The Pilots of EDEN

By J. Huston Todd

Nuclear war and environmental waste made the Earth uninhabitable. Centuries of fighting brought us to the brink of destruction. There had to be a better way. So, we looked to the stars. It was our chance to try again, to leave behind the mistakes we kept making. Except things didn't go that way. Old rivalries resurfaced alongside new conflicts. The same shit followed us as we tried to forge ahead. And we were unprepared for the horrors that awaited us, unprepared for THEM....

We’ve been away for 500 years, but now we need to go back. It's time. We left something behind we didn't know we'd need until now. So we gathered the best and the brightest—soldiers, scientists, explorers—the gifted and the special. We built great machines, advanced suits of devastating power, to even the odds against whatever we found in the vast expanse of space. Our mission: return to Earth.

You are the pilots of Earth Defense Engagement Network, and you are coming home.

A Ruined Earth

Five hundred years ago, humanity was forced to leave the Earth behind. The majority of the population boarded their great Seed-ships and set off toward the closest habitable planet. The world they left behind was in ruins, wasted by nuclear fallout and environmental catastrophes. The majority of the planet was poisoned, making life untenable for the human race. A biological weapons race pushed the planet to the brink of destruction.

The greatest achievement of that worldwide struggle had been the Kaiju, bio-engineered living weapons of mass destruction. Each government and corporation had designed and bred their own version of these titanic monsters. The Kaiju were never actually released; mutually assured destruction wins again. The specimens were too large to transport and almost indestructible, so they were put to sleep and buried underground. Tectonic shifts and natural decay eventually released these weapons and they have now become the apex predators on Earth. The beasts are fiercely territorial, although Kaiju of similar genetic makeup often hunt in pairs, making them even deadlier. The titans reign over their kingdom; however, deep inside each is the genetically implanted imperative: KILL ALL HUMANS!

While the Kaiju are the most fearsome inhabitants of Earth, they are not the only ones. The Grist are an example of a species the members of Project EDEN are likely to encounter during their mission.

The Remnants of Humanity

Meanwhile, humanity has strived to make a home for itself among the stars. They have settled into a pattern: they travel to a star system ripe with raw materials where their ships mine and cultivate its resources. Once a system has been depleted, the migrant fleet moves on to the next. Most humans have never set foot off their Seed-ship. They prefer the comfort and familiarity of the spacecraft to any settlement or colonization. In this way, humanity has become comfortable and soft. During their journey they have found other species and civilizations, some friendly, some not. Rarely do the descendants of Earth turn their gaze homeward.

 

People of the Stars

The species which humanity has encountered have been nothing like they expected. Most greet the humans with equal parts suspicion and curiosity. They see humanity as an oddity, such bravery and foolishness from such a young species. They see in the people of Earth a potential both exciting and dangerous.

 

There are rumors of more species, tales told in passing; the galaxy is an immense place, easy to get lost in.

Project EDEN

A new enemy has emerged which threatens to wipe out all of humanity: the Aether. The Earth Fleet’s government has been able to keep the exact nature and severity of this threat under wraps. Most of the migrant fleet lives on, ignorant of the situation. However, there are enough people who know the truth and refuse to simply wait around. So, the Earth Defense Engagement Network, a paramilitary group dedicated to returning to Earth and finding the key to stopping the Aether, was founded. Their main goal is the acquisition of “The Key,” a strand of perfect human DNA which could be used to create a defense against this threat. The only known sample is back on Earth, lightyears away.

To face the threats posed by a return home, Project EDEN oversaw the design and production of the Mech Suits. These massive robots were built to protect humans and even the playing field against the now awakened Kaiju. With the whereabouts of “The Key” and a squad of Mechs, EDEN went about recruiting pilots to take on the mission of returning to Earth. While the primary field consisted of humans, Project EDEN reached out amongst the stars to look for the best and most able pilots available, which meant opening their roster to alien species as well.

With the construction of a prototype starship, Seraphim, designed with the first dark matter engine, Project EDEN was finally ready to make the trip back to Earth.

Setting Creation

As a Quick Start Adventure, Pilots of EDEN has everything you need to jump right into your first session. Before you start, you’ll want to discuss the broader setting with your group, starting by reading the previous sections to get your players on the same page. At the start of play, explain the current issue to your players and ask them to fill in one or two faces associated with A Wrecked and Ruined Home. These additional faces will provide new plot hooks and twists that will tie your players more deeply to the horrifying threats they will face.

Then ask your players to choose from one of two available impending issues: The Aether Arrives or We Weren’t the First Team to Arrive. Have them fill in one or two additional faces for their chosen impending issue as well, rounding out the larger cast of characters with their suggestions.

Current Issue: A Wrecked and Ruined Home

Before the pilots can even think about recovering any lost tech or establishing a base of operations, they have to contend with the world around them. The Earth is a hostile environment, far more dangerous than any of the history books relate. But they’ve traveled here for a reason and they have their Mech Suits to help even the odds.

The giant Kaiju have settled in as lords of the Earth and they, alone and in pairs, have marked specific geographic areas as their territories. The only real threat a Kaiju has is from another Kaiju, and contests often erupt as one monster seeks to expand its domain into another’s. Crossing any length of area is perilous as the Kaiju are staunch defenders of their territories.

As if that weren’t bad enough, there are countless other hazards: collapsing infrastructure, radioactive waste, sentient plants, mutated predators, acid storms. At every turn, the pilots of EDEN should face danger as they explore this new Earth.

Faces:

• General Marshall Talmage, decorated war hero and commander of Project EDEN who oversees the mission from the orbiting starship, Seraphim

• Ripjaw, Category VII Kaiju with radioactive teeth capable of tearing through even the strongest metal, currently makes its home inside a hydroelectric dam

Impending Issues

In addition to A Wrecked and Ruined Home, there are lots of other impending issues that the Pilots of EDEN will have to deal with before their missions is complete, including:

The Aether Arrives

The Aether are a mysterious alien legion with the ability to assimilate biological matter and rewrite its genetic code, turning it into more Aether. While not a hive mind, every member of the Aether is driven by the need to propagate the genetic code within it. The Aether presents an existential threat grave enough to spur Project EDEN into action. Humanity barely survived its first encounter with an Aether Scout Ship, and only because of the brilliant strategy by General Talmage. But now the Aether knows we exist, and they are coming back. Project EDEN has returned to Earth to retrieve the Key.

However, the Aether has followed them here. Long-range sensors already register its entrance into our solar system, and the pilots may witness its landing on Earth. Their job just got a whole lot more difficult. They need to complete their mission before the Aether catches up with them.

Faces:

• The Emissary, the voice of the Aether, which sporadically communicates to the pilots updating them on the inevitability of their destruction

• Doctor Franz Boran, leading researcher into the exact nature of the Aether who may have become too obsessed with the threat

We Weren’t the First Team to Arrive

Throughout their missions on new Earth, the pilots slowly uncover disturbing evidence that they are not the only team to arrive on Earth. A rival team is pursuing their objective as well. The HELIOS Syndicate has outfitted and dispatched their own team, hoping to find the Key and use it for their own purposes. A strand of perfect human DNA would be worth an exorbitant amount of money, which is saying something for the largest and wealthiest corporation in existence. To make sure they secure the objective, HELIOS has hired the deadliest mercenaries and toughest guns-for-hire in the known galaxy. It seems the designs for Mech Suits leaked; the HELIOS team is equipped with their own models. They are led by Orin Saber, ex-Commando for the human military and the coldest-blooded killer in the galaxy.

Faces:

• Orin Saber, renegade Military clone-soldier and current leader of the HELIOS team on new Earth

• Lt. Cris Miclander, intelligence officer for Project EDEN, who has an extensive dossier on the HELIOS team

Character Creation

In The Pilots of EDEN, players work together as members of an elite team of soldiers, scientists, explorers, and other experts fighting to save humanity and take back their ancestral home. Besides being human, characters can also choose to play as any number of alien races who would have a stake in humanity’s future. There’s room for ace pilots, eccentric scientists, seasoned explorers, gifted psychics, advanced AIs in synthetic shells, or hardened clone soldiers. Regardless of what type of character a player chooses to be, it needs to be clear why they were chosen for this mission. Each player needs to think about what sets them apart from the rest of the universe and from the other members of the team.

All players begin each session with 3 fate points.

Character Aspects

The Pilots of EDEN characters complete only two phases of the phase trio, selecting a mech aspect instead of a third phase aspect. Each Mech Suit is individually designed and synced to a specific purpose and pilot. This aspect explains exactly what each suit was designed to do. Players should start by naming their Mech. It works well if all the players decide on a common theme for their Mechs. Animals, mythological names, or types of weapons make good starting points. Each name should be followed by a description of the suit’s primary function. The more evocative the description, the easier time your players will have invoking and you will have compelling this aspect.

Example Mech Aspects: Rapier Advanced Reconnaissance Unit, Rhino Assault Carrier, Athena-Class Support Platform

An Icarus Mech is fast and mobile but fragile; a Rhino Mech is built for frontal assaults and charging, possessing poor maneuverability and threadbare systems.

Skill List

The Pilots of EDEN uses a modified skill list from Fate Core: Athletics, Deceive, Empathy, Fight, Hack, History, Infiltration, Investigate, Operate, Physique, Provoke, Rapport, Repair, Science, Shoot, Stealth, Survival, and Will.

Some skills don’t make sense in the setting and are completely cut (Contacts, Notice, Resources), and new skills (Hack, Science, and Survival) have been added to fill in the setting-specific gaps.

Hack

Although humanity abandoned the Earth long ago, there is still plenty of technology around. Some of it is in surprisingly good shape. Characters have access to the Hack skill presented in Silicon City in The Fate Codex, Volume 1, Issue 1 (page 35).

History (Lore)

You may not be able to find the right person to talk to, but you do have access to a wealth of information. History represents your ability to sift through the near limitless amount of encyclopedias, databases, and wikis available to you and find the right information for your specific situation.

Infiltration (Burglary)

Sometimes the hardest part of finding an ancient secret is figuring out how to open the door. Infiltration represents a character’s ability to overcome any obstacle related to bypassing locks, avoiding traps, and generally not getting caught. This could involve scanning over the blueprints of an installation or coming up with a plan to get past those troublesome guards.

Operate (Drive)

Pilots of EDEN never know what situations they are going to find themselves in. There are plenty of situations where they will be tasked to leave their Mech Suits and explore the world. Knowing their way around the controls of a shuttle, tank, or other transport could mean the difference between survival and a horrible, excruciating death.

Repair (Craft)

Mech Suits are meant to be as self-sufficient as possible. They are lightyears away from reliable garages and are cut off from the repair bays in the orbiting starships. Characters with Repair know how to get their Suits up and running. When dealing with a world that is constantly trying to kill you, being able to keep your Suit going is a very handy skill.

Survival

The Pilots of EDEN makes use of the Survival skill found in Changing Skills: A Matter of Survival in The Fate Codex, Volume 1, Issue 2 (page 9). Survival represents all the ways a character can use their knowledge and wits to overcome their environment. Characters with ranks in Survival rely on their quick instincts and perception of a situation.

Pilot Stress Boxes and Consequences

Characters in The Pilots of EDEN aren’t as hardy as normal Fate characters. To balance the extra consequences granted to by a Mech Suit, this setting uses Fate Accelerated’s single stress track of 3 boxes. Characters receive the standard (Mild 2, Moderate 4, Severe 6) personal consequence boxes.

Opening Scene: A Fiery Crash

Project EDEN has already made the trip back to Earth. Running on experimental engines, the trip took one-tenth of the time it normally would have.

A shuttle launches the pilots into orbit and down toward Earth. Their Mechs are stowed in a transport container in the shuttle’s hold. However, an explosion rocks the shuttle as the crew hurries to the escape pod. Players should feel disoriented, confused, with very little time to think.

Scene Aspects and Opposition

Scene Aspects: Crippled Shuttle, Severe Turbulence

As soon as the shuttle is taken out, the shuttle breaks the atmosphere and quickly crashes on the planet. The scene ends with the players strapping into their restraints and bracing for the impact.

Middle Scene: Earthfall

They land horribly off-course, stranded on a dangerous and alien world with their Mechs nowhere in sight. A calm but gruff voice demands the pilots report in. Commander Talmage explains that they aren’t quite sure what happened to the shuttle, but a cargo pod containing their Mechs landed several klicks away. Their priority is to cross the stretch of wilderness and secure their suits ASAP.

That may not be as easy as it sounds. A ferocious storm rages on the ground. The players have landed in the middle of a dense jungle; thick giant trees stretch up, wrapping around the skeletons of old buildings. A sinister shriek echoes from the canopy above. Shadows swoop in and out of branches. The players have attracted a lot of attention; here on this new Earth, attention is a dangerous thing.

Scene Aspects and Opposition

Scene Aspects: Giant Undergrowth, Sinister Shadows, Urban Jungle

Final Scene: First Contact

Having escaped the bat-creatures, the characters should head as quickly as possible towards the coordinates Talmage gave them. Their path is lined with tall trees that turn out to be the skeletons of massive skyscrapers now covered with a millennia of planet growth. Sticking together, the team is able to make good time, though every now and then a strange noise explodes in the distance behind them. Play up how alien the Earth has become.

After a few hours of travel, they arrive at another, much larger pod. As they approach, the pod’s computer recognizes their comm-signatures and bio-scans, and heavy locks spin as the walls detach, making a ramp up to the center to reveal their suits—massive, imposing, and a welcome sight.

The characters should have just enough time to suit up, power on their systems, and stow their gear when a giant rumble commands their attention. A massive rustling ripples through the urban jungle they just passed through and a menacing screech fills the air. Their suits begin to issue a proximity alert and register the size as Category V. The only thing that large on the planet, besides their suits, is a Kaiju. They have only a moment to collect themselves before two lithe, reptilian shapes begin to circle the crash site.

Scene Aspects and Opposition

Scene Aspects: Torrential Thunderstorm, Awash with Mud

Plot Hooks and Adventure Seeds

These three scenes are only the beginning of your players’ adventures as pilots of EDEN. While they’ve survived their first encounter with Kaiju, there is still a whole, vast, alien world to explore. The players still need to find their mysterious target, and there are still those impending issues to worry about! Here are a few plot hooks and adventure seeds to keep the story going.

Investigating the Crash Site

The exact circumstances surrounding the shuttle’s crash are unknown. It would definitely be in the players’ best interest to investigate the crash site to try to learn what happened. The shuttle would have attracted the attention of Earth’s inhabitants, and the technology would make a fine prize for a Grist salvage crew. Who exactly is responsible for the shuttle’s crash? The remnants of the first team sent back to Earth? Was someone from Project EDEN to blame? What will the pilots do with the information they learn at the crash site?

Retrieving Access Codes

In order to retrieve their objective, the pilots must first extract a set of access codes from an old military base. The problem, of course, is that the military installation has become the center for a Grist colony. Project EDEN knows little about the strange insect species, and it will be up to the pilots to determine how best to deal with this problem. Will they attempt to negotiate with these alien creatures? Would a stealth approach be better? Or will they attack the colony head on, relying on their superior firepower to overcome them?

Turning on the Lights

Remarkably, much of the old Earth technology is still functioning, or at least close to functioning. A hydroelectric dam needs to be restarted in order to reach the lowest levels of the facility where the pilots’ objective rests. To complicate matters, Ripjaw, a gargantuan Category VII Kaiju, has made its home in the shadow of the dam. How do the pilots plan on starting up the dam and dealing with the massive monster?

Sample Player Characters