Saturday—Six: Red Alert!

Personal log, supplemental. Thanks to the data we’ve collected, we’re now aware the ruptures in subspace tangling all through the sector are multi-dimensional in nature. The rescued scientists of the SS Bytown—or the SS Dalhousie, depending on which scientist you ask—have all woken now, and among them they display four different quantum resonance patterns, meaning they’re technically from four different parallel dimensions. 

And it doesn’t stop there. Myself, Ensign T’Rin, Ensign Stiles, and the USS Rideau all show different quantum resonances. A dozen of the rest of the crew, including the transporter chief, the shuttlecraft technicians who were repairing the Rideau, and two med-techs, also show anomalous quantum resonance patterns. 

Our best theory is we’ve been swapped with the individuals who should be in this quantum reality.

In short, quite a few of us are not in our correct universe, though I’ve yet to find any obvious differences from what I expect or know. Ensign T’Rin reports she recalls our runabout being named the USS Saint Lawrence, and Ensign Stiles was surprised to learn Captain Crilly commanded the Ottawa—she was expecting a Captain Bilodeau, who this ship’s records list as an admiral.

Right now, Captain Crilly has everyone working to locate the source of the ruptures—in hopes that we can figure out how to close them before even more of us end up where we don’t belong. 

You’re just arriving on the Bridge with the latest data from the various quantum resonance scans of yourself, the rescued scientists, and the ensigns from the USS Rideau when a flare of reddish light makes you turn to the viewscreen.

From within the twisting tangle of subspace distortions, a vessel appears. Triangular, with a single nacelle above the arrow-head main structure of the ship, it seems to simply slide into existence. 

“We have company,” Captain Crilly says, rising from his chair. “Anyone recognize them?”

You don’t, and you take a moment to look at the results of a scan of the vessel. It’s larger than Ottawa, and has a significant amount of armament. There are two forward-facing isokinetic cannons to either side of the warp nacelle, and the paired impulse engines on its aft appear to have a sort of gimbal mounted design—likely they’re excellent for tight maneuvering. 

“They’re charging weapons, Captain!”

At the tactical officer’s update, you eye the scans again and she’s definitely right—those cannons are charging. At least shields are already up, given the lashing subspace distortions. 

“Hail them,” Crilly says, but the alien vessel doesn’t answer. 

“They’re coming about,” the tactical officer says.

Sure enough, on the viewscreen, the vessel is turning toward Ottawa, aiming the cannons her way.

“Damn it,” Crilly says. “Helm, evasive.” 

The pilot’s options will be limited given the subspace distortions, though. It’ll do no good to dodge the alien vessel’s attack if Ottawa runs into one of those subspace ruptures instead. And their impulse engines seem quite capable of making precision adjustments—perhaps even moreso than Ottawa.

The cannons on the alien vessel flare with a pulse of bright white light, and Ottawa shudders. 

“Shields at seventy four percent,” the tactical officer reports.

You look back at the scans of the alien vessel. It’s bigger, potentially faster, and better armed. 

It might be possible to locate precisely where to target the alien vessel’s impulse engines with phasers to take away their maneuverability advantage (REASON + SECURITY; Potential Focus: Targeting Systems), or maybe it’s time to play a good old fashioned game of cat-and-mouse given all the subspace distortions twisting and snapping around you—use them to Ottawa’s advantage (DARING + COMMAND; Potential Focuses: Pathfinding or Strategy & Tactics).

Saturday—Test Six: Target Their Impulse Engines!

If you choose to attempt to disable the alien vessel’s impulse engines, you need to make a REASON + SECURITY test. Take your Reason Attribute score and your Security Discipline score and add them together, creating your Target Number. Roll two twenty-sided dice (2d20) and compare them to the Target Number. 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 have it, you can erase Momentum to re-roll one d20.

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

Test Six: Targeting Success!
“Captain, their impulse engines are paired and gimbal-mounted—a precision hit from the phasers to one of them might limit their mobility,” you say. “It could give us time to put distance between us, without leaving them immobilized among the subspace distortions.”

Crilly nods at the suggestion. “Do it.”

Maneuvering Ottawa to get the shot isn’t easy, but after a few tense moments and another barrage from the alien’s isokinetic cannons, your ship manages to slip beneath a twist of subspace energy and come out with a clear arc of fire at what you believe are the weak-points to the alien impulse drive.

“Target acquired,” you say.

“Fire!” Crilly says.

The phasers streak across space between Ottawa and the alien vessel, and hit their mark. Even though the vessel’s shields are up, enough of the burst gets through. One of the two impulse engines on the alien vessel flares with an eruption, and then goes dark. The triangular vessel dips visibly as the other engine is suddenly unbalanced.

“Move us out,” the Captain says. “Keep closing in on the source of the distortions, but keep a sensor lock on that vessel. If they decide to come calling, I want to know about it.”

The Captain’s orders are acknowledged. You keep an eye on the alien vessel, but it appears your plan is bearing fruit: it’s not immediately giving chase, though you wonder how long it might take them to affect repairs. 

What follows is a harrowing series of maneuvers among the ever-denser strands of the subspace distortions until, nearly an hour later, you notice something new on the viewscreen.

“Captain?” you say, but he seems to have noticed himself. 

“Magnify,” he says.

What appear to be four toroidal structures—space stations, perhaps?—are arranged in a diamond formation ahead of Ottawa, with all the pulsing, deep-red subspace distortions flaring into existence in the space between them before lashing out into the sector.

“Safe to say this isn’t a natural phenomenon after all,” Captain Crilly says.

[Mark down a checkmark in Box 6 on your Mission Tracker to note your success! If you also have the Targeting Systems Focus, and your roll was equal to or less than your Security Discipline, read A Healthy Distance below. Otherwise, Sunday morning will bring Part Seven.] 

Test Six: Targeting Momentum!
“Captain, their impulse engines are paired and gimbal-mounted—a precision hit from the phasers to one of them might limit their mobility,” you say. “It should give us time to put distance between us, without leaving them immobilized among the subspace distortions.”

Crilly nods at the suggestion. “Do it.”

Maneuvering Ottawa to get the shot isn’t easy, but after a few tense moments and another barrage from the alien’s isokinetic cannons, your ship manages to slip beneath a twist of subspace energy and come out with a clear arc of fire at what you’re sure the weak points are in the alien’s impulse drive.

“Target acquired,” you say.

“Fire!” Crilly says.

The phasers streak across space between Ottawa and the alien vessel, and hit their mark. Even though the vessel’s shields are up, the precision of the strike overwhelms their full protection. One of the two impulse engines on the alien vessel flares with eruptions before going dark. The triangular vessel dips visibly, the remaining engine now unbalanced.

“Move us out,” the Captain says. “Keep closing in on the source of the distortions, but keep a sensor lock on that vessel. If they decide to come calling, I want to know about it.”

The Captain’s orders are acknowledged. You keep an eye on the alien vessel, but they remain still: it’s not immediately giving chase, and you theorize they’re likely entirely focused on repairs. 

What follows is a harrowing series of maneuvers among the ever-denser strands of the subspace distortions until, nearly an hour later, you notice something new on the viewscreen.

“Captain?” you say, but he seems to have noticed himself. 

“Magnify,” he says.

What appear to be four toroidal structures—space stations, perhaps?—are arranged in a diamond formation ahead of Ottawa, with all the pulsing, deep-red subspace distortions flaring into existence in the space between them before lashing out into the sector.

“Safe to say this isn’t a natural phenomenon after all,” Captain Crilly says.

[Mark down a checkmark in Box 6 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 also have the Targeting Systems Focus, and your roll was equal to or less than your Security Discipline, read A Healthy Distance below. Otherwise, Sunday morning will bring Part Seven.] 

A Healthy Distance
The alien vessel having fallen off sensors behind you gives you more time to take a look at what you’re just found, which is good, because the four stations putting out major energy readings, alongside the sheer concentration of subspace distortions they’re creating is all but overwhelming Ottawa’s sensors. You’ll need every minute you just bought.

[Mark a checkmark by A Healthy Distance under Advantages. Sunday morning will bring Part Seven.]

Test Six: Targeting Failure!
“Captain, their impulse engines are paired and gimbal-mounted—a precision hit from the phasers to one of them might limit their mobility,” you say. “It could give us time to put distance between us, without leaving them immobilized among the subspace distortions.”

Crilly nods at the suggestion. “Do it.”

Unfortunately, maneuvering Ottawa to get the shot proves difficult, and Ottawa takes another barrage from the alien’s isokinetic cannons—and then another—all without getting a clear line of fire to the alien vessel’s engines. 

Ottawa’s shields fall to less than half, the alien vessel shifting among the distortions to maintain its own firing arc on Ottawa, until one of the angular, crackling waves of energy twists violently between the two ships, and bucks up against the alien vessel—which takes a hit from the distortion even as it attempts to adjust course away from the destructive energy.

“Helm, let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth. Move us out,” the Captain says, gripping the arms of his command chair. “Keep closing in on the source of the distortions, but keep a sensor lock on that vessel. I don’t doubt they’ll come our way when they manage to get clear, and I want to know about it.”

The Captain’s orders are acknowledged. You keep an eye on the alien vessel, but the twists of subspace distortion are growing thicker. With a little luck, it might be a while before they can plot a way to give chase—and it’s possible they took enough damage to need to affect repairs as well.  

What follows is a harrowing series of maneuvers among the ever-denser strands of the subspace distortions until, nearly an hour later, you notice something new on the viewscreen.

“Captain?” you say, but he seems to have noticed himself. 

“Magnify,” he says.

What appear to be four toroidal structures—space stations, perhaps?—are arranged in a diamond formation ahead of Ottawa, with all the pulsing, deep-red subspace distortions flaring into existence in the space between them before lashing out into the sector.

“Safe to say this isn’t a natural phenomenon after all,” Captain Crilly says.

[Mark an X in Box 6 on your Mission Tracker to note a failure. Sunday morning will bring Part Seven.]

Saturday—Test Six: A Game of Cat and Mouse!

If you choose to rely on daring strategems and quick adjustments to lose the alien vessel amidst the subspace distortions, you need to make a DARING + COMMAND test. Take your Daring 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. 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 have it, you can erase Momentum to re-roll one d20.

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

Test Six: Strategic Success!
There have been many times in Starfleet’s history when a vessel has had to bob, weave, and otherwise hide among dangerous or obfuscating phenomenon to avoid a hostile vessel, and drawing on those tactics now might just give Ottawa the edge needed to stay out of range of those canons, and maybe even lose the alien vessel in the process. 

You call out options as the subspace distortions twist and shift, doing your best to bluff and double-bluff. You continue suggesting maneuvers intended to counter the expectations and assumptions of the alien vessel as to which way Ottawa might most reasonably go until Captain Crilly gets Ottawa out of the alien’s isokinetic canon range. Even better, Ottawa only takes two more glancing hits to her shields. After that, the alien vessel falls further and further behind, with the distortions themselves making it more and more difficult to track the large triangular vessel’s position. 

It didn’t seem to have much trouble maneuvering among the subspace distortions either, but the path you suggested placed the strands of destructive energy between you, building up more and more of a maze until—finally—the vessel slips from sensors entirely.

Something you hope has happened to their sensor lock on Ottawa as well.

“Let’s get to the source of these distortions before they manage to find us again,” Crilly says, with a small nod of appreciation your way.

What follows is a harrowing series of maneuvers among the ever-denser strands of the subspace distortions until, nearly an hour later, you notice something new on the viewscreen.

“Captain?” you say, but he seems to have noticed himself. 

“Magnify,” he says.

What appear to be four toroidal structures—space stations, perhaps?—are arranged in a diamond formation ahead of Ottawa, with all the pulsing, deep-red subspace distortions flaring into existence in the space between them before lashing out into the sector.

“Safe to say this isn’t a natural phenomenon after all,” Captain Crilly says.

[Mark down a checkmark in Box 6 on your Mission Tracker to note your success! If you also have the Pathfinding or Strategy & Tactics Focus, and your roll was equal to or less than your Command Discipline, read A Healthy Distance below. Otherwise, Sunday morning will bring Part Seven.] 

Test Six: Strategic Momentum!
There have been many times in Starfleet’s history when a vessel has had to bob, weave, and otherwise hide among dangerous or obfuscating phenomenon to avoid a hostile vessel, and you know them cold.

Drawing on those tactics, you give Ottawa the edge needed to stay out of range of those canons—the aliens only get off one more glancing hit to her shields—and next try to lose the alien vessel. 

You call out options as the subspace distortions twist and shift, doing your best to bluff and double-bluff. You continue suggesting maneuvers intended to counter the expectations and assumptions of the alien vessel as to which way Ottawa might most reasonably go until Captain Crilly gets Ottawa out of the alien’s isokinetic canon range. After that, the alien vessel falls further and further behind, with the distortions themselves making it more and more difficult to track the large triangular vessel’s position. 

It didn’t seem to have much trouble maneuvering among the subspace distortions either, but the path you suggested placed the strands of destructive energy between you, building up more and more of a maze until—finally—the vessel slips from sensors entirely.

Something you hope has happened to their sensor lock on Ottawa as well.

“Let’s get to the source of these distortions before they manage to find us again,” Crilly says, with a small nod of appreciation your way.

What follows is a harrowing series of maneuvers among the ever-denser strands of the subspace distortions until, nearly an hour later, you notice something new on the viewscreen.

“Captain?” you say, but he seems to have noticed himself. 

“Magnify,” he says.

What appear to be four toroidal structures—space stations, perhaps?—are arranged in a diamond formation ahead of Ottawa, with all the pulsing, deep-red subspace distortions flaring into existence in the space between them before lashing out into the sector.

“Safe to say this isn’t a natural phenomenon after all,” Captain Crilly says.

[Mark down a checkmark in Box 6 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 also have the Pathfinding or Strategy & Tactics Focus, and your roll was equal to or less than your Command Discipline, read A Healthy Distance below. Otherwise, Sunday morning will bring Part Seven.] 

A Healthy Distance
The alien vessel having fallen off sensors behind you gives you more time to take a look at what you’re just found, which is good, because the four stations putting out major energy readings, alongside the sheer concentration of subspace distortions they’re creating is all but overwhelming Ottawa’s sensors. You’ll need every minute you just bought.

[Mark a checkmark by A Healthy Distance under Advantages. Sunday morning will bring Part Seven.]

Test Six: Strategic Failure!
There have been many times in Starfleet’s history when a vessel has had to bob, weave, and otherwise hide among dangerous or obfuscating phenomenon to avoid a hostile vessel, and drawing on those tactics now might just give Ottawa the edge needed to stay out of range of those canons, and maybe even lose the alien vessel in the process. 

You call out options as the subspace distortions twist and shift, doing your best to bluff and double-bluff, but it’s like the distortions themselves are attempting to undermine Ottawa’s path, and your ship takes another hit from the alien vessel’s isokinetic cannons.

And then another. 

You continue suggesting maneuvers intended to counter the expectations and assumptions of the alien vessel as to which way Ottawa might most reasonably go, but the maneuverability of the alien vessel and the near random motion of the subspace disturbances aren’t letting you gain enough ground against the alien ship.

Ottawa takes two more glancing hits to her shields, and they’re starting to buckle. 

Then one of the angular, crackling waves of subspace energy twists violently between the two ships, and cracks across the alien vessel—which takes a hit from the distortion even as it attempts to adjust course away from the destructive energy.

“Helm, let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth. Move us out,” the Captain says, gripping the arms of his command chair. “Keep closing in on the source of the distortions, but keep a sensor lock on that vessel. I don’t doubt they’ll keep coming for us, and I want to know about it.”

The Captain’s orders are acknowledged. You keep an eye on the alien vessel, but the twists of subspace distortion only grow thicker. It came down to luck not strategy, but it might be a while before they can plot a way to give chase—and it’s possible they took enough damage to need to affect repairs as well.  

What follows is a harrowing series of maneuvers among the ever-denser strands of the subspace distortions until, nearly an hour later, you notice something new on the viewscreen.

“Captain?” you say, but he seems to have noticed himself. 

“Magnify,” he says.

What appear to be four toroidal structures—space stations, perhaps?—are arranged in a diamond formation ahead of Ottawa, with all the pulsing, deep-red subspace distortions flaring into existence in the space between them before lashing out into the sector.

“Safe to say this isn’t a natural phenomenon after all,” Captain Crilly says.

[Mark an X in Box 6 on your Mission Tracker to note a failure. Sunday morning will bring Part Seven.]