STARFLIGHT MANUAL BY MAD MAX>MHI

Table of CONTENTS

1.0	General Information
	11	Objecfives		1
	1.1.1	SaleofMinerals	1
	1.1.2	SaleofArtifacts	1
	1.1.3	Sale of Lifeforms & Lifefoim Data	1
	1.1 A	Recommending Viable Colony Worlds	2
	1.2	Races	2
	1.2.1	Human	3
	1.2.2	Velox	4
	1.2.3	Thrynn	4
	1.2A	Elowan	5
	1.2.5	Android	6
	1.3	Skills Overview	6
	1.3.1	Science	7
	1.3.2	Navigation	7
	1.3.3	Engineering	7
	1 .3A	Communicafions	8
	1.3.5	Medicine	8
	1.3.6	Captain	8

2.0	Starport

2.1
2.2

Overview		9
Starport Modules		9
2.2.1	Operations	9
2.2.2	TradeDepot	10
2.2.3	Personnel	10
2.2.4	Crew Assignment	11
2.2.5	Bank	11
2.2.6	Ship Configurafion	11
2.2.7	Docking Bay	13

3.0	Interstel	Superphotonic Starship
3.1	Ship'sConsole		13
3.1.1	Main View Screen	14
3.1.2	Auxiliary View Screen	14
3.1.3	Control Panel	14
3.1A	TextWindow	14
3.2	FlightOperations		15
32.1	Captain	15
3.2.2	ScienceOfficer	16
3.2.3	Navigator	19
3.2A	Engineer	20
3.2.5	Communications Officer	21
3.2.6	Doctor	22

4.0	Space
4.1   General Informafion	23
4.1.1	Hyperspace	      23
4.1.2	StarApproach	23
4.1.3	PlanetApproach	23
4.1.4	TacticalLevel	24
4.2  Alien Encounters	24
4.2.1	Communications	24
4.2.2	Combat	      25

5.0	Planetside
	5.1	Planetfall		26
	5.2	Planetside		26
	5.2.1	Maps	26
	5.2.2	Move	26
	5.2.3	Cargo	27
	5.2.4	Look	27
	5.2.5	Scan	27
	5.2.6	Weapons	27
	5.3	Planetary Condifions		27
	5.3.1	Temperature	28
	5.3.2	Gravity	28
	5.3.3	Atmosphere	28
	5.3.4	Water	28
	5.3.5	Atmospheric Acfivity	28
	5.3.6	Bio-Density	29
	5.3.7	Minerals	29

Appendices:

A:Planetary Charts		30
   1.	Spectral Chart	30
   2.	Planet Surface Chart	30
   3.	MineralValueChart	31
   4.	LifeformValueChart	31
   B:  Energy Usage Chart		32
   C:  Excerpt from the Religious Wrifings of Arth		33
   D:  Excerpts from the Captain's Log, Noah 2 Expedition		35
   E:  Timeline		36

        CONFIDENTIAL : TECHNICAL REFERANCE MANUAL

I Starport Central, Arth Orbit Station	3

30-10-4619

Dear Starship Commander:
 We are sorry you were unable to attend the Operation Starflight briefing
last week. Those who attended can vouch for the enthusiasm and excitement that
prevailed during the meeting. We at Interstel feel that this is the beginning of a
new era, and that you and your colleagues will be instrumental in making this
mission a success.

 To make sure you will have all the information you need, we have included a
copy of the briefing transcript, and your own copy of the Technical Reference
Manual. This latter document contains the information you need to operate your
starship; without it, you could fmd yourself in deep space with no way out. Guard
it carefully. Needless to say, it is highly confidential and is, 
if you will excuse the
old cliche, For Your Eyes Only. The briefing transcript is 
included for the
background information it contains. It was decided to provide 
this information
in this form rather than as a summary, to give the absent members 
a sense of the
atmosphere that prevailed during the meeting.

As you know, Interstel is in no position to outfit starships as 
fully as you might
like; consequently, a lot hinges on your entrepreneurial ability 
to generate
revenues early on. You will then be able to use those revenues to 
outfit your
starship for more distant (and more profitable) voyages. The 
following are afew
suggestions in that direction:

Your initial allotment of 12,000 mu's is enough to allow you to 
buy four cargo
pods, and to gather and train a crew. Your ship comes equipped 
with one Class
1 engine and 20 cubic meters of endurium, so you won't need to do 
anything to
your starship except name it. We suggest you train your crew with 
the funds you
have remaining after you purchase the cargo pods. You will then 
be in a good
position to mine the minerals found on the planets in our own 
solar system. Fill
the cargo pods with minerals and bring them back to Starport, 
where you will find
willing buyers. We realize that some of you may find this 
strictly commercial
endeavor somewhat degrading, but we have found that it is 
necessary in order to
complete your primary mission. Of course, you are free to follow 
whatever
strategy you see fit - just be aware that Interstel cannot afford 
to give you a
second chance should you fail in your first attempt.

No matter what strategy you choose to adopt, it is wise to avoid 
the following,
any one of which can spell disaster:

1.  Running out of fuel
2.	Running out of energy in your terrain vehicle
3.	Running out of money
4.	Getting killed in combat
5.	Landing on a planet with crushing gravity
6.	Engine or communication failures
7.	Getting killed on planetside by storms or hostile lifeforms

In addition, we recommend that you check your Notices in Starport 
Operations
before embarking on ajourney. Notices often contain valuable 
clues, and may
help you avoid potential disaster.

On behalf of all the personnel here at Interstel headquarters, we 
would like to
wish you great success in your mission.

May the Rock of Truth shine brightly upon you.

Terrence Wiliwater
Director, Interstel

            BRIEFING TRANSCRIPT
(The following is a transcript of a briefing before a group of 
starship commander
trainees. The briefing was chaired by Vice-Director Phexipotex 
and included a
cross-representation of various races).

Phexipotex: Thank you for coming everyone. Please be seated.

You have all been carefully selected for your special skills and 
abilities and your
aptitudes in the areas of diplomacy and exploration. We are
counting on this
driving force inherent in all of you to help answer the puzzles 
and riddles that
have long plagued our scientists.

While conducting research in the Southern Hot Zone 15 years ago, 
on the
sixteenth day often-month, 4604, a team of Interstel scientists 
found a deep shaft
in the crust of the planet, leading to a vast and ancient 
underground network.
Investigation revealed this to have been built by ... the first
colonists of Arth.

People, please! May I have some quiet ... Thank you. I assure you 
that this
conclusion was reached only after many years of careful study. At 
this point there
is little room for doubt that Arth was, in fact, colonized by a 
group called Noah2, and that this group came from a planet called Earth.
 I'm sure you can all
appreciate now why this information has not been released to the 
public.
Obviously, it is vital that up to date proof be offered when we 
commence public
announcements, otherwise the notion that Earth was a real place 
and that Noah2 was an actual group would be met with skepticism, to
say the least. I realize that the acceptance of a new system of
beliefs and of new technological concepts is
a difficult task. Many of you may still be skeptical- this is 
perfectly understand-able.
 I only ask you to bear with me for now. After this briefing you will
be seeing some holo-footage which will, I think, cast any doubts from
your minds. And,
of course, when you begin your explorations you will be using the 
new technology yourselves.
As you might imagine, this discovery answers a good many 
questions; but it also
raises quite a few. There was an Old Empire and a Great 
Interstellar War. From
what we have been able to piece together it appears that during 
the final stagesof the war, when the Empire was facing imminent
defeat, an ambitious colonization project, Project Noah, was
launched by an organization then known as the
Institute, The reasons for the war, for Noah 2's failure to 
maintain their level of
technology, and for the Empire's final fate have not yet been 
determined. We
have, however, found several references to "Uhlek," "Gazurtoid," 
and"Phlegmak" and believe these to be names of races which were
hostile to the Empire
- possibly responsible for its downfall. Further evidence 
confirms the theory
that the Humans, Elowan, Thrynn, and Velox (referred to then as 
the Veloxi)
were all part of the Old Empire and were represented in the Noah 2
group.

 In addition to the historical data, we have uncovered sufficient 
technical data to
let us reconstruct some of the Old Empire technology. The most 
significant area
of this technology has focused on peculiar lumps of crystaline 
matter which the
Empire called Endurium. It was on this substance (unlike any we 
have ever
encountered) that their superphotonic (or faster than light) 
technology was
based. Fortunately, there was enough Endurium in the underground 
colony to
allow us to experiment freely and actually construct a few 
prototype starships.
Yes, we have constructed starships, and superphotonic technology 
does work.
The next phase of our experimentation involves exploration. Our 
scientists and
the public are eager for answers.

 In front of each of you is a Captain's Technical Reference Manual. 
Information
relevant to your mission can be found in the main bedy of the 
text; other
information allowing a deeper understanding of those with whom 
you will deal
has been compiled by our researchers and can be found in the 
Appendices.
Should you decide to participate in the exploration of the 
unknown, you will be
given command of a ship and your choice of crew. As an additional 
incentive you
will be paid for any discoveries you make; you may use this money 
to purchase
anything you desire or to train your crew and modify your ship 
further.

 One final note: you are not the first Interstel exploration 
group. The first group,
which consisted of 13 ships and 78 explorers, was dispatehed five 
years ago. To
date, only two of these ships have returned and we have had no 
word as to the
status of the others. Because each ship was carrying only enough 
fuel for a one
yearjourney we must assume that they are... well, that they will 
notbe returning.
Nevertheless, in the past five years we have made significant 
advances in starship
technology and you are a much more capable group than the first. 
We are
confident that you will have no major difficulties in 
successfully completing
your missions.

 I would now like to open this briefing to questions. Yes, 
Navigator Eshhh-ahhr.

Eshhh-ahhr: Vice-Director Phexipotex, you mentioned that two 
ships had
returned from earlierexplorations. Is there anything that you
might be able to tell
us of their experiences that would be of interest?

Phexipotex: It so happens that one of the captains of those 
vessels is here among
us, Captain Thysss Thyrrthynnn of the ISS Hyperion. Captain, would
you mind standing up and answering this question?

Thysss Thyrrthynnn: Cccertainly. It iss difficult to know wherrre 
to beginn.
Ourrr voyage lasssted forr the betterr parrt of two yearrsss. As 
it happened we
chose initially to trrravel in a downssspin dirrection with a 14 
degree corewarrd
orientationnn. Ourrfirsst encounterr with alien vesselsss 
wasjusstcorewarrdof
aG-class ssysstem at 150,64. We were sssurrounded by three sscout 
shipsss of
a very peculiarr dessign. Upon entering communicationss we were 
asstonisshed
to find that these sshipsss were manned by Elowannn. We were even 
morre
asstounded to find that the Elowannn have nnot outgrownn theirrr 
foolish
animosity forr the Thrynn as have the Elowann herre on Arrth. 
Thisss wass
evidenced by the fact that ssshortly affter communicationss were 
essstablisshed
the Elowan ssent uss a messsage to the effect that they could 
detect my pressence
annd that of the otherrr Thrynn aboarrd the Hyperrionn, 
wherreupon they
immediately terrminated communicationsss annd opened firre on usss.
Fortunately I had equipped the Hyperrionn with adequate wweaponrry to 
handle
thisss  annoyanccce. In fact, I consequenntly found it necessary 
to desstroy
quite a numberrr ofElowann shipsss; purely in sself-defense of 
courssse. Mossst
rregrretable.

Pliexipotex: Please! Please! May I have order! I am certain that 
Captain
Thyrrthynn resorted to the use of force only when absolutely 
necessary. I am
confident that she acted only in good faith and never fired the 
first shot - is this not so Captain?

Thysss Thyrrthynnn: Of courssse. Though it was necesssary upon 
ccertain occassionsss to...

Phexipotex:	There, you see? Now please, may we have some quiet so 
that the Captain can continue her narration?

Thysss Thyrrthynnn: Yesss. Well, durring the sssecond month of ourrr
explorationss we alltered courrssse and uravelled in an outwarrd and 
downssspin
dirrection. It was only a matterrr of weekss before we 
encounterred ourr ssecond
alienn rrrace. Thesse aliensss werre harrdly alienn howeverr, for 
thisss time we
had encountered the Thrynn. It isss a difficult thing to 
desscrribe how it feelss to
come faccce to faccce with oness remote ancestorrsss. To feel 
that one hass
finally come home affter being lossst for a thoussand yearsss. 
After ssspending
the nexxt yearr and a half among my lossst brrotherss and 
ssistersss it was all that
I could do to forrce mysself to rreturm herre. In fact, both of 
the otherr Thrynn
on my crrew, ThyssArrla and N'qrrlsss chose to ssstay behinnd.

Phexipotex:	Question? Yes, in the back.

G694337: If I may put a question to Captain Thyrrthynnn. What did 
you do for
fuel all this time Captain? I understand you did not take along 
enough to last the
entire two years.

Thysss Thyrrthynnn: Of courrssse. We did manage to buy a fairrr 
bit frrom
Ssstarporrt by doing ssome local ssectorrr mining beforre leaving 
on ourrr
expeditionn. During ourr time in Elowannn sspaccce we managed to 
ssalvage
enough ennndurrium from the debris of the shipsss we desstroyed 
in sself
defensse. Wealsso sssalvaged aconssiderable amount ofplutoniumm 
which the
Thrynn willingly trraded forrr fuel. Finally, with the help of 
the Thrynn we
managed to llocate a few planetsss with abundant ancient ruinsss. 
These we used as refueling basesss for local explorationsss.

Phexipotex: We have time for one more question. Okay  yes.

Garan Leb: A question for you, Vice-Director. I wonder if you 
could explain
why it is necessary that we eam the money to build our ship and 
crew. Surely
Interstel has the resources to provide us with the best equipment 
which would
optimize our chance for success.

Phexipotex: I would like to remind you that Interstel is not a 
government
controlled organization, nor are we a military operation. Our 
resources are, in
fact, limited and we have no way of knowing which few of you will 
possess the
necessary qualities to successfully command an Interstellar 
Starship. It is not in
our best interest to waste what other resources we have on the 
rest of you who
will, pardon the expression, wash outright away. This therefore, 
is our means of
determining who among you is most capable, while at the same time 
providing
a little personal incentive to ensure that we get the most from 
every one of you.

I wish you all the best of luck in your explorations. Thank you.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

PART 1: General Information

1.1 Objectives

Apart from any other goals you may set for yourself, two goals 
will be ofprimary
importance to you. These are: 1) gathering information 2) 
generating reve-
flue. It should be obvious that the more information you gather, 
the more
effective your explorations. As forrevenue, capital is 
indispensible forbuilding
an optimal ship and crew, thereby maximizing your efficiency. 
Interstel offers
only a minimum amount of capital at the outset of your 
explorations.

You can generate revenue (measured in monetary units or mu's) in 
a number of
ways. The following is a partial list. Commanders with an 
entrepreneurial bent
should find no difficulty expanding the list. Of course, space 
piracy is frowned
upon, except in self defense.

1.1.1 Sale of Minerals: Interstel will purchase any minerals you 
bring back.
Some, for example Endurium, are worth more than others. You will 
need to
decide which ones are worth bringing back, The values of minerals 
can be found
in the Mineral Value Chart in Part 5, Planetside, of this manual.

1.1.2	Sale of Artifacts: Interstel will pay for any artifacts you 
find, whether
contemporary or ancient. The amount of mu received depends on 
Interstel's
evaluation of the artifact. Note that you can repurchase 
artifacts previously sold.

1.1.3	Sale of Lifeforms and Lifeform Data: Alien lifeforms can 
either be
captured or holographically recorded, and then sold at Starport. 
Specimens bring
a higher price than recordings,but take up cargo space Interstel 
will not purchase
specimens or recordings already in its collection. (C64 users: 
There is no
holographic capture.)

PAGE 1

1.1.4	Recommending Viable Colony Worlds: Superphotonic message 
drones
installed in the ships can be used to recommend planets that 
appear suitable for
colonization. Do not take this responsibility lighdy, since the 
lives of thousands
of colonists may depend upon your recommendation. When you return 
to
Starport you will be given a report on the suitability of your 
recommendations.
Should your recommended planets be found unsuitable, you will be 
fined.

The rest of this manual contains valuable information, including 
descriptions of
the races found on Arth, a list of mineral values, a chart of 
specific lifeform
evaluation aids, and the criteria to be used in determining the 
suitability ofa plan
et for colonization. Study it well, for the future of the galaxy 
may well depend
upon the success of your mission.

Your kit contains two additional items: First, the Starmap, an 
invaluable guide
to the galaxy, provides important information on space 
coordinates and interstel-
lar distances. Keep it handy at all times. Second, the Security 
Code Wheel pro-
vides the access code that allows you to leave Starport. See 
instructions for its
use in the Command Summary Card.

1.2	Races

You can choose from the following races of Arth when composing 
your crew.
Each category includes a descriptive synopsis and some 
characteristic statistics.
These statistics include:

Learning Rate: A number from 0 to 10 which represents the number 
of skill
points a member of that race acquires from a single training 
session.

Durability: A number from 0 to 10 which represents the amount of 
physical
damage a member of that race can sustain.

PAGE 2

Inherent Aptitude: The innate ability for each race in any of the 
five skills. The
range of abilities is Excellent, Good, Average, and Poor. The 
Initial Value
defines the beginning skill levels, and the Maximum Value defines 
the maxi-
mum skill level a member of that race is capable of attaining. 
These values are
tabulated as follows:
	Ability Level	Initial Value	Maximum Value
	Excellent	             50         	250
	Good	                   30         	200
	Average	             10	            150
	Poor	                   0          	100


See Section 1.3, Skills Overview, for adescription of the five 
essential skills and
their roles in the successful exploration of space.


1.2.1 Human: Humans are a bi-pedal omnivorous race with smooth 
skin and a
characteristic matt of scalp hair. They are 1112 to 2 meters in 
height, and are light
beige to dark brown in color. Humans have an internal skeleton 
and two small,
narrow-set eyes which allow binocular vision. This race is 
particularly aggres-
sive and tenacious. While moderately weak physically, Humans are 
highly
flexible mentally and are particularly adept at theoretical 
modeling and in
applications of logic and inference. Finally, although there is a 
degree of sexual
dimorphism in this race, the differences are insignificant.

Durability        06
Learning Rate     09
Inherent Aptitude:
Science           Excellent
Navigation        Good

PAGE 3

Engineering	      Good
Communication	Good
Medicine	      Good

1.2.2 Velox: The Velox are insect-like creatures with two legs, 
two arms, and
two intermediate appendages which can serve as either. They have 
a hard, red,
chitinous exoskeleton, two large compound eyes, and two antennae 
which serve
as olfactory sensors. When in an upright position, a Velox is 
approximately
1112 meters in height if male and 2112 meters if female. Velox 
culture is akin to hive
culture and they are not known to be particularly intelligenL 
They are, however,
exceptionally strong and durable and they have excellent hand/eye 
coordination.
These traits, in conjunction with awell developed spatial sense, 
make them well-
suited for engineering and technical tasks.
	Durability	08
	Learning Race	06
Inherent Aptitude:
	Science	Good
	Navigation	Excellent
	Engineering	Excellent
	Communication	Poor
	Medicine	Poor


1.2.3 Thrynn: The Thrynn are abi-pedal, carnivorous,reptilian 
race. Although
graceful, with long necks and tails, they are very muscular and 
are covered with
tough protective scales. They range in color from green to grey 
and are
approximately 11/2 meters in height. Like Humans, they have an 
internal
skeleton, and two forward set eyes. The Thrynn are cultured and 
diplomatic, but
are said to be devious and cunning. For no apparent reason, they 
harbor an ancient
animosity towards the Elowan. The plant people, in turn, have 
little love for the

PAGE 4

Thrynn. The Thrynn have a fair overall learning rate and afair 
constitution. They
excel in situations involving protocol and diplomacy.
	Durability	06
	Learning Rate	07
Inherent Aptitude:
	Science	Good
	Navigation	Good
	Engineering	Good
	Communication	Excellent
	Medicine	Poor


1.2A Elowan: The Elowan are abi-pedal photosynthetic race, 1 to 2 
meters in
height. They are willowy and delicate with numerous prehensile 
vines. Their
color may range from alight yellowish-green to adeep greenish 
blue. They have
two large, compound eyes which are characteristically a deep 
reddish-brown.
They are highly empathetic and are particularly creative 
thinkers. Although
weak physically, they excel in interpersonal skills. Their 
excellent learning rate
allows them to learn all skills relatively quickly.
	Durability	02
	Learning Rate	10
Inherent Aptitude:
	Science	Average
	Navigation	Good
	Engineering	Average
	Communication	Excellent
	Medicine	Excellent

PAGE 5

1.2.5 Android: Androids are sophisticated automatons and not, 
strictly speak-
ing, a race. Because they are constructed of metals and plastics 
they are the most
durable of all the races. At the same time, however, they cannot 
benefit from
training because their programming is hard-wired and their skills 
are set at a fixed
efficiency level. Of the numerous models available, Interstel 
uses the popular
Biosynthetic DX99 series, best suited for use in tasks requiring 
straight-forward
computation and linear analysis.
	Durability	10
	Learning Rate	00
Fixed Skill Levels:
	Science	50
	Navigation	150
	Engineering	100
	Communication	00
	Medicine	20

Note:	Because of the ancient enmity between the Elowan and the 
Thrynn, it is
not advisable to include a member of each race on your crew. 
Although the
individual members of these two races would undoubtedly deal with 
each other
civilly on board your ship, you would be unable to communicate 
with either race
in a space encounter. This is because the presence of a member of 
one race
precludes any useful communication with the other race.


1.3 Skills Overview

Crewmembers (except for Androids) can be trained in five 
essential skills:
science, navigation, engineering, communications, and medicine. 
All train-
ing is done in Personnel. A given crewmember's learning rate 
depends on the
learning rate of his or her race. All skills are important to the 
proper functioning
of your vessel, with the most important being Communication, 
Science and

PAGE 6

Navigation. Following is abriefdescription of each skill and its 
relevance to your
crew.

1.3.1 Science: Your ship's sensors are your primary means of 
gathering infor-
mation, and it is the duty of the Science Officer to interpret 
that information. The
more skilled a Science Officer, the more complete and accurate 
will be the
information from the sensor reading. This information canbe of 
vital importance
(e.g., an alien vessel's military capability; a planet's 
suitability as a potential
colony world). At skill levels greater than 150, a Science 
Officer can detect aliens
over long distances and can pinpoint their position.

1.3.2 Navigation: Navigation is of primary importance to space 
travel. Without
an effective Navigator you face the danger of becoming lost in 
space. This may
result in the loss of precious time and fuel and may even place 
you in hostile
territory. In addition, a skilled navigator (with a skill level 
greater than 150) can
determine the presence ofcontinuum fluxes in space. These fluxes 
are paired and
connected by extra-dimensional worm-holes, so thatby entering one 
ofa pair of
fluxes, your vessel will be transported, almost instantaneously, 
to the other.
Although continuum fluxes can be useful in navigation (since a 
highly-skilled
Navigator can take advantage of their ability to transport you 
instantaneously),
they can also be very hazardous. A poorly trained Navigator will 
have difficulty
spotting fluxes and may even cause your vessel to hit one 
accidentally. Naviga-
tors with skill levels of 150 or below will notbe able to see 
them at all. In addition,
after transportation through a flux, it takes the Navigator time 
to determine the
ship's new position. The more skilled the Navigator, the less 
time it will take and
the less risk your crew will face. It is the Navigator who fires 
the ship's missiles
and lasers; the more skilled the Navigator, the greater the 
accuracy of the shot.
Finally, if your Navigator's skill is less than 200, your terrain 
vehicle may be-
come lost during storms on a planet's surface.

1.3.3 Engineering: It is your Engineer's responsibility to repair 
any damage
your ship sustains. The speed and efficiency with which the 
repairs are executed

PAGE 7

depends on the Engineer's skill rating. In addition,key elements 
may be required
for repairs, and the longer a repair takes, the higher the 
probability that one of
these elements will be required. Repairs must be suspended until 
the missing
element is obtained. All the elements that may be required for 
repairs can be
obtained in the Trade Depot at Starport (see Part 2: Starport).

1.3A Communications: Alien races will be your primary source of 
inform~
tion. The Communications Officer interprets all communications 
using an on-
board translating device. The less skilled the Communications 
Officer, the more
untranslated material you can expect to receive. It is also 
helpful if your
Communications Officer (and to a lesser extent any other 
crewmember) is a
member of the alien race with which you are communicating. Thus, 
ifoneofyour
crew is a member of the alien race, your Communications Officer's 
skill level
will be effectively increased by 25 points during the encounter. 
And if the
Communications Officer happens tobe a member of the alien race, 
his skill level
is effectively increased by 50 points.

1.3.5 Medicine: Your Doctor's skill level determines the speed 
and efficiency
of his medical treatment. Even though your ship is equipped with 
the latest in
Medi-Tech devices, it is the Doctor's skill level that determines 
the speed and
efficiency of the treatmenL The higher the skill level, the less 
time it will take to
treat a wound. All injuries heal naturally over the course of 
time at a rate pro-
sportional to the Doctor's skill level. Planetside treatment can 
never equal ship-
board treatment where the Doctor has access to Medi-Tech 
equipment.

1.3.6 The Captain: Although there is no single "command" skill, 
your
Captain's combined skill levels in the above five areas 
contributes to your ship's
apparent power. A highly skilled captain can effectively double 
your ship's
perceived power. Also, if any of your crew should be killed, the 
next most
capable crewmember will take over the dead crewmember's 
functions. Training
your captain can therefore provide backup skills.

PAGE 8

PART 2: Starport

2.1 Overview

The Starport is your stepping stone to the universe, the place 
where each new
adventure begins and ends. At the Starport you can select your 
crew, outfit your
ship, read your messages, make financial arrangements, and 
generally take care
of all your affairs before launching into space. The Starport 
consists of six
independent modules and a docking bay. Each module provides you 
with a
number of options, each one corresponding to a particular 
operation or activity.
Toenteramodule, maneuver yourcharacter to the module's entry 
field (the small
area like a welcome mat in front of the door) and press a key. 
See the enclosed
Command Summary Card for details. The modules are described in 
detail below.

2.2 Starport Modules

2.2,1 Operations: In Operations you can receive messages from 
Interstel, and
have your colony world recommendations evaluated. The following 
options are
available:

Notices -This option lets you read the messages in your 
electronic mailbox.
Messages can provide clues regarding alien encounters, possible 
colony
world recommendations, locations of continuum fluxes, etc.

Evaluation - Use this option to evaluate your colony world 
recommenda-
tions, and to be informed of fines levied.

Exit - Returns you to the Starport amphitheater.

PAGE 9

2.2.2 Trade Depot: At the Trade Depot you can buy or sell 
commodities or
artifacts, and analyze any artifacts in inventory, whether yours 
or Starport's. The
following options are available:

Buy - Shows items that are for sale, and their cost per cubic 
meter.

Sell- Shows all the salable items in your inventory except ship 
components.

Analyze or Scan - Describes all artifacts listed for sale. Will 
also describe,
for a fee, any artifacts in the depot's inventory, and all those 
in your ship's
hold.

Exit - Returns you to the Starport amphitheater.

2.2.3 Personnel: The Personnel module controls the selection and 
training of
crewmembers, and the maintenance of all personnel files. The 
following options
are available:

Create- Use this option to select the members of your crew. You 
can select
crewmembers from any of the five races described in Section 1.2. 
Each
crewmember has his or her own personnel file, containing 
statistics on race,
skill levels, training and so on.

Train - Use this option to train your crewmembers in any of the 
five skill
areas outlined in Section 1.3. Skill levels increase in 
accordance with the
following formula: number of training sessions times learning 
rate. Note that
training is expensive, and that initial capital provided by 
Interstel may not
allow you to train all your crewmembers to the highest skill 
levels.

Delete - This option deletes all the data from the selected file. 
Any funds
expended in training a deleted crewmember are not refunded upon 
deleting
the file.

PAGE 10

Exit - Returns you to the Starport amphitheater.

2.2A Crew Assignment: Any assignment or change in the duties of 
your
crewmembers takes place in the Crew Assignment module. Here you 
can page
through your personnel files and make or change any assignments. 
Each
crewmember is summarized on the cover of his or her personnel 
file, which is
displayed on the lower part of the screen. Duties and current 
assignments (if any)
are displayed on the upper part of the screen. You can assign a 
crewmember to
a particular duty when that crewmember's file is on the screen. 
See your
Command Summary Card for details.

2.2.5 Bank: Here you can examine your bank records, in the form 
of your 10
most recent financial transactions, showing dates, descriptions, 
amounts, and
your ending balance. If your ending balance is negative, and you 
need to buy
engines or Endurium, you will need to sell off inventory in order 
to leave the
Starport. You may not buy anything on credit.

2.2.6	Ship Configuration: Here you can outfit your ship, repair 
damage, sell
old equipment, and name (or rename) your ship. You can choose 
from the
following options:

Buy - Use this option to outfit your ship with cargo pods, 
engines, shields,
missiles and laser cannons. The following equipment is available 
for purchase
(given sufficient funds):

Cargo Pods: Cargo pods can hold 50 cubic meters of cargo. Only one
class of pod is available, at a cost of 500 mu. Tip: As soon as 
you can
afford it, buy a pod. It will let you carry more fuel, thereby 
extending
your range.

Engines:	You can choose from five classes of engines, ranging from
Class 1 (1,000 mu) to Class 5 (100,000 mu). The higher the class, 
the

PAGE 11

better the fuel efficiency and the greater the ship's 
acceleration during
encounters.

Slilelding: Shields provideprotection during combat, and range 
from
Class 1(4,000 mu) to Class 5 (125,000 mu). The higher the class, 
the
more effective they are against enemy missiles and laser cannons.
Shielding uses energy, and shields need to be raised or lowered 
(1)y the
Navigator) as circumstances dictate. (A good Navigator should not 
be
caught with his shields down, but neither should he keep them 
raised
unnecessarily). In addition, shields are more expensive than 
armor (see
below), and they do not function in nebulas. On the positive side,
shields do not slow your ship down with a lot of weight (as does 
armor),
they can be repaired if damaged, and they automatically recharge
slowly during each encounter.

Armor: Armor provides alternative protection during combat. Unlike
shields, armor weighs a great deal and will slow your vessel 
down. In
addition, armor cannot be repaired when damaged, and must be
replaced. On the positive side, armor is cheaper than shielding 
(Class
1:1,500 mu to Class 5:25,000 mu), it is always in place, and 
continues
to function in nebulas.

Missiles: Missiles cost more than lasers, they can be dodged, and 
they
use five times as much energy when fired. On the positive side, 
missiles
inflict three times the damage of lasers, and they are effective 
at long
range. Missile launchers cost more than laser cannons, ranging 
from
12,000 mu to 200,000 mu.

Lasers: Lasers are strictly short range weapons, and they inflict 
less
damage than missiles. On the other hand, laser cannons are 
cheaper than
missile launchers (ranging from 8,000 to 150,000 mu), and they 
cannot
be dodged.

PAGE 12

Sell - This option lets you sell the components of your ship, so 
you can buy
a higher (or lower) class item. Note that depreciation begins the 
moment you
buy an item, so that your selling price will always be lower than 
your purchase
price (with the possible exception of cargo pods).

Repair - This option offers you quick dry-dock repairs. Be 
prepared for the
high cost of this convenience.

Name - Use this option to name or rename your ship. Unchristened 
ships
may not leave Starport.

Exit - Returns you to the Starport amphitheater.


2.2.7	Docking Bay: When you are ready to launch your ship into 
space,
maneuver your character onto the docking bay and press a key. 
Starport will
direct you from there. Remember to keep your Security Code Wheel 
handy as
you leave Starport.


PART 3: Interstel Superphotonic Starship

3.1	Ship's Console

*****************************************
*                       *               *
*                       *  AUXILLARY    *
* MAIN VIEW SCREEN      *  VIEW SCREEN  *
*                       *****************
*                       * * CONTROL     *
*                       * * PANEL       *
************************* *             *
*                       * *             *
*****************************************
*        TEXT WINDOW                    *
*****************************************

PAGE 13

The Ship's Console is divided into four main areas. The Main View 
Screen, the
central viewing area for the main spatial displays and 
communications; the
Auxiliary View Screen, for viewing ship status and sensor 
information; the
Control Panel for executing commands through an array of buttons; 
and the
Text Window, where all the text messages are displayed. These 
four areas are
described in detail below. An additional area, above Main Screen, 
displays your
coordinates in space. The first number displays your horizontal 
position, and the
second your vertical position.

3.1.1 Main View Screen: This screen displays spatial and 
communications
information. On it your computer will display tactical 
information during
encounters, contour maps of planets from orbit, and planet and 
stars during
system and hyperspace travel. Planet size as reflected on this 
screen is to scale.

3.1.2 Auxiliary View Screen: This screen displays Status and 
Sensor data
from your Science Officer, and Damage and Repair information from 
your
Engineer. You will also see system maps, Mercator projections and 
malfunction
alerts displayed here.

3.1.3	Control Panel: The Control Panel can execute all the main 
ship com-
mands through an array of buttons. Here you can select a 
crewmember, and then
select a function associated with that crewmember.

3.1.4 Text Window: All text messages, both incoming and outgoing, 
are
presented here. When you enter a System, the Text Window displays 
the
following information:

Spectral Class - See Spectral Chart.
Ecosphere - The band of acceptable radiation around a star, 
capable ofsus-
taining lifebearing planets. Given in terms of orbital position. 
(e.g., Ecosphere, 2-4).

PAGE 14

3.2	Flight Operations

Ship Functions are accessed via the Control Panel. Each 
crewmember controls
a specific set of ship functions. To access a particular 
function, you first need to
select the appropriate crewmember. Following is a brief 
description of all
available functions classified by crewmember.

3.2.1 Captain: The Captain is the ultimate authority both in 
space and at
Starport. The Captain decides when to launch or land the ship, 
which planets to
recommend to Interstel, and when to disembark. When you select 
Captain from
the Control Panel, you are provided with the following options:

Launch/Land- This option reads Launch until the ship has launched 
from
Starport or a planet, after which it reads Land. The ship can 
only land from
orbit. Choosing Land presents you with the following options:

Select Site: Allows you to select apromising landing site on the 
planet's
surface. The planetary coordinates of the cursor's position will 
also be
shown. You will be aided by a topographic map of the planet in 
the Aux-
iliary View Screen. To the right of this map is a topography key. 
The color
of the top bar represents the highest altitude, the bottom color 
represents
liquid terrain. While it is possible to land and travel in liquid 
terrain it is not
recommended, since fuel efficiency is low and there are no 
minerals,
lifeforms, or ruins tobe found. See the Command Summary Card for 
more
details.

Note:	Generally, lifeforms tend to cluster in temperate climes at 
the lower
altitudes, and minerals are found in much greater density at 
higher
altitudes.

Descend:	This option engages the autopilot. Descent to aplanet's 
surface
is automatic once the landing coordinates have been chosen in the 
Select
Site option.

PAGE 15

Abort:	Returns you to Captain's option screen.

Disembark - This option allows the crew to leave the ship when it 
has
landed on a planet or docked at Starport.

Cargo - This option allows the Captain to examine the current 
cargo list,
jettison undesired items, and pick up debris from destroyed alien 
spaceships.
Any item jettisoned is considered destroyed and cannot be 
recovered.
Messages obtained from ruins are considered cargo.

Log Planet-This option allows the Captain to recommend aplanet to 
Arth
for colonization via a superphotonic homing drone. 
Recommendations may
be made either from orbit or from the planet's surface but can 
only be made
once for any given planet.

Ship's Log - This option allows the Captain to read from and 
write to a
personal ship's log. There is a limited amount of space in the 
log. (This option is not available for C64 users)

Bridge - This option is the same for all crewmembers, and 
restores you to
the Control Panel so you can choose another crewmember.

3.2.2	Science Officer: The Science Officer is responsible for 
gathering and
analyzing all relevant information about the status and condition 
of the ship as
well as its surroundings. When Science Officer is selected from 
the Control
Panel, the following options become available:

Sensor - This option provides various items of information, 
depending on
current status or location. The Sensor is one of the main sources 
of informa-
tion about your ship, alien ships, and planets. The following 
information is
available through the sensor~ classified by location:

PAGE 16

In Orbit

Auxiliary View Screen:

Mass:	Mass of planet (in tons).

Bio:	Percentage of life density.

Min:	Percentage of mineral density.

Note:	100% life or mineral density would be the maximum possible
under that planet's geologic and life sustaining conditions.

Text Window:

Atmosphere:	Lists the main components ofaplanet's atmosphere,
in decreasing order (i.e., first listed is the primary component, 
etc.).

Hydrosphere: Major components of a planet's liquid surface area.

Lithosphere: Major minerals to be found on aplanet's land surface
area.

During an Alien Encounter

Auxiliary View Screen:

Mass:	Mass of alien ship (in tons).

Bio:	Displays percentage of undamaged lifeforms on board the
alien vessel. If 30 per cent of the lifeforms are dead, the 
display
will read 70.

PAGE 17

		Energy:	Undamaged percentage of alien ship.
Text Window:

Object Constituents: Displays the composition of the alien 
vessel.

Analysis - Use this option to have the Science Officer present 
his analysis
of sensor data he has gathered. Note that the Science Officer 
needs to take the
corresponding sensor reading before you can exercise this option. 
Analysis
data is given below classified by location.

In Orbit

Text Window:

Orbit Number: Each star has eight possible orbit positions, ran-
ging from Orbit Position #1 (the closest to the star) to Orbit 
Position
#8 (the furthest from the star). The Orbit Number refers to the 
orbit
position (or slot) occupied by the planet you are orbiting. Not 
all positions are occupied, soit is possible that a planet may
appear to be
the third planet from the star, when in fact it is occupying Orbit
Position #5.

Predominant Surface: The planet's primary surface constituenL

Gravity: Shows the planet's gravitational force. A gravity of more
than 8.0 g's will crush your hull if you attempt to land on the 
planet.

Atmosphere:	Shows the primary contituents of the planet's atmos-
phere.

Temperature: Shows the planet's possible temperature range.

Global Weather: Shows the predominant global weather condi-
tions.

PAGE 18

During an Alien Encounter

Text Window:

Object:	States the general nature of the object (e.g., SHIP).

Type:	States the general type of object (e.g., SCO~.

Size:	Gives the size of the object (in relation to the size of 
your ship).

Shields:	Gives the alien vessel's shield status (e.g., Equivalent 
of

Class 3, raised).

Weapons Status: Shows whether the alien vessel's weapons are
armed.

Status - This option presents the ship's General Status on the 
Auxiliary
View Screen. The following information is provided on the 
Auxiliary View
Screen:

Date:	Day.Hour-Month-Year.

Damage:	Amount of damage sustained by your ship.

Cargo:	Percentage of cargo hold full.

Energy:	Displays amount of Endurium remaining, in cubic meters.

Shields:	States whether shields are up or down.

Weapons:	States whether weapons are armed or unarmed.

Bridge - Return to Control Panel.

3.2.3	Navigator: The Navigator is responsible for maneuvering the 
ship
through space, for raising and lowering the ship's shields, and 
for arming or
disarming the ship whenever necessary. In addition, the 
Navigatorisresponsible

PAGE 19

for firing your ship's weapons during combaL When you choose 
Navigator from
the Control Panel, the following options become available:

Maneuver or Leave Orbit- This option engages the navigational 
controls.
Once engaged, you can maneuver your ship by using the appropriate 
keys. See
your Command Summary Card for details.

Raise Shield/Drop Shield - This option reads Raise Shield when the
shields are down and Drop Shield when they are up. Shields use 
energy while
they are up.

Arm/Disarm - This option reads Arm when weapons are disarmed and
Disarm when they are armed. Weapons must be armed before firing.

Combat or Fire Weapon - This option allows the Navigator to fire 
the
ship's weapons, once they have been armed (see above). Once 
Combat has
been engaged, you can aim by swiveling the nose of the ship. Your 
ship also
has a limited Maneuver capability while in the Combat option. If 
your ship
has more than one kind of weapon, the on-board combat computer 
will fife
the most appropriate one, depending on the range of the target. 
See Command Summary Card.

Bridge - Return to Control Panel.

3.2.4	Engineer: The Engineer is responsible for surveying any 
damage to the
ship and for repairing it. Highly skilled engineers are capable 
of repairing more
than their lesser counterparts. When you select Engineer from the 
Control Panel,
the following options become available:

Damage - This option displays the Engineer's damage report on the
Auxiliary View Screen. Graphs indicate percent of damage for each 
section
of the ship. Note that percent of damage is also equal to the 
percentage proba-

PAGE 20

bility that the damaged section will fail altogether. Thus if a 
section of the ship
has sustained 60 percent damage, there is a 60 percent 
probability of total
malfunction of that section.

Repair - This option allows the Engineer to repair damaged 
sections.

Bridge - Return to Control Panel.

Amiga, Atari ST and Mac users have these additional options:

Up - Moves highlight to the systems above.
Down - Moves highlight to the systems below.
Select-Lets you use amouse to select a system.

3.2.5	Communications Officer: The Communications Officer is 
responsible
forall communications with Interstel as well as with alien life 
forms encountered
in space. The higher a Communications Officer's skill, the more 
efficient the
communications. See Section 4.2 below for more information on 
alien space
encounters. When you select Communications Officer, you are 
presented with
the following options:

Hail/Respond - This reads Hail unless you have already been 
hailed by
another vessel, in which case it would read Respond. All 
communications
activity is carried out through this option. When you 
Hail/Respond you can
adopt one of the following postures:

Friendly
Hostile
Obsequious

Your message will be transmitted in accordance with the chosen 
posture.
Becoming friendly with aliens can give you access to new 
information. When

PAGE 21

you Respond (as appropriate), you can choose from:

Statement:	If you wish to make a statement of some kind. Note that
statements are more likely to affect the aliens' attitudes than 
are questions.

Question:	If you wish to ask a question. You can choose from the
following possible areas of inquiry:

Themselves
Other Races
Old Empire
Ancients
General Information

Posture: To change your posture. You do not need to select this if 
you wish to maintain the same posture.

Terminate: To terminate communications.
Distress-Launches a superphotonic homing drone to Starport. This 
results
in your ship and crew being put in Stasis and towed home by 
another Starport
vessel. There is a stiff fee for this service, which will vary 
depending on the
distance you are towed.

Bridge-Return to Control Panel.

3.2.6	Doctor: The ship's doctor is responsible for examining and 
treating
injured crewmembers. The higher the doctor's skill level, the 
faster the cure.
Selecting Doctor from the Control Panel provides you with the 
following
opfions:

Examine - This option allows the Doctor to study a readout of the 
physical
condition of any of the crewmembers. IBM: Press the up or down 
arrow to
view other crewmembers. C64 users: Use the joystick to view other 
crewmembers.

PAGE 22

Treat - This option allows the Doctor to treat injured 
crewmembers. Even
though natural healing will occur on board ship, selecting Treat 
will speed up
the process.

Bridge - Return to Control Panel.

Up - Moves highlight to the crewmember above.

Down - Moves highlight to the crewmember below.

Select - Lets you use the mouse to select a crewmember.

PART 4: Space

4.1	General Information

All navigation and maneuvering in space is effected with the help 
of the Main
View Screen displays generated by the on-board computer. The 
computer pro-
vides spatial information at four different levels, as follows:

4.1.1	Hyperspace: This is where interstellar travel occurs. When 
you are in
Hyperspace you can see stars (see Starmap), continuum fluxes, and 
nebulae.
Note that the size of a star in hyperspace varies with its 
spectral class (see
Appendix A).

4.1.2	Star Approach: Approaching a starlets you enter its solar 
system. To
return to Hyperspace, simply maneuver past the edge of a system.

4.1.3	Planet Approach: Approaching a planet lets you establish an 
orbit
around it. To enter into orbit around a planet, press any key 
when you are over

PAGE 23

the planet's center. To leave a planet's orbit, use the 
Navigator's Maneuver
option. (The same applies to exit Starport). A planet's color or 
pattern indicates
its primary surface type (see Appendix A).

4.1.4 Tactical Level: The Tactical level is automatically 
obtained whenever
an encounter occurs with an alien vessel. You can enter the 
Tactical level from
Hyperspace, from the solar system, or from orbit. To leave an 
encounter you must
continue traveling until the alien craft is no longer visible on 
the screen.

4.2	Alien Encounters

You can encounter alien vessels at any time, even when you are in 
Hyperspace.
When that happens, you automatically drop from Hyperspace. if you 
need to quit
an encounter, enter your Navigator's Maneuver mode and move away 
from the
alien ship until it is no longer visible on your view screen. 
Note that during an
encounter, the alien ship can scan your ship and analyze your 
strengths and
weaknesses, just as you can theirs. In particular, they can 
detect if your shields
are up and whether or not your weapons are armed. These may be 
interpreted as
hostile gestures.

4.2.1	Communications: Communicating with aliens can be an 
enlightening
experience, to say the least. The main points on alien 
communication have
already been covered in Section 3.2.3.

Not all races respond optimally to the Friendly posture. 
Experiment with
different postures until you discover the most effective approach 
for each race.
Make notes of any information you receive during each encounter, 
including
information on the success or failure of a particular posture, as 
well as general
information that can help you complete your mission. Once you 
develop friendly
relations with a race, they will be willing to give you more 
information.

PAGE 24

Not every member ofa given race will have the same knowledge and 
information
as any other member of that race. Feel free to ask others the 
same question.

4.2.2	Combat: The greater the number of combat incidences with any 
race, the
less likely it is that you will ever be able to establish 
friendly communications
with that race. It sometimes pays to be friendly, or even 
obsequious, if that
doesn't offend your sense of dignity.

Some alien vessels are impervious to certain kinds of weapons, so 
even a direct
hit may amount to nothing against a vessel immune to that kind of 
weapon.
Experience will guide you on the correct choice of weapon under 
the circum-
stances. And while you may be able to evade missile attacks, you 
cannot evade
laser fire.

It is not always desirable to completely destroy alien vessels 
during combat. If
you cease combat and enter communications, the aliens may 
surrender and tell
you anything you want to know.

When the smoke settles from a hostile encounter (and if you 
emerge victorious)
you can pick up any item ofdebris from the destroyed alien 
spacecraft. Have your
Navigator Maneuver over to the craft, and then exit Maneuver. 
Enter the Captain
mode, and select the Cargo option. Pick up any valuable debris.

For more detailed information, refer to the Combat option of the 
Navigator mode
in Section 3.2.3.

PAGE 25

PART 5: Planetside

5.1	Planetfall

As Captain, you can give orders to make planetfall via the Land 
Option. When
you select Land, you are presented with the options Site Select 
and Descend, as
well as aMercator Projection of the surface of the planet. Site 
Select allows you
to choose your landing site, while Descend engages the 
auto-approach sequence.
See the Spectral and Planet Surface Charts in Appendix A for 
selecting favorable
planets and suitable landing sites.

5.2	Planetside

Once on the surface of the planet you have a number of options 
available. These
are listed at the bottom of the screen: Maps, Move, Cargo, Look, 
Scan,
Weapons, and Icons.

5.2.1 Maps: Your Terrain Vehicle is equipped with numerous 
sensors as well
as an on-board computer. This computer is capable of generating 
contour maps
of the terrain at three levels of magnification. (C64 users: You 
have two levels.)
The colors (or panerns) on these maps represent different 
altitudes and surface
types. The key for these can be seen whenever the contour map is 
up. It is a good
idea to check Maps after the message Scanning New Terrain appears 
on the screen.

5.2.2 Move: This option returns control of the Terrain Vehicle's 
movement.
Your terrain vehicle has a small reserve fuel supply sufficient 
to take you from
5 to 25 "steps," depending on terrain. Fuel efficiency is 
a function of altitude-
the higher the altitude, the less the efficiency. See your 
Command Summary Card for more details on moving.

PAGE 26

5.2.3 Cargo: This presents you with a list of all the cargo you 
are carrying and
gives you the opflon of dropping anything When an object is 
dropped on a
planet's surface it can be picked up again. Cargo also allows you 
to pick up any
item (including lifeforms) next to your terrain vehicle, record 
messages found in
Ruins, and make holographic recordings of lifeforms. (C64 users: 
There are no holographic captures.) You must be directly beside
an object to put it into Cargo.
Any messages you find are identified by the date found. The cargo 
hold has a capacity of 50 cubic meters.

5.2.4 Look: This option places a moveable cursor on the tactical 
map, allowing you to examine any part of the terrain.

5.2.5 Scan: This option places amoveable cursor on the tactical 
map, allowing
you to scan the terrain using your sensors. The results of your 
scanning are made
available in a readout. Note that lifeforms are not distributed 
evenly over the
planet's surface, but tend to clump in the lower elevations near 
the equator or
other temperate areas. The configuration of lifeforms on a planet 
is consistent
with that planet's gravity.

5.2.6 Weapons: Your Terrain Vehicle is equipped with a laser and 
a stunner.In the C64 Version there is no stunner.
You can choose which one to fire through the Weapons option.

5.3 Planetary Conditions

Recommending a planet for colonization requires assessment of a 
number of
variables. If you recommend a~anetas habitable and it turnS out 
to be otherwise,
you can incur heavy penalties. The following is a set of 
guidelines to help you
make the right recommendations.

PAGE 27

5.3.1	Temperature: Some portion of the planet must fall within an 
accept-
able temperature range. The following table shows the range of 
temperatures:

SUB-ARCTIC
ARCTIC
TEMPERATE
TROPICAL
SEARING
INFERNO

Parts of a planet must fall within the highlighted range to be 
suitable for colonization.

5.3.2	Gravity: The gravity of a planet must not be "crushing", and 
it is
preferable if it is lighter than "very heavy." Gravity must be 
below 2.0 g's for
a planet to be suitable for colonization - .7 to 1.3 is optimal.

5.3.3	Atmosphere: The planet must have an atmosphere and the 
atmosphere must contain Oxygen.

5.3A Water: There must be at least a minimal amount of free 
water.

5.3.5	Atmospheric Activity: Planets with violent or very violent 
atmospheric activity are unacceptable. The following chart can serve as 
a guide:

NONE
CALM
MODERATE
VIOLENT
VERY VIOLENT

Weather conditions must be within the highlighted area to make 
a planet suitable for colonization.

PAGE 28

5.3.6	Bio-density: Planets with a higher bio-density are more 
preferable but this is not a necessity.

5.3.7	Minerals: Planets with abundant mineral deposits are also 
preferable, although this, too, is not a necessity.

Note: A planet may be suitable in a number of ways but may have 
just one
feature that makes it untenable as a colony world.

PAGE 29

APPENDIX A: PLANETARY CHARTS

1.	SPECTRALCHART
Color	  Class
------------------
Red	      M (coolest)
Orange	K
Yellow	G
White	      F
Green	      A
Light blue	B
Dark Blue	0 (hottest)


2.	PLANET SURFACE CHART
Color	     Type
--------------------------
Red	       Molten
Brown	       Rock
Blue         Ocean
White	       Frozen
Violet	 Gas Giant

PAGE 30

3.	MINERAL VALUE CHART
Lead	      40	Chromium	260
Iron	      60	Antimony	280
Cobalt*	80	Promethium*	300
Nickel	100	Mercury	320
Copper	120	Tungsten	340
Zinc	      140	Silver	360
Molybdenum*	160	Gold  	380
Tin	      180	Platinum	400
Magnesium	200	Plutonium	420
Aluminum*	220	Rodnium	440
Titanium*	240	Endurium	1000

* Repair minerals

4.	LIFEFORM VALUE CRITERIA CHART

Use the following five criteria for judging the value of a 
lifeform:

New Species:   It must be a species not previously captured or 
recorded.
Intelligence:	The more intelligent it is, the more valuable.
Niche:	The higher its position on the food chain, the more 
valuable it
is.
Size:	The bigger it is, the more valuable.
Distance:	The farther away from Arm, the greater the lifeform's 
value.

Note:	You cannot capture live flying or floating lifeforms.

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Appendix B: Energy Usage Chart

Hyperspace travel	.48 to .16 cubic meters / coordinate travelled
(based on engine class)

Firing laser	.01 cubic meters

Firing missile	.05 cubic meters

Shields raised	.1 cubic meter I star hour

Launching or landing  .25/cubic meter per G of the planet

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Appendix C: Excerpt from the Religious Writings of Arth

The Book of Endurium

Chapter One: The Years of Darkness (and Chaos) Verses 1-6

1.	In the beginning there was darkness... or was there light... 
no, there was dark-
ness. Anyway, then Man came on the scene and verily did he create 
a great
spacefaring empire and unto him... you know, I'm almost positive 
there was
darkness in the beginning.

2.	Well, so anyhow, man spreadeth wide and extended himself 
amongst the
heavenly bodies of the universe, and it was good (really, in fact, 
it was great!).
And thereby and thusly did he findeth the other races. And unto 
his Empire
did he take them, and yea did he accepteth them almost as equals.

3.	And for a time there was rejoicing and forsooth all was hunky 
dorey. Then,
upon Mankind was there laid the greatest of catastrophes and he 
was
bummed. The lands trembled and the skies burned and Yea 
destruction was
brought down upon the Empire of Man.

4.	And in the fall of this righteous and glorious empire did the 
other races seize
upon the opportunity to express their disapproval of mankind's 
ways and
verily did they slaughter billions of his number. And following 
this were the
Dark Years of Chaos.

5.	Woe and Yea and Woe were these years not dark, and were they 
not also
chaotic? Verily were they chaotic and dark. In these years was 
there the
darkness ofchaos and the chaos of darkness. Both the darkness and 
the chaos
were like unto no darkness or chaos as had been seen before.

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colonial worlds of Noah, which were like unto children of the 
empire. And
among these worlds, which were like unto siblings, was Arth, and 
its moons
were like unto children of Arth, which were like unto 
grandchildren of the
Empire, and first cousins of the other colonial worlds.

Chapter Two: The Prophecy, Verses 1-4

1.	And Yea shall Arth be plunged into dark years of chaos. I say 
unto thee Yea.
Yea! Shall these years be dark and chaotic like unto the other 
dark years of
chaos.Woc, shall they be even more dark and more chaotic. Verily 
shall they
be so dark and so chaotic it can not even be imagined how dark 
and chaotic
they shall be.

2.	Long and long shall these years of darkness and chaos be. And 
then from
these dark years shall there arise a new Arth and a New Council 
and lo, they
shall be new. And then, within the bowels of Arth shall there 
once again be
movement. Yea, and proudly shall man once again walk the 
corridors of the
children of Noah.

3.	And within these corridors shall he once again findeth the Rock 
of the
Ancients, which was first found by Man within the ruins of the 
Ancients
wherein they did dwell and live and generally hang out, long and 
long ago.
Praise be to the Ancients who were like unto... well, who were 
like unto
nothing in particular, and who did walketh amongst the stars 
before even
mankind was a twinkle in the cosmic eye of reality.

4.	Hail Endurium, oh holiest of rock-like, high-yield energy 
materials! Oh
beauteous shining Rock of Truth! Praise be to that holy legacy of 
the
Ancients for in it shall mankind once again findeth his destiny 
amongst the stars!

So it is written.

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Appendix D: Excerpts from the Captain's Log -
Noah 2 Expedition

1100 hrs. 3-22-3454

We are exactly 9 hours away from Earth and the crew is completely 
exhausted.
It is has been four hours since we were attacked by the Gazurtoid 
ships and I am
going to Yellow Alert so that some of the crew can get some rest. 
While the ship
has sustained major damage, all systems are operational and there 
are, miraculously, no casualties.

I am afraid that in my optimism I have made a grave error in 
judgement and
endangered the lives of all aboard. In selecting our course I was 
fully aware of
the fact that the primary jump link would leave us just outward 
of the Staff
Constellation; lately there has been a good deal of Gazurtoid 
activity in that area.
Since the link was only about 8 sectors from the Sol System, 
however, and since
there existed a secondary link which would deposit us in the 
immediate vicinity
of Arth in a matter of hours, I foolishly decided to risk an 
encounter rather than spend weeks in hyperspace.

The moment we dropped out of the Flux we were under attack. Our 
missiles had
little or no effect on the Gazurtoid ships. Apparenfly they have 
devised some
new form of shield against missile attacks. Fortunately, we 
accidendy hit another Flux just upspin and coreward of the first
one. Our Navigator has just
located our position and we are at 189, 190. This puts us quite a 
long way from
our destination, but we are alive. With luck and no more 
surprises we should
reach Arth in approximately two days.

Captain out.

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APPENDIX E: Timeline

With the information we've discovered in the underground colony 
ruins our
researchers have been able to piece together a timeline which we 
feel is fairly
accurate. We are still not sure about alot of the details, and 
many of the references
are obscure. We are hoping that from your explorations you may be 
able to pro-
vide us with enough data to fill in all the remaining gaps.

2100-	Man discovers Endurium.

2150 - Man discovers Endurium's appliction to superphotonic 
technology and
begins exploring. Colonization begins. Start of Empire.

2300 - Man meet Velox.

2650- Major Endurium finds usher in Empire's Golden era.

2675- Empire discovers Spemin.

2770 - Empire discovers Thyrnn and Elowan.

3000 - Start of first wave (?).

3120-	Velox pact of 3120.

3260- First wave (?) ends.

3400- Start of second wave (?).

3450-	Project Noah is initiated.

3454-	Launch of Noah 2 expedition.

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3480-	Fall of Earth.

3505 - Bomb hit Arth, creates Southern Hot Zone and forces 
underground colonists above ground.

3520-	Arth society collapses and the Dark Years begin.

4400 - Arth's new era begins with the new council and the 
industrial revolution.

4500-	Rediscovery of space flight (sublight).

4594-	Discovery of Noah 2 colony and Endurium.

4615-	First group sent out in superphotonic ships.

4620-	Present day.

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