Timeline Milestones are events and repercussions in the established timeline that affect your crew. This often is an improvement or other change that affects your game during specific periods of time (or other timelines or alternate realities your campaign may end up in). You can grant it alongside other Milestone awards.
TIMELINE MILESTONE: HOMEFRONT (March-May 2372)
This Timeline Milestone is Homefront, based on the events of the episode of the same name on Deep Space Nine, and its continuation, “Paradise Lost”. In those two episodes, after the Antwerp Conference on Earth between the Federation and the Romulans was bombed, Vice Admiral Leyton became convinced that the president was incapable of handling the growing Dominion threat. He planned a coup d’état against Federation President Jaresh-Inyo, hoping to implement extraordinary means to defeat the Changelings. Though it was treason, Leyton saw it instead as an act of patriotism, and many of his followers as well.
The Antwerp Conference incident was on Stardate 49170.65 (March 3, 2372), and his coup attempt failed around Stardate 49366.1 (May 14, 2372). During that time, Vice Admiral Leyton personally reassigned over four hundred officers, those who previously served under him at one time or another. They were all in key positions on Earth or commanding ships somewhere in Sector 001. He had another set of transfers as well, set for May 14th. His reassignment orders have repercussions throughout the Federation, placing people loyal to him in strategic posts and displacing others from their usual roles. This shuffling and conspiracy may affect your ship, station, and crew. Leyton also made it look like an invasion force was coming through the wormhole, and with Changeling infiltrations on Earth and elsewhere, paranoia is at an all-time-high throughout the Federation.
Immediately after the Antwerp incident, you may invoke the Timeline Milestone Homefront to allow the following changes.
EFFECTS
A) PARANOIA
During this time, to reflect growing paranoia about Changelings in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, a Situation Trait of Changeling Paranoia affects all Social Tasks, increasing Difficulty by 1.
B) BUREAUCRATIC INSIDER
During Homefront, Leyton began re-assigning Starfleet personnel loyal to him to key roles in Sector 001, causing a ripple effect across the Federation where many posts are vacated, needing to be filled as his agents depart their normal roles. Likely these Leyton loyalists who leave their posts to join the conspiracy will be court-martialed and demoted, unlikely to return to their posts at the end of this arc.
Should you so wish, this allows you a perfect opportunity to change the command structure of your ship or station (or one they visit often), rotating out NPCs and putting in new ones. This also gives your crew a chance to promote a Supporting Character and place them in an advantageous role. While this entails losing a perhaps beloved Supporting Character, it will grant them a lasting advantage, as described below. They may decide as a group whether to turn down this promotion.
Allow the players to discuss their cast of active Supporting Characters, specifically those of Lieutenant rank or higher, and one who has made more than one appearance in the campaign. They may choose one among them who will gain a promotion of one rank and be re-assigned to a new bureaucratic post of some significant authority away from the players’ ship or station. There should be logic to their re-assignment, such as the right Divisions, right assignment for their rank, and they should have an exemplary record.
The Supporting Character becomes a Notable NPC (an Insider) under the control and design of the GM from then on, an extension of their existing stats while they were a Supporting Character.
While this may be a sad loss, they gain the following benefits, depending on where the Insider is re-assigned. Add a Ship/Station Trait (Insider at X) to signify a special insider at that branch X of Starfleet who has a fondness for the ship/station. It may be used to reduce Difficulty in Social Tasks, for example.
The branches available for Homefront are:
- Shipyard Operations: likely post is acting shipyard supervisor, or lead engineer.
- Starbase Operations: likely post is acting commander of a starbase, or other starbase senior staff.
- Starfleet Medical: likely post is instructor at Starfleet Medical Academy.
- Starfleet Corps of Engineers: likely post is commander of an SCE team.
- Starfleet Academy: likely post is instructor at Starfleet Academy.
- Starfleet Security: likely post is acting chief of security at a starbase.
This bonus goes away if the Insider is re-assigned, killed, or loses influence. If you wish to make it random, roll a Challenge Die every six months. If it comes up as an Effect, the Insider has been re-assigned elsewhere and no longer provides the bonus.
C) THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST
The Insider may send a young, Best and Brightest officer or NCO from that branch to serve with the crew. At some point during the Homefront period, allow the use of Crew Support to make a Best and Brightest Supporting Character who was just transferred aboard the ship or station by the Insider. There can only be one Best and Brightest. If transferred or killed, they cannot be replaced.
First, the Best and Brightest are full of potential. Create this Best and Brightest Supporting Character as normal, but they start with the Talent Untapped Potential (limiting their rank and ability scores as per that Talent). This counts towards their maximum of 4 Talents.
In addition, they are proud of where they come from. They start with the Value Make X Proud, where X is the organization they came from. This counts toward their maximum of 4 Values.
Finally, they learn fast. When they are introduced to an adventure, and it is not the first time they have been introduced, they may choose two options on page 134 instead of only one.