TEXT: 1
  A group of travellers are escorting a valuable cargo from Mertactor (Spinward Marches 
  1537) to Collace (Spinward Marches 1237) when a dangerous collision between their 
  starship and another threatens not just the cargo, but the lives of everyone on board.
  Resources for this adventure include The Spinward Marches [Martin Dougherty]. Traders 
  and Gunboats [Bryan Steele] may be useful for details about the type M subsidized liner.
  Spinward Fenderbender
  A One-Round Mongoose Living Traveller Adventure
  by Steven Parker
  Story Coordinator: Don McKinney
  
   
  2
  only. If you read farther than this section, you will know too much 
  about its challenges, which kills the fun. Also, if you are playing 
  this adventure as part of a sanctioned event, reading beyond 
  this point makes you ineligible to do so.
  PreParing for Play
  This adventure requires only the Traveller Core Rulebook. 
  The two worlds involved are described in these pages but The 
  Spinward Marches may be of use for background on the District 
  268 region. The adventure centres on a standard Type M 
  Subsidised Liner, found in the Mongoose Traveller supplement 
  Traders & Gunboats (pages 80-82), but deckplans and ship 
  statistics are included here for the Referee.
  Throughout this adventure, text in bold italics provides 
  player information for you to paraphrase or read aloud when 
  appropriate. Information on non-player characters (NPCs) and 
  creatures appear in abbreviated form in the adventure text. Refer 
  to the Appendix for full information on NPCs and creatures.
  At the end of the adventure, you will note what awards your 
  players’ characters received in this adventure and record it on 
  their Master Log Sheets (MLS). If you are playing this as part of 
  a sanctioned event, please turn those details into your Senior 
  Referee. Otherwise, please note what awards were given out 
  and report the results to the Campaign Coordinator.
  Most likely you ordered this adventure as part of an event from 
  the Mongoose Living TraveLLer CaMpaign website, or you received 
  it from your Senior Referee. To play this adventure as part of 
  the Mongoose Living TraveLLer CaMpaign (MLTC) – a worldwide, 
  ongoing Traveller campaign set in the spinward MarChes setting 
  – you must sanction it as part of a gaming event. This event 
  could be as elaborate as a big convention or as simple as a 
  group of friends meeting at the Referee’s house.
  The person who sanctions the event is called the Senior Referee 
  and is in charge of making sure the event is sanctioned before 
  play, runs smoothly on the date sanctioned, and then reported 
  back to Mongoose Living TraveLLer CaMpaigns in a timely 
  manner. The person who runs the game is called the Session 
  Referee. Sometimes (and almost all the time in the cases of 
  home events) the Senior Referee is also the Session Referee.
  You should use the Mongoose Living Traveller Campaign 
  Master Log Sheet (MLS) to track your play and advance your 
  Mongoose Living Traveller Campaign character.
  To Learn More abouT Mongoose Living TraveLLer CharaCTer 
  CreaTion and deveLopMenT, evenT sanCTioning and rewards, visiT 
  The Mongoose websiTe aT www.MongoosepubLishing.CoM .
  Players read no further
  If you are planning on playing this adventure, stop reading now. 
  The rest of the information in this adventure is for the Referee 
  Sanctioned Play
  
   
  3
  Passage
  Participation in this adventure does not require any passage; 
  the cost is built into the adventure.
  DATES
  All dates correspond to the standard Imperial calendar. The 
  start date of this adventure is Fiday 083-1105 (the 83rd day 
  of the 1105th year since the founding of the Third Imperium). 
  Time will flow normally once the adventure begins. If a different 
  date is required, for example to fit the adventure into an existing 
  campaign, then the start date can be altered with little or no 
  disruption to the adventure.
  loCation
  This Mongoose Traveller adventure takes place in the Spinward 
  Marches, going from Mertactor (Spinward Marches 1537) on 
  Adventure Summary
  the very edge of the Imperium, to nearby Collace (Spinward 
  Marches 1237) in District 268. The players are escorting a 
  very valuable cargo to the non-Imperial world when there is a 
  dangerous collision between two ships above the highport - one 
  of which is the liner the players are on! As the accident unfolds, 
  the players must help to save the other passengers, protect and 
  take possession of their cargo and make it safely off the ship to 
  deliver their goods.
  Player CharaCters
  This adventure is meant for a handful of spacer type characters, 
  optimally of low or moderate social status. A party of Drifters, 
  Merchants and Scouts should handle this quite well, though a 
  Marine or Navy member in the party would definitely not hurt. 
  The party will be expected to deal with a dangerous Zero-G 
  situation, some combat and some bureaucratic red tape before 
  the adventure is over.
  
   
  4
  This adventure starts on Mertactor in District 268 on 083-1105. 
  All of the action in Imperial space takes place in Mertactor’s 
  orbital starport. In broad strokes:
  1. 
  The PCs are offered a job escorting a valuable cargo 
  for an eccentric Imperial industrialist. They are offered 
  some cash up front and high passage to Collace. Upon 
  delivery at Collace they will be paid the balance owed. 
  083-1105, departing 084-1105.
  2. 
  Once underway, the PCs are able to hobnob with the 
  Captain and other luminaries, spending a relatively 
  uneventful week in jump. 084-1105 through 091-1105.
  3. 
  Upon arrival at Collace, an errant 20-ton launch strikes 
  the liner at high velocity, causing an urgent emergency 
  situation. An unusually quick response by a Collace 
  Search and Rescue cutter is revealed to actually be a 
  gang of pirates infiltrating the liner in the confusion of 
  the wreck. 091-1105; the crash occurs about 6 hours 
  after exiting jump space.
  4. 
  The PCs will assume the gang is there to take their 
  cargo and should clash with them immediately. It will 
  become apparent however that the cargo is not actually 
  the gang’s target; the gang is making a kidnap attempt 
  against a particular high passenger onboard. The PCs’ 
  actions should foil the gang’s goals as well as contribute 
  to legitimate rescue efforts. 091-1105; this action covers 
  about 20 to 30 minutes of game time.
  5. 
  Collace Highport Authority will contain the accident 
  and all persons, vehicles and debris involved will 
  be sequestered in the highport brig or System Patrol 
  shipyard until an investigation can be completed. This is 
  about 10 hours after exiting jump, early on 092-1105.
  6. 
  About 18 hours after being detained, the PCs are 
  released to discover they are immediately famous 
  because of their involvement in the crash and their 
  actions. They are hounded by paparazzi as they track 
  down their personal belongings and their cargo and 
  attempt to deliver it to their client’s warehouse in the 
  highport. This should wrap up on the evening of 093-
  1105 or early on 094-1105. They will be successful, be 
  paid the balance due on their contract and have minor 
  celebrity status on Collace for the next 3-8 days.
  the JoB offer
  The party is looking for work in the Mertactor Highport when 
  they are contacted by a wealthy non-Noble industrialist. He is 
  looking for a few hardy spacers to escort three 10-ton shipping 
  containers from Mertactor to Collace. The patron, Jannar 
  Djim will travel on a separate ship, his own yacht, to keep his 
  competitors guessing as to what he may be up to. He assures 
  the group it is not necessarily a dangerous job but it is important 
  and his competitors have been known to play some very 
  underhanded tricks on occasion. Assuming departure on 084-
  1105 and seven days in jump, Djim expects to see the players 
  at Collace Highport on or very near to 091-1105.
  The offer is Cr15,000 each, half up front, and high passage on 
  the liner Vindaar’s Gambit. The remainder of the fee will be paid 
  upon delivery at Collace.
  the triP to CollaCe
  The players load their cargo, board the liner and are treated to 
  service traditional to high passage travellers - personal attention 
  from the Steward, exotic toiletries, and so on. They get to meet 
  the ship’s Captain and are invited to join the nightly festivities in 
  the ship’s lounge.
  Most of the trip will be spent in the ship’s lounge interacting 
  with the other passengers; they include two Imperials of near-
  Noble status: a corporate trader attempting to secure a lucrative 
  government contract with Collace and a socialite finalising an 
  arranged marriage into the family of a high-ranking Collacean 
  government representative. These two have the highest SOC 
  onboard the ship; the rest of the passengers are their staffs, as 
  well as common citizens, all of whom are taking middle passage. 
  The low berths are only about half full on this voyage.
  The crew of Vindaar’s Gambit keep mainly to themselves, 
  but the players will get to know them a bit as well since their 
  staterooms are adjoining the crew stateroom section and they 
  probably have some things in common.
  Encounters
  
   
  5
  arrival at CollaCe highPort
  Precipitating from jump is uneventful, save for the socialite 
  suffering from a bit of jump sickness. The liner makes a textbook 
  approach to the highport and is given an orbital ‘parking space’ 
  to unload passengers via its own launch since the highport can’t 
  currently support docking tube procedures for this vessel due 
  to construction limitations. Cargo is to be handled by Collace 
  Highport drones once the liner’s main cargo bay is put into 
  Zero-G, which a member of the ship’s crew will do after inviting 
  the PCs down to oversee the unloading of their containers.
  A few minutes later a drone arrives and begins taking the first 
  container when the ship’s alarms go off and the Captain broadcasts 
  an urgent “Brace for impact!!” Ten seconds later the entire liner 
  lurches dangerously and a sickening metallic tearing sound can be 
  heard and a dreadful rumbling felt throughout the ship.
  the fenderBender
  The liner’s own launch has rammed the ship, destroying its 
  M-Drive and tearing open the rear section of the main cargo 
  bay. The power plant is offline, a few areas of the ship have 
  lost atmosphere and escape pod access has been severely 
  mangled. The PCs witness the death of the crewmember 
  assigned to their cargo-handling and must secure the 
  containers for their patron and of course figure out what 
  happened and how to get safely off the ship.
  In a surprisingly short amount of time, a group of humans in 
  boarding vacc suits enter the cargo bay; the PCs may believe 
  this is a hijacking but the boarders will attempt to convince them 
  that they are a Collacean search and rescue team. This team will 
  immediately attempt to get into the passenger areas of the liner 
  but will conduct only minimal communication with the bridge. 
  The PCs should realize this “rescue team” is actually making a 
  dangerous situation even more dangerous in their rush.
  When the rescue team gains access to the passenger area, 
  they will immediately begin searching for the corporate trader, 
  escort him to an escape pod and eject him as soon as possible. 
  They will help other passengers to maintain their ruse if need 
  be but as soon as the trader is off the ship they will all attempt 
  to escape as well.
  Crash aftermath
  The impostor rescue cutter will pick up the fake rescue team and 
  accelerate away from the area. The liner and the PCs are left 
  on their own to save themselves until about 20 minutes after the 
  crash when construction tugs begin appearing to help the drifting 
  ship. About four hours after the crash, all possible vehicles, debris 
  and persons involved in the assault on the Vindaar’s Gambit will 
  be in the custody of Collace Starport Authority, either in highport 
  medical facilities or the highport brig.
  the glare of the lights
  Once the players are released, they will be told their personal 
  belongings can be picked up in the starport warehousing district 
  at Collace Downport but the duty officer has no idea where to 
  find their cargo. They are taken in a police cutter to the downport. 
  It is now 092-1105 and they have lost a day in their schedule, 
  seemingly lost their cargo and they are... famous.
  The moment the players exit the police cutter and step into 
  Collace Downport, they are bombarded by yelling, flashing 
  lights and buzzing drone cameras. Apparently the story of their 
  exploits in “The Wreck of Vindaar’s Gambit” has preceded them 
  and everyone wants to talk to the Imperials who fought off 
  pirates and helped Collace S&R save “innumerable lives!”
  There is still a job to be finished, however. The PCs need to 
  get back to the highport and navigate through a swarm of 
  bureaucratic red tape to find their patron’s property, make sure 
  it gets delivered and hopefully get paid.
  
   
  6
  Mertactor is a world that lies at the bleeding edge of Imperial 
  space, literally on the border of unincorporated District 268 
  at the termination of an Xboat route going trailing into Glisten 
  subsector. A small planet in its star’s habitable zone, Mertactor 
  is approximately 3,200 kilometres in diameter with a surface 
  gravity of 0.82 (Normal G). This seeming contradiction is due 
  to the fact that Mertactor’s planetary sphere is made up of 
  abnormally high concentrations of metals and heavy elements, 
  giving it a density that is rarely seen in Charted Space. About 
  70% of the planetary surface is considered the “drisk,” desolate 
  areas of rock, gravel and mineral deposits which inhibit plant 
  growth and settlement expansion. The Mertactan day is 14 
  Standard hours in length.
  The world’s unusually robust gravitational force also helps it to 
  hold a light Standard atmosphere which is breathable by Humans 
  but volatile in another sense: “drisk storms” are sudden, turbulent 
  gales which kick up the rocks and pebbles of the drisk in high-
  speed funnels and twisters; near the outer edges of the storms it 
  can literally be raining rocks while the storm centres are cauldrons 
  of wind-blown destruction. Curiously, they are mostly confined to 
  the drisk proper; the scant seas and coastal areas (about 20% 
  of the planet’s surface) as well as the surrounding light forests 
  are generally safe from the worst aspects of them. Were it not for 
  these extremely dangerous storms, Mertactor would enjoy vast 
  wealth from its abundant metal and mineral resources.
  The population of Mertactor is Human and numbers just under 
  11 million. A voluntary, self-perpetuating oligarchy known as the 
  Mertactan Council handles the planet’s interstellar affairs, while 
  internal policies are mainly left to the population’s intensely 
  defined familial relationships and customs. The actual “laws” of 
  Mertactor are few but it is quite easy for offworlders to offend the 
  locals by violating an obscure family rule that only Mertactans 
  could be aware of. Mertactan natives are intensely supportive of 
  one another, rely greatly on each other’s word and honour and 
  consider offworlders to be crass and somewhat underdeveloped 
  socially; visitors are advised to behave in the most civilised and 
  conservative manner possible.
  There is an Imperial Scout base in the system, which operates 
  several tenders and a large amount of Xboats; heavy 
  exploratory vessels are also a common sight. Mertactor’s 
  lack of a gas giant means that the port’s refuelling operations 
  are handled by atmosphere-capable tenders that process 
  hydrogen from the planet’s few seas, another unfortunate 
  roadblock to the system’s growth and the rare area of Mertactan 
  life that is highly controlled and regulated by both orbital and 
  planetary police forces. Regardless, passenger liners are 
  frequent clients at Mertactor’s highly efficient class B orbital 
  station as, in addition to being a gateway into District 268, the 
  system enjoys a highly renowned cuisine which brings in food 
  connoisseurs from all over the region.
  Mertactor (B-262732-B)
  
   
  7
  Collace is a planet in its star’s habitable zone, approximately 
  10,000 kilometres in diameter with a surface gravity of 0.91 
  (Normal G). It’s Very Thin and Tainted atmosphere requires a 
  filtered respirator and the average temperature of -9 degrees 
  Celsius requires reliable cold weather gear when venturing 
  outside of the “Hab,” Collace’s pressurised and acclimatised 
  living structures. All of Collace’s copious water is locked in ice 
  except for a few lake bottoms and a summertime strip along the 
  equator when glacial runoff creates a string of meandering rivers 
  and small shallow seas. Collacean days are approximately 20 
  Standard hours in length.
  There are about 1 billion inhabitants on Collace, nearly all 
  Human, who live under a representative democracy with two 
  fringe factions that hold views counter to the main government: 
  that is, they do not see membership in the Imperium as good 
  for the future of Collace. The majority of Collace - indeed, 
  the main government - is strongly pursuing membership in 
  the Imperium and is positioning Collace to be the subsector 
  capital of District 268 since it the most advanced world in the 
  subsector and one of the most populous. In fact the majority 
  government of Collace (known simply as the People Of 
  Collace, or POC) has applied for membership in the Imperium 
  through Glisten; the application is still pending.
  While POC sees the planet’s high-tech industrial capacity as 
  a strong incentive for Imperial membership and support, the 
  minority fringe elements consider their planet’s economic 
  strength the very reason to avoid being consumed by what 
  appears to them to be a voracious and uncaring interstellar entity. 
  The POC (and most of the world’s population) consider these 
  fringe groups as nothing more than minor irritants; the Right 
  Collace (B-628943-D)
  Of Collace Coalition (RCC) has staged small demonstrations 
  and pickets in the past but has become more militant of late. 
  The smallest and least active of the groups, Collace Now, while 
  a true anti-Imperial party, concern themselves mainly with 
  domestic issues such as habitat regulation, waste management 
  and atmosphere legislation.
  The Law Level on Collace is relatively low, but due to the nature 
  of the atmosphere and environment some tough regulations 
  are in place: ships are restricted to the starport areas only and 
  many of the more powerful weapon systems are capped or 
  forbidden in port environs. Personal armours are unaffected 
  but personal arms are limited to melee weapons outside of 
  the starport areas to minimise risk of damage to Collace’s 
  vast network of sealed habitats; within most port areas, pistols 
  are allowed to be carried openly. Fighting of any sort in any 
  pressurized area carries stiff penalties, generally 1-3 weeks 
  incarceration, 1-3 months if firearms were involved. Although 
  rated class B, the highport and downport are both undergoing 
  expansion at this time due to the growing amount of trade 
  and travel coming from trailing out of Glisten subsector; 
  construction delays are frequent but not overly long.
  There is a moderate Imperial Scout base in the system 
  operating a few scout/couriers and other exploratory vessels 
  but mainly assisting with growing the port’s navigation and 
  traffic control network. That base is the core of the political 
  fringe groups’ problems - they see it as the sole of the Imperial 
  boot coming down on their necks. However, most people on 
  Collace crave all things Imperial - news, celebrities, art, culture 
  and especially commerce.
  
   
  8
  How the PCs all gather in the same bar is fairly irrelevant; they 
  could have all just mustered out, just finished various jobs, or 
  have been here at the end of the line for a while, looking for 
  some way to make some money besides venturing out into the 
  drisk and risking life and limb for a few tons of ore and even 
  fewer credits. The fact that they’re all of similar backgrounds 
  (spacers down on their luck) should make it easy for them to 
  end up around a series of empty glasses together.
  The PCs should know a bit about Mertactor, having probably 
  been stuck there for a bit before this opportunity comes along. 
  The world write-up for Mertactor should be made available to 
  the PCs for help in their role-playing, but Mertactor is just a 
  jumping-off point and not a lot of time should be spent there. 
  Although their patron is a Mertactan native, he is also a savvy 
  businessman and cultured traveller in his own right so he will not 
  be as “Mertactan” as other NPCs in this adventure, for example 
  the crew of the Vindaar’s Gambit.
  The Gambit may actually be known to the PCs if it is decided 
  any of them have been on Mertactor for more than a month; 
  the liner has been making the Mertactor-Collace run for over a 
  hundred years. “Steady as the Gambit” is a phrase often heard 
  around Mertactor highport in honour of the old ship.
  PLAN OF ADVERSARIES
  Jannar Djim and his precious cargo are not actually the target 
  of this adventure’s adversaries; their target is Alamen Grisst, a 
  very wealthy businessman on the liner that the players will have 
  met over the course of the week in jump. Grisst is attempting 
  to finalize a lucrative contract for his company with the main 
  government of Collace, the POC.
  Grisst is the target of a kidnapping attempt by the Right of 
  Collace Coalition. The most volatile group of dissenters on the 
  world, the Coalition is ready to take more definitive steps in their 
  campaign to prevent Collace’s “swallowing” by the Imperium. 
  They plan to take Grisst the moment he arrives in-system, hold 
  him for two weeks until his company’s intended negotiations 
  collapse and then release him unharmed in Collace Highport.
  Introduction
  The RCC have been working on this operation for quite some 
  time, gathering information from their moles in the POC and 
  spies in Imperial space. They have a mole on the Gambit as 
  well, the ship’s 2nd Steward, Otto Hureelee, who has been 
  sending them passenger and cargo manifests for quite some 
  time. They know Grisst will be on the Gambit and they know 
  who he is. Their plan is as follows:
  1. 
  Using their contacts in the POC they will have access 
  to a damaged rescue cutter, which is undergoing 
  repairs to meet Collace regulations. There will be a 
  kidnap team on the cutter ready to board the Gambit, 
  disguised as Search and Rescue technicians.
  2. 
  A small second team will be at the highport docking 
  tubes. Posing as offworld tourists confused by all the 
  construction, this second team will commandeer the 
  launch of the Gambit after her passengers have left 
  and kill or incapacitate the pilot. One member of the 
  team will then fly the launch back to the Gambit.
  3. 
  The launch will be put on a collision course and rammed 
  into its own liner. The Coalition pilot will abandon the 
  launch on its fatal vector and await the arrival of his 
  companions in the cutter.
  4. 
  The rescue cutter will arrive and pick up the launch 
  pilot (who will take over cutter flying duties and comms) 
  while the entire rest of the team board the Gambit, 
  find and capture Grisst and then eject him in a rescue 
  bubble or escape pod and flee. All will rendezvous with 
  the cutter, which will then leave the area and make for 
  a hiding place on the planet’s surface.
  5. 
  Two weeks later Grisst will be dropped drugged and 
  unconscious in a highport fresher stall. He will not have 
  been harmed and will have no idea who is responsible, 
  but his company’s negotiations will have collapsed.
  
   
  9
  The party is looking for work in the Mertactor Highport when 
  they are contacted by a wealthy non-Noble industrialist. He is 
  looking for a few hardy spacers to escort three 10-ton shipping 
  containers from Mertactor to Collace. The patron, Jannar 
  Djim will travel on a separate ship, his own yacht, to keep his 
  competitors guessing as to what he may be up to. He assures 
  the group it is not necessarily a dangerous job but it is important 
  and his competitors have been known to play some very 
  underhanded tricks on occasion. Assuming departure on 084-
  1105 and seven days in jump, Djim expects to see the players 
  at Collace Highport on or very near to 091-1105.
  The Mertactor Highport is a very busy place, it being the 
  end of an Xboat route which comes direct from famous 
  Glisten itself. Xboats, Scout ships, liners, huge freighters... 
  surrounded by a swirling cloud of launches, shuttles and 
  boats. The Imperium should be proud of this place, bright 
  and busy on the bleeding edge of the frontier where all the 
  familiar comforts could be gone in an instant. The native 
  Mertactans are certainly proud, almost to a fault. You’ve 
  learned to be extra nice to people here; sometimes it seems 
  like saying “Good Morning” to the waitress means you just 
  offended her father or maybe her father’s father.
  You’re sitting in the Spinning Lady, a cheap but decent 
  highport bar, trading stories and hoping a job will come along 
  to get you all off this tin can when a loudly over-dressed man 
  walks in. Obviously a Mertactan, he looks the place over and 
  is about to leave when he notices your group. He hesitates a 
  moment then strides purposefully across the bar to you.
  This is Jannar Djim, a very eccentric Mertactan industrialist. His 
  clothing is flashy by Mertactan standards, he carries a large personal 
  comm from a couple tech levels ago and he obsessively runs his 
  hands through his thinning gray hair to the point of distraction.
  He will buy a round to open the conversation if need be, but 
  only one drink for each character. He is looking for a group 
  to accompany a valuable shipment of cargo to Collace, a few 
  parsecs spinward of here, and make sure nothing happens to it 
  - no theft, damage or contamination of any sort. He offers more 
  money than the job should be worth, Cr15,000 to each of them 
  and high passage on the liner which will haul the cargo. Half up 
  front, half on delivery at Collace.
  “Here’s the thing,” Djim says, sipping with a look of mild 
  distaste the best wine the bar-tender could offer. “My 
  competitors watch my every move. They know I have a 
  shipment to Collace, they know I’m in this bar right now. 
  They don’t know what I have to sell, what ship it’s going on, 
  who the buyer is... they actually know nothing. But this is a 
  big deal for me. It will lock up a cross-border trade agreement 
  The Job Offer
  with an associate on Collace which could mean quite a bit of 
  money for me and quite a bit of work for some hardy spacers 
  such as yourselves. Dangerous is too strong a word for what 
  I’m asking you to do. I’m looking for insurance and everyone 
  knows cheap insurance never pays off.”
  If pressed, Djim will tell the characters that he has three 10-ton 
  cargo containers which hold a variety of drisk ores, rare and hard-
  to-mine heavy elements intended for high-tech industry, a perfect 
  cargo for ice-bound Collace with its lack of natural mineral and metal 
  resources. He will not elaborate on how he acquired the ores.
  The characters will be expected to personally oversee the 
  ship’s crew as the containers are both loaded into the cargo bay 
  and unloaded at Collace. Collace Highport is under expansion 
  so construction there will mean a Zero-G situation to navigate 
  as drones take each container out of the ship and lash them 
  together for a tug to take to the highport. The PCs are to 
  follow the tug to the warehousing area in the ship’s launch and 
  personally confirm their placement in Djim’s facility.
  Djim will be travelling separately in his own yacht in order to create 
  a bit of confusion for his competitors and keep them guessing as 
  to his true agenda. He will be arriving a half-day or so after the 
  PCs and will contact them as soon as he is in-system.
  Djim will have a hand-comp capable of thumb-printing a contract 
  and will expect each PC to sign it and then give them copies if 
  they desire. He will then give them his personal comm code and 
  ask them to go to a small bank nearby where the credit chips for 
  their advances will be waiting. The bank manager will also give 
  them identity codes for the containers. From there the PCs will 
  have the rest of the day to get their personal affairs in order and 
  purchase any equipment they might deem necessary. They will 
  be expected to report to the port’s Cargo Handling Desk (CHD) 
  first thing the next morning.
  It’s an easy thing for Djim to email thumbprint IDs of the 
  characters to the bank manager; in fact, the bank manager will 
  most likely know who the characters are before they and Djim 
  leave the Spinning Lady. The characters can go as a group to 
  the bank but Djim will feel more comfortable if they go separately 
  over the course of the afternoon.
  At CHD they will need to authorize the release of Djim’s cargo to 
  the Purser of Vindaar’s Gambit with a standard thumbprint scan 
  as Djim’s acting agents. They will then be allowed access to the 
  cargo inspection area and be shown the containers, at which 
  point they will have an opportunity to check the ident codes 
  supplied by the bank manager. While they are checking the 
  codes, the 2nd steward of the Gambit, Otto Hureelee, will arrive 
  and take the characters and their cargo to a nearby spacedock 
  for loading into the main cargo bay of the Gambit.
  
   
  10
  The Trip To Collace
  The players load their cargo, board the liner and are treated to 
  service traditional to high passage travellers - personal attention 
  from the Steward, exotic toiletries, and so on. They get to meet 
  the ship’s Captain and are invited to join the nightly festivities 
  in the ship’s lounge. After overseeing the loading of their cargo 
  containers, the group is underway.
  Cargo Bay
  The highport spacedocks are Zero-G climate-controlled areas 
  that mate directly with most ships’ main cargo hatches; Vindaar’s 
  Gambit is in just such a position as the PCs arrive so they are 
  able to personally oversee Otto and the Mertactan stevedores 
  as they load and secure their cargo. Perceptive PCs may notice 
  with a successful Education check (Difficult, -2; optional DM +1 
  per 2 weeks that they have been on Mertactor) that Otto is not 
  a Mertactan native and that there is some tension between him 
  and the stevedores. They will drop the cargo (where Otto tells 
  them to) and take their grav forks and leave as soon as possible. 
  If questioned, Otto will simply explain away the tension as a 
  “little labour dispute, nothing a couple credits won’t take care of 
  when we’re back in a few weeks.”
  From here on the Referee should review the deckplans in order 
  to understand the references made in the text. Also, the Main 
  Cargo Bay is in Zero-G; any characters not accustomed to such 
  an environment may prefer to watch from the cargo inspection 
  area rather than from inside the bay itself. They will however 
  need to cross the Bay in order to enter the ship proper through 
  the airlock on the starboard side of the Bay.
  Detail-oriented characters in the Bay will notice the following with 
  an Intelligence check (Routine, +2): the containers are held in 
  place by magnetic buckles which are powered through conduits 
  in the bay floor; also, there is a floor hatch far to aft behind their 
  first container. Traditional tie-downs and straps are not used on 
  the Gambit but there are six wooden crates on wood pallets 
  in the forward section of the bay which are held in place by 
  strands of superdense cabling. If questioned, Otto will explain 
  that the crates hold cloth sacks of Mertactan dry dyes which, 
  being derived from the metal-heavy tissues of Mertactor’s plant 
  life, will react unappealingly with the base metals of standard 
  shipping containers. Lastly, there is an airlock directly across 
  from the main bay doors, which leads into the low berth area.
  a short tour
  Upon completion of their cargo tasks, the characters will be 
  escorted through the bay to area 9 and introduced to the chief 
  steward, Galeana Avalar. She will accompany the characters 
  past the low berth section, taking them forward towards the small 
  passenger lift where she will take their weapons for safekeeping 
  in the ship’s locker. Then she will lead the characters to their 
  staterooms on the passenger deck, showing off the passenger 
  lounge and common area (both labelled area 1) on the way; 
  she will make sure they get settled in and have every little 
  thing they need. She will then invite them to join the Captain 
  and other passengers in the lounge for a farewell toast. After 
  that, the ship will be underway.
  These first sections are meant to move along rapidly; the real 
  point is to familiarize the PCs with the layout of the liner and 
  cargo bay. By now it is mid-afternoon on 084-1105.
  fareWell and JumP
  Most of the trip will be spent in the ship’s lounge interacting with the 
  other passengers; they include two Imperials of near-Noble status: 
  a corporate trader attempting to secure a lucrative government 
  contract with Collace and a socialite who is finalising an arranged 
  marriage into the family of a high-ranking Collacean government 
  representative. These two have the highest SOC onboard the 
  ship; the rest of the passengers are their two attendants, as well 
  as common citizens, all of whom are taking middle passage. The 
  low berths are only about half full on this voyage.
  The crew of Vindaar’s Gambit keep mainly to themselves, 
  but the players will get to know them a bit as well since their 
  staterooms are adjoining the crew stateroom section and they 
  probably have some things in common.
  The characters will be in the stateroom section forward of the 
  crew section (area 3) very close to the lounge area. This gives 
  them a good opportunity to get to know the crew as well as 
  the other passengers. They should feel some fish-out-of-water 
  sensations here as they might not normally travel high passage; 
  the personal attention, fine accents and extras in the staterooms 
  and quick courteous responses from crew members (especially 
  the Steward staff) should feel odd to the characters. Characters 
  with Carouse or Steward skill may take to the attentions more 
  naturally than those without; these characters can act as liaisons 
  for the rest of the group in order not to offend other passengers 
  or find themselves relegated to a lonely table in the corner of the 
  lounge for the duration of the trip.
  The first order of business after securing the final cargo is the 
  ship’s traditional Farewell Toast. Started 103 years ago by the 
  first Captain of the Gambit, the ship has never left a port without 
  assembling all its passengers in the lounge and having a small 
  toast to the health of the ship and the joy of jumping to other stars. 
  This is where the PCs will be introduced to Captain Alvernon 
  Olicie as the stewards hand out drinks of the passengers’ choice. 
  Captain Olicie is an older gentleman of Mertactan birth, a few 
  months away from retirement but still spry. The characters will 
  
   
  11
  not meet Grisst or Ongilii yet, but they should notice them as 
  Chief Steward Avalar is attending to them personally and Captain 
  Olicie will join them and personally clink their glasses.
  After the toast the ship will be given clearance to leave the 
  spacedock and the liner will be underway. This is in the afternoon 
  of 084-1105; Vindaar’s Gambit will enter jump space about four 
  hours from port departure, after which dinner will be served.
  Meals may be taken in rooms or in the lounge. The circular lounge 
  is often split in half by retractable partitions to allow more varied 
  entertainment to occur simultaneously; at those times it is also 
  generally closed off from the square common area just to aft.
  Chief Steward Avalar’s Daily Calendar of Events for the week in 
  jump is as follows:
  084-1105
  Toast, Departure, Dinner, Holo-film
  085-1105
  5 AM - 8 AM
  Breakfast
  thru
  8:30 AM - 10:30 AM
  Port Lounge: Gym/Athletics
  090-1105
  Starboard Lounge: Spiritual Centre
  11 AM – 12 PM
  Full Lounge: Bar and Library
  12 PM – 2 PM
  Full Lounge: Lunch, Bar and Library
  2 PM – 3 PM
  Lounge Closed
  3 PM – 5:30 PM
  P o r t  L o u n g e :  D a y  S p a  ( l i g h t  m a s s a g e ,  f a c i a l ,  n a i l s ,  e t c ) 
  Starboard Lounge: Holo-vid
  6 PM – 9 PM
  Full Lounge: Dinner
  9 PM - Midnight
  Full Lounge: Bar and Games
  091-1105
  Breakfast as usual; Full Lounge as Bar and Library until arrival
  The characters may take advantage of all the events above if 
  they wish; the daily activities aren’t well attended in general but 
  the games in the evenings are quite popular.
  The entire crew of the Gambit is Mertactan except for 2nd 
  Steward Otto Hureelee. The crew is detailed in the Character 
  Appendix but for now know that they are Mertactan through 
  and through but the characters’ status as high passengers will 
  allow them to make the occasional unintended gaffe without 
  consequence. They will interact mostly with the Steward staff 
  (Galeana, Otto and 3rd Steward Neenah Tromt) and possibly 
  with Captain Olicie in the evenings in the lounge.
  The liner’s 36 staterooms will be full on this voyage, with all 12 
  crew members enjoying their own staterooms and four more 
  being taken up by the NPCs detailed below and their assistants. 
  The remaining staterooms will be filled by the characters and the 
  balance by a mix of Imperial and Collacean citizens travelling 
  middle passage; there are 13 passengers in low berths. This 
  means there will be 20 middle passengers, less player party 
  size, for probably 13 - 15 other passengers.
  The PCs are the only high passengers aboard, except for 
  one Alamen Grisst, a wealthy trader from Mille Falcs and one 
  Mikeska Ongilii, a socialite from Egypt in Glisten subsector. 
  They both have fairly high social status though they are not 
  Noble; they both expect their business dealings on Collace to 
  elevate them to the next level of social strata in the region.
  Alamen Grisst is approachable but quick to be bored unless 
  the conversation is of trading or economics or gambling. He is 
  attempting to finalise a lucrative deal for his company with the 
  POC on Collace, a subsidised route for his company’s small 
  fleet of merchant vessels. He is travelling with his secretary, a 
  young woman named Ana Pyriem who keeps to herself but is 
  always attentive to her boss. Grisst will scoff if Jannar Djim’s 
  name is mentioned:
  “Jannar Djim?! Hah! That man’s an imposter, a quack 
  who thinks his will can outweigh the force of interstellar 
  economics. He talks out of both sides of his mouth! He 
  makes money, to be sure, but he’s just lucky. Real business 
  in this area needs government support which is why I’m 
  doing what I’m doing.”
  If questioned as to why he is taking the Gambit to Collace, 
  rather than a company ship, Grisst will explain that the Gambit 
  is a slice of history, a stalwart subsidised liner that has done 
  more than her fair share to broaden the Imperium’s influence in 
  District 268. Seeing that his company expects their own ships 
  to be as long-lived and profitable as the Gambit has been, he 
  decided to take the trip on her to see if he could deduce some 
  clues about the secret of her success.
  Being from Mille Falcs, Grisst has little patience for the Mertactan 
  crew’s slightly superior attitude and tendency to take offense 
  “at the slightest remark!” It makes him irritable but he enjoys 
  gambling in the evenings; should one or more of the characters 
  become involved in a game with him, he will warm up to them 
  considerably. The Referee may play out an evening of gaming 
  with a simple 2D roll, one for Grisst and one for the player, DMs 
  + Gambler or Deception (Int); highest roll wins money equal 
  
   
  12
  to the difference of the two rolls times Cr100. After a couple 
  evenings of gaming, Grisst will tell the characters that they 
  could probably make more and easier money working with him 
  rather than Djim; interested characters can attempt to make a 
  Contact of Grisst for the future.
  Mikeska Ongilii will not join in the games, but will occasionally 
  attempt to engage Grisst in conversation. He is not very 
  interested in her but the savvy lady is always seeking new 
  alliances and ways to improve her standing or her business 
  portfolio. His connection to the POC is quite interesting to her 
  but his innate coldness towards her makes it difficult for her 
  to gain ground with him. Characters with Carouse skill may 
  attempt to melt the ice between the two, which if successful 
  will result in Ongilii letting the characters know (later, in private) 
  that Grisst has an excellent reputation in the region and is 
  expected by many to be Knighted by the Imperium shortly for 
  his work in District 268.
  At any rate, it seems Ongilii is attempting to finalize an 
  arranged marriage for her unborn daughter with the unborn 
  son of a high-level official in the POC government. She is 
  actually several months pregnant, a fact which will slip out in 
  late night lounge conversation with her nurse, Elleena Erior, 
  after Ongilii has gone to bed.
  The week in jump should flow quickly but not be rushed by 
  the Referee; the characters should feel they know some of 
  the crew as well as Alamen Grisst. Mikeska Ongilii is a bit of 
  a red herring; her pregnancy should make her stick out in the 
  characters minds when the collision occurs and cause them to 
  think twice about their actions once the “rescue team” boards 
  the ship. If the game is nearing the 90 minute mark at this point, 
  the adventure session will be in good shape.
  
   
  13
  Precipitating from jump is uneventful, save for the socialite 
  suffering from a bit of jump sickness. The liner makes a textbook 
  approach to the highport and is given an orbital ‘parking space’ to 
  unload passengers via its own launch since the highport cannot 
  currently support docking tube procedures for this vessel due 
  to construction limitations. Cargo is to be handled by Collace 
  Highport drones once the liner’s main cargo bay is put into Zero-
  G, which a member of the ship’s crew will do after inviting the 
  characters down to oversee the unloading of their containers.
  The Gambit exits jump space without issue; it will take a 
  little over five hours for the ship to reach Collace highport. 
  It is now 091-1105 at about 10AM local highport time. Most 
  passengers will have lunch and gather their belongings then 
  relax in the lounge until the ship reaches the port. Ongilii has 
  a bout of jump sickness upon precipitation; she will remain in 
  her stateroom while her nurse Elleena handles the business of 
  getting ready to leave the ship.
  The liner proceeds to Collace Highport without incident and is 
  given coordinates for a station-keeping orbit near the facility. The 
  2nd Pilot of the Gambit, Evendas Arliin will begin readying the 
  ship’s launch, the Vinny, for passenger transport to the highport 
  proper. Meanwhile, 2nd Steward Hureelee will meet the PCs in 
  the Lounge and escort them to the corridor of area 9 and into 
  the main cargo bay where he will assist them in donning vacc-
  suits; the cargo bay will then be evacuated of atmosphere and 
  placed in Zero-G in preparation for the arrival of the highport 
  cargo drones. Through-out the trip from the lounge to the cargo 
  bay, Hureelee will be making private comm calls; characters 
  who can pass a Intelligence (Difficult, -2) check will realize he 
  is not in communication with the bridge crew during half the 
  comm calls. If questioned he will offer only a brusque “Ship’s 
  business!” and talk to the characters as little as possible.
  Characters that do not have Zero-G or Vacc-Suit skill may opt 
  to be in the lounge with the Captain, Chief Steward Avalar 
  and the other passengers: one viewport allows an unobscured 
  look at the area below and directly in front of the main bay 
  doors. Those who do suit up with Hureelee will be in the bay 
  with him as he opens the main doors of the bay, revealing 
  the small Collacean highport floating against the black in the 
  middle distance, spindly fingers of unfinished superstructure 
  growing from it on three sides.
  Hureelee will then begin programming a hand-comp, interfacing 
  it with Port Authority and receiving command codes for the 
  cargo drones. They will be departing the highport area in a few 
  minutes; in the meantime, Hureelee begins breaking loose the 
  magnetic buckles on the containers, leaving one in place on 
  each container until the drones arrive.
  In the lounge, the Captain and Chief Steward will each personally 
  say farewell to every passenger as they depart and are led to the 
  launch boarding area (area 5) by 3rd Steward Neenah Tromt. 
  The Vinny can handle six passengers per flight; the first flight 
  will leave about the same time as the characters are suiting up. 
  Grisst wants to have one last drink on the old Gambit before 
  leaving so he and Ana Pyriem will be in the lounge and will 
  leave on the final launch run. Ongilii has decided to wait longer 
  for her jump sickness to subside before taking the launch so 
  she is still in her stateroom; normally the ship’s medic would be 
  warming the low berths right now but he and the Captain have 
  decided that attending to Mikeska Ongilii is a more prudent 
  choice at this time since she is pregnant. Elleena Erior is in 
  the lounge attempting to contact Ongilii’s family on Collace; she 
  hopes that they will be able to take the next launch flight. This 
  leaves (14 - player party size) middle passengers in the lounge 
  area waiting to depart when Otto opens the main bay doors, in 
  addition to Grisst, Pyriem and Erior.
  About 20 minutes later, the drones have not arrived. The 
  characters may push Otto to apply pressure on the Port 
  Authority and he will do so but he seems agitated; he is irritable 
  and disrespectful to the (high passenger) PCs, utilizing some 
  choice spacer expressions when querying Port Authority about 
  the drones. (He is expecting something to happen with his 
  Coalition friends but he does not know what the actual plan 
  is.) Port Authority is apologetic and promises the drones will be 
  underway shortly; the construction has everything bunged up.
  At this point, the ship’s launch should have returned but has not 
  and the Captain and Chief Steward are both called away from 
  the lounge to deal with an agitated Ongilii and a late launch. 3rd 
  Steward Tromt will offer various refreshments to the increasingly 
  impatient passengers, explaining that delays are normal when a 
  highport is under construction.
  A few minutes later both the highport drones and the Vinny are 
  confirmed to be vectoring to the Gambit and should arrive in 
  about two minutes.
  Arrival At Collace Highport
  
   
  14
  The liner’s own launch has rammed the ship, destroying its 
  M-Drive and tearing open the rear section of the main cargo 
  bay. The power plant is offline, a few areas of the ship have 
  lost atmosphere and escape pod access has been severely 
  mangled. The characters witness the death of the crewmember 
  assigned to their cargo-handling and must secure the containers 
  for their patron and of course figure out what happened and 
  how to get safely off the ship.
  Cargo Bay
  Otto Hureelee, under the watchful eyes of the PCs, will begin 
  manipulating the first cargo drone into the Bay; as soon as the 
  first container is up and underway the ship’s warning system 
  goes off and the Captain broadcasts an urgent ship-wide 
  warning: “Brace for impact!!”
  Two combat rounds later the ship shudders violently and a 
  sickening metallic tearing sound can be heard and felt throughout 
  the Gambit. One combat round after that most areas of the 
  ship will lose gravity and general lighting; the ship will revert to 
  emergency power (red LED strip lighting and manual door and 
  valve operation) and any areas that can maintain atmosphere 
  will start to fill with a hazy gray smoke which seeps in through the 
  ventilation system. Everyone on the ship may throw a Dexterity 
  check (Difficult, -2) to properly brace themselves if they state 
  that they are trying to do so; success means they may reduce 
  any collision damage they suffer (see below) by 50%.
  Characters in the cargo bay will be the first to see the effects of 
  the accident in the red glow of the safety lighting: the aft wall of 
  the bay will immediately buckle and the ceiling will be torn open, 
  revealing the void outside. Some (1-3) of the 1-ton wooden 
  containers in the forward area of the Bay will be knocked out of 
  their moorings and begin drifting in freefall. Also, the character’s 
  own containers will be jarred into a slow freefall drift. Anyone in 
  the main cargo bay will suffer 1-6 hits, DM -1 for every level of 
  Zero-G skill, also reduced by 2 if they successfully braced for 
  impact. Every three combat rounds there is a small chance (10+ 
  on 2D) that a character will need to dodge a drifting container, 
  which may cause 1-3 hits and a loss of control if they fail the 
  dodge. On a natural 12 they will not see the object coming but 
  can be possibly be warned by someone else.
  •	
  Check to dodge a drifting container: Zero-G + Dexterity 
  (Difficult, -2).
  •	
  Check to regain control if lost: Zero-G + Dexterity 
  (Difficult, -2).
  Being near the main doors, Otto Hureelee will be crushed by a 
  wooden pallet and his vacc suit will rupture in several places. 
  Despite their most heroic efforts the characters will not be able 
  to save him from suffocation. His hand-comp will drift in the bay 
  until a character thinks to try and grab it.
  •	
  Check to grab Otto’s hand-comp: Zero-G + Dexterity 
  (Difficult, -2).
  The drone handling the cargo is pre-programmed to immediately 
  exit any ship broadcasting emergency alarms so it will attempt 
  to set down the cargo container it holds once it re-orients itself 
  to the drift of the ship (three combat rounds to re-orient, two to 
  set the container down). Players with their own hand computers 
  (or Otto’s) may attempt to override this programming but the 
  character must make a check to be steady when attempting the 
  override. It will take 1D6+3 combat rounds to override the drone 
  programming but then the drone can be put to work gathering 
  up the free-floating containers and the other characters can 
  begin securing the containers to minimize damage. Both these 
  actions, successful or not, require three combat rounds each.
  •	
  Check to secure a drifting container: Zero-G + Dexterity 
  (Difficult, -2).
  •	
  Check to reprogram drone: Computer or Engineer 
  (Electronics) + Education (Difficult, -2).
  •	
  Check to maintain control during drone reprogramming: 
  Zero-G + Dexterity (Very Difficult, -4).
  If the characters need 10 rounds or more to begin securing their 
  (Djim’s) containers, apply 1 hit of damage to any of them in freefall 
  per minute, until they are secured (the Referee should track all 
  damage suffered by Djim’s containers). The metal containers will 
  not breach or rupture but the wooden pallets might (5+ on 1D6, 
  roll once every three combat rounds for each drifting pallet) and 
  if they do, the fine-grained powders inside will burst forth and 
  obscure vision (no warnings for drifting containers, a cumulative 
  -1 DM per burst crate on all drone tasks).
  If the characters fail twice to grab a container or pallet with 
  the drone it will be bumped towards the bay doors and may 
  drift into open space (DM -1 on the next handling task; failure 
  means the container in question has drifted out of the bay). 
  The bay doors cannot be closed due to a sheared power 
  conduit in the torn ceiling of the hold.
  The Fenderbender
  
   
  15
  The characters may feel the cargo is not worth securing at this 
  point and may attempt to get out of the main cargo bay. The 
  starboard airlock and the floor hatch to aft both show red access 
  lights, indicating there is atmosphere on the other side. The only 
  way out would be to spacewalk out of the main bay doors and 
  try to enter the ship from another point - an extremely foolish 
  idea at best. Anyone near the bay doors attempting to see what 
  happened will be able to discern the smashed launch drifting 
  away from the Gambit, trailing bits and pieces of machinery and 
  hull plating; Collace Highport is still visible but is nearly upside 
  down relative to the last view of it the characters had.
  onBoard the gamBit
  Any characters in the lounge area will hear and feel the terrible 
  crunching of the collision; all persons in this area will suffer 1D3 
  hits and be knocked into freefall. Reorienting requires a check 
  (see below) and will take three minutes for everyone here to 
  accomplish. The passengers in the lounge will then begin to 
  panic and try to reach the lift to corridor 9 and the escape pods.
  •	
  Check to reorient after collision: Zero-G + Dexterity 
  (Difficult, -2).
  The lift is not operational under emergency power; any 
  characters here may attempt to override the lift programming 
  or bypass the emergency breaker in order to get the lift working 
  (see check below). If the PCs do not succeed (they may try 
  more than once, each attempt will take one minute) or are not 
  here, assume that the bridge will restore power to the lift six 
  minutes after impact.
  •	
  Check to operate the lift locally: Computer, Engineer 
  (Electronics) or Mechanic + Intelligence (Difficult, -2).
  Characters if present may attempt to corral the passengers and 
  create a more organized escape from the area (see check below) 
  and this will allow six passengers per minute to be evacuated 
  into corridor 9; otherwise only four passengers per minute will 
  be able to leave the lounge once the lift is operational.
  •	
  Check to organize the escape: Leadership or Persuade 
  + Intelligence (Difficult, -2).
  Chief Steward Avalar and 3rd Steward Tromt are at the aft end 
  of the starboard corridor leading to the boarding area (area 
  5) when the crash occurs, they will most likely be knocked 
  unconscious during the crash.
  The ship’s crew will all be at duty stations when the Vinny hits, 
  many in the Bridge section: Captain Olicie is there, and the Chief 
  Pilot Gavlan Harlo who is trying desperately to get the M-Drive 
  back on line (the 2nd Pilot, Evendas Arliin, was ostensibly flying 
  the Vinny and is presumed dead). The Navigator and Purser are 
  also there; the Navigator is trying to contact Engineering and get 
  the power plant back online, and the Purser communicating with 
  Collace Highport and trying to get rescue teams on the way.
  The ship’s medic is in a starboard-side stateroom with Ongilii 
  when the collision occurs. The Gunner was stationed in the 
  ship’s single turret; it was he who alerted the bridge about 
  the odd vector the Vinny was using to approach. He will not 
  notice the launch pilot abandon ship, nor a nearby vessel also 
  vectoring towards the Gambit. After the collision, the Gunner 
  will drop down to the bridge deck, arm himself from the ship’s 
  locker (gauss pistol (3d6) and two full clips, TL 8 flak jacket (6)) 
  and then move into corridor 9 to begin evacuating passengers.
  The crew stateroom area and passenger boarding area suffer 
  extensive damage; engineering is effectively destroyed and both 
  engineers along with it (the Gambit takes 1D6+3 hits, the first 
  three disabling the M-Drive). The rear lifts between area 4 and 
  5 are useless, 60% of the port side escape pods are destroyed 
  and the ship is venting a small amount of hydrogen into the 
  void. Sections 4, 5 and 7 are ruptured and depressurized, and 
  the main corridor traversing the ship (9) past the main cargo bay 
  and low berths has a small leak aft near the lifts (13-18 minutes 
  until the corridor is void of air).
  People onboard the ship (outside of the cargo bay) when 
  the collision happens will suffer damage starting at 5D6 in 
  Engineering and reducing by 1D6 for every 10 metres they are 
  forward of the engineering section; also reduce damage by one 
  die for being on a different deck than the engineering room (The 
  Chief and 3rd Stewards will both be taking 4D6 hits). Persons in 
  vacc suits may reduce damage by half.
  Communications are possible only through suit comms or personal 
  comms; shipboard comm systems are shorting out and effectively 
  useless. Any players running through the local comm bands will pick 
  up communications that sound distinctly calm and goal-oriented, 
  on a small frequency band that is rarely used in port areas. The 
  calm communications are discussing a ruptured vessel, obviously 
  the Gambit, and they seem to be trying to hail a particular individual 
  who is not responding (the late Otto Hureelee).
  
   
  16
  In a surprisingly short amount of time, a group of humans in 
  boarding vacc suits enter the cargo bay; the characters may believe 
  this is a hijacking but the boarders will attempt to convince them 
  that they are a Collacean Search and Rescue team. This team will 
  immediately attempt to get into the passenger areas of the liner but 
  will conduct only minimal communication with the bridge.
  Cargo Bay
  About six minutes after the collision, a group of humans in vacc 
  suits begin entering the main cargo Bay through the rent in the 
  ceiling. They number (player party size) +2 and are (secretly) 
  armed with gauss pistols (3d6) and smoke grenades and 
  several large satchels. The characters may at first think they 
  are a Search and Rescue team, but they will not communicate 
  with them, instead heading directly for the manual hatch to aft 
  which leads down to the crew stateroom area.
  The Boarders will immediately try to cycle the floor hatch but will 
  have to resort to a small shaped explosive charge to breach the 
  valve. If the characters try to intervene they will authoritatively 
  state “Port Rescue Service! Stay back and await further 
  instructions!” Once through the hatch they will apply a hull patch 
  from the other side to stop atmosphere loss and foil pursuit. 
  Scout, Navy, Marines or Merchant characters will realize this 
  rescue team is actually making a dangerous situation even 
  more dangerous in their rush.
  The characters can use cargo containers and the cargo drone 
  to fight the boarders, if things go that way. A successful cargo-
  handling task as detailed above will strike one boarder for 1D6 
  hits and knock him out of control for four combat rounds; if the 
  boarder had his gun drawn, it will float free and the PCs may 
  attempt to grab it.
  •	
  Check to grab loose weapon: Zero-G + Dexterity (Very 
  Difficult, -4).
  Using cargo containers as free-floating projectiles may 
  damage the characters’ own containers, however; for each 
  use of a container against the boarders, one of the character’s 
  containers will suffer 1 hit on 9+ on 2D. If the characters do 
  fight, the boarders will stick to their plan and eight combat 
  rounds after hostilities start they will have breached the floor 
  valve. Four combat rounds later they will be through the breach 
  and five combat rounds after that they will have applied the hull 
  patch and effectively trapped the characters in the bay.
  This Is A Rescue?
  If no boarders were killed or knocked out (or the characters do 
  not think to search them) the players may use the cargo drone 
  to attempt to smash through the hull patch. They will gain DM+1 
  if they think to use a cargo container as a ram. Each attempt will 
  require three combat rounds and every second attempt gains a 
  cumulative DM+1.
  •	
  Check to use the cargo drone to smash through the hull 
  patch: Computer, Engineer (Electronics) + Intelligence 
  (Very Difficult, -4).
  If the characters do search any incapacitated boarders, they will 
  find one explosive charge, one hull patch, 10 metres of steel 
  cable with magnetic grapples on each end, two smoke-signal 
  grenades and a gauss pistol (3d6) with two clips of ammo on 
  each one. Obviously, the Referee will need to track the boarders 
  use of these items in the preceding combat but no boarder will 
  use a shaped charge to fight the characters, so there should be 
  one or two for the characters to find. Using the shaped charge to 
  breach the hull patch takes three combat rounds. Failing the first 
  attempt means that characters will automatically succeed on the 
  second attempt or if they now try ramming the patch open.
  •	
  Check to use shaped charge to breach hull patch: 
  Explosives + Intelligence (Average, +0).
  If the characters offer to help the “rescue team” they will be 
  given two coils of magnetic safety cable and a smoke grenade 
  and be told to exit the ship through the main bay doors, attach 
  themselves securely to the hull and detonate the grenade to 
  signal the rescue cutter waiting nearby. Characters who have 
  served in the Scouts, Navy or Marines may make an Intelligence 
  check (Average, +0) to realize that the orders go counter to 
  all known orbital emergency procedures because at least one 
  rescue tech would be accompanying them on the EVA and 
  communicating with the cutter on their behalf.
  If the characters do indeed foolishly lash themselves to the hull, 
  they will be waiting for quite some time. The “rescue cutter” 
  certainly will not pick them up and they will helplessly watch 
  escape pods pop out of the top of the stricken liner only to be 
  left drifting as the cutter accelerates away from the scene. If 
  any characters are left in the ship, the Referee should continue 
  to play out the kidnap attempt but if not this portion of the 
  adventure ends here with the successful kidnapping of Grisst. A 
  few minutes after the impostors depart, highport tugs will arrive 
  and begin gathering up escape pods and stabilising the Gambit; 
  not long after that a police cutter will arrive and the characters 
  will be taken into custody.
  
   
  17
  The characters should have figured out by now that these 
  boarders are not in communication with the bridge and are acting 
  on their own. If queried as to their behaviour, the boarders will 
  indicate they are to rescue “government liaisons and Collacean 
  citizens first and foremost” and that the characters will face 
  “severe legal consequences” if they do not do as ordered.
  Characters who warn the bridge will be contradicted by the 
  boarders, who will cite a meaningless and false “Port Authority 
  Regulation” number and continue on their way. Captain Olicie 
  will be heard to comply with the boarders’ requests; his only 
  concern is getting all of his passengers off the liner safely.
  Whether they fight or not, the characters’ interaction with the 
  boarders should delay the kidnap opera-tion for several minutes 
  before the boarders are able to move forward. The hatch should 
  be blown three to four minutes after the boarders first appear, 
  nine or ten minutes after the collision.
  lounge
  When the rescue team gains access to the passenger area, 
  they will immediately begin searching for the corporate trader, 
  Alamen Grisst, escort him to an escape pod and eject him as 
  soon as possible. They will help other passengers to maintain 
  their ruse if need be but as soon as the trader is off the ship they 
  will all attempt to escape as well.
  At the eight minute mark, most of the passengers from the 
  lounge area will have been evacuated into corridor 9, where 
  they are all crowded, panicky and waiting desperately to get 
  into escape pods. Strangely, the ship’s gravity is functioning in 
  this area. Grisst is here now, stunned and woozy, as well as the 
  ship’s gunner and purser. The purser will take the lift back down 
  to the stateroom areas to begin gathering rescue balls from the 
  staterooms while the gunner will work his way through the crowd 
  to the escape pod section. The medic, having sedated Ongilii 
  in her room, will place her in a rescue bubble then take the lift 
  to corridor 9 with several other rescue bubbles and attempt to 
  calm the passengers and institute some sort of crowd control. 
  The sound of the boarders’ second explosive detonating (if it 
  does) will make the passengers even more panicky.
  •	
  Check to calm passengers: Leadership or Persuade + 
  Intelligence (Very Difficult, -4).
  The delay in escape pod deployment is due to the fact that the 
  rear lifts have been jammed up into the corridor leading to the 
  pod airlocks. The portside pods are completely inaccessible; 
  the gunner will try to clear debris to get to the starboard side 
  locks but a large piece of deck plating is too big for him to move 
  on his own. He requests help from the characters if any are 
  here, from the ship’s crew if they are not.
  Moving the deck plate will require 32 Strength points to be 
  applied at once; any characteristic DMs may be added to the 
  total. Athletics or Mechanic skill may be added as well, to 
  simulate the use of leverage. Once the 32 point minimum has 
  been reached, the character in charge should roll a Strength 
  check (Difficult, -2), with the effect of the roll indicating the 
  time it takes to move the plating: Effect of -6 or less requires 3 
  minutes, 0 to -5 requires two minutes and +1 or greater requires 
  only one minute. If no characters are in this area at this time, 
  assume that the plating will be moved in four minutes, about 12 
  minutes since the ordeal started.
  Once the plate is moved, the gunner will begin evacuating 
  passengers at the rate of two per pod, one pod every three 
  combat rounds. This is roughly six people per minute so the liner 
  should be free of passengers, except for Ongilii and Erior, in 
  about three minutes, or 15 - 18 minutes after the initial crash.
  Where are the 
  Boarders?
  At the 10 minute mark, the boarders will blow the airlock into 
  the passenger section (area 2) and sweep into the lounge area, 
  finding it empty except for the Purser who is still gathering 
  uninflated rescue bubbles. Realizing the jig is up and Grisst is 
  most likely gone already, the boarders will immediately head 
  back down the corridor and apply a hull patch at the valve 
  between the crew staterooms and the passenger area. Once 
  that is completed they will blow the airlock to area 4 and escape 
  the ship through the torn walls of the launch bay. Their cutter 
  will arrive in eight combat rounds, pick them up and accelerate 
  away from the area. This should be 12 - 14 minutes after the 
  crash and assumes the characters were not able to prevent the 
  Boarders from getting here in the first place.
  The characters should be able to breach the hull patch in the 
  cargo bay floor two to three combat rounds after the boarders 
  have sealed off the passenger section; there may be another 
  combat here but the boarders will attempt to minimise casualties 
  and escape the ship.
  This is the late afternoon of 091-1105 and the adventure session 
  now should be around the 2 1/2 hour mark.
  
   
  18
  The impostor rescue cutter will pick up the fake rescue 
  team and accelerate away from the area. The liner and the 
  characters are left on their own to save themselves until 
  about 20 minutes after the crash when construction tugs 
  begin appearing to help the drifting ship. About four hours 
  after the crash, all possible vehicles, debris and persons 
  involved in the assault on the Vindaar’s Gambit will be in 
  the custody of Collace Starport Authority, either in highport 
  medical facilities or the highport brig.
  Collace Starport Authority (SA) will respond by sending two 
  construction tugs to the area, which will arrive about 17 minutes 
  after the crash and will begin stabilising the liner and launch and 
  gathering up any escape pods that may eject. A police cutter 
  will arrive about 23 minutes after the crash to dispatch four Star 
  Marines in combat mode as well as six Star Marines in Search 
  and Rescue (S&R) mode to finish evacuation of the liner.
  The tugs will gather up any and all debris, vessels, escape 
  pods and persons involved in the accident and will place 
  everyone in Starport Authority holding until an investigation 
  can be completed.
  Crash Aftermath
  The players who do not need serious medical attention will be 
  detained for 12 hours, plus an additional 2D6 hours. They will 
  be given light medical treatment and a meal and questioned 
  for several hours about their actions on the Gambit (the 
  Referee needn’t role-play the interrogation sessions; suffice 
  to say the characters are exhausted by the hours-long ordeal). 
  Any attempts by the players to inquire about their personal 
  belongings or Djim’s cargo will fall on deaf ears. Asking about 
  the safety of the other passengers on the Gambit will reduce 
  their brig time by 1D3 hours. Anyone who was seriously injured 
  will need to remain in the highport hospital until they can leave 
  under their own power or be taken into the care of a licensed 
  medic or doctor (Medic-2 or better).
  Once they are released, the characters are told their personal 
  belongings and credit chips can be picked up at Collace 
  Downport. They will have to find their cargo from there; the 
  Duty Sergeant doesn’t know where S&R placed the wreck of 
  the Gambit or her contents. Any pleas to be released into the 
  highport will be ignored and they will be taken in a police shuttle 
  to the surface and released into Collace Downport.
  
   
  19
  The moment the players exit the police cutter and step into 
  Collace Downport, they are bombarded by yelling, flashing 
  lights and buzzing drone cameras. Apparently the story of their 
  exploits in “The Wreck of Vindaar’s Gambit” has preceded them 
  and everyone wants to talk to the Imperials who fought off 
  pirates and helped Collace S&R save “innumerable lives!”
  Once in the Collace Downport police facility, the players will 
  notice that they are being treated with a lot of courtesy by the 
  officers processing their personal (non-weapon) belongings. 
  They will be offered coffee, shown holograms of the transit 
  system and so forth. No one can tell them the whereabouts 
  of their cargo but they can direct them to Cargo Handling and 
  verify that any personal weapons they had on the Gambit can 
  be picked up at the Port Authority Security Desk, not far from 
  this facility. The Gambit herself, and her launch Vinny, are both 
  in orbit at the shipyard, undergoing repair evaluation. It should 
  now be the afternoon of 092-1105 which makes the characters 
  about a day late on completing their contract with Jannar Djim.
  If any characters think to contact Djim while in police custody, 
  they will be allowed to do so and will easily get in touch with 
  him. Djim arrived in system several hours after the crash and 
  was contacted by the purser of the Gambit, who explained the 
  situation to him. His cargo containers are being held for several 
  days until Port investigations are completed.
  Djim will be very impressed with the characters, congratulating 
  them for their heroism and courage. He will offer to meet them at 
  the Highport the following morning to finalise their arrangement 
  but will ask them to inspect the containers for damage and 
  come with a report on the status of the cargo.
  The officer who escorts the characters to the facility’s public 
  area will pat one of them on the back and say “Good work!” 
  before showing them to the entrance of the Downport.
  The Downport is part of a large network of sealed habitats that 
  stretch across the surface of Collace like the root system of a 
  great tree. The port area is one of the oldest and most developed 
  sections of “the Hab,” some areas dating back hundreds of 
  years. The Collace habs make extensive use of drones and 
  robots for transport, cleaning and maintenance work. Grav tech 
  is ubiquitous but the atmosphere of the planet means tunnels 
  are used to connect many areas, with large airlocked bays for 
  large vehicles and long overland journeys.
  When the characters walk into the port’s main terminal, they 
  will find themselves surrounded by blinding photo strobes, 
  buzzing drone cameras and a push of humanity thrusting 
  microphones and tri-dee equipment in their faces. They have 
  become minor celebrities over their time in the brig as the story 
  of their exploits has spread like wildfire throughout the Collace 
  habitats. Everyone wants to talk to the Imperials who fought 
  off the “murderous pirates during The Wreck of the Vindaar’s 
  Gambit” and also saved “innumerable” lives.
  The crowd of reporters will follow the characters everywhere 
  they go for the next several hours, creating a nuisance for the 
  various offices they have to visit and making any task checks 
  during this time more difficult; for the next two hours they will 
  suffer a DM of -3, then a DM of -2 for the hour after that and 
  finally a DM of -1 during the fourth hour after release.
  The Referee should emphasize the annoying and insistent 
  nature of the reporters and make any simple thing the characters 
  try to do be the subject of a whole new round questions and 
  photographing.
  If the characters decide to stop and do an impromptu press 
  conference, it will take an hour and then most of the paparazzi 
  will leave; they will then suffer only a DM of -1 for the following 
  hour. If on the other hand any characters get violent with the 
  paparazzi, even more strobes will go off and in a few minutes 
  local police will arrive. The police will review some of the 
  copious paparazzi video footage and then regretfully arrest the 
  offending characters and they will be placed in jail for 1-6 days, 
  a rather light sentence based on their heroic actions on the 
  Gambit. They will then be hounded for another four hours from 
  the time of the arrest, as described above.
  If the players haven’t tried yet, they will find it easy to contact 
  Jannar Djim but he will not speak with the characters until the 
  paparazzi is gone and they can be assured of privacy. In the 
  meantime they should go to the Cargo Handling Desk.
  Cargo handling desK
  The characters need to get back to the highport and navigate 
  through a swarm of bureaucratic red tape to find their patron’s 
  property, make sure it gets delivered and hopefully get paid.
  At CHD, the characters will need to find someone who can tell 
  them where their containers are. This check takes half an hour, 
  and is modified by the presence of annoying paparazzi. If they 
  fail they will be able to try again in an hour.
  •	
  Check to find someone who can locate the containers: 
  Admin + Intelligence (Average, +0).
  Success means that they will be verified as legitimate acting 
  agents on behalf of the cargo’s owner and will have verified the 
  cargo ID codes. They will then be given a data chip and sent to 
  the Requisitions Office to find out where their cargo actually is.
  The Glare Of The Lights
  
   
  20
  It will take about 20 minutes to get to the Requisitions Office via 
  grav-tube. A successful check takes an hour (again modified by 
  the presence of paparazzi), after which their data chip will be 
  updated, verifying them as the cargo’s agents and told that their 
  containers are in Quadrant Four of Collace Highport.
  •	
  Check at Requisitions Office: Admin + Intelligence 
  (Average, +0).
  The characters, knowing they must go back to the Highport, will 
  want to collect their weapons from the Security Desk. There is no 
  task roll involved in this but it will take half an hour to complete. 
  From Security they can catch a shuttle to the Highport (Cr200 
  each) which will depart in about 45 minutes.
  BaCK to the highPort
  If the characters have moved fast enough to still have reporters 
  following them, they will be able to lose them in the hustle and 
  bustle of the highport terminal if they so desire. No paparazzi 
  will be waiting for them here at the highport but they will see 
  themselves occasionally on vid-screens and holo-displays, 
  footage from when they were first released a few hours ago.
  People will recognize them; mostly shop owners, dockworkers, 
  port personnel and the like. They will smile and wave, 
  occasionally clap or pump their fists, but otherwise leave the 
  characters be. It is obvious that their efforts are appreciated by 
  the crews here, people that spend most of their lives one thin 
  metal wall away from the void.
  Finding their containers will be a simple task (no roll) taking 
  only a couple of hours. Proper inspection of the containers is 
  an Intelligence check (Routine, +2) which takes about half an 
  hour. The players can contact Djim now if they wish, or wait 
  until the morning. Regardless, they can arrange transport of the 
  containers to Djim’s warehouse for Cr500 each, which Djim will 
  reimburse them for.
  If any characters were injured badly enough to be put in hospital, 
  they can be visited now. It is the late evening of 092-1105; the 
  PCs will need to eat and find lodging for the evening, which 
  to their surprise will be offered to them for free at whichever 
  establishments they visit. They are heroes, after all!
  The next morning they will be able to meet with Djim at his 
  warehouse and provide the Starport Authority report on the 
  damage the containers may have suffered. Although proud of the 
  party for their actions, Djim will tell them he can only pay them 
  a portion of the agreed-upon amount (subtract Cr1000 for each 
  hit the containers suffered in crash and divide the result between 
  all the PCs) and can only pay once the containers are released. 
  The PCs will balk of course, but Djim will be firm - undamaged 
  delivery was a principle tenet of the contract. If any containers 
  were lost during the assault (i.e., floated outside the cargo bay), 
  Djim will deduct 20% per lost container (in light of the fact that 
  they will have been recovered by the Starport Authority).
  Smart PCs will remember they were escorting heavy elements 
  and ores and ask how much damage can such materials 
  actually suffer. Djim will smile at this point and pull out a small 
  plastic disk, the Imperial sunburst, and place it on his lapel. He 
  will tap it and it will begin changing colours, play the Emperor’s 
  March, show a small holographic Scout ship and so forth. It is 
  utterly tacky and yet somehow fascinating.
  “There’s no ore in those containers, my friends. I’m sorry 
  to have misled you and my ancestors will hound me forever 
  over that. But I couldn’t risk the truth coming out. These little 
  sunbursts will sell here for a credit each and you brought 
  three million of them here! They are part of publicity drive 
  by the People Of Collace to show local support for their 
  application of membership to the Imperium. And after what 
  you did, I think I’m going to need three million more!”
  The characters will most likely really balk now that they know 
  the truth - what’s a few damaged trinkets among millions? But 
  he stands firm on his reduced payment. He does however tell 
  the characters that he has discovered that any boarder killed or 
  captured on the Gambit have since been identified as terrorist 
  operatives of the Right of Collace Coalition and the characters 
  may claim a bounty of Cr2000 for each they overcame in the 
  assault. He will assist them over the next few days by providing 
  any legal aid they need to claim the bounties and make sure that 
  they have decent lodging while waiting here at the highport.
  
   
  21
  The characters will enjoy the gratitude of the Collacean citizens 
  while they wait for Djim’s containers to be released and their 
  bounties to be paid. They will not have to pay for food and many 
  drinks will be poured for free. Any equipment they own that may 
  have been damaged will be repaired for only the price of parts. 
  Many people will clap their backs and want to hear their stories 
  and they will be asked to interview for the infotainment channels. 
  Alamen Grisst (if he was not taken) will contact them and offer to 
  pay for their rooms at a swank highport hotel. And lastly they will 
  be invited by the crew of Vindaar’s Gambit to attend a memorial 
  dinner for the ones who didn’t survive the collision. The next 
  morning (096-1105) Djim’s containers are released, he will pay 
  them the (adjusted) balance of their contract and he will tell 
  them they can report to the Highport Security Desk to claim their 
  bounties. The characters are now free to leave Collace or stay 
  on and enjoy another few days of celebrity status while looking 
  for their next adventure.
  Mongoose Living Traveller Campaign rewards are based on 
  the following events throughout the adventure. If the characters 
  obeyed the instructions of the ‘boarders’ and did not intervene, 
  or escaped from the ship in an escape pod with the other 
  passengers in a panic, the ending should be very different. 
  While the characters will get some payment (assume all cargo 
  was lost and recovered by the Starport Authority), none of the 
  other rewards will be available. Assuming that the characters 
  did act heroically, intervene and delayed the boarders, the 
  following rewards are available.
  1. 
  The characters should have made close to Cr15,000 
  each on the job, less any damages.
  2. 
  The characters will have gained “Contact – Merchant 
  Jannar Djim”, though perhaps not as robust as they 
  might have thought; his odd insistence on reducing 
  their fee but then paying for legal assistance may 
  make the characters wary of him. His tacky sunbursts 
  will become an instant hit on Collace and stay such for 
  the next few months until memories of the ‘Wreck of 
  the Vindaar’s Gambit’ begin to fade.
  3. 
  The characters may have gained “Contact – Merchant 
  Alamen Grisst”, although he may be a bit aloof since he 
  will soon discover (if he doesn’t know already) that they 
  were working for one of his rivals, Djim. However, Grisst 
  could still be important as he rises in noble status. His 
  negotiations will go well, and Collace will have another 
  subsidised route connecting into the Imperium.
  4. 
  If any characters were arrested for striking a reporter 
  or a drone camera, they will have to pay Cr2,000 in 
  fines and damages for each reporter or camera hit.
  5. 
  If any characters were put in hospital, Collace Starport 
  Authority will cover their medical expenses as reward 
  for their efforts in helping to save the passengers of 
  Vindaar’s Gambit.
  6. 
  If any of the boarders escaped capture, the characters 
  gain “Enemy – Right of Collace Coalition”. It will take 
  several months for them to become active again.
  Investigations will reveal that the Right of Collace Coalition was 
  behind this debacle. Their political charter will be revoked and 
  within six months the party will cease to exist. Their membership 
  will drift mostly into the POC but some will remain anti-Imperial 
  and join Collace Now. Any boarders that were taken into custody 
  will be in jail for a very, very long time.
  The Referee should make sure to let the Story Coordinator 
  know what rewards above were granted in the adventure for 
  future campaign consideration.
  Conclusion
  
   
  22
  Jannar DJim
  Merchant (Broker) 3
  Abilities Str 6 (+0), Dex 6 (+0), End 7 (+0), Int 9 (+1), Edu 10 
  (+1), Soc 8 (+0)
  Languages Anglic
  Skills Broker 3, Admin 2, Advocate 1, Persuade 1, Soc Sci 
  (Psychology) 1, Diplomat 1, Carouse 1
  Possessions comm, TL 13 hand computer
  Jannar Djim is a wealthy trader from Mertactor. He is the last 
  surviving member of his family, having never married or had 
  children, so his strict Mertactan upbringing has been softening over 
  the last few years. He favours loud clothing, old technology (he’s 
  nostalgic about it) and fine wines. He built himself up from modest 
  beginnings and has very little patience for those who complain 
  about things as if they have no influence on their own lives.
  He won’t buy or lease trading ships himself, though that 
  would probably be a good move for him; he prefers to hire 
  existing vessels for his dealings, believing there are plenty of 
  struggling ships out there who don’t need competition from him. 
  It is his combination of high-finance acumen and salt-of-the-
  earth humanity that make him both a valuable friend and an 
  exasperating partner.
  alamen Grisst
  Merchant (Broker) 5
  Abilities Str 7 (+0), Dex 7 (+0), End 6 (+0), Int 9 (+1), Edu 9 
  (+1), Soc 10 (+1)
  Languages Anglic
  Skills Broker 3, Advocate 2, Persuade 1, Soc Sci (Economics) 
  1, Diplomat 1, Carouse 1, Gambler 1
  Possessions TL 13 hand computer
  Alamen Grisst is a wealthy corporate businessman from Mille 
  Falcs. His work for his small trading company, Grisst Enterprises, 
  has done much over the years to solidify trading across the 
  border into District 268. He is a frequent visitor to Glisten and 
  moves in high social circles throughout the region.
  Grisst is doing everything he can to ingratiate himself with any 
  Imperial nobility possible. He never married, thinking he might 
  find a young Noble heiress to woo; he has never captained his 
  own ships (he currently runs three free traders and some small 
  craft) as he sees that as a commoner’s approach to living. His 
  work seems to be paying off: not long ago noble friends on 
  Glisten succeeded in having him named to the honours list, and 
  hinted that he would soon be elevated to knighthood.
  Grisst fancies himself a romantic and dashing figure; he loves 
  to gamble though he is not especially good at it and he often 
  drinks a bit too much when he is winning.
  ana Pyriem
  Citizen (Corporate) 2
  Abilities Str 5 (-1), Dex 7 (+0), End 6 (+0), Int 8 (+0), Edu 10 
  (+1), Soc 8 (+0)
  Languages Anglic
  Skills Admin 2, Advocate 1, Computers 1, Diplomat 1
  Possessions comm, TL 11 hand computer
  Ana is a pretty, well-dressed executive assistant of the highest 
  calibre. She expects to become an integral part of Grisst Enterprises, 
  perhaps even running the company, when Grisst accepts his 
  Knighthood and most likely moves to Glisten to join the nobility 
  there. She is from Mille Falcs and says she has no time for personal 
  attachments but she does seem a bit lonely on occasion.
  mikeska OnGilii
  Citizen (Corporate) 4
  Abilities Str 5 (-1), Dex 6 (+0), End 7 (+0), Int 9 (+1), Edu 10 
  (+1), Soc 9 (+1)
  Languages Anglic
  Skills Advocate 2, Diplomat 2, Carouse 1, Persuade 1, Broker 1, 
  Leadership 1
  Possessions comm, TL 9 hand computer
  Mikeska Ongilii is a socialite from Egypt in Glisten subsector, a 
  successful attorney who was able to marry into a rich expatriate 
  family from Collace and thus retire from the working life. While 
  her husband attempts to make inroads at Glisten, she is taking 
  advantage of his long Collacean heritage by marrying her daughter 
  into the family of a high-ranking representative of the People Of 
  Collace with whom her husband had many dealings in the past.
  Ongilii is somewhat severe, but approachable and a bit of a 
  gossip. She will believe that the assault on Vindaar’s Gambit 
  was an attempt to kill or kidnap her in order to prevent the 
  marriage she is still negotiating.
  elleena eriOr
  Scholar (Physician) 1
  Abilities Str 6 (+0), Dex 8 (+0), End 7 (+0), Int 8 (+0), Edu 8 
  (+0), Soc 8 (+0)
  Languages Anglic
  Skills Medic 1, Admin 1, Computers 1, Diplomat 1, Phys Sci 
  (Biology) 0
  Possessions comm, TL 9 hand computer
  Elleena is a young Egyptian who was working her way through 
  medical school when she met Mikeska Ongilii at a fundraiser. 
  Being sympathetic to the young lady’s struggle, Ongilii offered 
  to hire her as a personal nurse during her pregnancy and for 
  a short time after, in order for young Erior to save money to 
  complete her education. Erior accepted and is quite happy with 
  the arrangement; in fact she is wondering how she might stay 
  on with Ongilii after her child is born.
  Appendix 1: Passengers On The Gambit
  
   
  23
  CaPtain alvernOn OliCie
  Merchant (Free Trader) 5
  Abilities Str 4 (-1), Dex 6 (+0), End 5 (-1), Int 8 (+0), Edu 7 
  (+0), Soc 8 (+0)
  Languages Anglic
  Skills Comms 2, Pilot (spaceships) 1, Sensors 1, Steward 1 
  Computers 1, Admin 1, Astrogation 1
  Possessions comm
  Alvernon Olicie is of Mertactan descent, of a respected and long-
  lived family of merchants and traders. He is the third member 
  of his family to serve on the Vindaar’s Gambit and is only a 
  few months from retirement. He has been quite happy making 
  the Collace run for all these years and is proud of his service 
  and his record as a ship’s captain. He has two children, both of 
  whom are serving in the Imperial Navy. His wife died several 
  years ago and when he retires he plans on building a cabin in 
  the hilly forests outside of Mertactor’s capitol and planting the 
  flower garden she always wanted.
  Chief stewarD Galeana avalar
  Merchant (Free Trader) 3
  Abilities Str 7 (+0), Dex 8 (+0), End 7 (+0), Int 7 (+0), Edu 8 
  (+0), Soc 7 (+0)
  Languages Anglic
  Skills Steward 2, Computers 1, Admin 1, Pilot (small craft) 1, 
  Persuade 1, Gambler 1
  Possessions Comm
  Pretty, thoughtful and proud, Galeana Avalar is a near-perfect 
  Steward. While demanding of her staff and fellow crew, her drive 
  is based on a real desire to see her ship’s passengers have 
  the most enjoyable voyage possible. Her entire family lives and 
  works on Mertactor proper; she leaves many duties to her 2nd 
  Steward when the Gambit calls at its home port so she can visit 
  with them as much as possible before her next journey. She is 
  engaged to a chef on Mertactor, who provides her with excellent 
  victuals for the high passengers on Vindaar’s Gambit.
  Appendix 2: Crew Of The Gambit
  2nD stewarD OttO hureelee
  Merchant (Free Trader) 2
  Abilities Str 8 (+0), Dex 8 (+0), End 7 (+0), Int 7 (+0), Edu 6 
  (+0), Soc 6 (+0)
  Languages Anglic
  Skills Steward 1, Computers 1, Vacc Suit 1, Mechanic 1, 
  Zero-G 1, Streetwise 1
  Possessions comm, TL 12 vacc suit, blade
  The only crewmember on Vindaar’s Gambit who is not 
  Mertactan, Otto is a native of Collace from a family of low-
  income maintenance workers. His time spent working with 
  overbearing high passengers and with his proud and seemingly 
  superior crewmates has pushed him to the edge and he joined 
  the RCC as a way of getting past his disillusionment about the 
  people and planets around his homeworld.
  3rD stewarD neenah trOmt
  Merchant (Free Trader) 2
  Abilities Str 6 (+0), Dex 9 (+1), End 7 (+0), Int 7 (+0), Edu 7 
  (+0), Soc 6 (+0)
  Languages Anglic
  Skills Steward 1, Computers 1, Persuade 1, Melee (Blade) 1, 
  Comms 1
  Possessions comm, blade
  Being the only daughter in a family with three boys, Neenah 
  pushes herself extra hard in order to be “taken seriously” by 
  men; she still carries a bit of a chip on her shoulder from all the 
  teasing her brothers gave her growing up. She is developing 
  a bit of a crush on Otto although she knows romances among 
  ship crews rarely work out well.
  Chief PilOt Gavlan harlO
  Merchant (Free Trader) 4
  Abilities Str 7 (+0), Dex 10 (+1), End 7 (+0), Int 8 (+0), Edu 8 
  (+0), Soc 6 (+0)
  Languages Anglic
  Skills Pilot (spacecraft) 2, Sensors 1, Computers 1, Pilot 
  (small craft) 1, Persuade 1, Zero-G 1
  Possessions comm
  Imagining himself an adventurous hotshot, Gavlan Harlo 
  exhibits the worst behaviour of both arrogant starship pilots and 
  Mertactan pride. No one on the ship can really stand him but he 
  has the Captain’s ear so he is tolerated as best as can be.
  
   
  24
  2nD PilOt evenDas arliin
  Merchant (Free Trader) 2
  Abilities Str 9 (+1), Dex 9 (+1), End 8 (+0), Int 7 (+0), Edu 6 
  (+0), Soc 5 (-1)
  Languages Anglic
  Skills Pilot (spacecraft) 1, Pilot (small craft) 1, Vacc Suit 1, 
  Zero-G 1, Sensors 1, Streetwise 1
  Possessions comm, TL 12 vacc suit
  Light-hearted and easy-going with a self-deprecating sense 
  of humour, Evendas is loved by all; his personality is very un-
  Mertactan and yet his native brethren would walk through fire 
  for him - except perhaps his immediate boss, Gavlan Harlo, who 
  often gives Evendas ridiculous chores such as polishing the 
  pilot’s control couch or oiling the manual controls of the Vinny.
  naviGatOr trevOr Dantine
  Merchant (Free Trader) 3
  Abilities Str 6 (+0), Dex 7 (+0), End 8 (+0), Int 7 (+0), Edu 8 
  (+0), Soc 6 (+0)
  Languages Anglic
  Skills Astrogation 2, Sensors 1, Computers 1, Persuade 1 
  Mechanic 1, Admin 1, Art (Instrument) 1
  Possessions comm.
  A decent enough individual, Trevor is a musician of some small 
  renown on Mertactor; when off-duty he will keep mainly to his 
  stateroom practising his electric flute; if asked, he can talk for 
  several hours about the musical history of Mertactor and his 
  family without once allowing the listener to speak.
  Purser helmut GelDaun
  Merchant (Free Trader) 3
  Abilities Str 5 (-1), Dex 6 (+0), End 6 (+0), Int 8 (+0), Edu 8 
  (+0), Soc 6 (+0)
  Languages Anglic
  Skills Broker 2, Steward 1, Persuade 1, Comms 1, Admin 1, 
  Advocate 1, Soc Sci (Economics) 0
  Possessions comm.
  Purser Geldaun is the perfect stereotype: nebbish, penny-
  pinching bean counter. Captain Olicie hand-picked this man to 
  keep the books on the Gambit because he knew this person 
  would never be influenced by anything as base as greed; Helmut 
  lives for the purity of mathematics and a holo-vid in the evening.
  meDiC aGar starrett
  Scholar (Physician) 2, Merchant (Free Trader) 1
  Abilities Str 6 (+0), Dex 9 (+1), End 7 (+0), Int 9 (+1), Edu 8 
  (+0), Soc 7 (+0)
  Languages Anglic
  Skills Medic 2, Computers 1, Persuade 1, Investigate 1, 
  Diplomat 1, Phys Sci (Biology) 1, Steward 1
  Possessions comm.
  After several years of service in the medical facility of Mertactor 
  Highport, Agar decided to finally strike out into the void and see 
  some other worlds. He is the newest crewmember of the Gambit 
  and is still feeling his way around shipboard life.
  enGineer JOnnO Giles
  Merchant (Free Trader) 4
  Abilities Str 8 (+0), Dex 7 (+0), End 7 (+0), Int 7 (+0), Edu 6 
  (+0), Soc 5 (-1)
  Languages Anglic
  Skills Engineer (Jump Drive) 2, Mechanic 2, Engineer 
  (Electronics) 1, Vacc Suit 1
  Possessions comm, TL 12 vacc suit
  Jonno Giles comes from a long line of Mertactan starship 
  engineers and takes his job very seriously, almost to a fault. A 
  somewhat sombre man, he finds solace in long games of holo-
  chess.
  Drive hanD Clariss viGna
  Merchant (Free Trader) 2
  Abilities Str 7 (+0), Dex 8 (+0), End 9 (+1), Int 7 (+0), Edu 5 
  (-1), Soc 4 (-1)
  Languages Anglic
  Skills Engineer (M-Drive) 1, Mechanic 1, Engineer (Life 
  Support) 1, Vacc Suit 1, Gambler 0
  Possessions comm, TL: 12 vacc Suit
  Clariss is a cute, greasy-faced drive monkey and a good foil to 
  her boss, Engineer Giles. She likes to get some gambling going 
  in the evenings in the crew lounge despite the fact she loses 
  more than she wins.
  Gunner tivas linGula
  Navy (Gunnery) 1, Merchant (Free Trader) 1
  Abilities Str 9 (+1)   Dex 9 (+1)   End 8   Int 7   Edu 7   Soc 5 
  (-1)
  Languages Anglic
  Skills Gunnery (Turrets) 1, Gun Combat (slug pistol) 1, Zero-G 
  1, Vacc Suit 1, Mechanic 1, Melee (Unarmed) 0
  Possessions comm, gauss pistol (3d6), flak jacket (6)
  After a short stint in the Imperial Navy, Tivas left the rigid military 
  life for the steady, easy-going pace of the Gambit. His traditional 
  Mertactan family is not pleased with his choice.
  
   
  25
  BOarDer PilOt
  Rogue (Pirate) 2
  Abilities Str 7 (+0), Dex 9 (+1), End 7 (+0), Int 7 (+0), Edu 6 
  (+0), Soc 5 (-1)
  Languages Anglic
  Skills Pilot (small craft) 1, Gun Combat (slug pistol) 1, Zero-G 
  1, Vacc Suit 1, Streetwise 1, Deception 1
  Possessions comm, gauss pistol (3d6), TL 12 vacc suit with 
  magnetic grapples and thruster pack (6)
  BOarDer leaDer
  Rogue (Pirate) 3
  Abilities Str 8 (+0), Dex 9 (+1), End 8 (+0), Int 8 (+0), Edu 7 
  (+0), Soc 4 (-1)
  Languages Anglic
  Skills Gun Combat (slug pistol) 1, Zero-G 1, Vacc Suit 1, 
  Streetwise 1, Deception 1, Stealth 1, Pilot (small craft) 1
  Possessions comm, gauss pistol (3d6), TL 12 vacc suit with 
  magnetic grapples and thruster pack (6), smoke grenades 
  (2), magnetic safety cable, hull patch, light shaped 
  explosive charge
  BOarDer team leaDer 1
  Marine (Star Marine) 1, Rogue (Pirate) 1
  Abilities Str 9 (+1), Dex 8 (+0), End 8 (+0), Int 6 (+0), Edu 8 
  (+0), Soc 5 (-1)
  Languages Anglic
  Skills Gun Combat (slug pistol) 2, Zero-G 1, Vacc Suit 1, Slug 
  Rifle 1, Explosives 1, Stealth 1, Streetwise 1
  Possessions comm, gauss pistol (3d6), TL 12 vacc suit with 
  magnetic grapples and thruster pack (6), smoke grenades 
  (2), magnetic safety cable, hull patch, light shaped 
  explosive charge
  BOarDer team leaDer 2
  Marine (Star Marine) 1, Rogue (Pirate) 1
  Abilities Str 8 (+0), Dex 9 (+1), End 8 (+0), Int 7 (+0), Edu 8 
  (+0), Soc 4 (-1)
  Languages Anglic
  Skills Zero-G 2, Gun Combat (slug pistol) 1, Vacc Suit 1, 
  Streetwise 1, Explosives 1, Stealth 1, Deception 1
  Possessions comm, gauss pistol (3d6), TL 12 vacc suit with 
  magnetic grapples and thruster pack (6), smoke grenades 
  (2), magnetic safety cable, hull patch, light shaped 
  explosive charge
  BOarDer team 1 (2 -4 inDiviDuals)
  Rogue (Pirate) 2
  Abilities Str 7 (+0), Dex 8 (+0), End 7 (+0), Int 6 (+0), Edu 5 
  (-1), Soc 4 (-1)
  Languages Anglic
  Skills Gun Combat (slug pistol) 1, Zero-G 1, Streetwise 1, 
  Deception 1, Vacc Suit 0
  Possessions comm, gauss pistol (3d6), TL 12 vacc suit with 
  magnetic grapples and thruster pack (6), smoke grenades 
  (2), magnetic safety cable, hull patch, light shaped 
  explosive charge
  BOarDer team 2 (2-4 inDiviDuals)
  Rogue (Pirate) 2
  Abilities Str 7 (+0), Dex 7 (+0), End 8 (+0), Int 5 (-1), Edu 5 
  (-1), Soc 4 (-1)
  Languages Anglic
  Skills Zero-G 1, Streetwise 1, Deception 1, Vacc Suit 0, Gun 
  Combat 0
  Possessions comm, gauss pistol (3d6), TL 12 vacc suit with 
  magnetic grapples and thruster pack (6), smoke grenades 
  (2), magnetic safety cable, hull patch, light shaped 
  explosive charge
  Appendix 3: Boarders
  
   
  26
  Vindaar’s Gambit was laid down at Glisten in 999 on behalf of 
  Mertactan trading company Vindaar Shipping and Travel, LIC 
  and was completed on 017-1002. Her maiden voyage was a 
  jump to Egypt, followed by two jump-1’s to Mille Falcs and then 
  to Mertactor. The vessel’s registration was updated to reflect 
  Mertactor as her home port and the liner began servicing an 
  Appendix 4: Vindaar’s Gambit
  emerging cross-border route that included trips rimward to 
  Trexalon and coreward up the main as far as Forine. She’s 
  been a lucky ship in this undeveloped and occasionally rough 
  region, having had relatively few scrapes with pirates and the 
  like. She is a favourite of the Mertactan highport, a symbol of 
  the steadfastness and strength of Mertactor and her people.
  
   
  27
  suBsidised liner, tyPe m
  The type M is used to ferry paying passengers from one place to another. Each type M can carry dozens of passengers and their 
  belongings comfortably in several staterooms, but many end up in low-cost berths to get from system to the next.
  The normal crew consists of a captain, 2 pilots, navigator, 2 engineers, 1 gunner, purser, medic and 3 stewards. Normally 51 
  passengers are carried, with 24 in low berths. The subsidised liner is a Technology Level 12 design.
  Subsidised Liner
  Tons
  Price (MCr)
  Hull
  600
  Hull 12
  Structure 12
  48
  Streamlined
  4.8
  Armour
  None
  Jump Drive J 
  Jump 3
  50
  90
  Manoeuvre Drive C
  Thrust 1
  5
  12
  Power Plant J
  Rating 3
  28
  72
  Bridge
  20
  3
  Computer
  Model/2bis
  Rating 10 (15 for jump control) 
  0.24
  Electronics
  Basic Civilian
  DM –2
  1
  0.05
  Weapons
  Hardpoint #1
  Double Turret (Sandcaster/Sandcaster)
  1
  1
  Hardpoint #2
  Empty
  1
  Hardpoint #3
  Empty
  1
  Hardpoint #4
  Empty
  1
  Hardpoint #5
  Empty
  1
  Hardpoint #6
  Empty
  1
  Ammunition
  20 sandcaster barrels
  1
  Fuel
  216 tons
  One Jump 3 – Four weeks of operation
  216
  Cargo
  62 tons
  62
  36 Staterooms
  144
  18
  Luxuries 5
  5
  0.5
  24 Low Berths
  12
  1.2
  Extras
  Fuel Scoops 
  1
  Fuel Processor
  40 tons per day
  2
  0.1
  Ship’s Boat
  30
  17.964
  Escape Pods
  One per Stateroom
  18
  3.6
  Software
  Manoeuvre/0
  -
  Library
  -
  Intellect
  Rating 10
  1
  Jump Control/3
  Rating 15
  -
  Maintenance Cost (monthly)
  0.0229
  Life Support Cost (monthly)
  0.0744
  Total Tonnage & Cost
  600
  274.454
  
   
  28
  
   
  29
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Traveller/08 - Mongoose Traveller/Third Party Materials/Adventures/Living Traveller/Mongoose Traveller - Living Traveller - Adventure 2 - Spinward Fenderbender.pdf