TEXT: The year is 2050. Two days ago, Minotaur
  Station in Noctis Labyrinthus stopped respond-
  ing. A rescue team – the PCs – has been sent to
  find out why.
  As the adventure begins, the team is leaving
  Eos Station at the mouth of the Valles Marineris
  for the long drive up the canyon to Minotaur
  Station. Eos Station is a medium-sized base with
  about two dozen people on the staff. There are
  three crawlers and six open rovers, or “Mars
  buggies.” Sending out the group as a rescue
  team doesn’t strain the base’s resources very
  much, but sending a second party after them
  would cause problems. Since the Marineris
  canyon system is about as long as the distance
  from New York to Seattle, the team will be on
  their own once they reach Minotaur.
  Players can either create their own 100-point
  characters or use the three sample characters
  included at the end of this adventure. GMs can
  also use the sample characters as NPCs to fill
  out the party.
  e23.sjgames.com
  Stock #82-0005
  Version 1.0 March 17, 2004
  STEVE JACKSON GAMES
  ®
  GURPS,  Warehouse 23, and the all-seeing pyramid are registered trademarks of  Steve
  Jackson Games Incorporated. Pyramid, Rescue Mission, and the names of all products pub-
  lished by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated are registered trademarks or trademarks of Steve
  Jackson Games Incorporated, or used under license. All rights reserved. Rescue Mission is
  copyright © 2004 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated.
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  by James L. Cambias
  Edited by Alain Dawson
  Illustration by Paul Daly
  A N  e 2 3  A D V E N T U R E  
  f o r  G U R P S ® f r o m  
  S T E V E  J A C K S O N  G A M E S
  F O R  3  T O  6  P L A Y E R S
  Rescue Mission
  
  The Expedition
  The rescue team has a Mars crawler, including all
  its onboard tools and gear (see p. 3). Each individual
  has a personal Mars suit, and special personal equip-
  ment is listed with each of the sample characters. If
  the team wants to bring along any additional equip-
  ment, they are limited by what is available at Eos
  Station – and there isn’t much. In particular, there are
  no weapons at the station, although items like rock
  hammers, laser torches, and other tools could be
  adapted for combat.
  Driving from Eos Station to Minotaur Station
  takes a week. The terrain is charted, and marked by
  beacons at 10-kilometer intervals. The trip up Valles
  Marineris is mostly without incident. Players need
  make only one skill roll to avoid accident. On a failed
  Driving roll, the crawler jockey must make another
  roll and consult the table below.
  Critical Success – Loss of control causes a minor
  skid; no harm done.
  Success – Skid into deep sand; lose a day digging
  crawler out.
  Failure – Hit a boulder; lose 1d3 days fixing the
  suspension.
  Critical Failure – Crawler rolls into a chasm; pro-
  ceed on foot.
  Minotaur Station
  After the long journey up Valles Marineris to the
  center of Noctis Labyrinthus, the party arrives at
  Minotaur Station. Minotaur is a small base – two
  habitats buried in the slope at the base of the cliffside,
  connected by a tube, with an inflatable greenhouse
  and a radio mast. The station’s normal complement is
  eight, but when the rescuers arrive there is nobody
  around. The station is empty, and the crawler and two
  rovers that belong there are missing.
  There is no difficulty getting inside; the airlocks
  are working and the power is on. The station is not
  obviously damaged, and everything seems to be in
  order at first. However, both the primary radio and
  the backup unit have been sabotaged very effective-
  ly – key components have been removed. Fixing
  them requires an Electronics (Communication
  Systems) roll at a -4.
  The emergency food supplies have been opened,
  and about 100 ration packs taken. The sickbay has
  been looted; all portable medical gear and drugs are
  gone. Someone has even erased all the computer logs
  for the past three months. (An attempt to recover the
  lost data requires a Quick Contest between the
  would-be recoverer’s Computer Operation skill and
  Saburo Shima’s skill of 16. If successful, the com-
  puter expert can get a few weather records and a
  journal entry fragment reading “. . . has stolen one of
  the rovers. We buried poor Orlov this morning and
  are packing up as much as will fit in the crawler
  before we . . .”)
  A careful search turns up some oddities. Rescuers
  outside who make a successful Vision roll can dis-
  cover what looks very much like a gravesite, com-
  plete with a marker made of piled-up Mars rocks. (If
  they actually want to dig it up, they find the remains
  of Lt. Orlov, dead of a blow to the head.)
  Team members exploring outside or nosing
  around in the greenhouse can make a Vision roll to
  spot some strange markings in the dust adhering to
  the outside of the dome. There are some handprints
  RESCUE MISSION
  2
  This adventure uses the “Domed Mars” cam-
  paign setting described in GURPS Mars, with
  some slight variations – the hidden colony is
  Croatoan, located just north of the Argyre
  impact basin. All PCs have heard rumors about
  a secret colony, some of which use that name
  (others call the hidden colony “Shangri-La” or
  “El Dorado”).
  The assumed tech level is TL9, with the
  “hard science” option. Much of the equipment
  used on Mars is older, more dependable TL8
  gear, but there is no tech level penalty for any of
  the gear in use on Mars. Genetic engineering of
  humans is possible, but most countries restrict it
  heavily. There are rumors that some countries
  on Earth have conducted secret genetic engi-
  neering projects, and lots of tabloid-style news
  reports, but no real facts.
  International relations are generally peaceful,
  although China’s claim to sovereignty over a
  large chunk of Mars has caused some friction.
  The Chinese program to use genetically-engi-
  neered humans as colonists is a tightly-guarded
  secret unknown outside the Chinese colony, and
  would certainly cause the government in
  Beijing some serious embarrassment.
  BACKGROUND INFORMATION
  
  in the dust, and the word “CROATOAN.” On a suc-
  cessful IQ roll, the heroes may realize that the hand-
  prints appear to be bare, rather than gloved.
  Finally, Dr. Braganza left a clue behind, in a form
  that he hoped would not be easy for the Chinese to
  figure out. On the door of his cabin are two Bible
  verses written in permanent marker: “For Aaron and
  his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat”
  (Exodus 30:19), and “And it shall come to pass,
  when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is
  your occupation?” (Genesis 46:33). The chapter and
  verse numbers are the coordinates of the secret
  Croatoan colony: 46 degrees 33 minutes west longi-
  tude by 30 degrees 19 minutes south. That’s about
  2,000 miles east-southeast from Minotaur, but only
  75 miles south of Eos Station.
  Another Rescue Party
  After the heroes have been at Minotaur Station for
  about 24 hours, they detect another crawler
  approaching from the west. It is carrying a second
  rescue team sent from the Chinese government base
  at Olympus.
  The commander of the Chinese team is Captain
  Zhao Zhu, and he has three others with him – Lt.
  Hong Lee, Sgt. Feng Hua, and Dr. Chao Shu. All are
  armed with gyroc pistols and have Mars suits. They
  are not at all friendly. Captain Zhao acts suspicious
  and demands to know what the rescuers have done
  with the station crew. He tries to keep them unbal-
  anced and on the defensive.
  If one of the heroes makes a critical success on an
  IQ roll, he can notice that one of the Chinese team
  RESCUE MISSION
  3
  This is a list of some of the important equip-
  ment the team is likely to have with them. All
  weights listed are based on Mars gravity. GMs
  may allow any other equipment that might rea-
  sonably be found at Eos Station.
  Electronic Binoculars
  A versatile viewing device with 50× magni-
  fication, infrared and light-intensification imag-
  ing, and a built-in video recorder with 4 hours of
  storage. 2 lbs.
  Laser Torch
  A compact laser cutting and welding tool. If
  used as a weapon it has the following stats: SS
  12, acc 1, RoF 4, damage 1d cutting, 1/2 dam-
  age 3 yards, max range 5 yards. Power cell is
  good for 60 seconds of use (240 shots). 5 lbs.
  Mars Crawler
  A large pressurized vehicle on six fat tires,
  powered by a nuclear-thermal generator. It can
  travel at 15 miles per hour over marked paths on
  the Martian surface, 5 mph over uncharted ter-
  rain. It has sleeping accommodations for four
  people. It has an inertial compass for naviga-
  tion, a radio with 70-mile range, and an autopi-
  lot capable of avoiding obstacles and stopping if
  lost. The hull has PD 4, DR 50 armor and PF 2
  radiation shielding.
  Mars Suit
  Everyone on Mars has a suit, and they are
  very rugged and dependable. The helmet is
  PD2, DR3, and contains a radio, faceplate data
  display, and video camera. The suit chest and
  the life-support backpack are a single rigid unit
  with PD2, DR5; the limbs are PD0, DR1.
  Normal life support endurance is 20 hours. The
  suit weighs 7 kilos, and imposes a DX-1 penal-
  ty. Standard equipment includes a lamp, emer-
  gency patches, and a radiation meter.
  Medical Kit
  A compact cutting-edge TL9 emergency kit,
  including 20 plastiskin bandages, two injectors,
  foam splint spray, a small medical diagnosis
  sensor and computer unit, and revival capsules,
  stimulants, painkillers, coagulants, and antiradi-
  ation drugs. Weighs 5 lbs., and grants a +2
  bonus to First Aid skill.
  Onboard Equipment
  The crawler is equipped with a tool kit for
  field repairs, a fire extinguisher, 100 yards of
  super-strong cable (can support up to 10 tons),
  two shovels, and a signal flare gun. If used as a
  weapon the flare gun has SS 12, acc 4, damage
  1d (plus fire in an oxygen atmosphere), range
  1800 meters, holds 4 shots, weighs 2 lbs.
  Tool Kit
  A durable case containing a set of tools all
  made to handle the Martian environment.
  Includes a tube of molecular glue, a roll of reac-
  tor tape, a diamond-tipped drill, and a small
  computer database of plans and schematics for
  all equipment on Mars. 10 lbs.
  EQUIPMENT
  
  looks almost exactly like one of the missing scien-
  tists from Minotaur Station. Chao Shu is a dead
  ringer for Dr. Saburo Shima, except that his hair is
  worn in a crewcut instead of a long ponytail.
  (Actually, “Chao Shu” really is Dr. Shima, and will
  do his best to remain inconspicuous.)
  The Chinese team is under orders to find their
  escaped colonists (see below), and to prevent news
  of their existence from getting out. Consequently,
  their first goal is to discover what the other rescue
  team knows, and their second goal is to silence them
  forever. Naturally, Captain Zhao would prefer it if
  the rescue party’s deaths were considered an acci-
  dent, and the next-best outcome would be if the
  heroes simply disappear mysteriously.
  Zhao tries to make this happen by having his men
  sabotage the heroes’crawler. If they can get access to
  the vehicle while the rescue team is away, the
  Chinese can disable the fuel sensors and drain the
  tanks of the power cells so that the crawler just runs
  out of gas halfway back to Eos. (Detecting this
  requires a Quick Contest of the heroes’ Mechanic
  skill against the saboteurs’ skill of 13; they also have
  to be deliberately checking out their vehicle.)
  If that isn’t possible, Sgt. Feng will try to sabotage
  two of the crawler’s six wheels by cutting partway
  through the suspension with a laser torch. If he suc-
  ceeds, the wheels will come off after the crawler has
  traveled 1d×10 miles.
  And if sabotage doesn’t work, Zhao and his men
  will resort to direct action – if the rescue team leaves
  for Eos station, after half an hour they get an emer-
  gency distress call from Zhao, saying he has found
  survivors at Minotaur and asking the team to come
  back and help. If the heroes answer the call, Zhao
  and Sgt. Feng are waiting in ambush to attack them
  when they emerge from the crawler, while Lt. Hong
  and Dr. Shima are in the Chinese crawler ready to
  intercept a retreat.
  What’s Going On
  The Chinese government has started a test project
  at their Mars colony – genetically modified colonists
  who can survive on the planet without as much life
  support. If successful, the project will allow the
  Chinese colony to grow quickly, making good their
  claim to the entire planet and paving the way for nor-
  mal human colonists and terraforming.
  However, three of the engineered colonists decid-
  ed they didn’t want to remain property of the Chinese
  government forever. They escaped, riding a rover as
  far as the batteries lasted and then proceeding on foot
  to Minotaur Station.
  What they didn’t know was that the Chinese had
  placed an agent at Minotaur. Dr. Shima had been on
  the People’s Liberation Army Intelligence Service
  payroll for years, and was at Minotaur to make sure
  it was nothing but a scientific station. When the
  colonists escaped, he got a message from his han-
  dlers to make sure no word got out. Shima sabotaged
  the communications equipment at Minotaur, but was
  caught by Orlov. In the ensuing fight, Shima killed
  Orlov with a wrench and then fled by rover. He met
  up with Captain Zhao’s party at the western edge of
  Noctis Labyrinthus and explained the situation.
  The Chinese expected to find everyone still at
  Minotaur, or possibly trying to reach Eos by crawler.
  Instead they found an abandoned station and the Eos
  rescue team. Captain Zhao must find out how much
  the rescuers know, and make sure nothing about the
  incident gets out.
  Croatoan
  There are two ways to find where the missing sci-
  entists went. The rescue team can work out the clues
  left behind by Dr. Braganza and learn the coordinates,
  or it may be possible to find the tracks left by the miss-
  ing crawler and rover. Anyone searching for tracks
  rolls against Tracking skill, with a -1 penalty for each
  RESCUE MISSION
  4
  STATION PERSONNEL
  Minotaur Station had a crew of eight before
  everything went wrong. The commander was
  Dr. Paolo Braganza, a Brazilian physicist.
  Braganza was married to Dr. Rachel Cohen
  (American biochemist/physician) during pre-
  flight training on Earth and the two of them
  shared a cabin. Sue Hatsuwara (Japanese tech-
  nician) and Lt. Yevgeny Orlov (Russian tech-
  nician) were also a couple, and had moved into
  a double cabin soon after arrival. The remain-
  ing four crewmembers lived in single cabins:
  Dr. Wayne King (American planetologist),
  Diana Morris (British life support tech), Dr.
  Saburo Shima (Japanese meteorologist), and
  Feodor Vasiliev (Russian vehicle operator). 
  
  day since the vehicles left the station. A new skill roll
  must be made every day the team follows the tracks.
  However the rescuers find it, getting to Croatoan
  isn’t easy. The journey takes a week, and goes over
  considerably rougher terrain than the drive up the floor
  of Valles Marineris. The crawler driver must make a
  Driving roll each day to avoid an accident, using the
  rules on p. 2 to determine the results of a failure.
  The Croatoan colony is carefully hidden from
  orbital or airborne surveillance, but on the ground it’s
  fairly easy to find. There are rover tracks and foot-
  prints for about a mile around the colony, so anyone
  who gets in the general vicinity can soon find the
  main complex.
  The colony itself is only a little bigger than
  Minotaur Station. There is one habitat, built with
  parts from the dismantled lander the first colonists
  arrived in, and a large natural cave that has been lined
  with plastic film and insulation, then pressurized.
  Food comes from a hydroponic greenhouse screened
  by red camouflage netting.
  There are currently 33 people at Croatoan, includ-
  ing the six scientists from Minotaur and the three
  modified Chinese colonists. Nine of the others are
  children, ranging in age from one month to nine
  years (Earth reckoning). The new arrivals have
  strained the colony’s systems, but the Minotaur team
  isn’t planning to stay and the equipment they have
  donated will make up for it.
  The inhabitants of Croatoan are a mix of dissi-
  dents, survivalists, anarchists, and crackpots. The
  one belief they do share is that the governments of
  Earth should not carve up Mars. Their colony is
  intended to be the nucleus for a population of
  “indigenous Martians” who can provide an alterna-
  tive to the bureaucrats and corporations of the moth-
  er planet.
  The Croatoan group tries to resolve all disputes by
  consensus, but the unofficial leader is Philippe
  Herault, a maverick French software tycoon who
  vanished mysteriously along with much of his wealth
  about ten years ago. Herault was one of the founders
  of Croatoan and is still regarded as the leader by most
  of the others.
  When the rescue team arrives at Croatoan, the
  Minotaur group is just preparing to leave, and the
  three Chinese fugitives have been welcomed into the
  new colony. Unfortunately, the heroes have been fol-
  lowed.
  The Final
  Confrontation
  Two crawlers from the Chinese colony have fol-
  lowed the rescuers. If Captain Zhao and his men are
  still alive, they are in one crawler, while the second
  has four more soldiers. Otherwise, each crawler car-
  ries four soldiers. They have followed the heroes’
  vehicle using cameras in orbit, and now they are
  determined to retake their people and if possible
  silence everyone at Croatoan.
  The heroes can choose from several courses of
  action. They can fight, they can run, they can try to
  broadcast what they have found, or they can try to
  trick or persuade the Chinese into leaving without a
  fight. Undoubtedly, clever players will come up with
  possibilities of their own.
  Fighting
  If things come to violence, the Chinese have an
  advantage in firepower, while the Croatoan settlers
  have superior numbers and a knowledge of the local
  terrain. All the Chinese troops have gyroc pistols,
  and the crew of the second crawler has a pair of
  gyroc rifles. The colony has a single shotgun, plus a
  couple of picks, half a dozen prybars and shovels,
  and an infinite supply of rocks to throw. The Chinese
  will demand that the colony surrender, and won’t
  waste time negotiating if the colonists refuse. Their
  tactics are simple: rush the habitat, cover the airlock
  while cutting a hole through the habitat wall using a
  laser torch, and charge in. This will depressurize the
  habitat, but in the event of a fight everyone will be
  wearing suits anyway.
  Note that Captain Zhao isn’t a fool, and his men
  are skilled in the use of things like covering fire,
  advancing under cover, and use of concealment.
  They won’t blunder into obvious traps, and can come
  up with clever plans of their own.
  Running Away
  If the rescuers leave the colonists to their fate, the
  GM is justified in giving them a terrible load of guilt
  by having Zhao massacre the entire population.
  Perhaps some garbled video footage will get out, so
  the rescue team can be reminded from time to time of
  how they failed to help.
  On the other hand, if everyone runs away, the
  Chinese will have a much harder time attacking.
  RESCUE MISSION
  5
  
  With the available vehicles, it’s possible to move
  everyone, but all the crawlers will be jammed full
  and the rovers will have suited riders. Getting the
  colonists to abandon Croatoan is the difficult part
  here – a good rousing speech (Bard skill) could sway
  the whole group, or Diplomacy could convince
  enough individuals to win a vote. The result can be
  an exciting “Road Warrior” chase across the surface
  of Mars, as the Chinese try to prevent the colonists
  from getting to within radio range of another base.
  Broadcasting
  Croatoan does have a powerful radio, and can
  send a signal to the communications relay satellites
  orbiting Mars. If the word gets out, the Chinese will
  cut their losses and recall the crawlers rather than
  suffer the additional bad press of a battle.
  Of course, this would reveal Croatoan’s location,
  so once again the rescue team must persuade the
  colonists to go along. There is also the technical task
  of actually sending out a message, requiring
  Electronics Operation (Communications). If the
  heroes want to make a really stirring video, have
  them roll against Video Production skill, and possi-
  bly Acting, Bard, or Performance.
  Trickery and Persuasion
  Trying to convince the Chinese that the modified
  colonists aren’t at Croatoan is possibly the most dif-
  ficult option. Captain Zhao will insist on a thorough
  search, and there just aren’t very many hiding places
  in the colony large enough for even one person, let
  alone three. If one of the rescue team thinks of it,
  there is one very good hiding place, which only the
  engineered individuals can use – the caves. Beyond
  the pressure envelope of the colony there are literal-
  ly miles of crevasses and tunnels, far more than the
  Croatoan group has ever been able to map. Normal
  humans would be limited by life support require-
  ments, but the engineered Martians can stretch an air
  tank considerably longer. Coming up with an expla-
  nation that will convince Captain Zhao is the hardest
  part.
  Of course, the modified colonists in the tunnels
  might just find something interesting or deadly,
  buried since Mars was young – but that’s another
  story.
  Conclusions
  Depending on the outcome, the rescuers can be
  heroes, haunted outcasts, or corpses. If they success-
  fully hold off the Chinese and get word out about the
  genetic engineering project, they can expect to suffer
  reaction penalties from Chinese officials (and even
  loyalists) who know of their role – all future dealings
  with such folks will be at a -1 reaction penalty. “Free
  Mars” advocates and the Croatoan group will natu-
  rally regard them as heroes, and the rest of the inhab-
  itants of Mars will certainly respect them for accom-
  plishing a very difficult job with limited resources.
  If they fail, or worse yet help the Chinese troops
  recapture the fugitives, then the reverse situation
  applies – the Chinese government will look upon
  them favorably, other Mars pioneers will think
  they’re wimps, and the Croatoan colonists (if they
  survive) will condemn them as lackeys of the corrupt
  nation-states of Earth and their imperial designs on
  Mars. Or something to that effect.
  And complete failure ending in death does open
  the door to a follow-up adventure involving different
  characters. The “Minotaur Mystery” will be a tabloid
  sensation on Earth, and the disappearance of a dozen
  or more individuals will certainly prompt a second
  expedition sent from the main Mars base at Chryse
  Planitia. The second team (“Project Theseus”) will
  be large, armed, and very well-equipped. They will
  have to figure out the clues, hampered by the passage
  of time and any tidying-up done by Zhao and his
  men.
  Characters and NPCs
  Saburo Shima/Chao Shu
  125 points
  Dr. Saburo Shima has been working as a Chinese
  agent since about the time he joined Japan’s space
  program. He has functioned as an “agent in place,”
  ready to be activated in the event of a conflict over
  colonization on Mars. He is motivated by a genuine
  admiration for China and its system, and a profound
  alienation from his own countrymen. During his stay
  at Minotaur Station he became attracted to Sue
  Hatsuwara, and jealousy of Lt. Orlov was one reason
  Shima killed him. In addition to helping his Chinese
  employers, Shima is desperate to conceal his own
  treachery.
  ST 10 [0]; DX 12 [20]; IQ 12 [20]; HT 12 [20].
  Move 6.
  Advantages: Combat Reflexes [15].
  Disadvantages: Secret (Chinese agent) [-10];
  Workaholic [-5].
  RESCUE MISSION
  6
  
  Quirks: Admires all things Chinese; Attracted to Sue
  Hatsuwara. [-2]
  Skills: Area Knowledge (Mars) (M/E) IQ [1]-12;
  Biochemistry/TL9 
  (M/VH) 
  IQ 
  [6]-12;
  Chemistry/TL9 (M/H) IQ [4]-12; Computer
  Operation/TL9 (M/E) IQ+2 [4]-14; Driving/TL9
  (Mars Rover) (P/A) DX+1 [4]-13; Electronics
  Operation/TL9 (Sensors) (M/A) IQ [2]-12; First
  Aid/TL9 (M/E) IQ+1 [2]-13; Free Fall (P/A) DX
  [2]-12; Geology/TL9 (M/H) IQ [4]-12; Guns/TL9
  (Gyroc) (P/E) DX+2 [2]-14*; Judo (P/H) DX [4]-
  12; Mechanic/TL9 (Electric Motors) (M/A) IQ+1
  [4]-13; Meteorology/TL9 (M/H) IQ+2 [8]-14;
  Navigation/TL9 (M/H) IQ [4]-12; Planetology
  (Mars) (M/A) IQ [2]-12; Research (M/A) IQ [2]-
  12; Stealth (P/A) DX [2]-12; Vacc Suit/TL9
  (M/A) IQ+2 [6]-14.
  * Includes +2 bonus for IQ.
  Languages: Chinese (M/A) IQ [2]-12; English
  (M/A) IQ [2]-12; Japanese (native) (M/A) IQ [0]-
  12.
  Captain Zhao Zhu
  120 points
  Captain Zhao is one of the People’s Liberation
  Army officers in charge of the genetic engineering
  project. His particular job is security, and the escape
  of three colonists represents a disaster for his career.
  If Zhao can recover them and keep everything a
  secret, he may be able to weather the incident. But if
  word gets out to other countries, the least that will
  happen is an end to his career. He could wind up
  being made the scapegoat, or quietly eliminated by
  his shadowy superiors.
  ST 10 [0]; DX 12 [20]; IQ 12 [20]; HT 13 [30].
  Move 6.
  Advantages: Imperturbable [10]; Military Rank 4
  [20]; Strong Will +3 [12].
  Disadvantages: Duty (PLA) [-10]; Intolerance
  (Non-Chinese) [-10]; Stubbornness [-5].
  Quirks: Ambitious; Suspicious. [-2]
  Skills: Area Knowledge (Mars) (M/E) IQ+1 [2]-13;
  Brawling 
  (P/E) 
  DX 
  [1]-12; 
  Computer
  Operation/TL9 (M/E) IQ [1]-12; Demolition/TL9
  (M/A) IQ [2]-12; Driving/TL9 (Crawler) (P/A)
  DX [2]-12; Driving/TL9 (Mars Rover) (P/A) DX
  [2]-12; Electronics Operation/TL9 (Communi
  cation) (M/A) IQ [2]-12; First Aid/TL9 (M/E) IQ
  [1]-12; Free Fall (P/A) DX [2]-12; Guns/TL9
  (Gyroc) (P/E) DX+2 [2]-14*; Navigation/TL9
  (M/H) IQ [4]-12; Survival (Mars) (M/A) IQ [2]-
  12; Tactics (Land) M/H IQ [4]-12; Vacc Suit/TL9
  (M/A) IQ+2 [6]-14.
  * Includes +2 bonus for IQ.
  Languages: Chinese (native) (M/A) IQ [0]-12;
  English (M/A) IQ [2]-12.
  PLA Soldiers
  75 points
  These are soldier-taikonauts sent to Mars to guard
  China’s territorial claim on the Red Planet. They usu-
  ally work as technicians or vehicle operators in the
  colony, but do keep up their proficiency with gyroc
  weapons. They may not be privy to everything that is
  going on, but they are very unlikely to disobey
  Captain Zhao’s orders.
  ST 11 [10]; DX 12 [20]; IQ 10 [0]; HT 12 [20].
  Move 6.
  Advantages: High Pain Threshold [10]; Military
  Rank 1 [5].
  Disadvantages: Duty (PLA) [-10].
  Skills: Brawling (P/E) DX [1]-12; Computer
  Operation/TL9 (M/E) IQ [1]-10; Demolition/TL9
  (M/A) IQ [2]-12; Driving/TL9 (Mars Rover or
  Crawler) 
  (P/A) 
  DX 
  [2]-12; 
  Electronics
  Operation/TL9 (Communication) (M/A) IQ [2]-
  10; First Aid/TL9 (M/E) IQ [1]-10; Free Fall
  (P/A) DX [2]-12; Guns/TL9 (Gyroc) (P/E) DX+2
  [2]-14*; Survival (Mars) (M/A) IQ [2]-10; Vacc
  Suit/TL9 (M/A) IQ+1 [4]-11.
  * Includes +1 bonus for IQ.
  Languages: Chinese (native) (M/A) IQ [0]-10;
  English (M/A) IQ-1 [1]-9.
  Philippe Herault
  80 points
  The eccentric billionaire founder of the Croatoan
  colony, Herault wants to establish a human presence
  on Mars that is free of the control of Terran govern-
  ments. His ultimate dream is for Croatoan to be the
  nucleus of a Free Mars, where people can live
  according to their own ideals. He favors a particular
  school of Communitarian Anarchism, but recognizes
  that others are likely to have their own notions of an
  ideal society. Though he was once one of Earth’s
  richest individuals, most of his fortune is now tied up
  in the Croatoan colony, or else is unavailable.
  Most of the other Croatoan settlers have abilities
  about on par with Herault’s.
  ST 10 [0]; DX 12 [20]; IQ 12 [20]; HT 11 [10].
  RESCUE MISSION
  7
  
  Move 6.
  Advantages: Charisma +1 [5].
  Disadvantages: Pacifism (Self-defense only) [-15].
  Skills:
  Administration (M/A) IQ+1 [4]-13;
  Agronomy/TL9 (M/A) IQ+1 [4]-13; Area
  Knowledge 
  (Mars) 
  (M/E) 
  IQ+1 
  [2]-13;
  Chemistry/TL9 (M/H) IQ [4]-12; Computer
  Operation/TL9 (M/E) IQ [1]-12; Driving/TL9
  (Mars Rover) (P/A) DX [2]-12; First Aid/TL9
  (M/E) IQ+1 [2]-13; Free Fall (P/A) DX-1 [1]-11;
  Mechanic/TL9 (Electric Motors) (M/A) IQ+1 [4]-
  13; Navigation/TL9 (M/H) IQ [4]-12; Philosophy
  (Anarchist) (M/H) IQ-2 [1]-10; Planetology
  (Mars) (M/A) IQ [2]-12; Scrounging (M/A) IQ-1
  [1]-11; Vacc Suit/TL9 (M/A) IQ+2 [6]-14.
  Languages: English (M/A) IQ [2]-12; French
  (native) (M/A) IQ [0]-12.
  Modified Colonists
  100 points
  The three genetically engineered colonists are not
  capable of surviving on Mars without any equip-
  ment, but can live in conditions that would kill an
  ordinary human. In practice, the three Martians can
  live on the surface wearing nothing more than cold-
  weather clothing, and need only a breathing mask
  and oxygen tank instead of a full life-support system.
  Their low-pressure lungs and reduced need for oxy-
  gen means they can double the useful life of an oxy-
  gen tank.
  They have HT+2 [20]; the advantages Breath
  Holding [2], Decreased Life Support (Halved oxy-
  gen requirements) [10], Early Maturation 1 [5], Filter
  Lungs (Filters CO2 instead of particulate matter,
  +0%; Nuisance effect: Doubled Food Requirements,
  -20%) [4], and Temperature Tolerance-5 [5]. Their
  lungs are optimized for low atmospheric pressure,
  and their bodies are suited for Martian surface grav-
  ity. The total point cost is 46 points for the Mars
  package.
  All three are short and heavily-built, with deep
  chests and very thick skin. Their color is quite dark
  as protection against ultraviolet light. Their names
  are Ba Xing, Ba Hong, and Si Ri. Xing and Hong are
  men, identical clones apparently about 18 years old
  (they are actually 12). Ri is a woman, seemingly in
  her mid-20s but really 16. All three are very naive
  about other human cultures, but they do know they
  don’t want to remain in the Chinese colony as mem-
  bers of a permanent worker caste.
  ST 10 [0]; DX 11 [10]; IQ 12 [20]; HT 14 [20].
  Move 6.
  Advantages: Martian package [46].
  Disadvantages: Social Stigma (Valuable property)
  [-10]; Workaholic [-5].
  Skills:
  Agronomy/TL9 (M/A) IQ+1 [4]-13;
  Computer Operation/TL9 (M/E) IQ [1]-12;
  Driving/TL9 (Mars Rover) (P/A) DX-1 [1]-11;
  First Aid/TL9 (M/E) IQ [1]-12; Mechanic/TL9
  (Electric Motors) (M/A) IQ+1 [4]-13; Stealth
  (P/A) DX-1 [1]-10; Survival (Mars) (M/A) IQ
  [2]-12; Vacc Suit/TL9 (M/A) IQ+1 [4]-13.
  Languages: Chinese (native)(M/A) IQ [0]-12;
  English (M/A) IQ-1 [1]-11.
  Science Specialist
  95 points
  A general researcher assigned to Eos Station, this
  character can either be a PC or NPC member of the
  rescue team; the character stats are also appropriate
  for the Minotaur Station scientists.
  ST 10 [0]; DX 12 [20]; IQ 13 [30]; HT 11 [10].
  Move 5.
  Advantages: Versatile [5].
  Disadvantages: Curious [-5]; Workaholic [-5].
  Skills: Biochemistry/TL9 (M/VH) IQ [6]-13;
  Chemistry/TL9 (M/H) IQ [4]-13; Computer
  Operation/TL9 (M/E) IQ [1]-13; Driving/TL9
  (Mars Rover) (P/A) DX+1 [4]-13; Electronics
  Operation/TL9 (Sensors) (M/A) IQ [2]-13; First
  Aid/TL9 (M/E) IQ [1]-13; Free Fall (P/A) DX [2]-
  12; 
  Geology/TL9 
  (M/H) 
  IQ 
  [4]-13;
  Mechanic/TL9 (Electric Motors) (M/A) IQ [2]-
  13; Navigation/TL9 (M/H) IQ-1 [2]-12;
  Planetology (Mars) (M/A) IQ [2]-13; Research
  (M/A) IQ [2]-13; Science! (M/VH) IQ-1 [4]-12;
  Vacc Suit/TL9 (M/A) IQ+1 [4]-14.
  Equipment: Electronic Binoculars; Mars Suit;
  Medical Kit.
  Technician
  95 points
  Probably the most common character type on
  Mars, the Technician can be on the rescue team or
  one of the Minotaur or Croatoan personnel.
  ST 11 [10]; DX 12 [20]; IQ 12 [20]; HT 10 [0].
  Move 5.
  Advantages: Manual Dexterity +2 [6]; Versatile [5].
  Disadvantages: Bad Sight (Correctable) [-5];
  Workaholic [-5].
  RESCUE MISSION
  8
  
  Skills: Chemistry/TL9 (M/H) IQ [4]-12; Computer
  Programming/TL9 
  (M/H) 
  IQ+1 
  [6]-13;
  Driving/TL9 (Mars Rover) (P/A) DX [2]-12;
  Electronics/TL9 (Communications) (M/H) IQ
  [4]-12; Electronics Operation/TL9 (Communi
  cations) (M/A) IQ+2 [6]-14; First Aid/TL9 (M/E)
  IQ [1]-12; Free Fall (P/A) DX-1 [1]-11;
  Mechanic/TL9 (Electric Motors) (M/A) IQ+3 [8]-
  15; Navigation/TL9 (M/H) IQ [4]-12; Research
  (M/A) IQ [2]-12; Vacc Suit/TL9 (M/A) IQ+2 [6]-
  14.
  Equipment: Mars Suit; Laser Torch; Tool Kit.
  Vehicle Operator
  95 points
  Vehicle operators are already developing a kind of
  “cowboy” mystique on Mars, as taciturn loners who
  pride themselves on self-reliance and open-minded-
  ness. This character can be either a party member or
  one of the Minotaur Station personnel.
  ST 10 [0]; DX 13 [30]; IQ 11 [10]; HT 11 [10].
  Move 6.
  Advantages: Acute Vision +2 [4]; Less Sleep-1 [3];
  Night Vision [10].
  Disadvantages: Overconfidence [-10]; Stubbornness
  [-5].
  Skills: Area Knowledge (Mars) (M/E) IQ+2 [4]-13;
  Brawling 
  (P/E) 
  DX 
  [1]-13; 
  Computer
  Operation/TL9 (M/E) IQ+1 [2]-12; Driving/TL9
  (Crawler) (P/A) DX+1 [4]-14; Driving/TL9
  (Mars Rover) (P/A) DX+1 [4]-14; Electronics
  Operation/TL9 (Communications) (M/A) IQ+1
  [4]-12; First Aid/TL9 (M/E) IQ [1]-11; Free Fall
  (P/A) DX-1 [1]-12; Mechanic/TL9 (Electric
  Motors) (M/A) IQ+1 [4]-12; Navigation/TL9
  (M/H) IQ+1 [6]-12; Planetology (Mars) (M/A) IQ
  [2]-12; Survival (Mars) (M/A) IQ+1 [4]-12; Vacc
  Suit/TL9 (M/A) IQ+2 [6]-13.
  Equipment: Mars Suit.
  RESCUE MISSION
  9
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/GURPS [multi]/Adventure/GURPS - Adventure - Rescue Mission (Mars).pdf