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Shuttlecraft Epsilon 3
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Summary
The PCs must visit a wild frontier to recover a lost artifact
Clarification: The USS Asimov must respond to a toxic spill on a nearby colony world - that's why the Captain Dispatches the PCs and their shuttlecraft to investigate and, if possible resolve the Possible Prime Directive issue.
Main conflict
Get to the Probe Core before The Salvager does
Side conflicts?
Do not get shot by supsicous natives and cultists intent on keeping their idol.
Characters
Jack McKracken (use a bad australian Accent - think the Crocodile Hunter
as Harry Mudd "Oi! These Starfleet types are a bit stropy! But we'll make
off with the loot, sure enough!") A well meaning, scruffy, disorganized,
but lucky and experienced space adventurer.
Kan Korab, a local law enforcement officer. He doesn't know what's going on, but is pretty sure that with enough random shootings and arrests it'll all work itself out.
The town of West Esop - a dirty, dusty place where they make piles of money slaughtering piles of herbivores - no fans of weirdness they, they'll back Constable Korab in random shootings arrests and lynchings until things make sense again.
The Cult of the Hidden Light. A handful of people, destitute, hopeless and lost have discovered an object that shines with a mysterious light and have glommedon to it to show them the way to a life that matters.
Reverend Mastos. A creepy man who knows how to grab something weird and flog it for his own benefit.
Locations
Planet Akel, a prime directive world, where humans have discovered steam
power, black gun powder, steel and violence. Actually, they had violence before,
they're just refining it. The people are visually human (and use human game
stats) - the Federation and everyone else has decided to leave well enough alone.
Delta Continent - a frontier of "Civilization" on planet Akel.
West Esop, (as opposed to cleaner, quieter, but less lucrative East Esop) a station where large herbivores are herded, shipped and slaughtered in huge numbers for the eating pleasure of the rest of Delta Continent.
Western Desert. Scrubby sandstone, rugged hills and rare sources of water - this is where the caves are, in which the cult has discovered the Probe Core.
MacGuffins
Probe Core - an ancient Vulcan Probe. Fired from Vulcan ships in the
ancient past, it went and learned all if could before crashing into planet Akel.
Now a wreck it is slowly bleeding subspace radiation which causes a neat purple
glow - this radiation causes hallucinations,gullibility, paranoia and eventually
radiation illness and death with prolonged exposure.
The data core on the probe is still intact and valuable to the Federation, if it can be recovered - this is what Jack McKracken is after
Story beats
Must establish that the PCs must land in disguise and recover the probe core
to protect the Prime Directive.
Land
Journey across the land
West Esop. Meet the folks. Gunsmoke.
Clues about the probe location
Perhaps locals suffering from Subspace radiation exposure.
Encounter Jack
Jack hires a bunch of local laborers to help him recover the probe core.
The PCs must acquire riding animals and race Jack to the probe core and then get the probe core away from the cultists with Jack and his crews help and interference
It's possible that the radiation may derezz phasers at just the wrong moment.
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Disclaimer: Paramount owns all things Trek. I claim original characters and situations in this material for me.
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