Okay, gang. Here is the draft of our Opening Teaser scene. Please review; if you have any suggestions, particularly about the portrayal of your character in the scene, let me know. I plan to inaugurate our game thread and post the completed scene on the weekend, and will cue up our next scene in the shooting thread at the same time.<br/><br/>I am planning for the starring player in Act 1, Scene 1 -- which will take place as in Sickbay -- to be<strong>Joslyn</strong>. I would like it to also include<strong>Saria</strong>,<strong>PoppyHoneyMeade</strong>if she is back with us at the point, and<strong>bigwad73</strong>. Everyone please let me know if you're cool with that configuration.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">"Opening Teaser, Episode One Draft"</div><div class="spoiler_body">As the U.S.S. <em>Vanguard</em> settled into orbit around the turbulent orange sphere of Segea IV, the bridge crew worked at their stations, each focused on their task.<br/><br/>“Assuming stationary orbit around Segea IV, Captain.” From her station at the helm, Lieutenant Angelica “Angel” Bremen brought the ship smoothly out of warp over their target.<br/><br/>Captain Jaya L. Chandra was standing right beside the Lieutenant, leaning on the console with one hand. She nodded wordlessly to acknowledge Bremen’s update, then turned to look over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow in query.<br/><br/>She was looking to the only other person on the bridge not working at a duty station: Dr. Marah Tren, the <em>Vanguard</em>’s Andorian chief medical officer, who stood in her usual place to the side of the command chair, observing as she often did whenever something of interest was happening on the bridge. While Chandra was tempted to poke fun at the Doctor’s perpetual presence, the truth was she was always glad to hear her input. Indeed, she'd already come to seek it out, as she did now.<br/><br/>“I don’t quite know what to make of it all,” Tren obliged. “If the message were meant literally then there would be no reason to send it as a distress call. But if there is a danger to justify using an emergency channel, then one wouldn’t expect a Vulcan of all people to be so vague about the nature of the problem. Maybe there’s something going on that just can’t be discussed on an open channel—something that would affect Federation security?”<br/><br/>Chandra raised herself up from leaning on the helm console, turned, and strolled casually toward the science station. “Let’s not jump ahead of the facts we have, Doctor. So far all we know is what the message said: that Dr. Sonvek was—” she affected a passable imitation of the Vulcan scientist’s mannerisms from his message “—‘requesting help evaluating unusual occurrences and a possible life-form on the surface’. Use of the emergency channel notwithstanding, I don’t see anything there that implies threat...” Chandra pulled absently at her lower lip while she made her way diagonally across the bridge. “... yet.”<br/><br/>From the engineering station, the chief engineer Lieutenant Commander Kevin Adams – on the bridge to oversee some systems checks – spoke up. “He’s Vulcan," the engineer’s Londoner’s accent softened the blunt observation somewhat. “Love ’m or hate ’m, you can count on their information being facts.”<br/><br/>It was the kind of pertinent observation Chandra expected from Chief Adams, and she acknowledged it with a silent nod as she started to lapse into her own thoughts. Always tempted by a mystery, she considered the possibilities.<br/><br/>“He didn’t sound frightened, but then I wouldn’t expect that even if the planet were breaking up beneath him,” Tren noted wryly. “Regardless, I’d like to be part of the away team—unknown threats have a nasty habit of leading to medical emergencies.”<br/><br/>“Don’t worry, Doctor,” Chandra grinned at Dr. Tren, “you’ll get a chance to stretch your legs on this one. If we are dealing with a new life-form, we’re going to need your expertise.” She moved to the science station where Ensign Magnus Eriksson was filling in. “Well?” she said to Eriksson, nodding with her chin toward the sensor readouts. “Got anything that might help shed some light on what we might be walking into?”<br/><br/>Eriksson stared at his instruments with a frown, working the controls as if he felt they were hiding something from him. “Strange,” he murmured. “I’m scanning Palmyra... only life form I’m reading is the Vulcan. Maybe the scanners are out of alignment.”<br/><br/>Chandra straightened up, tensing as she immediately felt an alarm go off in her head. The likelihood that this was merely a sensor glitch was remote – there was no way the Chief Engineer would have failed to ensure the sensors were properly aligned before their arrival at the site of a distress call. Could Eriksson have made a mistake? Silently Chandra cursed the scheduling quirk that had chief science officer Commander Tayla off duty now – but of course she kept that opinion to herself.<br/><br/>“Mister Adams,” she said sharply as she moved around the railing to stand behind Erikson, “please check the sensors.” That would rule that possibility out. As for the other possibility: “How many people were supposed to be at that station?” she asked Eriksson.<br/><br/>“Station complement should be twenty-three research staff and forty-one maintenance and technical staff,” he reported. “Widening the scan area... stand by....”<br/><br/>From the engineering station, Chief Adams confirmed what Chandra already suspected: “Sensors are fully functional, Captain, I suggest we try hailing Dr Sonvek.”<br/><br/>Lieutenant Miguel Cortez Garrido, communications officer, spoke up: “Prepared for secure hailing frequency, Captain.”<br/><br/>Chandra raised a finger to signal Cortez to hold off on opening communications just yet, and quickly made her way back across the bridge to Dr. Tren’s side. She moved close to the Doctor and lowered her voice so that – as far as it was possible – her words would not carry well beyond the pair. “Marah, I think it goes without saying that right now one of the most likely possibilities is that this Sonvek went space happy, and attacked the rest of the station personnel. If we get him on the line, I’d like you to pay close attention to everything he says and does. I’d like an assessment of his mental state. Strictly off the record, for now.”<br/><br/>“Understood,” Marah replied quietly. She hesitated a moment. “It’s also possible he’s the only survivor of an alien attack or infestation—please try to be delicate. Vulcans may not show anguish, but they still feel it.”<br/><br/>Chandra nodded thoughtfully at Tren’s advice, feeling for a moment the weight of the situation, before professionally pushing the fear aside. She moved to the side of the captain’s chair opposite Tren, and signaled Cortez to continue.<br/><br/>“Aye, Captain,” Cortez responded to the Captain's silent order. “He's responding to our hail. Secure channel open, on mainscreen now.”<br/><br/>Chandra cleared her throat, relaxed her body, and spoke in a friendly, casual tone: “Palmyra Station, this is the USS <em>Vanguard</em>, Captain Jaya L. Chandra commanding. We are responding to your emergency message. What the nature of the emergency?”<br/><br/>The image appeared on the viewscreen just a moment later, and despite her mental preparations, Chandra was taken aback by the sight. At first, the image resolved to what appeared to be an empty office, with strangely dim lighting. A moment later, a Vulcan, dressed in the manner of a scientist, took a seat in front of the camera. It was immediately apparent that something was very wrong. The impeccable control and calmness one normally associated with Vulcans was shattered – Sonvek was haggard and sweaty, his eyes sunken and bleary. His skin did not have the normal greenish pallor of Vulcan skin, but rather was pale and wan.<br/><br/>He spoke into the viewscreen haltingly in a deep, precise voice. “In the event that this is not some sort of hallucination or mental illusion, I shall respond to your hail,” he said, then paused to catch his breath, as if steadying himself before continuing.<br/><br/>“I am Sonvek of Vulcan. I am the sole survivor...” – he suddenly began to twitch one eye, and shake slightly – “... to the best of my knowledge. The other members of the expedition have...” – the twitching became more severe and he seemed to be having trouble focusing on the video pick up now – “... been taken.... I require assistance....” His hands went to his head, as if he had a severe headache, and he exhaled forcefully. When he spoke again, it was in a cadence as if he were quoting something: “‘Cast out fear. There is no room for anything else until you cast out fear.’”<br/><br/>Seeing Dr. Sonvek in such a state, Chandra was alarmed. Her concerns about Sonvek potentially being a menace were momentarily forgotten, and she immediately switched her focus to attempting to rescue the Vulcan. “Cortez, get a transporter lock on Dr. Sonvek and prepare to beam him up. Notify Sick Bay.” Dr. Tren’s duty would be to oversee the preparations for receiving a patient, but with a quick look and a gesture behind her back, Chandra signalled for the Doctor to stay a moment.<br/><br/>Chandra turned her attention back to the screen, trying to recover her composure as much as possible. “I assure you, Dr. Sonvek, we are no hallucination. If you like, we will be ready to beam you up to our sick bay momentarily. The others: they have been taken? By whom? Where are they now, Dr. Sonvek?”<br/><br/>Sonvek’s hands had dropped away from his head as he seemed to acknowledge the Captain for the first time. “It is satisfactory to note your arrival, Captain. I... I... Iiiiiiiii....” Once more Sonvek put his hand to his head, and squeezed his eyes tightly. “If you are in fact a real.... Uhnnnh.... Pardon me, Captain, it’s gotten much worse....”<br/><br/>One fist came down from his head, and the table before Sonvek acquired a sizable dent in its metal and plastic structure. The other hand stayed covering his eyes, but the grimace on his face was still clear.  “The Mysterium... the monolith, Captain. It’s becoming unbearable. They are there, somehow, somewhere....”<br/><br/>At these words, Chandra blinked in surprise, and hope rose in her once again. <em>“They are there”</em>... could he mean the other expedition personnel? Could they be nearby? Chandra looked to Eriksson – who should have completed his wide-area scan – but he met her eyes and shook his head. No sign of anyone but the Vulcan, for at least a ten kilometer radius. Chandra felt her heart sink. <br/><br/>“Let me get my team briefed, Dr. Sonvek. Stand by a moment,” Chandra said, then gave Cortez the signal to mute the audio pickups so that Sonvek would not hear her crew talking. She turned her back to the screen, too, so that her lips could not be read, then looked at Tren and asked softly: “Well? What are the risks of bringing him up?”<br/><br/>Obviously, the Doctor had had a similar train of thought, and had an answer ready. “Captain, I recommend we implement full quarantine procedures from the transporter room through to sickbay. It might also be a good idea to have a small security escort, as long as they’re familiar with all the quarantine protocols.”<br/><br/>“Well, Doctor,” Chandra mused, twirling her hair with a finger absently. “I’ve got a dilemma here. If there’s something dangerous down there, I’d rather beam him up than send a team down. On the other hand, I might be bringing the wolf right into the flock.”<br/><br/>“There are risks either way,” Tren agreed, “but I’ll have access to better diagnostic and treatment options in sickbay than I would on the surface.”<br/><br/>That was a fair point. It was also true that if there was a menace on the surface, it was a menace that had already taken over sixty of the Federation’s top archaeological researchers, and left Sonvek in this state – in other words, a danger that should not be taken lightly. On the other hand, if Sonvek were beamed up, the two most likely hazards – a pathogen, and a deranged Vulcan – were both theoretically manageable. It seemed unwise to beam into the maw of an unknown something that had already shown itself to be so dangerous.<br/><br/>Chandra was not normally a gambler, but sometimes you just have to take a risk.<br/><br/>“We’ll bring him up,” she announced, with finality, though it was not clear whether she was trying to impress Tren with her confidence, or herself. She raised her voice to issue orders to the bridge crew: “Mister Adams, see if you can seal off Transporter Room 1, Sick Bay, and the corridors between – isolate the ventilation, whatever you can manage quickly. Mister Parata,” she added to the Chief of the Boat at the security station: “Get a guard detail ready in Transporter Room 1. Marah, you’re in charge – make sure Moko’s men are briefed on what to expect. And please be careful. I don’t want anyone ending up like that table....”<br/><br/>Finally, orders issued, she allowed a moment for everything to start in motion, then signalled to Cortez to re-enable the audio pickup.<br/><br/>“Dr. Sonvek,” she said, once more trying to sound relaxed and confident for the Vulcan’s benefit, “we’re preparing our transporters and medical bay now. We’ll have you beamed up in just a moment.”<br/><br/>Weirdly, Sonvek did not answer her directly. Instead, he said: “To the base’s magnetic south, Captain.”<br/><br/>Then he rose to his feet – whether to prepare for transport, or to better manage the pain he seemed to be enduring, it was impossible for Chandra to say – his face leaving the viewing area of the screen. Chandra bit her lip; once again the possibilities – that she may be bringing a pathogen or a deranged murderer, or even something worse – bubbled up in her mind. What if she was dooming her ship?<br/><br/>But the die was cast. When Chief Adams signaled that the transporter room was ready, the Captain responded decisively with a single word:<br/><br/>“Energize.”</div></div>