Adventure - "Return to Nimbus III"
by Pascal Teva Bordron

SETTING

"What's in it for me?"
- Ferengi Rule of Acquisition Number 29

This scenario, requiring a large amount of organization, is designed to be played by three Crews at the same time, and for that reason requires no less than four Narrators: one acting as Coordinator Narrator, and one for each Crew. The Coordinator Narrator will have to assure a time balance between the Crews. The place where the scenario will be played must be chosen with care, preventing each crew from hearing the others, and the rooms must not be too far from each other.

This story was played for the first time during a Star Trek convention in France. I must thank my friends Steve, Marwane, and Stephane, who were co-Narrators with me.

The adventure takes place on Nimbus III (the Planet of Galactic Peace seen in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier), anytime between 2287 and 2293. Alternately, you can choose to have it take place in the Next Generation era, anytime between the breaking of the Khitomer Treaty and the renewal of the Klingon-Federation Alliance. In that case, the existence of the Dominion War should not be forgotten.

The use of the Romulan boxed set is not required, although it can help a lot.

ROLE OF THE COORDINATOR NARRATOR

"It never hurts to suck up the boss."
- Ferengi Rule of Acquisition Number 33

In this story, three different Crews will be the heroes of the same adventure. To run their game, one Narrator will be present for each of the Crews, having players make Tests, playing NPCs, doing a large part of the job. But the most difficult task will be to keep a time balance between the Crews. This will be the job of the Coordinator Narrator. He will also inform each Narrator where the other Crews' ships or away teams are located. To do this, I advise the Coordinator Narrator to have a 3D map of the surroundings of Nimbus III. He will also decide what the Orion Crew will do, and may help co-Narrators to play NPCs.

It is important that the Coordinator Narrator ensures that each Crew play the same fictional moment at about the same time during the game. It should not be allowed, for instance, that at one time the Klingon Crew is playing one hour after the others. As a rule of thumb, there should be a maximum of 5 to 10 minutes time variation per point of difference in the Flight Control Test result (described below in the section "Arrival at Nimbus III").

When preparing the game (more than any other game, you will have to prepare this one), the Coordinator Narrator will gather all the co-Narrators, tell them about the main NPCs' personalities, make sure that they know the story, and explain how the game is to be run.

 SYNOPSIS
"You can't buy fate."
- Ferengi Rule of Acquisition Number 236

The Crews' ships will all receive orders to investigate an abduction on Nimbus III. Arriving there, they will find they have to deal not only with the abductor, an Orion Pirate demanding a ransom, but also with the ships of the other Crews.

Investigating on the planet, the Crews may learn that the Klingon ambassador--a beloved niece of the leader of a great House--and the Federation representative love each other.

The Orion, whose ship has been equipped with a Klingon cloaking device by the Klingon ambassador's dishonorable rival, will be revealed to be holding only the Romulan ambassador, and will attempt to get the two missing ambassadors, having been paid for that. Indeed, this rival wants the Klingon ambassador to be killed in the process.

The Crews will perhaps have to collaborate to learn that the Klingon and human ambassadors have fled to an isolated colony to live out their lives in "forbidden love." There will then be a race between the Orion ship (possibly calling for help from his employer) and the Crews' ships to prevent the killing of the two lovers.

 BRIEFINGS
"Keep your ears open."
- Ferengi Rule of Acquisition Number 7

Federation Briefing

The Crew's ship (a refitted Constitution class) is hailed by Starfleet Headquarters. Admiral Cartwright appears on screen, looking grave:

"Good morning, Captain. There is serious trouble going on. Peter Saint-Clar, one of our very best diplomats, has been sent to Nimbus III, a planet between the Romulan and Klingon Empires and the Federation. This planet has been named "the Planet of Galactic Peace." It possesses nothing besides rocks and dust. But there is something special about it. Indeed, Nimbus III is one-third Klingon, one-third Romulan and one-third Federation, and there is one ambassador for each side. Saint-Clar was ours, and he has been abducted by an Orion named Nefi Punsun. Pelsun is asking a high ransom for the return of the ambassador.

I urge you to retrieve Saint-Clar safely. It is said that the other ambassadors, the Klingon Quch'Qun and the Romulan Feorius, have both been abducted too. Be cautious: we have considered that one of them, if not both, are safer than has been claimed, and may be an accomplice of Punsun. If this is proven, show no compassion. The one and only thing that is important is to retrieve Peter Saint-Clar, and to make these Orion criminals pay. Use radical means if necessary."

If a psionic character is present, allow him to make a Moderate (7) Receptive Empathy Test or a Difficult (9) Receptive Telepathy Test. A success indicates that the character feels that Cartwright is a bit conservative. A succeeded Routine (4) Law (Starfleet Regulations) Test indicates that legally, the Crew has no choice but to go to Nimbus III and assist not only Saint-Clar but the other two ambassadors too if they are in any danger. Another Law (Starfleet Regulations) Test, this time at Moderate (6) Difficulty, is required to be told that Cartwright's suggestion of "radical means" is inappropriate, as Starfleet officers always have to try the peaceful solution first.

A Moderate (8) World Knowledge (Frontier) Test, or Routine (5) Word Knowledge (Nimbus III) Test indicates that the characters have heard about Sybok's actions on Nimbus III in 2287 (see Star Trek V: The Final Frontier): this is not the first time that ambassadors on Nimbus III have been abducted. A Challenging (10) Test using Politics (Q'onoS), or Diplomacy (Klingon Affairs), is required to know than Quch'Qun is the niece of a Great House leader, Maru'aN. The same kind of Test using Romulan specializations may tell than Feorius belongs to the Kassus family, one of the most important ones.

Before the game begins, have Saint-Clar make one Renown Test for each player character in the Crew. Those for whom Saint-Clar Dramatically Succeeds will know that he was born on Radu, a Federation Planet inhabited by a Klingon-like species. The same can be learned by those who search for Saint Clar's file by succeeding at a Routine (5) Computer (Search) Test.

Klingon Briefing

Aboard their Battlecruiser, the Klingon Crew will be honored by a hail from Maru'aN. He is the leader of one of the Great Houses of the Empire. He will directly begin with the motive of his hail:

"Be honored. Our ambassador on Nimbus III has disappeared. A disreputable Orion named Nefi Punsun, well known by our security forces as a smuggler, claims to holding her hostage along with her Federation and Romulan counterparts. Punsun is asking for a considerable ransom. We shall not let him dishonor the Empire, nor ambassador Quch'Qun. You will retrieve her safely. Get the criminals who have done this: I want Quch'Qun to be able to retrieve her honor by fighting them."

If the period chosen for for the story is between 2287 and 2292 (the latter date being the year of the collapse of the Romulan-Klingon alliance), Maru'aN will remind the Crew that Romulans "are supposed to be our allies, as long as they act like it." If the story is set between the end of this alliance and the birth of the Khitomer Accords, Maru'aN will show the distaste he feels for the "Romulan dogs." If playing in the Next Generation era, have Maru'aN support Gowron and the breaking of the Khitomer Accords. Maru'aN would have commanded an attack upon the Cardassian Union, and will mention Changelings.

A successful Moderate (8) Politics (Klingon Affairs) or Routine (5) World Knowledge (Q'onoS) Test will reveal Quch'Qun to be the beloved niece of Maru'aN -- and Maru'aN is very close to Chancellor Gorkon. Retrieving Quch'Qun will be a quest potentially full of honor and prestige.

A Crewmember succeeding at a Moderate (8) World Knowledge (Frontier) Test, or a Routine(5) Word Knowledge (Nimbus III) Test for anyone having the specialization, will know about Nimbus III and the previous event that happened there. Perhaps the Narrator will prefer to have all Crewmembers belonging to the House of Maru'aN.

As was the case with the Federation Crewmembers, the Klingons will be allowed to know something about both the Human and Romulan diplomats, by making appropriate Tests (see Federation Briefing). Furthermore, the Narrator may wish to have the diplomats make Renown Tests. Again, these could be done before the game.

Romulan Briefing

The Crew's Romulan Warbird (which may be from the Kassan fleet or not) receives a hail, marked for commanding officer's eyes only. Any Tal Diann or Tal Shiar officer (and any Crewmember at the Communication console) wanting to locate the source of the hail may do so by succeeding in a Challenging (9) Shipboard System (Communication) or Espionage (Traffic Analysis) Test: the call comes directly from the Kassus family palace.

The hail should be transferred to C.O.'s office (you do not have to make your Crew make a Test for it, but if you really want to, have them make a Routine Shipboard System (Communication) Test). If Tal Diann and/or Tal Shiar characters want to spy on the conversation, have them make a Challenging (10) Computer (Data Alteration/Hacking) or Moderate (8) Espionage or Surveillance Test. If successful, the character may tap into the hail undiscovered.

Senator Kassus speaks firmly. He seems to be in a hurry, but still remains calm.

"Commander. I have a Paval-classified mission for you. Do you know about the planet known as Nimbus III? ... It is located in the area between the borders of our Empire, the Klingon Empire, and the Federation. Located there are three diplomats -- one Romulan, one Klingon, and one Human. Not long ago, the three diplomats were abducted by a perfidious Vulcan. But the "Nimbus Compromise" still continues.

Once again, the three Nimbus diplomats have been abducted. Our representative, Ambassador Feorius Kassus, is to be rescued; I urge you to do anything possible to take him from his abductor, the Orion Nefi Punsun. You should consider the possibility of human or even Klingon treachery."

If a Tal Shiar Character is present, he will be informed of the mission, and will be told some more:

"When the abduction took place, the Planet of Galactic Peace project nearly came to an end. But the Romulan Star Empire has worked hard to maintain the Nimbus compromise: it allows our ships to cross the Neutral Zone in a corridor to Nimbus III, just as Federation and Klingon ships are allowed to do so in their own corridors. This allows our infiltrated agents to easily contact the Tal Shiar, since they can meet each other at Nimbus III. Your commanding officer's mission will be to retrieve our ambassadors; your own will be to prevent the Nimbus III compromise from ending. Of course, the Tal Shiar will also curry more favor in the Senate from the Kassus family if we can retrieve Feorius. You should considerer these objectives as a Tru Ruta Mission."

Note that Paval is a Romulan word for "Limited Access," and Tru Ruta means that this is a secret Tal Shiar mission.

The Romulans could have heard about any of the ambassadors if they succeed in a Challenging (9) Politics (Q'onoS or Federation) or Diplomacy (Klingon or Federation Affairs) Test.

ARRIVAL AT NIMBUS III

"Sometimes the only thing more dangerous than the question is the answer."
- Ferengi Rule of Acquisition Number 208

Have the CONN Officer from each Crew make a three-way contested Shipboard Systems (Flight Control) Test against each other, with a +3 bonus for the Federation and a -2 penalty for the Romulan. The highest scoring officer's ship will arrive first. The Coordinator Narrator will decide how long after the first the two others will arrive, keeping in mind that a balance should be kept between the three. As a rule of thumb, consider that the second ship will arrive 5 minutes after the first for each point of difference between their final scores, and the same will be apply for the third.

There are no ships detected around Nimbus III. (Punsun's ship is cloaked, having been equipped with a cloaking device by his Punsun's Klingon ally, Reshek.) Detection will be possible by only the Klingons and Romulans. The Klingons will have to succeed in a Nearly Impossible (16) Shipboard System (Sensors) Test, which could be replaced by the (Communication Systems) specialization if a channel is open. The difficulty for the Romulans (making the same Tests) will only be Difficult (14). If Romulans and Klingons collaborate, add +2 to any of their scores in that Test.

A successful Moderate (7) Shipboard System (Sensors) Test will let the Crew notice that there are some damaged ships on the surface of Nimbus III. Some of them have lost weapon and impulse systems. Others have even been destroyed. Investigating those ships will reveal that they come from the Federation, the Romulan Empire, and the Klingon Empire. None of them had cloaking devices, belonging mostly to civilians.

Debris from two other ships orbits the planet. Any Crewmember succeeding in a Moderate (8) Starship Tactics (Planetary Support) Test will know that it should have been impossible for any single ship to defeat as many ships as there were here without the help of superior technology such as a cloaking device or Tholian web. (In the Next Generation era, quantum torpedoes could be mentioned.) Without the help of such technology, no less than six ships could have defeat the wrecked ships.

CLUES

"Hear all, trust nothing."
- Ferengi Rule of Acquisition Number 190
There is only one city on the surface of Nimbus III. Succeeding in a Routine (3) Shipboard System (Sensors) Test will reveal it as being populated by fewer than one hundred inhabitants. A Dramatic Success will reveal that there are 12 Klingons, 21 humans, and 29 Romulans. (If anyone tries to consult computer data banks about the expected population of the city, have them make a Moderate (6) Computer (Search) Test, modified by the Computer Core number of their ship: successful characters will learn than there should be 33 Klingons, 33 Romulans, and 33 humans, including the three missing ambassadors). 

The first Crew to arrive will certainly begin to investigate (if not, what have they been sent there for?). A hail to the planet's surface will be answered almost immediately by someone of the Crew's affiliation. An emergency committee meeting has been formed in the hall of the main structure of Nimbus III. People from the three affiliations will be present, and the talk will take place in the Federation Standard Language (as it is the only language than everyone present can understand). "You have arrived, at last. We've been expecting you. We have some medical emergencies down here." Depending of the affiliation, the talk will of course be different. Klingons will refer to the honorable entrance of dead warriors of Nimbus III into Sto'Vo'Kor. Romulans will insinuate that they have been betrayed by someone on the planet. 

The conversation will reveal to the Crew what happened: The attack lasted five minutes or so. First, the ships orbiting the planet exploded one after the other. Sensors revealed that a ship decloaked just before the attack, and cloaked again afterwards. Before any ship on the ground could take off, hits disabled them, and even destroyed some. Orions then transported onto Nimbus III and, because of the surprise, managed to take control of the base, after which they looted the surviving ships. Plans of the attack shall be given to the Crew if asked. This will be a complete report of the Orion attack. Indeed, the survivors from the three affiliations have met in a briefing. Anyone wishing to analyze the attack will have to succeed in a Moderate ( 7) Planetary Tactics (Small-unit Tactics) Test to understand that the Orions knew everything about the defensive system of the planet. After the attack, personal from all the three affiliations took refuge on the main building of the planet. Asking questions, Crews and/or Away Teams may learn that: 

Quch'Qun's Room

"The bigger the smile, the sharper the knife."
- Ferengi Rule of Acquisition Number 48
Investigating in Quch'Qun's quarters will reveal that they have been thoroughly searched (cupboards emptied on the ground, drawers opened, PADDs without their LCARs). A Klingon corpse lies on the ground. If any Away Team (or Crew) members think about it, they might want to view security recordings of the quarters. This might be done by any Security Clearance +2 (or more) personnel, or by any Crewmember succeeding in a Difficult (10) Espionage (Surveillance) or Computer (Hacking) Test. This will reveal that an Orion Away Team came there to look for Quch'Qun. The Klingon corpse was already there. They seem to have searched for her everywhere else in the planet, and started to look for clues in the drawers and the PADDs. Seeming to have found nothing, they left. If the Crew look at previous records, they will see a talk between Quch'Qun and a Klingon named Roth'ChreQ (the corpse!). Roth'ChreQ tells Quch'Qun that he informed someone of some secret details about the defensive system of Nimbus III. He was paid for that and told he had to go. Remorse compelled him to tell Quch'Qun before going. Quch'Qun simply killed the traitor with her mek'leth. "Pete," she said before rushing out her room.

Saint-Clar's Room

"Never confuse wisdom with luck."
- Ferengi Rule of Acquisition Number 44
An Away Team searching in Saint-Clar's room will find a Klingon woman's clothes, some of which have Klingon heraldic signs of the House of Maru'aN on them. Quch'Qun is the only women of the House of Maru'aN on Nimbus III. Besides, the personal log of the Federation Ambassador will mention their mutual love. Saint-Clar's room has been searched like Quch'Qun's. Security records have been stolen. A success in a Moderate (8) Security (Security Systems) Test will reveal this was done by Saint-Clar himself. Saint-Clar's PADDs and tricorder have been stolen too (by the Orions).

EMISSARY

"Only fools pay retail."
- Ferengi Rule of Acquisition Number 141
About five minutes after the last ship arrives, the Orions contact the Crews' ships. It is time to talk about the ransom. It is possible that, under the pressure of an insisting Crew never ceasing to hail them, the Orions open a channel much sooner, before the ships have all arrived. It is still up to the Coordinator Narrator to decide when the Orions decide to send the hail. With the hail, if they did not figure it out already, the Crews should now know that the Orion ship has cloaking device. It is still possible to locate it using procedures described in the chapter "Arrival at Nimbus III". With a hail going on, the Communication Officer (or, in the Next Generation era, BOTH the Operations Officer and the Tactical Officer) could try to locate where the channel is going from, by succeeding in a Nearly Impossible (17) Shipboard System (Communications) (Nearly Impossible (15) in the Next Generation era), only if they propose the idea by themselves. This will give an approximate direction for the Orion ship.

The hail Nefi Punsun sends is an audio one. He does not want the Crews to realize that he does not hold the three of the ambassadors. He has lost control of the situation, but he will keep that to himself. He is a very good liar. He will attempt to bluff the Crews. The first hail he sends (to all the ships at the same time), is the following pre-recorded-one:

"Greetings, to you all. I am the one detaining your fellow countrymen. Please do not worry about their comfort. They have jails with all the modern conveniences. They are well treated. You have now one hour to transport the payment to these coordinates. Any attempt to deceive me will result in the death of one of the hostages. At random."

The coordinates Punsun provides are on the surface of the planet. Any sensor scan there will reveal the presence of some sensor device if succeeding a Moderate (7) Shipboard System (Sensor) Test. This sensor device is set to scan the payments and send information scanned into space so Punsun's ships will know if the Crews sent down anything other than the payment. He also ordered his Engineer to include a device to forbid unwanted transporting inside the zone surrounding the sensor device and the drop point for the payments. Unfortunately for him, the Engineer failed and the anti-transporting device does not work. If a Crew wants to beam up the sensor device (so that the Orions may not guess if the payments the receive are what they think or not, possibly having bombs or the like with them), the first Crew to try this shall have to succeed in a Difficult (11) Shipboard System (Transporter) Test. The failed anti-transporter device will then be short-circuited and every attempt will only be a Moderate (8) Test. If the Crews cooperate, they will need to be in contact by some hailing channel and make a successful Moderate (7) Shipboard System (Sensor) Combined Test. For each three points the Test Results is above the Difficulty Number, give the Transporting Crew a -1 bonus to the Difficulty Number of its Shipboard System (Transporter) Test.

If a Crew tries to beam something to or from the provided coordinates, and another Crew wishes to stop them, the Coordinator Narrator will have to decide, first, if the other Crews have time to change the course of the action before the Orions could act, and second, how the Orions will react. Some possibilities for beaming down include a bomb, an Away Team, or a position-signaling buoy device. Some things a Crew might want to beam up include another Crew's payment, Punsun's sensor device, or the anti-transporting device.

POWER PLAY

"When in doubt, lie."
- Ferengi Rule of Acquisition Number 266
If compelled to demonstrate how determined he is (or if the Crews disobey his instructions in some way), Punsun will feel obliged to kill one of his hostages. As he only hold one, he would never let his one hostage die, so he will have to lie. He only wishes to gain time (he plans to chase Quch'Qun and Saint-Clar after the payments), so as soon as he feels betrayed, he sends the following pre-recorded on-screen hail:

"Gentlemen, one of you has betrayed me. I warned you. One of your ambassadors is going to die. But I am in a good mood, so there is still a chance to save him. This is the only known antidote to the poison injected into Ambassador Kassus. You three have one hour from now to cease all plots against myself and my crew, and deliver correct payments. I will then release the ambassadors, and I will sell the antidote by auction."

Any successful Receptive Empathy or Vhoshanta (see "The Way of Kolinahr") Test will reveal a lie. A Dramatic Success will inform the psionic that this is a bluff and there is no poison. Another Empathy (or Path of Vhos) reading will be possible with any later hail with the Orion ship. It will reveal the Orion's greed and his compulsive caution. A Dramatic Success will then reveal that he fears something. Examining Punsun closely (with a Dramatic Success on an immediate extra Psi Test), the Empath could guess he does not hold all the ambassadors.

If the Crews begin to send Away Teams too often, Punsun gets nervous. He sends a hail to tell the Crews there is no need to go on the planet's surface to give him the payments. A possible answer is to tell him those are Medical Away Teams sent to heal injured survivors of the battle and/or Engineer Away Teams sent to make emergency repairs on Life Support Systems. An Opposed Persuasion Test between the Crew's Captain (or whoever takes the hail) and Punsun (see Punsun at the end of the adventure for the Orion's attributes and skills) will be necessary to convince him. Depending of how convincing the player is, a bonus (or a penalty) may be given to his roll. If any Crew decides to send the payments (without any betrayal) long before the hour ends, the Orion will send a hail to inform the Crew that they will have to wait until the others send him their payments, too.

CAPTIVE PURSUIT

"More is good... all is better."
- Ferengi Rule of Acquisition Number 242
The sensor device Punsun had placed at the payment place is intended to scan the payments the Crews will send there, to detect any unexpected plot, and measure if the correct amount of payment is there. As soon as a correct payment is transported there, Punsun will have it transported to his ship. If the sensor device is rendered inoperative (by any means), Punsun's greed will compel him to still take the payment, if this is the last one. Being a bit paranoid (or, say, greatly cautious), he would not take it otherwise. As soon as the three payments are done, or whenever Punsun feels that the Crews which did not send him their payments will never do so (because they found out he does not hold Quch'Qun and Saint-Clar, or for any other reason), Punsun will leave the system. His Away Team sent to capture Saint-Clar found clues that he might have fled to Radu, his homeworld. He hopes that the other missing ambassador is with him, as no other ship than Saint-Clar's is missing. He wants to capture Saint-Clar and Quch'Qun before they can tell the authorities about the Nimbus III events. With Saint-Clar's ship's poor warp capability, Punsun thinks he can catch up with it before it can arrive anywhere. If Punsun has the three payments, he will send the following hail:

"Thank you for your cooperation, gentlemen. I see how clever you are, and you do merit your Captain's seats. I am glad to tell I have the three payments. Still, I cannot deliver you your gentle friends right now. They will send you a greetings hail when they are released...safely, of course. Mission accomplished, my dear friends."

In any other case, he will warp out without telling anyone. He can continue to receive and send hails on his way to Radu. A successful Moderate (8) Shipboard System (Communication) will inform the Crew the Orion ship is no more in the neighborhood of Nimbus III. A Dramatic success will let the Crew know in which approximate direction it went. Any faster ship could then catch up with it. Punsun wants to get Quch'Qun before releasing Feorius (wanting to keep a hostage). He plans to go to Radu, catch up with Saint-Clar's ship, capture the two ambassadors, sell Quch'Qun to Reshek, and torture Saint-Clar to make him reveal any useful information (in other words, anything Punsun could sell).

MOVE ALONG HOME

"Never ask when you can take."
- Ferengi Rule of Acquisition Number 52
Saint-Clar's ship did not reach Radu. An accident occurred, and it crashed on a moon. Injured, the two lovers healed each other and they know hide, fearing for their lives. They are trying to repair the Communication systems to call for help before life support systems run out. Quch'Qun knows someone wants her dead, and also thinks Saint-Clar is in danger. She does not fear for he own life, but for Saint-Clar's. Pete Saint-Clar thinks that the only place where he and Quch'Qun could live their love is Radu, where Quch'Qun could regarded as a Radu. Quch'Qun knows that a Human and a Klingon could not be lovers in the Klingon Empire and that if she wants to live with the man she loves, she will have to do it in the Federation. If any Crew's ship arrive before the Orions, they can detect Saint-Clar's ship and retrieve him. The lovers will thank them, and will do whatever necessary to live the life they have chosen, i.e. staying at Radu with Quch'Qun as a Radu. If the Starfleet Crew gets them, they will explain the whole truth, asking the Crew to keep it secret. As the Klingon Crew would think her to be dishonored by this choice, Quch'Qun will join them for a short time, and will leave them as soon as possible. Their reaction in front of the Romulan Crew will depend of the Romulans' attitude. If no ship can be seen when he arrives, Punsun's will decloak and will send an Away Team to Saint-Clar's ship. Otherwise, he will flee again, setting a course to his haven (see Appendix I: Punsun).

BATTLE LINES

"War is good for business."
- Ferengi Rule of Acquisition Number 34
A battle will possibly occur, at Radu, Nimbus III, or even at Punsun's haven. Punsun will avoid it at all costs, until he thinks there is no other solution. His first move, if the Romulan or the Klingon ship is decloaked, will be to destroy its cloaking capacity. He will also not forget that he holds Kassus as a hostage. If the Romulans attack, he will send a hail, with Feorius on the bridge with a scorcher gun set on maximum power directed against him. If the attack does not cease, he will kill Kassus, and prepare to attack. If he feels in any danger (before being attacked, or when being attacked), he will call for Reshek's help. Reshek will be there in an hour, with a Klingon Bird of Prey. Refer to the map of the immediate surroundings of Nimbus III.

ALL GOOD THINGS

"Sometimes what you get free costs entirely too much."
- Ferengi Rule of Acquisition Number 218
There can be several conclusions to this adventure. Nobody can predict how much the interactions between three Crews can modify the end of the adventure, nor exactly how this adventure could conclude. Maybe there will be another battle (between Crews). Maybe the Crews will send hails to each other to thank (!) each other, to finish their common work, and so on.

TOO SHORT A SEASON

"Time's an asset."
- Ferengi Rule of Acquisition
Don't worry about the duration of the adventure. It might seem short on the paper, but interaction between Crews will lengthen it. They even might forget the story for a time, having long talks between themselves. They even might accuse each other, which might take time again. Tell the players this is a "big-screen show", and make sure they know they can take time to roleplay their characters. If you want, you could give the players their characters days before, so that they can get to know them (or even, each other's characters inside a Crew).

APPENDICES

Appendix I: Punsun (A Man Alone)

"A wealthy man can afford anything except a conscience."
- Ferengi Rule of Acquisition Number 261
Fitness 2
     Strength +1
Coordination 2
Intellect 2
Presence 2
Psi 0

Athletics (Sprint) 1 (2)
Bargain (Bribery) 2 (3)
    (Ship Equipment) (3)
Command (Pirate Crew) 1 (2)
Computer (Hacking) 1 (2)
Culture (Orion) 2 (3)
Energy Weapon (Scorcher) 2 (3)
Fast Talk 3
Gaming (Betting) 1 (2)
History (Orion) 1 (2)
Knowledge
    Pirate Havens 2
    Trade Routes 1
Language
    Orion 2
    Federation Standard 2
    Klingon 1
Merchant (Appraising/Selling Stolen Goods) 2 (3)
Personal Equipment (Tricorders) 1 (2)
Planetside Survival (Caves, Subsoils, and Undergrounds) 1 (2)
Security (Lockpicking) 1 (2)
Shipboard Systems (Flight Control) 2 (3)
    (Tactical) (3)
Starship Tactics (Pirate Tactics) 2 (3)
Streetwise (Orion Syndicate) 3 (4)
    (Locate Fences/Black Market) (4)
Unarmed Combat (Brawling) 2 (3)
    (Tatharoc) (3)
    (Tatharoc: Rake-Punch) (3)
World Knowledge (Rigel System) 1 (2)

(Tatharoc is an Orion martial art (see Player's Guide), and Rake-Punch is a maneuver of this martial art.).

Vessel +5 (Size 3 with Superb Resources), Wealth +3, Haven +6 (Private moon with Fine accommodations), Shrewd +1 Greedy -1, Shady Background -3

Punsun has always been involved in piracy, being the child of a pirate (and occasionally a green slave dealer).

Appendix II: Last Advice

"If it's free, take it and worry about hidden costs later."
- Ferengi Rule of Acquisition Number 37
It is best to have the premises of the game organized like ships' bridges, with the Captain's seat, the Science Station, the Communication Station and so on. This will allow for better roleplaying. Beside the main area, keep a normal table, to Narrate to Away Teams (or any Crewmembers on the ship but outside the bridge). If any communication occurs between two Crews, have the players from one of the Crews move to the other Crew's room, and set chairs and tables to resemble the bridge, so that the two bridges will face each other. Maybe the Narrators will wish to prepare this beforehand, hiding the second bridge behind a curtain or a screen. At any moment, each Crew (and Narrator) should know how much time has passed. The Narrator will note it on a board, or the like. When the Coordinator Narrator comes to the room, he will note the Time Rate of that Crew, and will discreetly inform other Narrators, comparing each Crew's Time Rate, having Narrators slow down time, or accelerate it. If playing with your usual players, if will not be a very good idea to let them play their usual characters. Narrators might tend to favor those characters. Even if all the Crews are already played (and by the same players having them during this adventure, of course), each Narrator will tend to favor "his usual Crew." The only appropriate situation is the Coordinator Narrator being the Narrator to ALL the three Crews usually played by the players playing them during this adventure.

Appendix III: Nimbus III Battle Map

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