Run the Clock
Getting Started
This adventure was designed for use with certain types of charachters. Althoguh there is some flexability, mainly for use of rebels, it is meant to be a Mercenary and/or Bounty Hunter Game. Other charachters should not be included without consideration of their motivations for being involved. It should also be noticed this write-up presents many possible choices the charachters can make, hwoever they can still surprie you. This game is meant to be fairly flexible if parts of it get screwed up by the charahcters, let them take you in another direction, and improvise.
Episode 1: Contact
The charachters find themselves contacted by MetaCorp's offices on the world of Kashan. The Facility looms over much of the surrounding city like a giant monolith. It is a amssive duracrete and durasteel building standing at one hudnred and forty stories tall. It's transparisteel windows re mirrored on the otuside and refkect the dismal city of palsheen back out at it. The charachtersare whisked up to one of the top floors of the building by black suited security guards.
MetaCorp Security Guard: Dexterity 3D, Firearms:Pistol 5D, dodge 5D+1, Knowledge 2D, mech 2D, Perception 3D, Strength 2D+1, Technical 2D Equipment: Silenced Czerka Slasher
They are escorted up to an office that is plush and lxuiorus. The back wall of the room is entirely made of the mirrored transparisteel. It looks out over the city of Palsheen. The sky is covered is an orange haze from the industrial waste that floods it, blocking out the sun. Before the charachters is a large wooden desk. Behind it sits a plump man in a buiness suit. He greets the charachters and identifieds himself as Biblid Kor, the tope excutive at this facility. He then explains that there is a dire situation.
"We here at Metacorp, are always working to uncover the next generation of any technology. We have bio-medical labs working constantly to come up with vaccines for various diseases. However, our scientists discovered a startling trend, as diseases became more and more potent. in an effort to curb this, we had them engineer the most pwoerful virus possible. From there they could ngineer a vaccine and possible cure for it."
" This would give us a ehad start on the disease of the future. We could mdoify the vaccines however neccisary and cure anything that cropped up. It would be a mriacle for the galaxy as a whole. However, shrotly after the completion of the viral agent, it was stolen from our labs. this virus , which we knicknamed Death Knell, has the ptoential to wipe out an entire planet in the course of forty-eight hours, and there is no cure."
If the charachters ask for elads, Kor will inform them that they have many enemies. On Kashan alone there are dozens of corproations that would see them ruined. the Rancor Munitions Corproation, known as RanCorp, is their rgeatest enmy, but does not have facilties on plnaet. Kashan Systems however was also fighting Metacorp on the enarby world of Palan, and owned the planet Kashan. The executive will inform the charachters that the virus must be retrieved at all costs, and they will be paid 50,000 creidts each for it's safe return.
At this point the charachters have some chocies to make. They can ask to see where the virus had been stored, and stolen from. They can go to ivnesitgate Kashan systems, or they can see what they can learn from the local underworld. The players may come up with a few ideas of their own, some improvisation may be enccisary for that circumstance. We will explore all three of these mentioned chocies though.
Episode 2a: MetaCorp Bio-Med Labs
The Metacorp Bio-med faciltiy is deep underground, in reinforced duracrete bunkers, linked together by airlociks. this entire facility is udner the giant skyscrpaer and runs on it's own power,water,and air. All of these things are internalized in case of an accident. The walls ehre are all pristine white and smell of sterilization. As they walk around they will be escorted throguh hallways looking out voer various labs below, where experiments are being performed. They will be eld to an Airlock labeled '024x'.
Security will unlock the airlock for the charachters and admit them. inside are several examination tables, tables full of beakers and trest tubes, blood testing equipment, and rows of computers. The palce seems to hum with amchinery. The entire room is sterile and there's no sign of conflict. A set of test tube holders sit empty on a table by themselves.
At this point a percpetion or Search check is in order. It will be a Moderate difficulty, if it's passed, the charahcters will notice a pair of holocams hidden away in oposite corners of the room. They watch silently, their lenses slowly panning out over the room. A difficult search check will also uncover a spot of dirt by the tbale with the empty testtube hodlers. The dirt is left in the form of a small aprt of a bootprint.
If the charachters notice the holocams, the security guards will offer to take them to the monitoring station that receives the feed from those cameras.
If the chaarchters notice the boot print have them roll knowledge. it is a Difficult roll unless the charachters have been in military service. Any charachter who ahs been in a miltiary only needs a Moderate roll. If the roll is scucessful they will know that it is an Imperial combat boot print..
If the charachters find neither item, they will not find any furtherevidence, and should proceed to one of the other rpeviosuly mentioned options.
If the charachetrs discover the boot print and udnerstand what it means, they can roll a Very Difficult streetwise roll to see if they have ehard of any Imperial activity on planet. A successful roll will tell them that there are rumors of some sort of Imperial Black Op on planet.
Inside the security rtoom is row afetr row of holodisplay. They show countless views of the medlabs the room watches over. little people cna be seen moving about the displays, performing their experiments as if ntohing was wrong. The people manning the station will pull up old footage from 024x. It will show foiur men entering the lab in white lab coats and wearing proper ID badges. They all have fairly short hair and no really distinguishing features.
At this point you can either call for a perception check, or pick one chaarchter to hve notice that one of the men in lab coats is wearing miltiary boots. If you decide on a Perception check it should be no more difficult than a moderate.
One of them has almost rogane hair, but it is cut very short. He wears a pair of thick glasses.
The man with the glasses does something on the computer. Easy Percpetion check to notice, Moderate Technical or Computer Roll to determine what he's doing. A successful tech roll allwos the charachters to determine that he is destroying records.
The men gather up 48 test tubes and carefuly store them in a thermas-like container. They then finish up and leave quickly. They touch nothing, and all were wearing laytex glvoes.
If the charachters think to ask to see footage from other cameras, they will be able to find the men again. They can see footage of them entering from a cargo-lift, gonig straight to the lab, then coming out afterwards. They exit by the same cargo turbolfit, not the way the PCs came down.
If the charachters ask about it, security will inform them that the lfit elads up tpo a speeder loading bay jsut below street level.
Again, if the chaarchters think to ask, the security people cna pull up holo footage of the loading bay. This footage shows the men getting into a dark blue speeder sedan. It has tinted windows, and the lciense plate number is almsot visible for a moment, before the craft leaves via a rmap up to the street.
The security people can enhance the number evealing the licnese plate number 'EVR-9X7' if..you guessed it, The Charachters ask!
There's really not much else that can be elarned at the MetaCorp facility. So the GM should probably gently prod the charachters to going another course of action. There are still some possabilites.
The charachters can still inveistgate Kashan systems, if they do see Episode 2b.
The charachters can still scope out the local underworld, if they do, see episode 2c.
The charachters can go out searching for the blue speeder sedan, see episode 3.
Episode 2b: Kashan Systems
If the chaarchters thoguht the Metacorp building was alrge, they are in for a shcok. The Kashan systems building is 250 stories tall, with a great plaza before it with a large duracrete fountain. The front is open to the public but there are Palvar defense Force troopers evrywhere, including the lobby. Around back the building is fenced off with chainlink, most likely electrified. PDF troopers also patrol around here.
PDF Army Troopers
If the charachters go in throguh the front, they'll ntoice PDF troopers keeping an eye on them. Inside the doors open into a narrow hallway that then leads 20 meters to the lobby. If the charachters try and come in shooting, they will be cut down here quickly. If the charachters try to talk their way in, give them a chance. The turbolifts are locked rmeotely by people at the front desk, so those people are the ones who need convincing. The charachters may attempt to Con their way into the upper levels. allow this ONLY if they have a good story behind it though. A roll alone does not make a good con. If they fial or ahve a lousy con idea, then security will escort them out. security being the PDF Army Troopers.
If the chaarchters go around abck they will see a total of 8 troopers patroling the back section which is where the doors to the laoding bays arre. Another two troopers stand guard at the gate in the fence. If they wait a little bit, a semi-truck type speeder will approahc the gate. The charachters can jump on the back and ride it in right into the laoding bay.
Once inside the laoding bay they will see workers scurrying about laoding and unloading dozens of speeders jsut like this one. About thrity meters away, in one wlal is a cargo turbolift. It will require two sneak rolls to get to the turbolfit. There are bozes and crates about around the truck so the first roll will be a Moderate Difficulty(mdoerate because of the numebr of people still around) there is no cover for the last 10 meters thoguh so the second sneak roll will be a Difficult roll. If they make it successfuly then this chocie emrges up with if they successfuly conned their way into the turbolifts.
If they are cuaght while snekaing to the turbolift, workers will sound the alarm for security. they will be able to get to the turbolfit and continue on. However security is gonig to be hot on their tails throguhought the rest of their stay here.
If they give themselves up to security, epacefully, they will only get kicked out of the building. If they fight and are captured they will be detained, effectively ending this adventure. One would suggest trying to avoid this at all costs, if it cna't be avodied, an adventure can be plkanned for them to rbeak out of prison.
The charachters serach aimlessly throguh the building, finding ntohing but locked doors for the msot part. Occasionaly they have to turn around and go a different direction due to seeing security down the hall. Finaly they find their way up to second highest floor. Have them roll perception, Moderate Difficulty. If they succeed they ehar soft nosies coming from the air vents.
If the security alarm was triggered, skip this part, and go to the veyr next, about the togorian.
They will hear the vocie of Mr Aarlis Nacirem coming from a vent in the celing. It msut lead up to the floor of his office. If they stay to listen this is what they'll hear.
"If you do not give in to our demands, we will release the agent. Yuor entire planet will die. You have 4 hours until we release the virus."
"There is simply no way I can meet your demands in that ammount of time. I need time to gtaher the money"
"You have four hours."
*Sound of Holonet communciation cutting off*
In their eagerness to listen to the covnersation though, they missed to togorian security guard stalking up on them. He says very simply in a broken basic "Misterrrr Nacirrrrrem wishes to see you."
Togorian Security Guard: Dexterity 3D+2 Brawling Parry 5D+2, Blaster 5D, Dodge 5D, Kno 2d, Mech 2D, Per 3D, Sneak 6D+2, Strength 4D, Brawling 6D, Technical 2D. Equipment: DL-44, Comlink
If the charachters go with the guard willingly he elads them up to the top floor and into the office of Aarlis Nacirem. Nacirem sits behind his desk, figners steepled.
Nacirem:"well, well,well. We have intruders it seems." Togorian:"They werrrre listening thrrrrough the vents." Nacirem "So, we have spies then? Perhaps we should kill them?" Togorian "perrrhaps." Nacirem "Oh don't look so frightened. I know exactly who you are, and what you're donig here. By now you already should know that I do not have the virus. Oh don't look so surprised, this is my planet. I know everything that goes on here."
Nacirem explains to the charachters that the terrorists who have stolen the virus are demanding 4.6 billion credits to not release the virus on the public. There is less than four hours until the deadline is up. nacirem tells the charachters thta they msut recover this virus at all costs, however they are to give it voer to him, not Metacorp, after they recover it. At this point, if the chaarchters do not have a speeder of their own Nacirem will give them one for their own transport. Security will then escort them out of the building.
Episode 2c: Kashan's Underworld.
The local underworld is run by a meris named Fettigan Nerical. Like the great Jabba the Hutt he maintains a palce for people to attend him and genraly hang about. This place is the Lucky Shot Casino and bar. Here is where all the low lfie scum of the planet tend to migrate. Have the charachters roll Streetiwse, Difficult difficulty if they have never bene on Kashan ebfore, Moderate if they have once or twice, Easy i they've spent eyars on the planet. A successful roll allows them to find a human information broker named Ducnan Kendra. Duncan is actualy one of the lieutenants for Artulla the Hutt who is npot actualy in Fettigan's roganization but does buisness with him.
Ask about, the Virus "No, i don't knwo anything about any virus."
Ask about, MetaCorp "There is much I could tell you about them, be a little more specific?"
Ask about Imperial Activity "Ah yes that will be costly, twenty thousand." Bagaining Difficulty: Moderate
Duncan will explain that he has indeed heard that Imperial Intelligence agents are on planet. There is a major oepration going on he claims. "Oh yes, gotta be something big. Destab is in on it, you know how they get.They rented a blue speeder sedan from one of my spies, that's how i know. The lciense number was ERV-9X7. i'd stay away from them though."
Duncan won't really know much specificlaly and after a while h'll look at his wristchrono. "I must go now. I'm gonig to be late for the shockball playoff game. There's going to be so many people there, i won't be able to get a parking spot if I'm late."
With that Duncan will leave. There won't be anyone around with any betetr information, thoguh some people may try to swinddle the charachters into thinking they know more. The clock is ticking.
Episode 3: The Blue Sedan
The charachters have two chocies how to handle this. They cna look on their own or go to the local police.
Episode 3a: Kashan 5-0
The charachters go to a local polcie precinct. They will need to do some fast talking as to why they need an APB. The Seargent on duty has a perception of 2D+1 so the chaarchters cna tyr to con him if they so desire. shortly after the APB is issued a rpeort will come in that the vehicle ha sbeen spotted parked otuside a building. The police all jump into action tog et to that building. It is assumed that the charachters go with the police.
When they get there they find a tall, skinny house before them. It is like a two story townhouse. The ground slopes down to a two door garage, in front of which sits the blue sedan. Police have the building surrounded now. there appears to be no activity form the house. Citizens are being cleared out fo the area. The SWAT teams charge forward suddnely, leaving the PCs back by the barricade. of police vehicles.
The police is evry obviously over zealous. They charge in and brust down the front door fanning uot into the building. they shoot out windows and climb throguh as well. they rush throguh the building yelling like madmen. Then there are even mroe frenzied shouts. The charachters manage to see a few of the polcie running abck for the exits jsut ebfore their vision is consumed by unending white. They must all roll resist now. If they are behidn the barricade they get +2D to resist the damage. The explosion will do 8D damage at their rnage. If they tried to follow the police in, they will take 10D damage instead and do not get +2D to resist.
When their vision clears, preusming they're alive, they'll see only a big crater where the building was. Have them roll eprception. They'll see a white speeder van down the street suddenly start and ehad off. The charachters have been tricked! See Episode 4.
Episode 3-B: Hunt for the Blue November
If the charachters hunt for the blue sedan on their own have them roll search. Every 15 minutes game time have them make these search checks. Subtract their roll from 100. Whenever they get it to 0 or below, then they find the Blue sedan. (This is just a way of trying to covney the time crunch while also showing how lnog it would take to track down a vehicle in such a huge city)
The charachters arrive a t a two story downhosue, with a driveway sloping down to twin agrage doors. The blue sedan pulls down itno the drivewya, where a white speeder van is already aprked. The men get out tof the sedan and pull open the back doors of the van.
The charachters now ahve a big chocie to make. Do they try and take the men nopw, or wait and see what they are up to?
If the charachters choose to attack the imperial agents they are in for a hard battle. The four men are all armed dangerously and have high skills. There stats:
Destab Agents: Dexterity 3D, Blaster 7D, Dodge 7d+1, melee Cobmat 5D, melee parry 5D+1, Kno 2D Intimdiation 5D, streetwise 5d mech 3D, percpetion 3D, con 5D sneak 6DStrength 3D, brawling 5D, Tech 2D Demolitions 8D
Equipment: Heavy Disruptor pistol , SorroSuub Light Combat Armour, Comlink, 2 fragmentation Grenades (5D damage)
(As you can see, attacking them at this juncture might not be so smart!)
If they sit back and watch they'll see intiguing events. A large metal device is pulled out of the van. The test tubes are carefuly laode dinto it, and the device is then put back in the van. Two of the men hop in the back with it, closing the doors behind them. The other two get in front and drive off!
If the chaarchters attack and actualy maange to wound or kill one or two agents, they may get in the van and drive off in retreat. This is unlikely though.
Episode 4: Cut to the Chase(It's about f$%^ing time too!)
You knew it ahd to come sooner or later. the high speed chase scnee. As the characters naturaly follow the imperials in their van, they are spotted. The imeprials floor it and take off down the crowded streets of Plasheen. here is where it gets fast and furious. Hope you got airbags!
If Nacirem gave the chaarchters their speeder you mgiht have missed the stats for it. They can be found here.
The van whips around a 90 degree turn onto a sidestreet. The turn for the charachters has a dififculty of 15. Assuming they make it they come in behind the van, as it is ehading up onto an overpass. The van goes up onto the voerpass and guns it's repulsors to full jumping the barrier ontpo the road below! It is a Difficulty of 20 to follow without damaging the vehicle. (If the charachters stop to look around they'll se an exit ramp up ahead elading down onto that road and can quickly catch up!)
They are now on a major highway, behind the van. One of the backdoors of the van open and one of the Imperials fires his disruptor pistol at the charachters' speeder. Have them roll to evade the shot, but fudge ti to make sure the shot doesn't hit, it would rip their craft apoart msot likely.
The Van suddenly stops, causing the charachters toc rash into it. This send the one agent flying out the back, into the charachters' windshield. It shatters as he hits it, and the van takes off again. The back door of the van is pulled shut. The Imperial agent on the top of the speeder's neck is broken and he is already dead. He sldies off the hood as the charahcters follow the van again. The manuverabiltiy on their speeder is reduced by 1d due to the damage form the crash.
The charachters have fallen behind now and they are losing track of the van as they can't keep up due to the damage. They finaly pull in to a ramp of some kind. it elads up into a parking lot. As they climb up a large dome becomes visible higher and hier. Before them sit's Kashan's Shockball stadium!
Episode 5: Power Play!
The charachters quickly park their damaged speeder. The game has already started an hour ago. The white van is uplled up along the side of the building. A ladder goes up the side of the building, and at the very top of it a man is scrambling onto the roof. If the charachters do not go up to the roof see Game over Man.
If they inspect the van the charachters will find it is now completely empty. They assumably climb the ladder onto the roof. They get there just in time to see a large hatch in it slam shut behind someone. There is a beep and a security device locks the door. It will now take a moderate Security roll to get the lock open. Or the door has an effective strength of 4D, an explosive of some kind could most likely open it.
Once the charachters get in they find another ladded elading down from the hatch. as they climb down, they find themselves up on giant metal rafters voer the stadium. The shcokball playoff game is gonig on below, and the sight is dizzying. Moderate Willpower check to not become dizzy!
The rafters stretch across the top of the stadium like an intricate and itnerconnected maze. Only a few metetrs ahead of the charachters is one of the Imperial agents, his back turned to them. He is strugglnig to make himself walk across the giant beams. He is obviously dizzy from the height.
After the charachters deal with the agent, they will quickly see where the last tow have gotten to. They are at the center of the stadium. More precisely they are on top of the giant scorebaord that hangs down in the stadium. The rafters form a box around it, and two seperate laddeds lead down onto the huge repulsorlift supported display box. The two agents are setting up some sort of strange device on the scoreboard.
It will take four dexteirty checks to balance across the ebams all the way to the ladder. The difficulties are 5, 8,13,16. If a check is fialed the charchter slip and falls grabbing noto the rafters cliff hanger style. It will take a lifting roll on their aprt tog et back up, or on the aprt of the other charachters to pull them back up. When they get to the ladders the agents will have already finished setting up the device
"You're too late scum! As soon as the clock on this scoreboard hits zero, that device will release the virus into the air, and everyone ehre will be infected! Isn't it ironic, that a planet's own obsession is the timer on it's doom? anything you do now is jsut Running down the clock until the inevitable."
Yes, you guessed it. It is time tog et jiggy with it, and show these imeprials who's boss. Should the chaarchters have trouble fighting even only two of these agents, get craetive and help them out. It shoud;n't be an impossible battle. They are using disruptors, evry dnagerous weapons(prone to expldoe) figure something out. =)
The two imperial agents are now dead, or perhaps your charachters are? no? good. Then the imeprials msut be dead, or unconcious. It's time to deal with that bomb. There's only a minute left on the clock! the game is winding down and everyone's holding their breath, especialy the charachters. It will taske 3 distinct Demolitions rolls to disarm the bomb. They are first a Very Difficult roll, then a difficult, and then a Moderate. The first roll is to disarm the bpooby traps set up on the device. The second is to disarm the connection to the scoreboard. the third is to disconnect the redudnat timer that has been synchronzied to the timer.
If the charachters fail by mroe than 5 or get a complication, the bomb goes off prematurely. the virla agent releases! see Game Over Man.
Assuming the charahcters succeed, the timer on the side of the bomb stops at 1 seconbd left, and as it does, the scoreboard beneath them lets out a deafening whine as the clock hits 0!. Everyone in the stands cheer. the annoucners scream "Kashan wins! Kashan wins! Kashan is gonig toi the championship!"
Now wait jsut aminute ebfore your charachters start congradulating themsleves. What are you gonig to do with that virus? Are you gonig to give it to the brutal Aarlis Nacirem, or the greedy metacorp? toguh decisions. Nacirem could roder you killed, but Metacorp is willing to pay 50,000 credits toe ach charchter. If your charchters choose to give it to nacirem they don't get paid, but can keep the aprtialy damaged speeder. If they give it to MetaCorp they get paid 50,000 credits but Aarlis Nacirem has them black lsited on every Palvar defense Force world, and the PDF has orders to detain them on sight. One last decisiuon after svaing the planet, eh?
The End
Game Over Man!
So they didn't follow them up to the roof? Or did they die up on the rafters? Or maybe they botched disarming the bomb. Well here's all the juicy dteails. the scoreboard buzzes as it hits zero and the bomb suddenly hiassses and sprays the viral agent throguhout the air as a clear msit which quickly spread throughout the arena. Everyone is infected as they get up to go home after a great playoff game. Twe;lve hours later the hospitals fill with people who are sick and dying. They begin sweating blood throguh their skin, vomiting intensely, and go blind within the first hour of their sickness. Within 24 hours dead are choking the hospitals and the streets abounds. In 36 hours all the streets of Kashan are choked with dead and dying as Death Kneel ravages the planet. In 48 hours the planet is completely silent, there is no sentient life left.
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