becoming more and more 
  frequent, began soon after. It seemed to be a thaw and one which has lasted for the past 
  
   
  123 | P a g e  
   
  eighteen months. Is it a temporary lull in the Cold War? Is it the start of a new order in which 
  humans across the solar system join together in peace and co-operation? However things may 
  turn out, people from both sides are beginning to work together and plan co-operative projects. A 
  collaborative Pluto science mission is being planned and a Titan/Janus trade agreement has been 
  signed. Of course, blind optimism is rare, and there is still massive cynicism and mistrust on both 
  sides. People everywhere want to believe that the Cold War is over, but everyone knows what the 
  other  side  is  like.  You  can’t  really  trust  anyone,  can  you?  Most  especially  an  old  enemy...   
   
   
  EARTH ORBIT NETWORK 
   
  Travelling from a city on Earth out to a distant planet is not as simple as getting into a spacecraft 
  and flying there.  While passengers generally reach Low Earth Orbit on a Shenlong spaceplane, 
  cargoes get there via conventional chemical rockets, mass driver catapult or high energy laser lift 
  (HELL) systems. For an additional cost in fuel, rockets can reach geostationary orbit or leave Earth 
  orbit entirely to travel to another planet, although payload is greatly reduced.   
   
  For larger cargoes and most passengers the first destination is a LEO transfer station, such as 
  Goddard or Oberth. These spin gravity stations act as interplanetary passenger and freight 
  terminals, with hotels, shopping areas, restaurants and warehousing. From here orbital vehicles 
  carry cargoes and passengers out to the Lagrange stations, Luna or Marco Polo High Port. Some 
  DSVs leave the LEO stations and head out to Mercury, Venus or Mars.  
   
  Marco Polo High Port is the transit station for DSVs outbound to the outer planets, the Belt, 
  Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. 
   
  LIST OF SPACEPORTS ON EARTH 
   
  Large Rocket Launch Facilities 
  Baikonur Cosmodrome, Russia 
  Alcantara Rocketport, Brazil 
  Kennedy Space Centre, USA 
  Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, India 
  Hainan Spaceport, Wenchang, Hainan island, China 
  Xichang Launch Centre, Sichuan, China 
  Guiana Space Centre, Kourou, French Guiana 
   
  Mass Driver Catapults 
  East African Space Facility, Mount Kenya, Kenya 
  Carl Friedrich Gauss Mass Drive Centre, Mount 
  Kinabalu, Indonesia 
   
  Other Rocket Launch Facilities 
  Dongfeng Aerospace City, Inner Mongolia, China 
  East London Launch Centre, South Africa 
  Tanegashima, Japan 
  Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia 
  Simpang Tiga Spaceport, Pekanbaru, Indonesia 
  Palmachim Rocketport, Yavne, Israel 
  Central African Space Centre, São Tomé Island, Africa 
  Quito Commercial Spaceport, Ecuador 
  Trincomalee, eastern Sri Lanka 
  Alborz  Space Centre, west of Tehran, Iran 
  High Energy Laser Lift Facilities 
  Myrabo Laser Lift Centre, Macapa, Brazil 
  Muzner-Zubrin spaceport, Arizona, USA 
  Spaceport America, New Mexico, USA 
  Woomera Lift Complex, Australia 
  Lanyu Island Spaceport, Taiwan 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  9   WORKING IN SPACE 
   
   
  THE ZERO-G WORKPLACE 
   
  “For  every  action  there  is  always  an equal and opposite reaction...” 
  Isaac Newton, Third Law of Motion  
   
  It’s called microgravity, because where-ever  you  are  in  the  solar  system,  you  can’t  really  escape  
  the gravitational pull of something, whether it’s the Moon, Jupiter or the Sun. But we call it zero-G 
  because,  near  as  dammit,  there’s  no  up  or  down  and  physical  action or motion is problematic. The 
  weightlessness  is  an  illusion  and  is  due  to  the  fact  things  in  space  are  in  ‘free-fall’  around  Earth,  
  the Moon, a planet or the Sun.  
   
  Spacecraft in SF traditionally use grav plates to create artificial gravity, allowing crew to walk 
  around as if they were on an airliner. In Orbital, the only gravity is produced artificially by 
  spinning capsules on long pylons or arms, in the same way that you can swing a bucket of water 
  upside  down  on  Earth  and  not  lose  a  single  drop.  It’s  expensive  to  create  these  standard  gravity  
  areas, though, so only accommodation and living areas will enjoy such luxury. On-board the craft, 
  while it coasts from departure point to destination, everywhere else is in zero gravity. Characters 
  pull themselves along, kick off of surfaces and use hand rails to help them move around. In some 
  areas Velcro carpeting provides a sense of normality and Velcro gym shoes provide grip, but this is 
  ungainly and though comforting to groundsiders, not an efficient way to work in space. Velcro 
  mats are best used at workstations, where a crewman has to spend a good deal of time operating 
  a grappling arm or drone, or working at a computer station. A Velcro mat prevents him floating 
  free while he concentrates.   
   
  Every crewman on a DSV or orbital vehicle will have Zero-G skill-0 as standard. Higher levels of the 
  skill are indicative of much greater experience of working in zero gravity. A crucial task, whether it 
  is aligning an antenna on an EVA, shooting someone with a revolver or trying to shut an airlock 
  door quickly to prevent an intruder forcing their way in, requires a skill check. For regular 
  activities, skip the rolls entirely.  
   
  Avoid Losing Control in Zero-Gravity: Zero-G, Dexterity, Instant, Average (+0)  
   
  Apply the following DMs: Using a tool to repair/construct -2, Firing a gun -3, striking with tool, 
  weapon, fist etc., or pushing/pulling  -4, using a handhold +2 
   
  Losing control means that the task has failed until control is re-established, the character is 
  tumbling!  Roll  again  to  regain  control,  but  this  time  there  are  no  DM’s,  either  positive  or  negative,  
  except for those derived from Zero-G skill and the Dexterity characteristic.  
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  Zero-G Tools 
  Working in zero-G requires highly specialised tools.  
   
       Locked Umbilical: Although  many  spacers  carry  out  EVA’s  using  thruster  packs,  disconnected  
  from the spacecraft, it is often safer to use a length of umbilical. Gone are the days of a loose air 
  pipe trailing in space. Each umbilical is flexible pipe actually made up of 10m of ball and socket 
  links   encased   in   an   outer   soft   covering.   A   ratchet   on   the   spacer’s   belt   enables   him   to   apply  
  immediate tension to the links, locking him in place at his worksite. Up to 10 umbilicals can be 
  connected together to create a single tether, 100m long. Cr 1000. 5kg.  
   
       Grab-Pad: The grab pad is analogous to  a  climber’s  piton  which  protects  him  from  a  fall  by  
  anchoring him to the rock face. A short metre-long  tether  connects  the  spacer’s  belt  to  the  grab  
  pad, and this electro-adhesive pad adheres strongly to any metal surface, once activated, by 
  means of passing a small current through two metal electrodes. It resembles a simple plate with 
  rugged hand-grip. Electro-adhesive  boots  (known  as  ‘mag  boots’)  can  be  fitted  to  hard  suits.  Cost  
  Cr100, 500g.  
   
       Hand-held Thruster: For short duration EVAs the handheld thruster is an invaluable and 
  powerful tool, capable of providing the spacer with a delta-V of 2 metres per second. It uses high 
  pressure cold gas (typically oxygen) as thrust, and being hand-held it is extremely versatile. The 
  thruster costs Cr300 and has a mass of 2kg. It is good for 15 minutes of flight.  
   
       Thruster Pack: Longer EVAs, or transfers between spacecraft, require the use of a thruster 
  pack. Most DSVs have one in their locker. The pack is a 30kg fuel and motor unit worn on the 
  back, with control arms swinging around for use at the front of a user. A joystick on the right arm 
  and keypad on the left provide complete control. Once a desired orientation is achieved, the user 
  can engage an automatic attitude-hold function that maintains the inertial position of the pack in 
  flight. This frees both hands for work. The pack holds enough nitrogen gas fuel for approximately 
  6 hours of EVA, though this does not constitute continuous thrust. Delta-V is an impressive 25 
  metres per second. Cost is Cr2000, 30kg.  
   
       Grappling Arm: Costing MCr 1, and massing 2 tons, the grappling arm described in High 
  Guard is a remote manipulator designed to hold or retrieve cargo, salvage or other objects in 
  space.  It  also  has  a  foot  harness  at  the  ‘hand’  to  enable a space-walker to stand on the end of the 
  arm and be transported out to a work-site. The TL 9 grappling arm can extend out to a maximum 
  of 50m.  
   
       Zero-G Tool Kit: The zero-G tool kit is essential for any repairs or construction work under-
  taken in zero gravity. It must be carried to the worksite, though hard suits can have such kits 
  fitted as an optional extra. Tools in this kit are tailored for zero-G work, drills have counter-rotating 
  heads to prevent torque spinning the user around as a reaction. There are powered screwdrivers, 
  wrenches, angle-grinders and saws, all battery-powered and benefitting from torque 
  compensation. The basic portable kit costs Cr250 and masses 2kg. The full kit, based on-board the 
  DSV, costs Cr1000 and weighs 12kg.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  WAYS TO DIE IN SPACE 
   
  “WARNING.   FAILURE   TO   EQUALISE   PRESSURE   BEFORE   UNLATCHING   CAN   RESULT   IN   CREW  
  INJURY  AND  EQUIPMENT  DAMAGE” 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Airlock  warning  sign  from  the  movie  ‘Sunshine’ 
   
  It’s  a  terrifyingly  hostile  universe  out  there  and mankind has not evolved to survive the rigors of 
  space. Without air the character will asphyxiate, in a vacuum he will suffer heart failure or brain 
  damage, in the cold he will freeze solid, in the heat he will be vaporized. The space traveller can 
  be poisoned by toxic gases and irradiated by cosmic rays or solar flares. Few of these dangers 
  worry a character in a standard SF campaign, but in Orbital they should be paramount concerns. 
  Likewise a standard SF starship has an incredibly resilient hull, with 50 points of weapon damage 
  required to affect it. On Orbital’s DSVs, habitats and stations, however, guns are anathema, and 
  fatal blow-outs resulting in explosive decompression are an ever-present danger.  
   
  1.  Pressure  Loss  (the  ‘Blow-Out’) 
  On all worlds throughout the solar system (with the exceptions of Titan and Venus) humans are 
  battling against lack of pressure, in most cases a vacuum or near vacuum. This is always  the 
  greatest danger to any space traveller.  
   
  Puncturing the Hull:  An attack from outside the hull may puncture it if the roll to hit is 
  successful. Inside the hull, stray bullets or other missiles may strike furniture or equipment instead 
  of the hull. If a gun is discharged and does not hit a human target, roll its damage dice to 
  determine its trajectory. On 1-9 the bullet lodges in something else, on 10+ the bullet strikes the 
  hull, or just ploughs through the piece of furniture to hit the hull anyway! Lasers will destroy 
  whatever they hit, so the chance of a hull strike for a laser is a flat 50% (roll 1-3 on a D6 for a hull 
  strike).  
   
  If a weapon hits a hull, roll for 
  weapon damage as normal and 
  subtract from this the protection 
  rating of the target. If penetration 
  occurs, a 1 cm diameter hole is 
  punched 
  into 
  the 
  hull 
  and 
  decompression begins.  
   
  Explosives of any kind automatically strike the hull if detonated internally. The fact that the 
  atmospheric pressure of the cabin is exerting great force on the skin of the habitat or vehicle adds 
  a considerable punch to any internal explosion, increasing the chance of a puncture. Roll explosive 
  damage as listed in the Core Book, and subtract the relevant armour modifier.  Every point of 
  explosive damage beyond that needed to puncture the hull widens the hole by 10cm. A frag 
  grenade tossed into a lab module goes off and does 22 points of damage, lowered to 12 after the 
  module’s hull is considered: a breach. The 12 points cause a hull rupture 1.2m in diameter... 
   
  This combat rule can serve as a guideline for other projectiles, from micrometeoroids striking the 
  hull, to rovers crashing into a hab, fuel pumps exploding or a grappling arm malfunction.    
   
  The Speed of Decompression:  Designers do not build huge open-spaced colony buildings or 
  spacecraft, they are divided up into smaller compartments separated by pressure bulkheads. 
  Decompression of one section will not affect the rest of the vehicle or habitat.  Puncturing the skin 
  Hull of a ... 
  Protection 
  Rover or orbital vehicle 
  8* 
  DSV/Module Standard hull 
  10* 
  Space station: SGS 
  20* 
  Large Scale Colony (hub/spokes) 
        35 
   
   
  *Each point of Spacecraft Armour  
        +5 
  
   
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  of a spacecraft or habitat is easy and great efforts must be made to avoid situations where such a 
  catastrophe might occur. But what happens when such a situation arises?  
   
  For a 1 ton cabin, a 1 cm diameter hole will cause pressure to drop by 50% in 5 minutes and to 
  vacuum in 10 minutes. The half-way point marks the level at which asphyxiation begins (see the 
  Core Book) and the character suffers 1D6 damage per minute. This basic value can be 
  extrapolated to determine pressure loss for other sized-compartments. Should a bullet punch a 
  hole through the skin of a 20 ton cargo hold, for example, pressure loss will take 20x longer (1 hr 
  40 mins to reach half an atmosphere, 3 hrs 20 minutes to be reduced to vacuum). The real danger 
  is in hatches popping open and in ruptures caused by explosions. Using the previous example of a 
  10 ton lab module damaged by a grenade, the breach created was 1.2m in diameter. Increasing 
  the affected volume increases the time to asphyxia to 50 minutes, but the breach was also 120x 
  larger:  
   
  Time to Asphyxia: (5 mins x 10) / 120 = 0.42 mins (25 seconds or 4 combat rounds) 
   
  If a 1 ton airlock blew its hatch and exposed unprotected individuals to vacuum, the effects of 
  asphyxia would occur much faster! Assume the hatchway is a 1.2m breach: 
   
  Time to Asphyxia: (5 mins x 1) / 120 = 0.042 mins (3 seconds or half a combat round)  
   
  Note that since full vacuum is reached after twice  this duration, the folks in the airlock will suffer 
  the perils of vacuum at the end of the six-second combat round. What exactly does this do to the 
  characters?  
   
  Effects of Vacuum on the Human Body: There are a lot of movie myths about exposure to a 
  vacuum, so the best place to find the truth is to look at books like the USAF   Flight   Surgeon’s  
  Guide, Shayler's Disasters and Accidents in Manned Spaceflight and  NASA’s  Bioastronautics Data 
  Book SP-3006. Human and animal testing, coupled with accident reports give us the following 
  facts: 
   
   
  Victims can stay conscious for up to 12 seconds  (two rounds).  
   
  Next, convulsions will take hold while water vapour forms in the soft tissue and veins, 
  resulting in the body swelling up.  
   
  Arterial blood pressure plummets as pressure in veins increases, and within a minute of 
  exposure, blood flow has stopped and the heart goes into fibrillation.  
   
  After an initial rush of gas from the lungs during decompression, gas and water vapour will 
  continue to flow outward through the airways. This continual evaporation of water will cool 
  the mouth and nose to near-freezing temperatures; the remainder of the body will also 
  become cooled, but more slowly. Extremities suffer hypothermia; fingers, toes, etc. freeze. 
   
  Nitrogen gas, which is dissolved under normal pressure, comes out of solution and forms 
  gas bubbles within the body. These bubbles cause the  ‘bends’  (decompression sickness),  
  lodging in joints, lungs, the spinal cord and the brain and causing paralysis, pain and 
  possible brain damage and death.   
   
  Victims are clinically dead from 2 to 4 minutes after exposure to vacuum. In tests, some 
  victims exposed for up to 2 minutes can be successfully resuscitated and recover, if quickly 
  restored to pressure.  
   
  Blood  does  not  ‘boil’  and victims do not freeze solid (at least not immediately). 
   
  Lungs do not burst; opening the airways allows gases to escape easily. However, tests 
  have  indicated  that  holding  one’s  breath  causes  the  lungs  to  swell,  with  tearing  and  rupture  
  of the lung tissues and capillaries. Trapped air is forced through the lungs into the chest 
  cavity, and air can be injected directly into the blood-stream by way of the ruptured blood 
  vessels. Massive air bubbles move throughout the body and lodge in vital organs  such as 
  
   
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  the heart and brain (a process called ebullism) causing symptoms similar  to  the  ‘bends’.  
  This makes recovery unlikely.  
   
  In game terms, exposure to vacuum results in 3D6 damage per combat round.  
   
  To save someone suffering catastrophic haemorrhage and ebullism requires that pressure be 
  restored to at least 50% or more of atmospheric norm. This will prevent further damage. Recovery 
  requires a medic kit, with defibrillator to restart the heart, oxygen and specific drugs (namely 
  pentoxifylline, prostaglandins and calcium channel blockers, all of which are found within 
  spacecraft and hab first aid kits).  
   
  To stabilize a patient exposed to vacuum: Medic, Education, 1-6 mins, Difficult (-2). Failure 
  indicates the patient continues to deteriorate at 1D6 pts per hour. The medic can try again each 
  hour. Success indicates the patient regains 4 points of damage and can begin recovery as normal.  
   
  An Alternative to Guns:  Obviously firearms and spacecraft   don’t   mix   very   well,   yet   military  
  personnel and police officers need the ability to take down and/or kill a target. Popular amongst 
  space-borne forces are Glaser bullets which break apart, they are frangible, with a good degree of 
  stopping power, but that shatter when striking a hard surface such as a bulkhead, window glass or 
  piece of armour. Glaser rounds are the opposite of armour-piercing, they cannot penetrate even 
  kevlar vests or vacc suits and so in that respects are not much use to a military force. Glaser 
  rounds are great for police officers, bodyguards, counter-terrorist units and military groups 
  assigned to stations or habitats. Otherwise use them as standard firearms ammunition, at the 
  same prices.  
   
  Non-lethal weapons are very popular and found in use all across the solar system. The following 
  pieces of equipment pass for weaponry in super-sensitive space society: dye guns, stunsticks, stun 
  pistols and thumpers. Although it is legal for a civilian to carry a restraining device around, such 
  behaviour is frowned upon and viewed with intense suspicion. Typically only law enforcers or 
  military personnel carry these items.  
   
  Dye Gun - Crazy? If you fire a gun at a suited man you are going to kill him - horribly. A dye gun marks his 
  suit as hit by law-enforcement, and if you can hit his visor you blind him and have practically immobilized 
  him. Dye guns could be used inside as well as outside if they carried a pepper-like irritant to temporarily 
  blind targets (they make an Endurance check, if successful they may continue acting, but at -1; if failed they 
  must flee the area of the spray and are effectively incapacitated for 1-3 rounds).  
  Shock-stick – Most law enforcers carry one these nerve-induction batons; they telescope out to about 
  60cm ready for use and are readily available. It is believed that the shock-stick has been misused by some 
  authorities as a torture device. It inflicts 1D6 damage if it hits, and then may incapacitate the victim. He or 
  she must make an Average Endurance roll, with a negative DM of 2D6. The Effect, if failed, indicates how 
  many rounds the victim is incapacitated for.  
  Thumper - Thumpers are ugly and dumpy little folding-stock launchers that fire subsonic sand-bag jellies at 
  targets with the aim of knocking them down by kinetic force and pain, rather than deadly bullet penetration. 
  Thumpers would work equally well against a suited target as an unsuited one.  They  aren’t  a  stun  weapon,  
  they deliver a good smack equivalent to being hit in the face with a well delivered police baton.  
   
  Weapon 
  TL 
  Range 
  Damage 
  Recoil 
  Mass (kg) 
  Magazine 
  Cost (Cr) 
  Dye Gun 
  7 
  Ranged (pistol) 
  None 
  - 
  1 
  6 
  200/10 
  Shock-stick 
  8 
  Melee (close) 
  1D6 
  - 
  0.5 
  - 
  400 
  Thumper 
  6 
  Ranged (shotgun) 
  2D6 
  2 
  2 
  3 
  200/10 
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  2. Exposure 
  If a character is exposed to the elements, the referee must decide what the local temperature is. 
  Vacuum, in the shade, has a temperature of -270°C (3° above absolute zero), but the sun at 
  varying distances can heat up suits, equipment and hull surfaces. In space, and on worlds without 
  an atmosphere, use the guidelines for exposure to a vacuum. See Pressure Loss  (above). On 
  planets and moons with atmospheres, it  is  easier  to  determine  temperature  when  a  character’s  suit  
  rips or he is thrown out of an airlock, or someone blows-out the windows on a habitat. Use the 
  temperature damage rules in Chapter 11 of the Core Book, a range of examples follow, and they 
  include massive pressure differences too:  
   
  World 
  Day Temp 
  Effect 
  Night Temp 
  Effect 
  Mercury  
  400 
  3D6/rd 
  -180 
  2D6/rd 
  Venus  
  500 
  4D6/rd 
  500 
  4D6/rd 
  Mars  
  -10 
  2D6/hr 
  -50 
  3D6/hr 
  Titan 
  -180 
  1D6/rd 
  -180 
  1D6/rd 
   
  3. Poison Gas 
  Exposure to Poison Atmospheres - Venus, Mars and Titan all have appreciable atmospheres, 
  and none are breathable. Walking out of a habitat or suffering a suit breach on one of these 
  worlds has the added complication of a poisonous gas being inhaled. However, pressure and 
  temperature differences will probably be far more dangerous to the exposed characters. The 
  referee should apply damage for vacuum or temperature as suits the environment.  
   
  Habitat Leaks on Venus and Titan - Although not a problem on Mars, where air will leak out of 
  a habitat, on Venus and Titan, pressure outside is so great that a small breach in the colony hull 
  will mean poison air leaking in!  This is very dangerous. Use the Poisons rule in the Core Book. 
  The main gas on Titan is nitrogen, on Venus it is carbon dioxide, but treat damage for both as 1D6 
  and the interval is per 1 minute of exposure.   
   
  4. Radiation 
  Radiation could be the real killer in space. In-frequent solar storms bathe interplanetary space with 
  energized protons that can reach deadly levels very quickly and Jupiter has a particularly deadly 
  radiation belts making prolonged travel nearby equally unhealthy. Spacecraft hulls may be double-
  thickness, filled with asteroid sand, but they are not proof against the higher levels of radiation. 
  Instead  small  ‘storm  shelters’  are  provided  on  long  distance  craft,  able  to  provide  protection  for  
  the crew for a few hours by shielding them with a double-skinned cavity filled with sand or, more 
  likely water, which is a good defence against hostile radiation. For longer periods the flare damper, 
  or Generator-Magnetospheric Field (GMF), is used. This is effectively a magnetic field generator 
  using the effects of plasma to divert radioactive particles harmlessly around the spacecraft. Only 
  theoretical at the start of the 21st century, the device is now used on DSVs, orbital vehicles and 
  even hard suits.  
   
  The colonies, cities and outposts on exposed moons and planets are able to protect against 
  radiation by being half-buried, or by using a layer of water within the skin of the dome. The soil or 
  water will absorb the deadly radiation. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  *Apply the full rad total to the victim at the end of the flare event.  
  Radiation Source 
  Rads 
  Jupiter space 
  100 per hour  (2400 per day) 
  Saturn/Uranus/Neptune space 
  25 per hour  (600 per day) 
  Minor Solar Flare (duration 1-6 hours) 
  25 per hour * 
  Major Solar Flare (duration 2-12 hours) 
  50 per hour * 
  
   
  131 | P a g e  
   
   
  But systems fail. Or they are not there at all. For this, the Radiation rules in the Core Book can be 
  used. There are ways to protect from radiation (see below). 
   
     RADIATION PROTECTION 
  Protection 
  Reduction 
  in Rads 
  Soft Suit  
  10 
  Hard Suit or Spacecraft Hull 
  20 
  Hard Suit with Flare Damper 
  100 
  Hostile Environment Suit 
  100 
  Flare Damper on DSV/Station/Orbital Vehicle 
  300 
  Storm Shelter 
  500 
  Large Scale Colony 
  500 
   
  Example: Third Officer Peterson is in orbit around Mars conducting an EVA in a soft suit. He is 
  attempting to repair the flare damper. Unfortunately he runs out of time and continues the repair 
  during the flare in order to try and save his crewmates. The flare lasts 2 hours and produces a 
  total of 50 rads. His soft suit reduces this to 40 rads. He appears to suffer no ill effects, but his 
  cumulative exposure has now shot up from 85 (before this flight) to 125. If Peterson had tried this 
  stunt in orbit around  Io  (a  moon  of  Jupiter)  then  he’d  have  suffered  an  additional  2  x  100 = 200 
  rads during his EVA, making a total of 250 rads  which  his  suit  reduces  to  240.  That’s  enough  to  
  inflict 2D6 burn damage on him.  
   
   
  AIRLOCKS 
   
  Rules for airlocks are found in the Core Book, but the referee may find additional explanation 
  useful when it comes to entering an airlock from outside the space craft. Can it be done? How? Is 
  it difficult? An airlock forms the main route in and out of a spacecraft. When docked at a station, 
  or  with  another  vehicle,  the  airlock  is  the  ‘front  door.’  An  extending  docking  tunnel  from  a  station  
  can  fit  into  the  airlock’s  docking  tunnel  recess  (1)  allowing  ease  of  passage,  much  like  a  modern  
  airport      ‘air-bridge’.   Although   there   are   variations   between airlock types, many incorporate the 
  features described here. 
   
  Automatic Access 
  The lock has two settings, automatic and manual, switching between the two is done from the 
  flight deck, from the inner hatch or from the control panel (4) next to the outer hatch.  
   
  Automatic is the default: the lock is operated from the flight deck by radio request, or it is 
  overridden by any crewman using the security keypad. Crewmembers wanting to board a vehicle 
  after passing through the docking tunnel need to input their  access  code  on  the  door’s  security  
  keypad (8). The door slides up and admits entrance. In space, far from docking tunnels and other 
  vehicles, access may be made in the same manner. A character conducting an EVA in a vacc suit 
  can leave the airlock and upon his return can input his security code with his gloved fingers (one 
  reason swipe cards and retina readers are rarely used). Often he will leave the airlock door open 
  for easy access.  
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  Manual or Forced Access 
  Manual is an emergency measure, used by rescue workers, or crewmen during some crisis. The 
  auto/manual selector (5) is turned to manual, and then the rescuer turns to the winding handle (3) 
  and physically and laboriously winds up the airlock door. It takes around 10 minutes and alarms 
  sound on the flight deck and at the inner airlock door. A grappling arm or auto-lock mechanism 
  (used by rescue teams) can speed this up to 1 minute.  
   
  Rescue workers will look through the windows (2) to establish the lock is empty before opening it 
  and will check the status light (7). Green indicates the lock is unpressurized and safe to open, red 
  indicates the lock is pressurized and that it may be dangerous to open. A flashing light indicates 
  the lock is pressurizing (red)/depressurizing (green).   
   
  The comms connectors (6) allow a rescue party to plug in directly to the flight deck to signal the 
  crew about their intentions should there be some kind of communications blackout or failure. 
  Individuals accessing the lock do not have the means to pressurize the airlock until they get inside. 
  If they spot an unconscious crewman within the lock and without a vacc suit, they cannot open 
  the airlock door without killing the crewman. Pressurization controls are located on an inner wall of 
  most airlocks, and the flight deck can operate these controls remotely. An override command can 
  easily be input by a character who knows the access code and inputs on the internal airlock control 
  panel.  
   
  Protocol 
  Most vehicles leave their airlocks unpressurized. Many vehicles actively want their airlocks to be 
  accessible to rescue crews. 2100 AD is not like the standard SF universe, piracy is incredibly rare, 
  military conflict does not end in a boarding action; DSV’s  are  far  more  likely  to  need  assistance  
  from another craft.  Sliding doors are common. Swing-out hatches are still used for secondary, 
  emergency or maintenance locks, but main locks use sliding doors. Traditional SF iris valves are 
  not yet in use. Explosive bolts: Many exterior airlock doors are primed with explosive bolts to allow 
  for instant airlock decompression, primarily to allow for rescue or evacuation should the automatic 
  or manual airlock mechanism fail. These bolts can only be fired by keypad code from the flight 
  deck, from the inner door or from the internal airlock control panel.  
  
   
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  ASTEROID MINING 
   
  Little of the great achievements of the past 100 years could have been made without access to the 
  incredible resources of the solar system. The most accessible of these resources are found within 
  asteroids and comets, objects found across the solar system in great numbers. It is likely that 
  player characters will get involved with asteroid mining, either directly or through a patron during 
  a mission.  
   
  Reasons for Mining 
  There are three reasons to go hunting asteroids. 
   
  Common Target Locations 
  Most asteroids are rocky bodies that orbit the Sun between Mars and Jupiter in the Asteroid Belt 
  that is centred around 400  million  km  from  the  Sun.  Two  ‘clouds’ of icy asteroids, 60° ahead of 
  and behind Jupiter (and at the orbital distance  as  Jupiter)  are  called  ‘Jupiter  Trojans’, while two 
  similar objects in Mars orbit  are  called  ‘Martian  Trojans.’ Some asteroids have been found inside 
  Earth's orbit (including many Near Earth Objects), while others - including burnt out or dormant 
  comets, such as perturbed Kuiper  Belt  objects  called  ‘Centaurs’ - are located beyond Saturn's orbit. 
  While most asteroids may be only the size of pebbles, 16 asteroids have a diameter of 240 km and 
  Ceres, the largest, has a diameter of about 914 km. Many of the tiny moons of Jupiter, Saturn and 
  the other gas giants can be mined in the same way as asteroids, in fact, many may be captured 
  asteroids.  
   
  Finally, resources may be gathered from two unusual locations. The 
  first is the dust and ice rings around the gas giants, the second is the 
  Kuiper Belt, a disc-shaped region of icy objects beyond the orbit of 
  Neptune. Pluto and Eris are the best known of these icy worlds, but 
  there are probably thousands more of these ice dwarfs out there. 
  The Kuiper Belt and even more distant Oort Cloud are believed to be 
  the home of comets that orbit the Sun. Mining out there is a lonely 
  and remote business that rarely justifies the time and expense of 
  travelling that far away from the inhabited worlds.  
  Target Locations 
  Main Asteroid Belt 
  Centaur Asteroids 
  Near Earth Objects 
  Jupiter Trojans 
  Mars Trojans 
  Tiny Moon of a Gas Giant 
  Gas Giant Ring 
  Kuiper Belt 
   
  Mining For  Profit – Large corporations such as Erebus or Matsuyama, or independent 
  miners like the crew of the DMV Ten Jin Maru, search asteroids for profitable minerals 
  which they can they sell to Luna, Earth or another nation requiring raw materials. Some 
  colonists and homesteaders mine asteroids for the raw materials to enable them to 
  construct new habitats. The main requirement is a number of mining drones.  
   
   
  Fuelling Stop-Over – Comets or icy asteroids provide valuable water ice that can be 
  mined and used as life support water or processed into liquid hydrogen as rocket fuel. 
  This enables DSVs to stop-off and use these rocks as gas stations. The main 
  requirements are mining drones and a fuel processor.  
   
   
  Homesteading – Cascadians making a living out amongst the asteroids are able to 
  mine organic materials used to maintain their agricultural modules or on-board gardens. 
  In addition they may mine minerals to create modules and other metal parts and 
  extract water from icy rocks to provide oxygen and water. In this way the Cascadians 
  can become almost totally self sufficient out amongst the rocks. The main requirements 
  are mining drones, a fuel processor and a smelting unit.  
   
  
   
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  Useful Mining Equipment 
   
       Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG):  This RTG generates heat from the 
  radioactive decay of a suitable radioisotope (such as uranium or strontium titanate), using the heat 
  to power a helium compression engine. It serves as a portable long-term power unit in places 
  where solar panels cannot draw enough power from a very distant Sun (anywhere beyond the 
  Asteroid Belt). The RTG provides a powerplant value of 1, is shipped in two parts (the generator 
  and the extendable radiators) and masses a total of 0.6 tons. It costs MCr 1.5.  
   
       Portable Solar Power Array (PSPA):  The most basic of mining outposts might simply 
  consist of a hab and workshop module where crews rely on supplies flown in for survival. In this 
  case power is supplied by a PSPA, a solar array that can be carried on-board a lander as cargo or 
  within one of the modules, to be unpacked,   unfolded   and   extended   on   the   world’s   surface.   It  
  comes with folding solar panels, an inverter, battery, solar tracker and interconnection wiring. The 
  PSPA provides an equivalent powerplant value of 1. The array masses 0.5 tons when packed, and 
  costs Cr 50,000; use of a PSPA allows the module to start operating almost immediately.  
   
       Fuel Processor: A  spacecraft’s  fuel processor is used to electrolyse melted water ice to create 
  both oxygen and hydrogen; the first can be used for life support, the second for chilling and using 
  as liquid hydrogen fuel for the nuclear thermal rocket. One ton of fuel processing equipment can 
  convert 20 tons of water ice into liquid hydrogen per day. One ton of fuel processing gear costs 
  Cr50,000.  
   
  
   
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       Atmospheric Processor: An atmospheric processor is used to extract valuable helium-3 from 
  the atmosphere of a gas giant. It consists of pumps and refrigeration equipment which liquefy the 
  atmospheric gases. While the liquid methane is discarded, liquid hydrogen is used to pre-cool more 
  incoming gases before also being discarded. The liquid helium is retained, so that the helium-3 
  isotope can be separated from the more abundant helium-4 isotope. This helium-4 is then 
  discarded, and the helium-3 is retained. One ton of processor can extract 0.1 ton of helium-3 per 
  day. The processor may instead be tasked to create liquid hydrogen fuel at a rate of 5 tons of 
  liquid hydrogen per day per ton of equipment. A ton of processor costs MCr1.  
   
       Mining Drones: Massing 10 tons, a set of mining drones is the most useful piece of 
  equipment any DSV can carry. The set includes three 2 ton mining drones, a 1 ton docking and 
  recharging unit and a 3 ton ore handling unit. The ore unit channels and transports ore from the 
  drones into the cargo or ore bay. Drones process 1D6 x 10 tons of asteroid material per working 
  day and cost MCr 1. 
   
       Mining Laser: Some dedicated mining DSVs (such as the DMV Ten Jin Maru) are equipped 
  with a mining laser. In all particulars this resembles the pulse laser described in the Core Book. It 
  is mounted in a single turret and is used to vaporise rock allowing the drones access to the ore 
  layers within. Use of a mining laser in conjunction with a set of mining drones allows the drones to 
  process 40-60 tons of ore in a day (1d3+3 x 10 tons), improving efficiency. The laser must be 
  used at a range of 5km or less. The mining laser costs MCr 0.5. 
   
       Smelting Plant: Requiring a crew of six, this 25 ton smelting plant can process asteroid ore 
  gathered by mining drones, separate the gangue (the useless rock) from the metal ore, then roast 
  and melt the ore in an electric or plasma arc furnace. The plant also has a vacuum arc capability 
  for re-melting and refining metals like titanium which require high grades of purity. In one day the 
  smelting plant can produce 1 ton of metal for every 10 tons of ore that is fed into it. Metals treated 
  with vacuum arc re-melting are produced in 2 days. Residual rock waste, or slag, is thrown into 
  space  or  onto  the  asteroid’s  surface.  The  smelting  plant  costs  MCr  9.   
   
       Micro-Smelter: A micro-smelter is available as a 10 ton module for use as part of a mining 
  station, or by homesteaders in the Belt. It functions as a scaled down version of the industrial 
  smelter, processing, in one day, 2 tons of asteroid ore to produce 0.2 tons of metal. It is not as 
  versatile as the industrial plant and may require several hours of maintenance to switch between 
  different types of ore. The micro smelter requires a crew of two and costs MCr 4. 
   
       ORVIN (Oxygen RecoVery IN situ): The ORVIN module was developed by NASA for its 
  return to the Moon in 2001, a TL 9 derivative of those early TL 7 ORVINs are still used today 
  across the solar system, each is a complete self-sufficient life support plant used on asteroids and 
  small moons by miners, colonists and scientists. The plant is installed within a standard 10 ton 
  module and built around a 2.5 ton fission powerplant which can also provide electrical power for 
  the outpost. A 1 ton, wheeled drone shovels asteroid/Luna regolith into a 1 ton hopper system 
  that feeds the material into the production plant (most plants use carbothermic reduction or 
  molten regolith electrolysis). The oxygen plant itself masses 2 tons and produces oxygen from the 
  regolith. A 1 ton fuel processor is also installed which is able to melt local ice deposits (if any) and 
  electrolyse the water to produce oxygen as well as the much needed rocket fuels: liquid oxygen 
  and liquid hydrogen. Fuel is stored in 2.5 tons of integral cryogenic tankage for later transfer to a 
  vehicle. Oxygen is typically stored in empty tanks brought as cargo with the expedition and stored 
  on external racks at ground level. An ORVIN costs MCr 7.30. Unlike most modules, the cylindrical 
  ORVIN module is jacked up into a vertical position on fold-out legs before operations can 
  commence. External panelling must then be manually removed to expose the equipment and allow 
  the feed belt and hopper to be deployed. The ORVIN does not connect with other modules and 
  cannot be entered. 
  
   
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  Mission Profile 
   
  1  Prospecting - Using telescopes and spectroscopy, asteroids can be prospected from millions of 
  kilometres away. The player characters must identify an asteroid that fulfils their needs, and this is 
  done with a task roll. 
   
  Locate a suitable rock for mining: Prospecting, Intelligence, 1-6 days, Routine (+2) 
   
  Locate a suitable ice chunk: Prospecting, Intelligence, 1-6 days, Average (+0) 
   
  Locate a suitable source of water & nutrients: Prospecting, Intelligence, 1-6 days, Average (+0)  
   
  2  Travel to the Rock – Characters must travel to the rock; distance depends on its location 
  within the solar system. Once mining is completed, a second asteroid may be located in the same 
  general location, if desired. Travel time to this new rock takes 1D6 x 10 hours, add the following: 
   
  Travel by DSV:  1200 hours divided by delta-V  
  Travel by Orbital Vehicle:  140 hours 
   
  3  Touchdown & Anchor – Touching down on an asteroid requires landing gear which most 
  DSVs do not have. Most dedicated mining vehicles, such as drilling rigs, do however have heavy 
  duty landing suspension. Pitons, harpoons or rock drills are needed to anchor the vehicle and 
  prevent  it  from  drifting  away  in  the  asteroid’s  pathetic  gravity  field.  It  is  impossible  to  touch  down  
  on a planetary ring. If a craft is unable to touchdown, then reduce all drone extraction rolls (see 
  below) by -2.  
   
  4  Extraction – Decide what the crew want to extract (minerals, water or agricultural materials). 
  Roll the relevant task. Each mining roll represents a full day of maintenance, preparation, mining 
  and clean-up.  
   
  Extracting Minerals: The solar system has an ample supply of asteroids which makes mining 
  unprofitable and prices very low. Belters look for the very rare asteroids in which valuable 
  materials exist in relatively high purity. Uncommon ores include platinum, rhodium, iridium, 
  osmium, ruthenium, palladium, gold and the naturally occurring alloys of osmiridium and 
  iridosmium. Common ores are aluminium, nickel, iron and copper. Raw materials are sand, gravel 
  and silica used for shielding and as a raw material for manufacturing. Once a potentially profitable 
  asteroid is found and on-site prospecting has begun, roll 2D6 on the Asteroid Yield table; then 
  proceed to the extraction task roll.  
   
  ASTEROID YIELD 
  2D6 
   Yield 
  Description 
  4–5 
   Icy 
  Largely made of water ice and other volatiles. Can be mined for 1D6 
  × 100 displacement tons of water ice which can be sold for Cr 100 per 
  ton if located in the Outer Zone; otherwise treat as Low Yield. 
  6-8 
   Low 
  Worthless rock with a surface veneer of 1D6 × 100 tons of water/ice 
  and 1D6 × 50 tons of volatiles (frozen methane, ammonia, nitrogen 
  and carbon dioxide) will be present if the asteroid is located in the 
  Outer Zone. These can be sold for Cr 500 per ton. 
  9-11 
   High 
  Roll on the High Yield table to determine the contents. 1D6 × 100 
  tons of water ice and 1D6 × 50 tons of volatiles (frozen methane, 
  ammonia, nitrogen and carbon dioxide) will be present if the asteroid 
  is located in the Outer Zone. These can be sold for Cr 500 per ton. 
  12 
   Special 
  Unusually rare or large deposits. Roll on the Special Yields table. 
  
   
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  2D6 High Yield 
  Tons 
   
  2D6 
  Special Yield 
  Tons 
  2 
  Basic Ore 
  1D6 × 5 
   
  2 
  Alien artefact 
  * 
  3 
  Basic Ore 
  1D6 × 25 
   
  3 
  Distress beacon 
  * 
  4 
  Uncommon Ore 
  1D6 × 5 
   
  4 
  Salvage 
  * 
  5 
  Basic Ore 
  1D6 × 50 
   
  5 
  Uncommon raw 
  materials 
  1D6 × 100 
  6 
  Basic Ore 
  1D6 × 100 
   
  6 
  Uncommon raw 
  materials 
  1D6 × 25 
  7 
  Uncommon Ore 
  1D6 × 20 
   
  7 
  Basic raw materials 
  1D6 × 100 
  8 
  Basic Ore 
  1D6 × 500 
   
  8 
  Crystals & gems 
  1D6 × 25 
  9 
  Uncommon Ore 
  1D6 × 50 
   
  9 
  Precious metals 
  1D6 × 50 
  10 
  Basic Raw 
  Materials 
  1D6 × 50 
   
  10 
  Crystals & gems 
  1D6 × 100 
  11 
  Uncommon Ore 
  1D6 × 100 
   
  11 
  Biochemicals 
  1D6 × 50 
  12 
  Special 
   
   
  12 
  Radioactives 
  1D6 × 10 
   
                                                                            * The Referee should determine the exact                       
                                                                               nature of these finds. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Mine an asteroid & process the ore: Comms, Intelligence, 1-6 hours, Routine (+2). 
   
  Each 10 tons of mining drones installed on a ship can mine 1D6 × 10 tons + the Effect of the 
  Comms roll × 5 for each successful mining task.  
   
  Extracting Water & Hydrogen: A ship may use mining drones to mine ice from icy asteroids or 
  comets and convert it into unrefined liquid hydrogen fuel and oxygen. Mining water ice from an icy 
  asteroid or comet requires a separate task. 
   
  Mine water ice: Comms, Intelligence, 1-6 hours, Routine (+2). 
   
  Each 10 tons of mining drones installed on a ship will mine 1D6 × 10 tons of ice + the Effect of 
  the Comms roll × 5 for each successful mining task.  
   
  Extracting Agricultural Materials: A ship equipped with both hydroponics and mining drones 
  may obtain the monthly supplies for the hydroponic units by mining asteroids and comets. 
  Extracting enough nutrients and water for a month requires a separate task. Such nutrients 
  include (in order of usefulness) nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, sulphur and 
  calcium.  
   
  Mine water & nutrients: Comms, Intelligence, 1-6 hours, Routine (+2). 
   
   
  5  Problems – At the start of each day of mining activities, the referee should secretly roll for a 
  Mining Problem on 2D6. Add the highest Engineer skill amongst the characters to the 2D6 roll, as 
  well as the highest Sensor skill and the highest Remote Pilot skill. A natural  roll  of  ‘2’  is  unmodified  
  by  skill  levels  and  remains  at  ‘2’.   
   
   
   
  
   
  138 | P a g e  
   
       MINING PROBLEM 
  2D6 Problem Encountered 
  2 
  Roll again, this time do not add skill levels 
  3 
  Sensor failure 
  4 
  Fuel Leak 
  5 
  Machinery Failure (processor/smelter/ore handling) 
  6 
  Landslide/Cave-in, relocate activities (takes 1 day) 
  7 
  Comms Failure (with drones) 
  8 
  Drone Failure 
  9+ 
  No problem 
   
  Each problem is a roleplaying opportunity, a physical and mental challenge that will require a 
  degree of problem solving as well as a task roll. The referee should adjudicate the subsequent 
  events to fit the situation and the characters. A simple repair may suffice, perhaps the failure is 
  due to something unusual and not yet detected, perhaps the failure cannot easily be repaired and 
  needs drastic action: cannibalisation of some other equipment, for example. The landslide/cave-in 
  event may trap a drone or even a character who is trying to free an unresponsive drone, it may 
  lead to a chain of other complications, perhaps presaging an asteroid quake, or tipping the DSV 
  violently, putting a successful launch in jeopardy. Have fun with these problems, they are intended 
  to be entertaining, and food for adventure, not a pain.  
   
  6  Repeat – Continue cycling through 4 and 5, making new extraction rolls and new problem rolls 
  each day of mining activity. Continue like this until the ore bay is full, a problem stops production, 
  or something more interesting crops up! There is no need to reroll again on the Asteroid Yield 
  Table though.  
   
   
  SETTING UP AN OUTPOST 
   
  During the course of a mission the players may need to set up a fully functioning base on a small 
  moon or asteroid, indeed this task itself may become the adventure. Although establishing 
  outposts has become quite routine, the hard physical labour required in setting up a module 
  outpost retains an element of danger.  
   
  How do you set up an outpost? It is the high tech equivalent of setting up a camp site while you 
  mine the local area or conduct scientific research. Generally, the explorer needs the following 
  pieces of equipment: 
   
     Skycrane Lander - Required in order to set down modules onto the surface of the moon or 
  asteroid.   
     Hab module - A place to live. 
     Rover Excavator module - A rover excavator can clear an area ready for the creation of the 
  outpost, and this is most important when building a landing pad. Large rocks may be thrown for 
  kilometres by a rocket exhaust, and so high berms of regolith are often built up as protection 
  around such pads, as well as around habs and fuel stores. Diggers can also help to cover modules 
  with industrial-sized sacks of regolith in order to protect the inhabitants and to also manoeuvre the 
  modules into  place  via  the  rover’s  hydraulic  arm.  Not required for set-up on an asteroid, where a 
  Skycrane can land anywhere without damaging previously emplaced modules.    
     ORVIN module - Electrical power, plus a method of creating oxygen and, if there is ice then 
  water and rocket fuel too.  
     Science or Workshop module - Somewhere where you can do your job, and with an integral 
  airlock, a way of getting outside to fix things and carry out practical activities on the surface. 
  
   
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     Hydroponics Module - Whether accomodating miners or scientists, a self sufficient outpost 
  needs to be able to feed itself, this module allows for the sustainable production of foodstuffs.  
   
  The most basic of outposts might simply be a hab module and science module connected together, 
  with an external solar array providing power. This outpost will not be self sufficient however, and 
  requires oxygen, water and food to be brought in on a regular basis.   
   
  Which Module First? 
  The order of construction should be as follows: 
   
  The total hardware cost to reach stage 10 is approximately MCr 32, if including a single hab and 
  workshop module as well as the associated modules noted above (plus a Skycrane lander). 
  Without the lander the cost is around MCr 16. These  costs  don’t  include transport, fuel, wages and 
  the cost of supplies or additional tools and equipment.   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  1. Remote survey of the area. 
  2. Land the hab module along with a portable solar panel array, get the hab up and running with 
  power supplied by the array.  
  3. Land the ORVIN at least 100m from the hab.  
  4. Designate a landing site at least 100m from both hab and ORVIN modules for the next stage of 
  module landings.  
  5. Land the rover excavator module and offload the rover ready for work. Use it to shovel regolith 
  to create a blast berm around the designated landing area.  
  6. Land other modules and, as they arrive, use the rover excavator to connect them together.  
  7. Set up the ORVIN for oxygen production.  
  8. Set up the hydroponics module.  
  9. Establish a fuel dump, protected by a prefab sunshield roof and berms made of regolith for the 
  storage of manufactured rocket fuel.  
  10. Establish a rover park, a place close to the airlock surrounded by a regolith berm and covered 
  with a sun shield. The garage module that the rover was landed in should be connected to the 
  outpost, pressurised and used as a general workshop and storage area.  
   
  Construction Tasks 
  Unloading a module from lander: Pilot, 10-60 mins, Average 
   
  Connecting a module to the outpost on a major moon: Ground Vehicle and Mechanics, 
  10-60 mins, Difficult  
   
  Connecting a module to the outpost on an asteroid: Ground Vehicle and Mechanics, 10-
  60 mins, Very Difficult 
   
  Get an ORVIN operational: Engineer (or Mechanics -1), 1-6 days, Average 
   
  Setting up comms tower: Comms, 1-6 days, Routine 
   
  Building protective berms:  Ground Vehicle, 1-6 days, Routine 
   
  Setting up hydroponics: Mechanics, 1-6 days, Difficult 
   
  Connecting a module to the outpost using the 1 ton ORVIN drone: Comms and 
  Mechanics, 1-6 hrs, Difficult 
  
   
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  10   WORLDS 
   
   
  PLANETARY WORLD PROFILES 
   
   
  Starports: These are rated just as in the Core Book, but all information found there obviously 
  relates only to DSVs, not starships.  
   
  Size: A rating of 0 for World Size indicates a body less than around 1,200 km and includes tens of 
  thousands of asteroids, comets and tiny irregular satellites of the larger planets of the solar 
  system. Many of these moons, particularly of the large gas giants, may even have retrograde 
  orbits, these travel the opposite way around a planet from its rotation and that of most of its 
  larger  moons  (which  instead  go  ‘prograde’).   
   
  Atmosphere: Mars has a Very Thin, Tainted atmosphere due to half a century of terraforming; 
  this increase in pressure has allowed a small increase in average global temperature. Some worlds 
  are listed with trace atmospheres in the scientific literature, a tenuous body of gas which has 
  measurable chemical constituents, such as Io and Triton. They are listed here as Atmosphere 1 
  (Trace) although the actual pressure readings of these atmospheres are far lower than those given 
  in the Core Book.  
   
  Hydrographics: To provide more diversity in trade codes, some of the icy moons have been 
  given Hydrographic ratings of 1 qualifying them as Ice-Capped. Since nearly every body in the 
  solar system that has regions experiencing little sunlight has deposits of water ice, we use the 
  term Ice-Capped in Orbital to  mean  ‘has  liquid  water  beneath  an  icy  crust’.    These liquid water 
  oceans are postulated on Europa, Enceladus and on other moons also. Ice-capped   means   ‘a  
  subsurface  ocean  beneath  an  ice  cap’. 
   
  Bases: The following codes may be used in the UWP following the Tech Level code: 
   
  R 
  Research station – A self-contained scientific outpost. 
  M 
  Military base – A military garrison, not part of the space force.  
  N 
  Space Force base – Military space port with associated facilities, crews and vehicles. 
  S 
  Space Agency base – Outpost supporting government exploration, crews and craft 
   
  Tidally Locked 
  Finally, T indicates that a moon is tidally locked to the planet it rotates around. 
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
  
   
  141 | P a g e  
   
  THE SOLAR SYSTEM  
   
  Sol 
   
   
  G2V 
  Mercury 
   
   
  B300538 
  N 
  NI 
  Venus  
   
   
  C8B0525 
   
  De  NI 
  Eros   
   
  C000364 
   
  As Lo  
   
   
   
  T 
  Earth  
   
   
  A8779A4 
  N,S  
  Hi In Ga 
   
  Luna 
   
   
  A200527 
  N,S 
  NI 
   
   
   
   
  T 
  Mars  
   
   
  B420585 
  N,S 
  De Po NI 
  Phobos  
   
  C000366 
  N 
  Lo 
   
   
   
   
  T 
  Deimos  
   
  X000000 
   
  Ba 
   
   
   
   
  T 
  Asteroid Belt  
   
  C000571 
   
  As NI 
   
  Vesta   
   
  C000422  
  N,S  
  As NI 
   
  Ida  
   
   
  C000466  
  N,M  
  As NI 
   
  Moore   
   
  D000433  
   
  As NI 
  Jupiter 
   
  Large GG 
   
  Ring System  
  X000000 
   
  Ba 
   
  Io 
   
   
  X210000 
   
  Ba 
   
   
   
   
  T 
   
  Europa  
   
  D201452 
   
  IC NI  
   
   
   
  T 
   
  Ganymede 
   
  E300168 
  M 
  Lo 
   
   
   
   
  T 
   
  Callisto  
   
  D311366 
  M 
  IC Lo  
   
   
   
  T 
      
  Constitution 
   
  E000154 
  R 
  As Lo 
  Saturn 
   
  Large GG 
   
  Ring System  
  X000000 
   
  Ba 
   
  Janus  
   
  B000485 
  S 
  As NI 
   
  Mimas  
   
  E0004A6 
  R 
  NI 
   
   
   
   
  T 
   
  Enceladus 
   
  E011302 
  R 
  IC Lo    
   
   
   
  T 
   
  Tethys  
   
  X000000 
   
  Ba 
   
   
   
   
  T 
   
  Dione  
   
  X000000 
   
  Ba 
   
   
   
   
  T 
   
  Rhea  
   
  C10039B 
  S 
  Lo 
   
   
   
   
  T 
   
  Titan  
   
  C3A2464 
  N 
  Fl NI 
   
   
   
   
  T 
   
  Hyperion 
   
  E000163 
  S 
  As Lo 
   
  Iapetus 
   
  D1003C7 
   
  NI 
   
   
   
   
  T 
   
  Phoebe  
   
  X000000 
   
  As Ba 
  Uranus 
   
  Small GG 
   
  Ring System  
  X000000 
   
  Ba 
   
  Miranda 
   
  D000222 
  S 
  Lo 
   
   
   
   
  T 
   
  Ariel 
   
   
  X000000 
   
  Ba 
   
   
   
   
  T 
   
  Umbriel 
   
  E000106 
   
  Lo 
   
   
   
   
  T 
   
  Titania  
   
  X000000 
   
  Ba 
   
   
   
   
  T 
   
  Oberon  
   
  D000264 
  S 
  Lo 
   
   
   
   
  T 
  Neptune 
   
   
  Small GG 
   
  Proteus 
   
  X000000 
   
  Ba 
   
   
   
   
  T 
   
  Triton  
   
  E210370 
  M 
  Lo 
   
   
   
   
  T 
   
  Nereid  
   
  E000200 
   
  Lo 
   
   
   
   
  T 
  Kuiper Belt  
   
   
   
  Pluto  
   
  X110000 
   
  Ba 
   
   
   
   
  T 
   
     Charon 
   
  X000000 
   
  Ba 
   
   
   
   
  T 
   
  Haumea   
   
  X000000 
   
  Ba 
   
  Makemake  
   
  X000000 
   
  Ba 
   
  Eris  
   
   
  X200000 
   
  Ba 
   
  
   
  142 | P a g e  
   
  MERCURY B300538 – 9  N 
  NI  
   
   
  Planetology 
  Mercury is larger than the Moon and has a liquid iron core 
  much larger than expected, suggesting a very early impact 
  which stripped away much of the outer mantle and crust 
  to leave the core intact. As a result little Mercury has a 
  huge core for its size and a strong magnetic field, which 
  greatly assisted the human colonisation attempt.  
   
  The planet exhibits strange orbital mechanics. It has a 
  very elliptical orbit, swinging in close (46 million km) to 
  the Sun, and then slowing down as it moves out to (70 million km). At that distance the intensity 
  of sunlight on Mercury's surface is less than half the intensity at its closest approach. Mercury 
  rotates very slowly, on average, 176 Earth days elapse between one sunrise and the next on 
  Mercury, 88 Earth days of sunlight followed by 88 Earth days of night.  The planet turns so slowly 
  that one full Mercury day requires two orbits of the Sun, or two Mercury years!  Because of 
  Mercury's elliptical, egg-shaped, orbit and its sluggish rotation, the morning Sun appears to rise 
  briefly, set and then rise again from some parts of the planet's surface. The same thing happens in 
  reverse at sunset. To the Mercury colonists, the Sun looks nearly three times as large as it does 
  from Earth. Mercury's surface experiences the steepest temperature gradient of all the planets, 
  ranging from a very cold -170ºC at night to a scorching 420ºC during the day. The seasons on the 
  planet's surface are caused by the variation of its distance from the Sun, growing hotter as mid-
  day approaches, rather than due to axial tilt. 
   
  The surface of Mercury, covered with ridges, highlands, mountains, plains, escarpments, and 
  valleys, is geologically dead and has been for billions of years. The planet was heavily bombarded 
  by asteroids and comets about 3.8 billion years ago and the planet received an overwhelming 
  number of impacts. At that time, the planet was volcanically active and areas like the Caloris Basin 
  were filled with magma, which are today smooth plains. Much of the surface, however, is a very 
  jumbled, broken and distorted landscape. 
   
  Mercury’s  thousands  of  craters  range  in  size  from  tiny  bowl-shaped cavities, to multi-ringed basins 
  that are hundreds of kilometres in diameter. The largest known crater is Caloris Basin, with a 
  diameter of 1,550 km. The impact that created this was so powerful that it caused lava eruptions 
  and left a concentric ring over 2 km tall around the impact crater. At the opposite end of the 
  Spaceport 
  Good Quality 
  Diameter 
  4,880 km 
  Gravity 
  0.38 G 
  Pressure 
  vacuum 
  Composition 
  - 
  Temperature
   
   
   -170ºC night 
  +420ºC day 
  Population 
  112,000;  
  Government 
  Self-perpetuating oligarchy  
  Law Level 
  High 
  Dist. from Sun 
  58 Mkm 
  Solar Day 
  176 days 
  Year 
  88 days 
  
   
  143 | P a g e  
   
  planet   (the   ‘antipode’) to the basin is a large region of unusual highland known as the "Weird 
  Terrain". One hypothesis for its origin is that shock waves generated during the Caloris impact 
  travelled around  the  planet,  converging  at  the  basin’s  antipode;;  the  resulting  high  stress  split  apart  
  the surface. One unusual  feature  of  the  planet’s  surface  is  the  numerous  compression  folds,  or  
  ‘rupes’,  which  criss-cross  the  plains.  As  the  planet’s  interior  cooled,  it  may  have  contracted  and  its  
  surface began to deform, creating these features. The folds can be seen on top of other features, 
  such as craters and smoother plains, indicating that the folds are more recent. 
   
  A danger to orbiting spacecraft are the magnetic flux tubes, twisted bundles of magnetic fields, up 
  to 800 km wide,  that  connect  Mercury’s  magnetic  field  to interplanetary space. These are tornado-
  like  ‘leaks’  in  the  planet’s  magnetic  field  created  as  the  solar  wind  whips  past. 
   
  Human Development 
  When the first fusion reactor came online in 2060, at Korea's National Fusion Research Institute in 
  the city of Daejon, the Earth Union looked out to the worlds of the solar system for the perfect 
  fuel: helium-3. Mercury looked to be the prime candidate; probes suggested that great quantities 
  of the element had been blasted onto the surface of the planet by the intense solar wind. If it 
  could be mined and returned to Earth, then fusion power could prove the saviour of mankind, the 
  key to unlimited power and unlimited potential.  
   
  The first human landing on Mercury took place in 2061, the Hermes 1 dropped a team of 
  astronauts and scientists onto the surface at Sobkau Planitia. They landed during the 88 day night 
  and spent two weeks in the darkness, building a solar shelter, conducting geological tests and 
  setting up scientific instruments to monitor surface conditions on Mercury. Hermes 2, 3 and 4 were 
  follow on missions. Hermes 5 and 6 landed construction equipment and robots that began work on 
  the subsurface colony structure. In 2067, Hermes 9, composed of a small fleet of DSVs, entered 
  orbit around Mercury with a full payload of colonists, supplies and machinery - this was the big 
  landing, the Earth Union were moving people in to the buildings they had so laboriously 
  constructed over a two year period.  
   
  Helium-3 was not yet on the colonists' agenda, they had to face their first 2000 hour Mercury day 
  and it proved to be a tough one. Many more days followed and with a grim realisation they 
  understood the difficulties ahead of them. Temperatures peaked at 420 degrees during the day 
  and sank to -170 degrees at night. Machinery, habitats, rovers and suits struggled to cope with the 
  temperature differences and several lives were lost.  
   
  Realising how much Mercury meant to the Earth Union, the Luna Republic launched a colonial 
  effort of its own a year later, four DSVs fully equipped with colony construction materials, willing 
  colonists and supplies for a year entered low Mercury orbit. They got a shock, however. The 
  Hermes 9 colonists refused the Lunars permission to land and threatened military action should 
  they attempt it. By dropping construction robots and hab modules from orbit, the Lunar contingent 
  called the Hermian's bluff. It ended with all the robotic landers destroyed by Earth Union AKV's 
  (the first historical use of these robotic missiles in combat). Shocked that the Earth colonists had 
  brought military assets with them, the Lunars called for assistance and the stand-off intensified 
  when supply craft and Lunar strike vehicles entered orbit several weeks later. They met an even 
  larger force of Earth Space Force vehicles.  
   
  September 2068 looked like all out war between the Earth Union and Lunar Republic. The stand 
  off intensified even more as bigger assets arrived in an attempt to intimidate the opposition. 
  Diplomacy in Earth orbit cracked the ice, however, and to everyone's relief the crisis abated - the 
  Lunar colonists returning home without setting foot on Mercury. A year later the Mercury 
  Convention was signed by both governments allowing open access to any astronomical body in 
  excess of 6 km diameter. Anyone could colonise Mercury or Titan or Mimas, for example.  This 
  
   
  144 | P a g e  
   
  law, now enshrined, seemed to act in the opposite direction, however. When one government 
  colonised a world, the other seemed to shun it and instead looked to another moon or planet to 
  colonise. Both sides ignored the Mercury Convention in order to play interplanetary leapfrog! 
   
  Within three years the Sobkau helium-3 project had ended. Massive Earth investment had been 
  poured into the Mercury project, colonists had arrived and facilities constructed, all to process and 
  export the deposits of helium-3. But there was little to be found. The political storm that engulfed 
  the project was known as the Sobkau Debacle, and it resulted in the EU pulling the plug. 
  Investment stopped, as did the colonial transports, and although some assets were shipped back 
  to Earth, much of the infrastructure remained in place. Where was the helium-3? Scientists 
  speculated that the magnetosphere of the planet had diverted or swept away most of the material 
  being blasted out by the Sun, but that the twisting flux tubes brought down concentrated deposits 
  here and there where they touched the surface. Sobkau had been at the bottom of one of an 
  ancient flux tube, a permanent kink in the magnetic field that had provided this erroneous reading.  
   
  Sajid Khan, a millionaire entrepreneur and supplier of mining equipment, took a big gamble at this 
  time and bought up equipment and assets at a huge discount. He established Hermes Systems 
  and began rationalising his new-found business. Key to his success was the use of solar power 
  satellites in low Mercury orbit providing power at all times, even during the 88 day night. Khan 
  moved much of his electronics manufacturing to Mercury and the colonists there snapped up the 
  jobs. With few other competitors, and making use of abandoned facilities, Khan rapidly expanded.  
   
  Khan's four year plan came to fruition in 2074. Hermes Systems by this time was exporting solar 
  energy technology to the rest of the solar system, and had opened up mines to secure a source of 
  raw materials. Most of the population was an employee of his and morale on Mercury was 
  improving. By 2080, Khan and his family sat at the head of an independent Mercury, one with 
  bold, enterprising citizens who welcomed the corporate freedom that Khan extended to other 
  businesses from Earth. He was keen to offer investment opportunities and mining rights to 
  companies as well as freelancers, in the hope that a 'rush to Mercury’  would energise the planet’s  
  economy even more; but convincing miners to leave the relatively easy asteroid mining industry 
  proved almost impossible.  
   
  The mineral strike at Caloris Basin in 2084 by a co-operative of freelancers changed that. A wide 
  ranging survey by these miners had discovered huge deposits of some of the solar system's rarest 
  minerals, over a vast area. Scientists suggested this was due to much of the planet's lighter, more 
  worthless outer layers being blasted away during the Mercury's early collision. A flood of miners 
  arrived; many were new to the job, helped to Mercury by the Frontier Foundation. Illegal 
  immigrants also made their way to the planet, brought in by Chinese Snakehead gangs. Too many 
  of these desperate migrant workers died on the unforgiving and brutal surface of Mercury, 
  unprepared and untrained. The Kolkata Offworld Movement (see pg.140) has pushed mining 
  consortiums to bring in reduced training times and statutory quotas of climate refugees purely to 
  get more people to Mercury, and the pressure has worked.  
   
  All this immigration, particularly from Kolkata, Bangladesh, the flood zones of the Pearl River 
  Megacity and over populated Egypt has meant continual urban development. Sun City is the show-
  piece settlement of Sajid Khan's new Mercury and the planet's new capital city, made rich through 
  the leasing of mining rights to off-world corporations and co-operatives. Khan's open door policy to 
  business and relaxed approach to corporate taxation has made Mercury an enclave for banks and 
  canny enterprises. The Khan family owns much of the infrastructure and employs 90% of the 
  planet's permanent residents. Owner of Hermes Systems, Khan is also the permanent chairman of 
  the company's Citizen Advisory Board, which effectively acts as a planetary parliament to oversee 
  non-commercial affairs of the business. As 'The Chairman', Khan is defacto ruler of the planet. 
  Many of his relatives have been given high level positions within Hermes Systems.  
  
   
  145 | P a g e  
   
  Although business has free rein and people in work are affluent, society is not free. The media 
  faun over the Chairman and heavily self censor their news reports to show Hermes and Khan in a 
  good light, police have many powers that enable them to detain suspects, deport malcontents 
  without trial, employ 'rigorous' interrogation methods and effectively act as the Hermes Systems 
  goon squad. Visitors to Mercury should expect to be challenged by police patrols and at 
  checkpoints frequently. The same visitors will find they are treated affably and courteously should 
  they display legitimate corporate IDs. Human rights issues have been raised within the Earth 
  Union, and by Luna, but Mercury is a sovereign state ... 
   
  A number of coups and failed revolutions have been started on Mercury within the past decade, all 
  brutally put down by the security forces on Mercury. The blame for all of these has been put on 
  Luna, fomenting discontent in order to seize Mercury as a prize of itself. Some outsiders see this 
  as  Hermian propaganda and evidence of widespread unhappiness and discontent amongst the 
  poorest class of Mercurians. Most of these arrived with the blessing of KOM or in a Snakehead 
  cargo module and being unfit for mining work, fell into the service industries at Sun City and other 
  corporate-dominated settlements. Cleaners, nannies, cooks, hydroponics operators, prostitutes, 
  low paid construction workers, waiters, laundry staff and others, all came to Mercury with dreams 
  of making themselves a fortune.  
   
  Places of Interest 
       Sun City – Sun City  is  Mercury’s  capital  city,  located  on  the  wide  floor  of  crater  Gothe,  close  to  
  the north pole.  The city holds 50,000 people and is built underground. A central twenty-five 
  storey shaft houses a fusion powerplant and three large tunnels radiate away eastwards from the 
  central core to form major route ways, the northerly tunnel connects with light industry districts, 
  the most southerly connects with farms and low cost accommodation. The central tunnel is the 
  major artery, shopping and entertainment zone, and heads directly for the underground public 
  plazas and the central business district. A curving link tunnel connects these districts together and 
  also runs through high class corporate housing areas as well as a second district of low cost 
  housing.  
   
  The tunnels demarcate an area criss-crossed with small tunnels, networked together to form 
  distinct districts, one of which is the Village, a place of artists and craftsman, a bohemian, relaxed 
  place. The artwork coming out of Sun City is highly prized, and the community developed primarily 
  to produce one-off works of art for the offices of the big corporations that do business here. 
  Pottery, jewellery, metalwork, sculpture and glass blowing are all popular art forms there. The 
  business district is a huge cylindrical cavern with parkland at the bottom and multiple galleries 
  running along the sides, home to the offices of Luxor, Erebus, Ellis-Itami, Aerodyne and many 
  more. The outward status of a corporation is typically shown through architecture, but here the 
  companies   instead   display   exotic   artwork,   such   as   Aerodyne’s   famous   “Glass   Waterfall”,  
  Baospace’s  “Automata  Ferrata”  and  Matsuyama’s  bronze  sculpture  “My  Liquid  Hell”.  To  the  west  a  
  new tunnel has been cut, and splits to a new heavy industry district and to a zone of fresh 
  tunnelling. There are passenger and freight elevators dotted all across the city, and light shafts 
  also reach the surface, constructed to channel light down via mirrors to some of the open public 
  spaces.  
   
  Sun City was built quite recently to service the corporate clients that the Khan family do business 
  with. Corporate executives live here along with large numbers of their employees. On the surface 
  there are various installations, including a spaceport (Port Bhandari Ram) with underground 
  hangers and the Sun Lotus. This huge lotus-shaped construction sits atop the fusion shaft and 
  closes up during the 2000 hour-long daylight hours to protect the fusion core, it then opens up 
  during the 200 hour-long night, the individual petals acting as vast radiators that dissipate the 
  tremendous heat built up and stored during the day.  
   
  
   
  146 | P a g e  
   
       Sobkau – Site of the first Mercury landings and the failed helium-3 mining attempts, Sobkau is 
  now a thriving and energetic electronics industrial zone. Components (including solar power sats 
  for Earth) are manufactured here that are top grade quality. If your DSV has a Hermes Systems 
  component, it comes from Sobkau! Some of the habs and tunnels were built three decades ago 
  and will need repairing and upgrading soon.  
   
       Heliopolis – Like   Luna’s   Shackleton   Crater,   Heliopolis   is   located   within   a   polar   crater   that 
  carefully guards its own ice reserves. Like Shackleton it has been covered with a dome and serves 
  as an extremely exclusive resort for corporations, Hermes executives and government workers.  
  Low cost housing for staff and technicians exists, and is shared by the ice miners who ship fresh 
  water south to Caloris Basin and Sun City. Heliopolis is an exclusive corporate centre, a resort with 
  fabulous hotels and spas, swimming pools and gardens. The crater was previously named 
  Aristoxenes.  
   
       The Mines of Mercury - The famous Mines of Mercury actually include the Caloris Mountain 
  Mine, the Terminal Mine and the Paradise Mine. All are there to exploit the fabulous resources 
  discovered within the vast impact crater known as Caloris Basin. Without doubt these mines 
  produce more wealth in a given time period than any other asteroid or planetary mining operation 
  in the solar system. Caloris Port includes landing pads for incoming supply shuttles and series of 
  magnetic accelerator catapults for launching 10 ton ore modules into low Mercury orbit. Here they 
  are intercepted and shipped to elsewhere in the solar system (typically Earth).  
       Discovery Ridge – Freelancers, wildcatters and co-operatives can get their own official 
  license to mine on Mercury. Bribery will often work well, cutting through the endless red-tape that 
  the government has created to foil ambitious freelancers. Most head away from Caloris, however, 
  and fly down south to the Discovery Mine, located at Discovery Ridge, a 400 km long uplifted 
  scarp in the southern hemisphere. This stunning, south-east facing, escarpment crosses the 
  landscape and cuts across two craters, including Rameau. The ridge was formed by geological 
  uplift that occurred as a result of compression of the crust and this uplift exposed huge metal ore 
  deposits. Discovery Ridge is a settlement drilled into the cliff, cramped living space utilising the 
  first mines cut here in the 2070s. It is a rough frontier settlement, with various small companies 
  operating services such as power and life support for a modest fee, while other companies supply 
  tools, pressure suits, rovers, food and fuel at not so modest prices. The latter are often owned by 
  Chinese Snakehead gangs from Earth. There are fortunes to be made in small enough quanties 
  that the big mining corporations are not interested (yet), and this opportunity draws in the 
  ambitious, the dedicated, the fool-hardy, the reckless and the desperate.  
   
  The Frontier Foundation tries to assist miners who have run out of credit and need passage home, 
  whilst the Snakeheads are at the same time bringing in more and more useless dreamers without 
  the skills or experience to even begin mining, never mind strike it big. For this reason, Discovery 
  Ridge  is  known  to  local  miners  as  ‘Heartbreak  Ridge’.   
  
   
  147 | P a g e  
   
  VENUS C8B0525 – 9    
  De  NI  
   
   
  From  the  amazing  life  that  thrived  in  the  planet’s  acid  ridden  atmosphere  to  diamonds  the  size  of  a  
  motorcycle helmets, Venus soon drew the interest of Lunar colonists. A large asteroid strike nearly 
  sixty years ago exposed extensive mineral veins and created a mother lode of exotic debris. After 
  the impact the scientists were soon followed by miners and treasure seekers who in turn were 
  followed by shopkeepers and settlers.  
   
  All large settlements are either floating high above the surface or buried deep within the ground. 
  Venus and the space around the planet is now home to almost 125,000 Luna colonists and the 
  planetary personification of love now has a permanent consort in the form of Eros, once an 
  asteroid and now a moon. Eros is home to the B-class spaceport that gives Venus its B-class 
  rating. Life in the clouds centres around the collection and processing of Venusian life or in 
  catering to those who work in that industry. Overall it is a good life in a beautiful locale bedevilled 
  only by the threat of a disastrous descent into the crushing depths below or the occasional pirate 
  attack. For those on the surface life is harsh and the crushing pressure ever present. Even so the 
  underground corporate cities are growing centres of trade and industry. For a person brave or 
  foolish enough to take the risks the riches of Venus await, and so people of all walks of life make 
  their way to a world that can truly be called...a living hell. 
   
  “Venus favours the bold.” 
  Ovid 
   
  Planetology 
  Venus and Earth are similar in size, mass, density, composition, and distance from the sun. There, 
  however, is where the similarities end. Venus is covered by a thick, rapidly spinning atmosphere, 
  creating a scorched world with temperatures hot enough to melt lead and a surface pressure 90 
  times that of Earth.   
   
  Venus' atmosphere consists mainly of carbon dioxide, with clouds of sulphuric acid droplets. Only 
  trace amounts of water have been detected in the atmosphere. This incredibly thick atmosphere 
  has trapped the sun's heat, resulting in surface temperatures over 470°C. Probes landed on Venus 
  in the 20th century did not survive more than a few hours before being destroyed by the incredibly 
  high temperatures. Unusually, Venus rotates retrograde (east to west) compared with Earth's west 
  to east rotation. Seen from Venus, the sun rises in the west and sets in the east and as Venus 
  Spaceport 
  Good Quality 
  Diameter 
  12,092 km 
  Gravity 
  0.9 G 
  Pressure 
  90 atm (corrosive) 
  Composition 
  carbon dioxide 
  Temperature 
  460ºC 
  Population 
  125,000; Yuru, Eagle 
  City, Centorum, Skyland, 
  Cupid’s Regret, Cerberus 
  Government 
  Participating democracy 
  plus independent cities  
  Law Level 
  Moderate 
  Dist. from Sun 
  108 Mkm 
  Solar Day 
  116 hours 
  Year 
  225 days 
  Moon 
  Eros C000364-9 
  
   
  148 | P a g e  
   
  moves  forward  in  its  orbit  while  slowly  rotating  ‘backwards’  on  its  axis,  the  cloud-level atmosphere 
  zips around the planet in the opposite direction from the rotation every four Earth days, driven by 
  constant hurricane-force winds. Venus does not have its own planetary magnetic field to protect it 
  from the solar wind.  
   
  Around 90% of the surface of Venus appears to be recently solidified basalt lava; it is thought that 
  the planet was completely resurfaced by volcanic activity 300 million to 500 million years ago. 
  Much of the surface is covered by smooth, volcanic plains while  two  highland  ‘continents’  make  up  
  the rest of its surface area; one lying in the planet's northern hemisphere and the other just south 
  of the equator. The northern continent, about the size of Australia, is called Ishtar Terra. Maxwell 
  Montes, the highest mountain on Venus, sits within Ishtar Terra. This peak rises 11 km above the 
  average elevation. The southern continent, Aphrodite Terra, is the larger of the two highland 
  regions similar in size to South America. A network of fractures and faults covers much of this 
  area. 
   
  In addition to the impact craters, mountains, lava-carved channels, dune fields, shield volcanoes 
  and valleys, Venus has a number of unique surface features. Among these are flat-topped volcanic 
  features   called   ‘farra’,   which   look   somewhat like pancakes and range in size from 20–50 km 
  across, and rise up 100–1,000 m; radial, star-like   fracture   systems   called   ‘novae’;;   features   with  
  both radial and concentric fracture   zones   resembling   spider   webs   and   known   as   ‘arachnoids’.  
  ‘Coronae’  are circular fracture rings sometimes surrounded by a depression that scientists believe 
  formed when hot material beneath the crust rose up,  warping  the  planet’s  surface.  These  features  
  are all volcanic in origin. 
   
  Human Development 
  Venus is a planet shrouded by  dense  clouds  and  covered  in  lava  flows.  At  the  planet’s  surface  it’s  
  atmosphere  is  a  crushing  90  times  that  of  Earth’s  and  composed  almost  entirely  of  carbon  dioxide.  
  The mean planetary temperature hovers around 460 °C; hot enough to melt lead. Sulphuric acid 
  falls  from  the  sky  as  rain,  and  the  planet  rotates  so  slowly  upon  its  axis  that  its’  day  is  longer  than  
  its orbital year. Finally, Venus lacks a natural geodynamo and thus does not produce a 
  magnetosphere powerful   enough   to   protect   the   planet   from   solar   radiation.   Overall,   Earth’s  
  supposed twin appeared to be nothing but a lifeless scarecrow. By the start of the Second Space 
  Race Venus was all but forgotten, but there were those who looked towards the bizarre 
  extremophile life on Earth and drew inspiration and hope that Venus held a few secrets. 
  Unmanned missions to Venus continued haphazardly during the early decades of the 21st century. 
  In  2023  the  Japanese  probe  Bifuu  dove  deep  into  Venus’  atmosphere  and confirmed what a few 
  eccentric astrobiologists had been speculating for decades. Fifty kilometres above   the   planet’s  
  surface and deep within the layer of sulphuric acid clouds the world teemed with life. 
  Unfortunately, this discovery was very quickly overshadowed by the startling confirmation that the 
  Face, City and Pyramids of Mars were in fact the remains of some sort of alien outpost. Physical 
  proof of aliens so close to home made the existence of primitive Venusian life look rather boring. 
  Even so within the scientific community interest in Venus grew.  
   
  The first humans to orbit Venus were the eight cosmonauts of the Russian Vega-8 mission which 
  reached Venus in 2028 and spent four months orbiting Venus. Theyy mapped its surface, launched 
  atmospheric probes and dropped two Venera landers. To cap the mission three of the cosmonauts 
  attempted to take a manned flight through the sulphur layer to collect samples of the life that 
  existed there. Sadly, there was a major failure as their ramjet aircraft attempted to gain altitude 
  and all three perished as the vehicle plunged  to  the  planet’s  surface.  While the Russians orbited 
  Venus, a joint American-Australian mission, dubbed the Anteros Program, visited the asteroid 433 
  Eros. The second phase of the Anteros Program involved inserting a habitable but initially 
  unmanned space station into orbit 500 km above Venus. This station, called Adonis Station, 
  entered orbit in 2031 but did not receive a crew until 2035.  
  
   
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  The first manned landing on Venus occurred in 2037 when a lander crewed by three Americans, 
  two Australians and a Briton touched down in the Niobe Planitia region. The self-contained capsule 
  did not allow egress and all exploration was accomplished via remote rovers. A year later a second 
  landing took place in which several of the explorers were to leave their capsule. This ended in 
  tragedy when an airlock seal failed and all fourteen crew members died over the course of several 
  days. No further manned landings were attempted over the next five years, but the crew of Adonis 
  station doubled and by 2041 forty people worked at the station. Instead of risking a manned 
  landing they controlled a swarm of unmanned aerostats, skimmers and even several surface 
  rovers. Their investigations found that Venus was a treasure trove of precious metals, gemstones 
  and other rare minerals shaped by volcanism, high pressure and scourging heat. 
   
  On September 4, 2041 the asteroid known as 4593 Cloacina smashed unexpectedly  into the the 
  surface of Venus between Beta Regio and Osteria Regio, creating a crater 34km wide and over 
  800 meters deep. The impact threw debris high into the atmosphere and triggered a massive 
  quakes. As soon as the debris settled the scientists renewed their research, interrupted only the by 
  the Orbit War that saw Adonis station and Eros both abandoned by the Earth Union and quickly 
  occupied by the Lunar colonists.  
   
  Subsequent investigations found that some of the life forms had interesting chemical properties 
  with industrial, life support and even medicinal applications. Around the newly formed crater were 
  lodes of exposed minerals and valuable post impact debris. In 2052 Luna began the long process 
  of slowly nudging Eros towards Venus. The initial intent was to disassemble Eros and use it to 
  assist in a massive terraforming effort of Venus, but that idea was quickly scrapped. Instead 
  moving Eros became a proof of concept exercise with dual purposes both protective and military. 
  As Eros moved closer to Venus mining facilities began to dot the large asteroid. Most of the metals 
  mined there were sent to Luna but some loads made their way to Venus where they helped to 
  construct SGS-272 Cyprus Station, a larger replacement for the overcrowded Adonis Station, and 
  the first two aerostat cities. It would not be until 2094 that Eros finally entered a stable orbit 2,500 
  km above Venus.  
   
  Venus saw very little fighting during the Belt War despite the presence of numerous Earth Union 
  dirigible science missions and surface based survey teams. But despite avoiding conflict during that 
  war Venus has seen its share of fighting and death. Soon after the renewal of manned missions to 
  Venus’  surface  in  2057, mining facilities were established in and around Cloacina Crater. With the 
  Earth Union having no military   or   police   presence   on   Venus   and   Luna’s   effort   turned   towards  
  constructing aerostat cities; Crapper Crater, as the hole became locally known as, developed into a 
  lawless frontier. Conflicting claims and a personal rivalry soon led to armed conflict, and from 2064 
  to 2069 a state of warfare existed within the crater. Independent and wildcat miners fled in their 
  ‘hardbug’ Venus rovers to safer regions. By 2070 the bowl of the crater was dominated by the big 
  four mining companies; Centennial, Erebus Power, Preston Enterprises and Southern Cross Mining. 
  Bored   deep   into   the   crater’s   rim   reside   the   four   sub-surface cities which together have a 
  population just under 20,000 people. 
   
  After the Belt War the settlement of Venus more attractive to Luna. Mars was independent, many 
  in the Belt were overtly hostile to the Luna Republic and Saturn was too far away for immediate 
  colonization. So Luna launched an aggressive effort to secure dominance over Venus and prevent 
  the Earth Union from doing the same. Right from the start Luna built big. It's floating science base 
  was converted into permanent structure, built over six years and able to hold a thousand 
  personnel. Australians volunteered for the job, creating a unique culture of can-do engineering, 
  but one which never took itself too seriously and had a laid back attitude once things were up and 
  running. The Earth Union struggled to get anything to match the audacious Luna colonisation 
  project since they lacked the Moon's real trump card – the Aerodyne Venus Dart, an aerodynamic 
  
   
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  Venus ramjet spaceplane that utilizes helium bags to transform itself, mid flight, into an airship. 
  Once in airship mode they slowly coast into position alongside the target aerostat and then dock in 
  the underside hangers to offload supplies and raw materials. 
   
  Each aerostat holds around 10,000 individuals, not just scientists, but engineers, hydroponics 
  technicians, mechanics, and the whole spectrum of personnel that allow a colonial city to function. 
  Transport between aerostats is carried out by the special Venus flyers that make suborbital 
  journeys across the globe to the widely dispersed cities. These flyers can also take personnel to 
  the low orbit Cyprus Station station, a manned spin gravity station in low Venus orbit used as a 
  cargo transfer point and launching point for Venus Darts. It is equipped with 12 Venus fliers and 
  has docking facilities for incoming Luna DSVs as well as large warehouses for the stockpile of 
  supplies. Rapid response to an aerostat crisis is uppermost in the operations of Cyprus Station and 
  it also acts as the control centre for the hundreds of satellites that orbit Venus providing 
  communication, planetary positioning and weather services. While Eros has recently replaced 
  Cyprus  as  the  planet’s  primary  spaceport  the older station still acts as a busy stop over. By adding 
  a reusable liquid fuel booster Venus Darts are able to easily reach Eros from Cyprus. 
   
  Today the skies of Venus are now home to thirteen aerostat cities. Ten of these were built by the 
  Luna Republic  and  include  the  nominal  capital  of  Yuru  a  tethered  aerostat  that  acts  as  the  planet’s  
  spaceport. An eleventh aerostat city, Aerostat 3, suffered a catastrophic accident in 2085 and 
  plummeted 50 kilometres to the surface. Over 6,540 people perished, while 1,230 mostly children 
  were saved by the heroic efforts of nearby Eagle City. Two other non-Luna aerostat cities also float 
  through the clouds of Venus. The afore mentioned Eagle City was constructed during the 2070s by 
  the Earth Union as allowed by the Mercury treaty. The last floating city on Venus is Themiscyra. 
  Home  to  the  infamous  or  heroic,  depending  upon  one’s  point  of  view,  aero-pirates.  this had been 
  called Aerostat 2, but since it was built to the same design specifications as the failed Aerostat 3, it 
  was evacuated and allowed to drift after springing several small leaks. Expecting the city to drop 
  to the surface of Venus the Luna government planned on salvaging as much as possible but found 
  that the city had moved and its transmitters ceased broadcasting. Four years later it was 
  discovered that the city had been taken over and refurbished by a group calling itself the League 
  of Aphrodite. The city is now the home base for a band of dirigible riding raiders that often attack 
  other cities. 
   
  Places of Interest 
       Yuru, primary spaceport and largest aerostat city - Yuru has become the largest aerostat 
  city with population of over 12,560. It is one of only two tethered aerostats and is located along 
  Venus’  equator  at  the  northern  edge  of  Phoebe  Regio. A fifty kilometre long cable anchors the city 
  to  the  planet’s  surface  where  the  small  underground  town  of  Thawun  acts  as  its  warehouse  and  
  industrial district. Yuru, because it is tethered and under more wind stress, has a more heavily 
  reinforced structure than most aerostat cities. Even so visitors are often amazed by the open 
  spaces and expansive room within the city. Yuru is Aerostat 6; an unusual feature of the city is the 
  high percentage of children present, survivors and orphans from Aerostat 3. A portion of the city 
  was set aside for these survivors which has since acquired the nick-name, Neverland. Despite its 
  reputation for crime, Neverland is one of the more open and entertaining districts in the otherwise 
  heavily controlled city. Most of the city’s  nightlife,  live  entertainment  and  art  studios  are  located  in  
  Neverland. Murals cover the walls and despite repeated attempts at enforcing a curfew the 
  corridors of Neverland are lively throughout the artificial twenty-four hour day/night cycle adhered 
  to by the city. Yuru also acts as the unofficial capital of Venus and as such has a small government 
  district  and  even  several  consulates.  As  the  seat  of  government  Yuru  is  home  to  Luna’s  elite  Venus  
  Intervention and Priority Emergency Reaction Force. VIPER acts as both a search and rescue unit 
  and a military response force. Like most other Lunar military units VIPER makes extensive use of 
  autonomous and remote military robots. 
   
  
   
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  Finally,  Yuru  serves  as  Venus‘  primary surface spaceport. Launches are conducted from the upper 
  part of the aerostat by releasing a large torus shaped balloon in the centre of which hangs a large 
  chemical rocket. As the torus reaches the upper limits of its lifting capacity the rocket launches and 
  exits  the  planet’s  atmosphere  en  route  to  Cyprus  Station  or  Eros.  Trips  down  to  Yuru  from  orbit  
  are made either by manned Venus Darts or unmanned drop capsules that are snagged by one of 
  four catcher blimps.  
   
  Since it is the primary transportation hub  for  people  to  and  from  the  planet’s  surface, Luna has 
  gone  to  great  expense  to  connect  Yuru’s  downport  to  the  mining  region  around  Cloacina  Crater.  
  This was achieved by way of two large mass drivers. These mass drivers accelerate large 14 ton 
  lifting body capsules to speeds of 1,200 kilometres per hour. A further boost is given by internal 
  rockets to maintain speed and course. This means the 3,457 kilometre long trip takes just under 
  three hours. The flight vehicle lands on a long conveyor-belt like runway consisting of special 
  rollers after being slowed by a drag parachute. Thus far the mass driver system only provides 
  transportation back and forth between Yuru and Centorum, but by increasing the speed at which 
  the drivers propel their projectiles unmanned cargo pods can be sent into orbit. 
   
       Centorum, largest surface city on Venus - Starting life in 2057 as a small mining outpost 
  called Craterton, Centorum has endured two name changes and massive growth. With a 
  population totalling 9,458 Centorum is by far the largest surface city on Venus. After changing 
  hands during the Crater Conflict, Craterton became Caverton. The entire outpost was moved 
  underground by the now defunct Great Crater Mining Corporation. When Centennial acquired GCM, 
  Corp in 2077, they rapidly carved larger spaces deep into the sides of the Beta Regio highlands. 
  Volunteers were given a large signing bonus, medical care to raise their strength enough to live on 
  Venus and extensive training. In return they were expected to stay on Venus at least ten years 
  and start up a new mining business. Centennial knew from history that the miners would find their 
  own way to Venus and that to really make money on Venus more business and industry was 
  needed than just mining. 
   
  After five years of recruitment and expansion, Centennial announced the re-opening and renaming 
  of Caverton. Now called Centorum, the massive underground city offered a wide array of services 
  and industries for the miners to buy from or sell to. Despite its relatively small population 
  Centorum has hundreds of small shops, restaurants and services. As nearly all the industrial labour 
  is provided by robots practically everyone of working age is available to start a business or provide 
  a service. This has given the town a very free wheeling capitalistic feel. Nowhere is this more 
  evident than the centrally located Market Dome. The Dome is the largest open space known to 
  exist on Venus and encompasses a space four times as large as the average sports arena. In the 
  middle of the dome is a  water  filled  recreation  of  Cloacina  Crater  referred  to  as  “the  Fish  Bowl”.  
  This pond is home to a wide variety of koi and carp. It is also the largest supple of liquid water 
  anywhere on Venus.  
   
       Eagle City, typical aerostat type city populated by Nationalists - Referred to as a ‘Nest  
  of   Nationalism’   by many delegates in the EU World Council, Eagle City is an anomaly floating 
  through the clouds of a world otherwise dominated by the Lunar Republic. Constructed between 
  2071 and 2079, the city came to be dominated by Americans and Canadians. The first North 
  Americans arrived as part of the initial engineering teams who worked on its construction. As these 
  workers got along well with the pro-Luna Australians who were overseeing the effort many of 
  them took the opportunity to pre-purchase living space on Eagle City at discount rates. By the time 
  of its completion in 2079 nearly two thirds of the available living space was already owned by 
  North American buyers. Attempts were made by the World Council to limit further domination by 
  North Americans but they were opposed by delegates from the United States. Today Eagle City is 
  
   
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  the second largest aerostat city and the largest free-floating settlement with a population just over 
  11,750.  
   
       Eros-Neith Station, primary spaceport and industrial centre - Eros-Neith Station stands 
  out as one of humanity’s greatest achievements. The first outpost on 433 Eros was a small eight 
  man modular outpost established by the Anteros 1 astronauts. This initial habitat was joined two 
  years later in 2031 by an ORVIN outpost. Left unmanned for several years the Eros outpost finally 
  saw occupants in 2035 when an unsanctioned mining crew attempted to mine the asteroid. They 
  were arrested in 2037, but initial digs showed that Eros held large amounts of magnesium and 
  calcium. As these elements could be used to sequester carbon and free up oxygen they would be 
  highly beneficial in any effort to terraform Venus. As the terraforming of Mars saw some early 
  successes the proponents of terraforming looked towards Venus as the next target. Studies were 
  done that showed Venus could be terraformed over the course of several hundred years. In that 
  amount of time native Venus life could be modified to survive the new environment created by 
  terraforming. Opponents protested and launched a barrage of lawsuits. Plans to proceed with 
  terraforming were halted, but Eros Station continued to grow into a major mining facility. 
  Following the Orbit War all lawsuits against Luna and lunar corporations were dismissed. This 
  reopened the possibility to begin the terraforming of Venus.  
   
  In 2050, Reiner-Gama was tasked to move the asteroid 433 Eros to Venus. The Earth Union 
  protested but Luna countered by citing an IAU provision allowing the movement of any asteroid, 
  comet or space object deemed a potential impact hazard. As Eros was considered a possible 
  impact hazard in the very long term this gave the Luna Republic the excuse it needed to move the 
  asteroid. The process began slowly with a mass driver firing mining waste to propel the asteroid 
  into orbits closer and closer to Venus. In 2082 a large fission reactor was put in place on Eros and 
  used  to  heat  water  as  a  reaction  mass.  This  hastened  the  pace  of  Eros’  move  and  twelve  years  
  later the asteroid became a moon of Venus.  
   
  Long before Eros entered Venus orbit it had already become an important industrial centre, mining 
  facility and shipyard. The primary complex making up the Neith Spaceport and Transit Station is 
  the 750 meter tall Monolith Tower located along the edge of Himeros Depression. Once covered in 
  solar collectors the tower now holds numerous space vehicle construction hangers, sensors, 
  communication arrays and vacuum fabrication facilities. Surrounding the base of the tower is an 
  extensive network of mines and manufacturing plants that feed raw material and parts to the 
  vehicle yards. Several kilometres away and connected by an enclosed monorail lies the landing 
  field. Given the extremely low gravity of Eros almost all space vehicles can land and take off from 
  this facility. Those that cannot land are serviced by the numerous Taurus space tugs.  
   
  Neith Spaceport does not handle a large number of incoming and out going passengers compared 
  to Earth, Luna or even Mars, but as the largest Luna Republic construction yards outside of Lunar 
  space it sees a large number of transport vehicles. The primary residential zone consists of Psyche 
  Dome, constructed over the 5.3 kilometre wide impact crater, Psyche, that dominates the side of 
  Eros facing Venus. It is a double-glazed dome sandwiching several meters worth of water which 
  acts to absorb cosmic radiation while allowing light through. Psyche Dome houses about 9,000 
  people and has further room for expansion, it is connected to Neith by way of an elevator system 
  that runs directly through the centre of the asteroid. A further 2,000 people live in housing along 
  the core hole where they experience near zero gee.  
   
  The last major structure on Eros is the uncompleted Centrifugal Gravity Simulator. This structure 
  encircles the entire asteroid like a ring on a finger. The CGS idea came about as a way to create 
  artificial gravity by using a tram that runs very quickly through a vacuum tube. Special elevators 
  would  match  the  tram’s  speed  and  allow  people  to  embark  to  or  disembark  from  the  tram  which  
  had their living quarters. The Luna government scrapped this idea and the plan to convert the 
  
   
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  mostly completed tube into a large particle collider never received funding. Portions of the tube 
  were converted to warehousing but the majority was left unattended. Over the years the Tube has 
  filled with a wide assortment of habitats, businesses and secretive research labs. It is believed that 
  the Tube now has a population numbering over 2,000. Very few places in the solar system can 
  match  the  Tube’s  unsavoury reputation, and even the vaunted VIPER Force rarely enters it without 
  a very good reason. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
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   EARTH  A8779A4 – 9  N,S 
  Hi  In  Ga 
   
   
   
   
  Many people at the turn of the century predicted that Earth would have gone to the dogs by 2100, 
  with a ruined climate, food shortages and terrible living conditions, as anywhere from 10 to 20 
  billion  struggle  to  survive  on  dwindling  resources.  It  didn’t  come  to  pass  because we did something 
  about it.   In   2011   there   were   twenty   one   ‘megacities’   (a   city   containing   more than 10 million 
  people), and although the trend for these vast urban conurbations peaked in 2040, it was a trend 
  which did begin to reverse. In early 2012 the global population passed 7 billion and continued to 
  rise, but by 2025 many democratic nations were clamouring for a way to decrease their 
  populations and stem rural emigration. With the establishment of the Earth Union, population 
  decrease became a global matter and was enacted on a global scale.  
   
  “The  day  of  small  nations  has  long  passed  away.  The  day  of  empires  has  come.” 
                                                                         Joseph Chamberlain 1904 
   
       Population Reduction: Today the population stands at a healthy 8 billion individuals and 
  there  are  only  two  remaining  ‘megacities’  in  existence:  the  Pearl  River  Megacity  (the  partly-flooded 
  Guangzhou-Shenzen-Dongguan-Foshan-Jiangmen-Zhongshan conurbation) and Jakarta Raya (the 
  Jakarta-Bandung supercity).  Elsewhere, megacities have fragmented, a worldwide trend 
  extending to many other conventional cities too. The domination of tele-commuting, of local power 
  production (through renewables or beamed solar energy from orbit) and efficient transport 
  networks, has meant that industries are dispersed and populations are dispersed too. The typical 
  global city holds around 2 million people and is small enough to create its own sense of unity and 
  community.  Many  cities  have  shrunk  to  even  smaller  sizes,  and  they  are  better  for  it.  It  couldn’t  
  Spaceport 
  Excellent Quality 
  Diameter 
  12,750 km 
  Gravity 
  1.0 G 
  Pressure 
  1 atm (Std/Tainted) 
  Composition 
  nitrogen, oxygen, 
  particulate taints 
  Temperature 
  18ºC  
  Population 
  8,000,000,000 
  cities: Singapore, 
  Yangtze Delta Commu-
  nity, Delhi Autonomous 
  Cities, Pearl River Mega-
  city, San Francisco, Kanto  
  Prefectures, Munich, 
  Klang Valley Cities, Valley 
  of Mexico, American 
  North East City Cluster, 
  Jakarta Raya 
  Government 
  Charismatic dictator 
  Law Level 
  Moderate 
  Dist. from Earth 
  150,000,000 km 
  Solar Day 
  24 hours 
  Year 
  365 days 
  Moons 
  Luna  A200527 – 9   
  
   
  155 | P a g e  
   
  have happened without the drop in population or the new technologies. Green spaces, open public 
  areas and low-rise architecture are common urban forms as are dispersed industrial developments.  
  The skeletons of the old megacities can still be discerned, but these days where one monolithic 
  urban monster spread out its tentacles, today half a dozen independent cities engage with one 
  another like any other community. Small-scale local communities have become central to the 
  modern city, arguing with one another, or working together over projects that concern them. 
  Democracy is at work on every level. This way of life, where small communities interact with their 
  peers, works at every scale, between cities, between regions or provinces, between nations and 
  even between inter-regional organisations. Of course there are mayors and presidents, governors 
  and community leaders, but these are all elected by those over whom they have power. It can be 
  a messy system, with groups at different scales sometimes in opposition, or alliances of groups 
  composed of cities, communities or industries all caught up in intense arguments and negotiations; 
  but the system works because it allows those who have an interest to see their concerns through 
  to the end. Only the ubiquitous use of the Net has allowed such a complex system of digital 
  government  to  function  effectively.  This  is  not  ‘internet  democracy’,  however,  the  single  click  is  
  only a part of the machinery of society.   
   
       Local Government: This is not direct democracy, Luna-style, either. Representatives are still 
  voted in and the organs of government still function, but communities are able to vote instantly 
  and are able to take part in all manner of consultation groups and voting juries. There are no more 
  party politics in 2100, the incredible fragmentation of society means that interest groups 
  (communities) are the building block of political and social activity; and the definition of a 
  community is a lot more than the population of a place, like Harlem, or Boulder Colorado or Spurn 
  Point in England. It might be all doctors or all snowboarders, people in Massachusetts opposed to 
  a new solar-power  rectenna  farm,  the  fishermen  of  Mumbai  or  the  Canadian  police  officer’s  union,  
  and so on. Any group that needs or wants a voice is a community and has by virtue of digital 
  democracy, a voice. These communities may oppose one another, form alliances, or trade 
  positions or policies with one another to gain an advantage in some other area.  
   
  Economically, Earth is the powerhouse of the solar system, an industrial hothouse with the 
  capacity to produce fusion reactors, deep space vehicles, mega cities, skyscrapers and every 
  conceivable mechanical and electronic device that its inhabitants could ever dream of. The ubiquity 
  of 3D printing and the speed of modern transportation, means that local industries in cities 
  dispersed across the globe can punch far above their weight. So where do you want to live? Now 
  that the global population has stabilized, the agricultural industry has fewer demands placed upon 
  it, food is plentiful and there is a tremendous diversity and a huge cottage industry. Niche 
  markets, local growers and regional food varieties abound.  
   
       Outlook: In all, this is a good time to be alive. Men and women have good sense, they fight 
  their particular corner, they may live within a city or out in the dispersed rural communities, they 
  waste nothing and consume what they need. Idiots, thieves, con-men and wasters still exist, but 
  they have little chance of long-term political office, mitigating their destructive power. What do 
  people think? If you are British, look back at 1940 and imagine the apocalyptic scenario of Hitler 
  succeeding in his invasion of the British Isles. That was a close run thing, but catastrophe was 
  averted. For everyone else, think of the 1961 Cuban Missile Crisis. Here the world quaked in its 
  boots as the USSR and the USA leaned over to press those nuclear triggers. Life on Earth was 
  almost extinguished. In 2100 the people of Earth look back at the insane early 21st century growth 
  of  megacities  and  the  runaway  population  growth  in  the  same  way;;  ‘the  idiots  almost  wiped  us  
  out’.  Today  we  have  restraint,  common  sense  and  more  than  anything  else,  breathing  space.  Hard  
  work  carried  out  in  the  2050s  and  ‘60s  ensured  that  there  was  enough  and  ‘enough’  would  last  
  indefinitely.  Society  is  no  longer  focussed  on  ‘how  much  can  you  get’,  but  instead  on  ‘maintaining  
  what  we  have,  and  also  on  preparing  for  the  future’.    Ten  thousand  years  ago,  all  humans  thought  
  this way.  
  
   
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  Planetology 
  In general, the Earth has changed little since the early 21st century, but still, the vicissitudes of 
  environmental damage have made their mark. Of greatest impact are the periods of poor air 
  quality that can drive people indoors, or force them to wear simple filter masks. Particulate matter, 
  the detritus of hundreds of years of intensive industrialization, peaked in 2067, and today affects 
  certain  regions  at  certain  times  of  the  year.  It  is  this  contaminant  that  is  responsible  for  Earth’s  
  atmospheric classification  of  7  (‘Standard,  Tainted’)  in  its  UWP.   
   
  Global temperature has increased by 5ºC and although it has stabilised, its effects have been 
  dramatic. There is now little polar sea ice and sea levels around the world have risen by about 1m. 
  Flooding has occurred on many low-lying Pacific islands, coastal plains and cities (including the 
  Caspian Sea coastline, the Mekong Delta, large parts of coastal Bangladesh, Jersey City, Oakland, 
  areas of the Pearl River Metroplex, the Netherlands and of course, New Orleans).  
   
  Only 90% of species have survived the depredations of mankind and the change in climate. Most 
  prominent  of  Earth’s  most  wondrous  animal  species:  rhinos,  tigers,  snow  leopards,  gorillas,  orang-
  utans, sperm whales and polar bears, exist today only in picture books and archived video 
  libraries.  There are far too many species of plants and animals that have been lost in the century 
  just gone and the people of 2100 feel a bitterness toward those fools of earlier years who let these 
  species slip through their fingers. In this age of space travel, bold explorers study microscopic life 
  on Mars, Venus and Europa, yet their grand-parents shrugged their shoulders as the most fantastic 
  life-forms of planet Earth were forced out of their habitats to face starvation and extinction. What 
  irony! 
   
  Weather patterns and the seasons are distinctly different from 20th century norms: weather can be 
  more unpredictable, with flooding, drought, hurricanes and either early or late seasons depending 
  on location. In addition, large areas of farmland in Africa, Russia and China have been swamped 
  by encroaching deserts, the destructive effects of desertification. Thirty years ago a tide of climate 
  refugees began to sweep across the continents and when the sea level rise stabilized, this refugee 
  crisis abated. Some areas of the Earth are no longer farmable, yet the local populations have 
  adjusted to match the new conditions. There has been a great deal of pain and suffering over the 
  last few decades, but the worst is now over  and  it  is  a  ‘new  Earth’  that  enters  the  22nd  century.   
   
  Political History 
  The world of 2040 was still essentially the world of 2010; the United Nations acted as an 
  international debating chamber, the two Koreas faced off against one other, Mexican immigrants 
  still crossed the border into the US, Brazil was struggling with the dilemma of industrialization 
  versus deforestation, and countries like Mali and Niger struggled with desertification. Organisations 
  like the United Nations, NATO and the OAS still existed. However, war, albeit a trifling and low 
  intensity war with people from another world, forever changed the politics of planet Earth.  
   
  Backers of the new Moon colonies, namely China and the USA, mobilised for a military response to 
  the Lunar aggression of the Orbit War in 2044. The BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India and China) 
  had gained the most from the power beamed down from the Moon, it had increased their 
  industrial capacity to turn them into first world nations. These countries, then, were keen to secure 
  the solar power assets upon which their economies now depended. As generals planned their 
  deployments into space, bureaucrats formulated the Orbital Defence Alliance, a treaty which 
  bound these nations together for their strike against the Moon. 
   
  The ODA outlasted the invasion plan, which fell apart as soon as the colonists dropped devastating 
  deadfall rocks onto unpopulated areas on the Earth as a show of strength.  The ODA began further 
  preparations for a more prolonged war, but 2045 became a year of international turmoil. The ODA 
  members and their allies were pro-war, but there were many anti-war nations at varying levels of 
  
   
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  resistance. The Outer Space Treaty of 1967 had been broken by all of the ODA nations, and their 
  dominance seemed to flout all international law. Sympathy for the Lunar colonists from the lesser 
  nations, unaffected by the beaming of power from the Moon, also played a part in this unease. 
  The United Nations and its reputation fared badly in the 2045 crisis.  
   
  The year 2045 saw the start of the East Asian War, a conflict with atomic consequences and a 
  frightful loss of life that shocked the world into ridding itself of the United Nations. China, eager for 
  wealth with which it could finance its new off-world mining projects, had flouted mineral rights in 
  the South China Sea. A naval war with the Philippines and Malaysia soon spread to neighbouring 
  countries, including India and, fatefully, Pakistan. The course of the war is more fully described in 
  chapter 1, The Cold War.  
   
  Matthias Vanderveen, the retired two-time secretary-general of the United Nations, was asked in 
  June 2047 by several minor and some of the major nations, to return to the UN to broker an 
  international  accord  that  would  suit  all  of  the  parties  in  the  war’s  aftermath.  This  statesman  had  
  gained the respect of the international community following his settlement of the Baja Affair and 
  the Central Asian refugee crisis. The nations of Earth speak with one voice, declared Vanderveen, 
  they must put their rivalries aside to preserve the human race, and create a single nation of Earth. 
  If Earth should fail, Luna will be the inheritors of the future and that should not happen.  Mistrust 
  of the Lunars, combined with a terror of the new war that the people of Earth had just experience, 
  drove the nations together.  
   
  Vanderveen set up commissions to address specific problems, and the two main findings of these 
  commissions were 1) The nations of Earth must create a unified voice and a medium of 
  international regulation and accountability that goes beyond anything the UN can currently offer; 
  and 2) Earth people should make every effort to colonise other worlds in the solar system, since 
  threats  from  the  Moon  and  Earth’s  own  nuclear  devices  could  wipe  out  all  life  here.  And  if  Earth  
  doesn’t   spread   into   the   solar   system,   the   Lunars,   with   their   initial   advantage,   certainly   will.  
  Matthias proposed a third tier of supra-national organization to replace the United Nations that 
  would act as a co-ordination and policy-making  body, working closely with the important regional 
  organisations that already existed. These regional bodies, like the Andean Community, European 
  Union, Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Gulf Co-operation Council and the Arab 
  League had been in existence for decades and were powerful regional agencies for economic and 
  governmental policy. Now they would bind their member nations closer together, becoming 
  stronger and speaking in the new supra-national parliament with a stronger voice. Initially titled 
  the Union of Inter-regional Organizations (UIO) at the Lima Conference in 2048, this new body 
  was re-named the Earth Union in 2050 following a derogatory speech denouncing the UIO by 
  Lunar Premier Paul Barclay Wu.  
   
  Nations are represented by their regional organisations (European Union, NAFTA, etc.) and these 
  organisations send representatives to the World Council. National autonomy is preserved, although 
  a number of laws, particularly those dealing with trade, electronic communication or international 
  law, are of necessity directed by Union legislation.  The first few years were chaotic, with some 
  overlapping representation, nations trying to opt out, others trying to take a lead at the regional 
  level, but the overwhelming desire was to step away from the brink, to refrain from war with Luna 
  and also with each other. It was the now defunct Orbital Defence Alliance which backed down. It 
  had wanted its space assets back, but had to let them go. One of the requirements of many 
  nations entering into the fledgling UIO was the disbandment of the Orbital Defence Alliance, and 
  the setting up of a multinational equivalent. This new body became the Department for Defence 
  Co-ordination  (DDC).  Uppermost  in  the  DDC’s  first  meetings was the defence of Earth and to this 
  end nuclear weaponry was placed in Earth orbit ready for a first or retaliatory strike on the Moon.  
  The governing institutions of the Earth Union are not concentrated in a single capital city; they are 
  instead spread across three cities (Singapore, San Francisco and Munich) with other Earth Union 
  
   
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  agencies and bodies based elsewhere. However, Singapore has become the primary seat, with 
  each major institution and now the World Council being based wholly or in part there. The seats 
  had been a matter of political dispute since the states first failed to reach an agreement in 2052. 
  However,  a  final  agreement  between  the  world’s  nations  was  reached  in  2067  during  the  drawing  
  up of new regional organisations. Despite this, the seat of the World Council remains controversial. 
  The work of the Council is divided between all three major cities, which, despite virtual 
  conferences and electronic communications,  is still seen as a problem creating extra work and 
  inefficiency. Staff travel between the cities using sub-orbital hypersonic airliners that vastly reduce 
  flight times, compared to traditional wide-body planes. Other branches of the Earth Union include 
  the Council of National Leaders, the World Bank, the Central Court, the World Commission, the 
  Earth Space Development Agency (ESDA) and the Department for Defence Co-ordination (DDC). 
  The ESDA requires access to specialist space launch and testing facilities and is headquarted at 
  Macapa in Brazil, close to the huge Myrabo Space Launch Centre. 
   
  With the reorganisation of the regional bodies in 2067, the Earth Union began to resemble the 
  representative democracy we see today, in 2100. In 2098, a Shandong politician named Evelyn 
  Chen brought the Titan Crisis to an end with a peace agreement between Luna and Earth. She 
  was then elected secretary-general of the EU and awarded emergency powers to find a way to 
  normalise relations with Luna. Chen currently enjoys the overwhelming support of the majority of 
  Earth’s  nations (giving Earth its UWP rating of A, Charismatic Dictator). 
   
  Earth Regional Organisations (post 2067) 
  Name 
  Territory 
  African Union  
  Sub-Saharan Africa 
  Amazonian Union 
  Mexico, Central & South America 
  Arab League 
  Middle East 
  Central Asian Federation 
  Central Asia 
  Chinese Federation 
  China and SE Asia 
  Council of Himalayan States 
  Indian subcontinent (not Pakistan) 
  European Union 
  Eastern & Western Europe 
  Mekong States Co-operative 
  South-east Asia (not Indonesia) 
  North Atlantic Organisation 
  USA, Canada, UK 
  Organisation of Trans-Sahara 
  North African and Saharan states 
  Pacific Economic Zone 
  Australia, Japan, Indonesia  
   
   
  Off-World  Colonies 
  Colony 
  Established 
  Status 
  Matthias Vanderveen (L4 orbital habitat) 
  2064 
  Colony 
  Mars 
  2020 
  Independent since 2060 
  Mercury 
  2067 
  Independent since 2070 
  Venus (Eagle City) 
  2071 
  Nationalist 
  Ida 
  2056 
  Corporate License 
  Ganymede 
  2070 
  Military 
  Callisto 
  2073 
  Military  
  The Twins (Janus & Epimetheus) 
  2084 
  Corporate License 
  Mimas 
  2084 
  Nationalist 
  Enceladus 
  2090 
  Colony 
  Hyperion 
  2091 
  Military 
  Iapetus 
  2085 
  Independent since 2096 
  Oberon 
  2093 
  Military 
   
  
   
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  Places of Importance 
       San Francisco – This  beautiful  city  on  the  west  coast  of  the  USA  is  one  of  the  Earth  Union’s  
  three capitals and home to Union Square, the Golden Gate Bridge, Coit Tower, Alcatraz and 
  historically famous districts like Castro, Pacific Heights and Mission. A serious earthquake in 2028 
  resulted  in  a  large  rebuilding  programme  which  transformed  the  city  into  one  of  the  world’s  most  
  progressive cities, a blue-print for what was to come in later decades. In 2100 San Francisco is a 
  model ectopia that combines innovative green technologies  with  the  city’s  unique  microclimate  and  
  geology. It features algae-harvesting towers, a vast geothermal energy centre (a mushroom-
  shaped structure on Bernal Heights Hill), and numerous building-sized and flower-shaped fog 
  catchers along Ocean Beach that are designed to distil fresh  water  from  San  Francisco’s  infamous  
  fog. A new aquaculture zone with elegantly designed ponds of algae and forests of sinuous 
  accommodation towers occupies part of the Baylands inundated by rising sea levels. Hydrogen fuel 
  is produced by the algae, and is stored and distributed within the nanotube wall structure of the 
  city’s   robotically-drilled automobile tunnels. The system is a hydro-net, a self-sustaining water, 
  algae, fuel network that extracts every last joule of energy from its surroundings.  
   
       Singapore – The island based nation-city of Singapore has proved to be an economic 
  powerhouse and a beacon of success for the emerging South East Asian nations. Flooding issues 
  were addressed with a coastal protective ring project which was then followed by the creation of 
  Sun City, an innovative solar and wind power district on  the  island’s  north  coast.  Essentially  a  vast  
  lagoon with tidal power and 50,000 houses built in surrounding terraces, Sun City is home to 
  hundreds of solar arrays as well as the impressive 900m-tall, twin-tower energy harvester standing 
  either side of the lagoon entrance. This acts as the country's largest residential solar and wind 
  power plant. The city has always been cosmopolitan, with four major ethnic groups: Chinese, 
  Malays, Indians and Eurasians; the mix of cultures has kept Singapore on the pulse of changes in 
  global affairs. It includes the ethnic quarters of Kampong Glam, Joo Chiat, Katong and Little India, 
  along Serangoon Road. The Downtown Core at the mouth of the Singapore River is the traditional 
  heart of business and filled with stunning, almost gravity-defying skyscrapers. As its name implies, 
  it forms the economic core of Singapore, including key districts such as Raffles Place and 
  administrative buildings including World Parliament House, the World   Bank   and   Singapore’s  
  own City Hall. Along the south east coast, self-contained housing blocks (arcologies) have been 
  built  to  resemble  the  forested  mountains  of  Vietnam’s  Ha  Long  Bay. Seafood farms and mushroom 
  plantations go toward supporting 500,000 Singaporeans within the magnificent enclosed eco-
  
   
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  structures. More traditional food is sourced from the western Jurong Plantations zone, where 
  terraced paddy fields share the wetlands with light industry. Revolutionary new dragonfly-inspired 
  wind turbines were created for this Jurong Agri-Industrial Zone.   
   
       Pearl River Megacity -  The Chinese city of Guangzhou close to Hong Kong, had, by 2020, 
  merged with its neighbours on the Pearl River delta to form the Guangzhou-Shenzen-Dongguan-
  Foshan-Jiangmen-Zhongshan conurbation. Despite the trend in recent decades for urban 
  decentralisation across the globe, the trend has barely begun here and the megacity inhabitants 
  still face decades of overcrowding, crime, environmental damage and urban stress. Elevated 
  highways, tower-blocks, office skyscrapers and sprawling shopping centres dominate the centres 
  of the megacity, with poorer housing, apartment blocks and gated communities of suburban 
  workers surrounding these urban hot-spots. Tianhe is the old and run-down commercial centre, 
  while Haizhu has become the new core, here visitors will find the Sun Yat-Sen university and the 
  Guangzhou Tower. Shenzen Container Port is the busiest on the planet, and Zhangmutou, once a 
  sleepy resort town is now on the forefront of robotic assembly and auto factory manufacturing.  
  The megacity is bursting with problems as well as solutions, indifference, greed, ingenuity and 
  intransigence, optimism and crime - all in equal amounts. It can be a tough place for an off-
  worlder to negotiate. Some parts of the city have suffered permanent flooding due to rises in sea 
  level,  but  with  a  total  population  approaching  70  million,  those  affected  don’t  have  the  option  to  
  move out to somewhere new and have taken to a waterborne existence. 
   
       New York – While Guangzhou just continued its relentless growth and cities like Singapore 
  and San Francisco transformed themselves into integrated cutting edge ecotopias that proved to 
  be models for urban development elsewhere, most cities like New York charted a more modest 
  path. The city would still be recognisable to a visitor from our time period, although the Manhattan 
  commercial centre has shrunk and the spread of suburbs outward into green areas stopped 
  decades ago. Places like the East River Greenway and the Fresh Kills Dump are now open 
  parkland. Green spaces are dotted everywhere, and new housing developments and skyscrapers 
  have moved out to places like Prospect Heights in Brooklyn, Hudson Yards and Willets Point where 
  individual buildings sport solar panels and wind turbines as well as reclaimed rainwater facilities, 
  skyfarms and bio-gas powerplants using methane from plant production. Tower-blocks in New 
  York and cities like it have been sustainable for the past four decades. This is normal. The old 
  monoliths still stand on Manhattan, however, the Chrysler building, Empire State and the Flatiron 
  are ancient standing stones totally unable to support themselves or pay their way within the 
  modern eco-economy of modern New York.  
   
  Factions on Earth 
       Asian League – The   Asian   League   is   an   unofficial   ‘clique’   that   supports   Luna’s   claim   to  
  independence and has since the very early days.  Australia and Malaysia were the first nations to 
  be publicly identified as pro-Lunar, after their secret trade deals with the Luna colonists were 
  revealed. In 2046 it was discovered that Australia, under the guise of shipping life support 
  technology to the Moon had instead been exporting nuclear reactor components. Under further 
  investigation it transpired that Malaysia had similarly been shipping hydrocarbons and weaponry; 
  all this despite a UN general embargo that allowed only life support materials and nitrogen to be 
  sold to Luna.  Both nations were reluctant to join the new Earth Union in 2048, but they (and 
  other reluctant countries) realised it was suicide to be locked out of a world-spanning economic 
  and political union. Today there are a number of other Asian nations who have also been identified 
  by the Earth Union as Lunar sympathizers and illegal trade partners, including Burma, Pakistan and 
  the Confederal Republic of Koryo (a united Korea). Embargoes have been in place for decades on 
  many different types of items, and members of the Asian League regularly flout these embargoes 
  to the frustration of the Union security services. Since the 2098 thaw in relations, Luna has been 
  able to normalize some of its trade with Earth and its first point of contact has been with the 
  sympathetic nations of the Asian League. The rift between the league and the rest of the Earth 
  
   
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  Union nations will not go away however, could such a rift be exploited by anyone wanting to try to 
  destroy the union of Earth nations? 
   
       Kolkata Offworld Movement - Despite the majority of nations achieving carbon neutral 
  status by around 2050 and some of the most highly developed even achieving carbon negative 
  status (where carbon dioxide is permanently removed from the atmosphere), sea levels continued 
  to rise. This rise is predicted to continue till around 2120 before halting and then reversing. There 
  are nations suffering greatly from the incursions of sea water and the flooding of coastal farmlands 
  and cities; hundreds of thousands of sea level refugees have been created since 2050. Inhabitants 
  of Bermuda and the Bahamas, the Pacific islands of Palmerston, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Vanuatu, Marshall 
  Islands, Cook Islands, Fiji, Solomon Islands, and the Maldives in the Indian Ocean have all had 
  partial or whole evacuations. However, in terms of numbers of people affected, the oceanic islands 
  pale in comparison with the slow-motion disaster that is affecting the densely populated, low-lying 
  coastal locations of Bangladesh and the Indian city of Kolkata.  
   
  The Kolkata Offworld Movement (KOM) is an informal network of pressure groups, politicians and 
  NGOs that pushes for the shortening of training programmes, the adoption of a quota of displaced 
  peoples, and the lowering of educational requirements required for off world work. KOM pursues 
  the mass off world emigration of displaced Bangladeshis and Kolkatans and champions the 
  chances of these refugees to settle on new worlds.  
   
       Nationalists - When the Earth Union formed nearly every nation on Earth appeared to eagerly 
  support the new organization. Despite this, not all people were entirely convinced by the idea of a 
  global government. This was especially true in Australia, which had suffered for its support of 
  Luna, the United Kingdom where the mood was often isolationist and most notably the United 
  States, a nation still clinging to world power status.  Even these three powerful nations could not 
  stand alone against the entire world, and one by one throughout the autumn of 2048 each signed 
  the Lima Accord.   
   
  For some this perceived surrender was the final straw and some Americans and Britons emigrated 
  to Mars over the next ten years, likewise, thousands of Australians settled on Luna. It was this 
  influx of militant Brits and Americans that strengthened Mars in time for the Belt War.  These 
  settlers were the strongest supporters of Martian independence.  Earth still harbours Nationalists, 
  both in the United Kingdom and the US, where a significant Nationalist third party controls close to 
  ten per cent of  the  seats  in  Congress  and  even  elected  a  President  in  2076.    Australia’s  Nationalist  
  movement has all but died out, but some nations like France, Iran, Mexico and Canada (blessed 
  with two competing Nationalist parties, one English speaking and one French speaking) all have 
  minor Nationalist movements. 
   
  Most Nationalists seek to either disband or weaken the Earth Union by political means and do not 
  support violence.  A few have connections to Luna but usually this connection is weak and exists 
  only  to  serve  Luna’s  political  agenda.    Several  of  Earth  Union  intelligence  and  security  agencies  
  have various Nationalist groups on their terror watch lists, but violence is extremely rare.  The 
  recent thaw in the Earth-Luna Cold War has some in the Earth Union government extremely 
  worried as it lessens the perceived need for a global organization and supports the Nationalist call 
  for disunification. A recent bill pending in the EU World Council is   a   symptom   of   the   Union’s  
  paranoia.  Termed  the  Security  Affairs  Extension  Act,  it  would  enhance  the  EU’s  ability  to  directly  
  intervene in security issues concerning its member nations.  For many Nationalists the intrusive 
  SAFE Act is the very thing they have long feared from a world government.  
   
       The Stranglehold – Also   known   as   the   G2   and   ‘Chimerica’,   the   Stranglehold   is   a   political  
  alliance from the 2030s that has survived the creation of the Earth Union. After a long spell at 
  economic odds throughout the 2020s, the USA and China were to become key to the creation of 
  
   
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  the economic trade alliance called the Group of Two (G2) in the 2030s. When both nations entered 
  the Lima Conference, they argued together as the G2 for special dispensations, with the unspoken 
  threat that without their approval, the (Earth Union) would never get past the planning stage.  As 
  it was, the G2 became a major factor in the establishment of the Earth Union but only after it had 
  accorded for itself certain rights and privileges associated with voting rights, as well as certain 
  special exemptions on defence and foreign policy. In this way the role of the G2 within the Earth 
  Union somewhat resembles that of the permanent members of the United Nations Security 
  Council.  
   
  Today the G2 is often referred to as the Stranglehold, or Chimerica (with lexical allusions to the 
  multi-part Greek monster of myth). Both China and America wield significantly more power 
  through the Earth Union than their populations and economic capacity would suggest, and this 
  power is derived from those early years of political leverage. Now that the threat of a war with 
  Luna has abated, the existence of the G2 has come under increased criticism. To say that there 
  are many nations, regional organisations and colonies which resent this special alliance is an 
  understatement. The G2 Stranglehold is a thorn which must be dealt with by the Earth Union at 
  some point in the near future, otherwise the resentment and jealousy of other states will threaten 
  a political crisis.  
   
       Voyagers –With the discovery of SETI signals, signs of extra-terrestrial intelligence around 
  distant stars, a movement has begun to reach those stars. Never unified and represented by a 
  handful of politicians, a few corporations, social groups and scientists, the Voyagers seek to pool 
  ideas, resources and funding together for a robotic mission to the stars. Project Daedalus will use 
  an advanced nuclear pulse motor and reach incredible speeds... if it ever gets built. Voyagers are 
  optimistic about the nature and intentions of extra-terrestrial civilisation.  
   
  3752 Cruithne C000365-9  N     Lo  
  Cruithne  travels in an orbit that interacts   with   Earth’s   gravity   well   and   the   two   appear   to  
  chase and retreat from each other along the same orbital path. As space industry increased 
  numerous Earth based mining companies looked for ways to become involved in this lucrative 
  business. One of these was Pennsylvania based ALCOA which invested heavily in lunar 
  mining. In 2021 ALCOA sent a manned expedition to Cruithne and with the tacit support of 
  the Americans, claimed the entire asteroid. Three years later a small mining crew landed on 
  the asteroid and began operations to extract ore. 
   
  ALCOA soon discovered that Cruithne was not in the ideal position to provide metals for the 
  large construction projects now being undertaken at Earth and Luna. Plans were drawn up in 
  2029   for   an   ambitious   project   to   alter   Cruithne’s   orbit,   but   public   outrage   at   the   idea   of  
  altering  the  location  of  “Earth’s  second  moon  soon”  led  to  numerous  lawsuits.  ALCOA  soon  
  found itself deep in debt and in 2032 filed for bankruptcy. By the this point the outpost on 
  Cruithne had grown to over 300 people many of whom were not even employees of ALCOA 
  but had moved there to set up small support businesses. In a controversial move the 
  commonwealth of Pennsylvania used the bankruptcy procedures to take control of Cruithne. 
   
  Cruithne remained unharmed during the Orbit War and fought off a half-hearted attack during 
  the Belt War. Today Cruithne is a significant Earth-owned township with a population of 
  6,560. It is home to a significant Earth Union Space Force base as well an extensive 
  spacecraft repair yard. Cruithne is also the location of a major medical facility and research 
  center  known  as  the  Johns  Hopkins’  Jane  Crosson  Advanced  Medical  Center  as  well  as  the  
  Pennsylvania State University College of Space Sciences and Orbital Industries. Cruithne has 
  significant defences in the form of three defence stations and numerous AKV platforms. 
  
   
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  LUNA  
  A200527 – 9  N,S 
  NI 
   
   
   
   
  T 
   
   
  Luna  is  one  half  of  the  solar  system’s  balance  of  power.  
  An airless moon of Earth, Luna is today a highly 
  industrialized self-sustaining colony. It can produce 
  every product needed for survival, from metals and 
  plastic-substitutes to food, textiles, complex machinery, 
  computers and electronics. The Luna government is a 
  representative democracy, established by the first 
  Chinese and American astronauts. The people of Luna 
  prize freedom, self-determination and above all, hard-
  work, honestly done. They are successful and determined, driven by a sense that there is always a 
  way to overcome a problem. Culturally, the Lunars resemble Asian-Americans of any large 
  American city in the 21st century. Inter-marriage is common, and American names are often mixed 
  with Chinese. 
   
  “A  man's  homeland  is  wherever  he  prospers.” 
  Aristophanes, Plutus 
   
  Planetology 
  Luna   is   Earth’s   only   moon   and   is   in  synchronous   rotation   with   that   planet,   always   showing   the  
  same  face  toward  Earth.  This  ‘near-side’  face  is  covered  with  maria  or  seas,  regions  of  volcanic  
  flood basalts, split by regions of ancient highlands and mountain chains. The near-side has been 
  cratered by asteroid impacts over a period of 4 billion years. The far-side of Luna, which is never 
  seen from Earth, is far more intensively cratered, with no discernible regions of volcanic activity. 
  Luna is not large enough to hold on to an atmosphere, and vacuum conditions prevail across the 
  moon’s  surface.  With  only  a  tiny  liquid  core,  Luna  has  only  a  trace  magnetosphere  which  provides  
  no protection to its inhabitants from cosmic radiation and solar flares.  
   
  Luna does have day and night, but they are both two weeks long, that is two weeks of harsh 
  daylight followed by two weeks of night. This can cause problems with equipment and buildings, 
  which  must  survive  incredible  changes  in  temperature,  from  100ºC  at  ‘midday’  at  the equator, to  
  -150ºC in the depths of the long night. The Moon's daylight is brighter and harsher than the 
  Earth's, there is no atmosphere to scatter the light, no clouds to shade it and no ozone layer to 
  block the sun-burning ultraviolet light. 
  Spaceport 
  Excellent Quality 
  Diameter 
  3,500 km 
  Gravity 
  0.165G 
  Pressure 
  vacuum 
  Composition 
       - 
  Temperature 
   -150ºC night 
  +100ºC day 
  Population 
  290,000 
  cities: Cold Mountain, 
  Tranquillity, Meridian, 
  Shackleton 
  Government 
  Participating democracy  
  Law Level 
  Moderate 
  Dist. from Earth 
  360,000 km 
  Solar Day 
  14 days 
  Year 
  365 days 
  
   
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  Luna was probably created from the impact of a Mars-sized planet with the early Earth, with Luna 
  being formed from Earth-material thrown off during the cataclysm. Initially orbiting close in to 
  Earth, Luna has over the intervening 4 billion years spiralled out further and further to reach its 
  present position. The distance between Earth and Luna is still increasing.  
   
  The dark plains visible on Luna are the maria or seas, vast solidified oceans of basalt lava that 
  contains a high iron content. Maria fill the large impact basins and were formed through volcanic 
  upwelling several billion years ago. However, several extinct shield volcanoes have also been 
  found on the moon, although only on the near side. Most of the maria are connected, forming one 
  huge system of flat plains. A notable exception is Mare Crisium on the north east of the near side. 
  There are no maria on the far side to speak of. Because there are few impact craters on the lava 
  plains, scientists know that the great bombardment of Luna occurred before the cataclysmic 
  episode of lave upwelling, around 3,500 million years ago.  
   
  Separating the maria are the highlands or terrae. Lighter in colour to look at from orbit, these 
  highlands are ridges, mountain chains and rough terrain. Since they were not covered by the flood 
  lavas, the highlands are the oldest rock structures on the Luna surface, they are the remnants of 
  the lunar crust. Moonquakes do occur, but in the distant past these were far stronger and have left 
  their mark on the surface. Faults, uplifts and depressions all exist on Luna,  Rilles are long 
  fractures or scarps that twist and turn across the surface. The far side of Luna is almost exclusively 
  made of these terrae or highlands. There are some huge craters on the far side, but of course they 
  are not flooded with basalt.  
   
  Dominating the surface of Luna, however, are the thousands of impact craters that litter the near 
  side and absolutely cover the far side. There are more than 300,000 craters over 1km in diameter, 
  on the near side alone, many have diameters measuring in the hundreds of kilometres. The South 
  Pole-Aitken  Basin  is  the  solar  system’s  largest  impact  crater,  some  13km  deep  and  2,240km wide. 
  Some of the craters are so large they could be described as walled plains, and some are truly 
  immense, Bailley, for example is 300km in diameter. Impacts continue today and small meteors 
  (often less than a metre across) strike the surface every year.  
   
  While many craters are of the standard type, with a wide flat floor and a wall of hills or scarps 
  around  the  edge  (Bailley’s  rim  rises  to  around  3.6km),  there  are  other  types.  Some  have central 
  peaks or mountains. Terraced craters have a central mountain peak and the ground rises to the 
  rim in well-defined steps or terraces. Concentric craters have nested rings of crater rims, getting 
  gradually higher. Ghost craters occur in maria, these are so flooded that only the very tops of the 
  rim can be seen to show where the crater existed, sometimes barely a few metres or tens of 
  metres above ground. Ray craters are distinguished by systems of bright rays which may extend 
  for great distances.  
   
  A  blanket  of  regolith,  or  shattered  rock  fragments,  blankets  much  of  the  Lunar  surface.  This  ‘soil’    
  is composed of basalt fragments and silicon dioxide glass. It has a texture like snow, and when the 
  dust falls off in airlocks and habs, it has faint smell of spent gunpowder. Looking around in 
  daylight   everything   is   some   shade   of   ‘concrete’   colour,   and   the   glare   from   the   sun   is   quite  
  significant. At night the stars shine brightly in the Lunar night sky. Although the surface looks dead 
  and fossilized, there is some activity. Lunar out-gassing of radon and other gasses occurs 
  intermittently and is seen as a faint haze or white cloud above the surface of a floor-fractured 
  crater or at the edge of a maria. Although rare, these outgassings prove that there is some kind of 
  geothermal activity going on beneath the surface.  The Moon is not dead! 
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  Human Development 
  Luna interplanetary policy has been 
  extremely defensive, the new colony 
  has a paranoid view of its place in the 
  solar system. It over-compensates for 
  its small size and industrial capacity 
  with an  overt and militaristic attitude to 
  politics, economics and development. It 
  attempts to export revolution to Earth 
  colonies in its fight for solar system 
  domination; a way to win without 
  risking all-out war. With Earth and Luna 
  a mere 300,000 km apart, both could 
  annihilate the other, Earth using its 
  huge stocks of nuclear weapons; Luna 
  with the mass-driver systems used to 
  launch ores into Luna orbit.  It seems 
  strange to many that two worlds facing 
  each other, their inhabitants able to 
  look up at one another in the sky, 
  should be fighting a proxy war in the 
  remote wild lands of the solar system, 
  hundreds of millions of km from home. 
   
  The population of Luna in 2040 was 22,000. Today it stands at 290,000 due to an aggressive 
  child-bearing policy. In addition, two colonies have been established at the Lagrange points, and 
  together they have a combined Lunar population of 100,000. With the colonial holdings on other 
  worlds factored in, there are perhaps half a million Lunars throughout the solar system, yet they 
  are pitted against 8 billion Earth people! It seems a crazy ratio, but the cost to launch an Earthman 
  into space is so high that there are perhaps only a million of them spread throughout the solar 
  system. And in the Earth-Moon system, the situation is so delicately balanced, that it resembles a 
  giant with a sword facing off against a dwarf with a high-powered rifle... and the rifle rests on the 
  giant’s  forehead.  This  isn’t  the  Mutually  Assured  Destruction  (MAD)  of  the  Russo-American cold 
  war, but a one-sided  deterrence.  “Leave  us  alone,  or  else!”.  This  threat  from  the  Lunar  mass  driver  
  in some way resembles the leverage that Israel wielded in the early 21st century with its policy of 
  ‘nuclear   ambiguity’,   threatening atomic strikes on neighbouring countries which looked to 
  overwhelm it at the first opportunity.  
   
  Where do Lunars live? The largest Luna city is Cold Mountain which is located on the equator, 
  south   of   Copernicus   crater.   Cold   Mountain   is   the   site   of   China’s   initial   Moon   colony   and   has   a  
  population of around 100,000 people. In the early days it acted as the centre for solar power 
  manufacturing,  but  more  recently  is  the  Moon’s main spaceport and industrial centre. Most of the 
  Moon’s  energy  needs  are  provided  by  the  incredible  solar  power  network  established  in  the  late  
  2020s.  The second city of Luna is Tranquillity, site of the American moon base which was initialled 
  titled  ‘Armstrong’  by  the  American  government.  Around  80,000  people  live  at  this  second  city.  The  
  third main settlement is Meridian, established on the equator to oversee the construction of solar 
  power collectors and beaming stations; today it is a busy industrial centre, with a population of 
  60,000. All   three   cities   are   connected   by   a   magnetic   levitation   (‘maglev’)   railway.   Shackleton 
  crater,  at  the  south  pole,  is  home  to  the  smallest  of  Luna’s  four  cities.  It  sits  in  the  darkness  within  
  a permanently sun-less crater, a place rich in water ice that is extracted, processed and flown to 
  the cities of the north. Perhaps 25,000 people live in this strange polar city. There are maybe thirty 
  thousand other Luna inhabitants, spread out at mining installations, solar power units, outposts, 
  landing  fields  and  crater  colonies  all  across  the  Moon’s  surface. 
  
   
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  Places of Interest 
   
       Shackleton - Around 2005 an illustration of a domed lunar city 25 miles in diameter and 5,000 
  feet tall over Shackleton Crater began circulating in briefings at aerospace conferences. At first 
  glance, this domed community seemed structurally impossible. However, materials such as basalt 
  fibres and S-glass among others, made this type of structure possible. Today the South Pole city of 
  Shackleton occupies an entire crater, one that is bathed in darkness and that contains abundant 
  water ice deposits. With artificial walls and a 40km wide, clear protective dome, the Lunars have 
  created a huge open space habitat with lakes and farmland, as well as industrial units and 
  housing. It is the polar location which means sunlight cannot get into the crater, shading all that 
  ice, but a mirror has been built above and behind the rim to focus sunlight down into Shackleton. 
  Water is a big industry here, exported to other Lunar cities by Skycrane, ten ton water modules 
  are able to carry up to 10,000 litres of fresh water. Shackleton citizens are tougher than the tough 
  Luna norm, people with a self- sufficiency and 'apartness' that reminds us of places like Barrow in 
  Alaska.  
   
       Tranquillity - Once called Armstrong, after the first man to set foot on Luna, the name was 
  changed during the Orbit War when many overt Earth-based naming systems were abandoned. 
  The titles of craters, seas and other features were all retained, but a change in the language 
  meant that things like buildings, events and the names of space vehicles eschewed reference to 
  Earth, where practical. The city is typically Luna, underground chambers linked by wide tunnels 
  passable by pedestrians or electric buggies towing supply or passenger carts. The modular design 
  of the 2020s has been left behind, today Tranquillity boasts several open spaces equal to any 21st 
  century shopping mall, multi-level galleries used by industry with airlocks and ramps providing 
  rover access to the surface. Large farms exist and receive light from artificial sources powered 
  from batteries that store the intense solar energy collected over the two week Luna day. Much of 
  the industry here is devoted to resource mining, the Sea of Tranquility is one giant strip mine, and 
  the city connects to dozens of ore refineries, oxygen plants, silica factories, glass blowing plants 
  and agricultural resource depots.  
   
  
   
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  Tranquillity is also Luna's most cosmopolitan city, with a huge number of American descendants. It 
  is home to a university as well as an entertainment industry that creates that unique brand of 
  culture typifying the Lunar psyche. Unlike the Earth entertainment they left behind, Luna media 
  looks to the pioneer trope. While there are crime thrillers and murder mysteries, the media doesn't 
  revel in the criminal lives of heroes or villains. Drug gangs, serial killers, kidnappings or any sort of 
  violent crime are incredibly rare on Luna. Good stories remind us of the Hollywood movies of the 
  1950s, where the heroes are military folk or pioneers on the frontier opposed by corruption, 
  outlaws or others who don't want to fit in. Of course there's comedy, love, drama and pathos too.  
   
  Unique to Tranquillity is The Drop, a sixty floor underground shaft falling into the Abyss, an old 
  vertical mine shaft. It is surrounded by retail shopping and small craft businesses, along with a mix 
  of cafes and restaurants. Balconies look out and down into the Drop, and on the top floor, below 
  they sky dome, is the Hanging Gardens. This is a top-notch restaurant, lounge and meeting place 
  with trailing ivy and tropical plants that looks down the entire Drop. A spectacular waterfall drops 
  from the floor of the Hanging Gardens and pours down through the centre of the Drop and down 
  into  the  dark  Abyss.  The  water’s  caught  far  below  where  it  can’t  be  seen,  heated  up  a  little  and  
  allowed to rise as steam to repeat the process. Given the weaker gravity to someone from Earth 
  the water falls in slow motion. The addition of a second crystal clear balcony at the lowest floor of 
  the Drop allows people to look down into the Abyss. 
   
       Cold Mountain - While Tranquillity is known for its mines, Cold Mountain stands out for its 
  industrial capacity, especially for its sophisticated electronics and mechanical engineering firms. It 
  is a bustling city with engineers and workers engaged in all kinds of manufacturing, from 
  computers to fuel cells, coffee machines to rovers. As the world's capital, the city is also home to 
  the Republican Demos building as well as the government buildings and offices that allow for the 
  smooth running of Luna society. The Demos was recently rebuilt, although the Old Demos is now 
  used for something else! This new showcase government building, designed to impress visiting 
  earthmen, is made almost wholly of Lunar glass, coloured, etched, pure, beaded, frosted .... from 
  benches to tables, walls, stairs and ceilings - the effect is incredible. The visitor feels they are deep 
  within a glacier, seeing many layers of building around them at once, but also feeling some of the 
  space pilot's sense of free fall vertigo. The democracy is run electronically and directly with only a 
  limited need for representatives. The Demos houses ministerial offices as well as the meeting 
  chamber for the Select, a random jury of citizens brought together to discuss and help decide on 
  hot topics, new legislation and controversial plans. Jury duty lasts for two months and is 
  compensated for, with both a wage allowance and various tax perks. Citizens must be 16 or over 
  and registered as a resident of Luna.  
   
  Cold Mountain itself is a confusing city to navigate, building and rebuilding took place at such a 
  ferocious pace in the early years that older habs were not removed, older structures were always 
  incorporated into the new ones. Visitors must learn to live with the chaos. The Chinese origins of 
  Cold Mountain are still visible, particularly around Iridium Square, the civic centre of the city, an 
  arched, semi-sunken construction that is the meeting place, market and performance area for the 
  citizens. Chinese New Year and Thanksgiving are the biggest days of the calendar and celebrations 
  spread out through Cold Mountain from this square.  At each end stand large Chinese gateways 
  and lighting is provided during the two weeks of night by large Chinese lantern-style lighting 
  fixtures that slowly rotate above the heads of onlookers.  
   
      Meridian - The city was initially established as a base from which the work to build the 
  massive equatorial solar power collectors could take place. Power generation is one of Meridian's 
  main concerns and the vast engineering undertaking has left it's mark on the city. It builds nuclear 
  fission reactors for spacecraft and pioneered Luna’s  only fusion reactor. Mining for helium-3 now 
  takes place across the Sea of Vapours, to the north. Meridian is a clean, we'll run place, well 
  ordered and efficient. Of course the equatorial power collectors still work, but many of the 
  
   
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  beaming stations that sent the power to Earth were taken over by the military decades ago to 
  become defensive installations or retaliatory weapons should Earth decide to try and invade the 
  Moon. Luna uses the power generated for its own industries whilst Earth now uses renewables, 
  fusion and a clouds of solar power satellites in high Earth orbit.  The city is well known for its Blue 
  Rooms, a hotel complex used by many visiting technicians or family members arriving for holidays. 
  Each room is an explosion of art-work, the very opposite of what anyone expects to see on Luna, 
  every surface is brightly coloured and patterned. This riot of colour at the Blue Rooms pioneered 
  the   ‘ergo’   art   style   of   the   2070s.   The   current   chic   look   of   Baospace   is   a   massive   understated  
  reaction to this over-the-top art, and Baospace currently dominates the fashion and consumer 
  industry. Of course Baospace itself is a Meridian-born company. Dated though they may be, the 
  Blue Rooms have a place in history, and should not be missed by the traveller to Meridian.  
   
      Möbius Farside Observatory - A collection of telescopes (optical, radio and infra-red) 
  benefitting from the way in which the mass of the Moon blocks the interference of radio emissions 
  from Earth. Möbius A and B are civilian, while Möbius C is a military site with a top secret array of 
  sensors.  
   
       Rainbow Tunnels - A vast system of volcanic lava tunnels extend deep into the ground within 
  the Sinus Iridium (Bay of Rainbows). Explorers, scientists and other adventurers have climbed into 
  these tunnels to map them. There is much more to do, new expeditions are setting off each year.  
   
       Old Town - Prior to the establishment on Meridian, the Chinese created Central City within 
  Sinus Medii (‘Central  Bay’). Unfortunately the initial surveys proved inadequate and four years after 
  its construction a severe moonquake triggered a collapse of the regolith beneath Central City, 
  burying many habs and buildings, crushing accommodation blocks, swallowing rovers trying to 
  escape and killing around one thousand people. It is a little talked about catastrophe, but the ruins 
  are still there. Old Town is a semi-sunken ghost town occasionally visited by salvage teams, 
  historians or the inquisitive. All bodies were removed after the incident. 
   
       Clavius Space Science Museum - Built onto the southern wall of the crater made famous by  
  2001: A Space Odyssey,   the   Clavius   Space   Science   Museum   is   dedicated   to   humanity’s  
  achievements in space. It is an international museum funded by private donations. Despite the 
  occasional accusations of favouritism,   the   museum’s   staff   attempt   to   present   balanced   exhibits  
  that highlight individuals and not nations. The museum is headed by the eccentric Dr. Wong, who 
  many claim is the oldest living human being. Due to its neutral attitude the museum, its associated 
  
   
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  hotel (Earth View) and restaurant (Moon Cheese), it has become a favourite meeting place for 
  those wishing to avoid national attention. Both the Luna Republic and Earth Union make use of 
  this neutrality and Clavius is widely considered to be the Casablanca of outer space. This idea was 
  further enhanced by the 2092 release of Trigger 5: Clavius, a critically acclaimed thriller that has 
  become one of the highest grossing movies in human history. 
   
  Factions on Luna 
       Infinite Circle – The Infinite Circle is an association of scientists, thinkers, researchers and 
  space travellers who devote their efforts to looking for Cydonians. Cydonian ruins exist on Mars, as 
  everyone knows, but there is also tantalizing hints of this alien civilization elsewhere. The Infinite 
  Circle pools resources, knowledge, favours and secrets to fund projects to find this evidence. Some 
  say the Infinite Circle has more evidence than they are willing to share ... 
   
       White Tigers – Established decades ago by members of the Luna government, the White 
  Tigers is a pro-revolutionary organization officially condemned by the Republic, but in actual fact 
  supplied, funded and supported by it. The White Tigers take the direct, participatory democracy 
  championed on Luna to other worlds, often by force. Its agents are active on Titan, Mars and work 
  with the Red Legion in an attempt to bring down the Green cabal that controls that world. They 
  have agents on Iapetus and on Mercury. Essentially, the organization acts to counter Earth Union 
  power and huge population by subverting established governments, trying to replace them with 
  pro-Lunar participatory democracies instead. Luna pushes its population growth to the limit, but is 
  still dwarfed even by  Earth’s  off-world population; the White Tigers see the subversion and control 
  of older Earth colonies a quick way to boost the number of Luna allies across the solar system. For 
  them, the new detente is a way to gain easier access to Earth colonies, with their covert agents 
  visiting as workers, space crew, trade delegates or science advisors.  
   
       Divine Unity – Currently very active, this association is politically minded and attempts to 
  foster co-operation between Luna and the Earth Union. More than that though, Divine Unity seeks 
  to unify the two powers to create a single human civilization, under a single government within the 
  solar system. It is visionary, progressive and hated and mistrusted by most Lunars. Some believe 
  that during this current (2098 – 2100) period of peace and co-operation between Earth and Luna, 
  Divine Unity is at its most dangerous. Politics are in flux and these weak-kneed appeasers will be 
  the ruin of a proud nation and world. The faction has a counterpart on Earth, and is popular 
  amongst politicians and populations in Australia, Malaysia and other pro-Luna regions.    
   
       Flying Dragons – Personal freedom is valued highly by Lunar citizens and if a family wishes to 
  make its living out on the maria or up in the terrae, then good fortune to them. Everyone benefits 
  by this pioneering spirit. Some of these independents have travelled out to the Asteroid Belt where 
  Luna guarantees their right to self determination and freedom. The Cascadian Union (which they 
  believe is oppressive) is mistrusted by these Flying Dragon independents and Luna has made a 
  point of breaking up and harassing any self-proclaimed Cascadian colonies in the Belt. The 
  protection and support given to the Flying Dragons fosters an acute sense of loyalty to Luna, to 
  the home world, and these independents continue to play a small part in the Luna economy and 
  fly the flag for Luna all across the Belt.  
   
       Copernicus Brotherhood – An association of miners on Luna which is quite exclusive, with 
  membership based on family standing and personal recommendations. Copernicus brothers get 
  access to lucrative contracts, perks and opportunities not open to others. Because some of the 
  brotherhood engage in extortion and bribery as well as some petty criminality, the association is 
  now an illegal one and membership is kept secret. Yet the brotherhood continues to operate on 
  Luna, in the Asteroid Belt and where-ever Luna miners ply their trade.  
   
   
  
   
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  MARS 
  B420585 – 9  N,S 
  De  Po  NI 
   
   
   
  Mars is an independent world, unaligned with Earth or 
  Luna. Colonized before the start of the Cold War, Mars 
  has been the subject of incredible scientific discoveries. 
  Actual alien remains, enigmatic, mute and splendid 
  were found at Cydonia, simple extremophile life has 
  also been discovered, living within the soil. Yet life goes 
  on, cities have developed, industries established and a 
  programme of terraforming begun at a rapid pace. 
  Already liquid water is sustained at Lake Barsoom in the 
  Hellas Basin and thriving (though still small scale) surface agriculture provides food for the Martian 
  colonists. Air pressure and air temperature have been increased enough through terraforming to 
  allow for such developments and a number of surface farms have been established in other low-
  lying areas.  Mars is still a dry, desert world, inhospitable and alien, though stunningly beautiful. 
  Its people are stubborn and hard-working, drawn from all nations of Earth (except China, which 
  shunned Mars in favour of an asteroid mining programme). For an in-depth treatment of Mars, 
  refer to the Zozer Games companion book Outpost Mars, available in print or PDF. 
   
  Planetology 
  The Martian atmosphere is very thin, and may have once been much thicker. Pressure at the 
  surface has been thickened by terraforming, and currently can reach as high as 0.1 atmosphere 
  (Earth is 1 atmosphere), yet it is still as thin as the rarefied air at an altitude of 15,000m on Earth 
  (that’s  twice  the  height  of  Mount  Everest!).  It is composed mainly of carbon dioxide, with some 
  argon and ozone. Temperatures across Mars can rise above freezing point, and it has been known 
  for summertime temperatures to reach 18 degrees at the equator. At night the temperature 
  plummets to below -50°C. Typically, a daily Martian temperature resembles the Canadian winter, 
  perhaps hovering somewhere between 0° and -20° or so. In the polar latitudes temperatures 
  almost never rise above -100°C. Walking on the Martian surface without a vacc suit would soon 
  result in death by asphyxiation (no oxygen), freezing of exposed flesh (frostbite), and the effects of 
  high altitude (cerebral oedema or swelling of the brain, fluid leaking into the lungs, tunnel vision, 
  light-headedness and loss of mental faculties). 
   
  Spaceport 
  Good Quality 
  Diameter 
  6,800 km 
  Gravity 
  0.38 G 
  Pressure 
  0.1 atm (v/thin) 
  Composition 
  carbon dioxide 
  Temperature 
  -40ºC 
  Population 
  900,000; Reunion, 
  Adrienne, High-point, 
  Schaeffer 
  Government 
  Representative 
  Democracy 
  Law Level 
  Moderate 
  Dist. from Sun 
  108 Mkm 
  Solar Day 
  24.6 hours 
  Year 
  687 days 
  Moons 
  Phobos C000366-9   N 
   
  Deimos X000000-0 
  
   
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  The surface of Mars is dominated by the colour red and orange, a red-oxide covers most of the 
  rock surfaces and this gives the planet its distinctive colouration. A world without free-flowing 
  water, Mars is a deep-frozen desert planet, scoured by high-velocity dust-laden winds. There has 
  also been definite water erosion in the planet's past, and this water is now locked up within frozen 
  Mars bedrock underground, as well as at the two polar ice caps. Mars is not a perfect sphere, most 
  planets are oblate ('flattened'), as is Mars, but this world also has a peculiar and noticeable 'bulge' 
  in the Tharsis region, an area of tremendous volcanic uplift rising 10km above the planetary mean 
  altitude. With a diameter of 6,800km, the planet is small and has a density even lower than its size 
  would account for. Mars has a weak magnetic field and geological surveys have shown the planet 
  lacks a defined core and its interior acts much like a fluid, with mantle up-wellings feeding the 
  volcanoes on the surface at irregular intervals.  
   
  The surface of Mars can be divided into two rather unequal hemispheres categorized by terrain 
  type. Generally, the southern hemisphere is older, a fact proven by the incredible number of 
  meteorite craters there. The northern hemisphere, on the other hand, is lower lying and much less 
  cratered, in fact it may have once held an ancient ocean. Surveys have shown that a high degree 
  of volcanic action has taken place in the north, including the spectacular shield volcanoes (some of 
  which rise from the Tharsis 'bulge'). The lava re-surfacing of the northern hemisphere took place 
  4,000 million years ago; the geological events giving rise to Tharsis, Marineris Valley and other 
  volcanic features came after that re-surfacing. A lengthy volcanic episode must have wracked 
  Mars, but whether this volcanism ceased hundreds of millions of years ago, or whether it continued 
  until relatively recently - no-one knows. Volcanism and also rare meteor strikes, are known to be 
  responsible for the sudden and energetic release and melting of subsurface ground ice in the past 
  and the subsequent creation of the outflow channels observed almost everywhere on Mars.  
   
  Mars is famous for its volcanoes, and for one volcano in particular - Olympus Mons, the largest 
  volcano known to mankind. This volcano rises 22 km above the surrounding plain, and is 550km 
  across (compare Everest which is 8.8km above sea level). Around its edge is a near vertical 
  escarpment which drops suddenly to the plain. The volcanic crater alone is 80km across and is 
  surrounded by concentric fractures echoing the central crater shape. Olympus Mons sits in the 
  Tharsis region, an area of Mars that is also dominated by the Syria Rise (also called the Tharsis 
  'bulge') a region of volcanic uplift 5,000km across and almost 10km high. Atop the Tharsis 'bulge' 
  are the three enormous volcanoes called Ascraeus Mons, Pavonis Mons (with its crater dead 
  centre on the Martian equator) and Arsia Mons.  
   
  There are extensive fields of sand dunes on Mars, but due to the peculiar but reliable wind effects 
  around the poles these sand-seas exist close to the north and south poles. There are many 
  channels and valleys cutting across the landscape, formed by rivers, streams and tributaries. 
  There are even signs of large river deltas that once emptied into now long-gone seas and lakes. A 
  single vast canyon system dominates Mars and dominates the solar system - the famous Valles 
  Marineris. Visible from way out in space on final approach, this canyon system straddles the globe 
  a little south of the equator. It is a 4,000km network of interconnecting canyons that begins to the 
  east of Tharsis and ends in a region of chaotic terrain between Margaritifer Sinus and Chryse 
  Planitia. Individual canyons can be up to 200km in width and the deepest sections drop down more 
  than 7km! The central section is a region of connected rift valleys that is 700km in width. This is 
  awesome terrain.  
   
   
  
   
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  Human Development 
  Mars was colonized in 2020 by the nations of Earth in a grand multinational effort. Three thriving 
  scientific bases were established which soon developed into permanently manned colonies. 
  Reunion is the largest settlement and is linked to the mining camp at Shaeffer at Tharsus by a 
  monorail. The third colony is Adrienne. Highpoint is a later off shoot from Reunion. Two other 
  settlements were later established, Cydonia and Otgwehda. 
   
  The 
  Space 
  Colonization 
  and 
  Investment Foundation (later renamed 
  the 
  Frontier 
  Foundation) 
  began 
  operations in 2022 by providing the 
  European Space Agency with rockets 
  and expertise for their own Mars 
  program. The Foundation came in to 
  being in 2018 just after the first 
  manned mission to Mars.  Space travel 
  and exploration had finally captured 
  the  public’s  imagination,  but  high  costs  
  and government control worked to 
  severely limit the number of people 
  able make the trip.  For a time only 
  trained astronauts or the very wealthy 
  had any realistic chance of getting into 
  space.  But there were visionaries who 
  sought change.  Using money made from his OrbiTours and Super Sat corporations billionaire 
  Edward   “Eddie”   Muzner   developed   a   cheap   heavy   lift   rocket   derived   from   the   old   Space  
  Transportation  System’s  large  liquid  propellant tank.  Capable of sending about 50 tons directly to 
  Mars,  Muzner’s  Ares  Express  rocket  made  it  possible to launch twenty-four colonists on a one way 
  trip to the red planet.   
   
  In 2025 the Frontier Foundation made headlines by launching two unmanned rockets to Mars each 
  month for the entire year.  Each rocket carried an automated factory, known as a MARVIN, that 
  used local Martian resources to produce oxygen, nitrogen, fresh water, rocket propellant and 
  concrete powder.  Every MARVIN was built around a small fission reactor which led to numerous 
  protests  by  the  nascent  ‘pristine  Mars’  movement.  All but three of the MARVIN outposts landed on 
  Mars and immediately went to work.  The  Foundation’s  stock  on  the  other  hand  plummeted  as  
  investors wondered if Muzner had gone crazy. Muzner used the drop in stock price to buy back 
  much of the Foundation and then gift it to more traditional pro-space organizations such as the 
  National Space Society, the Mars Society and the Planetary Society.  In April of 2026 the 
  organisation began to sell spots on board its manned Ares Express rockets for prices far below 
  anything offered by government agencies.  The initial wave of settlement sold out in less than 
  three weeks.  The first manned Ares Express rocket launched late that year from a newly built 
  commercial launch centre near Phoenix, Arizona.  On board were twenty-four intrepid souls hoping 
  to find a new life on Mars.  Five months later their habitat module landed very near MARVIN SIX 
  where they discovered an ample supply of air and water. 
   
  The later history of Mars is one of growing tension. The nations of Earth established the Martian 
  colonies but following the Orbit War Luna made economic advances, offering cheap power 
  satellites to help the colonies grow (and undermining the influence of the newly established Earth 
  Union). These satellites beamed solar power down to large collector stations on the surface - free 
  power, and Luna technicians and their families maintained these installations. These bases got 
  bigger and bigger, to the growing complaint of some Martians and many Earth Union observers. 
  During the Belt War (2052-54) Martians, still loyal to Earth, attacked these small Luna enclaves. 
  An Aeroshell after deorbit burn, about to begin atmospheric entry. 
  
   
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  Luna responded in force, dropping in troops and using the opportunity to turn them into officially 
  sponsored Luna colonies on Mars! To hold them in this manner, Luna used the power-sats as a 
  blackmail tool. Earth fought back with its Deployment Force, eventually taking all of the new Luna 
  enclaves and seizing all of the collector installations. During the conflict both sides conducted 
  jamming and electronic warfare. Luna forces blew up the monorail while Union troops established 
  forward bases with air defences. They advanced across the desert in armoured rovers, seizing 
  mines and farms that were key for supply and survival. In orbit the battle raged, with spysats 
  being shot down week after week, and replacements coming in from Earth or Luna, to again be 
  shot down. The war on the ground dominated, but there were high intensity periods of 
  devastating strikes from orbit. Earth prevailed, but the Martian colonists with Earth assistance set 
  up their own government at Reunion. From the start it was destined to fail, pulled in different 
  directions by the competing politics of mining corporations, Earth scientists, the Reds, Greens and 
  the Church of Stigmata. It proved to be hamstrung and ineffective, leading to the growth of the 
  canyon pirates, wildcatters and city criminals.  
   
  In 2060 the Green movement (the Third Way) launched a coup that seized control of the 
  government, it had been carefully orchestrated with union bosses, company chiefs, select science 
  groups and various allied politicians. There were riots at Reunion, riots that led to a long-running 
  civil conflict. This is the Martian insurgency, a low-key rebellion beginning in 2072 that continues 
  today.  
   
  Sabotage, terrorism, sudden strikes and the fomenting of revolt and disturbance epitomize the 
  insurgency. Miners, rovers, workers... people who want to return to a free Mars, where no one 
  government dictates the policies, have decided to fight for that freedom. They are the Red Legion. 
  Their attacks are aimed at the government and the military, avoiding any civilian casualties (which, 
  on Mars, could run to the hundreds or thousands with a single well-placed bomb). The insurgents 
  are not mass murders, they see themselves as the Red Legion, the army of Mars, fighting to 
  protect the pristine environment from any further terraforming and industrial development. 
  Members are typically jaded workers, disenchanted scientists and colonists who have worked hard 
  to see their labours swallowed up by rapid urbanization.  
   
  Today, Mars is independent, but with a heavy Earth Union bias. People look back at Earth with 
  respect and a sense of heritage, naming buildings, places and their children with terrestrial titles. 
  While the Lunars disdain any Earthly associations, the Martians embrace them. The Martians are 
  moderately religious, most inhabitants following the Church of the Heavenly Stigmata to a greater 
  or lesser extent. Most fear and hate the expansionist policies of the Luna government and the 
  population would fight it again if another invasion were to take place. The government on Mars is 
  an effective oligarchy of Third Way leaders, with little input from the common man.  
   
  Places of Interest 
       Reunion, city and spaceport:  Reunion began life as the International Mars Base, 
  established on Chryse Planitia on 4th October 2020, forty years after the first man (Kyle Schaeffer) 
  stepped foot on the planet. It was already partly assembled when the first twelve NASA and ESA 
  astronauts arrived, they continued the work and made it ready for the 100 scientists and engineers 
  that followed in 2022.  From 2024 when tracking equipment was installed and shuttle links made 
  with Phobos, the population began to soar and other space agencies sent in crews and further 
  modules. Construction has never stopped. By 2030 the population of Reunion was 3,000 (mostly 
  scientists and engineers and tracking and shuttle technicians). Today the population stands at 
  500,000, and marks Reunion as the greatest population centre on Mars. The city is known for the 
  Spire, a 30 storey pinnacle, an office and apartment on the very site of the first landing.  
    
  Reunion has a fission power plant, a busy spaceport, offices, labs and research facilities, 
  apartment blocks, several hotels, it has out-planet tracking facilities, two great shopping malls, 
  
   
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  cafeterias, movie theatres as well as some other entertainment facilities, a large garden dome 
  called the Glasshouse and the Grand Hall, built after 2054. In Reunion you can buy or rent rovers 
  and airships and also rent garage or warehouse space. Most buildings are largely underground, 
  and all include deep shelters for protection from solar flares. Most of the big corporations and 
  organizations have offices here. A network of roads have been built that connect to smaller 
  settlements and habitats. constructed by robot rovers they are really no more than wide tracks 
  cleared of rock debris for the easy passage of rovers, and marked every 500m with a radio 
  beacon.  
   
       Adrienne, home of the Hellas Terraforming Project:   Second in size to Reunion, 
  Adrienne was established in 2035 primarily as a terraforming project; the Hellas Terraforming 
  Project. The Hellenes (the scientists and engineers of the Hellas Basin Terraforming Project) are 
  proud of their lake, Lake Barsoom. It was the first body of free-standing water on Mars and a 
  model for other projects to copy. As the lowest point on the planet, the Hellas Basin has seen the 
  most dramatic environmental changes. The Hellenes have been able to grow a significant amount 
  of vegetation on the lake shore, and at specially prepared oases on the basin floor. The project 
  habitat enjoys the luxury of vast greenhouses. It has a population of 100,000 people, dominated 
  by biologists, hydrologists and technicians who have actually been able to create a mostly-liquid 
  (depending on the season) lake called Lake Barsoom as well as algae crops on the surace of Mars. 
  This is the Hellas Terraforming Project, in the Hellas Basin in the southern hemisphere.  Given the 
  density of academics in Adrienne it 
  is no surprise that the University of 
  Mars is located at Adrienne. This 
  school is centre of learning for all 
  of 
  Mars 
  even 
  rivalling 
  major 
  universities on Earth and Luna, 
  particularly 
  in 
  the 
  fields 
  of  
  terraforming 
  and 
  genetic 
  engineering. 
   
  Adrienne 
  boasts 
  spacious 
  accommodation (although again 
  much of it is underground), and 
  since Adrienne is built into the side 
  of a steep hill, has some stunning 
  views over the lake. There is a 
  runway and associated facilities, 
  twelve launch pads and lots of 
  factories and workshops. Adrienne 
  is capable of launching rockets and 
  receiving them, too. In Reunion 
  there are more technicians and 
  officials than scientists, in Adrienne 
  the place is still virtually a scientific 
  commune (despite the large size). 
  Visitors will find the 'Hellenes' 
  open, enthusiastic and optimistic.  
   
        
  Shaeffer, home of Tharsis Mining: Shaeffer has always had a rough reputation, this is 
  surprising considering the nature of people who fly into space. But the scientists and engineers 
  who came to Mars were soon accompanied by astronaut-miners, and then just by miners. 
  Exploratory mining had been allowed at first, but as larger scale mining was begun experienced 
  
   
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  mining professionals were needed from Earth - and they came from the North Sea, from Alaska, 
  the Gulf, Siberia and the South China Sea, Libya and Texas. A mining consortium established a 
  base at Alba Patera north of Tharsus. This was named Shaeffer and became both a landing station 
  for equipment and fresh miners beginning their two-year contracts, as well as a launch facility for 
  mineral 'sleds' fired out toward Earth-space by a sophisticated magnetic linear accelerator 
  (colloquially known as the 'Slingshot'). After the Belt War the consortium was nationalized by the 
  new Martian government and reformed as Tharsis Industries. Shaeffer also has a spaceport. 
  Crucial  to  the  town’s  development  has  been  the  Shaeffer  industrial  zone,  a  sprawling  district  of  
  factories, assembly plants, foundries and workshops producing a huge array of products for export 
  across the solar system at a low cost. This growing industrial sprawl is connected to the Reunion 
  spaceport and Adrienne via monorail link. The monorail is a maglev system, at ground level, that 
  utilises robotic monorail trains for shifting heavy goods, 10-ton modules or passengers.   
   
  Some of Shaeffer is underground for protection reasons, some of it is not, since there is a vast 
  amount of equipment in hangers, garages and workshops that need servicing. The sprawling 
  habitat complexes have the best hospitals on the planet, and they see regular use due to the high 
  number of injuries sustained by the Tharsis mining community. The international polyglot mix of 
  miners has turned the habitat into a complicated series of ethnic quarters. What began as an 
  optimistic and well-run operation soon turned into a cynical and lawless one; some once compared 
  Shaeffer to a prison. Those days are long gone and today Tharsis runs the mines professionally 
  and with an eye to competing with the ‘Big Boys’:  Luna  and  Earth. Without doubt though, miners 
  from Shaeffer are the best in the solar system. Shaeffer was established in 2030 and has a current 
  population of 120,000 men and women. 
   
       Otgwehda: Meaning red in Onondaga, an Iroquois language, this city of almost 15,000 is the 
  brainchild of Ellis Parker, who made his fortune in casinos and entertainment, He saw the 
  settlement of Mars as a second chance for his sons to live the frontier life of which he had always 
  dreamed. To this end he invested heavily in key space corporations and in late 2054 he, his four 
  youngest sons, and 500 other settlers, all of whom were Iroquois, began their departure to Mars. 
  His oldest son stayed on Earth with his family to coordinate the settlement process. 
   
  As more Iroquois joined the effort, the media reported on the programme. In India the Kolkata 
  Off-world Movement (KOM) reported that an American man was funding a massive settlement of 
  Mars for any Indian who wished to participate. This misunderstanding led thousands of Indian 
  citizens to enrol in the colonization effort. Otgwehda Bound, as the migration came to be known, 
  was overwhelmed; even more so when violence erupted in Quebec due to the Referendum of 
  2057 which led a large portion of the Canadian Mohawk population to join the migration. Parker, 
  feeling sorry for those people from India, teamed with the Frontier Foundation to increase their 
  ability to move people to the red planet.  
   
  Otgwehda is located just south of the Noctis Labyrinthus along the edge of the Syria Planum. 
  Building upon the skills possessed by the Parker family the city has become the entertainment 
  capital of Mars. Otgwehda is home to several casinos, movie theatres and even an orchestra hall. 
  Luxor Aerospace have hotels there and run regular shuttles to Otgwehda from orbit. It houses the 
  system’s   largest   aquarium   outside   of   Earth   as   well   as   a botanical garden. It is also possible to 
  charter dirigible tours of the nearby labyrinth. 
   
       Highpoint, home of the Mariner Terraformers:  As the Hellenes have already discovered, 
  the first impact of the early terraforming techniques has been evident at the planet's lowest points. 
  Great efforts had been made to try to grow lichens on the walls and floors of the Mariner Valley 
  system of canyons and valleys, efforts proving fruitful. With water now becoming less rare, and 
  seeping to the surface within the valley and with the lichen population now living side by side with 
  simple mosses, the stage is set for an agricultural revolution within the Mariner Valley. Free 
  
   
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  holding colonists have taken up the struggle and are having fantastic success with greenhouse 
  crops and a good supply of water. They continue to experiment with genetically-modified 
  vegetation in the Martian soil. The Mariner Terraformers have a central meeting place called High 
  Point. The colony sits atop the Valles Marineris and is cut into the cliff-face, in essence it is a 
  vertical settlement utilising the many kilometres of caverns and caves found naturally in this region 
  - all utilised by the inventive Highpointers! The settlement sits on the south wall of Ius Chasma 
  and holds about 29,000 people. It exists to supply the Mariner Terraformers with supplies flown in 
  from Reunion. There is no orbital capability other than a runway and associated hanger and 
  terminal facilities. High Point boasts several hotels, usually filled with tourists and climbers. A rover 
  trail zigzags up the south wall to enter the habitat and the garages through a tunnel. Elevators 
  take personnel and rovers up to desired levels through a maze of gantry-work that are the innards 
  of High Point. On the canyon lip the elevators can bring their cargos up to the landing strip and 
  control office. Given that the view over the Mariner canyon is one of the most spectacular in the 
  solar system, Highpoint is a popular site for the wealthy of Mars and elsewhere who wish to build 
  themselves  a  luxury  home  with  a  balcony,  a  glass  floor  and  a  view  that  can’t  be  found  anywhere  
  else. 
   
  High Point might seem high tech, but it is essentially a huge vertical shaft bored through the rock 
  and filled with gantries and walkways. The inside of the city resembles some bizarre factory floor 
  with ladders, elevators, cages, chain-link fences and so on. High Point is a fairly easy-going place 
  with little law enforcement - there is little animosity, just a lot of good will. Always wary of that 
  perennial Marian disease, the canyon pirate, the Mariner terraformers long ago formed a close-knit 
  brotherhood. Unlike the 'high science' of Adrienne, High Point is a place of 'hard-work and good 
  advice'. Practical experiments and the results of tests that succeed lead to plenty of exchanges and 
  information sharing. No-body wants anyone to fail. You get the feeling of a frontier here more 
  than anywhere, a place where no-one is left to struggle and fail. It might be you next month...  
   
       Cydonia:  Cydonia is a small region on the Acidalia Planitia, and it is a site which is (in) famous 
  for the presence of giant pyramids and the vast carving of a 'face' constructed by some unknown 
  intelligent life. The nature of the civilization that produced these staggering works can only be 
  guessed at - archaeologists piece together what information they can, but so much is unknown. 
  The first expedition to Cydonia took place in 2023 and the 'Ruined City' was mapped in detail. With 
  the arrival of many more scientists two years later, the site received a lot of attention. A site 
  habitat was established 3km from the Ruined City and was used as a stop-over for visiting teams. 
  The UN refused to allow any permanent settlement in the area. Its reasoning was simple - it 
  feared degradation of the site and damage to the monuments. Some sapientologists, biologists, 
  archaeologists thought differently and considered the ban unreasonable. They suspected a cover-
  up and some kind of conspiracy. When the UN began restricting site licenses to just a few experts 
  in 2028, the riled scientists occupied Camp Cydonia (the temporary habitat). Immediately they 
  began to enlarge it and offered places to friendly groups and individuals who wanted to study the 
  artefacts. The camp had the air of a cultists compound or hippy commune (depending on your 
  point of view).  
   
  Today Cydonia is a town in its own right, an extremely popular location for visitors, tourists and 
  travellers of all kinds. A population of 25,000 maintains the habitats and hotels, agricultural 
  stations and factories. There are still scientists and researchers here, but tourism has now arrived. 
  Some areas of the Ruined City are off limits for research, but tours can be joined. Unrestricted 
  access is frowned upon and a guide is legally required for any visit to the Face or the Ruined City. 
  Enforcing the restrictions is a small freelance security force paid for by the International 
  Astronomical Union (IAU), and having a long-standing relationship with that organization. The 
  force is Eckard Tactical Management (ETM), a company-sized force of mechanized infantry know 
  throughout  the  solar  system  as  the  ‘Swiss  Guard’.    ETM  are  the  infamous  security  detail  on-board 
  SGS-90 Grimaldi, the orbital component of Monte Carlo. Despite the tourism, Cydonia has a 
  
   
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  strange feel to it. Everyone believes they are in the presence of something mysterious, spiritual 
  and awesome. Crime is rare there, the place attracts thinkers, believers and researchers ... all 
  seekers  after  ‘Truth’.  There  is  a  church  of  the  Holy  Stigmata  at Camp Cydonia.  
   
  Factions on Mars 
       Rovers:  Every Martian expedition from Earth sent Martian ATVs (rovers), and people trained 
  to operate them. As colonists and scientists took root on the Red Planet, they found that some of 
  their number could not fit in and adapt to colony life. Homesickness and a difficulty living closely 
  with other people day after day proved too much for many, and these men and women opted to 
  drive the rovers out across the Martian wilderness on solitary and extended missions, perhaps 
  repairing transponders and the many MARVINS that dotted the landscape, checking weather 
  stations, carrying out geological surveys or ferrying parts to some remote base. During the Black 
  Out of 2029 many of these rovers turned independent and stopped working for their own people. 
  Today the rovers roam Mars carrying out jobs for bases, stations and colonies, always moving on. 
  Often the rovers have crews of 2, 3 sometimes more, and all have shunned the static, organized, 
  focussed societies of Mars. Rovers are rebels, 21st century cowboys, nomads with a love of travel 
  and adventure.  
   
       Flyers:  Early mission plans often voiced a need for flyers to be sent to Mars, either robotic 
  airships or robotic airplanes. These could cover lots of ground very quickly. When the first bases 
  began to be established on the planet, airships were again considered for transport purposes - and 
  they proved highly useful. Manageable in the thin Martian atmosphere, the airships were able to 
  cross vast distances easily with relatively little energy loss (all are solar powered). The modern 
  airship operators ('flyers') baulked at the tightly knit colonial way of life during the Black Out just 
  like the rovers. And like the rovers the flyers roam the planet carrying out jobs and contracts for 
  colonies, bases and stations across Mars. 
    
       Greens (The Third Way): Mars is being terraformed, human engineering and science is being 
  used to alter the Martian atmosphere in order that it may become breathable, and in order that 
  vegetation might flourish. A second unspoiled Earth is the goal. The process is slow, taking many 
  decades, perhaps centuries. One of the most active solutions so far is the shepherding of ice 
  chunks and comets from the Kuiper Belt, burning up in the Mars atmosphere and dumping its 
  gasses and water there. Members of the Third Way, the current governing party, have supported 
  an even more hard-line stance and have used maximum impact solutions to the terraforming 
  problem. They have detonated seventeen atomic weapons at the poles to melt ice and increase 
  atmospheric heat. They have authorized the bursting of underground aquifers in the same way 
  meteors occasionally do, causing catastrophic water release and immense flooding. Most of these 
  are highly unpredictable techniques - anathema to the scientific method - but now all in play, now 
  that the Third Way has taken control of the Mars government.   
   
       Reds (The Red Legion):  Members of the Red Legion are stalwart supporters of the 'Pristine 
  Mars' movement. They believe man should have come here to study and observe. All industry, 
  much settlement and all terraforming is abhorrent, unethical and wrong. Members of the Red 
  Legion swear to sabotage such projects as they are able. They have been connected to several 
  eco-terrorist groups back on Earth. Crucial to the Red argument is that microbial life exists on Mars 
  today, and is being affected by the terraforming. The Red Legion is a secret terrorist organization 
  with members in many walks of life on Mars. Some say the Reds have already lost, others, who 
  see evidence that native microbial life seems to be flourishing under the new terraformed 
  conditions that are warmer and wetter, say that the Greens are actually helping native life. The 
  blurred issues mean that belief counts for much in the battle between the Reds and the Greens.  
   
   
  
   
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       Canyon Pirates:  Canyon pirates are rovers who have taken up illegal methods of supplying 
  themselves with air, water and food. They raid lone farming stations, centred on modified 
  MARVINS adjusted to give off gases that assist in the terraforming process such as CO2. The 
  Green government of Mars is happy to subsidize these farms. Those in the Mariner Valley are 
  raided by the pirates with virtual impunity and the outlaws find many places to hide up within the 
  convoluted terrain of the canyon systems. Canyon pirates are considered by everyone on Mars to 
  be the planet's ultimate unwanted scum. Some masquerade as legitimate rovers from time to time, 
  giving legit rovers a bad name. 
   
       Church of Heavenly Stigmata:  A Christian movement established on the Net during the 
  preparations for the first manned Mars flight by the Reverend Shire Kavanagh. The church is an 
  evangelical movement tying Christianity and the fate of the cosmos to the settlement of Mars. In 
  Heavenly Stigmata doctrine Mars symbolizes the blood of Christ, a permanent sign to the sinful 
  that their sins were forgiven on the cross. Reverend Kavanagh makes no secret of his belief that 
  Jesus was an 'extra-terrestrial' that came to Earth from beyond our galaxy and in this doctrine 
  Mars plays a central role as a stop-over  while  he  ‘wandered  in  the  desert’  and  the  place  that  Christ  
  returned to after his Crucifixion. Mars is the god of war, it is Rome the conqueror and the Devil 
  tempting Christ in the wilderness. For the members of the church, Jesus is on Mars still, the very 
  planet is the desert testing Christ, and now testing mankind. To survive the End of the World 
  (tentatively dated to 2121), a believer must make the pilgrimage to Mars, must go through the 
  ordeals of life on Mars and must fight the Devil and find Christ. Mars is a stepping stone to 
  Heaven, after all.  
   
  The Face is akin to the Turin Shroud, it is the face of Christ, the Ruined City is evidence that he 
  dwelt here. This religion is very popular on Mars, though there are slightly different sects and 
  beliefs, splitting the church into three factions. There are those who like the idea that Mars is a 
  spiritual place, and who resent the old faiths being focussed on Earth locations, there are also 
  extremists who believe Mars was created in 4004 BC. The religion is a fairly open and evolving 
  one. 
   
   
  “It  was  noon,  and  the  chase  would  not  end.  At  twenty-five milers per, two Marsbuggies a quarter 
  of a mile apart moved serenely through an orange desert. Crescent dunes drifted by, as regular as 
  waves on an ocean. The ghostly path of a meteorite touched the northern horizon in a momentary 
  white flash. The hills were higher now, humps of smooth rock like animals sleeping beyond the 
  horizon.” 
   
  Larry Niven, How the Heroes Die 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  THE BELT  C000571 – 9  As, NI  
   
   
  The   ‘high   frontier’,   the   Asteroid   Belt,   is   made   up   of  
  thousands of asteroids, each one of which can support 
  thousands of colonists. To live out here, to mine for 
  metals, ice and nutrients, you have to be independent, 
  resourceful and technically proficient. The Chinese miners 
  who first came to the Belt were joined by others from 
  Earth, Mars and elsewhere, individuals keen to breakaway 
  from big governments and power politics. Here you, your 
  family, your sect or your friends could set up and do what 
  you wanted within reason. Once you had claimed an asteroid and filed the claim with the IAU, it 
  was yours to exploit and other parties could not extract resources from it without your permission 
  unless in an emergency.  
   
  Both Earth and Luna have an outpost in the Belt and the Cascadians, as the Belt inhabitants refer 
  to themselves, want little to do with either superpower. The Belt then is a diverse place of local 
  communities, mixed with intensive commercial mining and the meddling of the major powers that 
  are dead set against their rival seizing political control of these contrary, unaligned Cascadian 
  settlers.  
   
  Planetology 
  There are thousands of asteroids orbiting the Sun between the orbits of Mars and Mercury 
  (typically between 2.2 and 3.3 million km from the Sun). Asteroids are named and also given a 
  number designation which records the order in they were discovered. The object 1 Ceres was the 
  first asteroid to be discovered. All but 1 Ceres are smaller than 900 km. Some of the larger rocks 
  have tiny satellites of their own and some asteroids are part of 'families' that move together along 
  the same orbital path; some of these families are probably fragments of a larger body that 
  suffered a collision in the distant past.  
   
  Asteroids are not identical in composition; about 75% are C-type or carbonaceous asteroids; 
  around 15% are S-type or iron and silicate asteroids. M-types are iron-nickel in composition and 
  make up the rest of the asteroid types.  Miners are interested in the iron and nickel rich M-types, 
  but colonists need the materials found in the C-types, the carbonaceous chondrites. These yield 
  water (anything from 5 to 20% of the total mass) sulphur, hydrogen, oxygen, carbon and 
  nitrogen, all useful elements.  The rest of the rock is iron-nickel metal, which means a typical C-
  type can provide metals, rocket fuel, radiation shielding, drinking water, atmospheric gases and 
  nutrients for the cultivation of crops! 
  Spaceport 
  Average Quality 
  Diameter 
  Asteroid Belt 
  Gravity 
  0 G 
  Pressure 
  - 
  Composition 
  - 
  Temperature 
  - 
  Population 
  448,000; Vesta, Ida, Moore 
  Government 
  Balkanised 
  Law Level 
  Low 
  Dist. from Sun 
  2.2 – 3.3 Mkm 
  Solar Day 
  - 
  Solar Year 
  4-5 years 
  
   
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  Nearly all asteroids are irregular in shape and there are many that seem to be created from the 
  merging of two separate rocks. Now moving as a single asteroid they appear swollen at both ends 
  with a narrow waist between them, much of an asteroid like this is loose rubble, giving them the 
  name 'rubble piles'. The surfaces of most asteroids are covered with blanket of pulverized rock, 
  called regolith, sometimes many metres thick. Most asteroids have a rotation period in the range 
  of 2 to 24 hours. 
   
  Human Development 
  While most nations of Earth looked at Mars as the new frontier, the Chinese were looking toward 
  the asteroids, to the flying mountains of mineral wealth that did not have the romance of Mars, 
  but that promised greater riches. Spurred by an American landing on 3752 Cruithne in 2021, the 
  first Chinese mission to an asteroid was launched in 2027 to 4660 Nereus, a rogue asteroid 
  orbiting close to Earth. This early success encouraged a longer duration mining mission to the 
  Asteroid Belt in 2035, and with that a Chinese presence in the Belt was established. A large 
  recruiting drive targeted young men without marriage prospects due to the low male to female 
  ratio in the country. These men would be the creators of the  Belt’s  new  infrastructure,  building  
  outposts and bases, establishing hydroponic farms, refuelling stops, trade centres and mass 
  drivers (that catapulted the refined ores back to a metal-hungry Earth).  
   
  These hardy and independently minded colonists constructed six magnetic accelerator mass 
  drivers to send ore back to Earth. In 2052 the Luna government made overtures to some of the 
  Belt miners and it looked like a trade alliance was on the cards. The Earth Union, ready to ignore 
  Luna for the rest of the century, realised how dangerous an alliance that might be and sent DSVs 
  full of colonists, diplomats and troops into the Belt. Publicly these Earth missions were an attempt 
  to secure the safety of the Chinese belt miners, but by 2052 they were almost totally independent, 
  yet still loyally sending ores back to Earth.  Privately Earth needed that ore and could not let Luna 
  cut off the supply.  
   
  The world government, unable to adequately defend such a scattered population, instead fostered 
  a sense of group identity amongst the mining settlements. The birth of the Cascadia Nation arose 
  at this time, and some attempt was made to unify the miners through the creation of Cascadia, a 
  free and independent nation of belt miners. 
   
  Luna reacted by sending military vehicles into the Belt to stop any attempt at nation-building and 
  fought a prolonged low-intensity war against the Cascadians. These nationalists were supplied with 
  craft, consumables and weapons by Earth forces who would not intervene directly for fear of 
  triggering a full scale war. The war ended in 2055 with the loss of around 3000 lives and the 
  establishment of a Lunar outpost on the asteroid Vesta. Cascadia was broken, its leaders 
  imprisoned or killed and many of the attack DSVs and weaponry supplied by Earth destroyed or 
  wrecked. Luna poured as many colonists into the Belt as it could spare in an attempt to tip the 
  balance of loyalties and ensure that no single movement could unite the belt miners. Yet Cascadia 
  still exists as an idea, a political movement and an ideal. The Jolly Roger emblem of the 
  Cascadians is a joke at their own expense, they consider themselves a bunch of renegades who 
  prize freedom and self-determination above all things. Even now, in 2100, the Cascadian 
  movement has made little headway and the flag is used as an emblem of passive resistance or a 
  badge of traditional values in a manner reminiscent  of the way the Confederate flag continued to 
  fly in parts of the American South throughout the 20th century.  
   
  Earth established an official colony on Ida to counter the Luna settlement of Vesta, this settlement 
  was given all the rights of a nation of Earth, and it is still recognised as such by the EU 
  constitution. Read about the Cascadian Alliance in chapter 3: Organisations.  
   
  
   
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  Places of Interest  
  There are approximately (because no-one is quite certain) 120 permanently inhabited asteroids. 
  This section describes six, and provides the UWP for six more. Referees can create an asteroid 
  community to suit the purpose of their scenario, providing it does not out shine Vesta or Ida, the 
  two big centres of Belt life.  
   
   
       4 Vesta (C000422-9 NS) - Vesta is a Luna 
  outpost with a population of 23,000. Unity is the 
  civilian city adjacent to Dauntless Base which 
  services armed DSV's that patrol the Belt. Spire is 
  Vesta's spaceport, a 1000m docking boom that 
  extends out from the surface and to which 
  vehicles can connect. Crew and cargoes then take 
  the elevators down to reach Unity. The port is 
  classified as a C type. Crater Calpurnia is home to 
  a stockpile of ancient DSVs, engines, reactors, and 
  stripped down vehicles that have been seized 
  from the renegade Cascadians. A lot of the older 
  TL 8 stuff is available for sale at 50% discount, 
  and more modern parts at 80% discount, now 
  that the Titan Agreement has come into force.  
   
  Compared to most asteroids, Vesta is big, with a diameter of 525 kilometres and a surface area 
  approximately the same as that of Pakistan. Billions of years ago a collision left an enormous 
  crater known as Rheasilvia that occupies much of the Vesta's southern hemisphere. It is 505 
  kilometres in diameter and centred on the south pole. The floor of this crater is about 13 
  kilometres below the surface and a central peak rises 23 km above the crater floor. The crater has 
  penetrated through several distinct layers of the crust, and possibly into the mantle. 
   
   
       243 Ida (C000466-9 NM) - The centre of the Earth 
  Union's asteroid colonization effort, Ida is a busy port and 
  commercial centre with a population of 30,000. Goods flow 
  in and then out to individual asteroid colonies, making Ida 
  not just a market-place but also a melting pot and meeting 
  place. Mithril is the Idan capital, sited within the asteroid's 
  largest, 12 km diameter, crater called Lascaux.  It is also 
  home to a large SARA police base that monitors activity 
  throughout the Belt. The asteroid has a diameter of 31 km 
  and is composed of two large rock piles merged together.  
  It is an S-type and has its own moon named Dactyl, orbiting 
  90 km distant.  Dactyl is the site of the Nigel Leakey Earth 
  Space Force defence base, and is packed with SRAM missile 
  silos and laser weapons. Ida's irregular shape is responsible 
  for the asteroid's uneven gravitational field. Surface gravity 
  is lowest at the extremities because of their fast rotational 
  speed. It is also low near the 'waist' because the mass of 
  the asteroid is concentrated in the two halves.   
   
   
   
  
   
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       253 Matilda (E000357-9) - Matilda is home to the Ohm Collective, a Cascadian group whose 
  members follow strict social rules laid down by the founder Aleksandr Varov. The collective 
  members are scientists and engineers and all believe in the efficacy of running a society along 
  genetic lines. Ohm use DNA therapy and resequencing, along with artificial insemination to plan 
  and then create the 'perfect society', one new baby at a time. It's just one big lab experiment 
  where all of the inhabitants are willing participants. Current population is 3,400. Matilda is 50 km 
  in diameter and has slow, 17 day, rate of rotation. It is a C-type asteroid with a number of 
  extremely large craters, the two largest called Ishikari and Karoo. Matilda's orbit is eccentric, 
  taking it to the outer reaches of the main belt.  
   
       17253 Vonsecker (D000312-9 R) - The C-type asteroid  Vonsecker is owned by Parkfield 
  Biolabs and used as a mineral extraction site and remote laboratory. Commissions for the Earth 
  government are processed here, particularly those products that would have dire consequences 
  should the material leak out. It is thought that nerve agents and antidotes  as well as bio agents 
  and their vaccines are manufactured here. Passing DSVs are welcome to dock and buy food, fuel 
  and other supplies, but crews are not allowed beyond the modest spacedock into the Vonsecker 
  facility. Population is around 1,200. 
   
       2602 Moore (D000433-9) - Chinese miners settled on Moore (named after the British 
  astronomer, Patrick Moore) during the Belt War and have continued to develop their settlement. 
  Around 16,000 people now work on this C-type rock, they are an insular bunch of Christians with 
  Uyghur ethnic roots. A visit to Moore will often involve an encounter with the 'sims', genetically 
  uplifted chimpanzees who act as servants and labourers, living amongst the miners as second 
  class citizens. The sims are mute, but excel at sign language, having a game intelligence of, on 
  average, 2 or 3. Sims number around 2,000.  
   
       7758 Poulanderson (D0003B8-9) – Poulanderson is another C-type asteroid that was 
  colonised by miners fleeing Earth Union oppression in the Belt War.  It is a world on the verge of 
  collapse. In 2081 the entrepreneur Hugh Kim arrived and revolutionised the impoverished mining 
  station he found, introducing them to a new religion and proving to be their messiah. With the 
  resources he brought with him and the new dynamism they gained from their faith, Poulandersons 
  have become serious players in the Belt economy. Population is 8,000. 
   
  What is this new religion? It is Hugh Kim; within his philosophy, the universe was created at the 
  moment of his birth and the stars will go out upon his death. This faith he calls I-AM, and so 
  convincing is his revelation that the asteroid of Poulanderson is a shrine to their messiah. His 
  image is everywhere and a vast rock-cut  statue  of  Kim’s  head  dominates  the  landing  pads  at  the  
  spaceport. Terrifyingly, though, Kim is ill and this has sent the Poulandersons into a frenzy of 
  doom saying and despair. The bishop of I-AM, Dr. Rachel Deane, has had Hugh Kim placed into 
  cryogenic low berth and has become the defacto ruler of Poulanderson, claiming to speak to the 
  frozen Kim through a cortical transmitter implanted before he entered cryosleep. Some believe Kim 
  is dying, some think him dead and that the universe is about to unravel, others believe he will live 
  forever and that the universe is saved. Police battle small scale riots almost every week, riots in 
  protest   against   Dr.   Deane’s   government,   tunnel   fights   between   opposing factions ... visitors 
  beware. 
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  184 | P a g e  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  “Belters  don’t  need  houses.  A  Belter’s  home  is  the  inside  of  his  pressure  suit.” 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Larry Niven, At the Bottom of a Hole 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Other Sample Asteroids 
  1812 Gilgamesh  
  E000133-8 
  Asteroid, Low Pop 
  4889 Praetorius  
  D000253-9 
  Asteroid, Low Pop 
  17058 Rocknroll  
  E000264-8 
  Asteroid, Low Pop 
  285 Regina  
   
  E0001C8-8 
  Asteroid, Low Pop 
  62 Erato  
   
  E000198-8 
  Asteroid, Low Pop 
  2709 Sagan  
   
  D000286-8 
  Asteroid, Low Pop 
   
  If you would like to create an asteroid community randomly, then follow the guidelines here: 
   
  Name 
  A full list of asteroids so far discovered can be found here: www.nofs.navy.mil/festsci/list/astname.html 
   
  Spaceport (roll 1D6) 
  1 = C type, 2-3 = D type, 4-6 = E type 
   
  Population (roll 1D6) 
  1,2 = Pop 3, 3-4 = Pop 2, 5-6 = Pop 1 
   
  Government (roll 2d8 – 2) 
   
  Law Level (roll 2D6 – 7, add Government Level) 
   
  Cultural Differences (D66) 
  Roll for one cultural difference, consider rolling for a second and combing the results, asteroids attract 
  people who want to do things differently! 
   
   
   
   
  
   
  185 | P a g e  
   
  JUPITER 
   
   
  Large Gas Giant  
   
  Distance from Sun  
  780 Mkm 
  Orbital Year  
   
  11.86 yrs 
  Major Moons 
  Io 
   
  X210000 – 0 
  Europa  
  D201452 – 9  
   
  Ganymede 
  E300168 –  9  
   
  Callisto   
  D311366 – 9    
   
  Constitution E000154 - 9 
   
   
   
  Jupiter is a gas giant and the largest planet in the solar 
  system at over 143,000 km in diameter. It is composed 
  mainly of hydrogen, with a quarter of its mass made up of 
  helium. Because of its great size, Jupiter has a larget 
  collection of moons, some rocky and terrestrial, like 
  Mercury and the Earth, others balls of ice or rock or captured asteroids; in there early 21st century 
  there were 67 known moons. Jupiter rotates every 10 hours. From orbit one cannot but be 
  impressed  by  the  planet’s  magnificent  cloud  formations,  separated  into  several  coloured  bands  at  
  different latitudes, resulting in incredible storms and areas of ferocious turbulence where they 
  meet. Most famous of all storms is the ancient Red Spot, a churning blood-red storm over 40,000 
  km in diameter. Like most gas giants, Jupiter has a faint ring system.  
   
  Jupiter really is a giant and a dangerous one at that. Its magnetic field is fourteen times stronger 
  than  that  of  Earth’s,  and  its  radiation  belts  are  hazardous  to  human  life  closer than the orbit of its 
  fourth moon, Callisto. This makes any colonisation a fraught and dangerous business and 
  exploration often a short term affair.  
   
  Manned exploration of Jupiter space began in the 2070s when Luna arrived on Europa in order to 
  look for life. Success was almost immediate, a colony planned and constructed that hid from the 
  withering radiation under Europa’s  icy  crust.  The  only  other  colonies  have  been  military  outposts  
  on Callisto and Ganymede, forward stations to counter the Luna presence within the Jupiter 
  system.   
   
  Trojan Asteroids 
  Jupiter is massive and has pulled many rogue asteroids into its orbit; here two groups have 
  stabilised, like leaves caught in a river eddy. Just over half of these belong to the leading group 
  (L4) located 60º in front of Jupiter along its orbit, while the rest cluster around the L5 point which 
  trails 60º behind Jupiter. The L4 asteroids are named after Greek heroes from the Trojan War, the 
  L5 asteroids after the Trojan heroes. There are currently over 4,800 known trojan asteroids caught 
  at these two points along   Jupiter’s   orbit,   but   estimates   exceed  250,000 trojan asteroids of a 
  diameter 2 km or greater. There could be as many asteroids in total at the trojan points as there 
  are asteroids within the Belt. Most of the trojans are D-type asteroids, relatively poor in metals or 
  exploitable materials. They are mostly composed of organic rich silicates, carbon and anhydrous 
  silicates. There are a small number of C-type asteroids, and a handful of these have been settled.  
   
  One example: 
   
  2920 Automedon (L4 Trojan Asteroid)  D0001A9-9     Asteroid, Lo 
  
   
  186 | P a g e  
   
  IO  
   
  X210000 – 0    
  Ba 
   
   
   
   
  T 
   
   
   
   
   
  A world of vivid scars and numerous active volcanoes, this Jovian moon Io is like no other in the 
  solar system.  Constantly churned by powerful gravity tides, exposed lava oozes outward in 
  snaking lines across the sulphurous yellow surface while the ground is continually peppered with 
  the dust of new explosions. Volcanoes, lava-flows and lakes of orange molten sulphur dominate 
  the surface of Io. In addition, there are extensive regions frosted with sulphur dioxide snow. Io 
  has not been colonised, the radiation levels are deadly, the surface is constantly erupting and has 
  no regions of predictable stability. With its huge shield volcanoes and continual lava eruptions, the 
  moon is the most active volcanic body in the solar system. There are no impact craters on the 
  surface, the massive and continual volcanism eradicates them. 
   
  The gases spewed out by Io are ionized by radiation from the Jovian magnetic field and get swept 
  up by it to be pushed ahead of Io by the rapid rotation of the magnetosphere. This creates a 
  region  of  ionized  gas.  This  ‘plasma  torus’  generates  an  electrical  current  along  the  magnetic  field  
  lines   that   cross   it   creating   a   ‘pipeline’   of   confined   ions   moving   from   Io’s   poles   to the Jovian 
  magnetic poles – and back again. This is the Io flux tube, a channel of high intensity magnetic 
  power generating upward of 2,000 gigawatts.  The flux tube scars the polar regions of Io, ionizing 
  and stripping off the top surface layers of material and sending the particles out to the polar 
  regions of Jupiter to trigger intense aurorae and lightning discharges in the Jovian atmosphere.   
   
  With no mining resources and the deadly radiation bathing the surface, Io has seen no human 
  explorers. But Luna has had an interest in the flux tube. In 2090 military engineering and science 
  teams from Luna arrived in the Jovian system and set up a base on the tiny irregular moon of 
  Jupiter known as S/2000 J 11. Re-naming it Constitution, they began a one year project to change 
  its orbit, bringing into equilibrium with Callisto.  
   
  By 2092 Constitution had become a co-orbital of Callisto. This 2 km diameter moon was to become 
  their  base  of  operations  for  experiments  and  engineering  projects  involving  Io’s  flux  tube. Callisto 
  would have been a more practical base, but the Earth Union had established a military outpost 
  there in 2074. The Republic was within its rights to set up a station on the moon too, but Luna 
  seemed  reluctant  to  do  so.  Callisto’s  orbit  though,  was the perfect place to establish a base, just 
  outside  of  Jupiter’s  deadly  radiation  belts.   
   
   
  Spaceport 
  Frontier Quality 
  Diameter 
  3,640 km 
  Gravity 
  0.18 G 
  Pressure 
  Trace 
  Composition 
  Sulphur Dioxide 
  Temperature 
   -180ºC  
  Population 
  - 
  Government 
  - 
  Law Level 
  - 
  Dist. from 
  Jupiter 
  422,000 km 
  Solar Day 
  42 hours 
  Solar Year 
  11.86 years 
  
   
  187 | P a g e  
   
  The  engineers  on  Constitution  built  ‘the  Array’  in  orbit  around  Jupiter  which  remains  within  the  flux  
  tube at all times, it is undoubtedly drawing massive amounts of power from the tube (or has the 
  potential to). Yet its exact purpose is unknown. Much of the construction and all of the 
  maintenance on the Array is done via tele-presence controlled drones, few humans visit the site. 
  Any unauthorised DSV is warned of by Luna operators on Constitution, who threaten a strike from 
  an orbiting Autonomous Kill Vehicle. What is the Array? Earth Union surveillance is hampered by 
  layers of micro-meteoroid shielding, redundant power and heat sources, all concealing the 
  machine’s   true   purpose.   Is   it   a   huge   magnetic   accelerator   catapult   – a weapon? Is it an 
  experimental cyclotron? Is it some exotic technology perhaps inspired by a Cydonian find on Mars 
  or in the outer system? A jump gate? Time machine? Who knows? It makes the secretary-general 
  of Earth, Evelyn Chen, and her military advisors very nervous...   
   
  EUROPA D201452 – 9    
  IC   NI  
    
   
   
  T 
   
   
   
  Europa is the flagship Luna colony, an outer system 
  development that uses high tech ingenuity to enable 
  human  beings  to  live  within  the  planet’s  subsurface  
  ocean. The first explorers found life there, once they 
  had drilled through the ice, life that had been 
  evolving and thriving for perhaps a billion years. The 
  settlements on Europa are submarine cities hanging 
  beneath the ice crust of the planet, and the 
  community is a purely submarine one,  since  Jupiter’s  
  radiation makes life on the surface untenable.  
  Planetology 
  Europa is slightly smaller than Earth's Moon and is tidally locked to Jupiter. It is primarily made of 
  rock and has an iron core. The surface of the moon is one of the smoothest in the solar system, 
  being composed of a thick layer of water ice. This surface is scored and striated with cracks and 
  streaks, impact craters are quite rare, giving some indication that the icy surface is quite recent 
  and self-renewing.   
   
  Europa's rocky core is constantly flexing under the tidal force of Jupiter's gravity and the 
  gravitational plucking of the other large moons as they pass by. This creates heat energy that 
  causes a subsurface ocean to remain liquid and it drives geological activity in a way similar to plate 
  Spaceport 
  Poor Quality 
  Diameter 
   
  Gravity 
  0.134 G 
  Pressure 
  - 
  Composition 
  - 
  Temperature 
   -180ºC  
  Population 
  10,000; New Haven, 
  Resolution 
  Government 
  Feudal Technocracy 
  Law Level 
  Low 
  Dist. from 
  Jupiter 
  670,000 km 
  Solar Day 
  3.5 days 
  Solar Year 
  11.86 years 
  
   
  188 | P a g e  
   
  tectonics on Earth. The ocean is around 100 km deep. Red-brown lines on the ice (known as 
  lineae) are actually cracks in the surface caused by tectonic stress; while circular patterns (known 
  as lenticulae) are areas of melted and then refrozen ice. Some lineae are extremely long, running 
  half way around the moon and can be up to 20 kilometres wide. These cracks always have ridges 
  built up on either side of the fissure, i.e. they develop as double ridges.  The circular lenticulae are 
  around 10 kilometres wide.  The colourful red-brown staining on Europa reflects mineral 
  contamination by saltwater, sulphur compounds, and organic compounds from layers of warmer 
  ice  rising  from  beneath  Europa’s    frozen  surface. 
   
  Europa's ice shell is only a few kilometres thick at most and some areas are less than a 1000 
  metres thick. Regular contact of the subsurface ocean with the surface often occurs through open 
  ridges, causing the formation of areas of chaotic terrain where rafts of ice have moved around and 
  rotated. Surrounding these plates is a jumble of ice blocks which were formed where water, slush, 
  or warm ice has risen up from below the surface. The largest area of this type is the Conamara 
  Chaos.  
   
  Life exists within the subsurface ocean, despite the absence of sunlight. The Europan life-forms 
  have  an  ecology  that  is  based  upon  the  volcanic  sea  floor  vents,  these  geothermal  ‘black  smokers’  
  pour incredible amounts of useful minerals into the sea that living creatures can survive upon, 
  leading to a complex food chain. The creatures here are far more than just single-celled 
  organisms,  they  are  ‘macro-fauna’,  the  largest  of  which  is  as  big  as  a  shark.  Most  are  exotic  light  
  emitters, and the range of shape and morphology is bewildering, from jelly-fish  ‘floaters’  to  finned  
  ‘hunters’  and  legged  ‘scrawlers’ (after the bizarre writing-like patterns they make on the seabed).  
   
  Human Development 
  Europa was always going to be difficult to settle (the first landing took place in 2071), bathed as it 
  was   in   Jupiter’s   radiation;;   but   the   prize   for   Luna   was   unlimited   water   useable   as   a   rocket   fuel  
  source, and a viable aquaculture industry in the outer system. When Luna settled Titan in 2082, 
  ostensibly for its hydrocarbon fuel supplies, Europa became second fiddle and measures were 
  made to allow the Europans to govern themselves. Today there are 10,000 Luna colonists living on 
  Europa, all underneath the ice, around 8,000 split between the two cities New Haven and 
  Resolution, and 2,000 others in smaller more mobile submarine habs. The two submarine 
  settlements hang in cylindrical towers beneath the ice,  a design pioneered by Centennial 
  corporation engineers, twin elevators connect them to the surface via two kilometre-long tubes. 
  Each includes automated surface facilities such as radio transmitters, landing pads and elevators to 
  bring spacecraft into hangers sunken into the ice. Here there are warehouses, workshops, fuel 
  bays etc., all beneath the ice to protect the staff at the port from Jupiter’s  radiation.   
   
  In addition there are 200 or so homesteads, travelling families making a profit from harvesting 
  food from the sub-surface ocean. There is microbial life clustered around the volcanic vents at the 
  seabed, and other life forms within the black cold depths of the sea. Trade, traffic, 
  communications are all by submersible. One settlement conducts scientific experiments, two 
  others mine precious materials from the 'black smokers'. The colony is loyal to Luna and enjoys 
  good trade and military relations with the home nation. Ostensibly independent from Luna, yet 
  remaining a staunch ally, it is dependant on trade for its survival. The government is based around 
  the Central Administration, a body of scientists and planners who are crucial to the survival of the 
  colony. Votes, referendums and polls are taken, but all major decisions are (and must) be taken by 
  these highly educated technical experts.   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  189 | P a g e  
   
  GANYMEDE E300168 – 9  M 
  Lo   
   
   
  T 
   
   
   
   
  Planetology 
  Holding the title of the largest moon in the solar system, Ganymede is the third moon of Jupiter. It 
  is an icy moon, composed of approximately equal amounts of silicate rock and water ice. A salt 
  water ocean is believed to exist nearly 200 km below the surface, sandwiched between two layers 
  of ice. Hydrated salt minerals have been found on Ganymede, as the result of brine making its way 
  to the surface by eruptions or through cracks. Natural radioactivity in the moon's interior provides 
  the heat that maintains this underworld ocean.  
   
  The surface of Ganymede is composed of two main types of terrain. Very old, highly cratered, dark 
  regions, saturated with impact craters and dated to four billion years ago, cover about a third of 
  the satellite. Lighter regions, crosscut by extensive grooves and ridges and only slightly less 
  ancient, cover the remainder. The cause of the light terrain's disrupted geology is the result of 
  tectonic activity brought about by tidal heating. The grooves are troughs between long ridges of 
  up-thrust ice.  
   
  Craters both overlay, and are cross-cut by, the groove systems, indicating that some of the 
  grooves are quite ancient. Ganymedian craters are flatter than those on Luna and Mercury. This is 
  due to the relatively weak nature of Ganymede's icy crust, which can (or could) flow and thereby 
  lessen the relief of the crater walls. There are some ancient craters whose outline has almost 
  disappeared  leaving  only  the  ‘ghost’  of  a  crater.  One  significant  feature  on  Ganymede  is  the  dark  
  plain named Galileo Regio, which contains a series of concentric grooves, or furrows, probably 
  created during a period of ancient geologic activity. 
   
  Human Development 
  Ganymede  is  partially  protected  from  Jupiter’s  deadly  blast  of  radiation  by  its  own  magnetic  field, 
  but  nevertheless,  the  radiation  arriving  on  Ganymede’s  surface  is  still  harmful  to  humans  in  the  
  long term. The Earth Union initially established automated weapon systems on Ganymede in 2070, 
  following the Mercury incident. They were controlled from Asgard Base on Callisto, further out 
  from Jupiter and tasked to monitor the movements of Lunar spacecraft throughout Jupiter space. 
  It was felt that the robotic systems on Ganymede could dominate the Jovian system with long 
  range nuclear missiles fitted to AKVs. However, as Saturn began to attract the attention of colonial 
  expeditions instead, the system was stood-down.   
   
  Spaceport 
  Frontier Quality 
  Diameter 
  5,270 km 
  Gravity 
  0.15 G 
  Pressure 
  - 
  Composition 
  - 
  Temperature 
  - 170ºC 
  Population 
  10-20; Osiris Base 
  Government 
  Captive Government (EU) 
  Law Level 
  Low 
  Dist. from 
  Jupiter 
  1.07 Mkm 
  Solar Day 
  7.15 days 
  Solar Year 
  11.86 years 
  
   
  190 | P a g e  
   
  In  the  late  ‘80s  and  early  ‘90s,  with  the  construction  of  ‘the  Array’,  the  Earth  Union  decided  to  
  upgrade the Ganymede facilities with state of the art artificial intelligence (AI) defence systems 
  able to react autonomously should war broke out. A sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) called 
  Sentinel was constructed by the Helix corporation (a subsidiary of Zenith) at the main bunker, 
  buried beneath Osiris crater. Earth lags behind the Luna Republic in AI development and so 
  Sentinel is the result of espionage, developed from stolen plans. The Sentinel defence system is a 
  model of autonomous programming and an experiment that has not been replicated anywhere by 
  anyone else, even the Lunars. It has full control over AKVs, drone recon satellites and laser 
  defences. Working at an advanced proto-TL 12 stage, however, Sentinel is a functioning prototype 
  with all of the problems that may occur when trialling such a prototype. There may be a reason 
  the  Lunar  Republic  hasn’t  yet  unveiled  their  own  fully-functioning  AI…   
   
  Regular maintenance and supply flights are made into Asgard Base from Callisto, and there are 
  always a handful of human technicians, armourers and programmers at the base, as well as three 
  officers capable of over-riding Sentinel is if need be. Due to the long term radiation risks, however, 
  these personnel are rotated regularly. The Earth Union military facility at Ganymede does not 
  accept un-scheduled visits from spacecraft unless under emergency conditions and even then 
  Sentinel will put out a call for assistance to Asgard Base on Callisto and may refuse or halt any 
  attempt at a landing.   
                                   
   
  CALLISTO D311366 – 9 M  
  IC  Lo 
   
   
  T 
   
   
  Planetology 
  Callisto   is   Jupiter’s   fourth   moon,   orbiting   at   a   distance   of   1,880,000   km.   At   this   distance   the  
  radiation levels from Jupiter are at a low level, making the colonisation of Callisto a practical 
  matter. Like most of the gas giant moons, Callisto is a mixture of rock and ice; its surface is 
  heavily cratered and extremely old, one of the most heavily cratered in the solar system. There are 
  no large Callistoan mountains or volcanoes, the entire surface is a mass of craters.  
   
  The only prominent landscape structures are chains of craters (catenae) and huge multi-ring 
  impact craters. Two of these multi-ring basins are enormous. Valhalla is the largest, with a central 
  region 600 kilometres in diameter and rings extending as far as 1,800 kilometres from the centre. 
  The second largest is Asgard, measuring about 1,600 kilometres in diameter. Multi-ring craters 
  were formed when large asteroids or comets smashed into the icy crust and the slushy sub-surface 
  ocean radiated the shockwaves throughout the crust. The existence of a subsurface ocean at a 
  depth of 100–150 km is a fact, but the limited tests so far conducted have not discovered any 
  evidence of life within it.  
  Spaceport 
  Poor Quality 
  Diameter 
  4,820 km 
  Gravity 
  0.13 G 
  Pressure 
  Trace 
  Composition 
  Carbon dioxide 
  Temperature 
   -170ºC  
  Population 
  3,500; Asgard Base 
  Government 
  Captive Government (EU) 
  Law Level 
  Moderate 
  Dist. from 
  Jupiter 
  1.88 Mkm 
  Solar Day 
  16.7 days 
  Solar Year 
  11.86 years 
  Co-Orbital 
  Constitution E000358-9   R 
  
   
  191 | P a g e  
   
   
   
   
  Human Development 
  Callisto colony began life in 2073 as a small Earth Union military tracking station, established to 
  monitor DSVs of the Lunar Republic as they entered Jupiter space and began operations on 
  Europa. The Mercury incident of only five years earlier had both sides on high alert and mistrustful 
  of each other’s  intentions.  The  station,  constructed  inside  Asgard  crater,  also  produced  fuel  that  
  Earth DSVs could use to explore the outer solar system. As Saturn became the new focus of space 
  activity in the 2080s, the military facilities on Callisto fell out of use and instead attracted 
  entrepreneurs eager to pick up the fuel processing business opportunities that Callisto offered.  
   
  In   the   early   ‘90s,   the   rival Lunar military changed the orbit of an irregular moon of Jupiter 
  designated S/2000 J 11. Re-naming it Constitution, they were able to put into a co-orbital position 
  with Callisto, trailing 250,000 km behind the larger Jovian moon. The Lunar base on Constitution is 
  a  military  one,  overseeing  the  construction  and  operation  of  the  mysterious  ‘Array’  that  has  been  
  built  using  drone  technology  close  to  Io.  Io  is  an  inner  moon  bathed  in  Jupiter’s  deadly  radiation,  
  which has forced Luna to set up its control centre outside the radiation zone on Constitution. A 
  military force soon relocated back to Asgard base alongside the fuel brokers, ice refiners and other 
  colonists from Earth. Its job was now to determine the purpose of the Array and, without 
  beginning a war, shut it down or hamper its operation. Of course both military bases, Earth and 
  Luna, located so close together, are constantly spying on one another. Current population of 
  Asgard, including the civilian settlement and the military garrison is 5,500. Population of 
  Constitution is 1,250.  
   
  Constitution E000358-9   R 
   
  Ast  Lo 
   
   
  
   
  192 | P a g e  
   
  SATURN 
   
   
   
  Large Gas Giant  
                    
  Distance from Sun 
  1427 Mkm 
  Orbital Year  
  30 yrs 
  Major Moons 
   
   
  Janus/Epimetheus B000485-9    
   
  Mimas  
  E0004A6-9    
   
  Enceladus  
  E011302-9    
   
  Tethys 
  X000000-0 
   
  Dione  
  X000000-0 
   
  Rhea 
  C10039B-9 
   
  Titan 
  C3A2464-9 
   
  Hyperion 
  E000163-9 
   
  Iapetus 
  D1003C7-9     
  Phoebe 
  X000000-0 
   
   
   
  Saturn is the wonder of the solar system, a large gas giant that possesses an array of stunning 
  rings. With a diameter of around 120,000 km, the planet is smaller than Jupiter but far more 
  beautiful. It has seen more human colonisation than Jupiter due to the  former’s  lower  lethality  of  
  its  radiation  bands.  Like  Jupiter,  Saturn’s  atmosphere  is  wracked  by  storms,  but  they  are  generally  
  less violent; wind speeds are high though, clocking up 1,800 kph, faster than Jupiter but not as 
  fast as Neptune. The planet exhibits a soft yellow colour due to ammonia crystals within the upper 
  atmosphere which is composed mainly of hydrogen, with some helium. It is this helium that has 
  drawn humans to the Saturnian system.  Helium-3, a non-radioactive isotope of helium, is used to 
  fuel fusion reactors on Earth and supports modern civilized life. Helium-3 is found within the 
  atmosphere of all the gas giants, but the shallower gravity well of Saturn, coupled with its distance 
  from Earth compared to Neptune and Uranus, and its more survivable radiation levels, make 
  Saturn the perfect candidate for helium-3  extraction.  Robert  Zubrin  once  called  Saturn  ‘the  Persian  
  Gulf  of  the  solar  system’,  and  the  rush  for  the  oil  analogue of the year is 2100 is in full flow. See 
  Janus/Epimetheus for details of the operation.  
   
  Saturn has several peculiar phenomena including a persistent hexagonal cloud formation at its 
  north  pole  and  of  course  those  rings.  These  extend  from  6,630  km  out  to  120,700  above  Saturn’s  
  equator. They average only 20-50m in thickness and are composed mainly of water ice with 
  various rocky impurities. Are they the remains of a moon? Or debris left over from the creation of 
  the solar system? Saturn is orbited by 62 moons in total, some of which lay within the ring system 
  and act as shepherd moons, tugging at the ring material as they traverse their orbit.  
   
  Colonisation began with an Earth mission to Janus and Epimetheus in an attempt to mine helium-3 
  from  Saturn’s  atmosphere,  but  the  Cold  War  race  to  space soon brought in the Lunar Republic with 
  their colony on Titan. Today, the Saturnian system is the hot battleground between the two 
  powers; war, revolution and Cold War tension has turned this gold-rush frontier into a potential 
  war zone.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  193 | P a g e  
   
  JANUS/EPIMETHEUS B000485– 9  S    
  NI  As 
   
   
   
   
  Janus and Epimetheus are two moons of Saturn that share the same orbit; they  are  ‘co-orbital’  
  with the distances between them increasing and decreasing on their journey around Saturn. Both 
  are heavily-cratered icy rubble piles and both are irregularly-shaped. The largest of the two moons 
  is Epimetheus, four times larger than Janus.  The two moons never approach closer than 10,000 
  km and exchange places within their orbit every 4 years. These satellites of Saturn lay between 
  rings F and G at a distance of 151,000 km and are fragments of a single body,  both under 200km 
  in diameter. The Earth Union colonised these moons in order to skim He-3 and hydrogen from 
  Saturn's atmosphere, they are close to Saturn, actually within the ring system and small enough to 
  allow large transports from Earth to dock directly at the installations.  
   
  Vessels from Earth dock at Janus to unload passengers and freight. There is a hotel and a transfer 
  station for those travelling on to other out system destinations. The boats then cross to 
  Epimetheus to load up with He-3 or hydrogen fuel for the return trip to Earth. Epimetheus is the 
  site of the mining and reprocessing facilities, with repair yards and control centres for the refining 
  drones that skim Saturn's atmosphere. There are unloading bays, hangers and vast hydrogen 
  storage and processing plants. Fuel is also stored here. Southern Cross Mining is the corporation 
  currently holding the license from the Union to conduct the operations, it has extensive 
  installations on Epimetheus. 
   
  How does the helium-3 extraction operation work? A 100 ton Kronos refining drone (see pg.83) is 
  launched from Epimetheus and it enters the Saturnian atmosphere slowing with a heat-shield and 
  parachutes. At low speeds a balloon is inflated using gases from the atmosphere and the 
  parachutes are discarded. The probe slows as it passes through ever denser layers of the 
  atmosphere until it reaches neutral buoyancy and floats. Now pumps and refrigeration equipment 
  begin operating and the fission plant comes online. The atmospheric gases are liquefied by the 
  machinery, dumping unwanted liquid methane overboard, using hydrogen gas to maintain the 
  balloon’s  buoyancy  and  liquid  hydrogen  to  pre-cool the incoming gas stream. The helium extracted 
  is liquefied and cooled close to absolute zero where helium-3 isotopes and helium-4 isotopes begin 
  to behave differently and can be separated; the helium-4 is dumped overboard. This small quantity 
  of helium-3 (5 tons) is stored for return to orbit. As the helium-3 tank fills up buoyancy is 
  compromised, but waste heat from the refrigeration process as well as waste hydrogen gas easily 
  compensates. Finally, hydrogen gas is liquefied and diverted to the fuel tanks, the waste heat from 
  the condensation process is added to the balloons to compensate yet again for the increased 
  Spaceport 
  Good Quality 
  Diameter 
  <200km km 
  Gravity 
  0.002 G 
  Pressure 
  - 
  Composition 
  - 
  Temperature 
   -180ºC  
  Population 
  87,000;  
  Government 
  Civil Service Bureaucracy  
  Law Level 
  Moderate 
  Dist. from 
  Saturn 
  151,400 km 
  Solar Day 
  0.69 hours 
  Solar Year 
  30 years 
  
   
  194 | P a g e  
   
  weight. The drone has spent twelve and a half days filling its helium-3 tank and another two days 
  filling its huge fuel tank ready for the burn to orbit.  
   
  Once full the rocket engine ignites, the balloon is discarded and the refining probe rockets up to 
  low Saturnian orbit and back to Epimetheus where it docks with a Southern Cross support DSV. 
  The drone is unloaded, re-equipped with fresh balloons and parachutes; it is serviced and refuelled 
  by the DSV and within 3 days is ready to be plunged once more into the Saturnian atmosphere.  
   
  At any one time there are 3-4  Southern  Cross  drones  within  the  planet’s  atmosphere.  Losses  due  
  to storms or lightning strikes do occur and so new drones are often being ferried to Epimetheus 
  ready for service.  
   
   
  MIMAS E0004A6 – 9   R 
  NI   
   
   
   
  T 
   
   
   
  Mimas is the first major moon of Saturn, orbiting at just over 180,000 km distance. Like many 
  outer moons, the world is composed of ice on a rocky core. The most extraordinary feature of the 
  moon is the huge impact crater Herschel. At 130 km in diameter it is almost a third of the moon's 
  own diameter, with a rim 5 km in height and a central peak rising 6 km above the crater floor. 
   
  Mimas supports an Earth colony of Japanese Nationalists, a colony sponsored by Matsuyama in 
  return for supply and mining rights. Its leader is Joseph Takamura, who convinced the colonists to 
  embrace aspects of traditional Japanese culture. So, at work the Mimans are modern space 
  settlers using vacc suits and wearing jump suits, but at home they wear the Japanese kimono tied 
  with the sash-like obi, practice the tea ceremony and engage in hobbies pulled directly from the 
  distant past: poetry, calligraphy, bonsai and Saturn viewing, for example. Living spaces reflect a 
  simple and elegant Japanese aesthetic where possible. The Mimans enjoy a good relationship with 
  the Earth Union, being part of an established EU colonisation effort. The moon's main settlement is 
  called Nagamachi, located in crater Gawain, and home to 17,000 people. 
   
  Whilst the colonists go about their business, growing hydroponic crops and mining water ice for 
  their survival, they must deal with the scientists from the research centre at Herschel. Earth Union 
  scientists have established a camp at this massive crater to undertake highly secretive studies. 
  Little of what they do leaks out, even though plenty of the 100-strong science team visit the 
  Nagamachi colony on their rest-days or as they pass through to catch the next shuttle into orbit. 
  What are they investigating? Rumour says that a local discovered alien ruins and was quickly 
  ushered off world by a Union agent. Is the huge Herschel crater connected with the Cydonian 
  Spaceport 
  Frontier Quality 
  Diameter 
  400 km 
  Gravity 
  0.006G 
  Pressure 
  - 
  Composition 
  - 
  Temperature 
   -180ºC  
  Population 
  17,000; Nagamachi 
  Government 
  Charismatic  Dictator 
  Law Level 
  Moderate 
  Dist. from 
  Saturn 
  185,000 km 
  Solar Day 
  0.942 days 
  Solar Year 
  30 years 
  
   
  195 | P a g e  
   
  ruins   on   Mars?   If   so,   how?   Or   are   these   investigations   into   exotic   minerals   of   Mimas’   bizarre  
  geology? Everyone knows that with a diameter  of  400  km  it  really  shouldn’t  be  spherical  at  all  - 
  there are plenty of asteroids out there bigger than Mimas that are nowhere near spherical in 
  shape.... 
   
  ENCELADUS E011302-9  R Lo 
   
   
   
  T 
   
   
   
  Enceladus orbits Saturn at a distance of 238,000 km, between the orbits of Mimas and Tethys. and 
  is another icy moon. This moon has a thin crust of water ice beneath which lies a subsurface 
  ocean which is kept at liquid temperature due to a hot core at the centre of the moon. Dramatic 
  plumes, both large and small, spray the water ice out from many cryovolcanoes along the famous 
  ‘tiger  stripe’  features  near  the  south  pole.  Some  of  this  water  falls  back  onto  the  moon  as  snow.  
  The icy crust splits and spreads apart just like the ocean floor on Earth, but is also peppered with 
  fairly young impact craters.  
   
  Enceladus, like Europa, has a subsurface ocean, but the crustal ice is only metres thick and was 
  easily able to be penetrated by the simple drilling equipment of South American colonists from 
  Earth. They brought with them genetically-engineered fish stocks that they harvest. Geo-thermal 
  energy is tapped and used to power the seabed habitats. There are 2390 inhabitants living a life 
  remote from the concerns of the solar system and the Cold War in a single submarine habitat 
  called Thera. These colonists are mainly of Brazilian descent and organized into loose family units, 
  creating farming co-operatives that can act together as needed for certain projects or during trade 
  deals of other external affairs. The Earth Union supports the colony with supplies, equipment and 
  the best in submarine technology. There is no mining of metals, such valuable resources are 
  brought in from elsewhere. The moon also has a research station for the purposes of studying the 
  native life found there.   
   
  Life was discovered within the oceans, 
  dominated by the   famous   ‘vine-stars’   that   fill  
  various 
  ecological 
  niches, 
  from 
  sea-bed 
  walkers to free swimmers. The organisms are 
  so prolific that they provide, in the same way 
  as plankton in the seas of Earth, food for 
  imported marine organisms. 
   
   
  Spaceport 
  Frontier Quality 
  Diameter 
  500 km 
  Gravity 
  0.0113G 
  Pressure 
  Trace 
  Composition 
  Water Vapour, Nitrogen 
  Temperature 
   -198ºC  
  Population 
  2,390; Thera 
  Government 
  None – Family Groups 
  Law Level 
  Low 
  Dist. from 
  Saturn 
  238,000 km 
  Solar Day 
  1.37 days 
  Solar Year 
  30 years 
  
   
  196 | P a g e  
   
  TETHYS X000000 – 0    
  Ba   
   
   
   
  T 
   
   
   
   
  Tethys  is  an  uninhabited  world,  the  third  of  Saturn’s  major  moons.  Like  many  moons  in  the  outer  
  system, it is composed mainly of ice with some rocky material. At the incredibly low temperatures 
  experienced this far out from the Sun (around -180º C) ice has almost the same properties as solid 
  rock which explains how asteroid impacts can punch craters into Tethys, just as they do on Luna. 
  There are a lot of craters on Tethys and he moon is also cut by a number of large faults. The 
  largest of the craters, Odysseus, is around 450 km in diameter and although quite flat it still has a 
  rim  approximately  5  km  above  the  moon’s  surface.   
   
  The largest fault, Ithaca Chasma, is 100 km wide, 3 km deep and more than 2,000 km long; it 
  runs almost three-quarters of the way around Tethys's circumference.  Ithaca Chasma may have 
  formed as Tethys' internal liquid water solidified, causing the moon to expand and crack the 
  surface to accommodate the extra volume within it.  A small area, on the opposite side of the 
  moon to Odysseus is covered by smooth plains that may be cryovolcanic in origin. Unusually, 
  Tethys reflects a lot of sunlight, the result of the sand-blasting of the surface by particles from 
  Saturn's E-ring. This E-ring is faint composed of small, water-ice particles that are generated by 
  Enceladus' south polar geysers. 
   
  DIONE X00000-0    
  Ba   
   
   
   
   
  T 
   
  Spaceport 
  No spaceport 
  Diameter 
  1,060 km 
  Gravity 
  0.0116G 
  Pressure 
  - 
  Composition 
  - 
  Temperature 
   -187ºC  
  Population 
  - 
  Government 
  - 
  Law Level 
  - 
  Dist. from 
  Saturn 
  295,000 km 
  Solar Day 
  1.88 days 
  Solar Year 
  30 years 
  Spaceport 
  No spaceport 
  Diameter 
  1,128 km 
  Gravity 
  0.0116G 
  Pressure 
  - 
  Composition 
  - 
  Temperature 
   -186ºC  
  Population 
  - 
  Government 
  - 
  Law Level 
  - 
  Dist. from 
  Saturn 
  377,400 km 
  Solar Day 
  2.7 days 
  Solar Year 
  30 years 
  
   
  197 | P a g e  
   
  Dione is composed of water ice but due to its higher density than Tethys, probably includes layers 
  of silicate rock in  its  interior.  The  moon’s  leading  hemisphere  is  heavily  cratered  while  its  trailing  
  hemisphere contains an unusual and distinctive surface feature: a network of bright ice cliffs, some 
  of which are several hundred metres high. Craters   often   don’t   display   prominent   features   like  
  those on Luna due to slumping of the weak icy crust over time. They do display bright white icy 
  crater walls where fresh ice has been exposed and crater floors of darker material, dirt, rock and 
  slush mixed together – a layer of much older deposits.  
   
  An interesting feature of Dione is its exosphere, too tenuous to be called an atmosphere, it is 
  composed of a thin layer of molecular oxygen ions. It seems that highly charged particles from the 
  Saturn's powerful radiation belts have been splitting the water within ice crystals into hydrogen 
  and oxygen. It acts as a standard Orbital fuel processor, which electrolyses water ice to create 
  oxygen and hydrogen!  
   
   
  RHEA 
   
  C10039B-9  S    
  Lo 
   
   
   
  T 
   
   
  The surface of Rhea resembles that of Dione, both have leading and trailing hemispheres that are 
  very different from one another. The trailing hemisphere (the side facing away from the direction 
  of motion along Rhea's orbit) has a lightly cratered surface criss-crossed with numerous ice cliffs 
  (chasmata) that are the result of extensive fracturing of the moon's surface as its internal ocean 
  froze and expanded. The leading hemisphere is heavily cratered, these craters are not of any great 
  height since the icy crust has slumped over time. The moon has two very large impact basins 
  which are 400 and 500 km across. The more northerly and less degraded of the two is 
  called Tirawa. Of note is a 48 km diameter crater easily seen from orbit  because of its extended 
  system of bright rays. This crater, called Inktomi,  is  nicknamed  ‘The  Splat’.   
   
  Rhea is unusual because it is the only moon within the solar system that possesses rings of its 
  own, though these are very faint. The tenuous ring system is composed of three narrow, relatively 
  dense bands or stony material, within a fine particulate disk.  
   
  The colony on Rhea was established by the Lunar Republic in 2086  in order to consolidate a Lunar 
  presence within the Saturnian system and to grow crops on a large scale for Lunar out-system 
  operations. Huge hydroponic greenhouses were erected, and although an initial population of 
  1,000 was landed to construct and operate the farms, much of the labour was conducted by 
  drones. Yields looked promising and contracts have been fulfilled, with shipments of food-stuffs 
  going out to Titan, Europa and Constitution.  
  Spaceport 
  Routine Quality 
  Diameter 
  1,532 km 
  Gravity 
  0.019G 
  Pressure 
  - 
  Composition 
  - 
  Temperature 
   -174ºC  
  Population 
  5,000 
  Government 
  Impersonal Bureaucracy 
  Law Level 
  Very High 
  Dist. from 
  Saturn 
  527,100 km 
  Solar Day 
  4.5 days 
  Solar Year 
  30 years 
  
   
  198 | P a g e  
   
  In 2092 a gang of asteroid miners-turned pirate landed on Rhea and carried out a smash-and-grab 
  raid, killing several Rheans and cowing the authorities with lethal force. Although the Luna 
  Outsystem Patrol and Security (LOPS) force ultimately caught up with these desperadoes, Rhean 
  society was never the same. It became introverted and security conscious and although the 
  leaders demanded a space force garrison for future protection, they were granted only the siting 
  of a Space Agency base which had already been planned. With upgrades to the spaceport taking 
  effect simultaneously with the construction of the space agency base, traffic flow and off-world 
  visitors were increasing rapidly. The new Rhean authorities have tried to insulate themselves from 
  the interplanetary society around them, fulfilling their agricultural quotas, accepting shipments of 
  machinery and supplies from Luna, but maintaining a disciplined distance from visitors.  
   
  A conspiracy to overthrow the new pro-security regime in 2096 has only intensified the 
  government trend for more security, more surveillance and the constant monitoring of visitors. 
  Whether you hail from the home world (Luna), from Earth or elsewhere, visitors will be assigned a 
  government  guide  (a  ‘minder’)  who  ensures  that you do not stray into unauthorised areas, spread 
  dissension or commit crimes. Their hotel room will be bugged and all of their affairs recorded and 
  analysed. Of course, this police state with all of its repression simply fuels the desire for revolution. 
  While many Rheans remember the events of the past decade and see the need for the totalitarian 
  control of the government, there are some who want the clock turned back. As of yet they have 
  no real leader or organization... 
   
  TITAN 
  C3A2464 – 9  N  
    Fl   NI   
   
   
  T 
   
  Titan is a troubled world, an ex- Luna colony in Saturnian 
  space that just got out of control. Earth Union forces 
  occupied Titan in an attempt to prevent the rogue 
  government from destabilizing Earth colonies in the 
  region, a contentious move which has resulted in a five 
  year counter-insurgency war and has almost led Luna 
  and Earth to the brink of all-out war. Troops still occupy 
  Xanadu,   Titan’s   cave-like capital, but Chinese gangs 
  control some of the other habitats and make life hard for 
  the Earth force. Titan is a prize worth fighting over, Luna 
  has been convinced that the EU wants to seize the   world’s   huge   hydrocarbon and methane 
  resources, or at least deny them to Luna.  
   
   
  Spaceport 
  Average Quality 
  Diameter 
  5,150 km 
  Gravity 
  0.14 G 
  Pressure 
  1.6 atm (exotic) 
  Composition 
  Nitrogen, methane 
  Temperature 
   -180ºC  
  Population 
  87,000; Xanadu City,  Tuosheng, 
  Mindanao, Acheron, Banquo, Jianying 
  Government 
  Captive Government (EU) 
  Law Level 
  Moderate 
  Dist. from 
  Saturn 
  1.22 Mkm 
  Solar Day 
  16 days 
  Solar Year 
  30 years 
  
   
  199 | P a g e  
   
  Planetology 
  Titan is the sixth moon of Saturn and its largest and actually larger than the planet Mercury. Titan 
  orbits Saturn once every 16 days and like many of the other satellites of the gas giants it is tidally 
  locked, in synchronous rotation with Saturn, always showing one face to the planet. Titan has an 
  extremely thick atmosphere with a pressure actually 1.5 times greater of that on Earth and, like 
  Earth, it consists mainly of nitrogen ( 95%) with the remaining 5% formed of methane (3%) and 
  hydrogen (2%). The average surface temperature is colder than anywhere on Earth, a flesh-
  freezing  -179ºC . Due to the thickness of the atmosphere there is little temperature difference 
  between night and day. The weather, including wind and liquid methane rain, creates surface 
  features similar to those of Earth, such as dunes, rivers, deltas, lakes and seas of liquid methane 
  and ethane.  Titan's methane cycle is viewed as an analogue to Earth's water cycle, although at a 
  much lower temperature. The wind patterns have created a permanent hurricane at the  moon’s 
  south  pole.  Although  it  has  no  magnetic  field,  Titan’s  colonists  are shielded from the solar wind by 
  the powerful magnetosphere of Saturn.  
   
  Methane  storms  and  rain  are  continually  sculpting  the  moon’s  landscape  with  the result that the 
  surface is geologically young. Although there are mountains and several cryovolcanoes, the terrain 
  is smooth with relatively few impact craters. A lack of crater impacts indicates a surface continually 
  being modified by flowing liquids, and some craters have been filled in, either by raining 
  hydrocarbons or volcanoes. Standing lakes of liquid methane exist on the surface as well as dry 
  river valleys. There are a number of cryovolcanoes which, instead of spewing molten rock, erupt 
  with water and ammonia; in fact the tallest peak on Titan is Mount Shackleton, an 8 km high 
  cryovolcano.  
   
  Titan's surface is marked by broad regions of highlands and plains, including Xanadu, a 
  large, equatorial region about the size of Australia covered with hills and cut by convoluted valleys, 
  ridges and chasms. The equatorial regions in particular are dominated by extensive sand seas, 
  with dunes up to 330m high, a kilometre wide and tens to hundreds of kilometres long. These 
  linear dunes are formed by winds that trendin one direction; the wind patterns cause the dunes to 
  build up in long parallel lines aligned west-to-east and they break up around mountains, where the 
  wind direction shifts. 
   
  The sand on Titan derives from organic hydrocarbons clumping together after raining onto the 
  surface and, while devoid of open liquid, nonetheless holds more organics than all of Earth's coal 
  reserves put together ... a massive untapped source of energy. Titan is a colourful world or 
  oranges, reds and browns and decorated by ammonia ice in glaciers or snow drifts that are 
  banded with stunning blues and purples.  
   
  Titan’s  greatest marvel is its shallow lakes of liquid methane and ethane. Although most of the 
  lakes are concentrated near the poles (where the relative lack of sunlight prevents evaporation), a 
  number of long-standing hydrocarbon lakes in the equatorial desert regions also exist including  
  Lake Spirit in the Shangri-La region, which is about half the size of Utah's Great Salt Lake. The 
  equatorial lakes are fed by underground aquifers. Most lakes are black in colour and often  
  decorated by great whorls and loops of lighter material, looking for all the world like a cup of black 
  coffee complete with a quick stir of cream! Some of the lakes rival seas - Ligeia Mare has a surface 
  area of over 100,000 km² (larger than Lake Superior), and Kraken Mare is the size of the Caspian 
  Sea.  
   
  A singularly impressive phenomenon is the Methane Monsoon, occurring throughout spring in 
  northern latitudes.  During the winter, methane condenses into shallow lakes, some with a surface 
  slush  of  ammonia  ice.    Spring  conditions,    a  ‘warmer’  wind, or a significant break in the clouds 
  causes the lakes to suddenly flash into vapour, evaporating quickly. This amazing phenomenon is 
  often accompanied by huge windstorms, lasting up to a quarter of an hour.  
  
   
  200 | P a g e  
   
  Human Development  
  Titan is the jewel of the outer system, a moon with a dense atmosphere, liquid seas and cryo-
  volcanoes - truly a world to rival Earth for interest and complexity. It was economic forces, 
  inevitably, that powered the first human colonization in 2082. Luna had access to oxygen, water-
  ice, minerals and as much helium-3 as it could scrape out of its own regolith but it desperately 
  needed hydrogen if it was to fuel its nuclear thermal spacecraft and compete with Earth for the 
  moons of the solar system. Titan was a perfect choice, a world able to sustain a human colony, a 
  real prize amongst the gas giants, and a prize rich in hydrocarbons, methane and hydrogen that 
  could be refined and sent back to Luna. Titan has proven to be the gas station of the solar system, 
  at least for the Lunars.  
   
  The majority of settlers from Luna were Han Chinese, and here on Titan, away from the strictures 
  of Luna, traditional gang activity has been re-established. These gangs form a network of social 
  powerbases that get things done and protect the interests of the colonists within their settlement. 
  They organise their own militia's, unions and social events and they only rarely cross the line into 
  illegal criminal activity. Major settlements exist at Xanadu City (capital, with spaceport and 
  processing plants), Tuosheng (centre of anti-Earth activity and home to the Golden Sun gang), 
  Mindanao (a lakeshore colony and hydrocarbon processing centre) and Acheron, where miners 
  work hard to extract ore from Titan's only bedrock outcrops. Minor settlements include Banquo, 
  site of the first landing, and home to the Black Lotus gang; and Jianying, riverside town split 
  between the Heavenly Fist and the Black Lotus.  
   
  The  Cold  War  came  to  Titan  in  the  ‘90s.  A  political  faction  gained  the  upper  hand  within the Titan 
  government in 2094 that included members of the White Tigers. This revolutionary organisation 
  aims to overthrow Earth governments on worlds across the solar system in an attempt to 
  undermine   the   Earth   Union’s   off world powerbase; quite rightly, Luna has always felt 
  outnumbered. With the White Tigers in control on Titan, the world became a base of operations in 
  the outer solar system for subversion against the Earth Union.   
   
  An attempt to use agents to overthrow the government of another Saturnian moon, Iapetus, 
  succeeded in 2095.  Yet this new government did not immediately throw in its lot with the Luna 
  Republic and, to the dismay of Titan premier Steven Taylor Wang, simply declared its 
  independence. Unable to secure an alliance, Titan was, however, able to secure trade agreements 
  with the new Iapetus leaders which infuriated the Earth Union. When EU surveillance detected a 
  build-up of Titan forces on the tiny moon of Helene, supplied and paid for by Luna, the Union 
  decided to mobilise its military might at long last. It looked like Titan was about to ferry troops 
  across the Saturnian system in order to seize Iapetus by force. The Earth Union carried out a two-
  stage military operation. First, it launched a pre-emptive strike on Helene, and on the moon of 
  Hyperion, which was being used by the Titans as a surveillance centre and military base. Secondly, 
  and most audaciously, the Earth Union landed ground troops on Titan and took control of the 
  capital city, Xanadu. A shooting war ranging across the frozen surface lasted for a full month 
  before the Luna-supplied forces surrendered. The occupation forces tried to keep a lid on the 
  Titans, but within three months armed opposition and then outright rebellion took hold. Fighting 
  within colony habs, corridors and public spaces amongst innocent civilians proved a serious 
  headache for the occupation forces and progress toward crushing the rebellion was slow. Luna 
  accused the EU of attempting to take control of the entire Saturnian system. Diplomatic meetings 
  were held to resolve the Titan crisis that ended in mutual dissatisfaction, although Luna was able 
  to convince the Union to resume launches of methane and hydrogen from Titan. Quickly life on 
  Titan got back to normal, Luna received its shipments of supplies,  Titans mined, grew food, 
  processed hydrocarbons ... and plotted to kick out the Earth forces. Rocket attacks, bombs and 
  sabotaged hab systems killed a steady stream of Earth troopers month by month.  
   
  
   
  201 | P a g e  
   
  In 2098 a company of Earth troopers turned off the life support to a colony zone, and watched as 
  150 Titan civilians asphyxiated. They stated their reasons, but the incident provoked a full scale 
  mobilisation of forces by the Luna Republic. Within months a Luna space force had arrived to 
  directly contest the occupation and it quickly matched orbit with the Earth Space Force already 
  there. Three sporadic combat encounters occurred during this tense stand-off and although lives 
  were lost, nervousness on both sides prevented a rapid escalation toward full scale war.  
  Politicians were twitching, full scale war and annihilation looked likely.  
   
  A venerable politician from Shandong, the 76 year-old Evelyn Chen, won massive support from 
  Earth’s   Council   of   National   Leaders   in   late   2098.   With   an   entourage   of   grizzled diplomats and 
  ambassadors behind her, she was able to champion the argument for common sense and peace. 
  Her PR campaign was superb and after the war fleets dispersed and the population of the solar 
  system breathed a collective sigh of relief, Evelyn Chen was elected secretary-general of the EU 
  and awarded emergency powers to find a way to normalise relations with Luna. She currently 
  enjoys  the  overwhelming  support  of  the  majority  of  Earth’s  nations.   
   
  The peace talks were held on Mercury in 2098 and proved successful, leading to the signing of the 
  Titan Agreement by both factions. War was averted and although a plan for staged withdrawal 
  was established, the occupation forces are still in place. In 2100 the Titans are still in revolt 
  against the Earth forces and the low intensity conflict continues. The Earth-based corporation 
  Erebus Power has been quick to establish a mineral extraction agreement with the Luna 
  government, giving it the right to extract and ship hydrocarbons to Earth. This power corp will use 
  every trick in the book to try to keep other Earth-based companies from getting a toe-hold on 
  Titan.  
   
  Places of Interest  
   
       Xanadu City – Xanadu  is  Titan’s  capital city. With a population of 21,000 and served by a  
  C type spaceport, the city is built within a series of caverns. These caverns are cut into the rock 
  cliffs that separate the Xanadu highlands from the Shangri La lowlands. Large scale hydrocarbon 
  processing facilities at Xanadu prepare raw materials from Lake Telmar and transport them on to 
  the spaceport’s magnetic accelerator catapult for launching out to Luna. Xanadu is known for its 
  civic dome, covering the entrance to the main cavern, an impressive  nine storey transparent 
  window looking out over the processors and lake, with glorious Saturn hanging permanently in the 
  sky above.  
   
       Tuosheng – This highland township is a bed of anti-Earth sentiment, many fighters and 
  saboteurs are trained and supplied here. The Golden Sun gang runs Tuosheng.  
   
       Mindanao – Lake Telmar stretches for 300 km, and Mindanao is a township built out on an 
  island in the lake. It is a hydrocarbon processing point, pipelines connect it to Xanadu, while 
  hovercraft ship people and products between the island and the capital city.   
   
       Acheron – Acheron is a mining city that exploits one of only a handful of rock outcrops on 
  Titan. Its inhabitants are tough, hard-working individuals.  
   
       Jianying – This township is a split settlement, the two halves of the city straddle the Anduin 
  River. Two gangs jostle for power within Jianyang, the Black Lotus and the Heavenly Fist.  
   
   
   
  
   
  202 | P a g e  
   
  HYPERION  
  E000163-9  S      Lo  
   
   
   
  Hyperion is an usual little moon of Saturn, it is irregularly shaped, it has an eccentric orbit and is 
  close to a much larger moon, Titan. It may be a fragment from a much larger body, broken apart 
  by an asteroid impact because although it has average diameter of only 270 km, it possesses an 
  impact crater 120 km in diameter! Hyperion is mostly ice and it has suffered repeated impacts of 
  hundreds of millions of years; so many sharp-edged craters litter the surface that there are few 
  areas of flat ground, giving it the appearance of a sponge. A reddish residue coats the moon and 
  this has spiralled in from the outer moon of Saturn, called Proteus. Iapetus is coated in the stuff to 
  an even greater degree.  
   
  The only permanent base on Hyperion is a Titan reconnaissance and surveillance facility. Due to its 
  unforgiving terrain and chaotic rotation, Hyperion wobbles significantly as it orbits, and its rotation 
  cannot be accurately predicted which makes landings tricky.  
   
  IAPETUS D1003C7 – 9       
  NI   
   
   
  T 
   
   
   
  Iapetus was an Earth Union scientific colony, but in 2095, encouraged by meddling from Titan, 
  rebellion broke out amongst the leadership and a new government took control. It is now an 
  Spaceport 
  Frontier Spaceport 
  Diameter 
  270 km 
  Gravity 
  0.002 G 
  Pressure 
  - 
  Composition 
  - 
  Temperature 
   -180ºC  
  Population 
  50 
  Government 
  Captive Government (Titan) 
  Law Level 
  Low 
  Dist. from 
  Saturn 
  1.481 Mkm 
  Solar Day 
  ‘chaotic’ 
  Solar Year 
  30 years 
  Spaceport 
  Poor Quality 
  Diameter 
  1,470 km 
  Gravity 
  0.023 G 
  Pressure 
  - 
  Composition 
  - 
  Temperature 
  -180ºC (dark region) 
  -140ºC (bright region) 
  Population 
  7800; 
  Government 
  Charismatic oligarchy 
  Law Level 
  Moderate 
  Dist. from 
  Saturn 
  3.56 Mkm 
  Solar Day 
  79.3 days 
  Solar Year 
  30 years 
  
   
  203 | P a g e  
   
  independent world. Although now more focussed on developing Iapetus rather than on pure 
  scientific research, the new government did not suddenly ally itself with Titan as that world had 
  hoped. Titan planned to invade Iapetus with help from Luna, and the Titan War began.  
   
  Planetology 
  Iapetus is the eighth moon of Saturn, mostly composed 
  of ice with only a small amount of rocky material. It is 
  without doubt the most unusual object in the solar 
  system. Firstly it is neither spherical nor ellipsoid and has 
  a bulging waistline and squashed poles. Perhaps the 
  shape of the moon was frozen by the formation of a 
  thick crust shortly after its formation, and its rotation 
  continued to slow afterwards due to tidal dissipation. 
  Later it became tidally locked.  
   
  The dramatic 'two-tone'   coloration   of   Iapetus’   surface   is   its most famous feature, but it also 
  features a strange equatorial ridge that runs about halfway around the moon. The difference in 
  colouring between the two Iapetian hemispheres is striking. The leading hemisphere and sides are 
  dark with a slight reddish-brown colouring, while most of the trailing hemisphere and poles are 
  bright. This dark region is named Cassini Regio, and the bright region is divided into Roncevaux 
  Terra (north of the equator) and Saragossa Terra (south of it). During an orbital approach a 
  traveller can easily pick out the dark Cassini Regio along with its border with the brighter 
  Roncevaux Terra; he will also spot several large craters and of course the unmistakably weird, 
  equatorial ridge. The dark material is a very thin layer, only a few tens of centimetres thick and 
  comes from elsewhere in the Saturnian system. This debris has been knocked free from the 
  surface of the outer moon Phoebe by micrometeoroid impacts and it has then spiralled in toward 
  Saturn as its orbit decays. A portion of this material crossing Iapetus' orbit is swept up by its 
  leading hemisphere, coating it.   
   
  Yet another Iapetus mystery is the existence of the equatorial ridge that runs along the centre of 
  Cassini Regio. It is around 1,300 km long, 20 km wide, 13 km high. Peaks in the ridge rise to more 
  than 20 km above the surrounding plains, making them some of the tallest mountains in the solar 
  system. The ridge does form a complex system of highlands, with isolated peaks, ridges more than 
  200 km in length and some sections with three parallel ridges. Within the bright regions there is no 
  ridge, only a series of isolated 10 km peaks along the equator. The ridge system is heavily 
  cratered indicating that it is ancient; the bulge gives the moon a walnut-like appearance.  Opinions 
  on the origins of the ridge have been divided over the decades:  
   
  1- The ridge could be a remnant of the oblate shape of the young Iapetus when it rotated   
      more rapidly than it does today.  
  2- The ridge could be icy material that welled up from beneath the surface and then  
      solidified. 
  3- Iapetus could have had a ring system during its formation. The equatorial ridge was  
      created as this ring collapsed and was attracted to the surface of Iapetus by gravity.   
      Against this theory, the ridge appears too solid to be the result of a collapsed ring.  
  4- The ridge is a Cydonian engineering project on a massive scale, up close there are well  
      defined regular features, tunnels into the ridge and what appear to be roadways leading  
      to ice lakes. Ground penetrating radar has shown chambers along a symmetrical axis, all  
      hinting at some sort of intelligent design.   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  204 | P a g e  
   
  Human Development 
  The  colony  had  first  been  established  in  2086  to  study  the  moon’s  unusual features, in particular 
  the equatorial ridge and the strange ice lakes nearby. The initial government had been a 
  committee of Earth Union engineers and scientists, supported by a large service, technical and 
  ancillary staff. When evidence came to light that the ridge may be an alien artefact, perhaps of 
  Cydonian origin, the scientists began to lose their impartiality and scientific neutrality. To many in 
  the colony the researchers became frothing obsessives within a matter of months. Theories about 
  the nature of the alien ridge ranged from a hypergate, a huge magnetic accelerator catapult or 
  even a type of faster-than-light drive. With the scientists and leadership becoming ever more 
  unstable,  and  even  establishing  what  amounted  to  an  alien  contact  ‘cult’  (Voices),  the  colonists  
  (with backing from Titan) decided to act.  
   
  The   new   ‘Enterprise   Authority’,   a   revolutionary   coup   of   businessmen   and   engineers   has   moved  
  away  from  the  ‘alien  study  project'  to  maximise  the  production  and  export  of  water  to  Titan.  Links  
  have been forged, and the Luna-aligned colony on Titan was eager to prise Iapetus away from its 
  founder, the Earth. The Earth-aligned scientists who were unseated now form an intellectual 
  movement, a radical subculture that sometimes conducts subversion and propaganda strikes 
  against the new government of Iapetus.  
   
   
   
       Voices - Alain Voss is the leader of Voices, an underground sect of scientists who used to 
  work on the ridge project. They believe they are in contact with the long dead aliens of Iapetus 
  and Mars. Voss channels communications with these aliens and he hears the voice of Valthor, the 
  high priest of the long-dead Martians. There are perhaps 60 members of this sect.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  205 | P a g e  
   
  PHOEBE  
  X000000–0    Ba 
   
   
   
   
  Phoebe is an irregular, distant moon of Jupiter,  an ice and rock body that is probably a captured 
  asteroid, one of a number of icy planetoids from the Kuiper belt that orbit the Sun beyond the 
  orbit of Neptune. Phoebe is almost four times more distant from Saturn than its nearest major 
  neighbour, Iapetus. The irregular satellites orbiting much further out follow very eccentric orbits 
  while the regular moons of Saturn (all except Iapetus) orbit very nearly in the plane of Saturn's 
  equator. 
   
  The Phoebean surface is heavily cratered, some of these craters are up to 80 kilometres across, 
  one of which has crater walls 16 kilometres high. Much of the surface is water ice laying beneath a 
  relatively thin blanket of dark surface deposits, several metres deep. In addition, carbon dioxide 
  ice has been detected on the surface, something never replicated in explorations of other 
  asteroidal bodies. Material thrown off of Phoebe's surface by the millions of years of microscopic 
  meteor impacts is responsible for the unusually dark surfaces of Hyperion and Iapetus, both 
  further in toward Saturn. Much of this material continues to   orbit   Saturn   as   the   ‘Phoebe   Ring’  
  which extends from at least 128 to 207 times the radius of Saturn. Since the ring's particles 
  originated on Phoebe, they share its retrograde orbit which is opposite to the orbital motion of the 
  next inner moon, Iapetus. This inwardly spiralling ring material strikes Iapetus' leading 
  hemisphere, and has triggered the process that led to the two-tone coloration of that mysterious 
  moon. 
   
   
   
   
   
  Spaceport 
  No Spaceport 
  Diameter 
  212 km 
  Gravity 
  0.01 G 
  Pressure 
  - 
  Composition 
  - 
  Temperature 
   -180ºC  
  Population 
  - 
  Government 
  - 
  Law Level 
  - 
  Dist. from 
  Saturn 
  12.995 Mkm 
  Solar Day 
   9 hrs 16 mins 
  Solar Year 
  30 years 
  
   
  206 | P a g e  
   
  URANUS 
   
   
   
  Small Gas Giant  
                    
  Distance from Sun 
  2,900 Mkm 
  Orbital Year  
  84.32 yrs 
  Major Moons 
   
   
  Miranda 
  D000222-9    
   
  Ariel 
  X000000-0 
   
  Umbriel 
  E000106-9 
   
  Titania 
  X000000-0 
   
  Oberon 
  D000264-0       
   
   
   
   
   
  A distant object in the solar system, Uranus is a small gas 
  giant with an atmosphere composed mainly of hydrogen 
  with some helium and methane. Unlike its larger cousins, 
  Saturn and Jupiter, Uranus shows no defined bands of cloud, it appears to be almost a featureless 
  disk of pale blue. Wind speeds reach up to 900 kph.  
   
  Uranus is almost 3 billion km from the Sun and tales 84 years to complete one orbit; so distant is 
  the planet that the strength of sunlight is barely 1/400th that   on   Earth.   The   planet’s   strangest 
  feature is its tilt; its axis of rotation is almost parallel to the plane of the solar system. This gives it 
  seasonal changes completely unlike those of the other major planets. Visualise other planets 
  rotating like spinning tops on the plane of the solar system, while Uranus rotates more like a tilted 
  rolling ball. At the Uranian solstices, the north pole faces the Sun continuously while the south pole 
  faces away. Only a narrow strip around the equator experiences a rapid day-night cycle, but with 
  the Sun very low over the horizon as in the Earth's polar regions. At the other side of Uranus' orbit 
  the orientation of the poles towards the Sun is reversed. Each pole gets around 42 years of 
  continuous sunlight, followed by 42 years of darkness. In 2100 AD Uranus has almost reached its 
  equinox,  it  is  almost  ‘side-on’  to  the  Sun,  and  rotates  with  a normal day/night cycle, just tipped 
  over to the side with its north pole pointing along the direction of travel. The moons rotate around 
  the tipped up equator of Uranus, moving into the sunlight then back around the night side. They 
  are all tidally-locked to Uranus, with the same hemisphere always facing the gas giant.  
   
  Uranus possesses a faint ring system and 27 known moons, although few have been colonised and 
  those at relatively low levels; most are barren ice balls with few resources. Uranus stands to be 
  the  solar  system’s  current  frontier,  the  location  of  the  newest  colonies  and  the  boldest  ventures.    
  In  the  Chinese,  Vietnamese,  Korean  and  Japanese  languages,  Uranus  is  known  as  ‘Sky  King’.   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  207 | P a g e  
   
  MIRANDA D000222-9     Lo 
   
   
   
   
  T 
   
   
  Like most moons in the outer system, Miranda is composed of water ice; its surface is a patchwork 
  of chaotic and broken terrain cut by rifts and canyons and huge formations of grooves. The most 
  spectacular of the features is Verona Cliff, a sheer scarp rising from the approximately 8-10 km in 
  height, the highest in the solar system. Once geologically active due to tidal heating caused by the 
  pull of Uranus, Miranda is now a cold, dead world. Settled by the Earth Space Development 
  Agency, the moon is a research outpost, established with the aim of assessing the suitability of 
  skimming Uranus for helium-3. The scientists and engineers there experiment and explore and 
  have proven to be extremely self-reliant. They have a single experimental Kronos drone which 
  they use  to  test  the  parameters  of  atmospheric  processing  within  Uranus’  upper  atmosphere.  A 
  SGS serves  as  a  receiving  station  for  a  research  DSV  that  acts  as  the  scientist’s  only  lifeline  with  
  the rest of the solar system.  
   
  ARIEL  
  X000000-0     Ba 
   
   
   
   
  T 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Another   icy   moon   of   Uranus,   Ariel   has   a   surface   landscape   much   like   Miranda’s,   with   ridges,  
  cratered plains, scarps and canyons. Tidal heating seems to have played a part in the subsurface 
  movement of ice leading the formation of these features. The largest crater on Ariel is Yangoor, 78 
  km in diameter.  Many  of  the  craters  aren’t  circular  but  polygonal,  indicating  that  although  originally  
  circular, the ice has subsequently shifted. There have been cryo-volcanic eruptions on Ariel in the 
  past, but none have been observed erupting as yet. The liquid erupted was a very thick, super-
  cooled mix of water and ammonia, it may be that volcanism has stopped completely on the moon.  
  Spaceport 
  Poor Quality Spaceport 
  Diameter 
  470 km 
  Gravity 
  0.008 G 
  Pressure 
  - 
  Composition 
  - 
  Temperature 
   -200ºC  
  Population 
  120 
  Government 
  Participatory Democracy 
  Law Level 
  Low 
  Dist. from 
  Uranus 
  129, 390km 
  Solar Day 
  1.4 days 
  Solar Year 
  84.32 years 
  Spaceport 
  No Spaceport 
  Diameter 
  1160 km 
  Gravity 
  0.028 G 
  Pressure 
  - 
  Composition 
  - 
  Temperature 
   -200ºC  
  Population 
  - 
  Government 
  - 
  Law Level 
  - 
  Dist. from 
  Uranus 
  191, 020km 
  Solar Day 
  2.5 days 
  Solar Year 
  84.32 years 
  
   
  208 | P a g e  
   
  UMBRIEL E000106-9     Lo 
   
   
   
   
  T 
   
   
  Umbriel has been settled by the billionaire family of DeGrace and forms a retreat for its members. 
  Dug in deep into Heller crater, the DeGrace estate is a series of large interconnected habitats, yet 
  less than a hundred people live here. Harman DeGrace, who made his fortune in the 1980s micro-
  computing boom, is the 150-year old recluse who lives here, guarded by security staff and SRAM 
  launchers, pampered by stewards and robotic aides.  
   
  Umbriel is an icy moon, its surface is covered almost entirely with craters and also cut by a system 
  of canyons trending northeast–southwest. Some of the biggest craters reach over 100 km in 
  diameter   and   all   have   central   peaks.   Wunda   crater   (diameter   131   km),   located   on   the   moon’s  
  equator, has a remarkable coating of bright material on the crater floor which has not yet been 
  studied.  The moon in general is covered in a layer of dark material, perhaps excavated by a huge 
  ancient impact or expelled in an explosive volcanic eruption. 
   
  TITANIA  
  X000000-0     Ba 
   
   
   
   
  T 
   
   
   
   
  Titania  is  the  largest  moon  of  Uranus,  an  icy  moon  with  a  surface  much  like  Umbriel’s,  covered  
  with craters and cut by a system of enormous canyons and scarps.  There  isn’t  just  water  ice  on  
  the moon but also some frozen carbon dioxide which has come from the outgassing of 
  primordial CO2 trapped by water ice in Titania's interior. A region of smooth plains is split by the 
  Spaceport 
  Frontier Spaceport 
  Diameter 
  584 km 
  Gravity 
  0.05 G 
  Pressure 
  - 
  Composition 
  - 
  Temperature 
   -200ºC  
  Population 
  50 
  Government 
  0 
  Law Level 
  0 
  Dist. from 
  Uranus 
  266, 000km 
  Solar Day 
  4.14 days 
  Solar Year 
  84.32 years 
  Spaceport 
  No Spaceport 
  Diameter 
  788 km 
  Gravity 
  0.078 G 
  Pressure 
  - 
  Composition 
  - 
  Temperature 
   -200ºC  
  Population 
  - 
  Government 
  0 
  Law Level 
  0 
  Dist. from 
  Uranus 
  435, 900km 
  Solar Day 
  8.7 days 
  Solar Year 
  84.32 years 
  
   
  209 | P a g e  
   
  deep canyon Belmont Chasma and includes the crater Ursula. Ursula crater, along with Jessica 
  crater and others, are surrounded by bright impact ejecta (rays) that consist of relatively fresh ice. 
  All of the large craters on Titania have flat floors and central peaks, although Ursula is an 
  exception and actually has a pit in the centre. To the west of crater Gertrude there is an area with 
  very irregular terrain, the so-called  ‘Unnamed  Basin’, which was once a huge crater, now deformed 
  and degraded to only the vague outline of a crater. It has a diameter of about 330 kilometres. The 
  most prominent of Titania's canyons is Messina Chasma, which runs for around 1,500 kilometres 
  all the way from the equator to the south pole. 
   
   
  OBERON D000264-0     Lo 
   
   
   
   
   
  T 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Oberon is the second largest of the moons of Uranus and, like the others, is an icy moon with a 
  surface covered in impact craters. There are also faults and canyons splitting some areas of the ice 
  caused by warm ice upwelling during a long period of tidal heating in the moon's distant past. The 
  leading face of Oberon is a darker red than elsewhere and this is caused by the collection of a 
  reddish dust spiralling in from outer parts of the Uranian system, probably from the many irregular 
  satellites. Craters can reach up to 200 km in diameter (Hamlet, 206 km) and there are so many 
  that Oberon is the most cratered moon in the Uranian system, which means its landscape is the 
  oldest by far. The most prominent canyon on Oberon is Mommur Chasma, these canyons are giant 
  cracks in the ice surface and some have obliterated the older cratered landscape. Oberon has one 
  of the tallest mountains in the solar system, Mount Pelion, some 11 km from base to summit.  
   
  Oberon   is   a   LOPS   Lunar   outpost.   Its   goal   is   to   spy   on   ESDA’s experimental activities around 
  Uranus, however it does also incorporate a tracking station and a small scientific section.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Spaceport 
  Poor Quality Spaceport 
  Diameter 
  768 km 
  Gravity 
  0.078 G 
  Pressure 
  - 
  Composition 
  - 
  Temperature 
   -200ºC  
  Population 
  450 
  Government 
  Captive Government 
  Law Level 
  Low 
  Dist. from 
  Uranus 
  583, 500km 
  Solar Day 
  13.46 days 
  Solar Year 
  84.32 years 
  
   
  210 | P a g e  
   
  NEPTUNE  
   
   
  Small Gas Giant  
                    
  Distance from Sun 
  4,500 Mkm 
  Orbital Year  
  164.79 yrs 
  Major Moons 
   
   
  Proteus 
  X000000-0 
   
  Triton 
  E210311-9 
   
  Nereid 
  E000200-5 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Neptune   is   the   most   distant   of   the   solar   system’s   gas  
  giants and its smallest, with a diameter of only 49,530 
  km.   Like   the   other   gas   giants,   Neptune’s   atmosphere   is  
  composed mainly of hydrogen with some elements of 
  helium, but also significant levels of water, methane and 
  ammonia. It is the methane which gives Neptune its vivid blue colouration. There are dark clouds 
  within the turbulent blue atmosphere, sped along by winds reaching up to 2,100 kph - the highest 
  wind speeds in the solar system. So distant from the Sun is this gas giant that the cloud tops are a 
  chilly -218ºC. Neptune has a faint ring system like the other gas giants and a family of 13 moons, 
  the largest of which by a large measure is Triton. Unusually, Triton orbits in the opposite direction 
  to  Neptune’s  spin  (a  phenomenon  known  as  a  retrograde orbit), suggesting that it is a captured 
  dwarf planet. Neptune's innermost four moons, Naiad, Thalassa, Despina and Galatea orbit close 
  enough to actually be within the rings of Neptune.  
   
  Neptune has not yet been the target of any colonisation efforts by the Luna Republic, the Earth 
  Union or an independent body, but it stands ready as a new frontier or battleground depending on 
  how the future of Luna-Earth relations are resolved.  
   
  PROTEUS  
  X000000-0     Ba 
   
   
   
  T 
   
   
   
  Proteus  is  Neptune’s  second  largest  moon,  an  irregular  420  km  diameter  ice  chunk  coated  with  a  
  dark dust of complex organic compounds such as hydrocarbons and cyanides. Its surface is dark 
  and heavily cratered, the largest of which (named Pharos) is more than 200 km in diameter. It has 
  a depth of about 10–15 km and a central dome on its floor a few kilometres high. There are also a 
  number of scarps, canyons on the moon. 
   
  Spaceport 
  No Spaceport 
  Diameter 
  420 km 
  Gravity 
  0.07 G 
  Pressure 
  - 
  Composition 
  - 
  Temperature 
   -220ºC  
  Population 
  - 
  Government 
  - 
  Law Level 
  - 
  Dist. from 
  Neptune 
  117, 600km 
  Solar Day 
  1.12 days 
  Solar Year 
  164.79 years 
  
   
  211 | P a g e  
   
  TRITON  
  E210370 -9  M  
  Lo 
   
   
   
  T 
   
   
   
   
  Triton is the largest moon of the planet Neptune and is still geologically active, with cryovolcanoes 
  and geysers erupting nitrogen, enough to give the moon its own trace nitrogen atmosphere. It has 
  a  retrograde  orbit,  opposite  to  Neptune’s  rotation,  which it  has  in  common  with  some  of  Neptune’s  
  outer moons.  Triton is probably a captured object from the distant Kuiper Belt (the source of most 
  comets in the solar system), it also has a very eccentric (tilted) orbit compared to most of the 
  other moons.  
   
  Around  half  of  the  moon’s  landscape  is  covered  with  frozen  nitrogen,  with  water  ice  comprising  
  one quarter and dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide) forming the remaining quarter. Triton's reddish 
  colour is the result of the methane ices, which have been converted to a substance called tholins 
  by  the  Sun’s  ultraviolet  radiation. 
   
  Triton's icy surface is cut by valleys and ridges caused by ice tectonics and cryo-volcanism. This 
  shows that solar heating, although weak at Triton's great distance from the Sun, plays a crucial 
  role   in   the   world’s   geology.   A   translucent   layer   of   frozen   nitrogen   forms   much   of   the   surface,  
  overlying  a  darker  layer,  which  creates  a  kind  of  ‘solid  greenhouse  effect’.  Solar  radiation  passes  
  through the surface ice and then slowly heats and vaporizes the nitrogen below until enough gas 
  pressure accumulates for it to erupt through the crust. These geysers produce a trace atmosphere 
  up to 8 km high; each geyser eruption lasts anything up to a year.   
   
  There are ice plains, such as Cipango Planum, on Triton's eastern hemisphere; these cover older 
  features and are the result of icy lava washing over the existing landscape. Some of the plains are 
  dotted with pits which are the vents from which this ice lava emerged. Leviathan Patera is one 
  example. The lava is a mix of ammonia and water which fills in any impact craters as it spreads 
  across the landcape. Extensive ridges and valleys form complex patterns which are the result of an 
  age-old freeze–thaw cycle.  
   
   
   
   
  Spaceport 
  Frontier Spaceport 
  Diameter 
  1,350 km 
  Gravity 
  0.78 G 
  Pressure 
  Trace 
  Composition 
  Nitrogen 
  Temperature 
   -220ºC  
  Population 
  60 
  Government 
  Balkanized 
  Law Level 
  None 
  Dist. from 
  Neptune 
  354,800km 
  Solar Day 
  5.8 days (retrograde) 
  Solar Year 
  164.79 years 
  
   
  212 | P a g e  
   
   
   
   
  Centennial, the Luna corporation, recently established a scientific colony on Triton. There are 60 
  Luna scientists living in a purpose-built complex studying the geysers, cryovolcanoes, deep 
  crevasses and the likely possibility of a subsurface ocean.   
   
  Rumours circulating within the International Astronomical Union suddenly sparked interest 
  amongst Earth Union researchers. The rumours hinted that the team on Triton had discovered 
  regularly-shaped heat sources beneath the ice. The scientific community is still buzzing with 
  theories, some of which revolve around Cydonian aliens or other extra-terrestrials. It is highly 
  likely, though, that the heat sources will be explained as natural phenomena, dashing the alien 
  theories.  
   
  The stories have caused a storm and the ESDA planted its own 50-man team of scientists onto 
  Triton earlier this year (2100).  As surveying began, an incident occurred in which several Luna 
  researchers were inadvertently killed by an ESDA team in a dispute over a 'hot-spot'.  A second 
  incident looked less like an accident and has led some to believe that military agents are part of 
  the ESDA team and that there is more at stake than the discovery of a subsurface ocean.  
   
  To forestall a sudden military build-up of Lunar and Earth Union forces, the IAU immediately sent a 
  small contingent of troops to police the situation. Eckard Tactical Management is a private security 
  firm that acts as the IAU's own solar system police force. There are two 8-man squads of ETM on 
  Triton living within their own secure habitat. Events could spiral out of control on this frozen moon, 
  or, should the heat sources prove to be easily explainable, the scientists may be packing up for 
  home within the year.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  213 | P a g e  
   
  NEREID  
  E000200-5     Lo   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Nereid is the third-largest moon of Neptune. It has a highly eccentric orbit and may be either a 
  captured asteroid or a Kuiper belt object (KBO, see later). This moon has a surface of water ice 
  over a stony core.  
   
  Nereid is an agricultural testing station established by the now bankrupt corporation, Visiontech. A 
  virus outbreak in 2099 brought the colony to a stand-still, Visiontech collapsed and Nereid was 
  quarantined. In recent months, the colony has devolved and various bands of survivors wage war 
  for consumables and territory within the honeycomb of tunnels and agri-farms. Rescue workers 
  from the ESDA have been caught in these factional wars.  
   
   
  KUIPER BELT  
   
   
  Beyond the orbit of Neptune is a vast population of small rocky and icy bodies slowly orbiting the 
  Sun, most composed of frozen methane, ammonia and water. Estimates, and there can only be 
  estimates,  put  the  number  at  least  100,000  of  these  ‘trans-Neptunians’  objects.  These  are  only  the  
  ones with diameters over 100 km! This band of objects begins at around 4,500 million km from 
  the Sun and extends out to perhaps 7,500 million km, with scattered objects out as far as 22,500 
  million km. Trans-Neptunians are mostly confined within a thick band generally referred to as the 
  Kuiper Belt.  
  It is likely that the Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) are extremely primitive remnants from the early 
  creation   phase   of   the   solar   system.   The   inner,   denser   parts   of   the   ‘accretion   disk’   of   planetary  
  material condensed into the major planets, probably within a few million to tens of millions of 
  years. The outer parts, however, were less dense and the accretion of dust and particles into 
  recognisable bodies progressed much more slowly and is still going on. The Kuiper belt is home to 
  at least three dwarf planets: Pluto, Haumea, and Makemake. These are small planets that are 
  unable to clear their orbit around the Sun of rocky debris, asteroids and other dwarf planets. Some 
  of the solar system's moons, such as Neptune's Triton and Saturn's Phoebe, are also believed to 
  have originated in the belt. There may be 200 or more of these dwarf planets out in the Kuiper 
  Belt.  
  Spaceport 
  Frontier Spaceport 
  Diameter 
  170 km 
  Gravity 
  0.016 G 
  Pressure 
  - 
  Composition 
  - 
  Temperature 
   -220ºC  
  Population 
  230 
  Government 
  None 
  Law Level 
  None 
  Dist. from 
  Neptune 
  5,513,800 km 
  Solar Day 
  11.5 hours 
  Solar Year 
  164.79 years 
  
   
  214 | P a g e  
   
  In 2028 it was proven that the Kuiper Belt was the source of short-period comets, which are those 
  comets that orbit in the plane of the solar system and return every 200 years or less. A thousand 
  times more distant than the Kuiper Belt may be the theoretical Oort Cloud which could surround 
  the solar system completely, from which long-period comets begin their journey toward the Sun. 
  Long-period comets may spend hundreds, thousands, even millions of years between one visit to 
  the inner solar system and the next, and their orbits are highly irregular which points to some 
  ‘cloud’  of  icy  debris  completely  surrounding the solar system.  Out in the dark they are tumbling 
  rocks coated in kilometre-thick frozen gases; as they dive toward the inner solar system the solar 
  heat causes the gases to evaporate creating an aura and a tail of dust and gas blown away from 
  the Sun by the solar wind. After many, many passes through the solar system, a KBO loses its 
  layers of ice to expose its bare, rocky core.  
   
  Comets 
  A   comet   is   a   small   KBO,   a   ‘dirty   snowball’ that orbits the Sun and that can create a coma (or 
  atmosphere) and/or a tail. Both are generated by the effects of solar radiation heating up the 
  comet's nucleus, which itself is a minor body composed of rock, dust, and ice. Comets' orbits are 
  rarely fixed and unchangeable, their origins are in the Kuiper Belt or Oort Cloud and they have a 
  propensity to be highly affected by close approaches to the larger planets. Some comets are pulled 
  into sun grazing orbits that destroy them as they near the Sun, while others are thrown out of the 
  solar system forever. Although asteroids within the inner solar system were created by a different 
  process, ancient comets that have lost all their volatile materials and have their small, rocky cores 
  exposed, will end up resembling asteroids. 
   
  Comets range from around 100 meters to more than 40 kilometres in diameter. They are 
  composed of rock, dust and  water ice as well as frozen gases such as carbon monoxide, carbon 
  dioxide, methane and ammonia. They also contain a variety of organic compounds including 
  methanol, hydrogen cyanide, formaldehyde, ethanol and ethane and even amino acids. Some of 
  the building blocks of DNA, adenine, guanine and related organic molecules have also been found 
  on a handful of comets.  Landing on a comet is best done out beyond the orbit of the Asteroid 
  Belt, any closer and sunlight will began to evaporate the frozen gases in explosive jets, 
  surrounding the comet with bowling-ball sized ice fragments and creating an unstable and chaotic 
  surface with zero visibility and spontaneous gas jets that will rip a DSV from its moorings and 
  throw it, damaged, into space.  
  
   
  215 | P a g e  
   
   
  Objects of Interest  
  There are hundreds of thousands of KBOs within the Kuiper Belt, including many comets; but the 
  objects of most interest are the dwarf planets.  
   
  Comet Wild 2 (X000000-0 ) – Wild 2 is a short-
  period comet with a diameter of 5 km. It originally had an 
  orbital period of 43 years until, in 1974, it passed Jupiter which 
  changed Wild’s   orbit.   Now it orbits the Sun in only 6 years, 
  diving  in  as  far  as  Earth’s  orbit  and  returning  out  to  a  distance  
  somewhere past Jupiter. Its rigid surface is covered with 
  towering pinnacles, plunging craters, steep cliffs and, when in 
  the inner system,  dozens of jets violently spewing evaporating 
  gases.   
   
   
  134340 Pluto  (X110000-0) - Pluto is a dwarf planet 2,322 km in diameter in an 
  eccentric and highly inclined orbit that takes it from 4.4 – 7.4 billion km from the Sun. At certain 
  periods in its 264 Earth-year orbit, the dwarf planet comes closer to the Sun than Neptune.  Pluto’s  
  surface is made up of nitrogen ice with traces of frozen methane and carbon monoxide, 
  remarkably it has a trace atmosphere of nitrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide gases. The 
  temperature on the frozen surface of Pluto is -230 C and at this remote distance, the Sun appears 
  to be no more than the brightest star in the sky. There have as yet been no human landings on 
  the surface of Pluto. 
   
  Pluto can be said to be a binary planet, since it is tidally locked to a smaller partner, Charon. 
  Charon is a size 1 moon with a water ice landscape and some ammonia is present as well as cryo-
  geysers. Charon has no atmosphere. Both these worlds revolve around a central point and they 
  are tidally locked, always showing the same face to one another. Around these two worlds are four 
  more tiny moons: Nix, Hydra, Hypnos and Hecate. 
   
   
  136108  Haumea  (X000000-0) - Around 1200 km in diameter, Haumea is another 
  distant dwarf planet that has two small moons, Hiʻiaka and Namaka. The world has a surface of 
  water ice. Like many Kuiper Belt Objects its orbit is eccentric and inclined, taking it 283 Earth-
  years to make one orbit around the Sun, with a closest approach of 5,500 million km. 
   
   
  136472  Makemake (X000000-0)  – This dwarf planet is 1,430 km in diameter and like 
  Haumea, has an eccentric orbit that brings it as close to the Sun as 5,700  million  km.    Makemake’s  
  surface is covered with methane, ethane, and nitrogen ice, but unlike Pluto it has no atmosphere.  
   
   
  136199  Eris (X200000-0) – At 2,360 km,  Eris  is  the  most  massive  of  the  solar  system’s  
  dwarf  planets,  it  is  around  the  same  size  as  Saturn’s  moon  Dione, or Pluto. Its eccentric orbit takes 
  Eris out as far as 10,200 million km from the Sun and as close in as 5,700 million km. Eris has a 
  tiny ice moon, 600km across, called Dysnomia.  
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  216 | P a g e  
   
  11  RUNNING ORBITAL 
   
   
  WHAT DO WE DO? 
   
  Orbital is a science fiction setting with a fairly realistic 
  feel. In keeping with the near-future and hard-science 
  fiction theme, role-playing campaigns focus on real people 
  doing real jobs. While the Third Imperium setting 
  admirably   supports   groups   of   ne’r   do   wells,   shady   free  
  traders, mercenaries and fortune hunters, the more tightly 
  restricted solar system of 2100 AD does not.  
   
  Any one of the following types of activities make the 
  perfect premise for a game.  
   
  1 - Deep Space Haulage 
  The default Orbital campaign premise, player characters 
  are the crew of a deep space vehicle (DSV) owned by an 
  interplanetary transport company. They ship freight from 
  Mercury   to   Pluto   and   all   points   in   between.   It’s   a  
  dangerous business, fraught with malfunctions, odd 
  cargoes, political mine-fields, mysterious patrons and of 
  course the perils of deep space.  
   
  Missions might include transporting a science expedition to 
  a near earth asteroid, shipping a reactor core to a colony 
  split by civil war, bringing food supplies to an asteroid that 
  is quarantined, or lifting a new and expensive drilling rig 
  (complete with its tetchy coterie of designers and 
  technicians) out to Mimas for trials. Inspirations for this 
  campaign type include the movie Alien, the TV show Ice 
  Road Truckers and the work of outsize cargo logistics firms 
  such as Ruslan International.  
   
  2 - Asteroid Mining 
  As any miner today will tell you, the work is not studded 
  with drama, excitement and adventure; but the work of an 
  asteroid  miner  is.  It  isn’t  the  actual  mining that produces 
  the drama since mining drones do most of the hard work, it 
  is finding the ore, navigating deep space, surviving alone 
  for months at a time and encountering problems, dangers 
  and catastrophes far from help or assistance.  
   
  A group of player character miners can go anywhere they like and being in such remote locations 
  means that they often encounter phenomenon never discovered before – and they have to deal 
  Carbothermic reduction ? 
  Do I Care? 
  Star Trek  was well known for its use 
  of 
  technobabble, 
  basically, 
  impressive and scientific sounding 
  phrases 
  that 
  are 
  ultimately 
  nonsensical. Orbital uses a lot of 
  technical   language   (‘jargon’)   but   it  
  isn’t  technobabble.  While  jargon  may  
  seem 
  incomprehensible 
  it 
  does 
  indeed 
  make 
  sense 
  to 
  anyone 
  familiar with the terms involved and 
  the jargon in this book is taken from 
  design briefs and space agency 
  papers setting out how a piece of 
  hardware works or will work once 
  someone gives them the funding for 
  it!  
   
  It is included for three reasons. 
  Firstly 
  it 
  adds 
  setting 
  flavour, 
  secondly it illustrates that while this 
  is science fiction, a lot of what 
  appears 
  is 
  based 
  on 
  known 
  technologies, and thirdly, it makes 
  looking something up on the Net a 
  whole lot easier should a referee 
  want to expand on part of the 
  setting. The techno-jargon might 
  sound intimidating but it can easily 
  be ignored and the rules function as 
  normal. Does it matter that the 
  ORVIN uses carbothermic reduction? 
  No! The phrase indicates to the 
  referee that the concepts behind the 
  ORVIN are sound. In fact NASA trials 
  of oxygen mining have already been 
  carried out in Hawaii... 
  
   
  217 | P a g e  
   
  with it themselves. Of course there are profits to be made, but the real adventure is in the danger 
  and the challenge of going it alone. Inspirations include the movie Deep Impact, Armageddon and 
  the TV show Black Gold. 
   
  3- Salvage and Rescue 
  In the real world, the work of marine salvage teams can be a difficult one. Scaled up and out to 
  the entire solar system, the difficulties are hugely magnified. These guys operate from a DKV, 
  perhaps a Proton or a Starlifter, with specialized gear on board. It is their job to locate and 
  rendezvous with wreckage, hulks, abandoned space vehicles, stations or satellites and retrieve 
  them. Sometimes only a part of the target requires retrieval, perhaps a cargo or a computer 
  processor. Remember, though, if the job were easy the owner would have salvaged the vehicle 
  themselves.  
   
  The  obstacles  to  salvage  can  be  many.  The  target  could  be  crashed  on  an  icy  moon  in  Jupiter’s  
  radiation field, it might be a DSV flooded with radiation from a reactor leak, or perhaps a research 
  team trying to lift off from a comet that has gotten into difficulties. The salvage and rescue 
  premise could easily be folded into that of deep space haulage, for a crew that can respond to 
  emergencies with the right skills and the right equipment. Inspirations include a variety of TV 
  coastguard shows (such as SOS: Coastguard Rescue), as well as the movie Space Cowboys and 
  the premise of the movie Event Horizon.  
   
  4 – Exploration & Science  
  The work of science teams features in Outpost Mars, which forms a companion book to Orbital. 
  Here a disparate band of scientists are sent on a series of expeditions across the solar system to 
  investigate newly discovered, or long understood, phenomena. Operating far from civilization (and 
  rescue) means that the team is truly independent and forced to overcome natural and technical 
  obstacles  alone.  Of  course  where  there  are  academics  there  are  petty  politics  and  not  everyone’s  
  agenda will be exactly the same.  
   
  The nature of the mission itself may be quite innocuous (‘examine  streaky  black  ice  deposits  on  
  Ganymede’)  and  the  resolution may be equally innocuous (discover that ground up carbonaceous 
  asteroid  dust  sits  inside  the  ice’)  but  that  isn’t  the  point.  The  science  investigation  is  just  a  setting  
  for the story, the real adventure involves the obstacles, difficulties and technical problems the 
  team  will  endure.  Mix  in  a  dash  of  secret  agendas  and  the  science  expedition  doesn’t  need  to  find  
  dormant alien robots or diamonds the size of your head, to be exciting.  
   
  Inspiration for the dynamics and work of the science team (but definitely not the findings!) include 
  the movies Prometheus, The Sphere, Red Planet, Mission to Mars and 2010. More realistic 
  inspiration is provided by a multitude of excellent National Geographic and BBC documentaries that 
  follow a science team investigating a habitat, volcano or other feature.  Examples  include  the  BBC’s  
  Lost Land of the Jaguar and the TV show Oceans.  
   
  RUNNING A CAMPAIGN 
   
  Should the referee and players decide to stick with the default campaign premise for Orbital, then 
  the player characters will be spacers, the rough and tough crew of a deep space vehicle owned by 
  a corporation that leases its spacecraft out to agencies, individuals and corporations. Like the crew 
  of a salvage or heavy lift ship today, the PCs will find themselves engaged in diverse, challenging 
  and dangerous jobs with every mission.   
   
  One month may involve dropping a cargo of habitat modules into the Martian atmosphere, a few 
  months later it could be salvaging a robotic drilling rig in the asteroid belt that has come to the 
  
   
  218 | P a g e  
   
  end of its useful life. The emphasis  is  on  ‘being  in  space’, working in space and dealing with all of 
  the challenges that operating in the solar system throws at them. The referee can put all kinds of 
  obstacles in the way of PCs, making the outcome of a mission always uncertain. It will be 
  ingenuity, resourcefulness, skill and bravery that will see them right in the end – or alternatively, 
  asphyxiated, frozen, irradiated, boiled, depressurized or out of a job! The death toll for civilian 
  spacers, guys and girls just doing their job in the black between the planets, is alarmingly high; 
  modern maritime work is no different. In the twelve months of 2011, for example, a mining 
  platform as well as a dozen cargo ships had sunk and more than a hundred crewmen tragically 
  killed.  
   
  In many, many role playing games characters are hard-headed heroes and often skilled fighters 
  (or at least easily able to take care of themselves); they are action-driven doers, larger than life 
  extra-ordinary heroes. However, in Orbital the characters are qualified space crewmen, technical 
  experts and astronauts responsible for operating a multi-million credit interplanetary transport 
  across the solar system. Now that doesn't sound exciting does it? For a real-life astronaut, the 
  chance to travel through deep space would be a fantastic personal experience, but in all 
  probability (unless something went wrong) it would make dull as dish-water gaming. Astronauts 
  have such long and laborious technical tasks to carry out that from a gaming perspective they 
  have little free time and no real independence.  
   
  In Orbital, there's a lot more latitude. Although they are assigned missions by their patron (the 
  DSV owner), they are given plenty of freedom in carrying out that mission. The team are free to 
  achieve their mission goals in the way they see fit, changing trajectories, stop-overs and swapping 
  priorities. Most of the missions will be interesting, some will be challenging, and hopefully the GM 
  can make them somewhat enigmatic as well. Occasionally they will be dangerous. Every one will 
  involve some kind of complication. As an option, additional drama can come from the characters 
  themselves, and their allegiances to their respective ally groups.  
   
  Complications 
  A haulage or salvage job forms the backdrop for personal dramas. As such you don't really need to 
  worry about alien warlords, lasers, bandits, mercenary wars or piracy - not every mission, anyway! 
  Transport and salvage missions, like those in the real world, can seem quite mundane and prosaic. 
  It is a good idea to give every mission a complication: 
   
   
  A  cargo  that  is  dangerous,  but  the  client  hasn’t  said  so. 
   
  A piece of kit that needs to be relied upon, but that reliably fails. 
   
  Red tape stops unloading, for a time sensitive cargo.  
   
  On a remote world, several legitimate factors arrive to take possession of the cargo. 
   
  The secret service want to use the DSV and crew to spy on another government. 
   
  A rival DSV has been tasked to destroy a wreck due for salvage. 
   
  The station taking delivery is mysteriously abandoned. 
   
  A strange disease begins to spread through the crew.  
   
  A delivered cargo is illegal and seized, along with the DSV. 
   
  Secret Agendas 
  If the referee and players choose, the impersonal universe and its dangers and the daily missions 
  assigned to the crew, are just a background to more personal dramas. The use of secret agendas 
  is entirely optional. If used, each player selects an organization at the start of the game with which 
  to ally his character.  
   
  As an example, a newly created character might select the Erebus corporation as his ally. It is 
  assumed that characters are in touch with their ally, or usually act in the ally's best interests. On 
  
   
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  some of the missions the character undertakes, Erebus will give him some extra task to 
  accomplish. It may be nothing more than 'report to us - tell us what the mission achieved', it may 
  be more, such as 'pass us blueprints of the cargo', right up to the ultimate 'your navigator works 
  for a rival - discredit and replace her'. Tasks and objectives such as murder and assassination are 
  not what Orbital is about - save it for some near-future cyberpunk game. This is a game of 
  interpersonal politics on the fringe of human society and things are carried out much more subtly, 
  with care and attention to detail. Just like life, everyone has their own secret agenda. We don't kill 
  each other. Hey, even the pissed off Marines in the movie Aliens didn't shoot the double-crossing 
  corporate executive Carter Burke, did they? Play it subtle.  
   
   
  The Benefit of Status 
  How does allying with a group benefit the character? The player character's standing with the ally 
  group is given a rating called Status. Player characters are forced to work secretly to achieve ally 
  group aims and gain Status in secret. This forms a whole new fund of benefits and resources that 
  a player can tap. Status is fluid and unofficial. Essentially, the character will receive minor (or not 
  so minor) tasks to complete during his routine missions. By successfully carrying out a task he gets 
  a +1 bonus to his Status. Often it is best to keep one's ally faction secret - just in case a rival 
  group is represented by a team-mate. Status begins at 4. A failed secret mission will garner no 
  status increase, and a botched secret ally mission will probably result in a status penalty.  
   
  Having a high status gets the character access to useful contacts quickly, to borrowed equipment, 
  to materials, to information, to resources, to secret slush funds (perhaps up to Cr1,000 per point 
  of  current  Status)  and  to  ‘clout’  higher  up  in  the  group  if  needed.  All  these  things  make  life  easier  
  and often turn a difficult secret mission into a much less difficult one! When the player decides his 
  character needs one of the 'perks' just listed, the referee calls for a roll of 2D6. The player must 
  roll equal to or less than his current Status score to gain the perk. However, sometimes certain 
  perks will just not be available at all. Each time a roll is made (successful or not) the Status score 
  is lowered by 1 pt. Further rolls continue to lower the score. The benefits of Status are very tightly 
  constricted to that organization's aims and activities. Be warned that the acquisition of Status can 
  foster a very competitive style of play.  
   
   
  Joining Forces With Another Character 
  By now it should be pretty obvious where this kind of game is headed. The situation puts all of the 
  player characters together and forces them to co-operate to succeed in their DSV mission as well 
  as give them competing secret agendas to pursue in light of ally groups. Total co-operation with 
  another player-character is not an ideal situation from   the   referee’s   perspective,   if two player 
  characters find they share the same ally group or agenda, then the referee has lost a point of 
  friction (and therefore interest). Or has he? It might not be the end of the world if both players 
  find out that their characters are both allied with the Cydonians. Yes, they may begin to work 
  together, but this trust can readily be exploited by a diligent referee. Chances are they know 
  different Cydonian contacts, and will be issued with slightly different orders. In fact, the chances 
  are that each contact will represent a separate (and perhaps rival) faction within the Cydonian 
  movement. Imagine the player's surprise when his character is ordered to erase all of his Cydonian 
  comrade's files ... Remember, conflict = story... 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  Example Mission: ‘RIG  L6650’   
   
  The Situation 
  There are four crewmembers of the DSV Vanishing Point: Carina Zhao, pilot and captain; Richter, 
  the co-pilot and navigator; Neven, the engineer; and Lin, the medic.  
   
  Although they work as a team, they are secretly divided. Carina is allied to the Earth Union military 
  and feeds information to them, perhaps her father was an officer. Richter is a spy for the 
  corporation that owns and operates the Vanishing Point, he earns extra privileges and a wage 
  bonus for reporting on any infractions or embezzlement by his crewmates. Neven is receiving 
  payments  from  a  rival  corporation  that  often  competes  with  the  DSV’s  owners  for  contracts.  He  
  may let the corporation in on secrets, and try to keep the crew of the Vanishing Point off his 
  patron’s  back if there is ever a conflict of interest during a mission. Lin is a Luna agent (connected 
  through an ex-partner) and she keeps this secret, but she may try to skew the mission outcomes 
  in favour of the Lunar Republic if given half a chance. None of the respective players know each 
  others allegiances, and the game would be ruined if this information were to be shared. These 
  secret agendas often lay dormant until an opportunity arises, and in some games the characters 
  will act normally, with no opportunity or reason to engage in espionage, deceit or theft.  
   
  The crew of the Vanishing Point are sent out to an asteroid deep within the Asteroid Belt. The 
  team’s  mission  is  to  decommission  an  old  robotic  mining  rig  that  had  been  placed  there  by  the  
  Lunar Republic a decade ago. Today it is out-of-date and broken down and requires stripping 
  down at L5 and recycling.  The DSV will rendezvous with the asteroid and the team will EVA to cut 
  the four legs that have drilled themselves into the rock. The three-part hull needs to be separated 
  and the machinery loaded on board, along with the large solar panels. Disassembled, the entire rig 
  should just about fit  within  the  Vanishing  Point’s  hold.   
   
  Complications (or, What Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong) 
  What are the spanners we can throw into the works? Firstly, cutting the legs does not go 
  smoothly. The fourth leg remains impervious, which means the rig cannot be hauled up (using a 
  grappling  arm)  next  to  the  DSV’s  hold  where  it  can  be  stripped  and  loaded on-board. Instead a 
  number of lengthy EVAs down to the asteroid surface are going to have to be made. Can the team 
  provide a method of severing Leg #4 that is more effective than the plasma cutters they have up 
  till now been using? Secondly, this old Luna rig may hold some cold war secrets. Perhaps it was 
  used for surreptitious surveillance of Earth Union movements in the Belt (in the same way some 
  Russian trawlers were kitted out as spy ships). Some way into the disassembly, perhaps at a 
  moment of crisis, such  as  an  EVA  accident,  the  rig’s  hidden  sensor  array  will  activate,  jamming  all  
  sensors and comms in the area. This should create fear, make life difficult and perhaps prove 
  dangerous.   
   
  Agendas 
  Each player is given the general mission briefing from their employer as well as a highly secret 
  personal briefing from their Ally Group. These are the briefings provided to Carina, Richter, Neven 
  and Lin: 
   
   
  Carina – The military suspect that Rig L6650 may have been used by Luna for illegal surveillance. 
  Find  material  evidence.  ‘Bring  it  back.’   
   
  Richter – As   usual,   watch   out   for   anything   which   looks   like   it   might   not   be   in   the   company’s  
  interest.  ‘Report  back  and  earn  a  bonus!’ 
   
  Neven –No  special  orders  for  this  mission.  ‘Do  your  job.’ 
   
  Lin – Lin is informed that the rig contains illegal sensor gear and exactly where it is. She is given a 
  passcode which can be input at a maintenance hatch to create a localized self destruct sequence, 
  this will turn the sensor equipment to scrap with a built-in  thermite  charge.  ‘Do  not  let  anyone  see  
  you  do  this!’ 
  
   
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  The Resolution 
  We will describe the basic flow of this sample mission as an example of how a typical agenda-
  driven game should run. The team arrives in the Vanishing Point and descends in suits to cut the 
  legs.  Lin  is  left  on  the  DSV,  much  to  her  annoyance,  yet  she  doesn’t  want  to  seem  pushy.  The  
  problem with Leg #4 is encountered and the team take a rest to discuss this. Lin offers to bring 
  charges down and she brings an additional charge and detonator with her. Lin, Richter and Neven 
  set   the   charges   while   Carina   Zhao   scouts   around   ‘for   anything   that   might   be   damaged   by   the  
  explosives’.  She  is  looking  for  Luna  sensor  technology, but does not find it. The team decide the 
  solar panels might be damaged by zero-G shrapnel and disassemble them before blowing the leg.  
   
  As the charge goes off the Luna sensor jammer turns on with an ear-splitting howl in their suit 
  phones. Everyone starts exploring in silence, Lin heads for the access hatch and begins the code 
  input. Richter sees her and tries to challenge her. They touch helmets to communicate directly and 
  she  claims  she  is  ‘trying  to  get  in’.    He  helps  and  she  sets  the  code  that  blows up the sensors, 
  quickly restoring comms. When Carina finds she may have just missed the chance to locate a trove 
  of high-tech Lunar electronics she  is  furious,  but  can’t  show  her  frustration,  because  Lin  ‘did  good’.    
  After pulling the rig up to the DSV, they begin the disassembly. During the work Carinia fails a task 
  roll and collides with hull plating, knocking herself unconscious and floating free, to be rescued by 
  Neven. Later, on-board, Carina sifts through the wreckage and finds surviving evidence of an 
  illegal sensor array. Richter sees her take this and reports back to his superiors that she is a thief. 
   
  Does Lin find out about this surviving piece of the array? Of course she does! What will she do 
  about it? Neven is told by the computer that part of the rig had been melted by a thermite charge. 
  Will he go to investigate? Will he find his own evidence? What if an Earth Union vehicle, in orbit 
  nearby,  manoeuvres  across  to  board  the  DSV  and  conduct  a  ‘routine  search’  (in  other  words,  try  to  
  find parts of the array...). Even more disturbing, what would happen should a Luna cargo craft 
  nearby appeal for help before the Vanishing Point launches for the inner worlds? Is it a ruse to get 
  some Luna secret service personnel on-board to ensure the array is destroyed? What lengths will 
  they go to make sure nothing gets back to L5 intact?  Would they sabotage the drives of the 
  Vanishing Point? Or will Lin make contact, revealing her sympathies to the Luna cargo crewmen?    
   
  Get the idea? No fights, no shots exchanged. No physical conflict, but a definite lack of trust and 
  no-one  is  ever  quite  sure  of  the  others'  motives.  The  referee  can’t  ban  any  physical  conflict,  but  it  
  should be an unwritten rule: the player characters never try to harm one another. Secret 
  agendas are best dealt with using a few hand-written notes, quickly passed, rather than private 
  chats. Any group using this secret agenda mechanic should understand that occasional notes will 
  be passed between the referee and the players and that none of the character’s  lives  are  at  risk  
  from these notes.  
   
   
  
   
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  NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS 
   
  Mars NPCS 
   
       Hatta Goldbeck (Researcher):  Hatta is a renowned geologist from the University of 
  Adrienne. His field is sedimentary structures, though his recent work has led him to look for 
  ‘quarries’  that  supplied  stone  for  the  great  ruins  at  Cydonia.  He  is  still  looking.  Hatta  is  a  slight  
  man  in  his  50’s,  with  a  polite  yet  serious  demeanour. Recently two attempts on his life have him 
  extremely scared, he has abandoned his work in the Cydonia area and returned to analysing 
  stream bed deposits. Hatta may need help if he finds that the assassins are not going to give up. 
  Why do they want him dead? Are they warning him off? Who do they represent, and why?  
   
       Andrea Milanezi (Administrator):  Andrea is a cool 34 year-old junior minister of finance in 
  the Reunion government, and she is a rising star. Pretty, confident, some would say arrogant; she 
  will go far. However, she has experienced a number of burglaries recently. They may be the 
  crimes of an old lover trying to retrieve an item of great sentimental value, a journalist after 
  sensitive information, or a rival party trying to recover documents stolen by Milanezi. It is telling 
  that the young woman has not told the security forces. Why?  
   
       Lonzo Remick (Underworld Leader):  Mars is a world of hard-working individuals and 
  grafters, but there is a small underworld community of smugglers, counterfeiters, extortionists and 
  thugs. Mostly they come from the world of the disenchanted mining community. Remick is one of 
  these. He runs a prostitution ring in Shaeffer and he supplies legal recreational drugs to workers.  
  He has contacts at Phobos Station and at Reunion spaceport and is well connected. He is also 
  brutal. There are four unsolved murders at Shaeffer that Remick is responsible for, although these 
  days he hires guys to do that kind of work for him. Remick is an ugly, shaven-headed man in his 
  forties who masquerades as a mining personnel agent. Remick is thinking big and wants to expand 
  his operations, but he needs off-world contacts, new routes of supply and a reliable importer. Do 
  the  PCs  have  a  role  in  Remick’s  plans?     
   
       Robert Stone (Soldier):  Stone is a member of the Mars Regiment, a paramilitary brigade of 
  professionals, supplemented by part-timers and national servicemen. He has seen action against  
  members of the Red Faction in the last five years, and knows a good deal about the insurgency. 
  Yet the conflict is rarely mentioned in the newscasts, when Stone visits the cities he feels he and 
  his  men  are  fighting  for  people  who  don’t  care  about the war. Stone is a tall, dark-haired man, 
  thoughtful and clever. Stone is at a crisis point in his life. He has met Reds, sat in on interrogations 
  and heard their views and he was once witness to a brutal murder of two Red suspects that the 
  army covered up.  As he sees the impact of development on Mars, he has begun to question the 
  war. Can we win? Should we win? Should humans even be here? Stone is ripe for Red Faction 
  brain-washing, but perhaps the way the war is being waged has already done that job for them ...  
   
       Alexander Kozak (Space Force Officer):  Yes, Mars has its own space force (although it 
  concerns itself mainly with orbital security, safety checks and customs searches). Lieutenant Kozak 
  is a confident technical expert, a computer and  tactical  officer  on  one  of  the  space  force’s  smaller  
  vehicles. He could be encountered on Phobos or at Reunion, or anywhere on Mars, since he is an 
  avid   climber   and   caver.   Recently   Kozak’s   vehicle,   the   Oppenheimer,   seized   a   cargo of stolen 
  hormone triggers from an incoming transport, biogenic body modifiers untested and unlicensed 
  and no doubt destined for Shaeffer. Kozak took a cut of the stuff and has them at his apartment in 
  Reunion. His morality has crumbled ... but what now? His girlfriend Maria has found  out  what  he’s  
  done, and left him. Does he sell them? Ditch them? Hand himself in? What a fool .... 
   
  
   
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  Luna NPCS 
   
       Eddy Zhao - Eddy is a senior administrator at Port Selene, Luna's main spaceport located at 
  Cold Mountain. He is a busy man, with his finger on the pulse of the port and connections with 
  people all across the facility. In recent years, Eddy has been working with a mysterious financier to 
  supply arms to the Reds on Mars. He cooks the books to ensure his tracks are covered and the 
  identity of his financial backer is kept secret. Zhao is a slim man, calm and serene, but he is  
  greedy and will do almost anything to feather his nest.  
   
       Li Johnson - Li is a spy for the Earth Union, currently working as a Republic Space Force 
  officer at Port Selene. Although of fairly low rank, Li is part of the security detail and tasked with 
  searching vehicles just landed. She is a diligent and model employee. Her position allows her to 
  pick up packages or communications hidden aboard a recently arrived vehicle. Likewise, she is able 
  to smuggle things out. Li is small and wiry, her hair is cut into a bob.  
   
       Ling Westcott - Ling is a veteran miner who has worked on oxygen mines, helium-3 mines, 
  iron and aluminium mines. These days he acts as a recruiting agent for the mining industry, 
  finding suitable miners and hiring them out as a team. He is a member of the exclusive Copernicus 
  Brotherhood, and his teams can also work on difficult jobs or mine rescue missions. Ling is a tough 
  cookie who drives his mining teams hard, but retains a professional edge. He always meets his 
  deadlines. He has a shaven head with elaborate tattoos all across the back of it.  
   
       Torregrosa Jones - Jones is a young spacer who has recently been fired from the Centennial 
  corporation. She is an navigator and mechanical engineer who has a long term problem with drugs 
  that has got her into trouble. She is looking to hire onto a crew again and get away from Luna. 
  She is streetwise and, though young, she always seems to stumble onto street deals, fixers, other 
  hustlers and corrupt security officers. Back on Luna Jones feels like a fish out of water, security is 
  tight and there is only a watered-down underworld. The real 'action' is elsewhere in the solar 
  system.  
   
       Belanyek - Belanyek is a skilled civil engineer who has worked on several high profile building 
  projects on Luna. He has recently been hired to plan a new settlement project based around an 
  aluminium mine. He will need to carry out surveys, gather teams and equipment, as project 
  manager he will be given total control ... only there are things he isn't being told. There are mine 
  workings and shafts that must not be touched, the project seems to be a science base, but there 
  seems to be some military advisors with oversight. What is going on?  
   
       Dr Tsang Bo-Lin - One of Luna's top astrophysicists, and a senior lecturer at the University of 
  Tranquillity, Bo-Lin has a reputation amongst Earth academia too. The scientist is often rocketing 
  around the solar system on a Luna research vehicle and a government grant. He has gathered an 
  eclectic mix of crewmen around him, rogues, misfits and free thinkers, but experts in their field 
  every one. There are rumours that the Luna military are pulling his strings and that he is on the 
  trail of Cydonian remains. Some think that his media profile could really expand, dangerously so  
  and that the government want him kept at arms length - in orbit around some distant moon! 
   
  Earth NPCS 
   
       Prince Nicholas II of Monaco - Prince Nicholas is the head of state of the principality of 
  Monaco, a rich and independent financial  city  and  banking  centre  in  the  south  of  France.    Monaco’s  
  vast financial service industry is, in 2100, split between the European city-state and the wholly-
  owned SGS-90 Grimaldi Station. Nicholas is one of the wealthiest men on Earth, although he 
  spends much of his time at L4 Vanderveen and travelling the solar system on business in his 
  
   
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  executive transport,      the   ‘Salvatica   del   Carretto’.  With little actual work   to   do,   Nicholas   (‘His  
  Serene   Highness’,   if   the   situation   calls   for   it   …)   is   one   of   the   solar   system’s   playboys,   an  
  adventurer and self-financed traveller, sponsoring exotic expeditions and investigations. As always 
  he takes a direct role in the expeditions he is funding, and there is sometimes a camera crew 
  around making a documentary about the mission. Nicholas is a dedicated man who has a 
  university degree in astrophysics and qualifications in handling space suits, rovers and scientific 
  equipment. He is bullish, stubborn and hyper-critical of those he employs.  
   
       General Wade Cronenberg (Senior Army Officer):  Cronenberg is angry with the recent 
  thawing of relations between Luna and the Earth Union. He led the invasion forces onto Titan in 
  2095 and was rewarded for his clearly defined vision and clean execution with a top job in the 
  Department for Defence Co-ordination (DDC), Now he fears that the efforts were for nothing and 
  that Titan, with Lunar backing, will rule the Saturnian system. Cronenberg has established his own 
  line of communications amongst loyal officers within the Earth Space Force ready to act on his 
  instructions.   This   informal   secret   organisation   is   known   to   its   members   as   ‘Channel   X’.  
  Cronenberg’s  agents  are  all  within  the  military, many are stationed in Jupiter and Saturnian space, 
  all are ready to carry out acts of espionage and perhaps even sabotage to ensure the sacrifices 
  made by Earth soldiers on Titan were not in vain.    
   
       Evelyn Frost (Asteroid Heiress):  Privately owned asteroids are not uncommon as it is legal 
  to lay stake to any rock smaller than 5 km in diameter so long as a physical or remote presence is 
  maintained.  Most consist of nothing more than several habs supported by an ORVIN.  This makes  
  ‘Goscinny Castle’ something of an anomaly in the belt.  Located on the near Earth asteroid 4179 
  Toutatis, the Castle is probably the most elaborate single family dwelling ever built outside of the 
  Earth-Luna system.  It is owned by actress and outspoken supporter of the Cascadian Alliance, 
  Evelyn Frost. Frost was formerly Evelyn Goscinny, her recent messy divorce from French 
  billionaire, Jean-Paul Goscinny, made headlines throughout the system.  The trial that followed 
  was a media circus, but Evelyn was able to keep the deed to Toutatis and thus Goscinny Castle.  
  Though taking time off from acting and personal appearances she still does a weekly four hour live 
  broadcast that consists mainly of celebrity interviews and ends with a half hour long investigative 
  segment that often has a pro-Cascadian Alliance message. Recently her extremely popular weekly 
  show  went  off  air  just  a  few  minutes  in,  and  the  show’s  guests  were  unable  to  dock  at  the  Castle.     
   
       Carmen Xuesen (Hustler):  Lifted from the ghettos of the Pearl River megacity, Carmen 
  lives by the rules which saw her survive and thrive in the dog-eat-dog street culture in which she 
  grew up. With her striking good looks and body tattoos, Carmen cuts her distinctive way through 
  interplanetary society as a courier for a criminal syndicate. On the streets she used to hustle 
  unlicensed drugs as well as biologicals and hormonal triggers. Twists of fate brought her to the 
  attention of the Tijuana Brothers during a job that took her to Florida. Today Carmen can be 
  accompanying legal or illegal cargoes, verifying goods the Tijuana Brothers want to deal in, 
  carrying money, samples or threats to friends and foes of the criminal bosses from Mercury to 
  Pluto.  
    
       Ramon Mantega (Belt Miner):  Once an Earth Union soldier, Staff Sergeant Mantega was 
  given a medical discharge after losing both legs to an anti-personnel mine. His Brazilian regiment 
  had been conducting peace-keeping operations in northern Kashmir. Later, with some buddies and 
  his pension, Ramon set out for the asteroids, a place his lack of legs seemed irrelevant. Together, 
  with Ramon leading, these veteran soldiers have established a reasonably profitable enterprise. 
  Nicknamed  ‘Mantega’s  Miners’  they  have  a  good  reputation  and  other  miners  like  to  do  business  
  with them. Recently trouble has developed; Luna loyalists have been sabotaging claims and 
  automated  equipment...  it’s  only  a  matter  of  time  before  an  Earth  miner  gets  killed.  The military 
  that   share   the   base   on   Ida   with   Southern   Cross   Mining   don’t   seem   interested.   People   want   to  
  
   
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  know  of  Mantega’s  Miners  will  help  them,  will  they  dust  off  that  military training and put a stop to 
  Luna-inspired harassment?  
   
       Indah & Rahman (Migrants): This young couple from Jakarta in Indonesia have been 
  looking for a new life for four years. Their respective families are desperately poor and have 
  placed all of their hopes onto the shoulders of their children. At first they got jobs on the big krill 
  ships going south into the Southern Ocean, later they worked illegally in Australia at the Olympic 
  Dam mines. Finally, after huge payments to the Snakeheads, they seemed to have struck it lucky 
  and gotten a ticket to the asteroids. Miners were reputed to be sending home tens of thousands of 
  credits back every year. Sadly, the Snakeheads delivered only misery; they arrived on asteroid 
  1888 Zu Chong-Zhi to be met by a gang master and twenty other unfortunates. They are currently 
  working on Zu Chong-Zhi as slaves, paying for their air, water and food by meeting their quotas. 
  Every possible corner is cut and the asteroid is pretty rich in minerals, but the Snakeheads take all 
  the profit. None of the migrants get to leave, and all want to. Rahman is gentle and fears more for 
  his beautiful Indra. Three migrants died of the bends last month during an airlock malfunction – 
  who will be next? Rahman plans to lead a mutiny when a supply vehicle arrives to take off the ore, 
  to hijack the vehicle at return to Earth. He knows the crew will probably be oblivious to the plight 
  of the miners on 1888, but it is a desperate measure that he has to take.  
   
       Vernon Stanwick (Club Owner): Ida is the centre of the Earth-based mining community 
  within the Asteroid Belt, the base there is dominated by the operations of Southern Cross Mining, 
  but an important military outpost, the Nigel Leakey Earth Space Force defence base, also exists 
  there. Vernon owns and runs a club on Ida, it is a bar and Net hangout during the day and a 
  restaurant and nightclub in the evening. 'The Square Club' is popular with everyone on the 
  tumbling rock, which makes Verne a man with some important friends and favours to call in. A 
  thick-necked bruiser from London, Verne looks like the archetypal gangster, with gold chain and 
  tattooed knuckles. Looks can deceive, though, he has a long history in the music industry and 
  although he has acted as a fixer and middleman for several illegal deals, he is a man of integrity 
  and a man to be trusted. Verne's a good man to have as a friend, if he can't help you then he 
  certainly knows someone who can.  
   
       Marshal David Reinjang (SARA detective):  Of mixed American-Thai heritage, Reinjang is 
  an investigator working for the Earth Union's SARA interplanetary police force. He specialises in 
  people-smuggling, but his work on the space lanes has brought him into conflict not just with 
  Snakeheads but also the Tijuana Brothers, Brazil's Primeiro Comando and the Triads. He is cool 
  and tight-lipped, a middle-aged man who is careworn and cynical. Out in the depths of the solar 
  system Reinjang and his team feel they are fighting against a growing tide of crime that reaches 
  further out each year. Find Reinjang on Ida, at the Vanderveen colony or on Janus & Epimetheus.  
   
   
  ALIENS 
   
  Where are the aliens? Ruins were found on Mars back in the 2020s that were immediately 
  attributed to some sort of extra-terrestrial civilisation. Where are they? What were they like? Was 
  life ever found on Europa or Mars?  
   
  This section has purposefully been left till the end of the book because it provides an opportunity 
  for the referee to go to town with any theory he fancies or to even import aliens from other 
  games, movies or novels. The discovery of life and what happens next is a staple of science fiction 
  that   goes   way   back   and   the   ‘emerging   space-faring   society’   of   2100   is   exactly the kind of 
  civilisation that will soon be faced with such dilemmas. What will explorers find? What have they 
  found within  those  Cydonian  pyramids?  Giger’s  Alien?  A  dozen  of  Lovecraft’s  Flying Polyps?  
  
   
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  This section will also layout what might have been found on Mars and elsewhere and provide a set 
  of aliens the referee can use as a setting tool.  
   
  We Found Life! 
  Life has been found on Mars, on the cloud-tops of Venus and within the subsurface ocean of 
  Europa, see the relevant listings within the Worlds chapter for more information. In all three cases 
  the  type  of  life  took  scientists  by  surprise;;  it  wasn’t microbial, it was big. Explorers could see the 
  organisms with the naked eye and some of the sea creatures on Europa are as big as terrestrial 
  fish. These  discoveries  altered  mankind’s  world-view, there was no doubt of that, but as the shock 
  wore off these new ecologies became something new to study and quickly became as familiar as 
  any of the more exotic Earth-side micro-ecologies. What happens next varies from world to world; 
  on Venus the organisms are simply studied, on Mars it appears some of the organisms are 
  flourishing with the warmer, wetter conditions, while other species are declining. On Europa the 
  colonists are able to catch and even eat the local organisms, although the first colonist to take a 
  bite certainly took a chance!  
   
   
  SETI – Intelligent Life 
  The Search for Extra-terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) is a co-operative group of scientists, activities 
  and projects that has been looking for evidence of intelligent extra-terrestrial life amongst the 
  stars.  Some of the most well known projects have been run by Harvard University, the University 
  of California, Berkeley and the SETI Institute. Methods include monitoring electromagnetic 
  radiation for signs of transmissions from civilizations on other worlds. The first SETI conference 
  took place at Green Bank, West Virginia in November 1961 and Carl Sagan was one of the ten 
  attendees. While we have only just pressed our ears to the interstellar glass, within the next 
  century surely we will have heard what there is to hear on the other side of the wall. Here then, 
  are eight possible SETI intercepts, discovered either through listening for radio broadcasts or the 
  direct observation of atmospheric pollution which indicated industrial level technology. A referee 
  can ignore these, pick one as the focus of a game, or allow them all to be bona fide signals if he or 
  she chooses.  
   
  
   
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  Cydonians (verified 2023) – This civilisation left ruins on Mars and possibly elsewhere in the 
  solar system (some scientists also suspect Mimas and Iapetus). Their place of origin is as of yet, 
  unknown. See the section entitled The Real Cydonians (later).  
   
  The Musicians (verified by radio telescope: 2043) - The Musicians are so named because of 
  the content of their broadcast. The radio signal received from them consists solely of music in 
  what can only be described as a concerto. Numerous separate instruments have been identified 
  along with what appear to be three distinct organic singing voices. The ‘Soul of the Stars’, as the 
  music is called, has been used and abused by media and advertising. Scientists, cryptologists and 
  linguists are all still trying to find hidden meaning within its notes. Oddly, its star of origin is a dim 
  red dwarf just eighteen light years from Sol past 61 Cygni, with no evidence of a habitable planet. 
  It appears the signal did not begin broadcasting until quite recently and, unfortunately, the signal 
  strength has been gradually decreasing over the last five years. Researchers believe that it will be 
  lost to background radiation before the end of the next decade. 
   
  WOW Civilization (unverified signal: 1977, verified by radio telescope: 2064) - Despite a 
  brief portion of its signal having been noticed in 1977, the WOW Civilization is typically listed as 
  the third alien society to be discovered by human kind. The second WOW signal was discovered by 
  Luna’s   massive   Möbius-A Farside Observatory and shortly thereafter caused major power and 
  control failures within the observatory and associated systems. Lunar officials were able to take 
  the Observatory offline and isolate the intrusive programming inserted by WOW. Further 
  observation found that the WOW signal originated from a gas giant orbiting the G class star 
  Omega Sagittarii, some 78 light  years  from  Sol.  Due  to  the  gas  giant’s slow orbit around its parent 
  star, the WOW signal is only detectable for a few days out of every eighty-six and a half years. 
  The WOW virus downloaded by Luna, code-named Poison Arrow, is kept isolated in a secure data 
  fortress at the observatory. Unverified rumours exist that a portion of the virus was also 
  downloaded by the Big Ear radio-telescope in 1977 but that it was unable to harm any local 
  networks due to the primitive state of human computer technology at the time. Further reports 
  claim that several of the creepy super computer viruses of the early 21st century, notably Stuxnet 
  and Agent.btz, had WOW programming as part of their coding. 
   
  Alien Species Four (verified by optical observation: 2072, possible radio signals 
  detected: 2081) - Not much is known about Alien Species Four other than their being an 
  industrial level society. Their planet orbits a main sequence K type star and has oceans over 70% 
  of its surface. This star, Gliese 667 is located about 22.1 light years from Earth. There is some 
  evidence that these aliens have both radio and space launch technology.  
   
  The Lost People (verified by radio telescope: 2065, and optical viewing: 2070)  - This 
  alien broadcast consists of a huge data dump of encyclopaedic knowledge about the aliens, 
  although only fragments can be understood. It continued for several years interrupted periodically 
  by orbital rotation of the origin. In 2069 it stopped suddenly during mid broadcast. Scientists used 
  the newly constructed Mimir Space Observatory to get an optical view of the planet a year later. 
  Sadly, it soon became apparent that the planet had undergone a massive nuclear war or possible 
  asteroid strike and was now entering a severe nuclear winter. This planet orbits a K type star 
  about 42 LY away called HD40307. 
   
  Alien Species Six (verified by optical observation: 2079, faint radio waves detected: 
  2083) - Detected by the Comprehensive Near Systems Life Search made by SETI from 2077 to  
  2090; Alien Species Six seems on the way towards extinction as well. Its atmosphere is heavily 
  polluted and there is evidence of the possible use of nuclear weapons. Furthermore there are 
  numerous odd sources of neutrino and hawking radiation within the star system as well as several 
  neighbouring systems. Species Six is located about 36 light years from Sol within the system of 
  Gamma Serpentis, a bright F-class sub-dwarf. 
  
   
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  The Big Pulse (verified by radio telescope: 2084) - The signal known as the Big Pulse is the 
  most distant alien signal yet detected by humanity. Originating over 1,200 light years from Earth, 
  the Big Pulse was briefly thought to be a natural pulsar but recent observations have shown this to 
  be incorrect. Current theory holds that the Big Pulse may be something of a light house or 
  navigation beacon for its creator species.  
   
  Alien Species Eight (verified by optical observation: 2090) - Known popularly as the 
  Cygnians, the civilisation native to 61 Cygni B-II is the most recently discovered alien species. It is  
  also the closest alien species at only 11.4 light years from Sol. Atmospheric content suggests that 
  there is very little industrial development on the planet but there is notable volcanic activity.  
   
  The Future 
  The summary of the eight species suggestions listed here does not include the many other exo-
  planets suspected of harbouring life that have oxygen rich atmospheres. Currently that list has 
  reached thirty-eight worlds, including one circling Alpha   Centauri   A,   one   of   Sol’s   closest  
  neighbours. Given the ubiquitous nature of life in the known portions of the galaxy, and in the 
  solar system in general, many philosophies and religions have had to adapt. While the presence of 
  these alien races and the ruins on Mars does not much affect the daily lives of most humans, it has 
  led to changes in how mankind perceives both itself and the universe as a whole. The idea that 
  humans are in no way special has proven disheartening for many, especially the devout, but 
  equally important has been the abrupt end to our eternal loneliness. The idea that one day 
  humans will stand face to face with another intelligent creature and perhaps sit down to debate 
  the great questions of the universe has had a very telling effect on our identity and sense of 
  belonging.  
   
  SETI and its associates were forced to abandon their planned twenty year Comprehensive Near 
  Systems Life Search due to the Titan Crisis and due to extensive damage done to the Mimir array 
  caused by a terrorist attack. The current detente has proven to be a boon and the repairs and 
  upgrades to Mimir are nearing completion. Additionally, Luna has finally reopened several of its 
  radio telescope arrays for SETI use and will commence the Deep Space Extra-terrestrial 
  Intelligence Search in early 2102. SETI on the other hand, will begin to refocus on those 
  civilisations that are already known and located (if the referee decides to use them). A movement 
  of scientists and thinkers on Earth known as the Voyagers are putting pressure on the government 
  and on government agencies to consider funding an interstellar mission using nuclear pulse drives. 
  Their concept project is called Daedalus.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  12   RESOURCES 
   
   
  Movies 
  Short reviews of SF movies from the past four decades, not based on plot and drama, but on 
  technology and potential usefulness to an Orbital scenario! 
   
  2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) – A stunning movie in everyway, but for me the attention to 
  detail  in  the  spaceflight  sequences  makes  this  the  bar  all  other  ‘hard’  SF  movies  strive  to  reach.  
  There are a couple of concessions Kubrick makes, but on the whole the look of this film and its 
  level of technology inspired much of what appears in Orbital. The curved interior of Spacestation 
  V, the entire design (inside and out) of the Ares moon lander, the Luna moonbus, the Orion III 
  spaceplane, the centrifuge on the Discovery, the workpods, the way in which the airlocks work ... 
  there’s  so  much  here  to  admire  and  use  in  your  game.  Orbital’s standard airlock is based on that 
  used in the “HAL, open the pod bay doors” sequence.  
   
  2010 (1984) – The movie sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey does not disappoint the fan of space 
  technology. The Soviet deep space vehicle, the Alexei Leonov, has a rotating spin habitat and an 
  inspiring interior, it also carries robot probes and a telescoping docking tunnel. Watch for the EVA 
  that is carried out to reach the Discovery in orbit over Io as well as the aero-braking manoeuvre. 
  The politics of the movie, with a split US/Soviet crew being forced to react to events in the Cold 
  War back on Earth provide a useful analogy to the tensions that will exist between crews from 
  Luna and Earth.  
   
  The Abyss (1989) – Look at this outstanding movie in one of two ways, as a guide to operations 
  within the subsurface oceans of Europa and Enceladus, or as a straight-up tale of miners on an 
  asteroid or remote moon. If you simply pretend the subs are orbital craft and the moon pool is an 
  airlock, you can certainly use the mining rig as inspiration for something on a similar scale in 
  Orbital.   Personally   I   don’t   like   the   big   alien   city/ship at the end, but do like the ominous 
  encounters with ETs earlier on in the movie.  
   
  Apollo 13 (1995) – A pretty accurate re-telling of the Apollo 13 mission, with its disastrous 
  explosion and nail-biting swing around the Moon. This mission could easily have ended with the 
  death of all three astronauts, and this movie shows how bravery, ingenuity and the technical 
  expertise of people on the ground found a way to bring the crew back. Few films like this ever get 
  made,  so  it’s  great  that  it  was  enjoyed  by  so many people.  
   
  Apollo 18 (2011) – Filmed in the Blair Witch hand-held-camera-style, this can be tough viewing, 
  but worth watching if only to see what the Apollo 18 crew found on the moon ... just follow the 
  footsteps.. neat! It may be claustrophobic in the LEM, but I found it interesting to see how and 
  where  the  astronauts  slept  and  worked  when  they  weren’t  on  the  Moon’s  surface.   
   
  Deep Impact (1998) – Comet Wolf-Beiderman is 11 km wide and going to strike the Earth, 
  wiping out all life. Watch this movie to see the Messiah, a joint Russian-American spacecraft as it 
  rockets to meet the asteroid using an Orion nuclear pulse drive (an actual theoretical drive 
  concept). The craft has a lander which uses pitons fired into the comet for stability and the crew 
  drill down into the comet in order to place their nuclear device that will blow the comet apart. 
  
   
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  Great scenes for any asteroid miner! It gets even better as the comet rotates and exposes the drill 
  site to daylight, causing explosive jets to break the surface which threaten the operation. A nice 
  movie that illustrated just how hard it is to deal with a planet-killing asteroid (the Messiah was only 
  partially successful, one fragment of the comet still hit Earth to cause massive devastation). Please 
  don’t  watch Michael  Bay’s Armageddon  that was released the same year; Deep Impact is the go-
  to impact movie! 
   
  Escape from Mars (1999) – A film that has so far eluded me, but it may be worth a view if you 
  can see it. Escape from Mars looks at the first manned mission to Mars.  
   
  The Expanse (2015): At last! A science fiction TV series which uses fairly realistic gravity effects, 
  sometimes even as plot elements. The Epstein Drive in this series is a continuous thrust pulsed-
  plasma fusion rocket (although its acceleration capabilities seem to vary inconsistently). At times, 
  with its Earth-Mars-Belt politics this was like watching Orbital the  TV  series…  it  is  a  lot  darker  and  
  less optimistic than Orbital, though.  
   
  From the Earth to the Moon (1998) – This was a twelve-part HBO television mini-series  co-
  produced by Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Tom Hanks, and Michael Bostick. Howard and Hanks 
  worked together on Apollo 13 and this was their sequel. What a sequel! Nothing to do with Mars, 
  but a fascinating insight into all of the tiny problems that need to be overcome to get astronauts 
  into space and onto another world. Some of the best space-based TV ever.  
   
  Ghosts of Mars (2001) – It’s  a  trashy  horror  film,  and  I  love  it.  ‘Zombies  on  Mars’  uses  a  mining  
  colony as its setting, and Martians as body-invading creatures. Scaled down a bit,  the plot may 
  have a place in Orbital, but the setting and scenery certainly does.  
   
  Gravity (2013): A wonderful-looking film that gives players the inside view of modern spacecraft 
  like the American ISS, Russian Soyuz and Chinese Tiangong (not yet completed). There are a 
  couple of inaccuracies  that make the film work plot-wise, such as the close proximity of the 
  stations involved, but otherwise this is a gorgeous movie with a great deal for the Orbital player.  
   
  Interstellar (2014): Even  now,  I  still  don’t  know  what  to  make  of  Interstellar.  I  love  the  suits  
  and the ships, and the concept of traversing a solar system wormhole to reach other star systems 
  (and  what  star  systems!)  but  I’m  unconvinced  by  the  clandestine,  privately  funded  nature  of  the  
  whole enterprise. Quantum physics, sentimentality and plot meet inside the black hole at the end 
  of the film, leaving me wanting to see more hardware please! Another hard-SF film, the past few 
  years have seen a welcome number, and I hope it continues.  
   
  The Martian (2015): Life on a Martian outpost for a sole surviving astronaut. Another hard-SF 
  movie that uses every day complications as plot elements. A great film with tons of ideas for an SF 
  game. Recommended viewing.  
   
  The Martian Chronicles (1980) – TV mini-series  based  on  Ray  Bradbury’s  novels.  My  memory  is  
  fuzzy (it was 32 years ago!), but I do remember some great scenes set within an early Martian 
  colony.  
   
  Mission to Mars (2000) – A goofy plot with goofy aliens. Yet, if you can ignore the alien 
  weirdness, look at the hardware, the tripod-based radar, the rover, habitat and suits. There are 
  lots of great images and  nice  design  in  the  movie,  it’s  really  worth  watching! As in Red Planet, the 
  location filming could have been done on Mars - it looks good. You will wince when the crew start 
  up the rocket-motor after the meteoroid strike ... 
   
  
   
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  MOON (2009) – A movie about helium-3 mining on the Moon! A lone miner is responsible for 
  operating automatic mining machinery and for sending the ore back to Earth, but one day he 
  stumbles upon a stranger ... Watch out for the robotic ore  harvester  and  for  GERTIE  the  hab’s  
  robot.  
   
  Outland (1981) – A tough cop thriller starring Sean Connery that is set on a realistic looking 
  mining rig on Io. Fabulous film, with a grungy, realistic look but I’ve  since  found  out  that  there 
  isn’t  actually much of anything on Io worth mining.  Set the mine on an M-type nickel/iron asteroid 
  instead. Great  scene  in  the  ‘Greenhouse’  and  also  in  the  access  corridor  with Connery in outside a 
  vacc suit!  
   
  Red Faction: Origins (2011) – Pilot movie made to coincide with the launch of the Red Faction 
  Armageddon video game.  
   
  Red Planet (2000) – Of the two releases in 2000, I like Red Planet the most, probably because 
  there are no aliens or Cydonian  ‘Face’  in  there!  Of  course  Val  Kilmer  and  Carrie  Anne  Moss  are  
  neat too. The plot is much more in line with something from Orbital, though why the agency 
  didn’t  look  into  the  problem  with  orbital  cameras  first  ...  is  anyone’s  guess. Mars 1 with its counter-
  rotating hulls is fantastic, the suits are gorgeous, the Kosmos probe and its display is alot of fun 
  (though irrelevant on an automated probe) ... enjoy the design of this movie!  
   
  Saturn 3 (1980) – A movie from my childhood. I like the idea of pair of scientists stuck on 
  Saturn’s  moon  Tethys to tend a remote agricultural testing station. Worth a view. Farrah Fawcett, 
  Harvey Keitel and Kirk Douglas star.  
   
  Space Cowboys (2000) – Perhaps one of my favourite movies of all, Clint Eastwood leads two 
  other  retired  1960’s  test  pilots  on  a  shuttle  mission  to  recover  a  Soviet  satellite.  It’s  an  intelligent  
  film with great regard for all the NASA culture and NASA technology that we know so well. It also  
  brilliantly captures the tough, maverick spirit of the test pilots from that earlier, pioneering era. 
  The Soviet satellite IKON is brilliant and terrifying. Watch for use of the Manned Manoeuvring Unit 
  thruster pack which, historically, only served for three missions in 1984 before being retired.  
   
  Space Odyssey: Voyage To The Planets (2004) – This was released as Voyage To The 
  Planets And Beyond in the United States, and is a documentary fictionalising a  manned  ‘Grand  
  Tour’  flight  around  the  solar  system.  Great  kit,  great  science,  a  brilliant  programme  with  plenty  of  
  ideas for an Orbital game.   The   mission   visits   Venus,   Mars,   a   close   flyby   of   the   Sun,   Jupiter’s  
  moon Io and Europa, Saturn, Pluto (although not in the US version), and the fictional Comet Yano-
  Moore. Most of the destinations the spacecraft reaches are followed by a manned landing there. 
   
  The Sphere (1998) – In the same way that I suggested using The Abyss in a space context, this 
  Michael Crichton-inspired movie could easily be set on Mars, Venus or some remote moon. A 
  strange  alien  spacecraft  is  discovered  on  the  seabed  and  contains  the  eponymous  ‘sphere’  which 
  turns out to be an extra-terrestrial artefact. Where did the ship come from? What happened to the 
  aliens? What is the sphere? The cramped submarine outpost makes a neat asteroid base and the 
  plot could easily be set on the surface of Venus where thick clouds and stunning pressures make 
  exploration as difficult as walking around on the North Atlantic seabed.  
   
  Sunshine (2007) – Danny  Boyle’s  SF  movie  about  ‘restarting  the  Sun’  with  a  vast  bomb  is  great. 
  The spacecraft Icarus 2 does not have zero-G but still looks the part, the crew are scientists and 
  astronauts making level-headed decisions and working together to solve problems. Things to look 
  out for in this movie are  the  Mylar  suits,  the  tense  ‘leaping  out  of  the  airlock  without  a  suit’  scene,  
  the  hydroponics  bay  and  Kappa’s  ingenious  method  of  escaping from a locked airlock. The DVD 
  
   
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  includes  a  commentary  from  the  movie’s  scientific  consultant,  Professor  Brian  Cox,  worth  the  price  
  just for that! 
   
  Total Recall (1990) – So cyberpunk! But look at the Mars colony, the Pyramid mine and the train, 
  look at the interiors and the vehicles, and it may conjure up something of Reunion or Schaeffer. Of 
  course the Pyramid mine could easily be found at Orbital’s Cydonia.  
   
  Books 
  My novel reading is eclipsed by my non-fiction reading, but the seminal fiction on the colonization 
  of Mars is  Kim  Stanley  Robinson’s  Mars  trilogy,  from  Red Mars (1992), to Green Mars (1993) 
  and Blue Mars (1996). The Martians (1999) is a later, connected, collection of short stories.  
   
  Ben Bova has written extensively about this period of future human colonisation, and two books 
  particularly  will  help  the  GM  or  player  get  into  the  game’s  mind-set: Mars (1992), Return to 
  Mars (1999) and Mars Life (2008). 
   
  Moving Mars (1993) by Greg Bear and  Red Dust (1993) by Paul J. McAuley were both 
  published in the same year. Red Dust takes place against a backdrop of a failing attempt at 
  terraforming Mars by the Chinese. 
   
  First Landing (2002) by Robert Zubrin. Zubrin is the president of the Mars Society and a great 
  advocate of Martian colonization.  
   
  Brian Aldiss and Roger Penrose wrote White Mars (1999) which counters the terraforming 
  agenda of Kim Stanley Robinson, and becomes the seminal Red Faction pamphlet!  
   
  Red Genesis (1991) by S.C. Sykes, is about a rebellion by human colonists. 
   
  The brilliant Larry Niven wrote two gripping short stories set on a newly colonised Mars: How The 
  Heroes Die and At the Bottom of a Hole (both 1966).   They   may   be   old,   but   they’re   very  
  relevant.... 
   
  A Fall of Moondust (1961) by Arthur C. Clarke, is a tense rescue mission carried out on the 
  Moon.  
   
  Labyrinth of Night (1992) Allen Steele's novel, as well as others in his series, such as Lunar 
  Descent will provide plenty of ideas, locations and characters for an Orbital game.  
   
  Imperial Earth (1975) Clarke postulated a community of colonised worlds in this seminal novel; 
  it placed Titan at the centre, trading on its hydrocarbon and methane resources to provide rocket 
  fuel for the other worlds of the solar system.  
   
  Rendezvous With Rama (1972) is another landmark Clarke novel; a spacecraft intercepts a vast 
  alien  craft  travelling  through  the  solar  system.  Brilliant  because  it  keeps  the  aliens  remote  and  ‘off-
  screen’.     
   
  Voyage (1996), Titan (1997), Moonseed (1998) by Stephen Baxter are all based on well known 
  NASA  technology  and  postulate  missions  that  ‘might  have  been’.   
   
  Empire Builders (1993) by Ben Bova is   the   start   of   the   author’s   Grand   Tour   series   which  
  explores many locations in the solar system as they are being colonised in the 21st century.  
  Highlights are Moonrise (1996), The Rock Rats (2002), Leviathans of Jupiter (2011), 
  Mercury (2005), Venus (2000) and The Silent War (2004). 
  
   
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  Heart of the Comet (1986) by David Brin and Gregory Benford describes an attempt to capture 
  comet Halley in order to mine its resources.  
   
  CJ Cherryh wrote a series of books set within the solar system; Heavy Time (1991) and 
  Hellburner (1992) which both involve asteroid mining for minerals to support the Earth's 
  economy and a war. Disputes over mining rights, corporate corruption and economic exploitation 
  are key plot elements in the novels. 
   
  Joe Haldeman's Worlds (1981) and its sequels are all set on space stations and asteroid colonies 
  in our solar system. 
   
  Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey is about the struggle of people on Earth, Mars, and the 
  Asteroid Belt (which  has  been  colonised  by  ‘Belters’). 
   
  There is a mountain of non-fiction work available, everything from Wikipedia to technical websites, 
  downloadable PDFs and lots of good books. I will list the handful of books I used in writing 
  Orbital here, and recommend (almost) all of them: 
   
  Space Traveller’s  Handbook (1979), by Michael Freeman,  the  ultimate  ‘how-to’  book  written  
  from the viewpoint of around 2080. With photos of EVA equipment and articles on transfer orbits, 
  stellar navigation, rovers, Lunar and Mars bases, training, food, space stations and more. 
  Wonderfully illustrated. Very highly recommended if you can find a copy.  
   
  NASA Mission AS-506  Apollo  11  Owners’  Workshop  Manual (2009), written by Chris Riley 
  and Phil Dolling for the Haynes car manual series of books. In depth treatment of the suits and the 
  vehicles, from rocket fuel tanks to fuel cells, life support and  plenty  of  other  technical  ‘reasons  
  why’  decisions  were  made  the  way  they  were.   
   
  The Encylopedia of Soviet Spacecraft (1987) by Douglas Hart for Bison Books.  
   
  How to Live on Mars (2008), Robert Zubrin. The advocate of a colonization effort on Mars writes 
  a  ‘how-to’  guide  that  is  full  of  fascinating  information,  but  has  far  too  many  bitter  quips  at  NASA’s  
  expense,  which  leaves  a  sour  taste  in  the  reader’s  mouth.   
   
  Mining the Sky (1997) by John S. Lewis, if you buy one book this must be it, the scientific and 
  technical low down on the exploitation of moons, planets and asteroids. Readable, technical and 
  full of great, realistic ideas. 
   
  The High Frontier (1977), by  Gerard  K.  O’Neill. This  book  lays  out  O’Neill’s  extraordinary  and  
  visionary plans for space colonies at the Lagrange points. It includes diagrams, illustrations and 
  articles from like-minded contributors. It is very optimistic, but shows what could be achieved... 
   
  Role-Playing Games 
  Cepheus Engine is published by Samardin Press and it, or one of the many versions of the 
  Classic 2D6-based SF games it is based on, is required for use with Orbital. There are numerous 
  supplements for those games, many of them will be of use to the Orbital referee. 
   
  Traveller is published by Mongoose Publishing and works extremely well with Orbital. It is 
  possible to run this game using the Mongoose rules.  
   
  
   
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  2300AD is a Traveller setting book published by Mongoose which explores nearby stars and their 
  worlds with a Tech Level similar to that of Orbital, with projectile weapons, rockets and spin-
  gravity. The 2300AD supplement Tools for Frontier is full of useful equipment.  
   
  Outpost Mars by Zozer Games is an in-depth setting treatment of Mars for Traveller, with lots of 
  scenario ideas and in-depth descriptions of the Martian landscape. It is set in 2040, sixty years 
  ealier within the Orbital timline.  
   
  Near Space and Far Space, both published by R.Talsorian Games, near future space flight that 
  gels really well with the setting of Orbital.  
   
  Archaic Smallcraft & Space Stations by Comstar/Avenger is available as a PDF and provides 
  rules for building TL 7, 8 and 9 vehicles like the Apollo CSM, the International Space Station or the 
  Soyuz TMA.  
   
  Transhuman Space by Steve Jackson Games describes a 2100 AD universe dominated by 
  cybershells, AIs, ghosts, slinkies and xoxworkers.  
   
  Book 6-Scouts, by GDW, authors Marc Miller and Frank Chadwick (1983). This book provided the 
  first Traveller UWP ratings for planets and moons within the solar system.  
   
  GURPS Space 4th ed. is a mine of useful data for any SF RPG in any setting. 
   
  Web-Based PDFs 
  Report of the 90 day Study on Human Exploration of the Moon and Mars (1989) This is 
  NASA’s  Space  Exploration  Initiative (SEI) layed out at every stage with illustrations and diagrams. 
  It includes concepts for Mars transfer craft, landers, surface installations and even an oxygen 
  mining plant. http://history.nasa.gov/90_day_study.pdf 
   
  Space Settlements – A Design Study (1977) – NASA’s  study  into  the  feasability  of  O’Neill’s  
  giant 
  space 
  colonies. 
  This 
  PDF 
  includes 
  lots 
  of 
  diagrams 
  and 
  hard 
  facts. 
  http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19770014162_1977014162.pdf 
   
  Plasma Radiation Shields – This technical PDF explores the theoretical use of what Orbital 
  calls  the  ‘Generator  Magnetospheric  Field’  or  flare  damper.  
  http://www.minimagnetosphere.org/downloads/pdfs/9Levy%20French%20AIAA-29306-386.pdf 
   
  Triton: A Trimodal Thrust Optimized Nuclear Propulsion and Power System for 
  Advanced Space Missions – This PDF discusses the technical merits of a trimodal nuclear 
  thermal rocket of the type used for the DSVs in Orbital.  
  http://www.pwrengineering.com/dataresources/AIAA-2004-3863.pdf 
   
  Lunar Base Concepts – A collection of NASA documents from the 60s and 70s which plan out in 
  great detail ideas for different types of Lunar colony. Learn about the problems, the dangers, the 
  solutions and the hardware.  
  http://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/books/lunar_bases/LSBchapter02.pdf 
   
  International  Space  Station  Familiarization (1998) – Want  a  user’s  handbook  to  a  space  
  station? This PDF is it. How fire suppression works, how the airlock works, connections, module 
  protocols, electrical wiring diagrams, plumbing, life support details .... read this and when you 
  eventually get to the ISS, you will be a lot more clued up than Howard Wolowitz!  
  http://www.spaceref.com/iss/ops/iss.familiarization.pdf 
   
  
   
  235 | P a g e  
   
  Space Suit Evolution – A PDF that gives the reader a detailed insight into the US spacesuit 
  designs, how they work, what they feature and the problems encountered by designers.  
  http://history.nasa.gov/spacesuits.pdf 
   
  Web-based Videos 
  I recommend touring the International Space station!  The technology is similar to that used in 
  orbital, and will illustrate the typical appearance of any OMP or ground-based modular 
  outpost.Look at the sleeping compartments, where the laptops are mounted, how cargo and 
  supplies are stowed, whether hatches are left open or closed, where space suits are stowed ... and 
  so on. Listen to the continual sound of the air blowers. All of these videoes are currently hosted on 
  You Tube and filmed by astronauts  during  their  tour.  The  links  may  move,  if  so  try  search  for  ‘ISS  
  tour’  on  You  Tube  or  something  similar.  The  following  links  are  live  as  of  1/1/13: 
   
  http://youtu.be/QF2w2Dx_QMs  (55 mins) 
   
  http://youtu.be/H8rHarp1GEE (6:53 mins) 
   
  http://youtu.be/JgBgmw-2U8c  Part I (9:44 mins) 
   
  http://youtu.be/F-yIqxoMBVU Part II (9:58 mins) 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  236 | P a g e  
   
    APPENDIX  
   
   
   
   
  Acronyms 
  Mirroring the real world of spaceflight and aviation, Orbital has its share of TLAs (Three Letter 
  Acronyms),  whether  it’s  the  MARVINS,  the  PLSS  or  DSV.  All  of  the  setting  specific  abbreviations  
  are listed here, along with a brief explanation. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  ABODE             Automated Base or Outpost                    
                         Deployment Equipment 
  AIMCON 
  Ares International Mining     
                         Consortium (see Outpost Mars) 
  AKV 
   
  Autonomous Kill Vehicle 
  AP 
   
  Action Penalty 
  SRAM  
  Anti-Satellite Missile 
  ASEAN            Association of South-East Nations 
  CML 
   
  Counter Measures Launcher 
  COM 
   
  Configurable Operations &  
                         Messaging 
  DSV 
   
  Deep Space Vehicle 
  D_V  
   
  Deep Space Vehicle, second letter  
                         denoting mission (eg. DKV) 
  ESDA  
  Earth Space Development Agency 
  ETM 
   
  Eckard Tactical Management 
  EU 
   
  Earth Union 
  EVA 
   
  Extra Vehicular Activity 
  FSC59  
  Fairline Space Convention on  
                         Compatibility & Co-ordination (2059) 
  GAN 
   
  Global Area Network 
  GEO 
   
  Geosynchronous Orbit 
  GMF 
   
  Generator : Magnetic Field 
  He3 
   
  Helium-3 
  HELL-V 
  High Energy Laser Lift Vehicle 
  HEV-X            Aerodyne’s  Hostile  Environment  Suit 
  HLV 
   
  Heavy Launch Vehicle 
  IAU 
   
  International Astronomical Union 
  IPN 
   
  Interplanetary Network 
  IPS 
   
  Interplanetary Services 
  ISS 
   
  International Space Station 
  L5 
   
  Lagrange Point 5,also L1, L2, L3  
                         and L4 
  LAN 
   
  Local Area Network 
  LEO 
   
  Low Earth Orbit 
  LLO  
   
  Low Lunar Orbit, also  Low Planetary   
                         Orbit 
  LLV  
   
  Light Launch Vehicle 
  LOPS   
  Lunar Outsystem Patrol and Security 
  LSC 
   
  Large Scale Space Colony 
  LSD 
   
  Lunar Security Detachment 
  MARVIN 
  Martian Resource Recovery In-Situ 
  MLA 
   
  Module Lander Aeroshell 
  MLV 
   
  Medium Launch Vehicle 
  NASA  
  National Aeronautics and Space  
                         Administration 
  NTR 
   
  Nuclear Thermal Rocket 
  OMP 
   
  Orbital Module Platform 
  OPSEK             Orbital Piloted Assembly and             
                          Experiment Complex 
  ORVIN             Oxygen Recovery In-Situ 
  PLSS   
   Personal Life Support System 
  PSPA  
   Portable Solar Panel Array 
  RTG  
   
   Radiothermic Isotope Generator 
  SARA  
   Space Activities Regulatory Agency 
  SETI 
   
   Search for Extra-Terrestrial  
                          Intelligence 
  SGS 
   
   Spin Gravity Station 
  SHS 
   
   Single Hull Station 
  SWN   
   Space Workers Network 
  THAAD-X 
   Terminal High Altitude Area       
                          Defence (NeXt Generation) 
  UN 
   
   United Nations 
  VHLV  
   Very Heavy Launch Vehicle 
  VIPER               Venus Intervention and Priority           
                          Emergency Reaction Force 
  
   
  237 | P a g e  
   
  Legal Information 
   
  The Cepheus Engine Compatibility-Statement License (CSL) 
  You  must  state  on  the  first  page  where  you  mention  Cepheus  Engine  that  “Cepheus  Engine  and  
  Samardan Press are the trademarks  of  Jason  "Flynn"  Kemp,”  and  that  you  are  not  affiliated  with  
  Jason  "Flynn"  Kemp  or  Samardan  Press™. 
  If  you’re  using  the  license  to  commit  legal  fraud,  you  forfeit  the  right  to  continue  using  the  license:  
  specifically, if you are claiming compatibility with the rules of Cepheus Engine, the claim must not 
  constitute legal fraud, or fraud in the inducement, under the laws of the State of Texas. Note that 
  this requirement is almost impossible to violate unintentionally—it’s  largely  intended  to  keep  me 
  out of trouble, not to restrict legitimate statements of compatibility. 
  You must comply with the terms of the OGL if the terms apply. 
  Your  cover  must  include  the  words  “House  Rules”  or  “Variant  Rules”  or  "Alternate  Cepheus  Engine  
  Universe" near the title if the document is a full, free-standing game that includes modifications. 
  Feel free to contact the author if you wish to use a different form of disclaimer. 
  Selling a full version of this game with your house rules incorporated into it is perfectly 
  permissible, but you may not sell an effectively unchanged copy of the rules for money. 
  If your document is a private house rules document, not being sold for profit or general use, you 
  may scan and use artwork (including the cover) from the printed version, published in print under 
  the title of Cepheus Engine Core Rules,   provided   that   the   cover   contains   the   words   “House  
  Rules,”  near  the  title,  and  that  the  artists  are  appropriately  credited. 
  Your rights under this CSL cannot be revoked, and are perpetual, unless you breach the terms of 
  the license, in which case your rights terminate. 
  If   you   comply   with   the   above,   you   may   state   that   your   resource   is   “for   use   with   the   Cepheus  
  Engine   Core   Rules”,   “compatible   with   the   core   rules   of   Cepheus   Engine”   or   “with   the Cepheus 
  Engine  Core  Rules.” 
  If you have questions about the license, feel free to contact the author. 
   
  OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a  
  The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, 
  Inc  (‘Wizards’).  All  Rights  Reserved.   
  1.  Definitions:  (a)’Contributors’  means  the  copyright  and/or  trademark  owners  who  have  contributed  Open  
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  includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody the 
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  Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this License, including translations 
  and derivative works under copyright law, but specifically excludes  Product  Identity.  (e)  ‘Product  Identity’  
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  Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create Derivative Material of Open Game 
  Content.  (h)  ‘You’  or  ‘Your’  means  the  licensee  in  terms  of  this  agreement.  
  2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a notice indicating that the 
  Open Game Content may only be Used under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice to 
  
   
  238 | P a g e  
   
  any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted from this License except as 
  described by the License itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content 
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  15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE  
  Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.  
  High Guard System Reference Document Copyright © 2008, Mongoose Publishing. 
  Mercenary System Reference Document Copyright © 2008, Mongoose Publishing. 
  Modern System Reference Document Copyright 2002-2004, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Bill 
  Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, Charles Ryan, Eric Cagle, David Noonan, Stan!, Christopher Perkins, 
  Rodney Thompson, and JD Wiker, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard 
  Baker, Peter Adkison, Bruce R. Cordell, John Tynes, Andy Collins, and JD Wiker.  
  Swords & Wizardry Core Rules, Copyright 2008, Matthew J. Finch 
  System Reference Document, Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte 
  Cook, Skip Williams, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. 
  T20 - The  Traveller’s  Handbook  Copyright  2002,  Quiklink  Interactive,  Inc.  Traveller  is  a  trademark  of  Far  
  Future Enterprises and is used under license. 
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  Traveller is © 2008 Mongoose Publishing. Traveller and related logos, character, names, and distinctive 
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  Mongoose Publishing Ltd Authorized User. 
  Cepheus Engine System Reference Document, Copyright © 2016 Samardan Press; Author Jason "Flynn" 
  Kemp 
  
   
  239 | P a g e  
   
  16. ORBITAL 2100 contains new OGL rules mechanics for spacecraft construction, vacc suits and operating 
  in space. These can be reproduced. Product Identity constitutes the history, organisations, spacecraft and 
  NPC names as well as planetary write-ups and UWPs. These are not OGL, cannot be reproduced or reused 
  and are protected by copyright as identified in section 1. Copyright © 2016 Zozer Games; Author Paul Elliott. 
   
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  NASA still images, audio files and video generally are not copyrighted. You may use NASA imagery, 
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  that person's right of privacy or publicity, and permission should be obtained from the person. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Cepheus Engine/Cepheus Engine/Settings/Orbital 2100/Orbital 2100 - A Solar System Setting (Core rules).pdf