The Alexandrian

Ten Candles: Between the Stars

January 8th, 2018

Ten Candles

BETWEEN THE STARS

European Southern Observatory - Artist Interpretation of Pluto

It was a kind of death when you volunteered, but it was also the promise of new life: A unique life. A life unlike any that had been lived before.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

You were supposed to be placed into cryosleep, loaded onto the ICS Ultima Thule, and sent hurtling across the void to the first nearby, habitable planet discovered by the Artemis satellite network. You were part of the maintenance team, scheduled to be periodically awakened over the course of the centuries-long voyage to make sure that the ship was still operating properly.

The first two maintenance wakes passed normally.

The third… didn’t.

The stars are missing. Everything outside of the ship is a blank, empty void.

Actually, you’re not even sure it’s a wake. The internal chronometer is screwed up and the beacon from Earth has gone dead. The onboard computer responds to queries with some garbled nonsense that looks like Aramaic had a baby with Ethiopic Ge’ez, and the voicebox produces nothing but modulated static.

The scans are running. Maybe you’re where you’re supposed to be. Maybe there’ll be a hunk of rock nearby, or an entire planetary system. Or maybe you’re lost. Off course. Slipped into the cracks between the stars.

But whatever the problem is, it’s on you to fix it. You’re all alone out here.

You hope.

Areas of Note: bridge, cryochambers, supply caverns, galley, engine room, AI core, the shuttles Copernicus and Kepler, Jefferies tubes, antenna array, hydrogen collector

Goal: Find your new home

Special: The first appearance of Them should happen shortly after the scenario begins. You might also choose to start this scenario from the maintenance team awaking from cryosleep, allowing them to discover their predicament. Alternatively, the scenario could be tweaked so that the PCs are just normal colonists who awaken onboard the ship, unscheduled, and discover most or all of the other cryo-chambers broken open and empty. The mystery of what They have done with the other colonists would be resolved through play.

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