Do Mudd-droids Dream of Electric Sheep?
By
The Mask Of Romek
Captains Log 5432.5: We are enroute to Patronis III with a prisoner. The infamous Harry Mudd. He’s to stand trial on multiple counts of Grand Larceny, Fraud and Embezzlement.
Under normal circumstances Mudd would have been tried in his absence for security reasons but the Patronis Government insisted that he face justice in person. The fact that Patronan royalty were among the victims may have influenced the Federations decision.
Patronis system: This system consists of five planets only one of which currently supports life. Heavy mineral deposits are currently being mined in the asteroid belt near to the class L Patronis IV. Patronis V is a class J gas giant and I and II are class both inert class D planetoids. The ore processing station Yukon is in orbit around Patronis IV home to some 36000 miners and support staff.
Patronis III: K Class planet in the Patronis system. Population of 3 billion inhabitants mostly humanoid with small Andorian and Vulcan communities. Population inhabits large domed communities above ground and extensive underground living spaces. Main industry is Dilithium mining the deposits and other rare minerals essential for starship propulsion in the asteroid belt at Patronis IV. The planet’s atmosphere is highly toxic and an environment suit is required for any exploration. Relentless storm systems of toxic gases and acidic rainfall have scoured all life from the surface.
Historical note: Patronising III originally classed as M class planet until extreme climate change event 100 years ago believed to have been caused by excessive mining activity. It should be noted that due to the environmental damage to the atmosphere any landing/take off is at difficulty 2.(Daring+Conn)
Government: Patronis III is ruled by an elected council body who rule on behalf of the monarch, the Emir of Patronis. The current Emir, Lethorian Ballard the 21st was the driving force behind the planet attaining membership of the Federation five years ago.
Strategic Note: Patronis III is a trading hub for the sector and the capital city Sepura is a busy centre for commerce. The planets natural mineral wealth and its proximity to the Klingon border make it strategically important.
Harcourt Fenton Mudd: Born 2218 on Antares Pi 4. Educated on homeworld. No known political affiliations. Joined merchant ship S.S. Moravia as trainee steward. Fired prior to completion of training due to irregularities in ships petty cash. No charges brought. Various other employments listed over next five years. Acquired starship S.S Ventura via unknown means 2248. Believed to have been involved in number of criminal endeavours including Lexite jewel heist 2250, Andorian pyramid scheme 2254 and the illegal trade of Orion slave girls within the Alpha Quadrant. He has previous convictions for numerous offences including handling of stolen goods and obtaining starship via counterfeit currency. Mudd is currently is Federation custody serving a sentence of four years behavioural readjustment for trafficking in controlled substances.
Scenario:
Needless to say where Harry Mudd is involved chaos isn’t far away. Harry has an escape plan. Using a spare Mudd android he had squirreled away for just such an occasion he plans to replace himself with the doppelgänger and make off.
His duplicate has made it’s way to Patronis III in a cargo pod under a false manifest marked “farm equipment”. Once beamed inside the biodomes security it will await the arrival of the Lexington for phase two.
If players contact Patronis security forces (Overseer Zoran) they may make mention of a cargo pod found empty and its manifest found to be fraudulent. As a clue the fake manifest will mention the Tellarite freighter the S.S. Bolivia as its carrier and the sender as Mister Innigo Pietro Freely. Although there are signs of the pod having been used as some kind of accommodation there will of course be no DNA present however a set of fingerprints matching Mudd will be present(diff 2 scan Reason/Insight +Security). Bonus momentum may discover a set of garish clothes including a plumed hat, a rather larger environment suit, a civilian model Tricorder and some chocolate. The pod was in transit for three weeks. The freighter left 24hrs prior to the players’ arrival. The security chief may also mention finding signs of an altercation near the cargo bay but was unable to find any trace of the offenders. Vigilant Starfleet officers may examine the scene and find disruptor marks on the wall and traces of Klingon blood on the decking. There are no security cameras in that area.
Phase two will involve the transporter inhibitors at the detention block being put out of action. To this end the android will force entry to an engineering substation and overpower the two civilian engineers. It will then bypass the safety protocols and cause a cascading power failure to the detention area which will allow it a 5-10 second window to effect a beam out/in to complete the rouse before auxiliary power is initiated. The detention block holds about 15000 prisoners and any power interruption will cause sufficient distraction for Harry’s escape.
Phase three will involve Harry donning a change of clothes (and an environment suit) and making his way outside the dome to a hidden shuttle parked in an abandoned city on the inhospitable surface of the planet. The shuttle is a considerable distance away (about two hours on foot) and the environment of Patronis III makes it near impossible to scan for lifesigns at any meaningful range (and has the same effect on transporter targeting scanners). His escape route leads from the planet to the asteroid belt where he plans to board the SS Volante bound for the non Federation world of Tau Ceti III under the name Christian Ulysses Later.
What Harry doesn’t know is that the Patronans aren’t the only ones looking to see him brought to justice. A small cadre of five Klingon commandos are also on Patronis III intent on breaking him out of Federation custody. They have landed a small shuttle near the dome.
In 2262 Harry was in negotiations with the House of Duras of the Klingon Empire to sell them Federation photon torpedo technology. In fact he sold them a shoddy torpedo casing full of used dabo table parts. The House of Duras has not forgotten this insult and wants reparation. They want him alive. No disintegrations.
A Klingon D7 cruiser the IKS Kovar is lurking within the atmosphere of Patronis V awaiting the pick up call from her away team. Mudd is a valuable prize and they are not above engaging in a fight with the Lexington to get him.
The Klingons plan to assault the detention block where Mudd is to be held. To that end they have been covertly observing the biodome from an external hide on the surface. They have tapped in to the biodome security network and are monitoring all communications. As a result of this they were surprised to see Mudd’s android arrive on planet. Under comms blackout they could not ask for instructions. They decided to improvise and entered the dome to make a grab for what they thought was their prize. The android easily beat two of the Klingons but the third got in a lucky blow with a bat’leth causing damage to its left arm.
Sequence of Events
Scene one:
Players take custody of Mudd. He will engage them in conversation and offer chances to make untold riches if they set him free. He will of course be in possession contraband diff 1 Reason/Insight+Security to find it. He has in no particular order a sonic lockpick, an alpha wave inducer (quick acting electrosedative) and chocolate.
He will try to bargain with three things for his freedom
1.\\tHe will trade his claim to a highly profitable Zenite mine in the Galador system he won gambling.
2.\\tHe offer to negotiate a treaty with the Orion Syndicate Leader Zaminhon.
3.\\tHe can give them coordinates to a lost Iconian outpost full of wonderous technology located in the Inferna system .
One of these is true but due to Harry’s character no one will ever believe him!
Scene two:
Players arrive in the Patronis system. They may or may not be wary enough to scan the system. Unless they specifically orbit the gas giant they will never detect the D7 hiding there.
There will be four vessels in orbit. The SS T’Zera a Vulcan civilian transport, The SS Modesh an Andorian merchantman, the SS Volante a civilian liner and the SS Valdez an ore freighter. Normal protocol would be to transport him with a security detail to a holding area within the biodomes security section. Players may not wish to take this particular course. Flying him in by shuttle is not without risk however. Daring+Conn difficulty 2 to safely land.
They contact Patronan security and arrange the prisoner transfer. Whether by transporter or shuttle the outcome is the same. He ends up in a cell. Point of contact will be Security Overseer Zoran.
As the players watch Mudd enter his cell a power failure will cause chaos within the detention block. A couple of disgruntled miners in custody make the best of their opportunity to escape and burst free from the failing force fields. They will fight but only to stun not to kill. The transport of Mudd may or may not be witnessed depending on how the fight goes. The Mudd copy will merely stand by once in place and watch, smiling, making no attempt to escape despite the lack of force field restraining it.
Keen eyed or suspicious players may notice the “wound” on faux Harry’s arm at this point diff 1 Reason/Insight+Security. Further investigation will reveal the charade. Upon discovery the android will run a self destruct protocol erasing its memory. Any engineering attempt at data recovery will be time consuming diff 4 Reason+Engineering task. If taken aboard the Lexington the ships systems may assist. A success will reveal the preparation of the escape and the encounter with the Klingons (if asked) further momentum may reveal the escape strategy in broad strokes. (After all the android didn’t need to know the specifics.)
Analysis of the security system will reveal two separate hacks on the feeds, one by the Mudd-droid and one by the Klingons spec-ops team. Diff 3 Reason/Insight+Security/Engineering. Momentum buys extra detail, time/location/presence of Klingon software etc.
Scene Three:
By this time Harry will be slipping on his environment suit which was secreted in the pod. If it was discovered he will simply steal one (although he will struggle to fit his generous frame into one) and be on his merry way. He will use the civilian Tricorder to locate his shuttle.
The players having discovered his plan should be alerted by either having found his environment suit earlier or by the report of a theft of one. Either way they should realise his exit strategy is across the planet’s surface.
The Security Overseer will have his hands full dealing with other matters including a prison riot. He will not have any security personnel to spare. Besides as far as he is concerned Mudd escaped from Federation custody. He’s their problem.
Due to the toxic atmosphere and prevailing weather conditions the ship’s sensors are unable to locate any lifesigns outwith the dome. Hand held tricorders may indicate a general reading but will only give specifics when up close. They will give inconsistent reading at times but it will be accounted for by the atmosphere.
Players will have to pursue on foot if they wish to recapture him.
Making any kind of headway is tough but Starfleet personnel should be able to outpace a wheezing conman. Opposed task Fitness+Security to catch him within half an hour. Complications can of course be linked to failure of a player’s environment suit rather than a slip, trip or fall.
When Mudd is finally in reach, the Klingon team will strike.
They will try and stun Mudd and kill the hated Federation with their lack of respect for Klingon justice.
One Elite officer plus four troopers make the attack. If they get the drop on the players they may opt for hand to hand because of the problems damage to suits will cause.
Every physical action is at +1 due to environment suits and their cumbersome nature.
Both types of environment suits have a soak of 2 but any stress damage to the character also causes a breach to the suit. This will result in a nasty death unless the breach is sealed. A diff 2 Control/Daring+Engineering task will allow the character to use the suits repair kit. Every round a breach goes unrepaired the character receives 2CDs stress (no soak applies). Needless to say an injured character is in deep trouble unless immediately assisted.
By the end of this scene Mudd will make good his escape and launch his shuttle, heading for the ore station near Aldeberan IV.
Scene Four:
Mudd will be using every trick he has to evade any pursuer. His shuttle is fitted with a transport inhibitor and low power shields. The Lexington can catch him easily but he will burn threat to avoid any tractor beam.
Mudd also has one last trick up his sleeve. His shuttle has a modified navigational deflector which he can use to project large scale holographic images. He will project an image of a Romulan Warbird firing a plasma torpedo at the Lexington in the hope they break off pursuit to engage the new threat.
The IKS Kovar will also pick up on the pursuit and intervene demanding Starfleet stand down. They will also attempt to tractor Mudd aboard.
Players at this point can either fight off the Klingons or reach some kind of agreement that satisfies both sides. (anything is possible)
Name: Harcourt Fenton Mudd
Species/Traits: Human, Criminal
Value: I wouldn’t trust me if I were you.
Attributes
Control 10
Daring 7
Fitness 7
Insight 9
Presence 11
Reason 10
Skills and Focuses
Command 1
Conn 3
Engineering 2
Security 2
Science 2
Medicine 1
Focuses: Deception, security systems
Talents: Poker Face: Whenever you attempt a task using Presence and you but one or more bonus d20s by adding threat, you may re-roll your dice pool.
Stress: 8 Soak: 0
Weapons:
Unarmed Strike (Melee 2(CD) Knockdown, Size 1H non-lethal.)
Mudd is a non violent offender. He will not knowingly hurt anyone. If cornered and desperate he may lash out with a fist but he is no fighter.
By
The Mask Of Romek
Captains Log 5432.5: We are enroute to Patronis III with a prisoner. The infamous Harry Mudd. He’s to stand trial on multiple counts of Grand Larceny, Fraud and Embezzlement.
Under normal circumstances Mudd would have been tried in his absence for security reasons but the Patronis Government insisted that he face justice in person. The fact that Patronan royalty were among the victims may have influenced the Federations decision.
Patronis system: This system consists of five planets only one of which currently supports life. Heavy mineral deposits are currently being mined in the asteroid belt near to the class L Patronis IV. Patronis V is a class J gas giant and I and II are class both inert class D planetoids. The ore processing station Yukon is in orbit around Patronis IV home to some 36000 miners and support staff.
Patronis III: K Class planet in the Patronis system. Population of 3 billion inhabitants mostly humanoid with small Andorian and Vulcan communities. Population inhabits large domed communities above ground and extensive underground living spaces. Main industry is Dilithium mining the deposits and other rare minerals essential for starship propulsion in the asteroid belt at Patronis IV. The planet’s atmosphere is highly toxic and an environment suit is required for any exploration. Relentless storm systems of toxic gases and acidic rainfall have scoured all life from the surface.
Historical note: Patronising III originally classed as M class planet until extreme climate change event 100 years ago believed to have been caused by excessive mining activity. It should be noted that due to the environmental damage to the atmosphere any landing/take off is at difficulty 2.(Daring+Conn)
Government: Patronis III is ruled by an elected council body who rule on behalf of the monarch, the Emir of Patronis. The current Emir, Lethorian Ballard the 21st was the driving force behind the planet attaining membership of the Federation five years ago.
Strategic Note: Patronis III is a trading hub for the sector and the capital city Sepura is a busy centre for commerce. The planets natural mineral wealth and its proximity to the Klingon border make it strategically important.
Harcourt Fenton Mudd: Born 2218 on Antares Pi 4. Educated on homeworld. No known political affiliations. Joined merchant ship S.S. Moravia as trainee steward. Fired prior to completion of training due to irregularities in ships petty cash. No charges brought. Various other employments listed over next five years. Acquired starship S.S Ventura via unknown means 2248. Believed to have been involved in number of criminal endeavours including Lexite jewel heist 2250, Andorian pyramid scheme 2254 and the illegal trade of Orion slave girls within the Alpha Quadrant. He has previous convictions for numerous offences including handling of stolen goods and obtaining starship via counterfeit currency. Mudd is currently is Federation custody serving a sentence of four years behavioural readjustment for trafficking in controlled substances.
Scenario:
Needless to say where Harry Mudd is involved chaos isn’t far away. Harry has an escape plan. Using a spare Mudd android he had squirreled away for just such an occasion he plans to replace himself with the doppelgänger and make off.
His duplicate has made it’s way to Patronis III in a cargo pod under a false manifest marked “farm equipment”. Once beamed inside the biodomes security it will await the arrival of the Lexington for phase two.
If players contact Patronis security forces (Overseer Zoran) they may make mention of a cargo pod found empty and its manifest found to be fraudulent. As a clue the fake manifest will mention the Tellarite freighter the S.S. Bolivia as its carrier and the sender as Mister Innigo Pietro Freely. Although there are signs of the pod having been used as some kind of accommodation there will of course be no DNA present however a set of fingerprints matching Mudd will be present(diff 2 scan Reason/Insight +Security). Bonus momentum may discover a set of garish clothes including a plumed hat, a rather larger environment suit, a civilian model Tricorder and some chocolate. The pod was in transit for three weeks. The freighter left 24hrs prior to the players’ arrival. The security chief may also mention finding signs of an altercation near the cargo bay but was unable to find any trace of the offenders. Vigilant Starfleet officers may examine the scene and find disruptor marks on the wall and traces of Klingon blood on the decking. There are no security cameras in that area.
Phase two will involve the transporter inhibitors at the detention block being put out of action. To this end the android will force entry to an engineering substation and overpower the two civilian engineers. It will then bypass the safety protocols and cause a cascading power failure to the detention area which will allow it a 5-10 second window to effect a beam out/in to complete the rouse before auxiliary power is initiated. The detention block holds about 15000 prisoners and any power interruption will cause sufficient distraction for Harry’s escape.
Phase three will involve Harry donning a change of clothes (and an environment suit) and making his way outside the dome to a hidden shuttle parked in an abandoned city on the inhospitable surface of the planet. The shuttle is a considerable distance away (about two hours on foot) and the environment of Patronis III makes it near impossible to scan for lifesigns at any meaningful range (and has the same effect on transporter targeting scanners). His escape route leads from the planet to the asteroid belt where he plans to board the SS Volante bound for the non Federation world of Tau Ceti III under the name Christian Ulysses Later.
What Harry doesn’t know is that the Patronans aren’t the only ones looking to see him brought to justice. A small cadre of five Klingon commandos are also on Patronis III intent on breaking him out of Federation custody. They have landed a small shuttle near the dome.
In 2262 Harry was in negotiations with the House of Duras of the Klingon Empire to sell them Federation photon torpedo technology. In fact he sold them a shoddy torpedo casing full of used dabo table parts. The House of Duras has not forgotten this insult and wants reparation. They want him alive. No disintegrations.
A Klingon D7 cruiser the IKS Kovar is lurking within the atmosphere of Patronis V awaiting the pick up call from her away team. Mudd is a valuable prize and they are not above engaging in a fight with the Lexington to get him.
The Klingons plan to assault the detention block where Mudd is to be held. To that end they have been covertly observing the biodome from an external hide on the surface. They have tapped in to the biodome security network and are monitoring all communications. As a result of this they were surprised to see Mudd’s android arrive on planet. Under comms blackout they could not ask for instructions. They decided to improvise and entered the dome to make a grab for what they thought was their prize. The android easily beat two of the Klingons but the third got in a lucky blow with a bat’leth causing damage to its left arm.
Sequence of Events
Scene one:
Players take custody of Mudd. He will engage them in conversation and offer chances to make untold riches if they set him free. He will of course be in possession contraband diff 1 Reason/Insight+Security to find it. He has in no particular order a sonic lockpick, an alpha wave inducer (quick acting electrosedative) and chocolate.
He will try to bargain with three things for his freedom
1.\\tHe will trade his claim to a highly profitable Zenite mine in the Galador system he won gambling.
2.\\tHe offer to negotiate a treaty with the Orion Syndicate Leader Zaminhon.
3.\\tHe can give them coordinates to a lost Iconian outpost full of wonderous technology located in the Inferna system .
One of these is true but due to Harry’s character no one will ever believe him!
Scene two:
Players arrive in the Patronis system. They may or may not be wary enough to scan the system. Unless they specifically orbit the gas giant they will never detect the D7 hiding there.
There will be four vessels in orbit. The SS T’Zera a Vulcan civilian transport, The SS Modesh an Andorian merchantman, the SS Volante a civilian liner and the SS Valdez an ore freighter. Normal protocol would be to transport him with a security detail to a holding area within the biodomes security section. Players may not wish to take this particular course. Flying him in by shuttle is not without risk however. Daring+Conn difficulty 2 to safely land.
They contact Patronan security and arrange the prisoner transfer. Whether by transporter or shuttle the outcome is the same. He ends up in a cell. Point of contact will be Security Overseer Zoran.
As the players watch Mudd enter his cell a power failure will cause chaos within the detention block. A couple of disgruntled miners in custody make the best of their opportunity to escape and burst free from the failing force fields. They will fight but only to stun not to kill. The transport of Mudd may or may not be witnessed depending on how the fight goes. The Mudd copy will merely stand by once in place and watch, smiling, making no attempt to escape despite the lack of force field restraining it.
Keen eyed or suspicious players may notice the “wound” on faux Harry’s arm at this point diff 1 Reason/Insight+Security. Further investigation will reveal the charade. Upon discovery the android will run a self destruct protocol erasing its memory. Any engineering attempt at data recovery will be time consuming diff 4 Reason+Engineering task. If taken aboard the Lexington the ships systems may assist. A success will reveal the preparation of the escape and the encounter with the Klingons (if asked) further momentum may reveal the escape strategy in broad strokes. (After all the android didn’t need to know the specifics.)
Analysis of the security system will reveal two separate hacks on the feeds, one by the Mudd-droid and one by the Klingons spec-ops team. Diff 3 Reason/Insight+Security/Engineering. Momentum buys extra detail, time/location/presence of Klingon software etc.
Scene Three:
By this time Harry will be slipping on his environment suit which was secreted in the pod. If it was discovered he will simply steal one (although he will struggle to fit his generous frame into one) and be on his merry way. He will use the civilian Tricorder to locate his shuttle.
The players having discovered his plan should be alerted by either having found his environment suit earlier or by the report of a theft of one. Either way they should realise his exit strategy is across the planet’s surface.
The Security Overseer will have his hands full dealing with other matters including a prison riot. He will not have any security personnel to spare. Besides as far as he is concerned Mudd escaped from Federation custody. He’s their problem.
Due to the toxic atmosphere and prevailing weather conditions the ship’s sensors are unable to locate any lifesigns outwith the dome. Hand held tricorders may indicate a general reading but will only give specifics when up close. They will give inconsistent reading at times but it will be accounted for by the atmosphere.
Players will have to pursue on foot if they wish to recapture him.
Making any kind of headway is tough but Starfleet personnel should be able to outpace a wheezing conman. Opposed task Fitness+Security to catch him within half an hour. Complications can of course be linked to failure of a player’s environment suit rather than a slip, trip or fall.
When Mudd is finally in reach, the Klingon team will strike.
They will try and stun Mudd and kill the hated Federation with their lack of respect for Klingon justice.
One Elite officer plus four troopers make the attack. If they get the drop on the players they may opt for hand to hand because of the problems damage to suits will cause.
Every physical action is at +1 due to environment suits and their cumbersome nature.
Both types of environment suits have a soak of 2 but any stress damage to the character also causes a breach to the suit. This will result in a nasty death unless the breach is sealed. A diff 2 Control/Daring+Engineering task will allow the character to use the suits repair kit. Every round a breach goes unrepaired the character receives 2CDs stress (no soak applies). Needless to say an injured character is in deep trouble unless immediately assisted.
By the end of this scene Mudd will make good his escape and launch his shuttle, heading for the ore station near Aldeberan IV.
Scene Four:
Mudd will be using every trick he has to evade any pursuer. His shuttle is fitted with a transport inhibitor and low power shields. The Lexington can catch him easily but he will burn threat to avoid any tractor beam.
Mudd also has one last trick up his sleeve. His shuttle has a modified navigational deflector which he can use to project large scale holographic images. He will project an image of a Romulan Warbird firing a plasma torpedo at the Lexington in the hope they break off pursuit to engage the new threat.
The IKS Kovar will also pick up on the pursuit and intervene demanding Starfleet stand down. They will also attempt to tractor Mudd aboard.
Players at this point can either fight off the Klingons or reach some kind of agreement that satisfies both sides. (anything is possible)
Name: Harcourt Fenton Mudd
Species/Traits: Human, Criminal
Value: I wouldn’t trust me if I were you.
Attributes
Control 10
Daring 7
Fitness 7
Insight 9
Presence 11
Reason 10
Skills and Focuses
Command 1
Conn 3
Engineering 2
Security 2
Science 2
Medicine 1
Focuses: Deception, security systems
Talents: Poker Face: Whenever you attempt a task using Presence and you but one or more bonus d20s by adding threat, you may re-roll your dice pool.
Stress: 8 Soak: 0
Weapons:
Unarmed Strike (Melee 2(CD) Knockdown, Size 1H non-lethal.)
Mudd is a non violent offender. He will not knowingly hurt anyone. If cornered and desperate he may lash out with a fist but he is no fighter.
