7.1
INTRODUCTION
Keep careful track of time and the positions of the ships
and moons. Two days after the monolith disappears, Jupiter explodes. Whether
or not the characters escape depends on how quickly they link the Leonov
and Discovery together and launch.
After the monolith disappears, Tanya is easily convinced
to leave the Jupiter system ahead of schedule. Any American who attempts
to persuade her succeeds. If none of the Americans make an attempt, Tanya
suggests joining the ships together. The following section, Linking the
Leonov and Discovery, describes the linking procedure.
Thirty hours after the monolith disap- pears, a spot
appears on Jupiter. Use sec- tion 7.3, Jupiter's Black Spot, at that time.
Throughout the linking procedure, Dr. Mikolai Ternovsky,
the Leonov's navigator, will be plotting a course back to Earth. Sec- tion
7.4, Escape Course, explains the course the ships must follow.
7.2
LINKING THE LEONOV AND DISCOVERY
Linking the Leonov and Discovery is a tricky and difficult
task. There are two steps to this maneuver, the approach and the hookup.
First the ships must move toward each other very slowly and carefully -
this is the approach step. Then, the ships must stay motionless relative
to each other while the Leonov's clamp securely grips the Discovery - this
is the hookup step. Each step is explained below.
THE APPROACH
Dr. Chandra must load and run HAL's dock- ing program. Dr.
Chandra has an 80% chance to do this successfully. Then, HAL will pilot
the Discovery toward the Leonov.
Dr. Floyd must watch the Leonov and give HAL information
to keep the ships aligned. Dr. Floyd has a 75% chance of doing this correctly.
Curnow should prepare to go out into space to repair
the ships if they collide and
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are damaged. Max is
on the Leonov, in his spacesuit, also ready to make repairs.
Tanya is piloting the Leonov toward the Discovery. She
must use her piloting skill (increase maneuver rating) to keep the Leonov
aligned with the Discovery.
The approach takes ½ hour. If everyone's dice
roll is successful, the approach works; the two ships gently float together.
If the approach works, proceed to the contact step below.
If anyone's dice roll fails, the ships are not aligned
and may collide dangerously. Read the following boxed text.
| The Leonov, visible through the flight deck windows,
begins to twist. Over the radio, Tanya says, "We are not aligned,
repeat, we are not aligned. Terminate the approach sequence." |
Both ships must stop to avoid colliding. If any PC halts
the approach (or asks HAL to), both ships separate safely. Then the ships
must back away and start the approach again.
THE HOOKUP
Dr. Chandra, Dr. Floyd, and Tanya must all make their
checks again to keep the ships together while the clamp is secured to the
Discovery.
If everyone's check is successful, the clamp tightens
onto the Discovery. If any- one's check fails, the ships move just as the
slamp tightens. The clamp tears the Discov- ery's hull, and the ships drift
apart. Curnow and Macx must both spend one hour to repair the damage. Then
the ships must start the approach again. Read the follow- ing boxed text.
| Over the radio, Tanya says calmly, "We are beginning
to secure the clamp." Sud- |
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| denly, the ship shudders. A screech of tearing metal
echoes through the ship. HAL says, "I just lost contact with the engines;
a control trunk was severed. I have switched to a different control trunk,
but the hull damage must be repaired before we can attempt to link the
ships again." |
After the first time the clamp is tightened, read the
following boxed text.
| After the clamp is secured, HAL speaks. "The clamp
is not exerting even pressure. The forward edge is exerting 5% more pressure
than the rear edge. There is a 40% possibility that the link will fail
during the launch." |
Although it is tightened, the clamp is slightly misaligned.
There is a 40% chance that it will slip off under the stress of the launch.
If the crew decides to align the clamp, Curnow and Max
must spend 1 hour work- ing on the clamp. They both have an 80% chance
of aligning the clamp. If either one is successful, the slamp is fixed
and will not slip off accidently. If both Curnow and Max fail their rolls,
the clamp slips off, and the ships drift apart. The crew must start the
approach again.
If the crew decides not to align the clamp, there is
still a 60% chance that the clamp will hold through the launch in chapter
8.
7.3
JUPITER'S BLACK SPOT
Thirty hours after the monolith disappears, a black spot
appears on Jupiter. The spot is growing noticeably larger every hour. If
the characters are watching Jupiter closely, they notice the spot as soon
as it appears. Astronomers on Earth notice the spot a few hours after it
appears. Six hours after it appears, Mission Control asks the crew to investigate
the spot using equipment aboard the Leonov and Discovery.
Astronomers can perform experiments to try to learn what
the black spot is. Below
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