USS Essex Ship Log 2301.25

Episode 4 "What's Cooking in Mcbride's Stew?"
STARDATE 2301.25

    The Essex, while on patrol, is struck by a large a large subspace shockwave followed by weak and sporadic energy readings from the Tarsis Nebula, commonly known as "McBride's Stew", which lies just within the Federation border, roughly 12 days from Starbase 2. Curp, orders the Essex to follow the energy readings to determine their origins.
    During the journey, Dr. Tipme notes an increase of complaints about headaches amongst the crew. He begins to investigate further.
    The Essex enters the nebula and tracks the energy readings to a small planetoid, near the center of the nebula. Cautiously, Curp orders the ship into orbit. Sensor scans indicated that the readings come from the planet's surface, but, interference from the nebula and the energy reading itself prevented a more detailed scan. Curp organized a landing party in environmental gear and armed with phasers. The landing party slowly began searching the barren landscape for the source of the radiation. Barlok's tricorder readings eventually lead them to a large crater at the bottom of which lies a large, disk shaped saucer of unknown origin. They make their way down to get a closer look. Barlok notes that the hull has an unusual quality that it doesn't share properties of matter. Upon touching it, the hull ripples as though it were a liquid, yet it retains its shape. Tricorder scans also filed to recognize its molecular structure, suggesting that perhaps the vehicle did not originate from this dimension. Circling around, they discover an access door. A few minutes of pulling at the latch, and the door opens, releasing a mist from the interior. The mist was the ship's interior atmosphere, tricorder scans indicated, but, the structure remains a mystery. With slight trepidation, the captain steps through. A second door led into the interior of the vessel.

    A dim glow from the instruments of the ship seemed to be the only light source. Searching and scanning, the group carefully make their way into the ship. Soon, they come across one of the members of the crew, deceased, still at its station. Dr. Tipme* removed the helmet of the alien. Its skin was a pasty yellow, its large, dark eyes stared endlessly, and a set of protruding fangs seemed to lash out menacingly. A face only a mother could love. Dr. Tipme continued to scan, noting that nothing about the being registers as a lifeform. Continuing on, they come across a second body, seated at a larger console, presumably the main control panel. A small device mounted to the floor seemed to be the only working piece of machinery. Its purpose couldn't be determined from preliminary scans, so Barlok suggested unbolting the equipment and allowing the special studies lab on board the Essex study it further. Curp agreed. Dr. Tipme offered to accompany the science officer back to the Essex, along with the aliens so he could conduct autopsies.
    The landing party continued to investigate the saucer, trying to discover the origin and purpose of the ship over the next couple of hours. Enlisting the help of engineering crews from the Essex, Curp and the landing party decided to leave the rest to more experience professionals and return to the ship to supervise. Materializing in the transporter expecting a warm greeting of the transporter chief and a little TLC in removing the bulky environmental suits, they instead are welcomed by a troop of well armed security officers pointing phasers at them led by none other than Barlok! It is here that the characters learn that Barlok and members of the crew have been overtaken by the minds of an alien force bent on invading this dimension, starting with the Essex! Stripped of their weapons and environmental suits the landing party is manhandled into the brig.
    In the brig with cell mate Ens. Bickel, Curp tries to gain a grasp as to what happened. Thinking back, he did notice that some of the crewmen were wearing silver collars, particularly the security officers in the transporter room. Just then, the captain was taken by armed escort to the sickbay. There he saw the wide-eyed Dr. Tipme awaiting with a silver collar in hand. The security detail moved the captain over to the diagnostic bed to strap him down, when he made his move to escape. Wrenching free of their grip, he knocked one down and fended off the other long enough to pick up a dropped phaser. Curp managed to use the doctor as a human shield and ensued a fire fight that ended quickly as the captain beat the guards with a wide angle stun. Stunning the doctor, he made plans to escape. He noted that his escape a bit too easy, that the guards were moving sluggishly. He concluded that this may be a side effect of whatever control they may be under. Strapping his stunned victims to the beds, he removed one of the collars and without activating it, placed it around his neck. His next stop would be the brig.
    Moving about the ship seemed to be no problem for the captain, so long as he retained the collar. He soon arrived at the brig, where he quickly dispensed with the guards with a phaser burst. Curp released his unaffected crewmembers and began planning on how to retake the ship. They had to move quickly. Barlok has begun construction of what appeared to be a device that may open a dimensional portal, initializing the invasion.
    Acquiring several more collars and phasers, Curp, Bickel, Herronomous*, and Baxtor set out for the auxiliary control room. Their plan was short lived as a security detail began raining phaser fire in the corridor. Apparently, the stunned victims in the Sickbay have revived and brought friends to help them capture the captain. The advantage was on the captain's side, because whatever the collars did to control the crew, it continued to leave them sluggish in their responses --- and their aim. The party fought their way down the 3 decks to the auxiliary control room.
    Two plodding guards were easily subdued as the group entered the control room. From there, Curp hoped to disable the Essex and force the ship's intruder defenses to subdue the ship's crew long enough for them to take the bridge. To their dismay, Barlok had already disabled those command protocols controlling the intruder defense systems. Instead, they decided to use the ship's fire suppression system to flood the ship with foam that would hopefully slow the already lethargic crew long enough to take the bridge. As they set the suppression systems to active mode, the sparkling light of a transporter beam appeared in the center of the room. The whistle of the transporter beam was replaced by the eerie, high pitched whine of a phaser set on overload! The group rushed from the auxiliary control room barely in time as the corridor is flooded by the destructive phaser light!
    Fighting their way to the main gangways, the group encounters crewmen transported into their path-- with phasers set on overload on their person (their mouths, to be exact)! Several sections of the ship were badly damaged as a result of Barlok's (or his captor's) cruel defense method. Luckily, Curp and his group suffered minor damage before making the final run for the bridge. Fighting up the final three decks in a shower of phaser light, Curp finally forces the doors to the bridge. Unwilling to be taken easily, the bridge crew continue to fire. With a final barrage of wide angle stun, Captain Curp once again controlled the Essex.
    After reestablishing command functions, Curp disabled the affected ship's compliment via the internal security systems. Afterwards, security details shut down the device in the special studies lab, releasing the crew from the control of the collars. Barlok was remanded to sickbay for observation of any adverse effects of his ordeal. Seriously damaged internally, the engineering and damage control crews began repair work to get the ship space worthy.Once the ship returned to relative normalcy, the Essex was ordered to remain until a science vessel arrives to further investigate.

USS Essex log: Supplemental: The science vessel, USS Bechtold, has arrived and relieved the Essex. All information and equipment related to the aliens has been turned over to the Bechtold for further study. The incident has been classified "Secret" by Starfleet until the investigation has been completed. The ship's appointed rendezvous with the SS Lego has been canceled, and the Essex has been ordered to return to Starbase 2 for further repairs and debriefing.

* Two separate player's had the role of ship's doctor. The player for Dr. Herronomous did not attend the first few sessions and the player for Dr. Tipme left for the final sessions. This left several components of the adventure bouncing between the two characters.