Game Idea 10-25-2006
Lagal, A planet on the frontier, with the Klingons.
Balkanized, recently unified by the Syndicate of Nations, a totalitarian regime, after being used as a free port by the Orions.
Recently a Klingon Representative to the planet was assassinated by national syndicalists, sparking violence.
The Klingons are sending more troops.
Unbeknownst to the Federation and the Klingons, Nationalist movements on Lagal are being supported by the Romulans and the League of Unaligned Worlds
The Romulans are hoping to suck the Klingons into a quagmire. The League wants Lagal to remain independant.
There is a sizable Orion descended population on Lagal, they are a hated minority, blamed by the National Syndicalists for the sad state of the planet.
There is a virulent Orion/Human underworld in operation on Lagal.
Factions
Nationalist Unity Front - one of the Romulans Chief puppets, intensley nationalist and loyal to Kzar Afrak, a charismatic power mad, Dictator wannabe and his trusted Lieutenants. Characterized by hatred and distrust of aliens.
The Liberation Union - A Puppet of the League, a democratic front with elected officers, just as interested in fighting for influence amongst themselvesas in resisting outside domination of their world. Argues about just how racist they are going be, from a little, to a lot.
The Holar Crime Family. A super rich Orion Family with dozens of human and Orion
"Made Men" aligned with Orion House Hamilcar, a major player in the
Galactic Underworld.
Tal Shiar, Lagal Office. Run by a mid level Tal Shiar officer who is gleefully rubbing his hands together at the thought of suckering the Klingons into a quagmire. Most Romulans Agents here are disguised as Orions or Humans.
Klingon House K'Zarq - A Mid list house, not on the council. Built by K'Zarq's
father from a small house into a much larger house. K'Zarq himself fancies himself
a warrior, a general and a contender for the Klingon High Council. It was his
agent who was killed on Lagal. K'Zarq's father started the mission with the
permission of the Council, trying to develop Lagal into an allied trading hub.
K'Zarq is affronted, and his public reputation is at stake. Secretly he never
understood why his father was negotating with the Humans of Lagal, when conquering
them would be "easier".
With this excuse, K'Zarq means to take Lagal, beat it into submission, and then systematically exploit it to fund his houses' further rise in power.
The Klingon Council, recognizing a bad situation will stand back and let K'Zarq sink or swim on his own. K'Zarq has a small fleet and several hundred thousand soldiers, as well as whoever he could hire or entice with promises of land and prestige.
If their pride is badly affronted, the Klingon Empire would take the campaign over from K'Zarq, but there wouldn't be much of a planet Lagal left.
The Mission of the PCs - get to Lagal, and make sure the situation does not
blow up. The Federation specifically does NOT want
A) A Klingon war agaist a human populated planet
B) A Romulan Friendly government installed by Lagalian facists.
If they can work it, they'd like to reduce Orion influence in the area, but if they have to choose, Orion corruption is better than a Klingon Quamire or a Romulan Dictatorship.
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Sub Plot Seeds
Contact Guerillas in the hills - using scan bafflers and ore deposits in cave ridden mountains, guerillas are preparing redoubts from which to fight. The PCs must track down Guerilla factions through unwilling townships and villages, into the mountains and talk them into joining a peace process.
The Price of Cooperation. Gan Holar, the patriarch of the Holar Crime Family needs to be approached. PCs must research Orion Culture and be prepared to treat a thug, drug runner, loan shark and murderer with "respect" to being him aboard the process. Holar has three objects that are his price.
A) His Daughter was arrested for "Driving While Orion" In a City held
By the National Syndicalists. They mean to make an Example of her. He wants
her back. Body guards and retainers optional, but it would be nice.
B) A shipment of Gravenol was siezed by parties unknown (Not the police). This
drug is usually used to allow humans to adapt breifly to high gravity worlds.
It is intoxicating, especially after prolonged use and quite addictive. Street
Gravenol is usually more pure and more dangerous than medically prescibed doses.
Side effects include euphoria, mania, enhanced strength and delusions of invulnerability.
This drug shipment was stolen by Tal Shair Agents to use as leverage to sway
Guerillas into the anti-Klingon resistance.
C) A rival criminal, an information broker known as Gizzip is to be taken into custody. Gizzip is a Starfleet intelligence asset. Gan Holar knows this and wants Starfleet to remove him, so Holar can operate unwatched.
If these conditions are met, Gan Holar will. Himself become a Federation asset, working to keep Klingons, Romulans and Human Facists from gaining control of Lagal.
Talk-talk The PCs are assigned to present their case to the Liberation Union
and Persuade the semi-Democratic, semi-marxist political organization to support
a peace process.
Wile there three batches of "Terrorists" hired by the Tal Shair stage
attacks intending to polarize the Liberation Union into supporting a war.
The PCs have unexpected help from Cardassian and Ferengi agents who want Lagal to stay neutral.
Major Diplomacy - The PCs will have to meet with survivors from the Klingon
Office, and try to talk K'Zarq out of his tree. Sicne K'Zarq doesn't see the
conquest of Lagal as a problem he is not all that willing, Although with a suitable
bribe hewill lay off. Accepting bribery is always more cost effective than warfare.
There May even be a Pro-Klingon Faction on Lagal, operating under the impression that a Klingon Military Governor would at least keep the Guerillas, Terrorists, Partisans, Fascists and Fruit Loops under control.
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I am sure you can come up with more, should you need them.
Lagal - a World populated largely by Humans. They are not Earth Descended Humans but are in all ways biochemically compatible with humans. (Possibly a preserver transplant). They have their own language and culture, in some ways reminiscent of middle ages Spain.
The world was in mid 20th century style balkanized warfare when the Orions dropped in and began to interfere with the Lagalians.
The Orions never really decided to conquer or rule Lagal. It was too far way to be really worththe effort. It is closer to the Klingon Empire than anyhere else, but it's not near anything, really.
A federation Starship Visited the place some time ago and let the Orions know that of they tried to dominate a human populated world, Earth and other federation worlds would have something to say about it.
The Humans of Lagal resented being a backwater, and a football in Galactic politics. They developed angry, resentful nationalist guerillas, terrorists and political parties.
They have fought wars amongs themselves and with the Orions.
The Klingons Moved in recently. K'arq's father saw the world as a potential money maker, if he could convince them to become a trade center and a world allied to the Klingons.
He was making progress until his untimely death last year, due to a bad case of Bat'leth poisoning.
Disclaimer: Paramount owns all things Trek. I claim original characters and situations in this material for me.