This is a patron encounter/short adventure, which requires the players have a ship and are engaged in cargo carrying at least part of the time.
The characters have docked on a moderate to high population world (pop: 7+), when they come across a contract for shipping from a local manufacturing firm. The company is willing to pay an outrageous bonus for shipping a large cargo, but they want exclusive, quick and quiet shipping. Further research will reveal the firm as the local manufacturer of HavaCola, the cargo is "cola concentrate", and it is to be delivered to a few (two to five) near by moderate to high population worlds (pop: 7+). Any further digging should reveal rumors the firm has connections to organized crime, pirates, and every other unsavory character the players have heard of and a few more. No actual links can be found, but rampant rumors.
If the players accept the cargo, instead of standard delivery, the cargo containers are delivered directly to the ship. Acommpanying the cargo is a cadre of security forces, dressed in dark suits buldging with body armor, ear piece communicators and about half carrying the latest in military gauss rifles. The security forces are disinclined to talk to the ship's crew, except the minimum required to make sure the cargo is loaded properly. The cargo continers have very high end computerized seals and environmental montoring systems. All the paperwork, shipping documents, customs declerations, HAZMAT forms, and environmental impact statements are included and complete.
This procedure is repeated at each stop where the cargo is unloaded. Unmarked trucks and several dozen armed dark suited men arrive at the ship to verify the cargo is undamanged and the cargo containers have not been tampered with. The correct number of containers is offloaded, paperworks signed, i's dotted, t's crossed, and so on.
Roll 1d
1,2: All is as represented, the containers have soda concentrate. HavaCola is doing a multi-world rollout of a new "Mapleberry" flavor with the usual varities (regular, diet, lite, jolt, mega-jolt, laser beam). There was a screwup in the request for security, so an unneeded level of security was ordered.
3,4: The containers actually contain a highly toxic residure of the HavaCola manufacturing process. The stuff is being shipped out to several bottling plants where it can be dumped (slowly) into the waste water system.
5,6: The continaners have a 10 year supply of the HavaCola secret ingredient. Usually this stuff is diluted to a homeopathic concentration and no one is sure what a large volume of pure special will do.
I came up with this as a one session adventure for the Dragonstar campaign I'm currently running. Nothing actually happended when the players encountered the contract, but every time I bring up another HavaCola hauling contract, they back away like it was a radioactive rabid wombat.
I've found that mentioning odd details, like including a HAZMAT form which says the material being shipped is as safe as water, or there are many rumors the company you are about to do business with is associated with pirates, sets off certain alarm bells with players.
The characters have docked on a moderate to high population world (pop: 7+), when they come across a contract for shipping from a local manufacturing firm. The company is willing to pay an outrageous bonus for shipping a large cargo, but they want exclusive, quick and quiet shipping. Further research will reveal the firm as the local manufacturer of HavaCola, the cargo is "cola concentrate", and it is to be delivered to a few (two to five) near by moderate to high population worlds (pop: 7+). Any further digging should reveal rumors the firm has connections to organized crime, pirates, and every other unsavory character the players have heard of and a few more. No actual links can be found, but rampant rumors.
If the players accept the cargo, instead of standard delivery, the cargo containers are delivered directly to the ship. Acommpanying the cargo is a cadre of security forces, dressed in dark suits buldging with body armor, ear piece communicators and about half carrying the latest in military gauss rifles. The security forces are disinclined to talk to the ship's crew, except the minimum required to make sure the cargo is loaded properly. The cargo continers have very high end computerized seals and environmental montoring systems. All the paperwork, shipping documents, customs declerations, HAZMAT forms, and environmental impact statements are included and complete.
This procedure is repeated at each stop where the cargo is unloaded. Unmarked trucks and several dozen armed dark suited men arrive at the ship to verify the cargo is undamanged and the cargo containers have not been tampered with. The correct number of containers is offloaded, paperworks signed, i's dotted, t's crossed, and so on.
Roll 1d
1,2: All is as represented, the containers have soda concentrate. HavaCola is doing a multi-world rollout of a new "Mapleberry" flavor with the usual varities (regular, diet, lite, jolt, mega-jolt, laser beam). There was a screwup in the request for security, so an unneeded level of security was ordered.
3,4: The containers actually contain a highly toxic residure of the HavaCola manufacturing process. The stuff is being shipped out to several bottling plants where it can be dumped (slowly) into the waste water system.
5,6: The continaners have a 10 year supply of the HavaCola secret ingredient. Usually this stuff is diluted to a homeopathic concentration and no one is sure what a large volume of pure special will do.
I came up with this as a one session adventure for the Dragonstar campaign I'm currently running. Nothing actually happended when the players encountered the contract, but every time I bring up another HavaCola hauling contract, they back away like it was a radioactive rabid wombat.
I've found that mentioning odd details, like including a HAZMAT form which says the material being shipped is as safe as water, or there are many rumors the company you are about to do business with is associated with pirates, sets off certain alarm bells with players.
