actions – required – Required actions are usually indicated by “must” or “must do nothing but.” There are two types of required actions, moving and non-moving.
Moving required actions include Cytherians (you must travel to the end of the spaceline), Incoming Messages (you must return to an outpost), and Conundrum (you must target and “chase” a ship). Additional personnel and equipment may be brought aboard the ship by beaming, reporting (e.g., to a Borg Cube), or any other method that does not require the ship and crew to take an action such as docking. Personnel and equipment may not be removed from the ship by any means. The only other action the ship and crew may perform is moving. (“Ship must do nothing but...” means “ship and crew must do nothing but...”) It may not cloak, phase, or initiate battle, including a counter-attack (though it may return fire if attacked). The crew may not initiate battle against an intruder, but may defend themselves if attacked. The ship may not time travel to a time location, even with the intention of time-travelling to the end of the spaceline on the next turn (e.g., with Orb of Time). When a moving required action states that a ship must travel at “normal speed” or “full speed,” it means you must use all of its available RANGE each turn (assuming that the ship is staffed to move), including any automatic modifiers such as a Plasmadyne Relay aboard, even if this will place the ship at a hazard such as Gaps in Normal Space. You may stop at intermediate locations. You may use Lakanta’s or The Traveler’s skills, Where No One Has Gone Before, Wormholes, Transwarp Network Gateways, or other such means to shorten the travel. You are not required to do so. The ship can be affected by cards played on it or encountered on the spaceline, such as Wormholes, Gaps In Normal Space, etc.
Non-moving required actions include Samaritan Snare (you must attempt the mission, if Federation) and Conundrum after you reach the targeted ship (you must attack the ship). If a ship is targeted by a non-moving required action, you must perform that action as soon as possible, typically as your next action. Responses to that action (e.g., battle-related cards or Senior Staff Meeting) may be played. When your cards are required to take more than one action, you may choose the order in which to take those actions. For example, if your Federation ship affected by Cytherians is at Samaritan Snare, you may choose whether to move the ship (if you have available RANGE) or attempt the mission as your next action.
A ship under the influence of a required action remains under that influence after it is commandeered or assimilated; the new controller must complete the action.