ST:RW, Episode 7: Soldier's Creed
Note: The central conflict of this adventure lies between the PCs and the NPC superior officer, Commodore MacArthur. MacArthur should be presented as intolerant of any challenge to his command, including otherwise reasonable questioning of his orders. Further tension is generated by the Commodore's habit of demanding minimal repair or recovery and expected the PCs to simply suck it up. Ship damage receives the minimal amount of repair necessary to perform and individuals likewise receive the minimal amount of first aid needed to fight. This will probably generate the most tension between the PCs and the Commodore, as it hits close to home with the players, putting their PCs and their ship in danger from an NPC.
PCs receive absolutely no slack whatsoever from Commodore MacArthur and are expected to perform exceptionally no matter how badly wounded or their ship damaged. Further, they are expected to obey orders with no explanation and with no clear objective. The Commodore does not explain his intentions. Orders are given and they are expected to be followed.
The PCs should receive the impression that they are viewed as expendable, though the Commodore, in the end, does not see them that way. Rather, he simply expects the PCs to soldier on, regardless of their condition, and perform exceptionally. Questioning orders or, worse, arguing with the Commodore will provoke him to threaten punitive measures if the PCs don't get in line. Citations can and should be given if the PCs persist in doing anything other than promptly obeying orders given.
The overall thrust of the adventure, and the challenge for the players, is to respond to impossible demands by a wholly intolerant senior officer, and not only survive the ordeal but, in the end, succeed. If the PCs manage to stay true to Starfleet chain of command and survive MacArthur's leadership, they are "rewarded" by the Commodore sacrificing himself and his ship to ensure the survival of the PCs and their ship.
If the PCs manage at any point to convince the Commodore to explain his intentions (which should not be something easy to accomplish), his intentions are to retake the NX-08 Triumph and keep it out of Romulan hands, even if that requires the destruction of his ship. Discovering how he came to survive the attack that damaged the Triumph should be even harder to discover, but his ending up in a shuttle alone was the result of a failed attempt to rescue another Triumph shuttle that lost power surveying the black hole wash. The Commodore was out in the wash, in a shuttle, when the Triumph came under attack. The second shuttle was lost to the black hole and the Commodore then retreated back to Lorillia to lead a recovery mission for the Triumph.
Act One: Introduction
Two months after the events of Episode 6: Mutiny, the PCs are back in command of their own ship and currently part of a task force assigned to secure the Lorillia system, alongside the local Lorillian forces. The task force's mission is to hold the system while the NX-08 Triumph investigates the black hole in the space beyond as a possible staging area for a coordinated assault on Romulan forces from behind the lines. The PC ship leads the small task force and is currently waiting for the return and report from the Triumph. Lorillia and its relatively small space force are not officially allied with Starfleet, but are cooperating with the mission out of their own interests.
Hook
The PCs should be monitoring long range scans and conducting lateral sensor scans, watching for scouts or incursions by Romulan forces. In the process, they detect a lone Starfleet shuttle entering the system at max impulse, which they may identify as belonging to the Triumph.
While under power and on route to rendezvous with the task force, the shuttle does not respond to hails. Scans can reveal a single life sign aboard.
However the PCs decide to respond, Commodore MacArthur is aboard the shuttle, unconscious after having flown for nearly some days to reach Lorillia. He will not awaken unless the shuttle is recovered and he is interacted with, presumably in the attempt to check him for injury or responsiveness. The Commodore, once awake, will demand contact with the Rear Admiral, the PC's immediate superior.
Conditions: The PCs are currently in the Lorillia system, head of a small task force of lesser vessels (Intrepid and/or Neptune class), aiding local Lorilian space forces in securing the system.
Play: Long range and lateral sensor scans, detecting life signs aboard the shuttle (System Operations: Sensors); Organizing the task force (Enterprise: Administration/Starfleet).
Plot Turn 1
Once treated for his injuries, the Commodore immediately takes command of the PC vessel. PCs should know that, as ranking officer, the Commodore has every right to do this but they also have the right to confirm that order with their superiors. However, contacting the Rear Admiral or other ranking superiors by subspace comm will result in their superiors upholding the Commodore's right to take command of the task force and will earn the emnity of the Commodore for questioning his orders.
In the end the Commodore should be in command of the task force and, specifically, the PC ship. He then orders the vessel to leave the system and the rest of the small task force behind, giving the helmsman coordinates on the far side of the nearby black hole. The journey takes a full day at max warp. The Commodore answers no question about his orders or his intentions and pressing the issue will only cause him to become more obstinante and intolerant.
Conditions: The Commodore taking command and exerting his authority over the PCs and their ship.
Play: Social tests versus Commodore MacArthur (very difficult, modified by Commodore's Promotion edges); Contacting Starfleet superiors via subspace comms (System Operations: Communications); Social tests versus superior (heavily penalized); Plotting warp course for far side of black hole (Science: Space/Astrogation, followed by System Operations: Flight Control; penalized by black hole wash).
Act Two: Confrontation
Arriving at the coordinates, the PC sensor/science officer has a chance to detect an uncloaked Bird of Prey (made difficult by the sensor wash from the black hole) and the heavily damaged NX-08 Triumph. As soon as the PCs have detected the Bird of Prey and the Triumph, and have conducted whatever initial sensor scans they might, the Commodore orders the PC ship to engage the Romulan vessel. Unless the PCs have taken extraordinary measures, it is assumed that the Bird of Prey has detected their presence as well, and initiative is determined normally with no surprise for either vessel, beginning at Extended range.
Conditions: Mild gravitic shearing, with penalties to Helm maneuvers. Sensor wash from the black hole, penalizing sensors and Lock On maneuvers.
Play: Standard space combat, penalized by environment.
Pinch 1
Once the Bird of Prey is defeated the Commdore orders the most minimal repairs possible, in order that the PC ship be ready to depart the system quickly. Then, without further orders, the Commodore departs the PC ship by shuttle, alone, to dock with the damaged Triumph. PCs have the opportunity to detect three life signs aboard the Triumph if they specifically check for them. Otherwise, the Commodore leaves no further orders before abandoning the PC ship and does not respond to communication once aboard the Triumph. The Triumph maintains no contact with the PC ship until, presumably, the PCs either decide to shuttle over and see what's going on or they scan the Triumph and detect weapons fire aboard.
Conditions: Conducting minimal repairs to the PC ship as the Commodore seemingly abandons the PCs.
Play: Repairs to PC ship (NG, p. 121-123); Analyzing the Triumph's ship status (NG, p. 102); Detecting weapons fire aboard the Triumph (System Operations: Sensors).
Midpoint
On board the Triumph, the Commodore has run afoul of three Romulan soldiers occupying the bridge when he attempts to retake the ship. If the PCs do not detect the fight going on aboard the Triumph or otherwise take no action while they wait, the Commodore eventually defeats the three Romulans and retakes the ship, though now Wounded.
If the PCs are on hand to help the Commodore retake the ship, assaulting the bridge and defeating the three Romulans there, the Commodore allows any injuries he's sustained to be treated before ordering the PCs back to their ship in order to escort the Triumph back to Lorillia.
If the PCS took no action or are unaware of the Commodore's fight to retake the bridge, he eventually retakes the bridge and makes contact, ordering them to escort the Triumph.
The NX-08 Triumph is damaged at this point and if no repairs are conducted all systems are assumed to be at B on the their damage track. The Commodore will not normally allow time to be wasted on repairs, but it is possible for PCs to convince him with some difficult Social tests.
Conditions: Continued repairs underway, combat with Romulans aboard the Triumph. Continued sensor wash penalties to sensors and gravitic stress penalties to Helm maneuvers.
Play: Possible combat with Romulans aboard the Triumph; Social tests versus Commodore MacArthur; Ship repairs (NG, p. 121-123).
Pinch 2
As the PC ship and the Triumph attempt to edge outward from the black hole far enough to safely warp, a Romulan Bird of Prey and two frigates approach. The Bird of Prey engages, while the frigates hang back at Extended range. The Commodore will order the PC ship to engage the Bird of Prey and both the PC ship and the Triumph work together to take down the Romulan vessel. If the fight doesn't go smoothly the Commodore will order the PC ship to disengage and warp back the Lorillia, with the Commodore intending to follow with the Triumph.
Conditions: Continued sensor wash penalties to sensors and gravitic stress penalties to Helm maneuvers. Ship to ship combat under these conditions.
Play: Space combat, Triumph and PC ship versus Bird of Prey.
Plot Turn 2
Either way, with the Bird of Prey destroyed or both Starfleet vessels retreating from the fight, the frigates immediately dive back deep into the black hole's wash. The Commodore warns that the frigates are able to warp much closer to the black hole than Starfleet vessels can, thus drastically reducing their warp time to the far side of the singularity. The frigates will get ahead of them and force a second confrontation that neither ship can afford, with the damage taken from their fight with the Bird of Prey.
The Commodore orders the PC ship to disengage (if they haven't already) from the Bird of Prey (if it's still active), and warp back to Lorillia, while he takes the Triumph deep into the black hole wash to delay the frigates, keeping them from warping ahead. This will result in the Triumph falling much too far into the singularity's gravity well to have any hope of escape. The Triumph and the Commodore will be lost, sacrificed so that the PCs and their ship can escape.
Conditions: As before.
Play: Possible Social tests versus Commodore MacArthur; Navigating out of the black hole and warp navigation back to Lorillia (Science: Space/Astrogation and System Operations: Flight Control)
Act Three: Resolution
If the PCs obey orders, they warp around the black hole and back toward Lorillia, arriving hours ahead of the frigates that the Commodore does indeed succeed in delaying. The Triumph will never be seen again, lost to the black hole, and neither the frigates nor the Bird of Prey (if it survived) will attempt to approach the Lorillia system.
Sensor readings during the adventure do establish the viability of using the black hole outer wash as a staging area, and further that Romulan forces may have been scouting it for that exact purpose themselves. In this endeavor at least, the mission succeeded.