10 Hooks and Rumours for Space in Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0.

This list has ten hooks and rumours that can be heard about the moons and planets in Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0. Whether or not they are true is up to the GameMaster. They can be used as background colour or as potential adventure hooks.

1. ESA and NASA have both established manned installations on the moons of Mars, and the JAB also claims a portion of the moons’ surfaces. The moons are both small, with only a limited amount of area, and it’s rumoured that both the ESA and NASA bases have defensive armament installed, waiting for a conflict both feel is inevitable.
2. JAB has been collecting mineral-rich asteroids and propelling them out of the belt using shunt-rockets for mining. It’s also claimed that these are tests of kinetic energy weapons; accelerating asteroids with the rockets and launching them at targets, probably on Earth, Luna or Mars. This would create weapons nearly impossible to stop.
3. Mercury is a nearly airless cinder that is too close to the Sun to really be a suitable target for colonisation or development. However, there have been suggestions in the past about building a solar power collector/emitter array in orbit. Recently, it seems that there have been investigations done into making such, although it’s said that a ring of solar panels built around the planet’s equator is also being considered.
4. Most mining operations within the Belt are done by remotely-operated automated systems, as a way of avoiding the region’s dangers. It’s rumoured that sometimes these operations are hacked, resulting in whatever is being mined being dispatched elsewhere, presumably so that whoever is doing it can gain the benefits of asteroid mining without the expense.
5. The DSS Pathfinder is a major scientific mission dispatched by NASA to survey the Jovian system, though it hasn’t arrived yet. It’s rumoured that as well as surveying the different moons that the expedition is going to pay particular attention to the oceans of Europa; some claim that NASA has discovered something that is specifically directing them there.
6. The La Grange points of Earth are becoming increasingly crowded with colonies and factories being built at them, and it’s rumoured that some of the organisations operating in space believe that something needs to be done about this. Of course, they typically want other companies to leave, and it’s said that some of them are considering using force to do this.
7. The three massdrivers in Luna maintain a steady stream of material mined from the moon to Earth orbit for use there. It’s rumoured that an attempt to take control of one of the massdrivers was recently thwarted, and that if it hadn’t been, the massdriver would have started targeting locations on Earth.
8. There are clear indications that there are large amounts of water and atmosphere are trapped beneath the surface of Mars, and several teams are studying the deposits with the aim of gradually releasing them into the atmosphere. It’s rumoured, though, that at least one team favours a much faster approach, releasing all the trapped gasses and water in a single, massive burst.
9. Titan, the moon of Saturn, is substantially larger than Luna and, unlike any other moon in the solar system, has a true atmosphere, albeit of nitrogen and methane. The Cassini probe was unable to confirm or deny whether the rain of organic compounds in Titan’s atmosphere might have allowed life to form, and a joint JAB/NASA probe is intended to investigate further. It’s rumoured that this mission has suffered a number of sabotage incidents from an unknown party, perhaps another organisation that wishes to get to Titan first.
10. Venus, despite being comparable to Earth in size and gravity, is completely unsuited for human life without a lot of protection. There are rumours that some companies and organisations are investigating cloud-skimming on the planet, with the aim of scooping up the dangerous compounds and gasses in the atmosphere.

Want some general space rumours? Check out 100 Rumours to Hear in the Space Port Bar.

D10: Deep Space Rumours – Planets is unofficial content provided under the Homebrew Content Policy of R. Talsorian Games and is not approved or endorsed by RTG. This content references materials that are the property of R. Talsorian Games and its licensees.