GURPS 4th edition. Federation

148 Pages·2020·21.846 MB·English

by  John Sickels

GGGGGUUUUURRRRRPPPPPSSSSS
FFFFFEEEEEDDDDDEEEEERRRRRAAAAATTTTTIIIIIOOOOONNNNN
The Good Guys of the Star Fleet Universe
2nd Printing — updated for GURPS 4th Edition
Written by John Sickels.
Additional material by Steven P. Petrick, Al Beddow,
Gary Plana, Hugh Bishop, James E. Goodrich, and Stephen V. Cole.
Edited by Jean Sexton.
Cover by Dennis Calero.
Illustrations by Alvin Belflower, Dan Carroll, Ted Geibel,
Loren Knight, Jim McGonigle, Dale McKee, and Adam Turner.
Graphics by Adam Turner and Stephen V. Cole.
Frigate deck plans by Nick Blank.
www.starfleetgames.com/prime
GURPS System Design by Steve Jackson.
GURPS Line Editor: Sean “Dr. Kromm” Punch.
SJ Games Playtest Review by Robert Gilson.
Project Staff: Gary Plana, Loren Knight, James E. Goodrich, Bob Gilson.
GURPS and the all-seeing pyramid are registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. Pyramid and the names of
all products published by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated are registered trademarks or trademarks of Steve Jackson Games
Incorporated, or are used under license.
GURPS Federation is copyright © 2010-2011-2020 by Amarillo Design Bureau, Inc.; all rights reserved. Printed in USA.
GURPS Prime Directive is published under license from Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. Some elements of this product are
copyrighted by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated and are used with permission under that license.
Prime Directive Federation is a product of the Star Fleet Universe. Publication Date 10 May 2011; revised 1 May 2020.
Elements of the Star Fleet Universe are the property of Paramount Pictures Corporation and are used with their permission.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Military Forces............................................................104
Another New World........................................................2 Star Fleet.............................................................105
History and Culture ......................................................12 Star Fleet Academy .............................................106
Federation Political History....................................13 Star Fleet Marines ...............................................110
Government Agencies ...........................................21 Prime Teams........................................................ 111
The Social Contract...............................................25 Federation National Guard .................................. 111
Federation Justice .................................................27 Armored Vehicles ................................................112
Federation Government.........................................29 Space Police........................................................113
Colonies and Colonization.....................................31 Private Security Companies ................................115
The Cosmopolitans................................................39 Weapons..............................................................116
Federation Marshals..............................................39 Federation Starships..................................................117
Geography of the Federation.................................40 Frigate Deck Plans ..............................................125
Time, the Air Force Tapes, and the SFU................42 Visions of Glory..........................................................133
Federation Express Corporation............................43 Donjebruche Trading Post...................................134
Planetary Survey..........................................................44 To Boldly Go ........................................................137
Capital District .......................................................45 Mysteries of the Federation.................................140
Other Member Planets ..........................................70 Sample Characters..............................................143
Orion Enclave........................................................92 Publisher’s Information ..............................................145
Notable Federation Worlds....................................97 Designer’s Notes.................................................145
Notable Non-Federation Worlds..........................100 Index....................................................................146
AAAAANNNNNOOOOOTTTTTHHHHHEEEEERRRRR NNNNNEEEEEWWWWW WWWWWOOOOORRRRRLLLLLDDDDD
by John Sickels etary Survey Team Nine crowding in to look at the planet
on the viewscreen.
Planetary Survey Log, October 24, Y166, 0815 Hours Speedwell was a Free Trader, one of thousands of
Local Time, Dr. Kenneth Atchison Recording externally similar, general-utility cargo ships around the
Federation. It was a starship, with all the nominal capabili-
“We are approaching planet MW-537-V. For the last ties of a fleet heavy cruiser, just not as many of them. It
two hours, the Speedwell has tried to contact the advance had a crew of 20 instead of 400, five security men instead
scout who preceded us to the planet six months ago. So of 50 Marines, one tractor beam and one transporter in-
far he hasn’t answered. We will be directly above his en- stead of three of each, a medic instead of a surgical staff,
campment in 10 minutes and hopefully will make contact half of the cargo volume, about the same passenger ac-
then. Assuming no complications, the team will shuttle down commodations, a pair of phasers (and no photon torpe-
with our equipment later this afternoon. Our compliments does) instead of a dozen, enough sensors to scan a planet
to Captain Kuo and the crew of the Speedwell, who have in about a week instead of a few hours, but whatever you
made our journey here comfortable. I personally recom- wanted a starship to do, Speedwell could do it. Some Free
mend that Luna University renew the Speedwell’s trans- Traders were fitted to carry more or fewer passengers, to
port contract for the coming fiscal year. Log recorder off.” have more weapons, or with extensive laboratory facilities
(or none at all). The Star Fleet Marines even used modi-
Atchison’s Cabin, Speedwell, Orbiting Planet MW-537- fied Free Traders to land tanks on alien planets.
V, October 24, Y166, 0822 Hours Local Time MW-537-V, a very typical Class-M world, filled the
screen as the ship took up position over the scout’s en-
“That was boring,” teased Maiah. Ken flipped the re- campment. This new world featured two large continents,
corder switch off and turned to face his wife. She pulled a plus numerous islands and archipelagos. The atmospheric
black t-shirt down around her body, her torso twisting in envelope had a slightly purplish tinge.
the cramped confines of their cabin. “You really need to “Geosynchronous orbit established,” said the Tellarite
make those more interesting.” She winked at him, her first mate. “Still no answer to our hails.”
blonde Alpha-Centauran locks framing her thin face. It al- “Take a sensor scan,” said Kuo. “Any humanoids down
ways drove him crazy. there?” There was always the chance that something had
“Let’s keep the interesting stuff for our personal logs,” happened to the scout.
he replied. He got up from his chair and threw his arms “Checking . . . he’s there, about three klicks from the
around his wife, planting a passionate kiss. Ken planned camp . . . moving slowly. Looks like he’s out for a walk or
on throwing her onto the bunk, but they stumbled back- something. Probably doesn’t have his communicator with
ward instead, off-balance, crashing onto the cabin deck him.”
plating of the Speedwell. “Or he just doesn’t care to answer,” said Atchison.
“Ouch, bad man!” She pretended to be angry, then “Well, do we keep hailing or do we just go down and
kissed him. “Bad man” was a common AlphaCent phrase knock?” asked Dr. Elur, the team’s Andorian biologist and
of endearment. It rubbed many Earth humans the wrong physician.
way, but Ken had grown used to it over the years. Rema Isabe, the team’s Cygnan security officer,
The intercom interrupted their passion. “Bridge to grunted his agreement.
Atchison.” “It’s your call, Ken,” said Kuo.
They broke their kiss. “Atchison here.” Atchison considered the options.
“We’ll be in orbit in about five minutes, Doctor, in case “Isabe, you beam down with me. We’ll make sure ev-
you want to be on the bridge.” erything is OK before the rest of you come down in the
“Let the rest of the team know, too. We’re on our way, shuttles.”
Captain.”
“So much for . . .” Maiah’s voice trailed off. Encampment One, Southern Continent, Planet MW-
“Yeah, it’s going to get busy. But we’ll find the time.” 537-V, October 24, Y166, 0902 Hours Local Time
“I always make sure of that, bad man.” She kissed him
hungrily. Atchison and Isabe materialized a short distance from
the encampment. They were on a steep hill overlooking a
Bridge, Speedwell large open field, surrounded on two sides by a grove of
trees. A shallow brook flanked the fourth side, water trick-
The Speedwell’s small bridge was even more cramped ling gently toward a small lake about one kilometer dis-
than usual, the seven members of Luna University Plan- tant. The scene was idyllic, although Atchison had done
XINTRODUCTION 2 GURPS FEDERATION 4E
enough planetary surveys to know that appearances were fly and walked toward him. The Rigellian approached them
often deceiving. somewhat warily.
“Scanning,” said Rema Isabe in his pronounced Cyg- “Greetings, Mr. Ecirp. I’m Dr. Kenneth Atchison; this is
nan tone as he activated his tricorder. my associate, Rema Isabe.”
Atchison flipped open his communicator. “Landing The Rigellian gave the barest hint of a nod.
party to Speedwell, transport complete. Stand by while we Atchison shifted his feet and cleared his throat.
make contact.” “We’re from the Luna University, here to begin the next
“Message acknowledged, landing party.” phase of the survey.”
“He’s on the other side of that grove of trees, moving “I know who you are. Didn’t expect you just yet.”
this direction,” said Isabe, his scan complete. “Be here in “Our arrival was scheduled well in advance,” said
about five minutes at his current pace.” Atchison. “We’re on time.”
“Let’s take a look.” “Well, you’re here now. Nothing I can do about it.” The
The two men walked down the hill toward the camp. Rigellian scowled, looked them over, then seemed to re-
An insect buzzed Atchison’s head; he instinctively shooed lax a bit. “My name is Ecirp. I need some recfe.” He turned
it away. He noticed an odd scent in the breeze . . . not a and walked toward the storage shelter.
sweet odor exactly, hard to pin down . . . pollen of some “Not very personable, is he?” asked Isabe.
kind? Something we’ll figure out soon enough, Atchison “Ever met a lone scout who was?” replied Atchison.
thought to himself. Ecirp returned from the shelter, bearing a brown bev-
“That sky looks a lot like Moore’s Planet,” commented erage packet and an ancient campfire percolator. He
Isabe. seemed a bit friendlier. Atchison had read Ecirp’s person-
Atchison looked up for the first time, noticing the pur- nel file, of course, before setting out on the mission. De-
plish blue tint to the atmosphere. Indeed, it did resemble spite his “mountain man” appearance, Ecirp was a highly
the last planet they’d surveyed. Puffy cumulus clouds drifted trained scientist with a doctorate in planetary science and
by. master’s degrees in biology and astrophysics. He’d worked
“Yeah, it sure does.” for a mining corporation for almost 30 years, but had be-
The two men entered the encampment, not wanting come an independent scout after his wife died a decade
to snoop too much but casually observing the environment. ago. Ecirp had been living on MW-537-V for six months,
The scout’s portable personal shelter was on the east edge studying it and doing the basic pioneering work. He would
of the camp. On the west edge was another shelter being stay another six months, according to plan at least, show-
used to store equipment and there was space already ing the team around and familiarizing them with the planet.
cleared for several others. A portable fusion generator pro- The Speedwell would return at that point, dropping off more
vided power for the shelters, a Star Fleet Marine-issue supplies for the team, and taking Ecirp on to his next des-
camp cooking unit, a computerized weather station, and a tination.
general-duty replicator, apparently seldom used. The south- “Good thing you are here I suppose. I’m almost out,
ern edge of the encampment featured a traditional camp- and the replicator can’t make recfe worth a damn. Does all
fire, ashes left over from the previous night. Scientific equip- right on your human coffee, but not the good Rigellian stuff.
ment of various sorts was scattered about, the camp dem- You did bring a case of recfe, didn’t you?”
onstrating a curious mixture of order and chaos. The en- “I think it’s on the manifest, yes.”
tire setup reminded Atchison of his childhood days camp- “Good. Part of my contract, you know. You want me
ing as a Youth Scout back in Australia. around another six months, you provide recfe.”
Atchison and Isabe settled near the center of the camp, Ecirp walked over to the remnants of the campfire,
beneath a large dining fly. A communicator sat on the table Atchison and Isabe trailing behind.
underneath the fly. “Mr. Ecirp, we need to get the rest of my team down
“There he is,” Isabe said. Entering the camp was a here and begin transporting our equipment and supplies,
burly, bearded, rough Rigellian, wearing a pale-red utility better part of a day’s work. If you’d like to transport up for
jumpsuit and light windbreaker jacket and carrying an old- a medical checkup, or a warm shower, or if you have any
style laser hunting rifle. Atchison and Isabe left the dining additional needs, we can . . .”
GURPS FEDERATION 4E 3 INTRODUCTIONX
“My only need right now is some warm recfe.” The tor yet?” asked Atchison.
Rigellian gathered some kindling and threw it on the smol- “Don’t think so. They don’t seem too bright.”
dering embers, which quickly flared up. “Most of the wood “Surely there are native predators that hunt them,”
here burns well. I’ll show you which trees to avoid; some commented Sarest.
of them stink like Gulgnar’s Maw if you burn them.” He set Ecirp looked at Sarest. “My wife used to work for a
up the percolator, his back turned to Atchison and Isabe. Vulcan. I never liked him much.” He took a swig of water.
“Um, the medical checkup is mandatory, if you’ll recall “Of course there are predators. Some come around at night,
the University’s regulations.” Ecirp ignored the comment. one type in particular, like a cross between a big Rigellian
A silent moment passed. ferret and a Terran dog. That’s in my report, too. No pri-
“Mr. Ecirp, I must contact the Speedwell. We need to mates though. And the herbies don’t seem to have noticed
. . .” that me and my rifle are a threat yet.”
“Yes, yes, do whatever you need to do. And it’s Ecirp, Ecirp belched. He seemed to take pride in being as
not ‘Mister’ anything. Got that straight?” the old Rigellian uncouth as possible. He rose from the table.
said irritably. “Well, time for bed. The perimeter alarm is set, but I’ve
Atchison signed inwardly. Six months with this grouch never had much trouble at night. Most of the animals stay
didn’t seem like a pleasant prospect. away. Gotta watch out for the small rodents, though. They’ll
“Landing party to Speedwell. Contact with scout es- get into your food if you don’t store it right.” Ecirp left the
tablished. Stand by to begin landing supplies and person- group and headed toward his personal shelter.
nel.” “What a jerk,” said Maiah.
“Spending the next six months with him is not my idea
Encampment One, Southern Continent, Planet MW- of a good time,” added Isabe.
537-V, October 24, Y166, 2250 Hours Local Time “Stow it,” said Atchison. “He’s been alone for six
months. Give him a chance.” He was a bit worried that
The rest of the day was a series of shuttle landings Isabe had taken a strong dislike to Ecirp so quickly.
and transporter drops, equipment unloading and position- The communicator chirped. “Speedwell to landing
ing. The first priority was setting up additional shelters to party, come in.” It was Captain Kuo.
house the survey team. Equipment was unloaded in a spe- “Atchison here, Speedwell, go ahead.”
cific order, designed for easy access and activation in the “We’ve finished seeding the weather and communica-
coming days and weeks. Each member of the team, plus tions satellites in orbit, and the data feeds read active with
the crew of the Speedwell, knew exactly what to do, hav- your portable computers and tricorders. Everything set up
ing gone through the procedure on other survey missions. down there, Doctor?”
Although he refused to transport up to the ship, Ecirp “Hold one moment, Captain.” Atchison glanced at
was given his mandatory physical by Dr. Elur, thanks to Sarest, who pulled out his tricorder. The Vulcan checked
the Andorian’s trusty medical tricorder. By the end of the the data links and nodded.
day, the team was tired, but content from a productive day “Affirmative, Captain. All is well.”
of labor. They gathered under the dining fly for the evening “Any further needs, Ken?”
meal: a home-cooked genuine beef roast courtesy of Cap- “I don’t think so, Captain. We’re ready to settle down
tain Kuo and the Speedwell’s galley, accompanied by car- for the night.”
rots, Tellarite figs, and fresh Rigellian leras fruit for desert. “I have enough slack in the flight plan that we can re-
The menu was enjoyed by everyone except Sarest, the main in orbit until dawn if you like.”
Vulcan member of the team, who dined on plomeek soup. “Thank you, Captain, but that won’t be necessary. The
“This isn’t bad,” commented Ecirp as he finished an checklist is complete and we have no problems here.”
overly large bite of roast, “but in the morning I’ll hunt down “All right, Doctor, we will be leaving for our next desti-
a better evening meal for you. Small herbivores graze down nation. See you in six months.”
by the pond, just before dawn. The meat’s not bad.” “Very well Speedwell, have a safe journey.”
“Have you analyzed the nutritional content of the “Enjoy your stay. Speedwell out.”
meat?” asked Dr. Gloria Fernandez. “It always makes me nervous when they leave,”
“Eaten it about twice a week the last few months,” an- Michiko said.
swered Ecirp over his chewing. “Good change from the “You say that every time,” replied Gloria, “and within a
rations or the replicator. I haven’t keeled over yet.” week you’ll be so obsessed with weather patterns that you’ll
“Yes, but . . .” forget all about your worry, and about me sometimes too.”
“I know what you’re asking, yes, it’s all in my studies,” She smiled. Michiko gave an embarrassed grin.
replied Ecirp. “I know my job. You know yours?” He gave “Well, let’s clean up,” said Atchison. “Maiah and I will
Gloria a dark look and took another bite of roast. Annoyed, handle KP for tonight, and we’ll get started with the regular
Fernandez glanced over at Dr. Michiko Soejima, who cooking and camp schedule tomorrow. Get some good rest,
shrugged and mouthed “let it go” to her companion. Gloria everyone. We will get started with the staff meeting at 0800
stifled the comment she was about to make about Ecirp’s tomorrow.”
attitude. “I want to do a perimeter check before turning in,” com-
“Have the herbivores discovered that you are a preda- mented Isabe, “make sure the alarms are set.”
XINTRODUCTION 4 GURPS FEDERATION 4E
“Fine with me, Rema, as long as you’re up and about outlet for population growth. Monsanto had won the bid-
by 0800.” Atchison knew that his Cygnan friend usually ding for the agricultural facilities, while Weygand-Yulani
had trouble sleeping the first few weeks on a new planet. and Taggert Pan-Galactic had formed a joint venture to
While on board the Speedwell, the team had synchronized exploit the deposits of iridium and platinum detected by
their sleeping patterns to coincide with this time zone and automated probes on the northern continent, all under con-
the planet’s 26-hour day, but it always took Isabe extra tract with the UE government. Luna University was con-
time to adjust. Isabe went to his shelter, picked up his tracted to provide an objective study of the planet, and
phaser rifle and tricorder, and began a long walk around confirm the early survey results. Ecirp’s pioneer work had
the perimeter of the camp. been the first step in this process, his mission to confirm
Atchison and Maiah gathered the utensils and dishes, that the planet, or at least this initial colony site, was liv-
while the others made their way to their shelters. Tradi- able. Now their task was to study the planet in greater
tionally, Atchison’s team used old-style camping pots and depth, in preparation for the arrival of the first wave of 150
pans to prepare the evening meal two or three times a colonists, tentatively scheduled in another 18 months.
week. The fusion-powered portable kitchen was a great As the team leader, Atchison’s task was to coordinate
labor-saving device, but part of the team’s task was to as- everyone’s research, making sure that everyone was work-
sess the suitability of local food sources: plants, animals, ing on the same page, that work wasn’t being unneces-
etc., since the colony would eventually have to produce its sarily duplicated, and that both the general and specific
own food in order to be self-sustaining. In addition to de- goals of the mission were met. The oldest of eight chil-
termining nutritional content and health suitability, it required dren, Ken learned both leadership and teamwork growing
actual cooking. Ecirp had already done some of that work, up back in Rockhampton. The 0800 meeting would begin
and both Dr. Elur and Dr. Fernandez were well-trained in the process formally, each person presenting a plan for
the discipline of exogastronomy. action and study, while Atchison determined priorities and
As he scrubbed dishes, Ken looked up at the stars, resource allocation, such as use of the shuttlecraft, use of
noting an aurora-like glow forming along the northern edge the orbital satellites, who got to use the most computer
of the horizon. The planet had significant ionization in the time and when, etc. Atchison would also compile all re-
upper atmosphere, resulting in this beautiful display on ports and make sure they were properly transmitted to
clear nights, though reports indicated it could interfere with higher authorities at regular intervals. The communications
communication signals. The satellites would compensate satellites left in orbit by the Speedwell provided a link with
for that, of course. the Federation’s subspace network, as well as enabling
“You missed a spot, bad man,” teased Maiah. “Look at team members who might be exploring different parts of
the dishes, not the stars.” He almost replied with a sug- the planet to remain in contact. A hand-communicator could
gestive innuendo, but settled for a leer instead. She giggled. not reach the satellites, but it could reach the base camp
The first night on a new planet was almost always fun. and an automatic relay. For deliberate trips away from
camp, a larger communicator (able to reach the satellites)
Encampment One, Southern Continent, Planet MW- was carried. The ground stations sent a burst transmis-
537-V, October 25, Y166, 0725 Hours Local Time sion to the satellites every hour, with weather data, any
messages deliberately added, copies of communicator
Ken awoke with an ache in his back, Maiah gently transmissions, and a passive sensor sweep of the camp.
snoring next to him. Maneuvering himself quietly out of The satellites kept the last 30 of these transmissions in a
bed so as not to disturb his wife, he used the shelter’s buffer, and if the transmissions stopped, would store what-
latrine, then popped an analgesic pill for his back pain. ever they had on file and send an alert message into the
Glancing out the front of the shelter, he saw that Gloria subspace network.
and Michiko were already awake, drinking coffee under Ken’s wife Maiah was the geologist and cartographer,
the dining fly. Sitting outside his own shelter, Dr. Elur was charged with studying the planet’s geology, mineral re-
doing stretching exercises. Sarest, Isabe, and Ecirp were sources, and geography. The team had worked together
nowhere he could see, possibly still sleeping, exploring, or long enough that there was no question of favoritism or
tending equipment out of his sight range. The sun was bias when it came to Ken making decisions about Maiah’s
bright and wispy clouds floated by, a beautiful day. work. Fortunately their marriage was strong enough to
Ken picked up a PADD and sat down at the work sta- survive working together on the same project, something
tion/desk within the shelter. He decided to let Maiah sleep that they had seen harm many other relationships. The
a bit longer and to review the day’s work schedule in the biggest problem they faced was with Maiah’s traditionalist
meantime. AlphaCent relatives, most of whom didn’t understand why
MW-537-V was technically at Pre-Colonization Phase she had married a Human.
D: Pioneering. The planet had been discovered by an au- The Andorian Dr. Elur was the main biologist and also
tomated probe nine years ago, then visited by the survey served as the expedition’s physician. He would study the
ship Amerigo Vespucci six years later for an initial survey. plant and animal life of the world and also watch for any
Allocated by the Federation to the United Earth Govern- disease organisms which might impact the group. Elur had
ment as a general mixed colony, the world was intended taken a vow of poverty and chastity as part of his religious
for both agricultural and industrial production as well as an training many years ago. He was a member of the An-
GURPS FEDERATION 4E 5 INTRODUCTIONX
dorian Senthei sect of healers, who saw their calling to starts in 20 minutes.”
medicine as a spiritual task. He was trusted implicitly by She threw a pillow at him.
the rest of the crew, a prerequisite (in Atchison’s opinion)
for any successful physician. Encampment One, Southern Continent, Planet MW-
Michiko Soejima, a human from Vega Colony, was the 537-V, October 25, Y166, 0803 Hours Local Time
expedition’s meteorologist and was also the official sec-
ond-in-command to Atchison. She was cross-trained in The team gathered under the dining fly, replicated cof-
geology and would assist Maiah when necessary. Like fee and doughnuts on the table.
Atchison and Isabe, Michiko was ex-Star Fleet and acted “Good morning, everyone. Anyone seen Ecirp?” The
as a sort of informal “security” officer when needed. Rigellian was missing. No one had.
Gloria Fernandez, from Novelda, Spain, on Earth, was “I’ll check his shelter,” responded Isabe.
the lead botanist and ecologist, working closely with Dr. “In the meantime, let’s get started. I’d like to spend
Elur in studying the native life forms. In addition to her sci- this morning finishing the equipment setup and making sure
entific degrees, she held a bachelor’s degree in compara- everything that needs to be running is doing so. Standard
tive theology and was the group’s informal spiritual advi- schedule like on our last assignment, we meet at 0800 for
sor and morale officer. the daily meeting over breakfast. You are free to eat lunch
Other than Maiah, Atchison’s best friend was Isabe, on your own, but the evening meal at 1900 is mandatory
the Cygnan “muscle” of the group. Although he was the unless you are out of camp on a mission. The setup should
only member of the team without at least one doctorate, be complete by this afternoon and you can get started on
he was highly intelligent, and a capable “fix-it” man when it your individual projects then. Any objections? Good. To
came to repairing equipment and keeping everything op- business then. Dr. Elur?”
erational. He was also a skilled hunter and tracker, and “I want to begin with a detailed ecological study of the
took his security and protection responsibilities very seri- surrounding area. Ecirp’s log contains his observations but
ously. A former captain in the Star Fleet Marines, Isabe much more needs to be done. The data from the biological
was discharged after being accused of violating the Prime sampler indicates that the local flora utilize a rather unique
Directive while serving aboard the starship Hood eight set of nucleic acids, more like life forms typical to a Class-
years ago. Atchison, who had been Hood’s assistant sci- K ecosystem than a Class-M, despite the planetary classi-
ence officer before leaving the service for greener pas- fication. I can do the preliminary study myself but would
tures, had hired him as the “security muscle” for the sur- require Gloria’s assistance later.”
vey team a few years back. Atchison felt that Isabe had “Gloria?”
been railroaded in the court-martial and made a scape- “No problem, Elur. I can help with that. I noticed the
goat for the actions of higher officers. He knew Isabe well same thing and have it on my list. But I’d like to develop a
and the man had always acted in good faith. matrix of the ecological chain first, look for any unusual
The only group member who was an outsider was variations.”
Sarest, the Vulcan generalist with expertise in many differ- “Fair enough. Your turn, Michiko.”
ent disciplines. He would “float” from assignment to as- “It will take me a few days to analyze the weather
signment as needed to support the others. He was also a autostation reports and Ecirp’s logs,” she said, “but just
qualified shuttle pilot, like Isabe, Michiko, and Ken him- from the early data, this area still looks like a prime coloni-
self. Sarest was the newest member of the team, and had zation site. Temperate climate, moderate precipitation.
been assigned at the last minute when Dr. Gordon had Perhaps a bit cold in the winter months, but not too bad. I
been transferred to another team by the University over will take some soil and silt samples of course, help deter-
Atchison’s objections. Sarest had previously worked for mine the longer-range cycles. I’ll need some shuttle time
private industry and this was his first mission for the Uni- to gather core samples from glaciers and ice packs later
versity. The loss of Gordon and the substitution of Sarest this month.”
had been the only “glitch” in this assignment so far. “How soon?”
Atchison accessed the PADD’s data menu and saw “I’ve got enough data here to keep me busy for at least
that Gloria and Michiko had already submitted their work three weeks. No rush.”
requests for the week. He decided to wait on that until the “That’s good, then,” said Maiah. “I need the shuttle to
meeting itself, skipping instead to Ecirp’s pioneering logs. explore the projected mining sites. I’d like to get started on
Despite the scout’s grizzled appearance and gruff de- that.”
meanor, he’d submitted what looked like a very detailed “How soon?”
report regarding his experiences and discoveries. Atchison “Tomorrow morning, if I can. Some preliminaries to fin-
couldn’t wait to dig in. ish first.”
“Good morning, my loving bad man,” Maiah cooed. “We can do that.” Atchison made a notation on the
She stood before him in all her glory. PADD.
He smiled broadly at his mate, then came back to re- “Sarest, I’d like you to assist Dr. Elur today, but tomor-
ality long enough to glance at the shelter’s chronometer. row you will accompany Maiah on her research trip.”
0741. Not enough time. Damn. “As you wish.”
“Sorry, my dove. We better get showered; the meeting Isabe returned to the dining fly, a look of concern on
XINTRODUCTION 6 GURPS FEDERATION 4E
his face. a hundred meters of polymer cord in Maiah’s – that they
“Ecirp isn’t at his shelter.” thought would be (or had previously found) useful. Most
“He’s probably out hunting.” had a spare pair of socks. Everybody kept their bag ready
“Maybe, but he knew about the meeting.” to go and close at hand. When returning to camp, the first
“Well, like I’ve said before, he’s not used to people.” thing to do was to restock the “getaway” just in case some-
“You need to stop making excuses for him, Ken,” said thing came up. Wherever you went in camp, your “get-
Maiah, “He should be here.” away” was within five meters, and ready to be grabbed at
Atchison paused. Had he not been taking Ecirp’s anti- a dead run. When planning for a longer trip, a full back-
social behavior seriously enough? pack was added to the “getaway,” but no team member
“All right, let’s figure out what’s going on.” He flipped was ever far from his “getaway.”
open his communicator. “Atchison to Ecirp. Come in, Ecirp.” After grabbing their gear, the party headed down the
There was no answer. bank of the creek along a path trampled down by Ecirp
“He didn’t leave his communicator in his shelter,” said over many months. Isabe had the point, phaser rifle ready,
Isabe. “If he has it with him, it’s either shut off or he’s just followed by Atchison, Maiah, and Michiko, armed with
ignoring us.” phaser pistols, and Dr. Elur with his medical tricorder.
“Tricorder scan, then.” “Anything?” Atchison asked Elur as they approached
“Nothing.” the pond.
“What?” Maiah and Sarest activated their tricorders to “No life signs, lost the signal. But his communicator is
confirm Isabe’s readings. The link with the satellites in or- just ahead.”
bit enabled the tricorders to extend their scanning range Isabe motioned everyone to stop.
significantly. “See anything?” Atchison whispered.
“Nothing, he’s not within five klicks of the camp.” “Right there.” Isabe pointed to a bundle of clothing on
“Widen the scan!” the edge of the lake. “Let me check.”
“Still nothing. No humanoid life forms except us.” Isabe moved forward, conducting a scan with his tac-
“Link up with the satellite to boost the maximum scan tical tricorder. He reached the pile of clothing, poked at it
radius.” with his rifle, then waved the team forward. The communi-
“Already did. Nothing.” cator was attached to Ecirp’s utility belt, next to the clothes.
“I’ve got his communicator transponder located,” said “Nothing here. Just clothes. There’s his communica-
Maiah, “down by the lake.” tor.” Isabe picked it up. “Working order, he just wasn’t here
“Focus the tricorder scan in that area. At least we know to answer it.”
where to start. He could be seriously injured, not dead. “Looks like he went for a swim,” said Maiah. “Maybe
Sometimes weak life readings won’t show up on a scan if he drowned?”
the conditions aren’t perfect.”
“Picking up an intermittent life reading now.”
“Rigellian?”
“Can’t tell, it’s very weak.”
“All right, everyone, let’s find out what’s going on.”
“We should leave someone here to guard the camp,”
suggested Isabe.
“What about the shuttle?” said Maiah, “We could search
from the air.”
“Agreed on both counts. Sarest, Gloria, you stay here.
Get the shuttle prepped for launch in case we need to
search. Send a signal to the Speedwell, inform them we
may have a medical emergency and might need them to
return quickly. Elur, get your med kit. The rest of you, grab
your getaway bags; let’s head to the pond.”
It was a rule that nobody left camp without their “get-
away bag.” This was an alien planet, and anyone who left
camp, even to go just a few hundred meters, could get lost
or in trouble. Everybody’s “bag” was different . . . and most
of them weren’t bags. Gloria preferred a fanny pack, while
Atchison preferred a small rucksack. Sarest wore a vest,
and Isabe preferred well-worn Marine “web gear.” The oth-
ers had made other choices. Everybody’s “getaway” in-
cluded three days of rations, a multi-tool, a first-aid kit,
their phaser, a canteen, a pack of water purification tab-
lets, their tricorder, and a spare communicator. Everybody
had added a few personal items – a knife in Isabe’s case,
GURPS FEDERATION 4E 7 INTRODUCTIONX
“No, the tricorder doesn’t show anything in the water suggested. “Any ideas, Doctor?”
except fish and small amphibians. We’d pick up even a Dr. Elur shook his head. “I’ve gone over the readings
corpse at this distance.” from his physical again. Aside from a slight fungal infec-
“Maybe something ate him,” Michiko said morbidly. tion on his left foot, he was perfectly healthy.”
“No signs of large animals,” said Dr. Elur. “Fungal infection? What about that?”
“At least not that you can detect,” said Atchison. “Let’s “Local fungus-like microorganism, he may have picked
keep all options open. We don’t know what we are dealing it up from swimming. It was resistant to the antifungal cream
with here. We definitely need to get the Speedwell back he had with him, but I gave him a good dose of oral
here, though.” He flipped open his communicator. xenofungazole which should have cleared it up in a day or
“Atchison to base camp, come in.” two. My tests indicated the organism was susceptible to
There was no answer. that drug.”
“Atchison to Sarest, come in. Dr. Fernandez, this is Atchison considered this. “I remember reading once
Ken Atchison, do you read?” Still no answer. about a fungal thing . . . it was years ago . . .”
“Ah, shenk!” said Maiah. “I remember,” said Maiah, “about 15 years ago, a planet
“Let’s get back, now!” toward the galactic core. Remember, Elur? Star Fleet land-
ing party from one of the survey cruisers caught a fungus,
Encampment One, Southern Continent, Planet MW- ate into their brains, turned them violent.”
537-V, October 25, Y166, 1600 Hours Local Time “Yes, I recall the case,” said the Andorian. “But there is
no evidence of anything like that here. Ecirp had the fun-
The team had a serious problem on their hands. Very gus for several weeks, with no indication of any serious
serious. problems, aside from the itch. I can’t imagine it could have
They returned to the camp to find Sarest and Gloria killed him, and we should have found his body if it did. It
missing. Tricorder scans detected no humanoid life forms. also doesn’t explain the disappearance of Sarest and
Worse than that, their communications were cut off. Some- Gloria.”
one had taken a phaser to all three portable computer “True. But go over the readings from his physical again,
nodes, severing the links between the satellites in orbit just to be sure.”
and the ground equipment. Tricorder logs showed the links “Of course.”
broken during the time the team was at the pond. Without “Any other ideas?”
the portable computers, the tricorders and communicators Maiah shook her head nearly imperceptibly. Michiko
had insufficient range to link with the satellites, due to the looked lost in thought. Ken tried to engage her. “Michiko?”
planet’s unusual atmospheric conditions. With the portable “You served in Star Fleet as long as I did. You know it
computer memory reduced to burned metal slag, there was could be anything . . . an energy creature, a disease, a
no way to know if Sarest and Gloria had signaled the parasite, some shape-shifting native predator, Klingons,
Speedwell before they vanished. There were no obvious Orions.”
signs of a struggle. Worst of all, the shuttlecraft had been “It could simply be that Ecirp went crazy,” said Maiah.
crippled: the same phaser used on the computers had “Remember, whatever happened to Sarest and Gloria didn’t
destroyed the shuttle’s radio and badly damaged the main trigger the camp perimeter alarm. A creature of some sort
system controls. probably would have. If it’s Ecirp, and he has a sensor
Isabe thought he might be able to make makeshift re- masking device, he could remain hidden from the alarm
pairs on the shuttle, but it would take some time. Michiko and simple tricorder scans.”
and Elur did a scan of the camp, but found nothing miss- “That type of equipment is illegal for civilians, Maiah,”
ing. In fact, Sarest and Gloria had left their “getaway” bags, said Ken.
which meant they didn’t leave voluntarily, except maybe in “Which doesn’t mean he doesn’t have one. They’re
a blind panic. Atchison decided to abandon the main part sold on the black market. Hell, Ecirp could be working for
of the camp and consolidate around the shuttlecraft as a the Orions for all we know.”
sort of fortress, keeping everyone together while Isabe “So could Sarest,” said Elur.
made his repair attempt. They gathered weapons, rations, “What?”
water, and medical supplies. While Isabe worked, the rest “We don’t know him well at all, and he’s very quiet,
of the team considered the situation. even for a Vulcan.”
“I’ve combed through Ecirp’s logs,” began Maiah. “That’s ridiculous,” said Ken. “I can’t believe you’d even
“Couldn’t find anything unusual. The only thing I noticed suggest that.” Ken was shocked; it wasn’t at all like Elur to
was a marked drop in the level of detail, starting about a throw out such an accusation. But for a split-second, he
month ago.” shared Elur’s thought. Sarest was awfully quiet, and Ken
“Maybe he was just getting bored,” suggested Michiko hadn’t liked the way he’d been put on the team at the last
disinterestedly. Atchison was worried about her; she was minute. Someone had shot up the equipment with a phaser
torn up by Gloria’s disappearance, though she was trying . . . could that have been Sarest? Or Ecirp? Or any of them
as hard as possible to cover it up and perform her job. under the control of some sort of creature?
Even exhibiting this level of stress wasn’t like her, though. Everyone went silent. Why are we thinking this way?
“Possibly. Perhaps there was something wrong,” he Ken thought to himself. We’re trained to deal with stress.
XINTRODUCTION 8 GURPS FEDERATION 4E
“I’m almost ready to give it a try,” said Isabe, “But I the situation. The screech grew even louder. Ken decided.
need some help here, Ken.” “Maiah, shut the hatch, Rema, fire up the engines.”
Atchison went over to the shuttle’s main controls, where “The diagnostic isn’t . . .”
Isabe had been making repairs. “What do you need?” “Screw the diagnostic; get us off the ground, now! Ev-
“I’ve cannibalized two tricorders and salvaged as many eryone buckle in!”
components as I could from the burned-out computers. At the pilot’s seat, Isabe punched buttons and the
The radio is gone but I’ve been able to jury-rig the engi- shuttle’s engines fired up. The shuttle lifted slowly then
neering computer, at least I think so. We can at least get jerked to starboard and downward slightly. Isabe compen-
some power going.” sated but was having trouble maintaining a steady course.
“Will we be able to lift off?” Ken buckled himself into the shuttle’s systems operations
“Probably, but I’ll want to run some diagnostics first. I seat. Half the panel indicators were out. From what he
need you at the controls here. Some of the automatic func- could tell, the engines were operating normally on a me-
tions might not be working and it might take both of us to chanical basis, but the systems that controlled the auto-
keep this thing stable. Hold on a second; let me get this matic functions were only partially functional.
last trans-stator in place. There. All right, we’re ready.” “You steer; I’ll handle the engines,” said Isabe.
“Everyone, we’re going to see if we can get the shuttle “Right.”
operating,” said Ken. “Take your positions please.” The Ken kept the shuttle on a steady upward course, then
team sat down in their respective seats. stabilized at 1,000 feet. He tried to do a circular course
“I will start up the main controls,” said Isabe. “Ken, over the camp area, but the steering was sluggish. The
monitor the power flow indicator. If it spikes, shut it down. other team members were peering out the hatch window,
I don’t want to risk burning the system out.” scanning visually.
“Ready.” “Can anyone see anything?”
“Activating.” Isabe punched the start-up switch for the “Negative, just the camp,” commented Maiah.
main power bus. Several indicators flickered briefly, then “Great, an invisible monster!” said Michiko.
the panels came to life. “We don’t know that there is a monster!” said Elur.
“Any big spikes?” “You heard it! We all did! It got the others, you know it.”
“No. How does it look?” Michiko was dangerously close to panic, while Elur was
Isabe scanned the control panel, gathering informa- unusually agitated for a man normally so calm. What was
tion. “Communications definitely down. Helm controls look happening?
OK. Life support is good for a week. External sensors gone. “Everyone, quiet!” Ken interrupted. “We don’t have any
Engineering systems look all right, but I’m setting up a di- idea what’s going on. Rema, any reason we can’t make
agnostic to make sure. Navigational computer . . . damn, orbit?”
nothing there.”
“So we have engine power and can steer, but we won’t
be able to set a course?”
“We can dead-reckon at sublight I suppose.”
“Combat systems?”
“We have the structural integrity field, but no fire con-
trol for the phaser.”
“How long to complete the engine diagnostic?”
“Five minutes.”
There was a horrific screaming sound from outside,
like a cross between the roar of a Terran grizzly bear and
the howl of a Vulcan le-matya. Atchison bolted out of his
seat to the shuttle’s hatch, where Maiah and Elur were
already peering out.
“See anything?”
“Negative!”
“Nothing on the tricorder scan,” said Michiko.
Isabe was looking out the front shuttle window. “I can’t
see anything here!”
The screeching sound grew louder. A decision had to
be made. Go take a closer look, phasers at the ready?
They could solve this mystery once and for all, discover
what happened to their three compatriots, hopefully res-
cue them . . . or perhaps share their fate. They could take
the shuttle up into the atmosphere, save themselves tem-
porarily and get an aerial look at whatever was going on.
Or they could get up into orbit completely and think through
GURPS FEDERATION 4E 9 INTRODUCTIONX