TEXT: PRIME DIRECTIVE FEDERATION
  1
  DREAD PIRATE ALDOX
  PRIME DIRECTIVE
  PRIME DIRECTIVE
  PRIME DIRECTIVE
  PRIME DIRECTIVE
  PRIME DIRECTIVE
  GURPS
  GURPS
  GURPS
  GURPS
  GURPS
  PD20 MODERN
  PD20 MODERN
  PD20 MODERN
  PD20 MODERN
  PD20 MODERN
  INTRODUCTION
  This booklet contains a sample adventure for the Prime Di-
  rective RPG Universe. This sample adventure, drawn from the
  forthcoming sourcebooks Prime Directive Federation PD20M and
  GURPS Federation 4E, includes a fiction story to set up the ad-
  venture, character stats for both GURPS and PD20 Modern, and
  other data such as phasers.
  By the nature of its size, it does not include a lot of back-
  ground material, equipment data, planetary conditions, or other
  information. While that information can be found in the Prime
  Directive Core Rulebooks for PD20, PD20M, or GURPS, we pre-
  sume that any GM has a vast number of other sourcebooks from
  which he can adapt similar information and data.
  BACKGROUND
  The story and adventure focus on a survey team checking
  out a new planet for possible colonization. One lone scout has
  been on the planet for a few months, walking around, recording
  notes on his tricorder, and generally waiting to see if he gets sick
  from something unknown in the environment. Since he didn’t die
  yet, the Federation has sent a larger team of seven people, most
  of them having PhDs in such things as geology, biology, botany,
  ecology, meteorology, etc. The “security” is provided by one armed
  officer, although everyone has extensive training in survival and
  surveying skills. Cross-training among the team is extensive, so
  that whoever is focusing on the key task can be help from some-
  one else who has at least general knowledge in that field.
  NOTES TO GMs
  You probably want to read the story, and maybe the charac-
  ters’ background, before reading this, but if you don’t mind spoil-
  ers, go ahead. In a gaming setting, this story could evolve and
  resolve in several different ways.
  You could “stop the story” before the Orion Pirates kidnap
  the survey team and just spend your adventure time exploring a
  new planet. Or, do that the first time, and bring in the Orions later.
  How much is the team willing to cooperate with the Orions?
  Will they make an escape attempt? Is Ecirp really a traitor or is
  he just playing the Orions? Are the Orions really going to leave
  the team on the planet when the research is finished, or will they
  sell them into slavery or simply kill them? Who are the clients the
  Orions are working for and what do they want the tree pollen for?
  Perhaps the scientists won’t be conducting research, but will in-
  stead be guinea pigs? Will the pollen impact the different spe-
  cies in the group in different ways? Will the Speedwell or another
  ship return to the planet ahead of schedule?
  The villains, of course, don’t have to be the Orions. The dis-
  appearing Ecirp could have been eaten by a tentacled beastie
  living in the muck at the bottom of the pond. Perhaps he and the
  missing team members fell victim to a discarnate energy being,
  maybe even a benign-but-misunderstood one in typical tradition
  of the genre. Ecirp could have gone crazy from the fungal infec-
  tion, an insect bite, or the pollen in the air. Sarest could be a
  traitor, rather than Ecirp, or there could be no traitor at all.
  With an entire galaxy of planets to choose from, the limits
  are only those of your imagination.
  WHAT IS PRIME DIRECTIVE?
  Based on The Original Series of Star Trek™, Prime Direc-
  tive is a role-playing system set in the Star Fleet Universe, a
  group of game systems including tactical spaceship combat, stra-
  tegic warfare, and card games.
  Currently available for GURPS 4e, PD20M, and PD20, we
  have books for other roleplaying game systems in development.
  Our philosophy is to bring the content you want to the game sys-
  tem you already enjoy, rather than forcing you to learn a unique
  new game system in order to enjoy that content. Our contract
  with Paramount never expires, so unlike other companies that
  appear, publish a book or three, and then disappear (forced to
  abandon their fans in dead systems with no further expansion),
  we will always be here, and will continually develop new adven-
  tures, characters, books, and technology for our product lines.
  The Star Fleet Universe is a unique creation, based on The
  Original Series, but it has expanded far beyond that tiny data-
  base. There are more starships, planets, and empires in the Star
  Fleet Universe than in all of the incarnations of Trek™ combined.
  The Star Fleet Universe has none of the material from the later
  series and movies, so you will find no Cardassians, but you will
  find other alien races and empires that you will, no doubt, find
  even more interesting. While the Star Fleet Universe diverged
  from “Canon Trek”, a good GM can easily use our roleplaying
  books and a working knowledge of later television shows to build
  whatever universe he wants. Because the Star Fleet Universe is
  a game universe where gamers try to win, the “rules” and back-
  ground have to remain fairly consistent, so that the same thing
  works the same way each time. At least, until the players do some-
  thing different, which is how it should be.
  As our contract with Paramount never expires, we’ve been
  doing SFU for decades, and will be for many decades to come.
  PUBLISHER’S INFORMATION
  This book, known internally as The Dread Pirate Aldo, was
  created and published by Amarillo Design Bureau, Inc., P.O. Box
  8759, Amarillo, TX 79114. Contact ADB, Inc. for anything relat-
  ing to Star Fleet products. This product is copyright © 2010 Ama-
  rillo Design Bureau, Inc.; all rights are reserved under the Pan-
  American, International, and Berne Copyright Conventions.
  All rules questions and submissions of new material should
  be sent to ADB, Inc., Post Office Box 8759, Amarillo, TX 79114.
  Unsolicited submissions are accepted only under the standard
  terms found on the websites and become the property of ADB,
  Inc. on receipt; but authors are compensated if the item is pub-
  lished. No materials based on, for use with, or incorporating ele-
  ments of any Star Fleet Universe products may be published
  without permission of ADB, Inc.
  Elements of the Star Fleet Universe are the
  property of Paramount Pictures Corporation
  and are used with their permission.
  www.FederationCommander.com
  www.StarFleetGames.com
  
  XDREAD PIRATE ALDO
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  PRIME DIRECTIVE FEDERATION
  ANOTHER NEW WORLD
  by John Sickels
  Planetary Survey Log, October 24, Y166, 0815 Hours Local
  Time, Dr. Kenneth Atchison Recording
  “We are approaching planet MW-537-V. For the last two
  hours, the Speedwell has tried to contact the advance scout who
  preceded us to the planet six months ago. So far he hasn’t an-
  swered. We will be directly above his encampment in ten min-
  utes and hopefully will make contact then. Assuming no compli-
  cations, the team will shuttle down with our equipment later this
  afternoon. Our compliments to Captain Kuo and the crew of the
  Speedwell, who have made our journey here comfortable. I per-
  sonally recommend that Luna University renew the Speedwell’s
  transport contract for the coming fiscal year. Log recorder off.”
  Atchison’s Cabin, Speedwell, Orbiting Planet MW-537-V, Oc-
  tober 24, Y166, 0822 Hours Local Time
  “That was boring,” teased Maiah. Ken flipped the recorder
  switch off and turned to face his wife. She pulled a black t-shirt
  down around her body, her torso twisting in the cramped con-
  fines of their cabin. “You really need to make those more inter-
  esting.” She winked at him, her blonde Alpha-Centauran locks
  framing her thin face. It always drove him crazy.
  “Let’s keep the interesting stuff for our personal logs,” he
  replied. He got up from his chair and threw his arms around his
  wife, planting a passionate kiss. Ken planned on throwing her
  onto the bunk, but they stumbled backwards instead, off-balance,
  crashing onto the cabin deck plating of the Speedwell.
  “Ouch, bad man!” She pretended to be angry, then kissed
  him. “Bad man” was a common AlphaCent phrase of endear-
  ment. It rubbed many Earth humans the wrong way, but Ken had
  grown used to it over the years.
  The intercom interrupted their passion. “Bridge to Atchison.”
  They broke their kiss. “Atchison here.”
  “We’ll be in orbit in about five minutes, Doctor, in case you
  want to be on the bridge.”
  “Let the rest of the team know, too. We’re on our way, Cap-
  tain.”
  “So much for. . .” Maiah’s voice tailed off.
  “Yeah, it’s going to get busy. But we’ll find the time.”
  “I’ll make sure of that, bad man.” She kissed him hungrily.
  Bridge, Speedwell
  The Speedwell’s small bridge was even more cramped than
  usual, the seven members of Luna University Planetary Survey
  Team Nine crowding in to look at the planet on the viewscreen.
  Speedwell was a Free Trader, one of thousands of exter-
  nally similar, general-utility cargo ships around the Federation. It
  was a starship, with all the nominal capabilities of a fleet heavy
  cruiser, just not as many of them. It had a crew of twenty instead
  of 400, five Marines instead of 50, one tractor beam and one
  transporter instead of three of each, a medic instead of a surgi-
  cal staff, half of the cargo volume, about the same passenger
  accommodations, a pair of phasers (and no photon torpedoes)
  instead of a dozen, enough sensors to scan a planet in about a
  week instead of a few hours, but whatever you wanted a starship
  to do, Speedwell could do it. Some Free Traders were fitted to
  carry more or fewer passengers, to have more weapons, or with
  extensive laboratory facilities (or none at all). The Star Fleet
  Marines even used modified Free Traders to land tanks on alien
  planets.
  MW-537-V, a very typical Class-M world, filled the screen as
  the ship took up position over the scout’s encampment. This new
  world featured two large continents, plus numerous islands and
  archipelagos. The atmospheric envelope had a slightly purplish
  tinge.
  “Geosynchronous orbit established,” said the Tellarite first
  mate. “Still no answer to our hails.”
  “Take a sensor scan,” said Kuo. “Any humanoids down
  there?” There was always the chance that something had hap-
  pened to the scout.
  “Checking . . . he’s there, about three klicks from the camp .
  . . moving slowly. Looks like he’s out for a walk or something.
  Probably doesn’t have his communicator with him.”
  “Or he just doesn’t care to answer,” said Atchison.
  “Well, do we keep hailing or do we just go down and knock?”
  asked Dr. Elur, the team’s Andorian biologist and physician.
  Rema Isabe, the team’s Cygnan security officer, grunted his
  agreement.
  “It’s your call, Ken,” said Kuo.
  Atchison considered the options.
  “Isabe, you beam down with me. We’ll make sure every-
  thing is OK before the rest of you come down in the shuttles.”
  Encampment One, Southern Continent, Planet MW-537-V,
  October 24, Y166, 0902 Hours Local Time
  Atchison and Isabe materialized a short distance from the
  encampment. They were on a steep hill overlooking a large open
  field, surrounded on two sides by a grove of trees. A shallow
  brook flanked the fourth side, water trickling gently towards a
  small lake about one kilometer distant. The scene was idyllic,
  although Atchison had done enough planetary surveys to know
  that appearances were often deceiving.
  “Scanning,” said Rema Isabe in his pronounced Cygnan tone
  as he activated his tricorder.
  Atchison flipped open his communicator. “Landing party to
  Speedwell, transport complete. Stand by while we make con-
  tact.”
  “Message acknowledged, landing party.”
  “He’s on the other side of that grove of trees, moving this
  direction,” said Isabe, his scan complete. “Be here in about five
  minutes at his current pace.”
  “Let’s take a look.”
  The two men walked down the hill towards the camp. An
  insect buzzed Atchison’s head; he instinctively shooed it away.
  He noticed an odd scent in the breeze . . . not a sweet odor
  exactly, hard to pin down . . . pollen of some kind? Something
  we’ll figure out soon enough, Atchison thought to himself.
  “That sky looks a lot like Moore’s Planet,” commented Isabe.
  Atchison looked up for the first time, noticing the purplish
  blue tint to the atmosphere. Indeed, it did resemble the last planet
  they’d surveyed. Puffy cumulous clouds drifted by.
  “Yeah, it sure does.”
  The two men entered the encampment, not wanting to snoop
  too much but casually observing the environment. The scout’s
  portable personal shelter was on the east edge of the camp. On
  the west edge was another shelter being used to store equip-
  ment, and there was space already cleared for several others. A
  portable fusion generator provided power for the shelters, a Star
  Fleet Marine-issue camp cooking unit, a computerized weather
  station, and a general-duty replicator, apparently seldom used.
  The southern edge of the encampment featured a traditional
  campfire, ashes left over from the previous night. Scientific equip-
  ment of various sorts was scattered about, the camp demon-
  strating a curious mixture of order and chaos. The entire setup
  reminded Atchison of his childhood days camping as a Youth
  Scout back in Australia.
  Atchison and Isabe settled near the center of the camp, be-
  neath a large dining fly. A communicator sat on the table under-
  neath the fly.
  “There he is,” Isabe said. Entering the camp was a burly,
  bearded, rough Rigellian, wearing a pale-red utility jumpsuit and
  light windbreaker jacket and carrying an old-style laser hunting
  rifle. Atchison and Isabe left the dining fly and walked towards
  him. The Rigellian approached them somewhat warily.
  “Greetings, Mr. Ecirp. I’m Dr. Kenneth Atchison; this is my
  
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  DREAD PIRATE ALDOX
  associate, Rema Isabe.”
  The Rigellian gave the barest hint of a nod.
  Atchison shifted his feet and cleared his throat.
  “We’re from the Luna University, here to begin the next phase
  of the survey.”
  “I know who you are. Didn’t expect you just yet.”
  “Our arrival was scheduled well in advance,” said Atchison.
  “We’re on time.”
  “Well, you’re here now. Nothing I can do about it.” The
  Rigellian scowled, looked them over, then seemed to relax a bit.
  “My name is Ecirp. I need some recfe.” He turned and walked
  towards the storage shelter.
  “Not very personable, is he?” asked Isabe.
  “Ever met a lone scout who was?” replied Atchison.
  Ecirp returned from the shelter, bearing a brown beverage
  packet and an ancient campfire percolator. He seemed a bit friend-
  lier. Atchison had read Ecirp’s personnel file, of course, before
  setting out on the mission. Despite his “mountain man” appear-
  ance, Ecirp was a highly trained scientist with a doctorate in plan-
  etary science and master’s degrees in biology and astrophysics.
  He’d worked for a mining corporation for almost 30 years, but
  had become an independent scout after his wife died a decade
  ago. Ecirp had been living on MW-537-V for six months, study-
  ing it and doing the basic pioneering work. He would stay an-
  other six months, according to plan at least, showing the team
  around and familiarizing them with the planet. The Speedwell
  would return at that point, dropping off more supplies for the team,
  and taking Ecirp on to his next destination.
  “Good thing you are here I suppose. I’m almost out, and the
  replicator can’t make recfe worth a damn. Does all right on your
  human coffee, but not the good Rigellian stuff. You did bring a
  case of recfe, didn’t you?”
  “I think it’s on the manifest, yes.”
  “Good. Part of my contract, you know. You want me around
  another six months, you provide recfe.”
  Ecirp walked over to the remnants of the campfire, Atchison
  and Isabe trailing behind.
  “Mr. Ecirp, we need to get the rest of my team down here
  and begin transporting our equipment and supplies, better part
  of a day’s work. If you’d like to transport up for a medical checkup,
  or a warm shower, or if you have any additional needs, we can
  deal with those.”
  “My only need right now is some warm recfe.” The Rigellian
  gathered some kindling and threw it on the smoldering embers,
  which quickly flared up. “Most of the wood here burns well. I’ll
  show you which trees to avoid; some of them stink like Gulgnar’s
  Maw if you burn them.” He set up the percolator, his back turned
  to Atchison and Isabe.
  “Um, the medical checkup is mandatory, if you’ll recall the
  University’s regulations.” Ecirp ignored the comment. A silent
  moment passed.
  “Mr. Ecirp, I must contact the Speedwell. We need to . . .”
  “Yes, yes, do whatever you need to do. And it’s Ecirp, not
  ‘Mister’ anything. Got that straight?” the Rigellian said irritably.
  Atchison signed inwardly. Six months with this grouch didn’t
  seem like a pleasant prospect.
  “Landing party to Speedwell. Contact with scout established.
  Standby to begin landing supplies and personnel.”
  Encampment One, Southern Continent, Planet MW-537-V,
  October 24, Y166, 2250 Hours Local Time
  The rest of the day was a series of shuttle landings and trans-
  porter drops, equipment unloading and positioning. The first pri-
  ority was setting up additional shelters to house the survey team.
  Equipment was unloaded in a specific order, designed for easy
  access and activation in the coming days and weeks. Each mem-
  ber of the team, plus the crew of the Speedwell, knew exactly
  what to do, having gone through the procedure on other survey
  missions.
   Although he refused to transport up to the ship, Ecirp was
  given his mandatory physical by Dr. Elur, thanks to the Andorian’s
  trusty medical tricorder. By the end of the day, the team was
  tired, but content from a productive day of labor. They gathered
  under the dining fly for the evening meal: a home-cooked genu-
  ine beef roast courtesy of Captain Kuo and the Speedwell’s gal-
  ley, accompanied by carrots, Tellarite figs, and fresh Rigellian
  leras fruit for desert. The menu was enjoyed by everyone except
  Sarest, the Vulcan member of the team, who dined on plomeek
  soup.
  “This isn’t bad,” commented Ecirp as he finished an overly
  large bite of roast, “but in the morning I’ll hunt down a better
  evening meal for you. Small herbivores graze down by the pond,
  just before dawn. The meat’s not bad.”
  “Have you analyzed the nutritional content of the meat?”
  asked Dr. Gloria Fernandez.
  “Eaten it about twice a week the last few months,” answered
  Ecirp over his chewing. “Good change from the rations or the
  replicator. I haven’t keeled over yet.”
  “Yes, but . . .”
  “I know what you’re asking, yes, it’s all in my studies,” re-
  plied Ecirp. “I know my job. You know yours?” He gave Gloria a
  dark look and took another bite of roast. Annoyed, Fernandez
  glanced over at Dr. Michiko Soejima, who shrugged and mouthed
  “let it go” to her companion. Gloria stifled the comment she was
  about to make about Ecirp’s attitude.
  “Have the herbivores discovered that you are predator yet?”
  asked Atchison.
  “Don’t think so. They don’t seem too bright.”
  “Surely there are native predators that hunt them,” com-
  mented Sarest.
  Ecirp looked at Sarest. “My wife used to work for a Vulcan. I
  never liked him much.”  He took a swig of water. “Of course there
  are predators. Some come around at night, one type in particu-
  lar, like a cross between a big Rigellian ferret and a Terran dog.
  That’s in my report, too. No primates though. And the herbies
  don’t seem to have noticed that me and my rifle are a threat yet.”
  Ecirp belched. He seemed to take pride in being as uncouth
  
  XDREAD PIRATE ALDO
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  PRIME DIRECTIVE FEDERATION
  as possible. He rose from the table.
  “Well, time for bed. The perimeter alarm is set, but I’ve never
  had much trouble at night. Most of the animals stay away. Gotta
  watch out for the small rodents, though. They’ll get into your food
  if you don’t store it right.” Ecirp left the group and headed to-
  wards his personal shelter.
  “What a jerk,” said Maiah.
  “Spending the next six months with him is not my idea of a
  good time,” added Isabe.
  “Stow it,” said Atchison. “He’s been alone for six months.
  Give him a chance.” He was a bit worried that Isabe had taken a
  strong dislike to Ecirp so quickly.
  The communicator chirped. “Speedwell to landing party,
  come in.” It was Captain Kuo.
  “Atchison here, Speedwell, go ahead.”
  “We’ve finished seeding the weather and communications
  satellites in orbit, and the data feeds read active with your por-
  table computers and tricorders. Everything set up down there,
  Doctor?”
  “Hold one moment, Captain.” Atchison glanced at Sarest,
  who pulled out his tricorder. The Vulcan checked the data links
  and nodded.
  “Affirmative, Captain. All is well.”
  “Any further needs, Ken?”
  “I don’t think so, Captain. We’re ready to settle down for the
  night.”
  “I have enough slack in the flight plan that we can remain in
  orbit until dawn if you like.”
  “Thank you, Captain, but that won’t be necessary. The check-
  list is complete and we have no problems here.”
  “All right, Doctor, we will be leaving for our next destination.
  See you in six months.”
  “Very well Speedwell, have a safe journey.”
  “Enjoy your stay. Speedwell out.”
  “It always makes me nervous when they leave,” Michiko said.
  “You say that every time,” replied Gloria, “and within a week
  you’ll be so obsessed with weather patterns that you’ll forget all
  about your worry, and about me sometimes too.” She smiled.
  Michiko gave an embarrassed grin.
  “Well, let’s clean up,” said Atchison. “Maiah and I will handle
  KP for tonight, and we’ll get started with the regular cooking and
  camp schedule tomorrow. Get some good rest, everyone. We
  will get started with the staff meeting at 0800 tomorrow.”
  “I want to do a perimeter check before turning in,” commented
  Isabe, “make sure the alarms are set.”
  “Fine with me, Rema, as long as you’re up and about by
  0800.” Atchison knew that his Cygnan friend usually had trouble
  sleeping the first few weeks on a new planet. While on board the
  Speedwell, the team had synchronized their sleeping patterns to
  coincide with this time zone and the planet’s 26-hour day, but it
  always took Isabe extra time to adjust. Isabe went to his shelter,
  picked up his phaser rifle and tricorder, and began a long walk
  around the perimeter of the camp.
  Atchison and Maiah gathered the utensils and dishes, while
  the others made their way to their shelters. Traditionally, Atchison’s
  team used old-style camping pots and pans to prepare the evening
  meal two or three times a week. The fusion-powered portable
  kitchen was a great labor-saving device, but part of the team’s
  task was to assess the suitability of local food sources: plants,
  animals, etc., since the colony would eventually have to produce
  its own food in order to be self-sustaining. In addition to deter-
  mining nutritional content and health suitability, it required actual
  cooking. Ecirp had already done some of that work, and both Dr.
  Elur and Dr. Fernandez were well-trained in the discipline of
  exogastronomy.
  As he scrubbed dishes, Ken looked up at the stars, noting
  an aurora-like glow forming along the northern edge of the hori-
  zon. The planet had significant ionization in the upper atmosphere,
  resulting in this beautiful display on clear nights, though reports
  indicated it could interfere with communication signals. The sat-
  ellites would compensate for that, of course.
  “You missed a spot, bad man,” teased Maiah. “Look at the
  dishes, not the stars.” He almost replied with a suggestive innu-
  endo, but settled for a leer instead. She giggled. The first night
  on a new planet was almost always fun.
  Encampment One, Southern Continent, Planet MW-537-V,
  October 25, Y166, 0725 Hours Local Time
  Ken awoke with an ache in his back, Maiah gently snoring
  next to him. Maneuvering himself quietly out of bed so as not to
  disturb his wife, he used the shelter’s latrine, then popped an
  analgesic pill for his back pain. Glancing out the front of the shel-
  ter, he saw that Gloria and Michiko were already awake, drinking
  coffee under the dining fly. Sitting outside his own shelter, Dr.
  Elur was doing stretching exercises. Sarest, Isabe, and Ecirp
  were nowhere he could see, possibly still sleeping, exploring, or
  tending equipment out of his sight range. The sun was bright and
  wispy clouds floated by, a beautiful day.
  Ken picked up a PADD and sat down at the work station/
  desk within the shelter. He decided to let Maiah sleep a bit longer
  and to review the day’s work schedule in the meantime.
  MW-537-V was technically at Pre-Colonization Phase D:
  Pioneering. The planet had been discovered by an automated
  probe nine years ago, then visited by the survey ship Amerigo
  Vespucci six years later for an initial survey. Allocated by the
  Federation to the United Earth Government as a general mixed
  colony, the world was intended for both agricultural and indus-
  trial production as well as an outlet for population growth.
  Monsanto had won the bidding for the agricultural facilities, while
  Weygand-Yulani and Taggert Pan-Galactic had formed a joint
  venture to exploit the deposits of iridium and platinum detected
  by automated probes on the northern continent, all under con-
  tract with the UE government. Luna University was contracted to
  provide objective study of the planet, and confirm the early sur-
  vey results. Ecirp’s pioneer work had been the first step in this
  process, his mission to confirm that the planet, or at least this
  initial colony site, was livable. Now their task was to study the
  planet in greater depth, in preparation for the arrival of the first
  wave of 150 colonists, tentatively scheduled in another eighteen
  months.
  As the team leader, Atchison’s task was to coordinate
  everyone’s research, making sure that everyone was working on
  the same page, that work wasn’t being unnecessarily duplicated,
  and that both the general and specific goals of the mission were
  met. The oldest of eight children, Ken learned both leadership
  and teamwork growing up back in Rockhampton. The 0800 meet-
  ing would begin the process formally, each person presenting a
  plan for action and study, while Atchison determined priorities
  and resource allocation, such as use of the shuttlecraft, use of
  the orbital satellites, who got to use the most computer time and
  when, etc. Atchison would also compile all reports and make sure
  they were properly transmitted to higher authorities at regular
  intervals. The communications satellites left in orbit by the Speed-
  well provided a link with the Federation’s subspace network, as
  well as enabling team members who might being exploring dif-
  ferent parts of the planet to remain in contact. A hand-communi-
  cator could not reach the satellites, but it could reach the base
  camp and an automatic relay. For deliberate trips away from camp,
  a larger communicator (able to reach the satellites) was carried.
  The ground stations sent a burst transmission to the satellite every
  hour, with weather data, any messages deliberately added, cop-
  ies of communicator transmissions, and a passive sensor sweep
  of the camp. The satellite kept the last 30 of these transmissions
  in a buffer, and if the transmissions stopped, would store what-
  ever it had on file and send an alert message into the subspace
  network.
  Ken’s wife Maiah was the geologist and cartographer,
  charged with studying the planet’s geology, mineral resources,
  and geography. The team had worked together long enough that
  there was no question of favoritism or bias when it came to Ken
  making decisions about Maiah’s work. Fortunately their marriage
  
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  DREAD PIRATE ALDOX
  was strong enough to survive working together on the same
  project, something that they had seen harm many other relation-
  ships. The biggest problem they faced was with Maiah’s tradi-
  tionalist AlphaCent relatives, most of whom didn’t understand why
  she had married a Human.
  The Andorian Dr. Elur was the main biologist and also served
  as the expedition’s physician. He would study the plant and ani-
  mal life of the world, and also watch for any disease organisms
  which might impact the group. Elur had taken a vow of poverty
  and chastity as part of his religious training many years ago. He
  was a member of the Andorian Senthei sect of healers, who saw
  their calling to medicine as a spiritual task. He was trusted im-
  plicitly by the rest of the crew, a prerequisite (in Atchison’s opin-
  ion) for any successful physician.
  Michiko Soejima, a human from Vega Colony, was the
  expedition’s meteorologist and was also the official second-in-
  command to Atchison. She was cross-trained in geology and
  would assist Maiah when necessary. Like Atchison and Isabe,
  Michiko was ex-Star Fleet and acted as a sort of informal “secu-
  rity” officer when needed.
  Gloria Fernandez, from Novelda, Spain, on Earth, was the
  lead botanist and ecologist, working closely with Dr. Elur in study-
  ing the native life forms. In addition to her scientific degrees, she
  held a bachelor’s degree in comparative theology and was the
  group’s informal spiritual advisor and morale officer.
  Other than Maiah, Atchison’s best friend was Isabe, the
  Cygnan “muscle” of the group. Although he was the only mem-
  ber of the team without at least one doctorate, he was highly
  intelligent, and a capable “fix-it” man when it came to repairing
  equipment and keeping everything operational. He was also a
  skilled hunter and tracker, and took his security and protection
  responsibilities very seriously. A former captain in the Star Fleet
  Marines, Isabe was discharged after being accused of violating
  the Prime Directive while serving aboard the starship Hood eight
  years ago. Atchison, who had been Hood’s assistant science of-
  ficer before leaving the service for greener pastures, had hired
  him as the “security muscle” for the survey team a few years
  back. Atchison felt that Isabe had been railroaded in the court-
  martial and made a scapegoat for the actions of higher officers.
  He knew Isabe well, and the man had always acted in good faith.
  The only group member who was an outsider was Sarest,
  the Vulcan generalist with expertise in many different disciplines.
  He would “float” from assignment to assignment as needed to
  support the others. He was also a qualified shuttle pilot, like Isabe,
  Michiko, and Ken himself. Sarest was the newest member of the
  team, and had been assigned at the last minute when Dr. Hamrick
  had been transferred to another team by the University over
  Atchison’s objections. Sarest had previously worked for private
  industry and this was his first mission for the University. The loss
  of Hamrick and the substitution of Sarest had been the only “glitch”
  in this assignment so far.
  Atchison accessed the PADD’s data menu, and saw that
  Gloria and Michiko had already submitted their work requests for
  the week. He decided to wait on that until the meeting itself, skip-
  ping instead to Ecirp’s pioneering logs. Despite the scout’s grizzled
  appearance and gruff demeanor, he’d submitted what looked like
  a very detailed report regarding his experiences and discover-
  ies. Atchison couldn’t wait to dig in.
  “Good morning, my loving bad man,” Maiah cooed. She stood
  before him in all her glory.
  He smiled broadly at his mate, then came back to reality
  long enough to glance at the shelter’s chronometer. 0741. Not
  enough time. Damn.
  “Sorry, my dove. We better get showered; the meeting starts
  in twenty minutes.”
  She threw a pillow at him.
  Encampment One, Southern Continent, Planet MW-537-V,
  October 25, Y166, 0803 Hours Local Time
  The team gathered under the dining fly, replicated coffee
  and doughnuts on the table.
  “Good morning, everyone. Anyone seen Ecirp?” The Rigellian
  was missing. No one had.
  “I’ll check his shelter,” responded Isabe.
  “In the meantime, let’s get started. I’d like to spend this morn-
  ing finishing the equipment set up and making sure everything
  that needs to be running is doing so. Standard schedule like on
  our last assignment, we meet at 0800 for the daily meeting over
  breakfast. You are free to eat lunch on your own, but the evening
  meal at 1900 is mandatory unless you are out of camp on a mis-
  sion. The setup should be complete by this afternoon, and you
  can get started on your individual projects then. Any objections?
  Good. To business then. Dr. Elur?”
  “I want to begin with a detailed ecological study of the sur-
  rounding area. Ecirp’s log contains his observations but much
  more needs to be done. The data from the biological sampler
  indicates that the local flora utilize a rather unique set of nucleic
  acids, more like life forms typical to a Class-K ecosystem than a
  Class-M, despite the planetary classification. I can do the pre-
  liminary study myself but would require Gloria’s assistance later.”
  “Gloria?”
  “No problem, Elur. I can help with that. I noticed the same
  thing and have it on my list. But I’d like to develop a matrix of the
  ecological chain first, look for any unusual variations.”
  “Fair enough. Your turn, Michiko.”
  “It will take me a few days to analyze the weather autostation
  reports and Ecirp’s logs,” she said, “but just from the early data,
  this area still looks like a prime colonization site. Temperate cli-
  mate, moderate precipitation. Perhaps a bit cold in the winter
  months, but not too bad. I will take some soil and silt samples of
  course, help determine the longer-range cycles. I’ll need some
  shuttle time to gather core samples from glaciers and ice packs
  later this month.”
  “How soon?”
  “I’ve got enough data here to keep me busy for at least three
  weeks. No rush.”
  “That’s good, then,” said Maiah. “I need the shuttle to ex-
  plore the projected mining sites. I’d like to get started on that.”
  “How soon?”
  “Tomorrow morning, if I can. Some preliminaries to finish
  first.”
  “We can do that.” Atchison made a notation on the PADD.
  “Sarest, I’d like you to assist Dr. Elur today, but tomorrow
  you will accompany Maiah on her research trip.”
  “As you wish.”
  Isabe returned to the dining fly, a look of concern on his
  face.
  “Ecirp isn’t at his shelter.”
  “He’s probably out hunting.”
  “Maybe, but he knew about the meeting.”
  “Well, like I’ve said before, he’s not used to people.”
  “You need to stop making excuses for him, Ken,” said Maiah,
  “He should be here.”
  Atchison paused. Had he not been taking Ecirp’s antisocial
  behavior seriously enough?
  “All right, let’s figure out what’s going on.” He flipped open
  his communicator. “Atchison to Ecirp. Come in, Ecirp.” There was
  no answer.
  “He didn’t leave his communicator in his shelter,” said Isabe.
  “If he has it with him, it’s either shut off or he’s just ignoring us.”
  “Tricorder scan, then.”
  “Nothing.”
  “What?” Maiah and Sarest activated their tricorders to con-
  firm Isabe’s readings. The link with the satellites in orbit enabled
  the tricorders to extend their scanning range significantly.
  “Nothing, he’s not within five klicks of the camp.”
  “Widen the scan!”
  “Still nothing. No humanoid life forms except us.”
  “Link up with the satellite to boost the maximum scan ra-
  dius.”
  “Already did. Nothing.”
  
  XDREAD PIRATE ALDO
  6
  PRIME DIRECTIVE FEDERATION
  “I’ve got his communicator transponder located,” said Maiah,
  “down by the lake.”
  “Focus the tricorder scan in that area. At least we know where
  to start. He could be seriously injured, not dead. Sometimes weak
  life readings won’t show up on a scan if the conditions aren’t
  perfect.”
  “Picking up an intermittent life reading now.”
  “Rigellian?”
  “Can’t tell, it’s very weak.”
  “All right, everyone, let’s find out what’s going on.”
  “We should leave someone here to guard the camp,” sug-
  gested Isabe.
  “What about the shuttle?” said Maiah, “We could search from
  the air.”
  “Agreed on both counts. Sarest, Gloria, you stay here. Get
  the shuttle prepped for launch in case we need to search. Send
  a signal to the Speedwell, inform them we may have a medical
  emergency and might need them to return quickly. Elur, get your
  med kit. The rest of you, grab your getaway bags; let’s head to
  the pond.”
  It was a rule that nobody left camp without their “getaway
  bag.” This was an alien planet, and anyone who left camp, even
  to go just a few hundred meters, could get lost or in trouble.
  Everybody’s “bag” was different . . . and most of them weren’t
  bags. Gloria preferred a fanny pack, while Atchison preferred a
  small rucksack. Sarest wore a vest, and Isabe preferred well-
  worn Marine “web gear”. The others had made other choices.
  Everybody’s “getaway” included three days of rations, a multi-
  tool, a first-aid kit, their phaser, a canteen, a pack of water purifi-
  cation tablets, their tricorder, and a spare communicator. Every-
  body had added a few personal items — a knife in Isabe’s case,
  a hundred meters of polymer cord in Maiah’s — that they thought
  would be (or had previously found) useful. Most had a spare pair
  of socks. Everybody kept their bag ready to go and close at hand.
  When returning to camp, the first thing to do was to restock the
  “getaway” just in case something came up. Wherever you went
  in camp, your “getaway” was within five meters, and ready to be
  grabbed at a dead run. When planning for a longer trip, a full
  backpack was added to the “getaway”, but no team member was
  ever far from his “getaway”.
  After grabbing their gear, the party headed down the bank of
  the creek along a path trampled down by Ecirp over many months.
  Isabe had the point, phaser rifle drawn, followed by Atchison,
  Maiah, and Michiko, armed with phaser pistols, and Dr. Elur with
  his medical tricorder.
  “Anything?” Atchison asked Elur as they approached the
  pond.
  “No life signs, lost the signal. But his communicator is just
  ahead.”
  Isabe motioned everyone to stop.
  “See anything?” Atchison whispered.
  “Right there.” Isabe pointed to a bundle of clothing on the
  edge of the lake. “Let me check.”
  Isabe moved forward, conducting a scan with his tactical
  tricorder. He reached the pile of clothing, poked at it with his rifle,
  then waved the team forward. The communicator was attached
  to Ecirp’s utility belt, lying next to the clothes.
  “Nothing here. Just clothes. There’s his communicator.” Isabe
  picked it up. “Working order, he just wasn’t here to answer it.”
  “Looks like he went for a swim,” said Maiah. “Maybe he
  drowned?”
  “No, the tricorder doesn’t show anything in the water except
  fish and small amphibians. We’d pick up even a corpse at this
  distance.”
  “Maybe something ate him,” Michiko said morbidly.
  “No signs of large animals,” said Dr. Elur.
  “At least not that you can detect,” said Atchison. “Let’s keep
  all options open. We don’t know what we are dealing with here.
  We definitely need to get the Speedwell back here, though.” He
  flipped open his communicator.
  “Atchison to base camp, come in.”
  There was no answer.
  “Atchison to Sarest, come in. Dr. Fernandez, this is Ken
  Atchison, do you read?” Still no answer.
  “Ah, shenk!” said Maiah.
  “Let’s get back, now!”
  Encampment One, Southern Continent, Planet MW-537-V,
  October 25, Y166, 1600 Hours Local Time
  The team had a serious problem on their hands.
  Very serious.
  They returned to the camp to find Sarest and Gloria miss-
  ing. Tricorder scans detected no humanoid life forms. Worse than
  that, their communications were cut off. Someone had taken a
  phaser to all three portable computer nodes, severing the links
  between the satellites in orbit and the ground equipment. Tricorder
  logs showed the links broken during the time the team was at the
  pond. Without the portable computers, the tricorders and com-
  municators had insufficient range to link with the satellites, due
  to the planet’s unusual atmospheric conditions. With the portable
  computer memory reduced to burned metal slag, there was no
  way to know if Sarest and Gloria had signaled the Speedwell
  before they vanished. There were no obvious signs of a struggle.
  Worst of all, the shuttlecraft had been crippled: the same phaser
  used on the computers had destroyed the shuttle’s radio and
  badly damaged the main system controls.
  Isabe thought he might be able to make makeshift repairs
  on the shuttle, but it would take some time. Michiko and Elur did
  a scan of the camp, but found nothing missing. In fact, Sarest
  and Gloria had left their “getaway” bags, which meant they didn’t
  leave voluntarily, except maybe in a blind panic. Atchison de-
  cided to abandon the main part of the camp and consolidate
  around the shuttlecraft as a sort of fortress, keeping everyone
  together while Isabe made his repair attempt. They gathered
  weapons, rations, water, and medical supplies. While Isabe
  worked, the rest of the team considered the situation.
  “I’ve combed through Ecirp’s logs,” began Maiah. “Couldn’t
  find anything unusual. The only thing I noticed was a marked
  drop in the level of detail, starting about a month ago.”
  “Maybe he was just getting bored,” suggested Michiko dis-
  interestedly. Atchison was worried about her; she was torn up by
  Gloria’s disappearance, though she was trying as hard as pos-
  sible to cover it up and perform her job. Even exhibiting this level
  of stress wasn’t like her, though.
  “Possibly. Perhaps there was something wrong,” he sug-
  gested. “Any ideas, Doctor?”
  Dr. Elur shook his head. “I’ve gone over the readings from
  his physical again. Aside from a slight fungal infection on his left
  foot, he was perfectly healthy.”
  “Fungal infection? What about that?”
  “Local fungus-like microorganism, he may have picked it up
  from swimming. It was resistant to the antifungal cream he had
  with him, but I gave him a good dose of oral xenofungazole which
  should have cleared it up in a day or two. My tests indicated the
  organism was susceptible to that drug.”
  Atchison considered this. “I remember reading once about a
  fungal thing . . . it was years ago . . .”
  “I remember,” said Maiah, “about fifteen years ago, a planet
  towards the galactic core. Remember, Elur? Star Fleet landing
  party from one of the survey cruisers caught a fungus, ate into
  their brains, turned them violent.”
  “Yes, I recall the case,” said the Andorian. “But there is no
  evidence of anything like that here. Ecirp had the fungus for sev-
  eral weeks, with no indication of any serious problems, aside
  from the itch. I can’t imagine it could have killed him, and we
  should have found his body if it did. It also doesn’t explain the
  disappearance of Sarest and Gloria.”
  “True. But go over the readings from his physical again, just
  to be sure.”
  “Of course.”
  “Any other ideas?”
  
  PRIME DIRECTIVE FEDERATION
  7
  DREAD PIRATE ALDOX
  Maiah shook her head nearly imperceptibly. Michiko looked
  lost in thought. Ken tried to engage her. “Michiko?”
  “You served in Star Fleet as long as I did. You know it could
  be anything . . . an energy creature, a disease, a parasite, some
  shape-shifting native predator, Klingons, Orions.”
  “It could simply be that Ecirp went crazy,” said Maiah. “Re-
  member, whatever happened to Sarest and Gloria didn’t trigger
  the camp perimeter alarm. A creature of some sort probably would
  have. If it’s Ecirp, and he has a sensor masking device, he could
  remain hidden from the alarm and simple tricorder scans.”
  “That type of equipment is illegal for civilians, Maiah,” said
  Ken.
  “Which doesn’t mean he doesn’t have one. They’re sold on
  the black market. Hell, Ecirp could be working for the Orions for
  all we know.”
  “So could Sarest,” said Elur.
  “What?”
  “We don’t know him well at all, and he’s very quiet, even for
  a Vulcan.”
  “That’s ridiculous,” said Ken. “I can’t believe you’d even sug-
  gest that.” Ken was shocked; it wasn’t at all like Elur to throw out
  such an accusation. But for a split-second, he shared Elur’s
  thought. Sarest was awfully quiet, and Ken hadn’t liked the way
  he’d been put on the team at the last minute. Someone had shot
  up the equipment with a phaser. . .could that have been Sarest?
  Or Ecirp? Or any of them under the control of some sort of crea-
  ture?
  Everyone went silent. Why are we thinking this way? Ken
  thought to himself. We’re trained to deal with stress.
  “I’m almost ready to give it a try,” said Isabe, “But I need
  some help here, Ken.”
  Atchison went over to the shuttle’s main controls, where Isabe
  had been making repairs. “What do you need?”
  “I’ve cannibalized two tricorders and salvaged as many com-
  ponents as I could from the burned-out computers. The radio is
  gone but I’ve been able to jury-rig the engineering computer, at
  least I think so. We can at least get some power going.”
  “Will we be able to lift off?”
  “Probably, but I’ll want to run some diagnostics first. I need
  you at the controls here. Some of the automatic functions might
  not be working and it might take both of us to keep this thing
  stable. Hold on a second; let me get this last trans-stator in place.
  There. All right, we’re ready.”
  “Everyone, we’re going to see if we can get the shuttle oper-
  ating,” said Ken. “Take your positions please.” The team sat down
  in their respective seats.
  “I will start up the main controls,” said Isabe. “Ken, monitor
  the power flow indicator. If it spikes, shut it down. I don’t want to
  risk burning the system out.”
  “Ready.”
  “Activating.” Isabe punched the start-up switch for the main
  power bus. Several indicators flickered briefly, then the panels
  came to life.
  “Any big spikes?”
  “No. How does it look?”
  Isabe scanned the control panel, gathering information.
  “Communications definitely down. Helm controls look OK. Life
  support is good for a week. External sensors gone. Engineering
  systems look all right, but I’m setting up a diagnostic to make
  sure. Navigational computer . . . damn, nothing there.”
  “So we have engine power and can steer, but we won’t be
  able to set a course?”
  “We can dead-reckon at sublight I suppose.”
  “Combat systems?”
  “We have the structural integrity field, but no fire control for
  the phaser.”
  “How long to complete the engine diagnostic?”
  “Five minutes.”
  There was a horrific screaming sound from outside, like a
  cross between the roar of a Terran grizzly bear and the howl of a
  Vulcan le-matya. Atchison bolted out of his seat to the shuttle’s
  hatch, where Maiah and Elur were already peering out.
  “See anything?”
  “Negative!”
  “Nothing on the tricorder scan,” said Michuko.
  Isabe was looking out the front shuttle window. “I can’t see
  anything here!”
  The screeching sound grew louder. A decision had to be
  made. Go take a closer look, phasers at the ready? They could
  solve this mystery once and for all, discover what happened to
  their three compatriots, hopefully rescue them . . . or perhaps
  share their fate. They could take the shuttle up into the atmo-
  sphere, save themselves temporarily and get an aerial look at
  whatever was going on. Or they could get up into orbit completely
  and think through the situation. The screech grew even louder.
  Ken decided.
  “Maiah, shut the hatch, Rema, fire up the engines.”
  “The diagnostic isn’t . . .”
  “Screw the diagnostic; get us off the ground, now! Everyone
  buckle in!”
  At the pilot’s seat, Isabe punched buttons and the shuttle’s
  engines fired up. The shuttle lifted slowly then jerked to starboard
  and downward slightly. Isabe compensated but was having trouble
  maintaining a steady course. Ken buckled himself into the shuttle’s
  systems operations seat. Half the panel indicators were out. From
  what he could tell, the engines were operating normally on a
  mechanical basis, but the systems that controlled the automatic
  functions were only partially functional.
  “You steer; I’ll handle the engines,” said Isabe.
  “Right.”
  Ken kept the shuttle on a steady upward course, then stabi-
  lized at 1,000 feet. He tried to do a circular course over the camp
  area, but the steering was sluggish. The other team members
  were peering out the hatch window, scanning visually.
  “Can anyone see anything?”
  “Negative, just the camp,” commented Maiah.
  “Great, an invisible monster!” said Michiko.
  “We don’t know that there is a monster!” said Elur.
  “You heard it! We all did! It got the others, you know it.”
  Michiko was dangerously close to panic, while Elur was unusu-
  ally agitated for a man normally so calm. What was happening?
  “Everyone, quiet!” Ken interrupted. “We don’t have any idea
  what’s going on. Rema, any reason we can’t make orbit?”
  “I don’t think so. It will take two of us to handle the controls
  but everything seems all right.”
  “I have an idea. Get us into orbit, then track down one of the
  communications satellites. Get us within communicator range and
  we’ll get a signal to the Speedwell. This is beyond our ability to
  deal with right now.”
  “All right, gaining altitude and speed, will achieve orbital ve-
  locity in 30 seconds.”
  “Can we find the satellites?” asked Maiah, “We don’t have
  sensors.”
  “Once we are clear of the atmosphere,” said Ken, “We should
  be able to home in on one with the tricorders and communica-
  tors. There’s one in geosynchronous orbit over the main camp,
  shouldn’t be too hard to find.”
  The shuttle lifted into orbit, the purplish-blue atmosphere of
  the planet gradually fading to darkness.
  “Orbit achieved. We’re stable.”
  “Any troubles with the engines?”
  “No, looks good. But without sensors we can’t navigate at
  warp.”
  “Start scanning with tricorders, everyone. See if you can find
  the satellite.”
  It didn’t take long. “Found it,” said Maiah, “Bearing 124 de-
  grees mark nine, from current location, distance 87 klicks.”
  “Bring us to within 50 klicks, Isabe. Michiko, see if you can
  get a comm signal.”
  She began fiddling with her communicator.
  “Nothing.”
  “What? That’s not possible, we’re already close enough.”
  
  XDREAD PIRATE ALDO
  8
  PRIME DIRECTIVE FEDERATION
  “I can’t get through, either,” said Elur.
  What else can go wrong, thought Atchison.
  “Is it static or dead air?”
  “Static . . . I think we’re being jammed.”
  The shuttle lurched violently, throwing everyone not strapped
  in to the floor.
  “What the . . . “ Ken scrambled back into his chair. “Rema,
  did you . . .”
  “Tractor beam, something’s got us . . .”
  Through the front window, Ken saw the culprit: they were
  being dragged into the shuttle bay of a Free Trader, a Free Trader
  but definitely not the Speedwell. Or perhaps a Free Traitor . . .
  “You might have been right about the Orions, Maiah.”
  Isabe had revved up the engine power in a futile attempt to
  escape the tractor beam. The shuttle shook. Ken put his hand on
  the Cygnan’s shoulder. “It’s no use, Rema. Shut her down.” His
  friend nodded with resignation and powered the engines down.
  Ken turned to his team. “We don’t know what’s going on
  here, and we won’t be able to shoot our way out, so let’s just all
  stay calm and try to deal with whoever this is rationally.”
  “What would Orions want with this planet, or with us?” asked
  Michiko. “There are a million planets out there with resources
  like this one. It makes no sense.”
  “We’ll find out soon enough.”
  The shuttle settled into the bay of the larger ship.
  Captain’s Cabin, Free Traitor Penzance XXIII
  The Orion captain, known throughout the sector as the Dread
  Pirate Aldo, offered Ken a refill on his recfe.
  “So you see, Doctor, you put me in quite the dilemma. We
  were hoping to scare you off the planet with the disappearance
  of a few of your personnel and the apparent existence of an in-
  visible screaming ‘monster’. Alas, the incompetence of my sub-
  ordinates has rendered that plan ‘moot’, as you say. One crew-
  man exceeded his orders and caused too much damage to your
  shuttlecraft. The crewman responsible has been . . . disciplined.
  We had intended to leave you a means of easy escape.”
  “So my three missing people are all right, then.”
  “Yes, they are here on board, safe and sound.”
  “Might I see them?”
  “Not yet. You will be reunited at the right time.”
  “So what exactly was the plan?”
  “As I said Doctor, to scare you off the planet. With your com-
  munications cut off, we were hoping you would leave orbit and
  warp out, enabling us to finish our task before you returned with
  help. But once I received the report of my landing party, I realized
  that you would be unable to leave, and that we would have to
  take all of you into custody. After consulting with my clients, we’ve
  come up with a new plan, perhaps one we should have consid-
  ered in the beginning. Indeed, this new plan is likely to be far
  more profitable for both myself and my clients than our original
  scheme. The original concept would have gotten us just a few
  additional weeks of data, perhaps just days. Now we will have
  months!”
  “I’m afraid I don’t understand this at all, Captain. What is so
  valuable about this planet that you needed to go through all of
  this trouble? Why not just kill us? Why all the charades? If we
  had left the planet as you expected, we would certainly have
  returned to find my missing friends, with the Speedwell or even
  Star Fleet or police backup.”
  The Orion sighed. “It is complicated, Doctor. Several differ-
  ent contracts are involved, and certain clients have special needs.
  And, to be frank, I have never been especially comfortable with
  . . . murder.” He smiled coldly. “Oh, sometimes such things are
  necessary in this business. But it is not my main focus. I prefer to
  obtain profit through subtler means.”
  “You can’t hold us forever. The University is going to be ex-
  pecting progress reports. If we stay silent for too long, they will
  send a ship out to investigate. And the Speedwell will return in
  six months anyhow.”
  “Doctor, with the proper . . . persuasion . . . we will convince
  you to file ‘reports’ on schedule.” The Orion’s comment was tinted
  with menace. “As for the return of the Speedwell, your tasks for
  us will be complete by the time she returns.”
  Ken took a sip of recfe and swallowed hard. At least the
  recfe was good quality.
  The captain softened a bit. “Doctor, I realize it will be impos-
  sible for you to trust me. And I don’t expect trust, nor do I expect
  you to believe a word of what I’m about to say. But I tell you, if
  you do what we ask of you for the next six months, conduct the
  research we ask, study the things we ask you to study, file the
  reports we ask you to file, at the end of the period it will be as if
  nothing unusual had happened at all. The Speedwell will return,
  and you and your team will be on the planet, just as they expect.”
  “What is it we are supposed to study?”
  “You may have already noticed it to some extent, Doctor.
  Tree pollen on this planet has unusual biochemical properties,
  acting as a stimulant for certain areas of the central nervous sys-
  tem of most humanoids. Rigellians are immune, but other spe-
  cies are vulnerable to these effects, to a greater or lesser extent.
  My clients are interested in studying this pollen in detail, and
  perhaps enhancing the effect.”
  “‘Studying it’, eh?” said Ken. “Trying to turn it into a new
  narcotic?”
  The Orion captain laughed. “Oh, nothing so mundane as a
  simple pleasure drug, Doctor. But we can discuss the details later
  once you begin your research.”
  “And I’m supposed to believe that after six months you’ll just
  leave us there, on the planet, ready to tell the authorities the
  whole story?”
  “Yes, Doctor. That is exactly what I want you to believe.” The
  Orion smiled broadly, then tapped his intercom.
  “Take the good doctor back to his cell.”
  Two guards, one Human, one Orion, entered the cabin,
  phasers drawn. Atchison rose, considered saying something
  defiant, then realized that any such comment was both pointless
  and likely to antagonize the pirates. He nodded meekly, then left
  in custody of the guards.
  The Dread Pirate Aldo took the last sip of recfe from his own
  mug, then sat back to consider the state of affairs. Despite the
  botched attempt to scare the scientists away, quick thinking on
  his part had saved the situation. His clients were extremely
  pleased with his solution. It promised six additional months of
  unfettered research into the unusual biochemistry of the life on
  this world. What his clients wanted this research for did not con-
  cern him, but they were paying handsomely for it. The data would
  have to be checked, of course, to make sure the scientists were
  performing valid research and not faking or contaminating their
  results. His clients seemed confident that their own experts would
  detect any flaws.
  Persuasion could be brought to bear, if necessary, given the
  emotional ties obviously present in the group, though he would
  hold this option in reserve as a last resort. He was undecided
  about the eventual disposition of the scientists; perhaps his cli-
  ents would be interested in acquiring their services permanently,
  voluntarily or otherwise.
  The newest addition to his crew was an intriguing case. The
  captain didn’t trust the new addition just yet. In fact, this lack of
  trust had been part of the reason they rushed the operation so
  quickly after the Speedwell left, not wanting to give him time to
  change his mind. But if the new man worked out as well as the
  captain hoped, he would definitely be of great value in the future,
  both on this mission and on others.
  Someone hit the door chime.
  “Enter.”
  “Ah, yes. Come in, Doctor.” The Dread Pirate Aldo smiled.
  “You will begin your new duties tomorrow, supervising your col-
  leagues. As we agreed last month, your contract includes a life-
  time supply of premium Gahannaese recfe.” He poured a new
  cup from the carafe. “Try it!”
  Ecirp took a long sip and smiled.
  
  PRIME DIRECTIVE FEDERATION
  9
  DREAD PIRATE ALDOX
  Dramatis Personæ
  DR. KENNETH ATCHISON
  The leader of the expedition, Dr. Atchison is a 41-year-old
  human from Rockhampton, Australia, on Earth. A graduate of
  Star Fleet Academy, Atchison served as a science officer aboard
  the Federation starships De Gama (a scout) and Hood (a heavy
  cruiser), rising to the post of assistant science officer of the Hood
  before resigning his commission to lead a Luna University re-
  search team.
  The oldest of eight children, Atchison is a natural leader but
  preferred science and research to the command track during his
  Star Fleet days. His organizational and motivational skills have
  proven invaluable in his current job. His father was a blue-water
  naval officer in the Australian Defense Force branch of the United
  Earth military, while his mother was a research biologist at Cen-
  tral Queensland University. Kenneth is desperately in love with
  his wife Maiah. His best friend is Rema Isabe, the “security
  muscle” of the research team. He has a strong sense of right and
  wrong, but dislikes playing the political games that he felt were
  necessary to advance further in Star Fleet.
  He attended Star Fleet Academy, where he focused on sci-
  ence. While there he specialized in biology, anthropology, and
  archeology. Since leaving the Academy, he has organized a pio-
  neer team which he heads as a skilled administrator. He enjoys
  card games and is an expert poker player. He has a strong pho-
  bia regarding wasps and similar insects, although he isn’t aller-
  gic to them and has never actually been stung.
  MAIAH MO’THARAI ATCHISON
  Maiah is Kenneth’s wife. From Alpha Centauri, the 35-year-
  old is a highly skilled geologist and cartographer, holding PhDs
  in both subjects from Segama Geotechnic, the most prestigious
  planetary sciences university on her homeworld and one of the
  best in the Federation. As with all the team members, she also
  has strong survival skills.
  Maiah comes from a very traditional Alpha-Centauran fam-
  ily; her mother was a Tedeist priest, while her father was a home-
  maker. Her parents strongly disapprove of her marriage to an
  Earth Human, and feel insulted by Maiah’s rejection of traditional
  Alpha-Centauran values regarding family relations. She has a
  rebellious nature, but is deeply in love with her husband.
  While Alpha Centaurans are descended from transplanted
  Earth-Human stock, their society is very matriarchal, and women
  dominate families and the government.
  GLORIA FERNANDEZ
  An Earth human from Novelda, Spain, 45-year-old Fernandez
  holds PhDs in botany and ecology from the University of Madrid,
  and is an expert in studying and categorizing new life forms. She
  is also strongly interested in spiritual matters, holding bachelor’s
  degrees in comparative religion and psychology from Oxford. Her
  own religious beliefs are eclectic; she is very open to the ideas of
  others and loves talking about spirituality, serving as an informal
  chaplain and psychological counselor for the group.
  Like the other members of the group, she is trained in sur-
  vival skills. Although somewhat overweight, she is in good physi-
  cal condition and very strong. She is in love with Michiko Soejima,
  the team’s meteorologist.
  MICHIKO SOEJIMA
  Born and raised on Vega Colony, 38-year-old Michiko
  Soejima is descended from some of the original Japanese and
  Korean immigrants who founded that colony over a hundred years
  ago. Like Atchison, she is a Star Fleet Academy graduate who
  specialized in the sciences, namely meteorology with cross-train-
  ing in geology and astrophysics. She is in excellent physical con-
  dition and a crack shot with a phaser, serving as a second secu-
  rity officer for the team after Isabe. She won a Bronze Star for
  valor while serving aboard the starship Rahman during her Star
  Fleet days, but left the service to care for her sick mother on
  Vega.
  After her mother died, Michiko joined Luna University as a
  researcher, then volunteered for pioneer team duty after meet-
  ing Gloria Fernandez. Unlike Gloria, Michiko is a firm philosophi-
  cal materialist. She has a very calm but insightful personality,
  both indomitable and blessed with intuition.
  DOCTOR ELUR
  The team’s physician, the Andorian Dr. Elur, is somewhat
  dour but completely trusted by the other members of the team
  due to his tremendous medical skills. He is well-versed in human
  and near-human anatomy and able to tend any medical need,
  major or minor, needed by the team members. He is also an
  expert biologist, charged with studying plant and animal life in
  cooperation with Gloria Fernandez.
  Elur is a devout member of the Qellek-Memran Religious
  Order of Physicians, taking a vow of poverty and service many
  years ago as part of his medical training. He is fanatically de-
  voted to preserving and studying life in all of its forms. Although
  not a total pacifist, his philosophical beliefs limit him to fighting
  only in self-defense. He is also very honest.
  Andorians are blue-skinned aliens with sensory antennae
  on their foreheads. Their society is very militaristic.
  REMA ISABE
  A Cygnan, Rema Isabe is the team’s “security officer” and
  best friend of the team leader Ken Atchison. Isabe is a former
  Star Fleet Marine, a talented if somewhat unconventional officer
  who rose quickly through the ranks. While serving as Marine major
  aboard the starship Hood eight years ago, he was accused of
  violating the Prime Directive and was forced to resign from the
  service. The incident was classified and Isabe refuses to discuss
  it, but Atchison (who was serving on the Hood at the time) felt
  that Isabe was made the scapegoat to cover for the actions of
  the ship’s captain and first officer. When Atchison left Star Fleet
  shortly afterward, he recruited Isabe to join his pioneer group, an
  offer his Cygnan friend (who was drifting between a series of
  unimportant security consultant jobs) quickly accepted.
  Isabe attended the Marine Academy and was quite good at
  survival, throwing, tracking, and beam weapons. He is also a
  skilled mechanic. He is a light sleeper and is a terrible liar. He
  has tried hard to learn the human game of poker and plays fre-
  quent games with Atchison, Maiah, and Michiko, but his difficulty
  telling falsehoods makes him a poor bluffer.
  Cygnans are albino humanoids with black eyes.
  SAREST
  Sarest is something of a mystery to the other members of
  the group, only recently joining the team. He is quiet even for a
  Vulcan, and aside from his academic credentials, no one knows
  much about him. Sarest is extremely intelligent and imaginative
  as Vulcans go; one might call him versatile. A graduate of the
  Vulcan Science Academy, he is a scientific generalist, trained in
  a variety of disciplines including administration, anthropology, as-
  tronomy, chemistry, computer operation, cooking, engineering,
  and biology. He has skill as both a naturalist and a pilot. Like
  most Vulcans, he lacks a sense of humor; like the other team
  members, he is trained in survival skills.
  Vulcans are highly logical and have copper-based blood.
  ECIRP
  A Rigellian with a doctorate in planetary science and master’s
  degrees in biology and astrophysics, Ecirp became an indepen-
  dent scout ten years ago following the death of his beloved wife.
  Those who knew him at the time saw his personality change;
  previously outgoing and friendly, he became sullen and withdrawn
  after his spouse passed on. He strongly dislikes the company of
  others. Ecirp loves recfe, a coffee-like Rigellian beverage, to the
  point of obsession.
  Rigellians are dark-skinned with a random blue line pattern.
  
  XDREAD PIRATE ALDO
  10
  PRIME DIRECTIVE FEDERATION
  GURPS 4th Edition Stats
  Dr. Kenneth Atchison
  210 points
  Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 15 [100]; HT 11 [10].
  Secondary Characteristics: Dmg 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10
  [0]; Will 15 [0]; Per 16 [5]; FP 11 [0]; Basic Speed 5.25 [0]; Basic
  Move 5 [0].
  Race: Human; Height: 6’0”; Weight: 150 lbs.; Age: 41; Sex: Male;
  Graduated: Star Fleet Academy.
  Social Background: CF: Federation; TL12.
  Languages: Federation Standard (Native) [0].
  Advantages: Charisma 3 [15]; Courtesy Rank 3 [3]; Fit [5]; Re-
  sistant (Disease) (+3) [3].
  Disadvantages: Chummy [-5], Code of Honor (Professional)
  [-5], Curious (12) [-5], Phobia (Wasps and similar) (12) [-5]; Sense
  of Duty (Federation) [-10], Stubbornness [-5].
  Quirks: Broad-minded [-1], Dislikes political games [-1], Strong
  sense of right and wrong [-1].
  Skills: Administration-16 [4], Anthropology (Human)-17 [12], Ar-
  chaeology-17 [12], Astrononomy/TL-13 [1], Beam Weapons/TL
  (Pistol)-11 [2], Biology/TL (Class M)-16 [12], Computer Opera-
  tion/TL-16 [2], Computer Programming/TL-13 [1], Diplomacy-13
  [1], Electronics Operation/TL (Scientific)-16 [4], Electronics Op-
  eration/TL (Transporter)-15 [2], Electronics Operation/TL
  (Tricorder)-16 [4], Electronics Repair/TL (Scientific)-16 [4], Elec-
  tronics Repair/TL (Transporter)-14 [1], Electronics Repair/TL
  (Tricorder)-15 [2], Engineer/TL (Auxiliary Systems)-13 [1], Engi-
  neer/TL (Electronics)-14 [2], Expert Skill (Xenology)-15 [4], First
  Aid/TL-15 [1], Free Fall-9 [1], Gambling (Poker)-16 [4]; Hiking-11
  [2], History (Recent Federation)-13 [1], Judo-9 [2], Law (Federa-
  tion Military)-13 [1], Leadership-17 [1] (includes +3 from Cha-
  risma), Mathematics/TL (Applied)-13 [1], Mechanic/TL (Auxiliary
  Systems)-14 [1], Navigation/TL (Space)-15 [2], Operations/TL
  (Space)-14 [2], Physics/TL-12 [1], Piloting/TL (Aerospace)-10 [1]
  (default from IQ-6), Piloting/TL (Shuttlecraft)-11 [3] (default from
  IQ-6), Research/TL-16 [4], Savoir Faire (Military)-15 [1],
  Shiphandling/TL (Starship)-14 [2], Sociology-14 [0] (from default
  Anthropology-3), Spacer/TL-15 [1], Strategy (Space)-13 [1], Sur-
  vival (Desert)-15 [1], Tactics-13 [1], Vacc Suit/TL-9 [1].
  Maiah Mo’tharai Atchison
  200 points
  Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 13 [60]; IQ 14 [80]; HT 10 [0].
  Secondary Characteristics: Dmg 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10
  [0]; Will 14 [0]; Per 14 [0]; FP 10 [0]; Basic Speed 5.75 [0]; Basic
  Move 5 [0].
  Race: Alpha-Centauran; Height: 5’6”; Weight: 120 lbs.; Age: 35;
  Sex: Female.
  Social Background: CF: Federation; TL12.
  Languages: Alpha-Centauran (Native) [0]; Federation Standard
  (Accented) [4].
  Advantages: Charisma 1 [5], Fit [5], Intuitive Mathematician [5].
  Disadvantages: Sense of Duty (Federation) [-10], Stubbornness
  [-5].
  Quirks: Family is disappointed in her [-1], Rebellious nature [-1],
  Uses Alpha-Centauran phrases regarding men [-1].
  Skills: Administration-13 [1], Area Knowledge (Federation
  Space)-15 [2], Beam Weapons/TL (Pistol)-9 [1], Cartography/TL-
  16 [6] (default from Geography Class M-2), Climbing-13 [2], Com-
  puter Operation/TL-14 [1], Electronics Operation/TL (Scientific)-
  13 [1], Electronics Operation/TL (Tricorder)-13 [1], Electronics
  Repair/TL (Scientific)-13 [1], First Aid/TL-14 [1], Gambling (Poker)-
  13 [1], Geography/TL (Physical, Class M)-16 [12], Geology/TL
  (Class M)-16 [12], Hiking-10 [2], Mathematics/TL (Surveying)-14
  [2] (default from Cartography-3), Meteorology/TL (Class M)-13
  [1], Navigation/TL (Land)-15 [4], Prospecting/TL-13 [1], Research/
  TL-13 [1], Savoir Faire (Academic)-14 [1], Skiing-9 [2], Survival
  (Mountain)-13 [1], Vacc Suit/TL-12 [1], Writing-13 [1].
  Dr. Elur
  200 points
  Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 15 [100]; HT 10 [0].
  Secondary Characteristics: Dmg 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10
  [0]; Will 17 [10]; Per 20 [25]; FP 10 [0]; Basic Speed 5.25 [0];
  Basic Move 5 [0].
  Race: Andorian; Height: 6’0”; Weight: 150 lbs.; Age: 41; Sex: Male.
  Social Background: CF: Federation; TL12.
  Languages: Andorian (Native) [0]; Federation Standard (Native)
  [6].
  Advantages: Common Sense [10], Discriminatory Smell [15],
  Subsonic Hearing [5], Talent (Healer) 3 [30], Ultrahearing [5], Vi-
  bration Sense [10].
  Disadvantages: Code of Honor (Professional) [-5], Hidebound
  [-5], Honesty (12) [-10], Loner (12) [-5], Low Pain Threshold
  [-10], No Sense of Humor [-10], Pacifism (Self-Defense Only)
  [-15], Sense of Duty (Federation) [-10], Sense of Duty (Patients)
  [-5], Vow (Poverty) (Major) [-10].
  Skills: Biology/TL (Class M)-13 [2], Biology/TL (Class O)-14 [4],
  Computer Operation-15 [1], Diagnosis/TL (Andorian)-19 [4] (in-
  cludes +3 from Healer, defaults from Physician-4), Electronics
  Operation/TL (Medical)-15 [2], Electronics Operation/TL
  (Tricorder)-14 [1], Electronics Repair/TL (Medical)-15 [2], First
  Aid/TL-22 [0] (includes +3 from Healer, defaults from Physician),
  Meditation-15 [1], Naturalist (Class O)-13 [1], Pharmacy/TL
  (Herbal)-16 [1] (includes +3 from Healer), Pharmacy/TL (Syn-
  thetic)-18 [2] (includes +3 from Healer, defaults from Physician-
  5), Physician/TL (Andorian)-22 [20] (includes +3 from Healer),
  Physiology/TL (Andorian)-18 [2] (includes +3 from Healer, de-
  faults from Physician -5), Poisons/TL-16 [0] (defaults from Phy-
  sician-3), Surgery/TL (Andorian)-18 [4] (includes +3 from Healer,
  defaults from Physician-5), Survival (Arctic)-19 [1],Vacc Suit/TL-
  10 [1], Veterinary/TL-17 [0] (includes +3 from Healer, defaults
  from Physician-5). Dr. Elur has a -1 to medical skills when treat-
  ing Orions; -2 if treating Vulcans, -5 if treating Humans, Rigellians,
  or Alpha-Centaurans.
  Michiko Soejima
  200 points
  Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 14 [80]; HT 10 [0].
  Secondary Characteristics: Dmg 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10
  [0]; Will 16 [10]; Per 14 [0]; FP 10 [0]; Basic Speed 5.25 [0]; Basic
  Move 5 [0].
  Race: Human; Height: 5’8”; Weight: 130; Age: 38; Sex: Female;
  Graduated: Star Fleet Academy.
  Social Background: CF: Federation; TL12.
  Languages: Federation Standard (Native) [0].
  Advantages: Courtesy Rank 3 [3]; Fit [5]; Indomitable [15], Intu-
  ition [15], Reputation (Decorated) (1) (All the time, Large class)
  [3], Resistant (Disease) (+3) [3], Talent (Physical Science) 2 [10].
  Disadvantages: Code of Honor (Professional) [-5], Curious (12)
  [-5], Fanaticism (Patriotism) [-15], Sense of Duty (Federation)
  [-10].
  Quirks: Calm personality [-1].
  Skills: Administration-13 [1], Astrononomy/TL-14 [1] (includes +2
  from Physical Science), Beam Weapons/TL (Pistol)-16 [16], Com-
  puter Operation/TL-14 [1], Computer Programing/TL-12 [1], Di-
  plomacy-12 [1], Electronics Operation/TL (Scientific)-15 [4], Elec-
  tronics Operation/TL (Transporter)-14 [2], Electronics Operation/
  TL (Tricorder)-14 [2], Electronics Repair/TL (Scientific)-13 [1],
  Engineer/TL (Electrical)-12 [1], Engineer/TL (Electronics)-12 [1],
  Engineer/TL (Reactors & Power)-12 [1], Expert Skill (Xenology)-
  12 [1], First Aid/TL-14 [1], Free Fall-10 [1], Gambling (Poker)-13
  [1], Geology/TL (Class M)-15 [2] (includes +2 from Physical Sci-
  ence), History (Recent Federation)-12 [1], Judo-11 [4], Law (Fed-
  eration Military)-12 [1], Leadership-13 [1], Mathematics/TL (Ap-
  plied)-12 [1], Mechanic/TL (Reactors & Power)-13 [1], Meteorol-
  ogy/TL (Class M)-16 [2] (includes +2 from Physical Science),
  Navigation/TL (Space)-14 [2], Operations/TL (Space)-13 [2],
  Physics/TL-15 [4] (includes +2 from Physical Science), Piloting/
  TL (Aerospace)-10 [1], Research/TL-13 [1], Savior Faire (Mili-
  
  PRIME DIRECTIVE FEDERATION
  11
  DREAD PIRATE ALDOX
  tary)-14 [1], Shiphandling/TL (Starship)-13 [2], Skiing-9 [2],
  Spacer/TL-14 [1], Strategy (Space)-12 [1], Survival (Arctic)-13
  [1], Survival (Beach/Island)-13 [1], Swimming-10 [1], Tactics-12
  [1], Vacc Suit/TL-10 [1].
  Gloria Fernandez
  200 points
  Attributes: ST 13 [30]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 14 [80]; HT 10 [0].
  Secondary Characteristics: Dmg 1d/2d-1; BL 34 lbs.; HP 13
  [0]; Will 14 [0]; Per 14 [0]; FP 10 [0]; Basic Speed 5 [0]; Basic
  Move 5 [0].
  Race: Human; Height: 5’2”; Weight: 150 lbs.; Age: 45; Sex: Fe-
  male.
  Social Background: CF: Federation; TL12.
  Languages: Federation Standard (Native) [0].
  Advantages: Acute Taste and Smell 2 [4], Appearance (Attrac-
  tive) [4], Cultural Adaptability [10]; G-Experience (All) [10], Re-
  sistant (Disease) (+3) [3], Sensitive [5].
  Disadvantages: Chummy [-5], Code of Honor (Professional)
  [-5], Overweight [-1].
  Quirks: Loves talking about spirituality [-1].
  Skills: Biology/TL (Class M)-16 [16], Body Language (Human)-
  14 [2], Computer Operation/TL-14 [1], Cooking-14 [2], Detect Lies-
  15 [4] (includes +1 from Sensitive), Diplomacy-15 [8], Electron-
  ics Operation/TL (Scientific)-15 [4], Electronics Operation/TL
  (Tricorder)-15 [4], Hiking-9 [1], Naturalist (Class M)-16 [10] (de-
  fault from Biology-3), Philosophy (Mystic)-13 [2], Psychology
  (Human)-14 [4] (if in person, add +1 from Sensitive), Research/
  TL-15 [4], Survival (Plains)-14 [1] (default from Naturalist-3), Sur-
  vival (Woodlands)-14 [1] (default from Naturalist-3), Theology
  (Comparative)-12 [1], Vacc Suit-9 [1].
  Rema Isabe
  200 points
  Attributes: ST 11 [10]; DX 14 [80]; IQ 12 [40]; HT 13 [30].
  Secondary Characteristics: Dmg 1d-1/1d+1; BL 24 lbs.; HP 11
  [0]; Will 12 [0]; Per 12 [0]; FP 13 [0]; Basic Speed 6.75 [0]; Basic
  Move 6 [0].
  Race: Cygnan; Height: 5’8”; Weight: 150 lbs.; Age: 41; Sex: Male;
  Graduated: Federation Marine Academy.
  Social Background: CF: Federation; TL12.
  Languages: Cygnan (Native) [0], Federation Standard (Accented)
  [4].
  Advantages: Fearlessness 3 [6], Talent (Mathematical Ability) 1
  [10], Talent (Physical Science) 4 [20], Resistant (Disease) (+3)
  [3], Versatile [5], Very Fit [15].
  Disadvantages: Code of Honor (Soldier’s) [-10], Gregarious
  [-10], Guilt Complex [-5], Intolerance (Kzinti) (Total Intolerance)
  [-10], Light Sleeper [-5], Overconfidence (12) [-5], Reputation
  (Dishonorable discharge) (-2) (All the time, Large class)
  [-5], Sense of Duty (Teammates) [-5], Truthfulness (12)
  [-5], Vow (To follow The Ways of the Fathers) [-15], Weakness
  (Sunlight 1d/30 minutes; variable -40%) [-9].
  Quirks: Doesn’t fully support the Prime Directive in all cases
  [-1], Incompetence (Gambling) [-1], Vow (Clear his name) [-1].
  Skills: Administration-11 [1], Armoury/TL (Small Arms)-13 [4],
  Beam Weapons/TL (Pistol)-16 [4], Beam Weapons/TL (Rifle)-16
  [4], Camouflage-14 [4], Climbing-14 [2], Computer Operation/TL-
  12 [1], Electronics Operation/TL (Communications)-12 [2], Elec-
  tronics Operation/TL (Tricorder)-11 [1], First Aid/TL-12 [1], Free
  Fall-13 [1], Gunner/TL (Beam)-14 [1], History (Recent Federa-
  tion)-10 [1], Karate-13 [2], Knife-15 [2], Law (Federation Military)-
  10 [1], Leadership-12 [2], Mechanic/TL (Shuttlecraft)-12 [2], Navi-
  gation/TL (Land)-11 [1], Operations (Land)-11 [2], Parachuting/
  TL-14 [1], Running-12 [1], Savoir Faire (Military)-13 [2], Soldier/
  TL-13 [4], Spacer/TL-13 [1], Stealth-14 [2], Strategy (Land)-10
  [1], Survival (Jungle)-11 [1], Survival (Swamp)-11 [1], Swimming-
  13 [1], Tactics-12 [4], Throwing-14 [2], Tonfa-14 [2], Tracking-11
  [1], Vacc Suit/TL-13 [1].
  Sarest
  200 points
  Attributes: ST 12 [20]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 15 [100]; HT 10 [0].
  Secondary Characteristics: Dmg 1d-1/1d+2; BL 29 lbs.; HP 12
  [0]; Will 15 [0]; Per 15 [0]; FP 10 [0]; Basic Speed 5 [0]; Basic
  Move 5 [0].
  Race: Vulcan; Height: 6’1”; Weight: 145 lbs.; Age: 94; Sex: Male;
  Graduated: Vulcan Science Academy.
  Social Background: CF: Federation; TL12.
  Languages: Federation Standard (Accented) [4], Vulcan (Native)
  [0].
  Advantages: Acute Hearing 1 [2], Extended Lifespan (x2) [2],
  G-Experience (All) [10], High Pain Threshold [10], Indomitable
  [15], Less Sleep 2 [4], Lightning Calculator [2], Mind Shield 4
  [16], Nictitating Membrane 1 [1], Photographic Memory [10], Re-
  generation (Regular: 1HP/Hr) (Only while in Autotrance) [18],
  Talent (Physical Science) 2 [10], Talent (Vulcan Psi) 1 [5],
  Unfazeable [15].
  Perk: Autotrance [1].
  Disadvantages: Code of Honor (Logical behavior) [-10], Hon-
  esty (12) [-10], Intolerance (Emotional or illogical behavior) [-5],
  Low Empathy [-20], No Sense of Humor [-10], Pacifism (Self-
  Defense Only) [-15], Truthfulness (12) [-5], Workaholic [-5].
  Quirks: Attentive [-1], Doesn’t talk much [-1].
  Skills: Administration-14 [1], Anthropology (Vulcan)-14 [2], As-
  tronomy/TL-15 [1] (includes +2 from Physical Science), Biology/
  TL (Class K)-13 [2], Cartography/TL-14 [1], Chemistry/TL-15 [1]
  (includes +2 from Physical Science), Computer Operation/TL-15
  [1], Computer Programming/TL-15 [4], Cooking-14 [1], Electron-
  ics Operation/TL (Scientific)-16 [4], Electronics Repair/TL (Sci-
  entific)-15 [2], Engineer/TL (Electronics)-14 [2], First Aid/TL-15
  [1], Geography/TL (Physical, Class K)-13 [1], Geology/TL (Class
  K)-15 [1] (includes +2 from Physical Science), Mathematics/TL
  (Applied)-13 [1], Metallurgy/TL-13 [1], Meteorology/TL (Class K)-
  16 [1] (includes +2 from Physical Science), Mind Block-14 [1],
  Naturalist (Class K)-13 [1], Paleontology/TL (Paleozoology)-14
  [2], Physics/TL-14 [1] (includes +2 from Physical Science), Pilot-
  ing/TL (Shuttlecraft)-10 [1] (default from IQ-6), Research/TL-15
  [2], Survival (Desert)-14 [1].
  Ecirp
  200 Points
  Attributes: ST 14 [40]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 14 [80]; HT 12 [20].
  Secondary Characteristics: Damage 1d/2d; BL 39 lbs.; HP 14
  [0]; Will 14 [0]; Per 14 [0]; FP 14 [6]; Basic Speed 5.5 [0]; Basic
  Move 5 [0].
  Race: Rigellian; Height: 6’2”; Weight: 210 lbs.; Age: 34; Sex: Male.
  Social Background: CF: Federation; TL12.
  Languages: Federation Standard (Native) [6], Rigellian (Native)
  [0].
  Advantages: Combat Reflexes [15], Rapid Healing [5].
  Perk: Ultraviolet Tolerance [1].
  Disadvantages: Fanaticism (Spread of civilization) [-15], Loner
  (6) [-10], Odious Personal Habit (Anti-Social) (-2) [-10], Secret
  (GM’s choice: either Rejects Rigellian honor and family or Co-
  vert Operative) [-10], Sense of Duty (To family) [-5].
  Quirks: Addiction to recfe (mild/legal) [-1], Humble [-1].
  Skills: Armoury/TL (Small Arms)-13 [1], Beam Weapons/TL (Pis-
  tol)-12 [4], Beam Weapons/TL (Rifle)-12 [4], Biology/TL (Class
  M)-13 [4], Boxing-11 [4], Camouflage-14 [1], Cartography/TL-13
  [1], Climbing-11 [4], Computer Operation/TL-14 [1], Cooking-13
  [1], Electronics Operation/TL (Scientific)-14 [2], Electronics Op-
  eration/TL (Tricorder)-14 [2], Electronics Repair/TL (Tricorder)-
  13 [1], Fast Draw (Pistol)-12 [2] (includes +1 from Combat Re-
  flexes), First Aid/TL-14 [1], Hiking-13 [4], Jumping-10 [1], Math-
  ematics/TL (Applied)-12 [1], Meteorology/TL (Class M)-14 [2],
  Navigation/TL (Land)-15 [4], Observation-15 [4], Physics/TL (As-
  trophysics)-14 [8], Piloting/TL (Shuttlecraft)-12 [8], Prospecting/
  TL-14 [2], Stealth-11 [3] (default from IQ-5), Survival (Woodlands)-
  14 [2], Swimming-12 [1], Tactics-12 [1], Throwing-9 [1], Tracking-
  14 [2], Traps-13 [1], Wrestling-9 [1].
  
  XDREAD PIRATE ALDO
  12
  PRIME DIRECTIVE FEDERATION
  PD20 Modern Stats
  Dr. Kenneth Atchison
  Level 3 Smart / Level 3 Science Specialist / Level 1 Field Re-
  searcher.
  Human: Male
  HP: 43
  XP: 21,000.
  Str 11, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 18, Wis 15, Cha 15.
  Skills: Bluff +5, Computer Use +9, Craft (chemical) +6, Craft
  (electronic) +6, Craft (structural) +5, Craft (writing) +5, Decipher
  Script +5, Gather Information +7, Investigate +7, Knowledge (be-
  havioral sciences) +15, Knowledge (business) +17, Knowledge
  (civics) +5, Knowledge (earth and life sciences) +16, Knowledge
  (history) +14, Knowledge (Klingon) +5, Knowledge (physical sci-
  ences) +6, Knowledge (Romulan) +5, Knowledge (technology)
  +6, Listen +4, Navigate +5, Pilot +2, Profession +5, Read/Write
  Alpha-Centauran, Read/Write Federation Standard, Research +8,
  Search +5, Speak Alpha-Centauran, Speak Federation Standard,
  Spot +4, Survival +4.
  Feats: Alertness, Educated (Knowledge [behavioral sci-
  ences] and Knowledge [earth and life sciences]), Nerves of Steel,
  Simple Weapons Proficiency.
  Talents: Fast Learner, Savant (Research).
  Class Features: Science Specialist: Skill Mastery (Bluff,
  Computer Use, Investigate, Knowledge [earth and life sciences],
  Knowledge [history], Research, Search), Scientific Improvisation,
  Primary Area of Study (Knowledge [history]).
  Class Feature: Field Researcher: Dodge Trap.
  Base Attack Bonus: +2, Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +4.
  Maiah Mo’tharai Atchison
  Level 4 Dedicated.
  Alpha-Centauran: Female HP: 36
  XP: 6,000.
  Str 12, Dex 11, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 9, Cha 11.
  Skills: Computer Use +6, Craft (writing) +4, Investigate +4,
  Knowledge (business) +3, Knowledge (earth and life sciences)
  +18, Knowledge (history) +4, Knowledge (physical sciences) +3,
  Knowledge (popular culture) +8, Knowledge (technology) +3, Lis-
  ten +1, Profession +2, Read/Write Alpha-Centauran, Read/Write
  Federation Standard, Research +8, Sense Motive +2, Speak Al-
  pha-Centauran, Speak Federation Standard, Survival +7, Treat
  Injury +2.
  Feats: Attentive, Educated (Knowledge [earth and life sci-
  ences] and Knowledge [physical sciences]), Simple Weapons
  Proficiency, Spark of Genius (Knowledge [earth and life sci-
  ences]), Studious.
  Talents: Aware, Skill Emphasis (Knowledge [earth and life
  sciences]).
  Base Attack Bonus: +3, Fort +2, Ref +1, Will: +2.
  Gloria Fernandez
  Level 5 Charismatic.
  Human: Female
  HP: 21
  XP: 10,000.
  Str 11, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 15, Wis 11, Cha 16.
  Skills: Bluff +4, Computer Use +5, Craft (writing) +5, Deci-
  pher Script +4, Diplomacy +6, Gather Information +6, Intimidate
  +6, Knowledge (arcane lore) +3, Knowledge (behavioral sciences)
  +12, Knowledge (business) +4, Knowledge (civics) +5, Knowl-
  edge (earth and life sciences) +14, Knowledge (physical sciences)
  +14, Knowledge (popular culture) +3, Knowledge (theology and
  philosophy) +12, Profession +2, Read/Write Federation Standard,
  Research +5, Speak Federation Standard, Survival +4.
  Feats: Educated (Knowledge [earth and life sciences] and
  Knowledge [physical sciences]), Iron Will, Simple Weapons Pro-
  ficiency, Studious.
  Talents: Authority, Coordinate, Non-Lethal Force.
  Base Attack Bonus: +2, Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +3.
  Michiko Soejima
  Level 6 Tough.
  Human: Female
  HP: 60
  XP: 15,000.
  Str 13, Dex 11, Con 18, Int 17, Wis 12, Cha 10.
  Skills: Computer Use +5, Concentration +13, Craft (mechani-
  cal) +4, Craft (structural) +4, Diplomacy +1, Intimidate +3, Knowl-
  edge (civics) +4, Knowledge (earth and life sciences) + 12, Knowl-
  edge (physical sciences) +12, Knowledge (Federation) +5, Lis-
  ten +2, Navigate +4, Read/Write Federation Standard, Repair
  +4, Research +4, Sense Motive +12, Speak Federation Stan-
  dard, Spot +3, Survival +7, Treat Injury +4.
  Feats: Attentive, Educated (Knowledge [earth and life sci-
  ences] and Knowledge [physical sciences]), Personal Firearms
  Proficiency, Point Blank Shot, Simple Weapons Proficiency,
  Weapon Focus (Hand Phaser).
  Talents: Master Survivalist, Outdoor Skills, Remain Con-
  scious.
  Base Attack Bonus: +4, Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +2.
  Dr. Elur
  Level 3 Dedicated / Level 3 Medical Specialist.
  Andorian: Male
  HP: 33
  XP: 15,000.
  Str 10, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 17, Cha 10.
  Skills: Computer Use +5, Craft (pharmaceutical) +7, Craft
  (writing) +4, Investigate +4, Knowledge (arcane lore) +3, Knowl-
  edge (behavioral sciences) +4, Knowledge (business) +3, Knowl-
  edge (earth and life sciences) +10, Knowledge (history) +3, Knowl-
  edge (military science) +3, Knowledge (physical sciences) +4,
  Knowledge (technology) +4, Knowledge (theology and philoso-
  phy) +3, Listen +6, Profession +8, Read/Write Andorian, Read/
  Write Federation Standard, Research +5, Sense Motive +5, Speak
  Andorian, Speak Federation Standard, Spot +11, Survival +4,
  Treat Injury +20.
  Feats: Alertness, Combat Martial Arts, Dodge, Medical Ex-
  pert, Simple Weapons Proficiency, Surgery.
  Talents: Healing Knack, Skill Emphasis (Treat Injury).
  Class Feature: Expert Healer, Survey the Damage.
  Base Attack Bonus: +3, Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +4.
  Rema Isabe
  Level 3 Strong / Level 1 Marine
  Cygnan: Male
  HP: 30
  XP: 6,000.
  Str 18, Dex 16, Con 11, Int 15, Wis 11, Cha 9.
  Skills: Bluff +0, Climb +7, Craft (structural) +4, Jump +7,
  Knowledge (military science) +7, Knowledge (streetwise) +2,
  Knowledge (technology) +4, Pilot +8, Profession +5, Read/Write
  Cygnan, Read/Write Federation Standard, Read/Write Kzinti,
  Repair +13, Search +5, Speak Cygnan, Speak Federation Stan-
  dard, Speak Kzinti, Survival +6.
  Feats: Improved Repair, Personal Firearms Proficiency,
  Simple Weapons Proficiency, Starship Operation, Track.
  Talents: Disable, Light Sleeper.
  Class Feature: Weapon Focus (Hand Phaser).
  Base Attack Bonus: +4, Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +1.
  Sarest
  Level 5 Fast / Level 1 Science Specialist
  Vulcan: Male
  HP: 42
  XP: 15,000.
  Str 17, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 16, Wis 11, Cha 9.
  Skills: Computer Use +13, Craft (electronic) +6, Knowledge
  (behavioral sciences) +13, Knowledge (business) +13, Knowl-
  edge (current events) +6, Knowledge (physical sciences) +12,
  Knowledge (popular culture) +3, Knowledge (streetwise) +2, Pi-
  lot +11, Profession +9, Read/Write Federation Standard, Read/
  Write Vulcan, Research +9, Speak Federation Standard, Speak
  Vulcan.
  Feats: Archaic Weapon Proficiency, Defensive Martial Arts,
  Hobby (Research), Improved Natural Healing, Nerve Pinch, Pho-
  tographic Memory, Simple Weapons Proficiency.
  Talents: Evasion, Full Alert, Uncanny Dodge 1.
  Class Features: Feat Sacrifice, Skill Mastery (Computer
  
  PRIME DIRECTIVE FEDERATION
  13
  DREAD PIRATE ALDOX
  Use, Craft [electronic], Knowledge [physical sciences], Knowl-
  edge [streetwise], Pilot, Research).
  Base Attack Bonus: +3, Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +1.
  Ecirp
  Level 4 Tough
  Rigellian: Male
  HP: 41
  XP: 6,000.
  Str 16, Dex 12, Con 18, Int 15, Wis 10, Cha 11.
  Skills:Bluff +2, Concentration +6, Craft (mechanical) +4,
  Craft (structural) +3, Gather Information +5, Intimidate +3, Knowl-
  edge (earth and life sciences) +11, Knowledge (physical sciences)
  +11, Knowledge (streetwise) +3, Profession +2, Read/Write Fed-
  eration Standard, Read/Write Rigellian, Speak Federation Stan-
  dard, Speak Rigellian, Spot +2, Survival +5.
  Feats: Confident, Deceptive, Educated (Knowledge [earth
  and life sciences] and Knowledge [physical sciences]), Level-
  Headed, Simple Weapons Proficiency.
  Talents: Rage 1/Day, Second Wind.
  Base Attack Bonus: +3, Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +1.
  Tricorders
  A tricorder is a handheld device that becomes available at
  TL10 [PL 7]; specialized tricorders become available at TL11 [PL
  8]. Tricorders are a combination of computer and sensors used
  for a virtually unlimited number of different applications and uses.
  PADDs: A Personal Access Display Device (or PADD) is the
  most basic form, and is sometimes referred to as a “monocorder.”
  They are TL9 [PL 7] devices that are an outgrowth of “Advanced
  Personal Digital Assistants” available in the early 21st century.
  They have built-in data storage and processing capabilities equal
  to those of a modern supercomputer, and have a communica-
  tions tie-in to available library computer networks. In some cases,
  the PADD will operate in a stand-alone mode; in others, it oper-
  ates as a display terminal or interface to the library computer
  serving it. At higher tech levels of technology, this interfacing and
  modality becomes less and less apparent to the user. PADDs
  have no sensor capabilities. Cost $250 [Purchase DC 13], weight
  4 pounds.
  Tricorders: A tricorder is a TL10 [PL 7] device that has all of
  the functions of a PADD and adds built-in sensors and scanners.
  The sensor package on a tricorder can sense, display, and ana-
  lyze any form of energy or matter known to the technological
  level that the tricorder was built at. TL10 [PL 7] tricorders weigh
  four pounds and scan biosigns at ten yards, physical objects at
  100 yards, and can analyze energy emissions at one mile. TL11
  [PL 8] tricorders weigh two pounds and can scan biosigns at
  twenty yards, physical objects at 200 yards, and energy emis-
  sions at two miles. TL12 [PL 9] tricorders weigh one pound and
  can scan biosigns at 100 yards, physical objects at 500 yards,
  and can analyze energy emissions at ten miles. Any of them cost
  about $2,500 [Purchase DC 23] when at current TLs.
  At TL11 [PL 8], tricorders became available that were spe-
  cialized for various tasks. This specialization is reflected as bo-
  nuses or modifiers to various skill rolls. Some of these special-
  ized tricorders are:
  Science Tricorder: +4 to any scientific skill rolls
  Geology Tricorder: +4 to any geology-related skill roll; has
  enhanced range capabilities which allow it to penetrate/sense
  minerals or rocks at 10x normal range but loses the ability to
  scan for living beings, organic tissue, etc.
  Medical Tricorder: +4 to all medical-related skill rolls, +4 to
  Physiology rolls; if programmed in advance with the data on a
  given species, that Physiology bonus becomes +10 (+8 in PD20M)
  for that species. The  hand-held attachment must be within one
  foot of the patient for these bonuses.
  Engineering Tricorder: +4 on all Mechanic skill rolls (Repair
  in PD20M); has additional built-in filters which prevent overload-
  ing or damage when scanning intense energy fields.
  Tactical Tricorder: +4 to detect and identify life forms, weap-
  ons, armor, etc. Includes a comprehensive database on all of the
  above. Carried by Marine officers.
  The Dread Pirate Aldo
  We leave the creation of this character to each GM, as oth-
  erwise, your players would read this book and know too much!
  GMs who create their own Dread Pirates can email them to
  us and we will make the best ones available on our website.
  PROJECT STAFF
  John Sickels (fiction author), Jean Sexton (editor), Gary Plana
  (GURPS rules), Jonathan Thompson (PD20M rules), James
  Goodrich (GURPS characters), Bob Gilson (GURPS review), Tony
  L. Thomas (PD20M characters), Ryan Opel (Continuity and F&E
  Liaison), Steven P. Petrick (Universe Coordinator), Stephen V.
  Cole (publisher).
  ARTISTS
  Pirate portrait by Alvin Belflower.
  Tricorder and portrait of pioneer team by Dale McKee.
  
  XDREAD PIRATE ALDO
  14
  PRIME DIRECTIVE FEDERATION
  PHASERS
  There are several types of phasers used as personal weap-
  ons. The phaser-I (used as a “courtesy sidearm” for non-infantry
  personnel) can be held in the palm of a hand. [PD20M: +2 to
  Sleight of Hand Skill checks.]
  The phaser-II is a standard military handgun [PD20M: +1 to
  Sleight of Hand Skill checks]. The other weapons are normally
  held with two hands. Phaser-I/IIs and phaser rifles become avail-
  able at TL10 [PD20M: PL 8].
  At TL11 [PD20M: PL 9] two additional types of phasers be-
  come available: the pulse phaser and repeating phaser. The pulse
  phaser is an upgraded version of the phaser rifle. As its name
  implies, the repeating phaser can fire more rapidly than the other
  types of phasers, making it the favorite weapon of Star Fleet
  Marines. The basic stats of phasers are on the chart at the bot-
  tom of this page.
  Phasers have a variety of power settings; a Stun-2 setting
  on a Phaser-I produces the same effect and damage as the Stun-
  2 setting on a phaser rifle, etc.
  Prices for Federation phasers are listed for reference; they
  are not for sale, except on the black market.
  Phaser weapons can be set to stun. In GURPS, this is treated
  as an Affliction with Incapacitation, as modified:
  When a person is hit by a phaser stun attack, he must make
  an HT roll with a penalty based on the stun setting; for example,
  a phaser set on Stun-1 requires a HT-1 roll, Stun-2 a HT-2 roll,
  etc. If a person is hit by more than one phaser stun attack, then
  increase the penalty to the HT roll by 2 per additional hit taken.
  If the character makes the roll, then the attack has no effect.
  If the character fails the roll, note the Degree of Failure; the char-
  acter falls unconscious immediately, and the Degree of Failure is
  the number of minutes the character remains unconscious. After
  that, he is stunned until he can make a HT roll (roll once per
  second). On a critical failure, the character remains unconscious
  until medical assistance is received.
  Note that in addition to phasers, there are other weapons
  (such as riot control guns and stun grenades) that also have stun
  settings. These weapons function similarly.
  Setting
  Damage
  Type
  1
  2
  Rif
  Pul Rpt
  Stun-1
  *
  Stun
  x
  x
  x
  x
  -
  Stun-2
  *
  Stun
  -
  x
  x
  x
  -
  Stun-3
  *
  Stun
  -
  -
  x
  x
  -
  Kill-1
  1d
  Burn
  x
  x
  x
  x
  -
  Kill-2
  2d
  Burn
  -
  x
  x
  x
  -
  Kill-3
  3d
  Burn
  -
  -
  x
  x
  x
  Kill-4
  2d(2)
  Burn
  -
  -
  -
  x
  x
  Kill-5
  4d(2)
  Burn
  -
  -
  -
  x
  x
  Disint-1
  4d(3)
  Burn
  -
  x
  x
  x
  x
  Disint-2
  6d(3)
  Burn
  -
  -
  x
  x
  x
  Disint-3
  8d(3)
  Burn
  -
  -
  -
  x
  x
  * the victim must make a HT roll to avoid being “stunned;”
  see Phaser Stun below.
  An “x” indicates settings available for each type of phaser; a
  “-” means that phaser cannot fire that setting.
  The number of charges consumed each time a phaser is
  fired is equal to the setting number; e.g., Stun-1 or Kill-1 con-
  sume 1 charge, Stun-3 or Kill-3 consume 3 charges, etc. Excep-
  tion: Disint consumes two charges times the setting number per
  shot (Disint-3 uses six charges).
  Types of Phaser weapons (GURPS)
  TL
  Weapon
  Damage
  Acc
  Range
  Wt
  RoF
  Charges
  ST
  Bulk
  RC L
  Cost
  LC
  10
  Phaser-I
  Spec
  2
  50/100
  Neg
  1
  100(2)B
  —
  -1
  1
  $2,000
  2
  10
  Phaser-II
  Spec
  5
  200/500
  1
  3
  100(2)C
  —
  -2
  1
  $3,000
  1
  10
  Phaser Rifle
  Spec
  8
  500/1,000
  4
  5
  100(3)2C
  —
  -6
  1
  $4,500
  0
  11
  Pulse Phaser
  Spec
  10
  800/1,200
  4
  5
  100(2)D
  —
  -6
  1
  $5,500
  0
  11
  Rpting Phaser
  Spec
  12
  600/800
  8
  8
  500(2)D
  —
  -8
  1
  $7,500
  0
  TABLE 7–4: PHASER WEAPON DAMAGE
  Damage
  Setting
  Damage 1
  Crit
  Type
  Energy 
  used 
  per 
  shot
  Phaser-I 
  (sidearm)
  Phaser-II 
  (combat 
  pistol)
  Phaser 
  Rifle 
  (standard 
  Marine)
  Pulse 
  Phaser 
  (heavy 
  weapon)
  Repeating 
  Phaser 
  (crew-
  served)
  Stun-1
  1/Fort
  20
  Fire
  1
  x
  x
  x
  x
  —
  Stun-2
  2/Fort
  20
  Fire
  2
  —
  x
  x
  x
  —
  Stun-3
  3/Fort
  20
  Fire
  3
  —
  —
  x
  x
  —
  Kill-1
  2d6
  20
  Fire
  2
  x
  —
  x
  x
  —
  Kill-2
  4d6 + 1
  20
  Fire
  4
  —
  x
  x
  x
  —
  Kill-3
  3d12 + 2
  20
  Fire
  6
  —
  —
  x
  x
  x
  Kill-4
  4d12 + 3
  20
  Fire
  8
  —
  —
  —
  x
  x
  Kill-5
  6d10 + 4
  20
  Fire
  10
  —
  —
  —
  x
  x
  Disint-12
  3d20 x 2
  20
  Energy
  10
  —
  x
  x
  x
  x
  Disint-22
  4d20 x 2
  20
  Energy
  20
  —
  —
  x
  x
  x
  Disint-32
  6d20 x 2
  20
  Energy
  30
  —
  —
  —
  x
  x
  1: Characters hit by a phaser weapon on Stun take the numerical damage plus have to make a fortitude save at 
  DC 15/18/20 respectively. The character is unconscious for DC –  Roll in rounds that it was missed. 
  (For example, Lee is hit by a phaser set on stun-3; he needs a 20 to save from being stunned. Lee rolls a 2 
  and then adds his +4 from his Fortitude saving throw which now gives him a total of 6. Since Lee needed a 20 
  to save, he has missed the roll by 14, so Lee’s character will be out for the next 14 rounds.)
  2 This setting deals damage of a nonspecific energy type that is not subject to energy resistance.
  An "x" indicates settings available for each type of phaser;"—" means that phaser cannot fire that setting.
  
  PRIME DIRECTIVE FEDERATION
  15
  DREAD PIRATE ALDOX
  GAMES OF THE
  STAR FLEET UNIVERSE
  Prime Directive is a game of the Star Fleet Universe, an
  interrelated system of games with a common background. These
  include the classic tactical Star Fleet Battles, the exciting new
  Federation Commander, the strategic game Federation & Em-
  pire, the card game Star Fleet Battle Force, and other games.
  Because these games all have a common background, they
  all use the same ships, history, and technology. History puts the
  Klingons and Federation at war during certain periods, so SFB
  and F&E both have battle scenarios for that period. A Klingon D7
  battlecruiser has twice the combat power of a Romulan SeaHawk
  frigate, and this is reflected in SFB and FC by their basic point
  values, in F&E by their combat factors, in SFBF by the number
  of icons on their respective cards, and so forth.
  This is good in that players can move between games and
  reasonably expect the same things to work the same ways (al-
  beit on a different scale). Of course, for your own campaign, you
  can ignore these implications.
  FEDERATION COMMANDER
  FEDERATION COMMANDER
  FEDERATION COMMANDER
  FEDERATION COMMANDER
  FEDERATION COMMANDER
  Federation Commander is the exciting new full-color fast-
  playing game of starship combat. Including mounted map pan-
  els (using full-color NASA photos, double-sided with hexes in
  two sizes), full-color laminated ship cards (each showing the op-
  erating components of a starship in color-coded boxes), full-color
  laminated charts, easy-entry rules, streamlined execution, and
  full-color playing pieces, Federation Commander is the space
  combat game YOU have been waiting for. You can begin flying a
  starship just minutes after opening the box.
  While Federation Commander includes several products, all
  of them require one of the three starter sets: Klingon Border was
  the first to appear, followed by Romulan Border. Academy is the
  low-cost entry (lacking the mounted map boards and with only
  the four most popular ships). All three have, basically, the same
  rules and will work with any other Federation Commander prod-
  uct. Expansions include Klingon Attack, Romulan Attack, Tho-
  lian Attack, Battleships Attack, and (before you think you see a
  pattern developing) Distant Kingdoms, the future War & Peace,
  and other products. Additional ships can be found in Booster
  Packs and a full range of pewter miniatures are available. You
  will never run out of new worlds to explore (and conquer or de-
  fend), but these expansions will provide new ships, new enemies,
  and new situations, but NOT complicated additional, expansion,
  or optional rules. Once you master the rulebook, there are no
  more rules to learn, just more ships to fly, more weapons to fire,
  and more worlds to explore. (There are some new weapons.)
  The game system is based on energy. You count how much
  energy your starship generates at the start of each turn, and pay
  for a “baseline speed”. The rest of your energy is spent during
  the turn to fire weapons, operate systems (tractor beams, trans-
  porters), to speed up, to slow down, or to reinforce your shields.
  During each of the eight impulses of each turn, ships move (up
  to four times at the highest speed) and you have the opportunity
  to fire weapons or operate systems.
  Damage is resolved by a die roll or two, not a bucket of dice.
  Ships are presented in two scales; Fleet Scale is “half the
  size” of Squadron Scale and can be used to resolve larger battles
  in less time.
  On our website, you can get the free PDF download of First
  Missions, a fully-working version of the game, to see how the
  system operates.
  Commander’s Circle, on the website, has the free monthly
  newsletter Communique with new ships, scenarios, and tactics.
  STAR FLEET BATTLES
  First published in 1979, it has undergone several revisions
  and new editions. There is a lot of this game (dozens of modules
  and zillions of starships) but you don’t have to learn it all at once,
  and can buy only as much of it as you want to play. The most
  succesful space combat game ever published, thousands of play-
  ers seek to out-fly, out-fight, and out-think their enemies in a warp-
  speed dogfight.
  Having been around the longest, most of the history and
  background of the entire Star Fleet Universe first appeared in
  Star Fleet Battles. This game has the most complete database
  of ships, weapons, and technology, and is the primary reference
  source for any SFU research. We reprinted most of the relevant
  data from SFB in the core RPG rulebooks, so players of Prime
  Directive need not fear being required to buy hundreds of dol-
  lars worth of tactical space games just to get the maps, political
  histories, timelines, and other background data.
  Experienced players can also enjoy this game via the Internet
  at SFBOL.com and at our famous national tournaments at the
  Origins Game Fair.
  FEDERATION & EMPIRE
  The strategic game of the Star Fleet Universe, F&E was
  first published in 1986 and has (like SFB) been upgraded in sev-
  eral subsequent editions (most recently in February, 2010), and
  half a dozen major expansions. On a map five feet long, players
  move thousands of die-cut counters representing ships, squad-
  rons, groups, and fleets.
  F&E is primarily a game about money. You collect taxes from
  your planets and provinces, then use the money to buy, upgrade,
  and repair starships. After that, you send your ships off to war to
  conquer your enemies. For those interested, we have a detailed
  description of F&E on our website. At Origins, you will see three
  dozen players hunched over huge maps for four straight days
  trying to decide, once and for all, who will rule the universe.
  STAR FLEET BATTLE FORCE
  This new card game appeared in the summer of 2001. You
  control a group of starship cards from several empires. Each ship
  card has icons showing the weapons the ship can use. Each
  turn, you check your hand for weapon cards that match the icons
  on your ships, and fire them at the enemy. The game system is
  similar to Modern Naval Battles or Naval War but with improve-
  ments and new concepts. While there are several kinds of
  phasers, the bigger ones can fire the cards from the smaller ones,
  and, larger plasma torpedo launchers can use the smaller tor-
  pedo cards. As your starships take damage, red plastic markers
  cover some of the icons, preventing you from using those weap-
  ons. See our website for more information.
  STARLINE 2400 MINIATURES
  We have dozens of pewter scale-model starship miniatures
  from the various empires, and release more each year. You can
  find a complete list on our shopping cart.
  WEBSITES
  www.StarFleetGames.com
  Information about all of our products. The newly revamped
  website now includes an index to help you find things.
  www.FederationCommander.com
  Specific support for the new Federation Commander game
  system, including its own Forum, downloads, and more.
  www.BattlefieldPress.com
  These are the people who write our PD20M rules for us.
  
  XDREAD PIRATE ALDO
  16
  PRIME DIRECTIVE FEDERATION
  ROMULANS
  Everything you ever wanted to know about those irritable distant
  cousins of the Vulcans. The royal family, the role of the praetor,
  the great houses and how they wheel and deal in the back hall-
  ways of the palace, the role of the Intendance Department, intel-
  ligence services and Praetorian Teams, colony planets, the pre-
  viously unknown suppressed species along the galactic rim, the
  development of the cloaking device, data on dozens of Romulan
  ships (including the ones they bought from the Klingons), data
  on the unique Romulan plasma weapons, Romulan spies pre-
  tending to the Vulcans, and much more.
  $24.95; stock #s: GURPS #8404, PD20 #8704,
  A book for PD20M is in preparation and will be #8724.
  KLINGONS
  Everything you ever wanted to know about the Empire of Steel.
  Government, how the emperor is selected, why there are always
  three princes, why the empress is not always the wife of the
  emperor but sometimes his daughter or sister, the military nobil-
  ity, military academies, the difference between warriors and civil-
  ians, the warrior colonies, military ranks and promotion, military
  awards and decorations, the Knights Paladins (the emperor’s
  personal inspectors and auditors), Klingon religions (you thought
  that 30 billion Klingons all went to the same church?), the intelli-
  gence services that spend most of their time spying on each other,
  data on dozens of Klingon ships, and much more.
  $24.95; stock #s: GURPS #8403, PD20 #8703, PD20M #8723.
  CORE RULEBOOKS
  Roleplaying on the final frontier. Includes extensive back-
  ground, geography, and technology sections. Also includes spe-
  cies templates, character generation, skills, attributes, weapons,
  technology, starships, etc. for the system covered.
  Each book is designed for the system used, and works with
  all published books of that system including our own Romulan
  and Klingon books (seen below).
  The GURPS 4e book is self-contained, and you do not need
  any more GURPS books to play Prime Directive, but of course,
  you can use your existing GURPS books to populate planets
  and equip aliens with strange new technology.
  The PD20 book requires the d20V3.5 rulebook. This edition
  was done because there are more players who have that book
  than any other RPG book in history.
  The PD20M book requires the d20 Modern Rulebook. For
  players of d20-type games, this provides the most easily adapt-
  able set of rules, as they already cover firearms and advanced
  technology, and many science fiction books are done for it.
  $24.95; stock #s: GURPS #8401, PD20 #8701, PD20M #8741.
  FEDERATION
  Now in the final stages of preparation, this will be the most
  powerful Prime Directive book ever printed. Written by John
  Sickels (who wrote Romulans below) and expertly edited by Jean
  Sexton, this book will tell you everything you ever wanted to know
  about those goody-two-shoes of the galaxy, the United Federa-
  tion of Planets. You can visit the counselor to get in touch with
  your feelings, or just grab a phaser and show the bad guys what
  it means to be the galaxy’s primary superpower!
  The book includes a complete cultural and political history,
  from the nervous first meetings of the different species, to the
  formation of a Federation dedicated to sentient rights, economic
  freedom, and making as much profit as possible. The structure
  of the government and the powers reserved by its constituent
  planets is fully explained.
  The heart of the book is the detailed section on the survey
  and creation of new colony planets inside Federation space. There
  are thousands of usable planets, and you might as well grab all
  of them before the Klingons and Romulans decide that you really
  should share the wealth with them.
  There are detailed histories and surveys of a dozen worlds,
  including Earth, Mars, the ocean world of Alpha Centauri, the
  desert world of Vulcan, the frozen world of Andor, and many more.
  Notes and usable data are provided for many minor colony plan-
  ets, providing GMs with an endless supply of places to visit. De-
  tails on Star Fleet’s ships, weapons, and technology are included,
  as well as the complete deck plans for a Burke-class frigate.
  Also included are adventure seeds and mysteries to solve.
  $24.95; stock #s: GURPS #8402, PD20 #8702, PD20M #8722.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Star Trek RPG/Prime Directive/Prime Directive Gurps - Unknown.pdf