17. Trapped treasure

This small asteroid clearly contains an abandoned facility. There is a visible antenna, an airlock and a comm array, everything powered off and dead. Should be easy pickings.


Type: Habitat

Function: Trapped treasure trove

Power source: None (depleted batteries)

Gravity: 0.01 SG 

Size: 500 m

Affiliation: Criminal 

Population: None 

Sells: None

Buys: None


The small facility used to serve as a forward base for mining operations before it was abandoned and claimed by a now forgotten pirate crew as a stash for their booty. The batteries are utterly spent, but a minimal control voltage can be detected in the circuitry, resulting in the occasional blinking of LEDs and flickering static on screens.


Seven coffers, six containing precious, stolen rare earth metals, are stored in the cargo reception area by the airlock. However, they are all booby-trapped. 


Cables, difficult to spot, connect the locks of the six chest to the seventh, which is lined with lead to conceal radiation and contains a secret thermonuclear battery, in turn connected to the auxiliary power system. Opening or moving any chest will result in the breaking of a circuit that immediately triggers the closing of the heavy blast doors, sealing off the chamber which will subsequently self-evacuate over 60 seconds. This will spend the charge in the battery; a new power source has to be connected for the blast doors to be re-opened, which requires the long-lost password or hacking the ancient computer system.

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