Disgraced Corporate Fixer
Location: A grimy starport bar on a low-tech industrial world (Tech Level 6-8).
Patron: Kael Draven, a wiry, middle-aged human with a cybernetic eye that flickers erratically. He wears a stained suit that once looked expensive, and his hands tremble slightly from stim withdrawal.
Background: Kael was a mid-tier troubleshooter for a megacorp until he botched a high-stakes job, costing his employers billions in losses. Now blacklisted and hunted by corporate enforcers, he’s desperate to claw his way back into favor—or at least survive the week.
Offer: Kael approaches the Travellers in a dimly lit booth, sliding a battered data slate across the table. He claims it contains coordinates to a derelict survey ship drifting in the system’s outer asteroid belt. The ship’s logs, he insists, hold evidence of a secret corporate mining op that could expose his former bosses. He offers Cr100,000 (half now, half on delivery) if the crew retrieves the logs and hands them over.
Requirements: A starship capable of reaching the belt, vacc suits, and a willingness to deal with potential traps or rival salvagers.
Patron: Kael Draven, a wiry, middle-aged human with a cybernetic eye that flickers erratically. He wears a stained suit that once looked expensive, and his hands tremble slightly from stim withdrawal.
Background: Kael was a mid-tier troubleshooter for a megacorp until he botched a high-stakes job, costing his employers billions in losses. Now blacklisted and hunted by corporate enforcers, he’s desperate to claw his way back into favor—or at least survive the week.
Offer: Kael approaches the Travellers in a dimly lit booth, sliding a battered data slate across the table. He claims it contains coordinates to a derelict survey ship drifting in the system’s outer asteroid belt. The ship’s logs, he insists, hold evidence of a secret corporate mining op that could expose his former bosses. He offers Cr100,000 (half now, half on delivery) if the crew retrieves the logs and hands them over.
Requirements: A starship capable of reaching the belt, vacc suits, and a willingness to deal with potential traps or rival salvagers.
Six Possible Twists:
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The Straight Deal: Kael’s telling the truth. The ship’s there, the logs are real, and the payout’s good—if the crew can dodge a corporate patrol dispatched to clean up loose ends.
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Double-Cross: Kael’s working with a rival corp. He’s planted a tracker in the data slate, hoping the Travellers lead his new employers to the wreck for a bigger score.
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Haunted Wreck: The survey ship’s AI went rogue, killed the crew, and now defends the derelict with automated drones. The logs are intact, but retrieving them means facing a glitchy, paranoid machine mind.
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Bait and Switch: The coordinates lead to an empty patch of space. Kael’s already skipped town, leaving the crew with a fake slate and a Cr50,000 bounty from his enemies who think they’re in on it.
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Hidden Treasure: The logs are a dud, but the ship’s hold contains a stash of rare minerals worth Cr250,000—if the Travellers can smuggle them past customs.
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Corporate Sting: Kael’s a plant. The job’s a test by his old bosses to see if the Travellers are worth recruiting—or eliminating. Success means a job offer; failure means a hit squad.
Referee Notes: Kael’s jittery and paranoid—play up his desperation. He’ll bolt at the first sign of betrayal or danger. The wreck’s condition (damaged, irradiated, or booby-trapped) is up to you. Adjust the reward based on campaign wealth levels.
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