The Leyton Coup - detail help?

[ghosty]

How about the Federation Council...whose powers were ultimately usurped by Leyton's coup.

I'm sure they've taken a meataxe to Starfleet security, intelligence and other agencies for letting Leyton get away with it.

Leyton's actions were completely reprehensible and can no way be seen as legal despite the appearance of legitimacy. He was the prime mover in a conspiracy to subvert the government, he had taken power illegally and anything he did was illegal, never mind that he was "authorized". Leyton deserves to be in jail for a long time (life without parole would be my sentence if I was the judge - actually I'd have him shot...but that's not the Federation way).

[Diamond]

OK Ghosty, what sort of meataxe? Keep in mind that there really ARE shapeshifters operating to destabilize things, you are currently in a conflict with the Klingons and the Dominion War is starting to loom larger and larger on the horizion.

We know from a later DS9 episode that Red Squad doesn't get disbanded. No doubt there is a close scrutiny of Leyton's confederates by the JAG.

Hrm... perhaps Leyton directed that the Federation Council be tested to see if they were shapeshifters. And our hapless cadets are charged with looking up important Federation Council members and getting a blood sample. That could start innocuously enough (pardon the medical pun), and grow darker if there was a few interestingly irascable characters among the council.

Perhaps a crusty Councilman who resists having a blood sample taken. Not because he's a shapeshifter, but because the blood test might show he has a degenerative disease and he's proud and doesn't want word to get out.

Or a pushy FIS agent trying to get in to test upper level Starfleet people for Shapeshifter infeltration. He's a shrewd agent who thinks that it might be possible for the shapeshifters to fool standard testing. By "swallowing" a unit of blood and then extruding the blood to fool the blood test.

Department of Temporal Investegation HQ might hurredly secure their files, for fear Leyton's people might take advantage of the moment to gain access to DTI's secrets.

Any other sources of potential friction/conflict/adventure for cadets in this situation?

[Dan Gurden]

I notice that in all your plans. You are focusing on causing a rift in Starfleet. One that was never really seen on screen. Even when it came to conflict, the most trusted person in Laytons group couldn't do it.

I do like your ideas so far. But instead of trying to schism Starfleet command, why not also include a Federation News Service reporter...

The very nature of the job will put them in the faces of your guys, if not at odds with. And could easily be someone that might cause problems requiring Leyton to act...

[Diamond]

Thanks, Dan! I will DEFINETLY use a Federation News Service reporter. You're right, that's exactly the type of thing I was looking for. Good suggestion, fits the environment well and an excellent source of adventuring possibilities.

However, none of my examples were rifts in Starfleet. They were rifts between Starfleet and agencies of the civilian government. Which we did see an example of on-screen. The friction between the President and Leyton was a classic example of friction between Starfleet and the executive branch of the civilian government.

Let me revise that - I can't remember offhand if the JAG was separate from Starfleet. But I know the FIS and DTI are not part of Starfleet.

Finally, naturally I want to show stuff that was not shown on screen. I'm going into more details. The players will be exploring a deeper part of Star Trek's history, not treading on Sisco's heels.

[Evan van Eyk]

I would include some deeper conspiracy. We know from other episodes that SI is no that nice as it should be. there is the Pegasus Incident ( the illegal cloaking device ) and of course section 31. What if SI knew about the changeling but wanted to let him impose martial law then to stop him and take over, leading the Federation into an age of dictatorship.

[Dan Gurden]

Originally posted by Evan van Eyk
I would include some deeper conspiracy. We know from other episodes that SI is no that nice as it should be. there is the Pegasus Incident ( the illegal cloaking device ) and of course section 31. What if SI knew about the changeling but wanted to let him impose martial law then to stop him and take over, leading the Federation into an age of dictatorship.

What Changeling There was no changling impersonating Leyton on a long term basis. One impersonated him for about 1/2 an hour...

If intelligence knew about that they would have been hotter than the Tal Shiar and Obsidian order, who had been infiltrated for months without discovering it!

[Diamond]

I partially agree with Dan. Even section 31 is not omniscient!

I think Evan *was* referring to the changling that impersonated Leyton for a few minutes. Oh, THAT changling. The one who created a huge disruption by not doing anything actively.

But I think that Section 31 had to know there was a changling on Earth - in a vague, general sense. EVERYONE who stopped to think about it for a short while should have reached that conclusion. Given the open society on Earth and the motives and repeated Method of Operation of the Founders, it was a logical certainty. Hence the paranoia that Leyton capitalized on.

The Dominion War Sourcebook mentions that Section 31 gave Leyton a bit of a subtle boost. Which seems logical. But I doubt they knew specifically about the one which appeared in the show. Even they have limits.

I agree the issue is there deep in the background. But it's not something a few cadets are going to interact with. Besides, I ran 2 and a half long campaigns about Section 31 years before Section 31 was revealed to us in DS9. I called it "the Patriotic Conspiracy." I've stressed that theme enough and plan to have the mood of these adventures somewhat different.

[Diamond]

Well, I ran the adventure. It was good- they players had to make difficult choices, and they liked interacting with "large-scale" events of the Star Trek history.

They were under the command of a NPC who was Captain Maxwell's security officer. That is to say, Maxwell of Maxwell's incursion into Cardassian space who was *right* about Cardassian rearmind but was stopped by Captain Picard. Interesting character interaction and rivalries followed.

The PC cadets were assigned as part of a larger operation to test various members of the Federation Civil Government for shapeshifter infeltration. They managed securing the Federation Council chambers relatively easily- I decided to build up the conflict gradually. There was just one Councilwoman who was worried that the blood test would reveal an embarrasing medical condition. The cadets were suprisingly clever, both outmaneuvering her and then being sympathetic to her needs afterwards- returning the blood sample after it had already proved she was not a shapeshifter.

Next, the Cadets were told to secure the Federation Intelligence Service's armory and test them as well. Here is where the interesting problems started. The FIS was supposed to be in charge of anti-shapeshifter counterintelligence. Some of them feared Leyton's newly-paranoid Starfleet was being influenced by shapeshifters. The rank and file of the FIS did passive resistance... and some of the cadets started to question wether the FIS was right. The anti-shapeshifter counterinetlligence team decided to continue to operate clandestinely - and the Cadets nearly stopped them from escaping with the tools the FIS agents felt they needed.

To complicate things, a news service reporter started covering them. Recording Starfleet breaking into the FIS HQ. That sort of inconvenient thing.

At this point, there was a confrontation between the Cadets and the aforementioned NPC in charge of the cadet's operations. They managed to just barely avoid breaking Starfleet regs, saying that they would only continue if they did not have to break certain laws. And that they would achieve the objectives listed on their orders, but with the understanding that they would NOT do the extra things they were being subtly pressured to do in the name of increased security.

Then while most of them went off for the next objective, one of them managed to sneakily wrangle an interview with the Director of Starfleet Acadamy, admiral Foster who was under guard - for his own safety in theory, but really basically house arrest. Foster put the cadet with initiative in contact with the underground FIS agents.

Meanwhile, the other cadets secured DTI. Thanks to their new care to be extremely careful about being legal and polite, there was little problem. The DTI were afraid their delicate experiments would be disrupted, but with care all problems were addressed to everyone's grudging satisfaction.

Meanwhile, the other Cadet helped the underground FIS agents gather evidence. Between them and Sisco's investegations, it was soon revealed that Red Squad had sabotaged Earth's power grid, and the openings of the wormhole were not cloaked fleets entering. Leyton's coup dissolved and things went back to normal.

Next week, the players will be Midshipmen on their cadet cruise where they will get caught up in the tail end of the increasilgly bloody Klingon/Federation conflict.

[Fortunae]

Well, I'm sorry I missed the window for ideas, but, if anyone else does something like this in the future here is another idea for a subplot hook --

A Betazoid (pc cadet or other) is ordered to use Telepathic intrustion to help investigate -- the Betazoid balks at this citing the Code about telepathic usage and a conflict ensues about the matter. "What do you mean you refuse...perhaps you refuse because you are changeling and *can't* do it. Security, hold that person for furhter investigation." etc.

[Dan Gurden]

I have to say I fear for the integrity of your universe if the Federation Intellignece Service was nearly scuppered by a bunch of teenager cadets, before they attempted to do the right thing...

Whats next, unmasking the head of section 31... As old man willard of the old abandoned Gold Mine?

"And I would have gotten away with it too, if it hadn't of been for those pesky kids!"



Sorry, could resist, the mental image hit and wouldn't go away! Sounds like a good one.

[Robbert Raets]

Was the Leyton-Founder a real shape-shifter or a hologram? I don't exacly remember. I think the 'false O'Brien was a holographic projection, but I don't recall exactly. Anyone got this one on tape and willing to check?

[Dan Gurden]

OK.

Thats easy.

There were 4 founders on Earth during the Leyton coup. 5 including Odo.

Before the shit hit the fan 1 or more of them infiltrated Starfleet academy.

1 infiltrated a meeting as Leyton, but was discovered by Odo and escpaed. the alteration of the Standard MO, in removing Leyton first implies that Leyton was doing well enough along their plan guidelines by himslef, or that they wanted to make contact with Odo.

Later, after the power had been restored, 1 (perhaps the same one) took O'Briens shape to make contact with Sisko, to gloat about the paranoia on the planet, and tell Sisko about how few needles there were in that haystack...

Again, another non-typical move on their part, again implying that they felt Leyton to be doing so well by their expectations...

They played him like a two bit...

Anyway. No Holograms, especially outside where both chagelings ensured they were for ease of escape...