TEXT:  
   
   
   
   
  BY SHAWN MERWIN 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  A LIVING CAMPAIGN MISSION FOR 2269 
  
   
   
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  Simplicity is a mission for the Star Trek Adventures Living Campaign series. This mission is meant to 
  be played by a Gamemaster and 3-6 Players and has been designed to be used for the U.S.S. 
  Lexington and her crew in 2269.  
   
  To run this mission, the Gamemaster needs to be familiar with the mission itself and the Star Trek 
  Adventures rules.  
   
  For this mission, you will need: 
   
  At least two 20-sided dice (d20) per Player, and several 6-sided dice (d6) to serve as 
  Challenge Dice  
   
  A set of chips or tokens for Momentum  
   
  A set of chips or tokens for Threat  
   
  characters and the U.S.S. Lexington starship sheet 
  Admiral Banna Stoker arrives on the U.S.S. Lexington via a shuttle, ordering the Lexington to 
  investigate one of the sites highlighted on the Tilikaal map they found on Bacchus IV. This place, 
  unbeknownst to Stoker and the crew, does not have Tilikaal technology in the same manner they 
  have experienced: it was marked on the map as a place to avoid (although there is no way for the 
  crew to know that.)  
  On the planet, the crew finds a pre-industrial race of human-like beings. Nothing electrical works on 
  the planet, forcing the crew to investigate and survive on their wits alone, dealing with strange 
  occurrences on the planet and searching for the reason behind the failing electronics. 
  Back in orbit, an Archer-class ship, the U.S.S. Walcott, arrives and hails the Lexington. It was 
  previously carrying Admiral Stoker and another woman from Earth. They dropped them off with 
  another ship and left. Not long after, the second ship reported that Stoker disabled the ship’s warp 
  drive and left the ship via a shuttle without explanation. Stoker orders the Lexington to disable the 
  Walcott and beam aboard one of the people there. 
  Back on the planet, the crew can follow clues to get to the cause of the strange happenings: an 
  ancient recording device has been buried deep within the planet. A substance in the planet’s crust is 
  interacting with the energy exuded by the recording device to cause problems. By disabling the 
  Tilikaal recording device, the interference ends. 
  When everyone is safely back aboard the Lexington, Admiral Stoker orders the crew to leave the 
  Walcott and set course for a new location. The person they beamed over from the Walcott is a 
  conduit for an extradimensional force. Stoker wants the Lexington to follow her commands as they 
  figure out what this force wants. If the crew refuses her command, Starfleet orders them to take her 
  into custody but investigate the location where she wants them to go. 
  Gamemasters begin this mission with 2 points of Threat for each Player character in the group. 
   
  
   
   
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  Read or summarize the following: 
  “Captain’s Log, Stardate 5336. We have been hailed by a shuttle from the U.S.S. Calico. For some 
  reason, Admiral Banna Stoker is alone on the shuttle, and she should be arriving at any moment. 
  How she got a shuttle from the Walcott, and why she is alone, is a mystery that should be solved 
  momentarily when she docks. I am heading to the shuttlebay right now to meet her, and hopefully get 
  some answers. 
  The command crew of the Lexington are ordered to the shuttlebay to meet Admiral Stoker. When the 
  shuttle arrives, it’s not in the best condition: no evidence of phaser damage or the like, but it might 
  have been flown too quickly through some asteroids or space debris: a bit dented with a couple of 
  scrape marks. 
  Admiral Banna Stoker is a short, stocky human with close-cropped white hair. Her natural expression 
  is a sarcastic grin, even when she is being serious. She has sharp, focused blue eyes that can be 
  intimidating, as they seem to look right through you. 
  When she disembarks from the shuttle, she addresses the captain and other command staff after a 
  perfunctory handshake and round of introductions: 
  “Set course immediately for the first planet in the Pasqual system at maximum warp. Do not stop for 
  anything. Don’t answer hails or get distracted. I need to go to my quarters for a few minutes, and then 
  I will join you on the bridge. I know you have questions. As soon as I have time, I will provide 
  answers.” 
  Admiral Stoker refuses to answer questions, expecting the captain and crew to follow her orders 
  immediately. She goes to her quarters without ceremony. If she doesn’t feel the Lexington go into 
  warp within a reasonable amount of time, she contacts the captain and asks about the delay. 
  GM Guidance: The crew can find information on the Pasqual system. While it has not been visited by 
  a Starfleet ship, probes indicate it the first planet is Class-M, while the other two are gas giants. Crew 
  members who remembered the data found on Bacchus IV, or who saved that information despite 
  being ordered to destroy it, recognize that Pasqual I was one of the planets highlighted in the star 
  chart found there. The trip to the Pasqual system takes 6 hours at maximum warp. 
   
  
   
   
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  Just before arriving at Pasqual I, Admiral Stoker emerges from her quarters and joins the bridge crew 
  to answer questions (maybe) and give further commands (for sure).  
  Stoker instructs the captain of the Lexington to form a party to beam down to the planet and 
  investigate anything strange that might be happening there. In orbit, scans of the planet return 
  garbled readings. Something on the planet is interfering with scans, but it is impossible to tell what is 
  causing the interference. No large manmade constructions are apparent with the naked eye. The 
  atmosphere is breathable without special gear. 
  When the away team is formed, Admiral Stoker addresses them: 
  “Your mission is to go down to the planet and investigate its status. Are there life forms there? If so, 
  what is their condition? Is there any evidence of the strange technology we have seen on Bacchus IV 
  or elsewhere? Why can’t we successfully scan the surface? Despite the interference we are seeing, 
  we feel it is safe to beam you down. Carry on.” 
  Once the team has received their instructions, Stoker orders them to the transporter room to get on 
  with it. She awaits their reports as soon as possible. 
  The planet is under the effect of a highly concentrated EM pulse being intermittently emitted by a 
  malfunctioning recording device left on this planet by the Tilikaal. This means that anything electronic 
  on or just above the surface, including scans of the planet’s surface, are rendered ineffective. 
  Unfortunately, this includes the transporter beams, as the characters soon learn. 
  The party can decide where the best place to beam into might be. Much of the land masses on the 
  planet are heavily forested, and that seems the safest place to arrive, with lots of cover. 
  Characters might have objections to any part of this plan. It is dangerous to beam down without 
  knowing more about the terrain. They might be beaming into direct contact with hostile life forms. 
  Admiral Stoker tells the crew that she is comfortable with those risks. 
  As the crew beams down, the complications of the EM field become apparent to the operations of the 
  transporter. In order to get the crew safely down to the planet’s surface, the operator must succeed 
  on a Reason + Engineering Task with a Difficulty of 4. For each Complication or number less than the 
  Difficulty achieved, one Character being transported is put into a dangerous situation (see below). 
  While the Characters do make it to the planet successfully, the EM interference with the transporter 
  might put one of more of them in a dangerous situation. The first problem is that the Characters are 
  not together. Instead, they are split up, none within a kilometer of each other. They must figure out 
  how to find each other, especially if they are in an area like a forest with limited line of sight. 
  Next, select one of the list of options below for each Character who is put into danger by the 
  transporter beam interference: 
  
   
   
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  The Character beams in 20 feet above the planet’s surface. They must succeed on a Fitness 
  + Security Task with a Difficulty of 2 to avoid landing awkwardly and twisting an ankle or 
  breaking a wrist. 
   
  The Character beams into the path of a herd of wild oxen stampeding across a plain. The 
  Character must succeed on a Presence + Science Task with a Difficulty of 2 to maintain 
  composure and not get trampled. For each complication or number less than the Difficult 
  achieved, the Character received a point of Stress damage. 
   
  The Character beams into a very tight space between two trees, rock formations, or another 
  solid object. The Character must succeed on a Reason + Medicine Task with a Difficulty of 2 
  to determine the best way to gain freedom doing to least amount of damage to their body. For 
  each complication or number less than the Difficult achieved, the Character received a point 
  of Stress damage. 
   
  The Character beams into patch of poisonous vegetation. The Character must succeed on a 
  Insight + Science Task with a Difficulty of 2 to understand the danger and leave the patch 
  with the least amount of exposure. Failure leaves the character weakened by the poison 
  spores. 
   
  Create your own using the preceding threats as a template 
   
  First the Characters must find each other, then they can deal with any wounds or conditions from the 
  transporter problems. The characters likely attempt using their gear first: scanners, phasers, etc. 
  Anything that relies on electronics (almost everything the characters carry) fails to function. 
  Communication with the Lexington is impossible, phasers and other energy weapons are useless, 
  tricorders fail, and the characters are on their own. 
  The next steps depend mostly on where the characters chose to teleport it: the scenery and the type 
  of natives they encounter change, for example, if the characters decided to land in a forest, in the 
  mountains, near a sea, etc. For the rest of the mission, you as the GM can tailor the encounters 
  based on the flavor of the setting. The overall tone and substance of the encounters, however, should 
  remain intact. 
  When the characters finish getting their bearings and assessing their situation, read: 
  In the distance, you hear the sound of voices calling to each other. The language is unfamiliar and not 
  immediately picked up by the universal translator, although some of the words and cadences sound 
  similar to Denobulan. The voices continue to get closer. 
  The voices belong to a woman named Nyseri and her two daughters, Cheola and Zoori. What they 
  are doing depends where the characters landed. Assume as a default a temperate forested area, and 
  the Pasquali folk are hunting, picking fruit, and gathering firewood. They are from the nearby village, 
  and they are not aware of the characters at the moment. 
  If the characters hide, they can observe the three interacting with each other and the environment. 
  Based on the tools they are using (iron and steel, wooden bow and arrows, wooden baskets), a 
  successful Reason + Science Task with a Difficulty of 0 makes it clear this is a pre-industrial society.  
  
   
   
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  Anatomically, the three are similar to humans. All three have dark skin and very light hair, and they 
  are taller than typical humans, with Nyseri being just over 2 meters tall. Cheola is almost an adult, so 
  she is close in height to her mother, while Zoori is still young but still the height of an average human. 
  If the characters decide to interact with the three, Nyseri watches the characters with interest as they 
  speak. Characters that can speak Denobulan can get across simple concepts and meanings at first 
  and can soon pick up the language quite easily, with a Presence + Conn Task with a Difficulty of 2. If 
  no characters know Denobulan, an Insight + Science Task with a Difficulty of 3 is needed to attain this 
  level of understanding. Otherwise, the characters must make do with pantomime until they get to the 
  nearest village. 
  None of the Pasquali here seem overly concerned about the presence of the characters, but they look 
  at the as curiosities. They have seen stranger beings from other parts of their own world, so nothing is 
  startling to them. They also have been taught that beings from other worlds exist, so while beings 
  from other worlds are new to them, they are not frightened of aliens. 
  Nyseri and her daughters do not have a lot of time to chat with the characters: they need to finish their 
  chores. However, understanding that many hands make light work, Nyseri suggests the characters 
  help them finish their jobs, and then they can take the characters back to the village, where a hot 
  meal and dry lodging await. 
  The types of chores depend on the area where the characters beamed down. Assuming they are in a 
  temperate forested area, the chores likely are of a hunting and gathering nature. Use the list below to 
  guide your play. Characters could converse with the three during these chores to learn more 
  information about the planet and its inhabitants. Alter the types of chores if the characters chose to 
  transport into a different setting: 
   
  Hunt the forest for wild game using the primitive weapons available. A successful Fitness + 
  Security Task with a Difficulty of 1 provides enough food for a meal.  
   
  Create better weapons with the resources at hand. A successful Reason + Engineering Task 
  with a Difficulty of 1 fashions a sturdier spear or a more accurate bow.  
   
  Locate a large patch of vegetables that Nyseri did not know was edible. A successful Reason 
  + Science Task with a Difficulty of 1 recognizes the safety of this new food supply.  
   
  Create your own tasks based on player ideas and your own imagination.  
   
  Each character should attempt at least one Task in making the chores go more easily. Characters 
  can use these Tasks to bank some Momentum, which they made need when a strange beast 
  threatens the group. Complications from Tasks could include falling and losing previously gathered 
  food or firewood in a ravine, saying or doing something that offends Nyseri or her kin, or getting into 
  something poisonous that causes skin irritations or respiratory distress. 
  When the chores are complete, Nyseri tells the characters that they can accompany her back to the 
  village. If the characters have been hiding and watching the activities so far, they see the Pasquali 
  pack up their gear and head back from where they came. 
  Either way, the characters witness a beast attack: 
  
   
   
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  From out of nowhere, a snarling beast leaps onto the path ahead of you. Zoori screams and hides 
  behind her mother, while Cheola aims her nocked bow at the creature. Its sharp claws and frothing 
  muzzle drip with blood.  
  The beast, known to the Pasquali as a lotkal, is normally a nocturnal creature that eats grubs and 
  insects. This creature, however, is undergoing a transformation due to an interaction between the 
  Tilikaal technology, the strange rock in the planet’s crust, and the recent scans from the ship. It 
  attacks the group until killed. 
  After the battle, one of the characters can examine the beast. Nyseri or her daughters can give the 
  characters background information on the lotkal, but a successful Insight + Medicine Task with a 
  Difficulty of 2 provides further information. In addition to the changes that the natives described 
  between this creature and a typical lotkal, the character observes a proliferation of tumors beneath 
  the skin. Based on the stretching of the skin above the tumors, they have grown within the last few 
  hours. Something changed this creation dramatically in a very short period of time, most likely on a 
  genetic level. 
  With the beast defeated and the characters safe, Nyseri leads them on to her village. 
   
  As the away team heads for the village, the situation in orbit gets tense with the arrival of the U.S.S. 
  Wolcott. Admiral Stoker’s behavior continues to be erratic and strange, and soon the Lexington crew 
  is faced with a difficult decision. 
  Not long after the crew aboard the Lexington loses contact with the away team, scanners pick up an 
  approaching vessel: the U.S.S. Wolcott. This is an Archer-class vessel, a scout ship that can move 
  fast and not be seen easily. Since the Lexington’s scans are seeing it, it probably wants to be seen. 
  When the news is relayed that the Wolcott is approaching, Admiral Stoker orders the crew to raise 
  shields and not answer any hails. If they do need to talk to the Wolcott, she wants to do it and without 
  a visual. 
  Anyone on the bridge observing the admiral can attempt an Insight + Security Task with a Difficulty of 
  2. Those succeeding get the idea that beneath Stoker’s cool exterior, she is in turmoil, but it is not any 
  sort of insanity or other affliction, she is just wrestling with hard decisions.  
  Not long after the initial warning, the Wolcott arrives in orbit around Pasqual I. Its commanding officer, 
  Captain Meredith Skaarsen, hails the Lexington with the following message: 
  “Greetings, Lexington. Captain Skaarsen of the U.S.S. Wolcott here. We’re looking for Admiral Banna 
  Stoker, and we are fairly sure she was last in this area. It seems there’s some confusion. She 
  apparently disabled the warp drive on the Calico after we left her with them, and they say she stole a 
  shuttlecraft too. We were called back to the Calico, and we tracked the admiral to a point that seemed 
  to rendezvous with you. Do you have her aboard?” 
  
   
   
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  Admiral Stoker makes a signal to cut communications and not answer. Again, she takes a pensive 
  stance for several moments. Then she orders the crew member at communications to open a channel 
  to the Wolcott and speaks: 
  “Wolcott, this is Admiral Stoker. You are interfering in a highly sensitive and classified mission. Leave 
  the area immediately. Go back to the Calico and await further instructions.” 
  There is a long pause, and then Captain Skaarsen speaks. “I’m afraid I cannot do that, Admiral. 
  We’ve been ordered by Starfleet to bring you in. And also, we’ve got your companion on board.” 
  Stoker turns to the crew, a look of mild panic playing across her normally serene face. She 
  commands you to, “Beam over Kassilandra Pruitt from the Wolcott, then disable the ship. I’m inputting 
  Pruitt’s pattern into the ship’s computer, so you can find her. Do it as quickly as possible.” 
  If you are looking for maximum tension, now cut back to the party on the planet’s surface. 
  The Characters are welcomed and can learn a bit more about the natives’ lives and local situation. 
  Before long, the force that mutated the lotkal earlier in the mission begins to affect some of the 
  villagers. 
  When the Characters arrive at the village, read: 
  The village is small but thriving. A number of humanoid creatures move through the streets, chatting 
  with each other and laughing. Some look like Nyseri and her daughters, while others are wildly 
  divergent in their features: antennae, extra appendages, diverse statures, a rainbow of skin colors, 
  and countless other traits. 
  The culture seems to be on the verge of industrial. There are not electronics or advanced inventions 
  visible. Beasts of burden of endless varieties pull carts, and windmills turn on the edge of town to 
  power machinery inside. Smoke emerging from some buildings hint at the burning of wood and 
  possibly a coal-like substance.  
  In the center of town, people prepare food, throwing game and fowl over large cooking fires. Large 
  metal vats boil vegetables, and fruit is peeled and prepared. It looks like the evening meal is a 
  communal affair. 
  In the exact middle of the town’s central square, a obelisk of dark stone juts from the ground. It is 
  covered with runes and carvings that look familiar to you: it is the same sort of technology you have 
  seen on Bacchus IV and elsewhere, but on a smaller scale. 
   
  Characters are most likely interested in the obelisk, but once they approach it, terrible things are 
  triggered. So, unless you are in a hurry, interrupt the characters’ attempts to examine the obelisk with 
  questions and conversations with the townsfolk. They want to know who the characters are, where 
  they come from, etc. Feel free to improvise the conversations between the characters and the 
  townsfolk.  
  
   
   
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  The children of the town fixate on one of the characters, pestering them and wanting them to join their 
  game of tag. Some of the folk cooking the meal ask a character to share their favorite recipe. Elders 
  ask someone to share a story from their home. 
  If asked about the obelisk, townsfolk say that it has always been there. A few times a day, at random 
  times, it glows with a strange light, which quickly subsides. Similar runes are on the walls of a nearby 
  cave, but the townsfolk steer clear of that place because something dangerous lives inside it, 
  although different stories say different things about what that danger is. 
  Everything goes normally until one or more of the characters investigates the obelisk closely, or until 
  the end of the event festivities. Then things go wrong. 
  Either when the characters investigate the obelisk at the center of town, or when the evening meal 
  concludes, read: 
  With the slightest hum and vibration, the obelisk sparks to life. A blue light travels up the stone, 
  lighting the runes from the bottom to the top. None of the townsfolk seem concerned… until one of the 
  town elders collapses, moaning in obvious pain. Then another falls, a young boy standing next to his 
  father. Then another falls. Soon, a dozen people are lying on the ground, writhing in pain. 
  If the characters hope to save the suffering townsfolk, they need to act quickly. Saving the townsfolk 
  from the mutative effects of the obelisk is a challenge requiring four successful tasks: 
   
  One character must first succeed on a Reason + Medicine Task with a Difficulty of 2. This 
  tells the characters that the problem is the victims are going through rapid genetic mutation. 
  They could survive with immediate attention that could involve medication and surgical 
  techniques. 
   
  One of the characters must succeed on a Daring + Science Task with a Difficulty of 2 to 
  locate the plants, herbs, fungi, etc. that can be used to alleviate the most painful and 
  dangerous effects of the mutation. 
   
  One of the characters must succeed on a Presence + Engineering Task with a Difficulty of 2 
  to calm the villagers while gathering equipment and fashioning implements that will be used 
  in emergency surgeries. 
   
  Finally, a character must succeed on a Control + Medicine Task with a Difficulty of 3 to 
  successfully diagnose the patients and treat each one. 
   
  If a Task check fails, one of the dozen of mutating villagers perishes. If all the Tasks fail, all of 
  the mutating villagers die. 
   
  GM Guidance: Keep the action moving, and provide descriptions of not just the suffering victims, but 
  of the general chaos among the villagers as their friends and family go through the ordeal. Also feel 
  free to play out the consequences of the characters’ successes and failures: joy at lives saved and 
  mourning for those lost. 
   
  A meeting of the village elders follows this ordeal. The characters are asked to attend, since no one 
  believes the appearance of the characters in the village and the problems with the obelisk are 
  coincidental. (The Lexington’s scans of the planet triggered the old technology, which caused the 
  obelisk to act as it did.) Let the conversation between the characters and the town elders play out 
  organically, but always in the background should be the following points: 
  
   
   
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  The elders are afraid this is going to happen again, and there is no evidence that this fear is 
  unfounded. This will likely continue to happen until the characters find a way to stop it. 
   
  The main line of inquiry would likely flow through the rune-filled cave that the villagers avoid. 
  It’s the only thing the villagers can think of in the area that might be connected to the obelisk. 
   
  The obelisk is just one of many on this world. They are all the same, doing nothing special 
  except glowing with a blue pulse every so often. If this is happening all over the world, terrible 
  things could be happening. 
   
  The pulse of the obelisk could be what is interfering with electronic equipment. 
   
  The next step for the away team should be a trip into the cave. Nyseri is willing to lead the characters 
  there. When they go, cut back to the Lexington. 
  Back aboard the Lexington, the characters there have some tough decisions of their own. They have 
  been ordered to beam aboard an unknown person and then disable a friendly Federation vessel, all 
  under orders of an admiral who has been acting in erratic and secretive manner. 
  The orders given by Admiral Stoker to the bridge crew are valid. She is the ranking officer, so refusing 
  to follow her commands are a punishable offense. She expects her commands to be followed quickly 
  and efficiently, and if there is even a hesitation, she repeats the command. If any of the crew refuses 
  to carry out a command, she orders another crew member to do it instead. If no one is willing to do it, 
  she does it herself. 
  GM Guidance: Call into question the characters’ Values, or a Directive “The Chain of Command” to 
  introduce a complication for the characters to follow her orders if they accept 1 point of Determination. 
  If the crew refuses her commands and then interferes with her attempts to carry them out, she relents 
  only when she is physically restrained or incapacitated. If at any point she is forced to reveal what is 
  happening to get the crew back on her side, use the “Admiral Stoker’s Story” sidebar to relay that 
  information. 
  About a year ago, Admiral Stoker’s teenaged son Averly began behaving strangely, showing signs of 
  schizophrenia. The best doctors in Starfleet could find nothing physically wrong with the young man. 
  When Stoker took the time to try to understand her son’s madness, she noticed some of the strange 
  things he said made sense when put into a larger context. She also heard from doctors about a small 
  number of other people, on Earth and elsewhere, showing similar symptoms. Doctors called it a new 
  disease and moved on. Stoker didn’t. 
  She went to visit the others afflicted with this madness. She saw similarities between what they were 
  saying and what her son was saying. They talked of prisons, of traveling dimensions, of ruling the 
  universe, of caretakers and planet-movers, of megaliths and quantum theories. Stoker believed that 
  this new disease was something more, but no one listened to her. 
  Finally, Stoker met a woman who was able to make things clearer. Kassilandra Pruitt was an 
  unassuming schoolteacher on Earth, dedicated to her profession and her students. One day, with no 
  warning, Pruitt walked in a restaurant and killed everyone. She was caught and imprisoned, 
  diagnosed with a severe form of this new disease. When Stoker talked with Pruitt, the admiral found 
  
   
   
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  the woman was more coherent than the others. She spoke of possession, and she promised answers 
  if Stoker could get her to a lifeless moon in a remote planetary system. 
  At the same time, Stoker became suspicious that someone was trying to stop her investigation. She 
  found her access to people being denied, victims of the disease disappearing after she talked to 
  them, her notes erased or tampered with, etc. The combined coincidences of the claims of Pruitt and 
  the potential cover up forced Stoker to take matters into her own hands. She has been directing 
  crews of various ships, particularly the Lexington, to investigate potential sites of interest—while trying 
  to stay one step ahead of forces within Starfleet who are possibly trying to stop her. 
  If the crew follows Admiral Stoker’s orders, it is not difficult to beam over Pruitt and disable the 
  Wolcott, since the ship is not built for combat, its shields are down, and it is not expecting an attack. 
  Beaming Pruitt over to the Lexington is a Control + Engineering Task with a Difficulty of 2 from the 
  transporter room. Once this has been done, begin a starship combat encounter with the Wolcott until 
  it has been disabled. 
  When Pruitt beams aboard, either by the crew or on her own, read: 
  The person who materializes before you is striking. She has the kindly face of a doting grandmother. 
  The relaxed smile, the short grey hair, even the white cardigan: it all belies a dark glint in eyes that 
  take in everything, calmly and coldly. “Let’s get this show on the road,” she says. “This body is not 
  getting any younger.” 
   
  If the crew refuses to follow Admiral Stoker’s commands and prevent her from doing so, Kassilandra 
  Pruitt takes matters into her own hands. She uses her powers and knowledge to beam herself over 
  the Lexington, which might be a shock to the crew. 
  When the characters arrive at the rune-filled cave, read the following: 
  Nyseri leads you to the cave that the elders spoke of. Vegetation grows wild and uncontrolled around 
  it, and there is no evidence of traffic into or out of the cave mouth, even by animals. The glow of blue 
  runes within the cave lights it. Nyseri points, a look of concern crossing her face. “I sometimes hunt 
  near here, and I have never seen those lit like they are now.” 
  Nyseri shows the entrance to the characters but refuses to accompany them into the cave—she has 
  daughters to think about and was terrified by what she saw happen at the town square earlier. 
  After the characters enter the cave opening and begin moving up the tunnel, read: 
  
   
   
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  The passage before you runs deeper into the earth, sloping down. The man-made tunnel looks like it 
  was excavated roughly. The walls and floors are not finished. Runes cut into the rock line walls, 
  floors, and ceilings. Their blue glow provides the only light, making it difficult to see. 
  Lying scattered throughout the passage are the unmoving form of small primates, that look like 
  monkeys from Earth, but with ferret-like faces and sharp teeth. 
  Unless the characters create some light sources for themselves before entering, they are in trouble 
  when the lights go out and the creatures attack in the next section. 
  The creatures, called norgols, are native to Pasqual. Years ago, a fissure opened from elsewhere on 
  the planet’s surface, giving these animals access to the control center. Since then, a full colony of the 
  norgols has being using the control center as a lair. Since the scans, however, the runes are 
  activated and malfunctioning, killing the creatures by internal electrocution. A Reason + Medicine 
  Task with a Difficulty of 4 is needed to see signs of what killed them. Otherwise it is impossible to 
  determine the cause of death. 
  Moving down the tunnel without stepping on a rune is Control + Security Task with a Difficulty of 2. 
  Failure at this task allows progress to continue, but the character takes 3  Stress but can buy off 
  Injuries by accepting the Complication of “Disoriented.” Each time they buy off an Injury, the intensity 
  of the Complication increases by 1. 
  When the characters reach the end of the tunnel, read: 
  This large pentagonal room is full of the same blue markings and etchings that cover the obelisk and 
  the tunnel. The blue glow is the only light. [Characters who played the adventure on Bacchus IV 
  recognize the similarities between that control room and this one.] The runes and markings lead to flat 
  areas that remind you of control panels or viewing screens. 
  A fissure in the ceiling lets warm air into what would otherwise be a very cold room. The floor is 
  littered with detritus and refuse: dirt, bits of rotting vegetation, and animal waste. 
  Characters can search the room and make any observations without problem. Any characters who 
  have been possessed in the past get a strong urge to try to use the rune-controls, and any character 
  may attempt it. Simply touching any of the runes triggers a response. (If the characters all refuse to 
  touch anything, a norgol leaps from the fissure, landing on a control panel and triggering it 
  regardless): 
  Immediately after contact with a rune, a three-dimensional map materializes in the center of the room. 
  In the instance that you can see it, you recognize the oceans and land masses of Pasqual I. Before 
  you can act, however, the blue lights wink out. Unless you are carrying a light source, you are in total 
  darkness. You hear chittering, shrieking, and howling, and then you feel like you are covered in a 
  blanket of gnashing teeth biting into your flesh. 
  The dozens of norgols that were hiding and waiting in the fissures about their lair take the sudden 
  blackout as a sign to attempt to drive the intruders out of the home in a swarm. Fighting each of the 
  norgols in a typical manner is fruitless. There are too many of them. They must be dealt with more 
  creatively. Even if the characters have a light source, the norgols still attack. 
  
   
   
  Page 13 of 17 
   
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  DRIVING AWAY THE NORGOLS 
  This is a challenge where the characters must succeed on a number of Tasks equal to the number of 
  characters in the room. The Difficulty of the Tasks is 4 if there are blackout conditions, and only 3 if 
  the characters have or create a light source. 
  When the norgols first attack, all characters take 2 . Then they can each act. They must try to 
  complete an Extended Task that will drive that creatures away. What that task entails depends on 
  what the characters attempt: 
   
  Trying to physically remove them and fling them away would be a Fitness + Security Task. 
   
  Trying to make loud noises or make oneself threatening would be a Presence + Command 
  Task. 
   
  Trying to relight the runes by working the controls would be a Control + Conn Task. 
   
  Make up your own based on the actions of the characters. 
   
  The Extended Task has a Work Track of 20, a Magnitude of 4, a Difficulty of 4 (as noted above) and a 
  Resistance of 1. 
  If a character fails, they take 2 
  more Stress and another character can act. They can decide to flee 
  back outside without trouble because the runes in the corridor are deactivated for the moment, and 
  the norgols do not pursue. 
  ASSESSING THE TECHNOLOGY 
  The characters might have to flee and return with a better plan and backup (such as convincing the 
  Pasquali to come and help drive away the pesky norgols), but eventually they should get the 
  opportunity to evaluate the ancient technology in peace. 
  When they do, they can see that something keeps “shorting out” the technology as it tries to activate. 
  When the Tilikaal tried to set up recording technology here, to see the evolution of the life on this 
  planet, they did not take into account that one of the unique elements in the planet’s crust would 
  interfere with and distort the signal. After several attempts failed, they simply left and marked the 
  planet as resistant to their advanced energy manipulation. The side effect of this mix of Tilikaal 
  technology and the unique element is a planetary pulse that foils electronics. It also causes increased 
  rates of mutations in living creatures, causing evolution to occur more rapidly and more diversely than 
  on other planets. 
  In order to learn this information, the characters need to succeed at an Insight + Science Task with a 
  Difficulty of 3. They not only learn about the interaction between the ancient technology and the 
  planetary element, but they can also do some calculation on how to cancel that interaction 
  temporarily, which would allow them to escape the planet or get beamed off—as well as possibly 
  stopping it permanently using large-scale bombardment of the planet with certain frequencies of 
  sound waves. This would be a large-scale undertaking outside the scope of this mission. 
  With the ancient technology deactivated, the interference with electronics ends. The characters find 
  that their equipment works again. The transporter beam is now reliable, and the away team can 
  regain communication with the Lexington. They are ordered by the Admiral (if she is still in charge) to 
  return to the ship as soon as possible and make their report. 
  
   
   
  Page 14 of 17 
   
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  If they are still following Stoker’s orders, she takes part in the debriefing, taking careful notes. She 
  orders the crew, as before, to make no notes about this and to share the information with no one. This 
  is a highly classified investigation that is on the strictest possible “need to know” policy. She orders 
  the crew to set course for a lifeless moon in a nearby system, where Kassilandra Pruitt says she can 
  provide answers to the puzzling technology and mysterious “disease” affecting a few people. 
  If the crew mutinied against Stoker, they are finally contacted by Starfleet Command directly. They 
  are told to go to the distant moon that Pruitt talked about, but to keep Stoker and Pruitt in the brig until 
  the mission is complete, and to report back as soon as the investigation is completed. 
   
   
  
   
   
  Page 15 of 17 
   
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  Admiral Banna Stoker is a human, having served in Starfleet since she graduated from Starfleet 
  Academy at the age of 19. She is short and stout, with short white hair and a twisted smile that verges 
  somewhere between bemusement and wisdom. Her blue eyes are piercing and don’t miss a beat. 
  Traits: Human 
  Values:  
   
  My Universe Is Collapsing, And I Don’t Know Who I Can Trust 
   
  My Mission Outweighs Starfleet Regulations 
   
  Control 
  Daring 
  Fitness 
  Insight 
  Presence 
  Reason 
  7 
  12 
  08 
  10 
  10 
  9 
  Command 
  Conn 
  Security 
  Engineering 
  Science 
  Medicine 
  04 
  02 
  02 
  03 
  03 
  02 
   
  FOCUSES: Debate, Espionage, Fleet Strategy and Tactics 
  STRESS:            
  RESISTANCE: 0 
   
  WEAPONS: 
   
  Unarmed Strike (Melee, 3  Knockdown, Size 1H, Non-lethal) 
   
  Phaser Type-2 (Ranged, 5 , Size 1H, Charge) 
   
  SPECIAL RULES: 
   
  Accomplished Commander: Admiral Stoker is a skilled commander who honed her leadership 
  skills over many years in Starfleet. When she attempts a Task to lead a crew or maintain 
  control of a situation, she may spend 1 Threat to reroll her dice pool. 
   
  Adaptable: Admiral Stoker may spend 2 Threat to immediately gain a single Focus for the 
  remainder of the scene. 
   
  Menacing 
   
   
  
   
   
  Page 16 of 17 
   
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  The lotkal are normally a nocturnal, insect-eating mammalian creature native to Pasqual I. This one 
  has mutated, making it larger and much more violent. Its long snout has snagged, pointed teeth, and 
  its claws are long and curled. Its fur ranges from white to dark grey. 
  Traits: Lotkal 
  Control 
  Daring 
  Fitness 
  Insight 
  Presence 
  Reason 
  06 
  10 
  12 
  08 
  08 
  02 
  Command 
  Conn 
  Security 
  Engineering 
  Science 
  Medicine 
  02 
  - 
  02 
  - 
  - 
  - 
   
  Stress:             
   
  Resistance: 2 
   
  Weapons: 
   
  Bite (Melee, 4 , Piercing 1) 
   
  Claws (Melee, 4 , Vicious 1) 
   
   
   
  
   
   
  Page 17 of 17 
   
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  Traits: Federation Starship 
  SYSTEMS 
  Comms 
  Computers 
  Engines 
  Sensors 
  Structure 
  Weapons 
  08 
  07 
  09 
  08 
  06 
  06 
  DEPARTMENTS 
  Command 
  Conn 
  Security 
  Engineering 
  Science 
  Medicine 
  02 
  05 
  02 
  02 
  03 
  01 
   
  POWER:          
  SCALE: 3 
  SHIELDS:  
  RESISTANCE: 3 
  NPC SHIP BREACHES: 
   Impact: Lose one turn per round, and 2 Power (not cumulative). 
   Damaged: Increase the Difficulty of Tasks to repair the ship by +2. 
   Disabled: The ship can no longer take any turns. 
   Destroyed: The ship explodes. 
  ATTACKS: 
   
  Phaser Banks () 
   
  Photon Torpedoes () 
   
  Tractor Beam (Strength 2) 
   
  SPECIAL RULES: 
   
  Improved Impulse Drive: When the crew succeeds at the Impulse, Attack Pattern, Evasive 
  Action, or Ramming Speed Tasks, you may spend 2 Threat to increase the Difficulty of 
  attacks against the ship by 1 until the start of the ship’s next turn. 
   
  Improved Reaction Control System: Whenever a Task to maneuver the ship would increase 
  in Difficulty due to obstacles or hazards, reduce the Difficulty by 1 (to a minimum of the 
  Task’s normal Difficulty). 
   
  Rugged Design: Reduce the Difficulty of all Tasks to repair the ship by 1, to a minimum of 1. 
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Star Trek RPG/Star Trek Adventures (2d20)/Living Campaign/The Original Series Era (2269)/06 - STA Living Campaign - TOS Era - Simplicity.pdf