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Shuttlecraft Epsilon 8
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Summary
The PCs transfer from USS Aelenoth to USS Gettysburg, a New Orleans
Class Frigate
After some travel time - the USS Gettysburg receieves a call to go to Planet Korat, a rogue Klingon ship has been sighted there and must be captured or destroyed.
The Rogue Klingon Ship is the "Twisted Dagger" formerly a Light Cruiser from House K'Mal. When House K'Mal was destroyed by intercene warfare with a rival clan, the Twisted Dagger was on maneuvers supporting an Imperial fleet
The Captain, Kandak loudly protested that his house was destroyed by treachery, but there was no evidence of this.
Rather than join a viable house, Kandak refused to accept the destruction of his house and pursued violence against the rival house. This was against The findings of the Klingon Council and made Kandak a rogue and pirate. Kandak and his die hard loyal crew (Filled out by survivors of the defeat of K'Mal) went ahead and became pirates raiding chiefly against their rivals and other houses which they felt had betrayed them
Now the Twisted Dagger has been sighted at a Federation planet Korat
Korat is not a generally known world, and information about it is sparse. The PCs discover that it is a home for expatriate Klingons. Dishonored Klingons, or Klingons who find constant warfare not to their taste have escaped into the Federation. Many have been settled in a quiet colony on Planet Korat (Along with a larger colony a continent away filled with the usual mix of Federation races.
The Gettysburg goes to Korat. The PCs are sent to the Klingon Kolony to ask around and discover the reason for the visit of the Twisted Dagger.
The questioning and searching is very heavy handed.
Captain Brenal of the Gettysburg has been told that it is a point of honor that the Twisted Dagger not be allowed to find haven in the Federation. The Admiral Commanding the fleet that the Gettysburg is a part of is under political pressure to extend maximum cooperation to the Klingons. So he has made it plain that shutting down the Twisted Dagger is a major priority.
The PCs will be assigned such duties as house-to-house searches and guarding Klingon prisoners while they are questioned.
In the end the Gettysburg crew will discover that Telena, an older Klingon Woman is a relative (and Aunt) of Kandak, who fled the Klingon Empire seeking to escape the intrigue and violence.
Captain Brenal has himself an idea - if the Gettysburg takes Telena hostage, Kandak will be forced to come out and fight.
The PCs are assigned to go get Telena and bring her, Willing or not to the Bridge of the USS Gettysburg.
Main conflict -
When the Captain starts acting like a thug, how far will the PCs follow him?
Side conflicts?
If this question goes flying over the Players heads, one can have the Klingons of Korat resist and fight a guerilla style insurgency against the Gettysburg crew and the PCs
If fact this is almost guaranteed if the Gettysburg crew goose steps around for any period of time.
Characters
Kandak - a Klingon Warrior who fights on in a lost cause - a legendary
Captain who inspires Massive loyalty in his Crew
The Twisted Dagger - a Klingon Light cruiser
The Twisted Dagger crew - A mix of loyalists and house survivors - they are following Kandak from honor, blind faith and a sort of adrenalized fatalism that is characteristic in Klingons
Captain Brenal - a Bolian man, he has lost sight of the larger picture. Generally well meaning and a straight shooter - he has forgotten that being a starfleet officer requires a different standard. He is all about getting the mission done.
The crew of the Gettysburg - They too, are all about getting the mission accomplished and believe that Brenal can get them through. They have been through some hairy situations - which has solidified their unit cohesion, but at the cost of any awareness of the Big picture outside the ship. If challenged they will point out that team loyalty is paramount and that disloyalty can cost lives.
The USS Gettysburg - a stock model New Orleans class frigate - a fighting ship it can generally kick ass.
Telena - an older Klingon woman, she was formerly in line to be the senior female of House K'Mal. When three of her fiance's were killed fighting house rivals she took up the Batleth and the starship herself. She was forced to stop this by her Patriarch. She reconsidered her life and discovered that she didn't believe in "The Klingon thing" any more. She believes in Honor and fighting for what is right. But the constant, futile and useless low grade warefare of the Klingon Empire disgusted her. Telena left to find a life that makes more sense.
The people of the Klingon Colony of Korat - Older people and disgraced people, they will at first seem relatively helpless. And will greet the Gettysburg with resigned detachment.
But as the crew goose steps more and more they will learn that all the Klingons of this colony have internalized a vital lesson. When to shut up and when to act.
If the crew pushes them to it, they will disappear in ones and twos into the woods and local caves where they have caches of weapons and supplies. The Starfleet crew will start finding booby traps and stragglers will be picked off by snipers or ambushes.
These guys doin't like war - but they survived a good deal of it before they decided with wasn't worth playing any more.
Muklak, an old Klingon adventurer - retired to find the quiet life. Runs Muklak's Place a traditional Adventurers Inn
Locations
Korat - a class M planet with two colonies on it, a general Federation Colony about the size of medium small city, surrounded by farms and the paraphenalia of ordinary life
A contient away, there is the Klingon Kolony. Built in the characteristic klingon style, they use Federtion machines and support infrastructure. A Small Klingon civilian town.
There is traffic between the two colonies but the Klingons generally stay to themselves - they want to stay Klingon, even though most are citizens of the Federation.
The Obligatory Adventurers Inn where Klingon Huntsmen, trappers and explorers meet - Muklaks Place
MacGuffins?
Kandak's Honor - he still considers himself a Honorable Warrior and will act like it, in spite of any offical condemnation. Brenal will use this as a weapon against him
Telena - a Klingon woman who is a McGuffin her own self.
Story beats
Arrive at Korat.
Land at Klingon Kolony
Search, meet Muklak and the crew at Muklak's place.
The search grows more goose steppy
The search becomes ham fisted with dynamic entries. Klingons forced to the ground and covered at Phaser point while their houses are tossed by careless redshirts.
The seaching and questioning becomes aggressive - with Klingons held and interrogated fairly roughly. The population beginds to drop noticeably as Klingons fade away into the woods
Teams begin searched woods and caves and confiscating weapons - boody traps.
Redshirts killed by traps and disruptor fire - security measures stepped up
(Phasers kept on stun the whole time, but a prison will be set up to hold "obstructionists" - not a pleasant scene or a pleasant place
Telena's location revealed, in a cave system
PCs sent to recover her.
Pc return Telena to the Gettysburg
Captain Brenal broadcasts her custody on an open channel
Thw Twisted Dagger comes out to fight
In a tough but foregone battle the Gettysburg destroys the Twisted Dagger, taking damage and casualties.
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The question in play here is if/when will the PCs act to stop or change this sequence of events and how?
This isn't specified here. It could be any number of ways from alerting the chain of command, to siding with the Klingon resistors, to making a moving speech which reminds Brenal that he isn't just a military commander but a Starship Captain.
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If the Players play it straight through, this is a sort of low intensity combat simulation.
But there will be a board of review. Captain Brenal will be relieved of command and his whole crew,including the PCs will be reprimanded for behavior unbecoming Starfleet officers - they will loose all seniority points and have to start over from zero. (Not rank, just senority points, making it years until their next promotion - if ever)
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Disclaimer: Paramount owns all things Trek. I claim original characters and situations in this material for me.
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