Into The Black II

A companion to Into The Black, a generation later.

Campaign Background

Science, Explained

In Into The Black, the concept of the "jump-points" was confirmed; Intergalactic distances could be traversed instantaneously.

Seventy-five years have passed. It's 2508. Twenty-five years of R&D required twenty-five years of testing (during which a dozen adventurous volunteers were disappeared to dimensions unknown), and now, finally, the technology is being successfully utilized.

Mineral elements critical to the continued expansion of human civilization within the Eridani system exist in great and concentrated quantities in various star systems previously too distant to consider. Private mining corporations (including Zettacorp) have great motivation to exploit the richest deposits.

The United Nation's GEA controls the portal technology and authorizes private corporations' expeditions. A mega-portal near Searchlight can be configured (for a substantial fee) to connect to an infinite number of approximate destinations across millions of galaxies. Expeditions are accompanied by five million kilogram package of constructor drones and materials pre-programmed to create a return portal, which takes about a year to build and activate.

Due to a horrific DNA-corruption incident ten years ago, the UN now requires portal expeditions to bring along special sensors and a subcontracted team of licensed experts to assess whether materials encountered on distant planets is an alien synthetic material, rather than a naturally occurring galactic element.

Plot Setup

Zettacorp is headed to the Cosmos Redshift 7 galaxy to mine for tylium and other Milky-Way-rare elements.

Conforming with UN rules, they have subcontracted to a firm called ExpertSystems licensed to analyze materials and assess whether they alien synthetic materials created by now-extinct (it is believed) super-intelligent beings that once traversed the universe.

You were born in and have never left New London. You are part of an ExpertSystems team, eager to go on your first intergalactic mission.

The standard ExpertSystems team deployment consists of a 3-person management team, plus:

• 12 Science/Engineering Specialists
• 6 Security Officers

Character Creation

These are TL10 150-point characters.

• Max Advantages: 75 (nothing supernatural/esoteric)
• Max Disadvantages: -75

You may have had a previous career, but you are now experienced ExpertSystems specialists, and must choose to be in Security, or Engineering.

Engineering

• Minimum IQ 13
• Minimum 20 skill points spent on science & tech skills appropriate for a TL10 engineer

Security

• Minimum IQ 11
• Minimum DX 11
• Minimum HT 11
• Minimum 10 skill points spent on tech skills appropriate for a TL10 security expert
• Minimum 5 skill points spent on combat skills appropriate for a TL10 military veteran (start with Soldier)