Editing TNE:GreatExpedition

[[Category:Campaign Setup]]

'''The Great Expedition''': ''an adventure of exploration for '''Traveller: New Era'''.''

In a fragile alliance of recovered worlds on the fringe of a once-massive human civilization, the flame is lit again. 

== Basic Description ==
Despite the massive destruction of interstellar war — secession, rebellion, and finally invasion by a truly alien intelligence — a few worlds have, slowly and carefully, taken to the stars again. The stories of how this came to be are long and various, but now the Dawn League, a coalition of a dozen worlds, exists, and has done so for a dozen years, despite threats from within and without.

Every world within two jumps of the League's space has been scanned and explored. The renewed industries of Aubaine's starport have begun to produce jump-3 drives for the first time since the Collapse. The League's nascent governing body has voted, and six ships will go out – to explore the silent worlds, to rekindle the flame, and to find news of the War. What happened to the Others, what happened to the Terran Unions, and what became of the Virus, the hybrid secret weapon that destroyed the organization of both species?

The dangers are many – sleeping ships from the old succession wars, pirates, dictators, savages, and behind it all the spectre of the Others, the machine intelligences left over from the War. But the rewards… are the stars.

== Player Characters ==

=== Drifter: GM ===
Drifter is our erstwhile GM.

=== Chalkline - Mitchell Frost, Scout commander, scruff and League wide legend ===
Mitchell Frost
Homeworld, Aurora

Frosty is a classic scout; he has a love of using his abilities in areas where there is little oversight and even less support. His main abilities are mapping; Frosty loves sensors and the display of information. Planetary and Astrographic mapping allows him to be at the point of data transition between the sensor and the subject, manipulating and refining data flows to make a coherent and useful data package. Whether it is hanging upside down in the observation blister of a scout ship or down on planet slogging through a swamp to set up ground stations, Frosty loves accuracy above all other things.

Unlike military individuals who see themselves as vital links in a vast machine with a common purpose, Frosty's mindset is that of a member of a free roaming cloud of data gatherers who slowly and inevitably put a knowable face on the physical world.

Something of a jack of all trades, Frosty is not a great primary operator in most particular fields but is a useful hand in many. He has a keen understanding of his limitations, but if no one with a better understanding is on hand he feels no hesitation in getting and trying to fix a problem. Like most scouts, he has a predilection for 'bush repairs' that are functional but ugly, and have a life span long enough that should get the item to a more qualified technician. The exception to this point is his skills as a pilot. Scouts have a tradition of piloting, and it's a badge of honour to be a good pilot for scouts anywhere.

The badge of the scouts in weaponry is the shotgun. While this weapon is preferable in shipboard conflicts, it's limited range makes Frosty more willing to use other slugthrowers on-planet. He doesn't use pistols, lasers or gauss weapons.

=== GaoGaiGar - Emily Tomlinson, Astrogator and ex-Free Trader ===
Emily Tomlinson
Age 29

'''UPP''' Str 5 Agil 7 Con. 6 Int. 8 Edu. C Cha 8 Soc. B

'''Skills''':
Act/Bluff 2 Admin/Legal 1 Astrogation 8 Bargaining 2 Bribery 1 Carousing 1 Commo 1 Computer 2 Environment Suit 2 Ground Vehicles 0 Gunnery (energy weapons) 3 History 2 Interrogation 1 Intrusion 1 Map 1 Marketing 4 Navigation 1
Physics 1 Pilot Grav/Interface 2 Slug Pistols 1 Sensors 4 Starship Architecture 1 Streetwise 2 Survey 2 Willpower 0 Zero-G 2

Emily is a master-class interstellar navigator, accustomed to performing under pressure and with uncertain computer systems.  She's also qualified as a sensor operator and turret gunner.  She's an experienced trader, negotiator and wheeler-dealer and studies history as a hobby, notably the Interstellar Wars and early Third Imperium periods.  She is qualified with pistols and can easily hit someone across a table from her.  

31,000 credits
+10 Ship DMs for Trader

==== Contacts ====
Emily knows and is known by a number of Free Trader captains, including one of the most senior and well-respected in the Network.  She also has an in with the man who recruited her for the Academy, Mikel Bowmarc, an official who floats around various long-term planning and external intelligence departments.

(In game terms, two normal Trader contacts, one "good" one purchased with bonus points, all floating ones, and one solid Government contact)

==== Background ====
Homeworld C-000342A
Haven is “Living History” space colony cylinder, 10KM long, operating with solar mirrors and spin gravity instead of fusion and gravitics. Haven orbited the rockball world closer to the sun than the main of the system, (a high tech boneyard in the Wilds). The first clue there was an emergency was when all the high tech emergency equipment blew out thanks to Virus. There was dead silence from the mainworld. They were all alone in the night. Haven was able to sustain its population of tourists-turned-refugees and became a trading hub for Free Traders... the rustic but still functioning class C spaceport facilities helped a great deal. 

With a low, dense population, Haven was able to govern mainly by direct democracy, with a "Colonial Administrator" who acted as the voice in carrying out the people's decisions. Emily was the daughter of the person who served for the last 20 years in that capacity, Martin Tomlinson. 

When Emily was in her late teens, the Guild started aggressively trying to bring Haven under its influence. It was too good for them to pass up. After laying down a great deal of money and goods among the populace, Martin suffered an accident, opening an airlock after a gun he was cleaning went off. Emily was due for an accident of her own, but was taken off-colony by a sympathetic Free Trader crew, that of the Empress Marava. With nowhere else to go and a probably Guild bounty on her head, she signed on as a crewmember. Her wits, charm and education served her well and she rapidly rose up through the officer hierarchy, working out profitable courses and profitable deals (and every deal a free trader made was one cargo the Guild wouldn't get). A lifetime staring up at the stars gave her a knack for navigation and watching how disputes get resolved when there's literally no choice but to talk through them helps a lot in dealing with people.

The Wilds are a harsh place, the graveyard of a great civilization, thrown away like garbage.  God-kings, technologically elevated dictators and pocket empires were everywhere... but so were uncounted numbers of decent people, trying to put a decent life back together with whatever crude tools remain.  She met a lot of them and learned that a little trade can go a long way in helping people like that out.  Being a Free Trader was something truly worth doing... and the Guild wanted to snuff out that one bit of decency in favor of slaving and worse.

Hearing rumors about the Dawn League, she managed to get the Empress exploring trade in that direction. There was some unpleasantness... moving artifact cargo across the border was a new experience, with a lot more regulations than in the Wilds and it was a near thing avoiding having the Marava seized by the government and nationalized.   The whole mess was tied up in court, and it's there someone from an RC operations office tried to recruit her for the Dawn League Academy.    "One ship could make a different... a lot of ships could make a bigger difference, if they knew were to go" was his argument, and it was hard to refute.  While well-meaning and advanced, the Dawn League had no idea how savage the Wilds really were.  Going out blind would get them eaten alive... but she could tell them that.  Not without reservations, she cashed out her ship shares and went to school.

She was giving a Teaching Assistant position, helping out with astrogation and Wilds Culture and Contact classes, learning a lot on the former subject as well as how to handle several other positions.  Now she's been given a mission... not to fix the mistakes the League made with their initial expeditions, but something important... and clearly, they need someone with real-life experience to get them there and back again.

Emily is articulate and well-read, confident in her abilities and cautious about new people.  She's had a few people try to get the price on her head and always keeps a body pistol on her person.  She's optimistic about the future... as long as ships are flying and planets talking to each other, things can get better.  Some need a helping hand, some a kick in the ass... the latter was beyond what a Free Trader can deliver, but a big, armed warship could dish out some well-deserved... it's a good thing she's not in the Combat Arms.  The chance to hit back when all you could do was run is tempting.

==== Timeline ====
1173: Emily born on Haven

1188:  Guild attempts coup on Haven, Emily flees on Empress Marava, takes a navigator officer berth.  Responsible for a very lucrative three-way trade deal and is quickly promoted.

1192:  Marava has to launch suddenly to avoid an attack by local aircraft, stranding Emily and several crewmates.  They have to journey overland across several hostile nations for a pickup.  Later, the ship moves towards Dawn League space and runs into legal trouble from its cargo

1196: Emily enters DELTA as student and assistant instructor.  Denied a slot on the Twelve due to her “invaluable experience.”

1201: Assigned to the Seventh Son mission, again due to her “invaluable experience.”

==== Notable Gear ====
Emily's personal gear is from her Free Trader days... she favors a 9mm automatic as it is easy to find ammo for on a great many worlds and keeps a body pistol loaded with tranq rounds in a concealed holster at the small of her back, along with a clip of hardball ammo in one boot and her knife in the other.

Hand Computer with History and Navigation chips
TL-10 Light Amplification Goggles
TL8 Earpiece Communicator
Lock-blade knife (dagger)
Ballistic Weave Vest
Body Pistol w/ 5 magazines, 300 rounds ball, 300 rounds tranq
9mm autopistol, 500 rounds DS, 10 clips

Personal trade goods
TL 7+ solar scientific calculators
TL 12 synthetic gemstones
Cases of Survival knives
Cases of Marine cutlasses.
TL 12 solar panels
Water purification tablets
Penicillin tablets
Several cases of rum

=== ncc2010 - Marek, mysterious Engineer with a hidden past. ===
Free-forming a bit here, too.

Not sure on name or gender still, but I'm seeing a Marak somewhere in the name.

However...I don't have a homeworld name either, but...

Its a world that once sported a population in excess of a hundred-thousand, all of whom were either in the direct starship serice industry or tourism, the small world orbiting the colorful and stormy gas giant, with its native water sources and plentiful heavy metals and radioactives left over from system formation made it a wonderful tourist trap...

Then came Virus.

Those that survived were outside the port facilities, almost entirely technicians and engineers with a smattering of tourists and support staff, and when Virus sealed and the facilities, killed the orbiting ships and every human that scutters and support droids could find, it was left to these several hundred folks to reestablish...and they did.

In a flurry of activity, the satellite telecom dishes were cut from their comm arrays and the manual overrides released the already independent processing fuel facilities from further contamination...but the damage was done.

The atmosphere was thin and breathable - and that was the salvation. The Technical Staff survivors made a decision that would shape their future: they would work rebuild the port facility on a manual basis, laying low, processing fuel...because one day, ships would return, and they'd be ready.

It was an interesting time.  Many scoffed at the idea, but even the scoffers looked around and knew, that without a goal people go mad.  And the world revitalized with a people who learned how to work and pick themselves up, young and old.  Even Marek, who took his place alongside those who figured out how to rebuild a technology that could go to space, but without the computers that proved so vulnerable to the virus.  And he got one of the best apprenticeship trainings that could have been found, working with the wise ones who figured out how to build a technology base from nothing.  All to prepare for the day when ships will come back through space, using who knew what to do it.

And the ships came.  And they were ready.

On the fringe of DL space, Holidai Downport armed itself with the residue of Imperial Technology and fortified, and when the Traders came back, began to turn a profit - fuel and repairs and port facilities for consumables and luxuries. Eventually, even though not that important in the greater scheme of things, the population made the decision to transition from Independent to a member of the Dawn League.  Secure in their place in the world and their ability to thrive.  With a generation of young men and women eager to show that they can keep up with the best.

...and that's when Marak was selected for the Academy.

Lets see...I think I've got him Squared Away...

Marek Ul Trettebara
Str: 5
End:5
Dex:6
Int:10
Edu:10
Chr:7
Soc:3 

CR:9.000

Age: 33

Mechanic (3x tours (w/3x Special Adventures), 1x Academy)
Ships Engineer - 9, Mechanic - 7, Electronics - 6, Computer-4, Starship Architecture-2, Intrusion-2, Machinist-1, Tracked Vehicle-1, Gamble-1, Slug Pistol-1

More to follow...but that should get him started. I hope.

=== Neptune Bencamp, Dr. Max Puissant,virus, robotics and cybernetics expert ===
Dr. Max Puissant, Assistant Professor, age 37
8569E6-B

Biology 5 Chemistry 4 Climbing 2 Combat Engineer 4, Computer 9, Electronics 6, Energy Pistol 1, History 1, Intrusion 3, Leadership 2, Mechanics 4, Medical 3, Research 1, Robotics 10, Scrounge 3, Ship’s Engineering 1, Survey 1, Unarmed Martial Arts 3, Wheeled Vehicle 0, Willpower 0

Contacts:
Journalist
Robotics Professor
Department of Antiquities Head
Dr. of Xeno-biology

Ship DM +5
50,000 cr

Spoiler: Terms work 


Born on Zloga, a cemetary world, Max grew up exploring the ruins with gangs of other kids. With his parents being fairy well off, he was able to go to advanced college classes. As an undergrad, he took to exploring some of the more dangerous areas by himself. He found some old video recordings from the time of the Virus attack, and was bringing them back when he was ambushed by an old rival, Sam Malheureux and his gang. He stood them off with his fists, and made it back to civilization. There he turned the recordings over to Lois Orage, a local journalist, who published them to great acclaim.

He headed off world to Aubaine for grad school after graduating, to get a masters in robotics. He thought that learning how to operate and make robots would help him in his planned career of a professional scavenger. While there he was employed as a lab assistant to his robotics professor, Don Roseau, where, oddly, he was tasked with taking care of lab primates.

Max became interested in Cybernetics too, and changed his plans to get his doctorate in robotics. With that he was brought furhter into Dr. Roseau's work on cybernetics. There he met the lovely Dr. Iris Inistre, a xeno-biologist working on cybernet applications as applied to non-humans.

After graduating he got a research grant and went back to Zloga. Exploring there, he found a remnant of the Virus inhabiting a robot. After a long battle, it was defeated, and his analysis of it and the robot body catapulted his career foward. At this point, Dr. Roseau got parties from the Dawn League Technical Academy interested in him, and so Max enter the most challenging four years of his life. 

Those four years he vastly expanded his practical knowledge, and was involved in creating an AI. There he became fast friends with a computer expert, Tom Moteur. His experience wiht the AI and cybernetics put him on hte short list for the expedition.

=== Shadowjack, Mercer "Mercy" Khimamka, army captain and groundside specialist. ===
'''Captain Mercer "Mercy" Khimamka'''


'''UPP 567998-7 Human/M/32 Nike Nimbus'''

''Background Skills:'' Construction 2, Early Firearms 1, Ground Vehicle (Wheeled) 1, History 1, Riding 2, Swimming 1, Willpower 2

''Leadership Training:'' Carousing 1, Instruction 2, Leadership 4, Liaison 2, Persuasion 3, Psychology 2

''Military Training:'' Combat Engineer 1, Communications 1, Environment Suit 1, Forward Observer 1, Grenade Launcher 2, Ground Tactics 3, Gun Combat (Slug Rifle) 4, Martial Arts-Armed (Small Blade) 1, Martial Arts-Unarmed 1, Navigation 3, Observation 3, Pilot (Interface/Grav) 1, RCV Operations 1, Stealth 2, Survival 3

''Scientific Training:'' Biology 3, Geology 1, Meteorology 3, Virus Studies 1

To describe that in words: 
* A master's degree in ecology (via meteorology, geology, and biology), via DELTA.
* The experience you'd expect of a military captain.
* A professional but not exceptional marksman and outdoorsman.
* Persuasive and personable; not a diplomat, but able to keep both military and diplomatic considerations in mind when liaising with indigenous forces.
* Some practical experience but not highly trained in liaison, training, tactics, etc. He knows enough to know when the people under him know their jobs, and can step up when he needs to lend a hand.
* Lots of general outdoors and military experience and cross-training.
* Learned to ride as a kid, and worked summers in construction; kept those skills up in military use and as hobbies.
* Hobby as a historical reenactor, and successfully convinced the mission recruiters that this counted as recontact experience. :D

==== Notable Personal Equipment ====
* Experienced outdoorsman: spare boots; own sidearm; kit in good condition and with good camouflage; lots of useful odds and ends.
* Sidearms: autoloading pistol; stun pistol.
* Survival kit always includes medical kit, small tool kit, entrenching tool, optics, and all the other necessaries.
* Favored weapons in the field: long scoped and silenced rifle; 6-shot grenade launcher. Requested wide variety of grenades on board, and tailors load to mission.
* Scientific equipment: meteorology kit; biosampling kit.
* Other kit in the ship: aerial recon drones; carpentry shop, rigging kit, etc.; a few bottles of good booze for parties or gifts; candy and teddy bears for children.
* Personal possessions: pictures of family and girlfriend; dance music from home; lots of books; magnetic chess set; ramlock black powder pistol and kit; impractical survival knife; old uniform cap and medal; kachina doll.

==== Timeline ====
* 1170 Mercer born. 
* 1184 Lies about age to get into Nike Military Academy.
* 1188 Commissioned into Nike Nimbus New Defense Force as Second Lieutenant of Spaceborne Infantry.
* 1190 Promoted to First Lieutenant. 
* 1191 Makes good impression when attached to an early Trade League mission as chauffeur and aide-de-camp; recommended for interstellar operations.
* 1192 Applies for and accepted to newly-formed Coalition Special Operations Joint Force.
* 1193 CSOJF training completed; assigned to 1st League Special Detachment. 
* 1194 Received League Star for classified action. 
* 1195 Promoted to Captain.
* 1197 Accepted to Dawn League Academy.
* 1199 Watchdog Event.
* 1201 Present.

==== Contacts ====
* The recruiter who let him lie about his age to get in. The guy knew all along, but liked the kid's attitude; Mercer didn't learn this until they served together years later. Now they're well past "mentor-student" and into "old friends." A representative of the military good ol' boy's network. 
* *???? I haven't a clue. Some military contact, I guess?
* The offworlder (Ouriflamme or another?) trade mission officer whom Mercer made a good impression upon as an exchange program aide-de-camp; if this character was doing contact missions then, they are probably part of this very mission now!
* A trusted sergeant or platoon lieutenant from his Special Forces unit, now part of the force assigned to this mission. 
* The noted Dr. [so-and-so], whom he studied Ecology with at the Academy, and who's probably associated with the mission. They've got shared interests.
* Uhhhhhhhh… well, we're going somewhat cinematic here, right? Ex-girlfriend who's a diplomat or government official or something; met her at a League Academy / Embassy joint function. They parted on good terms; he sends letters back when there's the opportunity for a mail packet, but there's no promises or anything. Probably she's using him as an intelligence source, but what the hell.


==Prominent NPC's==

===RCES Crew===
*Lilelu 'Lily' Wall: Mission commander [Rank O7]. Ex-Oriflammi Wet Navy [submersibles] and Space Navy. 5 foot even, Dark brown hair/eyes, pale skin. Has killed 13 people in personal duels.
*Jansxe 'Ex-Eee' Arnott: Mission XO [Rank 04]. Fiijan, ex Scout administration. Organised, frugal and prone to idle thought. 6 foot even, black hair, green eyes. Always looks distracted.
*Horace 'Tea time' Teatinus. Captain of the ''Seventh Son'' [Rank O5] Oriflammi, ex-Navy/scouts. Dynamic leader, ambitious. First command. 
*Ilyanna ‘Razback’ Razzori, Ships Captain, ''Defiant Arms'' [Rank O4][Modified Scout]. Luhtalan, ex scouts. Charismatic, meticulous, driven. First command.
*Nash 'Gnasher' Chelmsley. Watch commander ''Seventh Son'' [Rank O4]. Oriflammi, ex-Navy/University. Educated, self-effacing. First command. 
*''Mr'' Kriirakk. Of the Walkabout folk on Aurora. Electronics/Sensor ops [Rank O2].Irascible, proud, anarchic.
*''Ser'' Hogann. Nike Nimban Tactical Officer [Rank O2]. Curious, culturally inept.
*''Master'' Howling Lungfish. Luhtahlan comms/deck officer [Rank O1]. Cheerful, oblivious to command structures.

===DLPC Special forces===
*James 'J.T.' Anderuu. Snr Sgt Major [Rank E9] and Unit XO. Nike Nimban. Calm, direct, frugally brutal.
**Mercy's ex sergeant, training, insurgency and guerilla warfare expert.
*Bon 'Macca' Mackson. Sergeant[E4]. Auroran. Professional, competent, wry. Training, liaison, survival. Heavy weapons.
*Craig 'Cretin' Aulohahu. Sergeant [E3] Balduri. Huge, quiet, friendly. Hostile envoronments, rescue, medical.
*Vlendt 'Blender' Cordwainer. Nike Nimban. [E5]. Ruthless, precise, amiable. Sniper, comms, electronics.
*Xuahn 'Sailor' Ashenling. Aubaini. [E4]. Life of the party, talespinner, superstituos. Extreme environments [aquatic], electronics, remote ops.
*Brodie 'B.1' Wonder. Nike Nimban. [E3]. Cautious, efficient, courageous. Combat engineer, sensor ops, linguist.
*Six troopers, ranked E2 or E1 all with one term in special forces. Backup specialists.
**Fandiva Escalon. Spiri. [E1]. Meditative, philosophical, athletic. A trained Psion. Electrokinetic, Computer Empathy, weak Psychokinesis and Empathy. One term in Aubaini [Wet] Marines. ECM/Sensors.
===Emily's contacts===
*Senior Trader Marrakesh Helms - commands a fleet of three upgunned Far[frontier, j-3] Traders in the Diaspora. The ''Empress Marava'' was in debt to him and the three-way deal you worked out cleared it. He has been impressed by you since then and his long range 'patronage' helped you in subtle ways in the Traders since. He would be a major influence in swinging Free traders toward the League. [special contact]
*Captain Revence Sinbadd - Captain of the Wilds Trader ''Just 'cause''. Violently opposed to the guild.


 

So, smart troops, able to deal with strange people peacefully (and violently when necessary, of course), and used to operating out in the wilds for extended periods. 

Medic, Commo operator,Drone operator,Scrounger,Techie, Heavy weapons operator,Sniper. Extra priority to people with Virus experience, multiple languages, and multi-environment training (be it as simple as "arctic" or outré as "corrosive radioactive high-pressure atmospheres"). 

However, Mercy wants to put some wild elements in the mix, because this is kind of a weird mission; he doesn't want to get trapped into treating it as the same sort of job they usually do, and so wants to make sure they have some unusual perspectives on the team.

He wants at least one space combat expert, preferably battle dress trained, because Mercy doesn't know anything about it, and they're going to be in space! 
He'd like a proper combat engineer. 
He'd be open to a teammember with police or rescue training, to get a more civil-oriented perspective.

== Notes on Setting and Tone ==
This isn't exactly the canonical TNE setting, but rather inspired by it. Many names are the same, but details are changed, as is tone in some places. The Reformation Coalition is the Dawn League's government arm responsible for exploration and stellar expansion.

Drifter says, "Setting-wise, I'm going to play the Reformation Coalition as gritty cinematic, so expect coincidental meetings for contacts, etc. I hope to create a game with mixed moral areas, but I'm not into putting PC's into completely lose-lose situations. Feel free to put yourself there of course. Politics can have an effect in this game, so choose wisely. While this game will have an overarcing plotline, I still like to run a more sandboxy style… if for some reason you go sideways, I'll run with it. On the flipside, I'm big on consequences and the world keeps turning, so you'll see results from anything you do."

The Dawn League is the multiworld government, and the Reformation Coalition is akin to a (real-world) U.N. agency, responsible for exploration and stellar exploration. Drifter says, "I know some of the RefCol stuff reads a bit gung ho, but I think that's the point, that the PCs actually end up questioning their own roles."

The Virus was the result of an interstellar war black weapon snafu against a cybernetic intelligence. In a way it worked, because the alien race is gone – it was an easy victim to the Virus. Humans fared ''somewhat'' better; their entire society collapsed under a wave of insane Virus spreading through the jump lanes.

There are no Hivers. Instead, some low passage survivors recently recovered, a more competent Schalli that originally acknowledged, and the addition of Teldora and Kal to balance the Oriflammi out, all gave the Dawn League the ability to bootstrap itself. 

To keep it simple, all the worlds in the two subsectors of the Dawn League are (more or less) as per the book. Anything beyond that is open to change; Drifter imagines a much sparser area of space, with significant areas of rift.

Drifter also says, "The romance of the long voyage. If there is anything I'm really striving to capture in this game, it is the above. While this game won't be romantic per se, the romance I'm trying to capture is the same as that of the Age of Exploration...the distance from home, the potential of new lands, the privations and amazing discoveries, new peoples, old empires, savages, unexplained mysteries, legends, dragons... The only difference is the slant. Your dragon might be a sentient virus Bolo but it might also be a planetwide infectious disease, a false religion, a renegade ship or a virus infected hospitality ship that lives to serve. The politics and inclinations of the Dawn League are your backdrop, but it would be no secret to the PC's that four years without contact will bring them back to a League they won't recognise. On the flipside of this, whatever actions they take will define the Dawn League in the eyes of those they meet on the way, predisposing their subsequent reactions."

=== Helpful Links ===
* The BARD pages for background information: http://www.downport.com/bard
* League worlds: http://www.downport.com/bard/bard/opal/opal0000.html

=== Detailed Backdrop ===

==== The Old Expanses ====

[[File:http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r14/drifterne05/map3a.jpg]]
One of seven sectors that makes up the Trailing Cluster, the Old Expanses have been settled by humaniti for over 2,000 years. It is connected to the Greater Terran Sphere by a Starlink of 16,000ly, located at Juncture, a blue supergiant. Shunts from this Starlink reached out into all the Sector capitals, and some subsector capitals.

==== Potted History ====
The third Terran Commonwealth collapsed into regional infighting approximiatey 450 years ago. Out of this arose a more feudal system, the Imperial States – a reversion to the most primitive power structure on a stellar scale. While there were variants and splinter empires, the core of the Trailing Cluster became integrated into the greater Imperium in the mid-late 800s. 

Three centuries of Imperial expansion followed, resulting in an odd, codified noble class that pervaded all interstellar movement. This was the classic "Imperial" phase, with precise and lengthy qualifications for Imperial standard coding in all aspects of interstellar life.

By the 1100s the system was collapsing from within. When the Emperor died without issue in a tense political climate, the existing slow cold war declined into civil rebellion, with no clear candidate for the Imperial throne.

It was 25 years into this slow conflict when the Others came.

Humaniti had encountered many intelligent races already. The Vargr, Orca, and Delphines had all been uplifted from original Terran species, though someone else had done the work on the Vargr. Same with the Aslan, though it's hard to get them to admit it. Of true aliens, there were the Droyne, Bwaps, Oost Urda, and half a dozen other sentients. 

The Others were different. They were cybernetic life, switching and changing their bodies as we switch and change clothes or vehicles. Their technology was as alien as their approach. They ''processed'' the worlds they captured, adapting them on a worldwide scale to obscure and odd purposes. They incorporated Imperial technologies into their own, changed their approaches, modified their forms… 

On top of civil war, the Terran sphere now struggled to meet an entirely new menace. Worlds and fleets died, desperate measures were taken, old knowledge unearthed, black ops research dug up. When the last grand fleet met the Others' massive push into the Core systems, they released a viral code through their own data streams, knowing the Others would intercept it. The virus was designed to destroy their ability to collectively communicate; in theory, this complete isolation would cause the individual "units" of the others to suicide. 

This code was intercepted at the same time that the Others transmitted something new of their own: an AI adapted to Imperial computer technology, designed to infiltrate and alter Imperial systems to give itself life within them. These two systems met on the battlefield and created a synergistic loop. Within a year, the effects had completely destroyed the Others and devastated Imperial civilization.

==== Virus ====
A hybrid cybernetic lifeform, born of alien AI and a black ops suicide code. It swept across known space at the speed of the ships that carried the news, with the twin drives to breed and to kill itself. Hijinks ensued. 

The higher the tech of a world, the more reliant it was upon linked system technology. Virus invaded, took over, then tried to breed and/or kill itself. It mutated like crazy, after the truly suicidal 90% took themselves out of the cybergene pool… but not before destroying known space. 

One hundred and two years later, the Dawn League is just recovering from this. 

==== The Dawn League ====
Why them? Why'd they get lucky? 

Three things: Isolation and unique circumstance. And the Schalli.

* ''Isolation.'' Most of the worlds of the League only had Jump-1 contact with a string of minor worlds, far from the busy jump lanes that fed the starlink shunts.
* ''Unique circumstances.'' The Aubaini managed to maintain a continuous space presence throughout the Collapse. The Oriflammen had half a small fleet offline in surface repair bays, and a desperate need to use them. Balduri had to hammer out a colony plan to live. This confluence of small worlds, for different reasons, risked stellar contact long before other worlds were capable and willing. Aubaini met Oriflammi met Balduri met Teldori and found that trade worked better than raid.

==== The Schalli ====
Originally classified in the Imperial system as semi-sentient, the Schalli were the subject of three sensor-novels by Cann Macaffey: ''Waveriders of Vras'', ''Starfollowers of Vras'', and ''Schalli Rising,'' that do greater justice to their rise into interstellar space as a species. 

To keep it succinct: the Schalli had been interdicted and studied in the Imperium, and the humans on Vras (now called Aubaine) had been kept in the dark about their true sentience, largely due to mining rights on Vras, which was incredibly full of rare earths. The waterworld of Schall was stocked with collected Schalli and represented as their "native" world, while Vras's schall were said to have been transplanted by early Terrans as foodstocks before their status was upgraded to semi-sentient.

The Collapse drove many of the survivors on Vras underwater; more time was spent with actual Schalli; old records and research, long suppressed, was not replicated; and communication opened. 

What happened next is now legend. The Schalli, already far more capable in complex mathematics and three-dimensional engineering, took to technology like ducks to… well… 

Their cultural explosion ran directly opposite to all theories about advanced cultures crippling more primitive ones. They absorbed knowledge into their culture rapidly, and skipped past several human stages of adaption, with human assistance, into a rapidly-modernizing undersea sentient race. While doing so, they incidently helped provide the underpinnings for the Dawn League: without the Schalli, the Aubaini would not occupy the position they do, as de-facto leader of the Federalist movement; without the Schalli's drive to the stars, cultural awakening, and almost total species devotion to the "new songs", the League would not have the technology and industry that it does. 

The Schalli are pragmatic about their new status, and are determinedly collaborative in the Dawn League, financing and building for the Reformation Coalition far beyond their chartered requirements. They have begun a limited about of building to put Schalli themselves into space - in craft purpose-built for them, rather than converted from human designs. There is a Schalli fleet over Spencer, and a scout expedition to Trailing. This is the major wedge between Aubaine and Oriflamme, who sometimes accuse the Schalli of using humans as stepping stones in their own race to become a stellar species. 

Aubaine and the Schalli provide the League's high-tech industry, and Oriflamme and Teldora provide its manufacturing capacity.

=== Timeline ===
* 1094: First wave of Virus sweeps through the Old Expanses, spreading out from the Starlink shunts. Long Night begins.
* 1103: Aubaine maintains fragile links with Schall and Phoebus.
* 1126: Eos contacts Nike Nimbus.
* 1132: Oriflamme puts first Jump-1 vessel in orbit, visits Helios.
* 1146: Baldur visits Enkidu and Ra.
* 1152: Teldora establishes contact with Spencer and Kal.
* 1164: Oriflamme launches relic fleet, engages empires on Spencer.
* 1165: ''(5 term characters born.)''
* 1168: Aubaini/Schalli ships contact Trybec, Fija, Nike Nimbus, and Lucifer.
* 1169: Aubaini ships enconter Oriflamme scout vessels over Spires. People born from this generation are known as "Dawners."" ''(4 term characters born.)''
* 1172: Nike Nimban ships encounter Balduri relic scout in Kruyter system.
* 1173: ''(3 term characters born.)''
* 1180: Unofficial trade alliance of a dozen worlds formalized into a Trade League. ''(First term for 5 term characters.)''
* 1184: ''(First term for 4 term characters. Second term for 5 term characters.)''
* 1188: Trade League formalized into mutual protection treaties. ''(First term for 3 term characters. Second term for 4 term characters. Third term for 5 term characters.)''
* 1192: Trade League given formal title and treaty, creating the Dawn League as a multiplanetary stellar entity. ''(Second term for 3 term characters, Third term for 4 term characters. Fourth term for 5 term characters.)''
* 1192-1196: The golden term. The spirit of the League inspires most governments, and trade and stabilization continue to accelerate. Foundations of Equality are laid down, and an overlying coalition of planetary forces is increasingly used to handle the directives of the League Council. This is formalized with the formation of the Reformation Coalition, a multisystem body that answers directly to the Council. 
* 1196: ''(Start of last term for all player characters, studying with DELTA.)''
* 1197-99: Nearby "boneyard" and "dead" worlds explored and searched for technology, Virus, and survivors. While independent member worlds sponsor expeditions, or hire the rare free trader to carry their missions, the League and RefCol prepare for the Twelve: 12 ships that will carry the League's finest beyond the boneworlds and savage dictatorships that have been found so far, to the Diaspora Sector, deeper into the Old Expanses, and out toward the worlds on the Rim of the Trailing Cluster.
* 1200: The Twelve are launched to great fanfare. None return. Within six months, they are declared lost, and six warships are prepared and crewed. The mood of the Dawn League is one of fear and worry, and grief is universal.
* 1201: Present Day. The Six (plus one) are heading out to find the Twelve.

== Character Generation ==
=== General Concept ===
PCs will be members of a "pathfinder" team, exploring ahead of the mothership, running errands, checking up on the other scouts, and generally doing PC-like things.

They are all from the first formal class of the Dawn League Academy, one of 16,000 chosen from across the League to build a true interstellar Coalition, training with the League's top scientists, technicians, revived cold sleep survivors from the old Imperial states, and the odd anagathic survivor from the old days. For four years, you learned as you worked, combined theory with practice, and helped put into place the upgraded starports and orbital defenses needed to protect League worlds. There is a 4% death rate. 

The graduates of the year 1201 all put their names in for crew positions on the first six ships to go out "Beyond the League." For the 139 that made the list, it was a dream come true. For the rest, it was back to building infrastructure, manning patrol vessels, and recovering old resources. Except for a few… who got caught up in something else.

=== Guidelines ===
* ''Movers and shakers.'' PCs should be big damn heroes, even if it's in a quiet way. While it's fun to play a noble/drifter in the standard setting, these characters need to stand out to be on one of these ships.
* ''Best of the best.'' A rank 4 in a skill is considered brilliant. Have one. Or two at 3. In a skill useful to the game would be even better.
* ''Contacts.'' These will be vital, especially high-ranking ones. The Dawn League is still a small organization, and being in on the ground floor means friends in the right places.
* ''PC choices influence ship choices.'' If you're a fighter jock, there'll be at least one fighter. If you're a merchant, there'll be a trade envoy and cargo space. We'll use something like Rank to determine influence. Ship shares will represent 1 MCr per share; the actual ship will represent 10% of its book value in MCr.

Characters should be from within the Dawn League, though Drifter is open to one or two adopted outworlders, corpsicles, or aliens.

=== The Rules ===
* Characters start with attributes of 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, and 4, placed anywhere you like (Strength, Agility, Constitution, Intelligence, Education, Charisma).
* Roll 1d6, add the result to your stats anywhere you like, to a maximum of 11 in any single stat. Note the amount less than 6 that was rolled — this number will generate bonuses after character generation. 
* Roll Social Status on 2d6, no modifiers.
* Follow the TNE career paths as usual, with the following house rules: 
** Any career gives a minimum of 7 points of skills in its first term; if the career lacks that many, add more points until you reach 7.
** In every term after the first in the ''same'' career, you may choose to add [number of terms in career] skill points to any skill previously learned in the career. This simulates specialized career choices. 
** Each term, use the Events tables from Mongoose Traveller, adapting as necessary to the system. For failed continuance, use the Mishaps tables for flavor, but character generation is not ended.
* The last term for every character will be the Dawn League Technical Academy, "where they separate the men from the goats."

Transfer of rank into the RefCol is automatic if you were from a recognized memberworld. Thanks to DELTA training, you will have experience with relic technology up to TL14-15.

Maximum 4 terms + Academy (total 5), but preferably only 2 or 3 terms + Academy (total 3 or 4).

Available extra skills: http://www.downport.com/bard/bard/gail/gail4010.html

== Rules Information ==

===Standard Issue equipment===

*Dawn League/RCES Issue load - long range mission ARGOS.
*RCES Body sleeve, gloves and hardhelm - TL10
*ARES Hazard suits and Tactical armour package - TL10
*Tailored personal TL12 Vacc suit
*Personal Medkit TL10
*300m microcomms TL12 [X2]
*3km Tac comm TL12
*Image converter binoculars TL10
*IR/LI goggles - [Issue] TL9
*Virus Electronics diagnostics kit -TL12
*Cold weather oversuit TL10
*Heat Suit TL12
*Hand computer TL12 [all specialist programs needed for position]
*Backpack with basic survival kit, TL10
*Personal sidearm - 7.6mm, 15mm shot, 10mm,Snub, 4 mmG only.
*Security longarm - 7.6mm smg, 10mmSnub smg only.
*Combat issue - 7mm ACR or similar, 18mm shot, 4mmGauss only.
*Special forces - Plasma rifles.

=== House Rules ===
* ChalkLine has requested use of a rule where firearms use STR or AGL, instead of simply STR, on the reasoning that the latter drives him bonkers.

=== House Designs ===

'''A.R.E.S. exploratory equipment.'''

* Military Integrated Sensor Suite.
Yes, this has another name, but the scouts found a targeting system called 'MISS' so amusing the name has stuck. It's real acronym is the Integrated Personal Sensing Array.
As only TL13 worlds seem to be able to do personal holographic Heads Up Displays in Trav, this rather impressive vision system is an add-on for any ARES helmet. 
It is an integrated sensor suite with a bulky fold-down see-through goggle set. It incorporates the TL10 compact sensor suite, and is integrated with the full personal sensing system; PRIS, seismic, sonar and radio detector. The varying sensors engaged are overlaid through the goggles, and the image can be fed through the comm command link and recorded. Weapons hooked into the MISS project virtual lines across the vision gear denoting where the projectile would pass, but are only visible to the wearer and those connected to the comm link. Essentially, this is a 'laptop in your helmet' with sensors, comms and sights as some of the peripherals.

* Tactical Armoured Hazardous Environment Suit
A non-military soft suit that is well armoured for its category and mounting SquidSkin™ programmable camouflage suite. This isn't 'predator camouflage', but rather a pre-programmed library of camouflages as well as a standard 'uniform colours' to denote duty section when on-planet, a standard 'High Visibility Colour' loaded in from a library and up to ten camouflage patterns chosen by the wearer. It takes about thirty seconds for the whole suit to change colour.
The 'helmet' array is a soft helmet similar to that worn by present day astro/cosmonauts, but leaving only the face open and extending to the collar where it mates with the rest of the suit. The breathing apparatus is a gas-mask-like arrangement usually carried in a pouch on the right thigh. 
The suit is hardened by the Tactical Armour Package; a set of rigid plates that attach to the webbing system integral to the suit. These plates include a head plate similar to the present day CVC; an articulated cuirass and shoulder guards, as well as shin and forearm guards that include knee and elbow pads. Because this set is bulky when carried, requires the removal of nearly all the equipment carried in the webbing including side arm holsters etc, it is rarely - if ever - donned in combat. To completely harden the TAHES takes ten minutes, five minutes (and a task) if 'buddy armouring'.

*15mm Low Velocity Sidearm.
More than just a pistol!
Tthis 20-bore shotgun pistol uses low velocity rounds of varying loads and is useful in shipboard combat. The weapon loads a 10 round magazine forward of the trigger guard. As there is a plethora of rounds available for the pistol, an ammunition loading system/holster is available that is configurable via the operators HUD. This loads the 10 shot magazine via menus on the HUD. This system is not universally respected by scouts, who see it as something to go wrong when a simple selection of quickly changed magazines can be carried instead.

*15mm Pistol/RAM Launcher
As ARES personnel rarely if ever use rifled weapons (their version of the CMWS; the Modular Automatic Rifle System, is usually only used on-planet and rarely if ever shipboard, leading to ARES personnel carrying shotguns nearly universally) a RAM grenade system has been developed for this sidearm. The RAM grenade is packaged in a reusable/discardable tube in which the pistol system attaches to the underneath, the telescoping tube extended, and a gas shoot-through uptake inserting onto the pistol muzzle brake. The gas system uses the pistol gas release as a primary booster to fire the main charge in the tube, this is an armbrust-style piston-capture recoilless system that ejects plastic ribbons out the rear of the tube and projects the RAM munition at the target. If the RAM grenade does not strike anything before 100m has passed the RAM rocket fires, boosting the grenade out to 500m where the self destruct fuze will initialise. Thus the weapon has the signature of a pistol if the target is under 100m, and if the target is further away the main signature of the weapon is activated 100m from the firer. RAM One-Shots are capable of being repackaged, but are cheap enough discard. The weapon is configured for over the shoulder firing and collapsed is 200mm long, and uses the handgun's sighting package.

*CR Universal Sighting Module.
A simple attachable system the size of a matchbox that fits on any standard CR weapon rail. It uses integral batteries with a use-life of six months.

The USM contains the following sub assemblies;
*= IR/Ruby laser spot
*= Virtual HUD designator spot
*= Grenade HUD sight
*= IR/Visible LED tactical spotlight
*= HUD Ammo counter uplink
*= HUD Weapon status (temperature/barrel life/carbon accumulation) sensor uplink

Usually this system is mounted under the barrel of the weapon in question. CR-issued sighting systems (electronic or telescopic) interface with the USM to uplink to the HUD. Not all CR weapons have the complete functionality of the USM.

==Ships of the Expedition Fleet==


=== The Seventh Son ===

The ship is a clipper prototype, built by Keeaakka Strongwall, an entirely Schalli-operated and run facility on Aubaine.

*Seventh Son - Abridged stats
**2000/2200 tone prototype Dawn League clipper - USL, open configuration.
**Jump-3, Man-2, 20-g/turns.  

*1000/2000/2200 ton RCES Exploration prototype clipper ship
**Structure: Open configuration, Unstreamlined.
**Volume 14000/28000/30800m3
**Hull: AV21 Length: 144metres   [Vol: 92m3.  Mass: 1370T]

*Power and Drives [powered to 2200tons]
**Jump 3 TL 12 drives [1232m3, Mass: 3996T], Fuel 6160m3 for J-3. [2053 for J-1]
**TL12 Fusion Power Plants [5 x 550MW Vol 1375m3 Mass 11 000T Fuel 412m3/year.]
**HEPLaR Thrusters 2-G.[2200MW, Vol 220m3 Mass 220T ,Fuel: 550m3 per hour [2 combat turns] 

Hull/Drives 2920m3

*Current fuel requirements:
**Jump [at full load] 2053m3 per jump [6160m3 for jump 3]
**Maneuver: 2G – [137.5m3 per g-turn]. [550m3 per hour full burn/ 5 hours total[20 g-turns] 2750m3]
**Power Plant: 412m3 per year.

Fuel required: 9322m3 [Jump -3, 20 g turns of thrust, one years power]

*Fuel resources 
**3520m3 [Will, in an emergency, allow jump-1 with 8 g-turns and a weeks power plant fuel.] 
**1080m3 in three cutter cargo modules 
**4722m3 [400 ton fuel module] Without this module, fuel gets tight very fast.

*Electronics: 
**Dynamic Linked control systems. [MW: 1. 14m3, Mass 1.4T]
**Workstations: [16 command/bridge stations] 224m3 8T [10 engineering stations] 70m3 2T [2 maintenance stations] 14m3 0.4T
**Nav aids; Flight Avionics, TL12 terrain following. 0.1MW
**Computers: 3xTL12fib, MW 1.2[all], Vol 24m3, Mass 4.8T Control multiplier 0.35.

Workstations:Bridge:  4 Command, 2Flight,  2 Electronics [sensors/comms]  1 Engineering, 3 Master fire, 4 open [specialists/survey]

Control/command: 346m3

*Comms [X2]
**Maser Comms 1000AU- 0.6MW, Vol 0.1m3, Mass 0.2T Antenna 1m2
**Radio Comms 1000AU- 20MW, Vol 0.1m3, Mass 0.2T Antenna: 200m2

*Sensors:
**Active EMS [x2]
 **480,000k 50MW Vol 10m3, Mass 20T Antenna 20m2
 **300,000k. 27.5MW Vol 5.5m3, Mass 11T Antenna 11m2
*Passive Array [x2]
 **120 000k fixed 0.15MW Vol 1.5m3, Mass 3T
**Antenna Vol 1.5m3, Mass 1.5T Ant 30m2
 **240 000k Folding array [celestial] 1MW Vol 3.5m3, Mass 7T
**Antenna Vol 10m3 Mass 10T Ant 100m2 

*Ladar [x2] 180.000km [2.5MW Vol 2.5m3 Mass 5T, Antenna 2.5m2]
*Densitometer:TL12 [1MW Vol 15m3 Mass 5T, Ant 100m2]
*Neutrino Sensor: TL12 [0.01MW Vol 10m3 Mass 10T.]

*Electronic countermeasures: EM Masking package 14MW Vol 280m3[d] Mass 560T Surface Area 560m2

Electronics: 340m3

Craft Special features.

*External Grapples for:
**1x100ton craft USL Vol 140m3 Mass 140T
**2x50ton craft USL Vol 140m3 Mass 140T
**4x200ton modules USL Vol 1120m3 Mass 1120T
**2x100ton modules Vol 280m3 Mass 280T
**Docking ring 30 ton Modules x 3 Vol 1260m3    Mass –
**Docking ring 50 ton craft x1 Vol 700m3 Mass-

Grapple/docking: 4760m3

*Cargo space  
**Normal 20 tons. [2 large cargo hatches] [normally filled with missiles, probes and sandcaster refills]
**Converted from empty Meson gun spinal mount: 40 tons. This is in a 3m by 3m tunnel 144metres long.
[Has had several small cargo hatches added to allow external access – you decide how much]

Cargo: 1708m3

*Life support
**Airlocks [20] 0.02MW Vol 60m3 [D] Mass 12T
**Extended life support [1000tonnes] 2.8MW Vol 5.5m3 [d] Mass8T
**G compensators: TL12 [3G] 70MW Vol 140m3 [d] Mass 280T
**Staterooms: Small: 27 0.021MW Vol 588m3 Mass 42T “The Warrens”.

*Extras
**Lab [biology/medical] 8 tons
**Sick Bay 8 tons
**Cold berths 12 single. 6 tons
**Frozen watch. 18 emergency. 18 tons [Meson spine area] 
**Brig 2 tons. 
**Sealed Locker: 2 tons.
Ships secure Locker: 2 tons 28m3
Ready Room/Admin: 3 Tons 42m3 

Life support: 665m3

Fire control

*Master Fire directors [all equipped with 300 000 pencil beam active EMS and Maser comms 300 000k]
**-EMS 2.75MW Vol 5.5m3, Mass 11T Antenna 1.1m2
**-Maser comms 0.3MW Vol 0.08 Mass 0.16T, Antenna 1m2 
**-Fire director 300 000k 0.2MW Vol 20m3, Mass 20T, Ignore 4 diff mods.
**Totals. 3.25MW, Vol 25.6m3 Mass 31.1T Antenna 2.1m2

3xTL12 -  9.75MW Vol 76.8m3 Mass 93.3T Ant 6.3m2

*Weaponry.
**6x Barbettes [10 hex laser -180Mj TL12  5.0MW [30total] Vol 504m3 Mass 607T]
**4x Turrets [2 x missile, 2 x sandcaster - Missile 0.3MW Vol 84m3 Mass 56.8T, Sandcaster 2MW Vol 84m3 Mass 100T]

Armaments: 749m3

Modules.

*400ton fuel module.
**Fuel purification plant
*200 ton cutter module.
**3 'big brute' RBT cargo walkers
**3 cutter modules - gunpack
**1 cutter and min hanger w'fuel/cargo module.
**49m3 [3.5 tons] cargo space.
*100 ton quarters module Mk1b
**31 small staterooms
**Sickbay
**Electronics shop
**Machine Shop
**Equipped as lifeboat
*100 ton Troop carrier Module
**24 small staterooms
**2 Fury assault landers.
**2 Air/rafts [3 ton]
**1.5 ton storage area
**Ready room [7 ton]
*100 ton Fighter module
** 16 ton fighter hanger
** 3 16t docking rings
** 4 wildbat fighters
** 2 1000au masers
** Machine shop
*50 ton Modified Survey module
**2 laboratories [ survey/geology, robotics/virus]
** 180k pems, 3k aems sensors
** Densitometer, neutrino sensor.
** 10 ton skiff in docking ring
** Canary storage [3 tons]
** General secure storage [4 tons]
*50 ton General cargo module
** 5 ton liferaft
** 40 tons cargo space 
Crew of the Seventh Sun

*Ship Crew
**Engineering 30 crew [3 shifts of ten]
**Electronics 6 crew[ 2 per shift]
**FlightCommand 6 crew [2 per shift]
**Gunnery 4 crew [1 per shift, all during action stations]
**Maintenance 8 [2 to 3 per shift]
**Flight- small craft 8 crew [2 per vessel]
**Ships Troops/gunner auxiliary – 12 crew 
**Command – 12 crew [3 shifts of four]
**Stewards – 6 crew [2 per shift]
**Medical – 2 crew [on call]
**Antiviral - 2 crew [on call]

*Total crew:
**96 Effective
**Skeleton crew: 24. 

*Module Crews
2 engineering
6 maintenance
8 flight
2 electronics
12 survey/science
6 service/cargo
12 ships troops
2 medical

56 total

152 effectives

82 staterooms total - 70 at double occupancy, 12 at single.
 

To those of you who dont have TNE, some of it would translate. Basically, shes a rail equipped to grapple on scads of modules and small craft - but is pretty reliant on them for fuel. SS is commited to slow fuel refills by a swarm of small craft, a concept refined into the Manta refueller before production. On the up side, it sports two Laser Barbettes on extenders, and four more along the hull - designed during a phase when the coalition was playing with the idea of moving to this rarer mount.
It is heavily reliant on a 400ton fuel module, but less so than the clippers to come, who took the concept further. It also has accommodation for a skeleton crew, a thing designed out in the later clippers.
It can carry 2 200 ton and 2 100 ton modules, though the 100 ton docking clamps are considered configured to take a mix of 50 and 25 ton modules as well. One of these will need to house crew - the rest are up to you folk and the reality of the situation [more the former].
The one major drawback is a big space where a spinal mount would be - there are none to be had for your expedition, come hell or high water. It has been converted into a long, odd cargo extension of nonstandard dimensions.


===The Watchdog===

Formerly a pirate hunting Q-Ship, the Watchdog is a rebuild of the original ship that misjumped into Schall in 1199. as such, she is about 25% highly roboticised TL-15 tech, 25% salvage TL-15 and 50% TL-12 renovations. A number of nonstandard modifications have been made, even to the original non-standard q-ship design. 
Of particular note are the dual control and computer systems built into the ship - the highly automated TL 15 system inhabited by Watchdog [the virus - a peacemaker strain] and the backup Tl-12 system, which Watchdog has no access to whatsoever. There is also a Virus/computer based lab on board and an electronics shop. 

*Watchdog class Q-ship [TL15!/12^] - 390/400 tons AF Cylinder 5600m3]

*Hull! 2.5 cm bonded superdense AV 70.  66m3, 990T [rated to 5g]

*Engineering [812MW needed for full function- 35MW surplus]
**^Jump - 3. 224m3, 672T. Fuel 1120m3 [80 tons]
**^Manoeuvre drive – 3. 600MW [200MW/G] 60m3, 60T. Fuel use: 25m3/G-turn [400t] [650m3 g fuel]
**^TL12 Power Plant 700MW 350m3 1400T fuel 105m3.
**TL-15 Power Plant 147MW  24.5m3, 49T, fuel 14.7m3*Ex-scout.

Hull/engineering 724m3; Fuel: 1890m3

*Controls:
**TL 15 holographic linked 5.6m3, 0.56T, 0.4MW
^ TL 12 dynamic linked 5.6m3, 0.56T, 0.4MW
*^ Workstations [dual tech] 
*Nav Aids
**TL15 flight avionics, nav aids.0.11MW
**TL15 Terrain following 0.5m3, 0.02T 0.02MW
*Computers
**^3x TL12 Fib 24m3, 4.8T, 1.2MW. Crew Mult 0.35
**3x TL 15 Fib 21m3, 4.2T, 1.65MW. Crew Mult 0.2 [0.1]

Controls/computers 57m3

*Electronics
**Comms
***^2x300k radio 0.6m3, 1.2T, 10MWea
***^2x1kAU Maser 0.13m3, 0.26T, 0.6MWea
[1.5m3, 10.6MW ]*use of one each only.
**Sensors
***1xPEMS Folding array 240k . 3m3, 6T, 0.3MW. Antenna 375m3, 375T 
***1xPEMS fixed Array 120k, 1m3, 2t, 0.1MW. Antenna 0.45m3, 0.45T
***2xAEMS 300k. 6m3, 12T, 30MWea.
***Densitometer 9m3, 1.5T,0.4MW
***Neutrino sensor 5m3, 5T.
***EMS Jammer 300k 3m3, 6T, 30MW.
***EM masking 112m3, 56T, 5.6MW
[521m3, 66.3 MW battle mode]

*Gravitics
**^Contra grav lifters. 120m3, 24T, 40MW.
**^G Compensators 3G. 56m3, 112T, 28MW.
[176m3, 68MW]

Electronics 699m3

*Life Support
**4 airlocks. 12m3, 2.4T, 0.003MW
**Extended life support. 44.8m3, 89.6T, 1.12MW.
**Small Staterooms [18] 504m3, 36T, 0.009MW.
[562m3, 1.132MW.]

*Ship Features
**Fuel purification plant 300m3, 600T, 7.5MW. 1500m3 in 6 hours.
**^Fuel Scoops 1120m/hr [300m3, 7.5MW]
**Lab 8 tons, Electronics shop 6 tons.
**Cargo: 26 tons.


*Weaponry
**2XTL15 Laser Turrets 150Mj [84m3, 4.2MW ea]
**^2x TL 12 Sandcaster turret [84m2, 1MW]
**^1x TL12 Nuclear Damper + Dedicated MFD. [96m3, 90.2t, 18MW] includes workstation.
**Spinal mount 1000Mj Particle Accelerator 374m3, 495T, 27.8MW.
**MFD TL15 - Non Missile capable 1.62MW [8m3,]
[648m3, 57.9MW]


*Crew:
**Engineering-3/6/11 [1/2/3per shift]
**Electronics- 1/2/3 [at need/at need/1 per shift]
**Maneuver- 3/3/6 [1/1/2 per shift]
**Gunnery -0/4[6]/4[6]  [none needed/MFD, damper, 2 turrets [all turrets]/same]
**Maintenance- 1/3/6 [at need/1per shift/2 per shift]
**Ships troops – Designed for 13+2 flight crew.
*Command
** – Without ships troops or gunners 2/cant/cant.
** - Without ships troops/equivalent. 3/4/6 
**- With troops/scientists/scouts/mixed +2/+2/+2 [full 5/6/8]

*Crew Totals
**10 [working with watchdog] + 4 to 6 gunners optional.
**22[working without watchdog,TL15, includes 6 gunners.] (Default crew level)
**38[running on TL-12 backup systems]

== Mission Data ==

=== Briefing ===
About two years ago, a 400-ton Merchant vessel misjumped into the Schall system, blew out its drives, and drove the new sensor net wild. Intercepting Aubaini Navy vessels were attacked by a reasonably-sophisticated virus, which made it through primary comms channels, but was shut down at the secondary backups. A ship's boat investigated, once the virused ship's sensors had been neutralized, and discovered the remains were of a purpose-built virus ship! It had little space for humans, and a number of dedicated robotic units for maintenance and self-repair. The only humans on board were dead, and complexly-cyborged at TL14-15. 

Deep analysis of the remains of the ship pinpointed the place of construction: the former commercial starport at Juncture, the system that contained the massive Starlink to the greater galaxy. There are so many implications or possibilities that have no answers, that even though it is roughly 200 parsecs away, through unexplored sectors of space… RefCol wants us to go there, and send a message back.

Our ship's name: ''Seventh Son.''

''Seventh Son'' is a prototype brought up to line standard, all TL12. It'll be a close match to the current vessels, but lacking a central spinal mount. "Another general note, I tend to scrap maneuver fuel, but that space is taken up by logical stuff like emergency escape pods,etc. however, for this game, we'll keep it by the book to avoid too much houseruley gear in-game. Just expect your fuel supply to shrink a little to accommodate logical additions."


=== Command Structure ===

*O7 Expedition Commander. Lilelu Wall.
*O6 
**Ground-Captain Khimamka, or Mercy. Commander, ground unit actions. Force commander, RCMC and League Peacekeeper combined unit. 
**Scout-Captain Mitchell Frost, or Frosty. Captain, DLS ''Watchdog''. Commander, contact survey missions.
*O5
** Ships Captains. Ilyana Razback, Horace Teatine.
** !Doctor Puissant, or Max. Current position: Science Head. Commander, Special operations under Watchdog protocols.
** Ms. Tomlinson, or Emily, Master astrogator.Watch commander/XO DLS ''Watchdog''. Astrogation head. Liaison specialist.
*O4 
** Watch commanders. Nash [xxx], others on all ships.


=== Ships stores ===

*Object [availability]- Crew types normally supplied - [a multiplier or set figure]- Tech Level.

*Availibility options: Common-Issue-Uncommon-Rare-Unique.
*Crew types: Combat, ground, space, flight, command, trained[specialists], other.


*Personal Transport
**Grav Belts - [unique] As needed - [2] TL12
**Grav Rails - [unique] As needed - [4] TL12
**Personal Re-entry kits - [Issue] - All crew - [x2] TL 10.
**Drop Capsules Mk I & II - [Issue] - Trained combat Sp - [x1] TL12

*Personal Protection
**RCES Body sleeve, gloves and hardhelm - [Issue] all crew [x4] TL10
**ARES Hazard suits and Tactical armour package - [Issue] ground/support crew [x2] TL10
**Combat Armour - [Uncommon] combat crew - [x1.5] TL12
**RCES - Lt Battledress - [Uncommon] Trained combat crew - [x1.5] TL12
**RCES - Hvy Battledress - [Rare] Trained combat crew - [x1.0] TL12

*Comms
**3000km Radio/Maser - [rare] - as needed - [x0.5] TL12
**300km Radio/Maser - [uncommon] - command/combat - [x1] TL12
**300km Tight beam radio uplink [issue] - away missions - [x2] TL12
**30 k Radio Tac comms [issue] - away missions - [x2]TL12
**3km Tac comm [common] - all crew - [x4] TL12

*Electronics
**Automated passive sensors 3km. - [uncommon] - ground security - [12]TL12
**Remotely piloted recon drones - [unique] - as needed - [2] TL10

*Vision enhancement.
**Image converter binoculars - [issue] - ground/survey- [x1.5] TL10
**PRIS binoculars - [uncommon] - command, engineering, combat, scout - [x1] TL12
**IR/LI goggles - [Issue] - all - [x2] TL9

*Virus Equipment* Much of this is in Max's lab
**Electronics diagnostics kits - [Issue] - any trained - [x1.5] TL12
**Warning canaries - [unique] - specialist - [9]TL12, [3] TL14
**Passive exploratory canaries [unique]- [3]TL12 [1] TL15
**Active exploratory canaries [unique] - [6] TL12 [1] TL14

*Virus capsules [unique] -[3]TL12 starship capsules. [1]TL15 Starship capsule.
*Lightning bolts: [rare] - all electronics/boarding/survey- [x1]TL12

*Medical
**Automed - [unique] - medical, emergency. [3]TL12
**Portable automed - [unique] - medical, combat, emergency [2] TL12.

*Survival/rescue
**Filter/respirator masks - [uncommon] maintenance, emergency [x1.5] TL9
**Rescue Balls - [uncommon] All [x1.5]
**Survival Bubble - [issue] 1 per small stateroom [x2] TL9

*Weaponry
*Configured armoury for
**-7mm ACR family of weapons [includes the Coalition multipurpose weapon system]
**-7.6 mm autopistol and SMGs
**-4mm gauss pistol and rifle, support weapons.
**-40mm grenade launchers
**-TL12 plasma weapons [powered troops only]
**-18mm shotgun. [autoshotgun, shotgun pistols]
**-10mm snub. [pistols and snub SMG]