Editing Stars Without Number: Back in Black (section)

=== Oneiros Beta ===

Oneiros Beta - Outer System
 December 26th - 1100 Universal Clock Time 
 The Lucky Break

The initial system scan takes about two hours. From what you can tell, there really isn't much in the outer part of the system. The various orbital bodies are all
fairly close in.

The outermost object you can pick up is a gaseous planet, but not really all that large. Your sensors indicate it's mostly nitrogen, and probably has a gravity
close to 1G.

In from that, and not very far out from the edges of where the nebula gets really dense, there's a terrestrial planet of roughly Earth-equivalent mass. You're even detecting an oxygen atmosphere. You suspect it's habitable, but it's also going to be very cold. You're going to want to wear a vacc suit or other cold weather gear, even if the atmosphere is breathable. 

The next thing in from that is a massive field of ice asteroids ringing the very edge of the nebula. You'd guess that at least one truly enormous gas giant or multiple ice worlds had to be ripped apart to produce enough free mass for that. You shouldn't have trouble navigating it, but it is pretty big and there's some huge chunks of ice in there.

Rook spends a fair amount of time on the computer before completing her report. "I've located five additional planets inside the nebula. I'm working from raw gravity signatures, though, so I can't get much more information on them than their location and rough mass. No details on their composition or nature will be available without a closer look."

"From the closest to the binary outward, we have: One small world, a second small one, one that is very large and...quite high density, I'd say terrestrial, one that is roughly earth-equivalent, and a third small one. Next out from that is the ice field."

==== Black House contract re: Oneiros Beta ====

Within the next calendar year, the adventurers and the Black House will engage in a joint expedition to an alien colony that is within the bounds of the adventurers' sector claim map. In return for an introduction and guide services, and for the non-exclusive right to recruit psychic talent from the habitat (and with no other rights to economic exploitation), the Black House will provide the adventurers with a number of services.

One, transport for up to ten persons on the initial expedition, to and from, which may be expected to take at least three months. Two, an official report on any possibly-extant mecha facilities from the Mandate era, including any available navigation information. Three, up to two hundred hours of research by qualified researchers per year for the next five years (this means that you can ask for some grad students or a professor to find out about X topic, and they'll work on it. Results are likely to be dependent on a skill check by the NPC.) Four, secure work and living space at the Black House, and warehouse space at the spaceport, for the next ten years, with an option to renew for an additional ten year lease at 75% fair market value (FMV.)

The adventurers maintain rights to all salvage of Unconventional Technologies*, and are given a fee equal to 20% of the FMV of any such items removed from the habitat by the Black House or its agents, if they do obtain any items from the habitat or its inhabitants.

The contract is non-assignable and non-transferable. The expedition will begin from the Black House, and the adventurers are to send word through standard State courier services two weeks before they begin making their way to Abaddon to embark on their next expedition to Oneiros Beta. The adventurers are responsible for transporting any of their own chosen passengers (the technicians, essentially) to Abaddon, after which time they will become the responsibility of the Black House.

(*) This is an actual legal standard in the State. It includes basically anything that can't be reproduced and obtained on the market, so anything TL5 basically.