D66 Rumours

This is a list of rumours which are possibly false, or at least a little inaccurate. The rumours on this page are reasonably generic, and could be heard anywhere. Location specific rumours are also available. If Travellers are in one of the following locales, roll a d6, 1-3 use the locale specific chart, otherwise use the general chart.

If you want an indication of accuracy, 1-3=False or mostly False, 4-5=Mostly true, but inaccurate, 6=True. Otherwise just decide based on what you think is most interesting.

The list will probably get updated over time, as they get used in my own campaigns.

d66	Rumour
11	One of the bulk trade ships that left recently managed to leave several cargo containers behind. The starport crew have hold of them, but haven't yet officially reported it. They might be willing to 'pass it on' for a cut of the price, though what's inside is anybodies guess.
12	A cargo container containing some live carnivores broke open, and several of them escaped. Most have been caught, but a few are still free in the starport and are considered dangerous. There's a reward for their capture, preferably alive but dead is also an option.
13	There is an investigation into the ground staff at the moment, since some are accused of secreting illegal goods into cargo containers of more mundane goods destined for off-world. Presumably someone at the other end knows what to look for.
14	Yellow paint marks on cargo containers means that ground staff have tampered with the contents, and that someone on the destination world will be on the look out for them, in order to remove some valuable goods. There are some big crime gangs involved in this, so even if you know you've been tampered with, it's best to leave the containers alone otherwise the gangs may seek compensation.
15	There was a mix-up last week in the port's computer systems, that scrambled some of the cargo container records. Several ships went out carrying the wrong cargo before anyone noticed. The starport authorities are claiming that the problem is now fixed and won't happen again.
16	Somebody has sold a large number of dodgy cargo containers to the port. If they get used for shipping cargo, then they're likely to break open during flight, especially under high g, or if depressurised.
21	There are a number of suspicious people in the bars around the starport who are asking questions about outgoing ships and crew and looking for passage. They are possible hijackersm, though there haven't been any recent instances of hijacking.
22	There have been several murders at the starport over the last few months, happening at intervals of 3-4 weeks. It's thought that the murderer may be a regular visitor to the port, possibly a crew or passenger on a ship.
23	A gang of petty thieves is operating around the spaceport, stealing credit chits, PDAs or anything else they can get their hands on.
24	Attractive young locals have been chatting up travellers, getting them drunk and taking them up to hotel rooms with the promise of sex. Instead, they've been drugging them and harvesting their organs.
25	Several locals have gone missing, it is said that they've been kidnapped by a skill jacking ring.
26	Pirates have been caught trying to smuggle EMP bombs into cargo being taken off world. When the bomb goes off, a pirate ship will swoop in and raid the disabled trader.
31	There is a band of famous singers stuck here after their ship broke down. They are trying to get passage off-world without being recognised. The exact hotel they are staying at isn't known, but a number of fans and reporters are camped out at all of them hoping to catch a view.
32	A famous rock band will be turning up in the next few weeks, for a private gig on some millionaire's estate/star yacht. There is cash to be made to be the first to break news on the details.
33	A very important businessman has rented out an entire floor of a local hotel. Journalists are trying to find out who they are, and what they're doing here.
34	A famous scientist is here to do a holovid series. They are looking to hire a crew to take them to the outer system to do some scenes on a comet.
35	In the coming weeks, there's going to be a round-the-system race with a weight limit of 10t, with a considerable prize for the winner. Several of the contenders are here already and pre-race parties are common most nights as the pilots show off their racers, and prepare for several months of enforced isolation.
36	The Den of Depravity is a converted subsidized liner that travels the sector, hosting lavish, over the top parties at the systems it visits. Getting an invite to such a party is seen as a high priority by many. If you can't afford the high entrance fee, then other alternatives are winning one of the various competitions or lotteries they make available, or some are simply invited for being seen as 'interesting'.
41	There was a very brief distress call from a ship that popped out of jump space in the outer system. It didn't last long enough to get an identification, and now it's gone quiet.
42	In the last week, three ships have burned out their jump drives when trying to leave the system. They were outside the gravity well, so nobody is sure what has caused it. Some say it was a deliberate 'fix' made by a local servicing shop.
43	Flashes of light were seen in the outer system, about 70-100AU distant. They must have been bright to be seen over that distance, but nobody knows what caused them.
44	Unusual radio broadcasts have been picked up from the outer system. The broadcasts are encrypted, using an unknown cypher.
45	The system has picked up some large jump signatures in the outer solar system, suggesting that large vessels have dropped out of jump but have no gone quiet. No transponder signals have been picked up, and there's been no obvious signs of ships.
46	The pirate ship Taxation is Theft attacked and disabled the merchant cruiser Rebecca Daisy, killing several crew. There is now a bounty for the capture of the captain, preferably alive.
51	A local archaeologist is trying to sell some alien artefacts he claims to have dug up on a world in the system. They are crystals with unusual markings on them, which he says have some psionic activity.
52	The ancient wreck of a first Imperium warship has been found on a highly elliptical orbit about 100AU from the star. It is claimed to be mostly intact, with weapon systems, data records and dead crew all present. There will be an auction in the next few days to bid for it's exact location.
53	A scout captain is looking for a crew with a larger cargo hold to help her collect and ship some items that are sitting in the rings of an uncharted rogue gas giant. It's a simple jump to a location, pick things up, jump to destination job. Just needs someone with J-2 and 20-30 tonnes of spare hold.
54	There is a craze for Aslan collectable toys in a nearby system. There is an Aslan trader who has a stock of some rare and even unique items, and she's willing to part with them for a large price - but not as large as the profit that could be made in selling them.
55	The price of a certain wine has just sky rocketed after the local crop was wiped out by a disease. Locals are looking to pay significant sums for the wine, to anyone able to buy it back from their usual off-world customers.
56	A local smuggling ring has just been busted by the authorities, and most of those involved are imprisoned. However, there's still some goods that are unaccounted for, and for a small price someone might just know where they are. It's not as if there's anyone left to be able to make use of them.
61	There's a certain spot in the system, trailing one of the outer worlds, where it's possible to pick up thoughts and memories of past events. It matches to a disaster that happened about a century ago in that region, and it's thought to be a psionic echo of the event. The cause of the disaster was never known, so there may be clues to the event.
62	A gambler who has been winning regularly recently at some of the casinos around the starport has been accused of being a telepath and cheating at the games. They were beaten up and kicked out of the casino, but haven't been found since.
63	One of the warehouses at the starport is said to be haunted, and many security guards have been refusing to work there. This means it is not only short staffed, but the guards who do take on position there might be unwilling to investigate unexpected noises.
64	A ship, the Laughing Hat Maker, came out of jump a few weeks back and just sat there, not answering any hails. A team went to investigate, and found that all six of the crew were dead and there was no sign of any of the registered passengers. It's still seating at the starport and nobody is quite sure what to do with it.
65	Over the past six weeks, three different ships have reported seeing strange apparitions aboard their ship in the hours leading up to exit for jump space into the system. In each case, it was a young human woman with green hair who seemed to be silently shouting something. As soon as the observer looked away, she was gone.
66	Several bodies have disappeared from the local morgue recently. They were later reported to have been seen walking around star town. Nobody knows whether this is some elaborate con, and if so, what the point of it is.