Star Probe: Into The Unknown

Star Probe: Into The Unknown

Rendezvous with Rama (Arthur C. Clarke) illustration - Luca Oleastri

Season 1, Episode 1

 Star Probe The Game of Adventure, Conflict and Exploration in Space.

Star Probe by John M. Snider, illustrated by Paul G. Snider

"One is never afraid of the unknown; one is afraid of the known coming to an end" -- Jiddu Krishnamurti Human Planet Earth in the Solar System.

The constant flow of shuttle craft to and from T'zkt-klt's 3rd and furthest out moon Zeesssz't to the massive TCS T'tet was a kin to the constant going and comings of bees around their hive. The TCS T'tet buzzed with activity as the last of her crew checked in and the last of her supplies where being stowed away for future use. Work crews, technicians and warriors float effortlessly through the hexagon corridors of massive ship hauling large crates with them in the zero gravity. 1,950 souls buzzed through the ship in final preparations. Soon the T'tet would start her mission to explore the unknown reaches of outer space, find new civilizations, open trade, find new resources and paved the way for new colonies in space.

The bridge crew continued their final checks. Ship technicians clicked mandibles and buzzed information between the bridge and various sensitive areas of the ship. Large insect eyes peered into scanners, screens and displays and antennae twitched. Technicians on Zeesssz't confirmed system checks with the T'tet's crew. Navigational buoys and various stations through out the system continued to feed final data to the T'tet's computer it's massive banks of tape reels spinning and lights blinking data to the technicians watching the banks like workers caring for the larva of some great ant colony.  Finally all was ready, the last shuttle's cargo secured, the last safety check performed and the T'tet was cleared to leave T'zkt-klt space. The ship began to ever so slowly accelerate out of orbit, gradually, gently, gravity began to take hold as the ship accelerated. Crew members released safety harnesses and fluttered down to the deck floors continuing their monitoring of various systems. A months worth of calculations by computers and navigation technicians would finally be put to the test as the ship over many days accelerated towards 1% of c. Upon reaching 1% of c the spatial discontinuity field generator drives would be engaged and the T'tet would disappear out of normal space and enter into the void leaving the home system of C19Y+5 behind headed for C19R0 25 light years away. 

The Captain Ztchqxa pondered the vastness of space they would be transversing as the ship jumped from point to point to achieve arrival in C19R0. The young queen stared at the view screen knowing failure was not an option, survival of the species would depend on the data they returned with. The Collective had not always been, in the past her people had fought bloody genocidal wars of hive versus hive until finally some hives had learned to cooperate. In the end demands for new resources and status amongst the old hive queens on T'tzk-ktl had led to a great space race with different allied hives seeking to colonize and profit from the exploration of space. Captain Ztchqxa held a well worn old book in her three fingered hand, a book written by an ancient queen who had insisted life existed on other worlds despite the mockery of other queens and their hives of her time. This queen had insisted that their history, their myths and legends spoke of alien life far out in the stars. She had vocally demanded the exploration of space and that the pursuit of science should be all hive's goals to further the survival of the species. For centuries her name had been associated with folly or foolish pursuits even after the hives had begun collectively eyeing space as a more positive and less risky solution to over population, diminishing resources and gaining status than bloody dangerous wars. They say every mayfly has it's day and so it was when the unmanned probes to Qtlzk-ktl revealed evidence of a previous civilization on that lifeless world. Suddenly the foolish queen of old was vindicated, there was life out there, life that had committed genocide on a level her people had never imagined or attempted by absolutely sterilizing a whole planet of life.  Only a dead burnt out skeleton of what it had been remained, with few surviving relics and ruins to speaks for the dead. The evidence of the destruction of what had most likely been a garden world was enough to change everything amongst the queens on T'tzk-ktl. The inhabitants never stood a chance from what the scientist had learned. Historians were ordered to find the ancient texts the old queen had cited as proof of alien life, wondrous technology and distant worlds. Archaeologists were ordered comb ever older layers of ancient hives for any shred of information or technology.  No more would they war amongst each other, no more would they act without joint leadership and for only one hive's benefit. Suddenly all the queens realized one truth about the unknown, that the unknown and the power held by long forgotten races could destroy all they knew, all that they were, all that they had ever been just as Qtlzk-ktl had been destroyed. 

Thus new ways of organizing the hives were devised, new thinking on who should be in space considered, new medical advances made, new castes developed and a new combined drive to survive had led to the launching colonies throughout their system all with the goal of developing ships that could transverse great distances as the ancient texts said had existed. The T'tet and ships like her are the result of generations of hives working towards the goal of deep space travel. The new technology of these ships finally allows for jumps 15 light years at a time. Now the stars are within their grasp and with it knowledge that out there in space are beings both powerful and ruthless. The goals are simple survival for the greater good, and perhaps gain allies against such mad beings who destroy worlds. 

By John Berkey

Space Probe to Star Frontiers Rule Notes:

Insectoid: is a racial choice for players in Star Probe, Star Empires and as the Vrusk in Star Frontiers. I randomly rolled Insectoid for my racial type in Star Probe. C19Yellow+5 is the coordinates given for the home system of the Insectoid Empire on the Star Probe Star System Map. I decided to model my race of Insectoids after the NPC Zuraqqor from the Star Frontiers mini module Assault on Starship Omicron, which came with the Referee Screen for Star Frontiers. I will be presenting my spin on this basic racial type for storyline reasons, so fan literature.

1% of c: In Star Frontiers the FTL ships enter the void aka hyperspace in Star Probe and Star Empires at 1% the speed of light.

Maximum safe jump distance for the T'tet: The T'tet is an Explorer I ship which means it can only jump a maximum of 15 light years at a time. This also happens to be the maximum safe jump distance for Star Frontier ships. It should be noted that other ships can go farther in Star Probe and Star Empires. I am however considering the start tech level for this Star Probe game to be right when the "Empires" are starting and not a little further developed as far as suggested empire boundaries in the game. Thus the Collective's colonized space is just their system at the start of the game.

No artificial gravity: The T'tet is pre-artificial gravity as are most Star Frontier ships. It should be noted in Star Probe this is not discussed, but in Star Empires your culture must research technology to achieve artificial gravity. In Star Frontiers gravity is achieved by doing 1G acceleration and decelerations while approaching 1% of c. 

Star Probe Ships: The ships in Star Probe are all huge starships. They all hold big crews (2,500) with a minimum of 1000 ship crew to safely run such huge vessels. The computer systems are huge and archaic by today's real life technology but reflects the 1970s. The T'tet has the game suggested first time crew for the starting money they give you to hire and outfit the ship. 

Time to plot each jump: The technology simply does not exist yet in the game for fast plotting of jump points, and it does not get faster really till Star Frontiers with a few exceptions in Star Empires. I should point out Star Frontiers is not fast either, just faster than 1 month per jump. 

Spatial Discontinuity Field Generator Drives: This little gem of technobabble comes from some research on old D&D settings. In a nut shell several spaceships have crashed in the fantasy settings of D&D such as Blackmoor and the World of Greyhawk. Several of these ships were actually Star Empires ships with one (the FSS Beagle) becoming an actual module. 

Who wiped out life on Qtlzk-ktl: In Star Empires a galactic time line is given with all sort of tantalizing information including several massive wars, and even one that sent the galaxy into the dark ages. Perhaps one of the many races that made war in the past is responsible.

Legal Thoughts: It goes without saying I recognize that various entities such as TSR of the past, now Wizards of the Coast and the various authors of modules and the various games are or were the copy right holders on the games of D&D, Star Probe, Star Empires and Star Frontiers. 

Happy Gaming!