By Kenneth Scroggins, (c) 1999

INTRODUCTION
The PCs are divided into Three groups of pregenerated characters. Each
group has a DG friendly about to become an agent (Together they will be Q-
cell). The first group is three SPACOM personnel; a NRO Satellite Security
Engineer, a NSA Satellite Communications Technician, and a DIA ARPA
Science Analyst. The Second Group is one of NESTs Operational Emergency
Management Teams (OEMT); Team leader/Navy Pilot, Nuclear Regulatory
Commissioner/Inspector and Team Technician, and a Nuclear Demolitions
Expert. The final group is the NASA Space Medicine Specialist, the
USAAMRIID Biocontainment Commander, and the CDC Special Pathogens
Branch Quarantine Director.
The mission (STS-Z-49) is a space shuttle launch from Vandenburg AFB in
California. Atlantis has just completed a refit to whatever new standard NASA
and DoD has come up with. STS-Z-49 involves the placement of MILSTAR-7
into a highly ecliptical polar orbit (the orbit released to the press and public)
from whence it will transition to a Super Synchronous orbit (not released to
the press or public). Two secondary experiments involve the Bioreactor
Demonstration System (using the dinoflagellate Pfiesteria Piscicida to grow
viruses) and the NEUROLABS SQUID Neural Induction Link to monitor the
brainwaves of experimental animals like mice and the Astronauts.
The above is all new material and contains no spoilers for the printed
scenario The Killer Out of Space. The same cannot be said for the
remainder of this post.
PART ONE: CRASH
The launch goes well and the MILSTAR deployment is about to get underway
when the Colour from Outer Space arrives. The NEUROLABS SQUID (using
the Majestic-12 neurofilament technology discussed in another post) has
broadcasted the Astronauts positon across time and space. When US Space
Command activates MILSTAR-7s Nuclear Power Unit for final deployment the
Colour enters the Space Shuttle Atlantis to feed.
The first sign of a problem is when the Payload Specialist and the Manned
Spaceflight Engineer are preparing to deploy MILSTAR-7. They see the Colour.
The NASA Space Medicine Specialist at KSC Mission Control cannot help but
notice the disturbance in stress indicators (already at high levels due to the
impending spacewalk). At no time does the Colour appear on CCD video,
although the Space Shuttles Dosimeters indicate a drastic rise in Gamma
radiation.
US Space Command then gets several point failures from MILSTAR-7s
Nuclear Power Unit. The NASA Launch Commander calls up SPACOM and
demands to know why his astronauts are being irradiated by their stupid
orbiting chatroom. The plutonium fueled NPU seems to be utterly failing to
generate power. This is due to the Colour devouring the raw radiation. This
unearthly feeding also transforms the Plutonium into a new and unknown
radioactive material.
After absorbing MILSTAR-7s NPU, the Colour attacks the crew of Atlantis.
NASA and SPACOM are forced to listen to the dying screams of the astronauts
as radiation meters go off the scale. The only survivor is Flight Commander
Gordon McAfee. Lt Col. McAfee, panic-stricken, mistakenly initiates the de-
Orbit OMS burn too early for a Pacific splashdown. SPACOM and NASA hastily
calculate a RMS burn to stabilize the reentry for a touchdown in Gove
County, Kansas in five hours. Route 23 is chosen as the emergency landing
strip. NASA Ph.Ds debate whether or not to automate the landing.
It is at this time that SPACOM personnel should inform the Nuclear
Emergency Search Team of the situation. NEST will scramble both of her
CLEAR DAY Harriers to Gove County. SPACOM protocols also require that Col
Coffeys BLUE FLY be deployed to secure MILSTAR-7. NRO DELTA personnel
will also be sent along with BLUE FLY in order to secure the SQUID/NIL
technology.
As the Colour passes through the Van Allen belt and the Earths magnetic
field at a rapid rate, it gains a tremendous electromagnetic charge. As NEST
Harriers fly to begin grid scanning behind Atlantis approach vector, and
BLUE FLYs squadrons of C-147s, paratroops, and aerially dropped heavy
equipment rain down on the Kansas wheat fields, the Colour detonates a
vast Electromagnetic Pulse over the American Midwest. This sets off
SPACOMs NDD sensors, indicating a nuclear weapon strike. SAC/NORAD
immediately goes to DEFCON Two. It is up to SPACOM to prevent NORAD from
going to DEFCON One and starting a nuclear war.
The EMP drives McAfee and his SQUID/NIL equipped brain totally insane. The
brilliance of the Colour also blinds him. The EMP shorts out much of Atlantis
communication gear, making an automated landing impossible. Power grids
across much of the Central USA go down. BLUE FLY Aircraft suffer 50%
casualties as disabled aircraft plummet into the ground. Although BLUE FLY is
shielded from EMP, the systems are far from perfect. Some fail and NRO
DELTA takes heavy losses. The NEST aircraft survive with most systems
intact, as does MILSTAR-7 (except for its NPU).
In order to remotely land Atlantis in one piece, SPACOM and NASA must link
the NEST CLEAR DAY avionics to Atlantis through MILSTAR-7. In order to keep
up with the Shuttle, NEST pilots must drop their detection pods and engage
afterburners, flying supersonic escort to the Shuttle. This means that they
must land in Kansas as their fuel will be nearly depleted and BLUE FLYs
refueling tankers have become billion dollar lawn darts.
Down on the Ground, Kansas State Highway patrol have cleared Route 23 of
all traffic (before the EMP killed their ignition systems and radio traffic). The
Shuttle begins its final approach under the guidance of KSC personnel. The
Space Medicine Specialist must try to talk the blind, insane McAfee into
giving up clues about the Colour and also to begin certain crash proceedures.
When the Shuttle passes over the NEST aircraft, the Colour generates a
Particle Beam, melting through the cargo doors to escape the imminent
crash with its spawn. NEST searchers partially witness this. The Colour then
races northward ahead of the Shuttle toward the town of Gove. All the people
parked alongside Route 23 are drained by the Colours passing. NEST
searchers using nightvision/infrared gun-cameras see the ghostly
luminescence of cold radioactive bodies lying in the dirt outside their cars,
tractor-trailers and other vehicles.
Finally, Atlantis touches down on Route 23, some 50 miles from the town of
Gove, Kansas. Whether or not it crashes and burns is up to the performance
of SPACOM and NEST in linking avionics to the Shuttle, and to NASAs Space
Medicine Specialists sucess in getting McAfee to comply with Emergency
Procedures. NEST aircraft will be nearly out of fuel and may wish to
communicate with surviving BLUE FLY personnel to see if any Jet Fuel is
available on the ground for immediate refueling (if they wish to pursue the
Colour). BLUE FLY will attempt to recover the NEST Radiation Detection Pods
if asked to do so.
Meanwhile, the Colour has escaped into Earths atmosphere and has
discovered all the sleeping citizens within the EMP-darkened town of Gove.
CNN Live Broadcast from Air Force One:
Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the United States of America
Tonight it is my sad duty to inform the world that the Space Shuttle Atlantis
has crashed. My heart goes out to the families of the courageous astronauts
on board who gave their lives for the dream of space.
The cause of the accident has yet to be determined, although early reports
suggest that an asteroid or other space borne object collided with the shuttle
as it attempted reentry. This object is believed to be the cause of the
Electromagnetic pulse that has blacked out most of the American Midwest.
As a result of this E.M.P. I have declared a national emergency. The Federal
Emergency Management Agency will begin to assist the people of the
affected states to rebuild their power grid, ensure that food distribution
continues and prevent any further harm to the American people. The
Governors of the affected states have called out the National Guard. With
this timely and prompt response by FEMA and other disaster relief agencies,
it is my hope that martial law need not be declared.
PART TWO: OUTBREAK
Should NEST be able to refuel and possibly refit their aircraft, it may be
possible to track the Colours activity in Gove. The best strategy is to
immediately launch one aircraft while the other awaits the recovery of the
Four Nuclear Detection Pods by BLUE FLY personnel. The Colour is highly
radioactive when mobile and can be easily tracked by NEST Searchers.
Once Airborne, NEST will discover many radioactive corpses in Gove. The
Colour will be searching for a dark place to hide its spawn (they are currently
cooling their jets in the walk-in storage freezer of the local supermarket). The
colour has dematerialized and gone underground, searching for a good cave
or underground pocket to store its spawn. A few hours before dawn it will
take its spawn to the isolated Lomax Farm, drain and kill the farming family,
and place the larval Colours in the well.
If NEST is on top of things, they should have Delta Green call out the
USAMRIID and CDC to the site and establish a quarantine. This will be done
under the auspices of FEMA Manager Justin Drako (Brigadier General, US
Army, Ret.). Drakos loyalties are mixed. He served in Delta Green prior to
1970, but later transferred to Majestic-12. Currently, he oversees Majestics
consequence management projects for MJ-1 AQUARIUS. He is also the FEMA
Manager in charge of Gove County, thanks to Majestic-12.
Within 24 hours the full NEST deployment, USAMRIIDs Biocontainment unit,
and CDCs Quarantine Team will be on site and setting up to seal off the
area. BLUE FLY and NRO DELTA will want to remove MILSTAR-7 and the
NEUROLABS Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices (SQUID) from
the Atlantis. NEST Physicists will want to have a look at the NPU (and find
that the plutonium now radiates with the spectral hues of the Colour). The
Quarantine personnel should object strongly to any materials, even MILSTAR-
7, being removed from the quarantine zone. SPACOM sends its team (NRO,
NSA and DIA/ARPA) to the site to help determine what went wrong.
The Medical Personnel will face increasingly worsening symptoms in the
townspeople of Gove. The diagnosis seems to be radiation poisoning, but the
actual dosage is not sufficient to cause immediate effects. FEMA erects large
white frame tents to put displaced motorists and townsfolk affected by the
Colour.
SPACOM finds that MILSTAR is fine, except that the Plutonium is totally
altered in an inexplicable fashion. The Bioreactor Demonstration System
(BDS) has come apart, and spilled its contents throughout the cargo bay of
Atlantis. This is merely a red herring. NRO DELTA soldiers do not allow
anyone access to the SQUID/NIL devices.
What happens next is largely up to the Investigators. Their only point of
contact is through DELTA GREEN and FEMA meetings. The field deployment
of Majestic-12 allows Delta Green to tap into MJ-12 communications through
the NSA. The Greys (Mi-Go) may wish to capture affected victims of the
Colour in order to further their studies. This may lead to a few UFO sightings.
Once they become aware of the Colour (through the Greys) Majestic will
formulate a plan to capture and contain the Colour with magnetic devices. It
is up to Delta Green to prevent this cursed event from occuring.
Two events of note do occur before the dramatic conclusion:
1) SaucerWatch, intrigued by the Presidents address, arrive to make a
gereral nuisance of themselves. They infiltrate the quarantine, and start
poking around with videocameras and photography equipment. They ask
many embarrassing questions of both Majestic and Delta Green operatives.
SaucerWatch hopes to get information about BLUE FLY.
If Donny Lang is present he will have brought some Magnetic Media
Disruptors (imagine a single large defibrillator paddle made of metal) in case
anyone might get access to SaucerWatchs computers. These will serve as a
deterrent for the Colour. The NSA will also have these in its bag of tricks, but
may not think of using them against the Colour until its too late.
2) Stephen Alzis will approach the Investigators who have had the least
playing time (probably the quarantine folks) and offer up some information
from Miskatonic University about the previous Colour outbreak. He will want
the components of the Bioreactor Demonstration System, and the SQUID/NIL
device in exchange for his assistance. Alzis will settle for one or the other
however, and make another deal to get the piece of the puzzle that the
investigators do not wish to obtain for him.
PART THREE: CONTAINMENT
EVENT: The SPACOM Investigators notice something new in BLUE FLYs
mobile command post. A Live satellite feed covering the Gove quarantine
grid from something called WARBIRD. If successful with a Satellite
Engineering or Know roll the NRO agent will remember something about the
deployment of anti-satellite weapons in orbit under the USAF WARBIRD
program. Rumors of Nuclear missiles abound.
WARBIRD is actually the latest gambit by MJ-5 MOON DUST commander Lt.
Gen. Eustis Bell. Bell has deployed EXCALIBUR orbital missiles with
antimatter warheads and ZEUS directed energy beams into a small and
limited constellation of satellites. NSA SIGINT interceptions performed by
Delta Green may uncover a videoconference between Drako and Bell
wherein they discuss the WARBIRD targeting of Gove, Kansas. These
discussions reveal the enormous power consumption of both ZEUS systems
and EXCALIBUR antimatter containment. These factors, combined with the
need for secrecy, limit the effective lifespan of individual WARBIRD
components.
Meanwhile, should the Investigators be caught collecting SIGINT, they may
have an option to frame SaucerWatch, or even to use them to perform the
dirty work. NRO DELTA will be dispatched to dispatch the hapless UFO
society. Delta Green may wish to intervene in this matter, or not.
As the same old cloak and dagger routine is being performed, the Colour
continues its rampage. After its exploits in Gove during the Colours first
night on Earth, it retires to its new lair in the Lomax well. The following
evening the Colour attacks the countryside, afflicting all the local farm
animals. This should cause much consternation among Quarantine
managers. A mass cattle slaughter may be ordered, to no avail.
The next night, the Colour is drawn to the FEMA quarantine tents. One for
infected townfolk and one for those who have yet to encounter the Colour.
These huge white frame tents shine like a beacon, lit from within by
florescent light. The helpless citizens of Gove suffer this attack with perhaps
1d6+6 casualties and numerous new cases.
As the people of Gove scream in agony and terror, the Greys contact Majestic
and present information about the magnetic nature of this new alien
predator. Drako decides to attempt a capture, and confiscates Buddys car-
lifting magnetic cranes for this purpose. If Delta Green is not present
(perhaps NEST can be informed by the NRO/NSA people), then Buddy is shot
to death by NRO DELTA. If DG is there during the confiscation, then
Psychology or Fast Talk rolls are needed to prevent the irate Buddy from
brandishing his shotgun toward the NRO DELTA agents.
The next day, Majestic prepares to capture the Colour at the old Lomax farm.
If NEST has not tracked down the Colour by now (unlikely), or have witheld
this info from BLUE FLY, FEMA or other Majestic sources, then the Greys have
told Drako where to locate the Colour. All the options discussed in the printed
version may be used as nightfall approaches.
If Delta Green manages to disable one of the makeshift containment
Magnets, the Colour attempts escape. First, it will attack and destroy FEMA
HQ and the BLUE FLY deployment with otherworldly particle beams before
attempting a mass drain of the Gove quarantine victims to fuel its escape
into orbit. The Greys will maintain a respectful distance, but the Colour will
spot them and shoot down their disc. BLUE FLY will most likely recover the
craft before SaucerWatch or Delta Green can act. SaucerWatch may get
some interesting photos or video evidence that will be confiscated by NRO
DELTA unless DG agents can get them first.
Majestic will respond by firing ZEUS at the Colour. ZEUS has seven shots at
the Colour, each doing 3d6x10 damage per shot, with one shot per every few
minutes. The ZEUS targeting officer (SAN 49, POW 14) suffers 1/1d4 SAN loss
per shot, and has a 77% chance to hit the Colour. This damage is first applied
to Magic Points, then divided among SIZ and POW as the Keeper desires. The
Colour may choose to rapidly dematerialize in order to avoid the ZEUS
particle beam. For every MP spent, the Colour has a 10% chance to avoid
damage by dematerialization. Should the Colour fall to zero SIZ and POW it
has been effectively destroyed.
If Majestic fails to kill the Colour with its seven shots, it will fire an EXCALIBUR
missile from the WARBIRD satellite over Gove. Before the EXCALIBUR can
detonate, the Colour will drain the area and launch itself into orbit. Its esacpe
path takes it directly into the EXCALIBUR missile, disintigrating it and sending
the newly freed antimatter into another dimension. The Colour continues to
accelerate upward and shatters the WARBIRD satellite. This may force
Majestic to request that the Greys recover the dangerous wreckage, thus
exposing MJ-5s anti-Grey weaponry. Majestic eventually decides to send a
REDLIGHT craft fitted for spaceborne operations to salvage the WARBIRD.
The aftermath depends on the actions of the Investigators, and should follow
the guidelines set forth in the printed scenario.