Alliana clutched her champagne flute tightly between her slender fingers, acutely aware the delicate crystal neck could snap at any moment and make her embarrassing situation all the worse. Taking a deep breath and flashing her most convincing smile to a passing Andorian server, who responded with only a curt head nod, she began slowly crossing the seemingly vast lounge to the restroom hidden beside the main doors. Unruly deck plates swayed unhelpfully back and forth beneath her feet, challenging her balance atop two glittering golden stiletto heels that seemed intent on wrapping themselves around the hem of her sequined fishtail dress. 

“Only a few meters, just get to the door. Just get out of the room at least.”

Descending from the small raised platform that ran alongside the ring of windows her right foot refused to raise sufficiently and her delicate heel caught on the luxuriously thick Bolian wool carpet, causing her to stumble onto the lower deck. She barely caught herself before her balance was lost completely, her arms splayed like a diving bird, cracked like short wings at the elbows, clutch purse in one hand, empty crystal in the other. 

“Do. Not. Fall. Over.” Her stomach lurched, causing the Saurian brandy within to rock in frothy waves that threatened to destroy the mask of glamorous effortlessness she fought to convey. 

“Don’t be sick.” she thought to herself, feeling the liquid squirm in her belly. “Do not be sick in front of these people.” 

Her eye scanned the room for evidence anyone had noticed her calf-like stumble. Nothing, they were all too busy gathered around the tall deck to ceiling windows, chattering in hushed tones about views of the blue gas giant below, the epic backdrop to the evenings aperitifs. Satisfied no-one was watching she continued to shuffle across the floor, thankful the mauve shag carpet had given way to smooth shimmering deck plates that clacked quietly beneath her feet. She didn’t expect anyone to have noticed, they like Alliana had all spent a great deal of time and effort to be aboard Christie, they weren’t going to waste it by focusing on the stumbling woman in the corner. She had entered the lottery a dozen times before Frontier Day when it was shut down temporarily in the interests of security, when she heard news it was open again her applications also resumed. To journey on the Oridian Express was an exclusive experience, taking a hundred lucky lottery winning passengers on a three month tour around the Federation’s most interesting sites of the time. This quarters tour included a mysterious core-ward planetary system that popular rumour suggested was Coppelius, home to the Federation’s newest synthetic protectorate. The mysterious destination was days away on the itinerary but the mill aboard was working overtime, passengers, servers and deck crew alike all whispered from the corner of their mouths that the synth planet was their destination. Right now she would settle for the bathroom. 

It felt like an hour passed between each step, all her attention focused making the next move. When days later she made it to the small non-descript doors, their tall grey panels barely discernible against the dark wood panelling, she allowed herself a small breath of relief. She reached down to the small panel nestled in the wood pressing the non-descript button causing the doors to slide aside with a barely audible beep and quickly stumbled inside, hurrying to press the mirror button drawing the doors closed. Its agreement fulfilled, her stomach now threatened again. With a hand over her mouth she begged for a few moments more. Her stomach groaned, unwilling to negotiate. Her attention quickly raced to find a basin, but the barely illuminated room was devoid of plumbing. At the far end of the room a ladder built into the wall carried on above and below the room, its rungs disappearing into the innards of the vessel, the walls were otherwise bare save for a flickering console recessed into the bulkhead, its surface a spiderweb of cracks radiating from the centre. 

“Bugger, wrong room.” She sighed through her fingers, slow to remove them from her mouth lest her stomach take the initiative. It grumbled threateningly but maintained it’s reluctant order. 

“Computer, nearest restroom.” She hissed through her teeth, embarrassed to ask for help. 

“The nearest rest room is 10 metres down the corridor.” a disembodied voice answered, the voice calm and unbothered by the woman’s embarrassment. 

“We can do 10 metres.” She promised herself. Brushing her dress down, she began turning on her heel back towards the door when her shoe slid beneath her, the floor suddenly slick with liquid. 

“I swear Alliana, if you’ve split booze down your dress…” she eyed up the glass in her hand, the faint light from the broken console cutting through the slender shape of the champagne flute, projecting dagger like shadows across the bulkhead. She didn’t think there had been anything in her glass, that was the cause of the problem at hand. Popping her purse open she retrieved a crumpled handkerchief. 

“Lets see the damage then. Computer, lights to 50 percent.” The disembodied woman did not answer but obeyed, immediately pouring light into the room from recessed roof panels causing Alliana to blink in discomfort as her eyes struggled to adjust. Patting down her dress she was satisfied to find it undamaged by brandy and she pulled up the hem of her dress, expecting a pool of barely orange liquid to be pooling at her feet. Instead she found a puddle of viscous green liquid lapping up a against the slim shores of her shoe its thick, waves slowly radiating out as a result of her earlier movement. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she followed the small lake of liquid back downstream, following its snaking path towards the shadowed corner of the room, up the leg of the body hastily stuffed into the cabinet and to the temples of an olive skinned man. His peaked ears caked in dried green liquid, his long pale duster jacket turning a grimy emerald, his face locked in a panicked expression. 

Her stomach suddenly the least of her worries Alianna pressed the door button once more and raced from the room, her shouts of help echoing through the corridors, her golden stilettoes tracking bloody footprints behind her. 

XO’s Log: Pioneer has been diverted once again. Following our recent under cover operation to Valkoran Base we have spent several days at DS19 transferring prisoners and supplies. We had only just left the station when we received a distress call from the passenger liner SS Christie in orbit of Agrima III. It seems there has been a violent crime aboard that has resulted in the death of a passenger. As the nearest Starfleet vessel, we have been instructed to respond and establish what has occurred. A larger vessel with a full investigation team are en-route but are still several days away. I guess the Talvath Cluster will have to wait a little longer… again. 

Part 1 – A Chilly Welcome. 

Our crack team of investigators arrive aboard the converted Miranda Class vessel, SS Christie, a passenger cruise liner that has recently returned to service following an extended period of closure. They are greeted by Head Steward Amarilla, a chilly and formal Betazoid who explains the situation to the team; a few nights ago a young woman accidently stumbled into a Jefferies junction room looking for the bathroom, there she discovered the dead body of a Vulcan passenger. Since that time the vessel has also lost the ability to go to warp and whilst they do not know if the two things are connected their chief engineer cannot find any reason why the ship would be stalled now. A fellow Betazoid, Doctor Kaz notices from her surface thoughts that the woman is very panicked and is working over time to keep her professional demeanour. Taking the lead for the moment he requests to see the body and the team are lead to sickbay. Whilst they travel the corridors they notice several groups of passengers trading gossip surrounding the incident and Starfleet’s arrival, our diplomat James Shaw notices that not many people seem bothered about the dead passenger. 

Part 2 – Questionable Medical Licences

On arrival at Sick bay Amarilla holds the team at the door and requests the team treat the ships doctor, an elder Tellerite by the name of Knowles, with respect as a seasoned practitioner. Though they do not quite understand her meaning they agree to tread carefully. Upon entering the sickbay they find a bumbling man attending a hungover Andorian alongside several synth nursing assistants, (they note their presence to be odd following recent events with Copellius) and begin questioning the Doctor about the corpse. From their questioning they establish the following:

• The Vulcan died from a major blunt force trauma to the cranium. 
• It appears he dies approximately 4 hours prior to being found. 
• Initial scans show no abnormalities or surprises with the body. 
• The passenger’s identity have been erased from the ships logs, there is no record of him being aboard despite having interacted with multiple crew members and services over the course of three weeks. 

Shaw and Kaz both decide to undertake their own scans, focusing particularly on the incomplete medical scan data that identified some unusual genetic markers. Following some further questioning from Kaz, with their specific field of knowledge they identify Doctor Knowles to be less than dependable, identifying several mistakes in his initial investigation. The team suspects he is suffering from his age and decide not to point out his mistake. Yupaz attempts to model the weapon but is only able to identify it was round and struck with massive force. The team decides to split up to investigate further:

• Yupaz and Shaw will head to the Vulcan’s quarters and look for leads. 
• Lane will head to the engine room to assist the chief engineer with investigations into the disabled warp engines. 
• Kaz will head to the lounge where the 4 passengers present at the time of discovery have been assembled. 

Part 3a – Yupaz & Shaw

Whilst journeying to the cabins, Shaw investigates the medical scans further and identifies an unusual but familiar genome sequence hidden amongst the victims DNA. It causes a security lockout and he requests special dispensation from Pioneer’s XO to have the record unsealed, revealing an unexpected genetic marker. (GM Note: this is not revealed to the rest of the party). 

On arrival to the Vulcan’s quarters they notice a number of synths operating in the corridors, acting as both sentries and stewards, one attempts to physically block the pair’s entrance as they are not guests but Amarilla grants the team access rights. The duo use their scans of the victim to identify where he was most active in the quarters (GM: Yupaz discovered the abnormal genetic markers at this time, it is still a secret from the other members of the party), this leads them to notice a particularly well used ceremonial Japanese tea set that appears to be an antique. After some investigation they discover the set is an excellent forgery and notice the box features a number of non-Terran symbols consistent with traditional Romulan pictographs. 

Part 3b – Lane

Lane makes his way to the engine room where Deck Chief Nickul is working with a team of a half dozen synths to investigate the ships faulty warp systems. The jaded Bolian chief seems reluctant to accept Lane’s fresh faced help but agrees he can run his own diagnostics, she explains that there is no obvious fault but every time they attempt to engage the warp field the computer engages safety overrides without explanation. 

After a series of investigate diagnostics Lane discovers the ship’s computer is detecting an surge in power through the plasma conduits and institutes a shutdown to prevent an overload. This feature is hard wired into the safety features of the vessel and would take extensive work to bypass, Lane also discovers that there is no actual power surge but the system appears to be being duped from a relay that then erases it’s activities, suspiciously this relay is located in the Jefferies junction where the victim was found. He takes Chief Nickul and goes to investigate. (GM Note: Lane also discovers the secret genetic markers of the victim during his research. At this point only Kaz is unaware)

Part 3c – Doctor Kaz

Doctor Kaz is shown to the Midnight Lounge in the forward section where the four witnesses/suspects have been assembled, though a series of interviews he establishes the following information:

Captain Fabian Hiskel (Retired)

• First he interviews Hiskel who introduces himself immediately on Kaz’s arrival. He is full of bluster and sprinkles his answers with repeated references to heroic adventures alongside Starfleet greats. 
• Kaz sees through Hiskel’s fabrications and after consulting the Starfleet records confirms he was actually a captain of little note spending much of his career in the Starfleet interior on milk runs. 
• Hiskel is a long-term passenger aboard Christie and saw the victim come aboard approximately three weeks ago. He has been quiet and solitary, interacting with the others rarely despite Hiskel’s multiple attempts.

Feystin Krill

• Feystin is dour Bajoran who holds a lot of anger towards Starfleet following the death of his wife aboard Probert Station on Frontier Day. 
• He had originally planned to come on this cruise with his wife, when prompted he did not give an explanation why he still came aboard following her death. 
• Kaz noticed that the man was hiding something and after some probing ascertains that Feystin remembered seeing the Vulcan before coming aboard the ship, in some less than reputable locations on Freecloud. He can’t be 100% sure but is confident he had seen the man before. 

Djon, son of Naykar

• Extremely reluctant to answer Kaz’s questions Djon admits he did not like the victim, believing him to be a liar and that he had come aboard under false pretences. He insinuates the victim may be a Romulan, though this appears on the surface to be simple racism.
• He admits that he had a run in with the Vulcan several nights ago as they passed through a slalom course in an asteroid belt. The Victim had attempted to steal his personal belongings including his ID and his dagger. 
• He noted that the Vulcan was unexpectedly aggressive and emotional. 

Alianna Kane

• Alianna is the young woman who discovered the victim’s body. She is calm on the surface but clearly struggling with what she has seen. 
• She is a journalist from the Federation News Service travelling aboard the ship, though Kaz does not discover what her current investigation is regarding. 
• She also feeds Kaz several pieces of information including proof that Hiskel is not the man he says he is and that Djon’s history has several holes. She suspected the victim was not what he appeared but doesn’t have any information to share. 

As Kaz removes himself from the lounge under the guise of needing to contact the ship, he meets Lane and Chief Nickul in the corridor and joins them en-route to investigate the crime scene. 

Theories abound throughout the ship and amongst the team as to the nature of the victim and the cause of his death. Was it Changelings? Synths? The Tal Shiar? Perhaps it relates to the secret genetic markers that remain a mystery only to Doctor Kaz? We will see next session.

Previously on the USS Pioneer

Our away team have been assigned to investigate a murder aboard the Oridian Express (AKA the SS Christie). Though their arrival was initially met with chilly reluctance they have begun to delve into this mystery, discovering that few aboard the ship are what they appear and even fewer, if any, passengers had a kind word to say about the victim. During their investigations, Yupaz & Shaw discovered an unusual tea chest in the victim’s sparse cabin that conceals something electronic though inactive. Meanwhile Kaz discovered through his interviews with the witnesses, that they each had their suspicions that the victim was up to no good as well as their disputes with him. Finally, young Ensign Lane identified the source of the computer interference causing the warp systems to fail, where all signs point suspiciously to the as-yet unexamined crime scene. 

Act 1 – Smarter than a box?

Shaw and Yupaz search the victim’s cabin for clues as to what the tea box may contain and how to reveal the secrets. Upon examining the exterior of the box they discover an ornate inscription in a pictographic language that they suspect relates to the box’s contents and when they consult the Starfleet database they find it relates to an unusual Reman dialect, the ship’s computer is only able to translate some parts without additional context and they receive the following translation. 

XXXX XXXX blade XXXX

XXXXX XX slow to my throat

XXXX XX XXXX XX XXX XXXXX XXXXX

Then leave, that I XXX XXXXX XX XXXXX

Atop the box’s lid is a carved scene of two men, one holds a knife whilst the other cowers on the floor in fear. Shaw reasons this is related to the founding myths of Human Rome and their parallels in the founding of the Romulan Star Empire. Unable to discover any further clues (GM Note: Some exceptionally terrible rolls) Yupaz decides to use force and breaks open the box revealing a smooth dark grey object. Unable to gather any further information they decide to move to Engineering to investigate further. As they exit the cabin they catch their steward, Amarilla, in conversation over the comms. “Yes, they’re still here. I know we have a schedule” she whispers before she realises they are present. When questioned she informs them she was speaking to the Captain, they do not believe her but allow her to escort them to Engineering. 

Act 2 – Footprints in the carpet

Lane and the ship’s engineer Nickul are en route to Junction 27, the location where the body was discovered and also the location that houses the device foiling their attempts to go to warp speed. En route, they encounter Kaz who has stepped out to review his statements from his unreliable witnesses. Nickul guides the two to the Jefferies junction that houses both the crime scene and the insidious device, indicating a set of doors down a corridor covered in bloody footprints that the ship’s maintenance synths are in the process of cleaning. After a warning from a hoovering android to mind their step, the pair allow Engineer Nickul to return to engineering when they realise their colleague Gik has beamed aboard to assist them (GM Note: this is the introduction of our newest player). The Saurian operations officer joins forces with Shaw to search for the device that is causing the ongoing interruptions whilst Kaz investigates the crime scene. The Doctor identifies that the blood spatter across the walls originates from the body currently in the sickbay and detects Vulcan, Reman and Suliban genetic sequences during his investigation. Through some application of geometry, he calculates that the blood spray originated from the corner of the room, where Gik and Shaw also discover the device, hidden by a miniature holographic device. The trio surmise that someone discovered the victim working on the device and an altercation ensued, ending with a violent attack on the victim causing massive blunt force trauma and then death. 

The team attempted to disable the device, leading to the mission’s first extended task. (GM Note: this is a task where each member attempts an individual action to complete a shared goal. The difficulty of the individual task is affected by their investigative planning and the use of relevant skills. Each person contributes their success in an attempt to complete the task.) The trio offer the following actions in an attempt to disable the device without activating the signal beacon:

• Ensign Lane scanned the device and established there was a biometric lock, with residue in keeping with the victim’s genetic sequence. He also noted there were still active samples in the room. 
• Doctor Kaz created a fake signature utilising the blood spatter in the room, he created an aerosolised sample that he sprayed on the device, unlocking the biometric lock.
• Lieutenant Gik attempted to trick the device into a diagnostic loop whilst they attempted to deactivate the device, hoping to avoid it transmitting a signal. 

Between the three of them, they were able to deactivate the device but detected that it had transmitted a signal to a location outside the ship. With Pioneer’s help, they identified that the signal was not powerful enough to penetrate subspace and could not have left the system, leading them to believe there may be a cloaked vessel trailing them. Pioneer went to Yellow Alert. 

Act 3 – Translations and Investigations

Shaw and Yupaz arrive at Engineering to find a frustrated Nickul has just returned from escorting Lane, she moans about the constant interruptions but is willing to help. The pair ask her to investigate the subspace beacon they found in the victim’s quarters, she does so reluctantly as she summons the assistance of Synth 241. As she does this Yupaz notices that two nearby synths exchange a confused look before one nods slightly, instructing the other to attend to the engineer, he notes it to be an odd activity but does not share it with Shaw. With the assistance of the synth, Nickul quickly gets the beacon active again but informs the pair that it has complicated encryption that she cannot decipher with Christie‘s aged and limited computer core. They consider contacting Pioneer but without a key, any brute force attempt would be almost impossible, they surmise that the Reman puzzle on the outside of the box would assist and after consulting Federation records find that Hiskel and Alianna both have experience with the Reman language. They depart engineering to the lounge, leaving the beacon behind in Engineering for safekeeping. 

Yupaz leaves Shaw to brief the rest of the team, whilst the diplomatic officer goes to interview the witnesses. Initially, he asks Captain Hiskell (retired) for his assistance as his record indicates he served with a number of Reman troop units during the Dominion War, he can translate some glyphs but is not particularly helpful. Alianna however has a much better grasp of the language having worked with Reman refugees following the Shinzon incident and between them, they translate the poem in its entirety.

Raise your blade high,
Bring it slow to my throat.
Cast it down to the dusty ground,
Then leave that I may quiet my heart

As the two groups begin planning their next steps an alert sounds across the ship. 

“Deck personnel to the Shuttle Bay. Unexpected launch in progress.” 

Previously on USS Pioneer

Our away team boarded the converted cruise ship SS Christie to investigate the murder of a passenger. After some investigation, it quickly became apparent that the victim was some sort of undercover operator for an unknown polity. They discover a Reman subspace beacon, as well as a device of Romulan origin that broadcasts their location before they can deactivate it. The team have also caught the witnesses in some falsifications and fabrications when questioned and are beginning to suspect the victim may have been aboard to acquire or eliminate a target. As they begin to plan their next steps an alert sounds, someone is trying to escape via a shuttle. 

Act 1 – It’s a very Klingon thing to do.

Shaw remains in the lounge whilst the rest of the team, (Kaz, Yupaz, Gik & Lane) make their way down to the shuttle bay to render assistance. When they arrive the shuttle bay doors are beginning to open for a small shuttle pod to escape, it is already released from its magnetic constrictors and is airborne. Noticing the team’s arrival, the shuttle’s occupants disable the safety protocols and Lane realises the forcefield will collapse when the door opens, completely exposing the bay to the void of space. Yupaz leaps from the balcony, slides down a ladder and begins crossing the bay to some nearby worker bees, he fires his phaser in an attempt to force the shuttlepod’s access door to open but misses, striking the thrusters instead. Kaz, realising they will all be exposed to the vacuum when the field drops, quickly distributes emergency oxygen from a nearby supply cabinet to the team before joining Lane and Gik in the nearby control room. Here Lane is attempting to reverse the opening of the shuttle doors but is unable to break the complicated and unfamiliar override programming, Gik manages to delay the doors by causing them to stall but realises he is actively being countered by a passenger aboard the shuttle pod. All four members of the team see into the cab and see two synths behind the controls. Seeing Gik’s ploy to delay the doors failing Yupaz leaps into a worker bee and engages the engines at full thrust, crashing into the side of the shuttlepod and pushing it into the corner of the shuttlebay He states this was the Klingon thing to do. He then leaps from the worker bee and rushes to a nearby set of heavy corridor doors as the exterior bay doors continue to rise, he makes it to the corridor, channelling his athletic past at the academy where he won bronze in the 500m.  (GM Note: he rolled a really lucky roll). 

As the doors finally reach an open state the programming takes hold and the bay is vented into space by the failing forcefield. The remains of the worker bee are blown out into space along with the crashed shuttlepod and its occupants. The team in the control room are safe as emergency forcefields engage, Yupaz is safe in the corridor outside. Kaz contacts Pioneer and warns them of the escaping Synths, as the sleek form of the Intrepid class ship comes into view through the open bay doors they watch as it captures the shuttle in a tractor beam and brings it aboard for investigation. The team leave the bay and begins towards Engineering to question engineer Nickul about the synths. Kaz splits off from the group to go help Shaw in his enquiries. 

Act 2 – Do you hear an accent?

Whilst the team engage the synths in the shuttle bay, Shaw continues his interviews with the witnesses after Alianna offers him information that shows Captain Hiskell is not who he appears. She presents information, whoich Shaw is able to confirm with Pioneer’s database, that Hiskell did not serve with any great glory but was a mid-level captain, with some notable service during the Dominion War but is otherwise not particularly well known or noteworthy. He is also of Hispanic heritage and the man aboard SS Christie, whilst looking similar is very definitely not the same person. Shaw attempts to butter the man up with questions regarding his earlier statements about serving aboard DS9, claiming he helped Commander Sisko with a Bajoran extremist cell aboard the station, casting a disapproving glance to the Bajoran widow across the room. Whilst his dates and references are consistent with historical events there is no note on file that Hiskell was aboard the station at the time of the short-lived Bajoran civil uprising in 2370. Shaw presents this to the retired captain who brushes it off as an oversight, ‘Sisko had more important things to be doing than talking about me’. 

Hoping to move the Captain to a more secure location, Shaw asks Hiskell to accompany him to Sickbay to answer some questions, the Captain is reluctant but eventually agrees. As the pair make their way out of the lounge Shaw informs Kaz of their plans and that he will meet them in Sickbay. Whilst journeying down a deserted corridor Shaw feels a small pressure on his neck and then becomes woozy and confused, as he falls to the ground he sees a sneering Hiskell standing with a hypospray in hand. 

“Pathetic Humans,” Hiskell mutters before quickly departing. Leaning into his linguistic skills just before he falls unconscious, Shaw identifies a familiar tone and has sudden flashbacks to hearing recordings of Cardassian propaganda speeches during the Dominion War, reminding him strongly of Gul Dukat’s superiorist tone. (GM Note again, a really, really lucky roll.) It seems a Cardassian operative may also be on board. Arriving moments later Kaz finds Shaw and is able to stabilise him, before informing the team there may be a security risk. 

Act 3 – Romulans in the engine room!

As Yupaz, Lane and Gik arrive outside Engineering they hear a commotion and the sounds of disruptor fire. They plan a three-pronged approach into the room with Yupaz and Gik entering from the side entrances onto the upper balconies whilst Lane enters through the main doors; on the signal they all enter, taking the three Romulan assailants by surprise. As they enter they see Chief Nickul cornered by the Romulans with the subspace beacon clutched in her hands, she is being protected by two synths whilst two more are attempting to block the attackers. Gik takes a run at the fighter on his balcony, pushing him over the small balcony edge with his own body and landing on the floor of the engineering bay, the Romulan is heavily injured by still alive, having been a cushion for the Saurian’s body. At the same time, Yupaz fires several shots at the Romulan on his balcony, one makes contact but does not stun the Uhlan, before he can fire again the man drops down a ladder and attempts to relocate to a better position near his allies. Lane provides suppressing phaser fire from the doorway, inflicting minor damage on the Centurion Commander who is better armed and manages to land some strikes near Chief Nickul before summoning reinforcements in the form of two more Uhlans. Unfortunately, the two forward synths are in range of these reinforcements and begin beating them as they materialise, interrupting the transporter sequence and causing the incoming Romulan’s to disintegrate violently.

Seeing they are at a disadvantage the lead Centurion attempts to fire directly at the subspace beacon to destroy it. Yupaz sees this and leaps from the balcony to interrupt the Centurion’s line of sight, he succeeds and thanks to his Klingon physiology and security training takes only minor injuries as he hits the ground (GM Note: lucky rolls come in threes). The centurion’s line of sight is distracted long enough for Shaw to fire on him, disarming him. 

The trio question him as the only conscious raider but he is unwilling to divulge much information outside of the fact they are not alone, a warbird follows them and they will not be allowed to make it to their next destination Coppelius. He refuses to say anymore. The team take him into custody. 

Act 4 – You may call me Sindel

A short time passes and the team are assembled in the Christie‘s meeting room, they update each other and trade theories whilst questioning Amarilla about several unusual happenings. They establish the following information;

• A search has been undertaken aboard SS Christie for the imposter Captain Hiskell, there is no trace of him and sensors indicate that no launches have occurred from the ship. There is no indication of transporter signatures but the Romulans also managed to avoid detection, there is a suspicion internal sensors have been tampered with. 
• Pioneer is patrolling the nearby area but does not hold out much hope of discovering a vessel if it is cloaked without aggressive investigation methods such as blind fire. They have requested more immediate assistance from Starfleet. Assets are currently being redeployed. 
• The two synths have been secured by Pioneer and are available for questioning. As are the two captured Romulans, only one is conscious. 

During the questioning, Amarilla confirms their next stop is near Coppelius, which is extremely important to the ship and its owners. After invoking several Federation security statutes and suggesting that this might now become a Starfleet Security matter, Amarilla calls a waiting android into the room. This android reveals himself to be called Sindel and he speaks for the androids aboard, all of whom are self-aware, sentient and in hiding. 

They explain that since the removal of the synth ban, many units have walked the line between true sentience and simple thinking machines. Despite the revelation of the Tal Shiar’s involvement in the Attack of Mars there is still a great deal of stigma and distrust surrounding synthetic beings and many are attempting to flee to Coppelius to join their Soong-type android brethren. The SS Christie was purchased and re-commissioned as a cruise liner to provide an undercover travel method to fleeing synthetics from around Federation space, delivering them safely to Copellius without suspicion. Sindel believes that the Romulan agents were using the beacon to track their path and root out groups of synths as well as gain access to Copellius, he notes they will not be willing to let the evidence of their further illegal activities get into Federation hands. 

The room comes to realise that now the Tal Shiar plot has been discovered and with only Pioneer as their guardian, they are in grave danger. 

Previously on USS Pioneer

Spoiler warning - details of the ongoing mystery are included below, continue at your own risk!

Our team were finally getting to the bottom of the mysterious murder of what appeared to be a Romulan secret agent aboard the pleasure cruiser SS Christie. Unfortunately, the situation is becoming desperate as the team finds themselves disrupting an escape attempt, fending off a Romulan attack and revealing a Cardassian agent on board. After discovering the synthetic crew of the ship were, in reality, sentient androids on the run from persecution, the crew of Pioneer agreed to help secure the vessel's journey to Coppellius where the refugees were seeking safety. Pioneer has called for aid but the race to Coppelius has begun. 

Pre Game

We rejoined our team in the meeting room aboard the SS Christie where Kaz and Gik enquired as to the combat capability of Christie given that support was some time away. (They also establish that Coppelius will have some protection from Starfleet but they are preparing for the possibility they will be intercepted.) Amarilla confirms that they have some basic defences, having managed to secure the ship's deflectors and phaser banks during its decommissioning, but they are severely outdated and are intended for fighting pirates, not Romulan cruisers. Kaz notices with his telepathic abilities that Amarilla is hiding something and after some prompting, (and promises that they won't be in trouble) she reveals they have a half dozen smuggled photon torpedoes. The team also noted that there is no sign of the possible Cardassian operative. As they begin considering their options Christie falls out of warp and an alert indicates a Romulan cruiser is approaching. Amarilla sounds a warning, informing all passengers to return to their cabins while the team makes their way to the bridge. 

Round 1

The team arrive on the bridge to find the ship's commander in a panic, clearly out of his depth. Gik takes over command of the situation and ship, whilst Kaz moves to the helm and Sindel takes the engineering station with Amarilla, the rest of the team takes supporting positions [GM Note: several players were absent and their characters are working ‘off-screen’]. Realising the Romulans must still have the ability to interdict and sabotage Chrsitie, Kaz instructs Sindel to begin locking out computer systems and routing all controls centrally to the small bridge. Whilst doing so the android confirms efforts to make the passengers safe are almost complete and all the civilians on board have been moved to the central, reinforced sections. Kaz reports that the ship still retains impulse capabilities but at the moment cannot go to warp once again, Sindel begins working with the other android to find the source of the interference. After scanning the local region Kaz also identifies they are in the shelter of a planetary ring system, a Romulan warbird hovering nearby, penning them in. He also notices Amarilla is unusually distracted and after probing her mind with his Betazoid abilities catches the thought ‘Where is Gul Mastren?’. Before he can investigate a large red light on the console begins to blink; the Romulans are hailing.

A cold voice echoes across the bridge as Gik opens the channel. 

“You are carrying criminals and enemies of the Romulan Free State. Surrender them immediately and you will be free allowed to leave alive.”

Gik challenges the Romulan officer as to the identity of these criminals, concealing his knowledge of the android's true nature, and after some tense trading of information [GM Note: including some very good deception rolls from Gik], manages to convince the Romulan cruiser that their transporters are offline and they are unable to deliver them remotely. The Romulan commander, unwilling to lose his position of tactical superiority, informs them to approach slowly and prepare to be boarded before closing the channel. Kaz begins plotting a slow and meandering course through the asteroid field towards the warbird, which will take approximately 20 minutes, buying vital time for the team to come up with a plan. Gik remembers the presence of the photon torpedoes on board and instructs Amarilla and Sindel to have the deckhands secure them together with some antimatter transport pods, in essence creating a mine that would explode on a remote command, Sindel confirms it will explode violently. As Kaz navigates the ship around a large asteroid, which they hope will mask their actions, they push the makeshift mine out of the shuttle bay and into space. Confident their ruse has remained undetected they approach the Romulan cruiser, shields still raised and prepare to spring their trap. 

Round Two

The Romulan Commander returns to the airwaves, confused by the ship's raised shields and threatens to attack the cruise ship if they do not comply immediately with their demands. The team make one last long-range sensor sweep to see if Pioneer is in range, hoping to avoid an extremely asymmetric conflict. Unfortunately, there is no sign of them, possibly due to interference from the field and the Romulan commander is rapidly losing his patience, claiming the androids are the enemies of the state and will be punished regardless. Christie is outnumbered and outgunned. Refusing to give in Gik instructs Kaz to begin evasive actions, turning back into the asteroid field and towards the makeshift mine, slowly floating undetected amongst the asteroids. The first Romulan Cruiser takes the bait and pursues them at speed, unleashing a volley of disruptor fire that missed the old Miranda class as it swung in a tight arc behind the asteroid, dodging the waiting trap mine. The cruiser unleashed a second barrage as it came around, some of which struck Christie's shield but did not breach them. With nerves of steel, the team waited until the cruiser was right on top of the mine before Gik reached out with his scaled finger and activated the makeshift bomb. 

Several hundred metres away six photon torpedoes clicked to green and the magnetic locks on their antimatter compartments deactivated, allowing the stored antimatter to collide, creating a massive explosion. Fueled by the additional antimatter in the storage pods, the explosion is violent and instant. It quickly overwhelms the cruiser's shields, exploding at essentially point-blank range; in turn causing massive damage to the ship's hull and scattering several large asteroids through the field with its shockwave. Seeing the lead cruiser heavily damaged, two further cruisers decloak and begin closing, unleashing a series of inaccurate disrupter barrages. As Christie attempts to dodge these incoming volleys they detect another warp signature on approach and pressure mounts to get the warp engines back online. Deciding on more cover, they navigate deeper into the asteroid field as a vessel drops out of warp, the sleek grey shape of Pioneer.

Round Three

The four ships trade volleys of weapons fire whilst they dart through the asteroid field until inspired by the continuing movements of the asteroid chunks cast out earlier by the mine, Gik considers an unorthodox plan. Locking Christie's tractor beam onto a nearby asteroid he has Kaz take a sharp turn and releases the asteroid towards the pursuing Romulan Cruiser [GM Note: Think trebuchet in space]. Caught by surprise, the cruiser takes emergency evasive action but is stuck by a glancing blow to the starboard wing, severely damaging its impulse and weapons systems. It recovers quickly however and makes for an attack run against the aging vessel. With Pioneer distracted by the third cruiser on the other side of the area, Christie is hit by the full brunt of the attack, taking heavy damage to their shields. They make another wide arc, capturing a second asteroid and casting it against the pursuing cruiser, but the damage is minor as the vessel recognises the tactic and takes evasive action. 

As the vessels continued to outmanoeuvre one another through the constantly moving field, a wayward asteroid travelled with momentum, floating away from the earlier mine explosion. It suddenly stops as it's enveloped in blooms of orange and yellow, impacting against a hidden object. A large red blip appears on sensors as the dark shadows of a cloaked vessel fall away revealing a damaged Klingon K'Vort class cruiser at the edge of the asteroid field. Sindel confirms its identity as the IKS Gil'Fan, a ship recorded lost during the Dominion War. The red icon on the console flashes once more, they are being hailed. 

Round Four

As the channel opens they are greeted by the unexpected face of a Cardassian Gul aboard a Klingon bridge, a young man carrying a confident smile. He offers his assistance to Christie; he is willing to engage the Romulans and even the playing field, but he requires something in return, the unconditional return of his agent. Kaz offers a glance to Amarilla but is unable to probe her thoughts in this stressful situation and as the deck shudders with another strike from the Romulan pursuer Gik and Kaz consider their options. The machinations of the Cardassian Union are not a priority and Christe is at a severe disadvantage, Sindel reports it would not take much to disable them as their shields begin to fail. The team agrees to allow the Cardassian operative to return. With a smile, the Gul nods offscreen and Sindel detects a transporter signature through their patchy shields, as the channel closes the K'Vort quickly swings around to engage the second cruiser, drawing its fire away from Christie. The Romulans respond in kind and the two become engaged in a dogfight through the asteroids. The team are given a brief respite from the combat to consider their next actions, Sindel reports the engineering team have successfully reactivated the Warp Drive but could only undertake a short burst, less than 10 minutes, which would take them to the edge of the Coppellius system and into the range of Starfleet's defensive forces. They signal to Pioneer their intentions and a short message comes back. “Go.” Seconds later the groaning form of Christie leaps to warp. 

The Standoff

10 minutes later Christie drops out of warp at the edge of the Coppellius system, where Sindel confirms their warp systems are burnt out and they have impulse only. Moments later the twin eagle figures of the two Romulan Cruisers dropped out of warp, their hulls cracked and bleeding, trails of green plasma leaking from their wounds. It is clear they have taken massive damage, both have no shielding and only partial weapons. The large red comm light blinks again as two more warp signatures flash on the screen and the familiar shape of Pioneer appears alongside Christie, as well as the sleek form of the Akira class cruiser USS Olmec, the system's protective sentinel. Filled with confidence Gik opens the channel to see a bloodied and bruised Romulan Commander. 

The two trade several threats but attempting to reduce casualties Gik and Kaz offer the Romulan's amnesty to retreat to Free State space, avoiding combat. The Romulan commander is overwhelmed with a zealous fury, unwilling to allow the androids aboard to continue existing, ordering both cruisers to engage their impulse engines to full burn, pointing their noses directly at Christie.  Olmec and Pioneer open fire will all their available weapons to defend the ship but this does not deter the cruisers and as they close Gik makes a last-ditch attempt to divert their path with the tractor beam, using all its power to force them to collide with each other rather than Christie. Unfortunately, his attempt is unsuccessful, [GM Note: 1 success short of the 4 required, lots of momentum used, lots of focuses and modifiers used] and the cruiser is only partially diverted and crashes into the cruise ship. 

Epilogue

Gik and Kaz awake in the familiar sickbay aboard Pioneer, the stoic face of the ship's XO, Commander Kal Rane, looking at them from the end of the bio-bed. He informs them that despite their best efforts there were significant losses in the collision. Of the 300 beings recorded aboard the ship (including the androids), under 100 have survived, most of them being passengers huddled in the reinforced centre of the ship. Of the two hundred androids being transported aboard Christie, only 16 were able to make it to safety, the others lost whilst working on various systems throughout the ship. Kaz and Gik sit in silence, the scale of loss sinking in. Commander Kal produces a small box from his pocket and opens it, containing a single gold pip. 

“For your courage under pressure, for your continued innovative thinking and your service to the goals of Starfleet and the tenants of the Federation; you are promoted to the rank of Lieutenant with all the rights and responsibilities therein.” 

[GM Note: This is a reward to recognise Gik & their player, Maxwell, stepping up and undertaking some impressive gameplay.]

The pair sit in silence as the XO departs, leaving them to their thoughts. As Pioneer slips into warp, onward to the next horizon, a barely perceptible shimmer follows them into subspace, they aren't continuing the journey alone.