Cyberpunk 2020 The Moon's Dark Side.pdf

The Moon’s

By Michael C. LaBossiere,

Ontologist@aol.com

CyperPunk 2020

This adventure is written with the

assumption that the PCs are part of

the team responsible for the

evacuation and transportation of the

alien craft. The adventure can be

modified if the PCs are not team

members (for example, they may be

hired to steal it) but this is left to the

referee. PCs will be assigned to

positions on the team based on their

expertise. For example, solos would

be part of the security team.

Exactly how the PCs end up on

the team is up to the referee. This

may be the end result of months of

play, or the referee may simply wish

to assign them to the team.

The universe is large enough and old

enough that the existence of other beings

more advanced than humanity is not

merely likely, it is virtually guaranteed.

I have known this for a long time. But

knowing this and finding a three

million-year-old spacecraft is a lot like

the relation between knowing that being

shot will hurt and being shot.

- Cpt. Ruth Milkin, NASA

Legal Information

This adventure is copyright

1991,1999 by Dr. Michael C.

LaBossiere. It may be freely

distributed for personal use

provided that it is not modified and

no fee above the normal cost of

distribution is charged for it. Visit

the Opifex Phoenix web site at

www.opifex.cnchost.com.

Cyberpunk 2020 is the copyrighted

property of R. Talsorian Games.

Introduction

This is a space adventure for

Cyberpunk 2020 and it is intended for

a group of PCs with experience in

space. If you intend to play in this

adventure, please do not read any

further.

Background (Player)

Six weeks ago, a graduate student

and his advisor completed an

experiment in which the

electromagnetic field of the moon

was carefully examined. This activity

was met with the indifference

reserved for most academic

endeavors. However, the data

revealed an interesting fact: a

regularly occurring electromagnetic

flux was detected in an area were no

human activity was occurring. The

advisor suspected it was an

abandoned power cell or some other

junk. The grad student decided to

investigate the site and armed with

more precise instruments was able to

determine that the flux was a signal

of some kind, and apparently not of

human origin. To insure he would

receive the credit for the find, the

student filed his results with NASA

and ESA. In response, an

ESA/NASA team was sent in to

undertake the excavation. A Vacuum

Base Camp was established on the

site and the dig began shortly

thereafter. For various reasons, a

media blackout was put into effect

Referee’s Introduction

In order to properly run this

adventure, a copy of Near Orbit will

be required. This adventure deals

with the discovery of a 3 million-

year-old alien spacecraft on earth’s

moon and the events that result

because of this.

Getting the PCs Involved:

(one of the reasons being to avoid

NASA and ESA becoming a

laughingstock if the whole thing

turns out to be a hoax). The

adventure begins as the digging

ends.

5-9. Quarters: Each room is equipped

with a bunk bed, two lockers, a

terminal, and low-gravity bathroom

facilities. They are double

occupancy.

10. Machinery: The machinery

required to run the life support,

airlock, and so forth is located here.

Background (Referee)

The anomaly is being produced

by a craft that is nearly three million

years old and is of non-human

origin. For details, see the section on

the Alien Craft, below.

11-12. Storage/Life Support: The

batteries, water, air, and life support

equipment are located in these

sections.

Maps

Second Level

1. Galley: The VBC’s food

preparation and dinning area.

Dig Site

The dig site is located on the

moon’s surface, on the dark side of

the moon. Because of this, the

expedition will rely on artificial

lighting. The dirt piles are composed

of the excavated dirt. The dig cover

is a section of armored hull material

(SP=45) that is being used to protect

the dig site. Underneath it is the dig

shaft. The VBC is the Vacuum Base

Camp.

2. Rec Area: This area contains

physical and mental entertainments

designed to prevent the crew from

going space happy.

3. Laboratory: A well equipped

scientific laboratory.

4. Control Center: The VBC’s

systems are controlled from here.

The room also houses the

communication gear (radio, and

laser communication link).

VBC Interior

The VBC is a portable shelter used

in exploration of hostile worlds (the

moon and Mars, so far). It is armored

(SP=25) to prevent accidents. It is

designed to sustain a crew of ten for

thirty days.

Action

Prior to the events listed below,

the referee will want to describe the

week of work prior to event #1. A

few short role playing sessions can

be used to introduce the PCs to the

NPCs and the situation. However,

the week of digging will be rather

dull. If desired, an emergency or two

(a life support accident, a nearby

crash, a lost person on the moon) can

be used to liven things up and make

the situation more real for the

players.

First Level

1. Airlock: The airlock is designed so

that both doors cannot be opened at

the same time.

2. Equipping Area

3. Locker: Used to store air tanks, etc.

4. Locker: Used to store suits, etc.

The Plant

One the NPCs (detailed below) is

actually working for a corporation

which would like to have sole access

to the alien object. This plant will be

smuggling information out of the

camp via a laser communication

device. The plant will also be acting

to insure that the corporation gets

the artifact and that no evidence is

left of this fact. To this end, the plant

has been equipped with a small

nuclear device. The plant is

extremely good at what she does and

will set it up so an innocent team

member seems to be the plant. She

will also strive to create friction

among the team members and put

them under stress (with “accidents”)

and so forth. She will do this to make

her job (insuring her corporation

gets the artifact) easier.

away the rest of the silicate (the

excavation shaft is sealed and

pressurized for this). After the fumes

clear, the object will be visible. It is a

dull silver color, but still reflective.

When the light first hits it, it will

emit a strong and complex

electromagnetic signal that will

momentarily interfere with the

operation of electrical equipment

within a 100 meter radius. The lights

will go out, vehicles will “stall”,

cyber-optics will go blind, and so

forth. This effect will last only a

minute and then everything will

return to normal. The scientists on

the team will spend another week

examining the artifact to determine if

it is dangerous and if it can be

transported to a laboratory.

Event #2 Nightmares

Two days after the uncovering of

the craft, the plant will introduce

small doses of a chemical into the air

supply of the VBC (she will take an

antidote). This drug induces severe

hallucinations in a sleeping mind

and will make the team members

experience nightmares, most

centering on the alien artifact

(because it is so central in their

thoughts). The plant will pretend to

be having the same nightmares. She

will also introduce the idea that the

artifact is responsible. This talk will

serve to enhance and focus the

nightmares onto the artifact. Use

your imagination when describing

the horror lurking within the artifact

(reading some H.P Lovecraft would

be helpful for ideas). At this point,

some of the NPCs will be getting

nervous and the atmosphere in the

VBC will be tense. The chemical will

gradually build up in the team

members, resulting in more intense

and vivid nightmares. The plant will

not simply poison the team off

The Work

The first phase of the work is the

scanning of the site with various

instruments. This will reveal that a

very high density object is locked

beneath the lunar surface and that it

is emitting electromagnetic energy.

The object appears to be encased in

fused silicates, which indicates it was

extremely hot when it impacted the

moon’s surface. The depth of the

object indicates that it arrived on the

moon 2-3 million years ago.

The depth of the object, its

encasement in fused silicates, and

the extreme caution used in the

digging will result in a week being

required to unmoon the object.

Event #1 The Uncovering

At the completion of the digging

and the chipping away of most of the

silicates, a carefully formulated

chemical will be used to dissolve

because she has been instructed to

let the team determine if the artifact s

dangerous or not before the

corporation takes possession of it.

The scientists will be baffled by these

nightmares, since the artifact is not

emitting any form of energy that

would be likely to cause the

nightmares. Since the plant is the

medical officer, she will be able to

conceal the chemical origin of the

nightmares.

several hundred meters from the site

(after draining out the blood with a

piece of medical equipment), shred

up his suit and then douse it and the

craft with the blood after exposing

both the suit and blood to a radiation

source. She will then go to sleep and

prepare to be as surprised as

everyone else the next day. By this

point, tensions will be running high

and everyone will be afraid or at

least concerned about the artifact.

The scientists will be very surprised

by this event, as the artifact has

undergone no changes (a smart PC

may realize that if the artifact has not

increased in mass, it couldn’t have

“eaten” the missing person).

Event #3 Sabotage

Three days after the chemical is

introduced into the air supply, the

plant will sabotage the VBC’s

communication equipment and the

expedition’s moon jumper. She will

use special gloves she has prepared

(using security records) of a NPC’s

fingerprints. She will be sure to get

the prints over everything and will

plant evidence so it appears the NPC

was responsible. She will suggest

that the artifact might be using some

form of mind control and this will

explain why the (framed) NPC has

no memory of the incident. The

extent of the damage and what

would be required for repairs or

jury-rigging is left to the referee.

Event #5 The Plant Exposed

Since the tests have not revealed

anything dangerous about the

artifact and the plant knows she is

the cause of the events attributed to

the artifact, she will decide it is time

to take possession of the artifact. She

will use her laser communicator to

signal the pick up team, prepare to

introduce a poison gas into the VBC,

and set her nuclear charge in the dig

shaft. The charge is equipped with a

broadcaster which will transmit a

message just prior to the explosion

claiming that the Brothers of Jesus (a

radical, anti-space cult which has as

it’s main tenets that the Devil lives in

space and Man belongs only on

earth) have blown the site up

because it was the work of the Devil.

Fortunately for the PCs, the

plant’s own chemical will thwart her

plans. An NPC will wake up due to a

particularly bad nightmare and will

catch the plant in the act of trying to

poison everyone. The unlucky NPC

will be killed, but the others will

wake up when the alarm is set off.

When the plant is subdued or killed,

Event #4 Disappearance

Four days after the chemical is

introduced to the air supply, one of

the team members will not be found

in the morning. When the dig shaft is

examined, the shredded remains of

the missing person’s space suit (with

plenty of blood in and on it) will be

found near the artifact (which will

also be liberally doused with blood ).

The suit will also be found to be

radioactive. While it appears that the

artifact has killed and perhaps eaten

a team member, in fact the plant

lured a team member outside and

killed him. She will bury his body

the remote detonator for the nuclear

charge will be found on her.

base camp where the teams were

waiting. Over the base camp is an

OTV and the artifact will be boosted

up to it by a small drone craft. The

OTV will then head for a

workstation which has a shuttle

docked at it. The workstation is

considered to be the same distance

from the moon as L1 for time and

fuel purposes. If the OTV reaches the

workstation, the artifact will be

transferred to the shuttle and then

brought to earth. Once on earth, the

artifact will be taken to a corporate

lab and result in a massive bonanza

for the corporation.

Of course, the PCs may have

something to say about this. If the

PCs can get a working transmitter,

they can contact NASA and ESA and

they can send a moon jumper to pick

up the PCs. The base is 55 minutes

away by moon jumper. If they PCs

capture a moon jumper or fix one of

theirs, they can make the trip on

their own. The NASA/ESA base has

a Nighthawk STC that is assigned to

the team (it was intended to

transport the artifact). It is fueled

and ready to go and can catch the

OTV as long as the OTV is not more

than two hours and twenty minutes

ahead of it. Since the OTV is

unarmed, the PCs should be able to

get the crew to surrender.

Event #6 The Attack

Unfortunately for the team, the

plant’s signal will bring the

corporate team to the site 34 minutes

after the plant is discovered by the

NPC. The attack force will arrive in

two moon jumpers. They will be

expecting an easy job and will

simply set down beside the dig shaft.

This assumes that the PCs don’t do

anything to alert them of what has

actually occurred. If they are

warned, they will strafe the area

until the VBC and any exposed

people are torn to bits. The jumpers

can be spotted quite a ways off

(about a 10-minute warning) because

of their engines. If the PCs play their

cards right, taking out the corporate

team will be a piece of cake. If the

PCs lose the fight, they will be killed,

the artifact will be taken, and the site

destroyed by the nuclear charge.

Event #7 Yet Another Attack

The corporate team’s backup will

be monitoring the first attack, in case

anything goes wrong. If the first

team loses the fight, the backup team

will send in a jetpack equipped

attack force as a distraction. While

the survivor’s attention is on the new

attack, the backup team’s moon

jumper will maneuver over the dig

sight, lift the cover off, and carry off

the artifact unless it is stopped. The

attackers will attempt to finish off

the survivors and once the moon

jumper delivers the artifact (a 35

minute trip) it will return (35

minutes later) with another attack

team and a nuclear device.

Finish

If the corporation escapes with the

artifact, they will be able to make a

great deal of use out of it and will

introduce revolutionary new alloys

within two years and other products

as they solve the mysteries of the

artifact. If the corporation escapes

with it, but it is known that the

artifact was stolen, there will be a

worldwide search for it and it will be

found. This will spell the end for that

corporation. If the corporation

Event #8 The Chase

If the backup team makes off with

the artifact, it will be taken to a small

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