"Into the Depths", © 1992, 2000-2005 by
Michael C.
Labossiere, originally appeared in _Challenge_ #63 (pages
34-38).
Text-entry & HTML by: Steve C.
After the live firing exercise, something went wrong. Ship and aircraft blips flashed red, then faded. Within minutes, all the blips were gone, my kid brother among them. Satellite photographs showed the sea strewn with burning wreckage and alive with native predators. The first rescue vessel in the area perished quickly, as did the second. There wasn't a third.
The following adventure is set on a human colony world with a substantial amount of water (Aurore would do nicely).
A naval cadet training unit consisting of six surface vessels and 20 aircraft has been destroyed by unknown forces. The wreckage has not been examined and no survivors have been recovered because any vessel entering the area is destroyed. Satellite photographs indicate that the vessels and aircraft were fired on from the water. When one vessel rolled over, gaping holes, similar to those produced by high-energy lasers, were visible before the ship sank. It is believed that a submarine may be able to enter the area to investigate and recover any survivors. The rescue force will consist of two attack submarines.
The exercise re-activated a submerged alien base transported to the world several thousand years ago as part of a military/scientific expedition by a now-extinct race. The base was abandoned and set on "sleep" mode. One of the conditions under which it will "awaken" is when it detects military activity. The fire exercise awakened the base, which immediately dealt with the "enemy." The rescue vessels were also seen as invaders and destroyed. The base computer is convinced that the enemies of its creators have returned, and it will defend the base and the area around it against all intrusions. It is up to the PCs to shut down the base before more people are killed.
PCs with appropriate occupations (military, troubleshooter, medical, etc.) can be assigned to or hired on to the rescue team. Plausible reasons should be found for getting other PCs involved.
The first mission is a complete and horrifying disaster. The military leaders in charge of the mission are convinced that the stealthed Shark submarines are capable of entering the area without being detected. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
When the submarines first enter the region, they detect a large area of electromagnetic distortion that interferes with many of the sensors and scanner systems. It is determined that the distortion is a pod of Venries (see below), and the subs plot a course to bypass them. Once the subs bypass the interference, the sensors detect that some sort of scanning beam is being locked onto them. Seconds later, the submarines are rocked by substantial impacts. Warning lights flash, and sirens sound. The damage is quite severe, and both subs begin to take on water. If the PCs are on only one sub, the other is hit again, cracks open and plummets to the bottom. The sub the PCs are on is also hit again. It loses all fire control capacity; the engines go off-line; scanner and sensor systems are disabled; and several compartments are flooded. The submarine manages to reach a safe depth where the crew can abandon ship, provided the order to attempt to reach the surface is given immediately. If the order is given too late, the sub is hit again and plummets to the bottom. How the PCs escape from the crippled sub is then up to them and the referee.
If the PCs reach the surface, their ordeal is not over. The sea is home to predator forms which will attack humans. As the PCs devise a survival plan, be sure to convey to them the horror of the situation.
It's a nightmare come to life. You feel things moving by you in the dark water, and odd, glowing shapes are visible. Suddenly, one of the survivors beside you lets out a horrible scream as she is lifted out of the water by some plated monstrosity with bulbous eyes and row upon row of teeth. Her screams are cut short as water floods her mouth when she is pulled under. Horribly, the cold water grows suddenly warm around you. More screams break the night.
After the survivors have been on the surface for 10 minutes, a rescue plane arrives on the scene, only to be shot down in a spray of wreckage. The flaming bits of aircraft look spetacular falling from the night sky and attract some of the larger predators up from the depths. The survivors can see the lights of a rescue ship nearby. When the survivors drift close enough, the vessel fires lines to them. Some NPCs get to the lines first and are pulled toward the boat, like fish on a line. Unfortunately, the movement attracts even more predators, and the hapless victims are quickly devoured. After another hellish hour or two, the PCs drift out of the danger zone and are picked up by the rescue ship and brought to shore. In addition to the PCs, 2D6 NPCs survive the ordeal.
After the PCs have received medical attention, they are brought to a debriefing session and questioned about the mission. The questioners want to know how the submarines managed to enter so far into the danger zone. If the PCs were on the bridge of one of the submarines, they might remember that they were not attacked until after they maneuvered away from a pod of Venries. If the PCs fail to make the connection, one of the scientists realizes that the Venries' electromagnetic fields prevented the submarines from being detected. This realization will spur an investigation into the Venries.
Discovered by Dr. Janet Venries, a noted French marine xeno-biologist, Venries are large, aquatic animals that that fill a role comparable to that of the terran whale. Both feed on very small sea organisms by filtering massive amounts of sea water. But Venries are nonmammalian and have gills. Venries rely on the electromagnetic fields they generate to detect their food, each other and various objects (the sea floor, ships, etc.). Venries also seem to be far less intelligent than their terran counterparts. Adult Venries range in size from that of a humpback to that of a blue whale. They look like whales, but have three bladed flukes and armor-like plating on their bodies, with clusters of three eyes on each side of their heads. Coloration ranges from pale grey to black. The ventral regions are lighter in color than the dorsal regions.
Because their electromagnetic fields interfere with surface vessel controls, ocean power station systems and other electronics, a program was developed to keep them from disrupting shipping, underwater communication systems and power stations. The result was an electromagnetic field generating device which could effectively lure or drive away Venries with a 95% success rate.
If the PCs do not realize the potential of using the Venries as a cover, one of the NPCs does so. The naval planners decide to equip a small Sea Dart-class sub with an electromagnetic device to attract a pod of Venries, which will serve as cover for the ship's intrusion.
Because of their great skill and courage (as exemplified by their survival of the previous ordeal), the PCs are assigned to or hired for the second mission. Naturally, they will receive bonuses for undertaking another mission so soon after their harrowing brush with death. They are accompanied by any NPCs required to fill out the crew. Unmanned drones are launched into the area every 20 minutes. Sensors are also dropped into the sea at the limits of the danger zone, with the data sent to the submarine.
The Sea Dart submarine submerges and cruises around until a pod of Venries is detected. This takes abot an hour, using the electromagnetic device in the Sea Dart to lure them in. The submarine's systems are shielded to protect them from the electromagnetic emissions of the Venries. The submarine can still use its sonar, but its radar and radio systems are useless while the vessel is in the field. Communication is maintained via a laser communicator (which becomes increasingly unreliable the deeper the sub goes), and several radio buoys are available to send messages. These buoys consist of a recorder and a broadcaster. If launched, they are detroyed two minutes after they start transmitting. To see if anything exciting happens on the way in, roll 1D10 each hour. On a result of 1, roll on the following chart:
| Roll | Event |
|---|---|
| 1 | Electromagnetic device fails, and the Venries begin to swim away. Repair difficulty is up to the referee. |
| 2-3 | Large aquatic predators attack the Venries and begin to drive them away. The PCs must deal with them or lose their cover. |
| 4 | Minor annoyance (strange smell in air system, lights flicker). Task will be Simple. |
| 5 | Minor malfunction in the submarine (hatch stuck, minor system failure, etc.). Task will be Routine. |
| 6 | Serious malfunction in the submarine (sonar failure, drive faikure). Task will be Difficult. |
After three drones are destroyed, the sensors have gathered enough information (from detecting enemy emissions from the fire control and weapon systems being fired) to determine the location of whatever is doing the shooting. This information is transmitted to the submarine.
When the PCs near the coordinate points, the sub's sonar (if in use) detects a large pyramid on the ocean floor. As the sub gets closer, the PCs see the structure via the submarine's visual sensors. The object is a massive pyramid, coated with slime and the local analogs to barnacles and seaweed. The top of the pyramid is, in contrast, quite clean (the weapons firing destroyed the coating material). If the pyramid fires while the sub is close to it, the PCs see the top of the pyramid emit bluish arcs of energy. On each side of the pyramid is what appears to be a docking tube. The tube does not fit the Sea Dart. However, two people in swimmers can use equipment from the sub to construct a temporary link.
To construct temporary link: Routine. Mechanical. 2 minutes.
Type: Submarine Crew: 7-20 Armor: All Faces: 6 Signature: 3 Evasion: 2 Sensor Range: 20 km Max. Speed: 70 kph Cruising Speed: 35 kph Combat Movement: 175 m Power: Fuel cell Endurance: 96 hours Price: Lv 80,000.
The Sea Dart is a standard small submarine used for a variety of scientific and military missions.
Crews range from seven to 20, depending on the mission.
The Sea Dart is equipped with a broad range of sensor/scanner equipment, including sonar, visual systems, radar and so forth.
The outer hull is self sealing.
The double hull and ballast tanks have not been included on the diagram.
The Sea Dart on this mission is a military version and has been further modified with a track system that enables it to store two swimmers on the ventral section of the hull and bring them (one at a time) into the modified airlock for boarding.
The Sea Dart is equipped with a full supply of diving gear, as well as a supply of armaments (exact weapons are left to the referee's discretion).
Bridge: The bridge contains the vessel's control systems. The submarine can be operated by one person in an emergency (all task rolls are one level higher).
Crew Quarters: This area is equipped with a fixed bathroom facility, but the rest of the sections are modular, enabling the vessel to be tailored for the crew size.
Electronics/Tubes: This area contains the sensor/scanner array, as well as the torpedo tubes. The tubes are smaller than standard tubes and are most often used to fire sensor torpedoes. Special missiles can also be fired.
Loading Area/Magazine/Storage: This area is equipped with an autoloader and magazine on military Sea Darts. On scientific vessels, this area contains racks for scientific and sensor torpedoes, and is also used as storage.
Electronics: On military vessels, this area is equipped with sensor and espionage gear. On scientific vessels, this area is equipped with scientific equipment.
Airlock: The airlock area contains diving equipment (including sea sleds, lights and so forth).
Engineering: Adjacent to engineering on the second deck are the fuel cells.
Country: USA Weight: 500 kg Crawl: N/A Walk: 7 m Trot: 14 m Run: N/A Swim: 18 m Power Supply: Internal rechargeable power cell Power Duration: 24 hours Integral Armament: Varies Area Protected: All Armor Value: 12 Initiative Penalty: -4 Price: Lv 26,000.
A swimmer is a powered suit designed for underwater operations that require a great deal of protection (operating at great depths, combat situations, hostile sea life and so forth). Like combat walkers, the swimmer's limbs are slaved to the pilot's movements, and the unit has an internal monitor. The swimmer has more complex instrumentation because of the greater requirements of operating underwater. The swimmers are also equipped with powerful underwater propulsion systems, and they have air tanks and a recycling system built in (good for the duration of the suit's power supply).
Swimmer types depend on the mission. Construction swimmers are equipped with welding and cutting equipment, as well as other tools. Scientific models are equipped with cameras and special sensors. Military models are armed, and often carry mines or explosives. Armament typically consists of lasers, and some models carry small torpedo weapons.
For this mission, swimmers are armed with shoulder-mounted Quinn Darlan Mk 4-A1 PGCW and an arm-mounted equivalent of a Rorttmann LK-1fKz. The swimmers are also equipped with the tools required to construct the temporary link, as well as six blocks of Plastique-9 each.
The interior of the alien structure is similar to human structures in many respects (the builders were humanoid). However, there are many alien aspects about the structure, and the interior seems vaguely "off" to humans. Lighting is orange, and the interior is kept warm (about 88 degrees F). Equipment and control panels feel odd because of the slightly different hand structure of the alien builders (their fingers were longer than human fingers; they had retractable claws; and the bone configuration was different).
The pyramid consists of four levels. The lowest level consists of the airlocks. Level two is the living quarters, three is the control level and four is the computer access. Interior doors and lift shafts work automatically for anyone using them.
Equipment Storage: Each equipment storage room on level one contains four alien swimmers (see below).
Living Quarters: The living quarters level is empty, and the rooms have been carefully secured. Each room contains bunk beds for humanoid beings, plus two retractable desks and chairs. Based on the size of the beds, the users averaged about two meters in height. Each desk has a keyboard, screen and interface cable (not compatible with human interface plugs). If PCs type on the keyboard, images appear slightly in front of the screen (it is a 3-D screen with holographic capacity). The keyboards can be removed from the desks and would be very useful to human linguists. The computer is useless to PCs since they don't know the language. Safety features prevent them from from doing any damage through random actions.
Larger Living Quarters: This room is like the smaller living quarters but is designed for one-being occupancy. The keyboard set-up is more complex than the others, and this keyboard will not respond if the PCs try to use it (they don't have the activation key).
Eating/Rec Area: This area contains several recessed tables and chairs, as well as recessed game consoles. The controls to the recessed items are simple buttons located on the wall. Most of the games are interface varieties (not compatible with human interface plugs) but some are basic 3-D video games, and there are some games with pieces, maps and dice.
Food Preparation: This room contains empty food preparation machines. They have been shut down and will not do anything.
Control Stations: This area contains advanced electronic equipment, most of which is equipped for interface operations. It looks similar enough to human control systems to be recognizable as sort of a traffic-control area, probably for military operations. The systems are all active, and study will reveal that the displays are showing the area around the base. The disruption created by the PCs' Venries is quite evident. Human voices emanate from this room, which may surprise the PCs until they realize that the voices are from radio broadcasts the base's systems have picked up.
Fire-Control Stations: This area contains equipment similar to that in the control stations room. However, this room contains what appears to be fire-control equipment. The displays show the area around the base, and several displays replay the base's previous attacks. The PCs cannot work any of the controls as they have been taken over by the computer.
Other equipment in the room looks like spaceship or submarine control systems. Several of the displays in these systems show what appears to be a course plotted to take the base closer to shore. Several human cities are prominently marked on the maps.
Computer Access: The fourth level is the computer-access level - the base computer's access area for repairs and modifications. The computer is highly advanced and is an artifical intelligence (but not self aware). It is capable of very complex planning and plan implementation, but has some limitations (it doesn't have much in the way of imagination and is restricted to control over the base's systems).
The base computer has decided to declare war on its enemies. It plans to move the base (at 20 kph) to bring the human cities it has detected into range. It will start to move 10 minutes after the PCs are on-board the base and will take it two hours to get into firing range.
The temporary link the PCs initiated is not strong enough to hold the submarine at dock once the structure begins to move. But there is enough warning for the sub to disengage before the link is wrecked. Keeping the submarine in a safe docking position will require an initial docking roll and an additional roll every five minutes:
Task: To dock safely: Routine. Sea Vehicles. Absolute. 2 minutes. Referee: Failure to remain docked causes the sub to back off safely, and another docking attempt must be made. Mishaps result in damage to the docking link or the submarine (or both).
Task: To remain docked: Routine. Sea Vehicles. Instant. Referee: See above.
If the base gets within range, it can seriously damage the city (killing thousands) before the military can destroy it. It will take the military 15 minutes to destroy the base, and this will involve heavy losses. If the PCs are on-board the base when it is destroyed, they will perish along with it.
Unfortunately, the PCs cannot just waltz into the base, blow up the computer and sub off under the sunset. The computer has several methods of defense, including alien swimmers and defense robots.
Country: Alien Weight: 400 kg Crawl: N/A Walk: 8 m Trot: 16 m Run: N/A Swim: 20 m Power Supply: Internal battery Power Duration: 96 hours Integral Armament: Two cutting lasers, function as Rorttmann LK-1fKz when switched over to pulse mode (each pulse uses two minutes of power) Sensor Range: 30 km Signature: 1 Area Protected: All Armor Value: 18 Initiative Penalty: -3.
Each of the alien swimmers is equipped for remote computer control. Fortunately, only two of them have legs (they were designed to work within sunken vessels and on the ocean floor). These swimmers have oversized arms and legs, and have a streamlined semi-spherical central body. They look remarkably like B-movie humanoid sea monster robots.
Under computer control, the suits function as if they were controlled by a Veteran NPC. They are damaged as per the chart in the Equipment Guide, page 31. An operator hit knocks out the computer control link and renders the unit inactive. The suits have an air suppy-recycling system good for 96 hours. The controls are simple enough that a human who is familiar with combat walkers could operate one (increase task difficulty rolls by 1 point due to the fact that the swimmers are of alien manufacture - for example, a simple task would require a 3+).
The other (legless) swimmers are the same, except they cannot walk or trot, and they swim 30 meters.
Armor Value: 0.9 Life Level: 20 Signature: -8 Initiative: 11.
The base is equipped with six defense robots (two on each level, except the fourth). The robots are dull gray spheres with mechanical spider legs sticking out of them. The legs can be magnetized, enabling the units to climb walls and ceilings, so they can drop on the PCs' heads (which should endear them to the PCs). The front section is armed with a small laser weapon (treat as a Mueller-Rivera P-3), and each unit has what look like small buzz saws on telescoping arms (treat as knives). Units are very difficult to hit. They have IR, visual and motion sensors, and are computer controlled.
Once the humans enter the base, the computer will take five minutes to determine that they are invaders and not returned base personnel. Once it comes to this conclusion, it will need five more minutes to get its defense robots on line and five more minutes to ready the walking swimmers for combat. It will do its best to kill everything in the base. It cannot control the doors, lift plate, life support, or lights (thanks to accumulating software glitches).
A moderate explosive charge or a few rounds from a plasma gun or grenade launcher would suffice to put the alien base computer out of commission. Unfortunately, the destruction of the computer activates the base's final defense system - it will self-destruct 10 minutes after the computer is destroyed. The destruction of the computer is followed by a truly horrific warning siren, then an alien voice speaking at regular intervals (the 10-minute countdown). The base's explosion will destroy the inside of the base and crack the the hull open, but will not have much of an exterior effect (a shock wave will knock any vessels in the area about and will kill a lot of fish).
If the PCs stop the computer, they will be heroes (until the sensation fades). If they fail to stop the computer but live, they will be respected for trying. If they retrieve anything from the base, numerous scientific organizations will be interested in acquiring the equipment for study.