Friday—Three: Reaching the USS Ottawa

[If you have a checkmark in Box 2 on your Mission Tracker, read Low Warp, below. If you have an X in Box 1 of your Mission Tracker, read Full Impulse, below.]

Low Warp
Normally you’d be within hailing range of Ottawa by now. The comms array, even after repairs, is struggling to get a signal through. The rippling effects spreading out in all directions from the subspace twists and rips, even though you’ve left them mostly behind, are distorting the signal. 

Worse? It’s not just subspace communications struggling to pass through the ripple effect you’re seeing. Sensors are just as affected, which has you traveling to your best guess of where Ottawa might be, rather than a sure thing.

Given the distortions—and being a much smaller vessel—you’re not even sure Ottawa will be able to see you at this point, let alone realize you’ve been damaged and need assistance. 

Full Impulse
After draining enough power to maintain warp for as long as you could risk it, you’re back at impulse again. If Rideau hadn’t been damaged, you’d be within hailing range of Ottawa by now, but the comms array, even after repairs, seems to be struggling to get a signal through. The rippling effects spreading out in all directions from the subspace twists and rips, even though they’re behind you now, are distorting the signal. 

Worse? It’s not just subspace communications struggling to pass through the ripple effect you’re seeing. Sensors are just as affected, which has you traveling to your best guess of where Ottawa might be, rather than a sure thing.

Given the distortions—and being a much smaller vessel—you’re not even sure Ottawa will be able to see you at this point, let alone realize you’ve been damaged and need assistance. Without warp drive, you’ll either need them to come get you, or make sure you’re always moving closer to them…

You need to make yourselves visible to Ottawa somehow. You could try co-ordinating with Ensign T’Rin and Ensign Stiles to manually spike Rideau’s energy readings in a distinct pattern to send an old-style Morse 2 message that even the distortions won’t hide (PRESENCE + COMMAND; Potential Focus: Communications), or you can try and infer a path through these distortions with your partial readings and the last star charts you had access to—if you get close enough, Ottawa should be able to see you (INSIGHT + SCIENCE; Potential Focuses: Sensor Operations or Stellar Cartography).

Friday—Test Three: Send a Message

If you choose to use the power systems to create readings Ottawa will be able to interpret as Morse 2, you need to make a PRESENCE + COMMAND test, co-ordinating Ensign Stiles and Ensign T’Rin’s adjustments to the power readings of Rideau. Take your Presence Attribute score and your Command Discipline score and add them together, creating your Target Number. Roll two twenty-sided dice (2d20) and compare them to the Target Number. Once again, you’re trying to roll a number equal to or lower than the Target Number on at least one of the twenty sided dice. If you gained Momentumfrom Test One or Test Two and haven’t used it yet, you can erase it to re-roll either of your twenty sided dice. 

If one of your rolls is below the Target Number, read Test Three: Message Success! below. If both of your rolls are below the Target Number, read Test Three: Message Momentum! below. If neither of your rolls were below the Target Number, read Test Three: Message Failure! below. 

Test Three: Message Success!
You guide Ensigns T’Rin and Stiles through the process of oscillating the runabout’s nacelles, creating visible spikes of energy in a pattern that spells out R-I-D-E-A-U in Morse 2. You repeat the process three times before going back to the blurred sensor readings, looking for a sign your message was received and understood by the starship you know must be out there. 

After a half an hour, with the subspace distortions putting out higher and higher, you’re about to start again when a pattern on the sensors that could only be a Federation warp signature appears, close enough to make out. Sure enough, it grows clearer the closer it gets, and you look up just in time to see the USS Ottawa appear in the flare of white light as she exits warp. 

This close, a tight-beam communication brings the face of Captain Crilly on the communications display—fuzzy from the effects of the damaged comm array, but still visible and, happily, audible. 

“Got your message. Nicely done. Looks like you ran into some trouble,” the Captain says. “We’ll have you aboard in no time.”

You begin your report on what happened to Rideau while a tractor beam guides the damaged runabout into Ottawa’s main shuttle bay.

[Mark down a checkmark in Box 3 on your Mission Tracker to note your success! If you also have the Communications Focus, and your roll was equal to or less than your Command Discipline, read Piercing the Interference below. Otherwise, you’ve made it on board the USS Ottawa! Saturday morning will bring Part Four.] 

Test Three: Message Momentum!
With your guidance and some tweaks to Rideau’s nacelles, Ensigns T’Rin and Stiles create perfectly timed, visible spikes of energy in a pattern that spells out R-I-D-E-A-U in Morse 2. You’re just beginning to repeat the process for the third time when a pattern on the sensors that could only be a Federation warp signature appears, close enough to make out. 

“I believe we have been successful,” T’Rin says.

Sure enough, the signal grows clearer the closer it gets, and you look up just in time to see the USS Ottawa appear in the flare of white light as she exits warp. 

This close, a tight-beam communication brings the face of Captain Crilly on the communications display—fuzzy from the effects of the damaged comm array, but still visible and, happily, audible. 

“Got your message loud and clear. Looks like you ran into some trouble,” the Captain says. “We’ll have you aboard in no time.”

You begin your report on what happened to Rideau while a tractor beam guides the damaged runabout into Ottawa’s main shuttle bay.. 

[Mark down a checkmark in Box 3 on your Mission Tracker to note your success, and then put a checkmark in the Momentum Box! During a future test, you can erase your Momentum checkmark to re-roll one of your dice. If you already had Momentum, you can’t gain it again—you either have Momentum or you don’t. If you also have the Communications Focus, and your roll was equal to or less than your Command Discipline, read Piercing the Interference below. Otherwise, you’ve made it on board the USS Ottawa! Saturday morning will bring Part Four.] 

Piercing the Interference
It took real effort to get through the blurring effect these subspace distortions are having on sensors, communications, and pretty much every other type of energy moving anywhere nearby the twisting rips of energy, and it occurs to you the raw data—and how you managed to get partial readings—might be of use later. Given the damage to Rideau, you take a moment to back-up all your data in a PADD. 

[Mark a checkmark by Piercing the Interference under Advantages. You’ve made it on board the USS Ottawa! Saturday morning will bring Part Four.]

Test Three: Message Failure!
You guide Ensigns T’Rin and Stiles through the process of oscillating the runabout’s nacelles, and together, the three of you create what you believe to be visible spikes of energy in a pattern that spells out R-I-D-E-A-U in Morse 2. You repeat the process three times before going back to the blurred sensor readings, looking for a sign your message was received and understood by the starship you know must be out there. 

You repeat the attempt a half an hour later. And a half an hour again after that.

“I do not believe we are being perceived,” T’Rin says. 

You have to admit it’s a possibility, but just then the sensors flicker with what could be a Federation sensor sweep. 

You’re about to begin the process again, and you look up just in time to see the USS Ottawa appear in the flare of white light as she exits warp. 

This close, a tight-beam communication brings the face of Captain Crilly on the communications display—fuzzy from the effects of the damaged comm array, but still visible and, happily, audible. 

“We’ve been looking for you,” the Captain says. “Looks like you had some trouble. Don’t worry, we’ll have you aboard in no time.”

You begin your report on what happened to Rideau while a tractor beam guides the damaged runabout into Ottawa’s main shuttle bay.

[Mark an X in Box 3 on your Mission Tracker to note a failure. You’ve made it on board the USS Ottawa! Saturday morning will bring Part Four.]

Friday—Test Three: Infer a Course

If you choose to use the distorted sensor readings alongside star-charts to make as best an educated guess as possible for a direct path to Ottawa, you need to make a INSIGHT + SCIENCE test. Take your Insight Attribute score and your Science Discipline score and add them together, creating your Target Number. Roll two twenty-sided dice (2d20) and compare them to the Target Number. Once again, you’re trying to roll a number equal to or lower than the Target Number on at least one of the twenty sided dice. 

Don’t forget, if you gained Momentum from Test One or Test Two and haven’t used it yet, you can erase it to re-roll either of your twenty sided dice. 

If one of your rolls is below the Target Number, read Test Three: Scientific Success! below. If both of your rolls are below the Target Number, read Test Three: Scientific Momentum! below. If neither of your rolls were below the Target Number, read Test Three: Scientific Failure! below. 

Test Three: Scientific Success!
Even with the distortions spreading out and blurring sensors, you had the star charts and sensor logs from before Rideau was struck, and with a little time and effort—and, okay, relying on some “best estimates” to fill in some gaps, you come up with a heading you’d bet was going to aim the runabout in the right direction.

Sure enough, after about an hour, you pick up a pattern on the sensors that could only be a Federation warp signature, just close enough to make out. Sure enough, it grows clearer the closer you get—it’s on an intercept course—and once you’re close enough you drop the Rideau out of warp and wait. Glancing up, you see the USS Ottawa appear in the flare of white light as she exits warp. 

This close, a tight-beam communication brings the face of Captain Crilly on the communications display—fuzzy from the effects of the damaged comm array, but still visible and, happily, audible. 

“Glad you made your way through that mess—we could barely see you at first,” the Captain says. “We can take it from here, though. It looks like you ran into some trouble out there.”

You begin your report on what happened to Rideau while a tractor beam guides the damaged runabout into Ottawa’s main shuttle bay.

[Mark down a checkmark in Box 3 on your Mission Tracker to note your success! If you also have the Sensor Operations or Stellar Cartography Focus, and your roll was equal to or less than your Science Discipline, read Piercing the Interference below. Otherwise, you’ve made it on board the USS Ottawa! Saturday morning will bring Part Four.] 

Test Three: Scientific Momentum!
Even with distortions blurring sensors, you had the star charts and sensor logs from before Rideauwas struck, and with the skill, talent, effort—and, okay, intuition—to fill in gaps, you come up with a heading you’re sure will aim the runabout in the right direction.

Sure enough, after about half an hour, a pattern appears on the sensors that could only be a Federation warp signature, once it’s close enough to make out. It grows clearer the closer you get—it’s definitely on an intercept course—and once you’re close enough you drop the Rideau out of warp and wait. Glancing up, you see the USS Ottawa appear in the flare of white light as she exits warp. 

This close, a tight-beam communication brings the face of Captain Crilly on the communications display—fuzzy from the effects of the damaged comm array, but still visible and, happily, audible. 

“Glad you found your way through that mess—we could barely see you at first,” the Captain says. “We can take it from here, though. It looks like you ran into some trouble out there.”

You begin your report on what happened to Rideau while a tractor beam guides the damaged runabout into Ottawa’s main shuttle bay.

[Mark down a checkmark in Box 3 on your Mission Tracker to note your success, and then put a checkmark in the Momentum Box! During a future test, you can erase your Momentum checkmark to re-roll one of your dice. If you already had Momentum, you can’t gain it again—you either have Momentum or you don’t. If you also have the Sensor Operations or Stellar Cartography Focus, and your roll was equal to or less than your Science Discipline, read Piercing the Interference below. Otherwise, you’ve made it on board the USS Ottawa! Saturday morning will bring Part Four.] 

Piercing the Interference
It took real effort to get through the blurring effect these subspace distortions are having on sensors, communications, and pretty much every other type of energy moving anywhere nearby the twisting rips of energy, and it occurs to you the raw data—and how you managed to get partial readings—might be of use later. Given the damage to Rideau, you take a moment to back-up all your data in a PADD. 

[Mark a checkmark by Piercing the Interference under Advantages. You’ve made it on board the USS Ottawa! Saturday morning will bring Part Four.]

Test Three: Scientific Failure!
Between the distortions spreading out and blurring sensors, the damage to the runabout, and the difference in the current readings versus the star charts and sensor logs from before Rideau was struck, it turns out this puzzle is missing more than a few pieces.

It probably also didn’t help T’Rin made a few comments about “so-called intuition” being inferior to logic.

You come up with a heading you think might aim the runabout in the right direction.

Unfortunately, after about an hour and a half, there’s still not much happening. 

Finally, though, you pick up a pattern on the edge of sensor range that could only be a Federation warp signature. You have to adjust course, but the closer you get, the more you’re sure. It changes course as well—now intercepting—and you drop the Rideau out of warp and wait. As it reaches you, you glance up and see the USS Ottawa appear in the flare of white light as she exits warp. 

This close, a tight-beam communication brings the face of Captain Crilly on the communications display—fuzzy from the effects of the damaged comm array, but still visible and, happily, audible. 

“We can barely see in that mess—we almost missed you out there,” the Captain says. “We can take it from here, though. It looks like you ran into some trouble out there.”

You begin your report on what happened to Rideau while a tractor beam guides the damaged runabout into Ottawa’s main shuttle bay.

[Mark an X in Box 3 on your Mission Tracker to note a failure. You’ve made it on board the USS Ottawa! Saturday morning will bring Part Four.]