“The Quadrupole Quandary” (download PDF here) is an adventure for Star Trek Adventures. This adventure is mean to be played by a Gamemaster (gamemaster) and 3-6 players, using the pre-generated characters provided.
This adventure occurs within the Cordon Nebulae of the Sargon Region, stepping stone to the Space Beyond, and as-of-yet region unexplored by the Federation. The exact location of this adventure is in the area designated as the “Quadruple Patch”.
Synopsis (SPOILER ALERT – GMs EYES ONLY!!!!)
The Players have just completed recording the quadrupole moments of a patch of rotating neutron stars located deep within the Sargon Region. During their explorations, the crew has noticed a difference in the dynamo activity seen in various suns in this sector and have been able to run a plethora of tests using the Applegate mechanism to test their theories. Strange magnetic fields generated by the stars in this area of the expanse have been wreaking havoc on the ship’s sensors, distorting communications, and even causing nausea in some of the crew, starting with the empaths and telepaths.
With no other clues to go on, the captain decides to move the ship to another sector to survey. En route, the computers indicate that an external source is scanning the vessel. Efforts fail to determine who initiated the scan. Night comes. Most of the crew retire as per their norm. Upon waking up the next morning, the characters learn that fifteen percent of the crew is missing. Also, twenty-five percent of food stores are gone. (If the Player’s vessel is Intrepid-class, twenty-five percent of the bio-neural gel packs have disappeared.)
The Players try to locate the crew and complement that mysteriously vanished in deep space. They soon realize that who or whatever scanned the vessel accessed the ship’s database and downloaded all data on transporters, replicators, and the holodeck. Tensions deepen as more reports of nausea come in from crew members not previously affected, including some of the Player characters. This is when the medical team notes that the victims of nausea from the night before are now the individuals on the missing person list. As this revelation occurs, replicators and holodecks start malfunctioning. Soon, bioorganic components are generated from random replicators.
Eventually, the Players must enter the holodeck to put the puzzle pieces together. They discover that their travels in the new region of space awakened an advanced, energy-based, alien entity of multidimensional proportions whose form of enigmatic communication is incompatible with organic lifeforms. For the alien to make first contact, it creates a puzzle utilizing the Player vessel’s energy/matter transfer technology. Will the crew be able to solve this puzzle and unlock the means to rescue their crew without upsetting a new, powerful lifeform?
EDIT: PDF link added – Quadrupole Quandary
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