Nexus - Second Season

The second season improved on the first during the first half of the season. However, after episode 24, no real character development occurred, and the campaign went down hill. In episode 27, Arton left, and that took away the stability that held the more radical characters in check. Therefore, it should've been no surprise that episode 28 was bound to happen sooner or later. The campaign was put on hiatus to allow both the players and the GM to cool off and refresh their creativity. About a month later, the campaign was restarted.

Once again, there was not a lot of theme music in the second season. Again, this was because of the developing nature of the game, and the degradation of the campaign over the season. A campaign that is fighting for popularity against other campaigns does not have the time or energy to waste on themes, and after episode 28, I think that both the players and the GM were ready to close down the whole show and call it quits. Instead, I cautiously allowed the campaign one more chance.

The second season of Nexus was rated at:

Second Season Episodes

18. ...Boo York... (JH, JC)

The team, while on rest leave, investigate a tornado-like storm. They are drawn into the storm and through a dimensional gate to another version of Nexus. In this universe, people are ghosts, and vice versa. Thus, the team is hunted by a version of the Ghostbusters known as the �Peoplebusters�. Thomas Hoy is killed during this episode, which was based off of a Ghostbusters cartoon.

19. Land of the Dragons (JC, PB, EQ)

NS 314 is ordered to investigate a strange radio signal. Following it, the team finds an ion storm, and upon entering it, find themselves thrown several parsecs away, and in orbit around a strange world. Due to the lack of rotation, one side of the planet is extremely hot, and the other is extremely cold. An �island� straddles these two extremes and it is inhabited by a colony of humans and the planet�s original inhabitants, dragons. The two groups have formed a symbiotic relationship.

The team finds that the ship�s warp drive has been damaged by the ion storm and must be fixed. The needed parts to make the repairs is found in the remains of the human-manned ship that crashed on the planet. Th problem is that the ship is a holy relic to the humans, and the dragons will willingly protect it for them.

20. The Return of Mephistopheles (JH, JC, EB)

While enroute to a new assignment after picking up new crewmembers, NS 314 is pulled off course by Beth. The ship ends up at Zelradton, a planet in the Null Zone which is controlled by Count Mephistopheles.

Arton, the first officer, and Amondeen Reggick are made the guests of honor by Mephistopheles, who orders his guards to assault NS 314 in their absence. Beth is kidnapped, but not before the team is onto the plot and the group makes it back to the badly-damaged ship. Beth�s absence is not noticed until after the ship leaves Zelradton.

21. Threat of the Vampires (JH, JC, EB)

Rick Hoy receives orders from the vampires, who are about to launch an attack on Nexus. Hoy steals a shuttle and meets the vampires, who have commandeered a Nexus carrier. Arton is ordered to pursue and stop the vampires. This is done a little too well, thanks to the marksmanship of Amondeen Reggick.

22. The Final Conflict (JH, JC, EB)

The team receives orders to covertly extract Beth from the clutches of Mephistopheles, dead or alive. They manage to sneak into Mephistopheles� fortress on the planet Minos and free Beth before they are stopped by Mephistopheles, who is then attacked by Arton. As the party readies its escape, Beth and Mephistopheles fight. Mephistopheles loses the fight and his soul is imprisoned in a soul jar. His body is placed in suspended animation and is stored in the stasis room aboard NS 314. Beth falls into a coma and is also placed in the stasis room.

23. To Catch a Snake (JH, JC, EB)

On a five-day shore leave, the group unexpectedly draws up a large sum of debts, has a hard time getting management to listen to them, and an even harder time getting things sorted out. Once they do get to the bottom of the problem, they confront and kill Snake and Warmonger, who had masterminded the plot to bring financial ruin to the group.

24. Trafalastor (JH)

NS 314 makes an exploratory journey to the planet Puzzle and discovers a large ancient Precursor artifact, a crystalline AI unit. After a little research is conducted, Arton allows the artifact to be beamed aboard. The artifact then glows and begins to speak in an ancient language. It is taken to a science lab, where a crewman accidently drops it, but no damage is done as far as anyone can tell.

Arton later communicates with the crystal, and it convinces him that it would be able to pilot the ship. Arton allows the crystal to be hooked up to the engines.

Two days later, while on the way to the next destination, the ship is taken over by the crystal, which has gone insane. Arton uses psychology to get the crystal to release control of the ship. He then unhooks the crystal and is about to destroy it, but stops when he realizes that the crystal was not responsible for its insanity.

25. Standing Room Only (JH)

Arton is transferred to Nexus G Branch in time to battle Me Vrah, a highly destructive, mindless entity which was brought into Nexus because of a breakdown of the dimensional walls which occurs about every 200 years.

26. The Hunted (JH, JC, EB)

Arton is hunted by Syerion, a demon sent by Kralanoseth because of Arton�s recent involvement with G Branch.

27. Reunion (JH, BL)

NS 314 is thrown into the Prison Zone by accident and finally ends up in the world of the Horeseclans, where Arton meets his wife, who is later killed by a Ganik raiding party. Warmonger rejoins the party after being rescued from death and being rebuilt using cybernetics. Arton resigns from Nexus to remain with the Horseclans.

28. Doom's Day (JH, BL, JC, PB)

NS 314, after being sent to a desert world to bring a bureaucratic criminal to justice is taken over by Victor Vennon and chaos reigns as Vennon allows mobs to roam the ship, pillaging, murdering, and raping. Warmonger is killed when Vennon has him beamed up to the ship despite damage to the power systems. Dr Gray manages to escape with Beth (still comatose) after nearly being lynched by rape-crazed mobs. Other officers manage to escape, and NS 314 is left derelict in space. The survivors who followed Vennon are left stranded on the planet, where they set up a monk-like existence.

29. Interlude

A trial is held on Nexus. Beth is selected as one of the judges. Victor Vennon and Bartok are charged with numerous crimes, including murder, accessory to murder, rape, accessory to rape, negligence, dereliction of duty, endangerment of others, destruction of military property, and desertion. Both defendants are found guilty in absentia and the charges and sentence are widened to cover any others who followed Vennon and Bartok. They are sentenced to exile.

Arton returns from the Horseclans.

Thieves working for Mephistopheles break into the government repository and steal the soul jar containing Mephistopheles� soul. They then steal his body and open the jar. Thus Mephistopheles returns.