Spoiler warning! Don't read this thread if you don't want to find out what's happening behind the scenes and just want to read the finished product. In Tess mentions she'll file her medical assessment of Rhyne's gene therapies with the ship's JAG officer. That calls for a Reason (9) + Science (3) Task roll to determine the accuracy of her work, and the roll (above) tells me she did a fine job: 15 and 2, where 2 is not only a success but results in Momentum on account of her Forensics Focus. I'll use that Momentum immediately to create an Advantage: Advantage: Analysis of Rhyne's Gene Therapies Tess has filed a very accurate and comprehensive analysis of Rhyne's gene therapies with the ship's JAG officer, which will prove useful later.

ACT 3, SCENE 3 The camera cuts to white, staying that way for a moment before the Legacy slides into view in a low three quarters shot. A slow orbit of the ship is accompanied by Tess's voiceover. Chief medical officer's log, stardate 6472.76. The Legacy has now been stuck in whitespace for two days. The engineering team has completed their inspection of the ship and report it structurally sound. They've also remedied issues with our sensors, though we're still not detecting anything notable out there. Several shots follow, showing the crew working on modifications to the ship and observing artifact readouts on various screens and portable tricorders. Although their actions are not accompanied by sound it's obvious a good portion of them aren't able to speak and are using other means to communicate. Chawas has continued to lead efforts into understanding the artifact now that we're able to monitor its status externally. Her team's updated stations on the bridge and key locations around the ship to provide readouts on demand. The beacon I mentioned previously continues to transmit without fail, but so far there's been no response. Meanwhile a small team of engineers, scientists and medical staff have determined the artifact's current activity levels don't pose a risk to the ship and crew. The camera cuts to the hangar bay where it approaches a workerbee. Several crew members from different disciplines are gathered in a ring around something in front of it. As the camera booms up to look over them a misshapen, discolored piece of scientific equipment held in one of the workerbee's claws becomes apparent. A crew member is scanning it with a tricorder, looking concerned. Exposure to whitespace beyond the ovoid-shaped bubble generated by the artifact is to be avoided however. While our sensors now show the area within it to vaguely resemble interstellar space, anything crossing beyond becomes invisible and otherwise undetectable, and when brought back is malformed on a molecular level. The scientists theorize the laws of physics in whitespace are incompatible with our own. The camera transitions to the officers' dining room where the senior officers are gathered for a briefing. Rhyne is standing at the front of the room, going over readouts presented on the screen next to him using some kind of device to produce captions on the display as he remains unable to speak. He looks serious as he switches to a view showing what looks like genomic data. The other officers appear taken back by whatever it is he's showing and telling them. Tess' voice, too, becomes ever so slightly more hesitant. Commander Rhyne will provide a full report on his own findings, which I've independently confirmed. They'll show that the commander has in the past been subjected to gene therapies which he swears to have been unaware of. The therapies resulted in commander Rhyne's immune system mutating an otherwise benign virus contracted prior to his transfer to Legacy, leading to the disease the crew is dealing with. I'll file my medical assessment separately with the ship's JAG officer, but legal ramifications aside I believe we now have a place to start looking for a cure. The camera does a few more cuts, showing different meeting rooms with small groups from a different discipline each gathered over gadgets or information on projects they're running. Some of them are communicating through sign language. As for the disease, some eighty per cent of the crew are now showing the symptoms, of which over half have lost their ability to speak. In response department heads are piloting various ways to adapt, ranging from sign language to text-to-speech communicator attachments. The captain has called for a second meeting later today to present the senior officers with an emergency solution for situations where these methods would prove insufficient...

As I started thinking about advancing the timeline, I realized Chawas would naturally use that time to investigate the artifact now that she's able to get readings from it–she even said as much on-screen. To that end I did a ship Task roll (above). The 19 is almost but not quite a Threat, but more importantly the 1 is a success and results in Momentum / Advantage, as I consider the 'Modular Laboratories' ship Talent to apply here. Chawas is able to easily set up a dedicated, convenient working space nearby where she can focus on analyzing readouts from the artifact. The success means Chawas learns more about the artifact. The crew will now know for a fact that the artifact doesn't pose a threat, and that it's not so much 'taking over the ship' as extending its capabilities–with some kind of power cost, of course. They'll know the beacon is an emergency beacon. They'll also be able to monitor the artifact from the bridge or elsewhere just like any other ship system, which wasn't possible before. Operating the artifact beyond its automated processes (like the ones that kicked in when the Legacy entered whitespace) still requires Tess to directly interface with it, however. As for the Momentum / Advantage, by my latest reading of the rulebook it's unclear to me if Momentum from a ship Task roll can be banked, or if it's instantly exchanged for an Advantage. This time around I rolled for an Advantage. The first two attempts ('A Chance Encounter' with an old ally, and another 'Helpful Species - Primitive') don't really fit. The third one ('Advanced Prototype') seems promising. I need to think about what it is and how to bring it into play. Although the Advantage came from a roll related to the artifact, it might not be related to it. Notes on the narrative threads I'm tracking right now (spoilers): An ancient (extinct?) species whose advanced technology must be understood so it may either be restricted or made use of. UPDATED: The artifact onboard the Legacy (obtained in 2071) is a 'whitespace drive unit' (needs a better name). It does not pose a threat Planets the ancients used to inhabit are not yet defined (not important right now) Tess was somehow affected by her strange interaction with the artifact the Andorians extracted. The Federation's artifact identified this effect and marked Tess as a qualified operator (the genetic key) As a result Tess has been assigned to research the artifact The unidentified group hunting for this technology whose goals are not understood. It's unknown if the Legacy infiltrators are part of this group. They killed worker 08724 (Yexis Esrad, Bolian male) at the UP shipyard to use his identity to board the ship The Andorians in the cold open are willing and active participants in whatever they're doing. Other facets of their operation are not yet known Was the Andorian trio affected similarly to Tess? The group has one artifact (obtained in 2068), and have a considerable head start into understanding it Tess' situation. She has religuished command of the Legacy back to T'Rel for now She and Chawas have discovered the artifact is creating a 'whitespace bubble' and transmitting an emergency / location signal She is infected but resilient to Rhyne's Disease thanks to her interactions with the artifacts. She suffers muscle spasms instead of losing her speech She promised to update Mahan on what connection exists between the disease and his terraforming project Chawas has been harboring feelings for Tess for years Her most important relationship on Legacy might be with Chawas She hasn't been in a romantic relationship for several years (reasons TBD) She's now looking at a second five-year mission - will she really accept that? She wants a command of her own but didn't get it. Was it just because there wasn't availability, or does someone require her to still prove she's capable? USS Legacy and crew. NEW: Legacy carries some kind of Advanced Prototype that is useful in the current situation (what is it?) UPDATED: The artifact has brought the ship to 'whitespace' (similar to subspace, but next level) and is transmitting an emergency signal. The artifact can now be monitored like any other ship system. Tess is still the only one who can operate it The crew is aware of the mystery triangle ship (Borg Delta) but doesn't know what it is Tess has relieved Cherog and Rhyne of their duties due to sickness. She temporarily relieved T'Rel, but has for now allowed her to command again Rhyne has figured why the terraforming virus mutated and started infecting humanoids. Will share his findings as soon as he can There's been a breach in quarantine protocols during the gravimetric distortion crisis. Spread of the disease has sped up. Gatherings are limited, shifts and workgroups closely monitored. Most of the time crewmembers are stuck in their quarters. 60%+ of the crew is infected, 30%+ have lost their ability to speak Was Investigating a spatial rift in Bassen Rift (actually a Borg transwarp conduit) Ship carries highly sensitive data on Mahan's bleeding edge terraforming project Rhyne might have received illegal gene therapies in the past, but is not aware of them if he has Rhyne was originally infected while working on Mahan's terraforming project. Most common symptom is loss of speech. The entire crew will get sick. What's the cure? Cherog needs to interview nurse Reade about the infiltrator (for now assumed to have been Yexis Esrad) A device of unknown purpose has been covertly installed in Tess' office (and N others in undefined locations) Ship is on its shakedown tour The Borg. A Borg Delta (scout ship) has been scanning Romulan (and Federation?) planets for something One or more Borg Ships have been using a transwarp conduit in the Bassen Rift, causing the anomalous readings Legacy came to investigate The Romulans. The Romulan Bird of Prey also entered the spatial rift. Unknown if it survived Commander Korrius wants more proof of Federation's involvement The Romulan Bird of Prey has been tailing a Borg Delta into Federation space, thinking it's a new Federation spy ship The Romulan Bird of Prey's cloak caused the spatial rift (transwarp conduit) in Bassen Rift to rip open

Right off the bat: I had some trouble formulating . I'm not sure if it shows, or if it's just me being aware of the revisions it went through. I do like that the scene shows Tess and Chawas being friends as much as they are co-workers, but the writing process wasn't as smooth as I would have liked. was noticeably easier. I had previously rolled up the goal of 'find a deity' for Haught and while I don't yet know anything else about his religious beliefs, having him see whitespace as some kind of celestial realm felt natural. They did it in Deep Space Nine, after all! Including T'Rel in the scene was an equally easy choice, considering her random goal is to 'gain scientific knowledge'. The two are looking at whitespace through very different lenses. By my counting the previous task roll counted towards scene 1, making it a success on the scene tracker. Scene 2 didn't really surface anything task-worthy, but I think Chawas' comment about the trouble a mute Starfleet crew would face is sufficient to mark it as a failure. It might be just my Trek-foo failing me, but I can't recall Starfleet (in 2270s anyway) showing much in the way of technological or other preparedness for a situation where the crew is suddenly unable to speak. I wouldn't be surprised if it has been the subject of some Trek series' episode, though! The way act 3 scene 2 post 2 ends really calls for the captain and senior staff to be updated at least on the artifact, whitespace and the disease. Whether that's an actual briefing scene, or a mention of a briefing having taken place in a chief medical officer's log, I don't know yet. I'm also looking for an opportunity to advance the timeline so that more of the crew and central characters completely lose their ability to speak, as that was one of episode 1's missions and the Borg one didn't amount to much. I should note that I've had characters intentionally go straight from 'having trouble with some words' in one scene to 'unable to speak at all' in another, as it's sufficient to get the idea across. I might showcase the intermediate state once just for dramatic effect if I can think of a good situation for it.

ACT 3, SCENE 2 (CONT.) Another slow crossfade follows, suggesting more time passing. The image resolves back to the sickbay, with Tess standing next to the artifact looking at a holographic control panel it's projecting before her while Chawas operates a mobile terminal they've set up a few meters away. Two tall sensor poles are set wide on either side of the artifact, likely providing her with readouts of the device's state. Tess: "Anything?" Chawas: "Mmm... no, sorry." Tess: "Let me reset and try a different approach." The Andorian reaches up to operate the holopanel, cancelling out of a stack of views one by one. She stops to rub her hand when it suddenly cramps, doing her best to hide it from the chief. Chawas doesn't appear to notice as she steps away from the terminal to stretch her arms and neck in the background. The camera pulls focus from one to the other, showing the Bolian looking around to confirm they're alone before regarding Tess thoughtfully. Chawas: "Do you think you and Rhyne will find a– a... treatment to this– eh... illness?" The doctor leans out from behind the artifact to look at Chawas, seeing the concern on her face. Tess: "We have to." Chawas nods and the two fall silent for another moment while Tess works. Chawas: "The Vulcans have that saying, 'Infinite diversity in infinite–'" Hearing Chawas stall Tess lends a proverbial hand from behind the artifact, no doubt realizing this is one situation where coming up with a different word doesn't really achieve the intended effect. It does, however, highlight the point Chawas is getting at. Tess: "...combinations." Chawas: "Right. That. For all our diversity the Starfleet's not set up to– to function if everyone onboard a starship suddenly becomes– ... loses their ability to speak." As the camera alternates between the two it shows Tess frowning in thought, though she doesn't look particularly surprised by Chawas' observation. The possibility must have crossed her mind, too. Tess: "No, we're not." Chawas: "If the captain needs the helm to come about and can't get the coordinates right..." Tess: "Disaster, potentially." Chawas: "Can't very well have the crew— ugh..." Chawas groans as she can't get the word out. Tess looks over to see her air-typing wildly with her fingers. Chawas: "...in the middle of combat maneuvers." Tess lets out a small laugh at Chawas' animated miming. She catches herself too late, overcompensating with a serious / confused expression, which in turn gets a laugh out of Chawas. And then it's Tess' turn again. The two alternate between trying to keep a straight face and failing miserably. Eventually the nervous energy dissipates and they both calm down. Chawas: "I'm serious, though." Tess: "...I know. "Try it now?" Chawas steps up to the terminal and taps away. Her face lights up. Chawas: "That did it!" Tess walks around the artifact to join Chawas by the terminal. The camera cuts to an over-the-shoulder shot of the screen they're looking at. Chawas pages through a couple of different visualizations, among them how the sensor poles are receiving data from the artifact, and how the device has connected itself to the ship's systems. Chawas: "I'm positive this isn't how the– uh, workers back at spacedock wired the artifact up." Tess: "You would know." Chawas: "It's projecting a secondary– field through the ship's shield emitters without it showing up on our systems." Tess: "How's that even possible? Any of it?" Chawas: "I'll need more time to figure that out." The Bolian browses through a couple of more views. She stops on one showing an outgoing transmission of some kind. A short burst of data, repeated every few seconds. The two glance at oneanother, concerned. Chawas / Tess: "Beacon?"

ACT 3, SCENE 2 The camera does a slow crossfade to a stylishly furnished officers' lounge looking back between the Legacy's warp nacelles through four large windows. The spacious lounge is primarily grey, with red furniture and greenery giving it some welcome color. Outside is all white, and outlined against that endless whiteness is the silhouette of a man standing in front of one of the massive windows. He appears to be the only one present. The camera moves through the room and circles the human, a lieutenant, revealing him to be the tactical officer Tess ordered to launch the buoy earlier. His hair is dark brown, medium length and curly, his eyes grey and his face clean-shaven. He's staring through the window in front of him, wide-eyed, unblinking, mumbling to himself. Haught: "...have I finally found you? Is this your promised– realm? Forgive my– my... ailment. An illness troubles the crew, it–" The man cocks his head as if hearing someone speak to him. He smiles and closes his eyes, listening, though no voice can be heard. Haught: "A test. Of course. I will prove–" T'Rel: "Lieutenant Haught..?" The camera turns quickly to show the captain standing further back, having likely entered the lounge only moments before. She walks down the few shallow steps to join her tactical officer in the sunken seating area in front of the windows. T'Rel: "As you were." As the camera moves to the side to bring both into frame, a moment of silence follows. It doesn't come across as awkward; more like both of them being captivated by the view–though perhaps for different reasons. Haught: "It's quite– quite something, isn't it?" T'Rel: "Indeed. A first for the– all of us, I hear. I look forward to– learning what it is, exactly." There's a faint twitch at the corner of the Vulcan officer's mouth as she has trouble with the words. Clearly it's something of a sore spot for her. Haught doesn't seem to notice as he remains fixated on the view outside. The camera cuts to a view of the large windows with the two officers' silhouettes against the pure white, standing a respectful distance apart. Haught: "It defies logic." T'Rel: "We simply do not understand its logic, yet." Haught: "But what if it's– something... more?" T'Rel's silhouetted head can be seen glancing Haught's way for a moment, before looking forward again. T'Rel: "Please elaborate, lieutenant." Haught: "...something we can't explain?" There's a momentary pause in the conversation as the captain considers this. T'Rel: "Then the next generation will pick up where we left."

Tess succeeds in her task roll (above), so she and Chawas learn something about the artifact. I'm going to say that they now have evidence the artifact is what brought the Legacy into whitespace (still getting a feel for which way I want to format the term), is making the ship's continued stay there possible, and can somehow be used to exit it (that knowledge still eludes them). The Incident + Theme rolls (above) resulted in 'Rescue' and 'Rogue comet', or 'Research' and 'Relic' if flipped. The former doesn't immediately spark usable ideas. The latter fits perfectly but doesn't really tell us anything new about the situation. Unless another interpretation comes to me, we'll go with 'Research Relic', which is exactly what Tess and Chawas are doing. I'm also spending my Momentum to roll for an Advantage (above). A result of 7 is 'Helpful Species (Contemporaries)', and 11 is 'Change of Heart'. There's currently no one around that would fit the latter result, but despite my initial doubts about the former (which is why I tried a re-roll) I think it's actually a great opportunity to introduce an entirely new species. One that's already figured out how to make use of their own reclaimed artifact, at least to a degree that's useful to the Legacy in its current situation. 'A species arrives with capabilities similar to your own and offers insight or technical assistance into the situation.' I think introducing that species would make a great end for act 3, which would turn this episode into a two-parter. To make that happen we'll say Tess' 'Daring' research of the artifact inadvertently triggers a distress signal, and then we'll have the species arrive in the last scene (could be 5, could be earlier) to end the episode on a cliffhanger.

Tess bringing up the artifact's installation location is me realizing its purpose is turning out to be something other than what I originally theorized. I was thinking it might have medical capabilities, what with the Borg incursion rolled up front, but now it makes more sense that it's somehow related to White Space (or whitespace, not yet sure which format I'll use going forward). That's OK, though! It's what makes this interesting. gives Tess a task I need to roll on to see if she makes headway with the artifact, but I also want to roll up other things. The Legacy is now in a strange place. Although the characters are theorizing White Space is a dimension, how I imagine it is more akin to subspace. A means to an end, rather than a destination. That doesn't mean it can't have its own complications, though!

ACT 3, SCENE 1 (CONT.) Tess: "...so, it activated on its own?" Chawas: "Yes, I noticed the sickbay– eh, area, drawing a lot of power around the time the Legacy entered the rift." The camera pulls back as the conversation continues, from an ultra-closeup of an amber light on the ancient artifact to showing a group of people standing around it. Three of them closer, several others further back. The artifact's lights are pulsating rhythmically, like waves running up its surface to the top where thick cables connect it to the ship. Warning lights for yellow alert are visible along the sickbay walls, though audible alarms have been muted. Notably the music has stopped as well. Reade: "We were busy hunkering down but to my– that is, as far as I know, no one was near it at the time." Tess: "I'm curious, why was it installed in the sickbay?" Chawas: "Best compromise, apparently. Considering you're the only one who can interact with it, there's your office around the– well, right there. Then there's the security– area nearby, the computer core, redundant power..." Chawas gestures in various directions as she explains the artifact's placement, clearly intimate with the ship's layout as the chief engineer should be. A hint of concern at her trouble finding the words crosses her face. Reade: "Is it...– that is, are we at risk?" Chawas: "If the preliminary examination had indicated it posed a danger the– um, people in charge would have insisted it be studied somewhere else. Doesn't mean it won't still find a way to kill us, of course. Case in point, where exactly is the Legacy right now?" Chawas' candor gets a concerned look out of Reade, but the nurse says nothing. While Tess responds the camera cuts to a tracking outside shot of the Legacy over a backdrop of pure white, its impulse engines and nacelles powered down. As the camera flies in closer members of the crew can be seen standing behind windows, looking out. Tess: "The current leading theory is a dimension the Federation has never encountered before. What's worse our sensors are either malfunctioning, or incapable of making sense of this space. Looking through a window the old-fashioned way it's all white out there and the ship's lit as if light was coming from all directions. The scientists have dubbed it 'whitespace'." Returning to the sickbay the camera shows Chawas nodding deeply several times, looking appreciative of the term. Chawas: "Points for keeping it straightforward." She glances at the mix of medical and security staff in the background, then the artifact, then turns to Tess. Chawas: "Clearly this– thing has something to do with whitespace. How do we control it?" Tess: "I intend to find out. With the immediate crisis behind us, T'Rel back in command, and Rhyne studying the disease, this is now at the top of my list. I could use your help with it." The Bolian woman flashes a wide smile. Chawas: "Let's get the coffee going and dive in."

ACT 3, SCENE 1 The image remains white for some time, while a quiet background humm creeps in. Eventually a thin amber line appears from the left side of the image like an airplane leaving a single contrail behind, moving on a gentle helical path. The older parts of the trail get gradually overtaken, suggesting the camera, too, is moving through this white nothingness. One by one several such amber lines appear from the edges of the image. They all move generally towards an imaginary horizon up ahead and occasionally spawn branches, some of which spawn branches of their own. Sometimes a line stops, turns grey and withers away to the previous intersection. One particular line comes into view from the bottom of the image, very close to the camera judging by its width. The line appears almost alive, its edges writhing like tiny flames. As the camera starts following the head of the line it, too, can be seen spawning branches that divert from it left and right. Whenever this happens a scene fades briefly into view on that side of the image. Tess wearing a tan Starfleet field operations uniform with green highlights, being vaporized by a blue disruptor beam in a ruined city. The branch withers away. Tess waking with a start in her quarters. Chawas sitting up beside her in the bed and placing a hand on her shoulder. The branch keeps going. Tess walking along a starship corridor wearing a captain's uniform. The branch keeps going. Tess standing at captain T'Rel's briefing over a map depicting a Romulan invasion. The branch keeps going. Tess bringing a suitcase into her office in sickbay, followed by an explosion at her desk. The branch withers away. The Legacy blowing up as it attempts to enter warp, Earth in the background. The branch withers away. Tess examining commander Rhyne and other patients whose bodies are severely ravaged by disease. The branch keeps going. Engineer Mahan shaking his head and ending a call with Tess. The branch keeps going. A Romulan Bird of Prey firing a plasma torpedo at an unsuspecting Legacy, destroying it. The branch withers away. The Legacy being dragged nacelles-first into the rift and buckling. The branch withers away. When no more branches appear the camera starts catching up with the head of the line, slowly sinking into it until the amber color takes over the entire view.

By a strict interpretation of the die rolls (above) the rift is nothing. So either it leaves the Legacy exactly where it is, or it takes the ship to a kind of non-state where there's not even nothing. I'm fairly sure there's a Startalk episode (or ten) about that 😁 I didn't do the rolls to chain myself to the results, though; rather to see if they would spark some idea in me. I guess I'm going with what feels interesting to me, then!

shows Legacy in serious trouble, so I'm going to mark the scene as a failure on the tracker. So far the tally is 3/5 successes for both act 1 and 2. I've been giving and will give act 3 some time to marinade. I have multiple competing ideas for where to go from here, some of which would send the story on tracks I hadn't foreseen at all. I was originally thinking that if I was to play another episode or two of Captain's Log with Tess, I might have the Legacy head for the edges of Alpha quadrant to seek new life and new civilizations—so to speak. But with the rift turning out the way it did, I can see potential future episodes going the way of Voyager, with Legacy flung to a distant part of the galaxy. Or to an entirely different galaxy. Or dimension. Or time. Maybe forming an unlikely alliance with the crew of the Bird of Prey? Or the rift might provide a way to explore alternative timelines to the story already hinted at in act 1 and 2. A different crew. A different Tess. Or the show could become the Star Trek version of the TV-series Quantum Leap. I'm not yet sure which idea appeals to me the most, and even if there might not be further episodes I want to think on it a bit.

ACT 2, SCENE 5 (CONT.) M'Mol: "Captain, we have their— their vessel on sensors. They appearrr to be moving towards the rift." 🎵 So get your next of kin, your sister and your friend ... The camera cuts to an external shot of the Bird of Prey from a low angle, showing the Legacy emerging nacelles-first through the purple clouds above as it's dragged towards the rift below the frame. The Romulan ship turns about, bringing its shields online. They flicker and warp sporadically where the gravimetric eddies interact with them. The camera stays focused on the Romulan ship while shifting between it and the Legacy and tracking backwards. A brief moiré effect runs across the view as it transitions back to the Legacy's bridge, now showing the scene outside through its viewing screen. The Bird of Prey dives towards the center of the rift, its shields becoming more and more prominent the closer it gets. Eventually the two make contact and the ship blinks out of existence, causing the rift to violently grow larger. 🎵 I wanna take you home with me, to be alone with me ... The Legacy shudders and groans in response, the camera switching to show the bridge crew holding on to whatever they can to not fall over. Sh'Ara: "Captain, we're being pulled in faster than before." Tess: "Understood. Red alert, shields up!" The alarm signals blaring across the ship change to indicate an imminent threat to the ship and its crew. Tess presses a button on the arm of the captain's chair to quickly address the crew. Tess (PA): "All hands, this is acting captain Tess. Prepare the ship for strong gravimetric shear and secure yourselves. Quarantine protocols are lifted until further notice." 🎵 Come on ride the train, hey ride it ... Tess glances over to T'Rel who's already moving to take a seat. She presses another button on the chair arm. Tess: "Bridge to engineering. Prepare to divert power from the warp drive, impulse engines and weapons to shields and the structural integrity field. We need to boost them to prevent the ship from buckling." Chawas (comms): "Figured you'd be calling. We'll be ready when you are, captain!" Tess: "Tactical, prepare a signal buoy containing all ship logs and sensor data since departure from spacedock to its time of launch. Exclude confidential data stored in aft science lab two." Haught (white human male): "Aye captain." Tess: "Set the buoy to transmit a distress signal and launch it far beyond the Bassen Rift when ready. "Mister Sh'Ara, prepare to come about and approach the rift on my mark." Sh'Ara: "Ready captain." 🎵 We got the sound to keep you getting down, down ... Acting captain's log, stardate 6472.06. The Legacy is being drawn into the spatial anomaly we came to investigate in Bassen Rift. We don't know where it leads but we've uploaded all of our sensor readings into this buoy. Find us. While Tess records her final log entry for the buoy the camera cuts to a high outside shot showing the Legacy's saucer section sinking into a sea of purple clouds. A beat after the voiceover ends a faint glow can be seen filtering through the clouds, before they are pierced by a bright light rocketing upwards. The camera snaps around as the buoy passes by to show it climb towards a hole in the haze, past which stars are visible. Another snap cut back to the bridge, following the action... Tess: "Mister Sh'Ara, mark!" The Caitian at helm flies into high gear, steering the ship around. On the viewing screen clouds can be seen making way for the angry white rift. Tess waits for it to be right in the center, then presses a button on the chair's arm. Tess: "Chawas, now!" The screens on the bridge flicker as massive amounts of power are shunted around to protect the ship from the rapidly approaching anomaly. The white tear in space quickly overtakes the entire viewing screen, then washes out the image of the bridge as the music is compressed into a single flat tone that eventually fades out.

Tess failed her Presence + Command task (above) to interact with the Romulan commander and learn more about the situation. She has the Focus 'Decisive leadership' which to me suggests she's very straightforward as a commanding officer, and not one for elaborate diplomacy. I leaned into that in . That said, neither side came out on top. Although the Romulan commander communicated confidence I don't think even he believes he has enough evidence to tie the mystery ship to the Federation. I rolled the goal 'Add to their amazing collection' for him, which I interpret as a stellar service record. It makes sense for him to want to track the ship down and collect more evidence before informing the praetor of the situation, so I had him proceed with entering the rift. Now we just need to see how that goes, and how it informs Tess' next decisions as the acting captain.

ACT 2, SCENE 5 The camera switches back to the bridge of the Legacy, showing T'Rel standing off to the side where she won't be visible to the Romulans. Their video feed is likewise limited mostly to the commander and centurion. Both sides clearly want to present as in-control an image as possible. Korrius: "I am commander Korrius of the Romulan fleet. We– what is that music?" Tess: "Never mind the music commander. Looks like you are in need of assistance?" Tess nudges her head to indicate the last remains of smoke still drifting behind the Romulan officers. The commander's expression darkens at this perceived slight. Korrius: "We have the situation under control... acting captain. We are investigating a treaty violation that your presence here seems to confirm." 🎵 Come on, ride the train ... Tess is gently jostled in her chair as tremors run through Legacy. She does her best to project an air of authority despite the less than ideal situation. Tess: "The only violation I'm aware of is you crossing over to Federation space, commander." Korrius: "So you deny your involvement." The commander gestures at someone on his bridge. At Tess' end scans of the triangular ship appear overlaid on top of the video feed. Conveniently nothing past the mystery ship entering the clouds is shared. Korrius: "We observed this ship scanning a Romulan planet before returning to Federation space. It entered this area of interference to evade us, and here we find you... no doubt waiting to collect its findings." 🎵 ... Come on ride the train, it's the Choo Choo train Tess tilts her head, her antennae reflecting the incredulity of her facial expression. She gestures at the science officer seated behind her to look into the data shared by the Romulans, then leans forward in the captain's chair. Tess: "I don't know who it is you've been chasing, commander, but we are here to investigate this spatial rift. What can you tell us about it?" The Romulan commander bristles as what he believes is compelling evidence is brushed aside by an acting captain. Simultaneously the gravimetric distortion shakes the Bird of Prey, undoubtedly reminding him of their part in the predicament both ships face. 🎵 Way deep down south, where we play this game ... Korrius: "We do not answer to you, Andorian. You are evading the question of espionage and conveniently unable to provide the real captain of your ship. Your inability to treat this violation with the seriousness it deserves only serves to make the Federation look guilty. The Romulan Empire will consider all of the available evidence and act accordingly." Before Tess has a chance to respond, the Romulan commander gestures for communications to be cut.

ACT 2, SCENE 4 (CONT.) The camera cuts again to the bridge, now filled with smoke lit by flashing red lights and showers of sparks. A general alarm tone repeats in the background. The deck is tilted to the back and the occupants are struggling to stand their ground. Commander: "Damage report!" Crewman: "Invisibility cloak inoperational. Power grid overload has set fires on multiple decks." Commander: "Secure the self-destruct payload." Centurion: "The rift is pulling us in, commander!" Commander: "Redirect auxiliary power to the impulse engines!" Crewman: "Yes commander!" The camera moves around the bridge showing the crew doing all they can to regain control of their ship and prevent it from being pulled into the rift. Those who are not operating the ship are putting out fires. Everyone's faces, when visible, show determination despite the chaos surrounding them. Centurion: "We are still slipping commander." Commander: "Transfer power from the shield, life support and weapon systems, in that order, until we are holding steady." Crewman: "Transferring!" A few more tense moments follow, punctuated by dramatic orchestral beats. Finally the centurion sees their efforts having an effect and relays the information. Centurion: "We are holding! The gravimetric distortion is getting stronger, however, requiring more and more power." Crewman: "Commander, crew reports fires have been put out. Self-destruct payload is secure." The commander acknowledges these news with a nod and a thoughtful look at the viewing screen, now showing the angry, bright tear surrounded by purple clouds. Commander: "Very good. Can we outlast it, centurion?" Centurion: "Unlikely." Commander: "Then either we go through it... or destroy it." Crewman: "Commander! Sensors indicate possible contact in the area." Commander: "Romulan? Federation?" Crewman: "Unknown. Sensors are flooded by interference. They must be close." Centurion: "They may also be caught by the rift." The commander squints as he considers his options. Commander: "Centurion, hail them. Use a compromised cypher." Centurion: "...commander?" Commander: "You have your orders. And someone turn off this alarm! We must show no weakness." The commander straightens his uniform and takes his place at the center of the bridge, facing the viewing screen. The centurion follows, taking her place behind and to his left as the camera switches to a view from behind them. A moment passes, the open hail tone repeating in the background. Just as it's starting to get awkward the viewing screen comes to life. Tess: "This is acting captain Kevor Tess of the Federation starship Legacy. You are in Federation space. Identify yourself." Tess' formal introduction and challenge is somewhat undermined by the upbeat song () playing in the background. 🎵 Come on ride the train, hey ride it (woo woo) ...

There's one more post coming for act 2 scene 4, but I wanted to note here that to my knowledge the 'Borg Delta' () is purely a product of my imagination. Whether this is going to be the only time we see the ship or not I don't know, but it felt heavy-handed to insert a Cube or a Sphere into the story. I imagine the Delta to be small on the Borg scale, at most Defiant-size. Something Legacy could at least theoretically hope to deal with if it had to. Being a scout ship also makes its presence in the Alpha / Beta quadrant easier for me to accept at this point in time.

ACT 2, SCENE 4 (CONT.) Ominous string music plays in the background as the camera cuts to a stark, green-tinged bridge, favoring straight lines and sharp angles in its design. At the center of the image is a large viewing screen showing the rear of the triangular ship in warp. Someone outside of the frame speaks in an alien tongue, with captions translating what they have to say. Centurion (female): "Commander, the ship has entered the Neutral Zone. It is heading for Federation space." Commander (male): "Maintain cloak and course, helm." Centurion: "Should we report the spy to the praetor?" Commander: "Not yet. I want irrefutable evidence of the Federation's involvement." The camera switches to a view looking back into the gloomy bridge, showing lit stations dotting the periphery. Set against the light fixtures behind them are two dark silhouettes. One of them steps forward into a cone of light, wearing a dull gold uniform with a shoulder-width, dark red slash running down the right side. A male Romulan, looking sternly past the camera. The soundtrack swells with another layer of instruments. Commander: "For years they have prodded at the Neutral Zone with excuses of circumstance. If this is their ship, we will prove a blatant transgression of the treaty that will not be tolerated." The second figure in a similar uniform steps forward as well, partially entering the cone of light behind the commander. Both have pointed ears and deep black hair cut short, with severe expressions on their faces. Centurion: "As you say, commander." There's a slow crossfade to a field of stars, the starkly lit faces of the officers the last thing to fade out. Suddenly the triangular ship exits warp right in front of the camera, doing a close fly-by from left to right as the camera pans to stay with it. An area of space covered in purple haze comes into view and the ship heads for it. The sound of a second ship exiting warp can be heard off-screen just before the camera cuts to a wide tracking side shot of the triangle entering the clouds. Every now and then the ship is briefly obscured, only to re-emerge from the haze it's gliding through. After a few such occurrances the ship re-appears emitting a green glow from its nose. The camera cuts back to the bridge of the Romulan ship, showing the female centurion peering down at a screen before her. The camera pulls back to bring the commander into frame as well. Centurion: "The ship appears to be emitting tachyon pulses." Commander: "Stay with them." Centurion: "A subspace rift is forming ahead of the ship!" Commander: "A new form of travel? Close the gap helm, do not lose them!" The camera returns to the wide side view of the intruder just in time to show it vanish into an invisible event horizon, lighting its surroundings a bright white. When the Romulan ship makes contact with the event horizon shortly after, however, its cloak burns away in a wave of bright white light and the ship is thrown towards the camera by a powerful blast wave. As it tumbles out of control a ragged tear in space appears behind it and quickly grows into a wide-open, white chasm. The ship slows down before running into the camera, then starts falling back towards the spatial rift.

ACT 2, SCENE 4 The image cuts to black while the music in the background becomes tinny, distorted and distant, like it was heard through a long tunnel. It eventually fades out, its last echoes vanishing into the aether as a starfield fades in. While the field slowly pans across the screen a quiet, chaotic transmission can be heard. A mix of static, short bursts of digital noise and tones, and indistinct, mechanical voices, it gradually grows in prominence. It's accompanied by scanner pings every several seconds. The transmission and pings peak as a shadowed, triangular shape blots out the stars momentarily, passing across the view diagonally, then grow quieter and more distant again. The size of the intruder is impossible to tell from the few bright green dots and lines appearing seemingly haphazardly within its outline. As the sounds become almost inaudible again another form passes across the screen on an identical path, trailing the triangle. This one, however, does not blot out the stars; rather it causes them to shift and warp across the surface of what must be a cloaked vessel. It has a circular center shape with nacelles on each side, connected by forward-swept wings. The camera re-acquires the triangular intruder, this time from a different angle. In the background the dark side of a planet is visible, suggesting the vessel is orbiting it as it continues to scan for something. The edges of the craft slowly brighten up as it exits the planet's shadow into the light of the local star. Combined with its gentle rotational movement its geometry now becomes clearer: an elongated triangle with an even thickness across its length, its three corners cut off to blunt them and its edges gently tapered so as to give one side a slightly smaller surface area. Its surface is a dark grey material and consists of layered, geometric shapes giving it a rough texture. There are no obvious viewports or signs of external propulsion or weaponry, and the green dots and lines are revealed to be minute gaps in the layered outer hull, revealing some inner structure lit green. The scanner pings suddenly stop and the transmission ends after one final burst of chaotic noise. The sounds are replaced with a thrum growing in pitch and volume as the ship orients its nose away from the planet and finally shoots off, trailing a green glow as it enters warp. The camera continues looking after it long enough for the cloaked ship to catch up, similarly spooling up its warp drive before following after the intruder.

Although it's going to become clearer later, is setting up a chance for Tess to taste command again. Whether it comes to pass or not I'm counting that opportunity as a success, which means 3 successes versus 2 failures for scene 3–and a success for the scene tracker. This twist came to me organically while I was thinking about where the story might be going, so there are no rolls related to it. The Romulans were mentioned earlier in the episode as being unlikely to be related to the spatial rift. At that time I was perfectly fine with that being true. And it might still be true... kind of. But they're here, at least. On the wrong side of the neutral zone. As for the song, this is the Legacy's idiosyncracy at play, as defined during character creation: '20th century music plays over the PA system when the ship's systems are taxed.' I might extend that to cover early 21st century too.

ACT 2, SCENE 3 (CONT.) There's a snap cut to the bridge showing members of the medical staff attending to the injured, while the rest of the bridge crew are busy wrestling with the ship and trying to figure out what the strange phenomena is. A shot of the helm station shows impulse engine readouts suddenly climbing through yellow and into the red. Chawas (comms): "Bridge, we're pushing the— the— damnit, we're well beyond spec, make the most of it!" T'Rel: "Thank you chief. Mister Sh'ara, get us turned around and away from that— ...thing!" Sh'ara: "Aye captain!" The Caitian helmsman was already busy fighting the unpredictable eddy, but now switches tactics to try and power away from it. The camera goes to a wider shot of the bridge with the main viewscreen showing purple clouds moving aside as the ship turns. Simultaneously an upbeat rock song () starts playing in the background, an odd choice for the scene. It quickly becomes evident however that the crew is hearing it too. 🎵 I'm alright Nobody worry 'bout me Why you got to gimme a fight? Can't you just let it be? T'Rel: "W... what is this? Comms?" Benva: "It's not external, captain. This is... us? It's going out shipwide." 🎵 I'm alright ... T'Rel: "Find the source, mister Benva, and shut it down. Coordinate with— with Chawas if necessary." Benva: "Understood captain." 🎵 Do what you like ... T'Rel (PA): "All hands, this is the captain. We are looking into a— into an issue with the ship's internal— systems. Do not be alarmed by the music." 🎵 It's your life ... While Kenny Loggins continues playing in the background the camera cuts to an external shot of the Legacy. The ship appears more stable but the haze slowly overcoming it and the motion of the camera implies it continues to be pulled deeper, nacelles first. The high angle of the shot further amplifies a sense of sinking into purple space soup. 🎵 ... (Dip dip dip dip dip dip dip dip) Returning to the bridge, Tess is shown exiting the turbolift. She meets the captain's eyes and gestures upwards, referring to the music. Tess: "...captain?" T'Rel: "I am as baffled as you are, doctor. It sounds like classical Earth—" The captain tries to say a word but is unable to. She gives up with what passes for an expression of frustration for a Vulcan. It's a cue for Tess to bring up the real reason why she came over. 🎵 I'm alright ... Tess: "The ship is in trouble, captain. It's clear that you are impacted by the disease to a point wh–" Benva: "Captain, incoming hail! Encrypted. That's odd... it's an older cypher. They know we've cracked this one." The captain holds her hand up to stop what she knows Tess is about to say. She turns to look at the Arbazan comms officer. T'Rel: "Who is it?" As the comms officer swivels in his chair to look back at the captain, the camera pushes in to capture the mix of surprise and concern on his face. Benva: "It's the Romulans, sir." 🎵 Who do you want? Who you gonna be today? And who is it really Makin' up your mind?

Several things are happening at once in and after ! (all rolls above) First off, Chawas and team need to divert more power to the impulse engines in order to fight the gravimetric eddy. Failure means more people get hurt as the ship is out of control, making Tess' task harder. Ship task Engines (8) + Engineering (2): rolls of 17 and 1 mean success! If Legacy had a relevant Talent there'd be an immediate Advantage, too. Next, Tess needs to navigate quarantine protocols while ensuring crewmembers who have been hurt are treated. Uninfected medical staff need to get to uninfected crew, and infected staff to infected crew. Medical aid will be given either way, but a failure means a break in the protocol and the sickness spreads faster again. Task Control (10) + Command (3): rolls of 18 and 16 mean failure! I could use Momentum to re-roll one die, however I'll save it for now. Since Chawas was successful in her task the bridge crew have a fighting chance against the gravimetric eddy. Either way they have the power to stabilize the ship, but failure means it keeps slipping backwards closer to the source. Ship task Engines (8) + Conn (2): rolls of 14 and 16 mean failure! The helmsman just can't find a way free. While all of this is going on, commander Rhyne is alone with highly classified data. The dice say Rhyne is not aware of having received illegal gene therapies, which means he either hasn't received them, or doesn't know he has. He's also not aware of Mahan's terraforming project posing a danger to health or otherwise (it might or might not). Both details tell me Rhyne has no reason to sabotage Tess' work, but instead to continue working towards a solution. Success here means he is the one to figure out why the virus has mutated. Failure means more research is needed. Ship task Computers (8) + Science (3): rolls of 12 and 5 mean success! He's going to have some good news for Tess—assuming they get through present trouble. That's two successes and two failures, meaning I'll want to come up with a tiebreaker to determine if act 2 scene 3 is a success or failure.

ACT 2, SCENE 3 The camera fades to black, then back again to a laboratory onboard the Legacy. Displays up on the walls show genomic data, patient test results, research notes and more. Below them sit a variety of scientific equipment for sample collection, analysis, storage, and disposal. In the center of the room is an island with more displays, one of which Tess is presently working on. As the camera pans around commander Rhyne comes into view, working opposite from her. Tess: "Mahan didn't exaggerate when he said you were designing a terraforming solution for varied planetary conditions. The virus I extracted from the crew has adapted to crossing between humanoid species. I can see where it got that ability." Commander Rhyne frowns, then types on his display. Tess glances over to the display next to the one she's working on. Rhyne must be communicating with her via text messages. Tess: "Coincidence? No. I couldn't craft this thing, but I can tell they're from the same strain. Something has changed the virus from rapidly enrichening soil to... silencing the host." Commander Rhyne taps out another message and looks questioningly over the island at Tess. She glances at the message, rubbing her left hand as it experiences the shakes. Her antennae signal frustration. Tess: "Add it to the pile of mysteries." Suddenly the entire room trembles. Tess and Rhyne both grab onto the island to steady themselves as the camera tilts one way, suggesting the ship's inertial dampeners are having difficulty compensating for something. Warning lights come on and yellow alert starts blaring. T'Rel (PA): "Duty shift to your stations! Rest of the crew, maintain quarantine–" The captain seems to stall at the end of her announcement before she ends the shipwide. Meanwhile Tess makes her way to a different display to access a readout of the ship's status. Tess: "We've been forcibly pulled out of warp by some external force. Reports of injuries are coming in. I need to go coordinate medical efforts, commander. Stay here." The camera cuts to an external view of the Legacy listing heavily to one side. The ship passes by almost sideways and as the camera pans to follow, shows it being drawn towards a massive area of space shrouded in purple haze. In the thick of it the clouds are distorted by some kind of spatial anomaly. Maintaining a frantic sense of action the camera cuts again, this time to the ship's engineering. Chawas is fighting the tilt to reach a comms panel and acknowledge an incoming call. T'Rel (comms): "Chief, the Legacy is caught in a gravimetric eddy. We're reorienting the ship but the impulse drives might not be enough to fight it." Chawas: "Understood captain, I'll see to it that they are!" The chief engineer ends the call and makes her way to a wall panel. She yanks it out and sets it aside, only to have it slide along the floor to a different part of the room. She gestures for a human engineer to join her. Chawas: "Jones! Let's tap into the warp core and—" The entire deck trembles from the enormous stresses affecting the ship, but it's not the tremors making Chawas stall. She looks confused as she can't seem to bring herself to say the words. Jones: "Chief?" Chawas: "Just... bypass the warp core safeties, I'll reroute the power!"

The task roll above is a great success, though unfortunately the Momentum it generated is lost since I already have Momentum. None the less she needs from terraforming engineer Mahan. That's two successful task rolls for act 2 scene 2, which means I'm definitely marking it as a successful scene in the tracker! As distances and travel times are quite fluid in Star Trek, we could say the next scene is when the ship arrives at the Bassen Rift. Something I've been thinking about is the fact that the original mission is not high priority or have a ticking clock, which means if the disease gets too out of hand captain T'Rel might just put the mission on hold. We can't have that, so we need to throw a wrench into the works that keeps them engaged. To that end I went ahead and rolled an Incident and Theme (above), landing on Destroy and Gravimetric distortion. That sounds like something I can make a problem out of!

ACT 2, SCENE 2 (CONT.) The image comes back to a head-on close-up of a desktop viewer announcing an incoming call from Starfleet CMO Kevor Tess, soon replaced by a live feed of the doctor. Her composure takes a hit when she realizes there's no one at the other end. Tess: "...engineer Mahan? Sir?" Mahan: "Ah! Found it! Just a moment please. I'll be right with you." The tinny voice originates from somewhere outside of the frame, followed by sounds of things being moved around. On the viewer Tess shifts in her chair, not used to being put on hold. Just as her antennae start to droop in annoyance someone sits down between the camera and the viewer. The camera reacts quickly, moving to the side to show a Zaranite in brown civilian clothing, wearing a breathing apparatus that's connected to a pack on his back. A large, circular piece of jewelry made out of the horns of an unknown animal hangs over his chest. The widening of the shot affords a view of a cluttered office. A wide, curved window behind Mahan reveals a soupy red atmosphere outside, contrasted by the unframed paintings of beautiful planetary vistas on the walls. The many desks in the room are taken up by physical models of planetside structures, stacks of data slates and gear that doesn't immediately communicate purpose. Mahan himself is holding up a strange-looking gadget in his hand—no doubt the one he was just searching for—which he promptly sets down next to the viewer. Mahan: "Aahhh-hmmm! Don't need that right now... Terribly sorry about the delay, chief. Busy, busy all the time and to be honest rarely get callers. But enough about me—how can I help you?" Tess: "Thank you for taking the time. I'm calling on an urgent medical matter related to a former colleague of yours, Avery Rhyne?" Mahan: "Ah, yes, yes! He was the lead scientist here on loan from Starfleet, before his new assignment. Wonderful cranial structure, quite remarkable." Considering Mahan's own smooth if lobed cranium, it's not hard to understand why he might find Rhyne's bald head impressive. Tess quickly steers the conversation away from that. Tess: "Rhyne is patient zero in an outbreak of an unknown disease here onboard the USS Legacy, and his recent participation in your classified project drew my attention." Mahan leans forward to rest his mask against his steepled fingers. These unfortunate news seem to focus his mind. Mahan: "Disease? Oh, that's not good. What are the symptoms?" Tess: "Primarily the rapid loss of the subject's ability to vocalize words. We're talking within days of infection, with some variance between different species. There's also sporadic muscle spasms, though they are rarer. In fact... I'm the only one exhibiting them so far." As if on cue Tess' whole body jerks. She grits her teeth to fight the spasm and stay upright. Mahan doesn't have eyebrows to raise, but the way he tilts his head approximates the same intent. Mahan: "It's true our work here involves bacteria and viruses... but I can't go into details over comms. Suffice to say it would take an unprecedented leap for them to cause what you describe." Tess: "I don't mean to second guess your expertise, but we're talking about an aggressive pathogen posing a threat which we don't fully understand yet. I want to get ahead of this thing. However unlikely, your project is the best lead I have right now." Mahan: "I understand your urgency, chief, and we share a common concern. Tell me, do you know what it is I do?" Tess: "You're a terraforming engineer." There's the slightest hint of edge in Tess' answer, as if she is questioning the relevance of the topic. It might also be just her trying to maintain composure. Mahan: "Yes. I work with scientists such as commander Rhyne to develop faster ways to terraform more varied planets. Ever since the Organians got the Federation and Klingons to set aside open hostilities five years ago, we've been in competition to find the best ways to develop new worlds." Tess: "Hence the secrecy." Mahan nods, then inclines his head thoughtfully. Mahan: "I will agree to share classified information through your captain. She will take responsibility for safeguarding the data. You must limit access to the data and once you've concluded your investigation it must be destroyed securely." Tess: "Understood. Captain T'Rel will be in contact with you. And thank you." Mahan: "Keep me informed, chief. If there is a connection I want to know about it. It's vital for the viability of my project as well." Tess: "I will call you personally."