Captain's

Logs from
the Sandbox
Report 001:
The Relief Mission
This report filed by
Joshua Kubli
Cover Art
Jeremy Dwiggins
Contents
One (1) Scythia star system map
One (1) New Anatolia colony map
Five (5) personnel readouts
One (1) crew member advisory table
(randomized)
 Welcome
Aboard!
This is the first entry in the new Captain's Logs from the
Sandbox series from Occult Moon. Like the Tales from the
Sandbox series, this series gives Game Masters adventure
seeds, this time for science fiction campaigns.
You can use these supplements with any starship-based
science fiction roleplaying game. Each Captain's Log from
the Sandbox gives you a problem for a starship crew to
solve, along with a new location, new friends and new ene-
mies.
A Few
Assumptions
Science fiction settings vary wildly, but there are a few common tropes
that we're going to assume for the purposes of this series. Classic fan-
tasy usually includes elves, dwarves, and orcs, classic science fiction
usually follows these assumptions.
The Galactic Confederation: A peaceful star nation. Earth, and
many other worlds, are members of the Confederation.
The Grand Star Navy patrols the Confederation, but their
numbers are stretched thin, so the Confederation must
sometimes hire civilian starship captains to assist in relief
and rescue missions.
The Carnifexian Empire: The Carnifexians are aggressive, vio-
lent, territorial reptilians. Enemies of the Galactic Confed-
eration, their ships have stealth systems. Carnifexians
have a rigid code of honor and prefer to use melee
weapons when possible.
The Jaodonite Mercantilium: The Jaodonites are a squat,
four-legged, purple-skinned humanoid species of traders.
Dishonorable and corrupt, their organizational skills are
keen.
Technology: Faster-than-light travel is relatively common, as
are energy weapons and anti-gravity technology.
Psionics: Psi powers are fairly rare, and most psionic teach-
ings come from a few organizations like the Order of
Nova Templars or the Star Navy Psionic Operations Divi-
sion.
When using a Captain's Log from the Sandbox, simply make note of
what adjustments you need to make to fit your campaign, and you're
ready to go!
 Mission Briefing
Captain's Log. We've been contacted by the Galactic
Confederation to carry medical supplies to New Anatolia, an
allied world in the Scythia system. The Scythia system bor-
ders on the violent Carnifexian Empire, and the inhabitants
suffer from an outbreak of an unknown disease.
The disease causes mass panic, violence, and hysteria. We
must pick up the cure from a Zerkolian science ship, and
deliver it to the colonists as fast as possible. Innocent lives
are at stake, and failure is not an option.

Mission Notes: First traces of the New Anatolian virus

were discovered two weeks ago. The colony's chief medic
recorded findings on the illness, but mistook it for a harmless
strain of Aldebaran whooping cough. The virus spread rapidly
through the colony. The virus spread so fast, that it's likely
that the colony's food or water is tainted.
The virus affects multiple species with widely divergent biolo-
gies, suggesting development on a diverse, high-population
1. Colony Power Plant. world, or genetic engineering.
2. Colonial Administration Building. A crack team of scientists from the Zerkolian Foundation for
3. Hospital. Science engineered a cure as fast as possible, but its effec-
tiveness will be hard to judge until administered.
4. Law Enforcement.
5. Hydroponics Farms.
6. Mining and Manufacturing.
7. Apartments.
 System Datafile (001)
1. Ashardalis. A sun-baked lump of silicon, with lit- Scythia System. The Galactic Confederation settled
tle value. The Zerkolian Foundation for Science is the Scythia system nearly forty years ago. Nearby worlds
considering installing an automated solar observatory. have valuable minerals and starship factories, and New Ana-
■ Atmosphere: None. tolia provides food for workers on these worlds. The Scythia
■ Gravity: 0.4 Gs system is only a few light-years from the border of the
■ Surface Temperature: 400 Kelvin (126.85° Cel- Carnifexian Empire, but the presence of Grand Star Navy
sius). Outpost Ten kept the Carnifexians away in the past, before
■ Chemical Composition: Silicon 95%, iron 4%, they developed their new stealth technology.
trace elements 1%.
■ Surface Water: None.
■ Native Lifeforms: None.
■ Settlements: None.
■ Hazards: Occasional solar flares.
2. Zeirond. Another dry, barren world, traces of
organic molecules show Zeirond once had native life-
forms; scientists believe it was captured from another,
passing solar system, perhaps a catastrophe for some
native sapient culture.
■ Atmospheric Composition: Carbon dioxide 85%,
nitrogen 13%, trace elements 2%.
■ Atmospheric Pressure: 0.3 atmospheres.
■ Gravity: 0.58 Gs
■ Surface Temperature: 193° Kelvin (-80° Celsius).
■ Chemical Composition: Silicon 77%, iron 13%,
trace elements 20%.
■ Surface Water: None.
■ Native Lifeforms: None.
■ Settlements: None.
■ Hazards: None.
 System Datafile (002)
3. New Anatolia. Thriving with native plant and
primitive animal life, New Anatolia's hydroponics com-
plex provides food for Ninepence and Jedderman.
■ Atmospheric Composition: Nitrogen 66%, carbon
dioxide 22%, methane 10%, trace gases 2%.
■ Atmospheric Pressure: 0.8 atmospheres.
■ Gravity: 0.93 Gs
■ Surface Temperature: 294° degrees Kelvin (21°
Celsius).
■ Chemical Composition: Silicon 65%, iron 12%,
trace elements 22%.
■ Surface Water: 55% surface water.
■ Native Lifeforms: Lamprey-bats, manta-snakes,
vreeths, sk'varren trees.
■ Settlements: New Anatolia colony, outside mining
camps, New Anatolian Independence League
camp.
■ Hazards: Multi-species viral plague, political unrest.
4. Ninepence. An inhospitable, airless world rich in
valuable ores. Run by the efficient Sherillian Mining
Guild, Ninepence constantly needs robot repair parts
to fix those broken in the mines.
■ Atmosphere: None.
■ Gravity: 0.66 Gs.
■ Surface Temperature: 38° Kelvin (-235.15° Cel-
sius).
■ Chemical Composition: Iron 55%, silicon 22%,
magnesium 8%, trace elements 15%.
■ Surface Water: None.
■ Native Lifeforms: None.
■ Settlements: Sherillian Mining Guild settlement.
■ Hazards: Occasional rogue mining robots.
5. Jedderman. Named for a famous FTL theorist,
this worlds' orbital starship factories produce shuttles,
freighters, and military scout vessels for NovaDream
Stardrive Corp. The planet is a “greenhouse” world,
with high atmospheric pressure.
■ Atmospheric Composition: Carbon dioxide 97%,
~3% nitrogen, tiny amounts of trace elements.
■ Atmospheric Pressure: 93 atmospheres.
■ Gravity: 0.88 Gs
■ Surface Temperature: 693° degrees Kelvin (423°
Celsius).
■ Chemical Composition: Unknown.
■ Surface Water: None.
■ Native Lifeforms: None.
■ Settlements: NovaDream StarDrive orbital starship
factories.
■ Hazards: High atmospheric pressure, corrosive
atmosphere.
6. Doorway. A “brown dwarf” gas giant, psionics fre-
quently report strange feelings of uneasiness in orbit
of this world.
■ Atmospheric Composition: Hydrogen 89%,
helium 10%, trace gases 1%.
■ Atmospheric Pressure: Varies with depth.
■ Gravity: 24.1 Gs.
■ Surface Temperature: Unknown.
■ Chemical Composition: Unknown.
■ Surface Water: None.
■ Native Lifeforms: None.
■ Settlements: None.
■ Hazards: Occasional radio bursts that cause com-
munications interference.
 System Datafile (003)
Crew Member Advisories

Space Travel Hazards

01-18 Rogue asteroid or bit of space debris.

7. Voorling. A gas giant with faint rings and over a 19-43 Jaodonite Pirates in search of booty.
dozen moons. The fifth moon is quarantined pending
Diseased Refugees. They must be stopped or the plague will
exploration for Forerunner artifacts. 44-75
spread to other worlds.
■ Atmospheric Composition: Hydrogen 88%,
helium 11%, trace elements 1%. 76-94 Smugglers taking valuable ore from Ninepence.
■ Atmospheric Pressure: Varies with depth. A strange interdimensional portal opens near Doorway,
■ Gravity: 22.6 Gs. sucking in nearby ships. Physical laws inside are strange
95-00
■ Surface Temperature: Varies with depth. and twisted, but scientific analysis may find a way to open a
■ Chemical Composition: Unknown. portal home again.
■ Surface Water: None.
■ Native Lifeforms: None. Planetary Hazards
■ Settlements: None.
■ Hazards: Grand Space Fleet defense satellites 01-21 Flock of lamprey-bats.
maintaining quarantine. 22-40 Small herd of predatory, venomous manta-snakes.
Unexpected windstorm; dangerous for shuttlecraft and hover
41-65
vehicles.
66-82 Vreeth stampede.
Armed members of the “New Anatolian Independence
83-00 League.” They support secession from the Galactic
Confederation.

Incomplete Cure
The cure is ineffective. It's missing a vital
chemical, that can only be obtained from the
greedy Jaodonite Mercantilium.
The Twists
The crew contacts a Jaodonite ship, but in
exchange, they want illegal weapons technology.
The Jaodonite Mercantilium will trade the vital
chemical, in exchange for samples of the virus.
Scans reveal that the Jaodonite ship is carrying
slaves through GC space, in direct violation of
treaty.
Tainted Food
The colony's hydroponics farm produces food for
other colonies in the system, but the food has
been tainted with the virus.
The Twists
Several shipments of food have been sent on
automated drone ships that may have been
infected. The food drones must be intercepted
before other worlds suffer.
Rebels from the “New Anatolian Independence
League” are caught stealing food crates. They
open fire, and then flee with infected food.
A delirious programmer ordered the food packing
robots to mix safe food with contaminated food.
Their orders can't be overriden, and they'll attack
anyone that tries to make them stop.
Mission Complications
Artificial Plague
There's evidence that the violent, belligerent
Carnifexian Empire might have engineered the
virus.
The Twists
Multiple canisters filled with the virus are
hidden throughout the colony. The crew has to
find them all and isolate them.
The spy is holed up in the station's power
plant. The crew must capture the spy without
damaging the plant.
A cloaked Carnifexian warship is coming to
pick up the spy. The crew must find the ship
when it de-cloaks, and confront them on this
act of war.
Evolution Gone Mad
The disease has leaked out into the local
fauna. Local non-sapient lifeforms are now
causing serious issues for the colonists.
The Twists
New Anatolian lamprey-bats, driven mad by the
virus, are chewing through the colony's air
filters. If they aren't stopped, the colony will
depressurize, and the colonists will all die.
A group of colonists fled the colony to avoid
infection, but they've been cornered by vicious
predators, and their air supply is running low.
One species seems immune, a nearby herd
of vreeths (an herbivorous ungulate). Medics
could use vreeth blood samples to refine the
cure, but they're skittish, prone to stampede.
One Life For Many
The colony's life support system needs repair, but
the repair access tunnels are locked. The only
one with the codes is the chief life support
engineer, who's infected by the plague.
The Twists
The life support engineer is in a cargo bay,
surrounded by infected colonists. The crates in
the cargo bay are highly explosive.
Computer evidence suggests that the life support
engineer is addicted to brainchips. They're illegal
in the GC, but the engineer was working with the
Carnifexian Spy in exchange for them.
The life support engineer suffered a head injury,
and can't remember the codes. She kept a copy
of the codes in the glove compartment of her
hovercar, which was stolen by fleeing colonists.
An Old Friend
An old classmate, friend, or lover of one of the
crew is one of the colony's medics.
The Twists
The old friend is safe from the disease in an
environmental suit, but one of the infected just
punctured the suit. The crew finds the old friend
just as they begin to succumb.
The Old Friend can help refine the cure, but they
can't concentrate until their son is safe. He was
working in the Administration building.
The Old Friend first discovered the disease, but
underestimated its severity. They're wracked with
guilt over the disaster, and need consolation.

The Jaodonite
Captain
Description: The Jaodonites
are merciless entrepreneurs,
and this captain is one of the
slimiest. He's perfectly willing
to destroy the chemical nec-
essary to complete the cure,
rather than give it away.
Stats:
Body (Weak)
Speed (Average)
Mind (Good)
Will (Good)
Skills: The Jaodonite captain
knows most of the crew posi-
tions aboard her ship fairly
well. She's a shrewd negotia-
tor, but not much of a fighter.
Personnel Datafiles
The Colony
Administrator
Description: A member of
the peaceful, intelligent
Zerkolian species, the Admin-
istrator normally runs the
colony with efficiently, but
mercilessly. His sometimes
tyrannical approach caused
the formation of the New
Anatolian Independence
League, and he believes they
crafted the plague.
Stats:
Body (Average)
Speed (Average)
Mind (Excellent)
Will (Good)
Skills: The Administrator is a
master of logistics, bureau-
cracy, and social sciences.
No combat skills to speak of.
Zerkolians have unusually
acute senses.
The Carnifexian
Spy
Description: A member of a
disgraced clan, the Carnifex-
ian spy has a chance to re-
gain glory for his family by
sabotaging a Confederation
colony. Implants and surgery
make the spy look like a Ter-
ran male.
Stats:
Body (Excellent)
Speed (Good)
Mind (Average)
Will (Good)
Skills: The Carnifexian Spy
is an expert with close com-
bat, and pretty good with
ranged weapons as well.
He's trained in stealth, but not
too good at it.
The Old
Friend
Description: An old friend or
lover of one of the crew, the
Old Friend studied with them
many years ago. They've
grown apart over time, but
shared memories link the
two, and the crew member
would feel terrible if anything
happened.
Stats:
Body (Weak)
Speed (Average)
Mind (Good)
Will (Good)
Skills: The Old Friend is a
medic, with training as a
physician and biologist, and a
basic knowledge of environ-
mental systems. The Old
Friend also shares one of the
crew members' hobbies, such
as old Earth history, cooking,
or sports.
The Life Support
Specialist
Description: An engineer
specializing in environmental
systems, she helps keep the
colony safe and comfortable
from the toxic atmosphere of
New Anatolia. A tour in the
Grand Space Fleet ended
badly for the engineer, and
they started using illegal
brainchips, even turning to
strangers for her “fix.”
Stats:
Body (Weak)
Speed (Good)
Mind (Good)
Will (Good)
Skills: The Life Support Spe-
cialist is skilled and capable,
despite her troubled part. She
has some rudimentary
weapons skills left over from
Basic, and she's a passable
shuttle pilot as well.