The Serpent Factor was a roleplay module for FASA's Star Trek: The Role-Playing Game. It was the first of eleven licensed adventures published in FASA magazines, this one in Stardate Magazine #1. This prequel to TOS movie, novelization & comic adaptation: The Search For Spock tells how Klingon Commander Kruge got hold of the data for Project Genesis.
Description[]
- In this adventure, the player characters are Klingon spies who have been ordered to steal Admiral Kirk's report on the Genesis Project and get it back to the Empire. To do so, they must infiltrate a heavily-guarded Star Fleet installation, take passage aboard a rickety, old tramp freighter, the SS Eileen, and make it past whatever obstacles fate or Star Fleet throws in their path.
- All of the player characters are Klingon "agents-in-place", planted on Terra years ago. They have been surgically altered to enable them to pass for Humans, and they have been placed in ordinary jobs in strategically important Federation installations.
Summary[]
A communications officer at Earth Spacedock overhears portions of Kirk's subspace transmission regarding Project Genesis and leaks details to Valkris. She is subsequently ordered by Imperial Intelligence to obtain a copy of the data, and she sends five deep cover Klingon agents to pose as officers who are conducting routine checks of the communications center. The spies must pass through armed security and distract the duty officer long enough for one of them to access and download the classified file. They depart the space station via a shuttlecraft and 30 minutes later reunite with Valkris aboard the SS Eileen, a dilapidated Monarch-class freighter.
En route to the frontier, Captain Harry Price sweats nervously when a Larson-class destroyer starts paralleling their course, raising suspicions of first mate Hans Markheim that this trip is out of the ordinary. Markheim is angered when he finds Price playing poker with his Star Fleet passengers, but Price tells him how much they're getting paid, an exorbitant amount. Markheim leaves, then begins searching the ship, concerned that they might be carrying something illegal or traitorous. When he can't find anything, he secretly sabotages the ship. The next day, engineer S'lith reports to the bridge that they'll lose life support within 12 hours, and Price diverts the ship to the nearest spaceport.
The freighter touches down in New Bougainville on Tanar IX. After Price arranges for engineering repairs, Markheim tries to slip away to alert authorities. As long as the Klingon agents can stop him, or prevent police from interfering, Eileen will be able to take off again for the frontier.
About 15 hours before reaching their rendezvous point, the Grayson-class USS Anderson approaches and requests destination details. If he doesn't like what he hears, Lieutenant Jerome Maynard can beam over a boarding party to investigate, and the agents would have to contend with them and/or Maynard.
If they are able to continue on their way, Valkris and her agents eventually arrive at the rendezvous point. A B'rel-class bird-of-prey decloaks in front of them and Valkris transmits the data to Commander Kruge. Kruge then destroys their ship, sending the Klingons to the Black Fleet.
References[]
Characters[]
- John Davoreaux • Kruge • Hans Markheim • Jerome Maynard • Randolph Phillips • Harry Price • Simon Rigg • S'lith • Bartholomew Smithfield • Valkris
- Referenced only
- Samuel Skinner
Starships and vehicles[]
- USS Anderson (Grayson-class repair tender) • HMS Bounty (B'rel-class bird-of-prey) • SS Eileen (Monarch-class freighter) • groundcar • shuttlecraft
- Referenced only
- USS Scipio (Larson-class destroyer)
Locations[]
- Earth (Canada • Earth Spacedock • Germany • Great Britain • New Zealand) • Tanar (New Bougainville • Tanar IX)
- Referenced only
- Imperial World • Rolan III • San Francisco • Sorvalo system (Sorvalo VI)
Races and cultures[]
- Human • Klingon (Human Fusion • Imperial) • Sorvalo
States and organizations[]
- Federation • Klingon Empire • Merchant Marine (Merchant Marine Academy) • Starfleet (Starfleet Academy • Starfleet Medical Review Board • Starfleet Security Branch School • Starfleet Simulations Command) • TransSolar • United States of America
Science and classification[]
- airlock • antibiotic • artificial gravity generator • cargo carrier • circuitry • communicator • computer • disruptor • distress signal • Genesis Project • hatch • homing beacon • identity card • intercom • knife • life support • memory bank • navigation buoy • pistol • sensor • screens • subspace radio • sword • tape • tricorder • type-1 phaser • type-2 phaser • warp drive
Ranks and titles[]
- agent • assassin • captain • civilian • commander • communications officer • crewman • duty officer • engineer • first mate • lieutenant • merchant • officer • pirate • policeman • psychologist • security guard • spy
Other references[]
- alcohol • Altairean suzy • asteroid • bank • Black Fleet • bridge • cabin • cadet cruise • cigar • colony • continent • credit • day • engineering • fog • foods and beverages • forest • Galacta • gambling • glass • hangar deck • history • holster • hour • jungle • law • minute • moon • ocean • oil • Orion language • pig • poker • security • ship's log • Starfleet uniform (2278-2350s) • starport • transporter room • tree • trincos • Vulcan language • warp speed (warp three • warp seven • warp eight) • warship • whiskey
Appendices[]
Related media[]
Background[]
- Gamemaster notes provided a rule system for the poker game played aboard Eileen.
- An accompanying article in Stardate Magazine profiled Earth Spacedock, providing a construction history timeline, general layout of the facility, and three additional roleplay module scenario ideas.
- The Jaynz Ships of the Galaxy column in that issue provided specifications for the Monarch-class freighter, Grayson-class repair tender, and Kruge's B'rel-class bird-of-prey.
Images[]
Connections[]
Timeline[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous story: first module |
FASA RPG modules (Stardate Magazine) | Next story: Deneva Deception |
| Previous story: Orion Ruse |
Stories by: Patrick Larkin |
Next story: latest story |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous adventure: Blood Fever |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next adventure: The Search For Spock |