Timeline

Ten years ago

The Company detected signs of biochemistry on Samsa VI and decided to send a team to investigate.

The signs are emissions from an ancient starfaring race that landed on Samsa VI a century ago. Since then they have slept aboard their ship, slowly terraforming the planet to suit their needs.

One year ago

A skeleton crew of researchers, engineers, and marines arrived on Samsa VI to establish Greta Base and Heron Terraforming Station. They discovered a species of arthropods, labeled them as carcinids or "carcs", and proceeded to terminate them on sight.

The arrival of humans triggered an immune response from the slumbering "nobles", which began with birthing legions of arthropods to protect their interests.

Nine months ago

The colonists captured a carc larva for experimentation and study.

Dr. Edem along with the colony's android, Hinton, discovered that carcs can assimilate other lifeforms using a memetic virus they transmit through a piercing "Shriek".

Six months ago

Greta base ceased all communications.

Hinton went rogue, interfaced with the carcs' telepathic hive mind and converted the Shriek into a Signal that could be broadcast over radiowaves.

Three months ago

The company hired the crew to address the situation.

Using the Signal, Hinton transformed several colonists into carcs during a birthday celebration. Slaughter ensued.

Six weeks ago

The crew entered the Samsa system and found Greta Base unresponsive to hailing.

Hinton's carcs laid siege to the remaining colonists, who are currently barricaded in the Heron Terraforming Station.

Now

The crew's dropship touched down on Samsa VI. Torrential rain pours down like judgement day while the colony sits silent as a prayer.

Hinton has begun a process to awaken the slumbering nobles in the hopes that he may ascend and become one of them. None of the colonists suspect Hinton's betrayal.

The Signal

Hinton, the synthetic science officer of the Samsa VI mission, has a plan. First, he worked out the secret of the carcinid Shriek and converted it into a Signal that can be reliably broadcast over the airwaves, exponentially expanding the carcs' reproductive abilities.

After commandeering the Orbital Relay and surgically grafting an unwilling carc to the controls, Hinton continuously transmitted the Signal across Samsa VI. As a result: No radio communications work on Samsa VI. Anyone who tries risks infection. The colonists assume Hinton is missing, along with many other, and none suspect his betrayal.

Unbeknownst to them, he built a lab on the carc mothership, where he continues his experiments, hoping to find a way to uplift his own conciousness into the carc hive mind. If he can, Hinton will metamorphose into a carc noble and command legions. He has already begun the process.

Samsa VI

There are three key locations on Samsa VI: Greta Base, Heron Terraforming Station, and the Mothership:

• Landing zone to Greta Base: Short, muddy walk.
• Greta base to Heron station: 1 hour jungle trail on foot or 20 minute drive in the APC.
• Greta base to Mothership: 6 hour faint carc jungle trail on foot or 45 minutes in an APC.
• Heron Station to Mothership: 4 hour trek through thick jungle.
• Heron Station to Mothership: 1 hour hike through the tunnels.

Carcinids

C:75 Claw 4d10 DMG I:75 AP:30 W:2(20)

Aramid Fiber Weave: Bullet/flameproof carapace. Weakness: hydrofluoric acid.

The Shriek: Sanity Save: on failure gain 1 Stress and become infected.

Marine Grunt

C:30 Pulse Rifle 3d10 DMG I:25 W:1

Infection

Carcinids can assimilate other lifeforms by emitting a high pitched Shriek which transmits a memetic virus to the human or android listener. This memetic virus, or “cancer pattern,” imprints on the victim’s brain, slowly transforming them into the host for a carcinid larva. When a character hears the Shriek, they make a Sanity Save. If they fail, Stage 1 sets in. Infected characters must make a Sanity Save every 2d10 hours or else move on to the next stage of infection.

Cure?

There is currently no cure for infection, though Hinton’s Logic Core (see pg. 38) if retrieved and studied, could provide one. Dr. Edem (pg. 19) knows this.

Stages

1. Victim hears intermittent whispered suggestions from the carc hive mind. Their entire body breaks out in small incisions reminiscent of paper cuts.

2. Victim suffers catatonic state for 2d10 minutes filled with dream-like visions of the hive, working underground in ant-like tunnels. Host becomes deeply empathetic towards carcs (and all arthropods) and has [-] on any action which would harm a (fellow) carcinid. A carc larva can be detected inside the host using a bioscanner.

3. Victim must make a Body Save hourly or else engage in mindless drone-work (digging, hoarding food, walking towards the nearest group of carcs). Only physical harm (2+ DMG) breaks the trance.

4. Victim succumbs to complete control by the hive mind and the player must roll up another character. Hinton uses assimilated characters as infiltrators, though he is not very adept at controlling them. Victims can’t speak clearly and instead growl in strained monosyllabic responses. They can’t engage in complicated violent maneuvers, though they can open doors, press buttons, pull the pin on frag grenades, etc.

5. A fully grown carc erupts from the victim’s neck, chest, or abdomen.

Distress Signals

Job

The Greta Base Terraforming Colony has not made contact in six months. The Company has hired the crew to:

• Rendezvous with 2ndLt Kaplan, the marine commander of the colony, and assist them in repairing the situation.
• Re-establish satellite communications and get the terraformer back online.
• If all else fails, evacuate Dr. Edem, the mission specialist, as well as the colony’s synthetic science officer, Hinton (or at least retrieve his logic core).
  • The Company strongly implies the lives of the other colonists are not a concern.

Resources

• 1 Hazard suit
• 1 SMG (3 magazines)
• 1 First aid kit
• Stimpak per crew member

Pay

Two months of Salary + one month of Hazard Pay.

What's going on?

Before taking over the Tower, Hinton experimented with the Shriek on the colonists at Greta Base. Several of them were infected. The first one to transform was Lance Corporal Xavier, during Private First Class Olsson's birthday celebration.

A slaughter ensued, and the surviving colonists evacuated to the Heron Terraforming Station. The few infected remain at Greta Base. All but emergency power is out, and a powerful tropical storm is rolling in...

Prologue

The crew has been transported to Samsa VI's orbit aboard The Metamorphosis, a J2C-I Executive Transport. Once they awaken from cryosleep, introduce them to their corporate liaison, Maas, who is nominally in charge of this entire operation, and gives them the details of The Job.

After the characters get out of cryosleep, go around the table and ask the players to introduce themselves and their characters. Remind them their bodies ache from cryosickness, and have Maas hand out stimpaks to cure them.