For a little while, while I work on a OSR D&D Campaign.
Episode Six, Session One
Captain Chabra and Chief Mala visit a logistics officer Chabra knows on the Naval Reservation, and ask him to look into attacks on commercial shipping with a couple hops of Yamuna. Four hours later he returns with the info.
If the crew can cross reference this with detailed shipping manifests of what was on the ships that got hit by the Abhva, they might be able to decipher a clue as to the whereabouts of the Abhva collaborators.
Next up, running a heist on the Solar Commerce Union Administration Building. Or running a con on the Quadrant Headquarters of Chandra Sundries.
The Peoples of Rockets and Mayhem
Arrived in their Promised Land two millennia ago to find it…currently occupied. A highly religious people with advanced psychic gifts, their technological base (known as Technik) is highly advanced, if lacking in some electronic features some would consider fundamental. Divided into social castes by physiology and enlightenment, most Janya have brick red skin and are sexually trimorphic.
The native civilized people of this half of a binary star system, the Kravyad evolved from bipedal alpine mammals, and colonized the inner planets of the system in the far depths of distant history. Their technology, while primitive compared to that of the Janya, comports with the basic principles of chemistry and physics that we are familiar with. This places them at a significant disadvantage when compared to the Technik of the Janya, or the Nemesis-Tech of the Abhva. Originally a strongly matriarchal society, the hirsute Kravyad have broken into fractious clans with varying allegiance to the Solar Kingdoms led by the Janya.
The inhabitants of the other half of the binary solar system, the Abhva are a decadent and corrupted coalition of hive-minded reptilian races who have long since depleted the resources of their native worlds. Strongly if abhorrently spiritual, the Abhva are a dark mirror to the worst tendencies of Janya and Kravyad alike. Every handful of centuries, as the co-orbits of the system’s binary stars bring them into proximity, the Abhva hordes arrive, locust like, to consume and despoil.
Pranagenesis (Greater)
The seven lunar worlds* at the center of Janya culture and the Solar Kingdoms orbit the Storm-Giant Kaikasi, and are blessed with atmosphere, warmth, and life. But it was not always so. When the starfaring Janya first arrived in the Mitra system a few thousand years ago, the moons of Kaikasi were cold and lifeless (with the exception of those close enough to feel the stress of the Storm-Giant’s massive gravity; those were hot and lifeless). Within a year of arrival, each boasted all the environmental qualities necessary to support life, from the microscopic to macroscopic.
According to Janya religious tradition, each of the seven worlds was rendered habitable by one of the Radiant Celestials that observe the Janya in a miracle fueled by Solar Shakti. Great crystal cathedrals have been erected in the holy locations where the Radiant Celestials first manifested themselves (and the planetary wide tempests that followed were centered).
* Karnsya, Aruna, Marakata, Nilavarna, Dhumala, Guara, and Rajata
Congratulations. Your horned flying allosaur monkey is here.
Unexpected bonus wildlife from the concept art team. Four legs plus two wings means it’s from heptilicus family on the Inner Worlds (Subahu and Maricha). Since it turned up in the Lunar Worlds wildlife guide, that means this clever rascal has mastered inter-solar flight, or (more likely) some jackass rocket crew was smuggling them for the nobility caste, ran into a customs patrol, and had to dump cargo. Now they’re everywhere.
Abhva Asuri (“Evil Spirits”)
The Abhva (“The Enemy”, “Void Devils”) are the inhabitants of Planet X, which orbits the secondary Mitran sun, Yama. They worship a dark entity known as the Adversary, and are the terror of Janya and Kravyad alike. The eccentric orbit of Yama brings them close enough to engage open warfare every seven to eight centuries, when they cross the void of space to ravage, locust like, among the bountiful worlds of the system’s brighter primary star, Surya.
The strategists and overlords of the Abhva war effort, the Asuri (Evil Spirits) are the most intellectually and spiritually advanced of the Abhva races (although clearly they have turned both advantages towards corrupted paths). As the Makara race has the equivalent physical strength of five Janya, the Asuri have the equivalent supernatural strength of five Janya: all Asuri are capable of potent hostile combat magicks. The Asuri possess a mostly humanoid appearance, averaging three meters tall with various imposing physiques. As with the Makara and the Pretya, the Asuri are evolved from a common ancestor or origin point, so share some additional physical similarities.
As the Asuri lead the Abhva as generals and necromancers in the invasion efforts, their mastery of the bizarre necro-tech of their Abhva culture makes them an even more potent threat.
Setting: Pretya Marauder
Displacement: Scale 2 (5,000 – 50,000 cubic meters)
Armor: Standard, Scale 1
Hull: Standard, Scale 2
Weapons: Two Neutron Particle Gun Turrets
Standard Crew: 100 (military), 20 Boarding Defense
Layout:
Zone A: Bridge
Zone B: Quarters
Zone C: Gun Decks
Zone D: Engineering / Propulsion
Zone E: Cargo
Convoy Briefing
From Yamuna:
Two Sthala class Light Freighters (Low-Technik)
- Deva Raya
- Sadasiva Raya
Four Kampana class Light Freighters (Low-Technik)
- Bukka Raya
- Achyuta Raya
- Krishna Raya
- Thimna Raya
Two Kipchack class Cargo Freighters (Primitive-Tech)
- Kochi Kipchack
- Subedei Kipchack
The two Kipchack class Primitive Freighters are the Yamuna to Sei hop only. They are in the 50,000 to 500,000 m3 displacement scale. The Low-Technik Freighters are in the 5,000 to 50,000 m3 displacement scale, two drop off at each of the next three stops (Garai, Pakhria, Dakatia). One of the Sthala class ships at Garai (stop two), and one at Dakatia (stop four).
The Sthala class ships are newer, and close quarters armed. The Kampana class ships have no weaponry. The Kipchak class ships are the worst of the lot, featuring no weapons at all, and outclassed thrust and scanner operations profiles.
There are another three Kavalu class Low-Technik armed escorts, in the 5,000 to 50,000 m3 displacement scale civilian frigate equivalents. One of these drops off at stop 2, stop 3, and stop 4 (along with the two freighters they’re contracted for). They have medium range turrets, but expect them to stay combat close to their assigned freighters.
Episode Five, Session Three
Scene Four: Sei Capital Cosmodrome, Parindra II.
The Parindra II lands at Sei Capital to follow up on an offer from a contact of Captain Chabra’s, Kumar Molla. Since the last operation Captain Chabra ran with Molla ended poorly, yet spectacularly, zhe has some doubts about the particulars of the contract, and wants to go in to the meeting as fully armed with intelligence as possible.
Chief Niazi and Bosun Kaffir head into the night in search of some street level information on what Kumar Molla might be up to. Arriving at the Outcaste bar “The Blue Oyster”, they hear the criminal dialect spoken by the Outlaw faction in the Belt, and get to work with intrigue, deception and subterfuge. They make a resource of Nisha Mirza, a figure in local organized crime. While a mediocre contact at best, Mirza mentions that Kumar Molla is the Deputy Councillor for Interplanetary Trade…and definitely has a history of “playing ball” with the local organized crime syndicates. In fact, some of the insurance premiums negotiated in trade contracts end up in the coffers of Hanuruha.
The next morning, Niazia, Kaffir, and Chabra meet at the capital Hall of Record, for the kind of academic investigation Captain Chabra is slightly more familiar with. Chief Niaza finds a recent trade deal for transhipment through Sei of goods manufactured by Chandra Sundries. It looks like Sei is able to get an exceptional price for the goods that stay, due to the absence of the usual insurance provisions for goods lost due to events occurring in the theater of war
Scene Five: Sei Capital, Offices of Kumar Molla.
Deputy Councillor Molla remains polite yet hostile throughout the negotiations, despite attempts to sway them with common connections and the recent work the crew has done on behalf of the Solar Navy. Apparently some grudges still run deep, which makes the crew all the more suspicious of accepting the mission. Still, expenses are up, and a success might buy them some positive reputation with the colonies affiliated with the Independent Trade Union (ITU).
It gets worse when the crew discovers that accepting the mission requires paying a bond as surety, even before they’ve been paid for their efforts (“wait… this deal is going to cost us money?!?”). The contract is for mercenary work, protecting the ships of a trade convoy originating at Yamuna and traveling outwards to Dakatia, dropping off transports and cargo at each colony along the way. The primary mission is to protect the transports on the hop from Yamuna to Sei. A bonus will be awarded for the safe transit of every ship in the convoy to their final destinations.
Happily, assistance will be available in the form of lightly armed gunboats on contract from Paladin Security Services.
Abhva Makara (“Crocodiles”)
The Abhva (“The Enemy”, “Void Devils”) are the inhabitants of Planet X, which orbits the secondary Mitran sun, Yama. They worship a dark entity known as the Adversary, and are the terror of Janya and Kravyad alike. The eccentric orbit of Yama brings them close enough to engage open warfare every seven to eight centuries, when they cross the void of space to ravage, locust like, among the bountiful worlds of the system’s brighter primary star, Surya.
The muscle of the Abhva war effort, the Makara (Crocodiles) are the monsters that keep Janya awake at night. Cold-blooded amphibians, the Makara average 4 meters tall and mass approximately 575 kg. Their hemocyanin based physiology allows activity even at below-freezing temperatures, including extended durability in the coldness of the Void between worlds . There are persistent rumors that some of the Makara possess the ability to control their coloration or even shape, but what has absolutely been confirmed is that their overall appearance alters between Incursions into solar space.
Most are augmented with the bizarre necro-tech of their Asuri masters, internally and outwardly.
Rockets and Mayhem! 