UST Episode 2 - "Enter Susperia"

After cold start wormhole dumps the Nautilus on the other side of the galaxy, the crew estimates it will take more than 200 years to get home.

Captain Ramirez is visited by Susperia, who taunts him and his ideals. She tells him that she is responsible for bringing him here. She wants to test him and his crew. She wants to lay out challenges for him, that if he succeeds she will send them a bit closer to home, if not then they limp along. He proposes that there is a another alternative, they just limp home for 200 years and not jump through her hoops. He also doubts her ability to do as she says, so she zaps the ship to the Lesser Megellanic Clouds for an instant and then back. Her point is proven. Their first test is to stop a war on a nearby planet.

A command staff meeting is called and Ramirez explains what has happened. Records talk about Trellane on Gothos, the Organians and Q. The crew agrees with him that they would rather not jump through hoops. Agreement on a plan of action is achieved and the meeting breaks up. Dr. Barnes hangs back and informs the Captain that he needs to run some tests, just to be sure the Captain isn’t hallucinating. Ramirez reminds the Doctor that he too saw the ship jump to the Megellanic clouds. Barnes sites a possible mass hysteria. Ramirez concedes the point, but before Barnes can do the test, Susperia reveals herself to Barnes, removing his doubts.

Ramirez tells Susperia that they will stop the war, and if they do she will send them back to where they started, the Marrat system. Susperia pouts that he won’t play her game, but decides that even this little test could be fun. “Admiral I was trained for war and was born to war, it is what I am.” Throwing his words to Admiral Wesley at him Susperia wonders allowed if Ramirez is up to the task of proving himself wrong. Ramirez says nothing.

With the engines back online the Nautilus approaches the alien planet, which initial scans show is pre-industrial. Susperia arrives on scene and shows that the planet is medieval is tech, right down to armies of footmen, knights and armour. Also it seems that there are four massive armies massed on an island continent where a strange null sensor reading is in the centre. The null sensor reading is a tower and in the tower is the prize the four warlords want. Susperia wishes them luck and then vanishes.

The command staff argue the best way to go and then decided to send down the Dr. as a Prophet or Wizard for afar who has comes to bring the sign from above that will bring the war and crown on King to rule over them all. He will be accompanied by Lowell and Porter who will be dressed as his knights, the Knights of the Starfleet.

First beaming down to the tower site, Lowell is captured by a group of scruffy young soldiers. He is able to learn that the are the Protectors of the Tower, an ancient order that has fallen on hard times. He manages to convince them he is with none of the armies and to return him to his friends. Once there they learn of the four warlords and convince these Protectors that they bring an end to the warfare.

They learn that the four warlords are; Hazreg the Usrper, an evil man who kill his own brother to take his throne. Lothar the Barbarian, King of the Hill People. Kilane the Savage, a brutal and ruthless despot and lastly Cornis the Just, who is a wise man but not a good king. They also learn from the Protectors that in the tower is a weapon, promised to them by the Goddess, a weapon that can make any king the lord over all the others. Doctor Barnes scans the tower force field and discovers that it is on a genetic lock. Only a person with a specific genetic code can drop the force field. Promising to return the next day and open the tower, the crew beams back to the ship.

Deciding on a plan of action, they will beam to each castle and scan for the genetic key as well as order they high kings to report to the tower the next day for the comet from the sky, heralding the coming of the one true ruler. The sing of course will be a low yield photon torpedo fired at the tower, more flash than anything else. Also they arrange that if anything should get out of control, a stun shot can be fired from the ship against any of the armies massed at the castle as a display of the Wizard’s power. With their plan in place, they decide to start with Hazerg.

He is a slimy man who listens to their words, but seems unconvinced. With a flick of his wrist one of his men attacks Lowell, but his sword shatters on Lowell’s advanced polymer breastplate. Impressed enough that they are more than they appear, he agrees to the meeting. Their tricorder scans reveal that the genetic key is not among Hazerg’s court.

Next is Kilane, who is equally unimpressed with them and threatens to keep them in the castle and imprison them. A high sign is given and lightning from the sky puts his army to sleep. Begrudgingly he agrees to attend the meeting. Scans again reveal no genetic key.

Beaming into Lothar’s castle they are amazed at how much like Scotland it all looks. Lothar himself is not impressed with their words and attacks Lowell as well by throwing his giant ax at him. The ax shatters on the breastplate as well and Lothar is impressed. Falling o his knees he swears to obey the words of the Wizard (Barnes) and trust his vision. He agrees to attend the meeting and put his full support behind whoever is revealed as the true leader. The scans again prove negative.

Arriving at Cornis’ castle they are impressed to find it is the epitome of high Arthurian legend. Gleaming, clean and noble. Cornis is an old man, very old to be sure, but with him is his niece Athren, who is simply beautiful and Lowell falls instantaneously in lover. Through their talk with Cornis they learn that Kilane killed his brother so he took the throne, and since they he has fought under the precept of allowing no one access to the weapon in the tower. He agrees to attend the meeting but has doubts. As fate (or the narrator or maybe Susperia) would have it Athren is the genetic key.

On the ship they realize that without Athren they will be unable to open the tower and all will be for naught. After much debate, in which the idea of having Xelona beam into Athren’s room and implant a prophetic dream via Mind Meld is vehemently opposed by Lowell, it is decided that Lowell will beam into her chamber and inform her of her destiny to become the High Queen of all these people. He does so, insisting that she do whatever it takes to be at the meeting the next day. She agrees to do so, so long as he leaves her with a kiss. Lowell is almost lost in the part, but manages to collect himself and beam out. All the pieces in place, the crew gets a night of troubled sleep.

The next day the four armies arrive and the “Wizard’s” tricorder confirms that Athren has taken the disguise of a soldier and is in the Company of Cornis. On cue the comet strikes the tower and the wizard makes a grand proclamation that the tower shall be opened. Athren is brought forward, much to Cornis’ surprise and opens the door to the tower. Suddenly a bolt of light shoots out from the tree. Lowell dives in the way and takes a disruptor shot that was meant to kill Athren. His armour absorbs most of it, and he is not killed. At that moment Hazerg and Kilane’s men pull disruptor rifles from under their cloaks. Hazerg talks about how the Goddess visited then and provided them with the tools to take the weapon for themselves. Barnes orders Lothar and Cornis to hold their weapons. Kilane laughs and shoots Hazerg, disintegrating him, sighting that he has no desire to share power. Proclaiming himself now lord of Hazreg’s lands and men he strides forward to enter the tower. As he steps through the door andother security system with the tower activates and he is disintegrated as well. Barnes calls for a stun shot from the sip and Kilane’s men (and Hazerg’s) are stunned.

After confirming that Lowell is alive, Athren enters the tower. Tense moments pass by and then Athren exits with a large red gem. She explains how the spirits in the tower explained the weapon to her and how it would work. She holds up the gem and a beam of light shoots form it and crosses the lands to Hazerg’s castle, destroying it. She then smashes the gem into millions of pieces on the flag stones, stating that such a weapon is too powerful for anyone to have. Lothar bows to her, as does Cornis. Hazerg and Klane’s men, who have regained consciousness, also bend knee. A new High Queen is chosen.

That night at the castle of Cornis a grand feast is held. Former enemies attend, now new friends. Athren is crowned Queen and dances with her handsome savior Lowell, who she knows must leave her but at least they will have this night. Meanwhile Ramirez stands outside on the balcony of the castle, thinking. Susperia approaches, dressed like a lady of the court and asks for a dance. He corners about their deal, to which she agrees he has won and she will send them home “But first things first, a dance m’lord?” Ramirez agrees and if this is TV we would leave it there as they dance in the moonlight.

Not being TV, they are returned home, where they realize only a few minutes has passed since their departure and the planet of Marrat is calling. Overjoyed at their salvation of the planet from the Flesh ship, the government wishes to present them with decorations and hold a celebration in their honour. Ramirez agrees and then the episode comes to a close.

Narrator’s Notes

This one is based on the comic “Voyager: Avalon Rising” loosely, published by Wildstorm Comics. It was a think-fast kind of situation and I decided one comic adaptation deserves another.

The idea of Susperia and being on the “other side of the galaxy” was designed to make the players fear that the game was going to go Voyager on them. It worked as they confessed later.

Overall everyone played really really well, but the highlight of the evening was Lowell suggesting to Porter upon their arrival in unknown space that he post guards on the shuttle so no one “decides to steal a shuttle and set up their own kingdom somewhere.” Needless to say Porter was surprised at such a statement and it led to great banter all night between Lowell and Porter.

As I did note take notes (and hadn’t had the pre I had on “In the Flesh”) this write-up is done from memory and I am forgetting a bunch of cool moments and probably confusing the details, but it is essentially what went down.

Will Susperia return? Probably. She worked well but I must remember that she is like salt, just enough enhances, too much ruins.

Aslan Collas