By Douglas Niles - Star Frontiersman

delta.1:Politics ofDramuneRelations between Inner and Outer Reach are at a20-year low. Several events have contributed tothis tension; they’re outlined below. These accountsare primarily for the referee, but if the characterschoose to investigate the political climate inDramune, listening to news broadcasts, forexample, they too will learn of these events.1. Outer Reach has steadily raised the dockingfees for vessels that stop at Pinnacle or Darkworld,the stations orbiting that planet. These stiff feesnow exceed those of every other planet in theFrontier, averaging 250 Cr per 10 hours.2. The Malthar’s pushers have peddled Ixiolaggressively on Inner Reach, targeting the mostpliable market: the adolescents. Now yellow-facedyoungsters, Ixiol addicts, are a common sight inInner Reach’s schools and clubhouses; the problemis epidemic.3. Recently, an official envoy from Inner Reachwas sent to Darkworld Station for negotiations. TheMalthar claims the envoy did not arrive. The envoydid not return, either.4. Inner Reach has placed its militia on alert. Allships are manned around the clock, spending mostof their time in space.5. The Light Cruiser UPFS Courageous, along withtwo frigates and two assault scouts, has arrivedinsystem as a “stabilizing influence”.BETA SectionWithout evidence of Outer Reach aggression, therear admiral commanding the Courageous cannottake any steps against the Malthar. And withoutUPF support, the president of Inner Reach isreluctant to initiate hostilities. But the people ofInner Reach are tiring of their evil neighbor; theyare ready to commit to war.Both the Inner Reach militia and the Spacefleetdetachment are circling within roughly an hour ofOuter Reach, awaiting further developments.delta.2:The Malthar’sTrapIn a last-ditch effort to stop the Gullwind, theMalthar has marshalled his entire force of ships inthe Dramune system. So far, his attempts to snarethe Gullwind have failed. But this is his last trap,and he has made it his best. With such amagnitude of ships against her, the Gullwind’schances to escape look slim, if not pathetic.The ambush site lies between Inner and OuterReach. The Malthar is tracking the Gullwind with anenergy sensor located on Darkworld station. Whenthe freighter reaches the vicinity of his trap, he willattack with his entire force. Pirate vessels (p.41)are forming a screen to prevent interference fromoutside sources—i.e. the UPF SpacefleetDetachment (p.42) or the Inner Reach militia. TheMalthar’s frigates have activated White NoiseBroadcasters (WNBs) to prevent the Gullwind andher escort from calling for help.21