UNET

The United Nations Extra-terrestrial Taskforce (UNET) was formed in 1984 as an international response to dealing with extra-terrestrial matters. UNET now has complete authority to act on the UN’s behalf on matters involving extraterrestrials.

The Callisto mission

In 2004, the Aurora Horizon was launched towards Callisto. Aboard was a 12-person crew, and their mission is to investigate the derelict spacecraft that had been left there by the alien Tau.

The 13-year mission consists of a six-year flight to Jupiter, followed by two months in orbit around Callisto, followed by a seven-year return journey.

The mission team has spent most of the six-year flight in cryosleep, under the watchful eye of the CORA 9000 computer system and mission control back on Earth, 45 light-minutes away.

The Aurora Horizon has just completed atmospheric braking (using Jupiter’s upper atmosphere to reduce its velocity) and inserted itself into orbit around Callisto. 

It is now time for the crew to wake up.

Callisto

Callisto is the second-largest moon of Jupiter, after Ganymede. The outermost of Jupiter’s four Galilean moons, Callisto is roughly a third larger than the Earth’s moon and orbits Jupiter at an average distance of 1,883,000 km. This is outside Jupiter’s radiation belt, and means Callisto is less affected by Jupiter’s magnetosphere than the other inner satellites.

Callisto’s surface is heavily cratered and shows no signs of geological activity. The surface itself is varied, composed of frost deposits at high points, and surrounded by dark rock. Callisto is composed of approximately equal amounts of rock and ice.

Callisto is tidally locked to its orbit around Jupiter, so that it always faces the same direction; Jupiter hangs directly overhead, looming over the Tau Ark. 

The Tau Ark

The Tau ship is vast, a two kilometre- high metal pyramid with a triangular base measuring 700 metres on each side.

The Ark is made of a silver-grey metal, covered in panels. Various entrance hatches are visible.

It is the same temperature as Callisto (-130C).

Near one corner of the ark is a structure made of spires and globes that form a kind of tower 50 m high.

Mission to Callisto is a 2.5-hour freeform larp for 13 players by Steve Hatherley.

Cast of characters 

Command crew

• Archer: Commander of the Aurora Horizon and its pilot.

• Kirbuk: Flight Engineer and second in command.

• Dr Halvorsen: Third in command and cryosleep/computer systems specialist—and medical officer.

Mission specialists

• Dr Bishop: warp core scientist.

• Milson: Tau chrysalis recovery.

• Dr Rudnik: Callisto scientist.

• McEachin: Harvester specialist.

Security team

• Lieutenant Osborne: US 1st Space Rangers.

• Corporal Brahms: US 1st Space Rangers and medic.

Tau

2007 UNET legislation requires all Tau to appear human but with light-green skin. Tau are subsequently renamed. The Tau mission specialists have been in their chrysalises for the duration of the journey.

• Huey: Tau mission specialist (warp drive, power and systems).

• Louie: Tau mission specialist (flight controls).

• Dewey: Tau mission specialist (Tau chrysalis recovery) and member of the Tau Leadership Council.

Systems

CORA 9000: The Aurora Horizon’s bleeding-edge quantum computer system. (Yes, the computer is a character!) 

A 2.5-3 hour freeform larp for 13 players by Steve Hatherley.

Aurora Horizon is set in the same universe as The Roswell Incident, All Flesh is Grass, Children of the Stars, Messages from Callisto, and The Stars our Destination.  You do not need to have played any of the previous games to enjoy Aurora Horizon, but I suspect you will get a bit more out of it if you do.