Storyline Diagram 1

This diagram shows a basic progression breakdown, with the climax being the recovery of the Crown. There is no real scale on this chart, So we would need to determine how we are going to represent time. The Zhodani Arc on this chart happens side by side, and tho the lines do not touch in many places, in such places agents of the enemy could be acting on the characters at that time.

Excellent work.

The double agent (heh heh!) - I love it.

Which I was thinking could be the computer... it could be tampered with at launch by a spy, and at some point in the journey turn on the crew. C ould be trite, or a tip of the hat to 2001...

I think it should be the computer, the great thing about this is that after discovery they cannot throw it out of the airlock so they have to trust that it has been 'cured' & will not double-cross them again (cue lots of cliffhanger moments when relying on the it to pull them out of a tricky situation).
And maybe it will!

PLus, to have the added hassle for the characters to have to perform some of the ship functions after cutting the higher brain of the machine will be a good bit. Getting a replacement unit in an alien environment could also be a good set of pages as well..

(hey all, sorry for the absence and falling behind, but you seem to have kept busy )

The computer as the double agent, evil

(though I've never much liked "thinking" computers in Traveller, at least not below TL14)

Hmm, could work in quite well with the "heel" I worked up (and promised to post but got busy) if that's still the plan for adding some longer legs to Achilles.

I think the additional J3 Jump module is still a great idea. If you can get workable stat-wise, I'l model it up.
Have you seen the route - I think we need it!
Also the computer does not need to be particularly AI/sentient - just give the impression (a simulacra of an identity) while carrying out lots of sophisticated automatic functions, the double cross could be when these are corrupted and become deliberately life threatening.

Let's Start a new thread and talk about the ship design specs?

Monique Alessandro is a middle-aged woman, fairly pretty, comes across as a business woman but is in reality a jewel thief.

The Zhodani in this story -- at least initially are in the background. The zhodani often communicate via MESSAGE STONES which
are gem-like constructs which can house a Telepathic Message (imprinted via a skilled telepath). It's a bit more secure than a normal message (at least to non-zhodani) and is virtually indestructable. However there are drawbacks, as we'll see.

Currently two Vargr are working for the Zhodani and acting as couriers by taking the stones to their boss. Unfortunately while jumping
on a public ship they showed the stones to -- you guessed it -- Monique, who naturally wanted to acquire them. When the ship landed
the two vargr were lights-out, thanks to Monique spiking their coffee and she quickly made off with the gems. She didn't get far as the
shipcrew wondered why the two Vargr didn't get off at this stop. A quick check discovered them, and the medic aboard was able to
revive them. There were other passengers and they frantically split up to find them.

One of the vargr spots Monique and takes off after her, the port crowd slowing him down (so it should be a fairly busy place
say A or B). Ever watchful, Monique spots the tail and briefly loses him, ducking into some storage buildings near the annex.

Into focus comes the Ahkilleus, which just happens to be jumping out very soon, like within minutes. In fact it's just across the
tarmac. The vargr knows she went this way and radioes his buddy.

On the bridge of Akhilleus the navigator is checking over systems including the sensors. He spots a rather pretty woman and
zooms in on her, as she strangely ducks into a storage shed, which is generally only for ground crews. Next comes a vargr,
nervously checking over the small cluster of huts, carrying what looks like a club or maybe a shotgun under a trenchcoat. He
finds the open door and ducks in. Within a minute, out comes the pretty woman, who makes her way right to the Akhilleus, no
sign of the vargr. Navigator doesn't think much of it, but is a bit curious about what happened to the vargr.

The woman has cash and quickly buys a berth aboard the Akhilleus, but the rest of the crew don't know about the vargr and the
hut so they sell her a spot no questions asked.

Just as they lift off, the navigator uses the sensor imager to notice another vargr running over and checking the huts, before
dragging out an semi-unconscious buddy and shaking his fist as the Akhilleus disappears from sight....

Okay, we can dial back portions of it so it's not so obvious or silly, but it might be a decent lead-in.

And you know the vargr are going to have to report in and find out the name of that ship...


>

I really like this, Gadrin. It's a great little scene on its own and it makes a good intro to the adversaries (an brings in some Vargr too).
How do we get the same group of Zho (and Vargr pals) to chase after the Cortex Crown (and our crew) from now on? Maybe the message stones have some info on them relating to the myth/location of the Crown and having found out this, our crew then gets the job of following up the lead. With the Zho after them as they are now in disgrace and the Vargr vengeful for losing the stones (also they have lost the important location info which our crew now have).
This could therefore have happened before our initial few pages of intro and can be portrayed later as a flashback when our guys find out they are being followed, etc.
So when our crew get the summons to the Duke and offered the mission in our initial pages it could be because the message stones have been deciphered by the Imperial Zho-experts and the implications realised (maybe thats where the Brain comes from?) and they need guys already in the know to carry out the dirty mission.

Are there production difficulties with vargr? How do they look compared to the human characters?

I'll have a go at one later & see what I come up with, I don't want to do the old human with wolf's head version, these guys need to look alien (and mean). Those legs will be tough though!

*grins and eats some crow* Much as I hate to say it, the (to me icky) World of Darkness (WW) has something to perhaps add. See the above for wild ass wolf like creatures, though with the Wolfen, read the book first, then see the movie (which isn't all that bad). And the Howling Crionos form Werewolves might also be a good base, if we can mod it enough.