USS Bismark: the Starfleet conspiracy campaign

Beginning of the Movie Era, events cronicled in Star Trek: The Motion Picture happen now.

Shore Leave Nightmare

The USS Bismark arrives at Akaris 3 for shore leave. To complicate things, a Klingon cruiser arrives demanding shore leave as well. Unfortunately for all, the Klingon Emperor's nephew, a young brat, is on board as a VIP and causes trouble all over the place.

After a friendly bar brawl with the Klingons, the Bismark crew becomes disturbed by a few minor things that don't add up. Then the Emperor's nephew and the Bismark's captain dissapear! The Klingons threaten war unless the nephew is returned. To make matters worse, members of the crew begin to act wierd. The Akaris police chief reports massive disapearances, missing persons reports, rape and assualt.

The answer to this lies in the Akaris University research department. A sentient disease, the Rider-Virus (See GURPS ALIENS), has broken out and is taking over the colony. The rider-virus spreads to the Bismark and Klingon crews and both crews find themselves fighting for control of their ships. The Klingons think it is a Federation trick to take control of their ship, so they attack the Bismark.

The Bismark medical officer, using research data gathered from the Akaris university, manages to find a cure for the rider-virus. This turns the tide and the loyal crew are able to retake the ship after a terrible battle. The Bismark is more powerful than the Klingons, who retreat. The cure is used to restore Akaris to normal, but the infected Klingons are out there somewhere. The Bismark crew reflects that the Klingons have the best internal security in the galaxy, so they transmit the cure to the Klingons and leave it to the Klingons to stop further outbreaks.

Unknown to the crew, the rider-virus evolved from a experiment created by the Forerunners, a race that mysteriously became extinct 7 million years ago.

The Plot Thickens

The Bismark is recalled to Starbase 27, commanded by Rear-admiral Rittenhouse, to be refit as an Enterprise Class vessel and await a new commanding officer, as the last was killed in the fighting. The Medical officer discovers a memory block in W.W. Smith's mind during routine physicals. Investigating the supressed memories leads the crew to a desolate planet in the outskirts of the planetary system. The colony there is commanded by Breetai, an extremely competent and ruthless being.

The crew uncovers Breetai's flagrant abuses of power, despite interference by red tape, an ion storm, uncooperative natives, and Breetai's thugs. There are several attempts on Smith's life, but the crew fails to discover the reasons behind it. Breetai's use of power has amassed money and weapons, but to what end? It doesn't make any sense. Breetai is brought to Starbase 27 on charges, but uses the cover of the ion storm to escape, and the Bismark's warp drives are being refitted and they cannot pursue.

Unknown to the Crew, Breetai is one of the founding members of a patriotic conspiracy. This conspiracy wants to increase the power of Starfleet and make it into a true military instead of Scientific power. They believe that only through military conquest can the galaxy be made safe for the Federation. For details of the Conspiracy's philosopy, read the Star Trek book Dreadnaught by Diane Carey, one of the few Star Trek books to be any good.

A Doomsday Like Any Other

The Bismark is transferred from the Klingon Border to Outback Sector. When they arrive in Outback sector, they patrol the sector uneventfully for a time. Then they are called to save the free planet Ectair from a runaway Doomsday Machine. For a full story of this encounter, see the FASA module "A Doomsday Like Any Other", the best published adventure ever. To avoid spoilers for this excellent published adventure, I will only say that the Romulan Commander Tal is introduced (who first appeared in the Enterprise Incident TOS episode) and the Bismark crew thwart Tal's plans and destroy most of his fleet in the process.

Ectarian Misadventures

The Bismark crew celebrates their victory on Ectair while the top officers negotiate a better treaty with Ectair. The crew has many misadventures, including following the mystery of three scrolls hidden in the pommels of ancient samurai swords. Deciphering the clues on the scrolls, they find a treasure map to a planet deep in unexplored space. Lt. Gkiren of Starfleet Intelligence begins a relationship with the Bismark Science Officer Metarei. Other crew members discover evidence that leads them to investigate the starfleet research facility of Regula 5.

Regula 5 is run by Commander Donovan, and is a brilliant scientist and psycologist. He has been corrupted by the Patriotic Conspiracy and has turned research at Regula 5 to create bio-weapons to make Starfleet more powerful. When the Bismark Crew discovers these illegal experiments, they try and arrest him. During the battle, the experiments escape and wreak havock on the station. The Bismark rescues the crew and scientists and destroys the station to stop the bioweapons. Donovan uses ingenious weapons hidden on his person to escape in the confusion.

Conspiracy Spotted

The Bismark chases Donovan's escape ship deep into Outback Sector, out of Federation space and into unexplored territory. They trace the escape ship to Nmaka 5, an arid but habitable planet. Some of the crew are pleased to discover that this is the planet indicated on the treasure map.

There the crew discovers a reptilian, argessive humanoid race. Called Aggamemnons, they have low technology, but are frighteningly effective combat artists! For details on the Aggamenons, read the Ringworld Companion, by Chaosium. Mysteriously, they speak Galactic! Suspecting cultural contamination, the crew investigates further and discovers a hidden base. Breetai and Donovan are there, and the crew learns for the first time about the Patriotic Conspiracy. Breetai is in charge of the conspiracy for all outback sector.

As they are on the verge of learning more, a Romulan ship decloaks and attacks the Bismark. During the battle, they are able to overpower the romulan ship and although the cloaking device is destroyed, they are on the verge of taking over the ship by boarding action. But the conspirators take advantage of this battle to escape, and the Bismark crew is forced to decide what is more important: capturing a semi- intact romulan vessel or catching Breetai and Donovan. The crew chooses the Romulan ship, and are barely able to block the Romulan self-destruct attempt.

Undiscovered by the crew, the Patriotic Conspiracy's purpose on this planet was to mold the natives into a crack fighting force that worshipped Starfleet as gods. In this they were greatly aided by Donovan's psycology skills and Breetai's brilliant leadership.

NOTE: This adventure was the gaming session that my campaign was the ONLY game running at the games club, and 16 characters were going at the same time!

The Maltesian Falcon

The Bismark is forced to take on board the Emir of planet Khemed's son Abdullah to keep him safe from revolutionary uphevals at home. Unfortunately, the amphibous natives of Khemed prize practical jokes, and Abdullah makes the crew's lives unpleasant. Particularly disliked is the itching powder in the air recycling center.

The Bismark then responds to a distress call from King Rothgarrr of Malta. Malta is a mountanous, cold, low technology planet (19th century earth). The natives are huge and furry, looking like the Beast from "Beauty and the Beast". Steam engines and revolvers are the best native technology, except for the ancient tech devices run by the Priests of the Old Ones. Because offworld technology is considered blasphemous by the priests, it is not allowed beyond the rudimentary starport. Furthermore, electrical storms make transporters unusable. An Old One device is how the King contacted the Bismark.

The king reveals that his scepter has been stolen out of a classic "locked room" mystery. Federation researchers were studying Maltesian records and the Scepter, when the scepter dissapeared despite being under heavy guard. Abdullah is discovered to have stowed away in the shuttle. The crew manages to solve the mystery, deducing that a spring hidden in the researcher's mechanical camera shot the scepter through the bars of the window and beyond the castle walls where accomplices waited to pick it up.

The crew chases after the thieves with the King's Gunslingers (like a cross between a medieval knight and a western sherrif). They race over the mountainside roads in steam driven cars, but without modern equipment they cannot catch the thieves. Abdullah offers them the use of some useful practical joke effects, and they are able to catch the thieves with the help of Abdullah's devestating trinkets.

The Black Space Sharks

The Bismark crew is assigned to stop a suspected gun- running operation that is destabilizing the already war- racked planet of Khemed. The Bismark dispatches an undercover away team while making a fueling stop at Khemed and then patrols the sector.

The away team meets with a Starfleet Intelligence undercover operative, Olivera. While there, a Coup d'etat overthrows the Emir. Olivera puts them in touch with the Emir's government in exile. After a long and dangerous trip, the away team learns from the Emir that the rebels have won thanks to support from an unethical corporation owned by DeGorgonzola. The corporation once had rights to the radioactive fuel mines, but Abdullah's brattish demands forced them out. The Emir threatened to reveal the corporation's slave trading, and thus was soon deposed.

The Emir's base is suddenly attacked by rebels, and the away team helps fight back but they are forced to abandon the base in escape pods. Later, they are rescued by a freighter commanded by captain Allan. Allan seems nice at first, but he imprisons them in their rooms. An electrical/plasma fire gives the away team a chance to escape. They discover that Allan and his crew have already abandoned ship! The plasma fire is already threatening the munitions in the cargo hold: this is a gun runners' ship. As the away team prepares to abandon ship themselves, they discover to their horror that there are also a load of slaves aboard, far too many to save.

The crew manages to bring the plasma fire under control but the subspace radio is damaged. Then they free the slaves and use them to crew the large freighter. They make their way towards port. DiGorgonzola, which is an alias for the ever-informed Breetai, learns that Allan's freighter is missing, which has enough evidence aboard to expose the slave trade to the galaxy, and takes action to destroy it. Commander Tal is seeking revenge for the loss of his fleet and honor, and Breetai tells him where the Bismark crew are, alone in the depths of space. Tal diverts a cloaked cruiser to destroy the freighter. The freighter manages to hang on under attack long enough to repair the subspace radio and for the Bismark to show up and drive off the Romulan cruiser. Once the slave trade is revealed, the Federation blocks Digorgonzola's support and the Emir regains power. Abdullah is returned to the Emir.

Unknown to the Bismark crew, Donovan was helping train the rebels and giving them technical advice.

The Turnsol Affair

The Bismark tows the freighter to Mu Draconis V, a federation planet that is not habitable on the surface. Extensive cave networks miles beneath the surface are habitable and house a thriving colony. Only a domed spaceport is on the surface, connected by elevators to the rest of the colony. The Bismark is ordered to pick up the noted physicist Turnsol and bring him to a scientific confrence on another planet.

The away team travels to Turnsol's quarters deep in the underground city but discovers that they have just missed him. They follow his forwarding messages, but just miss him a second time as he is kidnapped right from under their noses! The kidnappers sabotage the elevators and communications with the surface after they make their escape. The frustrated away team cannot even warn the Bismark to stop them from escaping, for their communicators cannot penetrate the miles of rock above them.

When the elevator is at last repaired, the away team returns to the Bismark and sets off in hot pursuit of the kidnappers. Unfortunately they must break off pursuit when the kidnappers escape over the Romulan neutral zone. Long range scanners detect that the kidnappers travel to a Romulan tradeport just over the border.

The Bismark crew commandeers Captain Allan's freighter again, and take on the identities of free traders, aided in this task by their Starfleet Intelligence contacts. They cross the border and arrive at the tradeport. They are under strict Romulan supervision, but are able to discover that some Romulans have an uneasy alliance with the Patriotic Conspiracy. Both sides are using and planning to betray the other, but they are helping each other in the meantime. The Bismark crew uses their knowledge of the Patriotic Conspiracy to stay a step ahead of the Romulans and free Turnsol and escape with him. Their freighter is chased by the Romulan ships, but thanks to bravery, cunning and great flying, they slip across the Neutral zone to where the Bismark is waiting for them. The Bismark crew has won, but is frightened at the discovery of the unexpected reach and power of the Patriotic Conspiracy.

The events protrayed in ST2:TWOK occur now. Unsuspected by Kirk and the Enterprise, Carol Marcus's fears about the Genesis Project being used for a weapon by Starfleet are well founded. Genesis was supported by Rear Admiral Rittenhouse, a member of the Patriotic Conspiracy, who planned to take control of Genesis and use it as an unstoppable weapon to strengthen Starfleet and the Federation.

Tears for Genesis

The Bismark returns to Mu Draconis V with new orders. Following mystery orders, they tie their sensors into the subspace relay net for the entire sector. This is part of a Federation-wide project. Each subspace relay extends the sensors to form an element of a specalized subspace-radio telescope. The huge array sends out a mathematically coded subspace radio pulse and then detects for harmonic resonance nearby. The Bismark's scientists analyze the pulse and determine that it is a self-reinforcing wave of some kind that uses fractal geometry in some way. Unknown to the Bismark, this is of course a way of detecting other genesis waves. Starfleet feared that other empires may have been building Genesis devices, and this plan would detect them.

The Bismark detects a resonace in unexplored space just beyond the Federation's borders, and the Grissom detects the Genesis pulse in Mutara sector. In addition, the Bismark detects Romulan subspace chatter in that sector. The Bismark races to the mysterious origin of the resonace with all speed.

They discover a class M planet where seal-like natives sing a hauntingly beautiful song. But the planet is a mystery: the natives make no attempts to defend themselves when civilian wildcatters slaughter the natives for the lovely and valuable crystal tears they secrete upon death. Their song is EXTREMELY difficult to transelate, but this is because the crew must discover that the song extends to the subspace and psychic spectrums. Furthermore, all of the other planets in the system show evidence of a nova passing through the system 1000 years ago.

Despite civilian interference and a nervous cease-fire with the Romulans, the crew are able to discover that the native's song is actually the source of genesis-equasion waves which keep the planet habitable. When the nova passed through, the highly advanced natives used their psychic powers to use the genesis waves to protect them. Unfortunately, because of the inherent Genesis instability, they cannot stop singing or the planet will quickly age and destroy itself like the first genesis planet did.

Commander Tal, leading the romulan ships, makes an attempt to seize the natives in order to gain genesis science. The Bismark crew evacuates the natives, but are outmatched by the Romulan squadron. The Bismark is battered and terribly damaged. The Bismark crew convinces the natives to use the power of the Genesis wave on their behalf. The Romulan's warp drives are crippled, and the Bismark is able to escape.

The events of ST3:TSFS occurr now.

The Great Experiment

The terriby damaged Bismark is towed to Bartok VI, a high security Starfleet research facility for repairs, services for the dead, and R&R. The ship that tows them in is the Athena, a Reliant-class ship whose officers are part of the Conspiracy. The Athena's security officer is an Aggamemnon, but the Bismark crew do not realize the significance of this until later. On Bartok, the crew meets professor Turnsol again who is head of a warp-research progect.

Emergency strikes when the top secret plans of a new warp drive are stolen. The plans are discovered to be merely mislaid and work goes on. One of the Bismark crew is subverted by Breetai's promises for glory in the new order, and joins the Patriotic Conspiracy.

The project is a way of exploiting a three windows of low warp resistance. In those periods of low warp resistance, experimental drive ships could travel at enormous speeds. Unknown to the researchers, this is a remenant of the Preservers, the system that they used to travel out of the galaxy with. The patriotic conspiracy wants to steal one of the experimental drives so that they can use it to deliver a huge bomb to the Klingon Homeworld. This will weaken the Klingons, the Federations' greatest enemy. The first progect, an unmanned warp probe, is taken over by remote control. Fortunately, the Bismark is able to destroy the probe before it is lost.

The second experimental ship is manned, and the Bismark crew are selected to fly it. They journey to a distant sector of space where they explore a mysterious artifact. Unkown to the crew, The artifact is a long-abandoned relic of the preservers, the gate that made the low warp resistance possible and the means that the Preservers left the galaxy. But while the away team is exploring, the traitor takes control of the experimental ship and incapacitates the crew aboard. She prepares to return and give the ship to the Patriotic Conspiracy, leaving the away team to die a lingering death on this desolate planet on the edge of the galaxy. Fortunately, the crew on board manages to retake the ship, rescue the away team, and return to Bartok. The science officer retrieves a small preserver device of mysterious function.

The Hawking Effect

The newly repaired Bismark goes forth to explore strange new worlds in the neutral space of Outback Sector. While exploring a tundra planet, they crew discovers caves where mechanisms from a long-dead humanoid race lived. A Gorn ship arrives and confronts the Bismark. They report that 3 of their colonies have been destroyed by ground assult in this sector. The Gorn begin exploring the planet as well.

Unfortunately, the natives were merely in stasis and the Bismark crew accidentally releases them. This race were once humanoids who relied too heavily on cybernetic enhancements until they lost their humanity. Now, they are like the borg but at lower technology. The Bismark crew manages to escape despite Gorn interference, but Ensign James is left behind and converted into a cybernetic drone. Research on the strange presever device found last episode determines the device to be a small radiation source held in stasis.

Unknown to the crew, the loss of the Gorn colonies are the result of the Patriotic Conspiracy's final training of the Aggamemnons as shock troops.

Deep Domain

The events that take place the ST4:TVH occurr now. When the Probe leaves earth, it turns towards Outback Sector.

The Probe heads towards a Gorn colony in Outback Sector. The Bismark projects the probes course and arrives first. There they convince the Gorn that the cetatians there are intelligent. This involves some diving and the arrival of the Probe complicates things.

The events of ST5:TFF occurr now.

Desperate Measures, Part 1

The events of ST6:TUC occurr now. The Patriotic Conspiracy destroys Praxis with an undercover suicide mission, crippeling the Klingon empire. Then the peace process is sabotaged by the Patriotic Conspiracy as revealed in the movie.

Kirk and company have dealt a death blow to the Patriotic Conspiracy. With so many of the conspiracy captured, (Valeris escapes however) the Conspiracy must act fast to contain the damage before the size of the Conspiracy is suspected. To this end, Donovan offers a powerful tool: using his advanced knowledge of psycology and the mind- altering 'chair' seen in two Old Series episodes, he has developed a technique to alter people's memories. The conspiracy then begins to alter the memories of witnesses that have evidence against them. Chief amongst those witnesses are intelligence officer Gkiren and the Bismark crew. Rittenhouse, Breetai and Donovan work together to neutralize this threat.

While on routine cruise, the Science officer becomes distraught when she is informed by Olivera that her amour, intelligence officer Gkiren, is missing in action at Khemed. Even worse, the Bismark recieves orders from Admiral Rittenhouse to bring the Bismark back to Starbase for decomissioning! Could this be the end of an era? Reluctantly, the Bismark crew sets their course for Starbase 14. On the way, they recieve one final message, this time from Tournsol. He has been analyzing the data on their preserver artifact and has discovered a great secret about it. More importantly, secretly encoded in the message are the words "HELP BREETAI HERE". The Bismark crew rapidly develops a healthy paranoia and correctly deduces that Breetai has captured Turnsol and is trying to lure them into a trap. Then they pool their info and deduce Rittenhouse's connection to the conspiracy.

The Bismark crew acts desperately in this crisis. They disobey their orders to return for decomissioning and instead try to track down more evidence. But the USS Athena is sent out to take them in, and the Bismark labeled a rouge ship. Because the Bismark is faster and more powerful than the Athena, Starfleet Command sends the only ship in the fleet faster and more powerful than an Enterprise class cruiser: the Excelscior commanded by Sulu! But it will take 2 weeks for the Excelscior to arrive at Outback Sector.

Meanwhile, the enlisted members of the Bismark crew begin to believe that the officers have gone rogue, and plot an "unmutiny" to return the ship to Starfleet. The officers begin their search for evidence at Khemed tracking Gkiren's dissapearance. The mystery leads them to a fortified bunker where Donovan reprogramed Gkiren's memories. The officers attack the bunker and capture Valeris, but Donovan escapes with Gkiren. Valeris logically enough bargains for her freedom by telling the Officers the location of the headquarters of the Conspiracy. Unknown to Valeris, this is actually just the headquarters for the conspiracy in Outback Sector, not for the whole thing. Valeris has meditated on Spock's wisdom and has had a change of heart, thus it is logical to reveal the Conspiracy not only for her freedom but also for the good of the galaxy. The Bismark crew sets her free and heads to where she indicates, a nightclub on Ectair. On the way, they are forced to fight off the Athena. During the battle, some of the enlisted crew sabotage the Bismark at a critical point so as to give the Athena a chance, but the Bismark escapes despite their efforts.

Desperate Measures, Part 2

On the way to Ectair, the scientists follow Turnsol's clues and deduce the full nature of the preserver device. It is a stasis box that barely contains a minature Quantum Black Hole. Hawking radiation is rapidly increasing as it decays through it's final hours. They are able to calculate that in a few days the Quantum Black Hole will release tremenous energy before dissapearing. That is to say, it will explode with such high energies as to threaten ships even astronomical units apart. They calculate the precise time of explosion and determine that they cannot alter that time.

At Ectair, the crew explore the interesting and dangerous nightclub and are eventually able to discover a secret entrance into the Conspiracy's Outback-sector headquarters. There they encounter the results of all of the Conspiracy's plans in outback sector to date. In addition to the Conspiracy's security force they have to face Agammemnon combat ninjas and genetically created bioweapons! In a pitched battle, the Bismark Officers manage to learn the secret of how the bioweapons are controlled and turn them against the Agammemnons. Then they rescue Gkiren, capture Donovan, and gain enough evidence to clear their names. More importantly, they learn from documents there that the Conspiracy had one last desperate plan. A Gorn convoy was travelling to Draconis to exchange diplomats with the Federation. The Conspiracy had leaked the convoy's route to the Romulans who are lying cloaked in wait to destroy it. The Conspiracy believes that a three way war will convince the public that the Patriotic Conspiracy was needed.

Meanwhile, the Athena makes another attempt to capture the Bismark. This time the Athena is backed up by the Excelscior. The away team returns in time with evidence, but the Athena uses the Excelscior's prefix code to force the Excelscior to open fire on the Bismark! The Bismark resists the temptation to fire back and avoids a bloodbath. They convince Sulu of their innocence and the Bismark and Excelscior easily captures the Athena.

While Sulu's first officer takes command of the Athena, the Bismark and the Excelscior rush off to save the Gorn diplomatic convoy and prevent a war. They arrive at the ambush site, where they are sure a Romulan fleet is cloaked nearby. The Gorns have not arrived yet. The Bismark crew think up a daring plan. They will destroy the entire Romulan Fleet with the Hawking Effect explosion, but they must stall the Romulans long enough for the detonation to arrive. So they fool the Romulans into thinking that the Bismark is still rogue and the Excelscior is still trying to apprehend them. They engage in mock battle using the phasers at the "war games" setting. The Romulans decide not to decloak until one of the Starfleet ships is disabled by the "battle". That is too late: The Starfleet ships warp out at the last moment leaving the preserver device behind and the explosion completely destroys the Romulan fleet.

The Bismark returns to port to clear the red tape around their recently restored reputations, and the Excelscior goes to Draconis where Sulu captures Breetai and rescues Turnsol. Evidence found at the conspiracy's Outback-sector HQ destroys the Patriotic Conspiracy and proves Rittenhouse's involvement.

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