Tales From The U.S.S. Horizon - Episode 2: "Botanical Intrigue"

*For those that missed Episode 1, You can check that out here

Tales From The U.S.S. Horizon

Episode 2: "Botanical Intrigue"

Security's Log, January 25th, 2368:

Chief of Security, Lieutenant Commander Maxwell Phillips reporting. After things went quiet on Korvex Prime, Captain Reynolds was ready to send a recovery team. Our mission is to discover what happened, along with continuing the investigation of the Research Station.

Upon touching down, it’s amazing to see the beauty of Korvex Prime - a blend of majestic mountain ranges, lush forests, and vast open plains. It’s clear as to why the Xyranthians settled here. 

The research station was nestled in a Forest Valley. We managed to discover the first team was within, but had been rendered unconscious. Ensign David Carter was still conscious, but in a slight catatonic state. Very peculiar. What happened here? Why was Carter the only one to remain, for all intents and purposes, unharmed? 

Dr. Patel was able to verify that the team was relatively unharmed. They had some scrapes as if there had been some kind of scuffle.  There was also a slight hint of citrus and spice in the air. 

I was tasked with attempting to communicate with Carter. I try my best, but he doesn’t seem to be all there anymore. There is something in his eyes though. It’s like somehow he’s been locked away within himself. How can we reach him? Maybe someone else will have better luck. 

After checking in with Crewman Jackson regarding the perimeter’s status, I find Captain Reynolds and Commander Chen talking privately. What are they talking about? Why are they talking in private? Did something happen?  They also seem to be close. 

I’ve been with the U.S.S. Horizon for a month now, I’ve had time to see how the crew interacts with one another. But this time, it seems different. Is there something more going on that they’d like to tell us? 

I shake the thought away. Nonsense, Phillips. Got to get back to the here and now. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice something in the distance. I can’t quite put my finger on it. There’s nothing there when I looked in that direction head on. But I can’t shake the feeling that there’s something watching me right there. 

Perhaps I should talk to the Captain after all. 

As I was approaching Captain Reynolds and Commander Chen, Carter seemed to snap back to himself. He was stuttering and shaking. The man couldn’t seem to get a word out, but it was extremely evident that he was here with us right now. The only thing that he could do is stare at me. 

No not at me, His hand raises and points in my direction, Past me. 

I spun around and dropped to the ground as a plasma blast shot past me. With a thud, the air was knocked out of me. Good, take in that feeling. It’s what reminds you that you’re still here. 

I look up as I hear Dr. Patel shouting to Captain Reynolds. Carter was hit. 

Security’s Log, Supplemental: 

After the attack on us, the Captain deemed it necessary to have Dr. Patel send the team back onto the Horizon. Carter’s loss was too much for this mission. 

We still are at a loss as to what the hell happened here. Why was our team attacked in the first place? Was it a Xyranthian that had attempted a second hit on us and killed Carter? There are still too many unknowns here. I hope that we are able to uncover something here that can provide some sort of answer. One thing is absolutely clear - there is something here that someone doesn’t wish us to find. 

Captain Reynolds thought that it might be best to keep the numbers of our remaining team to a minimum. I honestly don’t disagree. We cannot have any more casualties. 

I took it upon myself to look into exactly where the shooter fired the killing shot from. With the aid of my tri-corder, I was able to detect a spot in the clearing where the blast may have come from. On the ground, there was a series of branches that look to have fallen out of the tree. There was a series of large footprints as well. 

“Commander Chen”, I called out using my combadge, “I think we may have where the shot came from.”. 

Commander Chen and Captain Reynolds came over and confirmed my thoughts. 

“We have the where. But we still don’t understand the why.”, Captain Reynolds explained. 

“Do we have anyone working on gaining access to the computer records inside the station?”, I asked. 

“Crewman Mitchell arrived down some time ago," Commander Chen answered, “They are in the process of downloading the server. Apparently, it’s been encrypted.”.

“Maybe there’s something in there that this attacker doesn’t want us to find.”, I mention as I scan the surroundings with my tricorder. At that moment, it hit me that the only sound in the area was the chime of the tricorder.  “We can track the signature of the plasma blast. I’m assuming it’s a plasma rifle.”. 

Suddenly an alluring and enchanting sound begins to emanate in the distance. We followed the sound and the plasma signature to a nearby clearing. 

Upon entering the clearing a beautiful melody could be heard. There was also that smell again - citrus and spice. It was the same smell that we had encountered earlier. 

Following Captain Reynolds and Commander Chen’s lead, I drew my phaser in one hand and tricorder in the other. 

The stronger the plasma signature got, the stronger the smell got. A faint rustling could be heard now. 

“I don’t think I need this anymore.”, I holstered the tricorder. 

With each step, the smell began to take a turn almost as did the sweet melody. Stopping in our tracks, we located the source of the rustling. 

“Oh my…” Commander Chen said. 

The sight is something I will never forget. It was our Drakallian Attacker, there was no doubt about that. 

“Are those..” Captain Reynolds began to ask. 

It was being held down on the forest floor by vines with big red flowers on them. The Drakallian’s limbs were bent at different angles. The vines appeared to be slithering their way as they were enveloping the creature. 

One word could be heard as if it had been said directly into our minds. 

Klavor. 

To Be Continued…

 

*This was a Solo RPG session from the Star Trek: Captain's Log*

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Tales from the U.S.S. Horizon Episode 1: "Infectious Origins"

 

Ta;es from the U.S.S. Horizon

Episode 1: "Infectious Origins"

Security's Log, January 25th, 2368: 

Chief of Security, Lieutenant Commander Maxwell Phillips reporting. That's something that I still haven't gotten used to. Hard to believe that it's only been a month since I was assigned to the U.S.S. Horizon. 

The U.S.S. Horizon has been sent on a critical mission in the Lysara Sector. It's a sector that not much has been known about. Uncharted territory for the Federation, if you will. I can confirm that there are five planets in this system - Lysaria, Drakalus, Xyria, Aquilon, and Zenthia. There have been rumors of feuds between two of the species, the Xyranthians and the Drakillians. The status of this sector's Federation approval is dependent on this mission.

Upon entering the sector, we received a request to dock at Harmony Station for a meeting- a space station that serves as their neutral ground between the different polities. Captain Reynolds made the decision to split the team - one's objective would be to attend the diplomatic meeting and the other's to investigate the research station. 

I ask myself 'Why Starfleet deemed it necessary to send us on this mission?'. But one thing is clear - this sector's Federation approval is dependent on what transpires. To be honest, it feels like a weight has been placed on my shoulders. I don't envy Captain Reynold's responsibilities. But I must stay focused.

Security's Log, supplemental:

The meeting didn't go according to plan. The positive is that we made contact with the different polities: the Lysarians, the Drakallians, the Nalorians, the Xyranthians, and the Zenithians. It's clear that the Lysarians are the peacekeepers as the tensions between the Drakallians and the Xyranthians was very evident. We learned that Korvex Prime had been colonized recently by the Xyranthians. While the Xyranthians viewed this as a sign of their species strength and adaptability, others viewed it as a sign of power and force. Ambassador Valeer of the Lysarians was quick to remind Captain Vosran (of the Drakallians) and Commander Nalos (of the Xyranthians) of what the Lysara Sector was attempting to accomplish - proving to the Federation that they were ready to join them.

Captain Reynolds attempted to reach the away team down on the surface to no response…

To Be Continued...

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If this interested you, check out Captain's Log over at Modiphius. 

Star Trek Adventures: Captain's Log

 

    Hello all, welcome back to BlazinBlue's Review. It's been a while since I've posted last. There's been a lot that has been going on. We've been working on finding and preparing time to move. That's something that has taken quite a bit of time. But once we get everything squared away, it'll all be worth it. 

I've also been working on finding something for my son and I to do. He loves getting to play tabletop rpgs. We've spent time working on finding a Star Wars RPG cause he loves Star Wars. It's been a bit of a miss trying to find something to work for that Galaxy Far, Far, Away. We've also played some Dungeons & Dragons. But it's been the two of us. So it's a bit difficult to find a system that works for the two of us. 

Lately, I've been on a bit of a Star Trek kick. When I first was introduced to Star Trek, it was thanks to my Dad. We spent weekend afternoons watching reruns of Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was just one of those things that clicked for me. So, I decided to check out Star Trek: Picard. It's been a pretty awesome show so far. I know that there are those that may disagree on that and that's okay. Seeing where the returning characters are at in their lives has been pretty cool, and the new characters were pretty solid. It just managed to work in such an interesting way. 

Well, I had the pleasure of keeping that tradition going. My son sat down and watched an episode or two of Star Trek: Picard and then wanted to see more. At that point, I introduced him to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Strange New Worlds is just pure Trek. It's everything that love bout the franchise. It manages to hit all the right notes. While Picard felt a bit Firefly-ish in its approach, Strange New Worlds was 100% that vibe of The Original Series. And so, I took the time to start looking into Star Trek Adventures. 

Star Trek Adventures was really everything that could hope for in an RPG. It lets you play in the sandbox that Roddenberry created. I can definitely say that this places the franchise where it has never gone before. The flood gates were absolutely open because there was at least 5 years worth of awesomeness to look through. It felt a bit daunting. Overwhelming. But the thing was that it still required a group to play. And with us, it's just the two of us currently. 

So, I decided to look into if there was a solo option. By using the solo option, it'd allow us to create our own characters and be able to have our own sandbox that we could play in without a GM. There was Starlogs and Beyond the Stars. These seemed to be able to emulate slightly that feeling of going GM-less. But it just wasn't right for us necessarily. 

Then last week on the 11th, imagine my surprise when I discovered a YouTube interview that was discussing the breaking news for Star Trek Adventures - Star Trek Adventures: Captain's Log.  Immediately my son noticed that I was grinning from ear to ear and asked what was it. 

The very next day, I put in my pre-order to Modiphius. 

For those that are wondering, Star Trek Adventures: Captain's Log is everything that I was looking for. 

Captain's Log is an absolutely amazing tool. It's an all in one standalone book from the rest of the Star Trek Adventures line. It can be used in conjunction with the other books. It can also be used just for the information within it. 

Are you new to Trek? This book is for you. Are you new to RPGs? This book is for you. Are you looking for something that will help you craft stories? Again, this book is for you. 

At first, I was a bit hesitant to what I could do with the Captain's Log. I hadn't really dived into solo rpgs before. This was all new territory for me. I had played a session or two of Dungeons and Dragons and GMed a session or two. But I wasn't sure if I could do it. 

After the time I've had with it, I can definitely say that anyone can play Captain's Log. Really sky is the limit. Do you have to know your Trek? Absolutely not. The first two chapters of this book alone sets the groundwork for anyone coming into Trek for the first time. And it does it all magnificently. 

The roll tables in this book are called Probability Matrixes. There is a table for absolutely everything. Locations, build NPCs, Encounters are just a small tip of the iceberg. It helps with just about any aspect one could ask for. 

Now you may find yourself wondering 'What era can you play in?'. Absolutely any, all, or none of them. Literally I say that the sky is the limit. If you want to play an Enterprise campaign of the Rise of the Federation, it's in here. The Original Series or Discovery, it's in here. Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, or anything else you can imagine is in here. This is a completely Era-agnostic book and that's just so amazing to see. It provides you plenty of information for those Eras though. 

Could I have wished for just a little more information of the different eras? Possibly. But everything that is covered is absolutely awesome. 

Heck, I always wondered if could run a campaign involving the '09 Trek. With this tool, I probably could with a few adjustments here and there. There isn't specifically any information of the Kelvin Timeline, but that's probably down to licensing. And yes, I will say 100% that I enjoyed the hell out of those films. They reignited my love for Trek after I had stepped away from the franchise for a time. 

There are so many stories that can be told with everything contained within. It honestly is going to allow for years and years of content. I mean I'm never going to find myself bored of playing in the Trek sandbox. And with this, it helps one scratch that creative itch of creating something whether you spend 15 minutes or a few hours in a session. It really can be that easy. 

I'd absolutely highly recommend getting this book. I recommended it to my friend, who isn't a Trekkie. He literally told me that he hadn't really watched anything Trek. And then the other day, he told me that he had stumbled across a Star Trek audio drama. That's pretty cool. And he might even be up for playing in our campaign. 

Rating: I'd give this an absolute 5 out of 5. Such a well put together tool that just has so much limitless potential. And that's amazing. 

*Stay Tuned as I'll be sharing stories of the U.S.S. Horizon*

You can find the Captain's Log at Modiphius for Purchase. There are four different covers to it (The Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Discovery). They are featured at the top of the article. I ended up with The Next Generation cover. 

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