S01 E10: USS Intrigue Footfall, Part 2: Facing the Divine

 

S01 E10: USS Intrigue

Footfall, Part 2: Facing the Divine

           

(This Captain’s Log play report uses the Star Trek Adventures campaign “Footfall” from Strange New Worlds Mission Compendium Volume 2.)

Then two other townspeople ran up to the Klingon that had been struck down by the demon. “This is our neighbor, Maleg. We will take him to safety,” one of them said to Elatrai. They each took one of Maleg’s arms and put it over their shoulders. Maleg was only half conscious and in no condition to resist. What did the Klingon say before he was knocked unconscious? That Kahless would save him because his heart was pure. Elatrai could never quite get that part of faith. But she was not here to judge.

Security officer Lt. Smeets was approached by a man who asked her to help him find his little girl. He was wearing a device around his neck. He said it was to detect his daughter’s location bracelet, but the energy storm was interfering with the signal. Smeets used her tricorder, which was stronger than the man’s tracking device. She scanned the signal from his device and found the same signal coming from a house a few meters away. They walked to the house and the man banged on the door. Someone opened the door and said the man’s daughter had taken shelter inside. They invited him and Smeets inside for safety. The man entered and Smeets said she was glad he and his daughter were safe, and that she had to help other people during the storm.

Ensign J’Datek saw a group of people enter a small structure with thin walls. He told them there was a storm coming and they would not be safe in that weak structure. The group’s leader told him they worshiped the god Vishovon and their god would protect them. They only needed to go inside this temple to pray. J’Datek pointed at another building and told them they could pray just as well in the stronger building. The leader said they must use this small building because it is their god’s temple. J’Datek knew that all the temples were supposed to be nondenominational, but this group must have unofficially claimed this one. The Klingon quickly tried to reason with them. He told them that surely their god wanted them to live and that they would die if they stayed in the weak temple. There was one person in the group that agreed with the Klingon and tried to convince the others. But they could not be convinced. J’Datek led the one person to the other building. He did not feel he had time to convince the others when the storm was approaching fast, and he had other people to save. So that was what people did because of their faith in their deity. Otherwise intelligent people would do something seemingly crazy. Even Klingons did such things in the name of Kahless. But J’Datek had never chosen to take that path.

When the other person was safely inside the building, J’Datek looked up at the sky and saw something amazing. It was a choir of angels floating toward the town. They all looked just like the one the Voice of Purity had conjured up with their prayer. Could these angels have also been summoned through prayer? Did the prayers of the followers of Vishovon actually succeed? Then he saw the angels fighting the demons. The Klingon had never seen anything like it. The angels with their glowing bodies using fist punches and kicks. But their faces remained neutral, not matching their actions. No clenched teeth. No determination in their eyes. The demons, who seemed to be four-legged animals who could also stand up on hind legs, also fought with front arms and back legs, showing no emotion in their faces. Interesting that the fights seemed to be one-on-one. There was one angel for each demon. And the strong winds had stopped as soon as the angels appeared. And there was a sound. Like music. Was that trumpets? Yes. Trumpets played as the angels and demons fought. He looked around and could not see where the sound of trumpets was coming from.

All the Starfleet people had also stopped their actions to watch the religious figures fight. Commander Elatrai turned on her tricorder and scanned the beings. They were pure energy, just like the demons and one angel she had scanned before. Both the demons and the angels were made of the SAME energy. Which, she guessed, would make sense if they had been created by the same god. But there was more than just what her tricorder picked up. Her telepathic senses picked up despair and frustration. But not just from the colonists. She sensed it in the energy beings--the demons and angels. But it was more than that. All the energy beings, all the demons and all the angels, seemed to share one mind. As she had sensed with the angel before, one mind, and yet many minds.

As the energy beings fought, they seemed to disappear whenever one was knocked down. The angels seemed to be winning. Once all the demons had disappeared, the angels also disappeared. Now that the danger was over, Elatrai transmitted her tricorder scans to the ship for further study. Then she ordered the rest of the officers to help the people with recovery wherever needed. There were trees and buildings that had fallen and people in need of rescue.

 

After the Starfleet officers had spent several hours helping rescue teams sent by Commander Chahal, Elatrai received a call from the ship. The ops officer had run a deep scan of the planet, looking for the same type of energy waves that Elatrai had found in the demons and angels. The scan found that there was a similar energy infusing the whole planet, but on a much more subdued level. They detected the source of that energy was the top of a nearby mountain, where the energy seemed to bleed from the mountain’s core. Elatrai asked one of the colonists if he knew anything about that mountain. He said it was called Mount Biunerth. It was Footfall’s most holy place. It was the best place on the planet to commune with the divine. Ah, thought Elatrai, so now we will bring Mohamed to the mountain. Well, we’ll bring Starfleet to the mountain, at the very least.

 

First Officer’s Log. Supplemental. While I remain convinced there is a scientific answer to all this, we have just faced a storm that included a horde of demonic energy beings, and then a choir of angelic energy beings. I find myself in the strange position of preparing to speak to the creator, but what will we actually find on top of this most holy mountain?

 

Kalta Neved beamed back down to the planet, as she was interested in continuing the mission with the rest of the away team. Elatrai and the away team to meet with Commander Chahal about visiting Mount Biunerth. Governor Chahal said that she had never been to the mountain, but to go there was considered a religious pilgrimage by many of the visitors to Footfall. There were customs involving the trek to the mountain that had been passed down through the ages. As a matter of respect, everyone who visited the mountain was asked to follow the customs. She would assign her Host of Religion to explain the customs and accompany Elatrai’s team on their journey to the mountain.

The away team was escorted to another room where a woman was waiting for them. She introduced herself as Drebitta Contan, Footfall’s Host of Religion. She was not from a species that Elatrai recognized. She was wearing a brown robe. She told them the pilgrimage would have to be made on foot. They could not use the transporter or a shuttle. Elatrai agreed to follow the religious customs of Footfall. The journey would have to start at sunrise the next day. If they preferred, they could spend the night on their ship before they started the journey. Elatrai wanted her team to spend the night at one of the hotels on Footfall. That way, they would be in the right mindset to make the journey. Contan said they must bathe the night before the journey. Elatrai could hear the Klingon, J’Datek, grumble at that. The host went on to the other requirements. They must wear clothes of natural fibers, not replicated. She would make sure they all had proper outfits. They must make the journey barefoot. They cannot bring any technology; that means no tricorders, phasers, or communicators. They were allowed a simple weapon, such as a knife. But most did not need weapons. There were no wild animals. And there had hardly ever been any criminals on Footfall. Elatrai and Smeets both mentioned the demons. Contan said the demons had only recently been appearing. She did not know if they would interfere with this journey. But she felt the demons would not interfere because the planetary spirits should WANT Starfleet to see the planet’s most holy place. Elatrai wasn’t so sure. But what could she do? Then Contan told them the last thing they needed to know. Before going to the mountain, each person must share a secret to cleanse their soul.

“So a traditional religious pilgrimage,” said civilian anthropologist Kalta. “No problem.” The other away team members looked at her like they were about to get religious on her ass. Kalta, a Barzan, saw their expressions and quickly remembered not all races were comfortable with sharing secrets. Maybe that’s why they were called secrets, she thought, sheepishly. Elatrai was reminded of her days at the academy when she had joined a secret club. The club required that they share a secret, as a way of bonding. Betazoids didn’t usually keep secrets. Since they could read each other’s minds, there were no secrets. They were always raised to be open and honest. But there were times, Elatrai thought, that life happened. Contan continued, “We can sit down and do the soul cleansing now, if everyone agrees.” Commander Elatrai knew everyone would be reluctant, but they had to see this through. She spoke for her team and said they would do it now.

Contan sat on the floor of the empty room. “Please sit in a circle.” They did as she bade. “The secret you share doesn’t have to be major. Just get in touch with your inner feelings and share with the group. Even a seemingly small thing can feel good to your soul. I have done this ritual several times. I must always share a different secret because, well, once I’ve shared it, it is no longer a secret. So I will begin with…” She crossed her hands in front of her chest. “In all the times I have journeyed to the mountain, I have always feared that each journey will be my last. For I am old, and the days grow short for me. But still, I do the work of the creator.” Contan looked to Elatrai at her left, motioning it was her turn.

The Betazoid commander just didn’t have it in her to confess her memory of Arampal. So she said, “Most non-Betazoids think being able to read minds is an advantage. It’s not. It makes people afraid of us. They think we judge them for their thoughts, when nothing could be further from the truth. Everyone is entitled to their thoughts and opinions.”

Ensign J’Datek was next. He spoke plainly. “Unlike most Klingons, l don’t like Klingon opera.” Contan did not reply to this, so the secret must have been acceptable, thought Elatrai. A few people snickered at the Klingon. Elatrai had observed that J’Datek really didn’t seem to like any music at all, so it wasn’t much of a secret to her. But for J’Datek to share it, at least he was abiding by the custom.

Lt. Rita Smeets said, “I have become addicted to the Vulcan game kal-toh. I spend hours playing it when I am off duty.” Elatrai did not know that. But at least she was only playing the game on her off hours. She had never once been late or missed a duty shift.

Dr. Norjelan said, ”My people are largely immortal. We can live for centuries. But what most outsiders don’t know is that some Lanthanites can’t stand it and commit suicide. They just say they have done everything, experienced everything, and they are tired of living.” How awful, Elatrai thought. To live so long that you get bored. Maybe there was a reason for mortality. That made her think about Arampal again. Oh Ara, Elatrai thought, you would not be bored if you could still be alive and see me embracing my Starfleet career.

Lt. Murray Chevalier, the diplomatic officer, said, “Most people think I became a diplomatic officer because I like people and friendly relations. But most of the time, I really can’t stand people. I like being alone. People stress me out. Even when they are friendly and inviting, I find it stressful to find words to talk to them. The reason I picked this type of job is because I wanted to challenge myself. And I wanted to do something meaningful. I don’t regret it, but it really is a drain on me every day.” That was something Elatray had always sensed. She could tell sometimes he got tired of people. But he wasn’t the first natural introvert to choose a career dealing with people. Some introverts felt the need to be around people, at least some of the time. It kept them from feeling lonely when they retreated to the solitude they so badly needed.

And then the last person, Kalta Neved, spoke. “I had a crush on Captain Yekava of the USS Bonaventure. We even dated a few times. But when we started to get more serious, he said he couldn’t be involved with someone assigned to his ship, even if I was a civilian. It was against his personal ethics. I was heartbroken. That’s why I transferred off.” Elatrai wasn’t surprised. Kalta was young and very attractive. Captain Yekava sounded like someone who needed to get in touch with his feelings. He dated her and then only broke up when they started getting serious? He definitely needed a counselor. It wasn’t against regulations for a captain to date someone on his ship; it just wasn’t recommended.

 

The next morning, the away team all gathered and met Contan outside their hotel a few minutes before sunrise. The were ready for their journey. They had all bathed and were wearing the natural fiber clothing that Contan had given them. They were all carrying bags with a few rations. And they were barefoot. They were told it would take two hours to walk to the mountain and another two hours to get to the top. They could see in the distance that the mountain was steep, but not so much that they needed any equipment to climb it.

 

Once they made it to the top of Mount Biunerth, they saw a small shrine. It was the middle of the day. They saw the planet’s sun high in the sky. Elatrai could feel a psychic energy all around. Then, the sky suddenly got dark. Then a light came from out of the ground and coalesced into a huge shining ball of light floating in the air above them. It appeared to be a ball of energy. A feeling of divine power washed out of it.

Elatrai saw that the ball of energy appeared to have a face. It looked like the face of Nagrill, the Orrakei god of fortune. It couldn’t be. She reasoned that something had gotten the image telepathically from her mind.

Then J’Datek spoke, “It is the face of Kahless!”

Elatrai exclaimed, “Something’s reading our minds. We are each seeing a different image of something from our memories.”

Contan said, “That is why this is a holy place. We see the face of our god.”

Commander Elatrai heard a voice in her mind say, “Who are you?”

Then Lt. Smeets said, “I just heard a voice in my mind.” The others said the same thing. Elatrai confirmed they had all been asked the same question “Who are you.” A curious question, given that it could read minds.

Contan said, “I have brought these travelers to meet you.”

Elatrai spoke out loud to the energy being. She knew everyone else would feel more comfortable with verbal communication instead of telepathic. “We are seeking knowledge about this planet. Are YOU the one who sent the storm of demons into the colony? Or are you the one who sent the angels who fought the demons?”

“I created both. I demand the people to decide on one faith. There should be only one system of worship on this planet.”

Lt. Chevalier said, “People come here with many different religions. Each group practices their own religion. They like being able to choose. That’s why they come here. Because here, they each can practice their own religion.”

“Nooo!!” the entity said. “They must decide on one. Too long I have read the minds of the people who come here. There are so many that they worship. It confuses me. I demand they pick one.”

“A god is confused?” J’Datek said.

“I need my people to have one,” the entity said. “One religion. One god. I will be that god.”

Elatrai tried something else. “Did you tell the Voice of Purity to attack the buildings in the colony?”

The entity answered, “I commanded them to take actions. They were to spread the word of One religion, as I demanded. You must all be of one religion. One voice.”

Then Kalta said, “Who are you? How did you come to be on this planet?”

“I created this world. I have always been here. Before any of the others with their beliefs.”

“Then you are not THE creator,” Kalta said. “You didn’t create THESE people. You only knew them since they came here.”

“I AM their creator!” the voice boomed. “Their minds tell of a creator, a god, that they worship in life and in the afterlife. I am that god.”

Lt. Chevalier whispered to Elatrai, “Sir, it sounds like this being only thinks he’s a god because he read people’s minds. They have an idea about god in their mind, and the being interpreted it to mean that he is the god they seek.”

Elatrai agreed with Chevalier and spoke to the entity again. “God is the creator. But you are not the creator. You created demons and angels out of energy but they were not living beings. You did not create us.”

“Insolence!!” the deep voice said. Then, lightning bolts came from the ball of light. There was one bolt of lightning for each person there. They were each struck down. Dr. Norjelan asked if everyone was okay. It seemed they were just knocked to the ground, but not wounded at all.

Then a second ball of energy fell to the ground and became a large rock. Everyone saw something in the rock. It was like a reflection of something. A ship. It was the USS Intrigue. Then the image changed to the face of Captain Sekoba.

“Captain!?!” Elatrai said.

The captain spoke to her, “Commander Elatrai. What is your status?” Elatrai looked around. The away team was still with her. The entity was using the rock to let her communicate with her captain. So this being had more power than she had realized. “Captain, we have made it to the top of the mountain. We are speaking with some type of energy being who thinks it is god. It can read minds and create lightning bolts. And, apparently, it can let us communicate without conventional technology.”

Then the entity said, “Feel my power!” A lightning bolt went from the ground up into the sky. Then, on the rock that had the image of the captain, Elatrai saw the captain and the ship’s bridge behind her shake violently.

“Commander,” Smeets said, “the entity struck the ship. It is letting us know just how powerful it is. It may be able to destroy the ship from here.”

Then the rock with the image of the captain disappeared. The entity said, “That was a small demonstration of my power. You will all go back to the colony and tell the people to worship me as one. No other religions or gods will be allowed.”

Elatrai said, “What will you do to us if we don’t obey you? Destroy our ship? Starfleet will just send another one. If you kill us and everyone else, there will be no one to worship you.”

Everyone stood up and looked at the ball of energy. It was quiet. It didn’t even speak inside their minds. Then, seven demons appeared and attacked each one of them. Some of the away team were able to draw a knife and fight back. Others fought with their bare hands. But after a few seconds the demons disappeared. The people all looked around, shocked. Then Smeets said, “I don’t think it wants to kill us. And it doesn’t really know how it wants to exact punishment on us.”

“Yes,” said Kalta. “It’s a benevolent god. It can read our minds and see images of gods who smote and demanded sacrifices, but this being doesn’t want to do that. When the storm came to the colony, no one was killed. And when the demons attacked us before, at the caves, no one was killed.”

The entity spoke again. “You all have different memories of gods. I know I am god. I am all-powerful. I am non-corporeal. I look down at the people from a mountain top. I read their minds. But I…I do not want to take their lives.”

Elatrai said to it, “You mentioned being confused. I can see in your thoughts that you are confused about all the different gods and how they act upon their subjects. Don’t you see? No one worships a god that is confused. You are not anyone’s god. You confused yourself with the gods of these people, but their gods belong wherever they came from. You are not THEIR god. You are not OUR god. You are a being, like… the prophets of the Bajorans…” she brought up her thoughts of the wormhole aliens the Bajorans worshipped that she had seen in Starfleet records and projected her thoughts to the entity, “or like the Organians, or the Dubragnians of Intru V.” She thought of all these beings and let the entity read her thoughts. She could read more confusion in its mind. She hoped that meant she was getting through to it.

“There are others like ME? I am not the ONE?”

Dr. Norjelan said, “On my planet, we once worshipped beings like yourself. They were non-corporeal and could read minds. Then a spaceship from another planet accidentally crashed on our world. We became fascinated that there were other worlds besides ours. And our ‘gods’ realized how stagnant we had been. For centuries, we had only existed to worship them with our ritual singing and dancing, painting and sculpting. But never building. Never advancing. And the ‘gods’ had been just as stagnant. Never having challenged their great intellects. Never having new thoughts or new ideas. So we stopped worshipping them and started inventing new technologies and new social customs. And the ‘gods’ left our planet for another galaxy, to find new challenges.”

Then there was silence. Everyone looked around.

Suddenly a chorus of angels appeared. There were seven of them in a row. They put their hands in front of them, palms together, in what some recognized as a prayer position. They bowed their heads. Everyone heard a sound. It was like music. Trumpets. Then the angels disappeared.

“In your mind, you call me an entity. An energy being. What is my purpose?”

Ah. Now Elatrai felt like they were finally getting through. She said, “In our culture, everyone must find their own purpose. It is usually to help people in some way. Would you like to help the people who come here?”

Smeets whispered to Elatrai again, “What’s it gonna do? And besides, it’s so powerful. Can we really trust it not to get angry again and sick demons on people? Even if it doesn’t kill, it caused a lot of injuries.”

Then Elatrai had an idea. She said to the entity, “You have the memories of all the thousands of pilgrims who have come here over the centuries. You know their religions; their beliefs and customs. Your knowledge could be seen as wisdom to some. You can provide what the pilgrims come here seeking.”

There was silence from everyone. Elatrai kept on. “People come here believing there is something greater than themselves. They seek knowledge and a higher power. You can be that. You can tell them the stories of others’ beliefs. You wouldn’t be a god. But you could be a…a… High Priest. Like a Dalai Lama. Someone that people come to seeking knowledge and wisdom. They could learn from you and you could learn from them. By talking with them, you could learn to understand instead of being confused.”

The face in the giant ball of light spoke. “Their thoughts of many gods. Still confusing.”

“I’m a Betazoid. I can read thoughts. I get conflicting thoughts all the time. I can teach you how to filter them. Your chosen group, the Voice of Purity, they can help you too. They all have high psionic powers. That’s why you chose them to be your messengers, isn’t it? They can be your “disciples”. They can also help you organize your thoughts. Help you clear your mind.”

Then the face of the “god” coalesced into humanoid form. A glowing humanoid that was two meters tall with a white beard and golden angelic wings. It used its mind to tell Elatrai it would be the High Priest, as she had suggested. It promised it would not create any more demons that attacked people.

 

After making the deal with “god”, Elatrai then had to talk to Annalisa and Chahal and get them to agree to the deal. They didn’t really have a choice, the way they saw it. Annalisa agreed that she and the Voice of Purity would help the High Priest with his confusion. They even agreed to let themselves be called his “disciples”. Commander Chahal needed assurance that the High Priest would no longer be a danger. Elatrai said that now that they were aware of its psychic influence, they could control it. That’s what the Voice of Purity would do.

But there was something else as well. Once the Intrigue was able to scan the mountain top and actually identify the energy source, a subharmonic energy field was found within the mountain. It was independent of the entity. It boosted his psychic energy. It was also the source of his power of manipulation of energy and matter. The Intrigue would give the administrator a power displacement generator that would control the energy that emanated from Mount Biunerth. Controlling the energy would keep the High Priest under control.

Then Elatrai said, “He told me he has a name. It’s PranTalta.”

“High Priest PranTalta,” said Chahal. “It doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.”

“I guess you’ll have to get used to it,” Elatrai said.

“I think the pilgrims will like the chance to talk to him,” said Chahal. “Pilgrimages to the mountain were usually just for prayer. And some kind of unexplained cathartic religious experience. Do you know what that was?”

Elatrai said, “The mountain can amplify emotions. When people climb the mountain looking for a religious experience, the energy field gives them what they were looking for.”

Chahal accepted that as an answer. Then she said, “When PranTalta created the storm with demons, why did he send the angels to fight the demons?”

Elatrai said, “He was confused. And he didn’t like killing. I think he sent the demons to show his unhappiness. But when he decided he didn’t want to hurt anyone, he sent the angels. Kind of poetic, huh?”

Commander Chahal was just happy that Footfall would now have a new attraction and that the colony was now safe. Elatrai asked if some of her crew could take shore leave on Footfall, now that the danger was past. Chahal gladly approved. Elatrai was satisfied with the turnout of this mission. And Starfleet would also be satisfied. She knew the crew would be excited to take shore leave. And some of them were really looking forward to it on this planet in particular. Plus, she wanted shore leave herself. She had something she needed to do. But before that, she had one more favor to ask of Chahal.

“That picture over your desk. It’s the representative symbol of Footfall, isn’t it?” asked Elatrai.

“Yes. The series of circles represents the idea of many religions being recognized on the planet.”

“I collect planetary symbols; in the form of a pin, a picture, or whatever you have. Do you have a symbol you could give me for my collection?”

Chahal reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a small pin in the shape of the symbol. She handed it to Elatrai. “Take it with my thanks.”

Elatrai smiled and accepted the pin.

 

Nyri Elatrai walked into the small shrine. Her bare, calloused feet sweated against the cold floor. It had been a long walk up the mountain. This time she had made the journey alone. She had seen other small groups making the pilgrimage too. She sat in one of the pews and reflected on her memories of Arampal. Nyri had loved her mentor, and she missed her dearly. When she told her she was leaving Betazed for Starfleet, Ara had said, “I always knew you were made for the stars, Little Nee. May you bring class and dignity to Starfleet.” Ara had been pleased with her Starfleet career. Nyri felt a soft tear flow down her cheek. Then she heard the mountain High Priest PranTalta in her mind say, “I grieve with thee.” She appreciated his empathy. Then she left the shrine.

Nyri walked past other pilgrims on the mountain top who had gathered for their own rituals. She found an empty spot and sat on the ground. She reached into her small travel bag and pulled out a small digging tool. She dug a hole about ten centimeters deep. She took Arampal’s cup and stuck in in the hole, then replaced the dirt. She was finally able to let go now. This had been her own spiritual journey. She said the proper eulogy to herself.

“This I do for my dearly departed Arampal. She was my mentor and my friend. We both drank from this cup, and it gave us life. Now, it will give her peace in the afterlife. May her journey be well. May she look upon my life and be pleased. Be well, my friend.”

 

-by the Honorable Kavura

Thank you for reading my Star Trek Adventures: Captain’s Log mission report. Captain’s Log is a solo role-playing game by Modiphius Entertainment.