Originally published as a supplement to the Jovian Chronicles Green Book, Europa Incident advanced the timeline of the game to 2212. It provided a host of new mechanical designs, a handful of new information about the setting, and the titular adventure, the Europa Incident. This is a rewrite of that adventure, designed to work better with the Jovian Chronicles White Books. As it deviates substantially from published material, it is considered to be part of my “alternate universe” SEED chronology, and not part of the official timeline.
The Scenario
Ever since its inception, CEGA has sought to regain the power it once held over the solar system settlements. Their most powerful opponent in this endeavour, and the main deterrent against them using military force to bring the settlements into line, has been the Jovian Confederation. Three years ago, before the Odyssey, CEGA launched an experimental stealth drone warship towards the Confederation on a slow but almost completely unwatched trajectory. In June 2211, the Lucifer Cybersat arrived in Jovian space and switched into active mode. Under the cover of its active cloaking system, it proceeded to savage Jovian shipping until late September, when things started going wrong. After destroying a pair of Thunderbolt-class destroyers sent by the Agora to hunt for it, the Lucifer drifted far enough out of Jupiter’s magentic fields for its panicked CEGA controllers to reach it with a self-destruct signal, to prevent its discovery.
Unfortunately, instead of promptly acknowledging the transmission and destroying itself, the Lucifer’s last transmission before it fell back within the storm of radiation and magnetic fields surrounding Jupiter showed that its engines had activated at full power. Weeks of frantic investigation confirmed that the satellite’s new orbit would eventually intersect with the Jovian moon Europa. The CEGA Council dispatched a small unit of elite exo-armor pilots aboard a Mule merchant freighter adapted for covert operations to recover or destroy the drone. The Council had been hoping to slip them onto Europa, destroy the drone, and escape without the Jovians ever noticing them. Unfortunately, a freak accident has caused the ship to suffer serious mechanical difficulties as it nears Europa, and has attracted the attention of a JAF patrol.
Meanwhile, on the surface of the Jovian moon, a team of research scientists from the Confederation outpost there have discovered the remains of the Lucifer, buried under the moon’s icy surface. A cursory examination allowed them to discover the satellite’s advanced technology and remove its memory core for further examination, so they could decide what to do with it. The station’s ranking scientist, one Han Krieger, is very eithical, and doesn’t want to be forced to cover up an Edicts violation by his government, but nor does he want to risk his team’s reputation by jumping the gun. But not all the scientists assigned to the base have motives quite as pure…
Character Involvement
The most likely avenue for the players to get involved is as the members of the JAF patrol that’s stumbled across a suspicious freighter in distress near Europa. This gives the players quite a lot of freedom when creating their characters. A patrol assigned to an out-of-the-way area like Europa could be composed of practically anyone, from down-and-out slackers to amateur spooks to unfortunates who’ve offended a superior to ace pilots. Likewise, the post provides justification for a wide range of equipment, from nearly-obsolete original-series Pathfinder models to top-of-the-line Vindicator or Stormrider prototypes undergoing spaceworthiness tests somewhere safe.
If the players do not look fondly on mecha, there are a number of alternate options available, which could require substantial retuning of the rest of the campaign. One possibilty would be for the players to play the CEGA team. This is the simplest option, and requires the fewest changes to the outline below. Another option is for the players to be SolaPol agents sent by the USN to investigate the strange attacks occurring in the Jovian system. This allows the investigation portions of the campaign to proceed as usual, but requires some changes to the showdown. One such suggested alternative is provided below.
Plot Points & NPCs
Black Eagle Team (CEGA)
The Black Eagle team was formed as a special operations team during the Unification Wars. Then, they used conventional vehicles and techniques to sabotage the operations of the Union’s enemies. After the formation of CEGA, the team was folded back into the regular army and effectively disbanded. They were reactivated during the protests, riots and terrorist attacks of the early 2200s, and received training in the use of military exo-suits. Their experience made them natural candidates for the first shipments of Wyvern Marine and Cerberus units in late 2210 and early 2211, and they are now officially the 1st Covert Exo-Operations Team. Members of the unit - now four exo-armor pilots - still paint their exo-armors with the black eagle motif used by the unit since its creation.
Felix Alvarez (CEGA Black Eagles)
Felix Alvarez is the stereotypical CEGA patriot. He believes that all true citizens should follow the orders of their superiors without question, and that the ends justify the means. His comrades have all long since realized that this is just a front for a very basic fact about Alvarez - he likes hurting people. Colonists, especially, draw his ire, as he blames them for inciting the anti-military riots in 2206 that gave him a bad wound in his right leg. This wound has never properly healed, and Alvarez limps to this day. Blinded as he is by his hate, Alvarez will probably be an easy target for Jason Cheng’s manipulations. He pilots a Wyvern Marine.
Edward Hawkins (CEGA Black Eagles)
Despite his almost-constant string of off-colour commentary and crude jokes, Edward “Fast Eddie” Hawkins is a valued member of the Black Eagle team. While his massive debts (which he joined the military to escape) might suggest otherwise, he’s an expert at evaluating situations and assessing risks. Eddie’s somehow managed to land himself one of the unit’s Cerberuses, and has equipped it with a pair of linked LACW-3 12mm massdriver rifles.
Louise Calabrese (CEGA Black Eagles)
Lou
Calabrese is the Black Eagles’ chief spook. She’s their liason with military intelligence, and provides them with the information they need to complete their missions and maintain their covers. Calm, cool, and professional, Calabrese avoids personal entanglements whenever possible. Unfortunately, she’s been drawn into the behind-the-scenes intrigues of the CEGA council. The Black Eagle team’s assignment to this mission is an attempt by some members of the Chang faction to dim the Imperial ambitions of her current lover, Brett Arsenault, who was also one of the prime forces behind the Flashlight Project. Little do they know that Arsenault cares little for Calabrese, and has tipped off his VenusBank backers to the mission. Louise pilots the unit’s second Wyvern Marine.
Merril Upton (CEGA Black Eagles)
No-one’s quite sure how Merril Upton wound up in the military, much less an elite unit like the Black Eagles. This flighty daughter of a Venusian banker has little self-discipline, and only remembers to follow military procedures when she knows the brass are watching. Her constant use of slang and obsession with Earth pop culture makes her seem very empty-headed, though none of her teammates have ever managed to figure out if this is just an act or if she’s really that stupid. She’s tolerated because, for whatever reason, she’s extremely talented at piloting exo-armors. A snap shot with good instincts for long-range fire, she’s been assigned a Cerberus equipped with the standard LACW-11 massdriver rifle.
Harry Bates (CEGA Black Eagles)
Harry Bates is the captain of the Narsus, the old freighter the Black Eagles use for transport. The captain’s more than a bit of a coward and an opportunist, and doesn’t get paid much by CEGA - most of his money comes from using the freighter to run legitimate cargoes on the side. Normally, the ship is registered to a Nomad clan in the Belt, which Bates is technically a member of. When on missions, it runs a variety of false registrations. Bates is usually quite discreet, and normally wouldn’t give up the Eagles unless faced with serious injury, but he’s a little panicked about the damage suffered by his precious freighter and is not quite thinking straight.
Han Krieger (JC Research Scientist)
Han Krieger is a man focused on his work almost to the point of obsession. He and his family were assigned to the Europa Research Base five years ago, just after his daughter graduated from college. Two years after that, his wife died in a catastrophic accident. Since then, all Han’s had left is his daughter and his science. And when his daughter discovered a mysterious drone ship buried beneath the Europan ice, the mystery immediately grabbed Han’s curiousity. He and his team carefully examined the apparently dead craft, then drilled down and extracted the ship’s data core for further analysis. It was obvious that the craft was an Edicts violation of some kind, but Han wants to know who made it and why before he reveals his findings to anyone outside the base. Han trusts his staff and daughter but few others, an attitude that has left him blind to Jason Cheng’s suspicious behavior.
Paula Krieger (JC Research Scientist)
Paula is the junior chief researcher at the Europa Research Base, directly subordinate to her father. Not a single scientist at the base even suspects the old man of nepotism, though, as his daughter is at least as brilliant as he is. While her work fascinates her, Paula still dreams of romance and adventure… Though her keen talent for seeing right through people has put off more than a few boyfriends. She’s become increasingly suspicious of Jason Chang ever since the crashed ship was discovered, but her father’s brushed off her suspicions so far, which has infuriated her.
Jason Chang (JC Research Scientist)
The unassuming, meek, and rather competent Jason Chang is one of the Europa Base’s best researchers and technicians. But that’s not his only job; he’s also a sleeper agent for Ronin, the black ops arm of VenusBank. The Bank’s not particularly interested in the work being done at Europa Base, but sees Jason as a long-term prospect, a man who might wind up in an important position in the Confederation’s scientific research establishment in ten or fifteen years. When the ERB science team discovered the Lucifer beneath the Europan ice, Jason’s handlers saw an excellent opportunity to increase the tension between CEGA and the Confederation. Since then, Jason’s been preparing to act and waiting for the right time to make his move… (See: Sabotage plot thread)
Nathan Fraiser (SolaPol Agent)
Nathan Fraiser is the SolaPol agent assigned to supervise the Europa Research base. A young man somewhat lacking in self-confidence, Fraiser is nonetheless very devoted to his work. He finds his post a bit boring, but knows that it’s a gateway to greater things. Dr. Krieger, of course, informed him of the discovery of the Lucifer’s remains, and he’s agreed to wait until the base’s science team has finished analyzing the datacore before reporting the discovery to his superiors. Despite his trust of the Kreigers, he has been observing the analysis process very closely. Fraiser, like Han, is completely unaware of Chang’s Bank ties, but is slightly more inclined to listen to Paula’s suspicions.
The Flashlight Project (CEGA Plot)
Blocked from what they believed to be their rightful control over the colonies at every turn by the Jovian Confederation, CEGA launched several top-secret research projects in the early 2200s to develop advanced weapons that could be used against the Confederation. The goals of the projects were to provide ways to disrupt the Confederation’s economy and military and allow the CEGA Navy to offset the Confederation’s tremendous exotechnology advantage. These projects were funded and backed by VenusBank, which was eager to use CEGA’s ambitions to create chaos within the Solar System that they could then exploit. The projects also proved to be an excellent source of technology for Venus own secret exo-weapon development programs.
One of the less successful efforts was the Flashlight Project, an attempt to develop heavy autonomous drone combat spacecraft. Although this project violated the Edicts on a scale that would have meant serious repercussions for CEGA had it been discovered, the CEGA Council was confident that they could keep the project under wraps. Their work on the Dragonstriker Project was attracting much more attention from SolaPol, and the features of the prototype - specifically, an advanced holofield cloaking device - made it very unlikely that the drones would be spotted during test flights. The two Lucifer prototypes, the ultimate end result of the product, were ideal for commerce raiding. They could operate for years on end without more than cursory communication with their home base; their holofields and stealth systems could hide them from the most determined sensors; and their heavy array of particle beam weapons could savage a warship in a single volley.
Although the final evaluation of the project in 2208 determined that the Lucifer was too complicated and expensive to ever mass-produce, or even derive a mass-produced model from, the CEGA Council didn’t want to waste the money they’d put into the product. One prototype was assigned to the LAC testing grounds in the Orbitals, for use as both a target drone for combat tests and a platform for other advanced technology. The other prototype was dispatched to Jovian space for “field trials”, with orders to destroy any target with a Jovian registry it came across. Should the JIS or SolaPol ever manage to investigate the Lucifer’s fragments - for the cybersat was programmed to ensure it was not captured whole - CEGA had a massive trail of false evidence ready to lead investigators to one of the few Venusian corporations that had, so far, resisted VenusBank’s hostile takeover attempts.
After the Odyssey, the Council’s views changed drastically. In the wake of Admiral Kleb’s madness and the Battle of Elysee, and the increased JIS and SolaPol attention on CEGA and VenusBank affairs, the Lucifer would surely be traced back to them. They ordered the Lucifer’s controllers to send the termination signals to the drone, but it had already vanished into the dense radiation and magnetic fields that surrounded Jupiter, the very fields they had relied upon to hide the drone as it went about its work. In late September, the crew managed to get a signal through, but some interference caused the drone to change course and crash on Europa instead of self-destructing.
A Damaged Freighter (Plot)
The Black Eagles had planned to slip onto Europa undetected after the Narsus dropped into orbit around the moon. Supposedly, she was to be taking on water for a journey up to Ganymede and the primary Olympian colonies there. The plan was that she would deploy the Eagles’ exo-armors, head off to deliver the rest of her cargo, then return and pick them up a week later. Nature had other ideas. Freak chance lead to a sizable chunk of rock striking the Narsus’ engines during her insertion burn. Captain Bates managed to drop the freighter into a stable orbit around Europa before the engines completely died, but then, as is standard practice for merchant crews, immediately set off a distress beacon.
With all the unexplained attacks in Jovian space lately, a exo-armor patrol (by default, this is assumed to be the unit the players are assigned to) is dispatched from Knossos, the largest Jovian colony in the Europa region, to investigate. The patrol, already in the area aboard a light carrier of some kind (possibly the Chariot-class given below), is quickly able to reach the freighter to provide assistance. The recent attacks have made responding to distress beacons a high priority for the JAF.
The Black Eagles have no clue that the patrol’s en route, or even that the distress beacon’s been set off. (Captain Bates has assumed that they’re aware of standard protocol) The patrol’s arrival leads Calabrese to assume that they’ve been discovered, and she orders her squad to prepare to launch and head for Europa’s surface as quickly as possible.
How exactly this segment proceeds depends on the players’ actions. Standard protocol would call for a couple to board the Narsus (in vac suits, leaving their exos tethered to the hull) while the others remain outside, ready to provide assistance or covering fire as necessary. The CEGA special ops team is in the process of preparing to vacate, but are still keeping up their disguise. The players should notice that something’s wrong fairly quickly, but it should take them a few minutes to pin down exactly what. By this time, the first of the exo-armors should be launching. Depending on how fast they are, the players might wind up in a firefight with the other CEGA pilots, or even capture one or two. The Eagles will try to avoid a prolonged firefight, and instead try to lose the players and reach the surface as quickly as they can.
For non-pilot characters, starting things off is much more difficult. One option would be to skip the Narsus subplot entirely, but this isn’t strictly necessary. If the players have access to a ship, they could easily see a battle between Jovian and CEGA exo-armors and the subsequent escape of the CEGA forces to the planet’s surface. Of course, being reporters or spies or SolaPol investigators or whatever, the players decide to follow. They could also be a civilian emergency response team sent to investigate the beacon.
Europa’s Surface (Plot)
With Europa’s low surface gravtiy, the Black Eagle team’s exo-armors can descend to the surface safely using their own thrusters. Of course, Europa’s surface isn’t exactly friendly. Practically the entire thing is covered by a thick layer of ice. Unlike ice on Earth, this isn’t slippery - it’s nowhere near the freezing point. However, it does mean there’s little cover, and all the permanent structures constructed by the Jovians on the surface stand on piles driven deep through the ice and into carefully-calibrated floatation systems in the water below.
Although this makes hiding difficult, it also makes tracking near-impossible. This makes the job of both the PCs, assuming they’re the JAF patrol, and the CEGA team into something akin to a game of hide-and-seek with mecha. The CEGA team should be able to fairly quickly discover the remains of the Lucifer… And the shaft drilled down to it by the Europa Research Base (ERB) scientists to extract the datacore. Of course, the scientists left some equipment behind near the shaft, which clearly identifies which base they came from.
The most interesting way to run this plot would probably be for the players to stumble upon the CEGA team as they depart from the crash site. After a short game of hide-and-seek - the Black Eagles aren’t interested in fighting - the JAF team stumbles across the shaft and the entombed Lucifer and the Eagles make their escape. Of course, the players can check the drilling equipment and work out where they’re going next. This is far from the only way, but its best not to stretch this component out too far, as there are few opportunities for roleplaying interaction with NPCs.
This is the second opportunity to introduce non-pilot characters to the plot. A convoy of small civilian vehicles on the Europan surface would almost certainly go unnoticed by the CEGA exo-armor pilots, but the drivers or passengers of the convoy might well decide that CEGA exo-armors on Europa are much more interesting than whatever they’re actually here for.
Hostage Situation (Plot)
The most straightforward way for the CEGA team to get what they want is to take the base hostage with their exo-armors. Their weapons could blast holes in its walls fairly easily, and though this would probably wind up killing a lot of people, it would get them what they want. Most of the team would be against this, but if Alvarez winds up in command (if, say, Calabrese is killed or captured earlier), its almost certainly what would happen.
After the death of his wife, Dr. Krieger is especially sensative to this sort of threat. Despite his desire to keep the datacore in his possession, he’ll turn it over if the Black Eagle team seems to be serious about their threat. Of course, this also confirms in his mind that the datacore and crashed cybersat were the work of CEGA, not the Jovian government, and he’ll be much more likely to provide assistance and information to the characters, no matter who they are, now that he knows who the culprits are.
Once the Black Eagles are out of range of the base again, Paula Krieger and Agent Fraiser will likely try to make a move of some kind to recover the datacore. The base has a number of ground vehicles, none armed, but many equipped with scientific and mining devices that could be used to damage an exo-armor in a pinch, or set up improvised booby traps, like deep pits. Their chances of success on their own are quite low, of course, but that could change with the help of the players. Balancing the equation on the other side, if that subplot’s being used, is Jason Chang, the unknown wrench in the gears.
(This subplot is provided mainly because this was the course of events in the original Europa Incident adventure. As it makes the players powerless to even try to stop the Black Eagles’ plan without severe consequences, most groups probably won’t find it very fun. As always, your milage may vary.)
Mysterious Infiltrators (Plot)
Outright hostage taking isn’t a particularly sneaky way for the CEGA team to get what they want. A more likely approach, especially if Calabrese remains in command or Hawkins winds up in command, is for them to try to infiltrate the ERB. Since new people rotate through the assorted ice-mining stations on Europa every couple of months, they could easily show up at the ERB claiming to be new water miners from a nearby station who wandered too far away to return home, and are looking for a place to stay while they replenish their supplies and repair their vehicles. This means they’ve got to acquire some kind of vehicles, but that’s not really a problem. As with most inhabited, airless satellites, Europa has remains of old, abandoned vehicles scattered around it that could be made servicable again with a bit of work and the right parts. They’d stand up to a cursory inspection, but anyone taking a close look would see that they’d been sitting out on the Europan surface for a very long time.
The CEGA team, even in disguise, would never be let anywhere near the datacore, but they don’t really need to be. They just need its location, so they can steal it and disappear into the Europan night. And since their hastily refitted vehicles will take a few days to a week to repair, they’ve got plenty of time to do so. Of course, their behavior’s going to make some people suspicious - like Paula Krieger and Agent Fraiser. The players should be able to identify them, but will run into a little problem. One of the people who probably won’t be suspicious is the only one who matters - Dr. Han Krieger. He will, however, be suspicious of the players, as he’s not yet sure that the Lucifer ISN’T a Jovian project, and doesn’t want an Edicts violation of the magnitude of the cyber-sat covered up. This puts the players in the position of having to try to work around Han Krieger to protect him.
Things become even more complicated if the VenusBank subplot is added in to the mix. Chang will be able to pick out the CEGA team fairly easily, based on information provided to his masters by Arsenault and will home in on Alvarez as an easy mark.
The players should be able to delay the CEGA team for a while, but not stop them completely. This is easily accomplished if the Bank subplot is being used. The players can simply capture the team, only to have Chang set Alvarez free and help him do his dirty work. If not, the players could capture/expose one or two members of the team (such as Merril Upton) while the others put their plan into high gear, grab the datacore, and escape to their exos. (Probably accompanied by a dramatic chase and firefight)
This is the last feasible starting point, chronologically. If the players are already known members of the base staff or visitors, it means they don’t have to worry about winning Dr. Krieger’s trust. However, it also means they probably don’t know who the CEGA team are. They may have heard about the small battle in orbit near the Narsus, but they wouldn’t know for sure the way a JAF patrol or other group following the Black Eagles would.
Big Money in the Big Spotlight (Venusian Plot)
The events of the Odyssey placed the VenusBank’s manipulations of events in the Solar System into the spotlight for the first time since Venus’ long-ago war with Mercury. JIS and SolaPol, in particular, suddenly became very interested in the Bank’s covert operations, putting a definite crimp in their plans. Their agents and sympathizers are still scattered throughout the solar system, but with all the attention, they can’t use them as effectively as they’d like.
The Lucifer situation provides them with an excellent opportunity to sow discord among their enemies and divert some of the unwanted attention. Making the Lucifer cause some real damage in the Confederation and making it look like CEGA’s fault would further increase the tension between the Jovians and CEGA, which would increase CEGA’s dependency on the Bank and provide further opportunities to expand the Bank’s influence. Having an autonomous drone weapon go bezerk in Jovian space after apparently launching from near a research base on Europa would serve to disrupt the relationship between the Jovians and SolaPol.
With this in mind, the Venusians activated their agent in the ERB (Jason Chang), gave him a program that would change the Lucifer’s target selection profile, and informed him of the Black Eagles. His orders: to manipulate the Eagles into reprogramming the datacore and returning it to the Lucifer, then preventing any sort of effective response to the cybersat’s actions. In the meantime, the reprogrammed Lucifer would blast off towards Knossos station. It couldn’t destroy the colony, but it could do significant damage and kill or injure a lot of people before the defenders managed to locate and destroy it.
This subplot makes things more interesting and difficult for the players. Krieger trusts Chang implicitly, as the Venusian spy has managed to keep his cover for years and has become a valued member of the ERB team. Chang is more than willing to exploit this to keep the players away from Alvarez - and the rest of his team - until they’ve done what he needs done. He’ll do his best to stay undercover as he helps the Eagles, so that he can sabotage any pursuit efforts. However, if his cover gets blown (and it may well - Paula Krieger’s already suspicious of him, even before the Black Eagles show up), he’ll become much more desperate, and will probably follow Alvarez and whatever other members of the Black Eagle team remain free back to the crash site, to help keep away pursuers and make sure the datacore’s installed properly.
Chang is best used to sow confusion and keep the players confused about who’s planning what. If you want a simpler adventure, or one that takes less time to run, this subplot is best omitted. For longer adventures, however, its a good way to stop it from turning into a simple mecha battle. It also allows for the use of a more dramatic conclusion. (Hell Rides Free, below) If it is used, the players should almost certainly catch or kill Chang, but (hopefully!) not before he succeeds at his plan.
Hell Unchained (Plot)
The simplest of the three endings, this was the original ending to Europa Incident, and is what happens if the datacore gets reinserted by the Black Eagles (so they can get the cybersat to self-destruct) without it being reprogrammed. In this case, it detects the analysis and reinsertion of its datacore as tampering, reactivates, and switches to an “exterminate evidence” program. Of course, the first sign anyone gets of this is when it uses its massive particle cannons to break out of the ice, then starts trying to kill anything and everything nearby.
The Lucifer should fight intelligently, using its drones and stealth systems to try and pick off its adversaries one by one. This will force the players to fight intelligently too - protecting targets that the Lucifer’s going after to make it harder for it to get a good shot at them, using evasive maneuvers, etc. While the Lucifer’s stealth system should provide it with a few suprise attacks, don’t have it going at full power for the entire fight. Struggling to hit something that can’t be seen is cool for a few rounds, but becomes frustrating as it drags on. Fortunately, a few aimed shots at the Lucifer’s AUX systems should let the players fix this on their own. Remember that all units will have to constantly expend 1 MP while in the air to offset Europa’s 0.135 G gravity.
The battle should force the players to team up with their CEGA adversaries to defeat a common foe. This shouldn’t be easy - some, particularly Alvarez, will not be willing to cooperate closely with the JAF pilots, though this can make them good subjects to demonstrate the power of the Lucifer. Working closely with those they were fighting just minutes before will be challenging, and no doubt lead to several interpersonal conflicts even as the battle rages.
This ending is, obviously, only really suitable for pilot characters.
Hell Rides Free (Plot)
If Chang’s modifications get applied to the datacore before its returned to the Lucifer, things will proceed quite differently. The Lucifer will still blast its way free, but instead of attacking the nearby exo-armors, it will immediately boost off into a tight slingshot orbit around Europa and then go shooting off towards the Europa/Jupiter L4 point… And the Knossos colony. Even if a signal were transmitted (radiation from Jupiter can make this conveniently impossible), the Lucifer would be able to use its stealth systems to slip past whatever defenders the JAF could assemble with a couple days’ notice at high speeds and get in a couple of attack runs on the colony before the defenders could chase it down.
This leaves it up to the players to pursue the Lucifer. Its trajectory should be fairly easy to analyze, and the ERB just happens to have an old survey cruiser in orbit that can be pressed into service as a carrier. (If the players’ carrier is still nearby, the Lucifer could disable or destroy it as a demonstration of its power) While the Lucifer can accelerate faster than the old cruiser, its also got less remass to spare. Once its refitted, the cruiser should be able to catch up without much trouble and deploy the exo-armors, though keeping it together until it does might be an interesting challenge. If Chang hasn’t been caught yet, he could well try to sabotage the ship and prevent them from catching up.
After a hair-raising chase, the ship should catch the Lucifer just hours before it slips into a region of heavy radiation and is lost. The transit from Europa to the Jupiter/Europa L4 point would probably take at least 3-4 days, possibly a week… More than long enough for the pursuers to either lose the Lucifer entirely or for the suspense to fade away. With the heavy radiation around Jupiter, it is quite likely that the Lucifer would try to lose its pursuers more quickly by picking an orbit that crosses such a belt. This provides a way to ratchet up the dramatic tension, and allows for an even more dramatic end to the battle. One of the CEGA pilots or a player (if one’s willing to possibly sacrifice his character) must follow the Lucifer into the radiation belt, and almost certain doom, to deliver the finishing shot. Of course, a player could probably find some way to survive. By, say, dumping the power from a particle cannon into the exo-armor’s rad screen or a similar technobabble miracle.
The same combat advice as Hell Unchained, above, applies here. This ending is, obviously, only suitable for pilot characters.
Barring the Gates of Hell (Plot)
For non-pilot characters, the only real way to stop the Lucifer is to prevent the datacore from being returned to it. This can take several forms. For reporters and other similar types, an intrigue-based endgame to prevent the CEGA pilots from getting the real core in the first place is a good choice. Another, depending on character skills, is a running gun battle/chase scene in conventional vehicles over the surface of Europa.
Timing & Objectives
The pace of this adventure should be kept fast. It is intended to be short and simple. The simplest form should be able to be completed in 3-6 hours, while more complex ones should take no more than half a dozen sessions. While the progress of the adventure requires that the players fail every so often, the GM should ensure that the players have small victories, so as to keep their interest. They should get the sense that their enemies are scrambling to keep ahead just as hard as they’re scrambling to catch up.
Aftermath
The aftermath of the Europa Incident is no less major than that of the Odyssey, but it takes more time to be felt. Any surviving Black Eagles are released to return to Earth without interrogation to prevent a diplomatic incident, as with the Lucifer totally destroyed, the Confederation has no proof of CEGA involvement. Despite this, the JAF is convinced that CEGA was behind the incident, and the residual anger over the destruction of nine Jovian ships adds to the frustration felt after the Odyssey, and contributes to the incident at Kurtzenheim in 2213 (Chaos Principle) and general deterioration of Jovian-CEGA relations over the next few years.
Meanwhile, SolaPol begins to suspect that VenusBank may be using CEGA as a proxy for Edicts-violating research beyond exo-development programs. While this does finally solve one of the mysteries that had been facing SolaPol since the Odyssey - where Venus was performing most of its Edicts-violating research - it means that the Edicts Enforcement Bureau must spread its limited personnel resources even thinner as it continues to try and work its way through the complex web of Venusian intrigue. Fortunately, its relationship with the JIS is improved by the quick response of the JAF patrol and Europan scientists during the Europa Incident, and while JIS personnel are not permitted to participate in investigations of Jovian or CEGA projects, they are allowed into Belt, Mercurian, Venusian, and Martian investigations in slowly increasing numbers.
Technology Notes
The Narsus (CEGA Freighter)
An old converted Mule-class freighter, the Narsus is as unimpressive as a ship can get. Unlike most Mules, it has been extensively modified to allow for feasible interplanetary travel, with more powerful engines, a full suite of zero-g exercise equipment, and extended reaction mass reserves. The four cargo pods have also been modified to carry a thin layer of cargo - though thick enough to fool cursory scans - around a central exo-armor storage bay. A simple collapsable catapult on each pod allows the exo-armor contained within to be launched rapidly, and there’s just enough room left over to perform basic maintenance.
Lucifer (CEGA Cybersat)
The Lucifer’s designed for one purpose - to ambush and kill enemy warships. Its sophisticated Stealth and Holofield systems allow it to hide from all but the most powerful sensors, and its strong electronic warfare suite prevents its prey from calling for help. Powerful thrusters allow it to accelerate at incredible speeds, and a cluster of six small linked particle cannons and two large ones allow it to inflict massive damage very quickly. A pair of wire-guided “claw” drones equipped with small energy weapons help it deal with any enemy exo-armors or interceptors. Despite the advanced technology, its armor is quite thin for its size, and in a stand-up fight, it will almost certainly lose.
The only questions are how to force it into a stand-up fight and how many of its attackers it can take with it.
Design Notes: This version of the Lucifer’s a little nastier that the original, as its claws are independent wire-guided armed drones. The claws are very fast and agile, but not very tough. They can replenish their fuel reserves by docking with the Lucifer for a turn. The drones will almost never use their full top speed, and the Lucifer will make every effort to conserve its remass. For long-range travel, it won’t boost at more than 0.4 or 0.6 Gs except in short bursts. Much of its time will be spent drifting along a medium-traffic orbit.
| Name: | Lucifer Cybersat (SEED Redesign) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Size: | 15 (95.7 tons) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| *Threat Value (TV): - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| *Defensive Threat Value (DTV): - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Movement: | Space 20/40 (2.0/4.0 Gs) (18/35 with both drones docked) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maneuver: | -1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Armor: | 27/54/81 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| *Miscellaneous Threat Value (MTV): - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Crew: | Computer 1 (Smart, Level 3) (2 actions) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deployment Range: | 3000 hours | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reaction Mass: | 60,000 BPs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Perks & Flaws: Accessories: Autopilot; Armor: HEAT Resistant(3); Communications (+1, 50km), Satellite Uplink; Features: 2x Cargo Bay(6 m2, open, Drone-Claw hardpoint), Cargo Bay(50 m3, 10000 BPs fuel for Drone-Claws), Fuel Efficient (2x); Hostile Environment Protection: Radiation (4), Vacuum, Extreme Cold; Information Warfare Devices: ECM(6, 10km), Holofield (6), Stealth (6); Reinforced Systems: Chassis, Movement; Sensors (+1, 5km); Negative Features: Sensor Dependant; Weaknesses: Exposed Auxiliaries |
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| *Offensive Threat Value (OTV): - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Name: | Lucifer Cybersat Drone-Claw (SEED Redesign) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Size: | 5 (3 tons) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| *Threat Value (TV): - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| *Defensive Threat Value (DTV): - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Movement: | Space 25/50 (2.5/5.0 Gs) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maneuver: | +0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Armor: | 10/20/30 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| *Miscellaneous Threat Value (MTV): - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Crew: | Computer 1 (Dumb, Level 2) (2 actions) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deployment Range: | 3000 hours | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reaction Mass: | 200 BPs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Perks & Flaws: Accessories: Autopilot; Arm: Manipulator Arm (R5, Can Punch); Armor: HEAT Resistant(5); Communications (-2, 2km); Features: Fuel Efficient (2x); Hostile Environment Protection: Radiation (4), Vacuum, Extreme Cold; Information Warfare Devices: Holofield (6), Stealth (6); Reinforced Systems: Backups; Sensors(+0, 2km); Negative Features: Sensor Dependant, Vulnerable to Haywire; Weaknesses: Exposed Auxiliaries |
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| *Offensive Threat Value (OTV): - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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JSS Constantine (JC Survey Cruiser)
A civilian ship based on the same original chassis as the Thunderbolt, the JSS Constantine is an aging design assigned to the Europa Research Base. It is left in orbit, mostly powered down and operated remotely by the scientists as an orbital sensor station and, when necessary, manufacturing plant. The ship has a surprising variety of equipment aboard, including two variable-speed magnetic acceleration rails once used for launching sensor packages into Jovian orbit, a machine shop/electronics lab for building and maintaining probes, and two large, pressurized cargo bays for storing those same sensor packages. Its engines are capable of a surprising amount of thrust for such an old ship, and while it could not under any circumstances be mistaken for a warship, it might be the only thing available when all hell breaks loose.
| Name: | Hermes-Class Survey Cruiser | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Components: | 1x Main Hull, 2x Survey Sections, 2x Drive Section | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total Size: | 54 (4500 tons) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total Movement: | Space 3/6 (0.3/0.6 Gs), Maneuver -4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total Reaction Mass: | 6430 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Main HullBasic Attributes: Size 47, Movement: Towed by Drive Sections, Armor 45/90/135, Crew: Living 40, Computer 1 (Dumb, Level 2) (7 actions), Deployment Range: 2000 hrs
Perks & Flaws: Accessories: Autopilot, 2x Life Support (Full), Escape System (Pods); Communications (-2, 20km), Satellite Uplink; Features: Accomodations (2000 m^3, average), Cargo Bay (3000 m^3, provisions + 1 Atlas OTV), Laboratory (Technical Sciences (Mechanical), 1), Laboratory (Technical Sciences (Electrical), 1), Sick Bay (1); Hostile Environment Protection: Radiation (4), Vacuum; Reinforced Systems: Backups, Chassis, Crew; Sensors (+1, 5km); Negative Features: Large Sensor Profile (4); Offensive/Defensive Systems: 1x PDS (Arc: T (ranged), FF (shield)) |
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| Survey SectionBasic Attributes: Size 13, Movement: Towed by Drive Sections, Armor 30/60/90, Crew: Living 3 (3 actions), Deployment Range: 2000 hrs
Perks & Flaws: Accessories: Catapult (4), 2x Life Suppoert (Full), Escape System (Pods); Features: Cargo Bay (7000 m^3, pressurized bays, space for 4x Size 14 exo-armors with partial servicing), Laboratory (Physical Sciences (Earth), 1); Hostile Environment Protection: Radiation (4), Vacuum; Reinforced Systems: Backups, Chassis, Crew; Sensors (-1, 20km); Negative Features: Large Sensor Profile (2) Offensive/Defensive Systems: None |
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| Drive Section:Basic Attributes: Size 30, Movement: 7/14 (0.7/1.4 Gs), Armor: 45/90/135, Crew: Living 6 (4 actions), Deployment Range: 2000 hrs, Reaction Mass: 15000 BPs
Perks & Flaws: Accessories: Escape System (Pods), Life Support (Full); Hostile Environment Protection: Vacuum, Radiation (4); Reinforced Systems: 2x Ammo/Fuel, Chassis, 2x Crew, 2x Movement; Negative Features: Large Sensor Profile (2) Offensive/Defensive Systems: None. |
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Chariot-class Light Carrier (JAF Warship)
Before the Valiant, Godsfire, or even the humble Forge, there was the Chariot. A contemporary to the Thunderbolt, it was an early design produced by the JAF to transport interceptors and, as their importance to Jovian military doctrine grew, exo-armors. The design simply replaced the Thunderbolt’s massive underside particle cannon with a single centerline catapult and an internal cargo bay large enough to transport three exo-armors or interceptors with enough space for full servicing and repair equipment. The solution was cheap, as it allowed existing facilities and training for the construction and servicing of Thunderbolts to be applied to the JAF’s primary carrier class. At the time, it was also very effective, as three of the new exo-armor designs could have a significant impact on a battle.
With the development of more modern carriers like the Forge or, more recently, the Valiant, the Chariot has slowly been phased out of active front-line service. Despite carrying heavy armament for a light carrier, newer ship designs and changes in doctrine have made it obsolete.
Still, the JAF is loathe to let any investment go to waste, and Chariots that are still in good condition (about half of them, more than 20 ships) have been assigned to out-of-the-way patrol routes. Their continued effectiveness at pirate-hunting and supporting small, independent destroyer or cruiser combat groups has lead to a proposal for an updated light carrier with similar strike craft capacity and an updated design and weapons load being floated by the JAF’s construction office. As of 2212, exact details of the proposed Trireme
design remain vague, though it would most likely be derived from the existing Athena design.
| Name: | Chariot-Class Light Carrier | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Components: | 1x Main Hull, 2x Drive Section, 2x KKC Turret | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total Movement: | Space 3/5, Maneuver -4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total Reaction Mass: | 4000 BPs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total Size: | 56 (4700 tons) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Main Hull:Basic Attributes: Size 48, Movement: Towed by Drive Sections, Armor 65/130/195, Crew: Living 55, Computer 1 (Dumb, Level 2) (7 actions), Deployment Range: 1500 hrs
Perks & Flaws: Accessories: Autopilot, Catapult (3), Escape System (Pods), Life Support (Full); Communications (-1, 10km); Features: Accomodations (1500 m^3, cramped), Cargo Bay (4000 m^3, supplies + 1 Atlas OTV), Cargo Bay (10000 m^3, 3 size 14 vehicles with full servicing), Laboratory (Craft (Cooking), 0), Laboratory (Technical Sciences (Electrical), 0), Laboratory (Technical Sciences (Mechanical), 0), Sick Bay(1); Hostile Environment Protection: Vacuum, Radiation (4); Reinforced Systems: 2x Backups, 2x Chassis, 2x Crew; Sensors (+0, 2km); Negative Features: Large Sensor Profile (4) Offensive/Defensive Systems: 1x PDS (Arc: T (ranged), FF (shield)) |
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| Drive Section:Basic Attributes: Size 30, Movement: 7/14 (0.7/1.4 Gs), Armor: 55/110/165, Crew: Living 6 (4 actions), Deployment Range: 1500 hrs, Reaction Mass: 11200 BPs
Perks & Flaws: Accessories: Escape System (Pods), Life Support (Full); Hostile Environment Protection: Vacuum, Radiation (4); Reinforced Systems: 2x Ammo/Fuel, Chassis, 2x Crew, 2x Movement; Negative Features: Large Sensor Profile (2) Offensive/Defensive Systems: None. |
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| KKC Turret:Basic Attributes: Size 12, Movement: Towed by Drive Sections, Armor: 25/50/75, Crew: Living 3 (3 actions), Deployment Range: 1500 hrs
Perks & Flaws: Accessories: Escape System (Pods), Life Support (Full); Hostile Environment Protection: Vacuum, Radiation (4); Reinforced Systems: Ammo/Fuel, Chassis 2x Crew Offensive/Defensive Systems: 3x Heavy KKC (Linked, Arc: One turret L, One turret R) |
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Credits
Written by Nicholas Pilon.
Thanks To:
Evil Dr. Ganymede - For providing a source of astronomical astronomical knowledge.
Assorted people at the company formerly known as Ianus Productions - For writing the original Europa Incident adventure, and creating Jovian Chronicles.
John Buckmaster - For proofreading and sanity-checking my vehicle designs.
Jovian Chronicles is copyright Dream Pod 9. Material on this page is copyright 2005 Nicholas Pilon.