Thar be Whales!

by Kim and Allen Gould (tribble@oanet.com)

Meet George and Gracie – a pair of humpback whales, named after a famous 20th century comedy duo. They won't help you solve missions, and they're not going to get a place in your Hirogen smack-down deck. They can't even report to a normal outpost – you have to go back in time to get there.

But before you relegate our large friends to binder fodder...

Meet The Whale Probe. It may remind players of the classic Borg Ship dilemma, except that there's no escaping these effects – all ships, personnel, and facilities at its location are in stasis. No amount of Distortion of the Space/Time Continuums, Deanna Trois (FC), or Temporal Vortexes will let you dodge this dilemma. Speed decks will chafe at the one turn delay, while your mission stealing opponent will drool at a free chance at that big-point mission of yours.

So, let's take another look at George and Gracie, shall we? George will nullify The Whale Probe (keeping your ships and headquarters out of trouble), Gracie rewards you for your trouble with 15 easy points – all you have to do is bring them to the future.

That Temporal Vortex that didn't help against The Whale Probe will help you go back in time to the Cetacean Institute. The second time location for Earth is home to only two cards, but that's all you need. The time location even downloads our blubbery friends. Just pop back, beam them up, and laugh at your easy point grab, right?

Well... maybe.
 

Odds are your opponent will take exception to you having cheap and easy points, and since their combined STRENGTH is only 6, players may decide to send a stray K'Vort over to stick a Kar'takin into them, and ruin your carefully laid plans. Since you're already going back in time, you might as well pick up Dr. Gillian Taylor while you're there. Not only does she have actual misison-solving skills, she'll keep her charges safe from battles and stray random selections.

So, say good night, Gracie.

"Good night, Gracie."

March 28, 2002