The Jester's Playground

The USS Nylonia is afflicted by a sentient computer virus and hijacks the ship's systems.

Teaser
The USS Nylonia receives a distress signal while en route to Starbase 62 and diverts course to discover a Federation vessel adrift and surrounded by debris.

Act One
The ship is identified as the USS Defiance (NCC-77302), a Defiant-class escort. Sensors indicate the ship, despite still operating under full power and not damaged, is missing its entire crew complement. Captain Danielson orders an away team to beam over and investigate. The away team beams onto the bridge and checks the ship. Ensign Stacy Damsel transmits the ship’s logs to the Nylonia for study, while the rest of the team checks the ship’s status and determines nothing is wrong with the ship. Danielson orders the Defiance be taken in tow.

Act Two
While back on course for Starbase 62, the crew notices minor issues with various ship systems, starting with the replicators giving items not requested. Soon, other systems exhibit malfunctions, such as the holodeck randomly removing safety protocols and the navigation systems changing course to a random heading. While maintenance teams investigate the issues, Danielson learns that the debris field around the Defiance was created when the ship’s escape pods were destroyed at close range by phaser fire. When she emerges from her ready room to the bridge, the ship’s phasers randomly lock onto the Defiance and fire, destroying the ship. Danielson demands the reason or the malfunctions be found ASAP, just as the ship drops out of warp with a warning sounding that the warp core is about to be ejected. Lieutenant Commander Angela Turner stops the process, but Ensign Andrea Fawcett reports she had restored life support that had just shut down in random locations around the ship. Ensign Damsel reports she has found the source of the problems on the ship to be a sentient computer virus that had infected the systems aboard the Defiance and allowed itself to be transmitted to the Nylonia when the ship’s logs were sent over. Despite her efforts, the virus has avoided containment.

Act Three
Commander Cassaundra Silver states a Klingon vessel is decloaking in front of the ship and is hailing them. Captain K’Tarn of the IKV Ha'DIbaH declares the Nylonia has entered an area of Klingon space without proper authorization and demands they leave immediately. The virus still has control of the warp drive, preventing them from leaving. Danielson indicates they are experiencing systems malfunctions that they are trying to repair. However, the message as heard through the Klingon side indicates a different message was transmitted, one taunting and insulting the Klingons. K’Tarn threatens to take action against the Nylonia unless they comply immediately. Despite Danielson’s plea and explanation, another taunt is sent. Seeing no other course of action as the Ha'DIbaH locks weapons, Danielson surrenders and offers to transmit their terms of surrender, which K’Tarn accepts. As the data transmission line is opened, the virus transmits itself to the Klingon vessel and infects their systems while restoring the Nylonia’s systems, allowing them to escape back to Federation space.

Log Entries

 * “Captain’s Log, stardate 52140.6. We have received an automated distress signal from a Federation ship nearby. We are changing course to investigate and offer assistance.”

Story

 * This is the first appearance of Captain K'Tarn.

Sets

 * The scenes taking place aboard the Defiance used the build for the USS Eleanor owned by Cassaundra Silver and located on a sim separate from the Nylonia set.