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Episode 2 - The Shakedown
213 Plays10 months ago
Captain Khan and the KSS Hoodoo found the missing Khanate vessel, the Kobayashi Maru. Surrounded by enemy forces, the Captain assumes the Maru has been infiltrated by the Confederates. Join the crew for their first epic battle with their giant fighting robots, the Tetsujins.
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Transcript
Mission Brief: Starship Hoodoo's Objective
00:00:02
Speaker
Space. The Heartless Darkness. These are the records of the starship Hoodoo, its task to secure, contain, and protect against the entities and phenomena that pose a threat to the people of the United Socialist Khanate. Always resolved to boldly go where no one dares. We are Khan.
00:00:36
Speaker
Dartrek, starring narrator, Hip Hallman, Captain Shaka Khan, Tebeca Hernandez-Rigmaiden, Commander Leela Desai, Vicky Sayal, Lieutenant Sochi Metzli, Nikayla Hoops, Lieutenant Natima Hadar, Chloe Lewis, Lieutenant Amethyst Skye, Jennifer Nichols,
00:01:03
Speaker
Last time on Dark Trek, Chairman Sisko unveiled the KSS Hoodoo, the Khanate's newest commission. Her mission is to secure, contain, and protect against anomalies that pose a threat to the United Socialist Khanate. Captain Khan and her crew set forth on their first mission to find the Kobayashi Maru at the edge of the Rutherford Expanse. They found Maru surrounded by three enemy vessels, two tellerite and one
Encounter with Nemesis: Mysterious Artifact
00:01:33
Speaker
vaulted. The Hoodoo now approaches the scene, shielded by cloaking technology, and ready for action.
00:01:42
Speaker
Episode 2. The Shakedown. Written by Razeek Brown and Ruth Hinkle. 363 days before the incident. Mission Report. C-R-O-T-1-K-A-P-L-8. The Matrix. Stardate classified. Captain Shaka Khan of the KSS Hoodoo. Chief Intelligence Officer, Commander Leela Desai. Chief Researcher, Hollow Leo Tamanuka. Before our mission in the Rutherford Expanse, we received a highly enigmatic artifact from Black Tower 214 to be delivered to Black Tower 817.
00:02:27
Speaker
This device has been classified as Nemesis, Threat Level Orange, due to its unpredictable and hazardous nature. Section 13, Containment Procedures CRO-T1KA-PL8, designation The Matrix, is secured in the crow's nest inside a zero-gravity chamber lined with non-metallic organic polymers to dampen its psychic effects. Interaction with the matrix requires specialized non-metallic tools and biopolymer gloves.
Psychological Impact of Nemesis on Crew
00:02:59
Speaker
Direct neural interfaces and humanoid contact is strictly prohibited. The containment area is under constant surveillance, and any auditory disturbances or visual anomalies must be reported immediately.
00:03:13
Speaker
description. The Matrix is an intricate assembly of gears, wires, and crystalline structures, measuring approximately 0.4 meters in diameter. It appears the autonomously reconfigure itself, emitting low-frequency hum linked to severe headaches and auditory hallucinations among the sentient crew who are close to it. My interview with Tactical Command hologram Dreadbear highlights the device's psychological effects on holographic entities. begin log. Dreadbear, can you describe what happened when you interacted with CRO Tikka PL8? Oh, bother. It seems I was not myself. I touched the CRO and then I felt a strange resonance. Suddenly, I was seeing hearing things that were there. My behavior was very unbecoming.
00:04:12
Speaker
Did you experience any physical sensations or changes? Yes, I felt as if my whole being were in tune with the device. I actually felt something, Dr. Leo. We aren't supposed to feel things. end log ah den Captain's log. The Matrix Crow was responsible for the malfunctions experienced by one of our tactical holograms. The device's interaction with our ship's systems were minor. Our search and rescue mission
Infiltration Plan for Kobayashi Maru
00:04:49
Speaker
took priority. We are Khan.
00:04:57
Speaker
Two days prior.
00:05:00
Speaker
Sherlock, under the guidance of Number One and Guild, you will land on the Kobayashi Maru and infiltrate its communication system to see if there's more going on than meets the eye. Do nothing else. We don't want to knock out any critical systems if they actually are pinned down by the caps.
00:05:21
Speaker
Computer. Yes, Captain. I want you to create 200 spider drones. Equip them with hollow emitters that can use reverse polarizing tractor beams to attach to the hulls of the Confederate vessels. We're going to make the Confederates think it's debris and cause a distraction. initializing tactical replicators. When we get there, I want all parties to believe we sent in one Petzgin to scout the area before bringing in the Hoodoo. By the time the enemy realizes we're here, it should be too late. I. In the hangar bay, crewman Bebop Washington orchestrates the launch, his green skin glowing under the lights, his focus on wavering. Bebop, roll to check your systems and diagnostics. 17 is the number to beat. One. Critical success. All systems are green, Captain. Ready for launch. The Tetsujin pilots Falco and Jake are engaged in their respective mix.
00:06:19
Speaker
The Keshek, a red exploration mecca, and the Babi Yaga, a black infiltration mecca. They are the vanguard of a meticulously crafted plan. Captain Khan rolled to successfully jump to warp. Three. Great success.
00:06:48
Speaker
The Hoodoo emerges from warp. The Kobayashi Maru and the Confederate ships looming ominously ahead. Launch ready. Open the hangar. Pilots, no obstacles detected. Clear for launch. Launch to launch. Meanwhile, Jake and the Baba Yaga engages its Quantum Cloak, becoming invisible to all as he races towards the Kobayashi Maru. Misto, go ahead and go, Sol. Incoming from Commander Desai,
00:07:20
Speaker
with you to ease the screener We will have to do a tour with this maneuver. Aye. Activating protocol 13, crewman code name, Sherlock.
00:07:37
Speaker
You're not getting us, Jake. Sinking with your nervous system, we'll hack the Kobayashi Maru shields, slow bar descent, and attach using the tractor beam. Stay cloaked and ready to roll.
00:07:53
Speaker
As the Baba Yaga nears the Kobayashi Maru, Guild's expert guidance allows Jake to approach undetected, a phantom. all systems green An outline of Guild synchronizes with the Baba Yaga's frame. The mecha-guild tucks into a ball, rolling across the Kobayashi Maru's shields until seamlessly slipping through and opening like a mouse. Okay, tuck and roll, got it. The number to beat is 10. Two. Great success. The babayaga lands silently on the hull of the Kobayashi Maru's hangar bay, undetected. Though an ensign in the hangar of the Kobayashi Maru hears a slight bump against the hull.
00:08:38
Speaker
Must be nothing.
Confrontation with Captain Morrigan
00:08:44
Speaker
Meanwhile, Falco and Waitland engage in a verbal sparring match with Captain Morrigan of the Kobayashi Baru invoking Confederate captain to knock. Where is the Hoodoo? Are you here to rescue us? That's a Jim Pilot. Hoodoo? Never heard of her. Shouldn't you be fighting back, Captain? it Doesn't seem like you are really in distress, even though you got a distress signal. The location of the Hoodoo is imperative. Tell us now or we'll blow the Kobayashi Maru out of the sky. bociento notido no uping gla signor On the bridge of the Hoodoo. Captain, urgent intel from Sherlock.
00:09:25
Speaker
um right on fire war after all Captain Khan now understands the true motive of Karen Morrigan. The revelation strikes Captain Khan like a thunderbolt. Her pass as a pirate once a weapon against the Confederacy now twisted into a perceived weakness. The thriller began to hum in her ears as she embraced it.
00:09:58
Speaker
They think I turn traitor. They think I turn traitor against the chairman. Ready the Marines, we're taking all three ships. Bridge to security. Prepare for boarding. Computer, summon iron maidens.
00:10:19
Speaker
Lieutenant Metzli, now encased in case the Iron Maiden, embodies the fearsome might of the Khanate. The armor, a fusion of strength and elegance, readies her for the impending battle.
00:10:34
Speaker
Lieutenant Metzli successfully rolls to outfit 25 security officers. As Lieutenant Metzli and her team prepare, Captain Khan's resolve hardens. Falco, fire at will. Morgan is a traitor. It's a trap. Arms with the truth. Falco casts aside all pretense, unleashing a barrage of fire upon the Confederate ships. Time to make these guys run to the hills. Wait, quick to adapt. Activates the Keshi's holographic emitters, creating a swarm of holographic shadow clones of the Keshi.
00:11:15
Speaker
The Tellarites and the Vulcans undeterred. A dispatched fighter shows to swarm the Keshin, a flurry of activity against the backdrop of stars.
00:11:38
Speaker
We'll capture all ships, starting with Kobayashi Maru. Don't fire on her, Jake. Hack their comms for Lieutenant
Hoodoo's Strategic Deception
00:11:45
Speaker
Skye. On it, Captain. Once you're done, move to the Vulcan ship. Copy that. Heading to the Vulcan vessel.
00:11:56
Speaker
aboard the KSS Kobayashi Maru. Captain Morrigan prepares to fire photon torpedoes in all of the Keshek copies of view. But Dreadbear beams in as a hologram, interrupted by a parrot in the middle of the bridge and ripping off the arm of the Kobayashi Maru security officer. Ah, my second favorite arc! Excuse me, traitor. But this is a hospitality emergency. I am here to announce my captain. We are Khan. Driven by their augmented spirit, a player's extreme actions and service to the Khanate can be a potent asset. When committing a graphic, violent, or underhanded act benefiting the mission, roll 1d6. Gain bonuses.
00:12:42
Speaker
Extreme actions will draw scrutiny. Four. Plus four, momentum to the player's pool. Plus two, threat added to the narrator's pool. The hologram of dread bears replaced with the hologram of Captain Khan. loyal comrades of the Khanate Coalition. As I understand it, your captain has decided to defect to the Corpus. The Hoodoo has infiltrated your systems completely, so now you have a choice to make. Come back to the Khanate whole and forgiven, or be destroyed. You have 10 minutes. Reveal yourself, Chaka.
00:13:24
Speaker
Do you know why the chairman called this ship the Hoodoo, Morgan? Stop playing games. Now, Karen, you know I can never pass up a game. I'll give you some time to think about it. This is a challenging role. Captain Khan has opted to use her presence and command to induce the crew of the Kobayashi Maroon to mute. This is a challenge of three. With a presence attribute of 12 and the command score of five, a roll of 17 or below is a success. Three. Success. Aboard the KSS Kobayashi Maru, a commotion begins to stir. Captain Morgan, there are reports of a riot in the mess hall. What? 11. Success. In the armory of the Kobayashi Maru, two Morrigan loyalists lay dead with their throat slit while Kanye Marines hand out phasers and a phaser rifles to a growing line of female officers. One.
00:14:22
Speaker
Critical success. A phaser being burned through the XO's head. Her body falls to reveal the security chief of the Maru holding a phaser now pointed to Captain Morrigan. Captain? Sorry, Captain. The money sounded great and we know you were trying to save us. But right now I gotta worry about disappointing you or the god chairman. The house spends one threat to allow Captain Morrigan to escape using her fitness and presence. Presence roll. 16. Success. Listen to me, worms. I'm your captain. We are conned. We will survive. The entire bridge of the maroon freezes. Years of listening to this woman's orders drilled into the very sinews of their nervous system. Fitness roll. 13. This gives Captain Morrigan just enough time to grab the navigator, break her arm, and use her as a shield.
00:15:22
Speaker
Too late with their reactions, the bridge crew of the Kobayashi Maru murders the navigator as Captain Morrigan opens a channel to the Vulcan festival. Escape roll. Seven. Success. Phases rip through empty air as Captain Morrigan makes her way safely to the Confederate ship. Immediately, the Maru security chief hails the KSS Hoodoo. Hail the Hoodoo before they blur us out of the sky. Aboard the KSS Hoodoo, Captain Khan waits patiently as she receives a hail from the Kobayashi Maru, five minutes after she made her announcement. Commander Desai nods in approval. Incoming hail from the Kobayashi Maru. Time? Five minutes. Power to the people. Captain Khan takes another sip from her flask. Captain, is that Romulan whiskey? Good stuff.
00:16:18
Speaker
Let me have some. The Captain hands her eggs over her hip flask. Okay, okay, okay, okay. That's enough, number one. Damn. Aren't you going to answer, Captain? Let them sweat in their treachery a bit. The entire command crew is probably due for re-education. I'm sure they know it, too. The question is, what's got them spooked enough to risk being tried for treason by the god-sharemen? Lieutenant Skye, open a channel. On screen, the face of the one-armed Maru security chief appears. Fleet Captain Khan, the Kobayashi Maru's at your disposal. We're prepared to die fighting these Confederate swine. Outside, the Kobayashi Maru slowly turns to face the Confederate ships. Fleet Captain? Okay, I like the sound of that.
00:17:11
Speaker
However, the trade of Morgan has escaped. Fear not, comrade. No one has to die today, and no one is beyond the grasp of the Khanate. Number one, activate the holodromes. The spider-like holodromes on top of the Vulcan and Tellarite ships come to light, projecting hundreds of holograms of Rosie, dressed as a late 20th century construction worker with a jackhammer on top of the ship's force fields. Let's get to it, boys.
00:17:46
Speaker
Rosie, the tactical engineer hologram, t crewman Bebop Washington, and the Hoodoo itself need to beat a score of 15 to pull off his feet offensive engineering. 12. The ship rolls 16. Across the Tellarite ships, shields fail. The Vulcan vessel shields are only briefly interrupted before they are back on line. Guild spends a point of determination. Make your roll. As Sherlock and Guild wait in the Baba Yaga outside the Vulcan vessels force field, they take advantage of this momentary disruption and hack their way inside the shield, just like they did for the Kobayashi Maru.
Attacks on Vulcan Ship
00:18:25
Speaker
The Baba Yaga has a security score of 1 and a census score of 6. And Guild with a security score of 4 and a control score of 10 must pass a score of 21 to pull off this maneuver.
00:18:40
Speaker
four Without fanfare or notice, the Shinobi-type Tetsujin slips underneath the Falcon ship's aegis. Sherlock, Guild, take out those shields now. Blow up their whole damn security deck if you have to. Aye aye. Sherlock, if we're going to fire the Baba Yaga's Photonic Rifle, we'll have to take it out of stealth and charge for 10 seconds. Nearby, Falco, alongside his droid companion, Waitlen, and the Keshig stand ready, their holographic emitters working double time. A flurry of Keshig clones flicker into existence, creating a disorienting ballet. Eat photons, porpoz. Though this strategy is unorthodox, I must admit, it's quite a clever ploy.
00:19:31
Speaker
go any In Falco's viewscreen, Jake's theta slashes a target on the Vulcan mothership. You got it, Sherlock. I've got just a crazy idea. Weyland, let's play some catch. Help me grab one of those floating tin cans and give it a toss. Falco, this is a little too unorthodox. Statistically, the plan's success is as likely as teaching a gorn how to waltz. The Cashing's tractor beam latches onto a disabled fighter with the precision of her predatory bird. Falco's fingers dance across the controls, his eyes shining with the fire of the stars. Time for the Falco special. I'd like to assist. How? Captain Khan uses her extraordinary attribute, the augment trait, Reckoning, with flight control.
00:20:22
Speaker
the enhancement reckoning, Captain Khan now has an extraordinary insight of plus one and increases her complication range by two for this task. To judge the nature of a vessel by how it's moving a spot of problem in an unfamiliar vessel, this will be a flight control and insight role to spot a weakness in the CSS can side. This will need to be a complication score of three. With Reckoning, you already succeeded on two rolls. However, you can make three rolls and all success will count towards the ship's momentum. I'm gonna roll all three. With a con score of three and an insight score of eight, the number to beat is 11. Remember, with Reckoning, you've already succeeded with two rolls.
00:21:04
Speaker
Uh, 18. At the computer in her captain's chair, Captain Khan begins to hurriedly make calculations and scan the Vulcan ship. The first calculation is wrong, but she doesn't give up. The ship gains no additional momentum. Uh, 19. The computer beeps back another error. Her calculations were off again. The ship gains no additional momentum. Uh, Captain. Just give me a minute.
00:21:35
Speaker
Three success. The computer confirms our calculations that this is a scout class Vulcan vessel. It is slightly out of date. It's been known to have weak architecture in its nacelles. Stryker, I'm sending you data. Throw the fighter at exactly the coordinates I send you. Musiker. Yes, Captain. Blow up that goddamn ship on my mark. Mentientes. Stryker. Narrator. ah Yes, ma'am. Pass that momentum to Jake and Guild immediately. You got it. Musicur, Mark.
00:22:11
Speaker
On top of the Vulcan ship, Jake and Guild drop the Baba Yaga's cloaking. It bends one robotic moon with a large photonic rifle blaster trained on a security deck of the Vulcan ship. The house spends two threats to have the Vulcan ship phaser array target and destroy the Baba Yaga. The house must speed a roll to 14. 16. Fail. On the hull of the Vulcan ship, Guild uses simple automatic ballistics to shoot a phaser trained on the body
00:22:42
Speaker
I got your six, Sherlock. The house rolls again to blow away the Tetsujin. 20. Critical fail. The Vulcan vessel makes a direct hit on a Tetsujin, but the Baba Yaga was built with shields strong enough to withstand a photon torpedo. So when the phaser beam hits the Baba Yaga, instead of it taking out its intended target, the rays splinter and bounce off the Tetsujin, wildly damaging the kensai in the process. Photonic rifle charged at 100%. Mark. This shot has a complication of two.
00:23:16
Speaker
With Captain Khan's momentum boost, this has been reduced to a complication of 1. Jake has a control score of 10 and a security score of 3. Guild has a daring score of 9 and a security score of 4. The number to beat is 13. 11. 8. The Bobby Yaga fires an intense beam of heat and energy at the focus ship's security deck, killing everyone there. we We are con. We are con times two. Jake and Gil make your momentum rolls. Four. Two. Plus six momentum added to the player pool. Plus three threat given to the house. The player pool for momentum is at maximum. In space, the striker and wait when you watch a small explosion erupt on the Vulcan ship, then the shields of the CSS can sigh fail. The striker, now. Falco special, coming up.
00:24:10
Speaker
ah You call anything you do that you think is cool a Falco special Falco was attempting a daring maneuver with the tractor beam a tactic never before reported with his car and attribute of 10 and his daring skill of four He needs a roll of 14 below to succeed Yeah, because I'm special how have you survived up until now?
00:24:39
Speaker
13. Success by the skin of their teeth. Oh, nevermind. The fighter now our projectile is hurled at the Vulcan mothership. The cosmos holds its breath. Moments before on the bridge of the Vulcan Confederate vessel Kenzai, things are not going well. To knock, we need to leave. Now. Illogical, there are three of us and one of them, even if they had taken out the Kobayashi Maru. The Hood who hasn't even fired on us yet. All they've done is set out a Tetsujin and made some threats.
00:25:15
Speaker
Exactly. Captain, the shields on all the Tellarite ships have gone down, and something is trying to disrupt our own. Change the shield frequency immediately. The Kansai needs to beat a roll of ten to repel Jaken Gil's cybernetic attack. Three. Success. Shields holding. See, Karen. With logic, perseverance, and a calm mind, anything can be conquered. Captain, we have irregular movement off the port bow. On screen.
00:25:48
Speaker
the hell On screen, the crew of the Kansai watches as the Keshi, flown by Falco and Waitland, uses one of the Vulcan starfighters like a baseball and throws it directly at the ship. A big show, yet illogical. The fighter will simply crash against the shields. Captain, a Shinobi class Tetsujin has dropped out of cloak on the starboard quarter. It's charging weapons. Small arms can't. It's behind the shields. Shoot it immediately. The view screen switches to Jake and Gil, but only for a moment before the cameras watching it are obliterated. In the name of Spock, they're gone. The entire security deck is gone. Shields are down. On screen, the conside crew watches helplessly as the Falco special barrels over their ship.
00:26:36
Speaker
With the Vulcan Mothership's nacelle destroyed, Falco must now evade the backlash. His Khan skill of five combined with the Keshig's Khan of seven requires a roll of 12 or lower. Four, success. The Keshig dances away from the debris and energy storm. Falco's Gambit is paid off. Your Falco special seems to have a certain efficacy. At that same time on the bridge of the Hoodoo, Commander Desai will spend three momentum and get behind the teleporter controls on the bridge. The commander prepares to teleport every Khanate Marine and an Iron Maiden as well as crewmen CPAC onto the lower decks of the Vulcan and Tellarite Confederate ships. This is a security sensor check for the ship. The score to beat is 14. The ship rolls three. Almost perfect. Success. The Hoodoo locks onto three ships at once and is prepared to teleport.
00:27:36
Speaker
Commander Desai needs to lock on to the bodies of 25 life forms and 75 holographic crew to beam into their lower decks.
Assault on Enemy Ships
00:27:44
Speaker
Control plus security. The score to beat is 15. Eight. Success. Commander Desai spends another momentum. Play through. As the ship's counselor, I authorize all the Marines to have their Iron Maidens administer 20 cc's of protocol 13 directly into their bloodstream. Comrades, prepare to feel the thriller. The injection clicks home and within seconds, protocol 13 tears through the bloodstream of Lieutenant Metzley. Her heart beats like the drums of war, echoing a sudden rush of raw power that engulfs her. She's hyper aware, every color and sound amplified as her body becomes an avatar of relentless aggression and unyielding fortitude.
00:28:27
Speaker
Pain, once a familiar foe, is now a distant memory, her mind clear, even as her instincts scream to charge, to fight, to conquer. Fuck y'all, let's go! Did I know much? Yes, Lieutenant. Suit up. We need a nerd to help us open doors. Hi, Lieutenant. Let's go get some Vulcan ass. Marines, prepare to teleport in 10 seconds. Lieutenant Metzley, blades only. No energy weapons. We're not savages. Got it, number one.
00:28:58
Speaker
In the lower decks of the Vulcan ship, Lieutenant Metzley teleports into a hallway melee between the Vulcan Confederates and Kanye Terrance. Nearby, Truman de la Nomad works at a computer terminal. Jake and Gil, both dressed like Confederate officers, provide cover with Confederate faces. Just trying to get a ship-wide access. Sherlock, Desi said no guns. Technically, she said we couldn't use our guns. These are their guns. We didn't use guns to take these guns, if that helps. A Vulcan officer fires a phaser at the Hulu's chief of security. I spend a point of determination to dodge. With a fitness score of 10 and a security score of five, the score to beat is 15 with a complication of one. I have a specialization in combat tactics. The complication has been reduced to zero. One. Critical success. Bonus action granted.
00:29:53
Speaker
Sochi dodges the phaser fire as if she doesn't notice. She's so hopped up on protocol 13 and the thriller, the Vulcan looks sluggish. Without barely a second thought, she tosses a Conate dagger into the Confederate's right eye. We are con. The hoodoo gains three momentum. The narrator gains one threat. Welcome to the CSS consign, Mr. Barber. We're in. The hoodoo's chief of security draws a hilt, which, when electricity is applied to it, unfolds into a steel blade. Let's get to work, ladies. I... On the bridge of the CSS Kensai,
00:30:35
Speaker
One of the nacelles have been completely destroyed. We can no longer go to warp. The Hoodoo has locked onto our vessels and are preparing to board. Have you at least found it now? The house rolls to scan for the Hoodoo. This has a complication of one, since the Hoodoo has created a direct link between it and another ship. Twenty. Critical failure. The Hoodoo's Quantum Cloak has the ability to confuse scanners by remaining completely invisible in the visible spectrum and using groundbreaking photonic technology and advanced anti-scanners which confuse other ships' systems by presenting them beshroding as shorting a ship, a ship that is there and not there at the same time. This overwhelms the Kinsai system so thoroughly, the computer in front of the science officer explodes, killing her instantly. Captain.
00:31:23
Speaker
Ten humanoid and twenty photonic lifeforms have just beamed onto the ship, all armed and wearing Connate Combat EVAs. I told you to knock. I fucking told you. Amidst the chaos, Commander Desai's face pares on the viewscreen as Captain Khan's hologram appears on the deck. Do you know why the god chairman named my ship the Hoodoo? Ugh, go to hell, Khan. Captain Morrigan fires on the hologram and it disappears, only for the real Captain Khan to reappear behind Captain Morrigan a few inches away from her ear. Because it's full of spirits.
00:32:00
Speaker
Captain Morrigan falls over in surprise as Captain Khan lops off Morrigan's hand that's holding a phaser with her saber. She catches the phaser and hand both, squeezes a disembodied finger, then shoots Captain to knock. Captain, I said no energy weapons. It was not my hand that pulled the trigger, number one. We are Khan, plus two momentum to the hoodoo. Make your announcement. Attention Confederate vessels, your systems are compromised. As we speak, my comrades are literally slicing their way through your lower officer corp. Captain Morgan and Captain Tanak have been captured. You have two options. Surrender to us now or die in the name of the people. Just then, Sochi, CPAC, Jake, and Guild accompanied with two other Marines burst through the doors to the bridge, weapons drawn.
00:32:53
Speaker
You heard the woman. Surrender or die. Ten. Success. Six. Success. These are Vulcans, after all. Being as logic as they are, they see when they have been beaten. Captain Khan, the Tellarite ships have all surrendered. Power to the people. We are Khan. We are Khan. It is then that Captain Morrigan begins an insane cackle while she clutches her bleeding stump of an arm.
00:33:27
Speaker
We are gone. If you think that blind obedience to the freaks of nature that give you orders is gonna save you from what's coming, then I've got a river on Vulcan to sell you. There are no rivers for sale on Vulcan. Shut up, Elf. That's the joke. You, Chaka, I heard you were different. I heard you were smart. The pirate with a heart of gold. But you're just like every other Terran. Do it first for the people and ask questions later. I didn't fire a single missile from the Hoodoo. And now I'm asking you questions. Unlike you, traitor, I know how to do my job.
Final Confrontations and Enterprise Arrival
00:34:09
Speaker
Now tell me, what in the name of job made you turn traitor to the caps? The Rutherford Expanse. We thought we won it from the Confederates after the Civil War, but they tricked us.
00:34:21
Speaker
They gave it to us because they were terrified by what's inside. Why do you think the chairman commissioned your fancy little ship? Keep talking, Karen. Tell me what you've seen. I can help. We are Khan. We can survive anything together, comrade. The House will now spend six points of threat for Captain Morrigan to escape. The number to beat is 15. 3, 9, 11, 13, 5, and 12. All success. Before Captain Khan can make Morrigan answer any more questions, a complication arises. Captain, an Earthling Confederate vessel has just warped in off the starboard bow. It's the CSS Enterprise. Fire quantum torpedoes. Must beat 15. 17. Fail.
00:35:14
Speaker
The Hoodoo tries to fire on the Enterprise, but it's a rugged battleship with shields at 100%. It takes barely any damage. Looks like I win this round, Chaka. Captain Khan spends a point of determination in attempts to pin Karen's legs down to the ship with her saber. I'd like to assist. The number to beat is 15. 17. Fail. Fail. The captain and Lieutenant Metzli slash uselessly through empty air as Captain Morgan is beamed up and the Enterprise immediately goes to war. Should we go after them, Captain? Ah, we can't. Our crew is spread between three ships. We'll have to catch her later. For now, we report back to the Cisco.
Debrief and Reflection
00:36:02
Speaker
Hours later, Captain Khan and Commander Desai find themselves debriefing the Chairman in the Ready Room. Don't be too hard on yourself, Captain Khan. You have delivered us three enemy ships and recovered another. Chairman, why didn't you tell us we were walking into a trap? Being omniscient and the head of state that is represented by the people naturally conflict. Just because I can see the future doesn't mean I can simply condemn citizens randomly. We have courts. We have laws. The moments I start throwing people into reeducation centers simply because I saw them do something they haven't done yet would make it a crime. And then there are other times when strong people can bend their own fate. People like you.
00:36:48
Speaker
Captain Morgan had a chance to change her mind, and I had to give her that chance, even though I was 90% sure she wasn't going to take it. Do you understand? Yes, Chairman. You are very wise. I don't. I don't understand. Do you know how much easier my job would be if you could just tell me who I have to eliminate? Romulans, I swear. Chairman, if I may ask one more thing, why did you build the hoodoo? There are things that not even one chosen by the prophets can see with clarity, and there are also things I should never be in contact with. CROs, for instance. Your ship is meant to find, house, or destroy CROs. The Rutherford Expanse has a lot of CROs. How many? On Earth, they call a flock of crows a murder of crows. I would describe the Rutherford Expanse as having a genocide of crows. I see.
00:37:44
Speaker
Below Dex, Crewman Jake Sherlock Freeman sits in his bunk with his data pad and begins to type while Falco snores loudly under him. Crewman's log, Stardate 568. Oh wait, this should be classified right. I had my first space battle today and I think I did. All right. Everyone thinks Falco is crazy, but I swear Captain Khan makes him look sane. If you're paying attention anyway. I still don't know if this was the right decision. But for the first time in a long time, I don't feel like I'm alone. I think I'm gonna keep following that and see where it goes. The crew of the KSS Hoodoo goes to warp and heads off into space. Their mission is to venture into the heartless darkness, seek the unknown, and protect the people from the anomalous. Specialist Artanian Bebop Washington, Sean Kapiloff Jones.
00:38:41
Speaker
Specialist CPAC Delanomat. Sam Ramos. Crewman Jorge Miguel Falco Diaz. David Goins. Crewman Jake Echo Freeman. Rizik Brown. Paolo Leo Chamanuca. Mangani Malambo. Waitland 9R. Michael Dobson. Paolo Dreadbear, Leopold Knott and Chris Growl. Paolo Rosie, Cody Brooks. Paolo Guild, Ruth Hinkle, featuring Thaddeus House as Chairman Sisko.