U

UNEXPECTED
BUSINESS

He walked out of the private room in the back of The Cove and glanced over
the room before heading out. He was a wiry man with jet black hair and neatly
trimmed goatee known on the station only as A. His business associate had left
long before, and now he was about to head back to finish up some last minute
business before calling it a day, but something stopped him.
She was sitting at the bar, not even looking up but she stood out from the other
patrons. She was far too clean and well kept. If the lab coat didnt give her away
as out of place the insignia on it did. He saw it and smirked slightly. Orgotek, he
thought to himself, and in a place like this. If nothing else she had his curiosity.
He sat down at a nearby table, just quietly observing her for some time. A
grungy drunk approached her and whispered in her ear as he swung his arm
around her. She tried to push him away but the drunk held her tighter. She pushed
again and he flew to the floor unconscious. Now A knew what she was too.
He walked up to the bar and sat next to her. A kept his eyes on his drink,
You have quite a shocking personality. She was startled at his voice, calm and so
collected, Maybe I should work on making that less obvious.
The drinks here are some of the worse on the station.
So Ive noticed. It was the first place I saw. Maybe next time Ill be more
particular.
He looked at her and smiled slightly, Anyone new to this place should be more
particular than this place.
She looked down at her clothes, Am I that obvious? I guess so. I must have
been a little too anxious to get away for a chance.
Ah, shore leave. Where are you getting away from, if I may ask?
Ive recently been transferred to a bioware research station in the belt. This is
actually my first trip to the station.
Then be careful you dont let people take advantage of you. They like to do
that around here.
Thanks for the tip. Ill have to remember that. Too bad I dont have anyone to
show me around, she turned back to her watered downed drink.
A noticed a man walk in the door. He had glanced around the room until he
saw A before heading back. Maybemaybe tomorrow I can show you around
a bit. I should have the time, and if I dont, Ill make it.
There was something in the way he looked at her that made her want to trust
him completely. She nodded and smiled at him, That sounds nice.
Meet me at the marketplace. There are some tables in the center open area.
Ill be there just before noon.
She nodded again and smiled.
If youll excuse me, I just saw an old friend, and have some catching up to
do, he smiled and stood, Ill see you tomorrow then.
She watched him head to the back of the room and turned to finish her drink

before heading out. Everything about him screamed that he was bad news, but
what did she expect from a place like this? No, that was just it, she decided. She
had come in here without thinking and was lucky that only good had come of it.
Still, there was something about him that almost drew her into him.
She looked back to try and catch a glimpse of him again, but with no luck.
She finished the last of her drink and stepped over the limp body on the floor on
her way out the door.
A had made his way to one of the private booths in the back. There was a
Nipponese man there waiting for him.
I was concerned you would not come. I am glad to see you have not backed
down.
His face was solemn and his voice calm, I told you Id be here. I am a man of
my word.
Mm. Yes, so you did. I will make this brief. You know what you are to do?
A nodded silently. He was hired on by the Yakuza simply as a matter of
convenience. He was already working for a small time pirate as a smuggling
contact, but the Yakuza had their own quarrel with him.
You will be paid as soon as we have been successful. If we fail, I do not need
to tell you what will happen to you if we fail.
Betrayal has a heavy price, and I want my money.
Yes, well, do as you are told and all will go as expected. I look forward to
this arrangement being over.
He will be here tomorrow; hes always a day early when hes expecting
a shipment. Im supposed to meet him the next night at midnight to make the
delivery. Now, youre sure the police wont interfere?
I assure you they will be taken care of, but how is none of your concern, the
Nihonjin seemed irritated at his questioning. Such underlings should know their
place, he thought.
Then I suppose I will see you again in a week, he stood from the table,
Now, if youll excuse me.
The other man nodded and A walked out of the bar. He found it amusing
to play the part of the lackey, especially in something he had planned. He knew
more of what was happening than his contact back there, but that didnt matter.
For now everything was going smoothly. In fact, he might have just found himself
a new resource, but he would have to wait until tomorrow to find out for sure. It
was a good end to a good day for him.
She looked around the crowded marketplace one last time anxiously and then
stood to leave.
Youre not giving up on me already are you?
His voice startled her but she recognized his calm demeanor before she even
turned, Well, I was thinking about it, but Im glad I didnt now, even if you are a
bit late.
Im sorry to have kept you waiting. Some unexpected business came up.
Oh? And what sort of business would that be if you dont mind me asking?

INTRODUCTION: ABSOLUTE ZERO

Welcome to life on the edge. The

information in this book will get you
started using Absolute Zero as a setting
for your Trinity games.
This book not only replaces the
previous Absolute Zero Players Guide
but expands upon the material first
presented in that book and contains new
information especially for Storytellers.

Entrepreneurs
After the Nihonjin abandoned
the failing Fuyoushi Mining Station a
band of imaginative business men and
women saw a golden opportunity to
vastly increase their personal wealth,
and at the same time avoid having any
government take a cut of their profits.
Purchasing Fuyoushi, these
entrepreneurs set about establishing an
independent mining colony that has,
through their deliberate efforts, grown
into a key source of mineral ore for
Earth and its colonies.
Through sponsoring mining
expeditions across the Belt and
providing financial incentives to
Earthside mining corporations, the
entrepreneurs turned Advisory Council
saw droves of prospectors arrive at
Fuyoushi each anticipating their next
big strike.
Fortunately for the Advisory Council,
enough big strikes were made and a
massive influx of miners, prospectors
and corporate staff followed.
Since those early days the population
on Absolute Zero has continued to grow
and diversify. The station now supports
a thriving permanent community.

The Frontier
The Fuyoushi Advisory Council
care only for increasing their personal
wealth.
Although the mining industry
thrives on the station, an unwillingness
to commit funds unnecessarily, and
maintaining no formal ties to any Earth
government led to a steady influx of
criminals, refugees and other, less
savory individuals.

Black market goods, fraud,

assassination and smuggling are just
a small sample of the daily criminal
activities on the station.
Corridor gangs of thugs patrol
their turf in squalid habitat modules,
market traders swindle potential
customers, Earthside corporations divert
funds to the station to avoid paying
taxes and organized crime in the form
of the Yakuza preys on the stations
inhabitants.
On Absolute Zero their is no
underworld of crime. Here, the
underworld sits plainly in the open and
people either benefit from it, or become
its victims.
With Absolute Zero becoming
increasingly more critical to Earth;
various governments, the Psi Orders
and even the Aeon Trinity have started
taking more direct interest in the
development of the station.
As long as the money keeps rolling
in the Fuyoushi Advisory Council is
content to let these groups have a
foothold on the station and to provide
a semblance of catering to the needs
of the people trying to make a life for
themselves in the Belt.

How To Use This Book

The Absolute Zero Players Guide
looks at the Fuyoushi Space Station,
its inhabitants and the individuals and
organizations vying for a cut of the
staggering volume of natural resources
available in the Belt.

AZPG Revised
This book completely replaces the
previous Absolute Zero Guide available
on EON. Although some of the material
is from the original book, every section
has been greatly expanded and there is
a new dedicated section especially for
Storytellers.
This book is the first in the line of
EON e-books that we are currently
producing and hopefully we will provide

10

fan-fic books for all three Aeon Continuum

Games. To find out more about the current
projects we have underway or to find out
how you can get involved (EON e-books are
community projects after all), visit EON at
http://www.chill.uk.net/eon.

Rules
Unlike official Trinity books, the information
contained in this book is organized somewhat
differently. The AZPG is not broken down into
color and black-and-white sections.
This is due to several factors, including the
availability of artists and with the book not
being provided in print we decided to opt for
use of color throughout the book.
With one exception every section of this
book is intended for Trinity Players.
If you are a Storyteller considering using
Absolute Zero in your games, then Chapter
Three: Storytelling contains specific information
for you.
For ease of reference, heres a quick
summary of what you can find in each chapter
of the book:
- Chapter One: Life at Zero Degrees, explains
the everyday lives of inhabitants on the station.

- Chapter Two: The Guided Tour, describes

every section of the station from Command and
Control to Subzero.
- Chapter Three: Storytelling, provides advice
and useful tidbits to Storytellers wanting to run
games set on Absolute Zero.
- Chapter Four: Movers and Shakers, details
the stations most influential individuals and
organizations and how their actions affect the
average Joe Hologram.
- Chapter Five: Dramatis Personae, provides
information about the major NPCs on the
station.
- Chapter Six: Handouts, provides you with
some useful reference tools.
- Chapter Seven: Time line, a time line of events
from the stations establishment as a mining
station by the Nihonjin to the current day.

One Last Thing

This book is the result of ideas and material

available online and generated from actual
Trinity game sessions. Take this material,
expand on it, change it, and let us know how
you use Absolute Zero in your games, wed
love to hear what you come up with!

Proteus Archive: Fuyoushi Aeon Office Final Transmission

Subject: I warned you!
From: Jane Mulener, Fuyoushi Outpost
Administrator
To: Neville Archer, Neptune Division
Director
Encryption: DSE
Transmission Type: textfile
Date: 23:04:32 03.29.2121

Damn you Neville. You simply

wouldnt listen would you?
Well, it makes no difference anymore,
as of this evening we no longer have a
formal presence on this hell hole.
They got us - big time. The entire
outpost was destroyed by one of TAOs

cultists, turns out he was posing as a clerk,

that is until he detonated the explosives he
was carrying.
If wed had the resources I requested
we could have uncovered this in time and
acted on it. I lost everyone in the outpost,
everyone. You planning on taking these
guys seriously now?
To make matters worse theyve been
hunting down all of our operatives and
associates, and Im running out of friends
here who can hide me until the cavalry
arrives.
Id say its been fun, but it hasnt - see
you if I make it.