YOU WANT US TO DO WHAT!: Chapter 2: The Threats

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The first thing to notice is the corrosive haze that lingers and stirs in the air. The ground seems comprised of lose packed “earth”, and as far as you can tell there are little to no other topographical features. The haze is thicker the closer it is to the ground. There are also high thick clouds. You think it is day but there is no great radiance of light. You can see a bit, it's an excellent environment for your stealth abilities, in the hazy perpetual twilight. There is a sporadic tempestuous breeze that sirs the haze, now and again, creating an eery sense of a presence, but little else. You can’t help but think “is this the right place?”

BM Note: The breeze is sporadic, but every once in a while, carried with it, there seems to be a kind of rain fall or fallout. A close look reveals a kind of particulate makeup, like some kind of contaminant thrown off from the ski...”no doubt part of the corrosive surface.”

If a player takes a sample and analyze it (physical composite computer ect...), let them know that it has a quality of debris similar to that of heavy mining and refining of ores and fuels. Assure them that as long as the corrosive protection remains intact they should be OK...


BM Note: For the most it is safe. Few if any thing lives on the surface of the planet. There are patrols that go out once in a while, but it is just for a look about. There are a few loose mutations that have adapted to the surface and hide out here, but it is unlikely for them to be discovered. If there is a problem on the surface, a disturbance or conflagration of some sort, they may come to see, and might help if things go bad for the players. This can happen anytime the team is on the surface. The mutants look nothing like Humanoids, but retain enough of a memory to know what they were and who did it to them. Depending on how the team reacts to there help and appearance, shapes the rest of the encounter. The mutants know about the exhaust vents. The team can use this as a way into the mines, all be it, indirectly, as they are enclosed systems. The mutants know little else, do to their condition and events around their escape. ‘’‘to analyze a sample of fluid or tissue from a mutant reveals, in this instant, that they are clones as well’‘’

NPCs for YOU WANT US TO DO WHAT!



Contents

[edit]

And So It Begins

---For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This means that everything the players do has a chance at being discovered. The more they do the greater the chance of discovery. Their skills and the armor systems they have lower the chance of being discovered but also increases it. Standard movement is one thing, enhanced movement is another. The more the energy output the greater the movement, therefore the greater the chance of discovery. The armor has a special flight system, displacement device, and hover jets. Logic and smart action can carry one a long way.
---If one looks closely at the data burst scan from landing, A single structure will be the only thing that appears. Distance is some (100-200km). Logical reasoning, based on the data and observation, could tell that sensors are more limited the closer one is to the surface. One can deduce then, that, if there are no “things” on the surface, near by, to detect there presence, then it might be safe to use “optional” modes of travel to quicken the pace. Logic “should” also tell one that getting closer to a “structure” increases the risk of discovery, and should give you an idea about how far from the structure “optional” movement should be halted for a more conventional approach!
BM’s: Be aware of the time, distance, and all situational conditions. With a good and experienced team they may notice these things. These things are always good to mention to the BM. If not try to prompt them here to pay closer attention to detain, both what is around them and what, where, how, when, and why they do what they do. Once inside there is little room for errors.

BM’s, be aware that there will be a patrol on the surface making rounds. If the party is good, let them follow the patrol back to the silo entrance and glimpse the access code! If not... well then roll to see if they are spotted Surface Patrol, taking into account all situational modifiers.



[edit]

Overall

The planet has three cities. All carry out similar experiments. The cities are set up quite similarly. They form a ring around the equator, at even intervals. Each has a similar network of support structures. The city is at the center, the training “Farms” are the next closest, then the animal “Farms”, then the agricultural “Farms.” The purification Plant is centrally located to the three types of “Farms” (I make a note, that I am considering the Xarians to be using a word that translates to mean ‘Farm’ as a more generic word, even though it represent different things, per-say. Players that hack a computer and get info will need more to understand that the various mentions of ‘Farm’ means different things). Next is the Planetary Defense Systems, which, for all intense purposes, are the farthest out from the cities. There are also three, total, “Battlefields”. These lay between the cities, and each city controls one side each of these massive combat areas.


Also note that there are actually two surfaces to the planet. Bringing a new meaning to Dome, most of the planets original surface is covered in a planetary dome, even though most, if not all of the planets different facilities are each covered by their own domes. Do to mining and refining the top surface has been recovered by debris. Also work has gone into making the undersurface more oxygen based, but it was a corrosive environment long before the Xarians came along, so there may be air but the landscape is rough, unlike topside which is now ‘mostly’ featureless lose packed debris clouded in a corrosive environment and contaminated atmosphere.The domed planet is so they can expand as need be, which is part of their plans.



[edit]

Silo

One: Planetary Defense: These are massive silos filled with a massive weapon system and mechanism to lift it to the surface to fire. There is a cylinder like structure on the surface made of a crystal/plastic/ceramic composite, along with some unknown material. There is an airlock door (size class 8). This is where a patrol comes to the surface to check the perimeter. Because of all the contaminates, sensors don’t work well, so they have to come up and look around. The airlock decontaminates when they come back in.

Inside there is a large silo door in the floor, it opens when the weapon rises to fire, otherwise is closed. There is also a small (size class 8) hatch that leads to a switchback staircase that runs down the center shaft to a command center and the undersurface.
The stairs exit at a door that leads to the command center of the weapon. There is also more access to the weapon from the bottom, for repairs and maintenance. The command room has manual weapon controls and three exits. There seem to be a command console, a communication terminal, a computer terminal (that looks to get a lot of use), and a main system control interface. The exits are positioned in the rear of the room in a kind of bent capital E. Each has a short corridor with doors to both sides. The control room can be sealed off. The door in from the silo is the only secured one, as the other three doors are open. All the doors in the corridors are closed but there are no locks or such. Each door leads to a sparse room, all but one which is far more adorned. They account for 12 personal. Note: only 7 were in the patrol.
Each corridor leads to a T intersection which all lead into the same cross section. Not real efficient. Either side of the T’s— lead down stairs to other sections of the little command center. In this area are, 1: a commons area where there is a small mess haul. 2: a storage room, for weapons and armor. 3: a service and repair workshop for weapons and armor. 4: a holo-combat-training-room, where the operations personal can practice, train, and relax in a variety of simulated environments (like a combination virtual reality suit and combat station). All the rooms have a network of connecting doors and another airlock door that leads to the second undersurface.


[edit]
Difficulties, Physical Entry
  • # Surface Entry,
    • Electronic Key Pad, Xarian Defeat L9, Bypass L10
  • # Stairwell,
    • Thermal, L9
    • Motion, Defeat L15, Bypass L18
  • # Control Room,
    • Electronic Key Pad, Xarian Defeat L9, Bypass L10
    • Voice Lock, Defeat L8, Bypass L11
  • # To Domes Surface
    • Electronic Card Pad, Xarian Defeat L9, Bypass L10


BM’s should note that, the security lock topside is a L13 defeat, L16 Bypass to pop the panel and gain access, if they did not get a code.(corrosive will then eventually eat the controls from the inside.)
There is no security on the personal hatch.
There are sensors in the silo on the staircase, L9 detect. L13 defeat, L16 Bypass. Note also that defeating is more detectable then bypassing to spot the tampering.

Information contained with in the base computer varies in difficulty. A: Basic access L9, which could reveal simple listings, duties, time schedules for maintenance, games to play! B: Moderate L13 get one into personal files, weapon schematics, and network modem (one can get access to the standard network from here). C: Hard L17 identifies that there are Complex Battle Array sub-files. D: Other L20+ (as set per task) gets one into the Complex Battle Array programing, commands, and codes. L22 gets one into the CBA network.

BM’s: Lure the players in. Let them Push for what they can do and can access. Measure how much they push and give them more and more. It will begin to look like they can get all or most of what they need here at the computer terminal, linked into the network. (The CBA net is a lot harder to discover!). Don’t make one check and give them all up to that point. Feed it to them one piece at a time, making a check for each area, that will or can lead into the next piece etc...

Remember, the longer they play on the net, the more they mess with, look into, and the like, the more chance they have, at being discovered.

--There are many things a skilled creative team could try here... time and tampering adds another point to detection! (Sure no one is looking for spies, but when there becomes a lot of unusual activity... it isn’t even about ‘unauthorized’ as much as it is about ‘unusual’ activity, and, depending, 'an ever growing amount').
So we begin with a low chance to 'be noticed' 1% or so (being that this represents simple access to the net and nothing out of the ordinary), and with each basic access, to each local etc... +1, each, Moderate access +3, each Hard access +5, each “Modification” (code or program change/ added) +10... to be modified by how good or bad they succeed at each task. A really High success bringing down the overall chance and a failure ?(blowing it all! or greatly increases the chance of discovery)...

[edit]
Difficulties, Computer

-Basic L9

      • 1: Planetary Layout, basic map.
      • 2: Facility Names and locations/distance= Planetary defense facilities. Farms. Purification Plants. Battlefields. Cities.

-Moderate L13

      • 1: Who and what is assigned where, and how many. (This could also help make apparent that there are three types of farms, because there are three distinct personal, supply, and equipment rosters types).
      • 2: Facility layouts, (there are also three distinct blueprint types, although similar).
      • 3: Some detail about the security (physical) at each site (knowing what security is there is not the same as being able to access it) . Guards, Retina, Palm, DNA scans etc...
      • 4: This could also get remote net access into a facility basic system.

-Hard L17

      • 1: Access to a facilities ‘sensitive’ systems, operation and control programming.
      • 2: Planting ones own code into a system, recoding(this may vary depending on how invasive and complex it is) .
      • 3: Getting entry codes, physical, punch pads etc... (this is for none self contained areas. Self contained area codes L22).
      • 4: Changing Physical security measures, (adding their own code for access and hiding it, this is for none self contained areas. Self contained L22... (uses many checks and skills)
  • Special When I say Self contained, I mean those areas that do not have network connections beyond the initial security panel. Which requires Retinal, Palm, and DNA scans to get full access. Of course if a team has their own info on file it is possible to add themselfs to the security access, but a check for each is needed L22. Getting into a self contained research lab and getting info from there still must be done is person.

Also remember cause and effect, time and tampering vs discovery.
Also, there is a lot of info they can get, that should make it easier for the team, for a while. They will need to verify, in person, that the info is correct and to find out if there is anything more. Then the cities, the experiments, there is no info on, besides locations... and these will be much harder for many reasons.


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Outer Facilities

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Farm-F

Two-F: The Farm: Fields: These are a self contained automated facility. There are pipes that run from out of the wilds into a shed just outside of the enclosure. There is only basic security on the shed, which holds monitoring and manual controls for regulating water. These are back up systems in case of emergency and are only checked when someone come by. There is a clear airlock like door, with decontamination protocols on it for those entering. The field encircles the single structure. The single building is in the center of the well trimmed field. From where pipes run up to a fan like apparatus that dispenses water at set times. There is also a simulated sun light system, that automatically activates as needed. There are robots that come out regularly and move up and down between the rows of crops checking and monitoring growth. They also are responsible for harvest. There is also a sprinkler like system, where the heads pop up and spray a fertilizer. There is also a storage silo and a section of doming that looks set up for vehicles to come by to collect product when the time is right.

BM’s: depending on how the team approaches, what info they have so far, etc... They can observe at a safe distance to see how things run. If they go in, to check the building and operations. There are storage tanks, power generators, and a repair station for the robots. There are no Sentience here, no I-bots, but there is a communications and programing station that monitors and reprogram’s robots as needed, there is also regular scheduled maintenance and pick ups that come by.
If they watch long enough they easily notic that the plants grow fast. If they thing to take samples of plants and fertilizer, the fertilizer has some unusual properties. If returned to command the company eventually will figure out how to make use of the substance, which nets the team a bonus.


[edit]
Difficulties, Physical Entry
  • # Airlock Entry,
    • Electronic Key Pad, Xarian Defeat L9, Bypass L10
  • # Control Room,
    • Electronic Card Pad, Xarian Defeat L9, Bypass L10
    • Voice Lock, Defeat L8, Bypass L11
  • # To Water Shed
    • Electronic Key Pad, Xarian Defeat L9, Bypass L10



[edit]

Farm-R

Two-R: The Farm: Ranch: The ranch is set up similar to the farm, but with animals. There are robots and personal (including I-bots). The building is a bit bigger, but has rooms for the personal here. There is a better computer set up. There are generators and storage silos. A place in the dome where vehicles can drop in their load of ‘Hey’ equivalent from other farms. There is also an underground section, with ramp access. below is a cloning facility for growing the ‘cow’ equivalent. then they are monitored and kept on the surface till taken away. The time they spend here varies and is based on a supply and demand that fluctuates for Other reasons.


BM’s: there is nothing much of interest here... well the usual mischief. Reprogramming I-bots, cloning tanks, access to the net (if needed). (In essence, the team could set up the cloning tanks to make copies of themselves... it would take some time and understanding to do, needing engineering, medical, and computer programing. The vats aren’t set up for backing up memory, but hey... also it would take some time for the clones to grow, a few weeks, not a lot in the scheme of things... ("rope" is always good, as good as having a Plan!)


[edit]
Difficulties, Physical Entry
  • # Airlock Entry,
    • Electronic Key Pad, Xarian Defeat L9, Bypass L10
  • # Control Room,
    • Electronic Card Pad, Xarian Defeat L9, Bypass L10
    • Voice Lock, Defeat L8, Bypass L11
  • # To Cloning room
    • Electronic Key Pad, Xarian Defeat L9, Bypass L10
    • Electronic Card Pad, Xarian Defeat L9, Bypass L10
    • Voice Lock, Defeat L8, Bypass L11
    • Palm Print Lock, Defeat L10, Bypass L14
  • # To Water Shed
    • Electronic Key Pad, Xarian Defeat L9, Bypass L10
[edit]

Farm-T

Two-T: The Farm: Training: this is quite a bit different then the other two Farms. It is bigger, still domed, still with a water manual regulating station on the outside, that has much larger pipes. There is still an airlock like entrance, but not clear. There is also a vehicle airlock door. There is a tall wall all the way around the grounds and regulated sunlight cycles. The clear parts of the dome seem to have a web of some kind of mesh. The building is only one but is huge and modular with different levels, tears, balconies, and the like. There are a lot more monitoring devices both looking in and looking out.

Getting in for a look see is going to be different then at the other sights for many reasons. The outer security airlock has palm scanners as well as a code system. Inside are many Human/Orion/Gen creatures, that even look “normal”. There are also Xarians (and I-bots) here. On the occasion, there is even an Arachnid or two, to be seen.
There is little security in most of the facility, which are testing, training, housing, mess hauls, weapon and armor stations which are sparse and lightly equipped only. There are some aspects off limits. These are located under ground. These consist of control and command rooms. The Xarian quarters along with armor and weapons of a lot better make and variety. There are computer rooms and cloning labs. These labs are set up to only grow “normal” beings. They have a system set up for programing skills but not actual personalities, partial memories, kind of.


[edit]
Difficulties, Physical Entry
  • # Airlock Entry,
    • Electronic Key Pad, Xarian Defeat L9, Bypass L10
  • # Control Room,
    • Electronic Card Pad, Xarian Defeat L9, Bypass L10
    • Voice Lock, Defeat L8, Bypass L11
  • # To Cloning rooms
    • Electronic Key Pad, Xarian Defeat L9, Bypass L10
    • Electronic Card Pad, Xarian Defeat L9, Bypass L10
    • Voice Lock, Defeat L8, Bypass L11
    • Palm Print Lock, Defeat L10, Bypass L14
  • # To Water Shed
    • Electronic Key Pad, Xarian Defeat L9, Bypass L10


[edit]

Plant

Three: The Purification Plant: This is a extremely large facility. There are pipes going off in many directions, these lead to other Farms. There are Large tanks linked in series to store large amounts of water. There are large purification systems as well. There is also a load area for Tankers. There are many tankers there when the team arrives. The plant is set up so that when a farm is in a watering cycle the plants “other” activities stop for the time. If one watches long enough this can be determined to coincide base on length and timing. There is a main control area with the usual access and info, like the other bases so far. There are also living quarters, (living, I-bots, and robots) along with service, storage, and maintanence rooms. There is a massive shaft deep into the ground, from where water is pumped to the surface to be purified.



[edit]
Difficulties, Physical Entry
  • # Control Room,
    • Electronic Key Pad, Xarian Defeat L9, Bypass L10
    • Voice Lock, Defeat L8, Bypass L11
  • # To Pump room
    • Electronic Key Pad, Xarian Defeat L9, Bypass L10
    • Voice Lock, Defeat L8, Bypass L11
    • Palm Print Lock, Defeat L10, Bypass L14



[edit]

Battle Site

Four: The Battlefield: The battlefields are the biggest sits on the planet. The are fully enclosed by massing walls. Each city involved has control of one side, where there is located a command base, from where activities are coordinated. To gain entry, leads one to a huge Vehicle door flanked by two size class 8 doors. There are key codes L12, and palm scanners l14. There are guard post on either side, within, and monitors and scanners to watch for anything to approach. Everything does not enter from this point, there are some transporter systems in place to handle other comings and goings, deep in the facilities.

Initial entry give way to a motor pool crossroad. There are slots for vehicles, most fairly big. There are some tanks and a few other light vehicles. There is a series of slots sized to just fit a tankers tank, like a water fuel cell. There are also a few road ways that lead off along the walls. They lead down to other motor pools, which are similar in design but with access into the battlefield. The sound of massive generators can be heard but it can’t easily be determined from where.
There are metal stairs that go up to rafters and walkways above, lined with a number of doors. The two most outside doors lead into massive generator rooms. Entering through these doors put a person on a high walkway overlooking everything. The walkway goes around the entire chamber with many stairs that go down and many doors that go in. There are maintenance rooms that hold tools and parts, just about anything you can think of for maintaining and repairing such a place can be found here. There are also janitorial rooms for... most doors exit into corridors that lead to yet more doors.
Each of two next most doors are short hauls that enter into a commons area for troops. There are many corridors that lead off from here, most lead to quarters for the initial outer defense troops and vehicle operators. There is a main corridor that leads inwards, past command quarters and into a large mess haul, with many connections. Leading off in different directions, a virtual reality training room, a gym, a media lounge. All directions have more maintenance and janitorial rooms. The main corridor leads into higher ranking command rooms and commons areas. Then it leads into a main control room.
The other door goes down a long corridor with inter connecting hauls that go into all the other places mentioned. The end of this corridor exits into a large series of offices and briefing rooms then directly into the main command room.
The lower areas are almost all troop quarters and support. There are also a lot of holding cells of different natures. The motor pool has a lot more worn vehicles. From here troop are launched into the arena to take on what ever assignments come down.


Inside the arena is a typical Alliance type city... it is in various levels of repair as this is where special training takes place, and the arachnids and Xarians want realer vs virtual practice. The city at times comes complete with Alliance Sentience, like one might find, and other times its just a smorgasbord of “things” being pitted against each other. The pretend city runs through the center of the arena. There are outlining towns of different sizes on either side, nearer the commands of each controlling side. Almost anything is possible to be going on at any given time.
The command centers monitors and regulates their side in the massive competitions!
There are many objectives, some of which is to give their mutations an idea of what to expect when infiltrating. To give Arachnids and Xarians active practice finding all the places “rodents” might go hide, and how to take them alive, when they can. It also provides a good food source, the captives or clones counted among the loses in an engagement.
This is also a media entertainment money maker, as there are cameras and monitors everywhere. (There are even plans now, for games on Real Alliance cities. Agents are already placing special camera/monitors in select cities so their teams can go compete for real! Accomplishing their actual missions while also entertaining.)



[edit]

Difficulties, Physical Entry

  • # Airlock Entry,
    • Electronic Key Pad, Xarian Defeat L9, Bypass L10
    • Electronic Card Pad, Xarian Defeat L9, Bypass L10
    • Motion, Defeat L15, Bypass L18
    • Plus Security Force
  • # Control Room,
    • Electronic Card Pad, Xarian Defeat L9, Bypass L10
    • Voice Lock, Defeat L8, Bypass L11
  • # To Battle Zone
    • Electronic Key Pad, Xarian Defeat L9, Bypass L10
  • # To Heavy Weapons Locker
    • Electronic Key Pad, Xarian Defeat L9, Bypass L10



[edit]

City

Five: The City: The Xarian main city is the most complete facility. It has many areas with different security levels. It is set up to be a full city, to handle everything a sentient could want. The common areas are not overly monitored, but, it is a military facility so most sites cater to military types, and well, there are military personal everywhere! One can find many Arachnids and Xarians here. Many of these have living, I-bot, and K-sats servants and agents. Within the lowest chambers are the Master Labs for genetic experimentation. The labs are multi guarded, inside and out.

Getting into the city is “relatively’ easy, but getting into any privet or secure area is much harder, multi, as there will be more guards and more security systems. The difficulty works in rings, kind of. Outer areas lower and less security, inner areas far more. It all makes a, kind of, sphere, where the most secure is at the center of the sphere, which is actually deep below ground. The bottom of the sphere is dealing with the mines and refineries, and the upper area is the main city and space port.
I have counted mines as part of the city, as most shafts come and go from here. The mines work in many sections. As deposits of ores, or what not, are found, a tunnel is started, then sealed. Vents are linked in that run to the surface where contamination and debris are pumped. The mines are operated by robots and serviced by I-bots. Materials are brought back to refineries and processing plants, where they are turned into needed goods or sent up to landing port where they are sent off world.
The landing ports are well guarded, and secured. They are located at the top of the sphere and therefore above the surface. This is a multi tear, multi stage landing station. It maintains both Arachnid and Xarian ships, transcruisers and shuttles, along with transporter pads for other accommodations. (There are some Private landing pads, for the rich and powerful of Xarians, (clan or section leaders.) They maintain their own security and coordination systems.)



NPCs for YOU WANT US TO DO WHAT!

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