Nest

a Star*Drive mini-scenario
by Jim Clunie

The heroes discover a hostile infiltration of a

remote mining settlement and eliminate a Kroath Game Data
growing External menace to the system.
STR 10
The encounter presents different levels of DEX 11
challenge appropriate for a pre-generated or CON 12
starting group (assorted characters equipped INT 10
with light weapons and a civilian vessel, such as WIL 8
a trader) or more capable parties (one or more PER 8
characters trained with heavy weapons or body Durability 12s/12w/6f/6m
tanks and a ship with better manoeuvrability and Action Check 11+/10/5/2
weapons, such as a considerably modified Move Run 12, Walk 4
trader, or a scout similar to CSS Shrike as #Actions: 2
described in Red Starrise). Reaction Score:Ordinary/2
Last Resorts: 1
Background
Attacks
An External vessel assaulted the Black Widow Claws 12/6/3 d4w/d4+2w/d6+3w LI/O
Mining Cooperative, dropping off a work group Blacklaser SMG
of klicks, which seized most of the miners as 12/6/3 d6+1w/d6+3w/d4+1m En/O
prisoners and set up portable kroath conversion Flechette gun*
units, carried on board the raider, to process the 13/6/3 d4w/d6w/d4m HI/O
adult miners into both kroath soldiers and kroath * Double damage at short range (0-10m), half
sphere spacecraft. Most of the inhabitants have damage at long range (21-40m)
now become kroath, but the Externals have kept 11mm charge pistol
the cooperative's children as prisoners so far 12/6/3 d4+2w/d6+2w/d4+1m HI/O
(perhaps expecting their captives to mature Enraged: -2 bonus to attacks and action checks
more rapidly to a convertible size). for d6+1 rounds, once per scene
The new-made kroath, programmed for
violence, killed most of the klick work group, Defences
apart from a few that have developed a belated +1 DEX resistance modifier vs. ranged attacks
sense of self-preservation and fled to a side Armour: d8+2 LI / d6+2 HI / d8+2 En
area of the mine. Isolated from their usual Biotech Gel: Heal 1 stun and 1 wound per
equipment supplied from External tech-trees, phase, destroys kroath if unconscious or if any
the kroath use various weapons they seized Mortal points taken
from their victims. Resist Pain: Skill check (14/7/3) once per scene
to ignore 1 step (Ordinary) or 2 steps (Good-
Supporting Cast Amazing) of penalties due to taking half or more
Stun or Wound damage
Miners
Skills
Use Ordinary Laborers (GMG, p. 97) for the Armor Operation (10) – powered 2 (12),
surviving adult miners. Ty Rubin and the other Athletics (10) – throw (11), Melee Weapons (10)
children are Extras (GMG, p. 95). – bludgeon (11), Unarmed Attack (10) – brawl 2
(12), Modern Ranged Weapons (11) – pistol
Kroath (12), rifle 2 (13), SMG (12), Stealth (11) – hide
The kroath encountered here carry a mix of klick (12), Movement (12), Stamina (12) – resist pain
weapons (which seem spindly and out-of-place 2 (14), Awareness (8) – perception (9)
in their powerful talons) and human gear looted
from the miners, as well as fighting with their
fearsome integral claws.
Unfinished Kroath Unfinished Kroath Sphere Game Data

This humanoid's pale armour, streaming with STR 12

thick globs of coloured gel, sports many bumps DEX 8
and ridges that match the spines and blades of CON 13
its companions. INT 10
WIL 8
Unfinished Kroath Game Data PER 8
Durability 13s/13w/7f/7m
STR 8 Action Check: 10+/9/4/2
DEX 9 Move: As vehicle: Acc 100, Cruise
CON 10 500, Max 2000
INT 8 #Actions: 2
WIL 6 Reaction Score:Marginal
PER 6 Last Resorts: 1
Durability 10s/10w/5f/5m
Action Check 13+/12/6/3 Attacks
Move Run 10, Walk 4 Mass cannon 12/6/3 d6+1w/d6+3w/d4+1m
#Actions: 2 En/G
Reaction Score: Marginal Enraged -2 bonus to attacks and action
Last Resorts: - checks for d6+1 rounds, once per scene

Attacks Defences
Claws 10/5/2 d4-1w/d4+1w/d6+2w LI/O Armour: d6 LI / d6 HI / d6+1 En Good
toughness
Defences Biotech Gel: Heal 1 stun and 1 wound per
Armour: d8+1 LI / d6+1 HI / d8+1 En phase, destroys kroath if unconscious or if any
Biotech Gel: Heal 1 stun and 1 wound per Mortal points taken
phase, destroys kroath if unconscious or if any
Mortal points taken Skills
Armor Operation (12), Athletics (12), Unarmed
Skills Attack (12), Stealth (8) – hide (10), Vehicle
Armor Operation (8), Athletics (8), Unarmed Operation (8) – space 4 (12), Movement (13),
Attack (8), Stamina (10), Awareness (6) Stamina (13), System Operation (10) –
defences 2 (12), weapons 2 (12), Awareness (8)
– perception (9)
Unfinished Kroath Sphere

This 3-metre-tall egg-shaped mass, encrusted Klick Warriors

with black armour of an unknown type that has Use standard klick warriors (Star*Drive
partly grown over a series of glowing translucent Campaign Setting, p. 220).
bulges, looks almost identical to the kroath
conversion pods in the common room. If
unaware of intruders, it sits quietly, softly pulsing
with light and feeding on electrical current from
a cable passing into the tunnel from the power
trunk outside. When alerted for battle, it
disconnects and hovers above the tunnel floor,
as a circular protrusion powers up with ripples of
spatial distortion.
Kroath Sphere
Progress Level: 7 Tech Tracks: D, G
Description
See Alien Compendium, p. 123

Toughness: Small Craft (Sm) Stun: 5 Wound: 5 Mortal: 3 Critical: 2

Crew Complement: 1 Max. Personnel Capacity: 1 Max. Endurance: 100 days
Armor: Medium (unknown) d6+1 (LI), d6+1 (HI), d6+2 (En) Target: +3 steps
Airlocks: - Maximum Jump Distance: -
Maneuverability Rating: 4 Maneuvers: 4/round Acceleration: 4 Mpp
Sensors: Multiband Radar (active) Range: 10/20/40 Arcs: 4 Targeting: Normal

Attacks Acc Arcs Range Damage Type Mode

Mass cannon -1 F, 0P, 1/3/5 d6+2s/d6+1w/d6+3w LI/Sm F
0S

Crew: Kroath system operator 12/6/3

Hull: Fighter Hull: +10

Armour: Medium (unknown) Hull: 0.5
Power: Mass reactor Hull: 2 Power: +7
Engine: Induction engine Hull: 2 Power: 2
FTL: -
Support: -
Weapons: Mass cannon Hull: 2 Power: 3
Defences: Jammer Hull: 1 Power: 1
Command: Gel-suspended pilot Hull: -
Radio transceiver Hull: 0.5 Power: 1
Sensors: Multiband radar Hull: 2 Power: 4
Misc: -

Damage Zones:
F: mass cannon, multiband radar, radio transceiver, gel-suspended pilot
A: jammer, multiband radar, induction engine, mass reactor
Black Widow Canyon or use the attached Warships statistics) intends
to destroy the heroes' vessel before they reach
Tunnels, Membranes and Airlocks the captured mining outpost. Defending its
The miners' facility consists of played-out mining home base, the kroath attacks until destroyed
tunnels of an average 6 metres diameter, used and may use tactics of desperation, such as
as living quarters, and an active rubidium mine. trying to ram the heroes' ship if unable to use its
Although depicted, for convenience of mapping, mass cannon. For a military group, add an extra
as straight and vertically above each other, the kroath sphere.
tunnels follow the richest veins of ore, and as
such the entrances stagger in an irregular Challenge Scene: Transmission
zigzag up the cliff face. Each tunnel dips, rises
and twists erratically into the dirty ice massif, The heroes pick up a faint transmission,
cutting off vision after roughly 20 metres. requiring a System Operation-communications
check to record and enhance the signal. A
At the points indicated, the miners have sealed Marginal success only confirms the source of
each tunnel with a BerTek Space Construction the transmission from the same planetoid as the
Membrane of extremely tough, translucent Black Widow Mining Cooperative base. Any
smart polymer (Good Toughness, Durability 6, higher success delivers a pleading young boy's
armour values d4+4 LI / d4+1 HI / d4+1 En, voice:
closes breaches in 1 round until Wound points
depleted). The membrane imposes a Moderate "This is Ty Rubin from the Black Widow Mine.
penalty (+2) to perception checks to see any Mayday. Mayday. They took away my dad and I
movement, weapons flashes or other think something happened to him. We're locked
disturbances on the far side. up in the sample lab. Please please help."

Each tunnel gives access to pressurised living The transmission doesn't repeat. A Good or
and work areas through a BerTek Emplaceable better success suggests the sender used
Airlock. The lower and middle tunnels use improvised or jury-rigged equipment. A manifest
BerTek's Personnel size, whose chamber of check or a hero familiar with the mine confirms
slightly less than 2m diameter can that Melchior Rubin is one of the miners.
accommodate a typical adventuring party in
close quarters. If attacked while more than one On approach, a System Operation-sensors
character is inside a Personnel airlock, heroes check picks up levels of infrared and
lose any positive STR and DEX resistance electromagnetic emissions consistent with the
modifiers. information the heroes have about the
The upper tunnel has a Light Cargo airlock with settlement. A Good success reveals from orbit
a 3.5m chamber, suitable for a single ore pallet the damage described below.
on weight neutralisers. Light Cargo airlocks
don't restrict characters' movement in combat Planetoid
unless multiple characters in powered armour Unless the GM already has statistics for the
crowd into the chamber. minor world where this encounter occurs, its
Each airlock hatch closes and equalises basic conditions are:
pressure in one round, so a group takes at least G: 1 R: 2 A: 1 (Nitrogen) P: 1 H: 1
two rounds to pass through an airlock.
Mechanical fail-safes prevent any airlock hatch Destroyed Comms Array
opening while there is a difference in pressure A fresh scar at the lip of the cliff, with twisted,
between the two sides of the hatch. burned-off cable ends leading downwards,
marks the former location of the mine's radio
Trigger: Mail Run transmitter and air/space radar.
Although they slagged the installation with a
As you begin your routine approach to this particle beam, the klicks used concussion
lonely outer-system post, your sensors detect a charges to collapse a larger area of the cliff to
tiny vessel of unknown type, approaching at hide evidence of a starship weapons strike. A
high speed with weapons hot. What do you do? Good success with Demolitions-set explosives
confirms that deliberately set charges caused
The kroath sphere (Alien Compendium, p. 123, the collapse.

Canyon
The heroes can descend to the floor of the
canyon by way of a steep slope of broken rocks
several hundred metres from the mine, by
reaching and climbing down the ratline (see
below) or with their own gear.
Landing Area
A wide levelled strip at the base of the canyon
holds the miners' system shuttle, superficially
battered by falling debris but ready to fly.
The shuttle's payload area contains a deuterium
refining unit, ahead of an ore storage bay of
weathered alloy dusted with dark-coloured grit.
This area could hold up to a dozen people for a
short, uncomfortable trip, in addition to the
shuttle's three crew positions.
Alternate: If the heroes land their ship in the
canyon, kroath observing from the middle tunnel
trigger pre-set charges to collapse part of the
opposite canyon wall, causing 3d4 LI damage
and partly burying the ship. The heroes' pilot or
engineer can tell that the weight of rock and ice,
together with weakened sections of the hull,
makes it too dangerous to take off without
digging out the vessel – if the heroes try this
anyway, repeat the damage roll, possibly
causing catastrophic damage to one or more
compartments that could endanger a hero or
destroy vital systems. The GM may decide
whether the trap affects the miners' shuttle,
which most likely is disabled if struck by the
same collapse as the heroes' larger vessel.
Ratline
A high-test polymer safety line, fastened to the
cliff face diagonally between each tunnel
entrance by pneumatically-driven pitons, runs
alongside electrical power and data cable trunks
that branch into the middle and upper tunnels.
The safety line cuts off where the invaders
blasted out the comms array, requiring climb
checks to travel over the broken rubble without
falling.
In this minor planet's low gravity, a hero can
climb hand-over-hand along the ratline, without
needing a skill check, to reach the middle or
upper mine shaft or to approach the top of the
cliff. Any falls cause damage as if 25% of their
actual distance, making a fall from the explosion
scar (44m) a Medium drop or from any other
point a Short fall.
Combat Scene: Comms Station (A)
One of the kroath stationed here (K1) has a
blacklaser SMG, while the other (K2) has an
11mm charge pistol. Each carries one of the
miners' universal tools. For military parties, add
another kroath (K3) with a blacklaser SMG.
The control panels are powered down with
screens and indicators dark. If activated, the
comms station shows only error messages and
static (but this alerts the kroath in the common
room of intruders, if they weren't already aware).
Power Plant
This fusion reactor, fed by a deuterium fuel tank,
supplies ample power for the mine's usual
operations. The External techno-organic devices
in the common area and sphere tunnel that are
in the process of converting three of the miners
into fully-functional new kroath siphon off extra
energy, causing unusual power draws through
both the cable leading up the cliff and its
counterpart laid through the sloping access
tunnel.
Combat Scene: Sphere Tunnel (B)
The heroes have already destroyed in open
space the kroath sphere normally based in this
tunnel, but a partly-grown sphere craft remains.
When it perceives their entry, it hides around the
bend in the tunnel (Stealth-hide check opposed
by the highest WIL resistance modifier among
the heroes to remain unnoticed) and prepares to
ambush them.
Since this area is in near-vacuum, gunfire
makes only thin, distorted sounds. The kroath
inside the membrane wall fail to notice the
flashes of weapons fire, but respond to any
impact on the membrane or use of the airlock.
If the kroath remain unaware, heroes can make
perception checks after the combat to see
vague forms moving about inside, but have no claws and join the fray.
chance to see hiding kroath through the Alternate: If unaware of intrusion, roll a d20 for
membrane. each kroath. On 10 or lower, it is performing
some general task. On 11 or above, it stands
Alternate: If the heroes defeat the kroath squad quiescent in the corridor leading to the miners'
in the common room before entering the sphere quarters. Working kroath carry their assigned
hangar, the unfinished sphere detaches itself weapons on slings or belts, while inactive kroath
and flies off before they arrive. leave their equipment on the chair closest to the
galley (next to K6).
Challenge/Combat Scene: Upper Tunnel (C) Alternate: If a disturbance in another area
doesn't result in an intrusion into the common
Next to the cargo airlock, neat rows of pallets room after several minutes, the kroath squad
and weight neutralisers wait next to a pile of sends one soldier (with a blacklaser SMG) to
unprocessed ore. investigate. The scout retreats to the main group
if confronted by more than two armed
The four surviving klick warriors hide further opponents, or if it takes damage.
down the mine tunnel, trying to avoid contact
unless they see an opportunity to wipe out a Ending the Adventure: Survivors
weak group from ambush. Ultimately, they are
looking for a chance to seize a ship (perhaps Mining Assay Lab
the miners' shuttle) and escape the planetoid, The surviving miners and children are locked in
but fear the kroath too much to venture out while this room, which the klicks stripped of most
the stronger creatures hold the lower tunnels. useful gear. Ty can show the heroes the
improvised radio set stashed behind a cabinet.
Combat Scene: Common Room (D)
Food Preparation Area
The Externals used this galley, inexpertly, to
prepare rations to keep their prisoners alive,
leaving ripped packets and spills of sauce
around the place. Other large food containers
have been emptied as feedstock for the growing
kroath.

Explosives and Tools Storage

Two of the kroath here (K1, K2) have klick
blacklaser SMGs, one (K3) has a flechette gun
and the other (K4) only uses its claws. One of
these kroath (K1) carries a universal tool. For
military groups, add two more kroath (K5, K6),
the former armed with an 11mm charge pistol.
If the kroath hear gunfire from the comms
station or notice heroes entering from the
sphere tunnel, they take up defensive positions
as shown (reposition K3, K4 and K5 as
appropriate in the latter case) to ambush the
heroes.
After two rounds of combat, two unfinished
kroath inside the conversion pods tear open the miners, or 1 AP for at least escaping to warn
techno-organic devices with their partly-formed local authorities of the threat.
The intruders have blasted open the door from
the lab and taken the concussion charges,
plasma gel canisters, detonators and general
tools stored here, leaving ransacked cabinets
and shelves. One of these was the miners' arms
locker, which also lies open and empty, its lock
destroyed by a burst of energy-weapon fire.
Quarters (Klick Bodies)
The last of these chambers hides an acrid-
smelling pile of three insectoid corpses, though
the amount of body fluids smeared around
suggests several more were kept here for a time
(consumed by the growing new kroath). A few
attached bands and small objects might be
identification or personal items, but the kroath
have taken their weapons and gear.
Award each character 2 Achievement Points if
they destroy the kroath and rescue the surviving