Terror on the Halcyon

(set in the world of Centauri Knights)

Adventure Background
From a tourism brochure:
The luxury resort station Halcyon orbits the planet Regulus 4, and was by built Carnival
Interstellar as an extension of its space cruise ship line. Opening for business in 2268, the
Halcyon offers all of the amenities of Carnivals old Earth cruise ships, including a top-rated
casino, multiple entertainment venues, and awarding winning dining establishments and spa
services.
In addition, the Halcyon offers shuttle excursions to the beautiful planet below, Regulus IV,
where guests can marvel at the luscious, unspoiled flora or go on safaris to view the untamed
fauna. With over a dozen planetary ports of call, each offering a different exciting adventure,
your imagination is the only limit!
With hundreds of staff to serve your every need, no other company has a facility that can match
the sheer beauty and majesty Carnivals Halcyon station and its accompanying planetary
complexes.
Decks of the resort station Halcyon (by level)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

Command/medical
Crew Quarters
Kitchen/Dining Room
Kitchen/Dining Room
Casino/Gaming Parlor
Entertainment/Dance Club
Entertainment/Dance Club
Exercise/Sports Complex
Pool/Spa Services
Guest Suites
Guest Suites
Guest Suites
Guest Suites
Docking Facility/Supplies
Power Station/Storage

Introduction
Thirty six hours ago, an undocumented meteor swarm struck the resort space station Halcyon and its
accompanying facilities on the planet Regulus IV. The swarm damaged the stations power core and

communication grid, penetrating the hull in some areas and causing the station to temporarily lose
power, making communication impossible. When the Halcyons backup generator kicked on shortly
thereafter, the stations force field sealed any breaches to prevent decompression, and crew on every
deck were able to report their status to the captain.
Unbeknownst to the Halcyons guests and crew, the swarm deposited microscopic alien bacteria onto
the station, which was then sucked into the stations air circulation system and spread to all decks. Once
inhaled by humans, the bacterial virus killed their host within five minutes and reanimated the corpse,
transforming its victim into an undead monstrosity. Many on the station were able to resist the
microbes initial infection, but were instead infected when they were attacked and bitten by those
around them, putting the contaminant directly into their bloodstream.
The first messages from the station to reach the outside world reported that power was intermittent
and that radiation leaking from the damaged power core was making it difficult to get accurate readings
on the stations condition. Ten minutes later, further reports detailed an increase in violent assaults on
the station both guest against guest and guest against crew. Security had been dispatched to address
the problem. The final communication from the Halcyon was a garbled distress call. The first officer
announced that the station had been overrun by an unknown force and military aid was requested. The
communication grid then went offline and contact was lost.
The Adventure Begins
The heroes are Terran Confederacy Marines, assigned to protect the space lanes and defend human
interests throughout the galaxy. Their unit had just successfully completed a mission and was enroute to
an orbiting base for debriefing, when the Halcyons distress call was received at the base. Being closer to
the Halcyon than any other ship, the heroes squad was redirected to the station. They are ordered to
investigate and neutralize the problem, both on the station and on the planet below.
Nearing the station, the heroes spot an escape shuttle floating lifelessly in Regulus IVs orbit. A shuttle of
this size should hold a thousand people, at minimum. Sensors detect no life forms aboard but through
the shuttles port holes, lights can be seen flickering on and off. With a close enough look, the heroes
can spot dark red stains (blood) on some of the windows. The stations other three escape shuttles are
nowhere in sight.
Life support and artificial gravity still seem to be operational, but sensors detect no signs of life or
movement on board the Halcyon. Searches will have to be conducted deck by deck, as long range
scanning is being blocked by the Halcyons power core radiation leak. Though the backup generators are
operational, they seem to be struggling to consistently power the massive station. They must have been
damaged during the meteor strike, as well.

Aboard the Halcyon

Landing in the stations bay is a little harrowing, as the Halcyons auto-docking computer is off-line. The
dropship sets down next to the stations compliment of fighters half a dozen small ships used to keep
pirates and raiders at bay. The ships are all in working condition, though they are electronically locked
down. Intermittent power outages give the docking area a strobe light effect, making it difficult to see
more than a few feet at a time. The heroes need to be extra cautious about their surroundings, as the
power may go out at an inopportune moment.
Once aboard, the heroes unit is split in two, with five platoons (5 men each), along with one of the
units two androids, being deposited on the station. The other five platoons stay on the dropship for the
trip to Regulus IV. The heroes are in one of the platoons left on the station. After depositing the men
and their equipment, the dropship launches from the Halcyons dock, effectively abandoning the heroes
until the ships return from the planet to pick them up.
Splitting the men into smaller groups, the sergeant in charge assigns each platoon a different group of
decks to search. The heroes are given Decks 5-9. The mission objectives are to search the station for
survivors and eliminate any threats; report any findings to the commanding officer immediately.
Working through the station, the heroes find evidence of violent struggle everywhere. Blood stains the
carpets, tables and chairs are broken or overturned, and shattered glass litters the ground. Oddly, not a
single person alive or dead can be seen. (The risers have moved all of the bodies into a couple of
rooms on each deck, keeping them out of sight and feasting on the remains.)
Suddenly, as if on cue, the enemy attacks. Zombies swarm out of every room on the deck, attempting to
surround and overrun the heroes. The heroes need to make a decision fight or flee. If they fight, the
horde will eventually thin out, but not before the heroes are forced to use almost all of their
ammunition and medical supplies. If they head for safety, whether that be back to the elevator (to leave
the deck) or into an interior room (which can then be barricaded), they will have to fight through the
risers standing between them and the exit.
Attempting to make a getaway on the elevator will create a new set of issues for the heroes. The power
conveniently goes out while the heroes are between decks, leaving them stranded in the dark. If they try
to wait until the power returns, risers from the decks above them will eventually break open the
exterior elevator doors, dropping themselves onto the top of the elevator car. The heroes will then
either have to fight the risers as they attempt to get into the elevator, or pry the cars interior doors
open and climb out mid-level. Climbing out may take them out of the frying pan and into the fire,
though, as another zombie mob may be waiting for them on a different deck.

If the heroes fight off the enemy and manage to complete their search mission, they can find survivors
in the athletic trainers office on Deck 8, behind an electronically locked and physically barricaded door.
On Deck 2, some of the Halcyons crew have also survived, locking themselves in the stations
emergency armory. These non-combatants will be a hindrance to the heroes, as they are unarmed,
ineffectual fighters who move slowly.
Booty Call
To make matters even worse, a local pirate gang has taken this opportunity to raid the station. Having
intercepted the Halcyons distress call, the pirates know that communication is out on the station. They
know that the closest military facility is three days journey away and figured to have come and gone
with the Halcyons coffers and guests picked clean long before military aid could arrive. The pirates
had no way of knowing that the heroes were only a short trip away from the station at the time and
would arrive before them, and with the heroes ship being on Regulus IV, the pirates would have no idea
they werent alone.
If the heroes get into trouble at some point during the adventure, the pirates may come charging in,
guns blazing, and inadvertently rescue them. Alternately, the pirates could get into trouble and be holed
up on one of the lower decks, in need of rescuing themselves. In this case, if the heroes need motivation
to rescue the trapped pirates, the brigands could bargain with them using the access code to their ship
as collateral. Without that code, the heroes would need to spend a bit of time breaking through the
pirate ships security system before they could make an escape.
The heroes will then need to decide if they want to team up with the pirates for mutual protection, or
fight the pirates and the risers at the same time. Either way, the heroes can ultimately use the pirates
ship to escape the Halcyon. Unfortunately, the ship isnt big enough to hold more than a dozen Marines.
If multiple platoons survive intact and reach the dock, the heroes may have to decide which of their
friends gets left behind.
Waiting out the danger
If the heroes decide to find a safe spot and hole up until rescue comes, they will face another problem.
After a few hours, the intermittent power failures eventually become permanent, as confused zombies
arbitrarily press buttons and pull random levers in the power station. With the power out, the artificial
gravity fails, leaving the heroes to float around helplessly. Also, the power loss causes the Halcyons
orbit to deteriorate. Within twenty four hours, the orbit will decay enough that the station will get
caught in Regulus IVs atmosphere and begin falling toward the planet.

To prevent all of this from happening, within three hours of their arrival on the Halcyon, the heroes
must repair the damaged power core and restore primary power. This must be done at the source, so
the heroes must brave the stations radioactive and zombie infested power station.
Miscellany
If the heroes are having too easy a time plowing through the undead, a couple of Gennies or
cybernetically enhanced zombies will make them reconsider their tactics.
The heroes should also consider collateral damage, as their weapons may cause damage the Halcyons
hull and cause explosive depressurization. Grenades, armor piercing rounds, rocket launchers any one
of these could prove deadly. With a faulty power system, the stations force field may take a while to
respond or simply not be able to contain the damage effectively. Any critical weapons failure will have a
chance to breach the hull, with this percentage increasing based on the weapon type.
On Regulus IV
Once reports of the approaching meteor swarm came in, the Regulus IV facilities director cancelled all
scheduled guest excursions and recalled all shuttles to the main base. The shuttles are now neatly
parked in the hangar bay, undisturbed, though several were damaged when meteorites came crashing
through the hangar roof and hit them. The shuttles are all locked down and would require a bit of time
to start their engines and make them operational.
Coasting into the hangar bay and landing next to the shuttles, the rest of the heroes unit splits up and
searches the main Carnival planetary complex. An enormous facility, it would probably take several
hours to search the building under the best of circumstances. Ravenous zombies getting in the way
makes the search a bit less than optimal.
Not long after arrival, the dropship pilot receives reports that the soldiers are under attack. Several
platoons are pinned down by attackers on multiple flanks, but none of the other squads are in any
position to help. Fearing their comrades will be massacred, the ships pilot and co-pilot launch the units
Landmaster Armored Personnel Carrier (stored on the dropship) and attempt a daring rescue.
Nobody is left aboard the dropship to receive the distress calls coming from the Halcyon
Depending on events on the planet, the dropship crew may successfully rescue the marines and make it
back to the ship with enough time to reach the stranded soldiers on the station. Or, their vehicle may
get surrounded in the complex and get wiped out, leaving the heroes with only one option to get their
ride back. As an emergency precaution, if absolutely necessary, a ranking officer (or android) can take

control of a dropship remotely, but this procedure will require time and access to long-range
communications equipment.
Part II
The heroes finally manage to escape the doomed Halcyon. Just as they begin punching coordinates to
the nearest base into the computer, the ships sensors pick up a signal from Regulus IV. Its a distress call
on a military frequency. Some of the heroes comrades are still alive on the planet below!
Do the heroes risk their hard earned freedom to rescue their fellow soldiers? Or do they leave their
friends to die a gruesome death at the hands of the zombies?
Vallia (from Deathwatch: The Achilus Assault)
In the Imperium, Vallia would be classified as a death world and, given the abnormally aggressive
nature of its flora and fauna, be declared out of bounds to all but those with the very highest level of
authority. The Tau however have far less experience with such worlds, and have yet to fully appreciate
the extremes of malevolence that worlds like Vallia can exhibit. The Explorators and Rogue Traders of
the Imperium know that death worlds are more than just dangerous environments, a fact that the Tau
are only just beginning to understand.
Vallia is almost entirely swathed in jungle, the flora extending to every corner of the surface and every
crack below it. Even the seas are choked with carnivorous plant life, as are the lightless caverns deep
beneath the ground. In fact, Earth Caste scientists have come to believe that the worlds plant life is
dominated by one single organism, its roots extending deep into the worlds crust. In places, roots that
must be hundreds of meters in circumference have destabilized the underlying tectonic processes,
causing hundreds of volcanoes to erupt across the surface.
Numerous Tau expeditions to Vallia have ended in disaster as the plant life as well as animal life has
reacted in concert to expel the invaders. The first three expeditions were completely annihilated, but
not before the discovery of unique and highly desirable natural resources in the form of compounds
excreted by the carnivorous flora. A fourth expedition was dispatched to confirm these findings, this
time accompanied by a Fire Caste battle cadre entirely equipped with battle suits configured to hold the
predatory flora and fauna at bay. Although dozens of Fire Warriors died in this mission, samples were
recovered and shipped back to TsuaMalor for analysis. What was discovered during that analysis caused
a paradigm shift in the way many Earth Caste xeno-biologists view the evolution of complex symbiotic
biospheres, a view which has yet to be accepted by those who have not seen the evidence with their
own eyes.

The Earth Caste scientists of TsuaMalor have discovered that every life form on Vallia is interconnected.
This symbiosis goes far beyond the conventional interconnection seen in many life forms, and extends to
an amalgamation of will and a form of gestalt intelligence. Though they have yet to fully accept their
own findings, the Tau have discovered that the death world of Vallia is in fact sentient, ruled over by a
single, utterly malevolent intelligence that can mobilize every single living cell on the planet to repel any
who would set foot in its domains.
Part III
After the heroes escape and are debriefed, the military decides to destroy both the Halcyon and the
planetary facility, but Carnival Interstellar convinces them to delay their action. To recoup losses from
the station and the complex, Carnivals Board of Trustees votes to hire a mercenary company to
eliminate the zombie presence.
The heroes are part of the mercenary unit hired to take care of the problem, assigned to the complex on
Regulus IV. The mission is simply to eradicate everything that moves shoot first and dont ask any
questions. The heroes are well-armed, well-trained, and well-prepared to face what is coming. Once the
risers are eliminated throughout Carnivals facilities, the mercenaries are then to support repair staff as
they fix damage suffered during the meteor swarm and subsequent battles, and get the facilities back
online.
Little do the heroes know that, by the time the mercenaries arrive on Regulus IV for their mission, the
alien infection has mutated and spread to the local flora and fauna. Not only will the heroes have to
contend with hundreds of risers, but they will also have zombie animals and man-eating plants to
contend with. When the main buildings are finally clear, the remaining mercenaries will have to take up
defensive positions to prevent outside creatures from getting into the compound, covering the support
staff as they try to erect walls around the complex.
The mercenaries have a limited amount of time to accomplish their mission though, for if they havent
finished their job in 48 hours, the Terran Navy will orbitally bombard the planet, completely obliterating
the complex and killing any remaining survivors.
Part IV
The missing three escape shuttles from the Halcyon launched with survivors a few of whom may have
been infected. The shuttles reach their pre-programmed destination, the nearest human occupied
planet, with each landing in a different location. The local populace come out to investigate, only to be
savagely attacked by zombies. Its not long before a full-fledged rising spreads across the entire colony.