Act 1: The Dinner -------------------------------Opening------------------------------- In the early hours of evening on Acadie, a desperate storm battles against a calm and wonderful night in a thunderous dueling, desperately, each demanding the domain of the clouds. The towering waves smash into the sides of a small speck of an Island, on which the imposing Governor's Palace resides. The cold, gray walls have only a simple pathway down to a small dock and landing pad. The concrete steps, each the width of an average person, but only 30 centimeters long, lead a path up the hillside to the imposing palace. The metallic wall, along which soldiers clad in white armour holding blaster rifles patrol, the flashlights from their helmets illuminating them along the catwalk. A few lights shine on the path, and out towards the sea and sky, as though searching for any wounded from the war being waged between calm and storm. The towers that dot the wall offer the odd glint of a sniper, watching for any suspicion. Is this truely a palace, or a prison? -----------------------At the gate (All players)--------------------- Upon your arrival at the gate, there stands two troopers in white armour, the one on the right’s helmet crackles as it says “What is your name and reason for coming to the Palace today?” Once the player responds the guard lets the players enter and tells them “Head up the path towards the main building, enter and then the second door on the left will be the foyay for the event. You are also granted access to the library and parlor today. Enjoy the event.” ----------------------walking to the house---------------------------- The path towards the house is laid down by a beautiful white marble, with red swirls mixed in. While there may be a storm that would cause Poseidon to hide raging outside, a shield protects the inside of the palace walls. The area outside the main house is lush with green trees bearing all sorts of exotic and alien fruit, a blue tomato looking plant hanging from a tree like an apple. Along the way to the house a short bridge over a small stream of crystal clear water flows. For a planet with water that is gray no matter how many times it is filtered, and with green only being apparent as a need to survive this yard screams wasteful, exuberantly expensive, and pure luxury. ----------------------------Uppon entrance---------------------- The house is filled with the sounds of people talking, servents moving, glasses clinking, and in the background some light music. The air is filled with the smell of foreign food, yet oddly delicous, While the splendor on display is unriavled in your lives. Paintings hang on every wall showing everything from the Emperor himself to the banal seneria of Britannia itself. As you walk through the door, a man to the left of you says aloud and into a comm device on his wrist “{Characters} from {place} welcome to the Governors party, please mingle and enjoy, dinner will be served shortly.” --------------------------------------------------Random Conversations----------------------------------- Vers: Talking about the war, the economy and the recent dispuits over who should lead UFE: Talking about issues regarding the spending on destroyers and the issues with the Barroness who recently revolted. URL: Talk about the trade issues and their fears of the empire. Germushia: Talk about wantitng to expand their captial areas as well as their fears of the deutschland Deutschland: Talk about the glory of Sigmar, the power communism has given them, and the grace of Empress Eva Empiral Mob: Talk about trying ot make connections and “help” others for favours Empire large: Talk about the glory of the emperor IDF: Talk about the recent issues in their area, esspecially wanting wellington from ESper Esperenza: Talk about who they want to join NTA: Talk about the things the Duetschland have given them AIG: Talk about the power the empire has given to them and their wealth NCBB: want to make $$$ Samantha starts off slow and odd, not understanding these before slowly developing into a full person throghout the night. Lots of questisons like a child at first. ---------------------------------Dinner------------------------------------------------------------------ As though played throuhg an invisble loudspeaker a booming bell is rung throughout the house, followed by the voice of an older man “Dinner will begin shortly, please head to your tables. If you need help finding your table, please ask any of the helpful servents” at which point the players are to make theri ways to their tables ---------------------------------------------------Attack------------------------------------------------------ As you each sit down to your tables and the first course, a Salad made from imported goods from the Amondaige everyone mingles with their respective governments. But before anyone can take even the first bite the roar of gunfire and thundering explosions fill the delcious air. The quick witted conversation between laser weapons of the guards and the rabbid responses from the slug weapons of the attacks replaces the dull conversation that had previously filled the room. Followed only moments later by the sonuds of rain pounding on the windows and the roaring of explosions, the whistling of imperial fighters battling the whooshing from what appear to be (outside the large stainglass windows) of rig transports. Before the room has time to go on lockdown the sounds of gunfire fill the corridor outside. You have only moments to react! ------------------------------When the union enters-------------------------------------------------------- As you take your places, the door to the dinning hall bursts open and a number of well armed men march in, the leader, a rugged man with brown hair and golden eyes, covered in dirt and dust begins to speak “We are the Riggers Union of Houillon, we are here to speak to the Bastard Governor of this planet. GIve us him and the rest of you will be spared”. Their real goal is the robot, but they don’t know that. They are paid by the governor not to kill anyone inside the main room unless they absolutely must. While the Machine is trying to kill them. The players goal at this point is to kill the attackers. -----------------------------------------------after the attack---------------------------------------- With the enemies taken care of, the governor comes out of his safe room and says “Ah yes well, how about we start the meal proper, the least I can give all of you is a nice meal. The news will be revealed on the net tomorrow” and which point a much needed and appetizing meal is brought out. After which, as he goes to leave he has his servants talk to the players (and other major characters) and says to them “His most royal Governorship has asked that you spend the night, and possibly the next few days with us to better explore his recent project. Which will be expained in the morning” ot which the players must accept. ----------------------------------------------Next day at breakfast------------------------------------------------ As you awaken from the long night, well rested, by one of the many servants, a fresh set of clothes have been laid out at the foot of your bed. As you make your way down to the dinning hall, you each take a seat around the table a large breakfast of all sorts of alien foods come out. The governor stands up to speak “I assume all you are wondering why I have kept you for the night. The answer is simple, my lovely wife, Samantha, has requested it. Or more accurately the soul of my wife has asked for it. You see, this lovely lady {gestures to Samantha} is not actually my wife, but a creation by the very talented Myles {points to myles}. She is part machine and part human. Which makes her completely legal to hold within the state as far as we can tell. But you see there is an issue, which I will let Myles explain” At which point Myles stands up “Yes umm well you see umm… Samantha is… how would you? Well. Shes a legal neural net. But someone, created a way to embed a human souls connection into a nueral net. This essentially allows the machine to contain sentience while not breaking the Unviersials Confederation Artifaial Intelligence Act. We have taken to call this area the semi-concious neural net. In essence it allows the upper levels of intelligence ot learn and make abstract disicions thought impossible without a soul. Last night, we tested the system with fresh data to prove that it works, and each of you were the most successful in talking to her. Now bas--- governor can we please eat?” At which point the players are given freetime once again. ---------------------------------------Dinner is called--------------------------------------- After a long day of exploring the house and talking to Samantha, you all are brought back to a lovely dinner with the Governier once again, though noticably absent are both sam and myles. ---------------------------------------------------Breakfast second day-------------------------------------------- Before the meal {whoever is closest to sam} receives a message that she is trapped somewhere in the house and needs their help to be freed. At breakfast the governer, if asked about sam, will get angry and cancle dinner. Players are given free time until next breakfast ---------------------------------------------------When the players find the tub room-------------------------- As you first enter the room, you are hit with the smell of decaying flesh, and chemicals. Within the large workshop looking rooms lies a tub with all sorts of wires flowing out of it, and inside the tub lays a human being who looks almost identical to Samantha, if she was 100 years older and dead. (If they pass a hisotry check they find out that it is a Zalyn hybrid tank)  ------------------------------------Third Day breakfast------------------------------------------------------ The governor welcomes the playesr to the room, and thanks them for their help. The project is deemed a success, and at midday today the players will be sent home. After breakfast is over, sam who was finally attending meets with the player she is closest to and asks them for help. She wants to escape, the governor will sell her and abuses her already. She tells the players myles has agreed to help her escape but that won’t be enough. She tells the player that her plan is to have the players kill the real lady samantha so that the guards and the governor are distracted, then she can escape through one of the holes in the palace’s walls.  She will also reveal, if asked, that by her calcuations the best way to fit into society is to take control of the planet so that no one can question her or her powers.  The players are given time to create a plan to help sam escape. Sam will also ask the players to kill the governor, if htey do not she will try to. Once the governor is dead she turns her goal to killing the players as they are the witnesses to her crime and must be removed. ------------------------------------------------------------once sam is dead-------------------------------------------- As the skies around the palace finally begin to clear from the storm and sun beams down to the world, the dead automaton lies in ruins. The people of Acadie will recover, perhaps to a brighter future under a leader of their own people, or perhaps under the command of menty. Find out what happens to the world in our next full session of traveller! --------------------------------------Other possible ideas------------------------------------------------ If you enjoyed this oneshot, I would be interested in planning and running another focused on either: you are the crew of a heavy cruise sent to investigate an odd occurence on the UFE’s border with the duetschland. Or you are a group of deutschland inquisitors and their acolytes who are sent to the ruins of one of the deutschlands great planetships to recover a datacore.