Writer's room (spoilers!)

[Cairo]

In order to successfully implement quarantine protocols Tess must rely on the ship's crew and systems, which means I get to roll as the ship for the first time! Medicine (2) is the obvious choice for Department, and for System I'll use Computers (8) as the crew calculates how to schedule the lives of some 400 crew members with minimal contact, and to track the spread of the disease.

Rolls of 7 and 9 (above) mean the task is successful and generates Momentum! The spread of the disease is at the very least slowed down.

[Cairo]

I decided to add a small extra twist to the 'Disease is solution' mission that holds the key to Rhyne being infected: it's classified. This way if Tess is successful in convincing the right person to share details with her, I can focus on just the ones that she needs and don't have to make everything about the mission make sense. And if she fails, being classified is a great reason why she can't have the information she seeks!

Either way this will add to the mystery that is commander Rhyne. He's a scientist, possibly enhanced through illegal gene therapy (supremacy trait) and out to impress someone (goal). Does he have an ulterior motive for being onboard the Legacy? Or maybe all of this is just coincidence?

Now to figure out who Tess is calling and what he's like.

[Cairo]

The task roll above is a great success, though unfortunately the Momentum it generated is lost since I already have Momentum. None the less Tess is successful in getting the data 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!

[Cairo]

Several things are happening at once in and after act 2 scene 3 post 1! (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.

[Cairo]

Although it's going to become clearer later, act 2 scene 3 post 2 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.

[Cairo]

There's one more post coming for act 2 scene 4, but I wanted to note here that to my knowledge the 'Borg Delta' (the triangle ship) 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.

[Cairo]

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 act 2 scene 5 post 1.

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.

[Cairo]

Act 2 scene 5 post 2 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.

[Cairo]

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!

[Cairo]

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.

Act 3 scene 1 post 2 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!

[Cairo]

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.

[Cairo]

Right off the bat: I had some trouble formulating act 3 scene 2 post 2. 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.

Act 3 scene 2 post 1 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.

[Cairo]

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

[Cairo]

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 act 3 scene 3 post 1 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.