TEXT:  
  by Will Hindmarch 
  INTRODUCTION 
  "Passageway" is a role playing game adventure for the Star Trek: The Next Generation Role Playing 
  Game from Last Unicorn Games. It is designed as a stand-alone game scenario involving Starfleet officers, 
  though it could be incorporated into an existing series with a little wrangling. The antagonists in 
  "Passageway" are written as Jem’Hadar, the dedicated foot soldiers of the Dominion, though they could be 
  replaced with Romulans or Breen to suit individual campaigns. See "Fitting the Campaign" for more 
  information. 
  OVERVIEW 
  Based somewhat on the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Rocks and Shoals," "Passageway" concerns 
  the efforts of a stranded team of Starfleet officers on a distant alien world. To survive and escape the planet 
  they will have to brave a harsh environment, outwit a Vorta, and make sense of an aging alien technology. 
  Suggestions then follow for pregenerated characters, fitting "Passageway" into your regular series, and 
  possible follow-up adventures.  
  SET-UP 
  Two days ago, Starfleet sensor stations near Dominion space detected a powerful, unidentified energy surge 
  originating from within the Anaxim system. Due to concerns on the front lines, the Anaxim system remains 
  unexplored by both the Federation and the Dominion. This energy reading could indicate a new Dominion 
  presence in that system, although no Intelligence reports support this possibility. To learn more, Starfleet has 
  sent the U.S.S. Hawking (an Oberth-class starship) to investigate in hopes that a science vessel will not 
  provoke the Dominion into contesting the system.  
  In fact, the Dominion had no interest in the system until they, too, detected the energy surge from the 
  system’s second planet (Anaxim II). Unwilling to pull major resources from bases along the Cardassian front, 
  the Dominion instead sent a single Jem’Hadar fighter to investigate. This vessel arrived at Anaxim II just 
  shortly before the Hawking and took up a position beyond the planet’s only moon to analyze sensor data and 
  await further developments.  
  At 0238 hours the morning after the Hawking’s arrival, a new energy surge began to build up in the system, 
  centering on a position on Anaxim II’s surface. This surge brought the Jem’Hadar vessel out of hiding and 
  began a brief, tense stand-off. As the Jem’Hadar prepared to storm the Hawking the energy build-up focused 
  into a powerful ray of highly charged particles aimed at Anaxim II. The extreme energy output overloaded the 
  systems of both starships, driving the Jem’Hadar into the planet’s atmosphere and tearing the Hawking apart. 
  A single lifeboat escaped the Starfleet ship and fell to the surface of Anax II. 
  This is where the adventure begins.  
  ACT ONE: INTRODUCTION 
  The characters are awakened by the wild shrieking of high winds and a blasting chill coursing through a hole 
  
  in the lifeboat’s hull. They find themselves battered and in some cases wounded from the crash, with the 
  lifeboat in bad shape. All the major systems have failed, with only auxiliary life support available if it is 
  brought online. The emergency transponder beacon is available but has not self-activated. The starboard hull 
  of the small craft has been crushed and split open on steep, jagged rocks. All in all, the survivors are in a bit 
  of trouble.  
  Scene One: Taking Stock 
  Before the characters turn their attention to the world outside, they should take stock of their status within the 
  lifeboat. In addition to auxiliary life support and the transponder beacon, the lifeboat has enough food for all 
  the survivors to eat regularly for five days. There are three Type II hand phasers and two standard tricorders 
  available, in addition to four wrist lights, three medical kits, and one engineering kit. Each character is 
  assumed to have a functioning communicator as well.  
  The characters were thrown around pretty well during the crash, and each has taken one die of damage from 
  the crash. Be sure to account for the characters’ Resistance, or the survivors will be virtually crippled from the 
  start. Assume all injuries to be minor cuts, abrasions, or bruises.  
  When the survivors decide to power up the life support systems, they’ll find it a bit warmer inside the lifeboat 
  wreck, but not much more comfortable. High winds still bring considerable cold inside, but unless the 
  characters choose to remain in one place for several hours, they should not suffer any damage from 
  exposure. When they activate the transponder, request a Routine (5) Shipboard Systems (Communications) 
  action. If successful, the character realizes that anyone else on-planet will be able to detect the transponder 
  signal once it’s activated. They could be opening themselves up to attack from the Jem’Hadar. If this occurs 
  to the players on their own, let their characters realize it too.  
  Scene Two: Survey 
  The characters know fully well that the Hawking has been destroyed. Any characters serving on the bridge at 
  the time of the incident realize that the Dominion fighter may not have been. Judging by the location of both 
  ships at the time of the Hawking’s destruction, the crash sites should not be too far apart. An accurate survey 
  of the area, including a detailed atmospheric profile, will take between fifteen and thirty minutes and a 
  Personal Equipment (Tricorder) action versus a Difficulty of 7.  
  With some careful thought and computing, the characters can even get an approximate idea of where the 
  energy surge would have impacted the planet. In game terms, this requires either a Space Sciences 
  (Astrophysics) or Physical Sciences (Physics) action at Moderate (8) Difficulty. The calculations can take up 
  to twenty minutes on a tricorder. Alternately, a character might simply try to find higher ground from which to 
  perform a long range survey of the area. With a successful Moderate (7) Personal Equipment (Tricorder) 
  action the character can determine the impact position of the energy surge. There is no sign of the 
  Jem’Hadar ship. 
  Readings indicate that the energy surge would have touched down on the planet just over nine kilometers 
  away, although there are no signs of damage to the surrounding rock in that area. There are, however, 
  peculiar low-level energy readings which might suggest a power source. Over the rough terrain, through the 
  narrow cracks in the huge stones, the survivors could make it to the impact site to investigate in just under 12 
  hours.  
  
  The characters should decide on a course of action and prepare to carry it out. There are two major options: 
  Move to the impact site and investigate the anomalous energy readings.  
  Wait in the lifeboat for rescue (or attack).  
  MEANWHILE 
  While the Starfleet personnel are licking their wounds and scanning their surroundings, the Jem’Hadar 
  commander – a Vorta named Kallum – is dispatching five of his ten Jem’Hadar soldiers to investigate the 
  lifeboat wreck. The fighter’s sensors are still partially functional, and Kallum knows that some Starfleet 
  personnel may have survived. While he might just kill them and move on with the war, he would hate to miss 
  the opportunity to obtain some prisoners or find a way off the planet.  
  In the time the characters spend surveying their surroundings and deciding on a course of action, shrouded 
  Jem’Hadar are closing on their position. If the characters stay at the crash site for more than five hours 
  (Narrator’s should keep track of time themselves) the Jem’Hadar will get close enough to listen to their 
  conversations. Once the characters have settled on a course of action, the Jem’Hadar will return to their ship 
  and report to Kallum.  
  ACT TWO: HARSH ENVIRONMENT 
  Two scenes are presented here to represent the major courses of action allowed to the characters. Although 
  they all lead the characters to about the same location, each will impose different circumstances and 
  obstacles on them.  
  SCENE ONE-A: TO THE IMPACT SITE 
  Travel to the impact site is uncomfortable at best, and dangerous at worst. Without active tricorder scans it’s 
  difficult to see more than ten yards in the windy, rainy haze. Rocks and dust are frequently shaken loose from 
  large stone formations, slick with rain. Even during the day, the sky is a smokey gray, with no visible sun or 
  stars. The rocks and soil are blackish, almost purple at times, and offer very little purchase for climbing of 
  bracing. Traversing the nine kilometers to the impact site requires three Athletics (Climbing) actions from 
  each character. The Difficulties are 6, 5, and 8 respectively. (At the Narrator’s discretion, Acrobatics (Balance 
  Walking) actions may be made instead.) A failed action results in one point of damage (regardless of 
  Resistance) as the character slips, trips, or tumbles into slabs and shards of broken rock. Any character who 
  manages all three actions without failure can be awarded 1 point of Reknown (Skill).  
  If the Narrator wants to stress the difficulty of the trip to the impact site, she could include a steep ravine to 
  cross, a small avalanche, or extremely high winds as the characters near a precipice. It is important to 
  challenge the characters without squashing them outright. They’ll need their strength when they reach the 
  impact site.  
  The whole of the trip takes 9 + 1d6 hours, plus fifteen minutes for every failed action during the excursion. 
  This time stranded and alone could be a good time to encourage role-playing in the players. Perhaps 
  someone reveals a problem they had with another character aboard the Hawking, or their secret fears that 
  they may not survive this mission. If such a scene can be included, remember to bring it back up in the third 
  act to close the subplot (unless you are including this adventure in an ongoing series). 
  
  At some point during the trek, the characters’ progress will be interrupted by a deafening hum. It will grow 
  rapidly louder and louder, to the point of threatening permanent hearing damage, before a brilliant off-red 
  light appears in the sky. With a loud, thunderous sound a huge beam of reddish light flashes out of the 
  planet’s surface just a few kilometers away and rushes into space. A second later the beam vanishes and the 
  intense sound fades away. It’s not difficult for the characters to realize that they have witnessed another one 
  of the planet’s mysterious energy surges and that this one was emitted from the planet very near the previous 
  impact site.  
  Players and characters may draw their own conclusions.  
  SCENE ONE-B: WAITING 
  If the characters choose to wait in the lifeboat, they will begin to take one point every damage every hour 
  from exposure to the elements, regardless of Resistance. After two hours of this (the characters may, of 
  course, choose to investigate the impact site after boredom sets in) the Jem’Hadar arrive. Ten soldiers 
  surround the lifeboat while becoming visible and demand that the characters come outside. Once they’ve 
  complied they are lined up against a rock face and stripped of their equipment, from communicators to 
  phasers. Then they are introduced to Kallum.  
  The Vorta is somewhat short for his kind, and his demeanor oscillates quickly between friendly and deadly. 
  He sports a typical Vorta hairstyle and dark, lightless eyes. His pale skin seems flushed and his clothes show 
  obvious signs of manual labor and injury uncharacteristic of a Vorta. Kallum insists that the characters 
  examine his ship and, if possible, repair it. Regardless of their willingness, they are brought to the Dominion 
  crash sight and shown to the ship. Surface flaking and tears in the outer hull indicate severe structural 
  damage. The ship cannot be repaired without a Starbase.  
  While Kallum is deciding whether or not to kill the characters, the air fills with a deafening hum and the 
  energy ray described above is witnessed leaving the planet’s surface. Once the Jem’Hadar have calmed 
  down and Kallum makes sure the characters are secured, he decides to continue with his original mission. 
  With the characters in tow, the Dominion agents proceed to the impact site.  
  SCENE TWO: THE IMPACT SITE 
  The location of the impact site looks much like all the surrounding rock surfaces. Only a single, large doorway 
  distinguishes it from any other massive expanse of rock (at least from the ground). The characters, if alone, 
  can investigate at their own pace, unaware that Jem’Hadar soldiers are just hours behind them. If they have 
  arrived with Kallum, the Vorta sends all the Starfleet officers through the doorway with an armed Jem’Hadar 
  escort (1 soldier for each character) lead by the Jem’Hadar First: Verklimiklar.  
  The doorway is cut directly from the rock and leads to an long, smooth, and empty corridor carved from the 
  stone. Lighting fixtures can be seen set into the ceiling, but there is no means to activate them. The corridor 
  continues for 85 yards into the rock before expanding into a dark chamber. A successful Moderate Search 
  action allows characters to notice field emitters set into the rock just before the chamber. Tricorder readings 
  suggest the power in the field is substantial. By means of demonstration, anything human-sized or less 
  impacting against the shield is disintegrated. If the characters are being accompanied by Jem’Hadar soldiers 
  they will learn this when one of the soldiers touches the field when he tries to enter the chamber and is 
  dissolved in a smokey flare.  
  
  The field can be brought down by striking it with a phaser or disruptor blast using 80 Charge or greater. The 
  Jem’Hadar discover this right away (as it is their preferred means of bypassing force fields).  
  SCENE THREE: HOLDING CHAMBER 
  Once the field is down, characters may enter the chamber. It is about five yards by eight yards, with a ceiling 
  six meters high. Comfortable-looking benches are lined up along the longer walls, while doors (such as the 
  one the characters have entered through) and small, alien computers are inset into the shorter walls. There is 
  no power available to these systems. If the Jem’Hadar are present, they will proceed through this room 
  quickly.  
  No force field prevents entry to the next chamber.  
  This room is a lobby, or waiting room, for the launch bay beyond. The computers would normally display 
  dispatch information. Although no power is present with which to use the terminals, if characters investigate 
  the chamber hint at its function in your descriptions.  
  SCENE FOUR: LAUNCH BAY 
  The final room of the site is an immense chamber, nearly 100 yards on each side, with several pillars 
  supporting its high ceiling. In the center of the room is an immense mechanical construction surrounded by 
  platforms with computer equipment and access panels. The base of the machine is made of heavy metal 
  plates and is bristling with pipes, wires, and lights. Atop this is a large metallic housing with a small, man-
  sized door on one side. Extending from this housing on large support beams is a chute. It rises at a 40 
  degree angle towards the ceiling where it contacts a huge lens. Further investigation will reveal a sleek, 
  armored pod parked within the housing.  
  ACT THREE: NEW LIFEFORMS 
  What follows is a description of the large chamber for the Narrator. How it is conveyed to the characters is up 
  to him, though guidelines follow.  
  This is an alien launch station. Instead of developing warp drive or some similar technology, the aliens who 
  built this device utilized a kind of high-powered transporter beam to travel the galaxy. Powered by a huge 
  underground thermoreactor, the machine converts the shuttlepod into high energy particles and accelerates it 
  along an energy beam to its destination. The beam itself is a highly powerful weapon as it is designed to 
  clear obstructions from the shuttlepod’s path with an emitter not unlike a huge phaser. The aliens, however, 
  all but abandoned the technology hundreds of years ago due to energy constraints and an unforeseen side 
  effect. Prolonged use of their transporter technology creates an instability in normal matter which leaves 
  travelers in a state of energetic flux. With prolonged use it can permanently transform a being into one of 
  unorganized energy.  
  This is why the device has been in use as of late. The aliens who built it are disassembling all of them 
  throughout the galaxy so that they won’t be misused. The individuals performing the work are, however, 
  suffering the effects of prolonged use. One is present in the launch chamber when the characters arrive and 
  can be detected with routine tricorder scans.  
  If Jem’Hadar are present, they will not discover the creature until they are about to return to Kallum and make 
  their report. They will then spot the alien being and begin firing on him. Due to the being’s high-energy state, 
  
  however, the disruptor blasts have little effect. In defense, the alien responds by returning the blasts back at 
  the Jem’Hadar, killing them. It will not harm the characters, however, as it is recognizes that they are not 
  violent beings. The fight has left it extremely weak and on the verge of death. It can still communicate, 
  however. It appears to the characters as a slightly-illuminated humanoid with a sleek, long head extending 
  into two rounded points behind it’s neck. A stylized space suit and reddish skin can be made out through the 
  glow, beneath which organs and blood can be faintly seen pumping shimmering fluids – part energy and part 
  matter – throughout its body. In a weak, faltering voice it will answer some questions for the characters, 
  describing itself as a Velusinder, and revealing as much information on the launch station as the Narrator 
  feels necessary. All the while, portions of the alien slowly convert to energy and bleed off it into the air. As it 
  dies it begs the characters to destroy the launch station. "The process is al…most complete," it says. 
  "Acti…ate…the flash…flashing…panel…" Finally, with one long, last breath the Velusinder is consumed by 
  the light within him and dissolves, spreading into the air like cinders.  
  If the characters are alone when they enter the facility, the alien is slumped next to a console, weakened and 
  dying from overexposure to the transport process. The communication process proceeds exactly as above 
  before the alien dies.  
  An analysis of the power grid for the launch station suggests that, if destroyed, the station will be consumed 
  by a power overflow in seconds. It’s important for characters to learn this information, so regardless of what 
  someone rolls, give them this information. It is not possible for the characters to run from the facility before its 
  destruction. There is only one obvious plan of escape: the shuttlepod.  
  This is where the adventure climax can get complicated. In order to escape the launch station’s destruction, 
  the characters have to decipher the alien technology (requiring a variety of Challenging Engineering, 
  Science, and Anthropology actions tailored to the strengths of your crew), aim, and activate the transport 
  device. Someone has to remain behind to activate the destruction sequence. Jem’Hadar soldiers (either five 
  or ten, depending on the previous scenes) arrive with Kallum and demand the characters stop the procedure. 
  Juggling all of these elements is going to be tricky for everyone involved.  
  There are only a few guidelines to running this scene, as it depends so much on the actions of the crew. 
  Remember to play up the drama of leaving a crew member behind, and don’t gloss over the action of 
  dodging Jem’Hadar disruptor fire as the characters settle into the shuttlepod and escape. The acceleration 
  process is frightening. As the shuttle is about to impact the lens at the edge of the chamber the entire vehicle 
  vanishes in a vivid flash with a head-splitting roar. The characters can see each other as colorful, blurred 
  images and can even make out stars and planets passing outside the vessel through a thick, off-red haze. 
  Meanwhile, the character left behind might find himself overrun by Jem’Hadar soldiers who climb to the 
  control platform and accost him, only to notice the panel nearby. "Vorta! Some sort of program seems to 
  have been activated!" Kallum’s response would be lost in a burning crash and the floor and then the launch 
  station is dissolved in the reactor’s explosion.  
   
  Experience and Renown Awards 
  Escaping Anaxim II: 2 Experience Points 
  Destroying the Velusinder Launch Station: 1 Experience Point 
  
  Prevented the Jem'Hadar from escaping or capturing the Launch Station: 1 Experience Point 
  Gaining an especially large amount of information from the Velusinder (possibly leading to formal first contact 
  processes): 1 Experience Point 
   
  Displaying skill or valor in combat with the Jem'Hadar: 2-3 Renown 
  Discovering how the Velusinder Transporter Passage works: 3 Renown 
  Staying behind to destroy the Launch Station: 7 Renown 
   
  Note: Each of these Renown awards could be amplified by actions in following episodes. For example, applying 
  knowledge of how the Velusinder Passageway operates could have a profound effect on Federation technology (5-10 
  Renown). Likewise, a character introduced later in a series could be related to the heroic martyr who stayed behind to 
  destroy the Station, and would then enjoy a Renown bonus by association (of no more than 3 or 4Renown, however). 
  See page 180 of the Core Book for more information. 
   
  STAGING TIPS: FOLLOW-UP EPISODES 
  "Passageway" is intended as a convention episode, and so was written with a distinct beginning and ending. 
  There are plenty of places you could go from here, though. The Velusinder homeworld is near the galactic 
  core in the Delta Quadrant, and could be the destination programmed into the shuttlepod when it was 
  launched. Or the shuttlepod could be left just a few light years outside of Federation space at another 
  Velusinder waystation awaiting disassembly. What if the characters are left on a world in the Gamma 
  Quadrant and manage transport back through the Bajoran Wormhole, arriving at Deep Space Nine?  
  It’s also possible that the episode ends very differently than originally outlined. Maybe all of the characters 
  stayed behind to sacrifice themselves, or maybe they were unwilling to destroy the technology (or their 
  friend). Now they are captives of the Dominion, which provides its own adventure possibilities.  
  STAGING TIPS: FITTING THE CAMPAIGN 
  There are a few variations you can try to fit "Passageway" into a regular series. Have the characters sent to 
  Anaxim II in a Runabout, so that you don’t need to destroy your regular starship. Or maybe they become 
  stranded on the planet during a Dominion attack and can’t be transported back to their ship due to 
  atmospheric disturbances. Their ship might have to track them down following the adventure to rescue them, 
  which could work very well for groups playing troupe-style.  
  If the Dominion aren’t logical antagonists for your series, the Anaxim system would just as easily be near 
  Romulan space (which could result in a tense negotiation over who gets to keep the technology, rather than a 
  fight for it) or on the Breen border (which would promise a heated battle). Look to Geordi LaForge’s 
  experience stranded on a rocky, hostile world with a Romulan crewmember or Picard’s dilemma over the use 
  of Iconian technology for inspiration.  
  STAGING TIPS: CHARACTERS 
  If running "Passageway" as a stand-alone game, be sure to keep the characters balanced. An Engineer, 
  Science Officer, and Operations Manager could be essential in deciphering the alien technology, while a 
  Security Officer could make combat easier. A Vulcan could make the choice of who to leave behind easy, 
  while a Betazoid could make communication with the Velusinder easy. The pregenerated characters written 
  
  for use in the game were: 
  Human Science Officer, Lt. Commander 
  Vulcan Flight Controller, Lt. 
  Hollinian Security Officer, Lt. (basically they’re humans) 
  Human Engineer, Ensign 
  Bolian Operations Manager, Ensign 
  For the Dominion agents, look to the Racial Templates for Jem’Hadar and Vorta included here on 
  TrekRPGNet. 
  STAGING TIPS: HANDOUT 
  If possible, try to give the characters a sample of the Velusinder Astrogation console. It’s much more fun to 
  let the players decipher what those funky alien buttons mean than it is for them to just roll dice. If available, a 
  handout will be included for this scenario at a later date.  
   
  AUTHOR'S COMMENTS 
  The Anaxim system is named for a Greek philosopher, Anaximander.  
  Kallum is a variation on the Celtic name Calum, meaning "peace messenger."  
  The U.S.S. Hawking is, of course, named for Professor Stephen Hawking.  
  Velusinder is completely made up. I don’t know what it means.  
  Please let me know what you think of "Passageway." I can take criticism.  
   
  Page layout and code ©2003, Memory: ICON. 
  Star Trek® and all related marks tm, ®,© Paramount Pictures, Inc. 
  Star Trek The RPGtm and all related products are ©Last Unicorn Games, Inc. 
  Individual works are © by the authors and may not be reproduced without permission. 
  
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