Gods of War was the second introductory adventure for Jovian Chronicles 1e. While Madman’s Gambit was an adventure for Jovian PCs from the main rulebook, Gods of War was intended for CEGA PCs and was found in the first mechanical catalog. Although it can be used as a stand-alone adventure, or as an introduction to a CEGA campaign, I’ve made some rather large changes to the scenario. The original was very simplistic, and included many NPCs that were largely irrelevant. The plot is, unfortunately, rather linear, like Madman’s Gambit. But there’s a lot of wiggle room all the same, and a rich cast of NPCs that you can do a lot of different things with.
Scenario
Alpha-4 is a CEGA Valhalla-class space station that orbits the Earth/Moon L4 point. The primary CEGA naval base in the Earth/Moon L4 region, Alpha-4 is responsible both for provisioning CEGA naval vessels and acting as a border checkpoint and garrison. All vessels entering or leaving the L4 region must transmit clearance codes to Alpha-4 or heave to for boarding and inspection by station personnel before being allowed to continue. As such, the station has a sizeable force of exo-armors and interceptors aboard (four flights, a grand total of 16 units) and a substantial security force with basic training in boarding and inspecting spacecraft in addition to their standard training needed for keeping order aboard the station.
Normally, life aboard Alpha-4 is quite quiet. The occasional shipload of rowdy CEGA troops or Spacers or a smuggler who attempts to evade their sensor net is the most excitement those that live and work there have to deal with. Recently, things have become more lively. A small
detachment of just over a hundred Martian Federal Army (MFA) troops have been sent aboard an Ebiiru-class freighter, the MFSS Bayern, along with 25 brand-new exo-armors, to train in space combat tactics and techniques with the help of the CEGA Navy, far from the prying eyes of the Free Martian Republic.
To make things even worse, a Jovian ship on a goodwill tour of the inner solar system is currently holding at Alpha-4 until the CEGA Council works out what to do with them. The crew are taking this surprisingly well, especially since the ship’s captain and the commander of Alpha-4 have worked out a deal that allows the crew to take leave on the station. The CEGA and MFA personnel have grudgingly accepted this, but tensions between the Jovians and the other two groups remain high, and security is watchful.
Into this volatile mix has come a cell of STRIKE terrorist operatives, lead by Tara Cavalier. They’ve been ordered to steal the freighter full of Martian exo-armors for use by STRIKE by the mysterious G
, and frame the Jovian Confederation and Free Martian Republican for the crime. Many in STRIKE see those two nations as collaborators in framing them for the Martian Space Elevator disaster, and would like a little revenge.
Character Involvement
There’s two main avenues for player involvement in this SEED. The assumption of the original adventure was that they would be exo-armor pilots or security personnel assigned to Alpha-4. In this case, their motives for getting involved are obvious - it’s part of their job! As the situation worsens, they’re the ones who have to make sure things come out right. With this option, the GM is strongly advised to use the NPCs below to make the PCs’ lives complicated.
The second primary avenue is for the players to be crewmen on the visiting Jovian vessel. In this case, their motivation for getting involved in the spat between CEGA and STRIKE is, presumably, to clear their names and the name of the Confederation and their Martian Republic allies. They could also, however, be assisting the STRIKE cell in a covert attempt to undermine CEGA-Martian relations. In this case, the STRIKE cell’s motivations and cover story may need some tweaking, as will the STRIKE cell itself - Tara and Nathan are probably slightly too psychotic as written to be allies of the protagonists, unless they are an exceptionally psychotic bunch themselves. They could also be assisting another STRIKE cell seeking to stop Tara’s faction from achieving their goals.
Other possible sources of characters that could be involved in this adventure include the MFA forces, civilians on the station, and even STRIKE itself. These options require much more tweaking and rewriting of the adventure to give the players the opportunity to make a difference and get involved in the action.
Plot Points & NPCs
Captain Garth Vanness (CEGA)
Corrupt and self-interested, Captain Vanness is the commander of Alpha-4. Vanness comes from a powerful family, but is far from suited to his rank. He is impatient towards his subordinates and arrogant towards his superiors, and tends to panic when confronted with unexpected situations. He’s too well-connected to be expelled from the service or put into inactive duty, but too incompetent for active command, so he’s spent the last decade commanding space stations. These unglamorous duties irritate Vanness greatly, but his family has made it clear that he’s got to deal with it. Out of spite and greed, Vanness has become increasingly corrupt, taking bribes to look the other way. His closest friend, confidante, and co-conspirator on Alpha-4 is Kenji Matsua. Vanness is not above pulling rank to get his friends out of trouble, and will heavy-handedly quash any investigation into Matsua’s shady business dealings, no matter what the circumstances.
Lt. Commander Ali Melak (CEGA)
A responsible, upstanding officer, Melak was transferred from the marines to the security service after he was wounded in combat. He is uncompromising, loyal, and honest, almost to a fault, and expects the same from everyone around him. Even though his duties prevented him from raising her himself, the pride and joy of his life is his daughter Aisha. He’s not quite sure he approves of her close friendship with Lisabeth Olangi, but is starting to warm to the strange woman. His loyalty to those under his command means that he will support them. He has a steady mind, and handles crisis situations calmly and rationally. If Vanness starts acting too irrationally or dangerously, Melak may attempt to remove him from command.
Lt. Commander Rebecca Itoglio (CEGA)
Lt. Commander Itoglio leads Alpha-4’s detachment of exo-armors and interceptors. She’s an experienced small craft commander, with substantial battlefield experience. Although she trained under Ranho Garand, she never accepted his philosophy - to her, duty to her nation is more important than personal moral or ethical concerns. Her unit’s duties consist mostly of aiding in traffic control and inspection, but she still drills her pilots as if they were a carrier unit. The revelation of VenusBank influence in CEGA after the Odyssey hit her hard. She’s still not sure what she thinks, but has joined STRIKE as an observer and undercover agent, to see if they fit her ideal of service to her nation. She is unaware of Tara’s plans, and which way she jumps when Tara finally makes her move will depend on how the PCs, Kurtz, and Melak handle the crisis.
Aisha Melak (Civilian)
At the tender age of 14, Aisha is quite unhappy with her life. She spent most of her youth, after her mother died, being passed around from relative to relative while her father was on deployment. She never really got a chance to settle down or make friends her own age. Most of her friends are older, and include Kenji Matsua and Lisabeth Olangi. Olangi is her closest friend, one she’s run into many times before. Matsua is new and interesting, and his club is an amazing new experience for the under-socialized Aisha. She’s still something of a loner, and spends much of her time wandering the corridors and pasageways of Alpha-4. This has a tendency to get her into trouble, and she could well stumble across a member of Tara’s team doing something they shouldn’t. Though he’s unaware of it, she also has quite detailed knowledge of Matsua’s black market dealings. If they’re friendly with her, the PCs could stumble upon this when investigating the kamikaze run and the allegations against Lisabeth Olangi.
Lisabeth Olangi (Society of the Evolved Human)
A roaming trader and merchant, Lisabeth Olangi is a charming, personable woman in her mid-30s. None that she meets suspects that, in addition to selling people things that they will need, although they may be unaware of it at the time, she is one of the secretive Society of the Evolved Human’s best operatives. She roams the Earth system, searching for and encouraging potential Evolved Humans. She treasures Aisha Melak like a daughter, and tends to try and avoid conflict and causing trouble herself. She’s Mercury-born, and faces enough prejudice as-is. If she is accused by Vanness in an attempt to cover up Matsua’s involvement in the kamikaze attack, the most she will do is try to poke Aisha into doing the right thing. If the PCs help her, she could become a valuable resource.
If the players are using their PCs from Odyssey SEED, even if they’re incognito, it’s safe to assume that Olangi knows who they are, though she won’t blow their cover. She has links to Aglaee DesSources, and has been thoroughly briefed on the rather exceptional Odyssey incident.
Kenji Matsua (Owner of the Sunrise Cafe)
The Venusian-born Kenji Matsua was one of the first business owners to set up shop on Alpha-4, and his Sunrise Cafe remains one of the most profitable businesses on the station. Matsua claims that the live music and quality food and drink are the main factor, but the contribution of his underworld dealings, protected by Captain Vanness, can’t be denied. While he refuses to deal in drugs, slavery, or assassinations, he’ll sell practically anything else to anyone. Unfortunately, he’s sold quite a lot of highly illegal items to Tara and her team. If this is traced back to him - by, say, the PCs - this could get him in a lot of trouble. Maybe even too much for his protector to get him out of.
Major Jan Kurtz (Martian Federal Army)
The proud, uncompromising, and honourable Major Kurtz commands the detachment of MFA exo-armor pilots stationed at Alpha-4 for training. Even though his family contributed to his rise through the ranks, Kurtz is a skilled tactician. His responses to unexpected situations, however, are regimented and very much by-the-book. He considers exo-armors little more than fancy toys, but is willing to give them a chance… Or, at the very least, unwilling to defy his orders. Kurtz has quite a temper, and will fly into a rage at anyone he perceives as attacking, dishonouring, or deceiving him. He considers Ranger Nemmen to be a trusted friend, and is unaware of his ties to the Free Republic.
Ranger Hector Nemmen (Free Republic Rangers)
Born and raised in a small Free Republic homestead, Nemmen believes strongly in the ideals of his homeland. He joined the Free Republic Rangers soon after graduating from his primary schooling, and his penchant for spotting useful information and subtly manipulating others got him into the intelligence branch. He’s been assigned to monitor traffic passing through Alpha-4. The presence of Kurtz and his troops was a surprise to Nemmen, but he’s taken advantage of it by befriending Kurtz. Nemmen will attempt to avoid open confrontation, and is quick to react to the unexpected. As soon as he realizes what’s going on, he’ll start working behind the scenes to clear the Free Republic’s name. He’ll also try - though he’ll put less effort into it - to cause some trouble in the relationship between CEGA and the Federation by using his friendship with Kurtz to turn Kurtz’s suspicions towards CEGA.
Chief Claire Leroux (Jovian Armed Forces)
The crew chief of the visiting Jovian ship, Clair Leroux is Olympian born and bred. In many ways, she’s a stereotypical Olympian, and joined up with the JAF as soon as she had the opportunity. She rose rapidly through the ranks, and is an experienced crew chief. Leroux is generally quite loose with her crew, compared to most JAF crew chiefs. She respects them and trusts them to uphold the rules without needing her to ride them hard - which they do, most of the time. With her ship moored at Alpha-4, she’s tightened up a lot. All the crewmen know that they’re to be on their best behaviour at all times or else. The change in their chief’s behaviour has not been easy on the crew, and many are finding it hard to control their behaviour on leave, when they’re usually able to relax and cut loose.
Tara Cavalier (STRIKE)
Raised in the massive arcologies that house much of Earth’s population, Tara’s education and prospects were poor. She reacted by joining one of the arcology’s many gangs, which she quickly took control of, and lead until the police busted her gang and sent her and the other ringleaders off to boot camp. After the Odyssey, she was recruited by STRIKE. Her upbringing has turned her into a borderline psychopath. She still sees others as people, and acknowledges their rights, but places no value on them. She will not hesitate to do anything to achieve her objectives, no matter how many people she injures or kills. She and her team have been dispatched by the mysterious G
to steal the exo-armors aboard the MFSS Bayern.
Nathan Stone (STRIKE)
Nathan Stone is an excellent example of the downside of life on Earth’s Moon. Like most Selenites, he received excellent education and upbringing. Unfortunately, his mind wasn’t quite as stable as the Selenties’ otherwise-excellent psychologists thought it was. Near the end of his primary schooling, he simply snapped. Several of his classmates died and more were wounded in the resulting rampage. He wandered between mercenary companies until he found his way to STRIKE. He doesn’t particularly care about STRIKE’s cause - to him, it’s just another excuse for hurting people and destroying things. Tara is basically the only person in the world that he trusts, and she will do her best to make sure he escapes. He’s too useful a tool for her to throw away on this mission.
Marina Juarez (STRIKE)
Born on Neo-Brazilia, Marina’s early life was completely unremarkable. In almost every way, she was a typical Orbital citizen. Unfortunately, her fondness for experimenting with computers lead her into a highly sensitive Venusian databank. She was smart enough to start running before Ronin showed up, and joined STRIKE soon after. She believes strongly in STRIKE’s cause, but questions the morality of their methods. Her technical skills have flourished under the tutelage of STRIKE’s hackers, and she’s an expert at quickly infiltrating and sabotaging systems. She will generally try to accomplish her tasks with maximum chaos and confusion and minimal loss of life, a scruple that infuriates Tara and Nathan.
Runaway (Plot)
To attempt to foster discord between the Jovians, MFA troops, and CEGA, Tara and her team have arranged a little distraction. Using parts bought from Kenji Matsua, Marina and Nathan have sneaked aboard the Bayern and sabotaged one of the Martian exo-armors’ flight control computers. During a training exercise, it will override the pilot’s controls and attempt to ram the moored Jovian warship.
Recovering or destroying the exo-armor will be a priority for both the Jovians and the CEGA forces assigned to the station, and can provide some tense drama. In its wake, evidence surfaces that Martian Republic terrorists may have been behind the attack, using parts bought from Lisabeth Olangi. Ali Melak believes this to be fake, and commands a further investigation into the origin of the parts and the responsibility for the attack. PCs can get involved in the intercept itself, the investigation, or can even stumble across the plot beforehand and attempt to prevent it.
Digital Graffiti (Plot)
Soon after the kamikaze attack, Tara’s team puts the next stage of their plan into operation. This involves a viral attack on Alpha-4’s mainframe, designed to look like another Martian Republic terrorist strike. The virus they employ attempts to disable a number of systems, specifically targeting those linked to the Bayern… And leaving those linked to the visiting Jovian craft alone. Again, Melak refuses to take the evidence at face value and orders a more detailed investigation once the damage control measures are completed.
The virus gets deployed by a small team of infiltrators, Marina included, in the wee hours of the morning. They then attempt to retreat to their hide-out on the station to monitor the effects. Marina has very carefully engineered it to cause maximum chaos with minimal real threat, but Nathan and Tara are unaware of this. Again, the PCs can be involved in helping with disaster response, with the investigation afterwards, or by finding evidence of the plot and working to prevent it.
The real purpose of the virus is not just to spread confusion, but to introduce a more subtle backdoor into the station’s security systems, which can be used to attack them later. It also includes a more subtle provision for sabotaging the drop bays and their flight-control software, to prevent exo-armors from launching.
Hostages and Piracy (Plot)
Finally, Tara is ready to spring her trap. Using the backdoor Marina’s virus attack left in the station’s systems, she blacks out the security grid around the Sunrise Cafe. Using a trio of Sand Stalker exo-suits, Nathan and his team take the Cafe’s patrons - including many Federation troops - hostage. While the station’s security forces are focused on the incident, Tara and another squad will take control of the Bayern and cast off. Nathan’s forces will attempt to use the security blackout to slip away (or fight their way out) and catch the freighter just as it departs, inflicting as much damage as possible, especially to the station’s sensors and launch bays, as they leave. They may even have placed bombs in key locations that need to be disarmed or otherwise neutralized.
Of course, if the players have managed to track down the backdoor, things are going to start going wrong for the STRIKE terrorists immediately. Otherwise, the players can get involved in the hostage rescue operation (even if they aren’t security personnel), or the attempt to prevent the Bayern from escaping. If they’ve become particularly close to an NPC - such as Aisha Melak or Lisabeth Olangi - that person could be taken hostage, and perhaps even smuggled aboard the Bayern. (Depending on the PCs’ skill set - see the next plot point)
Stern Chase (Plot)
Unless the PCs are very on the ball, Tara will probably get away with the Bayern. They could more easily prevent her from recovering Nathan or Marina. Her main concern, though, is not the remains of her team, but the freighter full of exo-armors. If the PCs don’t manage to fix the launch bays (and Tara doesn’t take additional measures to slow them down if they do), the Bayern will probably be out of range of exo-armor pursuit by the time they notice. In order to buy more time, Tara will claim that she’s moving the freighter away from the station until the situation there stabilizes.
No matter what faction the PCs belong to, letting the exo-armors fall into STRIKE hands would be a disaster. By this point, it should be obvious to them that they’re dealing with STRIKE, even if they don’t have conclusive proof. Unfortunately, the only ship nearby that’s equipped for pursuit is the visiting Jovian warship. If the PCs are Jovian, then they should have no problem using it… But may have a harder time convincing the crew of Alpha-4 of their good intentions. If they’re not, but have had good relations with the Jovian visitors throughout the campaign, they also shouldn’t have too hard a time. If they’ve had poor relations, then they’re faced with some difficult choices.
Assuming they do manage to pursue the fleeing but slow ship, things still aren’t simple. Tara might have managed to bring hostages aboard, or may have activated some of its payload of exo-armors. The PCs may have orders to recover the freighter intact at all costs, or secret orders to destroy it. The situation should be tweaked to their skills and weaknesses, and influenced by their choices throughout the campaign.
Timing & Objectives
Gods of War is a combination intrigue/action adventure. In each of the major plot events, there’s a period of intense activity and excitement, followed by a more leisurely investigation and socialization lead-up to the next action sequence. During the action sequences, the GM should focus quite clearly on the action itself. The PCs should be immediately involved, and the exact details of events should be tuned so that they can make an immediate difference with their skills. That’s not to say that there shouldn’t be times when the PCs are over their heads - merely that there should be some significant opportunity to apply their skills and expertise.
The investigation and socialization phases should be more freeform. Even if the players are just visiting Jovians or Martians, give them a chance to get to know the inhabitants of Alpha-4. It may be one of their few occasions to meet members of a foreign military face-to-face during peacetime, so make the most of it. The investigation phases should, again, be tuned to the players’ expertise and skill. If their skills are mainly combat-oriented, these could involve less intense action sequences surrounding the discovery of hints. If not, they could find mysterious traces and clues that help them conclude that there’s more going on than there appears.
Either way, the objectives should be defined by the PCs skills. Their ultimate objective is, of course, to stop (or assist, if they’re STRIKE members) the heist. The sub-objectives leading them to this goal are, however, much more flexible.
Aftermath
Relatively minor in the overall scope of things, the aftermath of Gods of War depends on how successful the players were. If Tara and Nathan successfully escape with the freighter full of exo-armors, STRIKE’s attacks and actions over the next few months become more and more bold. They’ve provided a substantial boost to G
’s already-ascendant faction, and while STRIKE still can’t hope to take on the CEGA Navy head-to-head, they can do quite a lot more damage than before.
Even if Tara and Nathan fail to steal the exo-armors, the political repercussions of the attempt will, although minor, be significant. The players could well be responsible for turning a potential disaster into a step in the right direction, here. If they handle the situation poorly, it’s likely that relations between the Jovian Confederation and Martian Federation will deteriorate even more, and the alliance between the Federation and CEGA might be damaged. If they handle things well, relations between all three nations could be improved.
Technology Notes
Alpha-4 is one of the first of the new Valhalla-class space stations to come online. The station is composed of a central, microgravity hub area and a larger ring. The hub area is similar to the ‘ports’ of space colonies, and contains the station’s control centres, communications equipment, cargo storage, and volatiles storage and reclamation. The ring, twelve levels deep, is spun fast enough to produce 0.8Gs of gravity. The outer six levels of the ring are dedicated to military use, the middle level to medical and other administrative/emergency services, and the inner five to civilian use.
Spaced evenly around the ring are four spoke modules
. These modules serve as anchor-points for the spokes running from the ring to the central hub, and as bases for the station’s military force. Each spoke module has a flight of exo-armors or interceptors (four units) assigned to it. The spokes have no catapults, and instead rely on a ‘drop bay’ that uses the ring’s rotation to eject units.
Alpha-4’s strike craft unit is normally composed of a flight of Syreens, two flights of Wyverns, and a flight of Wraiths. In the past couple months, the flight of Syreens have been replaced by a flight of the new Cerberus exo-armor. Having four Cerberuses in one place at once is highly unusual, but Itoglio’s been assigned three new pilots to train in the operation of the new machines. They, of course, haven’t seen any combat, but the gigantic massdriver rifles have proved very useful in convincing more than a few recalcitrant freighter captains to co-operate.
The MFSS Bayern is a relatively standard Ebiiru freighter. It is by no means a carrier, lacking catapults and all but the most rudimentary repair facilities. The exo-armors it transports are packed into standard cargo containers, modified slightly to allow for them to be strapped down for transit and take off and land without damaging anything. It can carry an incredible number of exo-armors, but its battlefield endurance is very limited. While moored at the station, it is mostly powered down, with only a skeleton crew aboard. Most of the crew have been given quarters on Alpha-4 itself.
There are two choices for the Jovian ship. The first is the JSS Ithaca, a new Athena-class destroyer. This is the default
option, and was used in the original adventure. The second is to make it the JSS Valiant, freshly returned to the inner solar system from its refits after Madman’s Gambit. This is only recommended if the players are playing their PCs from Madman’s Gambit or Odyssey SEED.