Game Idea 07-28-2017 For the Cause

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jayphailey
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Game Idea 07-28-2017 For the Cause

Post by jayphailey » Sun Jul 08, 2018 10:21 am

Game Idea 07-28-107 For the Cause


The PCs get a distress call from a civilian ship. It is under attack.

When they arrive, they find a small ship under attack but a light Orion
Unit. Usually these Orion light raiders are seen as pirate ships. But
this one has the markings of the Orion Space Navy.

They have committed a breach of neutrality to enter Federation space
unannounced and to fire weapons in Federation space.

The Orions claim the Civilian ship is a pirate.

And it looks like it. It has received a lot of field modifications to
increase firepower and defense. It may even have a cloaking device.

However, it's registered as a civilian Federation vessel out of Deneva.

The Orion ship has a wanted list on this ship. Records show a very
similar ship with dozens of different names and registries (But almost
identical shields and weapons signatures) It's been accused of carrying
pirates and terrorists Numerous times. Usually in the vicinity of a
major slave uprising or revolt. Usually, these incidents involve
explosions, looting, and casualties among Orion Security crews.

The Federation also has a notice on another ship that looks and scans
very similar to this ship, requesting that any Federation unit pull them
over and inspect them. Carefully. The Federation suspects the ship has
illegal modifications and is being used for smuggling or other nefarious
means.

Now, as cops the Orions are out of their jurisdiction. They have called
for back up, but are completely willing to cooperate with anything that
gets the crew of the ship off the market.

The crew of the civilian ship has excellent papers and stands on all
their rights to avoid a search.

But getting involved in a fire fight with a neutral powers forces in
Federation space is probable cause.

The crew are Six people lead by "Evelyn Pepper"

Scans of them look normal but a bit funny. The medical or science
officer makes a roll to determine why. They are being scan baffled.
Scans are not reporting them as they are but are reporting them as they
wish to be seen.

Security or science officers can overcome this effect enough to see that
the crew of the ship all are equipped with high tech equipment in their
bodies, to project sensors scans that the users choose.

It's high-end spy stuff.

Similarly. a Security officer almost immediately begins to find
smuggling holes installed in the ship. The easy ones are loaded with
alternate identities and cash. better hidden ones contain weapons,
hacking tools and explosives. As well as cash and interesting items.

Engineers find the ship is hot rodded. The engines and power systems
are leveraged in ways to make the ship much more powerful and much more
capable than a stock model of this ship. At the cost of much less
safety. And duration. This ship will require heavy upkeep and
expensive stocks of spares, and is a fuel hungry beast, but it can
almost stand up to a warship and is one of the fastest ships in normal
space.

The skin of the ship is equipped with a Chameleon skin. It can change
color and paint schemes, and maybe display holographic parts to disguise
itself.

Evelyn will strongly suggest that Starfleet Intelligence will not be
happy if she is detained, without actually saying so.

A deeper scan of the crew of this vessel will reveal they are humans or
near humans who have undergone genetic modification, and cybernetic
enhancements, allowing them to do superhuman feats of action. They've
all been through multiple rounds of body sculpt, so they look nothing
like their previous selves.

If queried, Starfleet Intelligence will say "We have no idea. Take the
subject into custody, while being extremely paranoid and careful."

Each of the people has three complete identities that seem to pass
muster, and a handful more each that would do for people not paying a
lot of attention.


What's going on. Evelyn Pepper and her crew are freelance super
agents. They are on a jihad against slavery. They conduct espionage
against the Orions, mainly, but anyone who holds slaves.

They also conduct raids. These are piratical, and they do loot their
victims. They usually shoot to stun, but if pushed or easy going
tactics don't seem to be working, they'll drop into ultraviolence quickly.

Evelyn will lie like a rug and tell the PCs anything she thinks will
cause them to free her.

If her party is taken into custody, Evelyn will wait for an opportune
moment and stage an action hero escape. She'll leave Security NPCs
stunned or mangled. She wants to avoid killing because that will just
piss Starfleet off. But if killing someone makes her escape work,
she'll do it.

At a climactic moment in Evelyns escape attempt, the Orion
Reinforcements arrive. Three ... for lack of a better term Assassin
ships. These are Orion units specialized in taking down and eliminating
pirates who have gotten too big for their britches, or threaten to rival
the Syndicate in power. One would be a fight for a Federation starship.
Two would be scary. Three is quite a concern.

These ships are leveraged Orion Heavy Cruisers with massively over built
forward broadsides. To get leverage like this, these ships lack the
maneuverability, flexibility and adaptability of other Orion units built
on similar hulls. They also lack some staying power. They over tax
their power systems firing their whole weapons arrays. For a longer
fight they'll have to swap weapons as they go to avoid heating and power
system overloading.

It's really amazingly rare for the Orion Syndicate to flip out like
this. They want Pepper dead, dead, dead.

If the PCs throw in with Pepper and her crew they can help the PCs over
come the odds.

If the Evelyn gets away from the PCs the Orion ships will go around the
PCs to get Evelyn. She's caused a LOT of physical and economic damage.


Evelyn and her crew are ideologues who, either for personal reasons or
principled conviction believe that slavery simply must be attacked and
destroyed where ever it exists. The Federation long ago signed a
neutrality pact with the Orions and is trying to live up to it because
it's that important to be as good as your word. (The Federation got
taken on the treaty in the 2160s, but is sticking to it out of
principle, to be the kinds of people who stick to their treaties no
matter what.)

Starfleet Intelligence recognizes much of the equipment Pepper is
using. Some of it may well be from Starfleet intelligence deniable stocks.

But the lengths to which Pepper and her crew have altered themselves in
pursuit of their mission is publicly regarded as bizarre and possibly
insane.

Pepper also owns a smuggling ring that she can use to relocate freed
slaves outside of Orion Territory. She has an HQ on a bucolic farming
world which has seen an influx of new people who show signs of recent,
massive abuse.

Will the PCs let Pepper go?

Will they aid her escape?

Will they hold her?

Will they fight to kill her?

Pepper and her extremists are aiming at a goal that might be considered
laudable and good, and then they are breaking every law to pursue it.
They have done some deeply questionable things. Philosophically they
consider enslavement and mind control the worst of evils. If Billy the
Security Guard is guarding a slave pen, then he has two choices. Quit
or become evil. Pepper's group will prefer stunning, but if he dies, he
dies. No sympathy for slavers. Also if you claim to own people, then
everything you ever had is considered fair game for stealing.

Starfleet Intelligence considers her a dangerous, misguided rogue.
Somewhere between very cool and a suitable case for commitment. They
would prefer Pepper and her people be detained, arrested and
interrogated thoroughly. They want the source of her toys and
information about how she does her self-selected missions.

But they also want to keep her from complicating their own efforts in
the Orion colonies.

Long ago, Pepper was Romana Natashov an agent of Starfleet
intelligence. She was captured and assimilated by the Borg, which
twisted her brain. if the Borg were at hand, they'd be the focus of her
jihad. But slavery will do until the Borg come back into reach.

Her crew all have their own reasons for joining in but are all crazies
for the cause.

Anyone moderate has left them behind long ago.

--
Jay ~Meow!~

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