Forehead Friday...rolled 62

Commander Silek would have been excited, if he were human. As it was, he was merely intrigued as his logical Tauran mental machinery processed the data before him.

"The aliens have little to no body language, Captain." Silek reported as he entered Captain Reed's personal quarters.

The planet-side team had returned from Tripton II with one casualty, an Ensign Rickles who collapsed apparently due to poisoning. The entire mission was briefly in jeopardy, since the Drake needed vital radioactive components from the planet's surface to repair the ship's engines.

"The universal translator was repeating a garbled language, and when Rickles collapsed we were not sure if it was an act of aggression." Silek continued, "But the Doctor detected highly concentrated pheromones and I logically concluded that we were dealing with an alien race whose language incorporates scent and hormonal communication, in combination with sound."

Reed looked amused at Silek's restrained enthusiasm. Communication with this new race would be complicated, because at least 70% of their language involved scents and pheromones, which were emitted from gaping pores on their foreheads. Adding to the mess was the fact that beings with iron-based metabolisms are deathly allergic to the chemical emissions. A poisonous language was a new one for Reed and the crew of the Drake, but that's what Trekking across the galaxy is all about...

* * *

The indiegogo project for Starships & Spacemen 2e has already reached its goal! As I write this there are two weeks left, so if we reach our first stretch goal of $5,500 all contributors at the Sub-Lieutenant rank or higher will receive a Space Fleet sew-on patch. Thank you for your support!

PREVIOUS FOREHEAD FRIDAYS

Forehead Friday...rolled 80

Forehead Friday...rolled 76

Forehead Friday...rolled 03

Forehead Friday...rolled 83

Forehead Friday...rolled 44

Forehead Friday...rolled 21

Forehead Friday...rolled 76

In case you're just joining us for Forehead Friday, this is a weekly feature that will run through the course of the indiegogo campaign to take preorders and raise funds for the production of Starships & Spacemen 2e. Here are links to previous Forehead Fridays:

Forehead Friday...rolled 03

Forehead Friday...rolled 83

Forehead Friday...rolled 44

Forehead Friday...rolled 21

* * *

The planet-side team materialized on the alien planet. Captain Reed looked up, admiring the swirling yellow-orange sky. The atmosphere was uncomfortably thick, adding to the choking sensation Spaceman Anderson felt as he looked down over the cliff alongside their transport site.

Spaceman Mallon got right to work, analyzing the nearby surroundings. "Captain," he reported, "I'm reading several life signs up ahead. A path trails around the cliff side."

"Very well," Reed said, "Mallon and Anderson, continue ahead and keep a lookout for the alien party. This is our first contact with this species, so keep your movements slow and passive. Electrostun weapons only, but leave them holstered."

Commander Silek continued to scan the vicinity as the Spacemen disappeared along a curve in the path ahead. "Captain," Silek said, his tone the closest a Tauran ever gets to excitement, "I am reading rich fossil deposits in the cliff side. This location is a paleontologist's treasure trove, and would lend great insight into why so many avian species evolved on this planet."

"A project for another time, Commander." Reed said with amusement.

The light mood was pierced by a scream ahead. Reed and Silek exchanged a brief glance before running up the path. As they rounded the mountainside, the scene before them was grim. Spaceman Mallon was looking over the precipice, a large animal at his feet. Its body resembled a predatory cat, with feathers instead of fur, and the head of an eagle. It was twitching, obviously stunned.

"What happened?" Reed asked with concern, approaching the cliff.

"We were attacked, and Anderson fell..."

Mallon's explanation was cut off by a high-pitched voice, "Captain Reed, I presume?"
About a dozen tall, thin humanoids emerged from the path ahead. They had delicate features and feathers instead of hair.

"We witnessed the attack, Captain, and regretfully were unable to react in time. These predators are common in this area." The leader of the aliens explained. "Your man..." the alien's voice trailed off as he looked over the cliff.

Reed joined him, peering over the side. Thousands of feet below, the Captain could make out Anderson's red uniform. "He was one of our more promising enlisted men." Reed reflected as he opened his communicator.

"This is Captain Reed calling the Drake."

"This is the Drake, Captain. Lieutenant Trotter responding, Sir."

"Trotter, there's been an incident. Anderson's..." Reed paused, "...dead. Lock onto his signal and teleport him to the ship immediately. Send him to deep freeze right away. I doubt they can revive him on Starbase IV, but we'll give him every chance."

"Affirmative, Captain. Trotter out."

Reed turned to address the aliens. "What a rocky start to the mission," Reed thought.

Forehead Friday...rolled 44

Commander Silek screamed in pain, an outburst unusual for the Tauran Science Officer. He clutched his head and fell to his knees, scattering crumbling humanoid bones across the cell floor.

"Stop it!" Captain Reed demanded, stepping aggressively toward the cell door.

Silek's screams diminished as the alien captor lost concentration, taking a step back from the bars. The large-brained alien grinned with thin lips, it's orange eyes staring hard at Reed. It viewed Reed as nothing but an animal.
Reed heard not with his ears, but in his mind, "We will break you, Captain." the alien's contempt was clear even in this non-vocal communication, "When you reveal the location of your ship, we will transport your crew to the surface of our planet, where they will be willing slaves and breeding stock for our people. Humans are tragically inferior, but we will harvest the DNA we need."

These were the Mind Masters of Zeta Herculis--a stagnant, decadent race that over the millenia had lost all genetic diversity from cloning. They had searched for hundreds of years for a compatible race to reinvigorate their species, and at last had found that opportunity in the humans who had investigated their planet.

Reed tried to empty his mind, hoping the Mind Master wouldn't detect his intentions. The Captain leaped at the alien, his suspicions confirmed as he passed through the bars that were only in his mind, and he grasped at the neck below the disproportionately large head...

This has been another installment of Forehead Friday! Forehead Friday will continue each Friday until the finale of the indiegogo project to fund the Starships & Spacemen Second Edition rule book.

You can find previous Forehead Friday posts here and here.

Forehead Friday...rolled 81

In Starships & Spacemen, if the referee chooses to roll a random forehead when a new alien race is encountered, the forehead might not just give an appearance to the alien, but also suggest something about the aliens and how the encounter should be carried out. It can be as much a game adventure seed as an aesthetic device.

"Captain, nuclear drives are gone. We're dead in the water!" the com buzzed with the voice of a frantic Engineering Officer.

"I need maneuvering ability now, Lieutenant!" the Captain shouted, "Helm, arm beam weapons."

"Beam banks are inoperable, Captain." Ensign Cho explained, as calmly as his Space Fleet training allowed, "Captain, we're receiving a visual from the enemy ship."

"Put it on screen." said Captain Reed.

The screen sluggishly came to life, flickering from beam fire damage inflicted by the alien vessel.

Several humanoid figures became visible, on a ship deck with many tube structures gurgling fluids of various hues.

Behind the Captain, the Communications Officer gasped. "Captain, its brain..." she trailed off.

"...we've heard of these aliens," Reed whispered, "they call themselves..."

"We are the Cerebrophones." a machine-like voice pronounced through the crackling sound distortion of the damaged communications equipment, "You will surrender your vessel. Many of our people are in need of your bodies. You will surrender them to us and your brains will be placed in cold storage. Forever."

"Commander Silek," Captain Reed said, looking meaningfully toward the Tauran Science Officer, "I need your command codes for the self-destruct mechanism..."


I am seeking preorders for Starships & Spacemen to fund the final art and printing of the book. I will be having Forehead Friday each Friday until the end of the indiegogo campaign. We're already 50% there about one week into the program. Be sure to check out the miniatures available with the book!

Forehead Friday...rolled 03

Every Friday between now and the completion of the IndieGoGo to fund the Starships & Spacemen Second Edition game I'll feature a random forehead!

Coming up with new alien races can be a challenge, which is probably why a certain...ahem...generation of science fiction invents forehead shapes to differentiate alien races. In Starships & Spacemen 2e there is an optional section to include this component to your game.

Steve Zieser illustrated 100...yes, 100 forehead configurations so that you can roll a d% each time you encounter a new alien race. When I came to Steve with this concept I think he thought I was a bit nuts, and I know he found it challenging to illustrate that many unique foreheads. But he pulled it off beautifully.

The foreheads are included in the playtest document, which you get access to as a contributor to the IndieGoGo project. Get your voyages underway!

Forehead Friday...rolled 21

The command crew gathered in the teleporter room. They took their positions and managed to stand at complete attention, despite wearing their itchy dress uniforms. Captain Reed wasn't looking forward to another diplomatic mission. He felt he was pulled from a much more important...and interesting...mission to investigate reports of a giant living space entity harassing ships near the Videni border.

But such is the life of a Space Fleet Officer. So now he and his crew had to babysit a Lacoathan delegate on his way to negotiations over shipping rights in Nurean space. The Lacoathan's were a friendly race, but their amphibian-like biology and taste for anything raw from the ocean always filled the decks of the ship with unpleasant odors.

"Shall I bring a bottle of Videni wine to the dinner party tonight, Captain?" Lieutenant Trotter whispered in his typical mischievous manner. Everyone called him Trot; he was well known for his antics. And he knew full well that Videni wine wouldn't agree with their guest and the odor problem.

The Lacoathan ship signaled that they were ready for transport. Captain Reed ordered with a sigh, "Ensign Ivankov, initiate."

Ivankov locked onto the diplomat's position and activated the transport sequence. Two forms began to materialize on the teleporter pad. Reed was looking at an interesting painting on the wall--a rare psionic mood-enhancer from a primitive planet they had visited for shore leave. A shore leave, Reed thought, that was far too distant in the past.

His officers were shifting anxiously in their positions, drawing the Captain's attention back to the pad. Reed's eyes widened with confusion and sudden amusement.
Standing next to the squat, brownish amphibian diplomat was a tall, very beautiful woman.

"Please, let me welcome you both to the SFS Drake." the Captain announced, having found new enthusiasm for the mission.

The figures stepped from the teleporter pad, and the frog-like humanoid said, "Thank you, Captain," its voice a mixture of croak and wheeze, "Please forgive my unannounced guest, my daughter Arana."

"Not at all, Ambassador Reichluund." Reed pronounced with some difficulty, masking his confusion.

"Daughter?" Reed thought in amazement. "Of course!" Reed recollected that the Lacoathan moon was home to a native humanoid race, almost extinct. An all-female race that reproduced via parthenogenesis. Arana must be adopted.

"Ambassador Reichluund, you must be famished. We have arranged a buffet of many sea-dwelling delicacies. Lieutenant Trotter would be delighted to escort you to the dining hall and instruct you in the choices." Reed explained with great satisfaction, catching Trotter's downtrodden expression in the corner of his eye.

"Captain, my daughter has seen me eat for her entire life, but this is her first time on an SFS cruiser. Would you be so kind to provide her with a tour?" Reichluund asked. The last sentence was encapsulated in a burp.

"It would be an honor, Ambassador." Captain Reed smiled with delight as he took Arana's arm and led her from the teleporter room.

"The mood-altering painting seems to have worked," Reed thought, "This assignment might be interesting after all."

This has been another Forehead Friday! Please see previous installments here and here and here.

If you would like to support the indiegogo project to fund the production of Starships & Spacemen 2e, please visit the website.

Forehead Friday...rolled 05

And this was supposed to be Captain Reed's vacation.

Reed was trying to enjoy the beaches of Scarra, a "Pleasure Planet" designated safe by the Galactic Confederation, and a popular shore leave spot for Space Fleet vessels. He was sipping a fermented drink made from a local alien fruit, and enjoying the company of a beautiful purple-skinned companion when the mood changed dramatically. A dark figure appeared, holding a beam pistol.

"Reed. Don't try anything. I'm not alone." The human nodded over his shoulder, and Reed sat up from his reclining position to see several other similarly clad figures. Brown and black leather outfits, with the red insignia of the Vega Pirates. They were a motley crew of misfits from various planets, but highly organized and dangerous.

"What do you want from me?" Reed asked, perplexed and annoyed at the intrusion.

"You'll come with us." his grin became a snarl. "You'll make a good hostage. Space Fleet is holding three of my men and I'm betting a ship's Captain will be a fair trade."

But a beam of red energy smashed into the pirate, knocking him backward into a smoking heap. Reed looked over to his almost forgotten companion, his face changing from surprise to amusement as he realized she had been concealing a beam weapon. He didn't have time to ask where she could have hidden it while wearing the Scarra version of a bikini. Reed grabbed her hand and breathed, "I think we better run!"

Reed and the purple skinned woman ran down the beach, the remaining pirates in pursuit. The woman led the Captain into the jungle foliage above the beach, saying, "Captain, I've been assigned to look out for you on your shore leave."

"You're a Space Fleet plant? My babysitter?" Reed said with an accusatory tone.

"You're a man in need of watching, Reed. You have a reputation for getting into trouble. Enough talk, there are caves nearby."

"You're full of surprises." Reed stated with resignation, following her into a cave set in a hill.

The cave was pitch black, and they could hear pursuers searching nearby. Reed was led deeper into the cave.

"I hope you don't think less of me Captain," his companion said huskily, "but I have one more surprise for you."

"Are you sure this is the right time..." Reed's voice trailed off as a bright glow appeared in the dark of the cave. He could make out a thin crack of light appear, illuminating the alien woman's forehead. It expanded, opening up to reveal a brightly glowing third eye on her forehead. It illuminated the entire width of the cave.

As explanation she whispered, "My people come from a low-light planet. It's one of our evolutionary secrets, Captain. Come, we can retreat deeper into the cave."

"Like I said, you're full of surprises." Reed whispered. It only occurred to him later that she had said "one" of her evolutionary secrets. He wondered just how much more interesting this adventure might become.

[LAST ONE!] Forehead Friday...rolled 58

The bridge of the SFS Drake rocked to the side. Officers swayed, some lost their balance, and others fell to the deck. The explosion was completely unexpected. Captain Reed gripped his chair tightly as he shouted, "Silek, report!"

The Tauran Science Officer collected himself off the floor and consulted the sensor readings. "Captain, a ship has emerged from behind the third moon. It...appears to be a Space Fleet frigate. Yes, it is the SFS Galatea.

"Wasn't it reported lost three years ago?" Reed asked.

"Affirmative, Captain."

Reed said, "Lieutenant Karak, what is the status of our weapons?"

The Rigel Security Officer stood at attention and stated seriously, "Captain, beam banks are inoperative. We have three ion torpedoes ready to deploy."

"Better than nothing, Lieutenant." Reed said grimly.

Karak continued, "...but, Captain, our targeting system is damaged. We can still fire, but we will need a manual lock."

Reed sighed.

"Captain, a visual is coming through from the enemy ship," Ensign Cho reported.

"Put it on screen, Ensign."

The screen displayed an image of a frigate bridge, with a humanoid in the command chair. He was wearing a familiar brown and black leather uniform, with red insignia.
Reed knew the uniform well. He cursed under his breath. The Vega Pirates...again.

"Captain Reed," The pirate said with obvious satisfaction, "This is Captain Larran of the Vega Pirates. You evaded some of my men on Scarra, but it looks like I've caught up to you. I've been looking for another Space Fleet vessel to add to my fleet. We know your beams are down and you're weapons are depleted. Kindly surrender."

"Give us a moment to consult." Reed demanded.

"I give you one minute, Reed, and then your ship will be blown to dust," the spiky-headed alien declared.

"Cut the sound," Reed ordered Cho. "Karak, try targeting a manual lock with torpedoes."

"Trying Captain...they, seem to have modified their defensive screens and manual sensors are unable to lock onto them." Karak reported in frustration.

"Captain," Commander Silek interjected, "they have indeed modified their screens, but as a result they seem to be leaving a trail of trakyon radiation."

"Karak," Reed said quickly, "can you modify the targeting computer to use that radiation as a target path?"

"I think so Captain, it will take just 30 seconds." Karak stated with pleasure, working at his console.

"Reactivate sound transmission," Reed ordered Ensign Cho.

"...you now have 10 seconds to decide, Captain." Larran said suspiciously.

"We surrender." Reed said with as much earnestness as he could muster.

"Deactivate your defensive screens and prepare to be boarded." Larran said with a smug tone

Reed delayed, "Larran, I want you to ensure that my crew will be taken care of."

Larran laughed, "No negotiation, Captain! You, of course, will be executed as an example of what it means to defy the Vega Pirates. I'll personally send a piece of your body to the corners of the Galaxy as a token of how we deal with interference to our operations. Your crew will receive some measure of mercy. They will be sold into slavery."

"Karak, are you ready?" Reed asked, trying to sound defeated.

"Yes, Captain."

"Fire!" Reed shouted, staring into Larran's eyes.

Larran turned to his technical station but it was too late. An ion torpedo sped along an irrregular course, following the trakyon radiation.

"No, Reed! I'll have your head..." but Larran didn't get to finish his sentence. The ion torpedoes collided with the pirate vessel. The direct hit detonated their nuclear engines and the ship nearly vaporized.

Captain Reed sat slowly in his command chair.

"Captain, the pirate vessel has been destroyed." Silek reported, possibly in an attempt at humor since it was totally unnecessary.

But Reed couldn't enjoy the moment. He was thinking that if the Vega Pirates had become this brash they must have something planned working to their advantage. Could this be a new major threat to the Galactic Confederation?

"Cho," Reed ordered, "set a course for Starbase Omega."

"Aye aye Sir."

* * *

This concludes our Forehead Fridays! Thank you to everyone who has been following along. This has been a fun feature, and I hope it shows how the various foreheads in Starships & Spacemen 2e might be used in play. The indiegogo project has been a great success! As a reminder to those who have been meaning to contribute, the campaign ends late Saturday.

Forehead Friday...rolled 80

"Captain's Log 2287.10.21, Captain Jack Reed in command of the SFS Drake. We have arrived at Omecron III after receiving a distress call. A small survey team is here on a mission to assess the planet's suitability for a Confederation colony, but there are no further communications from the planet. I am accompanying the planet-side team along with Medical Officer Lieutenant McNeil and Spacemen Richards and Garrot to investigate the survey team's camp site. Commander Silek is in command of the bridge."

The planet-side team materialized on the dusty, windswept planet just as the blue second moon of Omicron III was dipping into the horizon. The sky was awash in the blue light reflecting off the moon, a stark contrast to the yellow sky. Captain Reed barely took notice of the scene as he began to examine the campsite in front of them.

"McNeil, are you reading any life signs?" Reed asked the Doctor.

"I'm getting unclear readings, Captain, but there seems to be something faint 100 yards to the west."

No sooner had the Doctor made this announcement than the better part of a crude spear emerged from the chest of Spaceman Richards. Richards looked down in astonishment, not recognizing this seemingly new limb, before he collapsed in a heap in front of Reed.
A humanoid alien could be seen briefly admiring his work before ducking behind cover on an elevated ridge.

Reed and Garrot immediately grabbed hold of Richards, dragging him behind a large boulder as the Doctor followed.

"Get out of the way damn you!" McNeil grunted, opening his medikit with one hand and checking Richards's vitals with the other.

"This planet..." Reed said, "...was supposed to be uninhabited."

"He's dead, Jack." McNeil breathed, his tone grim as he met Reed's gaze.