Part 1: Arraignment

The Storiji is decelerating for a quick resupply pickup at Childress' Freehold, allowing the players to grab some gees after days of microgravity. Actually docking with the station is not necessary; standard operating procedure is for the Freehold to use its small commercial massdriver to accelerate the supply crates on a vector that will bring them gently into contact with the Storiji, allowing the ship to keep some of its velocity.

There is a problem, however. Although the automated beacons are working, there has been no human response to the Storiji's cornmuniques. Suddenly, a general distress call is received from Childress' Freehold, saying something about "trouble" and "fighting" before drifting off into silence. Checking quickly, Captain Theon realizes that the Storiji is the only ship nearby, and that the next heIr is more than a day away.

He orders the Storiji to be docked with Childress' Freehold. However, responding to the call and docking at the station will mean that the Storiji will have insufficient reaction-mass to make it to its destination, requiring a refuel operation to be carried out at the station once the "trouble" is sorted out.

The players should not object to responding to the distress call. If, for some reason, they seem likely to, the sender of the distress call can be identified as a friend of Captain Theon, making the Captain even more vehement about responding.

In cases of exceptionally cold-blooded characters, the sender could be a friend or family member of one of the PCs, although if this shtick needs to be used, then the players are probably not well-suitcd for this adventure anyway. They will be allowed access to the ship's armory, but must exercise restraint. The GM will have to make precise judgments, but a good rule of thumb is one gun with one or two reloads and one hand weapon.

Once suitably equipped and briefed on the overall layout of the station, Captain Theon will board Childress' Freehold, hopefully in the company of the players. Should they decide not to board, trouble will come to them in the form of boarders from one of the families.

Part 2: Examination

Childress' Freehold is deathly silent. The zero-gee docking hay is devoid of life, and the only light is from failing emergency lamps. The atmosphere beyond the airlock is stale, and there are signs of armed struggle. At one end of the docking bay is an elevator to the habitat ring and a small control room. Inside the control room drifts a corpse.

Upon closer inspection, the body turns out to be the person who sent the distress signal. If no identification was required to draw the players to the station, then the corpse can now he identified by Captain Theon as an old military friend who was seemingly on vacation (alternatively, if it suits the GM's purposes, the corpse could also be someone the players know). Cause of death was blood loss from a shotgun wound. Blood is still floating in globules about the control room, and a trail of crimson prints on the handrails leads to the elevator.

The habitat ring is in much the same condition as the docking bay. There are more signs of combat and the office areas are seemingly empty. Without warning, the players are attacked by a number of armed youths. They may fight back, but if they choose not to, a cease-fire order will be given in a moment or two. Should a firefight ensue, someone else (either from the families or a neutral) will stop the fight and explain what is going on eventually.

The two families are holed up on opposite sides of the habitat ring, with the neutral inhabitants hiding as best as they are able other areas. Roving groups of armed family members probe each other's defenses, preparing for one final bloodbath. It will be suggested, if the characters don't think of it themselves, to contact the heads of the families and try to work this out without further bloodshed.

Part 3: Verdict

This is the part where the players get to decide who, if anyone, is in the right.

Despite the laws of the Freehold, neither group will, at this point, willingly accept a judgment against themselves (both sides are simply hoping the players will rule in their favor and add some firepower to their fight). If the PCs arbitrarily rule in favor of one family, the other will likely reject the ruling and keep on fighting. The players must, under stress, get to know the two clan leaders and try to figure out the best way to talk each of them down and, if possible, get to the truth.

If the players refuse to pass judgment at all, then the fighting will continue, the Storiji will not be resupplied, and the players will be, essentially stuck. Any attempt to steal supplies will be met with violence from both families. The players' goals may differ somewhat from Captain Theon's, depending on the identity of the corpse in the docking bay.

The basic goal is to get the Storiji resupplied and out of here, but Theon or the players may also have a personal stake in getting justice from whomever killed their friend. This is, of course, in addition to the basic humanitarian goal of helping the neutrals and children aboard the station.

Ultimately, though, everyone will have to deal with the family war in one fashion or another. Other events can complicate the affair further:

• If the players were forced to kill one or more of their assailants, the family of the dead attackers will be understandably irritated with them, and will be even less likely to accept their mediation.
• Other ships in need of resupply are on the way. Their intervention may be either an aid or yet another set of guns to deal with.
• If the players seem dead-set on violence as a method of solving the problem, one of the families will bring a beat-up old EXO-SUIT into the fight (it wasn't ready before). Although the machine is old, it is small enough to fit in the station's corridors and has enough armor and firepower to pulp the whole place in a matter of minutes. Game stats for the Decker exo-suit can be used if needed.
• If nothing else comes to mind, the tired old trick (if having pirates attack can finish out a slow evening with some big explosions, as well as a deus ex machina for (temporarily) binding the two families back together. If, despite the players' honest best efforts, the situation deteriorates beyond human redemption, decisions still have to be made. Which side, if any, will the PCs fight for? Continued investigation into the murder might draw the ire of one or both families, while humanitarian efforts to help the wounded and neutrals will certainly endanger the players' lives.

Captive Jury Jovian Chronicles Murder Mystery Adventure

Introduction
The Crime
The Trial
Data Files and Judge's Bench