Players of the U.S.S. Icarus, read no further....
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I'm working on an adventure for this week's game and I can use a hand.
The adventure deals with Icarus, a Constitution class vessel responding to an Orion mining colony in distress. The colony has nearly been wiped out, having fallen under attack by... animals. Cave rats, bears, bats, and the like have all launched incredibly savage and surprisingly intelligent attacks on the colony. When the characters arrive, several miners are lost in the tunnels of the mine and the main complex has been destroyed, as a result of a stray phaser shot destroying the power generator.
However, in the true Star Trek fashion, all is not as it seems. The animals are not all "true" animals. This planet has a sentient species, the Iyteans (based on the Iyteans as featured in the FASA Doctor Who Adventure "The Iytean Menace". I was researching this adventure for my Jeckyll and Hyde and adventure and I'm never shy about borrowing shamelessly)
My Iyteans may differ from those in the adventure, so don't worry if you are unfamiliar with it. Iyteans, in my universe, are fist-sized globs of what looks like protoplasm. They are telepathic by touch and can bind with an animal lifeform, wrapping themselves around the neck, forming a symbiotic relationship. The animal is under the control of the Iytean. Iyteans gain nutrition and mobility through the animal. The animal's chances of survival are greatly enhanced by being bound with an Iytean. It should be noted that the Iyteans are not super-advanced technologically, but they have figured out how to use the Orions' phasers (point and click).
Now the Iyteans feel very threatened by the miners, who have been destroying their home. Indeed, their mining has taken them dangerously close to an Iytean "hive" - a large shallow nutrient pool, where thousands of Iyteans mate, spawn, and raise their young. The Iyteans are simply trying to protect their young. The Orions do not know this. Indeed, the Orions don't even know of the Iyteans existance, except for one, the leader, who has become aware that some alien is controlling the animals. But, in pursuit of massive profit of Kevas deposits, he has kept it secret - being within the Federation Sphere of Influence, he knows they would forcibly enforce their damned Prime Directive.
The early part of the adventure will focus on rescuing miners, many of them trapped by cave-ins and chasms formed as the result of the generator exploding before the start of the adventure. It will also have them ambushed by animal-controlled Iyteans - hordes of rats, cave monkeys throwing rocks as the characters cross narrow bridges, etc. The encounters will be setup to eventually (hopefully...) allow the characters to discover the Iyteans existence and learn of their hive.
What I'm trying to figure out is an exciting climax. Knowing my players, they will almost definitely visit the hive (where some of the miners have been captured and taken to). They will no doubt want to meet with the Iytean leader.
What I'm looking for is a good, classic-Trek climax. I currently have visions of something like the Orion leader trying to set his phaser on overload to wipe out the "Iytean Menace" and the command crew to protect his investment, but I'm trying to think of a way to make it exciting - good locale, tension, etc. Any suggestions?
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