Don Juan Antonio Edwardo Rohas is planning to rob the Imperial Bank on Byzantium Secundus to finance his own army.
| | | 'Silversphere' in Word 6, postscript and space delimited text formats |
Don Juan Antonio Edwardo Rohas is planning to rob the Imperial Bank on Byzantium Secundus to finance his own army. To do this he requires three things, vehicles and weaponry, a method of disabling the security forces and a way to disable the technological defenses of the bank.
The first two he had planned but was unable to find a method to solve the latter until he learn't of a letter from Sir Harakil Hazat, once a knight of The Hazat but now a Questing Knight. He had discovered the crash site of a 2nd Republic Battlecruiser. Alexsandro recognised the ship and knew of it's weapons, one of which would solve his problem of disabling the technology of the bank.Knowing that his brother, Miguel, was in the area he, posing as his Father, sent a message to him to get this particular item and return to Byzantium Secundus.
The story is in five parts.
The Prospectors: The group land on Icon and try to locate the crash site.
The Thieves: Once located, the group breaks into the camp and steals what it needs and anything else it wants.
The Couriers: The group transports the goods safely to Byzantium Secundus
The Detectives: The group discover something is wrong and try to discover what
The Saviours: They save the day.
Over a millenia ago a large battlecruiser was damaged in a battle and crashed on a mood. There it has laid, gradually being covered by silt and dust, waiting to by found. It's wait recently ended when Sir Harakil Hazat, a Questing Knight, discovered clues to it's existance. He sought it out and found it on the second moon of the fourth planet of the Icon system. Upon this discovery he sent word to the Emperor who dispatched a team of scientists, engineeers and archeologists protected by Imperial troops to learn what they can. Sir Harakil also wrote to his sister and mentioned, in passing, this discovery.
By the time the players get to Icon there will be full research base set-up in the moon Calig. The research team, however, have been very careful to avoid notice in moving here and as such the first challenge to the players is to locate them.
When a Questing Knight appears in a area of population the news of his presence spreads like wildfire. Sir Harakil landed on Icon on the planets main spaceport, bought a spacesuit, assorted mining and scanning equipment and other supplies and hired a Runt. He then left planet, returning about a fortnight later. He sent message to the Emporer and waited. It was during this wait then he wrote to his sister.
About three weeks later a research team landed on Icon, located Sir Harakil and immediately set off again. They spoke to as few people as they could and told no one of their destination.
The research base is only a small temporary set-up and requires supplies from Icon on a regular basis. Once a fortnight they send a Runt crewed by an Imperial Guardsman (plain clothed) and a technician to get supplies. The journey is a two day round trip.
When seeking information on Sir Harakil everyone is more than happy to talk of what he said, what they sold him etc. The following information can be obtained using the relevant rolls (Word-on-the-Street, Inquiry etc)
If the players attempt to ask further about the people he met.
If they players cannot locate them then they should 'stumble' on them after about a week. The GM should reduce their plunder at the crash site.
The base is a rapid assemble sort, the standard sort used by the Empire. It has reinforced doors, walls and windows with armour and vitality 5. It is equiped with radar and a radio capable of contacting Icon.
The base is occupied by the Head Researcher Alea Simone, the Questing Knight Sir Harakil Hazat, 5 scientists and 6 Imperial Guards. They scientists work 10 hours in every 24, there is always 2 guards on patrol at any one time, an likely 2 others awake. The crashed ship, buried in the cliff face has the bases life support and is only accessable via the base.
Each bubble has an airlock and bubble 2 has 3 (sparecraft connections). Bubble 1 houses Harakil's and Alea's quarters, 2 the stores, 3 the labs and 4 the guards and scientists housing.
The ship contains a variety of decript technology of variable value. A scavenger will find 20 * VPs rolled on Perception + Redemption High Tech) the first 10 minutes they have search, 18 the second etc to a minimum of 1 pr VP.
Assuming thet Miguel gets what he is searching for the group has to get it to Byzantium Secundus. Unfortunately a pirate operation was going to raid the base but the players got there first. The pirates will ambush the players at the jumpgate, attacking with a Hazretd Sidestepper (PHB 205) and four Imperial Archangels (FL:T 74).
The pirates can be assumed to have slightly above average Traits. They will continue to attack until the ship is disabled or the group surrenders. The pirates operate from a base in Icon's asteroid belt, about 20 AU's from the jumpgate. If captured the PC's will be taken there to see if they are worth anything, if they are discovered to be worthless they will be killed.
They will be stripped of their equipment and put in a metal cell. The only possible exit is through an electrified grid (6 DMG unless insulated, Armour 3, Vitality 4) into the air conditioning system. Their equipment will have been taken to a lab for inspection. There are about 20 pirates in total on the base, armed with a wide variety of weapons, but all carry a light pistol and knife. They are, however, cautious to use higher powered weapons in case they damage the hull (a critical failure will hit the hull, armour and vitality 8). Outside is hard vacuum. The PC's ship is docked to the station, as are all of the pirates ships.
The plot is such. Funded by a mysterious source, Don Juan has 'bought' the Deacon resposible for taking care of the Penitents on the Orthodox cathedral in Imperial City an is getting him to ferry them to his base, they are then brain washed. Don Juan is also frantically buying all and every weapon he can get his hands on. He just awaits the delivery of the EMP sphere for all the pieces to be in place. He is ferrying all of these goods through a cover company called Byzantine Couriers to his base which is about 80 miles out of the city in a mountain range (near the horizon when viewed from the city). Once he has the sphere he will fit it into the necessary equipment. He will then launch his air support and then fire the EMP weapon, disabling all the electronic equipment in the base. Then the air force will assault the base, breaking down all necessary barriers for the ground troops and penitents, which will have been dropped soon after, to strike. As soon as the area is secure the air transposts will come in and be loaded up with the funds, the troops and ait forse will fend off the early response from the Imperial Guard. They will then flee to the base where the loot will be trasfered to numerous small ships which will speed out into the solar system to hide, to later transfer again to larger, more inoccuous ships for transport out of the system.
This operation, however, hs left numerous clues to it's existance.
The ChurchDeacon Yerth of the the Orthodox chuch has an expensive taste for certain drugs and has found it necessary to seek funds elsewhere. He receives money from an unknown source in return for Penitents with certain powers (Psyche) to them. He takes Penitents with these powers to bar ('The Imperial Arms') in town where they are collected by a recognised but unknown figure to an unknown location. They are in fact collected and taken to the Byzantium Couriers where they are then transported to the main base. Deacon Yerth will claim (and the books will show) that they are being transported to a monastory in Holy City, although no-one else knows of this. He will stick to his story unless definitely proven to be guilty, threatened or offered enough (100+ FB).
Possible clues to this happening are the players seeing an Othodox priest entering a downtown pub, a penitent approaching the players and asking them to see what they can find, the player witness a penitent asking where all his friends are going and being beaten and told not to ask again, the Deacon may let slip something like 'Shut up or I'll get rid of you too.' or 'I have no choice, don't you realise'. The players may also witness him either taking the drug or traces of it on the Deacon's desk.
The HazatUpon delivering the sphere to the Hazat Embassy the receptionist will call for an aide (Sophie Gilas) who will then be asked to deliver the package toa certain room, Perception + Observe to hear the rooom number as 132a. She will appear confused (Perception + Observe to notice) but to it anyway, the room is empty and unused.. Then the receptionist will thank Miguel and try to get him to leave. That night there will be an attempt on Miguel's life, 3 muggers will attack him, armed with medium pistols and knives. Some will be carrying Ch'aak cigarettes (which are distinctive by their greenish hue) as they are one of the legitimate imports that Byzantine Couriers deal with, they just nicked a few packets. At the same time someone will collect the sphere, leaving the clue confused (Perception + Observe to notice) of a used Ch'aak cigarette, and a semi-burnt, light blue match. The match is from The Imperial Arms, which is written on all of the matches, although only 'ial Arms' is visible due to the burning. Sophie Gilas will also be murdered that night while she was working late in the office. The next day the receptionist will have changed back to the normal one, who was mugged the previous day and had to spend the day in hospital. No-one seems to know where the replacement came from, manager responsible for it noticed that the receptionist had changed but assumed it had been dealt with by an underling, all of whom assumed someone else had organised it. No-one recognised the replacement.
Investigations into the suppliers of Ch'aak cigarettes will ultimately (10VP's,1 roll per hour) lead to Byzantium Couriers if the PC follows this route, via numerous middlemen.
ScraverHe will become aware that the prices of weapons are much higher than they should be, and that, with some research, that they have risen sharpely over the last few weeks. This is, of course, due the the need of Don Juan for weapons. The local Scravers, most of whom are corrupt to various degrees, to get hold of weapons by any means he can as they wll pay him handsomely for it (and then sell it for more elsewhere). If he manages to earn the trust of any of the plotting Scravers then he will be asked to make a delivery for them. The package will be a suitcase with a combination lock (Perception + Observe -4 to see, 0 with telescope eye) , and will contain certain plans of the Imperial Bank stolen from the Palace (though this will not be detailed on the plans), to be delivered to 'The Imperial Arms'. If he asks too many questions or his link to Don Miguel is discovered (some of the Scravers are in the employ of Don Juan) then the same will happen but a note will be added to the plans, on the top, saying 'This man is untrustworthy, dispose of him'. They will attempt to take his life (see Hazat, but with 2 assailants). The same clues will be present, in addition to the address of the Orthodox Cathedral (this is not clear on the address, it has to be investigated) and the name Yerth written on the back of a Import Customs Label. He carried this address in case the Deacon needed eliminating. If Zarakim uses his network of contacts, one of which will be easy to find here (there are numerous at the Embasyy), then they will be aware of the increase interest in weapons, and know that they are being transported via a couriers called Byzantine Couriers. They will also know about the theft of the plans from the palace, and what they are plans of, but won't comment unless asked directly of missing plans.
Imperial ArmsThe Imperial Arms is used for much of the trading, arranging for the transfer of goods and the obtaining of the Penitents. At all times there is at least one agent of Don Juan's present, more during the night, there is a 50% chance that any individual smokes and a 90% chance it is a Ch'aak cigarette, if the PC's choose this method to locate them. If the agent is watched he will have suspicous conversations with numerous indviduals, including on gentlemen in plain clothes with numeous confused, shaven headed people (the Deacon and the Peinitents), they will be escorted away by one of the agents and taken in a van to Byzantine Couriers. There should be a chance that an agent spots the PCs, especially if they act conspiciously or Don Miguel is present.
Byzantine CouriersByzantine Couriers is a cover company for Don Juan's operations on the outskirts of the city. During the day they perform normal, legal, operations (including the delivery of Ch'aak cigarettes). During the night there are numerous unmarked vans making surreptitios deliveries, and at bout 1am a large truck leaves for the mountains, marked as Muster Mining Equipment. This contains many of the weapons, penitents and miscellaneous equipment for the operation.
The main entrance is about half a mile into a largish cave at the base of the mountain. it is obviously well travelled, with many foot and tyre markes leading in and out from the nearby track. The entrance itself as a large armoured metal door, Armour and Vitality of 15. Inside the base are all the pilots and drop troops, literally 100's of armed and trained men from various backgrounds, Hazat, Muster, Scraver and freelancers.
The arrival of the PC should be dependant upon thier sucesses at discovering the place. If they took a long time they should arrive just before the attack. There are numerous ways the PC's could try to gte in, but which ever route should be made difficult by the GM, although they believe they are in no danger the failed attempts on the Pc's lives have made them more cautious that they would have been. If the party are captured they will be taken in front of Don Juan, whom Miguel will recognise. Don Juan is impressed with thir ability to locate him and will make a tentative offer to them to join him. Any hint that they would betray him then he will have them taken away and strapped to the launch pad where the jets of the air-vehicles will fire, incinerating them. They straps should be made so that the strongest of the group can break them or escape by some other method.
The forces include 100 attack fighters, 20 troop transports, 5 transports and a few hundered soldiers and 40 penitents.
The central aspect of the mission is the EMP 'silver' sphere, without which the mission is doomed to failure. It is situated near the top of the mountain and controlled from in the main control room.
If the attack goes ahead it will succeed with a minimum of losses. The carriers will collect the firebirds and carry them back to the base, as will the transports with the troops. Then the people and funds be moved to 30 small, fast ships that will speed out into the solar system to hide in numerous different locations for a few weeks, slowly transfering their cargo to other 'legit' ships for transport out of system.